#I better be awake and functioning tomorrow i swear to god

[requinum]

Me @ my reasonable government-assigned bedtime: ok but what if I draw those!lawlight again

[marauders-venting]

Worth The Wait

pairing: wolfstar (remus x sirius)

genre: fluff & angst

warnings: mentions of being sick and throwing up

words: 2502

a/n: this is a request I got from someone on Instagram and I absolutely love it!

“Evans, are you sure you’re okay?” Sirius asked, glancing over at her. Lily was sitting in the corner of the common room, bent over the table, her head resting on her arm. She had been looking peaky all day, which Sirius might not have noticed if James hadn’t pointed it out to him. 32 times to be exact.

“Do you think she’s sick, Pads? Should I ask her? Nah, she’ll get mad at me. But if she really is sick she should be in the hospital wing. But what if I ask her and she’s actually fine and she thinks I’m insulting her or something?” James had finally asked her if she was alright at dinner when she hadn’t eaten anything.

“I’m fine,” she had said. Except she hadn’t snapped at him. In fact, she smiled a little. James had practically glowed. “Just a little nauseous.” But it was an hour later and Lily still looked ill.

“I’m fine,” she repeated, this time to Sirius. “I’ll be fine.” She lifted her head, looking back at her half-finished essay.

“Lils, you’re pale as fuck,” Marlene said. “You’re sick.”

“I told you, I’ll be fine,” she said. Less than ten minutes later, Lily had rushed to the bathroom and thrown up.

“Okay,” she said when she came up. “Maybe not so fine. I think I have a stomach bug or something, I’ve been nauseous all day.”

“Come on, I’m taking you to the hospital wing,” Mary said.

“Wait,” she said. “Remus and I have prefect rounds.”

“Don’t be stupid, I’ll cover for you,” Remus said. “You do it for me all the time.”

“Thanks, Rem.”

“Of course. Feel better, Lils.” She and Mary headed for the portrait hole. Sirius glanced at James, who was biting his nail and not paying any attention to the textbook lying open in front of him. Sirius knew he wanted to go with Lily — he was worried about her — but he didn’t want to annoy her. Not when they’d been on such good terms for the past few months.

Barely five minutes had passed before Marlene said, “Well, there’s no point working on this shit without Lily.” She gestured to the essay.

“I could help you if you want,” Alice offered.

“Don’t worry yourself, Alice, she knows,” Dorcas replied before Marlene could say anything. “She could do it herself if she wanted to. She just doesn’t want to do it and that’s her excuse.”

“Shhh stop exposing me,” Marlene said, flopping dramatically onto Dorcas’ lap. “I’m too tired to write essays now.”

“Well, are you gonna go to sleep any time soon?” Dorcas asked, raking their fingers gently through Marlene’s hair. Marlene took Dorcas’ other hand and kissed it.

“Only if you can’t think of anything better for us to do,” she said.

“Oh baby, I can think of several things we can do,” Dorcas said, smirking.

“Oh?” Marlene said, sitting up. “Such as?”

“Well, I’ll give you a hint,” Dorcas said. “They all involve a bed, but not sleep.” Marlene grabbed Dorcas by the hand and pulled her towards the staircase leading to their dorm.

“I’d steer clear of your dorm if I were you, Alice,” Peter said, looking up from the textbook in his hand.

“Yeah,” Alice laughed, “I think I’ll go see Lily in the hospital wing. If Madam Pomfrey will let me in.” So she got up and walked out the portrait hole too.

Half an hour later, only Sirius, Remus, Peter and James, who had been surprisingly quiet this whole time, remained in the common room.

Sirius was sitting on a couch, his feet up on the table in front of him; he had given up on the essay long ago. He knew he would still get a decent grade though, even if he had barely put any effort into it.

Remus was sitting on the floor beside him, his essay spread across the table. Remus quickly scribbled the end of a sentence and flopped his head back onto the couch, groaning.

“It’s going to be so boring, walking around the castle alone,” he complained. “I mean, I guess I shouldn’t complain since Lily does it for me every month, at least once but still.”

“You don’t have to do it,” Sirius said. Remus slapped his leg, the one that was near his head.

“You know I do,” he replied.

“Fine then, I’ll come with you,” Sirius said.

“You can’t do that,” Remus said.

“Says who?” Sirius shrugged.

“Well, are you a prefect?”

“Do I look like I care?”

“Fair point,” Remus said. He looked like he was contemplating it. 

“So d’you want me to come with you or not?” Sirius asked. His heart was beating faster than it should be. So he’d be walking around the castle with Remus. So what? It certainly didn’t mean anything. Remus hesitated a second before replying.

“If we get caught, can I pin it all on you?” he asked, grinning at Sirius.

“Sure,” Sirius shrugged. “It’s not like they can give me more detentions without cutting into lesson time, can they?” Sirius stood up, cracking his knuckles nervously. He wanted to be alone with Remus but if James and Peter wanted to come… Well, he couldn’t tell them not to without it being weird. But Remus didn’t suggest it and neither one of them seemed eager to join.

“We won’t wait up,” James said, smirking at Sirius. James saw right through him. Sirius didn’t care, as long as he didn’t make it obvious to Remus. Like he was doing right now. Sirius pointed the finger at him from behind Remus’ back.

“Hold on, I need to put this essay upstairs,” Remus said. He ran up the stairs to the dormitory.

“I officially give up on this essay,” Peter said, slamming the textbook shut. “I don’t care, I’ll do it tomorrow. My brain isn’t functioning now. I need a shower and sleep.” He got up and started up the staircase after Remus. “‘Night,” he called.

“G’night, Pete,” James called back.

“‘Night, Wormy.” Once Peter was out of sight, Sirius rounded on James.

“James, I swear to god, if you keep making jokes, I will personally murder you,” Sirius said.

“Oh relax, would you? Nobody takes my jokes seriously except you. Although I guess that makes sense.” James laughed at his own pun.

“That was pathetic,” Sirius said, shaking his head. “Only I can pull those jokes off. It’s my name.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” James said. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you think I should have gone with her?”

“Relax, Prongs, she’ll be fine,” Sirius said. “Mary and Alice are with her. Besides, I doubt Madam Pomfrey will let you in.”

“Yeah, I guess,” James said. “Do you think she’d be annoyed if I went to visit her in the morning?”

“I don’t know, James. She might not even stay overnight. Not for a stomach bug.”

“Yeah, probably not. I can’t do what you do and sit by my crush’s sickbed, staring wistfully at their beautiful face and wait for them to wake up so I can spend all day caring for them,” James said.

“What? I don’t do that,” Sirius said, going red.

“Of course, you do,” James said matter-of-factly. “Every month. It’s very sweet, by the way. Disgustingly sweet.” Sirius elbowed him in the ribs. “But really, are you just never going to tell him?” James added. But Sirius didn’t get a chance to reply because Remus came back downstairs and headed straight for the portrait hole.

“See you guys later,” he called.

“Moony, wait for me,” Sirius pouted, hurrying after him and trying not to think about what James had said.

“Don’t be so slow then,” Remus said as Sirius caught up to him at the end of the corridor.

“Slow? I’m the one who waited for you to put your essay in the dorm!” Sirius exclaimed.

“Shh, you can’t yell,” Remus said. “Especially since you’re technically not supposed to be here.”

“Fine, I won’t yell,” Sirius said. “So what are we supposed to do?”

“Literally nothing,” Remus said. “We walk around the school until we’ve covered enough ground that I can report back to McGonagall and say that there are no students out of bed and then we go back to the common room. It’s boring as fuck.”

“Well, I’m here to keep you entertained, Moony, so prepare for the best prefect rounds of your life,” Sirius said.

“Why does that concern me more than it comforts me?” Remus replied.

“Because you’re cynical and mean,” Sirius said.

---------

“I can’t believe you do this like four times a week,” Sirius said, as they headed to McGonagall’s office. “How haven’t you died of boredom yet?”

“You didn’t have to come, y’know,” Remus said. “Your complaining doesn’t make this any more enjoyable.”

“I’m not complaining, I’m making a point about how unfair this is for you,” Sirius said, as they reached the end of the corridor.

“Trust me, I know,” Remus said. “Now wait here while I tell McGonagall that I’m done. Don’t be loud.” It only took Remus about three minutes to get back but Sirius had already made himself comfortable on the floor. He hopped up when he saw Remus come back.

“Let’s sneak out,” he said immediately.

“What?”

“Let’s go out to the grounds, by the lake.”

“Sirius, we’ll get caught.”

“No, we won’t.”

“Yes, we will. We don’t have the Cloak.”

“So? We can be stealthy. And, worst case, we get caught. So what?”

“First of all, you suck at being stealthy, Sirius, and second of all, I’m a prefect. I’m supposed to be setting a good example. And it’s not really setting a good example if I get caught breaking the rules, is it?”

“Don’t be such a buzzkill, Moony. Pleeeeease. I promise we won’t get caught. There’s nobody awake to catch us, everyone will have gone to bed by now. And we can look at the stars. Come on, Moony, you love astronomy. Plus you won’t have an annoying professor asking dumb questions that nobody cares about. Pleeeeease?” Sirius pouted.

“Fine,” Remus said, grudgingly. “If we get caught, I’ll kill you.” But Sirius was right. Everybody must have been asleep because there wasn’t a single person in the corridors.

Remus and Sirius crossed the grounds and went over to the lake and sat down side by side. Remus lay down on the grass and stretched his arms above his head. Sirius flopped down beside him.

“Do you recognise any of these?” Remus asked.

“Some,” Sirius said. He pointed at the sky. “See that star right there? That’s the dog star, Sirius.”

“And this is the thousandth time you’ve told me,” Remus said, rolling his eyes.

“Well if there was a star named after you then you wouldn’t shut up about it either,” Sirius said. Remus rolls his eyes again. “And if you don’t stop rolling your eyes, they’ll get stuck.”

“Stop giving me reasons to roll my eyes then,” Remus says. Then after a moment, he adds, “is there a wolf star?”

“Uh-huh,” Sirius nodded.

“Where?”

“Right here,” Sirius said, poking Remus with his elbow.

“Shut up.” Remus rolled his eyes again.

“I’m complimenting you, Moony.” Remus didn’t reply. He sat up and stared at the lake. Sirius sat up as well. He thought of what James said earlier. He could technically never tell Remus about this. He could keep it a secret. He could grit his teeth and try to get over it. But the way Remus looked at him now as they lay under the stars… their eyes met and Sirius couldn’t explain it but something gave him a feeling that maybe he wasn’t the only one thinking about it. He could see a faint blush on Remus’ cheeks from when he’d called him a star. And he’s so close.

Sirius wasn’t quite sure what possessed him at that moment but he slowly inched closer to Remus. He leaned in and brushed his lips against Remus’ but Remus turned his head away from him, ending the kiss before it even started. Sirius moved back quickly. He didn’t want to invade Remus’ space, he didn't want to force himself on Remus.

“I’m sorry,” he said, so quietly he wasn’t sure Remus had heard him.

“Don’t be,” said Remus. He was looking at the floor. “I just…” He just what? Sirius waited. He wanted to help Remus along like he always did but didn’t know how. He was usually so good at understanding how to help Remus explain himself when words would fail him, how to prompt him without pushing him, but now… Sirius wished a hole in the ground would swallow him. He’d fucked up bad. Sirius didn’t want to pressure Remus so he stayed silent. But the silence was awkward and filled with tension.

“Maybe… maybe we should just…” started Remus, struggling to get out words, “maybe we should just stay… friends.” Sirius felt like someone had kicked him in the gut and knocked all the wind out of him. He bit his lip and it was all he could do to stop the tears rushing to his eyes, begging to spill onto his cheeks. He should have seen this coming. Why should Remus ever want to be with him? Just because he’s had feelings for Remus for the past few months, didn’t mean Remus returned those feelings. What was he thinking, trying to kiss Remus? He wished he hadn’t done it.

Sirius must have been delusional to believe that Remus might want him. Delusional or in love. Same difference, really, he thought. He couldn’t digest this. He felt sick. He turned away, afraid that he would vomit on Remus.

“If that’s what you want,” he said. His voice was feeble. It sounded empty and dead. He hoped Remus couldn’t hear how hurt Sirius felt. He didn’t want Remus to feel guilty. It wasn’t Remus’ fault that Sirius fucked everything up. It wasn’t Remus’ fault that Sirius had fallen in love. (Well, actually, one could argue that it’s entirely his fault, Sirius thought, I mean look at him! How am I supposed to not fall in love with him?) Sirius couldn’t look at Remus.

“Sirius, I—” Remus started. Sirius waited but Remus didn’t continue.

“I think I’ll go now,” Sirius said. He wasn’t whispering but his voice was very quiet. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.” He was, after all, breaking a school rule. And Remus was a prefect. He stood up without another word and Remus remained silent as Sirius started walking away. Sirius didn’t look back. He didn’t want to see Remus (his amber eyes that could go from tired to fiery in seconds; his soft, brown curls that he brushed away from his face with his hands; his small, sweet, addictive smile that came with a crinkle next to his eyes; his hands covered in scars; in other words, too fucking perfect for words), it would be too painful.

[laurie-stark]

Get up and get out

Summary: Sort of part two to Unwanted. A year after fighting in Germany, y/n has to deal with the insufferable Peter Parker being around the house all the time. 

Pairings: Peter Parker x stark!reader, tony stark x daughter!reader, Natasha Romanoff x daughter!reader. 

Warnings: swearing, angst? i guess? mentions of blood. mentions of panic nightmares 

A/N: Again, I want to make it very clear so there isn’t any confusion: Y/n is Tony’s biological child, however, being raised also by Natasha, Steve and Pepper, she calls them Muma, Pops and Mom. Hopefully that makes sense LOL oh and also i’ve never written like...kiss scenes before so just go with it okay?

He was here again. Third time this week that he has come barging into my home and taken over my training center. Okay, to be fair, it was not my training center but still. Peter Parker will never stop being a pain in my ass. Ever since that stupid trip to Germany, he has been coming over and training for hours, or working with Dad. Three times just this week I’ve had to endure listening to Peter talk with his stupid little voice and walk around my house like he owns the place. Who does he think he is? And every time I have to sit through another dinner of Dad blabbing on and on about what a miraculous boy he is.

               “Really y/n, I think you two would be great friends,” I rolled my eyes as I picked at my dinner. The rest of the family ate in silence around the table. The last thing I wanted to do is spend more time with stupid Spider-boy. On the afternoons when he was here, I tried my best to stay out of his way. I would stay on my floor and he stays on his. Simple. I don’t need a new friend.

“…And he’s coming by again tomorrow, so I was thinking of showing him A.P.R.I.L. if you wanted to join us-” Dad continued.

What the hell? I thought. “No!” I snapped. “No way. A.P.R.I.L. is mine, I don’t want him messing with her.” Dad frowned at me. The rest of the table looked up in my direction. My shoulders tensed up as I faced my father. A.P.R.I.L. is my baby and I was ready to go toe to toe with him if I needed too.

“What do you mean no? I thought you’d be excited to share that with him,” he started.

“Well I’m not, so back off,” I sneered. The shift in his expression made me want to bite my own tongue. “Please.”

“I seriously do not understand what your problem is. You’ve been complaining for years how there’s only adults but the second a kid your age comes by you’re all “oooh no don’t talk to me Peter!””

I scoffed. “Sorry, I guess I just don’t want to bother you and your new best friend.”

“There it is. Why are you so jealous of him? He’s not that cool. He hasn’t made a fully functioning A.I at the age of 15. He just spits sticky stuff out of his fingers. Honestly y/n, you’re making zero sense right now.”

“Whatever, I’m over this,” I said, pushing my chair back from the table. I grabbed my untouched dinner plate and headed towards the kitchen. “I’m not hungry. And don’t show him A.P.R.I.L., I mean it!” I dumped my plate in the sink and marched right down the hall towards the elevators. My dad was right. I wasn’t making any sense. Ever since I made A.P.R.I.L I’ve used every excuse I could find to shove her down people’s throats. Anyone who would listen to me, I would tell them. Tell them all about how I programmed her to have realistic personality. How she’s running through the walls of this place, through my room, even inside the bracelet I never take off. All I knew is that I didn’t want Peter Parker anywhere near her.

I shut the door to my hard, and flopped onto my bed. A.P.R.I.L. reminded me that slamming the doors usually results in a punishment. I acknowledged her with a half-hearted grunt. I started programming A.P.R.I.L. when I was thirteen. Or rather, reprogrammed. A.P.R.I.L. was made from an older prototype version of F.R.I.D.A.Y. The base stuff was already there, I just moved some things here, recoded there until she was perfect. I don’t know why I got so defensive about Peter meeting her. Or why I had to pick another fight with my dad.

It was easier these days. To fight him, I mean. I suppose I never got over the whole “Peter is better, I choose him over you, blah, blah” thing as much as I thought I did. So, I would pick fights. Fighting over Peter was the simplest way to go, considering he was the reason I was so angry in the first place. Sometimes we would fight over him, other times we would fight over silly things. Like how I keep forgetting not to put my coffee grounds in the garbage disposal. Most of the time it was all just bickering that would blow over in thirty minutes, give or take. Sometimes it was explosive, like today.  I took in a shaky breath and sprawled out across my sheets. Sometimes this family is a fucking nightmare.

Dad didn’t come by this time. It threw me off for a second because he always comes by. Even if it’s six hours later and neither of us should be awake, he still comes by with a box of milk duds that we share in silence before one of us apologizes first. That’s how we work. When it finally sunk in that he was not planning on coming, I put A.P.R.I.L. on the job. I figured perhaps he left the compound, maybe took Mom for a nighttime stroll.

“Your father is on floor B, Miss Stark,” A.P.R.I.L. informed me.

“Jesus A.P.R.I.L., how many times have I said to cut the formalities,” I muttered.

“My apologies, y/n.”

Floor B. What the hell is he doing on floor B at…12:00 in the morning? Floor B is strictly for members of household and other Avengers. There are a billion different training rooms down there. Weight rooms, boxing, a huge pool, stuff like that. Not to taint his image, but I can safely say the last time my father willingly worked out for fun was probably before I was even born. Why was he down there? Unless…

“A.P.R.I.L. who else is on floor B right now?” I asked. “Throw it on the hologram, would you dear?

The sounds of the hologram starting filled the room. A.P.R.I.L. pulled up the security map of floor B, like I’d asked. There was my dad, floor B in the boxing room of all places. Pops and Sam looked to be going at it in another one of the combat training rooms. My confusion only rose when another nametag popped up on the screen. My brows furrowed.

Peter Parker

What was he doing here? Why was he boxing? Why was he not in his own home at midnight on a Thursday? My mind was spinning with questions. A knock at my door startled me.

“Come in…”

Natasha popped her head through the doorway. “Hey there…whatcha doing kid?”

I swiftly swiped away the hologram screen and sat up straight. “Nothing. What’s up?”

“Well, we’re getting a little worried about you,” she said. We being everyone else at the table who had to witness my brawl with Dad. She sat down beside me. “You haven’t fought back like that in a long time and I’ve noticed you’re fighting with him a lot recently. You want to tell me what that’s all about?”

I wanted too. God, I wanted too. I hadn’t told anyone what my father said to me that day after the airport, not even my mom. But it didn’t matter. I’d get over it sooner or later, so there was no point troubling anyone else with my problems…right? My eyes started to well up but I blinked away the tears. “No. Everything’s fine,” I put on a smile.

Natasha tucked me in under her arm. “Okay then. Maybe tomorrow.” That was Muma for you. She never pushed me to talk but knew I would come around at some point. In the meantime, she just held me. I cried into her embrace. She let me cry into her shoulder for a long while, until I was empty. After a time, I let go and she got up, giving me a kiss on the head before wishing me a good night.

I rubbed my hands over my face, brushing off any remaining tears. “A.P.R.I.L. bring the hologram back up please.”

“Are you sure y/n?”

…

“Yeah.”

Peter was still in the boxing room but my father was not. Upon further digging, I found the nametag reading Tony Stark on my floor. He’d gone to bed. I pondered to myself as to whether or not I should venture downstairs. What is the worst thing that could happen? Peter is secretly a Hydra spy and kills me? No, I shook my head. Don’t be ridiculous. Another minute passed and I’d made up my mind.

“A.P.R.I.L. engage “I am definitely here”,” I commanded.

“”I am definitely here” protocol engaged. Volume minimized to 5% and your tracking tag will be pinned to this room,” A.P.R.I.L. responded. “Good luck on your mission small agent.”

“Oh shut up,” I chided. I closed the door to my room as softly as I could. It was nearly one in the morning, most of the hall would be asleep. Or at least they should be. The hallway was silent, except for the soft noise of my socks padding along the floor. I cursed myself for looking so ridiculous. If anyone caught me, I could easily say that I was just getting a midnight snack. Not sneaking down to spy on Spider-bitch. Boy. Whatever. Sneaking added to the excitement.

I made it downstairs all in one piece. Steve and Sam nearly passed me in one of the halls, but I had ducked into a briefing room. I could totally be a spy. Maybe I’m a Hydra spy. I thought. And they sent me here as a baby to take down the Avengers from the inside. What was I going on about? This was why I should really be in bed, I was clearly delirious. Once again, distracting myself in my thoughts led to me getting startled. I hadn’t even realized I was outside the boxing room. I would have walked right in if not for the handy wall that I smacked into.

Peter was in the ring, practicing his punches. He’d lowered down one of the punching bags from the ceiling and it was close to ripping at the seams. He was really going ham on it. The questions piled on. So, he came over to my house at midnight to…train? Something he had all afternoon today to do? God, he was weird. I suppose I didn’t quite know what I was going to get myself into when I finally walked in to confront him.

“What are you doing?” I asked, arms folded tightly across my chest.

Peter started and looked down at me. Sweat was dripping down his face. He looked exhausted. “Training,” he said bluntly. He returned to treating the punching bag like it had run over his dog.

“At one in the morning? And after you spent like six hours today doing just that?” I was not letting him off that easy. Peter ignored me and continued punching. “Your form is shit.” I mocked.

That made him stop. “Funny coming from the girl who never leaves her room. When have you ever trained? Like ever?”

“I still beat your ass.”

“Yeah like, a year ago when I was barely an avenger.”

I rolled my eyes. “You still aren’t.”

“What do you want?” Peter spat.

I shrugged. “Dunno.” I stared him down with a smug look on my face.

“You are always such a bitch, you know that?”

I faked a pout. “Aw…bite me.”

Peter was chewing the inside of his cheek in anger. “If you’re going to stay here and pester me, you might as well get a few punches in.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Consider it a rematch.”

I studied his physique for a moment. He’d grown a lot since Germany. He’d also trained a lot since then as well. I had done little of either. I knew that entering that ring would probably end up with me losing my dignity and maybe even a tooth. But I was not going to let him stand there with his stupid, sweaty face and get away with it. This is not a good idea, I thought as I took off my socks. I moved the ropes and stepped into the ring, standing a foot in front of the boy.

“I’ll still win.”

“No powers either.”

“Deal.” Not like I’ve touched my powers since…since the incident.

Peter took his stance and I did my best to mirror him. I realized in that moment that I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know the first thing about boxing. Or sparring. I didn’t know how to fight without my powers. Oh, sweet Jesus.

We kept our distance at first, fists up. He threw a few punches and missed. I followed in suit. I finally got the first hit, a nice throw to his chest. He took it like a champ and didn’t flinch. Or rather, I couldn’t hit for shit and it didn’t hurt. He threw a punch to my left, only to miss on purpose and punched me square across my jaw. Ow. I chuckled lowly. The taste of blood filled my mouth from the fresh cut on my lip. I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth. All I could see was white rage.

Forget form, forget rules, forget everything. I lunged at him with everything I had. Lunged at him for all the bullshit he had brought into my life. For all the bitter things I had to hear my father say that weren’t even Peter’s fault. He was clearly not expecting my attack because we both fell to the ground. We fought tirelessly on the mat. He was physically stronger than me, so by default he was winning. He wrestled me until I was pinned under him. One hand was pinning my hand above my head, the other arm pinning down my body. In any other circumstances I would be amused to find myself in such a scandal. I looked in his eyes briefly and I could already tell he thought that he was winning. If there’s one thing I learned from Nat, it’s to always step on their moment. I hooked my leg around his knee and used all my force to flip us over. I had him pinned down now, my hair falling around my face. We were both breathing heavily.

“Told you,” I taunted. I was mentally preparing him to punch back but he didn’t. He snapped his arms out from under me and shoved me off him, hard. I fell back against the mat. He rose to his feet, brushing his hands off on his pants. “What the hell?” I exclaimed. I jumped to my feet while his back was turned to me and gave him a taste of his own medicine. He stumbled a few steps after I pushed him. Slowly, he stretched back up to reach his full height.

“You’re right,” he turned to face me and extended a hand. “Shake on the truce?” I took his hand, accepting his surrender. Only, he was not really surrendering. The moment my hand touched his, he yanked me towards him. I tripped over my feet and fell into him. My chest crashed onto his. The world was a blur as he grabbed me with force and spun us around, so he could push me up against the ropes of the ring.

“Stop, Peter get off me you bitch!” I fought back. I flailed my whole body around, trying to break loose. One hand reached up to grab the back of my head, pulling my hair and forcing my head back. I froze. His face was dangerously close to my exposed neck. His shift let my opposite arm break free. I took a breathe and reeled it back, ready to smack him in the across the face. He caught my wrist in time without taking his eyes off mine.

He lowered his head to whisper in my ear, “I win.” His breathe trickled down my neck. He had won, but he wasn’t moving. One hand was still in my hair, the other was pinning me against the ropes. His chest breathed heavily against my own. His grip on my head loosened slightly and I was able to look him straight on. He had that same smug look pasted across his face. His eyes moved from mine, trailing down my face, my neck, my body, before they settled on my lips. I momentarily lost the ability to breathe.

He kissed me hard. I tensed up slightly before giving into him completely. It tasted like blood and sweat and I felt like I was losing my mind. He pulled me closer, if that was even possible and claimed my mouth with his until my knees gave out. A newfound wave of warm washed through me. The hand in my hair gave a slight tug and my lips parted while that same hand moved to cup my jaw. For all I knew, the entire compound was wide awake and watching but I did not care. I brought my fingers to his hair, tugging at the ends. I smiled cunningly when he groaned into my mouth. He kissed me greedily and fully. Like he hated me. And I hated him.

We broke apart, limbs numb and chests heaving. The moment had passed, and our actions sunk in. What. The. Fuck. He lifted the ropes for me, and I climbed out of the ring. My head was still spinning from that kiss and my lip stung. Consequences I suppose, for kissing someone with a busted lip. I silently pulled my socks back on and Peter handed me a towel. Neither of us said another word. I left the room and didn’t look back. I could hear him behind me, but I was in no rush to have to look him in the eye ever again. What just happened?

 I woke the next morning to A.P.R.I.L. alerting me that “Father Dearest” was outside my door. He came in and sat on the edge of the bed. We both stayed quiet for a while.

I spoke first. “Where were you last night? You didn’t come by after…” I let my words trail off.

“I was going to, I swear. But then something came up with Peter and I had to go take care of that,” Dad answered.

I frowned. “Typical. Peter over your own flesh and blood, right?”

Dad inhaled sharply like he was going to bite back, but changed his mind. “That’s not true and you know it. Peter is…he’s going through something and I knew how to help him. Not everything is about you, you narcissist,” He said, joking at the end.

I had to push down my own smile. “Yeah well where do you think I got it from?” I sat up and leaned into my father. He brushed a hand down my back. “So, what’s wrong with Peter then?”

“I really shouldn’t tell you, it’s personal.” I looked up at him with my doe eyes. He rolled his eyes and sighed, nodding a silent defeat. I felt like I was nine again and he was gossiping with me about the latest secretary. Like every fight had been forgotten in this moment. “He’s been having some nightmares ever since DC. You remember the ones we used to get after Loki?” I nodded. “Now you, you always amazed me at how you handled those. But for me and Peter, we needed a different outlet. So, I let him come over in the middle of the night. I didn’t think anyone would notice.” I hummed in response, not sure what to make of that information. I mean, I kind of felt bad for the guy. He was still a bitch, but those dreams suck. No one should have to deal with them. “He really isn’t as bad as you think, you know.”

“Yeah,” I hummed. “I think you’re right.”

tag list:

@runawayolives @ creation-magician @ eridanuswave @ markhyucksmells @ beep-beep-losersclub

[jiminrings]

yES vball coach jk pls about their first fight as a couple?? maybe??

mvp: first fight

pairing: jungkook x y/n

wordcount: 3k

glimpse: jungkook is more on the oblivious sLASH insensitive side, y/n’s outlet is hurling volleyballs against the wall, and yoongi just wants to cheer everyone up with his mascot suit :D

notes: another coach koo drabble because i am unhinged <3

read mvp, the piece that started off y/n and koo!! + in which jungkook is extra clingy

you’re rEALLY used to jungkook being affectionate and clingy

no surprise really

he’s practically attached to you by the hip atleast in four out of the seven days in the week

but there’s something

just sOmething different with the way he’s hugging you from behind right now

and the trail of kisses from your shoulder to your jaw is gentle and nOt playful

almost as if he’s done something wrong and he’s making up for it

aha

....... aha ........?

“did you accidentally drop one of my succulents more than a hundred feet down again?”

jungkook doesn’t even tense up at that and you take it as a signal that he didn’t

gOOD because you are running out of lil succulents and jimin’s running out of name ideas for the lil guys

your boyfriend only huffs and frowns because for the last time he did not sabotage mr. prick !!! he was in the balcony holding him out in the sun when a giAnt dove suddenly flew to him and that’s when he panicked

“did you eat jimin’s special pasta and you’re now asking me for immunity?”

“no but thank you for letting me know”

ok that’s it

you break free from his back hug and face jungkook with an inquiring look and he shrinks at the thought of what he’s gonna say next

“then tell me what’s going on, koo.”

“it’s- uhm,” jungkook turns you around again and rests his chin on your shoulder because he’d rather not see your reaction

he knows you’re probably gonna give him the most pleading puppy dog eyes and maybe he’d cave right then and there with nO questions asked

“you know our date by the end of this week?”

“yeah!! oh my god i’m sO excited-“ you immediately gush because actually things have been so busy for the both of you and this is the perfect chance for relieving stress bUt-

“oh.”

“have to drive upstate for this workshop for coaches, baby. it’s something new for us before the season starts and uH well it’s gonna last for three days.,.,.”

three days

that’s cool :D

the season is about to start and so the pressure is on if your team could make this a back-to-back win :D

of course practice is hArd as it should be just so everyone’s on their toes as skilled and as in shape one could be

the heat is SIZZLING in this kitchen

there’s no time for slacking around

frankly, date night fell onto one of the only days that there’s gonna be a break in your team’s schedule :)))

not that it mATTERS or anything like that

you’re also pressured because your comeback after ur iconic injury that was televised made you even mOre highly-anticipated

you’re gonna bREAK one of these days ur very sure of it

“it’s okay, jungkook. it’s out of my reach anyways :))”

uGh what did he do to deserve such a precious understanding thing like you are

you’ve guess you gotten a tad bit better in your acting skills then because your boyfriend doesn’t suspect a single tHing

all ur monitoring and taehyung forcing you to watch and critique him as he practices for his auditions is paying off!!

“tae i think we both know that i’m nOt qualified to give you acting pointers!!”

“which is eXACTLY my point!! that’s why i called up my most clueless and unwilling friend ever!!! because if it’s good enough for a no-brained then it would be the bEST for people with-...”

“ok that was rude :((“

he kissed your cheek as an apology and promised to dine out with you for honey-glazed chicken and sUddenly you’re not plotting to hit tae with a volleyball to the head “accidentally” during practice tomorrow <3

but unlike taehyung, jungkook can’t fix it up with a single kiss to the cheek

you can’t help but feel upset ok it’s in your nature!!

your momentum’s deflated and the little itty bitty hope that you and jungkook can be there for each other is now cRUSHED

“i’ll miss you.”

jungkook’s heart whooshes at the feeling of you hugging him just sO dearly that he’s very tempted to just ditch this

him hugging you back with the same intesity doesn’t make it better because rn you’re mumbling to his chest

“i’ll miss you mORE :((“

ok even jimin’s gonna miss kook

his heart also goes out for you because he knows you’re beyond stressed with your comeback and all that

jimin saw you eating cereal one morning when kook wasn’t by your side because he was over at his oWN apartment

can u believe it,,, jungkook having his own apartment yet mOST of the time he stays over and even eats jimin’s stock of cold marshmallows by the fridge <3

anyways u were eating cereal and then suddenly jimin was practically alerted awake when you mumbled out of nowhere

“do you think i could serve a float as good as this cereal does?”

that was clearly a red flag that you ventured too far out into your spiral of worry because fIRST of all

yeah you do love volleyball of course!!!

but often it’s nice that not every second you spend revolves around it y’know

if your practice is done and your games are over that’s it nO more talking about volleyball pls

you could manage with the occasional praising for each other’s play over meals and rides and all that

but you don’t want anything more because it’s just can we please talk about things other than volleyball PLEASE

at the start you thought it would be difficult because well :D you are living with your best friend that happens to be your assistant coach :D

but surprisingly it was easy!! jimin shared those exact same thoughts and your flow of conversation (that doesn’t include your athleticism nor profession) is endless at this point

even became easier because now your boyfriend is the coach and he’s practically living with you

that startled jimin because you hATE talking about volleyball so early in the morning and especially over breakfast

but here you were...

talking about your damn floats just from looking in too much at your cereal

“hey, it’s okay!! we’ll get you through these three days just fine!!”

jimin hugs you as soon as jungkook takes off because he can’t have you dwelling and moping now can he

you’re just mumbling in defenseless against his chest because you obviOusly can’t do anything about it

you were tempted to pluck out his wallet just so he’d get back for it but jimin was looking at you from across the room

you were at the planning stage and jimin’s aLREADY at the scolding stage

three days!!! just three ridiculously-pressured, nerve-wracking, mind-boggling days!!

how hard could it be??

aha

spoiler alert: it is immensely hard :D

you’re so nervous and jittery to the point yoongi was concerned with how much coffee you drank and that’s coming from hIM

then you told him you drank none and you swear he ceased functioning after that

jimin had to drag you out every twenty minutes because either you were being too gentle or being too harsh that he winces himself when you spike tOO hard

and that could only mean one thing

you’re on spiral number two

which means you are nOw inseparable from volleyball

by day two you were no longer moping about jungkook’s absence and his inherent ability to calm you down

no you are even bArely thinking about him :D

you now breathe speak exhale volleyball

y/n’s monster rage play kept appearing even when you’re just against the players in your own team and now they r getting cranky little by little

they serve and then you sLAM

jimin had to call out a break for you forcibly and even used his official I’m The Coach Don’t Complain voice on you that you hate :((

“now you’re getting TOO much into playing!!”

“i don’t get what you mean, minnie!! i’m perfectly fine!! hey, wanna split the shipping fee? i added these new sports bras and shorts to my cart, you should totally add what you want to my cart so tHAT way i won’t have to pay so much and-...”

okay time-out that’s cLEARLY a time-out for you

you’re now way too much into your thoughts and that calls for a group hug

you just need a distraction, that’s all!!

jimin had to drag you over so that the both of you could go a few floors down to yoongi and tae’s apartment for move night

and there’s them giving you the reigns because well you just wanted to feel like you have control aNd that you’re not completely losing it aha

taehyung gives the best sitting cuddles as he’s at the far-end of the couch and he’s perfectly drooped for you to feel secure

jungkook nORMALLY would be annoyed when tae gets a little too cuddly but aight it’s cool no worries!! he’s just... standing in for a pillow

speaking of jungkook

well to be honest he’s doing good!! yes he does miss you but not to the degree that yOU do because well he’s just oblivious like that

there were some drills that the coaches were the ones that needed to be the players and well :D let’s just say he killed that part tOO good

for the first time after a long time, jungkook took down notes

n o t e s

wow he’s going so far he really is a coach

he also got to reconnect with some of his friend and not to brag but maybe he IS the blueprint for being the player to the coach lol

there was a no-phones rule and he could only call you on his lunch breaks and when he’s about to sleep or when the bathrooms are all empty

“can’t wait to see you tomorrow, koo :((“

“why did you miss mE?? :D”

he’s still as insufferable as ever even when he’s in a different state and you’d have to keep your chuckles down or else jimin’s gonna confiscate your phone

there’s some raining in jungkook’s background and you wonder why it was sO heavy

aha actually kook had to go outside because signal wasn’t exactly the best inside hence the louder patter

not to be that cheesy but talking to him just relieves you of your stress and it makes you pout because okay you’ll see him tOmorrow!!

“more than you know.”

ok

cool

there’s uh

there’s a tiny hitch

well jungkook was supposed to come tonight and well he ISN’T here

you’ve tried calling him and even got yoongi help you out by texting him and jungkook doesn’t even dare to try and ignore his hyung’s texts

now you’re in panic because wHY exactly didn’t he come home??

and there’s all these worst-case scenarios running through your head but that’s when he sends you a text late in the morning that woke you up

“sorry!! the organizers needed me to stay late. i’ll see you tomorrow :))”

that wasn’t exactly right

and uH jungkook wasn’t exactly telling the truth

it’s just a minor white lie he needed to say for you to not worry!!!

uhm so

well it was raining cats and dogs right??

IT WAS FLOODING

and jungkook didn’t want to risk cooky (that’s what he named his car do nOT question him) breaking down with all the water and the pressure so he’s uh

he’s not coming home tonight

lisa noticed his struggle right when they walked out of the complex and she offered generously

“jungkook!! do you wanna sleep over at my place tonight? i live pretty near anyway. i’ll drive you over to your car in the morning!!”

wow

she’s so kind and considerate!!! :D great idea lisa thank u very much

they even had ramen together and watched some netflix, kook just slept in the guest room, woke up, and the next day lisa drove him to his car and that’s it!!

he’s back to you easy-peasy and you gave him the tightest hug ever

that’s where the problem lies though

because jungkook didn’t tell you and you don’t know the truth either

which is why yoongi is in your apartment and has been looking at you for the past five minutes while he’s unmoved on your couch

jungkook was over to their apartment to help taehyung with his PC build and yoongi is here aPPARENTLY to just have some snacks with you

that doesn’t seem to be the case because he’s lost in his thought and is fidgeting and??? he doesn’t normally fidget when you’re making him a grilled cheese sandwich lol

“why did jungkook come home a day later than he was supposed to?”

what now

the workshop was long done by a week now and you’re lost at wHy yoongi is asking this now

“oh! he said the organizers needed him to stay later. you know how jungkook’s a bit famous with them, yoongs”

yoongi flatlines at that because uh

that’s w eird

oh god how is he gonna tell you this

yoongi just pulls out his phone with an all-telling screenshot and he’s preparing himself to deal with whatever reaction you give him

it’s a story, actually

harmless if you think about it

and the username and whom it belongs to is sO familiar

not to mention the more than familiar tattooed hand holding the chopsticks to sink into their bowl of ramen

oh

.... oh

“yoongi?”

that is too soft for your tone

something so chilling that yoongi is hesitant to even answer you

“can you bring in jungkook for me?”

oh my gOd you don’t know how to feel

you’re trying to contain yourself because maybe you’ve just misunderstood the situation

althought it’s too fucking hard for your sake, because as far as you remember, jungkook’s ex-girlfriend ISN’T the organizer for this workshop

was it even a workshop in the first place

jungkook wouldn’t cheat on you!!!

... would he??

you’re practically trembling when you ask yoongi to send you the picture and he attempts to hug you and cradle for a bit but you just stay sTILL

“i didn’t tell you because i didn’t want you to worry about me”

now jungkook is a bit confused when yoongi told him to go back to the apartment, no questions asked

and you’re looking kind of rattled which is why he’s starting to get worried

“jungkook, i’m gonna worry of you regardless!! i can’t stop floods and it’s unavoidable but wHY didn’t you tell me?”

“tell you what?”

god you’re gonna pull your hair out

he’s still playing coy of how he didn’t sleep over at lisa’s and it’s irking you right underneath your skin

“that you slept over at your ex-girlfriend’s house and didn’t even tell me!!”

okay now that’s when jungkook ticks

he doesn’t see the problem with it

“what’s wrong with that?? it was flooding and i knew no one else!! a state of emergency, don’t you think?”

“nO jungkook i get that! but what i can’t get is why you needed to lie to me!! you could’ve told the truth and i would’ve understood better!”

ugh this is just sO pointless

he doesn’t really wanna argue with you right now over something that shouldn’t be argued about in the first place

“you’re overreacting, stop it.”

“oh yeah?? it’s okay with you if i go to a workshop by myself, and sleep over at my ex-boyfriend’s place, and not tell you???”

you’re trying your best to not cry then and there because you so badly want to stand by your point against jungkook

“of course,” he’s even more stubborn than you are and he only kisses his teeth as you ask him

“because unlike you, i’m not controlling!”

oh

oh god

that’s when the line is drawn and you just can’t take it anymore

he’s so fired up that he huffs and walks out of the apartment while slamming the door harshly

...

....

things aren’t really going well

practice is still on even if jimin offered that you take a sick leave after hearing about what happened

you’re not gonna chicken out from practice just because jungkook’s gonna be there

plus it’s not like you haven’t ignored him before at practice

meanwhile jungkook is dYing on the inside because oh god he really screwed up big-time

his apartment is too spacious and too quiet and that just meant him regretting extra

this situation felt all too familiar

jungkook hates himself because he feels like he’s done nothing but to to just give you hurt :(((

it’s him going to the gym much earlier than usual and waiting by the door

it’s him trying to get your attention and you being set on tolerating none of it

he already did that last time

but tHIS time it’s with him as your boyfriend and maybe it hurts a little bit more

he hasn’t slept properly for god knows how long

(( actually it’s been just two days ))

you don’t try to contact him nor even think about him because as per his words, you’re controlling!!!

yoongi tries to assure you as much as you can that you aren’t

he’s the only one that could get to you because well he’s the one that took this up to you

and you avoid getting jimin into this because you feel like he’s tired with all this back and forth of trying to pick you up

oh god you aren’t a burden, right??

right???

pls say right

yoongi is admittedly not the best when it comes to comforting people but he is there and that’s what matters

even brought out the mascot suit to bring out a giggle or two

and he likes you better when you’re happy so he goes ham on trying to do those cartwheels he’s mastered

anything to put a smile on your face

he was about to do the backflip he did when you showcased your rage play and you had to physically stop him because nO i will not risk you getting a concussion just trying to make me happy

you can’t avoid each other for this long

sooner or later you need to talk about what happened and from then on could you do something about it

atleast jimin knows this much

and as hesitant as he is to let jungkook in again, he knows that this is for the better and that you’re both miserable (the other is much much worse and it isn’t you)

which is why jimin let the door open wordlessly before going on the lift to stay over at tae’s and yoongi’s for a few hours

or whenever you need him to come back

because jungkook’s right in front of you and you can’t even look at him in the eye

gOd there’s only so much you can do

“i’m sorry.”

that’s what makes it even worse though

because you’re the one who apologized first and fuck that just makes jungkook wince

he’s whimpering the moment he hears you and he’d be sobbing if only he didn’t desperately want to talk to you

“why are you apologizing when you’re not even the one at fault?”

it’s the added blow because fuck you are tOO good for him and he doesn’t deserve you :(((

“you’re not controlling. i was just being an insensitive boyfriend and a shitty one at that”

jungkook’s knees buckle and he’s kneeling right in front of you and it immediately gets you trying to lift him back up

the sight itself also makes you tear up a bit because you just wanna talk!! you don’t want him kneeling as if you’re a saint and all that :((

“i’ll — we’ll work through this, right?? i can — i can still m-make it up to you, right?”

jungkook’s looking up at you with the biggest and most pleading eyes you’ve ever seen and perhaps he was even scAred to ask the question,,, in fear that he’s only just convincing himself that he could

that makes his lip tremble again because the alternate outcome of your first fight absolutely ending your relationship is enOugh to shatter him to pieces

he’s about to bow his head again but this time you put your hands on his cheeks, making you look up at him as he tries to compose himself

“we’ll work it out.”

[angelguk]

the (not really a) prerequisite to the things i never told you fic! jk is drunk and stupid. oc is stubborn and stupid. but she takes care of jk because who will if not her. alternatively the one where jk asks you to hold his dick.  2k words of jk being stupid. warning drug usage in this 1

Jeongguk shouldn't look cute but he does. It's a disappointing realization on your part if you're being honest with yourself. The pits of his shirt are stained dark, damp with his sweat and his jeans look like they've gotten five new rips revealing his sun-kissed burly thighs. He reeks of alcohol, even from the distance you're standing at. Probably the remnants of the vile concoction you'd spied Jimin mixing in the kitchen. Someone should keep that boy away from liquor before he accidentally sends someone to the ICU. You have a sneaky suspicion that Jeongguk will be his first victim, evident from the way he staggers up the stairs to your apartment.

"Jeongguk?" You offer into the early morning air. You'd checked the time before you'd grabbed a sweater and headed out to find him. It was nearing five and the melodious chirping of the birds was starting to infiltrate the misty air.

He grunts in response, taking a precarious step upward. Which he immediately misses. You move fast enough down the stairs to grab at his shirt before he tips backwards and tumbles down to the tarmac road of your parking lot. You'd rather not drive to the hospital at this time in the morning.

"Bro, what the fuck? How drunk are you?" It's hard to hold up Jeongguk's weight when he's literally all just pure muscle. But he's leaning onto you anyway, eyes half-closed and a suspicious red mark on his face. You peer at it again when Jeongguk dumps his head into the hollow of your neck. It's a dick drawing. Of course.

"M not tha drunk." He muffles it into your skin, swaying violently on the edge of the staircase.

"Yeah, you're not," You scoff back, snaking your arms around his waist so you can support him. Jeongguk doesn't protest against your grip, melting smoothly against your body as you drag him up to your apartment door.

"Who dropped you?" You question. You'd left Jeongguk at the party and arrived home around at three in the morning. Only two precious hours of sleep before your best friend came knocking at your door.

"Taehyung," He murmurs before he burps right into neck.

"You fucking pig! Do that again and I'll leave you here." You threaten. You want to push his head away from you but you'll afraid that'll trigger the projectile vomit threatening to rip from his mouth.

"Sorry," He mumbles, nestling himself further into your frame. Which doesn't even work the way he wants it too because you're a dwarf and Jeongguk thinks he's six feet (he's 5'11'' but whatever strokes his massive ego).

"Are you gonna throw up?" You've reached your door now. It's unlocked, so you use your foot to kick it open.

"Don't think so." It's not reassuring in the slightest. But you hope he's telling the truth.

You make it to your bedroom easily enough. Dayoung isn’t home thank god. She's complained about Jeongguk's drunken sleepovers too many times. But at this point you were starting to feel the same - Jeongguk only ever showed up to your house when he was completely and utterly smashed beyond words.

"Why don't you ever sleep at your home?" You question. Jeongguk's flopped onto your bed and you're on the ground, untying his shoes because you don't want whatever he'd stepped on smearing on your floor.

"It's nice here," He replies, his words slurring together. "You're here. And you take care of me. I don't wanna be alone."

You pause at that, something ticking in your chest. The emotions bleed together until you can't distinguish irritation from longing. It's so stupid, how Jeongguk makes you feel. Some part of you wants to bop his nose and the other wants to punch his face. There's a thin line there - between love and hate.

The air is heavy with your silence, but you can't think of anything to fill it up with. But you suspect Jeongguk has already succumbed to sleep from the gentle rise and fall of his chest. There's a huge stain on his sweatshirt and you briefly consider taking it off and tossing it in your laundry pile. It wouldn't hurt to wash it up for him. But then you remember that he's probably wearing nothing underneath and you'd rather gouge your eyes out then have Jeongguk naked in your bed.

You toss his shoes into a corner and snatch some blankets for him to cuddle under. There was no way you could lift the sheets up from beneath him, what with Jeongguk T-posing onto your comforter. So blankets it was.

You've only settled in for less than a minute when Jeongguk grumbles awake, eyebrows furrowed in the cutest way possible.

"Um. Y/N?" He croaks out. "We have a problem."

"I swear to god if you puke on my bed I will castrate you, you son of-"

"I'm not going to puke on your bed! However," He turns his head in your direction. The long chestnut strands of his hair curling around his face, framing his features perfectly. Your fingers itch to push them back. "I might piss on it."

You kick him so hard that he tips onto the floor, groaning loudly. You feel bad at that moment when the thud of his ass hits your hardwood floors and echoes through your room.

"Shit! Sorry, I didn't mean too-"

"You did!"

"You're the one threatening to piss on my bed!"

"And kicking me off it is going to help? I'll just piss on your floor!"

"Jeongguk you have functioning legs! The bathroom is right there!"

There's a halt in your argument then. You peer over the edge of your bed to find Jeongguk curled into himself, face twisted like he's struggled to keep his bowls from erupting onto your floor. His eyes are wide open though, pupils dark.

"Jesus fuck what is wrong with you?"

"Eh. Might have smoked with the guys."

"Are you crossfaded? Jeongguk are you fucking stupid?"

"Maybe."

You're at a loss for words. You don't want to judge him for experimenting, but he was tripping balls on your bedroom floor, threatening to piss on it for god's sake. You didn't know college would make him this stupid.

"So what's stopping you from heading to the bathroom?" You ask instead, getting on the floor beside him. You would offer him water but that's like adding fuel to the fire.

"Honestly? My legs kind of, aren't there?"

"Jeongguk...Your legs are attached to your body."

"But like, I can't feel them. They're like...gone?"

You sigh heavily, hands reaching out to get him upright. Jeongguk winces when you do, the pressure on his bladder hurting. "How much did you smoke?"

"Not that much. I'm not tripping badly. I just really need to pee," Jeongguk insists.

"What? Do you need me to help you get to the bathroom, or?"

"That and," Jeongguk falls silent. You can see him considering his options before he opens his mouth again. "Could you maybe...hold my dick too?"

You blanch at that. Your brain refuses to process the statement. But then Jeongguk is poking your arm and you have to come to terms with reality.

"You want me to do what?"

"My aim is gonna be kind of shoddy and unless you want your walls covered in piss-"

"Jeongguk you are not five," You hiss.

"My motor skills are impaired babes. Just do this for me, please. I'll buy you breakfast tomorrow."

"You mean today." The sun is already starting to break through the dark blanket of the night and the birds are getting louder, but not loud enough to drown out the drumming of your blood in your head.

"Yeah, today. Whatever. Just help me out." He does that pout that turns you into putty. You want to say no, but you really can't. A part of you hates Jeongguk for how easily he manipulates you into doing what he wants.

"Fine. Get up." Jeongguk grins broadly at that, his brown eyes glittering. Your heart betrays you with how fast it beats. This isn't fair in the slightest.

In the bathroom, Jeongguk whines about how bright the lights are, but his lips clamp together when your hands land on the zipper of his jeans. You tug it down without much thought. He doesn't move however, a heaviness in the air that you can feel on your skin.

"Um. Take your dick out, you dimwit," You grumble. You turn your gaze away when he finally fumbles himself out his pants. It's so quiet in the bathroom. The air feels like it's closing in on you. The heat in your cheeks isn't helping either. You want this to be short. A memory you'll hopefully never remember. But even despite the dwindling liquor in your system, your mind feels very awake. You know this is going to be burned into your mind forever. It kind of makes you want to scream. The first time you'll ever hold Jeongguk's dick is to help him pee.

The absurdity of it all encourages a giggle from your throat. But then Jeongguk elbows you harshly.

"Give me your hand," he whispers. Jeongguk spots the smile on your face and frowns. Your smile immediately vanishes as you shove your hand into his palm.

"Here," You mumble, turning your eyes to the ceiling above you. Jeongguk takes it gingerly and a moment later you have to stop yourself from violently gagging when he wraps your fingers around his flaccid dick.

"God penises are gross," You mutter. Your voice bounces off the bathroom tiles, sounding much louder than you anticipated.

Jeongguk sighs in response, but then you feel his eyes on you. "You're going to have to look at it, you know."

"I'd rather not."

"Your aim is going to be worse than mine."

"I don't care."

"Okay," Jeongguk says it nonchalantly, but if his pee gets on your walls you will make him clean that shit up. You hope he knows that.

There's a trickle that hits the toilet water a beat later, and it takes everything in you to not throw up. You keep your hand steady as best as you can. Jeongguk tries to help you by leaning against the wall above the toilet, the angle a little bit better for this scenario but worse for you, because you're now plastered against his sweat covered back.

You count down the seconds until he's done, despising the little sighs Jeongguk lets out of his mouth. When the sound finally stops you breath, not realizing you've been holding your breath in the whole time.

"I'm finished." You move to drop his dick but Jeongguk's firm fingers stop you. "Gotta shake it."

"I've gotta do what?! You're fully capable of shaking your dick, you-" His fingers are wrapped around your own and he gives himself a couple of good shakes before tucking himself back into his pants. You stand there in shock the whole time, unable to piece together the situation happening to you. It’s only when Jeongguk pulls away from you, your palm feeling like it's been branded with the imprint of his flaccid dick, that you finally process what just happened.

He deserves the kick you give him. But instead of saying anything, Jeongguk just smiles, cradling his knee. At least his ears are tinged rouge, but that's nothing in comparison to the heat you feel burning on your face.

"I hate you." You finally say, moving to the sink to scrub your hands.

"You don't." Jeongguk retorts, ruffling his hair. You hate that he's right. "And uh, thank you."

"Don't even mention this to anyone. This never happened, "You reply. Your hands are red from how hard you're scrubbing them. "And wash your hands you pig."

He shuffles to the sink beside you, a small smile curling his lips upward. "You're awesome, you know that."

"I just held your dick for you while you pissed. Please shut up."

He quirks an eyebrow. "I thought we weren't meant to talk about that."

You kick him again. Hard.

[madd-devil]

That's what I did instead of finishing my homework

You know the deal: smut, swearing

***********************

You were sleeping peacefully in your bed, only wearing a large t-shirt (that you actually stole from Felix) and some panties on. Being one of the two children Regina Mills adopted a long time ago, people thought at first you were the perfect little girl, only getting good grades, being polite with everyone but you shared more things on the evil side that on the good heroic side. After the curse broke, you asked Regina to teach you magic and she did, of course, you told her it was for safety measures. It really was not. For once in your life, you could do what you want thanks to magic, including spending a lot of times with the former second in command of Peter Pan. 

Were you jealous when everyone was panicking because Henry was kidnapped? Absolutely. But did you regret following them on Neverland? No. After Peter Pan’s defeat, the adults had decided to take every willing lost one back home and they forced the tall boy aka Felix on the ship, to have “a better life”, something the boy was hardly believing in. After the few days in Storybrooke, you found yourself talking more and more to Felix, who was jailed for whatever reasons. He was very disoriented at first but thanks to you, he learnt quick how this world was functioning. And thanks to your pretty eyes and your pretty face of the good girl who wanted to help the bad guy, Prince Charming accepted to let Felix live, but under your responsibilities.

You had to admit, you were fascinated by Felix. How could you not? Everything about him was magical and exotic. He was quite innocent at first, not understanding anything about modern life, especially when it came to technology (but as a gift you gave him one of your former phone) but he quickly show his dirty side after some days passed with you. You didn’t know why but you felt like something was linking you to him. You wanted nothing more than being pressed against him and feeling his kisses on your skin. 

You turned in your sleep, and felt something warm on your mouth. You immediately woke up and glared at the person who was in fact, Felix. He must have climb all the way to your room thanks to his skills in climbing. You rolled your eyes and glanced at your opened window. 

“You could have at least closed it when you entered my room…” You whispered as you watched the tall and slim boy closing it.

“Oh come on, I know you’re scared. But nobody saw me climbing and no one suspect our activities.” He purred as he fell on the bed, next to you.

“I mean, I am more scared of you being put back in jail than me being forced to stay in my bedroom for months. If someone knows, we’re-”

“We’re dead, I know.” He finished kissing you softly. 

Your hands immediately flew to Felix’s hair, tugging on it, urging him to kiss you more and harder. You then helped him remove his jacket, then his shirt that you threw near your own laundry basket.

“I dare you to steal it.” He growled in your ears, sending shivers down your spine. 

“What? Don’t you like when i wear your clothes?” You asked innocently as Felix pushed you into the bed.

“You’re worried about us being discovered but if someone saw you in my clothes, our relationship will be pretty much over. And I bet you don’t want that, do you?”

You moaned as you felt the boy’s hand creeping under your shirt. You had missed his touch so much over the past days. You were on a bit of bad terms with Regina at the moment, mainly because you kind of stole a powerful magic book and started to learn powerful spells all by yourself. You just wanted to learn more but no one wanted to teach you so you took the matter into your own hands. 

You removed the shirt quickly, feeling the need to press yourself against Felix, who of course helped you in this hard task. His hands started to roam on your chest and you moaned in his touch but you quickly grew for more. You bite into Felix’s shoulder, sinking your teeth deep into his tender skin. The boy didn’t protest but chuckled instead. 

“What are you doing?”

“Leaving marks. In case other people don’t see who you belong with.” You whispered as you looked at the wound. He could hide it easily but knowing him, he won’t. 

“You don’t look like her but you share so much qualities with your mother-”

“Adoptive mother.”

“Right.” 

You shut him up with a kiss, trying to take the control for once. Of course it didn’t last long: Felix pushed you against your bed roughly. You only hoped your adoptive brother and mother were sleeping or else you will have big troubles. You shook your head, deciding to not think about it and rather started to focus on your lover who was removing his last clothes. You smiled as he crawled toward you. Dear god, you loved him so fucking much. You felt like a prey, a little deer, who was going to be eaten by a big and bad wolf. That was one of the many reasons why you absolutely loved Felix: everything about him was dangerous and he made you feel like a dangerous woman too. It was so pleasant to have someone like that and not those goody old shoes boys who tried to court you many times at school.

You gasped as you felt his member entering your womanhood in one swift and rough motion. You definitely tried to be quiet, not wanting to awake anyone in the house. Felix was being too loud also so you kissed him, slipping your tongue between his lips and battling with dominance with him. The tall boy quickly overcame you. Your hands were clawing at his back as his pace quickened. 

“Oh please, harder.” You tried to murmure as pleasure started to bloom through your body.

Felix gave you the smirk, the one that meant he was going to destroy you and you will be unable to walk for a few days. He wasn’t holding back and he knew how to please you. He knew the right spots after exploring your body many times. Your moans were getting louder and louder and you felt yourself coming. After whispering the boy’s name in the crook of his neck while riding your orgasm, you left Felix to finish, still thrusting in and out of you. Tho, you were leaving sloppy and small butterfly kisses on his flesh. He came some minutes afterwards, inside of you with a soft moan.

You rolled your eyes at that and started to feel thankful of your skills in potions. Who knew there were so many potions to not be pregnant after a wild night? Felix exited your womanhood and fell next to you, breathing heavily. You took a small glass bottle from under your bed and drank it right away. The taste was not very good but you would take it since it meant you won’t be with child and getting diseases. You glanced at Felix and his adorable and tired face. His hair was glued on his forehead and sweat had pearled on his body. You lied next to the blond haired boy, facing him with a smile.

“So, I guess I will sleep here tonight.” He yawned as he slipped under the covers.

“Yes you are. I will wake up early tomorrow, so I can clean the mess we made up. No one will come.” 

“Good, because I don’t want to deal with a freaking evil queen screaming at me for perverting her darling daughter.”

“I could fight her.” You told him in a serious tone, staring at his cold blue eyes. “If she dare to lay a hand on you or throw you a fireball, I will fight her.” 

Felix laughed softly and took you in his arms. God it felt so good. You felt like you were the luckiest girl in the whole Storybrooke. You could be yourself with Felix. You were so tired of appearing at the side of the good ones. You started to cuddle with him, feeling safe within his arms and fell asleep right away.

You woke up to a gasp. You and Felix opened your eyes at the same time and glanced toward the door of your big bedroom. You groaned at the sight of the person standing up in the doorway. It was none other than Henry Mills, your adoptive and annoying little brother who will surely tell everything to Regina. You needed to stop him right away. You took a shirt and your panties, threw them on yourself and chased the boy who was already outside. You took him by the collar of his pajamas shirt and threw him in his bedroom, using your magic to get in there. You glared at him.

“Tell her and I will make you suffer.”

“You wouldn’t dare do that!”

“Watch me.” You threatened, as you took one of his beloved comic books (not a precious one, you weren’t a monster yet) and destroyed it. “So this will be our secret, alright?”

Your adoptive brother nodded eagerly before both of you left his bedroom. He climbed down the stairs to greet your mother and eat his breakfast while you strolled and entered your bedroom. Felix was up and getting dressed.

“So?”

“The little snitch won’t tell anything. I made sure of it. I should start learning a forgetting memory spell.” You said as you took a sweatpant and a tank top out of your closet. “Don’t forget your other shirt.”

“Thanks, I will never wash it.” He grinned as he took the shirt you were supposedly sleeping in. 

He stopped by the window, looking if someone you both knew was there before opening it. Of course, he kissed you goodbye and jumped down before running back to where he was living. You blew him a kiss on the way, with a soft smile, to wish him good luck. You just hoped the Charmings didn’t notice him leaving in the middle of the night.

[snowe-zolynn-rogers]

Pairings: Roman x His Mystery Boyfriend

Word Count: 1,459 Words

Summary: Deceit loves his dog, grocery shopping, and the anxiety twins drop off the dark sides something special.

Warnings: Sex Mentions, Cursing, Death Mention, Food Mention, Slight Body Horror Kind Of?, Sick Character, Immunocompromised Character, Aggressive Affection (aka Virgil’s way of showing love), Drug Mention, let me know if I should tag anything else.

Note: This chapter is pre-SvS, by the way. Bolded and blockquoted are actions in their chatroom, not a message.

Usernames, a quick translation guide: Andy: Raccoon Man (the trashiest hero), Dayd: carniverousroomba, Dice: Dr. Bitch, Emile: Thera-pissed, Janus: SnekBoi, Logan: Momgan, October: eatpavementido, Patton: Papa Bear, Pryce: SwEeTvErUcA, Remus: Octopussy, Remy: Coffee Bandit, Roman: waaahluigi, Teal: uwu, Thomas: shrexy, Virgil: spipples

A Very Sanders Group Chat: Chapter 5

8:46AM

SnekBoi: I love Boogey, he's the light of my life and I would kill a man for him if he needed me to.

shrexy: Your dog? What happened?

SnekBoi: My absolute greatest boy ever just helped me get up and I owe him the world and maybe some extra snacks because he's not used to helping me get up anymore but he did it anyway.

Octopussy: you absolute fool, you full well know I would've come up and helped you but you have the dog help?

SnekBoi: I severely doubt you wanted me to wait to get up just so I could puke on you.

Octopussy: fair enough.

spipples: I just can't believe you have to give up another two plus years for this same bullshit again.

SnekBoi: I'll be fine. I've did this before, I can do it again.

spipples: I just hate that you have to do it all over again.

SnekBoi: Well, I did the month's stay in the hospital again right before I started working again and I was on my second stage of treatment, but I'm getting re-admitted for another month tomorrow, since my progress is now going backward ever since my fever and there's no signs yet that the first treatment worked so I'll have to do that stage again.

Dr. Bitch: Yeah, I wanna get you through the treatment again because, otherwise, it won't go away and, as much as I love you, I really don't wanna see you every day if if means I'm seeing you not healthy and I sure as hell don't wanna see you close to your deathbed.

SnekBoi: I know, healthy is the goal, I get it. Anyway, I have some exhaustion to deal with, I feel like a corpse.

Octopussy: cool, can I do an autopsy on you?

SnekBoi: If it means death, I will accept.

Dr. Bitch: There will be no autopsies on my patient, you bone-headed little shit.

Octopussy: fine. but I'm still bringing him breakfast so he might feel better.

SnekBoi: What's breakfast?

Octopussy: well, I got you the ginger candy you like, first of all. and I made you the bagels you like and I might possibly sneak you extra non-dairy cream cheese and I made Boogey a treat bowl since I know you don't keep good boy treats in your room.

SnekBoi: I love you.

Octopussy: I know you do.

SnekBoi and Octopussy are offline

shrexy: I hope whatever that treatment he's having works this time.

spipples: Well, Inny and Dice are doing their best so we just have to trust they know what they're doing. Knowing they've accomplished making him healthy once, makes it easy to believe that they can do it again.

spipples: This time, it just has a lot more stuff because last time his month's hospital stay worked and nothing hitched like his fever last week. Or at least it didn't until he was farther in the treatment when he was starting to push himself again.

waaahluigi: Can we talk about something else?

spipples; Well, I need to go food shopping today, who wants to go with me?

SwEeTvErUcA: I'll go, I need a few things for dinner.

carniverousroomba: Yeah sure, I need to get me some good candy for my Netflix binge tonight.

Papa Bear: I can't to go because I'm busy at work but if you guys can pick me up a loaf of bread and just have someone bring it to me, I'll pay you back.

spipples: If you can make me a decent meal for work when cooking is hard for you, Pat, I think I can buy you a loaf of bread and deliver it to my hard-working dad.

Papa Bear: Oh, it's okay, I want to pay you back! Virge, you always get stuck bringing me food or picking me up things, I feel bad!

spipples: Did I ask you to pay me back?

Papa Bear: No, but I want to!

spipples: I didn't ask you to because money isn't a factor, Patton, You need to eat at work. I won't have you pulling a 12 hour shift without food because Nathaniel isn't there anymore. You need to get some food in your system, feeding yourself is important, Patton. And, if you try to sneak money into my wallet, pockets, or otherwise, I can and will put it back.

Dr. Bitch: Virgil's really out here screaming that food is important. I love that your brand of aggressive affection is still going.

spipples: It never stopped being aggressively affectionate, Dice.

waaahluigi: I need some things, I'll go.

eatpavementido: Please pick me up exactly four tiny pumpkins and a tbe of black paint for them.

spipples: Alrighty there cryptid.

10:10 AM

Momgan: If you're currently at the store, please bring me home coffee before I die from lack of caffeine.

spipples: hey, you, you're finally awake!

waaahluigi: Quick question, what aisle are you in? Because I'm going to come over there and punch you.

spipples: Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy?

shrexy: Oh no, he's in meme mode today.

spipples: Maybe.

Momgan: Please. Just pick up coffee, any form of coffee and I swear  to god, I'll make you whatever you want for dinner.

spipples: Pizza and nuggets.

Momgan: Done.

Thera-pissed: I feel like I just witnessed a drug deal.

Coffee Bandit: You did. But it's a drug deal for food.

Thera-pissed: Yeah, I figured that out.

12:17PM

Momgan: I have caffeine, I am now human again.

uwu: Good because I'm lonely, come cuddle.

Momgan: Ah, drawn back into the hell of a day off in bed by my own brother. What treachery is this?

uwu: The good kind, now come cuddle me, I'm cold, goddammit.

Momgan: Fine.

shrexy: Wait, you have a brother?

Momgan: Yes, Teal, your teacher character from your short videos is my brother. He may not be a side, but, since our function initially was similar, your mind connected us as brothers just as it has with Virgil and Andy, Roman and Pryce, and Patton and Dayd.

shrexy: Huh, learning something new about you guys every day.

Momgan: I know, I find it rather fun that you're learning so easily.

2:43PM

Raccoon Man (the trashiest hero): Thought I'd share my dumbass little brother being cute because why not die today.

Raccoon Man (the trashiest hero): virgilinaflowercrown.jpg

Raccoon Man (the trashiest hero): virgilinadress.jpg

Raccoon Man (the trashiest hero): virgilinaflowermaze.jpg

Octopussy: are you outside our house.

Raccoon Man (the trashiest hero): Delivering food.

SnekBoi: Aw, you two are so thoughtful!

spipples: Well, we gotta help you two somehow and your garden won't sustain two weeks isolation. We've tried that, remember? The week of potatoes?

Octopussy: I know. I just don't have the heart to go because it's always so crowded and I can't risk getting Dee sick.

spipples: And now you don't have to, And we washed everything once, just in case so there's no germs coming into the house.

SnekBoi: I wish I could hug you two.

Raccoon Man (the trashiest hero): Don't, focus on yourself.

SnekBoi: I know. But still, thank you.

spipples: And no going off on a "you'll pay me back" spiel, I already did that with Patton and the answer is no, you cannot pay me back because I'm trying to help you get better and I don't want to be repaid for helping you out when you definitely need it.

SnekBoi: You little shit, I love you.

spipples: The feeling is mutual, you funky little snake.

3:01PM

Octopussy: is this half pre-cooked food, half stuff from the store? why?

spipples: Well, we know that you're both really busy right now so we made you food like you used to make us food when we were really busy.

Raccoon Man (the trashiest hero): And don't worry, we made sure it was all healthy for Dee.

Octopussy: how long did this take you and how much did this cost you!? this is like an entire fridge and freezer of food!

spipples: Let's just say I took the last couple days off and I worked really late last week.

Octopussy: you didn't need to do that.

spipples: You're right, I wanted to.

Octopussy: you're so lucky Dee's asleep or he'd be telling you off for pulling a stunt like this.

spipples: I fully expect to be chewed out later, don't worry.

spipples: Just let me do something while you guys need it, you didn't have this kind of help the first time and I don't want to let this time be like that again, especially when I can help you.

Octopussy: I'd have hugged you if I wasn't isolating, you lovable little shit.

spipple: Love you too, Inny, you amazing jackass.

Taglist: @glaxyjellyfish @chronophobica @fear-ze-queer

[swanky-batman]

Marvel’s Bachelors Part 11

Avengers x Reader, Steve Rogers x Reader, Sam Wilson x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader, Peter Parker x Reader, Thor Odinson x Reader 

Warnings: drinking, some swearing throughout series, maybe adult situations, etc. Probably more mature audiences :)

Part 11 comes in right after Steve’s night with Y/N. One less Avenger is in the running, and I had a request for some beach fun so I wrote some in as a speed date run. ;)

I apologize greatly for the delay on this guys! This is part of a longer portion I have already written so I will be posting Part 12 TOMORROW. I promise. Thank you guys for the requests on when it would come back! <3

Masterlist || Ko-Fi

Beginning- Previous- Next

-----------------------------------------

“Tony is the wake up call really necessary?” You heard Sam as everyone was gathered in the hallway.

Everyone was trying to think over the sound of a blaring Another One Bites the Dust. After another half a minute he muted the sound, “Today we announce another cut from the lineup of guys.” He said in his fake announcer voice as you caught sight of a camera over his shoulder. “What better way to do it than right now so we can announce who will be taking our girl out for a night out on the town tonight?”

“Tonight?” You asked as you yawned, “Why so soon?”

“Why not?” Tony chuckled, loading up an electronic screen on the wall nearest you. “Your votes are in, let us see who is leaving!” 

You all paused, your attention on the screen. “It looks like Thor is our weakest!”

“Nooooo!” He cried, dropping his coffee mug, “I don’t want to give up Lady Y/N!”

You walked closer to him, patting him on the back, “Thor it’s okay we still live together and I’ll still see you all the time.”

He stood, “You mortals better appreciate her!”

“Where are you going?” Sam called.

“To get more nectar of the gods. I need more of it this morning.” He groaned, walking down the stairs.

“Well, there you have it. The god of thunder is out this round- leaving just Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers. Instead of a one on one date tonight, we’re going to do the same setting for all three of you- back to back. Let’s see where we’re headed-” A vote board popped up and votes were tallied.

“It looks like you are all heading towards a beach resort for a four night stay! You head out tonight and each night afterwards you get a planned night with each hero. You’ve gotten to choose what to do before, now can you roll with what’s been planned?” Tony’s voice cut off as the camera’s cut away. “Seriously guys, get packed.” He nodded towards you.

“We’re leaving tonight?!” You blurted, looking around to them.

“Looks like it.” Bucky shook his head, clearly not all the way awake. 

You gulped a little after looking at each one and walking back into your room, “Guess I’ll pack…” You sighed.

-------

A soft rap on your door a little while longer had you snap your attention towards your door.

“Oh,” You flinched slightly, looking up with a pen in your mouth. “Come in…” You looked back down at the pile of paperwork in front of you and pushed it to the side. “Hey Sam.” You smiled as he opened the door.

“Hey,” He stopped, looking over at you for a moment before he smiled over to you.

“What’s up?”

“You look busy.” He took another step into the room. “Need help with anything?”

You paused for a second, “I’m okay just trying to finish some of this before leaving tonight.”

“Apparently Tony forgets you have about a million different things to do.” He grinned, walking up and grabbing more than half the stack.

You stood to protest and reached for the stack of papers, getting foot swept by Sam. “I got this.” He chuckled, “Besides if I need help I can get one of those knuckleheads to help. Which I won’t cuz I’m better than them.” He smirked, getting to the door. “Oh, and if you need help packing I can help with that too.” With that, he winked and swung out of the room.

You slightly blushed, rubbing your face. Of course he would figure that out. After all, out of the three- he was the one that had to train the hardest right now. Sure, they all trained. But he was no super soldier, even if he could hold his own with them.

You finished more than expected out of the stack you had left and quickly finished packing, going to find Sam quickly after.

You knocked on his door, opening it slightly with a push instead of twisting the doorknob.

He looked up from his desk, typing away in what looked to be a program. He looked up as you entered, smirking. “Your papers are over there.” He nodded, quickly finishing what he was working on as you walked up.

Your mouth fell open a bit, looking over them. “Oh my god, Sam.” You gasped, “You finished these?”

“Of course, Y/N.” He looked at you in the eyes while you gathered them, him standing beside you. “I want you to have a good time tonight, even if it’s a bit overwhelming.” He winked, pointing towards the door, “Now get out before you spy some of my attention stealing tricks for the evening.”

You chuckled, holding a hand up, “By all means, get back to what you were doing.” You stopped at the door and turned back towards him, “Thanks for this, Sam. Really, I appreciate it.” You paused, biting your lip for a second before walking over to him and pecking him on the cheek, turning towards your room before he had time to react.

You finished the rest of what you had to do, for the most part and snuck a quick run in before showering and grabbing your bag for tonight and walking downstairs.

Steve, Bucky, Sam and Tony were there waiting for you.

“As we wish them off, we look forward to seeing what’s going to happen.” Tony smirked, waving you off.

“Lady Y/N!” Thor boomed from the side, ushering you over.

“Hey.” You smiled softly to him, seeing him still look different than normal.

“If any of those...clowns… try anything inappropriate- call. And I will smite them with my hammer.” He looked over, nostrils flaring towards the others.

You placed a hand on his forearm, holding back a chuckle. “Thank you Thor. I feel much better knowing that you have my back.”

“That’s right I do!” He fake laughed, crushing the to go mug in his hand. “Oden…” He hissed, pulling up his other hand. “For you, my lady. The nectar of the gods.”

“Thank you, Thor.” You smiled to him, getting a large hand on the top of your head.

“Of course, Y/N.” He bowed, leaning out his cheek expectantly for a kiss.

You laughed, covering your face for a moment before quickly pecking him on the cheek and moving into the car, coffee in hand.

“You just handing kisses out now?” Sam teased, leaned back in the car with Bucky and Steve facing you.

The blush came over your face in a wave, you tried covering it.

“Sam, that's no way to talk to a lady.” Steve spoke up.

“It was clearly a pity kiss.” Bucky shrugged, smirking and leaning back in his seat, content at staring towards you and crossing his arms playfully.

“This is going to be a long ride.” You chuckled, taking a sip of the coffee and sticking your tongue out in disgust, effectively making all three break into laughter.

---------------

“Welcome, finalists!” Tony’s voice filled the speaker as you got out of the car. “Tonight is a speed round, with the three getting picked in the order of Steve, Sam and finally Bucky. Tomorrow, we’ll see who gets more time. Hope you came packed for fun!” Tony clearly looked over towards the camera, winking.

You sighed, shaking your head. How were you supposed to keep up with three different guys on dates back to back and tomorrow too?!

“Get changed quickly, your first date starts in fifteen!” 

“Holy crap!” You rushed, reaching for your bag.

“I got it.” Steve smirked, pushing you towards the desk in the front of a very functioning hotel, complete with other guests. You got your rooms situated as quickly as possible and had Steve knocking on your door to meet you in swim gear a few minutes later.

“Hey,” You greeted, slipping out into the hallway with your clutch and room key.

“I’m sorry about the rush today.” Steve bit his lip when you turned around, his eyes moving slowly up from your feet, making you blush.

“It’s okay.” You nodded, trying not to look him over as well since he was in a tank top and swim trunks. “So what were you thinking on the agenda tonight?”

He chuckled, “Honestly I think we all are kind of winging it tonight. We weren’t told beforehand either.” He scratched the back of his neck nervously. “But let’s head downstairs and see what kind of trouble we can get into.”

You smirked, grabbing his arm and leading him towards the elevator. A plan was forming in your head, and you were wondering the best time to put it into action.

Back in the lobby, you both went over towards the bar and got a drink, going to sit at the poolside. It looked like Tony cleared this section off since there wasn’t anyone around, so you both tried to spot cameras around.

“Do you think that’s one?” Steve asked, scratching his neck.

“Where?” You whipped your head around and stepped closer to him to look.

He turned and grinned at you quickly before pulling you into a hug and jumping back with you into the pool. 

You shrieked instinctively as he brought you above the water almost immediately and you shoved him playfully, “Rogers!”

He chuckled, releasing you with his hands up in the air, “It was too perfect, I’m sorry.” 

“I don’t believe you,” You teased back, looking at the now empty glass in your hand. “Kinda killing my buzz early, man.” You winked over to him and he laughs. He looks over towards one of the only people in earshot and asks for a round of drinks for you both, to which they nod and walk off.

“Let’s play a game of truth.” 

“Uh, Steve, I think it’s supposed to be truth or dare?” You laughed over to him.

“I could dare you to a few things but I want to know more about you.” He smirked.

You spent the next half hour or so going back and forth, talking about things and using the truth action to make the other answer truthfully, laughing and learning a lot about each other. You leaned back and floated for a few minutes, thinking about all of what he’s seen and gone through. How could he be so nice and caring after everything that happened to him?

He came and stood over you, looking down, asking something. You stood and tried to hit some of the water out of your ears. 

“What?” You asked, probably too loud, shaking your head as you felt your ears drain.

He smirked, staring at you for a minute before coming up and kissing you.

You stood there for a minute, shocked, before he pulled away and splashed you. “Steven Grant Rogers!”

“Hey no need to pull out my middle name!” He yelled back, swimming quickly away from you and you laughed, swimming towards him trying to catch up.

“My apologies for interrupting-” Came a loud voice over a speaker, “It’s time for the next portion of your night Y/N.”

You sighed, mid stroke and swimming over to the edge of the pool. Steve popped out of the pool right before you and offered you a hand out, handing you a towel after you were both out. He met your eyes and gave you a soft smile, you responded similarly.

------------------------

PART 12 with the other two coming tomorrow! <3

Everything Tags: @i-regret-this-already​, @breezy1415, @seninjakitey, @persphonesorchid, @courtneychicken​, @imeannooffensebabybut​, @cassiopeia-barrow​, @daphne-fandom-writing​, @notmyfault404​, @i-larb-spooderman​, @marvelismylifffe​, @kdcollinsauthor​

Story Tags: @fairchild21​, @rohanwood​, @swisscheese420​, @aheadfullofsherlock​, @ineedmorefanfics​, @chook007​ 

If you aren’t tagged I just assumed everyone I couldn’t tag on my list has changed their names! Let me know if that wasn’t the case for someone :)

[ghostxofxartemis]

Prologue of my Fanfic Complete.

I’m just too excited, I want to share. I’m hoping to get an invitation to Archives tomorrow to post the First chapter, as I just completed it. But I don’t want to give too much right away! But here’s my complete prologue! 

Author’s notes: Hi everyone, welcome to my first fanfiction for Mass Effect, my all time favourite game! My canon Shepard, is default Shepard, Earth Born, War Hero, infiltrator class, paragon with a few renegade options, like kicking the merc out the window in Ilium and killing Kai Leng with that renegade button quick for Thane. Chose to destroy the reapers, and survived. He also romanced Ashley, and I wanted to delve into their story a bit more. However, most of the story will revolve around their daughter, 25 years later. I believe Shepard’s story is done. But that doesn’t mean that another Shepard can’t come and continue his legacy. Everyone survived except for Mordin while dispancering the genophage cure, Thane while chasing Kai Leng, Legion and EDI. However, EDI will be back (I can’t kill her off completely!) 

Another note, I always preferred to write in first person. I know it technically goes against all rules of writing, but I will be switching from John Shepard’s and Alex Shepard’s Point of view.

Also still brainstorming Titles.

Prologue

“The war is over. The Reapers have been defeated. 

Against all odds, and in the face of the greatest threat this galaxy has ever known, we survived. 

We suffered many losses. The relays are severely damaged, but we won. 

This victory belongs to each of us... every man, woman, and child. Every civilization, on every world. Now, as we take our first steps toward restoring what we lost, we must remember what it took to win. This wasn't a victory by a single fleet, a single army, or even a single species.

If this war has taught us anything, it is that we are at our strongest when we work together. And if we can put down our grievances long enough to stop something as powerful as the Reapers, imagine what we can achieve now that they are defeated. 

It will take time, but we can rebuild everything that was destroyed.

Our homes, our worlds, our fleets and defenses. All of this - and more. 

Together, we can build a future greater than any one of us could imagine.

A future paid for by the sacrifices of those who fought and died alongside us.

A future that many will never see. 

And while we still have many challenges ahead of us... We can face them together. 

And we will honor those who died to give us that future.”

Gasp. My lungs filled with air, I felt pain, everywhere. In all my years in my career, all those shots I’ve endured couldn’t compare to this. All I saw was rubble. Did it work? Did the crucible fire? Or did I just imagine that? “Shepard!” “Shepard, where are you?! Come on Commander?!” “Shepard?!” I recognized those voices. Samara, Jack, Miranda? But they were on the other side of the battlefield. I tried to move, but movement shot pain all over my body again and I saw stars in my vision. I was on the verge of slipping in unconsciousness. I knew if I did, I may never wake up again. All my medigel was dispensed during the final push, I had to stay awake until someone found me at least. Then they can take care of the rest. I tried again, slowly this time, I moved my head around, looking for something that could alert them where I am. I shot the tube didn’t I? Back at the crucible? Think Shepard, your pistol must be around! With great effort I started to feel around me, God this rubble is heavy!  There! I felt the pistol. I aimed in the sky and prayed there were still a couple shots left in the thermal clip. I squeeze the trigger. Bam Bam. Two shots that's it, I hear the empty click. They should have heard that, they must be closed otherwise I wouldn’t have heard them. 

“Get down!” “They’re not shooting at us.” “It’s Shepard!” 

“Shepard, stay with me, we got you, we’ll get you medic” Miranda’s face appeared in my vision as she spoke, her omnitool bright orange, I started to feel light headed but my pain was slowly diminishing, for now. How much medigel did she give me?! Oh, why does it matter, she knows what she is doing, she put me back together after all!  “MEDIC, OVER HERE! IT’S SHEPARD!” I heard Jack yell, before my vision went black. 

“Stay with me Shepard!” Miranda again, I was on a gurney, they were running with the medics, Miranda had her omnitool at the ready. Looked like she was scanning the damage, her face, didn’t look right...worried? “Miranda…Ashley?” I tried to reach for her. “Shh, save your energy. Just stay with me okay, you’ll be okay! The Normandy made it out on time, you did it Shepard” I didn’t know whether she was telling the truth about me making it, but it didn’t matter, all that mattered was that Ashley and my crew...my friends, were safe. All went dark. 

I woke up again, who knows how long I have been out, and heard beeping noise around me. I searched my surroundings, and noticed a heart rate monitor, tubes in my arms. I’m in a hospital, still alive, well at least I think so? Miranda’s face appeared in my vision, as well as someone else, don’t know who they are though. “Hey Shepard, you got some broken ribs, your left arm is broken, we’re keeping you under a coma for you to recover faster. But you’re going to make a full recovery.” I heard Miranda say to me before she turned around to the other man in the room and said “give him a dose, a bigger one this time, trust me he’ll be fine.” I couldn’t help but chuckle and I saw Miranda’s lip quirk up, I knew she got the same sense of deja vu: the first time I woke up in the Cerberus lab when she rebuilt me. But I knew I was going to be fine, after all Miranda would know best. All went dark again.

I woke up again, and I heard some rustling beside me, and I hand touched mine. “Hey Hero-Man, glad to see you finally awake.” I didn’t need to see who it was, because I would recognize her voice anywhere. A smile spread on my face, I never felt so much joy in my lifetime. Ashley was okay, and she was here beside me! I turned to face her, and tried to speak, but it almost felt like I had no voice. “Shh, shh, you’ve been out a while, just take it slow Skipper.” I had to say this though, and I squeezed her hand, cleared my throat, and with pure will I muttered a raspy “I love you,” she smiled and said “I know” and I fell asleep again. 

The next time I woke up, I felt much better. I couldn’t say how much time had passed, I figured maybe about a few days. Next to me Ashley had fallen asleep, she had her head on the bed all the while sitting in the chair she pulled up. I gently ran my fingers in her hair, and I felt her stir under my touch. “Hey pretty lady” I whispered, “Hey” she said back at me as she slowly lifted her head off the bed “You’re awake”. “Just woke up myself. How long have I been out?” I asked her. “Hmm, just about a month now, Miranda’s been looking after you until we could get the Normandy fully functioning again and back into orbit. We got back to Earth as soon as we could and got here. Dr. Chawkas took over your care after that” she replied. A month?! I took a moment to process that, I thought I had been out a few days, but a month?!  I was in shock. Normandy fully functioning? What the hell happened?! “Ash...what happened? After I got to the crucible? What happened?” I reached for her hand and squeezed it. I needed to know what happened after everything went dark. “The crucible shot red beams of light, and all synthetic, the Geth, Edi, even the Reapers, they all went dead. The Normandy was hit, we sustained a bit of damage before hitting the relay, we landed on an uncharted world. The crew worked all together to get the Normandy back up. Took us about 3 days, and then 2 weeks to get back to earth. But you did it Shepard - you destroyed the Reapers, the war is done. But there’s one more thing… Admiral Anderson..” she started saying, I nodded my head “I know, I was with him.” “I’m so sorry Skipper” for the first time ever, I saw a tear run down Ashley’s cheek. Throughout everything, Kaidan’s death, even when she was in the hospital and waiting for news on her family, Ashley Williams never cried, and here she was shedding a tear. I took my free hand and placed it behind her neck and brought her forehead to my lips and planted a kiss, and I held her there. She pulled away, and whipped her tears, “I should get Dr. Chawkas, I’ll be right back,” she stood up and walked out the door to get Dr. Chawkas, and I leaned back into the bed and sighed. I felt relieved that the Reapers were truly destroyed. But cords pulled on my heart. Edi had truly died. I was supposed to be dead. I had hoped that the catalyst had lied, but it hadn’t. Now Joker had lost the love of his life. 

I heard the door whoosh open again and turned my head in it’s direction, Dr. Chawkas looked at me, a smile spreading ear to ear, and behind her was Miranda. I could see Ashley talking to Admiral Hackett and James leaning up against the wall. I guess I could expect a huge welcoming party after speaking to Dr. Chawkas and Miranda. I was pretty sure there were others there that I couldn’t see. “Glad to see you awake Commander. You’re looking a lot better. I’m just going to run some scans here. I have to say, I’m impressed with Miranda’s medical skills, it was touch and go there for a while” she was saying as she lit up her omni-tool to do her scans. 

“Well, if anyone would know my body inside and out, it would be her, it wouldn’t be the first time either” I chuckle, and heard Dr. Chawkas chuckle as well, while I swear, Miranda’s cheeks turned beet red. “I suppose you're right. Scans look commander, you’re healing well. You should be good to go to physical therapy in a few days. But first we should probably get you some food,” she cocked her head in the direction of my stomach, as it made a growl, I swear everyone in the next system heard. “I’ll go get you something to eat, in the meantime Admiral Hackett would like to speak to you,” she turned on her heels and made her way out the door only to stop to speak quickly to Admiral Hackett “he’s all good Admiral, ready to see you” she nodded and Hackett give her a nod back “thank you Dr.” and made his way towards me. “Shepard, I don’t still don’t know how you pulled that off. That wasn’t short of any miracle” he reached out with a hand and I took in my own to give him a hand shake. “I don’t really know what really happened myself, tell you the truth Admiral” I replied. He pulled his hand back and clasped them behind his back, taking on his usual casual stance. “Tell me what you remember.” 

“I don’t know where to start Admiral. I reached the beam, and landed somewhere in the Citadel. Somewhere I’ve never been before. They were collecting human remains, and looked like they were gathering them to make another Reaper, maybe. I don’t know.” I pause to sigh and bring my thumb and forefinger to pinch the bridge of my nose for a moment, deep in thought. When I pulled my hand away again, I recollected myself to continue my debrief. “I made my way to the control panel, and Anderson had already reached it. He was trying to open to the Citadel arms. But the Illusive man was controlling him, stopping him from accessing the controls.” Hackett made a noise that sounded like a hmm. “So he managed to learn how to control humans, and not just husks?” he asked. “Yeah...thought he was implanted with reaper technology. He managed to get control over me as well. I tried to pull him out of his revelry, but he made me shoot Anderson, before he pulled the trigger on himself.” I sighed at the memory. I felt guilty, and it must have shown in my expression, for Hackett immediately interjected “It wasn’t your fault Shepard,” “It doesn’t make it any easier, sir”.

It must have taken me about a good 10 mins to explain everything, from the catalyst to the destruction of the Reapers. Hackett had agreed that taking control of  the Reapers would have been too much of a risk, what if down the line I would have become indoctrinated and started up another war? Rewriting human DNA is unethical. Destruction was the only way to go, even at a great cost. Peace between synthetic and humans is possible, as I had managed to prove to the galaxy with brokering peace between the geth and the Quarians. 

Hackett thanked me for the briefing and wished me a speedy recovery. I knew I would be out for a bit, but thanks to my cybernetics, it wouldn’t be as long as a normal person. Something I was grateful for, to be honest, even after everything that just happened, I still wasn’t ready to retire. 

After Hackett left, Ashley came back in followed by James, Traynor Carrying a vase full of “get well flowers”, Garrus, Liara and Cortez. “I brought you some flowers Commander, I’m glad you’re doing better commander, everyone has been worried about you” Traynor said as she placed the vase on the bedside table. “Thanks Traynor.” 

“Just couldn’t help yourself from destroying the reapers with a bang, uh Loco?” James chuckled, I just rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. No doubt I’ve just earned myself more “Loco” points. “S’cuse me” Dr. Chawkas was shimmying herself between the crew with a tray of food in her hands, and when she reached me she handed the tray and I reached out and grabbed it and placed it on my lab. I scrutinized what was on the tray, military rations albeit not being the best and tastiest of food, certainly looked more appetizing than the clump of goo that was sitting in front of me. I looked up at Dr. Chakwas, eyebrows raised in a quizzical look “what is this supposed to be?” She shrugged and her expression  turned sympathetic, no doubt not wanting to be stuck with this goo and feeling horrible about handing it over to me. “It’s supposed to be oatmeal. Something soft but not too solid yet, have to slowly introduce food into your system. You’ve been out a while Commander.” 

I picked up the spoon, scoop up a spoonful, only to purposely drop through the goo back into the plate. “I think I lost my appetite” I grumbled. “We’ll leave you to it commander” Traynor gave a sympathetic look  towards my way before gesturing to the others to do the same. Miranda lingered behind a bit “I’m glad your back Commander” and turned towards the door to follow the others out. Only Ashley remained behind. I moved myself a little closer to the edge of the bed and pat the empty spot beside me for her to sit down next to me. She was more than happy to oblige, her smile spreading across her face. She lay down and leaned her hand on my shoulder. “I know it’s not appetizing, John, but you should eat” she said. I sighed, “I know, I just didn’t want to make faces in front of everyone” I replied, and she snorted. I sighed again and took another spoonful and slowly, the food made its way down to my stomach.

The few weeks I spent in the hospital and physical therapy had been slow and excruciating. Not in the sense that my body hurt, it was mostly all healed up at this point, thanks to my upgrades. But it was the fact I was stuck there and hadn’t gotten the all clear yet to get back into the field. Ashley thought I was crazy, that I had more than earned some shore leave. But I wasn’t one to just sit around and do nothing.

I also had ceremonies to attend. I had been given more awards for my part in the war. The Normandy crew had been granted the Galactic Unit Citation for their part in helping win me this war. I had been awarded my second Star of Terra, along with the Star of Sur’Kesh, Silver Dagger, and Nova Cluster. My recognition in this war had gone with plenty of notice. 

Eventually I was given the all clear to head back and command The Normandy again. Hackett wanted the Normandy's help in patrolling  the system, making sure no one went rogue. With the government in chaos, and the Alliance in scramble right now. And with all the repairs that needed to be done to the mass relays, he wanted to make sure no pirates or mercs decided to attack anyone at random. The Normandy was to escort fleets to other systems so that we can start making the repairs on the mass relays ASAP. I was more than happy to comply. 

The welcoming I received was heartwarming. Everyone was glad to see me up on my feet again. New armor had been sent to the armory to replace the one that had been scorched in the final push. Walking up the ramp I plot our first trip to Arcturus Stream for our first escort. “You got it, Commander” was Joker’s voice coming through the speakers. I couldn’t help but smiled as I turned around and headed to the elevator up to my cabin. It was good to be back on the Normandy, and quite frankly, I was looking forward to a night alone with Ashley. 

[spookyblackwidow]

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for the request!! This is mostly angst, with a fluffy ending, I hope you’ll enjoy it! Prompt lines are in bold

Eggshells

1,524 words

After a third day of fruitless negotiations, Natasha and Clint were escorted back to their hotel room in Cuernavaca, Mexico. A month prior, Fury had found a lead on some missing Stark tech and started coaching them on their latest identities: arms dealer Renata Alvez and her bodyguard Sebastian Burke. Their attention to detail was impeccable, their execution flawless, but the seller had already dragged the process out longer than necessary, and they’d yet to see proof of possession.

Nat sunk down into the bed, a chorus of old springs creaking beneath her, and removed her curly brown wig. She flung it towards the empty dresser before laying back and closing her eyes.

“I want to go home,” she murmured in a voice not quite her own.

“Mmhmm.” Clint gently moved her hand, placing her palm just above her bellybutton, and sat down beside her. “Wanna take that thing off? Not that Renata isn’t attractive, but I’d rather see you.”

“Oh, right.” Natasha peeled away the disguise tech. “Better?”

“Much.” Clint smiled down at her. “Ready for today’s news?”

“Do we have to?” she groaned.

“Absolutely. You and Nick demoted me to sidekick, this is my one thing I get to do for you.” He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through messages and news articles. “Okay, so Tony fell asleep in his workshop last night, which meant no one was watching Dum-E, who almost cost Stark more than just a few suits. If Pepper hadn’t gone through while we were in Berlin and installed enough fire safety devices to equip a small city, it might’ve been a total loss. Not that Stark’s quips and nicknames would’ve been missed, but we’re grateful all the same.

“Next up, Steve discovered cronuts and won’t stop talking about them. Sam’s already sent ‘SOS’ and ‘I’ve made a grave mistake,’ as well as about a thousand of those angry swearing emojis. I’d say he’s having just about as much fun as we are.

“Thor’s still off-world doing whatever the hell it is he does out there, so I guess we’ll have to wait to hear about his misguided antics until he returns. Did you know,” he turned to face her, setting his phone on the sheets, “he once asked me how to use the toaster? I mean, the guy can fly, for fucks sake, he spouts off about how human technology is ‘so primitive,’ yet the process of placing sliced bread into a slot and pushing down a lever was beyond his grasp. He’s entertaining, but damn, he is not as smart as—”

“Can you shut up for once in your life?” Nat snapped, her eyes scrunched closed. It was then that Clint noticed how taut her muscles were, how her shoulders were creeping up toward her ears.

“Y-yeah. I’ll just… go read or something.”

Clint wanted to help, to offer a back rub or something, but they’d been together long enough for him to know she needed space and silence. She was stressed and upset, not that he could blame her; Nick had sent them off on a “long weekend” sort of trip that was anything but. He could’ve had them on a five-hour flight to Mexico City, which would put them roughly half an hour from their hotel, but he’d vetoed that plan in favor of something more authentic to their cover story. So they took a four-hour flight to Houston, walked nearly 45 minutes to the rental car, and then drove over 17 hours to Cuernavaca. A day and a half one way, all for some fucking authenticity. Anyone would be stressed after that.

Clint grabbed a book from his suitcase and slipped out to the shaded balcony despite strict instructions to stay inside the room. The building was surrounded by their contact’s guards, but he figured the odds of being shot for disobeying orders were about the same no matter which side of the door he chose, and he’d much rather risk his life without irritating Nat; although, she would be fairly mad at him if he died. She always teased that the coroner would be able to list “stupidity” as his official cause of death.

He paged through his book for a while, doing his best to stick to shadows and the guards’ blind spots as they circled, and decided it was finally safe enough to go back in. As soon as he opened the sliding door, he heard the shower running and Nat faintly humming a tune he didn’t recognize. It wasn’t quite nine, but Clint knew Nat’s routines well enough to know she’d be ready to pull the curtains and turn in for the night after combing her hair.

Clint was also acutely aware that after their spat, he was uninvited from sharing the king-sized bed, a reality he was almost always prepared for. Hidden in the lining of his suitcase was a sleeping bag designed for missions requiring outdoor reconnaissance—lightweight, durable, thermal lined—though he mainly used it for nights like this, resigned to sleeping on a cold floor thinly covered by rough carpet. At least it was midsummer, a combination of the baking sun and lack of functioning air conditioning had kept the entire room warmer than he was accustomed to.

Honestly, Clint could fall asleep just about anywhere, it didn’t matter if he was particularly comfortable or not; as long as the ever-present exhaustion pressed against the back of his eyes, he could sleep. He wasn’t sure if it was noise or stress over aggravating his partner, but something woke him several hours after they’d settled down for the night. At first, he kept his eyes closed, willed himself back to the warm embrace of sleep, but instinctual worry nagged at him. With a suppressed sigh, he gave up and looked around the cramped space.

Natasha was standing at the sliding door, the edge of the fraying curtain balled in her fist, moonlight spilling across her face through the gap in the fabric. Clint sat up slowly in an effort to not startle her.

“Nat? Why are you awake?”

“I… I don’t know.” She shook her head and turned around to face him. “I guess I’m just having trouble sleeping tonight.”

“Is this about the job? Because I’m sure we’ll be out of here soon, they have to trust us at some point.”

“No, Barton, I don’t think this is about the job.” Nat smiled softly and let the curtain fall closed, plunging them into darkness. He could hear her pad over to the bed, the springs protesting as she sat on the edge. Under normal circumstances, she was hard to track, nearly silent, as if she barely touched a thing, but the longer they were together, the more weight she seemed to put into her movements, like she didn’t feel the need to walk on eggshells around him. He followed the sound and settled in next to her.

“Are we okay?” Clint’s voice was rough and low. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer, but he had to ask. She had called him Barton, for fuck’s sake.

Nat was quiet for far longer than he would’ve liked, but she laid her head on his shoulder as she pondered the question.

“We’re okay, I think.”

“Is it something I did, or—”

“Oh, no, I’m—” she took deep breath and exhaled agonizingly slowly, “I’m sorry, it’s me. I shouldn’t have snapped at you earlier; I don’t even know how you put up with me.”

Clint couldn’t suppress a chuckle, his shaking shoulders causing Nat to sit up straight again. Although his eyes hadn’t adjusted quite enough to see her features yet, he felt her quizzical stare that he was so intimately familiar with.

“Did I say something funny?”

“‘Put up with’ you? Really, Nat? I put up with Tony and his personal brand of chaotic insanity. I put up with Fury’s absurd paranoia, the difficulties of the job, the long nights, the constant risk of harm, but you? My god, do you think I’d still be here, going on missions, just the two of us, if I couldn’t handle the stressed arguments?”

“I—”

“And this was nothing, Nat! You snapped at me, so what? To be perfectly honest, I’m surprised you don’t yell at me more often. I’m obnoxious.”

“No, you’re—you know what? You are kind of obnoxious.” Nat laughed quietly and placed a hand on his stubbled cheek. “But you’re my obnoxious partner, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Agreed.” Clint gently pressed into her palm and smiled, relief washing over him. “Now go back to bed, I have a feeling we’ll be heading home tomorrow.” He stood and started toward his sleeping bag, but Nat snagged his wrist.

“Only if you’ll join me.”

Resting comfortably in Clint’s arms. Natasha quickly fell back asleep, content, safe. Even though this was their usual arrangement, Clint savored every second of it, letting the rise and fall of Nat’s chest, the slow, steady breaths lull him until unconsciousness took over. No matter where their missions brought them, this was home.

Tag List: @romanoff--natasha​ @clintashaotp​ @baker151910​ @unsociable-hobbit​ @thexploress​ @unholyromanoff​

[admiralty-xfd]

Reduced Vision

(What really happened in that auditor’s office in Requiem?)

The morning sunlight streams in through the slats of his blinds, blanketing the bedroom in a golden sheen. It’s new, different. He swears the light has never been quite like this before. This room symbolized loneliness for so long it’s almost jarring having someone else here. 

Having her here.

She’s on her side, asleep, facing him, wearing one of his old college T shirts. He watches the visible planes of her body rise and fall in contentment. He loves to watch her sleep. In these precious moments she is safe from all harm; she is completely at peace. 

She’s told him on multiple occasions over the past few weeks she is happy, and in these quiet moments he can almost believe her. 

Will she still be happy after they shut down the X Files? Will she stay with him after they’re split apart once again?

Her eyelids twitch as she stirs, the corner of her mouth twisting into evidence of some pleasant dream. He hopes she’s dreaming about him. After a minute her eyes open, eyelids heavy. He swears the blue of her eyes is a different hue when she awakens.

“Mulder, are you watching me sleep?”

He nods, smiles. “Guilty.”

She mmmmms and pulls him to her by the back of his neck, as if every second spent awake and not kissing him is a waste. He kisses her back because if she’s thinking that, she’s not wrong. 

He tugs on the bottom of the T shirt she’s wearing, his fingers dipping beneath it. She’s got nothing on underneath. “Christ, Scully,” he groans against her mouth. 

How the fuck did this happen? How is any of this real? How did he get so goddamn lucky?

“Easy, there,” she says sleepily, putting her hand over his. “I’m still waking up.”

“Tease.”

He moves a strand of hair out of her face. He must look thoughtful because she cocks her head in question. “You okay?”

“Yeah… sorry. Just nervous about the audit this week.” 

“I know, me too,” she confesses. “But Skinner said it’s purely budgetary.” 

“I’m not sure why they’re coming after us,” he says. “We don’t spend an unusual amount of money in the field, do we?”

“Maybe we should start sharing motel rooms,” she grins. 

“I don’t have any objections to that,” he says. “You’re the one with all the rules.” They’ve broken their fraternization rules before, a few times. Rules were made to be broken, he figures.

“It’s nice waking up with you,” she says quietly after a moment. 

“It’s nice having you here.” He wraps his arms around her and brings her body close to his, kissing the top of her head. Her hair smells so good: like some fancy product she only uses for special occasions. He smiles, remembering the night before.

“I had fun last night,” she says, as if reading his mind. They’d attended an FBI gala together, not the first time they’d done so but certainly the first time they’d done so as a couple. Or as… whatever they are. He still isn’t quite sure.

“Me too.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Really? Or are you just saying that?” He hates work social functions, and she knows it.

“I really did,” he insists. “Although I don’t know why they had it on a Sunday. I don’t really want to go to work today.”

She smiles, twirling her fingers at his nape. “Then let’s not.”

“Not go to work?” He tilts his head, as if the mere suggestion is abhorrent.

“Why not?” she asks. “When’s the last time you took a personal day, Mulder?”

He searches his memory. “Um. 1997?”

“You’ve earned it,” she says. “We both have. Let’s just stay here. In bed. All day.”

He grins, because as worried as he is about so many things, nothing sounds better than spending an entire day in bed with Scully.

“Okay. I can do that.” He interlaces their fingers together, pulls them up to his lips. “Skinner’s gonna be suspicious when neither of us show up today, though. Especially after last night.”

She looks at him. “Do you think he knows?”

“Scully, I’m pretty sure everyone knows,” he admits. They’d been actively hiding their affection for each other all evening but it hadn’t stuck. It had been difficult for them to pretend things were the same as they’d always been. He isn’t typically a betting man but odds are that the jig is officially up.

She’s quiet for a moment. It concerns him. “Is… that okay?”

She holds him tighter and her fingers trail across his back. “It’s fine. No, it’s fine.”

So much is uncertain about their future: the status of the X Files, the status of their partnership. Not to mention the status of his own health that she knows nothing about. The idea of their peers knowing their romantic status feels relatively unimportant. But maybe it isn’t to her.

“It’s different for you, Mulder,” she says, answering his unspoken question. 

“What do you mean?”

She sighs. “Men can do this sort of thing and get away with it. It’s not a big deal for you to sleep with someone you work with.” She doesn’t bring up Diana, which he’s grateful for. “But for a woman…” she trails off.

“Scully, we spend practically every waking minute with each other anyway. No one would think less of you if they knew we were… canoodling.” He grins. “Are you really worried about that?” He knows he’s overcompensating. But he’s only doing it because he’s worried too. What he’s worried about is that any day now she’ll come to her senses and put a stop to this new arrangement.

She shrugs. “I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve really wondered.” He waits for her to continue. “There are men, you know, who feel… entitled. To women.”

He shifts uncomfortably. “Do you mean…”

“Not you,” she reassures. “Never you.” He breathes a sigh of relief. “For god’s sake, Mulder, it took you seven years to kiss me. The last descriptor I’d use for you is ‘entitled.’”

“But…?” he presses.

“But, there are men who feel this way. Like they are due something from women. And women who become known for sleeping with their coworkers…” 

“Coworker, Scully? Is that all I am to you? Some piece of meat?” He pouts and she punches him playfully.

“To me, you’re not. To me you’re… so many things.” She traces the curve of his jaw with her index finger. They haven’t said the words yet. But he feels them now, beneath the surface. Waiting silently. “But to people on the outside, you can see how this might look.”

He’d never really considered this particular aspect of taking the plunge with regard to their relationship. Maybe he never thought Scully would care what others thought, because he certainly doesn’t. But perhaps she has to care. 

Yet again, he’s forced to consider all the ways in which Scully’s career at the FBI is unfairly disadvantaged. He wonders if she’s been subconsciously avoiding intimacy with him all these years in part, at least, for this reason.

“I don’t want to be just some guy you’re sleeping with at work who makes you feel that way,” he says gently. “I don’t want this to be something that concerns you.”

“Mulder, you are anything but just some guy.” She hooks her leg over his hip and he tilts her face to look at her. She’s so fucking beautiful it nearly takes his breath away. “You make me happier than I’ve ever been, okay?” she assures him. “These past few weeks have been incredible. No regrets.”

He exhales a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding as she leans forward to kiss him. He takes the opportunity to taste her, to really enjoy and savor having this perfect woman here in his bed, and like he does so often lately, wonders how he went so many years by her side without pressing his lips to hers.

Especially since a day doesn’t go by when he suspects it might be their last, for any number of reasons.

She pulls back, smiling. “Just forget about it, okay?”

He nods, and decides he will forget, just for today. Today will be about them. It will be perfect. 

***

Tomorrow he remembers again, and he is reminded in a most unwelcome way.

A stack of expense reports had been plopped down in front of him earlier this morning, and he’d been given the third degree by Agent Short, the auditor apparently responsible for shutting down the X Files.

“We could start sharing rooms,” Mulder had half-joked. But the look on Short’s face had been anything but amused.

After the initial evaluation, Mulder is called back into Short’s office. 

“If you spend so much time and money looking for aliens, responsibly you should narrow your search,” Agent Short smarms. Mulder now recognizes him as one of Kersh’s lackeys. He and Scully have been chewed out in that office enough to notice him there multiple times, lurking in the background.

“To where?” Mulder asks, sarcastically.

“Wherever they are,” is his ridiculous answer. “It's not unreasonable. It's just a matter of reducing your vision.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my vision,” Mulder says, gritting his teeth. “Or Agent Scully’s. In fact, I believe the scope of our vision is exactly the reason the FBI has an X Files unit to begin with.”

“The future of the unit remains undetermined, Agent Mulder,” Short counters. “I for one will not sit idly by while Mr. and Mrs. Spooky go joyriding around the country chasing aliens on the government’s dime.”

Mulder blinks. “What?”

“You heard me,” the stupid little man says, adjusting his stupid little glasses. Mulder realizes in this moment that Scully’s concerns weren’t unfounded in the slightest. Mr. and Mrs. Spooky? 

“Agent Scully is my partner,” he says sternly. 

Short chuckles. “Sure, okay. Don’t think I haven’t heard all the rumors.”

Maybe his joke to Short about sharing their motel rooms had been ill-advised. “What rumors?”

The auditor’s eyebrow goes up. Mulder hates that look on anyone other than Scully.

“Please. Everyone knows. We all saw you two at the gala.”

Mulder blinks again, the memory of holding Scully close - closer than two work partners should dance - still so fresh. He thought they’d been careful but it was difficult to hide his feelings for her, even from peers that probably assumed they’d been sleeping together for much longer than they actually have been.

“Whatever you think you saw, I’m pretty sure it’s none of your business,” Mulder challenges.

His non-denial seems to set the other man off. He scoffs, sizing Mulder up. “I should’ve known.”

“Known what?” Mulder leans forward, hands clenching his knees. His minor annoyance is ratcheting up into anger.

“Nothing,” Short shrugs. “It just doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. She seems like the type. ”

What was anger a second ago is now barely restrained rage. “And what type would that be?”

Agent Short looks at him with the same disdain he’d reserved for aliens mere minutes ago. “You know. The type who would sleep with anyone to get ahead.”

The ridiculous implication that sleeping with Fox “Spooky” Mulder would get Scully anything but derisive laughter notwithstanding, his anger does not abate. It increases a hundredfold.

The anger that rises up within him isn’t about protecting Scully’s reputation. It isn’t about his own ego either. What Mulder feels inside him now is animal rage: boiling up inside him, absolutely primal. It’s cause and effect; a reaction, pure and simple, that has somehow found its way from his brain to his gut to his fist.

And suddenly that fist is flying, cutting the stale air of the auditor’s office and smashing directly into the man’s face. 

Short goes down, off his chair, with a thud. For a minute he looks up at Mulder in absolute shock, as if this was the last thing he expected: that the audacity of this punch is more appalling than anything he’d just implied about Scully. And Mulder barely has the time to process anything before he is upon him, punching him over and over again.

Short puts his arms in front of his face as Mulder hits him four, five times. Suddenly he is being pulled backwards by large strong hands that surround his biceps in a death grip.

“Mulder!” 

He hears Skinner’s gruff voice and briefly sees blood trickling out of the smaller man’s nostrils.

“What in the hell are you doing?!” Skinner growls into his ear, pulling him back. Mulder turns his head and everything moves almost in slow motion, as a look of utter confusion crosses his boss’s face. Agent Short groans from the floor, seemingly unable to move. 

Fuck.

The X Files are already being targeted and now this? What if it’s truly all over now, in spite of the audits, in spite of everything else?

“What the hell were you thinking, Mulder?” Skinner hisses. All Mulder can do is explain. The truth. He reaches for the truth.

“He said… about Scully,” he pants. “I just reacted, sir. He all but called her a slut, right to my face.”

Skinner’s anger shifts gears more rapidly than Mulder has ever seen it, and he’s been present for Skinner’s mood shifts far more often than he’d like. His boss’s eyes flash as he stares daggers into the whimpering agent on the floor. He lets go of Mulder and crosses the room in two strides, bending down and picking the other agent up by his collar.

“Please… stop!” the scrawny man says. But Skinner doesn’t stop. He shoves the man backwards against a file cabinet and his glasses slide off his nose, along with a huge stack of expense reports.

“What exactly did he say, Mulder?” Skinner asks. Short’s hands go to his throat as he gasps for air.

“He said she was the type… to sleep around to get ahead,” Mulder says, still catching his breath. Skinner’s eyes bulge in anger. “And... I lost it. I’m sorry.”

“No, Mulder,” Skinner said, returning his glare to the smaller agent. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to lose it first.” He holds the man firmly and then slams him against the cabinets again, hard. With his other hand he slaps Short across the face. “It’s a real shame you fell down that flight of stairs on your way into work this morning, isn’t it, Agent Short?”

Short can only whimper.

“Isn’t it?!” Skinner slaps him again, hard.

Short nods, as well as he’s able. Skinner nods back. “If I hear another word about this kind of talk regarding Agent Scully, or any of your female peers for that matter, I’ll have your ass thrown out of the Bureau so fast it’ll make your head spin,” he barks. “You got it?”

“Y-yes, Sir,” the man sputters. Skinner releases him and he scampers away down the hall towards the bathroom.

Mulder has finally calmed down and for a brief moment hopes he and his boss might share some common ground. He’s well aware that Skinner has a soft spot for Scully and would never have risked his own job for anyone else that way. But Skinner’s features harden, back to business.

“You’re on thin ice, Mulder,” he said. “That was for Agent Scully, not you. The X Files are already in trouble. I’m doing everything I can to keep you two afloat.”

Mulder grimaces, knowing his last chances are dwindling one by one. He’s grateful for his boss’s discretion, in any event. 

“I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”

***

“Again.”

The single word escapes her lips, raspy, raw. His chest is glistening with sweat, rising and falling as he breathes heavily. 

Rolling over until she’s on top of him, she leans down and her hair falls into his face. It isn’t five o’ clock, not yet, but the shadow of stubble across his jaw has never looked sexier. 

He squeezes the flesh of her ass and gives it a light slap. “Already?”

She nods. She isn’t fucking around. She promised they’d stay in bed all day and she intends to keep her promise. 

“Yes. Again.”

***

Scully had known once she started sleeping with Mulder things would change. It’s one of the reasons- whether consciously or unconsciously- she’s avoided taking this step with him for so long.

She can’t seem to focus on work the same way she used to, probably having something to do with being around Mulder all day, every day. The sight of him, the smell of him. Thinking about what they did last night, fantasizing about what they’ll do tonight.

And tomorrow. All she wants now are more and more tomorrows with Mulder. 

Things have been slowing down for them on the work front, finally. An end to the X Files wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, she has to admit. Things feel like they’re finally falling into place for the two of them. Maybe finding some new direction will be a blessing. 

What would Fox Mulder be like without the X Files? She’s never had a reason to wonder. But now she does wonder, constantly. What would he be like if she were the only obsession in his life?

She is jerked out of her reverie as she hears him behind her.

“I think I'm in big trouble.”

She spins as he enters the office, smirking a bit guiltily. He’s probably talking about the audit, so she tries to put his at ease.

“How many times have they tried to shut us down?” she reminds him. To be honest, she isn’t sure how much she believes her own reassurances. But keeping Mulder grounded is always her default position.

“Yeah, but I never actually assaulted an auditor before.”

Something about Mulder getting violent does something to her, always has. She feels an involuntary twitch between her thighs. An uncoiling, a burning. A slow smile spreads across her face. “Did you hurt him?” she asks hopefully. 

Agent Short hit on her at the gala and when she’d rebuffed him he’d given her a look. Scully hates that look, but unfortunately knows it all too well. 

Agent Short is a fucking asshole.

“I reduced his vision a little bit,” Mulder admits. His hand goes to his head and he winces. She wonders if Short actually fought back for a moment but quickly realizes… no. This is something else. This is that headache thing that’s going on with Mulder lately he refuses to be concerned about.

She’s about to ask him about it- again- when the phone rings. 

Billy Miles, Bellefleur, Oregon. It feels like 1992 all over again, only this time she and Mulder are completely different. This time Mulder made her come last night. Twice.

“More alien abductions, Scully,” he grins, with the same eager grin he gave her in this very office eight years ago. She smiles back, remembering.

Do you believe in extraterrestrials?

She doesn’t know, still. But she does believe a trip down memory lane with the newly-added benefits of their partnership sounds appealing. So appealing she isn’t sure how she’ll make it out of the office without tearing his clothes off.

“Mmm,” she replies. “I don't know how we could possibly justify the expense.”

“We'd probably turn up nothing,” he grins, heading toward the door.

“Let's go waste some money.”

As they walk towards the elevator her curiosity gets the better of her. “What exactly pushed you over the edge, Mulder?”

“Hmm?”

“Agent Short. What did he say to you?”

He shrugs, reaching out to push the elevator button. “Oh, nothing. He’s just got one of those really punchable faces.”

She can tell when he’s lying. Well, most of the time. She stops and turns to face him. “Mulder.”

“What?”

“The X Files are on the line. You hit someone responsible for deciding. Tell me why.”

He opens his mouth in protest but her eyebrow goes up and he backs off. She rarely presses him, so she takes this as a tiny personal victory.

“He said… something about you. Something I didn’t like.”

She furrows her brow. “What did he say, Mulder?” Her tone is the type she knows he won’t ignore. 

He sighs. “He mentioned seeing us at the gala, and that... you were the type... to sleep around. To enhance your career.”

She purses her lips. “Huh.”

“I’m sorry I doubted what you were saying the other morning, Scully. It appears you were completely justified.”

“So he said this about me and then… you hit him?”

Mulder nods.

“In the face?”

Mulder nods.

“Once?”

“More than once.”

She smiles. “He hit on me, you know. At the gala.”

Mulder nods thoughtfully. “It’s all making sense now. And it’s a good thing, too, because I was feeling a little bad about it.”

She shakes her head slowly. “Don’t feel bad. He’s like the villain in some adventure movie, and you defeated him.”

“And I got the girl,” he adds, eyebrows lifting.

The elevator arrives and as she steps inside, thoughts of Agent Short’s apparent revenge for her rejection are pushed to the back of her mind and an image of Mulder defending her honor is suddenly all she sees. 

Dana Katherine Scully has never been a woman unable to fight her own battles. And in the past, Mulder’s tendency to be a bit overprotective has been frustrating at best, downright irritating at worst.

But right now, it’s neither. 

As he moves to push the button she feels his other hand graze lightly over the small of her back and suddenly, inexplicably, she stops caring about her rules. 

The elevator doors close and she backs him up against the wall, bringing her face close to his. Her lips curve into a smile and she takes his tie into her hand, tugging it. The heat between her legs is back. 

He grins as she pulls his tie towards her, stealing a kiss that any movie hero might deserve in the final act. There are certainly surveillance cameras pointed at them right now but she doesn’t care.

“That’s really sexy, Mulder,” she breathes as she tilts her head back, allowing him access to her neck. 

“What is, me defending your virtue?” he growls against her skin. 

“My virtue?” she asks as his hand creeps underneath her skirt. “What is this, the nineteenth century?”

“No. You’re an extremely modern woman.”

“Yesterday in bed you called me a tease,” she grins as his lips travel down her neck. Lately she’s been leaving her shirts more unbuttoned than usual, but he unbuttons one more. 

“Well I was obviously kidding,” he says as his head disappears between her lapels. “As it turns out you’re incredibly easy.”

“Mulder… this isn’t a good idea…” she breathes, realizing too late it was she who got him going in the first place, but simultaneously not caring. He spins her around so her back is to the wall of the elevator and she tilts her head back in ecstasy, his own cradled between her arms, obscured between her breasts.

And it’s in this exact position they are revealed as the elevator doors open to the shocked and disgruntled Agent Short himself. Scully hisses “Mulder!” into his ear and Mulder stands upright, blocking the other agent’s view of her exposed chest.

Scully peeks around him to see the man standing there gaping, his face hideously bruised, and before she can think of anything to say Mulder does it for them all.

“Wow, that looks pretty bad, Agent Short,” Mulder says as Scully furiously buttons up her shirt. “What happened to you?”

“Uh, I…” Short stammers. “I fell down the stairs.”

“Better get some ice on that,” Scully says as she brushes past him, taking Mulder’s hand. “I hear those government health plans are expensive.”

They walk through the lobby hand in hand, as it suddenly occurs to her all this hiding is exhausting. Mulder turns towards her and she notices for the first time his mouth is smeared with her lipstick. 

“Well, Scully,” he says, seemingly unconcerned with the watchful stares of the agents around them, “for a man who wanted us to reduce our vision, he certainly got an eyeful.”

[kingdmhrts]

PAIRING. kim taehyung & unnamed female. GENRE. fluff, long distance boyfriend, established relationship. WORD COUNT. 1,224. WARNINGS. cursing, language. RATING. pg-13.

His hotel room is thirty-three stories and, if he looks out of his window, the yellow cabs look like toy cars and the people look like ants marching up and down the sidewalks. They look insignificant. Thirty-three stories up in a fancy hotel room with a nice shower and a nice everything, Taehyung feels like a giant towering up above them, like a god looking down at all of creation. But he doesn’t feel powerful or delighted and, instead, the childish elation he felt when the plane first touched down is replaced by a melancholic feeling weighing him down in the back of his mind.

It turns out that thirty-three stories up, whilst alone, can makes someone feel both tiny and like the hero of Olympus. It’s a dizzying effect. He’s in the city that never sleeps, but New York does slow down at three in the morning and he almost missed the sounds of traffic. It’s this kind of quiet that leaves him with way too much time for thinking. Eleven hours earlier, he had been in Times Square, swearing up and down that there is no place he’d rather live in than New York and he didn’t even mind the fact that a total of eleven strangers brushed against him– the busy atmosphere was filled with enough hustle and bustle that left very little room for the dreaded downward existential crisis spiral he’s experiencing right now. His forehead is pressed against the cold window pane and he can see his breath fog up the glass. A part of him wishes that the windowsill was wide enough to fit his huddled figure, but this wasn’t one of the more expensive suites in the hotel and he certainly wasn’t in a cliche movie with the rain dripping down and a tear-worthy piano piece playing in the background. There is no empty, quite bar with some wise mentor figure waiting in the corner for him to offer him a beer and some advice once he gives up trying to force sleep. But there is Namjoon five stories up (and he can thank the fantastic last minute booking for that), probably busy dreaming and wrapped under the safety of unfamiliar hotel covers. In theory, Taehyung could call him, but he’s not exactly in the mood and he’s more interested in how much it’ll cost for him to make and international call. She’s thirteen hours away and they’re over six thousand miles apart. It’ll be a little before four in the afternoon and she’ll probably be taking a nap, but she’s a fairly light sleeper and more than used to having Taehyung wake her up at odd hours, especially in the middle of a proper night’s sleep. But, then again, this arrangement is just for a few nights, this one being the first, and, surely, him being a twenty something grown man ought to be able to handle sleeping alone in a strange city. He feels pathetic. Two years ago, Taehyung had wanted to scream from the rooftops because, holy shit, girls like her don’t happen to guys like him, especially after only brief interactions filled with shameless flirting and tentative approaches, she was finally his. But he’s not really the broadcasting type, as weird and contradictory as that sound, and he’d very much like to keep the late night conversations and good morning kisses a secret. So he’s left with vague liveshow indications of that special someone in his life (that, of course, everyone speculates is something else) and cryptic tweets that were oh-so public– a story of sorts with details pulled out. It’s not that Taehyung can’t sleep without her slow, measured breathing against his chest (he thinks it’s cute how she inhales through her nose and exhales through her mouth) and her arm around his waist, mindlessly rubbing circles into his skin. He’ll fall asleep eventually, catching a few hours of sleep, if he’s lucky. But Taehyung doesn’t want to curl up in bed cuddling his metaphorical demons shooting his brain into overdrive. He wants to stay awake late into the night with quiet whispers and her laying flush against him, acting like a shield for things like this. And, really, he can handle some time away from her– hell, he’s been doing it for years before they met– but it’s like the time he broke his wrist when he was riding his bike. The broken wrist wasn’t unbearable, but it did make things harder. The dull pain nagged him for weeks and the cast was a major hindrance and he lost a good six-ish weeks of piano playing. But it wasn’t unbearable, and life went on even thought it was a little harder. And that’s kind of what it’s like, being six thousand nine hundred sixty one miles away from her. It won’t last forever. Taehyung functions. Taehyung copes. It’s just a little harder. He’s well aware that this is just the night time winding its way around his thoughts and he knows that when he wakes up tomorrow and he and Jimin will go out for breakfast in the morning to eat pancakes that are twenty times larger than the pancakes he’s used to, he’ll feel better again. But right now, he’s anything but, so he ignores the nagging thought of his cellphone bill and he picks up the phone and calls her anyway. She picks up after four rings and he almost feels guilty when he hears her voice, laced with sleep. “Hmm?” His voice is breathy and shallow. “Hey. It’s me.” “Yeah, I kinda figured.” “Sorry.” “Don’t be.” He can hear the smile in her voice and they both fall silent, listening to each other breathe. “How did I ever manage without you?” The line sounds cheesy and cliche and if it were any other time, he’d cringe at himself, but he’s genuinely curious now. He can remember the first time they met and the time when he properly asked her out and Skype calls before and after and he even remembers their terribly embarrassing attempts at phone sex but he doesn’t really remember the night before her. Not when she’s become a regular fixture in his life. “You tell me. I, for one, was waiting all my life for a big dork to sweep me off my feet.” “Glad I could be of service, m'lady.” He laughs quietly, before whispering, “I love you,” and holding his breath, waiting for a response. “I know. Now will you please stop doing that thing where you worry way too much for one person? I love you and I will love you for a long ass time. Now get your pretty ass to bed and get some sleep, will you?” A pause. “Taehyung?” “Yeah?” “I miss you. And I want you back home soon, okay?” She briefly considers actually spelling it out for him because she knows Taehyung and she knows he thinks that he’s being too clingy for calling her one night into the trip. “I love you.” “I know. Same.” It takes him eight minutes to get comfortable in bed after handing up. Another two to fit one of the pillows up against his chest just right. If he closes his eyes and pretends, it’s almost like she’s there with him. He falls asleep infinity better than he would have before.

[saoirse7ilysi]

The LadyBlogger Cafe’

Things you may need to know about this Fic:

-This an OT4, Coffee shop AU.

-This is also an Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics oriented fic with an extra +1.

-Everyone is somewhere in their twenties.

-This is about to get real Steamy!

Will add more warnings as they may apply.

Chapter 2

When the alarm on his phone started blaring through the bedroom, Nino buried his face into his pillow and groaned. After a moment of lamenting the existence of mornings, he blindly reached over to the nightstand to find the offending device and switched it off. 

Once his room was plunged into silence again, he rolled over until he was lying on his back. He pressed both of his hands into his face to rub some of the sleepiness away and he took a deep, cleansing breath.

God, he hated waking up in the morning. Sleeping just felt too good. But once he was up, being awake felt great. It was just the process of getting there that sucked. 

He reached over to his phone once again and hit his favorite music app, causing the sound system to come to life with his morning playlist. Satisfied with that, he set the phone aside to start getting ready for the day.

After getting through most of his morning routine, he stood in the bathroom, having just finished brushing and washing out his mouth. Nino placed his hands on the counter, leaning on them as he stared at himself in the mirror.

“You’ve got this, Lahiffe,” he said to his reflection. “They’re just two girls who just so happen to own the coffee shop that your best bud likes to get his daily fix from.”

… No big deal, right…

...Right…?

Two girls…

Two women…

Two incredibly sexy women… who just so happened to know exactly what to say or what to do to make him lose all sense of brain function…

Alya, with her auburn hair that lightened in color as it got closer to the tips. He could swear it would reach past her incredible ass if it wasn’t pulled up into a high ponytail. Her side swept bangs that framed her face just right and really brought out her eyes. 

God, those eyes. 

Those large, light brown eyes that were almost gold. They turned up in the corners giving her an almost constant air of mischief about her. 

Although, That could just be her, and not her eyes…. Her eyes that seemed to practically invite him into her bedroom every time she looked at him…

And Marinette was no better…her eyes that would forever remind him of lapis lazuli. They were bright and round, giving her a sense of innocence that was clearly deceptive, all things considered. 

She piled her midnight hair on top of her head in a messy bun, letting her long layered bangs frame her face beautifully, bringing attention to the almost invisible freckles across her nose.

However, while she didn’t seem near as mischievous, she was just as willing to look at him with the same intent as her counterpart. 

And it killed him every time. 

It was like they were daring him to ask them out…

Them…?

...As in both…? 

Or just one…?

...But then, which one?

How was he supposed to choose?

And what would happen if he did? Would they go out, have a good time, then go about their lives as usual… or would they… she… they?... want more? And what, exactly, would ‘more’ mean?

Nino’s blood instantly rushed south at that thought, bringing him back to the present. His eyes locked on to the deep shade of red that covered his cheeks and even tinted his ears. 

He then dropped his head, letting it hang between his shoulders as he still braced against the counter. That’s when he realized his heart rate had increased…and heat started to pool in his lower abdomen as he thought about why.

“Fuck it.”

His clothes fell to the floor as he stripped, stepping into the shower for the second time that morning. However this time, he turned the water to cold instead of hot.

*****

It didn't take him long to drive from his apartment to The LadyBlogger Café. Pulling into a parking spot, he took a deep breath to prepare himself. As nervous as these girls made him, he couldn't be happier that this had become Adrien’s favorite place for getting his coffee.

Even on his worst days, he would still be able to name at least two good things that happened. And no, those two things were not exclusively Alya and Marinette… it was them on one hand, and getting to hang out with Adrien on the other.

Satisfied that he wasn’t going to be any more prepared than he was now, he went ahead and left his car. Straightening his cap, he walked toward the door to wait for his turn in line. 

Marinette spotted him immediately and smiled before calling over her shoulder in a musical tone, “Alya, don’t look now, but guess who just arrived.”

Alya grinned at her girlfriend.

“Hmmm.” She took a moment to pretend to think while taking care of another customer’s order. She hadn’t looked in Nino’s direction yet. “I don’t know…” she teased, “You’ll have to give me a hint.”

Marinette scrutinized Nino as he shifted nervously in the back of the line for a moment before answering. “He’s tall…”

“Girl,” Alya snorted, “Everyone’s tall compared to you.”

“Hey!” Marinette said indignantly, stuffing a straw in the other woman's cleavage as she walked by, “Fine then.” She glanced at Nino once again. And grinned wickedly. “He has the most amazing amber eyes you’ve ever seen.”

“Now, there’s a description that narrows it down,” Alya teased. 

Nino blushed as the line moved up. Some of the other customers quieted down to listen to the banter. He scratched at the small hairs at the back of his neck, not really knowing what to say to stop them…. Or if he wanted to stop them…

Adrien would have a field day if he saw this...

“...a strong jaw…” Marinette continued.

Alya hummed, waiting for more. She still hadn't looked in his direction.

“Broad shoulders,” she practically purred, “I’m willing to bet, toned muscles.”

“Well, if it’s who I'm thinking, then those muscles would have to be toned… working in security and all.” There it was. It was quick, and if he hadn’t been paying attention, he would have missed it, but she finally glanced at him.

He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He stepped forward as another customer had been helped.

“Indeed,” Marinette studied him again. “Have I mentioned his smile?”

“You know,” Alya said after taking the next order, “I don't believe you have.” 

Marinette fetched some food for said order from the kitchen, making sure it was nice and warm before continuing.

“Absolutely captivating,” she said, winking at Nino.

He felt as if his face were about to burst into flame. These women were merciless. He may as well be a puddle on the floor for all the support his bones gave him. 

How exactly does one react to this?

“Ooh,” Alya did purr as she pushed the last customer’s order across the counter, winking in her direction. Marinette turned to start his chili mocha while Alya pulled out two steaming croissants and placed them in a bag. “Tell me more…”

“Dazzling,” Marinette leaned into Alya as she passed her by. “Really, you should see for yourself.” 

 “Is that so?” Alya stopped short of the counter to turn toward her girlfriend, waiting for her to finish flavoring the coffee. “Before I do,” she teased once they were both ready to hand over Nino’s order, “Tell me, is he kissable?”

That was when both girls turned toward him to look at him through their lashes. He instantly felt his blood start rushing and he gulped as his heart rate increased exponentially. He suddenly felt illogically nervous. It should have been obvious where this was going, but a small part of him doubted he could be this lucky that these two incredibly attractive women would find him kissable.

They pushed his order to him before Marinette answered.

“Definitely.”

“Wow…” Nino breathed, reaching up to adjust his cap with both hands and leaving the one at the back of his head to rub at the small hairs there. “You ladies really know how to make a guy blush.”

They both smiled proudly at that, eyeing each other before turning their attention back to him.

He cleared his throat in an attempt to clear his thoughts as well. He pulled his hand away from his head and rested it on the bag of croissants, ready to pick it up. 

“Ah- Listen, Ladies,” He began awkwardly, “I was wondering-”

It was in that moment that his phone began to ring a familiar tone, effectively interrupting him. His brows furrowed together and he looked down. When he had his phone out and he could see the very name he expected lighting up the screen, he tightened his grip on the paper bag in his hand and reached for the coffee waiting for him. 

He quickly excused himself with an apology and a promise to be back tomorrow before heading outside and answering the call.

“Nathalie,” he greeted. “What’s up?” He walked at a brisk pace to his car, ready to unlock it.

“Is Adrien with you?” she said in her rather matter-of-fact tone. 

Fuck.

Nino scowled at the implication of that seemingly innocent question. If Nathalie was asking that, then that meant that Adrien wasn’t home. And that he wasn’t out with his bodyguard. Something that was strictly forbidden for him.

Of course, Nino was aware of the very simple fact of that not stopping his best friend. And frankly, he was fine with that. However, now he was in for a far more stressful day than he had intended. Either he would have to lie to Nathalie and tell her that Adrien was with him then pray he find the man immediately because no doubt that they would be ordered to head back now, or he tell her the truth and therefore spend the entire day looking for him, and either way risk losing his job.

Not that he really cared about the job aspect of it. He was being paid to hang out with his best friend everyday. He could do with or without the money. 

No.

Him getting fired would also mean him getting banned from the premises and Adrien’s dad hiring someone new to replace him. Someone who would be completely subservient to Gabriel Agreste, and that house would then be suffocatingly lonely for Nino’s best bud.

Either way, he needed to find him. And the more time he was given to do so, the better. 

He sighed.

“No, he’s not with me. I was just on my way there,” he said, pulling his hat from his head so he could run his hand through his hair. “I’ll start looking for him now. Let me get back to you.”

“Keep me updated,” was her curt reply before the line was promptly cut.

Great. He placed his hat back on his head as he went through his phone to pull up Adrien’s number. He didn’t doubt that Nathalie had already tried calling him, however that didn’t stop him from trying. Adrien would be less likely to ignore a call from him, after all.

Nino turned to lean his back against his car as he pressed his phone to his ear once again. Just as he was taking a deep breath, it caught in his throat, hearing another familiar tune.

He immediately straightened up, looking around for what he knew was Adrien’s ringtone for Nino. His brows furrowed together in his search of the sound.

It didn’t seem to be coming from anyone nearby… in fact… was it?

His eyes slowly traced the building up, up, up until they finally landed on what looked to be the cuff of a pair of pants just hanging off the edge of the roof of the coffee shop.

He swore.

Ending the call and slipping his phone back into his pocket, Nino made his way around, looking for a way up to the rooftops. After a few more turns than he was expecting, he finally found a fire escape attached to one of the nearby businesses. 

He stared at the little bag of pastries and the coffee cup in his hands for a moment before setting them aside in favor of pulling down the ladder that would allow him to climb up. The empty pile of clothes he found upon making it to the appropriate rooftop did not surprise Nino.

He sighed. This was going to be a long day.

*****

Adrien was resigned to his fate: Nino was going to kill him.

He’d realized that the instant he heard the tell tale ringtone that signaled Nathalie calling him. He also knew that, however Nino decided to handle it, he’d only be doing what he thought was best. So, no matter how this all turned out, things would ultimately be fine. 

He had absolute faith in his best friend. 

And while he was aware that it would make Nino’s life so much easier if he’d followed after him, Adrien just couldn’t bring himself to do so. He wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but something in his heart kept him here. There was something about this place that he couldn’t seem to resist. He wasn’t ready to leave yet. 

The little black cat made its way around the café while keeping himself well aware of the owners and the patrons, alike. He didn't want to be discovered, lest he be thrown out. The sights, sounds and smells did wonders to hold his attention all day. Whether he was roaming around or perched in a temporary hiding spot, he had to admit to himself, he was enjoying his time here. 

As he watched the two women go about their day, he couldn't help but notice the way they interacted with both each other and their customers. And what he found intrigued him. 

They didn’t flirt with anyone else, really. There were the occasional winks or comments, mostly from the brunette. But nothing like what they unleashed as a pair on Nino.

The man had not been exaggerating when he said that they were merciless in their flirting with him. It had been a treat to witness and something that Adrien planned to tease him about for the rest of his life. 

Another interesting thing was that it was also apparent that they acted the same way with each other, but it was even worse. They weren't exactly subtle with their casual touches and flirtatious whispers. In fact, it was rather entertaining to watch as the one he knew to be Alya repeatedly made her counterpart blush. 

“That’s it,” he heard Marinette say with a stubborn note to her tone, her cheeks flushed for the tenth time that day, “You're going home.”

“Aww,” Alya teased, a smirk playing at her lips, “I was having fun.”

Marinette rolled her eyes as she walked around Alya in order to untie the bow that held the other woman’s apron in place, pulling it over her head once that was done.

“Please,” she said sarcastically, “You've been working me to send you home all day.”

Alya watched Marinette hang the apron on it’s appropriate hook with a sly grin. “True…” She all but closed the distance between her and Marinette. 

These women didn't seem to have the concept of personal space. She waited for Marinette to face her, completely undisturbed by the proximity. 

Adrien tilted his head in curiosity, his tail twitching beside him in his perch. A part of him felt guilty that he might be intruding on what felt like a very personal moment between the women, but he just couldn't bring himself to look away.

“But,” Alya continued, “I made sure to pace myself so you wouldn't send me home too early.”

Marinette snickered before pushing Alya away with a finger to her nose. “Go,” she said, “get set up for movie night. I expect dinner when I get home.”

Alya nipped at the offending appendage, smirking when answered with squeak. She then kissed Marinette's cheek before turning and gathering her coat and keys. As she made her way to the kitchen’s back door, she waved over her shoulder with a refusal to make any promises.

Adrien’s eyes widened as the whole day clicked into place. If he was being honest, he could smack himself with how obvious it all should have been. What was it that Nino had said about him and his dad…?

Wait… If they were in a relationship, why were they flirting with Nino as much as they did? Considering the display they put on this morning, and assuming that's how it was every morning, they had to know the effect they had on him… didn't they? But if they did know, then what did that mean?

He watched as Marinette stood there for a moment staring after the other woman. When she turned back with an amused shake of her head, there was a light dusting of pink across her nose. 

Curious.

*****

A few hours later, the last of the customers left the little cafe and Marinette followed behind them to lock the front door, wishing them a wonderful evening and flipping the open sign to closed. Once she was alone, she paused to look around the empty space and started her cleaning routine for the night.

As she was finishing up, Adrien realized that now would probably be a good time to reveal his presence. He was aware that he might be able to sneak out as she left, but it was unlikely to not be caught, for one. For two, he still wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye yet. 

He moved around the counter where she was just turning from to go to the kitchen. When she saw movement from the corner of her eye, she jumped, startled at the presence of another in her little cafe. She braced herself on the counter to keep from falling.

Adrien’s tail swished behind him as he couldn’t help the amusement combined with a little guilt for having scared her that rose in his chest. After a moment she sank to the floor, a hand held against her chest, taking  a deep breath before turning to the little black cat waiting patiently for her to address him.

“Where did you come from, little guy?” she finally asked, holding her hand out to him. 

With that invitation, he moved forward to sniff at her fingers. He knew her scent already, having spent all day following her and Alya around. It had taken some time to pick out their scents among all baked goods and the coffee, not to mention the customers. 

However, when his nose bumped against her and he took in the smell that was purely her own, he could feel his heart swell. 

This.

This was what had kept him here all day. 

Adrien immediately started purring and rubbed his face against her knuckles. She obligingly closed her hand until he let up the pressure. Before she could do much else, he had moved to her lap and stood tall, using the front of her shoulder as a brace so he could reach her face.

“Oh my,” she giggled, “You’re a friendly one aren’t you?” Marinette lowered her head to give him better access as she reached up to pet his back and scratch at his neck.

In response, his purr increased in volume, allowing himself to get lost in her smell and her touch. 

“How did you get in here?” Marinette pulled away just enough to look at him again. 

He was just now opening his striking green eyes to watch her once again. She hadn’t realized that he had closed them. And looking into them now, a thought suddenly struck her. 

When did he get in here?

She hooked her hands under his ribs and picked him up so she could stand. Once she was up, she held Adrien to her chest and resumed her original path before her little discovery. She pulled out an open bottle of cream and a small dish.

Adrien perked up in her arms, watching intently as she poured just a little of the heavenly substance into the dish and set it on the floor for him. The moment his feet touched the floor, he moved up and just before he dove in he stopped short to chirp his thanks at her.

She giggled again and ran a hand down his back. 

“You’re welcome, little guy.” 

Marinette stood, leaning her hip against the counter and tapped her chin. After a moment, she pulled out her phone to send a text. Then leaned back down to a squatting position, only for Adrien to race over and rub his side against her shins. She reached over to scratch behind his ear.

“Hey, how would you like to come home with me tonight?” 

Hearing this, his head perked up. He jumped into her lap and chirped happily at her. Warmth spread through his chest at the giggle that escaped her once again. 

He liked that sound. 

Picking up the now empty dish, Marinette stood to wash it before turning to pull on her coat and grab her purse. Then she pulled on a set of earmuffs and gloves.

Looking at her all bundled up in winter gear, he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from her. 

She. Was. Adorable.

The coat’s red wool stopped just above her knees, hugging in all the right places and flaring out slightly at her hips. A black belt was tied in the back instead of wrapping around the front. The lower hem, mandarin collar and cuffs were lined with what looked like black fur. The coat itself was very sleek in its design with no buttons or pockets to be seen. The zipper that held it closed was sturdy, but unassuming and well hidden among the fur collar. 

The red earmuffs brought out the blue tint to her midnight hair, pulled up in a messy top bun. And her red gloves, black leggings and cute, fur lined boots completed the look perfectly.

When she finally turned to him and leaned down to invite him into her arms, it took him a second to bring himself to move. He was hypnotised. 

Seeing him stare at her, she smiled and stood up. 

“What do you think?” she asked, spinning around to model for him. “I made it myself.” 

If a cat could blush, he definitely would have been doing just that. He was impressed to say the least. 

He finally moved up to her and let her pick him up once again, they left the little cafe.

Marinette set him down in her car and after plugging her phone in to start charging, they set off to a nearby grocery store. 

“I’ll be right back, Little Guy. I just need to pick up some ice cream and a few other things.” And with that, she was off. 

Left alone in the car, Adrien reflected on his day. Eventually, his mind wandered to his best friend, and a bubble of guilt rose in him. That was when he noticed that Marinette had left her phone with him. 

Quickly, he checked to make sure no one was nearby when he shifted to his human form and grabbed the phone.

It only rang once before the line picked up.

“Lahiffe.” Adrien flinched a little at the all-business tone his friend used. He was unused to it being used on him and he had to remind himself that he wasn’t using his own phone.

“Nino, I can explain.” He had to stop at the sound of a breath being released on the other end of the line.

“You went for a run this morning and ended up at The LadyBlogger Café and you just couldn’t help yourself, so you shifted into a cat and went in.” 

There was a beat of silence before, “You found my clothes on the roof.”

“Yeah, man. I found your clothes on the roof.” Nino paused. Adrien could just picture him removing his hat to run a hand through his hair. “You do know I’m in real hot water here, right?”

“I’m sorry, Nino,” Adrien said, checking his surroundings once again to make sure Marinette wasn’t back yet. “Listen, I don’t have much time. I just wanted to let you know that I’m okay and I should be back tomorrow.”

“...Wait,” His best friend’s voice suddenly sounded much more alert. “Where are you now?”

“I’m… uh… currently sitting in Marinette’s car waiting for her to return from the grocery store.”

There was another pause.

“Does she know you’re anything besides a normal house cat?”

Adrien smirked as he checked the windows again. “You mean besides a super friendly house cat?”

The phone went so silent that Adrien had to check if the line had disconnected.

It had not.

When he placed the phone by his ear again, he could hear movement on the other side.

“Right,” came Nino’s tired voice, “We’ll talk more tomorrow.” He paused. “And Adrien.”

“Yeah?” The guilt Adrien had felt earlier tripled.

“Take care. And don’t reveal yourself. My job is hard enough right now without bringing Nonmagics into all this.”

“I won’t. And thanks Nino. Seriously, I really appreciate it.”

“You got it, Dude.” Nino laughed a little. “Just don’t make a habit of this. I can only handle so much Grumpy Gabe.”

Adrien laughed at that, asking, “Is there any other kind?”

He was rewarded with the sound of Nino’s chuckle. “Later, Man.”

“Later.” Adrien looked at the phone and tapped the red button, ending the call. Then he went in and deleted it from Marinette’s call history before setting the phone down where Marinette had left it.

With that done, He shifted back into the little black cat that Marinette was expecting.

When she got back, Adrien watched as she placed a couple of bags on the passenger side floor. She reached over to scratch his head in greeting before buckling herself in and starting the car.

Adrien found himself watching their path through the window, committing this journey to memory. Nino had asked him to not make a habit out of today, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t still visit.

It didn’t take long for them to arrive at their destination. Once parked, Marinette got out and rounded the little car. She opened the passenger side door and grabbed the groceries in one hand. Adrien went to her, making it easy for her to pick him up, when she called for him.

As she straightened, he decided that it would be easiest for her if she had at least one hand free to open her front door. So, he climbed up to rest over her shoulder, causing her to giggle once more.

“I’m home,” Marinette called once she was inside. She set to pull three bowls from the cupboards: two for the ice cream she had bought and one small enough for a can of tuna.

“What took you so long, Girl? Movie night was about to start without you.” Adrien could hear Alya’s voice coming from the other room.

Marinette opened the can of tuna and as the scent hit him, he realized that he hadn’t had anything to eat all day. Having gone out to run long before anyone would think to send breakfast up to his room.

The smell of fish consumed him and he happily jumped down from Marinette’s shoulder, stopping just long enough to press against her leg and sound his thanks.

She reached down to pet him, giggling at his antics.

“You’re very welcome,” she muttered to him before turning to fill the larger bowls with ice cream.

He had stopped paying attention to the conversation between the two women the moment the concept of food had occurred to him, thought he was fairly certain that he had heard the word “surprise” mentioned somewhere.

It didn’t take long for him to eat the tuna that had been set out and once finished, he turned to find Marinette returning to the kitchen.

“Hold on. Don’t get up,” she was saying.

“Too late,” Alya stated, her voice moving closer, “I’m up!”

“Alya!” Marinette laughed, pushing her girlfriend out of sight. “Wait! You’re going to ruin it!”

Alya huffed and seemed to stop pushing.

“Close your eyes,” Marinette demanded, trying to stifle another giggle.

Alya let out a long and dramatic groan before she started almost whining, “Mari, hurry up!”

Adrien rounded the corner to join them just in time to see Alya drop her head back impatiently. As he approached them, he rubbed against Marinette’s now bare ankles to let her know that he was there.

“Okay, okay” she said, “One sec.” She reached down to pick him up again.

It was amusing to Adrien to see the suspicious expression on Alya’s face as Marinette took the other woman’s hand in her own and guided it to his neck, encouraging her to pet him. Her eyes snapped open and lit up at the sight of the little black cat. Then she looked up at her girlfriend.

“He’s adorable. It is a ‘he’ right?” She bent her head as if she wanted to check but decided against it at the last second.

“Yes, he’s a ‘he’.” Marinette laughed again. “I’d say ‘boy’ but that seems a little young to me.” She pressed her face to him, causing him to purr even louder than he had been before.

Alya chuckled. “I think he likes you. Where did you find him?”

“At the cafe. He revealed himself to me just as I was about to head out.” The two of them started moving to the living room to make themselves comfortable in the mountain of blankets on the couch. “I think he may have gotten in with one of the customers and, just,” she paused to adjust herself, “never left.”

Once settled, Alya had her feet propped up on the coffee table, Marinette was leaning on her right side with her legs curled under her and Adrien was placed between them, so they could both enjoy his company.

“Huh, I wonder if he belongs to someone…” Alya mused, scratching under his chin. She suddenly smiled, and, to Adrien’s surprise, booped his nose. “In the meantime, do I get to name him?”

Marinette glanced at her girlfriend sideways before saying, “I think that would depend on the name…”

Alya hummed thoughtfully for a moment, watching as Adrien blinked, then proceeded to clean his face. “What about… Plagg?”

Adrien paused to look at Alya. Judging by the look on her face, he couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. He couldn’t help but hope she was. He really didn’t want to be called ‘Plagg’.

“What?” came Marinette’s response, “That’s a terrible name for him. Maybe for, like, a grumpy cat or something. Not for someone as friendly as this little guy.”

Thank you.

Adrien resumed cleaning his face. If he were to choose a name for himself, it would have to be something like Ch-

“How about Chat Noir?” Marinette asked. 

Adrien froze mid-lick to his paw and blinked. 

Did she just…? Did I just…? 

He slowly returned his paw to the blanket and started watching Marinette. She was looking up at Alya as the latter mulled over the suggested name.

Alya was watching him as she tested the name, before saying to Marinette, “Well, it's not very imaginative, but I guess it works. I think he likes it anyways. He hasn't stopped looking at you since you said it.” She reached over to rub his ear.

Adrien couldn't help but close his eyes contentedly at the gesture, causing Marinette to giggle at him before suggesting they start movie night. 

It was then that both of the young women settled further into their mountain of blankets, hit play and began eating their ice cream. Adrien made himself more comfortable in the blankets and snuggling closer. 

As the movie went on, Adrien paid little attention to it. The warmth and happiness in this room was intoxicating. He couldn’t resist letting himself be lost in it, lost in the heavenly scents that surrounded him, lost in the cuddles that he was so unaccustomed to receiving. He was content to just stay here, in this moment.

He didn't notice when he started squirming in his spot. He didn't notice when it was that he started feeling a little overheated. Or when Marinette’s attention had turned to him over the movie.

What he did notice was the note of curiosity in Marinette’s voice when she spoke.

“Hey, Alya?”

“Yeah?” Alya’s attention was still on the movie. When he opened his eyes to look at her, her cheeks were slightly flushed. It was then that he heard a seductive moan coming from the television. He vaguely wondered what movie was playing.

His eyes turned to Marinette when she spoke again.

“When do cats go into heat?” She was looking at him, her head just tilted to one side.

What? Why would she ask that?

“Beats the hell outta me,” Alya muttered, still entranced by the scene playing before her. “God, they’re so hot.” She absentmindedly moved to pet Adrien, curling her fingers to half massage his side.

Marinette pulled out her phone and started looking something up. 

Distracted by the gentle petting, Adrien moved his head to better smell the hand that treated him so, licking it to show his approval, his purr almost deafening to his own ears.

It was a few minutes before Marinette spoke up again. When she did she sounded rather intrigued.

“Huh...” she said, still looking at her phone. 

“What?” Alya asked, still gently massaging the squirming cat between them.

“Well, apparently male cats don't go into heat.”

Adrien’s attention snapped to Marinette once again. He narrowed his eyes at her, wondering why she needed to know this information. And what had gotten her so curious about it? Did she think there was something going on with him? That didn’t make any sense...

“What do you mean? Of course they do,” Alya responded, her attention still wrapped up in the movie they had been watching.

“No,” Marinette said, “Apparently, they respond to the scent of the females around them who are in heat.” 

There was silence.

Adrien stilled as the implications of Marinette’s discovery occurred to him. It was in this moment that he noticed that his breathing had been heavier, and just what he may have been doing while he was squirming…

And if his behavior had made Marinette curious to look it up….

Oh…

Oh no...

Alya’s ministrations on his side stopped as she slowly turned to stare at her girlfriend, letting the information set in. When Marinette finally moved to look at her with a raised eyebrow, Alya locked eyes with her. 

Before anyone knew what was happening, Alya was on her feet and moving around the couch, knocking Marinette off balance. Her shoulders were tense, raised up near her ears as she stated, “No.”

Marinette straightened herself on the couch where she’d fallen into the now empty seat beside her, catching Adrien before she accidentally shoved him off of the couch completely. The two of them looked at each other before turning toward Alya.

“No,” she said again, her voice raising in pitch. “No. No. No, no, no.” She narrowed her eyes, righteous fury burning behind the near-golden color. 

Adrien’s heart steadily climbed into his throat.

“Absolutely not!” This time her voice raised an octave as she pointed an accusatory finger in his direction. 

A small part of his mind hoped that he could be mistaken and that she was actually pointing a Marinette… but if he was honest with himself… He knew that was not the case. He was still trying to put all the pieces together through his shock when Alya finally just gave him the answer.

“I am not fucking the cat!”

____

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[mskathywriteswords]

Cupcakes at Midnight - Chapter 2

No warnings this chapter.

I look at myself in the mirror, wondering where all the years have gone. It feels like last week I was a blushing bride, and yesterday I was picking up the pieces from a failed marriage. But it's been over a decade.

My phone is in the kitchen, I left it there purposely so that I wouldn't obsess over looking at it every five seconds.

Instead, I go through my regular nighttime routine, taking my time with each step. The normalcy of it comforts me. I can pretend that I'm not freaking out on the inside. I scoop the cat litter and refill his water as he meows, begging like he's never been fed before.

I walk back and look at the cupcakes. The cinnamon crunch is gone, of course, but the other three still intrigue me. I've never even heard of some of the flavor combinations Ava's made for me. But I want to try them.

The thought of putting them in my mouth makes me blush, which is ridiculous because surely I'm a grownup who can think dirty things without a childish reaction. I close my eyes and slide my tongue across the silky frosting. The tang of raspberry rises up and makes my mouth water even more. I'm about to dive in to the cake part of the cupcake when I notice my phone lighting up and buzzing.

Ivy must be late night texting me, maybe she's fighting with Matt again. I swear, I don't know if those two will make it to their actual wedding.

But there is a tinge of hope that it's not Ivy.

After debating forcing myself to wait longer to check, I pick the phone up and click the button on the side so I can preview the message.

It's from her.

What if she texted back to ask me to stop texting?

That would be dumb, since she's the one that gave me her number, right?

What if she says it was all a mistake and that note was meant for Ivy? That would make sense; Ivy is gorgeous and statuesque, and ... not me.

But she didn't give Ivy the box of cupcakes, did she?

I drive myself crazy with what-ifs, so I just open the text.

I'm so happy to hear from you. What are you up to tonight? Hope it's not too late to text

I start to tap out a reply, then delete it. Maybe I should wait until tomorrow to reply? Then I realize her message was blue, meaning she'd see the three dots if she happened to be looking at her phone.

And either way, even if it was only going to be a friendship, did I really want to wait and play games? Wasn't I done with all of that?

Another exciting Friday night, wrapped up in a blanket on the couch watching Netflix, very much enjoying these cupcakes. Thank you again. And no, not too late to text - I use the quiet functions once I go to sleep, so you're good to text me anytime

I smile, hoping I'm coming across as genuinely as I feel. When I see the three dots pop up on her side of the screen, my smile grows.

What's on your current to-binge list? Glad you're enjoying the cupcakes. Thank you for inspiring them

Thank god she's a text-in-complete-words person.

Before I walk back to the couch, I pour myself another cup of tea and eye the last two cupcakes. How many cupcakes was too many in one night? I shrug and grab the orange-swirled one.

Well, right now I'm in the middle of Derry Girls. Still have to catch up on Handmaid's on Hulu, but that won't be until after I get through a few (probably boring) documentaries.

Instead of clicking the phone off, I set it on the arm of the couch, face up, so I can see if she replies again. Maybe my TV choices would make her realize how utterly snooze-y my life is.

OMG, which epi of HT are you on? Haven't seen DG, good?

We exchange texts for a few hours, discussing different movies and tv series, finding common likes and dislikes. By the time I yawn for the first time, finally acknowledging how tired I am, I realize it's past 3 am.

Holy shit, I have to get to bed soon. Will you be around tomorrow?

Jane from five years ago would have thought it was being very forward of me to ask, but right-now Jane is enjoying the conversation and ready for more from life.

I will. Any chance we could continue this conversation in person?

I tap out my reply before I even have time to think it through or be too self-conscious.

Absolutely

Awesome. Let's play it by ear, but I'll see you tomorrow, J

The temptation to leave it there gets over-ruled by my giddy, smooshy feelings.

Goodnight. Sweet dreams

That's the last reply in the series, and I set my phone on the nightstand, long ago having moved to bed to charge my phone. I roll to my side and think about what tomorrow will bring. Cat curls up at my feet and makes his displeasure that we're all still awake very well known. My eyes can barely stay open, but my brain is a freight train of excitement.

The next morning, I debate what "too early" to text would be. I don't want to seem overly eager, but I don't want to intentionally withhold a message just to play some weird unwritten rule game.

I get my laundry done, sweep the kitchen, and putter as much as I can, until finally around mid-day, my phone chirps. Cat looks up at me, ever-annoyed that his nap has been interrupted.

Beer, pizza, and extraordinarily dark dystopian future tv watching?

I shake my head and laugh.

What could make for a better Saturday night?

I can think of a few things. For now, it sounds pretty good, right? Wanna meet at your place? Is that too weird / too soon?

Was that a date? Meeting at my place to watch tv?

Sure, not too soon at all. What time?

We make plans for a few hours later, and I'm still unsure if it's a date, but I decide it doesn't matter. I want more fun in my life, so even if we just hang out and get to know each other better, wasn't that the point?

When the doorbell rings, I practically jump out of the chair. I open the door, and Ava looks like she's just come from some punk band concert that would be way too cool for me to even consider. I laugh to myself.

"Hey, come in."

Her hands are full, but she makes her way past me, finding the kitchen immediately.

"I wasn't sure what pizza toppings you like? I don't know how we didn't discuss that. But I went with half cheese, half pepperoni, just to be safe. Sound okay?"

She smiles and a part of me wants to melt at how genuine it is.

"Yeah, sounds great. I'll just grab plates. Do you need a fork and knife?"

The look on her face is absolutely fucking priceless.

"A fork and knife? For what?"

"Oh man, Ivy is so funny, she had me convinced for a while that everyone eats pizza with a fork and knife. Thank god it's just her. I was starting to question everything about my twenties."

"No way. Pizza is a single hand, no utensil kind of food. That's part of what makes it so perfect. I wasn't sure what kind of beer you drink, so I just got something generic."

We open our cans and take them, the pizza, and a roll of paper towels to the coffee table. Between bites, we talk about the season of the show and how we each think it's going; we make predictions on where it might end up. Then finally, when the pizza is gone and we're left with just awkward silence, we put the show on.

I can see Ava looking around my apartment as we watch, maybe trying to learn things about my life? Her eyes are on a particular frame over my fireplace.

"That's my niece, Hailey," I say, smiling.

We're sitting across the couch from each other; not too far, but not too close. Cat was always between us, annoyingly adorable as ever.

"Do you have any siblings?"

She smiles. "Nope. Only child."

"Does that get lonely? I bet it was glorious growing up. No one to fight with for the TV remote, or what kind of pizza to have."

Ava shrugs and smiles, then turns her attention back to the TV. Her body had been angled toward mine, but she shifts, and then scoots closer. Horrible things happen on the show in front of us, but right in the room? She laces her fingers through mine and my whole body warms.

Is this what it's supposed to feel like?

A few hours, laughs, and cupcakes later, the sun has set and we're several episodes into another series. I'm surprised when Ava gets up, yawning. Her arms go over her head as she stretches, and I swear I almost die when I see a sliver of her skin between her shirt and pants.

"I open the bakery in a few hours. I'm sorry, I'm terrible company right now. I probably haven't said ten words in the last hour."

"No need to apologize," I say, standing and touching her arm. "You've been great company. I feel bad I've been keeping you. You were up so late last night, too. All my fault." I laugh, trying to downplay my disappointment that the night is ending.

"Mutual blame," she says, smiling and tugging my arm. It could be a friendly gesture, the hug, but I can't help but hope it's the beginning of something more than a friendship.

[nastyaphrodite]

Mother Tongue - Demetria Martinez

fyi one of the most poetically written books I’ve ever read, quotes are too good to lose to time.

(will be tagged personal, but this is not personal ...)

pg. 4: and I was one of those women whose fate is to take war out of a man, or at least imagine she is doing so.

pg. 5: before his arrival the chaos of my life had no axis about which to spin, a center far from God that I asked for forgiveness in advance.

pg. 12: Everything else is remembering. Or dismembering. To create a man out of blanks that can never wound me.

pg. 15: From day one I looked for ways to graft a piece of myself onto him, to become indispensable. My gestures were perfectly timed, touching his hand, twisting my hair, excusing myself to touch up my lipstick---ordinary actions that would reverse the tides of my life as in the theories of physicists who say the dance of a butterfly can cause volcanoes to erupt.

pg 16: Love at first sight, this how I explained the urgency that would later shed its skin and reveal pure desperation. Some women fall in love in advance of knowing a man because it is much easier to love a mystery. And I needed a mystery---someone outside of ordinary time would could rescue me from an ordinary life, from my name ... a blessing that had become a curse. At age nineteen, I was looking for a man to tear apart the dry rind of that name so I could see what fruit fermented inside.

pg. 19: Yes, from the very beginning I wanted him. In that time of my life, men were mirrors that allowed me to see myself at different angles. Outside this function, they did not exist. It was a supreme selfishness, the kind that feeds on men’s attentions, a void flourishing in a void. **** In the end, I had no choice but to love him. Desire was not good enough. Love would ripen in the light of time we spent together, like an arranged marriage. Except that I was doing the arranging. And calling it fate.

pg. 20: I swear to God the moment I laid eyes on him I knew he was The One. And it can’t be a coincidence—that he arrived on the scene just as I was asking the universe whether or not there was more to life than just holding down boring jobs. I’d been so depressed. Now everything has changed. Still, I know I should slow these feelings down. Or else I’ll want to act on them—which always ruins everything. I’ve got to remember I can’t “make” anything happen beyond doing the footwork for some greater purpose that may be trying to manifest here. Maybe I’m supposed to just be his friend.

pg. 22: It’s like I’m going for longer and longer periods of time forgetting I’m depressed. Which maybe is a definition of happiness.

pg. 23: Peace. Joy. Openness to the future. How else can I describe what I’m feeling except for the big “L” word, which I don’t dare say out loud. Because it’s like yelling fire in a theater. Men flee and my girlfriends say to me, you fool.

pg. 26: Very often, when I try to remember those days, everything comes to mind except for memories of myself: what I looked like or said or felt. This is where it gets painful. You see, memory does not always serve me. It seeks images and feelings to hook on to, but at times encounters only voids. The facts are easy enough to recite. *** I fled the world, went inside, ceased to feel. You could say I fell asleep. There was no mystery to it. Quite simply, it was easier to sleep and pretend to be awake than to stay awake and pretend to be strong. *** They had words for women like me. Insane fell out of favor as did nervous breakdown. Clinically depressed was, I believe, in vogue. But ask any woman who has had times in her life when she was not all there. She will say she was asleep. And women who fall asleep and don’t know why lack a plot line; this is the secret source of their shame. So I concocted a plot of my own, orchestrating what I could until characters began to say and do things I had never imagined, me included. To prove the gods at least were interested in me, I courted disaster, set out to love a man I knew full well would go away. Falling in love was a way of pinching myself. It proved I was alive only on that thin line between drama and trauma. I handed my body over ... like a torch to help him out of his dark places. I felt no shame. I was utterly unoriginal. To love a man more than one’s self was a socially acceptable way for a woman to be insane.

pg. 32: It was like taking one last look around a hospital room where someone I loved had died. And I cried, I couldn’t stop, it was a surprise. I thought my arroyo of grief had long ago dried up, leaving only an imprint of the storm.

pg. 49: I was young, future tense came naturally to me: Iré, irás.… I will go, you will go. I have always lacked talent for living in the here and now, and back then I was easily transported into luminous, unobtainable futures.

pg. 55: Where others saw indigo, I saw blue; where others saw teal, I saw green. It’s the draining away of color that happens in a woman’s life when she can’t name her own reality. It is only now that I am able to go back and color in the pale places, creating a mural on the walls of the life I now inhabit.

pg. 59-60: The truth is, some of our tenderest moments are the ones I am least likely to remember. It has to do with what I said about sleep, how women like me sometimes flee, letting loving words or glances melt on the hot pavement of some nameless fear. So forgive me if I embellish; even a conjured memory is better than no memory at all if you would dare to give your life what the world did not, a myth, a plot. Besides, I never intended to reconstruct him from memory, just from love, which may be the only way anyone can ever hope to get at the whole truth.

pg. 61: I knew the name but not the man.

pg. 63-64: Now I have reason to improve my Spanish. I have a word and a way of life to conjugate: Quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos.… To want and to love, the same thing! God, make this thing last. Make it last. I sound crazed, I know, but with good reason. My period’s due any moment, and I have found true love. The kind that pulls all of life in one direction. It’s too much. Already, his presence in my life is helping me forget all the sadness (what was it about?) that pulled me down for so long before he came. *** The thought of being with him forever is intoxicating. But I’ve got to be careful. I’ve got to stay in the present. The minute I get hung up on the idea of forever, on what will happen tomorrow, I ruin everything.

pg. 65: But I don’t need sleep, I don’t need food, just you, I answered. I unpeeled myself from him, removed myself like a bandage. The cruelty of limits stung: the need for sleep, food, a paycheck however small. If an hour were a house one could move into for good, I would have built a wall around the 2 o’clock hour, a brick wall arrayed against the disfiguring fury of the future.

pg. 66: We opened each other up like sacred books, Spanish on one side, English on the other, truths simultaneously translated.

pg. 68-69: But I’m deceiving myself again. Lying. For a long time after (he) I continued to believe a man could touch my essence, make me whole. All that time I could have been writing, touching the fires of my being and returning to the world, purified and strong. *** You see, I was one of those women who is at her best when she wants something very badly. The mating dance, the yearning and flirting, surrenders and manipulations—I was good at that, so good at the pursuit that when I actually got what I wanted, terror appeared. Terror that wore the silly mask of disappointment.

pg. 73: The few friends I had during that spell of my life quit calling; the word must have gotten out that (I) was in love. They knew I wouldn’t come out of the house, the house I drew with crayons, a house of primary colors I called love. The first time I fell in love, friends tried to tell me it was not real. To prove them wrong, I drew a keyhole on the front door and invited them to look through to the other side. See for yourselves, I said.

pg. 76: It’s dangerous for a couple to promise to stay married until they die. It’s better to vow to stay together until the marriage dies—and to do everything in their power to keep it alive. If you don’t think of marriage as a plant, fragile and in need of attention, then you’re asking for major trouble.

pg. 77: That’s what I hate about love. Bit by bit you start to give things up. You become like a good parent. But I love him so it’s all worth it. I’ve never felt this way about anyone.

pg. 81-82: Unfortunately (or fortunately?), wounds will often start healing even if you don’t want them to, even if you would rather die quietly in the corner of a cell. The body’s will to live sometimes is greater than that of mind or spirit.

pg. 86: Do I just let things continue until they fall apart? The warmth of her flesh is all I have to make me forget. But alcohol does the same thing. Am I using her? Or is she using me each time she looks at me and loves what is not there?

pg. 87: No, I haven’t forgiven myself for being disappeared from myself any more than I have forgiven him.

pg. 88: He carved that question mark into my heart and kept watch over it until I could wake up and cry out.

pg. 89-90: Things began to happen. There were times he didn’t call, times he didn’t say I love you, nonevents that hurt in little ways, like paper cuts, but that added up. It could be these nonevents had happened all along, the normal ups and downs of relationships. But at a certain point, I began to perceive that he was pulling away from me and thinking about other things. And fear ate at my heart like battery acid. But it’s very likely that I only imagined him pulling away, imagined the whole thing. You see, the fear I am best at is always based upon a myth. *** ... assumption that to survive one sometimes must flee all that is loved. This is what terrified me. His body was branded with the equation, love equals flight.

pg. 94: You see, real love is quiet as snow, without chaos, hard to write about.

pg. 95: They were not like the white God I’d had to kill, that women like me must kill if we are to have any hope of ever finding God. Nothing replaced Him for a long time. But looking back now I can see that the growing chaos inside blazed away dead growth, clearing a space, however violently, for God to be reborn.

pg. 96-97: There were so many moments I would rather not talk about but in this dark night of remembering, they are blooming like night flowers. *** When he didn’t call, my world shriveled. Fetal position. Blistered finger pad. Or when he called and didn’t say, I love you, I shattered, then mistook a piece of me for the whole, a mistake that disfigures women’s lives time and again. But I lacked the nerve to tell him how I was feeling.

pg. 101: Now, as I write this, I can’t remember the real me. It’s terrifying, that you can love someone so much that you lose your own self in the uproar. I can’t remember the me who loves September, who loves to walk or read.

pg. 117: But every woman should have a special place inside where she can think, where no man is allowed, a place that will, you know, endure. Why do you think I took up letter writing? No man is worth falling apart over. Take it from me.

pg. 146: love could not be used like a cage to make a man stay. What if the universe now was telling me that it might take even greater love to let someone go? But I was not capable of detachment.

pg. 155: And as it is at times with bones, my heart needed to be broken and reset properly so it could carry me through life.

pg. 163: I’m tired, frightfully tired. Like snake venom, this story’s medicine had to be drawn from my own body. Maybe you won’t even read this, I don’t know. Long ago I began this tale for reasons I could not yet articulate, maybe for no reason at all. *** Promesas are as dangerous as skydiving, leaps into thin air. Nothing frightens me more than an answered prayer. And nothing taxes a body more than giving something back to God. This is why I am so tired, why I have spent this day crying in my room.

(4-2-19/4-2-19)

[theshapeshifter100]

Guess What? I’m Not a Robot Ch39

Yeah, I’m late. So you’re getting a chapter today and tomorrow! Hopefully!

Summary: The gang sees Connor ton tv and the sees the Detroit evacuation first hand.

Chapter warnings: casual swearing

Word Count: 1,784

11.58PM Thursday 11th November 2038

A few minutes later, painkillers had been successfully taken and Megan was back on the couch.

“Are you sure you’re okay over there?” she asked Oscar, who had returned to sitting against the wall. “I can budge up if you want.”

“Sick and the injured get priority,” Oscar waved off. “Besides I wouldn’t fit on the couch.”

Megan grumbled a little but lay on the couch. The tv was still on, although the sound had been turned down. It was still showing the feed from the protest as androids were released from the Recycling Centre. They looked a little creepy with just the bare white exterior Megan had to admit.

“Holy shit,” Megan suddenly noticed something odd. The androids were on the move, and the camera panned over to show a massive group of identical androids, with one distinct android at the head of the column.

“What the...?” Paul stared while Oscar got up to get a better look.

Markus and the android at the head of the column met in the middle, and Paul squinted.

“What the fuck?” he could not believe what he was seeing.

“What?” Megan and Oscar asked. The resolution wasn’t great, so clearly Paul had spotted something that they had not.

“That’s the RK800-Connor!”

Megan blinked at the screen, squinting. It was difficult for her to tell, so she took Paul’s word for it.

“So, this could go really well, or destroy the entire revolution,” she summarised.

“Nah, Connor’s good.”

Everyone except Paul jumped and turned to see Lieutenant Anderson dressed in a loose shirt and boxers. Not a sight many would really want to see. The police detective had his arms folded as he nodded at the screen.

“He woke a bunch of ‘em up in CyberLife Tower. He’s not huntin’ deviants anymore.”

Everyone noticed Paul slump in relief, but no one mentioned it.

“So, is he a deviant now as well?” Paul asked uncertainly.

“Yup,” Anderson responded, popping the ‘p’.

This was when Paul’s radio flared into life.

“This is Rainbow3. Anyone watching the news? Over.”

Anderson raised an eyebrow as Paul answered.

“Beep Boop here. We just saw it. Over.”

“Did you see who was at the front though?” Lucas asked.

“No, what the hell’s going on?!” Ivy asked.

“The RK800-Connor, yes. We have confirmation that he’s a deviant now. Over,” Paul bristled as Anderson snorted with laughter at that.

“From who?” responded Lucas. “And I’m guessing you two haven’t made it there yet? Over.”

“...No,” Ivy admitted. “Seems like there’s no point. Heading back. Who’s your informant? Over.”

Anderson outright laughed. “Whatever, you can tell yer little Scooby Doo gang.”

Paul did just that. “Lieutenant Hank Anderson. Over.”

“Wait, what?!” Julia had clearly taken the radio off of Maggie. “How? Over.”

“We, may have, broken into his house,” Paul admitted, and Megan interjected while the talk button was still down.

“We didn’t break anything! The window was broken when we got here!”

There was a pause from the radio.

“Great way to avoid suspicion there Nervousness Incarnate,” you could almost hear Lucas rolling his eyes. “Fuck we’ll deal with this in the morning. If he’s still there ask him about him AAA Battery, provided there isn’t a gun to your head.”

“You think Nervousness Incarnate would put up with that after earlier?” Paul responded wryly.

“Five feet of fury,” Ivy snickered.

“She can bite his kneecaps,” Maggie joined in, and Megan leaned to snatch the radio from Paul.

“I hate you guys.”

“Guys enough,” Julia came back on. “It’s midnight, let’s call it a day already. We all got somewhere to sleep? Over.”

“Yep. Over.” Megan responded, and was greeted by another affirmative from Lucas’s group.

“Let’s see if we can meet soon. Over and out,” Julia ended the conversation and Megan handed the radio back to Paul.

“So, what are you guys, exactly?” Anderson asked. “Some kind of android rights group?”

“That is exactly what we are,” Oscar rumbled.

“Huh. Well good for you,” Anderson huffed. “And who the fuck is AAA Battery?”

“Alex, our, I suppose leader,” Paul thought. “They and Allison could be joint leaders I suppose, along with Julia.”

“Right, and I assume this Alex got arrested?”

“Yes,” Paul confirmed. “Short green hair, bright clothing, general androgynous appearance.”

“I haven’t seen ‘em,” Anderson shrugged. “Now fer the love of God, go to sleep!”

The detective stormed off and Oscar switched off the tv. Megan got settled on the couch, making sure to stay on her back or right side. Oscar slumped against the wall and drew his knees up to rest his head on them. Paul stood in place for a second before switching off the lights.

He stood in the dark, watching them fall asleep. He could go into stasis he supposed, although he wanted to stay alert. They weren’t out of the woods yet.

Paul stood vigil all night, watching the snow fall outside the window.

07.30AM Friday 12th November 2038

As dawn began to break he shook Megan and Oscar awake. Oscar was awake almost instantly, although Megan groaned and mumbled something about ‘five more minutes’.

Without wasting another second he picked her up, and she was clearly tired as she only half heartedly objected.

Oscar opened the door and they stepped out in the fresh morning. Oscar swore and rubbed his hands together before stuffing them into his pockets. Megan burrowed deeper into the blanket, taking full advantage of her position to avoid the cold at all costs. Paul noticed the cold, but overall it didn’t bother him.

“So, where to?” Oscar asked.

Paul paused, sifting through the options. They didn’t know where Lucas and Nathan were. Allison was either still wandering towards the android camp or had given up and headed back. Alex of course was at the police station. That left Julia’s group, who were at her house.

“Do you know where Julia lives?” he asked Oscar, who shook his head. “Megan?”

“No idea,” she mumbled. “I don’t think it’s that far from Alex’s.”

“That doesn’t help,” Paul sighed.

“We couldn’t have discussed this in the warm?” Oscar asked, stamping his feet to make sure that they didn’t get too cold.

“I’d rather not test the Lieutenant’s patience.”

“So, we have no idea where to go?” Oscar asked, Paul reluctantly nodded. “What about going to the androids?”

“We don’t know receptive they are to humans right now,” Paul shot down.

“How about we go to a mall or something?” Oscar suggested. “We’re freezing out here!”

“It will give us a temporary goal if nothing else.” Paul nodded, recalling where the nearest mall would be. It was a bit of a hike, given that this was a residential district, but it was doable.

As the sun rose higher Paul made sure Megan started walking.

“It’s cold!” she protested.

“You have a blanket!” Oscar snapped in a rare show of temper. “What have you got to complain about?”

“Lack of functionality in my left arm!”

“Both of you, enough!” Paul barked, restoring order. “Nothing about this is great. Let’s just get somewhere warm and plan from there.”

Megan and Oscar glared at each other for second before following the android. Given that dawn was pretty much half seven, they expected businesses to be opening. Instead, the streets of Detroit were full of people getting into cars with large suitcases and driving off.

“What the hell is going on?” Megan asked, and Paul flagged down a nearby couple trying to shove a suitcase into the back of their car.

“Hello, sorry to bother you,” he started, and the one shoving the suitcase in grunted to acknowledge that he was there. Their partner on the other hand, was a bit more amicable.

“What’s up?” they asked.

“Er, we’ve been out of the loop. Where is everyone going?”

“Detroit is being officially evacuated,” the gentlemen helpfully informed. “Given the androids taking the city the military have retreated and are basically letting them have Detroit.”

“I see. Thank you very much,” Paul dipped his head in thanks.

“No problem, if you and your guys need a ride out of Detroit then I’m sure there’s room for you.”

Paul looked at their small Sedan and Oscar’s bulk. No contest.

“Thank you for the offer, but we’ll be fine. Thank you.”

Paul went back to the other two and relayed the news.

“The whole city?” Megan asked, incredulous.

“Sounds like it. I’ll call the others,” Paul reached for the radio and walked as he talked. Most people were worrying more about themselves than some guy with a radio.

“This is Beep Boop. Anybody else know about the evacuation order? Over.”

“Reading you Beep Boop,” Julia was online. “It was on the news this morning and all over the paper. My parents are packing up, but I’m going to stay here. Over.”

“I thought these orders were mandatory. Over.”

“We all know that the androids pose no threat. Besides, half of Detroit ignored a tornado evacuation once, this is nothing in comparison. Over.”

“Is everyone staying? Over,” Paul posed the question.

“Ringo’s in student accommodation, and they’re doing checks to make sure students are gone,” informed Lucas. “We’re going to move to my apartment.”

“Poison Oak and Rainbow3 will stay with me,” Julia informed.

“Any sign of Biker Chick?” Paul asked, and a bleary voice answered.

“Yes, I made it back an hour ago,” Allison responded, voice thick with exhaustion. “I didn’t make it to the protest in the end. It would have been all over anyway.”

“Alright. Get some sleep and my group will work some things out. Over and out,” Paul clipped the radio back to his belt. Oscar and Megan had both overheard.

“I’m in student accommodation,” Oscar admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well then,” Megan took a deep breath. “Looks like we’ll go to mine then.”

“Megan, your apartment is tiny,” Paul reminded.

“It’s better than nothing,” Megan declared, and Paul could just detect a nervous habit under the blanket. Even with a sling, she was finding a way to pick at her sleeve.

“It’ll be a long walk,” Paul added. “It took us several hours on the way to Alex’s.”

“Well, we won’t be dodging the military this time,” Megan responded with some optimism, and Paul had to agree.

They made it to Megan’s apartment building without any issue. All military personnel had been withdrawn and most people were leaving the city like it was a sinking ship.

People were still exiting the building when they made it there, but few people were taking the stairs. So they didn’t have to push through a crowd of people to get to Megan’s floor.

So, we're done with Hank Anderson for the time being, his appearance short but sweet, although we haven't seen the last of him yet. Honestly he probably would have let them stay a bit longer but Paul didn't want to risk anything. Since none of them have any idea of the stuff that happened in Connor's story they have little reason to actually trust Hank.

Also, imagine being in Hank's position, having a pair of college students and an android hiding your house and using cumbersome code names and being all serious about it, that would be pretty funny in his position.

Other Options Flowchart

(Paul) Ask Hank how he knows Connor is okay.

(Megan) Don't interject.

(Paul) Suggest going to Megans. Suggest Alex's. Suggest hiding.

(Paul) Agree with Oscar about going to the androids.

(Paul) Chastise Megan. Tell on Oscar.

(Paul) Ask the people dragging a suitcase from their house. Pick up abandoned news tablet to read.

Tags! @nightmarejim @septicart-appreciation