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butternuggets-blog · 1 year

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Changing Faces

Minor Blood/Gore - A Discovery of Witches x SAS Rogue Soldiers

Pat Riley, Augustin Jordan, Baldwin Montclair/Male OC

@adowbaldwin @booksoncanvas

Pat Riley kept polishing his boots and studiously ignoring the two men locked in a fierce whispered argument beside him.

He had glanced askance out the corner of his eye a few times now and caught the ginger staring at him with an intense, cold expression. The blonde had come and gone a few times, doing duties, and whenever he returned he would try to pry the other man from his perch in the shadows. And the argument would resume.

'Can I help you sir?'

The blonde smirked at his friend, and strode over. The ginger twitched like he wanted to step forward, but chose not to, glaring instead at his companion’s back.

'Not really.’ The Free French man shrugged apologetically. His accent was noticable by its absence; his voice was nondescript, but there was an almost lyrical lilt to his words, like poetry. ‘My friend thought he knew you; you look exactly like someone we've met before'

'Someone good?'

No, unfortunately. He was-..' the man fumbled loosely for a polite turn of phrase, failed to find one, and gave up. '- a monster.'

‘Well I hope I don’t prove to be one’

The blonde smiled. ‘I hope so too.’

________________________________________________________________

He found out later that their names were Benoit Ferrand and Martin Bouchard. Martin was fair-haired and genial, a sergent that could raise the spirits of his men effortlessly, and made a genuine effort to get to know everyone under his command.

Benoit was a captain, ruthless and pragmatic, and with a fiery temper that could be curbed with a look from Martin. Pat felt that it was another Paddy and Eion situtation, and kept his thoughts to himself.

He had even more to think about when the rest of the Free French came back from patrol. Augustin Jordan had been out leading a patrol, and hadn’t been told about the new commanding officers who had arrived with fresh recruits.

Pat watched him stiffen, his eyes roving over the pair as they approached the truck. Benoit nodded, stiff and formal, and Augustin returned the gesture, shrinking in on himself a little like he was trying to appear smaller than he was.

Interesting.

He showed the same deferance to Martin as well, although he shook the other man’s hand instead of bowing. They were clearly communicating with each other although Pat could barely see their lips moving as they talked.

...oh.

Pat’s heart jumped slightly. He was still getting used to having Augustin around; he wasn’t nearly as concerned about the vampire as he had been when they found out about his condition, but adding two more into the mix, especially ones that appeared to have senority over him...well, he was definately uneasy.

________________________________________________________________

Pat spat blood onto the sand, dribbling most of it down his chin and onto his collar as Baldwin stared down at him with a blank expression.

'Morning.’ He drew a rasping breath. ‘Fancy meeting you here.'

The plane had caught them by surprise, straffing the trucks and causing them to scatter. The rest of the patrol had gotten away but Pat had missed the obvious drop in the sand dune in front of them and before even Baldwin’s lightning-fast reflexes could save them they had pitched forward into nothing.

He remembered hands shoving him clear of the driver’s side door and then darkness.

'You should..leave me here and..and go get help'

'Don't be stupid.’

Baldwin sat down on the sand beside him, resting a salvaged machine gun in his lap. Behind them, the sun was setting, the crumpled remains of the truck quietly smoking away.

‘Martin would never forgive me if I left you here alone.'

'How long have I got?'

Baldwin glanced at him.

'..not too long. Another two hours.'

It was. No relief, no joy; no sorrow or anger either, just a quiet, calm peace in the face of the inevitable.

Pat thought about the pass in his pack for Cairo and hoped that Jim would use it wisely. They’d joked about seeing the girls at the Empire Club, but they were sure they wouldn’t get very far before they found better entertainment elsewhere. He hoped Jim was smiling when he raised a toast to him.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence for a while, the sound of Pat’s rasping breathing mingling with the hiss and pop of the now-destroyed car. The plane didn’t come back, which was a relief, but Pat suspected it was because he had been lying unconcious for so long that whenever it had passed overhead previously it hadn’t seen any survivors.

Baldwin shifted in the sand and glanced down at him again.

'Have you figured out what we are?’

Pat nodded, and lapsed into a coughing fit. Baldwin waited politely for him to finish.

‘When?'

'Augustin.'

It was all he could manage around the liquid clogging his throat.

'I suppose we couldn't hide forever. Not in such cramped quarters.' Baldwin’s fingers fiddled with a few scuffed marks on the barrel of the gun as he tried to come up with the rights words.

'Martin thinks I should offer immortality to you.’ Baldwin scoffed lightly at something only he could see in his mind’s eye. ‘An immortal life.. as long as your enemies don't get too close to you first.'

'I'd consider it'

'Of course you would, you're dying'

'Still, it's not like I've got anywhere to be right now.'

Pat settled back into the sand and watched the stars come out above them. Phantom grass beneath his fingers whisked him back to Cumbria, the scent of ashwood and his mother’s primsoses from the window box outside the living room and the chatter of the neighbours echoing through the wall. He missed the chance to miss home.

Two fingers stretched towards the vampire, and Pat nodded as Baldwin slid closer.

'Are you sure? I need verbal consent before I even agree to attempt this'

'Attempt?' Pat croaked, drily.

'It hasn't always gone well, in the past'

'I'm sure.’ Pat bit through his lip as he half-crawled, half-dragged himself up into the other man’s lap and collapsed back down. ‘Don't mean to outrun the reaper, just delay him a bit.'

'And you're sure? You're ready?'

'Ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this'

'Alright.’ Baldwin helped him get comfortable again, and wiped some of the gunk away from his neck. Pat shivered at the brush of cold fingers against his skin.

‘This is going to be excruitiating.'

Pat nodded.

#pat riley #baldwin montclair #augustin jordan #baldwin montclair/male oc #sas rogue heroes #a discovery of witches

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intothewickedwood · 4 months

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End of Year Quezzies

Happy New Year! I think it would be fun to reflect on highlights from last year, especially in regards to fandom. This is a compilation of questions inspired by various ask games x x

Top 5 songs you listened to for the first time last year?

1.Out of the Dark (Monster High)

2.Playing His Game (Death Note: The Musical)

3.Stalemate (Death Note: The Musical)

4.Where Can I Run? (Adamandi)

5.Me, Myself and I (Adamandi)

Top 5 Songs released last year?

1.Reason We've Got Magic from (Monster High 2)

2.Not How Our Story Goes (Monster High 2)

3.You Don't Know (Monster High 2)

4.Dirty Girl (Nerdy Prudes Must Die)

5.Nerdy Prudes Must Die (Nerdy Prudes Must Die)

Album released last year?

Nerdy Prudes Must Die (Original StarKid Cast Recording) by Team Starkid

Musical artist / group of the year?

Starkid!

Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year?

Melliot's musicals!

Movie watched for the first time last year?

Stay (2017)

Movie released last year?

Monster High 2!

TV show of the year?

Legacies

TV Show released last year?

Wolf Pack

Most memorable episode of a show last year?

3x08 Long Time, No See from Legacies was one I rewatched a few times as I loved it so much

Top 5 musicals watched this year?

1.We Are The Tigers

2.VHS Christmas Carols

3.Nerdy Prudes Must Die

4. Adamandi

5. Death Note: The Musical

Game of the year?

Sims 4: Horse Ranch

Character of the year?

Lizzie Saltzman! (Legacies)

Top 5 new favorite characters last year?

1.Draculaura (Monster High)

2.Vincent Aurelius Lin (Adamandi)

3.Quincy Cynthius Martin (Adamandi)

4.Claire (Stay 2017)

5.Tabby Haworthe (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin)

Ship of the year?

Cairo x Riley (We Are The Tigers) and Mizzie (Legacies). I can't choose! Also I was this year years old when I found out my long-time otp Mizzie were canon endgame! Still screaming over that!!

Top 5 new ships last year?

1.Dracudeen (Monster High)

2.Quincent (Adamandi)

3.Claire x William (Stay 2017)

4.Holy Ghost (Nerdy Prudes Must Die)

5.Finsie (Legacies)

Best month for you this year?

Probably December. I love the holiday season!

Something you want to do again next year?

Go to the cinema more! I think I went only once this year. Would love to go to the theatre too! It's been a while!

How was your birthday last year?

It went pretty well. I just chilled at home and watched my favourite musicals.

Favorite book you read last year?

Fraternity by Andy Mientus was amazing! A real page turner! One of the best, most engaging books I've read.

What was the most delicious meal you enjoyed last year?

I really wanna get into reading Ella Enchanted. I've heard good things!

What’s something you learned this year?

All the advantages of foot massages! And that keeping an 'Affirmation Board' on notion is an extreme help. I use gallery view and I put gifs and positive quotes from my favourite media and characters to look at when I'm having a bad day. I also put techniques for coping that include pressure points, breathing techniques and tips for dealing with my sensory issues, sometimes paired with a gif of a scene that reminds me of it. Wish I'd started on it years ago but it's better late!

Favorite place you visited this year?

Just the town nearest mine. It's my favourite town!

What was the most impactful life lesson you learned?

Copy & Pasted from my Affirmation Board: "There will never not be something wrong that upsets you. Perfection is a myth. Happiness is focussing on the good despite the sadness, guilt & shame that always bubble beneath. Concentrating on, replaying or having negative feelings about what hurts won’t solve the problem or make it go away. It’s ok to let it go & not punish yourself." - Quote By Me xD. I like to give myself the illusion of control over thoughts lol but looking at this has been the most helpful thing on my affirmation board for me.

#a year in review #flash warning #long post #am*

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homeahoy · 1 year

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Masterlist

SAS: Rogue Heroes

Paddy & Eoin

Sometimes (18+) 1, 2,3, 4 University/Modern Day AU

Paddy & Augustin

A Twisted Kind Of Love

Bill Fraser

Desert Rain (18+) 1 , 2, 3

In my Defence - Werewolf AU

Black Coffee & A Smile ( Bill x Mike) - Modern AU . 1, 2 , 3, 4

Johnny Cooper & Reg Seekings

Your so Fucking pretty

Dave Kershaw

I was a teenage werewolf (Werewolf AU)

Some kind of Heaven - Drabble Male oc

To sin and back -Demon AU Smut

High School AU - Everyone

* Welcome to Jallow High- (Smut)

A Rumour, A Chicken and a Date (Smut)

The pretty boy, the jock, the nerd & the weird kid

What happens at Daves House

David Stirling

* God Complex

Mike Sadler

A Poker Game in Cairo (Smut) 1, 2, 3, 4

If i could ever ask for more (Smut) Bill x Mike

Pat Riley

I'll be your American Boy 1, 2

Drabbles

As I lay dying - Walter Essner

Vampire AU

SAS AU - The thing with the French (Smut) 1,2, 3,4,5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Brothel AU - All Smut

Tied in Knots - Andre Zirnheld x Male OC

Tongue Twister - Pat Riley x Female OC

#masterlist #sas: rogue heroes #au concepts #smut #brothel au #high school au #vampire au #male x male

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themomsandthecity · 1 year

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Bryce, Jordan, Jude, and 200+ More of the Best Gender Neutral Baby Names

There are plenty of reasons you might want a shortlist of gender neutral baby names. For instance, if you're not finding out the gender of your baby before their born, but you want to have a name decided on ahead of time - picking a name that works for any gender is the perfect solve. Or maybe you just prefer gender neutral names to baby names that are more traditionally masculine or feminine (although, of course, we love using a baby boy name for girls!) Gender neutral baby names cut across categories. You can find gender neutral names amongst Victorian-era baby names, trendy names, and more unique picks, which means you can find the perfect gender neutral baby name no matter what "vibe" of name you're going for. And to get your creativity going, we rounded up more than 200 unisex names that will suit your baby no matter what. Ahead, find some of our favorite gender-neutral names for babies, from A to Z. A * Adair * Adan * Addison * Ade * Adrian * Aiden * Ainsley * Alby * Alex * Ali * Amari * Andy * Angel * Ari * Ariel * Aries * Ash * Asher * Aspen * Atlas * Aubrey * August * Austen * Avery * B * Baker * Bailey * Bali * Banks * Bellamy * Beckham * Berkeley * Billie * Blaine * Blair * Blake * Bobby * Bowen * Brett * Briar * Brighton * Briley * Brinley * Brooklyn * Bryce * C * Caelan * Cairo * Camden * Cameron * Campbell * Carey * Carson * Carter * Casey * Cassidy * Celyn * Chandler * Charlie * Chris * Cody * Colby * Cole * Collins * Corey * Cove * D * Dakota * Dale * Dallas * Dana * Dane * Darryl * Declan * Delta * Devin * Dorian * Drew * Dylan * E * Easton * Eli * Elliot * Ellis * Ellison * Ember * Emerson * Emory * Evan * Ezra * F * Fallon * Finley * Florian * Flynn * Frances * Frankie * G * Gabriel * Gale * Glenn * Grayson * Grey * H * Harley * Harper * Hayden * Hunter * I * Indiana * Indigo * J * James * Jamie * Jayden * Jaylen * Jesse * Jordan * Jude * Julian * Juniper * Justice * K * Kaden, * Kai * Keegan * Kelly * Kendall * Kennedy * Kerry * Knox * Kyle * L * Lake * Landon * Landry * Lane * Lee * Lennon * Lennox * Lincoln * Linden * Logan * London * Lou * Lucian * Lumi * M * Mackenzie * Madison * Marley * Mason * Max * Maxwell * Micah * Milan * Mina * Monroe * Montana * Morgan * N * Nash * Nevada * Nico * Noah * Noel * O * Oakley * Ollie * Ore * Ozzie * P * Palmer * Paris * Parker * Pat * Perri * Peyton * Piper * Phoenix * Q * Quinn * R * Reagan * Reed * Reese * Reign * Remy * Rey * Riley * River * Roan * Robin * Rory * Roux * Rowan * Royal * Rudy * Ryan * Ryder * Rylan * S * Sage * Salem * Sam * Santana * Sawyer * Saylor * Scout * Seven * Shannon * Shawn * Shiloh * Skylar * Sloane * Spencer * Sterling * Stevie * Sunny * Sydney * T * Tanner * Tatum * Taylor * Terry * Theo * Tony * Tory * Tracy * Tyler * U * Umber * Unique * Uri * V * Val * Vesper * * W * Wallace * West * Winter * Wrennyn * Wyatt * Wynne * X * Xoan * Y * Yael * Z * Zion https://www.popsugar.com/family/Gender-Neutral-Baby-Names-34485564?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

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holdmytesseract · 2 years

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One Thousand and One Nights - Preview

Jonathan Pine x OFC

I lived inside a cage for almost all my life. Always sailing on the course, which was foreseen for me. Never once stepped out of line. I lived my life like others wanted me to live it. How my father wanted. How my husband wanted. He reprogrammed me, made me believe, that my duty as a wife was to do whatever he wanted me to do. Love unfortunately wasn’t a long participant of the game. At first, yes. Everything felt real. Perfect. I never thought this would turn sour so fast… The dream suddenly became a nightmare. But stepping out of line was no option. I was trapped – and I learned to live with that. I thought I’d never experience what it meant to feel real, true love… Until Cairo happened… Until he happened…

Starring...

Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine

Indiana Evans as Riley Arison

And Tom Hardy as Phil Arison

a/n: Guys, it's time… I am about to start posting the very first series I wrote! I have absolutely no idea how to do this, but I'll make it. 😂 Let me tell you, this is amazing! I am very excited! I started to write this over a year ago. It took me a long time to finish it, BUT all the time I spent writing this was worth it. I love this story a lot - and I hope you'll love it as much as I do! Not that I don't love all my series and one shots I've written so far, but this one is somehow special.

Now… I'd be very happy if somebody joins Jonathan and Riley on their journey. :) I think I am probably even going to add a taglist to this, so… Just let me know! I don't know yet when I am going to post the chapters. I think I am just going to do it, when I have time for it, but we'll see!

Also, please go easy on me. ^^ Like I said, this is my first series I am going to post here and share with you, so... To scrape all my courage together and do this took a lot of effort, because I am a tiny bit insecure...

#jonathan pine x oc #tom hiddleston fanfiction #tom hiddleston characters #the night manager #jonathan pine fanfiction #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston x fem!reader #tom hiddleston imagine #tom hiddleston one shot #tom hiddleston x y/n #tom hiddleston x you

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dotcie · 8 months

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— BAD DOG. [2]

》 PAIRING: simon 'ghost' riley x f!oc 》 NOTES: taglist is open! please let me know if you want to be added or removed. 》 WARNINGS: 18+ | MDNI | hair pulling 》 CHAPTER: 3.9k | 2/? [masterlist] | AO3

Before she met Laswell, Jane did media monitoring for the DISA.

It paid well for a job straight out of undergrad. Had reasonable hours, pleasant enough colleagues. She commuted the twenty minutes from her shitty apartment in Kingman Park to the Pentagon—arrived at seven forty-five with a cream cheese bagel and a skim milk latte. Wrote reports, emails, and memos. Hours and hours of political speeches, barking rifles, and screaming civilians ingrained in her brain.

''Like a fucked up collage of the human greed for oil and retribution,'' she once called it over an almost empty espresso martini. Condensation pearled off the glass's rim and pooled on the table of an overpriced speakeasy bar, so unimpressive it was not worth remembering its name. Her questionable Tinder date had been late, his small-talk rather boring; No, she didn't like her job. Who ever did? But rent was expensive in DC, and Jane had student loans, expensive taste, and maybe eight hundred dollars in her checking account.

She covered newsstreams out of Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan. Iraq, and Yemen. Algeria. Libya.

Ate lunch at her desk—usually a salad and a protein bar, four busy screens in front of her.

Had meetings with Cairo, Beirut, Amman, Baghdad, Sana'a, Algiers, and Tripoli.

She joined the white-collar crowd on their evening run around the Mall after work. From the Capitol steps to the Lincoln Memorial, around the reflecting pool. Two times, sometimes three. Always depending on the restlessness that hummed in her bones and tingled in her fingertips.

Jane shoved her damp hair up with a clip and hopped on the blue metro line afterwards; sweaty and breathless, body humming with spent energy. She stopped at Whole Foods on her way home; bought dinner-for-one and a four-pack of sugar free Redbull. Put on noise canceling headphones without listening to anything on her way home—spying into warm lit windows and other people's lives.

She ate in bed, crouched over her Macbook, the TV always set to CNN. She practiced Arabic. Scrolled through subreddits about zero-day exploits, but never commented on them. Went to bed late, woke up early. Got up the next day and did it all over again.

Washington is a big city, in a big country, in a big world, and nothing ever changed. Jane just sat in her gunny-covered cubicle and watched whole cities crumble to dust like sandcastles. The local newspapers only covered a watered-down version of the turmoil overseas, but the mental images were always in the back of her head—no matter how loud she turned the TV.

It's all part of a grand plan, she told herself. Just another rung on the ladder, an essential middle-step in her career. It was comfortable and disturbing. Exciting enough, but nothing impactful.

Nothing with an edge.

The job had a sky-high turnover; a bad impact on employees. Turns out, swallowing the documentation of invasions, and civil wars, and an endless flow of American exceptionalism was only manageable for a couple of months. Jane became miserable and angry. Tired and strung-out. When handing in her two-weeks notice without a back-up plan, her supervisor accepted the neatly printed note with tired eyes and an annoyed flick of the wrist.

Her therapist blamed her sense of weightlessness for everything she did afterwards: the thrill-seeking, the risk-taking. All her screw-ups in pursuit of sticking her fingers in better pies. When the agency sent her to the embassy in Urzikstan, Jane canceled her rent-controlled apartment lease early and donated most of her belongings to the Habitat For Humanity in Capitol Hill. Burning the boats, she called it.

For months, no one could get a hold of her.

Analyst positions for counter-terrorism overseas will chew you up and spit out your bones, a friend in the IOC had warned her. Jane was up for it anyway—of course she was. She had witnessed a few horrendous things through screens in Washington, but nothing compared to the situation in Sakhra. Like most soul-crushing things in life, it all wasn't real until it was.

The first time she experienced the ruthlessness of the real world, a local contractor whose family was killed by American soldiers blew up half a base with some DIY C4. 12 soldiers dead, 24 injured. If not for Laswell yanking her into the shadows behind a M1A2 when panic erupted, she would have been trampled to death under the burning afternoon sun.

Instead, Jane heaved, and coughed, then sank to the dusty ground with ringing ears. Kate towered over her with a drawn P890, yelling all-too-calmly over the wailing of sirens: You have twenty seconds to get it together.

They made her take time off two years later, after a black site she was stationed at suffered another, similar attack. Jane was resentful of it, but she wanted to keep her clearance, so she left with the next supply plane and said what she needed to say to pass the psych evaluation.

She considered moving back into her grandparents ranch in Arizona. Maybe traveling through Europe, starting a new hobby (rock climbing, pottery, crocheting); but there was no real drive or push behind it. Instead, she bled in secret. Fucked strangers on her frameless king-size mattress and worked out too much in her unfurnished apartment. She got offers; a few private-sector contracts she knew she couldn't entertain. Jane wanted to stick it out with the agency—and Laswell. Especially with Laswell.

The first question Shepherd asked her when she stepped into his office was if she had any family; a partner, kids, siblings. Parents to take care of. The General asked bluntly, but Jane was used to force as the most efficient method to get answers.

She had spent three years interrogating Al-Qatala members and contacts. Trading money, safety, and threats for intelligence. Sleeping through the sound of gunfire, bystanding interrogations, interpreting intelligence, and snooping in places Americans aren't supposed to. Jane had left her old life behind and dove head-first into a tunnel vision.

No. She had no one.

When saying it out loud she almost sounded proud.

Working for the General is different. Non-official cover work for SAD intel suits her better—scratches a certain itch, too. Like finally tasting blood after biting your tongue for years.

Laswell has been helpful, the additional training too; but nothing ever prepared her for the void between long-term missions. When the work is done and restlessness returns in weird jet-lagged hours of the fading days. When there are no objectives to sink her teeth into. No foreign streets to roam under false identities. No predictions to be made, no strings to pull.

She's stuck in Iceland now, attending debrief after debrief. Her target is dead, the missile prototypes returned to the lab, but that isn't enough. They want to know everything. First the higher-ups at the Headquarters, then the Senate Intelligence Committee. They want the process. The months of searching, the people involved, the rules she broke.

She did a good job, she got what she wanted, but she is part of Shepherd's system now, and he didn't approve of her moving forward with the operation.

Since she returned to the lab, he hadn't answered any of her calls.

Ghost is nothing but a silhouette in the low light of the crescent moon; sitting against a weathered wall of heavy concrete, a half-burned cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. Insects batter against a naked lightbulb overhead—the light orange and warm against the dark of night, casting long, unproportionate shadows over the smoking area.

The sky hangs bruised and stormy over Vatnajökull, a million stars dotting the night. It's quarter to one, and the grounds of 102 are deadly still—so still, that the sound of a nearby metal door opening and closing shut remind him of gunshots piercing through the air.

Years ago, he would have flinched at the sound, but there is not much left that startles Simon Riley anymore.

Jane tips her head back in annoyance as she steps outside, cradling her phone between ear and shoulder. ''Listen—,'' she scolds into it, patting the outside of her clothes for the pack of cigarettes she bought from one of the kitchen workers yesterday. ''Louise, right? Louise, with all due respect—''

She takes a deep breath of restraint when she finds nothing but a crumbled straw wrapper in the pockets of her leather jacket. Sharp words spill on the other end of the line, and she squeezes her eyes shut, pinches the bridge of her nose. ''I'm not going to argue with some mid-level bureaucrat, get him on the phone— No, no, you listen! I need a black passport, don't— Fuck—''

Jane's grip on the iPhone loosens with the sound of a disconnected call echoing blatantly against her ear. Simon can hear her mutter a spool of curses, the sound of gravel screeching under her feet, and how all sound seizes as she pauses at the sight of him.

The smoking area is dimly lit, but there's no mistaking the broad-shouldered figure with the cramped up skull mask looming in the corner of the building. Simon appeared in her sight so suddenly, so unexpectedly, that Jane would not be surprised if he materialized out of thin air. It would suit him; Ghost that he is.

Smoke pools out of the soldier's mouth, the balaclava pulled up to his nose; exposing a sharp chin with a shadow of stubble forming its way up a jaw set tight. He is hunched over, his elbows digging into his thighs. He doesn't look up to see that the expression on her face is one of mute surprise, or that her eyes narrow at the sight of him.

''Thought you'd be gone already,'' she calls over, lounging near the door she slipped out of.

''Change of plans,'' he returns easy and low, eyes glued to the book in his calloused hands.

It's only been a few days, but his voice is as deep and as resonant as Jane remembers; it fills the air and makes her blood rush with the mental images of his fingertips digging into her skin.

There's always a certain quietness after she's been fucked good—the world stands still for a moment, and it helps to quench the thirst, to fill the void.

Jane needs to hold something in her arms sometimes. Something unattainable and distant. Something unwise. Something like him.

''Mind if I bum one?'' She nods to the lit cigarette between his scarred fingers, stepping closer.

For a split second, she thinks he's going to ignore her—then he dog-ears the page he was reading and abandons the book onto his lap.

Simon looks up all casually and unfazed, shakes his head.

''Last one,'' he says, half-lidded stare fixed on her in that particular Ghost sort-of-way. The way he always gets when you rip out the half-assed social niceties and expose the weirdo underneath.

Jane exhales through her nose, leaning against a pole holding up the roof. The urge for frustration refuses to be ignored, so she buckles, comments: ''Of course,'' like she's taking notes on the irony of it all.

''Stop pondering, will ya?'' Inhaling another mouthful of tar, Simon stretches out along the bench, crossing his booted feet at the ankles. The set of dog tags around his neck clink together when he scratches the underside of his chin. "No point in gettin' all antsy."

She shoots him a cold, hard look for it—the one that makes his blood sing, makes him remember the expression in her eyes when she told him she wanted her target dead.

''Thank you, Simon, for your unsolicited wisdom.''

The subtle fuck you isn't boarded in her voice, but it throbs under every word of hers. He doesn't bother scolding her for saying his name again, but the bitter taste of disapproval sure does coat his tongue. He's not foolish enough to argue with her when she's like this; all gutted and pent-up. Ready to hiss, bite, and lunge at his throat.

The familiarity of it all stirs something up in him. For a moment, Ghost almost believes that it's sympathy, maybe—or at least a pinch of pity. A distant part of his mind remembers the dogged woman he faced when they first met; working out of a one-room shithole in a broken-down, brutalist apartment building somewhere in the Balkans. Reviewing surveillance logs, transcripts, and maps in shorts and a sports bra because the AC was utter rubbish. He recalls her hunched figure and unwashed hair as she worked out of the tiny living room—the space a mess of cables and empty microwave meals, her tech always charging. Her curtains always closed, dust dancing in the beams of light that crept their way inside.

Two days after the exfil, he barely recognized her anymore; with fresh clothes, twelve-hours of sleep, and hair neatly cut to a shoulder-length. It was like meeting a stranger, a whole different woman. He was certain, then, that the only way out for her was the same as his: leaving rotten and zipped up in a body bag.

Simon holds his half-smoked cigarette out to her, and she lets her head roll to consider the silent peace-offer. Her expression bleeds into something less angry in the face of him, and she hates that it makes him snort in response.

Jane gives him the illusion of thinking it over before breaking away from her frozen stance and closing the distance between them. She takes the stub, and sinks onto the wooden bench next to him.

''Thanks.'' — ''Mhmh.''

Even with some distance between them, Simon towers over her. He doesn't make a sound, doesn't attempt to embarrass himself with comforting words and distracting small-talk. He's quiet—a man of few words and fewer smiles—but that's what drew her to him in the first place. There's caution behind his eyes, and his words are always cleaved off at the knee. A person weathered and hardy. A man who, just like her, has seen things most wouldn't even believe.

They both fall quiet passing the cigarette back and forth, and for a moment he thinks that the conversation has faded out completely. Simon's eyes return to the book in his lap, trying to find the spot where he left off before she interrupted him, but—

''Do you think I went too far?'' Jane keeps her eyes forward, burying her free hand in the left pocket of her jacket.

Simon hums in response, dark and low. ''Doesn't matter what I think,'' he says in a way that makes it clear he believes it, too.

''But you are somewhat capable of forming opinions, yeah?''

It coaxes a half-huff, half-laugh from him. He gets it. Logically, he gets it. Everybody is somebody's dog, hanging onto a leash; but he's military, and he much prefers to not comment on any of it.

''You ignored authority,'' he starts, then pauses. ''Whether or not it was worth it, all y'can do now is handle the repercussions.''

''That's not an answer.'' Two dimples appear on either side of Jane's frown as she tucks some loose strands of hair behind her ears and leans forward. ''Forget I even—''

''I think," he interrupts calmly, but stern, ''that your self-doubt won't help you.''

Jane keeps her gaze flat, level. Perhaps if she mimics the face of apathy, Simon won't be able to see that she's hanging onto every word of his. What he says resonates; a quiet truth echoing through the air between them. The regret in her chest strikes like a bomb and for a moment, she fears the possibility of Shepherd cutting her TS/SCI clearance once and for all. She's been ignoring the thought, avoiding any evidence of worry that could shape her suspicions into something tangible, something real.

''Just thinking ahead'' she says quietly, scuffing her boot against the pavement below. "Little catastrophizing, worst-case-scenario planning."

"Doomsday prepping?" He offers and gets a little smile for that.

His chest tightens at the sight, an aching warmth interweaving his thoughts with sympathy. He looks away then, trying to collect himself. Seeking control, reaching for reason. Better judgment. Something else.

Jane studies his side profile for a moment, and Simon suddenly feels like she's too close, too comfortable in his presence. It's only a split second, the length of a heartbeat, but it's enough for Jane to take in the way he blinks his intrusive thoughts away.

''Why are you still here, anyway?'' She asks in a change of tone, plucking the cigarette from his fingers.

''Taking a break,'' he drawls, words dripping slowly as molasses from his mouth. There is no further explanation offered, no words wasted on reasons or truths. Simon blinks languidly, his lips pressing together as he closes his book for good.

''Because of Soap?'' There's an off-tone in her voice. ''I thought he is getting better already?"

Simon exhales roughly. ''No,'' he says with a lazy shrug. ''Yes.''

It's short and curt, but she doesn't let his vague hostility deter her. Jane just stares at him, impatience reflecting in her eyes, and he's not used to it; all the questions, the curiosity.

''Do you know,'' he continues slowly, taking the cigarette back to keep his hands busy, ''the number of classifications and regulations I'd have to ignore to tell you shite like this?''

It's easier than admitting that he failed his psych evaluation for a second time in three years.

Price is doing the paperwork for him, because they apparently want to negotiate some kind of terms for him. No rumors, no records, no further questions asked. Simon would be mad about it, if he wasn't so bloody tired.

It's been years of regaining control and gripping bloody bathroom sinks. Endless hours of running, shooting, yelling over comms, and saving Johnny from the stupid, stupid shit he gets up to when nobody's there to keep an eye out for him. Simon is not a reckless man—at least not when he doesn't let his rage blind him—but you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

He's not sure why he hasn't been able to admit to himself that his life has been nothing but fear, rage, vigilance, wanting, and searching, wanting, and never finding what eases the pain.

He knows that Price goes back to a Rosewood desk with whisky and cigars in the upper right drawer, before driving home to a house and a woman that were once his. Laswell has a wife named June and a flourishing garden waiting at home. Gaz goes back to a two-bedroom flat in London, decorated by a girl he met during the siege of the U.S. embassy in Urzikstan. Simon doesn't have anywhere to be—nobody's waiting for him—so he stays. For Soap, he tells himself, and everyone who's paid to listen.

The Scot's injuries happened under his watch, so he might as well play messenger for his moms, sisters and one-thousand nephews until he can travel back home. It's what a good Lieutenant does. It's what Price would do.

''Alright,'' Jane says cold, flatly. ''It's none of my business anyway.''

She declines the last drag of the cigarette when Simon offers it to her, and he can't help but feel like he's been rude; like he just ruined something delicate. A particular flavor of guilt clings to the underside of his tongue, and he's willing to answer whatever her next question might be in order to make it up to her.

He stubs out the cigarette, and it takes a moment or two before he realizes that his guilt is the reason she gave in so quickly in the first place.

''I'm not gonna tell ya,'' he says, prompting a smile to tug at the corners of her mouth; like she doesn't fully believe it, but is willing to play along.

He is too exhausted to not condemn her for it, so he covers himself in heavy silence. Simon doesn't break eye contact, doesn't move—his dark glance intervenes with the amusement in her eyes, and when the quiet stretches on for too long, her eyes dart to his exposed lips shamelessly.

''Anyone ever tell ya' to mind yer' own business, Spade?''

It coaxes a genuine laugh out of her. Simon is not sure he's ever heard her laugh before; the way the sound bubbles out of her throat, limpid and clear, and then almost turns into a snort.

''I like you,'' she says pointedly, with purpose.

"You're just bored.'' — ''And you aren't?"

Simon remains silent, and the glint in her glance grows bright, pinning. Like she just learned a secret; an inside joke.

It's unhealthy, this habit she's developed of digging her fingers in his wounds. She feels like a parasite trying to crawl under his skin, and she should probably feel far more ashamed of how much she enjoys the thrill of it.

She has heard the stories, of course. The legends about the masked, faceless man; the perfect soldier, the silent killer. Everyone affiliated with Shepherd or Shadow Company in the slightest is aware of Ghosts' reputation, and Jane had been curious to meet the man. Dead-eyed, mass of muscle. A walking depiction of death.

The warning signs about him are written in blood, telltale stories, and that half-lidded stare of his; Stay away, they say. Keep your distance.

''Don't—,'' he starts with the exhaustive sort of contempt: the kind that says he is tired and bored of this tedious game. ''Don't look at me like that.''

Jane bats her eyelashes at him. ''Like what?''

''Like you want something from me.''

''Maybe I do—''

"You don't,'' he interrupts, tongue like a blade. ''All bark no bite, last time I fucked you.''

In some twisted ways, his fury excites her. The insistence on his dominance, too, and Jane laughs out loud at words that don't sting. She's practiced; chin tipped up, meeting his disapproving stare with a smirk.

''You ever let anyone kiss you, Lieutenant?''

He looks away, hisses through his teeth in frustration. ''That what you want?''

''I think,'' Jane retorts in a tone both cruel and tender, ''you want it, too.''

The hard look in his eyes lets something uncurl in her. Something satisfied, something real.

''You do,'' she says again, and then he's on her; hand tangled in her hair, pulling her close. His grip on her scalp is not gentle, nothing about him is, and she smiles—shows teeth—at the broad display of it.

Simon stares at her for a long moment, a frustrated hum forming at the back of his throat. She can feel his breath on her face. Almost hears the whir of the wheels turning in his head; calculating, calibrating.

''You don't know what you're getting yourself into,'' he finally says, loosening his grip.

''I've done worse,'' she spits out, pulling away.

It happens somewhere between her leaning back and him not wanting her to. It happens and it's familiar, and new all at once; the way he stops her from turning away, pulls her closer by a fist of hair. He kisses her like he does everything else: a little cocky, a little mean. Their teeth clack together, and Simon kisses Jane long and searching—like he was waiting for it to happen.

Like he means it.

》 Previous Part | Next Part 》 Masterlist.

》 Tag-list: @devcica @glitterypirateduck @queen-ilmaree @widemiffyhappy @cathnoneofyourbusiness

#simon ghost riley #simon riley x f!oc #cod fanfiction #mw2 #simon riley fanfic #simon riley call of duty #ghost mw2 #ghost cod #ghost call of duty #call of duty modern warfare 2 #cod mw2 #Simon Riley smut #ghost smut #call of duty mwii #simon riley x oc #call of duty #simon ghost riley x f!oc #simon ghost riley x oc #cod mw3

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mariaaxescallop · 3 years

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excuse me? is this- is this a picture of riley and cairo? from when they were happy little kids together???

that's enough i'm crying

#riley williams #cairo adekoya #we are the tigers #riley watt #cairo watt #watt musical #riley X cairo #yes i was paying attention to riley's furniture #because why not #why not suffer more

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sapph0sfriend · 3 years

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I’m obsessed with them

#We are the tigers #watt #Cairo watt #Riley watt #cheerwives #Cairo x Riley #Riley x Cairo

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kiwisandcoconutspt2 · 3 months

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Messy sketchbook Cailey? Cheerwives? idk but i’m obsessed with them 😭

I take requests btdubs 👀

#fanart #musical fanart #my art #riley williams #watt fanart #we are the tigers #we are the tigers cairo #we are the tigers fanart #we are the tigers musical #watt #grrr #cheerwives #riley x cairo #cailey

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whatever-color-of-the-rainbow · 3 months

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Riley: Good things do happen, Cai.

Cairo: Not in my experience.

#riley williams #riley we are the tigers #riley watt #cairo we are the tigers #cairo watt #cheerwives #cairo x riley #riley x cairo #we are the tigers #watt #we are the tigers musical #watt musical #we are the tigers incorrect quotes #watt incorrect quotes

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behold-the-brave-battalion-17 · 1 year

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Kate: Chess, I’m sad.

Chess: *holds arms open for a hug* It’s going to be okay.

Riley: Cai, I’m sad.

Cairo, nodding: Mood.

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rileyisawattflower · 3 years

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Cheerwives kiss theory!

As Preston said, it was near the end I think during wallflower reprise, I think that Cairo felt guilty for leaving Riley and allowing her to struggle that much that she killed someone.

I think Cairo kissed her before leaving for the final time, as a final “I love you, I’m sorry I let this happen”

And yes this idea breaks me because Riley saw it as hope that Cairo would come back to her and help her rebuild her life, and Cairo had to leave her, despite saying she’d always be on Riley’s team.

That was her departure from that team, and a symbol of her starting a new one...the finale tigers.

#we are the tigers #watt #preston max allen #riley williams #cairo adekoya #cairo watt #riley watt #rileyisawattflower #cairo x riley #riley x cairo #cheerwives #help I broke my own heart

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intothewickedwood · 10 months

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Tagged by @priscilla9993 via my blog @wicked-storybrooke. Thank you so much!

Three favorite ships: My top 3 pretty much stay the same, so I'll say some newer/more obscure ones.

Holy Ghost from Starkid's Nerdy Prudes Must Die - Grace wants to get rid of Max because she's attracted to him and unmarried, and he called her bath water dirty girl soup in her fantasies. He dies due to her actions (debatable if that was her intention) and becomes a vengeful ghost who wants to kill nerdy prudes- which should include Grace but doesn't because he likes her. A match in only the buck wild things starkid could come up with a.k.a. heaven <3

Claire x William from Stay (2017) - I know, I know. There relationship is messed up. I kinda ship them, I kinda want her to kick his ass. But this is what happens when you watch Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas on repeat as a kid and think it's the main film. I like twisted dynamics in fiction. It's interesting to explore.

Cairo x Riley from We Are the Tigers Musical - I may have mentioned them before in one of these tag games. I am still obsessed with We Are the Tigers and can't stop watching and listening to it. I still wanna do an in-depth analysis of all the characters but omg "Wallflower" is so interesting, especially now I know it's canon that Cairo had a crush on Riley at some point. She took Riley under her wing from a young age. They've been best friends since, but they're totally co-dependent. Cairo feels like she has to protect Riley and her image because she can't mentally handle stress and it's pretty obvious she can't. But she thinks Riley owes everything to her and that Riley would be nothing without her. But Riley equally knows she needs Cairo and kinda hates that, trying to elevate her status so she'll feel less dependent on Cairo. If Riley's plan was to kill everyone disrupting the team then Cairo maybe should have been the first person on her list because she antagonised the most people, but Riley never even entertained that idea until she had completely broken down because she needs Cairo and knows she would do anything for her. She's even seems to be jealous of any partner Cairo has. It's so unhealthy. I love it! *heart eyes* xD. I will never be over the utter heartbreak shown on Cairo's face when she finds out what Riley did.

First ship: I can't remember for sure but I think it was Cinderella x Prince Christopher from Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella 1997. I used to watch that movie a lot as a kid. It was one of my favourite movies growing up and still is. I'm so excited that they'll be returning in Descendents 4. I still can't believe it. Cried happy tears when I found out. And they had a kid!

Last movie: Stay (2017). I just found it 2 weeks ago and I am a little (okay, a lot) obsessed. Highly recommend if you like psychological stuff like me. It's a feature-length indie film about a man holding a woman captive in hopes that in time she will fall in love with him. It has some clear Beauty and the Beast symbolism and is kinda a twisted version. Dude gave me a lot of Jefferson vibes. Things didn't get...umm... explicitly sexual between the characters, which I found refreshing in a movie like this. But yeah, I'm very obsessed and I wish there was a fandom for it.

youtube

Currently reading: I pretty much exclusively listen to audiobooks due to reading difficulties, but Charlie Bone and the Hall of Mirrors, Keeper of the Lost Cities: Exile and I just finished Fraternity by Andy Mientus. I've been a fan of his from his musical theatre career and I was pleasantly surprised he was such a fantastic writer. The book is wonderfully queer and supernatural and set in the 90s with an engaging storyline and characters. I couldn't recommend enough. One of the best books I've ever listened too.

Currently watching: Rewatching Let's Play Witches by Hatsy on youtube for the first time in years. It's probably the most engaging sims 4 let's plays I've seen. It has really creative world-building. Agatha is the loml and her speaking voice is indescribably unique and beautiful.

Rewatching That's So Raven with my Mum. We need a laugh right now and this show never fails to get us cackling.

Once Upon a Time season 5 with a rewatch group! Has been very fun watching the show with them. Makes season 5 not as bad as I usually find it.

I've been wanting to watch other things but I've been so fussy lately. Everything that peaks my interest ends up going down the road of horror and/or graphic violence, which is not fun for me at all. So if anyone has any recs lmk! I like psychological, musical, supernatural or superhero (not too keen on Marvel stuff, unless it's X-Men related).

Currently eating: Nothing right now but the last thing I had was a nacho bean veggie burger for breakfast. It was calling to me.

Currently craving: Sleep, lol. Puppy parenting is rewarding but, oh gee, Sarai is a little rebel. Love her, but by golly do miss sleep. RIP to every sock in the house also lol

And freedom from these huge-ass, thick spiders that keep breaking and entering. Please grant this wish, oh tag game gods.

This got long but it was fun to ramble!

Tagging: @darkpoisonouslove @emmaswcns @lizardthelizard @lacebird @emilyrox @believingispowerfulmagic and anyone else who wants to. But no pressure to do it!

#tag game #that's so raven #stay #stay 2017 #rodger's and hammerstein's cinderella 1997 #r&h cinderella #we are the tigers spoilers #watt spoilers #npmd spoilers #Youtube #am*

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