#trojan ocs

[codename-adler]

so there's this David Wymack

and then there's this David Wymack

and also this David Wymack

but what about THIS David Wymack

i originally wanted to cast Ma Dong-seok as a Trojan OC therapist that would connect with Jean in TTC/Steady Now, but the more i work with him in mind, plus the aftg x tlou wip, he is just so Wymack coded...

[codename-adler]

winter break next week, what can i get y’all

Watchu craving?

Jeremy x Aaron ficlet

aftg soundtrack

Kevsethaaron hcs

Trojan OC stuff

English Major Jeremy Knox

Jeanaaron hcs

answer ur goddamn asks adler

Voting ended onDec 19, 2024

purposely did not include socmed au bc ur gonna get that whether you want it or not

[codename-adler]

Adèle Moreau (18) USC Gymnast

I’m gonna be honest, babes, it seems she has been living inside my head for years but never on paper? I haven’t got any written notes?? Wild. Absolutely sick behaviour. Got playlists tho! I should search my mess of a desk among the dunes and dunes of paper, maybe she’s in there. I gave birth to her while working at a donut shop during covid, so I was using receipt paper to write down when I was bored playing security guard at the door for insane customers… Dark ages… She was my light. Take care of her, ‘kay?

*Because she dates back to 2021, this has nothing to do with TSC – refer to this oc masterpost for context OR ask meeeee*

Excerpt from Wade Vesper's (OC) file: While Wade's personal case remains unsolved, he's 27 when he falls head first into the case of his life: tasked with protecting Adèle Moreau, surviving daughter of the Moreau crime family that had fallen to ruin in France years ago, Wade cannot let go of her once it is time to hand her over to Witness Protection. Adoption it is. Never in a million years would Wade have imagined being the legal guardian of a girl with ties to the mafia, one that could be killed any moment, one that chips at his fortress of a heart and ice-cold of an exterior. One that mends his heart in ways he never thought possible. One that takes only months to heal parts of him he never even considered were broken, when years of relentless work had done barely anything. Light of his life, and whatever. But for years, she survives, and so does he, and they're even happy together. Until. It's always 'until'. Neil Josten, aka Nathaniel Wesninski, opens his big fat mouth and reveals awful things, opens up gates that should have stayed locked. Adèle learns about Jean Moreau, learns about USC, hides the little she knows about her past and her file, and somehow lands both her and Wade in SoCal, under the pretense of joining the excellent gymnastics program at USC.

Jean is supposed to be in his early twenties in this and Adèle is his little sister of 4-5 years younger

Since TSC I have been thinking of incorporating Elodie into this fic’s lore, as the sibling between Jean and Adèle who still dies, but it’s just an entertaining thought to play with, nothing more

In this AU, the Moreau mother is better than what Jean got in canon; although she acts too little too late, she tries, like Mary, and her children survive, like Neil, but at what cost… at what cost

Maman Moreau is meeker than her Wesninski/Hatford counterpart, much less ingenious, not because she loves her husband or agrees with him, but because anything brighter has been beat out of her since girlhood

All she has left is the training ingrained into her body, burned into it, scarred into in

Jean has always been reserved for something else, away, something more, and she loves him, she does, but he is stronger than her, already, which leaves her nothing to give him

Adèle, however… Adèle is all hers

Maman Moreau tries to begin her training at the very most perfect second; not too young, not too old; not too grown, not too soft; not to aware, not too stupid

If she plays her cards right, if she plays her daughter just right, Adèle will climb up to the top of the world’s podium, like her older brother is supposed to, and maybe then, maybe then…

It’s gymnastics from 6 to 6, 6 days a week. Not on the Lord’s day. Then we must pray. Mother Mary knows we have too much to pray for.

In 2 years, Adèle quadruples her potential and skills, rivaling the Romanian girls

She’s on an unstoppable high, she’s doing it, exceeding expectations, sweetening the sense of victory Maman Moreau cannot help but float on

It is not enough

Or, well, too much

Adèle is perfect, this strong and agile little doll anyone would be lucky to get their hands on

Her price skyrockets and Moreau Senior collects

Her price pays for the errors of Moreau Senior and the Red Room is coming to collect

Maman Moreau falls catatonic at the news, because she knows, she knows, has heard the whispers like trails of blood, and she is locked in the confines of a room in the attic, because Adèle cannot know, Jean can’t know

It is not the first time, after all, that Maman Moreau is sick

The Moreau siblings suspect absolutely nothing as their family and servants gather to see Adèle off from the porch of the Villa Marseillaise

And none of the Moreaus expect a raid from an armed enemy squad, shooting all over, slicing throats left and right

Adèle Moreau dies that afternoon

She’s shot in the back twice and bleeds out in the sandy gravel, her Maman bowed over her little corpse, banshee wailing in the winds of the willows

The raiders set the land on fire and Lady Moreau stands guard over her daughter as it all goes ablaze

From the doorway where he is being carried to safety, Jean Moreau, little Jean, a knife still sticking out from his back, failed attempt at killing him, or was it, catches a glimpse of his burning mother, but never sees his baby sister again

Adèle wakes up in an unfamiliar car, an unfamiliar young man driving, speaking lowly into a cell phone in an unfamiliar language, unfamiliar accent

She is laid on her tummy in the backseat, an even younger man unwrapping mummy bandages, when a bump in the dirt road triggers a searing pain along her spine down to her toes

She almost has time to scream before a strongly scented cloth covers her mouth and she goes back into the dark wonderland

Adèle Moreau vanishes from Marseille and resurfaces as Astrid Müller in Geneva, under the guardianship of a very old couple, childless, both coincidentally retired gymnastics coaches of worldwide renown who teach her everything they know

As Astrid’s bullet wounds heal nicely, a goddamn miracle, the severe burns covering half of Maman Moreau’s body don’t, nor does her heart, or Jean’s

As Astrid trains harder than ever, works from sunrise to sundown on the Swiss farmland, her brother is shipped to America and her mother is interned somewhere in Finland

Astrid does not understand, and she almost forgets, if it weren’t for the twin circles marring her back, but not even ten years go by before someone finds her again

They kill the old couple without mercy but they don’t find her, and the news of the murdered Olympic coaches goes international but they don’t mention her

Adèle and Astrid collide, battle it out somewhere in the acres of blooming corn

It’s one of the American agents of INTERPOL that finds her, and doesn’t let her go

Wade Vesper holds her till Montpelier, Vermont, till the case is opened and closed, opened and closed again, opened and abandoned, till her papers show Marian Vesper, till she hides her accent completely under an American one, till she graduate high school at the top of her gymnastics team, till it’s time to fly away to college

Wade doesn’t teach her everything he knows; if he teaches her a hundredth of what he knows

As hard as some things are to forget, some other are even harder to ask, and answer

Until Nathaniel Wesninski opens his goddamn mouth and almost gets himself killed once or twice, like it’s fun

UCLA was the plan, UCLA was always the plan, fellow gymnasts already awaiting her arrival on the champion team, but Marian applies to USC, because they have a new athlete on their Exy lineup, and she could swear she knew him

What is Wade to do? Uncover the landmine he’s been hiding with his body since he met her? Let her go into the Californian minefield that could make her disappear for good? Fly them to the British countryside and leave a burning house behind?

He lets her go

For better or for worse

Marian fits seamlessly into the dorm life of the student-athlete building, fits in seamlessly with her roommates, two of whom are on the Exy team

The more she learns of this nightmare of a backliner they just welcomed, the more she finds them both beautiful, the more she avoids said backliner, Jean

He doesn’t have a sister; he doesn’t speak French anymore; he isn’t out of the woods yet

Wade Vesper, Neil Josten and Jean Moreau are helpless to what is about to come down; what is done, is done

A Trojan she is, at last

Adèle Moreau doesn’t know what box of horrors she opened

She only wanted–her brother

[codename-adler]

It’s #aftg ocs time 🥍

in an exercise for motivation, i’m making the decision to share my OC team of the USC Trojans! this started years ago, wayyyy pre-TSC announcement, as a background for a Jerejean fic called 'Steady Now' but well. as OCs are wont to do, it got out of hand realllll fast. now everyone's got a complex backstory AND storyline!

in bold are my OCs, ready for you to be introduced to ; in regular are Nora Sakavic's characters, but i painted them with my watercolors so you should absolutely ask me about them too!! if there is [redacted], that character's not ready to be born yet! or sometimes it's just an issue of final name... if the name is underlined or has numbers beside it, it means i've provided some lore already, but you should def ask more about them, always!!

i would like to thank @joanofexys with my whole heart for being an inspiration and the loveliest enabler <3 Jo (may i call you Jo?), you are a breath of fresh air to this fandom and a light to my dashboard, i love everything that you do and the passion with which you accomplish it all xx.

without further ado,

The USC Trojans Exy Team (Adler's Version) :

01 - Nikita Bailey

02 - Laila Dermott*

03 - Mari Kobayashi

04 - Gabrielle "Gabby" Oakes

05 - Catalina Alvarez*

06 - Mateo Solano

07 - George Albie Riley

08 - Namrita Khatri

09 - Angelica "Angie" Pullman

10 - Viggo Larsen

11 - Jeremy Knox*

12 - Sadie "Dee-Dee" [redacted]

13 - [redacted]

14 - [redacted]

15 - [redacted]

16 - Dakota Emerson

17 - Destinee Isaac

18 - [redacted]

19 - Joel [redacted]

20 - Jack Driver

21 - Levi Romanov

22 - Daveed Ferguson

23 - [redacted]

24 - Ariel "Baby" Driver

25 - [redacted]

26 - [redacted]

27 - Charlotte Gericault

28 - Yanko Florescu

29 - Jean Moreau*

XX - Adèle Moreau

XX - James Rhemann* (Head Coach)

XX - Anderson Atwell (Assistant Coach)

XX - Chelsea Faraj (Team Nurse)

XX - Owen O'Brien (Team Nurse)

XX - [redacted] (Team Therapist)

XX - [redacted] (Team Therapist)

XX - [redacted] (Athletic Trainer)

XX - Wade Vesper (FBI Agent)

Miscellaneous OCs

- Eva Josten

- Mary-Jane Minyard

- Gordon Family part 1

- Gordon Family part 2

12 - Lexie Dryden (PSU Backliner)

[codename-adler]

28: Yanko Florescu (22) USC Trojans Backliner

(USC Trojans lineup of OCs)

Ah, big ginger man makes Mateo brain go brrrr!

*Yanko is supposed to have a little bit grown out buzzcut but I couldn't find a gif that satisfied my mental image so. That but cropped. He shaves it every month on the 28th. Call that sports superstitions.

With Jean, Viggo and Nikita, he is one of the tallest Trojans, standing at 6'4. With Nikita also, and Mari, and others, one of the most unproblematic teammate ever. He is so chill, but in a different way than others. Mari is chill because she does not care enough about anyone's bs outside of Exy; Nikita is chill because of his infinite patience and open mind. Yanko? Nothing fazes him, because he is so inside his own mind, minding his own business, that rarely anything else registers, and if something does show up on his radar, he does not have an overly sensitive personality, so he is able to put his emotions aside and deal with what's at hand. He might be on the AS in that area. You tell me. However, nobody on the team, and I mean nobody, has ever seen him lose his cool, either in anger or sadness. He has the occasional goofy-looking smile, or a small private thing. He's very good at straight-faced comebacks. If he's acting silly, his face rarely shows anything but a mischievous glint.

Yanko can appear scary, because he's very tall, very quiet. minimally expressive, and his goddamn fucking blue eyes are very... there. He might seem broody and gruff, but that's because his brain-to-mouth connection isn't always working, and he really enjoys being in his own bubble, so sometimes if you intrude on that time, it takes him a few seconds before he understands what is happening but his facial expression might take over before he has the chance to adapt. He's just a big mountain man, big to survive and adapt to harsh winters, not to harm! But his opponents would differ.

He does resemble Mari a lot, but they really don't have the same vibe, trust me. They are not on the same wavelength. Mari carefully curates how she experiences life so as not to get bullshit and waste energy on things and people that don't matter. Yanko is just that unbothered because he does not see the point. Physical embodiment of 'it is what it is' you know?

His two best friends are George A. and Viggo. Though those two are a piece of work because they always be in impossible situations Yanko has to get them out of, he likes them for their lightheartedness, and because they make him happy. And they know it. They don't tell him to smile more, or let loose. They love him as he is, love how reliable and steady he is, how helpful and generous he is. Yanko likes to simply be in their presence, no matter how loud they can be, no matter the trouble they attract.

Yanko was born in the US to Romanian parents, he studies Psychology at Dornsife and he goes Pro after college. He is a very, very smart and hard-working student/person.

He is the sunscreen dealer, because that man would have burned 5 years ago if he hadn't ransacked a Costco. He's got tubes and balms and jars everywhere: car, backpack, locker, dorm, duffel, emergency kit, etc.

Now the Mateo part.

Yanko has always been of the same opinion as Kevin Day: it's easier to remain heterosexual. Even lower than that: it's easier to remain single. He's not a high-maintenance guy by any means, but all his relationships' beginnings were always just that, beginnings. He has a deep, deep potential and will to invest himself wholly in another person's wellbeing, but girls usually break it off, gently or not, before it even gets there. He's peculiar, he gets it, but it begins to feel draining to have to start over every time. He doesn't want to hear another 'you're too quiet' or 'you never look like you enjoy my presence'. He doesn't want nor have to explain himself, and so if the date really can't see past that, then he's not going to dedicate energy and time to that. After high school, he completely stops looking for dates. Instead, he works on himself, and knowing himself. Plus, Psychology and Exy? Yeah, no, he'll pass on girls.

That's right, girls. Yanko has never dated men, ever, and never even thought about it. If he doesn't even think about dating, thinking of dating a guy is even less probable. It's just not... something he registers. So this... thing, with Mateo? First time for him too. And yeah, Mateo is a weird af choice for a gay awakening, because he might be pretty, but he's a whole-ass bastard. Eh, what can you do.

Because Yanko is very difficult to piss off, to get a reaction out of, he's kind of perfect to handle Mateo and his demons. The catch, though, is that Yanko also suddenly becomes very good at pushing Mateo's buttons. In a way, it helps Mateo to expulse all the shit that pollutes his brain, so he's calmer afterward. But it also gives Yanko special power over Mateo. And Yanko kind of likes that.

He is not in denial, okay? I swear. He's just so fucking oblivious. He doesn't put the finger on the actual thing until he literally kisses Mateo. And he has the galls to be so fucking smug about it. Like the cat that got the cream, Archimedes who figured out his eureka or whatever it is. Mateo is able to make him feel that way. Proud and powerful in ways he never felt before.

Yanko takes it in stride like a fucking champ. It's like 'Welp, I'm dating Mateo now. He is my squishy and I like him so much. No, he sucks to you. Now back to our regular program: Exy. Yippee!' It's really, really not that deep. The romance part is more nerve-wracking than the gender part, if anything. He doesn't want to lose the essence of what he has developed with Mateo.

Of course it's much more complicated on Mateo's end, like I said, but Yanko knows, and feels, that he is not a waste of time and energy. That he actually motivates Yanko. He simply waits him out. He's there whenever Mateo needs, whenever he wants, and doesn't ask for anything in return, because what is the rush? It does make Mateo mad and jealous that Yanko is taking this so well, but it's also a steadying presence, that when the world is collapsing around you to take a new uncertain shape, Yanko is just there, same as he always was, ready to back you up, push you further, steady hand upon your back.

Anddd wrapping up on the cool & unproblematic king now!

[codename-adler]

YOUR TROJAN TEAM?!?!?! flabbergasted. sooooo many lil guys u got there!!!

mayhaps some info on #21, Levi Romanov? love the name, very intriguing <3 or any of your choice, really, whichever you feel like sharing the most!!

oh boy. oh god. Levi's such a big file. u really know how to pick 'em Roo 😂 prepare to be sick of me...... (also ty sm for being chatty n enabling <3) //official unofficial USC Trojans OCs list here//

21: Levi Romanov (22) USC Trojans Backliner

[ face subject to change]

aight let's bullet point this:

born in USA (Alaska); child of immigrants (Belarusian father (born Alaska, parents 1st gen immigrant), Dutch mother (1st gen immigrant))

5'6½" (the half inch is important)(to Levi)(not the Trojans tho)(esp. not Jeremy)

BA: Communication (USC Annenberg)

goes Pro after college

bffs: Nikita & Angie

brother-from-another-mother w/ Nikita Bailey (their mothers are bff, grew up together in Alaska); Nikita is his bff/older brother figure/idol so he joins him in playing Exy (v popular in Alaska) and follows him to USC when he graduates HS

now for the love & tragedy chaos...................

both he and Nikita have a steady relationship with their longtime girlfriends, so much so that Levi talks to Nikita about proposing to his gf after graduation

one day though the 4 of them get into a car/boating accident that kills Levi's girlfriend and seriously injures Nikita's; Levi and Nikita are somehow miraculously the least damaged

it's a rough fucking patch for Levi (and Nikita, but that's a story for another day!)

enter Angie Pullman, Trojans recruit (ask!!! me!!!)

both men are immediately drawn to her, and inevitably it ends up in a big fight that creates a (temporary) rift between Levi and Nikita

luckily it ends up being an Adam/Gansey/Blue/Ronan situation (do you see where i'm going with this?)

because the thing is, there's this guy, Anderson [subject to change] Atwell

the assistant coach

ohohoho yes

Anderson’s really been there for Levi after the accident, bc he's been much more of a confidant to Levi than any of the team's therapists, probably because he's not a therapist; and then the shit with Angie and Nikita really isolates Levi, and slowly Anderson can't help but wanting to help Levi as much as he can, more than assistant coaches probably normally feel...

so Levi's not as straight as he thought, not in love with Angie like that like he thought, much more in love with Nikita than he always thought, and definitely, definitely super hard in love with his assistant coach (you see the Adam/Blue/Gansey/Ronan pattern?) (except there is nothing whatsoever between Nikita and Anderson. in fact Nikita probably hates him a little bit actually. fr fr.)

also before anyone sends me anon hate about my own OCs, the Levi-Anderson age gap is 22-30, so calm downnnn

so yeah Levi & Anderson, once they're all in and go all out, are disgustingly happy; but the hurdles are many and exhausting (i have another ask incoming for Coach Rhemann, which will coincidentally explain really well said obstacles)

i would say, apart from Jean Moreau himself obv and Adèle Moreau, Levi is the most tragic Trojan :(

especially because he used to be such a goofy ass mf, and so hyped about Exy on and off the court, before the accident, and nowadays he's much more a shell of himself, doesn't care much about Exy outside the court, always plays his very best but his heart's not into it, feels disconnected from his team and teammates, etc.

Anderson's the one to lead him back to his love for the sport <3

Jeremy did try very hard as his captain to reignite the flame inside Levi, of course, but let's say he had a little less incentive than with the Frenchman... if ya know what i mean... but Levi's just glad even his captain never gave up on him

birthday's June 1st //lmao beginning of pride month and i didn't even do that on purpose//

originally Levi was named Reuben Muller and he was German-American? but i decided to split the character in 2 and thus Levi & Nikita were born!

his bestfriend, apart from Nikita who has known since birth almost, is Jack Driver; they hit it off instantly the first time they practice together on the court (it also helps that Jack is both a moron and a wise man. very in touch with his feelings. it just depends if his brain cells are activated or taking a nap…)

once the drama settles down Angie also becomes one of his close friends

he’s an only child [pitiful]

did i mention his ADHD? oh he has big big big ADHD… he often forgets his meds, and he’s prone to lash out (mostly at himself) or zone out, but Exy really helps a lot with both his bottomless restless energy and his self-worth <3

on the meds thing: that was such a battle. for everyone involved. Levi, the doctors, his gf, his parents, Nikita... it was just barely starting to go well when the accident happened, and well. the step from ADHD to depression is already so small, Levi had no chance. but he's climbing up the hill again now :)

so Levi's kind of the dark version of Jeremy, or like a past younger iteration of Jeremy before he got to be the Captain Sunshine we know and love (and that's partly why Jeremy has trouble connecting w him, befriend him, even look at him sometimes); he doesn't talk much anymore, except to fight and curse, but then he turns around and drops by with a pan of brownies for the new girl because he saw her eating one all alone and sad in the athletes' hall, you know? he's very hard to pin down, even more so now that the constants in his life have been taken away or flipped :/ but he's a precious dude, trust me!

[codename-adler]

tell me more about Mari Kobayashi? Idk why but their name stuck out to me and now I’m curious

ah, my unproblematic buff lesbian! (official unofficial OCs list here)

03: Mari Kobayashi (23) USC Trojans Backliner

Mari is one of the seniors of the Trojans, one her teammates really look up to because of her calm demeanor and laser focus. She is so unbothered. She is absolutely confident in herself, her strength, her skills and her team. She is sooo strong *swoons* She's quite tall despite her Japanese heritage, and combined with the absolute wall of muscle that she is, she makes for an excellent match for Jean's raw power. He appreciates the way she plays rough but fair, always. How she does not back down ever, has learned to toe the line and use the rules to her advantage, so that nobody ever dares step on her toes.

She does not know anxiety, shyness or false modesty. Things are, or they are not, and you either face them, or you don't. The team can count on one single hand the times she was shaken by something or someone. She's in the top most mature Trojans.

I would say she is perhaps very close to being on the autism spectrum, in the way that Ushijima Wakatoshi (haikyuu my beloved) is: very focused on her goals and going Pro, winning the Championships one more time before graduating, unbothered to make nice or adhere to people's expectations, content in her minimal social life, she can appear cold and distant, but really that's the way she is. Gruff without trying or meaning to, she is a big awkward teddy bear that will tell you when you are wrong, where you failed, and where you need to improve, not because she thinks she's better than you, but because she cares for her team and because she expects the same criticism for you, as a sign of sportsmanship and camaraderie. She does look very scary, like Asahi (haikyuu my beloved), when you don't know her. The lack of emotion (and sometimes presence, even) looks menacing if you think it means anything. But really, that's just her resting face. It's not her fault. Her stature doesn't help, sure, but trust me, she's a marshmallow at heart and off the court.

Mari is absolutely whipped for her girlfriend. Said gf is on the USC Trojans cheerleading squad, and they've been going steady for like... ever. Kind of like Dan and Matt. They've both got their wedding planned, without ever having talked about it. It's just an evidence, and a formality, at this point. Despite being absolutely confident in her relationship as well, Mari's gf is probably the only one who can get her flustered for the smallest thing. She completely melts under her praise, and she likes being the little spoon from time to time despite being so much bigger than her petite lover.

My inspiration for Mari? Nonaka Miho (pictured above), professional climber from Japan. 100%. Saw her performance during the last summer Olympics and immediately knew I had to make her mine.

And so that's all about Mari for now! She is more of a background character, there for her power and wisdom, and for the gay. Someone needs to be stable and healthy on that team!

[codename-adler]

tell me more abt your aftg ocs. any of them. please

IT WILL BE MY PLEASURE (official unofficial list here)

The one currently rotating in my head is:

Wade Vesper (36) FBI Agent

Born 3-4 years ago, in the very beginnings of Steady Now/The Trojan Court, he was created because I needed a legal guardian for one beloved Adèle Moreau. And because I can never leave well enough alone, and Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller happened, I couldn't let the man be a simple cardboard cut out, now, could I? In truth, he is actually one of my favorite OCs of the whole lineup/universe. I love him so much. I enjoy his story so much. I hope you will too.

When Wade was a Junior in college (22), he met Assistant Coach James Rhemann (27), who helped train their college's Exy team, which Wade was a part of (#backliner). The two men bonded so much that when Rhemann was offered a higher paid position at USC, Wade followed him there despite being on the cusp of starting his senior year.

Sadly, a double tragedy strikes Wade. One of them being Rhemann refusing to pursue what they have with each other, refusing to acknowledge the love there, and shutting out Wade completely in critical times. Rhemann did it with Wade's best interests at heart, of course, but it was also a cowardly move for the exit—James is in too much of a position of power over Wade for the relationship to possibly be healthy, and there's the age gap, and the homophobic times, and… Wade would have fought, if he’d thought he was wanted. But James had made it pretty clear.

Being orphaned at 23 by a suspiciously freak accident also didn't help Wade's head and heart stay above water. If he couldn't have James’ support through this unbearable tragedy, why would Wade stay a second longer? Why would he even try? What was the point of it all? Goodbye mother, goodbye father, goodbye little sister, goodbye Exy, goodbye uni. Goodbye James.

Hello FBI training camp. Armed only with his need for revenge and closure, Wade aces the program and becomes one of the youngest recruits at 24. While James ascended to official Head Coach for the Trojans at only 31, Wade cumulates the gruesome cases, all solved, thank you very much. Both men keep thoughts of the other at bay, though James does not keep up with Wade's life, tries to dedicate his whole life and heart to his team, tries to forget everything about relationships and broken hearts. Wade watches every success and failure of James from afar, no matter which state or country he's in. He can't help it. After some years, it becomes a comfortable routine, though. Like brushing your teeth and making dinner and running at 5am. It becomes bittersweet, but almost completely scarred over.

While Wade's personal case remains unsolved, he's 27 when he falls head first into the case of his life: tasked with protecting Adèle Moreau, surviving daughter of the Moreau crime syndicate that had fallen to ruin in France years ago. But Wade cannot let go of her once it is time to hand her over to Witness Protection.

Adoption it is! Never in a million years would Wade have imagined being the legal guardian of a girl with ties to the mafia, one that could be killed any moment, one that chips at his fortress of a heart and ice-cold of an exterior. One that mends his heart in ways he never thought possible. One that takes only months to heal parts of him he never even considered were broken, when years of relentless work had done barely anything. Light of his life, and whatever.

And for years, she survives, and so does he, and they're even happy together. Until. It's always 'until'.

Neil Josten, aka Nathaniel Wesninski, opens his big fat mouth and reveals awful things, opens up gates that should have stayed locked. Adèle learns about Jean Moreau, learns about USC, hides the little she knows about her past and her file, and somehow lands both her and Wade in SoCal, under the pretense of joining the excellent gymnastics program at USC.

So here Wade Vesper stands, at 36, juggling life as a father, a decorated FBI agent, and a still broken-hearted man over a love story that never was with a man he is now crossing paths with again. None of the people involved are ready for what lies at USC. Old wounds will bleed, cycles will be repeated, or broken, and Wade will have to decide if it is better to speak, or to die.