His  Voice  Scrapes  At  Something  In  Her  Chest  —  A  Familiar  Ache  She  Pretends 

28.     five most recent sent text messages  @pittmade

Honestly, I can't even do five cause this is it.

nothing  follows,  not  yet.  the  words  don’t  rise  so  much  as  settle  as  silt  in  water  after  the  stirring’s  stopped.  HER  EYES  FOLLOW  A  CRACK  ALONG  THE  BAR  TOP.  it's  long  and  jagged  and  reminds  her  of  scar  tissue,  the  mangled  and  crooked  stories  on  her  body  in  phantom  aches.  a  flicker  of  recognition  sharpens  the  corner  of  her  gaze.  not  pity.  not  camaraderie  wrapped  in  cliché.  but  that  rare  kind  of  understanding  that  doesn’t  announce  itself;  it  just  takes  up  space  beside  you  and  doesn’t  flinch.

the  glass  in  her  hand  sweats  against  her  palm.  she  hasn’t  taken  a  sip  in  minutes,  just  holds  it  like  something  steady,  something  to  tether  her.  dinah's  voice  lingers  in  the  air,  heavier  than  the  scent  of  stale  beer  and  old  smoke,  heavier  even  than  the  history  pressed  into  every  inch  of  this  place.  she  exhales  slowly,  controlled  in  how  they  taught  her  to  when  adrenaline  starts  to  eat  through  clarity.

she  shifts  in  her  seat,  the  rare  form  of  an  evening  off  melting  in  small  waves.  not  discomfort,  just  recalibration  as  though  she’s  letting  herself  settle  differently  now.  not  into  the  bar,  or  the  chair,  but  into  the  truth  between  them.  that  unspoken  place  where  blood  isn’t  a  metaphor,  and  memory  comes  with  texture.  the  quiet  motion  of  someone  who  has  bled  and  stitched  and  kept  moving,  who  knows  the  cost  of  softness  and  still  lets  it  in.

not  everyone  exists  the  same.  some  become  the  violence,  some  hide  from  it,  some  bury  it  so  deep  they  mistake  it  for  the  wild  of  grief.  no  matter  how  anyone  attempted  to  keep  it,  eventually  it  creeps  up  and  reminds  you  it's  always  been  in  charge.

❛  sorry.  ❜  gloria  sets  the  glass  down  gently,  a  smile  that  isn't  all  there  lifting  the  corner  of  her  lips.  ❛  i'm  surprisingly  shitty  at  small  talk  for  it  being  a  big  part  of  my  job.  ❜  WAR  WAS  LESS  COMPLICATED  THAN  MEDICINE;  empathy  had  drained  her  then,  and  it  drains  her  now.  an  empty  tank  that  keeps  running  onwards.  ❛  i  also  hate  baseball.  ❜

the place doesn’t announce itself. no sign worth reading. just the dry clink of glass against wood, the heavy drag of a barstool across concrete, the soft static of a baseball game playing overhead on a battered television. the walls carry nicotine stains and the bartop’s been wiped down so many times it shines in patches. most of the men here wear uniforms, or did once. one can tell by the way they sit: spines too straight, eyes that scan the room but never settle.

dinah does not blend. not really, and never by accident. black satin pants skim just above the ankle, the soft grey blouse tucked clean at the waist without a single crease, and red-bottom heels on her feet which she exchanges for an old-pair of sneakers after hours; still yet, elegant, unmistakably out of place. she looks like she arrived from a place built on marble and discretion, where voices are tempered by diplomacy and the real power circulates three doors behind the visible one. and maybe she did. but she was never designed to belong to those rooms. strategically placed in them.

‘ yeah, ’ she says, not just with agreement but with recognition as well, like the words been filed and revisited too many times to come out any other way. like she knows exactly what gloria means because she’s lived it more than once. violence, institutions that reward detachment and demand resilience just to survive, even as pamphlets in the therapist office announce that vulnerability is not a weakness.

‘ well. fuck it. ’ she remembers a man once—older, career army, the kind who spoke like authority was his by birthright. he told her women like her couldn’t possibly understand what it meant to be ankle-deep in blood with the comms down and someone dying under her hands. she said nothing then, nothing even as she cleaned the blood off her own hands later that same week.

Adria Arjona in Andor S02E04

JEALOUS, FIERCLY PROTECTIVE & TERRITORIAL PROMPTS

feel free to edit pronouns as needed! content warning for some strong language,  threats and implied violence.

to each other:

❝  you’re mine. only mine.  ❞

❝  i’m all yours.  ❞

❝  mine.  ❞

❝  yours.  ❞

❝  we belong to each other.   ❞

❝  you belong to me.  ❞

❝  i belong to you.  only ever you.  ❞

❝  i just didn’t like the way they were looking at you.  like you weren’t mine.  ❞

❝  you know i’m yours,  right?  i only have eyes for you.  ❞

❝  no one else is ever gonna have a chance with me.  you’re it.  you’re all i want.  ❞

❝  i chose you.  and i need you to trust that my decision is final.  trust me.  ❞

❝  wait are you jealous?  ❞

❝  aw,  baby.  it’s cute when you’re jealous.  ❞

❝  i don’t like the way they keep staring at you.   ❞

❝  i don’t like how they keep staring at me.   ❞

❝  are they making you uncomfortable?  i can do something about it.  ❞

❝  no one should even get to look at you unless you want them to.  ❞

❝  stop—  it’s okay.  they’re not worth your anger.  just kiss me.  ❞

❝  stop saying i’m jealous.  i’m not—  i just.  i don’t like having to share. ❞

❝  i’m not jealous,  who said i’m jealous?  ❞

❝  well if i’m all yours then kiss me like it.  ❞

❝  show everyone who i belong to.  ❞

❝  i’m gonna remind them you’re mine.  ❞

❝  i want everyone here to see that you’re mine.  ❞

❝  i want everyone here to see that i’m yours.  ❞

❝  hey—  look at me.  why are you all upset?  ❞

❝  you can’t keep getting your feathers all ruffled when anyone else gives me attention.  ❞

❝  they don’t deserve you—  i don’t deserve you.  but at least i’m aware of it.  ❞

❝  i promise there’s no one else.  you have my heart completely.  ❞

❝  hey,  is this asshole bothering you?  ❞

❝  tell me you’re mine.  ❞

to a third party:

❝  get the fuck away from them!  ❞

❝  look at them like that again and you’ll won’t be seeing anything.  ❞

❝  don’t you dare touch them.  ❞

❝  yeah it’s time to walk the fuck away.  ❞

❝  you’re gonna lose a finger if you don’t get outta my sight right now.  ❞

❝  you heard them,  get lost.  ❞

❝  lucky for you,  i don’t wanna ruin their night.  but i see you sniffing around here again you might not be so fortunate.  ❞

❝  you wanna lose a limb?  beat it,  fucker.  ❞

❝  see,  i woulda left it alone.  but you made them fucking cry.  so now you’re gonna lose your eyes.  ❞

❝  hey,  they said ‘no.’  ❞

❝  hey asshole,  shut the fuck up or i’ll make you shut up.  ❞

❝  what did you just say to them,  you little shit?  ❞

❝  oh yeah.  now you’re all quiet.  not so bold when you’re not the toughest guy in the room,  huh?  ❞

❝  get lost.  ❞

❝  go.  ❞

❝  leave.  before my patience runs out.  ❞

❝  get the fuck outta their face.  ❞

❝  hey,  that’s enough.  ❞

actions:

[ CLAIM ]  for one muse to possessively place their hands on their shoulders or hips. 

[ HOLD ]  for one muse to slide their arm around the other in a possessive way. 

[ SHELTER ]  for one muse to lean into the other’s side or hug them to seek comfort from a crowd or individual while in public. 

[ STAKE ]  for one muse to protectively and/or possessively stand behind the other to intimidate a third party. 

[ RESCUE ]  for one muse to intervene upon seeing a third party making the other one uncomfortable. 

[ CHASE ]  for one muse to interrupt and make a third party leave the other alone out of jealousy/possessiveness. 

[ TENSION ]  for one muse to get in a fight on behalf of the other. 

[ STOP ]  for one muse to break up a fight which started because of them. 

[ MEND ]  for one muse to treat the other’s wounds they got from protecting them. 

[ SCOLD ]  for one muse to treat the other’s wounds they got from fighting over them. 

[ CARESS ]  for one muse to possessively kiss the other in public.

[ TAKE ]  for one muse to passionately kiss the other,  fueled by jealousy. 

[ TAUNT ]  for one muse to flirt with a third party to try and get the other to act possessively. 

[ REMIND ]  for our muses to have passionate sex meant to remind one party who they belong to. 

[ EMBRACE ]  for one muse to dominate the other due to possessiveness/jealousy. 

[ LINKED ]  for one muse to hold the other’s hand in public to stake claim. 

[ INTERTWINE ]  for one muse to hold the other’s hand in public in a comforting manner. 

her  hand  lingers  on  his  chest  longer  than  it  should.  like  she’s  not  sure  whether  she’s  holding  him  BACK  or  holding  him  UP.  the  heat  beneath  her  palm  is  blistering,  not  from  his  rage,  no...she’s  felt  that  before,  watched  it  shatter  men  like  glass.  it's  something  older,  deeper  —  that  relentless  ache  between  them  that  never  stops,  only  roots  and  blooms  stronger  than  the  last  time.  there's  nothing  made  of  coldness  in  her  eyes,  they  never  are  with  him  and  maybe  that's  part  of  why  she's  letting  it  all  CRUSH  her.  they’re  tired,  though.  tired  in  that  bone-deep  way  that  comes  from  years  of  standing  just  outside  the  life  she  maybe  could’ve  had  by  some  shift  of  luck.  but  that's  not  made  for  people  like  her,  rewards  for  unforgivable  deeds.  ❛  no...  fuck,  i  don't  know!  ❜

and  there  it  is.  that  band  hitting  the  dim  lighting  just  enough  to  coax  every  bit  of  guilt  eating  her  from  the  inside  out  to  the  surface.  gloria  stares,  choking  down  penance  and  letting  the  barbed  wire  cut  into  her  throat.  the  worst  part  was  that  it  never  stopped  her.  not  once.  she  pulls  her  hand  back,  cradling  it  like  a  third-degree  burn  against  her  chest.  a  step  back,  but  it  doesn't  matter  how  far  she  goes,  he'll  always  HAUNT  her  and  she'll  always  let  him.  ❛  i  don't  know  what  to  do,  you're  not  mine.  ❜  the  fight  in  her  voice  is  gone,  and  what's  left  is  so  much  worse.  a  quiet  devastation,  worn  thin  at  the  edges.  trembled  in  dewy  honey  eyes,  her  arms  thrown  up  with  a  defeat  she  can't  escape.  she  could  imagine  it  as  some  surge  of  fading  adrenaline,  from  de-escalating  impending  dread.  from  the  even  more  fucked  up  part  of  her  that  wanted  frank  to  pummel  that  handsy  fuck  into  the  dirt.  but  it's  so  much  more  than  that.  ❛  i  don't  do  it  to  hurt  you.  ❜  almost  a  plea,  entirely  mournful.  ❛  i  have  to  remind  myself  that  there's  a  world  outside  of  you,  frank,  cause  if  i  don't,  i'll  keep  drowning  in  you.  ❜

anger   doesn't   just   simmer   inside   him,   it   boils   over   —    violent,   clawing   at   his   chest   like   something   alive.    one   minute   he's   nursing   a   drink   with   the   squad,   laughter   buzzing   around   him.    the   next,   he   spots   the   brunette   locked   in   some   stranger's   orbit,   their bodies too close.    he   watches   the   guy's   hand   slide   from   her   arm   to   the   curve   of   her   waist,   and   something   in   him   snaps.    now,   he’s   the   center   of   gravity   —   surrounded   by   too   many   eyes,   all   waiting   for   the   kind   of   show   that   starts   with   a   punch   and   ends   with   smears of blood on the asphalt.   it   doesn't   come   to   that,   thanks   to   gloria.

palm   pressed   to   his   chest,   he   tears   his   gaze   from   the   man   walking   away   and   leans   back   against   the   wall,   shaking   his   head   like   it   might   clear   the   heat   rising   in   his   throat.    the words are there,   coiled   tight,   but   they   won’t   come   out — not   when   she’s   looking   at   him   like   that,   not   with   the   weight   of   the   ring   on   his   finger.    “    what   do   you   mean   i   can't?    what   the   hell   do   you   want   me   to   do,   gloria?   you   want   me   to   sit   back   and   smile   while   he   has   his   hands   all   over   you?.     ”    right   now,   he   wishes   the   other   guy   would've   swung   at   him.    it would've given him a   reason   to   let   the   poison   out,   to   crack   his   knuckles   on   his   skull   and   stake   his   claim   on   her,   somehow.    “    why   do   you   always   gotta   do   that   shit   in   front   of   me.     ”    the   anger’s   still   there,   but   it’s   dulled   now — muted   by   something   heavier.    that   quiet,   bitter   frustration   he   saves   for   himself.    the   kind   he’s   been   carrying   too   long, the kind that keeps him up at night with the thought of her.

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.

gloria, the doctor who will know how every nurse takes their drink. gloria the doctor who can ( and likely has ) probably strong armed a violent patient before security can get there. gloria, the doctor who needs a giant hug and something explicit.

“Get a load of this guy”

Gloria: I’m trying to

I’m not even sure her ass makes up for the collective amount of trauma and baggage anymore…her head game does though.

she  finds  silence  after  a  non-committal  hum.  unreactive  and  broken  into  far  worse  over  far  less  because  at  least  he  wasn't  swinging  fists  over  care.  antiseptic  soaking  into  broken  flesh,  the  scent  of  it  filled  the  air;  sharp,  clean,  trying  too  hard  to  cover  the  deeper  wounds  underneath.  like  it  always  did.  ❛  in  the  job  description  to  make  at  least  a  bit  of  fuss.  ❜  gloria  doesn't  offer  a  forced  line  of  reassurance  to  coddle  irritation  or  pride;  she  grasps  the  local  syringe  instead  and  warns.  ❛  you'll  feel  a  pinch  and  some  burning.  ❜

no  softness,  no  special  kindness.  just  the  flat,  practiced  efficiency  of  someone  who  had  seen  too  many  men  tear  themselves  apart  trying  to  prove  they  didn’t  feel  anything.  no  time  was  wasted,  of  course.  needle  unlodged  from  muscle  and  bone,  discarded  with  a  twitch  of  her  jaw.  ❛  depends  on  a  few  things  because  if  you  caught  someone's  tooth,  you'll  need  more  than  just  a  couple  stitches.   ❜  pattern  of  movement  like  the  most  practiced  dance,  no  hesitation,  no  inadequacies.  she'd  learned  the  moment  she  exchanged  one  war  zone  for  another;  overseas  or  cityscape,  there  was  no  room  for  mistakes  or  squandered  seconds.

❛  nothing  bubbled  up,  so  you're  in  the  clear.  still  need  stitches.  ❜  she  paused.  standing  to  snap  off  an  old  pair  of  gloves  for  anew.   ❛  assuming  you  want  dissolving  stitches,  save  you  another  trip  and  time  wasted.  ❜

he held no ill-will against her personally, it was the vulnerability of being exposed that made his jaw clench & his skin crawl. even with a quiet voice, he felt a tingle in his spine. a reminder that he couldn’t do this on his own. sighing through his nose, calloway raised his hand & grimaced at the movement, but it was more at the sight of the angry skin that was flushed with shades of pink & red.

his eyebrows twisted as he pinched his lips into a thin line. “ it ain’t that bad. no reason to make a damn fuss, y’know. ”

it had been his fault. calloway conveniently left that piece of information out when he came to get things checked over. but why would he admit that he lost control over his temper? the station knew he had a short fuse & it often got shorter when he was put in a room with people who pushed his buttons. if anyone was to blame, it was the suspect who went too far, but as captain jones reminded him, calloway should have been in more control. it was the same old song & dance only this time, he not only injured a suspect, he also injured himself.

“ this isn’t gonna take long, is it? ” he asked as his jaw tightened as the lights overhead buzzed in his ears making him shift in his seat.