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#the best choice probably would have been to have Emily end up alone but I understand why LMM didn't do it
batrachised · 1 year
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AU where Teddy moves away, goes to therapy, and realizes his mother wasn’t just clingy, she’s abusive. Sabotaging someone to keep them isnt love. You can be hurting and still held accountable for your actions. Their reactions to your boundaries are not your responsibility.
Teddy gets a job as a police sketch artist.
He comes back to the island to visit and starts getting Very Alarmed about Dean. He replays their childhood in his head with a new, adult perspective and sees it all click into place.
He talks to his therapist and his law enforcement contacts and realizes he can’t have actually have Dean arrested and that Emily might be too groomed to see what’s going on. After all it took him years himself and he’s removed from the situation and isn’t the target.
He talks to Aunt Elizabeth and Ilse and Perry and they make a plan. (Idk what specifically tbh)
Ultimately it will be up to Emily to leave but they’re gonna do what they can to give her the space and safety to start thinking more clearly about it.
Teddy carefully starts telling Emily what he learned about abuse and boundaries and keeps it all about him and his mother but hopes she’ll think about Dean.
He carefully asks questions and listens without giving her any specific advice unless she asks.
“Why do you feel you owe him? Do you feel that way about other people in your life?”
“It sounds like you feel responsible for his disappointment?”
I keep trying to find a way Teddy (or better yet - Emily) can have Dean arrested but I can’t come up with it.
Man Teddy could have been such a good character and he was just fully wasted. Emileddy even has interesting opposite-but-similar trauma in so many ways.
Lucy Maud didn’t even try with them. 😩
YOU UNDERSTAND MY PAIN ABOUT TEDDY KENT! Normally I try to avoid dunking on teddy because if you like him, great! don't let me spoil your fun! However, emily and teddy are my least favorite lmm pairing
Re: teddy's mom, I think that's something we see appear more than once in LM Montgomery's work--someone who is emotionally abusive or worse but legitimized through being presented as a tragic figure. Unfortunately no examples come to mind, but iirc her short stories can have that theme. An extreme example is the short story of the man who falls in love with a woman, she chooses to marry someone else and has a daughter, he helps raise the daughter, and then MARRIES THE DAUGHTER IN WHAT'S PRESENTED AS A FIX IT SCENARIO.
With Teddy, I honestly think the problem is that he doesn't balance out Emily well. Other LMM pairings go very well together in a satisfying contrast--Teddy doesn't. I still (yes, still) need to embark on my reread of the trilogy (Emily of New Moon is sitting on my dresser as I type), but although my memory could be deeply flawed and downright horrifically wrong (yes i'm still scarred about dean priest), I remember him being too similar to Emily, and more than that--being dull as dishwasher compared to all the other male characters, especially Perry!
Your ideas are very appealing because they make him protective of Emily haha, he needed something...more to his character. If I were writing Emily, although I do not pretend to have anywhere close to LMM's talent, I would probably just give her a love interest with an entirely different personality. What would that look like? I don't know! I do think that Teddy Kent was not a good foil to Emily Byrd Starr, and the book suffered for it (at least for me!)
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randomkposts · 2 months
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Thinking to do something with Fears, and the Until Dawn characters whose fears we know.
Did you know Chris and Emily both fear Failure?
--
Atychiphobia
Chris is scared of trying things. New things especially. A relationship with Ashley, it sounds nice, it really does, but what if it screws up what they have? Even if he thinks she might like him back, what if he's wrong, and she throws it back in his face. Laugh at him? What if it's all a prank? Ashley isn't a prankster by nature, but it's always the quiet ones that surprise you with this. 
So he doesn't say anything. 
He doesn't say anything even as fear coats his insides, as he is made to choose, and there is no one who can tell him he made the right choice, when the act of making the choice means his best friend is deadeaddead by his actions.  
He failed. The stakes are high enough that he is terrified of failing again. 
The night's choices only get harder. 
Atychiphobia
Emily can not fail. Not when she already has enough strikes against her. So she won't, plain and simple. She will be smart, pretty, rich, and bossy, even as she is a caring girlfriend. She is going to be the kind of person everyone wants to be through meticulous planning.
She wants a boy everyone else wants to have, good grades, her looks, her money. If it isn't falling into place, she will MAKE it fall into place through willpower alone. 
So she takes charge. 
She makes the decision to call for help when everyone else is losing their stupid heads. 
She decides they will go to the radio tower. 
She gets on the phone and convinces the people on the other end to send for help. 
Of course she's afraid. She covers for that with impatience. She doesn't have time for fear. 
When people let fear control them, they fail to get anything else done. So she can't be afraid. 
And when she finds herself upside down in the mines, she gets angry, and takes charge of the situation. 
After all, there is no one else to do it, and the price for failure here is death. The stakes are higher than they have ever been.  
There is no room for failure. 
---
Other known fears,
Ashley fears the dark
Mike fears isolation
Sam fears the supernatural
Well they certinaly faced their fears that night. Even preservered, if you so choose it.
I wonder if any of the others share a fear.. Maybe not, as it might have come up.
Still, lets take a guess
Going to look up common fears and most poupluar names of 1996. Jessica is second most common name, and on my google list fear of heights is second. Matt is second for boys name, but I'll go for the third and go for Arachnophobia. Hannah is seventh on the list, and so astraphobia, or fear of storms.
By this list, Josh's would be needles, but I think its far more likely that Josh shares a fear with Ashley or Mike, as those are both things Dr. Hill can make a point of bringing up in the second session, based on the players answers.
As a neat bonus, these are things that come up for fears in session 3, save heights. Of course, its probably a lot in that they are common fears, and the game is going to manditorally have heights in it anyways, it doesn't need to ask you that. Of course, I don't recall thunderstorms being a factor either, but I've never picked it, so maybe it does change something.
You notice I didn't mention Beth. Her name Elizabeth would be germaphobe, but I'm more inclined to think that Beth, like Josh, shares his fear with Ashley or Mike, so if Josh fears the dark, Beth fears Isolation and so forth. Tragically, his ending where he "lives" features both
Josh, alone in the dark mines. "I understand now Beth. This is terrifying."
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heidi891 · 11 months
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ML Season 5 Finale
It’s the show’s pattern that at the end of the season Marinette makes a mistake and must face the repercussions in the next season. She forgot to change back when meeting with Master Fu and she lost her mentor, and she had to deal with new responsibilities as a guardian with hardly any experience. She mistook Félix for Adrien and she lost the Miraculouses. What mistake has she made now?
She fought alone when she said that they should fight together when she was hiding in the kitchen. But what was she supposed to do? Although I totally understand that it would be great for Adrien to fight his own father, it’s already been established that when Adrien finds out his father is the villain in dramatic circumstances, it doesn’t end well. Adrien recognising his unstable state and giving up his powers was a sign of maturity. He also had the occasion to fight his father as Chat Noir and tell him off (S5 Representation). Of course it’s not nearly as satisfying as Gabriel knowing the truth about Chat Noir, but it’s also more in line with what the show has been telling us.
She trusted Gabriel. However, eventually it turned out OK. Gabriel was forced to listen to Emilie and chose to save Nathalie who died because of his actions. This wasn’t a selfless sacrifice, but it wasn’t a totally selfish action either. In that moment it was the best possible outcome, because he was dying anyway due to his own wrong choices.
Marinette lost the Butterfly Miraculous. I’d call it an accident, not a mistake, and you can’t really learn anything from an accident as opposed to mistake; but in the pessimistic variant this is her mistake and the consequence is Lila becoming a supervillain; Gabriel is “redeemed” and Adrien will never know the truth about his father.
Marinette lied about Gabriel dying a hero. I think that is the mistake that will have the greatest impact on season 6. What’s more, this mistake is related to Adrien (she doesn’t want to hurt him), just like her previous mistakes.
We can see signs that her mistake may have bad consequences in the future:
The scene with the shining, smirking statue (resembling Chloé’s statue) and Tomoe talking about continuing Gabriel’s legacy is rather disturbing. If it were Ms Bustier giving speech and the statue were less shiny and more serious, the scene would give less villanous impression. The statue is a clear, visible symbol of the lie.
During the kissing scene we can hear a little worrisome and sad theme. If it’s a happy ending, why is the soundtrack not happier? Marinette and Adrien seem very happy, but there’s the lie between them.
Also during the kissing scene we can see white butterflies flying around. It may look hopeful, because Monarch was defeated—but we also know that Nooroo is not free. That changes the idylic picture into something more sinister. Lila’s got a lot of information from Nathalie and the computer about Gabriel, Monarch and Miraculouses. She may reveal it in a villanous way to harm Ladybug and everybody else. She may pretend to be a new hero and accuse Ladybug of cooperating with Monarch. I hope we’ll be shown what Lila really wants and what she’s up to.
Adrien
Ladybug probably won’t tell Chat Noir about Monarch’s true identity to keep the secret safe. She may also convince Plagg not to say anything. Nathalie most likely will also stay silent not to reveal herself as the villanous Mayura. I think it will be Lila who will reveal that Gabriel was the villain. That will make Adrien realise that Nathalie and Ladybug haven’t told him the truth. He may feel betrayed, angry and resentful.
I hope we’ll see more angry Adrien. For a long time he tried to be a perfect son and in the last season he started to be more aggressive as Chat Noir. Learning to express more anger and frustration as Adrien, not as Chat Noir, would be much healthier than destroying the world with his superpowers. I hope that there won’t be too much Chat Blanc / Anti-Chat, because such plots aren’t really going anywhere, they only undermine Adrien’s ability to control himself and the future of Adrienette. In the last episodes Adrien grew up and managed to recognise that he shouldn’t transform in such an unstable state, so I hope he will continue to mature and be able to deal with terrible news without destroying everything. And if they’ll keep pushing the Chat Blanc narrative, then maybe Adrien shouldn’t be Chat Noir anymore, if he’s apparently that unstable, and maybe Gabriel was right all along, controlling his son so tightly.
Nonetheless I truly hope he will destroy that terrible statue.
Reveal?
I didn’t expect the reveal and I don’t think it’ll happen in season 6. Those few times we’ve already seen it, it turned bad, but maybe it can strengthen them with Gabriel gone, if they reveal themselves out of trust instead of it being forced by external circumstances or by Ladybug trying to control the situation.
The superheroes
Frankly speaking, I was sort of happy that at the beginning of season 5 Marinette had no additional Miraculouses and Ladybug and Chat Noir were again the only superheroes in Paris. I’m afraid that with so many superheroes season 6 will be rather chaotic.
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bananayoshimoto · 1 year
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(got a bunch of these sat in my inbox cause i also don't know how to answer them hElp so i'll try to pick some easy ones for you 😭😭) 3, 14, 20, & 23 for the ask game my darlinggg i love you!!! 💗💗💗
whfgshdkd i don't blame you honestly i mean maybeee i just had a spectacularly unspectacular year but these questions are HARD but i love the ones you chose hehe thank you my beloved 🧡🧡
3. favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year?
that is actually a very good question and not an easy choice but probably depeche mode and nct 127? despite spotify believe it or not telling me my listening personality is the early adopter ‘always seeking the next hot thing’ i don't think i went too far outside my comfort zone or discovered too many new artists this year..
14. favorite book you read this year?
oh my goooddddd so many this has been an excellent year for books and i will no doubt be posting a list of the best of the best before the year's out everyone please look forward to it but looking back there are two books that stand out especially and that i haven't stopped thinking about ever since reading them quite early in the year — no one writes back by eunjin jang and the three body problem (the whole trilogy, not just the first book) by cixin liu! but honorary mentions also include the dispossessed, emily wilson's translation of the odyssey, project hail mary, the snow child by eowyn ivey and many many many many others
20. what’s something you learned this year?
many things, i hope, but off the top of my head — that i like courgettes, that certain decisions are not my place to make, that working out can be fun, that sometimes it's better to simply exist and have fun and embrace all the different phases of my life no matter how transitory and accept that the people perceiving me at any given moment will always only see fragments of who i am and that is enough and i do not have anything to prove to them nor do i need to go out of my way to show them the full picture (nor would it be possible) and i also learned that the human heart has a far larger capacity to love than i previously thought possible and that with you by my side anything is possible but i believe i may have had an inkling of that already
23. if you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?
terribly cliche, but that it will get better with time and there will be moments of peace and overwhelming beauty and joy i never could have imagined waiting for me as well as a great many good books to read and a hand to hold every step of the way (yours btw!!) and that my destiny may not be up to me but how i choose to live it and what i make of every day is my choice and mine ALONE as long as i am willing to surrender my expectations of a life ‘worth living’ and find beauty in the small things in life and hold them close to my heart ❣️❣️❣️
end of the year asks!
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boldlyvoid · 3 years
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Wheels Up
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Characters: Spencer Reid, Reader (Y/N), Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Savannah Hayes, Emily Prentiss, Elle Greenaway, Tara Lewis, Jennifer Jareau, Matt Simmons, Luke Alvez
Summary: JJ goes on maternity leave, Spencer falls in love with her replacement that he's supposed to be mentoring, Emily Prentiss and Elle Greenaway work a case together that brings Simmons and Alvez in for help...
Warnings: Genius!Reader, mutual pining, idiots in love, drinking, star gazing, lots of fluff, mentions of past assault, grooming, drug addiction, spencer's trauma, Abductions, Rape, Murder (typical canon violence)
word count: 9.4K
a/n: this is for @starry-eyed-spence and @simmonsmilf CM fanfiction week, Day One: Favorite Character... only I couldn't pick just one.
To say Spencer fell in love at the least opportune time was a bit of an understatement. Everyone he’s ever come close to admitting his love to has either left him or died. Now he’s stuck with loving someone in secret, keeping it to himself and hoping that one day she’ll love him back.
He fell in love with a co-worker once again… which wasn’t the worst thing, office romances happen and it’s quite frankly all Rossi’s fault that they even had to worry about fraternization policies. The part that makes liking Y/N so difficult is that he’s supposed to be her mentor, he’s 5 years older than her, and if he was to ever make a move she would feel inclined to reciprocate in order to keep her job because that’s the unfortunate truth behind office relationships with significant differences in positions.
And worst of all… she doesn’t like him that way at all. She’s called him the brother she always needed, a best friend, the best mentor ever. She wasn’t interested in him in the slightest.
“And why would she be?” He’s said this to everyone who knew about his crush on her. “I’m old and boring and she’s so cool?”
But he didn’t get it. He didn’t understand that every time she asked him to hang back to help her file something, or when they would buddy up in hotel rooms to discuss cases all night and end up down some star trek rabbit hole instead, every time he talked to her she was falling in love with him right back.
It once again all circles back to Rossi, if it wasn’t for him, Spencer wouldn’t even know her. She wouldn’t have ever been introduced to the unit, he wouldn’t be attached to her at the hip and he probably wouldn’t be as happy as he is with her in his life. Even if she wasn’t his girlfriend.
He’ll never forget the day Rossi asked him to meet her, to help her settle in…
“Spencer, can I talk to you for a minute?” Rossi called him into his office.
He sighed, putting his book down and walking up the stairs to his office. He closed the door behind himself and smiled awkwardly, “what’s up?”
“Sit,” he gestures to the chairs in front of his desk, where Spencer pulls one out and proceeds to sit down, anxiously. “As you know, both Kate and JJ will be out of the field in the next few months to have their babies and we need to bring someone in to fill the void until they return, so I reached out to the academy to see if they have any up and coming Dr. Reid like agents that they could loan us.”
“Why?” Spencer laughs at the choice of words.
“Well, honestly, why get new 2 agents when we could have two Reid’s? JJ will be back after a month or 2, it’s better to have more brains than brawn.”
“So they found someone and you want me to be their chaperone?” Spencer clues in. “Who are they?”
“Y/N Y/L/N, she’s a wonderful agent, but she’s pretty quiet, I don’t know much about her personally.” Rossi prefaces. “She’s a genius, high IQ like yours and just a plethora of knowledge inside that mind of hers. You’ll like her.”
“Alright,” he nods. “When do they start?”
“When JJ’s water breaks, but I’d like you to meet them and maybe even have them shadow you for a day?” Rossi asks, “I’ve actually arranged for you both to get dinner at a friend's restaurant?”
“Is this an arranged date or purely business? Don’t send me in there blind,” he worries. “I need at least a week's prep before I go on a date again.”
“It’s not a date, kid,” Rossi laughs. “She's just a lot like you were when I met you, and I know from watching you all these years that it’s not easy to do it alone, so can you just walk them through it?”
“Of course.”
That first dinner Rossi set up for them was more exquisite than either of them prepared for.
They spent the whole night discussing dissertations and their independent journeys through becoming a genius. He understood perfectly why Rossi and the Academy would think she was a lot like him, she was a genius, but she was awkward. It took a while for her to break out of her shell and open up, but by the end of the night, he already knew they were going to be friends.
“So,” she smirks, “would you mind telling me honestly how hard this job is?”
“Why?”
She sighs, “I’ve heard a lot about Thee Doctor Reid and how you were the youngest hired to the BAU and all the shit you’ve been through.”
“What are the rumours these days?” He awkwardly smiles back, rolling his eyes slightly.
“That you were brain dead in a cemetery from an overdose and yet you’re so smart you came back from the dead to kill the unsub and escape…” she looks more and more disappointed in the rumour as she tells it.
His tongue hits the roof of his mouth as he opens it to speak, making a tsk noise as he shakes his head. “Well, I did OD but it was the unsubs main personality that resuscitated me.”
“Holy shit,” she whispers.
He nods, “what about you? I’m sure you have a reputation based on a rumour?”
She presses her lips together the way he always did, just as awkward. She sighs, huffing the air out of her nose and looking fed up. “I was groomed and assaulted by an older boy who then told kids I had a stalkerish crush on him so if I was to ever tell anyone what happened, then no one would believe me.”
“I’m so sorry,” Spencer knows the words don’t make up for what happened. “I’m guessing that’s why you wanted to get into profiling?”
She nods, “I got away with some PTSD and trust issues, most girls go through much worse… they deserve someone who gets it to look into their cases.”
Spencer nods. “That’s how I felt after my kidnapping too. It took a while for me to look at crime scene photos and not think about how they felt, and wonder why I lived when so many die?”
“I’ve never been a religious person,” she prefaces. “But I do believe we are here for a reason. Whether you choseto be here after your last life or this is some learning opportunity, or God is actually real? And you’re supposed to do good.”
“In narcotics anonymous, they reference god a lot, it’s helpful for the addicts, but I never get into it,” he opens up with her more than he’s ever opened up with any friend. “If my Devine purpose is to suffer in order to relate to those I’m supposed to help that’s a load of bullshit… honestly, I can get pretty angry thinking about why I’ve gone through what I’ve gone through doing this job, but it’s not as bad as what happened to me growing up, and it leads me to believe that I probably wouldn’t have had an easy time no matter how I live.”
She nods, “I know, I get that.”
“Sorry,” he snaps out of it. “I didn’t mean to trauma dump on you.”
“It’s exactly what I asked for actually,” she reminds him with a soft smile. “If you can still come to work every day, after all that, you must be incredibly strong— and if I’m anything like you the way people say I am, I guess I can do it too.”
He had no idea she would end up being his best friend.
She shadowed him just once in the office, picked up everything right off the bat and immediately made a name for herself in the unit. Derek tried multiple names on her before one stuck, and they knew it stuck when even Hotch called her Baby Genius.
She brought a different knowledge base to the team, similar to Spencers but visibly younger. She fit in with the crowds of kids they had to interview, she understood why kids reacted the way they did to trauma and abuse, and she was still a kid at heart. It was the reason Spencer fell for her.
She allowed him to feel free again. They went out together outside of work, going to events he always wanted to go to with a partner but never had a chance. She loved all the same things as him, and she takes him to places he’d never imagine enjoying before her.
Like laser tag… that was an afternoon he’ll never forget with her.
When JJ went into labour, that’s when Y/N started full time and Hotch hired Tara Lewis in the same week. The team barely had time to adjust to being undermanned before they were restocked.
Joining Spencer every morning for every case, she waited out front of her apartment for him to pick her up most mornings, sticking to his side throughout the long days and nights until he drove her home again. Even at work, they were partnered up for everything: heading to the M.E. together, bouncing facts back and forth at the precinct, playing good cop bad cop with perverts, and her personal favourite… Making the geoprofile.
And Spencer liked doing that part with her as well. Because it typically meant they were completely alone in a room, spreading out a map and leaning in close to each other as they placed every sticker and marker. Brushing hands, bumping shoulders, longing glances as they made connections… he also just liked to watch her hands move.
She was delicate and careful and precise… and he was falling in love with everything about her as the days went by.
Everyone on the team had noticed. It was really hard not to when they’ve all known Spencer for almost 11 years now. He was so different with her in his life, he was happy and giddy and dressing even better than before. His hair was perfect and he was glued to Y/N’s side. Or she was glued to his.
Even though they were mentally similar, physically they were polar opposites. Y/N wore all black and was a lot more outgoing than they expected. Rossi thought she’d be quiet… But she was constantly talking. To Spencer, to other officers, to witnesses, she never stopped talking and starting conversations, and thank god she did because she’s cracked 4 cases that way.
The biggest surprise the team learned about her happened on a case in Florida, a shooting in a local park in broad daylight with lots of witnesses meant the whole team was on the boardwalk asking questions. She went out to do her thing, talking to the local skaters, asking them if they knew anything but they didn’t want to cooperate.
They were too cool for the feds.
“Can I see your board?” She asks, “if I do some tricks will you answer some questions for me and Doctor Reid?”
“Knock yourself out,” one of the boys laughs as he hands her his board.
She hands Spencer her gun and shoots him a wink before taking off to do a few tricks. The whole team watches in awe then as Y/N showed off. Cruising along the halfpipe effortlessly like she was a professional.
“Okay Tony Hawk,” Morgan teases her, “where did that come from?”
“Skateboarding is easy, it’s just physics,” she shrugs. “I can figure skate too…”
“What do you want to know?” The boy takes his board back. “We always see some sketchy guys around here.”
Morgan pats Y/N on the back with a smile, applauding her ability to get anyone to open up before leaving her to take the statement.
“Agent?” One of the girls pulls her aside just before they are about to leave, “how did you do that kickflip? I’ve been trying to learn and the boys won't help me.”
“Sure thing,” she takes the girl's board and demonstrates a kickflip first.
“So, you see as I start the kickflip I bend my knees?” She shows her another kickflip all while explaining it. “Much like the with an ollie, I’m building pressure so I can apply it to the tail, making the board pop. The one thing that makes this trick different from the ollie is that instead of sliding my foot up, I just flick my toe out to the right of the board, by doing this, the board flips in a 360-degree motion.
She demonstrates again and it’s another flawless kickflip, and a huge smile on her face as Spencer watches her.
“How fast the board spins depends on how much force I put into it when I flick it out. As soon as the board flips in a full 360, your feet should connect and drive the board back to the ground.”
She hands the board back to the girl, “your turn.”
She takes a deep breath and shakes her nerves out before taking off on her board, looping around and carefully bending her knees, she follows every step and it’s a flawless kickflip.
“Flawless!!” Y/N claps. “Those boys better watch out, you’re a natural.”
“Thank you,” she wraps her arms around Y/N and gives her a hug, “it’s taken me so long to be able to do that, you’re so cool.”
“You’re welcome,” she smiles. “Good luck out there.”
She waves as she takes off on her board, leaving Y/N with a smile as she turns to Spencer. “I miss being that age and thinking everything is so cool.”
“You are really cool,” he agrees. Smiling softly as a blush fills his cheeks. “You’re always surprising me. Is there anything you can’t do?”
She laughs, “yeah the one thing I want to do the most.”
“Which is?”
She sighs, “maybe I’ll tell you someday.”
He’s sitting beside Penelope and Savannah, watching Derek and Y/N get drinks for what’s left of the group as the night drags on.
“When are you going to tell her?” Savannah asks.
“What?” Spencer pretends he doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
“You have a crush on the new girl…” she pokes his cheek as he blushes and gives it away. “Tell her, what’s the worst that can happen?”
“She could feel forced to say yes because I’m a supervisory special agent and she isn’t and she wants to keep her job so she feels like she needs to,” Spencer worries. “I want her to like me back because she fell for me and I want her to initiate it because then I’ll know it’s not just a power dynamic issue.”
“Have you tried asking her, genius?” Penelope teases. “Because if you asked her then you’d know she has a crush on you and she’s afraid you’ll turn her down because you’re an SSA and she isn’t.”
“When did you hear that?”
Penelope pretends to lock up her lips and throw away the key, making Savannah laugh loud enough to get Derek's attention at the bar. When he and Y/N return, that’s when the questions start.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” Spencer gets up and leaves the booth, walking out towards the smokers' exit at the back of the bar, getting a moment of semi-fresh air to think about what Penelope said.
“Spence?” She calls to him from the door, “are you okay? Can I come out here?”
“Yeah,” he nods. “Sorry, I needed some air, it’s nothing.”
“Do you need a hug? I read it helps the most when people are stressed out,” she plays it off with a shrug.
“So you do have a crush on me?”
“She told you?” Her face lights with fury, “what the fuck, Penelope?”
“She didn’t mean to,” he tries to cover it up. “It was only brought up because I have feelings for you as well.”
Her eyes widen, her brows raise and her mouth slowly opens as she freezes.
“Y/N?”
She blinks a few times and shakes her head, “impossible. There’s no way.”
He laughs, “I’ll take that hug now?”
She lunges for him and wraps her arms around him so tight. Breathing him in, her hands wander his back as she takes in every second if it and he does the same. He can’t believe she’s that close to him, her hair smells nice and she’s so soft in his arms.
It’s quiet outside, they can hear the music behind the door, the people in the ally talking and the crickets in the night. It’s just them outside, holding each other in the smoking section with smiles on their faces, amazed that it’s finally happening.
“Can we keep this between us?” She whispers into his ear. “Just for a bit? I don’t want to go through all the paperwork and have to separate in the field if it doesn’t work out?”
“Wait,” Spencer pulls back. “Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?”
She nods, “well yeah isn’t that what happens when two people have a mutual crush? They date?”
“Okay,” he smiles, staring at her lips and then flicking his gaze back to hers with a blush. “I have more than a crush on you, I really, really like you.”
“Prove it,” she teases, “let's go on a real date soon?”
“You know what, let’s get out of here. I have something I want to show you,” he takes her hand and waits for her to nod.
“Take my lead okay? You don’t feel good and you’re going to wait outside while I say goodbye,” she has a plan right away
“After you,” he holds the door open for her and lets her inside first.
“I’m taking Spencer home, he’s not doing well,” she’s a much better actress than Spencer expected, patting his back and watching him leave the bar before her like she asked him to do. “He’s really anxious?”
Penelope looks worried, “oh no, I fucked up. I told him you like him.”
She just shrugs, “if he didn’t know that already then I guess he’s not as smart as he pretends to be.”
“See,” Derek looks at Savannah. “I told you everyone else also thinks he’s faking being that smart.”
“Shut up,” she shoves him and turns her attention back to Y/N. “Go make him feel better, he’ll like your company.”
“I’ll see you guys at work on Monday,” she waves them goodbye, surprised they bought it as she rushes her way back outside to Spencer.
He’s already in his car, engine running and waiting for her with a smile. “Come on,” he hurries her inside and is taking off down the road before she even has her seatbelt on yet.
“What’s the rush, Spence? It’s only 1 in the morning I’m sure tones of places are open still?” She teases.
“You’re going to like this, I used to go here all the time when I started with the bureau,” he explains, leaving the main road to take a back root, and eventually they’re driving on gravel.
“If you’re taking me here to murder me this is a dumb way to do it because they all know I left with you,” she teases. “At least when you go to get rid of me, do yourself a favour and dig 6 one-foot holes instead of one 6 foot hole…”
He laughs, “would you really give your murderer tips?”
She nods, “my goal would be to piss him off so much he either lets me go or murders me quickly. I don’t want to go through all the pain.”
“It’s not fun, that’s for sure,” he shrugs it off but she knows it hits too hard.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, reaching her hand out for his to hold by the gear shift. “I think you’re like the strongest guy in the world, you know that, right?”
“Why?” He asks as if that's a preposterous thing to say.
“I think if I got kidnapped and tortured at 24 I wouldn’t still be working in the FBI,” she admits. “I barely made it through the academy, I know this job is intense but I don’t think I could handle being in that situation.”
“If it’s up to me,” Spencer squeezes her hand tighter and brings it to his lips for a kiss. “You’ll never experience anything like that.”
He’s so good at making her feel safe that she almost believes he has the power to do that. He would do anything and everything to move fate for her safety.
He turns down another back road then, around the edge of a lake and towards a clearing. He follows old tire tracks and parks by the dock. “I found this spot one night on a random drive to clear my head.”
“I thought you hated driving?” She quizzes him.
He shrugs, “I like to drive at night when no one else is on the road because then I don’t really have to worry about anyone else. I hate driving because I can’t always anticipate other drivers' movements. If I could read minds, then I’d drive more.”
“Valid,” she nods, “now why is this such a special spot that you needed to show me right away?”
“Well, I have a telescope and it’s been in my trunk for the last 13 years so that every time I come here, I can look up at the moon…”
“You brought me here to look at the moon with you?” She swoons, “that’s so cute.”
“You think?” He looks like his heart is doing the same swelling as hers.
She gets out of the car before she can lean over and kiss him the way she wants to. In his trunk, he does have a telescope, and a blanket, which they set out on the dock and sit upon.
The sound of the lake, the loons in the distance, frogs and crickets and music travelling from somewhere down the lake. The moon was big, the stars were amazing, and this was the closest she has ever seen them. It's amazing, and of course, it was Spencer showing her everything.
He was everything to her.
And it didn’t take long for him to become everything to her either.
Joining the BAU was a dream to many at the academy, but Y/N never thought that she would get the job, overjoyed that she did. They were a family unit; they got the job done, they protected each other, and it was a wonderful environment to be a part of. She obviously liked Spencer the most out of everyone. He took her in, he made her feel comfortable and safe and she opened up more with him than she has with anyone she’s labelled a “best friend” in the past.
She liked everything about him. The way he talked with his hands, how his sweater, vest, shirt and tie always match, his gun looks a little out of place on his belt, like it’s too big for him, but it’s cute. His hair’s been getting longer too, sometimes he wears glasses and sometimes if she’s lucky, he doesn’t shave every day.
She can’t take her eyes off him when he’s busy and won't notice, just to then move her focus away when he stared at her. She only wishes she could see the way he stares at her in awe, because if it’s anything like how she looks at him, he must love her.
She keeps her hand in his, trading the telescope back and forth in turns, her face was close to his every time they switched and she kept getting bolder with each exchange. Letting Spencer look, she kept her face close to his, kissing his cheek softly as soon as he was busy peering up at the moon.
He turned to her with a gasp, “what was that for?”
“You’re cute,” she shrugs. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while.”
“How long?” He teases, leaning in closer and kissing her nose to make her laugh.
“Since you dropped me off at my house after that first dinner…”
“So this is me,” she nods out the window, “thank you for the ride, I appreciate not having to be in an Uber all by myself.”
“Anytime you need a ride, you can give me a call?” He asks. “Seeing as we’ll be going to the same place anyway.”
She nods with a smile, “I’d love that, do you live close to here?”
“Just up the street,” he nods. “So we could carpool?”
“I can drive some days if you want?” She asks, “I know you mostly take the subway, and I know that because I’ve seen you reading on there before.”
He can’t help but smile, “so you never thought to say hello?”
“No,” she shakes her head, “you looked peaceful, and I’m sure you don’t get many moments like that in your line of work.”
He sighed, knowing she was right. “If it ever gets to be too much for you, please never feel like you have to pretend to be okay? None of us expect you to be stone cold, none of us are either. The job gets to us, just tell me if it gets to be too much?”
She looks from his lips back to his eyes and over again, “thanks, Spencer.”
He does the same to her, “anytime. Should I walk you to your door?”
She shakes her head, “that’s okay you’ve done enough for me tonight.”
“Fair enough,” he laughs. “Have a good night Y/N.”
“You too, Spencer,” she smiles before she exits his car, smiling at him from her porch before he drives away.
“So it’s been mutual this whole time?” He shakes his head at the absurdity. “I’ve been so lonely for so long and then I found you and you make me feel like I don’t need to be alone anymore.”
“You complete me too,” she makes one more comment before connecting their lips.
It’s like the world stops then. It’s silent and serene and everything she thought kissing Spencer Reid would be.
She pulls back with a smirk, “oh no.”
“What?” He worries.
“I’m going to want to kiss you all the time now…”
“Good,” he mumbles the words against her lips before reconnecting them.
At work on Monday, it’s very hard for them to look at each other without remembering that they’ve kissed. Spencer’s practically glowing with admiration for her that he gives it all away. He’s overly happy, offering to do things for others, standing way too close to her and bringing her coffee all morning.
“Okay, pretty boy,” Derek takes him by the scruff of the neck and redirects him into his office. “What’s going on with you today, I know you’re not this happy for JJ’s return?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you get laid or something?”
Spencer laughs, “no, you know I don’t get laid. You actually remind me of that fact quite often.”
“You’re so happy I’m worried you’ve moved to crack,” he says it. “Okay, you were acting weird on Friday, you missed brunch on Sunday and now you’re waaay too happy.”
“I’m not on drugs again,” Spencer assures him. “I’m just letting myself enjoy my time with Y/N, if she falls in love with me in the meantime that would also be nice.”
“Oh, so you’re doing this to get laid,” Derek teases him again. “That’s good, I’m sorry if I triggered you by asking, but I had to make sure you’re okay.”
“No, no,” he places his hands on Derek's shoulders, “thank you for caring.”
“Always—“
“Guys!” They hear Hotch yelling from the bullpen, cutting the tender moment short, saving Spencer from spilling the truth.
Rushing back, he sits beside Y/N at the briefing room table. “We have a bad one,” Emily Prentiss of all people walks in the door, followed by Elle Greenaway.
“We’ll have time to mingle in a minute, right now there is a woman who needs our help,” he announces.
Spencer quickly reads over the case files, recognizing Elles handwritten notes, she was a private investigator now. “With Penelope’s help, I’ve been able to set up alerts in College chatrooms in the area so that I can help to missing and assaulted women right away.”
“She’s alerted when someone reports a missing woman and she has advertisements for people to reach out to her for help,” Penelope explained.
“I’ve been working on these cases for the last 9 years,” Elle announces. “This morning Aasia Desai called me saying her sister Bahni never showed up for lunch and it’s not like her, we know she went clubbing last night and so far Penelope’s tracked her down an ally and then she’s gone.”
“Her parents are British diplomats so Interpol has asked me to join, luckily I was just in Ontario so it was a short trip over,” Emily adds. “JJ will be here in half an hour for her first day back, and we will celebrate when we can, but I see we have some new faces here?”
“Special Agent Y/N Y/L/N,” she waves, still glued to Spencer’s side. “I’ve heard a lot about you both from Doctor Reid.”
“Doctor Tara Lewis,” she stands and shakes Emily’s hand, and then Elles.
“So it says here that the first missing case was in 2006 just after you left the BAU?” Spencer changes the subject before anyone can pry into why he would be telling her about the women who worked there before her.
“I did,” Elle nods. “I was too late for her, by the time her parents realized she was missing and called me in the case was cold. I started this as a way to get ahead of it.”
“How long has she been missing?” Tara asks.
“She was last seen at 1:07 this morning,” Elle confirms. “We have 25 hours, maybe, to beat the odds.”
“Reid,” Hotch cuts in, “I would like you and Elle to go check out the street she was last seen on, find any private cameras or anyone who might have seen something.”
He turns to Y/N who just shrugs in silence; “it’s fine.”
“Tara and Derek, I’d like you to interview Aasia when she and JJ get here, Garcia can you do a deep dive into Bahni’s spending and academic records?”
“Sure thing,” she starts clicking away on her computer immediately.
“And Y/N,” Elle looks at her. “I need you to go over the footage of the man who followed her to the alley and get familiar with his face. We’re using you as the face of the investigation to hopefully draw the unsub out.”
“How would she be able to do that alone?” Spencer gets defensive, a way he used to with JJ when she was the media liaison.
“If she goes on the news and makes Bahni seem like a person while describing the unsub as someone who can help solve the case, it will draw him out,” Emily explains for Hotch, who is glaring at Spencer for second-guessing the plan already.
“And she’s college-age,” Elle adds. “If that’s who he’s been going after all this time he will want to come in and talk IF he can talk to her.”
She places her hand on his leg under the table, “it’s a good plan.”
“It is,” Hotch agrees.
“What do you not have a saying to replace wheels up when they stay in town?” Elle teases him.
“Wheels away?” Emily joins her, “that works?”
“just get to work,” Hotch tries not to smirk at them.
Spencer stands up to leave with Elle, “can I just talk to Spencer before he leaves?” She carefully asks Hotch.
“Make it quick,” he agrees reluctantly and lets her follow him down to his desk.
Spencer rests his hands on the back of his desk chair, holding it tightly in an attempt to calm himself down.
“I’m going to be fine,” she assures him. “I don’t think the guy on the tape took her, we’d see him leave if he did.”
“Unless he lives in the alley,” Spencer combats. “Can you ask Penelope to do a background check on all the cars coming in and out of the campus and that street between midnight at 2 am?”
She nods, placing her hand on his gently. “Good luck out there, okay?”
He nods, “it’s been 2 days they’re going to know by the end of the week.”
She laughs, “so be it.”
He says fuck it right then and there, wrapping her up in a hug and kissing the top of her head as the team watches in the briefing room. “I’ll see you later.”
“Yes you will,” she smacks his side as he lets her go. “If you’re going to make a scene at least give me a real kiss.”
“Hmm,” he teases. “No cause then I’d have to sign some paperwork and I’ve got to go…” he starts to back away.
“Coward,” she teases.
He just shrugs, meeting Elle by the door and heading towards the elevators in silence.
She doesn’t ask, not even when they get to the garage or inside the SUV. They’re driving down the road for maybe 2 minutes when Elle finally brings it up. “So—”
“What do you want to know?”
“It's that easy now? What happened to you?” She teases. “You’re so different from the baby Spence I left.”
“Well you missed my drug problem, my dad being a possible child molester, getting shot in the knee, getting shot in the neck, my girlfriend dying, and now my mom might have Alzheimer's so you know… I had to grow up a bit,” he lays it all out for her to ask any question she wants.
“Why don’t you ever call me? I would have been there for you through anything,” she reminds him.
“I know that,” he reaches over for her hand, “thank you. But I was a big fan of suffering in silence… and now I have Y/N and she makes me feel normal?”
“That’s good, you deserve some fraction of normal in your life and she’s really cute,” Elle smiles back at him before returning her focus to the road. “How old is she?”
“27,” he smiles. “She’s the best.”
“You love her,” Elle notices it.
He presses his lips together to fend off a smile as he nods, “I think I do.”
“Tell her, you deserve to hear that someone loves you back.”
She’s anxiously tapping her foot as she waits for the elevator to arrive with the suspect, Rossi standing just behind her. Only 15 minutes after being on the news, the man that was in the security footage contacted them. Making his way over for a voluntary interview.
He looks Y/N up and down with a smile, “I heard you were looking for me.”
“I sure was,” she plays along with it, smiling and making him think she’s interested as well. “I knew you’d get the message, we just need all the help we can get right now.”
“Of course,” he has his ego stroked so well that they can roll with it.
“Would you mind coming with me and Agent Rossi to talk about everything you saw?” She batts her lashes at him, really selling it.
“Sure,” he follows them down the hall.
Rossi opens the door and lets them in first, letting her get him settled and a glass of water. “So you can tell me everything from that night?”
“Sure,” he nods, explaining his taxi job, his run for the night and his alibi.
“So why did you step back into the doorway?” She asks as she sits in front of him. Straight-faced as she catches him off guard.
“Excuse me?”
“You stepped out of the way to let her pass and then followed her, she made no motion to say she wanted your services, so I’m just wondering why you would follow her before she disappeared?”
“Huh,” he suddenly feels played and his personality switches. “I thought this was just a chat?”
“I’m simply asking you questions? If you don’t have answers that makes you suspicious. An innocent person would have given me an answer,” she fights back.
“She’s right, you got very defensive very fast,” Rossi finally speaks up.
He shakes his head with a huff. “I was going to ask if she needed a ride, she looked pretty messed up. And then some guy came over and wrapped his arm around her and they walked off. They seemed to know one another. I thought she was safe in his hands.”
Only his tone doesn’t match the words. He sounds jealous— It’s not like she would have been a large tab, he wasn’t jealous because he lost a customer. No, he’s jealous like someone stepped in and prevented him from snatching an easy victim.
“Fair enough,” she pretends to believe him. “Thank you for your cooperation.”
“I can go now?” He changes right back to confused.
She nods, “I’ll escort you down if you’d like?”
“Thanks,” he stands and follows her to the door where Rossi stops her.
“Are you sure?”
She nods, “I’ll be back up shortly.”
She catches up with him by the elevators, “did you have to drive far to get here?” She makes small talk.
“Not really,” he shakes it off. “I like your necklace.”
She touches her necklace and her face drops, “thanks.”
“Necklaces are my favourite.”
“You don’t wear any?” She notices in the form of a question.
He shakes his head as the elevator opens at the ground level. “I think they’re nice gifts.”
She nods along, pretending that didn’t set off every ret alert and alarm in her mind, “well here you are. Thanks again for all the help.”
“No problem,” he goes to leave, turning to stop and block the doors from closing. “If you want, later tonight I can show you everything I saw at the alley?”
“Yeah, sure,” she agrees with no plan to go.
“8 pm? At Cafe Linda?”
“See you then,” she agrees and he steps back letting the door close and then she loses her cool.
Feverishly smashing the floor 6 button, and begging to make it back up to Hotch to tell him everything. But she also just wants to cry but she holds it in as she makes it to their floor matching past Rossi and right into the briefing room.
“He may not be our unsub but that man is a creep,” she announces. “He not only complimented my necklace but he asked me to come to the alley tonight so he can walk me through what he saw.”
“You’re not going,” Hotch announces.
“I didn’t plan to,” she snaps. “I think we need to look into him because he’s either giving little girls necklaces to keep them quiet or he’s taking necklaces after he kills women.”
“Kathy’s parents said she was in a necklace when she went missing,” Emily adds. “His connection to this case and being at NYU right before she went missing gives us enough probable cause for a search warrant.”
Hotch sighs, “fine. I’ll call a judge, you and Y/N can go and search his place.”
“So shouldn’t we arrest him before he leaves the building?” Morgan asks.
“He’s still in the garage, I’ve let the security know to stop him and arrest him at the gate,” Garcia adds, listening in and planning in advance.
“Thank you,” Hotch smiles at her, “you’re always reading my mind.”
Garcia smiles back at him, “always, sir.”
“Okay, let’s go,” she looks at Emily and waiting for her to turn to leave the room.
“Let’s,” she motions for Y/N to take the lead and follows.
The drive to his house is so weird… she doesn’t quite know how to talk to Emily, knowing only slightly about her and her knowing nothing about Y/N.
“So how long have you and Spencer been dating?” Her first question just gets right to the point.
She laughs awkwardly, “3 days…”
“Oh…”
She hums as she nods along, looking out the window and avoiding Emily’s eye contact. “It’s new, we’re both pretty infatuated with each other but we’re taking it slower than most people because I’m afraid to let my feelings change how I do the job.”
“Makes sense,” Emily replies. Her voice is so sweet, she has an aura of calm that follows her and lets Y/N feel safe. She gets why Spencer said she was his best friend on the team before her.
“The necklace comment… why did it make you so wary of this guy?”
“When I was in middle school a guy gave me a necklace while he was grooming me,” she whispers. Looking out the window and pretending it doesn’t bother her now. “It’s fine, I don’t have it anymore, but I knew this guy had that same vibe.”
Emily put her hand out, letting Y/N interlock their fingers and hold it. “I know I just met you, but you’re family now. I’m here if you’re ever suddenly not fine with it anymore…”
“Thanks,” she smiles. “Let’s get this fucker.”
By the time the warrant went through, Spencer and Elle had joined them to search the first suspect's house while Emily left to help the rest of the team with suspect two. Tracking all the license plates in the area like Spencer suggested lead them to a Chinese food delivery driver in the area.
That didn’t stop Y/N from destroying her suspect's house. They tore the house apart, searching every nook and cranny for any answer that would make sense. She was tempted to lift the floorboards up, call in SCSI to run ground-penetrating radar and search the fucking walls if they had to.
But then she found it.
A small metal box in the laundry room contained some tools and when she lifted up the fake bottom, she found 5 necklaces.
“Elle!!” She yelled through the house.
They both came running down the hall to her, “is this Kathy’s necklace?”
“Oh my god,” she whispered with a nod.
“I want to kill this guy,” she mumbles under her breath as she places the necklaces back in the box and closes it up.
“Spencer doesn’t need another girl he has a crush on to murder someone and get kicked out of the bureau,” Elle teases.
“What?” Y/N asks.
“Way to go,” Spencer nudges her.
Y/N stands up with the box and slides it into a large evidence bag before taping it up. “I guess he has a type then.”
“I don’t,” Spencer tries to cover up. “I mean, if I do then it’s people who are nice to me…”
She smiles at him, unable to even pretend to be jealous or mad. “It’s hard to be mean to you when you’re so cute.”
“Ew,” Elle announces her disgust as she leaves the room.
“Let’s get out of here before I end up kissing you in a murderer's laundry room,” Spencer teases, taking her hand and leading her out of the house as the rest of the forensics team takes over the bagging of evidence.
“Guys,” Elle rushes back to them with her phone pressed to her ear. “We have a bigger problem than we thought with Bahni.”
They rush into the SUV, putting the team on the speaker to hear the most unthinkable. “So I did what Y/N suggested and searched every single driver coming in and off-campus and the last street she was seen on,” Penelope explains back. “And I came across a man who was delivering Chinese food under the name Tom Larson… and it’s ironic his name is tom because he has a plethora of peeping offences and general creepiness alongside a metric shit-ton of abuse from his dad and dead mother.”
“Okay?” Elle follows.
“Tom Larson lives near Bahni,” Emily explains, “I was just at his house where I found him and his father had been murdered.”
“So we have not 1 but 3 creeps in this case, and none of them are who took Bahni?” Spencer rubs his eyes. “Please tell me we know who was in Tom’s car last night.”
“That’s where it gets tricky,” Penelope says with the doles tones of keys clicking behind her words. “We were just contacted by the fugitive Taskforce because they believe one of the murderers they’ve been tracking took Bahni… but he has ties to a much larger scale global sex trafficking ring.”
Elle flies through the streets with their lights on, pulling back into headquarters and right up to the security check. “So who is this guy?”
“Once you get back up here, Agent Simmons and Alvez will explain everything,” Hotch confirms. “I’m taking Derek to see Cruze, we need to tell him what’s going on.”
“Sounds good,” Elle hangs up and throws the SUV in park.
Y/N hesitates, staying put and taking a few breaths as Spencer watches. Elle’s left the car and is already on her way to the elevator. “What’s wrong?”
“Can I just have a hug real quick?”
“Yeah,” he wraps his arms around her and holds her close. “Are you okay?”
She nods against him, “yeah it’s just good to have at least 8 hugs a day.”
“Hug me whenever you need to,” he whispers against her hair, kissing the side of her head before she pulls back.
“Kisses are helpful too?”
He smiles, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers, mumbling against them, “how many?”
She hums, “10?”
He pecks her lips 10 times and counts each one, making her giggle, it takes so much effort to hold her smile back to keep kissing him but she feels much better.
“Thank you,” she beams and she can swear Spencer's eyes sparkle as he smiles back.
She pulls him into another hug, “I hate that we have to go catch a killer right now.”
“Come on then, as soon as we get him we can go on another date somewhere?”
She shakes her head, “after this case I think we should take a nap together… I’m exhausted and I don’t want to let you go.”
Spencer shakes his head in amazement, “you really like me?”
“Yeah, maybe I do,” she teases him. “You should get used to it because it’s only going to get more intense and I will smother you with love.”
He just shrugs, “it’s about time—“
They’re startled with a knock on the window, “we get it you’re in love, can we go now?”
“Sorry!” Y/N calls back with a giggle, pulling him in for one last kiss before getting out. Spencer follows with a deep blush that everyone will see when they get back upstairs, but it looks cute on him.
Luke Alvez has been trying to catch one criminal for the last 2 years. Simon Garrett has been a pain in the ass for the FBI, the CIA and DEA. He first showed up on their radar when his DNA was found on 14 women’s remains, all of who had been missing for at least 5 years.
His DNA was then traced to his son in the foster system, who’s been off the radar for the last 10 years. Everette Garrett.
“Now he’s interesting because I’ve been investigating his sex trafficking ring between Canada and the United States,” Matt adds. “All 14 women his father's DNA was found on were thought to be in his ring, which means when they get too old he hands them to his father to take care of.”
Y/N shakes her head as she listens, “so if you’ve been looking for them for this long what makes you think we can find them in time to save Bahni?”
“We’ve been tracking him for a while, we knew that he had a new girl on his radar and when we heard it was Bahni Desai we knew it was time to get you guys,” Matt explains.
“So far we know that she has to be taken to this warehouse in Alexandria before she goes any further, we’re going to intercept them before they make it to the warehouse and then use their car to gain access to take the whole thing down,” Luke rolls out a map of the facility then.
“We need to have the place surrounded for any runners, SWAT is getting prepped, we’re going tonight at 3 am,” Matt adds. “Morgan, Hotch, Prentiss, Alvez and Myself will be running a team at each of the 5 exits. Once inside, each team's swat unit will deploy gas to carefully knock everyone out, from there we need someone to cuff everyone at least until we know who is a victim and who is working there.”
“We’re taking everyone alive?” Spencer makes sure he hears them right.
“We need to know what the step after this warehouse is if we want to rescue more victims,” Luke’s voice is gentle yet stern as he explains. “I’ve seen this man take too many women from good homes and ruin their lives, I’m not letting him slip out of my fingers.”
“We’ve had this planned for months, we just needed to wait for the next confirmed drop-off.”
“Who’s driving?” Y/N asks, having a feeling it was her and Spencer.
“He’s Reids age,” Hotch announces from the door as he walks in with Cruze, “so we’ll replace Everette with Reid and Bahni with Y/L/N.”
“Rossi and Elle will be there to apprehend Everette, we’re setting up a fake traffic spot to irritate him and inhibit him from running. You two will be in a duplicate car arriving at the warehouse at the arranged time,” Emily confirms. “We just have to prep SWAT and then we can leave.”
“Alright, let’s get ready.”
Pretending to be kidnapped in the back of a car driven by her boyfriend was possibly the weirdest way to spend a Tuesday morning. Driving the exact make and model as their unsub, her heartbeat was loud enough to cover the sound of the engine and distract her from the long drive. She was overly anxious, and rightly so, it was her first sting.
And she was doing it all without coffee. Tired but full of adrenaline, she wanted to close her eyes and drift off but she knew she needed to be ready to apprehend the men at the gate with Spencer.
She feels the large bump, indicating they just went over a speed bump and she knows what that means. The car slows and she can hear the muffled talking before swat steps in, soon enough Spencer is cracking the trunk open and reaching in for her.
“Are you okay?” He helps her to her feet and makes sure her bulletproof vest is on right before handing her, her gun and watching her clip it on.
“Yeah, what happened?”
“The guards are down, Swat moved in as soon as we arrived, now we have to stand here and wait for them to clear the building,” Spencer explains as they walk to the front of her car.
She draws her gun and keeps it pointed low, guarded as they watch the front entrance for anyone to escape. “Do you know if Bahni is okay?” She whispers towards him.
He nods, “they radioed in that they got her, she’s being airlifted to the hospital with JJ right now.”
She nods with a deep breath, “okay good.”
“It’s going to be fine, we have enough SWAT here to take the government,” he tries to joke, getting a laugh from one of the officers… very strange to see someone laugh while holding an assault rifle.
One of the swat side steps towards Spencer, “I’m hearing on the line that they’ve cleared every room. They’re cuffing everyone, you’re free to enter.”
“Thanks,” Spencer replies.
The high-pitched screech rubber gripping asphalt in an attempt to stop draws their attention backwards. Elle and Rossi jumping out with their guns drawn, ready to join even though the exciting part is long over.
“No runners?” Elle asks, holstering her weapon. “Aw man, I was excited.”
“Not a one,” Y/N adds, watching the front entrance for the rest of the team to start funnelling out with the unsubs.
Luke exits first with a big smile on his face, Simon Garrett cuffed and barely stumbling out the door in front of him. He finally got him.
“well done,” Elle congratulates him. “Let me help you get him in SWAT van.”
“I think she has a thing for Luke,” Rossi leans into Y/N to gossip. “she wouldn’t stop asking about him on the drive…”
“Ooo,” Y/N teases, getting more and more tired as her adrenaline drops. Her eyes are heavy and Rossi can tell.
“Why don’t I bring you and the good doctor home, I don’t think they need all of us for the wrap-up,” Rossi pats her back. “You’ve had a long night, kid.”
“Thank you,” she smiles, holstering her gun and turning with him towards the SUV. “I’m so exhausted.”
“Well you’ve been on the job for almost 24 hours now, you’ve officially made it through your first overnight sting op,” Rossi congratulates her like he’s her grandpa.
She turns back when she doesn’t hear Spencer following her, “Spence? Are you coming?”
“Um,” he has something to ask as he follows then but he doesn’t say it. “Yeah, sorry.”
“It’s okay, come sit with me in the back?” She asks, sliding in beside him and resting her head on his shoulder as soon as their seatbelts are on.
“Did you still want to have a nap together?” He whispers, feeling her nod against his shoulder before she pulls back.
“Come here,” she tugs him in against her chest, snuggling in as best as she could in their sitting position. Holding him close and feeling him drift off in her arms. She has no problem following suit.
When she wakes, Rossi is parked outside of her apartment, “here you go, Y/N.”
She hums as she comes to, shaking Spencer awake too, “Spence, come on, let’s get to bed.”
“He’s going with you?”
She nods, “don’t tell Penelope. She’ll have a field day, I just want a nap.”
“You better get more than a nap,” Rossi orders. “You guys need to actually rest before you come back to work on Wednesday.”
“Thanks, Dad,” she teases him. “We will.”
“Bye Dave,” Spencer whispers as he gets out of the car. “Thank you for the ride.”
“Anytime kid,” Rossi waves them off, waiting for them to enter the building before driving away.
“Finally,” she sighs, dragging Spencer down the hall and towards her apartment. “I’m so fucking tired.”
“me too,” he barely says.
He follows her inside like a lost puppy, taking off his vest and shirt, slipping out of his pants until he’s in an undershirt, boxers and his mismatched socks. She’s amazed by how comfortable he is with her, but she has known him for 3 months, it’s enough time to fall in love with someone… right?
She’s loved him since she started working with him. When she realized he valued her opinions, he looked at her as a person and he genuinely loved her company. She felt a real connection with him, not just childish infatuation. He was everything to her.
She slides into bed beside him and snuggles in, wrapping an arm around his middle and resting her head on his chest.
“I guess I really can do everything,” she smirks.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
She pokes his chest and giggles away the awkwardness, “the thing I wanted to do most, the thing that I couldn’t do… that was to fall in love with you, but I did it anyway.”
“Well, then I guess I can do everything too.”
She pulls away to look at him, “I love you, Spencer. I don’t know if it’s too soon, but I’ve loved you for a while.”
He pulls her in for a kiss, shocking her as he breathes her in and holds her there. “I love you, more Y/N.”
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pennylanefics · 3 years
Text
Promise - Jacob Black
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•••
“He’s asking to see you,” Carlisle says to Bella as he walks out of the house. Upon hearing this, your head shoots up and your eyes widen in curiosity. Why would he want to see her first?
It had been a rough night for everyone. Carlisle spent so long breaking his bones to put them back into place, Jacob’s painful cries breaking your heart each time they rang out. Paul and Embry sat beside you, comforting you when they did. They knew how you felt about Jacob, everyone did. Besides Jacob.
You were hopelessly in love with him, yet he was in love with Bella. He had been for so long, yet he never saw that she didn’t feel the same. Embry always reassured you, though, that Jacob felt something for you as well.
It’s just that Bella was his main focus, his first choice. And you were nothing. That proved to be true when the first person he wants to see after all this is her.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Embry whispers, rubbing your arm, warming you up instantly. You can’t help the tears that fall from your eyes, hating that you loved someone who didn’t love you back.
“No, it’s not, Em. I need to stop, I can’t keep doing this to myself.”
The pack of wolves share looks with one another, hearing Jacob’s thoughts as Bella gets up to leave, their conversation finished. Bella steps outside and looks to you with an awkward grin on her face.
“He wants to talk to you,” she says. Taking a moment, you nod and she leaves, Embry standing with you.
“Are you sure you want to, (Y/N)?” He asks. You nod and take a deep breath. He pulls you in for a hug, Paul doing the same seconds later.
Finally, you slowly make your way inside straight to Jake’s room, which thankfully moved to a larger room in the house than the small back room he was living in.
“Hi,” you murmur, stepping in and closing the door behind you.
“Hey,” he chokes out, struggling to breathe a little. You kneel on the ground next to his bed, not really knowing what to say.
“Were you crying?” He wonders. A low chuckle escapes your mouth and you wipe your cheeks.
“Uh, yeah. It wasn’t easy hearing you scream out like that. Everyone was at least tearing up.”
“Not Bella,” he says in a spiteful tone. You scoff immediately, realizing there was no going back from what you were about to say.
“She doesn’t care about you like that, Jacob. She loves Edward, and it’s time you move on,” you tell him.
“She does care about me. I know she does, she just doesn’t want to admit it because she’s scared.”
“Do you not hear yourself? She’s been with Edward for over a year, and she’s told you multiple times she feels nothing more than a friendship with you. Find someone else, someone who is willing to love you for you, and not because you’re a distraction and only seeing you as a friend.”
“Oh really? Where am I supposed to find someone like that, huh?” You laugh cynically and stand up.
“Right fucking here, Jacob. I have loved you for so long, yet you never saw it because you were so hung up with Bella. And honestly, I’m sick of this. I’m done trying to get your attention, I’m done trying to love you, and I’m done with whatever this is. I can’t keep being around you, reminded of how you will never look at me the way you look at Bella, or how I could possibly be your imprint, based on what Sam says, and how you will never feel the same way for me as I feel for you. It’s exhausting, and quite frankly, it’s not worth it anymore. Goodbye Jacob.”
You turn and walk out, not giving him a chance to explain, fearing that you would fall back into his arms if he even spoke of how sorry he was. You needed time, and you were hoping he would give that to you.
Embry immediately brings you into his arms when you step outside, comforting you as you quietly cry into his shoulder.
“Embry, why don’t you take her home,” Billy tells the young wolf. He nods and pulls away from you, grabbing your hand to take you to his car.
“How did it go?” Embry asks as you start the drive back into Forks.
“I told him he needs to move on from Bella, to find someone else who will love him for him. He got mad because he still believes Bella loves him and will leave Edward.”
“Did you tell him you love him?”
“Yeah,” you whisper. “I told him that someone is right in front of him, but it’s too exhausting to love someone who doesn’t love you back. I left before he could say anything else. I just...need space from him right now.”
“I know I shouldn’t tell you, because this telepathy is kind of invasive, but I hear him kicking himself right now. He’s thinking about how much he ruined your friendship and how awful he feels.”
“He didn’t feel too awful when I, coming to him as a friend, told him that what he is chasing after is no use.”
“I know, I know. But I just wanted to tell you that your words got to him, so you did the right thing.” A small smile breaks out onto your face and Embry notices.
The rest of the drive, you turn the radio on and listen to the soft songs play while you watched the tall trees pass by. When Embry got to your house, he was planning on leaving right away, but you ask him to stay.
“Would you stay with me? Just for tonight?” You ask. He agrees right away, seeing as you’ve gone through a lot within the past couple hours and being alone probably wasn’t the best option.
“We can have a movie night like we used to, before the whole shape-shifting thing,” he smiles, walking inside with you.
“That sounds great. I need a break from everything. I’ll get the popcorn and sodas, you find a movie. Comedy, please.”
“Of course.”
The days pass and Embry is now gone. He stayed with you the first couple days after everything happened. He knew you needed some company to lift your mood, and thankfully, he did.
You were much happier and coming to terms with how things ended with Jacob. Embry of course had to tell you what was going on, just so you were in the know. Jake had fully healed by now, and according to Paul, he was planning on visiting you sometime soon.
And that just so happened to be today.
You were doing some chores around the house when a knock sounds on your front door. Pausing your music, you answer it, thinking it’s the delivery man, as you were expecting a package, but to your surprise, you find Jacob.
“Uh, hi,” he mumbles, shoving his hands in his pockets, rocking on the balls of his feet.
“Hi,” you clear your throat, not really knowing what to do or say.
“Um, I wanted to talk to you about what happened,” he begins. Seeing as it was a nice, rainy day out, you step outside, shutting the door behind you, and guide him over to the porch swing.
“What is it that you wanted to say exactly?” You ask, staring forward, not wanting to look at him just yet.
“I was an idiot. I let my emotions get the best of me and didn’t think about anyone else but myself.”
“You got that right,” you mumble to yourself, though Jacob hears.
“I’m sorry, (Y/N). I’m sorry for not seeing that you loved me and being so...caught up in someone else.”
“You don’t need to be sorry about that, Jake. You can’t help who you love. But when it comes down to it, the thing I’m upset about is the fact that even after Bella told you so many times that she doesn’t love you like you love her, you still tried to pursue her. You didn’t let her go like you should have an found someone who actually cares for you.” He nods along to your words, which were very similar to what you said to him a few nights ago.
“I see that now. I got a stern talking from both my dad and Sam, and the rest of the pack, and I can’t believe how horrible I’ve been acting and…” He looks at you, finding you staring at him already. Although you didn’t really want to see him, you still felt some sort of love for him. Watching him talk was so mesmorizing.
His mouth opens and closes as he tries to say something, and he soon realizes what it is. You are in fact his imprint. You feel it too. He’s told you about imprinting before, when he told you about Sam and Emily, and the feeling he described his imprintee would feel, this was it.
“Jacob,” you whisper.
“God, I am so fucking stupid,” he finally breaks the stare to lean his arms on his knees, his head in his hands, disappointed in himself. Your hand comes up to rub his shoulder, making him flinch a little.
“Sorry,” you murmur, removing your hand. Jacob sits back up and shakes his head.
“I just, I can’t believe you’re the one. I’m so dumb.”
“Well, yeah,” you chuckle. “But again, you can’t help who you fall for.”
“Except for I could. I could have dropped Bella, but I didn’t. And I hope you understand how truly sorry I am.”
“Are you sorry for it because you’re sorry for it, or because I’m your imprint?”
“I am sorry for it, and the imprint goes with it because I feel the pain I put you through. I can feel how heartbroken you are, and I hate myself for it.”
“I mean, I’m still not happy about how everything went down, and how you still refused to think Bella wouldn’t leave Edward for you. But, I’m not going to reject the imprint, and I know we can’t be away from each other for long, so we’re going to have to work through this.”
Jacob smiles softly and holds his hand out for you to take. Reluctantly, you place your hand in his, which immediately closes around it.
“I promise to never hurt you like this again. If you give me a chance to love you, or if that’s no longer an option, then I’ll be your protector. You’re by my side forever.”
“Jake, you really did hurt me,” his face falls, nodding his head. “But I can’t say that I don’t love you anymore. All I’ve thought about these past couple days after Embry went to sleep, was you. How I wanted to be spending time with you, but you were in love with another girl.”
“I’ll wait as long as you need me to,” he whispers, squeezing your hand. “If it means we can be together, because I want to give this a chance, a chance to do things right and not have someone else in the way.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I’ve thought over everything since you left and with Bella out of my mind, I was finally able to think about you. And all the times that we’ve spent together, when I talk about Bella and your face would just slightly fall. I remembered all the little things that you did because you loved me, but I never saw them. But trust me, that part of my life is over. She’s gone, and it’s just us going forward.”
“You promise?” You grin a little. Jacob nods.
“I promise. And I won’t be breaking that anytime soon.” You curl up into his side, your head falling to his shoulder.
“Good. Because she stole too much of our time together and I can’t lose you again.”
“Hey,” he whispers, sitting up and tilting your chin so you look at him. “You’re not gonna lose me. We have this special connection now. And no one is going to steal you from me. Ever again. I mean..”
“Unless it’s our child?” Jacob chuckles, finding it funny that you were thinking the exact same thing, leading him to think that a relationship is very much possible in the future.
“Exactly, darling.”
448 notes · View notes
sequinsmile-x · 2 years
Note
“This is not who you are. I know you better than that.” maybe surrounding the doyle ark. she’s acting off and he wants to know what’s going on or maybe after when they’re in the hospital? up to u
Oh hey anon!
Went in a different direction with this, because it ended up fitting with an idea I already had. But there are mentions of the Doyle arc <3
-x-
Honour
Aaron comes to Emily's defence, and they have a long overdue conversation.
Words: 4.1k
Warnings: Misogyny, misogynistic language, mentions of violence
Read over on Ao3, or below the cut!
“I cannot believe you made me come to this.” 
Aaron turns to look at Emily, smiling at her over the top of his glass of champagne. “I didn’t exactly have to try hard to convince you.”
Emily rolls her eyes at him and takes a sip of her own drink. “You tricked me.” 
“I tricked you?” He asks, an eyebrow raised at her.
“You made Jack ask me if I was coming to this with you,” she quips, her shoulder knocking against his, “you know I can’t say no to that son of yours.” She looks around the ballroom and grimaces, the room filled with other FBI agents and politicians. “You’re just lucky you look good in a tux,” she says, looking back at him, “and that my mother is overseas and therefore not here.” 
It was the first thing she had checked when he asked if she’d come to this event with him, uneasy with the idea of coming alone. It was one part of being in a relationship that he missed, a partner that would be by his side, in serious moments as well as at things like this. 
Emily had been the obvious choice. She was his friend, probably his best one if he thought about it, and she was good at this. Despite how much she hated politics she excelled at it. And it didn’t hurt that she was beautiful, something he had always noticed - even back when he was a married man. She looked particularly ethereal this evening, her dark green and flowing dress accentuating her every curve, making her skin look even more alluring than usual. 
“Well,” Aaron says, smiling at her as he ignores the pull in his belly when she smiles back, “I owe you one.”
“You’ll be less smug when I make you come to Mother’s Holiday party with me.” She replies, laughing when he recoils slightly. “Turnabout is fair play.” 
He tries not to think too much about the fact she’s just invited him to an event that wouldn’t take place for another six months, another thing he files away in the place in his head just for Emily. All of the moments between them that he found himself overthinking when he couldn’t sleep at night. 
Aaron wasn’t sure when, but at some point along the way he had fallen in love with her. He tried to pinpoint whenever he could, to think of the moment that made him realise his feelings for her were more than they should have been. He always came up empty, his love for her now such a part of him that he wonders if it had always been there. Hidden away in his heart until it was coaxed out by her smile, her kindness. 
Sometimes he considered just kissing her, fleeting moments when he was sure she felt the same, but he always held back. She was more delicate after Paris, holding herself back in a way he wasn’t used to, and he didn’t want to scare her off. To make her back away. 
She was an integral part of his life, and he’d rather have her as a friend than not at all.
“You ok, Aaron?” She asks, her hand on his arm as she looks at him, a small amount of concern in her eyes. 
He clears his throat and he nods, placing his nearly empty glass down on the table. “I’m ok. I’m just going to go to the bathroom.” 
He needed a tiny bit of space, a few seconds to clear his mind before he did something stupid like kiss her in front of several of their colleagues and some senators. 
“What?” She asks through her teeth. “You can’t leave me here.”
“Emily,” he says, an affectionate smile on his face as he places his hand over hers on his arm, “I’ll be 5 minutes. If I’m any longer you can come look for me.”
She huffs. “Fine, but get me another drink on your way back, ok?”
He smiles at her, nodding as he moves away, a familiar feeling of emptiness spreading through him when her hand falls from his arm. 
“Anything you want.” 
___
He’s leaving the bathroom, readjusting his jacket when he hears it. Familiar voices from work in the hallway. He looks over to see two agents he recognises, Parks and Davis, both men clearly less than sober, obvious even from where he was standing. 
Aaron knows he should probably make a point of speaking to them now he has seen them, that Strauss will have his neck if she finds out he only spoke to Emily all evening. His boss had already pulled him aside and asked him if something was going on between the two of them, seemingly not as opposed to the idea as he knew she once would have been. 
He’s about to gain the attention of the other two men when he hears what they are talking about, frozen to the spot as he feels fury start to burn him from the inside out. 
“Did you see that Hotchner brought her?” Agent Parks asks, taking a sip of his drink, a slight scowl on his face. 
“I heard that they’re together now.” Agent Davis replies, swigging his own drink, his balance slightly off. 
Agent Parks scoffs, shaking his head. “Wouldn’t surprise me, we all know it’s not the first time she’s fucked someone to get what she wants.” 
“What did you just say?” Aaron asks, announcing his presence, his anger forcing the words out before he could stop them. 
Agent Davis looks like a deer in headlights, taking a step back as Aaron approaches them, but Agent Parks stands firm, the alcohol in his system making him brave and stupid in equal measure. He scoffs at Aaron, shaking his head. 
“We all know what your girlfriend did with Doyle, Hotchner.” He says, taking another step closer. “It’s not my fault she’s a who-”
“Chris-” Agent Davis says, trying to warn his friend of the line he was crossing, but Aaron is faster. His fists no longer clenched tightly at his sides. He grabs at the lapel of Agent Parks shirt, grateful in a fleeting moment of coherent thought that the hallway is mercifully empty. 
“I’d think carefully before I said anything else if I were you.” He seethes, words forced through his teeth. It doesn’t occur to him to correct him on his and Emily’s relationship status, knowing it would achieve nothing anyway. His anger at someone speaking about her in such a way taking over everything else. 
Agent Parks laughs at him, and for a second he’s back in his old house, looming over Foyet as he did the same, and he pulls his fist back, ready to hit him, when he’s pulled out of it.
“Aaron?” Emily exclaims from behind them, and he turns, Agent Parks still in his grasp, and she’s running towards them. “What the hell is going on here?” 
He releases the other man immediately, the reality of where they were hitting him all at once. 
“He attacked me for no reason.” Agent Parks says, straightening out his jacket. Emily turns to look at him, her eyes narrowed.
“Why don’t I believe that for a second, Parks.” She says, her hand on Aaron’s arm. He knows she must be able to sense how tense he is, how he’s still vibrating with a rage that he was barely keeping under control. “Get out of here,” she raises a brow when they don’t move, “or I’ll just let him carry on as if I hadn’t walked over here.” 
The other two men walk away quickly, insults thrown at the both of them over their shoulders. Emily looks at Aaron once they are out of sight, and his eyes are fixed on the ground.
“Aaron-”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He says, cutting her off before he can go any further. He knows she’ll get it out of him if she tries hard enough, and he doesn’t want her to. Doesn’t want to repeat the words he’d heard. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her. 
“You shouldn’t pay any attention to him.” Emily says, trying to placate him, her hand on his arm, trying to squeeze the tense muscle, as if she could wring out the anger. The tension. “He asked me out once.” 
He frowns at her. “What?” 
“Chris Parks.” She replies, a wry smile on her face. “He asked me out, a couple of years ago. I said no,” she rolls her eyes, “he’s been an asshole ever since.” 
He knows she’s attempting to distract him, to cheer him up somehow, but it makes it worse. The knowledge that some of the other man's bitterness comes from rejection, and it makes him want to find him and finish what he started.
Emily stops him again, her voice the balm it felt like his heart needed. 
“Aaron.” She reaches out for him and grabs his hand frowning when she does so, she turns his hand over and winces. “You’re bleeding.” 
He looks down at his palms, both now facing upwards, and he sees spots of bright red blood, crescent marks on his skin from his nails that he didn’t even feel. He still doesn’t speak, can’t trust himself to do it. 
“Shall we go?” She asks. “Back to mine?” 
He nods in response, and forces a tight smile at her when she loops her arm through his and leads him towards the exit. 
His only thought when they wait for the valet to bring the car around is that he somehow loves her even more than he thought he did. 
___
Emily watches him carefully as she opens the door to her apartment, letting him through first before she closes it softly, sliding the lock across as he stands a few paces ahead of her. He’s still tense, his body vibrating with it, his jaw clenched tight. She swallows thickly and puts her purse down on the side table. 
“You should go sit down, I’ll grab the first aid kit.” She says, her hand gentle at his back as she guides him unnecessarily into her home, as if he wasn’t here every week. 
“Em,” he sighs, letting her lead him towards the couch, as if he couldn’t stop her in an instant if he wanted to, “it’s fine. It’s not even bleeding anymore.” He says, indicating to his palms, the crescent shape marks left behind by his nails no longer actively bleeding, red lines left across his skin. 
“Still,” she says, flashing him a smile, “I should still clean them.”  
Aaron nods, knowing he would not win this argument with her and sits down. She makes quick work of going to her bathroom and grabbing the kit from the medicine cabinet, not wanting to leave him alone for too long. When she re-enters the living room he’s sitting on her couch, his head in his hands as his elbows rest on his knees. She sits next to him, angling her body as close as she can, and she reaches out for him, grabbing one of his wrists to pull his hand towards her.
“Come on,” she says softly, “let me see.” She looks at the palm of his hand, her touch delicate against the damaged skin as she runs over it with a wipe. She tries to ignore how holding his hand in hers, even in these circumstances, makes her stomach flip. Feelings she knows she can’t afford to feel bubbling up so quickly they threaten to boil over. Spill out onto her living room floor in front of him, something she would not be able to put back away. 
The line between friendship and something more was a fine one, and they walked it like a tightrope. She wondered when one of them would be brave enough to make the fall. 
The silence around them feels stifling, awkward in a way it hadn’t been in so long. Only last week they’d sat on his couch in silence, a movie on which they were both feigning interest in, just enjoying each other's company. 
“Sorry if it stings.” She says, feeling the need to speak, to break the tension she didn’t understand. 
“It doesn’t.” He replies, flashing a tight smile at her as she switches to the other hand, showing the same due diligence she had to the first. 
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” She asks, finishing up her task and throwing the used wipes onto her coffee table, making a mental note to clean them up later. All of her focus was on figuring out what the hell had happened in the five minutes she had been away from him earlier. 
“No.” He answers, his voice firm. An attempt to leave no room for argument, as if the conversation was over. 
As if he had forgotten who he was speaking to. 
“Aaron-”
“Emily-”
“No,” she exclaims, her hand reaching out for his as she stops him from cutting her off, “you were going to punch that guy, Aaron.” She says, shaking her head. “You don’t do that. This is not who you are.” She squeezes his hand and it makes him look at her. “I know you better than that.”
She’d only seen him lose control like that once before. Years ago when she had walked in behind Derek to find Aaron hitting what was left of Foyet’s face. His rage taking over his usual self control, the loss of the woman he loved overpowering everything. 
Emily feels her throat go dry, her heart skipping a beat in her chest. She remembers Clyde telling her off-handedly, like it was some kind of joke, that Aaron had threatened him when the team was looking for her. As if Aaron couldn’t tear the man apart without breaking a sweat if he wanted to. 
It starts to fit together in her head, pieces falling into place to create the whole picture she thinks she should have seen weeks ago. 
“Was it…” she starts, drifting off as her confidence briefly wanes, but she pushes through, determined to get an answer one way or the other, “was it about me?”  The look on his face tells him everything she needs it to, and she closes her eyes as she sighs. “Aaron-”
“I overheard him talking about you.” He says, his voice even, flat, as if the mere memory of what had been said was making the anger he had felt build back up. “He shouldn’t be saying that about anyone. We’re supposed to have integrity…”he drifts off, clenching his teeth briefly as he blows out a breath, steading himself before he carries on, “he shouldn’t have said it. He definitely shouldn’t have said it about you.” 
She stares at him, biting her lower lip as she waits him out, but his gaze remains fixed on their joint hands in her lap. She raises her other hand and cups his cheek, this kind of gentle affection becoming more commonplace for them, and she makes him look at her.
“What did he say Aaron?” 
She thinks she knows. Agent Parks and his buddies had a lot to say about her, they had done for long before Ian Doyle crashed back through her life. She would often overhear them, as she knew they intended her to, or see looks they would give each other as she walked into a room. They were easy to read, as if they forgot what team she was on, what she did for a living. 
He stays silent, his eyes fixed on hers as he shakes his head slightly. A silent refusal to repeat what he’d heard that makes frustration she knows she shouldn’t aim at him rise in her chest. She didn’t want him to protect her, didn’t need him to. 
All she wanted was for him to love her. It’s all she’d wanted for months now, years if she was honest with herself. She still remembered how it felt after leaving him in hospital after Foyet. She had been the last one to leave. Forced out by a nurse who didn’t care about her badge or gun hours after the rest of the team had left, hesitant to leave him alone even though he was sleeping. When she got home that evening she cried. The phantom feeling of his blood encrusted shirt in her hands as she came to terms with the fact she had fallen in love with her boss. 
She made sure to channel that love into something practical. Helping him through his recovery, driving him to and from work when he first got back. Looking after him and Jack after Haley died. They slowly got closer after that, and before Ian escaped from prison she half convinced herself that Aaron loved her too. When she came back from Paris, her hope tasting like poison in her mouth, she waited for something to happen. But it didn’t. 
They both talked around it so much, always standing at the precipice of something, but never taking the final step. They’d both been hurt, kicked around by the worst of what life could throw at them, and they were being cautious. But Aaron had almost punched a man for simply saying something negative about her.
The time for being cautious was long gone. 
“It was about Ian, wasn’t it?” She asks, and again the look on his face tells her she’s right. Her hand drops from his chin and she rubs it across her own face, paying no mind to the make up she’d meticulously applied only hours ago. “Aaron,” she sighs, her frustration seeping into her voice, “I don’t need you to protect me.” 
“What are you suggesting I do?” He replies, finally finding his voice. A sternness to it that lets her know he’s on edge, that he’s trying to maintain his composure. He looks back down at their joint hands, holding hers a little tighter in case she pulls away. “Walk away when I hear someone call you a whore?” He spits out the last word like it was bitter. 
“Yes.” She answers simply, clearing her throat. “I do.” 
He looks up at her so quickly she swears she can hear his neck crack, and is sure that it must have hurt. “Em…”
She smiles sadly, a humourless chuckle escaping as she tilts her head slightly at him. “You can’t possibly think that's the first time someone has said that.” She shakes her head slightly. “Ever since I came back from Paris I keep hearing it. At first I thought I was imagining people looking at me, a hangover from knowing Ian was back and then being in hiding, you know?” She looks down at her lap, squeezing his hand in hers. “Then I realised people were stopping conversations when I walked into the break room, then after a while they didn’t even bother stopping.” 
“Em.” He says, the repeated use of her name makes her look up, and she sees the shine to his eyes, the look on his face that she had only seen a handful of times. Devastation. She hates herself for putting it there. 
“I know you tried your best to keep everything that happened between Ian and I when I was with him underwraps, but it didn’t work.” She smiles wryly. “And people don’t speak ill of the dead, so they wouldn’t have said it when they thought I was. But they don’t have the same courtesy for the living.” 
“You should have told me.” Aaron says, his eyes staring straight into hers.
“And said what? ‘The other kids are calling me names, sir?’” She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “It’s fine.” She scoffs. “I was the permanent new kid growing up, I’m used to it.” 
“It isn’t fine, sweethe-” he pauses, clearing his throat, “Emily.” He reaches out for her, his hand cupping her neck, his thumb delicate against her jaw line. “You don’t have to pretend it doesn’t hurt. Not with me.” 
Emily stares at him for a second before nodding, tears filling her eyes so quickly her vision goes blurry. She leans in to hug him, her head against his shoulder as she seeks out the comfort she wasn’t even aware she had wanted. She feels his hand move from her neck to the back of her head, holding her in place as if she would want to be anywhere else. 
Aaron kisses the top of her head and holds her closer, releasing her hand so he could all but pull her into his lap.
“You have to tell me about this kind of thing,” he says, his thumb tracing gently on the back of her head, “so I can fix it.” 
She chuckles against him, her words muffled by his jacket. “What, as my boss? Yell at them for me if they upset me?” 
“No.” Aaron replies. “As your friend.” 
She pulls back from him, just enough so she’s looking at him. Their noses are almost touching, and she can’t help it when her eyes flick down to his lips. 
She doesn’t miss how his eyes do the same to hers. He reaches up and wipes a tear away from her face, his calloused skin gentle against her cheek. 
She takes the leap, and just hopes he’ll catch her.
“Is that what we are, Aaron?” She asks breathlessly, her voice rougher than she thought it would be. “Friends?” 
His answer is to lean forward and kiss her. Everything else fades away and all she can feel is him. His lips against hers, her nose pressing into his cheek, his hand buried in her hair. She shifts so her hands are on either side of his face, holding him in place. When they pull apart, only when oxygen becomes an issue, she gasps, her forehead against his as she tries to remind herself to breathe. 
It’s silent for a moment, as both of them try to figure out what this means, what comes next.
“Did you almost call me sweetheart?” She asks, pulling back to look at him, still anchored to him in every other way, her eyebrow raised 
He grimaces slightly, taken aback that of all the things she could have chosen to say after their first kiss, that was what she had settled on. 
“You caught that?”
Emily smiles. “Nothing gets past me.” 
He laughs and shakes his head at her, and they sober immediately, his eyes meeting hers. 
“What does this mean, Em?”
“Well,” she says, moving a hand to run through his short hair, her nails blunt against his scalp, “I think it means we need to have a conversation in the morning about us, and what happens next.” She leans forward and kisses him again, a brief thing, emboldened by how it felt to just be in his arms. “I think we might both be on the same page about a few things. About a lot of things.” 
She can’t say she loves him, not tonight. Not when their emotions were still all over the place. She would never want him to assume it was out of some kind of twisted gratefulness for him defending her honour. 
It was real, and it could wait until the morning. 
“I think so too.” His hand on her hip tightens its hold slightly, a small smile spreading on his face. “In the morning?”
She nods. “In the morning.” She shifts so she’s sitting properly in his lap, the material of her dress shimmying further up her legs. “In the meantime though…”she says, biting her lower lip, “I think you should kiss me again.” 
He raises an eyebrow at her. “You do, do you?” 
She nods, her smile widening. “You’re very good at it.” She leans forward to kiss him again, but stops just before her lips reach his she stops, pulling back to look at him. “If we do this Aaron, I don’t need you to protect me, or defend my honour, ok?” She says, her eyes searching his. “I just need you.” She runs her hand through his hair. “So no more trying to punch people for me, ok? If It needs doing I’m more than capable of doing it myself.” 
He stares at her for a moment, as if he was trying to think of a way to argue with her, the alpha male in him he did a poor job of covering wanting to protect her, long before she was his to protect. Eventually he nods.
“Ok.”
She beams at him, and his smile widens. 
“Good.” She says, leaning in to him again, her lips brushing against his. “Now, where were we?” 
-x-
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sortasirius · 4 years
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“Unity” and the Broken Boys
BOY Y’ALL BETTER SIT DOWN BECAUSE THIS IS AS LONG AS CAN BE AND I TOOK OFF WORK TOMORROW SO I’VE GOT TIME
This is....one of the best episodes in the show.  Yeah, in all 325 of them, this is hands down one of the best.
First of all, stan Amara for clear skin.
That silent treatment babey, right out the gate with the Angst.  Tbh Dean deserves it.
“Like I said, killing Amara, Jack dying...that’s the only way.”
“The only way.  Our one shot.  Our Last chance.  You ever get tired of saying stuff like that?”
“We don’t have to like it, alright?  But you and me, we gotta get it done.”
Amara is such a welcome energy in this whole episode.  She’s warm and understanding, whip-smart and probably more powerful than Chuck.  I love her.
Sam is a wonderful, understanding, loving dad.  I love him eternally.  He loves Jack so much, he’s trying so desperately to do what’s right for Jack but also what’s right for the world.  Jack made this choice, but he can’t live with it.  How do you support your child when their life is at stake?
“Come on man.  Blindly following orders, lying to Amara, sending her to her death. Does any of this feel right to you??”
“It doesn’t matter how we feel!  You know what?  Stay.  Stay.  Someone has to be the grown up here.”
“Yeah well someone has to keep fighting for Jack!”
“He knows what he signed up for!”
“Last I checked, we don’t give up on family.”
“Jack’s not family.”
Y’all should have heard the noise I made.  What a fucking line.
“I know how you feel about the kid, I care for him too, I do, but he’s not like you.  He’s not like Cas.  He’s just not.”
“I’m- I’m ready.”
You can see the regret, the heartbreak in Dean’s eyes.  You can see how he wants to take those words back the moment he said them, and for Jack to hear them?  It’s unthinkable.
Sam and Cas I’m just so fucking emo dude.
“Sam, you stayed behind to find another way huh?  I woulda done the same.”
AMARA
First of all, LOVE this structure.
Amara and Chuck have such a fascinating dynamic.  Rob and Emily do a great job (as they have all along) by clearly being siblings but...heightened.  You can just tell they both exude power, and the other is the only one they consider an equal.
“You and Dean had that whole weird...thing.”
“That wasn’t you writing?”
“Ugh, not that part.  Gross.”
What I took away from this is what I’ve suspected all along.  They HAVE free will, just not total free will.  Dean and Amara’s connection wasn’t Chuck, there are parts of the story he didn’t write.  Obviously, this comes into play later. 
I also have a hunch that Chuck doesn’t write romance.  I also think that in particular will come into play.
“Balance.  Something we’ve never tried before.  Creation and destruction, light and dark, brother and sister united again, but on behalf of one world, this world.  True balance.  The way it was always meant to be.  But you can’t.  You only care about your pleasure, your story.  Well, I guess that makes you the villain.”
“Villains get all the best lines.”
We see again and again this season, Chuck is irredeemable.  He doesn’t care about the angels, he doesn’t care about the world, he doesn’t care about anything.  He is a petulant toddler who has broken his toys. And when he realizes he’s trapped, he gets angry, he shouts and screams, completely at odds with Amara’s peace.
“You can’t hold me here forever.”
“I can hold you long enough.”
DEAN
Pain is the name of the game in this section homies.  Because not only are we dealing with Dean’s pain, we’re also dealing with Jack’s.  Jack says he understands why Cas and Sam mean more to Dean, but Dean clearly doesn’t, he, once again, wants to say more, but is stopped, still stopped by his fear: his fear of not beating Chuck.
Alright guys, gals, and non-binary pals.  Let’s talk about Adam and Seraphina.
Adam.  The first man.  And Seraphina.  The angel.
“My old lady.  She’s the only one who could put up with me all these years.”
Yeah okay.  Volume at 100 I get it lmao.
But also: Adam wants God dead not because he and Eve were kicked out of the Garden, but because he went after their sons.  The theme of protecting the children strikes again.
“Killing God is your plan?”
“Yeah, Billie’s been giving us a hand but Sera and me, this is our baby.”
This juxtaposed directly with Dean’s own pain at what he has to do to kill Chuck, to gain his free will: the cost of his child.
Adam’s rib.
And who else might get his ribs hurt, only to be likely healed by an angel?
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It’s fine, that’s fine.  I’m fine with that.
“Jack, I don’t know how to explain it but, when I found out about Chuck, it’s like I wasn’t alive.  Not really.  You know like my whole life I’ve never been free, but like really free.  But now?  Now me and Sam, we got a shot at living a life, without all this crap on our backs.  And that’s, that’s because of you.  So, I want to say, I need to say...thank you, Jack.  Thank you.”
I’m gonna have to do a separate post about just Dean in this episode, because there is so fucking much to talk about, but there are a couple of things that I think are important:  Dean realizes how wrong he was, to say what he said.  He knows that it’s not true, this is the way he’s always coped with loss, by pushing the person to be lost away, but for Jack to hear it?  He can’t stand for that.
And:
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Dean has finally pushed through the barrier.  He won’t be quiet in the face of his doubts anymore.  This is a breakthrough for him, and, of course, there are more to come.
SAM
Sam and Cas, my chaos duo.
The box, the inscription, the door.
Death’s library, filled with dead reapers.
And there it is.  The Empty.
It tells Sam the plan, the plan for Billie to take God’s place.  For everything to go back to the way it’s “supposed to be.”
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This has always been the game, since season 13.  This is the longest of long games.
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Sam fuckin Winchester, lying his way out of a confrontation with the Empty like the legend that he is.
He comes back with a new purpose: to stop Billie’s plan, and here’s where we get to the heart of the episode and maybe the heart of the season.
“You hear that?  Dean, brought to the edge of doubt.  His sense of duty, his rage winning out in the end.  And poor Sam, always gotta know everything.  Can’t leave well enough alone.  This is my ending, my real ending.”
The gun comes out, pointed at Sam.
Hmm...what did I say during 15x05?  Oh yeah, this.
And:
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Dean would never survive killing Sam, but he’s willing to do anything, anything to earn his freedom.  His ending, where one brother kills the other and then kill himself.
Why, you might ask, did Sam not mention that the angels would be sent back to Heaven, why does he not mention Cas?  I’ll tell you why, or rather, Becky will.
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Plus, Dean looks back at Cas IMMEDIATELY when Sam says that, when he mentions Eileen, and THAT’S the first time he hesitates.  He can’t lose Cas.  But at the same time, he’s willing to do anything to have his freedom.
“Sam we don’t have a choice, Jack’s about to blow!”
“We always have a choice!”
You know me, just sitting here thinking about choice, the ability to choose, and how that translates to their free will.
And Sam...I don’t think there will ever be characters I love as much as these.
“I don’t care if Billie gets what she wants!  I don’t man, I’d trade it all, I’d trade em all for Chuck.  In a heartbeat!”
“What about me?”
“You’d trade me?”
“Chuck has to die.  He has to!  Otherwise he’ll keep us tap dancing forever, and I can’t live like that man, I can’t live like that, I won’t!”
“I know you feel like that right now, okay? I know you do, but you gotta trust me.  My entire life, you’ve protected me.  From Dad, from Lucifer, from everything.  I didn’t always like it, you know?  But it’s the one thing in the whole world that I could always count on.  It’s the only thing I’ve ever known that was true.  So please, put the gun away.  Just put it away.  We’ll figure it out, Dean, we’ll find another way, you and me.  We always do.”
Okay I feel like this is going to be one of those scenes that I cry watching for years to come.  Because fuck.  After fifteen years they finally admit that not only did Dean protect Sam from Lucifer, but he protected him from John.  John.  On a par with Lucifer.
Dean and Sam have, for so many years, sacrificed themselves for the other.  Dean’s demon deal, Sam and the trials, every season they have fought to see who can die the quickest for the other.  But this?  This is them fighting to stop the violence, to stop from killing the big bad.  This is them growing, in our eyes, in real time.  Sam has always been able to get through to Dean when no one else had a prayer, but for Dean to listen, for Dean to take his words to heart, to stop the hunt for Sam, for their family, that’s how you know they do have free will.
(Btw Chuck’s eye effect when he dusted Amara was sick as fuck but I’m emo for my boys so.)
Chuck knows it’s a loss, he knows that his story has, once again, been thwarted by the boys making their own choices.  And he’s pissed, but in his anger, we get a bomb dropped on us.
“Spare me your contempt Castiel, the self-hating angel of Thursday.  You know what every other version of you did after “gripping him tight and raising him from perdition”?  They did what they were told.  But not you.  Not the one off the line with a crack in his chassis.”
Are you fucking kidding me?
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Also, just worth bringing up this one as well:
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Every Castiel pulled Dean out of Hell.  Every one told him the same thing.  And yet, immediately, with this Cas and this Dean, something was different.  Because what has everyone seen about Cas, from the moment he met Dean?
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And there’s our endgame people.  Laid out on the line.
But we ain’t done yet, fam.
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We’ve talked about the handprint, but you know:
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So there you have it, our prep into the “monumental” 15x18.  I have spec on that, of course, but I think a novel is long enough for this.
What to take away: Dean’s rage was always Chuck’s plan, they do have free will, their love for each other, for their family, is what will stop Chuck’s control, Death is about to come back with a vengeance, Cas’ deal is at play, and, most importantly, Castiel and Dean Winchester are a blind spot for Chuck, something he has never, not once, controlled.
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testudoaubrei-blog · 3 years
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“I’m loyal, that’s my whole thing.” - Scorpia, Season 4 Episode 6, Princess Scorpia
“Everything they taught us in the Horde about loyalty is meaningless” - Lonnie, Season 4 Episode 5, Protocol
Rewatching Season 4, I just finished Princess Scorpia. This is an episode that has always stuck with me, especially the A plot of Scorpia realizing how badly Catra has treated her and everyone else and deciding to leave. One thing I’ve been thinking about since I finished the series, though, is what this episode is telling us on a larger level. Looking beyond the character arcs and more at this show’s larger themes and message. Because this show is very much a show that says things, made by people who believe them. That earnestness and depth is one reason I keep coming back to it.
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In the pull-quote above, and throughout the episode and before it, Scorpia defines herself in terms of loyalty. It is her identity - as she says, that’s what Scorpions do, they’re loyal. Her actions for three and a half seasons bear this out. When she first shows up, she tries to position herself as Catra’s new best friend, the one who won’t leave her and will stick by her no matter what. And that’s what she does, until this episode. She sticks by Catra through Catra’s increasingly villainous plots and erratic behavior. But she doesn’t just stick around. Until the portal, she barely contradicts Catra, and even afterwards, does so only furtively and immediately backs away as soon as Catra pushes back. For more than a year of show time, Scorpia has not just stood by Catra, or supported her, she’s actively assisted her in her most villainous and destructive acts. Scorpia is fighting by Catra’s side, eagerly carrying out her orders, and doing her utmost to see that Catra succeeds. But her loyalty goes beyond this practical help. Because for all that Catra loudly declares that she doesn’t need a new best friend, she consistently seeks out connection throughout the show, even when she’s at her most isolated in season 4. She needs moral support, and connection, and to know that she isn’t alone. Scorpia provides that, and keeps Catra going. Though Scropia isn’t initiating Catra’s various misdeeds, she’s assisting and supporting Catra throughout. On a personal, psychological level, the only word that seems adequate for this is ‘ennabling’ - Scorpia, sweet as she is, is Catra’s enabler. We see in the next few episodes what happens when Catra doesn’t have Scorpia’s support - she breaks down, and realizes that her actions really do have consequences, and that the affection she took for granted for so many years is something she can’t live without. But as long as Scorpia’s still around, Catra can’t make that realization.
Now I’m not going to say that Scorpia is morally culpable for Catra’s own actions. She’s not. Catra is solely responsible for her various betrayals, manipulations, violent outbursts and assorted murder attempts against...most of the rest of the cast (though being raised by Shadow Weaver sure as shit is a mitigating factor). But while Catra is obviously being a bad friend to Scorpia throughout, Scorpia isn’t actually being as supportive or helpful to Catra as she thinks, because Catra doesn’t actually need unconditional support, she needs people to be honest with her and express to her how she’s hurting them. She needs people who will stand up for themselves just as she needs to take responsibility for her own actions. This is part of why she and Adora have such a healthy dynamic in season 5 - Adora doesn’t take her crap, and Catra takes responsibility for her crap.
However, Scorpia -is- responsible for her own actions. And as I said above, she’s been with Catra every step of the way as Catra has attacked just about everyone and made war on Etheria. On a larger, political level, Scorpia is a willing participant in upholding the Horde’s oppressive system, and executing a war of aggression and colonization against innocent people. Speaking of colonization, perversely, she’s loyal to the very organization that dispossessed her and literally stole her birthright, then discarded it like a useless trinket when it was no longer useful to them. No one ever suggests ‘why don’t we let Scorpia connect with ~her runestone~’ until Glimmer does (and Glimmer’s motivations and arguments aren’t exactly forthright). Scorpia’s loyalty makes her an accomplice in her own oppression (like a bunch of the themes in this show there’s some interesting post-colonial stuff that the show doesn’t fully explore, probably because Noelle and the crew felt self-conscious about telling a post colonial story, or just didn’t know where to go with it). Interestingly, Scorpia’s loyalty to the Horde here parallels her loyalty to Catra, which has made her completely disregard her own wellbeing, which is the most obvious take away from the episode.
But I would argue that everything above shows that for Scorpia loyalty has been a way of avoiding developing her own moral compass. Scorpia repeatedly shoves aside questions of right or wrong in favor of being loyal to her friends and to the Horde. Loyalty has made Scorpia not only willing to accept her own mistreatment, but to willingly mistreat others, and to keep herself from asking any hard questions about what she’s doing or why. This is despite the fact that Scorpia is, by inclination, an incredibly gentle, kind and compassionate person. She’s willing to silence the best parts of her nature out of loyalty to Catra and the Horde. In the end, she also commits acts of violence and perpetuates the oppression of Etheria. And this is so insightful, because we see this sort of thing in our world all the time. So many oppressive institutions depend upon the loyalty of their members to keep them ‘just following orders’; so many abusive systems depend upon loyalty to stifle dissent and silence potential whistleblowers before they even speak. We see this in some of the most oppressive institutions and the worst scandals in our own society, and looking back through human history we see it in some of our nation’s and our species' most infamous crimes.
And when we look at the Horde as a system that Hordak has built in imitation of his elder brother’s empire, we see just how central loyalty is an ethos. Hordak himself is motivated entirely by loyalty to Prime - being a former clone, he spends the entire series not fully capable of accepting himself as an autonomous being (even when he acts like one and enjoys it, there’s some fucked up religious shit there that I won’t get into). He seems to have instilled this in his followers. The Horde Trio, Catra and Scorpia all hold loyalty as one of their highest values. Catra clings to it as her biggest accusation against Adora - that she was disloyal, as expressed in Catra’s perception that Adora broke her promise and abandoned her. Loyalty keeps the Horde Trio together and fighting for the Horde, and Scorpia with Catra. I think we can read between the lines and say the Horde runs on loyalty (as well as fear) and this is a very insightful portrayal of oppressive military and paramilitary institutions like armies of conquest and occupation and other instruments of state violence.
There’s another, related way of looking at how a sole reliance on loyalty as a moral framework has stunted Scorpia’s moral growth, and I think that brings together both the ways that it makes Scorpia willing to accept her mistreatment and participate in the mistreatment of others. Namely, loyalty in the Horde style isn’t just sticking with someone or something, but subsuming your own will into theirs. Following orders. Supporting your friend in what they do no matter what. Whatever you call it, it’s about turning off your own self - your self preservation, your self respect, your conscience, whatever other things you value - and just going along with what the person or institution you are loyal to wants you to do. And this is where Horde loyalty goes full circle, back to its origin - Horde Prime, the narcissistic self-made god who wishes to control or destroy everything that is not himself. Loyalty as Hordak conceived of it and as the Horde believes in it is a reflection of Prime's absolute control over all his domain.
In a way, self-determination is one of this show’s highest values (together with love). It’s at the heart of Adora’s 5-season, 3 year struggle to become her own woman and her own hero as she shrugs off one imposed destiny and then another and finally embraces what she wants. In a more negative form, it’s at the heart of Catra’s arc, as she finally accepts responsibility for her own actions and their consequences and starts working to make a world that she actually wants to live in, as well as admit to herself that what she really wants is love. And I could go on. This self-determination is existentially, obviously threatened by Prime chipping people, but it is also stunted by horde-style loyalty that demands unquestioning support and obedience.
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Both the Horde Trio and Scorpia reject the Horde’s ideal of loyalty and walk away, but I think it’s interesting how they do it. Neither rejects loyalty entirely (not on the way Adora does) - the Trio, realistically, remain loyal to each other and simply walk away and walk out of the war (this might save their lives), joining the other disillusioned cynics in the Crimson Wastes. They reject loyalty to the horde and embrace a more supportive and respectful form of loyalty to each other. Scorpia leaves, but she actually comes to her crisis and makes her decision out of loyalty, and because it’s clear that her loyalty isn’t returned. The immediate situation - loyalty to Emily and Entrapta’s memory on one hand and Catra’s orders on the others - creates the conflict between loyalties that forces Scorpia to actually make her own choice rather than deferring to Catra. But she also reflects how Catra betrayed her loyalty to Entrapta, and thus how all of her friends’ loyalty to Catra is not returned.This is another point about horde-style loyalty - it’s one way - Hordak or Catra will demand your loyalty, but they feel no obligation to return it, which reflects Prime’s view of every other being in the universe as disposable. It’s only when she’s with the Princesses that Scorpia starts to find a new moral center, though sticking up for and protecting her friends remains important to her. In neither case, though, are these kinds of loyalty coming at the cost of either the Trio or Scorpia’s autonomy or ability to make moral choices of their own. In the very next episode, she says she wants to 'be A good friend' which is how the Princesses typically describe sticking together, which is a much more active and holistic concept than 'loyalty'. Scorpia confesses that she doesn't even know how, but she wants to learn and thinks the princesses can teach her.
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There's another interesting counterexample to Horde Loyalty. Adora repeatedly breaks with the people around her to do what is right. First she leaves the Horde, then walks away from Catra by stages when it is clear that Catra is going to continue to harm other people and Etheria. Then she walks away from Glimmer, defies Light Hope and breaks loyalty with her supposed destiny and purposes as well as loyalty to the homelans she has never known. By season 5, Adora is loyal only to herself and the people she cares about, but she isn't constraining her will to anyone else's. For all that she seems like a rule follower Adora has a rebellious streak a mile wide, and she will do what is right, no matter what. This is what allows her to save the universe 3 times.
So the show’s argument is that loyalty is not a good moral framework to base all of our actions around. I don’t think it goes so far as saying that loyalty has no place in our ethics (being a good friend, which is such a huge part of the show, certainly includes loyalty, especially sticking with people when the going gets tough), but the show stresses time and again that being loyal to something or someone shouldn’t make you disregard yourself and what you think is right. Because it’s only by living out our own values and taking responsibility for our own actions that we can come into our own as moral beings. Moreover, if we insist on maintaining loyalty to institutions that oppress us and others, we can’t dismantle the systems of oppression that are holding us and other people down. (Yes, this is a pretty radical message, but I suspect that Noelle is some kind of anarchist? Anyway, it’s a thing.)
Okay, so that’s what I, a 35 year old, get from this kids show. I think it’s also worth pointing out that this lesson applies to younger viewers too, in their most immediate lives. Younger viewers will have had friends who didn’t treat them well, or might not have treated other people well, and who might have pressured them into participating in the mistreatment of others (this is kind of how bullying works a lot of the time). I think it’s important that younger viewers see how being a good friend never means disrespecting yourself or other people and it means a lot to me that She-Ra shows this in such a nuanced and realistic way.
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aubreyprc · 3 years
Text
it’s you
13 & 14 & 50 - please don’t make me choose - you’re choosing her over me? - i shouldn’t still be in love with you
summary - hotch and emily start seeing each other during his separation with haley. when haley wants to try again six months later he accepts, his wish to be a family unit for his son a bigger priority than anything else. three months later things just aren’t the same, and haley gives him an ultimatum. (i hate this sm but . oh well. hope u love it hehe)
word count 1.6k
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She always knew it would end like this. End with him apologising, telling her that if things were different then maybe it would be them. She always knew he’d go back to Haley… so she doesn’t fight, doesn’t cry or shout, she simply accepts it, tells him it’s okay, that it’s his family and she understands. She always knew he would never choose her, she never expected him to, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t hate him just a little for what he did. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t wish it was her. Because she does, she always will. They had six months of something, he and Haley had a lifetime, and she knows there’s no competition, knows he’ll always pick his family, his son, and so she kissed him goodbye and told him to go, a sad smile on her face as he leaned his forehead on hers, and then he was gone, a married man once again, and they make a silent vow to pretend they never happened.
That was three months ago.
She remains distant with him, guarded and pretends as though he didn’t break her heart, pretends as though she didn’t fall for him, for them over the course of the six months and pushes down any feelings completely. She won’t meet his eye, so she never realises he can’t meet hers either, they don’t partake in small talk or any talk, remaining as professional as they can while ignoring the way her heart shatters every time she catches sight of the ring on his finger, the ring that wasn’t there during their… time together, a ring on the hand she used to hold. A ring that means he doesn’t belong to her. A ring that means he never did. She shuts him out completely, forces herself to forget he even exists outside of work, outside of Hotch, because it’s a lot easier than accepting she loves a man who didn’t choose her… loves a man who will never love her back.
He still can’t look either woman in the eye, not really, still can’t look at his wife without thinking about Emily, still can’t look at Emily without feeling guilty, a guilt that runs deeper than anything he’s ever felt before, because it’s guilt for what did he…for what he’s doing to both of them. To Haley and Emily. For having them both stuck in the middle of a war neither are aware they’re in, his heart craving the both of them simultaneously, his want, his need for his son to grow up in a family unit, with both parents in one household something he clings onto in moments where he fears he made the wrong choice, but after three months of that being the main reason why he went home, why he went back to the woman he isn’t sure he can truly love the same again, he starts to doubt whether his choice was what was best for him. For Haley. For Jack.
After three months of distance and arguments that never really get resolved, his marriage is right back to the way it was before she left, and he starts to wonder if he made the right decision at all.
“I cant have this argument with you again, Aaron.” Haley sighs as she turns, running a hand through her hair in frustration. “It’s exhausting.”
“Then stop picking fights with me. Talk to me about it, instead of letting it build up until we wound up right back where we were six months ago.” he says, looking at her as she huffs.
“Six months ago I wasn’t in competition with a woman who—” she stops, shaking her head. “If we want our marriage to work we can’t stay here, Aaron. You’re constantly around the woman you were seeing, your job has affected us for years and we need a fresh start… do you even want us? This?”
“I came home didn’t I?”
“That doesn’t mean you want it.” she says quietly. “You’re going to have to choose.”
“Choose?”
“Us. This marriage. Our family… or D.C, the job…. Emily.” she tells him, “I won’t come second to her, Aaron. I can’t.”
“Haley—”
“If you really wanted us, me, it would be an easy choice…”
“I’ve worked hard for this job—”
“This is not about the job and we both know it.” she tells him, “I’m asking you, I need to know.”
“Please don’t make me choose.” he says softly, and she smiles sadly, tilting her head.
“Because you’ll choose her?” she whispers, and he drops his head, the idea of leaving Emily behind leaving an extreme pain in his chest and he knows then, that he has to follow his heart rather than his head, rather than the picture of a happy family he and Haley had dreamed of years ago, because it’s not a happy family.. he and Emily, they’re happy, and that’s what his son deserves to grow up around. “You’re choosing her over me?” she asks.
“I’m choosing to set us free.” he tells her, “we’ve been over for years, Haley. Jack didn’t fix it, the separation didn’t fix it…”
“There’s a saying..” Haley whispers, “that if you fall in love with two people, to always choose the second, because if you truly loved the first your—”
“Heart wouldn’t have been opened for the second.” he finishes with her, and she smiles at him sadly.
“At least we can say we tried…” she says, and he laughs.
“We tried… probably more than we should have.” he smiles as she chuckles. “I really am sorry… for everything.”
“Me too.” she whispers, “I’m sure we’ll come out of this better… for each other, for our son.”
“I know we will.” he promises her and she nods.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” she smirks, “someone you should speak to?” she asks and he laughs. “Go.” she laughs with him, “we can talk to Jack tomorrow, he’s still young. He’ll be fine.”
“So will you.” he tells her and she nods, before all but forcing him out of the door.
“Good luck,” she smiles, “I hope she loves you as much as you love her.” she says and he laughs, before getting into the car, releasing a breath as he drives to Emily, his heart filling with hope as he refuses to let himself panic.
-
The panic doesn’t really set in until he stands at her door, a deep breath stuck in his chest as he raises his hand to knock only to freeze mid way, taken over by nerves, casting his mind back to how he had ended things, to how different they had been afterwards, how distant she had become with him, never alone with him, never the two of them in casual conversation like before, he expected it to be different, but stood at her door now, he fears that she’ll not want him back, refuse to accept that he wants to be with her, tell him it’s too late and he almost walks away, but the idea of never knowing if they could have been will haunt him, he knows that, so he knocks, releasing the breath and clears his throat, tensing his hand in a fist when he hears the door unlock.
Her eyes widen when she sees him, shock taking over her face.
“What—” she stops, running a hand through her hair. “What are you doing here?” she asks, her voice laced with confusion.
“Can we talk?” he asks her, frowning slightly when she looks away from him. “Are you okay?”
“Talk about what?” she asks him, he stays silent “Aaron, you’re married. You chose to go back to your wife. What are you doing here?”
“We ended it. Haley and I. We’re done. For good this time.” he tells her and she looks at him sadly.
“I’m sorry,” she tells him softly. “Are you okay?”
“It’s been over for awhile, going back was a mistake.” he tells her, nodding his head. “That’s why I’m here…” he says, meeting her eye for the first time in months and she opens her door, allowing him to step past her.
“I made a mistake three months ago.” he blurts out, knowing if he didn’t take the chance while he had the courage, he never would. “I knew I was going back for the wrong reasons, but I went anyway. And I’m sorry for that.”
“You chose your family.” she tells him, “I told you… It’s okay—”
“It’s not,” he tells her, “It’s not okay and it’s not fair, on either of you. I shouldn’t have gone back to her when I knew I had fallen for you.” he tells her, “I should have been able to let you to, and to be with my wife… But I can’t. Because I love you.”
“Aaron—” she starts, but he stops her.
“I shouldn’t still love you, but I do. I love you, Emily. And I’m sorry for not choosing you, I’m sorry for all of it. But I’m here now. Choosing you.”
“You love me?” she asks quietly and he smiles, cupping her cheek gently.
“I love you, completely.” he tells her, his smile is widening as her own grows. “I want this. You.” he whispers.
“Three months ago you wanted your wife…”
“For all the wrong reasons. I want you for all the right ones.” he smiles when she laughs.
“If you break my heart again I will kill you.” she warns.
“I don’t ever plan to.” he promises, and she kisses him, let’s herself fall into him for the second time, yet this time, hope fills into their chest, and love runs through the both of them.
“I love you too.” she whispers against his lips, and he kisses her smile, a promise of forever in the air.
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black-dragon1998 · 3 years
Text
Stoic keeper and sick girl chapter 4
Summary: (Y/n) and Lexa tell the team everything and emotions surface.
Also, COVID19 doesn’t exist in this fic!
warnings:  Talking about cancer. if this is a trigger don’t read. Everything mentioned is from my own experience as may not apply to everybody.
Talk about past trauma’s and shitty childhood.
part 1 -part 2- part 3
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Waking into the dining room you noticed it was still rather empty. The only ones who were already there were Alex, Kelley at one table and Alyssa at another. Alyssa was probably the safer one to sit at. The younger ones would probably want to joke with Kelley and move around a lot, Alyssa most nights stayed at her table and was one of the most rational people on the team.
The blond keeper looked up when you neared with a nervous Lexa. You tried to reassure her with a hand on her shoulder as you let her closer to the table.
“Alyssa I like you to meet Lexa. Lexa this is one of my many good friends, Alyssa Naether. I know she looks scary but she is a big softy inside.” You introduce. Alyssa rolls her eyes at you but introduces herself to the girl. She could see that the girl was relaxed around you.
“it’s nice to meet you, Lexa.” Lexa doesn’t say anything but does give Alyssa a little nod so the keeper took that as a win.
“is it okay if the two of us sit with you? That way she can take off her facemask and eat in peace.” You ask Alyssa, who looks a bit confused at your panicked state. Normally you were far more relaxed with her.
“sure.” She said trying to reassure you with her eyes. If you were freaking out then it has to be pretty serious about what you had to tell or what was going on. The only thing she could do was support you.
“sure.” Alyssa tried to reassure you with her eyes and a kind smile.
“Thanks, Lyss, you’re the best.” You beamed the keeper with your best smile as you put Lexa’s bottle down on the table and lead Lexa toward the food.
“come on Lexa let’s go see if they're in anything you like.” you tried to stay optimistic, you knew how hard it could be to eat when everything you smelled or saw tasted disgusting. Even too today you had days you couldn’t swallow anything and had to fall back on meal replacement shakes.
Throughout the whole buffet, there was nothing Lexa seemed to fancy at the end you sighted, Lexa looked up with a small face.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered under her breath, your heart broke. It wasn’t her fault she wasn’t feeling like eating.
“hey, you don’t have to be sorry about this okay. I will talk with the trainers, normally they have some shakes for me when I don’t feel like eating. I will get you to try one-off those okay. Maybe a cola.” She shakily nods looking down at the floor. Taking her chin between two fingers you make her look up at you.
“say it to me.” Your voice is stern but comforting. You don’t want her to live in the constant fear of disappointing you. You give her an encouraging smile.
“I have nothing to be sorry about.” She told you. Not as confidently as you liked but it was a start. You lead her back to the table and tell her you will be back. Taking her sports bottle with you to fill with some cola.
Alyssa watched as you placed the little girl on the chair in front of her and reassured her that you wouldn’t be gone long. Alyssa had never seen you this tender.
Like the rest of the team, Alyssa had questions, after the end of the game. You had disappeared just after the final whistle had been blown and they had found you thirty minutes in the trainer's locker room with a little kid. When Ali and Christen had tried talking to you, you had given them some very specific orders that the girls couldn’t place. Now seeing the girl in front of her with the face mask and bandana with baseball cap those question only rang louder but they were for later.
“Hey, Lexa.” Alyssa tried to get the girls attention by calling her. Het girl looked up at the keeper with big uncertain eyes.
“Don’t you want anything to eat?” Alyssa asked pointing to her empty plate. All Lexa did was shake her head and look down at the table. Alyssa decided to drop it not wanting until you got back, it was clear you had a connection with the little girl.
 The silence in the room was broken when more of the team dripped into the dining room and when more of the younger players it even became rowdy and Lexa flinched at every harsh sound and hoped you would come back fast.
 You returned to the dining room with Lexa’s sports bottle filled with cola and one of your shakes. After doing the whole story to Vlatko he had promised to help you with the legal papers and that set up an appointment with your doctor for tomorrow and one for yourself also.
After the whole ordeal, you felled exhausted, all the emotions of the day catching up to you and all you wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep.
Emily spotted you halfway through the room and strode toward you. Like the rest of the team, she had heard about the kid and had seen her with Alyssa. No one of the younger players dared to approach in fear of the older keeper.
“hey (Y/N) how’s the little squirt doing,” Emily asked hoping you would spill something but you weren’t int the mood to talk to anybody.
“buzz off Sonnett.” You growl not being able to contain your frustration and exhaustion. The conversation with Vlatko was a heavy one. Now the stress of getting your blood draw tomorrow was causing extra stress. You had awful veins and you dreaded it.
Emily was taken back by your tone, normally it took you a lot more to rile you up.
“wow, what got your panties in a twist?” Emily tried to lighten your mood.
The conversation between you and Sonnett had drawn the attention of the rest of the team. You could already see Ali and Ash make their way toward you.
Lexa had gotten of her chair and was running toward you, she could see how stressed you were and she wanted to help because you always helped her.
“(Y/N)!” Lexa grabbed your hand tried to give it a reassuring squeeze but because of her weakened state, it wasn’t hard and also tried to give you a reassuring smile. You didn’t know if you should laugh or cry, how could a child that had gone through all she had to be still so compassionate. Sinking through your knees make you almost eye level with her.
This caused all the veterans to immediately come running toward you while the younger players just watched. There was a small panic going around the team, you never showed emotions so openly.so I kind of freaked them out. Even though you hadn’t shed a single tear you looked exhausted.
“I’m okay Lexa. Thank you.” You whisper to the girl, looking at her gave you enough courage to scrape yourself together and lead her back to the table. When she sat down you handed her the coke and shake, which looked at sceptically but opened it when you told her it tasted like strawberries. After the sip, she takes another and another.
 When the team decided you have ignored them enough they send Ali and Ash to talk to you. Seeing as they had the best track record with you.
You could feel their eyes burning into your back and it was just a matter of time before they tried to talk to you. For the moment you just watched Lexa enjoy her shake.
“your friends are staring at us,” Lexa commented looking at you from under her cap. She looks cute with one of your caps and hoodie.
“I know. They will come over here any moment to talk. They like to do that. You want to tell them?” you would leave the choice to her, it’s her life and you would support her either way.
“I want to stay with you.” She confesses looking up at you with big eyes. It makes you happy she felled secure with you.
“I know that sweety but that doesn’t mean I am forcing you to tell them. I’m not going to force you to tell them anything you don’t want to.” You assure her.
“But I want to be honest with them.”
“well if you are brave enough maybe I could half as brave and do the same.” You stroke her cheek and smile at her. Krashlyn took that moment to interrupt you.
“What should you tell us?” Ashlyn asked while she and Ali sit down in front of you before you look up you catch Lexa’s eye.
“ready little warrior.” She gives you a simple nod. Turning to the couple and try to give them a reassuring smile.
“Lexa and I have to tell you all something.” Suddenly a lot of voices started talking. Asking what it was and how you met Lexa. You cut through it with a sharp whistle and instruct them all to take a seat and listen. You had never seen them sit down so fast and be shut up, maybe you should try that whistle more.
“you want to tell them first?” Lexa swallowed hard before she looked up at the soccer players.
“okay guy’s this is Lexa I met her today after the game, after talking to her I have decided to become her legal guardian. Vlatko is helping me with the papers.” You pause for the information to sink in but not long enough for chaos to break out.
“wait with the questions and judgment until after Lexa and I have done our story.” You gave Lexa a reassuring smile while glaring at your teammates. Lexa grabs your hand for support.
“I have leukaemia and (Y/N) had promised to stay with me so I don’t have to do the therapy alone. I hate being alone in the hospital and she makes me feel safe.” The weight of the word behind the childlike didn’t go unnoticed by you.
Many of the soccer players in front of you had unshed tears in their eyes. After her story, Lexa buries her face into your shoulder. Hugging her back in return almost seemed like second nature.
“you were so brave, little warrior. I’m so proud of you.” You Lexa while hugging her close. When I was obvious she wouldn’t be say anything more.
“I saw Lexa in the stands alone and could immediately tell what the problem was. A couple of kids were picking on her for it, that is when I decided to step in and take her inside with me, I didn’t know how bad her immune system was so I didn’t want to take any chances. Tomorrow both of us have to go to the hospital for a blood test. Then I can tell how much resistance she is against bacteria.” You explain stroking Lexa’s back soothing her and trying to minimize her stress.
“why would they be picking on her?” Christen asks, not understanding why Lexa would be bullied. You have to chuckle at their childlike innocence, most never had to deal with people looking at them weird or shinning them for being different.
“Because people are A-holes, who mistreat everything that is different and not to normal standards.” You grith out between clenched teeth, memories from your past resurfacing. You still remember the stares and the whispers from when you were in a wheelchair because you were to weak to walk. People were far less subtle than they thought they were.
“yes, they are.” Lexa agrees with you while climbing in your lap to hug you. You figured all the emotions and exhaustion were getting to her, so you drab your arms around her so she can rest a bit.
 The whole team looks at you shocked at how soft you are with the little girl. They had never seen you so soft. Some of the veterans were concerned when you told them you were becoming this little girls guardian, to team standards you were still a baby. Only being a couple of months older than Tierna but seeing you like this changed their minds. Also, an unspoken promise was going through the group, they would help you in any way they could.
Taking a deep breath you looked at your team, who were watching you and Lexa with big eyes. Now was as good a time as any to drop your own bomb, hoping that having Lexa with you will lessen the yelling they were going to do.
“There is something I want to tell you guys,” you speak before losing your nerves, freaking out internally. What if they start treating you differently? What if they start looking at you with pity?
Well, you couldn’t go back now.
“There is another reason I stepped out into the crowd today. I saw a lot of myself in Lexa. Because I also had leukaemia as a kid. Twice actually.” Gasp go through the group moments before questions are fired at you.
“(Y/N) sweetheart, why didn’t you tell us?” Ali asks coming closer so she can give you a reassuring smile and doesn’t scare you away.
“This is the only place I feel normal.” You confess not looking up at your team.
“it’s tough being a kid with leukaemia, people treat you different when they know. I was diagnosed for the first time when I was six. You are forced to grow up mentally and emotionally so fast sometimes you forget you are only a kid. I learned to put things into perspective fast, fearing you are not going to going to make it to the next day makes other kids tantrums banal in comparison. This caused me to stick out around my peers and made it hard to make friends. Not that it bothered me that much at that age, I was in the hospital a lot. You take a moment to take a couple of breath before you continue.
“Football is something I love and I didn’t want to be treated differently because of it. That is the big reason I didn’t tell anybody.” A lot of the woman around you are crying or holding each other for comfort. Lexa tightened her hold on you.
The silence in the room is heavy buy familiar. Most people didn’t know what to say after you told them so you decided to let them process everything first before they had to speak to you.
“Alright, that is enough emotions for one day. I’m taking Lexa back to my room so she can rest.” Getting up you grab her sports bottle with you while making your way to the elevator with Lexa in your arms.
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alisonsfics · 3 years
Text
If We Started Dating
Pairing: Derek Morgan x Reader
Summary: Y/N normally sits alone on the jet rides home, but this time Morgan invites her to sit with him
Word Count: 1.5K
Warnings: Y/N experiences a lot of guilt and blames herself for how the case ended. Derek comforts her and assures her it was not her fault.
Normally on the jet rides home, you would sit by yourself. It was just the way that you were able to process each case. You would sit and listen to music or read a book. But you never sat with the rest of the team. It was your time that you set aside to just relax and think.
The rest of the team had seemed to notice this, and never questioned it. They knew everyone coped in different ways.
However, this case wasn’t like any case the team had ever helped on. This case had a terrible ending, and it had ended bad because the team had made some bad decisions.
So especially now, you were sitting alone on the jet. You were looking out the window, just thinking. You were thinking of every other possible outcome that could have happened, it you all had made the right call. You couldn’t help but feel like it was all your fault. Your job was to protect people and you felt like you had failed at that today.
You put in some headphones and tried to drown out your thoughts. You felt a knot form in the bottom of your stomach. You felt absolutely sick to your stomach. You happened to glance across the aisle and saw Derek sitting there. He had headphones in too. You both made eye contact. He mouthed “you okay?”.
One of the downsides of being a profiler and having friends that were profilers, meant they always knew what you were thinking about.
You gave him a weak smile and mouthed the words “I’m good”. You were sure that you hadn’t convinced him at all. He nodded in response. He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t press you any further.
You closed your eyes and listened to your music, but you couldn’t get the faces of the victims out of your mind. You took your headphones out and placed them down. You stood up and quickly walked into the bathroom.
You felt sick to your stomach. You got a paper towel damp in the sink. You pressed it to your forehead, trying to make your nausea go away. You put your hands next to the sink and just looked down. You tried to breathe in and out.
Then, you heard a light knock at the bathroom door. “I’ll be right out” you responded. You figured someone actually needed the bathroom. Then you heard Derek outside the door. “It’s me babygirl, open the door” he said, kindly.
Derek and you had always had a special bond. He was the first one that you met on your first day. He introduced you to everyone and gave you tips on how to get on everyone’s good side. Since then, the two of you were always at each other’s side.
You always had each other’s back, in the field and in everyday life. The only time you two weren’t together was the jet rides back after cases.
You put the paper towel in the trash can and then opened the bathroom door. He was standing there and he looked concerned. As soon as you opened the door, he had his arms open for you.
He knew you well enough that he knew exactly what you were feeling. “Come here, it’s okay” he said, softly. You sighed and walked into his arms. He rocked you back and forth. You felt yourself finally relax in his arms.
“I could have saved them and I didn’t. Derek, how am I supposed to cope with that?” You asked him. He pulled away so he could face you. “None of this was your fault. You can not blame yourself for what happened” he told you. You could tell he meant it, you could see the sincerity in his eyes.
“But I should’ve known that it was the wrong call” You told him, still not being convinced that it wasn’t your fault. “The whole team agreed, we all thought it was the right choice. This is on all of us, we are a team. It’s never one person’s fault” he reassured you.
“Thank you” You said, as you pulled away from him. “Are you okay now?” He asked, still concerned about you. “Yeah I’ll be good” you told him.
“Alright let’s go sit back down” he said turning around. You both walked to where the seats were. Derek sat down where he had been sitting and you sat in your original seat.
“What are you doing? Get over here” he told you, chuckling to himself. “But I always sit by myself” you said, confused. “Not today babygirl, come here” he said, sweetly.
You smiled to yourself and got up and sat down next to him on the double wide seat. “That’s better” he said, putting his arm around your shoulders. “You’re a dork” you said, leaning your head on his shoulder. “Yeah, but I made you laugh” he said, smiling to himself.
You couldn’t help but blush, Derek was really such a sweet and compassionate friend.
Quickly, Derek had fallen asleep. You could tell because his breathing slowed and became more regular. You saw Emily start to wake up. She on the other side of the plane. She made eye contact with you and just smirked to herself.
She held her hands up and made a heart shape, trying to tease you. You just rolled your eyes in response. She continued to tease you and make kissy faces.
Emily knew about your crush on Derek. You wouldn’t be surprised if the whole team, including Derek, knew. It was pretty obvious.
You just sighed to yourself as Emily picked up a book and started to read. You felt Derek stir a little. “Is she making the faces again?” He asked, his eyes still closed. “Uhh what?”you asked him. “The kissy faces?” He repeated.
“Oh yeah, was she doing it before?” You asked him, confused. “Yeah, while we talked over by the bathroom” he said. “Oh, I didn’t notice” you said, giggling. “Well you know what we could do to stop her?” He asked you, opening his eyes and looking at you.
“No, I don’t. What did you have in mind?” You asked him, curiously. “Well I bet if we started dating, she would stop with the teasing” he suggested.
You were shocked, to say the least. Derek and you never really flirted, despite being best friends. You guys didn’t have the relationship that him and Penelope had. You guys didn’t have that constant flirty banter that they had. You were just really good friends.
“Just to make her stop teasing us?” You asked, hoping that he would say that wasn’t the only reason you two should date.
“Come on Y/N, you know how a feel about you” he said, now whispering. “I do?” You asked, confused.
Derek quickly glanced up and you saw him look around the jet. Then he quickly pecked you on the lips. It was magical, but all too short. You didn’t even have time to react, you were just left sitting there stunned.
“Did that make it clear to you?” He whispered in your ear. “Yeah, I think that idea you had is pretty good” you said, with a cheesy smile. You interlaced your fingers with his. “Really? You’d like to go out some time?” He asked, in shock.
“Come on Derek, you’re always talking about how you're such a ladies man. Why are you shocked I said yes? You had to know that I liked you” you told him. You were both barely speaking above a whisper, not wanting the rest of the team to overhear anything. “I’m shocked, because you’re the first girl that I’ve really really cared about. And I feel so lucky right now. You have no idea” he said, smiling.
“I am just as lucky. Although Penelope might be a little jealous and try and steal you away from me” you said, giggling. “No, she won’t be surprised. She knew about how much I liked you. She was always scheming and trying to set us up” he said.
He started to rub his thumb along the back of your hand. Everyone knew that Derek Morgan was always a charmer with the ladies. But you never expected him to be so soft and caring. It was really sweet.
“Well just so you’re aware, as soon as we’re away from the rest of the team, you better be prepared to kiss me again. And I get to kiss you back this time. Last time it was too short” you told him, smirking to yourself. “Your wish is my command” he said, giving your hand a squeeze.
And when you guys got back to Quantico, as soon as you got near Derek’s car, his lips were on yours. You had backed up into the car, pulled Derek with you. You were leaning against the door and he had his hands firmly placed on your hips. You both pulled away once for air and then again when Emily drove by and honked at the both of you.
That was when you both decided that you should probably go home, before you guys got caught by anybody else.
taglist: @reniescarlett @thelovelyrose
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spenciegoob · 3 years
Text
11 Minutes
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A/N: Hi this is lovely based on the song 11 Minutes by Yungblud featuring Halsey, so if you’ve heard that song before, man I’m really sorry for this one. If you haven’t... man I’m really really sorry for this one. Also yes this is really short I’m sorry.
Couple: Spencer Reid x Gender Neutral!Reader
Category: Fluff/Angst
Content Warning: death of a major character, car accident, therapy
Masterlist
Word Count: 1.4K
____
“Spencer, the last two times that I’ve seen you, we’ve sat in silence,” the doctor pointed out, obviously annoyed that her patient, who ironically enough had more PhDs, was wasting their time. “I know it’s hard to start, but the best place to, is from the beginning.”
“Y/N. Their name was Y/N.” This was the first time Doctor Fredricks heard Spencer say anything besides their usual before meeting greetings, and after meetings scheduling. “I heard it all, you know?”
“Heard what, Spencer?”
“Everything.”
“Spencer, I promise you I am getting in the car now. You’ll get to see me in 15 minutes,” you laughed into the phone at your very impatient boyfriend.
“Actually, I’ll see you in 17 minutes and 42 seconds give or take traffic patterns and how awful your first attempt at parking is.” It had been exactly 9 days 7 hours 24 minutes and 43 seconds since you last saw Spencer, and he wasn’t the one counting down by the second this time. 
“Hey!” You barked right back. You weren’t the greatest parker in the world, but there was no need to mention it. “I could walk and skip the parking altogether.”
“No,” he whined, growing more impatient by the second. “That’ll take you an hour, and it’s been enough time since I got to see you. Please love bug, I take back the parking comment.”
“Alright, alright, alright. You’re getting off the hook...” you said as you put the key in the engine, but before you turned the car on, you mumbled, “this time.”
“I heard that!” You couldn’t stop the guilty giggle from escaping your throat and into the speaker of the phone. “Did I just hear your car turn on? I’m hanging u-”
“No, sh. I’m putting you on speaker. Don’t worry, doctor. I’m not on my phone while driving.” Of course Spencer would be nervous about you being distracted by anything while driving, he had the statistics lodged in his brain about car accident deaths.
“Did you know that roughly 1.35 mi-”
“Million people in the US die on the road with an average of 3,700 per day? How could I forget?” You cut him off, hearing this rant every time you went to change the station on your car radio.
“You’re on speaker, and I’ve been driving for 2 minutes already. I think I’ll be fine for the next 15, I promise.” You both knew it was ridiculous to stay on the phone as you headed over to his apartment. It was like the two of you couldn’t wait another second without the other, and thankfully modern technology granted you both that.
“It’s dangerous, love bug, and you know it.” Spencer just would not give up, would he? You’ve had your license for over a decade, and yet he held onto the handle next to his window as if he was your mother teaching you to drive for the first time whenever he was in the car with you. “Plus you speed.”
“What can I say? I like to live on the danger side. Plus do you really want to talk about car deaths, or can I yell at you for insulting my driving TWICE now,” you joked, feigning offense to Spencer’s truthful mean comments about your driving.
“I would much rather talk about how much I missed you,” he sweet-talked to you. While it was cute and all, you knew it was just so you would immediately forget about his little backhand driving comments.
“I missed you, too, my love.” Of course it worked. It was Spencer Goddamn Reid.
“How much longer?” The tone of a little boy in a candy shop whose parents just said no to pounds of sugar returned. You smiled and shook your head to yourself.
“According to maps, 13 minutes.” You let your mind wander as you stared out into the road ahead of you. How did you get so lucky with Spencer?
The day you two reached for the same book in a small library that was almost hidden to the street outside was the best day of your life. You and Spencer talked for hours about Emily Dickinson, other authors, composers and personal lives. It felt natural to spend time with him, and if you could, you’d spend every waking moment with him. That day, you hadn't even realized that 5 hours had passed, nor did you realize you never asked for his name in that amount of time.
“Don’t speed, but hurry up...please.”
“Spencer, how am I supposed to do those things at once?” The light turned red before you could run it, adding at least another 30 seconds before you got to see him.
“I’m 11 minutes away. The lights in this city just su-” You never got to finish your sentence, because the car behind you forgot to stop.
Your head shot forward, hitting the top of the steering wheel as your car and the pick up truck coming at you at 40 miles an hour made impact. Your car had involuntarily skidded in the middle of the intersection. Thankfully, however, it wasn’t a busy one.
“Y/N! Y/N, are you okay?!” You hadn’t registered Spencer’s insistent yelling through the speaker in your phone until the ringing in your eyes subsided to a small dull.
“Y-Yeah,” you croaked out. “Some ass just hit me from behind.”
That’s when you looked to the left of you.
They say when people die, they see a white light at the end of a tunnel, but you saw two. You saw two headlights coming in your direction at a speed that you knew was impossible to stop. The weight the truck carried along with the amount of force used to halt the tires in their place made it so that the driver had no choice.
“You know I love you, Spencer. I love you so much.” You stared death in the eyes, it coming in the form of yellow lights and a blaring horn you knew Spencer could hear on the other end.
“Y/N, I-”
“I never got the chance to actually say it back.” Spencer finished recollecting your death, something he only did in the comfort of his home, alone with nothing but the silent sobs that raked through his body.
“Spencer, you don’t have to tell me for me to know that you blame yourself,” Dr. Fredricks spoke calmly, too calm for Spencer’s liking. He had just told her about the worst moment of his life, and she still held the same tone as if she was saying see you next week.
“How could I not?” He started to get more upset by the second, his voice rising in volume and his body leaning forward. “How do I sit here, and not blame myself? I called them that day. I was the one that rushed them. Me, no one else, but me!”
“Were you driving either cars that hit them?” Spencer knew what she was doing. Dr. Fredricks was trying to get him to admit it wasn’t his fault, so instead of giving in, he stayed silent. She sighed before continuing.
“You need closure, Spencer. The wound is still so fresh that it will never start to heal if you don’t let it.” At this, Spencer sat back and fiddled with his fingers.
She was right. He needed to start healing instead of ripping the wound farther across this heart, cutting deeper each time.
“That’s all the time we have for today. You’ve made great progress this week, and I hope that we can follow that pattern next week as well.” Spencer smiled down at his therapist as he stood up to walk out.
“Oh, and Spencer,” Dr. Fredrick called out. He stopped and turned, expecting a reminder he didn’t need for next week’s time.
“Their last words were I love you. Don’t ever forget they meant it.”
Spencer finally let a tear run down his cheek, the first time he cried in front of anyone after your death.
He nodded before walking out onto the busy DC street. As he was walking, Spencer took out his phone, flipping it between hands, contemplating his next move.
‘Closure, Spencer. You need closure.’ He kept repeating in his mind.
Finding a bench, he sat down to search his contacts for the one name he couldn’t bring himself to delete.
Before Spencer could rethink his next move, he made it, pressing the call button. The phone didn’t even ring, it just went straight to voicemail.
‘Hey! Sorry I missed you, I’m probably asleep. Leave a message, but I can’t promise I’ll listen to it. Bye!’
“Hey, love bug.”
____
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carewyncromwell · 3 years
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“Uptown girl --  You know I can't afford to buy her pearls, But maybe someday when my ship comes in, She'll understand what kind of guy I've been, And then I'll win!”
~“Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel
x~x~x~x
Bill Weasley had always had trouble relating to kids his age. As the oldest of seven kids, he’d pretty quickly slipped into the role of support for his mother Molly, parenting and looking after his younger siblings while his father Arthur was at work in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. Even when he was little, there wasn’t really anyone his age in his tiny hometown of Ottery St. Catchpole. All of the other magical families with kids in the area were much younger than Bill, and it was always a tricky proposition trying to play with the Muggle children who lived closest to the Burrow, with the Statute of Secrecy looming large. So when Bill got to Hogwarts, he found himself almost inevitably falling back on how he acted around his younger siblings, even with kids his own age...which, in turn, made Bill lose his footing, when those kids his age didn’t respond well to being coddled or “looked after.” And given Bill’s rather modest, people-pleasing personality, he wasn’t the type to force anyone to listen to him or do what he said...and so, almost inevitably, he found himself at a loss about how to interact with someone without looking after them in some way, on completely equal footing. And thus Bill Weasley, sweet and amiable as he was, actually found himself largely alone in those first two years he spent at Hogwarts -- and that solitude was something he found out pretty quickly he really didn’t like. 
Bill was relieved when his younger brother Charlie started his first year at Hogwarts. Although Bill had trouble admitting to his family just how unhappy he’d been those last two years, the eldest Weasley was secretly relieved that he’d now have some family at school too. He had always been closest to Charlie out of all of his siblings, given their closeness in age, so it was comforting to know he’d at least have one friend to spend time with, when he wasn’t in class. Charlie’s year, however, also included a ginger-haired Slytherin girl called Cromwell -- the same surname as the infamous “delinquent” Jacob Cromwell, who’d been expelled from Hogwarts and disappeared mysteriously a few years ago. 
Bill first heard about Jacob Cromwell’s sister Carewyn through Charlie, who’d heard that she’d stood up to another Slytherin in their year, Merula Snyde, for bullying Charlie’s timid dormmate Ben Copper and even defeated her in a duel with a Disarming Charm, a spell not taught until at least Bill’s year. Despite himself, Bill actually felt a bit relieved -- he hadn’t known Jacob Cromwell at all, but he figured it had to have been really difficult, for someone to lose their only sibling. Even if he didn’t know Carewyn Cromwell at all, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for her...but at least if she was still confident enough to stand up for herself and others, then it probably meant she was doing okay, even with what had happened to her and her family. And his analysis seemed to be confirmed when Carewyn sought Bill out to get his help the following year with breaking the curse on the Ice Vault. From the moment they first met, Bill made up his mind -- Carewyn Cromwell needed someone to look after her, so he would, until she found her brother again. And so Bill and Carewyn became friends. 
In Bill’s fifth year, he was named Gryffindor Prefect. It was a rather obvious choice for Minerva McGonagall, considering Bill’s predisposition to “look after” and mentor younger students, but it still filled Arthur and Molly Weasley with immense pride. It was also the first year that Bill and Charlie invited Carewyn home for the holidays, upon hearing that her mother Lane had been commissioned by the Ministry of Magic for an international assignment and wouldn’t be able to be home in time for Christmas. When he heard Merula Snyde also wouldn’t have anyone to spend the holidays with, Bill made the remarkably kind move to invite her to the Burrow as well, even with Charlie and Carewyn’s misgivings -- but that holiday ended up being one of the best all four of them had ever had. Merula and Carewyn were even able to mend fences enough to sing Christmas carols together, the first’s clear Soprano voice hovering ethereally over the second’s warm, emotional Alto harmonies. That Christmas was also the year Carewyn gave Bill his very first record -- an album called An Innocent Man, by an Muggle artist named Billy Joel. Arthur Weasley was almost more thrilled by the gift than his son was, and he immediately brought out the Muggle record player he’d...”been allowed to take home” from work so Carewyn could show the Weasleys how to play the record on it. And for the rest of the winter break, it wasn’t uncommon for one of the Weasleys to put the record on in the background while doing dishes or playing a game of Wizard’s Chess in front of the fire. The song from the record Bill found himself humming the most, even after returning to Hogwarts, was the first song on side two of the record. He’d liked the tune immediately just because it was fun...but it also reminded him of a girl in his year he’d been trying to muster up the courage to talk to -- a very pretty and daring Gryffindor named Emily Tyler. 
“And when she's walking, she's looking so fine, And when she's talking, she'll say that she's mine... She'll say I'm not so tough, Just because I'm in love with an uptown girl!”
Emily Tyler was the most popular girl in Bill’s year, as well as one of the most popular in Gryffindor house overall. She’d made a name for herself at the Dueling Club, where she remained Gryffindor’s main champion -- it was likely only thanks to Hufflepuff’s own dueling prodigy, Diego Caplan, that Emily had any competition at all. She also was top of her class in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Bill’s favorite and best subject, even managing to Stun an entire flock of bats with one spell. And coupled with that talent was a lot of style, confidence, and ability to captivate and charm others. She never seemed uncomfortable in a crowd and never seemed to be at a loss for words around her peers -- something Bill himself still struggled with. She’d even expressed some interest in Cursebreaking post-Hogwarts, gushing about the acclaim and glamour of the profession. In short, in Bill’s eyes, Emily just seemed amazing -- a bit out of his league, sure...but maybe if he was brave and put himself out there, she might give him a chance!
So one day, right around spring break, Bill passed Emily a note in Defense Against the Dark Arts, asking her to meet him in the castle courtyard. The eldest Weasley was kind of an emotional wreck on the inside, absolutely beside himself with nerves, but he put on his bravest face anyway. He’d even brought a pink rose, which he tried to keep out of sight in his back pocket until Emily arrived. It was the flower that caught Carewyn’s eye, when she was passing through the castle courtyard. 
The third-year Slytherin had been planning on meeting up with Ben and Rowan in the library so they could study up for an upcoming Charms test, but she put that on hold, seeing her friend Bill sitting alone in the courtyard, as if waiting for someone. Normally she would've gone over to say hello, but the pink rose in Bill’s pocket made her give pause -- a fortunate thing too, for not long later, Bill shot to his feet as Emily Tyler entered the courtyard. She was dressed head-to-toe in bright pink, with her dark hair tied up in a high ponytail and her makeup impeccably neat. She wasn’t alone -- several other boys and girls were with her, all talking to her animatedly. They reluctantly waited for her at the edge of the courtyard, their eyes locked on her as she approached Bill. The scrutiny from Emily’s cohorts clearly intimidated Bill, but he didn’t let it rattle him. He faced his crush with the best smile he could.  
“Hi, Emily,” he greeted. “Thanks for coming -- I know you’re pretty busy with the Dueling Club...”
“I am,” assented Emily. Her voice was matter-of-fact. 
Bill gave a weak, uncomfortable laugh. “Well, uh...I won’t take up too much of your time, then. I just wanted to...er...”
He took the pink rose out of his back pocket and offered it to her. Emily blinked down at it in surprise. 
“I wanted to...give this to you,” said Bill with a modest smile. “Pink is your favorite color, I’ve heard. Not that I’ve been eavesdropping on you or anything,” he said very quickly, “I just heard you tell one of your friends that once, last month, and...”
Carewyn felt very uncomfortable, listening to this. Deciding at once that the whole thing really wasn’t her business and that Bill deserved his privacy, she turned to go. She probably would’ve walked away, were it not for how disdainful Emily's voice sounded, when she spoke.
“Is this...some sort of confession?”
Carewyn immediately stopped and turned back around. Emily was looking from her friends on the sidelines to Bill, her face twisted in a very critical, flabbergasted sort of look. 
Bill, to his credit, somehow managed to keep a weak smile on, even as her brought up a hand to rub behind his neck uncomfortably. 
“Well, uh...yes! I guess so. I...was sort of hoping we might be able to hang out sometime...maybe get some butterbeers in Hogsmeade or something -- ”
Emily’s eyes had widened little by little with every word out of Bill’s mouth until, finally, she brought them to an abrupt halt when she started to laugh. 
“You -- you’re serious?” she said incredulously. She glanced over to her friends on the sidelines and then around the rest of the courtyard, as if expecting someone to jump out from behind a nearby pillar. “This is a joke, right? Tell me this is a joke.”
Her laugh and slightly louder voice had caught the attention of some other students close by. Her friends over by the entrance of the courtyard were exchanging disbelieving looks and whispers among themselves. 
Bill’s smile faded. 
“A joke?” he repeated blankly. “No -- it’s not a -- ”
Emily fixed Bill with a rather pitying, condescending look as she slipped the pink rose out of his hand. 
“Look, Bill,” she said very coolly, “you’re cute and all -- but you really think you’re my type? You’re a Weasley. Prefect or no, you’re still a blood traitor in messy, second-hand clothes with younger students always tagging along after you like ducklings and a father who chases after Muggle airplanes and scooters rather than work a job that can pay the bills.”
She carelessly dropped the pink rose in the fountain and turned her back on him. 
“Maybe actually make something of yourself, and then we can talk.”
Carewyn had been furious at the things Emily Tyler had said -- but it was the absolutely devastated, heartbroken look on Bill’s darkly flushing face that made her snap. In an instant, the third-year Slytherin had barreled right up to the pink-dressed Gryffindor as she rejoined her snickering friends at the side of the courtyard. 
“How dare you!”
Emily’s friends all stopped laughing to look down at Carewyn. 
“Excuse me?” said Emily, looking down at the much smaller girl with a very condescending eye.
“Bill bared his heart to you just now, and you don’t even care!” Carewyn said fiercely. “Talking about his family being poor and liking Muggle things as if it’s something to be ashamed of...clearly Bill couldn’t have liked you for your personality, because it’s disgusting!”
Emily’s nose wrinkled as she glanced around at her friends. “I don’t think anyone’s surprised you’d throw in your lot with a Weasley, Cursebreaker kid. Your family’s got even less reputation to be proud of -- not to mention your clothes are just as out-of-date as theirs are.”
The boys in the group all gave a low “ooh,” sniggering among themselves. 
“Well, fortunately, unlike you, I could care less about my reputation,” Carewyn spat. “And I’m frankly glad of it! Bill is a kind, hardworking person who always puts others first and puts his whole heart into everything he does! If his family’s reputation makes it so you can’t appreciate any of that, then I’d say you’re the one who needs to ‘make something of yourself’ -- ”
“Carey.”
Carewyn felt a hand coming down on her shoulder, almost holding her back. She looked up, to see Bill standing over her. His gaze was locked on Carewyn rather than Emily and his face was very scarlet, but his voice was low and forcibly level. 
“Don’t worry about it,” he mumbled. 
Carewyn looked at him with concern. “Bill...”
“It’s okay,” said Bill. He forced a thoroughly unconvincing smile. “Let’s just go.”
Carewyn stared at Bill for a long moment, feeling very reluctant to let the issue go. Her eyes then fell away, drifting away -- it seemed they’d acquired an audience, in the rest of the students scattered around the courtyard.
Bill would probably be even more embarrassed, if I escalated things further, she thought guiltily. 
Exhaling quietly, Carewyn shot one more very dirty look in Emily’s direction and walked off with Bill. As they walked off, some of Emily’s friends shouted taunts after them.
“‘Mother Duck’ Weasley strikes again!”
“Follow along after Mama, little duckling!”
Carewyn forced herself to keep walking and not turn around. She shot a furtive glance at Bill, and saw that he was doing the exact same thing, even with the ruby red flush in his cheeks and the slight shine to his eyes. 
Carewyn followed Bill out of the courtyard, down the hall, through the large double doors, and out onto the castle grounds. The eldest Weasley seemed to be walking with no destination in mind, his gaze endless and his steps aimless. Carewyn could practically feel the misery, shame, hurt, and embarrassment coming off of her friend, and it made her heart hurt. Her gaze fell to her feet as they walked side-by-side together. 
“...I guess...it was her, wasn’t it?”
Bill straightened up. He’d clearly forgotten for a moment that Carewyn was there. 
“Huh?” he said, before uncomfortably adding, “...W-who?”
“Who you were thinking about, whenever ‘Uptown Girl’ came on.”
Bill flushed a dark red. “What? No, I...what makes you...think there was anyone I was...?”
“Oh, come on, Bill,” said Carewyn with a pitying look. “Your eyes were always so bright, whenever side two started up. I thought...well, there had to be something special you were thinking about, when you heard that one. Even if it wasn’t a specific person...it just felt like that song was something that spoke to you, I guess...”
She offered him a weak, sad smile. 
“...It kind of reminded me of when I sing certain songs. Like even if the words are someone else’s, you can sing them like they’re all yours.”
Bill considered Carewyn for a minute. Then, his flush darkening further, he bowed his head. 
“...Yeah. I suppose that’s true.”
He gave a low sigh.
“...What did I do wrong, Carewyn?” he asked. “Did I come on too strong? Should I have sent her a note, or asked to meet her somewhere more private?”
Carewyn whirled on Bill with an incredulous look. “What? Bill, you didn’t do anything wrong!"
“Sure feels like it,” mumbled Bill. 
Carewyn stopped right in front of Bill, putting her hands on her hips and fixing him with a very reproachful look. 
“You listen to me, William Weasley,” she said fiercely. “I may not know anything about that snobbish twit -- ”
“Emily Tyler.”
“ -- I may not know much of anything about her, but I know you, and I know you deserve so much better than how she treated you. Even if she doesn’t feel the same way about you as you do about her, there’s no excuse for how cruel she was to you...all clearly just to save face around those awful friends of hers...”
Bill blinked in surprise. “You reckon?”
“Yeah,” said Carewyn. “She kept glancing at her friends, the whole time. She rejected you that soundly because she thought they wouldn’t approve of you.”
Seeing the look on Bill’s face, she added, “But that shouldn’t matter, Bill! If Emily thinks impressing her friends is more important than being a decent human being, that’s her problem. And if her so-called ‘friends’ are the sort of people who look down their noses at good people like your family...well, clearly Emily Tyler’s a rotten judge of character.”
Bill looked a bit comforted by Carewyn’s words. He tried to smile again, but it still looked halfhearted at best. 
“Thanks, Carey,” he said lowly. “It’s just...well, she’s just so amazing. Talented and pretty and perfectly brilliant -- you should see her in Defense Against the Dark Arts, I reckon she’s on the NEWT level already. She even said she might like being a Cursebreaker, when she graduates -- travel everywhere, and become world-famous...”
Carewyn brought a hand onto Bill’s shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze. It felt a little odd: he hadn’t really talked to anyone about his feelings for Emily, and just talking his feelings out, rather than listening to someone else’s...it was something he could only really ever remember doing with his parents, and only occasionally. It was weird, but it felt...nice.
“I just...didn’t think she’d react like that,” Bill admitted. “Not that I expected I’d sweep her off her feet or anything, but...I’d sort of hoped that she’d give me a chance, and that when we went out, we’d get on, and maybe even hit it off...”
He sighed heavily. 
“Guess I really don’t know much about love at all, do I?”
Carewyn frowned deeply. “That’s not true at all! You know plenty about love. You love your brothers and Ginny, and your parents...and you love your friends too!”
“That’s really not the same thing,” said Bill. 
“It should be,” huffed Carewyn. “Love is love. If you love someone, you care about their happiness more than your own. Sure, maybe when you marry someone, there’s a lot more kissing and you want to have kids together and stuff like that...but well, the important part is that caring, right? Without that, what does the rest of that stuff matter?”
Bill’s face softened slightly. 
“...I guess you’re right. And I guess...when I am looking for that person...I should find somebody who’ll care about my happiness just as much as I do theirs.”
Carewyn nodded with a smile. “Definitely.”
She took Bill’s hand.
“And maybe someday when your ship comes in,” she sang brightly, “she’ll understand what kind of guy you’ve been...”
Bill’s face flushed again, but this time it wasn’t out of embarrassment -- this time, it was accompanied by a bright, touched look in his brown eyes. 
“And then I’ll win,” he finished, in a much less trained, gravelly singing voice than Carewyn’s. 
Carewyn beamed. She walked on ahead, pulling lightly at Bill’s hand so as to coax him to walk next to her. 
“And when she knows what she wants from her tiiiiime~...”
Bill gave a laugh, but followed Carewyn’s lead, recalling the words by heart. 
“And when she wakes up and makes up her miiiiind~...”
Soon Carewyn and Bill were back toward the castle, swinging their linked hands idly back and forth as they sang the rest of the song together, getting louder and louder with each line. 
“She'll see I'm not so tough, Just because I'm in love with an uptown girl! You know, I've seen her in her uptown world -- She's getting tired of her high-class toys And all her presents from her uptown boys.... She's got a choice! Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!”
Before long, all the two thought of while singing that song was hanging out together and being silly, while not caring what anyone else thought. Not a single word of the song brought Emily Tyler back to Bill’s mind -- and in the years to come, Bill would continue to enjoy the song with no negative connotations whatsoever, instead only remembering when Carewyn and he sang it at the top of their lungs to make him feel better. And that moment did indeed signal a shift in the dynamic between Carewyn and Bill. For Carewyn, it made her feel like she was walking home with Jacob again -- like she had an older brother who she could look after, the way she used to for Jacob. And for Bill, it made him feel like he’d acquired a second younger sister -- one who emotionally supported him the same way he did his real siblings. 
One thing was for sure, though -- it was this moment, among many others to come, that cemented Bill and Carewyn as the very best of friends. 
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x~x~x~x
Tagging @the-al-chemist​ and @oneirataxia-girl​ for expressing interest in this prompt! 🤗
Carewyn’s dress is based on the design on the left 💗
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yandere-wishes · 4 years
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Yandere Charcter Encyclopedia
A list of some requested charcters and the types of yandere’s they would be. I might open requests for a part two later idk yet. 
💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
Twisted Wonderland
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Vil Schoenheit is  controlling and possessive.
You need to be the BEST!
It's more so this lovesick notion that Vil seems to be "in love with" rather than you as a person. No one knows exactly why Vil chose you as his dearly significant other and Vil has never given any inkling as to why he favors you above everybody else. It's a paradox, an unsolvable mystery. But the truth is Vil fell in love with you, not for your looks, nor your personality, heck you didn't even really do some outstanding gesture that pulled at his heartstrings, no, instead you did nothing. Confusing, I know but let me explain, you were a nobody. No breathtaking looks, no fantastic personality, no influential family. There was NOTHING special about you! This means you had the potential to be something special, something extraordinary and the only person in the universe who could raise you to such levels was nonother than the head of Pomfiore, Vil Schoenheit!
Every day he spends hours making sure you look perfect, a face painted in just the right ways to make others believe you had the features of an angel sent from above. Posture so straight, shoulders pulled back to make others think you were the long lost heiress to some fallen family. Never once did you speak out of place or with a tone harboring too many emotions, every word that left your mouth was so well thought out and prepared that others could only suspect you were some sort of genius.
You were nothing, that's what made Vil notice you in the first place, that's what made him mold you into the perfect someone. Whatever you are now is only thanks to your darling, caring lover...never forget that. 
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Rook Hunt is delusional.
Rook's brain is an incredibly messed up place and it only gets worst the longer he's around you. You are a little rabbit, nimble and sweet and he is the hunter that wants to stick a bow right through your beating heart, a lovely pair you two make, wouldn't you agree? But the more he stalks you, following you around like a second shadow. The more he realizes that he doesn't want you simply for the thrill of a small chase...oh no, he wants to keep you. Put you in a golden cage and throw away the key. You're not some rare catch like le roi des lions or a breathtaking sight like le roi des poisons. No instead you're simple, you aren't a game of nither wit nor strength, you are simply a game of love. Because you love him already don't you? You know he's been following you and doesn't do anything about it because you want him to catch you, right? You want the greatest hunter to hit you with his cupid's arrow so you can fall into his awaiting arms, right where you belong!
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Azul is manipulative (were you guys seriously expecting something else?) 
Azul is all calculations and deals, all wit and talk. He's got guts to go up against just about anyone he meets and he’s smart enough to turn them into a fish out of water. So maybe it was his confidence that let’s you slip away with lax deals, bending the rules for a helpless little angelfish such as yourself. He doesn't notice that he has feelings for you, not until you stroll into the VIP room of the Mostro Lounge looking for your "dearest friend Azul", all to simply ask him for a contract to make the lousy excuse of an Ignyhide dorm leader fall in love with you. It's then and there that Azul decides it's time to toughen up the rules, tighten the noose around your pretty little neck. You don't even notice until you're rejected by Idia and some strang red string is dragging you into Azul's waiting embrace. 
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Kalim is delusional and obsessive.
To Kalim, this is just another heart-filled game. You belong to him and he belongs to you, it's simple! The two of you are so in love...it's just you're a little shy when it comes to admitting it! That's okay, Kalim knows a few drinks from the land of hot sands that will loosen your tongue and if that fails there's always Jamil's hypnosis magic that can make you confess! Look, no matter how you go about it, Kalim is just all so convinced that you love him that it doesn't matter what you really think!
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Ruggie is manipulative (Lord have mercy on you people the day I finally muster up the courage to write Savancalw yandere  headcanons)
Oh sure, male hyenas are passive when it comes to females everyone knows that! But whilst Ruggie does follow -albeit loosely- the reserved yet desperate routines of hyena courtship, he leans more towards suffocating his chosen mate with his presence rather than showing a desperate side of himself. He's always circling his chosen darling, stalking them down the halls, trailing after them all over campus, he never leaves them alone. Any confrontations from his darling will lead to an immediate sob story. Something about how he could smell food in your bag and didn't have any money to buy his own meal or maybe about how he never met a girl as cute as you in slums so he had no idea how to approach you properly. Of course, this is all a hoax, he just needs you to drop your guard, to look him in the eyes with your sad, heart-throbbing orbs, then it's game over, you're all his. "Hey, what's with the dull face? come on, laugh with me skskksks~".
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Jack is a protective.
It's only natural really, wolves are overprotective when it comes to their pack members and sure maybe you aren't really a part of his pack per se. But that doesn't mean he's just going to leave you to fend for yourself. You're all so small and frail, you could never hold your own against anyone! Let alone all the mages in NRC. But Jack can, he can protect you and defend himself, it's not a problem. He's very likely torn on whether or not to actually kidnap his darling. On one hand, he doesn't want you to hate him for stealing you away from your friends, he wouldn't want to play the role of the big bad wolf in your story. But on the other hand, poor Jack just isn't lucid enough to fully understand that whisking you away is wrong. In the end, you probably just wind up in his room locked away, or better yet, protected from all the horrors of the outside world.
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Deuce is an obsessive 
He just wants to be around you all the time. It's mostly some deep routed paranoia that at any fleeting moment you'll somehow abandon him finding refuge with either Cater or Ace. Maybe you find their lazy stupid mannerisms amusing, is that it? If you want lazy, he can be lazy too! Or maybe you want to be with Riddle? Do you like guys who are mean spirited and quick to anger? He can yell! He can yell so much better than Riddle can! Deuce will do anything, anything at all to get you to stay with him. Even if some of his tactics are a little more painful and involve some broken bones. 
Hypnosis Mic
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Jakurai  is possessive and protective 
He's overbearing to put it simply, constantly hovering around you, ghosting his fingers over your flesh, or leaving lingering kisses on any patch of exposed skin. First and foremost Jakurai is a doctor, so it's his nature to be nurturing, sure you can accept that much. But what he does to you isn't nurturing in any way shape or form! Juakurai isn't above using sedatives and other forms of medications to keep you compliant, that's not what a good doctor should do, you're both lucid enough to know that. But to Ill-Doc you leave him no other choice, you're constantly disobeying him, trying to find some underhanded way to leave him. So what else can the poor man do! He needs to keep his only escape from the tedious loneliness he's been cursed with, safe!
kamigami no asobi
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Balder is possessive and obsessive
He can't help it, there's just something so radiant and sparkling inside of you, something that he can't let get tainted by the darkness that rests within others. You're always walking on thin ice around him, chewing every single word before conversing, calculating every single step before daring to make the slightest move. One wrong look or miscalculated word could get him to spiral into a fit madness, and this time there won't be anyone to save you. But that's only if you do the wrong thing! Just keep playing the role of the loving, adoring girlfriend and there won't be any further...complications. If you simply show him how much you love him, Balder can become all so sickly sweet. A perfect doting boyfriend, constantly sharing his precious meat with you and dressing you up in prettiest lavish gowns from Asgard. 
Obey me
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Asmodeus is sneaky 
The avatar of lust is used to swift meaningless relationships, too caught up in the passion and pleasure to really care about the other person. But with his darling things are different. Oh sure, the lust and sexual tension is still there, always hovering around the air like a thick unbreakable fog. Accept this time there's something else, a sort of jealous aroma blowing through the dense mist. It's intoxicating, making Asmoudaus crave only his little darling, he only wants to look at them, touch them, kiss only them! It's almost like he's addicted to every itty bitty detail about his newfound lover. Will Asmodeus get bored of the relationship over time? Absolutely! But will he ever actually leave his darling to their own devices? Hell no! Asmodeus may have the right to cheat on his darling but they can NEVER so much as think about another man other than him! HE.OWNS.THEM! Their body, mind, soul, it all belongs to him!
Black Butler
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Snake is Jealous  (I haven't written for black butler since, like, sixth grade) 
Snake does love you, this is an evident fact, he never once leaves your side. It's suffocating sure, but it's only because the scaled boy is so paranoid that you might run away with someone else, someone normal. His snakes (mostly Emily) are always chaining the two of you together, constantly curling around your skin so you won't get any ideas to escape. Lord forbid you so much as look at another man, that'll make the white-haired snake charmer go into a fit of pure utter rage. normally Snake won't punish you, but when his jealousy gets too much to keep inside he'll let it out by screaming at you. Asking you if you find him repulsive if you wish to leave him for someone who looks normal. This will than lead to him crushing you in his arms, begging you not to leave him! Overall Snake is one of the tamer yandere of the  Phantomhive residence, a real blessing in disguise. 
mystic messenger
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Saeyoung is obsessive 
It's really all just a small accident, this was never really meant to happen, he wasn't meant to fall in love with you. Saeyoung probably just came across your profile whilst on the web, scrolling through some database or another. like I said, IT.WAS.AN.ACCIDENT...and yet all so many times accidents can lead to something...more. Saeyoung doesn't know what particular thing it was about you that caught his attention, maybe it was your cute face or some little odd, out of place detail in your bio. Either way, it has the red-haired hacker surfing through every site just to learn more about you. Picking the internet apart just to find out some small fragments of your personal life. It's become a sort of hobby -addiction-  of his, stalking your every move through trackers and reverse cameras. One day he might even gather the courage to speak to you in person, but for now, he's content watching your pretty face from behind a screen. 
Code Realize
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Impey is Obessasive and clingy
It's your smile, right from the get-go, Impey was enthralled by your cheerful smile. It makes his heart skip a beat, his palms grow sweaty, and his breath hitches in his throat. He just adores that pearly white grin. He's constantly pestering you, poking your cheek, and asking you to smile for him just once more. "Just a small smile, please~". His clinginess is mostly due to the fear of losing you or more so having you stolen from him. That's why he never let's go of your hand and is constantly locking you in his room. "I'm the only one that deserves to see that smile" it's such a childish phrase, primarily when it's accompanied by his renowned pout. Of course, things start to go downhill when you outright refuse to smile. Choosing instead to cry and scream, begging someone to save you from this mad man. Impey is borderline delusional if he thinks you'll ever smile for him again, after the stunt he's pulled.
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lyssismagical · 3 years
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can you do 14 with reid and a person of your choice?
14 laying your head on someone’s shoulder
Spencer Reid & Luke Alvez (Post S12)
tw canon-typical violence, past-drug use
They didn’t talk about whatever it is between them.
Luke had been there through the worst year of Spencer’s life, stood with his hands wrapped around the bars of the Mexican holding cell, threatened people to keep Spencer safe, had carefully applied arnica to the bruises littering his skin after getting out of prison.
It wasn’t like Spencer could go to anyone else. Morgan was too far, JJ had her boys, Tara and Rossi would get uncomfortable in the face of his trauma – not their fault, of course, but he wouldn’t do that to him – Garcia was the opposite problem, she would probably cry and coddle him and suffocate him, and Emily… she had enough on her plate, as is.
Luke was nearby and kind and Spencer knew he’d be up when he ended up outside his door at just past midnight.
He wasn’t even sure how Luke would help him, all he knew was that he couldn’t spend another second in his apartment, walls caving in.
He doesn’t hesitate to knock, but he freezes up when the door opens. It’s too vulnerable, his skin crawls at the idea of letting another person in only to get heartbroken all over again. He doesn’t know if he can handle that on top of everything he’s been through.
“Spencer?” Luke looks exhausted, blinking blearily through the crack of the door. Roxy whines behind him. “What are- Do we have a case?”
“No,” he says but doesn’t elaborate. He shifts on his feet, prepared to turn and disappear at any sign.
Luke stares at him for another long moment, profiler eyes sliding over Spencer’s body. And finally, he opens the door a little wider, stifling a yawn. “Come in.”
Roxy stays back, pacing the floor as she waits to be allowed to sniff Spencer.
“You want a coffee? Tea? Something to eat?”
Spencer tugs at the ends of his hair as he follows into the kitchen. Luke was clearly about to go to bed, wearing a pair of loose plaid pyjama pants and a tight white tank top, and now Spencer’s here, interrupting and ruining his night and god, he hates himself.
“I should go home,” he blurts.
Luke pauses, sets down the mug he’d pulled from the cupboard, turns on Spencer. “Do you want to go home?”
“No.” It’s not like he could lie to Luke.
“Okay. Do you want some tea?”
It’s that simple to Luke.
It almost makes Spencer feel small, childish, like his insecurities and nerves makes him less than Luke somehow.
He accepts the mug that gets pressed into his hands nonetheless, barely reacting when Roxy gets impatient and starts sniffing at his shoes.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve asked for help.”
He knows that’s not where he should start, but he needs Luke to understand how much trust he’s putting in his hands, just how precious it is that he’s holding.
“I know.”
Spencer folds himself into the corner of the couch, cradling the warm mug against his chest. He doesn’t look at Luke, can’t bear to see him.
“I don’t exactly have a good track record of the people I care about sticking around.”
“And that makes it hard to let yourself care about others and even harder to let others care about you.”
Roxy comes around and sits by Spencer’s side of the couch, resting her chin on his feet.
He doesn’t know what he wants, what he needs, what to ask for.
“I’m not going anywhere, Spencer,” Luke says.
“I never thanked you for everything you did for me this past year… You saved my life by talking to Shaw. You helped get me out of there. Thank you. I don’t know- I wouldn’t have made it much longer in a place like that.”
He’s getting choked up, just thinking about all those months spent behind bars, scared and alone and hopeless. A bit of tea hits his chin when his hands tremble, and he quickly takes a few sips to cover it up, savouring the burn in the back of his throat.
“You don’t have to thank me for trying to take care of you.”
“You were the only person this whole year that’s treated me like a human being.”
Spencer sets the mug down on the table to curl into himself a little tighter, hugging his arms around his waist to try and provide himself some comfort.
“You deserve a lot better than you’ve been given.”
“I was addicted to heroin, Luke!” He doesn’t know why he’s so upset. Luke doesn’t get it, doesn’t understand what he’s trying to say. “I killed Nadie Ramos. I stabbed myself to get solitary confinement. I nearly let my mom die because my anger got the best of me. What makes me better than every other man behind those bars?”
Luke looks almost scared and he’s so hesitant when he says, “You don’t really believe that, do you?”
“What am I supposed to think?” He’s on the verge of a complete breakdown, one that he’s scared he’d never recover from. “That I’m better than them because I got special treatment for making some guy happy?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I was friends with Gideon’s son long before I got into the academy. I got special treatment from Gideon for convincing Stephen to try talking to him. So because I have some stupid badge, I’m better than every other criminal? I committed crimes, Luke. I killed an innocent woman, I was high and carrying illegal substances… And because I was friends with someone at CalTech, I get off free?”
Luke’s face falls in horror. “You earned your spot on the team just like everyone else, Spencer. You’re a genius, but more than that, you’re selfless and kind-hearted and honest. You were targeted by an unsub who manipulated your perception with drugs.”
“So we can brush off the heroin this time because it wasn’t my fault, but what about ten years ago? I was addicted to heroin, nobody was making me take it.”
“The unsub got you addicted to his drug of choice. How is that your fault?”
“It’s my fault I didn’t stop! It’s my fault that I, a federal agent, had a drug dealer on speed dial for over a year. It’s my fault that I was stupid enough to walk into his trap in the first place, to not be able to get out on my own. It’s my fault I was in Mexico, vulnerable, and alone.”
Luke shakes his head imploringly. “You know it’s not like that. If you were profiling yourself like any other victim, is that really what you’d come up with?”
Spencer flinches at the word victim. Never, not even when he was twelve and tied naked to the football post, not when he was held hostage by Hankel, not when he was stuck in that church with Cyrus, not when he was shot in the knee, not when he was beat half to death in prison, never did he consider himself a victim.
He’s inches away from falling into a dark inescapable abyss.
“What you went through, what you survived, doesn’t and will never make you a bad person.”
It’ll take a lot more than one conversation on Luke’s old grey couch to make him really believe any of it is true. It’ll take a lot more than this for Spencer to open-up to him without one foot out the door. It’ll take more than this to fix what’s broken.
But the least Spencer can do for tonight is allow himself the one thing he’s been craving.
Slowly, carefully, like he’s afraid of being rejected, he shifts closer to Luke and lets his head fall down onto Luke’s shoulder, hiding his face away as his shoulders shudder.
Luke gently wraps an arm around his shoulders, hesitates, and then pulls him closer. “You know it’s okay to cry. I won’t judge you.”
And he does, tears wetting Luke’s shirt and skin, shoulders wracking under Luke’s hands, breath hitching in his chest. And he cries, feeling safe for the first time in too long.
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