#I want all three of their shocked faces well documented

[junityy]

🕸 — stay.

pairing. spider-man!jake x fem!reader genre. fluff, slight angst, slightly suggestive?? wc. 2k warnings. for context, this is the #infamous scene in the amazing spiderman 1 when peter shows up hurt at gwens window!! and yes im including the lizard LMAO and jake is kinda down Bad note. THIS TURNED OUT SO LONG.... and also NOT how i wanted but erm well.. spiderman jake is truly all i can think about so i hope you enjoy!!!

You were just finishing up your chemistry homework when Jake leaned against your window frame outside, and lightly knocked against your window. By now, this had become a routine-like thing, so you didn't even flinch.

The first time he did that, though, you felt slightly creeped out before letting him in regardless - because, after all, you do live on the 21st floor. The second time he did that, you started getting used to it. After all, your boyfriend just so turned out to be Spider-man. It was just something you'd get used to sooner rather than later.

Turning around and telling him, “Come in.”, you could already feel your lips form into a smile like that of a little kid's. Jake does as you said and opens the window, slowly climbing inside while you quickly save your homework document in the meantime.

“So, big guy, what was saving New York like today?” you joke before turning around to look at him. Though, once you see Jake holding onto your armchair for stability, your smile fades as quickly as it appeared and you get up when your eyes scan his body - three major scratches across his chest, along with other small wounds across his face (though these are a given by now). But also- scratches? No, it looks more like someone tried to slice him up with.. you don't even know what. Knives? This big? You can only imagine how he got these.

“Different, for sure.” he replies in a joking manner (even though there is no smile), and you can hear just a tiny bit of the pain he must be in in his voice.

“Jake?” you end up whispering as you walk towards him, and he simply lets himself fall onto your armchair before you sit down beside him.

“Seems that reptiles aren't my biggest fans.” he jokes; now smiling as he lets his head fall back while trying to catch his breath. In the meantime, you can't help but scan his wounds up close and - it's safe to say, someone (or something) possibly did try to slice him up from the looks of it.

“Reptiles?” you repeat, the confusion in your voice being very easy to identify; something Jake had already seen coming though, so that is far from surprising.

Before speaking up to elaborate further, he lifts his head again to look at you up close, then explains; “Remember that thing on the bridge yesterday? The thing that was ‘bigger’ than a human.. Well, turns out it's actually some kind of giant, mutant lizard. And it's living in the sewers, apparently.”

“A what?” raising your eyebrows in shock immediately, you can't help but blink in utter confusion a few times - at least before your eyes find their way back to his chest, and some dots start to connect by themselves. Well, his wounds make a little sense now at least. Still, neither of you could deny that ‘giant mutant lizard’ doesn't sound absolutely insane - so naturally, it takes you a second to process and.. imagine what that fight must've looked like just now.

“You're..” you frown; making eye contact with your boyfriend again after breaking it shortly. Jake on the other hand can't seem to even think about taking his eyes off of you. As per usual. “You're telling me you're fighting.. giant lizards?” you simply add. You're also certain that no matter how you would've worded this, it would sound equally just as crazy.

But, well.. your boyfriend IS Spider-man after all. So really, nothing should probably surprise you anymore. If you had to guess, things would, most likely, only get crazier from here on.

“Yeah. Well, they suck.” Jake scoffs, followed by another smile on his face, but he quickly groans in pain right after; your eyes still fixated on his wounds. It’s not like he'll die of them, so you try telling yourself to stop being so dramatic, but still.. it's a sight you'd rather not get too used to.

You hate seeing him like this. Usually, you're pretty used to seeing him with small or at least smaller wounds by now, but this? This is.. low-key crazy. You keep telling yourself that he is literally Spider-man, and that there's.. kinda no way to avoid getting hurt, yet all you hope for is to see him in one piece every single time. And it seems that the longer he keeps doing what he's doing, the chances of seeing him at all keep getting slimmer. Which is something that truly keeps you up at night, easily causing goosebumps all over your body.

“Hey.” Jake quietly says, simply to bring you back to reality once he notices you're lost in thoughts, and the next thing you feel is his hand on your cheek, softly cupping it.

Once you're actually back, you properly reconnect the eye contact you so love with him again. “What is it?” he questions not too long after, barely whispering while trying to read your expression. You, on the other hand, just remain silent; swallowing, before taking a sharp breath.

“Take this off, I'll take care of it.” pretty much avoiding the question, you point to his suit instead (or at least the upper part of it) - since, every time Jake has come here, you took care of him and his injuries. And today was gonna be no different.

While he makes sure the city is okay, you need to make sure he's okay. And vice versa, Jake has to make sure you're okay, by coming back to you every time like promised. New York could be safe for all he wants - only seeing your face every time makes him feel truly safe and sound.

And so again, he does as you say; moving to sit on the floor while leaning against your bed, he watches you do your little magic in silence. Silence, awe, admiration - it's all the same when it comes to you, really. He doesn't even deserve you, Jake thinks to himself. Like he does everyday.

Your ‘little magic’ though, simply includes disinfecting his wounds first; a process the both of you have gotten used to by now.

Once he's rolled down his suit a little, you begin to carefully pat his chest with the tissue again and again, so careful as if he'd break if you made one wrong move. Which.. seems sort of funny. You're patching up the Spider-man after all.

Jake, in the meantime, can't seem to take his eyes off of you again, so he simply doesn't. Instead, he watches your every move like his life depends on it. The look in your eyes has changed. You've gone quiet. Like, awfully quiet.

“Y/N.” he tries again after just a moment - after you clearly avoided his question the first time. When you look up just the tiniest bit, you're immediately met with his eyes on you already in no time. Oh. His eyes. “What is it?” he repeats, hoping to get you to talk this time.

Looking at him, it takes you a few moments to even form a somewhat coherent thought. Sometimes you wish you could just stop time and stay like this. With him, here. Forever.

Sure, being Spider-man's girlfriend had its perks - like Jake taking you with him to swing around New York together. Surely.. an original experience! But it also meant praying he'd come home to you every time there was trouble in the city.

“I'm just scared for you, is all.” you sigh quietly, tilting your head a tiny bit. For just a moment, silence enters, and it feels like you're falling in love with him all over again. You're just glad he's here.

“You won't lose me.” Jake assures you in the softest tone possible and immediately brings his hand back to your cheek, only to bring your face closer to his. Close enough to place a kiss on your lips, a reassuring one. A kiss that, as you both know, says something words wish they could truly encapsulate. Breaking the kiss for a short, simple “I promise.”, he immediately reconnects your lips again like he'd suffocate if he didn't.

What starts as a lovely, reassuring kiss, quickly seems to turn into something much more intimate when you feel Jake rest his other hand on your waist only to pull you as close as possible; to feel your body right against his.

Spider-man might have impressive healing abilities that are above those of the average person, but Jake felt as if having you near him was already enough healing.

“I love you.” he breathes into the kiss, and quickly tries to catch his breath when you do the same for a second. Your faces still dangerously close, all you seem to be able to get out is a “I love you too.” that sounds very out of breath, like you were the one fighting a giant mutant lizard just before.

Bringing your hand up to rest on the side of his neck, Jake can't help but sigh when he backs off a tiny bit, only so he can get a good look at you. God, you're beautiful he thinks to himself. Basically looking at you the same way he did when he first told you he loved you, he automatically moves the few strands of hair out of your face; tucking them behind your ear, while his eyes simply shine with admiration. But mostly love.

“I just love you, Y/N.” your boyfriend repeats while shaking his head slightly, and sounding completely hopeless as if he just accepted that he is, indeed, hopelessly in love with you. Though, that was more or less the case anyway.. it still is, actually. Watching his eyes go back and forth between your eyes and lips, Jake speaks up again in a low voice, “You won't lose me.”. However this time, it's a promise rather than a reassurance.

Your eyes lighting up with pure love at his words and the look in his eyes, you can't seem to hide the way your lips are forming into another tiny smile - so you decide to just let them speak by placing them on his once again.

It's like your lips were perfectly made for each other, especially when Jake tilts his head a tiny bit more to deepen the kiss - his hand still on your neck, and if it were to go after him, he'd never remove it again. It's like you were perfectly made for each other.

“Jake.” you mumble into the kiss, yet keep it going because his lips feel a little too good moving against yours. Although you don't wanna let go, you (sadly) do end up breaking the kiss - which causes Jake to immediately look at you as you're gathering your thoughts one by one.

“I need to ask you a favour. It'll sound really selfish, though.” you begin quietly, only to receive a promising nod from his side, waiting for you to continue curiously while his eyes go back and forth between your eyes and lips again. Swallowing, you carefully ask, “You know I love that you're Spider-man, but can you just be Jake for tonight and stay?” Yeah, you were right about it sounding kinda selfish. Jesus.

But, like, it's true, and you couldn't really figure out a better way to word it. I mean, obviously you love that he's Spider-man - literally who wouldn't? But it's true that you love Jake Sim more. Even if just a tiny bit, which is why you want, - or need, actually - him with you tonight. Just Jake. Just the two of you.

“It doesn't sound selfish.” is the first thing he says in response, slightly shaking his head for further assurance. You're not only glad about it, but you feel your heartbeat increase rapidly when you see yet another smile form on his face, which (thank god), he doesn't even try to hide as it's getting too big. “Actually,” he lightly scoffs, biting on his lip as you watch him do so (it drives you nuts every time).

“I was hoping you'd say that, princess.” is the last thing he says before pulling you in for a kiss much, much more intimate than the ones before.

taglist @tyunni @geombyu @jaeyunverse @yjwfav @sieuneo @beombisou @neos127

[cod-z]

[NSFW 18+] Pegging Series (Anon Reveal)

Your media consumption isn't my responsibility | TW: NSFW 18+, Title itself explanatory

Pairing(s): John 'Soap' MacTavish x Stoic!Reader

| One-shots | A/N: My anon reveal and brain-rot. For those who knows said story, yes, I am THAT anon from said blog

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

Johnny has a thing for Stoic!Reader because of the mystery behind them, always keeping a poker face even in dire situation and the strong, powerful aura that reader has but it's also reassuring. A mix between Price and Ghost the stern yet comforting from Gaz.

Johnny knocking on stoic!reader's door because Price had asked him to get the paperworks that were needed but ends up just stammering towards reader because the way reader speaks is so emotionless and stern, it sends him into a horny frenzy-

Finally telling stoic!reader what Price wanted, reader dismisses him but he doesn't leave and just stands there like a sweet, lost puppy and who is totally not horny or anything because reader is only in a black tank top and their cargo pants while reader does paperwork.

Stoic!Reader casually staring at Johnny because he hasn't left and asks if there is anything else.

Johnny stutters as he tries to explain that Price, Ghost and Gaz were getting ready for a mission, clenching onto the documents, trying to ask a certain question because poor pup was going to be alone for quite awhile but ends up silencing himself and leaving. 'Cause why would reader do that for him if reader was aroace? (again, sue me).

Not even 2 weeks in when the other three were gone. Johnny pathetically asks Stoic!Reader if they could fuck him.

Stoic!reader who wanted to say 'no' till they saw the twitching outline of Johnny's bulge and felt a twinge of pity for Johnny boy and sighs.

Stoic!reader who says 'yes' but only on one condition which makes Johnny happy, though the next day Johnny was now on his hands and knees with stoic!reader prepping his rim to take in the strap-on they bought online together (Johnny totally didn't get the overnight shipping).

Johnny is already a squirming mess as he came twice already from being prepped by reader. Reader obviously not done with Johnny, had already put the big, girthy, bumpy strap-on, on already and grabs him roughly by his mohawk. Rubbing the plastic-rubber against his weeping cock gathering the cum and proceeds to rub coated strap-on onto his ass, slicking it up before pushing it to the hilt.

Pathetic whining moans leaves Johnny's lips as he's drilled onto Stoic!Reader's bed like reader hates him, shocking Johnny at the full force that comes from reader's frame, he never would've guessed reader would have it in them to be this way. Letting him orgasm in this position twice before doing it once missionary.

Johnny already an overstimulated little pup on stoic!reader's bed, crying from too much pleasure and was ready to give out, to fucked out to even help reader orgasm. But don't worry, reader already had a plan for that.

Stoic!Reader pushing Johnny's legs up, stroking the tip of his cock before guiding it into reader's hole making poor Johnny weep from overstimulation, pain and pleasure. Knees behind Johnny's ass while holding his legs up as reader fucks down onto him, closing in on their own orgasm and Johnny building up his, what? 5th? 7th orgasm? He doesn't know.

Neither of the two hearing the sound of multiple boots hitting the floor nearing reader's barracks. The door opening as both Johnny and Reader orgasms at the same time.

Johnny looks weakly at the other three with a smile, who stared at Stoic!Reader in shock, Reader's expression remains stoice but as their eyes trailing down the three men's body already seeing their growing bulge, stoic!reader gives a small smirk and removes themselves from Johnny (who totally didn't pass out).

Well shit. Price, Ghost and Gaz later on couldn't remember that reader smirked at them, nor did the four remember that reader pecked their foreheads as they all lay together, asleep, after being fucked and looked after by reader.

Stoic!reader who finishes changing, closes the door quietly letting their four boys sleep. Till next time.

[plump-lips-imagine]

Hello (◍•ᴗ•◍) u saw that your request were open. Can you write some romantic headcanons of bowser with his s/o, it can be fluffy or spicy whichever you're comfortable with thank you in advance

Alright, Coming up!

Bowser Romantic Headcanons.

Meeting:

You know how dragons like to make hoards of anything that’s shiny, and glimmering, and just want it all to themselves?

That’s the closest thing that Bowser felt after he met you.

Granted, it was pure accident that you met because he accidentally kidnapped you instead. Well, HIS minions made the mistake of kidnapping you.

You were Peach’s Royal Attendant. You were taking care of some of Peach’s documents while she was in a meeting when it happened.

“You ain’t Peach!!” Bowser Growled at you with his claw dangerously close to your face. You gulped nervously at the predicament you were forced into. “N-No Sir, I’m not. I’m just her attendant. Please don’t hurt me”.

 He huffs in frustration. He’ll be sure to punish the idiotic minions that make this mistake. But what to do with you? “...You’re not totally useless. I can make this work.” “Huh?”

 He was going to use you as a hostage to make Peach agree to marry him. She cares way too much for her people to leave you in danger. It’s the perfect plan!

So that’s how you were trapped in a cage, waiting currently for someone to rescue you as Bowser planned a letter to threaten the Peach with for your Safety.

Welp. With nothing better else to do, you might as well try to make conversation if you’re going to be here for a while.

“So….Got any hobbies?”

Bowser raises an eyebrow at you. “What?”

Safe to say, Bowser was very annoyed at your attempts to make small talk. But he entertained the idea since he was running blank on what to write to the Princess.

Maybe if he decided to talk to you a bit, You’ll eventually stop talking altogether.

And maybe fix this writer’s block.

Neither happens. 

You were a chatterbox, and he seemed to lose interest in the letter altogether.

You were genuinely curious about him since you’d only heard about him From Peach.

He was Scary, but you couldn’t help but look at him in interest.

And he….didn’t mind. Actually, the way you looked at him in curiosity when he talked made him a little Bashful. Not many ask a lot about him

No one appreciates his awesomeness in all its glory, so you asking about him kinda…made him want to talk to you too.

Peach is usually silent when he tries to talk to her, so it's nice to talk to someone for a change.

Both of you didn’t realize how late it was until Kamek came to remind him that Dinner was ready.

It was shocking to him he talked to you so much without getting bored and shocked him even more that he didn’t want the conversation to end.

That lasted for about 3 days before Mario and Luigi came to the rescue.

And Of Course, he got his ass handed to him.

Mario grabs your hand as he walks away from the barely conscious Bowser. “Come on-a (Y/N). The Princess was-a so worried about you.” You followed the bros out the front door of his castle, but you turn quickly to look at Bowser. “Bye, Bowser! See you Later!” Bowser lays there as the three of you left, contemplating was you just said. ‘’Later’?...later…..Later.” 

There was definitely going to be a Later.

Pre-Relationship:

  He starts ‘kidnapping’ more frequently. To the Point where Both his minions and Peach notice it.

“Sire, Why are we taking this Human instead of the Princess? What could the servant provide that we can’t just get from the Princess immediately?” Bowser Glares at the Koopa, and stomps towards them, making the Koopa jump in fear. “Are you questioning me!? I know what I’m doing! We need that servant because she’s more likely to tell us things without a fight! I’m going to use it against this Kingdom when the time is Right!” Translation: I miss this human a lot but couldn’t think of a reasonable way of seeing them again so I kidnap them so they’ll have no choice but to spend time with me, but I won’t admit that to anybody.

Princess Peach runs up to you to inspect your face as Mario and Luigi save you again. “Thank Goodness you're alright! Did that Monster hurt you? I’m so sorry you got dragged into this.” “Princess, I'm Fine, Really. Don’t worry about it. Mario and Luigi saved me so all is good with the world.” Translation: Bowser has no idea how to ask to hang out so I gotta keep up this facade until either I ask him personally to hang out. I had a fun time with him but I don’t want you to freak out at this.

He has obvious favoritism for you. 

It’s laughable to even call you a prisoner because you don’t even sit in the cage when he kidnaps you.

He orders his minions to prepare a room for you.

He even made sure they got delicious food sent to your room when supper was ready.

You don’t attempt to run since you enjoy his company and he enjoys yours.

Kamek and the rest of his minions as You and Bowser talk about certain topics walking down the Royal Hallway. Bowser notices this and glares at them. “Is there something you need to say?” He rhetorically asks in a dark tone.” They stop looking and stand guard quickly. Bowser's face softens, looking down back at you. “As you were saying?”

He is also a little touchy with you. He usually has his hand on your back when you talk. Also has you sat on his forearm when he wants you to be closer.

He’s a little touch-starved. He forgets that he has to act like he’s holding you prisoner.

 Mario and Luigi came to ‘rescue’ you for the 8th time. It was different today. They defeated his defenses but when they came to the throne room, he wasn’t ready for them to come. He was asleep. He was on his some curled up in a sleeping position and there you were, next to his face as he held you down with his arm, pulling you close to him.

The Mario Bros stare at yall in shock. You shush them when you spot them and waved them over quietly. They come and you carefully wiggle out of Bowser’s Grasp. “Let’s go.” You whisper quietly. They nod and head out the front. You take a piece of paper and leave a note. I’ll be coming over next week, You don’t have to pick me up anymore. - (Y/N).

You tuck the note under his hand, and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, leaving before he woke up. He smiles in his sleep.

                   Post-Relationship

      Congratulations! You have the Koopa King’s Heart in your Hands now.

Achievement unlocked: Bowser will now kill for you.

But yeah, if you thought he was sweet before. Get ready for that time 3.

He just wants to make you happy and bathe you in riches.

Are you hungry? He gets the minions to make a 5-star gourmet dish just to your liking.

Thirsty?  He will bring you a gold chalice embedded with shining jewels.

Is it too hot? Minions! Fan my lover and get them the coldest water we got!

Enemy needs to be wiped out? Say the word and he will bring them to your knees begging for mercy.

Calls you Starlight and Firefly because of how you brighten the room.  Along with nicknames like Honey, and Sweetheart.

Also, be prepared for him to be right under you or more like you very close to him

He will pick you up in his hands just because. No reason. He just wants to hold you and keep you close.

He is very gentle when he has you in his hand. It makes you feel safe when he wraps his fingers around you lovingly. Claws never tearing your clothes or breaking the skin. You are treated as fragile as precious glass art.

He still has this urge to just pinch your cheeks and squeeze you a bit. You’re just too cute for your own. (Even when you’re doing absolutely nothing.)

Have you sitting on his lap when he’s sitting on his throne until yours is done being built.

Please kiss is on his snoot. He will melt at the affection with hearts in his eyes.

Please kiss him more. He craves it. He will wag his tail when you do.

You know how possessive and protective Dragons get with their treasure. Be prepared for that.

He will be so stubborn when you have to go to the Peach’s castle and try to get you to stay longer.

Do you have to go so soon? It’s early. Why don’t you stay another hour…or 2. Or you can’t wait till tomorrow? Or next week? Next Month? Next Year?    

He has to fight this instinct to just grab you and keep him under him so that he can keep you all to himself.

…He only controls it 3 times out of 10.     

Literally has you cuddled up under him in your shared bedroom because he doesn’t even want to share you with the Princess.  You were a little annoyed.

He gives you his best puppy dog eyes to make you less angry. You can’t stay mad at that face.

Fine, But You’re going in the next hour.

He lets out a content purr as you settled into him.

He literally loves you so much. He hopes you stay forever.

He is so ready to ask for your hand in marriage.

He hopes you say yes.

[syoddeye]

the meeting

ceo!price x reader / ~3k words

Folks seemed to like the first installment of this maybe-series, so I cooked up a second part in between drafts of the next chapter of For the Record (shameless plug). Not sure if this will be a whole thing or a series of vignettes. Enjoy!

CW: red flags everywhere, power imbalance, alcohol (mentioned)

You lay low after the company Christmas party and losing the drama wager to Jordan. Heads down, nose to the grindstone, and so forth. You never found the courage to respond to Mr. Price's direct message over the holidays. The shock from receiving a response at all kept you up at night. The message was supposed to get lost in his notifications, buried beneath the hundreds of messages he supposedly got a day. And he had not only replied, he insinuated he wanted to grab drinks. You checked it a hundred times.

johnprice - invisible Hi, Mr. Price. I was wondering what you want for Christmas? > World peace. > I'd settle for a drink, though.

You could be reading into it. Flattering yourself. Profile photos were required on the chat app to help put faces to names, so he could have recognized you as the punch girl from the open bar. Most likely, he was making a joke and humoring an underling.

Whatever the reason, his simple reply plagues you well into the new year.

The first quarter is always hectic for The 141 Group. New regulations go into effect, and projects and initiatives kick off, setting the year's foundation. Since your boss Kyle is VP of Finance, it's even busier for him with budget meeting check-ins, payroll reports, and financial policy updates. And if his life is busy, your life is busy because his success is your success.

"Need you to bump everything I have today after three to tomorrow," He murmurs when you collect a stack of documents to copy.

"This is the second time you'll have pushed the meeting with technology directors," You remind him, but make a note anyway. "They'll complain to Mr. MacTavish."

Kyle glances up. "Let them. He's clearing his schedule this afternoon, too."

"Oh?"

"Big man's bringing the C-Suite and a few of us lucky VPs in for a meeting."

A practiced EA, you keep the instant surge of dread from reaching your face. It isn't strange for Kyle, though technically a subordinate to the CFO, to attend such meetings. Mr. Price frequently pulls him into special projects. You simply hoped to avoid the 'big man' for as long as possible. On the bright side, when Kyle never reprimanded you for flippantly messaging the CEO upon return from holiday, you assumed Mr. Price never said anything. Hopefully, he forgot about your message altogether. 

"Need me for notes?" You ask, hovering in the doorway to his office.

"Please. Something tells me it'll be tense." Interesting.

With a nod, you tuck the folder under an arm and pat the doorframe. "Got it. Lunch'll be here soon. I ordered Indian and Thai. Whatever you don't want, I'll eat."

"You're a lifesaver."

"I know."

~~

Conference Room Bravo isn't the biggest meeting space in the building, but everybody knows it's Mr. Price's preference. With an unobstructed view of the water and natural light, you like it, too. Especially since the small group of assistants who attend the more critical meetings sits on a long bench built into an alcove in the wall with a good view of the windows.

You and five other EAs ensure every seat at the main table is set with the appropriate accoutrements. Tea and coffee are on standby. With a three-hour window allocated, everyone will need a spot of caffeine at some point. Fifteen minutes before the scheduled start, you chat and make personal preparations.

"Did MacTavish seem stressed about this?" You ask Jordan as she takes the seat next to you.

She shakes her head. "No. You know him, though. It takes a bit to work him up."

"What about Laswell?" You lean forward and look down the bench at Oliver, the Chief Information Officer's right hand.

The younger man looks up from his laptop. "Same as Mr. MacTavish, kind of. Hard to tell, but she didn't take a smoke break, so…"

"Right."

The conversation drifts to weekend plans until Lucy, the newest EA to Mr. Shepherd, pipes up.

"Isn't it strange Mr. Price doesn't have a permanent assistant?"

It's a fair question for a new person. Since you started at The 141 Group, the desk outside Mr. Price's office has functioned as a revolving door. Guiltily, you stopped trying to learn their names about ten temps in, and since then, it's a coin flip if anyone's there at all. The general rule is if you have something to deliver to Mr. Price, you leave it on the empty desk. 

"Nah, nobody's good enough," Jordan answers. "MacTavish once told me Price is a workaholic with impossibly high standards. Not a good combination for an assistant."

Oliver agrees. "Laswell said as much, too. Apparently, at his place, he has a whole recreation of his office and gets right back to work when he gets home. And, his only staff are the bodyguards."

You would feel sad about that if Mr. Price wasn't a gazillionaire. An older man, hunching over a computer, completely alone in his home…when he could certainly afford staff and delegate.

Still, if he kept himself so busy, it made the fact he responded to your DM quite interesting.

The conversation dies when the attendees trickle in.

Kyle arrives with Mr. MacTavish, the latter of whom flashes a grin at Jordan and you. Close behind is the hulking mountain of a CSO, Mr. Riley, who, as usual, wears a black surgical mask. (The rumors around that accessory are practically 141 Group lore.) Other members of the C-Suite file in and Mr. Price arrives last, followed by his guards who post up at the door. He shuts the door behind him, the click silencing the room.

Your eyes glue themselves to the computer in your lap. Jordan elbows you a little, obviously enjoying the lingering effects of her wager.

As Mr. Price sits down, you finally steal a glance. He's wearing the hell out of a charcoal suit with a blue tie that makes his eyes pop, even across the room. His expression is stern, borderline grim, and thankfully, like everybody else at the main table, doesn't even glance in your direction. He's straight to the point. "Thank you all for making time in your schedules on short notice. Let's get started, shall we?"

~~

An hour and a half in, Price calls for a break. As the most senior EA on the bench, you lovingly pass on refreshment duty to Lucy and Desmond, the most junior. You follow Kyle to the hall.

"Need anything?" You ask when you're a reasonable distance down from the conference room.

"Do you think you can clean up the notes and send them to me by nine tonight?"

Your brows raise. Rarely does the man ask you to work late. He usually doesn't need to, as you pride yourself on efficiency. "Of course. I'll make a physical copy, too. What's your read on it, by the way?"

Kyle gives a tired smile. "You aren't paying attention, are you."

"I take down everything I hear to ensure you have impeccable notes. Listening gets in the way of that," You offer a grin, then glance down at his tie. Crooked. You fix it without thinking and chat more about his schedule tomorrow. A few people pass by in the hallway to use the restroom or stretch their legs, but you don't pay them mind.

"Mr. Garrick?" You both turn to see Jordan's head sticking out of the door. "They're resuming."

Kyle sighs quietly and starts back toward the conference room. You follow.

Settling back into your seat on the bench, you feel eyes on you, but when you look around, there's nothing. Weird.

~~

The meeting concludes on the dot at six. The attendees leave first, as do the rest of the assistants when you volunteer to clean up. Jordan waves goodbye when Mr. MacTavish departs alongside Mr. Riley. You sigh in relief when Price walks out with Shepherd and Laswell, leaving you and Kyle. Your boss swipes through his phone as you collect the trash and dishes, leaving everything for janitorial.

"Do you need a ride?" Kyle asks when you collect your laptop. "I'm heading your way."

"No, I think I'll finish the notes here, wait for rush hour to die down."

Kyle walks out with you and frowns. "If you stay past eight, please text. I'll have a car come back for you."

You suppress the urge to roll your eyes. Kyle is merely protective. "I'll take the train or call a rideshare myself."

He pushes the matter when you return to your corner of the executive floor, but you don't give in. You plan to stop for food on the way home and aren't keen to make his driver wait. When he finally leaves, you find yourself alone on the floor. Most folks leave at five, so everyone else cleared out when the meeting ended at six.

You clean, format, and summarize the meeting notes in an hour and a half. Due to Kyle's earlier comment, you make an effort to read into business. As far as you can tell, it's another big new project with lots of money on the table. The name of a new contractor company for extra hands mildly raises your interest. The usual choice, Chimera Company, must be busy. Other than that, everything's a slog to read. You trust that if something's important and need-to-know, Kyle will explain.

You email Kyle the notes a few minutes shy of eight and send them to the printer. Languidly stretching as you go, you walk to the copy room. At this hour, most overhead lights are on a timer and won't turn back on until morning to conserve energy. So, it's natural your eyes flick to Mr. Price's office at the end of the long hallway. There's a sliver of light beneath the door, beckoning like a golden gate. Turning into the darkened copy room, picturing Mr. Price at his desk distracts enough you don't realize you're not alone until a low, growling curse cuts through the silence.

Hunching over the copier is none other than Mr. Price himself. The low light glints off a silver watch band, encouraging the eye to a pair of thick forearms exposed by rolled shirt sleeves. You get a whole second of the uninterrupted sight before he notices.

A silent alarm goes off, and you're hopeful the lack of light saves you: Please don't recognize me. Please don't recognize me. Please–

Mr. Price does not move, and his focus returns to the copier. "Didn't realize anyone else worked this late."

You're unsure if you're supposed to respond, but you need those notes. "I usually don't. I was finishing up…Is there–Is there something I can help with?"

He answers when you tiptoe closer. "Everything's coming out with streaks," He grumbles, fiddling with random panel doors that open into the machine's guts.

This is not your first battle with the cursed thing. "I can fix that."

"Can you, now." Price mutters, barely audible.

You swallow. You might be several pay levels lower, but you aren't a pushover. "Mr. Price, please let me try." 

Again, he delays, but after an exasperated sigh, he concedes and slams a panel door shut.

After he steps back, you examine the failed jobs resting on the tray, then address the angry, blinking digital display. A few screens and taps later, you trigger the self-cleaning process and the machine whirs to life.

"All fixed?" Price asks, reminding you he's but a few steps behind you.

"We'll see," You move a short distance away, afraid if you stand any closer, it'll be enough for him to remember who you are and your dumb message. "It's self-cleaning. It will take two, three minutes, then produce a test print."

Price hums in acknowledgment, and then the glow of his phone screen illuminates his profile. You glance out of your periphery, almost relieved to see the steely expression on his face. Seems he really is a workaholic, taking advantage of any spare moment.

You lean against the supply cabinets and cross your feet at the ankles. You left your phone at your desk, so you settle for watching the copier hopefully fix itself.

Then, to your utter horror, Price says your name.

You look up without thinking.

"Thought I recognized you." He holds up his phone, and there you are, your profile picture in the workplace chat app.

You are going to murder Jordan. But first, you need to apologize.

"Mr. Price, I am so–"

Price cuts you off. "You're Kyle Garrick's assistant, yeah?"

Relief washes over you. Your message is forgotten. Definitely. All you are is an assistant. "Yes, sir."

With a hum, he pockets his phone, then steps forward to better see you. A hand plants itself on the counter, mere centimeters away. "You were at the meeting earlier." 

"Yes, sir."

"Would explain the swift fix," He muses, and his gaze drags down you in a more than perfunctory look before meeting yours once more. "Normally, I'd use the copier in my office, but it's due for maintenance. Seems this one is, too." 

He has his own copier? It would explain why I've never seen him in here, making his own copies since he apparently hates help.

"Guess so," You lick your lower lip, stomach flipping with nerves with how close Price stands. Between the proximity and the near darkness, it's all you can do to keep your imagination in check.

A cheerful beeping from the copier saves you. Price lingers a moment more, then returns to the printing tray as the machine spits out a test page. 

Price chuckles, which you take to mean the issue is fixed. He restarts the delayed jobs. "Well done, love."

"It's nothing," You say quietly, rooted to where you lean. 

A minute passes, and Price collects the first completed stack of papers. His brow furrows. "Think these are yours."

You finally push off the cabinets and venture closer, reaching for the notes. Only, he does not hand them over.

"Forgot Gaz prefers hard copies," Price murmurs. 

Gaz? 

"This is the kind of work I wish I had received from my past assistants."

If it was not the CEO speaking, you would be the defender of the voiceless, the fired employees of 141 past. If the man's gone through as many assistants as you think he has, he's the problem.

"You like working for Garrick?"

It feels like a trick question. From the outside, it appears he and Kyle like each other. For all of Price's talks on 'openness' and 'camaraderie,' he has his favorites, and your boss is one of them. Though that could be an act, and Price is actually looking for some kind of blemish on Kyle's record. Either way, you can be honest because you genuinely like Kyle.

"Mr. Garrick is a joy to work with." Anxiety flushes half of the English language and all creativity out of your brain.

Price huffs in amusement. "A joy to work with," He repeats. "That's all? You appeared quite friendly during the break."

The comment gives you pause, and you shove back through the day's events. The meeting, the break – was it because you simply straightened Kyle's tie? It's a harmless gesture, you think. No one's ever batted an eye before. You can't help but feel a little affronted. "That's because we are friends, sir. Kind of happens when you work for someone for nearly five years."

Price lifts the notes in a placating manner, then out to you. "No harm meant. It's nice to see, is all. I understand we struggle with retention."

An understatement for him. Your imaginary hackles lower. "We work well together."

Price smiles. "Clearly. And five years, eh? Should get something for that, I think."

Inwardly, you cringe. The last thing you need is another branded mug, t-shirt, or keychain. "That isn't necessary, sir."

"Nonsense. We've got to reward loyalty."

You stiffly nod, figuring it's worthless to protest. It makes sense why he's in charge. He's a steamroller when it comes to what he wants.

"Do you have somewhere to be? Someone waiting for you?"

In this context, a darkened office, alone with a man with the power to make or break your career, it's a borderline sinister question. At least, it should be, yet instead, all you feel is a brief thrill.

"No, sir."

"Then, how about that drink?"

Oh, god. "'That drink'?" You ask dumbly. You know exactly what he means.

He chuckles and sets his gaze on you again. It's heavy, somehow both a blanket around the shoulders and a cinder block to the chest.

"While you are a capable woman, I doubt achievin' world peace is within your power. But a drink? Think you can fit me into your schedule this evening?"

You will kill Jordan for the bet. Then Kyle will kill you for losing it. But do you really have a choice?

"Yes, sir."

"Please, after hours, call me John."

~~

Mr. Price's–John's bodyguards do not seem fazed when you meet them at the elevators. You watch John whisper something into the taller one's ear on the ride down, and the man hails a cab. Meanwhile, John ushers you out to a waiting town car, and the shorter guard takes the passenger seat. 

When he takes the seat beside you, shuts the door, and drapes a big arm over the back of the seats, you think to fake an illness. A forgotten appointment. Something. Then he gives you another grin, a note of triumph in it, and the thoughts of escape vanish.

~~

Your salary affords you nice things like hardcover books, daily coffees, and frequent takeaway. And until ten seconds ago, you could count stylish yet comfortable office attire among said things. Yet, walking through the awning-covered entrance to an unmarked bar, you lose that delusion quickly. The bar's host lights up at the sight of Mr. Price, then openly examines you and the pencil skirt you thought was expensive.

"Welcome back, Mr. Price. Your usual table, I presume? Is this lovely creature your date?" 

"Yes, and yes."

A firm, warm hand at the small of your back flexes. It's a silent suggestion: do not correct him. You don't.

A cocktail later, that same hand lands on your knee beneath the table. 

[finniestoncrane]

KTJL!Boomer x Fem!Reader, word count: 1k giveaway commission: thank you sweet and precious @creepling for my first foray into a sex pollen style fic, and the perfect subject for it! waller has synthesised a replica of some brainiac serum that encourages procreation, and since george literally will take any excuse for a good root, he and reader are the test subjects 💙 request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: sex pollen-esque, dubcon elements, overstimulation, breeding kink, exhibitionism

"Send her in."

"Ms Waller, have you really considered the ethical implications of-"

"Do you want to go in there?"

"N-no."

"Well then, send. Her. In."

Only three days since Hack had discovered documentation of a serum in Brainiac's logs that encouraged repetitive breeding amongst subjects, with successful procreation leading to the optimal genetic conditions being chosen from both parents for the offspring. And in that three days, Waller had gained permission from the government for ARGUS to implement a test of the synthesised serum.

They had so many more fights ahead of them, and she didn't consider herself to be working with the best team. However, she could at least admit that amidst all the negative traits, there were some positives. But the risk was still there, so she wasn't about to select the top for the experiment.

Which is why she had settled on George Harkness. If anything went wrong, she wouldn't feel bad losing him. And for his partner, a random inmate. No discernible talents, so to speak, at least not in a way that would be effective against meta humans or alien hoards. But someone who was of sound-ish mind and could offer a sense of stability to whatever George was offering.

That's where you came in.

All they had to do was mentioned a reduced sentence and you had agreed. Truthfully, when they had been explaining it to you in the medical checks, you had only focused on the concept of finally, after months of no physical contact, having sex, at last.

Something that your partner was equally excited about.

In the room beyond the door where you were being kept, George was standing against the wall, rutting into it, his stiff cock bashed against the surface in a bid to find any kind of friction. He'd been given the serum five minutes before, and the effects were almost instantaneous.

The serum had been injected into you moments before they led you down the corridor, so you were slightly behind him in terms of your side effects. That meant you were vaguely shocked when you were shoved into the room, the door locked behind you, and you found George humping the air as he turned to you.

"Hello, Sheila! What's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this then?"

His grin was wide, pushing into his cheeks, the creases in his face deep as he winked and narrowed his eyes. Usually, that kind of blatant, and poor, attempt at flirting would have put you off, but the serum had begun to work through you. That, and you had to admit that you definitely found him attractive.

George lifted his shirt off as he walked towards you, flexing his muscles and tensing them, showing off like a peacock. It was effective, as you felt your own stomach tighten, warmth spreading through your core as you took in the sight of him, fit, sturdy, oddly charming.

"Hot in here, ain't it, babe?"

As he took off his signature beanie, tossing it to the floor, he shook his hair out, the sweat that had begun to bead on his forehead falling onto the floor with the movement. Meeting him in the middle of the floor, you pressed your hands to his torso. A move that was far more forward than one you were likely to make under normal circumstances, but you were practically growling, desperate to feel his body, aching for him to be as close to you as possible. Your cunt clenched, longing for something to fill it, and George was right there, willing and eager.

"Fuck me."

"You not gonna ask me out to dinner first, babe?"

"I don't know how much time we have before the serum wears off... do you really want to risk it?"

He smiled wide, licking at his lips and waggling his tongue at you before putting it back in his mouth.

"Yeah, fair point well made, love. You know me, any excuse."

With complete abandon to any of your senses or social norms, you let your pants fall to the ground, stepping out of them and falling to the floor. Maneuvering yourself onto your hands and knees, you reached behind to spread yourself open for him.

"Where do you want it then, babe?"

You looked to him with a questioning gaze. From her position behind the two-way glass, Amanda rolled her eyes, unable to comprehend his stupidity.

"Oh right! The... the thing..."

Quickly, and with very little care for any foreplay, George ran a finger down your slit, spreading your slit over your cunt before he pushed his cock deep within your walls, beginning to fuck you at an energetic and frantic pace.

"Fuck me, babe... they'll have to get a team of men to pull me out of you."

"They're... not gonna... hng... pull you out, George... that's the point..."

His eyes widened as he realised, rutting into you more frantically at the excitement of cumming inside of you, painting your insides, his seed there for a purpose.

"Oh, yeah! Well, I've already made one... might as well give it another go!"

As he neared his orgasm, his words became cruder, alluding to the act in a way that was so lewd you could feel yourself getting wetter and warmer with each statement.

"... fill you up... get it right up there in you... no chance you're leaving here empty... tied to me always, eh?"

With what you could only describe as a howl, you felt his body tense and shudder, one last final, deep thrust into you as you were filled with his warm, thick seed.

He kept rutting, a sticky mess against his abdomen and your rear, coating his dick, your slick and his cum combined as he kept pushing himself forward. His cock was softening, but he refused to move from you, and only when you collapsed onto your stomach was his length released.

George's cum was still spilling out of you, so much of it even after he had spent an extra minute pumping it deep inside of you, ensuring that you would definitely be in receipt of his significant contributions towards Waller's future line of controllable, successful squad members.

And as you felt yourself finding the energy to ask for a second round, you turned to find George still rutting, his hips jerking into the air, clearly ready to go again, too.

[heyidkyay]

And I'm petrified of being alone, now |

Part Twenty-Three

Matty Healy x reader

Summary: She’s just trying to get by, really. What with being a single parent to her four year old son whilst simultaneously trying to kick start a successful career as a radio presenter. She’s got everything she’s ever wanted though, friends close by, a mum who’s merely a phone call away, and of course her baby boy. What else is there to wish for? But then, it’s not long before her relatively normal life gets upended and turned on its head, and she’s suddenly forced to deal with situations she’s never even thought to imagine.

What happens when one mention of a certain controversial singer on her show sends a flood of unexpected challenges her way? 

Authors Note: Another update this week?? I'm as shocked as anyone else, but hopefully this one will make up a little for the last! It's longer and a little less, um, idk, I can't say emotional?? because that would be a lie:/ Still, there are some developments! Also, it'll make sense a lot later but the 2nd image and the use of a Ride song are used in this one!

Hope you enjoy! Also thank you for all the love on this current series, it means a whole lot and keeps me writing xx

Warnings: similar to that of the last post! so pls look back there if you'd like to know!:)

> Last update: look back here if you'd like!

Masterlist

“I said no.”

Stressed was a feeling beyond words at this point. The past couple of days all I’d had was press hounding at me, calling and texting, emailing at all hours of the fucking day. They wouldn’t let up, even after I’d stayed silent. Adi reckoned it was mostly down to Teddy’s involvement in the whole thing. I didn’t want to think much more about it, although I knew she wasn’t wrong.

“Give me a reason at least?"

I shot a scathing glare over my shoulder before turning back to the filing system I’d taken to reorganising. It was my first morning back at the studio since... yeah, well Finn had Teddy- another factor to my current load of stress- whilst Adi was off doing something or other. I hadn’t asked, fearful of putting more of a strain on her current friendship- relationship??- with Ross, so instead I’d just chosen to tidy and rearrange the entire setup we had going on here. Because that was perfectly normal. And not a fucking way to evade talking or thinking about the mess that was my life. Okay?

“I don’t need a fucking reason, I just don’t want to.” I retorted, hissing slightly when I suddenly cut my thumb on the edge of a document. I withdrew my hand quickly and raised it towards my mouth, letting my eyes slip close for a moment when I heard a footfall step closer.

“Let me see.” Jamie sighed, probably thinking I’d done something worse to my hand than just a papercut. To be fair, the cabinet was old. One of them filing types from the ninety’s that we’d gotten for a score down at some boot sale, so I wouldn't be surprised if one of us did eventually end up losing an arm.

I shook my head and pushed the cabinet drawer closed, “It’s fine, just a papercut.”

Jamie huffed an amused chuckle before settling down on the edge of the desk nearby. It was Adi’s, you could tell from the sheer amount of shit she had accumulating it.

“One thing after another with you.”

My head tilted towards him with a deadened expression, “Ha ha.”

The older man raised his hands up in a mocking surrender, showing he hadn’t meant any real harm. “Too soon?”

I kicked at the toe of the leather boots he wore in retort as I moved towards the kitchenette, aware that he was just trying to lighten my horrendous mood but not really in the right mind for it. 

“You want a brew?” I asked, not bothering to give him an honest reply to that question of his. Too soon? Yes, that was all too fucking true.

“Have a coffee if there’s one going.”

I dipped my head in a slight nod, filling the kettle and setting it to boil before snagging the coffee often reserved for guests on the show from a shelf nearby.

Jamie moved to better face me on Adi’s desk as I did so, wearing that same expression he’d turned up in, all concerned and weary. It bothered me a bit, seeing as though it was all I had garnered since the press had had their field day with my life, but I could also understand why. They all just seemed to feel for the idiot stupid enough to fall into another of Matty Healy’s traps.

“Stop.”

“Stop what?” He wondered around a light chortle at my demand, hands falling to rest between his thighs.

I gestured towards his face whilst I poured a splash of milk into my mug, “Looking at me like that, like I’m gonna break or something.”

With a sigh, he pressed his lips together. “You know it’s not like that.” I rolled my eyes in return but he just bounded on, “You know it’s not, I just care is all.”

I forced out a breathless chuckle, “That why you’re here trying to get me to hear him out then?”

To be fair to him, Jamie had come right out with it when he’d first popped by, having messaged me asking after my whereabouts earlier this morning. I’d told him, having spoken to him quite a bit over the last couple days, and then found him on the doorstep. 

Jamie had been good with everything. He’d let me vent, rally against one of his friends and clients, question his own motives- and hadn’t even complained one bit. But now he was here asking me to give Matty a chance, a lot like he’d done that first time around in that small cafe all those months ago.

“I know you’re angry, you have every right to be.”

“Of course I’m fucking angry!” I immediately shot back at him, the rattle of the teaspoon ringing out as I dropped it into a mug, “I wouldn’t care if it had just been me he’d gone and fucked over! But he brought Teddy into this shit, Jamie. My son! So tell me, how am I supposed to hear him out after he’s done something like that and then lied about it? For weeks, mind you.”

Jamie looked back at me, wearing that ‘this meant business’ mug of his. I slumped at the sight, pressing my knee against one of the lower cabinets to continue stirring the drinks. I didn’t care, I didn’t care, I didn’t care.

“There’s a lot you don’t know, Mouse.”

My eyes slipped closed at his words and I took a second to just breathe. Because I wasn’t angry, not really. I was hurt and humiliated, and just so fucking sad. Fed up with it all, if I was being honest. Enough so that I knew that Jamie was being truthful here- and not just because it was a fact that I hadn’t spoken to Matty since things had fallen apart, but also because I hadn’t had the heart to ask Teddy about things yet. Or if ever.

The kid was four. Four, and asking after a man every night before he fell asleep and then as soon as he opened his eyes the next morning.

He knew something was up, he was smart like that. But what was I meant to do- to say? When I was just as confused as he was.

I’d ended up leaving him with Finn today, having had no other choice in the situation because the nursery was closed for an inset day, or some shite like that, and it seemed I had no other friends than the few around me. 

Could quite literally count the lot of them on one hand. 

But still, Finn and I’s relationship had still been rather rocky after that whole incident with him and Matty, and hadn’t improved since. In fact, he’d been a little unbearable about everything, always one to toot his own horn whenever he was right about something. But it was always slyly and I couldn’t help but feel as though it was a constant dig, like even when he wasn’t commenting on it he was still thinking it whenever he looked at me.

Which felt so horrible to think, let alone say out loud. He was my best friend. So I’d kept my mouth shut and just dealt with it, like I did everything else in life.

“He’s messed up about it.” Jamie then spoke, his voice having startled me a tad, breaking me out of my musings. He was watching me again, only when he did it, it didn’t feel as condescending as everyone else's. Like he understood my position. And I guessed that he probably sort of did.

“I bet.” I scoffed quietly, an airy titter escaping through my nose, and then I turned to toss my teabag away.

“It’s true.” Jamie shrugged, then nodded in thanks when I pushed a coffee his way. “He’s been ‘round Ross’s ever since shit hit the fan, hasn’t left the flat. Driving the lot of us mad, but he’s torn up, Mouse.”

Tongue in cheek, I wrapped my hands around my cup and propped my hip up against the counter, staring into the still swirling liquid. “Serves him right, I guess.” I replied with a soft shrug of my own, though we both knew I didn’t quite mean it.

Jamie looked over towards one of the windows to the right, most of them were either way too long or too tiny for the space, an odd build, but this particular one gave way to the skyline lying over the remainder of the city. I often wondered what the lower levels might look out at, thinking it was probably the majority of the surrounding buildings, and couldn’t help but feel a little thankful that we’d managed to snag this unit.

When he glanced back over at me, I took a sip and let him speak.

“A lot went on, that much I know, and it’s your choice how you deal with it. But, I saw the two of you. I saw him change. Which is stupid to say, I know, but it doesn’t stop it from being true. He was different with you, he actually tried in other aspects of his life and not just with the band and the music. He looked genuinely happy.” He smiled softly at the eye roll I gave, but it didn’t appear to deter him. “Don’t get me wrong, I know you didn’t fucking cure him. Don’t work like that, does it? But you helped. You and Teddy both.”

I looked away then, back towards the window, unable to really help it, and instead allowed my eyes to trail over the clouds which powdered the dusty blue sky. 

“It was different. Things were different, and I know that there was love there. There couldn’t not have been. The way he looked at you…” Jamie shook his head ever so slightly as he breathed out, unaware of just how deeply his words had cut. But then he peered over at me and I found myself already looking back, air caught somewhere in the swell of my lungs. 

“Don’t.” I choked out, the grip on my mug having tightened tenfold. “Just,” I shook my head.

Jamie put his coffee down on the desk and moved to stand, hands raised to convey he wasn't a threat. “I’m not saying this to hurt you more, love. Just telling you how I saw it.”

I licked at my lower lip, casting my eyes downwards. Our silence stretched and all could be heard was the odd car horn and chirp from beyond the walls of the studio, until-

“Anyone here?”

I blinked back the tears which had started to well in my eyes and sniffed, head shooting up just in time to spot a familiar giant ducking their head under the beam of the doorway, limbs following right after.

George entered but then stopped short when he spotted his manager stood by me, and I laughed to myself at the way the pair of them seemed to eye one another, before stepping in, “Didn’t hear you ring the buzzer.”

Kind eyes darted over to find my soft smile then, welcoming him in, and so George finally moved in closer, laying the jacket he wore to rest over one of the armchairs.

“Yeah, someone was just leaving and let me in.” He answered my unasked question, shrugging as he added, “Dunno whether they recognised me or if they just let anyone up.”

“Probably the second,” Jamie piped up, seemingly having broken himself from his previous bout of surprise, “This lot ‘round here don’t give much of a shit about crap like that.”

I rolled my eyes, but was glad to have a reason to smile slightly. “Or they spotted the BFG making his way over and wanted to avoid pissing him off.”

Jamie cackled whilst George just shot me a narrow-eyed look, “Hilarious. That pot just boiled?” He asked me as he wandered over. I nodded in turn and moved to grab him a cup, only faltering when he lowered my hand with his own and shook his head. “I got it.”

I dipped my head slightly, blinking before taking a step back to let him work. He made a quick go of it, rummaging around the cupboards briefly to find what he needed and only asking for the spoon I still held for some odd reason when he was near done. 

Jamie appeared to have been watching him too, a calculating glaze to his eyes, and he chose that next moment to speak up, “How you been anyway, George? Not seen much of you lately.”

Something unspoken passed between them when George glanced over at him, but I couldn’t tell what.

“Good, busy.” Was what the taller decided on, throwing Jamie a quick smile when he crossed to toss his own teabag in the bin before settling on the counter to the left of me. “You?”

It almost sounded sarcastic, not how he said it but simply because he’d asked it at all, knowing everything that had recently occurred. It must have been a right nightmare for Jamie these last few days, what with him being the band’s main man.

Jamie just laughed though, goodnaturedly, though it was apparent that he was still trying to suss out what was going on, what with George’s sudden appearance. Seeing as I’d never once mentioned him to Jamie.

See, things with George had all started after that studio session Teddy had attended, followed by my wishing him a happy birthday just before Matty had gone and done what he did best. Wrecked it all.

Teddy had become all too smitten with the drummer since he’d first been introduced to the band and their many songs and music videos. He enjoyed the guitar he’d been gifted an awful lot, often playing with it and practising, but each time any sort of song played on the tele or the radio, or even in the car, it wasn’t hard to note the way Teddy instantly mimicked George’s swift movements, pretending to drum along to whatever beat heard. 

George had messaged me on Instagram later that same day, seeing as how apparently Teddy’s appearance at the studio had stuck with him, and asked after him a little. It seemed strange worded like that, but George reckoned that Teds had a real streak of a musicality about him, even as young as he was, and wanted to see if Teddy would be up for learning some more. 

Which had been a Godsend, honestly, what with how the next couple of days had gone down. I’d given him my number via dm just before the storm had started and then the afternoon that had followed the plethora of articles he’d called.

He’d asked how I was at first, almost consoling me in that easy way of his, so full of little words, which had been all too refreshing in truth.

I’d had texts and calls off of practically everyone I knew, even Ronan, the utter prick. And none had managed to soothe me quite like George’s had, seeing as the man had been there too. Not quite in my position, sure, but near enough. He’d even let a little of it slip when he’d popped on over that same day, bringing a bag of takeaway and a roll up drum mat as a gift for Teddy, who had been cooped up with me on the sofa for most of the afternoon. 

The two of them had bonded over it rather quickly, Teddy having been caught off guard by George’s sincerity almost as much as I had been. But then I'd found myself getting to know the drummer too and very much appreciating the unnecessary gesture he’d made for me, even with the pair of us not knowing one another as well as we could have.

I had no idea what was going on between him and Matty, I hadn’t had the balls to ask, but he’d mentioned he hadn’t heard much of anything from him since the night of his party, as well as the fact that his girlfriend, Charli, had been just as annoyed with everything that had gone down.

I knew he’d be stopping by at some point today, we’d made plans to get lunch once he’d heard I was back at the studio on my own, but not recording. I reckoned he was concerned and this was his way of showing it, but it was hard to tell with him most of the time seeing as he’d made it out as though I was doing him a favour here. An effort I came to find I much appreciated. 

“Work, you know how it is.” Jamie replied after a long pause. He was still standing in the same position he’d been in since George arrived, but seemed to move then, picking up what was left of his coffee and pouring what remained down the sink. “But I’d best be going, got a couple calls to make. You gonna be at the studio tomorrow?”

George hummed around his next sip, pulling away with only a dip of his chin. “Should be.”

Jamie smiled, nodding, “Good, I’ll let the rest of them know then.”

I caught George’s slight wince at that, though he didn’t protest his manager's comment. It made me wonder.

Jamie turned to me then, shucking on his jacket. I perked up, not having realised that he really was rushing to leave now. “Remember what I said, alright?”

I blinked, but then nodded. How could I forget? I wanted to ask, but instead said, “You don’t have to head out so quick.”

He sent me a reassuring grin as he flipped over the collar of his coat. “You won’t miss me much,” He then teased before roping me into a hug, “Weren’t lying when I said I had a couple calls though, so it’s best I get out of your hair whilst I still can.” 

I smiled softly at the sound of his lighthearted chuckle and nodded before following him over to the door, “Stay safe.”

Jamie rolled his eyes, all too used to my typical parting now, though amused by it all the same. “Can’t promise anything.” He retorted with a smirk, shuffling over the threshold whilst his eyes flickered back to where George still stood once more. “So, about before?”

I inhaled shakily, though Jamie didn’t seem to notice, fingering the pockets of his jacket in search of his mobile. “I’ll think about it.” I told him.

He flashed me a grin at that, pleased, then let his heel trail over to meet the top step of the metal grating. “Talk to you later then.”

I nodded and watched for a second as he descended the staircase, head bobbing down the first set before he turned and disappeared from view. Sliding back inside, I shut the door quietly behind me, taking a second to steel my nerves before facing the room again.

During that time, George had seemingly gone and made himself comfy on the settee, his mug settled on a coffee table coaster. I moved to join him after putting both mine and Jamie’s cups under the tap to rinse before just leaving them to soak.

George was fiddling with something when I sat down beside him but shuffled over a tad to allow me to get more comfortable, “So what was that about?” I questioned.

“With Jamie?” He asked and I nodded, even though I reckoned he already knew what I was on about. 

He shrugged slightly and I noted the way his finger trailed over a slip of folded paper, it was creased as though it had been played or fiddled with a dozen times too many. My brow seemed to furrow at the sight of it. 

“He tried phoning a few times but I’ve not been too keen on answering, learnt that I’ll just get dragged into the drama if I do.” George finally answered, and for some reason I felt a wad of guilt pool in my stomach upon hearing it, even though I hadn’t been the one to cause this mess.

Or maybe I was just kidding myself.

“Sorry.”

George huffed as he turned to peer over at me, elbows resting on the tops of his knees. “Nothing to be sorry for.” He told me and then gifted me a sweet smile, “None of this is on you. Just thought we were in the clear, you know?” He looked away at that and his smile dimmed into something smaller, almost sadder. “Figured I wouldn’t have to go dodging my mates calls anymore, or be roped into cleaning up everyone else’s messes.”

He reached a hand out to settle on my knee then, probably having noticed the way I was chewing on the insides of my cheek, or maybe the fact that my lip was now trembling. I’d never felt so shitty. So at fault for something I hadn’t really seen coming, nor could I prevent.

“Not your fault, remember?” He reiterated to me, squeezing my joint softly before pulling away. I sniffed before looking up at him with a tiny smile. 

“Promise I don’t usually cry this much. Just been a shitty week is all.” I told him, laughing pitifully as I toyed with the hem of the jumper I’d put on earlier that morning when I’d purposefully avoided the hoodie that had been left on my desk chair, as well as the cupboard full of clothes that didn’t belong to me.

I felt the settee dip slightly before I found him sitting right beside me, lifting an arm to wrap me up in a hug. His cheek came to rest on the side of my head and I felt my heart break that little bit more, because it reminded me that in a second, or two, I wouldn’t have that sense of protection he now offered, shielding me from the rest of the world.

“You’ve been put through the wringer.” George murmured and I had to laugh just a little bit, he laughed too, the sound of it reverberating through his chest to where my head rested. “Fucking cry if you want to, alright? No judgement here."

I spluttered a little on my next chuckle, smiling as I wiped at my eyes. George’s arm just tightened its hold by a fraction, as though he knew it would make things that little bit easier. We both sat there like that for a while, and I appreciated the fact that he was okay with a bit of quiet. That he didn’t run scared from it or try to start up an awkward conversation simply to fill it.

Silence was something I’d come to realise that George often favoured. Because sometimes that was all you really needed.

I don’t know how long we continued like that before he shuffled and pulled that same piece of paper from earlier back into view, holding the corner of it between his forefinger and thumb. I pulled away slightly, looking down at it and then back up at him with a small frown.

“What?”

George merely blinked, staring down at the paper with an odd look before he finally placed it in the hand I had resting on my thigh. My frown only deepened.

“What is it?” I asked him, finger trailing over an edge just as he had done when I’d first spotted it. When I went to unfold it from the opposing corner, he stopped me. 

Confused, I turned to raise a brow at him, only to find him already looking back at me. He bit into his lower lip and then flattened his mouth into a stern line, “I found that when I was last in the studio.”

My chest tightened for some reason, but I was still so baffled. “Okay?”

We were sitting up better now, George’s arm having slipped from my shoulders to come to rest in his lap, fingers trailing over his left hand’s rigid set of knuckles.

“I figured you should see it.” He added in his usual drawl, though his eyes flickered up from the paper to catch mine then and I realised it must've been important. He seemed wary enough to warrant it.

I went to unfold it once again, but then his hand really reached out to stop my own, “I don’t know if I should be here when you do.”

That alone made me even more curious, although there was an edge of caution that now warred at me. “Why?”

George gifted me a gentle smile, the hand that still laid over top of my own squeezing kindly. “I’ll go grab us some food, alright? If you want to open it then do, if not. I won’t mention it again.”

He moved to stand then but my hand shot out to grab at the sleeve of his arm, “George.” But I didn’t know what else to say, I knew I was fearful though.

His fingers moved to meet mine, resting there for a short moment, “It’s your choice. Just, I couldn’t keep it from you.”

I swallowed thickly as he pushed to his feet, the scuff off his heavy boots bouncing off the hardwood floors. Slowly he moved to grab his jacket, giving me time to say no, to deny his offer. But I couldn’t, I couldn’t do much of anything really.

The door shut behind him with a soft click a minute later and the quiet of the studio suddenly consumed me. When I glanced back down at the paper I held once more I saw the slight tremble of my hands. I forced myself to exhale, but even that was shaky.

I was careful as I unfolded it, listening to the rustle it made before scrawled lines that had bled through to the other side caught my attention. Pausing, I took a moment to just look at them and then thoughtlessly hurried to reveal the rest of it, taking in its full form. My throat tightened at the sight of familiar scribbles.

You had me from the start  Pulling all the stops out  On the down low, secretly  But I think you knew your psychology  Was working on me  Infatuated  And doing this all wrong  You've got  My number and my name  And you've got me going  Yeah, you've got me going  Can I see you every day?  Do you love me  Like I love you?  Ah, you've got me going  Yeah, you've got me going

(Song: Ride - Future Love)

It was as if something in me had shifted and then turned, sparking itself its very own flame on a bone too sharp and growing and growing until its singed edges burnt and blackened every part of me. 

I must've sat there staring down at it for ages. Crying silently and alone in an empty room, something I’d been avoiding doing since this had all started. Though I supposed it had been inevitable.

His words. His thoughts. Bared to me on a single page. Him none the wiser to any of it. Probably having not even realised it was gone, or missing. And George had read it. He’d seen it and still, after everything, had given them to me.

A tear dropped from my chin then, blotting the page and I could only watch on as the dark ink appeared to cling to it, seeping further and further into the paper. Smudging the ‘Do you love me’ enough so that my breath stuttered and I was suddenly moving all too quickly for my mind to catch up with my thoughtless actions.

Not even a second later my phone was in my hand. 

Messages now To: Jamie O (glasses!) When can he meet me? 

–

Matty had always had a thing for Sundays. 

There was just something about them. Not all that Godly shite that people preached about it being holy and the first day of the week, ‘cause to him Monday would always hold that title- and Monday’s fucking sucked dick. 

No, it was because there was just something peaceful that settled on Sundays, it took him back to simpler times, of days when he’d just been a kid and roast dinners were spent ‘round his nana’s house. Or when Newcastle would play on afternoons and his dad would finally be home to watch with him. 

There was just something about them, you know. He didn’t much believe in luck, typically only the bad sort. But if someone held a gun to his head and told him he had to claim a day which would forever work in his favour, it would just have to be Sunday.

Still, he was unsure on where he currently stood with that sentiment as of late. Seeing as how he was currently in the backseat of a cab, jittery hands clinging onto shaking knees whilst rows of houses, broken up by hues of green and blue, rolled on past him.

It hadn’t been a last minute thing, but it felt much like it. The anticipation was getting to him, he knew that much, sweat licking at the back of his neck whilst his shoulders worked their way up to the lobes of his ears.

Jamie had somehow managed it.

Called him up late last night just before Ross had headed off to bed to tell him that she would finally see him. Jamie’d asked if he’d be alright going alone or if they’d prefer a buffer there, but Matty had immediately declined. So he was doing it alone. Though he couldn’t help but wonder if that had been a misstep on his part, if it would have made things easier on her having someone there, or maybe just given him some semblance of relief as the car slowly drove its way over to her house. The very place he hadn’t stepped foot in since the night of George’s birthday party.

But he hadn’t earnt that reassurance. Felt wrong to bring somebody else along either way. So he was stuck, toying with his phone, hoping or praying that a text wouldn’t come through saying that she’d gone and changed her mind.

It had been just under a week since he’d last seen her. But it felt as though time had dragged out slowly, mocking him or maybe even torturing him for all of his many wrongdoings. 

He fretted over what she might say when she caught sight of him, he himself having only spotted the state he’d worked himself into when he’d been getting ready that morning.

There were heavy bags set beneath his eyes from where he hadn’t really slept and his cheeks were hollowed in that way that they used to revert to when he’d have a particularly hard weekend way back when. If the papers caught wind of him he already knew what the first articles would say, what they would so obviously claim. But he knew the truth, just hoped that she would know it too.

He was startled from his mind at the jerk of the car pulling up onto the nearest curb. His eyes widened in sudden alarm when he realised just what that meant and then caught the look of dismay that crossed the driver’s face when the bloke looked back to announce that they’d arrived. If the man didn’t already think he was on something, then now he definitely did.

Matty swallowed stupidly and then tried for a smile, struggling to undo his seatbelt with the kickstart of shaking that overtook his hands. The driver took pity on him though, turning away to fiddle with something up front that probably didn’t need fiddling with, and finally Matty’s thumb managed to catch the button.

Releasing himself from the confines of the car, he paused just before the door could slam close behind him, handing the man a couple notes in tip, if only to apologise for his edgy behaviour or buy himself a little more time if the driver had somehow managed to suss him out even with his hat, hood and scarf. “Cheers.” He said.

The man blinked at the onslaught of cash and then nodded repeatedly, “Yes, thank you.”

Matty exhaled shakily and then dipped his chin in another goodbye, stepping back onto the curb and watching the cab pull away before he found himself alone once more.

This was it, he supposed.

The street hadn’t changed much in a matter of days but his mind made it seem as though it had. As though suddenly he didn’t belong. The odd man out.

He shoved his hands into the confines of his pockets, pivoting on his heel to face what he’d come here to do. But nothing had prepared him for the way his stomach suddenly bottomed out at the sight of her front door.

The sound of a car horn a way away spooked him, causing him to jump, but did eventually force him forward off the curb and onto the cracked pavement. He stared down at all the dips and curves they had to offer him the entire way up the path until finally, he reached her front steps.

If anyone asked, Matty would tell them it was as though he’d been working on autopilot when he pried the silver knocker up from the wood and let it rap twice. Though that would be an utter lie. His head screamed at him the whole while and his fingers blurred before him when he’d raised them up to grasp at the chilled metal. 

He’d never felt so sick, just standing there, the seconds slowly trickling into minutes, or perhaps even hours. It honestly felt as the day was slowly growing colder the longer that he stood there, staring at a coat of familiar paint, before finally hinges creaked and the door opened, revealing a sight that would’ve surely cured sore eyes, if only it hadn’t gone and broken his heart first.

It wasn’t immediate, the effect the past couple days had had on her. It was more in the way she held herself, the sadness which clung to her every fibre, the way she wouldn’t quite look him in the eye.

She stared, caught in a standstill, and for a long moment did nothing before silently and slowly she withdrew enough to allow him through.

Matty didn’t dare utter a word, let alone breathe. Careful to avoid brushing against her or stepping on her toes as he slowly crossed over the threshold to get in, though the hands he’d hidden in his coat pockets curled into fists to keep himself steady.

The first thing he noted upon first entering was the significant state of the flat, it wasn’t messy or untidy by any means, but looked nothing at all like a house typically inhabited by a child should, or at least a monster as chaotic as he knew Teddy to be. It was almost as though Mouse had been expecting a letting agent to pass through with a couple dozen couples, what with how clean it was. He almost reckoned that if he were to crouch down right there he’d probably be able to make out the seam of his jeans in the reflection of the floors.

“You can just hang your-”

“I know.” Matty whispered, not intentionally meaning to cut her off but unable to help himself anyway. 

It hurt, feeling as though he was just a guest in a place he had practically considered home not too long ago. He coughed lightly and shrugged off his coat to do so anyway, hanging it up where he usually did, something which made him pause for a split second, wondering whether this could possibly be the last time he’d have the privilege of doing so.

“Right.” Mouse murmured somewhere behind him, snapping Matty out of his thoughts. She stepped on by him just after, eyes trained on the end of the hallway until they reached the living room, “Erm, I’m just starting on a brew. You can wait here if you want.”

He wanted to follow after her, to fall down onto his knees and fucking sob there at her feet, but he was scared he’d dirty her floors or more than likely end up looking like a total knob. He would. Fucking felt like one just from thinking it. So he did as instructed, moving towards the sofa, taking note of everything and anything the room had to offer him. 

Matty’s eyes flickered over to the kitchen doorway when he realised she’d stopped there, fiddling with her nails before she caught him looking and dropped her hands. “Just realised I didn’t ask if you wanted anything.”

God, it was so fucking strained.

He took a short breath in and attempted to smile, “Tea sounds good.” Was all that he said, and watched on as her brow wrinkled, head tilting with it.

“Uh, I still have that coffee you like. The one you brought over, if you’d prefer.” She told him and he recognised her confusion for what it was, or maybe it was just her weariness over letting him know that his stuff was still where he’d left it. Or, maybe, just fucking maybe he was reading way too much into everything.

“Tea’s good.” Matty murmured, feeling a little less tense now that he knew that she was sort of sitting in the same boat. “But thanks.”

Her chest rose and fell with her next breath and he watched her nod with difficulty at him, still not meeting his eye. “Right, just be a sec then.”

She disappeared past the door with that, whilst he simply stood and listened to the run of the tap and then the flick of the kettle, feeling stupid for having missed something he hadn’t even realised he’d taken note of before. 

But that was just typical, wasn’t it? To miss something so mundane now that it was no longer expected.

Once he heard the clink of mugs Matty allowed his gaze to roam, trailing over the bundle of neatly folded throws settled on the wicker basket by the sofa, ones he knew that if Teddy was here would still be scattered all over the floor before the tv. 

There were a couple of coasters laid out on the coffee table, though the fruit bowl had since been removed, something he knew Mouse did whenever there were only a few pieces left or none at all. There would probably be grapes or something of the sort in the fridge though.

She had a couple of receipts left out on the shelf below the mirror she’d hung up on the wall when she’d first moved in, and the picture frames beside them were still the same. Only one was missing, and he knew which. 

He noticed that the candles over by the lamp were new though, expensive if he remembered rightly because he was sure that he’d spotted them round someone else’s place recently. He wondered briefly over who could’ve gifted them to her, knowing that she much preferred her usual scents, only ever splurging on the larger Yankee Candle jars they had to offer in the local Debenhams.

He found himself smiling at the thought.

It was then that she shuffled back into the room though, stalling his observations. She carried two mugs in her hand and a small plate loaded with biscuits on her forearm. Immediately Matty moved to help her, taking the plate from her even with knowing that she had it handled.

“I could’ve managed.” She murmured, though not unkindly, and then thanked him quietly once she’d gone and placed the mugs down. 

Matty followed her lead, settling the biscuits near the edge of the coffee table, between the two coasters, before fumbling for a second over where to sit. Squeaks seemed to take to one end of the settee so Matty perched on the other, though closer to the middle crease than the arm.

“You got hobnobs?” Matty finally asked, breaking the silence again, eyes flicking over to the plate he’d just held before shooting back over to find her.

She blushed faintly at his comment, then shrugged. “You like them, don’t you?”

Matty scoffed lightly, a soft smile limning his lips, “Yeah, but you hate them. Once claimed that they were like digestives only after being shat out.”

She wrinkled her nose at that, though Matty was quite sure he could spot the mirth that flickered across her face. “Want them or not?”

Rolling his eyes in fond exasperation and knowing not to push it, he picked one up and settled in a little more comfortably into the sofa cushions.

The silence would’ve been almost unbearable if she hadn’t had the foresight to have turned the tv on low before he’d arrived. So whilst a documentary played on one of the many BBC channels, Matty struggled with himself to find the best thing to say. Though he needn’t have bothered, she was always one step ahead.

“So, I think I should start by saying that I um, I know I held a lot of expectations.” 

Almost simultaneously, Matty frowned.

She just wrung her hands together once before thinking better of it and laying them flat in her lap. Matty merely wished to reach out and take them in his own. “And I get that it must’ve been a struggle for you, to basically go from like one end of a scale and then jump right off the other side. But, I-”

“What are you on about?” Matty interrupted, unable to help himself in truth, so beyond baffled by the sudden speech she’d started. She stopped and blinked over at him, finally looking him in the eye. At last.

“What do you mean?” She retorted with a pinch between her brows, “Listen, I planned this all out, alright? So can I just get out what I want to say?”

Matty stared, then forced out a breath of air. “Squeaks,” She shuttered at the name, closing off slightly, enough so that Matty took quick note and wished he hadn’t said a thing, but yet, he still carried on. Desperate to save any blundered attempt he’d make. “Look, this weren’t on you. None of it was, okay?”

Her eyes trailed back over towards him at that, though her expression was almost unreadable. Matty struggled with that bit the most, he’d always been able to read her for the most part.

“So, this crap about expectations and me struggling with whatever idea you’ve made up in your mind is stupid.” Her eyes narrowed then and he watched her work her jaw, obviously none too happy about his retort. He withheld a heavy sigh, “I’m not- Look, I’m not trying to be difficult I’m just saying that- What I’m trying to say is, that every relationship has goals or expectations, that’s normal. But nothing you ever did forced me do what I did. That shit? It was all on me. It was me being insecure and scared, yeah? So, don’t go trying to excuse it. Because I’ve had people do that for me for far too fucking long now and hearing it come from you...” 

He sort of felt himself slump at that, a little bitter and resentful over the fact that she’d since come to think of it that way. As though his mistakes were all just down to her and her inability to do right by him. He realised though, belatedly, that if anyone else had done exactly that, or even attempted to, in any other scenario he just might have taken up the offer and ran with it. But this was her, this was Squeaks. 

She was quiet for a time, then she picked up her mug, eyes trained on the movement of it before, “What then?” 

“What?” Matty frowned once more, shuffling forward in his seat in an attempt to catch her eye again.

“Why did you do it then? Why’d you lie, why didn’t you tell me about Teddy?”

That knot he’d been feeling for weeks now. The one at the very end of his tongue, all tied and tangled in the back of his throat, suddenly shrivelled up and slackened, leaving a bitter aftertaste and a plethora of guilt behind.

Matty’s gaze wandered over to the window, to where Teddy’s guitar sat in its stand just before a heavy set of grey curtains. He withheld the urge to pick at his nails as he searched for the right words to give her, wanting so honestly to tell her the truth, to give her a play by play of what had happened in detail, as well as every thought that had gone through his mind. 

“It wasn’t what it looked like for a start.”

Mouse scoffed a little at that, and Matty couldn’t be mad at it. If he was sat on the other end of this he’d been doing more than just that, he’d be up in arms, tossing shit about and raving to all who would listen.

Still, his eyes trailed down to where his hands now laid in his lap and he pressed his thumb to his palm. “We were on the highstreet, on the way back here.” He started, voice quiet as his stare tracked the faint lines of his hand, “The guy you saw in the pictures came out of nowhere really. Me and Teds had just been at that ice cream shop a way down, I didn’t even spot him until he was there, in my face.”

Matty wet his lower lip, mouth suddenly going dry. Mouse just waited.

“Teddy was quick to hide behind me, you know? The loudmouth didn’t even really notice him until the last minute. But you have to know, all I wanted was to get him out of there. To avoid staying too long and attracting the wrong sort of attention. Okay? So I’d said I had to get going as soon as he'd spoken, told him I didn’t have time to stay and chat.” 

He took a quick breath with that, eyes still centred on the deepest groove of his palm. “But then he, then he brought up Luke. Said something about the funeral he didn't go to and wanting to celebrate his life.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Squeaks’s hands still from their previous bout of fidgeting. “But I told him I was clean. He didn’t believe me at first, which,” Matty huffed out a self-deprecating laugh, “Well, I can’t blame him for that, what with my track record.”

He heard her inhale then and looked up, it seemed as though she was going to say something but thought better. So Matty bit down on the insides of his cheeks to keep from asking before he exhaled slowly, digging a nail into that groove.

“He got a bit aggy, started calling me a toff and whatnot, because I 'spose I was just a rich boy who bought him a couple grams of coke every now and then.” He clucked his tongue thinking about it, but eventually shrugged. “Then I don’t know, he must’ve looked down or something ‘cause that’s when he,” Matty paused and his gaze shot over to her, then away again, “That’s when he spotted Teddy.”

Mouse wrinkled her mouth, then tried to nod, obviously wanting him to continue. Though she kept her eyes trained on the rim of her mug.

“That’s when he said some shit and I reacted.”

“Said what?”

Matty startled a little at the sound of her question but was hasty in his attempt to answer. “Just, he reckoned that Teddy was mine and that I had to have knocked someone up. So now they were just using me for the money.”

Her eyes slipped closed and her fingers tightened their grip on her cup.

Swallowing thickly, Matty went to continue, “I shoved him and told him to do one- that’s what they caught in those photos. I didn't take anything he offered, I didn't even look back after. Just walked away, thinking of Teddy, trying to get him out of there. The bloke, he kept on shouting, saying some crap about this and that. But I carried on walking.”

Matty was proud of that fact, even with everything that had happened since. Not too long ago, a different version of him would have handled it all too severely. It was a step, a tiny one, sure, but it was progress.

“Then what?” Mouse voiced, prompting him along with just a look.

“Then we walked home.” Matty replied, feeling that familiar cloud of shame dawn over him. “We didn’t really speak, I- I was a bit of a mess, trying to figure out what to do next, what to tell Teddy, to say to make it right again. But Teds, he,” Matty hauled in his next breath, all too fucking close to bawling, that he could admit. “He called for me and I looked down at him. All I could say was sorry, Mouse.”

She nodded tightly, the knuckles she had wrapped around her tea cup had whitened.

“He,” Matty felt the corners of his mouth lift as he remembered the bittersweet memory of Teddy trying to soothe him, “He told me it was alright, that we were okay, but I just kept on saying sorry. He said that the bloke was just a bad man, and I assured him of that. Wanting him to know that we were okay, that the guy was long gone. But then he-”

Matty stopped altogether then, a picture of Teddy's little face coming to the forefront of his mind, and Squeaks immediately took note.

“Then what?”

Her eyes were so full of emotion, but which ones he wasn’t too sure. Still, the sight tightened every muscle in his chest as he forced himself to finish what he’d started. “He said we couldn’t tell you.”

Matty knew he couldn’t have imagined the sharp inhale that sounded from her then, as though she'd just received a blow to the chest. And he so desperately wanted to reach out, to wrap her up and just fucking hold her. But he couldn't. It wasn't his place.

He watched on as she licked at her top lip though, blinking back the wetness that shone in her eyes, “Why?” Her voice cracked on the question but she did not cry.

It was a simple answer. “He didn’t want to hurt you.”

Mouse stood then, placing the cup down with some force before she hastily made her way over to the front window. Matty stayed seated, unsure if he’d be welcome near her.

“It fucking broke me, Squeaks.” He admitted after a moment, his lips now tingled with the sheer amount of effort it took for him to not let his emotions get the better of him. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“You should have told me.” Was her reply, sharp and cutting, enough that it fucking wounded. Because Matty knew that she was right.

“I know.” He answered.

“You should have fucking told me, Matty!” She repeated, turning then to face him. He saw the tremble of her shoulders, the curve of her mouth and how it quaked. He stared, couldn't bring himself to look away.

“I know.”

He swallowed, throat almost aching as much as the hole that made up the majority of his chest. 

"Why didn't you tell me?"

“I don't know.” He murmured, mostly to himself.

[johnkahner]

hi !! i really your work and wanted to request something (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) !! so how about a head canon/drabble of kuai liang & reader after the events of bi-han’s betrayal of the lin kuei. him, the reader and smoke would return to liu kang’s command in hiding. so while at the wu shi academy, the reader and kuai liang comfort each other of their lost. you can add onto it as well :) !!

AN: Hello, It makes me so happy to see people enjoy my works! All the support is highly appreciated! I hope you like it! I enjoyed writing it. Not proof read.

Notes: Gender-Neutral Reader, Drabble

While in hiding at the Wu Shi academy from Lin Kuei. It hurts you that you are hiding from those you once called family, but you are not alone at this moment. Besides you there are Kuai Liang and Tomas, your former Grandmaster’s younger brothers. While the three of you disagreed with him about his greed for more power, and to even consider making a deal with the snake, Shang Tsung. 

You were in the library reading about the history of the temple. You were only reading these documents to distract yourself from your thoughts of the place you once called home. Deep in thought and reading through these records, you fail to notice a certain man join you at the table you are sitting. A tapping on your shoulder makes you jolt a little from where you sit. Turing to head to glare at whoever decided to disturb your reading. You see that it is Kuai Liang. Sighing as he chuckles at your reaction to him distracting you. 

“Was that really necessary, Kuai?”

“How else was I supposed to get your attention? You were nose deep in these books,” He looks at the books in your hands, “About the history of the Wu Shi temple? I wasn’t aware that this interested you.”

“And what if it does interest me? Is that bad or something?”

He looks a bit shocked by your response.

“That was not my intention. I was just trying to joke around and lighten the mood.”

“Apologies.” You pause for a moment. “I.. I just don’t know how to react to recent events I guess.”

“I understand.” He heartily pats you on the back. “Just know that we are here if you need someone to talk to. You are important to my brother and me, especially me…” 

You look at him as he turns to look at you. Staring one another in the eyes. He makes you feel… warm. Not because he is a pyromancer. He just makes your insides feel all warm and bubbly. It’s not a bad feeling, you quite like it. You wonder if he feels the same towards you. 

“What are you thinking about so hard?”

“N-nothing!”

His eyebrow raises at your quick and panicked response.

“If you say so.”

Sitting in an awkward silence the two of you had no idea what should be said now. Kuai Liang stands up from his seat. Stretching his arm up above his head. You glance up to look in his direction, and you look at the way his muscles move as he stretches. He sees you staring at him from the corner of his eye. He then looks down at you, so you two could make eye contact.

“Would you like to join me on a walk?” 

“Oh! Um, sure! I’d love to walk with you.”

Kuai Liang chuckles at your reaction, and holds out his hand so he can escort you. You accept his kind gesture. The two of you walk around the temple reminiscing about memories the two of you share from the past. Some stories were happy, some were sad, but the two of you were just enjoying being near each other. The two of you are now standing under a tree. Standing face to face to look each other in the eyes. Stepping closer to him you both wrap each other’s arms around the other. 

The two of you have been through a lot, and hell this won’t be the end of your struggles. Kuai Liang, Tomas, and yourself will be working hard to form the Shirai Ryu. Hopefully you and Kuai Liang will be able to have the happy ending you both deserve in the new home you’re building together.

[nyrobnua8983]

Relationship Headcanons [1/?]

female reader, She/Her

Dr. Clef

• You're the first woman with whom he managed to start a normal conversation without using hurtful phrases or insults.

• He was the first to confess his feelings, and it happened when he was drunk. Some doctors, including Clef, secretly gathered to drink and take a break from their overwhelming work.

• He’ll come to you in the evening, closer to midnight, just as you were getting ready for bed. He interrupts your peace to confess how much he loves you and wants to be together.

• Many tried to talk you out of it, but your love for the blonde is far stronger than their empty words.

• The Foundation didn't immediately approve of the relationship, but eventually, they understood and gave you a few packs of tranquilizers. At first, you didn't understand why, but later... you got it

• Undoubtedly, this will be the strangest relationship in the Foundation and perhaps in its entire history.

• In the relationship, he still occasionally makes hurtful jokes about you, which can lead to arguments of varying intensity.

• By the way, SCP-166-V will start calling you "mom," and Clef will find it hilarious.

• Bright will always mediate and reconcile you both in any situation, using all sorts of methods—from faking his own death to whatever else pops into his ginger head.

• If you're in a bad mood, he'll first find out what happened and then take down everyone responsible under the pretext, "Well, they shouldn't have messed with Y/N!"

• Occasionally, you and Bright prank him by putting various insects in his desk or closet, laughing at his funny reactions.

• You might marry him because he dreams of it and asks you 24/7, but the decision is ultimately yours.

• At times, he suggests the craziest ideas and experiments, not just in life but also in intimate matters. It makes you wonder whether he's immortal or just out of his mind.

• Kondraki always bets on the latter, just like you do.

• For the sake of your peace of mind, Clef made peace with Kondraki, but they still secretly try to kill each other whenever you're not around or aren't looking

Dr. Bright

• This will definitely be the most challenging relationship experience of your life.

•You were the one who initiated the relationship. You confessed your feelings through a note you slipped into his documents, praying it would get lost. But when Bright found it, he was shocked, a smirk playing on his lips as he realized he now held the fate of Dr. Y/N’s heart in his hands. He decided to find you and call you over to discuss it:

_______________________________________

–Dr. Bright, did you need something? I have a lot of work, so let’s make this quick,"

You said quietly, your voice trembling as you stared at the floor.

–Dr. Y/N, care to explain this useless little note you left on my desk while I was out?

Bright said with a playful smile, holding up the damned note written in your favorite black pen, each letter of your confession carefully crafted.

–It’s all clearly written there, or have you forgotten how to read?

you responded with a hint of sarcasm, lifting your eye eyes to meet the face of the man who had stolen your heart. As he laughed, nearly doubling over, you felt tears welling up in your eyes and a painful ache in your heart.

–Even if this is just a failed prank or someone put you up to it, I’ll still accept your dubious proposal," he said with a mischievous grin.

______________________________________

• At that moment, you wanted to kill him, but you held back.

• No one knew about your relationship for the first three weeks, but rumors spread quickly in the Foundation, so soon everyone knew.- The first time he died, and you didn’t know about his abilities, you cried-a lot, and very bitterly, while your beloved stood behind you with a smile.

• The Foundation saw your relationship as beneficial since you could sometimes talk him out of his ideas to "earn a new restriction on something!"

•You can’t always keep track of his antics and actions that seem crazy to most of the Foundation, but when he gets hurt, he comes to you, not to the medical wing!

• A perk of this relationship for you is that he quietly takes over half of your paperwork so you can get more rest, though you caught him once, and now he just takes it openly.

•Only he can keep you up at night with strange questions like "How can I ruin everyone’s mood?" or "How can I multiply SCPs?" and many others.

• He’s been in many relationships and always cheated on his partners, but he’s truly faithful to you. Maybe it’s because Rights beats him up whenever she sees tears on your cute little face.

Dr. Glass

_______________________________________

He was the first to propose starting a relationship. It was early morning in the Foundation, and life was just beginning to stir after the calm of the night. Everyone was going about their tasks and duties. Every staff member must undergo a mental health checkup each month, and today was your turn. You weren't worried since the tests were simple and almost always the same. At 11:30 AM, you entered the office of the blue-eyed blond who you quite liked, but there was one little issue that kept you from confessing your feelings - a rather silly reason! You didn’t know if he felt the same, and you didn’t want to embarrass yourself. As you entered the office, there he stood, smiling his usual charming smile, the one he gave to everyone. Maybe it was that smile you fell in love with, but that’s just a guess. He handed you the usual test, and you quickly started filling it out without looking up since the questions hadn’t changed in all the years you’d worked there. But then a soft male voice distracted you by asking something.

–Dr. Y/N?

Startled, thinking you might have done something wrong, you looked at him with slight apprehension.

–Yes, Simon? Is something wrong?

–Is there someone you're in a relationship with, or someone you'd like to be with?

–What’s the point of that question?Confused by the sudden inquiry, you put the test aside and waited for his answer.

–Well… here goes nothing. Dr. Y/N, I’ve liked you for a long time, and I wanted to…

–I accept!

_______________________________________

• He often forgets to take care of himself because he’s so busy taking care of everyone else at the Foundation.

• So, when you help him out of your own desire, not because you have to, it’s super appreciated. He gets lost in his work and melts when you tell him to take a break, go for a walk, or just spend time together.

• He might open up to you about what truly makes him happy. This makes him feel like he’s not alone in this rotten place and that it’s okay for him to feel down without having to find a solution to his problems.

• He loves your kisses, hugs, and all those physical displays of affection - they’re his weakness. He’s naturally affectionate, so when you’re alone in a room or any place where it’s just the two of you, he’ll hold you, his face flushed as he looks down at the floor.

• I think Simon really melts around you. You have such a positive influence on him that he couldn’t resist even if he tried.

• He’s so sweet, but always so anxious. He’s constantly checking on you - how you’re feeling, which SCPs you’re working with, and so much more.

• There are many tender moments between the two of you, like hanging out in his office, chatting over a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.

• I think you’re a bit more assertive than he is. It’s not that he doesn’t know when enough is enough, but sometimes it’s really hard for him to say or show it.

• He’s very gentle when he touches you, always asking for permission - whether it’s to kiss you or hug you, both verbally and non-verbally.

• He tends to bring you food. It’s incredibly sweet.

Dr. Iceberg

•Surprisingly, he was the one who suggested dating, which was shocking given his nature.

_______________________________________

Iceberg was naturally a confrontational person, so it was no surprise that arguments between you two occurred at every opportunity. Almost everyone had gotten used to his yelling at various staff members whenever they did something wrong in his eyes. What was surprising, though, was that he would often shout at you for seemingly no reason. If you dressed in a way he didn’t like - an argument. If you did something he disapproved of -another fight. This started from the very first day the MTF brought you into the Foundation and continued to this day. He seemed to enjoy making you uncomfortable with his outbursts, taking pleasure in watching you struggle to come up with reasonable excuses for your actions. After every argument, Iceberg would retreat to his office with a victorious smile, but no one knew what went on behind those closed doors. Every time he reduced you to tears during a fight, he would roll his eyes and leave to find a secluded spot where he could suppress the feelings of guilt and love that were slowly consuming him. Yes, you understood correctly - he loved you, deeply. But because of his reputation, he couldn't admit it. It was easier for everyone to believe that he didn’t care about anyone, that he was indifferent to everyone - except you. All the fights were his way of trying to suppress the uncomfortable feelings in his heart. He thought you hated him more than anything, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. Only Glass knew about your feelings for Dr. Iceberg and tried to help you both sort things out, but nothing really worked. Whenever Iceberg saw you, he would roll his eyes and click his tongue in annoyance, trying to show disinterest. But we all know the truth…

–Dr. Y/N! Can you do anything right? Or are you a cripple? Maybe you’re just an invalid!

–I did everything perfectly and on time! If something’s wrong, that’s not my problem! My work is done!

–DON’T YOU DARE TALK TO ME IN THAT TONE!

–Then stop treating me like garbage or a D-Class! I haven’t done anything wrong, and yet you treat me like I’m beneath you! What did I ever do to make you hate me so much?!

Tears Salty, bitter tears started streaming uncontrollably from your eyes, and you couldn’t stop them. The feeling of guilt began to creep into Iceberg’s body, slowly taking over his legs and eventually his mind. How he hated seeing you cry. After looking around and realizing no one was around to witness what was about to happen, he approached you and pulled you into a tight embrace, his gloved hand rubbing your back.

–Shh… please, don’t cry..

Calm words? He was hugging you and stroking your back? Were you dreaming, or was this real life? Shocked by the doctor’s unexpected action, you stopped crying and simply melted into his embrace, wrapping your arms around his cold body in return.

–Would you like me to answer your question about why I treat you so poorly, Dr. Y/N? –That would be nice because none of my theories have proven correct… –Because of your beautiful eyes, I couldn’t sleep peacefully. Because of your delicate hands, I couldn’t concentrate on my work. All my thoughts were about you, Y/N… To my surprise, I’m in love with you ___________________________________ •He gently took your chin and kissed you with his dry, cold lips. • He has the ability to be soft, but it takes a long time to truly see that side of him.- You are much more physically affectionate than he is. •You bring him coffee, food, remind him to take breaks, and so on. • You tend to just hug him? Hug him a lot? It’s very sweet. He always maintains a biting attitude towards these physical displays of affection, but he secretly adores them. •He’s very much like a house cat that doesn’t want to show affection. Sometimes he’ll nudge your bicep or shoulder with his head just so he can fall asleep on your shoulder. •He’ll do your work for you. This is his love language, which he expresses especially for you. • He can be surprisingly verbally affectionate when he wants to be. • He’ll never show your relationship in public; at first, he even pretended to hate you. But when you started getting frustrated about it, he finally decided to treat you normally in front of others.- He always warms up from the heat of your hands and body when he’s really cold, but when you’re not comfortable and try to warm yourself up too, the two of you end up bundled under three blankets, fully clothed, in his office. • The entire Foundation was shocked to learn that Iceberg had a girlfriend - alive, no less! And that she worked there too! • Clef and Bright thought it was one of Iceberg’s bad jokes or that you two were pulling a prank, but you both proved them wrong. • The O5 Council thought you were being held hostage or something similar in the relationship, so you had to prove them wrong to prevent Iceberg from being punished. • You two sleep in separate rooms because of his cold body. You tried sleeping together once, but Iceberg kept pressing against you and absorbing all your warmth, leaving you freezing.- You’ll become a real star in the facility because of your strange relationship - the warm, sunny Dr. Y/N and the cold, always-angry Dr. Iceberg. • If you take his favorite scarf without asking, there will be an argument. If you ask first, he’ll complain about the cold. If you don’t take his scarf, he’ll complain about the other staff and his entire life there. • The only way to calm him down and keep him from yelling is for him to hold you and stroke your hair. So don’t be surprised if other staff members frequently call you to calm him down during your workday.

Dr. Gears

Surprisingly, it was you who suggested dating, and in the strangest of places-the library.

____________________________________

A quiet evening had settled over the SCP Foundation. It was well past 11 PM, and most of the researchers had already gone home, while those who lived on-site were asleep, wrapped in the peaceful embrace of Morpheus. Dr. Y/N had been sitting in the library since the end of her shift, engrossed in some mediocre novel (or genre of your choice). The silence filled the small library, broken only by the faint sound of her breathing. As she turned a page, Y/N heard a faint noise - someone was approaching. But she paid little attention to it; the library was open 24/7, and you could stay there all night if you wanted, without anyone saying a word - except for Dr. Gears, the one who watched over you, the one you loved but couldn’t confess to because of his emotions, or rather, the lack thereof. You didn’t want to be among those he had rejected without hesitation.- Hearing someone approach, picking a book from the "Detective" section and sitting down beside you, you were surprised when they initiated the conversation:

–Good evening, Dr. Y/N. Why aren’t you in your room sleeping at this late hour? You would recognize that voice anywhere - cold and indifferent. Only one person had such a voice, the object of your affection.

–Good evening to you too, Dr. Gears… I’m not sleeping because of this book… I’ll finish this chapter and then go!

Trying to avoid looking at him, you continued reading, though the words were now just a blur. Dr. Gears sat beside you, starting to read his own book. After an hour or maybe two - you couldn’t tell, and didn’t particularly care - Charles Gears was quietly asleep beside you, a book in his hand. Overcoming your fear of rejection and the possibility of a harsh response, you gently stroked his head.

–If only you knew how many tears I’ve shed because of you… Oh, how I love you…

Suddenly, your hand was gently but firmly grabbed, and looking into your eyes, a deep voice replied:

–And I love you too.

_______________________________________

Charles doesn’t understand love. No matter how many people hinted at or outright proposed to him, he would either ignore them or respond bluntly with a clear and immediate “No.” But this situation turned out to be special for both of you.

You excel at expressing your love for him in ways that are considered "normal" and that he doesn't find odd or unsettling. In turn, he expresses his affection in the ways he knows how.

He is very verbose, and this is his love language towards you, but it’s endearing in its own way.

Every word of love he speaks to you is sincere, regardless of the situation.

He never allows you to interact with Keter-class objects without his presence. He wants to be there to protect you, even if it means putting himself at risk.

Like Dr. Iceberg, he does a lot of work for you. Even if you argue, shout, or fight, he will continue doing it, ignoring your protests.- This doesn’t mean he doesn’t listen to you or ignores you like he does with other people. Your opinion matters to him, and he will ask for it whenever possible. But if it involves dangerous objects, don’t even bother starting the conversation.

He can accomplish a lot - many people at the Foundation respect him, and some even fear him. So trust that if he wants to keep you away from Keters, he will do whatever it takes to ensure it.

As strange as it may sound, Dr. Charles can be affectionate. He enjoys spending time with you - in his office, chatting in the break room, or simply resting together without prying eyes or judgment. In the silence, saying nothing, just savoring the moment that you’re both alive and nothing threatens your life.

He’s very prone to writing you little notes throughout the day and either slipping them to you or passing them through other staff members. It’s incredibly sweet, knowing that it’s unlikely he would say such things to your face; he expresses himself better through writing when it comes to those he loves deeply.

Many Foundation staff members couldn’t understand how you could be in a relationship with someone as emotionless as Gears! According to them, he can’t feel love or show affection towards you. But that’s their problem because you’re happy with how things are.

[sadly-in-active]

This request is going to be a little different from the others so if you don't want to do it you can delete this.

Can I request a ancient mafia boss AU Headcanon? and if you want can you make it the top one the least dangerous and the bottom being the most dangerous type of mafia boss.

Mafia Boss AU: The Ancients

Summary: The Five mafia bosses have chosen to disclose very personal details about themself. All of them are documented and stored in five separate case files. Well, shall we read them together?

TW: Murder ✨, Poison, Blackmailing, and some other stuff. If you can handle the stuff above, you can certainly handle the rest of it <3

I HAVE NEVER DONE STUFF LIKE THIS BEFORE. BE WARNED 😭

File #1: The Sky Syndicate

Boss: Pure Vanilla

Going by the nickname “Pure Vanilla”, or “P.V.”

He’s known to be very social and surprisingly kind, even to the point of being called naive for a mafia boss.

However, much is going on behind those eyes. His mechanical staff almost looks…alive, in a way, blinking and glancing around. As if looking for a traitor in its midst.

Despite his kindness, Pure Vanilla is known to be quite intelligent, and his truth can be quite harsh. Especially to those who declare that they’re his enemy.

The look of shock on someone’s face when Pure Vanilla comes face to face with them, smiling all giddy and joyful as he lists down everything that they’ve done to betray the syndicate is…exhilarating to him.

And how does he deal with them? Well, by forcing the traitor into a bright, almost blinding room and sending in his subordinate, Strawberry Crepe to…disassemble them.

File #2: Silent Petal Society

Boss: White Lily

They’re a very secretive organization, known for its eagerness to test out the resilience of their members and how their minds work.

White Lily, known to be distant yet intelligent and kind to her subordinates is quite brutal to her enemies, attacking them with no mercy. Just ask a certain jester-looking freak about what she did to him and you’ll get your answer.

She deals with sciences and often sends her members out to smuggle more information and items for the sake of research.

She may have some other side to her, as she was sometimes reported to be cackling her heart out in a room with a bright red hue…but that was just normal, wasn’t it?

File #3: Scarlet Nexus

Boss: Hollyberry

This group is known for its brute strength and love for alcohol. In fact, their group mostly focuses on smuggling said items to their headquarters, where their boss Hollyberry is.

She’s the only one who uses her name, while the rest go by their nicknames. She personally thinks that it’s a power move and that her strength outweighs their intelligence in multiple ways. She didn’t specify how though.

Her group is much more out in the open, but who could really stop such powerful yet swift people? Most, if not all of them are loud and boisterous, both confident in their ability to evade the police and strong enough to fight them if ever caught.

Hollyberry is even in a sort of alliance with a Dragon — one of the five most powerful members in a terrorist organization.

File #4: The Black Citadel

Boss: Dark Cacao

Pussy

Dark Cacao is the most secure and secretive of the bunch. His headquarters is somewhere up in a mountain, yet nobody really knows where. He has his own business by fortifying his borders with technology to make sure nobody goes in, and very few come out.

He may be the most strongest, but he doesn’t plan to show it anytime soon. Otherwise there would be a bit of a bloodbath happening sooner or later.

His three executives, going by the nicknames Affogato, Caramel Arrow, and Crunchy Chip are different in their own ways.

Affogato deals with finding traitors on the inside and creating more poisons and psychological weapons against any enemies who dare wish to harm the boss. In fact, he may be the closest to Dark Cacao for some reason…perhaps he has other goals?

Crunchy Chip works as a guard with his group, known for controlling and training many dangerous wolves. Not much else is known. Perhaps later these files may be updated.

Caramel Arrow leads a group called the Watchers. They’re known for scouting out their enemies. They also work to help trade in materials and weapons. She’s quite loyal to Dark Cacao, even though she was close to getting demoted and eliminated due to a certain meddling of another executive…

File #5: The Golden Circuit

Boss: Golden Cheese

She’s very flamboyant and tech-savvy, and so is her group. They’re well-known and very popular among criminal organizations of all kind.

Golden Cheese loves glittering gold, sending out her subordinates to get any jewelry that gleams and shimmers like her oh-so precious gold.

The Golden Circuit specializes in high-tech surveillance systems and technological innovation, especially with weapons. This group knows everything and everyone that even speaks to one of their members.

So yes, they are known to blackmail quite often.

And any enemies don’t stand a chance due to Golden Cheese being active in her job as a boss, even killing tens of people with some of her high-tech golden spears, able to track any source of heat and follow it.

All of her subordinates are light on their feet, and some even use mechanical wings like hers to fly around so quietly.

She’s probably the one who designed Pure Vanilla’s mechanical eye staff anyways…

GUYS PLEASE I DONT KNOW WHAT I DID

PLEASE DON’T JUDGE ME 😭

[going-to-ikea-for-the-fries]

[Just corrupted anon again]

Johnny has a thing for Stoic!Reader because of the mystery behind them, always keeping a poker face even in dire situation and the strong, powerful aura that reader has but it's also reassuring. A mix between Price and Ghost the stern yet comforting from Gaz.

Johnny knocking on stoic!reader's door because Price had asked him to get the paperworks that were needed but ends up just stammering towards reader because the way reader speaks is so emotionless and stern, it sends him into a horny frenzy-

Finally telling stoic!reader what Price wanted, reader dismisses him but he doesn't leave and just stands there like a sweet, lost puppy and who is totally not horny or anything because reader is only in a black tank top and their cargo pants while reader does paperwork.

Stoic!Reader casually staring at Johnny because he hasn't left and asks if there is anything else.

Johnny stutters as he tries to explain that Price, Ghost and Gaz were getting ready for a mission, clenching onto the documents, trying to ask a certain question because poor pup was going to be alone for quite awhile but ends up silencing himself and leaving. 'Cause why would reader do that for him if reader was aroace? (again, sue me).

Not even 2 weeks in when the other three were gone. Johnny pathetically asks Stoic!Reader if they could fuck him.

Stoic!reader who wanted to say 'no' till they saw the twitching outline of Johnny's bulge and felt a twinge of pity for Johnny boy and sighs.

Stoic!reader who says 'yes' but only on one condition which makes Johnny happy, though the next day Johnny was now on his hands and knees with stoic!reader prepping his rim to take in the strap-on they bought online together (Johnny totally didn't get the overnight shipping).

Johnny is already a squirming mess as he came twice already from being prepped by reader. Reader obviously not done with Johnny, had already put the big, girthy, bumpy strap-on, on already and grabs him roughly by his mohawk. Rubbing the plastic-rubber against his weeping cock gathering the cum and proceeds to rub coated strap-on onto his ass, slicking it up before pushing it to the hilt.

Pathetic whining moans leaves Johnny's lips as he's drilled onto Stoic!Reader's bed like reader hates him, shocking Johnny at the full force that comes from reader's frame, he never would've guessed reader would have it in them to be this way. Letting him orgasm in this position twice before doing it once missionary.

Johnny already an overstimulated little pup on stoic!reader's bed, crying from too much pleasure and was ready to give out, to fucked out to even help reader orgasm. But don't worry, reader already had a plan for that.

Stoic!Reader pushing Johnny's legs up, stroking the tip of his cock before guiding it into reader's hole making poor Johnny weep from overstimulation, pain and pleasure. Knees behind Johnny's ass while holding his legs up as reader fucks down onto him, closing in on their own orgasm and Johnny building up his, what? 5th? 7th orgasm? He doesn't know.

Neither of the two hearing the sound of multiple boots hitting the floor nearing reader's barracks. The door opening as both Johnny and Reader orgasms at the same time.

Johnny looks weakly at the other three with a smile, who stared at Stoic!Reader in shock, Reader's expression remains stoice but as their eyes trailing down the three men's body already seeing their growing bulge, stoic!reader gives a small smirk and removes themselves from Johnny (who totally didn't pass out).

Well shit. Price, Ghost and Gaz later on couldn't remember that reader smirked at them, nor did the four remember that reader pecked their foreheads as they all lay together, asleep, after being fucked and looked after by reader.

Stoic!reader who finishes changing, closes the door quietly letting their four boys sleep. Till next time.

I-

NOW HOLD ON JUST A MINUTE-

THAT MADE ME FEEL THINGS

ANON, I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUT YOU JUST WROTE SOMETHING SO GLORIOUS AND I-

YOU'RE NOT RECENTLY CORRUPTED, YOU'VE **BEEN** CORRUPTED AND I, FOR ONE, AM ABSOLUTELY EATING IT UP

[qiutls]

TNGDH 005

That bad man.

A man without blood nor tears. A really terrible person. So merciless... I roared into the sawdust, floundering my limbs all around.

― Squeak! [ Give me back my wheel, you punk! ]

I'm not even halfway through the mission!

How can you only look at documents and pretend that you're not interested in this hamster at all then stab me in the back like this, huh? If I knew you were looking, I would have pretended to run moderately.

Indeed, I was stupid to believe that a crazy hamster otaku like him would be indifferent to me for even a minute. I'm the Northern Grand Duke and I'm superior to a running hamster, as if.

Kyle even went on patrol the next day taking the wheel with him. It's absolutely insane. There's no work to do, nor miracles in this cage, and I can't even do other quests.

That enemy-like miracle...

I climbed the slide from the end part to the middle, then let myself slide down, repeating it a few times and then sighing heavily at the end. 

I want to live like a human being until I die. Forget about eating well, or living luxuriously. I just want to live as a human, as defined by the dictionary!

Anyway, time went by against my will.

It was a day filled with playing and eating. Riding down the slide, eating walnuts, taking a nap, eating peanuts, stretching my body at a breathing room, eating sunflower seeds, riding the swing, eating pistachios...

I hear it's a cold neighborhood, are nuts a specialty? It's a great place to build a burum restaurant. It's only difficult to peel the nuts if you try and peel it all at once, but if you put it in a bowl, peel it little by little whenever you think of it...

/burum means assorted nuts, specifically walnuts, pine nuts, peanuts and etc./

...Fuck, what the hell are am I thinking?

I'm already thinking like a hamster.

All of a sudden, I started to fear what if I adapt to the situation casually like this. I'm a human being! I'm an intelligent person!

"Cashew Nut."

Kyle came back long after sunset.

I don't if he came in at a late time since I couldn't see the clock from here, and during winter in Blake's estate, nighttime took up more than half of the day.

He returned to the study to find me, but I pretended to not know. I wasn't in the mood.

Well, isn't this situation pretty.

I crumpled my body into the passageway between the first and second floors of the house that's not easily seen from the outside. He looked around the house for a while before giving up and returning to his bedroom.

He obviously looked disappointed, but....

Well, if you give me back my wheel, maybe I'll meet you face to face for a bit.

The next day, we met with a transparent passage between us. The frustrated Northern Grand Duke visited the study before sunrise.

"I'll be back soon."

He spoke affectionately, with his face close to mine.

"From today on, let's control your diet. Your body seemed to not be able to fit in that passageway."

Wait a minute... What the hell is this guy saying?

I lost my breath for a bit due to the shock of hearing those words.

But Kyle moved quickly, he was already pouring out the contents of my bowl. My bowl full of nuts... No... It's all empty, leaving only three almonds.

"I don't want you to strain your joints. I've still left some, so it'll be fine until the night. I'm busy preparing for the festival, so I think I'll come in late again today."

―…….

"...As expected, is it too little?"

Before I could protest, the man behind him said.

"No, I have heard from the magician that the growth period for the hamster have yet to come, Your Highness. The food is enough."

What are you talking about. What do you mean controlling my diet? Do you not have eyes? It's wrong to eat just one nut for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

It's the first time since school meals, that I'm eating food as someone else had planned. I looked up at Kyle, staring at him ridiculously and kicked the bowl over.

A dirty and cheap life, I can't even eat whatever I want.

I want to eat chicken with beer, salmon with capers, chicken feet, tteokbeokki, pane pasta.... Greasy, spicy, and bad for your health, it's something that only Koreans can eat!

"I guess, I'd better let him exercise a little."

"Yes, Your Highness, it's not good to overdo it, but it's still better than having it gain too much weight."

"Alright."

Kyle nodded his head, and with a grave look, put back the wheel in my house.

Yes! That's right!

I looked up at him, my blue eyes shining. He really looked like an angel today.

Get ready the party will start shortly. I only need to run 800 laps, not a single more and I'm done with this hamster life!

Let's calm down for now, if I ride it as soon as you give it to me, you'll probably take it away again. I pretended to be as calm as possible, and turned my head away from the wheel as if I didn't care that it has finally returned to my arms.

Kyle looked at me for a long time, his eyes were practically saying, "you're so cute, I could die."

Look at him, it seems like he had kissed me a hundred times with just those eyes alone. You've grown a lot, you already know how to control yourself when someone's next to you.

"Do you like that demonic beast that much, Your Highness?"

I heard their conversation as they were about to leave.

"Apparently, it's a northern field mouse type of beast, it's a bit late to give a mana stone for it's heart, so it's physical strength is weak but... It's able to socially interact and above all, it's pretty smart.

"Anyways, it's still young, that's why the size is a bit... It does resemble a hamster, however, if you look closely, it's just golden fur...

"It's just a mouse." /all the dialogue above is from the man accompanying Kyle/

"What do you mean, just a mouse?"

Kyle answered coldly and turned to him. "Are your eyes defective?"

"... Y-your Highness, I-"

"Enough, while I finish the paperwork for the celebrations, fetch me a small needle and some yarn."

"What will you do with it, Your highness?"

"There's no need to know, I'll be using it for important stuff, so only bring high quality ones."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Kyle left the study, while coughing. "This winter is especially cold."

This punk, don't tell me...

You're not going to knit my clothes, are you? Don't be weirdly domestic, Grand Duke, if you don't want to see this fragile hamster grab the back of your neck with just one hand.

The mere imagination of it made my body shiver and I rubbed my limbs quickly. Forget it, let's not think about it.

I quickly climbed onto the wheel. That's right, running on the wheel is best way to empty your mind. Now that I have the hang of it, I'll surely be able to finish 800 laps quickly.

I took a deep breath and began to move my four feet.

With a clatter, the wheel began to move slowly.

Now let's go with the flow, think about something peaceful and pleasant. Pizza, bulgogi, sundae gukbap... I felt my mouth watering and continued to run on the wheel with more force.

[ 0217/1000 ] …… [ 0322/1000 ] …… [ 0445/1000 ]

The numbers went up smoothly.

At this rate, I'm confident that there will be no hamster who can spin a wheel better than me. It's worthwhile to do this and count the number of times, so I think I'm accumulating points.

I just looked at the system window running, the number was between 600 to 700. Look at this, won't I be able to finish it soon.

I was a little hungry, so I was going to take a break and eat, but then I remembered what Kyle and the man discussed earlier.

What? Control my diet? Was I stuck in the passageway with my big body?

No, I won't eat anymore. I'll lose weight, and if I die, then I'll make him regret it.

I turned the wheel frantically with strange enthusiasm, refusing to rest. I was a little bit worried that the screw might fall off at this rate.

So, when I first heard a creaking sound, I thought this enormous wheel have finally met its end.

Huh, but is this really the right sound?

"Does the Grand Duke hide women in the castle?"

"I heard he loves her so much that he'll spend the day cooped up in here."

... A woman?

"You idiot! Why would you hide a woman in the study? You should put her in your bedroom, of course."

"... Really? Well, let's just search here for a bit, then go to the bedroom."

"That's right, by any chance we might get lucky and find some military secret in here."

I stopped turning the wheel and looked down at the men that crawled in through the door, literally.

The approached the desk, in a weird posture, they were wearing black masks. One look and you'd be able to tell, these people were not invited guests.

"Let's catch the woman, or maybe kill her."

"Right, if it's a commoner, then it will be pretty easy."

"Isn't that why he keeps her hidden, because she has no status?"

The masked men, no the thieves exchanged stories amongst themselves and searched the drawers. Documents in the top column, documents in the next, as well as third one. And in the last column-

"What's this?"

One of the men pulled out a bag from the drawer. I sat next to my bowl, eating the almonds as I watched them.

"Macadamia?"

There's one there too? For your information, there's also a bag of those in the small drawer next to the door.

Crunch. Crunch.

The thieves fell silent, and only the sound of me eating nuts could be heard in the study. Only then did they notice my existence and slowly approached me.

"What's this?"

"It looks like a mouse."

"Doesn't it look weird, this fur... it's gold right?"

"... Is it a demonic beast?"

"As expected from the Northern Great Duke."

No, I'm just an ordinary hamster.

I took the last almond and filmed a mukbang. Well? Bring me the macadamias in your hand. Three almonds are not enough for me.

"... Do you think it's expensive?"

The thief moved it's mouth after staring at me for a long time. They exchanged glances and soon began to open the hamster cage. 

You guys really didn't have any plan before coming here huh?

Talked about finding a woman and kidnapping her. But now you're kidnapping a hamster instead?

There's no backbone at all. How could such clumsy people try to steal. It's a miracle they didn't get caught on their way here.

I sighed without looking at the hand coming down from the ceiling of my house. Should I approach slowly? Is now a good time?

At that moment.

Clang! The sound of glass breaking echoed throughout the room.

"W-What's that?"

The three thieves, no, more like meerkats suddenly turned their heads towards the window, like real meerkats. 

"How dare you touch what's mine?"

The voice was like a sharp blade, resembling the wind of the highest highlands of the north. It felt like frost. The cowards, then began to tremble, as if they had already died three times just by hearing the voice.

Ah... I mean, this is karma if you look at it technically. In other words, it's time for the teacher to reprimand you.

[ How dare you kidnap my sweet little hamster! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ ]

I didn't mean it that way. By the way, why are you so excited?

"You won't be able to take another step."

No... Is it really a death penalty for touching a hamster?

Kyle pulled out a knife from his waistband.

... I really didn't think it would turn out this way.

novel ⠀✿⠀ next

[wheredafandomat]

For Better or For Worse

Chapter 3 Next Chapter Series masterlist

Loki x female reader

18+ | contains angstttt!! Tiny fluff. This is a mature fic and will contain adult themes throughout - italics = flashback

You rushed upstairs, packing your things which consisted of the small bag you came with as well as a few forgotten things you had found in the old room. As you looked at the dressing table, you saw a picture of the three of you, although only two of you were visible. It was laying lonely on the side, not with the pictures in the album, this one was particularly special. You found yourself welling up as you remembered the day the picture was taken. You had just told Loki the news and instead of being as shocked as you thought he would be, he dashed away leaving you the shocked one before he returned with a camera insisting that you both documented everything from this moment on. He set the camera on a timer before standing next to you, wrapping his arms around you as you smiled. The first picture of you three. You folded it up, tucking it into your pocket before you exited the room.

“You don’t have to leave y/n, it’s your house.” Thor spoke as you walked down the stairs, head down after you spotted Loki walking up towards him.

“Like hell it is, we’ll appeal. You won’t get away with this!” Loki yelled.

“Whatever.” You shrugged, looking up at Loki “Do whatever you want.”

He opened his mouth to speak again, only to close it when he took you in. Your eyes were teary, you were upset. If there was anything Loki knew like the back of his hand, it was your emotions. He could take the happy ones, the angry ones but he couldn’t take the sad ones, the tearful ones. Instinct told him to console you, comfort you, wipe your eyes and tell you everything would be okay but he wouldn’t, couldn’t. You were both over now, finished. You made sure of that. He shouldn’t care, couldn’t care, wouldn’t care. So he let you go.

Hearing all the Kerfuffle, Rose rushed out of her room to see what was going on, a grin on her lips as she watched you trudging out of the door, pushing past Thor on the way out. Her eyes met his as he looked up before quickly looking away. It seemed she wouldn’t have to leave after all.

You sped out without a goodbye to Frigga, not even leaving time to slam the door behind you as you stepped out, speed walking away only to be left gasping as the sprinklers turned on, soaking you.

“For goodness sakes!” You yelped loudly, Loki watching from the still open door.

“I-I didn’t know.” You exasperated, clinging onto Lokis now wet, once dry cleaned shirt as you walked towards the door where he was standing before you lost your footing, and slipped.

“Don’t worry—” he began before he saw you slip “y/n!”

“I—Argh, I’m such an idiot.” You huffed, trying to stand.

“No you’re not.” Loki chuckled, quickly making his way towards you.

“Loki stop, you’ll get wet!” You warned him before he shrugged, continuing his journey to you before helping you to stand, the water hitting him too.

“It’s actually quite refreshing isn’t it.” He joked, his hair damp as he looked down at you. “I’ve not got a problem with it, I could stay here forever.”

“Oh shush.” You giggled, cupping his cheek before you kissed him.

“Y/n wait!” Loki warned, shaking the memory away. Rose’s smile fell as Loki rushed out of the house, calling your name. “Careful you don’t sli—” he began before you turned to face him, slipping in the process. “For crying out loud.” He mumbled to himself as he rushed towards you, helping you up as you fought down tears. Whether or not the tears were out of embarrassment or just pure rage or even sadness was unclear. As he helped you up, he picked up something that had fallen from your pocket. He was about to hand it to you before he saw what it was and decided to pocket it himself.

“I’m covered in mud.” You began to cry, finally letting the dam break.

“You better get changed then.” Loki answered, gesturing back to the house, Thor standing at the door as he watched what happened.

You walked back to the house, wiping your muddy shoes on the doormat as you cursed the stupid sprinklers that insist on going off at seemingly random times at full power.

“Are you okay?” Loki asked you, void of emotion.

“Yeah.” You nodded, wiping your face.

Without replying, Loki made his way upstairs, an angry looking Rose tailing behind him as he walked towards his bedroom.

“What is she still doing here?” Rose questioned once they were alone.

“Well I couldn’t possibly send her on her way covered in mud.” Loki dismissed, making his way towards the en-suite and locking the door behind him.

“Arghhhhh.” Rose growled, covering her face with a pillow and flinging herself on the still unmade bed.

Closing the toilet lid, Loki perched on it as he took the picture of out of his pocket and began unfolding it. He used to look at it a lot, smiling to himself about how things used to be, daydreaming about what they could have been before his future was taken away from him. His finger smoothed over the glossy picture as he looked at you, you looked so happy, so did he. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to recreate the feeling he felt at that moment. He could hear the sound of the camera clicking, feel you against him as he wrapped his arm around you, smell your perfume, practically taste the excitement in the air and see his future, the one with you. But that was all gone now.

Opening his eyes, Loki collected himself before folding the picture again and tucking it into his pocket before leaving the bathroom.

“Do you have anything y/n could wear?” He asked, Rose turning onto her back to look at him.

“And why do you care about her all of a sudden?” She asked.

“She slipped in mud and probably doesn’t have a change of clothes.” Loki scoffed, he wasn’t completely heartless.

“Why don’t you take the clothes off of my back?” She answered, biting her lip as she began taking her top off.

“I’m being serious.” Loki interrupted, holding a hand up.

“Last night you said you’d make it up to me in the morning, it’s morning now and I’m horny.” Rose grinned, beckoning Loki towards her as she opened her legs. Lokis eyes ran over her body, a small smirk playing on his lips as he stepped towards her, allowing her to pull him onto the bed. His smirk fell when she said her next words. “You can do whatever you want to me, daddy.”

“I don’t like it when you use that word.” Loki stiffened, standing up and straightening his clothes. “I’ve told you countless times.”

“Sorry, Loki, just come back to bed.” Rose apologised as Loki headed towards the wardrobe, pulling out some bottoms and a top.

“I’ll bring her these.” He finished, exiting the room.

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[c1cada-c1cada]

a meeting with heaven and hell

{a meeting with Gabriel, Micheal, Uriel and three of hells demons TW GORE SH AND INDECATIONS OF VOMIT} Gabriel: ok! we have the documents and the holy water now we can begin!! Micheal: yeah, yeah, let's get this over and done with Uriel: who exactly will be here? Gabriel: wait and see Uriel :] {the slight sound of fire joins... you see Beelzebub, Hastur and Dagon appear along with the angels}

Beelzebub: hi Gabriel, Uriel and Victorian ghost. {Micheal pulls an agitated face} Hastur: hello! Dagon: hi... Gabriel: Hello Beelzebub and to the rest of you! I believe this is our first meeting with heaven and hell ever since the rebellion... am i correct? {Micheal and Uriel exchange uncomfortable look at the opposition, Uriel feels like something is off... however they can't put their finger on what it is, however they feel as if something will happen between them and the demon in the yellow coat? what was their name again? ah yes, Hastur}

Beelzebub: yes, indeed it is archangel if you weren't so idiotic you would have known this beforehand. {Beelzebub gives a dangerous glare to Gabriel who returns back a sarcastic smile} Uriel: ok, enough with the small talk we need to get onto matters with the suspected traitors.. Micheal: yes, i have been given some complaints regarding the demon Crowley and the angel Aziraphale? Beelzebub: i have not heard of this? Dagon is this true. Have you gotten any complaints recently? {Beelzebub says this while remaining full eye-contact with the supreme archangel causing him to look away in a flustered hurry.} Dagon: yes, I gave it to you on last week and i reminded you throughout this week.

{Beelzebub breaks her stare with Gabriel and twitches slightly before speaking again in an agitated tone.} Beelzebub: WELL maybe someone should of not told me these things when I was obviously busy! Dagon you know you should of gave something that important to Hastur if you really wanted me to see it! Hastur: my lord, should I note this now or is it too late? Beelzebub: don't bother... {the meeting continues with barely to zero problems however the angels can't seem to shake the feeling of dread and nausea away from their minds... why do they feel like this?? what is going on??} Micheal: and that is all the information i have at this point of time... anything more to add?

{Gabriel, Uriel and the demons shake their heads completing their meeting} Gabriel: WELL, that was nice! anything more to discuss.? Beelzebub: well, yes, you see down in hell we write down the names of our meetings in case we need it for later! Also, we need a copy of the photos of Crowley and Aziraphale themselves! Gabriel: yes, that is understandable! we will send you them on Wednesday, that is when most of the angels are free! Beelzebub and Dagon: Thank you... Beelzebub: Hastur write the day down! Hastur: yes lord... {Hastur glances around to look for a pen... he realizes that there is no pen in his area... however there is a kitchen knife....} {NOTE: this is where it gets dark!! so if you don't like SH self-harm then don't read anymore lovelies} Hastur: uuhhhh ok so i couldn't find a pen but i found this *holds up knife* {the angels and demons are glancing at Hastur now confused}

Gabriel: huh? what are you going to do? carve it into the table?! {Gabriel finds this entertaining.} Hastur: well... i need to write it somewhere!! {Hastur puts the small knife to his arm and starts cutting the date on his arm, the blood drips onto his coat.} Beelzebub: WHAT THE FUCK HASTUR?! Dagon: *pure shock* Uriel: OH MY GOD!! Micheal: HASTUR, STOP THAT RIGHT NOW Gabriel: AAAAAAH STOP STOP FUCKING STOOOP!! oh god i think I'm going to puke. Hastur: wot??? NOTE: I'm sorry idk if i should continue this??? please tell me if i should I'm rly lazy ;-;

[sgt-morgan]

Robin Bites Back 🖤

Summary: Meet the Robinsons but with Fuck words and Vigilantes. You’re gonna love it.

Warnings: AFAB and female identifying reader, Mentions of g!ns, Cannon typical violence, crude language, probably blasphemy, illusions to sexy times, Matt’s dangerously beautiful ass, Deadpool. You get the drill.

A/N: here’s hoping tomorrow we have a little more Matt in our lives. If not imma blow a goddamn gasket.

Pt. 1 Guessing Game.

Pt. 3 The Test

DD Masterlist

Matt knew you finding out about his being Daredevil could only cause trouble. There was no other way around it. You knowing had been trouble of the highest order, and you find newer, weirder, ways to prove it every day. Trouble of the highest order. Your jokes only got worse and more frequent, but when you meet all his vigilante friends, putting them in their place seemed to be your new favorite pastime. You first proved it with Spider-Man.

Stumbling in at four AM should mean waking you, but for some reason, you were awake. If he had to guess, you were reading over court documents that he told you needed reading three months ago, and you were just now reading them, but that didn’t matter. Matt could smell the sleep on your skin, the melatonin your body was producing changing your normal functions just enough to give him a sense of your sheer exhaustion. your tiny cold shivers even though the apartment was fairly warm, your tear stained cheeks from yawning, your glacial typing speed, the signs radiated from where you sat. You smelled of him, his shampoo and body wash, his shirt he wore to laze around the apartment yesterday, your deodorant and perfume that you always insisted on wearing at all times, it screamed of comfort, a radiating beacon of calm nestled into his couch and all he wanted to do was bury himself in it. Instead, he carried with him a half dead Spider-Man and an open wound you were gonna probably need to stitch. They had just finished stopping a robbery at a butcher in the seedy end of Hell’s Kitchen, but they hadn’t managed to catch the bad guy, who was insanely good with a knife. He roughed them up pretty bad, and this is how they appeared to you after that fight.

“Well holy shit!” You cried out when you noticed them, clutching your chest, shocked. Your heart rate had skyrocketed, you were blushing, and your blanket had fallen to the ground. So, if Matt knew you like he thought, It wasn’t the fact that he was injured, or that Spider-Man was injured either he presumed, it was probably because you were- “I’m like… half naked, so if your little vigilante buddy doesn’t have your same proclivities, I’m gonna put on pants and brb.”

“I’m sorry!” Peter groaned and smacked a hand over his eyes. Matt dropped him on the couch and flung his mask in the general direction of his trunk.

“Don’t apologize, Matt is always-“ you paused, registering Peter’s tone of voice, his countenance that you hadn’t really picked up on before. “Oh my god. Matthew Michael Murdock, is that a fucking child?” Matt cringed and he could feel Peter do the same.

“Uh… no?” Matt tried, knowing that there would be no way to fool you into belief that Peter was a big boy superhero, who could lift a truck with ease if he wanted, now to you he was a tiny little baby who you would attempt to adopt like a stray cat.

“You’re a shit liar, and your whole life depends on it.” She grumbled grumpily, and Matt smiled even though he should be irritated. He was in fact, not a shit liar, you were just really good at reading him, and it gave him some sort of warm fuzzy feeling in his chest.

“No ma’am, he’s not lying! I just turned 18!” Peter tried to butt in helpfully, but he really was only making it worse. You groaned and Matt winced.

“This is so wrong. You, spider boy, take your hand off your face, you’re bleeding there and we got no idea where your hands have been.” You barked, pulling a first aid kit from under your sink and marching to the couch. “Move sexy, you’re next.” You said smacking his ass and making Peter giggle. He rolled his sightless eyes again, and went to the bedroom looking to shower and change while you sorted out first aid and clothing for Peter, he was starting to realize that you were totally gonna adopt the kid, and he wasn’t ready to be a vigilante father. A shower would help him organize a strategy to get you to back off, but he also forgets that you’re a lawyer too. Should have given up while he was ahead. By the time he got out, Peter had his head in your lap and was laughing through a wince as you stitched up a cut near his hairline.

“So, you recognized him bec-“ he was cut off by you snipping the last of the thread and gesticulating wildly.

“Listen kid, that ass don’t quit! Wether it’s jeans, a dress suit, the devil suit, the black suit, the new one, and god help me if he’s in his stupid silk boxers, it’s like a homing beacon. Round, perfect, and don’t get me started on his thi-“

“Baby! He’s 18!” Matt blushed and Peter only laughed harder.

“Yeah, and I’m teaching art history, Martholomew! High schoolers are all about that shit!” You tapped twice gently on the table, giving him your little winking signal to tell him you’re joking, it instantly made him smile. Everyone has a gift, yours just so happens to be cutting tension.

When you were in court, that smart mouth and keen wit of yours was a killer weapon, often winning you many a case, but when you used it to talk people out of their gloom, it was a beautiful bloom of spring, and Matt was thrilled to be the one that got to hear your musings on a regular basis. You made the smallest of phrases poetry, the finest of details something so titular to a sentence he forgets exactly where your point began and his ended. You were a true wordsmith. He loved it even more when you became a real comedian with those talents, only you having the ability to pull from him such belly laughs that left him in tears for hours from just one off handed joke you barely thought about. Your mind fascinated him, and he hoped to spend his whole life exploring its depths. Right now though? Right now he needed you to stop telling the boy wonder about how hot his thighs were.

“Our father in heaven woman-“ Matt grumbled and you gasped.

“Mattnelius!” You smacked a hand over your moth and chest. “That sounded very close to Blasphemy! And with a child present! You should be ashamed! I’m so sorry for his behavior Peter! Go shower, I’ll find you clothes.” You patted his arm and shooed him from your lap.

“No it’s okay, I’ll ju-“

“Baby we can’t-“

“Boys, I swear to fucking god if you don’t do what I tell you right now I’ll call Foggy, and that girlfriend of yours!” Matt and Peter both straightened up immediately. Peter rushed to the bathroom with a squeaked ‘Yes ma’am!’ and Matt sat next to you with his wound exposed. He sat in silence as you stitched his cut closed, fidgeting with his fingers.

“Honey, he’s not a cat we can’t just-“

“Mathew Michael Murdock, if you say I can’t keep Peter I will go work for Landman and Zach so fast it’ll make your head spin. Now, go get the extra sheets and pillow for the couch while I find the kid some clothes. That’s an order Batman, before Robin goes Jason Fuckin Todd.” You snapped and kissed his cheek aggressively.

“Yes dear.”

The next person you met was Frank Castle, and it was… something. Matt can confidently say that this one was the meeting he was most dreading, it wasn’t like their meeting was ever a good thing, so why would he expect him meeting you would go any better.

Frank was in town hunting down a terrible criminal, Matt knew that. Matt also knew that when Frank hunts somebody down, it’s usually quite explosive. What he didn’t expect, was for his mark to be your client. That client so happens to be the Butcher who’s shop he and Spider-Man stopped someone from robbing. Now that he thinks about it, it was probably Frank. Which means that Butcher probably wanted to eat your liver with a side of Fava beans and a nice Chianti. Yuck. He heard over the police scanner that shots had been fired in the vicinity of the offices of Nelson, Paige, and Murdock as he was out patrolling, and he remembered you saying earlier that you needed to sign and print some paperwork to get back to the judge on your current case. So when a description approximating Frank Castle then came through over the scanner, he booked it to the office. He vaulted in through the window, and there was your client, unconscious in your office, with a bullet wound. Matt would have expected you to be shook up about the whole thing, but instead he heard a shouting match go down.

“No you asshole, I didn’t know he is a fucking serial killer! I’m not omnipotent! Why don’t YOU tell ME what the fuck is going on, because APPARENTLY you LOVE playing God! I mean seriously Castle, what in the name of John Wayne do you think you’re doing? This isn’t the Good the Bad and the goddamn Ugly! You can’t just judge, jury, executioner someone in my goddamn office! Now there’s a fucking bloodstain on my rug, and I’m gonna have to talk to cops! I’m a lawyer and I’m dating a Vigilante Frank, I fuckin hate cops!” Frank’s heart was thudding at an unnatural pace, and he was rooted in place. He was terrified of his tiny girlfriend, and honestly it was hysterical. He couldn’t help but giggle.

“What the fuck Red?” He growled out as Matt stepped over to the unconscious man and proceeded to stop the blood flow so the man didn’t actually bleed out. “Why did you let your girl take him on as a client, are you fucking insane?”

“No, Castle we didn’t kn-“

“IM FUCKING SORRY? Did you just call Matt crazy? Didn’t you shoot him in the fucking head when you first met him?” She fumed and there was an electrical zapping sound, and he felt Frank flinch away from youu. That’s when he noticed that the burnt flesh smell wasn’t coming from the Serial killer, it was coming from-

“I’m sorry, but baby, did you tase Frank!?” He laughed.

“Yeah, that’s why the fucking riddler here isn’t dead!” You huffed, kicking the now groaning criminal in the head to knock him back out. “I don’t have the time to fill out the goddam paperwork! Now take your buddy Deadshot here, and get the hell out.” You grumble and pick up your phone.

“What are you doing?” Matt tilted his head as you dialed 911.

“Calling the cops Mathew, if I don’t, it’ll look suspicious, and I don’t really want to go in for questioning for my involvement in the murder of an ex client!” You growled, throwing a stapler at Frank that he caught with ease and placed on a filing cabinet.

“Ok Castle, let’s go” Matt grabbed his arm and forced him up the fire escape to the roof of the building.

“No fucking way, I’m going back and-“ He started, but you had just hung up the phone.

“If you don’t get out now, I’ll hand you to the police my godDAMN self, and I’ll make sure I tase you unconscious if I have to lock DD in a closet to do it!” She half shouted, Matt couldn’t see it, but he just knew Frank stood there and glared menacingly. Or well, he did until you flashed your taser at him again.

“FUCK! FINE!” He flinched, crawling out the window.

“Have I told you I love you lately?” Matt grinned, pulling you to him with a sweet kiss.

“No, in fact, you have not.” She huffed and pushed him towards the window. You didn’t have to have super senses to hear the cops pounding up the stairs to your floor. “You owe me Batman, now get out.”

Matt meandered his way to the roof, where Frank was still mumbling and pacing watching his target being loaded into an ambulance while handcuffed to the stretcher.

“Now he’s gonna get a cushy fucking hospital stay, when he could be dead.” Frank grumbled, swiping a hand down his face. “I’ll tell you what though, that old lady of yours? She’s…”

“A keeper? Crazy? Super hot? Yeah,” Matt nodded, crouching on a ledge to hear you and the officers better. You were fake crying, he grinned, you were amazing. “I know.”

“Yeah, that. Seriously though, that taser hurt like a bitch. She’s wild.” He shook his head with a chuckle. “Real set of balls your girl. Tell her I said thanks, and if she gets in my way again I’ll-“

“You’ll what, get tased again? Because sure as fuck aren’t killing me!” She laughed from behind them and Frank flinched. “Now get the hell off my roof, do you need first aid?” When he shook his head no, she reached in her pocket and pulled out a gun.

“It was under my desk, be glad I saw it before they came in. I swear to God Murdock, if you say anything you’re sleeping on the couch.” She grumbled and stomped downstairs.

“Jesus red, she’s a-“

“Goodbye Frank!” Matt laughed, rushing towards a robbery happening two miles away.

Two weeks later had been kidnapped by vampires, and it had everything to do with, you guessed it, that serial killer cannibal you got arrested. Yes, Vampires, Matt could hardly fathom that outcome, let alone take on an army of the undead with just his blind ass and a 17 year old. So, Spider-Man called in the troops. Since everyone loved Peter, and everyone was curious about the woman who tased Frank Castle and lived to tell the tale, they all decided to be helpful without being dicks and Matt was truly grateful. He forgot though, that just because they behaved didn’t mean you would.

You were honestly ok, sure, you were surrounded by a bunch of people calling themselves the hand, there were fucking Vampires apparently, and they kept referring to Matt’s super hot and tragic dead ex girlfriend, but you could handle all that. What you couldn’t handle, was that you had to be in court to plead a very big fucking case that could actually earn you money, and you’re stuck HERE! Damn it all to hell, you told Mathew that the vigilante shit was fine if it didn’t fuck with your day job and now here you were, letting it fuck with YOUR day job. What a bummer. Then came the drugs.

Your mouth can only get you out of so much, and unfortunately, these ninjas were entirely unwilling to speak to the Deposition before risking your drug tests for work. At least they were fun drugs! Clearly, they were going to try and knock you out, but your lovely boyfriends buddies reached you before you got enough in your system to make you pass out. So, instead, you were subjected to very vivid and colorful fight sequences, like your brain was trying to put you in a Tarantino film without all the feet. It was Moonknight who removed the IV, and once he did, he was immediately shot three times, but instead of dying bloodied and broken in your lap like you thought he would, he got back up and kept fighting, the bullets falling to the ground as he went. He kept swirling and smashing heads, ridding the room you were in of Vampires and attempting to free you in the meantime, in moments of downtime you got to introduce yourself a bit.

“Shit dude, you’re like… invincible. DD, has gotta learn that one.” You laughed.

Moonknight cocked his head in your direction and you smiled with a nod. “Sorry I haven’t got you free yet hermosa! Little busy, but when I free up you’re Prioridad número uno!”

“Spanish? Cool, and no worries MoonBoy you keep doing the thing, I can wait. I’m not helpful at the moment anyway, can’t stand and WOAH! You can pull a knife from your chest!? Badass! Devilman needs to know the name of your suit guy.” You gasp as he pulls moondarts from the suit and starts slashing.

“Bueno, yeah, you’re definitely la novia then. My suit guy is an Egyptian god so I’m not thinking he’d like that Hermosa.” He winked and you laughed.

“Ooh cool, so you’re a pagan then? I can dig it.” You nod sagely, though with all the drugs, it doesn’t look it. Jake thinks you look more like a broken bobble head. He can’t help but appreciate the fact you’re not freaking out though, that was impressive.

“No, actually I’m Jewish, or well, Marc is Jewish.” He shrugs, “Same body different people.” He has no goddamn idea why he told you that but your mouth forms an ‘o’ like you get it perfectly and you smile. All the while, Jake is still killing vampires left and right while chaos reigns around them.

“Like the movie with James McAvoy uh… SPLINTER! That’s right, splinter. NO WAIT! SPLIT!” You proclaim with a snap of your fingers. “No wait, that’s probably offensive, that guy in that movie was an asshole. You seem chill. The idea is still there though, multiple people, one brain. Very fun.”

“Si, ¡Exactamente! Damn, nobody has ever gotten it that quick.” He muttered and Steven took over the body, having cleared an opening to get you out of the fray or handed off to the next person.

“Right darling! Let’s get you out that chair here-“ He cut your bonds easily and heaved you to your feet and instantly you almost face planted. “Shite, sorry!” Steven hissed balancing you again, “forgot about the whole being drugged thing!”

“New accent! This must be personality two, Hi personality two!” You smiled and patted his shoulder, missing the first pat but landing the second.

“Yes, it’s Steven, and you just spoke with Jake. Nice to meet you too dear.” He chuckled, throwing you over his shoulder and sprinting towards the stairs. He made it all the way there, slashing and punching and kicking as he went, before he had to set you on the steps to continue smashing heads.

“Sorry sugar, gotta go!” Marc plopped you on the stairs and turned to keep killing vampires.

“That’s ok third person I’m pretty sure is named Marc, I can crawl.” Marc was astounded to see you start taking the stairs on all fours, wandering towards the next vigilante that would inevitably pick you up and move you down the line. Daredevil said you were tough, but knowing and following an abstract objective while stoned wasn’t exactly what he was expecting.

“Goodbye I guess, don’t die.” Marc grumbled and nailed a vampire between the eyes with a moon dart making a wet thud as it struck home.

You, still off your ass on whatever they gave you, crawled slowly up the stairs. You flinched as bodies flew past your head and made sickening thuds on the stairs. “Oof, that had to hurt.” You muttered as one dude hit a railing hard enough to break his spine. Then, two doc martens thudded into your line of site and you looked up, very nervous. “Please don’t be a villain, please don’t be a villain, please don’t be a villain…” you slowly follow the length of the legs and are relieved to see, “Jessica Jones!”

“Hello.” She smirked, and reached down with one hand, snatching you up by the collar and setting you on your feet. “You look like hell, I know all about that.”

“Hey Jess- wow you’re strong as fuck, kinda hot!- please don’t wait no-“ she let go and your knees buckled, you started to fall and you felt a hand reach out and hold you up. You looked to see that that hand belonged to Luke Cage and his other hand was lashing out to throw a vampire over the rails of the platform you were on. “Sorry! I got drugged and I’m not so ready to use my legs yet.” You sighed flopping your head down to stare at your useless, traitorous, appendages.

“S’fine.” Luke said, shoving you away from the fray so you just flop into Jessica’s waiting arms again.

“Horn head said you were chill, but not freakin out while we all fight vampires and you’re on drugs… that’s pretty badass.” Jessica mutters, quickly shoving you back to Luke as she throws a wooden board through a man’s chest. You spark with pride at her compliment. Jessica Jones, super powered PI is impressed by your level headedness. Sick.

“Thanks Jones, your pretty cool yourself. ON YOUR SIX!” You yell and Jessica tosses you to Luke, taking out the scary vampire that almost chewed her face off.

“Thanks for looking out.” Luke grunts catching you under one arms and smoothly pushing you to sit on the wall behind him.

“No worries Mr. Cage!” You mumble. He throws the last two vampires in his way over the rails and then sits next to you to watch Jessica work.

“We’re past formalities, call me Luke.” He stretched his hand out and you just stared at it, limbs still numb. You feel like Westley after Miracle Max brought him back from being mostly dead. It was exhausting.

“God, sorry, I would? But it’s not gonna work right now.” You sigh, Luke nods and puts his hand down, staring at Jess once again. “God, you look like a love sick puppy. You good there?” You flop your head in his direction and he nods.

“Yeah, I just. You guys make it work, why can’t we?” He shakes his head and gestures at Jess and you are bamboozled. Really? Relationship troubles? You’re fighting Vampires, this is life or goddamn death here, the Dr.Phil shit can wait…. Then you think, you know what? Fuck it. You kinda get it. There’s something about an apocalypse that makes people question their lives.

“Can I be honest?” You’re not slurring every other word now, so it must be wearing off. “Matt and I work because we communicate. Now, if I understand Jessica like I think I do from Matt’s stories of her, she is like trying to talk to an errupting volcano. Explosive, hot, and rapidly cooling to immovable rock. You gotta figure out how to be volcano proof. That seems like an impossible task, believe me, I get it. Getting Matt to communicate was like trying to get a camel through the eye of a needle. Hah, bible reference, I gotta remember to tell that one to Foggy. Sorry, not helpful. All this to say, I learned that it’s not hard to pass a camel through the needle, if you make it big and obvious, and unable to over look. It works even better if there’s an oasis on the other side, if you catch my drift, but it’s not impossible, just incredibly inconvenient.” You then pat Luke’s shoulder and nod him back over to his lady love, who was kicking major ass.

Luke processed your words with a nod, honestly? The advice wasn’t bad, it was weird, but accurate. Maybe Matt’s crazy girlfriend was right. Eye of a needle? He could work with that. Then he decided to help Jess before she shoved the needle up his ass for leaving her stranded.

You continued to crawl your way through the chaos, watching the various vigilantes do their various duties around you. The next run in was with Danny Rand. You could tell he was annoying from the jump.

“Hello, can I help?” Danny reached out his glowing fist and punched a vampire through a wall (which was cool), then hoisted you to your feet. “I’m Danny Rand, The Immortal Iron Fist, defender of K’un-Lun, Master of-“ Then you shoved him out of the way of a vampire who wanted to cut his speech super short by putting him in an early grave.

You groaned, “Jesus that was close, you’re mouthy, no offense, I am too. Can I be honest? I’m on a lot of drugs, we’re in a life or death battle with magic vampires, and it’s hard to concentrate when you keep saying shit nobody understands. Learn to shut the hell up. Cool glow hand though, you seem nice. Promise I’ll be less of a bitch when we meet again.” You promptly reached your hands above your head in a grabby motion and let Peter swing you to a balcony nobody could access, you let him set you up with his backpack, which apparently had water in it, and you sat and waited for the battle to be over.

You watched the various hero’s fight, and you were honestly impressed. Now out of harms way, you could truly appreciate how fucking cool your boyfriend was. All the people around him had crazy super powers. A dude who can’t die, a kid that can climb walls, two people with super human strength, and a guy that had a magic glow stick for a fist. All those powers, and your boyfriend still chose to go kick as much ass, if not more, than they were. It was kinda hot, no, let’s be honest. It was very hot. Eventually everyone stopped fighting, Vampires dispatched, regular humans headed to jail, etc. you watched as Matt visibly began to tense again, the panic hitting when he remembered he hadn’t talked to you yet.

“I’m up here baby.” You muttered, rolling your eyes at your lack of ability to help, tapping the metal railing to give him an accurate location. Then he began scaling shelves and running towards you at top speed. “Hey, I’m drugged up, I can’t move. I’m totally numb.” You huff. “It’s ok though, it’s working it’s way out of me but I got no idea what it is.” He bundles you into his arms, and you breath him in, leather and cinnamon, your favorite.

“Oh thank god.” He grumbles burying his face in your hair as you finally manage to flop your arms around his neck. He stood and slung you onto his back, climbing down to where all the other vigilantes stood below you waiting on Matt. “Sweetheart did you meet-“

“Yup! Moonman, not a pagan, is secretly three people, can’t die.” You began pointing them out in turn, “Jess, PI, super strength, super hot. Luke, Bar owner, super strength, needs to work out his love issues. One punch man, glow hand, talks too much. Spidey, my baby, stray cat energy.” You nodded, drug induced loose lips be damned, you were proud of yourself. The vigilantes giggled at their descriptions in turn, even Danny found humor in your little rant. “Did I get em all?”

“Yeah baby, that’s everyone.” Matt laughed, kissing your head and giggling into your hair.

“She still hasn’t met Deadpool!” Danny shrugged, and Matt went rigid.

“Iron Fist, you gotta learn to keep your trap shut.” Matt mumbled.

“Oh god, them in a room would be torture.” Jess groaned.

“I don’t know, I quite like the idea. Sounds like a gas.” Steven shrugged in the Mr. knight suit.

“Sorry DD.” Danny grumbled.

“Oh, He has to meet Robin DD.” Spider-Man chuckled.

“Robin?” Jessica questions, looking at Spider-Man with one unwavering raised brow.

“We call her Robin, because the first time she met DD and figured out his identity, she told him that if she had known sooner she could have been the Robin to his Batman.” Peter grinned and looked at the still giggling couple that was attempting to patch each other’s wounds while denying they needed help, you know, like self righteous vigilantes.

“Ah,‘that’s adorable.” Steven muttered, tying up hostages and making sure their undead friends were gonna stay down this time.

“Yeah, it’s pretty sweet.” Luke nodded, helping Danny drag a mountain of a man to a corner while Jessica and Peter catalogued all of the chemical materials and evidence they could with their Cameras.

“She said I was mouthy.” Danny pouted, and all of the other hero’s in the room dissolved into laughter.

You two were lightly bickering back and fourth as they continued with cleanup and waited for their hostage to wake for interigation.

“DD, I’m fine.” you groan again as he feels at the wounds on your hand and forehead. He knows what you’re saying, but he can’t help but take in your racing heartbeat, the slight stench of fear, the terror trembling off you in waves. You put up a great front, and in the heat of the moment you’re a force to be reckoned with, but now that it’s all over, Matt can tell that leaving you alone while he does his duties to the city would be a grave mistake.

“I know! I know. I’m just-“ he fretted and you cut him off, but subtly clutch his hand tighter.

“You’re just full of nervous energy and ready to beat that guy you need answers from to a pulp. I get it. Go.” You roll your eyes fondly and stand, Matt holding out his arms to catch you as if you were a three year old just learning to walk, and you wobble immediately sinking back to the ground and leaning against the wall. The drugs haven’t fully left your system, it’s clearing up, but it’s not gone yet.

“No. Not while you’re injured, it will have to wait till Peter or Jess can take you ho-“ then his whole body tensed and his nose scrunched as if something just hit his senses with a crowbar and a man in a red and black morph suit—No shock there—with two Katanas and a gun busts into the now relatively calm warehouse.

“Alright! Who do I gotta kill. Point me in the way of Nosferatu, Daddy has some silver bullets and a deer park bottle of holy water, and I’m ready to interview with a vampire this bitch!” He stands, one katana and a bottle of water with a crudely drawn cross on it raised in presentation, at the entrance to the warehouse. When he comes in, He is the most absurd thing you’ve seen all evening, and there’s a guy with a glowing fist in the building. You all pause for a moment just staring at this absurd display of ineptitude, but Matt senses Deadpool assessing the situation, taking it all in, and Matt senses him shift his attention to you, and his muscles relax a bit and a grin stretched the terrible deformed muscle at his mouth, causing his skin to creak. Then, as Matt suspected, you are instantly thrown into fits of giggles. Your in full blown belly laughs, he can hear the way you struggle to breathe through your laughter, senses your abdominal muscles contracting, he can smell the salt of your tears as they run down your face, and for a moment he forgives the lunacy of Wade Wilson, and appreciates just how wonderful it is to hear the sweet sound of your laughter. He is thankful for the subtle loss of tension in your shoulders that Wade has so easily caused, just by being him. Then he smells old enchiladas, stale blood, and gunpowder and is reminded all over again why it is he avoids Deadpool at all costs. He’s an assault on the senses, and he’s a dumbass. If that weren’t reason enough, the man is hardly ever on the right side of the law, or decency, and to top it all off, he’s really fucking annoying. However, in this moment, Wade is sending clear signals that he is ready and willing to be his ally. Maybe Matt would need to rethink his stance on the Mirk with a Mouth.

“Fuck me, I haven’t laughed that hard in a while, and I just met a guy whose superpower is that he punches real good with just one fist.” You giggle into Matt’s ear and he can’t help but chuckle a bit as well, using this as an excuse to bury his nose in your hair, attempting to cover up the stench of Deadpool’s disgusting suit. “Who the hell are you, and how do we become friends? Also, they fuck the vampires in interview with a vampire, they don’t kill them. You’re thinking of Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.” You laugh brightly and thrust you’d hand out to be shaken. Matt resists the urge to smack that hand away from the bacteria infested glove, but is genuinely thrilled to hear the rustle of a glove being pulled from a hand as Deadpool receives your handshake.

“Well that’s easy pretty lady, you don’t fuck with me and I, won’t fuck with you. So are you the crazy bitch who tased Frank Castle or is DD here in for a few million Hail Marys?” Matt is baffled. Honestly, he is. Deadpool came in ready for a fight, and in a need for ardent chaos, and he was actually startled at how collected and calm he was in bantering back and forth with you. Totally at his ease in the steady, witty banter. It’s like you had stopped him in his tracks. Matt kept a close ear on your conversation as he began to help the rest of the group.

“So does he wear the horns when you do the deed, or do they only come out for birthdays and anniversaries?” Deadpool sits cross legged beside you, which is when Wade silently shoos him away. Why should he deal with all the boring stuff when there was a beautiful and interesting woman he could be talking to.

“Oh Mr.Pool, a lady never sucks and tells, but that Mask is pretty hot. The suit does nothing for his ass though.” You scrunch your nose and shake your head, and Wade snorts a laugh while Matt walks away to go deal with the rest of the group.

“He got a nice ass under all that pleather?” Wade huffs.

“Like you wouldn’t BELIEVE man. He’s honestly the sexiest man I know.” Matt shakes his head at your ardent praise with a big silly grin, and Jess bumps her shoulder with his with a breathy chuckle, handing him an unknown chemical for him to identify.

“Well, you’re in the company of absolute beauty now, you wouldn’t even believe how hot I am under here.” Matt can hear Spider-Man chuckling now and shaking his head, and he hears Moonknight mumble about what a lie that was.

“Oh really? Well, secret identities be damned, let’s get a peek at that face huh?” You laugh, and Matt hears the rustling of Fabric as Wade pulls off his mask. He can hear Danny hiss and feel Luke cringe as Wade’s face is revealed. He notes with pride that you never flinch.

“Oh god, Ha! You look like an Orc’s terrible premature love child with the corpse of Ryan Reynolds.” You laugh for a second, then stop when you realize Wade is staring at you slack jawed. “Oh! I’m sorry was that rud-“ you begin to fret, but Wade cyst you off with a boisterous laugh of his own.

“That is the funniest shit I’ve heard all day.”

You and Wade kept up the conversation, while the others began to clean up and categorize evidence. When it came to Vampires and the supernatural, the police were no help so the whole of Justice squarely rests on those who had the power to handle it. They were all biding their time and waiting on their hostage, they had officially gotten everything squared away, Spider-Man had called SHEILD to dispose of the Vampires, and now they sat in comfortable conversation, waiting for backup. When Matt began to hear their hostage stir, he alerted the others, and then they Started bickering over who should do what. It was getting pretty heated until you spoke with a finality that meant business.

“No! Webs can take me home, Moonknight and DD can handle the interrogation, Deadpool and Iron Fist can wipe out any stragglers (because I’m pretty sure some of them are playing dead.), Jess and Luke can handle shield, and then the spiderling can swing back here to help you finish the mission.” Your instructions were met with whining and protest (except for Matt, who knew better than to argue when you meant business), but you weren’t having it. “Oh! I’m fucking sorry, did I ask for all the whining? Or are you all a big group of superpower wielding toddlers!?” You snapped and everyone looked either impressed or properly chastened.

“No you’re right.”

“I guess we can-”

“I’ll get to use my holy water after all!” Came the murmur of replies.

“Good, now hop to it. Take me home spider boy!” You reach your arms out to Peter and he swings you up and out of the building leaving the rest of the hero’s to their own devices. About forty five minutes later, Peter comes back as they plan out what to do about the rest of the vampire problem, and what next steps need to be taken to solve it. All in all, it takes about two hours for Matt to make his way back to you, and when he does, you’re fast asleep. The shield agents reassured him that you just needed to sleep off whatever they gave you, and his other vigilante associates all complimented him on having an amazing girlfriend. His chest was swelling with Pride over how well you took things, and how much they admired you. You truly were an amazing woman.

You were sleeping so peacefully, Matt almost elected to take the couch so he wouldn’t risk waking you. He changed, and decided you would be more mad if he didn’t come to bed. He slips in next to you and preens when you wrap an arm around his waist and sling a leg over his hips. He nuzzles into your hair and cuddles you close, grinning at how wonderful you are to be lying there next to him. “Hi Angel, you ok?”

“Yeah Matty, ‘m fine. Just sleepy s’all.” You yawn so hard your eyes water, and Matt ‘awes’ placing a soft kiss to your crown.

“Well I’d say so, it’s not easy being Robin.” He huffs a laugh and you kiss him just below his collar bone.

“Oh yeah, I’m tough shit, might just graduate to Nightwing.” You mumble.

“Sure, sweetheart, whatever you want.” Then you mumble something into his chest he doesn’t quite catch, and he asks you to repeat yourself.

“Nah, I’ll stay Robin, I could never ditch my Batman, I love him too much.” Matt’s heart swells to bursting and he almost tears up at the weirdly sweet sentiment.

“I love you too Robin, I love you too.”

[ohjustkreat]

Closing The Distance

A Shuri x Riri Fanfic

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A/N: Well hello!!!! Chapter 20 is finally here. 20 chapters and almost a year later, I truly have no words. Thank you to everyone that has read this story. I’m beyond grateful.

As always,

Enjoy,

Kreat

Table of Contents

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Chapter 20

The next day, a new energy was prominent in the air. Riri was currently configuring the last few things on the prototype, or the I-SPY as Riri had come to name it. Carefully, she made the last adjustments and looked proudly over her work. After a moment she stepped back and exhaled, "Now, for the moment of truth."

Pressing one of three buttons on the small device, she saw it flash a light purple signaling it was powered on. Next, she turned on a monitor that bad been linked to the small device. Moments later, she recognized her face as it appeared on the larger monitor. Continuing her testing, Riri picked up a sleek black, remote controller. Pushing one of the switches upwards, the small device began to roll forward. Getting lost in her creation, she didn't notice Shuri who had stopped at the top of the stairs and was watching her.

"Having fun?' Shuri questioned, startling the other woman.

Riri jumped up, almost dropping the remote controller. "Oh, uh, sorry I was just testing the device. Look at this!" Riri said as her nerves calmed and excitement replaced them.

Shuri watched as the device rolled along the floor, evenetually making it's way over to her. Soon it was her face that had been plastered among the monitor.

'If you two are done here, then it would be helpful if you could offer your services." A voice sounded from the top of the lab, at the doorway, belonging to none other than Nakia.

“Greetings, while you two were busy playing with your toys, I was actually doing real work.”

“Not. A. Toy.” Riri said through gritted teeth. “This,” Riri said as she waved one hand under the device, showing it off, “is the I-SPY. Hopefully this little guy can get us a drop.”

Nakia stopped and took a moment to examine the small device from afar.

“Cute.” Nakia said as she started to descend the stairs. “Anyways, I just came across some information I thought you might want to hear.”

Her banter filled face regretfully turned to a small frown.

“Well?” Shuri questioned , eyes wide as she awaited her answer. Her questioning, being only for the sake of details. Shuri had seen the look before, numerous times actually. And all she could do is brace herself for the dreaded news that would follow.

“ I was doing some intel last night and what I found was shocking to say the least. It’s not good to say the least.” Nakia said, with a tablet now in her hands. After a few minutes of touching the screen, numerous documents started to appear above the group’s head. The holographic images showed financial documents, messages, and a plethora of other documents.

“Tell me they aren-“ Riri’s voice questioned among the growing tension.

“Yes, it seems they’ve been secretly dealing arms, specifically small amounts of vibranium to other countries without our knowledge. Knowing Shuri wouldn’t stand for such a thing, well…” Nakia’s voice trailed off as she made eye contact with Shuri, who was standing silent. From previous experience Nakia knew this wasn’t a good thing.

“Where’s M’baku? Does he know?” Shuri questioned as she began to pace her lab’s floors. The thoughts looming in her head would have pushed any other person into a stage of panic. Yet, Shuri was only fueling her rage into a plan of action. At times like this, she couldn’t afford to be selfish and fall to her emotions.

“I spoke with him briefly. He had his suspicions something else was going on that they didn’t want him to know about. From what I can tell, Shuri, they expected him to be more passive than previous rulers.” Nakia spoke carefully, trying her best not to enrage the other woman even more.

Riri approached Shuri, attempting to pull her out of the daze she was in. Placing one hand on the small of the back, she used the other to stroke the side of the taller woman’s face. Instinctively, Shuri relaxed under Riri’s touch. Her eyes fell shut as she exhaled.

“Breathe, baby. Look at me.” Riri hallowed as she coaxed Shuri back to reality.

A few moments passed until Riri saw the ever timeless sight of Shuri’s deep chestnut eyes.

Slowly she saw the flames of rage diminish to embers.

“I’m okay.” Shuri said as she pulled the smaller girl in for a short hug.

“Ahem.” Nakia fake cleared her throat. She grinned at how attached the two had come in such a short time.

At the sound, the couple were jerked out of their world and back into reality. Shuri let Riri go as she finished composing herself. Riri could almost see the wheels turning in Shuri's head. Whatever Shuri was plotting, Riri would do nothing other than support her.

"Hm, GRIOT."

"Yes, Shuri?"

"Contact M'baku, as well as the Dora Milaje and have them meet me here immediately."

"Right away, Shuri." GRIOT responded.

"The situation just went from bad to worse." Shuri looked into the distance, as the weight of her world fell back onto her shoulders.

'Shuri, what should I do?" Nakia questioned.

Shuri looked to Riri then back to Nakia before continuing, "Riri, love, can you give us a moment?"

"Of course. I'm gonna go and tinker with something." Riri muttled off as she left them to talk. She settled in front of a monitor on the far side of the room and inserted her headphones, assuring their privacy.

"Shuri, this is much worse than I thought. They sure covered their asses with this one. There's almost no way to know who they sold them to."

"I know. We need a new plan. But first, I need a list of everyone possibly working with the elders. They aren't capable enough to carry this out themselves."

"On it. I'll be back shortly. I already had a few names, but ,ah, you can never be thorough enough." Nakia turned to leave, but stopped and looked over her shoulder at Shuri. "And before you start being too hard on yourself, you couldn't have prevented this. You did not know." With that she turned and started to ascend the staircase and exited the lab.

Shuri was left grappling with herself. Fighting the parts of her that felt she could have done more. Been more aware, more in tune with what was going on in her kingdom. She would be the first to admit her recent break had been needed, but like all things her time for self reflection and healing had come met its dilemma. The sound of the doors open and a familar voice greeting Nakia pulled Shuri from her thoughts. M'baku had arrived.

'Perfect timing.' Shuri thought to herself as she watched M'baku stalk down the stairs. His mountainous figure coming closer into their view.

A grin crept upon his face before he spoke, "Little panther," M'baku began as he landed at the bottome of the stairs, "I see we have much to talk about."

"Yes, we do. One moment." Shuri excused herself before going to retrieve Riri, who appeared to be entranced in whatever technology she was working on. Shuri lighty grabbed her shoudler and was met with soft brown eyes and a slight smile.

"Hey, you guys done already?" Riri questioned as she got up and entangled herself in Shuri's arms. As much as Riri needed to feel Shuri, she knew Shuri needed it more. No matter how well she carried herself, Riri knew what Shuri really was feeling. Which was anxious and scared. But she also knew that Shuri couldn’t be forced. More so, in Riri’s mind, Shuri was a force all in herself. PpRiri knew to wait and not push Shuri; she would come to her when she was ready.

"Yes, love, we are. Come on." Shuri ushered them back towards where M'baku had settled at the large table in the center of the room.

"So, I see Nakia has shared her findings with you?" M'baku questioned.

"Yes and as you can see it is much worse than we could have ever thought." Shuri replied.

"Any idea on where to start?" Riri chimed in.

"Not really. I've sent Nakia to go and find out more about what's been going on and who all is involved. Once we have more information, all guilty parties will answer accordingly."

"And getting the vibranium and other weapons back? How are we even going to locate them?"

"Once we get more information on the buyers, we can take the known locations of everything and see what we're left with.' Shuri took this time to look up and meet M'baku's eyes, then Riri's before contiuing, "This- this won't be easy or brief."

"I'd be concerned if things were peaceful again. It was getting a little boring. If I’m not saving everyone, what is my purpose?" M'baku sarcastically let out.

"I’m sure we’d manage." Shuri shot back.

"Aht, Aht little panther, " M'baku teased, letting his native tongue linger on the nickname, "Save your energy, you did say this was not going to be a simple task."

Shuri shot a glare at M'baku as she began to protest, but not before getting interrupted.

"Okay, you two, let it go. As you both said, we have a lot of work to do. So," Riri, paused and looked between the two, "Where do we start?"

"You can start with explaining what's going on?" A voice sounded from across the room.

The group turned to meet them. There stood Aneka and Ayo, along with Naseema and Asira.

"Ah, come over and we can get you caught up." Shuri answered.

The small group made their way over to the rest. After they were informed fully on the situation, everyone prepped for the first part of the plan. Which was placing the I-SPY technology.

"So, if everyone is ready, these" Riri, holding one of the small spheres up, " will be placed in every council member's room tonight." She proceeded to hand two to each of the members of the Dora Milaje that were present. "Remember, while they can be operated remotely, you must turn them on first, inputting the password key before starting. Our team of scientists, here, will be monitoring the activity. In shifts, 24/7. Any questions?" Riri looked at the group of warriors, and not to her surprise, no questions.

"Okay, that's it for now. I'll see you all tonight." Shuri said, relieving everyone, watching as the group dispersed.

Riri waited until the room was empty and the last lab assistant had left to approach Shuri. Walking up softly behind her, she placed her hand on Shuri's back and began softly rubbing it. "Hey, you sure you okay? I feel like your mind's been everywhere lately. Even if you don't want to talk, I'm here when you're ready."

Shuri turned to face Riri, as she took her in her arms and olaced her head atop the shorter woman's. "Thank you. And I know. This is just-" Shuri let out a heavy sigh, "Way more than I was expecting."

Riri heard the tears fighting to stay behind the walls of leadership Shuri had built. "Hey, it's okay."

She coaxed as she continued to rub the small of her back.

"It's just," Shuri paused as she collected herself, "I just wish they were here. They'd know what to do."

Riri knew who they were. And it killed her that this was a problem she couldn't fix. "Babe, look at me." Riri pleaded as she pulle away from Shuri, so she could look directly at her. "You're doing everything right. They would have been so proud of you. You're honoring them the best way you know how. By fighting for their memory and their legacy, by using what they taught you."

Shuri only nodded in response, a small smile growing on her face. “I’ve been thinking.” Shuri looked up before continuing. The small smile faded. “There’s still one person I need to talk to.”

Riri’s eyebrows quirked as she waited for Shuri to continue.

“Namor.”

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

S/N: Happy belated birthday TISHHHH!!

[abandoned-anemoia]

Home is Whenever I'm with You

☯ Pairing: Vernon x fem!reader (3rd person) ☯ Genre: angst, fluff, slow burn? ☯ Word count: 3.7k ☯ Summary: Vernon tries his best to make his best friend feel loved but will it be too late to tell her how he really feels? ☯ Warnings: themes of aggression (not from Vernon), mentions of sadness/loneliness ☯ A/N: Minnie is really just a random name I picked so imagine whoever you want to! If you need to change the name, you are of course free to do so. Please Let me know if I need to add any warnings! ☯Disclaimer: None of my work represents any of the idols included in any way. This is merely fictional and all based on my opinion as a joke! I have nothing against any of these idols and love them all dearly.

☯Song rec: Home by Edith Whiskers (very specifically this version)

Please do not copy, translate, or post as your own!

The fridged wind whipped around her, stinging her face as she sat on the balcony of her hotel room. Tears streaming down her cheeks as she curls up in the chair. 

Winter was always her favorite. It made her feel alive. She was not feeling alive as of late. Everything was a mess and it all came crashing down on her at her best friend Minnie's wedding. 

She and Minnie had a mutual best friend, Vernon, who was rooming with her for the few nights leading up to the wedding and after. All three had grown up together and had been virtually inseparable their entire lives so it was not a big deal to them. Except for the fact that she hated that Vernon had to deal with her being upset the night after their friends' wedding. 

So here she is, sitting outside by herself and sulking in self pity. The idea that Minnie would no longer need her or Vernon in her life was bothering her. But that was not even the main reason for her being upset since she knew it was stupid to ever think Minnie would just drop her two best friends. No, she was afraid that she would be the one who would be alone for the rest of her life. No happy ending like Minnie.

The sliding door opened with a loud screech. Stepping out on to the balcony, Vernon holds a blanket out to her. 

"You'll get cold" he says as he goes to hand her the blanket. She says nothing and stares blankly into the night sky, unmoving. Taking the blanket and laying it over her, he sits down in the chair next to hers. 

"Come on. You're gonna freeze out here."

"I'll be fine."

Silence envelopes the two as they sit outside in the cold. After a few minutes of prolonged silence, Vernon sighs, "Talk to me. I'm here for you. Always have been." 

Tears welling up in her eyes again as she speaks, "It's just us now."

"What?" Vernon was shocked. He didn't understand what she meant by that. 

She sighs and smiles sadly at him. "She has a husband and wants to start a family soon... And here we are, single with no spouse for the forseeable future." 

"Hey! That's so rude. Who's to say we won't find someone?" He nudges her to get her to crack a smile. "Besides, you think we won't be best friends with her anymore?" 

"No, not that we won't be friends anymore, just that... well, it won't be the same because family means more to her than anyone." 

"So what, she's family oriented, that's not a bad thing" he sighs, "Your mind is not being kind to you, is it?" He looks to her just to see her head fall. 

She nods, "No… I know it's all in my head. She's our best friend. It's just been the three of us for as long as I can remember, but something about the way she looked at him at that altar... like her whole world was right in front of her… I'm not sure if I want what she has or if I am afraid I'll lose one of my best friends." 

"You don't have to worry about either of those things. Minnie isn't going to just leave us. Sure, she'll be a bit more preoccupied if she has kids but until then, nothing has really changed. She has a ring on her finger and a document to change her last name, nothing else to it. As for wanting what she has… I think everyone wants someone who makes them light up the way she does when she sees him." Vernon knows what she means, he had felt the same thing a few months back when she had gone on a date with a guy she met at work. She had come to tell him about how it went and the way her eyes lit up made his heart drop to his stomach. How she feels now has to be a mixture of both not wanting to lose Minnie and wanting what she has. 

He holds out his hand to her, in hopes she would find some sort of comfort in his words or even just his presence, to make her feel like she does him. She slips her hand into his, interlocking their fingers, tears still streaming down her face. God, she's so beautiful. Vernon reaches for her, cradling her face with his free hand as he wipes away some of the tears sliding down her cheek. 

"You're going to get sick, come back inside." His voice was soft, fearing anything he said could break her. 

She nods, allowing Vernon to pull her up by their interlocked hands, "Thank you." 

She didn't need to say anything more. He knows she was grateful for his words as she moves their linked hands over her head, his arm now resting on her shoulder as she curls into his side. He pulls her close and leads them into the hotel room, sliding the balcony door shut behind him. 

…

A few months after Minnie's wedding, nothing has really changed. Vernon was right. She really didn't have anything to worry about when it came to Minnie forgetting about them. The jealousy hadn't gone away though. The way Minnie talks even more fondly about her husband, the way she discusses how happy she is having someone who understands her on a certain level, the way she talks about her future with such certainty. 

She doesn't have that and it upsets her. After bringing her feelings up in a conversation with Vernon, he reassures her that she will find someone that cares for her, "You never know when it'll happen, but one day you'll love someone who loves you just as much." 

Letting out a sigh, she stands from her seat at the little table in the quiet café. He had stopped by with her favorite food while she was on her lunch break, knowing she had forgotten to pack food for the day since she had complained to him about it earlier. She had sat with him and talked about her woes as he listened intently. 

With her lunch break now over, she hugs Vernon and thanks him for bringing her food and listening to her ramble on about her feelings. He looks at her as if she is his world—as if she hung the moon and the stars in the sky. She hasn't noticed the little things he was doing for her, subtly attempting to hint at his affection for her. He was testing the waters, seeing how she reacts to every little attempt he makes. Vernon watches as she goes back to work, deciding it's time he heads back home.

…

She is having a bad day. Everything that could have gone wrong has. The pastries she was baking burned. The coffee she made was spilled all over her new shirt. She ripped her pants when she squatted down to help clean it up. She broke a piece of the frothing machine and got it taken out of her paycheck. Nothing has gone right.

Sitting in her living room, frustrated tears streaming down her face, the doorbell sounds through the room. She isn't expecting anyone but gets up from her place on the couch, wiping her tears away as she makes her way to the door. 

Upon opening it, she is greeted by a smiling Vernon, a large bouquet of an assortment of her favorite flowers in his hands. He hands her the flowers as she moves aside to let him in. He knew she was having a bad day and wanted nothing more than to bring a smile to her face so he came to visit her, bringing her some of her favorite things.

She stands in the doorway, shocked by his gesture. She closes the door and follows Vernon into the living area, where he is sitting on her couch, unpacking his bag. He pulls out her favorite candies, snacks, and her favorite animal in plushie form. He looks to where she stands, motioning for her to come sit next to him with a smile. She sniffles, letting out a small laugh and walking over to him, "Is this for me?"

He nods, "You texted the group chat saying you were having a terrible day so I thought I would try to cheer you up!" 

The smile on his face is as pure as gold as she watches him flip through channels on her television, presumably trying to find a movie they could watch. She can't comprehend that anyone would do this for her from simply telling them she is having a bad day. It isn't until he clicks on her favorite movie that her eyes well up with tears again. They aren't sad tears this time but when Vernon looks over and sees her crying, he is quick to wipe her tears away, "Hey, hey, it's okay. Don't cry, please." 

You shook your head, launching yourself at him to wrap him in a tight hug, "I love you so much." 

Those words both make his heart soar and drop the pit of his stomach at the same time. She means it, but not in the same way he does when he sighs and repeats the phrase. He doesn't know that when the words came out of her mouth, her slowly growing feelings were hidden behind those words. 

Spending the whole night joking, talking, watching her favorite films, and eating her favorite snacks, the two of them wrapped around one another on the small couch. Every bad thing that had happened that day was no longer a worry for her. Being in his arms makes her feel safe—loved. Their breathing evens out, sleep overtaking them as the television continues playing in the background. 

…

Sitting on the steps of her apartment building, quietly reading a book, she basks in the warm air blowing gently around her, the sun high in the sky but covered my white fluffy clouds. A man walks past, glancing at her before backtracking, "Excuse me, but I can't help but notice how beautiful you are." 

She is shocked. No stranger had ever complimented her so directly. Her cheeks turn pink, glancing around her as if to see he was talking to someone else. When she sees no one else, she looks back to the man who is still standing at the bottom of the stairs, only a few steps away from her, "Thank you." 

The man continues talking to her, making random conversation and throwing in compliments along the way. She thrives in his attention, hearing him discuss random things about his job and him asking about hers. He asks her to go out with him, exchanging numbers and telling her he would let her know when to expect a date. 

As he walks away, she can't help but to feel giddy. Excitement rushes through her body as she stands from the stairs she is sitting on and races to her apartment. She calls Minnie, adding Vernon to the call when she answers. She tells her best friends about her interaction with the man, excitedly letting them know her thoughts and how he had treated her in the short time they talked. 

Vernon felt uneasy, listening to her gush about this stranger. He hasn't gotten to vet this man, to see if he is good enough for the one person he loves the most. If she is going to choose someone else, he is at least going to make sure that that person is good enough for her. 

…

Vernon sits quietly on her bed, watching her scramble around her room, occasionally asking him for his advice on an outfit or idea she has. She had called Vernon and Minnie to ask them to come over and help her get ready for her date. Vernon was the only one free at the moment, Minnie having had a meeting to go to. 

He's worried she may get hurt because this guy was just moving so fast, never met her friends or even really talked to her since the day they exchanged numbers. Somehow he knows this guy is no good and he has asked her multiple times how she really feels but she is so excited, too caught up in the idea of finding someone to love her. If only she would see the person sitting on her bed, worrying for her, pining after her. 

She looks so beautiful, so perfect in his eyes. He wonders if he could give her what she needs, continuing to pretend he's not falling into the deep end. He wishes to continue the friendship they have, too scared to have no one to hold if he ruins everything, so he keeps his thoughts to himself.

Ready for her date, she stands in front of Vernon, smoothing her outfit out in a panic and presenting herself to him. His breath catches in his throat at the sight of her, "You look out of this world." 

She beams at him, "Really? Are you sure I look okay?" 

"You look way more than just okay. Anyone who tells you differently is blind and doesn't deserve to look at you." His flattery only succeeds in making her happy and never making her notice his love for her. 

As she readies herself to leave, a car horn can be heard outside. She runs to the window, looking out and excitedly grabbing her purse, hugging Vernon tightly, telling him he can stay if he wants. She rushes outside to meet the man who asked her on a date, who hadn't even parked the car or opened the door for her. Vernon watches as the car drives away, heart heavy and breath ragged.

…

The date hasn't gone as planned—as she thought it would. The man sitting across from her hasn't complimented her, not that he had to but his lack of attention hurt her a bit. He has only commented on the price of the food, the annoyance he has with the waitress, and the misogynistic tendencies he has. He makes her uncomfortable and self conscious but she can't seem to find an excuse to leave that he believes. 

When he gets up to use the bathroom, she pulls out her phone and texts Vernon and Minnie, asking if one of them had the time to get her. Vernon is the first to text back, telling her that he is on his way. Minnie apologizes for not being able to be there for her today but she assures her friend that it is okay before the man sits back down in front of her, asking her why she is on her phone. Though she knows he didn't deserve an answer, she gave him one anyway, telling him that her friend is planning to pick her up. 

He didn't like that answer, upsetting her when he slams his fists down on the table and storms out of the restaurant, leaving her sitting in the now quiet room. All eyes are on her, most of the patrons giving her looks of pity. She gets up, pulls out her wallet, places plenty of money on the table to pay the bill with a generous tip for the waitress as well, and exits the restaurant. 

Once outside, she is bombarded with insults and many choice words from the man who had been so kind when they had first met. She receives a text from Vernon, telling her that he was there and would come get her. When she turns to meet him halfway, he grabs her wrist, holding it tightly and jerking her back to him. Before he can say a word, Vernon is shoving all of his weight into the man in front of her, successfully pushing him off of her and to the ground. 

Vernon pulls her into his side and quickly rushes her down the street and into his car. Starting the engine, he pulls onto the street, heading to her apartment, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" 

She shakes her head, staying silent for the entire ride. She is grateful for the man sitting in the driver's seat, he has always had perfect timing, today just proving it. Vernon worries about her, wondering if she wants to tell him something and can't or if she really is alright, "He didn't deserve you anyway. You're too good for men like that."

As he pulls the car up to her street, parking it in the nearest spot, she speaks up, "I know… I was just excited, that's all." 

Before she can get out of the car, Vernon grabs her hand, holding it firmly, successfully making her look at him, "Do you want me to stay?"

He silently hopes she will tell him yes, but his hopes are crushed when she shakes her head, "I'll be fine. Thanks, Vernon. For everything you do for me." 

She squeezes his hand before climbing out of the car, leaving Vernon to sulk. He silently watches as she walks to the door to her apartment building, disappearing inside. Sitting in the car for a moment longer as the heavens open up and rain beats against the pavement, he curses himself for not telling her how he feels but then again, Would it be too soon? Or too late?

As she closes the door behind her, letting out a breath, tears begin to make their way down her cheeks, dripping from her chin like the rain outside her window drips from the seal. The adrenaline had worn off and the mix of emotions inside of her were too much to bear. Her back presses against the door, sliding down it until she is sitting on the floor. 

She lets her tears run dry, breathing beginning to even out as she sniffles, wiping her face with her hands. She just wants someone who pays attention to her. Someone who tries to understand her feelings even when it seems impossible. Someone who cares for her and knows all of her favorite things. Someone who she can just sit in silence with and know they care. Someone who… Wait. Her brain briefly stops its train of thought before chugging along again, bringing her to her next conclusion. Someone like Vernon. 

She jumps to her feet, quickly opening the door, silently praying for his car to still be outside. And there he is, sitting in his car in the pouring rain. He looks up at her, seeing her standing in the doorway. Fuck it. He decides that he needs to tell her how he feels before it truly is too late.

Getting out of the car, he rushes toward her. She leaves the doorway of the apartment building, quickly moving to meet him despite the rain. She meets him on the sidewalk, standing face to face in silence before they both speak at the same time. Stammering as they try to let the other say what they need to say, Vernon holds his hands in front of him, signaling for them both to pause, "I'll go first, okay?" 

The rain clings to his hair, water droplets falling from the tips. His clothes are stuck to his body, being soaked through by the downpour. She assumes that she looks similarly as she lets him speak, his words quickly falling out of his mouth in rapid succession, "I love you. And I mean that in an I'm in love with you kind of way and not a you're my best friend kind of way. It's totally fine that you don't feel the same way, I would never want to pressure you and-" 

She didn't let him finish his rambling, crashing your lips into his. He only froze for a moment before reciprocating the kiss. She cradles his face in her hands as he grips her waist, pulling her closer. The raindrops pelt their bodies, almost as if a bucket of water had been thrown from the sky, but neither of them care, too lost in each other to focus on anything else.

When she pulls away, smiling and out of breath, she moves his hair out of his face, "I love you too. And I'm so sorry that I never noticed how good you are to me—that I never noticed my feelings before now." 

Vernon smiles at her, carefully cupping her face in his hands before leaning down to press a chaste kiss to her lips. Her hands rests on top of his, staring up at him when he pulls away, "We should get inside." 

He nods, pulling her into his side and leading her into the apartment, just as he did on the night of Minnie's wedding. The night that started it all. 

He had always been there. When she needed a shoulder to cry on. When she needed someone to rant to. When she was feeling lonely and needed a friend. He was there. And now, he's standing in her apartment, both of them drenched and shivering slightly from the cold water soaking their clothes. 

She leads him into her bathroom, leaving before quickly coming back with the clothes he keeps at her place. Towels line the floor as the both dry off, giggling at the ridiculous amount of water that had spilled onto the floor.

After changing into dry clothes, their hair still damp, they make their way to the living room, sitting down on the couch and making themselves comfortable. Her legs lay across his lap, one of his hands right above her knee, the other wrapped around her torso, pulling her close and keeping her warm. She curls into his side, flipping through different channels and apps until she finds a movie they both like. 

Vernon grabs the blanket that is draped over the back of the couch and slings it around the two of them, maneuvering it until it covers their bodies. Basking in his warmth and the added weight of the blanket, she feels at home—cradled in his arms with a movie playing on the television screen.