#A. it’s not like she’ll actually let me back out of her perimeter

[taardisblue]

.

[boldlyvoid]

I Know Places: Roadkill

18+ Aaron Hotchner x Fem Reader | Masterlist | AO3 link

Summary: Once again, Aaron puts himself in harm's way. Once again, reader scolds him for it. Bickering like an old married couple in front of the whole team, it becomes glaringly obvious that they're more than just coworkers now.

Warnings: background Moreid, Canon Typical Violence (mentions of possible rape, car accidents, hit and runs, murder) angst with a happy ending, arguing, worrying, makeup sex (first time together) teasing, oral sex (fem receiving), unprotected sex, creampies.

Word count: 14.9k

Not much changes between them at work. They’re still acting as professionally as possible, only now with longing stares all across the country and only one bed during their hotel stays.

In the last few weeks, they’ve had 4 cases. Each has gone by as smoothly as possible, without accidents or escapes or injuries. And Aaron’s stopped obsessing over Foyet, for the most part. He still reads the files when he has free time and he asks Penelope to add new perimeters to her searches, but other than that, he’s taken a bit of the weight off his shoulders to share with the rest of the team when the time comes. 

Everyone knows they’ve just not filed the paperwork because it’s a hassle and Strauss, their section Chief would find some way to make it a problem. She’ll find out eventually, but until then, they’re just going with the flow, experiencing life together as a happy couple as long as they can. 

He hasn’t told Haley yet, either. Seeing as she doesn’t want to admit that Conrad— her “friend” who’s always over during pick up and drop offs with Jack— is actually her boyfriend, they don’t have to tell her that they’re anything more than friends either. Jack likes Y/N, he holds her hand at the park and always asks if she can stay for a sleepover when he’s spending the night at his dad's. It’s the sweetest thing. 

Every morning that they’re in Quantico, they meet at the round table at 10 am to prep new cases. They come in to work together at 8:30, holding hands while carrying coffee in their other. When they get up to Aaron’s office, JJ is in there with a file and an awkward, press-lipped smile on her face. 

“What’s up?” He asks, letting go of her hand and walking over to his desk. 

“Police in Bend, Oregon have asked for our help… this unsub is running people over with his car, there’s been two victims in the last 12 days,” she explains. 

“Okay, I’ll look over the file and we’ll meet in the briefing room early today, tell the others 9:30 at the latest,” Hotch orders. 

“Got it,” she picks up her things and starts to leave. She pats Y/N on the arm with a knowing smile, “See you out there.” 

“You certainly will,” she smiles back at her. “Actually, I’m going to go help her photocopy everything and get ready, I’ll see you in there?” 

“Okay,” Aaron nods. “Save me a seat.” 

“Beside me as always,” she teases him one last time before heading out. 

She’s so cute, he just shakes his head, watching from the window as she skips down a couple of steps and heads over to her desk. She says hi to Anderson and waves at a few people before following JJ up to the briefing room to make photocopies. He is so in love with her it makes him feel a little crazy. He has work to do, but his mind is stuck on her. He’s happy. At his desk. He's... happy? 

For the first time in his life, he’s happy while at work.

And everyone knows it too. He’s staying at work less, still keeping up with his paperwork somehow, coming in a little later in the mornings, and he’s smiling more often. He’s heard the rumours and the mumblings, he knows people think he’s like this cause he’s getting laid again… but the truth is they haven’t. 

He sleeps at her house, she sleeps at his, they sleep in the same bed on cases and they’ve come close to it before, but they haven’t had sex yet. Neither one of them has brought it up yet. 

The first week they were together, they were busy on a case. The second week they had a pretty gross case and neither one of them was in the mood after it and then he had Jack all weekend. Then last week, she was on her period and he was happy to dote on her and give her a massage and cover her in kisses before sleeping beside her and holding her close but not too tight. He loves her so much, this relationship is so much more than just physical… he’s only had sex with 1 woman in his whole life, and even then, it took them over a year to do it because they were in high school. 

This is just what he’s used to. He’ll be ready whenever she asks, he doesn’t need it… does he crave it? A little. She’s beautiful. He has to see her in action with her shirt rolled up and her bulletproof vest on. He sees her manhandle creeps and cuff them, sometimes even fight them a little. He listens to her give orders and put people in their place. Of course, he wants her. But he knows how to wait. He’s a patient man. 

He has to shake all the thoughts out of his mind before he cracks open the case file. He takes another sip of his coffee and starts to read over the police report. He looks at the photos, the coroner's report, the witness statements and everything else JJ thought was important to include. 

This is a weird one. He’s never seen a serial killer who favours vehicular homicide. Most of them want to do the killing themselves, they want to use their hands and feel the glory. This guy might not even be a guy. It could be a woman, using a vehicle might give her the power she lacks. The way they’ve been hit, backed over and hit again… that’s anger that comes from planning and a desire to kill. It’s unlikely that these are just victims of happenstance, this killer is calculated and these women that died were chosen for a reason. 

He gathers all his things and meets the others in the briefing room, Derek, Spencer and Dave have yet to show up but they’ll be in soon. Right now, it’s just the girls. 

“And then— oh, sorry, sir,” Penelope stops whatever she was saying as she sees him. 

“On, no, it’s okay. You can keep talking… unless you don’t want me to know?” He hesitates to sit down, he’d leave if they needed him to. 

“No, it’s fine,” she sighs. “Kevin is interviewing with the NSA for a new job and he can’t even tell me where he’s going if he gets it.” 

“I’m sorry,” he feels terrible for her. Long distance sucks. But he sits down, ready to listen, wanting to be there for her and offer some wisdom if she wants it. 

“I hate this. I hate not knowing what’s going to happen. What if he never comes home? What if I can’t talk to him? What if he breaks up with me right before he goes and then I never hear from him again? I’m not ready to just lose someone in my life permanently.” 

“You’re Penelope Garcia,” he reminds her. “You can easily find out where he’s going… and you can easily stop transfers from going through, remember you held mine up so I could stay here?” 

She nods, “I still feel sorry about that, sir, I didn’t mean to start things with you at home.” 

“It’s okay, I’m much happier now,” he smiles over to Y/N. “I wouldn’t have my beautiful girlfriend if I still had a wife.” 

“Very funny,” Y/N can’t believe he said that. She laughs and shakes her head, she licks her lips and laughs again. “You really just said that?” 

“And I mean it,” he teases, reaching over for her hand. He brings it up to his lips and kisses her hand, making the other two women swoon a bit. 

“Hotch, I had no idea you were a romantic,” JJ teases him. “Were you always like this?” 

He shrugs, “I was a teenager the last time I was in love like this.” 

“In love?” They hear Derek's voice as he and Reid come through the door. “What did I miss?” 

“Nothing,” Y/N waves it off, trying desperately not to be the centre of attention. “We’re just talking about our relationships, anything you two want to share?” 

“no—“ Derek starts but Spencer sits beside her and smiles. 

“Derek’s never not been the sharing type and then he started dating me and now he’s like Fort Knox about it all,” Spencer teases. 

“Hey,” Derek sits beside him and swats his arm. “It’s because I love you, you’re not some rando who came home with me once.” 

“And what an honour that is,” Spencer teases again. 

Derek’s just about to say something when they hear the whistling. Dave comes in with his coffee and the remnants of a lipstick stain on his cheek and sits down in the only empty spot left. “What’ve we got today?” 

Everyone shares a few looks and knowing smiles, but Aaron answers. “A weird one in Bend, Oregon.” 

“An unsub who kills with his car,” Y/N adds. 

“They’ve had two victims in the last 12 days,” Hotch explains while they all open their files and have a look.

JJ stands, holding the remote for the projector, She starts to show them their victims. 23-year-old Maria Delgado was stuck while out on a jog and the second, a stranded motorist, Shannon Makely, 43. 

“What makes the locals think that they were connected?” Derek asks. 

“For one thing, they were both backed over after the initial impact,” JJ explains, showing them the photos again which makes Penelope shield her eyes. 

“No accident there,” Dave grumbles, cheerful mood already gone. 

“Plus, the treads found at both scenes match. Large vehicle, all-terrain,” Aaron adds but doesn’t cover all of it. 

JJ moves to more photos on the screen, the ME report as well, “Wounds also indicate a raised bumper, so they’re thinking a large SUV or a truck.” 

“Do they know the model or make?” Spencer asks. 

She shakes her head, “Tyres aren’t factory issues. They could be on a number of different vehicles.” 

“And no witness at either incident?” Y/N asks, flipping through the file, not finding anything. 

“No, just the unlucky people who came across the bodies after it had already happened,” JJ sighs.

“A hit-and-run is loud, usually they draw attention. Somebody usually sees something,” Rossi says, posing the question they’re all thinking. How did no one see it happen?

“Both victims were attacked in secluded areas,” JJ explains further. 

“Two tones of metal make a hell of a weapon,” Derek says with a shake of his head, disgusted by the lengths these killers go through.

“Serial killers have been known to become rather attached to their vehicles,” Spencer throws in. “Bittaker and Norris even gave theirs a nickname—

“murder Mack,” Rossi finishes for him. 

“Bittaker and Norris were sexual sadists. There’s no sign of torture here,” Hotch reminds them.

“Sounds like a thrill kill?” Y/N proposes. “Opportunistic.” 

“Easy targets, randomly selected,” Dave agrees. 

“With this type of impact, vehicles shouldn’t be hard to pick out from a lineup,” Derek concludes. 

“Yeah, there should be significant front-end damage,” Spencer backs him up. 

“Somehow I don’t think this is gonna be that easy,” Dave says, closing his file. 

“I contacted the pilot already, the jet is ready whenever we are,” JJ informs them, closing down the screen as they all get ready to go. 

“Wheels up in 20.” 

—

“I think it's safe to assume this unsub is a male,” Y/N says as soon as the conversation picks back up on the plane. 

“I agree with you, given what we know,” Hotch nods, reading over the file again. “At first I thought maybe it could be a woman, using a car to feel powerful but with the amount of road rage and aggression we see in men, it’s less likely it would be a woman doing this.” 

“It’s also just too messy,” Spencer adds for good measure. 

“Exactly.” 

“And men have an unnatural bond with their cars,” Y/N jokingly reminds everyone. 

“That is true,” JJ gets it. 

“Wait a minute, I don't know about unnatural?” Derek feels offended. 

“I once dated a guy who washed his car more than he washed his hair,” JJ stares him down until he gives in. 

“A nice car needs love,” Rossi pipes up. Derek points at him cause he gets it. 

“And a woman doesn’t?” JJ just blinks, not believing what she’s hearing. 

“I’m not qualified to answer that,” Rossi teases, making them all laugh. 

“I’m just saying, big car… that’s phallic?” Y/N shrugs, looking at Aaron. 

“So he’s compensating?” Aaron poses. 

“Or overcompensating,” Spencer corrects. 

“Impotent?” Derek suggests. 

“Possibly, i-if the unsub sees himself as physically defective the car not only gives him the power and control he otherwise lacks, but it also serves as a shield,” Spencer further explains. 

“A way to avoid physical contact?” Hotch asks. 

“Power and control,” Y/N starts to put the pieces together out loud. “Female victims… that almost reads like a rape profile.” 

“Vehicular rape,” Rossi says, taken aback by the mere thought. 

“Rape and thrill kill are two very different profiles,” Derek reminds them. 

“What does victimology tell us?” Hotch asks. 

“Nothing yet,” JJ shrugs, filling through the pages in her file but coming up short. “Shannon Makely was a white, married, 43-year-old commodities trader and Maria Delgado was a 23-year-old Hispanic graduate student and competitive triathlete.” 

“So far gender is our only link,” Hotch agrees. “Hopefully the crime scenes will tell us more… when we get there, Morgan and Rossi you can go to the Makely crime scene. Y/N and I will go to Delgados and then Reid, you and JJ can hit up the ME and then head to the station to set up the boards.” 

“Why do you two get to do everything together?” Spencer whines. 

“Because you’re the doctor, you need to go and pick out shit the coroner missed and Derek is the best at retracing steps, no offence Rossi,” Y/N answers on Aaron’s behalf. 

“None taken. Out of all of you, Derek reminds me the most of what me and Gideon were like in the beginning,” Dave gives him a small smile. 

“He was a great teacher,” Derek says. “But it’s fine, we’re still partnered up in the hotels, right?” 

“Yep,” JJ tries not to smile. “I’ve got you guys in a room with just one queen, down the hall from the rest of us, too.” 

The rest of them smirk too, while Y/N and Aaron haven’t even bothered to get sexual yet, those two weren’t hiding anything. Between strange noises in the middle of the night and the rhythmic knocking of a bed frame on shared walls… it was pretty obvious that the good doctor and Derek Morgan were having a lot of fun together. 

—

When they touch down, they separate into 3 SUVs on the tarmac and make their way from the small local airport 3 towns over all the way to Bend. Aaron and Y/N get a call from one of the local cops, Detective Feder, who is going to meet them at the jogging trail and walk them through everything. The main detective, Quinn, is with Rossi and Morgan at the most recent crime scene. 

It’ll take them about 45 minutes to get there, though the winding country roads on this side of the country are nice, so it’s no big deal. The trees make for nice shade and the shade brings a cool breeze too, when just one state south they’d be in the disgusting heat of California. They have the windows down, the music on low, Aaron holds her hand as he drives and she looks out the window at the scenery. It’s a nice break from the horrors of their job. 

When they arrive, the cop is leaning against his car, arms crossed, waiting. He gives them a tight-lipped smile when they pull up, parking right behind him, they get out at the same time. 

“Hey,” the cop waves. “Detective Feder, nice to meet you.” 

He shakes Aarons hand first, “Agent Hotchner, this is Agent Y/L/N.” 

“Hi,” she smiles while shaking his hand. “Hope you weren’t waiting long?” 

“Nah, I just pulled up not 5 minutes ago,” he waves it off. “Follow me,” he says, leading them behind his squad car and towards the trail. “It’s not a very popular jogging area. There aren’t too many people who can take that hill coming up here.” 

“Well, she was a triathlete,” Y/N reminds him. 

“We figured she jogged in off the main road, headed for the trail up here,” he points to the side. When he gets to the bloody spot on the concrete he stops. “The assailant drove in behind her, and ran her down right here.” 

“Uh… a woman jogging alone, no… she would’ve known if someone was tailing her,” Y/N states, speaking from a woman’s point of view, she knows what it's like to be on high alert at all times. 

“So maybe he was already here?” Aaron proposes. Looking around, there’s a big red garbage bin that’s been dropped off and what looks to be construction equipment set up behind a fence. “What’s the story with all this equipment?” 

“Construction stalled out months ago, no reason for anyone to be up here,” Feder explains. 

Aaron keeps walking, behind the garbage bin, “it’s nice and quiet. It's the ideal spot to wait to run somebody down without being seen.” 

“A little convenient,” Y/N rolls her eyes. 

“Too convenient,” Aaron agrees. “What if it was her? What if she were the reason he was up here?” 

“You don’t think this was a random attack?” Y/N’s almost shocked to hear him say that. 

He shakes his head and kneels down to look at the dirt, “oil,” he points, pressing his finger into the darkened wet patch and showing them. “He was lying in wait.”

“Shit,” Feder sighs, he can’t believe they missed these signs. “Okay. We should regroup at the station.” 

“We’ll call our guys,” Y/N says, going to take out her phone. “On second thought… there’s no service.” 

“Yeah most of the county has terrible service,” Feder shrugs. “I’ll radio it in for you, Quinn should get it.” 

“Thanks," Aaron gives him a small smile and then motions with his head towards their car to get Y/N to follow. 

—

“He may have specifically targeted these women,” Hotch proposes to the others as soon as he sits down at the table. 

Y/N and JJ were off talking to family, Derek was on a coffee run, leaving him with the lead detective, Spencer and Dave. 

“That takes thrill-kill off the table,” Rossi sits back, wanting to hear everything hotch learned at the first crime scene. Cause that’s how they worked best, going backwards. 

“Because the murders were planned in advance?” Quinn asked. 

“Yeah,” Spencer hesitates, looking at his board with everything he’s mapped out so far. “This type of stalking behaviour indicates a personal motive. There’s a reason he chose these victims.” 

“So you think he knows them?” Quinn follows up, wanting to get a look inside the genius' brain. That’s exactly why he called them in for this with only two murders and not the typical 3 killings that would garner their attention. 

“Well, he knew their work schedules, jogging routes, drive patterns,” Hotch points out. 

“That would explain how he knew where to strike,” Spencer adds. 

“Explains the Delgado girl, she was on a run, but he could’ve known Shannon Makely’s car was gonna break down out there?” Quinn says, having a hard time thinking outside the box, unlike the rest of them. 

“Did you look at her car?” Rossi asks. 

“Guys at impound said that it was a water pump that blew, said it’s a common enough problem,” Quinn explains. 

“Maybe we should take a closer look?” Rossi suggests.

“Why don’t you head over there?” Aaron agrees, sending the best man for that job. Dave was a car guy, he had fixed up countless classics, and he’d know how to talk shop better than the rest of them. “Let me know what you find.” 

Right as Dave starts to stand up, Y/N comes rushing over to the table, “Shannon Makely’s husband is here.” 

Hotch had requested to talk to him when he arrived, he had questions to ask and hearing them from another man might make it go by easier. Whereas the mother of Maria Delgado would’ve done better with the girls, that’s why he had them speak to her first. 

“Okay, thanks,” he starts to stand, “you want to join us?” He asks Detective Quinn. 

He nods, standing with him. They all head into an office, Mr. Makely is already in there waiting for them, his eyes puffy and red, he’s been crying. Probably a lot. That was a given. Aaron’s not sure how he’d react if his wife— ex-wife died. Even after everything they’ve been through, he’d probably be devastated too. 

“I just want it to make sense,” Mr. Makely cries. “But this…” he doesn’t know what to say. 

“We may be able to make some sense of this with your help,” Y/N offers, her kindest voice on display. She hands him a photo of Maria Delgado. “Do you recognize that woman?” 

He stares for a mere second and shakes his head. Gripping his water bottle like his life depended on it, “No. Should I?” 

“She was the first victim,” Y/N explains. “We’re trying to determine if she was connected to your wife in some way.” 

“Connected?” He asks, having a hard time processing everything. 

“We think he may have been following them. Gathering information,” Aaron adds. “Did Shannon ever mention or notice anyone?”

“No…” his brows furrow as he thinks back as far as he can but his mind is clearly shadowed by grief. 

“Did you ever notice anyone out of the ordinary in your neighbourhood?” She asks, watching him shake his head. “Maybe someone who was walking or driving by the house repeatedly?” 

He keeps shaking his head, he really doesn’t think so. 

“What about a truck? Or a large SUV?” Hotch asks. 

His brows narrow then, his eyes wander back and forth as he puts some pieces together, “Thursday, I was expecting a package, I kept checking the street and there was a truck parked a couple of houses down. I didn’t recognize it.” 

“Could you see anyone inside?” Aaron asks. 

He shakes his head again, kicking himself, “I couldn’t tell, the windows were blacked out.”

“Tinted?” Aaron repeats in a different phrasing, looking to Y/N and then back to him. 

“Yeah, only all the way around, like you see with limousines,” he explains better. He rubs his mouth then, trying his hardest to think back, he visibly hates himself for not remembering more. 

Aaron gives him a moment and then asks one last question. “Do you think that you would recognize the truck if you saw it again?” 

He sniffles and then clears his throat, pulling himself together, he nods, “Mhm, maybe?” 

And so they get him pictures of trucks, makes and models, they print off so many pictures they have to bring in more paper. This is the most this department's printer has ever gone off, as it would seem. 

Dave was back from the mechanic pretty soon thereafter, they were behind on things and asked him to come back in a few hours, meaning Aaron could go with him this time. 

The mechanic working on the little red car pops the hood and brings them around to look, “we figured it was the water pump because it was pretty much melted but what we didn’t figure out on this—“ he pulls forward a piece of rubber tubing with a slit cut through it. 

“This car's pretty new, that wouldn’t be normal wear and tear, would it?” Aaron asks. 

“No, the rest of the lines in good condition,” he explains. “Someone punctured it. You can tell from the smooth edge.”

Aaron leans in to get a better look, “How did they do it?” 

“Probably reached the blade right through the grill. Penknife, something like that,” he hypothesizes. 

“Wouldn’t’ve even had to pop the hood,” Rossi tisks, shaking his head. Theres nothing he hasn’t seen. “And then she drove away without water in the radiator, it explains the overheating.” 

“It explains the pump, too,” The mechanic adds. 

“Could someone possibly gauge how far she could’ve travelled with a car in this condition?” Hotch asks one last question to chase his theory. 

He presses his lips together and shrugs, “Someone who knows cars could make an educated guess, I suppose.” 

“Thank you,” Aaron reaches over to shake his hand, that’s everything he needed. 

Dave does the same thing, shaking the man's hand before the two of them head off back towards their own car. “Sabotage. This guys more focused than we thought. Well organized, highly motivated.” 

“By what though?” Aaron asks, still stuck on that part. “What do these women have in common?” 

“Different ages, appearance, social status. He’s not hunting a specific type,” Dave recounts. 

“Their only connection is the unsub. There has to have been contact before the attacks,” Hotch says, going back on what they’ve profiled before. 

Rossi picks that us, “but we profiled a guy who would be afraid of contact? The trucks a shield.” 

“Maybe the contacts are incidental. There’s something he perceives in their exchange. Something about his perception triggers his fixation,” Hotch explains. “Could be the way she looks at him, something she says, or even something as trivial as what she’s wearing… whatever it is, the victims have no idea what they’ve set in motion.” 

—

Visiting the crime scenes, and talking with loved ones and the mechanic was really all they could do that day. The team goes out for dinner together around 6 and by 8 they’re all in their hotel rooms with nothing to do for 12 hours— or when another kill comes in. 

Y/N and Aaron have a room with two beds, like always, one to sleep in together and one for all their bags to sit on. They change, they get into bed together and by 9pm they’re cuddled into each other and absolutely exhausted. It’s midnight back home, they’d normally still be up at this time but still, all the travel and the emotional toll of talking to victim's families has them pretty wiped out. 

He loves this time of night, the way they cuddle and how she fits next to him like she’s the other half of his puzzle. They talk a little, about the case and also about nothing serious at all. He loves this part of the night, when they’re tucked away in some random bed in a random town in America… he never thought he’d have this. 

He never imagined one day he wouldn’t be with Haley, and even if he did, he never thought he’d be happy without her. So much of his marriage with her was good, he loved coming home to a cuddle and a good night's sleep. But on the other end, he spent a lot of nights completely alone. He would cuddle his pillow and have terrible sleep only to wake up grumpy and keep searching for another psychopath. 

Now, he gets to sleep beside his girlfriend whom he loves so much every single night, no matter where he is. Dating someone on his team was not something he thought would ever happen. He had no idea the joy that dating someone at work could bring him. 

“I love you,” he whispers before kissing the back of her neck. 

“I love you,” she replies, he can hear the smile on her face. 

He holds her a bit tighter, snuggling in against her more, “This is so nice to get to sleep beside you on nights like this.” 

“Oh, Aaron,” she has her hand over his, and she squeezes him lovingly. 

“I mean it… after talking to Shannon Makely’s husband today, I’m just, I’m really glad I have you.” 

She wiggles out of his grip and for a moment he fears that she doesn’t feel the same, instead, she turns to face him. Even in the dark, he can make out her features. He holds her close once more, chest to chest this time, and she smiles. She cups his face and leans in for a quick kiss. 

“I feel the same… but I have a question?” 

“Okay?” 

“If something happened to you, would you want me to talk to Haley?” She asks. “And I’m not talking if you die, I mean, if you’re stabbed or shot or taken hostage, do you want me to talk to her or should that conversation come from Rossi or Strauss?” 

“Oh,” he’s never thought about that. “I’d want you to tell her. I mean, she knows we're close so she probably expects it to be you… but if I ever do die on the job, I definitely want it to be you who talks to her. I want you to be the one to give them access to my apartment and make sure Jack gets all my things and that my funeral goes smoothly.” 

She doesn’t say anything, but her breathing picks up and he can tell she’s trying hard not to cry. “Okay.” 

He simply pulls her in closer and rests his cheek off the top of her head, “but that’s not going to happen.” 

“I know.” 

“And if it’s ever the other way around if it’s Haley who dies before me, I want you to be with me if I have to go through that. If Jack is still young enough to need to move in with me full-time, I’d want you to be around for that too. I know I’d be a mess if I lost her, and if Jack lost his mom, and that’s not because I’m still in love with her… I mean, I do love her. But I’m not in love with her. If I lost her it would be hard on us, but I’d want you to be there with me when things get hard.” 

“Of course, I’d be there for you,” she assures him. “The same way I’d want you to come home with me if my parents passed away. She’s family. I know that. I’m never going to be jealous of her. I’d want to be there for Jack too. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose your mom as a kid, and I hope he never has to go through that. I’m praying that his mom is in his life for as long as possible and that maybe one day me and haley could even become friends. I want us to be a family, as unconventional as that may be, I love you enough to love everyone in your family, too.” 

He wants to cry now too. When he got divorced he never ever, ever thought that he’d find someone who loves him and his family this way. He never thought his girlfriend would want to be close to his ex-wife. He never imagined a world where his son would have two strong and wonderful women to look up to but that’s what he found.

“I love you,” Aaron says before kissing the top of her head. “I love you so much.” 

She kisses his neck where her head is tucked in, holding him as close as possible. “Sometimes I can’t believe this happened. Like, I thought you were cute when I started working with you and I knew you were married and I thought all Jack's photos on your desk were so sweet. I really just wanted to be your friend after the divorce. I never had a lot of girlfriends, I’m not super close to JJ or Penelope, so getting to know you was the first time I had a good friend in a long time.” 

“Finding friends as an adult is hard,” he sympathizes. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without our phone calls… I spent the first few months completely silent in my apartment all alone and then you filled my nights with laughter and smiles and I woke up the next morning excited to go to work. I didn’t even realize I was in love with you until it was almost too late.” 

She smiles, “I only figured it out cause I got jealous in New York.” 

“God, this last year has been absolutely insane,” he shakes his head. He got divorced, he fell in love and the only other woman he’s ever slept with in his life died. In his arms, too. It’s been such a traumatic year but Y/N made it liveable. She made it okay. 

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anyone else.” 

—

They’re up and ready by 7, unable to sleep in that long when their body clock was off. 

They all leave at different times, JJ left with Rossi just before Y/N and Aaron were done getting ready and texted that they left. Derek and Spencer were running a little late but that was usual. They had just enough time to get coffee at a local family-owned diner and they even get some breakfast sandwiches too, which were on the house as the owners were thankful the FBI was in town to help. It put an extra pep in their step that morning. 

When they arrived at the station, Mr. Makely was already there, still looking through photos of vehicles from the day before but in a new outfit. He went home, didn’t sleep but came back changed to give the illusion that he did. He smelled like booze and the bags under his eyes were the same purple as the tie Aaron had on yesterday. So Arron heads over to the coffee maker, pours the man a cup and sets it down beside him with a smile. 

This was going to be a long day. 

By the time Derek and Spencer get in, Y/N and JJ have already gone through a box of information gathered on the first two victims. Where they grew up, who they went to school with, their family members, hospital records, speeding tickets, you name it and they’ve seen it. Nothing has added up yet. 

Derek takes a seat by Mr. Makely, asking him how he’s doing and questioning him on what he’s able to remember thus far and Marley takes a couple images and lays them out. “These ones stick out.” 

“All Ford models, similar grills like you described yesterday,” Derek nods along. 

“I guess, they just didn’t have that emblem,” he points. “There was no hood ornament, nothing like that.” 

“I understand how hard this must be, but it’ll really help us to know what the truck looks like,” Derek sympathizes. “Our tech girl can put in all these specifications into the system and narrow down who drives this model, she can even go further and track down who’s bought grills and had them shipped to Bend recently.” 

“I’ll keep looking,” he assures Derek with a smile. 

Derek pats his shoulder and then joins the team at the round table. “How’s it going?” Aaron asks. 

“Well, we're down to an older model, black, American-made. Sounds like he de-badged the trucks so nobody could ID him,” Derek explains. 

“I can start a list from the DMV matching what we know?” Quinn offers. 

“That’s gonna kill a lot of trees up in these parts,” Derek makes a joke, even in times like these he still found a way. 

“The trucks only gonna get us so far,” Hotch agrees. “What we need to do is build on the profile.” 

“Well he’s mechanically inclined,” Reid throws in. “He certainly knows his way around an engine block.” 

“And he can pull a dent too,” Y/N suggests. “If he’s fixing the body damage to his truck himself.” 

“Both victims were killed during prime office hours which means he has a flexible work schedule,” Aaron adds. 

“Or he might not be working at all? Uh, stalking someone, getting to know their schedule that’s some pretty serious time commitment,” Reid reminds them all. 

“8% of the states out of work,” Quinn shares. 

“Job loss is a classic stressor,” Derek says for good measure. 

“It’s a start,” Hotch sighs. “Look for men who are employed as mechanics, body shops, and look for those with criminal records. Reckless driving, assault…”

“Two murders in 2 weeks, that’s not much of a cooling-off period,” Y/N says. 

“He’s not going to wait for another opportunity to present itself,” Hotch agrees. 

“No, he’ll create one,” Reid adds, knowing the odds. 

—

The call comes in just after 5 p.m., in the middle of shift change. There was another murder, in the parking garage of the local hospital this time. Aaron heads out with Y/N  Rossi and Reid, leaving Derek with Mr. Makely and JJ to contact the family once they know more. 

When they get there it's a gruesome sight. He was hit in front of the elevator, almost pancaked between the grill of the truck and the metal doors. 

“Impact nearly cut him in two,” Quinn says, closing back up the body bag that the coroner had placed the victim in. “His name is Victor Costella. Pediatrist. He works in the building.” 

“A male victim?” Y/N can’t believe it. 

“There goes the vehicular rape theory,” Rossi says with a sigh, this case was starting to piss him off. 

“He ran down from the level above trying to get away,” Quinn explains. 

“So the initial collision was up there?” Rossi points. Quinn nods, “Let's go see it.” 

They leave the victim where he is and walk up the roundabout ramp towards where he was originally parked. A few cars got caught in the scuffle, and crime scene detectives are already up there taking photos and documenting everything. 

“That’s the victims car?” Reid points at the red coop. 

“Yeah, why?” Quinn asks, not seeing why it’s important. 

“Hold on just a moment,” Reid says, taking his phone from his pocket. “Garcia, I need you to look into something.” 

They all knew what that meant. They were about to have a crack in this case and hopefully one big enough to blow it wide open. 

“It’s a reserved spot,” Aaron points at the wall, the sign is screwed into the concrete wall with Dr. Costella written on it. Rusty and faded, he’s been at this practice a long time. 

“The unsub knew where he was going to park, must’ve gotten here early and picked a spot right across from him,” Rossi explains, turning to look at the other parking spots. 

“Somebody might’ve seen him waiting,” Y/N says, hopeful to talk to an eyewitness. 

“Somebody did,” Detective Feder says, showing up from the lower level and surprising them with his presence. “I talked to an X-ray tech on the third floor, she noticed the truck when she arrived. 

“And he was inside it?” Y/N asks. 

“Yeah but she couldn’t see him because of the tint,” he explains. 

“So how did she know he was inside the truck?” Aaron asks. 

“She said the window was cracked, the occupant was smoking,” he explains further. 

Rossi perks right up, “I don’t suppose your people found any cigarette butts?” 

Feder looks as though he didn’t even think to look, causing Rossi to head over to the vacant spot across from Costella’s and start to look. “What time did the tech get in?” Rossi asks. 

“10 am,” Feder answers. 

“7 hours… a proper addict could kill a while pack in that time,” Rossi mutters to himself, squatting down with his pen in hand, he pushes around a couple balled up, yellow, pieces of paper. “Did you ever smoke?” He asks the group. 

“I used to do a lot of things,” Y/N answers, honestly. 

“I bet you never did this,” he taps the ground. 

“He field stripped it,” Aaron notices. 

“What is that?” Y/N asks, having not heard the term before, or at least not remembering what it meant. 

“Something they teach soldiers to avoid leaving traces in the field,” Quinn explains. 

“They squeeze out the filter and then ball up the surrounding paper,” Rossi gives a more detailed explanation. 

“Okay so our guy could be ex-military?” Y/N proposes. 

Feder takes out some tweezers and an evidence bag, “I’ll get some DNA on this. Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’s in our system.” 

“If he’s military, why would he choose a truck as his weapon?” Quinn asks. 

“Maybe he drove a tank?” Feder shrugs. 

“That’s a good question,” Rossi assures Quinn, ignoring Feder. “Using a vehicle on the open road is one thing, but this is close quarters.”

“Yeah, the truck is loud and draws attention. Plus he risked rendering in inoperable,” Y/N adds. 

“That doesn’t make any sense?” Quinn is a ball of confusion now. Shaking his head, he just wants this to be over with. He wants answers now. He’s not used to the chase in a small town like this. 

“It makes sense to him. He needs to kill this way,” Aaron says and then takes a deep breath, dropping his shoulders, he places his hand on Quinn's arm. “We’ll figure out why.” 

Reid comes running up the ramp then. Rounding the corner, he’s out of breath already but he has news. “Guys!” They all turn to him. “I think I figured out what connects these victims.” 

He explains it once on their walk back to the SUV and then again at the station, filling in JJ and Derek this time as well. “All the victims drove red, two-door coupes.”

“Don’t you think that could be a coincidence?” Quinn asked, not fully sold. 

“It’s statistically significant,” Spencer says, sassy as ever in his own Spencer way. 

“We haven’t been able to find any other common denominators,” JJ adds. 

“if the unsub is targeting people because of their cars, then his initial contact with them would’ve been on the road,” Hotch explains in a way Quinn would better understand. 

“Exactly,” Spencer nods, giving him a small smile to say thank you. 

“I spoke to the families about the victim's daily car travel— how they got to work, the gym,” JJ points to the board, showing the different coloured pins for the different victims and the routes they took. 

“There’s one road all the victims had in common,” Spencer points out. 

Three pins are along one highway. The same highway Shannon Makely was murdered on. 

“Route seven.” Quinn knows all too well what that road is like and they can tell by the look on his face. 

“That means something to you?” Hotch asks, staring him down, he’s talked to the man enough to know whatever he was about to say wasn’t good news. 

“Maybe we should take a drive.” 

—

It doesn’t take long to drive out there, maybe 20 minutes? Quinn pulls over onto the side of the road and puts his safety blinkers on. They get out together and he walks them over to the side of the cliff. There’s about a 200-meter drop from where they are standing down to a clearing of trees.

Spencer gets close to the edge, looking down while Aaron stays back further. He’s not terrified of heights but he knew what was good for him. 

“Anyone living outside bend who commutes toward Eugene, uses Route 7. It’s the most dangerous stretch of highway in the state,” Quinn explains. “They call it suicide seven.” 

Along the roadside there are white crosses, the kind you see on the side of the road in the middle of no where to mark where an accident took place. Either drunk driving or mechanical trouble, swerving into the wrong lane after not enough sleep or black ice in the middle of winter that sends you spinning out… there’s way too many in this little section of highway for them not to find it suspicious. 

“These crosses represent accidents?” Spencer asks, filling in the blanks in his building theory. 

“Fatalities. The fire chief put them up to remind drivers to be careful,” Quinn explains, monotoned and expressionless. 

Aaron could tell he hated this part of the job. He would too. 

“Two lanes, no dividers, I’m assuming there’s a lot of head-on collisions?” 

“Either that or they go off the side,” Quinn says, letting out a deep breath and walking away from the edge. 

“Reid you mentioned the possibility of a physical limitation, something that kept the unsub from attacking in a traditional way?” Aaron asks him. 

“I was talking about impotence but we ruled out sexual motivation,” he reminds him. 

“What if he’d been involved in a crash?” 

“On this road…” Spencer starts to nod, putting more pieces together, Aaron could tell it was starting to make sense to not just himself now. “If the unsub is disabled it explains why he uses a truck— it gives him power, mobility…” 

“But what?” Aaron asks, wanting him to explain everything going on inside his genius mind. 

“The idea that he’s avenging his own physical suffering speaks to a victim mentality that’s inconsistent with the profile,” Spencer explains, puzzled by this piece. 

He thinks back to the conversation he had last night with Y/N. How he’d want her by his side if someone important to him died. He didn’t bring it up then, but if he ever lost her. If Y/N ever died… he’d never be okay again. He never once understood why these men were able to kill so easily and then he fell in love again. Harder than ever before. He would kill for her if he had to. 

“Then maybe it’s not just about his own suffering,” Aaron hypothesizes. “What if he got hurt in an accident that took a loved one? His wife or child, or both?” 

“We’ve had a few cases like that on this highway,” Quinn nods, “I can get the guys back at the station to start pulling files of men who survived while their family didn’t.” 

“Broaden that to women and children who died with husbands who weren’t in the car,” Spencer asks. “He could also have been disabled in combat and come home to his family dead, I doubt it but it's still good to add to the search.” 

“Good idea,” Aaron agrees. 

When they get in the car this time, he feels a little less easy. Turning around, doing a U-turn on this scary patch of road, it made his stomach uneasy. He was never good at being in the car when someone else was driving. He’s old enough now to know a life of having his licence longer than being without it. He hated giving that control away, unless it was with Y/N or Dave and even Derek.

—

When they get back they have just an hour to prep the final profile and before they get in front of the station and local reporters, Aaron pulls Y/N aside. He steals a hug and a kiss from her.

“What was that for?” 

“Cause I can,” he says, just holding her closer. He rubs his hand up and down her back. “I love you.” 

“You can love me all you want once we catch this guy,” she teases as she pulls away. “Come on, we’ve got a profile to give.” 

He knows she’s right, he shouldn’t be doing this here, in a random back corner of the office where no one can see them. He should be prepping with the others, but he couldn’t help it. 

He follows her back towards the others, his smile fades and he puts his stern and serious look back on. It was hard being happy and in love while around such horrible things all the time, but he found a way to make it work. When they get back to the table, the whole station has gathered and a few reporters from the next town over are there too, waiting and ready for the team to start talking. 

“As we speak, this profile and a description of the unsubs truck are being released to state and national media,” Aaron explains, standing with the others in front of the crowd. 

“In addition to what we already know, we believe the unsub is ex-military, most likely army or marines,” Spencer speaks next. 

Y/N takes a half step forward, “We also believe he’s physically handicapped.” 

“Form combat?” One of the officers asks. 

Aaron shakes his head, “most likely from an automobile accident.” 

“An accident that may have occurred along route 7, where the unsub finds his victims,” Y/N adds. 

“And that has something to do with why he’s going after red coupes,” Quinn says, sitting with the rest of his station but still in the loop more than the others. 

“We believe that he holds the driver of a comparable vehicle responsible for his accident,” Spencer explains further. 

“And this person is the object of his rage, but unable to confront them, he’s taking revenge against a surrogate,” Aaron makes it absolutely clear that these victims didn’t hurt the unsub first, they just remind him of the person who did. 

“These boxes contain accident reports uh, from a strip of route 7 between Bend and Eugene. There’s about 5 years worth, we’re going to need everyone you can spare to comb through them,” Y/N says, taking the lid off of one of the boxes. 

“We’ve also compiled a list of local rehabilitation facilities where the unsub may have gone to recover. Use the profile as you canvas these places,” Spencer adds. 

“Remember we’re looking for a white male in his early 40s, former military who may have sustained serious injury in a car accident,” Aaron makes the final summary and then disburse. 

He reaches for the TV remote and then, turns it up to hear JJ on the local news giving the same report. 

“Though only owners of red coupes have been targeted, at this point, we’re asking all the driving public to be vigilant on the road. If you know anyone who fits this description please contact the Bend Police Department immediately. Thank you.” 

While JJ is on the news, Derek and Dave have split off two canvases a few different facilities and ask questions. Y/N is about to leave to hit up a few more with Agent Feder, which leaves Aaron with Spencer to go over everything else and wait for calls. So far nothing serious has come from the lines, mainly people saying they’ve seen reckless red coupes on that road or saying their neighbour has that kind of car, but nothing substantial. 

When JJ comes back she weeds through the emails from the news station, some people have contacted the news instead of the police because they want their 5 seconds of fame if they got the suspect right. So far almost everyone just knows someone with a black truck, nothing about a disabled man or even licence plate numbers to back their theories up. 

And then they get a walk-in. 

“Hotch,” JJ comes over to hear him. “This guy walked in, his name is Gil Bonner.” 

“What’s his story?” He asks. 

“It’s about the unsubs accident he says it’s his fault,” she says, scratching the back of her head and looking as though she doesn’t know if she can believe him or not. 

Aaron stands right up and follows her over to the man with Spencer in tow, he shakes his hand and introduces himself as the head of the investigation, making him follow them into another room to talk privately. “Tell us the story from the beginning.” 

He sits down and stares at the wall for a moment. “It was late and I had spent all day in Eugene with my mom, she’d been sick… I should’ve been driving, but I just wanted to get home to see my little girl. And it was darker than usual. I remember the moon, it was just a sliver. Right outside the Cascades, my phone started vibrating. When I went to reach for it, I knocked it off the far side of the seat and it fell down by the door and I thought I could reach.” 

He gets teary-eyed explaining it all, he can’t meet their eyes for worry they’d look at him like a monster. He’s so filled with shame, he’s been holding this story in for such a long time that recalls it like a folktale. 

“You took your eyes off the road,” JJ says in the most sympathetic tone, talking to him like a teacher or a friend. Trying to make sure he can trust them. 

“It could’ve been for more than a few seconds, but when I looked back up there were lights and this horn was blaring and I swerved at the last second and I just… kept on going,” he explains. “Without a scratch?” 

“You’d gone into the oncoming lane?” Hotch asks, trying to better understand. 

The man just nods. 

“What happened to the other vehicle?” Spencer asks. 

“That’s the thing,” he whispers, brows furrowed, he’s trying his hardest to think back to the exact things that happened that night but the sleep deprivation from that night and the time that’s passed make it hard. “It was in my rearview mirror and then it was gone. Vanished!” 

“Why didn’t you stop?” Aaron asks, there is no way he wouldn’t stop if this was him. 

“It didn’t seem real,” he explains, still not able to look at him. 

“You’re saying you just pretended it didn’t happen?” JJ asks. 

“I guess if you tell yourself something for long enough… You can make anything true,” he says, trying his best not to break down. The guilt is eating him alive. 

“Well you’re here now,” Aaron assures him that it’ll be okay. “Tell us about the other vehicle.” 

“It was the truck you’re looking for.” 

“How do you know that?” Aaron needs him to be as sure as possible. 

“When I saw the news… it all made sense,” he explains. “It’s come back for revenge.” 

They all look at each other, concerned for this man. He’s speaking as if the truck is a ghost and it’s looking for him not that there's a killer out there using this accident as a reason to kill. 

“When did the accident happen?” JJ asks, bringing him back to the real issue. 

“December ’07,” he spits right back, knowing it exactly. “The second Saturday.” 

Spencer quickly reads over the report in his hand, “There were no accidents reported in December of 2007.” 

“No,” he whispers, shaking his head. “Thats— no??”

“Maybe you have your dates wrong?” Aaron sympathizes, it was a long time ago and he was under stress. Dates blur in times like these. 

“Could’ve been November?”

“Uh, memories are kinda like puzzle pieces,” Spencer explains. “And it’s-it’s quite possible that in suppressing these for so long, you’ve sort of rearranged things?” 

He breaks down then, shaking his head. 

“How long was your mother sick?” Aaron asks, maybe this will get them closer to the real date. 

“5 months,” he knows that for a fact. When it comes to sick relatives, to losing a loved one, you don’t forget that. “She… she died in January. That much I know.” 

They let him stay in the room to calm down as long as he needs to but Aaron and Spencer leave. They head back to the table silently and then they both sigh as they take their seats. 

“I feel bad for the guy,” Spencer shares. 

Aaron nods, “I remember when my mother died, she was sick for a few years before. I remember it like it was yesterday… hopefully JJ and Garcia can pull some hospital records and we can pinpoint when the moon was like that in the later months of 2007.” 

“Maybe the others will come back with something from the rehab facilities that we can cross references with him,” Spencer agrees. 

“I hope they come back soon,” Aaron says with his small voice. 

“It’s strange you know? We’ve been a team for years and I’ve been beside Derek almost every day since the start and now when he’s partnered off doing something without me, it feels like I haven’t seen him in ages,” Spencer sympathizes with him. 

“It is weird,” Aaron agrees. “But it’s also nice loving someone so much that a few minutes apart makes you miss them.” 

He nods, trying not to smile too big, “I’m glad she finally told you, I’ve been waiting for you guys to get together for a year.” 

“I’ve been expecting you and Morgan to get together since 2005,” he teases back. 

“Why?” 

“Because he’s always been into you, from the moment you started he was fascinated in you and you just never picked up on it because his flirting comes off as teasing,” Aaron explains. “Y/N was telling me that when we went to Chicago to help him after he was arrested, you were at his mother's house and she said he always talked about you to them. He’s been in love with you a lot longer than you think.” 

“Oh,” Spencer softens. “I had no idea.” 

He laughs, “we know.” 

“I knew Y/N was into you when we were at the cemetery, right after New York,” he explains. “I have never seen someone yell at you like that.” 

“I know,” he just shakes his head with a smile. “It was a shock for me too.” 

JJ comes rushing from the room then, “Hey, I called Y/N and told her about the crash happening between September ’07 and January ’08, she’s with Derek right now at one of the facilities. Feder got called to another issue somewhere else, but they think they found someone who fits the profile. They’re on their way back now.” 

“Sounds good.”

—

When Y/N and Derek get back they take a seat at the table beside their partners and get Penelope on the line. She’s able to send them over details on this guy from the rehab centre, Ian Coakley and Reid pulls the information about said crash from one of the boxes Y/N brought out earlier that day. 

“Ian and Sheila Coakley crashed while driving home from Napa Valley, going eastbound on Route 7 around midnight. It appeared their car was run off the road, and flipped numerous times. No witnesses,” Spencer recounts before laying the file on the table for the others to see. 

“His wife was riding in the passenger seat, she died at the scene,” Y/N adds, heartbroken for them. 

“Coakley survived,” Aaron read from the file. “Paramedics indicated spinal cord injury.” 

“He fractured his T6 and T7 vertebrae,” Morgan says with a sigh, crossing his arms and sitting back in his seat. 

“Paraplegic,” Aaron nods along. 

“That’s not all, he’s a former light-wheel mechanic in the Army National Guard,” Spencer adds. 

“Did it say anything about a red car?” Quinn asks. 

“No. It says Coakley suffered memory loss after the accident,” Aaron reads from the file. 

“Short-term retrograde amnesia is common after a serious accident,” Spencer confirms. 

“I think it’s safe to say he remembers now,” Rossi shakes his head. 

“Do we have an address?” Aaron asks, wanting to go forward with an arrest. 

“I’m working on it,” Penelope says from the office phone which has been on speaker the whole time. “Okay, the house Coakley and his wife bought was foreclosed on 10 months after the accident.” 

“Well, there’s gotta be a paper trail then?” Spencer jumps the gun. 

“Yeah and that trail leads to a land called nowhere,” Penelope spits back. Typing away. “He cashed some insurance cheques during his stay at Adelman's house but after he left... Zilch." 

“Any relatives he could be staying with?” Aaron asks. 

“No, I tried that,” Garcia explains. “There’s no family in the area. My exquisitely educated guess is he’s either squatting or subletting with cash.” 

“What about his truck?” Rossi asks. 

“He owns a ’79 Dodge D100, he bought it used 10 years ago,” she explains. 

“he’s had to rebuild it several times now, parts can’t be easy to find for a truck that old,” Rossi reminds her. She’s found more people with less before. 

“I smell what you’re cooking agent… Checking auto suppliers in Bend… yeah! Rossi gets a fruit cup with lunch. He’s having the parts drop-shipped through Sid’s Auto and sent directly to an address in southwest Bend,” Penelope explains in her ever-Penelope way. 

“Send us the exact address, let’s gear up,” Hotch says as he starts to stand up. “We’ve got two options, either he’s there or he’s out stalking his next victim, I want the crime scene to be there to search the house regardless of if he’s there and if he isn’t I need unmarked cars canvassed in the surrounding areas so he doesn’t get spooked if he comes back and sees sirens and officers. We’re getting this guy. Today.” 

“I’ve sent it to your phones and the fax machine there at the station,” Penelope explains. “I’ve also emailed the information to the local judge, we should have a warrant ready in the next half hour.” 

“You’re a godsend, Penelope,” Derek reminds her. 

“I know. Be safe, come home to me!” 

“We always do!” Y/N smiles before hitting the end call button and joining the others in getting ready. 

—

Derek is the first one inside, like always, he’s followed by Rossi, then Hotch, Quinn and finally Y/N and a few cops. They clear each room, his garage and his backyard, he’s not there. Just like Aaron suspected. 

“His truck is gone,” Derek says as he comes back in from the garage. 

“Get all the vehicles off the street and start a perimeter,” Rossi orders to the other officers. “If he comes back this way we’ll want to be ready for him.” 

“On it,” they all scatter like flies, leaving the house just as the crime scene unit comes in with Reid and JJ. 

“Rossi,” Derek gets his attention, “you’re gonna want to see this.” 

Rossi follows him out into the garage leaving Y/N and Aaron in Coakley’s kitchen. “I want you guys to search everything, find me any clues as to who he’s going to be getting next, Quinn and I are going to be driving around Route 7 and the reservoir looking for him. Radios work better than phones up here,” he hands Y/N a walkie and then another to JJ and Reid. “Give this one to Dave and Morgan, Call me if you hear anything.” 

“You bet,” JJ gives him a smile and starts getting to work. 

“Hey,” Y/N stops him before he heads out. “Be careful.” 

“I always am.” 

They head out then, Hotch drives this time with Quinn in the driver's seat. He’s a quiet man, he doesn’t speak unless spoken to and he could do without small talk. Aaron liked that about him. So far they’ve only talked about the case and similar ones like it, he’s asked questions about if they’ve seen anything like this before and about the other team members but that’s about it. 

So needless to say, he’s shocked when he brings up Y/N. 

“You two been together long?” He asks. 

“Hm? Oh, me and Agent Y/L/N? A while now, yeah,” he tries not to smile. 

“She’s nice, smart too,” he compliments. 

Aaron just nods, “She’s amazing.” 

They’re quiet again for a while, the radio on low and Quinn hums along. He looks out the window and points out every black truck they see but none of them have the License plate they’re looking for, but they know he’s out there. 

They get a radio in from Morgan about 15 minutes into the drive, Coakley had photos of previous vics and one man they haven’t seen before. Garcia traced his licence plate and Derek took Y/N over to the guy's house to ask where he is. He’s on a bike ride, headed towards the reservoir. They have this man's bike path mapped out and are chasing him.

“Hotch, we’re on Route 26 heading towards the reservoir, I think we’re about halfway around the loop. So far, no sign of him,” Y/N radios through. 

“Copy that. We’re headed southbound on 20. Hopefully, we can hit route 26 before they fly by,” Aaron radios back. 

He speeds up, zooming along the old country roads, dust flying behind his tires. He’s careful around the edges, hyper-vigilant that this is a scary road and he’s not the only one on it. 

The next radio in is from JJ. “Hotch, you know how Coakley was driving his wife’s car on the night of the accident?” 

“I remember.” 

“It was a red coupe,” she explains. 

“Are you sure?” He can’t believe it. 

“We have pictures,” she says, completely positive. 

Hotch looks at Quinn carefully and then back to the road, Quinn holds his own radio to his mouth, “What does it mean?” He asks. 

“Maybe there was no other car on the road?” JJ hypothesizes. 

“Think about it, the make and model of his target car keeps changing,” Y/N chirps in from her end. 

“Like he knows they aren’t right,” Hotch adds. 

“And his doctor at the rehab facility called it fluid memory but what if it was more than that?” 

“So if it’s a single car accident—

“It was Coakley's fault,” Y/N cuts off Quinn. “He was driving back from Napa Valley that night. That’s a long drive.” 

“Fell asleep at the wheel,” Quinn can fill in the blanks himself. He’s heard it all before. “Wouldn’t be the first time.” 

“The guilt of that would be overwhelming. The truth, almost impossible to take,” Y/N adds. 

“So he’s projecting blame?” Aaron asks, corroborating his theory. 

“A red coupe did cause the accident, and he was driving it,” Y/N assures him he’s right. 

They reach route 26 then, tyres squeal as he takes a turn and then he gets right back up to speed. Aaron follows the winding path and from his elevation, he can see the truck chasing a group of bikers as they come up the hill. There’s an intersection coming up, the bikers are already heading through it as Aaron goes even faster, hitting 120mph now, he’s going to meet Coakley at the intersection. 

“HANG ON!” 

Aaron smacks right into the front end of Coakley’s truck as the bikers get away without a scratch. The airbags deployed, they get ditched and the ringing in his ears comes back. He can’t move from his seat, he can barely open both eyes, and he knows he’ll be diagnosed with a concussion as soon as he’s seen by someone but he doesn’t care. 

By the time he’s able to get out of the vehicle, it’s too late. The truck has backed up and he’s about to head off after the bikers once more. But Quinn draws his weapon and starts to talk to him anyway. 

“You can’t blame other people for what you’ve done Coakley!” 

That’s not going to work. 

“Detective!” Aaron yells from his seat. 

“You know the truth! No one else needs to die,” he continues. 

“It’s not going to help!” Aaron tries to get him to stop. 

“There was no other red car, was there?” He finally says, making Coakley snap back into reality. 

These cases end in 1 of two ways. Either kill themselves or get the cops to do it for them. 

Aaron unclips his seatbelt and starts trying to get out but there’s too much damage to the front end of the SUV. His door won’t budge. Coakley is starting his truck back up and he’s about to get away so he pushes harder on the door. It pops open just as Coakely speeds off. 

Y/N, riding with Derek, sees Aaron leaning against the SUV and the blood on his face. She jumps out of the car before it even comes to a halt while Aaron shouts, “Go! Go!!” Making Derek keep chasing him. 

“Aaron Hotchner!” She scolds him, “What the fuck was that?” 

“Oh, don’t start with me,” he waves her off, heading back to the crashed SUV to talk to Detective Quinn.

“You do this all the time!” She yells at him, following him over. “You put yourself in harm's way and you get hurt and then you get pissy that you can’t go back to work right away. Maybe if you stopped putting yourself in the middle of shit—

He turns back to her in the middle of her rant, “I get it! I’m an idiot! But at least those bikers are still alive!” 

“Thank god for that!” She yells right back. “It's not like we need you to stay alive too.” 

“What is your problem? I’m clearly alive right now?!”

“This time.” That’s all she says. She turns around and starts walking away, up the hill and towards where Derek and all the cops drove. 

She makes him feel bad, but at the same time, he’d do it again. His job isn’t to protect and serve, it’s to profile and track down killers. That’s it. He should know that by now… but it doesn’t stick. He’s never been just a normal cop, Derek has, so his instincts aren’t always questioned. It’s ingrained in him. The team brushes it off and sometimes Aaron has to give him a talk. 

No one ever gives Aaron the talk. Except Strauss, sometimes she gets on his ass but it’s never got a good reason. 

Having someone he loves so much, who loves Him so much, yell at him… that’s new. And he doesn’t like it. 

—

Y/N has her own room key, she leaves the precinct before the others and heads to their room so that she doesn’t have to talk to Aaron or see him anymore. She’s still so mad at him. He knows it too. 

He arrives at the hotel later on, slowly but surely, he shows up after she’s already changed and sitting in the middle of her own bed. Making it clear to him that he can have the other. She’s in the one furthest from the door, on what is usually his side so that she’s extra far away from him when he gets in. 

“Hey,” he says with his safest voice, watching as she simply raises her brows to acknowledge him and then goes back to her book. She sighs, a huff of air leaves her nose and she’s biting her tongue, She clearly wants to say something but doesn’t. 

He drops his bags on the floor, kicks off his shoes, tosses his suit jacket onto the free bed and slowly makes his way over to her bed, sitting on the edge with his ankle locked under his other knee. He cocks his head to the side and stares softly. “I’m sorry.” 

“Okay.” 

“I mean it. I just get so caught up with these guys that I forget that you’re right behind me and you’re watching and everything I do has consequences that you have to deal with, too,” he explains, trying to be as genuine as humanly possible. He wants her to believe him. 

“Did you at least get it checked out?” She asks, softening a bit. 

He nods and points to the bandage on his forehead, “No concussion and my ear is okay. My chest might bruise up from the seatbelt and this little cut will heal in a day or two, but other than that, I’m okay.” 

She nods then too, getting a little choked up. “I can’t lose you. I just got you. I never thought it would happen, Aaron. I thought you loved your ex-wife still and my little crush would end up suffocating me until I moved units. I didn’t think you’d ever love me back and to see you get hurt again after everything we’ve gone through just triggered me a little.” 

“It’s okay,” he quickly gets up and sits closer to her, pulling her in for a hug. He rubs her back and kisses the top of her head. “I love you so much I’m never going anywhere. I’m not saying I won’t get hurt again, I can’t see the future, but I’m going to try and stop putting myself in the middle of things.” 

“You promise?” She whispers, tossing the blanket away so she can crawl into his lap. She cups his face as she sits down on him. “Please?” 

He nods, “I promise, sweetheart. I’m not going to put myself in the middle of this shit anymore.” 

“So we won’t have screaming matches in the middle of the woods anymore?” She teases. 

He smirks, “Not unless you want to.” 

She manages to laugh, dragging her hands down to his tie, she starts to undo it. “I mean… it was pretty hot. I like when you’re angry, every time I’ve seen you put someone in their place I get a little hot and bothered, so it was strange having you yell at me for a change.” 

“When you yelled at me that first time, in the cemetery,” he whispers, staring at her lips. “I had to go back to the car because being a little high and in pain… and then getting yelled at like that…” 

“Seriously?” Her jaw drops and she looks at him like she’s starving.

He nods again, “You’re hot when you’re in charge.” 

She just smirks, pulling his tie off, and she keeps unbuttoning his shirt. She pulls it out of his suit pants, finishes off the buttons, and then runs her hands over his chest. Through the sprinkling of chest hair, she feels him up, “I thought our first time would be more slow and sweet and cute… but now I want to get all bossy and make you fuck the shit out of me.” 

“Make me?” He chuckles, “Really?” 

“Yeah,” she teases. She leans in and kisses his cheek, “I think,” and then his jaw, “You should,” and down his neck,  “fuck me,” her kisses go lower, “‘n show me how sorry you are.” 

Her hands now roaming around to his back, over his hips and over his bulge. He basks in it, already getting hard underneath her from just the memory of her wrath. She keeps kissing down his chest until he cups her face and brings her in to kiss her on the lips. He’s kissed her a million times by now but it’s still so exciting. The way she melts against him, the feeling of her tongue against his, the way she slightly whines when his hand starts to move down to her neck and his thumb caress her jaw.

“Mm,” she mumbles as she pulls away. “Can we—“ he steals another few kisses. “Too many—“ more kisses. “Clothes. Need you.” 

He lets her pull back enough just to look at him, both catching their breaths, “You have me.” 

She reaches for the hem of her shirt and he stops her, taking it in his grip instead he begins to lift it over her head. Arms in the air, he gets it up as much as he can from this sitting position and they laugh when she gets trapped inside her shirt and has to help him pull it all the way off. She tosses it to the side and then rests her hands back on his chest, gently running her fingertips down to his belly button, she starts to unbuckle his belt and pull it through the loops. 

He kisses her again and again and again until she starts to grind against him, wanting more. He cradles her body and carefully starts to sit up on his knees, laying her back down against the mattress. He hovers over her and kisses her jaw and down her neck, trailing his hands down her sides until he reaches her shorts and he pulls back just so he can get them off her. 

She helps him get them off and sits up on her own knees to kiss him while she pushes his shirt off his shoulders. He blindly flings it to the floor and she reaches down to unbutton his suit pants and reach her hand in there. Between his pants and his boxers, she cups his length and starts to rub. His hands land on her shoulders, smoothing down the warm skin of her back he pulls her in flush against him and slightly moans into her mouth. Her free hand comes up to grip the hair at the nape of his neck, holding him as close as possible. 

She smiles into the kiss, he simply bites her lip as he pulls away. He takes a peak between their bodies to see her boobs pressed against his chest, “you gonna let me go so I can take these pants off?” 

She leans in and steals another kiss, “Mmm, maybe,” she kisses him again and again. “Just hurry up about it.” 

He’s quick to get off the bed and push both his pants and his underwear off, he even pulls off his socks and leaves them all behind in the pile of discarded things. She’s sat there, leaning back with her hands flat on the mattress, she looks him up and down and then her eyes stay fixed on his cock. 

“Like what you see?” He teases her, he grips her ankles and tugs her to the edge of the bed. 

She’s a bit shocked, laughing it off, she grips his sides and stares up at him, “As a matter of fact, I do.”

He hauls her to her feet, cups her cheeks and he smiles. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” she smiles back. “Are you nervous?” 

He nods, “Just a little. It’s been almost 2 years since I’ve had sex…” 

“We’ll its been a lot longer than that for me and I’m almost positive that sex hasn’t changed that much in that time,” she teases. “I love you and I trust you, so I know it’ll be good.” 

He kisses her once quickly, “just good?” He kisses her again, the side of her mouth this time. He starts to kiss down her neck, over her collarbones and he cups her boobs so he can smother them in kisses too. Eventually starts to kneel, taking his kisses lower, he starts to take her panties off, kissing her lower stomach and then he looks up at her. “Sit down, let me show you how good I can be.” 

She sits on the edge of the bed, he spreads her legs and kisses from her left knee all the way down her thigh and then her lower lips. He spreads them with his fingers and licks a stripe over her cunt, making her gasp as she reaches out to grip his hair at the root.

She holds back her pretty little noises, and as much as he wants to tell her to go wild, he knows JJ is just past that wall in her own room. From all the teasing Derek and Spencer get, she wasn’t going to be loud enough to be added to the relentless jokes her coworkers make. 

He teases her hole with his middle finger, feeling how wet she already is, he circles around the opening a few times before plunging his finger inside. 

“Fuck,” he groans against her, flicking his tongue back and forth, sucking at her skin and fingering her cunt all at the same time. “You taste like heaven.”

She grinds against his face, barely sitting on the edge of the bed anymore as he wraps his arm around her legs and holds her impossibly close to his mouth. The sound of him eating her out is disgustingly euphoric, he’s so deep it’s like he’s eating her out in search of her soul.

She’s trembling as she gets closer and closer when he stops fingering her, sucking the wetness from her and bringing it back up with his tongue before he sucks on her clit again. That does it, she cums instantly with a shout, covering her mouth and hoping he doesn’t let her hit the floor as she grinds and thrashes through her orgasm. And he doesn’t stop, tongue fucking her to taste the best part. 

Her feet touch the floor, and her back is the only part of her still on the bed as she rides his face through it. He pulls back and lets her drop down to the floor and sit in his lap but his "old man" knees are starting to hurt like this, she goes to kiss him and he lets her get a few kisses in before he holds her closer and starts to stand with her. He pulls away just enough to turn her around and push her against the mattress, he kisses her spine and folds himself over her. He moves her hair off her back and kisses her neck. Again, right under her ear, “Are you ready?” 

“Please, please,” she begs. “I need you.” 

“I might have a condom in my—

“Don’t need it, I’m on birth control, it’s okay,” she assures him. 

“Are you—

“Aaron, fuck me, please,” she begs, sticking her ass out even more, taunting him. 

He stands up straighter and grips his leaking cock, tapping it on her ass a few times before guiding it between her folds. Teasing her, he grinds the head against her clit a few times before aligning with her hole and starting to push in, inch by inch, she gasps at the feeling and sucks in a sharp breath the deeper he gets. 

He folds over her as soon as he bottoms out, kissing her shoulder gently as he reaches out for her hand on the mattress. He interlocks their fingers, holding her hand above her head, he’s as close to her as humanly possible and yet he wants to be closer. He wants to live in her, settle in right beside her soul and never leave. 

When he starts to thrust, he goes slowly at first, she reaches back behind herself and rests her hand on his side. Her nails dig into his skin and she whines, “Oh my god, Aaron.” 

He kisses her neck and right under her ear, “Can you feel how sorry I am now?” He slightly pulls out and snaps his hips against her then, fucking her quick and dirty.

“Yes, yes! Oh my god, we should get mad at each other more often,” she all but screams, slightly muffled by her face against the mattress. 

He pulls away, letting go of her hand so he can rest his on her lower back as he fucks her harder. She brings her one leg up onto the mattress, opening herself up so he can get a little deeper. He grips her leg under the knee and keeps going, harder and more frequent thrusts, making her gasp and moan into the mattress to try and stay quiet but she can’t. It feels too good for her. 

For him, it’s even better. The way she sucks him in, how warm she is, how wet she is… she’s even better than he ever imagined and he never wants it to end. But he misses her face. He wants to embrace her and hold her close and make love to her, not just fuck her. So he pulls out. 

“wha—

“Roll over. Move up,” he instructs her, kneeling on the bed, he watches her do just that and gets between her legs. He hovers over her, leaning in for a kiss as she reaches between them and guides him back inside. 

Kissing her as he trusts, their lips move together and their tongues clash through breathy moans and whispers of “I love you.” Her legs wrapped around him, her arms around his middle, her nails dug into his back as she kneaded at his skin. 

He reaches between them, his hand on her pelvis and his thumb starts to circle around her clit. He wants her to be as close as he is, he wants them to cum together. He wants her to enjoy this as much as he was, and from the way she clenches around him and the cute little noises she makes, he knows she is. 

“Oh, Aaron,” she whines, tossing her head back. 

He kisses her cheek and buries his head in the crease of her neck as he drives into her over and over. He starts to smile to himself, thinking about how she said sex hasn’t changed that much since the last time he had it… But he’s never had sex as good as this. It was never this passionate, never this needy, never this euphoric. 

He bites her gently, grazing his teeth along her skin, making her gasp. He wants to suck at her neck, cover her in marks, and let everyone in the world know he’s been there and she belongs to him. He feels so possessive. He knows he can’t. They have to sit on the jet in front of their friends for most of their morning and well into the afternoon tomorrow and if they’re unlucky, start another case right after. He can’t mark her the way he wants. But he can make her his in another way… 

“You close?” He asks, prepared to hold back if she isn’t. 

But she nods enthusiastically, “god, yeah.”

Through bated breath he asks, just to make sure, “Are you still okay with me finish—

“Yes, yes, please, cum in me?” She begs. “I need it, Aar, please?” 

“I got you,” he assures her. “Let go, sweet girl, whenever you’re ready.” 

His trusts stay steady and even, his thumb circles her clit, and he kisses just under her ear. She grips him so tight, wrapped around him like her life depended on it and her breathing changes. He knows she’s right there and he’s going to be right after. He wants to feel the way her orgasm sucks him in deeper, the way she pulsates around him, the way her body goes limp and quakes and the beautiful sounds she’ll make before he gives in. He already got a taste of that earlier, but now he wants to memorize it with his cock deep inside of her. 

She starts to quake then, her thighs rumble against him. Her back starts to arch, pushing her core closer to him instinctually like this is what she was made for. Her orgasm is right there, bubbling to the top and about to spill. He gives her one last piece of motivation. 

“Come on, cum for me,” he whispers. “Be a good girl and— oh, there it is!” He teases as she releases. 

He was right. She clenches around him, pulling him in even deeper. He moves his hand away from her clit, wraps them around her back and starts to fuck her even harder, making her cry out over and over, completely disregarding the fact that her coworker is in the next room. He’s so close, right there, he moves to kiss her on the mouth again and she cups his face as he does so. Breathing while kissing her, his hot breath on her face as their lips and tongues meet once more. 

His body heats up, his stomach starts to feel like a swarm of butterflies and then it erupts through his bloodstream. He cums with a deep groan, dropping his forehead against hers, he fucks into her once more and stays there as rope after rope of cum releases inside of her. 

“I love you,” he pants, collapsing on top of her, holding her back just as close as she’s holding him. “I love you so much.” 

—

On the jet in the morning, everyone sat down with their coffee and quiet. Dave has a manuscript for his new book to proofread. Derek has his music. Spencer has some medical journals he finds interesting and JJ has a big smile on her face. “You guys will never guess how long the couple in the room beside me was fucking last night.” 

He watches as Y/N’s eyes widen and the colour leaves her face. He just bites his tongue, pressing his lips together he flips through a file, pretending not to hear her. 

“How long?” Derek asks. 

Just as she goes to answer Spencer speaks up, “Weren’t you beside Y/N and Hotch…” 

“I hate you guys, I hate you so much,” Y/N finally bursts out. She shook her head, mortified. “I can’t believe you. I can’t. Seriously?” 

They all laugh, Spencer and Derek are relieved that they’re not the only ones to get embarrassed now and JJ is just happy she’s the one to get to start the teasing this time after a year and a bit of being teased about Will. 

“I can write you all up, remember?” Aaron reminds them, trying so hard not to smirk but he fails. He knows he’s blushing, but he doesn’t care. He had the best sex of his life last night, he’s allowed to glow a bit. 

They shut up after that but Spencer does reach his hand over, palm facing Y/N, and she gives him a reluctant high five. 

General Taglist 

@ncsls0515 @stevesmunsons @reidsbookclub @sweetyyhippyy @manuosorioh @mrs-dr-reid @k-k0129 @squishyturtle @katsukis1wife @babybisexual @marsmunson86 @buckleyhans 

IKP

@southernraven @alluringshawn @lambsheepsheeping @lmg-stilinski24 @louderfortheback @deludedfruitcake @kleff03 @mrs-ssa-hotch @maxinehufflepuffprincess @lokifanfic2021 @art-and-thoughts @forkswabutnoforks4me @no-1martinipolice @panhoeofmanyfandoms

[cloveroctobers]

NEXT BEST EXIT — Dani (twisters) x oc!

A/N: KATYYYY 😮‍💨!!! She deserved more screen time much like other characters but that’s alright, just gives us creatives more freedom to make up our own minds at the crumbs they gave us.

SYNOPSIS: In which The Wranglers were already popular with 1m subs but it never hurts to have a helping hand. Tyler seeks out Lily’s techy cousin (it may just run in the family) to help out with some of the editing for their channel, not expecting that he’s opening up a old lane for Dani to possibly slide back into.

WARNINGS: language, exploring more of the wranglers dynamic, awkward dani!, mentions of religion + conversion camp, and some angst with fluff in the end!

── .✦── ᝰ.ᐟ ── .✦── ᝰ.ᐟ ── .✦── ᝰ

[Kansas, 1:49pm]

“The new girl is late isn’t she?” Dani questions, after leaving Dexter behind to look up at Tyler who’s sitting on top of Lily’s car, going over a map for their next location in a few days.

Dani faces the road at the motel they’ve been staying in for the past day or two. Her whiskey eyes searched the hazy road for any sight of their prospect.

Tyler hums, glancing away from the map as he glanced out towards the road, “she’s riding in from Nebraska…I’m not worried. She’s proven to be reliable to me already via online so I have no doubts that she’ll get here when she gets here.”

Dani’s a little bored, kicking up some dirt and ready to turn away to go tinker with something to keep her preoccupied. If Tyler had this much trust in this random person, then Dani had no choice but to follow his judgment. For as long as she’s known him, he’s never steered any of them wrong. He’s basically became the family that she no longer had, including the rest of the wranglers but ever since she’s woken up this morning there’s been something gnawing at her side.

She tried not to think too much of it, just brushing it off as those greasy nachos she had last night and figured she would make a run with Lily and Dexter to find some probiotics later so her night wouldn’t be ruined.

“C’mon danz, why you lookin’ so stressed? Work don’t start for another few hours so we can play cops and robbers if you wanna?” Boone appears behind her as she turns to meet the shorter man’s stare.

Dani can always trust Boone to bring out her inner child. He was definitely the baby brother of the group and normally wouldn’t mind his antics but again—that feeling she was experiencing was telling her that much movement wouldn’t be in her best interest.

Before she can respond, there’s the sound of a bike engine in the distance that’s approaching from the West it seems. That growing noise alone gets the group to peer up and over until they actually see the said bike out yonder.

“Ty! I think our new guest is here!” Boone announces in delight, while reaching up to shake Dani’s shoulders that she has to grip the hat on her head to stay in place.

Tyler tips the hat on his head as well, just as Kate and Javi are making their way from a casual stroll around the perimeter of the building chatting away. “I reckon so. C’mon y’all, let’s saddle up and give our plus one a warm welcome!”

Lily snorts still holding onto a controller, “don’t we always?”

He winks at her before making his way down from her vehicle. Dexter appears at Dani’s side and together they all line up as they patiently watch the new girl pull into the motel parking lot, angling her bike into a made up parking space all while kicking up some dust.

Dani tries to fight off a cough as the particles are sent towards them, leaving Dexter to firmly pat at her back while the rest are just fanning the dirt out of their visions. Clearing her throat with now watery eyes, once they settle on the big blonde curly hair, she almost goes into a coughing fit again.

It couldn’t be.

That definitely isn’t who Dani thinks it is.

“No fucking way?!” Lily screams, shoving her controller into Boone’s gut who grunts at the impact but still holds onto the device for the loc haired girl, “Tansy?!”

Dani watches with wide eyes as Lily takes off in full speed at the grinning girl who just got off her motorcycle, knees now bent some with her arms open to take on Lily’s force. The two collide and it was enough to send them both spiraling to the ground but Tansy holds them upright so that wouldn’t happen, arms locking around Lily as they share a laugh.

Everyone else is confused, that much is true but the smiles are still polite at the exchange.

“Anybody else feel like they just got an answer wrong because the teacher decided to call on you out of everybody in the class?” Javi muttered as he looked left and right down the line of his new team.

Dani blows out a breath, pinching at her side but finds herself nodding nonetheless.

Lily’s squealing even when she’s pulled back and face to face with the striking lion’s mane woman while Tansy’s got that scrunch in her nose, which is something she always tends to do when she’s also excited or happy about something.

Tyler steps forward once Lily decides to let Tansy breathe, “hi there!”

Lily quickly steps to the side but not without keeping her arm hooked with Tansy’s. She peers up at Tansy with such adoration that it was actually sweet to witness. Dani was still puzzled on how they knew each other and tried to not let her overthinking get the best of her.

“Hi Tyler Owens, good to finally meet you in person and thanks for having me.” Tansy steps forward with Lily repeating her movements, hand held out for Tyler to grasp.

There’s amusement on Tyler’s face while glancing at Lily but he doesn’t miss placing his hand right in her’s. “Thanks for meeting us all this way, I’m sure you’ll be a great addition to the team and it looks like you already got one stamp of approval from lily here.”

Lily grins, “hell yeah! Tansy’s like the only cousin I’ve ever got along with—practically my damn sister and you guys know it’s a lot of us anyway including my step-sibs.”

A chorus of, “oohs,” fill the parking lot as the answer to their silent questions were finally given. Cousin? Dani felt like she’s been kicked in the ass and punched in the side, she’s known Lily for a good while now and she’s never mentioned a cousin that she’s been close with and certainly not like this! Dani’s pretty good at listening and back at their headquarters, their setups are right across from each other so how could she have missed this?

Kate and Javi step forward next, introducing themselves as they also shake Tansy’s hand. She moves with ease, even when Boone attempts to mean mug her with crossed arms, pretending to feel threatened that there’s someone else on the tech side but quickly breaks with a grin before lifting her off her feet with a bone crushing hug before roughly patting her back once she’s back on the ground, which leaves Lily to scoop him into a headlock.

“You’re not gonna be messin’ with my cuz like that, you hear me?” Lily lectures as Boone is scrambling to get out of her hold but one thing about Lily, she knew how to hold on.

Boone raises his hands in surrender once he realizes there maybe no way getting out of this, “okay lily, dang! What’s wrong with showing a little love?”

“You call that little?” Lily questions, “you may be 5’8 but that don’t mean you’re not heavy handed.”

Boone circles a hand behind her shoulder, ready to flip her over his shoulder, “I don’t appreciate my height slander, I’ve never had any complaints before! And if I’m heavy handed what do you call what you’re doin’ to me right now?!”

Javi pretends to eat popcorn at their interaction while Kate shoots Tyler a look who’s also watching in amusement. Once he catches Kate’s peiercing stare, he sighs before clapping it up and moving to break it up, “alright you two, knock it off. Our company just got here and you two are already actin’ like you don’t have some sense, at least give it a few hours before you start showing who you really are!”

He winks back at Tansy who chuckles as Tyler gets down on his knees which Lily actually has Boone on right now.

“Are these two always like this?” Tansy asks the remaining two she has yet to be introduced to yet, she hadn’t focused on the faces but she had absentmindedly moved towards them just before Lily pounced on Boone.

Dexter speaks since Dani seems to be in a bit of a trance, voice missing from her throat as her eyes scan over Tansy’s profile, “You haven’t seen a thing! I’m Dexter by the way, Chicago born and raised, father of one, widower, and scientist, glad to have you on the team.”

Tansy grins as she squeezes his hand, “Good to meet you Mr. Synopsis.”

Dexter shrugs with a sheepish smile, “I figured just a dash of info would be good for something considering who knows how long we’ll be working together.”

“A couple of weeks but…I appreciate it.”

Dani bumps his shoulder, “I told him to stop doing that when introducin’ himself to people…he’s got to leave a little to the imagination right? I’ve been trying to get him out of the streets to secure himself a new wife, now that’s he’s emotionally and mentally ready but don’t tell him I told you.”

Dexter pushes his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, “Just because i’m the eldest doesn’t mean my hearing has decreased, Danielle.”

“Oh not the full first name drop,” Dani sucks air between her teeth, “I’m not gonna hear the end of this am I?”

Dexter sends a warning finger at Dani, like a scolding uncle before he walks away to assist Tyler in Lily and Boone’s foolishness. If there was one thing Dexter was good at, it was straightening them all up to focus when it called for it. Definitely the voice of reason out of the bunch and they all valued it.

“Dani?” Tansy says, making Dani peek up from underneath her straw hat, “As in Danielle Sullivan from Spearfish, South Dakota?”

Dani got so caught up in her usual dynamic that just for a second she forgot who she was standing in front of again.

“In the flesh.” Dani awkwardly says, raising her hands before letting them slap back down by her thighs.

Tansy takes the time to scan over Dani’s features, “wooow…after all this time this is where you’ve ended up!? Being a Wrangler? Well…you look great.”

Dani offers a small smile, “you think? I don’t look too different from those days do I?”

“The short hair suits you, brings out your eyes a lot and those were always my favorite physical feature about you.” Tansy playfully shoves her shoulder.

Dani tilts her head to the side, “you sure? I thought it was my giving heart and broad shoulders.”

Tansy snorts out some laughter, “you haven’t changed one bit I see.”

“Well…” Dani starts but doesn’t want to make it too dark, although she’s been known for dry and awkward humor.

Tansy decides to pull off her black shades with the yellow tinted frames, “Bring it in…unless we have some unresolved beef we need to Duke out like my good cuz and Boone was it? Are doing?”

Dani let’s out a small laugh, reaching over to embrace Tansy, one arm going over her shoulders, the other holding the small of her back, while both of their chins rested in the other’s shoulders. Just leaning into each other like they used to when they were once teens. There wasn’t any beef but there were some things that Dani definitely wanted to talk about.

“Maybe later,” Dani whispers but Tansy picks up on her tone that it wasn’t a teasing manner.

When they step back, Tansy hooks the arm of her shades into her scoop neck tank top after holding Dani’s stare, now confirming that there were hidden meanings behind her eyes and she can respect it. They haven’t seen each other since conversion camp so it was only right now in their adulthood to have a conversation.

She clears her throat, aways finding Dani’s intensity from her eyes to be strong whereas Tansy’s usual low-lidded eyes always felt calm. Two contrasting storms that once spun away from each other just to possibly rise up again together…what a tale that could be!

“So you uh? Ride bikes now—

Dani starts but the loud voice of the curly haired freckled man—Javi, Tansy believed to be called caught everyone’s attention as he looked up from his device.

“Aye y’all! Something’s brewing NorthEast!”

Everyone paused, meeting whoever was nearest’s gaze before springing into action.

“I haven’t even settled in yet and we’re on go.” Tansy states as she starts making her way over to her bike.

Dani frowns, “you’re not gonna ride that thing into the storm are you?”

“It’s my baby and wouldn’t be the first time.” She slips her shades back over her eyes.

“Lily!” Dani calls out, jogging towards the RV.

Her stare snaps to Dani’s attention and Tansy found the situation humorous as Dani points in her direction before running to the passenger side of the RV. Lily is back at Tansy’s side who’s just about to swing her leg over her bike.

“I know you’re like a year older than me which makes you think you’re my boss and everything but…would you mind for the first ride, riding with me? I’ve always got the space.” Lily slightly fidgeted, not wanting to get into an argument over this and because she was ready for some action.

Tansy let’s out a loud sigh, head thrown back towards the gray skies and nods, “Because I don’t want be seen as difficult my first day on the job and because I love you so much, I’m gonna play by your rules…for now.”

Lily smacks Tansy’s upper arm in thanks, running off to her car while Tansy makes quick work to move her bike to lock up while the rest are quickly speeding out of the parking lot. Dani can’t help but to look back out the side mirror, making sure that Tansy kept her word as she tosses her belongings into the back of Lily’s van.

Dani lets out an exhale, sinking down in the passenger side as Dexter drives towards the storm.

“Something you want to get off your chest, Danielle?” Dexter questions from her left.

Which makes her sit up straight, “Nope! And stop with the full name drop, Dex! I know you’re not that annoyed with me for airing out your business…Tansy’s family…since you know Lily’s family.”

Dexter side eyed his road partner not believing her stumbled words, “uh huh.”

When they all make it to the location, each of the wranglers take their respective places. Boone’s got the camera focused straight on as Tyler goes into his routine introduction, Kate then explains over the blurring of the alarm in the distance that they’re about to send their multiple devices out to control the storm, Dorothy will be launched in x amount of minutes while Javi, Dani, and Dexter are positioning some solely on the ground while the rest will be equally dropped by the two main vehicles headed to play with the storm. Lily kept her car at an angle on the side by taking Tansy’s direction which Tyler picks up on and allowed after getting confirmation on the walkie on what they were doing.

“Let’s get going!” Tyler sent everyone off, climbing back into the driver’s seat with Kate taking Boone’s spot, which he scoffed at but bit back his protest since he also had cameras up front and on the sides of the rearview mirrors.

Dani watches in confusion while Dexter and Tyler race to get to the front of the upcoming storm, catching Tansy leaping out of the car while Lily launches her own drone out the drivers side window and up into the air. Tansy is setting up a mini tripod of her own right in front of Lily’s van on the ground, setting a camera right into its holder, making sure it was on before climbing back into the car as the wind whips her fro back from her forehead.

“That thing is as big as a go-pro, I know that’s not the only equipment she brought.” Dani thinks out loud.

Dexter knocks his knuckles against the short haired woman’s thigh, “heads up, brace yourself.” He warns as he skirts off to the side, the road becoming bumpy now that they’re in the grass while Dani attempts to focus, hands scrambling along the dashboard to launch Dorothy’s Toto’s, which Dani liked to call the S.P.S (sodium polyacrylate solution) that was inside of Dorothy.

They drive into the ditch, hearing the heavy clunking of the barrels dropping behind them not long ago. Dani exhales while Dexter does the talking into the walkie, letting everyone know their part was completed while Tyler and the rest kept racing towards another twister right up ahead. Once they got close enough, Tyler whips the car to the left so it’s back is to the twirling storm, bars digging into the soil the same time as the barrels dropped. The rain pelts the windows, making it hard for both Dani and Dexter to see anything else that’s going on around them despite the wipers to the RV trying to keep up.

The adrenaline is always high once you’re in the brunt of it but that’s what fed the thrill seeking. It’s not long before the twisters attempt to whip through, began to tamper off all thanks to the barrels.

“…And that there everyone, is how it’s done!”Tyler’s voice comes through the walkies.

Dani grins as she high-fived Dexter with Lily’s voice coming in soon after, “That’s how you take on a EF2 everybody! And we got some pretty interesting footage on both ends.”

“Can’t wait to see that!” Boone chimes in before Tyler continues, “Javi’s calling it in now, let’s do the round up around town before we clock back into the motel.”

“You got it boss.” Dani speaks into the walkie as Dexter starts to reverse out of the ditch who directs from her side.

And that’s just what they do, scavenge the town to see what damage was done before it truly touched the town. The success of Toto was unimaginable and only made this journey more inspiring. Dani always believed in reasons and maybe the destruction was a metaphor that led to this incredible future.

Most of the damage came from the high winds thankfully, some roofs half torn off, foundations slightly shifted, debris, and large trees snapped. Although minor in their eyes compared to an EF5, there was still damage and The Wranglers made it their mission to further assist the people of Kansas.

After a long few hours, they’ve made it back to their temporary home, sitting around or in the drained out pool, making a bonfire of their own—as usual. Dexter stuck around for at least twenty minutes before calling it a night, since he had a whole routine and had to set up his sleep apnea machine that made him appear as if he was in an alien film, which was as loud as ever but they all wished him a good night before further enjoying each other’s company.

“My guy’s coming ‘round in the morning to drop off the rest of my things.” Dani can hear Tansy speaking from beside Boone who’s got his laptop perched up against his knees as they reviewed her footage, “did the best with what I have and he would have been here earlier but he got caught up in an accident on the highway.”

Boone scoffs, “if these are the type of shots you’re getting with just that tiny but mighty cam, then I can’t wait to see what you do with the big boys!”

“Nice work Tansy.” Tyler squeezes her shoulder from behind, “I knew you would fit right in.”

“Why thank you, kind sir.” She clinks her can against his beer bottle as he circled from behind the two to head over to Kate who’s sitting on the edge of the pool, peering up at the sky.

A nudge to Dani’s arm, makes her bring her attention to a hazel eyed Javi who she forgot took Dexter’s spot beside her inside of the pool. He’s lounging in Dexter’s folding chair while she’s seated on the pool floor with her palms behind her.

“Why don’t you just go over there and talk to her?” Javi asked, making Dani widen her eyes, “you’ve been holding onto every word she’s been saying to everyone else, so either y’all got history or you got a crush—or maybe both I dunno but I pay attention to shit you know?”

Dani scratches at the back of her head, “I uh—don’t know what you’re talkin’ about Jav.”

“Yeah you do,” Javi lolls his head to look at the woman, “one thing I learned is that you miss out on the chances you don’t take…being scared is normal though. You just got to rip the band aid off, especially if she’s gonna be with us for some time. And from what I can tell, Tansy got the right technique that only adds to this group so it maybe longer than we all expect.”

Dani groans with her head thrown back, “you’re right but I don’t want you to be right…I hate having confrontations.”

“But it don’t gotta be like that,” Javi says, “When I reconnected with Kate, my approach wasn’t with my chest all puffed up or anything like that. I knew the person she was in college and knew she still had it in her, so I only wanted to bring the spark she still had back out of her but she had to see it herself with only a little push…and the rest is history. From what I can tell, you both held onto each other earlier and it was a nice Kodak moment or whatever! So in my eyes, there’s still hope.”

Dani listened and realized that her new found friend might be right.

“Look at you, Javi Rivera the storm chasing advice columnist!”

Javi smirks, “I dabble, I dabble. What we have here, is Storm Dansy?” He pauses trying to see if Dani liked this ship name but she gives a shaky hand, which meant it still needed work, “is possibly a EF2, much like the storm we saw today. Or maybe even a EF1 but you’ll never know unless you get up on it.”

He spins his finger like the motion of a tornado before pointing at her.

Dani lets out a deep sigh with a roll of her own head. “Alright, alright! You don’t need to throw anymore hints at me, Mr. Miami Nights.”

“Sí mami, you got this!” Javi started to clap it up but Dani kicks her feet at him, shushing him but he laughs mockingly placing a hand over his mouth, “I’ll be around if or when you’re ready to tell me about it.”

Dani works to get to her feet, “well thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Javi states and holds his hand out for her hat, “I’ll take that, thank you. I need it to block out the moonlight. It’s a little too bright for me.”

“Fuck are you, a werewolf or something?” Dani frowns as he plucks her straw hat from her fingertips to tip onto his own head.

Javi snorts, “they glow in the moonlight sis, I glow all the time, feel me?”

“Oh brother, bye Javi!”

“Good luck! And don’t forget to thank me later.” Javi calls out to Dani’s retreating form, who makes work of climbing out of the empty pool.

Lily watches from the almost out bonfire, not too far from the pair, taking a final bite of her s’more quietly seeing what Dani is up to but makes no move to follow her.

Dani’s wringing her hands about as she stands a good distance from Tansy and Boone who are sharing some fruit that she had stashed away in a cooler she also tossed into Lily’s van in a haste. She’s always been a fruit girl, no pun intended preferring it as breakfast or having it for dessert. The mostly blonde woman is going to town on some pineapple while Boone is cradling a container of watermelon, making the most obnoxious slurping sounds possible that it reminds Dani of all those ASMR videos she hates.

“Dani Danz! What’s happening baby?” Boone calls out to the short haired woman who finally worked up the nerve to stand before the two.

She pinches her aching side, “nothin’, nothin’.”

Boone laughs as he glances at Tansy who’s now holding his laptop but also chewing on her choice of fruit, “you sure? You look like you’re about to upchunk or something.”

“It was the nachos from last night!” Dani exasperates, “…but it’s a nice night we’re having, I mean considering—the state of the environment a few hours ago.”

“Tell me about it.” Boone says, “we just keep getting better and better. Next thing you know we might be able to control the weather on a daily!”

She did not want to piss off mother nature.

Dani shrugs, “eh…I rather just build and fix things. That feels like too much responsibility on our shoulders.”

“Right, right. You never know though!”

“Nope,” Dani agrees with a thumb going through the air awkwardly, “uh Boone, do you mind if I borrow Tansy for a little?”

Boone pushes out his lips pouting some, “I guess! We can start editing tomorrow, huh Tan-Tan?” He brings her into the conversation although she seemed zoned out viewing Lily’s footage.

“Sure, yeah! My eyes can use a break anyway.” She hands the computer back over, “you seriously need to invest in some cleaning supplies for your computer…don’t know if you know this but it’s oddly sticky.”

Dani snickers at Boone who huffs as he jumps to his feet, “and that’s what you still have to learn about me, baby! I play by my own rules and I love a good snack!”

Tansy wipes her fingertips along her jean shorts with a stretched out smile while Boone debates who he wants to bug next: Kate and Tyler, Lily, or a snoring Javi. Dani shakes her head and takes Boone’s chair with a relaxed sigh.

“That’s Boone for you.”

“Interesting character,” Tansy nods with her head back, making Dani laugh as she gazed at her side profile.

They fall into silence for some time but the nagging feeling on Dani’s side was beginning to overpower her that she couldn’t sit still.

“What—

Tansy starts just as Dani says, “I—

They both smile with Dani holding her hand out, “No you go ahead.”

Tansy holds out the last pineapple ring for Dani to take but she declines, “how’d you end up in Arkansas? That’s where the Wranglers were all founded and where your main setup is based right?”

Dani blows out a raspberry, “the short version? After I left SD, I hitch-hiked a lot and even got into some underground fighting for cash since the regular jobs were too demeaning. I quickly got tired of doing that too and eventually ended up working in this gym fixing the equipment in exchange to be able to work out there. Then I met Tyler.”

Tansy raised her brows, “i just imagined him running the treadmill in his hat and boots.”

Dani furrows her brows but spits out a laugh, “that’s specific but no it was outside of the gym one night up the street actually. His car was broken down and he was blabbing about his friend, Boone throwing a fit because he left him at the diner chasing after some girl. He was trying to get back to him since he knew the girl was a lost cause.”

“Did that girl so happen to be Ms. Kate?”

Dani laughed, “oh nooo. Big difference from Kate! This girl was a red-head asshole from Delaware. She wasn’t ever after Tyler’s heart and Boone and I tried to tell him but Tyler’s always got to see for himself. He’s like a big brother—although we’re only a few months apart—he likes to give you the floor, kinda like throwing you into a arena with a bull, show what you’re made of before offering any inputs. Him and Javi are similar in that way i don’t think they see it but…Tyler really brought me in and treated me as if I was one of his own. Much like he does everyone on this team…and you know I don’t got family anymore so it took time for me to accept what he was putting down.”

That Tansy did know.

They learned a lot of each other being forced into a conversion camp together at just fourteen. Dani’s family were heavily religious and when she came out to them, they weren’t having that and didn’t hesitate to find a way to get, “rid of it,” since praying was not enough. She was an only child but used to be extremely close to her parents growing up but once her father found a home in a church he liked to call his saving grace, everything changed.

“I’m happy that you got out and found a solid group of people that love you for who you are.” Tansy closes the container of fruit.

Dani nods, “…I never forgot about you though.”

Tansy sharply inhales, “we don’t have to do this. Yeah we were both caught off guard not seeing each other since we were what? You about turn eighteen and me being seventeen. There’s no hard feelings—

“I don’t feel like that’s true though,” Dani admits, “I thought about you nearly every day, even convinced Tyler to take a drive back just to find you with some guy—that same guy that’s probably bringing your equipment in the morning right?”

Tansy frowns, “wait a minute…are you serious? You came back to a trauma filled town for what reason? Guilt? You left me, Dani. Life went on and then you left again because of what you thought you saw without a word…do you hear how fucked that sounds?”

“…it’s sounds like you’re not denying it,” Dani finds herself saying before thinking over her words, “I was twenty-one and my one wish was to see you—

“To do what, exactly? Treat me like Cinderella’s glass slipper?” Tansy’s eyes are in slits now, “Newsflash she wore her damn shoe the best that she could, it never broke. You searched for me sure but you looked for an out and you took it like a repeat offender.”

Dani yells now, “I had to! If you were okay settling for that shit show then that was on you. I begged you to leave with me but you were traumatized and I don’t fault you for that. Ever. It hurt me to the core only imagining what you continued to endure without me there to take half of it but I made the effort. I got out and I hoped for the day I had the chance to see you again because I loved you with my entire being, button.”

Two things were tossed into the night sky, Dani’s feelings and the old nickname from their childhood.

Her knees are brushing the side of Tansy’s thigh now but Tansy’s eyes are elsewhere.

Dani attempts to reach for her, “Please look at me, button.”

“Don’t call me that,” Tansy rips her arm from Dani’s grasp, “we’re not kids anymore and I don’t think we have anything else to talk about. I loved you too, you knew that. I told you that before you left into the night. You held onto that somehow while you became the person you are now. I’m happy for you, I truly am but we don’t need to dwell on the past. I’m only here for two weeks and then I’ll make my own exit, something we’ll both be good at.”

She stands up collecting her things.

There’s this panic in Dani’s voice, “…y-you say you’re happy for me but it really sounds like you’re upset…where are you going? We can talk this out, we have the time…”

“I came here to work, Dani.” Tansy suddenly says slipping her arms into her zip up hoodie, “Not walk down memory lane. I said there’s no hard feelings so let’s just leave it at that, okay? Goodnight.”

And with that Tansy spins on her heels, leaving the pool behind the gate. Dani makes crescents into her palms, face burning red as she chews on her bottom lip.

“Hey! The hell was that?” Lily calls out since the rest won’t but they’re all staring now.

Tyler takes a different approach, “you good?”

“No.” Dani massages her side as she gets to her feet while Javi is staring over underneath his eyelashes, “I…I’m gonna go to bed too guys.”

Kate hums, “only if you’re sure you’re alright…you’ve been rubbing your side all day.”

Dani laughs it off but ain’t nothing funny right now, “It’s just nerves.”

“I thought it was the nachos.” Boone speaks up, brows raised and hands crossed on top of his head.

Dani clenched her eyes shut, “I’m fine guys, really!”

Lily comments, “Tansy didn’t look fine.”

“I think she’s pretty cute.” Boone shrugs just for Lily to roll her eyes, although if she was sitting closer to him she would have plucked the back of his head.

Dani knees wobbled as she stood, ignoring the words of her team as she starts making her exit feeling the determination fight through the sharp pain in her side while the group started to bicker amongst themselves.

“Hold up, Were those two ever an item?” Boone attempts to connect the dots, seeking answers from Lily after seeing Dani disappear.

Lily lifts her shoulders, “the hell should I know? I’ve been in Arkansas all this time and Tanny in South Dakota far as I know. She’s built this shell around herself, at least when it comes to her love life.”

Javi chuckles with a stretch, “I been clocked that.”

“What?” Kate asks.

Javi responds with a exhale as he sits up from his stretch, “That they’re the classic: forbidden lovers trope.”

They all meet each other’s fixed stare.

“Well…for their sakes I hope they figure it out.” Tyler concludes, staring after where the two disappeared off to.

Lily laughs, “I think you should look in the mirror, bud.”

“He does plenty of that.” Kate mutters with a smirk at Tyler who playfully glared at her, “I’m going to crash too you guys, see you in the mornin’.”

They all shortly follow, picking up their things and cleaning up before returning to their own quarters for the night.

“Tansy, please let me in.” Dani wasn’t ever too proud to beg, “if you don’t, I’ll just sleep out here all night and I know you can’t stomach the thought of that. Ever since that hell camp leader would make the runt sleep outside in the heatwave and thunderstorms all because he couldn’t keep up with his brothers and sisters.”

Dani’s got her back resting against the door now since her knocks weren’t getting Tansy to open the door. She’s just about to squat to get comfortable for the night but the door is swung open, making Dani fall back against Tansy’s feet.

“Hi button,” Dani starts as she peeks up at Tansy who’s thrown her mountain of hair on top of her head, “fancy seeing you here.”

“Come in already you big goof.”

Dani rolls onto her side and pushes herself off Tansy’s feet, who steps back into the room, leaving the taller of the two to close and lock the door behind them. She slowly makes her way to sit beside Tansy, thigh to thigh as she’s now undressed and ready for bed in a cami and striped boxer shorts.

Tansy is playing with her hands now, “…I don’t know what else there is left to say and I’m not really one for big speeches.”

“Just speak from your heart.”

“Ew, feelings.” Tansy scrunches up her nose in disgust while Dani rolls her eyes, holding out her hand which Tansy hesitates to put in hers, “all I know…seeing you again after all these years tells me that I haven’t stopped missing you.”

Dani squeezes her hand, “so much time has passed but as corny as it sounds…it definitely slowed down once I realized who I was seeing again. The girl who had my heart with even bigger hair now.”

Tansy laughs, “did I really appear to you in slo-mo getting off my beloved bike like a cliché rom-com?”

“My brain had to slow down while my heart was drumming like a metal band.”

“Glad to know I still have effect on you Dani Sullivan.” Tansy bumps her shoulder with her’s while Dani scowls.

“I’d like to know what effect I have on you…if any?” Dani informs while Tansy rests her cheek on her shoulder.

Tansy rasps, “More than you know. A lifetimes worth probably. I didn’t forget you either, Dani. How could I? My first love.”

“It was an honor.” Dani whispers.

Two weeks.

They had two weeks to reconnect and decide where to go from here, if anywhere. It was a long afternoon, now late into the night and sleep was knocking at the door harder than Dani was. Tansy invited Dani to sleep beside her, who respectfully wanted to sleep outside of the covers but Tansy remembered Dani was the type to sleep with socks on because her feet always got cold in the night, ever since she had her tonsils removed when she was like twelve…it’s been a thing.

Which made Tansy believe she was crazy but you had to be a little off your rocker if you chased storms for a living.

What did this say about Tansy now that she was on the team (temporarily) as a hi-hat and editor? There was a saying that if things came back to you then maybe it was meant to be.

Dani commonly went to sleep on her back and isn’t sure when they both fell asleep but this was the peace she hasn’t had at night in a long time. She rolls her head to the right away from the door, nose being tickled by soft hair while also feeling a nose pressed against her bare shoulder. Dani blinks into the night, recalling where she is and who’s next to her.

Peeking down it’s Tansy who’s on her side, arm looped right with Dani’s right arm as she’s in her own slumber. Dani can’t help but to raise a hand to hold Tansy’s head in place as she places a kiss right at her brow.

“I think I still am smitten with you button…but I guess we’ll have to see.” Dani’s tone is hushed as she speaks into the early morning where the sky is still navy and closes her own eyes once more but keeps her head turned towards Tansy instead of the door.

── .✦── ᝰ.ᐟ ── .✦── ᝰ.ᐟ ── .✦── ᝰ

more twisters anthology work(s) can be found here.

[bwabys-scenarios]

Kurapika’s crush is normally very sweet and maternal, sure, but there’s something about seeing her absolutely lose it on someone that does something to him. Especially if it’s on one or both of the kid’s’ behalves.

She’s got Gon and Killua pulled behind her as she’s glaring Hisoka or Illumi down, pointing a finger into his chest as she reams him out. She’s threatening to end his whole entire bloodline right then and there, and everyone can feel a menacing aura coming off of her. Who cares if they can kill her right then and there? NO ONE messes with her loved ones.

And then as soon as they leave it’s like a switch goes off and she’s back to her worried self, making sure the kids are okay, how she’ll always look out for them.

If Kurapika was crushing before, he’s completely head over heels now.

The four of you were at the park, waiting for Leorio to meet up with you so you could all visit an aquarium together.

As usual, Killua and Gon were chasing each other around, playing like kids do. You and Kurapika sat on a bench, chatting about how you’ve been doing.

He’d just returned for a mission, so after the aquarium he’d be crashing at your place, something that had become so common that Kurapika had his own room, decorated and everything.

Kurapika’s hand is on your thigh as you talk, something you had noticed, but hadn’t registered as anything other than a friendly touch. He’d built up a lot of courage to do that, so he’s glad you don’t instantly push him off.

As your attention was taken up by your cute friend, you hadn’t noticed that another person had walked up to Gon and Killua until you could feel his aura, even from 30 feet away.

“Kurapika, hold my purse.”

You plopped the bag into his lap and leaped up, storming over to the boys. The man blinks before following behind you, holding onto your purse as asked.

Hisoka, the bane of your existence, had approached your boys, looking them up and down with his creepy smile. Before Kurapika could stop you, you had pushed yourself in between them, pushing him back and pressing a finger into his chest.

“I swear to GOD if you don’t step off my kids I will end your fucking life right now. You look at them like that again and I will shove my foot so far up your ass you’ll be tasting my sneakers for the next two weeks, you fucking creep!”

You pushed his shoulders for good measure, the magician looking down at you with a smile that was a bit too excited for your tastes.

Kurapikas face heats up as you usher the two behind you, your eyes burning holes into the man. The two boys do as you say, Killua not wanting to make the situation any worse, and Gon knowing that arguing with you would only end in you actually fighting Hisoka.

“Oh (Name), what a pleasure. Are you here to fight me in their p-“

Hisoka isn’t able to finish his sentence, as Kurapika is standing right behind you, his eyes narrowing at Hisoka. The magician’s smile widens, but he backs off and is gone before you could blink.

“Ugh he gives me the creeps.”

(Name) turns to the two, crouching down and pulling them into a hug. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get there sooner, guys. If that freak even touches you, I’ll kill him, okay? Let’s go get some ice cream.”

The two boys are a bit confused, but follow behind you at the promise of ice cream. Kurapika watches you lead them out of the park, your eyes scanning the perimeter to make sure Hisoka wasn’t anywhere near.

He sent Leorio a quick text saying their meeting place was changing, trying to keep his thumping heart quiet. You were always so soft and kind, giving out affection easily, but when it came to the safety of Gon and Killua, you would turn into a rabid animal, and QUICK.

He was really beginning to fall in love with you.

When you all finally do get to the aquarium, he buys you several fish themed plushes.

“All for you, mama bear.”

The nickname sticks, and whenever your “Gon and Killua in danger” meters goes off, Kurapika cheers you on from close behind, only stepping in if he has to.

After all, he finds your more feisty side attractive, loving how protective you are. The way you hug and spoil the two boys makes him yearn for you more than before.

Part of him wants it to be him you’re fussing over, but another part of him just enjoys watching you be so motherly. It’s cute, so much so that he wants to hold you close and pepper your face in kisses and tell you how much of a sweetheart you are.

You’ll be a great mother to his children one day, he’s sure of it. He already wanted a big family, and now he’s planning on when to buy a house and get a ring on your finger.

[myhiraeth]

@headstrongblake sent: ❝  tell me what you want me to do.  i’ll do it.  whatever you want.  ❞ / mob!parents , can we talk about how desperate he is for her 

The plea in his voice throws her off. He’s always been intense, earnest, eager for her, but it’s not something she’s ever sure she’ll be used to. He’s more than that these days- they’d tried to stay apart and that plan had been shot to shit- literally- and since getting her back he seems more desperate than anything, like she’ll leave again if he’s not watchful. 

He worries for nothing. She hadn’t wanted to leave him the first time; now that she’s got him back she’s not letting go again. Running hadn’t worked, hiding hadn’t worked. It was time to fight for the man she loved, fight for her and Willow’s place in his world. And she was learning. Learning to put old skills to new use, to use what she had to become better, more watchful, more alert, more aware. More the wife he deserved. 

But she’s still his escape. That’s what she loves being, that’s what she hopes she never loses, and she looks down from where she’s sitting on their bed to where he’s crouched between her legs and reaches to run her fingers through his hair. “I just want you. For good, this time.” She leans down and presses her lips to his before pulling back, a mischievous look in her eyes all of a sudden. 

“Actually, that’s a lie. I want you to turn off your phone,” she holds a hand out for the device in question, waiting until he’d handed it over and setting it on the bed. “Then I want you to come with me.” She yanks the comforter around her shoulders and stands, waiting for him to rise without stepping back, keeping himself firmly in her space just the way she likes. With a grin, she takes his hand, snagging the baby monitor for Willow’s room before leading him downstairs. Through the living room, through the kitchen, out the door to the yard, out to where it was grass and open sky, ignoring the ominous feeling and low rustling noises outside the wall that  betray guards at the perimeter. She lets go of his hand only to whip the comforter off her shoulders and lay it out in the grass. 

She turns back to him, leaning into him, her hands against his chest. “And now, I want you to chill, no work, and watch the stars with me, and maybe kiss me if you feel like it…” 

[shreddedparchment]

A Wife for Thor Pt.29

The Golden Arrow

09/04/2021

Pairing: King!Thor x Reader          Word Count: 6,204

Warnings: language, violence, danger, blood, jealousy, character death, angst, TW blood

A/N: This chapter! I swear, it’s gonna kill me. Anywho, not much to say except I hope y’all enjoy! Lots of small good things and some big big big things. Let me know what y’all think! If you happen to reblog, thanks so much for helping me spread my work. xoxo

Please DO NOT repost or translate my stories onto any other sites or blogs!

REBLOGS are always welcome!

The trek through Nornheim isn’t easy. In full armor it’s even more difficult.

Your Asgardian companions and Steve are fine and make the journey easily from city to city.

Although, city is a term used loosely in this sense. Most of these inhabited places, while beautiful, are more rustic and the buildings are made of thick trunk and root fibers that are pulled from the massive trees around them and shaped to grow in certain ways.

The coolest ones are the ones on the outside that overlook the waters below. They’re shaped like mushrooms growing on tree bark but you can see light and movement inside the openings that are windows and doorways. Wooden platforms and bridges connect all of the higher buildings to those on the lower levels and the docks for boats line the perimeter.

You’ve never seen anything like Nornheim. The entire world is green and murky. The smell is thick but fresh at times. It reminds you of that earthy smell right as it starts to rain when the first drops hit the soil and the smell of an old building left to age and decay.

While there are a few areas where you can walk on solid ground like the spot you’d camped in when you’d woken up, most of the planet seems to be covered in water. It’s marshy with trees so tall you can’t see the canopy, only the diffused pale light that seeps down from the sky above.

Lush green surrounds you along with the thick and sturdy wood of the trees. Moss grows on massive snaking roots that had actually been your bed when you’d woken up here.

“You should wait out here with Her Majesty,” Sif tells Steve and Bruce, who is the only other person that’s been struggling with the unfamiliar terrain.

“More than happy to,” Bruce says and moves to sit down on the mossy trunk that you’ve all been taking a break on for the past hour.

Like you, Bruce is a little overwhelmed with being on a completely different planet.

“She’ll be safe,” Steve nods, then reaches down to offer you his hand.

Irritated, you look at Sif and Loki who sit across from you in the boat you’d just climbed back into expecting to head into the city in the distance. There’s a large split in the massive trunk and you can see a fire raging within as the sky above grows darker and the lights in the mushroom houses windows come to life.

“Why can’t I come?” you whine, not liking being left behind.

Hearing the information they get with your own ears gives you comfort.

“Let’s be cautious,” Loki warns. “The trolls in the last settlement nearly started a riot.”

He’s right, obviously. The natives are huge humanoid beings with skin that varies from a pale green to a dark olive in tone. They have massive horns that stick out of the top of their heads that jut out forward and then suddenly curl upwards. They remind you a little of Loki’s helmet horns. From their mouths protrude two sharp tusk-like things that you aren’t sure if they’re teeth or not.

They all wear earthy toned armor with bones crafted into their belts onto jewelry like thick necklaces, bracers, and weapons although the obvious soldiers wear metal armor over their bulging muscles.

They look very tribal to you, with tattoos in stunning white ink. You’ve found yourself often wondering what the patterns on their skin means. Do their tattoos have special meanings?

While they are scary at times, like at the last stop when they’d taken offense to you as a Midgardian for some reason, you still would prefer to be there.

They’ll be a little more resistant to attack if just us Asgardians go in.”

Your mouth pops open and the weight of his words surprises even you. You set your jaw though, and frown.

“I am Asgardian,” you huff quietly, hating the implication that you aren’t.

Loki blinks, realizing he’s hurt your feelings before moving to sit closer. He takes your hand and places the other over it.

“Of course you are, but you are also human and the Nornheim populace can smell that. You are weak in strength and these trolls only respond to strength. I didn’t mean anything by it, I’m sorry.”

His apology only helps a little and you look at Steve who still has his hand extended out for you. You reach out and take it, pulling yourself out of the boat carefully.

Once out you go to Bruce and sit on the soft moss beside him, back to the boat, Loki and his rude Asgardians only attitude.

He calls your name, realizing maybe your feelings are hurt more seriously than he thought, but you don’t turn. You’re already worried about Thor and how long this is taking, though Sif has assured you that it hasn’t even been two days yet.

Almost, but not yet.

“Come on, Loki, the faster we go the faster we can be back,” Sif urges him and it sounds like she has to physically pull him away before he budges.

It takes only a few minutes for them to be out of earshot.

Finally you turn to look after them and find Loki glancing back every now and then.

“I’ll scout the area, Your Majesty,” Heimdall tells you gently and you watch him go, disappearing into the green and brown around you.

“He didn’t mean anything by it, you know?” Bruce says, his voice tired from staying up so long. "Not that I'm some sort of Loki expert. He and have never really seen eye-to-eye, but from what I've seen, you bring out the best in him."

“Yeah, I know,” you sigh. “I’m a little sensitive right now, I guess.”

“That’s understandable.” Steve says, propping his shield up against a really big tree knot in the wood beneath you. “We’ve been at it non-stop since we left the campsite. Sleeping on a boat probably isn’t very comfortable either.”

“I’ve slept okay,” you shrug.

“That makes one of us,” Bruce sighs.

Both you and Steve look at Bruce.

“They’ll probably be a while, Bruce. Why don’t you take a nap?” Steve offers, moving to sit down across from you and lean up against his shield.

“Yeah, I think I will. Will you two be okay?”

“Yeah, of course. Get some rest,” Steve urges him.

Bruce lays down where he’s sitting and turns his back on both of you. A minute later and his breathing is slow and steady.

“Being Hulk really takes it out of him, huh?”

“Yeah,” Steve nods, “More mentally than physically.”

“I know how he feels. Having two identities? Not really belonging to either anymore?” you nod.

“I think you’ve done a fantastic job as Queen of Asgard. I think Thor does too. And from what I’ve seen of the Asgardian people’s response to you, even they’re happy with their Queen.”

“I’m not saying I don’t enjoy the position. I’m privileged to be Queen, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Sometimes I just wish me and Thor were a regular couple with no crowns. I wish we were both going to live and die together.

“Not that I’m saying I want him to die! I guess, I just wish I could always be with him. Married to him, I mean. I wish I didn’t have to grow old and die and leave him and Tavis and Kasi alone.”

“You’re talking as if you’re already dead,” Steve says, disapproval in his voice. “Or like you’re expecting not to make it home.”

He’s chastising you.

“I’ll do anything to get Thor back. Even give my life to get those babies back with their daddy,” you sigh.

“That's what we're here for, right?. And we’ll get you back home to those babies too. They need their mom just as much, if not more than they do their dad,” Steve points out.

“Not my twins. They’ll need Thor more than me, no question. They’re going to be special. Like him. Like Loki. I know that my love for them means a lot. Of course it does. I’m not stupid. But Thor understanding how their Asgardian side works is going to be essential in raising them. They’re special. Just like their daddy.”

Steve stares at you for a few moments, eyes narrowed as he tries to understand you.

Finally, he looks away and reaches up to unbuckle his helmet. He slips it off and runs his fingers and hand through his messed hair, scratching at itches he must be feeling.

“Have you always been this practical?” Steve’s question catches you off guard and you blink, thinking for a second of the life you’ve lived so far.

“I grew up in a school that was really just an orphanage with no one and nothing. I guess you could say practicality has always meant more than sentimentality. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel things. I just...I tend to wonder if what I’m doing or what needs to be done is necessary or if it’s an emotional decision.

“I think before I act. Usually. I weigh my options and the consequences of said actions. I know it’s probably too calculated and maybe even cold, but it’s what’s kept me going all these years.

“When I left Thor at the beginning of my pregnancy-”

“You left Thor?!” Steve gasps, training you with confused but curious storm blue eyes.

He didn't know?

"Well, Yeah. Jane lied and told him she was pregnant, but she wasn't. I didn't tell him I was because I didn't want him to have to choose me. And he told Loki he'd get an annulment and I kinda lost it for a bit."

"Wait," Steve blinks, holding his hand up to slow you down. "Jane did what?!"

“You didn’t know?” you wonder, a little shocked by his own surprise.

“No, absolutely not.”

“Oh, I figured you’d have seen the articles about us and stuff,” you give him a small shrug and lean back on your hands.

“I-I thought I saw a few tabloids but I didn’t-I mean, they always post things about us and with you and Thor just getting married I figured there was bound to be tons of rumors and speculation floating around. I never thought that any of it would be true.”

“Yeah, well, we have a mole in the palace so a lot of those headlines were actually pretty accurate. Well, except for the whole Loki being the father of my babies and all that. I don’t know why people would say that. Loki’s my brother.”

Surprisingly, Steve smiles.

“So, I take it you banning Jane from New Asgard wasn’t a rumor?”

You scoff, amused by the question and how some people might not believe your royal edict. “Definitely not. I don’t want her near my family. Granted, now that I know that Amora was influencing her in a way, the desire to get between me and Thor was real. It was already there for Jane before Amora started poking at her.

“And I don’t want to seem ungracious or mean-?”

Steve nods, indicating he understands the point you’re trying to make.

“-But I can’t forget that. I can’t just forgive her for everything she did. She nearly broke me and Thor up for good. He was going to leave me-”

You stop talking as your throat tightens and tears sting at your eyes.

Steve’s worry is etched across his face and he sits up straighter as he leans towards you to place a hand on your shoulder to offer some comfort.

“I didn’t trust Thor anymore. And while some of that is Thor’s fault, if Jane hadn’t pretended to be pregnant then Thor would have never thought to leave me and I wouldn’t have overheard him wanting an annulment and things would have just kept going the way they were. We were good, Steve. Thor and I were so good.

“From the beginning, things just started to fall into place and maybe it was too easy? Maybe Jane and Amora is the universe telling us that what we have shouldn’t come so easy? But it does. And I will fight to keep my family together even if I have to kill an Asgardian witch to do it.”

Steve’s small frown curls upwards into a smile. Your reflection in his eyes shows a strong woman, determined, and fearless despite the huge amount of it weighing down your chest.

Sure you aren’t afraid to face Amora but losing Thor? That’s a fear you’ll never get over.

“That’s why we’re here,” Steve promises, squeezing your shoulder once. “We’re here to help you fight for your family. Whatever it takes.”

A wave of relief calms your nerves a little and you relax back against the knot again.

All at once your exhaustion catches up to you and you blink slowly as the heavy wet smell of the planet dulls your senses to anything else.

The warm breeze that suddenly wraps itself around you lulls you further and you’re not sure what’s happening exactly but you’re almost sure that Steve is laying you down carefully.

As consciousness begins to slip away, you hear Bruce rustle awake beside you.

“I guess the stress and lack of sleep finally caught up with her?”

“Yeah,” Steve says with a small amused chuckle. “She’s a firecracker. I think she’s perfect for Thor.”

“Mmm,” Bruce says in what sounds like the affirmative. “She does keep him on his toes but she also grounds him. He was always flying off into space. With her around, it feels like he’s finally settled.”

"Family will do that to you. Tony's probably going to leave us soon too. He and Pepper have been spending a lot of time up at the cabin."

Their voices fade into whispers as unconsciousness pulls you deeper and deeper into what turns out to be restless sleep.

Several times you feel strong hands steady you as you turn over again and again.

Once you actually open your eyes as those same strong hands hold your shoulders down lightly.

“You okay?” a deep voice asks and you see that Steve is kneeling next to you looking down at you with concern.

All you do is mumble something incoherent and turn over onto your side and fall back into unsettling darkness.

Then all at once you sit up, searching for something, and it’s like you were never asleep. You’re wide awake.

“Are you angry with me still?”

Loki’s gentle voice pulls your attention to him sitting directly across from you. A quick glance around tells you that the rest of your party has gone into the city probably for supplies. 

“I wasn’t angry,” you huff, trying to sit up and get comfortable in your armor again.

Someone had removed your breastplate, plackart, and pauldron while you’d slept, leaving them in a small pile beside you. You reach over to pull them closer and get them back on.

“I’m sorry if what I said hurt you,” Loki continues, scooting closer so that his bent legs are beside yours. “I only meant that you are the weakest physically among us and the trolls can sense that. It’s best not to antagonize them if possible. Thor would not forgive me if harm came to you while we’re here. And I could never forgive myself either.”

You really don’t want to forgive him but it’s Loki and you know damn well that he didn’t mean to hurt you. So, like it’s easier than breathing, you forgive him and hold out your pauldron for him.

“I can’t reach the strap,” you confess and scoot closer.

Loki smiles and adjusts and quickly helps you get the rest of your armor on.

Both of you are standing as the last strap of your breastplate is secured and the rush of water being pushed as the boat returns with the rest of your group draws your attention.

“We’ve got enough food for the trip and some blankets,” Sif says, calling out to Loki as the boat stops beside the large root.

“What trip?” you look from her to Loki as Steve steps off of the boat and moves towards you, offering his hand again to help you into the boat this time.

“A few of the locals have seen an Asgardian woman with blonde hair escaping to an abandoned settlement about half a day’s journey North. It isn’t much to go on but it’s something,” Heimdall tells you.

With urgency you take Steve’s hand and let him help you into the boat. Loki follows after you and sits beside you as Hogun, Fandral, Sif, and Volstagg take up the oars again and begin to row. Heimdall planted at the front of the boat to see any danger that might loom ahead.

The faster you can leave behind this beautiful but claustrophobic planet, the better. Preferably, and honestly only, with Thor in tow.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Don’t stop running!”

Gasping for breath you push your legs faster. You’ve never been the type to work out much but your sword training had given you exercise. After having the twins, you’d fallen back into inactivity aside from what your babies needed and you’re paying for it as the roaring sound of Amora’s magic chases you through the abandoned and calcified wood of this abandoned village.

Your feet stall as a swooping axe comes swinging down towards you from the ceiling. You hold up your arms, the Asgardian steel of your bracers taking the impact of the hit that sends you up off of your feet and crashing to the ground with a clatter as you break several clay pots where you land.

You’ve only there for a moment before Loki’s hands are scrambling to help you to your feet. His breathing is just as labored as your own and as the axe swings back down towards you, he pulls you behind him and holds his hands up stopping the weapon’s momentum.

His hands shake as green magic seeps from him and the weapon disintegrates before your eyes.

There isn’t even a moment for you to comprehend the skill behind his magic because he’s pulling you up and urging you forward again.

“Go, keep running.”

“Where is he Loki?” you demand as you race forward as fast as your already exhausted legs can carry you.

Beneath you the ground gives way, wood crackling into sharp edges as you suddenly fall through one, two, three floors before you land hard once again but with a second body to cushion your fall.

In fact, you realize that you’ve been caught as Steve places you on your feet and gives you a quick look over, “You alright?”

You look up at the holes above and see Loki peeking down, “Keep going! Two lefts, four rights, then two more lefts. Go!”

The trees around you are trembling, shaking with traps and enchantments.

Amora made this place as dangerous as she possibly could and your party is struggling as they fight their way through the abandoned treetop village.

“Come on,” Steve urges and with you runs but is then distracted as two large trolls come barrelling through a doorway just as you reach the first turn.

“I’m not stopping!”

Steve only grunts as he launches himself towards the trolls, his shield absorbing the impact of their spears and blows as he maneuvers around them trying to subdue them.

He’s not fast enough so you leave him behind, luckily taking the attention of the trolls away from you as you take that first left.

The first curving hallway is empty and you take the second left confidently, finding this straight shot also empty of obstacles.

Your heart dares to be a little smug at the ease with which you’re making your way towards Thor but then you take the first right and the hallway begins to spin before you.

Gasping, you stop, afraid to step forward as it corkscrews the doorways and bark of the tree curling and spinning endlessly making your brain fuzzy and your stomach churn dizzily.

“It’s not real,” you tell yourself, chanting the words over and over as you blink rapidly, tears always at the point of falling with the amount of frustration and fear coursing through you. “It’s not fucking real.”

It feels like your legs are weight down so heavily or perhaps glued to the floor because no matter how much you say it, your mind won’t let you step forward.

This can’t be happening! You’re so close. Thor is here. He’s waiting for you to rescue him. Your little ones are waiting for their daddy to come home to them.

It’s the image of your babies that gives you strength. It’s the fact that they’re waiting for you at home to bring their father back that finally lifts your foot from the ground to take that momentous step forward.

Something else must be keeping you rooted because it feels like you’re pulling against an elastic band to pull your leg up, grunting with the effort. Sweat beads along your forehead until finally your foot drops onto the ground and with a wave of relief, all of the immense pressure holding you back disappears and the hallway before you straightens out.

You take another step and this one is easier. Then another. Then you’re running back along the hallway taking the next right into a large room with a high curved ceiling.

It’s scary, not knowing what’s waiting beyond because you know that something is. You take a step and like the floor above where you left Loki, the ground gives way crumbling into splinters. You jump ahead to a spot that looks more stable and teeter precariously along the edge.

Looking down behind you, down below there is nothing but a fall to your death and no Loki around to save you this time.

Just as you’re about to take another step forward the ground all around you begins to crumble leaving large platforms where roots connect and hold the floor up weakly but they’re too far for you to reach.

You back up as much as you can because you know you can’t stay where you are. You take the leap, holding your breath as the ground continues to crumble and the walls shake and you’re not going to make it!

You’re still two feet short of your jump and you feel the weight of your body pulling you down into the chasm. In your heart you grieve for Thor and your babies and wish you’d been stronger for them.

If you’d had your own magic, if that had even been a remote possibility, maybe you would have been able to save your family but instead you fall and the tears threatening at the edges of your eyes finally spill.

You’re hit out of the air painfully but what feels like a large heavy boulder.

Hands grasping around blindly as your eyesight is shocked white.

You blink, gripping along hot thick muscle and as your sight clears you see green.

“Hulk?” you gasp, once terrified of the enormous monster but he’s holding you only slightly ungently.

You can feel how careful he is not to crush you but he’s also not supporting your back or neck so as he jumps from platform to platform your body is whipped back and forth.

He lands with a crash on each remaining spot supported by their fragile roots and they start to fall apart just as his weight settles.

As both your weight pulls you both down with gravity, he leaps to the next spot effectively closing the distance between you and the doorway in the distance.

Six more jumps and the last one he barely manages to push himself away from the bark before landing with a crunch of wood at the opposite end.

Hulk puts you down and huffs in annoyance. He meets your eyes and looks as if he’s about to say something but suddenly he shoves you back roughly and you fly through the doorway and hit the wall beyond, crumbling to the floor now breathless from the impact.

You look for Hulk, scrambling on your hands and knees weakly to see into the large room but the floor he’d been standing on is gone and below you can hear more breaking wood as he probably digs his hands into the side of the large inner trunk to get his grip back.

Alone again, you hurry to your feet and press your hand to your ribs over your breastplate which feels broken. It gives way and with a hiss you take your hand away as metal pierces into the leather beneath.

Even if it hasn’t stabbed you yet, it’s sharp enough to scratch at you.

Was it Hulk that broke your chest piece?

You don’t give yourself enough time to wonder as you hurry forward, limping the first few steps before you break out into a steadier run. Soon you're racing through the twisting tree again, turning right again. Then again. And one last right brings you to a new stop.

You can’t keep stopping!

Even though you know it’s a bad idea, you hurry forward and do your best to dodge the traps Amora has set up.

You duck under curling blades and scythes set to fall and swing at you from the sides. A barrage of glimmering arrows hit the broken side of your armor before one slips through and pierces your side.

You scream, ducking as another spinning blade slides out of the wall to the left then roll as another rises at an angle from the right.

Hitting the wall you groan as the wound from the arrow burns. You decide not to pull it because you don’t know how and also you know that you might very well bleed to death.

So, with a hand wrapped around the arrow’s base at the entry point you force yourself to your feet and race on.

The last left that you take stops abruptly before a large doorway. Breath heaving, you close the gap and push the heavy door open.

Swirling gold and green light washes over you as you step into the low arched room. It’s long and at the far end at the foot of a throne made of twisting thorny branches, roots, and jade green vines you can see your reason for coming.

Thor sits at her feet, shoulders slumped as he gently massages her slender foot. She’s dressed just as she was in New Asgard, her legs made to look longer by the tights she wears, her tall boots set aside to give Thor access to her feet.

She’s got her leg draped over his shoulder and you forget you’ve got your hand wrapped around the arrow piercing your side and squeeze making yourself flinch and stumble a step forward.

“Oh, no,” Amora grieves. “Are you alone? How disappointing. It’s almost as if someone purposefully separated you from your party in order to get you alone to finish you off. And you stroll right in willingly?”

She chuckles, amused that her plan worked.

She reaches down and caresses Thor’s head like he’s some dog for her to pet.

“Thor,” you call gently, not having the strength for volume.

Thor doesn’t acknowledge your presence. Instead he looks up at Amora who slides down to sit on the lower step of her throne so that she can slip her arm around his neck as he leans in to nuzzle behind her ear.

The pain in your chest has nothing to do with the wound to your side and your mind goes into a frenzy of self doubt and jealousy.

“Let him go,” you order, glaring at the blonde enchantress with pure hatred.

Thor would never be doing that on his own. Not with you standing right here. Not with the twins at home waiting.

Amora laughs, “Am I supposed to obey? This is where he belongs. With me. As he always has.”

“He belongs with his people and his children.”

“I’ll give him more children.”

“Like fuck you will, stupid bitch. Let my husband go!”

You rush her but with a flick of her hand a wall of golden energy rises between you and as you hit it just a few feet away, it shimmers in green.

“Such crass language is not befitting of a Queen of Asgard. See, it’s necessary for me to step in and intervene. I will have the Asgardians brought to Nornheim and we can all live here, where we always should have and then Thor’s marriage to you will be unnecessary.

“He won’t be your husband anymore and he can finally be free to be with me.” The sickly sweet smile she gives you grosses you out and you spit at the barrier between you smearing it with blood.

The sight of it shocks you slightly because you hadn’t realized you were bleeding from your mouth.

You swallow and taste the rusty copper then look down at the arrow in your chest.

“Oh, my,” Amora lilts, running her fingers along the back of Thor’s head. “Did you get hit by one of my arrows? What a shame. You’ll have only minutes to live now. They were enchanted. Your insides will slowly cease to function and I assume by now you must have trouble breathing?”

Almost as if on cue, you gasp and cough a bit, struggling to draw in some air.

“Let him go,” you order her again.

Amora smiles widely.

“Why? You’re hardly worthy.”

“Fuck you,” you spit again, this time to get your mouth clear of some of the pooling blood. “I just endured your Indiana Jones bullshit fun house and I’m still standing.”

“Barely,” Amora shakes her head. “Do you really think you can take him back?”

“Yes,” you swallow thickly, your body getting weaker by the second.

“Fine,” Amora gets up, pushing Thor back to extricate herself from him and she takes a few steps away from him before waving her hand.

The wall falls away and you stumble your way forward quickly as Thor gets to his feet looking confused as Amora leaves him there.

He starts to follow her but you reach him and plant yourself between them, your hands grabbing his large forearms.

He looks at you, Thor’s electric blue dulled and in its place a sheen of green.

He’s under her spell.

Your heart gives a relieved stutter and you latch yourself to him desperately.

“Thor,” you smile at him, knowing the sight is probably ghastly with all the blood coating your teeth in red. “Puppy, it’s me. Can you hear me?”

“Let go,” Thor says, deep voice even but monotone.

He doesn’t sound like himself even if it is his voice speaking.

“I can’t, puppy. We made vows, remember? I promised to protect you. I’m keeping my word,” you cough, spilling blood onto his front.

You groan, your body beginning to fall to pieces.

Thor looks up at Amora and he stares, a forced look of desire overtaking his face.

“You remember on our wedding day that I had nothing to offer you? I had no banner, no house, no sword? You gave me all those things, Thor. You gave me a house and a banner and you gave me my swords. You gave me babies, two beautiful, perfect angels.”

Amora scoffs and you have to force yourself to ignore her slight at your Tavis.

“Oh, dear, she says. He doesn’t look convinced.”

Ignoring her, you shut her out of your head completely. For right now it has to be only you and Thor in this room. You reach up and turn him to look at you, meeting his spelled eyes with your own, searching for the Thor you married.

“I p-promise to honor our union until my death in battle and beyond,” you whisper to him. “And if I die right now Thor, all I hope is that you come back home to our babies. I’ll die happy knowing that you’re with them and that I kept my promise. 

“Even if we struggled, even when our hearts ached, I have cherished and loved you every day we’ve been married. I promised you that I would until the day I died. And I have. I love you so much, Thor.”

The tears spilling from your eyes mix into the small trickle of blood spilling from the corner of your lip.

In Thor’s eyes there’s a slight shift of the green, a small flare of bright blue.

Is he coming back to you? Can you save him for your little ones before you die?

You grab onto his shoulders and pull yourself up towards him, twisting your hand into the hair on the back of his head and force him down until you press your lips against his own.

He frowns, resisting for a moment as you hook your hands behind his neck.

You pull back to speak, your lips still brushing his, “I love you, Thor.”

You kiss him again, and this time Thor’s hands take hold of your hips.

You’re losing strength but you must up as much as you can to keep that kiss in place. You fist his shirt, holding on as tightly as you can.

“Stop,” Amora growls, her footsteps stomping towards the two of you.

“Thor,” you beg, desperate to wake him up before she can reach the two of you.

Thor’s eyes flash blue, electric white light blinding you as you stare into his eyes. His hands grip your hips tightly, squeezing you to him.

Amora is just over your shoulder and Thor’s electrified eyes turn to her. He shouts and holds out his fist towards her and burning lightning comes flying from him, scorching her up into the air and against the far wall.

You fall against him now, too weak to hold yourself up anymore. Thor’s arm wraps around your waist but he falls with you to the floor, pulling you as far away from Amora as he can.

“Thor,” you call for him, reaching up to caress his cheek. You ignore the smear of blood on his lips where you kissed him.

Even though his face is contorted with anguish as he settles you onto the floor carefully, crouching by you as he supports your back, the beautiful sight of him is one you don’t mind dying to.

“I’m here, my cherub. I’m here,” he gushes.

He looks at your armor, finding the break and the arrow poking through.

“It’s enchanted,” you tell him quietly, coughing a little as blood pools in your mouth and seeps out of the corners of your mouth. “I didn’t want to p-pull it out in case I bled out but it-it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“Where’s Loki?” Thor growls.

“Thor,” you grasp his shirt. “You have to get back to the babies. They’ll need you.”

“Don’t talk like that, Cherub. We’ll be going home together.”

There’s a rumble beneath your feet and suddenly the floor explodes. Wooden splinters and stone rain down over you while Thor shields you as best he can with his body.

The familiar roar feels like salvation as Hulk lands nearby.

Thor shifts and points towards the spot where Amora had been laying only to see her gone.

“Find her, Hulk!”

Hulk huffs but chases after the streak of blonde hair escaping through a side door.

From the hole crawls Heimdall, searching with the calmest panic you’ve ever seen on anyone. He spots you and drops to his knees beside you.

“The arrow is enchanted,” Thor tells him.

You’re gasping for air, starting at Thor because if you die, you want his face to be the last thing you see.

“I can get her home,” Heimdall tells Thor.

“I’m not leaving her side. Get Loki here,” Thor orders, “I need him to break whatever enchantment is on her.”

Thor thrusts his hand into the air behind him and he waits.

“I’ll fetch him here,” Heimdall says and disappears back into the hole in the floor.

Thor turns his attention back towards you.

“I c-can’t b-breathe,” you tell him, wheezing for air.

“Hold on for me, cherub. You cannot give in. I need you at my side. You’re my Queen. My partner,” his eyes mist over and he wipes at your mouth with the bottom of his shirt to soak up some of the blood.

“I l-love y-y-y-you…” you wheeze and you can feel the burn in your lungs as they struggle to fill.

Eyes wide, hand reaching out to grab onto Thor’s arm, the fear mounts in your dying body.

Thor calls your name, a sob escaping him as his own tears finally spill.

“I’m here!”

Loki’s voice gives you little comfort. Your body begins to spasm as it struggles to live on. No matter how much you might want to keep fighting for your life, there simply isn’t enough air in your lungs to stay conscious. As Loki comes into view, Thor’s forehead resting against your temple as he sobs, your vision goes black and you’re lost to the world.

[everlarkficexchange]

Captain Strong VS The Mockingjay

Written by: @nightlock-1989

Prompt 170: Superhero/Catburglar AU: The jewel-thief Mockingjay has evaded The Capitol’s superhero, Captain Strong, for long enough, and the Merchants of the city have started putting pressure on the hero to bring the thief in for justice. The only problem? The Captain is the alter-ego of teenager Peeta Mellark, and his elusive nemesis is his high school crush, Katniss Everdeen. [submitted by @thelettersfromnoone]

@thelettersfromnoone I loved your prompt and I hope you enjoy what I did with it. This will have multiple parts. I’m not sure how many but we have to find out what happens next!

Rated T for language

Captain Strong VS. The Mockingjay

“PEETA, WAKE UP!” a shrill voice shouts from the other side of my bedroom door. Ugh, the opposite of what I wanted to wake up to.

“I’m up,” I holler. The pounding finally stops.

I roll out of bed and head to the bathroom I share with my brother Rye. He’s styling his hair and his eyes widen at the sight of me.

“You look like shit, Peet,” he says.

“Gee, thanks,” I mutter dripped with sarcasm while I reach for my toothbrush and toothpaste.

“Who did you sneak out to see last night?”

“I didn’t sneak out.”

“Yes, you did. You need to learn to be quieter.”

I lean my hip against the counter and point out, “Does it matter? Dad sleeps like the dead and mom takes enough sleeping pills that I’m surprised she isn’t dead. How she’s even awake right now amazes me.” I press my hand into the marble and hear a crack. Crap.

“What was that?” he asks.

I gently use my other hand to crack my knuckle.

He raises an eyebrow at me. “So which girl was it?”

“What girl?”

“The one you have been sneaking out to see?”

“I told you there’s nobody.” That’s a lie, there is. It’s the reason for all my sleepless nights.

“Fine, but one day I am going to wheedle it out of you,” he says with a gentle slap to my cheek.

“Driving yourself?”

“Yeah,” I say.

“Good, because now that I’m a senior, I can be having a junior cramping my style.”

“You don’t have any style.”

Rye brushes past me and I lift my hand from the counter noticing the crack. Great… I’ll find something acrylic to break and blame it on that or something. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror before jumping in the shower. I do look exhausted. The bags under my eyes are making me look older than my sixteen-year self.

I decide I have enough time for a quick shower. The warm water is running against my back. I let the thoughts of last night roll.

In the last year, I have successfully defeated 9 supervillains. Not too bad considering I’m only 16 and have only possessed my powers for about as long. How a swarm of tracker-jacker stings caused me to develop super-strength and a host of other small powers I’ll never know.

The last 6 months, the Merchant sector of Panem has been hit with a host of robberies by a cat burglar called The Mockingjay. My mentor Haymitch says that from what he understands, she doesn’t possess any actual powers.

She’s been stealing things. I don’t condone it or anything but there are more severe problems that need to be dealt with than a bauble of Venia Stone’s. Since I’ve taken out The Crane, I find myself on a bit of a break which is why I’m sitting here, in Venia’s apartment, waiting for The Mockingjay. We have The Cornucopia Diamond in plain sight. I think it’s stupid, there’s no way she would be dumb enough to go for this. The most expensive item she has stolen has been valued at $150,000 and that was for a diamond and jewel encrusted white rose brooch from Mayor Snow’s penthouse.

This diamond is valued at $3.2 million. I sigh, sick of sitting in my corner blending in. I’m thinking about the first day of school I will be having tomorrow. I wonder if I’ll have any classes with—wait a minute, something is off. One of my other powers was slight intuition or something along those lines. I call it my mutt sense, pretty much since that time I realized I was being stalked by these weird hybrid mutts The Gamemaker sicked on me.

I slowly stand up. I may be good at blending in but I still stomp like an elephant. I slowly begin moving towards the other room when I spot her. I activate my forcefield. This is it; I’ve got her. I continue creeping towards her as she puts a ring in the pouch on her hip. She has on a dark gray, almost black skin-tight suit that fits her like a glove. It’s long-sleeved and has cloth draped from the arms that gives the appearance of wings. Her ass looks fantastic.

“Anyone ever tell you that you have a loud gait?” the voice says smoothly.

Shit…. She continues perusing the small jewelry box, pulling out a diamond tennis bracelet.

“Anyone ever tell you you’re not as stealthy as you think?”

“Never,” she says still rifling through the box.

“You’ve been caught, you can stop you know.”

“And miss out on a chance of battling Captain Strong? Absolutely not.”

Her hair is in a braided bun, black mask of feathers covering her eyes.

“Let’s just make this easier on ourselves.”

She turns to look at me and I get that feeling of intuition again. There’s something familiar about her eyes, even if I can’t get a good look at them.

“Now why would I do that?”

I approach her but she dodges out of my way. Damn, she’s quick. I stalk towards her and we dance around each other.

We somehow make our way onto the balcony, it’s fine though the forcefield is around the perimeter of the building. If she jumps, she’ll just bounce right back. Suddenly, she opens her mouth and the voice of an angel comes ripping out.

No superpowers, Haymitch? I beg to differ because that powerful singing voice of hers could bust through even my strongest forcefield. Oh, shit it actually has. The damn mockingjays are carrying her off the 22nd story penthouse before I know what’s happening. The fucking birds have actually stopped to listen to her.

“Let’s do this again sometime, Captain Strong,” she teases.

I’m in the science hallway heading to my first class of my junior year. Chemistry. The bell already rung about sixty seconds ago so I hustle. As I enter the classroom, Mr. Latier says, “Mr. Mellark, how wonderful of you to join us.”

“Sorry, Mr. Latier.”

“Take the empty seat,” he instructs pointing to the middle of the classroom.

I glance towards the table and freeze with terror. Me…. Peeta Mellark…. Captain Strong…. a Victor of Panem…. is about to face his biggest fear…. being close in proximity to his lifelong crush Katniss Everdeen.

[master-sass-blast]

Children of the Gods: Part Three, Chapter One.

AT LONG LAST, THE PLOT FICS ARE BACK, BAY-BEE!!! AND B O Y ARE WE KICKING OFF WITH A DOOZY!!!

As you can see by the title: this is chapter one of three for this fic; I had to chop it up due to length.

Also, this fic as a whole makes for my 100th part of the CHC! I feel like I should do something to celebrate. Let me know if y’all have any suggestions.

Summary: It's been months since anyone's seen or heard of Allison Ricci. At last, you think the storm might be over. 

And then Karen Page gets kidnapped again.

Pairing(s): Piotr Rasputin x Reader, Nathan Summers x Wade Wilson, and Frank Castle x Karen Page.

Rating: M for kidnapping, attempted murder, attempted suicide, canon-typical violence, gun violence, and depictions of injury. Like I said, we’re kicking off with a doozy.

Word Count: 4.9k.

Set after “Children of the Gods: Part Two.”

Taglist: @marvel-is-perfection, @chromecutie, @super-darkcloudstudent, @girl-obsessed-with-things, @leo-writer, @emma-frxst, @sadstone-s

There’s no mention or sighting of Allison for nearly six months. Every trail you had for her before goes stone cold. The apartment is cleared out and abandoned. She doesn’t show up in the fighting rings, and even Karen and Frank don’t report anyone following them.

You start to wonder if she died for good this time. That maybe she revived and got herself and her mentor out, but didn’t survive after that.

(You wonder who’ll bury her body, if she’ll be lain to rest next to her family or in a random patch of ground somewhere.)

The storm seems to be over.

And then Karen gets kidnapped again.

***

Wade and Nathan are the ones that technically call it in –by showing up on your doorstep with Frank in tow.

“Allison’s back,” Nate says when your eyes bug out of your head. “Figured Xavier would want to have his people try and round her up, rather than there being an issue with mutant control.”

You blink rapidly, then nod. “Uh… yeah. Let me call Piotr.”

***

The perks of being on a technically-special-law-enforcement team with fancy jets: you can get to the scene a hell of a lot faster than conventional authorities.

You, Wade, Nathan, Frank, and Piotr meet up with Illyana, Mikhail (the two Rasputin siblings are there to “assist” with Allison’s specific powers, considering how things went last time), and Neena in the mall parking lot. After a brief rundown of the plan –get the civilians and Karen out of harm’s way, then detain Allison before the actual cops show up—you all split up and head in through the four major entry points.

The mall is packed when you walk in –go figure, it’s a weekend. Shoppers stroll from shop to shop, vendors at the pop up stands call out to passersby, music plays on the overhead speakers.

“The picture the kid sent me had a pretzel stand in the background,” Frank growls through the speaker in your earpiece.

“Food court, then,” Neena replies –in perfect, crystal clear audio, no less. “The kiosk map doesn’t show too many food stands outside there.”

Illyana tugs on your sleeve and directs you to the left. “We are close.”

You dodge to avoid a cluster of shoppers. “There’s a lot of people here. If she –if she has… weapons, like last time—”

“We’ll deal with it,” Nathan growls over the comms system before softly reprimanding Wade for trying to detour into Hot Topic. “Our goal right now is to capture Allison before she escapes again.”

“Civilian lives still matter,” Piotr insists before putting a hand on the small of your back to usher you around a “Wet Floor: Caution” sign. He’s armored down, but he’s wearing his X-Men suit under a black sweatshirt. “We must consider their well-being.”

“And if we tell them they’re in danger, we’ll make a panicked stampede, and that won’t help us or anyone else,” Nate says tersely. “Just stay calm. Our best bet is to try and talk Allison down without alerting anyone around us.”

“If she tries to hurt Karen—" Frank grits out.

“We’ll cross that bridge if and when we get there,” Nathan declares, tone permitting no room for argument.

The lot of you round another corner, passing by a shop that boasts having “all the latest console games at all the best prices” and a Victoria’s Secret—

“I see her,” Neena says. You hear thuds her footsteps pick up, and a second later you see her jog around a Starbucks stand and head down the hall to the food court. “Twelve o’clock, dead center of the court.”

Twenty meters away, sitting at a little food court table, are Allison and Karen; the former is dressed in all black, leaning back in her seat while staring down the latter –who, all things considered, doesn’t seem too much worse for wear.

Frank inhales sharply, then appears through the crowd a few minutes later, walking so fast he’s practically running. “Too many people here.”

“We’ll talk her down,” Nathan says, rounding the corner nearest the Macy’s with Wade.

Illyana tenses, then grabs your arm before breaking into a run. “We need to move. She has seen Castle.”

Sure enough, Allison’s scowling. She shoves her chair back hard enough to knock it into the table behind her; she stands, ignoring the complaints from the nearby diners. Her eyes start glowing blue as she glares at Frank.

“Ah, shitfarts,” Wade grumbles.

“Everyone down!” Nathan bellows before yanking Frank back and erecting a telekinetic shield.

A massive shockwave of blue energy erupts across the food court, sending shoppers and tables alike flying into the air. The glass, domed skylight over the food court shatters, raining shards of windows and broken lights down on the panicked, shrieking bystanders.

Illyana erects a shield before the shockwave can hit the rest of you. She grits her teeth as debris and a few of the shoppers closest to the epicenter bounce off it, tumbling along the tiled floor. “Still think we will ‘talk her down?’”

No, you think, gulping when you realize that some of the blast victims aren’t getting up. I think we’re well past that.

“Karen!” Frank charges towards Allison, shotgun –loaded with bean bag rounds—in hand. “Get down!”

Karen dives behind a toppled table.

Illyana charges at Allison, clothes shimmering as they morph into black body armor. She leaps over an overturned table, then extends her hand and fires a blue bolt of magical energy at the younger girl.

Allison ducks. She stumbles briefly, but quickly rights herself. She grits her teeth, then screams as she unleashes a volley of azure-colored energy blasts at Illyana.

“Go! Get out!” Piotr waves a few stragglers –with their phones out to film the ruckus, go figure—away. He ducks another round of fire from Allison, then armors up and strides towards her. “That is enough—” 

Allison whips her head to the side, then back at Illyana. She quickly fires a blast at Illyana –successfully knocking the older girl off her feet, then turns and unleashes a beam of blue energy square into your husband’s chest.

Piotr sails into the food court’s Subway stand with a groan and a resounding clang.

You cram down the urge to run after your husband –he’ll be fine, he’s taken a lot worse before—and focus on the fight at hand.

Nate, Wade, and Frank are pinned down; they’re using some trash can stands as cover, but Allison’s got enough firepower to keep them from risking getting any closer.

Piotr and Illyana are both down for the time being; your husband’s tangled up with the condiments trays, while the youngest Rasputin’s on the floor, groaning.

Neena’s working the perimeter, getting shoppers out while setting up to flank Allison from behind.

And Mikhail’s… disappeared—

No, there he is, you think when you see him blink into existence. You let out a short sigh of relief when you see him take Karen’s hand and teleport to a safer distance, then do a short run before launching yourself in the air. Alright, let’s get the boys some cover.

Allison’s head jerks back as she follows your trajectory. Her eyes glow, bits of blue smoke wafting off at the corners, and then she fires another bolt of energy at you from her eyes.

You flit out of the line of fire, then fling an arc of wind at her.

Allison topples onto the tile floor. She yelps, then disappears into the ground to avoid being ensnared in one of Illyana’s spells. She pops back up a few feet away moments later—

Just in time to see Wade duck behind an overturned table.

Your brother snarls, cursing and panicking when Allison renders the table to a pile of ash with a flick of her wrist. “Something tells me that murder baby’s leveled up!”

“Gee!” You holler back. “What was your first hint!”

“Go!” Nathan hollers when Allison uses a bolt of magical energy strong enough to rip through several store fronts. He waves Karen and Frank off. “Get out of here! We’ve got this!”

Allison whirls. She bares her teeth when she sees Frank and Karen escaping, then slaps her palm against the food court floor.

Brilliant, bright streaks of azure energy zip along the floor, twinkling against the tiles before disappearing a few feet ahead of Karen and Frank.

The floor –from edge to edge of the hall, leaving no area untouched—crumple into ash, leaving a pit more than twenty feet deep. The ground between the doors behind Allison and the girl in question evaporate as well, along with the spaces in front of the emergency exits.

“Just when I left my rock climbing gear at home,” Wade grumbles, sounding somewhat winded.

Allison charges towards Karen and Frank, rendering tables, chairs, and random debris to ash as she runs to get a straight shot. She knocks Wade off his feet with via chucking a bolt of energy at him, forces you to duck behind a Pizza Hut counter with another one—

And then runs smack into Mikhail when he teleports right in front of her.

Mikhail wraps his arms around her, then leans back so he clears her feet off the ground. He stumbles a little while Allison rages and snarls. “Got her!”

Allison swears –then twists and drives her heel into Mikhail’s crotch.

Mikhail drops. He curls in on himself, groaning. “Kroshechnyy kon'… O Bozhe, moi yaytsa.”

Allison tumbles to the ground. She dodges more wind strikes from you, then lets out a feral snarl as she charges towards Frank and Karen.

Frank yanks Karen behind him, then shouts as he barrels towards Allison.

He has no game plan. You can see it in his eyes.

You vault yourself over the Subway counter, intent on tackling Allison, or knocking her over with a wind slice, or –something.

Before you can do anything, a blue circle forms around Allison, glowing brightly before expanding into a domed shield.

Allison skitters to a stop. Her dark curls jerk and bounce as she looks around wildly. She seethes, then launches a blast of energy at the shield, only for it to bounce off the veil of energy harmlessly.

A few feet away, Illyana lowers her hand. She smirks. “There. Much better.”

“Will –will that hold her?” Karen asks, voice rough and shaky.

“Until we can find way to transport, da.” Illyana reaches up her sleeve, then pulls out a spell book. “I have potent sleep spell. Will take but moment to find proper runes for casting.”

Behind you, Piotr groans as he finally disentangles his head from a –now very crushed—oven. He staggers, shakes himself, then turns and sags with relief when he sees Allison in the shield bubble. “Oh. Good.”

“Are you okay?” You jog over to him as he armors down and all but collapses into a nearby booth. “Babe? What’s wrong?”

“Ears are ringing.” He groans and clutches his head in his hands. “I hit my head very hard.”

You rub his shoulders, reassuring yourself as much as you are him. You can only imagine where else he’s hurt if Allison managed to concuss him while in defense mode. All you want now is to get back to Xavier’s so your husband can get the medical treatment he needs. “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be—”

The ground shakes.

You steady yourself on the booth opposite Piotr –then suck a breath between your teeth when it happens again, harder than before. “Shit.” You whip your gaze back to Illyana. “What’s—”

You see Illyana, teeth gritted and eyes glowing blue as she holds both her hands towards the shield. 

You see Nathan, Neena, and everyone else slowly backing away from the dome of energy.

And, inside the containment bubble, you see Allison, flinging attack after attack at the walls of the shield.

Your eyes widen when you watch Allison unleash a sustained burst of energy at the shield walls. Fuck.

Glowing, white cracks form along the shield.

Oh holy fuck.

“Get down!” Neena screams.

Piotr all but tackles you –despite his head injury—to the floor just as the shield gives way. He armors back up, then covers your body with his.

Magic energy explodes through the food court, flinging the remaining tables and chairs into the walls. All the windows –in the skylights, the automatic doors, and the nearby shops—blow out, spraying glass everywhere. The ground shakes, cracking and dissipating into clouds of ash in various places.

Allison crawls out of the crater left by her explosion. She pants, shoulders heaving with each breath. Her mouth tugs into a fierce scowl; her eyes glow so brightly that they’re almost white.

Cracks form on the ground next to her, glowing white and smoking. They widen into gaping holes, with vortexes of energy swirling inside them.

And then these… beasts crawl out of them. Snarling, slobbering monsters with fangs the size of your arm. Their claws shatter the tiles underneath their massive paws. Their eyes glow red, not unlike hellfire. They almost look like wolves, if wolves had crossbred with the Hulk and had ichor and tar dripping off their skin.

Your jaw drops. “What the…”

Mikhail lets out a whoop. “Puppies!”

“Do puppies normally look like they want to turn humans into sausages?” Wade yelps, skittering out of reach when one of the hellhounds lets out a howl that sends a plume of fire into the air.

Illyana swears up a storm. She flicks her wrist, summoning the Soul Sword to her hand.

Before she can do anything else, though, one of the hellhounds charges her, knocking her off her feet and into one of the nearby shops.

“Snezhinka!” Piotr shoves himself to the feet, armors up, and barrels off after his sister –with Mikhail hot on his heels.

The other hellhound stalks towards Neena, Wade, and Nathan. It growls, acid dripping from its teeth and onto the ground, corroding whatever it touches.

“Should’ve worn the brown pants,” Wade groans. “Okay –anyone got a plan?”

“Duck!” Neena shouts when the hound unleashes another fiery howl.

You don’t duck –or run, or attack, or anything useful. No, you freeze, torn between going after your husband and siblings-in-law, helping protect Wade, Neena, and Nate, or trying to get Karen and Frank away from Allison.

Speaking of which…

Allison is lobbing bolts of energy at Frank and Karen; she’s closing in on them fast, quickly cornering them against the crater she’d made between the food court and the rest of the wall.

Frank whisks Karen behind his back. “Hey, hey, hey!” He extends a hand towards Allison in some sort of desperate attempt to get her to stop. “Just calm the fuck down!”

“Go to hell!” She rears back for another attack –and there’s no cover, nothing for Frank or Karen to hide behind or grab onto—

The choice makes itself for you.

You jump over the booth Piotr had pulled both of you behind and whip a wall of wind at her.

The blast launches her off her feet. She shrieks, sailing behind a pile of rubble before disappearing from view.

“Come on!” You leap over to Karen and Frank. The sounds of the hellhounds are too close for comfort –and, judging by Wade’s shrieks, the general amounts of swearing, and Piotr’s groans of exertion, the beasts are winning. “Let’s get out of here.” You get an arm around Karen, then start to put one around Frank, intent on lifting them over the crater and flying them out of here—

There’s a scream, and then a thin, whip-like strand of blue energy wraps around Frank’s neck.

His eyes go comically wide as he flies backwards. He lets out a choked shout, then groans –guttural and rough—when he hits the ground.

Allison stalks towards him. Her teeth are bared, and she looks entirely done with the situation. …And then she pulls a knife out of her jacket pocket.

You level another blast of air in Allison’s direction.

She manages to deflect it with a shield, then fires a volley of energy bolts at you and Karen.

Karen dodges.

You don’t.

You careen into the crater, narrowly dodging exposed bits of steel bar reinforcement and some leaking water lines before hitting rock hard dirt. You grunt, wind going out of you as you crumple against the ground. Fuck.

The hellhounds are still snarling nearby. You can still hear their ghoulish howls, accompanied by the crackling roar of the fire they unleash with each snap. Above the hellish din, Wade’s swearing and shrieking about his ass, Nate’s firing his future gun, Illyana and Mikhail are arguing—

Dammit. You shove yourself to your feet, panting and swearing the entire time. Once you’re upright, you launch yourself to the mall floor—

Which is when a new sound makes itself known to you.

Frank is screaming. That in and of itself isn’t unusual –he does it quite often—but now he’s doing it on his back, hands wrapped around Allison’s forearms, trying to keep her from sinking her knife blade into his right eye.

You’d think it wouldn’t be much of a fight –but she’s winning. She’s using her powers for leverage against Frank’s strength. You wouldn’t think a teenager with arms like noodles would have a shot, but Frank’s arms are shaking as Allison slowly, inexorably, pushes the knife towards his head. 

Frank shouts –and Allison shrieks right back at him; she sounds like a pissed off barn owl.

You stumble forward, wincing and collapsing to your knees when your left leg screams in protest. Shit.

Allison bares her teeth at Frank –and then she freezes. Her body goes stiff. Her eyes roll into the back of her head –and then she collapses against the ground, limp as a ragdoll.

Karen Page stands behind her, stun gun in hand. She lets out a hard breath when Allison drops against the ruined tile floor, then turns the stun gun off and reaches to help Frank up. “You okay?”

He grunts by way of response.

Allison starts squirming against the ground, trying to push herself upright.

She yanks the barbs and wires connecting her to Karen’s stun gun out of her shoulder, seething and snarling all the while. She staggers to her feet, lurching wildly as she tries to regain control over her body. She whirls, dark curls flinging back and forth with abandon.

Frank snaps into action. He immediately throws Karen behind him, forcing her back and away as Allison storms towards them. He holds one hand out, keeping some space between him and the teen. His gaze snaps back and forth, searching wildly for some sort of obstacle to put in her path or some sort of cover to duck behind—

There’s a dull thud, and then Allison lets out a choked shout as she tumbles to the ground.

Behind her, standing in the wreckage of one of the shops, Neena lowers the repression cuff gun your dad created to help capture rogue mutants.

You bend over, panting as you brace your hands against your knees. “Cool. Awesome. Holy shit.”

The snarling of the hellhounds disappears, too; the only sign they were there to begin with are the mounds of ash they leave behind. 

Slowly, your dad, Wade, and the Rasputin siblings come staggering out of the surrounding shops.

You sidle up next to Piotr, who’s already armoring down and looks beat to hell. You nod at him when he nods to you, then focus on the scene at hand.

Allison crouches on the floor. She snarls, yanking at the repression cuff on her wrist.

“Okay –ow, fuck!” Wade cringes as he resets his dislocated arm, then limps towards Allison. “Alright, murder baby. I’ve been chewed on, used as a tug toy, had a shop light fall on my nuts, and I’m pretty sure my third cervical vertebra is never going to feel whole again. Your whole ‘vengeance blood lust’ was pretty cute, but I draw the line at spinal reconfiguration. Time for you to head over to Xavier’s Home for Extraordinary Children and do group fucking therapy like the rest of the X-Dweebs.”

Allison bares her teeth at him, then kicks him square in the crotch.

Wade shrieks, doubling over and dropping to the floor. He curls into a fetal position, whimpering over his “dangly unmentionables.”

“Enough, Allison,” Nathan grits out. He uses his telekinesis to drag her across the floor, steadily sliding her towards him. “It’s done. Let it go.”

“Eat –eat shit!” Allison scrabbles against the floor, searching for a handhold –then snags a loose gun (most likely dropped by Mikhail at some point) and fires at Nathan. She struggles to her feet when he ducks –breaking the telekinetic hold—then whirls and aims at Frank.

“No!” Karen flings herself in front of Frank –which results in a lot of protesting from him—and holds out a hand. “Allison, no! Killing him isn’t what you want!”

“Like hell it is!”

“No, it isn’t. He’ll be dead and you’ll be in jail, and you’ll still have all your anger with no outlet for it,” Karen insists, voice ragged. She fixes Allison with a hard stare. “Let it go, Allison. Killing him won’t change anything.”

Allison sneers. “Fuck you. Like this is about ‘change!’ My family’s never coming back, and I have to live with that every single day. I have to remember waking up to them being gone, to their brains on the walls, to his—” she whips the gun wildly to point at Frank “—stupid graffiti tag on the floor. No, fuck you! I’m the one who has to go through the nightmares and the loneliness and the grief and has to bury my family! I don’t care that this won’t change anything. I’ll feel good for five seconds, and that’s better than the past few months have been!”

Your stomach clenches. Shit.

Frank gulps. Eyes shining, he steps out in front of Karen –even though she tries to stop him—and puts himself right in Allison’s line of sight. “You want me dead? Do it.”

“Frank,” Nathan says, voice sharp with warning.

“Pull the trigger,” Frank says, stepping closer as Allison’s hands shake. “Take me out. I killed your family. I did the same thing to you that happened to me. I’m a hypocrite; I deserve it.”

Allison seethes, body trembling as Frank slowly approaches her. “I will! I’ll do it!”

“Pull the trigger,” Frank says, voice soft and thick with emotion. “Do it, kid. Take me down if you want it so bad.”

Wade pushes himself off the ground. “Castle, I swear to God—”

Allison growls –and lowers her gun. She sobs, shoulders slumping. She falls to her knees, body shaking with each gasping breath she takes. “You couldn’t just… kill me? Do me the favor of not having to live without them?”

Frank flinches, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows reflexively. “I don’t do shit like that, kid.”

Allison looks up at him –and her gaze sharpens. She smiles, sharp and manic. “Oh. So that’s what it takes to break you.”

And then she put the muzzle of the gun under her chin.

“No!” You fling yourself at Allison, colliding with her before she can pull the trigger. You tackle her to the ground, wrenching the gun out of her hands before hugging her tight against your chest. “No, sweetheart. No. No, no, no—”

Allison shrieks. Tears stream down her face once more. “Just let me die! Please! Why won’t any of you just let me die!”

You shush her gently, rocking her back and forth. You cast your gaze over your shoulder, looking to Piotr.

He’s scrubbing at his face with his hand. He meets your gaze, eyes widening before he shrugs, as though to say, “I don’t know how to handle this, either.”

“Okay.” Nathan crosses the distance to you and Allison. He crouches behind her, cuffing her hands behind her back before helping her and you stand. “Alright, kiddo. Let’s… let’s get you some rest. Okay?”

“I –I need Ar-Artemis,” Allison sobs. Her body heaves with each step she takes. “I need Artemis, I need her—”

“Okay, munchkin,” Wade says as he walks Allison in the direction of the jet. “We’ll get her called for you. Do you have her number? Anyone else you want us to call?”

“My law-lawyer.”

“That checks out.”

You hang back, letting Wade take over. You feel fried; pain aside, your mind is utterly void, a swirling mass of black and gibberish and too much and screaming and—

Neena hooks her arm around yours. She smiles at you when you look up at her, then gently ushers you after Wade and the others. “Come on. Let’s get back to the mansion.”

***

“I’m gonna fucking murder you, Castle!”

You wince as another angry shriek bounces off the walls of the jet’s cabin. You’re sitting on one of the benches, injured leg propped up on your husband’s lap.

Allison snaps and rages as Mikhail, Neena, and Wade try to buckle her in; somewhere during the walk to the jet, she’d switched from broken weeping to insurmountable rage once more.

Next to you, Frank keeps his eyes trained on the ground. He’s got an arm around Karen, who’s watching Allison in cautious silence.

“You’re fucking dead! I will hang you up by your fucking intestines! I’ll put your fucking sniper scope up your ass, you emo wannabe piece of shit!”

Wade snickers. “‘Emo wannabe piece of shit.’ Good one.”

Now that you’re up close to her, you can see just… how not well she’s doing. Dark bags hang under her eyes, stark against her pallid skin. Her cheeks and neck are gaunt –and, under her dark clothes and slapdash body armor, you suspect the rest of her body tells a similar story of grief and an inability to cope.

Who could cope, with everything she’s been through? The only person in this jet who has a similar understanding is the one that put her family in the ground –and he did that to cope with losing his own family and being shot in the head, so that pretty much says how well he’s doing, technically speaking.

Piotr squeezes you gently when you sigh. “We are almost home.”

Not close enough, you think as Allison all but foams at the mouth while she hurls insult after insult at Frank.

Wade rears back, shaking his hand. “Not the middle one! I need that one! Motherfucker!”

Allison spits his finger out of her mouth. She plants her feet, then tries to launch herself at Frank again.

“Enough!” You stand, careful to keep your weight off your bad leg. “You’re in a jet and you don’t have use of your hands. Either let yourself be buckled in or we’re sedating you!”

“This is bullshit,” Allison growls, even as she lets Neena and Mikhail sit her down and strap her in. Her eyes never leave Frank. “He’s the one who killed my family, and I’m the one in handcuffs.”

You march over to Allison as best you can. You’re not sure what your face looks like right now, but given the way she shrinks back you’re certain you look pissed. You plant your hands on the wall behind her, one on either side of her head, then lean in until you’re almost nose to nose with her. “You’re handcuffed,” you spit out between gritted teeth, “because you tried to kill yourself in that mall. The restraints are for your own safety; they have nothing to do with Frank.”

“But he—”

“Isn’t in our jurisdiction,” you tell her, voice hard. “We picked you up because you’re a mutant engaging in criminal activity. It was either us or the DMC, and if it’d been them, you’d be in the Icebox or dead. Frank only came because you kidnapped his girlfriend –and, frankly, it’s reasonable that he’d want to come along to save her.”

The dark-eyed teen pouts up at you. “But –my family—”

“Is gone,” you finish, voice softer now. You lean back a little so you’re not so in her space. “And I’m sorry you lost them, Allison. I really am. What Frank did was wrong. But you can’t keep on this path. You’re endangering yourself, and you’re endangering the rest of the community by reinforcing the belief that mutants are dangerous through your actions.” You straighten up. “If you don’t calm down, we’re going to have to lock you in one of the changing rooms until we’re at the mansion. Do you want that?”

She glowers, but shakes her head.

“Neither do I—”

“We can go into one of the changing rooms.” Karen stands, and Frank stands with her. She flashes you a sympathetic, appreciative smile when you look at her. “We’ll be fine in there.”

You heave an internal sigh of relief when Neena ushers Frank and Karen into one of the changing rooms, then slides the door shut.

Allison glares after Frank. She sniffs, chin trembling. “He killed my family. I woke up and –and they were gone.”

“I know, sweetheart.” You smooth her hair away from her face as she starts crying again. “I know.

“I want Artemis,” she sobs, skinny shoulders shaking with each breath she takes. “My phone –on my phone—”

“We’ll make sure we call her for you,” you reassure her as you stroke her hair. You grimace as she collapses –as much as the seatbelt lets her—against you, weeping against your neck. You hold her as best you can, trying to ignore the twinges in your leg or the creeping sense of ‘we’re in over our fucking heads… again’ crawling up your spine. “I know, sweetheart. I know.”

[juviaafullbuster]

Hi!!! Can I make a request? Please do Angst number 7, or 8, or 15 :) hahahha! Thank you in advance :)

Thank you so much for your request! I'm sorry it took me so long, please forgive me! Also I couldn't decide on a number so I tried to combine them all.. Really hope you like it 💙

Angst Prompt 7, 8 and 15:

"Do you even still love me?"

"Nobodys seen you in days"

"I told you not to fall in love with me."

It wasn't supposed to go like this. Really, Gray made sure nothing could go wrong. Or else he wouldn't have agreed to her coming along so easily. And yet here they were. Despite all his precautions, he found himself in the very situation he so badly wanted to avoid.

He had called her name before the bolt of magic coming her way would hit her. Juvia managed to get out of the way just in time to dodge the attack and counter it with one of her own. That didn't stop the panic rising in Gray though. No matter how many enemies they took down, he couldn't shake the feeling away that something bad was about to happen.

Looking around, he found all of his friends fighting around him. Lucy was summoning another spirit, Erza just changed her armor and Natsu was using his flames to make the enemy retreat. But to no avail. No matter how many they defeated, it seemed there were always more coming.

He was getting close to breaking down. It was all going so well earlier. They found what they were looking for, had lunch together, Juvia tried to feed him once again. It was going great actually. They were just making their way back, ready to receive their payment, when they had to be attacked.

Gray didn't know who it was that was attacking them nor why, he only knew that if they didn't manage to finish them off soon, this could turn out badly for him and his friends.

"Gray!"

He heard someone call his name, felt someone shove him out of the way, he felt the attack barely missing him. And then he heard screams.

Gray was frozen to his spot, everything a blur around him. He heard names being called. His, Juvias, Wendy's..  so many names. And then he turned around.

Blue hair. Pale skin. Red hands. Red. Blood. So much blood.

It all hit him at once. The realization, the anger, the pain. So much pain. He could feel the air freezing around him. It was getting dangerously cold, a sheet of ice covering the grass, the plants, anything in his perimeter. But he couldn't feel it. Not the ice. Not the cold. It didn't affect him. There was only pain and anger, so much of it.

Gray saw the black marks rising on his arm. And then the anger won over. He lost his ability to think straight, the ability to focus on anyone else beside the guy who had attacked her. He let his powers take control and lashed out.

When he came back to his senses, the enemy was defeated. He watched his marks vanish, alongside the anger. And when they were gone, there was only one thing left: Pain. So much pain.

Gray turned her way, unable to breath. She was still there, in the same spot as earlier. Wendy was leaning over her, focusing on the wound that just wouldn't stop bleeding. He could see so much of it, the blood. He felt a tear rolling down before realization hit him. Practically running, he got to her side and dropped down next to her.

He took her hand. It was so small compared to his. And so cold. Hands weren't supposed to be this cold. Maybe his, but not hers.

Gray looked over to Wendy desperately. She was too focused on her task to realize though. Gray followed her line of sight, focusing his attention on the wound below her chest. So close to her old one. Another one that he was to blame for.

Gray looked at her face. If you ignored the blood around her, she would look like a peacefully sleeping angel. But she wasn't sleeping. Instead she was fighting for her life.

She was still alive. Unconscious, but alive. Gray could see her chest rising, indicating that she was breathing. There was still hope. Gray watched her closely, desperately waiting for any sign. Any sign that this was a bad dream. He saw Wendy sitting back and removing her hands from the wound.

And when he looked back at Juvia, he saw her eyes open, full with fear and frantically searching for something. When they rested on him, she visibly relaxed.

They just looked at each other, both unable to form words. She took her hand out of his, instead putting it on his cheek and wiping the tears away that escaped his eyes.

"It's okay.." she barely whispered, yet he could hear her clearly.

"It's not."

"Gray.."

"No. No, don't. Why? Why would you.."

She looked at him, a faint of a smile on her face. Despite the pain she was currently feeling, her eyes softened.

"Because I love you."

Don't.  Please don't. Everyone who loves me dies. Why don't you learn? Why don't you run away from me? Why do you keep staying by my side? Why? Gray had so many things running through his head, so much he wanted to tell her, ask her. Instead he only managed to choke out one sentence.

"I told you not to fall in love with me."

***

Several days had passed since that day. Gray was desperately trying to avoid everyone. Especially a certain water mage that has been running through his mind. She has been haunting him, his dreams, nightmares. No matter what and where, she was always there.

He had made sure that she was okay, that the wound had healed properly. But once he was sure that she would be fine, he left, taking mission after mission. Just as long as he wasn't around, as long as he didn't have to see her. He couldnt deny that it hurt him. He missed her, her smile, her hugs. But it was for the best. He couldn't let this happen again, her sacrificing herself in order to protect him. And he knew she'd do it again. So he made a decision. A decision that would hurt the both of them. But it was necessary. He wanted to protect her and that was the only way he could.

Gray made his way to the guild hall. It was time to talk to her. He couldn't postpone it anymore because he was afraid he'd never go through with it. The moment he entered the hall he could feel so many eyes on him. But he ignored it and walk straight towards the table where he saw Juvia. She had immediately caught his eye.

When he arrived at said table he took a deep breath, bracing himself for what was coming.

"Graysama! Nobody's seen you in days! Juvia was so worried."

She hugged him, resting her cheek on his chest.

"Juvia came to check up on you. But Mirajane told her that you left on missions. How did it go? Why didn't you tell anyone, Juvia would have come along."

Of course she would have. Wasn't that the problem? How willing she was to do things for him? He hold her by her arms, slowly pushing her away.

"We need to talk."

Juvias smile immediately vanished. Instead her eyes filled with worry.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

He could still feel so many eyes on him.

"Not here. Let's go."

He walked towards the door and glanced back to make sure Juvia was following. He lead her to the park and sat on one of the empty benches.

"So what is it you need to tell Juvia?"

"How's your injury?"

"It's fine, Wendy healed Juvia very good."

"I'm glad."

"Is that what you want to talk to Juvia about?"

"Yeah, kind of.."

Gray paused, not sure how to open up the topic he wanted to get to. But it turned out he didn't have to because Juvia spoke up instead.

"You've been blaming yourself again, haven't you?"

She knew him so well. Too well. Somehow Gray felt like she knew exactly why they were here, what he was planning to do.

"That's why you weren't at the guild hall those past days. You didn't want to face Juvia."

"I-"

"Graysama, this was a decision Juvia made herself. And she would have done it for the others too. Whether it was you, Lucy, Erza. Anyone. Because that's what Juvia does for the people she loves. And nothing you will say is going to change that."

"But-"

"No. Juvia doesn't want to hear it."

"You don't even know what I want to say!"

"You want to push Juvia away!"

Silence. She was looking at him, daring him to deny it. There were hints of anger on her face but she seemed to be holding back. Gray let out a frustrated groan. This woman was going to be the end of him.

"Juvia. I'm trying to protect you."

"By pushing Juvia away? How is this supposed to protect Juvia?"

"You won't get hurt because of me!"

"You'd be the one hurting me!"

Another silence. Juvia took a deep breath.

"Listen.. Juvia understands what you're thinking. Why you want this. But it isn't fair. It isn't fair that you let your fears rule over. You told Juvia to be patient, to wait for you. And Juvia is willing to do that. But not if this is what she's awaiting."

Gray gulped. Unable to form an answer. Of course this isn't what he made her wait for. But it was what was necessary. He couldn't risk her getting hurt or worse dying for him. So what if she had to deal with heartbreak for a while, wasn't that better than her being gone forever?

"Juvia will leave. Juvia will not bother you anymore. She won't join you on missions. She won't address you with sama anymore, won't make you food, pick up your clothes. She will try to not love you anymore. It all depends on the answer you'll give her to her question. Juvia won't doubt your answer, she'll accept it, no matter what the answer is."

Gray hated this. Just imagine life like that hurt him. But isn't that what he wanted? Isn't that what was necessary to protect her from him? He was aware that it would hurt the both of them if he went through with it. Wasn't that a risk he was so willing to take?

"What's your question?"

"Do you even love me?"

She was looking at him and she seemed so vulnerable. Gray looked away. He knew what he was about to say would hurt her and he didn't have the strength to see her breaking. He was a coward.

He knew the answer to her question. It took him a lot of time to figure it out, to realize what it was he was feeling everytime he was around her. Turns out the feeling was love. Because yes, he loves her, Gray Fullbuster loves Juvia Lockser, he loves her more than anything. She's his power to live, the one person who makes him smile, the one who keeps him sane. She's his everything. But he couldn't tell her that. Because then she would never let him go. And he was afraid he wouldn't let her either. He had to do it now before he became to weak to go through with it, before she managed to break down his walls completely.

"Not in the way you want me to."

Gray still didn't look at her. He couldn't. He had already heard the sharp intake of breath. There was an awkward moment filled with silence before Juvia finally decided to speak up.

"Juvia understands."

She got up and Gray made the mistake of looking at her. She looked so pained, so hurt and her eyes were filled with tears that where going to be shed any moment now. Gray already regretted his answer, but it was too late now. The damage was done.

"Juvia won't bother you anymore. Goodbye, Graysa- Gray. Goodbye Gray.."

She walked away, not bothering to wait for an answer. She didn't look back, not once. She wouldn't turn around, after all she had promised him. And that was good because it was what he wanted, wasn't it?

Gray watched her form disappear before it hit him that it was over. All of it. Juvia would never be the same towards him again. They would never be together. They were just guild mates now, nothing more, nothing less. Gray should be happy. But why did it hurt so much? Why did it feel like Juvia had taken his heart with her?

He felt something hit his face, followed by more. Rain drops. It was raining. He could tell that it was his doing, he was the one who brought the rain back. And somehow this was what made it final.

Gray stayed on the bench and let the rain mix with his tears. This pain, it was worse then any injury he had dealt with before. And unlike an injury, this one couldn't be healed..

It was over. He had lost her. And he wouldn't get her back.

[thicctails]

Summer Of Whump Day 18 [Collapse/Beaten]

This one is such a mix of fluff and whump, I love it!

Ω

 “She’s so pretty! Do you think she’ll let me do her hair?”

 “He’s so pale… is that normal for humans?”

 “For some of us, yes.”

 “I think they’re waking up…”

 “Oh, Tiger’s right! Step back, little ones.”

 Omega groaned softly, blinking blearily. The Force nudged her, urging her to open her eyes. She obliged, opening her eyes and allowing her vision to come into focus. Her breath caught in her throat when she spotted a scaly, toothy muzzle right in front of her face. She yelped and scrambled back, tripping over something. She heard a grunt from beneath her, and a quick glance down revealed that it was Cal that she had tripped over. The duo quickly moved into a defensive position, her back against his as they called out to the Force.

 A group of people had surrounded them, all from varying species. They were all different ages as well, ranging from a mature adult to a young toddler. They didn’t look aggressive, but they hadn’t ended up here on accident, so Omega remained on guard. She’d learned to not trust strangers at this point, no matter how friendly they seemed. The eldest member of the group, a Togruta, if her memory served her correctly, raised her hands.

 “Easy, young ones. We’re not going to hurt you.” She said.

 Omega reeled back at first, remembering hearing that same voice when she had been grabbed, but found herself unwilling to stay angry when she felt a wave of calm being sent to her through the Force. She felt Cal relax, and decided that she would put her trust in his comfort.

 “C-crèshe Master Mirthver?” Cal’s voice held a trembling note of blinding hope. The Togruta nodded.

 “It is wonderful  to see you alive and well, young Ketsis.” She smiled, opening her arms. The padawan launched himself at her, sinking into the hug like his life depended on it.

 Omega had no idea what a Crèshe Master was, but she’d gathered enough information to figure out that the woman was definitely a Jedi. Around her, she heard the Force hiss irritably, and it urged her to get up and get away from the Togruta. But one look at Cal’s relieved expression made her decision for her. If staying with this Jedi and her little group for a bit meant that her friend got to be happy, then the Force would simply have to suck it up.

 “I can’t believe it! I- I thought for sure that you were dead!” He cried, burring himself on her robes.

 “I am very much alive, as are some of those under my care.” Mirthver’s voice turned sad. “But not as many as there should be. I was not able to save them all.”

 “You did the best you could. I know you did.” Cal whispered.

 The Togruta smiled softly, and Omega could feel her Force signature thrum with comfort. She looked towards Omega, her smile still on her face even as a tinge of confusion.

 “Who are you, little one? I don’t remember ever seeing you at the temple.” She said, looking Omega over.

 “That’s because she never was. Omega is a clone.” Cal explained, pulling back from the hug.

 “What?!” A voice snapped.

 The Force buzzed with danger as Omega heard something flare to life behind her. She leapt back, falling off of the bed she had been sitting on. Just in time too, as a bright yellow lightsaber swung down on the place where she had just been.

 “Chex!” Master Mirthver yelled, pulling Omega into her arms.

 Cal’s eyes flashed dangerously and he growled. The Force buzzed with anger, and suddenly there was a crash and a grunt. Omega looked over her shoulder to see a human boy holding his head, a discarded lightsaber clattering to the ground. Cal pulled Omega into a protective hug, and she could feel that he was shaking. Actually, they both were.

 Someone rushed over to where Chex lay, her muzzle pulled back into a concerned frown. She grabbed the lightsaber and tucked it away in a pocket before checking up on the boy. Chex groaned and rubbed his head, glaring at Cal and Omega.

 “What the hell?! Why are you defending a karking clone?!” He hissed.

“Chex Varren!” The Togruta’s voice boomed as she stood. Cal and Omega shuffled to the side, and Cal cringed in shame at the tone of her voice, even if her ire was not directed at him. “We do not attack innocents! And watch your language, there are younglings here!”

 “Innocents?!” He balked. “She’s. A. Clone! You know, the people who betrayed us and murdered our entire Order?!”

 “Does she look like a murderer to you?” The woman gestured to Omega, who shrunk back under Chex’s gaze.

 “It doesn’t matter what she looks like.” He spat venomously, getting to his feet. “A clone’s a clone, and clones are monsters.”

 “No we’re not!” Omega defended, her chest puffing up in defensive rage. “It’s the inhibitor chips! They’re what made everyone go bad! They didn’t want to betray you!”

 “Lies! You’re lying!” Chex snarled. “I’m not going to let you trick me, and I’m not going to let you hurt my family!”

 “I don’t want to hurt your family!” Omega exploded, the Force crackling around her. It wanted her out, wanted her away from the danger.

 “ENOUGH!”

 Master Mirthver stepped in between the two bristling children. She pointed a finger towards a tunnel entrance, and Omega realized that she wasn’t sitting in a room, but a well lit cave.

 “Go scout the perimeter. We need to make sure the actual threat hasn’t managed to find us.” She commanded.

 The padawan slunk away, scowling as he went. His hand raised, and his lightsaber snapped into his grasp. The furry person that had been checking him over stepped aside, scowling at him.

 “Dick.” She muttered, and Omega blinked at the insult.

 The scowling teen turned to Omega, and her face became infinitely softer.

 “Sorry about him, he’s a jerk even on the best of days.” She said, kneeling down to that she was eye level with Omega. Cal released her from his protective hold, the Force settling as the tension in the air dissipated. She had brilliant white fur and piercing blue eyes, a headpiece adorned with crystals looped around her pointed ears. “I’m Ebba Freclo, but everyone calls me Ebby.”

 “I’m… Omega.” Omega said, reaching out a hand, as she knew that was what was considered to be polite. Ebby smiled and extended her own paw, shaking Omega’s hand.

 “It’s a pleasure to meet you. The Light shines so brightly in you.” Ebby complimented.

 “Thanks?” Omega glanced at Cal, wondering if that was the right response. He nodded.

 “It’s a good thing. The Light guides us down the right path.”

 Omega nods, before looking at Master Mirthver. “Um, why are we here? I mean, you could have just came and said hello.”

 “Ah, yes, I apologize for our… less than favourable methods of getting you here.” She said, sounding a bit sheepish, “But we had to be sure that strange looking clone couldn’t sneak up on us.”

 “Crosshair? But he-” She cut herself off, taking a moment to imagine what Crosshair might do if he came back to find them talking to a bunch of lightsaber-wielding strangers. “Okay, fair enough. But we need to go back. He’s gonna be worried about us!”

 “Wait, you were with him willingly?” Ebby questioned. Cal nodded.

 “He saved our lives. We got captured by the Empire, and he got us out. His chip is malfunctioning for some reason.” He explained.

 “And now we’re trying to contact his brothers so that they can come get us.” Omega added.

 “You’re not staying?” A tiny voice piped up.

 Omega looked down and saw a Nautolan girl looking up at her with wide, sad eyes. She was a rich purple with pale cream markings, dressed in a soft green tunic and brown pants. A bracelet was fastened around her wrist, a chunk of the same crystal as the teen had attached to the simple brown accessory.

 “Well…” Omega glanced at Cal, who was giving the youngling with the scaly muzzle a hug. He mouthed “just a bit longer”, and Omega sighed.

 “Crosshair’s gonna have our heads for this- okay, we’ll stay for a little bit longer.” She conceded.

 Cheers erupted from the gathered younglings. The Nautolan girl and a young Wookie grabbed Omega’s hands and pulled her away.

 “Come on! Let’s make flower crowns!” The girl squeaked happily.

 Omega laughed and let herself be pulled away.

 “Will you train with us? Me and Tiger are gonna practise tree hopping.” The scaly girl asked Cal.

 “I guess I could. Don’t expect me to be very good though.” Cal smiled, letting himself be pulled along.

   Omega quickly picked up the skill of flower crown making, her hands easily threading the stems. The two younglings chatted on either side of her, although she needed translations for what the Wookie was saying. They told her about everyone who lived in their little hidden crèshe. There was Crèshe Master Azeu Mirthver, Ebba the Bothan, Tiger the Dathomirian, Javeri the Wookie, Xanbi the Nautolan, Chex the Human, Beska the Barabel, and Chi the Togorian. Tiger, Ebby, and Chex were padawans, with Ebby almost ready to become a Jedi Knight. Javerie, Xanbi, Beska, and Chi were still younglings, Beska being the oldest at 10, and Chi being the youngest, only a few months old.

 “What’s it like living with a baby?” Omega asked.

 “It’s hard. He’s always putting out his emotions, which means you’re either feeling really happy, really tired, or really upset. Me an’ Javeri can’t watch him for too long because we can’t put shields up yet.” Xanbi sighed.

 “And he cries when he’s upset! He’s really loud!” Javeri rumbled, Xanbi translating.

 “Sounds awful.” Omega frowned.

 “It’s not all bad.” Xanbi said, examining her flower crown. “He’s really cute, and he’s fun to play with when he’s happy.”

 “Why isn’t he out here with us?” Omega asked.

 “Chi’s too little to make flower crowns!” Xanbi and Javeri giggled.

 “Oh.” Omega said simply. “I didn’t know. I’ve never actually seen a baby before.”

 “What?” Javeri questioned. “Didn’t you see baby clones?”

 “No, clones aren’t sent out until they’re physically around your age.” Omega explained. “The Kaminoans do something to make them grow up twice as fast.”

 “How old are you?” Xanbi looked up at Omega.

 “5 and a half years old.” She replied.

 “WHAT!” Both younglings yelped.

 “You’re younger than me!” Javeri warbled.

 “You’re, like, a little kid!” Xanbi said, dumbfounded.

 “Remember, I age twice as fast as you do.” Omega reminded them.

 “Why?” Xanbi asked.

 Xanbi’s question made Omega’s face turn sad.

 “Because clones were made for war. They wanted us to grow up fast so that we could go and fight. If I was a regular clone, I’d be sent off to fight in a few years.” She said softly.

 “That’s horrible!” Javeri said. “You can’t make little kids fight! That’s a grown-up thing!”

 “It should be.” Omega agreed. “But to the Republic and the Kaminoans, the clones were grown ups.”

 The two younglings looked at each other in utter disbelief.

 “We’ll change it!” Javeri stated in a serious voice, or at least as serious as a 6 year old could be. “One day, we’ll be big! And we’ll make sure no kids ever have to fight, clones or not!”

 Omega gave them hopeful smiles. These kids were the future of the Jedi, and if they could learn from past mistakes, Omega thought that future would be pretty bright.

   Cal panted as he leaned against the tree for support. Beside him, Tiger crouched on the branch, the tree limb still shaking from when he had landed. The peach-coloured Dathomirian smiled at him, his milky white eyes shining in the mid-day sun. How a blind boy could jump and land so gracefully, Cal would never know.

 “How,” He sucked in a deep breath, “how do you do this so easily?”

 “I rely on the Force.” Tiger said with his feather-soft voice. “It guides me. I can feel it constantly.”

 “Yeah?” Cal huffed, sweat dripping down his neck. “You and Omega would get along great.”

 “The Force loves her. It sings with joy when she’s happy and thunders with anger when she’s not. I could feel its anger when Chex tried to attack her.” Tiger mused. “It won’t let you two stay, you know.”

 “What?” Confusion rippled through Cal. What did that mean?

 “It wants her to leave, to get away from us. I don’t know why, but her place isn’t here. But she won’t leave without you, and it doesn’t want her to be alone.” He explained.

 “How do you know this?” Cal asked.

 “I told you, I’m always feeling the Force. She has bonded to you, which is unheard of. Padawans don’t even form bonds like that with other padawans, let alone random Force-sensitives.” Tiger gave him a knowing look. “But you don’t seem to be to keen on the idea of severing the bond while you still can.”

 It was true, he didn’t want to loose his connection to Omega. She was a source of comfort in a sea of turmoil, a guiding star to keep him on the Light’s path. He wanted to be the same for her as well, someone that she could go to when she was at her lowest. So what if this wasn’t the Jedi way? The Order was gone, its members left scattered to the wind. The Code, he figured, could be broken a bit if it meant that himself and others might make it to adulthood, to be able to grow up and become the next generation of Jedi.

 “Cal!”

 He looks down, and there she is, holding a ring of golden and orange flowers, a crown of her own adorning her head, petals of blue and purple hues creating a halo of colour.

 “I made you a flower crown! Come down here so that I can put it on you!” She chirped.

 A warmth blooms in his chest, and he wonders how the idea of him leaving her can even exist in someone’s mind. Tiger laughs beside him.

“You’re so open around her. Perhaps Master Mirthver can teach you both to reign in your emotions.” He suggests as Cal begins to climb down. “You two are like beacons in the Force when you’re together, it’s how we found you today. If we could track you using your Force signature, so could someone less friendly.”

 Cal paused at that. Tiger had a point. If the Jedi had been able to find them, then a Sith definitely could. His stomach roiled in fear at that thought, and he accidentally sent his emotions through his and Omega’s bond.

 “Cal?” Omega called, worry in her voice. “You alright?”

 “I’m fine!” He called back, shoving his fears into a small place deep down in his chest. Hopefully, she’d think that his emotions had come from him being up so high.

 “Do you need help?”

 “No, no I got it!”

 He shimmied his way down, jumping off once he was low enough. He gave her a reassuring grin, and she returned it with a smile of her own.

 “Here!” She chirped, placing the flower crown on his head. “I made this for you!”

 He let her put the flowers on his head, bowing his head a bit so she could position it easier. The ring of bright gold and orange sat lightly on his hair, just snug enough to not slide off when he moved.

 “It’s beautiful, thank you.” He said sincerely, reaching up to feel the soft petals.

 “You look so pretty.” Omega gushed.

 Cal sputters at that, his cheeks flushing red. “Y-you don’t call boys p-pretty, Omega!”

 She quirked an eyebrow at him. “What? Says who?”

 Cal rubbed the back of his neck. “You know… people.”

 Omega snorted. “I don’t care what “people” think, Cal. I think that you’re pretty, and that’s that.” She said, booping his nose.

 He blinked, going cross-eyed as he tried to look at where she’d tapped him. Her boldness was stunning, and he found himself feeling a bit more okay about being called pretty.

 “You’re pretty too, ‘mega.” He murmured, and he felt his breath stutter at the electric burst of fondness that exploded across their bond.

 “You think so?” She asked shyly, although it seemed like she didn’t know why she suddenly felt shy.

 “Yeah. Prettiest girl I know.” He said, confident in his answer. If he could make her feel that happy just by giving her a compliment, than he would do it far more often.

 Omega beamed at him, her honey-brown eyes positively sparkling.

 “If you two start making out, I’m actually going to be sick.”

 Chex’s voice shattered their shared serenity. Cal whipped around, missing how Omega’s face wrinkled in confusion. He glared at the older boy, his green eyes turning sharp.

 “If you say something like that again, I’m actually going to punch your teeth in.” Cal mimicked Chex’s tone of voice as he made his irritation clear.

 “Oooh, I’m so scared.” Chex put his hands up in mock surrender. “Like you could even reach my teeth. You’re such a runt, you’d have to jump.”

 “That’s not very Jedi-like of you, Chex.” Cal hissed.

 “Yeah well, neither is your attachment.” The older padawan draws out the last word teasingly.

 Cal opens his mouth to retort, but suddenly he feels a sharp pang of panic ring out from Omega. Chex turned his head, raising an eyebrow in mildly disinterested confusion as he looked at her.

 “What’s wrong with yo-”

 “GET DOWN!”

 Omega launched forward, tackling Chex to the ground. A screech pierced Cal’s ears, and he stumbled back as a creature burst through the canopy, smashing into the ground where Chex had been seconds ago. Its tail whipped him, sending Cal to the ground. He grunted in pain, curling up into a defensive ball. Clutching his stomach, he could only watch as the beast reared up, snarling.

 It was a winged equine, skinny and malnourished with shining blue fur. Dark purple spots that reminded Cal of eyes dotted the animal’s body. It had three talon-like toes, and its wickedly sharp claws dug into the dry earth. A set of powerful feathered wings beat wildly, their teal and pink feathers gusting up dust. Rectangular pupils honed in on Omega and Chex, the black blocks standing out admits the creature’s yellow and orange eyes.

 The creature lunged for Omega, dragging her up by her foot and tossing her to the ground. Omega screamed, and Cal could feel his own back explode with pain as she hit the dirt. Fear drove him to try and get up, but he found himself unable to. A warm wetness was beginning to form under his hands, and he instinctively applied pressure. Helpless, he watched horrified as the winged animal kicked at her, it’s sharp hooves slicing through her shirt and leaving bloody marks behind.

 “Nrgh! Get away from her!” He shouted, trying to draw the animals attention off of her.

 The equine payed him no mind, grabbing at Omega again. It’s wicked fangs closed around her leg, and he felt himself pale when he saw rivets of blood dribble down the beast’s thick neck. Omega was howling in pain at this point, and the sound broke his heart and made him feel like the lowest scum for not being able to help her.

 “HEY FEATHER-FACE!”

 The animal jerked it’s head to the right. A dusty, angry Chex. His yellow lightsaber crackled fiercely, the glow reflecting off of a stream of blood that dripped down his face from a gash on the side of his head.

 “Eat lightsaber!” He yelled, swinging his weapon at the feathered equine. He managed to hit a wingtip, and the creature shrieked, dropping Omega. She hit the ground with a thud, and he saw her eyes go wide as the air rushed out of her lungs.

 The aggravated animal snapped and snarled at the teen, the two circling each other. Chex darted forward, slicing into the creature’s flank. It roared and whipped its head around, grabbing Chex’s arm and tossing the teen away. Suddenly, Tiger leapt out of the tree above the animal with a yell, landing on it’s back and grabbing its ears. The equine bucked and brayed, trying to throw Tiger off of its back. Tiger moved to grab his lightsaber, but the animal took advantage of his distraction and swung its tail around and struck Tiger in the head. The Dathomirian yelped in pain and fell, gasping in pain when a hoof struck him in the chest.

 The animal was heaving at this point, foamy saliva coating its jaws. It staggered in pain, its injured wing twitching as it made an odd wheezing sound. It lowered its head, growling at the ground as it continued to sway and twitch. Omega let out a high pitched whine, and the animal’s attention snapped towards her. It bellowed and reared up, its hooves poised to come down directly on her chest. Cal closed his eyes and jerked his head away, unwilling to watch his only friend in the whole galaxy die right in front of him.

 Bam!

 The beast fell silent, then Cal heard a loud thud as it hit the ground. His eyes flew open, his vision now filled with bright blue fur. The animal wasn’t breathing. As quickly as he possibly could, he lifted himself up as much as possible. His ears were full of the sound of his own heart pounding, but he was vaguely aware of the sounds of the other Padawans making noises of pain and calling out for Master Mirthver. His head tilted upwards, and he nearly sobbed in relief when he saw an armored figure crouched on a high up branch.

 Crosshair’s presence brought a sense of much needed safety, especially as fatigue grabbed Cal in its iron-clad grip. His head his the dirt again, darkness starting to seep into his vision. As the world faded away, he saw Crosshair rush towards them, unable to decide which child he should attend to first. He must have seemed more injured, because he was soon scooped up into a secure hold and brought closer to Omega. He blinked as Crosshair began speaking in Mando’a, his words too fast and Cal’s hearing too muted to be understood. His head lolled to the side, his cheek resting on Crosshair’s scuffed armor. Omega stared back at him, her eyes full of pain. She was panting shallowly, tears dripping down her face. He reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it as he slipped into unconsciousness.

[razieltwelve]

Late (Final Rose)

Yang said nothing as Ruby stumbled off to the side and emptied her stomach. Weiss staggered off to do the same, and Yang glanced at Blake. The Faunus nodded back and went off to hold the heiress’s hair, so she wouldn’t make too big a mess of herself. Yang, meanwhile, went to Ruby.

“Ruby...” Yang murmured. “Get up. We have to secure the area.”

Ruby shuddered, and Yang tried not to wince as her sister’s stomach convulsed again despite already being empty. Finally, Ruby got to her feet. Wordlessly, Yang handed her a bottle of water to wash her mouth out. Scrubbing furiously at her cheeks, Ruby pointedly looked at the ground.

“Yeah... yeah, I guess we do.”

“We also need to search for survivors.” Yang kept her voice gentle. Ruby was... well, not as experienced as her when it came to things like this. Before attending the Senior Academy, Yang had gone on quite a few missions with Averia, Claire, and some of the others in their age group. They weren’t always in the right place at the right time. “As well as secure a perimeter.”

Ruby swallowed thickly. “Yeah. You’re right.” She finally looked up, silver gaze wandering over the utter devastation around them. “What happened? This was supposed to be a weeding mission. There weren’t supposed to be any strong Grimm here.”

“Some Grimm are smarter than others,” Yang said. Bodies littered the area around them. They’d bury them if it was safe. Otherwise, they’d just have to retreat and wait until reinforcements arrived before seeing to the bodies. “Sometimes, what look like attacks by small groups of random Grimm are actually just probing moves by something stronger.” She nodded at the massive hole in the settlement’s walls. “I’m guessing that’s what happened here.”

Ruby sniffled. “Can... can you call it in? And... maybe... maybe we can have Blake use some of her clones to look around and stuff. I don’t think we should separate until we know what’s going on.”

“That’s a good plan.” Yang squeezed Ruby’s shoulder. “Chin up, sis. This is horrible, but we’ve got to stay sharp.”

“Right.” Ruby looked around. “I... I guess I can set up in that burnt out building over there. It still looks pretty sturdy, and it’s got a good view of everything. If anything tries to sneak up on us, I should be able to spot it.”

X     X     X

“First time seeing a ruined settlement?” Blake asked as she helped Weiss sit on the edge of the ruined fountain in the middle of the settlement. She’d seen far too many such settlements in her time with the White Fang. Life on the frontier was harsh, especially in the most recently settled areas where battles with Grimm were a constant fixture of life. 

Weiss shivered. “Yes. Well, I mean, I’ve seen pictures and footage, but...”

“Seeing it... smelling it... yourself is different.” Blake shook her head. “I still remember the first time I saw one.”

“Oh?”

Blake’s lips twitched. “It was a little smaller than this, maybe forty or fifty people. We got there, and... well... there wasn’t anyone left alive. There might have been if we’d gotten there half an hour earlier, though.” It had been a Faunus settlement, just people trying to make a living away from the people who’d persecuted them. It was one of the only times she’d ever seen Adam cry. He might have been a bastard in many ways, but she’d cried right there next to him. Seeing the bodies all laid out like that - the children, especially - would have made anyone with a heart cry. “I still wonder if maybe we could have gotten there fast enough if we hadn’t stopped to deal with Grimm along the way.”

It was a logical move. Leaving Grimm at their rear was just begging to be ambushed. Besides, they hadn’t known anything was wrong. They’d simply been dropping by to see how the Faunus were doing. It was likely they’d been overrun before they could even call for help.

“What... what did you do after that?” Weiss asked.

“Killed every last Grimm I could find,” Blake said bluntly. “It didn’t make me feel any better, though.”

“Oh.”

Blake helped Weiss stand. “Come on. Ruby wants me to use clones to scout around, see if there are any survivors or Grimm.” She pointed. “She’ll be setting up in the building over there, so it would be good if you could use your Glyphs and lay down some traps, just in case we’re not alone here.”

X     X     X

“Well, shit.” Fang pursed her lips. Yang had called in bad news. “Scout the area, make sure that it’s safe and then sit tight. If whatever led the attack is out there, I don’t want you guys picking a fight on its turf. I know it’s going to be rough, but the settlement should still be safer than the forest.”

“Understood.” Yang took a deep breath. “Any idea of what we’re up against?”

Fang studied the footage Yang had sent her. “I’m going to guess it’s probably a hydra-type. See the damage on the walls? The edges of the hole are mostly smooth. That suggests something corroded the wall rather than just breaking through it. There are similar marks on some of the remaining buildings too, not to mention the damaged weapons Blake found.”

Blake had sent through images of weapons that appeared to be half-melted. Fang had fought enough hydra-types to distinguish between fire damage and the effect their acid, venom, or blood could have.

“How big?” Yang was calm, which was good. She was the most experienced member of the team when it came to fighting Grimm. 

“Based on the footage...? I’d say maybe thirty feet.”

“Thirty feet?” Yang grimaced. “That’ll be tough, especially if it’s got friends.”

“Which is why you four are going to hole up in the settlement until reinforcements arrive. I’ve already contact a profession team. They’re about half a day out from your position. Do not engage unless you have to. Wait for them to get there. In the meantime, fortify your location.”

“Already doing it,” Yang said. “Weiss has laid down multiple traps, and we’ve rigged up some more traps using more Dust and the munitions we were able to salvage from the settlement. If the Grimm come back, we’ll be ready.”

“Remember, hydra-types are regenerators. Don’t waste your time with little stuff. You’re going to have to hit it hard enough to either keep it occupied with regeneration, or so hard that it stays down.”

“Yeah. I know.” Yang ran one hand through her hair. “Ruby and Weiss have been working on their combination attacks. Do you think a fire Dust augmented round amplified by some of Weiss’s Glyphs could do enough damage?”

“What sort of augmentation?” Fang asked.

“Multiple augmentations. Basically, Weiss triples the speed of the round and magnifies the effect of the Dust about three times over too. Ruby put together some special rounds too, armour piercing but with a impact-triggered detonation function, so they explode inside the target after piercing through the outside of it.”

“Payload?”

“Fire Dust, enough to slag a tank before you factor in what Weiss does.” Yang smiled faintly. “Ruby was so proud about getting the rounds to work since they were really finicky to make. She’s only got half dozen, but they pack a punch.”

“Hmm...” Fang did a quick mental calculation in her head. “Tell Ruby to put those rounds centre mass, and it will probably work. I doubt the first shot will kill it, but it should slow it down enough for Ruby to hit it with a few more. Put the rest of the shots in the same place. If you can burn out the torso badly enough, it won’t matter if it’s still got its heads. It’ll be so focused on regeneration that it won’t be able to fight back. Once you’ve got it slowed down, burn it or crush it. That’s the easiest way.”

“Will do.” Yang bit her lip. “Can you maybe talk to Ruby when we get back?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to her, and I’ll let your parents know too, so they can call her later.”

“Thanks.”

X     X     X

Author’s Notes

Unfortunately, hunters don’t always get there in time. One of the other reasons that Yang suspects it’s a big Grimm is because the Grimm aren’t still there. The weaker, lesser Grimm tend to be a bit stupider than the older and stronger ones. The smarter ones have learned that hanging around afterward is pointless unless you’ve got something else in mind. Instead, it’s better to obliterate a settlement and then retreat. It makes it easier to ambush potential rescuers, and it makes it harder for the military or hunters to retaliate. Sadly, though, this is an experience that most students will go through. 

Fortifying is also Team RWBY’s best bet. It is entirely possible that they will be ambushed if they try to leave. It’s better to secure their position and wait for reinforcements than to go wandering around in an area than Grimm know better than they do.

If you’re interested in my thoughts on writing and other topics, you can find those here.

I also write original fiction, which you can find on Amazon here or on Audible here.

[fallout-drabbles-n-stuff]

Romanced companions reacting to Sole sneakily jumping on their backs for a piggy back ride?

(Enjoy! Thank you for your patience 😘)

Cait:

“Hey there! If ya wanted a ride you could’ve just asked..heh”

As if by instinct, she bent and hooked her strong hands under your thighs. With a laugh she’d start walking, looking over her shoulder to coax you to kiss her cheek. Consider it payment. She thought it was kind of funny actually, but you better expect that she’ll repay you when you least expect it.

Curie:

“Oh! Goodness, are you..are you hurt, my love?”

In hindsight, it likely wasn’t the best idea to hop on top of your petite synth girlfriend. For starters, she didn’t even know what to do. The second you made impact, she squealed in surprise- raising her hands up in the air in surrender from her unseen assailant. Once she heard your body drop and the pain groaned that followed, she spun around with enough force to make her crisp lab coat swirl.

Putting her hands on her face, she’d gasp- spewing her apologies and desperately trying to help you up.

Danse:

“Woah!..you know, if you’d let me equip my power armour I could give you a ride on my shoulders...eh, never mind that. Hold on.”

Even though he was considerably surprised, he practically “squees” when presented with an opportunity to show off his strength in front of you.

As such, he’d gather his bearings and lift off from his kneeling position- giving you a ride with a smug grin lacing his stubble ridden face. However...even if you didn’t necessarily react to the power armour proposition, he’ll surprise you by following through when you least expect it.

Deacon:

“Okay fine, but I get a turn too!”

Honestly, you didn’t surprise him. He knew you were coming just by the sounds of your footfalls. It’s hard to get the jump on a spy.

Either way, he smiled wide and somehow perfectly caught you. He’d then proceed to parade you around the dusty corridors of HQ before abruptly stopping and playfully demanding you repay him for his “transportation services”.

Gage:

“Is this going to become a thing boss? I’m up for it, just give me a heads up before you jump on.”

Thankfully he was able to suppress the outward expression of his reaction to you startling him. So instead of screaming like a little girl, he just merely jumped. However he didn’t allow you to fall, grabbing handfuls of your thighs before urging you to wrap your arms around his neck.

Despite what you might’ve expected, he was more than happy to give you a ride.

Hancock:

“Where to? Wanna maybe go pay Kleo a visit? Your wish is my command.”

He might have a slightly smaller form but somehow he was able to support you effortlessly, with a grin as a matter of fact. He’d be pretty enthusiastic about it, thinking the gesture to be silly and lighthearted while also sending the message to any onlookers that you and him were a pair. As such, he’d be more than happy to parade you around Goodneighbor.

Macready:

“You’re heavier than the ones I usually end up giving piggy back rides to. Wait- shi....shoot, that’s not what I meant! I-I meant Duncan and Shaun..sorry.”

At first he was perfectly fine carrying you around....aaaaand then he just had to open up that treacherous mouth of his. After he made the comment he turned blood red, looking over his shoulder only to see you laughing at him. He may have made an ass of himself, but he would make up for it by being sure to give you an extra long ride.

Maxson:

“Good to see your usage of power armour hasn’t done anything to hinder your mastery of stealth.”

Thanks to his strict training regiment, he has no problem holding you effortlessly! He even comes out of the “professional elder bravado” and shows that cute boyish grin you loved so much as he carts you around the old airport with ease.

Nick:

“Don’t think I even need to turn around to know who you are, heh, hello darling. Just let me go tell Ellie to hold the fort and I’ll give you a ride.”

True to his word, he’d walk right up to his sweet secretary and notify her that the two of you were going to preoccupied before bending down and beckoning you to hold right on. It probably was one the weirdest things the residents of Diamond City ever seen but..you didn’t care.

Old Longfellow:

“A little heads up would’ve been nice, these old bones can’t take it.....im just messing with you! You should’ve seen the look on your face!”

Horror flooded your veins when you heard him “cry” in pain. He..he was old but..you’ve seen him break handcuffs?? Surely he wasn’t so feeble righ-

Before your mind could race anymore he started laughing, hoisting you up with almost no effort and proceeding to give you ride.

Piper:

“Gosh blue! That’s one way to ask..”

She’d pretend to be exasperated, groaning and “struggling” to hold you before just rolling her eyes when you pressed a kiss to her cheek for motivation. Afterwards she’d still have pretend to have a little trouble, but nonetheless she’d give you a ride. Beware, she’ll get you back.

Preston:

“Babe, what a surprise! Heh, I’ll be happy to give you a ride *wink*.”

Even though the objective was to make him flustered, the tables turned on you before you knew what was even happening. Of course, Preston being Preston, he acted innocent after his clearly not so innocent comment- a big smile on his face as he carried you around the perimeter of The Castle.

Sturges:

“Hey sugar, couldn’t wait until I finish tightening up this bolt? No worries, I can always make time for you.”

He’d just laugh, wiping the dark grease stain off his forehead before standing up with you secured safely in his grasp. He didn’t expect it, so yes, he was surprised..but like he said, he can make time for whatever shenanigans you might have in store with a smile on his face.

X6-88:

“Was that an attack attempt, sir/ma’am? I’m just kidding, of course.”

Upon “landing”, he was rigid. Like your body hitting him did nothing to even move him. Thank goodness he put his hands in just the right place so you didn’t fall. After teasing you, he’d end up surprising you by simply refusing to put you down as he continued along his merry way.

[bestintheparsec]

The Same Coin - Part 5

Masterlist

Pairing: Javier Peña x Reader

A/N: I think y’all will like this one (please don’t hate me👀)! This was probably the most challenging chapter to write so far because it’s a heavier one, but it’s also my favorite😏 Special thanks to @murdermewithbooks for helping me plot this one out, because I hate writing action😂 Thank you so much for the kind words you’ve been leaving on this series, it means so much. I hope you enjoy, and as always feedback is welcome and appreciated!

Words: 5.1k

Warnings: canon-typical violence, mentions of death, Angst™, a serving of Tender

The news blares on high volume as soon as Javier turns the TV on. The reporter recounts the events of the last several hours, as if branding a harsh reminder into his head. Several killed, many injured in ambush - Escobar likely suspect. Among dead: one officer and unidentified bystander. He takes the cigarette out of his mouth only so he can throw down another glass of whatever liquor was at the front of the cabinet when he got home. His head throbs, but it’s not from the alcohol—he’d rather be numb, though that’s not a reprieve he deserves to feel. He barely remembers to blink as he stares at the screen, the events of the night a blur that’s smeared across his memory.

~

After the phone call with the informant at the bar, Javier offers to drive you home while Steve and Connie stay behind for a bit longer. The ride home is short and quiet with neither of you wanting to bring up the conversation from earlier—the only sounds are those of gravel meeting the car’s tires as he pulls up to the apartment complex. He walks you to your flat next door, much to your confusion, then pauses before asking to talk to you inside. You wrinkle your brows at him, but nod after a moment, unlocking the door. The door creaks more loudly than usual as you step aside for him to come in after you, then shut it quietly behind him. He follows as you walk to the living room, setting down your keys and bag before turning to him, rubbing one of your arms nervously—he feels a bit of anxiety himself. Apprehensively, he meets your timid gaze, and the room is somehow more silent than it is when empty.

“What is it?” you ask, hesitantly. You have this wistful look in your eyes that he knows will tug on his conscience later.

For a moment it seems as though you expect him to bring up the conversation from earlier at the bar. But his mind couldn’t be further away—in fact, he’s trying not to think of it. Right now, he’s just trying to think of how to ask for your help—and trying not to let it bother him that he needs it at all.

“You once told me you were tired of no one getting things done. Right?” he starts. His tone is calm, but you still look at him dubiously and he knows this isn’t going to be easy.

“Yes...what does that—” you begin to ask.

“I need your help with a mission.”

“Okay? That’s kind of our job?” you ask again, putting your hands in your pockets and shrugging.

“A discreet mission,” he emphasizes, raising a brow. 

The lightbulb seems to turn on for you and you shake your head, crossing your arms. “Oh, no, Peña, you’re not pulling me into another one of your back-alley schemes,” you quip, raising your voice just a little.

“Look, just hear me out,” he pleads, stepping closer to you. You shake your head again. 

“You don’t need to do anything illegal,” he reassures you. “But I need someone else with us who’s on our side, a second pair of eyes.”

“Who is ‘us’? And why me, not Steve?” you ask, standing up straighter.

“Murphy’s gotten into too much trouble already—he’s one fuck-up away from being sent back to the states as it is. The ambassador’s going to have his ass if he gets involved in anything else.”

“So you want me to get in trouble?”

“No, you’re not going to get in—” Javier sighs with exasperation, putting a hand on his hip. “You’re not going to get in trouble. Murphy will stay back and verify things at headquarters. It’ll be fine, just trust me.”

“Who is ‘us’?” you ask again. Your tone is impatient, Javier notes while unclenching his jaw and trying not to scowl.

“I’m going to have one of my...informants be a fly on the wall. We have confirmed intel on where Escobar’s going to be next week. The cartel’s having some sort of meeting at a hotel.”

“What kind of informant is willing to go in there with those assholes? How do you know him?”

“Her name is Lina. And she’ll do it. She has her reasons for helping us.”

“‘Her’? How do you know her?” You look at him curiously, but he doesn’t answer—it shouldn’t take you long to figure it out.

The look on his face tells you what you don’t need to ask, and you let out a huff.

“You want to use a civilian as a spy? She’s not an agent, she has no protection. Why would she want to do this?” you ask incredulously.  

“Just leave that to me,” he asserts.

“Peña, that’s never going to work. It’s a terrible idea, one that’s going to get someone hurt.”

“I thought you were tired of how they’ve been running things?” he chides. “Here’s your chance to get some real intel.”

“And the person who just gave you all of this information. We’re supposed to just trust them?”

“I’m already having Trujillo run some checks with Centra Spike. We’ll be golden.”

Javier sees your frown and feels mildly guilty for asking you. But he wouldn’t ask if he didn’t need to—and he needs to. Another beat passes and you sigh heavily, looking at him intently—he knows that look well, and he can’t help but grin. You shake your head again and glower at him, but he doesn’t miss the tiny smirk that plays on your lips soon after.

~

You knock on the door to Steve’s apartment upstairs, rocking on your shoes as you wait for him to answer. When he does, you see that the anguished look in his eyes mirrors your own. He and Peña had left the scene well before you did, since you were in charge of the debriefing this time. Truthfully, you’re surprised they both headed straight home instead of to the bar. Steve doesn’t offer any words as he takes the classified papers you’re holding out of your hands. He doesn’t smile as he reaches out and gives your upper arm a squeeze. 

“How is he?” you ask quietly, looking down at the ground. Steve runs a hand over his face, letting out an exhale.

“You...should go talk to him. He’ll listen to you,” he says, softly.

You purse your lips, knowing there’s nothing you can say and comprehending Steve’s actual meaning. He needs you. You blink a few times, trying to steady your breathing before you nod. He shouldn’t need you. You tell him good night and slowly turn back to the stairwell once he shuts the door, taking one step at a time back down to the first floor.

~

Over several days, you both come to a silent mutual agreement to not bring up that night in his room again. It seems to be better this way for the most part, since you can ignore it and focus on your work—that’s what really matters, anyways. For now, the pressing matter at hand is the less-than-ideal undercover mission he’s convinced you to get in on. You’re not happy about it, but if you don’t take the part he’ll do it alone anyways, and you know how well that usually works out.

And so your usual routine falls back into play. The details of the mission are quickly worked out. It’s simple enough—you’ll escort Lina into the hotel, serving as protection, while she attempts to infiltrate the cartel’s group meeting to gain some intel from the men. Two women casually coming and going from their hotel room is innocent enough not to raise any alarm. A small group of officers will be stationed inside beforehand in case there’s any trouble. Peña, who’s already familiar to the narcos due to his prior shady engagements, will stay concealed outside and monitor the perimeter.

The night before the mission you go over to his apartment to run over some final details. You’re sitting cross-legged on the floor jotting something down on your notepad when you hear a knock at the door. Both of you look up from what you’re doing, and he gets up to go answer it.

“Is Steve coming over, too?” you ask, looking at the time. It’s late, and Steve never comes over at this hour.

“No, I’m hungry,” he replies. “Aren’t you?”

He opens the door before you get the chance to answer, and you’re met with the sight of a man holding out a large bag of food. Peña hands the man some bills and thanks him, taking the bag and shutting the door.

“I thought we could use some fuel before tomorrow,” he remarks casually, setting the bag down on the coffee table. Whatever it is, it smells delicious and you have to admit your stomach has been growling quietly. He pulls everything out of the bag, handing you one of the containers. You take it from him, also using the break as an opportunity to stretch out your aching back.

“Thank you,” you say quietly, a tiny smile forming on your lips. He simply nods, sitting down across from you with his own portion and digging in.

“This place is a favorite of mine,” you comment after swallowing the first bite.

“I know. You told us during one of our late nights,” he answers, holding your slightly widened gaze a second longer than necessary. You don’t have anything to say to that, immediately suppressing the warmth that’s rushing into your face. You almost allow yourself to feel flattered that he would remember some minute detail like that, but quickly dismiss the thought. You’ve been working together for long enough that he’s bound to have caught on to your preferences. 

As you finish your late-night snack, you find yourselves putting the business of the mission behind for just a while. Instead, you both delve into some light stories about your past lives, the ones you lived back in the states. You tell him that sometimes your old life feels like a fever dream. Things were different then—with the things you’ve seen here, you’ve lost a bit of yourself. You know he’s no stranger to that feeling, either. There was a time where you could sleep without the weight of the world pressing down on you—where facing the days alone wasn’t all that unbearable. Oddly enough, you don’t feel that alone now—not completely, anyway.

He must notice you’ve drifted off in your mind for a bit, making some remark to pull you back to reality. You mention a passing thought about how you’re not the same person you once were.

“I was a good man, back then. I think I was, at least,” he murmurs, out of the blue. It sounds as if he’s thinking out loud rather than telling it to you. He stares at his hands for a moment before locking eyes with you. You hold his gaze, pulling your knees up to your stomach and observing him quietly.

“You’re a good man now, Peña,” you tell him. The words come out of your mouth without warning, but you’re more surprised that they came so easily. The expression on his face is inscrutable as he ponders on what you said. He leans forward to put the empty container of food down, then crosses his hands together. His eyes are soft, but the way he scoffs quietly tells you he doesn’t believe you. 

“Albeit a petulant, stubborn man,” you playfully add, getting a chuckle from him. He changes the subject, asking you something else about your old life and rambling about some more stories of his own. You laugh genuinely at some joke he makes about the higher ups at the embassy, and for the first time in a while you feel like the air is a little bit lighter between you.

~

There’s something about the way your eyes light up when you talk about the things you love—something that, in a different life, he would’ve taken every chance to see more often. It’s such a stark contrast from the look on your face whenever you’re determined to change his mind, much like you had when you’d warned him about this mission. I should’ve fucking listened. He has no one else to blame except himself, though he knows you and Murphy will try to tell him otherwise. Javier thinks of the irony of it—the one time you tell him he’s a good man, and he’s never been further from being one. He’s never cared what you thought of him before, but he does now. He downs some more liquor, simultaneously finding comfort and torment in his thoughts of you.

~

Static noise comes from the walkie talkie.

Something’s wrong. One of the soldiers had been detailing his surroundings when he suddenly got cut off mid-sentence. That’s the first thing that makes Javier's stomach turn on itself as he hisses into the walkie a second time. Trujillo’s driving—speeding—down the street to the hotel as Javier swears under his breath, leaning forward in the passenger seat as if it’ll get him there any faster. 

“Garcia!” he yells, waiting for an answer. “Martinez!” He swears again, louder, when there’s still no response. His adrenaline kicked in a while ago, but now the feeling of sheer panic suddenly floods his entire body, filling every vein. His voice falters when he calls your name, knowing it’s for nothing—you had gone in with Lina, armed but with no means of communication. The narcos posted on guard at the front of the hotel meant you could have only a gun hidden in its holster under your dress.

“Agent Peña—” one of the men finally answers, and Javier immediately straightens. 

“Escobar...he planned…” The blood leaves Javier’s face as he hears the words. This was a setup. 

The car screeches to an abrupt stop outside the hotel as Javier calls for the other soldiers again. Trujillo hastily calls Murphy to bring in backup.

“What is going on in there?” Javier yells. 

“Man down...agent...she’s...they—” there’s screaming in the background and static continues to deform the man’s words.

“She’s what, Garcia? Where are they? Get out of there, now!” Javier shouts, but is met with silence again.

The TV reporter moves on to some other story, but Javier doesn't hear a single thing she's saying. He barely has the energy to hear his own thoughts, let alone some outsider's rendition of the latest tragedy. He puts out his cigarette in the ashtray, running his hand over his face. Over the course of the last few hours, he’s had every emotion run through him. Guilt, as he remembers the look on their faces when they covered the bodies and rolled the gurneys away. He’s not sure he’ll ever unsee it. Fear, a different kind of fear he’s not familiar with, when he thinks of you.

You weren’t in the range of fire, you’d told him once you were out. You had sensed something was off and went in to find Lina, pulling her out with you when the shots started to ring out. But it was too late—the narcos had hit her. The soldiers had to pull you off her, urging you to get outside to safety. They’d alerted the men outside with Javier that you were coming so they wouldn’t fire.

Javier’s never known a sensation of relief as strong as the one he felt when he saw your figure exit the building.

“What the hell happened?” You ask with horror in your eyes as you run over to Javier on the street outside. You must be flustered, not hearing him when he asks if you’re okay. You’re panting and out of breath, not knowing that he’s finally breathing again, too.

Javier resists the urge to put a hand on your shoulder as he asks you again. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” you answer with an exhale. “Don’t worry about me now.” He keeps his eyes on you a little longer, subtly looking you up and down to make sure you’re actually unharmed. 

Once he’s certain you’re safe, Javier glances over at the paramedics rolling people towards the ambulances, the tension returning to his body. Murphy walks over to the two of you, head hanging low. He doesn’t look at either of you, just briefly runs some information by you. 

Javier’s shoulders drop as he runs a hand through his hair, going over to the paramedic. He doesn’t need to look back to know you and Murphy are watching him with concerned, pitying looks on your faces. The paramedic’s about to cover the body when he gently stops her with his hand. He looks at Lina, her eyes closed as though she’s asleep. He whispers the apology she’ll never hear, silently lingering there for a long moment before nodding at the paramedic and walking away.

He goes back over to you and Murphy, who merely places a hand on Javier’s arm. 

“Don’t,” Javier mutters, shrugging it off. “Just...don’t.” He walks back to the car and Murphy follows. He gets back into the passenger seat, slamming the door as Murphy starts the car and drives off in the too-quiet night. He knows you're alright, or else he wouldn't have left you on your own. But as he watches your figure get smaller in the car's side view mirror, he feels a smoldering sensation of regret in the pit of his stomach, one he knows won't leave him any sooner than his guilt about tonight.

~

You still have his key—you never got around to giving it back—so you let yourself in after a few light knocks that you know he won't answer. It’s dark in his apartment save for a dim lamp, but you can see the flickering lights of the TV casting a glow from his bedroom. You approach his door, and it feels a little easier than it did the first time despite the somber atmosphere that weighs down on you both. He’s sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the screen with glazed eyes. Your footsteps are light as you cross the room toward him, as though you might break something if you make even a single sound. His bed sinks with your movement as you quietly sit down next to him, picking up the remote from the nightstand. You switch off the TV, shunning the news reporter into silence. He still makes no movement as you shift to face him, the mattress creaking in response.

He doesn’t meet your eyes, keeping his gaze straight ahead. You wonder if he’s miles away in his head. The incandescent yellow light from the lamp casts dark shadows on the features of his face, but you know his heavy undereyes are similar to your own.

“We’re with you, you know,” you say softly, breaking the unbearable silence. “We’re not going anywhere.”

He doesn’t respond, but you don’t expect him to.

He raises his head to look at you now. His jaw is tense and his eyes carry a pain you wish you could hold for him, even for just a while. He doesn’t say anything but the way he’s looking at you is almost intense enough to make you avert your eyes. You’re suddenly very aware that you’re inches away from him. Months ago, you would’ve said this was far too close. But now you find him subconsciously leaning into you ever so slightly, and you don’t have the strength or desire to move away. For a millisecond you catch him glancing down at your lips, then back to your eyes. It feels like an eternity later when he lifts his hand and moves it to your face, not quite touching you yet. His fingers hover with uncertainty over your skin, but it’s close enough that you can feel the warmth radiating from his hand. He keeps his gaze on you, his eyes soft as he swallows dryly. You think you have an idea of what this is—he needs a distraction, one he's always found through physical contact, one you can give him. But this feels different, like there's something else there that neither of you will say out loud. You bite the inside of your cheek when you realize that you just might want it, too. You’re so focused on quieting your own heart rate that it startles you when his fingertips briskly touch your skin and brush along your jaw. He traces his thumb gently over the curve of your cheek, and you swear his fingers are trembling. Slowly, he traces his fingers back up your jawline and sweeps a few strands of your hair behind your ear. Then he breaks eye contact at the same time his fingers leave your skin, and it’s so unexpected that you silently inhale a breath of air you didn’t know you needed. No longer meeting your gaze, he lowers his hand and gently places his fingers under your chin, tilting your face up to him. His mouth is slightly parted as he glances at your lips again. He runs his thumb delicately along your lower lip, and the sensation of his gentle touch feels like static electricity. You’re watching him quietly, observing all the shadowed features of his face that you’ve never noticed before—the crinkles around his eyes, the curve of his jaw. He cups your face with his hand as he leans in a centimeter closer, and you nearly feel your heart jump out of your chest. You look down at his lips and start to lean in yourself, both of you waiting for a cue to fully close the distance. There’s a magnetic pull as his lips hover agonizingly close to yours.

But just like that, he drops his hand and you see the expression in his eyes change to one of remorse. You turn away as he pulls back, and your face grows warm. You straighten your posture; your mind’s still catching up to what just happened. Maybe it really is for the best. Neither of you are able to find the right words to say. Only seconds pass but you decide you should leave now, that this won't happen again. You couldn't bear it, not a second time.

He doesn't meet your eyes as you start to stand, and you give no explanation. But you only take one step before you feel his hand gently wrap around your arm, stopping you. 

Javier wants to let you go. There are few things either of you have control over, but this is one of them. He wants to stop whatever this is before it goes any further. But before he can even finish the thought to himself, he knows it's a lie. He doesn't know what overcomes him, but he says it anyways.

“No,” he whispers, his voice barely audible. “Please, stay.”

He hates the way it sounds like a plea, hates the way you turn to look at him with hurt in your eyes. He knows that look, and you're the last person he wants to feel like he used. God, he wanted to bring your lips to his, to forget everything and get lost in it all. He already regrets not letting it happen, hates himself for having the nerve to ask you to stay despite this. But tonight, he doesn't want to be alone.

“I, um—” he stammers.

You exhale, but it's more to steady yourself than anything else. “Okay,” you interrupt him, nodding once. His hand slowly trails from your arm down to your hand, holding it gently. Subconsciously you've moved close to him again, standing just in front of his knees and looking down at him. “Okay,” you repeat even more softly. Your own voice quivers now and you’re afraid that if you say anything else, you’ll give yourself away. Whatever line you were afraid of crossing, it's long gone now. He looks as surprised by your answer as you do. 

You reach over, turning off the lamp on the nightstand and plunging the room into darkness. You want to tell him things will be okay, but he’s not a fool and neither are you. There’s little left to be said tonight, which is why you decide to stay. You have nothing to offer except your presence, the slight consolation that comes when you share your grief with someone. Some nights, the isolation and loneliness forms walls around you, leaving a space hollow enough to create echoes in your mind. On such nights, you know sharing the burden is better than carrying it alone. He scoots into the center of the bed, hesitantly taking your hand again and pulling you towards him. You tug your shoes off and slowly climb onto the bed, trying not to think about how his rough hand feels on your skin or the way your heart skips a beat. He moves over some more to make room for you then lies down on the pillow. You follow, lying down next to him, your head a little higher up than his. The sheets are cool and his body feels comforting against you, but you're still tense and it takes a few moments for both of you to start relaxing into each other. His fingers intertwine with yours for a moment before you pull them away, moving your hand to his face. Your fingers lightly graze along his jaw, then down along his arm. You can practically hear the gears turning in his head; the same bleak flashbacks are playing in your own mind.

A few quiet seconds go by when he tentatively places a hand over your waist, as if asking for your approval. When you don't pull away, he gradually moves his hand to your back, wrapping his whole arm over you. The warmth of his skin pressed against yours is calming, and you sense he feels the same. He pulls your body in closer to him, putting firm pressure over your waist. You drape your own arm over him, holding him tightly with your hand behind him. He holds onto a fistful of your shirt on your back, and you can feel him trying to distract himself from the remaining tension in his muscles. If he were any closer to you, he'd be nestled into your neck; truth be told, you wouldn’t mind. The sensation of his skin against yours suddenly sparks a reminder of everything you’ve been missing, and you’ve never felt more wholly at peace. 

Suddenly, his raspy voice fills the darkness.

“I didn't want this,” he whispers. There’s a lump in your throat as you try to force back your shared affliction that threatens to spill over.

“Of course you didn't,” you answer softly, running a light hand along the back of his head.

“I don’t—” he starts, but you stop him.

“Sleep, Javier.”

At the sound of his name coming from your lips, he tilts his head to look up at you. You've never called him by anything other than ‘Peña’ before; somehow the sound of his name coming from you is a stranger but also an old friend. He can’t see much of your eyes in the dark, but he tries to imagine the look on them now. He knows this isn’t the man you know him to be, but also knows you won’t hold it against him. He moves his hand away from your back, letting his fingers run across your collarbone and up your neck, then to your jaw. You’re almost certain he can feel your pulse pounding against his fingertips. Gingerly, you comb your fingers through his hair and his chest constricts with a feeling he’s been avoiding for too long. Javier's so used to wanting and getting more. But as strange as it is, this is enough. At least, just for tonight.

He reaches down and tugs the comforter over both of you, enveloping you in warmth and naively hoping it’s the only thing that swallows him whole tonight. In this brief moment, with you tucked into him and both of you covered by a blanket of warmth, he wouldn't mind if he is swallowed whole.

He’s still facing you, listening to the sounds of your breathing and taking slow inhales to steady his own breaths. The pain of tonight continues to throb unwaveringly. But eventually his mind grows foggy, and slowly he’s lured off to sleep. The night isn’t as dark when he’s not alone.

~

You know it's still early when you open your eyes—the city is still asleep outside and there’s no hint of light peeking through the curtains. The first thing you become aware of is that you're still in yesterday's clothes; they're stiff and uncomfortable. The next thing you realize is that you've still got an arm wrapped over Javier’s torso. Javier. His name, even just in your mind, feels unfamiliar yet completely welcome. He'd turned away at some point—his back is pressed against the front of your body, and your knees are resting along the back of his legs. His body is completely relaxed, so you can tell he's still asleep. There's a lot of empty space behind you—all that room but you haven't moved from his side of the bed overnight. You're grateful he was able to sleep, even if only a little. Your cheek is resting on his shoulder; you can feel the rising and falling of his breaths matching the rhythm of your own. Warmth rushes to your face when you realize you'd slept like this all night. You'd dozed off sometime after him, and while it was an unrestful sleep, you somehow feel safer than you do most mornings.

He shifts his arm a bit, breaking you from your thoughts. Your arm is still draped over him and he unconsciously moves his own arm over yours, holding onto you gently. You have a fleeting concern about whether you should get up and go home to your own apartment. But Javier lets out a quiet exhale, which makes you inadvertently nuzzle your cheek even more into the back of his neck. You let yourself close your eyes; they're still heavy with sleep and you allow yourself to doze off again. Physically, and perhaps mentally, you can’t remember the last time you were this close to someone. Maybe—just maybe—this is better than home.

~

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[korra-the-red-lion]

Conflict.

Here’s a super random fic I wrote for Legends of Tomorrow! The pairing is Astra x Behrad x Spooner. This literally comes from me and my friend @sapphictv saying that Astra has two hands haha. I hope you enjoy!

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Astra, former queen of hell, badass sorcerer-in-training, killer of men and women alike, was very frustrated that she was unable to come up with a solution to this problem on hand. And what, you might be asking yourself, is that problem exactly?

In fact, it was two problems.

The first problem came in the form of Behrad Tarazi. The idiotic stoner who took nearly as long as his insipid sister in the shower slowly worked his way into her life with his charming smile and easy out look on life. Not mention, he looked damned fine in a suit. Astra would never admit it out loud, but she probably would have jumped him that day hadn’t she had amazing self-control. After her slip up of showing a sliver of interest in him that time, he only took that as a means of encouragement, something Astra would have never done intentionally.

The next problem was that of Esperanza “Spooner” Cruz. The frustrating little gremlin first sparked something inside of her when she was the first to support her after she had been tricked by that bastard Crowley. Then of course there was that hug they shared during the Galactic Bowling Match. Astra found herself constantly amused by the tiny woman’s feisty nature and even meaner tongue, unless it was directed at her of course. Even then, however, caused something warm to stir inside her chest at the thought of being the center of focus for Spooner.

So, needless to say, Astra was very angry. And nobody liked when Astra was angry.

So far, she had broken the coffee pot, told Nate to stop talking about Indiana Jones, punched the wall (though that had been an accident, mostly), and set fire to Gary (that had been intentional). Right now, she was seething alone in her room as she flipped through her books to see if there was a spell to help her remove her feelings for the two idiots on board the Waverider.

“Ugh, there’s nothing here!” she raged as she threw the book across the room.

Ava poked her head into the room with a small frown on her face. “Uh…hey, Astra? Is there something that’s bothering you? You just seem to be in a mood today.”

Astra rolled her eyes with an annoyed sigh. “Why would you think that? I’m obviously fine.”

“Hm, okay.” Ava took one look around the room when she noticed the spell book near her feet. She picked it up and took a quick look through it as Astra grabbed another one to get angry about. “’A spell to help you get rid of human emotions. Warning, side effect may include death,’” Ava read aloud. “What’s this about?”

“Exactly what it sounds like,” sneered Astra.

Ava frowned again as she nodded. “Right. Are you sure there’s nothing bothering you?”

Astra was just about to tell Ava to do something very vulgar when she sighed in defeat. “Promise you won’t tell anyone?”

Ava crossed her fingers over her heart.

Astra fell back into her pillows with a dramatic huff. “I believe that I may have…developed a crush on Behrad.”

“Oh that’s-”

“And Spooner,” Astra cut in.

Ava’s eyebrows shot up into her hair line. “Oh. OH. Okay, wow. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“How did this happen?” Astra grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it. “I’m suppose to be the bitch on board, and now I’ve been reduced to a wallowing puddle of misery.”

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing, Astra,” said Ava. “Maybe you could talk to them about it?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Oookay,” Ava twisted her mouth as she thought what to suggest next. Seeing as her only real relationship came in the form of one Sara Lance, she probably wasn’t the best person to help with this. However, Ava was a thinker, and she figured that there was a logical solution to Astra’s problem. When the idea popped into her head, Ava couldn’t believe how intelligent she was.

“I have an idea,” she said with a grin.

“Does it involve killing both of them and pretending that these feelings never existed?” Astra asked, with one eye peeking out from under the pillow.

“Even better.”

Astra doubted that there was something better than murder, but she decided to go along with it for now.

God, how she was probably going to regret this.

XXX

Astra decided that she was going to kill Ava once this was all done.

Her idiotic master idea was awful. Ava figured that if one of them made the move first, then that would be the one she should date. Simple enough, except in involved them being dumped in Star City to go on a ‘mission’ that Ava created specifically for them. When Zari got word that her brother was leaving without her, she got all annoyed and followed after them, so already the plan was falling apart. Oh, and she brought Sara with her.

Just kill her now.

Spooner scowled as she kicked an empty can away from the trio. “Why are we here again? I don’t sense any aliens nearby. Are we sure Ava got the details right?”

Behrad gave her an easy smile as he pulled out a joint. “Dude, just trust in Ava. She hasn’t really led us astray yet. Besides, it’s nice to get away from the Waverider every now and then.”

Spooner rolled her eyes. “I was enjoying my evening, but whatever. I’m going to grab something to drink,” she indicated the convenience store with a jerk of her head. “Y’all want something?”

Astra realized that this was her chance to be alone with either of them, but since it seemed Behrad was more concerned with his weed at the moment, it meant that she had a better shot with Spooner. With a heavy swallow of her pride, Astra flashed a smile at Spooner.

“I’ll go with you.”

Spooner shrugged but didn’t argue, so the two women walked into the brightly lit germ palace together. It took nearly all her willpower to not sneer nor gag at the sight of the pimply teenager behind the counter. His eyes most certainly went to look at her breasts, and Astra started to raise her hand to turn him inside out when Spooner grabbed it, interlocking their fingers together. Astra’s mind went blank as she started at their hands as her heart thumped uncomfortably in her chest.

“Please don’t try and kill the child,” said Spooner softly as she led them over to the cold shelves. “We’re here for a mission, remember? Besides, teenage boys are stupid, so it’s not worth getting all upset about.”

Astra had barely listened to a word she had said, as she was too focused on the hands. Were hands always this warm? Were you always able to feel a pulse in someone’s hand? Was her hand sweaty?! A million other thoughts zoomed through her head like a NASCAR. It wasn’t until Spooner snapped her fingers in her face that Astra joined reality again.

“Sorry?” she asked with a couple blinks of her eyes.

Spooner’s mouth quirked upwards in amusement as she pointed to the doors. “I asked what drink you wanted, carino?”

Astra didn’t speak a lick of Spanish, so she wasn’t sure what that last part was supposed to mean. Although she was curious, she didn’t ask. Instead, she reached for the can of iced tea silently. Spooner watched her with a thoughtful look on her face as she grabbed her own can of Coca Cola. She grabbed something at random for Behrad and together they went to the counter. The pimply monstrosity rung everything up and told the price with an obnoxious voice crack. Astra spared a glance at Spooner to see if it was okay to at least turn him into an opossum or something, but a quick shake of the head told her no. How disappointing.

It wasn’t until they left the store that Astra realized that they were still holding hands. She felt a surge of panic as they approached Behrad, but luckily Spooner left got just as they got there. She handed him the can of Dr. Pepper, which he took gratefully.

Over the comms Astra could hear Sara saying, “No, she hasn’t made a move yet. I’m getting really bored of waiting.” Stupid Sara.

Behrad cracked up the sugary drink with a gleeful look on his face. “Thanks Spoons! How’d you know Dr. P was my go-to soda?”

Spooner rolled her eyes, but her smile gave away her amusement. “Because I’ve lived with you for awhile now, dumbass.”

Astra watched this exchange with interest. Suddenly she was nervous. What if the two of them liked each? What if this was all for nothing? What if in her own self-absorption, she never realized the two of them had romantic feelings for each other? Now Astra was upset. She disguised her sigh of unhappiness with a grunt as she stalked further ahead. She could hear the two of them talking behind her, but she chose to ignore it.

Eventually, they made it to the area where Ava was going to send Gary to attack. Astra sat down moodily as Spooner did a perimeter search for safety. Behrad sat down next to her and nudge her with his shoulder.

“What’s eating you, Astra?” he asked kindly.

Astra glanced at him, which was a mistake. He looked so gorgeous under the streetlight. She turned away, disgusted by the blush she could feel on her face as she mumbled, “Nothing.”

“Doesn’t sound like nothing.” Behrad scratched at his chin thoughtfully. “But I’m not going to push you to talk about. I just think you should know that I’m always here if you need a shoulder to lean on.”

Oh, how tempting was the offer to rest her head on his broad shoulders. Astra wished with everything in her heart that she could do that. She settled for a nod of acknowledgement instead. She frowned in thought as she turned to him.

“Behrad, can I ask you something, actually?”

Behrad had his can of soda halfway to his lips when he nodded. “Go for it.”

Astra wished her heart wasn’t racing as quickly as it was. Her throat felt dry as she asked, “Is there anyone on the Waverider that you have a crush on?”

The look on his face matched that of a deer in headlights. Slowly, he nodded as he looked her way. “Yeah, I do. But don’t tell Zari, okay? She’ll never let me live it down.”

Astra nodded. “Can I ask who it is?”

Behrad looked nervous as he ran a hand through his hair. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before finally settling on a nod. As he worked on the courage to tell her who it was, Astra could feel the blood pounding in her ears as her hands shook with anticipation. But just before the words could come out, there was a shout of surprise as Spooner ran over.

“Guys, the trouble is here!”

Dammit, thought Astra angrily. She thought that she had a couple more minutes before the arrival of that buffoon. With a huff, she stood to her feet to help get rid of the nuisance when she saw with wide eyes that a large grotesque demon stood in front of them. This was not part of the plan. It turned its fiery red eyes in her direction and bellowed.

“ASTRA, I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!!”

Now, Astra had done a lot of really terrible things while she was the queen of hell. It’s not like she remembered every single one. That was the case with ugly over there. She didn’t recognize him at all, but he clearly knew who she was.

Spooner pulled out a massive ray gun and fire several bullets at the beast. Behrad hopped into action by activating his totem and blasting sharp gusts of wind. Astra wasted no time in shouting out an incantation, summoning an army of shadow monsters to fight under her command.

While it wasn’t easy, eventually the demon got sent back to hell. Astra felt very wobbly on her feet as the draining effect of magic took a hold of her. The last thing she was aware of was the two of them calling her name as she crashed to the ground.

XXX

When Astra came to, she was lying in the med bay. That wasn’t too surprising. What was surprising was her two guests.

Spooner and Behrad were both sitting next to the bed/resting spot/pod/whatever the hell you wanted to call this thing. Behrad was sleeping, his head lolled to the side as drool trailed down onto his shoulder. Spooner had been cleaning her knife when she realized that Astra woke up. She stomped on Behrad’s foot and instantly reached for her hand.

“Astra, are you feeling okay?” she asked tenderly.

Astra nodded, because she was pretty sure her voice wasn’t going to work at the moment.

Relief flooded both their eyes as Behrad scooted his chair closer. “Man, I’m so glad to hear that. The way you used magic was so badass, but when you feel I totally freaked out.”

Astra’s eyes flickered between the two of them and the conflict she felt instantly came back full throttle. How was she ever going to chose between the two of them? There was just no possible way. Astra in this very moment decided that she was going to never date either of them and just life the rest of her life out miserably.

She gently pulled her hand out of Spooner’s. Astra stared at the wall, not looking at either of them. Spooner and Behrad shared a look before Spooner poked Astra in the face. Hard.

“Ow!” Her hand went for her cheek. “What the hell was that for?”

“What’s going on?” Spooner’s tone left no room for argument.

“Nothin-” the look on both of their face shut her up.

“You can’t lie forever, Astra,” said Behrad calmly. “We aren’t leaving this room until you tell us what’s up.”

“I refuse,” she sneered.

“You made me do this,” said Spooner seriously. “Gideon, play ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ please.”

“As you wish, Ms. Cruz,” said Gideon’s voice over the intercoms. The Bonnie Taylor classic started blasting in the med bay. Worst of all, the two of them started to sing along to the torture. Astra only lasted 30 seconds before she begged them to stop, promising to tell them what they wanted to hear. The music shut off, leaving only heavy silence in its wake.

Astra clutched the arms of the chair and sent a prayer to her mother as she worked up her courage. “I…I like both of you.”

Behrad beamed. “Aw, I like both of you too!”

“Not like that!” snapped Astra. She sucked in a deep breath. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. I meant I like both of you in a romantic way. Ava had planned this meeting so I could decide which one I wanted to date, but I now realize that it impossible. I’m sorry for putting us in danger.”

Astra was afraid to even look over, but she forced herself to do so. Spooner was watching her with a thoughtful expression while Behrad was still smiling. Astra was confused as to why he was until he reached for her other hand and grabbed Spooner’s too.

“Well, I know it’s a big commitment, but I’d be do down if all three of us dated,” he said cheerfully.

“HUH?” Astra was beyond confused. When she grew up, couples were just that: a couple. How did a relationship between three people even work? Was Behrad high?

But when Spooner gave an easy shrug and said, “I’d be willing to try if y’all are,” Astra was at a complete loss.

“Is…is that even allowed?” she hated how quiet her voice was.

“Yeah,” Behrad grinned. “I mean, polyamory is a thing, after all. If we all put in the work and promise to be honest with each other, I don’t see why we can’t make it work.”

Astra started at the two people who she adored more than nearly anything in the world in shock. They both were willing to do that for her? She leaned over and kissed Spooner first, not at all surprised to discover that her lips were chapped and dried. When she kissed Behrad, his lips were moister and softer. While both kisses were different on her lips, the excited jolt she felt from both of them was the same. Astra couldn’t believe her luck. She even giggled when the two of them kissed in front her.

Was this what love really felt like? Astra wasn’t entirely sure, and even though she was very nervous about it still, she was ready to see where this went.

[jumbojamba47]

I Love You

Pt. 2 of Guest Room

A/N: Thank you for loving my little ball of garbage enough to warrant a second part. I’m feeling warm and fuzzy. Also... I kinda.. sorta.. really got carried away with this. I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry. Shout out to my irl friends who had to deal with my gleefully rubbing my grubby little paws together all day. 

A/N PT. 2: TUMBLR QUIT BEING A BITCH AND JUST LET ME UPLOAD MY STORY IN PEACE PLEASE I’M BEGGING YOU. The last try uploaded to my main and my stomach dropped out of my ass lmao. Fifth and hopefully final time. (I’m so sorry for the notifications spam for everyone I tagged)

PAIRINGS: Natasha Romanoff x Reader, Stucky 

Warnings: 18+, Angst (like so much I’m sorry), Smut, Swearing, Mentions of Alcohol Consumption

Word Count: 5702

Hollow. It’s the only way she can describe the feeling of deep-seated emptiness that settles in her as she watches the quinjet disappear in the distance. What’s that noise? She casts her eyes around her surroundings when she suddenly feels a dampness on her collarbone. Reaching up a hand, she feels moisture on her face.

Oh.

The sounds were coming from her. At the realization of her sobs, pain wracked her frame with nowhere to go.

What was she thinking?

She wasn’t.

When she left Clint in a hurry, she hadn’t even paused to consider what she would say to you if she caught you. What did she feel for you? What could she have told you? Her life conditioned her to believe love was for children. She wasn’t one.

And yet…

She couldn’t deny that there was something about you that always drew her in to you. Every hidden interaction with you pulled onto all five of her senses demanding her full attention until there was only you in front of her; drawn straight into your orbit like a moon of Saturn. Each and every private encounter made it more difficult for the hardened assassin to pull herself away from you only to act unaffected by your presence in public.

Was that love?

It doesn’t matter.

You were sunlight. You were the warm embrace of home calling out to every damaged member of this family seeking acceptance for their past sins and a place to belong.

And she?

Well, she was damaged beyond repair.

She refused to be the one to tarnish your light. And she knew, if she gave in to her weaknesses, you could never really shine. You meant too much to the team. To her. A part of her could also admit to fear. Fear of what would happen if she hurt you.

If you hurt her.

She could live with never knowing what it felt like to call you hers. To hear you whisper her name in the early morning light your sweet features the first things she lays eyes on in your shared haven.

But she knew. She’d never recover if she could have you and lose you. If she were to tear her walls down, only for you to look inside and decide it wasn’t worth it.

That she wasn’t worth it.

With a steely resolve in her eyes, Natasha turned on her heels and began to make her way back towards the gym. She had a few weeks to get her head screwed on straight. She’ll lock away and bury anything she might have felt for you if given the chance. When you’re back, she’ll apologize for the hurt she’s caused you and maybe, just maybe, you’ll let her stay a part of your life.

If, along the way, she refuses to let her mind wander to thoughts of you with someone else, well, that’s her prerogative.

xxxx

You sit in heavy silence on the quinjet. Thoughts of last night’s interactions with the red-headed assassin plaguing your mind. You still feel a pang of pain when you remember her rejection. With a mental shake of your head, you resolve to table your emotions for now to focus on the mission at hand.

You’ve been tasked with leading a team to infiltrate an underground drug trafficking ring disguised as a bi-monthly art auction. Once you arrive at your destination, you’ll be allotted two months of integration and data retrieval before another team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents will be sent in to assist in the take down. You’re leading the team with Scarlet Witch and Falcon following your lead. Agent Hill was chosen to tag along strictly for backup and onsite supervision should the worst come to pass.

Sam and Maria sit up front; you can hear the sounds of quiet banter trickling back towards you while they try to respect your privacy, believing you to be mentally preparing yourself for the road up ahead. Wanda sits opposite you. Your emotions scream at her from across the jet, but she has the decency not to read your actual thoughts.

Still, she can’t help the concerned glances she sends your way.

Noticing her attention on you, you shift your body to turn towards her.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“I could ask you the same. Where did you disappear to last night? I tried to find you after you were pulled away by Natasha, but I couldn’t find you.”

You let out a soft sigh.

“I’m sorry. My heads been a mess lately. I didn’t mean to leave you on the dance floor like that. It was a rough night.”

A hand rises to nervously play with the hair on the back of your neck. You look to the floor.

“I also owe you a bit of an apology for how carried away I got last night. You’re amazing Wan, and I don’t want to lead you on in any way.”

She lets out a light laugh.

“Don’t worry about it, draga mea. We were just two friends who had a little too much to drink, having a little fun. No hard feelings whatsoever.”

You wince and she instantly knows that was the wrong thing to say.

“You know, I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener. Pietro used to say it’s because I had big ears when we were children.”

She reaches out a hand across the aisle to let it rest on your knee. After an internal debate, you decide to divulge everything to her. From your first interactions with the assassin and your instant connection to the fallout from last night.

Listening patiently, Wanda’s eyes widen slightly when you mention what the events that occurred in the ex-soviet’s room.

By the end, Wanda is livid with righteous indignation on your behalf.

“Well, she’s a fool for letting you go.” She squeezes your leg.

“I can’t claim to understand what’s going through her head, but you have to know her feelings aren’t a reflection on your worth. You are the glue that holds this team together and we all love you. Natasha, she…” she pauses, “she’s been through much. More than any of us will ever know. Her experiences have closed her off. But you’re both strong. Maybe you’re not meant to be, but I know you can bounce back from this. We have a few weeks before we’re due back and, in that time, I guarantee you we can get your spirit back up and bouncing like usual.”

“Damn right, we can!” You hear Sam interrupt from the front of the plane.

You release a breath you didn’t realize you were holding and let out a light laugh.

Yeah, things weren’t okay.

But maybe they will be.

xxxx

The mission goes off without a hitch and it does wonders for your confidence. As soon as you landed at the safehouse, you and your team had set to work securing the perimeter and preparing for your upcoming roles in the undercover mission. Sam moved first, infiltrating the ranks of the dealers as he uncovered the hierarchy of the operation and fed maria intel to pass on to headquarters. You and Wanda were posed as a wealthy young couple from new money, tasked with getting close to the heads of the drug ring in order to gain access to the final auction where you ultimately took down the entire operation with the aid of several agents.

Despite the smooth execution, you all still found yourselves with extra downtime between stakeouts and it led to the four of you growing closer. One of your favorite pastimes became group binge-watches of The Fairly Odd Parents and Wanda had taken to calling you Cosmo, the husband of her cartoon namesake.

           “ETA: 5 minutes,” called out Hill.

From your seat, you could see the compound looming over the horizon. You take in a nervous breath and release.

Next to you, Wanda can feel your apprehensive tension and takes a moment to give your hand a firm squeeze.

“You’re okay, Cosmo. Remember our talks. You have strength. You know your worth. You’ll be fine.”

You send her a grateful smile and a nod. Your fingers squeeze her back briefly before you move to stand by the doors of the ramp as you hear the jet begin to touch down.

She’s right. During your time away, you came to terms with the fact that it’s not Natasha’s fault that she doesn’t feel the same way as you do. You know you have no control over other people’s feelings, and you owed it to the both of you to face this head on, maturely.

As soon as the jet’s ramp meets the floor of the hangar, you’re met with a wall of pure muscle that really should come with a warning label. Your feet are lifted off the ground and suddenly you’re swinging in circles. You laugh as Bucky’s long hair tickles your nose.

Wait a second.

Is that?

“James Buchanan Barnes. Put me down this instant.”

He stiffens. That’s his name. That’s who he is. He is James Buchanan Barnes. Former sergeant and integral member of the Howling Commandos. The Winter Soldier. Melted down and reforged by Hydra. He was a legend. He was a nightmare. He was feared. He was… terrified.

Christ. Hearing his full name falling out of your mouth in that tone never failed to instill the fear of God into him. Not even his ma, bless her soul, could quite measure up to the intimidating aura you exuded when he knew you were ready to tan his hide.

You stood before him, hands on your hips, feet shoulder width apart, stance strong, eyebrow peaked… and deadly.

“Did you break into my room and steal my hair mask… again?”

The others stand back, watching in amusement while he starts to sweat.

“D-doll, of course not! You explicitly told m-me your room was off limits while you were go-”

You cut him off as you step closer.

“Don’t you lie to me, Barnes,” your eyes narrow and he gulps when you push your face closer to his.

“I can smell the macadamia oil, you heathen.”

Just as you’re about to launch into a lecture about respecting other people’s belongings, you’re interrupted by the sound of Steve’s voice.

“You gotta admit, at least it’s better than smelling the greasy mop he always ends up with after training.”

Your entire demeanor lightens up as you whip around to take a running leap at your favorite Man with a Plan.

“STEVIE!”

He catches you in his arms. “Good to have you back, sugar. We missed you around here.”

You hear a soft exhale of relief come from behind you.

Tilting your head back from where you’re perched in Steve’s arms, you narrow your eyes at Bucky and make a silent gesture to indicate you’re watching him. This is far from over.

He gulps.

“Well, c’mon then, we’re all dying to hear how the mission went. The others are waiting for you in the lounge.”

You stay wrapped around your friend’s dorito shaped torso but make the effort to wriggle your way around him so you’re clinging to his back like an infant koala. He rolls his eyes but does nothing to deter you, choosing to move his arms in support of your legs instead.

“Onward, my trusty steed!” you giggle.

As one, you all make your way towards the main common area, taking the time to drop off your luggage in your respective rooms as you go. Eventually, you make your way to the lounge and as you’re carried in, F.R.I.D.A.Y. blasts the loud trumpets of a herald through her speakers.

Huh, Tony must’ve upgraded her sense of humor.

Greeting the others, you use your hands in Steve’s hair like an oversized rat with a penchant for cooking to guide him towards your favorite lounge chair. Sam and Wanda move towards the kitchen to look for the good snacks they couldn’t have undercover while everyone else gathers around the remaining lounges.

From the corner of your eye, you can see Natasha hovering off to the side near Clint but you can’t quite get yourself to make eye contact yet. You wait for everyone to settle in. Wanda approaches you with two mugs of tea in her hands offering you one with a “just the way you like it, Cosmo”. It’s punctuated with a wink and she perches herself on the arm of your seat, bringing her own around to rest across the back. Her hand finds its way to your hair playing with a few strands to keep you grounded while you purposefully train your eyes away from a certain side of the room.

Wanda really did become your rock in the weeks away. While you never repeated anything from the night of your party, you fell into an easy companionship with the young mutant that led to you each being comfortable around the other. She knew how hard your return would be for you and made it her next mission to make sure you knew you had a solid support system in place.

Seeing the close interaction between the two of you, Bucky and Steve both shoot you cheeky grins and eyebrow wiggles that have you holding up a throw pillow just under Wanda’s current line of sight. She glances down, smirks and hurls the pillow at the two men using her powers, ensuring she adds a boomerang effect to ricochet off the face of one in order to hit the other stunning both of them.

“Nice!” You give her an enthusiastic high five as she wiggles her fingers at the recovering men.

“I just learned that one on the job. I have to keep practicing for muscle memory.” She states in a faux haughty tone while you snicker at the indignation on your Brooklyn Boys’ faces.

Across the room, Natasha watches you. She knew she missed you while you were away, but nothing could have prepared her for the onslaught of emotions that crashed into her when she finally laid eyes on you after weeks apart. You still had the same mischievous spark in your eyes. Your nose still crinkled just the slightest bit when you laughed. Your smile could still light up an entire room like the Fourth of July.

God, she missed you.

She watches your raucous banter with the resident super-soldiers with a fond smile teasing the corners of her lips. She takes note of the casual arm slung across your shoulders, the hand tangled in your hair, and something inside of her burns. Her jaw clenches.

She’s not yours to have.

Clint nudges her shoulder with a pointed look. She realizes she’s been emitting a soft growl. Focus Romanoff! Where is your training? She strains but ultimately fixes her posture until she’s the posterchild for casual aloofness. Her best friend snickers but chooses not to comment on the slight rigidity he can see in her shoulders.

Tony claps his hands to gain everyone’s attention.

“Alright alright, Hermione’s new parlor tricks aside, we all know why we’re really here.”

In his best imitation of Fury’s gruff voice, he growls out, “Hill. Debrief report. Judgement on (y/hero/n)’s execution?”

Rolling her eyes but playing along, “All objectives executed to perfection. Leadership skills exemplary, sir!” she tosses in a mock salute.

It’s quiet before everyone breaks into cheers and congratulate you and your team on a successful job well done. You’re beaming when you hear Sam chime in with, “You better watch out Cap. (Y/l/n) could give you a run for your money as team captain. We might be shipping you to a retirement home sooner than we thought.

Your best friend grins at you with pride and mirth shining in his eyes and you feel warm inside.

“I think we could come to a truce and work together. Co-captain sound good to you doll?”

“I don’t think so Steve. I’ll leave the captaincy to you. I don’t think I could handle dragging the metal chicken wing over there back in line every day,” you respond with a laugh, sticking your tongue out at Sam. You draw out a squawk of offense and everyone bursts into laughter.

You turn your head slightly and find yourself making direct eye contact with the very same pair of vivid green eyes that still visit you in your dreams. You swallow down the rising emotions and offer her a small smile. She looks startled at first but relaxes slightly and gives you one of her own in return.

Maybe you could do this.

You spend a few more minutes catching up with the rest of the team, learning about what everyone has been up to while you were away. Checking the time, you slowly pull away from Wanda, who still has her weight resting on you, and announce that you’re going to head to your room to wash off and settle in before you have to fill out your mission reports.

Everyone bids you goodnight and you exit the room, walking the familiar pathway towards your own residence. Your ears pick up quiet footsteps behind you causing you to turn your head slightly.

A small sharp inhale escapes your lips. Your eyes betray you with a quick scan of her nervous form standing in front of you. Her hair is a little longer and the circles under her eyes are just the slightest shade darker. She still looks just as breathtaking as the day you walked out of her room. Her presence instantly brings you peace and you curse yourself under your breath.

Mentally slapping yourself, you plaster on a casual smile.

“Hey Nat. Been a while.”

You cringe.

Really? Been a while? Really?

She steps towards you, “Hi (y/n/n),” she responds softly.

“Listen I-”

“Can we-”

You both let out a nervous chuckle.

“Sorry. Go ahead, you first,” she says.

“Listen, Nat. I owe you an apology.”

She stills. What could you possibly have to apologize for? You’re not the one who broke the heart of the love of your life just because you had commitment issues.

Stop that. She’s not your love of anything.

She opens her mouth to interrupt but you press on.

“It wasn’t fair of me to try to push you into something you clearly weren’t comfortable with. You made it clear that you didn’t love me the way I loved you. I never wanted to make you feel like I would demand anything of you. You’re more than entitled to your own feelings and it wasn’t okay for me to project what I felt onto you.”

Frozen in place, her mind could only focus on two words.

Loved? Felt?

And didn’t that sting?

She can feel her throat start to constrict but she goes along with it.

Maybe it’s for the best.

“It’s okay (y/n/n). I understand where you came from and I’m partially to blame for letting things go on for as long as they did without taking your feelings into consideration.

“Friends?”

A small, okay large, part of her brain screamed in agony that this was wrong.

Instead, she smiles and nods opening her arms.

You gingerly step into her embrace, one arm comes up holding her shoulder while the other gently cups the back of her head in a familiar hold.

Her arms come up to wrap themselves around your middle, squeezing slightly.

If either of you noticed the other inhale just a little deeper, neither of you chose to comment.

xxxx

Several weeks go by and you’ve settled back into a familiar routine. Wanda has officially been adopted into you and your boys’ infamous trio and the brunette witch could often be seen joining in on your foolish antics around the compound. At first, the three made a pact to ensure you would never be exposed to prolonged periods of alone time with the woman who damaged your tender heart. Often times, you’d catch yourself alone with the assassin only for one of the others to immediately swoop in to whisk you away and drag you into some activity before you could draw each other into a prolonged conversation

It took you a few days to catch on to what your friends were doing. While the sentiment was greatly appreciated, you couldn’t miss the slight look of hurt that crossed Natasha’s face whenever you were pulled away from her. Eventually, you had to put your foot down, taking them aside one day. You told them that you loved them and appreciated their concern. But you’re an adult and you can handle your affairs well enough on your own.

They backed off but still continued to keep a wary lookout. They couldn’t help it. You were their favorite.

Your interactions with the devastatingly gorgeous avenger were still a little stunted and you both miss the longing stares you direct towards each other on occasion. Still, you’re getting better.

It still hurts sometimes but you’re okay as long as you still have her in your life. In any capacity.

You think you’re getting better. It stills hurts but you’re okay as long as you still have her in your life.

xxxx

You’re in the gym talking to Sam one afternoon as he spots you in the weights section while Natasha and Clint are sparring on the mats.

“The team’s decided to make an appearance at a new nightclub Aluminum Alloy Man bought out on a dare tonight. You in, sugar?”

You laugh at the latest nickname he’s given Stark but shake your head no.

“Sorry Sam but I’ve got a date.”

You hear a particularly loud grunt come from Clint and turn your head slightly to see Natasha apologizing while he’s doubled over catching his breath.

“Oh? Anyone we know?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

You roll your eyes.

“With myself, you dork. I’ve been dying to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail and I finally have the downtime to sit through it. There’s a bottle of wine and a couch calling my name and I intend to capitalize.”

He laughs but nods understandingly.

“That’s fair. You good here? I better head out to get ready.”

“Yeah, yeah, you go ahead. Have fun tonight!” You wave him off wiping the sweat off the back of your neck with a damp towel.

“(Y/L/N)!” You hear your name called out from across the gym.

“Care to spar? Clint’s tapping out. He’s a wuss.”

You start to hesitate but choose to nod instead, stepping into the ring, setting your towel on the rope to dry.

You begin to circle one another assessing each other’s weaknesses. She makes the first move lashing out with a swift kick to your ankle, aiming to leave you off balance. You dodge out of the way and retaliate with a series of jabs towards her torso. This goes on for several minutes each of you landing several hits when Natasha launches herself off your bent knee, intending to use her signature thigh grip of death to bring you down.

Not today, Satan.

You bring your arms up, wedging them between your neck and her legs before she can get a grip. You latch onto her legs tightly before you swing her around your body, tackling her to the floor. You move your hand to cradle the back of her head to ensure it doesn’t smack into the ground, bringing yourself much closer to her body in the process.

You’re both panting heavily, stuck, mesmerized by the intense look in each other’s eyes. You have one leg between her thighs, knee pressed to her core, puffs of air intermingling between you.

Is she? Leaning towards you?

Oh, you definitely felt that wiggle of her hips against your knee.

You wet towel drops to the floor with a wet smack and just like that, the spell is broken.

You both scramble apart and you move to pick up the offending object.

Behind you, Natasha clears her throat sheepishly.

“So, I couldn’t help but overhear your big plans for tonight while you were talking to Wilson. Is there room for one more? I was actually planning to do the same, but I hear Monty Python is much funnier with good company.”

Everything inside of you screams that this is a terrible idea. But here’s the thing, you thrived off of terrible ideas.

“Sure, why not? We can start when everyone else heads out?”

Sure you would have declined, she brightens considerably and throws you a grin.

She starts walking backwards towards the door.

“Great! It’s a date! I mean- not a date-”

She smacks herself right into the door.

You let out a small laugh.

“I know what you meant.”

“Right. Yes. I’ll see you tonight!” She scurries out the door.

You stay standing there in the ring watching the space she just occupied.

On the other side of the door, Natasha leans heavily against the metal.

What have I gotten myself into?

xxxx

You bid goodbye to your friends and make sure to tell them to call you should they need anything. Once everyone is out the door, you turn around, inhale deeply, and set to work.

Despite everything, and your unfailing determination to not fall down the same rabbit hole, you can’t help but want to take care of Natasha in any capacity you can.

So, you take extra care to grab her favorite snacks, her go-to brand of wine, a couple glasses, and an oversized hoodie you always kept in the back of the closet, on hand just for her. She had a tendency to relax in thinner loungewear, but you knew once she settled in, she stubbornly refused to get up for anything no matter how cold she got.

As you set everything down on the coffee table in front of the oversized, plush couch in the center of the movie room, the beauty in question makes her way towards you in, surprise surprise, a thin tank top and shorts.

You roll your eyes but toss her your sweatshirt and she grins at you before hastily throwing it on, snuggling into the warmth. You both settle onto opposite sides of the couch, the wine and snacks split between you. The movie plays and you find yourselves relaxing. Like magnets, you eventually gravitate towards each other, sharing jokes and snacks, yelling at the large screen in front of you as the Black Knight stubbornly refuses to die.

Without realizing each other’s movements, she winds up leaning against you while your arm is wrapped around alternating between playing with her hair and rubbing soothing patterns across her shoulder and biceps.

You feel a shudder come from the deadly ball of fluff in your arms and only then do you realize your positions. You can’t bring yourself to move.

“Cold?”

“Yeah,” she nods. Attempting to burrow herself further into your clothes.

You pull her closer to you until her legs are resting over yours, head tucked under your chin, puffs of air tickling your sensitive neck.

Bad move (y/l/n).

You forget how to breathe. Natasha turns to look at you when she feels you still beneath her.

Oh. Oh god.

She didn’t realize how close she was to you and from this distance, she can see every detail of your ethereal beauty in the dim light of the movie lighting.

You turn your head to take a quick peak at her but suddenly you’re drowning in a sea of green. Your breath hitches when green is replaced by red and suddenly plump lips are crushing your own.

You moan and your hands scramble for purchase as the angel in your lap twists to straddle you. Fists tighten in your hair while she nips at your lower lip, close to drawing blood. She tugs at your shirt and you get the message. You desperately rip away your top while she follows suit before she pushes you onto your back spreading out on top of you.

A loud groan escapes your lips as the vixen in your arms finds the sensitive space right below your ear. Unwilling to be out done, you wrap your legs around her hips and gracefully flip yourselves over, trailing kisses down the crevice of her breasts, mapping your way down her body. Like Copernicus charting the stars. Reaching your destination, you pull apart the draw strings of her shorts with nothing but your teeth, earning a moan of approval from the writhing redhead. You smoothly slide back up her body, meeting her desperate lips in a searing kiss while your hand finds her center, already feeling the slick wetness ready for you. Natasha’s limbs fly to wrap around you as you set a steady pace pushing her closer and closer to the edge. Knowing she needs the extra push, your other hand moves to pull aside her bra before you deliver a harsh nip and a firm curl of your fingers.

She sees stars.

No.

She sees galaxies.

You continue to move, determined to prolong her pleasure for as long as possible.

You’re rewarded with the crack of her voice as she hurdles into the abyss.

“God, I fucking love you.”

It slips out of your mouth completely unbidden.

But it’s too late.

The damage can’t be undone.

Just like that, she snaps back to reality.

She hastily sits up. Your hand falls back into your lap as she quickly stands picking up her shirt.

“We can’t do this.”

“Natasha, I-”

“No.”

“Natasha, would you jus-”

“I said no!”

You feel like you’ve been here before.

She turns to make a hasty retreat, but you catch her hand in a tight grip before she can get too far.

“Why do you keep running from me? Am I so repulsive that the thought of being with me has you running for the hills?”

“Not everything is about you, (y/l/n),” she bites out.

Neither of you hear the team returning but all of them can hear the yelling coming from your direction and they run towards you.

“No. You always do this! Every time I think we’ve gotten to a good place; you freeze me out.”

“That’s the thing! We were in a good place! We were having fun. We had each other when we needed it and nothing more! We were so good like that. We can still be like that!”

Tears fill your eyes.

“It’s not enough.”

“Why can’t this be enough?!” she cries.

“This has to be enough,” she whispers looking at anything but you.

A hand moves to grip hers gently. The other rises to cup her chin to guide her eyes to yours.

“This could be so much more. Let me love you the way you deserve.”

Staring into your eyes, she can see you dying a little more inside the longer she stays silent.

She pulls away from you.

Okay.

You thought you could be fine with just floating in her orbit. Maybe you underestimated how long it would take for you to heal enough to allow it. Or maybe you couldn’t do this at all.

Your head tilts towards the floor. Your lips break into the softest, most heart-breaking smile she’s ever seen.

“I’m always going to love you Natasha Romanoff. But I owe it to the both of us to know this won’t be enough for me. This can’t be enough for me.”

A whimper is caught in her throat but she can’t bring herself to move when you step back away from her.

“I love you. I don’t want to,” you breathe out.

Natasha swears she hears something inside her shatter.

“I’m sorry I don’t give you the strength you need to pursue your own happiness. I really hope you find someone who does. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy.”

You make me happy.

Just say it!

Her body screams in protest with every fiber of her being.

“Bye Tasha.”

You turn and only then do you realize that the two of you aren’t alone.

Wanda steps forward. She wraps her arms around your shoulders as she leads you away throwing a glare at the assassin.

Natasha takes a step in your direction.

“(Y/n) wait-”

She stopped by a metal arm blocking her way.

“Haven’t you done enough?” Bucky growls.

“And what do you know about what I’ve done?” She shoves him away.

“I know you hurt them! AGAIN!” he snarls, “You need to get your shit together before I’ll even THINK about letting you come anywhere NEAR (y/n) again, Romanoff.”

Her blood boils. She scoffs, “Big surprise, their guard dog immediately snaps to attention at the first sign of trouble. Tell me Barnes, does your master feed you well?”

She regrets her outburst immediately, but she’s too angry, too frustrated, too exhauseted to take it back.

“Don’t forget who trained you, Natalia,” comes out in a menacing hiss.

Frantically, Clint’s eyes snap from her to the ex-soldier advancing on her. He immediately steps between the two, placing a hand on her arm and turning towards the larger assassin.

“Whoa now, you know she didn’t mean that. Emotions are just running high right now. Let’s all take a step back. I could use a hand, Cap.”

Despite his own roiling emotions, he needs to maintain his professionalism as team captain, releasing a heavy puff of air, he moves to place a firm hand on Bucky’s shoulder, pulling him to his side.

“Clint’s right. We can’t do anything to fix this right now. Everyone, disperse. We’ll regroup in the morning.” He sends a piercing glare at the redhead.

Hearing another growl, Clint whips his head back around, “As entertaining as it would be to make a compound wide betting pool with Tony on a wwe rumble between you and two tag-teaming super soldiers, maybe we should take a second to cool off outside, yeah” he hisses at her.

Gritting her teeth, she nods, allowing Clint to pull her down the hall and out the door.

As she catches a glimpse of the hall leading to your room, all she can think is one thing.

She let you slip through her fingers… again.

Tagging some incredible people who expressed an interest in pt. 2:

guys im so fucking sorry this keeps showing up in your mentions.

@natasha-danvers , @thelastavenger-3000 , @ohfuckno , @imnotasuperhero

[queen-scribbles]

You’re One to Talk

Companion piece to I Would Never; Vica’s POV for one of her busier days somewhere between Ossus and all the stuff in Echoes of Vengeance. Roughly the same length, too. 

----

To the unfamiliar, the Alliance Commander looked the very picture of poise. With her hair done up in that vaguely-aristocratic style she loved so much and posture that made even her simple outfit look elegant, Vica radiated serenity well before you got to her small, warm smile. A smile currently aimed at a wildly gesticulating starship mechanic, while Vica listened to his grievances with an air of sympathetic calm.

But Theron knew her too well to buy it. There was a faint edge of strain to her smile; not caused by the mechanic, but he was surely the latest in a long line of people who wanted “just a moment of your time, Commander”. And no matter how busy she already was, refusing to listen when someone had a need would be un-Jedi-like, so she would never.

Thus, Theron swept across the hanger bay in just a few long strides to give her an out. “Commander, the general and admiral are ready in the conference room.”

Vica turned and flashed him a tighter version of that smile, halfway between gratitude and let me handle this, darling. “Thank you, I’ll be right there,” she said, before shifting back to assure the mechanic his concerns would be addressed as soon as possible. With him placated, she gave Theron a much more genuine smile. “Thank you,” she breathed, leaning against his chest.

Theron rubbed her back as he hugged her, frowning at the tension in her shoulders. “That bad?”

“Not bad,” Vica said with a sigh, straightening and pinching the bridge of her nose before heading toward the conference wing. “Just... a lot. And all at once. There’s the Republic delegation, and the security overhaul, and pirate attacks on our supply ships that mean rearranging the Mandalorian escorts, and Hylo wanted to talk about a few of her people she thinks are skimming, and a couple more she feels could be given more responsibility-”

“I’m getting tired just listening to that list,” Theron cut her off glibly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he kept pace. “Do they really all have to go through you?”

She shot him a look. “I’m the Commander. I chose to keep us independent. That makes the security and well-being of the Alliance my responsibility.”

“Leadership of the Alliance is your responsibility,” he corrected. They stepped onto the elevator and he pulled her in to kiss her temple. “Leaders delegate. You don’t have to do everything yourself.” Despite how long the Council and universe in general told you otherwise.

Vica bit her lip, but he still heard the You’re one to talk in her eyes. “I did. Lana’s overseeing the security upgrades, and Briyoni took Jonas to deal with the perimeter sensors that went down.”

“Oh, good, thank her for keeping him busy for me,” Theron deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes but smiled as she whacked his arm with the back of one hand. “I thought you two were friends.”

“We are. Which means I know what he’s like when he’s bored.” He rubbed her back again. “And how quickly he’ll likely get to that point while he’s here. If your sister can keep him occupied for a couple hours, means longer before he starts bugging me.”

This time she actually laughed, and he was gratified to feel some of the tension ease in her shoulders. “Careful, or she’ll say you owe her one.”

“Right, because dragging her husband off somewhere unsupervised for a couple hours when they haven’t seen each other in months was entirely altruistic.”

“Theron!” Vica protested, but her shoulders were shaking with laughter as she buried her face against his chest.

The elevator reached their desired floor and he tugged her arm to guide her off. “You tellin’ me we wouldn’t do the same thing in their shoes?” he murmured into her hair, and her grip on his jacket tightened briefly.

Vica took a deep breath and was Barsen’thor-levels of composed when she straightened. A hint of mirth still danced in her eyes as she serenely commented, “We have a meeting.”

That’s a no, Theron smirked but behaved himself, gesturing to the conference room door. “So we do. After you, Commander.”

“Thank you, Agent Shan,” she said with a smile, and had fully shifted to the role of Commander by the time she stepped into the room.

---

Vica had been mildly concerned her to-do list would distract from the meeting, but she had that chain of thought spinning away in the back of her mind by the time she and Theron took their seats and exchanged pleasantries with Aygo and Daeruun. Her main focus was firmly and unwaveringly on their conversation as they discussed the state of the galaxy and best way to use the Republic and Alliance’s resources. She trusted Aygo with the the Alliance military action--and had almost just let him handle this meeting, with how busy she was--but she did need to be at least in the loop if not giving final word on big decisions. Like which sectors to keep a close eye on and which were secure enough to spare manpower to shore up weaker areas. What to do about various Imperial actions or pirate attacks. It was a very tricky balance puzzle, and the very faintest edges of a headache were creeping in by the time they reached a solution.

“Thank you for your time, Commander,” General Daeruun said warmly as he stood. “That took longer than I expected it would, and I know you’re busy.”

“It was an important list of issues, General,” Vica demurred with a smile. “I always have time for our allies in the Republic. No matter how busy I may be.”

The general chuckled. “A most gracious host. When you find the opportunity to relax, Commander...” He pulled a small packet from one of the pouches on his belt. “A token of friendship; a new blend I encountered on Atraken. I find it quite adept at calming the mind.”

Vica perked up at the offer of new tea and stepped forward to accept it with a grin. “Thank you very much, General. I look forward to when I have the chance to try it.”

“Yeah, so do I,” Theron muttered behind her, barely audible.

She ignored him. He was one to talk about working too hard, anyway. “Make yourself at home as long as you’re here, General. I need to see to some other matters if we’re finished?”

“We are indeed,” General Daeruun nodded. “Best of luck with your other endeavors, Commander.”

“Thank you. And, again, for the tea. Aygo, you can head down to staging when you’re ready.”

The admiral nodded, looking up from the datapad he’d been studying. “Of course, Commander.”

Theron trailed her out of the conference room, and Vica pivoted, tilting her chin up to meet his gaze once they were out in the hall. “So, what’s next on your to do list?”

He gave her an arched brow look. “Try and convince my wife to take a five minute break before she dives back into her ocean of work?”

“I will,” Vica promised, resting a hand on his arm. “But I still need to talk to Hylo, and the meeting went long, so it’s almost time for my holocall with--”

“Vica, it’s five minutes,” Theron said with a wry smile. “Just go sit on a conference table and meditate or something so you don’t burn out.”

She giggled at the mental image; Barsen’thor and Commander and Outlander, perched cross-legged on a conference table to meditate like a mischievous youngling. “I will. Take a break, I mean. But the ambassador’s expecting my call, so I really need to at least do that first.”

He pursed his lips. “I’ll talk to Hylo.”

“You aren’t too busy?”

“Nah, my to-do list is much shorter than yours,” he deadpanned. “Let me help.”

“It is the sort of thing you’re good at...” Vica pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to quash the guilty tickle at ‘pawning off her responsibilities’. “Alright. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.”

“All yours, then.” She flashed a tired smile. “See? Delegating.”

“Good for you,” Theron drawled, leaning down to steal a kiss before they parted ways.

Vica snaked a hand around the back of his neck to hold him close an extra few heartbeats. “Thank you,” she murmured as they parted.

“Anytime, sweetheart,” Theron replied quietly, pressing a light kiss to her forehead as well before he headed for the elevator.

Vica smiled, sighed, and made her way to one of the more private holoterminals.

---

There were, fortunately, no surprises lurking in her conversation with the Qalitan ambassador. Just typical diplomatic chitchat about their contributions an compensations and how things stood on Qalita Prime.

Vica breathed a long sigh of relief after ending the call, smoothing a hand down her shirt as she mentally crossed that off her list. One thing down, eight more to go...

She almost ran into the aide hurrying down the hall when she stepped out of the room. The baby-faced zabrak didn’t seem fazed by the near-collision, already rambling before Vica could get an apology out,” Oh, Commander, I’ve been looking for you.” He held out a datapad. “Trestal sent some revisions to our treaty.”

Vica frowned. “We’re formalizing that in two days.” They had a month and they chose now?!

“I know, Commander.” His tattoos wrinkled as his brow furrowed. “They promised it was only a few things, minor adjustments to phrasing and the like.”

Which immediately set alarm bells ringing; you didn’t wait til the last minute to make minor adjustments. Vica groaned. This day was one long game of bop-a-gizka; get one thing taken care of and another popped up somewhere else. “I’ll take a look at it. Thank you for telling me.”

“You’re welcome, ma’am, and... sorry.” The aide frowned apologetically.

“Not your fault,” She said with a sigh, and took the datapad to her quarters to review. The timing was atrocious, and made her very glad she’d let Theron take talking to Hylo. So much for that five minute break.

---

When he’d nagged her about taking a break, dozing off over a datapad hadn’t really been what he had in mind. Theron debated letting her be anyway, but she’d have an awful crick in her neck from that position.

He sat next to her on the couch and gently poked her shoulder. “Vica.”

She jerked upright, fumbling the datapad a moment before catching it just as it started to slide off her lap. “What do you need?”

“Just checking in.” Theron rubbed her arm. “Dry reading?”

“Give me a history text over political document any day,” Vica said with a wan smile. She stretched and rubbed the back of her neck. “How’d it go with Hylo?”

“Fine,” Theron shrugged. “She has good instincts, and good evidence for both the accusations and the people she wants to promote.”

“Good, glad that was easy.”

“How ‘bout you, what’s so enthralling you added it into your schedule?” He nudged the datapad. 

“Trestal treaty. They made some minor changes and phrasing tweaks-”

“Now?” Theron frowned skeptically at the datapad. “Two days before we sign the blasted thing?”

“That’s what I said!” Vica tossed the datapad on a chair and half-turned to face him. “But I’ve been going over it for” --a glance at the wall chrono-- “stars, two hours, and didn’t find anything major. All the changes I’ve noted--and there aren’t a lot--have been little things, nothing that drastically alters the terms. I think politics have jaded me.”

“You wouldn’t be the first,” Theron said dryly.

She nodded, but absently, like her thoughts were elsewhere, and rubbed her eyes. “Did Briyoni and Jonas make it back alright?”

“I don’t think they’re back yet...” he said slowly, and her posture snapped stiff.

“It’s been hours,” Vica pointed out as she shot to her feet, “more than enough time to repair a couple sensors.”

Knowing Balkar as well as he did, and that Bry was a good match for him, Theron wasn’t terribly worried just yet. “I’m sure they’re fine, Vee. Maybe one of the repairs took extra work, or they’re just taking their sweet time.” Like I’d be trying to do if we’d gone.

“Maybe.” Vica didn’t sound convinced. “Can’t hurt to check...”

He snorted a chuckle. “Technically, no, but if you interrupt their first time alone in months just ‘cause you’re worried...” He smirked and leaned back on the couch. “On second thought, maybe your sister will send death glares at you instead of me for a while. A break would be nice.”

She rolled her eyes and keyed up comms as she paced toward the window.  “Briyoni, how’s it going?” A frown wrinkled her brow. “Briyoni?”

Okay, if she wasn’t answering comms, that might be a problem. Or just a bid for privacy.

---

Vica instinctively defaulted to one of the meditations techniques she knew to calm the worry spiraling through her gut.

The comms were dead. Switched off or jammed she couldn’t tell, but there was no answer to her attempts at raising her sister and she couldn’t quite bring herself to agree with Theron’s theory behind the delay.

She tried again. “Briyoni, can you hear me?”

Nothing.

She turned to look at Theron, mildly panicked despite the attempt to meditate it away. “There’s nothing.”

“Nothing as in she’s ignoring you, or as in just static?”

“Nothing as in dead air.” Vica hugged her arms close around herself. “What if something happened to them?”

“Well.” Theron stood and moved to join her. “They’re both very resourceful, and pretty damn hard to kill.” Bry might have more attempts to her name, but Balkar had squeaked out of a few tight spots of his own, and they made a damn good team. He rubbed Vica’s arms and pulled her into a hug. “They’re probably okay, but do you want to send someone after them?”

“Who?” she asked with a wry snort. “Everyone’s busy, including us, that’s why Briyoni volunteered to handle this in the first place.” She picked up her datapad and called up the speeder logs. The locator was offline.

That set her gut twisting. Calm, Vica, he’s right. Resourceful and hard to kill. She’d heard about Eclipse Squad. About Denon. 

Good or bad, this also meant they had no way of knowing where Briyoni and Jonas were even if she wanted to check on them. “No point sending someone; their speeder’s not showing.”

“Huh. Weird. Let me see?” Theron took the datapad and scanned the logs.  “Nothing about a crash, maybe they’re just out of range.”

“Maybe.” Her skepticism carried in her voice more than she’d meant. They would have had to go seriously off-course for that, so it was a long shot, but she appreciated him trying to make her feel better.

He flashed a sympathetic half-smile. “Here’s a plan: we spend a little while working on things we can do from here with datapads and comms, and you can keep checking to see if Bry’s signal comes back. If it doesn’t, then we worry about how to handle tracking them down.”

It was a good plan. Much more manageable than her fretting about two people in all the untamed expanse of Odessen. She shot him a grateful smile. “Since when are you the reasonable one?”

Theron snorted and kissed her forehead, not seeming the least offended. “Since you started panicking about your sister being AWOL.”

She snorted in turn and plunked down on the couch. “An hour,” she decided. “If I try for an hour with no response, we’ll have to do something.”

“Sounds fair,” Theron agreed, sitting next to her. “Emotional support,” he said with a one-shoulder shrug when she gave him a you’re staying? look.

Her chest warmed at the words and Vica leaned over to kiss his cheek before settling in to try and do some work.

---

It took half of that hour she was willing to wait for one of Vica’s increasingly worried-despite her best efforts--checks to bear fruit. 

“...Yeah, Vic?” came crackling back, Briyoni’s voice slightly raised(wind from a moving speeder, maybe?).

Vica wilted against Theron’s shoulder. “Oh, thank the Force.” There was a pulse of unguarded relief from him as well. Apparently he’d been more worried than he let on. “I’ve been trying to check in for... half an hour. What happened?”

“We, uh, ran into some technical difficulties exploring an alternate route.” At least she had the decency to sound a little sheepish. “There’s a section of canyon down here, fuzzed out comms and the map.”

A cold spike prickled up her spine, her jaw tightening at a memory. 

“You have forgotten what it is to face death alone. I will remind you.”

She was dimly aware of Theron’s hand on her shoulder, but it was Briyoni’s voice that snapped her out of it. “Vica?”

Vica purged the emotion and accompanying tremor from her voice. “I think I know where you’re talking about.”

“Your friends cannot hear you....”

“Are you out of there?” Even with Valkorion... gone, who knew how much his presence might have warped things in that place.

“Yeah....”

“Good. Don’t go back.” It was the closest thing to an order she’d given her sister since Briyoni joined the Alliance.

“Yes, ma’am, Commander, ma’am,” came the glib reply, and Vica couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter.

“Finish your job, Briyoni,” she reminded, a smile tugging her lips.

“That’s the plan. Get back on track, fix the sensor, be on our way home. See you in an hour or so, Vic.”

“See you then.” Vica closed the channel and exhaled a long slow breath of relief, her head falling back on Theron’ shoulder.

“I take it they’re fine?” he asked. 

She sat up and nodded. “They were exploring and wound up in a canyon that interfered with comms and the map.”

From the way his eyes narrowed, his thoughts went the same place hers had.  “Where Valkorion...?”

“That’s my guess.” Vica rubbed the back of her neck and shuddered, as if she could shake off the memory. “They’re finishing now.”

“So, how long, exactly, do I have before Balkar’s around to bug me?”

Vica snorted and bumped her knee against his. He grumbled, but the slight upward curve of his lips said he didn’t really mind the prospect. “An hour or so. Maybe longer if he doesn’t jump right into pestering you.”

“Good to know.” Theron set his datapad on the low table and turned to give her a serious look. “Now, all kidding aside. Since you know your sister’s fine, and you got more work done--”

She knew where this was going.

“--will you please take that five minute break now?”

Called it. She was feeling drained, if she was honest. He had a good point. “I’ll do ten minutes. On one condition.”

“I take it with you.”

“Mm, smart man,” she grinned. “You’ve been working almost as hard as I have today, Theron. If I need it, so do you.”

He looked ready to argue, then reconsidered and caved with a sheepish nod.  “’S a fair point.”

“It’s just ten minutes,” Vica pointed out, dropping her datapad next to his and settling in tucked close against him. “We can spare ten minutes.”

“Sure.” Theron wrapped an arm around her and his cheek pressed her hair.  “Just a little break. We need it.”

She hummed in agreement. They did need this.

---

They were both asleep when Bry stuck her head in to look for Vica; Theron slouched in the corner of couch back and arm with Vica sprawled on top of him, their legs half-falling off the couch. She grinned, biting back a laugh, and debated taking a holo of the two of them. (Vica was snoring a little; it was kind of adorable.) But it was too risky she’d wake them, so she reluctantly discarded the idea and instead tiptoed across the room, avoiding the tangle of legs. Quietly as possible--impressive to anyone who knew her--Bry picked up Vica’s datapad and typed a quick Back safe. Enjoy your nap. B before tiptoeing back out to let them sleep.

Stars knew they needed it.