Little Star

Being Replaced

The Bradfords Series Masterlist (5/?)

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!wife!cop!reader

Summary: During your yearly physical, your doctor brings up a surprising series of questions. You take several tests, and as you continue policing, you forget to tell Tim about what you're waiting to find out. When Lucy overhears your conversation, she wants to know everything.

Warnings: discussions of pregnancy/menstrual cycles + symptoms, fluff, brief angst, banter, protective!Tim

Word Count: 3.0k+ words

Tim sighs when Lucy slows on their way to the shop.

“What are you looking for?” he inquires.

“Mom,” she answers. “Where is she? I didn’t see her during roll call.”

“She’ll be here later. Let’s go, boot.”

“Why isn’t she here now?”

“Why are you still asking questions instead of getting in the shop?” Tim counters, his patience wearing thin. “Now, Chen.”

Lucy looks around once more, then leads Tim to the garage. As she sits in the passenger seat, she considers texting you. She notices Tim’s relaxed grip on the steering wheel and decides that you must be okay. If there was something wrong, Tim would show it even if he denied it. When you get to work later today, Lucy will ask you herself.

“The guy that robbed my apartment is going to trial this week,” Lucy says. “Prosecutor said he has over a dozen people testifying.”

Tim shakes his head slightly and raises his fingers from the steering wheel. “Why do I need to know that?”

“It’s called sharing. When two people care about each other-“

“Stop.”

“But, I-“

“Stop.”

Tim looks at Lucy as dispatch alerts them of a nearby call, and she changes the subject to focus on the matter at hand.

While Tim and Lucy deescalate a fight at a high-end cookware store and take details from the employees about the preceding robbery, you flip through a magazine. Stopping at a page with a ‘Couple Compatibility Test,’ you roll your eyes. The magazines in the waiting room are well over a decade old, yet you read the first question and smile. You and Tim would undoubtedly fail one of these tests, but you’ve already proved to be great together. A few pages later, someone calls your name, and you abandon the magazine to follow a nurse’s assistant into the heart of the doctor’s office.

You get weighed, your height is checked, and then you sit patiently as your temperature, pulse, oxygen levels, and blood pressure are measured. After thanking the assistant, you sit alone on the examination table to wait for the doctor. Nothing is wrong; you’re just here for a yearly check-up and physical, yet you’re hit suddenly by a feeling that something unexpected is coming.

“Whoa, this is nice!” Lucy exclaims as she runs her fingers over the lid of a Dutch oven.

“It’s one of our best sellers,” an employee interjects. “Luckily this stuff is heavy so the thief couldn’t have gotten away with much.”

Tim ignores their conversation to look around the store. By the seasonal sale display at the front, he looks out the window and sighs. “They could if they had a vehicle parked outside.”

“What?” Lucy asks, moving toward Tim. “How did they do that without opening the door more than once? This is a state-of-the-art security system.”

“Is that what they said?” he asks quietly. “The sensor on this door can be tricked with a magnet. That’s why the alarm wasn’t responded to, I’d guess. Short enough disruption that the dispatchers figured it was a false alarm.”

“Officers?” the second (and more helpful) employee calls. “I have a list of the missing items.”

Tim takes the printed sheet of paper and reads the first few items before looking to the bottom. “15 items worth $4,000. Is that before tax?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is that important?” Lucy asks.

“Only if they try to resell it.” He turns to the employees to explain that several detectives are on their way and will have many of the same questions and need the same list.

“Call if you need anything else,” Lucy urges them, leaving her card on the counter.

Tim stops outside the door and looks at the tire marks on the concrete. He straightens and follows them until they lighten and disappear around a corner.

“The merchandise was transferred somewhere near here, or to a larger vehicle. Whatever cart they had all that stuff in to begin with was weighed down,” Tim tells Lucy. “Let the detectives know.”

“Overall, you’re very healthy,” your doctor says after her exam. “There are a few questions I’d like to ask. Have you noticed any swelling or bloating in your abdomen?”

“A bit,” you admit.

“Missing or late periods?”

“I’m about a week and a half late. It’s happened before, my gyno said it was nothing to worry about.”

“Okay. And, last one, have you experienced any nausea or vomiting? Especially any occurring around the same time as the swelling?”

“There have been a few mornings I’ve been really nauseous, but I haven’t actually gotten sick.”

She nods as she jots a few notes on her tablet. After a moment, she asks, “Are you going to work today?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m supposed to be there in about twenty minutes actually.”

Setting the tablet aside, she leans forward and rests her elbows on her legs. “I want to run a pregnancy test. I’m not thoroughly convinced you are or even could be pregnant, but I’m also not willing to say you’re completely in line with last year’s physical based on some of those symptoms. Unfortunately, we can’t get it all done before you need to leave.”

“I…” You trail off, trying to process what she’s telling you. You don’t feel pregnant, but now that you think about the swelling, the nausea, and the other changes you’ve experienced, you don’t know what to think. “Could I call later to get the results?”

“That is an excellent idea.” She calls a nurse into the room and instructs her to prepare a pregnancy test. “I’m going to give you my cell number,” she tells you. “Whenever you have time, whether it’s today, tonight, or tomorrow, give me a call and I’ll go over the results with you. When’s the last time you ate or drank?”

“About eight hours ago because my shifts were oddly spaced this week,” you remember.

“In that case, I’d like to run a blood test to check your hormone levels as well. We’ll get you out of here in less than ten minutes. Do you have any other questions for me?”

“No. Thank you,” you reply.

In the empty room, you stare at the wall and try to think but don’t come up with anything before the nurse returns to give you directions.

“What’s up with your boot?” Angela asks, sitting across from Tim at their favorite food truck. Tim mumbles an answer, to which she raises her brows.

“She misses my wife,” Tim says. “Has been asking about her all day.”

“Where is she?” Angela inquires.

Tim groans, but he’s saved by Lucy yelling your name. Tim looks up, but you’re locked in conversation with Bishop. She lays her hand on your upper arm, and after a moment, you smile and nod. She walks past you and toward her shop as you move farther into the circle of food trucks.

“Hello,” you greet as you approach your fellow officers. “Nolan, you’re with me for the rest of shift.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replies.

“I think you and Bishop planned this,” Angela muses.

“We absolutely did,” you answer with a smile. “Her appointment got changed last week.”

“Appointment for what?” Lucy asks.

“Yearly physical. We got them on the same day in year one, so we tend to go around the same time every year.”

“Oh, that’s where you’ve been. Dad wouldn’t tell me.”

“Dad?” Angela repeats with a brow raised.

“It’s because they argue like parents,” Jackson explains. Tim turns to glare at him, so Jackson raises his hands and defends, “We all know it; don’t shoot the messenger.”

“You let your boot call you Dad, Timothy?”

Tim turns his glare to you, but his brows drop momentarily. He can read you well – too well. You send him a small smile to communicate that you’re okay. Tim is your husband and is possibly going to become a father soon, so you need to tell him. But something makes you pause.

“She’s persistent,” you answer for Tim. “And he cares.”

“He loves me,” Lucy agrees.

Tim pulls his eyes from you but can’t berate Lucy before a speeding car drives by with several people screaming in the trunk. Everyone at the table jumps up and runs to their respective shop. You completely forget that you may be carrying precious cargo.

“Where’s Officer Bradford?” Tim asks Nolan as he and Lucy enter the station.

Nolan points to a nearby hallway, and Lucy begins talking to him about the car chase. Tim follows Nolan’s direction to find you. He slows when he hears your voice, then stops.

“Hi,” you greet before saying your name and providing your phone number. “Sorry for calling late, but I had some time and wanted to ask about the results of the pregnancy and blood tests. If you can give me a call back when you have some time, I’d appreciate it. Thank you.”

You turn, then freeze at the sight of a wide-eyed Tim Bradford. Your mouth opens, but words fail you.

“I should have told you,” you begin.

“You’re pregnant?” he exclaims, finally moving closer to you.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t- but you could be?”

“Well, I didn’t think so, but then the doctor started asking all of these questions and I answered them and apparently that made her think I could be. Honestly, Tim, if I thought I was, you would’ve been the first person I talked to, you know that.”

“Why’d you get a blood test?” he asks.

“Hormone levels.”

Tim nods, then takes your hand. “Do you want to be pregnant?”

“I want to have kids with you, someday, but… Don’t you think I would have felt something? If I’m pregnant and had no idea, what kind of mother would I be?”

Tim presses his lips together, then says, “I don’t think that’s how it works.”

His lips quirk up at the corners, and you laugh. Falling forward against his chest, you complain, “And you’re the expert on human reproduction.”

“I’m getting pretty good at understanding you, I think.”

“Bradford!” Wade calls. He sees your hand slide off of Tim’s waist, and though he can’t see you, adds, “And Bradford, Metro got ambushed looking for your thief from this morning. We need you in the bullpen. Now.”

“You can sit this one out,” Tim says softly.

You shake your head and say, “I’m not leaving. We- when we find out, we’ll go from there.”

Tim hesitates, then nods and follows you to the bullpen.

Tim hovers. Since you started dating, you have known that he’s protective, caring, and doting when no one is looking, but this is different. Even the mere idea that you could be carrying his baby makes him move closer to you. He keeps his arm within inches of you, and his hand seems to be halfway to your stomach. As you receive instructions for extracting the Metro team, you struggle to keep your attention off of Tim and how much you love him.

“Officer Bradford,” Wade says. “Bradfords, actually, I want you two guarding the southern exit. This warehouse is laid out in a split-level configuration, so the only door on the south side has a second-floor exit. Metal grate stairs lead up to the door, and that’s where we need your cover.”

“Yes, sir,” you reply.

Tim glances at you, then nods. He doesn’t want you working this specific job, you’re sure, but an entire team of your friends, your brothers, and sisters in arms, are in danger; you’re not going to leave them there for a restless night of sleep, not knowing if you’re pregnant or not while Tim puts himself in danger.

You glance at the wire hanging from the earpiece tucked carefully into your ear. With your hair pulled out of its usual hairstyle and secured away from your face and off your neck, you resist the urge to fan yourself. Los Angeles isn’t always hot like some people think, but it’s a warm night, and the disturbing heat radiating from the metal wall beside you has the potential to make you miserable.

“Watch your step,” Tim requests quietly.

You slow several steps from the second-floor door and glance over your shoulder. “The landing isn’t big enough for one of us to stand and the door to open.”

Tim moves to the step behind you, his chest pressed against your back as he looks at the top of the stairs. “If someone walks out, grab the closest body part and throw them.”

“Where?” you ask, your brows raised dramatically.

“Over the rail, down to me, I don’t care, but don’t give them time to grab you or raise a weapon.”

“Is this how Lucy feels all the time?” you muse, turning to face the building.

“Car approaching from the west,” Angela alerts in your earpiece.

“Thermal scans show at least a dozen people inside,” a SWAT officer announces. “Two are moving south.”

“Be careful,” Tim tells you as you move your foot to the top step.

The door opens, and you grab the unsuspecting man’s arm and pull forward, twisting your hips as he trips down the steps. He extends his arms to catch his fall, and his gun slips through the grate before his wrists shatter on impact. His strangled scream of pain is silenced when his face meets the metal step beneath him. Unconscious, he slides down a step and stops at Tim’s feet.

Tim looks at him, then back up at you. He raises a finger to remind you that there’s one more. Watching the door, you see it begin to open before it clicks closed again. You wrap your fingers around the handle while Tim handcuffs the unconscious gunman behind you. Pulling the door open, you don’t hear Tim’s warning hiss.

There’s no one inside, so you let the door close again. Less than thirty seconds later, the door opens again, but you’re too close, and only an arm exits. You’re pulled inside as Tim moves his hands up the rails. The door locks behind you, but Tim jumps over the man on the stairs and radios to alert other officers of your entry. Kneeling on the top step, he shoots up through the lock to ensure he can’t accidentally hit you if you’re still standing by the door, then rushes in, his gun raised.

Simultaneously, three different SWAT teams enter the warehouse and begin yelling demands. Tim lowers his gun and looks at you, standing above the man who pulled you inside.

“I told you to stay back from the door,” Tim says.

“Well, I couldn’t pull him through a half-closed door, could I?” you counter.

Tim sighs, then pulls you against his chest and hugs you tightly. It’s quick, and he steps back before you can get your hands around his waist. As officers rush up the stairs to assist you, someone alerts you that there’s one missing suspect.

“My car’s close,” Tim tells you. “Let’s go find this guy and go home.”

Tim’s plan to get home quickly doesn’t work, and the sun is rising over Los Angeles when you finally hear that the last suspect has been taken into custody. Dropping your head back against the headrest, you sigh. A moment later, your phone rings.

“It’s the doctor,” you tell Tim.

He pulls over in an industrial area and shifts into Park. You tap your screen to answer the call and put the phone on speaker before you greet your doctor.

“Good morning, I hope I didn’t wake you,” she says.

“No, ma’am, you didn’t,” you assure her.

“Alright, well, first, sorry I missed your call last night. And, most importantly, I have your tests back. The short answer is that you are not pregnant.”

Tim takes your hand, and you squeeze his fingers.

“In my opinion, you’re experiencing a pseudopregnancy,” she explains. “Following your most recent ovulation, your prolactin levels remained elevated while your progesterone took a dramatic dip. I’d also guess that some of the emotional difficulties of your jobs played a role in causing the false pregnancy. That combination of psychological and hormonal factors likely contributed to your symptoms. Based on the blood tests, your hormone levels should regulate soon, and I’d recommend you take it easy and eat well, get good rest, and assist your hormones in balancing however you can.”

“Will do, doctor,” you reply. “Thank you.”

After you end the call, Tim brushes his thumb against your hand and waits until you turn in your seat.

“Are you disappointed?” he asks.

“No,” you confess. “I don’t think I’m really anything. I was so confused and taken back by everything she said that I didn’t really think about it either way.”

“When or if you are ready for that test to be positive, I’ll be right here,” Tim promises.

His phone rings, and he rolls his eyes before he says, “Yes, Chen?”

“Hey, Lucy!” you add.

“Oh, good, I need to talk to both of you,” she says. “Tim, can you help me get reservations for Friday night?”

“Do you think I’m your assistant, Chen?” he barks into the phone.

“Is that a no?”

Tim doesn’t answer, so you ask, “Another date with Alex?”

“Yes!” Lucy exclaims. “But I need a new outfit, which is what I wanted to ask you about.”

“We can go shopping tomorrow after end of shift if you want.”

“I do! And if you can change Dad’s mind, I’ll bake you cookies.”

“Don’t bribe my wife,” Tim interrupts.

He taps his phone screen and sighs. You laugh as he steers the car back onto the road and drives toward the station to get his truck.

“She’s more work than a baby would be,” Tim complains.

“Does that mean you’re going to help her?”

“Not until I get some time with you that she doesn’t interrupt.”

“Yet you answered her phone call without hesitation,” you muse.

“And you hid your pregnancy from your husband.”

Tim’s phone lights up, displaying that his call from Lucy is still connected. She yells, “What?!” so loudly that Tim swerves, and you begin laughing as he tries to explain.

“You’re not being replaced?” he repeats. “Chen, what is wrong with you?”

Next Year

Requested Here!

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!reader (w/ retinoblastoma + a prosthetic eye)

Summary: Tim accompanies you to your yearly ophthalmologist appointment for the first time.

Warnings: depictions of anxiety about dr visit, fluff, comfort

Word Count: 2.0k+ words

Masterlist Directory | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Rules

“Are you going to Lucy’s party?” Angela asks as she walks into the station beside Tim.

“No,” he answers quickly.

“Did you get invited yet? Because you can’t say no before she asks you.”

“Tim!” Lucy calls.

“When’s the party?” he asks.

“A week from today.”

“Can’t. Maybe next time.”

Angela shrugs, conceding defeat, but Lucy wants to know why Tim refuses to attend. Usually, he’ll say he doesn’t want to, but his short answer - can’t - intrigues her.

“Why not?” she inquires, walking quickly to keep up with Tim’s long strides through the station.

“I’m going out of town that day,” Tim says.

“Why?”

“Chen,” Tim sighs, stopping to face her. “I can’t go to your party, I’m sorry.”

“Okay. But, where are you going?”

“Is no not sufficient?”

“Tim, c’mon, give me something so I don’t just assume you hate me and never want to see me outside of work.”

Tim raises his brows, and Lucy shakes her head quickly. He knows he can’t get out of this easily or quickly, so he blows out a breath and explains, “I’m going to San Francisco with my girlfriend.”

Lucy’s eyes widen as she gasps. “Are you proposing?” she whispers.

“What? No.”

“Why else would you be taking her up there, then? You can tell me if you’re proposing, I’m really good at keeping secrets.”

“Not something to brag about in a police station, Chen.”

“I’ll ask Angela to interrogate you.”

“It’s a doctor’s appointment,” Tim admits. “And truly none of your business.”

“A doctor’s- Is everything okay?”

“That’s what we’re going to find out, so we can’t come to your party, but if you keep this between us, I will make sure I come to the next one.”

“Keep what between you?” Wade asks.

Lucy presses her forefinger to her lips and nods once, but Tim rolls his eyes and answers, “Next week.”

“Ah,” Wade murmurs. “Tell her we’re keeping her in our thoughts and let us know if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

Tim sees the look of hurt that flashes across Lucy’s face at not being included in whatever it is you’re dealing with. Yet, she knows that medical issues can be stressful enough without a bunch of cops asking you questions or treating you differently.

“I’ll see you at the next party then,” Chen says. “And bring me some Ghirardelli!”

“No.”

“Are you ready?” Tim asks as he turns his truck off in the parking garage.

You look at him from your place in the passenger seat and shake your head. “I’m nervous.”

Tim takes your hand over the console and smiles as he promises, “Everything’s going to be fine. Even if it’s not, we’ll deal with it. Okay? And just think about the cheesecake you get later.”

You take a shaky breath and smile as you nod. Tim squeezes your hand before he exits the truck, walks to your door, and takes your hand as you walk to your doctor’s office. The waiting room is tiny, and you cross your fingers as Tim opens the door that it’s not busy. You’re anxious enough without having to stand or step around other people while you wait.

“Good morning,” the receptionist greets.

She’s new, you realize, and you offer a small smile as you tell her your name and birthday.

“Alright,” she says after typing for a moment. “I’ve got you checked in and they’ll call you back shortly.”

“Thank you,” Tim tells her, placing his hand on the small of your back to lead you to a chair.

You clasp your hands together in your lap to hide your shakiness from Tim, but when your leg starts bouncing beside him, you realize it’s pointless. He’ll see your anxiety even without the outward responses.

“I’ll be right back,” you whisper to him.

Tim nods once and watches you walk to the bathroom before he looks at the small table beside his seat. There’s a pamphlet about retinoblastoma, and he picks it up to read the back as he waits for you.

With your hand on the doorknob, preparing to exit the restroom, you realize that you’ll probably have to come straight back. It’s one of the more annoying responses to anxiety, the constant bathroom breaks. When you remember that Tim is waiting outside for you, you feel better.

“What are you reading?” you ask as you sit beside him, leaning toward him.

Tim flips the pamphlet closed, and you smile as you furrow your brows.

“It is my first time,” he points out. “You’ve told me a lot, but I’m not going to pretend like I know exactly what you’ve dealt with or have to go through every year.”

You wrap your fingers around Tim’s forearm as your leg begins bobbing up and down again. He extends his arm over your torso to rest his hand on your leg. Almost immediately, a nurse opens the door and calls your name.

“I’ll be right here,” Tim promises.

You follow the nurse into a small exam room and try to listen to her instructions on reading the charts to test your vision. You’ve done this every year for as long as you remember, so you know how to do it. Still, you haven’t cracked the code to eliminate the anxiety that comes with the yearly doctor visits.

“Read these letters,” she prompts.

Resisting the urge to squint, you read, “A, K, L, M.”

“Good, and these?”

“Y… uh, P? E, R.”

“Okay,” the nurse mumbles before showing you more letters. “Good, done with that. Now we’ll check your eye pressure and dilute your eyes for the doctor’s examination. Do you have any questions about that?” You shake your head, and she smiles as she prepares the numbing drops. “Tip your chin up toward me slightly?” she requests. “Good. Open nice and wide.”

You blink after the drops hit your right eye, and she quickly moves to do the other side. A moment later, she instructs you to sit closer to the machine that checks your eye pressure. After the pressure is checked and your retina is imaged by the retinal camera, she instructs you to turn toward her.

“Time for the worst part,” she announces. “Tip your chin up again? Thank you.”

As the dilation drops begin working, you swallow to get the taste out of your throat. You can feel the drops draining down the back of your throat as your vision shifts, growing farsighted. Luckily, you return to the waiting room before it gets too bad. Tim appears blurry as you sit beside him and wordlessly pull his arm against your chest to hold his hand. He turns to lay his other hand on your knee and brushes his thumb against your inner thigh.

“Feel okay?” he asks softly.

“Yeah,” you answer against his arm. “Just don’t like the dilation.”

“Nobody does,” Tim whispers, as if it’s a secret. “What happens next?”

You appreciate Tim’s presence beside you more than he’ll ever know, but the fact that he’s concerned about you and wants to know exactly what you’re dealing with and thinking makes you love him even more.

“I’ll talk to the doctor about changes, but there aren’t many this year. Then he’ll check my retina, and every other year he does imaging and ultrasounds to look at the tumor. I got them last year, so I shouldn’t need them unless he sees something.”

Tim nods and carefully pulls his arm away.

“How’d you know?” you ask as you stand.

“Do you need help?” he says rather than answering.

You shake your head and walk carefully to the bathroom. Before you sit back in your seat, you’re called back again and wave to Tim. He’ll be there when you finish, and that’s a good comfort as you follow the tech to the exam room across the small hall.

“Good morning,” the doctor says as he walks in, glancing your way before he sits and looks over through your oversized chart and the results of today’s vision test. “Any changes to vision or pain?”

“No pain,” you answer. “My vision is a little blurrier than last year, mostly when I’m looking at things far away.”

The doctor nods and sets the large folder aside as he moves his chair toward you. “Anything else?”

You shake your head and follow his light as he moves it from left to right. He raises his retinoscope and direct ophthalmoscope to further examine your retina.

“Good reflectivity,” he tells the technician behind him. “Minimal changes.”

“So, I’m cured?” you joke, pressing your hands against your thighs.

Your doctor smiles, a rare expression, at your comment and murmurs, “If only it were that easy.”

He moves closer to examine your eye through the ophthalmoscope and hums as he moves upward. When he lowers it and pushes back to look at his notes from last year, you bite the inside of your bottom lip and prepare yourself for bad news.

“You’re fine,” he announces, causing you to release your breath. “There has been a minimal change to your vision, but it’s not even worthy of updating any preexisting prescriptions. Your retina looks as good as it can, there’s no new damage, no swelling, and the tumor obviously hasn’t changed. The nerves are intact and healthy also.” He presses a few buttons on the computer and three images of your retina load, and he points to the one on the far left to say, “This was six years ago, and there’s been very little change since then. These nerves and vessels are maintained, the fovea centralis is healthy, and that’s what I wanted to see.”

“Thank you.”

“And the other eye still matches,” he adds.

“Was that a joke, doctor?”

He shrugs, reminds you of eye safety rules, and tells you to schedule your next appointment with the receptionist before you leave. You thank him again and then follow the tech slowly to return to the waiting room.

“Ready?” Tim asks, offering his arm as he walks to your side.

“I need to make my appointment,” you answer as you wrap your arms around one of his.

“Already on it,” the receptionist tells you. “Does the same day next year at 10 a.m. work for you?”

“Yes,” you and Tim answer simultaneously.

“Perfect. You’ll get some email reminders, and I’ll get you an appointment card now. See you both next year, then.”

You doubt it; you rarely see the same receptionist twice, but you enjoy hearing that Tim will undoubtedly be at your side again next year.

“And?” Tim prompts as he leads you out of the office.

“Everything’s fine. My retina’s okay, the nerves are functioning and healthy, so I’m as good as I can be.”

“That’s great!”

You nod and remind him, “Now I need cheesecake.”

“Of course. Hold on tight.”

You do just that, trusting Tim to get you safely where you need to be. After he gets you into the truck, he drives to Union Square. Then, Tim leads you into Macy’s to go to the top floor and enjoy lunch and cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory for a reward. You and Tim talk about work, Kojo, and enjoy the time together, even if you are in San Francisco for an unexciting reason.

“Left?” Tim clarifies as he leads you out onto the street.

“Yes,” you answer. “You have to figure it out once we get closer though.”

Tim smiles and pulls you closer to his side as he leads you down the street to your next appointment. It’s much faster, just answering a few questions and waiting for your eye maker to polish, clean, and check the size of your prosthetic eye before you’re ready to go. As you leave, the effects of your dilation begin to wear off.

“At least I don’t have to ride back to LA with dilated eyes,” you tell Tim after he asks what your relieved sigh was about.

“I wouldn’t have made you do that,” he counters. “We could have gotten a hotel.”

“Maybe next year.”

Tim smiles and turns you to face him on a sidewalk in Union Square. He brushes his thumbs gently across your cheekbones before he kisses you. It was his first time accompanying you to an appointment. If every visit is like this, you may actually look forward to next year’s visit.

No Party Like a Costco Party

Requested Here!

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!shy!reader

Summary: You enjoy going to Costco, so Tim decides to take you shopping on your birthday. With a little help from your best friend, it turns into a party.

Warnings: just fluff!

Word Count: 1.9k+ words

“Tim!” Lucy calls as he walks into the bullpen.

He stops and watches her as she skips toward him. Even though he rolls his eyes and shakes his head, she continues smiling and bounces when she reaches him.

“What are you doing for my best friend’s birthday?” she asks.

“Nothing,” Tim answers. “I will be doing something for my girlfriend’s birthday, though.”

“Just admit that she likes me more than you.”

“No.”

“Tim,” Lucy groans. She punches his arm playfully, then ignores his offended glare as she asks, “What do you have in mind?”

Tim shrugs and admits, “I’m not sure yet. I was thinking I may just take her to Costco or something.”

“Please tell me you’re kidding,” Wesley interjects.

“Why are you here?” Tim asks as he looks over. “And it’s none of your business, or yours, Lucy.”

“A trip to Costco is not romantic, Tim,” Wesley says. “But I have a client who needs my help. It seems you do, too, but Lucy can handle your girlfriend issues.”

“No one is handling anything!” Tim snaps.

“I’m with Wesley,” Angela comments from her desk.

“It never ends,” Tim sighs.

“She does love Costco,” Lucy agrees. “She’d enjoy going with you.”

“Wait,” Angela says. She chuckles as she looks up at Tim. “Your girlfriend, the shyest person I’ve ever met, likes going to Costco? The busiest store in existence?”

“Is it too late to back out of this conversation?” Tim asks.

“Absolutely,” Angela answers. “So, just a trip to Costco. That’s all the birthday girl gets?”

“I’d like to do more, but-“

“I’ve got it!” Lucy cheers, slapping Tim’s arm again.

“Stop hitting me!” he demands as he steps away from her.

“What if you surprise her at Costco? Like, her friends could ‘run into’ her while shopping, and then someone can have a cake or something at the café. It would be so fun, Tim!” Lucy suggests.

“That’s… it’s not a terrible idea,” Tim murmurs. “I don’t know how she’d feel about interacting with a bunch of people, though.”

“She loves us,” Angela reminds Tim. “Just a quick ‘hey, happy birthday’ and then she moves on. We don’t have to draw attention to her or anything.”

“Fine, yeah, let’s do it,” Tim agrees.

“Yay!” Lucy yells. “I’ll go invite the people she likes.”

Tim watches Lucy run through the bullpen and shakes his head. It’s a good thing you like Costco and Lucy, he thinks, because it’s certainly nothing he would have planned alone.

“What are you doing?” you ask softly.

Tim sets his phone aside and then places his arm back around you. As he pulls you against his side, he sighs.

“Checking to see how many seconds are left until your birthday,” he jokes. “Lucy had a question.”

“Is it going to be terrible?”

“It’s your birthday. It’s going to be great.”

Tim jostles you gently, and when you turn your face against his shoulder, you feel him chuckle. He enjoys making you shy, or simply reminding you of how shy you were when you first met. With your birthday coming up, you know that Tim has something planned. You can only hope that it’s a good surprise. As Tim pulls you closer, you listen to his heartbeat.

“I got Kojo treats at Costco today,” you tell him.

“Of course, you did,” Tim murmurs before he kisses your head.

“Go get ready, birthday girl,” Tim says.

He takes your plate to the kitchen, and you sneak Kojo a bite of your breakfast leftovers. Waking up to Tim making you breakfast was special, but since he told you that he had more planned for your birthday, you’ve grown more curious and more excited.

“To go where?” you ask.

“Shopping.”

You furrow your brows but stand and push your chair in regardless of your confusion. Tim isn’t a big fan of shopping, so you assume this particular shopping trip has to do with what day it is. After you’re dressed and ready, Tim takes your hand and leads you to his truck.

When he pulls into a turn lane, you feel confident you know where he’s taking you. You frequent Costco often; it's fun to browse and kill time in a place where you can disappear and go unnoticed every once in a while. Tim usually teases you for how much you use your Costco card, but he hasn’t made a single sarcastic comment today.

“Are we going to Costco?” you ask excitedly.

“We are,” Tim answers as he turns. “Unless you want to do something else.”

“No, this is great!”

Tim smiles and when he glances at you, you try to control your excitement and watch the road instead of him. You have a mental list of things you’d like to look at, and maybe treat yourself to since it is your birthday after all. Tim extends his hand over the console of his truck, and you happily lay your hand in his. He interlaces his fingers through yours and squeezes twice. The moment he parks, however, your hand is pulled from his as you exit the truck.

You walk through the entrance and take Tim’s hand again as you look at the promotional items in the front of the store. Tim watches you as you read signs and stop to touch an oversized stuffed animal. He knows what’s waiting for you inside, but seeing you so excited was worth the trip, he thinks.

“Well, look who it is.”

You turn quickly and smile when you see Angela. She pulls you into a hug as Tim and Wesley shake hands. They share a look, and you pinch your brows as you step back from Angela.

“Happy birthday,” she tells you. “Has Tim bought you anything yet?” “No,” you answer with a chuckle. “I’m just glad he finally came with me.”

“Tim Bradford saying no? I can’t imagine it.”

You laugh at Angela’s sarcasm, and Tim smiles at how happy you are. You’re always fun to be around, even if you are hiding against him because he made you shy, but birthday joy is a good look on you.

“There’s a sale on rings, Tim,” Wesley says.

Your eyes widen before you drop your gaze to the floor. There has been no discussion of getting engaged or married in your relationship with Tim, but it’s certainly somewhere you can see yourself going.

“It’s her birthday,” Tim chides. “Don’t do that to her.”

“Well, we have to get back to the kids,” Angela interjects. “They’ll riot soon if they don’t get their snacks. Enjoy the rest of your birthday!” “Thanks, Angela.”

You hug her once more and wave at Wesley before Tim lays his hands on your shoulders and steers you toward your favorite section of the store. He keeps a hand on you as you browse, moving when you do. It was a surprise to see someone you know, and on your birthday, no less, but you don’t think too much about the coincidence.

Until someone says, “Happy birthday!” down the aisle from you, at least.

“Hi, Sergeant Grey, Luna,” you greet.

You look toward Tim quickly, but he shrugs and lays his hand across your back.

“Will she ever call me anything other than Sergeant?” Wade asks Tim as Luna hugs you tightly.

“I’ve been trying to get her to call me Sergeant, but she won’t do it,” Tim laments.

“Ignore them,” Luna encourages you. “How’s the birthday going?”

“It’s great,” you answer. “Tim made me breakfast and hasn’t tortured me yet.”

“Yet,” Tim scoffs.

“We just ran into Angela and Wesley, too.”

“Small world,” Wade muses.

“Big city,” you argue, looking toward Tim.

“Do me a favor and buy yourself something amazing for your birthday, and I will see you at lunch next week,” Luna tells you. “Bye, Tim.”

Tim waves as they pass, and you cross your arms to look at him.

“What?” he asks with his brows raised.

“You’re doing something,” you accuse. “It’s too much of a coincidence.”

“I am doing something,” Tim admits. “Loving you.”

You drop your arms and tip your head back, which Tim takes as an opportunity to wrap you in a bear hug. You grip the back of his shirt, somewhere between shy because of the public affection and relieved because you need a hug.

“Alright, let’s go find you something to buy,” Tim declares. “For me to buy for you, I mean.”

“You don’t have to,” you say quietly.

“It’s your birthday, and it’s my boyfriend-ly duty.”

“That’s not a word,” you mumble as he leads you to the next aisle.

You browse several aisles before you see someone else you know, and now you’re convinced that Tim has orchestrated this. After running into at least a dozen people that you know and choosing not one but three things that you like, you and Tim approach the checkout lanes. He pays for your gifts and takes your hand.

As he leads you to the café seating area, you see your best friend, Lucy. Tim grumbles as you release his hand to approach her. You stop short when you see a birthday cake sitting on the table beside her.

“Happy birthday!” she calls as she rounds the table to hug you. “I’m so happy to see you!”

“You did all of this?” you ask, looking between Tim and Lucy.

“It was Tim’s idea, I just helped,” she says.

“Thank you,” you whisper.

“Don’t get shy yet, you have half of Mid-Wilshire to share that cake with,” Tim replies.

On cue, everyone you’ve run into today approaches the table to give you more birthday wishes and a few gifts. The attention makes you shy, but they’re your friends, and you appreciate them and their kindness more than you can, or would, say.

Lucy passes you a piece of cake and stands beside you as everyone else begins eating.

“Was it really Tim’s idea?” you ask.

“Yeah. He said he was going to bring you to Costco, and I just recommended a cake,” she says. “Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for the cake; Tim ordered it. Oh! I also have a gift for you in my car, so don’t leave before I give it to you.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did. We’re best friends, and you are the kindest, most special person I have ever met. If anyone deserves this kind of love on their birthday, it’s you.”

You set your plate down to hug Lucy and only release her when Tim grabs your waist. He laughs when you lean against him but drops his head and whispers to ask if you’re okay. Very early in your relationship, he learned your tells. He knows when you’re overwhelmed, when you’re getting shy enough that he needs to give you a minute, and every other little thing about you.

“I’m great,” you answer. “Thank you for all of this.”

“It’s the least I could do.”

“Seriously, it is,” Wesley adds. “Making you use your Costco card to get into your birthday celebration was certainly… a choice.”

“It’s perfect,” you say. “And all my friends are here.” “Plus these people,” Lucy jokes as she gestures to everyone else.

“You’re just her best friend because you can carry both sides of the conversation, so she never gets shy with you,” Nyla teases.

“And our mutual disdain for Tim’s weird humour,” Lucy adds.

“What’s that?” Tim asks, tipping his head toward you. “You want to leave now? Okay, let’s go.”

You laugh as he tries to pull you away, but you’re enjoying your Costco birthday party too much to leave. When Wade offers to stand on the table and tell all the other customers that it’s your big day, however, you consider taking Tim up on that offer.

The Flower and The Serpent : a Walt De Ville x reader FF : eight

A bit of 18 and up, y’all.

“How do I keep winding up in your bed?”

You felt the mattress shift beneath you and then Walt’s smile pressing into the back of your shoulder, only one of your flimsy nighties in between your skin and his. One of his legs was tucked between yours and his hips were flush against you.

Keep reading

Rook Book to Remember Me By

Part 2 of Rook Book

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!Metro!reader

Summary: Tim's delay in transferring to Metro may have cost him everything, and as he and Lucy search Los Angeles for a killer, he only has his memories and a fake rook book to remember you by.

Warnings: ANGST, death, fluff

Word Count: 3.6k+ words

A/N: I know this is a Chenford gif but it fits. :)

Masterlist Directory | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List

“What is that?” Lucy asks as she waits beside Tim’s desk. “A bomb?”

“Lower your voice, boot,” Tim snaps. “We don’t need a stampede.”

“Yes, sir. So, what is it?”

“What does it look like? It’s a book.”

“No, it’s a rook book with a bow on it. And I bet I know who it’s from.”

“50 pushups.”

“But-“

“You want double?”

Lucy frowns as she silences, and she watches Tim lift the book. He opens the front cover and shakes his head before dropping it into one of his drawers. Lucy doesn’t move toward the door, and Tim sighs as he leans against his desk.

“What?” he asks.

“Is that just a book? Or a non-rook-book-rook-book? Like the one somebody’s pretty TO used to carry?”

“Pretty TO?” you ask from behind Lucy.

Tim had been too distracted by the book and Lucy’s prying questions to notice you walk in. Dressed in your Metro uniform, you slide your hands into your pockets and smile.

“I’ll assume you’re talking about Tim,” you add.

“Yeah, right,” Lucy snorts.

“100 pushups it is,” Tim announces.

“Tim,” you chide softly. “You can’t blame her for being excited to see this side of you. It took me your entire probationary period to learn you could smile.”

“Chen, give us a minute,” Tim says.

“Do I have to?” she asks quietly.

“Yes,” you and Tim say together. The difference is that you add, “Please.”

You watch Lucy move toward the equipment room before turning to Tim. He furrows his brows and unconsciously blocks the drawer with your gift in it.

“I’m sorry I didn’t answer your call last night,” you begin. “Metro raided a speakeasy, and it went a little haywire.” “Are you okay?” Tim interrupts. “That’s what I was going to ask you. I know you tolerate me, maybe even like me a little, but you don’t call unless you need something.”

“I, uh, just wanted to hear your voice. But I’m fine, I promise.”

You nod and run your tongue over your bottom lip as you think. “Still have nightmares?”

“I’m fine.”

“Look, Lucy is ready to pass that test, but in the end moving to Metro is a big decision. One you can do; I don’t doubt that. Just… don’t stick around because you think you have some debt to pay or something. Your boot is important, but your career is too.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Your Metro Commander yells your name, and you lay a hand on Tim’s shoulder before whispering a farewell. He watches you go and decides that when he calls you tonight, he’ll ask why you chose the book you did. Hopefully, he thinks, it will allow him to admit some things. He needs more than your voice to calm him in the middle of the night these days.

“Can I just say one thing?” Lucy asks from the passenger seat of the shop.

“Will me saying no stop you?” Tim replies.

“I think you’re really cute together. She’s been waiting for you, and I don’t think you should make her wait just because you’re scared.”

“What makes you think I’m scared? You mean well, Chen, but this is none of your concern.”

“Maybe not. But it’s yours, and you know I’m right.”

Tim wants to keep arguing, maybe threaten Lucy with more pushups to make her leave it alone, but the radio cuts him off.

“Attention all units. Officer down at Wilshire Federal Building. Metro requesting backup. Will advise.”

Tim’s world slows as he pulls the shop to a curb. He and Lucy are too far away to provide backup fast enough, but he can’t move until he knows that you’re okay. Lucy watches him as he stares at the radio, but with each second of silence, she gets more concerned for him.

“She’s going to be okay,” Lucy whispers.

Tim shakes his head. He doesn’t want to think about the alternative but believing that you’re okay without knowing is more dangerous than being wrong and hearing another officer’s name over the radio.

“Bradford, Chen, Harper, Nolan,” Wade radios. “Get back to the station and prepare to assist Metro.”

“Uh, you- you drive, Lucy,” Tim says as he unclips his seatbelt.

“Attention all units,” the dispatch officer begins.

She identifies the downed officer, and when your name is said, Tim’s world stops. He waited too long, and now he can never tell you how he feels. He had a crush on you, he wants to say, but it turned into so much more.

“Tim,” Lucy calls as she opens the driver-side door. “C’mon.”

Tim doesn’t feel any shame as he leans on Lucy. She ushers him into the passenger seat before she drives to the station with lights and sirens on. Tim’s silence is terrifying, and although Lucy is also feeling grief and is heartbroken to hear you’re gone, her concern for Tim outweighs her own emotions.

As Tim exits the shop, his devastation suddenly makes room for anger. He doesn’t blame any of your fellow officers, but if he had moved to Metro sooner, he would have been there with you, and maybe he could have changed the outcome. He slams the door and ignores Lucy as he storms into the bullpen.

Lucy and Tim slow as they see several Metro teams gathered together, but it’s obvious that something is wrong, something is missing. There’s a gap where you should be, and even the elite tactical officers seem lost without you.

“What happened?” Tim asks.

“Officer Bradford, we can’t release any information yet,” Wade answers. “Metro’s going to fill you in on what you need to know. They need as many of us as they can get.”

Tim clenches his jaw to stop the remark that he wants to make. The Metro teams are talking quietly, and he gestures for Lucy to step to his other side as he moves closer.

“You saw the shot?” one of them asks.

“Yeah,” someone answers.

“Then where’d they take her?”

At the realization that you’re not only gone, but they don’t even know where your body is, Tim begins looking around. He sees his Sergeant, Captain, and the Metro commanders huddled in a corner and walks directly to them.

“I want a position in the task force. You need more people, and I’m one of the few patrol officers who knows how to complete a manhunt like this,” he demands.

“I understand where you’re coming from Bradford, but you’re too invested in this to go out alone,” Wade replies.

“Then let me go with him,” Lucy interjects. “Tim knows what he’s doing, and we can patrol and engage in the manhunt at the same time, right?”

Wade looks to the Metro sergeant to his left, who shrugs noncommittedly. He sighs before nodding and tells Tim to get back out on the street and wait for the information about the gunman.

“Wait,” Tim tells Lucy as he stops beside his desk.

He pulls the book from the bottom drawer and tucks it under his arm before continuing to the shop. If this is his last drive where you’re involved, he wants you there. Or as close as he can get.

“Dispatch released a picture,” Lucy says before turning the dash computer toward Tim.

He looks at the picture until the light turns green, and then he begins a grid search surrounding the Wilshire Federal Building. If that man is still nearby, and Tim finds him first, prison will be the least of his worries.

“What’s the book?” Lucy inquires.

“It’s her favorite,” Tim answers.

“You know what her favorite book is. That’s really sweet, Tim.”

“She’s been telling me for years to read it and I keep making excuses not to.”

“And now?”

Tim nods, and Lucy knows that he is going to not only read the book but devour it and everything related to it to feel close to you again.

“7-Adam-19, assault in progress inside Shell gas station at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Greenfield Avenue. 9-1-1 caller requested your presence on scene.”

Tim hits the steering wheel before telling Lucy to accept the call. He doesn’t have time to break up a fight in a gas station, not when your killer is on the loose. The gas station is less than five minutes away, but Tim gets grumpier with every minute. As he and Lucy enter the gas station, he’s prepared to jump in the fight just to finish it faster.

“You called the police, what’s the problem?” Tim asks the cashier.

The young girl looks scared; her face is pale, and her hands shake above the cash register.

“This doesn’t look like an assault in progress,” Tim adds with his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

Lucy steps forward to speak to the girl while Tim looks around. The gas station is empty, but Tim doesn’t make it far before he sees a blood trail on the floor. It rounds the end of the cashier’s counter and disappears under a door. Tim pulls his gun and whispers for Lucy to stay ready as he steps toward the door.

“In there?” Lucy asks.

The woman behind the counter nods, and Lucy gestures for Tim to go ahead. Tim pushes the door open and raises his gun to clear the room while Lucy stays on the other side of the opening. He looks down to follow the blood but freezes when someone speaks.

“Officer Bradford, California Penal Code 217.1 is punishable by what?”

“Chen!” Tim yells as he holsters his gun.

Lucy hits the light switch for the storage closet, and Tim kneels to lift a bloody gun from the floor.

“They said you died,” Tim says as he moves closer to you.

You hear Tim begin asking questions when he enters the gas station and hope the cashier that you scared by walking in covered in blood can point him to your hiding spot in the storage closet. Your gun is on the floor beside your feet and your long-sleeve Metro t-shirt is balled against the gunshot wound in your shoulder.

When Tim opens the door, you ask him about a penal code before your head tips forward. Staying conscious while losing blood isn’t as easy as some may think, and you want to make a joke, but Tim jumps to action before you can.

“They said you died,” Tim says quietly.

He lays a hand over your cheek as his other hand applies more pressure to the fabric on your shoulder.

“I think that was the goal,” you mumble.

“Chen, radio for-“

“No!” you interrupt. Your voice raises at the idea of Chen communicating this news over the radio. “The men who we went in there to arrest have radios. They knew we were coming, but if they think I’m dead we can use that.”

“You need help,” Tim argues.

He reaches for his phone, and you lay a bloody hand on his forearm to stop him. You wait for him to look at your face to smile.

“We find another way to get help. But as far as anyone with a police radio knows, I’m still dead.”

“How am I supposed to get you treatment for a GSW without raising any red flags? Any ER nurse will call the police.”

“What about Grace?” Lucy suggests. “Nolan’s friend? If we could talk to her before we take you in, she may be able to keep it quiet.”

“If you think it will work, let’s do it,” you agree.

“No,” Tim interrupts. “We’re not putting your life in the hands of a rookie.”

“Tim, she’s right. This is a good plan and one we need if we want these guys off the street. Please, just trust me and Lucy for a few minutes. You can yell at us and brainstorm new Tim Tests later.”

“Call Grace,” Tim says as he moves his arms around you. “If this starts going wrong, or something happens to you, I will use my radio.”

“Understood.”

You keep your uninjured arm across your chest as Tim lifts you into his arms. Lucy leads the way out and opens the backdoor of the shop before apologizing to the gas station clerk. She leaves her card and scribbles the number of someone who can clean the bloody scene but reminds the girl not to call the police or tell anyone you were here. As Tim drives through traffic and Lucy talks to Grace, you notice a book in the floorboard and chuckle.

“What?” Tim asks quickly.

“You have my rook book.”

“Guess I don’t have to read it now that you’re not dead.”

“If I didn’t know better I would think you’re mad at me, Bradford.” “You know exactly what I’m thinking.”

“Don’t risk your job for revenge, Tim. I know you care about me, and I care about you, too, but this isn’t worth it. We work the case like any other.”

“Easy for you to say,” Tim snaps. “You didn’t think the woman you love was murdered twenty minutes ago.”

Lucy ends the call and looks through the cage at you. It’s not how Tim planned to tell you, but he feels lighter with the admission.

“I’m sorry, Tim,” you whisper.

“Tell me after.”

“I’m not waiting until the end of Lucy’s probation period.”

“Please don’t,” she agrees. “I can only take so much more pining from this one.”

“I don’t pine,” Tim grumbles.

“Yes, you do,” you and Lucy argue together.

“Bradford, status report?” Wade radios.

Tim looks at Lucy, who apologizes quickly for not communicating a code 4.

“Code 4, Grey,” Tim replies. “But don’t ask any questions right now.”

“Okay. As long as you didn’t break any laws, this conversation never happened.”

Tim glances over his shoulder at you, and you state, “I haven’t broken any laws. Have you?”

“Not yet. If there’s blood on this book later, that’s your fault.”

Tim sighs, and it sounds almost like a laugh. You don’t have time to tease him before he pulls into the emergency room drop-off area of Shaw Memorial Hospital. Grace and several nurses run out and wheel you in quickly, promising to help you without asking any questions or reporting anything to the police.

“What now?” Lucy asks as the doors close behind you.

“Now, we find the people who are getting 15 to life for trying to kill an officer for completing her duties,” Tim answers.

“Tim,” Lucy calls.

He stops, and she points to the blood staining his skin. Tim opens the trunk of the shop and retrieves a pack of wipes from one of the war bags. Lucy watches as he harshly scrubs your blood from his skin and gets angrier with every wipe he tosses aside.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” she asks.

“Lucy,” he begins as he slams the trunk closed. “I’m pissed off and I have a feeling in my chest that I’m not used to. But how I feel doesn’t matter. We’re going to get every single one of the people involved in this, and make sure they end up in a hole.”

“By ‘a hole,’ you mean prison, right?” Tim walks around the shop rather than answering, and Lucy rushes to repeat, “You mean prison, right?”

“7-Adam-19, report to Sepulveda and Ohio Avenue.”

“What now?” Tim yells.

He steers the shop into an illegal U-turn and speeds down Sepulveda Boulevard. Lucy gasps as they near the intersection.

“Turn left onto Ohio,” she says.

“Why?”

“Just do it!”

“Second left onto Camden,” she adds after he turns.

Tim slams on the brakes when he sees someone sitting on the curb at the end of Camden Avenue. Lucy exits the shop as soon as it stops and rushes to hug you as you stand.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in the hospital?” Tim demands as he joins you.

“Uh, no?” you guess.

“It’s not your fight anymore. You’re dead, remember?”

“Tim-“

“No, you’re going home. You just got out of the hospital.”

“It was just a flesh wound. Lots of blood, a couple of stitches, but no long-term damage. Besides, when’s the last time you got to watch a ghost slap the cuffs on her killer?”

“Look around Tim,” Lucy encourages.

He already know where he is: the sight of his first arrest with you as his TO, it’s a day he’ll never forget. Tim groans before he waves his hand toward the shop. Lucy cheers and offers you her seat. It’s strange being in the passenger seat with Tim again; last time you were here, he was in long sleeves and fresh out of the Army. He was a great rookie, and he’s a great TO, but you want him to be more.

“Tim!” you alert just as Tim slows to a stop.

“I see him,” he agrees.

“Was that too easy?” Lucy asks.

“Well, it’s not over yet,” Tim responds.

“We can do it,” you tell Tim. “You go left, I go right, Lucy splits the middle.”

“This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” Lucy whispers from the backseat.

“Alright,” Tim agrees. “Lucy, you do whatever you have to do to get the one in the middle down, okay?”

“3… 2… 1…” you and Tim count down together.

You exit the shop silently and leave the doors open. As Tim goes wide to take down the suspect on the left, you move toward the man who shot you. You, Lucy, and Tim strike at the same time and push the suspects down onto the sidewalk. The man beneath you attempts to elbow you in the face, but you shove his head down against the concrete and warn him against moving.

When you cuff him and pull him up to his knees, the man gets a good luck at your face. His expression changes and he leans away like you’re truly a ghost. He tries to move back, but only tips and rolls into the street.

“Leave him,” Tim says as he reaches for his radio. “Grey, this is Bradford, Chen, and our missing Metro officer. We’ve got good news and three suspects in custody. Send backup to my location.”

“No R/A?” you ask. “Because you seemed really eager to send me back to the hospital earlier.”

“You seem fine,” Tim explains with a shrug.

“Tim,” you call as you exit Wade’s office.

He’s changed into his civvies and is preparing to leave for the night. You can’t let him, though, because there is no more time.

“Can you- do you wanna come over for a bit?” you ask.

The left side of Tim’s lips move up as he nods, and you accept his hand as he leads you to his truck. Tim drives to your home in relative silence, and you use the time to find the right words to say. Once you’re inside, you sit on the couch beside Tim and decide to tell him everything. You’ve let him into your life and your house, now you just have to let him in on how you feel.

“You said you loved me in the shop today,” you say. “But I have been falling for you since the moment you walked into roll call your first day. You’ve always been more than my rookie and I can’t live another day without you in my life, Tim. I want you. Nightmares, embarrassing memories between us, fake rook books, all of it. I need you, Tim.”

Tim leans closer with his arm stretched on the back of the couch behind your shoulders. “This is better than 1001.66,” he murmurs.

“Did you just compare my confession of being in love with you to a penal code about bad checks? Because that is-“

Your words end in a hum as Tim curls his arm around your shoulders and kisses you. He tugs you closer, and you hold his face between your hands as you show him that your words are more than that. Tim has had a crush on you since he started patrolling with you, but now he knows that he loves you and needs you beside him. You push him, and he pushes you, but you do it because you know what you’re capable of.

Tim’s phone rings, but he ignores it as he pulls you closer, so your legs are bracketing his. He leans up to continue kissing you as his phone begins ringing again. You press your hands against his chest and break away to retrieve his phone. He follows your movement and peppers kisses along your jaw, completely uninterested in answering his phone.

You see the name on the caller ID and answer, “Hi, Lucy.”

“Hey!” she replies. “I wanted to ask how you’re doing. And if Tim’s alright after everything that happened.”

“We’re both fine,” you promise breathlessly.

“Wait-“

You assume that Lucy realizes that you answered Tim’s phone, which means you’re still together. She squeals into the phone, and you pull it away from your ear and smile.

“Oh, I have to tell Angela!” she yells.

Tim rolls his eyes and keeps one hand around your waist as he pulls his phone away from you. “Bye,” he says quickly before ending the call.

“Hanging up on your rookie isn’t nice,” you say.

“Like you wouldn’t have hung up on me.”

“You were scared to call because you had a crush on me.”

“Still do.”

“What? Tim-“

Tim cuts you off with another kiss; it’s his answer and a reminder of how he feels. You remember the rook book that was in his truck, but now that you’re a permanent fixture in Tim’s life, you can make sure he reads it.

watch me fuck MY girl

-> t. law 🧊

SUMMARY: y/n likes to go live & flirt with her horny audience for money - but her bf hates it, so he decides to give her a lil scare (he’s insanely jealous)

WARNINGS: mdni, smut, camgirl!y/n, stalker!law, mask kink, fucking on live, dom!law, degrading, teasing, possessive!law, creampie, missionary, doggy

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

“‘you’re so pretty.’” you gleamed up at your destop camera as you read the comments flowing through your feed, making sure your silhouette showed all your right angles as you replied sweetly. your viewers were obsessed with the innocent little act you put on for them.

your stream was going great as always, meticulously showing off glimpses of your cleavage and speaking in a way that made your glossy lips pout — it was such easy money.

your night was was breezing by, effortless earning hundreds of tips just from entertaining lonleg men in the night. the sultry smiles never left your dolled up face, until something one of the comments made all the color from your face disappear.

anonymous6627: i have her address. watch my live in two hours

more and more comments flooded your feed, discarding the image of the previous comment. but you saw another one.

you knew it was probably nothing but the what if thoughts replayed in your mind.

the comments from the unnamed account kept coming.

anonymous6627: watch yourself y/n

…

anonymous6627: cuz i’m always watching you :)

…

you scoffed. ‘stupids internet trolls, bet you wouldn’t say that off anon.’

sometimes people’s comments got to you, but it was never that serious. you continued on nonetheless.

you said your goodbyes as you were finishing up your stream, growing tired from hours of entertaining and answering questions.

in the next two hours it was your time to destress, cleansing yourself from todays work. a nice hot shower and herbal remedies to put your mind at ease. you were in your more comfortable clothes and rested peacefully with a warm cup in hand in the confinements of your home.

but you heard a knock at the door , you shuffled over in your fuzzy slippers and peeped through the little hole in the wood, feeling safe enough to do so through your locked door. or so you thought.

there stood a man in a mask, hiding his face like a coward. he stood restlessly waiting for you to answer, but you never did.

he slammed against the wood harder, jiggling on the door handle when you didn’t answer the second time.

“open up y/n-ya!”

his voice released the tension that was holding tight on your heart. “shit!! law is that you?? you asshole!” you opened to door to meet his figure, smacking his chest and pulling off the black sack mask he wore to hide his face.

your hits didn’t even phase your tall boyfriend, he just laughed in your face.

“what babe? you scareddddd.” he pulled you inside your apartment.

“i just wanna show those chronically online losers what’s mine.”

what did he mean by that?

he took out him phone and propped it up high on one of your shelves to show the entirety of your bedroom, not quite pressing record yet. he ignored you when you questioned him.

“they were getting too bold in your comments, y/n ya~ ‘i’ll make you do backflips on it’?” he shook his head in disbelief. heat rose to your cheeks as he mocked the people in your comments, you couldn’t meet his eyes.

he laughed again.

“please, they’re speaking as if they could even satisfy my pretty girl~”

he grabbed hold of your chin to force you to look at him.

law knew how to make you squirm, he was embarrassing you on purpose, and he knew you liked it. the way he talked down on your poor choices and belittled you made the ache in your abdomen tremble.

he just wouldn’t let it go.

“such a fucking skank for entertaining those pathetic idiots… you like it don’t you?” his grip on your cheeks fell as he set up to press the little red ‘LIVE’ button.

“praises from touch-starved basement dwellers, want them to fuck you baby? think they could make you cum?”

he faced you with his back towards the camera, ripping back his mask from you and putting it on before turning to the lens and giving it a thumbs up.

“the truth is, you like the attention, huh? let’s just see how badly you want it.”

you pleaded. hoping he would reconsider but there was no sign he was going to change his mind. was this a punishment?

“law, baby wait—”

“nuh-uh, get on the bed y/n-ya… think i can let you talk to those guys like that? your actions have consequences my love, let’s give your fans a show, you’d like that huh?”

you fell to your bed aimlessly, his words coaxing you to follow each command. but really, you did want them to watch how well he fucked you, the idea made the knots in your abdomen tighter than they already were.

before you knew it he was on top of you and between your legs, pulling up your thighs and removing your pants for you. mind already dizzy from adjusting to his fast pace, it was happening too fast, you were whimpering for him.

so rough, and the mask, ugh it did something to you.

his fingers found your clit in seconds, playing with it just barely before slamming fully into you. you yelped.

“law! oh my god!—”

“fuck, that’s it. make noise for them, tell ‘em how good i fuck your tight little holes.”

he held you down as he jackhammered your tight cunt, the sensation of being stretched and then empty again made your head spin. the pleasure making you spew nonsense, the only thing law could understand was just mindless and filthy moans.

“you fuck me so good baby, please, ahh!— keep going!” your hips met his with each quick thrust, smacking sounds and muffled moans filled the speakers of everyone’s phones who was tuned into your stream. you had forgot that was even happening but it made you weak, having your fans watch you squirm from the touch of your crazy boyfriend. you were going to cum, hard.

hundreds, no, thousands of comments fled through the feed.

there were creeps begging for a closer angle and some were disgusted. in the moment, you couldn’t care less what people were saying, you just wanted to feed the hunger growing within your cunt.

law kept up his pace, his thick cock kissing deep in your warmth. “gonna cum for me baby? cream around my cock?”

“uh huh, ahh!— keep… g-going gonna cum-” your fingers clung to the clothes he wore on his back, bracing yourself for the deep contractions that were to come with your orgasm.

“fuck!—gonna fill you baby, make you mine, you’re mine.”

“yes! god, yes!! cum in me law! ‘mmm coming!

he pulled out, smirking under his mask as he did so, you cried out. “babyyyyyyyy p-please… was so close..”

“ass up.” he motioned to do so with his fist closed and his index finger pointing upward.

in his lust filled eyes, you were taking too long. his strong arms latched to both sides of your ass and forcefully flipped you over, pushing your face into the pillows of your messy bed.

“you look so pretty for me baby, gonna fuck you good. okay?” his fingers traced up your ass before plunging them into your sopping cunt. “law! auhhh!—” you whimpered into the pillow, falling apart at the touch of his hands. he swirled his digits around meticulously before taking them back out again.

the tip of his cock slid between your slick folds, coating it with your sweet juices. your walls hugged him perfectly as he filled you back up again. “ya- fuckkk… such a perfect pussy, princess. holdin me so fucking tight, fuck!”

he felt his own high approaching, pre cum spilled within you and his cock throbbed hard. he was at the crash, forcefully stuffing your achy cunt until he heard your cries.

“FUCK iM GONNA C-CUM!”

“wait for me y/n, i’m i’m right fuck. i’m rightt there. shhhiiiiit— ‘m coming baby.. s-scream my name for them.”

you forgot about the audience once again but it was so fucking hot seeing you man get off to fucking you in front of thousands, your fans… you screamed for him.

“laww!! so fucking good!” you fucked back on his hips as he had you bent over, smacking against him as your arousal consumed you—you creamed around his cock, white substance dripped from your stretched hole.

even more poured from your sopping cunt as your man came inside you, moans and whines fled his mouth, your sweet name and many profanities.

you laid there for a moment, completely fucked out, waiting for law to get the towel and run to turn off the camera. once it had stoped recording he came to your side and removed his mask, tenderly kissing your warm skin and cleansing any remaining liquid.

“round two? the cameras off baby.” he kept kissing you, his sweeter side coming through with the absence of the mask. he snickered.

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

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If the Bun's as Sweet as You

Part 2 of Sweet as You

Pairing: David "Deacon" Kay x pregnant!wife!baker!reader

Summary: After you find out you're pregnant, you try to use baking jokes to tell Deacon. Unfortunately, he isn't the first to understand you.

Warnings: fluff!! Street and Hondo. r is implied to have an irregular cycle?

Word Count: 1.6k+ words

Picture from Pinterest

Masterlist Directory | Deacon Kay Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List

A/N: I swear I could look at his smile forever. An extra special thanks to @elephants-bubbles-brachosauruses for the amazing ideas about using "bun in the oven" and Deac being oblivious!

In your bakery’s kitchen, you sit and press the back of your hand against your mouth. The last week or so, you have been nauseous, and emotional, and the smells you once found mouthwateringly amazing are now causing your stomach to churn.

“What are you making, boss?” your employee Tristan asks. “Smells amazing.”

You increase the pressure of your hand against your mouth while fighting the urge to throw up. It hits you then: you might be pregnant. What other explanation exists for a sudden sensitivity to certain smells and tastes, plus the morning sickness that has been pulling you out of bed even before Deacon wakes?

“Tristan, I need you to take over,” you say quickly. “I have a quick errand to run, and it may turn into a personal day.”

“Sure thing. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. There’s lemon snaps in the oven and cheesecake filling setting in the fridge. Schedule’s on the board, call if you need anything.”

“Of course. Don’t worry about anything, just take care of you.”

You nod in thanks, then hang your apron on its designated hook before gathering your things. There’s a pharmacy just a few blocks away, but you want to take the tests at home rather than in a public restroom.

In less than an hour, you have five tests waiting on your bathroom sink as you sit on the edge of the tub and watch your leg bounce with the timer on your phone. When it dings, you exhale before you stand. You don’t have time to wonder how you’ll feel if they’re negative before you see two pink lines. Then, a plus sign. And a digital message reading ‘Pregnant 3+.’ Every test is positive.

You smile as you gather the tests and place them in a box below the sink. Telling Deacon has to be special, but you don’t want to wait. A baker joke, you think as you prepare to return to the bakery. It will be perfect.

Your stop at the bakery is quick; you ensure Tristan and the rest of your staff are doing well, then gather an assortment of treats. You ensure that Deacon and his team’s known favorites are included before you leave for HQ.  Since marrying Deacon, you’ve been welcomed into their station more times than you can count, and they’re family to you.

“Wait,” Deacon says, dropping his guard.

“For what?” Street asks as he steps back.

“See how he perked up like a dog?” Luca points out.

“Uh, yeah.”

Hondo interrupts to explain, “That means his wife is incoming. I’d say in about, three… two…”

“Mrs. Kay!” Rocker yells around the corner.

“I’m getting pretty good at that, Deac!” Hondo brags. “Watch your back, my man.”

“Hi, guys!” you greet as you round the corner.

Rocker is carrying the boxes for you now, and Deacon’s team can’t decide whether to look at you or the baked goods you brought them.

“Dig in, they’re still warm,” you say.

Luca, Hondo, and Street tap your arm gently in thanks as they follow Rocker to a nearby table. Deacon smiles as he exits the ring and walks to your side.

“I missed you,” you murmur as he pulls you into a quick hug.

“Missed you too,” Deacon agrees. “I didn’t get to see you for long this morning. Are you feeling better?”

You nod, remembering that a few hours ago, you were sick but didn’t know why. Now, you press your hand against your thigh to keep it from resting on your nonexistent baby bump.

“I brought your favorite again,” you tell Deacon. “I’ve been thinking that I could use that flavor in some other kind of recipe, maybe make it a bit savory somehow.”

“Anything you make will be amazing.”

“Like you?” you ask, smiling as you lean against his side.

“Like you.” Deacon keeps his arm around your waist and drops his chin to kiss you quickly. He looks at the open boxes and says, “You brought more today.”

“I made a ton,” you agree. Then, you smile as you add, “Plus, there’s a bun in the oven.”

Deacon’s brows furrow, but his smile never drops as he asks, “Just one? That’s a terrible business plan.”

You laugh, caught off guard by how easily your pregnancy announcement went over his head. Deacon has been incredibly attuned to you and your needs since long before you were married. Yet, when you tell him you’re pregnant, he thinks you’re talking about your bakery.

“I’m going to go get some before it’s all gone,” Deacon whispers, carefully removing his arm from around you.

“Enjoy,” you murmur, shaking your head in amusement.

“The weekly visits may have been a terrible idea,” Deacon announces when he returns home after his shift. “It’s just enough time to make me want you around more.”

“I’m sure Hondo feels the same,” you agree.

“What are you up to?”

Deacon wraps his arms around your waist and drops his chin to your shoulder, pressing a kiss against your neck. You lean against him and set your pen aside, the beginnings of a new recipe jotted down in your favorite recipe binder.

“I started baking a new recipe,” you begin carefully, “but it won’t be ready for 8 months, give or take.”

Deacon hums, then asks, “How do you get your recipes so perfect? Besides being brilliant and all the time you put in?”

You close your eyes, smile, and drop your head against his shoulder. Deacon is smart, but it seems he’s entirely oblivious when it comes to a baby.

“Mostly time, trial and error,” you answer. “Which hopefully only applies to baking and not making other things.”

“Are you going to work tomorrow?” Deacon asks.

“No. Why? Did you get called in?”

“You’re stuck with me.”

You hum and decide to try a more direct approach. “I promise that if I jump out of bed and run to the bathroom to be sick, it’s not because of you,” you joke. “The bun in my oven just doesn’t seem to like mornings.”

Deacon nods against you before he steps back and offers to make dinner. You consider showing him the positive tests, but now you want to see how long it will take for Deacon to realize what you’ve been trying to tell him all day.

Forty-eight hours after learning that you are expecting a baby with your husband, Deacon, he has yet to catch on to a single one of your hints. You’ve tried every version of the ‘bun in the oven’ line, mentioned that you shouldn’t have rum cake, made jokes about your morning sickness, and even pointed out that being a baker is the perfect occupation to make it easier to eat for two. Deacon Kay is oblivious, you’ve discovered.

So, to get your mind off the dilemma of how to tell your husband without just blurting out I’m pregnant, you’ve taken to experimenting in the kitchen. When the third batch of your sweet and savory cookie crisps is finished, you carry the tray around the bakery and ask for your employees’ opinions. After six of them give you a thumbs up and one admits that she doesn’t like crunchy cookies, you package the new item and wave goodbye to your kitchen assistant.

You’re going over your weekly visit to SWAT HQ, but you don’t care. As you walk in, you hear Deacon talking.

“Hello, beautiful,” Hondo calls. “I finally beat Deacon to you.”

“Not by much,” Deacon points out as he walks to your side. “Whoa, what are those?”

“They don’t have a name yet,” you answer, passing the box to him. “They’re a twist on a savory chocolate chip cookie crisp.”

“I’m sorry,” Hondo tells you, laying his hand on your shoulder. “Your husband was distracted by the cookies. How are you feeling?”

Deacon rolls his eyes and passes the box of cookies to Street.

“How did you come up with this recipe?” Luca inquires.

You decide that now, surrounded by your friends, is as good a time as any to try one more time.

“I think the bun in the oven is making me a better baker,” you admit.

The men around you freeze, and everything is silent for several seconds.

“Congratulations!” Luca exclaims, hugging you tightly.

Hondo points at you with a bright smile and says, “You can’t give me that look when I call you Mama now!”

“Oh my gosh,” Street murmurs, reaching toward your stomach. “Can we call them Cookie?”

You laugh and say, “Sounds like I’m bloated, but sure.”

“What?” Deacon asks slowly. When you look back at him, his eyes are wide, and his brows are raised high on his forehead. “What?” he repeats.

“I’ve been telling you for two days, Deacon!”

“No, you haven’t!”

You smile and take Deacon’s hand. “You’re way too pretty to be this oblivious.”

“Hey, if pretty’s all you’re after,” Hondo interjects, shrugging as he raises a cookie toward his mouth.

“Back off,” Deacon chides playfully. He looks at you and asks, “You’re pregnant?”

You smile and nod as you raise your hands to his shoulders. “You’re going to be a dad, Sergeant Kay.”

Deacon’s eyes brighten as he smiles. Then, his smile drops long enough for him to mumble, “Oh.”

“You just caught on to everything I’ve been saying,” you accuse.

Deacon kisses you rather than admitting you’re right but pulls back quickly when Street asks, “Hey, can I be the godfather?”

“Over my dead body,” Hondo answers lowly.

“I feel like we’re interrupting something,” you whisper to Deacon.

“I love you,” Deacon replies.

“I love you, too. And if this baby is anywhere near as sweet as you, everyone here is going to love them, too.”

“We'll love Cookie, you mean,” Street calls.

Overcoming Fantasies

Pairing: Brian Cole (Fantasy Island 2021) x fem!reader

Summary: After Brian leaves you because he loves being a survivalist more, he finds himself on Fantasy Island. While he learns that there is more to life than surviving, you chase a pipe dream involving a second chance you'll never get.

Warnings: angst, injury (broken leg), spoilers for 1x07 of Fantasy Island, very brief soulmate connection thing, fluff and reconciliation

Word Count: 2.3k+ words

A/N: I finally wrote Brian. His smile has been in my head for months and this idea forced its way out tonight.

Brian inhales deeply, taking in the serenity and beauty of the island.

“Welcome,” someone calls, “to Fantasy Island.”

“Hi,” he greets awkwardly, turning from the plane to face the beautiful woman welcoming him. “I’m-“

“Brian Cole. Did you come alone?”

“Yes. Was I not supposed to?”

The woman laughs, then explains, “It’s an island, Mr. Cole, there is often more than one visitor.”

“Oh, yeah, of course. No, it's just me.”

“I’m Elena Roarke,” she introduces, offering her hand and a warm smile. “You can leave your backpack.”

He drops her hand and then sets his backpack in the sand before he follows her. A white beach house sits between palm trees, and the curtains on the large windows flutter in the salt air breeze.

“Tell me, Mr. Cole, what is your fantasy?” Elena asks, gesturing for Brian to sit.

He lowers onto a light-colored sofa and fans his shirt gently. It’s humid but not uncomfortable. Despite his history as a survivalist and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on the island, Brian is nervous face-to-face with Elena. Suddenly, he wonders if the people who said his fantasy would kill him were correct. If you were right. The last time you spoke to Brian, you had tears running down your face as you begged him to tell you why his obsession with surviving was more important than you. Why he would rather die than come home to you.

“I want the ultimate physical and mental challenge there is,” he answers, looking out at the waves to forget about you. “I want to know if I can overcome it.”

“Why?” Elena inquires. She gestures to the other side of the house, where a large sliding glass door reveals a grassy clearing surrounded by tropical foliage. “What about the outdoors and the dangers it holds makes it a fantasy for you?”

“I’m a survivalist,” he explains. “It’s part of you I am, and the uncertainty makes me feel alive. My… my ex called it an obsession, accused me of having a death wish and loving it more than her.”

“And you’re here to prove her wrong?”

“I’m here to be tested in ways I haven’t before. I want you to put me through the worst so I can show myself I can do it.”

“The island knows your fantasy,” Elena says. “When you exit this door, you’ll be where you want to be.”

“Don’t- don’t send any help. I have to do this alone. There can’t be rescue,” Brian says quietly.

“Of course, Mr. Cole.”

Brian nods and wipes his hands on his pants as he prepares to exit the beach house. Without his backpack, he’s more unprepared than usual. It’s the ultimate challenge, the survivalist fight he’s dreamed of for years. So, without thinking of you or the life he’s leaving behind should anything happen, Brian steps into the grass and the world changes.

“Hey, my friend wants to go on a hike this weekend,” your favorite coworker says. “Do you think Brian could recommend a trail?”

“He’s not into hiking,” you explain. “Dangerous survivalism is more his thing.”

“Oh, wow. That’s intense. It doesn’t concern you?”

You pull your bottom lip between your teeth, and when she tuts and moves closer to rub your back, you admit, “I think my concern is what made him leave.”

Brian moves through the forest, gathering items he can use as supplies. The multi-purpose tool and knife he keeps on his person serve useful, and by the time the sun dips behind the trees and sends long shadows across his path, he’s prepared to make camp for the night. In a clear space against a rock, Brian builds a small bed of leaves and stacks several dry branches to build a fire. He isn’t hungry, so he decides to find food later.

Something moves in the trees nearby, and Brian calls out, “Hello?” No one answers, so he tries, “Elena?”

The forest silences; only the wind in the branches answers him. He chalks the noise up to an animal and returns to work, determined to make a safe camp for the night.

When you get home, you try to forget the reminder of Brian and his obsession. Losing him hurts, and you think it always will. With a warm drink and a new book, you hope to move forward with your life, starting tonight. By the end of the second chapter, you can’t focus because you’re still thinking of Brian. You don’t know where he is, if he’s okay, or if he thinks about you. The first tear falls onto the page, and you slam the book closed. Brian loves to save himself, and you owe it to yourself to do the same.

The following morning, after a small breakfast of double-checked and properly identified berries and a cooked fish, Brian climbs a tree to get a better understanding of the forest around him.

“Does it feel better up here?” a small voice asks.

Brian looks down quickly. He barely catches himself on a nearby branch when he sees the young boy sitting beneath him.

“Who are you?” Brian demands.

“If you’re not going to use the knife, can I have it?” the boy inquires.

“No, it’s mine,” Brian argues.

“Then it’s mine too.”

“You’re saying that you’re me, what? 20 years ago.”

“Gosh, you’re old.”

“Watch it, kid.”

Brian looks away, convinced that he’s imagining his younger self.

“Are you married?” young Brian asks.

“No.”

“Have a girlfriend?”

“I did.”

“But you messed up? Why?”

“Shut up. I can’t answer your questions and get out of this jungle.”

“Apparently that’s not all you can’t do.”

“Okay, fine, I messed up!” Brian snaps. “I lost her, is that what you want to hear?”

His younger self watches him, then says, “I’d like the hear what you’re going to do about it.”

Brian doesn’t have an answer, but that realization doesn’t bother him as much when his foot slips from the branch, and the rock that gave him shelter last night seems to rush up toward him.

You wake a few hours later with a sharp pain shooting through your leg. Standing quickly, you wait for it to pass, then notice that the sun is rising, so you open your back door and sit on the porch to watch the day begin, entranced by its beauty.

Brian groans, clutching the top of his thigh before he cries out in pain. He looks down hesitantly and immediately knows he won’t walk away from this.

“Now the hallucinated company disappears,” he groans as he uses the rock to pull himself into a seated position. “Okay,” he grunts. “Compound fracture.”

After he looks around, he calculates how much time he has. He estimates six hours before sepsis sets in, and doesn’t doubt it will progress rapidly in the heat and humidity.

Brian closes his eyes. He doesn’t know how much time passes before something rests against his shoulder, and a featherlight touch trails up his arm. He mumbles your name, and a fleeting memory of a sigh answers. The touch and the weight disappear on a gust of wind, and Brian opens his eyes. Elena stands before him, frowning at the sight of his broken leg.

“Have you changed your mind about being rescued?” she asks.

“No,” he answers immediately. “You sound like my ex.”

“She was concerned about your death wish. Why are you really here?”

“Being trapped is the purest state of being,” Brian states. “This is how life is supposed to be.”

“Dying alone because you refuse to let people close?”

“You don’t understand.”

“Sounds like I’m not the only one. Good luck, Mr. Cole.”

Brian blinks, and Elena is gone. His younger self returns, carrying fruit and boiled water.

“I wasn’t this resourceful at your age,” Brian says.

“Why do you put yourself in dangerous situations over and over, then?”

“When I was a little older than you are now, I was abandoned in the woods with nothing. It was cold, and I couldn’t do anything but walk. A hiker found me; that’s the only reason I survived. I thought I got over it, and refused to feel that weak or lost again. Maybe I just buried that humiliation. My need to be out here, to survive, is what drove the only woman I’ve ever loved away.”

“The same girl I like?” young Brian asks hopefully.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Brian closes his eyes and expects a sarcastic reply that doesn't come.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” he assures. “I’m sorry I was harsh earlier.”

“The secret’s safe with me,” young Brian says softly, wiping tears with the back of his hand. “I’ll be fine. You will too.”

Brian nods, and the sun shines brightly above him when he opens his eyes. Only there are no trees to block the light. He sits up quickly, shocked to find himself on a cliff with no broken bones. Brian stands and follows the sunset through the forest and toward the beach. He smiles and runs faster when the air smells like the ocean again.

The plane descends as you near the destination of the one-day trip your friend insisted you take. Waves lap onto the sand as the sun glints beautifully off the water.

“What is this place?” you ask the pilot.

“Anything you want it to be. That’s why people love the island, I hear,” he replies.

You nod and sit back. After the plane lands, you pull your bag onto your shoulder and open the door.

“Welcome to Fantasy Island,” a woman greets as you drop into the sand. “I’m Elena Roarke.”

You say your first name, wondering who the woman is.

“Your friend tells me that you have a wish no one can grant,” she continues. “This island has a way of doing things like that.”

“I doubt it can do what I want,” you argue.

“You never know. Follow me.”

You walk through the sand as she leads you to a beach house. Inside, you run your fingers across the linen curtains.

“Has the island ever given someone a second chance with a person who doesn’t want one?” you ask. When in Rome - or on Fantasy Island, you think as you hint at your deepest desire.

Elena looks down the beach and then asks you to excuse her. You nod, and she walks out. Alone, you stare out at the ocean. Maybe you should have tried to be more adventurous instead of asking Brian to be less so.

“Welcome back,” Elena says, smiling as Brian emerges from the jungle. “And ahead of schedule.”

“Thank you,” Brian responds. “Thank you for showing me.”

“It’s the island. What now, Mr. Cole?”

“I’m going home. I’ve got… I have to apologize to someone.”

“Good luck.”

Brian hugs Elena as he thanks her again, and he feels complete now that he remembers why he started living like this and realizes that life isn't the same as it was back then.

“Before you leave,” Elena says, “stop in the house. There’s one more thing I think you should see before you leave.”

Brian nods and makes his way toward the coastal building, smiling as he takes his time, enjoying the beauty without thinking about how to use his surroundings for survival.

You hear footsteps, so you turn away from the photos displayed on the shelves beside the couch. When the approaching person steps through the door, you freeze.

“Hey,” Brian says, his smile dropping as his eyes widen in surprise.

You swallow and look at his muddy pants before you say, “Hi.”

Brian watches you as you pull your hands behind your back. He has so much to say that he doesn’t know where to start.

“I should… go. I don’t even know why I’m here,” you murmur.

You step toward the door, toward Brian, but he moves forward to stop you. Looking into his eyes, you wonder why he’s suddenly acting like he doesn’t want you to leave.

“You asked if I loved it,” he begins. “That night you asked if I loved going out on these adventures more than I loved you.”

“And you didn’t answer,” you remind him.

“I was running,” Brian interrupts. “I’ve been running since I was a kid, but keeping that from you, letting it get between us, was the worst mistake of my life.”

“What are you saying?” you whisper.

“I do love it,” Brian says. “Because it makes me feel in control. But I don’t love it more than you... And you shouldn’t believe me.”

You watch Brian, but his eyes are steady on you. He seems genuine. Yet the reminder of how much he hurt you eats at you.

“I messed up, too,” you confess. “I should have accepted it as part of you.”

“No,” Brian argues, shaking his head as he lays his hands on your forearms. “You are part of me. I’ve never told anyone this but the survivalism was a response, a way to feel strong and in control after a terrible experience and abandonment. It’s not an excuse, but it’s a reason.”

“I didn’t want to lose you,” you whisper. “I lived in constant fear that you would die and never come back to me.”

“I’m back,” he insists. “It took me too long, but I’m here now. As long as you want me, I’m here, and if you don’t want me, I understand.”

You raise your hand to Brian’s face and wipe a streak of dirt from his cheek. He leans into your touch, and you move closer to him. Tipping your chin up, you kiss Brian.

He pulls back when he feels a tear hit his thumb. Wiping your cheeks, he matches your smile. You can see it, feel it, and you wholly believe Brian when he says he loves you. This island deals in fantasies, you realize, but not always in the way you expect.

“I keep making you cry,” he murmurs.

“Do you want to go to the beach with me?” you ask.

“I’ll go anywhere with you.”

Elena watches Brian help you into the plane. He seems like a different man when he turns and waves at her before he joins your side.

“I’ll teach you to spearfish when we get there,” Brian says.

“Oh, no,” you reply, laughing before Brian cups the back of your head and kisses you.

“Another satisfied visitor,” she muses.

I am in love with recent luffy smut omg that was amazing. Is it possible if I can request a usopp smut, please. I’ll leave the topic in your hands, bc I trust u✨

Usopp X Reader: Shot your shot

I don't have Usopp's mannerisms down as much as Luffy's so i hope i did him justice. Enjoy! ❤️

Warning: smut, fingering, penetration (p in v), nipple sucking, kissing, dirty talk, soft sex, fluff, making out.

Word Count: 2,5 K

"Bet you won't do it."

Usopp's head snaps up from his drink, his eyes moving to glance at Zoro. 

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on man, you've been staring all night."

A small blush creeped into Usopp's cheeks at the sword masters words. Was it really that obvious? Usopp's eyes made their way back to you watching as you danced with Nami. You were smiling wide as you swayed to the music. The sight made Usopp's heart skip a beat. The sharpshooter had always had a small crush on you but he never acted on his feelings, far too scared to do something and risk your friendship. Despite his lack of action it was pretty clear he had a thing for you. Anyone who paid the smallest bit of attention could see it. You were the only one who didn’t seem to notice it.

Not that it was your fault. You weren’t used to guys beating around the bush. When someone was interested in you they made it quite clear. It annoyed you a bit but it also made things easier. You weren’t exactly great with feelings, especially not romantic ones. You’d never really felt desire for anyone, far too preoccupied with staying alive to care about something like love. Yet since you joined the strawhats you found yourself being drawn to Usopp. You liked listening to his fantastical tales, even if they weren’t true it made you feel a sense of adventure. It was why you’d joined the crew in the first place. You’d gotten sick of waiting tables as the baratie and decided to tag along with Sanji. You hadn't planned on sticking around for long but the longer you stayed with the crew the less you saw yourself leaving. 

Your eyes scan the crowd around you, searching for your friends. Luffy is sitting at a table scarfing down the third plate of the evening, Sanji is off to the side of the bar flirting with some blonde he'd met, Zoro was leaning over the counter talking to the bartender, Usopp stood beside Zoro. You smiled at the boy, gesturing with your hand for him to join you. Usopp raised his glass towards you, silently telling you he couldn't join you because of the drink in his hand. Zoro noticed the exchange, reaching over and grabbing Usopp's drink from his hand before gulping it down.

"What the hell Zoro!"

"Stop making excuses and go over there.”

You watched Zoro shove Usopp in your direction. The sharpshooter stumbled forward, not having been prepared for the sudden movement. You let out a laugh, turning to tell Nami about it. Except that she was nowhere to be found. Oh well she can handle herself. Usopp shuffled his way through the crowd making his way to you. Once he was close enough you grabbed his hand and tugged him over. 

"Hey."

“Hi, quite the trip you’ve had.”

“Did you see the monster I had to fight on my way over?”

You shook your head slightly giggling at the boy's exaggerations.

“You're very brave Usopp. Thanks for coming to save me.”

“You’re welcome princess.”

Your body warmed at the nickname. How could something so small get such a reaction out of you? Usopp seemed to notice the shift in the atmosphere, his hands going to rest on your arms.

“You okay?”

“Yeah i’m fine i just-”

Music started to blare, making you stop in your tracks. Your eyes widened at the familiar sound.

“Oh my god! I love this song! Dance with me Usopp.”

“Oh I'm not really the danci-woah!”

Before he could give you some lame excuse you dragged him into the center of the dance floor, a bright smile on your face. You started moving to the rhythm of the music, closing your eyes as you did. Usopp observed you in awe. The way your body swayed to the beat, face completely blissed out, made his body twitch. You looked like an angel. You snapped your eyes open feeling the weight of Usopp's gaze on you.

“This is a dance floor that means you have to, you know, dance!”

“I’m not a good dancer.”

“So what? No ones looking anyway.”

That was true. Everyone around you was far too into their own thing to care about you and Usopp but it didn’t really calm him. You were watching and that was enough to make him nervous.

“Here I'll help you out.”

You took his hands into your own, placing them on your hips. Usopp's fingers twitched around your waist, his arms stiff as he waited for your next move.

“Jes Usopp, loosen up! I won’t bite.”

Usopp gave you a sideways smile, his body relaxing a bit at your words.

“There you go. Much better.”

You started moving side to side slowly, allowing Usopp to get used to the motion before quickening your movements. He seemed to catch on pretty quickly, his body following the flow of the music in a matter of seconds.

“See you’re a natural!”

“Nah, I just have a good teacher.”

You smiled, biting the corner of your lip. Usopp's eyes dropped to your mouth for a brief second before moving to stare at the place where his hands rested on your body. You followed his gaze, staring at the muscles on his arms. The small amount of liquor in your system was making you bolder than normal. You inched yourself closer to Usopp, your hands resting on his chest. He raised his head to look at you, his lips parting slightly. The song changed suddenly, switching to a more sensual rhythm. You’d have to remember to leave the DJ a tip when you left. You turned your body around so that your back was pressed up against Usopp's chest.

“Uh, what are you doing?”

“Shh, just go with it.”

Your hips moved with the music, slow and steady, causing you to grind against the sharpshooter. You heard Usopp take a deep breath in, the grip on your waist tightening. He called out your name, making you turn your head to look at him. 

“What is it?”

You knew exactly what you were doing. You'd wanted this for a while now but had never found a good time. I mean what better place to seduce someone than at a bar? Usopp lowered his mouth to your ear, his hot breath fanning over your bare skin.

“Let’s go somewhere more private.”

“Lead the way Captain Usopp.”

As soon as you arrived on the ship Usopp's hands were on you. He wrapped his arms around your waist, tugging you as close as possible before capturing your mouth in his. You’d expected Usopp to be sweet and gentle when it came to stuff like this but there was a hunger in him you hadn't seen before. It’s safe to say you enjoyed it. You wrapped your arms around his neck, using his body as leverage to lift your body up. Usopp understood what you wanted, his strong arms moving to cup your thighs so that you could wrap your legs around his waist. You groaned at the feeling of his hard on against your clothed cunt.

“Usopp…”

“Yeah princess, what do you want?”

“Too much clothing. Take it off.”

Usopp walked over to a nearby table placing you on top of it before moving back to remove his clothes. He started off with his shirt unbuttoning it to reveal the taut muscles underneath. You practically drooled at the sight. You’d become used to seeing the other boys on the crew shirtless but you often forget that beneath his clothes Usopp hid a great physic. You placed your hands between your thighs leaning forward on the table to get a better look. The position of your arms caused your breasts to be squashed together, the low cut top you were wearing doing nothing to hide them. Ussops stopped moving at the sight, the hand that had been working on his shirt stopping in mid air. You frowned at him for a moment before realizing what he was staring at. A small smirk made its way onto your face, body leaning even farther forward.

“Like what you see?”

Usopp moved forward with his hands outstretched.

“Can i?”

He looked up at you shyly.

“What do you want, baby?”

“Can I touch them?”

“Of course you can, darling.”

That was all he needed. Usopp's large hands found  their way to your breasts, cupping them gently. He gave them a squeeze making you moan out. The sound of your moans drove Usopp crazy. He repeated his actions, his dick aching against his pants as you whimpered his name. He pulled down your top in one harsh tug, lowering his head so that he could suck on your nipples. You placed your hands behind you, allowing Usopp easier access to your breasts. He pushed your body backwards forcing you to lay down on the table. Your legs widened instinctively, allowing the sharpshooter to slot himself between them with ease. He grinded against you as he sucked your nipples, his hands massaging your stomach gently.

“So pretty for me.”

“For you huh?”

“I uh- i mean not for me… i don’t own you or anything i just meant-”

“Usopp.”

“Yeah?”

“Just shut up and make me feel good.”

“Yeah okay.”

Usopp's hands moved down to your clothed cunt tugging your shorts down before throwing them over his shoulder. You started to laugh but it quickly turned into a moan when Usopp began playing with your folds. You grind your hips against his fingers reveling in the feeling of his hands on you.

“That's it-uh- good boy.”

Ussop groaned at your praise, his free hand going to tug at his crotch. You noticed his movements moving to lean on your shoulders.

“I thought I told you to take those off.”

Usopp looked down at you and then at his pants. 

“How are you expecting to fuck me with your pants on.”

You grinned as you said the words, enjoying the pant you got out of the boy. 

“Can you help me?”

“Of course baby.”

You moved to sit up, your hands finding Usopp's belt and beginning to relieve him of his bottoms. Usopp kept fingering you as you worked on his clothes, his face dropping to your neck so he could leave a trail of kisses down your shoulder blade. Once you managed to unbutton Usopp's pants you reached into his boxers and cupped his dick in your hand. 

“Ah princess…”

“Feel good?”

“Yeah-fuck-so good.”

“Wait until you’re inside me.”

Your words seemed to make everything real. Usopp had dreamt about this moment so many times. He’d woken up in the morning, his boxers stiff with his cum and his body itching for the feeling of you. And now here he was: your hands wrapped around his dick as he got you off with his fingers. Your walls clenched around Usopp's fingers signaling to him that you were close. If that wasn’t enough your random babbling made it very clear. 

“Baby… I'm close.”

“Cum for me princess. Coat me with it.”

“You talk about it lik-ugh ah-like its a…uh…gift.”

“Because it is. Anything you give me is a gift.”

The moment Usopp's words entered your ears you started cumming. Your body went limp falling onto Usopps as you soaked his finger in your juices. He held you close, helping you through your high. Once you’d recovered your motor functions you moved to tug on Ussops chin, placing a kiss on his lips before laying back down on the table.

“Your turn, pretty boy.”

You widen your legs allowing Usopp to have a clear view of you pussy. It was puffy from your last orgasm. You motioned with your index finger for Usopp to come closer and like the good boy he was he did as you asked. You watched him free his cock from its confines, gasping at the sight of it. It wasn’t an abnormal size but it was thick. Your walls fluttered at the idea of being filled again. Usopp's hands were gentle against you as he moved your legs off the table and onto his shoulders. You smiled gently at him causing him to give you his signature smirk.

“Should I put something on?”

“No it’s okay I'm on birth control. Fill me up all you like.”

You expected Usopp to ram into you. You’d been teasing him all night after all. But he didn’t. instead he sunk into you slowly, savoring the feeling of you around him.

“Shit Usopp….”

“Fuck you’re warm.”

Usopp leaned forward, tugging your body off the table so that he could wrap his arms around you. He moved slowly, softly fucking into you. It was tender and loving. His lips found your  face and he placed a kiss on your nose. You weren’t used to this. Most of your hookups had been just that. Hookups. Just meaningless sex. But this was different. This was real. You began to tear up, your eyes glossing over. The second Usopp noticed he stopped moving.

“Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”

He began pulling out of you but you called out his name before he could.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.  I’m just not used to being treated like this. This is perfect. You’re perfect.”

Usopp cursed at your words. What kind of idiots had you been hooking up with before. What fools would get the opportunity to be with you like this and not treat you the way you deserved. He promised himself he would show you what it felt like to be loved. He placed a soft kiss on your lips, removing the sweaty hair from your forehead.

“I’m gonna go a little faster okay?”

“Okay.”

“Tell me if you want to stop. 

“Usopp you don’t have to-”

“Promise me.”

You stared into his eyes, the eyes of a boy who’d been through so much pain and still found a way to be kind. A boy you were now releasing meant much more to you than you had expected.

“I promise.”

You spent the rest of the night pressed against Usopp's body, his hands working to bring you to places you’d never been before. When you woke up the next morning you found your body cuddled into Usopp's, his arms holding you close like he was scared of you drifting away in your sleep. You turned your body around nuzzling your face into the crook of his neck. 

“Morning princes.”

“Morning Usopp.”

“Wanna get up?”

“No, let's just stay here a little longer.” “Whatever you want.”

If it was up to you you’d stay in Usopp's arms forever. Lucky for you he shared the sentiment.

Should I stay or should I go? (Part one)

Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4

Spike x Giles!reader

Part one of four! Be kind please💖

Warning: reader drinks, difficult relationship with parents, especially dad!Giles, reader loses their home.

You had moved to Sunnydale a few years prior with your father, he had tried desperately to train you up as a watcher but you never listened, you hated following orders and ultimately, you failed your observation when the watcher’s council came into town to check on your progress.

It bored you and for the 48 hours that you had been in charge of Buffy, you had all gone to the Bronze and let an apocalyptic rift open in the heart of the town when you failed to investigate or do any meaningful research. In your defence, it was a very minor and basically harmless apocalypse. Well, it was after Angel contacted your father when he couldn’t get hold of you or Buffy and he came back into town.

You hated dusty research and telling people what they ought to be doing. You hated the weird pressure your father put on you to become a watcher just like him and sometimes, you even hated Buffy because of the way your father doted on her so. She could do no wrong, even when he was mad at her or telling her what to do he gave her a much easier time than he ever had with you.

You were a disappointment. You could see that clearly enough.

You stayed in Sunnydale though, for reasons unknown to yourself. You just didn’t have anywhere else to go. Nothing excited you, it seemed.

You had moved back in with your father after you couldn’t make rent. You had let another crappy job throw you out the door. You just couldn’t stick to their stupid pointless rules. They made no sense and they paid you next to nothing at that.

You were sitting on the lid of the toilet as Buffy fed your newest houseguest blood from a novelty mug.

“Willow may have had a very helpful idea. She seems to be coping better with Oz’s departure, don’t you think?” Giles asked walking back into the bathroom, directing his words at Buffy rather than the rest of the room as he walked in. It was like you didn’t exist most of the time.

“Well, she still has a way to go but, yeah, I think she’s dealing”

“What, are you people blind? She’s hanging on by a thread” Spike stated, muttering to himself after and rolling his eyes. Buffy just scoffed and left the room, taking the blood he had been drinking away with her as your Dad followed her out.

You had just been about to say something similar, but in a perhaps more conversational format rather than accusatory.

“You’re quite astute really, aren’t you” You said, scanning Spike’s face. He used to creep you out a bit back when he was trying to kill you and all that. Not that you would admit it.

You had never really studied him this closely before. But looking at him now, he just looked so normal. Apart from the shackles and the almost painfully pale complexion… and the fact he had blood crusting at the corners of his mouth.

“It’s no talent, pet, a man walkin’ in from the street could read the lot of you like a book”

“I like to think I’m not that predictable”

“Don’t you all. Humans, you’re always thinking you’re so original, but you’re all a copy of the last”

“I guess when you’ve been around a thousand years everything gets sort of old… apart from the, uh, obvious” you sort of gestured vaguely at his face, a little glint in your eye as you teased him.

“Watch it” He warned, his shackles clinking against the tub as he pointed to accentuate his words. You waited for a moment in silence, watching the tap slowly drip beads of water into the cool porcelain. You waited about seven drips before you spoke again.

“Don’t you get bored? I get bored of the days here sometimes, it’s always a demon or a spell or some dumb melodrama with Dad’s little protegees”

You were surprised at the way this admittance casually tumbled from your own mouth. You weren’t sure why you were speaking to him like this, perhaps you were seeking some kind of connection. It was very you to try in such a stupid place.

“No” he shrugged turning away from you and staring up at the ceiling.

“Come on, I’m trying to open up here”

“Well close back up again” He shrugged, his eyes still fixed upwards. You shrugged, standing and leaving him in his bathtub. You hoped boredom consumed him for the rest of the day.

You left for a bar and returned late at night, having missed another eventful Sunnydale evening. By the morning when it had all calmed down, Willow had showed up to apologise again to Giles and caught you brewing your morning beverage.

She explained animatedly about your father going blind, Buffy and Spike getting engaged and Xander being a demon magnet. You tried very hard to focus on her words and gasp in the correct places whilst your head spun and you gripped the handle of your mug.

Willow was your favourite out of the Scoobies, she was a sweet kid and you made the most effort with her as you got the sense she knew what not being listened to felt like. You were glad you had missed the evening’s events, not that sitting alone at a bar and nursing a drink was much more interesting.

A few weeks later, Spike had been allowed to roam more freely by this point and he was lying on the sofa in your living room. You had a snack in your mouth and had carried a steaming mug of blood in one hand and a box of Weetabix in the other.

You gestured with your head for him to move his legs and he just stared at you for a moment before moving and snatching the mug and the box from your hands. You settled in beside him in front of an episode of Passions, trying, once again to speak to him but he was cold with you. Not even a thank you for the blood. I mean, he was evil, but did he have to keep it up all of the time?

You had tried talking to him, asking him questions about his past but he only really gave short sentences in reply. Today you were unceremoniously told to shut up so that he could watch Passions in peace.

You huffed but stayed beside him, weirdly drawn in by the stupid show. You missed his eyes lingering on you briefly as you glued your eyes to the set.

Truth was, Spike had a little soft spot for you. One that had grown even slightly since he had become a hostage in the same house you lived in. He tried to keep a distance from you, not directly look you in the eye as if you were some kind of love-inducing gorgon that would turn his resolve into a stone that could so easily crumble.

But he wouldn’t give anything away.

By the time Spike left, you were relieved that you could use your bathroom in peace. You knew trying to talk to him had been a waste of time but he interested you and, more to the point, you had found yourself being incredibly lonely.

You had been distracted lately, trapped inside your mind. You felt like you were missing something. So much so you had maybe accidentally skipped a couple of shifts at your new job. You had been sneaking back into your house when Giles caught you. You winced at his voice, knowing you would have to fess up.

“Shouldn’t you be at the Magic Box?”

“Oh, right, about that…” You began, unsure how to explain what had happened the day before. You had been avoiding your Dad ever since. You didn’t have to say anything, he already knew.

“You really are a bloody-”

“A what? Go on, say it!”

“A liability” He stormed over and poured himself a whiskey.

“It’s not exactly surprising is it, being told I couldn’t even visit my mother, left only with a man like you as a father, hey Ripper?” You don’t know why you said it. Truly, he wasn’t a terrible father. He was just bad at hiding his disappointment which made you feel, in a word, terrible about yourself.

He went very quiet for a moment. The temperature seemed to drop before he finally spoke again.

“I suggest you leave”

“What-?”

“Pack up your things and leave” he repeated, pronouncing each word crisply.

“You can’t mean that!”

“You can’t support yourself, Y/n, and I certainly shouldn’t have to”

“Where am I supposed to go?!”

“I suppose you will have to begin by figuring that out for yourself” He stared through you, downing the rest of his scotch before thundering up the stairs to his room and slamming the door.

You were ashamed to admit that as soon as he slammed the door, you broke down into tears. You knew you had been fucking everything up. You just wanted something more, you couldn’t describe it.

You packed a bag, slung it over your shoulder and walked out of the door, not once looking back. To this day you still don’t know how long you walked for, but by the time that you could see the sun threatening the dark skies through your blurred vision you had found yourself in a graveyard.

You had nowhere else to go and you weren’t above sleeping in a graveyard, you soon discovered You were so exhausted you could barely move another step. You ducked into some old mausoleum, kicking away some dust from the corner and laying out your jacket as a sort of mattress and you bag as a pillow.

You curled into the corner and screwed your eyes up. You had finally began to drift into a fitful sleep when heavy footprints came towards you.

“This ain’t a bloody hotel, bugger off would you-!” He stormed, reaching down to grab your shoulder before he recognised you, “Y/n?”

You bolted up, relaxing only for a moment when you noted you weren’t in any immediate danger before descending straight into embarrassment. You would really rather he hadn’t caught you sleep-crying on the floor of a crypt. Then again, it didn’t really matter what he thought, you reminded yourself quickly. He scanned your face, finding pain written there and seemingly making a decision before he turned away.

You stood up, noting an old couch had been pushed into the far corner of the tomb. You sat on it, bringing your bag with you and noting that it was only marginally more comfortable than the floor.

“Here” Spike returned, offering you a half empty bottle of  liquor. You took it, nodding your thanks and taking two large gulps. His eyes bulged for a moment before pulling a face of slight approval, until you looked back at him and he hid any evidence of expression from his face.

“Why are you being nice?”

“You take that back. I’m not bloody nice”

“No, I know, you’re evil and all that. I’ll admit, I felt a little shiver when I saw you first until, I uh, remembered you couldn’t…” You tailed off, “Not helping my case am I?”

“Liquor’s the cheap stuff so you’re doin’ me a favour by getting rid of it” he shrugged. Spike was secretly pleased for the company. He had felt so alone of late.

You watched his lips, eyes scanning down to his neck and over his leather-clad torso. The way the dim light accentuated his features, the curve of his jaw, that sparkle in his eye, that smirk that was never far from his lips.

Oh God, no. You didn’t… did you?