Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Jakoby! In my office.” The captains gruff voice shouted at Nick from across the hallway. He felt his shoulders tense immediately.

Captain Adams was new to the Patrol Division, a replacement for She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, after she’d been transferred out of the downtown LA precinct. Jakoby didn't know for certain, but he suspected a certain blue-haired MTF agent had had a hand in that.

Adams was a small man, irritable and prone to loud outbursts. He had been heading the department for the last couple of months and while his demeanor was off putting, he had never made Nick feel like less of an officer than his coworkers, for which he was grateful. But he kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. It made Jakoby nervous.

Hearing your boss yell at you to get into their office was never a comfortable feeling, whether they treated you fairly or not. Nick sighed heavily. He was exhausted. He had been feeling a little disenchanted with his duties as of late. After all of the excitement with Tikka and the wand, getting back into regular police work had been surprisingly difficult. He had thought at the time that he just needed some time to readjust. But the longer he went through the motions of patrolling the streets, the more tired he seemed to get. Maybe Ward had the right idea, taking a vacation.

Nick braced his shoulders and walked with purpose down the long stretch of hallway. He didn't think he had done anything wrong recently, but he never knew. It usually didn’t matter if he had messed up, he still managed to get in trouble frequently. Ward had started a long vacation yesterday and that left Nick with a pile of paperwork and not much else to do. Surely he hadn't managed to screw up in the last 24 hours, right?

He nodded politely to the captain as he stepped in through his door. The man looked at him appraisingly with his shrewd eyes before sucking thoughtfully on his teeth.

“Close the door, Jakoby.” He said evenly.

Uh oh… Nick thought nervously.

“Have a seat.” The man gestured to an empty chair that sat facing his desk.

Nick sat on the edge of the cushion and held his shoulders squarely. He hadn't done anything wrong, right? He tried to keep his expression neutral as he waited for Adams to continue.

The man studied him a few moments longer before seeming to come to a decision. “Your partner, officer Ward, is off for the next four weeks, correct?”

Nick blinked in surprise. That was a strange lead in to a meeting that he had convinced himself would lead to a write up.

“Uh, ye-yes. Yes, sir.”

“Mm.” The other man replied noncommittally as he leafed through some papers on his desk.

Nick shifted in his seat uneasily. What was happening here?

The man scratched absently at his cheek as he read over something in front of him. “Ah, yes. Here. Ok,” he turned sharp eyes towards Nick. “I have a request here from local ATF asking for your help in an investigation.”

Nick blinked at him stupidly several times. “Uh… sorry sir, what?”

The man sucked on his teeth again in irritation but held the form out for Jakoby to read over. “The LA division of ATF has sent over a request for your assistance with an ongoing investigation. It looks like they're following around some Russian mafiosos running illegal firearms through the city.”

Nick read quickly through the request but it was pretty cut and dry and stated exactly what the captain had just told him. “Why?” He asked dumbly.

“Why, Jakoby?” The captain asked sharply.

“Why, uh, why do they want me, sir?” He added hastily.

“Recent gang intel indicates that they've got orcs running weapons on the streets. I don't know if that's new or not, but that's the reason for the request.” The captain paused and watched him absorb the information. “They're apparently in a bit of hurry, because they’re asking you to meet the ATF liaison later this afternoon.”

Nick startled at that. That seemed rather sudden. Normally, anything involving governmental bureaucracy took months to process. They wanted him to just up and leave his job with only a few hours notice?

The captain continued. “I won't lie, Nick. This is out of your wheelhouse in a big way. This will likely require some undercover work and some subterfuge… I'll admit that lying doesn't seem to be your strong suit. It would however, do wonders for your career if you can pull it off.” He sucked on his teeth again thoughtfully. “You’d be surprised what having a federal agent on your side can do for your job prospects.”

Nick thought in wry amusement about the fact that Captain Perez was no longer working for this LA precinct. He was familiar with what having a federal agent on your side could do. He kept his silence on the subject though.

Adams extended his hand for the paper and Nick handed it over with shaking fingers. “As your commanding officer, I have the ultimate say in whether or not you go. This is simply a request and one that can be turned down if necessary. You would be placed on leave from the precinct and considered a civilian contractor for the duration of your time with them. Though, I imagine they’d let you keep your gun.” He said with a smirk.

Adams looked at him levelly. “So, I'm asking you Jakoby, Nick… do you want to do this?”

Nick startled at the easily stated question. He was being given a choice? Officers very rarely got to make those kinds of decisions, they were usually just told what they were doing and when. He gulped against a dry throat. This was a huge opportunity for him. A make or break your career opportunity. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, what with Ward gone for a whole month. Could he really do this?

“How long is the assignment, sir?” He asked nervously.

“Unfortunately, I don't have that answer. This request is termed for 6 months. Now, they may need you for a week or they may want to extend the request longer, I really don't know.”

Nick ran a hand anxiously against the back of his head. 6 months? Possibly longer? This was a huge decision.

“If it makes you feel better, we can put stipulations on the form. I know that you like being a beat cop and honestly, I don't want to pull you off the streets. You're a damn fine officer and it would be a shame to lose you. I can make a formal appeal for a specific time frame and that should work just fine. We're essentially doing them a favor, they can't get too greedy.”

Nick took a moment to digest that information. With a time constraint on record he should be able to manage a transfer, at least temporarily. Maybe some time away from the humdrum activities of the Patrol Division would be good for him. He hadn’t had any time away from the department, other than his time in the government hospital, since the ordeal with the wand. He looked at the captain and felt his resolve harden. All he had ever wanted to do was help people, and if he could work with ATF to get guns off the street, then he'd be fulfilling that wish.

“Alright, sir. I'll do it with the time constraints. “ He answered and was proud to note that his voice sounded strong.

“Good man, I'll pen in the numbers. Why don't we start with one month? Just until Ward gets back.” The captain asked as he started writing furiously on the paper before him.

Nick nodded in agreement and before he knew it he was out the door with a post-it stuck to his hand with the time and location of his meeting on it. The captain had faxed over the request with both of their signatures on it and just like that, he was now officially on leave from the downtown precinct and working temporarily for ATF. Not quite how he had pictured his Tuesday going.

Chapter Text

XXX

Several days later found Jakoby sitting uncomfortably in a plastic chair outside a sterile and cold interrogation room. He had been called in an hour ago by the lead detective, Andrew Parra, and asked to help them assist in questioning a suspect.

Parra and his partner, Serena Jackson, had told him that the orc, currently sitting inside the interrogation room, was a low level drug runner who had recently hooked up with the Russian mob and had been working as a middle man between the mob and a street gang in town.

Jakoby had initially been worried that the Fogteeth were involved, but it looked like this was a rival gang, Öl Khǝdz, the Dark Dogs. He found the name to be a little dramatic if he was being honest. But, they were quickly making a name for themselves due to their savagery and complete disregard for collateral damage, a.k.a. who died because they had gotten in the way.

He still wasn’t on great terms with Dorghu. It was true that he was a blooded member of the Fogteeth but he didn’t interact with them much. He wondered if his association with them would be a benefit or a hindrance in this investigation. Maybe he should make an effort to go to the church and pay his respects to the clan leader. It would be appropriate to do so, but the idea of going back to the church made his skin crawl. On occasion, he could still feel the sharp pain of the bullet as it had entered his back. He would often wake from a dead sleep hearing the sound of the shot reverberating in his ears. When that would happen, he would grip frantically at his chest, expecting to see blood pooling around his fingers. They were only nightmares, but they always felt so real that he had a hard time falling back asleep after.

He, Parra and Jackson had quickly discovered while speaking to their suspect, that the orc that Parra had tried to interview did not speak Bodzvokhan, or was at least pretending not too. This rendered Jakoby mostly useless, as his main reason for being involved in the entire investigation was that he was an orc and that he spoke Bodzvokhan.

Parra had slammed his way out of the room after not getting anywhere speaking English. He had asked Jakoby in a clipped tone what the orc had said and Jakoby had had to shrug.

“I don’t know what that is, sir. But it’s not Orcish.” Jakoby said apologetically.

Parra smacked a hand against a table and paced angrily around the room. They were at a standstill it would seem. Jackson watched her partner with cool eyes and said nothing.

“Fuck it.” Parra said angrily before reaching into his pocket for his phone. “Guess it's about time for you to meet the other LAPD transfer your precinct so graciously decided to gift us with.” He snapped irritatedly in Nick's direction before he stormed from the room.

The captain hadn't mentioned anyone else was transferring. He looked to Jackson in question but she remained tight-lipped. She intimidated him. Parra would throw temper tantrums, but Jackson just watched everything with calculating eyes, it was unnerving. He decided not to ask her about it.

He waited anxiously for Parra to get off the phone. He strained his ears to hear the snippets of conversation that were just barely audible from under the door. It was apparently a short conversation though, as Parra immediately swept back into the room.

“She’ll be here in fifteen. I should have fucking called her instead of you but I'm an idiot, so now I get to sit here with my thumb up my ass and look at your ugly mug while we wait.” Parra snapped. His accent was subtle normally, but the more heated he got the thicker it came across. Nick felt guilty about upsetting the man, though he knew logically there was nothing he could have done to prevent this.

It was obvious they were understaffed and on the verge of a breakdown. From what Nick had been able to gather, the investigation had been going on for several years with no big breaks. The last agent in charge of it had retired and not given a damn that he had left their department up shit creek without a paddle. Parra and Jackson had been thrown in and told they needed to sink or swim. It looked like they had been sinking for a while.

From the sounds of it, they had even been ousted from their office at the ATF field office in LA. They were currently renting a space on the upper levels of the LAPD building. He felt for them, it was frustrating not getting anywhere with your work and being pressure by your superiors to do more. He wasn’t sure they were going to get any big breaks with his help though. All that meant for him was that the two agents were going to continue to be pissed at him for the duration of his time with them. He sighed, so much for getting away from the humdrum of his normal working life.

Nick shifted in his seat again, he was too broad to be sitting in the plastic seats they kept in these rooms and his hips were starting to ache from the pressure they placed on his joints. On the other side of the room, Parra was shaking a leg up and down in agitation and looking at his watch every few seconds. Jackson leaned casually against a wall and seemed lost in her own thoughts. So much for small talk.

Just as Nick had made up his mind to stand and take a lap around the room to stretch his legs, the outer door knob turned and a harried looking woman stepped through.

She smiled at them apologetically and used her free hand to smooth the hair back from her forehead. Nick blinked at her in surprise. She was from his office? He racked his brain but didn't think he had ever seen her before. He looked her up and down quickly. He definitely would have remembered seeing her before.

“Sorry, everyone. Traffic.” She said by way of greeting.

Nick blinked at her in surprise a couple of times. Her voice washed over him warmly and he felt calmed by her presence. She exuded a steady calm and he appreciated it like a breath of fresh air in the stagnant room.

“Y/LN, this is Jakoby. Jakoby, Y/LN.” Parra introduced them lazily.

Nick quickly strode towards her and extended his hand. “It's nice to meet you!” He said eagerly.

She gave him a half smile before returning his handshake. “Suz id, Jakoby.” She responded and he felt himself startle.

“Uh-” He started to ask before she grinned at him broadly.

“She’s LAPD’s translator. She’s “on loan” for the time being.” Parra said with disdain.

“Kuz id…” He managed to say weakly. A human who spoke Bodzvokhan, that was refreshing.

She watched his features closely for a moment and he felt himself start to redden. He hadn't had an attractive woman look at him with so much curiosity in a long time. Disgust, yes. Anger, absolutely. But she looked… well, it was hard to place the expression in her eyes, but it wasn't cruel.

She turned away from him then and it was only at that moment that he realized their hands were still clasped together. Yikes, nice one Jakoby! The sexual assault case on that one almost writes itself.

“You were short on the phone, what are we looking at?” She asked Parra without preamble. She cast her eyes briefly at Jackson but was apparently used to the woman's silence.

Nick took the opportunity to wipe his suddenly sweaty palms against his slacks. He needed to get ahold of himself. He hadn't had that visceral of a reaction to being around a woman since he was a teenager.

Parra sighed heavily. “Hell if I know. He says it’s not Orcish but it sure as hell sounds like it to me.” He gestured to Jakoby while he spoke.

She clucked her tongue thoughtfully and turned curious eyes towards Nick. “What do you think?”

Nick was surprised to be included in the conversation. He felt himself shrug at the question. “Not Orcish, though it sounds similar. Could be Russian, I suppose?”

“That would make sense. What do you wanna do, boss?” She asked Parra plainly.

“You'll have to come in there with me and Jackson. You know I'm shit at using those earpiece things. Jackson could scare the Devil himself back into Hell so we’ll play unhinged cop and possible homicidal maniac cop.”

“That's the fucking truth.” She answered with a laugh. She turned warm eyes towards Nick and gave him a wink. He felt his insides go gooey at the simple gesture and chastised himself immediately.

She is a colleague! Nick, be professional!

He gave her an awkward half smile before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his slacks. He was completely ill-equipped with talking to pretty women and this woman certainly qualified.

“Stop flirting, let's go.” Parra snapped at her.

She rolled her eyes at him behind his back before following him into the interrogation room. Nick watched them go with trepidation. He knew the orc in the room was handcuffed to the table, but he was also intimately aware of the fact that humans constantly underestimated orcs. It would be just like them to forget that your average adult male orc could lift an F-250 without breaking a sweat. And Y/LN wasn't a particularly large woman.

He felt himself frown at the thought. He'd have to keep an eye on the interrogation to make sure nothing got out of hand. He stepped up to the one way glass window and pressed a button on the panel before him. It opened the speakers in the room so he would be able to hear what was happening. It wasn't a perfect solution but it was something.

XXX

She HATED being late to work. LA traffic was unpredictable at best and she usually factored that in in the mornings. But, she was running behind this morning. She had initially gotten out the door and into her car with plenty of time to spare. She’d even felt pretty good about the morning. It was a beautiful day and she had slept well the night before. She should have realized it was too good to be true, because she had then proceeded to spill her coffee down the front of her pants. Wonderful. Great start to a Friday. She had almost made it through the week without any hiccups. At least this one was only minor.

She hustled back into her house and shed her wet clothing into her hamper. Her cat, Cleo, mewed at her delicately from where she sat against a window, sunning herself in the early morning light.

“Sorry, little kitty, can’t stay today.” She said sadly to the black shorthaired animal. She gave the feline a few scratches around her ears to soften the blow of the bad news. “It’s almost weekend time, we’ll hang out tomorrow, promise.”

She had changed quickly and knew that she wasn’t looking her best. Not that it mattered in particular, she was just headed to work. Not like she had anyone there to impress. She hustled back to her car and drove as quickly as she could towards her office. Her phone rang twenty minutes later, while she was stuck in traffic, and she cursed silently as she saw the name that came across the screen. Just what she needed, dealing with that asshole this morning.

Parra needed help with an orc in interrogation. Great. The day’s getting better and better. She hated interrogating suspects with Parra and Jackson. She had worked with them on and off for the last couple of years and the two were a recipe for disaster. She had no idea what force on Heaven or Earth decided the two would be a good match but the rest of the world was stuck with the fallout. Parra was a grade A asshole and Jackson was nicknamed the “Ice Queen” for a reason.

They only called her after they’d tried interrogating the suspects in English, whether or not they knew the suspect spoke it or not. All this succeeded in doing was frustrating the agents and frustrating the suspect. Which made her job about ten times more difficult than it needed to be.

She frowned out of her windshield as she finished her commute to the station. This was going to be a crappy day.

She hustled her way through the halls of the building and took the steps two at a time to the lower levels where that held their interrogation rooms. They had nicer facilities on the main level but Parra and Jackson apparently didn’t rank highly enough to get to use those. She rolled her eyes. If the two knuckleheads learned to kiss a little more ass they likely wouldn’t have backed themselves into the corner they were now in. That was there own fault, whatever.

She hastened to open the door to the room they were in and brushed her hair back from her face as she did so. She felt like a mess this morning and there was nothing worse than starting off a morning poorly.

“Sorry, everyone. Traffic.” She said by way of greeting.

She felt herself flush almost immediately as her eyes met the startled yellow of Nicholas Jakoby. She hadn’t ever met the man formally, but she knew of him, of course. How could she not? First orc cop, ever? The man stuck out like a sore thumb. She hadn’t realized quite how good looking he was up close, however.

Parra distracted her with terse introductions and she was happy for them. She forced herself to focus back on the task at hand. She was at work, she needed to keep her head in the game. She sighed quickly and shook Jakoby’s hand. The man seemed eager and she felt herself smile at the look on his face. She couldn’t help herself, she had to tease him a little bit.

“Suz id, Jakoby.” She said with a grin and watched with excitement as the man startled. Oh, this poor sweet thing. She thought with glee.

He started to ask her a question before Parra interrupted and explained that she was a translator. She was a behind the scenes worker, so it wasn’t a surprise that he didn’t know her. She was grossly overqualified for her position and she worked with almost every department on the force and then some, but not many people remembered her name.

Jakoby seemed to come back to himself after a moment and replied sheepishly. “Kuz id…”

She watched his features closely for a moment and was happy to see that he was starting to blush. You sweet summer child. Where did they find an orc this gentle? She thought to herself. He was fascinating to her. She was well versed in orc language and customs and she didn’t think she’d ever met one so… meek, before. It was refreshing and she decided she liked the man already.

She turned away from him then and realized with some surprise that she had still been holding his hand. She hadn’t even noticed! She needed to get it together.

She asked Parra quickly what was happening. She ignored Jackson for the most part. The woman wasn’t much of a talker, which suited her just fine because she gave her the fucking creeps. She thought for a moment before turning and asked Jakoby’s opinion of the orc in the other room. The man was a street cop, he had to have good instincts.

Nick suggested Russian and she agreed with his assessment. She didn’t know why Parra hadn’t called her to begin with, they were investigating Russian mobsters for god's sake. Of fucking course they were likely to get people in here that only spoke Russian. Jesus. He didn’t call you first because you can’t fucking stand each other. She thought in irritation. It was no secret that they didn’t get along great. She was able to be professional at work, but she had no problems telling the man that she thought he was an idiot.

She and Parra discussed a quick plan and she quipped a joke at the man. One of these days, her jibes were going to get her into trouble, probably with Jackson. But, it looked like she was safe for today.

She couldn’t help herself and she sent a playful wink towards Jakoby. She was happy to see the man shift his weight awkwardly and shove his hands into his pockets for lack of something better to do. This was way too easy. She was a bit of a flirt to begin with, she didn’t ever mean to be, it was just a personality trait. But, she may be turning it on a little high for the orc’s benefit.

She followed Parra and Jackson into the interrogation room and mentally prepared herself for the shit show she was walking into. Lord knew what those two had done to impede their own investigation due to their incompetence. It was going to be a long day.

Chapter Text

XXX

An hour and a half later and Nick would have to say he had never been quite so impressed with a stranger before. Not only had Y/LN flawlessly jumped between Russian and English during the first half of the interrogation, but she had apparently corrected the orcs grammar at some point, which had he fired him up enough that he slipped into Bodzvokhan. She had then continued the interrogation in Bodzvokhan and English.

Nick noticed towards the end that she was incorrectly translating the suspects statements into English and the reasoning quickly became clear as the orc had snapped several VERY English curse words at her and told her not to bother pretending to understand Bodzvokhan if she was just going to speak it wrong.

Parra looked triumphantly at the suspect and Nick watched in amusement as surprise and anger settled on the orcs face. He had been tricked into giving himself away and that couldn't have been a good feeling.

Y/LN was good, damn good, if she was able to trip a suspect up that easily in three separate languages. If Nick hadn't liked her before, he DEFINITELY did now. She was beautiful AND smart, a power combo.

She then politely excused herself from the room as the orc suspect snarled at her and pulled angrily at the handcuffs around his wrists. He issued a threat to her that she ignored and Nick watched in surprise as she turned her back on him. That was a big no-no in orc culture and he suspected that she knew that. She had given the orc a verbal and a physical fuck you and Nick felt his admiration for her grow.

She exhaled loudly as the door closed behind her and she rubbed at the frown line between her brows. “I HATE it when they do that shit.” She grumbled.

Nick watched her with concern. He didn't know her well enough to reach for her, though he wanted too. He settled for a polite compliment.

“You were incredible in there.” He enthused. Ok, so maybe less polite and more fanboy. Whatever.

She gave him a wry smile. “Thanks. Hopping back and forth like that gives me a crazy headache. Parra and Jackson should be able to finish it up from there.” She paused in consideration before adding. “I can’t believe that asshole speaks three languages.”

She stepped around him and settled herself heavily in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. Nick shifted his weight from foot to foot, not sure what to do with himself now. He was terrible at small-talk, or so Ward kept telling him.

She seemed not to notice his discomfort. She just continued to rub absently at her forehead before sighing loudly.

“So, Jakoby, where did they pull you from?” She asked politely.

He let the air out of his lungs in relief. He could talk about his work. He loved his work. That was a safe topic. Hopefully, he wouldn’t embarrass himself too much.

He sidled forward and sat across from her in one of the other empty chairs. He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. He knew that his size often intimidated humans and he always made an attempt to try and minimize himself when interacting with them for that reason.

“Downtown precinct. I'm just a beat cop.” He answered truthfully. He wanted to impress her, but there wasn't an easy way to do that with his job. He really WAS just a beat cop.

She gave him a weak smile. “Pliche, huh?” She asked him quietly. “I'm not sure it's all that accurate to say you're JUST a beat cop. Don't tell his highness in there, but beat cops are the hardest working on the force. You're the face of the force to the community, that's a lot of responsibility.”

He felt pride burst forth in his chest. He had thought that exact thing since he was a kid, but years of being called a lazy pig-nosed piece of shit had beaten the pride out of him, he supposed. Strange that a few simple sentences from this slip of a woman could remind him of that.

“How did they end up snagging you for this?” She asked conversationally. Her headache must have eased because she now sat upright a little taller and pulled her shoulders back easily. She looked like a confident young woman now and Nick was happy to see the change in her posture.

“Orcish.” Nick said with a shrug. “I guess they figured they'd be encountering a lot of orcs while they went after these guys. Makes sense to have an orc on the team.”

She nodded thoughtfully at that but didn't comment. He wasn't quite sure where to take the conversation from there so he let the silence sit between them instead. It wasn't uncomfortable though, like most silences seemed to be for him. It was actually a sort of novel experience for him to be able to sit quietly and comfortably in the same space as an attractive human woman. Ward would never believe he'd managed it.

“I'm Y/FN.” She said after a time and extended her hand to him.

He looked at her in surprise but lifted his own to shake. “Nick.” He replied.

“Nick, pliche.” She grinned at him. “I know it's very cool and tough for people in law enforcement to call each other by their last names but call me old-fashioned, I'm a first name kinda gal.”

He nodded to her in understanding. Sometimes he did miss the familiarity that came with being called by his first name. Sometimes he could go days without hearing it and it always left an itch under his skin. Maybe he just needed more friends?

“Nick's a good name, I like it.” She said with a wink.

He felt himself flush slightly and knew his ears had twitched at the sound of his name on her lips. “I like yours too.” He responded awkwardly.

She laughed at him good naturedly and they spent the next several minutes in a comfortable silence, waiting for Parra and Jackson to finish their interrogation.

Nick felt warmth in his chest. Maybe he'd made a friend that day? At the very least she was a non-hostile colleague. That counted as a win in his book. And wasn't that an immediately sobering thought. He sighed. The warmth he’d felt hadn't lasted long.

XXX

She had the fucking great granddaddy of all stress headaches right now. Walking that suspect through word puzzles in three languages was a trial, even for her. The orc had been smarter than he had any right to be as a low-level gun runner. She allowed herself a mental eye roll at the thought. And wasn’t that just indicative of an orc’s place in society when a smart son a bitch who spoke three languages was stuck illegally running weapons on the street? She rubbed her fingers roughly against the space between her eyebrows. She needed the weekend to get here, like, yesterday. She wished she could opt out of dealing with this case. It was going nowhere fast and whether that was because of agent incompetence or because the Russians were just too slick, she didn’t know.

She had forgotten that Jakoby was waiting out in the other room when she muttered her frustration to the room at large. It was a little unprofessional of her and she chastised herself for it but quickly brushed it off. She could be forgiven for one annoyed statement. She hoped that Jakoby wasn’t going to be too chatty. She needed time and some deep breaths to ease the tension in her head.

“You were incredible in there.” Nick said softly to her from her left. She smiled into her palms. This guy… She thought fondly.

She thanked him kindly before stepping around him. She collapsed into one of the uncomfortable chairs in the room. She hated these fucking things. It was like the department had raided an elementary school for them. No grown adult should have to sit in them, they were too small and too stiff. She hung her head down and placed it in her hands for a moment. She wished she could turn off the overhead lights but doubted anyone else would appreciate it.

She could sense that the Jakoby was standing awkwardly to the side. He seemed unsure of himself and while she wasn’t particularly in the mood to babysit, she decided to take some pity on him. She understood social anxiety and the poor orc seemed like he was made completely of nervous energy. Work was usually a safe topic, and while she knew what he did she supposed it would be nicer to ask him herself.

“So, Jakoby, where did they pull you from?”

He moved forward and sat down across from her. She watched him slump forward in his chair and she frowned at the movement. He hunched in on himself and she wondered the reasoning for that. Nerves again? Maybe he’s not used to this type of situation.

“Downtown precinct. I'm just a beat cop.” He said after a beat of silence. The words sounded strange on his lips, almost as if they weren’t exactly what he wanted to say.

She hated hearing anyone demean themselves. She knew there was a place for self deprecating humor but that wasn’t what this was. From the sound of his voice, it was obvious that he had been TOLD that he was just a beat cop. It was evident that he liked his work, there would be no reason for him to put up with all the bullshit she knew that he had thrown at him if he didn’t. So, why put himself down now? She felt a swell of rage in her heart. This man was gentle and kind, that much was apparent in the few minutes she’d spent talking to him. Who had done this to him? She responded gently and did her best to give him a subtle boost.

The effect of her words seemed to have an immediate effect. Jakoby sat up a little straighter and the lines around his eyes lessened slightly. Poor thing, he just needed some kindness. She wondered if anyone knew how easy it would be to win his loyalty. She doubted that he needed much to convince him to give it away. God, he seemed so damaged.

“How did they end up snagging you for this?” She asked conversationally, she had a sick feeling in her stomach the longer she talked to the man. Her headache had eased but she had a different kind of pain in her now. Jakoby had been badly mistreated for a long time. She wondered if it was just because he was an orc or if there was something else? She didn’t know him well… And she didn’t need a pet project. He was a grown man, not a stray on the street. She needed to remember that.

“Orcish.” Nick said with a shrug. “I guess they figured they'd be encountering a lot of orcs while they went after these guys. Makes sense to have an orc on the team.”

She nodded thoughtfully at that but held her peace. She may not need a pet project, but it railed against everything in her to leave him like this. At the very least, she could at least be kind to him. She wasn’t looking to fix him, there was nothing wrong with him really. But, he deserved a friend maybe. A friendly colleague if nothing else.

“I'm Y/FN.” She said firmly and extended her hand to him.

He looked at her in surprise but shook her hand hesitantly. “Nick.” He replied.

“Nick, pliche.” She grinned at him. She was a nickname person, and unfortunately for the orc, he was likely to be “pliche” from here on out. Unless she could come up with something better. “I know it's very cool and tough for people in law enforcement to call each other by their last names but call me old-fashioned, I'm a first name kinda gal.”

He nodded to her and she was happy to see the gentle curve of a smile grace his features. It was nice to see. He had a face that looked like it didn’t smile as often as it should. He had kind eyes, he deserved to smile.

She couldn’t help herself. She had to flirt just a little. “Nick's a good name, I like it.” She said with a wink. She was rewarded with a blush from the orc and a stammered response in return. She was also interested to see his ears twitch downwards at the sound of his own name and she grinned wolfishly. That was a nice response, she liked that quite a bit. She laughed quietly and they spent the next few minutes in silence while they waited on the assholes to finish their interrogation.

Chapter Text

XXX

Parra hadn't gleaned as much from his conversation with their Orcish gang member as he had hoped. The result was that the irritable man was even MORE irritable afterward. He had snapped at Jakoby and Y/LN the minute he had exited the room and proceeded to storm around angrily while he decided on their next move.

They had the orc on some bullshit petty possessions charges and Parra decided to go ahead and book him out of spite. Nick wondered at the wisdom of the decision but he kept his mouth shut. Orcs had a tendency to hold grudges, after all. Years of having his opinions shouted back down at him had made him wary of speaking out against his supervisors though.

Parra had excused them an hour or so later and grumbled at them something about doing their paperwork before going home for the day. Nick's desk in the bullpen was currently being used by a new recruit while the kid got his legs under him so he didn’t have a good space to work. Nick had been following Parra and Jackson around the last few days and never knew where he was going to be until he got a short text from Parra before he was due to report in that day.

Y/FN apparently had a separate office upstairs in the precinct. She had turned to him with a half smile before asking if he'd like to share her space for the remainder of the afternoon. He didn’t know why she was willingly asking him to spend more time with her but he was happy for the excuse to leave the interrogation rooms.

He had agreed quickly and the two of them trooped up the stairs together to work on their reports. They traded small pleasantries as they walked before exiting the stairwell together. She used a small key to open the door and ushered him inside. He was impressed with the room immediately. It was clean, with a large bookcase along one wall crammed full to bursting with books. The titles looked to be a combination of legal textbooks alongside translation dictionaries. There were few knickknacks, and no pictures along the desk. It was a professional space and it was apparent she kept her home and work life separate.

He was happy to see a large golden pothos spilling out of a soft pink planter along the windowsill across from him. He loved plants and it was always nice to see one thriving indoors.

The space itself wasn't large, but it was separate from the bullpen area with which he had grown accustomed to working and the change was nice. Besides that, it allowed him plenty of quiet to silently study the young woman before him.

She had continued to be polite, which thrilled him. Her demeanor was calm and soothing and Nick appreciated that she didn't seem to rile easily. It was a breath of fresh air in the police department. Officers tended to be mercurial and prone to bursts of rage. He liked the easy company of this woman.

After Parra had thrown his tantrum and a uniformed officer had led their suspect away, Y/FN had turned to him with a shy smile. She had asked him casually if he’d like to do their paperwork together and he had stuttered his reply as a vehement yes. He worried that he was coming across like an overeager asshole but she didn't seem to mind. He doubted that she would have picked up on his attraction anyway. It was a good thing too, had she known, the best case scenario would have been a casual put down. The worst… well, it didn't bear thinking about.

No, he would keep his interest to himself. Poor thing was only being professionally polite to him, she didn't need his lumbering orc self chasing after her like a lovelorn pup. He sighed to himself, he needed to get a grip.

His sensitive ears picked up the sound of her uncapping and recapping the highlighter in her hand. It seemed like a nervous habit and he wondered about the reasoning for her fidgeting. He hoped it wasn't his presence that was agitating her. He was invading her space, so maybe it was. He cursed himself, he would never understand humans. She had invited him here, but maybe this was one of those situations Ward had tried explaining to him. She had invited him but he wasn't supposed to accept because she hadn't actually wanted him here and she was only being polite? Ugh, it was confusing. He wished humans would just be more direct.

He listened to her pen scratch it's way across the form in front of her. Should he say something? Make an excuse to leave? Just as he had opened his mouth to say something, though hell if he knew what, she turned toward him with a raised eyebrow.

“You're thinking awful hard, pliche. Do you want to share with the class?”

His mouth closed with a snap and he looked around the room, almost expecting to see students staring back at him.

“N-no, uh… Sorry, I uh… Sorry.” He stammered uselessly and hung his head.

She looked at him with a frown for a moment before leaning towards him. “I was only joking, Nick. I'm sorry, is everything alright?” She asked, the concern evident in her voice.

He looked at her quickly before staring back down at his lap. Was she really worried? Was she being polite again? Why was this so hard?!

“Is it… Is it okay that I'm here?” He asked in a small voice.

Her frown deepened at his question.

“What do you mean?”

“I just… Look, I'm bad at picking up on social cues. Is it okay… okay for me to be in your office? I can leave if not, no hard feelings, really. I would understand.” He said quickly.

She ran the tips of her fingers across her lips thoughtfully. He shot nervous glances at her from under his lashes and saw her resolve seem to harden after several seconds.

“I invited you here. If I didn't want you to be here, I wouldn't have.” She clicked her teeth together in consideration. “Why don't we come to… an agreement? A promise, if you will.”

He blinked at her stupidly. An agreement? A promise? A promise for what? Typically promises and agreements required something in return. What was she going to ask of him?

“I promise to always be direct with you, no beating around the bush, no frilly words, no social niceties, hm?” She raised her eyebrows at the end in question. “I understand that humans have a lot of unnecessary… posturing. They say things they don’t mean because they’ve been conditioned by society to do so.” She paused here and looked at him carefully. “I never much cared for using words just for words sake anyway, you know? I think that would help both of us.”

Nick ran a hand over the back of his neck awkwardly. That would make his life easier, absolutely. But, why was she going out of her way for him like this? Why was she being so nice to him, period?

“That uh, that would be good. Really good.” He answered her finally.

She smiled at him kindly before focusing back on her paperwork. Apparently, the conversation was done for her. She didn't ask him for anything, didn't demand some service in return for her promise. She had just… heard him. She had really heard him and done something about what he had said. Why…?

“Why are you being so nice to me?” He blurted suddenly and cursed himself immediately. He needed to watch his big fat mouth!

She turned sad eyes to him and uncapped and recapped her highlighter again. “I'm not being SO nice. This is the regular amount of nice people should be, Nick.” She stated it as if it were a simple fact and he wasn't sure how to respond to that.

“Oh, okay.” He said lamely.

It took him several minutes, but he finally turned back to his paperwork and the two worked in companionable silence for the next couple of hours.

XXX

She walked easily up the stairs towards her office. Nick was a quiet presence behind her and she cursed herself for the umpteenth time that morning that she had spilled coffee on herself. She had on her butt pants earlier, the ones that held her ass tightly and were maybe a teensy bit inappropriate for work. Instead she’d had to change and she was in a loose pair that she hadn’t been willing to part with even though they didn’t fit. Hopefully, he wasn’t judging her ass based on the pants she was wearing.

What the hell was she thinking? Hopefully, he wasn’t looking at her ass at all! She was losing her objectivity. She was becoming more and more attracted to the nervous orc the longer she was around him. It was hard not to fall a little in love with him, he was so genuine, so sincere. He was like a large, mottled kitten and she felt a crushing sensation in her heart every time he stammered a response or his ears twitched.

Snap the fuck out of it! You’re at work! She chastised herself. She opened her office door and stepped aside to allow the man inside. She didn’t keep a lot of personal items here, it felt inappropriate to have pictures of loved ones in a place where she translated interviews for rapists and murderers. No, she liked to keep her home life separate. It made it easier to relax once she was home, she didn’t have reminders of work there and she didn’t have reminders of home here.

She gestured him towards the seat across from hers at her desk. She hated clutter so there was at least plenty of room for the two of them to work. The department was underfunded, which meant that not everyone was allowed a computer. Her own was so old that she rarely even bothered to turn it on. She wrote everything down, took copies, and then handed it over to their transcription department. She thought it was redundant to have two people doing the work that one person could manage but whatever, as long as she got her paycheck she didn’t need to worry about the redundancies.

They passed some papers around, he gave her a form, she handed over some pens, it was quiet office work and she smiled to herself. She liked the solitude of her office. She had originally worked in the bullpen when she had started and it had been an absolute nightmare trying to translate anything with the noise that was made there. No, she and her plant were quite happy in this little office.

She fiddled with a highlighter as she read over her report. It was a habit she’d fallen into years ago and one that she wasn’t likely to ever stop. It never bothered anyone here, but she had forgotten that she wasn’t the only one in her office at that moment. A tingling sensation at the back of her neck alerted her to the fact that she was being watched. Nick seemed perturbed about something, or he was nervous to ask her something more than likely. She gave him a minute to try and gather his courage before she asked him herself.

When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to summon the nerve she intercepted him. “You’re thinking awful hard, pliche. Do you want to share with the class?” She asked with a smile and raised eyebrow.

Nick looked around the room in question, as if looking for other occupants. He met her eyes again before dropping them to his lap and stuttering an apology.

She frowned at him. Had she done something to upset him? She thought back to their brief interaction before coming in here. She didn’t think she’d said anything rude… Occasionally her mouth got away from her and she had to backtrack, but she had kept it strictly professional with him so far. Right? She apologized anyway. It never hurt to say you were sorry, after all.

He surprised her by asking a quiet question. “Is it… Is it okay that I’m here?”

What was he going on about? The department frowned on workplace fraternization, sure, but they were just writing a report. She literally couldn’t fathom a reason why he would be nervous about being in her office. Did he think she was going to do something to him?

She tilted her head towards him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I just… Look, I'm bad at picking up on social cues. Is it okay… okay for me to be in your office? I can leave if not, no hard feelings, really. I would understand.” He said quickly.

Oh… oh, honey. She thought sadly. Someone has been very cruel to you. He apparently had decided that even with the invitation she had extended to him, that she didn’t want him in here. Social cues, indeed. What could she say that would ease his nerves? He’d gotten the formal invite, surely saying, “yep, you’re good!” wouldn’t cut it. But what…

“I invited you here. If I didn't want you to be here, I wouldn't have.” She clicked her teeth together in consideration. “Why don't we come to… an agreement? A promise, if you will.”

This wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was the best she could do on the fly. This was like trying to hold an abused animal. Was he always going to be second guessing her motives? Hopefully, he would take her at her word if she made a promise to him. It was a simple one to make, and one that didn’t cost her anything.

“I promise to always be direct with you, no beating around the bush, no frilly words, no social niceties, hm?” She raised her eyebrows at the end in question. “I understand that humans have a lot of unnecessary… posturing. They say things they don’t mean because they’ve been conditioned by society to do so.” She paused here and looked at him carefully. “I never much cared for using words just for words sake anyway, you know? I think that would help both of us.”

It wasn’t much, but it was something. She watched him digest what she had said. Several emotions skated across his features and she tried to puzzle them out while he was distracted. She knew that orc culture varied from human culture in many ways. Nick would never fully understand human culture just as she would never fully understand the complexities of orc culture. But, she did know that they were a much more direct people. They didn’t have a lot of unnecessary formal niceties. Hopefully, this little promise between them would ease some of Nick’s nerves.

“That uh, that would be good. Really good.” He answered her finally.

She smiled at him broadly before turning back to her paperwork. She was going to count that as a big win! She rifled through some papers on her desk and started penning over some lines in a form. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by staring at him with a soppy grin on her face so she quickly got back to work. She hoped he would appreciate the time to collect himself. He still seemed a little lost and she wanted him to know that she didn’t expect any other kind of response from him.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Nick said quickly.

She glanced at him with a small frown and a twist to her mouth. She felt herself fidgeting with her highlighter again and she thought about how to respond. The sad thing was, she WASN’T being all that nice to him. She was being polite, sure, but she often interacted this way with many of her colleagues. Everyone had their own idiosyncrasies and it took some maneuvering in the workplace to make sure that everyone got along okay. Promising to be forthright with a coworker wasn’t especially nice, it was just courteous.

“I'm not being SO nice.” She said sadly. She tried to keep her tone level as she continued. “This is the regular amount of nice people should be, Nick.” Jesus, what did this guy put up with day to day?

“Oh, okay.” He responded quietly.

She let him take his time composing himself. This seemed to be a big moment for him and she felt her heart break all over again. That was such a simple thing, workplace courtesy, and you’d think she had offered him her last dime. The man was obviously used to taking the scraps of kindness that he could get. He deserves better than this… She thought morosely.

After a while, she heard his pen as it scratched across the paper of his report. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and she wouldn’t be able to right all the wrongs in this man’s life, but she could at least be a friend.

Chapter Text

XXX

The following Monday, Parra called Jakoby before he’d left his house to head towards the station. This was strange in and of itself, Parra typically sent a text, but what was more bizarre was that the man sounded almost… happy.

“Hullo?” Nick said cautiously.

“Jakoby, it’s Parra. I’ve got good news, meet Jackson and I at the station and we’ll discuss it. Wear something… threatening.” The voice at the other end of the line stated before the call ended.

Jakoby blinked rapidly and looked down at his phone in confusion. What the hell…? He thought with a frown. “Something threatening…” He muttered to himself. He glanced down at his clothes and smoothed a hand down the front of his shirt.

Since he wasn’t on active police duty, he’d stopped wearing his uniform. He had taken to wearing grey slacks and a button down tucked into them on most days, occasionally he would substitute the khakis that Ward said made him look like a gym teacher, but that was only on laundry day. He had to say that the button down didn’t have a lot of give and often pinched uncomfortably around his elbows and shoulders. He flexed his shoulders forward and felt the material tighten in protest. What was threatening attire? Apparently, not this.

He turned back towards his bedroom and chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully. What did humans find threatening? Well, they seemed to be not too keen on orcs in general. What did the Fogteeth wear? Orange jerseys and black beanies… He shuddered in revulsion. Orange wasn’t a good color for him. He could work with black though, black was an… intimidating color, wasn’t it?

He opened his closet and rooted through it for a few minutes before nabbing a soft black t shirt. He hadn’t worn in it in a while but he supposed it should still fit. He swapped his slacks for a pair of black jeans and subbed out his dress shoes for his combat boots. He wasn’t sad to see the back of the dress shoes. You would think they would find a way to make them more comfortable since so many people wore them, but alas, that wasn’t the case. He looked himself over in the mirror. He supposed this was threatening… He scowled at his reflection. The orc that looked back at him looked unpleasant. He guessed this is what Parra wanted.

He made to leave his room when he paused at his closet and considered the contents. He grabbed a thick leather jacket as an afterthought. It was old and rather ragged looking, it had been his most prized possession when he’d gone through his “rebel” phase in college. His mother told him he looked more like Steve Jobs than Steve McQueen, but the look had stubbornly persisted for a few years. He supposed he’d grown out of it at some point and just hadn’t ever thought about it. He shrugged into the cool leather of it and felt it settle around his shoulders. It felt like greeting an old friend and he smiled to himself. Humans still found leather jackets threatening, right? He shrugged again and nabbed his phone and keys where they lay on his bed. He supposed he’d see how he had done once he met up with Parra and Jackson.

He stepped into the station warily. He had been in street clothes the last week here, but they had been professional. Now, he felt like a asshole extra in Grease. It was a good thing that Ward was gone or he’d never hear the end of it. Why had he thought this was a good idea? He thumped his way down the hall heavily and ignored the calls of “pig nose” and “gargoyle.” That was a new one, though it didn’t sting any less than the others.

He ascended a set of stairs towards the second floor and took a deep breath before continuing. He needed his wits about him and he just needed a minute to collect himself. Normally, he didn’t let the heckling from his coworkers bother him, but being out of his uniform left him feeling out of sorts, like he didn’t belong there anymore.

He shook his head and rolled his neck in a couple of smooth circles. He was fine. He was fine. With a deep exhale, he stepped out of the stairwell and into a hallway. Parra and Jackson were set up in an office at the end of the hall and he made his way down there quickly. He didn’t like being in the common areas dressed like this, he felt too exposed. The door was open as he rounded a corner and he stepped through it quickly. He felt a little of his tension fade as he stepped away from any prying eyes. He squared his shoulders and met the startled gaze of Y/FN.

She blinked at him rapidly before giving him a not very subtle up and down. He felt himself flush and he shifted on his feet. He hadn’t realized that she was going to be here. Now he felt even more ridiculous in this outfit.

Y/FN continued to stare at him in shock and he ran a hand against the back of his neck. “Er…” He started but was interrupted by a low whistle from Jackson.

“I know Parra said threatening but, damn.” She said in her steely voice.

Nick felt his ears twitch at the comment. He wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean. Had he done well?

Parra smacked the desk he was sitting at and stood up with a grin. “Perfect, you look perfect, you ugly orc son of a bitch!” He rounded the table to get a closer look at Jakoby’s outfit. “The jacket may be a little much… What kind of club did you say it was again, Jack?”

“Upscale.” She responded with a twist to her lips.

“Jacket is way too much for that. But, I think you’ll fit the part!” Parra said with glee.

Jakoby looked between the two of them in confusion before his eyes fell back to Y/FN. He raised his eyebrows in question, but it seemed she was still lost in whatever haze she had been in when he’d walked into the room. He looked down at himself in question, was there something on him? Was his zipper undone?

Parra moved back around his desk to grab some papers. Jakoby could FEEL Jackson’s eyes on him and he turned to her sheepishly. She gave him a cool smile and arched one neat eyebrow at him. She looked predatory, and not in a sexy I’m going to get lucky kind of way.

“Looks good enough to eat, doesn’t he, Y/LN?” She asked slyly.

Y/FN turned wide eyes to the female detective and seemed to finally snap herself out of whatever funk she’d fallen into.

“He looks quite striking, yes. Though I have to agree with Parra, the jacket is too trendy.” Y/FN responded hesitantly.

Trendy? He’d never been called that before. He smiled to himself. Maybe he was better at this then he’d thought! Both of the women in the room seemed to approve of the way he was dressed, even Parra had liked it. He’d just said that… wait.

“What-uh, what’s going on?” He asked suddenly. He still hadn’t been clued in on what the hell they were planning.

“I’m getting there!” Parra snapped at him. He finally pulled a sheet of paper out at random from the stack on his desk and perused it with narrowed eyes. “Yes, yes, here it is.” He handed the sheet towards Jakoby who took it in a loose grip.

It was an advertisement for a club. “Маленькая Москва” it read in bold letters across the top with a scantily clad woman sipping a cocktail below it. Nick assumed this was Russian, but he had no idea what it said. He looked to Y/FN in confusion.

“Little Moscow.” She said easily.

“It’s been around for a while. They’re usually running an illegal gambling operation through there but it’s been pretty small-fry up ‘til now and we’ve had bigger issues with them.” Parra said easily.

“Okay… and what does this,” he indicated his outfit, “have to do with this?” he indicated the paper in his hand.

“I’m so glad you asked, Officer Jakoby.” Parra said with a grin. “We’ve got intel from an informant that a few of the girlfriends of certain mid level employees of Nikita Vasiliev frequent this establishment on Saturdays.” Parra crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Jakoby with an arrogant smirk.

“You’ll have to excuse my ignorance here… But, who?” Jakoby asked in confusion.

Parra rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air. Jackson chuckled darkly at him and settled herself further into her chair. Apparently it was an egregious oversight on his part to not recognize this man. He looked to Y/FN again for assistance. She smiled at him kindly and shuffled a little on her feet.

“Nikita Vasiliev is a billionaire based out of Volgograd. He made his money in industry there and through, shall we say, less than reputable means. He recently bought property in LA which is why ATF is so interested in him.” She gestured towards Parra and Jackson as she spoke.

This was beginning to make more sense. “You think he’s supplying the guns?” Nick asked after a pause.

“No shit.” Jackson responded dryly.

Parra held a hand out to her to hush. “Yes, we suspect that he’s the one supplying the guns. Now…” He gestured towards a board the had set up against a far wall. “He’s at the top.” He pointed a photograph of a clean cut man in his 60s, presumably Nikita Vasiliev. “Below him, he’s got three captains. They’re in charge of managing his day to day operations. One of them is currently in prison for three counts of first degree murder. We know who the other two are, but we don’t know WHERE they are. I suspect they’re in Los Angeles, but it’s hard to be sure.”

He stepped back from the board and frowned at it. “Below them are the lieutenants. We estimate that there are six of them, two that report to each of the captains. Keep in mind, a lot of this is guess work. And below the lieutenants are the rest. The gun runners, the club owners, the street thugs, etc, etc. Now, we have it on pretty good authority, that the girlfriends of at least TWO of the lieutenants frequent that club.” Parra stepped back to Nick and stabbed a finger at the paper advertisement.

Nick was beginning to see what was happening here. Though he still wasn’t quite sure why they needed him dressed like this. “And you want me to…”

“It’s like I’m talking to myself here!” Parra shouted. “Haven’t you ever watched daytime TV? Law and Order? CSI? Don’t you know what the next step here is? It’s like herding cats, I swear to God!”

Nick felt himself recoil slightly. Apparently, that had been the wrong question to ask. He loved being a beat cop, sure, but he didn’t care for cop procedural dramas. He looked at the advertisement in his hand and back down at his outfit.

“We need to go to the club.” Y/FN said easily. “I’m going to pose as a girlfriend and you need to be there posing as my bodyguard.” She said simply. Simply! As if this was going to be a simple operation!

Nick blinked rapidly at that. He glanced to Parra and Jackson and they both nodded slowly at Y/FN’s breakdown of the situation.

“Okay…” Nick said slowly. But he wasn’t and this wasn’t.

XXX

She had spent the last twenty minutes trying to explain to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumbfuck why this was a horrible fucking idea. Nick had never worked undercover before, and neither had she for that matter. Hell, she wasn’t supposed to act as a field agent on her own. She was technically an officer, but that didn’t make her qualified for this shit.

Parra wasn’t having any of her excuses. He had already made up his mind regarding the situation and it looked like she wasn’t going to be able to talk him out of it. Maybe Nick would have better luck? Parra seemed like the type of arrogant shit that would listen to a man over a woman.

This was so far from okay that it wasn’t even in the same country as okay, not even on the same continent. There were too many things that could go wrong. Sure, on paper it looked like a simple plan, but you could never accurately predict the way human beings would react. Parra is going to get my ass killed and I’m apparently just going to let him!

Surely, Nick could talk some sense into him. She felt her stomach clench at the thought though. Nick wasn’t the type to argue with a superior officer. Maybe he had been once upon a time, but certainly not anymore. He would let Parra lead them to the gates of Hell and he’d have a nervous smile on his face the entire time.

She couldn’t believe that this plan had been greenlit by the higher ups. She had a sneaking suspicion that it hadn’t been. But, for now, it seemed that her fate was sealed. She only hoped that Nick had a better poker face than he let one.

She had been stewing silently for the last few minutes. She had gotten into a shouting match with Parra, not her finest moment, and both of them were glaring daggers at one another. She was just about to tell him she was calling his boss when movement at the door caught her attention. Apparently, Nick had finally made it into the office. And-

Her brain shorted out. The orc that walked in was every fantasy she’d ever had and then some. A rugged black leather jacket hung loosely over his shoulders and she felt her mouth go dry at the sight. The boots on his feet looked like standard issue police force, but paired with black jeans and that jacket… She was done. She couldn’t even form words, let alone sentences. She knew she was staring, she didn’t care.

To her left, Jackson and Parra were speaking but she wasn’t paying any attention. How had the mild-mannered officer been hiding all of this under his slacks and button downs. He looked like he would ride her hard and put her away wet and she was. There. For. It.

She knew it was inappropriate to ogle him, knew this was technically harassment, but damn. Hot damn. Jackson made some shitty comment and Y/FN did her best to snap herself out of her lust-filled daydream. What had she said? Jesus, she couldn’t even remember.

“He looks quite striking, yes. Though I have to agree with Parra, the jacket is too trendy.” She said slowly. She needed to make sure that Nick was NOT wearing that jacket on Saturday. She would get them both killed if he had that on. There was no way she’d be able to focus on speaking Russian to a bunch of vapid floozies with an orc Steve McQueen with her.

Nick was obviously confused and obviously flustered. She reminded herself that he was a person and that he had some form of social anxiety. She needed to back the fuck off, immediately. Besides, they needed to go over their suicide mission first.

The next several minutes were spent explaining the plan to poor Nick. He’d been thrown into the deep end and just like she suspected, he made no comments about how dangerous or ill-advised it was. She was doomed. She always knew it would be a man that would be the death of her. Well, at least she’d have eye candy before her inevitable death at the hands of drunk Russian tramps.

They all sat down at some point in Parra and Jackson’s crowded office to discuss a loose game plan. She made an attempt to point out flaws and concerns professionally but she caught herself sniping sarcastic comments under her breath after a while. Parra obviously hadn’t thought through the details of this little adventure. Likely, he’d had the thought while watching one of those stupid TV shows he’d mentioned to Jakoby and had just called them into the office in a haze of excitement.

She closed her eyes frequently in order to count her breaths during their talk. Jakoby, for his part, stayed mostly silent. She noticed that he wore a frown but he was nodding along to what Parra and even Jackson were saying. Fucking Judas. She thought uncharitably.

The plan was for Nick and herself to meet at her place prior to heading to the club. They would meet Parra and Jackson, along with a couple of the techs from IT, a few blocks from the club in order to get fit with some kind of wire. From there, they were to locate their targets and get them talking. This part of the plan, the whole fucking plan actually, rested on her. She was essentially carrying the team because she was the only one who spoke a lick of Russian. So, if this failed or they got shot, it was 100% on her. No pressure.

They discussed outfits, phrasing, what the women looked like, names, etc, etc. It was a lot of information to digest. Luckily, they had the rest of the week to hammer out any additional details. They were going to need it. She sighed heavily. They were doomed.

Chapter Text

XXX

The following day, Nick met Y/FN at her office to discuss details. Parra and Jackson were down the hall but they were working with IT to go over surveillance options. Nick wasn’t feeling particularly confident about this whole venture, but Parra had seemed convinced it was going to work, so he had kept his mouth closed. They had settled on a “look” for him yesterday. The dark jeans and boots were given the green light, but they had nixed his jacket and decided that a white shirt would soften his image. He needed to look threatening but not like he was going to murder someone. Besides, an orc who looked that threatening would stand out, they wanted to fly under the radar as much as possible.

He shifted in his seat nervously. Y/FN was carefully tending to her plant in the window sill of her office and Nick did his best to not stare at her as she worked. She was talking quietly to the mottled leaves of the pothos and Nick felt his ears twitch downwards at the sound. He could hear her easily of course, though he felt bad for eavesdropping. Though, was that what he was doing? She was just talking to a plant after all, and she KNEW he was here.

He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He got all turned around whenever he was around this woman. He questioned his actions and thought too deeply on every interaction they had. Maybe it was because he enjoyed her company and he didn’t want to do anything to turn her against him. Was he that starved for company? He rubbed a hand roughly against his face. Apparently.

Y/FN turned back towards him with a smile. “Sleep well last night?” She asked politely as she turned back towards her desk.

“Alright.” He answered. “I keep a couple of bottles of melatonin around, one in my war bag, one on my nightstand. It’s become a bit of a security blanket.” He said with a half-smile.

She nodded in commiseration with him. “I have a hell of a time shutting my brain off enough to fall asleep most nights. I swear by melatonin.” She leaned back easily in her chair. She tilted her head backwards and he felt hyper-focused on the long column of her throat as it came into view.

Some primal part of him wanted to sink his teeth into the soft flesh there. He hunched his shoulders up towards his own neck as the thought came to him. This entire room smelled like her and it was making him a little dizzy. That was a good enough excuse for that incredibly inappropriate thought, right?

“Can I be honest with you, Nick?” She asked her question towards the ceiling but he trained his eyes on her regardless.

“Of course.” He answered quickly.

“I don’t like this plan.” She lowered her head and stared sightlessly out of the small window across from them. “I don’t think it was well thought out and I think it’s inappropriate of ATF to ask you and I to be the ones to put our necks on the line.” She turned towards him with a hard look in her eye.

“I know we don’t know each other that well, but you seem like a respectable man and so I don’t mind telling you this. I think Parra and Jackson are frantic to close this case and I think they’re getting sloppy.” She said heavily.

Nick looked at her and felt himself frown. She was right. He had had misgivings since being introduced to the idea of the nightclub. But, even if Parra and Jackson were low-level in their department, they still outranked him. He didn’t really have much of a choice. It was go along with this, go above their heads, or get fired. He doubted speaking with their supervisor would help him much, he had learned that the hard way from experience. He couldn’t get fired, being a cop was the most meaningful thing he had in his life. He’d worked towards being one since he’d been a child. All the bullshit he put up with day to day… no. No, he couldn’t get fired.

That left going along with the plan.

He shrugged at the woman across from him. “I don’t like it either. But, I’m not sure we have any other options.” He said quietly.

She humphed at his statement but didn’t continue. “I suppose if I’m going to get murdered it may as well be at a club with a hot orc cop beside me.” She said with a twist to her lips.

Nick felt himself flush at that and he ducked his head so she wouldn’t see. He knew that she was teasing, but he couldn’t help the tiny flare of hope that blossomed in his chest. He really DID like her.

“Alright, pliche. Let’s hammer out some details.” She said with a sigh. She shifted forwards in her seat and rolled her neck to the sides a couple of times.

They spent the remainder of the day working on code words and hand signals that they could use between them while at the club. The goal was to be discreet and not draw any unnecessary attention to themselves. It turned out that Y/FN had a pretty firm grasp on ASL and she taught a few things to Nick as they worked. It would come in handy for non verbal communication she had assured him.

Nick found himself laughing more in that afternoon than he had in the last few months. After all of the… drama with the wand, he hadn’t had much time to relax. He was all nerves, all the time now. He was constantly worried the MTF was going to decide they had made a mistake and send him and Ward packing, or worse, put them in prison. He had become blooded and was now a part of one of the largest and most notorious orc clans in the country. A large part of him was terrified he was losing his objectivity by being caught between being a police officer and being a part of a clan. There was a reason the humans were so afraid of him putting clan law above federal law, after all.

He pushed all of those concerns from his mind savagely. He could allow himself to enjoy an afternoon with a pretty woman. Sure, they were bonding over worries of their imminent demise, but the laughing felt good either way.

---

“Ok, ok,” she wheezed breathlessly, “so you actually got all the way home, had the wherewithal to cook a package of dehydrated potatoes, put them inside a tortilla…”

“And crawl back into my bed with no memory of it the next day.” He finished for her with a wide grin. “I ALWAYS make mashed potato burritos when I'm blackout drunk, no idea why.”

“Well, how did you know you had done it if you were blackout drunk?” She asked while wiping tears from her eyes.

“Because I woke up the next morning with half a burrito held gently in my arms.” He answered with a laugh.

She immediately lost what composure she had regained. “Oh, oh God. I can picture it!” She mimed the action of waking up only to discover something strange in her arms.

The two of them dissolved into giggles again. His sides ached from laughing and his cheeks hurt from smiling but this was the best he'd felt in ages. He and Y/FN had gotten on the topic of their drunken college escapades somehow and the stories between them were getting more and more ridiculous.

“Ok, alright, woo, my turn!” She inhaled and exhaled sharply in an attempt to calm herself down. “So, I almost crushed my roommate to death on two separate occasions in the same night! Keep in mind she’s about 5’1”. So, we were drinking all night at a friends house that lived within walking distance. I had waaaaay too much, so she and another one of our sorority sisters decided it was time to take me home. Well, my roommate, who is 5’1” and our sister, who is 5’11” figure it's best to carry me between them.” She paused here so she could stand and demonstrate how she had looked hanging between her friends.

“Now, I'm hanging between them and dragging my feet because I'm a worthless sack at this point. We get to the sorority house, and my roommate makes the incorrect judgement call to have me proceed her up the steps. Well, I apparently fall backwards like a brick wall and she struggles desperately to catch me. Well, crisis averted that time. We make it into the house, but guess what, our room is on the second floor.” She raised her eyebrows at him and he laughed loudly in anticipation of what was coming next.

“She apparently did not learn her lesson the first time around. So, she has me walking up the steps ahead of her when my knees buckle and the two of us go tumbling right the fuck back down the stairs with me ending up on top of her. Honestly, it's a miracle we didn't break our necks.”

Nick is shaking a with silent laughter at this point. Y/FN was so expressive that she was overacting each element of the story to the point that William Shatner himself would be impressed.

“We manage to separate ourselves and they drag me up the stairs to our room. Only, and I'm 100% serious here, they then realize that I sleep on the top bunk. Because of course, as grown women in college, we need bunk beds. So they're trying to get me undressed and put into clothes for bed while I'm being a drunk asshole. They're discussing how best to get me up onto my bed when I apparently ninja myself away from them and spider crawl my way up the bunk. They both stood in shock before realizing that I had passed out cold the minute I had laid down.” She laughed loudly as she finished her story.

“I was a fucking MESS in college. It was a miracle I passed any classes the first two years I was there.”

The two of them laughed loudly and Nick held his head in his hands as he felt tears streaming down his cheeks. This had to be his best afternoon on record. He looked fondly over at the woman seated across from him. It was strange to be silly like this. Being around police officers every day was always so serious. He had to be on his guard at all times, just in case. It felt amazing to relax like this in here with a pretty woman.

Even if his romantic interests wouldn't be reciprocated, this would be a good memory to hold onto. The happiness shining in her eyes and the flush in her cheeks warmed him. He was happy he had made a friend.

XXX

Jesus, she was telling him the roommate crushing story. She apparently felt much more comfortable with him than she had thought. And while that story was funny, it wasn't particularly flattering. Guess she had thrown out any hope's of seducing him at this point.

They had started the day strong, discussing code words and signs. Things that would help them with their undercover suicide mission. But the conversation had derailed at some point and now they were both laughing helplessly at the others past drunken misdeeds.

From the sounds of it, Jakoby had been a real pistol back in the day. He had had a quick temper and a bad boy image throughout his own college years. That was hard to picture as the man before her seemed like a total cinnamon roll. But that didn't stop her from TRYING to picture it. Especially since she had seen that leather jacket…

She was getting sidetracked. She knew orcs had sensitive noses and she DID NOT need him smelling arousal on her. That was a sexual assault complaint waiting to happen. She glanced down at her phone and was surprised to see that it was already after four o’clock. Holy schnikies! They’d been carrying on like this for the last two hours! It was a good thing she had her own office or they would have been in deep doo-doo. She was just glad that Parra and Jackson hadn’t decided to make an appearance.

She hated that their day was coming to a close though. She would have liked to continue this conversation a while longer. And once they left for the day, who knew if they’d get to share this intimacy again. She glanced over at Nick with fond eyes. He was looking around her office with a small smile on his face and she felt a fluttering in her stomach. It was safe to say she’d developed a crush on the large orc. A pretty big one actually. Who would have thought? She hadn’t ever been attracted to an orc like this before.

She wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. Maybe she didn’t have to COMPLETELY give up hopes of seducing him. They were colleagues but they didn’t work closely together normally. So, even if things went south between them there was no reason it would affect their work… Oh, fuck it.

“Nick.” She said quickly before she changed her mind.

He turned to her, his hairless eyebrows raised in question. His eyes still held a twinkle and it made her inexplicably happy to see it. That fluttering returned to her stomach. Oh get a fucking grip, you thirsty bitch. She thought to herself angrily.

“Can I get your phone number?” She asked without preamble. She had promised him she would be direct with him, and it didn’t get more direct than that.

Nick seemed startled at the question. He blinked at her a couple times in confusion before shifting in his seat. “Oh, uh, yeah, of course! We’ll probably need it for the case, right?”

“Yeah, right, the case.” She said evasively. That wasn’t really what she was thinking but she’d let him draw his own conclusions for the time being. She needed to test the waters with him a little more before she would be comfortable throwing herself at him. Who knew, maybe he wasn’t even interested in humans? Or human women for the matter? He could be gay. Or into elves or something. She didn’t really know.

She handed him her phone and she watched as his large thumbs typed his number into her contact list. She felt maybe a little guilty that she hadn’t corrected him when he’s mentioned this was for the case, but it COULD come in handy with the case later. Maybe. Anyway, it wouldn’t hurt them to have the other’s number. Parra and Jackson couldn’t be counted on to have their own heads pulled out of their asses so there was no way she was relying on them for anything she didn’t need too.

Nick handed her phone back awkwardly and she smiled at him encouragingly. She glanced down at the contact sheet and he had typed his name into the fields for her as well.

Nick Jakoby

It read simply. She grinned at it. That was likely to get changed later, a clever nickname or some emojis could easily spice it up. For now, she simply typed a short message to him so he’d have her number in return.

Suz id, pliche!

She heard his phone chime and watched as he opened it to read her message. He grinned sweetly before typing a response. What a dork! She thought warmly. Her phone vibrated and she glanced at his text.

Kuz id, tsumik!

She laughed at that. He was a total nerd and she loved every minute of it. “Well, Officer Jakoby, I do believe it’s about time to call it a day.” She tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach at the words. “Do you know what we’re doing tomorrow?”

Nick shrugged at her words and looked at his hands in his lap nervously. “I think Parra mentioned trying on the wires the techs came up with today.”

“Oh, fun. Hey, if that doesn’t make us want to kill our bosses can I buy you a coffee after?” She almost inhaled her tongue after she’d finished speaking. Can I buy you a coffee after… Fucking fuckity fuck fuck! That was the worst segue into a pick-up line ever! Best way to a man’s heart, casual mention of murder and then a coffee date. She mentally rolled her eyes at herself. She could kiss any chance she might have had with this man away. You know, she would have been a lot more successful in her life if she had only ever learned to keep her damn big fat mouth SHUT.

Nick stuttered a sound, halfway between a ‘what’ and a ‘huh’ and she gave him a strained smile in response. He rubbed awkwardly at the back of his head and his ears flicked downwards nervously. “Um, sure. Yeah, that’d be nice.”

He didn’t sound like it would be nice. He sounded like she was an idiot. Fuck.

She made an attempt to laugh it off. “Just a suggestion, maybe give us something to look forward too!” Oh my God, shut up!

He laughed weakly. “Yeah, for sure. That would be good.”

Welp, that pooch screwed itself. Maybe you can forget about this tomorrow and he won’t hold it against you? That was an ok plan, she’d just pretend it hadn’t happened. Easy-peasy.

“Well, I better uh-better get going.” He stood quickly and the chair he had been sitting in skittered backwards loudly against the floor.

“Right, yeah, of course. About that time.” She said in response.

Fuck. She thought as he quickly exited her office.

Chapter Text

XXX

Nick berated himself as he all but bolted from her office. He was a fucking coward. An absolute chicken-shit fucking coward. She had asked for his number, called him a… pet name, and then asked him out for coffee. And what had he done? Ran from the room like he had a horde of angry goblins on his tail. He continued to curse himself as he trotted down the stairs towards the main level, two at a time.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid! Nick, why are you so stupid!” He muttered to himself as he walked stiffly towards the time clock.

“You know, I ask myself the same thing all the time.” A cold voice called from behind him. “Why is Nick so stupid?

Nick felt his shoulders tighten. Great. Just what he needed. He hadn’t seen Harris in over a week. The little shit stain had quickly stepped into Pollard’s role as his personal problem almost immediately after Ward had gunned the other man down. He took every opportunity to verbally debase Nick that he could get, often going out of his way to say something hateful.

He was flushed right now and more than a little out of sorts after bolting from Y/FN’s office. He REALLY didn’t want to deal with this right now. He could just ignore the man, that was probably in his best interests. He was almost to the time clock, from there it was just a short walk to the parking garage. Surely, the man wouldn’t follow him alone into a secluded area away from prying eyes. Surely, he wasn’t that stupid? Nick may be mild-mannered but he was still an officer with all the training that accompanied it, as well as an orc with ten times the humans strength.

No, he would ignore him and be on his way. The man would know better than to try to outright assault him in the damn hallway. He forced his shoulders to relax and continued on his way down to the timeclock. He had had a really nice day all things considered. Maybe he could even text Y/FN later that night and apologize for leaving so suddenly. He could blame it on indigestion, maybe? The door to the stairwell behind him clanged open and shut but he ignored it. He needed to get out of here.

“Yo, pig face! I’m fucking talking to you!” Harris called after him.

Ignore him, ignore him, just fucking ignore him! Nick chanted to himself over and over.

“You ugly gargoyle fuck, turn around!” Harris said, louder this time.

“Excuse me?” Came an angry female voice from behind him.

Nooooo, my luck can NOT be this bad. It just can’t be! No God cannot hate me this much. It seemed no higher power was listening to him however, because the sound of angry footsteps approached him rapidly.

“What did you just say?” The female, Y/FN, bit out furiously.

Nick sighed loudly and turned slowly. The scene before him reminded him a Renaissance painting he had seen once, a Caravaggio maybe. Both Harris and Y/FN were framed by the cement walls of the hallway and beyond them, other officers had paused when they’d heard angry voices. Why was this his life?

“I don’t think I was talking to you.” Harris responded sharply.

He watched as Y/FN’s nostrils flared angrily. She was heated, wow. He felt a sudden warmth in his chest, she was heated on his behalf. That was… sorta nice, actually.

“I think you were talking loud enough for the whole station to hear you.” She snapped back at him.

Harris gave her a cool once over. He obviously didn’t know her and she wasn’t in a uniform, so it was apparent that she wasn’t a ranking officer. This could get out of hand quickly, Nick realized. He stepped forward and Y/FN darted her eyes towards him briefly.

“Now, you look like you have the memory of a goldfish, so I’ll repeat myself. What did you say?” Her posture positively radiated fury and Nick felt a little taken aback by it. She hadn’t given off any threatening vibes the entire he had known her, which admittedly wasn’t long, but this woman before him now was a Valkyrie.

Harris rolled his eyes at her but apparently had enough sense not to push the issue. He didn’t know her, she could be anyone, possibly someone with pull in the department. “I was talking to my good friend, Officer Jakoby. Just trading jibes. Right, Jakoby?”

Nick felt his skin crawl at the implication that they were “just trading jibes.” God, he hated Harris. He had gotten used to keeping the peace though, knew it was better to just let it go. So, he shrugged good naturedly. “Sure, just jibes.” He said stiffly.

Harris turned to Y/FN triumphantly. “See, ma’am. Just goofing around.” He tucked his thumbs casually into the gun belt looped around his waist. He was a man that was apparently used to getting his way. Why shouldn’t he? He was a white male human working in the LA police department. He had everything going for him. Harris apparently even had the arrogance to send a flirtatious wink at Y/FN! Nick felt his hackles rise immediately.

Y/FN gave the man a disdainful once over before a predatory grin spread across her features. “Right, goofing around. I can see the humor in it now. What’s your name, officer?”

“Harris, ma’am.” The man had the gall to offer his hand for a handshake. Y/FN took it casually and raised an appraising eyebrow at him.

Y/FN nodded to him politely. “Harris, you look like you’re going places.” She said with a sweet smile.

Harris spread his feet a little further apart and pulled his shoulders a little straighter. He was apparently convinced that this conversation had suddenly turned in his favor.

“Excuse me, I was on my way out.” Y/FN said politely to the man before turning a thunderous look towards Jakoby.

Her pace was even and measured but fury was now coming off of her again in waves. When she was level with Nick she growled at him quietly. “Come with me.”

Nick blinked stupidly at Harris a few times. The man sent him an arrogant smirk and an even more arrogant wink before Nick’s brain caught up with the situation. He turned on his heel quickly and followed Y/FN down the rest of the hallway.

She had stopped at the time clock and swiped her badge angrily through the terminal. She didn’t so much as glance back at Nick as she stormed towards the parking garage and Nick wondered if he was supposed to continue after her. He quickly clocked himself out before trotting after the woman. She moved quickly for someone with shorter legs than him.

Was she mad at him? Did she think he had instigated that altercation? He often got pegged as the bad guy, regardless of who had started the issue. He had hoped that she would be different, but perhaps she was prejudiced too? He followed along in her wake and he watched as her posture eased slightly the longer she walked. By the time she stopped next to a dark green Subaru she was walking more like her normal self. She took a deep breath before turning to face him squarely.

“What the hell was that?” She asked without preamble.

His ears twitched downwards at the harsh statement. “What uh, what do you mean?”

“I mean, who is that shit-licker and what the hell was he harassing you for?”

“Oh. That.” He shifted restlessly on his feet. “He’s just another cop. And like he said, he was just throwing some jibes at me.” The lie felt uncomfortable on his tongue and he winced as the words spilled past his lips. He had always been a terrible liar. Maybe Y/FN hadn’t figured that out about him yet, though?

“Nice try, pliche. I know bullying when I hear it. Did he just stop you on your way out? Does that happen often?” She sounded exasperated and he wrinkled his nose in response.

“Yes and… I don’t know. A few times a week.” He didn’t want to be going over this right now, or ever. This was just a fact of his life and he didn’t want to drag someone else into it. It didn’t look like he was being given an option though.

She hummed thoughtfully and he watched as her eyes grew distant. She clicked her teeth together in consideration before a small smile curled her lips. It wasn’t a nice smile. She’s plotting something… He thought to himself. He thought back to the cruel smile she had given to Harris in the hall. With the look in her eye now, he wouldn’t be surprised if they were fishing Harris from the canal later on that day. He got chills up his spine. And he had thought that Jackson was frightening.

She turned back to him with sadness in her eyes after a few moments. “I’m sorry that happened to you.” She said earnestly.

Nick hunched his shoulders towards his ears protectively. He really didn’t like talking about this, it made him feel ashamed. And he definitely didn’t want this beautiful woman that he was VERY interested in knowing that he had to deal with this at work. He tried to play it off.

“It’s not a big deal.”

“Excuse me here, but bullshit, Nick. That’s bullshit.” She placed her hands on her hips and jut her jaw forwards angrily. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t pressure you, but don’t lie to me about it.”

He nodded once in agreement. He didn’t want to talk about it, but he could agree not to lie to her. It wouldn’t do any good anyway apparently, she’d clearly seen through his bullshit. He watched her pace angrily beside her car a few times before she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. She released the grip she had on her sides and stretched her fingers a few times.

“I apologize for losing my temper.” She said bluntly. “I’m normally pretty level-headed but I have a low tolerance for that kind of thing.” She exhaled sharply and met his eyes earnestly. “Aaaand… I originally had come downstairs to apologize to you if I had made you uncomfortable. You left my office in a hurry.”

Nick took a half-step backwards and placed his hands roughly in the pockets of his slacks. He wasn’t used to dealing with someone so… well, direct. He knew that she had promised to be that way with him, but he honestly hadn’t expected her to follow through quite this well on it. It was refreshing to speak with someone so honestly and openly.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable.” He said quietly. Did he go with the indigestion lie? No, she would see through that. Did he make up something else? What did he say? He looked at her and felt a small mental barrier he’d had up crumble. She was looking at him plainly and openly, she was curious but not demanding. She was genuinely interested in what he had to say. He felt a fluttering in his stomach and he resisted the urge to place a hand over the area.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable.” He repeated for lack of something better to say.

She gave him a sad smile but nodded at him slowly. “Okay, Nick.” She placed a gentle hand on his arm and squeezed it. “You can text me if you need anything, you know, now that you have my number. I’ll see you at work tomorrow?”

He gave her a half smile and nodded quickly. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow. You owe me a coffee, right?”

She laughed and the sound of it lightened the weight in his chest. “Sure thing, pliche. I’ll get you two!”

And with that, she unlocked her car door and slid inside. Nick stepped back so she could reverse out and he waved awkwardly to her as she drove away. She returned the wave with a small one of her own.

Today, had been a strange day. A really good day, but a strange day.

XXX

Harris was done with the LAPD. She would see to that. She didn’t have a lot of clout with the department, but she knew people who did. She spoke nine fucking languages, she was the only Brezzick translator in the entire fucking STATE for god's sake. She had done a lot of favors for people in positions of power. No, Harris was done. All it would take was a phone call and that wouldn’t take her long at all. Piece of shit fucking garbage bag. She thought viciously. She had no idea how bigots ended up in public service where they would almost assuredly encounter the people they hated. Or maybe that was the idea. It was always easier to subjugate someone if you had even a small measure of power over them.

She fumed all the way back to her house. To think! In LA! She wasn’t making a lot of sense, she was blinded by her fury. She had managed to put a cap on it while she had talked to Nick in the parking garage but the minute she had gotten herself in traffic, the anger all came back. Nick Jakoby was one of the gentlest men she had ever met, to think that he was experiencing that kind of racism in his own workplace! And he’d tried to blow it off, act like it wasn’t a big deal. There was no fucking way she was letting this slide.

She attempted to take several calming breaths. She had been practicing meditation and mindfulness for the last few months. It had had a profound impact on her moods and she tried to grasp at the thin tendrils of the calmness within her. She was partially successful and felt her grip on her steering wheel loosen. You’re fine, you’re fine. Just let it go. Listen to Elsa, let it go. She let out a long breath through her nose.

“You’re fine, settle down, shit.” She muttered to herself. The good news about the whole affair was that she had apologized to Nick. After he’d left her office she had fretted for about a minute before deciding, fuck it. It didn’t cost her anything to apologize and it was always easier to be safe than sorry. If she had upset him, it would be easier to mend the bridge sooner rather than later. So, she had chased after him.

She had looked up and down the hall quickly when she exited the stairwell before she saw him standing stiffly towards the end of the hallway. That’s when she heard that little pissant fuckhead running his mouth. She could feel her blood start to rise again at the memory and she quickly let that part go. Harris would be dealt with soon enough.

She had apologized to Nick for getting so heated and for making him uncomfortable. He had looked nervous but had assured her that she hadn’t upset him. She didn’t believe him, but she didn’t want to force the issue. He could keep his feelings to himself if he wanted, that was none of her business really. She had done her part by taking the blame for any hurt feelings.

She grinned to herself. She hadn’t been able to help herself when she had reached out to him. She made sure to keep it professional and friendly though. She’d squeezed gently at his arm and holy fucking hell, the muscle under her hand had felt like granite. She gave a brief thought to what it would feel like to have that body above her but she banished it quickly.

Probably the best thing that had happened was Nick asking her about the coffee she had suggested to him. Her heart had soared when he’d reminded her that she owed him a coffee and she hadn’t been able to suppress the laugh that had bubbled up from her.

She’d given him a small wave as she had left and the image of his gentle smile lingered in her mind. The fluttering in her stomach reminded her that she needed to keep her eyes on the road. She had it bad for that orc and she didn’t even care.

She spent a lazy evening at home with her cat and a well-worn copy of Commando. She was and always would be a sucker for Arnold. She ate leftovers, which consisted of mashed potatoes and a slice of pizza. Not the healthiest, but she needed it out of her fridge. On a whim, she grabbed a tortilla from a package on her microwave and stuffed it full of the mashed potatoes. She giggled the entire time she wrapped the thing together and stared at it in consideration after. It couldn’t be too bad, right? The whole thing was just starch and carbs and it was hard to go wrong there.

She took a few tentative bites and laughed at herself when she realized it was actually quite good. Maybe drunk college Jakoby had been onto something! She grabbed her phone from the coffee table and snapped a quick pic of herself eating the mashed potato burrito. She typed a one-handed message to Nick and shot it and the picture off. He should get a kick out of that.

She chewed happily on the burrito and pet Cleo absently while she waited to see if the orc would respond. He didn’t disappoint and a few minutes later she got series of crying emojis in reply. She grinned around a mouthful when a second message came in.

Nick: Should I be warning any roommates about impending piledrivers?

She almost choked on the food in her mouth and had to cough several times to clear her airways. The image of her completing a drunken piledriver was about the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard of and she barked a loud laugh in her living room.

Y/FN: I almost choked to death on this burrito monstrosity, pliche!

Nick: Tsumikef! Always so dramatic. He sent with a couple of eye rolling emojis.

Y/FN: You know, when you call me that it makes me think of Quark from Deep Space 9. Not a good look. And you’re a cop, your first duty is supposed to be to PROTECT me. And you’re trying to kill me with my own carbs.

Nick: Apologies, ma’am! Just tell me where to point the gun and that burrito is done for. He accompanied that with a small gun emoji.

She felt a wide smile spread across her cheeks. He was a nerd and she loved it.

Y/FN: That’s more like it! She briefly considered sending a request for him to SERVE her next but she figured that might be overstepping the bounds of their tentative friendship just a little. Instead, she changed tactics.

Y/FN: How’s your night?

Nick: Pretty boring. It’s just me and some Thai take out with reruns of Seinfeld.

She chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully. This was a good opportunity to fish for information. But, how did she phrase it without it coming across as needy and/or thirsty….

Nick: How’s your night, tsumik priluka?

She grinned down at her phone. Apparently, she qualified for teasing pet names now. “Human friend” wasn’t particularly tender, but it was cute nonetheless.

Y/FN: Just me and my girl, Cleo, watching Commando and eating mashed potato burritos!

There was a long pause between messages and she wrinkled her nose. Hopefully, she hadn’t said something offensive. Maybe he was just away from his phone for a minute, it wasn’t like they were having a deeply meaningful conversation after all. Her screen lit up and she read the new message eagerly.

Nick: That sounds nice. Is Cleo your girlfriend?

She frowned at her phone. Had she not mentioned that she had a cat at any point in their discussions? Guess not. Though it was sweet of him to ask politely. It looked like he had beaten her to the punch on fishing for information.

Y/FN: She’s my big fat tick of a cat. No girlfriends here, or boyfriends for that matter. Unless you count the love of my life, Arnold Schwarzenegger! She added a couple of red heart emojis at the end. She hoped it came off as playful and not stalker-ish.

Nick: Oh, I didn’t know you had a cat. And you may have to arm wrestle me for Arnold, he’s been the love of my life for longer than you’ve been alive I’d wager.

She felt her heart sink. Gay. Damn. Oh well, they could at least bond over their mutual love for Austrian bodybuilders.

Nick: I’m realizing now that that was meant to be funny, but it ended up coming out really gay. And I’m not. Gay that is. I’m not funny either actually.

She laughed loudly, startling Cleo from her perch on the arm of the couch. “This guy is un-fucking-real.” She said quietly as she tapped out a reply.

Y/FN: Well, you may not be gay or funny but at least you’re cute.

That MAY have been toeing the line on the appropriate scale but it was fairly safe. She was flirting but it was tasteful. There was silence on his end of the line and she chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. Should she say something to backtrack? That may have been too much. Hell, it had just been that afternoon that she’d apparently stuck her foot in her mouth and made the guy uncomfortable. That was a stupid thing to do. She was in the process of writing out an apology when another message from him popped up.

Nick: Funnily enough, my mother tells me the exact same thing.

She laughed again. He might SAY that he isn’t funny, but he had a strange kind of dry humor that was endearing to her. Actually, the more she thought about it, he was fucking hilarious. It came through more in text format because his nerves didn’t seem to be getting in the way. She hoped that someday he would be comfortable enough with her to speak this candidly with her always.

XXX

Chapter Text

XXX

Nick drove to work the next day with a smile on his face and a whistle on his lips. He had spent a large portion of the night texting Y/FN back and forth and he felt genuinely good about the exchange. She had been receptive and had laughed at his bad jokes, or she had at least text that she was laughing. They had talked about their mutual interest in Star Trek and Arnold movies. That quickly segued into other shows and movies they both liked. It was easy, probably one of the easiest conversations he’d ever had. He liked getting to know her, there seemed to be more and more things about her that he liked the more he learned.

He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel of his old Jeep and hummed offkey to a song on the radio. Even the prospect of seeing Parra and Jackson wouldn’t bring him down today. He had flirted last night, actually flirted! And she had seemed to like it as bizarre as that sounded. Maybe he wasn’t as bad at the dating thing as he’d been led to believe. Sure, every single one of his matches on O-Date had found an excuse to leave mid-meal. And sure, he hadn’t ACTUALLY officially dated anyone since early college. But, he was still young, there was plenty of time. Maybe he had counted himself out too early! Maybe he just didn’t click with orcish women? Maybe human females found him irresistible?

He chuckled to himself. Okay, maybe that last was a little far-fetched. But, it did look like Y/FN was interested. Even if she wasn’t interested in a romantic relationship, he had a good feeling that she would be a good and true friend for him. He definitely could use more of those since he had… well, none really. He’d like to think of Ward as a friend, but the man obstinately refused to call him that. He suspected it was some strange word game that they were playing and he just didn’t know the rules.

He parked in the garage at the precinct and walked with a bounce in his step towards the doors. He wasn’t going to let anyone upset his good mood yet, even if there were ten Harris’s standing in the hallway between him and the upstairs offices. He was feeling too chipper to let it bring him down. He clocked in quickly and nodded politely to the other officers that he passed. Most of them ignored him completely and that was just fine with him. A couple of the younger recruits even returned his nod and that caused a bubble of joy to fill his chest. Things were changing around here, it would just take time.

He ascended the stairs two at a time and paused at the door to exit the stairwell. He checked to make sure that his shirt wasn’t wrinkled, that it was tucked into his slacks and that his breath smelled okay. He straightened his shoulders and with a small smile, he stepped out of the stairwell and into the second floor hall. They were meeting in Parra and Jackson’s office down the hall and he made for that with quick steps.

He scented the hall subtly. He could just catch the faint notes of rose that seemed to follow Y/FN around. Maybe she was already there! He forced himself to take a calming breath. He could feel his pulse racing in his veins and he cursed himself silently. He was going to give himself away if he wasn’t careful. He didn’t want to show his hand too soon, and DEFINITELY not in front of Parra OR Jackson.

He rounded the corner at a more sedate pace and stepped into the small office. He blinked in confusion at the chaos before him. Parra and Jackson were standing behind the only desk in the room and three other humans, he assumed they were techs, were rifling through boxes of various sizes. Electrical cables of different sizes and colors, plastic wrappings, black terminals and various other objects littered the floor and the small desk space available.

He caught sight of Y/FN standing amidst the mess. She looked annoyed and he could understand the sentiment. He did note quickly however, that she had taken off a thin sweater, which was clenched tightly in one hand, and was wearing only a small tank in its place. He felt himself flush as his eyes came into contact with sight of the tops of her breasts and he looked away immediately. What was going on here?

“Jakoby, good, you’re here. We need you to take off your shirt.” Parra said as soon as he spotted him.

Jakoby blinked owlishly at him. Take off his… what! “Why?” He dared to ask.

The irritation on Parra’s face was immediate. “Because I said so, shit-heel.” Parra snapped at him. He gestured towards the techs around them as if their purpose was obvious. “We’re fitting you two with wires for Saturday.

Ah… yes. Yep, he remembered now. He had even told Y/FN this was what they were doing today. He’d apparently just forgotten in all the excitement. He glanced nervously at the women in the room. He didn’t have a problem with his body, per se. He was maybe not as trim around his middle as he used to be, but he was still fit. And really, he had hoped that his relationship with Y/FN would lead this direction at some point, but he hadn’t planned on disrobing in front of her the first time while three techs and two ATF agents watched. Fuck it all.

He grimaced in annoyance but lifted his hands to the top button of his shirt. He half expected someone, Jackson, to start singing Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff.” That seemed like something the crazy bitch would do. But, he doubted she was refined enough to have seen The Full Monty, so maybe not. He did his level best to avoid looking at Y/FN while he worked the bottom of his shirt out from his slacks.

He held back a sigh as he peeled the material away from his shoulders. It honestly felt better not to have it on, the material always seemed to pinch, but he hated that everyone in the room seemed to have their eyes on him.

He knew for a fact that Y/FN was watching him remove his shirt. He could feel the weight of her eyes from across the room. He only hoped she didn't hate what she was seeing. He had a plain white tee on under his button up and he refused to remove that without an express order. He wasn't going to give them a free show.

They seemed satisfied with just the top layer being removed though and a tech immediately stepped towards him holding up several thicknesses of cable. He looked at the man in confusion and the guy actually shied away from him. Nick felt a long suffering sigh build in his chest but he tamped it down as best he could.

He glanced over at Y/FN and she raised a neat eyebrow at him before sending him a conspiratorial wink. He gave her a small smile in return and felt his cheeks flush. So, he was uncomfortable, but at least he was in good company.

The techs continued to move around them. Occasionally, they would type something into a small laptop, or argue over the merits of battery packs or something. It didn't mean much to him, he had never been much of a technology buff. He supposed this was the easy part, figuring out the technical specs. His terror for Saturday hadn't loomed yet, but it coming, he could sense that.

XXX

Lord in Heaven, please hear my prayer. I'm about thirty seconds away from getting fired because this beefy orc police officer just took off his shirt. I know I've been remiss in my prayers, but please give me strength so I don't remove the rest of his clothes in front of our bosses. Amen.

Y/FN had felt a thrill of excitement when Nick had stepped into the room. She had been looking forward to seeing him all morning. That was until she had realized they would be disrobing today in front of the entire office so the nerds from IT could stick wires to them.

Maybe instead of buying him a coffee she should have offered to buy him a drink. Maybe their plans could be amended after the day they were in for.

She tried not to ogle him because it was obvious that he was uncomfortable as he removed his shirt. But holy hot damn. Those biceps looked like they could crush a man’s skull and she was here for it.

Next time, hopefully, she could be the one undoing the buttons. He looked at her nervously and she raised an eyebrow at him and winked. She was happy to see that he smiled and blushed. So, he was uncomfortable but at least he seemed happy to see her.

They spent another few hours with the techs talking in some kind of technology code and Parra and Jackson snapping at them to speak English. It seemed to take forever before all parties, all parties except for Nick and herself that was, were satisfied with the microphones.

Great, so they would be able to hear her and Jakoby being murdered in surround sound, fantastic. Her brain was starting to get fuzzy. Maybe that coffee wouldn't go amiss after all. She wondered how much longer they'd be kept here.

The answer to that question was, another two fucking hours. It was past the lunch hour now and she was absolutely starving. They wouldn't want to see her hungry, she had a short fuse and a sharp tongue when she was hungry.

Finally, they were dismissed for the afternoon with instructions to meet back at the office the next morning for a debriefing, or a briefing, whichever came first. Shit, she was hungry.

She walked quickly out of the office and snagged Jakoby by the arm as she walked by him. He followed her easily, though with some confusion.

“What's wrong?” He asked.

“I gotta eat, or I'm gonna start getting hateful.” She snapped back at him.

He gave her a small smile before opening his mouth to speak again. She recognized the smug look on his face and interrupted him before he said something he would regret.

“If you call me “hangry” I swear to the Dark Lord I will send your ass back to the Pripet Marshes with my foot up your ass.”

He visibly paled and she nodded to him smartly. “Good man. Let's go get something to eat. I'll even buy you those coffees if you behave.” She managed a coy grin to soften the blow of her words. She was mostly teasing him. But she really would get hateful if she didn't eat soon.

Nick’s eyes widened marginally and he nodded once. “Yes, ma'am. I'll drive.”

She couldn't decide if that response meant he liked a bossy woman or if he was afraid he was going to be skinned alive? Maybe both.

They walked in silence down to the parking garage and she eyed his Jeep with an appraising eye. She had always wanted a Jeep, ever since she had seen Jurassic Park as a kid. She approved of his vehicle vehemently.

“You pick the restaurant. It doesn't matter to me.” She said offhandedly as she climbed into the passenger seat.

Nick hummed noncommittally as he thought. He eased the Jeep out of the garage and she blinked against the harsh light of the afternoon sun. She had forgotten her sunglasses at her desk like an asshole. She watched as Nick pulled his own from a center console. He looks like such a cop. Those sunglasses SCREAM cop. She thought shrewdly.

They drove together in silence for several minutes. She could see Nick shooting her nervous glances every few seconds and she felt her frown deepen. She wasn't exhibiting her best behavior right now and she knew it.

Silently, the orc leaned across her to open up the glovebox near her knees. She was surprised he had gotten so far into her personal space without so much as a by your leave, but his reasoning was soon clear. He pulled a pair of dark aviators out of the compartment and handed then to her without a word.

She took them gratefully and placed them on her face. That was about 100 times better and she sighed in relief.

“I'm sorry I'm being such a bitch.” She said after a few more seconds of silence.

Beside her, Nick's hands tightened on the steering wheel. “You shouldn't call yourself names, tsumik.”

She smiled at him fondly. “No, you're SUPPOSED to assure me that I'm not being a bitch.” She said teasingly.

“I thought we had agreed to be honest and direct with one another?” He dead panned back to her.

She blinked at him in shock. Had he just sassed her? She barked a laugh, well she had been hoping he would get more comfortable with her and it looked like she had gotten her wish.

“Kin, prekhoza!” She said with a laugh. “Well, I WAS apologizing but nevermind!”

Nick looked at her nervously for a moment but seemed put at ease with the grin on her face. Her humor could take some getting used to, she knew that.

He gave her a broad smile before turning back towards the road. “So, how about burgers?”

She shrugged in agreement. At this point it didn't really matter. She just needed something.

They pulled into the lot behind a hole in the wall burger joint a couple of minutes later. They walked side by side to the front of the restaurant. This wasn't her favorite place. the service sucked, but the food was decent.

Nick held the door for her and she gave him a shy grin that he returned hesitantly. She wasn't paying a lot of attention as she entered the building, mostly because she was hyper focused on Nick's hand where it hovered over the small of her back to direct her. Which was probably why she smacked right into the hard wall of someone's chest.

She backed up quickly and placed her hands in front of her in apology. “Sorry, I'm so sorry!” She said quickly.

“Vrulna, tsumik!” A deep voice snapped at her. (Look out, human)

Uh oh. She winced. Just her fucking luck.

“I'm so sorry.” She reiterated to the large orc in front of her.

The orc looked down at her disdainfully before turning angry eyes to Nick. “Apakiz zu, tsumik pila!” (Go away, human lover)

“Ven mar, tsmrulnizu fats. Tsrdunasuki?” Nick responded politely. (My brother, we mean no disrespect. May we pass?)

The orc growled at him, “Vrulna kin igluk, munguz.” (Look out for your wife, Roundtooth) But the orc brushed past him without another word. Looks like that crisis had been averted. She breathed a sigh of relief. Nick placed a gentle hand on her back to encourage her forward. She startled at the contact but dutifully moved into the diner.

“Thanks, Nick. I'm sorry.” She whispered to him from the corner of her mouth.

“You're alright.” He answered easily.

But she didn't feel alright.

They were silent as a waitress finally stepped forward to seat them. She placed them in a booth near the back and Y/FN was happy for the privacy. That interaction had rattled her and she was ashamed to admit it.

They placed their drink orders with the waitress who scribbled them down before giving them a curious once over. She kept her peace though and excused herself to the back.

Y/FN let out a loud sigh. “Thanks for covering my ass back there, that could have gone south fast.”

“I'm happy to cover your ass.” Nick said easily.

She watched with a grin as he realized what he had said and blushed. Dork. She thought fondly. He started to stutter an apology but she waved him off.

“I know what you meant.” She looked at the laminated menu in her hands. “So, what's good here?”

“They have a turkey burger that's pretty good!” Nick said quickly. Apparently he was still feeling embarrassed if the flush in his cheeks was anything to go by.

She nodded thoughtfully to that. She wasn't a huge burger fan really but she was so hungry that she could make a meal from an actual cow right about now. She hummed thoughtfully as she looked over the menu.

They sat in silence while they contemplated the menu. Eventually, the waitress returned with their drinks and they placed their food orders. He got the Turkey burger and she ordered a black bean burger. She was hungry, but red meat never settled right in her stomach.

Y/FN glanced out the window next to them thoughtfully. That orc had been a little more aggressive than she was used too. Hopefully, that didn't mean word had already gotten out that she was working with the feds. Their little undercover sting was doomed if that was the case.

Nick cleared his throat across from her and she looked to him. He looked uncomfortable and ran a hand against the back of his head nervously. She frowned at him. What's this about?

“I'm sorry.” He mumbled to her.

She felt her eyebrows raise. “For…?” She asked.

“If that embarrassed you.” Nick responded reluctantly.

She laughed. “Well, I'm embarrassed I walked into someone, but accidents happen.” She said easily.

Nick didn't look any better. If anything, he cringed further. “I-I mean what he said. Calling you my wife….”

Ah. She thought in understanding. Poor man. She shifted in her seat and reached a hand across the table towards him. She let it settle gently against his forearm and she waited for him to look at her.

“That didn't embarrass me. I think I could only be so lucky as to have a husband as handsome and kind as you. That guy was being an ass, but the idea of having you for a spouse isn't shameful.” She said earnestly.

She watched the orc flush and duck his head at her statement. She smiled at him warmly and gave his arm a couple of soft pats before removing her hand. He needed a few minutes to process all of that and she would give it to him.

Chapter Text

XXX

It had taken everything in him not snarl at the orc at the diner. He was Fogteeth, a member of Nick’s clan, but that apparently didn’t mean shit in the real world. He had been excited at the prospect of having lunch with Y/FN. He hadn’t been out of the office with a beautiful woman in… well, it had been a long time. They weren’t on a date, but that wasn’t important. It was just nice to be out at a restaurant with good company.

Then that Fogteeth asshole had to go and mouth off. Y/FN had bumped into him, and that was partly his fault because she had been looking at him, but that was no reason for him to snarl obscenities. He didn’t even have the decency to speak to her in English. Not that it mattered, she understood Bodzvokhan just fine, but that orc hadn’t known that. He had tried to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal, asking the other orc’s forgiveness. He’d learned to be a peacekeeper very early on in his police career and with good reason. But, he didn’t really feel like peacekeeping at the moment. He had wanted to step protectively between Y/FN and the Fogteeth member and snarl a warning to him.

He hadn’t and it was a good thing too. The gang member had insulted Y/FN by calling her Nick’s wife and then dismissing them both arrogantly. He had flushed angrily but encouraged his lunch companion through the doors. He didn’t want to make a scene in the doorway. He would apologize to her once they were seated.

She looked embarrassed and he felt it himself. They were seated and ordered their drinks and Y/FN had the gall to thank him! As if he had done anything noteworthy other than tuck his tail between his legs and ask forgiveness from a fellow clan member. He then proceeded to make an ass out of himself by telling her he was happy to cover her ass. It would be a miracle if he could eat his food around his foot inside of his mouth.

They placed their orders with the waitress and they were alone again. He should apologize. She was probably feeling incredibly ashamed of the fact that one of his clan brothers had called her his wife. Not only that, but he’d said it derogatorily.

He cleared his throat nervously and ran a hand against the back of his neck. “I'm sorry.” He mumbled to her.

She looked at him with a surprised expression and then her eyes narrowed. “For…?”

Nick felt a tightness in his chest. He really didn’t want to be doing this. He was likely about to lose the one really good friend he’d started to make. They weren’t close enough yet that they could weather a falling out this large. He was surprised that she hadn’t immediately turned around and called a cab after the altercation with that orc. But, he supposed she had more class than that. She would likely finish lunch with him and after Saturday, never speak to him again.

“If that embarrassed you.” He responded reluctantly.

She laughed and he felt the tightness in his chest sink into his stomach. Jesus, she was laughing at him. “Well, I'm embarrassed I walked into someone, but accidents happen.” She said easily.

She didn’t understand what he meant. The poor thing assumed he meant her bumping into that asshole.. This was going to be harder than he thought. He felt the next sentence tumble from his lips almost against his will. “I-I mean what he said. Calling you my wife….”

She surprised him by reaching forward and placing her small hand on top of his arm. He resisted the urge to pull back. This was a kind touch and he wasn’t used to getting too many of those. He willed himself to stay still and thought with dismay that he might be a little touch-starved. He glanced at her nervously.

“That didn't embarrass me. I think I could only be so lucky as to have a husband as handsome and kind as you. That guy was being an ass, but the idea of having you for a spouse isn't shameful.” She said and the earnestness in her voice left him gobsmacked.

He felt himself blush and lowered his head again. She was incredible and he wondered again at his good luck in meeting her last week. He found it hard to believe that she had managed to worm her way so close to him so quickly. She had completely disarmed him and he seemed helpless against her kind words and honest attitude.

He took a few moments to himself. She was looking back out the window, giving him a small moment of privacy and he appreciated it. He was rarely so caught off guard by someone but this slip of a woman continued to surprise him. He took a deep breath in and then let it back out slowly. You’re ok, you’re fine, everything is fine. Just relax, Nick. He thought briefly before lifting his head.

“You back with me?” She said to him with a warm smile.

He returned her look with a twist of his lips. “Yeah, I’m here with you.”

“Good!” She enthused and then knocked her knuckles against the table between them. “So, I was thinking…” And just like that, she was off asking questions about something light-hearted and easy. He couldn’t have been more grateful to her. He listened to her talk and the longer he listened, the looser the tightness in his gut felt.

They talked about nothing in particular. It was just the mindless friendly chatter people engaged in over meals. He loved every fucking second of it. He looked up in surprise when the waitress returned to their table with their meals. She placed plates down in front of each of them along with a bottle of ketchup.

“Anything else, you two?” She asked without much interest.

“No, thank you.” Y/FN answered with a smile before grabbing for her silverware. Nick nodded politely to the waitress and she excused herself quickly. He and Y/FN worked their way through their food with gusto. He hadn’t realized it, but he had been starving as well.

While they ate, their waitress seated a couple of teenagers at a booth behind Y/FN. Y/FN ignored them and worked her way through a number of her fries before she seemed satisfied with her meal. She sighed happily and patted her stomach in appreciation before looking to him with a large grin.

“Not bad, Nick! Not bad at all!” She popped another fry into her mouth as she grinned.

He nodded to her in agreement. It was the best burger he had had in awhile, that might have been because of the company and less because of the food, but he didn’t mention that. He wiped his fingers on his napkin and leaned backwards in his seat. He didn’t have any plans for the rest of the day, they could easily just sit here for the remainder of the afternoon if they wanted. Maybe they could get those coffees she mentioned?

He opened his mouth to ask Y/FN if she had any plans for the rest of the day, when murmured voices at the booth behind her caught his attention. Orcs had naturally heightened senses, his hearing was excellent. It was for this reason, that he was able to easily understand the cruel whispers spoken by the teenagers.

“Do you think she’s like… a prostitute?”

“I'm not sure how much you’d have to pay a woman to take out somebody that ugly.”

“Maybe she's being trafficked?”

“Yeah right. She looks WAY into that guy.”

Nick felt the humiliation swell up in him. So much for the nice meal. He only hoped that Y/FN hadn't heard it. He took a chance at glancing at her face, no such luck there. She had definitely heard them.

Cold fury radiated out from her expression and he was surprised to see it. She struck him as a pretty level headed individual, though if he thought about it she had looked pretty terrifying squaring off against Harris.

He watched as the wheels of her mind turned behind her eyes before a large grin crossed her features. It wasn't a nice grin though, this one looked cruel and calculating.

She cleared her throat and winked mischievously at him. That didn't bode well.

“You know, my back is killing me!” She said loudly. She emphasized the point by rubbing her knuckles against her lower back.

That seemed like a non sequitur. He blinked at her a few times in confusion.

“You're gonna have to start taking it easy on me.” She continued.

“Wha-” He started to say, but she quickly interrupted him

“I mean, I know I SAID “fuck me into the mattress” but good grief! I didn't realize you were going to try to use that big orc cock of yours to break through my back through my pussy.”

It was a good thing that they had finished eating because Nick knew for a fact that he was have choked had he had anything in his mouth. What in the fuck was she doing?

Behind her, he heard the teenagers choking and gasping for air. They apparently, had NOT finished their meals. He winced in sympathy for them as they wheezed for air.

“Next time, I wanna be the one doing the fucking. Then you can be the one to walk funny for the rest of the week, big guy.” She added a loud moan at the end and Nick was ashamed to say the sound went straight to his dick.

“What are you doing!?” He hissed at her in a whisper.

“Just playing.” She replied innocently. “Wanna get out of here?”

He very much did. He had no idea what she was playing at, but he had half an erection from listening to her talk and those teens were now hyper focused on them. He was also starting to feel sweat gather between his shoulder blades. Was she making fun of him? He nodded to her swiftly and stood from the booth.

She gave him smirk and raised one eyebrow at his reaction. She made a production of rising from the booth and he watched her in bewilderment as she gripped the edge of the booth for balance.

“I really think you've shattered my pelvis.” She said in awe.

He felt his shoulders tense and he hurried toward the registers to pay. Behind him, he could hear her continuing her ungainly walk and loud complaining of pussy pain. He turned to look at her in exasperation. Behind her, the teens were looking at them with a mixture of disgust and admiration.

“Will you knock it off! Come on.” He sniped at her. She had the audacity to giggle at him but she dutifully followed along behind him as he stormed from the restaurant.

Was she making fun of him? Did she know those kids? What the hell was she playing at?

She bounced along beside him with a grin. “Did you see the looks on those little shitstains faces? Oh, it was perfect! Hateful bigots!” She chirped at him.

He felt his hands clench into fists at his sides. Once they reached his Jeep he whirled on her angrily.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

She took a half step back from him at the look on his face. “What?”

“Are you making fun of me? What the hell were you doing in there?” He all but shouted. “Do you think this is funny? Am I a big joke to you?”

She looked cowed at his anger and he watched as she shrunk away from him. Fucking fantastic. Now she was afraid of him!

“I know that people think I'm the punchline to a joke. Humans hate me. Orcs hate me. Everybody fucking hates me. I get it! It's very funny! So, why are you rubbing my nose in it?” Heavy breaths were escaping his lungs and he felt pulled taut like the string on a bow.

He watched as a number of expressions crossed her face. He had gotten himself worked up and that only served to make him more angry because he didn't like being like this. The question of why just kept repeating itself in his head. Why, why, why! Why was she here. why had she been so nice to him, why throw it back in his face now, why!

“I'm sorry.” Her quiet voice said finally.

He looked at her with a clenched jaw but didn't seem to have anymore words.

She watched his face hesitantly for a moment before seeming to come to a decision. She straightened her shoulders and set her jaw forward stubbornly.

“I'm sorry.” She said again. “That was stupid of me. I thought I was being funny but its not something I should have done.”

Some of the tension leaked from his shoulders. She was sorry? What the hell was she thinking? What was going on here?

He continued to look at her sullenly.

“I heard those assholes mouthing off and… I don't know. I figured if they were going to make assumptions then at least you and I could make them more favorable towards us.” She ran an agitated hand through her hair. “Ok, so thinking back on it, it was fucking stupid. I'm a dumb bitch, alright?” She finally said in exasperation.

He watched her face carefully. She seemed earnest and she hadn't ever made fun of him before. Maybe he was a little sensitive, maybe he had overreacted. Maybe it really was just a bad attempt at making a joke. If he thought about it objectively. the looks on the teens faces had been sort of funny. And he had enjoyed listening to them wheeze around their food.

He narrowed his eyes at her critically. She gave him a sheepish smile before averting her eyes. Ok, so he could give her a pass on this for now.

“You shouldn't call yourself names.” He said with a twist to his lips. It wasn't quite a smile, but it was close.

She looked back at him cautiously and he watched a small smile form on her lips. “You're not going to assure me I'm not a dumb bitch?”

He rolled his eyes at her good naturedly. “Honest and direct, remember?”

She barked a laugh and gave him a friendly shove on the shoulder. “Come on, pliche. Drive me back to the office and I'll grovel some more on the way.”

He chuckled but unlocked the doors. “It better be some good groveling, and I'll know if you mean it. I saw your acting skills in the restaurant and you could use some work.”

“How dare you!” She shrieked in mock outrage.

His quiet chuckle reverberated around the vehicle.

XXX

She had managed to step in it pretty heavily today. First with that orc she had bumped into and then that shitty joke with Jakoby. It had honestly seemed like it was going to be hilarious at the time. How was she supposed to know he would fly off the handle like that? He had apparently been the butt of more jokes than she had anticipated. She would need to be more mindful of that.

She had efficiently grovelled her case to him on the ride back to the station and he had eventually forgiven her. He had a gracious nature which worked in her favor. She would just have to be careful about pulling any more pranks with him.

They had trooped up to her office together once they returned to the precinct. There hadn't been much to do, some menial paperwork, some useless paper pushing, but at least they could do it together. They spent the last couple hours of the day filling out forms and discussing the merits of Starfleet captains. Nick liked Picard, she liked Sisko.

And at the end of the day, they had exited together and waved goodbye before getting into their respective vehicles. It had been a much more eventful day than she was used too but the high points had been very high so she held onto that.

Now she was sitting at home with Cleo and reading lazily through a book on meditation. She had been through it a few times before. But it never hurt to have a refresher. Quiet music played out of the soundbar in front of her TV. It felt good to relax a little. Tomorrow was Thursday and Lord knew what they'd be stuck doing.

She supposed she should be enjoying the next few days since she was almost definitely going to be murdered in a nightclub shootout on Saturday. She sighed and scratched Cleo gently behind the ears. The cat purred happily and she smiled at her fondly.

“Will you come to my funeral, little kitty? Maybe we can find you a little mourning veil.” She smiled at the image of the cat with a black hat and veil over her face.

“At least you're already dressed for the occasion.” She added sarcastically as she ran a finger down the cats black fur.

Her phone chirped at her and she struggled to reach where it sat on her coffee table.

She had changed Nick's name in her phone to “Pliche” with a small orc emoji and a fern emoji next to it. She smiled warmly at her phone when she saw it pop up.

Nick: How's your evening?

Y/FN: Relaxing. How about you?

Nick: Uh, relaxing too. Just hanging, chilling, relaxing. Doing casual relaxing stuff.

She frowned at her phone. >i>What in the hell is THAT supposed to mean?

Y/FN: That's great, Mr. Subtle. What's up?

There was silence on his end of the line. She waited but he didn't respond. God, hopefully he hadn't been having a stroke. She felt her brow pucker and started to send him another message.

Nick: I'm sorry about today.

His message came through and she deleted what she'd been typing. She rolled her eyes upwards. This guy is too fucking pure. I feel horrible thinking these debauched things about him… Well. sorta horrible.

Y/FN: ???

Nick: I flew off the handle and and thatd not like me really normally im cool. Cucumber cool ya know?? And I just flipped out and ive been worried about it all night. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled.

She felt her eyebrows climb up her forehead. Woah. That was not what she had been expecting. He was apparently so agitated that his normally neat punctuation was all over the place. This was apparently going to be a big conversation.

She started working her way through a calm and thoughtful message. It needed to be precise and gentle, the way he deserved. She didn't want to screw it up. But, Nick apparently had other ideas.

Nick: im coming across needy arent i? Ward keeps warning me about this and here i am desperately talking your ear off!

Nick: I promise im really not like this usually, like not at all its just been a badn week and i dont make friends easy and i thought well i guessed or maybe i figred we were kind maybe friends or we could be!

Nick: i just dont want you to think im some kind of angry orc stereotype and i went and yelled at you anyway today i screwed up

She deleted everything she had typed with a few angry thumb jabs. Fine, Pliche. We'll do it like this.

Y/FN: Aföta! Azhadr. (Stop. Please)

She waited a moment to make sure his flood of self deprecating messages had stopped. She scratched Cleo thoughtfully behind an ear.

Y/FN: You're right, you shouldn't have yelled at me. But, I was completely out of line and I'm glad you told me. You don't have to apologize for sticking up for yourself. I know I apologized to you earlier, but I'll say it again. I am so sorry for my behavior. It was childish and inappropriate and you were well within your rights to be angry about it.

She pressed send and chewed thoughtfully on her lip as she stared at her screen.

Y/FN: Honest and direct, remember? Please always tell me when I'm upsetting you because it's never my intention.

That should suffice for now. She would let him process that and respond in his own time. This had been a rough day for both of them.

Several minutes passed and she got up to brush her teeth and dress for bed. She took a Nick prescribed melatonin tablet before she checked her phone again. There was only a short message from him and she smiled at it.

Nick: Okay. Lura, tsumik igluk. (Thank you, human wife)

She smiled at his use of the nickname. Looks like she’d gotten her own now.

Chapter Text

XXX

Jakoby cursed angrily as he stubbed a toe on the door frame of his bedroom. He limped his way into his kitchen, dress shirt gripped firmly in hand. He was wrinkling it, he knew it, he didn't care. He was running behind today and he was furious at himself for it.

He had gotten a late night phone call. And while it shouldn't have been surprising, it was, and it had been VERY unwelcome. He cursed again as he shoved his arms through the sleeves of the light green button up.

Damn him. Damn it all! His unwelcome call had come at the heels of another phone call, this one initiated by him.

He had felt fine leaving work yesterday. Good even. He and Y/FN had put all the lunchtime unpleasantness behind them and had had a fairly enjoyable afternoon. But, once he had gotten home, doubts had started to creep in. Had he been too aggressive? Was he being too dramatic? Should he have just relaxed and not made a big deal out of it? He didn't know Y/FN that well yet, he FELT like he did, but they'd only known each other a week. Would she be willing to put up with his insecurities and character flaws?

He had text her about it. And she had stopped his emotional tirade and told him in no uncertain terms that he was fine and that it was okay that he had been mad. He wanted to believe her and he did mostly. But, he wasn't confident and that was the whole issue. Where had his confidence gone?

So, he decided to call his only other “friend.”

“You better be dead, or or on your way to the hospital, Nick. Because if you've interrupted my vacation to ask me to bail you out of-”

“It's good to hear from you too, Daryl.” He had said fondly. He hadn't realized how much he had missed the angry man.

“Yeah, yeah you too. What's up, Cookie Monster?” Ward said in a more agreeable tone.

“Oh uh… hows-how’re Sherri and Sophia?” Nick managed.

The line was silent for a moment before Ward sighed. “Good, they're good. Sophia uh, she passed out watching Moana for the like 10th time today.” Ward chuckled fondly. “And Sherri… she's happy to have me home.”

Nick felt himself smile despite his worries. Ward had needed a break with his family. He had deserved it. “That's good, Daryl. That's really good, I'm happy for you guys.”

“Yeah, thanks man... So now, what's up with you? You know, your conversation openers could really use some work. Like, you know you're clan blood now so, maybe work on the gangster talk a little.” Ward chuckled at his own joke.

“Very funny. I uh… I actually needed some advice…” Jakoby said quietly.

That apparently got Ward's interest. “Advice? When have you ever asked me for advice?”

“I'm asking now!” Jakoby whined.

“Alright, spill.”

Jakoby sighed and ran a hand roughly over the back of his head. This was going to be a tough conversation.

He had told Ward in halting sentences and stammered words about his new friendship with the plucky translator at work. Ward had stayed mostly silent, which was new for Jakoby, normally the man had a bit of a motor mouth. It took a while to get it all out but Jakoby was glad when he'd finished.

“And?” Ward had asked after a long pause.

“...and?” Jakoby parroted.

“Yeah, what's the issue? She sounds like a hot piece of tail that's interested in your ugly ass for some reason.”

Jakoby ran his tongue over the rounded top of one of his teeth. “Do-do you think she's really interested… in me?”

Ward sighed loudly and Jakoby winced at the sound.

“Dude, seriously. It's obvious just from what you're telling me that she's running hot under the hood for you. But, have you considered, oh I don't know… just fucking asking her?” Ward sounded annoyed and Jakoby was used to that. He knew for a fact that Daryl cared more than he let on. The fact that he was having this conversation late at night while he was on a vacation was proof of that.

He mumbled something unintelligible down the line to Ward's question. He had considered asking Y/FN outright but it… well, the thought of rejection was terrifying.

A sleepy voice mumbled something on Daryl's end and Jakoby felt his ears twitch at the sound. Sophia must have woken up.

“Ok baby, ok, give Daddy a minute.” Ward said quietly to his daughter. “Look, Nick. You're a good dude and it sounds like she sees that. Don't get caught up in your head so much. Just… shit, talk to her, get to know her. Don't worry about the rest just yet. I gotta go, man. I'll talk to you later, ok?”

“Yeah, of course, of course. Have a good rest of the night and uh… Daryl, thank you.” Nick said quietly to his partner.

He could hear Ward humph a response to his statement before the line went dead. But that was ok, Ward was prickly and Nick didn't mind that. The talk had been good. It was nice to have someone else in on what was happening. He missed his partner more than he realized. The man had a knack for cutting to the heart of a situation quickly that Jakoby often needed when his head was in the clouds.

Ward’s advice had been good. Nick was almost always worried about something and while he fought against it as best he could, his head seemed to be a revolving door of concerns. Ward had said talk to her and get to know her. Well, he could do that… hell, he WANTED to do that! Maybe he really didn’t need to worry about the rest yet. He wasn’t planning a wedding after all.

He had allowed himself a crooked smile at the thought. He had always wanted to get married. His parents, while they had their ups and downs like everyone, had a wonderful relationship. They were still as grossly in love now as they had been when they’d met apparently. Nick was jealous of that and wanted it for himself. It was only as he’d gotten older that he’d realized that their relationship was a rare thing indeed, even among orcs.

Nick was brought immediately back to the present as a loud car horn split the air. He frowned angrily and hunched his shoulders closer to his ears. He hated this commute. LA traffic was the thing that nightmares were made of. On a good day he didn’t mind it, he’d just turn his radio up and enjoy the time to himself. This morning though, he was struggling with his thoughts.

The conversation with Ward had been nice last night, it had relaxed him and he was grateful for that. The next call however, had only served to ramp up his nerves to 11. He gripped his steering wheel harder as he remembered the call.

His phone had rung close to eleven thirty the night before. He had been in bed, close to falling asleep at that point. He had looked at his caller ID groggily and hadn’t recognized the number. If he hadn’t been so sleepy, he likely wouldn’t have answered it. But, since he was feeling a little out of it he swiped across the screen to accept the call and placed the phone to his ear.

“ ‘Ullo?” He’d said in confusion.

“Munguz.” A deep voice responded. (Roundtooth)

Nick sat bolt upright at the sound of the voice. He still had nightmares about that voice, nightmares that woke him up in a cold sweat and left him feeling tense and on edge the next day. The man who had killed him. His clan-leader. Dorghu.

He was awake and anxious in an instant. He hadn’t heard from the man since the situation with the wand. Since he’d been blooded actually. He should have been by to pay respects to Dorghu before now but the thought of going to the church to see him made his stomach turn. No, he wasn’t ready for that yet. He may never be ready for that, clan expectations be damned.

“We haven’t seen you in a while, pliche.” Dorghu echoed his thoughts down the phone. Nick felt his skin crawl as he heard the nickname Y/FN used for him spoken by his hard-voiced clan leader.

“No…” Nick said quietly. “You haven’t.”

Dorghu hummed a noncommittal sound to him at that. There was silence for a moment and Nick wasn’t sure if he was supposed to say something or not. Hell if he even knew how he was supposed to respond to a situation like this. He didn’t even know how Dorghu had gotten his phone number.

“You know that I afford you a lot of leniency because of your position, don’t you Munguz?” Dorghu said calmly.

Nick shivered and wrapped his free hand around his chest. Yes, he did know that. The fact that this was the first time he had heard from Dorghu spoke to that fact. He felt himself swallow nervously and rub a thumb against the puckered bullet scar underneath his thin shirt..

“Ye-Yes, I do.” Nick said in a stronger voice. He was a blooded member of this clan, he needed to act like it, or pretend like it. He was cowering in fear at the sound of the other orc’s voice, he was stronger than that.

“Good.” Dorghu said sharply. “Now, tell me about this female tsumik you’ve been wandering around with.” (human)

Nick felt himself blanch. How did he… He frowned. The orc at the restaurant. Fuck!

“What about her?” Nick asked in irritation. His voice felt stronger now and he was happy for it.

Dorghu hummed thoughtfully at his question. “I thought as much. You’re protective of her. Alddo said he… bumped into the two of you today. We’ve been keeping an eye on her, so to speak, for a while now.”

Nick felt his hackles rise at the insinuation. It wasn’t surprising that Dorghu knew of her. A human that spoke Bodzvokhan as well as she did was someone that would stick out. A human who spoke Bodzvokhan as well as her AND worked for the LAPD even more so. The fact that Dorghu was calling to ask him about her was concerning however.

“There isn’t much that happens in LA that I don’t know about, Munguz.” Dorghu said casually. “And she’s… particularly interesting.”

Nick grit his teeth at the comment. What was he getting at? He wasn’t sure where the conversation was going or if it was just meant to be threatening, but he didn’t like it and he didn’t like Dorghu. He thought back to his conversation with the orc, Alddo apparently, at the restaurant. There hadn’t been any clues there though as to where Dorghu was going with this talk.

“I hear you two are working with the feds.” Dorghu continued. It wasn’t a question. “Working a case against the Öl Khǝdz.”

How the hell did he know all of this!? The man had his hands further onto the pulse of LA than Nick had realized. That could spell disaster for he and Y/FN pretty easily. He was a member of Dorghu’s clan sure, but there wasn’t any love lost between them.

Dorghu hummed again down the line. “You need to come down to the church at some point, Munguz. And keep an eye on your tsumik. The city has lots of eyes… and ears.” He said evenly.

Nick felt a low growl in his throat at the statement. Was he threatening Y/FN? Was he threatening Nick? He didn’t know Dorghu well enough to make any assessments based on his statements. He assumed they were threats, but they could easily be warnings. He just didn’t know.

The call had ended abruptly there and Nick had had trouble falling back asleep afterwards. Which was why he had been running late that morning. Now that he was awake and able to think back to their conversation, he wondered if Dorghu had been trying to issue him a warning instead of a threat.

He frowned and glanced out of his driver’s window at the LA skyline in the early morning light. It certainly sounded threatening… but, Dorghu was still an enigma to him and his opinion of the orc was colored by the fact that he had SHOT and KILLED him a few months ago. Surely he could be forgiven for not thinking to favorably about him.

XXX

Jackson had called her late last night and told her to meet her and Parra in their office the next morning. She was surprised to hear from Jackson to be honest. Normally, Parra did most of the talking, and that might have been because Jackson’s voice sounded like liquid CO2 poured over ice cubes. She shuddered at the thought. She wondered for probably the millionth time if the other woman had some Brezzik in her. Something about her just… wasn’t right.

They were finalizing details today. Which included making sure she had a suitably “skanky” outfit according to Jackson. She really wasn’t interested in dealing with all of this today. She wanted to see Jakoby… and that was about it. She felt herself blush a little. She’d had a rather erotic dream about the orc the night before and she was doing everything in her power to FORGET IT! A graphic image of Nick holding her against a door flashed through her brain and she shook her head in an attempt to dislodge it. She needed to get a grip before she saw him in the office.

She was pouring herself a cup of coffee in the small kitchen downstairs of the precinct, when two of the beat cops wandered in mid-conversation. She had seen them before but didn’t know their names. She listened with half an ear to what they were saying as she mixed a second cup for Nick. She preferred hers black but she had a feeling he liked some sugar and creamer in his.

“Just like that?” The taller of the officers asked his friend.

“Just like that. I’ve never seen a transfer go through that fast.” The shorter replied.

“Well, what the hell did he do?!” Tall asked.

Y/FN turned in time to see Short shrug.

“No fucking idea. But, apparently what he did was piss off someone important. I hear they’ve got him doing overnight dispatch in Commerce. Lord knows what kind of Hell that is.” Short said with a sneer.

“Well, Harris always was a bit of a dumb fuck. It doesn’t surprise me tha-” Tall was saying.

Y/FN turned the corner out of the kitchen with a sly grin on her face. She hadn’t known exactly what had happened to Harris but from the sounds of it, he was getting what he deserved. She hadn’t been able to get him fired outright but this was the next best thing. It’s better than the son of a bitch deserved. She huffed in agitation before using her hip to open the door to the stairwell.

She rolled her neck in a slow circle as she ascended the steps towards the upper level offices. They were two days out from the night club. Her panic hadn’t set in yet, but she could sense it looming and knew it was only a matter of time.

She stepped around the corner and into Parra and Jackson’s office with a raised eyebrow. The two were in the middle of a heated argument and she pursed her lips while she watched them bicker. Apparently, the panic had already set in for them. She watched them interact and felt herself narrow her eyes while she observed. There was something there… She came to a sudden realization as they continued to ignore her. Oh Jesus, they’re sleeping together… God, what a cliche!

She took an angry sip of her coffee and felt it burn her tongue. These two knuckleheads are 100% more incompetent than me and they’re getting 100% more laid too. Fucking cosmic injustice. She hadn’t slept with anyone in what felt like months. She sucked on her teeth thoughtfully. Actually, it HAD been months… She needed to get out more. Her traitor brain graciously supplied an image of Nick Jakoby spread eagle on her bed with his hands tied to her headboard and in that leather jacket of his and nothing else. Oh, what an image...

The man himself walked in just as she allowed herself a small moment of indulgence in the thought. As her eyes connected with his she felt herself inhale her coffee and then immediately start choking as it went towards her lungs instead of her stomach.

Nick rushed over and placed a gentle hand on her back, but she waved him off as tears streamed down her face and she wheezed for air. Jesus! No BDSM at work! His hands feel nice though…

“Are you alright?” Nick asked quietly in her ear.

She nodded mutely and tried again to wave him away. Parra and Jackson had finally stopped bitching at one another. They stood silently and watched as she struggled for air around the coffee in her lungs.

“Can you wait until after Saturday to die, Y/LN?” Parra asked in irritation.

“Sure thing, boss.” Y/FN wheezed quietly around a cough. God, she hated him.

He rolled his eyes at her before turning a cool look at Nick. “Thank you for joining us, Officer Jakoby. I hope we didn’t cut too far into your personal time this morning.”

Nick looked down sheepishly. “I’m sorry, sir. Rough morning.”

Parra turned a frown towards Jackson. “Don’t I know it.” He muttered under his breath.

Jackson rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms before turning away.

“Hmph.” Parra grumbled to his partners back. “Women.”

Nick looked to Y/FN with a question in his eyes and she shook her head with an eye roll. She would tell him about her little revelation later. She held out one of the coffees towards the orc with a half smile.

He took it gently and smiled at it once he realized what it was. “Thank you! I didn’t have time this morning…” He started but was interrupted by Parra turning to them sharply.

“Enough chit-chat.” He placed his hands palm down on his desk and eyed them both for a moment. “We need to go over everything once more. We don’t have time for a true field test of the microphones, but we’re going to place them and run a little drill in the office today. I would give you two a script for Saturday but I can’t write for shit and I doubt you would follow it anyway.”

Well he was right there. It was nearly impossible to remember that kind of information in the field. And because she was going to be under such close scrutiny she wouldn't be able to wear an earpiece for instructions. They would have to just assume she knew what she was doing.

They spent the next five hours being strapped with microphones by a tech and practicing an improvised club scenario with Jackson and the tech acting as club guests. The tech had been terrified the whole time so he had been next to worthless.

They took a short break for lunch and spent the afternoon going over names and faces of known mob associates. Y/FN had to admit that she felt better after all of the prep but she still wasn't all that confident.

Nick was terrible at putting names to faces and she watched as he got increasingly frustrated by not being able to remember who was who. There wasn't much she could do to help him though, in this situation he was essentially acting as back up. He didn't speak Russian and if he couldn't remember the names of the people they were after then there wasn't a lot he could do.

She would be carrying the team here in essence. She was alright with that, she knew Nick wouldn't hesitate to get them out of there if she signaled to him for it. She could trust him and that, to her, was more important than any other skill he could possess.

By the end of the day, she was exhausted both physically and mentally. She hadn't had the opportunity to speak one on one with Nick yet and she was finding that that frustrated her. All she wanted to do was talk to him and make fun of Parra and Jackson behind their backs. Work was interfering however. She could invite him over…? No, no, they needed to focus on the job right now. After Saturday she could ruin their friendship with her bad attempts at romance if she wanted.

Nick walked her quietly to her car after they had clocked out. She appreciated his company, but he hadn't seemed like himself today. He had been quiet and withdrawn. She noticed him frowning more and his eyes were downcast more often than not. She waited until they were at the relative privacy of her car in the parking garage.

“What's wrong, pliche?” She asked curiously.

He looked surprised by her question. “Oh uh, nothing's wrong.”

She gave him a disbelieving look and he sighed loudly. “It was a rough night. I didn't sleep all that well.”

She nodded to him sympathetically. “Worried about the case?” She guessed.

“Something like that.” He said evasively.

She wasn't sure what he was getting at but she let it pass. She had had her fair share of rough nights and if he didn't want to tell her why then it wasn't any of her business. She found that she didn’t want to say goodbye to him yet though. It was just her luck that she’d start crushing on a coworker right before a big case. They had spent a lot of time together in the last few days, but they’d only really known one another for a week at this point. She was awfully attached to him already though, especially since she didn’t know him all that well.

Nick shifted hesitantly on his feet. “I’m sorry about all of this.” He said quietly.

“What do you mean?” She replied.

“Just… I can tell you’re not thrilled with the plan. I know I’m not going to be very useful for you but… I promise I won’t let anything happen to you while we’re there.” His sentence trailed off until he was almost whispering towards the end.

She gave him a wry half-smile. “Nicholas Jakoby, I trust you implicitly.” She said confidently. “Just make sure we get out of there alive and let me do the talking.” She winked at him.

He gave her a weak smile. “Ar, tsumik igluk.” (Yes, human wife)

She barked a loud laugh at that. That was essentially a “yes, dear” only in Bodzvokhan. She looked at him fondly and brushed his arm with her fingertips. He looked surprised at the contact but she allowed her fingertips to stay on his arm as she searched his face.

He met her sure gaze with a wary one of his own. He wasn’t sure what she was after and honestly, she wasn’t either. But, looking into his warm golden eyes calmed her and she relished in the feeling. They stood like that for a long moment. The small spell they seemed to be under broke as a car door slammed somewhere in the garage around them.

Y/FN pulled back and blinked at the orc in front of her a few times. He looked just as surprised as she did at the interruption. She felt herself blush a little as she watched him. Saturday needed to come and go, she wanted to flirt with him! If she was lucky, he’d even reciprocate.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, pliche.” She said with a small smile.

He nodded to her in agreement. “Tomorrow.”

He waited for her to get into her car before he stepped away and headed towards his own. She felt a nervous fluttering in her stomach as she watched him walk away. She may be more interested in him than she had initially thought. She rubbed a hand over her stomach and chewed on her lower lip.

I’m so fucked. She thought in quiet dismay

Chapter Text

XXX

Nick puttered around in his living room after getting home that evening. He had stopped for take-out and told himself again for the hundredth time that he was going to stop doing that. He had a perfectly good kitchen, he needed to cook more, dammit. He usually checked on his plants in the morning but since he’d rushed out of the house that day he had forgotten. So, he meandered through the house and watered this plant and ran a finger over that one, said something encouraging to another. He liked talking to his plants. They always listened without judgement and he liked to think that they liked the attention.

He settled a little later on his couch and sighed happily as he opened the styrofoam containing his Thai. He LOVED Thai. He would eat it everyday if he could. He always ordered it off the menu hot and relished in the burn it gave the back of his mouth. He let the smell of the spices wash over him and scooted himself back further into his couch.

His loose sweats felt good on his skin and he curled his toes against the fibers of his carpet. He had been out of sorts all day and it felt good to be home with some food. He needed to go to bed early tonight to try and recover some of the sleep he had missed the night before. He flipped through his entertainment options lazily. He needed something playing in the background so he didn’t have to listen to his own thoughts on repeat.

He settled for reruns and rolled his shoulders before tucking into his dinner. He watched the show with half his attention, he’d seen it hundreds of times and so he knew what was going to happen. That didn’t seem to lessen his enjoyment of it though. He bit appreciatively into a large piece of tofu. He was having a nice night, even if it was a little lonely. He allowed himself to wonder what Y/FN was doing at that moment.

Every interaction he had with her seemed charged with some kind of energy. Whether they were arguing like at the parking lot of that diner, or just having a casual conversation at work. She left him feeling out of sorts but he sort of loved it. He had dated in the past, had girlfriends, even a boyfriend in college. They never lasted too long, and it had been a while since he had BEEN with anyone. But, he wasn’t completely inept when it came to dating. He knew that he was attracted to her and it seemed, for some reason, that she was attracted to him too.

He just wasn’t sure what to do about it. They were work colleagues right now, and there was a large case that they needed to focus on in front of them. Maybe after… Oh hell, who knew? He took pride in his work and he didn’t want to throw all that away for a woman but... she was a HELL of a woman. He’d known her for a week and it was apparent to him that he wanted to know her for many more than that.

He chewed slowly over a particularly large chili and frowned towards his television. Maybe he would ask her out to dinner after they got the nightclub situation dealt with. Ward had told him to just enjoy getting to know her and not to sweat the details. He could do that. Right?

His phone’s ringtone played loudly next to his meal on his coffee table. He looked at the screen in confusion, who was calling him right now?

Y/FN’s calling me… Holy shit! Nick fumbled to swipe across his screen to accept the call. Was she ok? What had happened? Why was she calling him so late?

“Are you ok?” He asked immediately.

Silence greeted him for a moment and he felt his stomach bottom out. Oh no, she was in trouble, something horrible had happened to her and she was calling him for help.

“Yeah…” A sheepish voice responded on the other end of the line.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” He asked rapid fire.

“Pliche, I’m fine. Jesus, I’m just… calling to see what’s up.” She said reluctantly.

He felt himself relax marginally. “Ok… you’ve never done that before…” He continued to fish for information.

“I’ve only known you a week, asshole. Maybe I’m just a talk-on-the-phone kind of person.” She shot back.

He felt the rest of his tension leave his body. She was fine. She had just wanted to talk to him for some inexplicable reason. He sighed lightly over the phone and heard her laugh at him.

“I’m not, by the way. A talk on the phone person, I hate it. But, I didn’t get to talk to you much today.” She paused here and he heard the sounds of chewing on the other end of the line. “I got Thai for dinner and it made me wonder what you were doing.” He could tell her mouth was full as she said the last sentence and he rolled his eyes at her fondly.

“Eating Thai too actually.” He chuckled.

“No surprise there.” She said good-naturedly. He heard some rustling and then her voice got a little farther away when she spoke next. “I’m putting you on speaker so I can keep eating. What are you up to?”

Nick pulled his own phone away so he could hit the speaker option himself. “Eating dinner and watching TV show reruns. Nothing too exciting. You?” He picked up his own fork and continued with his meal.

She laughed and he felt his stomach do a small flip at the sound. “The exact same thing actually. It’s like we’re on a long-distance date!”

Nick smiled around his fork and chewed quietly. A date? The hopeful feeling in his chest swelled at the thought. He swallowed his food and took a sip of water. He needed to play this cool, because now that she had said “date” he was feeling nervous. She’d only been making a joke but his stupid brain wasn’t paying attention to that.

Luckily, he was saved from saying something potentially embarrassing by Y/FN speaking quietly to someone on her end of the line. Her cat apparently and he smiled as she chastised the cat for getting too close to her food. They spent another hour and a half on speaker phone with one another. They talked about the shows they were watching, their food, what had happened at the office, they even briefly touched on their childhoods. It was nice, the talk was easy, comfortable even. Nick hadn’t felt that at ease speaking with someone else in a long time and he was happy for it. It reminded him of the man he used to be, confident and carefree, the way his parents had raised him.

There was no denying that he had a pretty big crush on the woman on the other end of his phone. She was easy company and she made him feel comfortable with himself and that meant more to him than almost anything else. He grinned at his phone even though he couldn’t see her and she couldn’t see him.

---

Nick slept well that night. His dreams were warm and comfortable and he wouldn’t be able to remember them the next day, just the impression of happiness they gave him.

XXX

She felt giddy and she hated it. She never really considered herself a giddy person, but here she was, all bouncing energy and happy smiles. It was Friday, the day before her and Nick’s murder at the nightclub was to take place. It had taken her a while to fall asleep the night before. She’d been too happy and with too many thoughts in her head to fall asleep quickly.

She and Nick had had a “long-distance date” which is something she had stupidly said, but luckily he had rolled with it. She had gone over and over the conversation they’d had. A running commentary in her head followed every sentence it seemed. Was that comment stupid? His laugh was cute. He sounded like a sweet little boy. Oh, he likes animals. Oh, he’s a foodie too! On and on her brain had gone until eventually, she’d had to take another melatonin just to shut it up. It wasn’t her smartest decision, but desperate times and all that.

They were finalizing plans today and working out the details of their itinerary. She knew what she needed to do and she was fairly adept at keeping to a schedule, but… some of these things you just couldn't PLAN. They had no idea how receptive the women at the nightclub would be. Hell, the bouncers may not even let them in. The mobsters weren’t necessarily known for being inclusive and no matter how much she and Nick looked the part, it just may not work out.

But, she at least felt moderately better about the fact that she had some backup options. Parra and Jackson were idiots, but they knew their careers would be over if they got the nations first orc cop and the state’s best translator murdered because of some half-brained idea that they hadn’t thought through.

She and Nick would both be wired and would both be armed. There would be local officers stationed outside in street clothes at the ready to storm into the building if things sounded like they were going to go sideways. They had backup. They would probably be ok, probably.

She yawned around the lip of her coffee mug as she stepped sluggishly into Parra and Jackson’s office. Even with the melatonin, she hadn’t gotten enough sleep. She would need to make sure she went to bed ultra-early tonight, if she could. People made mistakes when they were tired and she couldn’t afford to be making mistakes tomorrow.

The day passed as the last few had. She and Nick were talked at by Parra, with the occasional snide comment from Jackson. Their timing was outlined on the whiteboard in the office and they had studied it closely. They knew the questions they needed to ask and they knew the answers they were looking to get. They had a brief overview of entrapment and coercing, which was unnecessary, but whatever.

Everything was pretty by the books and she expected most of it. Parra did surprise her part way through the afternoon though. He’d eyed the two of them shrewdly for a moment before sucking on his teeth thoughtfully.

“You two are getting along, aren’t you?” He asked as he narrowed his eyes.

Y/FN didn’t dare look at Nick at that. She wasn’t sure what Parra was getting at here but she didn’t want him to suspect the nature of their relationship. There WASN’T a relationship, not yet anyway. But, she didn't want his obnoxious questions blowing her cover just yet.

She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “I suppose so, sir.” She said casually.

Parra had glanced at Nick then, who apparently responded similarly. Parra humphed to himself before he looked to his partner. Jackson nodded her head to him once before he turned back to them.

“Ok, fine. Nick we think it’s best if you pick Y/FN up in order to drive her over to the nightclub.” He paused here to place his hands on his hips. “We’ll meet you a few blocks down the street to wire you then you can go ahead with the rest of the plan. After, I want you to take Y/FN back to her place. They may try to follow you from the club and we don’t want them seeing you stopping at an unmarked van to have wires removed.” He stroked a hand through his hair.

“I assume we can trust the two of you to take off your wires and make sure that they don’t get ruined? They cost the department a fortune and they’ll come out of your salaries if you fuck them up.” Jackson added from her position near the wall.

Y/FN rolled her eyes at that. She couldn’t ever get through a conversation without making SOME kind of threat.

“Yeah, I think we can manage that.” She tried to sound as if it wasn’t an issue, but inside her mind was just a series of question marks. The logic was sound enough… but, if she saw Nick after their undercover mission all done up in his intimidating clothes… all bets were off.

Nick cleared his throat then and all eyes in the room turned to him. He looked at all of them nervously before licking his lips quickly.

Oh my… No, focus!

“Sir, if you're worried about us being followed back to Y/FN's house is it wise for us to… lead them there, so to speak?”

Y/FN raised her eyebrows in surprise. She hadn't even considered that! But, now that he mentioned it, that seemed like a glaring oversight in the plan.

Jackson eyed Nick shrewdly before she inclined her head in agreement. “He has a fair point, Parra.”

Parra looked less than enthused about this interruption, but to his credit he considered what Nick had said. “Yeah, alright. It's not likely that will happen but we'll post an officer outside her place, just in case. Satisfied?” He asked Nick sarcastically.

Nick glanced at Y/FN in question and she shrugged at him with a twist to her lips. She wasn’t really all that pleased with the answer but it was better than she had expected.

“Yes, sir.” Nick said levelly.

Parra nodded with a frown before continuing with his instructions. Y/FN felt a vague sense of unease after that though. She hadn't even considered the ramifications of potentially leading Russian mobsters back to her house. She wasn't sure if that was because she'd been too focused on studying Nick's profile or if it had just been a slip of hers, but either way, it was worrying. She was just thankful Nick had been there to be a voice of reason. She knew he was a good cop but he was also apparently a good strategist.

The rest of the afternoon passed fairly quickly and before she knew it, it was time to head home. She and Nick left the office together quietly. The weight of what they were doing had finally settled on their shoulders and she wasn’t feeling particularly chatty now. The terror would come tonight she was sure, but for now, it seemed as if melancholy was going to be her companion.

She glanced to Nick. It looked like melancholy was going to be his companion as well.

She opened her mouth to say something but closed it quickly. What was there to say? Good luck? See you tomorrow night? It all sounded lame, normally she didn't have a problem coming up with a quippy comment. something funny to ease their tensions but… she didn't have anything right now.

Nick looked to be in a similar boat and she sighed. She gave his arm a gentle and friendly pat and he nodded to her sadly. This was it.

They parted quietly and reluctantly. She didn't know what he was thinking but she had a good feeling that his thoughts were in line with hers. Tomorrow was the big day. She just hoped they were resourceful enough to pull through and keep each other alive.

Chapter Text

XXX

Nick smoothed down the front of his shirt for the hundredth time. This was it. They'd planned as well as they could and tonight was the night. He looked at himself in the car's rear view mirror. They were “borrowing” a car from the impound lot for the night. Jackson had decided, at the last minute, that his Jeep wasn’t befitting the social stature that Y/FN needed to convey for her cover. So, he was being forced to drive a luxury sports car that made him feel like Niki Lauda. The fact that it had a leather interior was just his bad luck.

He squeaked uncomfortably against the seats and frowned at his reflection. He looked like shit. His features were grim and pale and he didn't like it. But maybe it would assist with his bodyguard look. He needed to look threatening after all, he just wished they’d let him keep his leather jacket for the evening. He felt a little naked in just his shirt. He ran an anxious hand against the back of his head. He needed to get out and collect Y/FN. They were due to meet Jackson and Parra in forty five minutes and it would take almost that long to make the drive to the club.

Might as well get this over with… He thought with a sigh. He exited the car before he had time to think about it anymore. He needed to rely on his instincts tonight, he couldn't get caught in his head. That could get both of them killed if things went south.

He walked slowly up the drive to Y/FN's front door. He wished he was here under different circumstances. He wished that he was here to get her for a date, or to watch a movie in his sweats with her, or even a late night booty call, anything other than work. Maybe after all of this was over he could ask her out?

He rapped his knuckles sharply against her door and waited patiently. It was dark out, but he could see that she had a nice flower bed to the side of her front door, though he couldn't pick out what exactly was in it. He smiled at the plants fondly, he liked that she was a plant person like himself.

The door clicked in front of him and he could hear Y/FN's voice inside speaking quietly.

“-ove you and watch the house while I'm gone, sweet angel.”

He grinned at the sound of it. Must be talking to her cat. Y/FN had a sharpness to her that he found interesting but she seemed like a gentle soul under all of it.

She closed the door behind her and he felt his throat constrict painfully when she turned around. Fuck… oh fuck, she looks good.

She sent him a roguish wink before testing her doorknob to make sure it was locked. “Is this sufficiently skanky?” She asked him with a laugh.

He gulped nervously and blinked rapidly. “Skanky?” He squeaked.

She frowned at him in confusion. “Yeah… remember Jackson said I needed something skanky? She wanted me in a dress but I decided this would be easier to move around in. Plus, I can hide a knife against my calf in it!”

Nick blinked again. This was nowhere near skanky. This was… inspired. She looked like sin in heels, like every fantasy he had ever had was standing in front of him. That… outfit, whatever it was, looked like it was painted on her body and she looked almost too good. He had half a mind to just drag her back inside and peel it off of her.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. You CANNOT be having a sex fantasy before you go into the field! Fucking focus!

“You uh, you look great.” He said lamely before stuffing his hands in his pockets.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Thank you for the vote of confidence, pliche. Shall we?” She asked as she gestured towards the car waiting for them at the curb.

“Ye-eah. Yeah.”

She tucked a small clutch under her arm and proceeded him down the sidewalk. He was glad that she was all business right now. He doubted he could handle her flirting at the moment. But, from his new position behind her, he could make out how tightly her little pants number was clinging to her ass. He almost tripped over the curb on his way down because he was hypnotized by the movement of her ass against the black fabric covering it.

God, I'm gonna get us killed. He thought as he caught himself against the cars trunk.

He hurried around the side of the car and settled himself in the driver’s seat. Y/FN was adjusting her top with a frown on her face and it took every scrap of willpower he possessed to keep his eyes facing forward as he pulled away from the curb.

“How are you feeling?” Y/FN asked him curiously.

He gulped nervously and shrugged his shoulders. “Like I'm going to throw up.” He answered honestly.

She sighed next to him and he risked taking a glance at her. She had a frown pinching her brows and a far away look in her eyes. She didn't look so good herself.

“Me too.” She said quietly. She looked at him askance. “You look incredible, by the way.”

He felt a blush warm his cheeks. She was complimenting him when she looked like she'd sauntered out of his night time fantasies? Wonders never ceased. He was definitely asking her on that date.

“Thank you.” He mumbled. Her soft laughter reached his ears and it soothed a jagged edge he wasn't aware he had. They could do this. They would be fine, he decided.

The drive to the van was quiet but not uncomfortably so. They both needed a little more time to come to terms with what they were about to do. And while Nick was 100% confident in Y/FN's abilities, you could never rely on anything happening according to plan during undercover work. He wasn't a particularly spiritual person, but he did take a moment to offer up a prayer skyward. They would need all the help they could get.

Before long, they were pulling up next to a black van with rust spots above its wheel wells. The van at least looked completely uninteresting to passerbys. Nick also noticed a fellow officer in a nondescript hoodie loitering casually on the corner of the street. At least they were taking this seriously, he had worried that despite his voiced concerns that Parra would ignore them on the sole basis that he didn't seem to like Jakoby.

Y/FN patted his arm gently and he looked to her with a frown.

“We'll be alright, pliche. I trust you.”

He smiled to her shakily. “And I trust you, tsumik igluk.”

She gave his arm a squeeze before stepping easily from the car. He ran a tongue over one of his rounded teeth. It was a nervous habit he had developed years ago and had never shaken. I do trust you, I'm just not sure I trust myself. He thought.

When he stepped from the car, Y/FN was already standing at the open door to the van and looking put upon. He realized why as soon as he came around the side of the car.

Her top had been pulled completely open, the straps pulled low on her arms so that the tech in the van could attach her wire to her chest. The sight of her breasts in a barely there black bra was almost enough to cause him to swallow his tongue. He knew this coming but he hadn't quite thought through the implications of what they would mean. It also meant… Shit.

“Top off, tiger.” Jackson nearly purred from her seated position in the van. He shot her a dark look. She was taking too much pleasure in their discomfort and he hated her just a little for it.

He obligingly pulled at the hem of his shirt and lifted it until it was just under his armpits. The whole thing didn't need to come off, regardless of what Jackson said. He felt strange standing on a dark street with his shirt almost completely off but he pushed down his anxieties. If Y/FN could handle having her breasts almost totally exposed, he could handle this.

He looked towards her briefly. She looked annoyed but not overly concerned that two techs, Jackson, Parra and even Nick were all looking at her nearly naked chest. She was brave. And he could be brave too.

He waited patiently while a tech rigged him with a thin wire that was then tapped across his chest. He noticed when the man hesitated over the large scar in the center of his chest, above his sternum. But to his credit, the man said nothing and continued quickly. At least Nick didn't have to explain that little beauty mark.

While the techs were working, Jackson rummaged around in a bag next to the open door. Nick paid her little attention until her hand was shoved right under his nose. He blinked down at the object in her palm and felt a groan work it’s way up his throat. This was another of Jackson’s last minute ideas, and while Nick wasn’t thrilled with the addition to his undercover clothes, he admitted that this one made a lot of sense.

He plucked the set of false teeth from Jackson. He eyed them with distaste before opening his mouth and settling them against his lower gums gently. They were a little uncomfortable, but he could manage through the night with them. They had decided that he had a far too recognizable face, especially in LA, and that he couldn’t very well go somewhere undercover with his teeth filed the way they were. So, they had decided he needed some tusk extensions. He ran a tongue over the hard surface of one of them and wrinkled his nose. He didn’t care for this, but it was a smart idea, though he was loathe to admit it. He wondered what Y/FN would think of his new look.

After only a few minutes, they were wired and redressed, and in Nick’s case, newly tusked. Parra looked at them sternly but uncharacteristically held his tongue.

Jackson however gave them a cold stare before speaking. “Dont fuck it up.”

Y/FN rolled her eyes at the other woman before turning on her heel and heading back to the car. Nick gave his superiors a tight nod before he turned as well. This was it.

The short drive from there to the night club was quiet and uncomfortable this time. They both knew what was coming and were apparently both not in the mood for talk. That was just as well since it gave them time to get into character.

XXX

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, I can’t do this. I can’t fucking do this. Y/FN thought frantically. Her thoughts were too little, too late at this point though as she and Nick were already walking slowly towards the front of the club. They had parked somewhere around the back and had each taken a deep breath before exiting the car by unspoken agreement.

This was it. Holy shit she was going to have a heart attack!

A gentle hand on the small of her back drew her attention. She glanced to her side and saw Nick with a firm set to his mouth but kindness in his eyes. The longer teeth were a strange thing to see on his familiar face, but they detracted nothing from his appearance. She focused on his features for a moment to calm herself. No, no, she was ok. He was here to support her, she could do this. He was supposed to be a sort of gruntish bodyguard and so wouldn’t be speaking over the course of the night, but his grounding presence would be with her the whole time. She was going to be ok. They would get through this.

She adjusted her top nervously and gave Nick a weak smile. He seemed satisfied with her reaction and pulled his hand back. It wouldn’t do for the people here to see them being too familiar with one another. She was glad she had opted for this jumpsuit instead of the skin tight dress that Jackson had insisted she wear. She could move much more easily in this, and conceal a good number of other items as well.

The bouncer at the front door looked up as they approached. He was a large man with a firm jaw and a heavy brow. He looked bored and Y/FN sent up her hundredth prayer for the night that this would work. She and Nick stopped in front of him when he held up a hand and frowned. He looked her up and down appreciatively and she felt her skin crawl. She had never really cared for this sort of attention from strangers.

“Hello,” she said politely in heavily accented English. Keeping up the accent while speaking her mother tongue was going to prove to be a pain in the ass she decided.

“Hello back.” The man replied with a leer in an equally accented voice. “I don’t think I see you here before.”

Time to play it up a little. “I’m fairly new to the area.” Y/FN ran a hand gently down the front of her jumpsuit, straightening out imaginary wrinkles. The bouncers eyes followed the movement, just like she hoped they would.

“New, hm? And what is name, New?”

Y/FN smiled to him flirtatiously. “Elena.” She said simply. Though she followed this this up with a sly grin and spoke her next sentence in Russian. *“But my friends call me, Elly.”*

The bouncer gave her a broad smile and she noticed that he had a chipped tooth in the front. “It is nice to meet, Elly.” He cast his eyes sideways with a suspicious frown to where she knew Nick was standing.

She ran her hand down his arm comfortingly. “I know he looks so ugly.” She cast her eyes to Nick herself. “But, my boyfriend insist I need protection. I agree to keep him to keep my man happy.” She gestured lazily to Nick. “He IS just a big orcish lump.”

The bouncer eyed her once again. “And who is boyfriend?”

She gave him another charming smile. “I am afraid I cannot say. I am only mistress, and I cannot upset the wife. You understand?”

The bouncer looked less than impressed but decided not to pursue the question further. This must not be that uncommon of an excuse. He growled a warning at them to behave themselves. Y/FN winked at him coyly and replied smoothly in Russian. *”Only if you promise to come punish me yourself, if we are not.”*

The bouncer eyed her up and down once again before he chuckled. He ran a hand down the back of her arm with a twist to his lips. *”It would be my pleasure, Elly.”*

Nick finally decided to do some bodyguard work at that point and stepped forward aggressively to flex his biceps at the bouncer. The bouncer squared his shoulders before Y/FN tittered girlishly to them both. “Men.” She giggled and raised her eyes heavenward.

The bouncer stepped back from the door and waved them in with a wink at her. She smiled sweetly back and stepped past him and through the door to the club. Behind her, she could hear Nick following closely. She felt a tension ease in her chest. That was the first big hurdle. One down, about fifty thousand left to go. She felt Nick place tentative fingers against the small of her back and she shot him a warning look. He pulled back quickly.

“You did good, but we have to be careful. They aren’t gonna put up with us fucking around in here.” She whispered to him in rapid Bodzvokhan. It sounded enough like Russian that if she spoke quickly and quietly, no would notice her little aside. He looked chastised but simply grunted an affirmative at her statement.

They made their way through the club slowly. It wasn’t full yet, something that was both a benefit and a hindrance. It was much easier to see who was there and who wasn’t without a lot of people, but without the assistance of a crowd around them they themselves were much easier to pick out. And it was no surprise that not only were they newcomers, but that the only other orcs in the building were working behind the bar.

Y/FN stepped up to the bar calmly. There was a riot in her chest at the moment, screaming obscenities and fears, but on the exterior she was cool as a cucumber. She moved with a calm grace that belied the terror within her. She wouldn’t be able to keep this all up indefinitely, but she could manage for a few hours. She had lived with anxiety long enough that she could pretend to be the sophisticated and pampered woman she was portraying tonight with relative ease. For a time.

A bartender approached and cast a frown at Nick. They hadn’t anticipated that there would be orcs here and she could only pray that they didn’t recognize Jakoby. He had one of the most hated faces in LA after all, especially in the orc community. But, he definitely didn’t looke like himself with the new teeth and so she hoped they could pass without incident. They needed to complete this mission and get the hell out of Dodge.

“Seven and seven.” She said to the bartender. She had to catch herself, as she had almost placed the order in Bodzvokhan. Her nerves were all over the place and her mouth was trying to function on it’s own. She needed to calm the fuck down or she was going to get them killed.

The orc quickly mixed her drink and she slid over a handful a cash to him. They had decided that she would tip generously. It would keep the wait staff from complaining about her and therefore drawing undue attention.

Y/FN sipped easily at her drink. She wasn’t a big fan of alcohol in general, she didn’t have the stomach for it anymore, but she desperately needed something to do with her hands. She and Nick took the opportunity to survey the club. They needed to find their female targets, sooner rather than later. They watched the people milling around the bar area as well as the gambling area set up in the back for a few minutes before Nick nudged her with an elbow. He tilted his head to the left, towards a group of people playing roulette.

One of the women was leaning over the table with a happy grin on her face. Manya Egorov. She thought happily. This had been easier than she had anticipated. All she had to do was insinuate herself into the game and get on the woman’s good side. Another hurdle down. She knocked back the rest of her drink with a wrinkled nose before placing it back on the bar top. They needed to get moving.

She breezed her way towards the roulette table. She had a vague understanding of roulette. Truthfully, she had never done any table top gambling but, hopefully she could fake it like she was doing with everything else here tonight.

She watched from the sidelines for a moment to get a better understanding of what was going on. Apparently, Manya wasn’t actually playing. Her arm was looped around that of another woman, who was fawning over a heavy set man. In fact, it looked as if only the men were playing and the women were simply standing around and looking beautiful for the men’s amusement. She managed to contain here eye roll, but only just.

That seemed to be the point that the people around the table finally took notice of her. Though, they noticed Nick first. Their eyes were hard and their frowns were quick when they noticed the orc loitering around their table. Their attention was quickly drawn by Y/FN however and she smiled at them all sweetly.

“Lapochka!” One of the men said loudly. (Sweetie pie!)

Fuck.

Beside her, she felt Nick tense quickly and she almost looked to him in concern.

*”Do you want to buy in, beautiful?”* The same man asked her. He was obviously already a little intoxicated, as evidenced by his rosy cheeks and sweaty brow.

She laughed sweetly to him and waved him off. *”No thank you. Roulette is a gentleman’s game, though I do like to watch!”*

The men surrounding the table eyed her up and down after her statement. She allowed it for now, if they were feeling agreeable to her it would help her cover. Though she needed to be careful, she was here for their girlfriends, not them. And she would get nowhere if the women started feeling jealous or slighted. Behind her, she could feel Nick’s presence, though he was wisely hanging back. He needed to unobtrusive and quiet so that he could watch the comings and goings while keeping an eye on her.

The men turned back to their game after they had looked their fill at her and she felt herself relax marginally. She shouldn’t have another drink, but she DID want one. Her nerves were all over the place. She needed an opening, something to speak with Manya about. She chanced a glance at the other woman and felt her eyes widen. Oh, she was in luck. This was very, very, good.

Manya had stepped away from her female friend in order to place an order with a passing waiter. Y/FN stepped forward at the same time, looking like she was going to do the same, when she stopped and eyed the other woman in surprise. It was all very calculated and she felt proud of herself for how well she was playing all of this off.

*”Oh my!”* She said in Russian.

Manya looked at her suspiciously as the waiter stepped away.

*”Is that an Akhmadullina? It’s beautiful!”* She said in excitement.

Manya looked at her in surprise before her face broke into a broad grin. *”Wow!”* She moved closer to Y/FN with delight in her eyes. She continued in accented English. “I do not believe anyone here has recognized the designer before, I am very impressed. Most of the people here would not be able to tell the difference between Prada and JC Penney.”

Y/FN laughed at that with a grin. It had been sheer luck that she had recognized the designer of her dress. She had done some cursory research into Russian fashion before picking her outfit for that night and Akhmadullina was a popular designer of comfortable dresses. “Unfortunately, I have found that that is only too true.”

The two of them fell into fairly easy conversation from there. The good thing about women, was that they were generally very friendly when they were out at clubs and it didn’t take much to get them into a conversation if you had a good opener. They spoke briefly of designers before moving on to the roulette game playing before them. Though, it wasn’t long before Manya asked after Nick, who was still standing stiffly behind her.

“Who is this ugly creature?” Manya asked with a wrinkle of distaste.

Y/FN felt anger spear through her at the woman’s question but she soothed an imaginary hand over the irritation. She knew this was going to happen, and though she hated that he was used to it, Nick had heard much worse before. He could be professional even with someone being so bigoted towards him.

She waved a hand dismissively to where Nick stood and rolled her eyes. “My boyfriend insists I have bodyguard with me when I go out in public. It is really very sweet that he is so concerned for my welfare.”

Manya nodded sympathetically to her before gesturing behind her to frowning man. “My own guard.” She leaned closer to Y/FN before whispering conspiratorially. “Though I am happy, my man has managed to find a qualified human instead of gargoyle.”

Y/FN again had to push down her anger at the statement. She wanted to rage at this woman, but instead, she laughed daintily in agreement. They spoke easily for another few minutes before the waiter returned with Manya’s drink. She accepted it without thanks to the man and gestured towards a booth nearby with a few other women seated around it. Y/FN could not believe her good fortune to discover that their other target was sitting prettily in the booth. This could not be going any better if she had PLANNED it.

Y/FN got Nick’s attention to alert him that she was stepping away to sit at the booth. Nick nodded grimly and followed behind her at a safe distance. He was close enough to help, but not far enough away that he would look suspicious.

Y/FN spent the next few hours gossiping with the women at the booth and talking trash on the rest of the people in the club. Every once in a while, one of the women would let slip Nikita’s name, or the name’s of their boyfriends. There was vague discussion about the “sales” that their men were involved in and how it affected their ability to see them. Though they were always excited when a sale had gone through as their allowance for the week would go up. It bored Y/FN to tears and she had a headache of epic proportions. The women often switched between their accented English and Russian and keeping up with all of it was testing Y/FN’s skills as a translator more than she had anticipated.

She knew that they were getting good intel and she just hoped that Parra and Jackson would be pleased with what she and Nick were getting done. She had done her best to refrain from looking at him all night.

She allowed herself a momentary distraction and thought back to the beginning of the night. When he had met her at her door, her heart had almost left her chest. If she had thought that a white shirt wasn’t going to have the same effect on her as the black, she had been wrong. The shirt had long sleeves which he had pushed up to just below his elbows and the sight of his mottled skin stark against the white of his shirt made her stomach do strange flip-flops. Matched with those black jeans and combat boots… well, if she hadn’t been as fearful for her life as she was, it was likely that she would have just drug him back into her house and taken off his clothes with her teeth.

The headache between her brows broke her from her thoughts and she did her best to avoid frowning. She had easily insinuated herself among these women and she just needed to hold out for a little longer. It was Nick’s job to keep them to schedule. They were supposed to be out of her no later than one thirty. That would give them time to leave before the crowds here did, or they got drawn into doing anything illegal themselves.

Nick stepped up to her then, almost as if she had summoned him with her thoughts.

“Elena.” He grunted in a deep voice.

She looked to him in surprise and he turned the watch on his wrist towards her. Time to go, thank the fucking Lord. She just hoped they had gotten enough intel for the ATF agents to be satisfied.

Y/FN glanced down at her phone and sighed prettily. She turned a sad smile towards the women around her who were looking at her curiously. “My babysitter is telling me that it is time to go. My man does not like me out too late.”

A chorus of voices met her ears at that. They all expressed disappointment but understanding. Apparently, their boyfriends kept them on fairly short leashes as well. She leaned forward and kissed Manya on the cheek lightly and the woman returned the gesture. She thanked them all for their kindness and made false promises to return soon to visit with all of them.

She stood slowly and took calm, measured steps towards the door. This was the part that was scaring her the most. She was almost out, almost home free. She half expected to hear a shout or to be grabbed from behind. There was no way that this night had gone this smoothly. It had been almost too easy. It had-

*”Elly!”*

Shit.

She turned around slowly. The bouncer from the front of the club walked towards her from the crowd of people now assembled on the dance floor. What the fuck does he want? She thought nervously.

”You behaved, lapochka.” He switched to Russian. *” Perhaps next time you’ll deserve that punishment.”* He said to her with a leer.

She blinked at him in confusion for a moment. Her headache was making translation difficult for her at the moment and it took her longer than necessary to figure out what he was saying. His face dropped slightly as she continued to look at him stupidly, but she managed to recover herself after a moment.

She laughed daintily at him and placed a soft hand against his bicep. *”Perhaps next time I can punish you.”* She said with a flash of her teeth.

The man looked surprised before his eyes lit with humor. *”Perhaps I will let you then.”* He said with a loud laugh.

She waved to him happily before turning back around and walking out the doors of the club. She missed the set of hard eyes following her from the back of the club. Nick too, had turned, or he would have seen that certain club goers were watching them with a little more focus than they should have. As it was, they were out the doors and making their way through the parking lot, none the wiser.

That had been a close fucking call. She’d almost lost it back there. But no, they were ok, they were almost to the car. Nick still walked behind her calmly and she made sure to keep her steps even. Who knew who was watching them even now. Despite how well she had got along with everyone in there, she was still a newcomer and she had still brought an orc. It would be foolish of the people at the establishment not to be keeping an eye on her.

Nick stepped around her in order to open her car door. She nodded to him in thanks, but kept her mouth closed. She shouldn’t act too familiar with him just yet. Just a few more minutes and she could relax. Her shoulders were on fire and her brain felt like lumpy porridge. She needed to get home, drink a gallon of water and a couple ibuprofen. Then, she needed to sleep for a week. God, that sounded amazing right now.

Nick pulled away from the parking lot slowly. They didn’t want to look like they were in a rush. They drove in silence for a few minutes, just until they hit the highway. Finally, Y/FN felt safe enough to relax. Her shoulders slumped and she leaned her head back wearily against her seat.

“I’m fucking exhausted.” She said groggily.

Nick sighed softly and nodded slowly in agreement. “You did well tonight.” He offered quietly.

She waved him off and rubbed her fingers firmly against her temples to try and relieve some of the stress from her headache. In her lap, her phone vibrated and she startled at the sensation. She glanced down and saw an unrecognized number across the screen. Parra… She thought with a groan.

“Yes?” She asked as she answered the call.

“I didn’t think you had it in you, but you did well Y/LN. You and Jakoby got a lot of good intel. We’re getting it over to the office now so they can start working on voice recognition. I need you two to work on a preliminary report tonight, while it’s still fresh in your minds.”

She groaned in annoyance. “Parra, I’m dead on my feet exhausted, I don’t have it in me to work on a report.”

“Just write down some fucking impression then. Get off the cross and do your job, Y/LN.” He snapped at her.

Her hand gripped the phone tighter and she held off on the curse that was working it’s way up her throat. “We’ll write down impressions.”

“Good enough. Tell Jakoby I want the same from him. Get some rest after and I’ll see the two of you on Monday, bright and early at the office.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, sir.” She said sarcastically.

Parra ended the call without a goodbye and she felt her lip curl in disgust. “I fucking hate him.” She said angrily.

Beside her, Jakoby agreed emphatically.

She hoped Parra still had their mics on and had heard that. Fucking asshole.

XXX

Chapter Text

XXX
They drove in silence for a while. It had been a long night and it was nearing two in the morning now. Nick was uncomfortable in his clothes for some reason, likely he was just tired. He glanced at Y/FN and wondered how she was feeling in her black jumpsuit. She still looked amazing, but she seemed exhausted.

Just as they were merging off the interstate, Y/FN cleared her throat slightly. Nick glanced to her curiously and was surprised to see sadness in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” He asked quietly.

She seemed startled by the question and closed her eyes briefly. Nick frowned. He was about to repeat his question when Y/FN began to apologize profusely for the comments that had been made about him over the course of the night. Nick felt his frown deepen as his eyes traveled across the streetlights in front of them.

There was silence again once she had finished and Nick ran his tongue over one of his teeth. He’d ditched the fake tusks while they were on the interstate and he felt about a million times better without them. Eventually, he shrugged his shoulders without taking his eyes off the road.

“It’s ok.” He said simply. And really, it was ok. They hadn’t said anything he hadn’t heard before, honestly, he hadn’t given it a second thought up until Y/FN mentioned it just now. Maybe that said something depressing about his psyche? He didn’t know.

The silence in the car was uncomfortable now. Nick felt a little embarrassed and it was obvious that Y/FN was upset about it. He heard her shift in her seat a few times before she spoke again.

“No, pliche. It’s not ok.”

That comment made his stomach twist uncomfortably, though he couldn’t pinpoint why. He didn’t have long to dwell on it though before Y/FN was talking again.

”I gotta tell you, keeping up with the Russian and the accented English was almost impossible with you standing so near to me all night.” She laughed.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and noticed that her cheeks were a little pink. Maybe she hadn’t meant to say that? “Uhhhhh why?” He asked curiously.

Y/FN laughed again before giving him a salacious look up and down his body, “Because you look amazing.” She said in Bodzvokhan.

Nick felt his own blush heat his cheeks and he knew his ears had twitched violently at her statement. Was she flirting with him? Or was she being funny? After there conversation in the diner parking lot she had promised not to make fun of him anymore. Surely she wasn’t mocking him. She had expressed interest in him before. And he HAD said he was going to ask her out after the case. They were essentially done, they just needed to write their reports… Maybe… no, no, she just wasn’t thinking clearly right now.

Nick cleared his throat and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “You've had too much to drink.” He said gruffly.

Beside him, he could see her shrug and chew lightly on her lower lip.

They were quiet for a time before he saw her rustling with the top of her outfit. It took most of his willpower not to look over and see exactly what it was she was doing, but he managed. He would wreck the car if he looked over and she had her top pulled down.

A minute later, she waved the little microphone that had been attached to her chest in front of his eyes. The small indicator light that let them know whether it was active or not was dark. Apparently, Parra and Jackson had turned the things off. That was good to know.

Y/FN dropped the small device in the center console before taking a deep breath and saying, "Alcohol doesn’t change how good your ass looks in those jeans.”

Nick felt himself startle violently. His grip on the wheel slipped and the car drifted immediately into the next lane. He corrected the car quickly and they jerked again. His heart was racing and he looked angrily over to Y/FN.

She laughed at him easily and shot him a wink.

“Haven't you noticed all of the flirting I've been doing with you the last week?” She asked lightly.

He swallowed audibly and knew his ears had twitched again, he needed to get control of this situation. “You've had a lot to drink…” he said again.

Y/FN rolled her eyes at him but she was apparently going to leave it alone for now. Nick wasn’t sure if he was glad for that or disappointed. He hadn’t heard a compliment quite like that in a while. He knew he was fairly fit… but, did his ass really look good in these jeans? He would have to inspect himself once he got home.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. It was only a short while later that they pulled up in front of Y/FN house and for the he was grateful. The energy in the vehicle felt different after Y/FN’s comment, charged somehow.

They remained seated for a few moments. Keeping an eye out for any cars that may have been tailing them. The street was silent though, not a single car moved along it. There wasn’t even any cats wandering around to give it any life. They looked to be the only two souls awake on the whole block.

Y/FN sighed and rubbed a hand against her brow. “We need to flesh out our reports.” She said matter-of-factly.

He knew that she was right, knew that Parra had given them implicit instructions to do just that. But… if he walked in there with her, with her being as flirty as she was, could he really keep his hands to himself? He knew that she had had a drink tonight, and if she was REALLY intoxicated then he wouldn’t even be thinking about this, but… she’d only had the one. He knew for a fact that she wasn’t inebriated.

“Oh uh, it can-it can wait until tomorrow…” Nick stuttered nervously. He was feeling unsure of himself. He knew that she was attracted to him, and he was attracted to her. Could they really just work together at two in the morning in her house after the week of sexual tension they’d had?

Y/FN shook her head quickly. “We need to do it while it’s fresh in our minds, come on.” And with that, she pulled open her door and exited the vehicle.

Nick was left to hem and haw by himself for a minute. Could they REALLY just do the work? Could he? Would she? He spent more time stressing about it than was acceptable apparently, because Y/FN eventually looked at him through the passenger window with expectant eyebrows.

Fuck it. Nick thought with an eye roll. They could be professional. They had been all week after all. He was making a lot of assumptions anyway. Maybe she was just being playful, it wasn’t like she was inviting him in for a quick fuck. They had legitimate work to do.

He snatched the wire off of his chest and dropped it in the console next to Y/FN’s. He didn’t trust Jackson not to turn the damn thing back on at some point and he didn’t want to spend his whole night paranoid that he was going to say something to get himself fired. He stepped from the vehicle and quickly followed her up the steps to her front door. She gave no indication that she was paying attention to him however and she merely unlocked the door and flipped on the lights inside. Nick stepped cautiously into the room and watched as Y/FN walked easily into the kitchen across from them.

“I’m starting coffee, I have a feeling we’ll need it.” She said from behind a row of cabinets. He heard a quiet bubbling from the kitchen and grinned as he picked up the first notes of a strong coffee as it floated towards him in the air.

“Make yourself at home.” Y/FN added on her way passed him as she disappeared into the back of the house, presumably to change.

Nick looked around the room curiously. He’d been imagining what sort of home Y/FN would have. You could tell a lot about a person based on their living space and he was happy to see that he highly approved of hers. He smiled fondly at all of the plants dotted around the room and the calming atmosphere the place seemed to exude. It was done in neutrals and everything in it gave him a warm or cozy impression. This was a soothing space, he liked it immediately.

He felt his eyes crinkle in the corners as he ran the pads of his fingers over the leaves of a Chinese Evergreen. He could appreciate someone with the patience to cultivate this much greenery in their home. Quiet footsteps sounded behind him and he turned to see Y/FN coming back into the room. He was disappointed to see that she’d taken off her slinky black jumpsuit but found that she looked just as fetching in the thin sweats and loose green shirt she’d replaced it with.

She smiled at him pleasantly and he felt a swooping sensation in his stomach. She had looked amazing before, but she looked more comfortable now and he found that that was very appealing. He was also trying not to notice that she had apparently neglected to replace her bra when she had changed. He felt a blush on his cheeks immediately. He would not perv on her right now. They were working.

She crossed to where he stood. Her fingers followed the course over the leaves that his had made just a minute prior and she smiled softly at the green and pink foliage. “Plants are a hobby of mine… I’ll admit it’s taken me years to be able to keep anything alive for longer than a week. But, I’m glad I kept at it. They're good friends, good listeners.” She paused here and tilted her head to the side in consideration. “ I imagine that's why you're fond of them yourself.”

He blinked at her in confusion. “How uh.. how did you know?”

She smiled at him sadly before resting a hand on his arm. “Loneliness is easy to see when you’re familiar with it yourself.”

She stepped away from him and moved away to pour coffee. He could only follow her with his eyes and a frown on his face. Was he lonely? Well, that was easy, absolutely. But, was he obvious about it? This woman continued to surprise and disarm him more and more with every conversation they had. He felt the swooping in his stomach again as he watched her prepare coffee for the both of them. He could fall hard for her if he wasn’t careful. She turned to him while she was pouring creamer into his cup and gave him a gentle smile.

He could fall VERY hard for her, and he doubted being careful would matter in the long run.

She stepped back into the living room and set the mugs on the coffee table. She gave him a double thumbs up before pulling out several files and blank legal pads. “Who’s ready to part-ay?!” She asked sarcastically. He rolled his eyes at her and grabbed his coffee mug and a legal pad. So apparently they WERE going to work, he had nothing to worry about. No hanky-panky tonight. Good. Great. Definitely what he wanted to happen.

So why do I feel so disappointed? He asked himself before sipping at the scalding mug in his hand.

The next hour was spent writing notes and listing their impressions about what had happened that night. Y/FN translated for him when necessary and he helped with any legal jargon that she couldn’t come up with. They worked well together as a team, they had an intuitive flow to their movements and a mutual respect for the other’s thought process. The work, while tedious, went quickly. They would finish the actual paperwork over the next week but they had a good base to start with for now.

At around three thirty in the morning, they decided to call it a night. They had a good start and they were going cross-eyed from staring at the sheets in front of them. Now was a good time to be done. They were both exhausted and leaning heavily against the couch.

Nick was not looking forward to driving home like this. He was awake enough that it wouldn’t be unsafe, it was just going to be a pain in the ass. Y/FN’s house was comfortable enough that if he just closed his eyes he could probably fall asleep sitting up on her couch. He doubted she would appreciate that though.

He set his legal pad on her coffee table. It was covered in bullet points and his sloppy scribbling. It was a good thing no one else was going to need to read it. He leaned back against the couch cushions and stifled a yawn against his fist. Maybe he would ask Y/FN for another cup of coffee before hitting the road. He turned to her with that question posed on his lips but he paused at the look on her face.

She was frowning down at her hands and as he watched, she swallowed nervously. Maybe she isn’t feeling well? Coffee on an empty stomach after the night she’s had was probably not the best idea.

Y/FN suddenly sat forward and tilted her head to the side to look at him curiously. He raised his brow at her in question. She gave him a calculated look and he felt a tingling in his chest at the sight of it. It felt… charged.

“Nick…” she started cautiously.

His ears twitched down once at the tone in her voice before he cocked his head to the side. “Yes?”

“Do you like me?” She asked without preamble.

He felt taken aback by the question. Whatever he had thought she was going to say, that wasn’t it. Of course he liked her. They talked all of the time, why would she think he didn’t? She’d become a great friend to him in just over a week. That had to say something.

“Of course I do!” He said with a frown. Why was she asking this now?

“And would you say I’ve had sufficient time and coffee to sober up?” She asked with a small tilt to her lips.

He frowned at that. She wasn’t drunk to begin with… Unless, she was referring to his comments in the car earlier? “Yeah, I should think so.” He said slowly.

The soft smile on her lips turned predatory almost immediately at his words. She leaned further into his space and he felt his pulse quicken at the heat in her eyes. “Then perhaps now you’ll be willing to hear me when I tell you how absolutely gob-smackingly beautiful you looked tonight.”

He blinked dumbly at her for a moment before his shoulders hunched in on themselves. He looked away from her quickly. He had been called many things in his life, but beautiful was never one of them. He knew what he looked like, he wasn’t beautiful. Hell, he wasn’t even handsome.

Y/FN didn’t seem interested in his pity party though, as she continued without missing a beat. “It’s a wonder I even made it through the night with you behind me dressed like you walked out of a sexual fantasy.” She leaned back a little then to give him some space. He was grateful, because he was finding it hard to breath all of a sudden.

“I-I don’t really like being teased… I know you’re just trying to be fun and I’m usually a good sport, but-” his words cut off abruptly at the feeling of an ass coming to rest in his lap.

He startled badly at the sensation, but not so much as to dislodge his lap’s new occupant. He looked at Y/FN in confusion, fear evident in his eyes. She gave him an impish smile before frowning at the expression on his face. She leaned back slightly and placed her hands on the sides of his face so that she could look deeply into each of his eyes in turn. What she was looking for, he wasn’t sure, but the touch felt nice regardless.

The touch on his skin was gentle and her expression wasn’t one of scorn. He felt some of the tension drain from him at that. Y/FN gave him a soft smile and moved her hands to his shoulders in an attempt at comfort.

She whispered to him quietly. “Idrǝg, pliche.” (Courage, officer.)

His ears twitched at that and she ran a thumb across his cheek bone slowly, “I wasn’t teasing you.”

She continued to run her thumb across his cheek a few more times before she leaned into his space a little more fully.

“Nick... “ she said to him on a whisper.

“Yes…” he answered on a shallow breath.

“May I kiss you?” she asked with a rub of her nose against his own.

He shuddered at the sensation. It had been years since he’d had anyone this close to him. He could feel the heat from her thighs as they caged his own, the touch of her fingers on his face, even her breath as it ghosted across his skin. He felt his eyes close at the contact and he did his best to catalogue the sensations. She felt incredible. The solid weight of another person against him was something he’d missed for a long time. He inhaled slowly and was happy to pick up the faint hints of her shampoo and the black coffee she had had earlier. Could she kiss him? That was the point of no return, their professional relationship would be ruined. God, yes, she could kiss him.

He opened his eyes and nodded his head slightly in answer to her question.

She smiled sweetly at him before closing the rest of the distance between them and pressing gentle lips against his own. She was being soft, being careful with him. He appreciated that, he was sure he looked like he was going to be easily spooked. He wanted to dive in, wanted to take everything she was offering, but he was nervous, second guessing himself.

He didn’t respond fully at first, shocked either at the joy of it or the terror of it, he didn’t know. But, as he felt her pulling away from him he suddenly came back to himself. She was moving away and he wanted her right back where she was. He slowly, tentatively, moved his lips against hers, the feeling was a little rough and very clumsy, but sweet all the same. Her mouth was soft against his own, her lips pliant and eager. He didn’t want to start getting poetic, but she felt like acceptance and he folded himself into it with appreciation.

The kiss was gentle and slow. The fire in his belly had cooled from earlier in the evening and he was able to appreciate what was happening with a clearer head. Unfortunately, that also gave him enough room in his head for doubts to flutter back in.

He pulled back slowly. He was amused to note that Y/FN followed him as he moved away. Her lips chased after his own and he was sorely tempted to fall right back against her. But, he had questions now. And he wouldn’t be able to enjoy another kiss without an answer from her.

“Was that ok?” She asked him sweetly.

He didn’t respond at first, he was still a little dazed to be honest. Slowly, his eyes opened and he looked at her in awe. “Why?” He finally managed to ask after a pause.

She smiled at him gently, “Why what?”

“Why… why are you doing this?” He managed to get out. He watched as her eyes clouded in confusion and a frown furrowed her brow. He wanted to kiss it away, but he had to know. Was she just curious? Was she just feeling up for a round in the sack? What was she looking for? Why was she doing all of this?

She sat back a little on his lap, and he reached a hand up to rest against her hip to steady her. He watched as she shivered at the contact and her eyes fluttered. It took everything in him not to grind up against her. The heat surrounding his lap was driving him slowly mad.

“Why am I in your lap?” She asked in confusion.

He shook his head to try to dislodge some of the fog in his brain. “No, why are you… why are you being so nice to me? Kissing me, comforting me? Why?”

Her frown deepened. “Nick… I’ve been flirting with you basically since the minute I met you. You… you haven’t noticed?”

He blushed and looked down towards his lap. “You were being nice to me…”

She laughed and shook her head before reaching over to grasp his chin in her hand. She lifted his head upwards so he was looking into her eyes again. “I have been trying to get you under me for the last week, you big oaf!” She laughed again. “You think I just go crawling into laps all whilly-nilly?”

He hunched his shoulders towards his ears in a sort of shrug and she grinned at him. “I like you, Nick. I like you a lot. I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable, or if I’ve come on to strong.” She ran her thumb across his cheek again. “I’m a pushy woman, I’m sure you’ve noticed. Usually it works in my favor, but I didn’t realize I was upsetting you. I’m sorry.”

He ran a tongue over the rounded end of one of his teeth nervously. She likes me a lot? Like a lot a lot? Seriously? He bit his lip in consideration before he lifted his other hand and set it to rest against her opposite hip. He squeezed experimentally at the skin there and was pleased to note that Y/FN’s eyes fluttered again at the sensation. He looked back into her eyes hopefully.

“You really… you’re really… interested in me? Romantically?” He asked haltingly.

“Very.” She said with confidence.

He blushed again and rubbed his thumbs against the thin material of her t-shirt.

“May I-Can I kiss you again?” He asked shyly.

“PLEASE!” She enthused happily.

A broad smile spread across his face and he leaned forward eagerly and with a giggle, Y/FN met him halfway. This kiss was more fiery than the one before, both parties 100% on board with what was happening now. Nick craned his neck to try and get a better angle and felt a thrill of arousal spike through him when he felt Y/FN grind down gently against him. He gripped her hips tightly in his hands and worked his thumbs under her shirt. The feeling of the soft skin of her stomach pulled a gentle groan from his lips that immediately embarrassed him

He shouldn’t have worried though, because at the sound of the groan, Y/FN licked her way gently into his mouth. He gasped in surprise and his hands lost their grip on her skin. Y/FN, being an opportunist, used his momentary surprise to her advantage and continued her perusal of his mouth. She ran her tongue along the backs of his teeth, slid it against his own tongue, and used it to trace the outline of the rounded teeth in the front of his mouth.

He let her work, and decided to use her distraction with his mouth as an opportunity to let his hands wander. They skated up her sides, down across the tops of her thighs and up her neck and onto the base of her skull. He stopped there and gripped gently at the hair there to angle her head towards him to give her more access to his lips.

The feeling of his hands in her hair must have startled her, because she moaned low in her throat and the sound of it raced through him like electricity. His hands clamped down possessively against her skin and he pulled her roughly against him. A soft growl worked its way up his throat and he heard her inhale sharply and tense. His grip loosened immediately and he pulled away quickly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, are you ok? I was too rough.” He spluttered half-coherently. Fuck, did he screw this up already? He let himself get carried away. He was about 100 times stronger than her, it would be all to easy to injure her accidentally if he wasn’t being careful. That was stupid of him. Stupid, stupid!

She blinked at him a few times to clear the daze from her eyes before she looked down at him hungrily. “Please, please, please, feel free to be too rough, pliche.”

His hands trembled slightly as they took ahold of her again. He was beginning to realize that Y/FN was a woman of her word and that if she wanted him to be rough, he could get rough. Within reason. He thought. She was direct enough to tell him exactly what she wanted and he was happy to oblige.

This time, he gripped her tightly and pulled her pelvis tighter against his own in a bid to grind against her. He was rewarded for his efforts by a gasp and he nipped against her lip to show his appreciation. She squirmed her hips down against his own in an attempt to get more friction and he shifted his hips slightly to accommodate her.

He reached up again to grab a fistful of the hair at the nape of her neck and pulled her head down to his mouth. He kissed her roughly once before nosing his way along her jawline and behind her ear. He laved his tongue over the spot gently before biting against the tender flesh.

She moaned deep in her chest and raised her hands to rub against his shoulders in encouragement. It had been way too long since Nick had been this intimate with anyone and he was soooo glad it was this woman above him. She felt like a livewire in his lap and his skin burned wherever she touched him.

He nipped and licked his way down her throat before stopping at the juncture between her neck and shoulder. He paused there a moment before seeming to throw caution to the wind and biting the smooth skin there, hard.

She yelped in surprise at the pain before letting out the breath in a ragged sigh. She shivered against him and her fingers dug deeply into his shoulders.

“Again, p-please.” She asked him as she rocked against his lap.

Nick licked gently at the spot in apology before he ran his teeth over the area again. Y/FN shivered again and he smirked against her skin. Biting her neck was apparently a quick way to get her hot, he would be filing that information away for a later date. He worked over the area for another few moments, with Y/FN mewling in his lap all the while. He was just pulling away to move down her shoulder when a tug on his ear pulled him away from the red mark on her shoulder.

She eyed him heatedly, breath coming harsher and stronger than he’d heard it before. "You tell me if you get uncomfortable, alright?” She panted towards him.

He seemed dazed but he nodded in agreement before a look of shock crossed his features.

As soon as he had nodded, she had reached to his hips and gripped the edges of his shirt to pull it roughly upwards.

She couldn't move it passed his arms without his help though so he lifted them to allow her access. Was this really happening to him? Was a beautiful woman undressing him in her living room completely of her own free will? He shivered slightly as the cool air of the room touched his exposed chest. He hadn’t had his shirt off like this in front of someone in a long time. Other than the tech, who had put on his wire, no one had seen him shirtless since the doctors at that military hospital. Hell, he didn’t even change in the locker room at work.

She gave a pleased hum as she ran her hands down the front of his chest.

“Holy shit…” she said softly. “You look incredible.”

Nick felt himself blush again but he kept his peace this time. He doubted she wanted to hear any naysaying from him now. He was more focused on watching her face as she worked her deft hands over his chest and arms anyway. It wasn't necessarily a sexual touch, but it felt amazing to just BE touched, touched with a gentle hand, touched softly and with the intention of causing joy. It was a novel experience for him.

She tweaked one of his nipples and he jolted in his seat and gave her a wide eyed look. She grinned at him wickedly before leaning her head down in order to swipe a tongue across the same nipple.

He felt the breath stutter out from his lungs at the feeling of her hot little tongue working it's way over him. He felt a slight anxiety that she might mention the scar on his chest, but another swipe of her tongue against his nipple rid him of that. He would explain if she asked, but he really hoped she didn’t. That was a can of worms that was best left closed for now.

She swiped her tongue against him again. Seriously. Was this really happening to him?

She worked her way back up, nipping, kissing and licking her way across all the exposed skin she had unveiled. She seemed insatiable and he squirmed underneath her. Her hands grasped at his side and he shied from the touch. She prodded him again on the same spot and he tensed again and pulled away.

She pulled herself off of his chest with a slick pop! And grinned at him. “Why officer Jakoby. You wouldn't be… ticklish, would you?”

Uh oh… that wasn't something he wanted to get out.

“Uh… no…” he answered lamely and unbelievably.

She ghosted her fingers down his sides and he jumped in his seat. “You're a terrible liar, pliche.”

She leaned forward again and bit down on the outside edge of his collarbone gently. She let her teeth and her tongue wander from there. Following the markings of his skin across his shoulder towards his neck.

“Your skin is amazing.” She whispered against him.

He shivered at the sensation and ran his hands down her spine to encourage her.

“I’ve been thinking about licking this spot,” and here she paused to run her tongue from his mid-throat up to just behind his ear, “since I saw those ears of yours twitch.”

He settled his hands against her hips again and flexed his fingers. This felt amazing. He could explore this woman and let her explore him for the rest of eternity and never get bored. She was incredible.

Swift fingers dipped quickly towards his lap where the button on his jean's was popped free and the zipper pulled down before he had time to react. He blinked in confusion at the turn of events.

Y/FN lifted herself up until she was whispering heatedly in his ear.

“Can I taste you, pliche?”

Nick felt his mouth go dry at the calmly stated question. He was mostly inexperienced, that was true, but he HAD slept with women before, orc women anyway. But no one had ever… well, they had never asked to taste him before, he had never actually had a blowjob, and to hear this human woman ask to taste him. Frankly, it was a miracle he hadn't come already.

His hands trembled against her hips but he nodded shakily. Was she really going to…

She grinned at him before kissing him again. He was nervous, and he knew she could tell, and it looked like she was trying to ease his nerves before jumping into the big stuff. How had he gotten this lucky?

Once the tension had eased from his shoulders she grinned to him mischievously. He didn’t want to admit it, but he had been thinking about having the weight of his cock in her mouth for what felt like forever. And for her part, Y/FN looked eager for the experience too.

She pulled away from him and gave him a reassuring smile. He wasn't sure why he seemed so nervous, he trusted Y/FN and she had said to tell her if he was uncomfortable. He was safe with her. But, this was uncharted territory for him and he didn’t want to embarass himself.

She shifted herself backwards and eased herself down from his lap languidly. She seemed to be in no rush and that helped soothe his nerves. They would take it easy, this wasn’t a sprint after all. She settled on her knees in front of him and between his thighs. She had to nudge the coffee table out of the way with her hip and he grinned at her exasperated expression in doing so.

She turned back to him with warm eyes and a soft smile when she was satisfied that the she had enough room to move. He wondered what he looked like to her from this angle? Huge with hard muscles and a broad chest? Or like a mistake she would regret in the morning? He doubted the latter, because she looked like she would eat him alive and come back for seconds.

She ran her hands down the length of his thighs slowly, gauging his reaction. The muscles under her hands bunched and trembled. Nick felt himself tense in anticipation. It was strange seeing her from this position. He had never had anyone between his legs before. It was a heady sensation and he held back a groan at the sight. He was leaking precome already he knew and she hadn’t even started touching him yet. He had always enjoyed being teased sexually and this slow build up was destroying him.

Y/FN rested her hand gently on top of his erection over his jeans. He watched in awe as she swiped her tongue over her lower lip as she studied him through his pants. He knew he had an average sized cock for an orc but, he doubted that was average for humans. He wondered for the first time if Y/FN had ever been with an orc before. He wasn’t sure if he wished she had or hadn’t. She seemed confident in what she was doing, so she had obviously slept with enough people to know her way around a cock. He was grateful for that, because he wasn’t prepared to be the sexual instigator with her yet.

Hopefully he wasn't disappointing.

“Is this ok?” She asked, suddenly sounding unsure.

“Yes.” He responded on a whisper. He was too distracted, he needed to focus more on what was happening and not on his worries. He knew he looked stunned, completely mesmerized by the image of her in front of him. This was more than he had ever dreamed of from her. He was almost tempted to pinch himself, just to make sure he WASN'T dreaming.

She studied him for a moment to gauge the truthfulness of his words. He again appreciated her thoughtfulness. She wanted to make sure he was actually ok and not just saying the words to appease her. He knew he could trust her, she would take care of him.

“Lift your hips.” She said with a smirk.

He complied eagerly, lifting his hips easily upward, she watched him as the muscles in his stomach bunched together to work his hips up and she grinned at him. She hooked her fingers through the black denim of his jeans and soft cotton of his underwear and yanked them down together sharply.

They followed after her easily and she pulled them to his mid thigh in one smooth motion. She took a moment to appraise him. He felt shy under her scrutinizing gaze. Did she like what she saw? Judging by the heated look she shot him, he guessed so.

She gave him a moment to get comfortable while she unlaced his boots and pulled them off of his feet along with his socks. She pressed soft kisses to the tops of each of his feet and he squirmed under her attentions. She wrinkled her nose at him playfully but pulled back obligingly. He had never been with anyone who had seemed to worship him like this. She treated every part of him tenderly and like it was something worthy. How this woman was still single was a complete fucking mystery.

She rubbed her thumbs slowly over the skin of his ankles before tugging his jeans and boxer briefs the rest of the way down and off of his legs. He sat before her now, completely nude and she leaned back to get a clearer look at him. Her hands smoothed themselves slowly up the length of his shins before wrapping around the back of his knees possessively.

She looked hungry again and he forgot that he was supposed to be feeling shy. It was strange to be sitting totally nude in front of someone who was fully clothed. He would have to remedy that himself in a little bit. He was just as hungry to see her as she was to see him after all. But, he tried to be still and let her look her fill at him. He wondered again what it was that she was seeing. He knew what his body looked like, but what did it look like without the lens of self-loathing?

She rubbed a comforting hand over his knee until he met her eyes again. He was getting distracted again.

“You're amazing.” She said proudly.

He looked away again and she pinched the inside of his thigh gently to get his attention. He looked at her nervously but held her gaze.

“You look amazing, Nick. You are amazing.” She said more insistently.

He gave her a warm smile and a small nod and he realized he was going to need more time to come to terms with her words than he anticipated. Who had put him down this far? What had happened to him to make his self esteem like this? He used to be confident, now he shied away from compliments like they burned him. He was more damaged than he realized.

Now wasn't the time for this though, he chastised himself. He wanted to be present in this moment, not in his head berating himself. He had a beautiful woman in front of him, ready and willing to suck his dick by her own request. That should be the only thing in the entire world that mattered right now.

Y/FN leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to his inner thigh. He startled at the feeling and she smiled to herself. She had a reverent look in her eyes and he felt himself blush. She really was interested in him. Holy shit.

She proceeded to kiss and lick her way down his thigh. She was particularly interested in the patterning of his skin and he watched as she followed the lines of it down the length of his legs. He hadn’t ever given a second thought to the mottling of his skin, it was just a part of who he was. But now, he was hyper focused on the lines between the pale skin and the darker. Would she follow this line or that line? Where would that smart little tongue of hers trace next? It gave him a new appreciation for the way his body was built.

He also noticed that she was being careful not to tickle him any more and he was grateful for it. He was sensitive and she was being gentle with him. A sensory overload right now could disrupt the whole flow of the evening and he was desperate to keep that from happening. He had always hated being ticklish, more than one person had taken advantage of that when they had found out. Luckily, Y/FN didn’t seem to be one of them.

Once she reached the juncture of his thighs she nosed gently at his sac. Nick was wholly unprepared for the sensation and he swallowed a yelp that worked its way up his throat. His hands gripped the couch cushions on either side of him and he exhaled slowly through his mouth. Oh, shit, this was going to be a night. He was hyper sensitive already and she hadn’t even DONE anything yet.

Y/FN placed several closed mouth kisses against the soft skin there and inhaled the smell of him slowly. His breathing stuttered as he watched her work herself slowly around him. The sight of her breathing him in caused black spots to appear at the corners of his vision. What he wouldn’t give to smell her now! He could detect the faint traces of her arousal on the air but there wasn’t enough there to satisfy him. Hopefully, she would let him return the favor and he could memorize her scent from between her legs.

She let her tongue peek past her teeth and licked tentatively at the skin at the base of his shaft. Nick let out another sharp exhale and she smiled. They had miles to go yet and he was going to wear himself out if he didn’t get control of himself. You would think he was a teenager touching himself for the first time. He was a grown orc, he was master of himself, he could control his reactions. Maybe.

Slowly, Y/FN ran her tongue up the underside of him. She followed the patterning on his skin as it wrapped around the sides of his erection. His pale cockhead was openly leaking precum and he wished he felt more ashamed of that. He was too horny and too interested in this woman to care though.

She lapped at the head of him once, testing the flavor on her tongue. Nick felt his eyelids flutter at the feeling of her hot tongue on him. She swirled her tongue once around the tip of him before lowering herself down onto him. It was a tight fit, and Nick nearly swallowed his own tongue when he felt the end of his cock bump against the back of her throat. Oh fuck, holy shit, motherfuck. His brain supplied a handful of curse words in quick succession but nothing more useful than that. Upstairs Nick had officially checked out it would seem.

Nick gasped and reached reflexively to rest a hand in her hair. He didn't push or pull, simply let it linger in her hair. Though he really, really, wanted to encourage her further down, he was more than happy now to take what she was offering and not ask any more than that.

Y/FN worked herself down as far as she could go before she slowly, torturously, eased back off of him. It felt like the rest of his brain cells were following her. She lapped again at the slit in his cockhead and looked up at him with heat in her eyes as she did so.

“Ok?” She asked out of the side of her mouth.

He was completely incapable of speech at this point, he was lucky that he had enough wherewithal to nod an affirmative to her. She was like some sort of sexual demon, here to rob him of thought by pleasuring him. Holy shit she was incredible.

She gave him a half smile before diving back down on him, swallowing him quickly in one swift move. He sputtered weakly and his hips bucked upwards once of their own accord. She had been anticipating it though, and rode it out, but she placed her hands on either side of his hips after to keep him from getting too crazy just yet. He took the hint and clenched his hands tighter against the couch cushions to keep himself still. He needed to behave himself.

She hummed happily in the back of her throat and proceeded to bob slowly up and down his length for the next several minutes. After a short time, she added a hand underneath her mouth to catch any length of him she happened to miss. She alternated pressure and gave a small twist to her wrist on the up strokes and whenever she needed air, she’d pull back and lick at him hungrily while her hand worked double time over his entire shaft.

The combination of movements seemed to slowly be undoing him. His thighs trembled and twitched where they rested next to her head and he could hear his own harsh panting breaths as they escaped his lungs. He likely wouldn't last long at this rate. Hell, the fact that he hadn’t come all over her face already was nothing short of divine intervention.

Nick felt heat pooling low at the base of his spine. He had never in all of his life seen anything as staggeringly erotic as this human woman with his dick in her mouth. She made eye contact with him every time she pulled away to lick at him and his grip on her couch was likely ruining her cushions.
This was the most incredible sexual experience he had ever had and all it amounted to was a five minute blowjob. Either she was that good or he was that into her, he didn’t know. And he didn’t really give a shit either.

The fact that he could now clearly smell her arousal was pushing him farther than anything else. She was hot for him, she was wet for him and he could smell it on her. Sucking his dick was making her wet and it was taking every ounce of self control he possessed to keep himself from fucking himself into her mouth with abandon. He wanted to bury his nose between her thighs and take her in, wanted to taste what he could smell and listen to her scream his name.

He wouldn't last much longer, not unless they took a breather. He felt the smooth skin of her hand as it tightened like iron around his cock and he let his head loll back against the couch cushions. He couldn't believe he’d never had a blowjob before, no wonder people raved about them. This was like having his fucking brain sucked out through his cock.

He felt her tight mouth fall over him again and felt her heat against his skin. The fire at his spine was spreading outward and he knew he was a few pumps away from emptying himself into her mouth. He made a snap decision then, he didn’t want his orgasm to break whatever sex spell they were currently under. He had things he wanted to do to her first.

He reached down and gripped Y/FN by the back of her head, pulling her off of him quickly. Her lips made an obscene, wet, popping sound as they lost connection with his cock and he relished in it. He missed the sensation of her working over him immediately, but he had other plans now.

He pulled her back into his lap easily and though she seemed surprised she didn't resist. He kissed her roughly, enjoying the taste of his own precome on her lips. His hands gripped her tightly and if he was paying attention he might be worried that she was going to bruise there but he was too far gone to notice now.

He slipped his tongue into her mouth and was thrilled to hear the moan escape her at the rough treatment. That’s what he wanted, he wanted her moans and her gasps, he wanted to bring her body as much pleasure as he was able. He thrust once up against the soft fabric covering her ass and they groaned in unison at the sensation. He wanted to bury himself in her and sounded like she wouldn’t mind that either. He pulled away to nose at her neck where he scraped his teeth down the column of her throat, the way he knew she liked.

“Where’s your bedroom?” He asked huskily. He was being presumptuous but he hoped she wouldn’t mind.

She shivered but responded immediately, “Down the hall, behind you.”

He ran his teeth over her once more before wrapping an arm around her ass and standing. She startled at the sudden movement and shifted in surprise. He lifted a hand to steady her and allowed her to wrap her legs securely around his waist before he moved. He had orc strength, and so lifting her wasn’t an issue, but being carried was apparently a novel experience for her.

“Holy fucking shit, this is hot.” She panted before diving down and kissing him deeply.

“Bedroom.” He reminded her between frantic breaths.

"Mmmm.” She responded but nodded her head towards the hall once she had pulled away.

He padded softly down the hall, he didn’t have time to notice the decor or the pictures on the walls like he would normally, as he had a tongue shoved into his mouth and a squirming woman rubbing herself against his abdomen.

He did his best to keep them from bumping into the walls or knocking anything off of the shelves and thought they’d been successful until he heard a series of soft thumps following their progress forward. She pulled back slightly to look in irritation at the interruption before shaking a head and moving to nip and suck at his neck.

“Books.” She growled between bites and he sighed in relief.

It would be just like him to destroy someone’s house right after they had allowed him in intimately. He hadn’t ever been known for being particularly graceful. And while carrying her was no issue, navigating a narrow hallway with the addition to his frame was tricky. But books could be picked up later, he didn’t even spare them a second thought.

He was having trouble focusing and missed the door for the bedroom twice before she paused in her abuse of his skin long enough to point him towards the doorknob. He reached for it quickly and used his arm holding her to him to adjust her closer against him, she had squirmed herself away during their walk. She ground herself roughly against his abdomen and he heard her moan quietly near his ear as she got some of the friction she was looking for. Holy shit, he needed a bed and he needed it five minutes ago!

He felt a calmness settle over him as he walked them through her room and towards her bed. This room felt tranquil, the soft glow of a lamp lit the walls cheerfully and the king sized bed set against the right wall invited him towards it comfortingly.

He stepped easily towards it before depositing her gently against the mattress. She smiled at him happily as she stretched eagerly against the blankets like a cat. He watched her for a moment, enjoying the look of her stretched out before him. She was so beautiful. He wondered again how he had gotten this lucky.

His earlier embarrassment about being nude had completely vanished and now his only thought was to undress her as quickly as possible. He ran his hands from her knees, slowly up over her thighs, and gently across her abdomen. She arched into his touch and he hesitated only briefly before squeezing her breasts firmly.

“A-aahh!” She breathed out and he felt a pulse run towards his dick at the sound. He was nestled in the vee of her legs but he was still standing on the floor and she was still completely clothed. He needed to remedy that.

“May I… May I take off your shirt?” He asked throatily.

Her smile would have put the cheshire cat to shame and he felt heat course through him at the look of it, she would eat him alive if he wasn’t careful, but maybe he wanted her too.

She slowly moved into a sitting position and lifted her arms invitingly over her head. He took that as invitation enough and grasped the hem of her shirt in deft fingers before pulling it easily up and over her head. She rolled her shoulders as soon as it had cleared her head and licked her lips.

He felt himself blush again though he wasn’t sure why, she had had his dick in her mouth not five minutes ago but her looking up at him with a wanton gleam in her eye and her lower lip between her teeth was doing incredible things to his brain.

“What now, pliche?” She asked slyly.

He felt himself growl low in his throat, hearing her speak his mother tongue did amazing things to his cock and now was no different. He knew the word itself was generic, just a noun, a descriptor, but it was her name for him, and it gave him goosebumps when he heard her speak it.

She grinned knowingly at him before he finally allowed himself to let his eyes wander. Her breasts bounced into view, finally free from their confines and Nick’s hands twitched towards them eagerly. How long had it been since he’d had his hands on a naked breast, felt a nipple roll between his fingers, had his teeth scraping against the soft underside, never maybe? He honestly couldn’t remember right now.

She thrust her chest forward in invitation and he didn’t wait to be told twice. He knelt forward and felt his knees encounter the plush shag rug under the bed, it could have been cement for all it mattered in that moment. He reached forward and brushed his thumbs gently against the smooth flesh just below each of her nipples. She shivered at the sensation and he watched in amazement as goosebumps raised themselves across her skin.

He rubbed his rough thumbs against her skin once more and watched again as she shivered. He could play this game all day. She was so reactive, so expressive, it felt miraculous. He ducked his head forward and ran his tongue tentatively from the underside of one breast up and across its nipple. She keened quietly at the feeling and he repeated the motion. She tasted incredible, like sweat and heat and arousal. It was a strong combination and it was making him delirious.

He rolled her other nipple gently between his thumb and forefinger. Y/FN placed a hand against the back of his head and used it to encourage him forward again. She wasn’t being forceful but he took her meaning plainly. He nosed forward into her skin again and inhaled deeply. He nipped an licked his way across her chest, carefully nosing into her skin and pressing kisses where he decided they were needed.

He worked his way towards her other breast, he wouldn’t want this one to feel left out after all. This time though, he decided to try something a little different. He swiped his tongue against the small bud of her nipple before clamping his teeth against it gently and sucking.

“Nick!” She whined in surprise.

Her hand on the back of his head spasmed and gripped him tighter, forcing him forward. He grinned against her skin, before biting and sucking on her once more. She moaned loudly above him and he hummed against her in appreciation. He liked that she was loud, it let him know that she liked what he was doing.

She had apparently had enough of his teasing for now though, as she used her hand on the back of his head to pull him easily upward. He leaned into the touch and followed her movements back to her mouth.

They kissed gently for a few moments, he allowed himself to slow down, to savor the moment before them. His brain was getting a little one tracked and he allowed himself this pause to appreciate the sensations, appreciate her.

His hands rubbed soothing circles against the skin of her breasts and his tongue moved gently against her own. He could feel her hands as they slid up and down the muscles of his arms and shoulders. This was a more tender touch, more intimate almost than any of their previous touches had been and he had the distinct impression that something monumental was taking place here.

She shifted slightly towards him and gripped either side of his jaw gently in her hands. He sighed quietly against her lips at the simple touch, it probably didn't mean much to her, but to him, the softness of her hold felt like a benediction.

He nosed his way across her cheek and placed a soft kiss in the hair at her temple. She gave him a small smile when she pulled away before laying herself back down against the mattress. She lifted her hands above her head and raised a questioning eyebrow at him. She still had her sweats on, he’d completely forgotten while he was buried between her breasts. But, it looked like she was ready to be rid of the item. Now or never, Nick, he thought.

He settled back down against his heels and lifted trembling fingers to the waistband of her thin pants. She lifted her hips slightly, as much an invitation as anything else, and he pulled on the thin fabric slowly. It followed his fingers down her thighs, over knees, over her calves and finally off of her ankles. She had apparently decided to go sans underwear that evening and his breath hitched at the thought.

They’d been in the living room doing paperwork for over an hour and she’d been sitting next to him on the couch without a stitch of clothing underneath those sinfully thin sweat pants the whole time!? He cursed himself silently for the time lost, they could have been doing this all evening! His brain supplied him with an image of him licking her open while she made notes on her legal pad. God, they never would have gotten anything done.

He allowed his eyes to follow the path her sweats had just made in reverse, over her ankles, up the smooth lines of her calves, passed the soft swell of her knees and down the long line of her thighs.
His mouth went dry when he realized suddenly that she was laid completely bare before him. Every inch of her skin available for his eyes to consume and consume he did.

He couldn't seem to focus on any one thing, a freckle here, a mole there, the goosebumps still peppering her skin, the color contrast between the skin of her breast and her nipple, the short curls between her legs. It was all too much and at the same time, not enough. His hands trembled and he itched to start running his fingers across all of her skin. Something held him back though, some latent nerves, perhaps?

He wanted everything, but he didn’t know where to start. Y/FN lay still on the bed and allowed him to look his fill, he seemed to need the moment to collect himself. His thumbs rubbed absently at the soft skin of her ankles and she finally gave in to the urge to squirm.

"Nick…” She whispered to him.

His golden eyes met hers in a daze, he looked lost and she seemed happy to work as his lighthouse.

“Come here, baby.” She whispered to him and held her arms out to him in welcome.

It took him a moment to react but eventually he snapped himself out of his daze and leveraged himself up slowly. The fact that she had called him “baby” had shaken loose something inside of him. There was a fire roaring inside of his chest, urging him to take and to claim her. The quietly voiced endearment had sealed something in of him that he hadn’t even known was leaking. There wasn’t anything he could do for her that would be enough to thank her for this, but he could try.

He inched his way forward and across her body until he was face to face with her once again. Their legs hung awkwardly off the side of the bed and she giggled a little as they made an attempt to get comfortable. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Nick huffed in irritation before simply hauling her bodily further up the bed.

She squeaked and gripped his biceps in surprise. He chuckled darkly at her and ran his nose against her cheek before placing another kiss against the hair at her temple.

“I’m having trouble concentrating…” He whispered in her ear, “you smell incredible.”

She grinned wryly at him, “It’s the designer perfume I had to wear to that club.”

He was feeling suddenly emboldened, whether by her responses to his actions or some repressed alpha part of his brain, he wasn’t sure. So, he decided to do something he normally wouldn’t have the gall to do on his own. He grunted softly against her ear and nosed at the shell of it slowly. His fingers trailed down the soft skin of her stomach before he dipped his them gently through the curls between her legs. “No, it isn’t.” He replied on a breath.

She moaned softly as his meaning finally sunk in and her hips canted quickly up against his fingers.

He smirked against her ear before letting his tongue trace the shape of it slowly.

“Nick!” She panted, “Don’t tease me!”

His smirk grew into a grin and he allowed the rough pad of one finger to slowly circle once around the hard nub of her clit. She moaned loudly, obviously not caring about the noise she was making. The sound of it caused his dick to twitch in interest and he ran his finger around her once more in appreciation.

“ ’M not teasing.” He said softly. “Just appreciating.”

She bucked her hips up against him, in an effort to get more friction than he was offering.

“Shhh...” He said soothingly. Her only response was to whimper against his ear.

He closed his eyes and took a number of calming breaths. He was having to mentally restrain himself from simply flipping her over and fucking her into her mattress. He figured she wouldn’t mind, but he wanted to do this right. She deserved that.

He inhaled deeply through his nose and caught the sweet scent of her wet heat in the air. This was perfection. She smelled so incredible that it was making his mouth water. He wasn’t particularly experienced in these kinds of situations though, so he looked carefully to her for signs of pleasure as he allowed his fingers to work through her folds. She was squirming against him, her breath coming in hard pants as she sought more from him.

He threw caution to the wind and dipped one thick finger into her. He was thrilled at the sound of her surprised gasp and he slowly pulled his finger out before plunging it back in quickly.

“Oh!” She gasped in surprise before shuddering at the sensation “Oh, fuck…”

Nick grinned against her hair before pulling back to look down at her.

“Do-do you like this?” He asked hesitantly.

She inhaled deeply and ground herself down against the finger inside of her.

“Are you talking dirty to me, pliche?” She panted.

His movements faltered at the question, he hadn't been, he had been looking for reassurance but maybe that was something she liked? She had seemed to like him being the aggressor so far. Maybe she wanted a more forward man in bed? His courage had failed him shortly after his decision to rub against her clit though. But, maybe he could use more of it. She would tell him if she was uncomfortable, he could be a little more adventurous.

He nuzzled against her neck before slipping a second finger in alongside the first, she might like dirty talk but he wasn’t ready for that yet. He could do this though, he could do this for hours. He pumped his fingers slowly in and out of her. She was wet and his fingers were soon warm and coated in her. He allowed his thumb to rub easily against the swell of her clit and he was rewarded for his efforts as soft tremors skated through her.

“Yes, yes, Nick, I like this!” She gasped as he continued to work her.

He kissed the gasp from her lips in appreciation, he wasn't going to be able to hold himself off from her for too much longer. What he really wanted was to bury his nose between her legs and use his tongue to pump in and out of her instead of his fingers. He rubbed the hard line of his erection against her hip at the thought. He could make her come with just his tongue if he tried, he knew he could manage that.

He shifted to do just that actually, when she stopped him.

“I want you in me, Nick, please...” She begged around a moan. A thin sheen of sweat had collected around her temples and Nick delighted in seeing her coming undone by just the manipulation of his hand.

All the air left his lungs in a whoosh at her plea and he nodded feverishly against her neck in agreement. He would lick her open next time. Fuck, he would lick her open for the rest of eternity if she wanted. He’d be happy to give her anything she wanted. And if she wanted his dick in her right now, then he was more than happy to oblige.

He rose slowly and leaned back to sit on his haunches. His hands worked their way across her skin and he marveled at the contrast between his skin and her own. He had never been with a human before and he was wondering why that was. He’d just never had the occasion he supposed. He was glad that she was going to be his first. Fuck, right now he’d be happy if she was his last too. He blanched a little at the thought. They’d known one another for a week and he was already signing the marriage license in his head apparently. He needed to get his shit together, that was his dick thinking, not his brain.

Y/FN shivered as his fingers skated across her skin. She stretched against the blanket under them and sighed happily once before scrambling back a little. Nick watched in confusion as she made a blind grab towards the bedside table across from them. His hands were resting now against her shins and he held them possessively while he watched her. A couple of small objects clattered away from her questing fingers and she huffed in frustration, “Orkhoza lekhren!” (For fuck's sake!) She muttered in irritation.

He felt his ears twitch at the curse and he smiled at her fondly. She was a firecracker and while he had no idea what she was doing, he was enjoying watching her. Her tits bounced up and down as she fought to get at something above her head and he was mesmerized by the movement. He was about to lean forward again to lick against one of her nipples when she moved back towards him triumphantly with a bottle of clear liquid in hand. She waggled her eyebrows at him and waved the bottle suggestively.

He looked at it in confusion and then back to her with raised brows. He couldn’t read the label on it and had no idea what she was so excited about. She blushed prettily, suddenly awkward for some reason. He was happy to see that her blush traveled down her neck and across her chest. It was a charming color on her. But, he still wasn’t sure what was going on.

“You’re uh… you’re really big, Nick... “ She started awkwardly.

He looked at himself in confusion. Really big? He ran a hand down his chest to check over himself, he looked the same as before… “I’ve been this size the whole time…?” He replied with a frown.

She blinked at him with a frown for a moment before huffing quietly. She gave him an exasperated look. “I mean you’ve got a big dick.” She said bluntly and he felt himself color at her candor.

She waved the bottle at him by way of explanation and understanding dawned on him. Lube. I’m an idiot. He thought with an eye roll.

She laughed at him, not unkindly, and pulled the cap off the bottle quickly. She tossed it behind her towards the bedside table with an eyebrow raised playfully at him. He felt a small grin twist his lips. This was definitely the strangest sexual experience he’d ever had. It was also the most comfortable. She was wholly herself and he felt alright with being himself as well. They weren’t pretending and they weren’t lost to passion. This was exactly how he’d always wanted to be with someone.

Y/FN pumped the top of the bottle down a couple of times and a measure of the sticky clear liquid poured into her palm, she pursed her lips at the lube in her hand before shooting a calculating glance towards his dick. He shifted a little under her gaze but she wasn’t paying attention to him to his face at the moment.

She seemed to consider for a moment before shrugging and squirting another two measures of the stuff into her hand. “Better safe than sorry, big boy.” She said with a wink.

He felt a small laugh escape him at her teasing, this was such a strange experience. His dick was so hard that it ached but here he was laughing at the odd woman who had invited him into her bed and who even now had a large handful of lube ready to prepare herself for him.

It was nice to feel comfortable like this around someone, he decided. This was how sex should always be and this was how he wanted it to be from now on. All thought promptly left him however, as a warm and slick hand wrapped itself around his swollen cock.

He cursed under his breath in Bodzvokhan as she worked her hand swiftly up and down his length in order to coat him in the slick liquid. He watched in awe as she removed her hand and spread lube between her own legs. His eyes zeroed in on the hypnotic movement of her deft fingers working in and out of her folds. They pumped slowly, probably for his benefit, in and out, in and out as she worked a thumb in slow circles around her clit.

Fuck, is this what she did when she didn’t have a partner in bed? Is this how she touched herself? He hadn’t thought about it before, but the image was seared into his brain now. He’d bet that he would be falling asleep to images of her fingering herself for the rest of his life now. Her eyes didn’t leave him and he felt himself scorching under her gaze.

“Come here.” She said huskily while she touched herself and no force on heaven or earth would have been able to prevent him from following the quiet command.

He shifted his knees closer to her until they bumped underneath her thighs where they spread open before him. He leaned forward and rested a palm on the bed next to her head, the other he ran down the length of one of her thighs.

“You’re beautiful.” He said on a whisper and he was happy to see her grin lazily at him.

She shifted her hips lower and he watched as she used the hand she had been working over herself to spread her lips apart. His eyes followed her movements and he swallowed against a dry throat. This was it. They were really doing this. Holy shit, holy shit, they were REALLY doing this.

She interrupted his quiet panic with her quiet voice. “Are you here with me, Nick?” She asked him with hooded eyes.

He took a deep steadying breath before meeting her gaze. She had asked him this same question earlier in the week. Was he here with her? Fuck, where the hell else could he possibly want to be? He inhaled once more before replying on his exhale. “Yeah, I’m with you.” His grip on her thigh tightened and she leaned into him.

“Then, please.” She breathed quietly.

He lowered himself further and grasped the thick length of his cock in one hand and gave it an experimental stroke. He shuddered at the sensation. Fuck, what would she feel like wrapped around him? He only had the memory of her heat around his fingers and that was enough to drive him mad. He wondered how he would manage to keep his wits about him with his cock buried deep inside of her wet heat.

He shifted forward to ease himself into her when he paused as a thought came to him. He grinned mischievously at her. She may not like to be teased, but he imagined she would forgive him for this.

He shifted his hips backward to give himself some room before he pressed the blunt head of his cock tightly against the exposed nub of her clit. Her gasp of surprise turned into a low whine as he pushed himself forward slowly, running the entire length of his dick hard against her clit, he pulled back just as slowly and watched as her eyelids fluttered. He bit hard against his lower lip and felt his brow pucker. He had meant to tease her a little, but this was maddening for him as well.

Just the same, he repeated the process once more so he could watch her writhe under him. Her back bowed gently from the bed and she stretched the column of her throat upwards. He wanted to sink his teeth into the space between her neck and shoulder but he wasn’t close enough to do so. Shit, enough teasing. He couldn’t keep it up any longer than this. He shifted his hips again and grabbed firmly at one of her hips to pull her closer to him. He used the hand around his dick to guide it slowly to her entrance.

He watched her closely to be sure that she did indeed want this. He knew that she was giving him every indication, but he wanted to make sure she didn’t change her mind. He wanted her 100% in this with him. She had given him the same courtesy. When the head of his cock bumped against her entrance she mewled at him. Guess that answered that question.

He felt a thrill race up his spine in anticipation, he could feel how wet she was now, he’d been smelling her for the last half hour and it had been driving him out of his mind. The feeling of her, wet and hot against him was even worse. The primal part of his brain was roaring to the front of his mind and he was desperate to keep it in check. He could let loose with her later, if there was a later. Now, he needed to be slow and gentle.

He pushed forward slowly, mindful of her statement about his big cock. He didn’t want to hurt her.

It felt like forever before the head of his cock popped slowly past the ring of muscle at her entrance and he paused to let out a long breath. She moaned loudly and pushed down against him, eager for more friction. He held her hip firmly in one hand to try and still her, he knew she wanted this but she was likely to hurt herself if she got too carried away. They needed to go slow for now and ease her into it.

“Shhh...” He cooed at her and he felt her shudder under him.

After she settled slightly, he began to push forward again, it seemed tortuously long, tortuously slow and so exquisitely erotic that he wasn’t sure he had any thoughts left in his head.

He felt the bump of his cock head against her cervix and heard her inhale sharply at the sensation. She didn’t stop him however so he continued to move. When he was seated fully in her, he felt a tremor in his arms as he forced himself to move slowly. Fuck, he hadn’t been laid in forever it was true, but it hadn’t ever felt like this. He was warm and cold at the same time and his muscles ached from holding himself still.

They both inhaled and exhaled heavily while they adjusted to the feeling of the other around them. Nick didn’t think he’d ever felt anything so incredible, she was so hot and so tight that it felt like he was caught inside of a furnace and she was burning him alive slowly. She rested her hands delicately against his forearms in an attempt to ground herself. Nick ran his tongue over the rounded teeth in his mouth and closed his eyes to try and calm himself. Fuck, this was torture.

“Nick-” Y/FN gasped and then shuddered, “Nick, please!”

He wasn’t sure what she was asking for, but some part of him seemed to understand. A small bead of sweat worked its way down his nose and he gulped against a dry throat. Please indeed.

He pulled back out just as slowly as he’d entered her and he felt her body clinging to him tightly. Her hands tightened on his arms as he nearly pulled out entirely. He paused with just the head of his cock inside her before he pushed back in smoothly, and much quicker than before.

She yelped in surprise and moaned loudly.

“Yesssss!” She hissed to the heated air of her bedroom.

He set up an easy rhythm then, the movements were natural and he lost himself in the sensations of pumping deeply into her. His pelvic bone came into contact with her clit each time he seated himself fully and she gasped each time. He let his eyes close and his grip on her hip tightened further. She would probably have finger shaped bruises tomorrow but she didn’t seem to mind. If anything, the pressure of his hand on her made her moan all the louder.

It wasn’t long before Y/FN had grown adjusted to his length inside of her. She wriggled under him and panted loudly. “Harder, baby. Faster.”

His movements stuttered and he looked at her in question. She had a fine sheen of sweat dusting her cheeks and her eyes were clouded with lust. Nick had been so laser focused on what he was doing that he didn’t understand what she was saying at first. He swallowed and exhaled a heavy breath. He had heard her call him “baby” again. He liked that, he hoped she kept doing that.

“Fuck. Me.” She growled at him angrily, she was apparently losing patience with being treated gently.

That seemed to snap him out of whatever daze he’d been in and he blinked at her in confusion. “Are-are you su-” He started.

“Yes, I’m fucking sure. Fuck me into the mattress, pliche. Please!” She snapped at him heatedly.

That did it for him. With a hard set to his jaw, he pulled himself from her quickly only to snap his hips forward brutally back in. She gasped at the sudden shift in the rhythm before she cried out as he came into contact with her clit roughly once again.

“Yes! Yes!” She yelled and the encouragement spurred him further.

The new rhythm he set up was brutal and intense, exactly what she’d been asking for and what he had been hoping for. He was relentless in his thrusts, nearly pulling himself completely free of her before slamming himself back in. Beneath him, he could feel her trembling and her grip on his arms was bruising. Her nails caught against the skin on his forearms and the prickle of pain only added to his lust fueled thrusting.

“Fuck!” He yelled between clenched teeth.

He moved suddenly to sit back on his heels slightly. Y/FN had a moment to open her mouth before his rough thumbs gripped the fleshy skin under her knees and pushed them forward and towards her chest swiftly. She hissed pleasantly and he felt a moan rip itself from his throat at the new angle. Nick fucked into her hard and fast and she moaned half-formed curse words and pleas for him to continue into the air around them.

His grunts were audible every time he thrust himself forward and into her heat now. The slapping sound of their skin as it came into contact rang out loudly and obscenely. He was holding himself back from his orgasm through sheer force of will at the moment and he didn’t think he could hold it off for much longer.

With a half gasp, he angled himself forward a little and shifted his hips back further to try and reach a better angle. His elbows came to rest on either side of her head and he used them as leverage to force himself forward. He knew that he was missing something inside of her that he could reach. He just hadn’t found the right angle yet…

He was rewarded by a loud cry from the woman below him and she thrust herself back against him. Aha, there it was.

He kept up this driving rhythm until he felt himself start to stutter, he was close, fuck he was so close! She fucked back up into him with every thrust of his downwards and he ground himself against her pelvis every time they met. With this level of activity he likely wouldn’t even be able to lift himself up tomorrow and he did. not. care.

He removed one hand from near her head and used it to wrap one of her legs around his waist. This position was different and he couldn’t go as deep as he had been, but it did free his hand for a very important purpose.

He made eye contact with her before he lifted his hand to his mouth and licked a slow stripe across his thumb. He watched as her eyes widened in surprise before he lowered the thumb to swipe against her swollen clit. She bucked against him and her back bowed deeply away from the bed. The act forced her tits upwards and he watched eagerly as she panted deeply.

That had been a gamble, but it looked like it was paying off. He should trust his sexual intuitions more.

He swiped gently against her clit a few more times while he pounded himself viciously into her. He may not be sexually experienced but he would be damned if she didn’t come before him. He felt her tightening around him and he encouraged her to come with soft fingers and whispered encouragements against the shell of her ear.

With a strangled cry she broke under him beautifully and he almost lost his cadence as she shuddered around him. She called his name loudly and the animalistic part of his brain started chanting a repeated chorus of, “Mine, mine, mine,” as he continued to fuck into her. Her spasms continued for several long moments and he was grateful that he was so close himself.

He allowed her to ride her orgasm down before he finally gave himself a break. He couldn’t keep this up forever. His balls ached and he was desperate to come. His thrusting had slowed somewhat and he knew his orgasm was about to hit him when he could feel the tightening of his sac against his skin.

“I’m-I’m-” He attempted to get out to warn her.

“Come for me, baby.” She whispered to him in a broken voice.

A violent shudder wracked his body and then he was spilling himself into her, pump after pump he released into her body and he felt his own back bow towards her with the effort. Her hands stayed tightly on his forearms as he worked himself through his climax.

Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through him and by the time he was done all his energy seemed to leave him. He didn’t think he’d ever come that hard or that long in his life and at the end of it he almost collapsed entirely upon her. He breathed raggedly in and out in an attempt to clear the blackness from the edges of his vision. He kept himself up on his forearms on either side of her head as he knew he had lost his ability to get upright. He needed to catch his breath, but he couldn’t seem to get enough air into his lungs. Holy fuck, that had been incredible.

She stroked her hands up his arms, down his shoulders, across his neck and whispered encouragement and praise into his ear as he tried to regain his breath. He’d never felt so… whole before. He was sated and comforted because of it. He turned his head towards her and nosed along the column of her throat while she rubbed circles into the skin at the base of his skull.

He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t think of anything meaningful to say. This felt monumental for him, like his entire world had shifted on its axis, but what did you say to the person who had done that for you? Especially when you had only known that person a week. Was he insane to be feeling this strongly for her already? Almost definitely.

He nipped and kissed at the skin at the junction of her throat and shoulder gently and he felt the aftershocks of her orgasm as they skated through her. Feeling her continue to pulse around him caused a tightening in his chest and he smiled against her skin. He was feeling playful suddenly, and he blew gently at the skin of her neck and watched as goosebumps formed against her superheated skin. She shivered at the sensation and swatted him lazily on the arm. He smiled against her skin again.

He nuzzled gently into her skin and inhaled deeply. The combined scents of both of their orgasms hit him like a freight train and he closed his eyes to memorize it. He had rested a lot of his weight on her, but she didn’t seem to mind, as she hadn’t kicked him off yet. He was glad for that, it felt nice to cuddle.

They stayed silent while they both came down from their highs. They simply nosed at one another and kissed softly whenever the need struck them. It was gentle and it was perfect.

After several minutes Y/FN shifted against him slightly and he pulled back to give her room. She kissed him teasingly on the nose and smiled at him widely. “Give me a minute.” She said quietly before squirming around on the bed.

He watched lazily as she made to stand but staggered and tilted sharply to the side before she caught herself against the edge of the bed. She attempted to right herself again only to have one of her knees buckle underneath her. She flopped helplessly back onto the bed to avoid falling. He frowned at her in concern as she seemed incapable of making her legs cooperate.

“What’s wrong?” He asked in alarm. Had he done something to her? He had hurt her, he should have been more careful!

She giggled slightly before she straightened slowly. She paused a moment and let go of the bed and held her arms out to her sides like a gymnast.

“Fucking Christ, Nick.” She muttered as she made another attempt to step away from the bed.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He asked again quickly, rising slightly to reach out to her.

“I can’t walk!” She laughed breathlessly and wobbled her way towards a door he hadn’t noticed earlier.

He watched her go with concern but she managed to get across the room and he saw a light turn on under the crack of the door after she had closed it.

I hope she’s okay… He thought with trepidation. That would be my luck, find my dream girl and then paralyze her after the first time we sleep together.

He remained tense until he watched the far door open again and he saw Y/FN stagger back out towards him.

“What happened? Are you okay?” He asked for the third time.

She looked at him with a grin on her face before collapsing against the mattress with a happy sigh.

“You fucked me into the mattress!” She said with a laugh. “I won’t be able to walk right for a week!” The same words she had used back at the diner, only this time they were true.

He reached over to her in concern but she waved him off with a roll of her eyes

“I’m teasing you, goofball.” She crawled her way up the bed and towards where he was resting against the headboard.

He watched her progress with a frown. Hopefully he hadn’t done any permanent damage. Hopefully she was really just teasing him.

“Stop worrying, I can see it happening behind your eyes. I feel amazing.” She grinned at him before falling dramatically against his side. “I feel like we’ve wasted the last week doing police work when we could have been doing that.” She said with a smile at him.

He hummed in agreement and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in order to pull her closer to him. She snuggled against his side affectionately and he felt a swell of joy in his heart. Okay, so maybe she was alright. She dropped a damp washcloth on his stomach and he startled at the feeling. He looked at it in question and then back to her.

“I thought you might want to clean up a little?” She said sleepily.

He gripped her tighter and buried his nose in her hair. Seriously, how had he gotten this lucky? She was a firecracker in bed and unreasonably considerate. He breathed in her scent. Perfection.

He took the warm washcloth and wiped at himself gently. He was a mess of sweat, lube and come and while it was sexy, it was also gross now that his brain was coming back online. He was grateful she’d brought this for him. While he wiped himself up, Y/FN spoke to him.

“That was incredible.” She said quietly.

“Yeah, it was.” He agreed with a smile. It had been more than incredible, but he didn’t want to traumatize her by describing just how meaningful it had been for him.

There was silence for a few moments before she nosed against his chest. “Will you stay?” She asked sheepishly.

He looked down at her incredulously. Would he stay? Where the hell else would he go? She looked at him with anxious eyes and he realized that she was legitimately concerned that he was going to say no. Oh, honey… He thought sadly. What had she said earlier? Loneliness is easy to recognize when you’re familiar with it yourself? Maybe she was just a little broken too.

“Of course I’ll stay, tsumik igluk.” He said to her softly with a gentle smile.

She hummed a happy agreement to him and closed her eyes. He tossed the now soiled washcloth over the side of the bed and wrapped his arms around the woman next to him. It felt nice to be close to someone. The sex has been mind blowing. Truly, and utterly mind blowing. But, this intimacy felt amazing as well. It filled a hole in his heart that he hadn’t known he’d been missing. Maybe he had been lonely a long time, and he’d just gotten used to it. Maybe this woman could help him do something about it? And maybe, he could help her too.

He held her for several minutes longer, thoughts chasing themselves through his head. They would need to have a talk later about what this would mean for their relationship and whether she was interested in long term or if it was just tonight. He hoped she wanted more, but he couldn’t make any assumptions with her. She surprised him too often for him to have any idea where he thoughts or intentions lay. If this was all they would ever have, then he would cherish the memory of it and be forever in her debt. But, he really, really, hoped there would be more.

He glanced down at her and he realized that the soft rise and fall of her chest had slowed and that she was deeply asleep.

He took the quiet moment to watch her without fear of being caught. She really was very beautiful, objectively, she was beautiful in a classic kind of way. But what was more striking about her was her humor, her laugh, her intelligence, the strange jokes she made and her easy acceptance of him. She genuinely seemed to like him and if that wasn’t a novel experience for him, he didn’t know what was. Maybe he really didn’t need to be lonely anymore.

He pressed his nose against her hair once more. “Thank you.” He whispered to the strands. And even though she couldn’t hear him, her arms tightened around him once more, and that was better than any words she could have offered.

XXX

Chapter Text

XXX

Nick slept long and hard that night. He was safe, he was sated, and he was comfortable. He couldn’t remember a time that he’d fallen asleep so happy. Y/FN was a damn miracle worker. If he could have sex like that every night he’d never need melatonin again.

He didn’t bother setting an alarm. He didn’t have anywhere to be that next morning and if Y/FN did, he didn’t doubt that she would wake him up and shoo him out. She hadn’t mentioned anything though, so it was doubtful.

He was just coming out of his last REM cycle when he was rudely awoken by a large weight landing heavily on his chest. Still mostly asleep, he yelled loudly and sat bolt upright. Not the best crisis instincts, so sue him. His heart was racing immediately and he looked around frantically for the cause of the disturbance.

Beside him, Y/FN was awake in an instant and half out of the bed before she was even aware of what was going on. She looked at him in a panic, already reaching for a baseball bat beside the bed, when her brows slammed firmly down over her eyes.

Apparently, she had realized what was happening before him, because he was still looking around in terror. Had he been attacked? What the hell was going on?! He looked to her in confusion before she pointed an annoyed finger at the end of the bed.

“YYROOWWW!”

Nick jumped in surprise at the sound. What in the- He lifted himself up so he could peer over the lump of blankets wrapped around his waist. There, sitting on the edge of the bed, was a fat black cat. This must be the infamous Cleo. He thought while clutching a hand to his chest. His heart was still hammering inside his chest like a piece of power equipment.

He looked to Y/FN in question and she rolled her eyes with a broad grin. “Guess we slept in long enough. I’m late feeding her, the little bitch.” She stretched her back and groaned as her spine popped a number of times. Nick did his best not to stare at her naked form as she worked out the kinks from last night. He failed miserably.

“Nick, this is Cleo. Cleo, this is Nick. What have I told you about your manners, young lady?” She said the last in irritation to the cat.

“YROW!” The cat cried again.

“I would say that she’s normally very polite, but that would be a lie.” Y/FN said around a yawn.

She ran a hand over her hair and padded softly to her dresser before pulling out a pair of underwear from the top drawer. Nick watched as she shimmied into the garment quickly before crossing back to the bed and plucking the cat from the blankets.

“I’ll be back in a sec, handsome.” She said with a smile.

And with that, she disappeared out the door and back into the hallway they had gone down last night. Nick allowed himself to lean back against the pillow under him. He blinked slowly up at the ceiling and sighed deeply. Holy shit. Well, if he had been worried they would be awkward around one another that morning, he apparently shouldn’t have been. Her cat had just easily diverted that worry for him. He let out a loud exhale and rubbed at the scar in the center of his chest. Damn thing twinged when he was got scared.

He glanced towards the door before staring back at the ceiling. Flashes of memory from last night came back to him and he felt himself blush at the images. He had been so forward last night, so aggressive. It wasn’t like him, but she seemed to bring out that side in him. He liked it. It made him feel powerful and wanted.

And she was like a wildcat, demanding and eager. He had just been doing his best to keep up with her. And the feeling of having her wrapped around him, first her mouth and then her pussy. God, it had been way too long since he’d been laid. They would have to have the relationship talk today, and he hoped to Jirak that it would go smoothly. Even if that conversation went sideways, he’d have the memories of last night to hold onto. All the incredible sex stuff aside though, he legitimately liked this woman and he hoped this wouldn’t be a one off. She had called him handsome before leaving the room. So maybe it wouldn’t be.

He closed his eyes and felt his heart rate slowly lower again. That damn cat had scared the shit out of him. He’d been having some kind of dream… he thought maybe it had had that Leilah woman in it, but maybe not, he couldn’t quite remember. But dammit, if his heart hadn’t tried to make a bid for freedom when the weight of that creature had landed on him. Not a great first impression with Cleo but he’d never had much luck with cats. He always figured his size intimidated them but he never knew for sure.

He let his mind wander for a moment as he relaxed more fully into the mattress. The room still smelled like their coupling and it sent a spike of arousal through him. He wondered briefly where the soiled washcloth had gotten too. That was likely where most of the smell was coming from. Maybe he could suggest another round this morning? He would certainly be up for…

Wait a minute.

He frowned. Soiled washcloth… Had they… oh fuck! Oh son of a bitch!

They’d forgotten to use a fucking condom! Oh no, how could he have been so stupid? They hadn’t even thought about it! That was stupid, stupid, stupid. He hadn’t been tested in a while, Hell, he hadn’t had sex in a while. And he hadn’t even ASKED if Y/FN had been. She hadn’t asked him either, they’d both been too caught up in the moment. Shit. She hadn’t smelled like she was ovulating but… oh no, he wasn’t ready to be a father! Forget STD’s, she could be pregnant now!

He groaned loudly. Nick Jakoby, you stupid fucking idiot! You could have knocked her up and gotten syphilis! He closed his eyes and rubbed the heels of his hands against the sockets. How could he have let this happen? After all the awkward sex talks his parents had given him! He’d just up and forgotten them when a pretty woman had offered him a blowjob.

He spent the next several more minutes berating himself. He didn’t even have a condom on him! How lazy was that? Better safe than sorry, better safe than fucking sorry. What had he been thinking?! Oh wait, he hadn’t been. He’d gotten his dick sucked and his brain had fucked off to Mars or something. Now, he was maybe going to be a father and had maybe gotten or given an STD. He groaned again.

Y/FN walked quietly back into the room at the tail end of his inner turmoil. She must have found his shirt form the night before because she had it and her underwear on now. He was momentarily distracted from his self flagating thoughts by the sight of her in his shirt. It had been a long time since he’d seen someone else in his clothes. He forgot how sexy it was. No, no, he was worried about bigger problems now!

She grinned at him broadly, before hopping on the bed and straddling his lap playfully. His hands immediately moved to grip her thighs and she wiggled against him. She ran her hands up and down his chest a few times before biting her lip gently.

“What would you like for breakfast, pliche?”

Nick thumbed against her hips and under the shirt. She really did look amazing that morning. She had taken off all of that makeup from the night before and she was fresh-faced and beaming. He liked her like this, in his clothes and happy. He wanted her to stay that way and he really didn’t want to have this conversation with her right now. But, they needed to discuss it sooner rather than later. This was potentially a life changing situation.

She must have noticed that he was looking nervous because she frowned at him in concern. She rubbed her hands gently against his shoulders in a soothing manner and asked him quietly what was wrong. He REALLY didn’t want to do this. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Did he tell her gently? Mention it in a roundabout way? She seemed to be the type of women who liked a straightforward conversation. Could he even SAY it out loud though? Shit, he felt like a coward. Ok, he could do this, break it to her gently, nice and slow.

“We forgot to use a condom last night.” He said bluntly. Ok, or just come right out and say it.

He opened his eyes to squint at her in concern. Fuck, what had he been thinking?! He had had a pregnancy scare with a previous girlfriend which had eventually ruined their relationship. He knew better than to let himself get carried away like that! But he apparently hadn’t learned his lesson. He really like Y/FN too...

Y/FN looked at him and her frown deepened. Here it comes… He thought despondently.

She chewed briefly on her lower lip in thought. He could see the wheels behind her eyes turning quickly and he wondered what she could possibly be considering. How to make a quick get away maybe?

After a few tense moments though she shook her head as if to clear it. “Well that was damn stupid of us.” She said easily.

He blinked at her casual remark. Stupid… stupid!? He opened his mouth to splutter a response but she held up a hand to still him.

“Before the panic sets in. I'm on birth control and not at that point in my cycle anyway. AND-” she continued as he opened his mouth again. “I was tested a few months ago and was clean then, I haven't been with anyone since.”

She shifted on his lap and looked at him expectantly. He let out a loud sigh. Well, she had just taken the wind out of his sails. Guess the panic hadn't been necessary. He knew it wasn't a good policy to just trust someone about this kind of thing, but it was a little late now. If there was damage done, it was done.

She tweaked one of his nipples when his silence lasted longer than she wanted. He startled under her and she laughed quietly as she bounced on his lap.

“I uh, I'm clean too. It's been a while since I've ya know, been with anyone.” He stammered. “We would have cute kids I think, but maybe not yet.” He added before he could catch himself.

She raised her eyebrows at him in surprise. Fuck. It was a wonder he managed to eat around the foot he always managed to stuffed into his mouth. Did I really just say that? Jesus, just strike me down where I lay, I can’t handle this anymore.

“I-I didn’t mean, well I, DID but not…” He hurried to try to explain. God, he was stupid.

He was interrupted by Y/FN's stifled laughter above him. She had hand over her mouth and a twinkle in her eye. His brain was taking a moment to catch up with him. She was laughing at him? She wasn't mad…?

She rolled her eyes at him good naturedly and planted her palms firmly against his chest. “They WOULD be cute, huh? Your ears and my nose?” She wrinkled her nose at him playfully. “Maybe take a girl out for a proper date first though, hm?” She winked at him.

She wasn't mad. She was teasing him! Little minx. He sat up abruptly so he could wrap his arms around her waist and pull her tightly against him. She squeaked in surprise and he nuzzled at her neck happily. He was apparently going to escape this situation with just a bruising to his pride. He couldn’t believe his luck! This was definitely his best and strangest morning on record. But, if he had found a woman that could roll with the punches like Y/FN seemed too, he needed to hold onto her tightly and not let go. Especially if he was going to continue suffering from dumb bitch disease like he was now.

She giggled loudly and struggled weakly in his hold. He gripped her tighter and nibbled gently at her shoulder. Her giggles turned into helpless peals of laughter and his heart leapt at the sound. He wanted to hear her laugh more. The sound of it soothed a fracture over his heart he didn’t realize was there.

“Nick! Baby, that tickles! Nick!” She shrieked.

He pulled back reluctantly to smile at her warmly. She swatted at his arm with a huff. He accepted it without a flinch and she rolled her eyes at him again.

“We'll have to be more careful next time.” He said while running a hand down her back. “Cute babies or not.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Being awfully presumptuous, don't you think?”

Oh. Of course. Of course I am. Shit.

He looked down with a frown. Right, they needed to have that talk. Guess they just kinda did. Damn.

He looked back up at her with an apology on his lips. Her eyes sparkled with mirth and his lips thinned. She was messing with him again! Damn woman. The rollercoaster that was this morning was going to give him heart failure.

“Of course we’ll be more careful next time!” She said with a grin. “I’m happy being a cat mom for now, even if the little bitch is ungrateful.”

He wrinkled his nose at her before gripping her around the waist and flipping her over onto her back. “You’re too playful for your own good, you know that?” He asked her with a growl.

She grinned back and exposed her neck for him as she said slyly, “And what are you going to do about it, pliche? Arrest me?”

He growled at her again before sinking his teeth into the skin of her throat. She gasped loudly and squirmed under him. “I think a set of handcuffs would do you some good, beautiful.” He responded after running a tongue across the bite.

She whined under him and ran her hands across his shoulders. “God, please promise me we’ll do that later!”

He chuckled at her before nosing at the skin behind her ear. “Aren’t you being awfully presumptuous?” He asked quietly.

She swatted at him again and he caught her wrist in one hand before placing a kiss to her palm. He grinned at her broadly and she rolled her eyes with a twist to her lips. “Promise.” He said before kissing her lightly on the lips.

They continued to nip and kiss at one another for the next thirty minutes. Nick couldn’t remember a time when he’d been on such an emotional rollercoaster so early in the morning. It had ended on a high note though so he wouldn’t complain. How could he? He had an eager woman under him that was apparently still happy to be with him even post-coitus. Everything was great as far as he was concerned.

A gentle rumble from Y/FN’s stomach interrupted him just as was mouthing along the top of one breast over her shirt. He pulled back to look at her in surprise and she blushed.

“Breakfast?” She asked sheepishly.

He nuzzled at her again before nodding vigorously. He hadn’t thought about it before but he was starving. Guess that workout last night had worn him out more than he thought. Food sounded amazing.

She squirmed out from underneath him. On her way out of the door, she pointed towards her bathroom door. “There are extra toothbrushes under the sink. Please make use of one of them. After breakfast, I fully intend to spend the rest of the morning kissing you lazily and I don’t want orc morning breath on me.”

He rolled his eyes at her and waved her away with a smile. Orc morning breath? It couldn’t be that… He blew into his hand to check. Oh no… she was right, that was foul. Jesus, how had she put up with it this long already?

He stood slowly and stretched his arms above his head. He rolled his shoulders a couple of times and his neck a few more for good measure. His arms were tight from holding himself up for a large portion of the night, but it was a good sort of hurt. He was sex sore and that was a good way to be as far as he was concerned.

He made his way towards the bathroom. He hadn’t been in here yet and he looked around curiously. The walls were a muted grey, like much of the rest of the house. The decorations were simple and he was surprised that the counter looked as neat as it did. The bathroom in most houses was a mess, especially when the home owner wasn’t expecting company. He rooted around in the cabinets under the sink to find the toothbrush she mentioned.

He then stood slowly and finally got a good look at himself in the mirror above the sink. He frowned at his reflection, shocked for a moment. He looked… happy. Really, really happy. In fact, this was the happiest he’d looked and the happiest he’d felt in a long time. It looked good on him. He grinned broadly at his reflection. He paused to silently thank Y/FN. He owed her that date she mentioned, in a big way.

He had something nice to tell Daryl the next time they talked too. Despite the man’s complaints, he knew they were friends, or something close to it. The broadened the smile on his face even more. He was excited to tell his friend about the goings on in his life. Hell, he wanted to tell the Captain Adams about how happy he was and wasn’t that a strange thought?

He brushed his teeth carefully, making sure to get his molars and his tongue. He wanted the lazy kisses he was promised and he didn’t want to jeopardize getting them by having bad breath. While he brushed, he peeked at the bottles inside the shower. A few shower gels, some scrubby looking thing, shampoo, conditioner, various other odds and ends that he couldn’t pick out. He paused in his brushing to sniff the air.

Whatever she used for her hair was in here, he could pick up it’s traces in the air. He plucked a bottle from the middle shelf and eyed it curiously. He popped it’s cap and sniffed it delicately while the toothbrush hung limply from his mouth. He groaned as the scent touched his nostrils. This was the one. He took another whiff and felt a little of the toothpaste drool spill from his mouth and down his chin. He shook his head to clear it. That smell had transported him back to last night, with her under him and her legs pinned to her chest. Shit.

He resumed brushing. He should stop poking around…

He quickly finished his brushing and made his way out of the bathroom. He planted his hands on his hips and frowned at the floor of the bedroom. He rooted around on the floor and under the bed for a few minutes, looking for his lost underwear only to remember that they were still in the living room. The blowjob, right. He blushed at the memory. Maybe he could sweet talk Y/FN into another one of those today? After breakfast though.

He would have to walk into the living room to get his clothes. Damn. He didn’t have a problem with his body, but he didn’t necessarily want to walk around nude. He was comfortable with her but he wasn’t 100% there yet. He just needed a little more time, this was still VERY new. He huffed an irritated breath. There was nothing for it, he would just need to go out there and get the damn clothes.

He spied the soiled washcloth that he had used last night and he grabbed that from the floor and deposited it in the hamper on his way out. At least he wasn’t a rude houseguest. He paused just in the doorway to gather his courage. Why was he being weird about this? It was just Y/FN and him here and she had seen him naked already and had apparently approved of it. He could do this. He took a steadying breath before taking tentative steps out of the room.

He listened carefully once he’d made it to the end of the hallway to make sure that there were no strange voices in the other room. Why she would have company this early on a Saturday he didn’t know, but he wanted to avoid any embarrassing situation if he could, any MORE embarrassing situations anyway. Better safe than sorry.

He peeked around the corner of the hallway to see Y/FN’s torso as it moved through her kitchen, her head was obscured by a row of cabinets but it looked like she was the only one here. Ok, not a problem. She liked him, she obviously was on the pro side of his naked body. He was cool, he could casually walk out there and be… casual.

Even with the pep talk, he walked cautiously by the kitchen and into the living room. He wasn’t trying to sneak past her, not really, she was probably busy and he was being polite. That was all. So what if he was tip-toeing? He just didn’t want to be disruptive. He wasn’t a coward…

He smiled once he got into the living room and noticed that one of the couch cushions was lifted from its place and the coffee table was still crooked. There was evidence of their night time activities and that made him happy for some reason. That she hadn’t rushed to cover it all up meant a lot to him. He chastised himself mentally. He needed to quit with this negative thinking. There was no reason that she would want to cover up what they had done. She seemed to really like him, he needed to try and trust her.

She had pulled off his jeans and underwear in here somewhere, he knew that she was already wearing his shirt so he didn’t bother looking for that. But, where were the other two items? He peered around the edges of the sofa and even checked under the cushions. He frowned, this space wasn’t that large, where the Hell were his clothes?

He looked under the coffee table and even near where the plants were sitting by the windows, but nothing. He was getting annoyed. He didn’t like wandering around naked. It made him feel exposed and especially so since he was in a strange house. He wrinkled his nose in irritation. In his haste to just get something on his body, he did something that he probably shouldn’t have. With a flare of anger, he lifted one end of the couch upward to make sure they hadn’t somehow gotten under there.

A sharp inhale drew his attention and he looked back towards the kitchen with a guilty expression on his face. Definitely shouldn’t have picked up the couch. Y/FN was standing there and holding two cups of coffee in her hands and he was standing completely nude in her living room with one end of her couch lifted level with his chest. He lowered it slowly and looked at her with a sheepish grin.

“I can’t find my underwear.” He said by way of explanation. His knew his cheeks were probably flaming at the moment and he was having a hard time meeting her eyes. He wanted to cover himself, but he resisted the temptation. He was safe here.

She blinked at him in confusion for a moment before shaking her head. “Sorry, what?”

“Uh… my underwear. They’ve disappeared.” He wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He rested his hands on his hips for a moment before letting them drop. He felt strange having a conversation without a stitch of clothing on. Her eyes traveled slowly up and down his body and while he was uncomfortable, he appreciated the heat her gaze held. It helped to ease his worries for some reason. She was really into him for whatever reason.

“Never heard of it…” She said with a slow smile. “What could you possibly need this, underwear, for?” She took a slow sip of her coffee and raised an eyebrow to him in question.

He frowned at her. She was playing with him, little minx. He gave her a half-smile and put his hands back on his hips. Ok, he could play. “You don’t know what I’m talking about, hm? I want to trust you, BUT...”

She shrugged innocently at him. “Are you implying that I would DELIBERATELY hide your underwear so I could watch you walking around my house naked? Scandalous!”

He crossed to her with a few large strides and her eyes widened in anticipation. She was going to drive him mad, he had no doubt about that. And he was going to enjoy every damn minute of it. He plucked the coffee cups from her hands and set them on the kitchen counter next to her.

She watched him with a twist to her lips and a sparkle in her eye. He liked playing like this, it was easy, fun. It also seemed to soothe his nerves, and either she knew that and did it deliberately, or she was just a perfect match for him, he didn’t know. He turned back to her and studied her a moment before reaching down and lifting her easily upwards with his hands on the backs of her thighs. She squealed in indignation before his lips captured hers in a heated kiss. He held her snugly against him as they kissed and she made a pleased humming in the back of her throat. He nipped lightly at her lips as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders absently.

They continued licking into each others mouths for a few moments before he stepped further into the kitchen and deposited her on the counter next to their coffee mugs. He wasn’t done with her, not by a long shot.

“Now, my little translator. Did that happen to jog your memory?” He asked with a raised brow.

She bit her lip and looked to their mugs briefly before picking hers up and sipping at it. “You know, I can’t say that it did. If anything, I’ve forgotten what we were even talking about.”

He laughed and rolled his eyes at her. Fine, if she wanted to play like this he would let her. She obviously appreciated the sight of his nudity and he wouldn’t begrudge her that. He felt better about it now anyway. Either from the jokes or from her obvious approval, he wasn’t sure.

He snatched his own mug from the counter and he sipped his coffee as well. He continued to stand between the vee of her spread legs. He just needed to wait her out. He could do that, surely, he was patient. They eyed one another over the tops of their mugs before smiling to each other broadly.

“They’re on top of the washing machine. I was going to wash them, but then realized I didn’t have anything for you to wear here. So, I thought I’d give you the option first.” She said while running a hand up and down his arm.

He hummed in appreciation of her thoughtfulness. She was really something else. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead gratefully. “I’ll put them back on for now. Maybe I won’t need them later?”

She gave him a wide grin and squeezed his arm. “I would say you definitely won’t need them later.”

He laughed before following her finger where she pointed him towards the laundry room. It was tucked back into the a small closet down the hallway and passed her bedroom. He took his mug with him and sure enough, his underwear, jeans and socks sat on top of the washing machine, ready to be put through the cleaning process. He slipped the underwear on and felt himself relax a little. He didn’t mind being nude per se, but this was still new territory for him and he needed a little more time to adjust to it.

He padded back out in the living area and Y/FN was humming a tune to herself in the kitchen. He watched as she slipped on an oven mitt and leaned over to pull something out of the oven. He watched as her body bent and stretched in just the fabric of his shirt and her underwear. Damn. She looked better in that damn shirt than he did, he was almost tempted to let her keep it.

He sipped at his drink and saw that she had made cinnamon rolls. Fuck, he loved cinnamon rolls. She pulled a small container from the counter next to her and poured an orange frosting over the tops of them. Oh shit, she got the orange frosting too! He needed to marry her, she was too perfect.

“They need a few minutes to cool.” She said over her shoulder.

A few minutes, well he knew just how to pass the time! He stepped up behind her and ran his hands down the front of her shirt, over her shoulders, the tops of her breasts and down her stomach. She arched back into him and let the back of her head rest against his chest. This was nice, easy even. When was the last time he’d felt this at ease with someone? Especially with someone he didn’t know all that well. But, God, he wanted too. He wanted to know everything about her.

He ran his hands over her gently. It was slow and comfortable. They weren't in a rush, just happy to enjoy the feeling of the other person with them. It was so disgustingly domestic that Nick couldn't quite believe he was even here. He had wanted this his entire life and over the course of one night, it had all happened for him. A small prickling in the back of his mind warned him that it was too good to be true. He did his best to ignore it.

Y/FN sighed as his hands traced lazy patterns across her skin. At some point, he worked his fingers under the shirt so he could brush his fingers lightly over the skin of her breasts. She shivered at the delicate touch and he felt goosebumps pebble her skin after. This was the perfect morning after, complete with cinnamon rolls.

“Did I make you uncomfortable earlier?” She asked him quietly. “You had a strange look in your eyes when I came out of the kitchen.”

He frowned, though she couldn’t see him. He had his nose pressed against the side of her neck and his hands stilled on her skin. “No, you didn’t.” And really, she hadn’t. She wasn’t a mind reader, there was no reason that she would know what he was thinking. Did he tell her the truth here? Why not, it had only been a week and she seemed to know plenty about him already. “I’m just… self conscious.”

She hummed in understanding. “I’m sorry then. Sometimes I can get carried away. Tell me if I do something like that again, please. I’ll try to behave better.”

He hummed happily in her ear. “I like the way you behave.” He mumbled before nibbling at her neck. His stomach rumbled in the quiet that followed and they both laughed quietly.

“Think they're ready now?” He asked.

She shrugged her shoulders in reply. “Close enough.”

She grabbed two small plates from a cabinet and a couple of forks from a drawer. They spent the next thirty minutes standing at the counter, eating cinnamon rolls, drinking coffee, and giggling at nothing in particular.

XXX

She was having trouble believing that this wasn't all some fever dream. Across from her, Nick stood with icing on his lips and a warm smile on his face. She smiled broadly at him and sipped her coffee. Last night had been so unbelievable that if he wasn't standing before her now, she probably wouldn't believe it had even happened.

He made a silly comment about her hair looking like a birds nest and she huffed a laugh. This was domestic perfection. She had lost her professional resolve last night, like she suspected she would. He had just looked too fucking good! And that was in the clothes, out of the clothes he was like an orc Adonis. All hard muscle and broad angles. He could have crushed her to death at any moment and the fact that he had that much power in him was such a turn on that it nearly whited out all her brain power.

Walking in on him this morning, naked and holding her couch up like it weighed nothing, had almost been enough for her to threw her coffee mugs to the ground and jump him then and there. She was glad she had refrained though, she liked these mugs.

She had no plans for the day and wondered if he did. She would be perfectly happy to laze around the house the rest of the day, watch some movies, and maybe have a repeat of last night. She was sore as shit today, the lube had been a good idea but it could only do so much. And that dick of his had been bigger than anything she had ever had in her before. Were all orcs like that or was he just particularly well endowed? She didn't know and didn't really care. All she knew was the no matter how sore, she would fuck him again today if he was interested.

They would need to have a uncomfortable talk later about their relationship. They were doing this backwards and that was her fault. She just hadn't been able to keep her hands to herself last night. She regretted nothing, she only hoped that she didn't blow her chance at something long term with him because she couldn't keep it in her pants.

"What's wrong, tsumik igluk?” He asked her after she had been silent for a time. She smiled at the nickname. She was glad it had stuck.

"Nothing, baby.” She finished her last bite of cinnamon roll with a grin and he returned her smile. "I was thinking about taking a shower…” She said offhandedly.

He nodded in agreement and looked around speculatively. “I can watch tv while you're in there.” He suggested.

She grinned at him mischievously. “Well, you're more than welcome too… but, I was sort of hoping you could help me wash my back?”

His eyes widened at her statement before he stuffed the last of his cinnamon roll in his mouth and chased it with the last of his coffee. “What the hell are we waiting for then!? That back won't wash itself!”

He snatched her hand and all but dragged her towards her bedroom. His sudden hurry made her laugh loudly and she stumbled after him happily. He had seemed nervous that morning, uncomfortable even, and she had worried that he was trying to make a quick getaway. It wouldn’t be the first time she had scared someone off. But, he was apparently just self conscious about the fact that he had been walking around naked. She could understand that, she didn’t really like doing that either.

His eagerness to get in the shower with her was charming though. If she was being honest, everything about him was charming. She was dangerously close to slipping into the head over heels category of their new relationship, or whatever it was. She needed to get a grip and remind herself to slow down. They needed to have a serious conversation about what they wanted out of this. It could wait until after the shower though.

He paused in her bathroom, unsure how to work her shower and he looked to her helplessly. She giggled at the look of frustration on his face. He was so hard to get a good read on, one minute he was dragging her into her bathroom to shower with her and the next he looked sheepish and unsure with their touches. She was trying to be delicate with how she handled him and she only hoped she was doing an ok job.

She stepped around him to pull at the knobs. It would take a minute to get warm, but she busied herself with pulling out an extra towel and washcloth out of a cabinet and swatting Nick's hands away as he tried to distract her.

After the third time his hands wandered under her shirt she rounded on him with a raised finger. “Pliche. Knock it off or your blowjob days are over!”

He stepped back quickly, looking suitably chastised. Oh Jesus, he looked like a kicked puppy. Maybe he wasn't ready for this kind of teasing. She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss. He seemed to lighten at that and she grinned.

Without further preamble, she gripped the hem of her shirt and lifted it swiftly over her head. He seemed surprised at her nudity and his eyes seemed transfixed by her tits bouncing into view. She smirked at him and made a large production of slowly pulling her underwear down her legs. He followed the movement with wide eyes. She felt powerful when he looked at her like that.

She straightened slowly and stretched her arms high above her head. She rolled her shoulders a few times, the stretch did feel good, but she was mostly just teasing Nick at the moment.

She licked her lips and gave him a level look. “Coming?” She asked with a half smile.

"Probably very soon.” He responded with a grin.

She blinked at him surprise before a laugh ripped its way from her throat. Fuck, he was amazing. She doubted she’d ever be able to predict what he was going to say or how he was going to react.

"Let's go, you big flirt!” She said to him with a smile.

He pulled back the shower curtain and gestured her into the shower like a gentleman. She laughed again and kissed him lightly on the shoulder as she passed. He was too sassy for his own good sometimes.

The feeling of the shower spray on her skin was like Heaven. She loved taking showers, always had. She loved them even more with a partner. Nick was sure to be an eager, if inexperienced shower partner and she was glad she had suggested he join her.

Her shower wasn't particularly large but it could accommodate two people fairly easily. They would just have to stand in close proximity to one another. Shame.

A moment later, a warm chest bumped into her back and she bit her lip with a grin. She turned so she was chest to chest with the orc. If she inhaled deeply, the peaks of her nipples brushed against his skin and she looked at him from under her lashes.

He had looked amazing last night, all raw power and sweat covered skin. But the lighting had been dim and she hadn't been able to see him all that well. The light was much brighter in here and she could look her fill of him. He had seemed nervous in bed last night, but that had all seemed to vanish when they’d entered the bathroom. He was playful and confident now. It looked good on him.

Water from the showerhead cascaded down over their shoulders and she marveled at the way the moisture ran across his muscles rapidly. She lifted her hands tentatively but the warmth in his expression encouraged her and she pressed her palms to his deltoids firmly and squeezed.

He took her hips in hand with each of his broad hands and pulled her closer to him. They looked at one another for a moment before shyly glancing away.

"What now, beautiful?” He asked her quietly.

She hummed to him in response while she thought. Now that she had him in here, what did she want to do?

She snagged the washcloth she had put in there earlier. Might as well get clean before they got dirty again. She grabbed a bottle of shower gel, one that smelled like roses, and poured a measure of it onto the cloth in her hand.

"I wash your back, you wash mine?” She asked with a shrug.

He merely grinned in response.

She pressed the cloth to his chest and began to rub it in small circles. She watched as his eyes fluttered closed and she smiled to herself. This was such a good excuse to run her hands all over his body. She was a genius to have suggested this.

She continued to work her hands over him slowly. She pressed firmly in to the muscles of his shoulders and chest and she was rewarded by a low groaning from him each time. His eyes were still closed and she felt her tongue peek between her teeth mischievously. Quickly, and without any warning, she plunged the washcloth down his abdomen to wrap it around the base of his cock. He gasped and his eyes flew open immediately.

She looked at him with an innocent frown. “Something wrong?”

He growled at her in warning but she ignored him in favor of giving his erection a slow stroke with the sudsy washcloth. His breath left him in a rush and she wrapped her free hand around the back of his neck.

She hummed happily near his ear as she gave him another few strokes. “Turn around, baby.” She said softly.

A soft whine escaped the orc but he complied without further protest. She grinned as the broad expanse of his back came into her line of sight.

She smoothed her hands down the planes of his muscles. He had so much power in this body it was staggering. It was also sexy as hell. Just imagining all the things he could do to her was enough to get her wet.

She took her time soaping his back and across the firm muscles of his ass. She wanted to feel and explore everything. He was amazing and she couldn't seem to get enough of him.

She grinned before dropping down to her knees behind him. Nick hadn't noticed the change until her hand at his ankle nearly caused him to leap out of his skin. He turned to face her quickly and nearly over balanced in the process. She braced her hands on his thighs to try and assist and he scowled at her for her trouble.

"You're going to give me a heart attack, woman! What are you doing?” He said loudly.

"Just making sure you're clean, pliche. I didn't wanna miss anything.” She said innocently.

He growled to her lowly before reaching down and hauling her upright by her arms. She exhaled in surprise before her feet came back in contact with the tub floor.

"I think it's my turn now.” He whispered in her ear.

She had zero complaints with that and eagerly handed over her washcloth. She had been daydreaming about those hands on her all morning after all.

Nick raised a brow at her but dutifully globbed more of the shower gel onto the fabric. He quickly lathered it before touching it gingerly to her shoulder. Y/FN stood with a small smile on her face as she let him work. His movements were tentative and slow and she wondered at that. He was a strange combination of bold and anxious. He had very little confidence but when he was excited he seemed to forget that.

Apparently, he had had time to remember now. He was working his way across her skin like she was a porcelain doll. Her small smile slowly faded. This wasn't going to do at all. Did she call him out on it? She didn't want to embarrass him. Maybe she could…

"Mmm, yeah, that's good.” She said on a groan.

Nick startled at the sound like it was a gunshot and turned wide eyes towards her. She turned slowly and arched herself into where his hand rested near her neck.

“Will you press harder please, baby?” She asked over her shoulder.

Nick's ears twitched downwards at the term of endearment. She thought she had noticed that he liked that. He looked at her like she was a puzzle he was having a hard time figuring out.

"I don't want to hurt you.” He said quietly.

"You aren't going to hurt me by rubbing a sudsy washcloth on me.” She laughed a little at the idea.

Nick's lips twisted into a frown before he poked a finger at her hip.

"Ow!” She yelped and batted him away. “The Hell!”

"I hurt you already, tsumik igluk… you didn't notice?” He continued to frown at her.

She glanced down at where he had prodded her. Sure enough a couple of faint bruises in what could be described as finger shapes, marred her skin. They weren't very dark, which was probably why she hadn't even noticed them originally.

They must be from last night. He had had a pretty firm grip on her. It was hardly something to be distressed over though. She shrugged her shoulders. “I don't mind the occasional sex injury, handsome. Shit happens.”

He blinked at her incredulously. “You aren't mad?”

"Heck no I'm not mad! But I will be if you don't start making with the washing.” She huffed before facing away from him again. She waited until she could feel him rubbing at her shoulders before continuing.

She paused to consider her next words. “I may only be human, but I promise I'm a little tougher than you're giving me credit for.”

He didn't respond but he continued to work at her shoulders and down her back so she didn't push him. He needed a few minutes to think it all over and that was alright. They were silent for several long minutes. The only sound in the room was the loud cascade of water from her showerhead. It was relaxing. That is until the soft scrape of teeth against her neck surprised a gasp from her.

She attempted to turn quickly but Nick had a steely grip against her arms, keeping her still.

"What are yo- oh… oooohhhhh…” Her sentence trailed off into a series of moans as Nick continued to nibble the flesh of her neck and shoulder.

"Is this ok?” He asked breathily into her ear.

"Mmhmmm.” She hummed happily. This was exactly how she had been hoping this shower would go.

His thumbs worked gentle circles into the skin on her arms and she leaned back into the pressure greedily. She couldn't seem to get enough of his hands on her and she hoped she never did. Nick's erection pressed hard against her back and she bit her lip at the feel of it. She was already aching between her thighs. Another swipe of his teeth against her skin forced a shudder to run through her. She loved foreplay as much as the next girl but she really wished he would just touch her now. The memory of his thick fingers inside of her nearly made her knees buckle.

"Nick…” She sighed.

"What, beautiful?”

"Stop teasing.”

She could feel him smile against her skin. Smug bastard. But he was kind enough to listen to her request. Or so she thought. He leaned against her tightly and licked the shell of her ear.

"I'd like to try something…” He whispered.

While he talked, his hands skated down the front of her breasts. He rolled her nipples gently between his thumb and forefinger once before plunging them down her abdomen. He let his fingertips brush softly against the curls of the hair at her pelvis.

She pushed herself back against him. She wanted him in her, desperately. What the hell did he want to try? Could it wait?

"Will you lean forward?” He asked.

She frowned but did as he asked. Maybe he just wanted a better look at her ass? She couldn't blame him. The heat of his body was scorching and she wondered briefly if orcs ran hot or if she was just delirious with lust. She pressed her hands against the back wall of her shower and rolled her shoulders once. She was about to turn and ask what they were doing when something warm and wet licked a slow stripe across her pussy.

"What the holy f- fuck!” She gasped.

Firm hands held tightly to her hips kept her in place. She turned to glance over her shoulder only to see her orc on his knees with his face buried between her legs from behind. Oh holy shit. This was sexiest fucking thing that had ever happened to her. Holy fuck.

Another slow lick caused a shiver to run down her spine. “Nick, Jesus…”

His hands tightened on her hips and she bucked backwards against him.

” ‘Fraid it’s just me.” He growled before biting into the meat of her thigh.

She wasn't going to be able to support her weight like this for much longer. She barely had enough strength to keep it up as it was. Damn smug bastard and his tricky little tongue.

Nick nosed against her and she gasped at the sensation. She definitely wasn't staying upright for much longer. She sighed eagerly as Nick plunged his tongue once in and out of her. Had she ever had anyone do this before. She didn't think so. He repeated the motion and she whined pitifully. She needed more. There wasn't enough friction!

He must have sensed her desperation. He nipped her thigh once more before pulling back and releasing her. She turned immediately and held her hands out to him to ask him to stand. He took one and kissed it's palm sweetly before shaking his head.

"Not done.” Is all he said before leaning forward once more and lifting one of her legs. He settled it over his shoulder before shuffling forward and nosing at the curls between her legs. “You smell good.” He sighed quietly.

She whined once and placed a hand on the top of his head for balance. She was apparently in for a ride. All he seemed to need was a little encouragement, because this orc before her was completely different than the one she had spoken to this morning. She couldn’t wait to see what else he came up with with a little more time and patience.

“Nick… o-oh!” She moaned loudly as he licked hard against her clit.

He may not be experienced, but what he lacked there he certainly made up for in enthusiasm. His touches were sloppy and overeager and she loved every fucking second of it. She thrust down to meet him as he nosed against her folds.

He probed against her with a finger and she felt it slip inside of her slowly. She thrust against him again and whined eagerly. It was a good thing she didn’t live in an apartment, she had never been particularly quiet. She could feel the blunted ends of his teeth brush against the sensitive skin of her folds and the knowledge that she had her pliche, her orc, under her was enough to drag a cry from her.

“Please, Nick, please!” She moaned.

He licked her in time with the thrusting of his fingers. She met his movements with the tilt of her pelvis and was glad for his steadying presence under her. She would definitely have fallen on her ass if he wasn’t essentially holding her up. He hummed happily and she could feel the vibration through her clit and up into her abdomen. Jesus, how did this feel so good?

She could feel as he crooked a finger inside of her and just like that, fireworks. Inexperienced or not, he’d managed to find her button after all. She gasped in surprise and the sound seemed to encourage him further. He pressed more firmly against her with his hands and his tongue. She knew she was riding his face at this point, but he seemed more than happy to let her so she continued.

She used her foot still on the ground to give herself some leverage and she worked it to her advantage. She ground against him hard and fast and was happy to know that he was keeping time with her easily. He was learning the ins and out of her body faster than she would have figured. He had her seeing stars already.

She wasn’t going to make it much longer at this rate.

“Baby, baby, I’m close. Oh fuck, I’m close!” She yelped towards the ceiling.

He gave no indication that he had heard her. He just continued to work his finger up and down, in and out, of her and lick his way steadily against the nub of her clit. The relentless motions were finally her undoing and she felt herself clench tightly around the finger still inside of her. She knew she was muttering obscenities and half-sobbed words but she didn’t care. Behind her eyes there was lightning and in her ears there was a roaring.

She had come hard and fast and her entire body shuddered under the onslaught of it. She was more grateful than ever that he had his firm hands and body holding her tightly. He rode the waves of it with her, licking and stroking her slowly as she came down. Eventually, her tremors ceased and she was left leaning bonelessly against the back wall of her shower and breathing heavily. It took her several long moments before she was able to blink back the fuzz from her brain and refocus on her surroundings.

She looked down into the golden eyes of the orc in her shower and she smiled at him sleepily. Nick Jakoby, you absolute fucking angel. She sighed once and ran her hand down the back of his head happily. What did she do to deserve him?

He pulled back from her slowly and lowered her leg back to the floor. He looked a little uncertain, he stayed on his knees and kept his hands lightly on her thighs. He ran his tongue over one of his rounded teeth nervously.

“Was-was that ok? I’ve uh, I’ve never done that before.” He said quietly.

She blinked at him stupidly a few times. Was he seriously asking her that? He had just absolutely shattered her record for best head ever and he was asking if it had been ok? Oh, he needed more pep talks apparently. Many, many more.

She ran her thumb down the side of his face and grinned at him happily. “That was fucking amazing, handsome. Absolutely fucking fantastic!”

She watched as he tried to hold back a grin and failed. That was better. He stood slowly and she listened as one of his knees popped loudly. They both winced at the sound and she looked at him in concern.

“Maybe we shouldn’t continue this in here. My body is getting creaky in it’s old age.” He laughed.

She gripped her hands behind his head and pulled him towards her. “Only if you promise to carry me to the bed.” She whispered to him.

He growled in her ear what sounded like an affirmative and she giggled. They were apparently not getting anything else done today.

Oh well.

XXX

Chapter Text

XXX

They lazed around and pawed at one another for the rest of the day. It was decided by a silent vote that Nick would stay the night again and so neither were too concerned with getting dressed after their shower. Nick’s clothes were washed while they laid on the couch and kissed lazily. There were lots of smiles and lots of giggles.

Nick couldn’t remember a time when he’d laughed quite so much.

Even after his clothes were dry, he didn’t redress. There was something sexy about being naked all day that he’d never had the chance to experience before. His earlier nerves about it had mostly disappeared and now he was able to enjoy it for what it was. Y/FN seemed absolutely ravenous to get her eyes on him and his confidence grew each time he saw her stare at him appreciatively.

They ordered pizza for dinner and while they had squabbled for a while on what toppings they were going to get, they eventually decided to get a large and split the toppings down the middle. The delivery driver had seemed a little scandalized at seeing a half naked orc and a half naked human woman cohabitating so cozily but he kept his mouth closed and so he got to keep his tip.

The evening was spent watching bad horror movies from the 80’s and eating more pizza than they should have. Y/FN seemed to love these awful movies and had even taken to quoting lines from some of them before they were spoken by the actors. Most of it was lost on Nick, who didn’t care for scary movies in general and who couldn’t even remember lines from movies he DID enjoy.

But, he enjoyed watching her. She seemed to really like this, a quiet night in with pizza and a movie. Mostly, he just focused on the warmth in his chest and the smile on her face. He knew this wasn’t a date, Hell they had essentially skipped the dating part and jumped right into an established relationship, but it sort of felt like one. Everything with her seemed so easy and he wondered if this was how things were supposed to feel with a partner.

All his other relationships had been… complicated. He had been happy for the most part, but he had had to work hard to keep all of them going. He always worried he was being too this, too that, not enough like this, etc. But, he didn’t feel that way now. He just felt like himself, and that finally felt like it was enough. He grinned at Y/FN. Even if this thing between them didn’t work out long term. He knew what he was looking for now and hopefully, some of this confidence he had picked up would stick for a while.

That night was filled with breathy moans and happy sighs. Their first night had been passion and nerves but this second one… it was easy. It was so easy to just fall into Y/FN, her happy smile, her soft heat. He marveled again at his luck. This whole weekend felt like something out of a dream and couldn’t believe he wasn’t hallucinating it.

They moved against one another for a long time and by the end they were both exhausted and sated. They collapsed against one another and fell asleep almost immediately. Nick was so tired that he almost forgot to set his alarm for the morning, almost. He snuggled himself against Y/FN and inhaled the smell of her shampoo deeply. Something about it seemed to soothe all the jagged pieces he had left from the day and he exhaled with a smile. If this was all a dream, he hoped that he wasn’t going to wake up from it anytime soon.

---

Nick woke the next morning to the sound of his alarm blaring in his ear. He’d set it for much earlier than he normally would since he still needed to go home to get ready for work. He silenced the sound quickly and sat upright with a quiet groan. He did not want to go to work today. He glanced beside him and felt his eyes crinkle in the corners as he watched Y/FN sleep. She seemed peaceful, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up and go back to sleep with her. Maybe they could do this again next weekend?

He rose and dressed quickly in his clothes from Saturday. He’d never managed to make it back to his house and he was thankful that Y/FN had washed his clothes for him. He had a problem finding his shirt until he finally spied it on the sleeping form of Y/FN. He smiled in exasperation and had to gently coax her out of it. He didn’t think she’d had it on last night when they’d gone to bed, but who knew with her? He definitely wasn’t sad to see a last fleeting glimpse of her bare breasts after he’d stripped her of the shirt. So sue him, she was hot.

He tossed the shirt over his head quickly. He was running out of time to get back to his house. He’d be cutting it close as it was. Still, he took the time to say goodbye. He rubbed a hand over the head of the sleeping Cleo where she lay on a discarded pair of sweats on the floor. The cat purred at him sleepily and he felt his ears twitch at the sound. He hadn’t seen much of the little cat this weekend, but she was sweet and affectionate when she showed herself and he liked her.

Finally, he leaned over Y/FN’s sleeping form and nosed against her ear softly. She mumbled sleepily to him and he grinned against her hair. This had been an incredible weekend, one he wouldn’t ever forget. He took one last inhale of her hair to tide him over for the morning. He just couldn’t seem to get enough of her scent.

“I’ll see you at work, beautiful.” He whispered to her.

She hummed at him and buried her face further into her pillow. Guess she wasn’t one that liked to be disturbed. That was alright, he would let her sleep. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She barely stirred, mumbling a sleepy goodbye at him. He smiled at her gently and ran his fingers down one of her shoulders before making his way out of the house.

They never did have that relationship conversation. Guess there was time for that later. Now, he needed a proper shower and some clean clothes. He rushed through his morning routine, he had apparently not given himself as much time as he needed and was now running just slightly late for work.

He tapped his finger against his steering wheel in agitation as he waited for a light to change. Parra will rip my ass if I come in late again. Come one, come on, stupid light! The light turned green just as he was thinking it and he sent a silent thank you upwards. It was going to be close, but he would make it. He sprinted into the building and clocked in just before the clock ticked passed the hour. He was late, but only by a minute. That was acceptable and he sighed in relief.

He and Y/FN were to report to Parra and Jackson’s office that morning to go over their impressions from Saturday night. He stopped into the break room before taking the stairs. He was going to need coffee today, big time. He hadn’t gotten much sleep last night and he was feeling it pretty deeply right now.

He was thankful that he’d at least have Y/FN to fall back on for the reporting. He felt like an asshole about it, but he likely didn’t have any information that she couldn’t provide herself. He hadn’t understood much of the conversations she’d had after all. He had kept an eye on the comings and goings of the people in the club, but most of them looked like regular party-goers and not really anyone of note.

Thinking about Y/FN caused his pulse to quicken. Everything about their relationship had changed drastically over the course of the weekend and he wasn’t sure how that would affect them at work. He had meant to talk to her about how they were going to proceed but he had kept forgetting. Would she want to tell their superiors? That was SOP. She didn’t really strike him as that type though. Could he keep something like this a secret? Would it just be while they were working on the case? He had so many questions and he cursed himself silently for not thinking about this earlier. He’d been thinking with his dick and his heart, not his head.

His hands shook slightly as he poured coffee into two styrofoam cups. He could feel his heart rate increase the longer he thought about Y/FN. Because thoughts of their relationship, brought up thoughts of their weekend, which naturally brought up images of her in every compromising position she’d been in the whole time. Holy shit! He was going to give himself a heart attack if he didn’t cool it. He inhaled shakily. He willed his heartbeat to slow. Maybe he should skip the coffee today now that he thought about it... his heart didn’t need any help as it tried to make its way out of his chest.

He stared at the cup silently for a moment. He wanted the caffeine, but he felt like he had the jitters already. His brain, traitor that it was, wouldn’t stop cycling through every breathy moan and every heated look she had given him. No, he wasn’t going to be able to handle coffee today. He needed to focus or he wasn’t going to give himself away. He really didn’t want to have to explain to Parra and Jackson why he had a boner this early in the morning.

He went ahead and dumped his coffee down the sink. Fuck, this was going to be a long day.

He trudged up the steps towards the ATF temporary office. He clasped the single cup of coffee in his hand tightly. He had no doubt that Jackson would pick up on the fact that he was only carrying one and that it was going to be handed to Y/FN when she entered, but he didn’t give a shit. He would be damned if he wasn’t at least polite to Y/FN, she had gotten him coffee last time. And there was nothing inappropriate about getting coffee for someone.

Ward wasn’t coming back for another three weeks and Nick felt it like a physical weight. He missed his partner, his friend, more than ever right now. He was exhausted after working with the feds for a damn week and he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to keep it up for another three. He rubbed a hand roughly over his face to try and wake himself up. He was definitely going to be having problems if he continued to work side by side with Y/FN. Could he keep his hands to himself if they were alone and in her office together? He hoped so, but he also doubted it.

“Jakoby.” Jackson’s slow drawl called to him.

He’d made it to their office and was standing awkwardly in the doorway. He nodded to her politely before stepping in and taking a seat across from the single desk in the room. He was over all of this. He should call Ward later, he needed the man’s advice. Ward was able to cut to the heart of a situation and call out it’s bullshit faster than anyone he’d ever met. Yeah, he needed that now. He would call later.

He leaned forward and dropped his mic from Saturday on the desk. He didn’t want to forget that, the things cost a fortune. Jackson eyed him shrewdly but he ignored her look. He always got the impression that she could see right through him and he didn't care for it. Something about her was cold and calculated, like she could read minds or something. He held in a shudder. She was an intimidating woman, to say the least, and not in a good way.

Parra was nowhere to be seen and Nick hunched his shoulders in on himself. He could feel Jackson’s eyes on him and if he had hair on the back of his neck he knew it would be standing up.

“Good weekend?” She asked him icily.

Nick felt his heart rate quicken again. Did she know? How would she? No, she was just being her usual weird ass self. They had taken off the mics, they had been careful. No, she couldn’t know… right? He needed to keep it cool, she was just fucking with him.

He shrugged in an attempt at casual. “Uneventful.” He mumbled to her.

She hummed noncommittally and he waited for the barb she was sure to utter. But, nothing followed and he felt himself relax marginally. Maybe she and Parra were still pleased with how they had done on Saturday? That had to have earned them some brownie points. He was curious to know exactly what they had put together from the conversations Y/FN had had. He just wished Parra and Y/FN would hurry up. Jackson was giving him the willies.

He and Jackson spent a tense five minutes together before Parra and Y/FN walked in together. His pulse quickened again at the sight of her and he felt himself inhale quickly as her scent wafted towards him. He was going to have a stroke if he didn’t cool it. His heart was all over the damn place today. But damn, he had missed her. It had only been a few hours but he had missed her.

She smiled to him politely before dropping her mic next to his and taking a seat. Oh right, he needed to be professional and making goo-goo eyes at your coworker definitely wasn’t. He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. Professional. Yes, he could do that. Easily. He caught another whiff of her smell and willed his eyelids to keep from fluttering. He was in trouble.

Parra shifted some papers on his desk before turning to them with raised eyebrows. “Well, I honestly didn’t fucking think you had it in you. But! You two really pulled through on this!” He smiled to them and placed his hands on his hips.

“Thank you, sir.” Y/FN said tightly. Apparently she was still angry with him.

“Thank you, sir.” Nick parroted after a moment.

“Now, let’s see what you’ve got for your impressions. The techs are coming up later with the voice recognition and audio translations so we’ll get into that tomorrow. The paperwork on this is going to be a bitch, lemme tell you.” Parra continued. He held a hand out expectantly and Y/FN smoothly set a legal pad in it.

Parra leafed through it with shrewd eyes before nodding to himself a few times. “Yeah, this is fine, fine. Jakoby?” He turned expectant eyes to Nick.

Uh oh… I didn’t realize he was going to look over it! Patrol always types everything before handing it to a CO. He’s gonna ream me for this. Nick reluctantly handed over his own legal pad. He watched helplessly as Parra eyed his notes for several moments.

“What the hell is this? Gobbledygook?” Parra finally snapped at him.

“They’re uh… they’re just impressions, sir.” Nick said lamely.

Parra made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat before tossing the sheet back at Nick. “You’re fucking hopeless, Jakoby. Type it next time.”

Nick nodded to him in agreement. His handwriting was shit, he knew it, Captain Adams knew it, fucking God knew it. Yet another thing to mark down on his list for self improvement.

“Well, ultimately, I’m happy with how this little undercover operation went. Y/FN, you did a good job with those bimbos, you fit in better with them than I would have thought.” Parra said easily.

Beside him, Nick could sense Y/FN tensing. Inwardly, he cringed. Parra was in for a world of hurt if he didn’t tone it down. Y/FN was still angry with him from the weekend, Hell she seemed like she was mad at him for existing. And Nick doubted that pushing her buttons was the way to go. Sure, she seemed agreeable and hard-working, but she had an edge to her that screamed “DON’T FUCK WITH ME.”

“We have some initial data from the techs and based on that we’re putting together a rough plan for how to proceed next. We wanna wait until we have everything before we finalize anything but we’re getting there. And I know you’ll be thrilled to learn that you two are stuck with us for the foreseeable future.” Parra looked at them with a sarcastic smile. He knew they didn’t want to be here, and he didn’t give a shit. “We need to keep you on the downlow for a while, especially if we’re going to be using you for any more undercover missions, so you’re mostly on paperwork duty for now.” Parra inhaled and exhaled deeply.

“Y/FN you’re still on deck for translations though, so don’t think you’ve gotten out of that. We’ve got a suspect down in holding now that we’re going to need you for. Jakoby, you may as well be there too. He’s one of yours.” Parra sucked on his teeth loudly at that.

“One of mine?” Nick asked in confusion. The Hell was he talking about?

Parra rolled his eyes dramatically but it was Jackson who answered. “An orc, stupid. We picked up one of the orcs who was bartending at that club. Nothing major, petty theft, but it was enough to give us an excuse to get him here.”

Nick nodded mutely. Great. So they were being kept on the downlow because they had done an undercover job but they were going to be used to speak with a KNOWN mafia associate. Brilliant plan. It was a miracle they managed to get dressed in the morning. He had no idea where these two came up with their schemes. It was like the only police work they were familiar with came from television. Nick was thrilled that they were in charge of his career and his life at the moment.

“We’re gonna do the interrogation then you two are going to start working on your reports. Understood?” Parra asked.

He and Y/FN both nodded unhappily. Not a great start to a Monday.

XXX

That could have gone better. Y/FN thought in irritation.

They’d spent the better part of two hours talking with the suspect in holding. She recognized him as the orc who had served her at Little Moscow. He had a cut above one eye now and she hoped to God he hadn’t received it at the hands of the Dumbshit Twins, Jackson and Parra.

The interrogation had been difficult, to say the least. Since they were supposed to be keeping a low profile, she and Jakoby were sitting outside of the one way mirror and watching Jackson talk to the suspect. She had an earpiece in and Y/FN and Jakoby had a microphone in front of them. Jackson would ask the questions, suspect would answer in Bodzvokhan, Nick or Y/FN would supply the translation. It was difficult and time consuming and it had given Y/FN a headache. Luckily, the orc understood English so they didn’t have to try and get Jackson to speak in Bodzvokhan. There wasn’t enough patience in the world for Y/FN to have attempted that.

Parra had been in the room with them and was keeping a careful eye on the proceedings, so she couldn’t even play footsie with Nick under the table. It had taken everything in her just to smile at him politely when she had walked in that morning. She had missed him in the time it had taken for him to leave and for her to get to work.

She doubted that he would be able to come over again that night, but she might ask anyway…

The orc, Varfu, was sulky and quiet. Getting any information out of him was painstaking and tedious and Y/FN had hated every minute of it. What they had managed to glean from him after two hours was next to nothing. They knew his name was Varfu, he had started his employment two months ago, and he had never seen anything illegal happen in the club. That was essentially it. He had been unwilling to give names, “couldn’t” describe faces, said the occupants only spoke Russian, and had ended their little talk with a less than polite. “Rakhoza pliche.” (Fuck the police)

The only thing that had been worthy of note was a brief mention of The Dark Dogs, the new orc gang in LA. After he had let that slip though, Varfu had clammed up quickly. It wasn’t particularly encouraging. Parra had then ushered her and Nick from the room so they could move the suspect. It wouldn’t do to have them be seen by the orc apparently. Having them here at all had been a bad idea, but telling that to Parra was like talking to a brick wall.

Now she was off to her office to work on her report. Ugh. Parra had even seen fit to send Nick off to his own desk to work. She had been hoping for some sloppy makeouts in her office but that would have to wait for another time. She could text him though!

She grinned as she unlocked her office door. It would have to be tame, he was in the bullpen. No nudes from her yet. Maybe when their relationship was a little more established… Best not think about it right now.

She huffed tiredly as she plopped into her office chair. This weekend had been amazing but not particularly restful and she was exhausted. She rested her head on the surface of her desk and closed her eyes.

The “team” was meeting tomorrow to talk next steps in the investigation and she wasn't looking forward to it. There was no time frame for her on this case. And she was familiar enough with federal cases to know this one could go on for years. It had been a week and she already wanted to request a transfer.

Beside her head, her phone buzzed once. She turned her head to the side and lifted the screen towards her face.

Nick: Good morning, tsumik igluk.

She smiled happily. It HAD been a good morning, if only work hadn't gotten in the way… She closed her eyes again and took a steadying breath. She could manage this, it was just another day after all. She sat up to type back.

Y/FN: Morning, handsome!

Work didn’t seem so bad with Nick involved. His presence was a steadying one and she appreciated every minute of it. She doubted that he was even aware of his calming effect on her. She would have to tell him sometime, the compliment would do him some good.

Well, this damn paperwork won’t write itself! She thought with a sigh. She needed to just get it done so she could think about other things. And she’d learned from the past that procrastinating on police work was a bad, bad idea.

So, she got to work with a frown. And from there the rest of the day was spent typing up her report and texting Nick. She tried to keep the texting to a minimum, she WAS at work and did have a lot to do, but that didn't mean she couldn't flirt with a cute orc. And he most certainly WAS a cute orc.

They still needed to have a conversation about their relationship or whatever it was, sooner rather than later, but for now it looked like they were going to keep it quiet, which was fine with her.

---

She yawned loudly several hours later. She was about done with the day physically and mentally. She’d finished typing her preliminary report and only needed to flesh out the details at this point. It had actually gone much quicker than she had anticipated and for that she was thankful. She saved what she was working on and stretched her shoulders deeply. She needed to work on her posture, this computer shit was going to kill her back.

Nick had actually left earlier in the day, Parra had called him away for something, she wasn’t quite sure what yet. So, she would have to make the trek to the parking garage alone this time around. She knew TECHNICALLY they were supposed to be keeping a low profile, but she couldn’t help that she wanted to be around him. Hopefully, he would text her later and let her know what had happened.

As it was, she shut down her computer and shouldered her bag before exiting her office. Jackson and Parra had wanted them to keep themselves out of the limelight for now, since they’d so recently done some undercover work. She wondered again at the decision to use active duty police officers and translators for undercover work.

It didn’t make a lot of sense to her. Especially if they were going to keep having her and Nick come into the office and help with interrogating suspects. It seemed ass backwards and she wasn’t even a detective. There was nothing for it now though, she supposed.

Maybe we can tie this up quickly and I can move on with my life? Go on a date with Nick and have some more mind blowing sex? That sounds perfect right about now. She knew it was a daydream, she was likely going to be stuck working on this case for another year or two, but maybe they would decide they didn’t need her after a while. Maybe if she kept being a pain in the ass they’d decide to fire her from the case? That wasn’t a bad plan.

She was walking quietly down the hallway and towards the parking garage when a commotion caught her attention. She paused and backtracked a few paces towards the main lobby to get a better look. Raised voices met her ears, both in English and in Bodzvokhan. Uh oh… She thought warily.

She should just keep moving, there was no reason for her to get involved. This was a police station after all. BUT, after everything that she’d seen Nick go through with his colleagues, she doubted that the police were being any more accommodating to an orc off the street. If there was one in need of assistance she should at least try to help, and to keep an eye on the officers in the receiving area, just in case they tried to pull anything.

Fuck it. She thought with an eye roll.

She stepped into the main lobby confidently and immediately regretted her decision. There were two burly orcs standing in the lobby, both with their hands pulled behind their backs, and a swarm of angry officers yelling over one another at them. There was a lot of confusion going on and she couldn’t make out what anyone was really saying, but she did realize something almost immediately.

The large orc on the left, the one with a cut above his eye, was Varfu, the suspect from this morning. Apparently, he was being released and no one had seen fit to mention it to her. More concerning than that however, was the fact that despite all the chaos, he had noticed her stepping around the corner and into the room. And from the look in his eyes, he recognized her.

SHIT! She thought frantically. She quickly stepped back down the hall and dashed out of sight. Shit mother fuck goddamn son of a bitch! She held a hand to her chest as her heart made a bid for freedom. Oh, I’m dead. That’s it, I’m fucking dead. Shit, shit, shit! What did she do? She couldn’t just go home! Should she call Nick? No, what could he do! The police! She would call the police, no, no, she WAS the police. Ok, she just needed to take a minute, she was ok for the moment, she just needed to calm down and think.

She paused suddenly in the hallway and leaned her back against the wall. She closed her eyes and took several long deep breaths in an attempt to soothe the frantic pace of her heart. Think this through, think this through, keep a calm head. Come on. She continued to breathe deeply for another minute before she felt the panic ease off of the edges of her mind.

Ok, she was ok. That had been horrible luck, but it wasn’t the end of the world. Parra and Jackson would be pissed, but she didn’t give a shit. Ok, everything was fine. She would call Parra, tell him what happened, and tell him she needed police detail at her house for a while. They could keep an eye on her. It was that easy. It was unlikely the orc got a good look at her, there was too much happening for that. IF he recognized her, then he would still need to be able to follow her back to her house for it to be an issue. He didn’t know her real name, so there was no way he could track her. She just had to make sure she wasn’t followed.

Ok, this was fine, this was ok. No need to panic. And hey, this may even give her an excuse to be off of the feds work detail for a while. Loss of life and limb to a member of their team would seriously jeopardize their career goals. No, this wasn’t going to be a problem. She just needed to relax.

Thinking it and feeling were too very different things though. She could feel exhaustion start to tingle at her joints as the adrenaline in her system slowly left. Her hands were shaking but she ignored it. She just needed to take a few minutes to relax before she made her phone call to Parra. She would get this taken care of, no problem.

After another ten minutes of steady breathing she felt more or less like herself again. The sounds from the lobby had dimmed in that time as well and she hoped that they had decided to go ahead and book Varfu and his companion. She knew that wasn’t charitable, but she was worried about her life at this point. She would need to check with an officer before she left to see what they had decided to do.

But first, Parra. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket searched quickly through her call list. Like an asshole, she hadn’t ever added Parra’s number into her phone, it was petty of her and stupid. She would have to correct that. She finally spotted his number and punched the “call” button.

She waited impatiently as it rang two, three, four times. She was almost convinced it was going to voicemail before a click sounded from the other end and Parra’s irritated voice came down the line.

“What is it, Y/LN?”

She breathed a sigh of relief and hated herself for it. She inhaled deeply before she started. This was going to be a pain in the ass to tell him, he was going to be pissed. Regardless, she relayed quickly what had happened and what her thoughts were about how to proceed. Parra listened in silence, for once, until she’d finished.

“Goddamnit, Y/LN.” He said before sighing dramatically. “This was fucking stupid, you know that right?”

She felt incensed almost immediately. This wasn’t HER fault! “Excuse me, SIR. But, I don’t think that’s fucking fair. How many times have I expressed my concerns about these plans of yours and Jackson’s? This was exactly what I was worried was going to happen!”

“Oh, I’m well aware of how you feel, Miss Y/LN. Everyone is well aware of your pissing and moaning, trust me. Now, you’ve fucking stepped in it and we’re gonna to have to deal with the fallout.” Parra shot back at her heatedly.

“You bas-” She started before she was interrupted.

“That’s enough. Don’t say something you’ll regret later.” There was a threat in his voice and Y/FN felt fury simmering under her skin.

“I’ll call now and assign an officer to your house for the night. We’ll discuss next steps tomorrow. This is gonna to complicate our strategies going forward but we’ll make due. I’ll call you once I’ve spoken with the Patrol Chief. Wait there and stay out of trouble.” Parra continued in a more even tone of voice.

“Fine!” She snapped at him before hanging up the phone. She had been afraid before, but right now, right now she was fucking pissed. As if it was her fault that this had happened! If that asshat would have listened to her, ever, then maybe they wouldn’t be in this situation. Stupid fucking prick.

And now, she was stuck waiting at the damn station for him to call in a protective detail. It would be just like him to wait another hour before even making the call too. She wouldn’t put it passed him. This sucked. She hung her head and pouted at her shoes. In her hand, her phone buzzed.

Nick: Hello, beautiful! :)

She smiled sadly at her phone. Guess he was done with whatever he’d had to work on.

Y/FN: Hey pliche

He responded almost immediately.

Nick: What’s wrong?

She sighed and tapped her phone against her forehead a couple of times. What was wrong? Everything? She needed to tell him, but she didn’t want to worry him or he’d just want to stay the night with her to keep an eye on her. And if they were trying to keep their relationship quiet he couldn’t very well do that with an officer outside the house. She’d have to say something though, because she had no doubt Parra would be an ass about it tomorrow. Shit.

So, she text him about what happened while she waited on Parra. She kept it brief and tried to make it seem like it was not a big deal. She doubted that he bought it, but there wasn’t much she could do for that. Nick was a natural worrier, there was no stopping it. And as expected, he did not react favorably.

INCOMING CALL: NICK JAKOBY

She rolled her eyes. Wonderful.

“We gotta keep it brief, pliche. I’m waiting on Parra to call me.” She said tiredly.

“What the hell happened?!” He asked frantically.

She sighed and ran a hand over her hair. “I told you all of it already. Really, it’s gonna be fine. I probably just overreacted.”

“Uh, I don’t think so! Y/FN! This is- I mean, this is bad! That orc has all kinds of mafia connections, who knows what he could do!” Nick spluttered over the phone.

“Gee, way to make a girl feel better, ass!” She snapped at him. Great, now she was snapping at her… boyfriend or whatever. They needed to have that talk.

“Ok, ok, I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I’m just worried! This is worst case scenario, I think I-”

She cut him off before he could get any further. “Parra is calling me, I gotta go, Nick. We’ll talk later.” She ended the call with a swipe and a frown. Parra wasn’t calling her. She just couldn’t deal with Nick flipping out right now. They would talk later and she could calm him down, but right now, she wasn’t even calm herself and she couldn’t babysit him.

The hall around her was silent, thankfully, and she allowed herself to slip into it. She was exhausted. Was it seriously only Monday? How was that even possible? She loitered in the hall for another ten minutes before her phone started ringing. Nick had been texting her in the interim but she hadn’t looked at any of the messages. She just needed some time to get herself together.

“Alright, an Officer Carter is going to escort you home. He’s waiting for you in the doorway to the parking garage. He’ll be there until midnight and then he’s swapping with Gonzalez. I expect to see you in in the morning and we’ll discuss next steps. Understood?” Parra’s annoyed voice said without preamble.

“Ok…” She said with a small voice. She was completely wiped all of a sudden. She didn’t want to be dealing with this. “Thank you, sir.”

There was silence for a moment on the other end of the line before Parra continued. “Be careful, Y/FN. We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Yeah, thanks. Bye.”

Officer Carter… ok, one thing at a time. Get home is the first thing on the list. She straightened her shoulders and took a fortifying breath.

Get home.

Get home.

XXX

Chapter Text

XXX

Ok, Nick. You gotta be cool, just play it cool. She’s pissed as fuck at you and with reason, you put your stupid foot in your stupid mouth again. Just be cool. Nick told himself for what felt like the hundredth time. He hadn’t spoken with Y/FN since yesterday evening and he felt it like a physical weight. She hadn’t returned any of his calls or texts from last night other than to say “I’m fine, goodnight” and he was lucky to have gotten that.

They were meeting again in Parra and Jackson’s office that morning. He knew Parra was going to be an asshole, the man couldn’t help himself. And Jackson wasn’t likely to be any better. He doubted that Y/FN wanted his shoulder to lean on at the moment but he was determined to be there if she needed it.

He had panicked yesterday when she’d told him what happened. And he didn’t think it was an overreaction, BUT he could have handled it better. She’d needed his support and all he’d done was flip out and scare her more. He hadn’t been part of a couple in a long time and he may have forgotten how to handle it. He was bound and determined to rectify that today though.

In his nervousness, he had managed to get to the office before anyone else. He checked his watch. He was twenty minutes early for his shift. Damn. Well, he could sit and stew for a while, he was fairly good at it after all. He sat heavily in a chair and rested his elbows on his knees. He stared in frustration at his shoes for a few minutes before blowing the air out of lungs loudly. He ran his palms across his head and allowed them to rest on his neck. He almost missed running for his life from Inferni elf assassins, this run of the mill life stress was maddening.

A noise at the door drew his attention and he looked up with tired eyes. He felt his breath hitch in his throat and he quickly moved to stand from his chair. He changed his mind at the last second though and ended up in a half-stand, half-sit position that would kill his quads in a little bit. Y/FN had walked in. And she looked just as uncomfortable as he did.

He wanted nothing more than to run to her and envelope her in a large hug. But the frightened look in her eyes kept him where he was. She looked terrible, like the weight of the world rested on her shoulders and she hadn’t slept because of it. He wanted to take care of her… But, now wasn’t the time for overt displays of affection. Parra and Jackson would be here anytime and they didn’t need to walk in on that.

“Y/FN, I-” Nick started, though he wasn’t sure where the sentence was going.

She held up a hand to stop him though and he watched as her shoulders slumped in exhaustion. He closed his mouth with a click and waited anxiously for her to speak. She stepped further into the room and draped herself in the chair near his own. He finally allowed himself to sit fully but he was far from relaxed about it.

“I uh, I’m sorry, Nick.” She said to him quietly.

He felt his ears twitch at the sound of her voice. He had missed her in the last 12 hours or so, which wasn’t helped by the fact that he’d been terrified for her life. He’d almost driven to her house himself in the middle of the night just so he could check on her. He respected her boundaries though and instead made himself sick with worry in his own home.

“What could you be sorry for?” He asked her incredulously.

She shrugged and the gesture looked so pathetic on her that he felt a pang in his heart. Oh beautiful… Oh, I’m sorry.

“I shouldn’t have cut you out last night. I uh, I freaked. Really, really, freaked and I just couldn’t deal with your panic on top of it.” She explained.

Nick ran his tongue over one of his rounded teeth and sighed. Yeah, that made a lot of sense. “You don’t need to apologize for that. I shouldn’t have lost my cool.” He frowned and thought for a moment before adding. “Are you… are you ok?”

She gave a half-hearted laugh that sounded more painful than it did amused. “Yeah, I guess.” She muttered.

She was interrupted from continuing by Parra and Jackson walking in loudly. It didn’t take long for Parra to make it clear that he was unhappy and Nick grit his teeth to try and keep his temper.

“Well, I hope you’re happy, you could have blown the entire investigation for us.” Parra started without preamble.

Beside him, he could sense Y/FN tense up. God, this was going to be a shitty day.

“If that small time gangster can place you at the club on Saturday we may as well just kiss our whole case goodbye!”

“Now wait just a minute!” Y/FN began. “Why didn’t you think to TELL ME that Varfu wasn’t being booked? I’m not a damn mind reader! How was I supposed to know he’d be in the lobby?”

Parra rolled his eyes and turned away dramatically. Jackson stepped forward then and her cold eyes sent a chill through the room. “This can seriously impede our progress on this case. You need to be more cautious.”

Y/FN was absolutely incensed now and Nick could feel the waves of fury radiating off of her. Oh this was bad. She opened her mouth to retort but Parra whirled back around with anger on his face.

“I’ll be writing to your superior about this, Y/LN. You have no idea how fucking pissed I am at you right now. This could cost me my career!” Parra snapped while his face turned red.

Nick frowned. That seemed a little excessive, after all, this was all just an accident. Y/FN obviously didn’t show her face to a possible mob associate on purpose and Parra should have told her the orc wasn’t being booked. This was all escalating a little too quickly.

“I think that’s enough.” Nick said quietly.

All eyes in the room turned to him and he looked at each of them in turn. Well, he’d opened his mouth, he needed to stick to his guns now.

“It was an accident. And the chances of Varfu recognizing Y/FN aren’t great. We’ll just keep an eye on him. But, she’s having a hard enough time, Parra. Take it easy.” Nick’s expression was hard and he really wasn’t in the mood for a pissing contest, though it looked like he’d just entered one.

Parra looked like he was going to have an aneurysm. Jackson was eyeing him speculatively and he tried his best to ignore that. Lord knew what she’d gotten into her head about his outburst. Y/FN though… well, she was looking at him with tired, grateful eyes and so he couldn’t bring himself to be overly concerned with the feds. He’d done a small thing for her and she seemed pleased by it. That was enough for him.

Parra stomped and stormed his way around the office for another fifteen minutes, but Nick and Y/FN mostly ignored him. His hot air would run out eventually, they just needed to be patient. And sure enough, after he’d ranted and raved his fill he finally slammed a hand down on his desk.

“We got the final analysis back from the techs. As long as the investigation hasn’t been RUINED, we’re in a pretty good place to take things further. One of those floozies from the club mentioned the name of a warehouse downtown. Now, she probably doesn’t know this, but it’s right in the middle of Dark Dogs territory. The girls talked about missing their men a few days a month and I have a feeling that that’s when and where the weapons drop offs are made. They mentioned Thursday as a time they were all planning to go do some girly shit together so I’m gonna bet their men are working weapons that day. We can set up surveillance outside the place and monitor all the activity surrounding it. But, we’re planning a possible take down for Thursday now.”

Parra tapped the report on his desk a few times in thought but Jackson continued for him. “We don’t know for sure if we’re going to do anything other than watch them this time around but we need you two on deck just in case.” She turned to Parra with raised eyebrows and he nodded to her dismissively.

“You two are on desk duty for today. We only have two days to get this shit figured out and I don’t want to be babysitting you while we’re doing it. Go work on your reports or something. We’ll talk tomorrow and put together a plan for Thursday. You’re dismissed.” Parra waved them towards the door in annoyance.

As they were walking out of the office, Y/FN paused in the doorway. “Why was Varfu released yesterday?” She asked quietly.

Jackson eyed her thoughtfully before answering. “We brought him in for a petty crime that wasn’t worth keeping him for. We figured he’d be easy to track if we cut him loose so we did. It was a good call on our part, since the bastard immediately hightailed it back to Little Moscow.”

Y/FN nodded in understanding. It had been a good call, but they should have let them know about it still.

“Stay out of trouble and finish your reports.” Parra called to them as they finally left the office.

They both agreed over their shoulders as they left hastily.

Nick wasn’t sure what he was planning on doing. Thursday was just two days away, it wasn’t a lot of time to prepare for a bust. He followed along behind Y/FN in distraction, his thoughts were bouncing around in his head like tennis balls, and he wasn’t paying attention to where his feet were headed. Two days? Two fucking days!? There was no way they’d be ready in time for that! What could Parra even be thinking? Maybe he just wanted their help for translating? This WAS a federal investigation, they wouldn’t want a beat cop helping make arrests, surely… He frowned. He just wasn’t able to predict what was going through Parra and Jackson’s heads. They could have anything planned. Or the more likely scenario, they had nothing planned and were completely winging it.

In front of him, Y/FN stopped outside of her office door to unlock it. She hadn’t turned towards him during their entire walk and Nick had been distracted enough not to feel hurt by that. He wondered what she was thinking about all of this. If he was worried, she had to be doubly so. If they pulled off this bust though, maybe that would ease her mind a little? How could they though? Two days was not enough time!

They both stepped inside the small space, still not speaking. Y/FN held the door for him and then closed and locked it once he’d cleared out of the way. He should say something. He should say something comforting, or supportive. She looked absolutely wrecked and he wanted to console her. He opened his mouth to speak, though he had no idea what he was going to say. Why was he so bad at this?

Just say something! Come one, come on…

Before any words could make it passed his lips however, Y/FN stepped quickly into him and wrapped her arms around him. He startled slightly at the feeling of her heat pressed against him but he was proud to say that he recovered quickly. He enveloped her in his arms and pulled her more snugly against him. Oh, she felt amazing against him. He had missed her.

He leaned forward to press his nose against her hair. There was that shampoo that he liked so much. He tried to sniff at her discreetly, they hadn’t had the “orcs scent mark their mates” conversation yet and now was ABSOLUTELY not the time for it. But, he felt comforted by being able to smell her and he hoped she was comforted by his presence.

After a few moments, he realized that she was trembling against him. Beautiful, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to do to help you. He thought sadly. Instead of speaking, he gripped her tighter and nosed against her hairline. They stood like that for another few minutes and eventually, Y/FN calmed enough to pull away just slightly. Her shaking had subsided and he hoped that meant she was feeling better, not that she was swallowing her emotions.

He ran a thumb against her cheekbone and smiled to her softly. “Are you with me, tsumik igluk?” He asked her quietly.

She laughed shakily but nodded a few times before pulling away from him completely. She leaned against the edge of her desk and exhaled loudly.

“Yeah, pliche. I’m with you.” She met his eyes with a watery smile.

He stepped towards her and ran his palms down her shoulders lightly. “Do you want me to stay?” He asked her after a pause.

She seemed to consider his question for a few seconds before shaking her head. “No, we should finish those reports. If we’re going on another suicide mission this week we should at least have our paperwork done from the last one.”

He gave her a crooked smile before leaning down and placing a soft kiss to her forehead. “You know where I’ll be if you need me, beautiful.”

She pulled him down and kissed him sweetly. They kept it closed mouth, because they were likely to get carried away if they didn’t, but that didn’t stop it from being passionate. There was a fire behind it that felt too good burning through him. He could stay here with her forever, federal firearms bust be damned. Just as quickly as it started though, it ended. Nick held back a groan as Y/FN pulled away and rested her forehead against his own.

“Thank you, Nick.” She whispered to him.

He smiled and rubbed his nose against her own. He liked how his name sounded on her tongue. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of hearing it. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Nick’s back started to protest at being bent at a strange angle. He stood reluctantly and ran a hand over one of her shoulders again.

“Text me.” He said with more confidence than he felt.

“Of course, handsome.” She agreed quietly.

He nodded to her before he unlocked the office door and exited the room. He took one last look at her as she watched him go. The heat behind her eyes was unmistakable and it was apparent she was sad to see him leave. That lightened the weight in his chest somewhat. His anxieties over their relationships were still there, but every time she looked at him like that, they lessened. They still needed to have the relationship conversation. There would be time for that later though.

He made his way back to his desk with mixed feelings. He was glad they had made up, but there were new worries now with their case. He would just have to be open to riding the wave of it since he doubted that Parra or Jackson would be forthcoming with more information right now. He sighed. Not even two weeks into this and he missed being a regular street cop.

XXX

Chapter Text

Y/FN sighed for what felt like the millionth time. She picked half-heartedly at the keys on her keyboard. Her report was mostly complete, but she didn’t have the GAF (give a fuck) to work on it any longer. She and Nick had spoken that morning but since then they hadn’t said much to one another. She assumed that he was busy working on his own report and she didn’t want to bother him. She missed the shit out of him though. She almost wished she had asked him to stay earlier, but they DEFINITELY wouldn’t have gotten anything done if he had. And she probably would have lost her job for fucking a coworker on her desk.

She sighed again and rested her chin in her palm. After all of the excitement of yesterday and last night, her body was now finally crashing. Guess she’d spent all of the adrenaline her system had to offer and now that it was out of her, she was suffering the effects of the whiplash.

She was in a difficult position. She needed to keep working the case or she could lose her job. And as much as she hated to admit it, Parra and Jackson could make it very difficult for her to find another one. While she valued being able to pay her bills, she valued her life just a little bit more. Which brought her back around to that damn orc seeing her in the lobby yesterday. What horrible timing! That’s what she got for trying to do the right thing. Now, she was almost sure he’d recognized her and she was stuck working the damn case with him in it. If she got murdered this week she would be fucking pissed.

Now, Parra and Jackson seemed to think they were going to have time to plan and execute a bust in two days!? They were high, they had to be. Here she was, with her life potentially on the line, and all they could worry about was getting promotions. She hated them. Who knew what the orc had run back and told his associates. She could have a mobster outside her house at that very moment, waiting to murder her. They could have killed her cat already! As a warning or something, they did that in movies, right?

Maybe she could ask Nick to come over and “protect her.” Another officer would be stationed outside her house that night, but she could use some extra looking after from her man in blue. She smirked to herself. He wouldn’t take much convincing. And maybe she could even talk him into a repeat of his little shower performance. And she wouldn’t mind getting her mouth on him again. He’d tasted incredible, hot and heavy on her tongue. She shivered at the memory of his dick in her mouth. She could sneak him in the back… the other cop didn’t need to know. She grinned at the thought.

The rest of her day was spent fantasizing about increasingly unlikely sexual positions she and Nick could get into and picking away at her report. By the end of the day, she was feeling better. Talking to him that morning had helped significantly, as had picturing him in his leather jacket and combat boots while not doing her work. He was good for her, she decided. He made her smile and helped ease a lot of her tension during the day. They needed to talk about their relationship soon, because she wanted to keep a hold of him if she could. In fact, the thought of him hooking up with someone else made her blood boil. She needed to make it clear to him that she wanted him around for a long, long time.

She didn’t see him at the end of the day. She had hoped she would get a glimpse of him as she was leaving the office but no such luck. She met another officer at the entrance to the parking garage and he escorted her to her back to her house. The drive was boring, and it wasn’t until she was about halfway there that she started to get nervous. Had something happened to her house? Had someone gotten in? What if her windows were broken in? What if something had happened to Cleo?

The thoughts quickly started chasing themselves around and around each other in her head. What if someone was lying in wait for her? Would it be orcs or those Russian mobsters? What if her whole house was on fire? What if, what if, what if? She felt the teeth of each terrifying thought rip into her brain and hold on tightly. By the time she turned onto her block, her heart was beating a samba in her chest and her breaths were shallow and coming in and out too quickly.

What if, what if, what if…

She almost closed her eyes as she pulled up in front of her house. If it wouldn’t have caused an accident she may have done so. As it was, she cringed to herself as she finally looked, 100% convinced that some horrible tragedy had befell the building. She felt the tension in her chest slowly relax as she stared at her home. It was fine. Exactly as she had left it. Windows intact, door closed, there was even a fat black cat sitting in one of the windows. Everything was fine.

She took a deep, steadying breath before grabbing her things from the passenger seat. Her hands shook slightly as she opened her door but she ignored it. Her poor emotions were on a roller coaster ride from Hell this week and they would just have to even out on their own. She waved politely to the officer now parked across the street from her house. He nodded back and she smiled a little to herself. She had been worrying about nothing. Everything was fine.

She opened her front door cautiously and peered inside. Everything was fine. She felt her smile widen. She was such a paranoid android, good Lord, nothing had happened! She rolled her eyes at herself before closing the door and locking it behind her. She set her things down on a small table just inside the door and moved to run a soft hand down Cleo’s back.

“All good, little kitty?” She asked quietly.

The cat purred back and arched up into the contact. She stroked Cleo’s fur a few more time before she felt her shoulders relax. Feeling the cat’s vibrations under her hands was enough to finally allow the rest of her nerves from the drive over to disappear.

Everything was fine.

She hummed a little to herself as she made her way to her bedroom. First order of business, get out of these damn clothes! She swapped her stuffy work attire for a loose shirt and a pair of sweats. She sat heavily on her bed after she had changed and rolled her neck a few times in gentle circles. It felt good to be home, she loved the work that she did (usually) but there was nothing quite like being home. She scrunched her toes in the shag rug under her bed and sighed happily.

Alright, well she had some housekeeping to do before she called it a day. She rose from the bed grudgingly and padded back to the living room on her bare feet. She needed to take care of her plants and do some dishes. And it wouldn’t hurt to throw some laundry in the wash. Her sheets were due for a soak and she was loathe to admit, and even a little disgusted with herself for not wanting to wash them. She hadn’t since Nick had been over, and it might be her imagination, but they still held a hint of his smell and she wanted to keep it there as long as possible. Who knew when they’d get to have a repeat of the weekend.

She puttered around her house for a good hour, doing chores before she finally decided that she’d had enough and that she needed a break. She’d done dishes, started laundry, though not the sheets, and even taken some time to brush Cleo. For a cat with such short fur she shed like crazy.

She flopped onto her couch and rested her head against the back of the cushions. Her back had been aching all day and it felt good to relieve some of the strain on her muscles finally. She stretched into the feeling, arching her back out like a cat before relaxing once again. Beside her, her phone buzzed once to let her know that she had a new text message. She smiled while looking up at the ceiling. Nick had been texting her since they left the office. She wished he was here but it was nice to have someone eager to talk to her regardless.

She reached over and plucked her phone from the cushion. She swiped open the screen and smiled fondly at the message that opened for her.

Nick: I hope this isn’t too forward, but I really wish I was there. Or that you were here. :)

They’d been talking about action movies prior, so he must have really been feeling that to make that kind of a segue. She couldn’t blame him, she felt the same way. She pulled up her keyboard to respond when a thud from the back of the house drew her attention.

She frowned. What the hell was that? She froze and listened carefully. Nothing. She took a slow breath and turned her head towards her hallway. Nothing. She stood cautiously and pulled back the curtain to her front windows. The officer was still parked outside, she could see the glow from his computer illuminating his silhouette. Well, he obviously wasn’t worried.

She should just go and check on whatever it was. It was probably just her cat, but she was on high alert all of a sudden. Likely just her nerves from earlier making a return but still… She took a few steps towards her hallway when she paused. How many horror movies had she seen? When was it ever a good idea to go and check out the strange noise that the woman alone had heard? That was like, Horror 101. Along with no premarital sex and never saying you’d be right back. She was a single woman, home alone, with an unknown noise making her anxious…

She shook her head. No, no, no. Are you kidding me right now? You aren’t in a horror movie! She chastised herself. She rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. If anything, her life was like a romantic comedy right now. Or even a buddy cop film, where one cop was an orc and the other was his hot female partner. She smiled to herself as she remembered Nick standing in her living room and lifting up her couch. Ok, no definitely a romantic comedy.

She would check out that sound, just to give herself some piece of mind. She made to keep walking but paused. She would grab a knife from the kitchen first though, just in case. She turned to walk around her dividing wall into her kitchen when the reflection of something in her television screen caught her eye.

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise as she noticed there was a figure moving behind her. Maybe she was in a horror movie after all. She turned sharply, just in time to see someone swing a fist and hit her in the temple. Her vision swam before her as she teetered on her feet. She had a brief moment of consciousness as her knees buckled under her, before she pitched towards the ground and everything went black.

XXX

The next morning Nick was so angry with himself that he wanted to punch himself in the face. Y/FN hadn’t ever responded to his text about wishing he was at her house with her. He should have known it was too much, they’d known each other less than two weeks! He’d been putting it on a little thick and he was embarrassed with himself for it. She never struck him as the type to ghost someone when they being a little too much, but then again, he’d know her less than two weeks. She could be any type of person, he didn’t know.

He’d gotten to work a little less than thirty minutes ago and he was anxious to see her. They weren’t meeting the Wonder Twins until later that afternoon and so he wouldn’t have an excuse to see her unless she decided to stop by his desk. And why would she do that? He asked himself bitterly. Well, she wouldn’t apparently. He spent another hour sitting morosely at his desk, trying to think of excuses to go up to Y/FN’s office without seeming like a creep.

She REALLY didn't seem like the type to blow him off over a misunderstanding. Maybe she wasn't even upset with him and he was being paranoid. They had agreed to be open and honest with each other. Well, he had been both and he doubted she would shun him for that. He ran a rough hand over his face. He was acting a little crazy. Not every decision she made had to revolve around him. He knew that, but he couldn’t help the hurt he was feeling.

His self esteem still wasn’t great, even if being with her had helped significantly. He needed to work on himself in a big way, he hadn’t realized how damaged he was until he’d started on whatever this was with her. But, right now, he needed to focus on his work, he would talk to Y/FN when he saw her again. That had to be enough for right now.

He did his best to refocus on his computer. His report was close to finished, he was mostly proofing it for grammatical errors now. Still, he should at least look busy. He didn't doubt that Parra was going to drop a steaming pile of shit on them this afternoon, so he should enjoy the break while he had it.

After another hour of looking busy and checking his cell phone every few minutes for new messages, his desk phone rang shrilly. He startled at the sound. His desk phone almost never rang. And it was never good news when it did. He reached for the receiver nervously and placed it against his ear with a frown.

"Jakoby." He said by way of greeting.

"Nick…" Jackson's voice said cautiously. His frown deepened, why was she calling him Nick? Why was she calling him at all?

"It's about Y/FN." Jackson continued without preamble. Nick felt his stomach bottom out at the short statement.

"W- what about her?" He was proud of himself in that he only stuttered a little. His heart was racing right now and he was worried he wouldn't be able to hear Jackson's response over the sound of the blood rushing in his ears.

Jackson was silent for a moment longer before she sighed tiredly. "I know you two have gotten close over the last couple week and well look, I'm sorry. Parra is a chicken shit coward and refused to call you about this."

Nick was getting frustrated now. She was stalling and he was terrified. Had they found out he and Y/FN had slept together? Was he being fired? Had something happened to Y/FN? Had she quit? Had she been murdered? What the fuck was going ON?!

Jackson sighed again. "I'm sorry, Nick. She uh, she didn't make it into work today." She paused, presumably waiting for him to respond. When he didn't, she continued. "The officer stationed outside her house got worried when she didn't leave for work this morning and entered her home when she didn't answer. There were signs of a struggle but she was nowhere to be seen."

Nick couldn't make sense of what she had even said. Didn't make it into work, signs of a struggle… what was she telling him? Nick blinked stupidly a few times. His body seemed to understand before his brain did, he had broken into a cold sweat and his vision was darkening at the edges. Signs of a struggle… had she, holy shit, had she abducted!?

"Jackson…" Nick said on a whisper. "Where is she?"

"We don't know Nick. We're looking into it now."

They didn't know where she was. There were signs of a struggle and she was missing. This couldn’t be happening right now. It just fucking couldn’t. They’d just found each other and now… It had to be that orc, Varfu. It HAD to be. The timing was too perfect to be coincidental. Fuck! She had asked to be protected and Parra had thrown it in her face! Parra! That son of a bitch, this was his fucking fault. She had asked for help, she was obviously scared and he’d derided her and threatened her. That little rat bastard, if anything happened to her before they found her, he was a dead man.

"Put Parra on the phone, Jackson." Nick said, his voice now disturbingly even.

There was an uncomfortable pause before Jackson cleared her throat quietly. “I can’t, Jakoby. We’ll find her, I promise.”

“Jackson, put him on the phone. Now.” If anything, Nick’s tone had grown colder. He hadn’t lost his temper like this in years and if he wasn’t so angry, he’d be afraid of himself. As it was, all he wanted to do was talk to that shitheel before he decided to look into Y/FN’s disappearance on his own.

There was another uncomfortable pause before some shuffling on the other end of the phone. Nick’s patience was wearing thin at this point, and his fury was reaching a boiling point. He would walk his ass up to that fucking office if Parra didn’t get on the phone in the next two fucking seconds.

“Jakoby…” Parra’s uneasy voice came down the line. “Look, I-” He started before Nick cut him off.

“I’m not interested. Now, I want you to understand something. If anything happens to her, ANYTHING, you and I are going to have a conversation you’re not going to want to have. It would be in your best interest to find her and quickly. I’m going to her house to look at the scene and you’re going to fill out whatever paperwork you need to to make sure that’s ok. Understood?” The last word was bit out with so much venom that he was surprised the other officers in the bullpen hadn’t drawn their guns on him.

“U-understood.” Parra’s nervous voice called down the line.

Nick hung up the phone without a goodbye and rose from his desk. He snatched his cell phone and gun from where they rested on his desk and made his way to the parking garage. The panic would set in soon over the fact that he’d just threatened a federal agent, but he was riding the high of righteous fury at the moment. The only thing he could even think of was getting to Y/FN’s house and figuring out what the hell happened.

The drive out of the precinct and towards Y/FN’s house felt like both the shortest and longest drive of his life. He wished he could just teleport so he’d be there already, but at the same time, he kept turning over and over in his head what he would see when he got there. If he wasn’t so angry, he’d probably be near tears.

His girlfriend or whatever she was, had been abducted by an orc gang, or possibly Russian mobsters, and they had no idea where she was. They could be torturing her for information, beating her for her deception at the club, she could even be… No, no, he wasn’t going to go there now. She was fine. He had to believe that. He was going to go to her house, find some clue that the others missed and have her home by the end of the day. He could do this, he had to for her sake.

He pulled up in front of her house and looked at the quaint home with heavy eyes. This place had represented so much happiness for him, and now… Now, it was the place that had taken something precious from him. You were supposed to be able to feel safe in your own home, it was supposed to protect you. But, it hadn’t protected her, it had let in some unknown assailant to harm it’s owner.

He frowned. Fuck you, house. He thought angrily. He knew he was acting a little crazy, blaming a house for not keeping out an intruder. But, he was grasping at the moment and his brain wasn’t coping well with this situation.

The house looked the same as it did the last time he was here, aside from the yellow police tape across the door anyway. The neighborhood was quiet, and the day was sunny and cheerful. It definitely didn’t look like some tragedy had just occurred here. Nick shielded his eyes as he stepped from his car. It shouldn’t be sunny, there should be thunderstorms and lightning. This day doesn’t deserve to be this nice.

He walked slowly up the steps to the front door and realized that his hands were shaking. The anger in him was slowly draining away to be replaced with a type of panic. He was getting emotional whiplash from this day and it was making him feel nauseous. He needed to keep his head, he couldn’t help her if he was vomiting in her side garden the rest of the day. No, he could do this. He could separate his emotions from the case at hand. Detectives did this all the time, he could do this.

He inhaled deeply and stepped under the tape in the doorway. He looked around the room with distant eyes and a detached perspective. A lamp was knocked off the table, the couch was crooked, her phone was laying upside down on the rug under the coffee table. He swallowed anxiously and came to a sudden realization. He could NOT do this. There was no way in fuck he was going to be able separate his emotions from this.

Every time he caught sight of something out of place, he seemed to have a memory of himself or Y/FN interacting with it. Each thought brought a new wave of nausea over him and he held a hand over his stomach as he continued to looked around the room. Oh, Y/FN… tsumik igluk… I’m so sorry. I should have been here. Honey, I’m so sorry.

He felt tears as they started to well up in his eyes. He swallowed them back and forced himself to harden against them. He couldn’t start crying in the middle of an active crime scene. There was surely an officer or a few people from forensics here, they would start talking if they saw the only orc officer on the force crying in the middle of the home of the department’s translator. He needed to stay calm, he could do this, he had to do this. Y/FN needed his strength right now, not his tears.

He took a deep breath and let it out quickly. Ok, first things first, find the officer in charge. Nick adjusted his shoulders and walked purposely through the hallway towards the back of the house. There were noises coming from that direction and he had a feeling he knew what they were. As he got closer to Y/FN’s bedroom, the sounds of a scuffle grew louder. His emotions were all over the place today, because he felt like smiling as he heard the tell-tale sounds of one seriously pissed off cat.

He poked his head around the corner and felt the breath freeze in his lungs. Her window was broken. He looked around at the floor for pieces of glass but there were only a couple of small pieces dotting the space. That’s odd… He thought with a frown. They obviously didn’t break in this way, so why would they break out a window before leaving?

His attention was redirected by a loud gasp and a curse near the bathroom. He glanced over to see a detective, he couldn’t recall the man’s name, on his hands and knees half under a small side table. The man had a finger in his mouth and was looking completely infuriated at something hidden in the shadows. Nick had a guess what it might be.

“Detective.” He said to announce himself. He didn’t want to get shot by sneaking up on a cop while they were distracted. The man turned sharply at his voice and Nick winced as his head came into contact with the top of the table.

The detective cursed another couple of times before backing himself out from under the table and standing. He looked at Nick appraisingly, which might have looked intimidating if the man hadn’t been cradling his hand to his chest. It looked like Cleo had got him a couple more times than what Nick had seen.

“Jakoby.” The detective said in a level tone. Nick shouldn’t be surprised that the man knew him, Hell, more than half of LA knew him by name. He was infamous at this point, not only was he the only orc police officer in the nation, but he’d also worked a pretty high profile case this last year.

“What are you doing here?” The detective asked, not unkindly.

“I’m here to see if I can help. I’ve been here before and Y/FN and I have been working together recently with the feds. I thought I might have some new insight for you.” Nick said diplomatically. He hadn’t really thought of an explanation before but that sounded just as good as anything. He’d forgotten they had a chain of command in the department and he definitely wasn’t necessary for this investigation.

The detective looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before shrugging. “Anything would be better than what we have now. Which is nothing. And if you know anything about cats, I’d appreciate you getting rid of that fucking monster down there. I can’t get anything done with it darting out and scratching the shit out of me any chance it gets.”

Nick was surprised. The detectives in the LAPD were notorious for being assholes, but this guy seemed alright. At least for now anyway, his tune might change when it came time to write his report. Nick nodded to him in understanding before crouching down and shuffling walking towards the table where Cleo was hiding.

He knew the detective was watching him, but he ignored the man. He probably looked pretty stupid at the moment, so he didn’t blame him. He made a series of kissing sounds towards the frightened animal. He watched as her ears perked up at the noise. He offered his hand to her, knuckles first and felt himself smile when she sniffed delicately at him. He seemed to have passed the test when she slowly unfolded herself to step into his waiting palm. He rubbed gently at her ears for a moment before hoisting her up and into his arms. She went willingly enough and he turned back towards the detective with her held against his chest.

The detective looked surprised but grateful. “I’ll have to start calling you the damn Beastmaster. That little hellion has been tearing me up since I got here a few hours ago.”

Nick looked down at the cat purring in his arms. “She’s probably just scared, her mom’s gone after all.” He ran a finger down the back of her head. I’m scared for her too, little kitty.

“Right, well put her somewhere out of the way, I need to get to work.” And just like that, he was dismissed from the room. That was alright, he could look around the living room and compare notes with the detective when they were done.

First things first though, he needed to put Cleo somewhere. He walked with her back to the kitchen and stepped towards the little pantry tucked into a corner of the room. This would suffice. It had a door and there was enough room for her to move around so she wouldn’t get uncomfortable. Plus, her food bowl was in here. He was sure that she was hungry since he knew that Y/FN fed her in the mornings. He awkwardly poured her some food before setting her down gently. She immediately went for her kibbles and he smiled at her sadly.

He closed the small door to the room and stepped back. She was safe in there for now and she was out of the way. Now, he had work to do. He and the detective, who finally introduced himself as Nguyen, worked quietly around one another for the next hour. They compared notes and shared impressions and Nick was surprised at how easy they were getting along. He wondered if this was how everyone else in the department worked together. He hadn’t ever really experienced it since most everyone else openly hated him. But, It was nice working with someone who was polite and listened to what he had to say.

Eventually, the two of them came to the conclusion that whoever had taken Y/FN had opened the window in the bedroom, surprised her in the living room by knocking her out, and drug her back out of the bedroom window. The window in there had been broken from the inside out, so they must not have fit going back out and they had to increase the size of the window. It seemed the most logical explanation. Now, they just needed to figure out who exactly it was, though Nick had a clue, and where they had taken her.

Forensics had finally shown up while he and Nguyen were working and Nick was careful to move around the little number cards they’d set up and keep out of the photos they were taking. He was glad the department was taking this seriously, but it had been HOURS since she had been taken and it didn’t feel like enough was happening. Eventually, Nguyen shooed him out of the house. Nick had done what he could to help and now he needed to stay out of the way so the rest of the team could do their job. Nick was reluctant to go, but he saw that he couldn’t be of more help here now.

He stepped out of the house and made his way slowly to his vehicle. As he was walking, a strange fatigue settled over him and his knees grew wobbly. He made it the rest of the way to his Jeep and he leaned a hand heavily against it while he tried to catch his breath. Nausea hit him again and about 100x harder this time. He leaned over quickly and immediately lost the contents of whatever he’d had for breakfast that morning. He vomited on the street next to the sidewalk and even after he’d emptied his stomach of whatever it had in it, he continued to dry heave for a few moments.

Apparently, he HAD managed to distance himself from the situation enough to make himself useful. But, it had only been temporary, because it was all catching back up with him now. Someone had broken into her home and taken her. They had done something to incapacitate her and they drug her from her own home. Holy shit, holy fucking shit, he couldn’t do this. He couldn’t handle this. She was gone! And they didn’t know where, oh God. He heaved again and finally crouched down on his haunches in an attempt to keep himself grounded. She could be anywhere, anything could have happened to her. Oh God, oh God…

He rested his head against the bumper of his Jeep and took several long deep breaths. The metal was hot against his skin but he didn’t care. It was something solid and something real. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out through his nose steadily until his heart rate slowed down. He would crash his vehicle if he didn’t get his head back on straight.

He needed to get back to the station and talk to Jackson and Parra. They had had some time to follow up with Varfu, surely they had more information now. He would have to keep his temper around Parra and while he’d be hard pressed to do it, he could manage if necessary. He just needed to keep himself calm.

He finally felt well enough to stand and he walked around his Jeep on unsteady legs. He slid himself into the driver’s seat and pulled away from the curb. Ok, he was okay, he just needed to get back to the station. He needed, he needed… he needed to talk to Ward. He needed his friend now, holy shit did he need his friend now.

He knew it wasn’t safe to talk on the phone while driving but this was an extenuating circumstance. He hit Ward’s number on his recent call list and put the call on speaker. He waited anxiously while it rang several times before his partner’s annoyed voice came down the line.

“Jakoby, I’ll be back in two weeks. What the hell is it?”

Nick felt the tension in his chest ease a little. He really missed talking to this man, he was level-headed and no nonsense. He talked tough, but he would help him. Nick swallowed around the lump in his throat. “I need help, partner.” Nick managed to get out after a long pause.

Ward’s tone immediately changed. He went from exasperated to serious in a split second. “What’s wrong?”

Nick took a deep breath and steeled himself before launching into the whole story. He had a lot to fill Ward in on and while he wished it was under better circumstances that he was telling his partner that he was now seeing someone, he desperately needed the man’s advice now. He talked the entire way back to the precinct and continued to talk even while in the parking garage. He hadn’t realized so much had happened in such a short time and he was exhausted by the time he had caught Ward up to where he was now.

There was silence on the other end of the line before he heard his partner take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Fuck, Nick. Fuck.” He finally said.

Nick agreed with that assessment but kept his mouth closed. He wanted Ward’s advice now and he didn’t want to rush the man’s thinking process.

“Ok, shit. Um, you’re sure about this orc, Snarf?”

“Varfu.” Nick corrected.

“Right, Varfu, was the one to take your girl?” Ward asked.

“Pretty sure. He had just seen her at the station a day before she disappeared.”

“Alright… I have an idea, but you aren’t gonna like it.” Ward hedged.

He wasn’t going to like it? What the hell did that matter? His girl’s life was on the line! He would do whatever he needed to to get her back safely. Fuck his feelings right now, he would do anything for her.

“I think you should go see Dorghu.” Ward said quietly.

Oh. Well, Ward was right, he didn’t like that idea. He almost told him that it wouldn’t help but he stopped himself. Actually, that was a really GOOD idea, even if the thought of going back to the church made his skin crawl. But, if it could help Y/FN, he would just suck it up and deal with it. Actually, now that he was thinking about it, what had Dorghu said the other night… he’d mentioned that he knew that Nick was working with the feds on the Öl Khǝdz (dark dogs) case. Hell, he’d also said that there wasn’t much that happened in LA that he didn’t know about. Fuck, this wasn’t just a good idea, this was an AMAZING idea!

“Daryl, I could kiss you.” Nick said gratefully after a long pause.

He could just see Ward rolling his eyes at that comment but he meant it. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it earlier. Dorghu would definitely have an idea of what was going on, and he DID want Nick to stop by and pay his respects. Two birds with one stone.

“Let me know how it goes, and Nick… be careful. You’re right in the middle of some Van Damme shit and who knows what the Hell’s gonna happen.” Ward continued.

“I will, thank you, Daryl.”

“Watch your ass, partner.”

The line went dead after that but Nick didn’t give it a second thought. Ward never was any good with saying goodbye. That was fine though, he’d given Nick the best lead he could get on this situation. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought to talk to Dorghu! Well, yes he could, he’d been trying to avoid his clan leader for months. But, if there was ever a time to grin and bear it, now was the time.

Nick glanced towards the door of the precinct. Should he stop in and see the feds first? No, fuck that. He would just call them, he doubted that Parra would answer since he apparently scared the shit out of the man earlier. But, Jackson was made of stronger stuff. He’d check in with them on the way to the church.

He put his Jeep into reverse and tore ass out of the parking garage. He was likely to get a speeding ticket if he wasn’t careful but fuck it. He was one step closer to finding his girl and he’d pay whatever fines he needed to for that. Despite his anxieties about heading into the belly of the beast so to speak, he felt lighter than he had all morning. He was sure that Dorghu was going to be able to help. He just needed to make sure that he was respectful and polite. Dorghu was sure to goad him, the orc couldn’t help himself. But, that was okay. Nick could do this. The bullet wound under his shirt tingled, he knew it was psychosomatic, but he rubbed a hand over the spot anyway. He could do this.

Stay with me, Y/FN. I’m going to find you, I promise.

Chapter Text

XXX

Nick had been so fired up about the possibilities that talking to Dorghu could present, he hadn't stopped to consider that he may not be welcome at the Church. He was a fully blooded member of the clan and so was within his rights to request an audience here. But… well, it would seem that not everyone was thrilled with his inclusion into the circle.

"I said get lost, Jaf Örq." (False orc) The mullish looking orc at the door said dismissively.

He really should have anticipated this reaction. He knew that this orc knew who he was, but apparently that was exactly why he was being so difficult. "Arazhadroh, ven mar. I need to speak with Dorghu." (Please, my brother.)

The other orc sneered at him and thrust the long ends of his teeth in Nick's direction. "You have no place here, munguz. Go back to your cop friends." (Roundtooth)

Nick's anger flared then. This was fucking ridiculous. He was a blooded member of this clan and a police officer with the LAPD. He wasn't going to be dismissed by some two bit low level gangster with a bad attitude when he was this close to finding some answers.

He took a deep breath, ready to lay into the orc in front of him, when a knock at the door to the building drew both their attentions.

The guard sent Nick a glare before he turned to speak to another orc that had poked his head around the door. The two consulted quietly in Bodzvokhan for a moment before the guard turned back around.

He snarled at Nick but stepped aside, leaving the doorway clear for Nick to step around him. This has got to be the shittiet day on record. Nick thought in exasperation as he stepped into the now open doorway. He ignored the muttered curse of the guard as he moved around him. He couldn’t pay attention to it even if he’d wanted too. Now that that hurdle was over with, all of his nerves came back in full force.

He felt himself start to sweat and he hated himself for it. The orcs here would be able to smell the fear coming from his pores. But, there was nothing to be done for it. He could put on a brave face, but his body was going to betray him. He was terrified and there wasn’t anything he could do but grin and bear it. He followed this new orc, Alddo if he was remembering correctly, down a long hallway. He had been so out of it last time he’d been brought here that he didn’t remember much of what the building looked like.

He took a cautious look around. The walls of the hallway were dimly lit, but he could make out that there was very little decoration to this area. Wooden doors on either side of him were closed and every ten paces or so, a wall sconce hung empty of a lightbulb. He felt himself shiver slightly. It was unnerving. The whole place had a sense of foreboding and while Nick had his own reasons for being nervous here, this was definitely not a place that was welcoming to visitors.

Eventually, Alddo glanced behind himself at Nick as they stepped into a large open air room. Presumably, the former chancel of the church before it was taken over by the Fogteeth. Objectively, it was beautiful. A large tree stood in the center and large lights dotted the space to give it an ephemeral glow. If Nick didn’t feel like shitting his pants, he might have thought it was amazing. As it was, he DID want to shit his pants, and so after a cursory inspection, his attention focused solely on the large orc lounging casually on the throne in the middle of the room.

Dorghu.

He had never been in this situation before and as such, had no idea what he was supposed to do. This was his clan leader, and he knew Dorghu demanded respect. But… did he kneel? Wave? Was there a secret Fogteeth handshake that he was supposed to perform? He had no idea and the fact that his terror was clouding his mind, was making it difficult to think.

“Munguz.” Dorghu said by way of greeting. “Nice of you to join us.”

Nick’s nerves were all over the place. He needed to be here, he wanted to be here, but he couldn’t stop himself from feeling like turning tail and running back out the way he came in. Dorghu was his best chance to find out where Y/FN was and he would stick it out but holy shit was he ready to piss himself!

“What brings you here finally, pliche?” Dorghu asked lazily. Nick knew that he was curious, but the other orc was playing it off like it couldn’t matter less to him.

Nick shuffled awkwardly on his feet. He hated hearing the beloved nickname coming from his clan leaders mouth. It filled his stomach with bile. He had to swallow it down for now, he needed Dorghu. But… How did he start? Where did he start? Shit, shit, shit…

Dorghu growled at him in warning. Nick felt his hackles rise almost instantly. The scar in the center of his chest stung and he resisted putting a hand over the spot. Dorghu had to know what being here was doing to Nick, and he was obviously enjoying it, the smug bastard.

Nick grit his teeth in irritation. He was not going to be intimidated by this asshole. Fuck, he was a grown ass man, he didn’t have to put up with this shit. He needed help, Y/FN needed help and dammit, Dorghu was going to provide it. No matter the cost, Nick would make sure the Fogteeth had his back on this. He straightened his shoulders and frowned angrily. He met Dorghu’s eye with a hard glint of his own.

“I need help.” Nick said with more strength in his voice than he would have expected.

Dorghu looked surprised for a moment before a sly grin spread across his face. “Help, munguz?” He chuckled quietly. “Help with what?”

Nick cleared his throat and lifted his chin defiantly. Now was the time for bravery. He ignored the sweating of his palms and the burn in his throat. He might as well just lay his cards on the table, he was already here, fuck it. He inhaled deeply and let the air in his lungs out in a loud whoosh.

“Alright, I- I’ll start at the beginning.” Nick said with conviction. He did as good as his word and started at the beginning, or close to it. He mentioned partnering with Y/FN, working with the feds, even seeing Alddo at that restaurant. He went on to talk about the undercover work and bringing in that orc for questioning and he finished with Y/FN being taken from her home. He glossed over the more intimate details because he was definitely not going over that with Dorghu and made sure to emphasize the point that the Dark Dogs were likely involved.

Nick knew that the Fogteeth were currently in territorial disputes with the Dark Dogs and he didn’t doubt that their involvement would peak Dorghu’s interest. The clan leader couldn’t care less about the Russians but the fact that they were hiring member of the Dark Dogs was something he was curious about.

Dorghu listened in relative silence but from the expression on his face, Nick knew he wasn’t taking the news well. But, he listened until Nick was finished and when he was done, he continued to sit in silence. Nick ran a tongue along one of his filed teeth anxiously. Had that been enough? Should he have added more details? Was the fact that he was working with the feds going to be an issue in all of this?

Across from him, Dorghu stood slowly to his feet. Nick startled slightly, surprised at the sudden movement, and watched with wary eyes as the large orc stepped towards him with a calculating look in his eye. Nick willed his heart rate to slow as his clan leader leaned closer to him. Nick was aware of the orc’s breath as it ghosted across his cheek and near his ear. He wanted to step away from him, this whole situation was making him uncomfortable, but something was telling him to stay put.

He had a guess at what Dorghu had planned, he just wasn’t sure WHY. In his ear, he could hear Dorghu as he inhaled deeply. Nick’s lip curled in distaste but he kept still. His clan leader was scenting him for some reason. He heard Dorghu chuckle in his ear as he pulled away. The two orcs stood facing one another for a moment before Dorghu’s scarred face pulled back into a grin.

“I see.” The large orc said with a raised brow. “Your mate.”

Nick blinked at him in confusion. Mate? Mate?! “Uh… what?”

After watching him for another few moments, Dorghu rolled his eyes before stepping back to his throne. He seated himself heavily before sighing dramatically. “Mates are sacred under clan law, pliche.” He stretched his jean clad legs in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. “I told you the city had eyes and ears. I told you to keep an eye on your tsumik, Munguz… You didn’t listen to me. But, we’ll help you.”

Nick was momentarily stunned. He’d just been chastised and so hearing that help was being offered took him off guard. “Oh uh, that’s… that’s great! Tha-thank you! I don’t uh…” Nick stammered in surprise. That had been almost too easy, he hadn’t had to persuade him at all! He was ignoring the part about Y/FN being his mate for the moment because that was a bombshell he didn’t have the wherewithal to deal with right now.

“Go home, Munguz. You’ve done your part and I appreciate you making an appearance here.” Dorghu nodded to him in dismissal. “I’ll call you when I get some information.”

“No, I don’t want-” Nick started but clammed up once he saw the “don’t-fuck-with-me” look on Dorghu’s face. He’d gotten more than he’d anticipated from this conversation, it was probably best to not push it. And it would seem that some of his adrenaline was wearing off. Because his terror was slowing creeping back around the edges of his vision.

He nodded once to his clan leader and muttered a “thank you” to him before being escorted back out the way he’d come. He grunted a goodbye to Alddo as the orc led him to the door. All of his anxieties from earlier were clamoring for attention in his brain and he couldn’t seem to calm the riot down enough to take stock of them. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to make it for much longer, he needed to sit soon because he was going to lose control very shortly.

He did his best to compartmentalize. Dorghu was going to help. Y/FN was fine, she had to be. They’d get some information soon, either from the feds or the Fogteeth, of her whereabouts and they’d go in and rescue her. Everything was going to be okay. It had to be. He just needed to get home for now, he just needed to sit for a minute. He needed some time to think and calm down. The cold sweat from earlier hadn’t dissipated and he could smell the stink of his own fear on himself. He just needed to focus, he needed to get home.

Nick focused on the sounds around him. He needed them to help ground himself. He listened intently to the sounds his boots made on the cold floor under him, then the asphalt of the road, the sound of his Jeep’s engine as it started, his turn signal as he entered the Interstate, the sound of his car door as he closed it, his keys jingling in the lock of his home and finally, the click of the latch as his door closed.

He had been inside of a vacuum since leaving the church. All the sounds around him were filtering in, but none of them were going back out. It was all dumping into him and spreading through his system like a gas leak. And at that moment, something inside his brain popped. Suddenly, everything seemed brighter and louder than it had before and he placed a hand against his head at the sudden onslaught of stimuli.

He staggered against a wall and heard a picture frame crash to the ground. The shattering of the glass sent a spark a rage through him and he growled angrily. But now that he’d started, he was finding it hard to stop. Y/FN was gone and he’d been pacified and sent on his way, first by the feds and then by his clan. He was being treated with kid gloves and like he couldn’t handle himself and he HATED it. She was gone and he hated been there to help her!

Enraged, he swiped a hand across an end table and watched in satisfaction as a lamp fell with a loud clank and the shattering of a bulb to the floor. From there, he kicked a leg off of his coffee table and threw his remote against a wall, where it exploded into dozens of pieces of loose plastic. He let out a howl of rage and proceeded to kick, throw, and break anything that was easily within reach.

His fury burned hot and fast and within minutes, he was exhausted. He wasn’t made to hold onto those kinds of emotions. He rested his head against a wall of his living room and slammed a fist against it. He felt tears welling up inside of him and he let them come. Better to cry it out then destroy his entire home at this point. His knees wobbled dangerously and he gave up his battle trying to keep himself upright. He sat back on his haunches and eventually collapsed completely against the wall. He held his face in his palms and listened to the shaking breaths he was inhaling with disgust.

This was useless, this wasn’t helping anyone. But, he couldn’t seem to pull himself together. This entire day had been a rollercoaster and he didn’t like thrill rides. Y/FN was missing and he couldn’t do anything about it. He had tried and he had failed. Who knew where she was or what was being done to her. He tried to put the thought from his mind but distorted images of her tortured face and ruined body kept flashing in his mind.

Nick sat in his ruined living room and cried helplessly into his hands for what felt like hours. His girl was gone and he couldn’t figure out how to get her back. Some fucking cop he was, protect and serve, right? What a fucking joke.

XXX

What the fuck happened… Y/FN thought groggily.

She blinked her eyes slowly and winced as pain shot through her head. She groaned against the sensation and tried to place a hand against her head. She felt a brief moment of panic when her arm didn’t respond, and then another more lingering sense of panic when she realized why. She was tied up. Her arms were bound behind her back.

She felt like she had cotton stuffed inside her skull and so she wasn’t functioning at peak efficiency. My hands… my head… what’s going on? She tried to open her eyes and found that one wouldn’t open further than a slit. That one was going to be useless. She glanced carefully around at her surroundings, careful not to move her head too quickly because it made her feel nauseous.

Everything was black. Was it night? Why was it so dark? She frowned and closed her eyes again. No, no, she had something on her head, she could feel it wrapped around her. A blindfold! What the… And that’s when her sluggish brain finally remembered what had happened.

She’d been surprised at home and knocked unconscious. Fuck! It had to be those orc fucks from the station. No wonder her head felt like it was going to crack in two, that bastard was strong. She felt her heart rate start to escalate and she willed herself to calm down. Freaking out wasn’t going to help right now and who knew how long she’d been out. She needed to keep her wits about her and focus. Who knew if the police were coming or not. She had a brief flash of Nick’s face in her minds eye and she ignored the pain it caused her. She needed to assume they weren’t coming.

Ok, so she was blindfolded and her arms were bound, but she was upright and felt like she was sitting in a chair. Could be worse. There weren’t many sounds around her at the moment, but she could hear some creaking and metallic groaning, so most likely a warehouse. It didn’t feel damp like a basement, so, another plus.

She wished her head didn’t hurt so bad. She was having a hard time focusing. The orc must have almost knocked her head off, as it was she probably had a concussion. She inhaled through her nose and out her mouth. Ok, you’re ok, just breath. They haven’t killed you, and aside from getting hit in the head, it doesn’t feel like they’ve done anything else to you. Just breath.

The slamming of a door caught her attention and she strained her ears towards the sound. The sounds of muttered Bodzvokhan filtered towards her and she did her best to calm the racing of her heart. They could be here to kill her for all she knew, but she needed to try and hear what they were saying so she could make a plan.

“I can’t believe we’re fucking babysitting this orc-fucker.” A deep voice said.

Y/FN perked up. They were speaking Bodzvokhan, but they apparently didn’t know that she did too! Hopefully, they would continue speaking candidly and she could figure out what was happening.

“Just chill. This beats serving cocktail drinks to drunk Russians.” Another voice responded.

One of them grunted in agreement and she could hear them rummaging around near her. It sounded like something was being drug across the floor away from her. There were several moments of silence before one of the orcs grunted in amusement.

“Would you do it?” He asked.

“Do what?” The other asked in annoyance.

“Fuck a human. I mean, if I had too, this one is alright. Her teeth are a little small, but I bet it’s better to get head from one.” The first responded.

Y/FN felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise. She hoped this was just an intellectual discussion and wasn’t going to devolve into something else. There was silence from the orc pair for a few moments, she assumed they were studying her. It made her skin crawl.

“Yeah, why not? Ready and willing is how I like my women, as long as they’ve got a pussy, that’s good enough for me.” The second finally answered.

“You’re disgusting. You’ve got no taste.” The first grunted. More silence for a time and Y/FN felt herself calm slightly when they made no move towards her.

“This isn’t really what I signed up for when Urul talked me into joining Öl Khǝdz. I pictured shootouts with the police and going to parties to do coke and shit. Not sitting on my ass and staring at the busted up face of some human female.” One muttered.

The other grunted in agreement before sighing. “Between you and me, Urul doing business with those Russian assholes was the worst decision he’s made so far. We’re like fucking lap dogs now! They say jump, we say how high. I joined to get away from human control and now we’re right back under it. Like I give a shit about their bottom line.” He grumbled something under his breath. “What are those rats that tunnel under gardens and make holes in your yard?”

Y/FN refrained from frowning. She didn’t want them to know she was listening to and understanding them, but that was a strange non sequitur. She was getting good intel, and she’d be happy to give it to Parra if she wasn’t murdered first. But what did this have to do with anything?

“Uh, moles?” The other responded.

“No, no, bigger than that! They’re uh… fuck, um… gophers! Fucking gophers! We’re like gophers now. We go for this, we go for that, anything those slimy mobsters want, we go get. I fucking hate it.”

Their conversation was cut short by a door opening somewhere in the distance. The two of them clammed up pretty quickly and Y/FN listened carefully for the sounds of the newcomer approaching. It didn’t take long, the click of expensive shoes on concrete came towards them quickly. Must be one of the slimy mobsters… Y/FN thought wryly.

“What is meaning of this?” The man asked in heavily accented English.

The orcs were silent and so must have given their reply nonverbally.

“It takes two to guard prisoner? Small human female needs two orc guards?” The Russian asked in irritation.

The orcs grumbled something under their breath but held their tongues for the most part. Y/FN was impressed. These Russians must have some pretty intense leverage over the Dark Dogs for them to be this complacent with the man yelling at them.

“Sloppy. You are sloppy and lazy. Why we are working together, I know not.” The man gave a long suffering sigh. “Is prisoner awake?”

Another nonverbal response from the orcs. Y/FN frowned slightly under the blindfold. They really were like lap dogs. What on earth had these Russians done to these orcs? That question would have to wait for another time however. Because the Russian of the group huffed in annoyance before crossing to her and ripping the blindfold from her head.

“Awake I see.” He said scathingly.

Y/FN blinked against the sudden onslaught of light. It took a moment for her senses to adjust, but she eventually squinted up at the man in front of her. He looked down at her in distaste and she took her time memorizing his features. Chin length hair, scar on left cheek, one ear a little higher than the other. I’ve got you, asshole. She thought angrily. Assuming she made it out of here that was.

“Are you a cop or just idiot?” The Russian asked her with a raised eyebrow.

She needed to play stupid now. She was an innocent bystander, they had the wrong girl, she had no idea what he was talking about, something to that effect.

“Wh-what? Where am I?” She asked pitifully.

The Russian rolled his eyes at her. “Do not lie, I have no patience. Why were you at club and police station?”

Her brain, in a wonderful move of self preservation, was working a mile a minute now. Why would she have been at both places? She could deny that it was her but maybe another excuse would be better… excuse, excuse, excuse. Ah, bingo!

“My-my pimp. He sent me to the club! I didn’t even want to be there! And then I got picked up by the cops later. Please, please, don’t hurt me. I don’t have any money!” She stammered out weakly.

The Russian looked at her with annoyance but he seemed to be considering what she was saying. It was the best lie she could come up with. It made sense, there was every possibility a prostitute would be at a high-end club and then arrested by the police. She just hoped this guy bought it.

“You speak Russian?” He asked curiously.

Fuck! She’d forgotten about that. Shit, shit… uh… “I only know a few words! My, my pimp, he thinks it makes me sound more exotic. So I can charge more.” She could feel nervous sweat pooling against her lower back. Thank God she didn’t have to try and cover that up. She was terrified and had every right to be.

The Russians lip curled at that but he seemed to be considering her words. Come on, come on, it’s the simplest explanation. It makes sense, just fucking believe me. She thought frantically.

The Russian rolled his eyes again before turning back to the orcs. Y/FN now recognized that one of them was Varfu. Slimy fucker. She thought angrily. The Russian walked to the pair of orcs slowly. Y/FN watched with her one good eye as the man pointed a finger in Varfu’s face.

“You come down and throw big stink about police coming into club. And now I found out this is only whore? Do you know how much time was wasted on this? Because of you, gun shipment is late.” He stood and sneered at Varfu. “You are too stupid to live, Orc. I will tell boss about this.”

Varfu curled his lip in anger before muttering quietly in Bodzvokhan. “Sure, go run and tell your mother about this, you limp noodle.”

Y/FN couldn’t help it. This fucking orc had just quoted a line from fucking Mulan. She had always had inappropriate responses to stressful situations and this was the most stressful one she’d ever been in. She kept her mouth closed, but she let out a strangled laugh at Varfu’s comment. The situation was so absolutely ridiculous that she couldn’t help it. That and the fact that her nerves were completely shot by this point. She regretted the noise as soon as it was out but it was too late. She knew she was in trouble now.

All three sets of eyes turned to her in surprise and then quickly to anger. Oh fuck. She thought in dismay. Well, there goes my cover. Fuck!

The Russian immediately strode towards her again and quickly backhanded her across the face. The sting from the slap was made all the worse because the greasy asshole was wearing a garish ring on one finger. She could feel where it had cut into her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut against the pain.

I’m so fucking stupid.

“So, prostitute who speak Russian and Orcish, hm? I think that is not likely.” The Russian said scathingly.

The next several hours were spent with questions being angrily thrown at her and punches landing against her when she refused to answer. After a while, it all blended together and she was able to separate herself from it slightly. The punches still hurt, but she was in enough pain that her brain wasn’t able to focus on any one thing anymore. At one point she may have lost consciousness, but she couldn’t be too sure. She wasn’t sure of anything at the moment. Except that she was totally and royally fucked.

XXX

Chapter Text

XXX

Several hours later and Nick had almost broken the promise he’d made to himself to not destroy every object in his home. No one seemed to have any answers! Nick had tossed the idea to Parra that they raid Little Moscow but that had been shot down almost immediately. They didn’t have enough evidence for a warrant and they couldn’t enter without probable cause. And while Nick was furious about it, he knew that storming into a club owned by the Mob would only end with all of them getting killed.

And so, he waited. He had sat on his couch and chewed on his bottom lip until the skin was raw and tender. His knee bounced up and down in agitation and if he had hair, he likely would have pulled it all out by now. And still he waited.

The shrill sound of his phone ringing almost gave him heart failure. He had been looking at the device almost non-stop for the last hour but now that it was actually ringing, he seemed to have forgotten how to answer it. What if they found her? What if she was dead? What if someone was calling for a ransom? What if it was just a telemarketer?

With shaking hands, he picked up his phone to stare numbly at the screen. It was an “UNKNOWN” number. He closed his eyes and send a prayer upwards that it was Dorghu with good news. He swiped the screen to accept the call and pressed the phone to his ear.

“Jakoby.” He said with a quavering voice.

He almost missed the speaker’s greeting because the sound of the blood rushing in his ears was overpowering. But, eventually the voice broke through his stupor and into his brain.

“Munguz.” A deep voice said simply.

He never would have thought he’d be happy to hear from fucking Dorghu. But here he was with relief coursing through his body.

“We found her.” Dorghu continued. “We have an… associate inside the Öl Khǝdz who tipped us off.” He paused here, probably to let the weight of what he was saying sink into Nick. When Nick continued to be silent Dorghu finished. “She’s at a warehouse downtown. I’ll text you the address. And Munguz… be careful. They’re armed, heavily and they aren’t nearly as sweetly tempered as I am.”

Nick felt his throat working to try and speak. He was having trouble now that he had something concrete in front of him. They knew where she was, Dorghu didn’t say her body, she must still be alive! Nick could go and get her!

“Th-thank you.” Nick all but whispered. “Dorghu… thank you.”

“Don’t take so long to visit us next time. We may not like each other but we’re still family. And don’t tell the cops we tipped you off.” The line went dead after that and Nick stared mutely at the screen. It took him a few moments for his thoughts to catch up to everything that had happened.

Holy shit, holy fucking shit! He needed to get going! He needed to head back to the station and get some gear. He wasn’t going to walk into a warehouse for a shoot out in a button down and slacks, he needed his war bag.

He tore through his house as quickly as he could, grabbing his Jeep keys on the way out the door. He needed to call Parra and come up with a cover story for where he’d gotten his information. Dorghu had come through for him in a really big way and he didn’t want to repay that by ratting him out to the feds. Nick threw his Jeep into gear and could hear the sound of his tires squealing against the pavement as he shot down the road and towards the station.

It seemed like only minutes before Nick was pulling into the parking lot. He didn’t think he’d ever made the drive so fast and he couldn’t believe his luck that he hadn’t been pulled over for it. He could feel guilty about breaking the law later though, now he needed to go get his woman.

He had called Parra and Jackson on the way. He had babbled some excuse about Varfu mentioning the warehouse was a good place to store things when they had interviewed him or something nonsensical. Since it was the same warehouse that supposedly was housing all the stolen weapons, Parra hadn’t taken much convincing. Nick could come up with a better lie later if need be, this wasn’t the time for that though. Cops didn’t take kindly to one of their own being abducted. The fact that Y/FN was a translator didn’t matter much, she was a part of the downtown precinct as much as any of the beat cops or detectives. So, by the time that Nick was running into the building, it seemed like half the department was suiting up to storm the warehouse.

Nick skirted around a number of furious looking officers as he dipped into the locker room to change. He always kept a bag here with spare clothes just in case and he was more thankful than ever for it. He changed quickly into his police gear and took care to make sure that his bullet proof vest was strapped tightly against him, he had a feeling he was going to need it.

On his way out of the locker room, he spied Parra loudly directing a number of his colleagues towards the lot out back where the LAPD vehicles were held. He strode towards the man quickly and called his name when he was within shouting distance.

Parra turned to him with a grim expression on his face. They eyed one another for several long seconds before Parra finally looked away. Nick knew it wasn’t his fault, not really, but that didn’t mean he didn’t blame him for every fucking second that Y/FN wasn’t there. And it looked like Parra knew that.

“We should be ready to leave in 5 minutes. I uh- I think you should sit this one out, Jakoby.” Parra said quietly. It was the calmest Nick had ever heard the man speak and it absolutely enraged him.

“If you think for one fucking second that I’m going to let you and Jackson take the lead on this without me there then you’re stupider than I thought.” Nick snarled through gritted teeth.

Parra looked surprised at the venom in Nick’s voice and his expressions hardened. “Fine.” Parra shot back at him. “But if you get your head blown off because you’re overemotional, I’m not explaining it to your family.” And with that, Parra turned away from him to continue directing officers.

Nick ignored him and stomped his way towards the SUV’s in the back lot. Ward wasn’t here and so he didn’t have a partner, but his SUV should be available just the same. He really wished Ward WAS here. He could use some back up right now. This was more mundane but more terrifying than anything they’d done with the wand. Except maybe the part where he’d been shot to death by Dorghu…

Just as he’d expected, his and Ward’s battered SUV was sitting primly in the lot. He looked around and it seemed like everyone else was already pulling out and making their way to the location. Nick was thankful for that, he was glad that they were taking this all seriously. He knew SWAT was already on their way there and he gripped his steering wheel with sweating hands. Ok, Nick. You can do this, she needs you. She needs you.

Flipping on the siren and settling into the interior of the vehicle almost felt like coming home. He missed working his beat. He missed Ward. He missed being a cop. But, if he managed to get through all of this, he’d continue working with the feds until it was time to retire if it meant keeping an eye on Y/FN.

Nick followed in a long line of other officers as they navigated their way downtown. LA was a big place and full of all kinds of bullshit and every time they had to slow down or stop, Nick could feel his anxiety and fury rising. They were so close now, he was almost more nervous now then he had been a few hours ago.

“Come on, come on…” He muttered to himself as he took a turn too sharply.

Nick threw his SUV into park in the middle of the road, behind the SWAT van once he’d reached the warehouse. From the sounds of it, there was already a shootout in progress in the building. How much quicker had they gotten here? Was he too late? What was happening?

He gripped the handle of his shotgun and jumped from his vehicle and into a run. He should check in with a superior and see what the plan was but he didn’t have the brain power or the give a shit to do so. He needed to get in there and help, NOW. He ran passed several other uniformed officers, who had their guns drawn, and towards where he could hear the most shots being fired.

He walked into something out of a Kathryn Bigelow film. Dust seemed to have filled the building with a grey haze and rapid gunfire and shouts rang in his ears like angry bells. He caught the dark movement of a suited SWAT member and he made his way towards him quickly. He should be paying more attention, he should be more careful, but all conscious thought seemed to have left him.

A loud blast knocked several chunks of concrete from a pillar near his shoulder and he ducked to avoid the fallout. He moved closer to one of the large crates sitting on the floor and looked around frantically. He caught sight of an orc holding a semi automatic weapon on a lower balcony across the room. There was no way Nick’s shotgun would carry that far and so instead of returning fire, he lowered himself closer to the ground and continued moving.

He came up behind a SWAT member and clapped the man on the shoulder to get his attention. Nick didn’t say anything, but he pointed a finger towards where the orc on the balcony was still shooting aimlessly across at them. The SWAT member nodded once and took careful aim. Nick didn’t recognize the weapon he was holding but after several slow seconds, the man fired once and Nick watched as the orc on the balcony staggered slightly before falling forwards off the balcony and onto the floor below. Nick looked away from the twisted body as blood started to pool around it. He had more important things to do now.

From the sounds behind him, more backup had come in. He glanced behind him once to just make sure that they weren’t being surrounded. Jackson’s steely eyes caught his own and he turned from her quickly. If ever there was a person to lead you into Hell, it would be her.

Nick skirted around behind the SWAT member he’d been standing with and made to edge toward the perimeter of the building. It was hard to see much with all of the chaos and his eyes felt gritty already from all of the dust in the air. A stray bullet landed in the concrete near his foot and he jumped back quickly. He looked around in agitation but it didn’t look like anyone was firing at him. Jesus, he was going to get fucking shot and no one was even aiming at him.

He could hear shouts behind him but he ignored them. They were orders from someone, he didn’t recognize the voice and he didn’t care what they were saying, he needed to find-

There.

Across the room and near a back corner.

Nick felt his stomach bottom out as realization slowly hit. Y/FN was over there. She was tied to a chair and bleeding steadily from her mouth. She was also not responding to anything going on around her, the fact that she wasn’t looking around or concerned about the gunshots whizzing passed sent a spike of fear through him.

Surely she wasn’t… No, no, she was probably just unconscious. He just needed to get to her and get her to the paramedics. She was fine. She had to be.

Nick gripped his shotgun tightly and made to step forward. A hand on the back of his shirt held him back at the last second though, just as a shotgun blast flew passed where his head would have been. He blinked in surprise at the air in front of him before turning to look at who had stopped him.

Jackson’s cruel smirk met his eyes and he looked at her in surprise. “Be careful, Romeo!” She yelled at him over the sounds around them. “I’ll back you up!”

Nick nodded to her once before turning back around. He would analyze the fact that Jackson had just saved his life and was offering to protect him later. Now, he just needed to get to Y/FN and assess her condition.

The distance wasn’t far, but there was no cover between where Nick was standing and where Y/FN was sitting. He’d essentially be walking across a No-Man’s Land. He could either wait and hope that the rest of the team killed the remaining orcs and mobsters without more coming, or… Or he could do something really stupid. He glanced at Y/FN from across the divide and watched as a bullet whizzed passed her head to lodge into the wall of the warehouse.

He was going to do something stupid.

He turned and nodded once to Jackson who returned the gesture in kind. Now or never… He thought sarcastically. He ducked down and moved as quickly as he could against the wall. He hoped the dust in the air would be enough to give them some cover. Though he wasn’t convinced. As expected, as soon as they stepped away from the protective covering of those crates, a large portion of the gunfire seemed to redirect towards them.

Nick lowered his head further and did his best to return as much of the gunfire as he could. He could hear the shots of Jackson’s .45 ring out loudly behind him. She was as good as her word and he could hear more than one of her shots finding its mark in a body. Nick shuddered at the screams that followed those shots. Jackson was a damn good apparently.

They dove quickly behind the first cement pillar they came too. Nick was broad and he tucked himself as best he could against it so that Jackson could benefit from the cover as well. She plastered herself against him and they paused there a moment to catch their breath. They were over 2/3rds there, there was only a short stretch left. It looked as if Y/FN was partially shielded from most of the danger by a low hanging metal wall. He guessed there used to be a supervisor’s nest above where she sat, but it looked like it had been removed at some point, though the metal of the structure remained.

Nick felt a moment of relief that she was as protected as she was. Jackson clapped him on the shoulder and shouted in his ear. “Ready?” He nodded without looking behind himself and inhaled deeply. Almost there, almost there. Just hold on a little longer, baby.

He and Jackson sprinted the remaining distance. There wasn’t a large space left and they needed to cross it quickly. He didn’t doubt that they were the largest targets in the building and he didn’t want to get shot today. They moved quickly and luck was apparently in their favor because despite a couple of near misses, the rest of the bullets lodged themselves in the concrete around them.

Nick turned to grab Jackson by the front of her shirt and tossed her bodily across the rest of the divide. She slid harmlessly against the floor and behind the cover of several large crates. Aside from looking furious, she was safe and Nick lunged and slid in beside her. He sighed in relief before he was on his feet again and making his way quickly to Y/FN.

She looked even worse up close. One of her cheeks was a mottled black with a swollen eye and he knew that the injury was still in its early stages, this was going to look worse before it looked better. There were a number of cuts on her face and arms. She had a split lip, which was where the blood was coming from and from the sounds of her breathing, probably a broken rib or two. But, she WAS breathing. And Nick felt all of the fear and anxiety that he’d been holding inside of himself wash away abruptly. She was alive, and while she looked like shit, she didn’t look like she was going to die anytime soon.

Nick crouched down behind her so that he could start to work on the ties around her wrists. As he did so, he spoke to her quietly. He knew Jackson was close, still returning fire and he knew she could hear him, but he didn’t care right now.

“Baby, hey, can you hear me? We made it, we’re here, we’re getting you out. I’m sorry it took so long.” He used his large combat knife to cut at the plastic of the zip ties holding her in place. He winced at the sight of the angry red lacerations around the skin of her wrist once he’d freed one. “Tsumik igluk, if you can hear me, will you open your eyes? Beautiful, open your eyes. Tell me you can hear me.”

Y/FN’s eyelids fluttered briefly but her eyes didn’t open. From the looks of it, one of them couldn’t open right now anyway. But, Nick continued to talk while he worked on the rest of the bindings. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. But, baby, you did so good. You’re safe now, we’re here, I’m here, you’re safe.”

Y/FN let out a pained sigh as Nick pulled off the the remaining zip tie. His first instinct was to rub the skin there to ease the pain but the ties had cut her deeply, likely from her struggling against them. He smiled sadly, that was his girl, fighting to the last. He moved around the chair so she was facing him and he could cut the ties around her ankles.

He muttered curses to himself in Bodzvokhan and promises of retribution towards the Heavens. He wouldn’t let this stand. He’d kill every fucking person who had a hand in this. He’d rip their fucking heads off. He’d-

“...p-plich-e?” Y/FN’s quiet voice questioned.

Nick felt his ears perk up at the sound. She was awake! He was on his knees and between her legs almost immediately. He held her face gently in his hands and ran his thumb slowly across her good cheekbone.

“I’m here, I’m here, baby. Are you ok? What hurts?” Nick asked her frantically.

But, it seemed the single word was all he was going to get from her. It looked as if she was unconscious again. He growled in frustration but continued to rub her cheek gently.

“Nick.” Parra’s voice called behind him. Nick didn’t even give the man the courtesy of turning around. He was still furious with him, more now than he’d been before. He did wonder briefly how Parra had managed to get over to them though.

“Nick, we need to get her out the paramedics.” Parra continued.

Nick did turn then. He stood slowly and looked around at the warehouse. It seemed that the shooting had ended. And since Parra was over here, Nick was guessing they had won. He looked at the man coldly and Parra flinched from the rage in Nick’s eyes.

“The ones that aren’t dead are being treated for their injuries and cuffed now. I uh, I know you don’t care but, these crates are full illegal weapons. We got them.” Parra continued nervously.

Nick looked around at the warehouse floor. The crates were stacked two and three on top of each other on most of the floor space. Orcs and humans alike were being walked out of the building in handcuffs. Nick turned to look at Parra again.

“You’re right, I don’t care.” He said simply before turning his back on the man.

Parra was right about one thing though, he needed to get Y/FN out to the paramedics. Nick worked his arms around her back and under her knees carefully. She completely dead weight at this point and while he was strong, it was difficult to carry someone like this. But, he refused to ask for help. He would get her outside and make sure that she was safe.

He walked slowly with her in his arms. He was almost sure some of her ribs were broken and he didn’t want to jostle her around more than necessary. As he walked, he bent over her head so that he could whisper to her.

“You’ve got to get better soon ok? I still haven’t been able to take you on a date. And I know we haven’t defined our relationship but I think I would really, really like to be your boyfriend.” He nuzzled that hair at her temple and inhaled deeply. She smelled like stress and fear, but under all of that was the shampoo smell he loved so much.

“You’re going to be ok, tsumik igluk. You’re ok.” He whispered as he stepped out of the building and into the bright light of the LA afternoon.

An EMT spotted him as he made his way out of the building and towards the street. The man met him halfway and immediately started asking questions and checking her over. Nick answered as best he could and before he knew it, Y/FN was being strapped to a gurney and loaded into an ambulance. He attempted to get in alongside her but the EMT shook his head and pointed towards where Jackson and Parra were standing.

Nick frowned but he didn’t fight the man. Instead, he watched as the ambulance doors closed in front of him. His last glimpse of Y/FN was of the EMT putting an IV into her arm. He felt a pain in his heart as he watched the ambulance pull away from the curb with its lights and sirens on. He would meet her at the hospital later. But… it didn’t feel right to watch her go after all of that. He rubbed at the spot in the center of his chest where Dorghu had shot him. His vest was in the way but he knew where it was without having to feel it. It didn’t feel right.

XXX

Chapter Text

XXX

Nick was feeling frantic. It was now several hours later and he was still at the warehouse working to clean up the mess left behind from the impromptu shootout. He had been assured by Parra that Y/FN was in stable condition and was still unconscious at the hospital but he wanted to see her with his own eyes. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Parra, but he didn’t fucking trust Parra.

No amount of begging had swayed the man. And so Nick had stayed, because he couldn’t lose his job. But, he was furious and he was angry. He’d been thinking of increasingly unlikely Final Destination-type death scenarios that Parra could get into when someone called out to him.

“Jakoby!”

He turned to see Jackson striding towards him with a scowl. I cannot fuck with this right now… Nick thought balefully.

“Why the hell are you still here?” Jackson snapped at him while placing her closed fists on her hips.

Nick frowned at her. Well, that seemed obvious. “Parra asked me to stay and help finish up…”

Jackson rolled her eyes before shooting a venomous glare at her partner’s back. Nick’s frown deepened. Guess there was trouble in paradise for those two.

“Get the fuck out of here and get to the hospital. You’re acting like a lunatic anyway, so you aren’t much help.” Jackson replied in her cold voice.

Nick felt his ears flutter at her statement. Was she really letting him leave? He never pictured her as the romantic type, but apparently her heart was a little softer than he’d given her credit for, though he doubted she would admit it.

“Are you deaf, Jakoby? Get outta here! I’ll talk to Parra.” Jackson said, her brows coming down into a frown.

Nick didn’t need to be told twice, well apparently he did, but he didn’t need to be told three times! He turned quickly on his heel and hustled himself back towards the police SUV he’d driven to get here. As an afterthought, he shouted, “Thank you!” over his shoulder towards Jackson. He would need to get her a fruit basket or something.

As he settled into the warm interior of the vehicle he felt himself smile. I’m coming Y/FN, I’m sorry it took me so long, but I’m coming!

He made the drive to the hospital in record time and likely would have been pulled over if he wasn’t already in a police vehicle. He thanked the Heavens that he had overheard Parra mention what hospital Y/FN was going too. He’d be driving all over LA if he hadn’t. He doubted that Parra was all that thrilled that he had left and he would have had a hard time getting the information out of him if he’d had to call and ask.

He made his way inside and ignored the strange looks he received for a while. He was used to getting them after all, but when someone loudly gasped after he’d turned a corner, he finally frowned and took stock of himself. He glanced down at his uniform. Oh… that would do it. It was covered in the dust and chipped concrete from the warehouse, and worse than that, he had dried blood on his hands.

He gulped against the sudden wave of nausea that hit him. Oh shit, oh shit… He staggered for a moment before he threw out an arm and caught himself on the nearest wall. It looked like the adrenaline he’d used was finally catching up with him. He felt dizzy.

He closed his eyes and took several slow breaths in and out through his nose. You can’t lose it now, you just got here, she’s waiting on you. Come on, Nick get it together. Get it together.

He opened his eyes slowly. He knew he was making a spectacle of himself, the only orcish police officer in the world covered in dust and blood about to pass out in a hospital? Yeah, this would probably make it on the news. He took another slow breath in and held it for a moment. He needed to clean up a little before he went in and saw Y/FN.

He glanced at his hands again. Still dirty and covered in… her blood. Even though he knew that she was ok, knew that she was safe and being taken care of, he felt dread settle over him. Anything could have happened to her. She could have been killed and there wouldn’t have been anything he could do about it. Holy shit. He needed to get to a bathroom.

He swallowed thickly as he looked around frantically for a bathroom. A large “RESTROOM” sign caught his eye and he all but ran towards it. He dipped into the single room marked for handicap use. He felt bad for using it but he needed a couple minutes of privacy that the normal restroom wouldn’t provide.

As soon as he felt the door lock behind him, he was over the bowl of the toilet and vomiting all of his stomach contents. He puked until there was nothing left in him to puke and even then he continued to dry heave until his eyes started to water. He could have lost her today. She could have been murdered. They could have been too late. He sat back on the floor and rested his head against the cool tiles of the wall behind him.

Holy shit, holy shit. He could have lost her and there wouldn’t have been anything he could do about it. He swallowed and breathed heavily in and out of his mouth several times. She’s ok, she’s ok, you found her in time, she’s ok. She’s here and she’s safe. You need to calm down. He was heading quickly towards a panic attack, he could feel the pressure in his chest that usually indicated he was going to have one. He needed to get it together.

He took a deep breath in and tightened all of the muscles in his chest, arms and stomach. He held that position until he started to shake and then he slowly relaxed. He felt marginally more calm, he’d at least stopped that before it had gotten unmanageable. He took a few more deep breaths. He was fine and Y/FN was fine. Everyone was fine.

He sighed heavily.

He needed to hurry and get cleaned up, he shouldn’t even be in this bathroom. He levered himself upright slowly and felt himself stagger slightly. He could have a panic attack later if he really needed one.

He made his way towards the sink and turned the water on as cold as he could make it. The feel of it against his hands was stinging and he focused on the sensation. He pooled a large amount of soap from the dispenser into the palm of one hand and took a steadying breath. He needed to get his hands clean, immediately. Seeing Y/FN’s blood on the backs of his knuckles was making him dizzy.

He washed his hands slowly, making sure to get all the grime, all the dirt, and all of the blood out of every crack and crevice that it had slipped into. He had to pick at certain spots with a nail in order to remove it and by the time he was done, his hands were pink and raw. Good, clean.

Once he’d rinsed away the last of the soap, he used his hand to scoop water into his mouth. He swished it around a few times before spitting it out. He repeated the process several times until the taste of stomach acid was almost gone from his mouth. He needed to brush his teeth, but that would have to wait until later. Finally, he splashed some of the cold water onto his face. It stung and he was grateful for it. He snatched a few paper towels and used them to wipe not only his hands but his face as well.

Unfortunately, his uniform was a lost cause at the moment and he’d wasted too much time in here already. He needed to get out and find Y/FN. His legs felt a little shaky under him but he was glad that they held his weight. He exited the restroom and was happy to note that there wasn’t anyone waiting on him. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and hustled his way to the elevators.

“I’m looking for-” He started to ask the woman sitting nurses station.

She interrupted him however when she looked up at him. “Oh! You must be here for the other officer?”

He swallowed convulsively. Well, Y/FN wasn’t technically an officer… had they brought anyone else in from the shoot out? He felt guilty all of a sudden. He hadn’t even thought to ASK if anyone else had been injured. He’d been too preoccupied with Y/FN to give another thought to his fellow officers.

“Uh… I’m looking for Y/LN.” He asked nervously.

The woman, he assumed she was a nurse, smiled to him kindly and nodded. She consulted a chart on her desk before pointing to her right. “Room 304, down the hall. She’s still unconscious though and you won’t be allowed in just yet since you aren’t family.” She gave him a sad smile and patted his hand gently. “She’s going to be okay, just needs some time to heal.”

Nick nodded to her distractedly. He wouldn’t be allowed in? He hadn’t even thought about that. Of course he wasn’t family, he wasn’t even a significant other. He was just a friend. He said a solemn “thank you” to the nurse and she nodded at him in understanding.

“You’re welcome to wait in the lounge. I’ll let someone know you’re here for her.” The nurse said.

Nick gave her a weak smile and another thank you before following her outstretched finger towards the waiting lounge. He wasn’t sure how long he was going to have to wait, but he’d stay here the rest of the day if he needed too. The nurse had assured him that she was going to be okay, but he wanted to see her himself.

He settled heavily into a pastel chair and closed his eyes. He pictured her in his mind the last time he’d seen her. Broken and bruised and he frowned. She was injured but that wasn’t who she was. He thought back to her smiling face from last week, how she had looked in her club outfit, the text messages she sent him, the look on her face as he pushed himself into her. Hundreds of images of her came to him and he felt himself relax slowly. She was going to be okay, and he was going to see her soon.

XXX

Oh, holy shit, what happened to my head? She thought groggily. She lifted her hand to touch her cheek only to have the pull of an IV stop her. She winced at the feeling of the needle shifting in her hand. She took a slow breath in and out. Ok, so I’m probably in a hospital now.

She focused on the sensations around her. Uncomfortable mattress, check. Sterile smell in the air, check. Softly beeping monitors, check. Ok, definitely a hospital.

Relief coursed through her and she relaxed further into the mattress. She wasn’t sure what had happened, but she must have gotten out. She thought back over the last day and was concerned to note that her memories were a little patchy. Large chunks seemed to be missing and she grimaced at the thought. She remembered getting her ass beat by those two orcs and the Russian. That would explain the gaps in her thoughts afterwards. She’s actually just lucky they hadn’t beat her to death.

She really didn’t feel too bad at the moment. But, she had a feeling that had more to do with the cocktail of drugs that was dripping into her IV than anything else. It was making her a little fuzzy, but that was probably just as well. She likely would have woken in a panic if she wasn’t at least a little sedated.

She tested her vision finally and winced when she finally opened her eyes. Or eye, as it were, it seemed that only one of them was working at the moment. She lifted a free hand and touched gently around her head. She had a large bandage covering one of her eyes, well that would explain that. She slowly took stock of the rest of her body.

She’d been changed into a hospital gown at some point and it looked like someone had wiped the grime off of her. She was thankful for that, her clothes had been filthy. She had small bandages up and down both of her arms and her free hand was wrapped in a soft cast. Broken wrist? She thought in confusion.

She also noticed that her breathing felt a little pinched on one side. Probably a broken rib or two. Other than that… just bumps and bruises. She didn’t look like she had any surgical dressings on, so she must not have had any life threatening internal injuries. That was a stroke of luck. She distinctly remembered getting kicked in the back while she’d been on the ground. She frowned, definitely a stroke of luck.

It didn’t look like anyone else was in the room, so she wasn’t being closely monitored. She must be okay. Or, as okay as she could be. She knew that she would have some emotional and mental trauma to deal with later, but right now, she was safe and she was full of pain killers.

She dozed in and out for the next thirty minutes. Finally, a soft knock of the door announced another presence. She opened her good eye and watched as a short man in scrubs walked into her room. He paused when he saw her looking at him but he smiled quickly.

“I see you’re awake, Miss Y/LN.” He edged around the bed until he was in her line of sight without her having to strain.

“Y-yeah.” She croaked. Her throat felt like sandpaper.

“Would you like some water?” He asked in concern.

She nodded stiltedly. He grabbed a cup from beside her bed and helped her to sit up enough that she could sip from the straw. Once she’d had her fill he set the cup back down and rearranged her on the mattress.

“How are you feeling?” He asked politely.

She swallowed a couple of times before giving him a lopsided grin. “Like I- got hit by- a truck.”

He gave her a sympathetic smile. “I can’t even imagine. Is your pain manageable?”

She nodded a few times.

“Excellent. Now, the doctor will be in to see you in a little bit, he’s doing rounds at the moment. But, you have a visitor if you’re up for seeing one? Don’t feel obligated if you’d rather rest. I know I don’t look like much, but I can throw my weight around as good as the next guy if I need to keep him out.” He gave her a kind smile and she felt herself returning the gesture.

“Is it- an overly anxious- orc?” She asked quietly.

The nurse's smile broadened. “I see you’ve met before. He’s been having a fit in the lounge since he got here an hour ago.”

Y/FN closed her eyes and smiled. Nick. She focused back on the nurse and she watched as his eyes crinkled in the corners.

“Ah, I’ll send him in then?” He asked with a knowing look.

“Please.” She said in response. Her throat was on fire but she wanted to see her orc. She imagined he could do the talking for both of them if he was in the state the nurse described. Nick. She thought again with a grin. She had missed him.

The nurse checked her monitors and made a few notations on the chart at the foot of her bed before nodding to her politely and excusing himself from her room. He seemed nice, she was glad that he wasn’t overly fussy. And that he also wasn’t opposed to relationships between orcs and humans if his knowing look had been anything to go off of.

She was alone in her room for a few minutes and she focused on the soft beep coming from the monitor near her head. She wondered how long she’d have to be here. Hopefully not very, she was glad that she was safe here, but hospitals weren’t the most comfortable places to convalesce. Maybe now would be a good time to take an extended vacation. She’d certainly earned it, when was the last time she HAD taken a vacation? She couldn’t even remember. Nick had some vacation time too, maybe he’d be up for playing nurse for her?

As the thought crossed her mind, the orc himself quietly opened her door. She turned her head slightly so she could watch him enter. He looked nervous and she felt her heart warm at the sight of him. Fuck, she had missed him.

He stood awkwardly in the doorway of her room, shuffling on his feet. She frowned at him. What had gotten into him? She watched as he looked her up and down with anxious eyes. Oh, she must look like shit.

“Pl- iche?” She asked him quietly.

She watched his ears twitch once before he was rushing to her side. He was leaning over her bed and clutching at her hand delicately in a split second and she blinked in shock at the sudden shift. She was so surprised that she didn’t notice he was speaking at first. When she finally tuned back in she could hear him tslking rapidly. She frowned and listened to him as he spoke quietly.

“I’m so sorry, I can’t even begin to express how sorry I am! I shouldn’t have left you alone, I should have known better. It took me too long to find you, you must be furious with me. I’m so so so sorry. I screwed up and you’ll probably never forgive me and-”

“Nick,” she whispered. Her quiet voice broke through his stream of words and he silenced immediately. “Hush.” She said unnecessarily. “I’m ok, baby.”

She watched as large tears welled up in his eyes. She was startled by their appearance. She must have really scared him. “Honey…” She said quietly to get his attention.

She watched as his lip trembled and the tears in his eyes slowly traveled down his cheeks. “I- I thought you were gone.” He whispered to her in despair. “I thought I’d lost you.”

She reached up with her other hand, the one wrapped tightly in a cast, and patted him clumsily on the cheek. “You found me, pliche. I’m right here.”

That was apparently too much for her orc. With a strangled moan he buried his face in the sheets on her bed and clutched desperately at her hand. She was surprised at his reaction but she felt her heart breaking for him in that moment. If their roles had been reversed, she would have been an absolute mess as well. She smiled at him sadly and continued to pat him on the back of his head.

Her hand felt puffy and strange in the cast but it was the best she could offer at the moment. And he didn’t seem to mind. She had missed him, and she felt so much relief that she was safe and that he was here, that she felt tears pool in her own eyes.

The two of them cried quietly together for a short time. Nick managed to pull himself together after a few minutes and he wiped quickly at his eyes with the back of his hand. He then helped her wipe her own tears off of her face. The feeling of his thumbs against her cheeks was Heaven. She had missed him so much. She turned her face to kiss delicately at his hand before he pulled away from her.

She watched as his breath hitched in his chest. She turned to face him with a soft smile and he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. It was a soft, chaste kiss. But, it might have been the best one she’d ever had. They lingered there for a moment, breathing the same air and reassuring one another that they were safe.

She opened her eyes and watched him curiously for a moment. He looked back at her with a similar expression on his face. She made a snap decision then, and she couldn’t figure out why she had taken so long to do this. She inhaled briefly to give herself some courage.

“Pliche…” She started quietly.

He looked at her expectantly. She followed the curve of his cheek to the tip of his ear. Focused on the gold hue of his eyes as he watched her. The feel of his rough hand against her own. Every little thing that she liked about him.

“Would you like to go out with me? I- I think I’d really like to be your girlfriend.” She asked with a smile.

She watched as surprise registered on his face before it morphed slowly into joy. She felt a nervous flutter in her chest at the happiness in his eyes. “Tsumik igluk, you took the words right out of my mouth.”

They beamed at one another before he leaned down to kiss her again. This kiss was still gentle, but it held promises. Promises of a future together. And she couldn’t wait for it to start.

XXX

Chapter Text

THREE DAYS LATER

Nick grumbled to himself as he watched Y/FN sign her discharge papers. I can’t believe they made her give a statement already. She’s in no condition to be reliving all of that so soon. He huffed silently to himself as he waited. The doctors had decided to keep Y/FN for a few extra days to monitor her and make sure that she didn’t have any injuries that presented themselves later. Nick was glad that she had the extra time to recover. He wasn’t glad, however, that Parra and Jackson had made an appearance to collect her statement of the events that led to her kidnapping.

They could have given her some more time. They’ve been working this case for HOW long? And all of a sudden time was of the essence? Bastards. Logically, he knew that that was procedure, but it didn’t stop him from being angry about it. His girl was hurt and he wanted to protect her.

Y/FN turned to him with a soft smile. “All done, pliche.”

He stepped forward and placed a hand on her back delicately. “Let’s get you outta here then, beautiful.” He returned her smile and they made their way slowly towards the exit.

He cut his eyes towards her nervously. He had, what he hoped, was good news for her. But, he wasn’t sure if she would be as excited as he was. He wasn’t sure she would be excited at all. He inhaled slowly and tried to will courage into his chest. He could do this, she would probably be happy… Probably.

“What are you thinking so hard about, Nick?” She asked him suddenly.

His steps faltered slightly and he looked askance at her. She was giving him an expectant look and he ran his tongue nervously over one of his teeth. “Uh… well, I just wanted to let you know that the department has put you on leave. And, that there’s no time frame for when you have to come back. Apparently, they felt bad that their people are the ones who put you in harm’s way in the first place.” He chuckled a little to himself. He’d been there for part of Parra getting his ass chewed and it had been hilarious.

“I know, the boss has already been by to tell me that. AND, I think you were there when he did. So, what did you really wanna say?” She asked him coyly.

Damn! She’s too sharp, I’m never gonna be able to pull one over on her. “Well… I’ve decided that I should take some long overdue vacation time. If- if you’re okay with that?” He swallowed around the lump in his throat.

She turned to give him a broad smile. She still had a large bandage over one eye and so the grin was a little lopsided but it was beautiful just the same. “I think that sounds amazing.”

He felt the tension in his chest lift. He returned her grin with a matching one of his own and lead her towards his Jeep in the parking lot. That was the first hurdle, now here came the second one. He opened her door for her and helped her step up into the passenger side of the vehicle. She thanked him by giving him a kiss on the tip of his nose and he wrinkled it at her.

“I uh… I hope I didn’t overstep here but… your house is still am active crime scene. And I- I didn’t think you would want to go back there so soon after everything. So, I thought maybe, you could stay with me for a little bit.” He cleared his throat and looked at her anxiously. “I went ahead and grabbed some of your things just in case. Cleo has been at my place the last few days, she hasn’t complained yet.” He laughed nervously. “But, uh, if that’s not okay or if you aren’t comfortable I totally get it. I mean, I kind of overstepped here and I know that. I was-”

“Nick.” She interrupted him.

He stopped speaking and met her eyes levelly.

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.” She gave him a sweet smile and he felt relief course through his body.

He bent forward and gave her a delicate kiss. He was being extra careful with her right now, he had orc strength to contend with and he didn’t want to accidentally hurt her. She had said it was cute.

He got into his own side of the Jeep and turned to her with a smile as he started the engine. “You with me, tsumik igluk?” He asked happily.

She smiled at him and he watched as her eyes crinkled in the corners. His heart felt full. This had been the strangest month of his life. Well… almost the strangest. But definitely the best.

“Always, pliche. Let’s go home.”

END