River In The First Frame All "can't You Just Abandon Me In The Garden And Leave Like An Adult With Some

Von Dutch

Summary: River confronts Spider after the Stanstead fiasco.

Adult language

No warnings

River/Spider (ish)

452 words

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James was, let the record show, simply minding his business and heading down the hall of the pub to the toilets when River grabbed his shoulder from behind with a grip like a vice. James turned around as casually as possible under the circumstances. 

"Are you stalking me? That's an HR violation. I'm not sure you need another black mark on your record right now." River stared daggers at him. 

“We need to talk.” James didn’t bring up the obvious, which was that River had his number. 

"I didn't think I'd see you out tonight." If James had crashed Stanstead he probably would have jumped off a bridge and ended it all, not crashed the after party too, but that was Cartwright for you. Never knew when to give up.

"You gave me the wrong instructions. Blue shirt, white tee not white shirt, blue tee."

"Are you sure? Anyone could get that mixed up."

"Not me."

James arched an eyebrow. "Everyone makes mistakes." Not me, River's expression said.

"You have to talk to Taverner. Clear this up." River's hand was still crushing his shoulder.

"I don't have to do anything."

"There'll be a debriefing." He insisted. "They'll interview you." The very thought of trying to explain the realities of the situation in a way Cartwright would understand made him feel weary. Like talking to a small child asking repeatedly why the sky is blue.

"I realize you were hoping to be Diana's protégé. It must be disappointing to be suddenly on the outs."

"Does Taverner realize you two are on a first name basis?"

"Do you realize that she's going to exile you to Siberia and you're never again going to get to get the chance to come in your pants while you salute and call her ma'am?"

"Fuck, you really just can't stand that I'm better than you, can you?"

"Did you hear that I'm getting my own office?"

River snarled and pushed him roughly up against the wall and if James felt his cock twitch, well, that was alright. There was nothing like the thrill of victory. James snaked his hand down between them. 

“Not here, you psycho”, River hissed, “anyone could see.”

“Would that be so bad? It's okay to admit how you really feel about me. If anything, I'm the one who should be worried about his image, being seen with you.”

All 14 stone of River pinned him to the wall. A strong hand tight on his jaw, stubble scraping raw against his chin and cheek. James' lips parted. And then just as suddenly, River pushed himself away and stalked off without a word or a backwards glance. 

"You're a sore loser, Cartwright!" he called after him as he adjusted himself.

River Cartwright versus a flashbox Slow Horses

JACK LOWDEN as River Cartwright in Slow Horses (Season 2)

JACK LOWDEN Slow Horses 3.04 "Uninvited Guests"

JACK LOWDEN as River Cartwright in Slow Horses 3.01

the best lord of the rings thing ive seen is the headcanon that gimli is like Prince Tier of beauty for dwarves and is absolutely stunning and legolas is like, for an elf, absolute butt ugly like relatively and everyones always like gimli how could you marry such a shit tier ugly ass elf and gimli is like ach.. nae…i love him

Workplace sexual harassment!

Bonus frowny face;

Apple

Summary: Teenage River visits his mother in France.

Adult language

No warnings

Gen

746 words

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When River arrives, the house is dark and empty. He floats through it like a ghost, present without leaving an imprint anywhere. Two days later, the door opens. He recognizes his mother's tinkling laughter. He's not sure if the brittle note was always there or if he just didn't notice it as a boy.

The burble of a conversational duet flows closer and then they stumble into the kitchen, where he’s sitting at the table. After a minute the man starts sliding his hand up under his mother's skirt and he realizes that if he doesn't announce his presence, they're never going to realize he's there. Zero situational awareness. He coughs and they jump apart.

“Oh! River! What are you doing here? You scared me half to death skulking there.”

He gets straight to the point. “Where were you?”

“At a party down the coast. Marvelous people. Marvelous wine. Some of the Cannes crowd, you know.” River really did not know. She paused a moment, taking in his presence. “What are you doing here?” River felt the genuine confusion of her question like a blow, hot poisonous shame immediately flooding his body. Again. Not fucking again. How does he keep falling for this trap? Stupid stupid stupid.

“I'm visiting you. We had agreed…” he heard the choked sound in his voice and hated himself for it. He cleared his throat. “You agreed that I would come visit at the term break....”

“Oh! Is that this week!?”

“Yes. Obviously.”

“Oh." Her face fell. "It's just, we hadn't exactly planned on you, darling. Gavin's friends...they have the yacht in port at Monaco... Well, it's not exactly an event for children…”

“I'm not a child.”

“I just wouldn't want you to be bored. You understand, don't you?”

“Oh River, don't be like that. Maybe you could come back next week?”

His shoulders tensed as he pulled into himself. “You don't want me hanging around ruining your image, you mean.”

“I have school next week.”

“You could miss a few days to see your own mother, surely?”

“I have O Levels prep”, he muttered.

“And that's a higher priority than me?” She managed to sound extravagantly wounded.

“You make everything a higher priority than me! Do you even remember I exist when I'm not around?”

Boyfriend #178 stepped toward River, a hand extended, and placed his arm between them like a boxing referee. 

"Now son" he started but River turned on him before he could get his platitude out.

“When I need your input I'll ask her for your credit card number.”

“Have some respect for your elders”, his mother hissed. River turned his scowl back on her.

“You're a fucking bitch.”

“Now look here you little shit, I know I'm not your father but I'll be damned if I let you speak to her that way.”

“Jokes on you, mate. I don't even have a father.”

“You do,” Isobel interjected hotly.

“Could have fooled me”, he shrugged.

“You're just like him”, she muttered, lip curling almost imperceptibly. But River saw it. It was hard to shake old habits and his included frequently scanning his mother's face for signs of gathering weather.

“Whatever. Bye.” He scraped the chair back roughly and went to collect his things, flipping a two finger salute over his shoulder as he left the room. When he got upstairs, he packed slower than he needed to, to give her a chance to come find him. Apologize. Yell at him. Anything. An hour later, he left without a word. No one tried to stop him.

Three days later, he opened the kitchen door in Tunbridge Wells.

“You're back early, River!”

His grandmother was in the kitchen,  busy at the counter. He could smell food. His stomach rumbled audibly. The pocket money he'd left with hadn't been meant to cover two and a half unscheduled days in Paris on the way back and he hadn't exactly been on three squares.

“Yeah. Mum got busy, so.” Rose put an arm around him. 

“She does get busy, sometimes”, she said in a knowing tone. 

“Yeah.” It came out as a sigh.

“Your grandfather's out in the garden. I'm sure he could use some help.”

“Okay. Thanks Nan,” he mumbled around the piece of bread she'd handed him. He opened the door again, wondering if his cover story about what happened in France would make it past the OB's radar. He was finding lately that he was better at lying than he would have given himself credit for.

The Pitt – 1.03: 9:00 A.M.

moodboards + mel/frank/kingdon