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nexxen24 · 7 days ago

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Somebody I Was Destined to Meet -- Bucky Barnes X Fem!Reader

Pairing: Bucky Barnes X Female Reader(codename Gemini)

Summary: Bucky Barnes doesn’t get you, how you’re so happy…all the time. He’s never been like that, never been all that happy or cheery and yet…you won’t stop. So when the two of you have to spend a week together on a long and drawn out mission, all this sunshine starts to infect him and he doesn’t like the man he’s becoming when you get too close. Happy, carefree and oh so horribly vulnerable.

Tags: grumpy Bucky, sunshine reader, angst, hurt/comfort, mission, close proximity, Bucky has a nightmare, revenge dress(lol), tension, mutual pining, reader calls Bucky doll(I'm serious, it's great).

Warnings: Swearing, implied smut, mentions of experiences with assault and an attempted one(not Bucky), mentions of past torture, injuries and coma.

Words: 8230

AN: Bucky again!! GOD....I love this fic lol and him. I wrote it...in one day haha...I couldn't stop. I got the idea last night after I finished the wife one...didn't stop till it was done and I think it may be my best work. It's also trope central, so many show up and I hope that you enjoy it!!! The reader also has powers, she can copy abilities like Taskmaster but more instant and can read and manipulate emotions! Title is based on the song Granite, by Sleep Token, have a listen!! I feel it fits him quite well.

“Somebody I Was Destined to Meet”

“Well, I was more than just a body in your passenger seat. And you were more than just somebody I was destined to meet”

For the life of him, James “Bucky” Barnes couldn’t understand how people could be so damn happy. Maybe it was his career in politics that made him such a cynic or reliving all his worst moments in the Void, but for the moment, he was a lot grumpier than normal. The entire team could see it, they’d been walking on eggshells since they were announced as the New Avengers, scared of pissing him off and unlocking a dormant piece of Winter Soldier still lingering in the back of his mind. They also all knew it was getting ridiculous so when Val told them about a mission for two of them in Prague that would last a week, the team came up with a plan and that plan involved you.

You were part of the initial wave of Avengers all the way back in 2012 and were present in the vault when they all found Bob, saw Bucky shoot the limo and were in awe of him like everybody else was. He wasn’t your biggest fan to say the least and while the rest of the team talked to him with bated breath, in fear he was going to snap, you spoke to him like he was a new best friend. A ray of sunshine is what people called you, someone always ready to crack a joke or smile when there really was no reason to and Bucky…hated it. He hated the constant grin on your face, the way you lit up every room you walked into and seemed to radiate sunshine no matter the circumstances.

For he was confused more than anything and couldn’t seem to understand how someone could be that happy all the time. But that was perfect and Yelena, ever the schemer, already had a plan in motion when you mentioned being interested in the mission. You’d always wanted to see Prague and Europe in general, so a week-long pretty straightforward reconnaissance mission felt like the perfect opportunity. Yelena grinned wide when you mentioned it and tracked Bucky down late that afternoon, spotting him reading a book in the library on one of the lower floors, brows furrowed like always.

“I see you,” he muttered and didn’t even look up as she sighed.

“Come on.”

“You’re not subtle,” he said and Yelena sighed as he removed his feet from the other chair so she could sit.

“Well…I wasn’t trying to be.”

“What do you want?”

“We have a mission,” she said and Bucky eyed her, grabbing his phone but she nabbed it first as he glared. “It’s not on the group chat, it’s a special one and only for two people. I signed you up.”

“What is it?”

“A week long reconnaissance mission in Prague to seek out an organized crime syndicate and it all ends with a fancy gala on the last day,” she said and he sighed, not liking the sound of that one bit. “Look…you go in, make nice with the criminals and then waltz your way into their gala/auction and shut it down from the inside.”

“Who’s going? I’m not spending a week with Walker.”

“Trust me, no one wants that,” Yelena muttered and he couldn’t help but agree. “Gemini volunteered.”

Bucky froze. Gemini. He knew that code name, it was yours and he also knew that was worse than being stuck with Walker for a week. Being around someone that happy for that long was going to kill him and he glared as Yelena smiled.

“No.”

“I already signed you up,” she said and Bucky groaned, standing and rotating his metal arm since it had gone a bit stiff. “Come on. It’ll be fun!”

“No it won’t.”

“She’s not that bad,” Yelena shot back and Bucky eyed her.

“Maybe for you.”

“What do you have against happiness?”

“I have something against it when not even the Void seemed to affect her,” he shot back and remembered the look on your face when you got out of the Void, like nothing had even happened.

He was subjected to his worst memories, moments buried so deep they had been turned into fossils in his own memories and yet…the Void brought them back. Falling off that bridge in the 40s, all those moments at HYDRA…even killing Tony Stark’s parents made an appearance. Bucky wasn’t smiling when he got out of that Void, he was just as bitter as he had been before it, even more so and was in no position to smile and joke, look happy. He had no idea what you saw, it could’ve been anything but anyone that could smile after it was messed up in his books and he didn’t feel like spending a week with someone like that.

“Look…she wants to do this, she’s never seen Europe.”

“Tell her it’s beautiful and send Walker,” he shot back and began to walk off when Yelena grabbed his hand.

“Bucky…”

“No.”

“Bucky…please, you need this.”

“Oh yeah, sure.”

“Don’t you see how the team has been acting around you, like you're made of glass and are gonna shatter at any second.”

“Maybe I have…”

“Good, then go, have fun with her and show her Prague. Maybe you’ll even have a good time.”

“And if I don’t…”

“You can be as grumpy as your old man heart desires,” Yelena shot back and patted him on the back before heading out of the library as Bucky sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

A week with you. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, maybe the mission would calm the constant cheer and he could catch a break, get out of his head for a week instead. Or it could be horrible and Bucky was under the assumption the latter was a hell of a lot more likely.

Prague, Day One

A mission with Bucky Barnes and only him sounded like a dream to you since you knew Steve and had heard the stories he used to tell people of his old friend and how together they punched a bunch of Nazi’s. You were enamored every time he would ramble about him and getting a chance to see him in person was a dream way back after the vault fiasco. Sure he flipped the limo and tied you all up but it was still impressive and even now you couldn’t help but admire him from afar. Sure he was grumbling about the size of the apartment Val had rented, only a one bedroom and the rest was pretty tiny but even his grumbles were cute.

Cute wasn’t the word that most people used to describe him but you couldn’t help it, it was the first one that came to mind. Sure he looked angry half the time, always frowning or running his metal fingers through his hair but hey…even a frown could be cute. One of your abilities was detecting emotions and you could feel the annoyance radiating off of him when he got close to you or the anger when you attempted to crack a joke and lighten up the situation. Even now, as you dropped a couple bags of groceries on the counter with a wide grin, Bucky was there with an aura of madness hanging around him like a cloud.

“I got all the good stuff,” you said and began to load up the small fridge as he grumbled in acknowledgement. “I got gnocchi, the best pasta, and some pesto and chicken for tonight. And then they had a deal on fresh pasta so we have some of that and steaks since Yelena mentioned you liked them and I can make a mean steak on the stovetop…trust me. We can also order in for one of the days and of course there’s a dinner planned with the guy so that knocks off another meal.” He grumbled again and the annoyance got more prominent as you frowned. “I also got a case of beer since we need something to take the edge off and some snacks, just cause.”

“Great.”

“All that and all I get is a ‘great’?” you asked and he turned.

“Yep.”

“Okay,” you muttered and grabbed one of the beers before claiming the couch and grabbing your Kindle, a truly prized possession. “So…what did Val say the first step was?”

“Watch the apartment building across the street.”

“Okay…for what?”

“Movement.”

“Great, I’ll be zoning out with a book,” you said and held up the Kindle as he grumbled…again. “You know…we could make the time go by faster if you were willing to speak to me.”

“I’m not,” he snapped and you frowned.

“Why not?”

“I have nothing to say.”

“You’ve been alive for close to 120 years and you have nothing to say,” you shot back and he glared at you. “Come on…humour me this once and I’ll never bother you again.”

“Sure you will.”

“I’ll leave you alone for a day,” you offered and he sighed, leaving behind his perch by the window and sitting on the couch as you grinned. “See…I don’t bite.”

“Sure,” he muttered and sighed, running his metal hand through his hair, a hobby you could appreciate, since that hair wasn’t half bad. “What do you want to know?”

“I know most of your story,” you said and remembered looking back and reading about Vienna and Berlin, all the fun you missed out on. “Tell me something that’s not in the news.”

“Like…someone I killed in secret.”

“No…like a fun fact about yourself like a normal person,” you shot back and he sighed.

“Alright…Uh…I really like lemon flavoured things.”

“Really?”

“Cakes, cookies, cocktails…anything with lemon,” he said and you smiled, running off to the kitchen as he eyed you.

You too were a fan of lemons and lemon flavoured things, always had been and would tell anyone that lemon sorbet was a million times better than any ice cream on the planet. So when you spotted a lemon and white chocolate cookie in the nearest Aldi your eyes widened and you grabbed a couple boxes of them. You had no idea that Bucky liked lemons, you knew close to nothing about him so it was a happy accident and you hoped something that could melt his frozen heart just a bit.

“Here,” you said and handed him the bag.

“How’d you know?”

“They’re the best,” you said and he cracked the smallest smile he could before tearing into the pack and grabbing one, handing them over as you did the same.

“So…you were a part of the original Avengers,” he said and you nodded.

“I was.”

“But you weren’t anywhere else,” he observed and you sighed, hoping to keep the horrid backstory for maybe day two or three.

“Yeah…that wasn’t intentional,” you said and he eyed you. “I have the ability to replicate other people’s abilities and I was standing on a rooftop with Clint Barton, having replicated Steve’s strength just in case and some of Clint’s accuracy. It was great, I was killing off chitauri, making a difference…but…the super strength failed me a bit when I stumbled back and right over the edge of the building. I tried to grab onto something, stop myself but I fell close to thirty stories, I didn’t die, I got knocked into a coma and was supposed to wake up in 2018.”

“Then Thanos happened.”

“Turns out coma patients weren’t exempt from the snap and I woke up in 2024, shortly after you defeated the Flag Smashers with Sam. Everyone I knew was either dead or gone…Steve, Tony, Nat…It was just me,” you said and sighed. “Val offered me a job since it was the CIA that got custody of me and I agreed, arriving at that vault with the intention of killing Ava. But of course…that didn’t happen and we ended up on a team, like old times.”

“Why are you so happy though?” Bucky asked and you nearly choked on your cookie.

“I need a reason to be happy?”

“You got stuck in a coma for twelve years and all your friends died, I wouldn’t be happy,” he said and you shrugged.

“I guess I just remember when we were a team and how fun it was,” you said and smiled, thinking of Nat and Steve arguing about fighting techniques and Tony being a massive peacock all the time. “Besides…I missed twelve years like you said…I’m not gonna miss anymore.”

You smiled and caught a change in his demeanor, something had lightened and you couldn’t feel as much annoyance in the air as before. Maybe hearing all that got to him and Bucky sighed as he sealed up the small bag of cookies and returned to the window, stopping and turning to you.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For telling me all of that.”

“It’s just me, it’s my story.”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” he muttered and turned back to the window as you smiled, grabbing the kindle and feeling the air in the room lighten even more.

Day Three

The next two days of the mission were pretty boring, nothing but watching the building across the street for any movement…whatever that meant. You tried to convince Bucky to take a break but he was stubborn as expected and you found yourself exploring Prague alone, which was fine, the city was beautiful. A day full of exploring had made you pretty tired and you were just lounging in bed late on the evening of your third, nearly fourth day when a sound caught your ear.

Bucky had denied your offer of sharing the bed with a pillow between you two and had made himself something akin to a nest in the living room with an extra mattress and a pile of blankets and you hated to admit he looked pretty comfy. But still, sharing a bed would’ve been interesting to say the least but you didn’t press him, you knew how he felt and didn’t want to make him feel any worse. But when the noise got louder and you felt panic spread throughout the small apartment, curiosity got the better of you and you crept outside, peeking around the corner at his little pile.

Bucky was partially asleep, metal arm above his head but you could tell it wasn’t restful, he was tossing and turning, muttering something in Russian, heart beating hard and fast like he was running from something. It had to be a nightmare, you knew he got them, the whole team did and you were seconds away from pulling him out of it when he shot up, screaming.

“Bucky…”

“Sorry,” he muttered and ran a hand down his face as you stepped further into the room. “Did I wake you up?”

“I was awake,” you muttered and he glanced at a clock that was reading ten minutes past 3am. “I don’t sleep much, only a few hours…I keep thinking I won’t wake up.”

“Fair…But still…you need it.”

“So do you,” you shot back and he scoffed. “Seriously. We might be doing nothing tomorrow…or something horribly exciting might happen and we need to be rested.”

“Yeah, I’m used to only getting a few hours,” he muttered and you moved further into the room, sitting on the edge of his little nest, your cheeks flushed since you had a solution…an interesting one.

“There’s something I can do,” you admitted and he eyed you. “As you know…My second ability allows me to read and manipulate emotions and it can work on other people. I used to calm down Steve when he couldn’t sleep and I’ve done it to myself a lot as well.”

“How?”

“I focus on the emotion I want you to feel…and you feel it,” you said and he nodded. “One catch…”

“What?”

“I need to be touching you,” you muttered and eyed the blanket, knowing your cheeks were red as tomatoes.

Not only were you offering to basically snuggle him but he slept shirtless and his toned, yet scarred chest was on full display, not to mention the mechanism that allowed his arm to attach to the rest of his body. Your eyes lingered on it, the scarring and the mangled flesh allowing the vibranium to stay attached and you wondered how much he had to go through to get it like that. Steve mentioned falling off the bridge and you read about HYDRA and their original metal arm, this one being a Wakanda exclusive but the before all this must’ve been torture. You wanted to ask about it and Bucky caught your eyes lingering but you didn’t break the silence as he moved so you could snuggle up next to him, mildly perturbed he chose the floor not the bed. But the nest thing was warm and actually comfy, not to mention despite it all, he too was warm.

“Alright, so…you’ll feel it pretty quick and be warned…it might feel funny,” you said and Bucky nodded, relaxing a bit as you awkwardly wrapped an arm around him since he was large, much larger than you. “Also…ummm…this isn’t the best position.”

“Too small to be the big spoon?” he asked and you caught the amusement as your cheeks flushed deeper which you didn’t think was possible.

“Maybe.”

“Fine,” he muttered and spun himself around with ease, pulling you against him as the breath was ripped from your lungs, eyes widening further.

Bucky didn’t hesitate to wrap that metal arm around you and sure it was cold but it got balanced out by how hot the rest of him was, literally in this moment. You tried not to freak out as he pulled you close, body pressed against yours and you just knew your face was gonna implode with how hot your cheeks felt. The super sexy super soldier who you had been harbouring a mild crush on since he flipped that limo was now snuggling you, it felt like a dream, something you only read about and it was hard to push aside your feelings and make him feel calm and not in love with you…which would’ve been horribly awkward.

“Alright…ready?” you squeaked and hoped that he didn’t notice.

“Sure.”

You thought of ocean waves, the ones that lapped at the shore and the sound of them filled your mind, calm and peaceful like you hoped to get Bucky to feel in that moment. A peaceful night in flashed through your mind, curling up on the couch with a thick blanket and sweet hot cocoa and listening to one another’s heartbeat, embracing a moment of reprieve. You steered it away from anything to loving and focused on the easiest way to make someone calm, just the steady beat of a heart, chests pressed tight to each other and willed his own mind to feel that. To feel yours as it calmed and you caught it working, Bucky sinking a bit further into the blankets, his breathing becoming laboured and yours following as you hated to admit he was pretty damn comfy.

The idea worked and he slept through the rest of the night, you following and your own tricks had carried over to your mind, calming you and lulling you to a decent night’s sleep for the first time since you woke up. There was no fear of getting pulled back into that coma, of losing yourself to a decade plus of darkness when there was an arm wrapped around you and the steady beat of a heart pressed against your back. This was what you both needed, a reminder that despite it all…there were still people out there willing to make you feel less alone.

Day Five

Finally…you had reached a day where there was something to do and the two of you could get out of the apartment which was starting to become quite suffocating. The moment on the floor was lingering in the back of both your minds and while you hadn’t had to offer it to him again, you wanted to and hated to admit it was the best sleep of your life. But you also didn’t want to push him into cuddling every night and covered your yawn with a hand as you stepped out of the taxi, ogling the mansion in front of you. The leader of the crime syndicate you were after, a man named Demitri, had set up a dinner for all possible clients that was pretty exclusive but thanks to Val, you both had invitations and a bigger goal in mind, get invited to his gala. This was the one shot and charming Demitri enough to get him to invite you was top priority and Bucky had an idea, one you didn’t like.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, this is the only way.”

“Right…the only way,” you muttered and adjusted the hem of your little black dress, not liking the lack of length. “I just don’t think our only option should be me seducing him.”

“Why not?”

“What if it fails?” you asked and he scoffed.

“It won’t,” he assured and you knew you should be thrilled that he was so confident, that one Bucky Barnes found you sexy enough to pull off his little seduction plan.

That part was being forced down by the rest of you that was nervous and jumpy, unsure of how Demitri would even react and not wanting to be near him if his reaction was poor. But Bucky had a hand on your back as he guided you towards the front door and that calmed you down a small bit. It was simple, easy and would mean nothing in the long run, especially if you managed to get an invite to the gala.

“Okay…”

“I’ll be there the whole time, nearby,” he assured and you made your way inside, stopping before a good looking man in a pressed black suit whose eyes widened when he saw you.

“Well…I’ll be,” he said in an accent that was thick but understandable.

“Erica and Jack, the Americans,” Bucky informed, using your codenames as you smiled at Demitri and held out a hand.

“Charmed. Please enjoy.”

He spread his arm out towards the rest of the room and the two of you journeyed further inside, catching sight of a few other guests, all dressed nicely and mingling with champagne flutes in their hands. Bucky grabbed two off the nearest waiter and held one out to you as you nodded in thanks and clinked them together, giving him a smile that he easily returned. The mood between you two changed after that night, he was less annoyed and more calm around you and had stopped grumbling in annoyance whenever you walked in the room. It helped that you tried to keep up that aura of calm around him, especially at night but it was failing you at the moment and your stomach was a bundle of nerves.

“Alright, I’ll stay off to the side,” Bucky said and perched in the corner, adding a small earpiece to your ear, his fingers brushing your cheek. “I’ll be with you the whole time…I promise.”

“Okay,” you said and he squeezed your hand before you made your way over to Demitri who was chatting up a young woman dressed in an even shorter dress than yours, which you had assumed was impossible. “Demitri.”

“Oh…Erica?” he asked and you nodded. “What can I do for you?”

“Just wanted to talk,” you said and tried your best to look desirable.

“Very well, talk away,” he said and grabbed your elbow, leading you deeper into the mansion as your heartrate sped up.

“This place is incredible.”

“Thank you, it was my fathers, he left it to me when he died.”

“Sorry to hear.”

“Between you and me…criminal to criminal…I killed him,” he said and your eyes widened as you coughed to stave off the surprise.

“Oh.”

“He deserved it,” Demitri said and your heartbeat quickened. “I’m sure you know people that also deserve it.”

“Oh…of course,” you agreed and hoped that he didn’t notice the shake in your voice.

“Charm him.”

You nearly jumped when Bucky started talking, not used to having his voice in your ear but you didn’t let Demitri catch it and sported a more seductive smile than before.

“So, you must be the most powerful man you know,” you observed and wondered if he’d find that charming.

“Wow…Maybe I was wrong.”

“Oh I am, there’s no one that comes close to me, I mean…look at me.”

“Good…he’s a peacock…use that.”

“Yes, for sure, the best,” you agreed and absolutely hated it but Demitri looked like he was in love.

“I’m so happy I found someone who agrees,” he muttered and reached up, brushing a hand along your cheek and hair, eyes narrowing. “Oh…you have help.”

Your eyes widened when he pulled back with the earpiece in hand and you could hear Bucky’s voice through it as he asked what happened and why you weren’t responding. Demitri crushed it, cutting off your lifeline and you suddenly felt a whole lot worse about agreeing to this stupid plan, thinking you could be okay with this. There was a part of your past before the Avengers that you had yet to mention and only Steve Rogers knew but he was gone and you’d been too scared to say it again, to spill your secrets. It’s why you brushed off the Void when Bucky brought it up, claimed your rooms were normal and made him think that that whole fiasco was just something you brushed off.

But not even you, a woman known for lighting up every room she walked into, could light up the darkness present in the Void. It was too much…too dark and your powers failed you, the emotions didn’t come and all you felt was a gut wrenching, spine tingling amount of fear. Those memories played out like that moment in the hall when he pushed forward, pressing your back against a hallway table and smiling down at you, eyes alight with mischief. Demitri didn’t seem to be a fan of having his private conversations shared and not even Bucky’s support towards you seducing him could get you out of this. You were trapped and suddenly couldn’t even breathe right.

“What was your plan?” he cooed and ran a hand along your cheek as you shuttered. “I can see that you were trying to seduce me…but why.”

Demitri stepped closer, knee pressed against your torso since he had managed to spread your legs apart and you could feel tears in your eyes, running down your cheek. It was a shame room without the Void, a real life amalgamation of all your biggest fears and your brain was trying its hardest to not just shut down and let it happen. This wasn’t the Void where you could sit and wait for the others to come get you and sure Bucky was around but he wasn’t there and Demitri was closing in, hands on both your shoulders as he kept you in place.

“No reason…just wanted an invite to that gala,” you said and kept your voice as level as it could go, which wasn’t that level and the shake caused him to smirk.

“Oh…is that so?”

“Yes…only that.”

“Only,” he muttered and his fingertips brushed the hem of your dress, thigh included as your breath hitched. “I think it was more than that.”

“No…it wasn’t,” you assured and tried to move but he had trapped you, a tighter hold taking over as you cringed in pain. “Please…let me go.”

“Why?”

“Because she said so.”

You both turned, Bucky appearing at the end of the hall, his suit jacket shed and his sleeves rolled up to reveal the metal arm, catching on the light of the chandeliers in the hall as Demitri raised a brow. He didn’t look all that concerned and ignored him, going back to you as Bucky got closer, appearing at your side in mere moments and grabbing him by the throat, dangling him a good foot off the ground.

“Did he do anything?” Bucky asked and you shook your head as he nodded. “Good…he’s not going to die then. But he won’t be up for a while.”

Using the full power of that vibranium arm he launched Demitri down the hall and he screamed, his back hitting the far wall and his head lolled to the side, the man down for the count as you sighed in relief. Bucky immediately turned to you, grabbing your arm and helping you up as your fear was replaced by anger and you slapped his hand away.

“Hey…are you…”

“No, shut it,” you said and his eyes widened. “I told you this was a bad idea.”

“Gemini…”

“No, I said I didn’t want to do it!” you shouted and he cringed, grabbing you again and shoving you through the nearest door which led into a library. “I claimed I couldn’t do it, Bucky! I told you and yet…you insisted, even encouraged it.”

“Hey, calm down.”

“I’m not gonna fucking calm down,” you said and channeled all that happiness into anger. “You saw what happened.”

“I didn’t think he’d do that, he found the earpiece.”

“He…”

“He wouldn’t have, I told you I was right there.”

“Oh so that’s your excuse,” you snapped and he eyed you. “You were around the corner so I was safe with that pig of a man.”

“Hey…d--”

“No!” you shot back and cut him off before he could use that endearment he seemed so damn fond of. “Don’t you fucking doll me. You know what, you’re the fucking doll and I’m not gonna sit here and swoon over your stupid excuses. You should’ve listened to me.”

“You didn’t tell me why,” he shot back and that shut you up because he was right. “I would’ve never suggested it if I knew why you didn’t want to do it.”

“Do I need a reason?”

“You agreed after I brought up you didn’t have one,” Bucky shot back and you sighed, knowing he was right.

“I know…”

“Do you?”

“I do,” you muttered and he stepped a bit closer, grabbing your hand and you let him.

“Tell me.”

“I joined the Avengers because Steve found me at a decommissioned SHIELD base that they assumed was being run by rejected HYDRA scientists and they were correct,” you said and leaned against the bookshelf as Bucky stayed rooted in place in front of you. “My powers are from a successful genetic testing experiment that was carried out by my own father after my mother died and he decided parenting was too hard. I stayed there for close to fifteen years after it worked when I was seven and when I turned eighteen, one of the scientists who was about twenty decided that I was no longer just a test subject, but a woman…under their control.”

“Did he…”

“Twice,” you muttered and could feel Bucky’s grip around your hand tighten. “I discovered that when you think of the feeling of death, when you project that feeling onto someone…they make it their goal to die too. And he did and no one ever did it again. Steve found me when I turned twenty and for six months, life was great, I had them and him and you know what happened after.”

“You only got six months,” he said and you saw the pity on his face. “God…Is that what you saw in the Void.”

“That…the fall, waking up and learning they were all gone, all of it.”

“When we got out, you were smiling.”

“Bob was also smiling, I borrowed his happiness and buried that horrible place far beneath it.”

“Why?” he asked and your breath hitched, unsure if you really wanted to be this vulnerable.

But Bucky had been absentmindedly rubbing his fingers along yours and you liked the feeling, you liked having him so close and feeling the reassurance radiate off him like happiness normally radiated off you.

“If I let myself feel all of what happened in the void…If I let it infect me, then I’ll shatter and collapse and no one will ever be able to put me back together,” you admitted and felt the tears on your cheeks. “So I choose to radiate happiness, for both myself and for others.”

“It sounds crazy, too hard,” he muttered and you chuckled, nodding in agreement.

“It gets easier when you focus on all the other emotions surrounding you, the happiness that people feel when I go for walks or the love couples share in Central Park,” you said and eyed him, seeing him soften a bit. “The relief the team feels after a mission and the amusement that radiates off of Bob. Yelena is always cheerful, Ava is caring and Walker is an idiot but even he shows his respect towards a job well done. I see you and Alexei, bonding like the old super soldiers you both are. I focus on that, draw that in and everything else…it fades for a little while.”

“I had attributed your happiness to being crazy, you were lying to yourself and didn’t really feel it and yet…you were feeling all of it and more.”

“I try,” you said and he nodded, rubbing a hand along your cheek and you let him, feeling safe under the gentle caress of his embrace, so light it was like he assumed he could shatter you.

“I got worried there for a second, I couldn’t feel it.”

“You missed it?”

“I think I did,” he muttered and looked conflicted. “Maybe I should pay attention more, see what’s around me and I like what I see.”

You caught the shift when he changed his footing to allow himself to step closer, his other hand traveling to your waist and you let it, leaning into the feeling as Bucky’s eyes lingered on your lips. He licked his own and you did the same, wishing he’d close the gap already, do what you knew he wanted and he got close…face hovering just above yours, breath brushing against your lips, a ghostly touch but nothing tangible. Nothing real…not yet. You wanted to tilt up, not even an inch to close that stupid gap but before you could he blinked and stepped back, hands all but shooting back to his side as the room’s tension dissipated and you sighed.

“We should leave,” he muttered and you nodded, not wanting to dig any deeper.

It was so close…not even an inch…an inch. One measly little inch between you and him and he just wouldn’t close it. One god damn stupid inch the size of the grand canyon and you hated every single long and drawn out second of it.

Day Seven

To say you were mad at Bucky Barnes for not kissing you was an understatement…you were furious. Sure it felt a bit weird to wish for a man to kiss you after having just escaped one but there was a mountain of space between Bucky and Demitri. One was trash incarnate and the other…the other made you wish you could just throw him away. He was so close…so god damn close and you made it your goal to make him rue that moment for as long as he wanted to keep stuffing his head up his ass. So yesterday, before the auction that Val got you access to you bought the best looking red dress you could find and made sure he knew how much that moment didn’t bother you. All a lie of course but you liked the look on his face when you met him at the mansion where the auction was since you had chosen to be occupied before it began.

“Bucky,” you greeted and grabbed his hand, ignoring the way his breath caught.

“You look nice,” he muttered and you nodded in thanks.

“Thank you, I wasn’t trying,” you said and he nodded, swallowing hard. “So…after all that we still got a ticket.”

You both moved past the guy at the main door, names on the list thanks to Val and an OXE agent who was already in the building and basically running the operation now. The stunt you both pulled with Demitri was not OXE approved so you were around just as backup and were told to linger in the shadows and wait to see if the trained operatives needed you. You didn’t mind, the mission was pretty much complete and there was enough OXE around to fumble any large arms deal and you knew they wouldn’t need you, you were just there to bug the hell out of Bucky.

“So…do you think OXE will intervene?” you asked and leaned against the railing of the second floor.

“Probably, there’s enough guys here.”

“Yeah, they brought an army.”

“I guess as soon as they clear it all we can head back and pack it up.”

“Just like that,” you said and he nodded. “Feels like a week has gone by.”

“Very funny.”

“Do we just go back to normalcy after this?”

“What else would we go back to?” he asked and turned, his face getting a bit close which reminded you of that stupid gap.

“I don’t know,” you muttered and sighed, moving away from him as you frowned.

The auction was halted before it could begin and a couple dozen OXE operatives appeared, arresting Demitri who was spotting a black eye from his altercation with Bucky. They dragged him off, kicking and screaming about being set up by some whack job American named Jack as you chuckled and got the okay on your comm from the main operative in the building.

“Alright…shall we?” you asked and Bucky nodded, taking one last look at the auction before following you out and all the way back to the apartment, the walk there shared in silence.

“So…” he began once you made your way in.

“Pack it up,” you muttered and moved to grab your duffle as he nodded.

“Alright,” he said and sighed, grabbing a couple shirts that got tossed across various chairs. “Look…”

“What?”

“What is this?”

“What is what?”

“Why are you standing there in that dress and acting like this all normal,” he said and you turned, crossing your arms.

“Your point.”

“Something changed, I can feel it.”

“Good, you're not stupid,” you said and he rolled his eyes.

“What changed?” he asked and you scoffed.

“I take it back.”

“Come on…tell me, I want to know. I need to know,” he pleaded and you sighed, hoping he got the declaration.

“You didn’t close the gap,” you deadpanned and Bucky eyed you.

“What?”

“The gap, you didn’t kiss me at Demitri’s.”

“I didn’t know you wanted it,” he shot back and tossed the shirt in the duffle as you scoffed.

“You stick your lips an inch from mine and don’t expect me to want it.”

“Kissing you after that felt wrong.”

“It wouldn’t have been.”

“I save you from the asshole and kiss you, what kind of guy does that make me.”

“A better one,” you shot back and he turned to you. “A good one. You’re not him and I never thought you were. That moment…I wasn’t mad…I was eager. I wanted it.”

“Do you still?”

“Are we changing? Is this changing our dynamic?”

“Maybe it is,” he said and moved closer, eyes drinking in your red dress. “Why?”

“Why do you want it to change? You've hated me for so long.”

“I felt that happiness you radiate, I didn’t like it…didn’t like the way it made me feel like I could relax and release all this tension in my shoulders, I didn’t want to go that far.”

“But this mission…”

“This mission ruined all of it,” he said and you smiled. “It ruined that because now, I want nothing more than to be wrapped up in that feeling forever. To let these walls down and let you infect me.”

“You make it sound so romantic,” you said and Bucky got ever closer, hands on your arms as he slowly backed you up against the wall.

“Don’t you want that?”

“I want nothing more,” you said and he once again put himself an inch away from your lips.

“Can I call you doll if we go any further?”

“Maybe…”

“Maybe?”

“I think it works better for you.”

“I’m not a doll.”

“Aren’t you, doll?” you whispered and noticed how it made him jump. “Oh…do you like that? I can feel that emotion I’ll have you know.”

“Which?”

“All of them and more,” you muttered and reached out, hands on his chest as his body lurched towards yours, being led by his hips and you smiled. “One big doll.”

“You gotta stop that.”

“Hmmm…stop, doll?” you asked and he bit his lip, still that inch away. “Close it, Bucky.”

“What?”

“Every gap you can,” you breathed out and his lips were on yours before you could finish.

A week of pining in one kiss was a lot to bear and you felt him push you further into the wall, hands moving from your arms to your hips as he locked on, keeping you locked in place. But it wasn’t like he was forcing you to be there, there was none of that with this man, it was gentle in a way you didn’t know was possible. You could tell he was still worried about breaking you, that feather touch was still there and you wanted him to know he could go deeper, you weren’t gonna break, you had him.

“I…I don’t know…”

“It’s okay,” you muttered, breathless and knew he had reservations. “I found something after my coma…you’re not the first.”

“That isn’t very romantic.”

“It’s me telling you I’m not scared,” you shot back and he smiled.

“Really?”

“I never could be, you’re you.”

“Even back when I was an ass?”

“Makes it even better to prove you wrong,” you shot back and he smirked, kissing you again, deeper this time as his hands clawed at the hem of the dress that had been taunting him all night.

To your surprise you noticed a slight hesitation and glanced down, his hands having stopped and his face searching yours to make sure this was okay. It was a hell of a change from all the guys before, their need to push and pull till they got what they want but not Bucky, this was a moment for the both of you and he wanted you to savour it as much as he did.

“Do it,” you muttered and he caught your eye.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I trust you,” you said and he smiled, pulling the hem up, the dress coming up over your shoulders and soon piled in a heap on the floor.

Bucky stepped back, chest heaving as he drank you in, looking intently at every curve and dip of your body, every small little speck of something he could latch his eyes onto. The scars from your time in that lab, all the IV port markings from the coma, even a scrape on your hip from childhood, a memory of a time before it all that left a thin white line as a reminder of what could’ve been. His fingers found it, tracing the line across the curve of your hip as you tried your hardest to keep from melting against that wall before the real fun could begin. He let his hands fall before pulling his own shirt off, adding it to the pile and your eyes gave his body the same treatment, more scars to linger on and more memories but you didn’t care, they all held a certain beauty.

Bucky and you…you were both canvases that painted a picture of a life scarred and together you’d patch it, fix up the cracks and imperfections with lips dragged across every inch of skin they could find. He started his quest by moving to your neck, sucking some of the skin as you moaned, wanting more and he chuckled, moving your little escapade to the single bed in the other room and shedding more clothes as he went. He laid you back, admiring it all as he went and stopped, awaiting approval which you gave and he smiled, hopping up and caging you within those strong arms.

“Still trust me?” he asked and you nodded.

“Forever more,” you agreed and he smiled, dipping his head down, capturing your lips in a kiss.

The feelings of the room were a tad bit overwhelming and you copied his strength just in case things went for a tad bit longer than either of you intended. You weren’t worried, he was a man in love at the moment and you were the woman of his dreams, he was going to make all the waiting worth it, you had no doubt. And he did, as the night raged on and the feelings only got more intense, the room filling itself with a mirage of different colours and sensations. You felt all of him for the first time but it felt like the fifth. It was a love that only deepened the further it went and at the moment, it was the deepest it could go.

Two broken people, broken from memories long since buried and moments tucked into deep corners had found a shot at being themselves with another person, being who they wanted to be while being wanted all the same. You had a lot of regrets, a lot of shame and not enough rooms to contain them all but there in that moment they all didn’t matter. They were behind you and this man was in front of you and loved every minute of it.

“I love you,” he whispered and you grinned.

“I love you too.”

“Shall we extend this mission?”

“I would like to see more of Europe.”

“Good, I would too,” he agreed and you snuggled against him, radiating calm like that night at the beginning of the mission.

Bucky didn’t need it, he already felt quite at peace and you looked down, eyes widening and a smile etching across your face when you noticed that he was smiling wide.

“Happy?” you asked and he chuckled.

“Quite,” he agreed and you snuggled in closer.

“Good, I’m very glad.”

“I have a lot to smile about,” he said and you nodded in agreement. “A lot to be thankful for…a lot to look forward to…a lot…of everything.”

“I like everything, it sounds doable.”

“It sounds perfect.”

“Who is this guy?” you asked and sat up a bit as he chuckled.

“Just a man…”

“Just a man,” you mocked and he shrugged.

“Just a man in love,” he said and kissed you deep once again, savouring every second of it and preventing another one inch gap of separation.

***

Back at the Watchtower, Yelena Belova had gotten word that the mission was a success and despite some bumps in the road, they arrested Demitri before his auction could begin and Bucky and Gemini had made it. She was proud to say the least, proud of the fact that you didn’t end up killing each other and maybe something good came out of shoving you two together for a whole ass week. Two people, destined to murder each other and existing in a one-bedroom apartment that she had told Val you requested to be closer to your partner. It was a ruse, she just wanted to force some connection and her brows raised at the text she got late that morning.

The mission went awry, staying a few more weeks, might need to see a few more places to really get all the intel we need. -Bucky

“Bullshit,” Yelena said and smiled, wide as a second came in.

Thank you. You were right. -Bucky

“Hey, any word from the two, have they killed each other?” Walker asked, leaning against the doorframe and Yelena smiled, jumping up and running over to show him the text. “What is this?”

“They fell in love.”

“Bullshit.”

“Val told me the mission went perfect and yet, he tells me it went horribly wrong and they need to extend it.”

“So…”

“So…he’s taking his new girlfriend on a European vacation.”

“You have no proof,” Walker said and Yelena grinned at another new message, this one a photo of you and Bucky in front of the Eiffel Tower, his lips pressed against your cheek.

Show it to Walker. -Bucky

“Look,” she said and Walker frowned.

“God I hate that guy.”

“You owe me twenty bucks!” Yelena exclaimed and texted back as many kissy face emojis as she could fit in one message, a wide grin on her face.

Sooooooooo…Was I right or was I right?

Maybe I’m not that grumpy. -Bucky

“Oh yeah, I was right!” Yelena shouted and knew that she’d never let you two live this down once you got back.

Grumpy Bucky was no more and had been replaced with a love drunk fool that had a gorgeous woman to keep him company as he showed her a life she should’ve gotten years ago. It was all you and him could ever ask for, a life together, no gaps, no regrets and no chance at ever escaping Yelena ever again.

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lottiesliterature · 6 months ago

Text

Summary:Javier Peña is injured during a mission, and you’re forced to take care of him while stuck in a small, one-bedroom cabin.

Warnings: 18+, mdni, injury (bullet wound), one bed, close proximity. Pedro Pascal

Wc: 1,340

The mission had gone south quickly.

It had started like any other operation—precision, stealth, and quick thinking. But things escalated when Javier was shot. It wasn’t a serious wound, thank God, just a graze across his side that was bleeding more than it should, and that’s how you found yourself in the remote cabin, tending to his injury in the middle of nowhere.

I'm fine,” he muttered, slumping against the wall as you wiped away the blood with a disinfectant soaked cloth. His eyes never left the floor, and his jaw clenched in that stubborn way you knew all too well.

You shot him a skeptical look. “If you're fine, then why do you look like you're about to pass out?” He didn’t answer. Of course, he didn’t. Javier Peña was a man who hated showing vulnerability, even if he was the one who’d just been shot. His pride always came before everything else, including the reality of his injuries.

The tension in the room was suffocating, the kind that came from two people who knew each other too well and not well enough all at once.

His eyes flicked to yours, dark and unreadable. “I said I’m fine. You don’t need to—”.

“Don’t,” you cut him off, sitting back on your heels and glaring at him. “Don’t do that thing where you pretend you’re invincible. It’s not working.”

The room fell silent except for the sound of your ragged breathing and the storm rattling the windowpane. His dark eyes flicked up to meet yours, and the intensity in them made your heart skip.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly, his voice softer now but still edged with that irritating stubbornness.

You froze for a split second, your hand hovering over his side. The heat of his skin beneath your fingers burned like a warning, but you ignored it. “Yes, I do.”

“Why?” The word was barely a whisper, but it hit you like a punch to the gut.

Your fingers tightened around the cloth, and you tore your gaze away from his, focusing instead on the blood staining your hands. “Because you’d do the same for me,” you said, your voice low but firm.

Javier’s silence was deafening, and it made the air between you feel heavier.

When you finally looked up, his face was inches from yours, his expression unreadable but undeniably vulnerable. The proximity sent a jolt through your body, but you couldn’t afford to get distracted—not now.

“Lift your arm,” you said, your voice trembling just slightly.

He hesitated, his eyes never leaving yours, and for a moment you thought he might argue. But then he exhaled sharply and did as you asked, wincing as the motion pulled at the torn skin. You didn’t miss the way his hand brushed against your side, whether accidental or deliberate, and it sent a wave of heat straight to your chest.

You worked in silence, your hands steady despite the whirlwind of emotions threatening to overwhelm you. Every time your fingers grazed his skin, you felt him tense beneath your touch. The closeness was unbearable, every movement drawing you closer to an invisible line neither of you seemed ready to cross.

“Doesn’t hurt,” he said gruffly, breaking the silence.

“Liar,” you muttered, refusing to meet his eyes.

A low chuckle escaped him, though it was tinged with pain. “You always this bossy?”

You glared at him, your temper flaring. “Only when my partner gets himself shot and refuses to take it seriously.”

For a long moment, neither of you spoke. You finished cleaning the wound, your hands lingering on his side longer than necessary. When you finally looked up, the raw emotion in his gaze made your breath hitch.

Finally, you broke eye contact, your voice shaky as you muttered, “You should lie down. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

“I’m fine,” he said, the gruffness in his tone not enough to mask the exhaustion bleeding through.

“You’re not fine, Javier,” you snapped, standing up abruptly and pacing to the other side of the small room. The tension in your chest was unbearable, a knot that refused to unravel. You gestured to the single bed pushed against the wall, your frustration bubbling over. “Just take the bed before you pass out.”

He shot you a look, one brow raised, the kind that usually made people stop arguing. But you weren’t most people.

“You’ve lost blood, and you’re hurt,” you added before he could argue. “You need it more than I do.”

“You’re exhausted,” he countered, his voice rough but firm. “You think I don’t notice how you’ve been running on fumes?”

You ignored him, grabbing the blanket you’d pulled off the bed and laying it down on the floorboards. The room was small, cold, and lit only by the flickering yellow glow of the bedside lamp. But you didn’t care. Anything was better than sharing that bed and having to endure the unbearable tension lingering in the air between you.

“I’m not arguing with you about this,” you said, lying down on your makeshift bed. You turned your back to him, pulling your coat over yourself for extra warmth.

He let out a frustrated sigh, but he didn’t say anything else. The sound of him settling onto the bed filled the silence, followed by the creak of the old mattress.

You tried to sleep, but the floor was unforgivingly hard, and the chill seeped into your bones despite your coat and the thin blanket. Every time you shifted, the bruises and tension from the day’s events flared to life, keeping sleep just out of reach.

Eventually, though, exhaustion won out, and you drifted off.

Javier lay awake on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The room was quiet except for your soft, uneven breathing, a clear sign that you weren’t resting peacefully.

He sighed, running a hand over his face. Stubborn. That’s what you were. Stubborn and self-sacrificing, always putting him first even when you didn’t need to. It made his chest ache, though he’d never admit it out loud.

When your breathing finally evened out, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed with a groan, standing up carefully to avoid pulling at the stitches in his side. The sight of you curled up on the floor made him frown. You looked so small, so vulnerable, and the thought of you spending the night like that stirred something deep inside him.

“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath.

He crouched down beside you, moving slowly to avoid waking you. His hands hovered for a moment, hesitant, before slipping beneath you—one under your knees and the other supporting your back. You stirred slightly, letting out a soft murmur, but didn’t wake as he lifted you effortlessly.

“You’re impossible,” he muttered softly, more to himself than to you, as he carried you to the bed.

The mattress creaked as he laid you down gently, pulling the blanket up over you. He hesitated for a moment, his hand lingering on the edge of the blanket as he looked at your face, now peaceful in sleep.

Shaking his head, he moved to sit back on the floor, resigned to a sleepless night. But before he could settle, your hand reached out, catching his wrist.

“Stay,” you mumbled, your voice thick with sleep.

He froze, his breath hitching as he looked down at you. Your eyes were barely open, your grip on his wrist loose, but the vulnerability in your voice was enough to shatter the walls he’d so carefully built.

After a long moment, he exhaled and climbed into the bed beside you, careful to keep some distance. The mattress was small, and the proximity was impossible to ignore, but he stayed still, watching as your breathing evened out again.

“Stubborn,” he whispered one last time, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

And for the first time in a long time, Javier Peña allowed himself to relax, the weight of the day melting away as the quiet rhythm of your presence lulled him to sleep.

#fanfic #javier peña #javier peña fanfiction #javier pena x reader #oneshot #blurb #narcos #javier pena narcos #javier pena fanfiction #javier pena x you #close proximity #one bed trope #writers on tumblr #dividers by enchanthings

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critical-love-cod · 3 months ago

Text

Stay Quiet

Ghost x Fem!Reader

——• •••• ——— ••• —

“So what you’re saying is we’re trapped here?” I asked quietly. Ghost sighed angrily beside me.

“Obviously.” He replied, gritting his teeth. We were indeed in a precarious situation. During the mission we were on, Ghost and I were scouting the bottom floor of an inactive base. Or, we thought it was inactive. Ghost heard voices coming from outside of the building and quickly shoved us into the smallest room possible. Of all the damn rooms, and it had to be the tiniest one.

Well, one of the men from the group outside must’ve seen us go in, and instead of coming in and killing us, they just locked us inside. Come to find it out, it was fucking Soap and Gaz. Ghost yelled at them for about an hour before they must’ve left because both inside and outside the closet had fallen silent.

You know the space under a staircase? Yeah, that’s basically what we were trapped in. Being stuck in a space this small with a 6’ 4” man, whose gear only makes him bigger, was no fun.

“Lieutenant.” I began. He pressed his hands angrily against the wall beside me.

“What.” He said, his voice dripping with impatience. I rolled my eyes.

“L.T., your anger issues aren’t going to get us out of here any faster.” I spat, pushing my body against the wall. Ghost whipped his head to the right, looking directly at me.

“Don’t ever make a comment like that again.” Ghost said sternly, moving to stand in front of me.

“Yes sir.” I said, looking up to meet his gaze. “Now will you get off me? I can’t breathe.” I should’ve kept my mouth shut. Ghost’s eyes darkened immediately as he reached up with his left hand and wrapped it harshly around my throat.

“Did they not teach you to shut up in boot camp?” He asked, squinting his eyes angrily.

“Oh, they tried.” I bit back, keeping my gaze firmly planted on his eyes. He growled, squeezing my throat gently. Then the bottoms of his eyes lifted like he was smirking.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re enjoying this.” Ghost pointed out. I tried to keep my poker face strong, stifling the whimper that sat at the back of my throat. I puffed up my chest a bit, reaching with my right hand to wrap around his wrist.

“Good thing you know better right, L.T.?” I asked, furrowing my brows. He chuckled and I could feel the vibrations in his chest against my own.

“Yeah.” He said softly. “Good thing.” My eyes darted back and forth between his. Then his eyes darkened. Like, shark black eyes. But I remained calm. I took a breath as deep as I could, though it was difficult with Ghost’s hand wrapped around my throat.

“I could really have some fun with this.” He said, tilting his head a bit.

“With what?” I asked.

“You know damn well what.” He said quickly. “If you’re gonna run your mouth and make snarky comments, as your Lieutenant I get to punish you.” I raised my eyebrow.

“Get to?” I repeated, straightening up against the wall.

“Oh yeah.” He said breathily, a low moan escaping his lips. I quirked my eyebrows in surprise. He leaned down, nuzzling my neck.

“I don’t see how you’re gonna do anything with that stupid mask.” I said, closing my eyes at the feeling of the friction he was causing. Before I could process what was happening, he had snatched both of my hands and yanked them above my head, holding both of them in his left hand. He stood up straight again, shoving his left knee in between my legs making me yelp. He then used his free hand and clasped it over my mouth.

“Now, you’re going to stay bloody quiet. Copy?” He whispered next to my ear. I rolled my eyes in the back of my head, his words sending a chill down my spine. I nodded and bent my knees a bit, resting on his thigh.

“Good girl.” He said, before taking his hand from my mouth and using it to pull his mask up to his nose. Then he buried his face in my neck again, licking, biting, and sucking all the right spots.

Surely this was a joke? Surely I was not meant to stay quiet through this beautiful form of torture? Ghost sucked on a particularly soft spot near my collarbone, causing me to sigh out through my nose. Ghost pressed his body into me, pinning me to the wall. I felt his free hand trailing down my chest and around my waist, guiding me back and forth on his thigh.

“~Ghost…” I whispered.

“Shut it.” He said against my neck, coming up to my lips and capturing them in his own. He kissed me with a force I had never felt before. I moaned quietly into his mouth, the friction between my legs becoming too much. His right hand then left my waist, tracing his fingers along the waistband of my pants, quickly undoing my belt buckle with one hand.

The belt hit the floor and his next task was the button holding the pants tightly around my waist. As soon as it was undone, his hand travelled down to where I so desperately needed him. I whimpered as his lips left mine and I looked up to meet his gaze. He looked me dead in the eyes and hooked his index finger around the thin material in my pants.

“Stay. Quiet.” He demanded.

~~~

#ghost x reader #fanfic #simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley #call of duty #suggestive #close proximity #fluff

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asriel-2 · 8 months ago

Text

New Victim

Paring: Wednesday Addams x Reader

Summary: Enid tells you about a new student that arrived to nevermore. You can’t help, but tease Wednesday, to get a reaction out of her.

Warning: Profanity

Authors note: Reader kinda likes to tease people, and I haven’t watched this show since 2022🤕

Enid(your bestfriend), and you were currently eating lunch together. You listened to Enid as she spoke about her new, odd, roommate called, Wednesday Addams.

“So, Y/N! I have this new roomie, and well, she’s quite interesting if I do say so myself,” Enid chuckled as she took another bite out of her lunch.

“What do you mean by “interesting” Enid?” You said as you made quotation marks in the air.

Enid sallowed the bite she was chewing on, and looked at you. “I mean, she’s not ordinary. And there absolutely nothing wrong with that! We all aren’t ordinary, but she’s just different in some type of way.”

You listened intently, “I somewhat understand. No need to explain any further. Also speaking of Wednesday, where is she? It’s lunch time”

“She’s probably in her dorm! She always eats in there.”

You smirked deviously

“You know what would be funny?

Enid smirked along with you

“Y/N, whatever you’re planning I’m all in for it.”

Enid was like your partner in crime.

“I should totally go and annoy, Addams!”

Enid’s smile slightly faded. “You sure that’s a good idea? Wends, is kinda intimidating,”

You rolled your eyes at your friend’s statement, “How bad can it be? Your roommate might need some company, don’t you think?”

Enid sighed “Yeah, Y/N, I’m not so sure about this.”

“Finee. I guess I’ll just do it by myself. Have fun talking to Yoko, or Ajax, or something,” You said as you got off of her seat and threw away your trash as you headed to, Ophelia Hall.

You already knew where Enid’s dorm was since you been there before, but you never had met this “Wednesday Addams” before.

You finally arrived in front of the door room. You took a deep breath in, and opened the door.

You were met with a room clearly decorated differently since the last time you been here.

You saw a short girl with braided pigtails, sitting at the black side of the room. You can’t really tell what she’s doing, but she didn’t even care to look of who just walked in.

“What is it exactly that you want.”

Wow. Enid wasn’t kidding. She was intimidating. Her voice sent shivers down your spine, but you talked to people like this. You can handle it!

“Ah, you must be the ‘Wednesday Addams’ everybody’s talking about. I’m-”

Wednesday cut you off, “I didn’t ask for a whole speech. You are yet to respond to my question.” She said with a cold voice

This bitch. How rude.

“Okay, asshole. To answer your question that you so much wanted, I was only here to be nice, and welcome you. At least I’m not the one isolating myself.”

Wednesday finally turned to look at you.

“Was your use of profanity really necessary. I also wouldn’t call it “isolating.” I prefer to be alone.”

You laughed, “Yeah, yeah whatever makes you sleep at night.”

“Actually having thoughts of people suffering makes me sleep at night. I find it quite calming,” Wednesday said without any hesitation.

Okay now you fully understand what Enid meant by, “not ordinary roommate.”

“Thanks for oversharing that even though I didn’t ask for it.”

Wednesday turned back around to her desk, and there was silence for a few minutes.

The smirk you had before when talking to Enid came back.

“You’re quite interesting, Addams. Also quite the cute one too.”

Wednesday looked back at you with an confused expression

“Was that your attempt to try, and flirt?”

You giggled as your eyes never left hers, “Perhaps. Is it working?”

She groaned out of annoyance, and got up from her chair as she stood closer to you.

“You think too low of me. Why is it your mission to go bother me.”

You took a step closer to Wednesday Addams.

“I just find teasing someone like you, entertaining.”

Wednesday would be lying if she said that the proximity of yours faces didn’t make her whole entire body turn hot.

She was usually cold

Lunch time ended some time ago so Enid walked into the room. Seeing you and Wednesday standing close to each other.

You with your signature grin and Wednesday having always that icy expression on her face.

“Guys? Is everything alright?” Enid said tilting her head.

You both went ahead and turned your heads to Enid.

You decided to speak first, “Yeah I was just heading out. I’ll catch you later, Enid and Wednesday”

You looked at Wednesday, and had a grin on your face as you left their dorm to head back to yours.

Wednesday couldn’t help but walk back over to the desk and finish whatever she was doing before she got interrupted by you.

But unfortunately, you didn’t leave her mind. Why would you even want to tease her like that. Did you not find her scary like other students do?

Feelings are Wednesday’s worst enemy.

#jenna ortega #wlw #wednesday x reader #wednesday addams #enid sinclair #teasing #flirting #annoying #close proximity #reader insert #jenna ortega x y/n #wednesday netflix #wednesday x you #wednesday x y/n

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heavenlyraindrops · 1 year ago

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Forced Proximity Prompts

Locked in a classroom together by the teacher on accident after serving detention

Hiding in a cramped space when they’re almost caught somewhere they’re not meant to be- end up getting stuck

locked in a room or a closet by their friends.

Door gets jammed

one of them gets their foot/ clothes stuck

There’s only one bed

only one horse/ other small methods of transport

forced to take a carriage together

forced to work on a group/ paired project together

A is forced to tutor/teach something to B

prisoners in the same cell/ something along that concept

arranged marriage

servant/master dynamic (NOT SLAVERY, *SERVANTS* e.g., maid attending to the prince)

they end up in an unfamiliar land and are forced to stick together

A is B’s bodygaurd

Forced to be dorm mates at an academy/school/institute

A is a wanted criminal, B is the knight/gaurd/mercenary/officer/ ect. Who captures them

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awardenandacrow · 1 month ago

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SNIPPET 70

[the scandalous tale of Rookanis continues… UNCHAPPERONED!!!]

@rookwithawand just for you 🥰

Aka [Rook & Lucanis find themselves in close proximity while making sure the latter is presentable before returning to his grandmother.]

NOTE: this was inspired by a couple of different posts that I’m SURE I reblogged but I will have to hunt for them to post links. One was the PTSD post I reblogged semi-recently, which had a part about how in Inner Demons there’s a lot of Lucanis feeling like he has to be who he was before even though he absolutely is not and so there’s this idea of him putting on a mask/a front of still being the same. The other was I feel like a while ago and talked about Lucanis cleaning himself up before going back to the Lighthouse and Rook looking him up and down because DAMN. But I kind of combined the two concepts because Lucanis is ABSOLUTELY trying to keep up appearances, but also who would it be more important to him to keep them up FOR than Caterina?

——————————————————————————

At the dock, Lucanis caught the arm of their escort. She looked vaguely familiar. One of Viago’s, perhaps, he thought. Her dark eyes met his with a touch of nerves.

“Give me an hour,” he told her firmly, “then you may inform Caterina of our return.”

“As you say, Signore Dellamorte,” she bowed her head respectfully, then slipped off into a shadowy side street.

Lucanis turned his attention back to his companions. Neve was helping a still-shaky Rook onto the dock. Once she had her feet, she raised her eyes to the city and *sighed.*

“It’s even prettier in the daytime,” she murmured.

“When the job is done maybe you can move in,” Neve teased, and Rook’s expression collapsed.

“Yeah, maybe,” she mumbled, though nothing about her tone or countenance suggested she thought that was even a remote possibility. “We should get going.”

Lucanis held his arm out in front of her to prevent her from heading up into the city.

“This way,” he said, indicating the path along the water, “There’s a safe house.”

“A safe house?” Neve asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. “Not the Diamond?”

“Not yet,” Lucanis shook his head. He lead them across the boardwalk, well below the bustling streets and alleyways above, into the Drowned District. “Having my armor is one thing, but I cannot go before Caterina looking like… this.”

He gestured vaguely at himself. He didn’t know for certain, but he must look a sight. Filthy, unkempt, wet, covered in not-quite-washed-away blood and an inordinate amount of sand. It wasn’t professional.

“You must be hungry, too,” Rook said sympathetically, startling from his self-deprecating thoughts. “Hopefully there will be something there we can whip up for you.”

Lucanis frowned. He *was* hungry. For all Calivan’s bluster that he should die and yield Spite to them, the Venatori had been ensuring his survival with daily food and water. He rarely ate much, however, especially not after they had force fed him *a demon.* He had only given in when the hunger pains were so debilitating he couldn’t help himself from it.

Food *did* sound good.

“I doubt they keep the cabinets in their safe houses stocked, Rook,” Neve laughed. “But once I know where it is, I can run to the market while Lucanis cleans himself up. *We* haven’t eaten either, remember?”

Rook’s stomach promptly growled, and she laughed. “Good point.”

“It’s here,” Lucanis said, stopping in front of a plain brick wall. “To get to the market, follow this road to the end, then take a right. When you get back, this is how you get in.”

He moved a hanging vine aside, pressing his fingers against a small stone carving of a Treviso Crow. It *click*ed into the wall, and the door swung open.

Rook’s mouth fell open with it and she went starry-eyed.

“That’s so neat!” She gasped. Lucanis grabbed her by the upper arm as she made a move to dash inside.

“*Wait,*” he snapped, immediately regretting his impatient tone at her startled expression. “I do not know for sure the safe house is *empty.* If another Crow is already hiding out here, rushing in would be most unwise.”

“You’d think I’d learn,” Rook chuckled, tugging one of her braids nervously. “I ran smack into a booby trap that way one time.”

“*There’s* another story,” Neve said warmly. “I want to hear it when I get back.”

Rook made a show of rolling her eyes. “Oh, all right, if you insist! Be safe, alright?”

“Always,” Neve nodded resolutely.

Their dynamic outside of the Ossuary was stunningly different, Lucanis was realizing. More comfortable. Warm. Affectionate, even. Rook was more relaxed, as though the Ossuary had been some sort of audition she’d been afraid of failing. What he couldn’t figure out was *why.* It did not seem to him Neve needed impressing. And Caterina had already promised him to them, had she not? So what did it matter what he thought? A contract was a contract.

“Are you expecting her to run into much trouble?” Lucanis asked, ducking inside slowly and lowering his voice.

“Well, the Antaam are about,” she replied, following close behind and matching his volume. “They seem to mostly be hassling people, but… better safe than sorry.”

He grunted in reply. The Antaam had been “about” for years now. They were more nuisance than true invasion — everyone knew Antiva could not be overtaken. That Rook seemed worried about them he took as proof she did not know much about Antiva, or the Crows, at all.

ROOK IS. STUPID? Spite sounded more bored than genuinely interested, and Lucanis frowned. He hadn’t thought that, had he? Inexperience and stupidity were not necessarily the same.

*I keep forgetting how little of the world you’ve seen.* Hadn’t that been what Neve had said?

The safe house was little more than a hole in the wall — almost literally, as it existed in the dead space *between* the legitimate apartments of the building — but it was, thankfully, empty. The room was narrow and dusty, with no windows. One entrance. There was a cot just inside the door to the left, and a small side table placed at its head laden with unlit candles. In the back left corner was a tiny stove, a single square foot of counter space taken up largely by more unlit candles, and a standing cabinet for dry goods and dishes. The back right corner had been cordoned off to allow for a tiny washroom with only a toilet and sink set into a narrow cabinet. Above the sink was a cracked mirror flanked by two wall-mounted candleabras. To the right of the entrance was a high top table with two worn-out stools, tucked against the wall to ensure just enough walking space to get from the door to the kitchen and back.

“Homey,” Rook joked with a smirk.

“Have you never been in a safe house before?” He asked drily, wondering what she possibly could have been expecting.

“Nope,” she chirped with a shrug, shimmying around him with a cheeky wink. Her attention turned to the candles, which she lit with a fire spell just before the door could close and leave them alone in the dark. She picked up a few, spinning to place them on the table opposite before selecting one more and wandering to the kitchen. After lighting the candles on the counter with the one in her hand, she began to hum quietly to herself as she pulled open the cabinets.

As Neve had guessed, they were bare but for a plate, a bowl, and a cup with utensils in it. Rook made a disappointed noise and shut the door. She turned slowly, eyes sweeping again over the tiny apartment, which actually was somewhat “homey”-er now that candlelight danced on nearly every surface. Color blossomed across her cheeks beneath her too-bright rouge as she caught him watching her. In the candlelight, she almost seemed to glow pink.

“I’m sorry, I’m in your way, aren’t I?” She asked quickly. She wasn’t. “I’ll just, um. Sit? At the table?”

She started towards the closest stool, then hesitated. “Or — do you need something from me?”

“Just watch the door,” he said, unsure trusting the watch to her was wise. But then, what other option did he have? “If anyone but Neve comes up the stairs, greet them with a fireball.”

“What if it’s just another Crow seeking refuge?” She squeaked.

“They will attack you on sight for not being a Crow, in a Crow safe house,” he told her seriously.

“Oh,” she mumbled, pulling her staff off her back and leaning it against the wall before sliding into the stool. She set the candle on the table with the others, absentmindedly passing her fingertips across the flame.

DIDN’T LIKE THAT, Spite snickered, sitting in the stool opposite her and peering into her face through the candle’s glow in a way Lucanis did not particularly care for. SOFT!

He ignored the demon, taking two candles with him and stepping into the washroom. Given how she’d dispatched Calivan, he suspected she wasn’t *so* soft that she wouldn’t defend herself. Thoughts of Rook ceased as he approached the mirror. He sighed, lighting the candelabras before setting the candles in his hands on the back of the sink and taking a good look.

He could barely recognize himself. His eyes were dark, hollow, sunken. Dark circles hugged their undersides. His hair was unkempt, the beard he had grown over the last year messy, unruly, and too high on his gaunt cheeks. His mustache curled over his upper lip. He’d been considering growing a beard before he’d been captured, but this… this would not do.

He rummaged in the drawer of the cabinet beneath the sink. Crow safehouses were always equipped with tools to assist in altering one’s appearance, as this was often beneficial to a Crow on the run. He pulled the grooming kit up onto the counter, noticing how his hands shook. Would he even be able to do this? He must.

But just as he had feared, it proved more difficult than he was prepared for, and he swore as the blade knicked his cheek, red blossoming against his skin.

“Are you all right?” Rook was in the doorway in an instant. Hot embarrassment swirled in his stomach and he nodded curtly, grabbing a towel and pressing it to his face. Spite snickered in the background, further souring his mood.

Rook turned to walk away. Hesitated. Turned back.

“Listen… I know we *just* met. And I’m *sure* you don’t really trust me, but I won’t be able to forgive myself if I don’t… offer, at least,” she wrung her hands in front of her as she spoke, looking almost as uncomfortable as he felt. “Would you like some help? I…”

She hesitated again, seeming to struggle with what she wanted to say. “I have some experience trimming facial hair. Nothing fancy or anything but I can… clean it up for you, if you like.”

Every fiber of Lucanis’s being, every moment of his training, screamed that he should not allow this woman, no matter how innocent-looking or intriguing — or *soft* — anywhere near his face and neck with a knife. And after her display with her mageknife, he wasn’t sure he trusted her to practice finesse with *any* kind of a blade. He pulled the towel from his face and looked down at his blood staining it.

She’d said they needed him, hadn’t they? Why would she rescue him from the Ossuary just to kill him now? And if he were stubborn… he couldn’t go in front of Caterina with his face a mess of fresh shaving mishaps like a boy still wet behind the ears, either.

“All right,” he said reluctantly.

“I’m not great with healing spells,” she told him apologetically, stepping into the tiny space with him, “but I can close that up for you, if you like.”

He said nothing, but nodded at the floor. She stood toe to toe with him, and he noticed her nails were painted black like her lips. She didn’t seem Dalish to him — far too trusting, and from what he understood, their mages didn’t generally venture away from their clans — yet her footwear was a modification of the wraps he’d seen them wear. He could not think of a time in his life when another person had puzzled him as much as Rook did. A pulse of cooling magic against his cheek, then the strange sensation of flesh knitting itself back together, grounded him back into the moment. She was so close to him. When was the last time he had stood this close to another person, and they hadn’t been trying to kill him?

HANDS THAT. HEAL? Spite was waxing poetic from the table. MAKES NO. SENSE.

“You’re sure you know what you’re doing?” He asked, slowly raising his eyes to look at Rook. They were almost the same height, though the soles of his boots gave him a slight boost. It was odd to find her purple eyes so easily with his own, and stirred a strange discomfort deep within him. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment, and the breath she drew in was shaky, nervous.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in active practice,” she admitted, picking up the straight edge razor off of the sink carefully. “But the technique is fairly straightforward. If I make you uncomfortable, or you need a break, just let me know, all right?”

This struck him dumb. He managed a quick nod. How could she so easily read his discomfort? How could she see he was struggling, and rather than get defensive, offer him an out? Acknowledge it, and move on?

Rook was careful, and worked slowly. She made sure not to touch him any more than was absolutely necessary, which he found oddly comforting. The last person to touch his face had been Zara, and he did his best not to think about it. The scrape of the blade across his skin knotted his stomach, but true to her word, Rook seemed to have a talent for this.

She focused on her task, and Lucanis did his best not to stare at her as she did. He found he did not know what to do with his hands. Spite’s suggestions on the topic from the table were colorful, largely inappropriate, and far from helpful, and Lucanis found himself glaring at the demon out of the corner of his eye.

“Turn your head a bit for me?” Rook murmured, applying the tiniest pressure to his jaw with the tip of her pinky. Lucanis did as he was told.

“Where did you learn to do this?” He asked, not sure he really cared but irritated enough with Spite’s mischievous grin to break the silence. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her bite her lower lip. She hesitated for a moment, then took a slow, soft breath.

“I… grew up a slave, in a Tevinter Magister’s house,” she told him quietly. “I wasn’t really good for anything, so he said, so when the woman in charge of this… couldn’t do it anymore. Um. They taught me.”

“I’m sorry,” Lucanis said, not knowing what else he could say. He doubted the sentiment was sufficient.

“It’s all right,” she pulled the blade away to shrug at him, then resumed. “It was a long time ago. At least I can be useful to you, now.”

The statement made Lucanis inexplicably uncomfortable. She didn’t need to be “useful” to him.

“I… appreciate it,” he mumbled.

“How’s this?” She asked, attempting to step back. She bumped into the toilet and wobbled, and Lucanis instinctively grabbed her waist to steady her. Rook’s face burned scarlet. Spite cackled. Lucanis quickly released her, clearing his throat and turning to the mirror. He did, indeed look more put together. Cleaner. He ran his hands through the length of his facial hair, wincing as he shook sand loose. It would have to do.

“Thank you,” he turned back towards Rook, but she was rummaging through the grooming kit now with a frown on her face.

“What’s wrong?” He wanted to know.

“There’s no soap or after shave or oil or anything in here,” she muttered, stooping suddenly to check the cabinet beneath the sink. Lucanis pressed himself flat against the wall, the tip of her ear drawing a line down the front of his thigh. He’d think her clueless, but she quickly tilted her head away with a hiss. He’d heard elf ears were sensitive.

As Lucanis fretted over the position he found himself in, looking down with her crouched at his feet, the safe house door opened.

“I’m ba — Rook, *what* are you doing?” Neve’s tone was exhasperated, but not at all surprised. So this was… usual behavior?

“I’m looking for a facial moisturizer or a lotion or *something!*” Rook called without pulling her head out of the cabinet. “I don’t want Lucanis to get razor burn.”

“The only face that’s going to be burning,” Neve teased, setting a fragrant bag of food on the table, “is yours in about 30 seconds.”

*Mierda,* the two of them were a handful.

“What do you — oh.”

#dragon age the veilguard #dragon age #dragon age the veilguard spoilers #dragon age rook #fanfic #my rook #rook #rookanis #original character #rook x lucanis #Rookanis fluff #UNCHAPPERONED???#the scandal continues #close proximity #domestic shit #Neve went alone for the plot #sorry Neve #thanks for taking one for the team #neve gallus

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seraphic-seahorse · 2 months ago

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The Doctor: Clara, the moon is an egg

Clara:

#twelfth doctor #clara oswald #12th doctor #twelveclara #twelve x clara #whouffaldi #12 x clara #kill the moon #out of context screenshots #paused image #was watching this episode purely for vibes and Twelve looking hot in a spacesuit #oh and any subtle whouffaldi moments that I might of missed on my last watch ages ago #such as this little gem #close proximity #clara just go and do us all a favour and snog that hot mf already #you know you want to...

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sweetonsugden · 10 months ago

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Dean’s room is 11 and Castiel’s is 15. So, probably in the same corridor.

Sam is all the way in room 21.

#close proximity #rooms near each other #staying close #destiel #castiel #dean winchester #sam winchester #spn 12x19 #spn #supernatural

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willshookaspear · 1 year ago

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NOT BY BLOOD | RAFE CAMERON x OC

Snippet from 04: you're delusional

"Cute," Rafe mocked. Josie swung around and looked up to where his voice was coming from. He was standing on the balcony, leaning his lower arms on the railing, and watching her intently. For some reason, Josie felt embarrassed that he would've seen that interaction with JJ. But anger quickly replaced that embarrassment at the sight of his smug face.

"Don't you have something better to do than spy on me? Go away, Rafe," Josie said and rolled her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Nothing as amusing as watching you try to convince yourself that you're attracted to him," Rafe sneered confidently. Josie gritted her teeth.

"How could you possibly know what I'm attracted to?" she scoffed. Rafe just smiled assertively and pushed himself off from leaning on the railing. Josie suddenly realized he wasn't wearing a shirt and she clenched her jaw.

"You forget I've known you since we were kids. You blush, right here," he gestured to his face, "over your cheekbones." She wasn't sure he meant in general, or right now. Either way, the thought made her angry.

"You're delusional," she rolled her eyes in mockery.

"Maybe. Either way, I'm sure you can do better than Maybank." Rafe gestured to the drive where JJ had been standing just a few minutes ago.

"Like who, cousin?" Josie put a hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't call me that. We're not cousins," Rafe pointed at her with a serious look on his face. Then he turned around and walked inside. Josie was left flushed on ground level, annoyed that she didn't throw something at him when he was in range.

AO3: NOT BY BLOOD | RAFE CAMERON by willshookaspear

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auroragehenna · 2 years ago

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Intimate whumper & Defiant whumpee

(Whumper sitting next to a restrained Whumpee) Whumpee: « Have you ever heard of personal space? Its a really cool concept! » Whumper: « Nah, I that is a foreign concept to me.» Whumpee: « You could learn it! » Whumper: Whumper leaning in more Whumpee: Doesn't move their head, instead keeps it stoically facing forward. Whumper: Now being so close between Whumpee's ear and cheek they knew they could feel the heat of their breath « No, this concept will stay foreign. »

Taglist: @yourlocalgaefae33, @princessofhe11, @greatkittencloud, @bisexuawolfsalt

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nerdytreeflower · 1 year ago

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Sunshine: Chapter One

Derek Morgan X Reader

Summary: Bestfriends. Or something close to that anyway. That's what they are, but after one wine-fuelled night's sleep and a whole load of tossing and turning, one side of the friendship becomes strained. Derek Morgan wants to know why. Which is when the perfect opportunity comes from the pipecleaner with eyes and she has no choice but to confront the feelings she believes are one-sided. Confrontation and serial killers seem like a good mix, right? That's what I thought.

Chapter CW: 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 3.5k

A/N: New Chapter! Again, any constructive criticism is appreciated and feel free to comment and interact!

Series Masterlist // Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

The moments spent in the Bureau-acquired rental were stifling. Up until this point, the two had not been left alone in a room if she could help it the past week. But they had appearances to keep up, and that included their arrival at the resort. He hadn't spoken a word, eyes focused on the unfamiliar road which gave her the perfect advantage to trail her eyes down his person with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the stick shift.

Along with the belongings they had packed, they were given certain instructions on how to act, things to say, and specific people to talk to if they were given no choice but to interact with the other members but otherwise to keep to themselves. That the unsub picked out couples that wouldn't be missed right away.

He was wearing a white linen shirt, the buttons only done up to a point where most of his chest was visible, a necklace hanging down from his neck. It was strange, she didn't often see him so dressed up- his broad shoulders were often wrapped in Henleys, his legs in work trousers not so often the jeans he was donning.

The shirt sleeves were rolled up and she could see the slight veins in his arms as he changed gear and turned the wheel with his palm. God, why was she like this, she thought as she snapped her gaze to the road ahead, adjusting the strap of her dress in an attempt to lull the sudden heat that filled her cheeks.

It was a warm day in June, the air was heavy with humidity and a light breeze traveled through the car from where both sides had a cracked window. To be fair, she was also more dressed up than usual but not by much, a cute summer dress that happened to be one of her favourites hugged her figure. It was made of stretchy, patterned fabric that moved with her breathing and the spaghetti straps didn't offer any unnecessary warmth.

She was so caught up in pretending that she hadn't just been ogling him like a depraved teenage girl that she didn't hear his question.

"Sorry?" she turned to look at him as he glanced at her expectantly,

"I said, how do you wanna play this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just so we're on the same page, what kind of couple should we try to be? We know that our guy takes them a couple of weeks into their stay meaning he probably watches them for a while."

"Long enough to get to know each other, or at least for him to get to know them. And the other couples were described as-" she cut herself off, she didn't have to say what they both knew: the victims before were all reportedly in their honeymoon stage and two actually were on their honeymoon. Meaning, the likelihood of the victimology being a stoic couple that barely talked to each other, as they had been for the beginning of the trip, wasn't likely to catch his attention.

"How about we get to the resort and play it by ear, it would probably be easier to keep our act consistent if we went with what's natural." Natural? Natural?

Great one, she thought to herself.

"Okay then," a terse reply.

"Mr. and Mrs Dursley?" they had Hotch's son's new obsession to thank for their aliases.

"Yeah, that's us," Derek claimed, lifting the boot door to lug out the two large suitcases they had both brought before slamming it shut. They had arrived at the resort merely five minutes before they were greeted in the car park by an overeager staff member. He was short, with the kind of shape where the measurement of his height and his torso was probably equal; the resort colours stretched over his body in a light blue waistcoat.

"We are so honored you chose Palm Springs for your honeymoon, we-" The rest of the short man's speech was drowned out of her head by the sudden addition of a warm weight around her waist. A small sound of surprise escaped her lips before she could clamp them shut, already cursing herself at the lack of calm disposition.

God, if all it took was him putting his arm around her waist for heat to creep up her cheeks then how the hell would she get through the rest of their performance for the next however many days?

In her defense, it was a very nice arm, she thought as she leaned back into Derek's solid chest. Momentarily wondering if she were to slam into him with all of her body weight if he would even shift an inch; it didn't feel like it. He was warm and steady behind her, his thumb beginning to caress the fabric of her waist as he made conversation with the nice employee that she could have sworn introduced himself. Francisco? Franklin? Something along those lines.

She hadn't realised she had been zoned out for so long until she felt the soft caress of Derek's thumb turn into a gentle pinch on her hip, a yelp escaping her as she made a show of nudging him in the chest and smiling down at the ground.

"Sweetheart? You ready to get settled?" he repeated the question for her benefit, butterflies seemingly multiplying in response to the nickname.

"I'm ready when you are, baby," she leaned into his chest, really laying it on thick as he moved his arm from around her waist to hook around her shoulders, his hand coming to hang around her collarbone. They slowly began to make their way down the paved path as a couple of other employees, seemingly out of nowhere came to help with their bags.

Baby? Too much? They were going to be here for at least several days so she had time to try them all, see which ones fit best.

She distantly heard Derek making some sort of excuse to their guide about a long drive to explain her behavior and reprimanded herself for her sloppiness. Although Derek didn't seem to mind the clingy approach when they came up to several hut-looking structures looking out over a natural-looking pool with a few inhabitants, he pulled her closer, laying a sweet kiss on the top of her head.

They followed Francisco-Franklin down a winding path and up the steps of a large Island-hut-looking structure, he reached up to what appeared to be a small wooden birdhouse the size of his palm, flipped it up, and revealed a keypad which he typed in a 4 digit code, releasing a metal key into his awaiting grasp.

He looked back at them over his shoulder, wiggling the key in the air gleefully before slotting it into the door. She noted that it was Derek this time not paying too much attention, his eyes narrowed and surveilling the building where they would be staying in his FBI-like focus. It looks as though she wasn't the only one rusty in her undercover work, she thought as she reached up to play with the ends of his fingers hanging over her shoulder to gain his attention. His gaze snapped down to meet hers and she witnessed his eyes soften noticeably, it was then she acknowledged that this was most likely the first time they had made extended eye contact in possibly weeks. Had his eyes gotten warmer? They seemed such a vibrant and comforting shade of brown she only blinked when she heard a clearing of a throat and witnessed the joyful look on Fransisco-Franklin's face as he admired the two from inside the door.

"Well, come on you lovebirds. Let me show you your room and you can get that much-needed rest you talked about," he said it in such a way that it was obvious he believed there would be no rest gotten by either of them in the immediate future. The embarrassed flush was not all that difficult to conjure up.

Derek's hand slipped from her shoulders to the small of her back, guiding her up the steps and through the threshold of their accommodation. The gasp she let out wasn't fake. Sure, she made a good amount of money from her job at the BAU yet she couldn't ever remember investing it in something so obviously self-indulgent as the setup before them. It was a startling reminder of the type of people that would often occupy this hut and the ones on either side, people who didn't mind spending a good amount of money on a vacation and luxury such as those that were high enough up the chain of command in the BAU to make a difference in the way they conducted their investigation.

The ceiling was high and woven out of some kind of reeds, the walls a series of floor-to-ceiling windows that had a range of shutters to provide some privacy. The ground was a hardwood that looked worn enough to be comfortable on bare feet yet still incredibly expensive-looking, even from where they were standing they could have a view of the entire structure. A small island that appeared to be half a kitchen, a wide semi-circle beige couch that was littered with colourful throw pillows, warm-toned light fixtures hanging down from the ceiling where the building was sectioned off by a small changing partition she could guess was the bathroom.

And the bed. She almost moaned at the sight, it was sat upon multiple layers of raised steps, positioning it higher than floor level, what appeared to be a king-size four-poster bed with light linen curtains that blew in the breeze from the open windows. The bedding was a cloud, soft and white even from where they were standing several meters away.

"This is your hut, Number 7, the Turaco Suit. The key safe outside the door there can be re-coded to whatever code you like to keep your key when you are out and about and it'll reset when you leave. We have some food stocked up in the kitchen here if you get peckish but I cannot recommend the restaurant enough for all meals of the day, it's to die for," he clasped his hands together and looked honestly close to squealing. He motioned over to the table in the middle of the room that held an A5 white booklet with the resort logo on the front.

"There is a booklet here that should contain any other information you will need and there is a landline up there by your bed that contains all of the numbers of the resort including the reception and other facilities should you need anything delivered to your door. Your bags should arrive shortly just outside your door. Are there any questions I can answer before I leave you lovebirds in peace?" she could honestly say she had never met a person who seemed so genuinely ecstatic to do their job as Francesco-Franklin.

"I can't think of anything, can you, Honey?" she looked up at Derek who seemed as enamored by their surroundings as she did. He shook his head and smiled brightly in a way that made her knees weak, walking the man back to the door and thanking him profusely. By the time the door was shut, she had taken a running start and jumped into the neatly made bed, the covers so soft they practically swallowed her whole as she descended into their cool, soft depths.

"Now this, I could get used to," she heard the playful tease of him approaching before she felt and heard him collapse into the bed next to her. It was so large they could probably both sleep with their arms spread and not touch each other.

A few moments of stillness passed them as they took in the relaxing silence of the quietly air-conditioned room, "So what do you think should be our first move?" she murmured, propping her head up beneath her arms as she stared up at the ceiling,

"What, no Honey?" a shuffle and a shadow indicated that he had propped himself up onto his arm and was looking over at her, she refused to meet his eye again and resorted to fiddling with the bracelets they were both given, her's made of silver that wrapped around her wrist like a bangle and his that was made of braided leather- both holding some form of panic button which, apart from in-person check-ups and occasional phone calls, would be their only contact to the team.

"We're expected to be in here for a while if he's lurking outside, and to be completely honest I'm not too opposed to an early night- It wasn't a complete lie, I am tired." She continued, again still quietly, sitting up and swinging her legs over to the left side of the bed where she had fallen and toed off her sandals to fall to the floor, tossing her sunglasses and hat onto the bedside table.

They were both aware as they had been briefed that there was a very real possibility of the Unsub having surveillance inside the rooms to further monitor the couples before taking them. Hence the whispers. The profile so far was that any technology the Unsub had wouldn't be top-quality so no microphones that could pick up that level of sound yet they still had to be careful and keep up appearances when in their hut. At least until a subtle sweep could be done for bugs.

"No, no it was not." Derek agreed, still lying sprawled over the covers like a cat bathing in a sunbeam, arms reaching up and crossing over his face to supply some shade. This provided an agreeable view of his shirt riding up his stomach and his arms increasing in size, skin warm and toned with ripples of muscles yet still looking so soft she had to hold herself back from reaching out and touching it.

Pull yourself together, control yourself, she thought sharply to herself.

"We have around 3 hours until sundown, what do you want to do?" her feet came up to rest by her knees and the feeling of cool, clean bedding against them was pleasant. She looked over her shoulder once again and saw Derek already looking back at her, the energized feeling she always gets when his eyes are locked on her comes rushing back and she's suddenly reminded why the decision was to keep eye contact to a minimum.

She focused back on flipping through the phone numbers on the nightstand to occupy herself as the movement of the mattress made it evident he had sat up. She felt the shift of the air behind her and could imagine him leaning into her space, breath against her left shoulder and only a couple of inches between his face and the exposed skin of her shoulders and back.

"Hey, don't you think it's time we tal-" Leaping off the bed and into action seemed to be her chosen defense, not a sleepy bone left in her body as she rushed to their kitchen, searching cupboards and draws.

"Hey, Honey? Do you want a drink? This hot weather is making me thirsty," she opened what appeared to be the fridge and revealed all different kinds of individually bottled fizzy drinks, a couple of larger bottles of milk, and what appeared to be orange juice. The slow steps of Derek could be heard over her shoulder as could the exhale he let out, evidently frustrated at the once again evaded line of questioning.

"Sure, Sweetheart, let me get that for you," his arm reached up above her head, trapping her between the cupboards and him as he reached the glasses on the top shelf. He brought them down and placed them on the counter, the closeness of them not being lost on her. Ducking out of his entrapment, she swerved and shut the fridge with her hip, pouring two glasses of orange juice and placing it on the counter.

"So? What are you thinking?" She spoke loud enough for the performance of their conversation to be clear to him. What she read as frustration glinted in his eyes, shining as he tilted his head in thought. Staring into her soul before sighing once again and dragging what looked to be a map of the resort across the island in front of them.

A few moments passed before he tapped the surface twice, "The restaurant that was recommended for dinner- If we want to get an early night," he looked up at her like they were sharing some kind of secret, exactly like a man who couldn't wait to get his new wife back into privacy as soon as possible, "It opens at six-thirty so I'm thinking an early dinner. We have a good hour or so before that time so that's up to you, Sweetness," She had to admit he was a good actor.

"I can't be bothered to interact with other people just yet," she took a sip of her juice, deciding it wasn't orange but more of some kind of mango, "You okay with just relaxing until then? Taking a look at the activity classes?" she grinned, shaking the booklet and with no faked amount of glee skipping over to the couch. Since it was the higher-ups who were paying for this covert observation, everything would be coming out of their pockets so she had no trouble indulging.

That, and if she was going to be stuck here thanks to Boy Genius' need to meddle, there was no rule saying she couldn't get a nice massage. In fact, it was encouraged by a certain pink-haired friend along with requests for pictures of Derek Morgan being oiled by the masseuse.

She dropped onto the couch, the soft material being comfortable as she nestled down into it and brought a pen to tap against her lips, reading the itinerary of activities.

He followed her once again, a habit that was becoming evident, as he came to sit down by her feet, lifting her legs by the ankles and placing them back down on his lap. She went through the lists, activities ranging from massages to yoga lessons, line dancing, and jewelry making- many of which contained the word 'couples' in front of it.

Awareness of the thumb rubbing circles on her ankle perked up and she couldn't help but sink further into the cushions. She threw the booklet down and lay her arm across her face, reveling in the soft caresses she was being spoilt with.

"They have line dancing classes, maybe we should take those; you know I've always wanted to see you in a cowboy hat," she teased, grinning into the safety of her arm.

Derek grabbed her ankle tighter and with a firm grip, pulled her down further into the cushions so her knees were across his lap. She yelped, laughing as she kicked them out, ceasing immediately as the circles he was drawing had risen to the side of her knee.

"You're a little minx, you know that?" he joked and she could hear the genuine humor in his voice as he brought up a hand to cup the back of her neck. She was still far enough away that she knew he wasn't going to kiss her just yet to keep up appearances yet the stroke of his thumb behind her ear was almost ticklish, making her want to angle her head into his touch.

Her body, seemingly listening to this desire pushed her head further into his hand. He stilled for a moment before resuming, her eyes falling shut as she decided to stay there for a few moments with her eyes closed- that it was as good a way to spend the next hour or so as any.

The combination of the cloud-like couch, the low lighting, the light breeze flowing through the rooms, and leaving an appreciated reprieve from the sweltering heat made her sleepy in her optimum environment. That, and she was not so foolish as to deceive herself into thinking Derek's safe presence, his gentle and soothing circles, had nothing to do with her ease in following the tempting wave of exhaustion into a soft slumber.

Her eyes grew heavy, and breathing deeper she fell asleep in his arms.

A/N: :)

#Derek Morgan #Criminal Minds #derek morgan x reader #derek morgan x Y/N #bestfriends to lovers #close proximity #fake dating #derek morgan fluff

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