#my boss and coworkers are really nice even though I am still a little clueless and confusedđ
Damn I'd really love to make some art for self/safeshiptember this year𼺠I actually already picked out my favourite prompts (from two different lists), I hope I can do at least some of them. If not I just might finish them late thoughđ¤
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Rangers, Lead The Way - Chapter 3 - Kenny with Maggie
written by @anotheronechicagobog
warnings: swearing, nudity, profanity, mention of school shooting, guns, weapons, Iâm pro gun control (even though Iâm Canadian) and this kinda reflects that, mention of PTSD, child neglect, also I fucking hate nazis
When someone called before seven in the morning it was work, a death notification, or one of his fellow trio of lovestruck fools. So when the annoying ringtone Hana installed as a prank and he couldnât figure out how to remove started blasting on his nightstand at 2:17 in the morning, he was more annoyed than apprehensive. âCrosby.â
âHey man, sorry to call you so late, but itâs about Maggie.â
âWhatâs going on?â
âOne of her first arrests as an FBI agent just broke out of prison, and sheâs been temporarily assigned to the unit being tasked with finding him. Yours. I expect youâll be getting a call in the next five minutes or so. Maggie can take care of herself, I know that, but...â
âItâs hard when youâre not there to watch her back. Donât worry, Iâve got her.âÂ
âThank you. So much. I appreciate this, so, so much.â
âHey, a couple of months ago I was you. I feel you man, donât worry. Sheâll be fine. Listen, Iâd love to keep talking but Iâve got another call coming in and it looks like that work call you were warning about. Talk to you later.â
âSee you on the flip side, man.â
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Jess stood in front of everyone with that look on his face that vaguely reminded Kenny of his stern ex-navy fourth-grade teacher. âEveryone, this is special agent Maggie Bell, you may remember her from when we worked with her unit on a couple of cases, but this time itâs just her joining us. Is there anything youâd like to add, Bell?â
âIâm excited to work with you all, but please, call me Maggie.â
âAlright, letâs get to work, then. Maggie, Jason Anderson was one of your first arrests with the bureau, can you brief us on that case and highlight any details you think may be pertinent?â
âDefinitely. Well for starters, Anderson is a cheating scumbag and it only gets worse from there.â Maggieâs bluntness broke through the formality that was stifling the bus, smirks and chuckles abound, and it seemed that only he didnât have the sense to at least try and hid his amusement. An understanding but disapproving look had Kenny composing himself to speak up. âWell then, letâs jump down this rabbit hole.â
Maggie was sitting next to Hana, giving details about the fugitive they were currently after. He was one of Maggieâs first arrests as an FBI agent, so the bureau thought it would be beneficial to have her work with the team. So here she was, dressed in jeans and a sweater as opposed to her usual suits, combining her razor-sharp intelligence with Hanaâs. Theyâd commandeered the top floor of a police station in Boston and were relying on Maggie and Hanaâs wit to find out where he was. Jason Anderson, 42, was an illegal weapons dealer. Heâd previously been put in prison for distribution and possession of prohibited firearms, and for giving an AK-47 to a school shooter. He was being transferred to a higher security prison because it came to light that he was continuing his business from behind bars, but the security team had been too small and unprepared for the escape plan pulled off by a team of eight. Those eight men were their biggest clue oddly enough, as theyâd been dropping like flies since the escape. Michael Howard, 40, was Andersonâs ex-brother-in-law. And the connection between all the, now dead, prison breakers. Unfortunately, Howardâs sister, and Andersonâs ex-wife, had cut contact with both of them along with the rest of their families after Howard introduced Anderson to his mistress and encouraged an affair that created two children. The mistress, Bethany Karnstein, had gone AWOL hours ago when she left her job in the middle of her shift and didnât pick her kids up from school.Â
The kids were safe with Andersonâs parents, but they couldnât answer their questions when they asked where their mother was. The kids did identify Michael Howard as one of their momâs friends though, heâd come to watch them while their mother was in the hospital about six months prior. They didnât look shocked that FBI agents were asking about their parents, but they still didnât know anything.Â
At the moment, they were splitting up. Jess and Barnes were headed to follow up with Bethanyâs clueless boss, he and Clinton were about to go follow up on a possible sighting, and Hana and Maggie were staying on the bus. Thankfully, since Kenny was stressed out enough at the prospect of having to watch out for Maggie on top of worrying about Hana, them being assigned together eased his mind.Â
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It was around midnight when he and Clinton were finally able to rendezvous with the rest of the team. There was no sighting, Bethany had one of her affair partners call in a false tip, and when he and Clinton had quickly sussed that out it lead to a shootout and car chase. Jason, the dumbass stupid enough to commit six different felonies for a woman who has two kids with a violent arms dealer, was lying in a heavily guarded ICU bed. Theyâd managed to get his cell phone but he was beyond unconscious when theyâd finally managed to get him to stop shooting at them. âHey Hana, I brought you something.â
âJasonâs cell?â
âThat too, but I was actually talking about this.â He held out a large coffee that she desperately needed if the way her eyes lit up was any indication. âThank you.â Hana let out an over-dramatic groan as she downed the first sip. âHey Crosby, thanks for my coffee too.â He looked at Maggie sheepishly, realizing that heâd only gotten two, one for himself and the other for Hana. âI was the one who drove to and then parked in front of the coffee shop while he went and got those, how do you think I feel?â Clintonâs playful jab caused a round of giggles but the knowing look from the older man made Crosby a little nervous. He was sure his feelings towards Hana werenât super well-hidden, but he really didnât need anyone on the team tipping Hana off. âAnyway, hereâs Jasonâs cell. Do you think you can crack it?â
âNormally with this many characters Iâd say no... But, his password is seven characters long and his lock screen is Bethany, so... There we go, unlocked.â
â... That was a really poor choice of password.â
âAnd girlfriend.â
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After working for fourteen hours straight they were all spent and headed to the hotel that the FBI had secured rooms at for them. Jess, Barnes and Clinton were all in one car that was headed straight to the hotel to get everyone checked in. Kenny, Hana, and Maggie were in the other car that was making a detour on the way to pick up Thai food. Hana and Maggie were chatting amongst themselves, but Kenny was still kicking himself for the slip-up heâd made while placing the order over the phone.Â
âHi, can I place an order for pickup? Great. The nameâs Kenny and the phone number is 123-456-7890. Okay, Iâll get two orders of shrimp rolls, one vegetable pad Thai, one pork Mee Khob, one chicken pad Keeng, and two orders of chicken Kao pad puk, hold on one second- Maggie you want green curry, right?â
â... Yeah, how did you know?â Iâve heard your partner talk about you almost non-stop since he met you because heâs head over heels in love with you, but I canât say that, can? Especially because you, Hana, and Hailey donât know that OA, Jya, and I know each other... For some reason, so sorry Maggie, Hana but Iâm going to have to lie my ass off here. âUh, sorry, I thought I heard you mention it earlier, plus you look like a green curry kind of person.â
âHa, alright, yes Iâd like some, thanks.â
â- Sorry about keeping you on hold, Iâll add one green curry to that order. Do you want me to pay over the phone or is it okay if I pay when I get there?â
âKenny!â
âSorry, whatâs up?â
âOur exit is coming up in... 150 metres, you need to turn right.â
âShit, thanks, Hana.â
âAre you okay? You seemed like you were in your own world there.â
âIâm fine, I was just thinking. Where do I go next?â
âGo straight for another 700 metres, itâll be on the right.â
âGot it.â
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âAlright everyone, the foodâs here!â Theyâd all decided to gather in one of the meeting rooms the hotel had to the left of the lobby, Kenny had admittedly bellowed a little loud, but it brought all of his straggling coworkers into the room from their various spots in and around the lobby.
âFinally, what took you guys so long?â He knew that Jess was just hangry, and frustrated that they hadnât caught the fugitive yet, so he let the snappy comment slide.
âCrosby almost missed the turn.â
âYou let Crosby drive? Rookie mistakeâ He gave Hana a teasing look of betrayal before turning to Clinton. âIâll have you know I am an excellent driver.â
âYouâve driven into a lake.â
âThat was one time three years ago! And we were in a high-speed chase with a guy on a BMX bike who made a sharp turn near a kidâs birthday party, I didnât exactly have many options.â He sounded more upset than he actually was. Moments like these were nice, where they got to hang around each other and just be friends, and Maggie was fitting in wonderfully with everyone but especially Hana, who sat in between him and Maggie as she started telling a story about OA with her face absolutely glowing.
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Jasonâs cell proved to be far more useful than he was. Bethany had been texting him from a rural address that turned out to be a cottage rental that was supposed to be vacant. The owners had a basic security system that had alerted them that someone was in their cottage, when the local LEOs investigated they immediately recognized the suspect but were able to play it off as having gotten a noise complaint, before going back to their vehicle and calling the FBI, while hiding their vehicle so that they could keep watch over the cottage. There was always a tense atmosphere when people were getting greedy for a raid, Kenny supposed the fresh air and appealing scent of pine trees eases tensions slightly, but not by much. Everyone knew that the worst could happen. That their loved ones could get an overly formal call at an unholy hour, telling them that the worst would happen. Everyone always did their best to try and prevent that, but there was only so much that they could keep out of fateâs unforgiving hands. His heartstrings pulled slightly as he flicked his eyes over to Hana. She was his special someone, even if she didnât know it, and for a brief moment, he wondered what it would be like for her if he- No. Nope. You canât think like that, especially not before a raid, and especially not about a woman who was only supposed to be your friend. The final preparations were complete and they were getting in position to breach. Hana still hadnât been cleared for the field yet, so in the back of his mind, he was appreciative that there was one less person to worry about, with her wirelessly monitoring their body cams and coms. Although that was kind of moot point honestly, because Maggie was with them, in fact, Maggie had taken Hanaâs position behind him. âYou ready Maggie?â She put her hand on the back of his vest as the SWAT leader started counting down. âAlways.â
The door was busted down and all the FBI and SWAT agents funnelled into the house through the three entrances. The sliding glass back door was where Jess was entering, the side door was for Clinton and Barnes, and He and Maggie were going through the front door. The front door went straight into the family room to the right, the eat-in kitchen was on the left, and directly across from the sliding glass door. Flashbangs went off as everyone started shouting, announcing themselves. There were screams and cries of panic, something not unusual in their line of work, what was also not unusual was finding Bethany naked on her knees with Michael Howard standing in front of her dressed in the same manner. Michaelâs eyes went wide, and his thought process played out like an open book.
Shit. Feds.
Get gun.
... Gun is not in my holster because Iâm not wearing clothes.
Run.
... Canât run cause Bethany is clinging to my legs.
Kenny had to give the guy props for trying to tackle him linebacker style naked as the day he was born as he stood firm and checked him, sending him flying onto the ground. âTurn onto your stomach, now!â
He writhed around, trying to resist arrest, shouting âSUCK MY DICK YOU PIGS!â And trying to thrust his bare nether regions at everyone, Kenny in particular. âHoward Michael, you are under arrest, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you acknowledge that your rights have been read to you?â
âFUCK YOU!â
âIâm gonna take that as a yes.â One of the SWAT officers approached them with an itchy-looking wool blanket and took their suspect into custody. Maggie and Kenny shared a look before making their way to the two bedrooms that were to the left of the kitchen, they hadnât been cleared yet and now they were trying to move fast to make sure that no other accomplices got away. Kenny took the right door, Maggie, to the left. âFBI! Freeze!â Kenny was met with the disturbing sight of a dead body on the bed. His throat and wrists had been slit and he was surrounded by lumped together blood-soaked sheets. He immediately recognized the dead body as the last remaining accomplice in the breakout. âHey, Crosby? I need your help in here.â
âWhatâs up Maggie?â When he entered her room he stopped in his tracks. There wasnât a bed, instead, there were two cribs for two babies, both of whom were in an equally freaked-out Maggieâs arms. âHere, let me help you.â Kenny helped lighten her load by taking a baby in his arms. âHi sweetheart, whatâs your name?â
âKenny, these babies canât be older than six months, you know she canât respond to you, right?â
âI know, but theyâre so little and scared, I want to at least try to comfort them.â The little girl hard curled up into his chest and nestled her face into his neck. âIt looks like youâre doing a great job to me.â
âWhoâs kids even are these?â
âIâm really trying not to think about it.â
âIâm praying to every deity there is that theyâre not Bethany and Howardâs kids.â
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There had to be thousands of deities, gods, godlings, divine beings, and not one of them could come through for those poor kids? The six-month-old twins Baxter and Hazel were the children of Bethany Karnstein and Michael Howard, who had murdered a man in the room next to their childrenâs room. The social services department where they were was basically non-existent, so while they waited for a social worker to drive from four and a half hours away they were watching the babies at the local police station while Jess and Clinton were questioning Michael. Baxter was much more social, jumping between the FBI agents, SWAT, and local LEOs, but he was now babbling quite happily on Maggieâs lap, whereas Hazel had immediately taken to Hana and refused to be held by anyone but her and Kenny. He looked at her fondly, Hana was holding the baby close to her chest and humming the tune to a melodic song he couldnât remember the name of. Hazel looked up at Hana with wide, enchanted, trusting eyes, and all Kenny could do was feel his heart melt. A stray thought placed itself at the forefront of his mind and before he could stop it, he was picturing Hana as a mom, and as captivating as that thought was Kenny had to shake his head to stop it from going too far, they were just friends, it wasnât Hanaâs fault that heâs in love with her. I need to look somewhere else, anywhere else.Â
His eye-line shifted to Maggie and watching as she bounced an absolutely delighted Baxter on her lap. He knew that OA wanted a family, wanted a wife and a couple of kids, and looking at the tender way Maggie was holding and entertaining Baxter, he could see her being a mom too. Man, if OA saw this heâd have a heart attack, itâs his dream come true.
Kenny saw Hana shift positions out of his peripheral vision and turned to look at her and was immediately concerned. She had a look of discomfort on her face. âHana? Are you okay?â
âYeah, Iâm fine.â Her tone was tense and Hazel immediately picked up on it and made a scared noise. âAre your arms tired? Do you want me to take her?â
âNo. Weâre fine. Maybe you should hold Baxter instead.â She snapped and finally looked him in the eyes, she was clearly angry and upset, but she seemed betrayed as well. Kenny leaned back into his chair his shoulders sinking in tandem. He was silently thankful that since everyone was milling about and talking it didnât seem that anyone heard the exchange, though Maggie did look at him with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged his shoulders in response, completely bewildered. Maggie shook her head sharply, rolled her eyes, and scoffed. âMen.â She mouthed. Kenny was completely clueless, had either of them noticed him watching them at they were offended at that? He watches Hana work away on her computer all the time and itâs never been an issue, but then again that was always subject to change. His inner ramblings were cut off when Jess and Clinton came back from the interrogation room. âMichael didnât talk much, but Hana decrypted his cell and he has incoming and outgoing calls to a recluse retiree Evan DeLuca who lives forty minutes from here. Crosby, Bell go check it out, Clinton and I are going to take a break from interrogating Michael for an hour or so, Gibson and Barnes, you two can interrogate Karnstein, see how much she knows and just how involved is she in all of this. We can watch the babies while youâre in there...â
âAdmit it, boss, you want a break just cause you two want to hold the babies.â
âGet moving Crosby, Barnes is already out the door.â
âYou got it.â
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They were twenty minutes into the tense car ride when Maggie finally spoke up. âJust so you know, youâre an idiot.â Flabbergasted Kenny let his mouth fall open and close a couple of times before tightening his grip on the steering wheel only to release it after taking a breath. âYouâre probably right, but can you please tell me why Iâm an idiot? What did I do wrong?â
âCanât tell you that.â
âWhy not? You were the one who brought it up.â
âJust... Focus more on Hana, okay?â
âAre you sure? I mean, I thought about it, and maybe thatâs the issue?â
âTrust me, itâs not. Just focus on her, got it?â
âOkay... Iâm confused as hell, but okay.â
âIsnât that your usual state of mind?â He didnât have to look over to see the teasing grin, he could feel it. âWoah, low blow, Maggie, low blow.â
âIf you want to hear about a low blow, you should hear about how OA and I had to chase a clown fairy princess twelve blocks at two in the morning.â
âPlease, go on.â
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Well. That went terribly wrong. As much as Kenny could appreciate the peace and aesthetic of small towns and cottage areas, he hated working in them because there was never any backup! Forty minutes may not seem like a lot of time, but when youâre in a firefight against a man who has access to a seemly endless supply of weapons of war, that was an eternity. Heâd literally fired a bazooka at them, how in the fuck did he get a bazooka?! So, the good news about this situation? Theyâd found Jason Anderson. Bad news? Theyâd found Jason Anderson with an arsenal large enough and powerful enough to take down a small army. Theyâd managed to take cover, but Anderson clearly had night-vision goggles because, despite the fact that it was past eleven and pitch black, he always knew where they were. Oh, and Evan DeLuca was probably a dead retiree, not a recluse. Thatâs just great, another body to add to Andersonâs growing total. Now, all that he and Maggie had to do was not become part of that number. If only it were that easy. Theyâd managed to get around the side of the house where there were only two medium-sized windows on side of the house facing them instead of a large doorway like at the front and, presumably, the back.
When Kenny got Jess on the phone it was nothing but panicked observations, and the notification that theyâd found Anderson, as he and Maggie ran for cover. His phone wasnât even near his face when he made the call, so heâs not quite sure what all made it through, only that they were still thirty minutes away from the address.
âWe need a plan.â
âHe can see our movements so weâre going to have to be sneaky about it.â
âIâll fire on him, cause a diversion, do you think you can try to sneak around back?âÂ
âAre you crazy?! We didnât have time to grab our vests, thatâs suicide. Besides, how many rounds do you even have left?â
âIâve got a mag and a half.â
âReally? I thought you fired a bunch of shots at him earlier.â
âI did, but Iâve been carrying extra ammo for this case, I figured Iâd need it at some point considering weâre going up against a weapons dealer.â
âSmart-â She was cut off by another several hundred rounds being fired at the, thankfully incredibly thick, tree they were hiding behind. âWe donât have much of a choice Maggie. Head around back, Iâll try to distract him and not get shot.â He knew sheâd argue with him, so he didnât give her the chance to. He ran out from behind the tree and fired through the only window of the two that was open. There wasnât any light on in the house, so Kenny really wasnât sure what he was aiming for. After the sixth shot he heard âfuck! Fucking fuck!â And felt a wave of relief; heâd hit Anderson. Hopefully enough to keep him subdued. He ran around to the front of the house only to be met with the sight of Anderson pulling the pin out of a grenade. He ran back out faster than he entered and hugged the outside of the entrance just outside of the doorframe. âGRENADE!â The explosion went off where heâd been standing when he burst through the front door, shrapnel from the grenade exploded through the doorway seconds after heâd gotten out and he could hear some of it embed itself in the interior of the wall behind him.
When Kenny entered through the doorway, they were face to face. Kenny's gun was raised aimed at his forehead, and Anderson stood there weaponless. Pulling the trigger, Kenny made the mistake of thinking that it was over, that Anderson was done for. Click. Horror and vindication simultaneously coursed through Crosby and Anderson. The gun was empty. He'd spent all the rounds. Before he could lower his useless gun Anderson was on him like a feral animal. Despite the gunshot wound to Andersonâs right shoulder, he was just as lethal without a weapon as was when he had one. Anderson had him by the throat up against the wall and was pressing his thumbs into Kennyâs throat. Kenny threw two quick punches to Andersonâs jaw, releasing him and making them stumble away from each other. It quickly turned into a fight on the floor. They were biting, kicking, hitting each other, trying to get the upper hand. Kenny managed to land a solid elbow to Andersonâs head but that seemed to be the tipping point that only enraged him. The next thing Kenny knew Anderon had pushed him up and smacked him on the ground, knocking the air out of his lungs, and started to choke him again. Kenny tried to lay in a punch like the first time, but Anderson saw that coming, just dodged away from the fist and started pushing his thumbs into the centre of Kennyâs neck harder.Â
âFBI! Put up your hands!â Anderson growled but did as he was told. Kenny lay there gasping for breath knowing that it was too easy, Anderson had another trick up his sleeve, and Maggie was too smart not to know it too. She stepped closer, her gun pointed to the back of Andersonâs head, one hand reaching to her waist to grab her cuffs... Thatâs when Anderson made his move, spinning around and grabbing her by the waist, Anderson pulled her to the ground, the force caused her to let go of her gun. She tried to reach for it but Anderson pulled her towards him by her hair and put her in a chokeholdJaytill hazy from the lack of air Kenny grappled at him from behind. Trying to do something, anything, to save Maggie. Whatever he did worked because Anderson turned back to face him only now he had a bruise on the side of his face that was already swollen. Anderson tried grabbing Kenny by the neck again, but it was clear he was low on energy and just trying to fight until his last breath. Too bad for Anderson that Maggie wasnât going to let that happen.Â
Crack.
And then Anderson was unconscious, lying on top of him, and Kenny barely had the strength to move the gun dealing scumbag off of him. âYou good?â
âYeah, thanks.â He looked at the gun in Maggieâs hand and Anderson on the ground. She was holding her gun by the barrel and there was some blood on the handle. âYou cold-cocked him?â
âYeah, I tried shooting him, but I mistook my gun for yours. I told you that you wouldnât have enough ammo.â
âThat you did. Thanks again, for saving my ass.â
âAny time.â
âIâm gonna call the team and let them know they donât have to come in guns blazing... Especially because we are surrounded by improperly stored weapons and ammo. Iâll probably call for an ambulance too, to come to check you out.â
âWhat? Me?â
âYeah, he had you in that chokehold pretty hard.â
âHe strangled you, twice!â
âThree times actually, you werenât here for the first one.â
âEven if you have to be dragged over by the ear, you will be getting checked out by the ambulance too.â
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âIâm going to preface this by saying Maggieâs fine, she doesnât even have a concussion.â
â... That was the absolute worst way to start this call. Are you aware of that? Oh the heart attack youâre giving me? What the fuck happened?â
âLong story short, we found Jason Anderson and he tried to kill us.â
âAnd the long version? Actually, wait do I even want to know?â
âProbably not, but you want to know anyway because you think it will make you worry less, even though we both know it wonât, donât you?â
â... Yes.â
âWe got shot at a lot, got pinned down behind one of the massive trees they have out here, split up with me providing the distraction, I almost got blown up, my magazine was empty from providing cover so we went hand-to-hand, the door at the back was blocked by crates of uzis so it took her a while to get back, I got strangled three separate times, managed to land good hits, so did he, he threw Maggie on the ground when she showed up and she hit her head, he put her in a chokehold, I got her out of it by pinching his armpits really hard after punching wasnât working, he tried to strangle me for the third time and Maggie cold-cocked him with my empty gun cause she couldnât find hers. The paramedics cleared her, sheâll be fine. I think that Hanaâs gonna try to drag us to the local clinic when we get back to town.â
âSheâs okay?â
âCompletely, she doesnât even have a headache or sore throat, and she really saved my ass back there. Sheâs good. Sheâs with Hana right now actually. Hana was really off when everyone showed up, sheâs been pretty worried and she wonât believe me when I say Iâm okay but sheâll believe Maggie. You know you could probably call her, check up on her yourself? We were talking with the paramedics and she kept talking about this halal burger place you brought her to and sheâd do anything for one of those right now... But from the look on her face when she brought you up, Iâd wager she was actually talking about you. She misses you, even spent an hour talking about you when we all got Thai food in Boston.â
âAlright, thanks, man. I donât know what Iâd do if she wasnât okay.â
âGee, thanks for showing your concern for me. You know, your brother in arms-â
âAlright-â
âFellow ex-ranger-â
âOkay-â
âFavourite blonde-â
âIâm glad youâre alright Kenny. I just canât believe you two went up against Jason Anderson and walked away unscathed.â
âActually my throat is pretty sore and the paramedics found some shrapnel in my right leg, all of it was shallow but some of it got pushed in deeper during the fight.â
â... Just go to a hospital, man. Seriously. Also, Hailey is my favourite blonde now. Sorry.â
âWhat?!â
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âWe have a problem.â
âWhat kind of problem, Hana?â Jess may have sounded cool, calm, and collected, but anyone who knew him was able to tell it was the opposite. Jess LaCroix likes for things to get done and stay done, according to Tali thatâs why he hates doing the dishes, and this threw a serious wrench in everyoneâs plans to escort the culprits, and children because childrenâs aid still hasnât shown up, back to Boston and then go home to New York. Â
âAndersonâs set up a buy, a big one. Everything in that house except for two AK-47âs, ten grenades, and eight rounds of ammo for the AK-47, is for a single buyer, theyâre meeting at the base of a hiking trail in two days.â
âFuck. There were uzis and bazookas, who the hell are these guys.â Anderson was just a weapons dealer, and he was dangerous enough, Kenny really wasnât looking forward to meeting whoever the buyer was. âI donât know, I couldnât find out, but there is some, I guess, good news. They think that he blew up an FBI agent and that thatâs whoâs in the hospital under armed guard. They think he got away, want to do the exchange earlier than planned, they want to meet in two hours, the same location.â
âHana, we have the opportunity to also take down some pretty dangerous buyers too, thatâs great news, why donât you think so?â
âKenny, they donât know his exact face but they have a description. Six feet tall, blonde, blue eyes, muscular-â
âYou think I have muscles?â Kenny realized his attempt at lightening the mood wasnât welcome when no one chuckled along with him, muttering a quick apology before looking back at Hana, whose face displaced what he could only describe as contained distress. âKenny, youâre pretty banged up, you shouldnât be going out there.â
âHana, Iâll be fine. Everythingâs mostly superficial, SWAT hasnât gone back to Boston yet, and we may not get another chance to get these guys. It has to be done, and quickly. Iâll be okay.â She took a deep breath and looked down at the papers on the table in front of her. She did not like it, that much was very obvious, but she looked frustrated that his logic was right, and that theyâd have to go through with his, admittedly not very well thought out, plan. âAlright, I guess Iâll go and get the tech set up.â Jess coughed to draw attention to himself, along with everyone else in the room theyâd been ignoring, and Kenny felt his cheeks heat up. âSorry, is this the plan weâre going through with and should I get the tech together?â
âWhile I get the local LEOâs to give us some info on the terrain?â Jess looked them both over before nodding. âSounds like thatâs what weâre doing, thanks for doing all the planning guys, everyone, go get prepared.â
âKenny, can you come and find me after youâre done talking to the LEOâs? Iâd like to talk for a sec.â
âSure thing Maggie.â
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His talk with Maggie ended up just being a quick, and confusing, talk.
âI know that itâs been a rough couple of days, but Iâm still you really need to be careful.â
âI know, it wonât be like back at the house, thereâll be back up this time, and Iâll have ammo in my gun this time.â
âThis isnât the time to joke but... Okay. And one more thing, be nice to Hana.â
âArenât I always nice to Hana? I feel like sheâs upset with me but I donât know what Iâve done wrong.â Maggie sighed before giving him a long look and was clearly debating whether or not to say something. âItâs not that youâve done anything wrong, itâs just that... current circumstances have been stressing her out. Like me being your partner right now, itâs thrown her off a bit. And she said youâve been acting strange so sheâs worried about you for that on top of your physical safety, and Zadie has been calling and texting her quite a bit asking for updates about you, and itâs just been a lot for her.â
âWhy didnât she tell me any of this?â
âSometimes itâs easier to talk to someone who isnât directly involved in the issue. Look, all Iâm saying is that you need to be careful, and maybe tell Zadie to not ask about you while you and Hana are working.â
âI didnât even know sheâs been doing that, it doesnât matter that Hana isnât in the field, her work is still crucial and she canât afford to be distracted. Are we good?â
âYeah, weâre good.â
âGood.â
Maggie was still pretty vague, but when Hana was wiring him up, he promised her he would be careful and cautious, that he was sorry if he worried her, the relief on her face made his heart twinge. He hadnât meant to make her so concerned.
Two sets of headlights drove up the gravel road that leads to town, bring Kenny back to the present. Two men stepped out of each car and he immediately had to stifle a groan. He was now standing alone in a hiking trail parking lot alone, but with back up hiding in the trees, with four nazis. They were all in their fifties wearing blatant white supremacist clothes. He counted a trump shirt, a confederate flag, an all lives matter shirt, and a swastika shirt. âYou Jason Anderson?â Confederate spoke first, and his voice was so loud and boisterous it shook his beer belly. âI am.â
âIs that FBI agent you blew up dead yet?â
âI really didnât come here, when the feds are really pissed and packing heat, to make small talk. Are you buying or not? Iâve got them all loaded up in the back.â
âCan we see them first?â
âAfter I see the cash.â Trump shirt looked at confederate for confirmation before walking to the second pick-up truck, because of course, and returned with two stuffed duffle bags. Kenny unzipped them the second they were in front of him, and sure enough, stacks of $100 bills shoved inside in a disorderly fashion. Kenny pretended to count but he was really biding his time, trying to find ways to get them to spill their guts. âWhat do you guys want with this much firepower, anyway? Itâs a bit much for hunting.â
âThereâs an abortion clinic a couple of hours away in Boston, weâre going to teach those whores to respect life.â And here I was thinking that these scumbags couldnât get any worse. Kenny sighed and popped the trunk, revealing the crates of guns, that all had the firing pins removed making them useless, but assholes one through four didnât need to know that. âAlright, take a look. What do you think?â
âI think... That we just got an arsenal for FREE!â All four aimed their newly attained weapons and... Didnât fire. âReally? Did you honestly think Iâd put ammo in there? Whatever, FBI YOUâRE UNDER ARREST!â They didnât even have time to start running before the most wanted unit, Maggie, SWAT, and LEOâs had burst out of the trees, guns raised.
Fucking morons.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
âHey man, howâd the bust go?â
âGreat, we arrested the head of the local faction of the KKK and his minions, apparently. You know, the second the guns were in their hands they tried to blow me to pieces. They thought we, or Anderson rather, would have them all loaded up for them so they could make away with the guns and the cash. You shouldâve seen them when they were arrested, they were genuinely surprised that their plan didnât work, and that no one wanted to hear their bigoted crap. And Andersonâs ex-wife decided to take in all four of Karnsteinâs kids, those he had with her husband and brother, which is great because we were worried about what was going to happen to them, but she said she just wants to keep all the siblings together and thatâs an example of sainthood if I ever saw one. And before you ask, yes, Maggieâs fine.â
âIâm getting a little predictable when it comes to her, arenât I?â
âA bit, yeah- hold on one second... Iâm back.â Â
âWhat was that?��
âI got another call.â
âFrom who?â
âZadie.â
âThe girl youâre dating who happens to be the roommate of your best friend and the girl youâre in love with?â
â... Shut up.â
âHahaha no. Look, weâre both idiots, all three of us were until Halstead figured out how to get off. I canât talk to Maggie about how I feel, not yet and maybe not ever. Losing her husband left horrendous scars and she needs me to be her partner and her friend, she doesnât need to deal with how I feel. But you and Hana? You could happen, you could talk to her, I know that you spoke with her about your PTSD and sheâs told you about serious things in her life and herself. Both of you have a trust and bond that doesnât need to be tested. Itâs tried and true. You donât deserve to be miserable, drowning yourself in distractions and being a distraction. Just promise me youâll think about it.â
âOkay, I will. And for what itâs worth, I donât think you and Maggie are as far away from each other as you think. She talks about you all the time, she told me so many stories about you two in the field. She trusts you implicitly, and the face she makes when she talks about you... Thereâs nothing platonic about that. So you need to think about talking to your girl and moving forward too, okay?â
âYeah, okay.â
âAm I really not your favourite blonde anymore?â
âHaha, no youâre not, sorry.â
âYou knew her for like three days!â
âEh, still.â
âI hate you.â
âNo you donât.â
â... No, I donât. But... Maggie told me about the clown fairy princess and Iâm gonna tell Halstead about it the next time I call him, which weâll be in an hour cause I want to catch him before he goes to work. So, HA!â
âCrosby!â
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sugar, sugar - z.cl
reader x chenle
genre: angst, fluff
warnings: a kiss in the cheek, cuss words, pessimism (I think thatâs about it? Let me know if I missed something.
word count: 6.2k
part of the Candy Hearts Collab by @127-mile (click the link if you want to read the rest of the collab)
synopsis: Your whole life, especially working for your boss, is a living nightmare. That was until you got some sugar in your life.
inspiration:
Isnât It Romantic (The film from Netflix by Rebel Wilson),
Sugar, Sugar by the Archies
networks
@nctcreations @kdiarynet @kpopscape @kwritersworld @culture-cafe @neowritingsnet @neoswitchnet @czennienet
February 13,202x / 8:00 AM
It was a quiet and peaceful morning. Which is too bad since thatâs not what youâre aiming for.
Your alarm shouldâve sounded at 6:00AM. Instead, it woke you up an hour late despite how much fumbling and crying that you did make it work last night.
You have completely ditched breakfast, running as fast as you can to the bus stop that never comes and leave as scheduled.
Already half an hour late, you still sat down that bus seat, fidgeting as if not staying calm on your seat will make the bus ride shorter. Right now, the only thing that youâre still holding on to is that small, sliver of hope that you get there before your boss does.
After climbing down the vehicle, you ran like youâre in a marathon and looked for that one window that your coworker always leaves open whenever youâre late like today. You ungracefully climbed up the window of the storage room and met Jisung, whoâs already getting himself ready before opening.
âIs he here yet?â
You whispered as you tried to dust your red shirt and smoothened out your wrinkled uniform. The goal is to make yourself look decent, an attempt that you barely managed to accomplish
âHe just came in. Hurry up before he notices.â
You mouthed âThanksâ to Jisung before leaving the storage room and sneak into the main entrance to log yourself in for today.
Your eyes scanned the candy-themed decorations for any signs of life (or danger, in your bossâ case) but he is nowhere to be found. You walked casually towards the main entrance, breathing only a sigh of relief as soon as you get to the front door.
Finally feeling at ease, you pressed your thumb on the device that records your time and gave yourself a mental pat in the back for actually pulling it off. At least, before a hand pops out of nowhere and touched you by shoulder.
You yelped at the surprise appearance of your ever-so-stealthy boss right behind you.
âYouâre late again.â
He was staring at you with those black intense eyes and his resting bitch face. His expression always made you worry because thereâs no way to actually now if heâs mad or not. You kept your head down and tried to avoid as much eye contact as possible.
âSurprised? I saw your little stunt by the window. You know that itâs right in front of my office, right?â
He patted your shoulder before placing his hands back to his pockets.
âYou also know that Iâll be deducting that on your payroll, right?â
âYes sir.â
He didnât even let you finish and just turned his back at you, walking towards his office.
âThat reminds me. We should bolt that window down before someone else tries to sneak in and steal. Tell Jisung to work on that as soon as possible.â
As soon as heâs out the way, you rolled your eyes and went back to straightening the wrinkles off of your uniform.
âTell Jisung to work on that as soon as possible.â You said, mimicking him made faces behind his back.
As if Jisung knows how to shut that window properly.
 After that delightful conversation, you helped Jisung in refilling the candy containers, tidied the shop by little bit, and breathe for one final time today before you opened the shop.
Some people may have imagined working on a candy store to be a dream. You get to bask in all of the aesthetics, you get to interact with children every day, and thereâs that perk that you get to enjoy an unlimited supply of sweet treats during your shift.
Oh boy, some people couldnât have been more wrong.
Your location is near an amusement park, which is already hectic as it is, but you also need to deal with stuff that all retail staff goes through.
If you were to make an entire list of the stressful situations that you have to deal with every single shift, it would take you all day.
There are children throwing temper tantrums because their parents refused to buy the candy that the wanted, entitled Karens demanding free candy because you made her baby cry, teenagers who thinks theyâre so smart by stealing handful of candies from their containers while youâre distracted. Itâs a mess.
And thatâs beside your main source of stress. That one is sitting on his office at the back of the store, probably playing some game on his phone while you act as both staff and manager, is the best boss in the world, Mr. Zhong Chenle.
Note the sarcasm.
That guy deserves a whole separate list by himself.
///
So far, the first few hours of your shift went smoothly. There were a few customers here and there but nothing that you and Jisung canât handle.
All is well. But if youâve worked retail before, you would know that those words are cursed.
Youâve always had this thing where youâd get a stomachache whenever something bad is about to happen. Ever since that one nice lady earlier told you to keep the change with a very kind smile, your stomach has been grumbling like crazy.
You sneaked into the counter and sat there for a moment to rest. The pain is bearable, but it makes it very hard for you to breathe properly. After taking a few deep breaths, the pain subsided a little bit.
Until, someone wrapped their arms around you, startling you off the chair and had you freefalling straight into your butt.
âIâm not paying you to slack off Y/N. Do something. I donât know⌠rearrange the Valentines display. Just donât sit around while thereâs so much stuff to do.â
He dusted his overprized outfit that probably cost more than your wage, even grabbing the hand sanitizer from his pocket, completely acting like you had a contagious virus that.
Fighting the urge to talk back, you just turned around and went back to work.
Someday, Iâm going to punch that resting bitch face off his face.
Someday.
You went back and found Jisung painstakingly arranging the M&M piece by piece, arranged by color, size and filling.
The kid makes you worry sometimes.
Heâs a good kid but sometimes he can be a bit⌠clueless?
You remembered the first time that your boss bought a cotton candy machine and asked you and Jisung to figure out how to operate it. He almost left work with nine fingers that day.
âHey kid. Bossman wants us to change the Valentines display.â You explained as you walk over to the center of the room where the display case is placed.
âNot again. What does he want this time?â
âI donât know. His only instruction is do something.â
He whined for a bit, but he followed your lead shortly after and started removing all of the candy jars on display one by one.
You started working on it as well, hoping that he (aka the owner) wonât notice that you just switched the glass containers of the candy displays with each other and then placed them back in their original place.
You realized that he probably didnât know what the display looked like in the first place. Itâs just more unnecessary work just to keep you moving.
To pass the boredom, you decided to dote on the kid that is busy making a bouquet of out of rose-shaped lollipops right beside you.
âSoooâŚâ
You said in a high-pitched voice and tried to lighten up the mood a little.
âAny plans for the V-day?â
He stops for a moment, bowing his head down while he tried to hide his shy smile.
âIâm taking this girl out bowling.â
You squealed and poked his side to tease him. He used to be a little highschool kid that you were told to keep an eye on just in case he accidentally kills himself. It was a headache at first, but he grew on you and now he feels like your honorary little brother.
âAwww. My Jisungie is grown up. It felt like it was just yesterday when I was to trying to teach you to tie your own shoelaces. And now, youâve got a girlfriendâ
âUhm Y/N. That was yesterday.â
You were about to pinch his cheeks once again when Chenle squeezed himself in between you and Jisung.
âAnd now youâre flirting. Geez. Do I have to do everything around here?â
Why does this guy keep popping out of nowhere?
He stared you and Jisung down before he slithered back to his office once again. You just stood there in disbelief, shaking your head as you went back to work.
///
The end of the day went by smoothly, which made you worry even more. As you return some of the candy displays back to the stock room, you canât help but think that today was just the calm before the storm.
Take last yearâs Valentines for example.
The shop was stuffed with that a customer fainted because of suffocation. Jisung was bleeding because some guy punched him for flirting with his girlfriend (even though the poor kid is just being nice and gave her one of the extra candy flowers.)
And oh, no dates. While everyone is busy celebrating the love that they will share together you celebrated at the fact that the day is all over.
Ever since youâve started working at that shop, youâve never really tried to meet new people. You keep explaining that youâre tired all day. That your job is very demanding time-wise and physically. But in reality, no one just asked you out.
You couldâve quit, but who would take in a highschool graduate without work experience? Youâve barely saved up for a whole college semester, let alone the curriculum. Thereâs nothing to do besides suck it up.
Itâs just one of those things that you stop celebrating as you get older.
Valentineâs day, your birthday, your birthday which is the same day as Valentineâs day.
Sighing, you picked up the stack of empty boxes that you needed to take outside for the garbage truck. Once again, Chenle pops out of nowhere, hitting some of the boxes that tumbled back on the floor. His are arms folded at his chest, sneering because of the mess that he created.
âWill you clean up this mess? Itâs almost closing.â
You just pursed your lips, nodding as you stacked the boxes once again, trying very hard not to lose your composure.
âAnd will you please close the lights outside this time? I doubt that can pay for the damages if this shop burns down.â
Back turned against your employer, you picked up the boxes from the floor. Youâre just glad that it is tall enough to cover most of your face. If someone could see your face right now, they would say that it is the face of someone that is about to murder somebody. Which is getting closer and closer to reality every single time Chenle opens his mouth.
Besides, you left one of the lights open one time. His petty ass just canât seem to live it down.
âIâll make sure to double check before leaving, sir.â
âGood. Make it quick.â
Holding out the boxes, you figured that heâd at least hold the door out for you. You had that one tiny glimmer of hope that heâs nice after all and you judged him too hastily.
Nope.
He slams the door right behind him and closed the lights from outside.
âOh, for fuckâs sake.â
You slammed the boxes down to search for the lights and open the door for yourself.
Just one punch. I need just one punch and thatâs it. Heâs gonna get whatâs coming to him.
Scrambling in the dark, you almost faceplanted as you tripped one of the boxes in your way. With your arms stretched out as you feel up your surroundings, it took you a few minutes before youâve finally managed to open the switch and see the mass that you made while stumbling.
You just facepalmed and stood there for a while, reminding yourself to take deep breaths and calm yourself before you actually burn this place down.
One by one, you stacked the boxes once again in one corner, making sure secure them this time. Keeping the door open, youâve successfully placed them inside the bins.
One box in particular fell down to the ground. You picked it up to stuff it back to the garbage can but the motion made a rattling noise.
I mustâve missed a piece.
You dusted off the nearby pavement and sat down so you can open the box.
Inside was a few bags of candy, adorned with the usual red and white swirls with the text âSweet Escapeâ taking over most of the packaging.
This one must be new.
You stuffed the box back to the garbage can, looked around for signs of a snooping, grumpy adult and placed candy on one of your back pockets.
If your boss found out that you messed up the inventory again, he will not hesitate to fire you. Youâre just gonna have to sneak it inside before he gets there tomorrow. Well, assuming that your alarm clock works this time.
///
âMom, whatâs for dinner?â
You closed the door behind you and took off your shoes as entered your living room.
Throwing your keys and jacket aside, youâve just noticed that the lights are all off and the house is eerily quiet.
You grunted as your sore feet walked itself to the kitchen, only to find a single note on the counter.
Me and your sister went out to eat tonight. Just order something for dinner
Love Mom,
All you ever wanted that night that you just to a nice, warm dinner and go straight to the bed and shut yourself from the world.
Great. No breakfast and dinner.
Fuck my life.
You threw the note in the garbage bin and just stomped your way to your room. You felt like breaking down at that moment but you didnât have the strength to make cry and make a fuss. Maybe you can just sleep all the frustrations off and feel a lot better tomorrow.
Maybe it doesnât get much worse than this.
You scoffed.
Sike.
As if.
You slammed yourself to bed but soon realized that it wasnât a very good idea.
You felt something in your pocket popped and it made a huge mess in your bed. You took it out of the pocket and realized that it was the bag of candy from earlier. The seams popped out and tore open from being squished by a tired, underpaid employee.
At this point, you just glared and cursed yourself once as you cleaned the candy off of your bed. Some of the candy is inside the box, so you cupped your hands and poured the remaining contents to your palms. It was filled with tiny colorful candy hearts, which looked appetizing despite the tiny bits of disfiguration and the fact that it was in your pockets the whole time.
Well, I guess this is dinner then.
You popped the candy in your mouth, letting it sit as it oozes a strong citrusy flavor. It had a texture similar to those fever tablets for kids. In fact, it tasted like medicine a bit, too.
The citrus taste kept on spreading in your mouth and your face now contorted to a grimace. It felt like all moisture is getting sucked out of your body.
They sell this to kids?
You ran to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water to water the taste down. It didnât do anything, so, you kept on chugging more and more water until youâve finished an entire gallon of liquids.
You sat down at the kitchen floor and breathe a sigh of relief. The taste finally left your tastebuds, but you can still feel your body feeling repulsed by the extreme sour sugary candies that you just consumed.
Drinking one more glass of water, you went back to your room and changed into your comfortable clothes, finally ready to leave this day behind.
Letâs just hope that those candy bits wonât get you sued tomorrow.
///
February 14,202x / 8:00 AM
The alarm started blaring off from its place, scaring you shitless and making you jump out of bed in panic.
 You could've have been happier and more annoyed at the same time.
You leaned against your bedroom wall, giving yourself a few minutes to calm yourself down before you decided to turn off the alarm.
Once your heartbeat has cooled down, you stepped back to the bedside table and pressed the alarm button to check the time.
8:00AM
"Dammit!â
Your heart started to race once again. This time, itâs the adrenaline rush thatâs making you move faster than normal. You even contemplated about getting a shower. However, you're already screwed as it is, you're not going to work without breakfast and shower again.
You stepped back to your room, wrapped on a bathrobe and panting like you just ran a marathon. Digging into your own closet, you noticed that your uniform, a red polo shirt and matching star white pants, is missing from your closet.
"Mom! Have you seen my uniform?"
You shouted from your room but you heard no answer. It seems like they didn't stay the night either.
Great.
Seeing as how your day started, you've deemed the rest of the day unsalvageable and just grabbed the closest thing to red that you have on your closet, which is a red frilly blouse and a white paneled skirt that you've never worn before. It's right at the bottom of your closet, so you've figured you or your mother bought this before and just forgot all about it.
You also grabbed one of your newer shoes to match and bolted to the front door as fast as possible.
You locked the door behind you, only to be spooked as you turned around to see a car parked in your driveway.
It was one of those fancy ones too. The ones that have their doors open at the side like an alien spaceship.
You only know one person in the world that's flashu enough to ride one. And he's just came out of the car.
"Happy birthday! You're pretty early..."
Chenle smiled as jogs over to you, keys jingling on his fingers, and gave you a small peck on the cheek.
You stood there in your porch, frozen.
Zhong Chenle knows how to smile. And he knows about your birthday
"I was about to call you but I didn't want to wake you up. So, I came over instead. Did you eat your breakfast yet?"
You shook your head hesitantly, still unable to speak and process the situation.
"No good, young lady. Go back inside. We're not leaving with an empty stomach."
 ///
 Here's something that you never encounter every day. Your spawn-of-the-devil employer is making you pancakes in the kitchen. And you finally have fresh milk in your fridge.
What happened to the world while you were sleeping?
"I'm not a professional chef but at least it's edible."
He said as he placed a perfectly fine plate full of fluffy pancakes right in front of you. Is this him being cocky?
He sets the apron aside and sat down right in front you, grabbing a plate and a piece of pancake for himself.
"Go on... Tell me if it's good."
You hesitantly took a bite, and then chewed in silence as Chenle expectantly watched you from the side. You set the fork down, speechless.
They're as good on the inside as they looked on the outside.
 "You don't like it?"
He sounded upset. It wasn't like "I can't believe you forgot to do this thing that I told you" upset either. He looked at you with his puppy dog eyes and a bit of a pout.
You froze. What if all of this is trick? And this is just is way of firing you, like letting you down gently in case you formed a vendetta and burn the shop down in your anger.
Which, for the record, is partly true.
"Uhm. It's nice. It's very niceee"
In your panic, you might've overdone the compliment. It sounded like you're on gunpoint and you had to say it to live. Nevertheless, he still smiled to himself and took the compliment well, even pouring you another glass of milk so "it would go down better".
The interaction alone gave you the chills. It felt like you're walking on thin ice and the former Chenle will come out and bury you alive. But even that would've sound more real than what's about to happen next.Â
Like the gentleman that he is, he opened the car door for you. You never even got the chance to question where the two of you are going. After sitting down, just when you're about you're about to ask, he held your hand and gave it a kiss.
"You buckled up?"
"Uhm. Yes..."
Still holding your hand, he pressed some buttons on the dashboard and then music started playing. You recognized that it was that song, Sugar Sugar by The Archies. Itâs one of the songs that you ironically played in the candy shop. There was also Sugar by Maroon 5, Sugar by Florida.
Well, you get the point.
âSugar
Ah, honey, honey
You are my candy girl
And you got me wanting youâŚâ
He proceeds to sing along to the song merrily as he backed up your driveway. Meanwhile you sat there quietly as you tried to assess your situation.Â
Is this kidnapping? Would it be considered kidnapping if I willingly went inside the vehicle?
Once youâve realized how ridiculous you sounded in your head, you relaxed for a bit and started humming along to the song. It was at this point that you realized that Chenle had a beautiful voice. The song didnât have high notes, but it was hard to make your voice pop up with the middle register. It sounded stable, like heâs a recording artist.
The atmosphere at the shop would be much better if he sang like this all the time.
âŚwhich reminded you of something that Chenle might be neglecting to think.
Panic washed over you and soon, you canât keep still and moved around your seat a lot.
âAre you comfortable?
He kept on glancing on your direction, keeping you in check for a few moments while he still kept an eye on the road,
âWe can make a quick stop if you need something.â
Trying your best to keep yourself still, you finally sat down and placed both of your hands on your lap, like the kids at school when their parents ask them to behave.
âWhere are we going again?â
The question finally popped out and you pursed your lips while trying to wait for the answer.
âI donât know. Itâs your day. We can go wherever you want to.â
âOh.â
Itâs not like him to be away from the shop at this time of the day, let alone the whole day. No matter how sucky he is, he did what is best for the shop. It was his baby.
And if the both of you arenât going, then it only means one thing. His baby is screwed at the hands of someone.
"By the way, who's taking care of the candy shop?"
You tried to ask nonchalantly, but it only came out sounding more inconspicuous.
"Oh yeah. I left Jisung in charge."
He wistfully replied. Suddenly, you feel your head spinning from your seat from the sheer realization that he left the kid alone, in his shop, with no adult/proper supervision.
"You left Jisung alone... In charge... On Valentine's Day"
You turned your gaze away from him, trying to hide your internal panic. You'll be lucky if the guy made it alive until lunch by himself.
"Relax. He'll be fine. He's with the trainees. Figured it might teach them a thing or two in getting the actual job done."
âAnd with trainees too⌠oh my god.â
Great. More casualties.
âYou donât mind if we stopped by the shop first, do you?â
âOf course. Youâre the boss.â
///
In a few minutes, he pulls over to the parking lot and youâre glad to see the shop in piece. On the outside at least.
You stepped inside the car and practically ran over to the inside of the shop, leaving Chenle behind.
âWelcome to Sweet Escape, how may I help you?â
Two unknown faces greeted you at the door. They must be the trainees that Chenle talked about earlier.
âWould you happen to know where Jisung is?â
They both nodded and pointed to the direction of the left side of the shop, which was supposed to be all the supplies were. Instead, there was Jisung on the register, which by the way looked different from what you can remember.
In fact, the whole shop looked nothing like it was yesterday. The colors seemed more vibrant and festive and the whole thing looked like a candy wonderland. To be honest, it reminded you of that one Katy Perry music video.
Jisung bowed at you formally and wore his usually customer service smile.
âWelcome to Sweet Escape, how may Iââ
âHow many fingers do you have now?â
You replayed the question in your head and it sounded just as crazy when it came out of your mouth. At this point, you decided to continue on with the question. For obvious safety reasons.
âUh maâam. What do you mean?â
âHold your fingers up. How many do you have?â
He was hesitant to do as you say. Chenle just facepalmed and gestured him to do as you said, putting up all of his tall fingers in the air.
âTen?â
You breathe a sigh of relief, almost rushing over to hug the confused Jisung when Chenle pulls you from behind.
âPlease excuse her for the moment. Sheâs feeling a bit under the weather.â
He smiled and bowed to Jisung as an apology, another gesture that you havenât seen him do before, pulling you outside the store to give you some air. Once youâve reached the parking lot, he placed his hands on your shoulders to hold you still.
âOkay. Since when is hugging my staff became a thing?â
He stares you down with a genuine concerned look on his face.
He placed one of his hands on your forehead.
âItâs not like youâre sick eitherâŚâ
Chenle sighs, finally releasing you from his grasp
âTell me. Whatâs the problem?â
He sat you down at the pavement and gave you enough space to reflect on your actions.
You had the choice to say that you have absolutely no idea whatâs happening to you right now, but you thought that he ought to know why youâre acting that way. Now, you just have to figure out how to explain it to him without sounding like a crazy person.
âIâŚâ
You started slow, working your way into explaining that you woke up into this insane dream about how her boss is suddenly so nice to her that morning.
And then it hit you.
âI had a dream about you...â
Ideas started pouring down to your head, starting to piece together a story that actually made sense.
âAnd in that dream, youâre this mean guy that never cared about me and other peopleâs feelings. You just made everyone around you miserable. The dream felt so real so Iâm very uncomfortable that youâre acting nice to me now.â
âIs that so?â
You nodded your head as an answer. Chenle pulls you over to a side hug, relief washing over him knowing that it wasnât that bad as he made it up to be.
âIâm sorry if that mean version of me hurt you.â
He rested his head on your shoulders and pulled you closer to him.
âIf I decided to be mean to you in a dream again, feel free to punch me or whatever. I promise to make up for all of it once you wake up.â
It was probably the nicest thing that anyone has said to you in a while. Even though it wasnât actually him whoâs hugging you and making you feel all warm inside, youâre not going to see your boss the same way again.
âYou know what, why donât we start now. Thereâs plenty of time today to make it up to you.â
He stood up from his seat and brushed himself, helping you do the same right after.
âWhere does my y/n want to go right now?â
Your lips formed a mischievous smile.
You knew just where you wanted to go at that moment, but heâs probably not going to like it
///
âWould it hurt you to rest for one second?â
Youâve been running around the theme park for the whole day and Chenle just barely kept up to you and your antics. He gave you a small opportunity for a payback and youâre not going to let it slide. Even if itâs with nice Chenle.
You were about to run off again somewhere when he tugs you by the hem of your shirt.
âY/N-ah, donât you feel sick at all?â
Chenleâs eyes droop down as he tried to compose himself. As someone that doesnât like heights and gets dizzy easily, it seems like heâs about to faint any minute now.
âBut I want to ride the Ferris wheel.â
He went sheet white, if that is humanly possible. Chenle had barely enough time to recover from the roller coaster ride a few minutes ago and now youâre already on your way to hop in to another one.â
âFine. We can rest. I donât think my ears can handle any more of your screaming.â
You can hear Chenle complaining under his breath. The two of you went to the horror house a while ago and there was a high-pitched screaming the whole time. Youâve been teasing him with it ever since.
âI told you, that wasnât me!â
âThe only person inside is you and me. And I donât remember screaming my own name for fifteen minutes.â
His mouth opened like he was about to say something, but he stopped midway and just took your hand to drag you at the nearest bench. He sat you down first before he took the seat right next to you, both palms on his face and trying to give himself a moment to breathe.
As much as you wished to torment that guy to death, he really looked sick to his stomach. He can barely lift his head up without taking deep breaths.
âYou alright?â
You said as you patted his back gently, giving some time to relax and a moment to breathe.
âIâm fine. I did say that Iâll do anything for you today.â
He takes one last breathe before getting up the bench, only to lean on one side too much and almost toppling over.
âYeah. I think were done for the day. You can barely stand up.â
You sat him back at the bench and caressed his back to get him to relax. Not even a minute after sitting back down, he did a thumbs up to let you know that heâs doing fine already.
âWhat time is it?â
â4:30. Why?â
He tried his best to stand up and keep himself still. This time, his attempt was successful.
âIâll drive you home.â
âAre you sure?â
âYou can barely stand up. What makes you think that you can drive?â
âJust trust me.â
///
Sure enough, you both got to your house unscathed.
He told you to step out of the car, which you did, and he smoothly backed the car to your garage.
âHow was that?â
He said smugly just as he came out of the car, keys jingling on his fingers once again. You can joke about his motion sickness but you canât comment on his driving.
Chenle was then about to enter your house, but you stopped him just before he turned the doorknob.
âYou know what, I had a lot of fun today. Itâs probably the best birthday slash Valentineâs Day that Iâve had a whole life. I think you deserve thisâŚâ
You held up your fist into a ball and pretended to land a punch to his face. He winced, which gave you and opportunity to tiptoe and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
He stood there frozen for a few seconds, but it was replaced by a cheeky, boyish smile that heâs been hiding from you the whole time that you know him.
You twisted the doorknob and stepped inside your house first, when a popping sound greeted you from inside.
Turns out, those were party poppers.
âSurprise!â
Your whole family is there, alongside all of your friends from way back highschool.
âSorry for missing you this morning sweetie, we needed some time for the party preparations. Chenle did a good job of distracting you the whole day.â
An arm wrapped itself on your shoulders and gave it a tight squeeze. It didnât take long for you to find out who it was.
âShe made me ride the roller coaster, twice.â
âStop being a baby. I asked you the second time but you refused to come with me.â
Laughter fills the room and it went for the rest of the night. The celebration wasnât fancy but it was enough for you to realize what life youâre missing in the real world. And as much you want to make it longer, sooner or later youâre going to have to come back to your old life.
That time was the next day.
///
February 14,202x again / 6:00 AM
The shrill sounds of the alarm clock woke you up, but you were smiling ear to ear. Something about your dream have placed you in a very good mood. Too bad you canât remember the specific details. All you know is that thereâs a car, the shop, the theme park⌠Zhong Chenle.
Why would it be a nice dream if your boss was in it?
Before you started conspiring some theories, you shook it off and started to get ready for today. To your surprise, the alarm woke you up on time. This means that you can take your sweet time in getting ready, possibly even make yourself an English breakfast for a change.
Your plans are foiled, however, when you realized that the kitchen wasnât empty.
âHappy birthdayâŚâ
Your mom came from the living room to give you the tightest hug. She hasnât hugged you like this for a long time, so you reciprocated and pulled her in a tighter embrace.
âIâm sorry that this is all we can afford for nowâŚâ
She sits you down the table and pushed the small bento cake right in front you. It is not bigger as your hands, but the pink icing and the decorations looked so delicate and beautiful.
âI promise to make you a better cake next year.â
âThis is all I need Mom, thank you for doing this.â
///
Everything is going smoothly today. The bus is on time and the driver even gave you a small Valentineâs card as you went inside. For the first time in your life, you looked at the streets painted different shades of red and youâre perfectly fine with it.
You even got to work early. Doors are still shut down when you got there, so you decided to climb up the storage window so you donât have to wait outside. As instructed, you finally locked it behind you and made it a point to be on time so youâll never have to use it again.
You started with work right away, cleaning up as much as you can before everyone gets there. While you were mopping the main shop, you can hear keys jingling from outside, meaning that your boss already got there. The door swings forward and upon turning around, he opened the lights, only to see you standing in the middle of the shop.
He screamed at an ungodly pitch and almost fell down at his place.
âOh, itâs just you. That wasnât me, alright? â
He dusted himself off tried his act together and be as cold as before, only to be embarrassed because you kept laughing at his face.
You tried to keep a straight face and bowed at him to excuse yourself. If your tardiness wonât get you fired today, it would probably be your excessive laughing.
âThis is the horror house all over again.â
You swear that you heard him mumble something else, but you werenât sure if you heard it right.
What are the odds that he dreamt about a horror house too, right?
Before you got the chance to go though, he said something that made your heart race for the rest of the day.
âYou were there too, right? I just want you to know that that was really me.â
You turned around to see if heâs joking, but instead found a smiling Chenle at the other end of the shop.
âI actually liked you for a while now. So forgive me for always lashing out on you.â
He placed his hands on his pockets and walked slowly towards you, his head down while he tried to hide his shy smile.
âHappy birthday Y/N. I donât mind repeating that day again... just donât make me ride the roller coaster twice this time.â
///
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Radio Silence
Hereâs a little Destiel (au) ficlet inspired by this post. I wasnât initially sure whether I was going to make this or not (due to lack of motivation, etc.) but here it is! So @mychemicalobsession514 and @fandomtrash2405 this one is for you. Hope you enjoy!
Dean loved being a cop. It was everything he hoped it would be and then some. There wasnât one thing he hated about his job; he got to protect people, save lives, uphold the law (most of the time), and work with amazing professionals, most of whom did what he did for the same reasons, all while putting the bad people away. Being a cop made him feel good. Knowing that what he was doing everyday, what he was getting paid to do everyday, but more importantly what he chose to do everyday, made a difference in the world, was extremely fulfilling. Even if only slightly, and the world was better off for it? So yeah, he loved his job.
Though, given the most recent events, he might have to re-evaluate that statement.
âMorninâ brothaâ.â Came Bennyâs Louisiana drawl from the coffee station. âChief wants to see you, in his office when you get the chance.â
Dean nodded, making himself a cup of coffee, black, as usual. (Even though he didnât quite understand why any of the officers continued to get their coffee from the station, including him, seeing as it tasted like absolute shit all the time.)
He looked over to his partner and raised a brow, Benny looking like the cat who caught the freakinâ canary, âWhatâs got you lookinâ all smug? Iâm not getting reassigned are something, am I?â
âOh no, nothinâ like that Dean. Besides, that wouldnât be desirable for any of us.â
âOkay, but that still doesnât explain why you got that stupid look on your face.â Benny just chuckled, tossing his empty cup into the trash.
He slapped Dean on the shoulder when he passed, and paused, meeting his eyes with a shit eating grin. âJust wanted you to know that I love you too brotha.â
Dean brows furrowed in confusion, watching Bennyâs retreating back just as clueless as before. Not that he minded Bennyâs terms of endearment; the guy was not only his partner but basically his best friend. He was comfortable enough with himself and his sexuality to actually quite enjoy being affectionate with his friends. So it wasnât as if that was the weird part.
No, what was weird was all the smirking and the chuckling, as if Benny was enjoying some one-sided inside joke that only he was privy to. In fact, now that he thought about it, everybody else was being weird too.
Dean winced at the piss poor excuse for coffee when he took a sip, and made his way over to Chief Singerâs office. He was just about to knock on the door when it suddenly swung open, and Dean was being accosted by one of Garthâs hugs.
âI love you too Dean. Never forget that. I know I wonât. It made my day. Thank you.â Garth gave Dean a squeeze before pulling away, the latter more confused then ever.
Garth held onto Deanâs shoulders for a moment after the hug, just smiling at him, and though he admit he didnât mind open affection, Garth had this way over overstepping boundaries that sometimes Dean wasnât aware of.
âUh, Garth, buddy? Mind stepping back now?â
âOf course Dean. Youâre a good man.â He nodded, more so to himself than to Dean, and walked away with a skip in his step.
Dean shook his head and knocked on the doorway, stepping into the office at Bobbyâs gruff, mumbled âcome inâ.
âWhat a weird guy.â He said in disbelief, chuckling at Bobbyâs snort of affirmation.
âAnyway, you said you wanted to see me?â
âI did. Take a seat boy, we gotta talk.â
Dread immediately consumed Dean, his head already rapidly flitting through a million ways to say sorry about hundreds of possible scenarios of shit that he may or may not have done, when Bobby rolled his eyes.
âYou can stop that right now, yaâ idjit, youâre not in trouble or anything.â He relaxed, and the Chief shook his head.
âRemember, you canât hide nothinâ from me boy, I may be your boss, but Iâm also like your daddy.â Dean raised a brow, curious as to where this was going.
âWith that being said, I hope you know that even though I donât say it as often as I probably should, I do love you. You and your brother.â
âMe more though right?â Bobby shot him an unimpressed look.
âRight sorry, I love you too, and all that. But seriously Bobby, where is all this coming from? Not that knowing everybody here loves me is a bad thing, but why are you all saying it all of the sudden?â
âYou tellinâ me that you donât know?â Dean shook his head.
âObviously not. I wouldnât have asked you if I did, old man.â
âWatch yourself boy,â Chief Singer said fondly, âIâm not against hitting you. That or firinâ your ass.â
âYeah yeah. Both you and I know youâre just talk.â He smirked at Bobbyâs responding huff, and leaned back against his chair.
âSo you were saying?â
âRight. I donât know what the hell youâre doing when this happens, but your radio codes in from time to time, before you come in, and youâre always saying that you love us.â
Dean both paled and somehow colored simultaneously. âWh-what?â
âWhich is why I was saying earlier, or attempting to say rather, that I uh...love you too of course, but the radio ainât for that, son.â
âOh my god.â
âWhat? You look like your trying to pass a kidney stone.â
âAre you freaking serious? You gotta be joking with me, right?â
âWhy in the hell would I joke about something like that?â The Chief glared, at Dean, who ran a hand through his hair, and dragged it down his face.
âYou okay? It ainât that big of a deal, Dean. Thatâs why Iâm letting you know now.â
âOh my god.â
âThere something you wanna say?â
âEven if there was, Bobby, Iâm too humiliated and embarrassed to even...god, Iâm a dumb ass.â
âOkay, well, Iâm sure that it ainât that bad. You have a tendency to over exaggerate, princess.â
âOh no, Bobby, Iâm pretty sure it is that bad. I mean, how is radioing âI love youâ out to the whole precinct not that bad? This takes the cake on just the level of bad it is.
âAt least this explains why everyone was being spontaneously openly affectionate today.â Dean sighed, burying his face in his hands.
âMinus Garth. Heâs always like that.â
Bobby chuckled, âIâm gonna take a gander and say, judging by your reaction, that this wasnât intentional.â
âChrist, of course it wasnât!â Dean flailed. âI wouldnât friggin use my radio for that! Hell, I probably wouldnât even say it in person unless they said it first.â
âWell, you seem to know exactly why this has been happening.â Bobby raised a brow. âDo you?â
âUnfortunately, yes.â
âCare to explain?â Bobby prompted, when Dean didnât elaborate.
âNot really no.â
âFine then, youâre dismissed. Keep your secrets boy. Iâll find them out eventually. And just make sure it doesnât happen again.â
âSure thing, sir.â
With that, and a nod from the chief, Dean left Bobbyâs office and went to work, which, to no surprise (Dean was very rarely ever that lucky), sought out to personally torture him for the entirety of the day.
Officer Jody Mills and her partner Officer Donna Hanscum called in during lunchtime to profess their love for him, which okay maybe wasnât so bad, because he did love them back, enjoyed their company immensely, and thought of them as surrogate mothers. Then Charlie, the computer tech, and regretfully also one of his best friends, personally came to his desk, dragging the other tech, Kevin, along, to talk about LARPing, and comics, and game night, and just as Dean relaxed, when they got off their break, the redheaded monster that was his Queen expressed her strong platonic love for him, letting him know he was safe from no one.
When the day was finally over (it hadnât even been that exhausting, but when every single person you work with takes the time out of their own day to tease you because of one little colossal mistakeâthat you may or not have madeâit begins to take its toll on you) Dean couldnât wait to get home. He was starting to regret not only his choice of career, but also ever being excited to work with his friends.
He packed up quickly and clocked out, letting out a sigh at the prospect of home. Though, of course the day wouldnât be over without one final âI love youâ from another coworker.
âDidnât want to you leave with saying I love you, man. Stay safe out there, honey.â Dean snorted, snapping a glare at Detective Henriksen.
âVery funny, Victor. Go fuck yourself.â Victor laughed, and Dean flipped him off on his way out, making the detective laugh harder.
âWhatever you say, darling!â
Dean rushed out of the police station, never more grateful to see his beloved impala waiting for him in the parking lot. At least she couldnât tell him she loved him, thought he didnât mind that it was certainly implied.
Yeah, he hated work.
Dean pulled into the doorway shortly after, ready to put the whole day behind him, forget about it all with a nice, cold beer and some television.
He pat Babyâs hood as he got out, and gave the same treatment to the golden Lincoln Continental parked beside her, when he passed it on the way to the front door.
âDean.â Cas peeked his head out of his office with a smile on his face, and met Dean at the door.
âYouâre home, how was work?â He went in for a hug, before being stopped by Deanâs hand on his chest.
His brows furrowed, and watched questioningly as Dean went and switched his radio off.
âIs everything alright?â
âYeah, sâfine. Just, the last time we hugged, your shoulder must of hit my radio and it called dispatch.â Casâ eyes widened in surprise.
âSo basically the entire precinct, meaning every officer on duty, heard me say I love you when I left the other day. I didnât even know until I got into work this morning, and everybody started tell me they loved me.â
Castielâs eyes widened further before a smile broke out onto his face again, and he started laughing.
âYeah, laugh it up sweetheart. But I would be nice to the person who cooks for you and makes sure you eat.â
âIâm sorry Dean. Work must of been interesting.â
âTell me about it. So now whenever we hug, Iâm going to make sure my radio is off. Who knows what else they may have heard.â His boyfriend rolled his eyes and opened his arms expectantly.
âWell now that it is, may I get my hug now, you drama queen?â Dean snorted, choosing not to think about how Cas sounded both like his brother and Bobby just then, and instead gathered him up into his arms for a hug.
Dean gave Castiel a squeeze, and pulled away slightly, smiling down at his boyfriend. âYouâre so needy. Like a pet.â
âMm, love you too.â Dean chuckled, and joined their lips, bringing Cas closer by his hips.
He hums into Deanâs mouth, and reaches up to cup his face in his hands. (Yeah, Dean prays to anything and anyone whoâll listen that his work buddies didnât hear something like this).
And then, of course, (once again showing just how unlucky he was) his phone decided to ring, making Cas pull away. Dean whined, and pulled his phone from his back pocket, answering it in the hopes he could will the person who called to hang right back up, just by the sheer amount of glaring at it he did. Cas rolled his eyes, but hey, Dean really didnât feel like being interrupted at the moment.
âWhat?â He snapped, holding the phone up to his ear. âThis better be pretty frigginâ important Sammy. You better be dying or some shit, or Iâm gonna kill you myself, bitch.â
âJeez, Bobby said you would be home, jerk, so I assumed you wouldnât be busy. I wanted to call you now rather than later. Guess I was wrong.â
âYeah, you were wrong, now what do you want?â
âJust wanted to jump on the bandwagon, and send you some appreciation is all Dean, relax.â He could hear Samâs bitch face through the phone.
âWhat?â
âWell youâre my brother, and youâve done a lot...you do a lot, yet I donât say this often when I probably should so I-â
âNo. Nope. You were not just about to tell me you loved me!â Cas chuckled silently to himself, and smirked up at Dean, who was having another meltdown.
âWha-Dean whatâs so bad-â
âNo Sammy. Do not say that to me! Seriously dude, Iâm freakin serious. After all the people telling me that today, I donât want to hear another person say those words in the context of me for a week! Actually make that two.â
âChrist alright. No need to be so anal about it. I guess Iâll talk to you later then.â Dean sighed, and visibly relaxed, ignoring his boyfriend smug expression.
âThat goes for you too you ass hat.â
Castiel snorted, now ignoring Dean. âBye Sam!â
âBye Cas.â Dean glared at their easy rapport, as if nothing was wrong. âTell Dean to stop being grumpy.â
âWill do.â
âWell heâs still right here, and currently wishing his Sasquatch of a brother would hang up already.â
âWhatever you say, Dean. Love you!â Sam hung up quickly after that, leaving Dean to stare at his phone dumbfounded.
âSon of a bitch!â
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