I SAW UR TYLER IMAGINE CAN WE PRETTY PLEASREERE GET ONE FOR JAVI??
I SAW UR TYLER IMAGINE CAN WE PRETTY PLEASREERE GET ONE FOR JAVI??
i js love anthony ramos. heâs so FINEEEEEE
sorry im a little crazy. love u xx
I am not personally a Javi girl, but I can give you some head cannons that have been rolling around my head!
first one and main one I have is that I think Javi is still active duty in the military - US military contracts are 8 years long, so even if he joined right after the EF5 in the beginning of the movie, he still has at minimum three years left. but it sounds like he was kind of wandering aimlessly for a bit, so my guess is more like five-ish years left.
so with that being said: Javi in uniform
(and I have a head cannon that Javi and Scott met in the military, so, by extension: Scott in uniform)
but that also means deployment at any given time, especially since he was working with the Pars
he and Scott are probably the two most knowledgable people about them - and it looks like Scott defers to Javi for most decisions, so Javi is probably #1
he writes letters every day and stuff them in the one envelope he gets a week. He hordes the ones he gets from you, reading them all at once bc he's too scared to start getting attached to your words just for the letter to end.
also: Javi is a firm believer in answering every late night "would you still love me if I was a worm" type of question with something serious
definitely gives a 5 page essay on what he would do if he woke up and you were transformed into some random entity
I think that he cannot stand humidity, which is hilarious, given that he was stationed in Miami
he makes it his mission to go on vacations in the least tropical areas ever. will plan entire trips around the average Dew Point of an area
he definitely falls asleep during movies. no matter what it is.
give up the hopes to hide in his shoulder during a horror movie bc this man is Gone
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More Posts from Streetlightyeri
28 ; scott miller [masterlist]
![28 ; Scott Miller [masterlist]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/f9f84ecadd46c7b9f2b7b798d927f937/278d266e27184155-42/s500x750/6481a57e037d22f78b82de26335e8d825875bbda.jpg)
âtook twenty eight years of blood i was lost in to feel loved on my own birthday.â
aspen lee has spent the last two years proving to her peers that she was accepted to MIT for a reason. scott miller has spent the last year as a TA for Dr Muher, grading assignments for students that made him want to question the school's acceptance team. one misspoken sentence leads to scott meeting his match: both academically and romantically.
contents: misogyny, alcohol consumption, eventual smut [to be denoted], graphic depiction of injuries, scott is part of the army, check each chapter for individual warnings. as always, FMC has a name but no described features.
I. the misspoken chapter
II. TBA
false god ; boone

âi know heavenâs a thing, i go there when you touch me.â
[aka, boone is good at using a camera for more than just storm chasing]
w.c: 3444
warnings: 18+ MDNI. smut (oral, piv, breath play? in the lightest sense of the word, bandana used as gag).
notes: no beta, not even proofread lol i just needed to post this, i'll come back and edit at a later time. this is a piece from my wip about boone for my twisters/zach bryan song fic series (scott's is in progress as well a part two for "oklahoma smokeshow" for tyler). this was supposed to be fluff, slice of life moment, idk what happened <3 and as always, the fmc has a name but no descriptors bc i cannot personally write in 2nd person
-
She surprised him while they were on a chase. She was going to be in the state for no more than a few hours - when he headed out tomorrow she would be too. But she was able to get the information of where the crew was staying from Dani with the promise she would keep her mouth shut about it. Dani mustâve talked Tyler into letting them crash at a nicer place for the night because instead of a motel that Rowan was sure would give her hives, she pulled up to a very respectable 3 star chain hotel. She made a mental note to buy that girl whatever her heart desired.
Rowan pulled her hood closer around her neck and her hat farther down onto her head. She locked her vehicle behind her, keeping her head down as she walked to the side entrance Dani propped open for her. Once she made it in, she kicked the rock out the door jam and made her way to the elevator.
Rowan tried to calm her nerves as the elevator rose to the 4th floor. Her heartbeat picked up once the doors opened. She followed the signs to room 435. It was a corner room. Now Rowan was certain Dani had roped everyone into the plan; otherwise, a room like this wouldâve been a coin toss or a game of pulling straws to see who got it. Her face burned at the thought.
But nevertheless, she knocked on the door. Booneâs voice came from the other side. âYeah?â He was expecting someone from the team to respond, but heard nothing. He called out again. Rowan knocked in response.
She heard shuffling before the sound of the lock clicking. When the door swung open, she looked up, met with the sight of her boyfriend dressed in the same clothes he mustâve been wearing that day: jeans, a wifebeater, and a bandana tied around his neck. She could see his camo button down discarded on the end of the bed and his hat on the nightstand. A smile grew across her face as the moment started to click for him. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the room, double checking no one was lurking in the hallway before shutting the door. He turned the lock again and also flipped the deadbolt now that she was here.
When he turned back to her, he nearly tackled her onto the floor, throwing her hat to some corner of the room. But he managed to get his bearings before they lost their balance. His lips found hers; she could feel his smile as he kissed her. He walked them to the bed, keeping his hand behind her head to absorb the impact as her knees bent and her back hit the mattress.
He paused to pull back and look at her again, making sure she was real. âHi, baby.â
She let out a giggle. âHi, Boone.â
He leaned down and kissed her again, but stopped when her hand came up and pushed his shoulder back slightly. He knit his brows when she patted the bed next to herself but complied. She sat up to be eye level with him. He couldnât believe she was here; his hands found her hips, sliding up her sweatshirt to rub circles on her soft skin. She wasnât any better; she was trying to find her words but the way he was looking at her with his big doe eyes, like she was the best thing heâd ever seen, was making her brain short circuit. A haste kiss from him jump started her again.
âI have a . . . gift, of sorts, for you.â
He raised his eyebrows, âIs you being here not it?â
Rowan felt her cheeks heating up, her hands dropping from playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. She stood up and walked to her duffle bag she discarded blindly when he tackled her. She reached in and brought out the small box she wrapped in a haste and walked back over to him, leveling him with a serious gaze. âNo one can know about this. Absolutely no one.â
âWhat is it, baby?â
âPromise me you will never show anyone this. Ever. No matter what.â
âI promise.â
She sat back down and handed him the box. He made quick work with the paper, his jaw dropping when he saw the picture on the side of the box: a camcorder. Nothing fancy, absolutely no bells and whistles. But Boone always had a thing for cameras. Heâd started messing around with them back when he was enrolled in community college, fresh out of high school, still trying to figure out what the hell he wanted to do with his life. There was nothing more exciting to him than getting the perfect shot.
âYou know how hesitant Iâve been about, uh,â she cleared her throat, âfilming. But I thought about it. With something like this, thereâs no cloud it gets uploaded to, no internet required. Nothing anyone can hack. Itâs not the best quality, but it was the best I could find that I was comfortable with.â
He dropped the box on the bed next to him and grabbed her head in his hands; they were so large his fingertips met at the back. âRowan, baby, please tell me you know I am fine with never recording us? I donât want you to feel pressured. I let go of that fantasy a while ago. If youâre not comfortable with it, then it isnât hot anymore.â
She nodded through his grip. âI know.â
He kissed her again, letting go of her with a whoop of excitement before he opened the tape on the box with his pocket knife. He pulled out the recorder and inserted the SD card, flipping open the screen, taking a sweep of the room. He played around with the settings, adjusting it for the roomâs lighting. He was so confident in his knowledge of the camera. In seconds he got it looking more like 720p instead of the 480p she saw when using it in the store.
He flipped the screen so he could see himself as he recorded. He introduced himself to his imaginary audience while Rowan rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his torso. He used his free hand to run a hand down her hair. He lowered the camera to capture her face for a second. âAnd this is my beautiful girlfriend.â He pressed a kiss to her temple. âShe is the reason I have this camera. I think sheâs embarrassed, but donât worry, Iâll get her used to showing her face.â
She pulled back and hit his shoulder with a laugh while he winked at the camera. He flipped the screen and turned to film her, catching the perfect angle where the setting sun cut through the curtains to leave a beam running across her face. âShe loves me so much she surprised me. Canât believe she kept this a secret.â
âI was so close to spilling! You kept texting me about how much you missed me! And I had to lie that I wasnât in Oklahoma. I even had Dani working with me to cover it up. I would send photos from the view outside my apartment that Iâd been saving up for her to show you. I was scared youâd get suspicious when I kept refusing to FaceTime.â
He laughed from behind the camera. âYou are a terrible liar.â
She faked a gasp, âTake that back!â
He smirked, âI think I can think of a way to make it up to you.â
She pulled her legs to her chest and looked straight at the lens of the camera, âWell then, why donât you show me?â
He deposited the camera on the nightstand, throwing his hat elsewhere to make sure he had enough space to get the entire bed in the frame. One he was certain theyâd be visible, he tore his shirt off and made quick work of hers. He lifted her bridal style to put her correctly on the bed. He untied his bandana and tied it around her neck; he liked seeing her wear it. He hovered over her on his arms, his hair and gold chain dangling into her face. She felt her face and chest flush. No matter how many times they found themselves like this, Rowan always felt like Boone was admiring her like a precious stone.
He shifted his weight and used his right hand to run his thumb over her red cheek. âGod youâre so beautiful, baby.â
He undid her bra and he moved to sit on his haunches, admiring her from above. Her chest rose and fell as his brown eyes raked over her entire frame, leaving her skin burning in their wake. His calloused hands ghosted over her waist so lightly, her body jerked from the tickling sensation. His two index fingers ran under the waistband of her jean shorts; his eyes flickered up to her for permission. She kept her eyes stilled on him as she nodded. His eyes flickered over to the camera; he could see her side angle perfectly, surrounded by plush sheets while he hung over her.
âIs the camera okay?â
She nodded again, not looking at it.
âNeed words, baby.â
She opened her mouth but hesitated. In seconds, he had the camera in his hand, about to snap the screen shut and stop the recording. Her hand reached up and wrapped around his wrist. âItâs okay, Boone.â
He shook his head. âNo. Youâre tense. Weâre not doing it if youâre not 100% with it.â
She tightened her grip on his wrist when he tried to turn it off again. âI am. I promise. If youâre okay, I am. Iâll get used to it.â
He hesitated. He didnât want her doing this for him.
âIf I wasnât comfortable with it, I wouldnât have bought the camera.â
âYouâre allowed to change your mind, no matter who bought the camera.â
She moved to intertwine her fingers with his, bringing his knuckles down to kiss them. âIâll tell you if I change my mind.â
He pursed his lips, âPromise?â
She smiled up at him, âPromise.â
She helped him set up his perfect angle again before he rided her of her shorts and underwear. His hands ran up and down her side, taking count of every inch of skin. He rememorized every mole and freckle. His lips found hers again, making his way slowly down her neck, shoulder, the valley of her breasts while his finger twisted at her nipples. She felt him smirk against her skin when she gasped, hands reaching out to grip the sheets. He left bites on the smooth skin of her stomach, a place he was often drawn to. A place he could mark that no one would know.
When he made it between her thighs, he groaned. âThereâs my girl.â
Rowan bit her bottom lip to stifle the sound that brought out of her.
Booneâs hands tightened on her hips; she could feel each finger digging into her skin. He pressed sloppy, wet kisses to the inside of her thighs. Her toes curled in anticipation, legs locking to try and prevent them from tightening around his head. Not that he wouldâve cared. He had spent weeks warming her up to the idea of sitting on his face so he could finally feast like he wanted. She would never forget the way he locked his muscular arms around her thighs to keep her core connected with his mouth while he ate her out like his life depended on it, like he wasnât destroying her for any other man ever.Â
When he finally connected his mouth to her cunt, he moaned into her, making a shiver run up her entire body as her hands moved to grip his hair. Her fingers twisted in his locks, making him let out another satisfied noise. His tongue reached out to lap at her core, taking in the sweet release and relishing in the taste. One hand moved to splay across her stomach, lightly opening and closing to keep her down and to scratch at her skin comfortingly; the other moved to leave bruises of his finger prints on her thighs before one finger, then two, then three pushed themselves into her. Her rapid breaths and whines filled the room as her hips jerked from the way he ate. While his fingers curled into the spot he knew made her see stars, his tongue circled her clit with unrelenting determination.
He glanced up at her, seeing her head thrown back with eyes screwed closed as he increased his pace. He knew he was doing good when he felt her body tensing up below him, her legs beginning to shake. She gave a hard tug on his hair when he pulled away and let out a stream of cold breath onto her clit before attaching his hot mouth back to it. She came with a cry of his name, tensing around him as her blood seemed to run through white hot fire. Her thighs clamped around his head, spurring him on to continue his feast as he rode her through her high. He managed to get his right hand free and bring it up to her mouth, tapping her lips which she opened without question. He shoved them in, so long he almost triggered her gag reflex. She instantly closed around them, sucking herself off of him while effectively silencing her from their neighborâs ears. He used his thumb and pinky to grip her chin and turn her face to the camera. She whimpered when she saw how much of a mess she was, how much of a submissive puddle he turned her into without trying. The visual spurred her into another orgasm. When she finally came back to Earth, she let her legs go limp and released her boyfriend, much to his dismay.
He traced his lips back up to hers, pushing into her mouth. When he released their kiss, he left small pecks on her jaw, coming to her ear, âMy favorite meal. Now my favorite show.â
She grabbed his jaw and brought him back to her lips where he lost himself for an unknown amount of time. He was achingly hard. Rowan ran her hand down his shoulders, past the scar on his ribs from when he got hit by a tree branch in the field, down his abs that he gained from always running from tornadoes, to run her hand over his length. She would never get used to it; he was the biggest sheâd ever had, and he knew how to use it. He could bring her to tears without being fully seated in her. He had to coach her into taking deep breaths the first time theyâd done it because she was so tense he couldnât push in. Now, they knew the drill.
She pulled his belt off with one hand and discarded it somewhere in the room before popping his button. He discarded his pants and underwear off the bed, once again on his haunches, pumping himself in his right hand. Her hair was a messy halo around her, her skin shiny with sweat.
He lifted her legs to hang over his thighs, leaving her wide open for him to push into her without pain. His eyes flickered to the camera before coming back to hers; she nodded. He picked the camera up, and fixed the angle to where it was a clear shot of him entering her. With every inch he gave, her whimpers grew louder. âBite down on the bandana for me sweetheart.â
She nodded blindly, biting down on the cloth that smelled exactly like him, like the cologne he wore that made her nearly stumble when she first met him. Her senses were clouded from anything else in the world. All that existed was him. The camera was an extension of him, like it always was.
When he was fully seated in, he gave a few long in and out thrusts, letting her adjust to his size before putting the recorder in its spot. When she gave him the nod that he was okay to move, he lifted one of her legs to rest on his shoulder, pressing a kiss to her ankle where she had a tattoo of a tornado, courtesy of Lilly and an empty bottle of Jack.
He gripped her hip with his free hand before he began to hammer into her. The sound of skin slapping filled the room. Her noises were one of his favorite things about sex with her, but he really did not need the neighbors knowing that he hadnât even given her 30 minutes before they went at it; the bandana was not cutting it. He gathered up the material that was still hanging out her mouth and shoved it in. He gave a short âsorryâ when he heard her gag but he wasnât sure she heard it because he gave a very hard thrust at the same time that caused her eyes to roll backwards. He placed his hand over her mouth as well to keep her silent, her leg pressed against her chest.
Her hands dug crescents into his biceps and left long marks down his back. He had absolutely no complaints. If he could find a way to make the feel of him buried in her cunt permanent, he would. Boone grunted in her ear when she squeezed around him, âBe good, honey.â He felt her moan vibrate through his hand.Â
She was getting close, he could feel it. She kept lifting her hips in a way to both escape the pleasure but also find new angles for him to hit in hopes it would be what set her off. He snaked his hand off her hip and used his rough thumb to circle her clit. In seconds, he sent her over the edge. She tensed so hard around him he couldnât thrust her through it. Her tightness sent him over the edge, his face buried in her hair while he was groaning her name paired with a whimper of overstimulation. When he finally pulled out, he got the camera again to film the dripping of his spend out her cunt. He reached a hand out and smeared his cum across her cunt. She jerked and whimpered, the feeling too much so soon after he finished her again.Â
He turned the camera to her face as he gave her his cum covered fingers to suck on. She had a sleepy, not-fully-on-Earth smile plastered on her face. She stared at the lens, at the extension of Boone, âHi, baby.â
He held the camera out with one arm while he moved to connect their lips again.
The camera ran out of battery just as Boone was setting it up to look into the shower, right after he got a shot of Rowan on her knees with her tongue out, covered in his release, before she swallowed and showed her empty tongue to the camera.
He cursed when the screen turned black, an alert to change SD cards coming up. Rowan laughed and closed it after turning it off, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the shower. âYouâll just have to remember this round.â
-
Her hair left a damp spot on the pillow beneath him, but he didnât mind. She was half asleep in the nook he made for her between his shoulder and arm, her eyes closed as she inhaled the scent of his soap and shampoo. If his arm was asleep under her, he said nothing. He had changed the sheets with the ones from the closet while she searched through his bag and her own to find something to wear. She ultimately decided on a pair of sleep shorts she brought and one of his plain t-shirts that hung oversized on her. She had a fist resting on his chest and had her leg across his waist; he lightly scratched at it, a comforting motion to help lure her to sleep.
He adjusted his head to leave a kiss on the top of her head. âI love you, Rowan.â
She was too tired to make any words, so she gave him a hum that both acknowledged his words and returned the sentiment. She kissed the nearest part of him she could before settling back into her cocoon. He pulled the blankets up closer to her chin.
i just watched twisters for the fifth (count em: 5) time and then got in my car and listened to nine ball by zach bryan about 15 times so yall know whats coming

the misspoken chapter ; scott miller
chapter I of the 28 series
âyou took a train to the south side of boston, you showed me where your old man stayed.â
w.c: around 7000
warnings: misogyny, extended writing of being trapped in an elevator, mention of pregnancy in medical setting, not well proofread.
-
Aspen rested her head on Scottâs shoulder as the Red Line railcar thundered back up across the Charles River. His arms were folded across his chest for the beginning of the ride, but his sleepy girlfriend had wedged her arms through his, intertwining her fingers into the hand closest to her. He busied his other hand with grabbing the sliding tupperware of leftovers her parents weighed them down with. It was a short train trip; Scott wasnât sure how she was able to fall asleep and get so comfortable so fast. It mustâve been her plan from the moment he saw her heavy blinks after dessert.
When they finally got to their stop, he flexed his hand she was holding before shaking it, the movement making her grumble and lift her head. He pressed a chaste kiss to her hair before standing, her arms still wrapped around his. âThis is our stop.â
She stood and let him guide her back to the street where the cool air started to wake her up. He let go of her hand to reposition himself on the outside; he flexed his hand in the absence of hers, but her warmth found him again quickly, without him having to ask.
They finally made it back to their shared apartment, their soon-to-be alma mater shining in the distance.
-
The two met when she overheard him bitching at an undergrad she was just helping about how he messed up a line of code and didnât deserve the second chance to correct his homework for something as simple as a parenthesis. When the student asked what he could do to learn from his mistake, Scott looked through stacks of paper and pulled out a piece with lines of letters and numbers printed on it. âFind whoever this is, and hope they have pity on you to teach you.â
Aspen scoffed from behind her computer screen, recognizing the paper. She never understood why they had to print out coding homework, but Dr Muher was weird. Scottâs eyes narrowed in her direction; the other two students using Dr Muherâs TAâs Study Hour quickly gathered their things and bolted out the door.
âIâm sorry, is another studentâs struggle funny to you?â
Aspen stopped typing and shut her laptop as though she had all the time in the world. She interlocked her fingers and rested her chin on them. âNo, just that youâre using my work as an example and you donât even know what I look like.â
Scott looked between the paper and the girl and before letting out his own scoff. âYeah, I will not believe this is your work.â
She raised an eyebrow, âWhy not? Please enlighten me.â
âThis is too advanced to be a juniorâs work.â
âThis is a junior level class, is it not?â
âYes, but-â
âThe name on the paper is Aspen Lee, is it not?â
The TAâs hand tightened around the paper in anger at being defied.
She stood, palms resting on the table. âWhy donât you say what youâre thinking? That it canât be me because Iâm a girl. Youâre the TA, why is it my job to teach my peers? I know the army doesnât pay you shit, but that isnât my fault. You donât see my name on a fucking building here, and Iâm not making it someone elseâs problem.â
She zipped her backpack and wrapped her laptop in her arms. Just before she was out of the door she turned back, hand on the doorknob, âAnd by the way, his work is missing a bracket, not a parenthesis.â
-
A few weeks later, after very fiery glances being thrown between the two, Dr Muher called the two to her office hours. She sat with perfect posture as she looked across to the two biggest headaches of her entire teaching career, both with their arms crossed and scowls set deep in their faces. âI will not have my TA and my highest performing pupil glaring each other down every second of my class! I do not care what animosity you have for each other, but your rivalry is causing a rift to form in my classroom. You will both give apologies in front of the class for the way you two have behaved.â
Scott went to speak, but the stone coldness of Aspenâs voice lowered the temperature in the room, âNo.â
Dr Muher pulled her head back in a mix of surprise and disbelief. âIâm sorry Ms Lee, but did you just say ânoâ?â
âIâm not apologizing when this is his fault.â She jutted her thumb in his direction.
He let out a groan, âWhat are you, five?â
Aspen rolled her eyes and swallowed hard, standing from her chair and throwing her bag over her shoulder. The professor held her hand up to Scott, warning him to stop, before turning her gaze back to Aspen, freezing her in place. âMs Lee, I will not tolerate the environment you two have created in my classroom, you must understand this.â
Aspenâs voice was throaty, years of anger seeping into her words. âWhy is it me who always has to âunderstandâ? And speaking of âunderstanding,â I thought you of all people would! You are the only woman on this goddamn computer science faculty, you know what itâs like having to prove yourself, downplay yourself, humble yourself, just to make the very essence of you palpable for the men in this field. Youâre trying to tell me my work was good enough to rub in another studentâs face until he saw that it was me who did it? And you expect me to just lay there and take it? I will not apologize to my peers for something that is not my fault, especially when I have yet to hear an apology from him! And if proving the point that the woman always gets the worse end of the deal requires me failing this class, that is something I am willing to do.â
-
Seven days later, Scott had not apologized and neither had Aspen. She was missing from all three following lectures. Just seeing her name as he transcribed attendance from everyoneâs clicker made him grip his pencil to near breaking. After that third lecture, Scott was sitting at his desk in Dr Muherâs office, grading freshman coding assignments. He nearly threw his laptop after the 4th student in a row couldnât make a circle turn 360 degrees. When Aspen walked in, he pressed the 0 key on his keyboard so hard that the studentâs grade input as 000000000/10 and tanked their grade to a negative seven.
Her backpack hung off one shoulder, and she had a single piece of pink paper in her hand. She didnât acknowledge Scott as she handed the paper over to the professor.
Dr Muher pulled her glasses off her head and perched them on her nose, pretending as if she needed to read what the paper said to know that the Pepto Bismol pink paper was a drop slip. She dropped the paper on her desk with a sigh, âMs Lee, you are aware that dropping my class this close to the end of the year will impact your financial aid and your transcript?â
âThis class isnât even for my major, I took it as a free elective.â
The professor blinked, rubbing her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, âRemind me again why you are taking junior level C++ and are a . . . what major?â
âIâm here for coastal engineering. My programs are in MATLAB and Python. I just needed the A from this class. Iâll get it elsewhere. So, can you sign the slip?â
Dr Muher sighed again and sprawled her signature onto the slip. When the door shut behind Aspen, she turned to Scott, pointing in the direction Aspen disappeared to with the end of her glasses. âFix this.â
-
The first flurries of winter were falling around Aspen as she made her way across campus and into the student union. The snow was a month early; it was only the beginning of November. It was early morning, the first class section still multiple hours away. She paid for a coffee and redirected herself to the elevators to go to the study rooms on the top floor.
An irritatingly tall man in a military uniform walked up next to her, freshly showered but still flushed from a workout. âMay we talk?â
Aspen gave him a side glance, refusing to turn to him and have to look up, continuing to walk down the breezeway. âNo.â
That made him falter. Scott pursed his lips and took a deep breath, summoning all of the patience he never knew he possessed. He took two steps to catch up with her, shoving his hand in the door of the elevator she had already made it to. His teeth were grit as he spoke, âPlease, may we talk?â
âWhy, Dr Muher threatened to give you a bad review to your Lieutenant?â She made eye contact with him through the mirrors that surrounded them as the elevator slowly ascended.
âYou have to be such a dick all the time?â
Aspen finally looked at him, eyebrows lifted and eyes widened as if to say âoh, Iâm the dick?â but couldnât finish her sentence, the jolting of the elevator before it stopped prevented her from finishing. The fluorescent light above them flickered; the two turned their heads up towards it. âYou have got to be fucking joking.â
She was nearest to the buttons, the two having left enough room for a squadron of kindergarteners to stand between them. Aspen pressed the open door button, hoping the stop was a fluke and the pair just hadnât realized they were already at the 3rd floor.
The door did not open.
âShocking.â
Aspen swung her head to glare at him. âAnd if we pressed the emergency call button and hadnât pressed that, what would we have done if that was the fix?â
Scott narrowed his eyes back at her, shooing her away from the buttons. She tried to resist but his arm pushing her backwards against her shoulders was too strong and she stumbled to the corner he just vacated. His finger hovered against the emergency call button. âNo smart comment about how I might tell whoever answers that thereâs only one person who needs help?â
âWhat would they do when they came? Pry open the doors to get you out then snap them back shut and cut the cable line to let me fall to my death?â Aspen swiped open her phone with her free hand but only an SOS signal shined back at her.
Scott mumbled out a Jesus Christ at the morbid quip before pressing the button. The two sat in tense silence for a few seconds before a voice cracked through an unseen speaker. âUniversity Police Department, whatâs your emergency?â
âThis is Staff Sergeant Scott Miller, a civilian and I-â Scott saw Aspen mouth civilian to herself and quietly snort out a laugh, âare in an unmoving elevator in the student union breezeway.â
Aspen rested her head against the wall with her eyes closed while he continued the call. The mirrors reflecting off each other creating infinite Scotts was too much for her to handle.
âPlease prepare to be there for up to multiple hours, as we need to ensure there is nothing wrong with the wiring due to the weather. It is pertinent that you do not open the doors from the inside; the elevator may resume working on its own and can be deadly if one of you is caught between a floor and the elevator.â
The voice clicked off just before it could hear the two of them say, âHours?â
Then the light went out.
-
It took only a half hour for Aspen to suck her coffee dry and begin to lose body heat. The breezeway elevator shafts were connected to the outside, meaning whatever temperature was outside translated to the inside. The box was slowly becoming an ice locker. Scott was still warm, fully dressed in his three uniform layers that kept in his body heat from his post-workout shower. Aspen looked through her bag multiple times, hoping to find an extra scarf or gloves but was out of luck each time. She breathed into her hands and rubbed them together before putting her hands in her armpits. She kept her head down to blow warm air onto herself.
A camouflage jacket hit her body before falling to the floor. She looked at Scott, who was sitting on the opposite corner of the elevator, feet planted and knees up. She lifted a brow in question.
âPut it on so you donât die of hypothermia. If I get saved and youâre dead, the military police are going to have my ass.â
-
Aspen was still shivering under Scottâs military jacket. The metal of the elevator was absorbing more of the cold air from outside and turning the cube into a certified meat locker. She pulled out her textbooks and stacked them on the floor so the two of them could avoid putting their cores near the cold metal. She didnât want to admit that it was Scottâs idea, but he had little to offer for them to sit on aside from cold, sweaty clothes in his duffle bag.
She curled into his jacket, trying to seal in any warmth left from him. Her knees were pulled to her chest and she dipped her head to meet them so her hot breath warmed up her skin through her pants.
After a few minutes, Scott noticed a decrease in her shuddering breathing movements. He nudged her side. âAre you still alive, Lee?â
She let out a grumble. âYes, Miller. I think I am alive because if I was in hell, it wouldnât be this cold.â
He snorted, âGoing to hell, eh?â
She peaked out of her cocoon, only one eye visible to him. âIf I die and youâre there, then yeah, Iâm in hell.â
-
âWhat were you going to say?â Aspen asked, her voice muffled.
âWhat?â
âWhat you were chasing me to say.â
Scott sat in the silence that followed for a while. âI wanted to apologize.â
She pulled her head out the cocoon she made, brows knit in surprise.
It looked like it pained him to say it, but Aspen could tell there was sincerity in his words. There was no need for him to be as truthful as he was being. âI was an asshole to you that day in study hour, but I feel like you put words in my mouth. It made me angry - livid, so I figured if you saw me as the bad guy, I might as well let myself play the part.â
âWhat words?â
âYou said I inherently valued your work less because youâre a woman - it isnât and never was true. I knew that whoever Aspen Lee was, she was a woman, or at least identifying as one, according to MITâs gradebook. The part that I couldnât believe was that you were already there, helping him. I heard the way you spoke to that student, the way you pointed out his mistake but didnât make him feel bad for it but didnât baby him either. You knew that you were right and were unapologetic about it, but not mean. Iâve spent my entire time in the STEM field learning to cope with being belittled and scolded for a mistake. I think itâs why I do so well in the army - itâs the same shit.
âThe company I work for outside of the military wants me to recruit talent in coding, C++ specifically. When I first saw your work, I thought you had to be a graduate student. I think that belief, that refusal to admit that someone younger than me could be so good at something I do day in and day out, prevented me from finding you. Iâve been trying to figure out who you are for months now. Dr Muher refused to introduce us, said something like we were too alike and would either bite each otherâs heads off or . . .â Scott trailed off and cleared his throat, blinking away whatever memory came with what he just said, âAll of that being said, I understand why you took what I said the way you did, especially here, at this school, but I would never devalue someoneâs work based on their gender. What you heard in my voice wasn't misogyny. It was jealousy.â
A sudden wave of guilt washed over Aspen, causing her to hide her face again. She spent so many hours burning with hatred over him only to be wrong. âI guess Iâm so used to being seen as someone whoâs here to meet a rich man then do nothing with my degree once I graduate that I struggle to see peopleâs true intentions. And, thereâs nothing wrong with doing that, but Iâm just so tired of people seeing me and thinking they know my future while my male peers get asked what their aspirations are. Dr Muher is such an inspiration for me, and I felt so betrayed by her, like she was doing exactly what everyone else had. When I was in elementary and high school, I was in a STEM magnet school, and I felt so out of place, but when Iâd go visit my grandmother in Oklahoma over the summers, I felt like I couldnât belong there either. So, Iâm sorry for my reaction. I think a lot of my anger was projection. But I am not sorry for the emotions I felt after."
Scott nodded, taking in her words. He extended a hand, âTruce?â
She wiggled her hand back into the sleeve of his jacket and shook it. âTruce.â
-
The door creaked and the elevator rumbled after a man shouted what Aspen thought was gibberish or possibly a German sneeze. SNECF. Her head shot up while Scott was already fully up and standing. She followed suit. The doors started to pry apart, the butt of a crowbar sticking out; whoever was prying was grunting with the amount of force it took. Scott kicked his steel toe boot into the crack the man made and positioned himself to push one side out, forcing the mechanisms in the elevator to open the other as well. The face of a plump man in a fire suit peered down at them. He was belly down on the ground, only a small sliver of the elevator was open to the 3rd floor. The rest of the door was blocked by the shaft.
He reached his hand out and waved her up, âCome on, Miss. Weâll get you up first.â
She abandoned her belongings but tried to take the jacket off herself to hand back to Scott but he shook his head, nodding in the direction of the fireman. âLeast of my worries right now, come on, get up.â
She understood this was not a time for joking, nor was she in the mood for it, watching as Scott held open her only exit with his body. Aspen lifted her hands and the man took hold of her forearms, pulling her up with the help of another fireman. When she made it out, she felt like she entered a sauna. The heater on the third floor was working overtime, and she was thankful for it. She breathed out a sigh of relief, but her brow knit when she noticed the man who helped the fire chief get her out pick up an industrial fire extinguisher and take a few steps back from the elevator.
All she could see was Scottâs head, but through a tiny sliver of mirror she had access to, she saw a million versions of Scott take a shaky breath and reposition himself in the elevator doors, starfishing himself through them, palms out against the doors. Aspen looked between the two firemen, one who was not helping and another who was face to face with Scott and only held a crowbar between the doors. She quickly made her way over to the doors, but before she could grab a door and help keep it open, the man with the fire extinguisher grabbed her by the oversized jacket and flung her into the opposite wall with his full force. Her temple collided with the drywall, the thin material crumbing around her head as she collided with the stud. Scott leveled him with a glaze that Aspen couldnât tell was anger or thanks. âIf you two arenât going to help, at least let me.â
âIt is too dangerous, Miss.â The man who grabbed her said.
âYou guys said you wouldnât get us until it was clear.â She rubbed at her temple, grimacing as she pulled back and saw her hand coated in red.
No one responded.
Scott hoisted his legs up, holding the doors open with nothing but his hands and the crowbar, his knees rising to his chest. He took a second to breathe before lifting his legs to the patch of floor and sliding his body out, belly down on the floor. The second he let go, the doors snapped the crowbar in half with a ferocious thunder. Then the elevator fell down the shaft with a deafening crack, leaving a gaping hole in the wall. Aspen quickly wrapped her hands around Scottâs bicep, helping him off the floor, opting to not mention the bloody handprint she left on his shirt.
âJesus Christ, youâre freezing cold.â Aspen immediately shrugged off his jacket and tried to hand it back to him. He dug in his pants pockets and pulled out a cloth, pressing it to her temple, hard. The two firemen were calling in the rest of UPD and whoever else the school deemed in need to handle the fallen elevator. The man who flung her earlier took position at one end of the hallway while the chief took position at the other to direct any passersby away.
He grabbed her by the shoulder with his free hand and walked her away from the gaping elevator shaft. He finally took his jacket from her as she took over applying pressure, sliding his arms through and trying not to react as the smell of cherry vanilla perfume filled his senses and as though there wasnât a patch of her blood on the collar. Scott barely had time to zip his jacket back up before a man rounded the corner, shouting Scottâs name and title. It was clear he knew who was speaking; his feet shot together as he pivoted, his posture correcting itself, his chest puffing out, and his hands coming to his side.
Aspen took a step back as a man in his mid fifties approached. When he was about 6 steps away, he spoke again, âAt ease, soldier.â
Scottâs hands came to rest behind his back and Aspen averted her eyes. It felt weird seeing Scott so obedient, so tame. Her wandering eyes found the elevator shaft; if she focused she could feel the cool breeze coming up it. It was pitch black in the gaping hole in the wall, the other elevator sitting pretty and untouched. No doubt there was caution tape already put up in the breezeway. She was certain that there would be crazy rumors about the incident on the schoolâs YikYak page.
But as she stared at the shaft, all her brain could play was different imagingings of Scott pulling himself out of there a second too late and going down with it. Her mind conjured up scenarios that made no sense: him headless, him bodiless, all different ways of him dead. All because he let her out first. She mustâve been staring for a while because when someone touched her arm, she blinked hard and turned to see Scott looking down at her.Â
âSergeant Miller, bring this lady to an urgent care. No school affiliated doctors.â He turned to walk away but hesitated, turning back to Scott. âGet yourself checked too, while youâre there. Report back to me.â
âYes, sir.â
She tried to protest, but his commanding officer had turned to another soldier who came up, giving orders.
âYou okay?â He glanced between her and the elevator shaft.
She gave a half-hearted smile and nodded, âYeah, yeah, I think so. You really donât have to bring me to urgent care. Iâm fine. Itâs just bleeding a lot because itâs on my temple.â
He pursed his lips, eyes flickering from hers to the drywall dust sitting in her hair and the roll of blood down her cheek. He didnât think she was aware there was a strip of blood on the exposed stud. âI cannot ignore an order from a commanding officer.â
-
The urgent care physician had eyes the size of saucers when he was taking down the reason for this visit. He started with Scott who kept a clenched jaw and flared nostrils nearly the entire time. He received a clean bill of health and a hand written and signed note stating he was allowed to continue duty as needed. Aspen on the other hand was given a doctorâs note excusing her from classes for the rest of the week for a minor concussion, only after a few too-nosy questions.
âI do want you to avoid screens and long periods of staring at boards and notebooks, so Iâll write a note excusing you. But Miss, are you pregnant?â
âI was stuck in an elevator for four hours, not an orgy.â Aspen was annoyed. She had already told the nurse that she was not pregnant and had to deny a urine test.
Scott let out a choked sound in the back, but the doctor pushed. âExposure to the cold for that long can have an effect on a fetus. Are you positive youâre not pregnant?â
Aspen let out a scoff of disbelief. âExposure to the cold that long can have an effect on me. How many times do I have to say Iâm not pregnant until Iâm believed? So unless youâre about to get on your knees and pray over my virgin womb for the second coming of Christ, then just write the fucking note.â
Scott gave her the keys to his truck once the doctor finally discharged them. He swiped his card as she climbed into his passenger seat. He joined her a minute later, their printed visit notes in hand. He handed her hers and she glanced over it and snorted before reading out loud, âMiss Lee presents to the clinic today with complaints of a possible concussion and extended cold exposure. Voiced complaints of mild double vision, ringing in bilateral ears, and nausea. Denies any slurred speech. Upon examination has poor eye tracking ability and has laceration on left temple. Cleaned and bandaged.â
âSounds normal.â
âYeah, until: Patient is argumentative and vulgar. Pregnancy status remains unknown.â
Scott took his hand off the gearshift, turning to her. âNo way.â Heâd glanced over his report earlier and the doctor had referred to him as âpleasant,â something he hadnât been called since his great-grandmother was alive.
Aspen held out the paper for him.
âYouâre sure?â
She let out a belly laugh, shaking the paper for him to grab, âI think we were one more âare you pregnant?â away from you watching me have a pap smear. No, I donât care if you look.â
Scott looked over the report, âIâm taking you to a different urgent care.â
She waved her hand to dismiss the idea, adjusting in her seat to try and escape the beaming sun that came from behind a cloud. He reached out and pulled down the visor before producing a pair of sunglasses. âIâm fine.â
âIf MIT sees this, theyâre going to try and weasel out of any blame. You need to see a doctor that isnât going to write off valid points as you being argumentative.â
She inspected the sunglasses, trying to tell if they were actually going to stop UV rays. âIf MIT wants me to piss in a cup to prove my unborn child didnât stop the elevator, I will. But right now I just want my bed.â
âYou need to see a-â
She turned to him, fast. âWhat I need right now is to be alone because quite frankly everytime I see your face my brain plays the sight of you almost dying this morning all because you let me out first. I am holding onto my composure with the thinnest thread of humor right now. Please just take me home.â
She turned back in her seat and put the sunglasses on, hoping it would hide the welling tears in her eyes. Scott didnât quite know how to react, so he just let her direct him to an apartment building near campus. When he parallel parked, she took a deep breath and went to take the sunglasses off.
âKeep them.â
She lowered her hand back down. âI just realized all of our stuff was in that elevator.â
âIâll see if anything was salvaged and see if I can get it to you. You have a way to get in?â
âYeah, my roommates donât have class until 10, so at least one should be there. Iâm in that one.â She pointed to a window on the 3rd floor with a Christmas tree in the window despite the fact it was nowhere near the season for it. A beat of silence passed. Aspen couldnât find the courage to look at him. âThank you. For everything, I-â
He held his hand out. âDonât.â
More silence followed that Aspen didnât know if it meant she was to leave.
âSee you next Monday?â
She gave a small smile before nodding, âYeah, I guess see you next Monday.â
-
She was freshly showered and no longer smelling like Scott Millerâs stupidly attractive cologne. She swiped open her phone and lowered the brightness, busying her mouth with biting her thumb nail, and typed in what she hoped was the spelling of what she now knows was a command.
SNECF
Nothing besides a few Polish articles about sunscreen.
SNECF command
Nothing aside from dog training and a targeted ad about Polish sunscreen.
SNECF military
Jackpot. But in a bad way. Aspen locked her phone when she saw it and processed what it meant.Â
SAFETY NOT ESTABLISHED, CIVILIANS FIRST. This command is given amongst first responder and military personnel when a situation may be dire or serve as a threat to life and/or property, but civilians are present and informing them of said situation may cause panic that would worsen or in some way prohibit the ability of personnel to adequately perform safety evacuations or further assessments.
-
She saw Scott before the next Monday. He knocked on her door three days later. One of her roommates opened the door and waved him in. He wasnât sure if that meant this girl had no sense of self preservation or if that meant Aspen had explained what he looked like - or possibly even shown the horrible photo of him on the MIT ROTC webpage - to them. The apartment was clean, if a little dilapidated. They had a small Roku TV as the centerpiece of the living room, a tapestry of a shirtless Marvel or DC or some other superhero pinned above the couch with thumbtacks. The area above the cabinets in the kitchen were decorated with empty liquor bottles. It reminded him of the house he shared in undergrad. âSheâs in the room with the pink door.â
Sure enough, down the hall, there was a room with a hot pink door decorated with My Little Pony stickers. It didnât seem to match any of the other door styles in the apartment and didnât fit in the doorframe currently. The edges of it were sawed and sanded down poorly. He knocked.
Aspenâs voice responded. âWhyâd you knock? Just come in.â
Scott assumed she thought he was one of her roommates. It wouldnât have been fair to walk in. âItâs Scott.â
Shuffling ensued, but after a few moments the door opened to Aspen, still dressed in her pajamas. She gave an uneasy smile, âHi.â
Scott held up her backpack and smirked, his dimple popping, as he tapped her door with his knuckle, âHi Pinkie. I was able to convince UPD to give your things back from evidence.â
âMy roommateâs boyfriend fell through my door, and I got the Landlord Special. Be careful, Pinkie Pie will give you a splinter.â She took her bag from his hand and opened the door more to let him in. She sat on the edge of her bed, motioning for him to sit wherever. He opted for her desk chair. Aspen pretended to not notice the way his legs spread and his arms crossed. âUPD has an evidence locker?â
âIt was mostly confiscated scooters, but yes.â
âGod, the only thing UPD does that benefits this campus is infiltrate the scooter gangs. I shouldnât have to fear for my shins walking to class.â
âThey do also save people from elevators.â
She snorted, still sorting through her bag to make sure everything was there and undamaged. âThe fire department did that.â
âThen the fire department threw you into a wall so hard you cracked the drywall and got a concussion.â
âMy mother would classify that as a symptom of my hard-headedness.â
âSheâs got that right.â He muttered. Scott was met with an attempted pillow to the head. Instead, it grazed him and knocked down her pencil cup. He pivoted in the spinny chair to clean it up and to gather his thoughts as he was once again clouded by her scent. He shouldâve just given the backpack to her roommate and left, but no - he needed to see her. And good thing he had.
âJust know that hit the other you I see.â
His brows furrowed. For a mild concussion, she shouldâve been far on the mend by now. The weeklong excuse was liberal to ensure she was fully healed. âStill have double vision?â
He turned back to her after putting the cup back in order. She shrugged, placing her laptop back in its home at the charging dock on her nightstand. âNothing worse, just continuous symptoms. double vision is only for stuff not in front of my face, though.â
âSo most things on Earth?â
She placed a finger to her lips and shushed him. She went back to looking through her bag, squinting at different items such as chapstick and lip gloss. The room was only illuminated by a floor lamp by her bed, casting the entire room in a warm glow. That response wasnât good enough for him; he stood from his spot and walked over to her, arms crossed as he hovered over her. When his shadow cast over her, she looked up, head tilting all the way back to take him in. He held a small flashlight in his hand that he produced from one of his many pockets. âHello?â
âLet me see your eyes.â
She jokingly tucked her hair behind her ear. âAt least buy me dinner first.â
âAspen.â
She gave a little pout but repositioned herself so her feet were touching the floor as he widened his stance to bring himself closer to her. He reached a hand out but stopped short of her jaw. âAre you okay if I touch you?â
She nodded, too nervous to give him her usual snarky comeback. She had curled herself into his jacket in a broken down elevator and was half asleep in his passenger seat after the urgent care, but this was somehow the most intimate moment the two shared. His hand was warm and calloused, rough against the skin Scott was sure she had a 10 step skin care regimen to maintain. He turned the small flashlight with the other hand to the lowest setting he could manage. He slowly ran the light over her eyes, watching her left pupil fail to shrink, staying wide. He tried to ignore the two butterfly bandages on her temple. When he finally let her go, she could barely see his jaw tense amidst the white splotches in her vision from the light. She blinked and looked around the room, trying to escape the splotches but they followed wherever she looked until they dissipated a few moments later.
âYou need to go to the doctor again. A real office, not an urgent care. ER preferably.â
She huffed, âNot this again.â
âReally? âNot this again?â Your concussion is bad. You need a CT scan.â
She laughed out loud at that; his expression stayed serious. She held her hands out around her room. âI canât afford to live in an apartment where I have a normal bedroom door. You think I can afford an ER visit for them to tell me that I need to rest for the next couple of days?â
âIâll pay for it.â
âWhat? No. Iâm fine. And speaking of-â She reached to dig in her bedside drawer, producing a wad of twenties. She held it out to him. âFor the urgent care copay.â
He shook his head, his arms crossed across his chest. âIt was $60 dollars. And Iâm definitely not taking your money for it when I think that doctorâs a total quack.â
She ran a hand through her hair, âPlease take the money, Scott.â
âNot unless you go to the ER.â
She leveled him with a stare. âIâm not saying this to be difficult. I do not think I need to go to the ER. My symptoms havenât gotten worse, just persisted, which isnât unheard of from what my Harvard premed roommate tells me. They check on me periodically and make sure I havenât asphyxiated in my own vomit. Please just take my word.â
He took a deep breath through his nose to ease his emotions. He didnât understand why he was so concerned about this girl he considered his number one pain in his ass a mere 4 days ago. All he said was âOkay.â
âThank you.â
He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a business card that had his name and ROTC office phone and scribbled his personal phone number on the back and placed it on her nightstand, next to a full glass of water and a pack of gum. âCall if anything happens.â
She blinked at him, reclining back on her palms on the bed. âWhere do you get these things from? A cloth, then a flashlight, now a business card? And you kept your wallet in your pocket and not in your duffle bag that day. Very convenient. Very Mystery Mousekatool of you.â
âItâs called being in the military. Everyone should have that on them, sans business card.â He took a seat back at the edge of the bed, showing he was only staying for a few more minutes.
Aspen nodded. âSpeaking of being in the military, whyâd you join?â
âAs you so eloquently put it, my nameâs not on a fucking building. And Kansas isnât really known for its rich families who can send their kids to MIT as legacies.â
She sighed, understanding all too well. She readjusted to recline against her pillows. âToo bad you didnât get stuck in an elevator before the recruitment officer found you. I got a refund check for the semesterâs tuition already, along with a promise of all-costs-covered for the next three semesters.â
He sat with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped. âYou civilians have it so easy. I got a letter stating it was a âhazard of the jobâ for me, so they will be providing a refunded copay for the urgent care visit that may take 6 to 8 weeks to process.â
She had to suck in her lips to keep from laughing out of shock. The two talked for another few minutes, Scott skirting the topic of what he reported back to his commanding officer (there was no way he was going to tell her that his captain asked how his âgirlfriendâ was doing and when informed that they were in no way a couple, was told âshe should be - she makes you a lot nicerâ). They got a few more subjects in before Scott noticed her responses getting slower and mumbled, her eyes fluttering open and closed, fighting sleep until she couldnât. He quietly stood and turned her lamp off, making sure not to touch the edge of the door before he shut it behind himself.
The same girl he saw earlier was still in the kitchen, prepping her dinner. Another girl in maroon scrubs sat in the chair at the bar, a piece of pizza in one hand as she scrolled on her phone in the other. Both girls glanced at him when he closed the door before making eye contact with each other, having a silent conversation that Scott knew was about him. He figured if they were already talking about him, it didnât hurt to interject. âHas she been doing okay?â
The first girl pointed her knife at the girl in scrubs, deferring to her. She put her pizza slice down in the box. She nodded as she finished chewing. âYeah, for the most part. But if her symptoms stay this prominent for another day or two, Iâm taking her to the ER.â
He raised his eyebrows, feigning as though he hadnât tried to talk her into going a few minutes earlier. âER?â
âIâm more concerned about the vomiting and nausea. She canât keep anything down. Iâm scared sheâs dehydrated.â
âIf she needs to go, call me, my number is on her nightstand. Iâll take her. I can tell them what happened.â
She tried to subdue her lifting brows and growing smirk. âWill do.â
Luckily, Aspen was on the mend the next day, her vision combining into one big picture again and her nausea slowly subsiding. She was back in class the next Monday and back in Dr Muherâs class for the first time in a while. Students murmured when she walked in, but settled quickly. She gave Scott a smile and took her usual spot four rows back and eight seats in. As Scott graded papers during the class, he found himself searching the faces of the massive class, continuing to land on Aspenâs, except instead of trying to incinerate the other with their gazes, she gave a small smile before turning back to the lecture. After everyone filed out, Dr Muher walked over to his desk, her heels clicking deafeningly on the tile floors. âI told you so.â
Scott fixed her with one of his famous glares.
She held up her hands in mock surrender. âJust remember what I said, youâll-â
He shooed her away with his hand. ââ-either bite each otherâs heads off or get married.â Yeah, yeah, I remember.â
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