#Sequel

[monserelates]

Clueless Idiots 2 ; James Potter

⇨ f!reader x James Potter

⇨ summary: basically f!reader and james potter being oblivious idiots..again. But this time they kiss..right?

⇨ warnings/notes: use of y/n, fluff, mutual pining, excessive idiocy, professors betting again, Sirius being so done, more background chaos

⇨ a/n: thank you guys so so so much for the support i've gotten in the last few days! literally couldn't be more grateful, i love every single one of you. part 2 as requested, hope you enjoy! Also, feedback really motivated me so if you have something to share please do!

word count: 1.7k

There were a few more constants at Hogwarts:

One: Peeves would never pass up the chance to drop ink on someone carrying parchment.

Two: You could always count on the library fireplace to be too hot or not hot enough.

And three: James Potter still hadn’t confessed to Y/N Y/L/N.

It was nearing midnight, and James couldn’t sleep. His mind wouldn’t shut up. About Quidditch, about NEWTs, but mostly about the way Y/N had looked at him earlier.

Like she knew.

Or didn’t. Which somehow made it worse.

He gave up and padded out of the dormitory, barefoot, hair a mess. He wasn’t expecting company in the common room.

But there she was.

Sitting on the windowsill, knees pulled to her chest, the firelight glowing soft against her face. Hair loose, wrapped in a blanket.

She turned her head. "You couldn’t sleep either?"

His chest tugged. "Yeah. Figured I’d come down here and pace like a madman."

She smiled, small and sleepy. "Or you could sit."

He sat beside her, shoulder brushing hers.

For a moment, they just looked out the window.

"Do you ever wish we had Astronomy this year?" she asked.

James raised a brow. "Since when do you like Astronomy?"

"Since I figured out Orion is shaped like a really dramatic bloke showing off his belt."

He laughed, low and tired. "That is literally the point of Orion."

"What’s your favorite constellation?"

He blinked. "Er... I dunno. Maybe Canis Major. Big dog."

"Of course it is."

"Hey, it’s loyal. Follows Orion everywhere."

She hummed. "Mine’s Lyra. The harp."

He tilted his head. "That tracks. You’re all poetic and stuff."

"Not poetic. Just... curious. It used to be a turtle."

He blinked. "What?"

She laughed. "The Greeks thought the first lyre was made from a turtle shell. It became a constellation after Orpheus died."

"So... music, loyalty, tragedy. Sounds like a Hogwarts afternoon."

She nudged his shoulder. "Don’t be dramatic."

"You just compared stars to death."

"You brought up dogs."

"Touché."

Time passed like honey. Slow and warm.

They fell into a lull, the silence comfortable.

Then, softly:

"Do you ever think about after Hogwarts?" she asked.

James swallowed. "Yeah. All the time."

"What do you think you’ll do?"

He shrugged, staring out the window. "Auror, maybe. I want to help. I want to make it better."

She nodded. "You’d be good at that."

"You think?"

"You care too much not to be."

He glanced at her. Her hair was half in her face. His hand itched to tuck it behind her ear.

Again.

But he didn’t.

"What about you?" he asked.

She leaned back against the window. "I want to write. About real things. Real people. Maybe travel for a bit."

"Travel where?"

"Everywhere. France. Greece. That island where the firecrabs sunbathe."

He smiled. "You mean Fiji."

"Do I?"

"You do."

She smiled back, then yawned.

Without thinking, he pulled the blanket more around her.

"Thanks," she mumbled, eyes half-lidded.

She rested her head on his shoulder.

He froze.

Then slowly, cautiously, he let his head rest against hers.

James was scared to take a breath, he really didn't want her to move her head.

When Remus came down for tea at dawn, he nearly dropped his cup.

James was on the couch. Y/N was on top of him. His arms were wrapped around her waist; her face buried in his chest. Both fast asleep.

..

Back in the staff lounge, McGonagall adjusted her spectacles.

"I hear Mr. Potter and Miss Y/L/N fell asleep in each other’s arms."

Slughorn chuckled. "A very compromising position, I’m told."

Sprout grinned. "New bet: who confesses first, now that they’ve practically napped their way into a relationship?"

McGonagall smirked. "My money's still on her."

..

The sun rose on Gryffindor Tower with the kind of golden softness reserved for early autumn mornings, and the Common Room was quiet.

Except for the hushed snickers.

James woke up to a tickle against his cheek and the very distinct feeling that something—or someone—was lying across his chest. And that he, very stupidly, had an arm slung securely around them.

“Merlin’s saggy balls,” came Sirius’s voice, somewhere above.

James groaned.

Y/N stirred.

She blinked up at him. “Why are you—why am I—why are we—”

“Why are you both literally spooning on the Common Room couch?” Lily supplied helpfully, crossing her arms with a knowing smirk.

Remus, sipping his tea behind them, raised an eyebrow. “Comfortable?”

James scrambled up. “I—It’s not—we were talking about constellations.”

Y/N smacked his chest lightly. “Don’t make it sound weirder.”

Sirius pointed to the small blanket still tangled around their legs. “You both fell asleep. Cuddled like a pair of puffskeins.”

Remus looked deadly serious. “This is a violation of the forty-eight-hour deadline I issued.”

“What deadline?” Y/N asked, rubbing her eyes.

“To kiss. To confess. To do something,” Remus deadpanned.

“You hexed us?” James looked betrayed.

“I threatened to. Still might.”

Behind them, a voice chimed from the portrait hole. “Ah, young love.”

McGonagall.

Everyone froze.

She gave them a long, knowing look, eyes twinkling. “Five points from Gryffindor for inappropriate use of the Common Room. And five points to Gryffindor… for finally making progress.”

“Finally?” Y/N squeaked.

McGonagall just smirked and left.

—

Word traveled fast.

By lunch, someone had drawn a very accurate sketch of James and Y/N asleep on the couch and tacked it to the Gryffindor bulletin board under the title THE CHOSEN ONES.

By dinner, Slughorn cornered Y/N and casually asked if she'd like to bring James to his next Slug Club gathering "as her plus one." When she choked on her pumpkin juice, he just chuckled knowingly.

At bedtime, Marlene had had enough.

“Y/N,” she said sternly, hands on her hips, “this is getting pathetic. If you don’t make a move, I swear I will lock the two of you in a broom cupboard with only one pillow and unresolved sexual tension.”

Dorcas leaned on the bedpost. “It’s like watching a romance novel in slow motion.”

“I like slow motion,” Y/N protested.

Lily tossed a pillow at her. “This isn’t slow motion. This is emotional molasses.”

—

Meanwhile, James was pacing.

“Padfoot,” he said, running a hand through his hair for the sixth time in three minutes. “What if I messed everything up?”

“You mean by spooning your crush in public and then still not confessing?”

Peter squirmed. "Don't say crush, it makes it sound like he's thirteen."

James groaned. “I panicked. She looked so peaceful. And I—”

“You what?” Sirius pressed.

“I almost kissed her.”

“YOU WHAT—”

Remus chucked a book at Sirius. “Indoor voices.”

James collapsed on his bed. “I’m an idiot.”

“You’re our idiot,” Peter offered.

“I don’t deserve her.”

“No,” Remus agreed. “But you have her. You just don’t know it yet.”

—

Two days passed.

Nothing changed. Not really.

Except now when James tucked her hair behind her ear, everyone screamed internally. When Y/N offered him a bite of her treacle tart, two Hufflepuffs bet ten Galleons on a Christmas confession. When they accidentally brushed hands in Herbology, Professor Sprout nearly cheered.

It was becoming a school-wide crisis.

And they were on the eye of the tornado.

—

One evening, James found himself back in the Common Room, late again, just like that night.

Y/N was there. Of course she was.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked softly.

She looked up from her book. “Not a wink.”

He flopped beside her, their knees bumping. “You know what Sirius said to me today?”

“What?”

“That we’ve gone from Clueless Idiots to Catastrophic Morons.”

She snorted. “Honestly? Fair.”

A beat of silence.

“Y/N?”

“Hmm?”

“What if I said I like you?”

She turned, slowly. “Then I’d say it’s about time.”

His breath caught. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

And then—

Finally.

She leaned in, and he met her halfway.

It wasn’t perfect. It was a little clumsy, a little breathless, but it was theirs.

And when they broke apart, cheeks flushed and hearts racing, Y/N whispered:

“Took you long enough, Potter.”

He grinned. “I’m still getting us that Honeydukes window.”

“Especially the sugar quills?”

“Especially the sugar quills.”

—

The next day it was a quiet, peaceful Wednesday morning.

Well, until Peeves found out.

“THEY KISSED! THEY KISSED!” he bellowed at the top of his ghostly lungs, cartwheeling through the Great Hall mid-breakfast. “JAMES AND Y/N IN THE COMMON ROOM, SNOGGING LIKE LOVESICK FLUFFY GNOMES!”

James nearly dropped his toast. Y/N choked on her pumpkin juice. Lily patted her on her back.

“WE HAVE WITNESSES!” Peeves sang, doing loops around the enchanted ceiling. “KNEES TOUCHING! EYES SPARKLING! AND A SCANDALOUS FOREHEAD KISS, OH MY!”

“Peeves—!” James hissed, red as a Gryffindor banner.

Y/N slapped a hand over her face. “I hate everything.”

Sirius was howling with laughter. Remus had calmly pulled out his wallet. “I believe this means I win the side bet about it not happening in a broom closet.”

“DO YOU, MISS Y/N, TAKE THIS MESS OF A MAN TO BE YOUR LAWFULLY OBLIVIOUS HUSBAND?” Peeves hollered, throwing confetti made of shredded homework.

Peter leaned in, whispering, “You did kiss him, right?”

Y/N glared. “Not that it’s any of your business, but—yes.”

James stared at her and smiled.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Y/N asked.

"Nothing, you're just gorgeous, love." He said, followed by a couple of playful groans of his friends and the stares of a lovesick y/n.

“Oh my Merlin,” Marlene muttered, rubbing her temples. “I’m moving schools.”

Above them, Peeves looped the final loop, pausing dramatically midair before screaming:

“THEY KISSED, THEY KISSED, THEY BLOODY WELL—FINALLY—KISSED!”

And Hogwarts, once again, erupted into cheers, catcalls, and the sound of one exasperated McGonagall muttering into her tea, “About bloody time.”

Flitwick clapped politely from his seat, beaming. “They make such a charming couple.”

Slughorn chuckled, already scribbling their names into a guest list for a hypothetical future wedding. “Ah, young romance—always knew James had it in him.”

Sprout wiped a tear. “I feel like I’ve just watched the finale of my favorite romance drama.”

And Dumbledore, of course, simply twinkled behind his spectacles. “Love, as always, finds a way—even if it takes a little extra chaos.”

McGonagall cleared her throat, hand outstretched.

“Pay up, Pomona.”

Sprout groaned and dug into her robes, fishing out a pouch of Galleons. “Worth every Knut,” she muttered.

Slughorn handed over a few sickles to a smug-looking Flitwick, who waved his tiny hand triumphantly.

“I told you it wouldn’t take until Christmas,” he said.

Somewhere in the back, Binns floated through a wall just to mutter, “I had June,” before vanishing again

—

THE END… probably.

taglist: @glittervame @hannah200216 @strlightfilms

[evilgenius-prower]

GAHHHHHH this took me a million years too long BUT I DID IT

sonic ain’t quite got the right idea….

Prev/Next

[eklmrlos]

not responsible for my actions

[boopsiesdaisies]

being near each other (pt 2)

bob reynolds/sentry x reader | 3,791 words | angst/fluff | gn! reader

THUNDERBOLTS* SPOILERS

tw: panic attacks, swearing, brief mentions of sex

both you and bob are still pretty bad at feelings

a/n: i was not expecting the first part of this to blow up as much as it did, so i decided to not clean my room and write an even longer sequel. thank you @scarlett-witchh for suggesting for a sequel! shoutout to lauren for the starbucks orders <3

link to part one!

___

You had finally begun to find some peace with your roommates. While the clean-up from last month’s “incident” had fully exhausted you, the established routine was comforting, not to mention you had finally embraced your feelings for Bob, well as much as you could. Everyday started to feel like paradise, you practically skipped around the base every morning, romantically sighing through your meetings and missions. Even as you walked into the meeting room with a knife soaring past your face, nothing could have dampened your mood.

“Okay, okay, I have all of your drinks!” You yelled, breaking up the chaos in front of you.

All your teammates froze in their exact positions and slowly turned their heads toward you. 

Walker was ducking in front of you with his hands over his head. Yelena’s arm was still outstretched from throwing the kitchen knife, which was now firmly planted in the wall behind you. Alexei and Bucky each had an arm reaching towards holding Yelena back, while Ava was clearly encouraging the behavior. The last person who caught your attention was Bob, seated calmly in the corner, nose in a self-help book, clearly having only looked up at your entrance over the commotion of the fight. As your teammates processed your statement, they all sat down in their respective seats, the previous argument forgotten for caffeine. 

“First an iced americano for John, even though I’m certain you don’t actually like it and drink it only for the name,” you said as you handed out the first drink.

Walker attempted to defend himself, but you had already moved on to the next drink in the tray, you cautiously balanced.

“Next, I have God only knows what is in this for Alexei, with approximately fifteen pumps of some kind of syrups in it,” you placed the drink down, its vibrant red color shocked even the barista.

“It is my new sponsored drink!” Alexei responded. “Now known as the Red Drink.”

“Is that meant to be a play on the Pink Drink because I think you’re going to have more copyrights on your hands,” Yelena sighed.

“No, not Pink Drink at all!” He bellowed. “It is my drink that will gain many followers on the Instagram.” 

You decided to keep going and ignore him. “Next, I have a hazelnut shaken espresso for Yelena.” 

“Thank you,” she immediately sipped the drink, and you watched as her shoulders visibly relaxed. 

“Next, an iced matcha latte for Ava,” you handed her the drink as you rounded the table, and she nodded her thanks.

“A black coffee for Bucky, and finally the second to worst drink here, a vanilla bean frap with six shots of espresso, and extra whipped cream for Bob.” You handed the last two their drinks, as you placed yours down on the table. As you handed Bob the drink, your fingers brushed for just a moment, and you felt the heat pull up your face. 

You cleared your throat as you attempted to will the blush away, “now, does someone want to explain to me why a stray knife almost landed in my carotid artery on my way in from picking up coffee for all of you?” 

You nestled into your seat, next to Bob of course, and pulled your legs up towards your chest. He smiled at you, his cheeks warm as well.

“It would have hit you in the ear at best, you’re giving Yelena too much credit,” Walker started to instigate the room again.

“Oh, like you would have better aim with two idiots trying to pull you off the table,” Yelena bit back.

“Enough you two,” Bucky sighed. 

His sighs resembled more of an exhausted father as the days living in the tower went on. The meeting continued on, not without the occasional quip from Yelena or Walker about the argument from before, but you didn’t particularly care anymore. Your eyes moved softly to the side of Bob’s face. His lips were slightly parted as his finger guided his eyes across the lines of the text of his book. Ever since moving in, Bob gained a steady collection of self-help books in an attempt to learn to better live with the Void. His right hand laid flat on the table as he balanced the book on the table, and you found your hand subconsciously reaching to hold his. As you laid your hand on top of his, his hand pulled away to the book, and didn’t return the table. You snapped your head to the side, brows tight as you tried to question what just happened. Bob’s eyes remained steady on the book, though you could tell he wasn’t focused on the words anymore as his grip tightened on the book.

The two of you had spent the past four weeks in a happy bliss, spending soft moments out of missions together. You had frequent movie nights between either one of your rooms, watching anything from shitty action movies to even shittier rom coms but just getting to spend time together made it all worth it. You had even begun to try to teach him how to cook, just simple things so he could survive a bit better without someone on the team watching over him as closely. He was doing so incredibly lately, with only one appearance from the Void since the incident last week, although he had yet to try to use his newfound powers regularly. 

His actions just then confused you, sure you two were doing all the cheesy couple things you had learned to follow, but you had been so careful to avoid any unnecessary touching, besides the regular hand holding, since you could tell that it scared him. Holding hands now had been standard practice between the two of you, even in front of the team, all of whom either didn’t care enough to say anything, or the more likely answer was they all had their own problems enough to not bother either of you. Walker and Alexei knew something, since it was their genius ideas to rig the mission chart to even start your “relationship” with Bob, but you weren’t really clear on how many “guys’ nights” actually happened regularly. You didn’t really have a relationship with Yelena or Ava to talk to them about this, you were cordial sure, but you’re not sure if gossiping about boy problems was the next step in the friendship. 

Yet now, fear began to creep in the corners of your mind, if Bob didn’t want to hold your hand anymore was there something wrong? You had made it very clear you were willing to go at his pace, especially since he had just served as an experiment, and forcibly given powers that no one really understood. Despite that, it had been a month of comfortable hand holding, and the occasional head on a shoulder. You cursed your inability to discuss emotions, maybe that girls’ night would be the solution to your problems, although remembering the moment you walked into with Yelena throwing knives and Ava encouraging her, maybe they weren’t the ones to go to for advice. 

Sound interrupted your downward spiral as the meeting was clearly adjourned and you missed all of the content that may or may not prove important later, although missions for the greater good were not in your interest of your greater good right now. Bob had stood faster than you could process and scurried out of the room, as opposed to his normal joyful gait around the tower. 

“What was that?” Yelena’s voice broke through the silence, and it was clearly pointed at you.

She then proceeded to clear her throat loudly. 

“Oh shit right! Uh, I need help with something; Bucky, Alexei, and Ava, why don’t you come help me with this thing?” Walker’s voice was higher than normal, and as you looked at him you swore you could see pen marks all over his hand. 

All of them poured out of the room with a level of speed that made you a tad bit uncomfortable, as Yelena’s eyebrows raised, reposing the question.

“What was what?” You asked incredulously. 

“That, little…thing,” Yelena moved towards you, sitting down in the chair next to you.

“What? Oh, that,” you replied, realizing you were right, Yelena was probably not the person to go for advice on this. 

“You two are like so happy, and now it’s weird, and now it’s all of our problems,” she continued. 

“Well, that’s not my fault,” you said, immediately defending your actions.

“I’m not saying it’s anyone’s fault,” she sighed, clearly trying a different approach “but you two are making less kissy faces at each other lately and it’s bringing the mood down.” “I don’t make kissy faces!” You shot back.

“You absolutely do, but the two of you need to figure it out,” she said, standing.

“Maybe just fuck already?” Walker’s voice came through the doorway, as he was comically yanked away.

You heard the sound of Alexei loudly hushing him, and the sound of a slap. Clearly, the other team members were eavesdropping. 

“Did you all just stage an intervention for me?” You asked.

“Listen, as much as Walker is an idiot,” Yelena’s voice raised for the last part, clearly addressing the audience beyond the doorway. “You two are cute little idiots and Bob’s been pouting about something, so figure it out.” 

“You act as if it’s just simple enough of asking him what’s wrong!” You stood.

“It is?” She responded, turning back to you.

“It totally is not!” You answered.

“It totally is!” Walker’s voice shot back from the doorway, as you heard a slam and his groan as someone most likely hit him with something. Part of you was hoping it was Ava, helping Yelena get revenge from before. 

“Shut up Walker, your wife left you, you don’t know shit about relationships!” Yelena’s voice peaked with the anger from before as she stormed out of the meeting room to the sound of your sigh. 

You continued to sigh and stomp a bit as you exited through one of the side doors, hearing a louder clamor as the fight from before was clearly continuing in the background. Your feet carried you subconsciously to Bob’s door, the sound of music softly playing in his room. You knocked once, softly against the door, part of you hoping that he wasn’t going to answer to save you the stress of addressing your problems right now. You could totally walk away and shove them down, but if you learned anything in the past time with the team, shoving emotions down was, unfortunately, not the correct answer to make them better. 

Bob pulled the door open just a crack, and peaked through it. Shit, only he could make this look endearing and made your heart flutter. 

“Can I come in?” You asked. 

Bob hesitated for a moment, and looked down at his hands, then answered. “Sure.”

You walked into his room that was now completely repaired. No more broken furniture or bits of glass around the room. Just a soft melody playing off a speaker somewhere, with a few plants that you had gifted him to liven the room up. Despite literally only having the clothes on his back when the move-in process began, he had quickly acquired multitudes of knick knacks that covered the room. Even though the city was rebuilding and reopening from the Void’s takeover, you insisted on taking Bob to all the tourist parts to explore as your first “date,” although you struggled to call it that, and let’s just say you would never be able to say no to his face. 

“What did you need?” Bob asked. 

He had hung around the door, and continued to avoid your gaze.

“I should be the one asking you that,” you smiled, and stepped closer to him. 

He sidestepped away from you, and moved past you further into his room. “I don’t need anything, everything’s great, why would I need something?” He asked, stumbling over his words. 

“Considering that was your response, something is probably wrong,” you replied.

“I–” he started to speak, but he just let his mouth hang open and then closed it without finishing the thought.

“You can talk to me,” you started. “I thought we had been through this, Bob, we would talk to each other? Listen, if I’m too much for you or you don’t want to do this, I would rather just know, before I get too invested–” 

“No! No,” Bob’s hands shook as he held them up to stop you. “It’s me.”

“What about you?” You asked.

“I’m afraid,” he said, softly, letting his arms fall and hang at his sides.

“Afraid?” you pushed.

He didn’t rely.

“Are you afraid of me?” You felt a painful lump rise to your throat, you knew who you were and your past, but part of you hoped that maybe he would see past that. See you for you, and not what you were forced to do in the past. 

“Not you!” The look of shock on his face brought a second of comfort to you, and he moved closer to you. “I’m afraid of me. Well, not me, him, I guess? I’m not really clear on how to refer to us.”

You smiled softly, relieved. “Let’s agree on him, because I don’t think that it’s you.”

“Okay, him,” Bob agreed. “Last week, when he tried to make an appearance it was because, well, I don’t know how to say this without it being weird.”

“I can promise it’s probably not that weird,” you affirmed.

“I thought about kissing you and got really nervous and then it happened and now I’m afraid of being near you because you make me nervous because I like you a lot and I’m afraid of being a fuck up but if I’m not near you I’m even more afraid because you actually make me feel safe and I just feel like I’m doing this all wrong and I’m just word vomiting at this point so who knows if you’ve actually made sense of this,” he began to pace as he spoke and you could feel the energy in the room change as all the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. 

“Bob, stop,” you went to put your hands on his shoulders but he pulled away. 

“And see! Because you’re such a nice and perfect person you try to help me and when you touch me, it’s going to happen again, and it’s going to be just like the kitchen, only this time you’re going to hate me for it. And then everyone is going to leave me and I’m going to alone again and –”

“Stop, you’re spiraling,” you grabbed his shoulders despite him previously trying to pull away, knowing that the contact would probably help him.

“I can’t stop! Everything you do makes me nervous,” he said, fear beginning to manifest in his eyes as the eerie silver of the Void. 

“And you don’t think you make me nervous?” You asked.

“What?” He responded.

The seriousness of the question seemed to stop all of his thoughts in one moment.

“I’m so nervous around you all the time, but I still hang around you because I like you too. And even though I’m scared as shit everyday, I want to be better, and so I tell myself that being afraid is what lets me be near you in the first place, so I’m willing to be scared.” You smiled, as your hands began to rub up and down his arms, trying to soothe him. 

“You’re scared too?” He asked, and you noticed the brightness in his eyes beginning to fade as they returned more to the color of the blue eyes that you’ve found comfort in everyday. 

“Of course I’m scared!” You laughed. “I’m standing in front of one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and not to mention you’re hot as shit and you actually like me, even though I suck and I’ve done so many shitty things, and you know about them, but you like me anyways.” 

“You think I’m hot?” Bob asked, causing you to laugh in response, out of all the things you’ve told him tonight, that’s what he got from this?

“Yes, I think you’re really hot Bobby,” you smiled as one of your hands tucked his stubborn piece of hair behind his ear. 

“Wow, ‘cause coming from you that’s like” he said, looking a bit star-gazed. “That’s like wow.”

You struggled to keep eye contact with him, you’ve always struggled to accept compliments, but with him compliments made you feel even warmer.

“So what do you want to do?” You asked, part of you fearing an answer that made your chest tighter.

“What do I want?” He asked, part of him looked surprised, as if this was one of the first times he was asked for his opinion on something. 

“Yeah, do you want to keep trying this?” You felt so small under his gaze.

“Why wouldn’t I?” He asked in reply, feeling the shift as if he knew it was his turn to comfort you. 

“I just, if you’re afraid, and it makes your powers go crazy, I don’t want to take the chance of hurting you,” you finally looked away from him, trying to fully pull away.

“I’m more worried about hurting you, and you’re worried about hurting me,” he laughed. “You were right by the way.”

“Right about what?” You replied, his laughter seeming out of place.

“That we’re bad at ‘this’ thing,” he referred to the same invisible thing from before.

“Yeah, we are bad at this,” you started to laugh too, letting yourself enjoy the moment.

“I don’t want to be afraid to touch you,” he whispered, as if admitting the words out loud would summon him. “I don’t want to be afraid to kiss you.”

“Then don’t be, or if you tell me, I’ll try to make it better,” you stepped closer to him. 

“You always make it better,” Bob stepped closer, the distance between the two of you practically not existent a this point. 

While there was a softness to the moment, both of your breathing was quick, but silent, the energy was really what pulled your attention to the distance between you. You could feel the electricity of the moment both metaphorically and literally as Bob’s powers began to physically draw energy towards him. You were afraid to speak, ruining the tender moment, the sounds of the music fading faster behind you. Taking a deep breath, you steeled your nerves, you didn’t care if you got burned, you knew what you wanted. You grabbed the sides of Bob’s face and guided him closer to you. 

You smiled softly as your noses brushed, “I’m going to kiss you now.”

“Uh-huh,” Bob replied, eyes slightly glazed.

“Is that okay?” You confirmed.

“Please,” Bob whispered in confirmation. 

Clearly, he didn’t care about the fear at that moment either. The moment your lips touched you finally knew what the power of a thousand suns felt like. It was entirely hot, but so soft, so entirely Bob. In this moment, you were so grateful that you had decided to stay home from that mission, because this snippet of your future made everything so worth it. Bob’s hands hovered over the sides of your face, then your shoulders, and then fell back down to his sides like he had no idea what to do with them. Without breaking the kiss, you pulled his hands towards you and placed one on your waist and another on your shoulder. You moved your hands back to the sides of his face. His lips seemed so unsure against yours, but so perfect.

When you pulled away, Bob’s eyes were wide and mouth was agape. The room was at least six degrees warmer than before you kissed, but even the room felt cool against your skin. You began to softly laugh and tuck his hair behind his ear. Even with your efforts the piece slid back out to infront of his eyes. 

“How do you feel?” You asked softly, you knew that it was still Bob from his eyes, but wanted to ensure you weren’t about to face your past mistakes again, at least not right now.

“Good, good, I mean great, yeah great,” his words seemed to reflect the short circuiting of his brain. 

“Okay, you can tell me if it wasn’t” you reassured. 

There was a second of silence, where he nodded. You felt the worries that stuck with you since the meeting earlier began to melt away with the heat. 

“I promise you I’ve kissed people before, I just–” Bob started and you laughed harder.

“What?” You replied, a laugh bubbling in your chest.

“I swear I’ve done this before, I just – It’s just – It’s just you,” he tried to verbalize his thoughts but he seemed so entirely lost. 

It warmed your heart in a way you could never have put into words. 

“I think you did perfectly,” you replied. “You never have to justify yourself to me y’know.” 

“I know, I just feel like I totally blanked out ‘cause I did, and like my brain just sorta screamed for the entire time.” He said.

“I hope it was at least a good blank out,” your hands fell from the sides of his face moving to one on the back of his neck and the other on his shoulder. 

“Oh yeah, it was good, you’re good, you’re perfect actually,” he stumbled through his words. 

You began to fiddle with the hair that rested at the nape of his neck, while laughing at his words.

“Well I’m glad I beat all those other people you’ve kissed before,” you teased.

“Oh ten times better,” he genuinely assured you.

“Well then I hope you’re okay if I kissed you again,” you asked.

“Again?” He stuttered out as his eyes widened. He attempted to recover, “I mean, yeah, I’m cool with it.”

Your mouths met again with Bob’s meeting you in the middle, his hands still firmly planted where you placed them. Before you could really enjoy the moment, you heard a voice in the background.

“I told you Yelena! You owe me fifty bucks!” Walker’s voice was the very last thing you wanted to hear.

“They're literally not fucking Walker, they are fully clothed,” Yelena yelled back.

Although, once you turned around, the split lip and the beginnings of a black eye forming on his face told you that you didn’t really need to exact any revenge on him since Yelena seemed to have dealt with the problem before it began. While you wished that your roommates would find someone else to bother, since they ruined this really nice moment, you laughed, because you wouldn’t be here next to Bob if they didn’t feel the need to meddle. 

[imawreck]

Darkness

Pairing: Winter Soldier x Reader

Summary: You're left with flushed cheeks and a shared secret with the darkest part of Bucky Barnes... and you want more.

Author's Note: You guys fucking DEVOURED the last one so this is the sequel to the previous part, His. It makes more sense if you read the other first! If you like this content, drop a comment or an ask and I'll be sure to write more like it in the future! It gets a little feral and I won't apologize for it. Also, there is possibly a part three on the table if this ship sails like the last.

Warnings: Choking kink, metal arm kink, Cursing, mentions self loathing/guilt (it’s Bucky, kinda normal), Possessive!Winter Soldier, hair pulling, fingering, Dominant!Winter Soldier, hickeys, bruising, PnV, praise kink if you squint, licking, oral (fem receiving), knife play (?) and probably some more but those are the big ones.

Word Count: 6,899

It had been two days.

Two days since you’d tried and failed to lure the Winter Soldier into a cell. Two days since you’d felt his hands on your body.

Two days since he’d given you a taste of what you could have.

He’d left his mark on more than just your skin. Though bruises and love bites littered your neck, it was your mind that he’d left the most impact on.

There was hardly a moment you weren’t thinking about him, about Winter. About what would’ve happened if the agents hadn’t stormed the stairwell. If he’d been able to keep going.

And you wondered if you’d ever get another chance to see.

Bucky had recovered, his mind once more his own. You didn’t know if he remembered, or if he would say anything to you even if he did. It’d been radio silence from everyone in the tower other than Steve, who’d been checking in on you to make sure you were really alright. You were sure Thor would be here hounding you if he was on the planet too.

Apparently, the earpiece had fallen out a little after he’d cornered you. So Steve and whoever else that was watching over you didn’t hear much of the conversation you’d exchanged with the assassin. They’d had to rely on the cameras, which hadn’t been able to see you past the wall of a man caging you between his arms.

Which means none of them had seen what had happened, that this was something only you carried the knowledge of. A small part of you was relieved.

That still left one question unanswered: Did Bucky remember?

A sharp knock jolted you from your thoughts, dragging you back to the present. 

Blowing out a breath, you got up and headed towards the door. “Steve, I told you I’m fine. I—“

But when you opened the door, it wasn’t Steve on the other side.

It was strange how different those blue eyes were when it was Bucky at the wheel instead of Winter. Lively, pooling with emotion where you’d seen cold calculation and unbridled lust just days before.

It was guilt swimming in those eyes now, red rimmed and bloodshot. His dark hair was disheveled like he’d been running his fingers through it all afternoon, and he wore a loose pair of sweats and a black long sleeve despite the summer heat.

He looked scared and out of place standing in the hall.

“I—uh, hey.” A poor attempted smile wobbled onto his face, and he brought his flesh hand up to run through his hair—a nervous habit he had when he was uncomfortable or anxious — just like you’d guessed. “Can we talk?”

You opened your mouth to answer him but no words left it. You could only stare up at him and nod, feet shuffling back to pull the door open further.

Bucky’s frame squeezed through the door and he padded further into your space with wandering eyes and furrowed brows.

It was impossible not to notice the changes you’d made in the last few months since your breakup. Bucky used to frequently stay with you, favoring your bright and comforting space over his own empty room. You liked your knick-knacks, and you were a sucker for creature comforts so you always had the softest blankets and the fluffiest pillows. And you’d always made sure Bucky had things he liked in your space.

You used to keep his favorite coffee stocked in the mini breakfast bar you’d made on a bar cart, and his favorite pillow and throw blanket was always neatly folded in the armchair by the window. You’d even set out copies of his favorite books in case he wanted to relax in your room instead of the commons area or his own space. 

But now it was gone. The little pieces of him you’d made room for were removed along with the photos that used to line your walls and bookcase. Save for the one, of course.

And it stung to see the reality of what he’d done, the choice he’d made now reflected in the absence of everything he’d built with you. 

He pried his eyes away from the empty shelves of your bookcase and glanced back at you, shuffling his feet awkwardly. “I… Steve said that I went after you when I got back.”

His statement hung in the air for a few seconds, silence crowding you both and making him tense his shoulders the longer it remained. 

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out, “I can’t imagine how awful that was for you. I-I never wanted you to see me like that. That- He’s not me, okay? God, I’m so sorry.” His fingers scraped over his scalp as he clenched his teeth, turning away and pacing a few steps.

Bucky couldn’t look at you, not after what he’d done. What he’d forced you to witness. He’d never wanted you to see him like that. It was one of his worst nightmares when you had been dating, and now it was a brutal reality.

“Bucky,” you started, but he cut you off.

“Did I hurt you? Did… did I do something to you?”

It struck you then that he didn’t remember what he’d done. What Winter had done. And your room was too dark at the moment to see what remained painted on your skin from the encounter.

You were both relieved, and utterly frustrated. Now what do you do? ‘Oh yeah, Bucky! I let you finger me with your metal arm in a stairwell for shits and giggles while you were all killer mode. No biggie.’ And then what, ask for him to do it again?

Yeah, definitely not.

“You didn’t hurt me, Bucky.” Your legs moved on their own accord, drawn forward by his obvious distress and the instinctual need to sooth his worries. “I’m fine, really.”

Bucky finally turned to face you, his eyes filled with sorrow. He chewed his cheek, his eyes searching your face for any hint of a lie. “I can't remember what happened, there's just glimpses.” His voice lowered, softened by the weight of his words and the fear woven in his tone. “But I can feel him. Stronger than before. Something’s different this time.”

You stilled at that, eyes glued to the side of his face. 

“I can feel what he felt. I-it's like he’s just behind a curtain.” His right arm came up, his index finger tapping his temple, “Waiting.”

The haunted look in his eyes twisted a knife of guilt in your gut. You didn’t want him to feel guilty for what had happened, but it was unfortunately normal for Bucky. You understood it, respected his boundaries and his need to do anything he could to keep you safe. But you wanted exactly what he was keeping from you.

You wanted it so badly.

Could you tell him? Could you confide in him this secret you’d kept from lovers in the past? Something so twisted that you’d only shared it with someone equally as sadistic as you were flawed? Bucky was so much more important to you than any of them had been. You… you felt deeply for him. And it was obvious that the unknown was weighing on him heavily.

One more look at his shattered expression gave you your answer.

With a frustrated huff, you reached for his hand. You tugged it from where it’d curled itself into his hair again, and led him to the edge of your bed. “Bucky,” you started, keeping your voice as gentle as you could. “I need to tell you something. It’s going to be hard to understand, and you’ll probably think very differently of me, but I think it might lessen the burden I can see you’re putting on yourself.”

Bucky’s eyes fixed on you. Those brows furrowed over confused and tortured eyes, but it was obvious that he would listen.

You bit your lip, beginning to sweat as the nerves rattled through you. “First of all, I… I haven’t told anyone this. It’s not something I’m proud of, but rather something that just is. And it didn’t start with you. I mean—,” you let out a sound of frustration, “Fuck, I mean I didn’t date you because of it. It just sort of grew more complicated as we got closer.”

Those brows furrowed more and twisted his face into more concern than anything.

You kept going. “When you came after me, I was scared. Of course I would be.” You winced at the hurt that flashed in his eyes, but continued on, “But I also… I liked it.” 

A shaky, bitter laugh left you. “I liked the chase. I liked it when he cornered me against the wall, when he—,” you paused, a feeling akin to resignation and begrudging acceptance settling into your bones. Your eyes found his metal hand, gazing at the light bouncing off the silver metal. “When he choked me with that hand.”

You buried your face in your palms, tears of shame threatening to leak from your eyes. “You didn’t hurt me. He didn’t hurt me, Bucky. He just brought to light these things I thought I’d kept from you.” 

With another breath, one that felt like needles sinking into your lungs, you went on. “He made me feel good, Buck, in all the ways I’d always hoped you would someday. I feel like the worst person in the world for thinking that, for feeling the way I do, but I can’t help it.”

You couldn’t meet his eyes. Shame was writhing in your stomach and threatening to consume you. Tears pricked your eyes and wet your palms that still remained pressed to your face. 

Bucky didn’t say a word, and you just let the silence thicken the air. You’d already said everything there was to say.

Your sin was bared for his judgment. “I get that you don’t want to be with me anymore—“

“That’s a lie.”

Your head snapped up at that, teary eyes wide as you took in his surprised expression. An expression you watched morph into confusion, and then something else. Realization, maybe.

Bucky went on, “I never wanted to stop being with you, Y/N.”

A piece of you settled deep in your soul at that confession, and you leaned in to listen. Every word from his lips an answer to the question haunting your every thought for the past three months.

“On that mission, we came across intel that there might be a mole in the tower and that they were going to try and trigger the Winter Soldier. I… I was scared, Y/N.” Grief washed over his face as he folded his hands together, knuckles turning white. “I was so scared that you’d see me like that and be afraid of me. I was terrified of hurting you, of— of killing you, that I had to make it look like you didn’t matter to me. I had to make it real, so that whoever saw you and I would think you didn’t matter and leave you alone. I was trying to make you less of a target.”

Your heart thundered in your chest at his confession, at the thought that these past two months of utter disaster had been the result of Bucky trying to protect you from himself. 

“You could’ve talked to me,” you muttered, sniffing and wiping your face in a poor attempt to rid it of the mascara you knew had run. “You could’ve told me what was going on.”

Bucky’s head shook, “There wasn’t time. You have to understand.”

You nodded, even if you didn’t truly understand. The guilt and remorse on his face told you he was on the edge of crumbling, and if agreeing with him kept him from breaking, you’d give it to him.

Another long silence blanketed the two of you. You watched his face, his eyes, as his mind mulled over the information you had exchanged with him.

Those blue eyes found your’s after a while, something steely in them that wasn’t there before. “Friday?”

The AI of Stark Tower answered politely, “Yes, Mr. Barnes?”

“Initiate Soldier Protocol in Y/N’s room and cut camera feed. Don’t alert anyone.”

Soldier Protocol. 

Your eyes widened, and a chill ran over your skin. Soldier Protocol was something Bucky had come up with when you’d first started dating. It was a safety protocol installed into yours and his own room to ensure that if the Winter Soldier was triggered, it would keep whoever was in the room safe, or keep whoever was trying to get inside from entering. It was a double edged sword, really, because if you were trapped in the room with him, then you couldn’t get out. Bucky had made sure to teach you some basic self defense moves on the very slim chance that would ever happen and had shown you ways that you could use to evade and make an escape to the bathroom if needed. Even though you’d thought of all the holes in the protocol, you couldn’t bear to voice them if it helped ease Bucky’s nerves knowing that if something were to happen, that you’d have an extra wall to keep him from getting to you.

“Confirm Command; Soldier Protocol, Miss Y/N?”

You hesitated, voice wavering just the slightest as you whispered, “Are you sure?”

Bucky nodded slowly, giving you the confidence you needed to answer the AI.

“Confirm Soldier Protocol, Friday. No alerts or cameras.”

The calming voice answered once more. “Command Confirmed. Soldier Protocol initiated.”

Your eyes followed the windows as metal safety doors shut out the dim light of the day. One after another they locked out the outside world and left the two of you inside the confines of your bedroom. 

You and Bucky, and your confessions.

“He wants out, Y/N.” It was barely a whisper, but the low timbre of Bucky’s voice reverberated in your bones. “He wants you.”

There was concern laced in his words, but there was also more. So much more that you knew you’d have to talk about later. You’d have time to unpack all of this, what it means for the two of you, later. Right now?

Right now you needed Winter as desperately as you needed air.

“What… How can I help you, Bucky?” Your hands shook at the thought of Winter's return. Of what it would bring.

Bucky pulled his lip between his teeth, his hands running through his hair before twisting themselves in his lap. His eyes were wide, as if he didn’t quite believe he would say the words spilling from his own mouth. “I want you to trigger the Winter Soldier. Feeling him there— it’s driving me mad. An-and now that we know he won’t hurt you and that you… you want him—.”

You reached for his hand, concerned that if he kept squeezing them as tight as he was that he’d break bone. “Bucky, it’s okay.” You tilted your head, smiling softly at him, “Take a breath. There’s a few things I want to set straight before we jump into this.”

His voice lowered, “Okay.”

Bucky was obviously torn up over this whole thing. And as excited as you were to repeat what went on in that stairwell, this was someone you cared about for more than just sex. 

This was Bucky. 

This was the man who’d apologized with the biggest bouquet of flowers you’d ever laid eyes on the day after your first encounter with Winter. The same man who’d apologized for months after with cute little notes and trinkets he knew you loved and still kept in that shoebox under your bed. The exact same man you’d opened your heart to one Saturday night over a tub of butterscotch ice cream and the third playthrough of your favorite movie. He didn’t complain that you’d watched it back to back either.

This was the man you’d fallen in love with in just a few short months.

The realization settled into your heart, and that warm tingly feeling swept over you as you tightened your hold on his flesh hand and reached for his metal one too.

Bucky hesitated, jerking it away for a moment before allowing you to tug it into your lap. “Buck,” you started, thumbs swiping over his hands in slow calming paths. “It isn’t just the Winter Soldier I like about you. You know that, right? Because if you don’t, I’ve failed as your lover. And as your friend.” 

Those blue eyes darted between your own, searching there like a man searching for salvation. You gave his hands another squeeze, swallowing the lump in your throat. “I… I love you, Bucky. You. I think I’ve known for a while now. I was just too scared to admit it out loud. I haven’t had the best run with guys in the past, and you’re so good that I was afraid I’d ruin you somehow.”

Your eyes fell to your joined hands, and this time he was the one to squeeze back.

“I know it’s kind of shitty timing, but I need you to understand that I’m not with you for any other reason other than the simple fact that I adore you, Bucky Barnes. Everything about you.” You shook your head, frowning. “I meant it when I told you I wasn’t with you just because of Winter. I’ve always had this attraction to… well, you know. Dating you just made it more difficult to hide when you were obviously so uncomfortable with it. I didn’t want to make things hard for you. I just wanted you to be happy.”

“Doll,” he mumbled, the name drawing your eyes to him. You’d always loved it when he called you that. “Say it again.”

You frowned, confused for a moment, before a small smile drew itself onto your face. “I love you, Bucky.”

A choked sound fell from his lips before his arms circled around your waist and pulled you into his lap, his face inches from yours. “Again. Say it again,” he begged, his  breath fanned over your face as his fingers fisted the back of your shirt. “Please, doll, say it again.”

You folded your legs around his hips, threading your fingers into his hair and peppering kisses on his face. “I love you.”

“Me?” It was the most broken sound you’d ever heard.

You grabbed his face, tilting it up to look at you and tried your best to pour every ounce of love into your expression. “You, James. I love you. I’ll say it a billion times if I have to until I get it through that ridiculously handsome head of yours.”

He laughed at that, broken as it sounded. “I love you too, Y/N. God, I fucking love you.”

Soft lips crashed into yours, dancing a familiar dance as his flesh hand slipped under your shirt and glided up your spine. Your breath caught as the cool sensation of his metal fingers followed after it, his arm wrapping around your back. You smiled against his lips, leaning into him more.

You nearly pouted when he pulled away.

“Y/N,” those eyes, less uncertain and more determined now, swept over your face. “I want you to trigger him.”

You frowned, “But Bucky, you—.”

“I need this.” His voice was surprisingly steady, “I need to do this otherwise it’ll drive me mad. Feeling him there— Jesus, it’s like someone’s scraping a knife against my skull.”

Metal fingers drew circles against your back, “Are you okay with… with seeing him again? I’m not confident enough to do what he did yet. I need more time to come to terms with the damage this hand has done.” He pulled the appendage away, looking it over before his eyes found you again. “But I… I can tell he won’t hurt you. I can feel it,” he pulled his flesh hand away and pressed it over his heart. “Right here.”

He laughed, almost incredulously. “Even the Winter Soldier has fallen in love with you.”

All you could hear was the pounding of your heart in your ears. He wanted you to trigger the Winter Soldier. He said that he loved you, and that Winter did too. 

It would really fucking suck if you were dreaming.

“I don’t know your words,” you mumbled, suddenly shy in the light of his proclamation.

This time, the smile he gave was one that reminded you of those old photos from the 40s you’d seen in the history museum. The one where the left side crooks up a bit more than the right. He didn’t release you, but instead wrapped his left arm around your hips and leaned back to rifle through the top drawer of your nightstand for the notepad you always left in there.

He pulled it back to himself and released you only long enough to scribble down a few words and tear off the page. “You’ll have to memorize them. I don’t want them to leave this room.”

You nodded, because of course he wouldn’t and you’d rather swallow hot coals than ever betray him. Your eyes scanned the page a dozen times when he handed it to you, lips moving in silence as you played with the foreign vowels. 

All the while those strong hands of his trailed along your back and hips, sometimes exploring your upper thigh. 

It made your mind foggy, and you had to keep yourself from squinting to focus.

After you’d finally memorized them, you remove yourself from Bucky’s lap and padded over to your bookcase. You snagged the candle lighter from a shelf, and then removed the bag from your trash bin. It took a few tries, but once the lighter ignited, you let the flames eat away at the page before dropping it into the bin and watching until it was nothing but ash at the bottom.

You could hear a breath of relief leave the soldier from where he remained seated at the edge of your bed. He looked somewhat relaxed, but a tension still ran along his shoulders.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” You returned to the bed, smiling a bit as his arms wrapped around the back of your thighs.

Bucky hummed, low and steady. “M’sure, Doll.” He leaned his head against your stomach, and your hands found his hair on instinct.

He hummed again at the touch, and his arms tightened around your legs before he lifted you. Bucky turned quickly, one knee coming up onto the bed before he laid you down with a thump on the mattress.

You smiled, laughing a little as you bounced from the sudden drop. Bucky grinned back, his eyes shining. “Missed you, you know. I’m sorry for not telling you.” He leaned over you, hands planting on either side of your head. Nothing but honesty shined in those blue eyes as he looked down at you. “I’m sorry for wasting three months, and I promise I won’t do that again.”

Butterflies stirred in your belly, and you could feel the flush of heat on your neck as you leaned up and planted a kiss on his lips, “Better not.” 

Before you could think much of it, Bucky reached over and flicked the lamp on. You were too busy feeling fuzzy inside that you’d forgotten the very prominent marks littering the delicate flesh of your neck.

Marks that would always make Bucky drown in guilt.

“Fuck, doll.” 

He stared at your neck, horror painting his face in the lamplight. His body lifted until he was sitting on his knees over you, hands resting on his lap like he didn’t know what to do with them as he took in the damage he’d left.

This is exactly what you didn’t want to happen. “Hey, no—,” you gripped the front of his shirt, the sudden motion catching him off guard as you pulled yourself up to his face, forcing him to look you in the eyes. You would’ve liked to yank him back over you, but you lacked the ability to battle his serum-enhanced strength. Sitting up did just fine.

“You don’t get to feel guilty for this. Not now, and not anytime after this if you… if we’re serious about doing this.” You stared him down, unwilling to allow him even a glance away. “I told you, I liked it. I told you that it didn’t hurt. You need to trust me as much as I trust you in this. That’s the only way this,” you motioned between you both, “is going to work.” You lowered your voice, nearly mumbling the last part. “I can’t take another step back, Buck. Not after three months, and definitely not after that.”

Bucky’s eyes danced between yours for a few moments. They darted down to your marred skin and back again several times before he blew out a breath and nodded reluctantly. 

Your shoulders eased too. 

“Now come back here and kiss me, soldier. Your girl’s in need.” You smiled, quirking a playful brow in an attempt to draw him back in.

It worked. That smile pulled at his lips, small at first but quickly blooming as you began peppering his jaw with kisses.

The kisses started gentle and exploring, and the touches soft and sweet. You hadn’t felt his skin against yours for three long months, save for two days ago, and you’d missed everything that made him Bucky.

You’d missed how the stubble of his chin brushed your cheeks when you kissed, and how he held your face like you were the most precious thing he’d ever touched. Delicate and worthy of worship.

You’d missed him so much it hurt.

“Bucky,” you panted, tugging his shirt as you kissed him. “I love you.”

A deep, rumbling groan left him, and his tongue swept across your bottom lip. “I love you, Y/N. So damn much.”

His flesh hand cupped the back of your neck and guided your head to the side so he could place the tenderest kisses over each hickey Winter had left. “He’s a brute,” Bucky mumbled against the column of your throat, stealing your breath. “If he hurts you–.”

“He won’t, James.” You pressed your forehead to his shoulder, biting your lip as his flesh hand trailed all the way from your neck to the base of your spine. “I know it.”

You only got a hum in response before his lips crashed into yours again. Bucky’s hands were everywhere, confident and warm on one side and tentative and gentle with the other, much colder one. The contrast sent delicious tingles along your skin wherever he touched and only served to heighten your anticipation.

This was the first time Bucky himself had allowed so much of a brush of his metal arm against you, let alone tender touch.

His palms mapped every dip and crest of your body, his touch growing more needy with each sweep of his skin against yours. His tongue slid over your lips again, a silent request that you were all too happy to accept.

You couldn’t help the satisfied sound that escaped you as the taste of him swept over you, familiar and strong. Things only hastened from there. It was like a switch had flipped and he couldn’t bear not to have his hands on you.

He kissed you hard, chasing you with lips and tongue like a man starved. The feather light touches of his hands turned more firm as he held your hips and pulled you closer. Bucky’s chest heaved, his breaths fanning over you between kisses in hot puffs.

You could tell he was still holding back. That he needed this as much as the burning need in your core told you that you did. “Bucky,” the sound was practically a whine, “Please.”

His fingers curled against your hips, “Fuck. Okay, okay.” Wet kisses were trailed down your neck as his hands slipped beneath your shirt to sweep calloused thumbs over your aching nipples. “Say them, doll. Say the words.”

You deserved a fucking gold metal for succeeding to pull your mind out of the fog he’d clouded your brain with. It always happened with him. Your mind just short circuited every time he cast you a heated glance, and this? Well, it was a miracle you could remember your own name.

You opened your mouth, the words you’d memorized tumbling out one after another. 

“Longing.” Bucky grunted, but didn’t stop in his ministrations as you spoke the next. 

“Rusted.” Another grunt, and a tremor through his shoulders, but his lips never left your skin. In fact, it just seemed to spur him further as his hands tugged your shirt down to reveal the delicate skin of your breasts.

“Furn-,” you gasped as his lips locked onto a nipple, tongue teasing expertly over the nub. “Furnace.”

The hum he released sent skittering tingles across your body in the most delicious way.

“Finish, baby.” 

Fucking hell. What was the next word?

“Daybreak,” his hands lowered to your ass and held it firmly against him as he licked and sucked the sensitive skin of your breasts, never missing a beat. “Seventeen.”

Those devilish hands dragged lower, fingers trailing along the seam of your panties through your leggings and along the underside of your thighs where they met the curve of your ass. Inches from where you needed him most.

You could barely suck in a breath, utterly overwhelmed by the sensation of his mouth on your skin and those hands mapping your body in agonizingly slow strokes that sent waves of need straight to your core. “Benign,” his body arched over yours, easing you into the mattress, “Nine.”

Another shudder this time, and you could see the ripple of muscle beneath that tight black shirt. God did you want it off of him.

“Homecoming.” 

A groan, and a shake of his head. It was the first indicator that he was uncomfortable.

 You hesitated at the pained sound, but you didn’t have time to ask a thing though. Not when his head snapped up and those wide, wild blue eyes found yours. “Don’t stop,” he panted, cheeks flushed.

So you didn’t.

“One.”

Wet lips trailed kisses down the exposed skin of your stomach, the tips of his dark hair trailing down as he kissed past your naval and kept going. Lower, lower, lower…

“Freight Car.” The words sounded strangled in your throat through your labored breathing.

The kisses stopped abruptly, and Bucky’s body went stock still.

You weren’t even sure he was breathing until the even rush of an exhale swept against your stomach.

And then he chuckled.

 It wasn’t the kind you’d normally hear from Bucky. It wasn’t filled with joy, or playfulness. This one sounded depraved and downright corrupt.

The hairs on your neck raised, and that sharp bite of panic jolted through you as you stared down at his large frame hovering over you. You couldn’t see his face from this angle, and the lack of any hint of what was going through his head only heightened the tension building in your body.

“Told you, didn’t I?” His voice was a rumble in the silence, and you gasped when his tongue swept a path up the center of your belly. “You fucking need me.”

Cold fingers hooked the waistband of your leggings and shucked them off in one quick motion, the cool air assaulting your exposed skin and leaving goosebumps in its wake. You simply stared up at him and tried to remember to breathe beneath the weight of his eyes on your body.

Those cold, lust-lidded eyes.

“Winter,” you breathed, a thrum of excitement mingling with the nerves tingling under your skin. The ache you felt was at the forefront of your mind. Bucky’s gentle touches had served to stir the need that was already brewing.

Now, Winter has come to finish the job.

He smiled, slow and sultry. “Needy little thing, aren't you, Dollface?”

You bit your lip as heat crept up your neck.

Winter’s body rose to his knees, his hands curling around your thighs in a bruising grip and lifting them over his shoulders. You yelped, but it didn’t stop him. Those thick corded forearms locked your legs in place over his shoulders, his face centimeters from your core and the stubble of his jaw tickling your thighs.

You were almost certain you'd soaked through the thin pair of panties you wore.

His hands dragged up your thighs, fingers slipping beneath the fabric at your hips as he held your eyes. 

And then he ripped them at the seams. The puny fabric fell to the mattress in tatters, and all you could do was gawk at him.

“Don’t wear those when you’re with me.” Winter ordered against your thigh, his tongue swiping a path up the inner stripe of skin. 

The action sent another wave of want through you, the anticipation of what he was going to do serving to build your nerves higher and higher.

He drew you closer by your hips, humming against your skin. The sweep of hot air over you was a welcome sensation and you arched into it. Your heart pounded, and the angle in which your body was held, your head still resting against the mattress along with your shoulders, made it hard to think. 

Winter stopped just short of brushing his lips over your sensitive clit. You could’ve cried right then and there. Blinking up at him, you caught the wicked grin plastered on his face.

The soldier above you looked downright god-like bathed in the dim light of the room. His eyes gleamed, and that silver arm danced with every move he made. Every devious stroke of cool fingers against your body.

You knew this exact image would be carved into your mind for the rest of your life.

“Beg for it,” he ordered, his grip turning nearly bruising. “Tell me how badly you want it.” His lips brushed your core, just a whisper of scruff on your sensitive skin. 

You squirmed in response, chasing the feeling. Normally, you would rather die than beg a man for anything. But Winter? He had a special way of breaking you down. “Please, Winter, please. I-I want you. I want you to–.”

He didn’t even let you finish before his tongue delved into your core. 

You felt every sweep, every brush of that expert muscle laving over you. Desperate, needy sounds were echoing through your room, and a part of you knew they were yours. That they were spilling from your parted lips in broken sentences begging him for more. You were too focused on where his tongue toyed with you to care about anything else, though. Every pass of his tongue on your clit, or a sweep against your clenching walls made it harder and harder to ground yourself.

You were crawling closer and closer to the edge.

Your fingers were curled into the bedspread, and your hips ground into his face and bucked against the solid grip of his arms over your thighs. Winter groaned into your heat, the rumbling vibrations pushing you closer to euphoria.

Dazed, you tried to focus on his face, tried to make out his features in your love-drunk state. 

Winter's eyes were closed, and his face never came up once for air. Not even when you could feel his chest shuttering, and those muffled grunts became more frequent.

And God did they feel good.

Your chest heaved, your legs trying and failing to move an inch against his iron grip. As those vibrating groans shoved you over the edge with a cry.

Your brain couldn’t focus, not with all the blood rushing through your head and the thundering sound of your own heart in your ears, or the blissful sensation of release crashing over you in waves. 

“So dirty, Dollface. Letting me ruin you like this.” Winter eased his grip on your shaky legs, his hands dragging up your thighs to grip your hips. “Letting me brand you, taste you…” He licked his lips, tasting you on his stubbled face. His body leaned forward, your legs parting around his hips as he planted a burning kiss to your lips, “Fucking perfect.”

You panted, blinking to focus on his words as you came back to yourself.

Winter was lifting himself off of you, his eyes raking over your disheveled form as he slipped off the bed and stood to his full height. Those blue eyes held nothing but burning desire, muscles flexing as he yanked off his shirt and rewarded you with the view of his sweat slicked torso. 

The sight was erotic. His hair damp with sweat, and his face glossy with the remnants of your release, chest heaving as he sucked in much needed air.

Winter reached forward, his cool fingers wrapping around your ankle and tugging you towards the edge of the bed with a wicked grin. “Gonna make you come again, Dollface. Need to hear those pretty sounds you make.” His flesh hand grabbed your calf, pulling you closer. “Wanna hear my name on your lips again, and again, and again.”

His metal fingers gripped your thigh hard enough to leave bruises, but that didn’t bother you. You loved the reminders that littered your skin from the last time Winter branded you with his affections, and you relished each one that would follow. 

With a quick, strong motion, he flipped you on your stomach. Your chest bounced against the bedsheets, the friction against your pebbled nipples sent a jolt of pleasure down to your toes making you moan into the comforter as he brought your hips up and adjusted your knees against the bed.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” He panted, pressing himself against your ass.

You could feel him through the sweats still hanging from his hips. The length of him pressed firmly against you, brushing your sensitive core and making you groan again. You wanted to feel him, needed to know what it was like to be with Winter the same way you craved intimacy with his counterpart.

“Please,” You begged. 

With a grunt, the sweats were yanked down and he thrust harshly, seating himself completely in one swift motion.

His moan rumbles through you, setting your nerves alight. “Oh god…”

And then he starts moving. 

One stark difference between James Buchanan Barnes and The Winter Soldier, was that one was gentle and kind, and everything you’d want in the man you’d take home to meet your parents. And the other? The other was the kind of man that would carve his name into your skin with a smile and defile you in unspeakable ways, rough and raw.

Winter snapped his hips at a breakneck pace, pulling out only to plunge back in with a force that made you see stars. Your mouth hung open in a silent scream, clinging to the sheets as he drove you into the mattress. His cock hit all the right places, those quick, constant motions driving you closer and closer to another release. His grunts and puffs of breath only added momentum.

Tears pricked your eyes, your heart hammering and your skin on fire as pleasure coursed through you, building higher and higher.

A cold palm slipped along your belly, snaking its way between your breasts and firmly wrapping around your neck, squeezing those delicate pressure points that made your head spin. He lifted you from the mattress, his pace halting almost completely as your back met his heaving chest. 

Winter’s raw voice met your ears as you whimpered at the loss of friction, teetering on the edge of sanity as your core wept for attention. “Gonna cum if I keep that up, Dollface.” His voice is choppy, puffs of air hitting the side of your neck as he talks. “Feel so fuckin’ good.”

His dick pushes in again, dragging slowly along your walls as he groans in your ear, your own voice joining him in a broken harmony. “‘M gonna need this every time. Need to feel your tight cunt, hear your pretty cries…” His tongue darted out to slide over your cheek, swiping up a tear that had fallen from your damp lashes, “Taste you every. Single. Time.”

Those hips snapped back into their brutal pace, slamming against your ass as he clutched your frail neck in his metal hand, the other coming up to grip your hair and tug your head back as he sucked more love bites along your neck.

You moan, tears of pleasure falling from your lashes as you near the edge. Winter’s grunts and shaky breath vaguely registering that he’s nearly there himself.

He sinks his teeth into the juncture of your neck, the combination of pain and utter pleasure shoving you over the precipice as you open your mouth in a scream. That metal hand snakes up to stifle it as his hips jerk a few more agonizing thrusts before shuddering with his strangled moan.

You’re left limp and breathless, utterly spent and draped over his arm with your head lolling against his strong and heaving shoulder.

Winter slips from you, repositioning you on the bed like an offering on an unholy altar. With his hair plastered against his forehead, those dark strands utterly soaked with sweat, he smiles down at you.

“Again.”

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[milawritess]

what cannot be said will be wept – gojo satoru

pairing: Gojo Satoru x Reader synopsis: following the events from wherever you go, that's where i'll follow, the reader becomes incredibly sick. Satoru drowns in his guilt and reader struggles to grapple with the loss of her cursed technique. tags/warnings: angst, fem!reader, swearing, depression, guilt, dark thoughts, loss of identity, loss of powers, descriptions of gore/horror, tragedy, mentions of blood, breakdowns, reader is sick, Satoru doing everything he can to keep you afloat word count: 3.3k next entry: ii series mlist

The first few nights were unbearable. You made it—you survived, but you weren’t the same. Not even close. You were a fragmented, splintered hallow. You were nothing but a ghost haunting your own body. The weight of your fragility sat heavily in the corners of your home, creeping into the space where laughter once lived.

At night, you’d become so still, so quiet of breath, that Satoru would have to put his finger under your nose to see if you were still with him. There were nights when your heart betrayed you, skipping several beats or stilling altogether, long enough to drive him to the edges of panic. 

Baby, baby, wake up, Satoru would whisper in dread. It was only when you groaned that he sucked in a breath, drawing in the air his lungs were burning for. 

What? You would murmur, confused and disoriented. He’d suddenly pull you close, resting his head between your breasts as he listened to the only rhythm that brought him solace. 

Satoru found himself waking you up often. Soft kisses graced your face—your eyes, cheeks, and brushes against your lips. Other nights, he’d shake you awake in fear and trepidation. Your heart was too weak. The second sleep found you, it began to give. 

He could hear it, see it. 

Sleep was lost on him. He couldn’t risk it—could grapple with the chances of waking to find you—his entire world gone. You had come back to him, yet, for weeks, you straddled the line between being alive and moving to a place he couldn’t reach or follow. 

He couldn’t grasp, couldn’t fathom that even now, he was on the verge of losing you. 

“There are just some things I can’t heal,” Shoko told him one night. She arrived at his estate after he called her in a panic. You were cold as ice, and you struggled to draw breath. “There’s scarring in her frontal lobe… and there’s other damage that looks like it’s been there for a while. Maybe if I had caught this sooner-“

The damage was too great. He knew that’s what Shoko really wanted to say. 

There was so much more he needed to say to you, so much more he needed to make up for. 

Some nights, he grew bitter. You couldn't leave him—you wouldn’t dare. Not after everything you’ve been through together, not after loving him and making him feel love's perfect ache; not after you stripped him bare as you deprived him of pride and all resolve, rendering him down to nothing but a man on his knees, worshiping at the gates of your light. 

You undo him so wholly and completely. 

This wasn’t fair. Even with the powers most gods craved, he couldn’t protect you from this. What good was all this power if he couldn’t keep you? The best parts of you, the dark and wretched—all of it, everything—belonged to him. He loved the darkest shades of you, the brightest, and every color in between. 

When you were consumed in an unholy flame, one only he could ever reach beyond, he was housed by your warmth—reborn into something more glorious than the last. 

When had you fallen so cold? 

You had ascended onto him like nightfall, only to ignite and burn his world to ash. Yet, you sparked something within him in the echo of oblivion—a fire born of devotion was marred to his heart. 

He wasn’t going to let you off that easy. Death wouldn’t be enough for you to escape him. 

”You don’t get to leave me,” he whispers against the shell of your ear. “You’re not going anywhere. Not from me.” 

It was a rare moment of wakefulness. Your eyes flutter open, a dopey smile gracing your lips. You say his name. “Satoru,” you murmur. ”what are you talking about?”

He brushes the hair from your neck, kissing your cold skin. “I’m talking about you, sweets,” he moves up, kissing your cheek. “I need you to get better. We’re not out of the woods yet.”

You take in a long, shuddering breath. You couldn’t deny what you said now when you felt it in your bones. “I won’t leave,” you promise him gently, breathing slowly as sleep tugs at the corners of your consciousness. “Where else would I go?”

He takes time off from work shortly after. Well, he more or less just stopped going to work. He kept your condition close like a secret. Outside of the kids, Principal Yaga, and Nanami, no one knew what happened to you, and he would keep it that way. He didn’t need the higher-ups catching wind of this. 

It was just a precaution, his way of protecting you when you couldn’t protect yourself. You had enemies just as much as he did. He thinks he’d break the world in two if they ever touched you. 

However, Gojo couldn’t just wait and do nothing. He had to keep you comfortable, keep you warm. After cranking up the central heat and lighting a fire, he noticed you responded positively. It was far from comfortable for him, but it wasn’t about him, even if, most nights, sweat beaded on his chest and forehead. It was about your recovery and giving your body what it desperately needed. Heat. A heat, he fears, even as he eases you into a tub of the hottest water he could get from the faucet in his master bathroom, wasn’t enough. 

However, this was a start in the right direction. Your eyes fluttered open as your body sank into the steaming water. “This is nice,” you utter. “Really nice…”

“Hm, good,” Satoru says, grabbing the shampoo bottle. “Glad to be of service.”

You hum pleasantly as he starts massaging shampoo into your hair. “How many days has it been, Satoru?”

“Not sure what you mean, sweets.”

“Satoru,” you sigh softly. “How many days since the incident?” 

He pauses for a moment before his fingers continue rubbing the suds into your hair. “Fifteen days.”

“And yet, I don’t have a lick of cursed energy…”

“Hey, easy there,” he wipes the subs that threaten to fall into your eyes with his hands before grabbing your face and pinching your cheeks together. Just as you were about to swat him away, he kissed the pout off your face with one long smooch. “Take it easy, grumpypants. You’re still recovering.”

“Yeah, but for how long,” you mumble. “It’s never taken me this long to recover my cursed energy before. I just– I don’t feel the same.” Satoru takes a deep breath, watching as you stare down at the water, your fingers mindlessly fiddling with the necklace around your neck. “You shouldn’t have to be taking care of me like this or taking time off from work. They need you, the kids need you–”

“You need me,” he gently corrects. “The kids are fine, and Nanami has been covering for me.”

“Yeah, but–”

“You act like this isn’t something you’d do for me if I needed you.”

You look at him, eyes misting over. You reach for him, your arms wrapping around his neck. He didn’t care if he got wet as he held you, his hands rubbing softly at your damp back. “I really love you,” you tell him, burying your head into his neck. “I really do. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, silly girl. I’m here. I’m with you.”

-

Weeks pass, and things only seem to get worse. 

You could hear their whispers, see their pitiful glances, and see how they all tiptoed around you. It made you furious. It wasn’t a loud, fiery rage that once fueled you. It was quiet and insidious—burning cold and cutting deeper than any wound you’ve experienced. You hated their pity, their careful steps, and how they looked at you as if you were a ghost. 

You had once been a force that could not be ignored or buried away—a wild inferno in a world that always tried to snuff out the smallest of embers. Your power was born of defiance, a testimony of your will, even vengeance. 

You weren’t always good. At times, you think Satoru forgets that. 

Yet, against all odds, every attempt to diminish and erase you from the annals of time, you remained unbridled, unbroken. You bore no titles and came from no golden lineage; it was your strength alone that helped you carve your place in the world and carve your name into the sun. You were powerful. Unforgiving. You weren’t something to be protected and admired; you were destruction, born of dark weather and chaos.

And yet, you fell. 

A part of you wonders if this was the price to be paid for your transgressions—a quiet, unrelenting suffering that hollowed you out from the inside. It was almost poetic in it's cruelty, as if the weight of your sins could only be balanced by the weight in your chest.

Your flames, once roaring and defiant, sputtered and dwindled. For a while, you believed it was exhaustion, but you knew, deep in your bones, you weren’t the same. At first, you told yourself that you had endured far worse. You strappled the line of death more times than you could count. Sometimes, it was fury that had you crawling from your grave. Others, it was vengeance fueled by the fire meant to burn the pyre of your enemies and all those who wronged you.  

But, your fire hadn’t just dimmed and weakened. It was gone. The power, once flowing through your veins like lava and liquid gold, was replaced by a cold and suffocating emptiness. Even if the taste of ash lingered and the scent of black smoke permeated your nostrils, you weren’t the same. 

You were only six when your cursed technique appeared. You’re incapable of remembering what led to such depravity, such evil, or maybe you couldn’t bring yourself to remember why the people of your village tried killing you. You didn’t remember much of your childhood, but you remember those laughs that still haunted you in your dreams—the same laughs you heard as you were thrown into a ditch your small hands and feet couldn’t have hoped to crawl out of. 

They doused you in rum and lit a match. When the fire ignited, you were left to burn into nothingness. You remembered the feeling of each nerve ending igniting, the excruciating pain that consumed you. You remembered how your scream became a soundless cry as your vocal cords were scorched. You remembered the smell of your burning hair and flesh, the way flames licked at your eyeballs until you were blind. You remembered the end coming suddenly, but not quick enough. You remembered crying for a mother you couldn’t remember, a father that never protected you. 

Then, you remembered how suddenly the word came back. The flames became nothing but a gentle sting. Your flesh mended, and when you drew breath, a black smoke filtered into your lungs, giving you strength. You could taste the ash, and the blood in your veins began to boil. You were born again amongst the flames that once brought you so much agony. You ruled them—fire incarnate: destructive, yet devastatingly alive. 

You hadn’t just lost your technique. You were stripped away of everything you had ever been. Perhaps what stung the most was how the world kept spilling. You were a woman of no renown, no legacy to speak of. And now, you had no fire to prove you had ever been worth anything at all. 

You wonder—had you ever been as strong as you truly thought? Or were you a flame burning on borrowed time, destined to extinguish into nothing? 

You wanted to be forgotten. You wanted to disappear, to return to your flames. You had once despised them; you thought they cursed you with the wickedness they were born from. But, even so, it had been yours. Even if the world always thought you were more of a monster than a sorcerer, perhaps one more terrifying than the curses conjured from the worst parts of mankind, they were yours. And yet, you were lost without them.

You had survived because you had felt the touch of love, came to learn to accept it, and nurtured it with a darkened heart and two hands. Love yanked you back to the surface, yet a bitter and selfish part of you wondered at what cost? 

You wondered if he thought of you differently, if his love was slowly fading along with you, but you were too afraid to look. He had already told you once that you weren’t nearly as strong as you thought. He was right. You were a failure.

You still loved him. You don’t think you could ever stop loving him, but that love became so twisted—tangling with your hurt, your pride, and your inability to forgive everything but yourself.  His kindness became suffocating; his attempts at assurance only ever reminded you of what you lost. Every look of concern or sympathy—real or imagined—was a dagger to the chest. He would leave eventually. He’d grow tired of your ups and downs and how your sweetness could so quickly transform into bitterness.

Even as your strength slowly returned—enough to move without sleep constantly tugging at your consciousness or being teethed to IV drips—the hallowed absence of your cursed energy remained. It had become stagnant, hitting an invisible barrier you couldn’t push or break, no matter how hard you tried.

-

“Baby?” Satoru whispers out for you one night. You don’t respond, but he knows you can hear him. “Can I come in?” 

You make no effort to move or stand. You were frozen, lost in a grief you don’t think you could ever escape. You were on your bathroom floor, heaving over a toilet with a hand pressed to your chest as if it were the only thing keeping it from caving in. He wonders if you still have the ability to sense his presence—if you could sense that he was there waiting for you. 

“Go away,” you told him. You didn’t want him to see you like this, not with blood poring from your nose and dripping from your lips. You were sick. You were scared, angry, and so fucking confused. You didn’t know what was happening to you or how to make it stop it. 

“You know I can’t do that…” 

He wouldn’t leave you—not when you needed him; not when the love remained, even if it was buried under mounds of hurt and pain. It would be the greatest betrayal, even if you begged for it.

However, he wouldn’t push you. So, he lies on the cold wooden floor, his back pressed against the door. Even with five feet between you two, he felt as if you were going somewhere far, somewhere he couldn’t reach. Again.

He goes silent for a moment, searching for the right words that seem so out of reach. He doesn’t think there is anything he could say to make this better, but he could try.

“I used to think for a while that my life had no happy ending,” he says, voice low and steady. “But, then, I met you. Your power drew me in, yeah. But do you know what else did? Those rare smiles. I wanted to be responsible for them—all of them.” Even as you remained silent, there’s no shying away from the emotions his words sturs. There's no escaping him. 

“It was how you demanded a whole room with just your presence. I admired how you loved and hated in equal measure. I loved your wickedness and cunning wit. You dared to challenge the world, and I–” His voice dips lower. It's only to you that he reveals these fragile, intimate parts of himself. “... You made me believe in something more than myself.”

“I’m not the same,” you swallow hard, throat tightening as tears threaten to spill once again. “I’m not… I’m nothing like the woman you met.” 

“Good,” he says simply, voice firm. “Because I don’t need her. I need you. Even when you’re angry and hurting or think you’ve lost everything, I’ll still need you.” 

You turn your head to the door, his words settling over you like a blanket, heavy and warm. Your gaze falls to the floor, finding the faint shadow of him waiting for you. 

“I’ve hated myself for so long for not being able to stop what happened to you. I feel like I failed you—failed you in every way that mattered.” His head falls back, thumping against the door. He loved you. He knew he did because he could feel it in the way his heart ached for you—in the way your pain became his pain. You’re still the woman he admired; you were still the woman he longed for. You’ve never needed power to rule over him, yet he doesn’t know how to make you believe that. All he has is his heart, which he bears to you with two trembling hands. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” 

And finally, as tears gather in your eyes, you realize he wasn’t here because he pitied you. Satoru wasn’t conditional—he didn’t know how to love in halves. You had always felt it, the lingering truths caught between two hearts. But now, he was here, baring it all—leaving no room for doubt or space for denial.

He loves you.

“Your fire isn’t just in your technique—it's in everything you do, angel. It's in the way you look at the world, how you fight for what you believe in, and even the way you love… it used to scare me,” he chuckles gravely. There wasn’t ever a moment, he thinks, that he wasn’t enraptured with you. He can’t recall a time when he hadn't been caught in your obit and seized in the invisible weight of your gravity. 

Your eyes fluttered close, your breath catching as his words settled over you. For the first time in a long while, you feel something other than the crushing burden of loss. You feel him, steady and unwavering. You don’t know if you should cry or let yourself fall into him entirely. 

“Satoru,” you trembled. “What’s happening to me?”

One thing Satoru could never do was lie to you. Not even about this, as his heart nearly fails him. “You're displacing more cursed energy than you’re retaining. It’s making you sick.” 

A shuddering cry slips past your lips. “... Am I dying?”

You hear him move behind the door. His voice, steady but tense, cuts through your panic. “I’m coming in.” 

“No, don’t–”

But it was too late. A locked door wasn’t enough to stop him. The knob crumbles under the force of his grip, a deafening crunch filling the room. Yet, despite the raw display of his strength, he pushes the door open with a gentleness that makes your chest ache. 

You were terrified, your hand pinching harder against your nose that refused to stop dripping blood. It was everywhere—soaking your shirt, trickling down your arm, dripping to the floor, and piling between the cracks of the tiles. You tried to clean it up, but it just wouldn't stop.

His eyes are a bit wide as he takes you in, but he doesn’t reveal much. His expression is unreadable as he drops to his knees. You crawl backward until your back meets the tub. “No, no, no, stop–” but it was futile. 

Blood stains his shirt, his hands, and smears across his cheek as he drags you into his arms. He doesn’t seem to notice—or maybe he doesn’t care. 

“Satoru–”

“I don’t care,” he says sharply. His hands cup the back of your head, fingers threading through your hair as he presses you to his body. “I don’t care about that. Just… stay still. Breath,” he murmurs. “In and out. That’s all you have to do right now.”

You cry with such an unalloyed and raw pain that robs you of breath. It starts low, guttural, crawling from the deepest parts of you. It carries jagged edges, and swells into a sound so consuming, it drowns out everything else. Shaking, shuddering, choking—you fall apart, gasping for air between waves of anguish.

Satoru loses track of time suspended in the purgatory of your suffering.

“I’m not leaving,” he promises, trembling against you slightly. “And neither are you. I already told you before that you’re stuck with me.”

-

a/n: since my first fic did so well, i decided to make a mini-series depicting readers recovery :) feel free to send requests if you have any. i can either make a small blurb, a headcannon, or even make an entire chapter out of it. also, sorry if there are any typos its getting late lol

on a different note, i sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter. my goal was to capture the readers suffering and Gojo's guilt, and i truly hope i did it justice. i also added a little bit backstory for the reader! i wanted to add layers and reveal that she's an imperfect character. regardless, i sincerely hope you enjoyed. please let me know your thoughts!! I would love to hear them :)

also, i know the kids weren't in this chapter but don't worry! they'll be around very soon!

lastly, thank you all so much for the overwhelming love and support on my first fic. i'm beyond grateful that so many of you enjoyed my writing. it genuinely means the world to me! your encouragement and kind words warmed my little heart.

as always, likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated <3

[rwrbmovie]

RWRB SEQUEL!

[artist-issues]

Rise of the Guardians doesn’t lend itself to a sequel.

But if they made one, the villain should be The Pied Piper. And instead of endangering kids’ childhood using fear, like the Boogeyman, The Piper would endanger childhood by causing strife with the parents, making the kids feel like they don’t belong in their own homes.

Plus he’s enticing kids with wanderlust, which sounds fun, so he starts to feel like the photo-negative of Jack Frost and definitely tries to outdo him in terms of style and flamboyant charm. And maybe because he knows “memories of childhood” would be a big threat to his work on the parents, the Piper straight-up kidnaps Tooth Fairy (since kidnapping the fairies themselves didn’t work out for Pitch)

And then you can have Bunnymund and Jack Frost fighting armies of super rats and Sandman trying to hold his sand-constructs together as the Pied Piper’s musical vibrations destabilize them, and then North seems to be the only one who’s a match for the Piper in group showdowns, until the Piper summons his chief hench-rat and it’s the Mouse King from the Nutcracker

I know Rise of the Guardians can’t have sequels

but in this pitch I will—

[multch]

Caught.

Art the clown x Reader [18+]

CW: Smut\ afab Reader

Pt.1 (Thoughts)

Art just caught you red-handed pleasuring yourself but he doesn't seem to react… at first.

There stood Art the clown, leaning up against the wall with a shit eating grin- Oh God no.

Oh God no.

It was in this moment, you felt as small as a starved mouse. Has he always towered over you?

Holding your breath, your gaze hesitantly lifted to meet with his eyes.

Surely he couldn’t hear you in there… And obviously he couldn’t have been waiting outside the whole time.. right?

But what if he had. Would he be disgusted? His face contorted into a disturbed grimace. Could it change your relationship? Would he be so enraged as to consider you his next victim- ready to skin you with his bare hands. Gosh why did you ever think that was a good idea! 

Your lust was your hamartia- the trigger that would spiral into your gruesome demise; a death without an ounce of dignity.

It was as if that doorway was a picture frame holding- you- a moment frozen in time. Your face was flushed bright red and your chest heaved up and down as if you had just ran a marathon. 

Your eyes were wide in shock and pure terror.

As your gaze met his, you couldn’t help but sigh as he walked right past you. How could he be so calm? His smirk dropped as he practically shrugged you off as if you were translucent- as if you weren’t there…

What the hell?!

*

There it layed unfinished. It would only take you a few minutes to stitch back up the final rip.

Across your desk were numerous tools you used throughout the night; The jacket you worked on mere hours ago, several pairs of sharp fabric scissors and an array of pins and needles strung with thread.

Despite the busy crowd of your work-station, you remained alone. 

Where could he be?

*

You looked up at the cheap clock sitting on the wall; 2:15am.

Clutched carefully in your hand, you carried his newly repaired costume with you. When you would return it to him, you would finally be able to go home- that is if you could find him…

It was your 4th time circling around the store and only one thought remained in your mind; 

Where on earth was that damn clown!?

Walking into storage, you were met with the familiar dark and dusty sight you dreaded seeing so often. Luckily, since meeting Art, you were able to evade stock retrieval long enough during your shifts to delegate it to him at night. Unfortunately, every once in a while you would still have to venture out back during the day when issues were too urgent. 

It wasn't rare for liminal spaces to creep you out so the avoidance was understood with a few simple honks of a horn. 

“Hey Art… you in here?” You shivered.

The room was cramped and lined with unstable wire shelving overflowing with cardboard boxes of various sizes. As there were no windows, who knew what could be hiding in the shadows. 

As your eyes adjusted to make out shapes within the darkness, your hand crept around the wall beside you for a light switch.

Aha! There it was.

As you went to flick the switch your heart suddenly dropped.

That’s not the switch… 

Two cold hands grabbed your arm in an instant, pulling you towards a firm chest.

Shit!

“Art! Oh my goodness I am so sorry,” you blurted, “I was just looking for the lightswitch, I didn’t mean to-” 

While what you could see was limited, what you knew was abundant. Your cheeks burned up as you realized what you just did. You didn’t flick the lightswitch, you just hit Art’s nipple- god that’s so embarrassing! You practically screamed at yourself.

What did you drag yourself into! First you think he caught you finger fucking yourself to the thought of him. Now you're in a dark storage cupboard and he's completely naked! 

It's not even his fault, you sighed. You're the one carrying his repaired clothes- Damn it! You should've given him something to wear- you work in a costume shop for christ’s sake!

There, you continued to ramble on and on. Uttering something about an extra Santa costume. Suddenly, you gasped as Art pulled you closer towards himself.

Oh.

Seems like Art noticed your distraction and gave you something else to think about. Yes, he was naked but that didn't interest you when you knew you could lean into the tenderness of his sharp touch.

It ran through you- that burning, stinging sensation everywhere his skin touched yours. He was frozen. He kept pulling you closer into his chest like he needed you to survive. Like your warmth was addictive.

His arms wrapped around you like a snake while he tucked your legs between his thighs.

You looked up at him only to be met with the same shit-eating grin as last time.

What a pervert.

He was infectious. Once you had laid eyes on those disgusting tar black teeth and dark doe eyes, it was as if a command came over your soul. The corners of your lips unconsciously lifted into a smile. Maybe you would take advantage of this proximity for once…

Laying a quick peck on his bottom lip, you chuckled as you knew his facepaint had transferred to your own.

Art always knew how to make you laugh as he reared back to make an exaggerated shocked face. Quickly, he returned the offer by giving you a toothy grin before smashing his lips into yours.

Driving your bodies forward and away from the initial wall, Art bites your bottom lip as a plea for entry. Your back arches against the shelving as he pushes into the kiss. You let him- loving each and every second of pure bliss. 

His tongue explored every inch, every tooth, every surface. It felt like you two stayed like that for eternity. It was as if once you would open your eyes, the night would be long gone.

You winced when you were forced to pull yourself away- heaving large gasps for air. 

You couldn’t believe it. First thing you’re working a simple 9-5 and next thing you know you’re making out with the most infamous murderer in all of New York. The thought was enough to send a surge of energy rising through you.

But is this all? It’s been 3 whole years where you’ve spent countless nights fantasizing about and being subject to his mindless antics. 3 whole years. 

You swallow the lump in your throat as you turn back to Art, placing your palm against his hollow cheek. 

Whatever, you were happy to finally show your devotion to him at last…

As your lips hover over his, you gaze into his eyes. Pitch black with not a soul in sight, yet a carefulness he held while looking back at you. Back at you until… 

You felt a strange sensation graze against your thigh.

It was in the moment you learnt it was possible for the white clown to turn a subtle shade of pink. 

His eyes dodged down as he seemed to shuffle slightly further away. Choosing to hide in the shadows again, Art took a couple hefty steps backwards until all you could make out was the outline of his prominent features within the shadows.

“Oh shit..” you uttered under your breath. Art was hard. Oh my goodness, Art was hard and embarrassed. 

Weighing up the pros and cons, you quickly bit the bullet and made up your mind. You were going to take that risk even if it could cost you your life. Art was everything you wanted and more. He had been so helpful over the past few years, you thought he deserved a small favor in return.

Stepping across the small storage room, you land in front of him- placing your hands on his chest. His skin was frigid and without a pulse.

“I can help you with that,” you whisper into his ear.

Despite the quick shocked expression Art played with, it was as if you caught his sincerity for a second before he snaped back into miming an over-emphasized swooning motion; fanning himself with his hand before pretending to faint.

His eyes stare far into yours as if seeking reassurance before acting on his own accord.

You nodded. Falling to your knees, you steadied yourself with both hands holding onto his legs. 

There it was. 

While you had seen it plenty of times, you had never imagined it from this angle. It was ample in length and wide in thickness. The sight was enough to make your mouth water.

You carefully grip the base and work your hands up and down his shaft before placing it in your mouth.

Paying attention to every ridge and bump, you slide your tongue across his length. As you begin bobbing your head back and forth, you look up to find Art’s embarrassment is long gone.

His eyes are shut tight and his mouth gapes open like he's lost for words. (if he had any, that is)

While you pulled closer and closer towards the base of his cock with every thrust, Art put his hands on the crown of your head, pulling you further into him.

Sliding down your throat, you gagged as Art thrusted his shaft into the roof of your mouth. 

For someone so shy before, he’s taking control of this alot more than you expected..

Drool pools at the corners of your mouth, dribbling slowly down your chin. Art takes notice and drags his hand down to wipe it with his shaky thumb.

Fuck- he was so far down the back of your throat, you swore it was a miracle you were till breathing by now.

Thick white ropes coated the walls of your mouth. The action sent you bucking back as it forced you into a coughing fit. God was he bitter tasting.

He flung back before patting your head. It felt degrading- almost as if you were his pet in need of praise after completing a trick.

Lifting your gaze to look up at him, he sends back a dramatic shocked face before shifting to his usual wide grin.

As you stuck your tongue out, you chuckled before swallowing his seed.

*

Zipp! And that was the last of it. All that was left was to lock up the store and you were done. Your desk was cleaned, your repairs were finished and your clown friend was very happy. 

While you loved your job, you were terribly excited to finally go home and have a long rest (maybe even a sweet treat too)

You let out a chuckle as you watched the live footage displayed on the security cameras. Despite being colorless and grainy, the expression on Art’s face was clear as day. There, he waved into the camera- his face imitating the pure joy of a small child* in a candy store; with a large smile and immense energy radiating from him.

(*As pure as he can get considering he’s a murderous hell spawn, but we won’t talk about that…)

He tipped his tiny top hat towards the camera, then swiftly turned on his heels to face the exit.

Ding! Ding! Ding! The bell rang out as Art made his exit, and it was as if he had suddenly vanished.

You couldn’t wait for tomorrow… 

Maybe work could be a bit more exciting from now on, you thought.

[nephynes]

a teaser

Jake had never considered himself submissive, well that was until he met Sunghoon. To Jake, there just seemed to be something about Sunghoon that made him want to be that way for him, made him want to do everything Sunghoon said, even before he said it. If Jake believed in religion, Sunghoon would be his god, maybe that would explain why he's currently fucking his cock into you but his mind is elsewhere. His mind is entirely on Sunghoon in particular, where he's sat across the bed from you two.

Jake is moaning like it hurts, he's starving for praise like that might be the only thing keeping him alive.

"Sunghoon," he gasps, hips rocking into you with enough force to jolt the headboard, "fuck—look at me. Please—please look at me."

Sunghoon doesn't flinch. He's still. Unbothered. Sitting in the corner chair like he's been there forever, long legs spread, jaw in his hand, eyes flicking lazily across the room—but not to Jake. Never to Jake.

Jake whines, desperate and pretty, breath fanning across your collarbone as he buries himself deeper, chasing something he'll never get from the man who made him this way. "Am I doing it right?" he pants, fucking you harder. "Tell me I'm doing it right—tell me I'm good—please—"

Sunghoon hums. His gaze lands on you this time. Controlled. Careful. "You're such a slut for praise, Jake," he says, voice low and faintly amused. "Shouldn't you be asking her that?"

And Jake does. So fast. So broken.

"Baby—" His voice cracks. "Am I good? Am I making you feel good?"

You try to answer, lips parting on a moan—but Sunghoon stops you before a sound can fall. "Don't answer him."

Your body tightens under Jake's, your back arching instinctively toward the voice that denies and commands you.

And Jake feels it.

"Fuck," he grits, pulling back to look at your face, but you're already looking past him. Already whining for someone else.

[evilgenius-prower]

OKAY, this is a little prequel comic (or sequel? time travel lol) about how silver got (gets. I’ll stop now) adopted. When I tell you this thing pains me to look at…mistake-ridden and just aghghghhh….but it took me 16 hours. So. Y’know. Posting it anyways.

I kinda jump right in, but the idea is that Tails gets a distress signal from his homeworld (a planet of scientists and inventors, like himself) and he asks Sonic and Shadow to go check it out because 1) he does not have particularly fond memories there and 2) he’s in college and can’t miss anything.

It’s long and it ain’t finished yet but hope you see the vision.

baby

Part 1/?

Next

the next one is literally just going to be them freaking out about what to do with him heheh

[cyliph]

skyfire made him do it, for scientific purposes

[sofia-d-asb]

Arcadie: Cold Lands - Progress Update - November 2024

(I know it's almost December but better late than never right?)

Arcadie: Cold Lands is gearing up to be much more complex to write and code than Second-Born, purely by virtue of it acknowledging your past choices.

Whether a certain person lives or dies, whether you even take them along, whether you accepted a certain deal...

It's a lot of work to keep it all cohesive and not have one path seem better than another, but it's also pretty fun and rewarding.

I've also just come off playing a game that is a sequel to one of my favorite gaming franchises, and saying I was disappointed is an understatement. I really was not fond of what they did with the world, and the... dumbing-down of the writing. My fault for buying a game day one!

Anyway, that made me really want to honor your past choices, and not shy away from giving you more role-playing options. So the possibility of being a force of... chaos, is back, though only when it makes sense. I don't want to write stupid or gratuitous evil, but rather self-interested tyrant. We'll see how it goes as I write along.

Oh and I have disabled access to the demo for Arcadie: Cold Lands, as it doesn't reflect the current state of the game. I'll probably be posting an updated version next month or in January.

Cheers!

[aa-power-of-nine]

Welcome to the sequel, where the rules of spirit channeling and the like have gotten way more complicated... (among other things)

Cover Art by @rlgstuff

[ae-thena]

Here comes the Sun again~

A piece of Okami fan art after the sequel was announced.