The only copaganda Iโll ever fall for is a cop played by Clancy Brown. Which is unfortunate because he seems to be cast as a cop or some kind of law enforcement a lot
Lieutenant Hank Anderson had been through a lot. Being shot, being stabbed, getting divorced, losing his son. He considered himself fairly tough, and not all that emotional. Okay, he was emotional, but his emotions were usually anger and annoyance. But he didnโt cry, and he didnโt get warm and fuzzy.ย
Hank figured heโd seen it all, done it all, survived it all. But this was something completely new to him. He was hesitant โ resistant, even โ to do it, but his back and hips and everything were screaming at him to get it over with. Not to mention that Fowler said that he couldnโt return to work until heโd gotten it done. So, Hank weighed his options, and one awkward session at your clinic was better than a week of unpaid leave.ย
So now Hank is at your clinic, sitting almost angrily on the soft chiropractic couch while you jot down notes on his condition.ย
โAnd this started when?โย
โYears ago. It doesnโt bother me that much. Iโm just here because my boss made me.โย
โRight. I get a lot of blue-collar folks in here. Manual labor is hard on the body. Do you mind standing up and walking from that wall to this wall? Iโd like to see your spine alignment.โย
Hank gets to his feet and winces, pain shooting through his back. You make a note.ย
He walks back and forth, trying to disguise the pain heโs in, but something is very screwy at the moment. His last job, with Connor of course, ended with Hank taking a tumble off someoneโs porch and into their hedges. All the cuts and scrapes were minor and have since scabbed over. Heโs still got bruises all over, but his back and neck are what have been killing him.ย
โOkay. Your hips are misaligned. That can happen from an accident, years of walking poorly, or even age. I suspect some ribs are also out of place. All of that will affect your neck and back. Iโm going to have you lie face down on the bench here and weโll get started.โย
Hank struggles to get himself onto the bench and settle into the cool pleather headrest. He squirms a little as you adjust his head and begin working along his neck. Your fingers are cool and soft, not at all how he expected them to be.ย
โSo, youโre a police officer?โ you ask, trying to fill the silence.ย
โYeah,โ he grunts, keenly aware of your fingers on his shoulders. โLieutenant, actually.โย
โOh, thatโs quite impressive.โ Your hands skate over his spine and across the span of his back toward his ribs.ย
โArenโt you supposed to be, I dunno, cracking things? Not doing a massage?โย
โMassage is half of our work. If we donโt relax the muscles, we wonโt be able to readjust your skeleton properly, and you may even get hurt. I promise, weโll get to the adjustments soon.โย
Hank opens his mouth to complain but instead he lets out a long groan mixed with a pained cry.ย
โThatโs a sore spot,โ you say so he doesnโt have to. โI can already feel how misaligned everything is. Youโve also got a lot of knots in your muscles, and I can see bruises all over. Itโs going to be pretty painful when I adjust you and do the full massage. Are you okay with that?โย
โGet it over with,โ he groans into the headrest.ย
You prep Hank, pulling out a bottle of massage oil, a pair of gloves, and all your tools. You line everything up on the counter and turn back to Hank.ย
โIโm going to have you flip over onto your back. Iโll start with your neck and move down.โย
Hank follows your directions with a lot of groans and sighs. Once heโs lying correctly, you begin working the muscles in his neck, down to his shoulders. You feel the knots loosening and the bones shifting. You cup his chin in one hands, and the back of his head with the other. You gently turn and twist his head, feeling for the moment everything is lined up so that you can โฆย
CRACK!
Hank lets out a shout that sends the pigeons outside flying into the sky. You keep holding his head, rubbing a soothing circle along his neck.ย
โYouโre okay. Itโs loud and kinda scary, isnโt it? But I promise, youโre okay.โย
Hank takes far too long for his liking to catch his breath. โThat โฆ What the hell?โย
โHave you ever been to the chiropractor before?โ
โNo.โย
โThat explains it. Youโve got all these decades of stress and pain being stored in your body. Iโm going to do the other side of your neck, okay?โย
Hank nods.ย
You move his head to the other side, feel for the muscles and bones and โย
CRACK!
Hank shouts again, squeezing his eyes shut. โThat was louder than the last one.โย
โDoes it feel better?โย
He blinks up at the ceiling light and turns his head side to side. โIt does.โย
โGood. Iโm going to start working on the rest of your body now, okay?โย
โSure. Fine.โย
You spend the next forty-five minutes poking, prodding, cracking, popping, and aligning. Hank makes a series of progressively grateful noises. When you finally finish the massage down the length of his body, ending with his feet, you look up to see that Hank is asleep. A few tears have slipped out, rolling down his face. He snores softly.ย
You quietly clean up your work space, putting all the tools and oils away. Then you gently shake Hankโs shoulder to wake him. He jolts awake and looks up at you, a few more tears slipping down his face. His face flushes pink and he hurries to sit up.ย
โDidnโt mean to fall asleep on you.โย
โItโs perfectly fine. That means Iโm doing a good job. How do you feel?โย
โGreat, Honestly. Iโโ He stops to wipe the tears off his cheeks and blushes deeper.ย
โItโs normal to cry or have overwhelming feelings during a chiropractor visit, especially if youโve been in pain for a long time. Can I have you walk back and forth again? Like you did earlier.โย
Hank follows the directions and doesnโt groan once.ย
โYour hips and shoulders are definitely more aligned, and I notice youโre not wincing. How do you feel walking?โย
โI havenโt been able to walk like this in, I dunno, years. Way before that stupid accident.โ He twists his torso from side to side, lifts his arms above his head, rolls his head back and forth. โI think you cured me.โย
You laugh. โHardly. Youโll have to come back for another session or two. But I shouldโve gotten you to a place where you can work.โย
Hank actually smiles at you. โI owe you, Doc. You are a doctor, right?โย
โI am. Iโm glad that I was able to help you. We can schedule your next session at the front desk.โย
โOkay โฆโ Hank plants his hands on his hips and twists again. โSo, Doc โฆ Youโre, uh โฆ human, right?โย
โExcuse me?โย
โI mean, youโre not a robot, right?โ
You laugh. โNo, Iโm not an android, Lieutenant. Were you expecting one?โย
โWell, you never know. Um, so โฆ when are you free, Doc?โย
You smile and nod toward the door. โThe secretary out there will get you set up for your next appointment. I donโt know my bookings off the top of my head.โย
โNo, uh โฆโ Hank clears his throat and seems to just notice heโs still shirtless. He blushes all the way down to his chest and yanks his shirt on. โI was wondering if you were free on, I dunno, a weekend or evening.โย
โI donโt work weekends or evenings. Are you worried about having to take time off of work? Since this is part of your workmanโs comp claim, you wonโt be penalized for coming here during work hours.โย
โDoc?โย
โYeah?โย
โYou sure you ainโt a robot?โย
You laugh in confusion. โYes. Why?โย
โI dunno. I guess it was pretty obvious that I was trying to ask you out. Unless you knew that and you were trying to pretend you didnโt โฆโ An embarrassed look floods his features. โForget I said anything. Itโs probably not the place, anyway.โย
You bite your tongue and say, โLieutenant, I promise that I didnโt realize you were asking me out.โย
โAnd now you do and you want me to leave? I get it, Doc. Wrong place, wrong time.โย
โWell, it is a bit inappropriate for me to go on a date with a client, but if you were to, say, see me on the sidewalk after my shift ends โ in about, letโs see, fifteen minutes? โ and asked me out, then I canโt see anything wrong with that.โย
Hank stares at you and a small smile begins to spread over his face. โAlright. When and where?โย
โWell, Lieutenant, you know I donโt work weekends or evenings. And as for where โฆ I donโt mind as long as itโs not a cop bar. I fear Iโll run into too many clients there.โย
โOkay, sure. I know a place. Should I pick you up?โย
You point to the door. โYou can schedule your next appointment at the front desk. Weโll figure everything else out in โฆโ You check your watch. โTwelve minutes.โย
โRight. Uh โฆ Thanks, Doc. Iโll go schedule that โฆโย
โI look forward to seeing you again. In a professional capacity, of course.โย
โOf course. Iโll see ya โฆ in about twelve minutes.โย
You smile, feeling yourself blush. โSee you then, Lieutenant Anderson.โย
ใ ๊summary,, you've had a beyond shitty day, and August knows just how to slowly piece you back together.. author notes at the end. ใ
ใ ๊content,, hurt/comfort โญ alexa play daddy issues by the neighbourhood โญ nonsexual undressing โญ unmentioned age gap โญ r wears some makeup. ๊wc,, 0,9k. ใ
August hears your truck pulling up outside his house as he finishes up doing the dishes. he dries his hands, already moving to the front door to greet you. his smile drops however when he sees your scrunched up face, clearly trying to hold back tears.
"what's goin' on, honey?" his voice is gentle, dropping the dish towel on the small table by the door.
you shut the door and drop the keys into the small bowl on the same table. you shake your head, eyes shut as you try not to let the tears slip down. "oh, sweetheart," he mutters, big, calloused hands reaching for you. they pull you in by your shoulders, wrapping his strong arms around you as he holds you tight.
you clench your eyes shut as your bury your face into his warm, firm chest โ trying so hard to keep it all in. but the moment those two words sound from his lips, the dam breaks. you let out a sob, your own shaky arms wrapping around him.
August's heart breaks at each sob as he holds you, not daring to let go. he sinks with you as your knees buckle, carefully lowering you down to your knees as you clutch at the back of his shirt.
he holds you like this for what feels like an eternity, your smaller frame shaking against his large and sturdy frame with each painful sob.
you slowly calm down, your sobs reducing to sniffles as you slouch against him in his arms. "let's get you out of these clothes and into somethin' more comfortable, yeah?" his voice gentle and raspy.
you nod against his chest, clinging to him as he easily lifts you up and into his arms as he carries you to the bathroom. August sits you down on the toilet seat cover, kneeling before you with a grunt as he gently takes off your shoes. he presses occasional kisses to your shins, slowly pulling off your socks and setting the shoes aside along with the socks.
August shuffles around beside you, helping you shrug off your coat, which he lays on top of your shoes. he gets up with groan and the pops of his knees, moving to stand between your knees. his rough hands pull your sweater up and you raise your arms as much as you can muster to aid him. he pulls the sweater over your head and drops with your coat.
next are your jeans โ he wraps an arm behind your torso and lifts you up enough to pull them down your hips. he carefully lowers you back down, kneeling down again with the audible protest from his knees to pull your jeans down your thighs. he trails sweet kisses down each inch of newly exposed skin, laying your jeans on top of the pile.
he stands up, not without another groan and crack of his old bones. "c'mon, sweet girl, let's get that makeup off and we're almost done." his voice is low, not wanting to break the peaceful and healing spell that's woven around your two.
you nod and August lifts you up and gently sets you down on the cold marble of the counter. he leans down, ever so sweetly lifting your legs to open a drawer to grab a few of your makeup wipes. he closes the drawer, easing your legs back down.
he opens the pack, a large calloused, yet painfully gentle hand coming up to cup the side of your face. he pulls out a wipe with his other hand and tenderly starts wiping off your makeup. you close your eyes as he swipes at the product on your skin, nuzzling your face into his warm and welcoming palm.
he smiles sadly, his thumb rubbing a few loving figures against your cheekbone before holding the other side of your face. he grabs a new wipe, his thumb rubbing figures into the clean and slightly slippery skin as he wipes of the remainder of the product.
he presses a few more swipes across your skin, dropping the used wipes into the small trash can beside the counter. "there we go, all done." his voice soothes, wrapping his strong arms around your shoulders as he pulls you against his chest once more.
you more than happily accept, burying your face against his chest as you wrap your arms around his waist. he sighs sadly, pressing a firm kiss to the top of your head. "tell me when you're ready to let me in. i'll always be here, however long it takes." your face scrunches up as you nod, a few tears dripping down your cheeks and soaking into his shirt.
he presses one more kiss to the crown of your head before he pulls away. "let's get you into bed and comfortable, yeah?" you nod, sniffling as you try to wipe your tears away. August takes ahold of your hand, in their stead he lovingly and gently wipes away your tears with the comforting pad of his thumb.
he picks you up, his old bones protesting a little as he carries you up the stairs to the bedroom. he slowly lays you down onto the soft blankets, moving away only to pull his own clothes off. he moves to pull the blankets back enough for him to get in, pulling you against him as he lifts the blankets over you.
you let out a shaky yawn as you curl up against August's chest, your soft fingers tiredly dragging across the plain of his skin. he wraps his arms around you, pulling your top leg over his hip as he holds you as close as he can. "i'll stay for as long as you need." he mutters, pressing a kiss to your forehead.
you bury your face in the crook of his neck, placing a silent kiss of appreciation to his skin.
it seemed impossible the moment you came through the door โ but now in August's arms, you feel as though tomorrow, and all the days after don't look so dark anymore
ใ authors note,, y'all.. the daddy issues are really peakin through when it comes to this man..... ๐ค ๐ฅฒ anyways, lord knows i needed this fic right now with the week i've been having ๐ซ ๐ซ . ใ
btw most universities to my knowledge keep their reading lists behind access barriers (ie. only students enrolled at the institution on the course in question can see them) so i thought iโd just let you all know that durham university has all of its reading lists available online for free without needing student access. do with this information what you will.
MITโs courseware is available using OpenCourse Ware, completely downloadable without registration and can be remixed under very permissive licenses. some courses have full videos of lectures, notes, slides and problem sets, others may have only have syllabi, reading lists and exams. before edx and coursera were the big names in for profit online education we had khan academy and ocw.
these are unfortunately a little hit and miss when it comes to degree of organization and level of detail, so they all require a little patience and willingness to poke around:
Tau Beta Pi UC Berkeley syllabus archive
UC San Diego syllabus archive
San Jose State University department of english and comparative literature syllabus archive
San Diego State University syllabus archive
University of Colorado Boulder syllabus archive
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill history department syllabus archive
University of North Carolina Greensboro history department syllabus archive
Florida Gulf Coast University course/syllabus archive
University of Wisconsin-Madison sociology department syllabus archive
Pratt Institute school of information syllabus archive
West Virginia University english department syllabus archive
tho tbh it terms of finding pure reading lists iโve had much better luck just searching โ[topic] + phd reading listโ have founds lots and lots of juicy juicy reading lists that way. too many to post ๐
titsay
dailybridgerton
prguitarman
tangentwithtanner
gummygunk
areudirty
