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wolflikesstuff · 28 days ago

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right vs wrong | theo degas x reader

Pairing: Theo Degas (Mission: Impossible) x Reader Summary: You had betrayed the CIA and joined Ethan's team back in Venice, leaving Degas behind. Now that he has joined Ethan's team too, you finally get a chance to talk things through. Warnings: MILD SPOILERS FOR THE FINAL RECKONING (nothing major, just mention of how Degas joins Ethan's team), mentions of guns. Word Count: 2.4k A/N: Finally, after wanting to write for Degas since 2023 when Dead Reckoning came out, I have written something for him. I seriously love his character – especially in The Final Reckoning. He's such a breath of fresh air for men in action movies, something I love about Mission. I don't know how many people will really be interested in reading this, but for those who are: thank you and I hope you really enjoy it. I'm definitely going to be writing more for Mission!

Degas can still remember the night that you betrayed him and Degas as clear as day. Every moment of it is imprinted in his brain – the way you’d all been chasing after Hunt in Venice, how you’d just managed to make it across the water by jumping on the boat, leaving the two of them behind.

You’d turned around the second you landed on the stones on the other side and looked at them – no, not them. Degas. He’d seen the look in your eyes and knew what it meant. He could see the apology in them without you even having to speak. You’d tilted your head to the side a little, given him a tight-lipped smile and then taken off running after Ethan.

Briggs assumed you were still chasing him. Degas knew that you were no longer chasing him, but following him. When you’d never showed up at HQ later that evening and his texts to you had gone unread and unanswered, he’d known it for sure.

You had chosen Ethan Hunt over them. Over him.

You had never regretted your choice that day. Even though it hadn’t gone to plan that evening – you’d found Grace first, unconscious, and hadn’t seen Ilsa’s body until Ethan arrived. You’d been surprised when Ethan and Benji had accepted your request to join them after what they’d been through and who they’d lost.

Losing Theo Degas had been the worst thing to come from your choice.

Even months later, as you pace back and forth in the safe house in Austria, while you wait for Ethan and Benji to get back with Paris, your mind can’t help but wander to him. To the memories of the time you’d spent together before you left. The time you’d spent with Degas had been some of the happier moments in your life.

You shake your head and try and clear your thoughts, instead focusing your eyes on the door and then down at your watch. They should be back any second now with Paris, assuming things went well with the break-out. It was going to be complicated, you all knew that, but you also knew that if anyone could do it, it was them.

Almost on cue, you see the door knob start to twist. The door swings open and your hand moves to your gun, resting on your hip. You relax when you see Ethan and Benji walking through the door, followed by Paris and… Degas.

Your breath hitches in your throat as you look at Degas for the first time in month. He’s only existed in your memory since that night in Venice. Before that, you’d seen him every day for years. He was with you more than he was without you. Until you left.

“What the hell happened?” You blink, forcing yourself to look away from Degas and at Ethan. Somehow, you manage to find your feet and walk over to him, ignoring the fact that Degas is in the room and your heart feels like it’s going to beat out of your chest any second now.

You’d imagined what your reunion might be like. You had expected yourself to be more calm and reserved about it, but all you really want to do is run right into the arms that had held you so often.

Ethan sits down and leans back against the chair, letting out a long breath. “We gained another ally. I thought you’d be happy,” he says, nodding towards Degas. “Weren’t you two partners?”

You shake your head. “No, that was Briggs.”

He shrugs at you, unbothered. He’d seen the two of you together before you’d joined them and betrayed the CIA. There had obviously been something going on, especially with how he’d seen you talk about Degas in the past. “He wants to be here. He left of his own accord. We’re not holding him against his will.”

You glance across the room and notice that Degas is looking right at you. Immediately, you look away and back at Ethan. “I don’t know if I believe that,” you admit.

What reasons has Degas given in the past for you to believe that he’s here for any good reason? You’d never spoken about betraying the CIA before. He’d never known that you were going to leave until you had. If he had doubts, he never told you about any of them.

With one last look at Ethan, you take a deep breath and start walking across the room towards Degas. The closer you get, the more you have to force yourself to keep your hands at your side and your breathing steady. He stands up a little straighter as you reach him.

“It’s good to see you,” he says, the first one to break the silence.

His words are genuine – like mostly everything he says. Just hearing his voice again takes you back to the days before all this when it was just the two of you. Spending time curled up on his couch, going out to lunch together or just eating lunch in your offices and talking quietly. Just the small moments that were long gone now that you’d gotten wrapped up in the end of the world.

“Is Ethan telling the truth?” You ask, unable to bring yourself to tell him that you’re glad to see him too. “That you want to be here and you left of your own accord? Briggs will hate you for this.”

Degas looks at you for a moment, trying to see inside your mind. He can read you well enough to see you’re hiding something. “He might,” he admits, shrugging his shoulders. “But being on the right side of this is worth that.”

You stare at him, trying to read him, but his eyes give nothing away except sincerity. He looks at you the same way he always has – with nothing but softness in his eyes. He always was better at reading you than you were with him. “Please don’t tell me you did this because of me.”

He shakes his head. “I’ve had my own doubts about if I was on the right side or not. Your decision just made me think more about them. Ever since the train, the last time we were in Austria… if you were there.”

“I was with Benji. I wasn’t on the train.”

“That’s good,” he nods. He’d been worried about you the entire time he was on the train, wondering if you were there, too. Wondering if you were even alive. The last time he’d seen you had been that night in Venice… until now. The journey from the prison to the safe house hadn’t been long enough for him to properly prepare. “I’m glad that you were safe.”

You cross your arms over your chest. “Ethan told me you were there,” you admit. “I, uh… I’m glad you were safe, too.” You leave out the part about how worried you’d been when Ethan had told you he’d been on top of the train with Briggs and Degas.

“Listen, I–”

Degas starts to speak again but is cut off by Ethan, standing up across the room. “We’ll head back to London tomorrow morning. You should all try and get some rest while we still can.”

You turn back to look at Degas. “Welcome to the team, Degas. You should get some rest… working with Ethan and Benji is nothing like working with the CIA.”

His heart fractures a little as he hears you call him by his last name. When it’s been the two of you in the past, he’s always been Theo. But apparently, things have changed more than he realised. He watches as you walk away and start talking to Ethan. He trusts that he’s made the right decision in joining Ethan’s team. What he’d been doing with Briggs and the CIA hadn’t been right – he’d known that for a long time. But despite all that, a small part of his heart had been holding out hope that when he saw you again, it would be like nothing had changed.

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Degas wakes in the middle of the night and turns over on his makeshift bed to see your silhouette, sitting across the room in front of the window, staring up at the night sky, scattered with stars. He’s quiet as he sits up, kicking off the blanket, and saunters across the room.

He sits down beside you and knows that you can tell he’s there without him even bumping you. To you, it’s no question of who it is. Everything about him is familiar to you – especially his scent. He’s still wearing the same cologne as usual and you can smell the remnants of what he’d put on earlier that day.

“Couldn’t sleep?” He asks, looking out the window at the sky.

“Hard to get a good night sleep when the world could end tomorrow,” you admit, not looking at him and continuing to watch the sky. “You’re not regretting your decision yet?”

He shakes his head and then sighs. “I thought you were dead when I didn’t see you on the train, you know? I was so mad at you for leaving but the second I found out you were alive, I was just relieved. I think I was just mad at myself for letting you go.”

“Letting me go?” You frown, turning to look at him.

“I mean… not knowing that you’d even wanted to leave,” he explains further, finally meeting your eyes. “I know I couldn’t have changed your mind. I wouldn’t have wanted to. I just… I wish I knew.”

You’d been close before, but when it came to the job you often didn’t like to talk about it. There were things that were classified, yes, but both of you liked to leave the work behind when you went home. Clearly, when you’d been chasing Ethan, you’d kept up the habit.

“I thought we had something really good going on, you know? I spent so long wondering why you left. Why you never told me about it. I mean, we were together every day. All day,” he continues.

“We do – we did. I never wanted to hurt you but it was a split second decision and I had no time to explain everything to you,” you sigh, trying to fight the urge to reach out and take his hand in yours as a way to offer him comfort. “I only realised when I looked back and saw that you and Briggs couldn’t get across that if I was going to leave, that was the time. We didn’t… we didn’t talk about that stuff, Degas. We should have. If I could change that now, I would.”

Degas thinks over your words for a moment. He believes you – of course he believes you. He can read your expressions like a book. But still, doubts creeps in. “Did what we were mean anything to you?”

You blink and raise your eyebrows. “Are you really asking me that? I… Theo, of course it meant something to me. But this could be the end of the world as we know it. There is no us if there is no world.”

His heart starts to race a little faster upon hearing you say his name. “I understand,” he nods, then looks away from you and back out the window. He wishes that he could go back into the past and change things with you as well. But you were right – the world comes first. “I should get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning, yeah?”

He starts to stand and you can’t help but reach out and take his hand. The conversation had not gone to plan and the panic of losing him even further, when you’d just gotten him back, makes you act irrationally. His head snaps to look at you and then at your hand, holding his. He’s more shocked than surprised.

“I’m sorry I hurt you, Theo,” you say, voice honest and soft. “I spent so long trying to convince myself it was worth the risk to try and contact you, but I didn’t want to risk Ethan’s location being compromised and having the CIA come after us. I just… I want you to know that leaving you that night was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, or ever will do.”

Slowly, Degas sits down beside you again. “Watching you leave was harder.”

“We should have talked about it before I decided. I should have trusted that you would understand why I wanted to leave. I just… I guess I wasn’t really thinking about anything other than right and wrong,” you admit. You know you can’t go back and change the past, but you can try and change the future. There might be no world tomorrow, and if there isn’t, you don’t want to have left things on a bad note with Theo.

Degas shakes his head. “It’s not all your fault. I had my doubts too and I never opened up to you about them. I, uh… I guess we need to work on our communication,” he chuckles. “We never were really good with that, were we?”

You can’t help but smile a little at that. “No, we really weren’t.”

“Promise me,” Degas gives your hand a squeeze, “that we stick together from here on out. That no matter what happens with the world or the Entity or Gabriel, that there’s still an us.”

You turn your body to face him. “I promise.”

He gives your hand another squeeze and then smiles at you – a real smile, one of the ones you had loved so much in the past, one that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and you suddenly feel like you’re at home again.

“Can I hug you again now?” Degas asks, smile still on his lips.

You barely even let him finish speaking before you let go of his hand and fling your arms around him. He wraps his arms around you too, smiling as he feels you relax into his touch. Part of him had convinced himself he’d never experience this feeling again.

“You have no idea how hard it was to not do this the second I saw you walk into the room,” you murmur, tightening your grip on him, not wanting to let go yet.

Degas rubs your back softly. “I think I’ve got a bit of an idea.”

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wolflikesstuff · 28 days ago

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OMG OKAY 11 with coyote makes perfect sense to me idk

Javy “Coyote” Machado x Reader One-Shot

Prompt: 11.”Try not to fall in love with me this weekend.”

Camping, sunburns, and way too much chemistry.

Word count: 1.7k

A/N: Sorry it’s so short :((

Warnings: Slowburn tension, mutual pining, lots of flirting, some innuendo, mild sunburn (lol), one soft kiss, squad teasing, emotional vulnerability, and Javy being dangerously charming in the woods. Very cozy, soft, and emotionally loaded with no explicit content. Suitable for a general audience but heavy on the yearning.

The sun was just nudging the horizon, painting the sky in streaks of pale pink and gold as the Dagger Squad’s convoy rolled down the winding highway. The windows were down, letting in the crisp morning air that smelled of pine, fresh earth, and the faintest trace of gasoline.

You sat beside Javy in the lead truck, your fingers tapping nervously on the dashboard as the familiar hum of the engine mingled with the chatter from the back. The whole crew was buzzing with excitement, the kind that only comes from escaping the city for a weekend in the wild.

Javy shifted in his seat, eyes fixed on the road but glancing sideways at you with a playful smirk. “City slicker,” he said, lifting a heavy backpack onto his lap. “You ready for this weekend, or am I gonna have to carry you back like a sack of potatoes?”

You threw him a sideways look, pretending to be offended. “I’ve survived worse than a weekend without Wi-Fi. Plus, I’ve binge-watched every survival show out there. I’m basically an expert.”

“Yeah? Then name one edible plant from those shows.”

You blinked. “Uh… grass?”

He laughed, the sound warm and easy. “Close enough. You’re gonna need me.”

From the back of the convoy, Rooster’s voice crackled over the radio. “I swear, if I hear one more ‘Are we there yet?’ I’m throwing the next one out the window.”

Payback’s familiar laughter followed. “Relax, old man. We’re all in this together.”

You heard Hangman grumble something about not being a ‘camping rookie,’ though the snort that followed betrayed his smugness.

And then there was Bob.

He was already hauling the cooler out of the back of his truck with a quiet efficiency that somehow made the task look effortless. You caught his eye and gave a small smile. Bob nodded back, that familiar calm steadying the chaos swirling around you.

“Need a hand?” you called.

He shrugged, cool and casual. “Always.”

Javy nudged you, grinning. “See? Teamwork. Just don’t slow me down when we start hiking.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you muttered, gathering your gear.

When you finally arrived at the campsite, it was everything you’d imagined and more — towering pines stretching to the sky, a sparkling lake just beyond the tree line, and the sweet smell of wood smoke already drifting from the ranger’s cabin nearby.

The squad erupted from the trucks like a well-oiled machine—or maybe just a loud, uncoordinated mess.

Rooster immediately took charge, barking out orders about tents and firewood.

Payback was busy juggling bags, some spilling snacks and beer.

Hangman tried to “help” by carrying a cooler too big for him, wobbling dangerously.

Phoenix rolled her eyes but joined in smiling.

Javy caught your eye as you wrestled with a tent pole, eyebrows raised in amusement.

“City camping skills,” he teased.

You shot him a look. “Watch and learn.”

He smirked but stayed close, handing you the stakes and steadying the frame when it threatened to collapse.

Bob appeared beside you, holding a lighter and some kindling. “You need a fire expert?”

You nodded, accepting the help gratefully.

Javy flicked his own lighter open with a snap. “Fire-starting contest. Loser buys dinner.”

Bob raised an eyebrow, amused. “You’re on.”

The afternoon sun warmed your skin as you worked together, teasing and competing while the squad bantered around you. The easy rhythm of teamwork—and something unspoken between you and Javy—made the weekend already feel like an escape.

When the fire finally caught, sparks dancing up into the twilight, everyone gathered close, laughing and swapping stories.

Bob tossed a marshmallow on a stick your way. “Don’t burn it.”

You grinned, meeting Javy’s eyes. He winked.

Somewhere beneath the growing stars, the quiet promise of something more hung in the air.

The morning air was cool but full of promise as the squad set out on the trail, backpacks snug and boots crunching on the pine-needle-covered path. You walked near the middle of the group, stealing glances at Javy who was up ahead, effortlessly leading the way like he owned the forest.

“You sure you’ve done this before?” you teased when he stopped and turned back to look at you, hands on hips.

“Please,” Javy said, raising an eyebrow. “I’m basically part mountain goat.”

You laughed but tried to keep up. The trail was steeper than you expected, roots and rocks making each step a little tricky. At one point, your foot caught a hidden root and you nearly pitched forward, but Javy was there, steadying you with a firm hand on your back.

“Gotcha,” he said, his voice low and steady. Your heart did a weird flutter as your eyes met his.

“Thanks,” you muttered, trying to hide the way your cheeks warmed.

The squad was scattered ahead and behind—Bob was walking beside Rooster, talking quietly, Payback and Phoenix were comparing notes on trail snacks, and Hangman was complaining about his sore feet.

As the sun climbed higher, you noticed your skin starting to sting in a way that wasn’t from the hike itself. Javy caught your glance and smirked. “Looks like you’re turning into a lobster.”

You swatted at him playfully. “Shut up. You’re probably just as red.”

He shrugged, stretching out his long arms. “I’m a natural.”

Later, when you all stopped at a clearing by a small stream, the squad broke out sunscreen and aloe. You and Javy ended up awkwardly applying it to each other’s backs, the light touch sending little jolts through your skin.

“Your skin’s as stubborn as your attitude,” Javy teased.

“And you’re as annoying as you are handsome,” you shot back, smiling.

The sun dipped lower as you returned to camp, and the squad gathered around the firepit, passing around marshmallows and sharing stories.

Bob told a funny anecdote about a cooking disaster that had everyone laughing.

Rooster shared a ridiculous dare he once took on during training.

Phoenix made a surprisingly touching confession about a moment she almost quit.

Javy, unusually quiet for him, watched you with a softness that made your heart skip.

As the fire crackled and the stars blinked awake, you felt the pull of something unsaid between you two — the quiet hum of connection underneath the laughter.

The camp had finally settled down. The fire had burned low to glowing embers, and most of the squad had retreated to their tents or fallen asleep under the stars.

But you weren’t ready for the night to end.

You slipped quietly away, feet bare on the soft pine needles, and found Javy sitting alone near the lake’s edge, the moonlight painting silver across the water and his face.

He looked up as you approached, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“Hey,” you replied, settling down beside him on the smooth rocks.

For a long moment, neither of you spoke.

The lake reflected the stars, and the only sounds were the gentle lapping of water and distant owl calls.

“I never thought I’d do something like this,” you finally said, voice barely above a whisper.

Javy glanced at you. “Me neither. But here we are.”

You both laughed quietly.

He shifted a little closer, the space between you shrinking.

“I like this,” he said, eyes shining. “Not just the camping, but… this. Being here with you.”

Your heart thudded in your chest.

Your fingers brushed a loose strand of hair from his face.

His breath hitched.

Your eyes met, charged with something unsaid.

Then, Javy’s lips curled into a teasing smile.

“Try not to fall in love with me this weekend,” he said, his voice low, half-joking but full of promise.

You smiled back, heart racing.

The sun poured golden through the tent flap, warming your sunburnt nose and shoulders with gentle insistence. You squinted against the brightness, rubbing a hand over your skin that felt tender and tight.

Javy was already up, stretching beside you like he hadn’t a care in the world. You caught him watching you quietly, a slow smile tugging at his lips.

“Sunburn alert,” he teased, holding up a bottle of aloe like a trophy. “I’m just here to help.”

You groaned but accepted the cool gel gratefully. He carefully rubbed it onto your shoulders, the light touch sending a shiver through you.

“Seriously, you’ve got to be more careful,” he said with mock sternness.

“Yeah, yeah,” you muttered, but you couldn’t stop the small smile forming.

At breakfast, the squad was in good spirits, the lingering tiredness from the day before softened by coffee and pancakes.

Bob was talking quietly with Rooster, throwing occasional glances your way.

Phoenix and Payback exchanged knowing looks as they passed around bacon.

Hangman caught Javy smirking at you and raised an eyebrow, nudging him with an elbow.

Javy shrugged but didn’t deny anything.

Throughout the meal, you and Javy shared small moments — a brush of hands reaching for syrup, exchanged smiles that lasted a second too long, and quiet laughter.

You laughed softly, feeling your cheeks warm again.

The rest of the morning passed in a haze of teasing glances and unspoken feelings, the chemistry between you growing thicker with every look.

The last night at camp wrapped the woods in a quiet hush. The fire flickered low as the squad gathered one final time, voices soft with the weight of impending goodbyes.

Javy sat beside you on a fallen log, his usual confident swagger softened by something more vulnerable.

“You know,” he started, eyes reflecting the flames, “this weekend… it’s been different.”

You glanced at him, heart pounding.

“Not just because of the sunburns or the hiking,” he said, voice low. “It’s you. You’ve got this… something I didn’t expect.”

You smiled, the nerves melting into warmth.

“I feel it too,” you admitted.

He reached out, fingers brushing your hand. The touch was electric.

“I’ve been wanting to say this all weekend,” Javy said, leaning closer, “but I didn’t want to scare you off.”

Your breath hitched.

“Try not to fall in love with me,” he whispered, that teasing grin returning.

You laughed softly.

“Too late,” you said.

He closed the gap, pressing a gentle, lingering kiss to your lips — soft, tender, and full of promise.

The squad watched from a distance, smirking and nudging each other, already planning how to tease you both once you returned.

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