#and try not to zoom in too much or i will burst into tears <33

[themanip]

alternate routes

SYNOPSIS — how do you go throughout life? well, you find someone you like. get to know them. start dating. break up a few times, get back together. get married. have some kids. die old. typical. fucking in a back room of an awards show, not once, but twice as complete strangers, was definitely not how most relationships start out.

PAIRING — taehyung x metzi (oc) WARNINGS — descriptions of cheating, fliphones, mentions of getting laid, really bad intros tbh, the introvert line being introverts, and girls who are rlly bad at timing, an asshole named ryan, cursing WORD COUNT — just over 3.1k AUTHOR’S NOTE — hi! i am so fucking bad at writing the first chapter or two, i promise if you can bear the beginning of this story, it gets better. i have two and a half chapters written so far but i am writing super often! once a few more chapters get published i will create a masterlist. please enjoy and if you have any comments or recs don’t hesitate to let me know!! :)))

𝟏: 𝐀𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐄 

𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖 ⇥ The universe known to man is a labyrinth—an irregular maze, a passage that cannot be routed—and to understand that took more than an average mind. The matter was far too complicated than any obsolete man to comprehend on a whim. Millenia passed before galaxies were formed, planets were created, all unbeknownst to the stars bursting just miles apart.

From early amphibians, to the ice age, to cavemen, evolution has made great strides in every species. Humans in the past were variants called homosapiens, and most likely came from chimpanzees. Great strides like this were something to be proud of, you'd think.

When Metzi Ludovic realized that birds can fly with natural evolution, while humans had to industrialize it (thanks to the Wright brothers) she was pretty distraught. As an imaginative and critical eight-year old, fifteen years later, not much had changed. Currently, she was pondering over the fact that humans are one of the few species with opposable thumbs.

Majority of animals had not yet evolutionized to create opposable thumbs. While frantic over this, she also imagined her beautiful Pomeranian, with thumbs popping out of his paws. Her thoughts were quickly subdued, thanks to her coherent thoughts making an appearance. As cool as it would be, all other animals would devour humans if they gained that ability.

Is that the only reason humans are all mighty? They can industrialize and aim properly due to their adaptations, so that they somehow became top of the food chain?

Thankfully, she was redacted from her thoughts as her manager, Emmy, let out a distressed sigh. "Wren, we cannot change your outfit again. You look beautiful," At this point, looking at Wren, she knew that she would look good. Somehow, she couldn't convince herself.

"Wren, we can switch. I don't hate green, so you can take blue if you want it. I really don't mind," Metzi smiled softly, and she knew it was the right thing to offer as Wren's face lit up, a few tears being wiped away. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just do me a favor and loosen the ties on that, please. I have had way too many tacos yesterday to fit into it with the strings that tight," a small laugh left her mouth, and as she laid on the comfortable sofa. It was plush, but somehow offered no lumbar support. Who the hell makes a couch so soft, yet so unbearable for convenience of naps?

Selfish, she thought.

This dressing room was beautiful, so you'd think they'd have enough funds to make a decent couch. She could enjoy the aesthetics of the room, anyways. A luxurious baby pink covered the walls, and was bordered by pristine white. Plush gray carpet was under her feet, and was stain free. With Malorie in here, that probably wouldn't last long.

She was over by the double mirrors, applying powder over her face. She was so beautiful, Metzi couldn't fathom why she insisted on so much makeup. The same could be said about herself, so she kept her somewhat inner misogynistic comments at bay. She was pretty quiet, but something was off. She wasn't usually this quiet, so Metzi shot her a text.

She was very personal, and barely talked about what bothered her. Occasionally, Metzi would get her to open up, which she could physically see the relief on her face as she broke down. A brief, but to the point was written out on Metzi's phone.

you don't seem okay. wanna talk about it? Read 2:33 PM

The three dots popped up, and Metzi's attention was quickly brought to Vida, who sat down next to her, letting out a sigh. "How much longer until Olive gets here? I'm so close to taking a nap," Vida quickly put her hair into a makeshift ponytail, and leaned back, closing her eyes.

"It's only two, so I imagine not for a good hour or so, a nap sounds kind of nice," Wren commented, stood in the other corner of the room, with Emmy helped her undo the straps of her outfit. Her green silk top complimented her skin perfectly, but Metzi knew it was too late to convince her.

"Well, I'm out, wake me up when she gets here," Vida quickly blurts, and her head is now comfortably laying on the arm of the sofa. "I'll get up, I have to go to the bathroom anyways," Metzi commented, sighing before getting up.

Silence followed, and the blonde decided to take a look at her phone. A text was sent back on Malorie's behalf, and she widened her eyes momentarily. Standing still, she turned back to look at her. A face of guilt was evident, and she tried her best to hold her breath.

i have something to tell you, i'm not supposed to. i just feel so bad knowing while you don't i really shouldn't have said anything forget it

meet me in the bathroom

Read 2:37PM

Metzi's mind was in a whirlwind, and she couldn't think of anything she'd be referring to. Of course, it was useless, because clearly she wasn't meant to know about it. She hurried out of the room, the last thing she heard was Wren complaining once more about her outfit.

The hallways were empty, mostly because they'd came so early, and Metzi took her time reaching the bathroom. It was communal, so she really hoped that nobody else was here yet. The awards were meant to start in a few hours, and considering they had three faces to paint with makeup, early was a necessity.

"I hope you won't be mad at me," A small, timid voice aired behind her. The blonde turned around, and clutched her phone in fear. "I'm not, please tell me what's going on,"

As Malorie opened her phone, Metzi tapped her foot anxiously.

God, she really had to piss.

The brunette looked up at her, and showed her a photo.

"What is that?"

"That, was Ryan. On Saturday."

Ryan was her boyfriend of six years. An anxious cramping formed in her stomach at the mixture of his name and the tone of Malorie's voice. The photo she was now staring at made her want to vomit. Her stomach was now doing somersaults.

In the photo, it was indeed Ryan, in Metzi's own bed, with a mop of curly red hair under him. Most was covered by the sheets, but it was enough to come to the correct conclusion. He was clearly enjoying it too, judging by his face. Upon further inspection, she noticed something odd.

Grabbing the phone out of Malorie's hand, she zoomed in. On her nightstand, where a picture of the two usually sat, was now face down. While he fucked another woman in her bed, he turned her face down.

Tears pricked at her eyes, and she took a deep breath in.

What happened Saturday? She was home mostly all day, so when did he have time to do this?

"What—how did you get this?"

"I came to give you your present, and I heard something. Y'know since you gave me keys? I figured it was okay to come in, and your bedroom door was open. I knew Ryan would try to make me the liar, so I took a picture. He told me that if I told you," Malorie pursed her lips, "well he threatened to do something pretty fucked up."

"Holy fuck," Metzi whispered, "I just—I had no fucking clue. This entire time, and who knows how long he's been fucking her?"

One lonesome tear fell down her cheek. In anger or sadness, Malorie didn't know.

Opening her phone, she opened Ryan's contact. "Hey," Malorie whispered, her voice now soft. "If he tells you anything about me, promise you won't believe him?"

"Of course, you come first. Always."

She debated on whether or not to call him, but instead opted on a text.

I hope you enjoyed fucking merida, we're done. get your things out of my house by tomorrow. delete my number.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, and a smile adorned her face. Her bladder problems now the least of her concerns, she started back for the dressing room. Emmy now sat at the vanity, on her phone, and Vida and Wren were basically cuddling.

Surprised at the sudden intrustion, all eyes landed on the pair standing in the doorway.

"Ryan cheated on me, so now we're all single." Metzi gave nobody the chance to respond, as if anyone could think of what to say, and took a deep breath in.

"I haven't been fucked in months, and now I know why. So, I'm gonna get laid tonight, feel free to join me."

All seven of them had their faces beat to perfection, their outfits tailored and steamed of any wrinkles. They looked absolutely impeccable, as if the world around them kissed their feet. Hell, some reporters actually acted like that.

The members of BTS were now known worldwide, and it seemed that they were sought after by nearly everyone. Each member was so unique—so captivating in every aspect. Personalities somehow intertwine perfectly, yet polar opposites sometimes.

Proud but humble men, they basked in the warmth of positive attention. All eyes were on them for now, and they proudly understood it. As they walked on the red carpet of the music event, Yoongi and Jungkook both hated what they would be forced to do in mere minutes. As self-declared introverts, social interactions were about to start, and they honestly would rather sit in the corner and get this over with.

They would meet a few smaller artists, an occasional household name, (which they would fawn over for the rest of the night) and then be on their way. It would probably be in a few news articles, and some artists would insist on pictures, and they would be spread around within minutes. It was the same routine, and almost every time they would speak as little as possible, save for Namjoon, and would discuss it later. Hollywood was English dominated, and they despised it.

"Right now we only have to meet one group, and then we're okay for a few hours," Namjoon spoke quietly and quickly, and they piled off of the red carpet into a building. The hallways were scary, dark and empty, but a light above them quickly lit up.

To their surprise, the hallway was beautiful. The walls were an navy blue, white accents on top and bottom. Numerous gold paintings and records lined the walls, and it seemed to go on forever.

"Who is it we're supposed to be meeting? This hallway is a bit sketchy," Jimin perked up, and Namjoon chuckled. "WB,"

"Who is that?"

"I can't remember what their name stands for, but they sing that one song," Namjoon goes on to hum the tune to a familiar song that got pretty big, and all of the members start singing along. Of course, the lyrics are completely off and the tune is absolutely horrid, but they all recognize it vaguely.  

All numbly following Namjoon, he was taking rough instructions from their manager to get there. This was not how it usually happened, but he had said something urgent came up. He had told Namjoon how to get there, and he knew that they were smart enough to make it without breaking a couple ligaments.

"Group? I thought it was one singer," Jin commented, and Taehyung nodded in agreement. "I would have never thought it was more than one. Are they American?"

"I guess we're going to find out," he snickered, and they all stopped at the corner. The door was slightly creaked open, and soft laughter could be heard. It was feminine, soft. It sounded like pure happiness was inside that door.

To double check, Namjoon eyed the sign on the door.

A large, black WB was written so even the partially blind could read. It was odd, the only dressing room out of probably at least a hundred, was all the way back, alone. They had no time to question it before Jin took a few strides forward, and boasted his English abilites.

"Come on-uh, guys."

The rest of them burst into laughter, and Namjoon quickly followed suit, knowing Jin would not be the prime candidate for introductions. He would simply utter a few English words, turn to Namjoon for help, and in panic, make a really bad play on words in Korean.

Timidly, Namjoon's knuckles rapped on the already-open door, accidentally pushing it further open a bit. "Come in!"

They were met with three girls stuffing their faces with chocolate cake, and another laying on the floor, fiddling with a.. flip-phone?

Jin grimaced at the reminder, glad it wasn't pink.

All eyes awkwardly met at the realization, and two of the three muffling down cake choked a bit. "Emmy, I thought you said 5:30?" Malorie was the one to ask, but none of the boys knew that.

"It is 5:30,"

The cake was swallowed within seconds, the flip-phone was now laying on the table, untouched. Four girls scrambled up simultaneously, and watched as the rest of the men piled in. An awkward stout of silence followed, and this so called Emmy, rose and met the boys first.

She had a firm grip, and introduced herself as their manager. The situation was humorous to say the least, these girls who could pass off as teenagers, were standing in single file in shame. The first was a beautiful girl with a large afro, and she kept a tight smile. She did not know who they were, nor did she really care. She introduced herself as Wren.

Next, was a taller woman, who seemed a hint older, with large winged eyeliner. She was Vida. Jin's first instinct was that she reminded him of him, she was definitely the oldest. Then, a smaller girl with a thick smile and soft curls was next. Soft hands, gentle grip. Her name was Malorie.

The last, was a young woman with blonde hair. Realistically, she didn't have any defining features besides her hair, she was the average American-looking girl. She introduced herself as Metzi, and to their surprise, bowed.

"It's really nice to meet you guys," Emmy let out a soft chuckle, and Namjoon nodded tightly. "Are you performing tonight?" It was Malorie who had asked, a soft question. "Yes, actually,"

"I heard you are as well," Namjoon replied, hoping to end the small talk quickly. "Yes we are! I'm surprised you've heard of us, I mean we're not huge."

She wasn't lying, but they definitely weren't small, either. Sixth biggest girlgroup of all time by album sales just behind TLC. Thirtieth on the most followed Spotify artist. Their debut album was certified Gold in six countries. Humble was the key to success, though.

"I'm not sure how big they are in the States, but aren't they pretty well known in Korea?" Yoongi spoke, but of course he wasn't talking to the girls, he was talking to his bandmates. He also spoke in Korean, which is why he nearly had a heart attack when a very feminine voice responded in Korean as well.

"We're big in Korea? I knew we were pretty well known in Japan, but I never really knew about that," It was the blonde one, Metzi. All seven members were in shock, the way she spoke it so effortlessly. If she didn't look the way she did, she could pass off as Native Korean by language alone.

"I know South Korea is very conservative and insistent upon how they operate things, and we're probably the farthest thing from it. I just was under the impression that we didn't fit the mold to do well there," Metzi continued talking, and Wren, Vida and Malorie had absolutely no clue what was going on or being discussed.

Had this been in Spanish, all the girls could have participated. Metzi just insisted on learning Korean, though.

They didn't seem too bothered, though, instead more humored.

"She's been waiting to use that one, huh?" Vida whispered, laughing lightly. "You're not wrong, Korea is known to be very conservative, however, that doesn't mean you have to fit stereotypes to break Korea or any other Asian country for that matter," Namjoon spoke in English this time, and finally the other three girls got a whiff of the conversation.

"We are the farthest thing from ideal boy-groups in America, and we broke it for the most part. Obviously a lot of it is due to our fan base, but point still stands." Seokjin broke in, the conversation now half Korean, half English.

"Good to know," Metzi said softly, a grin on her face.

"How did you learn Korean?" Taehyung spoke up in curiousity, and crinkled his eyes. "I started learning a few years ago before we kind of blew up, and when we visited Korea a few times, I just picked it up a bit. Still a lot I don't know, but I can speak pretty fluently now."

Taehyung nodded in understanding, silently applauding her ability to simply pick up on a language. He doesn't think he will ever gain fluency in English, no matter how hard he'd try. It was a lot harder than he imagined it to be.

"I'm gonna be honest, from media portrayals you guys are made out to be asshats, but you seem pretty down to Earth. Nice to know the fame doesn't get to your head, you know?"

Now it was Wren speaking, and a few snickers sounded from Jungkook and Jimin's mouth. "Asshat," Jimin repeated softly, and they broke into more laughter.

"We appreciate that, thank you. Ignore them," Hoseok spoke this time, a large smile adorning his face. "We will watch your performance tonight, and cheer you on."

"Ditto," Metzi responded in English this time, and Hobi's eyes crinkled in confusion. "Same to you," she clarified in Korean, and he nodded.

They said their goodbyes, and Metzi told all the girls to bow. Namjoon and Vida had a brief talk, and it was no time before BTS and WB were now separate, discussing the events that had just taken place.

The talk of the night was the mysterious blonde girl who spoke fluent Korean. 

taglist: @princessoftheroad​ <3

#kth #kim taehyung #taehyung fic #taehyung fluff #taehyung smut #taehyung x oc #bts smut #bts fluff #bts fic #bts x oc #perrie edwards #little mix #min yoongi #jung hoseok #jeon jungkook #kim namjoon #kim seokjin #park jimin

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 033

Episode: Futari wa Precure 33 - “Get the Victory! Find the Path of Light with your Heart!!” Date watched: 12 May 2018 Original air date: 26 September 2004 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/BQc21F8

If your head is larger than your torso, please see a doctor immediately.

Well naturally after promising in the last one that I would try to keep my reviews shorter, I end up with an episode that gives me SO MUCH to talk about. Let’s see if I can do this succinctly.

This is pretty much the plots to episodes 7 and 8 meshed together. Shiho and Rina have a fight, and Nagisa is drawn away from a lacrosse match by someone from the Dark Zone. Is it done well? Absolutely. The biggest problem with this episode is not the reused plot, but the animation. I mentioned in the previous one that in the second half it had so far been so-so? Well this episode averages much lower than so-so animation. The top picture is one of the better shots.

Face shots are still good, anything zoomed out further than that is a bit..... eh. However, they manage to take advantage of their looser art control in this one to produce some much more exaggerated and comedic faces, and really cool-looking action scenes, so while it’s not the most favorable tradeoff, at least you’re not just getting completely awful animation from start to finish. Check the gallery if you want to see more, I don’t want to take up this entire post with that.

The main plot is about Shiho and Rina getting into a fight after an unseen incident in an earlier lacrosse match. Rina has some choice words and Shiho is feeling very self-conscious and it doesn’t go well.

No pressure.

Shiho stays after school to practice her passing all alone, staying so late it gets dark, and she’s doing really well, but as she walks into the locker rooms she overhears some junior members of the team berating her and that really dents her confidence. The next day, she talks more with Rina, expressing that she doesn’t have Nagisa’s skill or Rina’s speed and now she can’t even make a pass. Rina, angrily, says she should just quit, which shakes Shiho even more.

Clearly regretting her words, Rina talks to Honoka who recalls her fight with Nagisa and explains that things will work out if they both realize they lashed out. Meanwhile, Shiho goes to Nagisa’s place to talk with her, and Nagisa similarly recalls her end of the fight with Honoka and says that Rina probably regrets her words right now. The tension is palpable. Nonetheless, Shiho decides she’ll quit after the next game. At the match, she stands apart from the team looking forlorn, when the VP comes up and offers his usual brand of terrible motivation.

Piss off, dude.

Since Shiho blames herself heavily for that loss, this is basically a veiled insult directly to her. However, the plot Dark Zone intervenes and Nagisa ends up away from most of the game, forcing Shiho to play her best instead. She fumbles a bit because of all the pressure on her, but they manage to keep a point behind the other team until Nagisa gets back with 5 minutes left in play. Toei uses this shot AGAIN:

Were they required to use this once every 10 episodes?

Nagisa quickly evens the score and Verone tries for a winning goal, with their usual play of Rina stealing the ball and passing to Shiho who passes to Nagisa to score. Nagisa is blocked off though, so she passes back to Shiho, who has an opening to score. She flashes back to her failure in the last match but Nagisa and Rina both encourage her and she’s able to score the winning goal.

Rina comes over to apologize and they both burst into tears for what they said and did, and it’s very emotional and well done. This is the character development both Shiho and Rina needed, although it might have helped if we’d at least seen the match that she fumbled in beyond flashbacks. Sadly, I think this is also the most focus they get for this series. I could be wrong, we’ll see what the next 16 episodes hold, but most of what I remember are very much NagiHono episodes if anything.

EDIT: A friend of mine pointed out to me that Rina is the only one who really did anything wrong, coming down way too hard on Shiho for one missed shot, and the narrative treats them like they both said or did bad things. I have to agree that I wish they’d leveled blame accordingly.

Anyway the lacrosse match was much closer to what I wanted to see from episode 7, with the team winning almost without Nagisa’s help. It’s good to have your ace but don’t lean too heavily on them, y’know? At least Shiho got to overcome her personal demons and score the winning point. You go, you go, you go, girl!

As for the villains, we get some curious dialog from them in their mansion....

Is Belzei planning to double cross the Dark King?

Then it’s all quiet on the monster front until a girl on the opposing lacrosse team fumbles during warmups, then comes over to Nagisa to ask for a picture. You can probably see exactly where this is going but just in case, here’s a visual aid.

How Regine passes for a middle schooler I’ll never know.

Yeah, it’s Regine in disguise and she draws Nagisa away from the match to fight her and demand to know where the power of the Prism Stones is. Fortunately Honoka is close behind, but Regine doesn’t waste time waiting, she unloads on Nagisa as-is, which is becoming a pattern. This is where the sloppy animation is actually used to great effect: Regine’s punches and kicks are very fluid and her proportions are distorted to emphasize speed, and Nagisa’s darting around avoiding her is also very dynamic. When Honoka DOES show up, Nagisa catches Mepple in her lacrosse stick and straight-up does a somersault in midair to get to Honoka, a feat we’ve never seen her pull off when not transformed.

As soon as they transform, Juna appears and tag teams with Regine, the two evil fighters maintaining the upper hand until Cure Black snaps and attacks them with her wildly changing expressions. (see the gallery) Jokes aside, she yells at them for keeping her from her match, and always trying to steal the power of the stones, reiterating that they’ll never reveal where the power is. Porun, who is not present, is able to feel this emotion and sends the Rainbow Braces, which the girls use to attack Juna and Regine with Rainbow Storm. They try to block but as usual it’s too powerful and they flee.

This episode has no right to be as good as it is. It takes two reused scripts from the early part of the show and combines them with bad animation. And yet, due to the talented people that worked on this show, they manage to take a recipe for disaster and cook up something pretty decent. This is the epitome of “more than the sum of its parts.” I mean it’s not groundbreaking or anything, but it manages to keep the material fresh, and that’s what matters. In the process we learned that Belzei, at least, might be scheming against the Dark King and that Porun can send Precure his power anywhere due to his premonition. In theory this would mean he’s going to stay at home from now on, but obviously this can’t be the case. We’ll find out what happens next time... enjoy!

#Precure #Futari wa Precure #Pretty Cure #FWPC33 #PCD033

[stunudo]

You Don’t Know Everything

A Criminal Minds Fan-fiction

Featuring: Kate Callahan and Family      Setting:  Season 15

Requested: Anonymous

Prompt: ❝ you may leave school, but school never leaves you. ❞

A/N: I really like writing in the future! Also this is all team fluff. I didn’t use the prompt as a quote, but as a theme. Hope you don’t mind! xoxo Stu

The hallways were empty as the senior class poured from their testing in the cafeteria. Graduation was days away, so the twelfth grade students were completing their finals as the lower grades continued on their normal schedules. The athletic brunette dodged around a few groups to catch up with the curvy African American girl arm and arm with the statuesque blonde boy.

“Markayla,” Meg purposely pulled her friend’s backpack, dragging her away from her longtime boyfriend, Mason.

“Meg!” Markayla squealed, shoving the other girl back. “How’d you do? I aced the essay, but completely blanked on the section about mapping the post-Soviet countries.“

“I did alright, anyways, I already have an A. If I got my name wrong; I wouldn’t fail.” Meg grinned, sidestepping as Mason fell back in line with her bestie.

“Do you have to work this weekend?” Markayla asked the tall boy.

“Nope, but I have early morning baseball practice.” Mason admitted.

“Gross!” Markayla complained. “I want some crew time! I feel like we never get together, just the five of us anymore.” Meg laughed, shaking her head at the pouting girl.

“I have to babysit tonight anyways,” Meg reminded her.

“Ugh, fine.” She grinned, proving her whining in jest. “Next weekend for sure then.”

“It’s a date.” Meg and Mason said in unison before the three of them broke into hysterics.

The bath water was sloshing at dangerous levels as Meg Callahan shampooed her little cousin’s hair. She made sure to not let any suds slip down his face, while expertly shaping his unruly hair into a row of spikes.

“I’m a Spinosaurus!” the boy roared, while appreciating his reflection in the reflective faucet.

“Alright, Mr. Spinosaurus, you have ten minutes to play and then I’ll be back.”

“Twenty minutes?” He asked with a pouty flutter of his eyelashes.

“Ten, don’t push your luck!”

“Bye, Meg. See you in twenty minutes!” His tiny voiced screeched. Meg refused to argue further and left the damp bathroom tile behind, heading to the living room and her waiting calculus notes.

Later that night as Meg was tucking in the suddenly tired preschooler, he asked an impressive question. “Why is graduation such a big deal?”

“Because it means I am done with normal school.” Meg tried to explain as she found the exact toys he needed to fall asleep each night.

“You still have school, but you have to move there?” He understood pretty well for a four year old.

“I am going to school in New York, but I won’t move there until August, bud.”

“I don’t want you to move, Meggy-Pie.” His voice was soft.

“I know, but just think, the new baby will be here before I leave. It’s going to be crowded!”

“Can you stay and the baby goes to college?” He suggested, his plush Chewbaca tight against his cheek.

“Nice try, but not this time.” Meg answered gently, tucking his drying curls behind his ear. She sat on his bed and watched him fall asleep, memorizing him in this moment as fleeting as any.

“GUYS!” Garcia chirped over JJ’s speakerphone. “You all need to get your booties in here, it’s starting!” Spencer and JJ shared a glance, leading the way to the tech office.

Over Lewis’, Alvez’ and Simmons’ faces a confused look passed, though they fell inline behind the senior agents of the BAU. On the numerous monitors above Garcia’s desk was a single live feed: a profile shot of a young woman in a navy blue graduation cap atop her brunette mop of shoulder-length hair.

“I can’t believe she is already graduating,” JJ gushed.

“I am surprised Chris is keeping it together long enough to hold the phone steady!” Garcia added, dotting her eyes with a tissue.

“Hey, look, there’s Markayla too!” Reid pointed to the softly permed head of Meg’s best friend one row back and two chairs over.

“Guys, I am glad you’re all excited, but who is she?” Lewis asked.

“Right?” Alvez and Simmons said in unison.

The screen shifted to a little boy with black curls hoping excitedly on a gymnasium bench beside his mother’s protruding lap. Garcia squealed and clapped. A deep voice said, “Alright Callahans, say hi to our viewing audience.” The beautiful woman and hyper child gave the obligatory greeting to the phone’s camera. A microphone crackled, signalling the start of the ceremony.

“That’s Kate?” Alvez asked in a low voice, leaning towards his husband’s ear.

“Yeah, the little guy was the reason she left the bureau. That’s Kit he’ll be five three months before Michael.” Spencer explained.

“He’s gorgeous!” Garcia cooed. “Oh! Do you think Rossi knows it’s today? Should I call him?” Just as she spun for consensus a heart from Uncle Dave’s profile floated on the screen. JJ grinned, spinning Garcia back towards the monitors.

JJ leaned back, speaking to Lewis and Simmons, “Just before Kate left, we rescued Meg and her best friend, Markayla, from an online ring operation for murdering sadists.”

“Yikes,” Simmons responded, “Can’t really blame her for stepping away. Family is too important.”

“The unsubs were actually targeting Kate, so she had more reason to leave than most.” Reid added.

“How awful,” Lewis mused as the pep band ended the school song. The routine faculty speakers and valedictorian address followed. The whole process was pleasantly succinct. Once the students began lining up, the camera moved. Chris was searching for a better angle for his niece’s diploma acceptance. The awkward zoom found the stage and refocused on the podium and the waiting principal. The A’s were a small group, just a single row of seats at the front of the basketball court. They barrelled through the B’s, soon it was Meg’s turn, the BAU teammates lunged forward in anticipation.

“Margaret Callahan,” the announcer read loudly. The agents clapped and hooted in celebration.

“Hey, Spence?” Alvez whispered to his lanky husband. “I think it’s time, we really should meet with the social worker again.” Spencer grinned, nodding in enthusiastic agreement. They firmly held hands, always careful to keep their office affection professionally modest.

“I think that calls for more celebration!” Emily burst into the cramped office with Dixie cups of sparkling cider on a ramshackle tray from the break room.

“To all the BAU babies, be they grown or still unknown!” Garcia toasted to a cacophony of cheers.

It was two weeks later that Kate and Chris had been able to rent a hall for Meg’s graduation party. Coordinating party schedules with the parents and grandparents of Meg’s four closest friends (Markayla, Mason, Jian and Grant) had been a feat, but as any challenge Kate faced it head on. The guests were due any minute as the teenagers quickly put out the remaining chairs. Little Kit was half dancing/ half chasing balloons across the stage as the sound system was set up.

Meg and Markayla were hovering between the front doors and the gift table, fixing and reshuffling the decorative confetti around the gift bags. Markayla’s mom helped Chris bring out the food for the buffet, while Kate chatted casually with Mason’s grandparents, rubbing her swollen belly. The kids had maintained  such a strong bond because their parents or guardians all trusted and communicated too. The Davis and Callahan families knew all too well the dangers with not knowing your kids’ friends.

Mason’s freshman sister played with Kit, hoping to show Kate she was ready to be their new babysitter when Meg went away to school. By ones or pairs, more classmates and teachers swung by the party, all still giddy with the freedom of summer. It was about an hour after the party started when a dark haired man and his moping teenager walked in, looking for Kate. His lined face broke into an unusual smile when he saw her shuffling her swollen ankles towards them.

“Hotch! I can’t believe you actually made it!” She beamed, taking him in a deep hug. Kate then turned to the shy gawky boy, almost as tall as his father now. “Now this handsome young man isn’t little Jack!”

“Hi, Kate,” a deep voice answered back. Tears stung her eyes as she took the boy in an awkward hug.

“I am so glad you could make it!” Kate exclaimed, scanning the crowd for the woman of the hour. “Meg! Come say hi to the Hotchners.”

Meg, Markayla and Grant all moved as a unit to the small circle of mostly former FBI agents. They made their introductions and caught up. Kate sharing Meg’s plans for the fall with pride, asking what life after the Bureau entailed for them. Life was good, not perfect, not easy, but definitely worth it for these two small families that had lost so much so young.

Soon Chris brought out the projector screen and blasted Meg’s baby pictures for the entertainment of her guests. The years unraveled and they began to see the woman she was on her way to be. If one looked closely, you may have glanced a picture or two with her black hair, taken before her and Markayla shaved their heads for a fundraiser freshman year.

After the cake was eaten and the karaoke was sung, the Callahans sat in the abandoned banquet hall in a contented quiet. Little bits of streamers and confetti littered the floor and their hair, thanks to the now sleeping boy drooling on his dad’s shoulder.

“How did it go so fast?” Kate remarked in awe.

“I would say that it took forever, but you know, perspective.” Meg teased.

“I just can’t believe we won’t get another party like this until the little guy graduates, class of ‘33, represent.” Chris stage whispered. Meg and Kate shared an eye roll before laughing lovingly at the cheesy man.

“You never know, maybe I’ll get married before Kit graduates.” Meg challenged, leaving masks of shock on her aunt and uncle’s faces. Quickly she chimed in alongside them, “Nah!”

The night ended with a comedic clean up for the day to remember.

#Criminal Minds #kate callahan #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #criminal minds fanfictions #ssa callahan #jlh #jennifer love hewitt #future #hey did you know kit means hope? #it can also be a nickname for christopher #which means the lil guy is a junior #but not in the strictest of senses #hooray for bau babies #Reilvez #aaron hotchner #jack hotchner #fluff #bau team