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[runawrites-blog]

Necklace (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Summary: A slip-up leads you and Bucky to discover a new kink to share. Another slip-up gives the other Avengers a bit too much insight into your relationship with him. (Female Reader) Word Count: 3,346 Warnings: SMUT (Minors do not interact), Explicit Sexual Content, Choking, Fingering, Kink Negotiation, Teasing, Gentle!Dom!Bucky, No Y/N, Petnames (Doll, Sweetheart) Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54614755 A/N: From sweet fluff to this, I guess. If you're not of age, do not interact with this or read it, thank you!

---

“What a pretty necklace.”

Bucky stilled at your words, lowering the towel he’d been using to dry his left hand after the two of you had gotten out of the shower, and you felt your face heat up as you realised you’d said your thoughts out loud. But before you could backpaddle he turned to you with a small smirk on his lips that sent shivers down your spine.

“A pretty necklace you say, Doll?” He teased, eyes raking up your towel-clad body and stopping at your neck. “Would you be up to wearing it then?”

“I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” You mumbled, averting his eyes as you felt your cheeks growing hot. “It just slipped out, I swear.”

Bucky just chuckled at that and came closer to you, crowding you against the sink to press a soft kiss to your lips, parting quickly to speak to you. “I may be teasing you, Doll, but I can’t say that I’m not intrigued. Have you thought about this before?”

You nodded slowly, daring to look up at him to find his eyes half-lidded and his lower lip between his teeth as he waited for your answer, and you couldn’t help but confess the truth. “I have. When I see you fight with the arm, when I see you clean it, when I see you do anything with it, I can’t help but imagine how it would feel on my throat.”

“Oh.”

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, so I kept quiet. I’m sorry if it’s weird and we obviously don’t have to do anything--”

Bucky cut you off with a kiss and you felt your worries melting away as he pulled you close, knowing that if he was kissing you like this it meant he wasn’t upset. Wrapping your arms around him you leaned into the kiss just for him to pull back again.

“I’m not uncomfortable at all.” He said softly, keeping his forehead against yours as his smile turned into a smirk. “And I’d be willing to try.”

“Try?” You asked in surprise, not having expected him to be into this idea at all. “You’d be willing to try breathplay? To choke me? Are you sure?”

“I am. It’s very intriguing, for a lack of better word.” Bucky said, pulling you a little closer to his body, his chest against yours, your bodies only separated by the towels you two were still wearing. “But before we do anything we need to talk about it.”

“Of course.” You nodded quickly, looking up at him before smiling softly. “First, I want you to know that I trust you not to hurt me. The trust is a big part of the reason I’m interested in this.”

Bucky leaned down to kiss your temple gently. “I know that you trust me, Doll. And I am so thankful for your trust. But that is precisely why we need some ground rules if you want me to choke you.”

You willed away the shivers his last words brought on and nodded. “I’ve read up on safe choking before. I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to put pressure on the oesophagus or anything like that but rather on the sides of the neck, just below the jaw, to cut off oxygen supply to the brain. And obviously, you’re supposed to be careful because the throat and neck are pretty sensitive places.”

“You’ve really put research into this.” Bucky chuckled lowly before he nodded at you. “But yes, I have looked into it once or twice and I did read that, too.”

“You’ve looked into it, too?”

“As I said, it’s intriguing.” His hand came up to cup your cheek, giving you a serious look. “We also need a verbal and nonverbal safeword.”

“Three taps against your shoulder?” You asked and Bucky nodded in agreement to which you placed your hands on his chest, running your fingers along his exposed skin. “Good, and can’t we use our usual safeword?”

Bucky nodded once more, pressing closer to you. “Need you to say it to me again, Doll.”

“Redwing.”

“Good girl.” He praised and you couldn’t quite keep the shivers from running down your spine anymore. “I will check in on you throughout it to make sure you’re alright and I need you to tell me, based on the traffic light system, how you’re doing. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” His praise made your face flush even more but you could tell that he wasn’t finished so you kept listening. “And I need you to tell me if anything feels off, alright?”

“I will.” You said, bringing your hand up to cup his cheek as you pecked his lips. “I trust you.”

“I trust you, too.”

With that, he leaned in to kiss you and you were quick to wrap your arms around his neck, reciprocating. When he picked you up, you squeaked in surprise but didn’t protest as he carried you to the bedroom and simply wrapped your legs around his middle. Once in the bedroom he placed you on your bed and crawled over you, eyes half-lidded with pleasure as he watched you panting in anticipation and he was quick to discard your towels to get you two naked. When his fingers slipped down to the heat between your legs he gave a low chuckle.

“Already so wet for me, Doll? Just talking about me choking you gets you this worked up?” Bucky whispered teasingly, the thumb of his metal hand starting to gently rub your clit as he brought his head down to press a kiss to your cheek. “Think you can take my fingers already? I know you don’t just want my metal fingers around your neck. You love them inside you, don’t you?”

“Yes, yes, please.” You gasped, grinding your core against the pressure of his thumb, hands coming up to scramble for purchase against his back. “Please, please, Bucky.”

“Anything you want, Doll.”

With that, he plunged his middle and ring finger into you, leaving you gasping at the intrusion, before he began to move them in and out of you. The movements of his fingers and his thumb still against your clit tore gasps and moans from your lips.

“Good girl, taking my fingers so well.”

“Please, Bucky.” You gasped out as he kept up his movements, making arousal coil in your belly. “I need you, I’m so wet for you. Need you so bad. Need your hand on my neck.”

Bucky leaned down to capture your lips in a heated kiss, coming close enough for you to feel his hardened length against your thigh as he kept moving his fingers, thumb circling your clit. Then all of sudden Bucky pulled his fingers out of you, making you whine at the loss.

“Just a moment, Doll. I’ll take good care of you.”

His voice was gentle as he lined himself up with your entrance as you panted in anticipation, fingers digging into his back when he finally entered you, moaning deeply at the feeling of your walls clenching around him. Your moans spurred him back into action and he built up a slow rhythm as he brought his left hand up to your throat, the right one next to your head to stabilise himself.

“Still sure about this, Doll?”

“Please, choke me.”

His grip on your neck tightened, thumb and fingers pressing into the sides of your neck, just below your jawline and you gasped at the pressure. Bucky’s eyes scanned you for any signs of discomfort as your own fluttered shut, nails digging into his back and legs crossing behind his body to get him closer to you.

“Doing so good for me, Doll.” He whispered out, keeping the pressure against your neck as he picked up the speed of his thrusts. “You look so pretty like this, with my hand around your neck, like you were made for it.”

You couldn’t speak anymore, too lost in the pleasure of these combined sensations, of his dick moving inside of you, his words of praise and his hand around your throat. It didn’t take long for your head to feel fuzzy from the lack of oxygen and you felt your pleasure peaking, these new sensations sending you hurtling toward your climax quicker than you had anticipated. Bucky’s grip only our neck loosening brought you back to reality and you opened your eyes to look at him.

“Still good, Sweetheart?” Bucky asked softly as he examined your face for any signs of distress. “Can you give me a colour?”

You answered quickly, bringing a hand down from his back to place on his cheek. “Green.”

“Good.”

Before you even had the chance to react, the pressure on your neck was back and his thrusts were picking up again, leaving you a breathless mess beneath him. You had half the mind to realise that he was also nearing orgasm by the way his thrusts faltered every now and then, but you couldn’t think of it for too long as you lost yourself in pleasure.

“Good girl.” He rambled on between his own moans, not really stringing sentences together properly anymore at this point. “So good for me, taking me so well. Looks so good when you’re this breathless for me, moaning like this.”

“I’m close.” You managed to rasp out as his thrusts picked up, making you groan softly. “Please, please.”

You didn’t quite know what you were begging for but Bucky seemed to have a pretty good grasp on what you needed to get over the edge. A slight change in angle brought along more stimulation on your clit and you gasped out in surprise, eyes rolling backwards as he slightly increased the pressure on your neck.

“That’s right, come for me. Be a good girl and come for me, Doll.”

You were tumbling over the edge before you knew it, back arching off the bed and moans spilling from your lips as you clenched around him, waves of pleasure rippling through you, only intensified by the lack of oxygen going to your head. Faintly, you registered Bucky spilling inside of you, your name falling from his lips in a breathless moan.

When you came down from your height his hand was already off your neck and you panted softly as you looked up at the ceiling. Bucky rolled off you and brought a hand up to cup your cheek, gently turning your head toward him. His hair was sticking to his forehead and he was breathing heavily as he checked you for any signs of discomfort.

“You did so good, Sweetheart. Are you feeling alright?” He asked softly, leaning in to press a lingering kiss to your lips. “How’s your neck? I didn’t choke you too hard, did I?”

“I’m feeling great.” You whispered and turned to throw an arm around his body, seeking out his body and comfort. “I liked it and-- and you didn’t hurt me.”

Bucky simply nodded and pulled you close to his body, allowing you to rest your head against his chest where you listened to his slowing heartbeat as you both came down from your height. But he didn’t stay like this for long because a few minutes later, after giving you a moment to calm down, he reached over to grab the bottle you usually kept on your nightstand, uncapping it and scooting up to hold it out to you.

“You need to drink something, Sweetheart.” He said softly, holding the bottle to your lips and watching as you dutifully took a few deep sips. “Good job. You did so well. I love you.”

You pulled back from the bottle and gave him a small smile. “I love you, too.”

“What do you need right now?”

“You.”

“I can provide that.”

“Would be concerning if you couldn’t.”

He simply chuckled and pulled you close to his body, holding you as you sought out the comfort you needed at the moment. Your eyes grew heavy when he started stroking your hair gently, running his fingers through it and resting his head atop yours. Swallowing, you looked up at him, keeping your head against his shoulder.

“Please, don’t tell anyone I called your hand a pretty necklace.”

Bucky snorted at that and pulled back slightly to get a better look at you. “You mean I can’t use that fact instead of small talk at the SHIELD meeting tomorrow?”

“The team would never let me hear the end of it, especially Sam, Nat or Tony.” You joked softly as you looked back at him. “But it did make for a pretty nice necklace.”

“I have to agree. You looked so good with my hand around your neck.”

“I felt really good, too.” With a smile you cuddled back to him, arms wrapping around his body again. “I think we might need another shower but I don’t want to let go of you.”

“I could draw us a bath, so I can hold you some more.”

“Thank you so much. I love you.”

“It’s just a bath, no need to thank me.” Bucky said in amusement before pressing a gentle kiss to your head. “I love you, too.”

---

As you sat down for the meeting with Fury regarding a new mission the next day, taking the place next to Bucky, you found documents regarding the crime syndicate you’d all been hunting down for the past weeks already on the table. You skimmed through them, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. Steve sat down opposite you and the two of you greeted each other like you always did. You were just turning your head to talk to Bucky when Steve pointed at your neck.

“What a pretty necklace.”

You felt your face heating up as your head snapped to Steve before your eyes flickered to Bucky’s left hand and then back at the man to whom you’d been speaking. “What?”

“Your necklace is pretty. The one with the heart pendant that you’re wearing, I mean.” Steve said slowly, confusion clear on his face. “Why did you get so startled out of sudden?”

Bucky opened his mouth to speak but you were quicker, trying to divert the attention away from the obvious misunderstanding on your part before anyone could figure out what you’d thought Steve had meant. “I didn’t get startled.”

“You did.” Sam piped up, giving you a look of pure interest as he leaned back in his chair. “You got all flustered and embarrassed when Steve talked about your necklace.”

“And you immediately looked at Bucky.” Steve pointed out before his face contorted into a look of slight disgust and he shook his head quickly. “On second thought, I don’t want to know why you got so flustered. Whatever happened with or to that necklace is something I don’t need to know!”

“Nothing happened with it!” You exclaimed, face turning hot as both Sam and Steve stared at you, the former with a teasing smirk and the latter in slight disgust, all the while Tony tried to hold back his laughter. “It was a gift that Bucky got me for my last birthday and the pendant has a picture of him in it. I wear it all the time.”

“And you also do all sorts of weird things with it by the sound of it.” Tony grinned at you as you glared back at him and when Bucky once more tried to speak up he cut him off. “I don’t know where this necklace has been, Freezerburn, but I don’t think I want to know.”

“Freezerburn?” Bucky made a face and shook his head, bringing a finger up to indicate for Tony to be quiet. “First of all, don’t call me that ever again. Second of all, we did nothing nasty with that necklace, so drop it.”

“He’s right. She wasn’t even thinking of the actual necklace she’s wearing.”

You all turned to find Natasha in the doorway, arms crossed and a smirk on her face as her eyes fixed on you. Clint was behind her and the confused look he gave her rivalled even the one on Steve’s face who by now seemed completely bewildered. Next to him, Tony had turned to you with an interested look while Sam was still smirking at you before he glanced back at the woman in the door.

“What do you mean, Natasha?”

“She did not look at Bucky. She looked at his left hand.”

Natasha had to dodge the pen you threw at her but that didn’t keep her from snickering while Clint tried to fill Wanda and Vision who had just arrived in on what was going on but was struggling to do so without bursting into laughter himself. Your face was burning by now and when you risked a glance at Bucky you found him also blushing furiously though he was still trying to play it off.

Sam took a few seconds to realise what Natasha had meant but when he did he gave Bucky a grin that made your partner glare back at him. “Your hand is her pretty necklace? Does it look that good around her neck?”

“Guys!” Steve exclaimed as understanding dawned on him before he gave Bucky a weirded-out look though you could clearly see the hint of amusement on his face. “I didn’t know that’s the kind of thing you two are into.”

“I think the arm looks like it was made for breathplay.”

You groaned out in embarrassment as Natasha teased you some more, letting your face fall into your hands. “Wanda, can you make the ground swallow me up, please?”

“Theoretically, yes.” The other woman chuckled softly as she sat down. “But wouldn’t that be a tad dramatic?”

While you shook your head, you felt Bucky place a comforting hand on your back. “Doll, I think Wanda’s right there. That does seem a tad dramatic.”

“Honestly, it’s sort of your fault for misunderstanding Steve so badly.” Tony commented, finally having gathered himself enough to speak again. “I mean, why would you assume he meant Bucky’s hand when he complimented your necklace?”

Vision chimed in on that, his voice even as he looked at Tony. “I assume you already know the answer as to why she misunderstood Steve that way, so why still ask?”

“Thank you, Vision.” You looked up before shaking your head at Tony. “It was an honest mistake, Tony!”

Before Tony could answer, Bucky spoke up, his hand still rubbing your back comfortingly. “I think you’ve teased us enough, Tony. She’s clearly uncomfortable, so could you stop?”

“Alright, I’ll stop.” The man said, holding up his hands in defeat but not before giving you a playful look. “But just for the record, your actual necklace is lovely, too.”

“Thanks.” You mumbled, nodding toward Bucky next to you. “As I said Bucky got it for my birthday and I love it.”

Steve gave you an apologetic smile before once more complimenting the necklace while you reached out to take Bucky’s free hand. He gave yours a gentle squeeze and when you turned you found him giving you a look that seemed somewhere between amused and embarrassed.

“And you worried that I would tell anyone here about you calling my hand a pretty necklace.”

“It was a mistake.” You defended yourself weakly, squeezing his hand. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not mad at you, Doll.” Bucky said and when you looked up at him again he was smiling back at you. “Just maybe for the future, don’t jump to conclusions too quickly.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

While Bucky leaned down to press a kiss to your lips, parting quickly to give you a comforting smile, everyone else settled down in the seats, waiting for Fury to arrive. But the meeting didn’t start without one more teasing comment from Tony which earned him everyone else’s laughter, you flicking him off and Bucky glaring at him.

“Friday, remind me to craft a necklace that looks like Bucky’s hand for her next birthday.”

[runawrites-blog]

Late (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Summary: When Bucky overhears you telling Natasha about your period being late he immediately knows what this could mean. To ease your mind until you know for sure he tries to subtly show you that he’d be there to care for a potential child. You find yourself surprisingly happy about this possibility. (Female Reader) Word Count: 4,986 Warnings: Mild Pregnancy Scares, Talk of Menstruation, Baby Fever, No Y/N, Petnames (Doll, Sweetheart) Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54538210 A/N: Also, quick question, would anyone be interested in a smut fiction with Bucky, containing choking?

---

"I’m really late.”

“How late?”

“My period should have started about seven days ago. I’ve never been this late, normally I’m almost always on time.”

“That really is pretty late.” Natasha mused and turned to face you as you stood next to her on Clint’s porch, overlooking the rainy fields. You were all visiting the Bartons after Clint had gotten injured on a mission, leaving him with a broken femur and you all coming over to try to make the house easier for him to get around with his injury. “Have you talked to Bucky, yet?”

You quieted down for a second, opting to turn back toward the rain rather than look at Natasha’s face, knowing that she would urge you to talk to your partner about this. And you knew that even with such an intimate topic you could always talk to Bucky. Menstruation wasn’t a taboo subject in your relationship, so when you were on your period Bucky was aware of it and when you needed him to comfort you or run to the store to get you supplies he was quick to do so.

The two of you had also talked about the possibility of having children before and you had both agreed that one day you would love to have some of your own but that this day was still in the future. So, you knew he wanted children one day and after being with him for years you also knew that he wouldn’t react negatively to all of this. But you didn’t want to worry him because you thought that your period was late for a whole different reason.

“I was so stressed and busy lately. I even calculated when I should have ovulated and at the time we were flying around the world, trying to take down that crime syndicate.” You explained, not meeting her eyes just yet. “I’m sure it’s just the stress that delayed my ovulation and with that also my period.”

“But have you talked to Bucky about it, yet?”

“Not yet. As I said I’m pretty sure it’s just the stress I’ve been under, so it’s probably not a serious issue and I don’t want to worry him with it. I know that everyone immediately assumes that a late period means someone is pregnant, so I don’t want him jumping to conclusions when it might just be from the stress and will probably resolve itself.” You explained before turning to her. “Can we talk about something else? If I don’t get my period within the next week, I’ll talk to him, alright? But for now, let’s please change the subject.”

“Alright.” Natasha nodded and thought for a second. “How was your date night?”

Before you could answer you heard the screen door open and turned to find Bucky stepping onto the porch. Your eyes locked with his and you smiled brightly, making his face light up as you walked up to embrace him. He pulled you to his side and pressed a kiss to your head.

“Where have you been all day?”

“All around the house really, talking to Steve and Sam, helping Laura and everyone else move things around to make it easier for Clint to get around with his cast on.” Bucky said nonchalantly, leaning over to press his lips to your cheek. “I heard you talking about our date night.”

You looked up at him, worry rising in you for the flash of a second, concerned that he’d heard the previous topic of conversation. But you quickly overplayed your concerns with a bright smile as you nodded and went on to tell Natasha about the museum you’d been to where they were currently showing an exhibition about Captain America. When you started talking about how many children had been there Bucky piped up.

“Sweetheart, do you remember that young girl who recognised me as the man from one of the photos?”

You nodded quickly and turned to Natasha with a bright smile. “He was in the historical photos there and a little girl, no older than maybe five or six years old, recognised him. She was too shy to talk to him at first but we saw her pulling at her father’s sleeve and pointing Bucky out to him.”

“How cute!” Natasha smiled and looked back at Bucky. “Did you go talk to her?”

“He did.” You answered for your partner, a warm smile on your face. “He went up to her and asked her if she could point him to the display of the shields. It was such a good idea because it meant she could be the one to help Bucky.”

“That was exactly why I did it and it did the trick. It put her in charge of the situation and she pointed me to the shields. She tagged along with us as we went there, chatting away with me about how she’d read books about me and Steve, how she wanted to be just like us when she grew up and asking me all sorts of questions. “

Natasha smiled at that, putting her hands on her hips. “Sure you don’t want to switch professions and work in childcare, Buck?”

“No, I’m quite fond of the whole superhero business.” Bucky chuckled and then nodded his head toward you. “I’m also more fond of the idea of having my own children.”

Natasha shot you a pointed look but you remained quiet and simply leaned back into his side, changing the subject of the conversation to an elderly lady who had also approached Bucky after recognising him at the exhibition. Bucky’s hand tensed on your arm for the fraction of a second but before you could even look up he was already talking to Natasha again.

---

It took another hour for the rain to lighten but as soon as it did Clint’s children were outside in the garden, Cooper getting on the tyre swing and pulling out his book, Lila going back to practising her archery which the rain had interrupted her at and Nathaniel running to get his soccer ball to play with. That’s when you heard Clint calling out to all of you, asking for someone to help him get outside onto the porch. Natasha was quick to rush inside to help him while you and Bucky kept an eye on the children.

“Come on, Lila!” Nathaniel complained from down on the field as he approached his sister who put her bow down to look at him. “Why won’t you play with me?”

“I want to practice my archery, Nat.”

Nathanial groaned in annoyance before walking over to his brother. “What about you? Can we play soccer?”

“I just want to finish the chapter first.”

The boy crossed his arms and hung his head in disappointment, kicking his ball to the side and slumping down on a nearby log. You were about to go down into the garden, to try and mediate, comfort Nathaniel or offer to play soccer with him when you felt Bucky’s arm slip off your shoulder. When you turned your head to look at him you saw him giving you a small glance before walking down into the garden, waving at Nathaniel.

“I’ll play with you!”

“Really?” Nathaniel looked up, a smile immediately spreading on his face as he watched Bucky come up to him. “Thank you, Mister Barnes!”

Bucky smiled at his excitement, picking up the ball on the way. “Call me Bucky, alright?”

“Alright!” Nathaniel nodded and then moved across the field, waving Bucky after him. “You be the goalie, alright?”

“Sure, but go easy on me. I’m not a professional soccer player.”

“But you’re a superhero!”

You watched a genuine soft smile spread across Bucky’s face. “Do you think we defeat bad guys by challenging them to a game of soccer?”

Nathaniel shrugged and then grinned up at Bucky. “Have you ever tried?”

“Actually, no. I might have to give your idea a try, buddy.”

Crossing your arms over your chest you watched Bucky play soccer with Nathaniel, a soft smile spreading across your face and a warm feeling engulfing your heart. You still thought that stress was the reason for your late period but you knew that even if you were expecting Bucky would make a great father -- but then again, you had always known that. Nathaniel kept scoring goals and though you could tell that Bucky was letting the ball go in on purpose from time to time, sometimes he looked genuinly surprised at the boy’s aim. Sighing softly, you leaned against one of the wooden support beams of the porch while Natasha helped Clint sit down on a nearby chair and you watched Bucky cheer Nathaniel on.

“Sure you don’t want to talk to him?”

You winced in surprise when Natasha’s voice sounded off just beside your ear and you turned your head to find her standing right next to you. Sighing softly, you shook your head and leaned back against the beam, turning to continue watching Bucky and Nathaniel play.

“I’ll wait a couple more days but I will eventually talk to him about it.” You promised, keeping your voice down so Clint wouldn’t hear your conversation. “But I know that I have nothing to worry about. Even if I were pregnant, I think Bucky would make a great father.”

“Definitely.” Natasha said, her smile evident in her voice as she whispered back to you. “If you want to wait a few more days, do so. But you have nothing to worry about. He’s a good guy and he will stand by you no matter what happens.”

“I never doubted that.”

A clap of thunder made everyone look up at the sky and Clint called out to the children to come back inside. They didn’t have to be told twice. Lila started packing up her things while Cooper got off the swing to head for the porch. Nathaniel clutched the ball to his chest as he looked up at the sky in fear but Bucky was quick to react, crouching down next to him and holding out his metal arm to him.

“Hold on and I’ll carry you inside. We’ll be super fast, I promise.”

Nathaniel turned to look at Bucky and at another encouraging nod from the man he grabbed onto the metal arm’s biceps, holding on tightly as your partner stood up, lifting the boy off the ground and leaving him dangling from the arm. While they set out for the porch, you could hear Nathaniel laughing as he swung back and forth on Bucky’s arm, his hands clasped tightly around his biceps. What stood out to you was the fact that Bucky’s eyes kept flicking over to yours, almost as if to see whether or not you were looking at him. But you couldn’t really think about that observation because you found yourself distracted by a strange sense of longing settling in your chest.

---

It was two days later that you two found yourself in a furniture store, looking for a new dresser and despite your period still being late, you were no longer focused on the worry you felt about that and more thinking about the longing you had felt when watching Bucky play with Nathaniel two days prior. It made you wonder if having a child with Bucky was something that you might want sooner rather than later.

“I cannot believe we broke your dresser.”

You shushed Bucky, heat rising to your cheeks as you remembered how exactly the dresser had broken and how much teasing you had already had to endure from your fellow Avengers. “Will you keep it down?”

“You didn’t tell me that last night.” Bucky grinned and wrapped an arm around your shoulders when he saw you roll your eyes, leaning over to press a kiss to your cheek. “But then again, that is part of the reason why we’re here.”

Once more you rolled your eyes but you couldn’t help but chuckle as you leaned into him. “Just remind me that we’re only here for a dresser when I will inevitably find twenty other things that might come in handy. I need you to be the voice of reason here and tell me I don’t need every little thing I see.”

Bucky chuckled at that and threw you a playfully wary glance. “I don’t know if I can turn down any of your wishes, Doll.”

The two of you kept walking until you came to the department for children’s furniture beyond which you knew lay the department for regular bedrooms. As you walked past the displays of cribs and bunk beds, the walls behind them decorated in images of stars with stuffed animals and mobiles all around, you felt a strange longing return. You cuddled closer against Bucky’s side, making him turn to you but you didn’t see his facial expression because you kept looking around. He was quiet for a few seconds before he leaned over to press a kiss to your head.

“When we have a kid one day, what theme would you choose for their nursery?”

You blinked in surprise at his question, noticing how the longing feeling lightened just the smallest amount at the first word of the sentence and you couldn’t stop yourself from asking the first thing that came to your mind. “When?”

“We spoke about having children one day. Is it a surprise that I use ‘when’ instead of ‘if’?” Bucky gave you a comforting smile. “So tell me, what theme would you choose for our future child?”

“The space theme.” You smiled softly, looking back at the displays. “Imagine our baby sleeping under those glow-in-the-dark stars or under a mobile of the planets. It would also fit so well because our first proper date was to an exhibition about space travel.”

Bucky’s smile was clear in his voice when he spoke up. “I like that idea a lot.”

You leaned closer to him again and his hand came up to squeeze your shoulder lovingly as you two started walking again. But your peace was interrupted when you rounded the corner to find a couple fighting over what sounded like the choice of a crib, making you stop in your tracks. Against your better judgment, you spoke up, directing their attention to you and Bucky.

“What’s wrong? Do you need help?”

The blond woman rolled her eyes and nodded to the redhead next to her. “My wife here thinks we should get the crib with the wooden frame but it’s much more expensive than the metal frame one.”

“Yes, I know that but I think a crib is not the piece of furniture to cut costs at.” The redhead crossed her arms and shook her head. “Our baby is going to sleep in that bed every night. If you want to cut costs anywhere why not on something like the dresser? If that’s a bit cheaper it won’t be as bad!”

“Would you like an outsider’s opinion on it?”

Both women turned to look at Bucky who took his arm off you to approach the two and they gave him a shrug, agreeing in almost perfect unison that someone else’s opinion might be helpful for their situation. You watched with an interested expression as Bucky smiled and inspected the cribs for a few minutes, reading their descriptions and taking a closer look at them before he turned to the two women again.

“I wouldn’t get either of these.”

“Why not?”

Bucky glanced at you as he spoke up again, once again seemingly making sure that you were paying attention before he said anything. “The one with the metal frame may be an inexpensive one but the mattress that comes with it is not tight fitting enough and that’s a safety hazard for the baby.”

The blonde woman quickly distanced herself from the metal frame crib to examine the wooden one once more. “Why can’t we choose the wooden framed one? The mattress fits better than the one in the other crib.”

“It does but it has those cloud-shaped cutouts on the headboard. The baby’s head or limbs could get caught in it and that’s a safety hazard, too.”

“I totally forgot about that. We even looked up crib safety before coming here and I forgot.” The redhead mumbled and sighed, turning to her wife. “And I’m sorry for going off at you like that. I’ve been so stressed lately.”

“I get it, I wasn’t any better. It’s all forgotten, don’t worry.” The blonde sighed and took her wife’s hand into hers before turning to Bucky. “Got any recommendations on what crib to buy?”

Bucky smiled and nodded toward a crib a few metres away. “I’d get this one. I know that it’s a bit more expensive than the other two but it is convertible, so it can be turned into a toddler bed. It will last you two much longer, so I’d say it’s worth the price.”

“It would look great with the changing table we picked out.”

“It would.” The redhead agreed to her wife before smiling at Bucky. “Thanks for the help, we really appreciate it.”

The blonde nodded before turning to smile at you. “You got yourself a very knowledgable baby daddy there. He’s a keeper.”

Bucky smirked proudly as he turned back at you, watching you come over to embrace his arm and look back at the two women. You didn’t correct the first statement and you didn’t even question why as you answered. “He really is a keeper.”

---

After buying a new dresser the two of you had decided to get lunch together and take a walk around the park afterwards. Your hand was in his as you walked down the walkways, passing by the other people in the park until you heard something that made you stop dead in your tracks. Someone was crying and it sounded like a child. Bucky seemed to have also heard it because he looked around for the source of it before his eyes stilled on a spot next to a large patch of shrubbery. You followed his gaze and found a young girl, no older than four years old sitting on the ground, legs drawn up to her chest and face buried in her arms as she hugged her knees. Before Bucky could react you were approaching her, calling out to her so you wouldn’t startle her as you came close.

“Are you alright?”

“I want my Daddy.” The girl sobbed brokenly but she looked up at you and only then could you see the bloody scrapes on her knees. “I-- I saw a kitty and went after it and-- and I got lost and I fell and my knees hurt real bad!”

You felt concern and pity wash over you at seeing the girl so distraught and hearing that she was lost, so you knelt down next to her. “How about my friend and I help you find your way back to your family?”

“You would? But-- But I don’t know where to look and-- and my knees hurt.”

“Let me check to see if I got some bandaids in my purse.” You said softly and began rummaging through your purse as Bucky crouched down next to you. When you found your small first aid kit you held it up triumphantly. “Look at that, we can patch you up and find your family, alright?”

She was still crying but she let you put bandaids on her knees after spraying some wound disinfectant spray on them. The sting of the spray made her cry even harder but when Bucky let her hold his hand, she calmed down a little. You ignored how he was once more eyeing you as you helped the girl.

“You did so well. You were really brave.” You smiled at her before sitting back on your haunches and introducing yourself by name. “And what’s your name?”

“Penny.”

“It’s nice to meet you Penny.” Bucky said softly, smiling at her. “I’m Bucky.”

Penny wiped her eyes and when you got up, offering her a hand to help her stand she accepted it. Once on her feet, she kept her hand firmly in yours as you surveyed the area, hoping to find someone who looked like they were searching for her.

“What is the last thing you remember? Were you at a playground or a picnic area? Do you remember anything like that maybe?”

“We were at a fountain.” Penny mused, her index finger on her chin as she thought. “We were taking a break.”

Bucky looked back at you with a smile. “I know where they might be. There’s a big water fountain not far from here. We should start there.”

Penny looked up at you before pulling at your hand. “Can you carry me, pretty please? My knees really hurt.”

“Of course.” You smiled and bent down to pick her up, letting her wrap her arms around you as you set out with Bucky leading the way. “Let’s get you back to your Daddy.”

The three of you walked for about ten minutes, with Penny telling you all about her day and you listening intently, only interrupting her to ask questions to keep her talking. Bucky kept glancing back at you, a soft smile on his face. When you came to the fountain you were immediately greeted by a panicked-looking man that Penny quickly reached out to.

“You found her! Thank you so much!” He exclaimed as he took her into his arms and held her close. “I looked away for five seconds to talk to my wife and when I turned back Penny was gone.”

“I saw a kitty, Daddy.” Penny explained before pointing at her knees. “And I fell and hurt myself. But the nice couple helped me and gave me bandaids.”

“Again, thank you so much.” Her father said with a smile. “I hope you didn’t have to search for us for too long.”

“Not at all. Penny was really smart and told us you were at a fountain.” You explained, taking Bucky’s hand and nodding to him. “And Bucky knew where the fountain was so it was no trouble finding you.”

“But even if it had been, we wouldn’t have minded. There’s no need to thank us.” Bucky explained, squeezing your hand and smiling at the man. “We’ll be on our way then.”

“Have a good rest of your day. And again thank you.”

Penny smiled at the two of you, waving from her father’s arms. “Bye-bye!”

You two waved back at her, said your goodbyes and then left to head back to the car. On the way, your hand migrated from Bucky’s hand to hold onto his biceps. Your head leaned against his shoulder and he turned his head to look at you with a small smile.

“You would be a great mother.”

The longing was back and by now you knew exactly what it meant. And you wondered if he felt the same, given how many references to having children he’d made during the past few days, from speaking about it to Natasha to asking about potential nursery themes with you to flat-out telling you you would be a great mother. The glances he kept sending your way whenever either of you interacted with a child or talked about anything that had to do with child-rearing made you question if he was doing all this on purpose.

“You think so?”

“Definitely.” He said and then looked back ahead, a gentle smile spreading across his features. “I cannot wait to have a family with you one day.”

You decided to keep the fact that there was a slim chance that day might come sooner rather than later to yourself for the time being, opting to wait a few more days. Yet, you suspected that you wouldn’t even have to tell him about your worries because by now you were sure that he’d heard all you had said to Natasha. It seemed that Bucky was trying to show you that he’d be ready to raise a child with you. And you were surprised at how happy you were about that slim chance that you might have been pregnant.

“I can’t wait, either.”

---

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been doing.”

Bucky looked up from where he was putting away the dishes, giving you a confused look. You just leaned against the counter next to him, giving him a warm and thankful smile because now you not only knew what he had been doing but you also had an inkling as to why he’d been doing it.

“What do you mean, Doll?”

“Showing me how good you are with kids, how well prepared you would be for raising a child, talking about how much you want to have a child with me, telling me that I’d be a great mother and always making sure I saw how good you were at everything to do with childcare.” You explained softly, reaching out to take his hand into yours. “Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for?”

“You overheard me talking to Natasha two days ago, didn’t you?”

“How you talked to her about your period being late?” He asked and when you nodded, so did he. “Yes, I overheard it before I came outside.”

“And I assume you thought it meant I might be pregnant.” When he nodded, you gave him a soft smile. “Did you do all of that to show me that you’d be ready to raise a child with me should I be pregnant?”

Bucky nodded and turned to face you fully now, moving so he could take both your hands into his. “I want you to know that should you ever have the suspicion that you’re pregnant you can talk to me and that I’d be willing to step up to be a father in an instant.”

“I love you so much, Bucky.” You said and pressed a small kiss to his cheek before drawing back again. “But we won’t need to worry about that for now. I got my period just after I got out of the shower, so I’m definitely not pregnant.”

Saying it out loud made you feel almost sad or disappointed but you tried your best to overplay these feelings. But Bucky was a very observant person, especially when it came to your emotions, and the frown on his face showed that he’d realised that you weren’t all too happy at the moment.

“Are you happy about it?”

“It would have definitely been a big change and a very sudden, unplanned one at that.”

“That’s not what I asked, Sweetheart. Are you happy about it?”

You swallowed at his question and shook your head. “Not completely, no. I’m obviously happy that nothing unplanned has happened because I know that it-- it would have been a big and sudden change. But these past few days I’ve seen how prepared you truly are for a child and how good you are with children and-- and you got called my baby daddy and you kept talking about how much you were looking forward to us having children. I really started liking the idea of having a child with you, James.”

“Come here, Sweetheart.” Bucky whispered as he heard the sadness in your voice and immediately drew you into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” You protested through the tears in your voice but you held on to him nonetheless. “I just got so-- so excited about possibly being pregnant but I knew from the start that it was likely not the reason why my period was late.”

“Yes, I heard you talk to Natasha about that, too.”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that I felt so excited, so happy and so ready for it.”

Bucky gently drew back from you, mustering your face for a few seconds before he spoke up again. “You feel ready to have a baby?”

“Yes.” You nodded after a small pause before you looked up at him again. “But if you’re not ready then please don’t feel forced to do anything you don’t want to just to make me happy. I can wait, I promise.”

“Doll, what about the things I did and said in the last days makes you think I’m not also more than ready to have a child with you?”

“You want to try for a child?”

“I think we should try for a baby if we’re both ready.”

“I like that idea.”

You squeaked in surprise when Bucky all but hoisted you onto the counter behind you, capturing your lips in a kiss as he got between your legs to get closer to your body. The kiss deepened as he tipped you back and pulled you closer, and when he pulled back you gave him a breathless laugh.

“For the record, I didn’t ask you to impregnate me right this instant.”

“Then I think some signals got mixed there.” Bucky chuckled and pressed a kiss to your head. “But if we’re going to try, what’s stopping us from starting now?”

“For one, I’m on my period right now.”

Bucky leaned over to gently kiss your jaw. “If you’re uncomfortable with sleeping with me right now then obviously we’re not going to and I respect that. But if you’re worried that I’ll be uncomfortable, let me just tell you that a little blood doesn’t scare me.”

“I think we can wait a few more days to start trying.” You chuckled softly, running your hand up and down his neck. “There’s no need to be in such a hurry.”

“Of course, Doll. Whatever you want.” Bucky said and drew back to give you a warm smile. “I guess I’m simply excited to start a family with you.”

“I am excited to start a family with you, too.”

[runawrites-blog]

Until The Break of Dawn Ch. 8 (Josh Washington x Reader)

Summary: Some time has passed since the events on Mount Blackwood and to celebrate your new book's success you meet with your friends, ending in you all talking about what has happened and how they have been doing. (Female Reader) Warnings: Talk of Mental Health, Grief, and Trauma. But everyone is in therapy to deal with everything that happened. Specific warnings will be posted in the notes of each chapter. No Y/N, Petnames (Honey) Author's Note: You can find the previous chapter here. Thank you for reading. ^^ Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49644949/chapters/125305903#workskin

“I see that you decided that happy endings are possible after all.”

You chuckled a little as Josh put your book down. He had insisted on reading your book once he had gotten his hands on a hardback copy of it, even though he had already proofread the final draft. And despite the fact that he’d been so busy lately that it had taken him almost four weeks to read through the book once more, he had been persistent about it. He was always so supportive of you, and you couldn’t help smiling at that fact.

“After everything we’ve been through and come out of alive, I think that Sam was right after all.” You concluded, looking at him. “If people have support and help, they can overcome everything.”

Josh smiled at that sentiment and took your hand. “I admit I had a hard time believing her at first, too. But now with a new therapist, new medication, and support from friends and family, I also think that she was onto something there.”

“Speaking of your medication--”

“Don’t start again.”

“No, I have to ask you once again about what the point of me organizing your meds is if you still won’t remember to take them?” You smirked at him, making Josh roll his eyes jokingly. “Not that I mind reminding you and rest assured that I have a good memory, but I organized them and even decorated the dispenser so beautifully and you still forget.”

Josh chuckled at the last part and leaned in to grin at you. “Putting my name on the dispenser in glittery rhine stones counts as decorating it beautifully?”

“I put every little rhinestone on there individually, so yes it does.” You laughed and leaned in closer to him. “I even used your favorite color.”

“Thank you, Honey.” Josh said earnestly and pressed a kiss to your cheek. “You know I’m just joking, right? I really appreciate the little things you do for me.”

“Of course, I know that you’re just joking.” You smiled back, taking his hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. “Trust me, I know that you appreciate me. And I really appreciate all you do for me, too.”

Josh smiled at that and leaned in to kiss you, pulling you closer and you wrapped your arms around his neck, closing your eyes as you sighed against his lips. His arms snaked around your waist and pulled you into his lap, making you gasp a little in surprise. When you parted, he was smiling at you, and you returned that smile.

“Now I wish our friends weren’t coming over, so we could get some more time alone.”

“I think we can postpone whatever you had in mind in favor of celebrating your success.” Josh chuckled at your words before pressing a kiss to your temple. “They’re coming over to celebrate your book getting onto the New York Times Bestseller List.”

You ducked your head away from him, bashfully averting your eyes, never one to like boasting about yourself. But Josh wasn’t having it and instead grabbed your chin between his thumb and forefinger, making you look at him.

“None of that, Honey. You worked so hard for this. You deserve the recognition.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

You leaned in to kiss him but before you could the doorbell rang, and you excused yourself to open it. When you did your friends were all there, Ashley, Chris, and Jess blowing party horns while Mike, Matt, and Emily held balloons. Sam embraced you, squeezing you tightly before pulling back and smiling at you.

“Congrats on making it on the Bestseller List!”

“Thank you.” You said with a bright smile, looking at all your other friends. “And thank you all for the lovely surprise.”

Mike laughed and nodded at Jess. “The party horns were Jessica’s idea.”

“And the balloons were Matt’s idea.” Emily piped up with a grin. “Can we come inside? I think it’s starting to rain.”

“Of course.”

With them there you all spend a lovely evening, eating dinner and eventually gathering under the roof of your porch to simply look out into the rain and talk. Jessica’s eyes drifted across the treeline close to your somewhat secluded little house before she looked at you with a little chuckle.

“After everything, you two still live close to the woods.”

“I mean, we know that we’re safe here.” Josh answered, placing a hand on the small of your back. “I do admit that it gets a little scary sometimes but mostly it’s just really peaceful.”

“We even sleep with the window open at times.”

“Seriously? I can hardly manage to sleep without locking the door to our bedroom.” Matt mumbled, looking over at Emily. “But it’s getting better. Since Em and I moved in together, I’ve been doing a lot better.”

“That’s really good to hear.” You said earnestly, offering him a small smile. “I guess, to me, it’s just peaceful to hear the wildlife out and about at night because I know that there’d actually be danger if it went quiet outside.”

“That’s true.” Sam piped up from beside you. “I have actually started going on walks in the woods again. I used to love it but after that night I couldn’t do it for a long time.”

“I’m glad you managed to do that.” Jess smiled a little before sighing. “Now I feel dumb for wanting to announce to you that I managed to sleep with the window cracked open last night. It seems a bit silly now.”

You quickly shook your head. “Not at all, Jess. Everyone heals at their own pace and even something small is a step forward. I’m glad you’re healing.”

“Thanks.” Jess smiled and leaned into Mike. “Now, let’s talk about something more cheerful. You made it onto the New York Times Bestseller List. That’s so amazing. You’re a real author now!”

Josh pulled you close to his side, grinning widely. “I am so proud of my girlfriend. I think we should toast to her.”

“Good idea.” Matt said and held up his glass. “To our famous author friend.”

“Thank you all but I’m not famous. I published one book.”

“And they asked you to write another one.” Josh smirked, raising his glass once before bringing it to his lips. “You’re amazing.”

“So are you.” You smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheeks. “You’ll be a famous director one day.”

“You could write his screenplays.” Chris grinned and looked at the two of you. “I mean, he wants to direct horror movies and you write horror-themed books.”

“A match made in heaven.” Ashley chuckled, looking at you with an interested look. “What is your next book about?”

“Wendigos.”

Josh snorted at that and waved you off. “I love you with all my heart, but I won’t read that. I’m so sorry.”

“Me, neither.” Jess said and cuddled up to Mike. “At least not without Mike there to protect me.”

“I’ll give it a read.” Chris chuckled and shrugged. “Let’s see if you captured their essence.”

Sam crossed her arms with a smirk. “I’ll read it, too. But I must ask, why is it about Wendigos?”

“I think I just need to get all my feelings about what happened to us out on paper and by putting them onto another character I can distance myself from it a bit.” You explained, swirling your drink in your glass. “Does that make sense?”

Emily shrugged at your words. “As much sense as anything else going on in our lives, really.”

“Will your new book have a happy ending?”

You nodded at Matt’s question. “I think so. I’ve come to believe in happy endings.”

“How come?”

“Because now I know that no matter what happens, with help and friends by your side, you can still have a happy ending. It may not be all that conventional, it may not be happy all the time and there may be pain, but hope is never completely lost.”

“What a nice thought.” Josh mumbled, leaning closer to you and kissing your cheek. “I think I’m starting to also believe in happy endings.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Chris smiled before he leaned in. “I heard you started seeing a new therapist, too. Is he better than Doctor Hill?”

“Yes.” Josh nodded as you embraced his arm, holding onto it and stroking it comfortingly. “Doctor Hill wasn’t bad, either. I was simply misdiagnosed, therefore on the wrong medications, and on top of that, I didn’t get along with Doctor Hill.”

Sam nodded along to his words. “Are you properly medicated now? I mean, do you feel like you are? Do you feel better?”

“I do. I feel much happier and more stable.” Josh said and when your grip on his arm tightened, he turned to you, noting your worried look. “Honey, trust me, I am doing much better. I may have bad days; I am still grieving, and things aren’t perfect but I’m doing better. Thank you for being with me throughout it all.”

“I would never leave your side.” You promised, smiling in relief as you saw Josh meeting your eyes and you wrapped your arms around his middle. “You were there for me during the worst times of my life, and I will be there for you when things get hard. I love you.”

“And I love you.”

[runawrites-blog]

Until The Break Of Dawn Ch. 7 (Josh Washington x Reader)

Summary: You plan on making your escape with your friends but it's not easy. (Female Reader) Warnings: Talk of Mental Health. Grief. Reader having to let go of the last gift her father gave her. Fire. Wendigos. Specific warnings will be posted in the notes of each chapter. No Y/N, Petnames (Honey) Author's Note: You can find the previous chapter here. Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49644949/chapters/125305714#workskin

“It’s not much further.”

Josh kept his hand securely around yours, nodding along to your words and still trying to warm you up as he mumbled reassurances to you, though you wondered whether or not he was saying these things to also encourage himself. The wind was still howling around the mountain as you made your way down a rather steep slope that would lead you into a small ravine and then up onto a trail once you’d exited that ravine on the other side. He’d proclaimed that it was much quicker than going all the way around the ravine.

You were freezing, despite Josh’s best efforts to keep you warm by periodically wrapping his arm around your shoulders to rub them, in pain from the deep scratches on your arm and flinching at every noise you heard. But you had to keep going. There was no time to be scared when your life and the lives of your loved ones were on the line -- you’d learned that the hard way years ago. And though you tried your hardest to keep strong Josh seemed to notice something was off, his eyes flicking to your face every once and again to check on you. He had been mumbling to himself about the mines for a while now but once he’d seen your state, he’d quieted down, now looking more concerned than anything.

“You look scared.”

“I’m fine, Josh.” You assured him as you watched him go down the last bit of the slope before helping you down after him. “How are you?”

“Terrified and horrified.” He nodded and pulled you closer again once you’d gotten to the bottom of the ravine. “I just-- Being with someone else, especially you, is helping a lot and-- and I know we’ll be back to safety soon.”

“That’s good to hear.” You whispered back as you kept walking. “Josh, what happened to your sisters down there was not your fault, you know that, right?”

“Logically, I know that the prank played on them and-- and what happened in those mines wasn’t my fault but-- but it’s still hard to remind myself of that sometimes.” He explained as you passed through a thicket of trees. “Thank you for always being there for me.”

“Right back at you, Sweetheart.”

“Are you sure you’re fine? You must be scared.”

“We need to keep going.”

Before Josh could answer there were noises coming your way and you both backed away in fear. Josh tried to shove you behind himself to protect you but you wanted to keep him safe so you grabbed a nearby branch and readied yourself to fight. But your fear turned to absolute joy when Matt and Jess emerged from the treeline. Immediately, you ran to embrace Jessica, hugging her tightly as she wrapped her arms around you.

“You’re alive! You can’t imagine how worried I was.” You squeezed her a little tighter as you spoke. “I’m so fucking sorry I left you.”

“No, no, it’s alright. You-- You lured it away from me and probably saved me. I’m just so-- I’m so glad that you are alright.”

“I’m so glad that you are alright, Jess.” You said and pulled back to look at Matt. “Are you alright? Emily said the radio tower fell and you jumped to get to safety. Did you get hurt?”

Matt nodded his head, a guilty expression on his face. “Is she angry that I left?”

“She seemed upset but I’m sure after everything that happened she’ll just be relieved to see that you’re alive.”

Josh grabbed onto your arm and made you look at him. “We have to get to the cable car, Honey. Let’s go.”

“Can you two walk?” You asked Matt and Jess, smiling in relief when they nodded. “Then let’s get going.”

Jess gave Matt a worried expression to which he simply extended his arm to her. She quickly grabbed it and clung to it tightly as you all set out. Josh’s hand found its way to your back as he guided you along the ravine and toward the ascend you’d have to get up to get onto one of the main trails.

You had just begun ascending the small hill when you heard a screeching sound from behind you. Fear immediately gripped ahold of you and you felt your eyes tear up at the realization that those creatures had once more ventured out of the mines, that you weren’t even safe outside that horrid place. Jess's fearful whimpers and Josh’s hand grabbing yours stopped you from spiraling into those helpless thoughts. You could still outrun these creatures and help your friends. Matt looked around to see where the creature was coming from, bringing an arm up to shield Jess. It was Josh who saw where the Wendigo was and when he did he grabbed your arm, pulling you up the ascend after him. Matt and Jess quickly followed as the creature took chase.

“The guest cabin is just up ahead! We can hide in there!”

Josh didn’t give you time to question his suggestion and simply shoved you inside, waiting for Matt and Jess to follow before he slammed the door shut. However, the window on the door was broken and the Wendigo quickly took the opportunity to try and get inside. Jess screamed in fear as she grabbed Matt by the arm to pull him toward the bathroom and you followed her quickly, Josh right behind you. Once in the bathroom, you slammed the door shut. The Wendigo was not deterred by the closed door and kept trying to break it down, scratching at it and rattling it. Jess was covering her ears and Matt was crowding her away from the door, staring at it in horror. You grabbed for Josh’s arm, fear overtaking you as he realized that now you couldn’t even run away anymore, that you were trapped. Josh felt your nails digging into his biceps and eyed you in worry, still keeping his head turned toward the door.

“Are you alright, Honey?”

But you didn’t answer as the true hopelessness of the situation sank into you. You were trapped, locked in a small cabin out on the mountain with a Wendigo trying to break down the door. There was nowhere to run and no way to make it to the people who depended on you to get them the key. The hopelessness brought with it panic and you heard your breath hitch before you even realized you were crying, tears running down your cheeks. Josh called out your name once more but the only reply he got was your broken sobs, all the fear you’d been feeling pouring out of you in the form of tears.

Josh reacted immediately and pulled you into his arms, a hand coming up to cradle the back of your head and allow you to bury your face at his shoulder. You quickly embraced him back, fingers digging into his back as you held onto him.

“I’m so scared, Josh.” You got out between your sobs, voice shaking with emotion. “We’re trapped and I’m so fucking scared. I’ve been so terrified all-- all night and I just-- I can’t keep it together, I’m so sorry. I should be there for you and-- and get us off this mountain but I am just so scared.”

“There is nothing to apologize for.” He soothed, leaning his cheek against your head as he kept his eyes fixed on the door. “It’s absolutely normal to be scared in a fucked up situation like this. You’re allowed to feel scared and you can still be there for me.”

“I’m scared, too.” Jess spoke up from where she was half-hidden behind Matt. “But we’re all in the same boat, so we will keep each other safe. I promise that-- that we won’t leave you behind.”

“No one gets left behind.” Matt said, keeping his eyes locked on the door as the Wendigo clawed at it. “We’re all smart people and we’ll figure something out.”

“How will I get us to safety when I’m this scared?”

“You won’t have to do anything alone. We’ll get off this mountain together.” Josh promised, keeping an eye on the door and frowning when you winced at the Wendigo’s attempts to get inside. “You don’t have to do everything alone. I will keep you safe.”

You took a shuddering breath at his words and slowly pulled back to look at him, watching as pain crossed his features at seeing how scared you looked. But he just reached up to cradle your face in his hands.

“We will get off this mountain, I promise.”

“Thank you, Josh.” You whispered, reaching up to wipe your tears away, feeling a lot better though your fingers still shook and you still felt heavy with fear. “Thank you, Jess and Matt.”

Matt looked back at you. “We will figure something out.”

“But how do we get out of here?”

“There’s windows in there.” Jess commented, pointing her thumb at the broken window behind her. “But it’s too narrow for us to fit.”

Matt nodded, concern clear on his face. “But we can’t go through the door, either.”

“When Mike and I went through the Sanatorium, he used fire to chase the Wendigos away.” You recollected and reached into your pocket to once more pull out your lighter. “But I doubt a small lighter could scare it off.”

“Not on its own but we can combine it with this.”

You all turned to Josh to find him holding a can of deodorant he’d taken out from the cabinet under the sink. His relieved smile gave you hope that you might actually make it to the cable car and get off this mountain. He held out his hand and you tossed him the lighter, watching as he readied himself to use it and the spray can as a makeshift flame thrower.

“So what’s the plan here?”

Jess turned to Matt. “We use the deodorant and lighter to scare it off, so we can make a run for it.”

“Then I say we ready ourselves to run once Josh has scared it off.”

Josh nodded and lit the lighter, readying the spray can and placing a finger on its button. Matt stepped forward and grabbed the handle to the door, taking a deep breath before he gently shoved Jess to the side, out of the way of the action. Then he gave Josh an inquisitive glance, silently asking whether or not he was ready. Josh took a step to the side, situating himself between you and the door, making sure that you were covered. Then he gave Matt a small nod.

As soon as Matt opened the door the Wendigo tried to get inside but Josh was faster, pressing the button on the spray can and sending a gust of fire straight at the creature. The Wendigo retreated at the fire and Josh stepped after it, keeping up his assault on the creature until it was in the hallway. The rest of you followed him and then he turned, crowding the Wendigo back into the bathroom before slamming the door shut. You, Matt, and Jess quickly took the initiative to move the dresser that stood in the hallway in front of the door and Josh handed the lighter back to you.

“Will it get back out?” Jess asked in uncertainty, grabbing for Matt’s arm as the Wendigo tried to get out through the door. “Can it fit through the window?”

“It might take a while for it to get back out.” Matt said and grabbed Jess by the wrist, gently pulling her after him. “We better get going.”

“We can’t just leave it in there.” You looked at the blocked door. “We need to do something to make sure it won’t follow us.”

Josh gestured around himself. “This whole thing is made out of wood. We could light it up and make a run for it.”

“You want to light your family’s guest cabin up?”

“We rarely stayed here and I doubt I’ll ever want to come back up here, anyway.”

Jess looked at you with a hopeful smile. “There’s a bottle of chimney lighter next to the fireplace. Maybe we can use that to help start the fire. We can use your lighter.”

“What are we waiting for?” Matt nodded in agreement. “I’ll get the chimney lighter.”

You took out the lighter while Matt ran, holding it in your hand and looking at it for a second. For years you had carried the lighter around, the last gift your father had ever had the chance to give you, the present he had hoped to use together with you. If you threw it into the cabin, into the chimney lighter, you wouldn’t be able to get it back. Slowly, you stroked a thumb over the silver surface, running it across where your name was carved into it.

“I’m back.” Matt proclaimed, opening the bottle and dozing the floor in front of the bathroom door in the fluid. “Get ready.”

Squeezing the lighter in your hands you took a deep breath, mentally reminding yourself that doing this was important for your survival. But the thought of parting from a sentimental item your late father had gifted you made your eyes tear up. Josh gave you a worried glance as he saw you clench the lighter and placed a hand on your closed fist.

“Honey, I know letting go of the lighter is hard and I understand that it’s painful.” Josh whispered, getting closer to you. “So if you want me to do it for you, I will.”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

Jess looked at you in confusion. “What’s so special about it?”

“Her father gave it to her before he disappeared. It was meant for family camping trips and teaching her how to light a campfire.” Josh explained, squeezing your hand. “It has sentimental value.”

“It’s ridiculous, I know.”

“It’s not.” Matt shook his head, frowning sadly. “I really get that it’s hard but it’s the only thing that will stop this creature from following us.”

“I know.” You took a shaky breath, looking at Josh with a thankful smile. “Thank you for the offer but I think I want to be the one to toss it into the fluid.”

Josh nodded and took your free hand. “You will always have your memories of him.”

You nodded at his words, knowing that he was right about that. Amongst your memories, you had photographs of him, other sentimental items, past gifts and so much more to remember your father by. So after waiting for Jess and Matt to move away from the door you uncurled your fist and took a deep breath. You brought the lighter to your lips, pressing a small kiss to it and thanking your father.

“Thank you, Dad, for once again saving me. I love you.”

Then you lit it and tossed it into the fluid, watching as the fire quickly prickled along the door. Knowing that the cabin would burn and the Wendigo wouldn’t be able to follow you, you all quickly fled the building. The three of you wasted no time heading for the cable car, running down the trails as fast as you could without slipping. Screeches echoed around you but you kept going, Josh keeping your hand firmly in his and pulling you along while Matt ushered Jess down the trail. When the cable car came into view you all rejoiced but your joy was short-lived before suddenly there was movement in the bushes ahead of you. Jess quietly urged you all to stay still, proclaiming that based on her observations in the mines the Wendigos would not see you if you didn’t move, and you grabbed Josh’s shoulder to steady him. With bated breath, you listened to the noise coming closer, hopeful that standing still would be enough to get whatever was in the undergrowth off your trail.

“You’re alive!”

You almost screamed in shock when Mike came out of the bush, looking at the three of you before pulling Jess into his arms, and holding her tight. She clung to him, breathing a shaky sigh of relief. And Mike wasn’t alone. Your other friends were with him, coming out of the bushes, stepping from a little beaten path onto the main trail. You felt tears of relief sting your eyes as you saw that were all alive. They were battered, bruised, and scared but they were alive. But there was no time for reunions because Sam quickly started ushering all of you down the path again.

“We need to get moving and get off this mountain!”

Now reunited, you all made your way to the cable car station, quickly getting inside and slamming the door shut behind you. Josh immediately put in the key, turning it and setting the cables into motion. The mechanical whirring was loud in the quiet night and you worried that one of the creatures would hear it. Josh saw how scared you looked and quickly pulled you close to him in the hopes of comforting you. Chris watched the two of you before he sighed softly.

“Josh, I’m sorry for leaving you in the barn. We should have never tied you up in there, let alone leave you alone.”

“It’s fine. I kind of-- I mean, I deserve it after what I did.”

“No, what you did was really fucked up but we-- we were supposed to be your friends, I was supposed to be your best friend, and you-- you needed us and we weren’t there for you.”

Josh shook his head again. “I really fucked up and I’m sorry. I just-- Fuck, you all came just to be there for me and I fucked everything up. We almost died because of me!”

Ashley piped up, giving him a soft smile. “Josh, this whole Wendigo situation is not your fault. You played a fucked up prank and-- and it will take some time for me to really-- to just trust you again. But the mines, the Wendigos, all of that, it was not your fault.”

“She’s right.” Mike said, making Josh turn to him in surprise. “Your girlfriend and I had a long talk on our way to the mines and it made me-- it made me come to the same conclusion as Ash. Your prank was fucked up but everything else that happened was really not your fault.”

“You weren’t the one that dragged me out of the cabin and into the mines.” Jess reasoned, sighing a little. “The practical pranks and all that stuff to scare us were stupid but you’re not the one that hurt me.”

“I’m not?”

“You’re the one that saved me back in the cabin.”

“Em and I were terrified when we thought there was a killer on the mountain.” Matt mumbled, leaning back against the console. “But it was nothing compared to what I felt when-- when these creatures followed us and-- and hunted me.”

Emily nodded and crossed her arms. “I mean without your dumb prank we wouldn’t have gone to the radio tower but it falling into the mines was not on you. I just-- It might take a bit for us to forgive you but we don’t blame you for all that happened.”

“Everyone will forgive you eventually. Some of us might just need a bit more time than others.” Chris promised, placing a hand on Josh’s shoulder. “But until then, we’ll still be there for you if you need us.”

“If you need anything, I will-- You just have to ask me if there’s anything I can do to help you. And not because I want to-- to urge you into forgiving me but because-- because I am so fucking sorry.”

“You could pay for the therapy we will no doubt need after this.” Emily said in sarcasm, making everyone go quiet. “What? You think we won’t need professional help after nearly being killed multiple times that night?”

Sam gave a dry chuckle, turning to Josh. “As long as the therapist we see isn’t Doctor Hill because I think he has not been helping you.”

“I think I should go somewhere else to, you know, get a second opinion or something.”

Before anyone could answer a loud metallic clang startled everyone as the cable car stopped inside the station. Mike quickly opened the door before turning back to Josh with a questioning look.

“It looks pretty small. We can probably all cram inside but can it carry all of us?”

“Yes, it can totally carry all of us down the mountain.”

Mike looked back at Matt in question. “You’re the most athletic one in the group. Do you think you’ll manage to turn the key to get the cable car moving and then jump inside? Chris and I will catch you.”

“Of course.” Matt nodded and turned to Emily who was watching him in worry. “You get inside and I’ll be right behind you.”

“Not that I doubt your abilities but do you think you won’t get hurt?”

“There’s no other thing to do, really. Someone has to turn the key.”

Emily was quiet for a few seconds, worrying her bottom lip as she looked up at her boyfriend before nodding. “Be careful, please.”

“I will. Now everyone get inside.”

Mike helped Jess inside and sat down with her while Ashley and Chris climbed in after them. The former sat down next to Jess and took Chris’ hand as soon as he was in the seat beside her. Sam ushered Emily inside who was still reluctant about the whole idea of Matt jumping into the cable car after turning the key. After they were inside, you helped Josh into the car, his movements apprehensive and uncertain. You guided him onto the bench and sat down next to him.

As you squeezed Josh’s hand Mike and Chris got to the door to catch Matt. He gave them a thumbs up and went to turn the key before sprinting for the cable car and jumping, just about making it before the car was too far from the ledge to get inside. Chris and Mike caught him by the arms before slamming the door shut. Emily was up in an instant to embrace Matt.

The car started to descend the mountain, leaving the cover of the station and everyone seemed to finally relax. Ashley let her head fall onto Chris’ shoulder, closing her eyes and he breathed a long sigh of relief. Next to them, Jess began to cry quietly and Mike rushed to her side to embrace her. Matt and Emily had not parted from their embrace but their shoulders relaxed visibly while Sam took a deep breath, letting her head fall against the door of the cable car as she gave you a small smile. You smiled back at her before turning to look at Josh.

But he wasn’t looking at you or anyone else. He was staring out the window of the cable car, mouth agape in horror and tears brimming at his eyes. You turned on the bench to face him, quickly inquiring what was wrong and his voice shook when he answered, tight with unushered tears.

“The lodge is on fire.”

Your head turned the second Josh spoke those words and you watched the immense fire on top of the mountain in shock. Everyone else had gone quiet and when you looked back at Josh you found him staring at the fire in despair, tears running down his cheeks.

“It’s all gone. All the memories of-- of Hannah and Beth, of our childhood are all gone.”

Gently, you placed a hand on Josh’s cheek but he wasn’t looking at you. He was averting his eyes onto anything other than you and that was a telltale sign that he was not doing good. You really couldn’t blame him but that didn’t stop your concern for his wellbeing. It was the tears running down his cheeks that made you draw him into your arms and he sobbed brokenly as you held him and let him cry.

To your surprise Ashley moved from her seat and over to the two of you to also wrap her arms around Josh and after her Chris quickly spurred into motion, coming out of his shock at seeing his friend break down to also embrace him. You gave them a thankful smile, tears in your eyes at how painful it was to watch Josh like this but touched by his friends’ care. Emily, Matt, and Mike kept their distance, not saying anything as they watched Josh cry while Jess placed a comforting hand on his forearm, the only place she could reach with how tightly he was being held. Sam did her best to place a grounding hand on Josh’s shoulder though it was hard to even reach him in between everyone else.

“We had no choice, Josh. I’m really sorry.” Sam whispered apologetically. “There were so many Wendigos in the lodge and we-- we had to make sure they weren’t coming after us.”

“Josh, I am so sorry.” You whispered, holding him impossibly tight. “The lodge may be gone but your memories aren’t. You still remember them and your childhood with them, don’t you?”

Josh nodded, drawing in a shaky breath as he tried to stifle his tears. “I do. I just can’t believe that-- that the lodge is gone. It’s the last place I ever saw them .”

“Josh, we’re so sorry.” Mike said mournfully, voice tight with emotion. “But your girlfriend is right. The lodge is just-- just a material memory but you have so many more memories of-- of the twins to think back on.”

Chris leaned closer, making sure his friend was listening to him as he spoke. “They loved you a lot, Josh.”

He nodded once again at those words and slowly pulled back, his eyes still teary but now focusing on yours again as he took a deep breath. “Thank you for being there for me after everything I’ve done -- all of you.”

“We will always be there for you.”

Loud mechanical whirring made you all look up and to your great relief, you realized that you were almost at the cable car station at the bottom of the mountain. Your friends all looked just as relieved as you did and readied themselves to get out of the cable car. Slowly, you reached for Josh’s hand and he squeezed yours. When you looked at him he was giving you a small relieved smile and you couldn’t help but return that smile, knowing that against your worst fears, you had all gotten a happy ending and escaped.

“We are finally safe.”

[runawrites-blog]

Until The Break Of Dawn Ch. 6 (Josh Washington x Reader)

Summary: You and Mike venture into the mines to try and find Josh, meeting Sam on the way. But your way back out is harder than your way into the mines. (Female Reader) Warnings: Talk of Mental Health. Mild Violence (Mike slapping Josh like in the game). Mentions of the Twins' Death. Wendigos. Specific warnings will be posted in the notes of each chapter. No Y/N, Petnames (Honey) Author's Note: You can find the previous chapter here. Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49644949/chapters/125305396#workskin

“I have to go look for Josh.”

“That is the worst idea I’ve ever heard.” Emily shook her head at you as you paced the surveillance room in the basement. “And I’ve dated Mike so the expectations are pretty high on that front.”

Ashley looked up in uncertainty. “If that old man is right, Josh is probably already dead. You shouldn’t risk your life and go down there.”

“Maybe it’s not the worst idea.” Mike mused and looked up at you. “You could go find Josh and I could come to look for both Jess and Matt.”

“See?”

Emily eyed you for a few seconds. “It’s still a terrible idea.”

“I’m his girlfriend, Emily. We’ve been friends since we were children and we promised to always be there for each other. I can’t leave him.” You argued but when she still looked unconvinced you sighed miserably, deciding to tell her the truth. “Listen, I promised him that I would keep him safe and I left to check on you. I left him in that barn all alone and now one of these Wendigos took him down to the mines. I have to look for him.”

“Besides, he is probably the one that has the key to the cable car.” Sam argued, crossing her arms and looking at Emily. “If anything you should be happy that she and Mike are going to get it, so we can finally get off this mountain.”

After a few seconds of silence, Emily nodded. “We will wait here for you. Just be careful. I’ve seen horrible things in these mines and-- and you’re my friends. I want you to be safe.”

“Yes, please be careful.” Ashley pleaded, looking at you in fear. “What do we do if you two don’t come back with the key?”

“According to Emily, someone will come for us at dawn.”

---

The old Sanatorium was terrifying but thankfully you had Mike by your side, so you weren’t alone. After he had acquired a gun and you had found a torch, the two of you had started making your way toward the mines. You had assumed you would only encounter the Wendigos in the mines but the screeches sounding from the basement floors proved you wrong.

“Did you hear that, Mike?”

“Hard to overhear it.”

“I thought they were only in the mines.” You whispered in fear, clutching the torch to your hand. “I thought this route would be safer.”

Mike nodded along to your words but kept going nonetheless. “Same here but the tunnel was safer than walking around outside, at the very least. If you’re too scared, you can go back to the safe room.”

“I am scared. Fuck, I’m downright terrified, but I have to save Josh.” You explained, feeling a little bit more encouraged as you remembered why you were going to the mines. “I can’t leave him down there.”

“You’re a wonderful girlfriend, you know that?” Mike commented as he began descending, lowering himself to the basement through a hole in the ground. “After everything that happened tonight, that he did to us and you, you still risk your life to save him.”

“I am in no way defending his actions. If anything they really hurt me, too. But he planned a prank and nothing more. Granted it was a fucked up prank but he never meant for anyone to get hurt. The fact that there are Wendigos around isn’t his fault and he doesn’t deserve to be taken by them.” You argued softly, sitting down at the edge of the hole to lower yourself down after Mike, giving him a small smile when he reached up to help you down. “Thanks, Mike.”

Mike drew back after helping you down and nodded in the direction of the steel door behind him. “Before we go in there, just know that your father would be proud of you.”

“Thank you, Mike. You’re an amazing boyfriend for going back down there to rescue Jess.” You smiled softly and gripped your torch tightly. “Let’s go.”

“Here goes nothing.”

To your surprise, you weren’t attacked upon entering the next room. Though Wendigos kept screeching at you and trying to get to you, they weren’t able to reach you because they were locked up in iron-barred cells -- presumably by the man with the flamethrower. You and Mike ventured through the room, keeping close to each other and as far away from the Wendigos as possible.

But your luck ran out mere seconds later because not all Wendigos were locked up. One of them burst through the door you had just come through, screeching at you and immediately taking up chase. The two of you booked it down the hall and ended up at a large metal door.

“What do we do now, Mike?”

“Help me get the door open.”

You did as he had told you, slamming yourself against the door but not being able to get it open. All the door did was budge a millimeter at a time but never opened up completely. Things went from bad to worse when the Wendigo caught up with you and jumped at the two of you. You screamed and pushed at the door while Mike shot at the Wendigo, sending it flying backward. But the old man had made it clear that bullets couldn’t kill them and he was proven right when the creature got back up from the ground to once more lurched at the two of you.

That’s when you spotted what looked like a barrel of oil between you two and the Wendigo. And you remembered that the man had said fire could harm them, so you quickly grabbed Mike’s shoulder to get his attention. But Mike had already thought of that idea himself and shot at a nearby barrel. The whole thing blew up, dozing the room and the Wendigo in flames. It screeched at being burned and you two just so managed to get the door open before the flames reached out, tumbling out into the snow. You pushed yourself up to look at Mike who was already getting back to his feet and offering you a helping hand. As you took it and got back to your feet, you couldn’t help but laugh a little at how wrong you had been about thinking there were no Wendigos in the Sanatorium. Mike gave you a questioning look at your laughter.

“I guess the Sanatorium wasn’t exactly a safe way to go.”

“You’re right about that.” Mike mumbled in amusement before he froze. “Fuck, one of them isn’t dead and it’s coming right at you.”

You looked back at the doors and saw a Wendigo that was now dozed in flames coming for the two of you. Without thinking, you grabbed Mike’s arm and pulled him after you, yelling at him to run. And Mike didn’t have to be told twice.

---

You were incredibly thankful that Sam had followed you and Mike. Because when you two stumbled through a door into the mines, a Wendigo in hot pursuit, you hadn’t expected to get out of that situation alive and mostly unharmed. But Sam had been there to hit the creature with a metal pipe, sending its head flying across the floor. As you got up to your feet, Mike was already asking why Sam had followed and where everyone else was.

“We realized that the old man kept Wendigos locked up at the Sanatorium and wanted to warn you. But according to the burning Sanatorium, you’ve already found out.” Sam explained before looking around. “Ashley, Chris, and Emily went back to the cabin when we came to a wall that was hard to climb. Luckily, I have rock climbing experience.”

“Thanks.” Mike said before looking at the mines that lay behind Sam. “We should get going. We have quite some space to cover.”

“Exactly.”

Together with Sam and Mike, you proceeded through muddy water and claustrophobic tunnels. The screeching of the Wendigos was deafening in the caves, echoing through them and making you cling to the metal pipe you had picked up, ready to fight against an ambush at every turn. You kept going for a while before Mike suddenly stopped, nearly causing you and Sam to run into him.

“I hear something.”

Both you and Sam listened and against all the other noises in the mines, you heard someone talking. It sounded like Josh but Sam had warned you during your exploration of the mines that Wendigos could mimic voices, so you were careful when you peered through the wooden planks to your left. But you felt the tight feeling of worry and fear in your chest lighten when you saw that it was indeed Josh.

Mike quickly busted the door open and all of you hurried over. Josh looked horrible, bruised, and terrified, mumbling to himself and begging someone to leave him alone. You approached him and moved closer in careful steps, not wanting to startle him.

“Josh, it’s me. Sam, Mike, and I came to get you home. We’ll get you out of here, I promise.”

“No!” He sobbed out, backing away from you with terrified eyes. “You’re not real. No one came to get me. I’m alone -- all alone. You are not real!”

“He’s in it too deep.” Sam warned. “He doesn’t believe it’s us. What do we do?”

Before you could make a suggestion Mike took the initiative, slapping Josh across the face. You were about to go off at Mike for hitting Josh but then you saw that your boyfriend actually snapped out of his daze and focused on the three of you. He blinked a few times, his eyes finding yours and then he moved in to embrace you, holding you tightly as he began to cry.

“You are real.” He whispered through tears. “You came for me! After-- after everything I’ve done you came for me. I am so sorry.”

“I would never leave you behind.” You reassured Josh, holding him tightly. “We will get you out of here. I promise.”

Sam interrupted you two when another screech echoed through the caves. “Josh, do you have the key to the cable car?”

“Yes, I do.” He whispered and pulled away from your embrace to hand it to Sam before grabbing onto your biceps and holding on tightly. “Don’t leave me, Honey.”

“Never.”

“Josh, Hannah was down here.” Sam whispered in horror, staring at Josh with fearful eyes. “For weeks or months or--”

“Sam.”

You interrupted her, not wanting her to tell Josh about the gruesome way Hannah must have died or about how she might have become a Wendigo, too. He was not in the right state of mind to hear this news and what mattered more was getting everyone to safety.

“We will get you out of here.” Mike promised firmly before looking around. “I’m just wondering what the best way to go is.”

Sam looked up at the slope Josh had been standing next to. “This is the direct way out but no offense, I doubt we could all get up there. I go mountain climbing on a regular basis and I’ve forced your girlfriend to come along a few times, Josh, but I don’t know if you and Mike can get up there.”

“You should go up there and get to the lodge.” Mike suggested. “We’ll keep going and find another way. Get them to the cable car and we’ll meet you there.”

“We’ll try to find Matt and Jess along our way.”

And so you went on with Josh and Mike while Sam started to climb the slope. Mike was leading the way and you walked after him, Josh clinging to your arm in fear. You understood his fear because the mines were truly a terrifying place. As you went on, Mike kept calling out to Jess and Matt but no one answered. Josh kept close to you, trying to quietly reassure himself that he’d be fine.

“Josh, I will get you home.” You promised him once more, bringing a hand to where his was placed on your arm. “I’ll make sure to stay by your side.”

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, leaning closer to you. “I’m so fucking sorry, Honey. I am such-- I can’t even begin to describe how terrible I feel for what I put all of you through and for what I put you through.”

“Just please-- Just don’t do anything like that again, please.”

“You haven’t forgiven me, have you?”

“It’s hard. Of course, I don’t blame you for this whole Wendigo situation but you knew what happened to my father, you knew more than anyone else how horrible it was for me and you still thought it would be a good idea to prank me by making me think you disappeared.” You explained, still keeping your hand on his. “But I still love you and-- and I want you to be safe.”

“I love you.” Josh mumbled, looking back at you. “What can I do to make you forgive me?”

“Just give me time.”

Josh looked at you for a few more seconds before nodding and lowering his gaze. Mike stopped in front of you and when you looked up you once more saw the water you had waited through earlier. You went in after Mike and held out a hand to Josh, watching as he hesitantly got in, as well. He kept his hand firmly in yours as he kept walking after you and Mike.

Suddenly, Mike screamed and was pulled under the water. And before you could look for him a Wendigo popped up, making you freeze in shock. It raised its hand to grab at you but Josh quickly pulled you backward and behind himself, protecting you despite his own fear.

“Get back! You’re not real!”

You looked on in horror as the Wendigo reached for Josh and when you saw the butterfly on its upper right arm you knew it was Hannah. Sam had mentioned to you and Josh that she had been down here for months. Now your fear that she had turned into a Wendigo had been confirmed. Josh seemed to realize that this creature was his sister, as well.

“Hannah?”

The Wendigo screeched and grabbed him by the throat, starting to drag him away. You saw Mike slowly moving to hide behind a rock but you didn’t have the time to ask for his help, so you grabbed Josh’s hand tightly, holding onto him.

“Let go of him!”

The screech the creature emitted was deafening and it almost made you let go but you kept holding on. She then tried to get you away from Josh, lashing out and slashing her sharp claws across your left arm, making you let go in pain. Blood started seeping out from underneath your jacket and sweater, running down your arms and you were horrified by how much damage these creatures’ claws could do. But you tried your best to work through your pain because Josh was in danger.

You still had the metal pipe from earlier and you did the only thing you could think of and hit the Wendigo with it. Guilt washed over you because you knew this creature was Hannah, your friend, the poor woman who had been trapped down here and turned into this creature. But you had to save Josh. You knew how much the twins had loved their brother, so you reasoned that saving him was what they would have wanted.

She let Josh go and you pulled him back, quickly retreating through the water and making sure he was behind you. When you reached the other end of the pond the Wendigo had recovered from the shock of being hit and was once more approaching you. Josh climbed out of the water and grabbed you from underneath your arms, pulling you out and away from the creature. The two of you ran before you could even see if the Wendigo was following you.

You felt terrible for leaving without Mike but when you realized that the creature was indeed following you rather than staying and looking for him, you felt a little less guilty. Mike had managed to hide while you had been attacked and while you didn’t blame him, you also knew he’d understand that you were also too terrified to go back and get him. Besides, you were luring the Wendigo away, giving Mike ample opportunity to get out some other way. You knew for a fact that the ladder you had used to get out before was close by and you were certain he’d find it.

Josh had your hand tightly in his, pulling you along as he ran through the tunnel and when you came to a fork in the caves you told him to go left, toward the metal door you had come through with Mike earlier.

Once there, Josh pushed you through the door and slammed it shut behind the two of you. The Wendigo scratched at the door and Josh grabbed you by the arms, turning his body so it was between you and the door. The scratching stopped eventually and you heard her retreat back into the mines. Josh breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled you into his arms, holding you tightly and bursting into tears.

“That was Hannah.”

You embraced him, holding his head to your shoulder where he quickly buried his face. “I am so sorry, Josh. That is a terrible fate.”

“I just left her there.”

“There was nothing you could have done.” You whispered in earnest. “She is no longer human and you would have only endangered yourself had you attempted to get her out with us.”

“I abandoned them.”

“You didn’t abandon them. Josh, they aren’t angry at you. Your sisters loved you so endlessly.” You promised, holding him tightly. “The last thing either of them would have wanted would have been for you to end up hurt. They aren’t angry at you.”

“You sound like our old guidance counselor.”

You sighed at his words, squeezing him tighter. “It’s what my old therapist told me when I told him about how guilty I felt for never finding my father. He told me my father loved me so much and that he wouldn’t have wanted me to feel bad. He said my father was not angry at me. And I know that the same goes for your sisters. Josh, they loved you so much. They aren’t angry at you.”

“Are you sure?”

“They would be beyond happy that you escaped.”

Josh was quiet for a few seconds before he released a deep breath. “Is there-- Is there nothing we can do?”

“Maybe once we’re back to safety we can find someone to go into the mines and look for her.” You mused, rubbing Josh’s back soothingly. “Maybe there is a way to help her or-- or get her back to her old self or something. But for now, we have to get down this mountain and get help because we can’t do that alone.”

Josh drew back from your embrace, still looking terrified and devastated. But when his eyes flicked to the blood still running down your arm he seemed to snap out of it, quickly taking it into his hands to examine it. “Fuck, Honey, that looks painful.”

“It is.” You mumbled, biting your lip as he moved your arm and pain started coursing through you once more. “It just-- It’s bleeding a lot.”

Josh thought for a few seconds before reaching out to unwrap his scarf from your neck. You watched as he started to wrap it around your arm, pulling it tight to stop the bleeding, and hissed in pain, the pressure sending jolts of pain through your body. But you knew that it had to be done.

“Almost done.” Josh promised under his breath, tying the scarf into a tight knot. “Sorry. I’m so sorry for causing you pain.”

“No, you-- you had to. Thank you, Josh.”

“Not just the arm.” He mumbled, averting his eyes for a second before forcing himself to look at you. “I can’t believe that after everything I did tonight, you-- you still came looking for me. It feels so-- so unreal.”

You shook your head and reached out to touch his cheek, trying to assure him that you two had really escaped the mines. “It is real, Josh. I would never leave you behind, Sweetheart.”

“You-- You called me ‘sweetheart’ again. Are you-- Does that mean you’ve forgiven me?” Josh asked and looked up at you in uncertainty. “You really don’t have to.”

“I did.” You nodded and took his hand into both of yours. “You saved me. You got in the way of a literal Wendigo to protect me. And when she had you in her grasp, I just-- I thought I’d lose you and I realized that I can’t live without you. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

With that, Josh pulled away from your grasp and placed both of his hands on your cheeks before leaning in to kiss you. He was slow at first, giving you the opportunity to pull away before he could place his lips on yours but you wanted nothing more than to feel him again, so you closed the space between you two. Josh breathed a sigh of relief and you wrapped your arms around his middle, deepening the kiss for a small moment before pulling back.

“We need to keep going, Josh.”

“I know.” He said and extended a hand toward yours which you gladly took, making him look back at you in worry. “Your hands are freezing. You look really cold.”

“We are drenched in cold water in these temperatures. I am so cold.”

“I’m sorry that I don’t have a way to warm you up.” Josh said mournfully as he looked down his body. “I left my vest at the lodge.”

“It’s fine. It’s not your fault. At least I had your scarf up until now. It really helped with the cold and to keep me calm when I was in the mines before.” You explained, grabbing his hand once more to pull him down the mountain after you. “It smells like you.”

“You were down there before?”

“I fell down there while looking for you after I thought you’d disappeared.”

“I am so sorry.” Josh whispered, tears brimming in his eyes. “You were down there because of my prank. I am so fucking sorry, Honey.”

“Josh, you risked your life for me. I’ve forgiven you. Just don’t ever do something like that again, please.”

“Never.”

[runawrites-blog]

Until The Break Of Dawn Ch. 5 (Josh Washington x Reader)

Summary: You all find out about Josh's prank and the situation escalates. (Female Reader) Warnings: Fighting. Mild violence (Mike slapping Josh). Mild Gun Mentions. Talk about Reader's past. Talk of Josh's mental health and him dissociating. Reader and the Characters not knowing how to really handle his breakdown. Mike being an Ass but apologising later on. Specific warnings will be posted in the notes of each chapter. No Y/N, Petnames (Honey) Author's Note: You can find the previous chapter here. When I say the other characters are overwhelmed with Josh's mental health and his breakdown, I don't mean that they treat him badly when they realise that he's dissociating but they simply don't really know how to properly help him, so Reader just resorts to trying to keep him calm. Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49644949/chapters/125304784#workskin

Your day kept going from bad to worse.

Once you had arrived back at the lodge you had gotten separated from Chris and Ashley. A loud noise had prompted the two of them to investigate and the door had fallen shut behind them. Now you were wandering the dark lodge alone, calling out for your friends and trying to find another way to get to them. Despite having been at this lodge a lot throughout the last year it was still hard to find your way around it in the dark.

It was Ashley’s screams that alerted you to the fact that she was in the basement. Quickly, you followed the sound of her screaming, running down the stairs, and doing your best not to trip. But you stopped when Sam and Mike rounded the corner, almost screaming in surprise when they saw you sprinting down the stairs.

“Good to see you’re safe.” Sam said before looking you up and down. “What happened to you?”

“Long story. We need to find Ashley first.”

“It’s coming from behind this door.” Mike exclaimed and tried to open it but the door didn’t budge. “Something is blocking it. Help me push.”

You and Sam quickly joined him, pushing against the door and trying to move whatever was blocking it from the other side. Thankfully, the door soon budged and opened, sending you all tumbling into the room behind it. You nearly fell but Mike caught you by the arm.

The scene on the other side made your blood run cold. Ashley and Chris were strapped to chairs on either side of a table and a gun in his hands. Before you could even ask what had happened or move a muscle to help them, the door on the other side of the room opened and a man in a mask stepped out, his voice menacing as he began mocking you all.

Sam took refuge behind Mike as Ashley started screaming at Chris to do something. He took the gun and aimed at the man, firing two shots at him. But the bullets did nothing, only spurring the man’s mockery as he laughed at Chris for firing blanks at him. Then he took off his mask.

“Josh?”

You didn’t give him time to speak, nor did you give anyone the chance to react because you immediately ran over to him, embracing him tightly and breaking down in tears. Despite what him revealing himself as the killer meant you couldn’t help the relief and joy you felt as you realized he was alive. His arms hesitantly found their way around you as you sobbed brokenly, all the fear and grief you’d felt in the past few hours leaving you in the form of tears.

“I thought you were dead! I was looking for you for hours and-- but you’re alive!”

“What the fuck were you thinking?”

Chris’ words snapped you out of your relief and you withdrew from Josh immediately, staring at him in shock and confusion. The realization that he had tricked you into thinking he had disappeared and then died after what had happened to your father made your tears of relief quickly turn into anger.

“I thought you were dead!”

“It was a joke, Honey.” Josh defended himself, giving everyone a wide grin. “Don’t you all think this is fair after what you put Hannah and Beth through?”

“I didn’t do anything to them.” Sam hissed as she approached him. “And neither did your girlfriend or Chris. Even for everyone else’s involvement, this is way out of line.”

Josh shook his head, eyes narrowing at Sam. “You all did worse things to my sisters but they didn’t get to laugh it off. They’re dead!”

“None of us are laughing!” Mike snapped, rearing up at him and getting closer while Sam freed Chris and Ashley. “You put us all through--”

“I trusted you!” You interrupted Mike, glaring at Josh as pain seeped into your voice and you tried your best not to scream at him. “You know what happened to my father, about my guilt, about my grief and you decide the best way to prank me is to make me think my boyfriend disappeared in the woods? You made me think you were dead!”

Josh seemed genuinely taken aback by the terrible sadness in your voice. He took a step forward, gingerly reaching out for you but you ducked away, turning your head to hide your tears and calm down. Sam stared at Josh, desperation in her voice when she started speaking again.

“Josh, this is a cry for help. We can help you, okay? Let me help you!”

“This isn’t a cry for help.” Josh huffed at Sam’s words and shook his head. “You’re just mad that I pranked you. No one got hurt!”

“No one got hurt?” Mike snapped, squaring up at Josh. “You killed Jessica! She fell down into the damn mines because you put her there and now she’s dead!”

“I didn’t touch Jess.” Josh shook his head, taking a step back as Mike approached. “Mike, I swear, I didn’t hurt her. To be fair, I did cut off the power and-- and I put some small practical pranks along the way but-- but I didn’t hurt Jessica.“

“You pulled her out of the cabin, through the fucking window, and dragged her off to the mines. And you’re going to fucking pay for it!”

Before anyone else could react Mike slapped Josh in the face, knocking him out and sending him to the floor. Chris and Sam pulled him back while you got to your knees next to Josh to check on him. You stared at Mike in disbelief while Ashley took a few steps back from everyone, cradling her hands to her chest in fear before looking up at her friends in shock.

“Michael, what the fuck?”

“Mike, Jessica is alive!” You exclaimed, hand cradling Josh’s face as you looked back up at Mike. “And what happened to her was not Josh’s fault!”

“Your opinion is less than objective!” Mike snapped at you, shaking his head at you. “The second you saw him, you fell into his arms! He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her through the fucking window. And before I could even get to the porch, he was gone!”

“What?” Sam frowned at Mike’s words. “How would he have done that? He may have been an asshole and pranked us but he doesn’t have superhuman strength or speed to pull that off.”

“Exactly!” You agreed, nodding vehemently. “She’s alive.”

“Why are you even standing up for him? He tricked you and made you think that he was dead! Or are you so happy that at least one person you went on a nature trip with didn’t fucking die that you forget what he put you through?”

Everyone quieted down at that and you had to take a deep breath to not scream at Michael for what he had said. Instead of doing that you decided to focus on Josh, leaning down to check for any injuries he might have had sustained from the fall to the ground.

“Mike, over the line.” Sam said sternly before looking back at you. “How do you know Jessica’s alive?”

“Because I saw her.” You swallowed, taking a deep breath as you began to recount your experience in the minutes. “While I was looking for Josh I fell into the mines through a hole in the ground. There’s a system of old mine shafts stretching way further through the mountain than we thought. And I was looking for a way out when Jess called out to me. We walked together for some time but then these-- these monsters attacked us and we ran.”

“We saw some of those mine shafts on our way to the guest cabin but they didn’t lead anywhere.” Mike mused before looking at you. “Where is she now?”

“We got separated.” You whispered mournfully. “That creature came after us and while she went left, I lured it down a tunnel to the right. I managed to get out but-- but I don’t what happened to Jess.”

“You left her there?”

You’ve had enough of Mike’s accusations then and jumped up to approach him. “I had no other choice! That thing cut off the way and I ran!”

Sam looked at you with a deep frown. “What kind of creatures were down there?”

“Probably part of Josh’s prank.” Ashely whispered. “Who knows what he had planned for the rest of us.”

Sam shook her head quickly, looking back at Ashley. “No, it wasn’t. No one really knew how far these mine shafts stretched and a lot of access ways were blocked off or caved in. During the search for the twins everyone probably only managed to scratch the surface of how deep these tunnels go.”

“And those things were definitely not part of any prank.” You said fearfully as you remembered the creatures you encountered. “They were real. They looked like corpses, emaciated and horrifying, sharp claws and teeth.”

“A Wendigo?”

“What?” You turned to Sam in surprise. “Like the Native American legend?”

“Yes, like the legend.” Sam explained, looking relieved that one person in the room seemed to recognize what she was talking about. “While I was waiting for the water to warm up in the bath I found a book about mythology and-- and these creatures sound oddly familiar to Wendigos.”

“So there just happened to be a book on mythology lying around for you to find?” Mike scoffed and crossed his arms. “Sounds like part of Josh’s prank to me.”

“No, I left it there last year. Don’t you remember me bringing it with me the last time we were all here together?” You raised an eyebrow at Mike. “I must have forgotten it here and when we were up here searching for the twins I obviously didn’t have the time to go get it.”

“You were probably in on his prank!”

“I was not!” You hissed at him. “There are monsters in the mines, Em and Matt are still out there and Jess is in the mountain with these things! We need to all go and find them whether you believe me or not!”

Ashley shook her head in fear, once more cradling her hands to her chest. “No way we’re going down there.”

“What do we do with Josh?” Chris finally spoke up, looking at his friend. “We can’t just leave him here.”

“We tie him up in the barn.”

“Are you insane, Michael?” You screeched at that suggestion, getting in between your friend and Josh. “No way we’ll tie him up there!”

“You don’t get to decide that. Chris, help me get him.”

Shaking your head, you stood your ground and extended your arms to shield Josh. “I am not letting you tie him up in the barn. That’s way too dangerous with those monsters still out there.”

“There are no monsters out there.”

---

The wind howled around you as you followed Chris and Mike down one of the snowy paths to the barn while they dragged Josh along. They managed to get him to the barn and tie him up just in time for him to wake up. Josh seemed confused, almost dazed as he tried to wriggle out of his ties but Mike just pulled them tighter.

“You can’t tie him up in there!” You exclaimed, grabbing Mike’s arm to tear it away from the rope. “Michael, stop!”

“Just fuck off!” Mike snapped and shook you off, nearly sending you stumbling to the floor. “This fucking prank has gotten out of control. And I’m still not a hundred percent sure you weren’t in on it!”

“You’re wasting valuable time here.” You pleaded, shaking your head in desperation. “Mike, I’m telling you the truth! I wasn’t in on it!”

“You ran straight into Josh’s arms as soon as you saw him! Do you honestly think I’ll believe you that you weren’t working with him?”

“Chris, back me up here. You saw how I reacted to Josh’s faked death and you know I wasn’t in on it!”

Chris sighed almost mournfully. “I’m honestly having a hard time figuring out what to think. I mean, Mike lost his fingers and Ashely and I were put through hell. And you went straight for his arms, defended him and now you’re trying to keep us from keeping him in the barn.”

“Because there are monsters in the mines.”

“How do we know the monsters aren’t part of the prank? How do we know you’re not in on it and this isn’t all just the next act?”

“Chris, why are you turning against me now?”

Mike turned to you again, shoving at your shoulder as you once more attempted to get to the ropes. “Because you were standing up for him after everything he’s put us through!”

“Oh, you wanna touch my girlfriend now?” Josh slurred and you all turned to find him glaring at Mike. “The idea of anyone hurting Jessica makes you so mad but now you wanna hurt my girlfriend? You’re a piece of trash, you know that?”

“Josh, stop.” Chris groaned, shaking his head at him. “You’re not making yourself look any better, you know?”

“I don’t know what happened to Jessica! But this asshole won’t fucking believe me!”

You watched as Mike rounded Josh to tie his wrists a little tighter, making sure to not give him any more wriggle room. And Josh was positively losing it at this point, ranting on about not being the one who had hurt Jessica, about how this had all been a prank, about how they should leave you out of this because you really hadn’t known. You were concerned, knowing full well that Josh wasn’t in a good mental state and that tying him up or leaving him alone would only make things worse. Chris was overwhelmed and conflicted about who to trust or stand up for. And though Mike still seemed angry you could see worry seeping into his expression.

“Has either of you ever seen him get like this?” Mike mumbled, looking back at you and Chris. “This incoherent, I mean?”

“Never.” Chris mumbled, rubbing his wrist in an attempt to soothe himself. “He hasn’t been taking his meds; that’s for sure. But I thought he was doing fine.”

“I’ve never seen him get like this, either. He seemed completely fine today and the past few weeks, too.” You mused, watching Josh in worry. “For weeks now, I’ve been spending so much time by his side because the anniversary of his sisters’ disappearance was coming up. But he kept insisting that he was fine and he really seemed like it.”

Chris looked at you before he sighed deeply. “I’ve really failed him.”

“And you betrayed me for Ashely!” Josh threw in with an angry glare. “Do you think she’ll want you after this? She’ll never get with you, Chris! Betraying your childhood friend for some girl and then never even getting some pussy? Maybe she just isn’t into fucking cowards!”

“Shut up.”

“Josh, shut the fuck up.” Mike snapped, weaker now. “Just shut up.”

“You two need to shut up! He’s obviously not in the right state of mind and you are not helping.” You shook your head and approached Josh, putting a hand to his cheek in the hopes of the gesture grounding him like it had done in the past. “Josh, Sweetheart, are you still with us?”

Josh blinked at you but his eyes weren’t focusing on yours anymore, just roaming your face aimlessly. “Have you come to rescue me, Honey? I am a damsel in distress, tied up by these fucking assholes over there and I need you.”

“Joshua, please.” You begged quietly, inching closer to his face. “I know you haven’t been taking your meds and you’re not in a good mental state right now but I know that we can work through this. We need your help. You just have to work with us here.”

He whispered your name in an airy voice before leaning into your touch and closing his eyes. You swallowed and kept your hand steady, whispering calming words at him and assuring him that he was not alone. When he finally looked up again, he seemed a little more focused but he was still not meeting your eyes.

“Good job, Sweetheart. We need your help, Joshua.”

“Will the monsters in the mines come and get me?”

“No, of course not.” You whispered, stroking his cheek comfortingly. “We’re not going to let that happen, okay? But you gotta work with us. I need to know if there are any more traps set up around the mountain.”

“Mike.” Josh slurred, leaning over on his stool to look at the other man in worry. “What happened to you?”

Mike just sighed, seemingly having calmed down. “Why don’t you go back to the lodge, Chris? Let everyone know that we’re fine. I think two of us are enough people to watch Josh.”

“A sleepover? Can-- can we order a pizza?” Josh asked quietly, still not focusing on anyone in particular. “Aren’t we going back to the lodge?”

“Not yet, Josh.” You said softly. “We’ll just stay here for a while. Mike will keep you tied up but I’ll stay with you to make sure you’re fine.”

“What about the monsters and Jess?”

“We’ll figure something out.”

Chris left and you spent the next twenty minutes sitting around with Josh and Mike, trying to get your boyfriend to talk to you. Mike was watching your efforts, sitting down on a nearby stool while you knelt on the floor next to Josh, trying to calm him down and get him to tell you whether or not there were more traps hidden on the mountain. He had known Josh for years but he’d never seen him in such a state and he was glad you were there because even though you’d previously stated that you had never seen him like this either you seemed to know what you were doing. Josh looked scared and panicked but your presence was apparently grounding him at least a little bit.

To Mike, it was no surprise that Josh seemed calmer in your presence because you had been a constant to him during this difficult time. But you weren’t just kind and caring with Josh. You were like that with all your friends, even when you yourself were not doing well and Mike felt terrible for all the things he’d said to you, especially the comment regarding your father. When he called out your name you looked up.

“I’m sorry I went off at you like that.”

“It’s alright.” You mumbled, shaking your head dismissively. “You were scared and worried for Jess. I get that. I mean, I yelled at Chris and Ashley earlier because I thought they were trying to prank me with Josh’s faked death. We’re all just really on edge. It’s fine.”

“And I’m especially sorry for what I said about your father. That was way out of line and I apologize.”

“It’s alright. Let’s just maybe talk about something else.”

Mike eyed you for a few seconds before nodding. “Just so you know, what happened was not your fault. Going through that at such a young age must have been terrible and I can’t even imagine how much Josh disappearing scared you.”

“Josh has always been there for me, you know?” You explained, standing up and placing a hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Have I ever told you how I met him? I mean, we shared almost all of our courses, we did a few projects together and got along as well as two classmates would, but I really met and befriended him after my father’s disappearance.”

“How so?”

“I was at the guidance counselor after I had gotten back to school. And she was a downright asshole, telling me that I should be glad no one had found a body yet and that I needed to focus on school now. I was sobbing and crying when I left -- I was only twelve years old at the time. So when we were done I hid under the stairs to the recess area and cried my eyes out. That’s where Josh found me. He had been on his way to the counselor after pulling a prank with Chris. He spent an hour comforting me, talking to me and just holding my hand. Eventually, the counselor found us and sent us to detention because I hadn’t gone back to class and Josh had never shown up for his appointment with her.”

“That counselor is going to leave people needing another counselor. She sounds like a terrible person.”

“She really was.” You shrugged before giving Mike a small smile. “But the silver lining of having to deal with her is that I got to meet Josh. He invited me home that day after detention and we spent hours watching horror movies. The first movie we watched was SAW and that’s why he chose a promposal themed after that movie when he asked me out in Junior Year.”

“They never did find your father, did they?”

“I mean, he was pronounced dead eventually but we never got to bury him.” You explained quietly. “And lately, my mom and I have just not gotten along as well as we used to. We have been fighting a lot over the last year because I spent so much time helping Josh. She felt neglected and she let it out on me. So, I spent more and more time with Josh, both of us being there for each other. I love him so much. Seeing him this terrified is so painful and while I understand that what he did was horrible, I feel like we shouldn’t keep him tied up here.”

“I’m sorry but I think keeping him like this is for the best.” Mike sighed softly. “But I’m glad you and Josh managed to be there for each other. I know he shut most of us out, so I’m glad that at least a few people could be there for him.”

“He’s been pretty secretive for the past few months, though. I remember one night while I was sleeping over when I woke up to find him gone and after looking for him for twenty minutes I found him in the study. He quickly shoved what he was doing away, telling me not to worry about it, and went back to bed with me.” You looked up at Mike with an apologetic expression. “In hindsight, I should have worried about it.”

Mike shook his head. “I know I accused you of helping him but now I see that it wasn’t your fault.”

“I should have known what was going on. I spent so much time with him. I should have noticed something was off.”

Before Mike could answer you heard Josh call out your name and you looked down to find him watching you, eyes now much more focused. When you asked what was wrong, he seemed much clearer and more comprehensive in his answer.

“Are there actually monsters in the mines?”

“Yes.” You nodded, once more kneeling down next to him and reaching out to stroke his cheek. “But I promise that none of them will get to you.”

“Josh, dude, we’ll watch out for you.” Mike promised. “I mean, I don’t know if I believe your girlfriend about that whole monster story but if there really are monsters, I’ll make sure they don’t get to you.”

“You’ll fight them off?”

“I’ll fight the monsters off, I promise.”

You quickly stood back up at Mike’s gentle and friendly way of talking to Josh, seeing your chance to get everyone back into the safety of the lodge. “Mike, can’t we take him back to the lodge? We can tie him up in there if you guys insist on that but we’d be much safer if we’re all there together.”

Mike thought for a few seconds before he nodded in agreement. “You’re probably right. I mean, we can keep an eye on him at the lodge, too. You wait here with Josh and I’ll ask everyone else, okay? I’ll give you my flashlight and you two wait it out here. Give me ten minutes.”

“Good idea.”

Mike clapped you on the arm once before leaving. You stayed back at the barn, crouching down next to Josh again as you waited for Mike to return. It wasn’t even five minutes later when you heard someone screaming and you quickly recognized that it was Emily, calling out for help and sounding absolutely terrified. Despite your better judgment you promised Josh you’d be right back and ran outside to help her, knowing full well what terrifying things were out there.

You made it halfway down the trail to the lodge when you ran into her. Emily breathed your name in relief and quickly ran up to you, ranting on and on about the creatures in the mines. After calming her down and telling her you believed her, she decided to go back to the lodge but you refused to go with her, explaining to her that Josh was alive and in the barn. Before either of you could make the decision to go get him a screeching noise sounded behind you and she grabbed your hand to pull you after her toward the lodge.

The two of you made it no more than five meters before one of the creatures jumped from the trees, landing on the ground in front of you, screeching and getting ready to attack. You separated, both falling backward into the snow and quickly trying to scramble back to your feet. When you got back up you saw that Emily had taken off in the direction of the lodge, looking back once so she could yell at you to follow her. But before you could do anything the creature cut off your way and in your fear, you sprinted into the forest, away from both the barn and the lodge.

You ran for what felt like hours but was most likely just a few minutes, eventually turning onto a path that led you back toward the barn. It was hard to keep going through your exhaustion, the cold, and your injuries from falling into the mine but you knew Josh needed your help. You only stopped when you collided with someone and upon looking up you saw that you had once more collided with Chris. But he wasn’t alone. Next to him stood a tall man, dressed in thick layers and with a scar adorning his face, a flamethrower strapped to his back.

“Is she with you?” The man asked, turning to Chris. “Where did she come from?”

“She was with my friend at the barn.” Chris explained before looking at you. “What happened? Where is Josh?”

“I heard Emily scream and ran to check on her. One of these creatures cut off our way and I ran away.” You looked at the man next to Chris. “Can you help us save Josh? He’s all alone in that barn!”

The man nodded and began moving again. “Come on. You can come with us and help. But you have to stay close by and be quiet.”

“Thank you.” You whispered, looking over your shoulder to find Chris following you. “Who is that man?”

“Long story.”

“We don’t have the time to explain.” The man said in a gruff voice, fixing Chris with a serious expression. “Keep moving or your friend is as good as dead.”

And as if to cement his claim a terrified screaming erupted from the direction of the barn. It was unmistakenly Josh’s voice and he was calling out to you, screaming your name and pleading for you to come back. You were running in his direction before either the man or Chris could stop you, but they quickly followed.

You just hoped you would be fast enough.

[runawrites-blog]

Until The Break of Dawn Ch. 4 (Josh Washington x Reader)

Summary: After waking up in the mines, you try to find your way back to the surface. On your way, you meet an injured Jessica but as you two try to find your way back, you also encounter a terrifying creature. (Female Reader) Warnings: Mild depictions of Jessica's injuries. Josh's faked Death. Wendigos. Specific warnings will be posted in the notes of each chapter. No Y/N, Petnames (Honey) Author's Note: You can find the previous chapter here. Also, I tried and failed to figure out just how much the characters, especially the search parties, knew about the mines, so I decided that they would have probably discovered parts of them but had no idea how deep they truly ran, probably due to the cave in cutting off routes into the deeper parts of the shafts. I'm very sorry for the long wait. Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49644949/chapters/125304058

Cold water dripping onto your face brought you back into consciousness.

Slowly, you sat up and blinked against the darkness surrounding you, only illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the hole you had fallen through. You didn’t know where you were but you knew that you had to get out. Ignoring the pain that coursed through you after your fall, you started moving to look for an exit. The first plan you’d come up with was to get out on the same path you had gotten inside on but a quick look up the slope made it clear that this was not a good idea. It was completely frozen over and with nothing to grab onto there was no way you would be able to get out that way.

You would have to find another way out of this cave. As you looked around the dark stone walls you realized that this wasn’t a regular cave but a tunnel, constructed by people and supported by wooden beams. It was an old mine shaft. You had never known that there were mines that deep running through Mount Washington. During the search for the twins you’d all discovered surface-level shafts but you doubted anyone had expected them to actually run this deep. Perhaps that was where Beth and Hannah had ended up. You vowed to tell authorities about this new discovery but for now, you needed to get back to the lodge, find Josh, and get to safety.

“Alright, calm down. This is a mine shaft and that means miners went in and out of it every day.” You told yourself and slowly began to move down the tunnel in front of you. “There has to be a way out.”

Fortunately, you found an old lantern on your way through the tunnel, giving a quiet cheer at the prospect of having a source of light. You dug around your pockets for anything to light it with and rejoiced when you felt the outline of yours. Quickly, you lit the torch and kept moving.

“Thank you, Dad.” You whispered into the quiet, putting the lighter back into your pocket. “Even from beyond the grave, you help me.”

Half an hour later, you arrived at a dead end and saw a ladder leading up to a higher-set tunnel. Before you could get up the ladder you heard someone call out your name.

“Is that really you? Have you found a way out and will you take me with you?”

The voice undoubtedly belonged to Jess and you quickly ran into the direction it was coming from. But when you saw Jess you froze. She looked bruised and bloodied, tear tracks on her cheeks as she looked at you in disbelief. You immediately made your way over to her and when you reached her you quickly drew her into your arms at which Jess promptly started crying.

“Jess, are you alright? What are you doing down here?”

“I was dragged out the-- the guest cabin and-- and taken and I ended up down here. I just remember falling.” She sobbed out quietly. “How did you end up here?”

“I was at the maintenance shed with Josh and after checking out something that I had seen he-- he just disappeared. When I tried to find him I-- I fell into a hole or something and ended up here.” You explained quickly, trying to keep the panic out of your voice. “Have you found anything that could tell us where to go?”

“I don’t know but we need to get out of here!” She screeched in fear as she pulled back from your embrace to fix you with wild eyes. “There’s these horrible-- horrible things down here! We need to get back to the lodge and off the mountain!”

“Things?”

“Monsters.”

And as if to cement her claims a loud screeching echoed through the mine shaft making Jess freeze before grabbing for your arm. You quickly pulled Jess toward a large metal cart where the two of you hid. Just as you had turned off the lantern the thing that had made that sound came crawling into the mineshaft. Jess held her breath and you watched in horror as what looked like an emaciated corpse crawled along the mine shaft’s floor. You felt your blood run cold and pressed your eyes shut, burying your nose in the scarf around your neck, inhaling once in the hopes that Josh’s scent would calm you down a bit. And it did the trick, making it easier for you to keep quiet. The creature sniffed around, looking for you but thankfully, it moved on and went down the tunnel you had come from.

“You were right.” You eventually murmured after making sure the creature was gone. “We need to get off this mountain.”

“What do we do now?”

You thought for a few seconds, pondering on whether or not you should venture further into the tunnels but quickly decided that it was the only way to get back outside. “We need to keep moving. These are mine shafts which means miners had to get in and out on a regular basis. There has to be a way out. I say we get up that ladder over there.”

“These monsters will find us.” Jess argued, voice tight with fear. “I tried going up the ladder but up there is just so much more screeching and-- and probably more creatures, too!”

“But we have to keep moving, Jess. And besides, that monster just now didn’t see us, so if we hide and keep still we might just make it out.”

“Might just?” Jess quoted your words in uncertainty. “I don’t like the odds of that.”

“It’s our only hope. There has to be a way out.” You argued, trying to sound reassuring despite your fear. “The only way out is through.”

To your surprise that got a small chuckle out of Jess. “That sounds like something our guidance counselor back from Middle school would have said.”

“True.” You nodded before chuckling softly. “I hated that woman; she was so mean when I was there after my dad disappeared.”

Jess reached up to wipe her tears before nodding. “But unlike how I felt about our guidance counselor, I believe you.”

“Then let’s not waste any time.”

The two of you set out, climbing up the ladder after one another and then setting out into a new tunnel, only illuminated by your lantern. Your journey was thankfully uneventful with no creatures showing up despite the screeches and screams echoing throughout the mine shafts. Jess had eventually taken your hand, letting you lead her through the mine shafts and you held hers tightly, trying to keep yourself calm. About half an hour later found the two of you in front of a big abyss, only bridged by a creaky wooden structure. Jess swallowed, her hand still holding yours as she looked down into the abyss.

“This is the only way, right?”

“Right.” You nodded slowly and took a deep breath. “The only way out is through.”

“I think you mean across.” Jess joked quietly before nodding at you. “Let’s keep moving, please.”

The two of you carefully made it across the abyss, holding onto each other for support and trying not to slip, when one of the creatures came running from behind you. Jess froze and you stared at it in terror as it screeched, starting to search for the people it had just heard a few seconds prior.

“Jess, we need to run. It will see us but we might be able to outrun it. There’s a fork in the cave ahead. You go left and I’ll be right behind you.” You whispered, not moving a muscle as you kept an eye on the creature. “Just run. Don’t stop for me.”

“I can’t leave you behind.”

“If we get separated, just run and hide and get out of here. And when you get back to the lodge get everyone to help find Josh before these things find him.” You urged, tears gathering in your eyes. “I’ll find a way out. Just run."

Jess eventually gave a tiny nod. “On the count of three, alright?”

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

Jess bolted for the other side of the abyss and you were right at her tail. The monster screeched at your movements and began to chase after you, only making you run faster. The wooden structures creaked and moved under your steps, making you trip and fall to your knees. Jess had made it across by the time you got back to your feet and you barely managed to escape the creature’s claws as you took off running once more.

You swore loudly as you ran after Jess who was now sprinting down the left tunnel. The creature was now scaling the walls and just as you were about to run after Jess, it jumped down right in front of you, effectively blocking off the left tunnel.

“Right it is!”

You ran down the right tunnel and eventually managed to lose the creature in the maze of mine shafts. Heaving for breath after outrunning the creature, you looked around and to your delight, you found another ladder close by. For a second you debated on whether or not to get up there but then decided that it was your only chance of getting back out of the mine shafts.

“Why am I even debating going up that ladder?” You mumble to yourself as you start climbing it. “What else can I fucking do at this point?”

When you got to the top of the ladder you found yourself in a large access tunnel that was illuminated by moonlight, meaning it led outside. You cheered quickly and set out toward the source of the light which led you onto a trail. Without a second thought, you booked it down the trail. You needed to find your friends so they could help you get Jess out of the mines and find Josh.

You ran for what felt like hours, fearful for your friends and scared that the creatures would follow you outside of the mines, and only stopped when you collided with someone. The collision sent you almost falling to the floor but the person caught your arm, keeping you upright.

It was Chris and Ashley was right behind him.

Relieved about seeing your friends again, you embraced him and Chris put a comforting hand on your back. Ashley saw your panicked state and quietly asked what had happened. Her question broke all the dams and you pulled back before starting to ramble about what was going on.

“Chris, we have to-- we gotta get help. There are these creatures in the mines! And Jess is still down there and-- and Josh and I got separated. He is somewhere in the-- in the woods. I couldn’t find him and I fell into the mines but I got separated from Jess, too.” You weren’t even aware that you had started crying until a sob broke from your throat. “I couldn’t save either of them!”

“Mines? Monsters?” Ashley asked softly, fear seeping into her voice. “What are you talking about?”

“There’s these old mine shafts running through the mountain but there’s these-- these monsters down there and somehow Jess ended up there!” You explained in a panic, sobbing once more as you realized how terrible your situation was. “We need to get her out and find Josh!”

“Josh.” Chris echoed his name in an almost devastated manner and you looked up at him with teary eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry? Sorry about what? What happened?”

“Tell her, Chris.” Ashley whispered and gripped onto his arm. “Please.”

“Tell me what?” You asked but Chris remained quiet for a few seconds so you had to ask again, terrified of what he was about to tell you. “Tell me what, Chris?”

“Josh is dead.”

It took a few seconds for the words to sink in and when they did you felt like someone had just reached into your chest to rip your heart out straight through your ribs. A lump rose in your throat and tears gathered in your eyes as Chris’ words kept running through your head. Josh was dead. Your best friend, your boyfriend, the man who’d been there for you whenever you needed him and whom you trusted blindly was dead.

But for some reason, you had a hard time accepting his words. Josh had been lost in the woods and now he was apparently dead. Despite your common sense telling you that Chris would never lie about something like that, you couldn’t help but question his words. You just couldn’t believe that Josh was dead.

“No, Chris. He’s just lost. We have to go find him!”

Ashley quickly shook her head. “No, he is dead. There’s this-- this maniac running around and he took Josh and I to tie us up to-- to test Chris. It was like that movie you and Josh forced us all to watch that once Halloween and it was-- it was so horrible.”

“You’re telling me a Jigsaw wannabe is on this mountain, putting people into traps?” You asked, getting a little irritated now because their words sounded like a joke to you. “Is this a joke? If this is a joke, it’s not fucking funny and we don’t have time for it! We need to find Josh!”

“This isn’t a joke.”

“Then show me.” You demanded, turning to look at Ashley with teary eyes. “Show me. I have a hard time believing that this isn’t another cruel joke like-- like the spirit board session. We don’t have time for jokes.”

“We’re not joking. And trust me, you don’t want to see the inside of that shed.” Chris insisted, voice so serious that it made you realize he was telling the truth and tears rose in your eyes. “I would never joke about something like that. That maniac strapped Josh and Ashley to a wall and-- and there was a circular chainsaw that would have killed one of them and I had to choose who had to die.”

“And you chose Josh.”

“I am so sorry.”

The tears were now flowing down your face freely, warm against your cold cheeks and sobs bubbled up in your chest. Josh was dead. The man you loved and who you’d planned a future with, was dead and you hadn’t managed to save him. You hadn’t found him soon enough and now he was dead. Chris and Ashley shared a look before they embraced you from either side, helping you stay upright as your knees began to buckle and sobs wracked your body.

“I didn’t find him in time.”

“This isn’t your fault.” Ashley assured you, tears in her eyes. “There is a killer on the mountain and whatever you saw in those mines, apparently. It was that maniac’s fault, not yours. And-- and what happened to your father all those years ago wasn’t your fault, either.”

“Ashley is right. I know this is terribly reminiscent of what happened to your father but neither of these things were your fault.” Chris promised before taking a deep breath. “What did you see in the mines?”

“Some sort of creature that looked like-- like a walking corpse, all pale and emaciated. It was so fast and-- and loud and I was so scared.” You got out between your sobs. “We have to get Jess out of there.”

Ashley nodded quickly. “We just met Emily and Matt. They’re going to the radio tower to get help. We need to go to the lodge to find Sam.”

“We can find Jess together. Chances are Mike is already looking for her.” Chris reasoned before looking at you. “Will you be alright?”

You looked back at the shed behind them and took a shaky breath. “Is it gruesome? I feel horrible about simply leaving with-- without saying goodbye.”

“Trust me; you don’t want to see him.” Chris said softly. “It’s best to remember him like he was the last time you saw him.”

“We were joking around in the maintenance shed and-- and planning on what we’d do once we got back to the lodge.” You whispered softly. “We heard a noise and he went out in order to protect me.”

“Then remember him like that.” Ashley urged you. “Remember him as a loving, sweet, and funny guy who tried to protect you and loved you a lot.”

You just nodded at her words because you knew she was trying her best to comfort you even if she wasn’t helping a lot. “Where is everyone else?”

“Well, as I said Matt and Emily are on the way to the radio tower. I’m pretty sure Sam is still at the lodge and Mike is probably around here somewhere looking for Jess who is apparently still in the mines. Perhaps we can go get Sam to help us look for Jess.” Chris mused and looked back at the direction of the lodge. “We need to hurry.”

Ashley nodded and reached out to take your hand in an attempt to offer comfort to you. “We have to stay together.”

“Chris?”

“Yes?”

“Did Josh suffer?”

“I don’t know. I’m so sorry.”

[runawrites-blog]

Until The Break Of Dawn Ch. 3 (Josh Washington x Reader)

Summary: After a terrible Ouija board session, you and Josh go to the shed to turn the lights on and take your mind off things. It turns out to be a terrible idea. (Female Reader) Warnings: Implied Smut at the beginning, Talk about Josh's grief and his mental health issues, Reader having a breakdown about Josh's apparent disappearance, Mentions of her father's death. Specific warnings will be posted in the notes of each chapter. No Y/N, Petnames (Honey) Author's Note: You can find the previous chapter here, although the fanfiction is complete on AO3, I won't post the next chapter until tomorrow because it's just such an ordeal copying it all over to Tumblr. Hang in tight! Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49644949/chapters/125303695#workskin

“You two cannot be serious.”

Josh just shrugged, leaning against the doorway and making sure to keep his body between you and his friends, shielding you from view as you covered yourself up. Ashley looked a little embarrassed at the realization that she and Chris had just interrupted an intimate moment between two of her friends. Chris on the other hand was giving Josh a smug grin, crossing his arms and laughing at you rolling your eyes behind your boyfriend.

“You two cannot be serious.” You threw back jokingly, pulling Josh’s flannel close around your body, thankful for it being on the longer side. “You seriously went to get a Ouija board? Where did you even get that?”

“Of course, we got a Ouija board. While you two snuck off to get busy we put so much work into finding the board.” Chris laughed and held it up. “We want to talk to some ghosts. Don’t tell me you’re scared!”

“Scared? Please, you are always the one throwing around popcorn and screaming when you watch horror movies together with me and Josh.” You grinned, moving closer to Josh so you could rest your chin on his shoulder. “I remind you of the time we watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and you threw the bowl across the room when Leatherface first appeared.”

Josh nodded in agreement, leaning his head against yours. “You are the scaredy-cat here. My girlfriend and I have been watching horror movies together since Middle School. A little Ouija board session won’t scare us.”

“Depends on who we contact.” Ashley threw in before turning to you with an expecting look. “Are you two up for it?”

“If you give us five minutes to get dressed.”

Chris and Ashley agreed, stating they’d wait downstairs before leaving. Josh closed the door and turned back to you, raising an eyebrow at you wearing his flannel. Without another word he came over and took your face into his hand, kissing you deeply. But you pulled back quickly, chuckling at his ministrations.

“Don’t get distracted. We have to be downstairs in five minutes.”

“I admit, five minutes might be a bit too short for me to take you to the bone zone.” Josh joked before grabbing onto the fabric of his flannel. “I love seeing you in my clothes but I’ll need this back. Sorry, Honey.”

“It’s fine. I’d get too cold in that anyway. I prefer my knitted sweater.” You chuckled and took off his flannel before handing it to him. “That being said, can I snatch one of your shirts to sleep in tonight?”

“Sure.”

Josh gave you another kiss on the cheek before he started to get dressed again. You did the same and watched him from where you were standing. He seemed a lot more tense than before and you wondered if the idea of using a spirit board was the reason for that.

“Josh, are you sure you’re fine with using the spirit board?” You asked softly. “I know before you left for the lodge you told me you didn’t want me to constantly worry about you and to just have a fun time with everyone else but I’m a little worried.”

“I’m fine.” Josh said swiftly, a little too quickly for it to sound convincing. “Really, don’t worry about me.”

You were quiet for a few seconds before approaching him again. “Are you sure? If you feel uncomfortable with us trying to contact spirits in this place, we can do literally anything else, Sweetheart.”

“Honey, I’m fine.” He promised you, turning to you and meeting your eyes which immediately helped to calm you down a little because Josh tended to avert eye contact when he was feeling bad and didn’t want to let anyone onto his feelings. “If it gets too much, I’ll let you know.”

“I just hope this is not another attempt at a prank.”

“Let’s get going.”

When the two of you made it downstairs, Sam was waiting for Josh, inquiring about the hot water. The two of them ventured into the basement while you looked around for a place to use the spirit board with Ashley. It didn’t take Josh and Sam long to come back, and when they did they did so screaming because Chris had played a prank on them, unbeknownst to either you or Ashley. While she joked around about Chris joining a monastery and taking a vow of silence after seeing him wearing a monk’s robes you made sure Josh was alright.

“Are you alright, Josh?”

“Don’t worry about me.” He promised, giving you an earnest smile. “I thought it was hilarious. If there’s anyone you should worry about, it’s Sam.”

“Chris freaked me out so much!” Sam complained, giving Chris a small glare. “And now I gotta go up two flights of stairs in this dark lodge on my own.”

Josh turned to her with a laugh. “I’ll escort you to the bathroom like your royal guard.”

“Noble.” You joked and gave him a small peck on the cheek. “We’ll set everything up while you’re gone.”

“Good idea.”

The two of them left and you went with Ashley and Chris to set up the spiritboard. You were still worried that they were planning on playing a prank on Josh because everyone in your friend group simply adored pranks and practical jokes. Chris scaring Josh and Sam didn’t help ease your worries, so you decided to simply ask them about their plans. But just as you were about to do so, Ashley spoke and turned to you.

“Aren’t you a bit jealous?”

“Of who?”

“I mean, Josh seems pretty close to Sam.”

“Ash!” Chris hissed quietly but stopped when he heard you laugh, turning to look at you. “What’s so funny?”

You shook your head, sliding your lighter you’d used to light up the candles into your pocket, and waved her off. “They’re friends. He can have female friends just the same as I can have male friends. I’m friends with Matt, Mike, and you, Chris. So why can’t he be friends with the girls?”

“They seem so close, though. Sam was holding onto Josh’s arm when they came out of the cellar and now he’s getting her to the bathroom.”

“Ash, I’m not jealous.” You promised, smiling at her in earnest. “They are close but I know they are nothing more than friends. I trust Josh and I trust Sam because he is my boyfriend and she is one of my best friends.”

Ashley was about to say something else when Josh entered, stopping in the door to take in the scene and the candles all around. He gave an impressed laugh and put his hands on his hips.

“We’re really doing this, huh?”

“Is Sam alright?” You asked, leaning over to look at him. “She isn’t too freaked out, is she?”

“No, she was just a bit scared of walking through the lodge in the dark.”

“Understandable.” Ashley chuckled before sitting down. “Are you going to turn on the lights in here any time soon?”

“After this session, I’ll head to the shed to do so.” Josh nodded and moved toward the table. “I thought your prank was funny, Chris.”

Chris grinned at his best friend and clapped him on the back. “Glad at least one person thinks so. Are you ready?”

Josh nodded and walked up next to you, pulling back your chair. “Let’s do this.”

“Thanks.” You smiled and sat down. “Josh, if this gets too much--”

“I will tell you. Don’t worry.”

“We’ll have fun. Don’t worry.” Chris smiled. “Ouija board sessions are fun.”

But the session was not fun. No more than ten minutes in, everyone had to agree that this was the polar opposite of fun. Ashley had gotten up and was pacing the room, trying to figure out who had moved the piece to spell out words regarding the twins and their death while Chris was trying to calm her down. You were furious with the two of them, convinced that they had moved the piece to mess with Josh and your boyfriend seemed inconsolable, physically distancing himself from the table and snapping at his friends for how messed up their presumed prank was. It was the tears welling up in Josh’s eyes that made you jump up from your chair.

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you two?” You snapped at Chris and Ashley, shaking your head in disbelief. “Who pretends to be someone’s missing sister in a Ouija board session?”

“I didn’t move the piece, I swear! It must have been Chris!”

“It wasn’t me, either!” Chris defended himself, looking back at Josh with wide eyes. “This is legit. We contacted a real spirit.”

“No, you guys are trying to mess with--”

Josh interrupted you, voice tight with tears. “It’s not legit and we didn’t contact a spirit, Chris! I don’t know if you thought this would somehow help me with my grief but this-- this is just messed up!”

With that, he left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Swearing quietly, you geared up to follow him but Chris grabbed your wrist, making you turn back to him and Ashley.

“Maybe you should give him some space to calm down.”

“Let go of my arm.” You snapped and shook your head. “I need to check on Josh after your fucked up little prank. Let me go.”

“I swear it wasn’t us trying to mess with him.”

“I have a hard time believing that.” You pulled your arms from Chris’ light grasp and marched toward the door. “But all I care about right now is making sure Josh is alright.”

You quickly ran after Josh and when you caught up with him he was just about to go outside. When he heard you calling out to him, he turned and you felt your heart ache when you saw the tears staining his cheeks.

“Honey, please leave me alone.” He said in a strained voice, pushing open the front door and stalking out into the snow. “I want to be alone right now. I’ll be fine.”

“Josh, I don’t think leaving you alone after what just happened is a good idea.” You insisted, following him outside and ignoring how cold it was without your jacket. “I want to help you. Please let me.”

“I said I’ll be fine!”

“Joshua, please, don’t just leave.” You quickly approached him now that he had turned toward you, fighting the tears that gathered in your eyes at seeing him so distraught. “If you really want to be alone, I will go back inside but I need to know that you will be alright, that you took your meds today, and that you’re safe out here in the dark.”

After a few seconds of silence, Josh sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry for being harsh with you. I appreciate you trying to help but I-- I really don’t want to talk about or-- or think about what just happened.”

“Then we won’t talk about it.” You promised and grabbed his hand in both of yours. “All I want to do is to make sure you’re alright.”

“This is so messed up.” Josh whispered, a few fresh tears rolling down his cheeks. “I just-- I know it’s a prank or whatever the fuck that was supposed to be but-- but for a second I was almost hopeful. It’s so stupid, I know.”

Without another word you wrapped your arms around him, leaning your head against his shoulder and squeezing him tightly. “It’s not stupid at all, Sweetheart. I’m sorry they tricked you like that.”

Josh stilled for a few seconds before wrapping his arms around you and resting his cheek against your head. “Thank you for coming after me. Maybe you were right and being alone isn’t such a good idea after all.”

“Aren’t I always right?”

That small joke got a chuckle out of Josh and you smiled at the sound, relishing in the way his chest moved against your body with the laughter. “Of course you are.”

“Want to go back inside?”

“Actually, I need to go to the maintenance shed to turn the power on. Do you want to come along?”

“Sure.” You nodded before pulling back and nodding your head toward the lodge behind you. “But we should really put on jackets beforehand.”

“Come on.”

When the two of you got back inside Ashley and Chris had disappeared but you didn’t mind because you were still angry at them for tricking Josh -- even if they had denied doing so. Figuring they had wandered off to another room of the lodge you grabbed your jacket and shrugged it on as Josh put on his vest. And within the next ten minutes, you and Josh were on the way to the shed, you holding onto his arm and him shining the flashlight around.

“How much further is it to the shed?”

Josh looked down at you for a second before looking back at the trail. “Not much further, I promise. Why?”

“I’m freezing.”

To your surprise, Josh stopped in his tracks and you turned to him again, about to urge him to keep going when he pulled his arm from your grip to take the scarf he was wearing. Before you could protest he was already wrapping it around your neck and you felt any objections immediately disappear when you realized the scarf smelled like Josh. With a small smile, you looked up at him and pulled it a bit closer around your neck.

“You’re the sweetest. But won’t you get cold?”

“As I said, I tend to run hot. And besides, we’ll be back at the lodge in no time.” He said with a smile before holding his arm back out to you. “Want to hang on?”

You nodded and took his arm again, holding onto it as you two once more began to move toward the shed in the distance. “It’s not only cold but also slippery.”

“The way to the maintenance shed is at least not that long. Mike and Jess aren’t that lucky.” Josh joked. “Remember that one winter when you came up here with my family and my parents let us stay at the guest cabin? It took us so long to get there. I’m like, ninety percent certain Mike and Jess aren’t even halfway to the cabin, yet.”

“That’s on them more than the distance, though.” You chuckled, looking up at Josh with a grin. “They always mess around so much it really slows them down. I walked from the cable car station to the lodge with them and it took me ten minutes longer than usual because of their fierce snowball fight.”

“Did they throw any at you? If so, I’ll have to get some revenge on them tomorrow and defend your honor!”

“Please, do so.”

“Alright, that’s the shed over there. I suggest you hold the flashlight while I try to get the power working. You have steady hands, right?”

“You know how good I am with my hands, Sweetheart.”

Josh just smirked at that and opened the door to the shed, letting you step inside and then entering after you. He got to fixing the power as soon as he was inside and you stood back, shining the flashlight to illuminate the shed for him. It was then that you heard a twig snap outside and winced, quickly turning your head toward the open door and just about managing to catch a glimpse of something moving back into the treeline. Your wince moved the flashlight and Josh looked up, worry clear on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I saw something.” You whispered, now fully turning toward the open door and shining your flashlight into the darkness in the hopes of making out whatever you had seen moving around the tree line. “It disappeared into the woods. Josh, you said we’d be alone up here and that there wasn’t anyone else but us around.”

“There shouldn’t be.” Josh said and quickly stood up, taking the flashlight from your hands. He moved around your body so he was between you and the door. “You stay here and I’ll check it out, alright?”

“What if it’s someone dangerous? You shouldn’t go alone.”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Please just stay here and wait for me.” He assured you with a comforting smile. “I will be right back. I promise.”

Despite your uneasy feeling, you nodded and watched him leave the shed. You tried to keep calm, to not let the fears and worries brought on by your past overcome you. But it wasn’t more than two minutes later that you heard a blood-curdling scream from the outside and you immediately ran out of the shed to check on Josh. But he was nowhere in sight.

“Josh!” You called out to him, trying to keep your panic at bay. “Joshua, where are you? Say something, please!”

But there was no answer and you were left with the terrible realization that you were alone, left in the middle of the woods with your boyfriend missing. Fear and panic quickly settled in. This couldn’t be happening -- not again. You were at a loss of what to do and the tears that rose in your eyes only made it harder to see anything around you properly. Yet, you still set out for the woods and in the direction you had seen the figure vanish in before Josh had left.

“Josh, please answer me!” You called out, voice laced with tears. “Say something -- anything! I can’t-- I don’t know what to do!”

You kept running through the woods, slapping branches away left and right as they obstructed your path. At some point, you had all but begun sobbing but you didn’t care. Finding Josh was all that mattered. Eventually, you got back onto one of the trails and realized you were once again in eyeshot of the lodge. But Josh was still nowhere to be found and the sobs wracking your body only grew more panicked.

“Josh!” You called out once more, supporting your weight on a wooden railing as you cried your eyes out. “Joshua!”

It was all so horribly familiar.

Your father had disappeared on a family camping trip eight years ago when you had been no older than twelve. Like most long weekends, your family had been hiking and camping in the woods near your town but the trip had taken a terrible turn when your father had gone missing while collecting firewood. The search had lasted for hours but no one had found any trace of him and eventually, your family had contacted Mountain Rescue. You had never seen him again.

Now you quickly decided to call for help, knowing that there was little you could do on your own and knowing that you needed the help of mountain rescuers or rangers. But when you reached for your phone in your pocket you realized that you had left it at the lodge. After surveying the area, you decided that making a straight line through the woods would take you back to the lodge much faster and you quickly took off.

But as you made your way through the woods, you suddenly felt the ground underneath you give out. With a panicked scream, you tried to grab onto something to keep you from falling but it was hopeless and you plummeted into the darkness.

[runawrites-blog]

Until The Break Of Dawn Ch. 2 (Josh Washington x Reader)

Summary: You arrive at Blackwood Mountain but you quickly realise tensions are running high. Josh tries to reassure you. (Female Reader) Warnings: Fighting, Innuendos to Smut, Discussions of the disappearance of the Washington twins and Reader's father, Specific warnings will be posted in the notes of each chapter, No Y/N, Petnames (Honey) Author's Note: You can find the previous chapter here Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49644949/chapters/125303164#workskin

Snow was still falling when you sat down next to Jessica on the bench outside the cable car station. A year after the disappearance of Hannah and Beth you were back at the lodge. It was strange to be up there without the two of them or without being there as part of the search parties. This time you were there to have fun, mostly at the request of your boyfriend Josh. Though it worried you that after everything he still insisted on celebrating up on the mountain again you wanted to support him and if he was sure this getaway in honor of his sisters would help him, you would join.

As a matter of fact, you hadn’t left his side a lot during the past year. The disappearance and presumed death of his sisters had been understandably detrimental to his mental health and you wanted to be there for him. You knew better than any of his other friends how losing a loved one and never finding closure could devastate someone, so you made sure to support him throughout everything. By now, you had practically moved in with Josh.

“Your boyfriend isn’t coming to pick you up at the cable car?” Jess asked, leaning forward to smirk at you and snapping you out of your thoughts. “I thought Josh was way more romantic than that.”

“Why would he come pick me up?” You asked with an amused chuckle. “I know the lodge and the mountain like the back of my hand. I can get there by myself.”

“I just thought Josh would come and get you.” Jess said, grinning at you a little. “After all, he’s so cute with you and you two always hang around each other.”

“It’s fine. He said he has some things left to set up and prepare.” You explained and looked at the cable car that was approaching. “And besides, Mike will take us up the mountain, right?”

“Right.” Jess smiled before she turned to you in question. “So have you thought of my request? I need to go on this dumb camping trip for my college class and I really want you to come with me. You love camping! You barely went on any trips last year.”

“I haven’t thought of it, actually. I know I used to love camping and the outdoors.”

“But?”

“But I had a lot of work to do and you know that it just always reminds me of my father and-- well, after what happened last year I spent a lot of time helping Josh, so I didn’t have much time to think of your requests anyway.“

Jess leaned in closer to you, resting her head against your shoulder and pouting up at you. “That’s a bummer. Remember our camping trips in Highschool? We used to snatch the van from Josh’s parents and head to the mountains or the lake. And you made that impressive fire from scratch. I think that got Josh all hot and bothered. He never helped around the campsite because he was too busy watching you.”

You snorted at that, smiling to yourself as you remembered that camping trip. “Yeah, I remember. Chris and Mike were so mean, teasing him about it all the time.”

“He was so into you.”

“I know that.” You couldn’t help but laugh at Jessica’s words. “That’s kind of the reason he asked me out back in Junior Year.”

Jess made a face as she remembered that day. “His promposal was weird, though.”

A smile tore your face as you remembered how he had asked you to prom by playing a small SAW inspired game with you that ended in you having to place your hand in a suspicious-looking box to retrieve a letter with the question on it.

“Well, SAW was the movie we watched together when I came over to his place for the first time after we met each other in Middleschool.” You explained and looked back at Jess, chuckling to yourself. “I thought it was amazing, even though that box at the end actually weirded me out at first. But Josh would never hurt me.”

“No, he wouldn’t.”

That’s when someone called out your and Jessica’s name, making both of you look up and turn in the direction of the noise to find Mike approaching. Jess got up quickly and embraced Mike, kissing him passionately for a few seconds. When they had parted, Mike gave you a little wave and chuckled.

“Hey, long time no see.”

“It’s great to see you again, Mike.” You said in earnest, approaching him and Jess. “Was your drive here alright with all the snow?”

Mike nodded before looking around. “Did you not come here with Josh?”

“Josh wanted to come here early to get the cabin ready for us and I had to drop something off at a friend’s place before getting here.” You explained before clapping your hand once to get everyone’s attention. “I suggest we get going, alright?”

“Excited to see your boyfriend?”

“Of course.” You smiled brightly at the prospect of getting to see Josh again. “I haven’t seen him in over a week and I definitely missed him.”

Jess smiled at you before her smile morphed into a smirk. “You will have ample opportunity to cozy up with him in front of the fireplace, don’t worry.”

“I know that but I’m also looking forward to seeing my friends again. I have seen neither Ash nor Emily in months. And I haven’t seen Sam in even longer, let alone Chris and Matt!”

Mike chuckled at your words. “And I thought you and Sam go camping together a lot.”

“We used to but I was rather preoccupied after what happened last year. I was with Josh a lot so I could try to help him and his family. The last time I saw Sam was when we helped the search party in February but then her mother got into that car accident and she had to help her out. But you already know about that.” You sighed as you remembered all that had happened in the past year before looking up at your two friends again. “Let’s get up the hill and find everyone else, alright?”

“What are we waiting for?” Jess grinned, making a show of rubbing her arms and inching close to Mike. “It’s freezing out here and I want to get into a warm cabin where I can curl up with Mike.”

With that, the three of you set out and made your way up the mountain, trying to ignore the biting winds and freezing temperatures. Mike kept Jess close as you led the way, knowing the mountain inside out after spending so much time on it during the last year. Twenty minutes and a small snowball fight later you finally arrived at the top of the mountain, on the path that led to the lodge where Sam, Chris, and Josh were already waiting.

When your eyes locked with Josh’s a smile tore your face and he reciprocated it before beckoning you over with a wave of his hand. You didn’t have to be asked twice because you made a dash for his arms, falling into them and wrapping yours around his neck.

“I haven’t seen you in days, Sweetheart!” You smiled brightly, leaning up to press a few kisses to his cheeks before eventually pecking him on the lips. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” Josh said softly, his hand finding the small of your back to pull you close. “Did you have a safe trip up? Weather services predicted a storm.”

Your soft smile only grew at him inquiring about your well-being and you pressed yet another kiss to his cheek. “I got here safely. I just hope my car doesn’t completely freeze over during our getaway.”

“I gave you the keys to the parking garage at the base of the mountain for that exact reason. It should be fine in there.”

“Josh, do you know how cold it is in that garage?” You snorted, leaning your head against his shoulder. “My feet nearly froze to the floor when I had to stop walking for two seconds to make sure my car was locked.”

Josh laughed at your joke and raised an eyebrow at you. “Honey, I think that was just a sign for you to hurry up and get up here so I could finally see you again.”

“Speaking of which, how many days did you spend here all alone while getting the cabin ready?”

“Two.”

“Weren’t you lonely up here? Or scared?” You asked softly before drawing back so you could eye your boyfriend for a few seconds. “Josh, Sweetheart, did you remember to take your meds while you were here on your own? I know that you sometimes get a bit caught up in what you’re doing and forget things like that.”

“Of course I remembered, Honey. Now let’s get to the lodge.”

“Good idea!” Jess exclaimed as she approached you two. “It’s already so dark outside.”

“And cold.”

Josh chuckled at your addition about the temperatures and rubbed your arm a bit to warm you up, leaning down to press a kiss to your temple. “Don’t worry, Honey, we’ll be warm and cosy inside in no time!”

“Do we still get the guest cabin?” Mike inquired and Josh nodded at him.

“As promised, you and Jess get the guest cabin but the key is inside the lodge so we’ll have to get there first.”

“Then let’s hurry. I want to take Jess to the cabin.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Josh smirked and pulled you a little closer as you all began to walk. “I want to take my wonderful girlfriend to the master’s bedroom as much as you want to take Jess to the cabin.”

You looked up at that, chuckling at Josh’s words and pressing close to his side as you walked by his side. “I’d be up for sharing some body heat for sure.”

“I can provide that!”

“Guys, can you not?” Chris groaned, glaring jokingly at you and Josh. “You are the fucking worst!”

“Sorry.” You giggled before looking back at Josh. “Anyways, have you prepared everything? Have you turned up the heat and hot water? Please, tell me you have.”

“I think so.” Josh mused. “If not, we’ll just do it later. It doesn’t take too long.”

Sam turned, now walking backward so she could talk to you and Josh. “I am just looking forward to that awesome bathtub you have, Josh.”

You chuckled at that, nodding along. “It’s so huge and comfortable. You never have to feel cramped when you take a bath there.”

“Exactly!” Sam agreed enthusiastically before looking up at Josh with a genuine smile. “It’s great to see you again.”

“Likewise.” Josh reciprocated her smile before frowning a little. “How is your mother?”

“She’s doing a lot better. Her leg has healed up nicely but she has to do physical therapy now.” Sam then sighed and averted her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t join any more of the search parties after her accident.”

Josh quickly shook his head and waved her off. “Come on, Sammy, you know I wouldn’t blame you for that. Your mother needed you. Besides that, my girlfriend and Chris helped, so it’s not like I was on my own. I don’t blame you.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t find anything.” Chris said suddenly, voice full of guilt. “I really am.”

You nodded at his words, guilt washing over you. “I still cannot believe we didn’t find a thing -- no footsteps, no phones, no clothes, nothing. Josh, I’m so sorry that we didn’t manage to find anything.”

“Can we please talk about something else?” Josh asked and the pain seeping into his voice almost made you tear up. “Please, Honey?”

“Of course. Whatever you need, Sweetheart.” You agreed quickly and thought of what else to talk about for a few seconds. “You said there’s a storm coming in. I hope we don’t get snowed in and if we do, I hope you got enough food up here to tide us over until we get rescued.”

Chris nodded along to your words, joining in on your quest to distract his friend. “If we get cabin fever, who do you think we should eat first, Josh?”

“You.”

“Rude!”

Josh laughed at Chris’ answer, letting go of you so he could fish out his keys from his pockets. But he had no luck at unlocking the door and after a few seconds of fiddling with the lock, he dropped his hands to the side and swore quietly.

“What?” Chris leaned closer so he could look over his shoulder at the lock. “You good? What’s up?”

Josh shook his head in agitation and looked back at his friend. “I can’t get the door open. The lock is iced over.”

You quickly pressed past him to examine the lock, finding it indeed frozen over. “Damn it, what do we do now? It’s freezing out here!”

“I second that statement! And speaking of how cold it is, how are you not freezing in a flannel and a vest, Josh?” Sam joked and eyed the older man. “Seriously, I’m freezing just looking at you.”

“And your skirt is any better?” Josh snorted, waving her off. “I’m wearing a long-sleeved shirt underneath the flannel. And besides that, I tend to run hot.”

“You do. And I would really love to cozy up with you by the fire.” You began, crossing your arms to get warmer. “Josh, what do we do now?”

“Don’t worry, Honey. We’ll find a way inside.” Josh said, giving you a reassuring smile before making a face. “The problem is, I don’t have the keys to any of the other doors.”

“But there are windows we could get in through, right?” Chris threw in and Josh chuckled at the suggestion.

“Are you saying we should break in?”

“I don’t think it’s technically breaking in if you own the place.”

“Not if I don’t report you.” Josh joked, making you laugh a little. “Alright, Chris and l will go around the back and find another way inside. Lead the way, Cochise.”

Sam nodded at their explanation. “Be careful, guys.”

“There’s got to be ice everywhere on the ground.” You warned them. “Don’t fall.”

“Relax, we’ll be careful.” Chris promised with a confident grin. “I’ll watch my step.”

“Promise to watch out.” You insisted, earning yourself an affectionate eye-roll from your boyfriend before he leaned down to press a small kiss to your lips, making you frown. “I’m serious, Josh.”

“I promise.”

The two of them left. You stayed back with everyone else. While Mike and Jess planned out their route to the guest cabin you and Sam made conversation about camping trips, planning the next trip you could go on together. The two of you had just started thinking of dates when Josh came back, proclaiming that Chris had managed to get inside and was now working on opening the door. Within the next ten minutes, Chris had opened the door, allowing you all to get inside and a wolverine to jump out. Much to his dismay no one else was as startled about the animal as he was.

Sam was the first to reach the living room and she immediately began to look for firewood. Josh followed close behind her and quickly got to work starting a fire while you watched from next to him. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Chris approaching while Mike and Jess flopped down on one of the couches.

“Hey, Chris, where’s the lighter?”

“Here you go!” The other man answered Josh’s question and chucked a lighter at him, chuckling as his friend fumbled to catch it. “Hurry up with the fire, please.”

Josh did quick work lightening the fire before standing back up, proudly examining his work. As soon as he was standing, you draped yourself over his back, making your boyfriend chuckle and turn to embrace you.

“Let’s sit down and wait for Matt, Ashley, and Emily to arrive, okay?”

“Good idea!” Jessica exclaimed and snuggled closer to Mike. “We can go to the guest cabin once we’ve warmed up a bit.”

Mike nodded in agreement, pulling Jess closer. “Great plan there, Babe.”

Everyone else soon followed Mike and Jessica’s example of reclining on the couches. Sam sat down on the other couch, pulling her legs up to her body as she waited for the fire to heat up the room. Chris sat down next to her, striking up a quiet conversation and Josh pulled you into his lap. While everyone made small talk, you felt Josh slowly putting his head down on your shoulder, nuzzling your neck. You turned your head to look at him.

“You okay there, Sweetheart?”

“Of course.” Josh nodded absentmindedly. “Just a bit cold.”

“Told you that you’d get cold in that vest.” Sam snorted from her spot.

Josh rolled his eyes jokingly and cuddled closer to you. “Honey, did you drop your book off at your friend’s place or did you not have the time?”

“Yes, I did. Eve said she’d read the draft as soon as she’s got time.”

“Wait, you wrote a damn book?” Jess looked up, laughing a little in surprise. “Way to tell me about it!”

“Would you even want to read a horror novel?”

“No way!” Jess chuckled but leaned in closer nonetheless. “What is it about, though?”

“It’s about a group of friends who go on a hiking trip but they end up lost in a forest that is much more alive than they think it is.” You explained, starting to run your fingers up and down Josh’s arm. “Basically the forest is a giant life form that messes with them and feeds on them. It has some Cosmic Horror elements but it also has a lot of focus on their interpersonal relationships. I’m just conflicted on how to end it.”

“How so?” Mike asked before grinning. “Just have them be absorbed by the life form!”

“I was thinking of whether or not they should get a happy ending. I really want them to have a happy ending but I feel like after everything they go through during the course of the story it will be hard for them to have one.”

Sam eyed you in interest, frowning at your words. “Why? I personally believe that almost everyone can overcome their trauma and issues with enough help and support. Why not the characters?”

“I mean, they already bring a lot of baggage with them going into the story. One of the guys has recently escaped an abusive relationship which is actually why he and his friends decide to get away for a few days. Then there’s this one girl whose mother died on a camping trip a few years prior to the main plot, leaving that girl contemplating on whether or not she even wants to join her friends.”

Jess swallowed at that, looking back at Mike for a few seconds before speaking up. “That is eerily similar to what happened to your father.”

“Jess.” Mike chided quietly. “Don’t talk to her about that right now.”

Josh sighed and pressed a few kisses to the back of your neck, tightening his hold on you. “Honey, that does sound eerily similar to what happened to your father. Are you sure you’re fine?”

“I’ll be fine.” You dismissed his worries quickly, wanting to be there for him now rather than forcing him to support you. “Don’t worry about me.”

Josh nodded slowly, pressing another kiss to your neck. “But besides the character in your book having a similar backstory to what happened to your father, you’ve seemed a bit stressed and down lately. You know I’m always there for you and if you want to talk to me in private, we can leave for a few minutes.”

“Josh, I’m fine. I’ve just been a bit stressed lately and with everything going on, I haven’t been able to see my mother a lot which she went off on me for. But we talked it all out and we’ll be fine.”

“I’m sorry you had to spend so much time with me.”

“None of that. I’ll always gladly spend time with you and of course, I also joined the search parties.” You carefully turned around in his lap so you were facing him. “Apart from the fact that I want to help you and your family, your sisters were my friends, as well. I wanted to help.”

“But your mother--”

“Just felt neglected. The anniversary of my father’s disappearance was two weeks ago and around that time she felt neglected and alone, so she went off on me for spending a lot of time with you.” You explained, not wanting Josh to feel guilty. “That wasn’t your fault and we talked to out.”

“That’s good.”

“I love you, Josh.”

“And I love you, Honey.”

“Gross!”

Everyone quieted their small conversations to look up at the door where you found Emily, giving you and Josh a little grin as she walked in with Matt behind her and Ashley trailed after them. When Emily spotted Jess, her face fell.

“Jess is here already, I see.”

You turned back around in Josh’s lap, watching as Emily and Jess started to bicker almost immediately. Looking around the room, you could see that Chris was uncomfortable, Mike seemed at a loss of what to do and Sam was annoyed. She proclaimed that she was going to take a bath and quickly left just as Matt tried to defuse the situation. While the fight only continued despite the man’s best efforts, Chris quickly got up and greeted Ashley before grabbing her by the hand and dragging her after him.

“We’re looking for an Ouija board! See you later!”

They were gone just as quickly as Sam had been and the fight just seemed to get worse with Emily and Jess throwing insult after insult at each other. Mike was quiet, almost seeming interested in the fight rather than in breaking it up. The arms around your waist tightened a little and you could tell Josh was uncomfortable with this situation, as well. Before you could say anything, Matt managed to diffuse the situation enough for the two women to stop going off at each other. Josh used that moment of silence to gently move you off his lap and stand up.

“How about we break this whole situation up a bit? We can spend more time together during the rest of the weekend. But for now, I think we all need to settle in. Mike, why don’t you take the guest cabin I told you about?”

“Sure.” Mike nodded and quickly got up. “Come on, Jess. I’ll show you how far it is from here on the balcony while Josh gets the keys.”

The two of them left and Emily suddenly looked up at Matt in shock, making you frown and wonder what was going on. Matt seemed just as confused as he raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his girlfriend.

“Matt, where’s my bag?”

“What bag?”

“The smaller one I brought!”

Emily went on about where she had bought it, trying to get Matt to go back to the cable car with her to get it, and eventually, the man relented. They excused themselves and left. And with Josh gone to get the key, you were alone in the living room. You took the opportunity to look outside, moving toward the window to take in the beautiful scenery.

Snow was still falling and in the pale moonlight, the hills twinkled beautifully. A small smile made its way to your face as you spotted a bird, sitting on a nearby railing and grooming itself. As you watched the bird, you spotted something moving in the woods out of the corner of your eyes. Your head snapped in the direction of the figure and you strained your eyes to see what it was but all you could make out was a large shape making its way through the treeline. It couldn’t be any of your friends because none of them had left for that area of the mountain and it didn’t look like an animal. Josh had told you you’d all be alone on the mountain that weekend so you worried whether or not it was a person sneaking around the woods.

You were ripped from your thoughts by arms wrapping around your waist from behind, making you wince and almost jump in surprise. Josh chuckled behind you and buried his face at your neck. You could feel his smirk but you couldn’t help but relax in his arms.

“Did I scare you there, Honey?”

“Don’t sneak up on me!” You chastised him, turning in his arms to look at him. “Are you alright? I’m sorry this weekend started with everyone fighting.”

“I’m fine.” Josh said, drawing you closer to him. “Are you alright? I mean, they all talked about your father.”

You quickly waved him off, cuddling closer to him. “I’m fine, don’t worry. This weekend is about you, Josh.”

“I was just a bit worried because I know you and your mother have been fighting a lot lately, you had to help me and I didn’t want to be a burden so--”

“Josh, you are never a burden, you hear me? I love you and I helped you because I care about you. I was there for you because you’re the love of my life.” You promised before leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. “Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”

“Thank you, Honey.”

“Did you give Mike the key?”

“They’re on their way to the guest cabin. Sam is taking a bath, Chris and Ashley are exploring the house and Emily is dragging Matt to the cable car. I can finally make good on my promise to cozy up with you.” Josh purred, leaning closer to you and pressing a kiss to your jawline. “And I can make up for scaring you.”

You chuckled at that, wrapping your arms around Josh’s neck. “I’d love nothing more than for you to take me to your bedroom but I have to ask a question first: Are we alone this weekend?”

“Yes, no one else is on the mountain.” Josh said, leaning his head down onto your shoulder, pressing small kisses to your neck. “Why?”

“I was just looking outside and I saw someone moving around the woods. It didn’t look like an animal and more like a person, so I’m getting a little worried now that you’ve said we are supposed to be alone.” You mumbled, feeling fear overtake you as you inched closer to Josh. “What if it’s someone dangerous?”

Josh shook his head at your worries, pulling you a little closer. “I don’t want to dismiss your fears, but I’m sure it was nothing dangerous. It’s really dark outside, so maybe you mistook an animal for a person.”

You mulled his words over in your head, trying to remember if the figure you had seen could have been an animal. It hadn’t moved much and it had been big, so perhaps it had been an animal, obscured by the darkness outside. Besides that, you trusted Josh and you knew he wouldn’t put you in danger, so his assurance that it had been nothing dangerous calmed you down. He wasn’t dismissing your fears but calming them. Josh thought it was nothing to worry about and you trusted him.

“You’re right. Maybe I just mistook a deer for something else. There are dozens of them all over the mountain.” You nodded, leaning up to give Josh a kiss. “But just so I can feel a bit safer, we have to remember to lock the doors once we all go to bed tonight, alright?”

“Of course, Honey.” Josh promised before letting his hand slide underneath the knitted sweater you were wearing before groaning playfully. “It’s so hard to undress you when you wear so many layers! A knitted sweater and a long-sleeved shirt?”

“I get cold easily.” You shrugged and ran your hands down his biceps. “Come on, let’s take this to your room before everyone else gets back and demands your attention.”

Josh nodded and let go of you, taking you by the hand. “Now you’re the one demanding my attention and I love it. Don’t worry, I’ll gladly take you to the bone zone.”

“Ever the romantic.”

“Sorry, Honey. If you want more romance I can hunt down some candles. We have more than enough around here.” Josh said, nodding toward the kitchen. “But I don’t know if we have matches here.”

“I can help with that.” You grinned and pulled out a lighter from your pocket, holding the little silver object up to his eye level. “Always prepared.”

Josh couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “And you think using the lighter your father gifted you for family camping trips to light candles so we can sleep with one another is a good way to honor his memory?”

“I was joking about you not being romantic and wanting candles, you know that, right?” You chuckled and stashed the lighter away. “I don’t even know why I brought the lighter in the first place, really.”

“Because it was a gift from your father and he gave it to you for trips you two used to go on together before he passed away.” Josh finished, pulling you closer but being much gentler this time, reaching up to stroke your cheek. “I get it. I can’t part from anything Hannah and Beth gifted me over the years. If it’s one of the last things you have from a person, it’s hard to even leave it at home.”

You gave him a sad smile, leaning your head against his shoulder. “You’re so understanding. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” Josh responded, pressing a kiss to your head. “Listen, I know I kept being touchy with you and talking about taking you to the bone zone but if you’re not in the mood, especially after this conversation, I totally get it.”

“I’m alright, don’t worry. I missed you, Josh. I still want this if you still want this.”

“I do.”

“Then take me to your room.”

[runawrites-blog]

Until The Break Of Dawn Ch. 1 (Josh Washington x Reader)

Summary: A year after the tragedy on Blackwood Mountain your boyfriend Josh invites you back over for an annual getaway with his friends. You hesitate but decide to go, wanting to be there for your boyfriend more than anything. But you are not prepared for what the night has in store for you and your friends or for what it brings back up. (Female Reader) Warnings: Canon typical violence, talk of death, talk of past trauma, talk of disappearances, both regarding the twins and Reader's dad in the past. Specific warnings will be posted in the notes of each chapter. No Y/N, Petnames (Honey) Author's Note: This is the first of my works with multiple chapters that I'm posting here, so I hope it works out the way I plan for it. The first chapter is basically focused on the prank. Warnings will be updated with each new chapter. Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49644949/chapters/125302714

Sam was panicking.

Hannah and Beth were gone, the latter now looking for her heartbroken sister during a snowstorm. And no one had seen them for the past thirty minutes. Needless to say, everyone was starting to panic. Matt was trying to convince everyone to go looking for the girls while Mike insisted that they had probably not gotten far and calling for them instead. Emily insisted that it had been a joke and Hannah had overreacted while Jess shushed her, trying to listen for her friends. Next to them, Sam was close to simply running after them and Ashley had started crying.

“This was a terrible idea. We need to do something!”

Sam nodded at Ashley. “We need to wake up Josh, his girlfriend and Chris. But especially Josh.”

“You do that and we start looking for them.” Matt said, ruffling his hair. “This was such a fucking terrible idea!”

“You guys go search for them and we wait here in case Hannah comes back.” Jessica nodded, clearly not liking the idea of going into the woods. “Someone has to stay here in case they come back.”

Mike shook his head and frowned. “We’re all going.”

“But--“

Matt immediately interjected Emily’s protest. “Em, this is our fault. We need to look for them. I’ll wake Josh and Chris. You guys wait here.”

He took off for the kitchen while Sam went for the living room where she found you, still asleep on the couch and curled up by the fire. You had fallen asleep there a few hours ago. Josh had put a blanket on you and then dissapeared into the kitchen with Chris. Sam quickly got to her knees and shook you awake. It took a few seconds for you to fully wake up and you stared at her in mild confusion when you did.

“What’s going on?”

“We need your help.” Sam explained in a panic. “They played this dumb prank on Hannah and she ran out into the snow. Beth went after her but they haven’t come back in half an hour. We all need to go and look for them.”

You were up immediately, panic coursing through you at the thought of your friends lost in the woods. Hurriedly, you put on your snowboots and nearly fell over in your attempt to tie them while hopping toward the front door. “We could go in groups of two to three people. Someone should stay behind though.”

“Good idea.” Sam nodded and followed you, grabbing your jacket that had been discarded on a nearby armchair and handing it to you. “And we should probably have each group look at a specific area of the mountain.”

“And we--“

You were interrupted by someone calling out your name and when you turned in the direction the voice had come from, Josh was hurrying over. For someone who’d been out drunk a few minutes ago he looked terribly sober now, eyes wet with tears.

“What happened? What did you guys do?”

“I don’t know.” You explained quickly. “I was asleep on the couch. Sam woke me up and said they played a prank on Hannah.”

“We fucked up, Josh.” Sam said in desperation. “I tried to find Hannah but their damn prank had already started and now the twins are out in the snowstorm. They have been outside for half an hour now.”

Josh swallowed and tried to calm down. “Okay, we-- we have to go now!”

You nodded and grabbed Josh by the arm, trying to shove your worries and the memories this all evoked in you away in favour of being strong for your boyfriend. “Let’s go.”

The next hours were spent walking through the snow, shivering and calling out the twins’ names to no avail. You had gone with Josh while everyone else had split into groups of two with Chris staying behind in case the twins got back. But he hadn’t called either of you, yet, meaning they hadn’t come back. You could tell Josh was getting increasingly panicked, his movements getting frantic and his eyes overflowing with tears ever so often. He was trying to wipe the tears away before you saw them but you did and you could only imagine how horrible this must have been for him. It was painful to see your long-term boyfriend like this, so distraught and hopeless.

“Josh.” You said, stopping in front of him. “We should call the police or mountain rescue or anyone that can help us.”

“We need to keep looking!” He insisted, a sob breaking from his throat. “Honey, we need to-- we need to-- we looked everywhere! We searched this whole fucking mountain and we haven’t found any sign of them!”

You gasped in shock as he fell to his knees, sobbing brokingly into the night’s raging snowstorm. Quickly, you crouched down to embrace him, trying to calm him down. Josh kept crying, hopeless and broken. You also felt close to tears, feeling helpless and lost yourself. It was all so terribly reminiscent of your father’s death, of the way you hadn’t been able to help, to get anyone to help before it had been too late. But this was no time to think about something that had happened back in Middleschool when there was a more pressing matter at hand. You had to be strong for Josh. You had to get help before it was too late.

“Josh, we will call someone now. Someone will come and help us, someone with search dogs, equiptment and much more light. They will find them in no time, I’m sure.” You urged gently, knowing that there was no time to be lost. “Take it from someone who had a loved one pass away in the wilderness -- we need professional help. I never-- We thought we could find my dad on our own and we didn’t. But it’s not too late for Hannah and Beth.”

“I shouldn’t have left them alone. I should have--“

“Josh, this isn’t your fault.”

“But it is.”

[runawrites-blog]

Care (Boba Fett x Reader)

Summary: Five Times Boba Fett acted exasperated with your affection and care for him. And the One Time he finally admitted how much he actually appreciates it. (Gender Neutral Reader) Word Count: 3,662 Warnings: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mild Discussions of Injuries, Implied SMUT, Crying, Nightmares, Playful Bantering/Insults, No Y/N, Petnames (Mesh'la, Cyar'ika) Author's Note: There are no real indicators as to WHEN this takes place though it is implied to be during the original trilogy and Boba's bounty hunting days. This is a 5+1 Fiction because I love that concept as you can probably tell if you've ever been on my AO3 account. Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36655423

---

I.

The rain pouring on the Slave I had not lessened one bit and you looked out the cockpit’s windows periodically, pausing in your repairs to check if it had stopped but for the past few hours it had kept strong. You never minded the rain; it was soothing and reminded you of your childhood growing up on a rainy forested planet. The thing that made you wish for it to stop was the fact that Boba was outside, hunting a bounty, in the pouring rain.

The two of you had been lovers for a while now, so really it was natural that you worried when he was out all day in the rain. You knew he was sometimes exasperated with your care, worry and affection but you also knew that deep down, he didn’t mind it as much as he pretended to – not if the smile that broke through his annoyance or the way he reciprocated your love were any indicators.

As if on cue, you heard the loading dock open and stilled in your movements. But you knew the rule Boba had put up to not go down while he was bringing in bounties until he told you they were frozen. When he was not bringing anyone in, you were quick to go down and greet him but you knew the rule was for your own protection so you stayed back in the cockpit, waiting for him.

And when he finally came he almost gasped at how bad he looked. He was drenched, probably freezing and he had quite a few wounds that you could see even though he was still in his armour. Quickly, you approached and despite his assurance that he was fine, he listened to you when you ordered him to sit in the captain’s seat and let you examine him.

There was a deep wound in his upper thigh, luckily not near any major arteries and a few cuts and stabs along his upper body. Gently, you took off Boba’s helmet finding his face to be slightly bruised before moving on to help him take the armour off.

“I’ll treat your wounds now. Don’t talk back to me.”

Boba just rolled his eyes but let you go ahead. And soon enough, you had put bacta on most of the bruises and stab wounds. It took you a bit to treat the wound on his thigh but eventually, you managed to disinfect it and put a tight bandage around it to stop any bleeding until the bacta you’d put on it had healed it up. Then you ushered Boba to his cot, ignoring his annoyed remarks about being fine.

You knew he was in pain because as soon as he sat down on the cot, he exhaled in relief at being able to rest. Frowning in worry you quickly wrapped a blanket around him and sat down beside his body, reaching out to rub his arms a little and warm him up.

“Mesh’la, stop worrying.” He chastised softly, no real annoyance behind his words. “I’m going to be fine. I’ve dealt with worse.”

“We should rest. Is the bounty secured?”

“Yes, he’s frozen.” Boba explained off-handedly and then leaned his head against yours before sighing quietly. “Thank you for helping me treat my wounds.”

“It’s no big deal. I’m glad we still had some bacta left. We might need to get some more soon, though.” You said before putting on a softer voice. “But you know what else could heal you right up apart from the bacta?”

“What?”

“My love for you!”

“You are unbearable.” Boba groaned but you could see the small smile on his lips and you knew you had won, so you just leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek.

“Then I’m glad you manage to bear me because I love being with you.”

---

II.

“Kaysh mirsh solus!”

You barely heard Boba’s shouting over the ringing in your ears. But you could see him hurrying over to you. The smoke peeling out from under the door made you cough, doubling over and supporting yourself against a wall. Boba had made his way over by now, hands coming to rest on your arms, helping you stay upright. You were thankful for the support even if he kept murmuring Mando’a curses to himself as he looked your body over. Swallowing, you took a deep breath and then put on a comforting smile, trying to calm him down.

“Did-- did you just call me an idiot?”

“If you translate it literally, then no I didn’t.”

“Saying that-- that my brain cells are lonely is the-- is the same!”

“Well, they must be if you thought using your own body to keep that door closed while a bomb went off in the room behind it was a good idea!”

He was snapping at you but you could tell that his words lacked any real anger. You had known him for long enough to realise that he was not angry with you but rather worried – he was just not as great at showing it in any other way than yelling. The way his hands tightened on your arms cemented that view. He was worried and you quickly deiced to reassure him.

“Boba, I’ll be alright. I was wearing protective armour and it wasn’t even a big bomb.” You ground out, eyeing him. “I couldn’t find anything to barricade the door with in time and I was worried you-- that you would get hurt.”

“Don’t you ever do that again.” He said sternly. “Don’t you ever endanger yourself for me again, you hear me?”

“Can’t promise anything.”

“You’ll be the death of me, Cyar’ika.” He grumbled and you knew he threw the pet name in to calm you down. “Now come with me. I need to check you for injuries.”

“Thank you.”

Boba sighed and took your arm, draping it over his shoulder to support you. “Getting this close to a bomb? Why would you do that?”

“I mean, you’re the bomb and I want to be close to you, as well.”

“I’ll let you walk back to the ship by yourself. Don’t test me.”

---

III.

You already knew that the second Boba laid his eyes on you, he would freak out but you still entered the cockpit, holding up the bag in your hand to indicate that you’d brought back what he’d asked you to get. Boba looked up from whatever he’d been fixing on the console and his face dropped when he saw the state you were in.

“What happened to you?”

You met Boba’s eyes for a few seconds before looking down and eyeing the bloody state of your armour. It was simple battle armour, strong and sturdy but nowhere near as durable as his – and you had noticed that during this fight. Slowly, you made your way to the pilot’s seat of Slave I and let yourself fall into it, groaning at the pain searing through your body.

“Will you answer my kriffing question?”

“I’m fine.”

Boba’s eyes narrowed at your words and he shook his head, abandoning the repairs he had been occupied with to approach you and kneel down in front of the pilot’s seat. “That is not what I asked. You went out to get supplies. How can you come back bloody and bruised from a supply run?”

“You come back like that when you meet the wrong people on the way back.” You huffed and shook your head. “Some kriffing idiots who thought I was easy prey because they hadn’t even seen the weapons I was carrying.”

“If you were armed then why are you so beaten up?”

Sitting back up and biting back a groan at how it pained your wounds, you leaned down to put a hand on Boba’s cheek. “Don’t worry about me. They simply took me by surprise and got a few hits in before I managed to reach for my weapon. That’s just what I get for straying from the market at a place like this.”

That got you an exasperated noise from Boba who shook his head and took your hand from his cheek, holding it in his own. “Then why did you stray from the market?”

“I had to get the bacta.” You shrugged before sighing softly. “And then I strayed even further because I saw a stand selling those sweets you mentioned eating as a child and-- I guess, I just wanted to do something nice for you.”

“Cyar’ika, you don’t have to for something so insignificant.”

“You told me about how your father used to bring them back for you sometimes.” You said softly, shaking your head. “I wanted you to have something nice for once!”

Boba sighed once more, shaking his head before getting up. “You stay put and I get the medical kit, alright?”

You watched him stand up to leave and quickly reached out for his arm. “Wait.”

“What is it?”

With a small smirk, you held up one of your hands, balled to a fist before opening it and revealing some of the sweets to him. Boba looked at your hand and then back at you before shaking his head.

“And you still got the sweets.” He dead-panned. “You are a resilient one.”

“I had to stray from the market to get the bacta anyway, so I figured wandering off a bit more would be fine.” You smiled and looked up at him. “Take them.”

“For how badly you were beaten by those attackers, you should have them.” He waved you off. “I’ll be right back.”

“I don’t need the sweets.” You said and leaned back, a wide grin spreading across your face as you watched him walk to the door. “I have you and you’re sweet enough.”

It was amusing how fast his head whipped around at that and how much he glared at you, despite the colour rising to his cheeks. “You be quiet or you can get the medical kit on your own.”

“Sorry!”

“You better be.”

“I really am but you are too sweet to not say it.”

“Okay, you can get it yourself!”

---

IV.

“Stay with me.”

Boba sighed in exasperation but lay back down in bed next to you, abandoning his previous plans of putting his clothes back on in favour of staying by your side for a while longer. You smiled at that, reaching up to gently stroke his face as you watched him get comfortable again.

It had been a while since you had seen Boba. He had been out hunting down a bounty and you had been stuck without him. So when he came back, the two of you had obviously been all over each other when he’d gotten done freezing the bounty. He’d taken his time with you, lavishing you with care and attention, yet you still wanted him to stay by your side a little longer. Fortunately, he seemed to be feeling indulgent so you quickly wrapped yourself around his body to keep him close.

“You are too good to me.”

“I sure am.” Boba said in slight amusement, leaning his nose against your hair. “And I doubt I will be able to get away from you anytime soon with how tightly you’re holding onto me.”

“You’re stronger than me.” You teased, gently tracing shapes across his chest. “You could leave if you really wanted to. But I think you like being here with me, too.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Boba shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t mind staying with you a while longer. Perhaps I’m feeling indulgent today because we haven’t seen each other for a while.”

Smiling at that, you inched even closer to Boba, pulling yourself to his body with the leg thrown over his tighs. “Did you miss me?”

“Careful, Princess.” He said warningly, clearly not appreciating your teasing but then he looked down at you and sighed softly. “But yes, I did.”

“I missed you, too.” You whispered softly before pushing yourself up to look at him with a smile. “You know what I missed about you?”

“Please don’t go on a terribly sweet rant about--”

“Oh, but I will.” You said teasingly, running your finger up and down his chest. “I missed your pretty eyes and your beautiful smile. And I definitely missed your strong arms, wrapped around me tightly, your heartbeat and body heat. For weeks I’ve longed to hear your beautiful laugh again, look into your eyes and--”

“Mesh’la, that’s quite enough.”

You eyed him, noting the way he averted his eyes as his cheeks flushed and just smirked a little before going back to lavishing him with affection. “You take such good care of me; make me feel so special. I want to make you feel special, too. You deserve so much affection. I love you so much and--”

Boba’s movements made you stop and you basically had to throw yourself back onto his chest to keep him from rising from the berth. He raised an eyebrow at you, a hand coming around your waist to keep you from falling.

“Will you quit it?”

“Will you leave if I don’t?”

“Yes.”

“Then I guess I’ll have no other choice but to quit.” You sighed in fake misery, looking back up at him before smiling teasingly. “Because I cannot imagine not having my strong, beautiful, powerful--”

“I’m leaving.”

“No, I’ll be quiet!”

---

V.

“Mesh’la, will you stop sighing so sadly?”

A small smirk made its way to your lip at Boba’s comment and you put down the pair of scissors you’d been holding. You were sitting on the berth, legs hanging off the side with Boba between them, leaning his back against you while you got ready to cut his hair. And both of you knew very well how much you loved his curls. You loved running your fingers through it, playing with it and holding onto it during more intimate moments but Boba did cut it every now and again -- much to your dismay.

“But I’ll miss your hair, love.”

“I don’t want you to cut all of it off.” Boba rolled his eyes at that, leaning his head back to look at you. “I need it cut. It’s getting in the way. I just need it short enough so it won’t get in the way.”

“I’ll braid it for you so it won’t get in the way.”

Before he could even get the chance to answer you had already begun to braid his hair, starting high on his head and gently carding your fingers through his locks whenever you took a new strand. Boba quieted down at your ministrations, slowly leaning into your hands and closing his eyes as you kept on braiding his hair along his head and down to his neck. When you were done, you kept your hands on his head, gently massaging his scalp and Boba blinked his eyes back open to look at you.

“It looks really pretty, Bo.”

“I will need you to cut it anyway.” Boba insisted, chuckling low in his chest as you frowned at him again upon hearing those words. “Just a little shorter, Mesh’la.”

“But you look so pretty with your hair long.”

“Stop calling me pretty. I’m not pretty.”

“But you are.” You insisted, leaning down to kiss his lips briefly. “And your hair is so pretty when it’s long. Not that you’re not absolutely mesmerising when it’s short, as well. But I just love to run my fingers through your beautiful hair.”

“If you keep calling me pretty I’ll cut all of it off.”

You knew it was a joke but you quickly shook your head anyway, leaning down to kiss him once more, silencing him. “Fine, I’ll cut it but not too short.”

“Deal.”

---

+I.

It was Boba’s sharp gasp that awoke you and you turned onto your back, blinking into the darkness around you to find him sitting up in bed, chest heaving and body shaking. Quickly, you pushed yourself onto your elbows to check on him.

“Boba, what’s wrong?”

You hoped it was just a weird noise that had awoken him or the noises of the storm outside. But the tears glistening on his cheeks in the darkness and the way he was obviously trying to keep himself from sobbing told you otherwise. Something like a storm or an issue with the ship wouldn’t scare him like that. You knew exactly what it was. It was a nightmare – or more precisely his traumatic past coming back to haunt him in his dreams. They happened every once in a while and you always tried your best to help, though he didn’t make it easy for you to do so.

Boba had always been good at playing these things off, turning away from you and pretending he didn’t feel as hurt and terrified by them as he really did. But over your time as his partner, you’d learned that these nightmares scared and upset him more than he ever let on. It was no different tonight as he remained silent, bringing a hand up to grasp at the shirt he was wearing and trying to calm his breathing. You watched as Boba slowly turned away from you and took shuddering breath after shuddering breath without any success at calming himself down.

Slowly you sat up and then gently, as not to startle him, brought a hand to his shoulder. At the feel of your skin against his, the sobs he’d tried hard to keep at bay got worse and he gasped for breath as they shook his body. Your heart broke for him and you moved even closer before you brought your arms around him, holding him to your body.

“Boba, can you try and calm your breathing for me?” You asked softly, trying to shift the focus away from his tears. You knew how much he loathed when you saw him cry so you didn’t want to put any focus on that for the time being. “It’s understandable to be upset but you need to breathe. Can you try?”

You were unsure if he had even heard you but then Boba grabbed your hand and nodded before taking a deep shuddering breath. Holding him as tightly as possible, you inched closer, fingers interlacing with his and breathing deeply, trying to let your breath guide him. It took a while but eventually, Boba managed to calm down, his breath coming out slower now, much more controlled than before, and his sobbing had stopped. And though you could still feel the tremors of his body, saw the tears still running down his face he was breathing much more evenly and that was a small victory in itself.

“Good. You’re doing so good.” You whispered, gently running your hands across his chest and stomach as you leaned up to press a soft kiss to the back of his neck. “I’ve got you and I’m not going anywhere. I am staying right here, right by your side for as long as you need me to.”

After spending such a long time with Boba you knew that when you were comforting him what he needed weren’t promises that everything would be fine – it was the reassurance that even if things wouldn’t be alright, that you would be there. So that was what you always promised him. You promised him to be there and to stay by his side. Boba always seemed to deeply appreciate those promises and he did so this time as well, eventually turning around to face you. You could see he was trying to compose himself, so you just reached up to cup his cheek and lean your forehead against his.

“It’s alright to be upset, you know? I won’t think any less of you.”

“I am so weak.”

“You’re not weak.” You whispered gently, closing your eyes and stroking his cheek. “You are one of the strongest people I know. You’ve withstood so much pain and hurt. Crying because of all that pain is not weak. I will never think of you as weak.”

“I dreamed of my father.”

You sighed sadly at that, knowing exactly what those dreams usually entailed. They were usually full of memories of his father leaving, visions of him dying and Boba desperately trying to get to him, yet never succeeding. Knowing how much those dreams hurt Boba, you inched even closer until you were in his lap before pulling him into a tight embrace, running your fingers up and down his back.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

As expected Boba shook his head. Then he dropped his head so he could bury his face at your neck, taking another steadying breath. Sighing sadly, you just continued to hold him tightly as you began to run your fingers through his hair.

“Thank you, Cyar’ika.” He eventually whispered, grabbing at your shirt. “I rarely tell you but-- but I really appreciate that you’re this caring and affectionate, no matter how I-- how exasperated I seem. You do so much for me.”

“I know that you appreciate me.” You soothed, running your fingers through his locks. “If I didn’t feel appreciated by you then I would leave. But I won’t because I love you and I know you love me in return – I can tell that you do.”

“Really? I feel like such a jerk sometimes.”

“You sure can be, but I know that underneath all the eye-rolling and grumbling you really do care about me. That’s all I need.” You said in earnest, meaning every word you said. “You protect me, care for me and love me. That is enough.”

“Is that truly enough?”

“It is.” You whispered, pressing a kiss to his head and pulling him closer. “Do you think you can try and get back to sleep? I’ll be right here, I promise.”

“Thank you, Cyar’ika, for everything.”

“There is no reason to thank me.”

“There is.”

[runawrites-blog]

Trust (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Summary: You notice it during a quiet evening spent with Bucky and then it won't leave your head again. Bucky is afraid of touching you with his vibranium arm, going out of his way to avoid doing so. You take it upon yourself to try and show him that he doesn't have to worry that you're not afraid, and that you trust him completely. (Gender Neutral Reader) Word Count: 6,092 Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Mild Discussions of Past Traumatic Events, Mild Violence and Mentions of Fighting, No Y/N, Petnames (Doll, Love), Non-Graphic Smut Scene (To avoid it skip from "It was three days later" and continue at "You moved your hands", so skip the first paragraph there. Please do not read it and instead skip it if you are not 18+/ Skip it if you are a Minor) Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51380476

---

The first time you noticed it, was during a stormy night which you had spent curled up in your bed with Bucky, reading a book while he was lying by your side, his head on your chest and his right arm looped around your waist. Eventually, you decided to turn down for the night, and seeing as Bucky had not moved for the past hour or so, you were careful as you put your book down and turned off the light, assuming that he had fallen asleep. But as you gingerly shimmied down on the bed he looked up at you and you gave him an apologetic look, thinking you’d woken him up.

“Sorry, Bucky, I just wanted to lie down so we can turn in for the night.” You whispered, pressing a kiss to his head as you settled on your pillow. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“You didn’t, Sweetheart. I was about to drift off.”

“You could have if you were tired, Love. I wouldn’t have minded.” You soothed, lips moving down to his cheek. “Why didn’t you?”

“Better safe than sorry.” He sat up and you watched as he reached up to detach his vibranium arm before putting it down close to the bed and lying back down next to you. “Now we can finally settle down.”

His words made you still in your movements, a terrible suspicion dawning on you that painted a lot of his previous actions in a completely different light. Bucky usually preferred to hold your hand with his right one and always had you sit by that side. During intimate moments he never touched you with his left hand and solely used it for keeping his balance. Every time you shared a bed he detached his arm before settling down. You had always assumed that it was simply more comfortable to sleep without the metal arm weighing him down and had it not been for his words you would have continued to think so but now you knew that this was not the only reason.

Bucky was afraid of hurting you with his vibranium arm.

For a few seconds, you mulled over that suspicion, thinking about how to breech the subject, how to assure him that you trusted him not to hurt you, to talk about his fears. But you were at a loss and when Bucky turned halfway back onto his stomach, head settling on your shoulder and face buried at your neck as his right arm looped around your waist you decided to not speak up about it for now. Bucky was exhausted from a long day and you wanted to offer him the comfort and safety he needed. So you just wrapped your arms around him and buried your nose in his hair.

“Sleep well.” You whispered, pressing a kiss to his head. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” Bucky mumbled back, voice soft as he held onto you tightly. “Sleep well, Sweetheart.”

“With you by my side, I always do.”

Against your skin, you could feel his mouth turn into a smile and despite your worries, you felt grateful that he was at the very least smiling and that he seemed comfortable. But his words still circled your head. Bucky was afraid of hurting you with his metal arm and he was actively going out of his way to keep it away from you. You wanted nothing more than to prove to him that his worries were unfounded but you didn’t know how to go about it -- and even if you did, you knew he wouldn’t believe you.

When the next morning rolled around, waking you with the rays of sun that gently fell in through the curtains and had long since chased the rain away, it only took your thoughts a few seconds to circle back to the previous night. A frown overtook your features as you once more thought about what to do but before you could come up with an idea a hand reached up to gently carass your cheek.

“What’s got you frowning first thing in the morning, Doll?”

You looked down at Bucky and gave him a soft smile. “Nothing important, don’t worry.”

“I wasn’t too heavy, was I? I keep telling you that if me sleeping halfway on top of you is too heavy you have to tell me so I can move.”

“No, that’s really not it, I swear.” You said, chuckling softly as you shook your head. “If anything I like having your weight on me. You’re like my personal weighted blanket.”

Bucky leaned up to kiss your cheek before he slowly sat up and you admired how his body stretched in the warm sunlight, outlining his features. For a moment you allowed yourself to smile at his domestic moment with your partner. But when he reached for his arm to reattach it to where it hooked into his shoulder all the concern from the previous night came back and once more you thought about what to do to ease his worries. You still knew that he would not believe you if you simply told him these things but perhaps it was worth a try to show him that you did not share his worries even in the slightest. So, you decided to make it your mission to prove this to Bucky.

---

You tried to show him that you were not scared of his arm just about half an hour later after you had gotten out of the shower and found him making breakfast in the kitchen. Since the two of you had a date at a current exhibition at the local museum planned for the day Bucky was preparing a quick breakfast, cutting some fruit up, and setting the table with all the things he knew you liked. He was currently cutting up an apple into slices when you entered, his back turned to the door, and you quietly made your way toward him before draping yourself across his back though you still made sure to make enough noise so that he would hear you approach and wouldn’t be startled.

“Thank you for preparing something to eat.” You whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek before you moved around and embraced his left arm, leaning your head against the metallic shoulder of it. “What do you say? Should we bring lunch with us or should we try to find a place to eat while we’re out?”

Bucky froze a little as you leaned into his vibranium arm and quickly turned around, leaning against the counter, subtly but effectively turning the arm away from you with his right side now facing you. “I say we go find something while we’re out.”

“Are you looking forward to the exhibition?” You asked with a smile, trying to ignore his actions so as to not make him uncomfortable. “I know you’ve been very interested in space travel lately.”

“Can you blame me?” Bucky joked, returning your smile. “I recently learned about how much further we have come in terms of space travel in the last decades. It’s really amazing, I have to say.”

“I’m not blaming you at all. I’m really interested in it, too, and I think your interest in science is really charming.” With another small kiss on his cheek, you moved away to sit down at the table. “Your excitement about it is quite frankly adorable.”

“Adorable?” Bucky chuckled as he sat down opposite you. “I am far from adorable.”

“I’d beg to differ. When you smile in amazement at a piece in the museum or your eyes light up when you get to listen to someone’s stories of space travel you’re so sweet that I can barely handle it.”

“What can I say? I’ve always been interested in science, even back in the fourties.” Bucky smiled softly as he began to eat. “Steve and I would go to science fairs, exhibitions, and museums all the time.”

“Tell me more about that, please.”

---

You hoped the museum would give you more opportunities to show Bucky that you were not afraid of his vibranium arm, planning on trying to hold his left hand or onto his arm. Unfortunately, you found that you never got the right opportunity to hold onto his arm because you never stood in one spot long enough to cuddle up to him and you never had the chance to hold his left hand because he kept the guide to the exhibition clutched in that one. You resigned to try again later and simply enjoyed your date with your boyfriend, smiling at his excitement and interest, reading all the informational signs, and looking out for the things you had encountered on the few space missions you had been on.

“Can you believe we’ve been in one of these before in actual space?” Bucky asked as you made your way through the recreated interior of a space ship and you knew that he was referring to your latest mission where the two of you had set out on a spaceship to an old abandoned space station where you had been getting important documents from. “It’s amazing when you think of it.”

“What a coincidence. I had the exact same thought just a few seconds ago.” You grinned as you turned to him. “It always seems unbelievable to me.”

“I honestly find it hard to believe, too, but I have encountered many unbelievable things in the past few years.” Bucky mused with a small smile, looking back at you. “Want to continue on? The next room is a display of our galaxy.”

“Let’s go.”

The two of you entered the next room, a big hall that had holograms of all the planets in the known galaxy projected above the visitors who were able to circle the model of the sun placed in the middle of the exhibit on a metal walkway. You and Bucky walked on the metal walkway, looking at the display, stopping next to the hologram of Earth and looking up as the voiceover talked about the newly discovered planets in the galaxy. Gingerly you reached out to grab Bucky’s left hand, squeezing it with yours as you leaned into his side a little.

As soon as your fingers closed around his, Bucky pulled his hand back and rounded your body. You watched his movements with a small frown but you couldn’t help but smile softly as he held out his right hand to you, flexing his finger in invitation and you took his hand, holding it tightly as you once more leaned into his side, wanting nothing more than to be close to him. But Bucky seemed to have caught your frown because he sighed softly, keeping his eyes firmly on the exhibit as he spoke.

“Sorry, Sweetheart.” He whispered. “I’d rather you hold my flesh hand.”

“There’s nothing to apologise for.” You said softly, deciding against speaking up on his worries so as to not ruin the date for him. “I simply want you to be comfortable.”

Bucky was quiet for a few seconds before he changed the topic. “Do you like the exhibition? I think it’s really interesting to learn about all the ways space travel has changed and hear about the new planets we’ve made contact with.”

“It really is.” You agreed, going with his change in topic and offering him a playful smile. “And I enjoy seeing you so invested and excited about something. You can be such a nerd and I love it.”

“And you’re any better?” He teased right back, giving you a sly smirk. “You’ve read every informational sign there was to read.”

“I’ve never said I wasn’t just as big of a nerd.” You chuckled, leaning your head onto his shoulder. “That’s why we get along so well.”

Bucky smiled and pulled you into a gentle kiss, his right hand settling on the small of your back as he leaned into you. All you could do was reciprocate, your eyes fluttering shut just as his did. He pulled back all too soon but he kept his forehead leaning against yours as he sighed softly. “I love you so much.”

“I love you just as much.”

---

It was three days later that you noticed how big Bucky’s concerns were once more. He still took his arm off when you slept in bed with him and avoided having you hold his left hand every time but you really saw his fears when the two of you shared an intimate moment. You were in Bucky’s lap, his right hand on your hip, guiding your movements. His face was buried at your neck, nipping and kissing the flesh there as you held onto him. His hand tightened on your hip and the metal one clenched the headboard behind him.

You moved your hands from his shoulders, intending on trailing them down his body but as you took them off him you lost your balance and tipped backward. Bucky reacted quickly and brought his left hand around you to catch your fall, holding you up by your upper back, stopping his previous movements, and looking at you in worry. Tipping backwards so suddenly startled you and you gasped in surprise. And just as you did Bucky froze, eyes going wide in what you could only describe as horrified guilt as he pulled away his left hand, switching it with his right to pull you back into a sitting position.

When he was sure you wouldn’t lose your balance again he pulled back all together, gently coaxing you off him and physically withdrawing from you, face scrunching up in concern. You got to your knees, getting closer to him again, feeling worry rise in you at his actions. While you knew he held back from touching you with his metal arm this extreme of a reaction to accidentally touching you with it was concerning. But before you could speak he did.

“I am so sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“I am so sorry that I hurt you.” Bucky explained quickly, getting to his knees and placing his right hand on your shoulder to turn your upper body around so he could see your back. “All I could think of was not letting you fall. I didn’t think this through and I-- I caught you with the vibranium arm and-- and now I’ve hurt you.”

You were quick to get onto your knees and bring your hands to his shoulders, making him look at you. “Bucky, I’m fine, I swear. You didn’t hurt me at all, I promise.”

“But you gasped. It sounded like I hurt you when I caught you.”

“Bucky, you didn’t hurt me.” You assured him, looking at him in earnest. “I gasped because I was surprised at falling. If anything, you caught me and probably stopped me from actually getting hurt. You did not hurt me.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” You assured him and leaned over to press a gentle kiss to his temple. “You could never hurt me.”

Bucky opened his mouth but then closed it again, deciding to remain quiet and instead simply drew you close to him, bringing his right arm up to hold you sightly. You had a suspicion about what he had been planning to say but you said nothing and simply wrapped your arms around him, climbing into his lap to cradle his head to your shoulder and Bucky took a deep breath before he spoke again.

“Can we simply cuddle tonight?”

“Of course, we can.”

“I’m sorry for ruining--”

“I’m not even going to let you finish that sentence.” You interrupted, keeping your voice gentle. “You haven’t ruined anything and you could never ruin anything by not wanting to sleep with me or needing to stop in the middle of sex. Do you understand?”

He nodded against your shoulder. “I understand.”

“How about we cuddle up under the blankets and simply watch a movie?”

“Depends.” Bucky drew back to give you a playful smile and that was enough to ease your worries a little bit. “Will there be popcorn?”

“Of course.”

---

Bucky’s terrified reaction to thinking he had accidentally hurt you didn’t leave your mind for days. You made sure to assure him that you felt absolutely safe with him and eventually he started to relax again. Your routine continued as usual until, after a small mission, Sam came over for a visit to celebrate everyone’s safe return. The three of you had eventually ended up watching a movie on your sofa after dinner -- one that Sam had suggested because Bucky hadn’t seen it, yet.

As the movie went on you inched closer to Bucky, wanting to be close to him after a rather hard mission. So while he was engrossed by the movie you reached out to lift his left arm up and put it around your shoulders. It took Bucky a few seconds to react and he moved his arm away from you, resting it on the back of the sofa before looking at you.

“Would you mind switching sides with Sam?” Bucky asked softly, a frown on his face as he looked at you. “Then I can hold you all evening, Doll.”

You looked at him for a second, worry overtaking you as you once more saw how worried he was about touching you with his vibranium arm. “I don’t mind staying on your left, Love.”

“Sweetheart, I’d be more comfortable if you moved to my right side.” Bucky explained quietly before turning to Sam. “You wouldn’t mind switching sides, right?”

Sam’s worried eyes locked with yours for a second before he looked back at Bucky. “Of course not.”

With that, he stood and the two of you switched sides, Sam on Bucky’s left now and you on his right. Bucky extended his right arm and you gave him a soft smile before leaning into him, embracing him as he pulled you close to his side. The three of you continued to watch the movie but all you could think about was how worried Bucky still was about touching you with his metal arm and wondering how you could prove to him that he didn’t have to be. When the move was over and Bucky left to put the dishes away you couldn’t help but speak to Sam about it, wanting to hear someone else’s thoughts on this whole situation.

“How do I help him with that?”

“With the dishes?”

“No.” You rolled your eyes a little, annoyed by him not immediately understanding the issue but also somewhat understanding the miscommunication. “I mean how do I help him with how scared he is to touch me with his metal arm? It seems like he’s scared to hurt me with it.”

Sam looked at the door to the kitchen before nodding. “Now that you say it he really seems a little concerned about it.”

“He is more than a little concerned, Sam.” You said, sounding more worried by the second. “He keeps me exclusively to his right side, he won’t touch me with his left hand and he panics whenever he accidentally does so.”

“Really?”

“Last week he caught me with his left arm and went into a downright panic, apologising for hurting me multiple times.” You recounted the event that was still present in your mind before sighing. “I really want to help him see that I am not afraid of him hurting me and that I trust him completely but I don’t know how. Do I just tell him? Do I show him? How do I show him?”

Sam thought for a few seconds before sighing softly. “I would continue doing what you’re already doing -- telling him you don’t mind him touching you with it, showing him that you trust him and just reassuring him when he overthinks.”

“You think that will be enough?”

“He’s made such great progress and you helped him with that. I can’t remember the last time he was so relaxed and smiling so much.” Sam reassured you with a soft smile. “You help him a lot.”

“I just worry about him.”

“I think that he’s spent so long thinking of his arm as nothing but a weapon -- even after he got the vibranium one -- that it will simply take him some time to realise that it’s not inherently dangerous.”

His words got you thinking for a few seconds before you nodded. “That actually makes a lot of sense.”

“Of course, you should respect it if he feels more comfortable not touching you with his left arm, but you could always simply talk to him. If you think bringing this up will help, then sit down with him, tell him that you feel absolutely safe with him, and reassure him.”

“Thank you, Sam.”

“Anytime.”

“What are you two talking about?” Bucky asked as he walked back into the room, chuckling a little as you and Sam turned around in perfect unison. “That synchronised head turn is pretty creepy, you know?”

“Should we stand at the end of a hallway like the twins in The Shining?”

Bucky gave you a questioning look. “I don’t think I’ve seen that movie before.”

“We could watch it right now.” Sam exclaimed before smiling a little as he came up with a quick excuse as to what you two had been talking about. “We were actually just wondering what movie to watch next.”

“Then let’s watch that movie.” Bucky said and sat back down, pulling you close to him. “It’s a horror movie, I assume from context, right? Won’t it scare you, Doll?”

You chuckled and kissed his cheek. “Horror movies don’t scare me. Besides, they are nothing compared to the bad guys we fight on a daily basis.”

“Will you get scared?” Sam grinned at Bucky, giving him a teasing look. “If you end up scared in your partner’s lap, I will laugh at you. I hope you know that.”

“I don’t get scared that easily.”

“We shall see.”

---

After your talk with Sam and deciding you should speak to Bucky about his fears, you waited for the right time to do so but when it never seemed like the appropriate moment, you sat down next to him on the bed one quiet evening. The slight drizzle outside had forced you to stay in that day and Bucky was reading on the bed when you came inside. He looked up from his book to give you a small smile but when he saw your serious expression he put it down and sat up properly.

“Love, what’s wrong?”

“Can I talk to you?”

“You can talk to me about literally anything.”

You nodded and sat down on the bed next to him. “I’m gonna say it straight out because I don’t want to beat around the bush and honestly, I’m unsure of how to approach this subject. I realised that you are worried or afraid to touch me with your vibranium arm and I need you to know that I am not scared of it or worried you’ll hurt me with it.”

Bucky looked at you for almost a full minute before he seemed to have concluded what to say. “Doll, I really appreciate you telling me that you’re not afraid of-- of my arm and that you’re speaking up on this because you worry about me but I-- I know how strong and destructive this arm is. It was built as a weapon.”

“But it no longer is. You use it to help people, to protect them. I just-- I mean, just on the last mission we were on you saved a whole elevator full of innocent civilians by holding it up until they could be evacuated.” You tried to reason. “I know it’s hard for you to believe and I understand that.”

“It’s hard to realise that. I know that I help innocent people and I know that what happened to me wasn’t my fault, trust me. After everything that happened, I’ve learned that.” Bucky said before sighing deeply, taking your hand into his right one. “But that doesn’t change the fact that objectively speaking the arm was designed to be a weapon, that it’s capable of terrible things and could hurt you even if I don’t want to.”

“Anyone is capable of hurting people, metal arm or not, James.”

“It was designed as a weapon.” Bucky repeated and you realised how mentally caught up he was on that fact. “A gun is still dangerous even if it’s not inherently bad.”

You were quiet for a second, gaze dropping to his vibranium arm. “The arm you have now wasn’t designed as a weapon, though. You got it in Wakanda, not at a Hydra base. The scientists there gave it to you because they trust you not to hurt anyone.”

“Yet they put in a mechanism that allowed them to detach it with the press of a button.” Bucky said, eyes dropping and tearing up just slightly. “And I don’t blame them for not trusting me completely.”

“I do.” You said in earnest, squeezing his hand with both of yours. “I trust you blindly, James. Please try to believe me that I trust you completely.”

Bucky looked up at that, teary eyes meeting yours before he pulled his hand away to wrap around your shoulders and pull you into a tight embrace, burying his face at your shoulder. You quickly hugged him back, bringing a hand up to cradle his head.

“Thank you, Love. Your trust means the world to me.” Bucky whispered into your shoulder, voice tight with emotions. “But I still know that the arm could potentially harm you and I mean-- I would feel better if I weren’t touching you with it.”

“That’s alright.” You said softly, holding him tightly. “Whatever you need is alright. I just noticed how scared you were and I wanted you to know that I trust you.”

“Thank you.”

---

A new mission coming along shoved all your remaining worries to the back of your mind. Now infiltrating a base of previous HYDRA agents to retrieve secret files was not an easy task but you and Bucky had encountered hurdles far bigger and together you had always managed to overcome them. It took a while but eventually, you two were rushing to your getaway car, dodging bullets from the former agents while you kept the files safely clutched against your chest.

Bucky threw open the car door and got inside while you slid across the hood of it to get to the passenger side. Once you were inside, he hit the gas and took off, tires screeching against the concrete and you gripped the back of the seat to keep yourself steady as he swerved around a building to get away from the abandoned warehouse the former agents had holed up in. As you buckled up he turned to you for a second.

“You okay, Doll? No injuries?”

“I’m fine. How about you?”

“Me, too. Let’s get out of here.”

But before you could there was a loud bang from underneath the car and before you knew what was happening the vehicle flipped over. Everything went by in a blur. The car landed on the roof and when you opened your eyes again you found yourself hanging upside down from your seat. Bucky unbuckled himself and was at your side in an instant, worry etched on his face.

“Are you alright?”

“Mostly fine. What happened?”

“I think they threw a bomb underneath the car. I know I did it once back under HYDRA’s control and the whole car flipped over like ours did.”

You were about to answer when a shot was fired at the car and pierced through the back window before the bullet lodged itself in the back of your seat’s fabric. Bucky pulled out his gun and you tried to free yourself from the seatbelt just to realise that its mechanism had been damaged in the crash, leaving you unable to unbuckle it. Anything you could have used to cut yourself free was out of reach and so was your gun. Panic rose in you as you turned to look out the window to find one of the agents approaching your getaway car with a rifle in their hand.

They aimed at your head and fired. Fully expecting to be hit you turned your head away, not able to move much due to the seat belt still holding you relatively in place. You knew that even if you moved your upper body, the agent would still be able to hit you if they just slightly readjusted their aim, so you closed your eyes in anticipation. Then suddenly a metallic clang echoed through the car and when you looked back toward the window you found your sight obstructed by Bucky’s vibranium arm.

He had blocked the bullet with it. He had saved your life.

Then he fired at the agent that had shot at you, sending them to the floor. Quickly, he used the vibranium arm to yank your seatbelt from where it was fastened to the car and free you. Once out from your confinement, you grabbed your gun and helped him shoot at the agents to take them out.

And soon enough, all of them were down just in time for your backup to arrive. Both of you were quickly helped into the other car and then you were off on your way, Bucky sitting next to you in the back of the SHIELD van. When the van had started driving off and you two knew you were safe, Bucky turned to you.

“Are you injured, Love? They didn’t hit you, did they?”

“No, they didn’t.” You said, taking his left hand into yours and before he could pull it back you shook your head, speaking up again. “You saved me. You say the arm was designed as a weapon but today it saved my life.”

Bucky looked at you for what felt like forever but was realistically not more than about a minute before his vibranium hand squeezed around yours, eliciting a small smile from you. He was slowly realising that his arm was more than a weapon and seeing that it had the potential to protect the ones he loved. You knew that holding your hand was a small step forward but it still meant moving in the right direction.

“Thank you for saving my life, James.”

“I would always save you. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

---

A few hours later found you and Bucky at your place, reclining on your bed and watching a movie on your laptop. Bucky was still working off his list of things he had missed, the idea having been something he’d picked up from Steve a few years earlier, and this evening you two had decided to watch a movie that he had yet to see. The blanket was draped over the two of you and Bucky’s right hand was settled on your hip, thumb gently rubbing your skin. With the adrenaline of the mission wearing off, Bucky right next to you, and the sun setting outside you felt your eyelids growing heavy. The movements of your left hand that had been running up and down his right arm were faltering now and again. Your head kept drifting onto Bucky’s shoulder before you brought it back up to watch the movie.

But eventually, your exhaustion combined with his gentle ministrations made you drift off, head coming down to rest on his shoulder and body snuggling into his side. Had you not been so exhausted from the fight you would have noticed that your head had fallen onto Bucky’s left shoulder, left hand coming up to wrap around his biceps.

You were awoken a few minutes later by a loud noise coming from the television, immediately followed by Bucky quietly swearing and the volume being turned off. Blinking your eyes open, you turned your head to look up at him and he gave you an apologetic smile.

“Go back to sleep, Doll. I turned the volume down. You can rest.”

With another soft smile you snuggled back up to him, your cheek smushed against the cool vibranium of his left arm and your hand once more holding onto his biceps. It was a few seconds later that you realised you were holding onto his left arm and you tilted your head up to look at Bucky. When he saw your head turning he examined your face, taking in your thoughtful expression.

“What are you thinking about, Doll?”

“I’m leaning against your left arm.” You whispered, running a finger up the biceps of said arm. “Is this really alright for you? As I said, I’m not afraid of you hurting me and I trust you completely, but I know that you don’t really like touching me with it and I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“You were right, earlier in the van.” He said softly, eyes flicking to the window so he wouldn’t have to make eye contact. “Had it not been for my vibranium arm, you might not be here right now. And it made me think about all the things you’ve said about the arm beforehand.”

“How so?”

“The arm was meant to be a weapon, the one from Hydra most definitely, and even the one I got in Wakanda had the potential to be used as one. But you were right about it not being used as one anymore, or at least not outside of fighting bad guys.” Bucky concluded, eyes flickering to your face once before focusing back on the window. “It helped me save you and it helped me save many others before.”

“I’m glad you’re starting to see your arm as something other than a weapon.”

Bucky turned back to look at you before resting his cheek against your head. “It’s something that’s been ingrained in my brain for a long time, though, so please give me time, and don’t be upset if I’m ever withdrawing from you or afraid to touch you.”

“I would never be upset with you for that, James. Why would you even think that?”

“Because you always get so sad when I talk negatively about myself or the arm.”

“That’s not because I’m upset with you. I understand that it’s hard to see a part of yourself that others have misused as a weapon as anything but that. When you say things like that it makes me hurt for you.” You explained softly, bringing a hand up to cup the cheek that wasn’t smushed against your head. “And I know you don’t like people pitying you but that’s not what I’m doing. I love you and I hate seeing you in any sort of distress.”

“I’m doing much better now.” Bucky promised quietly. “I mean, I’m far from fine and I still have nightmares and fears and the like, but I’m so much better than I was before and I will get better in the future. So please don’t worry about me too much, Doll.”

“James, take one look at me and tell me that you think I’d be able to not worry about you.” You joked, earning a small laugh from him. “You know me too well for that.”

Smirking a little at your joke, Bucky reached out to turn the movie off and flicked the switch on the bedside lamp. “Still, please try not to be too concerned. You’re helping me an awful lot, I hope you know that.”

“And I hope you know that every step you take in your recovery, no matter how small it might seem, is something you can be proud of. I’m proud of you for how far you’ve come.” You closed your eyes then, cuddling up to him. “And I trust you with all my heart.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. That’s on you for being trustworthy.” You whispered. “But is it physically uncomfortable to keep the arm on while sleeping?”

“No, with the new one, it’s not. The old metal one was heavier and could get uncomfortable but this one is fine.” Bucky said with a smile before kissing your head as you snuggled closer to his side, your head moving to rest on the junction between his vibranium arm and his shoulder, allowing him to wrap his left arm around you. “Thank you for everything, Love. I love you so much.”

“Right back at you, Sweetheart. I love you just as much.”

[runawrites-blog]

Alone (Loki x Reader)

(Gif Not Mine)

Summary: After Loki's death at the hands of Thanos, you do your best to fight on and be strong but in the end, it doesn't matter. Without him, you realise how truly alone you are and wonder if loving him has made you weak. Word Count: 2,205 Warnings: Canonical Character Death (Loki), Mild Violence, Swearing, Passive Suicidal Thoughts/ Accepting Death (Reader), No Y/N A/N: The beginning is from the fanfiction "Lies", so don't wonder why it's the same. In this, however, the reader doesn't have clairvoyance powers but rather some that are similar to Wanda's. Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22619269

---

“You will never be a god.“

Those were the last words you would ever hear of Loki, the man you loved more than anything and who had promised you to always be by your side.

The horrific crack that could be heard as his neck snapped in two made you fall to your knees. You tried your hardest not to break down as you watched your lover’s dead body fall limp onto the floor.

“No resurrections this time.”

You crawled over to Loki, not even caring whether Thanos was already gone or he would kill you, too. The only thing you had left was Loki. Thanos had destroyed your home, murdered everyone you held dear, and now he had taken the only person who you had left. Crying your heart out seemed like the reasonable thing to do as you let yourself fall halfway onto Loki’s chest.

Your body was wracked with sobs as you felt for a heartbeat at his wrist, his chest, or anywhere that you hadn’t checked before. Yet, you did detect no heartbeat. Loki was dead and you would never see him again.

Never again would you hear his voice. Never again would he tease you, trick you, or prank you. Never again would you feel his warmth or see his smile. Never again would he hold you. And funny enough the first thought that popped into your head was to talk to Loki about this and find comfort in him, but that could never happen again.

Another sob wracked your body as you came to terms with the fact that he was in fact dead. You didn’t know what to do or how to move on from this. In the background, you could hear Thor calling out to you but you didn’t listen.

When you didn’t listen, Thor tried to drag you away, his own eyes filled with tears. You didn’t listen; you just clung to Loki’s body harder. Thor eventually sat down next to you, apparently giving up on trying to move you, tears now running down his face.

You didn’t look at him, didn’t talk to him. All you did was cling to Loki and cry as you felt the warmth leaving his body.

Nothing mattered anymore. Loki was dead.

Slowly, Thor’s voice drang through your thoughts of despair. “We need to leave! Are you listening to me? Do you hear me?”

You turned to him, tears streaking your cheeks. “He took everything from me.”

“We need to get to Midgard. We need to stop him.”

“Why? He took everything from me. What do I have left to fight for?”

“Don’t say that.”

“But he did! He killed my family, destroyed my home planet and now he’s killed Loki, the only one who stuck around through all my despair, the only one that still loved me, the only one I had left!” You screeched, more tears falling from your cheeks.

“You have me.” Thor said in earnest. “I am just as devasted as you are but you are my friend and I will be there until the very end. We can still defeat him.”

“How?”

“We will find a way.”

---

Stopping Thanos proved to be harder than expected. When he eventually arrived in Wakanda, large armies in his tail and destruction in his path, you felt yourself freeze all over. There he stood, mighty and powerful, the gauntlet on his hand -- the hand that took Loki from you, the one that choked the life out of him.

Your fear was quickly replaced with anger as you saw him stand there all high and mighty, after all he had done not only to you but the universe. Images of the telegram that informed you of your planet’s destruction, of your family’s death filled your mind, images of the way he had taunted you over your lost home when he finally met you again, images of Loki’s dead body lying on the ground.

Tendrils of your powers sparked at the tips of your fingers, blue magic engulfing your hands. Thanos stood before you, intend on taking more from you, intend on taking more from the universe than he already had. White-hot rage filled you. You were more than ready to fight him, even if it meant your own demise. You wouldn’t let him get away with taking Loki from you, too.

Loki was gone now, too. You had nothing more to lose. You would have your revenge.

As Thanos’ army charged you were glad that your teammates were at your side. Just the sight of all of Wakanda, along with other heroes fighting side by side, leaving differences and fights aside, gave you a sense of community that strengthened you.

You and your teammates fought for hours, being injured and injuring the opponents. The fight seemed pointless in the end as more and more of Thanos’ men kept appearing. At one point you ended up pinned to a three by Proxima Midnight, her ridiculing words about your weakness of loving Loki paining you more than anything. But you managed to blast her away, a hue of blue slamming her away from you against a nearby tree.

You were glad to be rid of her and her ridicule but when you turned you came face to face with Thanos. Before you could even react, he had you by the neck, pressing you to a tree.

“Tell me where the Mind Stone is.” He demanded. “Where are your people hiding it?”

Of course, you denied, struggling in his grip, and to your horror, your powers proved useless to him with the stones he already possessed. “I will never tell you!”

“Then I shall dispose of you, as well.”

You swallowed against your fear. Never would you tell him where the stone was, never would you betray the universe like that. Even if he killed you, at least he would be none the wiser to the location of the stone. A little voice in your head was telling you that at least in death you could be with Loki again.

“You took everything from me.” You spat at him, grabbing his fingers that were wrapped around your throat but not squeezing hard enough to restrict oxygen. “I will never turn over the stone to you.”

“Everything?” He then began to laugh, tauntingly as if he could ever understand the pain you were in. “Does Loki hold such a dear place in your heart?”

“You destroyed my planet, murdered my people and my family. Then you took the only one I had left.” You hissed, your voice like venom. “But he was right; he was so right about you. You will never be a god. Your tyrannical ways will never work.”

“Why is that?” He squeezed a bit tighter. “Tell me if you are oh so wise.”

“As long as there is injustice there will always be resistance.” You said in earnest though you were in tears. “As long as there is tyranny there will always be revolution. You will never find peace, you will never find glory or power and you will never be a god.”

“You are pathetic.” He shook his head. “The universe is on the brink of chaos and you mourn one being?”

“You would never understand, no matter how hard you try.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you don’t know what it is to love. You have never in your life felt selfless love for someone, the kind of love that makes you strong and weak at the same time, the kind of love that makes you fight, the kind of love that makes you choose their happiness over yours.”

“How touching. Is that what you felt for Loki? You are weak because you allowed yourself to love someone this much. Your love will be your undoing!”

“Then so be it.” You closed your eyes, tears falling down your cheeks. “I may have lost love. But the greatest tragedy of all is never to feel the warmth of love.”

“Pathetic.”

You pressed your eyes shut but to your surprise, he dropped you and you fell to your knees. When you looked up he was gone. Tears were still rolling down your cheeks but as quickly as you could, you got to your feet and made your way to the rest of your team, your abilities lifting you in the air and carrying you. When you found Steve, you plopped down next to him.

“He knows the Mind Stone is here.” You stammered out. “He found me in the forest, and threatened me to tell him but I wouldn’t.”

“And he let you go?”

“Perhaps he knows its location by now. Maybe I was of no use.”

“Are you crying?”

“He kept taunting me.” You sobbed out. “I am so weak for having loved Loki so much that his death is my undoing.”

“No.” Steve said sternly. “You are terribly strong for fighting on even in the face of such horrible heartbreak. Loki would be proud of you.”

“You barely knew him.” You wiped your eyes.

“I knew him enough to know.”

Bucky cleared his throat. “Even though I agree with Steve, we need to concentrate now. Where is Thanos?”

You looked at Bucky, tears in your eyes. “He tried to get the location of Vision’s stone from me but- but I wouldn’t tell him. I think he knows anyway. He stopped talking to me and simply disappeared. Maybe someone told him.”

“Let’s not assume the worst.”

“It’s pretty obvious where the stone may be.” You looked at Steve.

---

Vision was destroyed, Wanda was crying next to his body, Thor didn't go for the head, the stone was in Thanos’ hands and the mad titan was gone. You looked around your teammates as everyone was clueless on what to do.

“I was alone with him.” You confessed. “I could have killed him but I was too weak. Ever since Loki’s death, I feel so-- so empty, and maybe I let my emotions get the best of me. I should have been stronger, like Wanda.”

“No one blames you.” The woman said softly. “We all failed. This is not on you. I’m sorry about Loki, I really am. You were so genuinely happy with him.”

You looked at her, nodding slowly. “I am also sorry about Vision, Wanda. I know how much he meant to you. If he were still with us he would be proud of you.”

“As would Loki be if he knew how hard you fought without him.”

“Still, we lost.” You tried your hardest not to break down crying again. All that kept you together was that your friends were still there.

“If anyone is to blame, it’s me.” Thor said softly.

“It was a mistake. You had no idea that a fucking axe to the chest wouldn’t kill him. Anyone else would have been dead.” You said and shook your head. “No one is to blame but Thanos. He is a tyrant and a murderer. He took so many innocent lives, not only on my home planet but also in the whole galaxy. I just pray that the others can defeat him.”

But as you waited, all of you knew that something wasn’t right. You heard nothing from either of the others that were still out there with Thanos. Something was not right and you knew it.

Your fears were proven right when suddenly you heard people start to exclaim nearby. When you turned they were turning to dust. You heard Wanda scream in fear next to you as you watched her slowly turn to dust. Unsure of what to do, you looked at Steve for help but he was busy trying to hold Sam and Bucky together as they as well turned to nothing but dust.

Then with horror, you realised that you felt strange and when you looked down you saw your hand slowly turning grey. You tried to move your finger but they immediately turned to dust. Tears welled up in your eyes as you looked around, trying to find some help or at least solace in your friends. But all of them had someone else they were trying to help. Not even Thor was looking at you; he just seemed shocked by how many people were turning to dust. Without Loki, you were truly alone.

Slowly, however, your fear turned to hope. As you fell to your knees, your arms turning to dust and your legs disappearing, you had hope. Images of your past with Loki flashed before your eyes, memories of his laugh, his smile, the sparkle in his eyes when he had talked to you, the way he had held you or how safe you had felt. And you dared to hope that he would see you again.

Maybe in your final moments, you could allow yourself to be weak enough to hope that you would see him again. And maybe, just maybe there was a chance.

With that perspective, you felt calm. You accepted your fate. You were at peace.

Because finally, you were again hopeful.

[runawrites-blog]

Tears (Boba Fett x Reader)

(Gif Not Mine)

Summary: Boba doesn't understand why hearing about his past made you cry. (Gender Neutral Reader) Word Count: 1,024 Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Mild Discussions of Past Traumatic Events, No Y/N, Petnames (Cyar'ika) Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36128002

---

“Why are you crying?”

You looked up at Boba, finding him looking at you in confusion and worry. The two of you sat opposite each other, the lights dimmed and the wind howling outside. Boba looked at you with such surprise that it almost made you cry again. But this wasn’t about you – this was about him. Quickly, you reached up to wipe the tears from your eyes, shaking your head to focus on him.

“Cyar’ika, why are you crying?”

Once again you shook your head, wiping furiously against the onslaught of tears, guilt flooding you. Boba had been telling you about his past and you didn’t want him to worry about you – it should be you taking care of him. But to hear about what pain he had been through made it almost impossible for you to keep your tears at bay. The man you loved had been through such horrible experiences, had been abandoned, left for dead and robbed of his father at a terribly young age.

And it brought you to tears to hear it from him; to hear him recount these happenings while trying to keep his voice steady, trying to keep the pain from showing. You’d known Boba long enough to know his body language, his physical cues and you could tell that this was hard for him, even though he tried his best not to let it show.

You didn’t give Boba the time to ask again because you were on your knees in an instant, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug. Slowly, you slid into his lap, allowing his head to rest against your chest as you wrapped your legs around him. Although you felt him tense in your arms you didn’t let up and eventually, he wrapped his arms around you and leaned his head against your chest, allowing you to hold him.

“I’m so sorry these things happened to you.” You whispered after a few minutes of silence, tears still running down your cheeks and falling from your chin. “You didn’t deserve any of that. You deserved to be cared for and to be safe.”

“Why are you crying?”

You pulled back in confusion, looking down at Boba and wrecking your brain on why he was still asking that question. “Because you told me about the horrible things that happened to you.”

“But why would you cry about that?” He frowned up at you, clearly not understanding your train of thought. “It’s not a happy story, I know, but I did not expect it to make you cry like this.”

“You say that as if it’s a sad book you’ve read to me or a holodrama we’ve watched.” Your hands came up to grab his cheeks, thumbs gently stroking them. “You say that as if it’s not your life and your traumatic past.”

“Cyar’ika, I don’t--”

“I’m crying because I love you, Boba. I love you so much and you were hurt and used and abandoned. Terrible things happened to you which makes me sad because I love you and I don’t want you to feel like that – I hurt for you.”

Understanding dawned on his face as he looked up at you. “You hurt for me?”

“I hurt for you.” You said softly, thumb still stroking his cheek. “I hurt for you because I love you dearly and I want you to feel nothing but happiness.”

“I’m happy when I’m with you.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you had anything but a happy past.” You whispered, leaning your forehead against his. “You didn’t deserve all that. You deserved love and care, not violence and abandonment.”

Boba swallowed thickly, hands coming up to rest on your hips and hold you in place. “You do not need to worry about me. My younger years were horrible but that isn’t my life. I am in control now and I am not a victim.”

Before he could say anything else, you leaned in to press a soft kiss to his lips, stroking his cheeks all the while. Just as you closed your eyes you could see his fluttering shut as he leaned upward. Gently, you began to trace his face with one of your fingers before separating from the kiss.

“I know that you are not a victim. And I am so thankful for that; for the fact that you took control and fought back. I am so thankful for how strong you were.” You said in earnest before pressing your forehead back to his. “But if you ever want to talk about your past, I am willing to listen. I won’t force you to tell me and I won’t force you to heal. You might need some time to dig yourself through your past and if you never find the courage to tell me about how it affected you, I accept that.”

“You don’t have to--”

“I want to help you because I love you. I won’t force you but if you ever want to talk, I will listen. And I will do whatever you need me to do – I will talk to you or I will be quiet, I will hold you or I will give you space.”

“Thank you, Cyar’ika, I appreciate the offer.” He said in earnest, eyes meeting yours. “But this should suffice. My life is better now – believe me.”

“I do. Yet, if you ever need to talk, you can always come to me.”

“I will keep that in mind.” With that, Boba leaned up to kiss you once more. “Thank you, Cyar’ika.”

“There is no need to thank me. I love you and I want you to be happy. And if there is anything I can do to help, I will gladly do that.”

Boba just nodded at that but he didn’t speak anymore. He just rested his head back against your chest, still holding you in his lap. When you began to reach up to cradle his head he turned it, grabbing your free hand and pressing a kiss to it. He didn’t speak after that but you knew what he meant. But his message was clear.

Thank you.

[runawrites-blog]

Protection (Boba Fett x Reader)

(Gif Not Mine)

Summary: Five times the people in the palace saw how protective Boba was of you and one time you got to protect him. (5+1; Gender Neutral Reader) Word Count: 3,325 Warnings: Mild Violence, Disrespectful Language Directed at Reader, Assassination Attempt on Boba, Fire, No Y/N, Petnames (Cyar'ika, Mesh'la) Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35277751

---

I.

Your place at the palace had been a topic of discussion ever since Boba had taken over Tatooine. You had been by his side from the start, arriving soon after him and Fennec. And ever since then, people have been talking. Some assumed you were his spouse, others questioned if you were a pleasure slave – and questioned why the man so against slavery was keeping you as one – and some others thought you were an advisor.

And your interactions with people at the court, diplomats on visits, and the king himself made things no clearer. You were friendly and polite to the others at court as though you were a worker like them, never seeing yourself as above them and always treating them with respect. When there were diplomats visiting, you were next to Boba, making deals and talking politics. And when there was peace and celebration at the palace, you were by his side, holding onto his arm, sitting in his lap on the throne, or affectionately talking to him.

When you weren’t around, like this time, Boba was sitting on the throne alone, Fennec next to him. She was talking to him in a low voice while he surveyed the room. Perhaps he was looking for you, some of the guests mused.

And then, you walked into the room, quickly approaching the throne. Your usual air of confidence seemed off with how fast you approached Boba to grasp his hand and sit on the arm of the throne. Boba noticed the changes in your demeanour, too, and let go of your hands to place one of his on the small of your back, pulling you a little closer until you were leaning against him.

“Are you alright?”

You nodded at Boba, a little too quickly and vehemently for it to not be suspicious. “I’m fine. I just had an unpleasant run-in with one of the guards.”

“What?” Boba hissed and let go of you to grasp at your arm and examine you. When he spotted the marks on your wrists he seemed furious and the people in the court quieted down. “Did they touch you?”

“He tried to-- tried to threaten me. He grabbed my arm and-- and held me to the wall. I managed to free myself but that other guard, she was just standing by and she didn’t help me.” You recounted, stumbling over your words. “On the contrary – she egged him on.”

“What guards?” Boba asked, grabbing your hand once again, watching your shoulders relax at the gesture. “What are their names?”

“I don’t know their names but I could point them out to you.”

“No one touches you.” He hissed. “You are my riduur and no one is allowed to treat you like that, with the intent to harm you!”

“Boba, please calm down. I’m fine.”

“Do you want them dead?”

You quieted down before slowly sliding off the arm of the throne and into his lap, arms wrapping around his arm. His protectiveness seemed to make you feel so much more at ease as you inched ever so closely.

“Cyar’ika, do you want them dead?” Boba asked one more, though his hand found its way to your hair quickly. “I will surely punish them but I want your opinion on what they deserve.”

“No.” You said softly. “I just want to be sure that I never have to see them again.”

“That can certainly be arranged.”

---

II.

You were his spouse. He had said so himself. If you two were actually married or if he just referred to you as such out of possessiveness or sentimentality was still unclear. But nevertheless, people were now sure of his romantic relationship with you. And they acted accordingly.

After the guards that had harassed you were sent away, people worried to meet the same fate and kept their distance. They could tell that it saddened you, could see the disappointment in your eyes and the way you tried to talk to the other people in the palace, but they didn’t want to risk it.

With everyone in the palace being so careful around you and trying to avoid being punished by Boba, it came to no surprise that you were delighted by the news that some sort of negotiator was coming to visit the palace. Now Boba hadn’t told you the exact reason they were coming but you knew enough about them, their plans to trade with Tatooine and their customs to entertain them during the fest that would follow the negotiations.

The people in the palace watched as you laughed away with one of the negotiators, telling her about how wonderfully Tatooine had developed since Boba had come to power. And they also watched as Boba eyed you with a fond expression, helmet on the arm of the throne and a soft smile on his face.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long until things got out of hand. A guest stumbled and fell against one of the lights that were illuminating the throne hall, kicking loose a chain of events that would lead to the room being engulfed in flames. The light broke and the fire spread over the curtains and few wooden structures, quickly lighting them ablaze. People panicked immediately, cramming to get out of the room.

“Follow me!” You instructed the negotiator. “Keep close to the wall so you don’t get pushed around.”

“Thank you.” She said and grabbed onto your wrist, letting you lead her toward the exit. “Thank you so much.”

With a bit of difficulty, you managed to get her to the door and ushered her outside. You were about to turn back to look for Boba when a cracking sound from just above you caught your attention. And you barely had the time to look up before a large wooden beam came crashing toward you. Instinctively, you cowered, covering your head to shield it but the expected blow never came.

When you looked up, you found Boba next to you, arm angled and held up, keeping the beam from crushing you. Quickly you moved away from the wooden beam and watched Boba drop it to the floor before he turned, grasping your arms.

“You need to leave.”

“What about you?” You asked desperately, trying to find his eyes through the helmet he now had on again. “You need to get out!”

“I need to help put out the fire.” He said and pushed you toward the door. “Go, get to safety and wait for me!”

Despite your initial hesitance, you left, figuring that if you were gone he would have one less person to worry about and could concentrate on getting himself to safety. Yet, no one could deny the worry on your face or the tears in your eyes as you watched more and more people leave the palace, Boba not amongst them.

And when he eventually came outside, the people of the court all watched you sprint toward him before hurling yourself into his arms. He caught you with little difficulty and held you tightly as you took a few deep breaths until he spoke up to calm you down.

“Don’t worry, Cyar’ika. I’m here now.”

---

III.

People knew that Boba was protective. So it came to no surprise that when you came back from a diplomatic mission, bloodied up and covered in bruises, he was up in arms. You had entered the throne room, the helmet you wore when flying under your arm, your hair a mess, your face covered in bruises as you looked up at the throne.

Before Boba could say anything you spoke, voice hoarse. “The diplomatic mission went well. This is simply the result of someone ambushing my ship on the way back.”

“Cyar’ika, get up here now.”

Slowly, you made your way up and everyone in the court held their breaths. Boba grabbed you as soon as you had gotten close and pulled at your arm to get you close enough to examine the wounds.

“Where are you injured?”

“Just bruises and a few scraps mostly.”

“Mostly is not good enough, Mesh’la.” He said sternly. “Anything major?”

Gingerly, you moved your hand to gesture to your hip and Boba’s eyes wandered there before he frowned. There was an obvious stab wound at your hip but your belt had been pulled so tightly that it was stopping the bleeding. Shaking his head, Boba rose to his feet and everyone around watched in anticipation.

“Fennec, take over for me while I treat these wounds.” He said and looked back at you. “You are coming with me.”

“Love, I can take care of myself.” You said softly. “I just need a few stitches and I’m sure I can find someone else to do that. You have your duties.”

“I do have my duties. And protecting my riduur is one of them.”

---

IV.

Your screams of pain jarred everyone in the throne room and within seconds Boba was at his feet, Fennec not far behind as he hurried to help. But he didn’t get far before you came scrambling into the room and when you saw the two of them, you rounded their bodies to shield yourself, fumbling for your blaster before realising it wasn’t secured to your hip and swearing quietly. While Fennec readied her gun, aiming at the door, Boba turned around to you and took hold of your arms.

“What happened?”

“That-- that man who came to negotiate who-- you turned him down and he must have been pretty angry because he grabbed me from behind and tried to kriffing-- I don’t even know what his darn plan was and I don’t want to know!”

Boba stared at you in horror, realising that a man he had let into the palace had attempted to harm you. Quickly, he drew you close, his hand shielding the back of your neck as he held you. And then the man stumbled inside, clearly drunk and a bloodied knife in his hands. He looked beaten, as though you had gotten a few good hits in before he had gotten out his knife.

And as he took in the blood dripping from the knife, Boba froze and quickly pushed you back to examine you. There was a few cuts on your arms and chest area but nothing major. Still, the knowledge that someone had hurt you like that filled him with burning rage and he called out to Fennec to immobilise the man which she did without much trouble before turning back to Boba.

“What do you want me to do with him?” She asked, holding the man’s arms behind his back and looking up at the two of you. “Shoot him?”

“Shoot me?” The man slurred. “I can-- if you hadn’t turned down my deal, your little spouse wouldn’t have gotten it, Fett!”

Fennec eyed Boba out of the corner of her eyes, watching his body tense up as he kept a protective arm around you. “What do you want me to do with him?”

“Lock him up! I’ll deal with him later.” Boba snapped and looked back at you once Fennec had begun to drag the man off. “What did he do? Did he touch you?”

“No, he just-- he got a few cuts and hits in but I’m fine.”

Boba looked at you for a long time before sighing quietly. “The man I let inside hurt you like this. How can you look at me with love in your eyes? Aren’t you angry?”

You shook your head very quickly, taking his hands into his. “It was not your fault. He attacked me. That has nothing to do with you, no matter what he said.”

“Do you need me to call someone to treat your wounds?”

“Please.”

---

V.

It wasn’t just that Boba was protective of you. He also valued your opinion and despised it when others talked down to you. If a diplomat didn’t respect you, writing you off as nothing more than the king’s spouse or if an advisor scoffed at your opinions, not considering them, Boba would reprimand them. He demanded respect for you just as much as he demanded it for himself.

Most of the time, a stern reprimand or a reminder of your position was enough to shut any disrespect down fairly quickly. But on this particular day, two negotiators had come from a faraway planet, planning on trading with Tatooine. They had talked to Boba in the throne room, laying out their demands and offerings. The other people of the court stood by, watching the negotiations go down as they quietly mused about what outcome to expect.

It wasn’t until you had chimed in, leaning down to Boba from where you had been sitting on the arm of the throne, to remind him that their demands were fairly high for what they were offering, that one of the negotiators spoke up.

“I am certain that the great Boba Fett would rather decide himself than listen to the advice of a simple pleasure slave.”

Everything went quiet as soon as the words had left the woman’s mouth. You raised your head, looking down on her while Boba straightened up in his seat and Fennec cocked her head to the side a little, waiting for the man’s response. But you were quicker.

“If I was merely a pleasure slave – which I am not – it would be horribly embarrassing for your unattractive trade offer to be caught by the likes of me, wouldn’t you think so?” You asked in a cold tone of voice.

“Boba Fett, we implore you to agree to this offer.”

“Why should he?” You asked in slight disdain. “To rely on the harvest of a planet whose climate is unpredictable at best and unfit for agriculture at worse?”

“I can assure you that our planet can sustain a harvest.”

“Is that so?” You raised an eyebrow. “Then how do you explain the countless people that have sought out refuge on Tatooine of all places after a drought or flood have wrecked their whole harvest? Then how do you explain that not even under the merciless regimes before Boba were your planet’s payments ever on time?”

“How dare you insinuate that we cannot pay you?”

“I am voicing my honest concern.” You said, mindful of everyone listening to you. “Your harvests are unreliable and you dare step before Boba with an offer like this?”

The woman shook her head at you. “I will not negotiate with a person who has found their way into the inner circle of the king by looks and no doubt the use of their body alone. I came to negotiate with Boba Fett.”

“Are you saying I used my body to get this position?” You questioned and stood from your place, aware of Boba’s eyes following you. “Or are you trying to deflect from the fact that you are offering a terrible deal?”

“How dare you? You are nothing but a pleasure slave, a common palace whore. And you dare speak to me like this?”

That’s when Boba stood, making everyone back up. The negotiator and her companion shut up, staring up at Boba in anticipation, frightened of what would happen next. He towered over them, his height accentuated by the fact that he stood on the pedestal the throne was placed on.

“How are you speak to my riduur in such a way?” He snapped, voice angry and loud. “And to think you did it because my spouse raised good points is just pathetic. Your planet is not fit for agriculture. You can barely feed your own people. There will be no trade for you with Tatooine!”

“But great Boba Fett--”

“Now leave my sight before I have you dragged out of the palace!”

---

+ I.

People knew that Boba was protective, that he was proud of being your spouse and that he seemed to genuinely care for you. But they also knew that you felt the same way about him. You loved the man, took pride in being his spouse and rarely left his side if you could help it.

Typically you could be found sitting on the throne’s arm, Boba’s lap or standing next to him. You were always trying to be close to him, talk to him or share your love for him. Like a shadow, you were always by his side.

And so you were also by his side when someone tried to assassinate him. It had been a normal day up until the early evening and everyone was gathered in the throne hall. You were as usual by Boba’s side, having long since migrated from the arm of the throne into his lap, idly running your fingers over his armour, head resting against his shoulder as he talked to you about upcoming plans.

The two of you paid little mind to the man that had entered sometime during the evening, assuming him to be another guest, and quickly gotten back to talking. Fennec had started to mingle with the people some time ago, leaving you and Boba to quietly enjoy each other’s company as he overlooked the people.

The stranger came closer to the throne, talking to a man there. You paid him no mind, still running your fingers over Boba’s armour, letting them run up and down his neck periodically as he recounted the meetings ahead.

Your eyes wandered across the room, looking at the man that was still coming closer. Some of the guests noticed the shift in your behaviour, watched as you sat up a little straighter, yet still keeping up your soft ministrations and listening to Boba.

Then, before anyone had even noticed anything, you sprung up from Boba’s lap and grabbed your blaster. No one even had the time to question your motives as you fired at the stranger, hitting his hand and making him drop the blaster he had reached for.

He tried to escape but you fired a shot into his foot, making him fall to his knees by the steps to the throne. Within seconds you were by his side, using your foot to keep in on the ground as the people stared in shock. Boba had risen to his feet and Fennec had come closer now.

“Let me go!”

“Tell me why you were raising your blaster at Boba.” You hissed. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

“I won’t tell you anything.”

Your foot moved, resting on his shoulders now. “You are the worst assassin I have ever had the misfortune of meeting!”

The man struggled against your foot but couldn’t get up. “Let me go!”

Huffing at his request you took your foot off his back. He quickly took the chance to get up but he only got to his knees because you quickly grabbed his arm, twisting it onto his back and then doing the same with the other one. Then you turned him so he could face Boba.

“Did you or did you not come here to assassinate Boba?”

“I-- I was forced to!” The man pleaded. “Please, don’t kill me. I was just-- I was forced to or otherwise, my family would have been in danger!”

“Now there’s the information we can use.” You said and let go of him, nodding at Fennec. “I’m sure Boba would like to question the man himself. Isn’t that right, Cyar’ika?”

Boba looked at you, as surprised by the pet name as he was by your quick reflexes but nodding at Fennec nonetheless. “Bring him to the cells. I will see to him later.”

Fennec nodded and quickly took the man away, glancing back to see you walking up to Boba and taking his face into your hands. Everyone watched as you examined him for any injuries before your shoulders dropped in relief when you found he was fine.

“Thank you for your quick thinking, Mesh’la.”

“All I want is for you to be safe, my love.”

[runawrites-blog]

Quiet (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

(Gif Not Mine)

Summary: You are a clairvoyant and have a horrible vision of Bucky’s death during the snap. Bucky is there to calm you down but you fear that this vision might just come true. (Gender Neutral Reader) Word Count: 1,372 Warnings: Nightmares, Referenced Character Death/ Character Death in a Dream, Mild Violence, Spontaneous Marriage Proposal, No Use of Y/N, Petnames (Doll, Love) Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20083009

--- Everything went quiet.

Then suddenly, noises started to break through the silence as people began to call out to one another and exclaim their terror. You turned your head and saw people slowly starting to turn to dust.

The first thing you did was look for Bucky. Once you’ve spotted him you ran over to him, falling into his arms. “Bucky, what is happening?”

“He won.” Bucky whispered softly. “Half of the universe is going to turn to dust.”

You closed your eyes in fear, holding onto Bucky tightly. Bucky slowly moved his hands to your back and held you. You stood like this for a few seconds before you heard the man gasp.

In absolute horror, you looked up to see that Bucky was turning to dust right between your fingers. The love of your life was turning to dust right in front of your very eyes and there was nothing in all of the universe that you could do.

“Bucky, please.” You whispered, tears in your eyes. “This can’t be happening!”

“Love, you will be fine.” He said quietly as you watched his arms turn to dust. “Don’t be afraid. You will be fine.”

Those were the last worst you heard him say because just after that he turned to dust completely. In a panic, you tried to grasp the dust. You didn’t know why but you just felt like you had to hold onto some part of him, if only a speck of dust. Tears ran down your cheeks as you tried but failed to catch the remnants of Bucky, the wind blowing them away.

“No!” You wailed, falling to your knees. “No, please so.”

Someone called out your name and when you turned Steve was at your side. “Is Bucky--”

“Yes!” You sobbed out, nodding your head. “I was holding him a second ago and now-- now he is gone!”

Steve did his best to comfort you, despite his own grief. He was mourning his friends and you knew it but you were thankful for him trying to be there for you, so you simply leaned into his side. It was a small comfort to know that you still had some of your friends left and that they actually cared about you.

But in all honesty, nothing really mattered anymore. Bucky was gone.

---

Your head shot up and you blinked a few times. Bucky was looking at you in shock from where he was sitting in his hut. You were currently visiting him in Wakanda and apparently, the two of you had just eaten dinner when your vision had hit you.

“Love, are you with me again? You were gone there for a second.”

“Yes, I’m sorry. I--”

“Did you have a vision?” He asked quietly. “What about?”

"I don't want to say it."

"Saying it won't make it come true, Doll."

“He won and everyone turned to dust.” You whispered, swallowing against the lump in your throat. “Even you.”

“Alright, doll.” Bucky sat down right next to you. “Listen to me now. That may have been one possible future but every choice we make can change that.”

“Really?”

“We’ll defeat him.” Bucky said quietly. “I’m just wondering when Steve is gonna be here.”

“Me, too. I just hope that we can help him. and the others.”

“I hope so, too.” Bucky looked at you. “Doll, can you promise me that you will look out for yourself first and foremost?”

“I can try but if he as much as looks at you the wrong way, I will not hesitate to attack him.” You shook your head. “Not after-- I can’t leave you alone after what I saw in my vision.”

“What exactly happened?”

Tears sprung to your eyes and you shut them tightly. It didn’t stop the tears from flowing but it stopped you from seeing Bucky’s reaction. “We were fighting his army and he wasn't really around. I don’t know where he was but he won. And then suddenly everyone disappeared. I held you so tightly but you disappeared.”

Bucky nodded, listening to you carefully before inching closer and putting his hand on your shoulder. “Love, we will all be fine. So many good, capable people are joining us in the fight.”

“He has an army.”

“We have one, too.”

“How can you be so sure that we'll be fine?” You sobbed out. “You’re not a clairvoyant, are you?”

“No, but I’m trying to be an optimist.” He said quietly, reaching out to take your hand. “You trust me, don’t you, Doll?”

“Yes, of course, Sweetheart.” You swallowed thickly. “It was just so horrible. Everything went quiet and at that moment in my vision I knew he had won, I knew that something was off. I cannot bear to see you all go. And most of all I cannot bear to see you go.”

“I won’t go. Not now and not ever.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” He then chuckled softly, trying to cheer you up. “After all, if I was gone who would try to keep you in check? I swear you’re just as bad as Steve, so neither of you can be trusted to keep the other out of trouble.”

You couldn't help but laugh at that and when you saw his proud expression at making you laugh a smile overtook your features.

“I’m glad to have you, Bucky.”

---

The battle was in full action and you were dodging knives and bullets left and right. You had never been a fighter but you knew how to defend yourself and you intended to make use of that knowledge. Of course, you weren’t a god, an assassin, or a superhero in high-tech armour but you knew a thing or two about how to fight.

You rammed your dagger into another man’s heart, pulling back and grunting in exhaustion. You spared a look at Bucky and swallowed. He seemed bad off, trying to fight back an avalanche of attackers.

Without a second thought, you ran over to him and helped him out. He looked at you in shock, obviously not happy about you fighting off this storm of bad guys with him. But you didn’t care. If you were to die trying to protect him, so be it.

As you sliced the head of another person, Bucky spoke up. “You know, I always loved how despite your powers being so passive, you chose to fight back instead of doing nothing.”

“I know what’s right and I will fight for it.” You kicked a woman off of you. “And what he’s trying to do is not right.”

“Love, once all of this is over, would you stay with me?” Bucky asked you as he shot two people before they could attack you. "Would you stay by my side?"

“Thanks.” You gasped out as you dodged another bullet. “I would love to stay with you. I always dreamed of spending my life with you.”

“Then we should do that. We should spend our life together. No one knows what the future brings and I want to face it with you.” He gave you a small smile while he continued to fight. “We should make that official.”

“James Buchanan Barnes, are you proposing to me in the middle of slicing through aliens?”

“It’s as good a time as any, Doll.” He joked, shooting someone that came to attack you. “I love you and you love me. We should make it official. But I could always do something more romantic if you want me to.”

“No.” You chuckled softly. “This is as perfect as it gets. As long as I get to be with you, nothing else matters.”

“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.” He smiled a little, turning his head to you for a second. “Now go and help the others. I’ll be fine.”

You gave him one last smile and then headed off. Just as you were about to stab a man who was attacking Clint, you stopped in your tracks. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. It took you a second to realise what was so off but when you did, your heart dropped.

The noises of battle had vanished. There was only one thing you heard.

Quiet.

[runawrites-blog]

Lies (Loki x Reader)

(Gif Not Mine)

Summary: You are a clairvoyant and have a horrible dream of Loki’s death at the hands of Thanos. Loki is there to calm you down when you wake up, but you fear that it might have been a vision of the future. (Gender Neutral Reader) Word Count: 1,107 Warnings: Nightmares, Implied Character Death/ Character Death in a Dream, Mild Violence, Thanos, No Use of Y/N, Petnames (Little Dove) Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19781032

--- “You will never be a god.“

Those were the last words you would ever hear of Loki speak, the man you loved more than anything and who had promised you to always be by your side.

The horrific crack that could be heard as his neck snapped in two in Thanos' unforgiving grip made you fall to your knees. You tried your hardest not to break down. Tears ran down your face as you saw your lover’s dead body fall limp onto the floor.

“No resurrections this time.”

You crawled over to Loki, not even caring whether Thanos was already gone or he'd kill you, too. The only thing you had left was Loki. Thanos had destroyed your home, murdered everyone you'd held dear, and now he had taken the only person who you had left. Crying your heart out seemed like the reasonable thing to do and you let yourself fall halfway onto Loki’s chest.

Your body was wracked with sobs as you felt for a heartbeat at his wrist, his chest, or anywhere that you hadn’t checked before. Yet, you did detect no heartbeat. Loki was dead and you would never see him again.

Never again would you hear his voice. Never again would he tease you, trick you or prank you. Never again would you feel his warmth or see his smile. Never again would he hold you. And funny enough the first thought that popped in your head was to talk to Loki about this and find comfort in him, but that could never happen again.

Another sob wracked your body as you came to terms with the fact that he was in fact dead. You didn’t know what to do or how to move on from this. In the background, you could hear Thor calling out to you but you didn’t listen.

When you didn’t listen, Thor tried to drag you away, his own eyes filled with tears. You didn’t listen; you just clung to Loki’s body harder. Thor eventually sat down next to you, apparently giving up on trying to move you, tears now running down his face.

You didn’t look at him, didn’t talk to him. All you did was cling to Loki and cry as you felt the warmth leaving his body.

Nothing mattered anymore. Loki was dead.

—

You awoke with a strangled scream, bolting upright in bed. A quick look around confirmed to you that you were in your room on the Asgardian escape ship. Quickly, you put a hand to your mouth, trying to stop yourself from sobbing too loudly. As the contents of your dreams came back to you, a fresh wave of tears assaulted your eyes, and only then did you notice that you were crying.

A voice from next to you called out your name.

Turning your head, you saw Loki, breathing and looking at you. Without a second thought, you flung yourself at him, clinging to his frame and breaking down in earnest. The god didn’t know what was wrong but wrapped his arms around you nonetheless.

“What happened?”

“Night-- nightmare.” You managed to choke out. “Or a vision of the future. Oh, I hope it’s not the latter one.”

“A vision?” Loki asked softly. You were a clairvoyant but your visions only ever came randomly, sometimes in dreams even. “What happened in your vision to make you weep like this, my little dove?”

The thought of recounting this nightmare to Loki made you cry even harder, your breathing now coming out in short gasps.

“You can tell me later but for now I need you to breathe, little dove.” He whispered, hoping the pet name would calm you down a little. He then slowly began to trace shapes into your back. “Focus on my touch and voice, could you do that for me?”

You nodded and sobbed again, trying to focus solely on the shapes he traced onto your back and his soft voice.

“I am sure it was not a vision. Perhaps it was simply a nightmare and you are so insistent on it being a vision that you frightened yourself like this.” He whispered, slowly beginning to trace a star onto your back.

“Is that a star you're tracing?"

“It is indeed. Well done, my little dove.” He whispered and began to trace a heart onto your bare skin. “Can you find this one out, as well?”

“A heart.”

“Another job well done. You are breathing more evenly now. You did well.”

Slowly, you leaned back into him. “You died.”

“I died?” He asked softly. “I am right here.”

“In my dream, I mean.” You clarified. “Thanos, he wanted the Tesseract from us and he snapped your neck. You lay there, cold and unmoving. It was horrifying.”

“And why did he murder me in your dream?”

“You had the Tesseract with you, instead of it being destroyed on Asgard. I've been afraid that you had taken it for the duration of this journey.” You whispered.

You felt Loki swallowed and looked up at him. “Don’t fret, my dove. It was destroyed with Asgard.”

“Are you lying to me?” You whispered.

“Would you be able to go back to sleep?”

“I suppose, I would be able to.” You mumbled. “Loki, could I lay my head on your chest? I would like to hear your heartbeat.”

“Of course.” He gently maneuvered the two of you back onto the bed, your head on his chest. “Like so?”

You wrapped an arm around him and listened to his heartbeat, nodding slowly. It was a steady rhythm against your ear and you were calm within seconds. Loki put a hand onto your head to hold it on his chest and you began to trace little shapes onto his chest, closing your eyes.

“Loki?”

“Yes?”

“Can you promise me that whatever happens, you will try to survive?”

“I cannot.” He said quietly.

“Why?” Your voice was shaking again.

“Should it be your life or mine, I would always choose your life.” He explained in a calm, yet sad voice.

“I don’t want you to sacrifice your life for mine!” You protested.

A small chuckle vibrated in his chest “Have I ever done as you told me to?”

“Could you at least promise me that you will fight to survive as much as possible? That you will not let him kill you easily?” You whispered into the darkness.

“That I can promise you.” Loki whispered. “Now sleep, my dove.”

“Sleep well, love.” You whispered, holding onto him. “And promise me to stay by my side should Thanos find us.”

“I will always stay by your side.”

Lies.