likefirenrain

[likefirenrain]

glasses are the sluttiest thing a man could wear.

[likefirenrain]

[likefirenrain]

Love Song Requiem (2) - Bad Medicine

Mabel x Female Reader

Chapter summary: Time and time again you and Mabel keep reuniting, and before you know it what was once just a part of your job turned into something much, much more.

Masterlist / First Part

Word Count: 3.4k

-First you need (That's what you get for falling in love) Then you bleed (You get a little and it's never enough) And then you're on your knees (That's what you get for falling in love)-

Out. She wanted out, out of this dinner party Weeks dragged her to because her mother messed up again, out of this business, out of her own skin if somehow that could be achieved. This was ridiculous, a dinner party used as a front for shady business deals, drug deals included, and Weeks wanted her to get some contacts for him. Why was this world so difficult to get out of? Oh, she knew the answer, it still stung that she was dragged into it by her own family.

The clothes she was wearing were classier than anything she owned. Some damn business suit that smelled like cheap imitation, but was required for a place as ‘classy’ as this one. Everyone was dressed in expensive looking suits, drinking their stupidly overpriced alcohol, mingling like they were attending some royal event from centuries ago, just adjusted for this period.

Mabel needed to get some air, desperately, so, she went toward the balcony the moment she was out of Weeks’ sight and, in her haste, bumped into someone, a woman, dressed in casual clothes, a T-shirt and jeans, and she so desperately wished she could be wearing something like that right now. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she apologized.

“Mabel?” she blinked a few times, not expecting the woman she bumped into to know her, and then she remembered the voice and looked at the woman, at you. Right, you were the daughter of the biggest criminal in this building. Of course you’d be here, allowed to dress however you liked because who’d dare to say a single word about it.

“Oh. The vampire,” she joked half-heartedly and stepped to the side, leaning on the balcony railing while you leaned back next to her.

“The one you left with that ridiculous bill,” you complained, but she heard the light-hearted joking in your voice, and it made her feel at ease, well, as much at ease as she could be, given the circumstances and the clothes she was wearing.

Oh, that was the highlight of her week, and she still cackled to herself when she imagined what your reaction was. “Oh? Too pricy for the thief in charge?” she challenged and glanced at you just it time to see you turning toward her.

“Nope, just not worth its price,” you grinned, and just for a moment she caught you checking her out before stopping just as abruptly, as if you put in conscious effort not to do it. She didn’t really mind though, you were good-looking too, and she probably would have flirted a bit if the circumstances were any different, as it was you were simply too much of a trouble, one bound to drag her deeper into this world of crime if she tried anything.

“Same could be said about most things here,” she pointed out, causing you to nod.

Silence fell over the balcony, and for a moment Mabel thought that your situations weren’t all that different. You looked like you didn’t want to be here, looked like you didn’t want to be a part of any of this, but had to, because there weren’t any other paths available to you. She heard you were an only child, and the empire your family built over the generations had to be maintained.

Maybe she misjudged you.

“You don’t look comfortable,” you suddenly pointed out when she subconsciously tugged at the collar of her shirt.

“I’d rather be anywhere but here, to be honest,” she wasn’t sure where this honesty was coming from, sure, she was blunt, but even she knew not to be this blunt in places like these. Something about you made it feel okay though.

You hummed, a bit taken aback by her honestly, and then offered her your hand. “You know what, how about you let me take you home? You can tell Weeks you got a big deal with L/Ns that required a more private setting,” you offered a way out and an excuse for Weeks.

“What’s in it for you?” she asked, curious, cautious, it was almost too good to be true.

You shrugged, that confident, easy grin on your face annoyed her ever so slightly. “I get to leave this snoozefest,” you answered honesty with honesty, it seemed.

She got a bit closer to you, brushing her hand along your forearm, taking note of a couple of thin scratches. A cat? There was something electric between you when she touched you, something feeling like a very bad idea, but maybe, just maybe, fooling around wouldn’t hurt too much. Even if you definitely should be on the list of people she shouldn’t ‘fool around with’. “You sure that’s all you want?” this time you didn’t stop yourself, you looked her over, capturing every detail with your eyes. “Hm, Y/N?”

And then you paused and smiled, more amused than anything. “Well, your number might be somewhere on my wish list,” you whispered, a lot softer than she thought you would.

“I’ll consider it if you can get me home within an hour,” just enough time to get to her place, but it would still be close.

“Your chauffer, at your service, madam,” you bowed slightly and once more offered her your hand, and this time she took it, leaving the dinner party with you by her side.

~X~

You drove toward one of the less safe parts of the city, the sound of your car engine and the music on the radio filling the silence instead of you or Mabel, but you didn’t mind, in fact being like this with her felt comfortable. You both knew just enough about one another not to tackle serious conversations in a car ride to her place, and small talk didn’t seem to be on either of your minds.

And then a police officer pulled you over and you groaned, recognizing Mark immediately. Someone must have tipped the police off that there was a dinner going on. “Don’t worry, I know him,” you sighed, pulling your wallet out of your pocket and getting your license and registration ready,

“Oh, I thought you’d bribe him,” Mabel commented, making you laugh.

“Yeah? Not that guy. Definitely not the type you want to try to bribe,” if there was one thing you could say about Mark, it was that he was unrelenting, and firm in his beliefs. Most of the other cops could be bought, but not him. Not ever.

“Lovely night, Y/N,” he said as you rolled down you window and gave him your documents mostly out of habit.

“It’ll be even lovelier if you let me go, I’m on a bit of a clock here,” you tried, putting on your usual grin as he gave you back the documents.

“No can do, Y/N, we’re looking for a dangerous criminal,” he wasn’t even serious as he searched the back of your car with his flashlight.

“Sure you are,” you sat back, knowing you wouldn’t make it to Mabel’s place in an hour now.

“Did you have anything to drink?” he asked.

“Not a single drop,” which was actually true, you didn’t really see much appeal in drinking in places like the one you just left.

“Anything you’d like to report?” you knew exactly what he was hoping for, a sudden change of heart where you’d spill all the family secrets, making the empire collapse on itself. Take the chance at a better life, but you wouldn’t, even though it was getting more and more tempting with each passing day.

“Nope,” you shrugged and a few brief sentences later you were free to leave, as you always were. You could feel Mabel’s eyes on you, studying you, making you grip the wheel a bit tighter. Would she tell someone? No, probably not, she seemed as uncomfortable in that damn place as you were. You relaxed again, refusing to step on the gas, you were too proud to do that, and thus, you arrived exactly two minutes late. Curse you Mark.

“Well, looks like you’re not getting my number tonight,” she patted you on the shoulder as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Come on, it’s only two minutes,” you had a feeling she was too stubborn to give in once she decided something, especially since she seemed to really be enjoying herself.

“Exactly, at least you know where I live now,” she got out and walked over to your side of the car. You weren’t getting out, you didn’t even stop the engine.

“So, I’ll have to camp out here if I want to ask you out on a date?” you joked and she leaned in through the open window and kissed your cheek.

It felt like lightning went through your body. “Mhm,” she whispered into your ear. “You’ll have to really work for it. It’ll be good for you.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Challenge accepted,” well, she was definitely an intriguing woman. “Sweet dreams, Mabel,” you told her and she waved at you as she walked into the building. Seeing she went in safely you drove back home, not sure how you were going to explain a new deal with Weeks to your father.

~X~ Two weeks later ~X~

It took two weeks of back and forth, a sort of cat and mouse game, but Mabel finally said yes to a date, and even promised to give you her number by the end of the night, but, it was worth it in the end. She was just… something else, a breath of fresh air you didn’t even know you needed.

You parked in front of her apartment and stepped out, a bouquet of roses in your hands as you walked into the building and up the stairs, calm, collected, like you were raised to be, yet somehow nervous about the date. You still knocked on her doors the moment you were in front of them, relying on the old habits that made you a lot more confident in yourself than you probably would or should have been.

About half a minute later the doors opened, and you saw her, dressed in simple, casual clothes, a hoodie and jeans, similar to your own clothes for the date. She whistled when she noticed the roses and you offered them to her. “Cliché, I know,” you grinned, but she smiled.

“I’ve never gotten flowers before,” she said, and her eyes widened, making it clear she didn’t intend to reveal that much.

“Shame on your dates then,” and you truly believed that. She cleared her throat, a tiny blush dusting her cheeks as she went inside to leave the flowers and quickly came out once more.

“Well, let’s see what you had in mind,” she told you, boldly taking your hand and leading you down the stairs. There was no rush, you weren’t in a hurry, you simply walked over to your car and you began driving. “So, wanna tell me where we’re going?”

You grinned like a little kid, actually excited. “A zoo,” you figured one cliché was enough for the date, and besides, you could grab a bite there as well.

“There isn’t one here,” Mabel looked confused, but there was a hint of excitement in her eyes.

“I know, so we better hit the road,” it was actually in another city. “I figured we could both use some privacy, away from this place,” she nodded when you said that, appreciating the thought.

“You can say that again. I’ve never been to a zoo before, either,” now that she was no longer confused she actually sounded excited, not quite like a kid, no, almost like a kid that was never allowed to be a kid.

“Well, I hope you’ll like it,” and you really did. It took you an hour and a half to get to the zoo, an hour and a half spent talking and joking, with Mabel still refusing to hand over her phone number. You got the tickets and let her take the lead, let her decide where she wanted to go first.

“I want to see the giraffes,” she said, taking your hand once more and following the map handed to you at the entrance.

“Yeah?” you definitely liked that choice, though you probably would have liked any choice, you were at a Zoo, and Mabel was with you.

“I want to see how tall they really are,” you had to chuckle at that. So, she was a bit bothered by her height, judging by the jealous pout she had on her face when she said that. “What?!” she demanded, annoyed and embarrassed by your reaction.

“Sorry, sorry, that was just adorable,” you assured her, though it was clear she wasn’t quite buying it. “I’m serious, you’re adorable!” you defended yourself.

“I’m not adorable, I’m an independent woman that happens to want to see giraffes, now come on,” she seemed so adorably annoyed as she pulled you along, and it actually warmed your heart that she wouldn’t let go, even as annoyed with you as she was at the moment.

As the day continued Mabel was slowly but surely getting more comfortable, excitedly leading you from one animal to another, from giraffes, to lions, to gorillas, you got to see all the different animals the zoo had to offer. And by the end of the day you both went back to your car, exhausted, but definitely satisfied, you even went and got hot dogs and ice cream halfway through your visit.

Mabel got inside your car with a large grin on her face. “I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun,” she confessed as she put on her seatbelt.

“Me neither, thanks for coming here with me,” you told her, not even caring if she’d give you her number at the moment, though you’d very much appreciate getting it. All that mattered was that the two of you had fun today, and that there was a high chance she’d like to go on another date with you.

“Guess you earned my number,” she said and you felt your phone buzzing in your pocket, making you stare at her incredulously.

“You had my number the whole time?” you asked and she nodded, smiling innocently.

“I have my ways,” this girl…

“All the while I’ve been pretty much camping near your building to get a chance to talk to you?” she nodded, looking very satisfied with herself. “I’m pretty sure your neighbors think I’m some stalker,” you huffed, not nearly as annoyed as you probably should have been.

“Mhm, and now playing ‘Criminal’ by Britney Spears,” she laughed, playing the song on her phone and then began cackling when your eyes widened and blood rushed to your cheeks when you heard the lyrics.

“Now that’s just, I’ve got no words,” and you really didn’t have anything smart, or dumb for that matter, to say.

“And even I know this ain’t smart,” she sang softly as you put the car in reverse and got out of the parking spot.

“I’m not getting your name tattooed on my arm,” you grumbled, driving off with an obviously fake scowl on your face, making Mabel laugh as the song began nearing its end.

You ended up driving to your place, seeing as it was already quite late and you’d need to drive for another hour if you wanted to take Mabel to her apartment. You parked in an apartment complex, completely ordinary and from the look on Mabel’s face clearly not what she expected from you. While she was looking around, getting over her surprise, you stepped out of your car and went to open the doors for her. “May I take your hand, m’lady?” you teased and she nodded, offering you her hand and for the first time today letting you guide her toward the building and up the stairs to your apartment.

You unlocked the doors and opened them, and were immediately assaulted by a cat jumping into your arms, making you let go of Mabel. “There, there, I’m home,” you scratched Charcoal’s chin gently as he rubbed his head against you. “Sorry about that, he’s been on his own all day,” you apologized as you led Mabel inside.

“No, it’s okay, he’s adorable,” she tentatively reached out and much to your surprise Charcoal didn’t complain when she pet him, hell, he even purred. “What’s his name?”

“Charcoal,” now that you thought about it, it probably wasn’t the most imaginative name for a black cat.

“I’ll just call him Charlie then,” she had that evil, teasing grin on her face as you stared at her blankly.

“No,” you refused to accept it.

“Can’t change my mind,” she even stuck her tongue out at you.

“Behave,” you warned.

“Ooh, that’ll work. Look at me all obedient,” she mocked you and the two of you got into a staring contest, which was an awful idea on your part because this girl clearly didn’t need to blink!

You huffed, losing the staring contest without even giving Mabel a challenge. With a  satisfied grin she sat down at the table, and Charcoal ran toward her like a little traitor, but you had to admit you were curious. He rarely liked strangers, and this was the first time Mabel was here. “I can’t say I expected this,” she admitted as she looked around your apartment.

“My parents’ place makes me feel like I’m suffocating, this feels enough for just me,” you explained surprisingly easily and Mabel nodded, noticing, despite the ease of your answer, that this wasn’t something you liked to talk about.

“Sorry, I should have been more considerate,” she apologized sincerely and for a moment the only one making any kind of noise was Charcoal as he purred on her lap.

“He actually likes you,” you chuckled, making Mabel smirk.

“Of course he does,” there was that confidence that caught your attention right from the start.

“Well, hope you won’t mind sleeping in my bed, because I don’t have a spare bedroom,” you said and made your way to the bedroom to change the sheets and all that.

“Yeah? Should I expect wandering hands?” she came up to you silent as a ghost and nearly startled you as she whispered that in your ear.

This girl was going to be the death of you. 100%, she was trouble through and through, and you weren’t even resisting one bit. “Nope, I’ll be sleeping on the couch,” you tried your damned best to keep your composure with Mabel this close to you. You could smell her perfume, feel her warm breath against the skin of your neck, feel her hand on your shoulder, and the look in her eyes was the cherry on top of the cake you were trying not to eat. “Besides, you can’t handle me,” the truth was there was a good chance it was the other way around, but you wouldn’t admit that so easily.

Mabel raised an eyebrow, slipping between you and the bed, sitting down and running her fingers along the collar of your shirt. “That a promise, Y/N?” she had no right to sound so seductive, yet here you were, whipped without even kissing her.

You swallowed the lump in your throat, nodding.

“And you keep your promises? Thief in charge?” she asked, boldly pulling you closer until you had to put your hands on the bed to keep yourself up.

“Every single one,” she was intoxicating, and you were willingly getting drunk on her. “Including the one about sleeping on the couch, so be patient,” you abruptly separated from Mabel, making her laugh as she lay down on your bed.

“You’re really something else, you know,” she told you softly and you rolled your eyes as you went to the wardrobe and got the blanket for her.

“Look who’s talking,” but you had to admit this was the most fun you had in a long, long time, and you couldn’t remember the last time you were this comfortable with someone.

“You know you like it,” and you did, you absolutely did.

“Sweet dreams, Mabel,” you winked, closing the doors behind you and heading to the couch. Charcoal yawned, perched on the armrest and waiting for you to come back. “She’s trouble, buddy,” you sighed, but somehow you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Taglist: @nwestra @imnotsocool @tejakabuttons

[likefirenrain]

Alcohol’s Effects on the Body

Nerd!NR x r

College AU

Word count: 1.4k

Summary: Natasha massively fumbles her shot with you by lecturing you on the risks of drinking at frat parties, yet somehow, she charms you into giving her your number anyway.

Inspired by this and posted with permission!

When Natasha first sees you, she swears her brain short-circuits.

Despite her seemingly endless protests, Yelena’s puppy dog eyes and guilt tripping, stating that she needs her responsible big sister to be her designated driver and make sure she gets home safe, wins out. Yelena has dragged her to some asinine frat party, additionally claiming that Natasha needs to get out more. With the promise of not abandoning her, they both duck into Natasha’s car, arriving well after the party has begun, loud music able to be heard as they pull up to the curb outside the house, colored lights flashing through the windows.

Yelena’s promise is promptly forgotten upon entering the house as she immediately scurries off to find her friends, leaving Natasha alone to awkwardly hover by the doorway, glancing around for anyone recognizable. But, when one’s main friends are textbooks and class syllabi, it makes sense that one wouldn’t spot a familiar face in a place like this.

You’re talking with your own friends, something about how bullshit today’s chemistry midterm was, when you glance up at the front door opening once again. People have been in and out all night, but your eyebrows raise at just how cute and out of place one of the new arrivals looks.

Your friend is mid-sentence, mid-word, but you find yourself interrupting anyway, your focus now completely on the glasses-clad girl across the room. “Hold on…” you mutter under your breath, your complete lack of interest in the conversation blatant, and then you’re walking away without any further explanation. You approach Natasha, never having seen her around one of these parties, or even campus, before. You definitely would have remembered a face like hers.

“Trying to find someone? You seem a bit lost.”

Natasha’s eyes immediately widen as she takes you in, her gaze drifting up and down. She just can’t help it. You’re pretty, so very pretty, and you’re talking to her. She shoves her now shaking hands into her pockets self-consciously, finding herself uncertain what to do with them. “Um, no, no. Not necessarily. Just here with my sister.”

“Who’s your sister?” you ask.

“Yelena.”

“Ah, yes, Yelena.” You chuckle at the name, knowing her, knowing her reputation, “I didn’t know she had a sister.”

Natasha flushes at that, her invisibility all too real to her. She’s always been this way, gone by like this, unnoticed, unidentifiable, simply a spectator to all life has to offer outside of her studies, letting the social aspect of college pass her by.

“Oh, yeah,” she mumbles, not quite sure what to say to that.

“So, what’s your name, Yelena’s sister?”

Your attempt at keeping the conversation going only flusters her further. “Natasha,” she answers, all of her focus on not stuttering.

“Well, Natasha, I like your glasses… and that blush is a good look on you.”

Natasha’s face turns three shades redder, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

“So, you’re drinking at a party like this?” Natasha asks after a few minutes of you pulling the conversation. It’s not that she isn’t trying, she is, but she’s finding that something as simple as talking is a challenge when your attention is on her.

You glance down at your red solo cup in hand, raising an eyebrow at her question. “It would appear so.”

“What are you drinking?”

“Not sure,” you say indifferently with a shrug, swirling the miscellaneous pink liquid, “Whatever the fuck is in jungle juice.”

Natasha’s brows furrow, your answer making her uneasy. You don’t even know what you’re consuming right now? It could be anything, and she’s heard that mixing alcohol can make a hangover worse. “You really should be careful with that stuff. It’s probably strong, and anything can happen at parties like this.”

You give her an incredulous look. Is the cute girl really lecturing you on your drinking habits at a college party?

“Don’t worry your pretty head, Natasha. I can handle my liquor.”

“I’m just saying, the effects of alcohol on the body are basically endless. It can lead to impaired coordination, hypotension, respiratory distress-” Natasha’s eyes are pointed at the ceiling as she concentrates, rattling off the list in a way that makes it seem as though she’s memorized the WebMD page for ‘How Alcohol Affects Your Body’.

As fascinated as you are by her ability to recite something so seemingly useless by memory, you interject. “Natasha, in the nicest way possible, I don’t know you, and I don’t need you parrot the clinical signs of alcohol poisoning or scold me on my life choices.”

Natasha immediately knows she’s screwed up. “Wait, I didn’t mean-”

“I’ll see you around, yeah? Tell Yelena I said ‘hello’ if you run into her.” And then you’re walking away, leaving her standing there still by the front door, kicking herself for her faux pas.

Natasha’s can’t stop staring at where you were just moments ago. Did she really just reprimand you, a girl she just met, for what’s considered normal college behavior? What was she thinking? Of course, you’re drinking. It’s a frat party, for god’s sake. Yelena has definitely told her before that frat parties aren’t any fun without alcohol… not that Natasha thinks they’re fun in general.

“You really screwed that up,” Yelena pipes up, appearing out of nowhere.

Natasha rolls her eyes, dragging a hand through her hair in agitation. It figures that Yelena would have been eavesdropping on her massive fuck up. “Fuck, I know. Don’t rub it in, Yelena.”

“She seemed into you… until you started lecturing her.”

“Yelena, I know.”

“You’ll never lose your virginity if you keep policing people, just saying.”

“Yelena.”

The party continues, lights dimmed, music blaring, bodies grinding on the dancefloor. It’s a sea of people, yet Natasha has been keeping her eyes on you the entire time she’s followed Yelena around the house like a lost puppy, nowhere else to be, no one else to talk to.

“God, could you be any more obvious?” Yelena asks, shoving her playfully.

“Be quiet,” Natasha hisses.

“You’ve been pining all night. Just go talk to her.”

“And say what? ‘Sorry for being the worst and criticizing you 20 seconds after we met. Wanna hang out sometime?’”

“Yeah, exactly that.”

“I’m not going to go over there and embarrass myself any more than I already have.”

“Suit yourself,” and then Yelena is calling out your name. You eye Yelena in a silent question from across the room, but when she waves you over, you head her way.

“Hey, Yelena,” you greet. “Natasha,” you say, slightly less friendly.

“H-hey,” Natasha stutters out.

“I see you’ve met my sister,” Yelena comments, and you let out a dry chuckle.

“Yeah, ‘met’ is one way to put it.”

“Well, she has something she wants to say to you.”

You look over at Natasha. “Is that so?” you drawl.

“I- I just-” Natasha stutters once more.

You raise an eyebrow, waiting.

“I was wondering if you- if you wanted to hang out sometime.”

At her words, her struggle, you can’t help but smirk. She really is ridiculously cute... you know, if you overlook her preaching of the dangers of alcohol earlier this evening.

“Are you going to lecture me on my other life choices?”

“No!” Natasha exclaims quickly, scrambling to salvage anything between the two of you.

You spend the rest of the night chatting with Natasha, her stuttering gradually waning, her nervousness slowly being replaced by an enamored feeling as she spends more time with you.

As the party begins to wind down, the late hours of the night catching up to everyone, you straighten up your jacket to head home.

Natasha visibly deflates as she sees you get ready to leave, and you smile softly, taking pity on the nerdy girl that’s clearly interested in you but has no idea how to voice it.

“Wanna know another effect that alcohol has on the body?” you bring up just before walking out.

Natasha’s brows furrow as she takes in your question, genuinely trying to think of the answer, her brain running through possible solutions as if it’s a math problem. “Nausea? Vomiting? Dizzin-”

“Actually, it makes me willing to overlook your previous blunder and give you my number.”

Despite not drinking a drop tonight, Natasha feels like she’s going to throw up from the butterflies currently fluttering in her stomach.

[likefirenrain]

When The Deal Goes Down

Series Masterlist

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Chapter 4. Redemption and Child Stars

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Part 1: Where’s The Fire?

It had been a very long week. With each day, you’d adjusted more to an established training schedule. Part of you liked the ease of it, you’d realised if you just went where Steve did between the hours of 9 to 5 then you were usually in the right place.

What you didn’t like was that Natasha wasn’t tied to the Avengers Compound in the same way that you were. Both Clint and her were still directly employed by SHIELD, and leaving for days at a time seemed to be a regular part of the job. In contrast, you fell into the grey employment area of ‘On retainer’ or ‘Probably better in our hands than the enemy’s.’

Your lack of recent time together seemed to be just as unwanted for Natasha. On the evenings when you found her sitting in the kitchen at dinner time, you’d find yourself in her bed that night too. 

You hadn’t seen Natasha for a few days now but she hadn’t left your mind either. You’d had two sleepless nights on your own, tossing and turning. Today, you’d awoken into a fugue state of exhaustion and excessive caffeination. You’d only become a willing participant in the day when you remembered Natasha was due back at any time.

Tony was standing in Steve’s usual spot by the punching bag when you entered the gym.

‘Y/N’ He beckoned you over imperiously. You noticed Natasha immediately on the far side of the room, running at a blistering pace on a treadmill alongside Clint. You looked with longing at the back of her head and wished you could blink and be finished with training already.

‘It’s about time we taught you something useful.’ Tony announced promptly when you reached him. He held his hands out expectantly and some pieces of his Iron Man suit flew across the room and attached themselves. You watched him warily, wondering what this training could entail.

‘Flying lessons.’ Tony explained, and hovered in the air. ‘I mean the little floating trick is cute, but not very helpful in a fight.’

‘Well, maybe I just won’t get into any fights.’ You retorted snippily, letting your newfound resentment of SHIELD bubble up. 

‘So often (Y/N).’ Tony said wisely, still a few feet above you ‘There is an evil prick worth fighting. Now, can we move faster please? My time is literally too expensive for you to afford.’

You rolled your eyes and immediately hovered up to his level. Together, you practised moving around the room. Tony quickly identified that speed changes were the area that you needed to focus on and soon you were zooming around the high ceilings of the room. 

Tony started to look a little sick when you began experimenting with front flips and other tricks in the air. The exhaustion of the last few days took away your fear of any consequences.

‘Okay, maybe it’s time to cool it.’ He cautioned, when you tried to float the length of the rafters on your back. Natasha’s head rose to look at you when you floated above her, but her stride didn’t falter on the running machine. Her face was unreadable and for a moment you felt like a stranger to her. Suddenly, you felt deeply self conscious in a way you’d never felt with her before.

You floated back over to Tony and threw him a grin, acting reckless to gain some control of the moment.

‘Don’t like looking at a better flyer?’

‘I don’t like watching an idiot who’s just asking for an accident.’ Tony’s words were sharp and spiked with anxiety.

The reprimand and the sleep deprivation compounded and abruptly made you want to cry. You turned invisible in flight as your eyes welled mortifyingly with tears. Now Tony just looked annoyed, his boosters lessened and he slowly sank back to the ground. 

‘I’m not wasting my time like this.’ He called out to the ceiling and you knew you’d crossed a line somewhere. Before you could turn visible, Steve entered from the outdoor exercise yard, eyes scanning the room.

‘Did (Y/N) leave?’

‘Who knows!’ Tony said, throwing his hands out in exasperation. ‘She did her damn ghost trick.’ 

Steve’s gaze wandered around curiously as if he’d be able to spot you. 

As if summoned, Clint and Nat came over too.

‘What’s up?’ Clint asked as they walked over, his arm slung easily over Natasha’s shoulder. You tried not to be jealous of the easy camaraderie that the pair naturally fell into. 

‘That’s the damn question. (Y/N) has decided to literally ghost the training session.’ Tony rolled his eyes. You felt yourself move suddenly from embarrassed to angry,

Clint rolled his eyes too. Well, you’d held little hope about him coming to your defense. 

‘She’s still in the room, you know.’ Natasha said neutrally. The only one not eyeing the ceiling suspiciously. You wished, for the first time, that she wouldn’t pretend to care less about you around the others.

‘Fury made it sound like she was going to be a side project to help build a better future.’ Tony grumbled, purposefully loud enough for you to hear. ‘I don’t offer pro-bono for just anyone.’

Natasha looked at Tony like she knew he’d regret saying it. 

Without thinking, you flickered visible and descended back to the ground. 

‘Maybe I’ll just fuck off then.’ You said calmly to Tony, the challenge clear.  ‘So you don’t have to waste any more of your valuable time.’ 

You walked straight out, hating the tear tracks that were probably on your face. Clint let out a low whistle behind you. You didn’t even get to the elevator before you felt completely ashamed. Your little outburst was an embarrassing product of both your exhaustion and the nightmares that wouldn’t let your mind alone. Your mind buzzed with worry that you might have messed everything up.

You started to cry again. Jarvis’ expressed concern was a kind comfort. He told you that you hadn’t ruined anything, but his AI honesty included a ‘yet’ that didn’t help at all. Your thoughts spiralled with less coherency and increasing panic. You stumbled out of the elevator onto your floor. 

Your shoulder hit right into someone coming the other way. It was Maria Hill and you jumped back in shock.

‘Hi (Y/N).’ She said rubbing the back of her neck, initially distracted from your obvious distress.

‘I was looking for Natasha, but she’s not here?’

‘Gym.’ You forced out, watching her eyes widen with shock as she took in your face. ‘Excuse me.’ You moved towards your room but she caught your arm deftly.

‘Wait a second. Are you okay?’

‘Not really, so can you let go of my arm please?’ You ripped it out of her grasp as you spoke and moved over to your room.

When the door shut behind you, you held yourself very carefully together, even though you were now alone.You grabbed a water bottle and considered whether you should avoid the others for at least the rest of the day. All that was good was tenuous and you didn’t want to make things worse.

Jarvis spoke up then. He told you that a SHIELD craft for Agents Romanoff and Barton would be leaving in less than an hour and that the whole team was currently in the briefing room closest to the labs.

His voice gave you confidence and the hint you needed. Before anything else, you owed an apology.

There was nothing more intimidating than knocking on that door to the conference room. You could see the full team, including Maria and Pepper, through the glass pane. The conversation halted immediately. You entered and stared at the ground, already very aware that the room’s focus was on you.

‘I know I’m not meant to be in here.’ You started shakily, trying not to think about how you’d interrupted a meeting clearly intended for the whole team except yourself. ‘I just wanted to say that I’m really sorry for earlier and just generally how much of a bitch I’ve been.’

‘I really have appreciated your offers of help and I do know that you have better things to be doing with your time.’ The words sounded more exhausted than you’d intended. ‘So, I’ll try and stop wasting it.’

You left the room immediately without letting yourself meet anyone’s gaze. As you walked away, you started feeling a little lighter with every step you took. You snuck into the library just off the communal space, taking some initiative and picking up the books on learning Russian that Jarvis had recommended to you once before. 

You didn’t want to go back to your room and so you walked across the Compound to the office spaces in the business side of the building. 

You found an empty office that was free of personal items and decided it would do. You warned Jarvis to keep your location to himself and requested not to be interrupted until you indicated otherwise. Then you plugged your earphones in, cracked open the textbook and pretended that the morning hadn’t happened.

You spent several hours learning some absolute basics of the Russian language. The alphabet was completely different and you didn’t have enough coffee left in your system to process this effectively. You worked at a snail’s pace through little tasks directed by the textbook. You skipped lunch without thinking and tried not to brood that Natasha had left the Compound already. Tried not to wonder how much you had wrecked it and if she’d be back tonight. Soon, you were too busy not thinking about things and there were more angsty doodles in your notebook than Russian letters.

Finally, you just gave up. You opened the door, intending to go back to your room to nap the afternoon away, and were immediately accosted with the noise of a blaring fire alarm. You turned around wildly, wondering how you hadn’t heard it a moment ago.

There seemed to be no-one else in this part of the building and so you flew out of the window and around the side of the building. The Compound often operated with skeleton staff crews, but there were still at least 50 people standing outside on the grass. You wished you were less conspicuous as you flew over to the group, definitely the last one out of the building. 

You landed away from anyone you knew, intending to walk over to the reception desk crew and artfully avoid the ‘Avengers’ grouping. 

This was prevented by an instantaneous reaction from the ‘Avengers’ when they caught sight of you. You heard their voices before you could make out their words. You squinted as you tried to read their facial expressions. You wondered immediately if there really had been a fire, despite the lack of smoke or panic. You changed course and flew over to the team. 

You’d barely landed when Tony exploded.

‘Fuck, (Y/N)!  Where have you been?’ 

You tried to stay calm, pushing down an automatic feeling of fear from his outburst.

‘I’m sorry, I was studying and I think I accidentally put Jarvis on extreme Do Not Disturb mode.’ You answered, aware of how stupid you sounded. You looked around the team and spotted Natasha, half hidden by Steve’s frame. You did a double take in confusion.

‘I thought you’d be at SHIELD.’ You said dumbly, trying to read the look in her eyes.

Tony smacked his head with his palm very hard and started muttering into his smart watch. Immediately, the fire alarm switched itself off.

‘Was there a fire?’ You asked in confusion.

‘We’ve been looking for you for three hours, we only pulled the fire alarm to see if you were alive and in the building.’ Steve informed you.

‘Jarvis kept telling me that you were no longer locatable.’ Natasha suddenly said, and now you knew the look in her eyes. You took a step backwards on instinct.

‘Sorry, I didn’t realise he’d be so literal.’ You mumbled out.

‘No longer locatable is also what Jarvis says when someone dies.’ Bruce said quietly. ‘We were really worried.’

Your mouth fell open in surprise.

‘Oh God, I’m so sorry.’ You rushed out, feeling awful. ‘Are you all in trouble with SHIELD?’ You wouldn’t wish a raging Nick Fury on anyone.

Clint took a step towards you.

‘Do you think we’ve been panicking for three hours because we’re scared of Fury?’ He asked incredulously.

Tony held out his hand, pausing you before you could reply.

‘We didn’t think we’d lost an asset (Y/N), we thought you might be dead.’ He said plainly, staring you directly in the eyes. 

‘Do you know what your speech in the boardroom sounded like, when you disappeared straight after?’ Pepper asked more gently, her face easily the most sympathetic.

‘Oh God, I’m so sorry.’ You repeated, realisation dawning on you. You looked straight at Natasha now. Her jaw was clenched so hard it physically hurt to look at it. Now, you could clearly read the betrayal etched on her face. 

Maria spoke calmly, more neutral than the others.

‘We’ve been worried about your mental health.’ 

You laughed out loud.

‘Yeah, me too.’ You said.

‘Obviously the pressure of training has been affecting you.’ She continued, in the same tone.

‘That’s true.’ You said soberly. ‘That’s why I apologised earlier.’ 

‘...And that’s why everyone jumped to conclusions when I made a dramatic entrance to a secret meeting about my perceived depressive tendencies.’ You realised suddenly. 

Maria nodded awkwardly.

You spoke carefully, finally catching Natasha’s eye. ‘I’m really okay though. I have more than enough to live for. I just don’t want to turn into some SHIELD weapon.’

In the answering silence you tried to repeat your apology.

‘Don’t say sorry again, for the love of God.’ interrupted Clint and abruptly he started heading back into the Compound. 

‘I’m sorry (Y/N). You’re not anyone else’s property, not SHIELD’s or the Avengers’.’ Steve told you soberly as you all followed behind Clint. His hand rested on your shoulder as he spoke. You nodded, feeling grateful and not sure what to say.

‘I’m not sorry.’’ Tony declared. ‘I did everything right given the situations you put me in. But I do forgive you.’ His eyes twinkled though and you saw there was inherent kindness behind the posturing.

You tried to slow down to match Natasha’s pace, but her skills in avoidance were too good for you. Pepper, instead, walked with you, she asked where you’d been all day and was encouraging when you told her.

‘Now that’s a real transferable skill you could learn. The flashy stuff is all just surface level anyway.’ She said, eyeing Tony obviously.  ‘Maybe Natasha can help you with the language learning, she knows the most.’

‘Oh, that’s really okay. I know everyone’s got their own day jobs to focus on.’ You assured her, knowing that Natasha was probably listening. You were right.

‘’Well, maybe you shouldn’t go AWOL after a fucking temper tantrum then.’ Natasha said icily from behind you, where she was walking next to Bruce and Tony. 

‘Everyone on the team is allowed to make mistakes.’ Steve said softly, though his voice carried to everyone as you all crowded into the elevator.

‘Natasha’s right. You’ve all had a wasted day because I was stupid.’ You spoke carefully. 

Then, you addressed both Natasha and Clint, only because you weren’t sure if Natasha would answer at all.

‘Do you still have more SHIELD work to do?’ 

Clint held up his hand and started counting off his fingers. ‘Well, so far we’ve covered us not fucking up the last mission, how Fury feels about you, and that there’s no new mission planned. That’s it right?’ He glanced at Maria and Natasha.

Maria agreed and Natasha’s head tilted slightly. 

‘Well folks, Bruce and I have some actual work to get back to.’ Tony announced, as the doors opened on the R&D floor and they both made to leave.

Everyone dispersed from the elevator on different floors. Maria and Pepper leaving together on the connecting level that led to the business side of the Compound.

You had resolved to leave at whichever floor Natasha exited on because she was pointedly avoiding your attempts at eye contact. Her emotions were very carefully in check but you could still spot flashes of annoyance through the cracks. 

Clint and Steve decided to get off at the gym level, leaving you finally alone together.

Part 2 - Expectations 

‘Natasha.’ You started, but you didn’t get another word out.

In less than a heartbeat you were against the back wall of the elevator, Natasha’s hand was against your throat and her lips were on yours. You felt her nails dig slightly into your neck and her teeth rake against your lips. Your hands gripped her hair in response and you kissed her back, partly for pleasure and partly for some control.

‘Don’t you ever do that again.’ Natasha demanded when the elevator doors opened onto your floor. You went back for another kiss, not knowing how to form coherent words. All of the emotions Natasha had felt in the last few hours were spilling out of her now.

You led her across to your room, mouth barely leaving hers. Once you’d managed to get the door open, your hands were on her waist, moving down to grab her ass tightly. Natasha’s nails scraped down your shoulders and you moaned in pleasure.

Suddenly, Natasha broke away from you and for a moment you tried to reorient yourself. Then, you realised in dawning horror that Natasha couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Fear and worry flew through the air as it worsened and her hand grasped out at the fabric of your top. You recognised the onset of a panic attack. You gripped her forearm instinctively and she gripped it right back, like it was a lifeline. You held steady and knew that your tight hold on her arms must be reassuring when she leaned into it. Slowly, you lowered the pair of you to the ground. 

‘You can breathe. It’ll be okay.’ You said with conviction, keeping your own breathing calm and emphasised. Your eyes locked onto each other.

Trying to fill the silence with something other than Natasha’s ragged breaths, you remembered the deadlock bolt attached to her door and started to monologue about the security features that existed in your room. You could tell that the feeling of vulnerability from the panic attack was more immediately scary to Natasha than anything else. 

You kept up a steady ramble and you could see her start to look over at the things you mentioned; like the bullet proof windows that were locked on the inside. It took less than a minute for Natasha’s breathing to start to regulate.

You disentangled from your death grips on each other and in their place, you held her hand firmly.

‘I didn’t expect that.’ Natasha sounded contrastingly numb after all the panic. ‘That hasn’t happened to me since I was a child.’

Realising that you’d caused her Red Room level stress wasn’t a boost to the ego.

You raised her hand and kissed it softly.

‘Can I cook something for you tonight? To say sorry properly for today.’ You asked quietly and she nodded, not completely listening.

‘(Y/N), please don’t ever just leave.’ Natasha said suddenly, a moment later. 

You observed her face for a moment, her eyes were tired and full of a thousand lifetimes lived before. 

‘Never.’ It was all you could think to say in response and it didn’t feel enough like the truth. 

Natasha closed her eyes for a long moment and you sat there quietly holding her hand. When she opened them next, the storm of emotions had moved to the shadows.

You redirected the conversation to better thoughts instinctively. 

‘Hello’ You said the word haltingly in Russian, 

‘I’m going to start learning. Please will you help me with the accent?’ You managed to elicit a small smirk from Natasha and, for the moment, you knew the worst was past. 

‘Yes. Since you asked nicely.’ Natasha flirted back. You immediately tried to commit her accent to memory. Partly for educational purposes, but mainly because it was too attractive to forget.

‘Your pupils have completely dilated.’ Natasha informed you matter of factly, a moment later. You blinked self-consciously.

‘Let’s go somewhere whereI  can embarrass myself less.’ You stood up and offered her a hand.

‘Does somewhere like that exist?’ She teased again and you groaned dramatically.

‘Wanna watch a movie in the common room?’ You suggested after a beat. Natasha glanced pointedly at the TV affixed to the wall in your room. 

‘I’m supposed to be a good team member and so are you.’ You affected a serious tone.

Natasha fingers trailed along your collarbone lazily. ‘It’s no fun having to be well behaved though.’

You were impressed by her persuasion but you knew you had to show your face tonight. You thought of Steve’s hand on your shoulder and knew you owed them the effort.

‘Why don’t we stop pretending then?’ You suggested hesitantly. ‘It’s not like we actually have to tell them anything and I think Tony knows already anyway.’

‘They’ll still have their opinions and we don't even know what we are yet.’ Natasha pointed out. The heart shapes she traced on your skin reassured you.

‘We are just us.’ You said simply. ‘If we sit and watch a movie together today and that gives them an expectation of who we’ll be tomorrow, then that’s their problem.’

‘And what about your expectations of tomorrow?’ Natasha hummed without looking at you.

‘Maybe you’ll cook me breakfast if I play my cards right.’ 

Part 3 - Out In the Open

In the elevator on the way to the kitchen, Natasha grabbed your hand with conviction. You caught her hidden worry though, in the small frown that was quickly smoothed away by the time the doors opened.

Pepper and Maria were sitting together at the counter as you walked in. They each had a glass of wine; Maria’s red and Pepper’s white. They looked round together as you entered, their eyes obviously glued to your joined hands. You felt Natasha stiffen in discomfort and you turned to her, smiling easily and trying to calm her down.

‘I think we should get in on that wine.’ You said conspiratorially. Natasha rallied. She eyed Pepper like a mark and considered.

‘There’s got to be nearly a bottle’s worth left hiding somewhere in here.’

Pepper’s hand went instinctively to protect her wine glass.

‘Oh no you don’t. I got this specially imported.’ She warned Natasha.

Maria just shrugged.

‘I was only planning on having one glass anyway. We put the bottle in the bread bin so Clint wouldn’t find it.’

‘Is Clint around?’ Natasha asked absentmindedly, grabbing two more glasses out of the cabinet.

‘Yes, he said he’d drop by in a bit. He’s leaving this evening to see his “girlfriend”.’ Pepper used air quotations and addressed you in particular when she added. ‘We think he’s just embarrassed to bring a one night stand here, so he disappears like a cat for a few days every month.’ 

You nodded, but noticed the careful lack of reaction from Natasha and Maria to Pepper’s words and felt instinctively that they knew contradictory information.

Natasha handed you a wine glass and you took a sip. You lingered together in the kitchen and you let your hand slide casually to her waist. It wasn’t subtle and neither was Maria’s repeated efforts to catch Natasha’s eye.

‘So, where is he now?’ You continued the conversations.

Pepper gestured vaguely at the ceiling.

‘Probably crawling around up there.’

Natasha frowned.

‘(Y/N).’ She prompted and you turned to look at her. She looked pointedly up at the ceiling, but you didn’t catch on.

‘Some alcohol is too good for Clint.’ She said obscurely.

‘Oh shit, right.’ You realised, floating up to the ceiling immediately and removing from the crawl space a Vodka bottle that Natasha had left there on another night. It was large enough to be both mostly empty and still hold a high alcohol content.

You floated back down and passed the bottle over to Natasha, grinning at the satisfied twitch of her lips.

‘Such a useful party trick.’ Natasha murmured and she bumped her hip into yours. 

‘I know that you liked being picked up the other night.’ You teased her.

‘Okay, so there’s a lot to unpack here.’ Maria said loudly, looking at Natasha like she was just seeing her for the first time. 

‘Which is our cue to go watch our movie.’ You replied smoothly, heading over to the sofa, glass in one hand and bottle in the other. 

‘Oh, by the way.’ You called out over your shoulder. ‘I said I’d be in charge of dinner tonight. Do you guys want to get in on a big pizza order?’

Before they could respond, Natasha hit you on the shoulder with her free hand.

‘That’s your apology meal?’

‘Pizza is better than anything I can cook myself and you know it.’ You grinned and Natasha’s mouth twitched again.

‘Yeah, I’m definitely in the Matrix or something.’ muttered Maria.

You insisted that Natasha pick the movie and she started to scroll through the available options with great deliberation. Pepper and Maria pretended to talk about other things at the kitchen counter and you appreciated their efforts to ignore you, even if you still caught their frequent glances over.

Eventually, Natasha chose ‘The Parent Trap’ and you knew immediately that you’d be watching her more than you would the screen. Like the night at the aquarium, you enjoyed observing her fascination build as she was drawn more and more into the movie’s set up. 

Meanwhile, you asked Jarvis to make up the pizza order and send it in after consulting the others. 

You had your arm around Natasha’s shoulder from the outset and at first her head moved to rest on your shoulder. By the time the twins had discovered each other at Summer Camp, Natasha was completely lying down on the sofa, her head in your lap, still watching the movie with rapt attention. You let your fingers run through her hair absentmindedly, enjoying the little shivers of pleasure it occasionally evoked in her.

Then Steve, Bruce and Tony wandered in, midway through a simplified scientific explanation for Steve’s benefit. Their voices cut off as soon as they caught sight of your position on the sofa. You could practically sense Pepper silently threatening them not to make a comment. The stilted clearing of a throat from Tony only confirmed it.

You lifted a hand to wave at them without turning around. Natasha made no such movement, but you could feel her heightened awareness of the new group from the moment they’d walked in. You kept your fingers running through her hair.

Soon they picked up their conversation again, now including the women. When Tony suggested a poker night, Clint dropped out unexpectedly from the ceiling vent, insisting that they didn’t have one until he returned. Their banter and teasing was calming when it wasn’t directed at you and Natasha. You were surprised that they were giving you both space though and assumed it must have been more of Pepper and Maria’s influence.

When the pizza arrived, you paused the movie briefly. A middle aged woman had brought the pizza up, a different security guard to the ones you now recognised. You caught her name, ‘Lana’, and the fact that she was strong enough to carry at least her own body weight in pizza. 

You helped Natasha brush out the flattened side of her hair as she sat up in anticipation of the food.

You awkwardly joined the group congregated around the breakfast counter when you came over to grab two pizzas. Not even Tony spoke, though his eyes seemed to burn with comments he wasn’t going to make.

Only Clint broke the silence, because of course he did.

‘Mind if we join you?’ He asked gruffly, pizza box in hand.

‘Of course not.’ You said easily.

You returned to your central spot on the larger sofa and slowly the rest of the team gathered on the surrounding seats and the other smaller sofa. Clint was last to find a seat, too busy guarding his full pizza box. He shrugged saying that he didn’t mind because he would be heading out after this anyway.

He sat on the ground between the sofa and the coffee table, directly in front of Natasha. Natasha didn’t hesitate to move and put her feet up, resting them intrusively on his shoulder and looking mischievous. Clint ignored her provocation pointedly and in a way that spoke volumes about their friendship dynamic. They both quickly focused on the film, seeming to tune out the others entirely. You kept your hand on Natasha’s thigh but let your attention drift between the film and the others’ conversations.

Everyone else seemed a bit crushed for space, but you weren’t going to ask Natasha to move over and neither were any of them. Pepper was perched on Tony’s lap with a hand on his shoulder, otherwise ignoring him in favour of Maria. Tony was busy telling Steve about all of the most famous child stars from the last few decades. Steve looked like he was trying to pay attention. Bruce was working on a sudoku, pen in the hand not holding a slice of pizza, entirely tuned out to the room. 

Tony asked you to tell Steve about how important the Home Alone films were and you tried halfheartedly to do so. Natasha interrupted suddenly, gripping your arm in surprise. 

‘That’s the song from the other night.’ She said excitedly, forgetting herself for a second as ‘This Will Be An Everlasting Love’ played out from the TV. ‘Remember? It played in the car.’ You felt your cheeks warming up, aware of those watching on.

After he’d consumed an entire pizza, Clint left to see his “girlfriend”. Maria went with him, saying SHIELD could give him a ride. The movie ended too and Pepper moved to sit on Natasha’s left. They talked about some international incident. You recognised the names of a few of the political leaders and guessed it was to do with Natasha’s last mission. Natasha seemed relaxed and friendly, but you could tell that Pepper was going to get no insights about the mission itself.

You switched the TV off, realising no one was watching it anymore. You automatically took out your smartphone and started to scroll.

‘Ah, Bruce’ Tony declared, elbowing him so he looked up from his puzzle. ‘This is the modern generation, they’re too high tech even for television.’

‘(Y/N) has the fastest growing book collection of any Compound Resident.’ Jarvis said drily. Tony eyed the sky, drinking from his glass.

‘Traitor.’ He told the ceiling.

‘Which books do you like?’ Bruce asked you eagerly.

‘Mainly fiction.’ Bruce looked a bit disappointed. ‘Always happy to have recommendations though.’ You assured him quickly. ‘I’ll enjoy any book, if it’s good.’ 

He started telling you the plot of a book that sounded a lot like a ‘Da Vinci Code’ rip off. You tried to nod at the right moments and finished another glass of wine.

Natasha’s hand purposefully brushed your leg and you switched attention very easily.

‘Do you want to go to bed now?’ She murmured in your ear.

‘Sure.’ You whispered back,

‘Night guys.’ You mumbled to the room as you took Natasha’s hand and let her lead you away.

‘Be Safe kids.’ Tony shouted and you felt your face get warm again.

[likefirenrain]

THE AVENGERS (2012) dir. [REDACTED] BLACK WIDOW (2021) dir. Cate Shortland

[likefirenrain]

Oh, Natasha Romanoff, how you would have loved Zora Bennett. 🥹

[likefirenrain]

me when i have to go to my job that i willingly applied for and honestly isn’t even difficult and is on the whole pretty enjoyable

[likefirenrain]

[likefirenrain]

When The Deal Goes Down

Series Masterlist

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Chapter 3: Dreams and Musical Numbers

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Part 1 - Naked and Afraid

You did not sleep well on your first attempt that night. Whether it was the lack of Natasha or the awareness that she was just across the hall from you, the nightmares you had were unprecedented.

If, before, you’d had an idea of what Natasha’s nightmares might contain, now your imagination was trying to make it unbearably real. Strange men’s hands wandered coarse against your skin, and the eyes of little girls waiting for bullet holes stared out at you from the darkness. The pressure to kill and the guilt of succeeding had thrown you awake.

It was just after midnight and it seemed unlikely that you were going to be sleeping again. You moved to the small kitchenette that made up part of the suite you’d been given.

It was built in a way that made you think the designer (Tony or Pepper, presumably) had been trying to encourage the use of the communal spaces without making the rooms too inhospitable. It was grudgingly well furnished. 

You padded over with the intent of making a mint tea. The rush of boiling water served as a calming sound. Then your ears pricked and you heard the  same noise that you’d made not even ten minutes before. The noise of someone choking back into reality after a hellish nightmare.

You needlessly confirmed with Jarvis that this was the shared wall between yourself and Natasha. Quietly, you filled two mugs instead of one. 

You wrapped yourself in a warm blanket that you had brought with you to the Compound and headed out to the corridor. You used the edge of one of the mugs to knock on Natasha’s door.

You heard nothing in response except the metal bolt sliding across, a bizarrely old fashioned sound in such a high tech building. 

Natasha’s eyebrows lifted in pretend surprise at the sight of you, as if she hadn’t heard your chaotic episode of trying to shut the door to your room without letting go of either mug of tea.

Either way, the façade was pointless and you could already spot the signs. The redness lining her eyes. The hair that had been smoothed out carefully. The nails digging into her palm on the hand not gripping the door.

‘Can I come in?’ 

‘Why?’ It was blunt and a little suspicious, like you might be a sales rep trying to sell her something.

‘I made you a tea, thought you might be up.’ Your voice sounded falsely light. The embarrassment that you’d clearly heard her nightmare outweighed any other emotion on Natasha’s face. You watched her crush down the fleeting expression and school her features into a neutral one.

‘I’m planning on staying up actually. Now might be the best time for you to get some uninterrupted sleep.’ She replied, sounding a little defensive and looking ready to shut the door.

You stood there hesitantly, only knowing that you felt so sorry for her. You didn’t know what to say. How to tell her that your nightmares only echoed her own and that you didn’t want to shut your eyes tonight either. 

All you thought to do was take a step forward and let the door stand weirdly close to you when it did not yield. It took a moment before Natasha opened it fully and let you in. 

She shut the door behind you, dead bolting it again with a casualness that was undermined by having the deadbolt in the first place. Natasha never actually turned away from you, but it was only when you were facing each other properly that you gave her one of the mugs.

‘I hope you like mint tea. Or at least you’re not going to refuse to admit an allergy to it and suffer for no reason.’ You commented with half-hearted brightness.

You sat on the sofa first and Natasha followed, sitting very near you. Less than an inch and your legs would be brushing against each other. It didn’t match her initial standoffishness and you wondered (hoped) if proximity to you was calming for her in the same way that she was to you.

You took an opportunity, putting your mug down on the coffee table and removing the blanket currently draped around your shoulders like a cape. You had worn it this way to leave your hands free for the mugs.

‘If you scoot a little closer, we can both be warmer.’

You were not very smooth. Natasha assessed you in that stoic cat-like way of hers, before shifting even closer and curling her legs underneath herself. She was only wearing a tank top and underwear again and so you felt the full length of her nearest thigh as it settled flush against yours. 

Her movement closer didn’t even rock the tea in the mug, which she blew on softly to cool down.

You laid the blanket over both of your laps and tried not to have a coronary when your fingers brushed her skin. You stretched out your legs and let your thick socks, with cartoon dogs all over them, rest on the edge of the coffee table. From which, you picked up the TV remote and offered it to her.

‘Do you know what’s good to watch this time of night?’

All the strangeness of the domestic intimacy was ignored by both of you. Natasha typed in the channel number and landed straight on an episode of Naked and Afraid. You both sat quietly, eyes on the screen. You rested your arm carefully on Natasha’s shoulders; it was both the easiest way to place it when you sat so close, and also the safest comforting touch you could give her.

She didn’t lean in, but she didn’t lean away either.

You tried to get into the show but you lasted less than a few minutes.

‘Okay, this is so dumb.’

Natasha looked at you questioningly,

‘They’re totally naked?’

‘Well, yeah.’ Natasha paused for effect, ‘And they’re afraid.’

‘But that is so pointless.’ You whined, gesturing out at the screen. ‘No one needs to do this to themselves.’

Now Natasha’s eyes danced a little, she used her nails to draw light patterns along the back of the hand that you had draped over her shoulders.

‘Pointless talent is an American pastime.’ 

The slight emphasis with her American accent was the closest Natasha was ever going to get to acknowledging it wasn’t her first language. You turned on the channel guide to see what else was on.

‘Wanna watch the ultimate one?’ You asked, a little excited when you found the show you were looking for.

‘Okay.’ Her deep voice stayed level, laced with a little dry humour.

You selected the episode of Lip Sync Battle.

‘I’ve heard about this.’ 

‘It’s great. This would be my pointless talent if I ever needed one. You don’t even have to be able to sing.’

‘I can sing.’ 

It was the first fact about her that she’d ever volunteered and you immediately turned to look at her, wanting to see her eyes just after she said it. They looked right back at you purposefully, no accidental revelations from the Black Widow. You tried not to focus only on the green of her eyes and instead think about what she had said.

‘Oh man, that’s very clever.’ You realised aloud. ‘I bet you never sing in front of other people, right? So I’m going to spend my life trying to get you into karaoke bars and you’re just going to disappear like a ghost at the last second.’ You started to pick up steam, nodding your head seriously at your own points.  ‘I bet you don’t even sing in the shower, just in case someone hears you.’

Natasha just tilted her head, playing along with your silly rant.

‘Well, if I sang in the shower, how would I know if there was an intruder?’

‘Of course, because that’s the number one reason attackers are successful. She was singing in the shower in Psycho right? A bit of Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’ right before the stabbing.’

Natasha rolled her eyes.

Part 2 - Tie Me Up or Hold Me Down

The episode cut to commercial and you knew now was the time to try.

‘Maybe we should head back to sleep?’ You suggested.

Natasha looked at you a little sadly, like your optimism was sweet but not realistic.

‘Actually, I think I’ll stay up. You can sleep though. You’ve got training with Clint tomorrow.’ 

You appreciated the gesture. It was a kind dismissal, an offer of escape framed so you just might take it. You didn’t even consider it.

‘Isn’t there anything that helps you sleep?’

If she hadn’t rubbed her wrist a little in an automatic action, you wouldn’t have remembered, certainly wouldn’t have guessed.

‘Oh’ you said dumbly ‘The handcuffs.’ 

She stiffened next to you, suddenly icy all over. You’d asked around about the Red Room after Fury had mentioned it to you. Some of the tactics, including this one, were urban legends amongst the other SHIELD agents. It had been on your mind a little already with being around Natasha so much. It was one of your only glimpses into what her past might have been like. Even tonight, a feeling of being trapped by the wrist had pervaded your strange dreams.

Carefully you took her left wrist in your hand, rubbing the lightest pattern over the area that you now saw looked permanently reddened.

‘Does it still work for you?’ You asked simply.

Natasha removed her wrist from your hand smoothly.

‘Sometimes, or it makes it worse.’ 

Maybe it was easier to give the answer to a personal question when the answer was both yes and no. You understood her response, that the thing giving you nightmares as a child could take on a nostalgic sense of security later. It was like missing the monsters under your bed, weird but not totally irrational.

‘Can I stay in your bed again then? If that’s okay? Maybe it would help.’

That sad smile came up on Natasha’s face again, appreciating your kindness but not accepting it.

‘I know I’m not going to sleep again tonight (Y/N) and even if I did, it wouldn’t be peaceful.’

‘I’ve survived so far.’ You shrugged in false nonchalance.

‘Well I’m not going to wear a fucking handcuff to bed if I’m not sleeping alone.’ Natasha said flatly. Her words pressed the implication that you sleeping here would only hinder her own chances of resting.

‘I think I have an idea.’ You said thoughtfully and you got up and walked over to the back of the room where the bed stood. The white sheets were drawn tight and the bed was perfectly made. 

She followed you reluctantly, arms crossed. 

‘Did you sleep on top of the sheets?’ You asked randomly, looking at the bed.

‘No.’

You realised her first conditioned thought after a nightmare must have been to make the bed. You hummed while you thought out your idea carefully. You suddenly remembered her letting you choose your side of the bed the night before.

‘Wait, do you have a preferred side?’ 

Natasha rolled her eyes as if you’d asked her how she liked her caviar. For emphasis, she lay down on her back and held her left wrist up in the air at an uncomfortable angle. You had to laugh.

‘Okay then, so you should probably sleep on that side.’ You gestured over and she looked at you like you were an idiot. Natasha moved over on the bed, but she still held her left wrist stupidly in the air above the middle of the bed to emphasise that there would be nothing to cuff it to from her position.

Carefully, you circled your own hand around her wrist and brought it down to lie next to her on her left hand side. 

The air was uncertain.

‘I’ll be like the world’s nicest handcuff.’ You offered. ‘Just enough to not make you feel trapped.’

A new sort of electricity built between you now. Natasha faced you, close enough that you could feel her small huffs of breath on your face. You didn’t know what she was thinking but she looked at you the same as when you’d shared your dessert with her at the restaurant.

‘I don’t think that it will work’ Natasha murmured at last.

‘Then, worst case we don’t sleep.’ You said simply, doing a half shrug with the one shoulder you weren’t resting on.

It was strange knowing Natasha felt nervous. You’d seen her apprehensive and cautious before, but never nervous like this. Worried that everything might easily fall apart if she let her eyes close. You gave her a reassuring smile but her eyes still watched you carefully as if you were the last thing holding her awake.

‘Should we close our eyes together on three?’ You asked ironically and the tension broke apart by itself.

You kept your grip on her wrist carefully steady in its pressure. Just like being cast as a tree in a school performance, playing a handcuff seemed hard to get wrong but you knew fidgeting would do it.

You did end up shutting your eyes first. You let your mind fill with the kind of calm thoughts that might offset your own night terrors and then, all at once, you fell under. You woke a few hours later as Natasha moved listlessly next to you, almost pulling her wrist out of your grip. You brushed her hair carefully from her face and watched her settle again.

From then on, you lay in a half sleeping state, letting the point of contact around Natasha’s wrist loosen whenever she struggled against it but holding tight when other fears seemed to take her mind up. 

By the early (but at least later than before) hours, Natasha had sunk into such a deep sleep that it was satisfying just to be near it. A deep contentment filled the room, eventually lulling you fully back asleep too.

Natasha woke naturally at exactly 11.30 that morning. You must have been more attuned to her breathing than you realised, because the smallest change brought you back to consciousness immediately.

You kept your eyes closed as she stretched out her legs that had curled against you in the night. She hummed lightly before speaking.

‘I know you’re already awake.’

You opened one eye and met both her bright ones. She hadn’t moved much, but her hair was mussed again and you were probably in love with her.

‘Only for a few seconds, I thought it would be creepy to stare at you.’

Natasha just smiled relaxedly at you.

‘Slept well, did you?’ You teased.

Her arms went wide, extricating smoothly from your loose grip, moving into an exaggerated stretch and yawn. She was clearly enjoying the pleasant warmth of the morning sun and so were you.

You grinned, the shared happiness feeling heady, before scanning around the room. The whole place looked extra bright as the curtains hadn’t been shut the night before. The stark white of the quilt reminded you of a hotel bed.

You let your head fall back on the pillows and shut your eyes.

‘Let’s never move again.’ 

You opened them a minute later when there had been no answer. 

You nearly jumped out the bed when you realised that Natasha had crept over to crouch above you playfully, her face nearly glittering with mischief.

‘Oh fuck.”

Natasha’s answering laugh was wild and she bounced off the bed with a spring. She moved like the world had gotten ten tons lighter overnight. Her hands reached out to you and you didn’t hesitate to take them, letting her pull you to your feet.

‘Get dressed’ Natasha’s voice said huskily. ‘I’ll make you breakfast.’

You rolled your eyes playfully.

‘Aye aye captain, I’m not telling you what I want though.’

‘You’ll want what you’re given.’ She smirked.

You did not contradict her.

Part 3 - Putting On a Show.

After changing for the day, you headed down to the common area where Jarvis informed you Natasha already was. You felt a little annoyed to have missed any time with her, and understood it as a sign of the level of your current infatuation.

When you arrived, the kitchen area was full with various stages of breakfast underway at the same time. Pepper had just finished a bowl of something and was sitting with her laptop out, perched on the far end breakfast stool. Tony stood behind her, crunching on some toast and commenting on whatever was on her screen.

Steve was working through a plate of eggs and bacon that was ridiculously large. Natasha and Clint were having a silent but aggressive fight over a spatula and Bruce had his head in the fridge.

‘Good morning.’ You called out softly, half hoping no one would hear. Predictably, the room turned to look at you and you tried to pretend it wasn’t embarrassing.

When Natasha warmly returned your greeting with an easy smile settled on her face, you were probably the least shocked in the room. Pepper’s coffee cup hit the counter loudly in the silence following the abrupt stop in conversation.

‘What side of the bed did you wake up on? Write it down. You’ve finally found the right one.’ Tony’s sarcasm was directed at Natasha but you knew it was also a test of you. First the sorority jokes and now this, Tony knew something was up between the two of you.

You didn’t care, not for a second, because at his words Natasha caught your eye.

‘Left hand side’ she answered, raising her left hand into the air again and daring you to react.

You took the dare. You snorted out an uncontrolled laugh and headed over to the kitchen still chuckling under your breath. You could practically feel everyone’s curiosity at the incomprehensible joke and you happily ignored them.

‘What am I eating then?’ You challenged Natasha instead.

‘Oh you’re cooking for the group?’ Clint exclaimed to Natasha, not betraying any confusion about you, Natasha, or your recent interaction. He thrust the spatula he had temporarily won from Natasha back into her hands.

‘Bruce, we can sit down, the master chef is about to whip something up.’

‘Thank God.’ Bruce muttered fervently, putting some very unlikely ingredients back into the fridge. Clint touched Natasha’s back reassuringly as he moved past to grab a seat. His head didn’t move but you felt his unreadable gaze flicker over to you.

Natasha stole your focus away easily.

‘I’m cooking something delicious.’ 

‘That’s big talk’ You said, raising your eyebrows.

‘Remember, if you don’t appreciate it, then you’re the one with bad taste.’ She reminded you as you hopped up to sit on the countertop between the sink and the bread bin. 

‘Oh please, cook away.’ You gestured playfully at her, ignoring the audience watching you intently as if your life was a little play written just for them. 

‘Get some plates and cutlery.’ Natasha instructed playfully. ‘It’s important that you’re useful.’ You moved into action obediently.

‘Want some music too?’ You called over your shoulder. Natasha finally acknowledged the rest of the group, including them in the question with a raised eyebrow. 

‘Yeah, why not. This literally couldn’t get any weirder.’ Pepper answered.

‘Not quite as weird as disappearing from the building for several hours of an evening.’ Tony’s eyes didn’t leave his phone and he put on a bored affect as he spoke. The hairs on the back of your neck tingled. Tony definitely knew something was up.

You just gave him a small smile and said confidently ‘Jarvis will know what to play’, not sure at all that he did.

‘Love Story’ by Taylor Swift started to swell from the speakers and a member of your audience immediately groaned.

‘We were tricked.’ accused Clint ‘You said it would be music.’

‘Natasha.’ You murmured a second later. She turned from the mixing bowl to look at you just as you started to lip sync along to the song. It took a moment for your dramatic flare to kick in and for Natasha to get the reference to the tv show from the night before. 

She laughed loudly, the sound of her voice filling the space as much as the music. You let her energy fill you up too. You continued your performance with ridiculous gravity, and acted out the most dramatic lyrics with unwavering intensity. You even mimed to Natasha asking her to ‘just say yes’. She held the spatula like a microphone while she briefly mimicked your poses.

If it had been any other two people, those watching would have assumed romance. But it was you two, and so most of the room looked on as if witnessing a psychotic break.

Except Steve, who smiled down at his eggs and laughed openly when you redirected a whole verse towards him. You finished the song by performing it to everyone. Only the laughter in Pepper’s eyes nearly made you break.

When the music stopped, the silence in the room swelled up and then broke as Steve’s barking laugh surfaced again and the whole room erupted into snorts and chuckles. The laughter was a little hysterical. You could tell that simple happy moments were rarely enjoyed by this group. Or at least, not in this unadulterated form. There were no layers to it, no bittersweetness to your stupidity. Jarvis switched to some low volume Sam Cooke, holding the pleasant atmosphere steady.

‘(Y/N), you’ve got funny bones.’ Tony directed at you unexpectedly and you grinned back.

When Natasha presented you with an omelette, you were very impressed. You knew she could tell.

‘It’s all in the filling though.’ You conditioned and she waited expectantly.

Tomato, ham and cheese. Damn, it was close to perfect, and you told her so.

‘Close?’ It was said so lightly, that Barton’s low ‘Ooooh’ was the larger indicator of a threat. 

You shrugged playfully ‘Not enough cheese.’

‘Not enough cheese’ Natasha muttered under her breath, devolving into a string of likely curse words that might have been Russian but certainly weren’t English.

You made a mental note to try and learn some Russian.

[likefirenrain]

clark kent using his x-ray vision while he fucks you <3

clark kent x fem! reader

minors dni, 18+!!

you could feel it in the way clark gripped your waist as he pressed into you, hips rolling with a slow, steady force. the pads of his fingers dug into your skin deep, no doubt leaving marks after. his light moans perfectly in tune with his thrusts, eyes half lidded behind his fogged glasses that had slid down a little. but his gaze was locked on you regardless, like he couldn’t look anywhere else— he wasn’t allowing himself to. he was lost deep into your body beneath him.

oh god, and he felt deep, too. feeling him stretch you in such a way, like he was buried into your core. he snapped his hips into yours with a sudden movement, causing you to dig your fingers into his shoulders, dragging them down his toned back. “oh my..clark, it’s— you’re so deep..”

he pulled out just enough to make a noticeable difference for when he slid back into you. you whined at the sensation of being full again, causing his breath to hitch. you took him so well.

“you okay, baby?”

you nodded, faster than you would’ve liked, arching your back. “i.. yeah.. i can.. oh god i can feel you in my stomach,” you moaned out, words faltering in pleasure.

clark slowed his thrusts to almost a stop, heart racing at the thought. his voice was deeper than you’d heard before. it was rougher, laced with lust.

“i know. i can see it. i can see me in your stomach.”

your eyes fluttered at his words. you barely had time to process before his hand left your waist to grab the hand you still had piercing into his back. he put your hand onto your stomach and placed his own overtop. he pulled out, pressed your hand against your skin, then pushed back in, forcing you to feel it. your whole body tensed at the feeling.

“what?”

“x-ray,” he said, his tone simple but weak, like he didn’t want to admit it, “right now, i can see just how deep i am.”

he pressed your hand into your stomach more as his pace picked up, hips rolling harder into you, pulling a moan from deep within you.

“oh, clark, it’s so..”

“right there, sweetheart. you feel that?,” he breathed, looking down at your stomach, eyes faintly glowing, “you’re taking all of me... good girl.”

that damn near killed you, wrecking you completely. you needed him faster than before, needed to feel him hitting as deep as he can, as fast as he can. you wrapped your other hand around his neck, pulling him down until his forehead was pressed against yours. “f-faster please.”

“yes, ma’am,” and with that he obliged, hips snapping quicker as he buried himself to the hilt. both of your breathy, raw moans filled the room, echoing off the walls. he couldn’t hold back anymore, he didn’t want to. not with how wrecked he had his girl underneath him. his hand never let go of yours, holding you down to feel just how full he can make you feel.

“look at you, clenching around me like that. wish you could see it, too.”

oh fuck. you couldn’t hold back anymore. your normally sweet, gentle boyfriend using his superpowers against you in the bedroom was enough, but hearing such filth come from his mouth? it’s enough to send you over the edge.

he tilted his head, lips brushing over your ear, “i can see you coming around me from inside.”

the second he said “i can see you coming”, you were done in. you moaned his name, just short of a scream, legs locking around his waist as the walls of your core clenched tight around him. he gasped as his own release surged through him, hitting him just as hard as your own did, watching himself spill into you as your slick leaked out.

never once did his hand leave your stomach as you came, now locking his fingers with yours over the top of your hand. his breathing was heavy against your neck, voice quiet and softer as he pressed light kisses to your jaw and cheek. “that’s it.. that’s my girl.”

your legs were still wrapped around him, though the tension in your body began to ease. after a few minutes of catching your breath, he raised up and let go of your hand, placing both beside your head. “you okay? it wasn’t.. too much, was it?”

you were quick to shake your head no, a laugh leaving you, “no, never. though, you seeing me come through my stomach was.. a lot. but in a good way.”

he smiled, kissing you lightly. “it’s.. it’s something else, i’ll tell you that. and i meant it, i could see every single bit of it. it’s beautiful. you’re beautiful. how perfect you take me, how your body holds onto me when you come.. most beautiful thing i’ve ever seen.”

[likefirenrain]

other actors: I sent live rats to my costars and drank sewage water bc I’m a method actor

rpatz: I played sonic everyday —but only the dark version— to really get in the headspace

[likefirenrain]

BLACK WIDOW (2021)

[likefirenrain]

AGATHA ALL ALONG (2024-?) 1.01 | Seekest Thou The Road

[likefirenrain]

THUNDERBOLTS* (2025)

[likefirenrain]

Love Song Requiem - No Roads Left

Mabel x Female Reader

Story summary: Damn near everything in your life was purely business. So was this. Just go in, get the job done with the girl that's been building a reputation of her own, and that was supposed to be the end of it. And it was the end of something, you just didn't think it would be the end of a whole damn drug empire!

Chapter summary: "If I could do this all over again, I'd still make the same decisions," because they led you to her. You never truly believed in love, or that it could change you, but it did, she did. Lives neither of you chose connected, and the chain of events that would follow could not be stopped.

Masterlist / Next Part

Word Count: 2.9k

-When did I lose my sense of purpose? Can I regain what's lost inside?-

You sat at the table, looking at the landline phone in front of you. Seriously? What was this? Last century. You sighed, figuring you should have gotten used to it by now as you dialed a familiar number. Every week, at the same time, the same number, the only number you still had the right to call and expect a friendly voice on the other side of the line.

Mabel picked up immediately, just like she always did these past eight weeks. “Y/N!” she exclaimed your name, and it almost hurt to hear. It sounded so much different than it did a few months ago, the excitement and flirty tone were replaced by longing and relief, but it was worth it.

It had to be worth it.

"Hey,” you smiled, forcing the negative thoughts out of your mind for a moment, hoping that Mabel would take this all a bit easier if you didn’t show how this was affecting you. “Is everything okay there?" you hoped you'd be able to notice if she was hiding anything from you.

And Mabel was doing the same thing, focusing on the positives. "Mhm," there it was, that casual got-everything-under-control response that made you relax. "Me and Charlie are just fine. He's a bit cautious and jumpy, but he'll get used to the new apartment," an unreasonable rage filled you.

"Charlie? Mabel, you know I love you, but quit trying to rename Charcoal," you whisper-shouted at her, ignoring the warning looks people around you gave you. It was worth it, especially since Mabel laughed, actually it was more of a semi-evil cackle.

"By the time you come back he'll only respond to Charlie!" she promised.

And despite the awful future she promised, you still smiled, wishing that future would come soon. At least your cat, Charcoal, would be happy with Mabel and not left to fend for himself. That cat wouldn’t last a day on the streets.

“It’s tomorrow, isn’t it?” Mabel suddenly asked, the light-hearted tone was gone, and though you could hear Charcoal hopping onto the table and purring as Mabel pet him it did little to ease your pain.

“Yeah, it all ends tomorrow,” your smile was just sad as you sank back into the chair as much as the phone cable allowed. You couldn’t even have that without tugging at the technology from a past era.

Mabel paused, but you knew what she would say before she even began speaking. “I should come,” she kept insisting, even if you argued against it.

“It’s not safe. Besides, you know what I want you to do,” you reminded her of the promise she vowed to break, even if you made her say the words. In her own words it wouldn’t be the first lie she had to utter.

“And you know I won’t do it,” she reminded you, but then she sighed and you could hear her burying her face in her hands, and you could picture her sitting at her new table, in a new, still unfamiliar apartment, away from everything happening here, her hair tied and messy, and her lower lip trembling slightly due to the emotions she tried to bottle up. “Did this have to happen?” she asked, and even though it was a rhetorical question you still answered.

“If I could do this all over again, I'd still make the same decisions,” those decisions led you to Mabel, led you to turning your life around, and to her finally finding a way out of the life she had before. You’d pay the price for her second chance, and maybe eventually you’d get your own second chance as well.

~X~ Eight months ago ~X~

Whoever decided that morning was the right time to start a day needs to be held responsible. And whoever decided that your cat needs to be fed at six in the morning also needs to be held responsible. “Come on Charcoal, I fed you last night, let me sleep a little longer,” you pleaded, seriously considering just never getting up again. An ashtray hitting the floor made you groan, which only prompted the black menace that snuck into your life to knock something else off the table. Judging by the heavy thud it was probably your notebook. “I’ll buy a table with raised edges, just to spite you,” you muttered under your breath and sat up like you were pulling the weight of the whole continent up with you.

You rubbed your eyes, trying to wake up as your body ached. Charcoal jumped from the table onto your lap and sat there, just looking at you with his sharp, alert eyes. “You’re too awake buddy,” you scratched his head with a tired smile, once again promising you would never sleep on the couch again. You were just too tired to reach your bedroom last night.

Stupid deals.

Stupid crimes you couldn’t pull out of anymore.

Charcoal purred and you figured, what the hell, he was comfortable on your lap, so surely, he wasn’t that hungry. You fell back on the couch and closed your eyes, hoping to go back to sleep, only for the damn black cat to hop from your lap onto your chest and tap you right on the chin.

You opened your eyes and looked at the ceiling. “Fuck,” you accepted your fate, picking the cat up and dragging yourself off the couch so you could go and feed the ungrateful, impatient, adorable, lovely cat that happened to be the boss of your life. “I’ll sue you, you know. Don’t know which court can find you guilty when you’re that cute, but I’ll find one,” you leaned back against the kitchen counter and watched as your one-year-old cat devoured his food.

Little glutton.

“Get up or go to sleep?” you wondered, glancing at the drawer where you kept your laptop, safely tucked away from your cat, because nothing in your apartment was safe from Charcoal unless it was under lock and key. Glasses? Plates? Anything breakable? Locked! Decorations? Almost nonexistent, aside from plastic ones that either didn’t break easily, or were easily replaceable. Other decorations? They were proven to be unable to resist Charcoal’s need to push them off whatever they were placed on, thus they had no place in your home. The number of TVs you had to either fix or replace because he’d scratched the screen was so high you no longer had the will to count.

You may be rich, but new TVs were not something you wanted to keep spending money on.

The thought of all those TVs drained you of what little energy you had this early in the morning and you headed toward your bedroom, with Charcoal, now fed, running after you. Work could wait, you needed sleep, and as you slipped under the covers with your cat choosing to spread on the bottom of the bed you figured that was the smartest decision you made in a while.

The heavy feeling that always came with big jobs made it difficult to sleep well, but Charcoal near you helped with that.

You still felt like you were missing something.

~X~

Around noon you walked into a almost empty bar near the edge of the city. Away from prying eyes, with just enough privacy to be acceptable for your job, but casual enough to pass it off as regular meeting between two law-abiding citizens. You came in early, about fifteen minutes before the scheduled meeting time. It was a habit you picked up along the way, wanting to be more careful of your surrounding and notice any potential problems before they could even happen.

Yet twenty-five minutes later you were annoyed and getting impatient. The woman you were supposed to meet with was nowhere to be found, hell, the only person that was on their own was a beautiful girl sitting in the corner. Despite her beauty you dismissed the girl, not really willing to get involved with anyone right now. Your life was a bit too messy for your liking, too tangled up in all the crime going on in the city to risk pulling an innocent woman into all of this. You noticed her right away, she couldn’t blend in even if she tried, she just stood out too much, drawing attention with her beauty and demeanor.

You glanced toward the girl again, noticing she was annoyed, frustrated even. As if she was waiting for someone.

‘No fucking way,’ you thought, nearly spilling your drink when the thought that she could be the person you were supposed to meet crossed your mind. She was too young! Well, that was rich coming from you, but your circumstances were different!

You approached her, a bit too hastily to your liking and she looked at you, cautious right from the start. And your heart sank, that cautiousness probably meant you were right. This was Mabel. But her eyes, there was just something in her eyes, serious, intense, dark eyes drawing you in, threatening to drown you in a sea of black. “Mabel?” you asked and those dark eyes widened slightly before she regained her composure.

“Y/N?” she was just as surprised as you were, definitely not expecting this. The two of you, close to same age, maybe even the same age. In this situation.

You nodded and then tilted your head toward the chair across from her. “May I?”

Mabel raised an eyebrow, as if she didn’t expect the question. She probably didn’t. She was here to meet with you, it was business; asking if you may sit was actually quite stupid, it was a given that you may sit, that this meeting would happen. Yet you asked, maybe out of some obligation, maybe subconsciously giving her a way out. “Not a question I expected from the daughter of one of the bosses,” she pointed out and you shrugged, silently waiting for her to allow you to sit down.

When she remained silent you smirked slightly. “I’m a vampire, you need to tell me I can sit before I can do it,” you joked and she snorted at that.

“Not how it works,” but she waved dismissively at the chair. “But sure, go ahead,” you couldn’t tell if she was amused or not, but you sat down.

“I come from a long line of vampires, I make my own rules,” you joked, making her roll her eyes.

“You come from a long line of criminals,” she huffed, suspicious, not trusting you one bit, which was fair, if you were being honest. You heard of a new girl, efficient, quick, bringing in money, even if she was still a small-time drug dealer mostly working with Weeks. You also heard she was dragged into this either by or because of her family, which would explain her disdain toward you. Born into privilege, choosing to continue the family tradition because it brought you money. You couldn’t blame her for thinking that.

“We suck people dry. Whether it’s blood or money we’re sucking hardly matters,” yet you kept joking. Though people do tend to believe there’s some truth in each joke.

Mabel raised her glass of wine, probably cheap, considering where the two of you were. “To vampires then,” you accepted, raising your own glass, filled with the first non-alcoholic drink you saw on the menu, happened to be some juice that you were yet to try.

“To vampires,” you agreed, not knowing this meeting would change the course of your life. You took a sip of the juice and immediately winced at how sweet it was. “I’m sorry it took me a bit to approach you,” you ignored the sweetness and regret over not getting literally anything else. “I didn’t think you were, well, you,” you admitted. “How old are you again?” you couldn’t stop yourself from asking.

She gave you a flat look, as if she was already tired of your bullshit. “Twenty-two,” she still answered, so she was the same age as you. “I didn’t figure out I was supposed to meet with you either, you look like you went for a run, not to talk about deals,” she pointed out, even if she herself was dressed rather casually.

You grinned a bit as you looked down at your choice of clothing, you really did look like you went for a run and stopped by to grab a drink on your way back home. “Better to look like I’m going for a run, than to catch someone’s attention and be on a run instead,” you pointed out, finally making Mabel crack a tiny smile.

“True,” she agreed, her smile spreading even as she tried to suppress it. Guarded and not willing to show even a hint of weakness or vulnerability in any way. Your parents would be proud if you had this kind of composure instead of making everything a joke. Well, jokes had their own advantages. Most of the time you seemed like you were so in control you could afford to mess around.

Yet her smile made your heart beat faster and you realized just how dangerous she could be if you didn’t play this right. “So, is everything going according to plan?” you asked, getting serious mostly out of some barely developed sense of self-preservation. Mabel nodded, confident, sure of herself, and you could physically feel the power balance shifting as she gained control.

She drank wine with smooth elegance, practiced ease, and with the glass still covering her lips she made her offer, all the while looking right into your eyes. “I can get it to you a week in advance if you pay extra.”

“I can pay you double if you deliver it tonight,” you countered, matching her gaze.

Mabel whistled. “Deal,” she agreed.

“Liar,” but you weren’t that naïve, or green, you’ve been dragged to these meeting for years before your parents made them your problem to deal with.

Mabel leaned back a bit, shrugging. “Worth a shot,” she figured and yeah, you supposed it was.

“Was it really? Staining our relationship with a lie right from the start is a bold move, Mabel,” yet she didn’t flinch.

“Expecting honor among thieves, Y/N?” she challenged you, not backing down for a single moment, and damn did you like that.

“I’m no ordinary thief,” you leaned forward. “I’m the thief in charge, and I don’t like being lied to,” her confidence wavered for a split second, before it returned with a smirk as she leaned in, almost too close, so close you could feel her breath tickling your skin and she stood up to close the distance further, putting her lips right next to your ear.

“True. You’re not in charge of me, though,” she whispered, and you felt a shiver run down your spine, but then she pulled away, taking a few steps away from the table. “We’ll fulfill our end of the deal, make sure you and your thieves pay on time.”

You heard her, but what really caught your attention was your drink that was now in her hand as she drank it, winked at you and left you with her wine and the bill.

“The fuck just happened,” you blinked a few times and then noticed the bill. “How the fuck do these guys have this wine?!” you exclaimed and could hear Mabel cackling in your head. How did you even figure she would cackle? Not that it mattered, what was this overpriced bullshit?! Did she order the most expensive wine the place had? “Damn, she’s good,” you leaned back against the chair, chuckling slightly to yourself, she got you good.

~X~

You entered your apartment, feeling tricked but somehow satisfied. Mabel’s actions were stuck in your head like an annoying song you couldn’t get rid of no matter how much you tried. “She really got me good,” you muttered to yourself as Charcoal hopped into your arms. “Hey there buddy! Did you make a mess while I was gone?” you asked, scratching the cat’s chin as he meowed and purred in your arms, and sure enough, there was quite a number of things knocked over. Pretty much anything that wasn’t locked up was on the floor. It wasn’t that many things, you learnt your lesson a long time ago, but it was still annoyingly endearing to see.

Some small plastic figures, a couple of notebooks, university guide you picked up a few years back, before your life’s path was decided for you. How did Charcoal even get it? Why wasn’t it stuck in the back of some drawer, never to be seen again until you had to clean it? Maybe Mark left it in your line of sight when he conducted a search of your apartment the last time? That was probably it.

Good old Mark, always trying to get you to turn your life around. “A life worth living,” he would often tell you while he and his partner questioned you at the station, trying to get you to crack under the pressure and the good cop bad cop dynamic because they had nothing definitive to prove your involvement.

“You’re awful, you know that?” you scolded the unbothered cat and figured you could clean the mess up tomorrow morning, after good night’s sleep. Perhaps morning would make your thoughts more coherent.

A/N: And here's a story I meant to write like a year ago. Taglist? Anyone?

Masterlist / Next Part

[likefirenrain]