“ Darling? ”   The alarm clock read 5:30am, which was scandalously early in Morse’s book, Q knew. But it was a workday and Morse would have to leave for a mission in the afternoon. He was still soundly asleep, bless him, and Q felt sorry for him as he planted kisses onto his shoulder for the sole reason of waking him up.      “ Morse, it’s your birthday. Wake up. ”   His sing-song words were spoken softly and with pauses of kisses in between. He kissed the warm, freckled skin and felt very awake already.

      He let his fingers dance over the lightly stubbled jaw.     “ Don’t you want me to give you your present, Morse? ”         @coperas​

WHERE ONCE SOUNDED A PEACEFUL SNORING , the rhythm is interrupted by an inaudible mumble. Morse has taken his usual sleeping position ;   resting on his stomach, one arm wrapped around the man next to him,  a chaos of bronze curls moving only slightly as he breathes in & out. His face momentarily vanishes into the pillow, virtually asleep still. HE RARELY GETS UP EARLY ,   knowing that he needs the sleep especially prior to a mission  --  tonight,  his dreams were particularly restless and his head is pounding of drowsiness. Is he even awake ? Norman’s words sound faraway at first, almost as if he’s calling him from another reality. 

         Morse moves his head again, now facing Q (even though his eyes are still barely open). The birthday reminder only prompts a HUFF --   he has never been one to celebrate his birthday with much grandeur. The kisses spread warmth through his sleep-numb body, but he feels his mind dozing off again, fighting to stay conscious. 

  CAN’T FIND THIS MEME.    @stillhavespots​ !

FIRST-TIME INTERACTION.      @chieftanner  !

     ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE FAMILIAR FAINT WHOOSHING SOUND CEASES. Somewhat eerie silence fills the lift, now apparently immobile for reasons unknown to its inhabitants. Morse’s eyes flicker to the numbered buttons, above which a small screen announces they should’ve arrived on the fifth floor mere seconds ago. He doesn’t suffer from claustrophobia, but the idea of hanging motionless in an elevator shaft that is several floors deep certainly sounds UNNERVING. A hand travels to the alarm button, hovering for some while before pressing it ;    but no sound follows, not even a faint ringing. Before he can try again, the main elevator light flickers and fades into nothing,  the only remaining illumination being tiny spare lights in each corner. The agent takes a deep breathe to steady growing nerves, mentally reminding himself of his training as he turns to Tanner, his eyebrows knitting together in puzzlement.

  “ You’re just upset that you’re already losing, aren’t you? ”  

Norman crossed his arms over his chest with a smug smile staring at Morse sitting across from him at the kitchen table. A scrabble board was sat in-between them, empty except for Norman’s opening word which counted a total of one hundred and twenty-eight points. One would say it was impossible , but   m u z j i k s   was what Russian peasants were called prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917, and thus: totally legitimate.          

      “ But do sally out your best of troops, Morse. Though I wonder if you’ll be able to catch up with this score any time soon. ”

    THE FIRST & THE LAST TIME Morse managed to convince Jim Strange to join in for a game of Scrabble when they were still sharing a flat had been an entirely different experience. One of Jim’s moves had been “ cap ” ;  Morse’s had been “ capitalizations ”. Needless to say, they kept playing for only a couple of minutes before Strange decided to watch some telly instead. Norman, however, poses a far more serious challenge. 

             SHERLOCK STARTERS.    @stillhavespots​ !

      THERE IS AN ELEMENT OF TRUTH IN THE IMITATION — and precisely because of that, Morse feels a hint of anger boiling beneath his skin. He cannot recall the last time they fought. Maybe it’d been about some sort of trifle, and had the stress of their jobs caused them to lose their calm.  It wouldn’t be the first time and certainly not the last– this very moment proves the latter. Norman’s judgment thrown upon the heavy nature of the strangling case he is working on creates a weight too tremendous for Atlas         —    and he snaps. 

                 SHERLOCK STARTERS.   @pcltrghosts !

      TWO CURIOUS EYES ,  a grey sky swirling around their irises ,    GAZE AT THE PAVEMENT ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ROAD. He is gone for a second, wandering through his racing head as he tries to think where he’s seen the ominous green car before ;   it stands parked next to a simple oak tree, seemingly unbothered by the leaves on its front window. The vehicle seems familiar, but no matter how far Morse digs into his proud mind, he can’t make a connection with anything.  He lowers his stare. The cobblestones underneath the car are dry while it has been raining for the entire day. A PENSIVE HABIT ;  his left hand unconsciously travels to his earlobe, rubbing it slowly while lost in deep thought.

    THAT’S WHEN HIS SENSES FINALLY PICK UP KIT’S VOICE. The detective instantly turns back to her, wide-eyed as he looks at her from beneath the black umbrella he’s holding. Even though her voice has been heard, none of the words have travelled to his ears and he’s forced to reply with a distracted mumble.

rules : repost and fill in the words you most associate with your character.

animal.   irish hare or mongrel dog

color. caramel, navy, burgundy, grey

month.  december

song. madama butterfly, act 2 "un bel di vedremo"

number.  175392

day or night. night

plant.  apple tree

smell.  old paper, blood, beer, cigarette smoke

food.  fish & chips

drink. beer

astrological sign.   taurus

element.  air

   coffee or tea  

   early bird or night owl

   chocolate or vanilla

   spring or autumn

   silver or gold

   pop or alternative classical

   freckles or dimples

   snakes or sharks

   mountains or fields

   thunderstorm or lightning

   egyptian or greek mythology

   ivory or scarlet

   flute or lyre

   opal or diamond

   butterflies or honeybees

   macarons or eclairs

   typewritten or handwritten

   secret garden or secret library

   rooftop or balcony

   spicy or mild

   opera or ballet

   london or paris

   vincent van gogh or claude monet

   denim or leather (neither tbh)

   potions or spells

   ocean or desert

   mermaids or sirens

   masquerade ball or cocktail party