gloria's cool date idea: a fucking nap and you pretend like she didn't drool on you a little bit cause she's comfortable with you.
❝ you’re gonna lose a finger if you don’t get outta my sight right now. ❞ // frank @weaponid
of course, frank would show up like this. LIKE A THREAT, like a memory she hadn’t invited but couldn’t forget. gloria doesn't flinch, she never does. not for violence, not for men like frank, and certainly not for words spat like warning shots. but still, there’s a shift in posture, a tension strung too tightly in her spine, her jaw locked up. the man was smart enough, at least reading the tone far from idle in the promise of action. he walked off with a bruised ego and utterance of a half-assed apology in his wake. gloria doesn't watch him go; her eyes are on frank. ❛ fuck sakes, frank, you don't get to do that! ❜
her palm is firm, flat against his chest and pushing back on the immovable force. she'd gotten good jabs in before, but there was no need to cast a larger spotlight on them. and she presses into that rage humming inside him, steps in rhythm and away from prying eyes and forming bodies around the commotion. the part of herself that still aches for him wrestles with the anger towards that feeling. past bone and marrow, cutting into her dna and whatever the empty sky deemed sufficient for a soul. it all stirs beneath her ribcage, something that wants to remember instead of survive on scraps. ❛ you can't threaten everyone that breathes near me, you don't have that kind of privilege. ❜
❛ you can't let other peoples opinions get in the way of what you want especially because other people suck. ❜
holt & diaz quote starters // @jennifershepard
the gun is still, but her breath isn’t. it slips through clenched TEETH as something she doesn’t trust herself to name. her eyes don’t waver and that’s the only thing that doesn’t betray her. everything else, every muscle, every nerve ending is listening to him. his words coil around her like smoke in a sealed room; thick, unrelenting, poisonous and holy.
he stands in front of her like a revenant. a memory reanimated into something hungrier, rougher but not gone, and maybe that was her penance for unearthing what should have stayed dead. she watches the way he leans into the barrel, like he’s inviting annihilation. like he already knows she won’t give it to him.
and that’s what tips her.
gloria moves before thought, a surge of instinct and history. rage, ache, and hunger burn under her skin like shrapnel hitting a nerve. she lifts her hand, the barrel close enough now that it kisses his chin at the juncture between flesh and mask. she knows he'll find her and haunt her, and she will let him in every single time.
❛ you’re right. i don’t want control and i don't need permission either. ❜ her voice serrated, low and trembling with something that has nothing to do with fear. her free hand curls in his shirt, dragging him tighter against her. she wants to feel the pulse of him and plead to the man beneath.
❛ and you, what about you, querido? ❜ she leaned in, her nose brushed his mask, mouth hovering at the edge of his jaw, and then so suddenly. CLICK — that's all it was: an empty game of roulette she never loaded. a sound so deafening despite being so small. She pulls back just enough to look at him, really look at him. ❛ i could always see you, you know. all that hurt i could sink my teeth into like you tore into mine. ❜
she holds a beat like she's unhinging her maw. ❛ but you’re wrong about one thing ❜ a push off his frame, empty clip snapped out of the pistol, and the entirety falls to the ground. her eyes don't leave him, emotions too deep to remain buried and twice as volatile as the heart on her sleeve. ❛ i don’t want to pretend i’m better than you. i want to believe i wasn’t always just like you, but we both know that's not true, don't we? ❜
🔫 [ something tells me it's fucked up but hot though? the one time she can't pull the trigger but should. 🫦 ]
POINT A GUN AT MY MUSE PROMPT. | @waruins
that barrel's not cold. that is what gloria doesn't realize. it's not trembling in her grip. but he can feel the hesitation affecting her. and jigsaw? he feeds on that.
it's not wanton glee or the mockery you'd get from an overperforming circus clown. he has a hunger that lives in the marrow of his bones. the version of him before wouldn't flinch. neither would the one that came back from the mirror.
❝ now this—this is the good part. ❞ his voice scrapes out. it's rusted and sharp, like heavy metal dragged across the asphalt. there's a twisted reverence that overrode any delight or scorn he might have derived from his grim circumstances.
his devilish audacity compels him to tempt his fate and step closer. to dare her finger to twitch against the trigger because he invaded her space now, in her head, and still—he’s unafraid of death.
❝ oh, go on. ❞ the virtually masked eyes flick to the muzzle that was ready to bark at any second. he wonders what dark whispers it put in her head to make her believe this was the right move. ❝ do it. i’d let you. right here. right now! permission to kill, soldier! ❞
the mask covers the jagged and lopsided grin. it shields her from the ruin, but not the dark dare. his head cocks, wolfish, a second away from acting on the impulse to tear into her for the cowardice alone.
❝ i think you want me close. i think you want me to bleed for you. break for you. and maybe even burn you a little and call it worship. ❞ he says it like it was a secret passed between their sinner selves of a previous life. a gospel carved into the wall of some brig.
❝ i think this little gun? ain’t punishment. it’s one of our fucked up foreplays. ❞ because it felt familiar. it seemed like some shit he'd be into with a girl like her in his past. his hand lifts slowly—measured, not threatening—fingers brushing against the side of the coal-black barrel like he’s petting it. like it's her hair. his thumb grazes the slide, the tension point of unceremonious death, and he sighs like he's tasted the most exquisite dish for his last day on earth.
❝ you don’t want control, gloria. you want permission. you want to see what you are when you stop pretending you're better than me. as if we didn't fly the same colors for our country. ❞ his other hand reaches—not to her, but to his own chest. he taps it once. twice. thrice. firm. he leans in and whispers rot in her ear:
❝ squeeze the trigger. i’ll still come back for you, gloria. even if you break me. even if you kill me. i'll crawl outta hell and find you, sweetheart. ❞ then—he steps back. but it's barely an inch away. it's enough to see her beautiful trepidation in her eyes. enough to see if his words led to them softening or hardening. jigsaw grins again.
❝ now what’s it gonna be, angel? you gonna make uncle sam proud? or are you scared it’ll feel too fucking good? ❞
she doesn't waste another glance on the brewing storm. she'd spent enough years tending the aftermath of ego; split lips, shattered knuckles, the kind of hurt that clings long after the blood dries. the pressure built from years of silence and pushing war down your throat because it's not man enough to admit it's there. so the marines punch the Green Berets and the SEALS knock both of them to the ground. on and on, like all traditions of broken systems and the bodies they leave behind. it’s an old but familiar ache now, a quiet grief for how easily people throw themselves into ruin, knowing there's nothing she could do to stop it.
❛ smart. ❜ once, she might have stayed. might have tilted her chin up and thrown herself into the fray out of pride or stubbornness, to prove she could survive. it's almost worse knowing she can. worse, even that she might have tried to if she had felt the spark of violence gather close enough to the surface. gloria was grateful for lizzie's presence. a tether to the femininity the former combat medic nurtures within herself as though it might undo every terrible act.
❛ not just that, i have a bottle of zacapa if you think you can handle it. ❜ it's a gentle nudge of words, limbs slipping into her jacket, purse tucked high beneath her arm. gloria bids the rabble behind, leading out the door.
lizzie dons a mask of careful ambivalence, holding the brewing fight in her peripheral as her sights languidly cycle: her present company, her empty glass, the fine lace of condensation wound along its surface. a tattered slice of lime sits at the bottom, sprawled over half-melted ice. she prods at it with the end of her straw, quietly indignant of the acuteness of her awareness so deep into the night, but she avoids the bartender’s eye. tries to stifle the way she stiffens as egos swell, boisterous voices teasing the bounds of violence. she knows this game. could, theoretically, understand its basest appeal: the thrill of a fight projected. life rendered in adrenaline bursts and broken skin. finds herself, suddenly, inwardly, grateful gloria doesn’t seem to share in this interest.
“not much of a gambler.” only in the company she keeps, if murmurs were to be believed— diluting their business to the simple whim of gangsters and murderers. as if she were any better. but, stealing another glance over her shoulder, lips pursing in careful assessment, lizzie inclined to agree. with a little over a foot of difference between them, they weren’t exactly entering on even odds.
“yeah?” she smiles at @medicbled's choice of word, obnoxious, shouldering her purse in silent acceptance.
🌶️ SC // @pittmade
weight of the day collapsing on her. days, really, the last twenty-four hours lay over her as a shroud, a haunting in the shape of a double shift. the door closes, and she leans against it, sharp inhale, and the ghost of someone’s last breath is still stuck in her throat. the scent of divinity lingers in the air from his cooking, the sterile horrors fade with the warmth of home. by all accounts, she should eat, she should sleep, she should tuck this grief against the cage of her chest for another time. it's not enough, it's not the kind of sustenance she needs to survive right now. she needs more, she needs real, she needs him. gloria sought out jack like a sinner pines for redemption.
she didn't say anything, didn't have the words. she just reached — hands fisting into his shirt, dragging him down to her. she kissed him like she wanted to tear the breath out of him, like regular oxygen wasn't enough to keep her lungs satiated. fingertips gliding through silver speckled curls, gentle urgency that builds within her, begging for reprieve. between their lips, she breaks with a sundering force and jagged breath.❛ i don't want to think. ❜ forehead falling against his as she clung to him like he was the only reason she could face it all again. ❛ just need you inside me. ❜
15. bookcase. // HC @owestwind
BOOKSHELVES// she has a habit, a collection that rivals her record one. two points in her home have dedication to her literature. - a corner in her living room and a good portion of her bedroom. every single book is one she's read at least once before and there are favourites she revisits often. many copies that have seen combat and deployments and gotten her through difficult times. she's a fast, thorough reader and her taste varies, but this is a little snippet of some of her favourites.
Breeding Kink?
WHAT HAPPENED TO HELLO, HOW ARE YOU? MY NAME IS ....HELLLLLOOO?..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................yeah though.
❛ fucking hit me already. ❜ / frank ! @weaponid
gloria doesn't ask if he means it. she watches him like she’s trying to see past the skin and into the marrow where all that rage lives coiled and choking. watches him like the cornered fox minds the rabid hound. she knows he means it; pain has always been an open door between them. her hand twitches at her side, she swallows down barbed wire and the fucked intimacy of it all. she moves fast, sharp, her fist colliding with his face in a clean, brutal arc. there’s no hesitation behind it, no apology. honesty ruptures and lands with a crack that echoes louder than it should. his head jerks to the side, and for a second, everything holds. suspended and sacred.
she's caught on every hitch in her unsteady cadence of breath. something so much deeper than transactional sadomasochism and ire, because it's never been that simple for them. his skin is hot beneath her palm when she grabs his jaw, dragging his face back to hers. her thumb presses along the red blotch on his cheek, rough and reverent. ❛ that hard enough, frank? did that knock some sense into your fucking head yet? ❜ its a clawed grip behind his neck, the other hand gripping the collar and yanking him closer, foreheads pressed so hard it hurts. her voice breaks against his mouth. ❛ you're broken, i know, and so am i. i don't care how many fucked up pieces of you are left cause i'm going to keep coming back until there's nothing to come back to. ❜
↪ ᵗʰᵉ 𝑫𝑼𝑺𝑻𝒀 𝑻𝑶𝒀𝑩𝑶𝑿 . ( a collection of various unsorted sentence starters . adjust phrasing as necessary . no longer updating . )
why are you here ?
drive . drive fast .
i think we should make an informed decision .
are you coming or not ?
you’ve been avoiding me .
[ name ] , what were you thinking ?
this should be your priority .
let me hold you for a minute .
get out of my way . i won’t tell you again .
that wasn’t supposed to happen .
can you keep a secret ?
i don’t know what i did to deserve you .
you seriously think i could’ve done something like that ?
you’re safe with me .
sorry isn’t good enough .
where is all this coming from ?
who told you about that ?
sorry i’m late , i got caught up .
you’re being paranoid .
why are you looking at me like that ?
you’re the single most important thing to me .
all i’m asking is that you hear me out .
whatever they told you , it’s a lie .
we shouldn’t stick around here .
hold my hand , i don’t want to lose track of you .
[ name ] … truth or dare ?
i love you . nothing’s gonna change that .
can you tell me what happened ?
you can’t come around here anymore .
back off , okay ?
what , you don’t have time for me anymore ?
you’re asking for too much .
i’m trying to start a new life .
what do you mean , you aren’t coming back ?
sometimes i think you must hate me .
why can’t we just talk about this ?
i know i fucked up , you can stop rubbing it in .
you’ve got quite a reputation .
i’m not usually like this , i’m sorry .
please , just let me explain myself .
i love watching you work .
we’re on the same team .
did you ever tell anyone ?
you’ve got a lot of explaining to do .
really funny , you’re very mature .
you call THAT a PLAN ?
can we get out of here ?
i thought things would be different .
this is not up for debate !
do whatever you have to do .
karma’s going to get you for that .
it could’ve been a lot worse .
i asked you to leave me out of this .
maybe it’s time to take a leap of faith .
i never want to see you again .
can you see how many fingers i’m holding up ?
i’m gonna be there when you get what’s coming to you .
you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me .
i’ve been waiting all night for this .
i told you not to contact me .
sometimes i really think you have a death wish .
what do you need ? — what can i do ?
i would do literally anything to keep you safe .
that was supposed to be a secret .
you haven’t called me that in years .
stop telling me to calm down !
we make a pretty good team .
i have so much i want to say to you .
i’m not going to let anyone hurt you .
can we please not do this right now ?
wait , wait … just breathe for a second .
how are you holding up ?
why don’t you stay the night ? i’ll take the couch .
i don’t need your protection !
you’re not making this easier on yourself .
are you going to let me in ?
i’m supposed to be protecting you .
i will kill you if i have to .
do whatever you have to do .
this is going to hurt , i’m sorry .
what happened to you , where have you been ?!
there was nothing you could’ve done .
you’re all i need right now .
i don’t believe in love at first sight .
have you been following me ?
i need you to believe me .
what do you remember ?
i’m not a good person .
what the hell’s going on with you ?
you’re being followed .
just when i thought my day couldn’t be any worse .
i’ve been having weird dreams .
so you’ve been lying to me this whole time ?
are you trying to get us killed ?
this is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me .
i never asked for your help .
you’re being followed , pretend you know me .
why has it started to feel different with you ?
don’t worry , i have a plan .
i heard everything .
do you need to sit down ?
i have the right to know what’s going on .
i’ve just gotta catch my breath .
stay out of my business .
what did you think was going to happen ?!
don’t cause a scene .
tell me something about you that i don’t know .
can i buy you a drink ?
what if … we played spin the bottle ?
this was never a problem until [ name ] came around .
you can’t ask me to make that choice .
are you seeing anyone right now ?
i need you to listen to me , we don’t have long .
you’re lying , that doesn’t make any sense .
you look … stunning .
what are you trying to prove ?
who died and made you the boss of me ?
you can’t just show up here like this .
let me make it up to you .
there’s no way i’m leaving you like this .
can we stay like this ? just for a little longer .
i don’t need you to fight for me .
so … you lied to me ?
you’re the only one that can help me .
i can’t help you if you won’t let me .
i never introduced myself , i’m [ name ] .
i expected more from you .
you have no idea who i am , do you ?
are you real ? is this real ?
can i stay with you ? just for the night .
you’re going to get yourself killed .
why did you help me ?
tell me what i can do to help .
pick a card , any card .
i never wanted any of this .
i love you . you don’t have to say it back .
do you wanna get out of here ?
what the hell are you talking about ?
i should have trusted you .
get your head out of the clouds .
how is any of this MY fault ?!
what aren’t you telling me ?
i can’t help you if you won’t let me .
it’s never just one with you , is it ?
you’re not supposed to know about that .
shut your mouth .
i haven’t kissed you yet , today .
where is this coming from ?
come over here and make me , then .
keep lying to yourself , see where it gets you .
i’m not a bad person .
is that what you wanted to hear ?
we can’t be seen together .
i can’t give you what you want .
i need you to leave .
are you drunk ?
i’m here , i’m here . i’m not going anywhere .
you might want to take a seat for this .
have you been listening to anything i’ve said ?
i haven’t heard from you in weeks .
you’re jealous , aren’t you ?
who do you think you’re talking to ?
what are you reading ?
you could’ve killed me !
come on , we don’t have time for this .
i just need ten minutes of silence .
really ? that’s all you have to say ?
we could leave , you know . go far away .
you don’t look too good .
i never want to see you again .
why can’t you just leave me alone ?
i thought you died .
you’ll do anything for attention .
give me another chance .
how’s the weather up there ?
all you do is hurt people !
i’m sorry , none of this makes sense .
you need to get out of here before anyone sees you .
i told you i didn’t want you around here .
is that supposed to be a threat ?
you’ve changed .
don’t look at me like that .
it’s a beautiful day , don’t you think ?
i did what i had to do .
you never know when to stop .
i’ve got to get home , it’s getting late .
i have nothing to prove to you .
stop LYING to me … all you do is lie .
you don’t have to be nice to everybody .
don’t tell me what to do .
pull your head out of the past .
nobody can help me . i can’t even help me .
we are not talking about that right now .
are you new around here ?
you have no idea what you’re starting .
i’m gonna get us out of here .
whatever you came here to say , i don’t want to hear it .
everyone’s staring at us .
is there anything i can do to help ?
i won’t cause you any more trouble .
– just follow my instructions for once !
do you want to come in ?
i just didn’t know what to do .
you need rest , lie down .
i’m not who you think i am .
i don’t know what you want me to say .
you’re not like anyone else i’ve ever met .
i feel like i’m going insane .
stop asking , you’re not going to like my answer .
i didn’t want you to see me any differently .
i wish i knew what to say to you .
don’t give me that look , you know what i mean .
you should be afraid .
do you still love me ?
i never thought i’d get this far .
the world doesn’t revolve around you .
i need you to give me some space .
i know what you’re doing , don’t play games .
you left me to die .
i’m beyond repentance .
when are you going to get it through your head ?
i missed you more than i thought i would .
i’m in love with you .
what do you need from me ?
i’ll kill them , just say the word .
[ name ] , what are you doing here ?
how can i help ?
you’re pathetic .
i need you to come pick me up .
where have you been ? it’s eleven o’clock .
i couldn’t live with myself if i let you get hurt .
i can’t just pretend it didn’t happen .
you’re a real piece of work .
do you remember how we first met ?
when did all of this fall apart ?
that’s not what i came here for .
i would do anything for you .
i don’t need you to hold my hand through this .
are you sure this is the right thing to do ?
can’t we try to pretend things are okay ?
what is THAT supposed to mean ?
you’re always late , what am i supposed to think ?
there’s nothing you can do to fix this .
you’re far too kind to me .
can we go now ? like , right now ?
i have to do this alone .
where’s your common sense ?
we aren’t supposed to be in here .
can you feel my heartbeat ?
i think i’ve seen you around before .
why are you acting weird ?
i have a really bad feeling .
i hate seeing you like this .
how am i supposed to react to that ?
what do you want most in the world ?
please just let me help you. @pittmade
the adrenaline still pulses like mortar fire in her ears, the sheets had tangled tight around her waist, unravled in the abruptness when she lept from bed. her breath comes in short, calculated bursts, the kind meant to hide the panic, not soothe it. A SURVIVAL RHYTHMN, a trick she learned in tents and triage units under foreign skies. eversteady hands tremble and fumble with the script. that emergency bottle to sit beneath her tongue and chase away reflections of war. she hasn’t cried, she doesn’t, not even now, but her body feels like it wants to. not out of fear. not anymore. but exhaustion, a deep marrow-tiredness that never fades, just gets buried under scrubs and charts and too much coffee.
please just let me help you.
it’s the way he says it, like a quiet promise in the dark, like he’s offering her a place to land instead of a spotlight to stand under. guilt tears through sinew and soul. no one had ever seen her like this; the burden she'd refused to unleash upon the unknowing, the unwilling. she slept so well beside him, no issues arising until the inevitable push against her ribs to recall. her eyes meet his, not fully, not yet, but just the edge of him in the ambient light of her bathroom. honey eyes far away, attempting to find her HOME again. the bottle nearly crushed in her hand as she followed the sound of his voice. she caught the warmth of his scent and reached for him. something in the most broken parts of her being following his imprint of energy like a ship to harbour in a winter storm. ❛ jack. ❜ a voice so raw, so haunted, crawling back to life. gloria is pressed to him, instinct of spirit sought and driving action. ❛ i'm sorry, i'm sorry. ❜ muffled against his chest, but she breathes, finally.