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best-testing-lab-saudi · 4 months ago

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How Alcohol Testing in Ajman Contributes to a Healthier Workplace Culture? | +971 554747210

In Ajman, as in other parts of the UAE, workplace safety and employee well-being are critical priorities for employers. One key aspect of ensuring a healthy work environment is the implementation of alcohol testing. While alcohol consumption in the workplace can pose significant risks, alcohol testing services provide employers with the means to mitigate these risks, enhance safety, and promote a positive work culture. In this blog, we will explore how alcohol testing in Ajman contributes to a healthier workplace culture, improves productivity, and ensures the overall well-being of employees.

The Importance of Alcohol Testing in the Workplace

Alcohol testing plays a pivotal role in maintaining a productive and safe workplace. Employees who are under the influence of alcohol may exhibit impaired judgment, slower reaction times, and a lack of concentration, all of which can result in workplace accidents, injuries, and even fatalities. This is particularly true in high-risk industries like construction, manufacturing, transportation, and hospitality, where employee focus and performance are crucial.

In Ajman, where businesses are growing and attracting international investment, creating a safe and productive environment is essential for maintaining operational efficiency and fostering trust between employers and employees. Alcohol testing provides employers with a proactive solution to combat alcohol-related issues, ensuring that their employees remain fit to perform their jobs safely and effectively.

How Alcohol Testing Promotes a Healthier Workplace Culture

Implementing alcohol testing can create a more positive work culture by demonstrating a company's commitment to safety, well-being, and fairness. Let's explore the various ways alcohol testing contributes to a healthier workplace culture:

1. Preventing Alcohol-Related Accidents and Injuries

One of the most immediate benefits of alcohol testing is the prevention of accidents and injuries in the workplace. In industries where employees operate heavy machinery, drive vehicles, or handle hazardous materials, alcohol consumption can significantly increase the risk of accidents. Testing employees for alcohol use helps employers identify those who may be impaired and take the necessary steps to prevent accidents before they occur.

By implementing regular alcohol testing protocols, businesses in Ajman create a culture of safety that prioritizes the well-being of employees. This reduces the likelihood of accidents, boosts employee confidence in the safety measures in place, and contributes to a healthier work environment overall.

2. Improving Employee Performance and Productivity

Alcohol can impair cognitive functions and motor skills, which directly affects an employee's ability to perform tasks efficiently. In workplaces where high performance is expected, alcohol consumption can lead to errors, delays, and lower productivity levels. Regular alcohol testing helps employers ensure that their workforce remains sober and focused on their work, ultimately contributing to higher levels of performance and productivity.

Moreover, employees who know that alcohol testing is part of the workplace culture are less likely to engage in alcohol consumption during working hours. This fosters a sense of responsibility and accountability among workers, which positively impacts overall job performance.

3. Encouraging a Culture of Accountability

A key element of a healthy workplace culture is accountability. Alcohol testing plays a central role in holding employees accountable for their actions, particularly when it comes to maintaining sobriety while on the job. When employees understand that alcohol consumption is prohibited during working hours and that they may be tested at any time, they are more likely to take their responsibilities seriously.

By incorporating alcohol testing into workplace policies, employers send a clear message that they value their employees' health, safety, and well-being. This, in turn, helps to cultivate a sense of accountability and integrity across the organization, leading to a more trustworthy and responsible work environment.

4. Promoting Employee Well-being and Mental Health

A healthier workplace culture is not only about physical safety but also about supporting employees' mental and emotional well-being. Alcohol abuse or addiction can have detrimental effects on an individual’s mental health, leading to stress, anxiety, and depression. Alcohol testing in the workplace helps identify employees who may be struggling with alcohol-related issues and provides an opportunity for employers to offer support and assistance.

By detecting alcohol impairment early, companies in Ajman can take a compassionate approach to help employees get the necessary support, whether through counseling, rehabilitation programs, or other wellness initiatives. This support helps to reduce the stigma associated with alcohol-related issues and demonstrates a commitment to fostering a culture of care and empathy.

5. Strengthening Trust Between Employers and Employees

A key foundation of any successful workplace is trust between employers and employees. When alcohol testing is implemented in a transparent and fair manner, it fosters mutual trust and respect. Employees feel reassured knowing that they are being tested based on fair and consistent policies that apply to everyone equally.

By prioritizing alcohol testing, employers can reduce concerns about discrimination or favoritism in the workplace. Employees are more likely to trust the organization’s commitment to fairness and integrity, which strengthens loyalty and contributes to a positive workplace culture.

6. Encouraging Team Cohesion and Morale

A work environment free from the distractions and dangers of alcohol fosters better relationships among coworkers and improves team cohesion. When employees are sober and focused, they are better able to collaborate, communicate effectively, and work together to achieve organizational goals.

Alcohol testing helps ensure that team dynamics are not disrupted by the negative effects of alcohol consumption. This contributes to a more harmonious and productive workplace where employees feel valued, respected, and motivated to perform their best.

Alcohol Testing Methods in Ajman

In order to ensure that alcohol testing is carried out effectively and efficiently, companies in Ajman utilize various testing methods depending on their specific needs and the nature of the work environment. Some of the most common alcohol testing methods include:

1. Breath Alcohol Testing

Breath alcohol testing is one of the most common and widely used methods for alcohol testing in the workplace. It involves an employee blowing into a breathalyzer device, which measures the alcohol content in their breath. This test provides quick results and is non-invasive, making it ideal for random testing or pre-employment screenings.

Breath alcohol testing is particularly useful in industries where rapid testing is required, such as transportation, manufacturing, and construction.

2. Blood Alcohol Testing

Blood alcohol testing is a more accurate and precise method for determining an employee's blood alcohol content (BAC). This method is typically used in cases where a more detailed analysis is needed, such as post-accident investigations. Blood testing is invasive but provides reliable and scientifically validated results.

3. Urine Alcohol Testing

Urine alcohol testing is another common method used in the workplace. It detects the presence of alcohol metabolites in the urine, which can indicate alcohol consumption within the past 24 to 48 hours. While not as immediate as breath tests, urine testing can be effective for scheduled or random alcohol screenings.

Implementing Alcohol Testing for a Healthier Workplace Culture

For companies in Ajman to fully realize the benefits of alcohol testing, it is essential to implement clear and effective policies. This includes establishing a comprehensive alcohol testing program that includes random testing, pre-employment screenings, and post-incident testing. Employers should also ensure that employees are informed about alcohol testing policies and procedures, fostering transparency and compliance.

Furthermore, businesses should provide resources and support for employees who may need help with alcohol-related issues. This includes offering counseling, rehabilitation programs, and creating a workplace environment that prioritizes mental health and well-being.

Conclusion

Alcohol testing is a vital tool for creating a healthier and safer workplace in Ajman. By preventing alcohol-related accidents, improving employee performance, and fostering a culture of accountability and well-being, alcohol testing contributes to a positive and productive work environment. Companies that prioritize alcohol testing demonstrate their commitment to their employees' health and safety while maintaining compliance with local laws and regulations. Ultimately, alcohol testing helps create a healthier workplace culture where employees can thrive and contribute to the overall success of the organization.

#alcohol testing #alcohol testing lab #testing lab near me #testing lab uae #alcohol testing uae

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best-testing-lab · 1 year ago

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Ensuring Compliance: How the Best Testing Lab in Qatar Adheres to Local and International Standards

In the realm of testing services, compliance with local and international standards is paramount. It ensures the quality, safety, and reliability of testing results, instilling confidence in clients and stakeholders. In Qatar, the best testing lab stands out for its unwavering commitment to compliance, both at the local and international levels. This blog delves into the mechanisms and practices employed by the best testing lab in Qatar to ensure adherence to regulatory requirements and global standards.

1. Understanding the Importance of Compliance:

Compliance with local and international standards is essential for upholding quality, safety, and reliability in testing services. It provides assurance to clients and stakeholders that testing procedures are conducted according to recognized protocols and best practices, mitigating risks and ensuring consistency in results.

2. Adherence to Local Regulatory Requirements:

The best testing lab in Qatar diligently adheres to local regulatory requirements set forth by authorities such as the Qatar Ministry of Public Health and the Qatar General Organization for Standardization. This entails strict adherence to regulations governing testing procedures, facility standards, and accreditation criteria.

3. Alignment with International Standards and Guidelines:

In addition to local regulations, the best testing lab aligns its practices with international standards and guidelines established by organizations like ISO and ASTM International. By following globally recognized protocols, the lab ensures compatibility, consistency, and interoperability in its testing processes.

4. Implementation of Quality Management Systems:

To maintain compliance and drive continuous improvement, the best testing lab implements robust quality management systems, such as ISO 9001. These systems provide a framework for standardizing processes, monitoring performance, and addressing non-conformities, thereby enhancing efficiency and reliability in testing operations.

5. Training and Certification Programs for Staff:

Ensuring competence among its staff is crucial for the best testing lab to uphold compliance with standards. To achieve this, the lab offers comprehensive training and certification programs to its personnel, covering topics such as regulatory requirements, testing methodologies, and quality management practices.

6. Utilization of Accredited Testing Methods and Equipment:

The best testing lab employs accredited testing methods and state-of-the-art equipment to ensure the accuracy and reliability of its testing results. Accreditation by recognized bodies such as A2LA and UKAS validates the competency and proficiency of the lab in performing specific tests, instilling confidence in the integrity of its services.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the best testing lab in Qatar maintains a steadfast commitment to compliance with both local and international standards. Through adherence to regulatory requirements, alignment with global standards, implementation of quality management systems, training of staff, and utilization of accredited methods and equipment, the lab upholds the highest standards of quality, safety, and reliability in its testing services. Clients and stakeholders can trust in the best testing lab's dedication to compliance, knowing that their testing needs are met with precision, accuracy, and integrity.

#best testing lab qatar #best testing lab #water testing lab #alcohol testing lab #material testing lab #testing lab

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isacare77 · 10 days ago

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Phlebotomy and Diagnostic Testing in North Miami Beach FL

Isacare Laboratory & Concierge Services is your trusted Phlebotomy and Diagnostic Testing in North Miami Beach FL, delivering accurate and dependable diagnostic testing. From phlebotomy to DNA testing, our skilled team ensures precise results with professional care. We also offer concierge support and background check services for your convenience.

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sacredsorceress · 8 months ago

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Scars / Logan Howlett

pairing: dofp!logan howlett x mutant!reader summary: every person has a soulmate. after settling in the future that he saved, logan starts to consider his next mission when a suspicious mark appears on him. word count: 3.2k a/n: good ol'fashioned soulmate AU. this is the first actual fic i've written in a long time so please have some grace. reblogs and replies are super appreciated! warnings: general mentions of logan's past, scars, self-doubt, alcoholism, reader smokes a cigar, mentions of razors, scars, wounds, two uses of y/n

logan masterlist | inbox | full masterlist

It had been a week since Logan woke up in his healed timeline.

For most people, the change would have been dramatic. But Logan was far unlike most people. The initial dreamlike state he was in when he first walked through the mansion- seeing the ghosts he had once known returned to the flesh, unscathed- quickly subsided. Logan had always been a man thrown onto a new path- how he lived life constantly changing to best fit his interests. Now, with his newfound peace he found the most complicated mission of all: what to do with the life he was now free to live?

Even before the sentinels, the battles, the wars- he had always been a man on the run. He was solo, strategic, concise. For a man who was gifted with infinite regeneration, he had solely concerned himself with staying alive. He ate for sustenance, sought shelter for safety, and nursed a bottle to find enough peace of mind to sleep at night.

The professor had once told him that for a person to reach self-actualization they first had to have all of their needs met. Logan had scoffed at the time, assuring the professor that he knew himself just fine. But now, with his problems so solved that they had ceased to ever exist, he wondered if maybe the professor was right.

Who was he? Where did he go from here?

The answer was found in the form of a scar on his hand.

"Well, everything seems to be just fine."

Logan scoffed at the blue man in front of him

"Well it's not." Logan said. "Check again."

Two days after he had come back, a large, circular scar had appeared on the palms of each of his hands. When they hadn't disappeared after two minutes, he rushed to the bathroom and nicked himself with his razor, watching as the wound healed with only blood dripping down his scruff as a remanent of it. Thirty minutes after that he found himself in the lab with Hank, Jean, and the Professor hypothesizing his miraculous marks.

"Logan, the tests came back clear." Jean assured him, leaning against the wall. "Maybe it's time to consider that it's something else."

Logan quirked his head towards her.

"I haven't had a scar in over two hundred years," he reminded her, his voice laced with irony. "I get not one, but two and you... what? Think it's a coincidence?"

Before Jean had a chance at rebuttal, the professor moved to face Logan.

"That's not what Jean's inferring, Logan." Charles reminded him. "We're simply asking that you consider other options. Less... dire options. It could, after all, be a good thing."

"Yeah?" Logan scoffed. "Like what?"

A silence hung in the air.

When Logan had first come to them with news of his scar, the thought had been on all three of their minds. Still, there were a plethora of things that could have caused that. Though, when the tests came back clear and his skin continued to heal from all sorts of abrasions, it felt as if there was only one answer for his seemingly magical scars.

However, none of them were keen on sharing this diagnosis with Logan. One wondered whether he'd handle the idea of his body failing him over fated love.

Hank was the first to speak up.

"Like a soulmate."

Oh that was rich, Logan thought.

Logan wasn't unfamiliar with the idea of soulmates.

Around the time that two fated lovers were destined to meet, there would be a sign for each of them. In some cases they were eyes changing colors, feeling the other's pain, finding their names everywhere they looked. In other cases they were new birthmarks, tattoos, scars.

In some way, the two were inextricably connected.

In his long life he had seen others experience it dozens if not hundreds of times. When the first thirty years of his life rolled around with no one, Logan accepted that he was one of the outliers. He considered it for the best and by now, with everything that he had gone through, the concept of soulmates almost seemed like an old wives' tale.

Logan glanced at their faces. When he realized they were serious, a deep laugh escaped from his gut. There was a lack of light in his eyes that admitted his insincerity.

"So I disappear for a few decades and you all start believing in fairytales?" Logan pulled the needles from his arm, the heart rate monitor going flat as he did. "What a bunch of bullshit."

Jean laid her hand against his chest, urging him back into the seat.

"Logan." She soothed him. "This is a good thing. Scott and I-"

Oh this was real rich.

"Scott and you are... what, huh?" Logan urged. "Soulmates?"

Logan scoffed, swiping Jean's hand from his chest.

"Bet you're so happy with your 'soulmate' and that's why you lead me on, huh? That it? You're happy?" He taunted, a dark laugh escaping him once more. "Spare me-"

"Logan, that's enough!"

The professor's voice echoed against the linoleum walls of the lab, reverberating off of the medical equipment throughout.

"If you want to wallow in your own self-deprivation, be my guest, but spare the rest of us your grief." Charles continued. "I think it would be best if you go back to your quarters and consider the future the universe has offered you."

The energy in the air was thick.

Jean and Hank avoided Logan’s eye contact while the professor’s nearly burned a whole through him.

Accepting defeat, Logan threw his hands up in the air and pushed himself out of his metal chair.

“Fine.”

Soulmates. Logan thought. Who would believe in a thing like that?

"It's a pleasure to see you again."

The atmosphere in the mansion was a stark contrast to the lab Charles had been in days before.

Now the school day had commenced: children skipping from class to class, students chatting with their friends in the hallway, teachers grabbing coffee between lessons. Amidst the organized chaos, Charles had arranged to meet you in the foyer: the replacement history teacher for Logan's class.

"You too, professor." You smiled, reaching out your hand. "I was so glad to hear from you."

Your hand hung in the air briefly, awaiting his return. Charles examined it for a moment- a twinkle in his eye- before taking it. His thumbs brushed against the newfound scars between your knuckles as he did.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you didn't always have these scars, did you, Y/n?" Charles asked.

You had not.

You had woken with them a few days before. Despite your powers rooted in chaos magic, it wasn't uncommon for blemishes or wounds to etch themselves into your skin. However, you often knew why. These marks, scars, were not faint, but instead quite profound. Three thick, healed over wounds patched together like a stitch on the back of each of your hands.

"No professor."

He closed his eyes, a soft smile gracing his lips. Though you knew he wished to ask more questions, the moment was broken by Logan.

"Ah, the man himself." Charles beamed. "Logan, I'd like you to meet Y/n. She'll be covering your class."

You had seen your fair share of news stories about the Wolverine. Who hadn't? Though the television had never prepared you for just how tall, or broad he was.

"It's nice to meet you, Logan."

"You too." He nodded, taking your hand.

His hand lingered in yours for a moment. Charles cleared his throat.

"We were just discussing the most peculiar scar on Y/n's hand." Charles said. "Appeared just a few days ago out of nowhere."

Charles nodded his head in the direction of your hand, leading Logan to squint. As if a light bulb had gone off over his head, Logan glanced between Charles and yourself and with your hand still in his, he turned it examine the back.

Three scars between your knuckles. Right where his own claws would be.

Though he liked to imagine himself as the patron of remaining suave, Logan's eyebrows shot up at the recognition. He traced his view from your hands, up your torso, to your face where you eyed him questioningly.

He thought back to the way that he woke up in the seventies, wrapped in the arms of another woman. If times had been different and Logan hadn't undergone all the so-called character development in the last forty years, he was sure that a face like yours would have gotten him in a lot of trouble. You were beautiful, and your demeanor highlighted your strength.

Your face radiated kindness, warmth and most of all, sincerity- a trait that was difficult to come by in a trade such as his.

But then Logan recalled that this wasn't the seventies and you weren't at some bar leading him on the entire night: your hand was in his and, according to everyone else, he was yours.

The idea almost couldn't register in Logan's brain.

"Interesting, isn't it, Logan?" Charles asked, breaking the silence. "Almost identical to where your claws are, hmm?"

Oh the professor thought he was quite funny.

Logan pulled his hand back from your grasp and shook his head.

"Not that easy, Charles." Logan commented before turning to you, a spiteful tone in his voice. "See you around, bub."

Before you had the chance to open your mouth, you watched as Logan stomped down the nearest hallway, his boots squeaking against the floorboards as he did. His fists clenched and released at his sides as he disappeared from view.

His reaction had come so far from left field that if it hadn't given you whiplash, it would have hurt your ego. Instead you turned back to the professor.

"Was it something I said?" You asked.

The professor shook his head, patting your hand gently.

"Logan's quite a complicated man." He assured you. "I'm sure you'll come to know that more than the rest of us. Now, to your classroom..."

Glancing over your shoulder to the void-like hallway that Logan went down, you considered the professor's words.

A storm had taken over the mansion by nightfall.

As you padded down the wood panelled hallways, the lightbulbs shook in their glass with each thunder clap- wind swatting at the window panes every few seconds. The pitter patter of the raindrops, although harsh, was comforting. It was almost as if the mansion had been engulfed by the storm, trapping everyone inside, while consequently making the outside world feel a thousand miles away.

When you found Logan's door, tucked in at the end of the hallway, you knocked.

"Yep."

The weight of the door fell against the palm of your hands as you pushed it open.

Logan's room was dark. The only light in the space had been from the embers of the cigar that hung in his mouth, cradled between his thumb and forefinger. Despite the darkness, you could make out his figure sitting at his desk chair by the window, feet kicked up on the sill.

Logan only gave you a quick glance over his shoulder before turning back to the view.

"What d'you want?"

His voice was thick and rough around the edges.

"I came for your textbooks." You replied, tiptoeing against his floorboards. "The professor said you'd have them."

The hand of his that held the cigar waved around. Minuscule ashes fell to the floor as your eyes remained trained on the light and the faint glow of the moon that illuminated the side of his face.

"Be my guest," he said. "Don’t have a clue where they are."

The professor had given you the lowdown when he saw your scars.

Charles told you that despite everything that you had learned- the history that you had known- the Wolverine you'd meet was not the same person. He was a man from a different time with far different, darker memories and enough baggage to weigh down dozens.

Amidst the silence, you cleared your throat.

"Must be hard to wake up in someone else's life."

By now you had reached his desk, your fingertips tracing the lines in the dark, lacquered wood.

You could smell him and the cigar from this distance- aftershave mixed with smoke.

"The professor tell you that?"

"Mhm."

The chair creaked as Logan flicked his hand towards the window, ushering you to come closer.

Watching your step in the dark, you maneuvered around the furniture and sat beside Logan on his desk- pushing loose papers to the side.

"He give you his whole spiel on soulmates too?" He asked, eyes trained on the rain outside.

Soulmates.

Now that was the last thing you expected to come from the Wolverine's mouth.

You'd heard of them more times than you could count. You once wondered whether every repetitive coincidence was a sign that your person was coming. But, when that never happened, you lost hope.

Who got to tell you who you belonged to anyway?

Leaning over, you gingerly took the cigar from his grasp and replaced it with your own fingers. Sitting back into the desk as lightening struck a tree in the distance, you took a puff.

"So that's what the scars on my hands were all about," You thought aloud.

The window fogged as you let the smoke leave from your mouth in a breathy sigh.

Logan tapped his fingers on his thighs, counting the seconds between a lightening strike and its consecutive rumble of thunder.

"Listen, I'm no prince charming if that's what you came here looking for."

Logan's chair creaked again as he leaned back in his seat. His arm draped against the desk as he met your gaze.

You chuckled and held out his cigar, offering it back to him.

"I came here looking for textbooks." You laughed. "You're the one who keeps talking about soulmates. I think you're more of a romantic than you let on.”

His fingers brushed against yours as he took the cigar back into his own hand. Another lightning strike met the ground in the distance, a clap of thunder following moments afterwards.

"You don't buy it?" Logan quirked his eyebrow. It was a teasing question, one he was curious to hear your answer to.

You shrugged.

"I don't think the universe gets to tell me who to love," you said. "If I fall in love with you it's because I love you, Logan. Not because some mark told me to. I just think of it as... a little shove in the right direction.”

The corner of his mouth quirked into a smile for the first time.

"A shove?"

"Like a... blind date." You finished. "Ever been on one of those?"

A congested laugh escaped him.

"Sweetheart, do I look like the type of guy to go on a blind date?"

You bit the inside of your cheek at the name.

Rolling your eyes, you swatted at his arm. You wouldn't admit how much it hurt your knuckles to do so. You'd have to make a mental note to remember his adamantium skeleton.

"Gosh, you're cocky!"

Logan shrugged, "You're the one who likes it apparently."

You felt yourself grow hot at his accusation.

Even though he had a mark signalling his future affection for you, you couldn't help but feel embarrassed by Logan's knowledge of yours. You felt like a child who's crush had just been exposed to the whole class. Was he noting ever glance that you gave him? The way you didn't move when his arm brushed against yours?

A brief pause hung in the air until another thunder clap reverberated against the walls.

"So what's your mark?" You asked.

Logan shoved the cigar into the corner of his mouth. The biting motion forced him to flex his jaw in a way that you would refuse to admit made you start to realize that maybe the universe was right.

And that maybe his cockiness was justified.

He laid out his hands for you. The room was still dark, making the ability to discern the details of his scar impossible. Taking Logan's hands in yours, you summoned your magic into your hands, watching as they glowed gold.

Logan had two large, circular scars imprinted into his palms. It was a clear indicator of your own magical power that surged from your hands.

It left a feeling you couldn't describe in your chest to know that someone else was marked for you. They were destined for you. To be with you. You had a future written together before the two of you had met. Even if he rejected you, there was a sign etched into his skin that bound the two of you together in some fateful way.

Gently, you traced your fingertips against the mark, feeling the warmth that radiated from his palms.

When your eyes flicked upwards, you noticed how close the two of you were now sitting. You could feel his warm breath against your lips as the lingering smell of the cigar drifted up your nose.

Although he wouldn’t admit it, Logan was enchanted by the energy radiating from you. Whether people hated or loved him, his ability got a lot of talk. In his mind though, he would never be a hero. He was just some guy who got lucky.

You, though? He didn’t need you to tell him that you were an Omega level mutant. Logan had heard about you from the professor: you could cast spells, read minds, reconfigure reality- to name a few. You didn't need a reason to fight for what's right, you just did. Again, and again, and again. Even here, now, you were picking up Logan's history class when he knew very well you could be on the other side of the world sipping pina coladas if you wanted.

What the hell was the universe thinking putting you with him?

Logan admired the reflection of the magic on your cheeks and the way your eyes stayed trained on his palms. Your touch was so gentle he could have sworn he was in a distant dream until your eyes met his.

The two of you stared at each other for a moment, gaze locked.

Then another clap of thunder shook the mansion.

You quickly leaned back, pulling your hands from Logan's touch.

"I should... I should go." You said, pushing yourself off of Logan's desk. "It's getting late and I have my first class in the morning."

Logan leaned back in his seat. He said nothing but eyes remained fixed on your form as you made your way towards the door.

Looking back at him with your hand on the knob you made a mental note to remember the image of him with his feet kicked back on the window as he smoked his cigar.

A soft smile remained.

"Good night, Logan."

When you didn't leave immediately, he nodded.

"Night, sweetheart."

Mustering up the courage to shoot him one last smile, you pulled open the door and stepped outside.

Now, Logan didn't know how much he believed in soulmates, but he could be inclined to consider that it was one good wingman.

Leaning back in his seat, Logan sighed and closed his eyes, letting himself drown out his worries with the sound of the rain.

a/n: my inbox is open for more requests! thank you for the request @welcometochilis585

#wolverine #logan howlett #logan #logan howlett x reader #logan x reader #wolverine x reader #wolverine fluff #wolverine fanfiction #xmen #xmen fanfiction #deadpool and wolverine

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spideyson-stuff · 3 months ago

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For me Tony becomes UNBEARABLE if he doesn't have his daily dose of Peter

Like, a week is enough for him to go from "nice and playful Tony" to "insufferable billionaire" everyone on the team knows this, but he never admits it, so when they know that Peter will be away from the tower for 1 or 2 weeks, they already prepare for "hell week"

One time Peter spent 3 weeks without talking to Tony or going to the tower because he had a lot of work, tests and things scheduled for the weeks and he didn't have time, in the second week everyone was already considering move away from there because Tony was unbearable and without Peter everything seems more empty

Honestly, sometimes they wonder how they lived without Peter in the tower before, the silence is deafening and the lack of light is suffocating

Pepper is also at her limit and can't handle work anymore without the breaks for the "refreshing conversation" she has with Peter that usually relieves her stress

Tony is the worst, you know the alcoholic, mean and idiotic version of him? So, he's like this, he hasn't slept for days, he hasn't invented anything for 2 weeks and still insists on staying in the lab, no one else knows what to do at this point

When Peter comes back it's like they've been reborn, Tony is happy again, Pepper is less stressed and the light is back

God bless everyone when Peter tells them he's going to be away for a month on a trip with May next month....

#peter parker #spider man #tony stark #spiderman #spider son #iron dad and spider son #iron dad #iron man #peter parker headcanon #everyone loves peter parker #meme #avengers #pepper potts #mom pepper potts

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waitimcomingtoo · 1 year ago

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Meet Me Behind The Mall

Pairing: shy!Peter Parker x popular!Reader

Synopsis: after getting ditched by your friends, you spend a day with Peter in the mall, who’s secret you recently figured out

Masterlist

In his peripheral vision, Peter could see a tiny piece of paper being pushed onto his side of the lab table. He curiously looked at it, then up at you. You nodded your head towards the note so Peter unfolded it.

“What’s the answer to number 7?” The note read. Peter glanced up at the professor before scribbling down the answer and passing the note back to you. You read his response and circled the correct answer. A few seconds passed when another note was passed across the table. Peter picked it up and opened it to reveal three hearts drawn around the words “thank u!”. Peter felt his face flush and looked over at you again. You gave him a thumbs up before going up to hand in your test.

After class, you caught up with Peter in the hallway and put your hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“Thank you so much for helping me in there. I counted up all the answers I was confident I got right and it wasn’t enough to get a pass. I just don’t get this unit.”

“You’re welcome.” Was all Peter could say. He thought about offering to tutor you or telling you he also struggled with the topic, but he felt too shy to get anything more out than a cordial response.

“I bet you did really well. You always do. God, I wish I was as good at science as you are. It’s just never come naturally to me. How do you always know the answer?” You asked him as you continued to walk together.

“Oh, I don’t know.” He shrugged and immediately scrunched his face in embarrassment. He wished he could be better at conversing with you, especially since you were always so nice to him. He saw a pack of your friends coming down the hallway and they waved you over, putting your conversation out of it’s misery.

“Bye, Peter. I’ll see you next class. Have a good weekend.” You waved to him as you ran to catch up with your large group of friends. He knew he should return the sentiment but instead stayed silent and gave you a pathetic wave back.

That night, the cheap alcohol of the frat party didn’t sit well with you so you headed home early. You were a pretty far walk from your dorm but felt too nauseas to get into a car. Instead, you started walking home and let the cold New York air calm you down.

“Where are you going, gorgeous?”

You felt panic drop in your stomach at the sound of a man’s voice somewhere in the darkness but kept walking to your dorm. The sound of footsteps behind you picked up behind you so you quickened your pace. You could still hear music coming from the party you had left so you knew people were nearby if worst came to worst.

“Hey. I’m talking to you. Where are you going?”The man asked as he caught up to you and walked beside you. You ignored him and tugged your jacket tighter around your body. He suddenly took you by the elbow and you froze in fear.

“Come on. Don’t be rude. Just give me a smile and I’ll leave you alone.” The man said with a sickening smile as he tried to get you to look at him.

“Please. I’ll give you whatever you want from my bag. Just leave me alone.” You pleaded and moved away from him. He snatched your purse from your hands and started to rummage through it.

“What the hell is this? This is just full of receipts.” He grimaced in disgust and pulled out a handful of crumbled receipts.

“I don’t want to throw them out in case I need to return something one day.” You said meekly.

“Do you even have a wallet? All I’m finding is lip gloss.” The man said as he picked up five different lip products from the bottom of your bag.

“Oh, I’m sorry you didn’t find a better person to rob.” You scoffed sarcastically. The man looked up at you with a primal look in his eyes.

“Oh, you think you’re funny? I don’t like girls who think they’re funny.” He said and gripped your elbow again. You tried to pull away but he was too strong. Before you could tell him to let to, Spiderman dropped down next to you. You cracked a smile at the sight of him and let out a sigh of relief.

“Sir, I hate to be the one to tell you this but that purse does not to with that outfit.” Peter sassed and moved his hands in dramatic exasperation.

“Huh?” The guy said and let go of you.

“Now, you better not have left a bruise on this lovely lady’s elbows or you and I are gonna have a serious problem.” Peter warned as he shot a web at the guys pants. He yanked them down and the man’s jeans fell to his ankles.

“Hm. I did not peg you for a boxers guy. Your whole vibe screams “Fruit of the Loom” tighty whities. Yet now I stand corrected.” Peter said as he tilted his head to the side. You covered your mouth and let out a laugh, making the man grow angry. He went to lunge at Peter but tripped over his dropped pants.

“Uh oh. Someone’s angry. Maybe your whities are a little too tighty.” Peter commented as he pinched his fingers together. You laughed again as Peter shot a web at your purse.

“I’ll take that.” He quipped and yanked the purse out of the man’s hands.

“Thank you!” Peter said politely as he caught your purse.

“Hey!” The man shouted.

“Hey?” Peter laughed. “You’re yelling at me like it’s yours.”

The man tried to lunge at Peter again and ended up falling flat on his face. Peter took that as his cue to wrap an arm around you and pick you up to swing you to safety. He landed a few blocks away and carefully put you down. You stared at him through the mask as he put you down, your faces just inches apart. Peter gulped and felt his entire face go red beneath the mask.

“Thank you, Spiderman.” You smiled softly at him as you slowly withdrew your arm from around his neck.

“You’re very welcome, miss. I believe this belongs to you.” He said as he put your purse back into your hands. Your eyebrows knit together suddenly in confusion and you let out a short laugh.

“Wait, Peter?” You asked, making Peter’s heart drop.

“Uh, what?” He gulped. “Who’s that? I’m your friendly neighbor Spiderman.”

“Right. Sorry. You sound just like this guy in my chemistry class.” You laughed and shook your head. Peter felt his blush spread all the way to his ears over you recognizing the sound of his voice. You ran in different circles at school, you being apart of the popular group of girls and him belonging to a small group of local nerds. That being said, your ever present kindness towards him left him to develop a small crush on you.

“Oh. Well, that’s not me. But he sounds really handsome.” Peter replied, making you laugh again.

“He is.” You nodded without an ounce of sarcasm in your voice. This piked his curiosity and he leaned in a little.

“He is?” He asked.

“Oh, yeah. Absolutely.” You nodded. “In a hot nerd kind of way. Like Spencer Reid. But kinda short. Which I’m not sure why I’m telling you now that I hear myself.”

“It’s okay. I like that show too.” He chuckled shyly. “He sounds really cool.”

“He is really cool. At least, I think he is. But I’m not really sure. Everytime I try to talk to him, he looks away.” You sighed like you were disappointed. Peter realized you were a little drunk and probably didn’t know what you were saying. Even if that was the case, it was still nice to hear.

“Maybe he’s just shy. And doesn’t know how to look pretty girls in the eye.” Peter said as he kicked a rock around with his foot.

“That’s a shame.” You smiled sadly. “Because I think he and I could be friends if he ever learned to look at me.”

Peter stopped messing with the rock and looked up at you. There was a smallness to you tonight that shone through your party dress and heavy makeup. Your typically bright hand bubbly demeanor was cloudy by something you weren’t telling him.

“Maybe he’ll start.” He told you.

“I hope so.“ You answered honestly. “He seems nice. I could use a friend like him.”

Standing under that streetlight, Peter noticed a sadness to you for the first time. You were usually in a circle of friends all wearing smiles but right now, you seemed completely alone down to your bones.

“So how was your night?” He asked in a quiet voice. You stared off into the distance as your eyes brimmed with tears suddenly.

“Do you ever feel completely alone despite being in a room full of people you know?” You asked him.

“I do, actually. All the time.” He answered. You looked at him and smiled sadly.

“Do really, Spiderman?” You asked with hope in your voice. It wasn’t that you wanted him to feel alone. You just wanted to know you weren’t the only one who felt that way.

“I do. Is that how you felt tonight?”

“I don’t know. I guess. Sometimes I make jokes and my friends all look at each other. And they all make this face as if they’re thinking the same thing. And what they’re thinking is that I’m a freakish alien who they’re embarrassed to know. That’s how I felt tonight.”

“Well that’s no fun. And you’re not a freakish alien. You’re very funny.”

“And you know that because you’re the cute guy in my chemistry class?” You asked with a hopeful smile.

“I’m not him. I’m just guessing that you’re funny. So maybe you are an alien. I don’t know. This is our first time meeting.”

“Right.” You rolled your eyes. “So how do you think you did on the last test? I actually feel pretty confident.”

“I don’t know because I didn’t take any test because I’m not the guy in your chemistry class. Now can I walk you home? It’s freezing out here and I have no jacket to offer you.”

“Sure, thanks. I’m this way.” You said and pointed in the direction of your dorm. Peter placed a hand on the small of your back and guided you towards your dorm.

“You should get a friend to walk with you next time you leave a party. It’s not safe to be out here by yourself. Especially with guys like that going around snatching purses.”

“I know. I asked my friends but they weren’t ready to leave yet.” You shrugged.

“And they let you walk home alone? Drunk? Sounds like you need some new friends.” Peter joked but you nodded in agreement.

“I know. But you know how friends can be. They still wanted to party. Why should I be their problem?” You shrugged again, making Peter frown.

“It’s not a problem to look out for you.” He said simply.

“That’s easy for you to say. You look out for everyone. It’s your job.” You reminded him.

“I’m not just saying that because of my job. It wouldn’t be a burden to take care of you no matter who I was.” Peter replied, making you stop walking. He looked at you and you looked that you had been waiting your whole life to hear what he had just said.

“Thank you.” You said with a fond smile.

“You’re very welcome.” Peter replied in an equally soft voice. You kept walking in comfortable silence until you reached the girls dorm.

“This is my dorm.” You told him. Thanks again for walking me home. And getting my purse back for me.”

“Anytime.”He nodded. “I just hope it doesn’t happen again. But if it did, you know.”

“You’d be here.” You finished his sentence.

“Exactly.” He smiled. “You can count on it.”

You couldn’t see the smile under his mask but you knew it was there. You held up your purse to show him that you had it before walking up a few of your dorm steps.

“See you at school?” You asked him.

“Don’t think so.” Peter chuckled. You squinted your eyes as if you didn’t believe him but eventually shrugged.

“That’s too bad. Good night.” You waved to him and walked the rest of the way up the stairs.

“Good night.” He called after you.

Once Monday came, you were determined to talk to Peter. You didn’t have chemistry that day so you’d have to find him elsewhere on campus. You knew he usually hung out in the library so you went there to check. Sure enough, he was at a table with his friends Ned and Miles.

“Hey, Peter.” You greeted as you walked up to him.

“H-hi.” He stammered. “What are you? I mean, how are you up? I mean, how are you? What’s up?”

“There we go.” Ned nodded. “I knew he’d get there eventually.”

“I’m good.” You replied. “How are you doing?”

“Ooo. Is this your girlfriend from chemistry class?” Miles asked as his raised his eyebrows suggestively.

“Is that what you told them?” You smiled in surprise as you looked at Peter.

“No. I didn’t. I swear.“ He assured you as his entire face went red.

“He did show us the note you gave him.” Ned told you.

“Oh yeah. Three hearts. I didn’t realize you guys were so serious.” Miles teased Peter as he gave his friends a look that begged them to stop.

“I never said she was my girlfriend.” Peter whispered harshly to them. You could tell he was getting embarrassed so you played along to save him. You frowned and ran your fingers through his hair before letting your hand rest on his cheek.

“What? You didn’t tell them about us, baby?” You asked and titled your head to the side. Miles and Ned’s made surprised faces as Peters entire face went red.

“W-what?” Peter sputtered out.

“I’m messing with you.” You smiled. “But I do need to talk to you.”

“Oh, uh, okay. Sure.” Peter said and moved his bag so you could sit down. You looked at Miles and Ned and smiled timidly.

“Privately.” You clarified. Miles and Ned “oooo”ed as you walked away from their table and went into the hall.

“Dude, follow her.” Ned told him and pushed Peter up from the table. Peter nervously fixed his hair and got up to follow you.

“What’s up?” He asked once you were alone. You looked around to see who was watching before stepping closer to him.

“I just wanted to thank for getting my purse back for me. It’s my favorite bag. And my favorite lip combo was in there. You really saved me.” You said and squeezed his arm in appreciation.

“Oh, you’re welcome. Anytime.” Peter said waved his hand like it was no big deal. Your lips curved into a wicked smile and Peter realized his mistake.

“Shit.” He whispered as you jumped up and down and clapped your hands.

“I knew it!” You whispered. “I knew that was your voice!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said quickly.

“Yes you do.” You grinned and poked him in the chest.

“I really don’t.” He shrugged but he knew he was caught.

“Then why are you so flustered right now?” You folded your arms to ask him. Peter touched his burning cheek and debated telling you his face always did that around you.

“I’m not.” He lied.

“Your face is hot.” You pointed out as you touched a cold hand to his cheek.

“Psht. Your face is hot.” He scoffed and pushed your hand away.

“Thank you.” You said pointedly. “But you and I both know that I figured out your little secret. There’s no point in denying it now.”

“I don’t have any secrets. So you don’t know anything.”

“Come on, Peter.” You whined. “I’ve been waiting all weekend to tell you that I know. I wanted to text you but I don’t have your number and I couldn’t find you on Instagram. You have one, don’t you?”

“I’m not on social media.” He told you.

“Okay. That’s serial killer behavior but I’m willing to look past it if you confirm my suspicions.” You said and excitedly drummed your fingers on your chin.

“I’m not Spiderman. So I cannot confirm your suspicions.” He whispered for only you to hear. You smirked a little before shrugging.

“I guess you can’t.” You sighed. “It’s weird though, right?”

“What’s weird?” He wondered.

“That I never said you were Spiderman. I just thanked you for getting my purse.” You said with a coy smile. Peter hung his head in shame as he confirmed to you for the second time that he was in fact Spiderman.

“I knew it! I knew it was you. I even recognized the way you walk.” You said proudly.

“What do you know about the way I walk?” He asked with a shy smile.

“You walk really stiff like you’re holding two invisible briefcases.” You explained and demonstrated for him with a near perfect imitation of how he walked.

“What? No I don’t. Oh wait. Yeah, I kinda do.” He realized as he watched you.

“You definitely do. Now can you please just tell me I’m right? I’ve been thinking about it all weekend. I need to hear you tell me I was right.” You begged him as you put your hands on his shoulders. Peter playfully rolled his eyes up to the ceiling and sighed.

“You right.” He mumbled.

“Yes! I knew I was right!” You cheered. “Everything makes sense now. That’s why you’re always disappearing or yawning or bruised. You’re probably up every night getting girls purses, aren’t you?”

“Not always purses.” He instead. “Sometimes it’s bikes. And one time, a mean chihuahua.”

“Wow.” You said with genuine amazement. “So how long have you been doing this?”

“Since I was 15.”

“15? Damn. I was exhausted from working 4 hours a week at Kohl’s at 15. How do you do it? You must be so tired.” You frowned and rubbed his arm kindly.

“It’s tiring but someone has to do it.” He shrugged. “Just like someone has to hand out Kohl’s cash.”

“Thats true.” You chuckled. “And that’s a very selfless way to look at it.”

“Oh. Thank you.” He smiled shyly. “But please, you can’t tell anyone about this. Nobody else knows.”

“Duh.” You replied. “This is our secret.”

“Yeah. Ours.” He smiled and felt his face heat up at the mention of something belonging to only the two of you. Your moment was cut short by one of your friends coming up to you and completely disregarding Peter.

“Hey, girl. I need your notes from class today.” She said to you.

“Oh, sure. How come you weren’t there?” You asked her.

“Liz and I went got coffee instead.” She replied. Peter could tell you were hurt they didn’t ask you to come get coffee but you just smiled and nodded.

“I’ll text them to you.” You told her.

“Thanks. Let’s go to the library. I need you to look at my English paper and tell me if it’s good.” She said and nodded towards the library. You looked at Peter and gave him an apologetic smile.

“Bye, Peter. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” You told him before leaving with your friend.

“Why were you talking to that lesbian?” Your friend asked you as you walked away.

“That wasn’t a lesbian. That was my friend Peter.” He heard you tell her before going into the library. He watched you disappear and let out a little sigh. He knew he was going to over analyze that entire conversation for probably the rest of his life, or at least until the next time you spoke.

That weekend, Peter headed to the mall a few blocks from campus to do some wandering by himself since Ned was busying. He did a little shopping before taking a seat on the mall fountain to check his texts. He was so engrossed in his phone that he didn’t notice you walk up to him.

“Well, well, well.” You chuckled, making him look up at you and blush.

“It’s a fountain, actually.” Peter deadpanned, making you crack a smile.

“You’re stupid. Move over.” You laughed and sat beside him. Your knees were touching which made Peters face warm up the way it always seemed to around you.

“Should I be worried? I’m starting to think you might be stalking me.” He teased you.

“Excuse me? I was just walking around and saw you. You’re the one who keeps ending up placed I’m already in.”

“Sounds like something a stalker would say.” He said out of the corner of his mouth.

“You wish I was your stalker. Now come on, give me the haul. What did you buy?” You asked him and nodded towards his bag.

“Socks and boxers.” He smiled proudly and held up his items.

“Oh shit. You did not come to play.”

“I really didn’t.” He played along, making you laugh again. You stared at him for a minute with a fond smile and he stared back with a matching one.

“What?” He wondered.

“You’re talking to me.”

“So?” He laughed shyly. “You’re talking to me.”

“No, I mean, like. Full eye contact. And full sentences. Who is this man? I’ve been waiting to meet him forever.” You teased him and he playfully rolled his eyes.

“I guess it’s easier to talk to you now that you know my secret. You’re not as scary anymore.”

“I was scary before?” You gasped and pretended to be offended.

“Yes. Girls like you are very terrifying to me.”

“Girls like me?” You smiled coyly.

“Pretty girls who are nice to me. I really wish you were a giant snake or the multi-bear from Gravity Falls or something. That’s way less scary.” He insisted.

“You’d rather talk to the multi-bear than me?”You scoffed. “I have half a mind to forget about you and go stalk some other guy.”

“No, please. Stay. I forgot how awkward it is to shop alone and I still need to get a belt.” He pretended to beg and put a hand on your leg to get you to stay. You looked at the hand on your leg and cracked a smile at the unexpected contact from him.

“Well I would never abandon a man on a belt quest.” You replied, making him laugh.

“Thank you. What about you? What are you looking for?”

He could have said “shopping for” but that’s not what he meant. He wanted to know what you were looking for. You cracked a smile as if you understood what he was asking.

“Better friends, actually. Have you seen any?” You asked with a playful but sad smile.

“I just saw your friends in H&M.” He told you and pointed to the store. You shrugged a little and shook your head.

“Yeah. I saw them too. After they all told me they were busy today and couldn’t hang out.” You admitted without looking at him. Peter frowned and moved closer to you.

“They came here without you?”

“I asked them to hang out. They all said they couldn’t. But now I’m getting a sneaking suspicion there’s a second group chat that I’m not in.” You laughed but he knew it was fake.

“I’m sorry.” He said quietly.

“I came here to cheer myself up and ended up feeling 200 times worse when I saw them all hanging out without me. I didn’t even say anything to them because I didn’t want them to feel bad for not inviting me. Not that they ever care when they make me feel bad.” You laughed again but it ended up in a sigh. You stared at your shoes for a second and Peter stayed silent.

“Girls suck.” You said after a beat. “Not always, of course, but when they suck, they really suck. They know how painful it can be to be the only one left out. But they still did it to me. I don’t understand why.”

“Neither do I. I thought those girls were your friends?”

“I don’t know. I kinda saw this coming.” You admitted. “I started to notice that I was always the one texting first. And always the one trying to make plans. And when they did text me, they were asking me for something. It was never just to check in on me.”

“That’s really hurtful. I��m sorry. I’ve been there too. It sucks when you realize that if you stopped reaching out to someone, you’d probably never speak again.” Peter replied, making you smile sadly at him.

“Exactly. Or when you wonder how long it would take them to notice if you stopped reaching out. And worse, wonder if they’d notice at all.”

“No one deserves to feel that way. Especially not someone as kind and considerate as you. You really do need new friends.” He nodded in agreement, making you genuinely laugh this time.

“We’re friends, right? Because I know your secret.”

“We can be friends.” Peter nodded, bringing a smile out of you.

“Thanks.” You told him and gave his shoulder a rub. Peter felt a sudden burst of confidence and decided to keep the momentum he had built.

“You’re probably gonna say no to this, but Ned and I were gonna get sandwiches and then build legos together tomorrow. You can come, if you’d like.”

“That’s okay. You don’t have to give me a pity invite to your sandwich and Lego party.” You told him.

“It’s not a pity invite. I want you to be there. It would make me happy to have you around.” Peter answered, making you smile once again. It was the simple change from “you can come” to “I wanted you to be there” that made all the difference.

“Do you want to hang out with me today?” You asked him.

“Yeah. I do.” He said immediately. You stood up and held out your hand for him to take.

“Come on. Let’s go look at the home decor.”

Peter took your hand and let you pull him towards the home decor store in the mall. He awkwardly ran ahead of you so that he could open the door for you but it was worth it when he saw you smiling.

“Thank you.” You said curtly and walked inside. He followed you around the store like a puppy dog and listened to your commentary on the various throw pillows and wall art as if it was words from a prophet.

“This would be perfect for you.” You gasped and held up an old Halloween pillow that had a sequenced spiderweb on it along with a spider made up of mostly fallen off beads.

“Is my job a joke to you?” He laughed and flicked the pillow.

“I mean, I did see some funny videos of you online. How often do you miss your webs and fall into bushes?”

“Bushes are rare, actually. It’s usually car hoods and hot dog stands.” He admitted.

“Ouch.” You grimaced. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

“No. Hot dog stands are really soft.” He said seriously. You laughed and kept walking down the aisles of the store.

“I love that I’m the only one that knows this about you.” You told him.

“You really do, don’t you?” He realized with an amused smile.

“Well, yeah. I always knew there was something about you and learning this vindicated me so hard.”

“Something about me? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. You’re so allusive.” You shrugged. “Always disappearing and reappearing from places. Not on any sports teams but will never miss when throwing something into the trash from across the room. Knows all the answers in chemistry but never raises his hand. Ripped but hides it under Catholic school boy sweaters. I always wondered about you. Now I know.”

“Wow. You pick up on a lot of details. Nobody’s ever really noticed me like that.” Peter said as he looked at the ground so you wouldn’t see how flustered that made him.

“That you know of.” You corrected. “Because I noticed you a long time ago and you had no idea until now.”

“I notice you too.” He said as he looked into your eyes. You smiled at the eye contact and stayed looking at him.

“So, uh, were you just messing with me when you told Spiderman that you thought I was, you know.”

“A hot nerd?”

“Yeah. That.” He laughed shyly.

“I wasn’t messing with you.” You shrugged. “Or him. Either of you. I meant what I said.”

“So did I. I really don’t know how to talk to pretty girls.”

“We’re just regular people. Aside from our razor sharp teeth and detachable feet.”

“Why would you need to detach your feet?” He laughed.

“I don’t know but I used to have these dolls when I was younger where you’d yank their whole foot off to change their shoes. And they’d just have a little nub until you put new feet on them. God forbid you lose one of their shoes. Then they have no feet and had to walk around my dollhouse with nubs”.

“To be a woman is to perform.” He nodded along.

“Shut up.” You laughed and kept walking down the aisles of the store. You ended up buy some statue of an animal that you mentioned your mom liked to collect and Peter carried your bag for you into the next store.

“So who else knows about this secret? Besides us two.” You asked as you flipped through a clothing rack.

“My best friend. But that’s because he accidentally walked in on me in my suit. And my aunt. Who found out in the exact same way.”

“Sounds like you need to invest in a giant trench coat to cover yourself with when entering and exiting your room.” You told him.

“That’s a really good idea, actually. Do you think they sell those here?” He asked, making you laugh.

“So I was the first to figure it out?”

“You were. And now I’m really hoping it’s not obvious.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s obvious. I’m just very observant.”

“Of everything or just me?” He asked you.

“Just you.” You teased, making him blush again.

“What else have you observed about me?” He wondered.

“A few things, actually. You keep flexing your hand and I’m starting to think you’re working up the nerve to hold mine. That or you’re fighting the urge to punch me so I’m hoping it’s the former. I also observed that you haven’t checked your phone once since I found you and you’re letting me pick all the stores we go into.”

“Wow. And what do your observations tell you?”

“That you like me.” You said simply and continued looking at the clothes.

“What?” Peter sputtered. “No I don’t.”

“Says the boy who got my purse back from a burglar. Classic crush culture right there.” You clicked your tongue and shook your head.

“What?” He laughed. “That is not what I do when I have a crush on a girl. That’s just my job.”

“All right then. So what do you do when you have a crush?”

“Avoid eye contact and hope she likes shy tendencies. And open doors for her, obviously.” Peter said as he opened the door for you into the next store.

“Good to know.” You said and gave him a pleased smile as you passed him. He continued to follow you down the aisles of the store while holding your collection of clothes you wanted to try on.

“So why spiders? I’ve always wondered why you named yourself after arguably the worst bug of all time. Why not something more palatable like Lady Bug Man? Or Moth Man and then you could live under a bridge and spook people?” You asked as you handed him another dress for you to try on.

“It was a spider bite that gave me the abilities, actually. That’s where I got the name.” He explained as you disappeared behind a changing room curtain. You opened it up after a few seconds in one of the dresses you had taken off the rack.

“Really? I never would’ve guessed that. I’m learning so much right now.” You said as you turned around and moved your hair away from your neck. Peter blushed and picked up what you were implying and zipped the dress for you. You turned back around and gave him a grateful smile.

“What else do you want to know?” He asked with a shy smile. He usually categorized himself as shy and never wanting to be the center of attention, but right now he was hoping you had more questions to ask him. He liked being the center of attention when it was your attention he was getting.

“Why red and blue?” You wondered.

“Red for my mom’s red hair and blue for the car my dad drove.” Peter said out loud for the first time.

“Aw, Peter.” You pouted. “That’s really beautiful. I love that.”

“Thank you. I never told anybody that before.” He admitted.

“Hm. Something else just between us, then.” You winked at him before shutting the dressing room curtain again.

When you left that store, Peter opened the door for you on the way out with his free hand and held your bags with his other hand. As you walked through the mall, yours hands kept bumping against each others. It happened so many times in a row that Peter was starting to think he was doing it on purpose.

“You can, you know. If you want to.” You said without looking at him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Peter lied as your hands bumped once again.

“Okay. Never mind, then.” You replied and kept walking. Peter decided to do something for once and took your hand. You didn’t say anything but smirked and gave his hand a squeeze. You stayed holding hands as you went to a few more stores and ended up back by the fountain. Through the streams of water, you suddenly spotted the very group of friends that had left you out.

“Oh God. It’s them.” You gasped and stopped short. Peter thought you were going to drop his hand but you didn’t.

“What are you gonna do?” He asked. “I can stick to the wall if that at all helps.”

“Well I’m definitely gonna need to see that at some point but not right now. I need to hide.” You decided and looked around for the nearest exit. During your search, you heard the sound of your friends laughing and it made your stomach drop. You didn’t want to run away anymore and pretend that the things they did didn’t hurt you. They did. And it was time they knew that.

“Actually, no.” You decided. “Why should I hide to make them more comfortable? They did something mean to me. I shouldn’t run away just so they don’t have to face what they did. I should go talk to them.”

“Let’s do it.” Peter agreed and you smiled. You blew out a nervous breath before walking up to the group of girls.

“Hey guys! So glad your schedules freed up.” You greeted them with a friendly smile. They all froze and either looked down at the ground or at you with stunned expressions. You took your time looking at every one of their guilty faces with an unamused expression.

“We were gonna text you.” Liz said quickly.

“Don’t even worry about it.” You told her. “In fact, don’t text me ever again. I deserve friends who include me. Not people who keep me around just in case they need something from me.”

“So what? You’re gonna ditch us to hang out with losers?” Liz scoffed and looked at Peter. You felt bad that Peter had caught a stray but he wasn’t phased.

“You’re the ones who just lost a good friend. And missed out on a fun day at the mall with the coolest girl in New York. So I’m pretty sure that makes you guys the losers.” Peter stated. Everyone, including you, was shocked to hear those words out of the notoriously shy Peter’s mouth. You looked at him and gave him a grateful smile.

“Yeah.” You agreed. “You guys are losers. You all say bad things about each other behind each other’s back and I’m sure you did the same to me so I can’t say I’m gonna miss this friend group. But I do have to thank you for ditching me or else I wouldn’t have found a real friend.”

“Who? This lesbian?” One of the other girls scoffed and gestured to Peter.

“Yeah.” Peter snapped. “This lesbian.“

“Now if you’ll excuse us, Peter needs to find a belt.” You said and walked away with Peter following right behind you. You didn’t drop his hand as you did a half walk half run through the mall as adrenaline rushed through you. Once you were far enough away from them, you stopped running.

“That felt good.” You said through an out of breath laugh.

“For me too.” Peter agreed. “And I was almost entirely uninvolved in that situation.”

“Come on. I wanna do the Photo Booth and immortalize this day.” You said and excitedly pulled him into the Photo Booth. Peter shut the curtain while you picked the boarder for the pictures, purposefully choosing one that had red hearts all over it.

“Okay. We only have five seconds between pictures so you have to pick your poses quickly.” You told him as the countdown began.

“But I’m so awkward. I don’t know how to pose.” Peter said as the countdown dwindled down.

“Just smile and look like you like me.” You said and pressed your cheek against his to smile for the camera. The camera flashed and you slung your arm around him for the next photo. The camera flashed again and Peter gulped.

“I do like you.” He said in a soft voice as he turned to look at you.

You looked at him and leaned in just as the camera flashed. You were still kissing when the fourth and final flash went off but you didn’t care. You pulled Peter closer by his shirt while his hands snaked around your waist. You pushed him away suddenly with a suspicious look on your face.

“Wait, do the webs, like, come out of your butt ever?”

“What? No.” He laughed. “They don’t come out of me at all. I built devices and developed a web fluid to shoot out of them. I don’t actually produce webs.”

“Oh. Okay.” You nodded and pulled him back into a kiss. He kissed you back for a moment before pulling away.

“Wait, would that have been a deal breaker if I did? Produce webs, I mean.” He asked you.

“I mean, I’d still like you but I don’t know if I could date a guy who could physically produce webs in his body. I just think that would really gross me out. Producing webs is I think where I’d have to draw the line.”

“So does that mean you’d date a guy who doesn’t produce webs?” He asked with a hopeful smile.

“Isn’t that every guy?” You pointed out.

“Oh. Yeah. I guess it kinda is.” He realized. “Well, would you date a guy who is far more likely to shoot webs from his butt than the average man? Given his spider themed career path?”

“Well, I don’t know. I never thought about that before.” You pursed your lips and pretended to give it genuine though. Peter playfully rolled his eyes at you and cupped your face to kiss you again.

“What do you think now?” He asked with your face still in his hands.

“I think I would.” You smiled and tugged his shirt to bring him back into a kiss.

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brookghaib-blog · 9 days ago

Text

Silence between hearts - III

Pairing: Robert ‘Bob’ Reynolds x reader

Summary: After Project SENTRY fails, Robert Reynolds is declared dead and sealed in a glass coffin to be hidden by O.X.E. Y/N, a doctor who secretly fell in love with him after a complicated path between them, refuses to believe he’s gone—fighting to save what’s left of him while grief and denial consume her, the path to look for him would ruin her, but to what extreme.

Word count: 7,5k

Warning: physical violence, alcohol consumption

Chapter II - IV

The air between them had changed.

Y/N still ran every test, every scan, every draw of blood. Still watched him like a subject, not a person. But Bob had grown quieter. Sadder. He didn’t joke. He didn’t smile. He followed orders, endured the pain, but something was slipping.

Today, as she adjusted the restraints on his arm for a nerve conductivity test, he finally spoke.

“Why can’t we just be friends?”

She didn’t look up. “Keep your arm still.”

He did. But his voice came again, lower. “You stay longer than anyone. You talk to me like I matter, sometimes. And then it’s gone again. I just want someone real. Someone to sit with.”

Y/N exhaled sharply, eyes on her clipboard. “Bob, don’t start this.”

“I’m not asking for much. Just company. You’re here anyway.”

Her tone snapped. “Stop.”

Bob blinked, confused, but kept going. “Is it because I’m not like you? Not smart, not rich, not—”

“Enough.” She turned to him, voice rising. “Don’t make assumptions about me. You don’t know anything about who I am or what I feel. This is a project, not a therapy group. You’re not entitled to my time.”

Bob flinched.

Then something shifted.

His eyes shimmered gold.

He stood, slow and deliberate, and crossed the space between them. Before she could react, he grabbed her—not violently, but firm. Back against the wall. His hand wrapped lightly around her throat.

His voice was ice.

“Who are you talking to like that?”

Y/N froze, staring at the burning gold in his eyes.

“You think I’m just some broken lab rat?” he said, low. “I let you hurt me. Let you poke and cut and watch me fall apart. I let you see me weak.”

His grip didn’t tighten, but his presence did. It filled the room. Commanding. Divine.

“I’m not a toy,” he said. “Not your puppet. If you want to treat me like something less than human—fine. But don’t lie to me and pretend it’s kindness.”

She tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat.

He leaned in, eyes burning.

“You forget what I am, Y/N. But I never do.”

And just like that, he let go.

Stepped back.

She coughed, stunned, one hand at her neck, the other gripping the edge of the counter for balance. Bob’s shoulders heaved, chest rising and falling as if waking up from something.

Bob stood frozen.

Y/N was on the ground, gasping for air, one hand clutching her throat, her face flushed red from the pressure. She coughed violently, struggling to find her breath again. Bob’s body went cold, all the adrenaline from before vanishing in an instant.

“Y/N—” His voice cracked.

He dropped to his knees beside her, his hands hovering helplessly, terrified to touch her again. “Oh god. I—I didn’t mean to—I didn’t mean to do that. I don’t know what happened, I just—please, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you—”

She flinched as his hand got too close.

Bob pulled back instantly.

The hurt in his eyes was almost worse than the attack itself. His lips parted, trembling, panic overtaking his face. “Did I—did I break something? Did I choke you too hard? Did I hurt your throat—?”

“I’m fine,” Y/N rasped, her voice raw, trying to sit up. Her head spun from the pressure and shock, but she pushed through it. She didn’t want to look afraid of him. She wouldn’t.

Bob hesitated before offering his hand again—slowly, gently, like approaching a wounded animal. She looked at it. Then at him. Reluctantly, she took it.

He helped her to her feet, supporting her with more care than she expected, leading her slowly toward the medical bed where he'd been tested a thousand times before. She sat down with a wince, exhaling shakily, still holding her throat.

“I didn’t mean to,” he whispered again, more to himself now, backing away just a little but never taking his eyes off her. “I was just—I was angry and…I felt like I wasn’t anything to you. I don't know why I did that, I'm so sorry I don't know what happened.”

Y/N swallowed, wincing at the sting.

“You’re okay, I know you,” she said softly, barely above a whisper. “You’re not yourself either. Not always.”

Bob’s shoulders hunched. “It took over me. Just… something I don't know, I can't control myself sometimes. ”

She watched him. The fear in his face, the remorse in his body language. And beneath it all… the boy who just wanted to be understood.

Y/N let out a breath, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “You didn’t kill me. I’m okay.”

“But I could have,” he said, eyes wide with guilt. “I felt it. And if I ever did that to you for real…”

“You didn’t,” she interrupted firmly.

He went quiet, his chest still rising and falling too quickly, hands clenched into trembling fists.

For a long moment, there was only silence. The hum of machines. The pounding echo of adrenaline wearing off.

Y/N sat straighter, gathering herself. “I’ll file a report,” she said flatly, eyes on the floor. “We’ll document it like any other reaction. Just another test.”

Bob’s jaw clenched. “Is that all I am to you again?”

She looked up at him. Saw the pain. The longing.

Her throat burned. Her chest ached.

“No,” she whispered. “You’re not.”

And for once, she wasn’t sure if that was a lie.

"Bob, let's get to your room for now okay, I need to take a break and deliver this record, you're good but we need to learn these effects of the serum." She was still holding her neck not sure if still hurts or out of shock. Dr.Ilari is right, the creation won't always love it's maker.

"Can you ahm...at least come by so I could see that you are okay?" Bob said in a very soft voice, almost scared given the boundaries she had setup just days ago.

"Don't worry I will."

The harsh overhead lights in the lab flickered slightly as Y/N stood at the terminal, eyes scanning through the footage. She had already reviewed it three times—frame by frame, tracking the moment Bob's demeanor snapped, when the gold seeped into his eyes and the man became something else. Her neck still ached faintly, though she covered it with a high collar. She didn’t need anyone asking questions.

The door to the observation room opened behind her.

“Y/N,” Dr. Ilari’s voice was low, edged with concern. “I read the incident report.”

She didn’t look away from the screen. “It was a contained outburst. Nothing that hasn’t been expected.”

“You say that like he didn’t nearly crush your trachea.”

Now she turned to him, her arms folding defensively. “He stopped himself. That’s the difference between him and the Sentry. He came back. Bob came back.”

Ilari crossed his arms, studying her. “You’re doing too much alone. First you take full control of the project, now you're getting physically attacked and brushing it off like you stubbed your toe?”

“I told you, I'm fine.”

“No, you’re not. You’re isolating yourself from the team, you’re emotionally investing in the subject, and now you’re defending him when every sign is pointing to instability.”

Y/N’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not emotionally investing. I’m managing the only thing that matters in this facility. Every test, every breakthrough, every ounce of control we have over him is because I kept pushing. If I step back now, we lose everything.”

Ilari took a breath, softer now. “Valentina isn’t going to keep waiting. She wants the kill switch implemented. Protocol 8-C. A single trigger to neutralize him. The board’s growing concerned. The reports show erratic behavior—unprovoked aggression, memory lapses, exponential power spikes.”

Y/N froze.

“No.” Her voice was sharp. “Absolutely not.”

Ilari sighed, already expecting her answer. “We don’t even know what he's capable of yet. If something inside him ever fully takes over—”

“I said no.” She stepped forward now, tension in every muscle. “That would kill him. Not Sentry. Not some abstract idea of power. Bob. That switch wouldn't neutralize an entity—it would murder a person. And I won’t let that happen.”

“He’s not just a person anymore,” Ilari said, his voice more careful now. “And I think you know that.”

She looked away, jaw tight.

“Do you really believe you can keep him in check?” he asked.

Y/N took a breath, swallowing hard. “I believe I can reach him. There’s something inside him that listens. That wants to be better. And I’m the only one he trusts right now.”

Ilari studied her for a long moment. “You’re falling into this too deeply.”

She turned her back to him, returning to the footage. “Maybe. But so far, it’s working.”

“Until it doesn’t.”

There was silence again, just the low hum of the recording looping on the screen—Bob’s hands unclenching, the golden glow fading from his eyes, the look of horror on his face when he realized what he’d done.

“I won’t authorize the kill switch,” Y/N said quietly. “If they want it, they’ll have to take me off the project.”

Ilari stood still. The weight of her words sat between them like a loaded weapon. He nodded slowly.

“I’ll hold them off as long as I can. But be careful, Y/N. You think you’re saving him, but I’ve seen what this job does to people. What your father’s pressure did to you. Don’t make yourself the next casualty.”

Y/N didn’t answer.

Dr. Ilari didn’t leave. He lingered behind her, arms folded across his chest, waiting for the silence to wear thin.

Y/N knew what was coming. She felt it before he even spoke again.

“Just build it.”

She exhaled sharply through her nose, her back still to him. “You think if you say it softer, I’ll listen?”

“I think if I remind you that Valentina Fontaine signs your paycheck, you might remember we’re not running a charity here. This isn’t a healing center, Y/N. It’s a containment facility. And Bob—”

“—is not a monster,” she snapped, spinning to face him.

Ilari didn’t flinch. “Then what is he?”

She opened her mouth, but no words came.

He stepped closer.

“Build it. Don’t install it. Don’t even show him. Just give them something on paper. She’ll back off. The board will settle. You’ll buy yourself time. But if something goes wrong again—when it does—we’ll need insurance. You need insurance.”

“I’m not putting a kill switch on him like he’s a rabid dog.”

“I’m not asking you to use it,” Ilari said. “I’m asking you to survive this. Because if Valentina thinks for one second you’re letting emotions cloud your judgment—”

“I am using judgment,” Y/N growled. “I’ve tested his vitals. Tracked every response. Monitored the shifts in his brain activity. What happened yesterday was a trigger—emotional, not primal. He came back from it. He fought it off. That means something.”

“And what happens when he doesn’t?” Ilari countered. “What happens when the thing inside him decides it likes the control? Or worse—when it realizes there’s no one to stop it? Do you think it’ll hesitate to level this entire building?”

Y/N's throat tightened. Her voice dropped.

“I’m not killing him. I won’t.”

Ilari’s expression softened—just slightly. “Then don’t. Just design the blueprint. Lock it in a drawer. Let it collect dust, for all I care. But if you don’t give Valentina a way to feel in control, she’ll replace you. And whoever comes next will use it.”

Y/N’s shoulders slumped.

She turned back to the monitor. Bob was still on screen—sitting in the corner of his room from hours ago, curled forward, fingers tangled in his hair. His lips moved, talking to no one. Or maybe to her. Maybe to the Void. Maybe both.

“She’ll use it the second she feels threatened.”

“She will. But you don’t have to. Not if you stay ahead of her.”

Y/N stared into the frozen frame.

“Build a god,” she whispered, “and everyone wants the off-switch.”

Ilari’s voice was gentler now. “You’ve already humanized him, Y/N. That’s why this is so hard for you. But this world… it doesn’t care how kind his eyes look when he apologizes. It cares about survival.”

“I know.”

She paused. The cursor blinked. Her mind spiraled.

“If I design it,” she said finally, “I build it so it never works.”

Ilari smiled faintly. “That’s your call.”

She nodded, quietly, as her chest ached with the weight of compromise. Looking at the screen again, her voice was barely a breath.

“But he trusts me. He trusts me like I’m the only good thing he has left.”

“And that,” Ilari said, heading to the door, “is exactly why it’ll destroy you if you’re wrong.”

He left.

And Y/N, standing alone in the glow of the monitor, let her fingers hover over the keyboard. A blank file stared back at her.

"Failsafe Protocol: Subject SENTRY."

She didn’t type another word.

The hallway was quiet.

Y/N paused outside the door to Bob’s room, the security panel blinking patiently as if questioning her resolve. She stared at it for a moment, then placed her hand on the scanner. A soft beep, then the door slid open.

Inside, the room was dim—calm, almost peaceful. The sterile overhead lights were off, replaced by the warm glow of a small desk lamp. Bob was curled in the corner of the couch, a thick paperback in his hands, eyes trailing each word with slow intensity. He looked up at the sound of the door, blinking once like he wasn’t sure if she was real.

Then, a quiet, small smile tugged at his lips.

“You actually came,” he said.

Y/N stepped in, letting the door close behind her. She folded her arms, offering a small shrug. “I promised.”

Bob’s smile shifted, crooked now, something heavier behind it.

“I don’t know if you’re good with promises.”

The words hit her sharper than they should have. Not because he was wrong. But because he was right—and it was her fault he thought that.

Her arms dropped, and she took a slow step forward, sitting carefully in the chair across from him. “That’s fair,” she admitted. “But I meant this one.”

Bob closed the book softly, resting it on his lap. He didn’t look angry. Just... tired. There were darker circles under his eyes than before. His jaw was more tense.

Y/N watched him for a second, debating whether to speak. She knew she should keep things neutral—clinical. But then he met her eyes again, and she couldn’t.

“I wanted to check on you,” she said, gently. “See how you’re feeling today.”

Bob looked away. “Like I’m losing my mind.”

Y/N felt a knot tighten in her chest.

“It’s the walls,” he added, voice low. “The waiting. Waking up and seeing the same ceiling. The same guards. The same fucking tests. I try to read, but it’s like my brain gets full too fast. My hands shake some days. Or I just... go numb. And no one talks to me unless it’s with a clipboard.”

His eyes flicked up to hers again.

“Except you.”

Y/N didn’t know what to say. She’d designed this room, this schedule, this isolation. She’d made sure he was locked down. That he was controlled.

She was the one who lured him here.

“You’re not crazy,” she said softly. “Your mind’s just... trying to protect itself. It’s adapting to something it’s never had to face. And I’m sorry. I know what being alone like this does to someone.”

Bob scoffed, but it wasn’t mocking—it was sad. “Do you?”

Y/N hesitated. “Yeah. I do.”

He nodded, slowly. “Well... I don’t want to hurt anyone. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

“I didn’t mean to grab you. I didn’t even remember doing it until I saw you coughing on the floor.”

She nodded.

“I thought maybe after that... you wouldn’t want to come back.”

“I did,” she said. “Because it wasn’t you.”

Bob leaned back, the book forgotten in his hands. “Still felt like me.”

“It wasn’t,” she said firmly, then softened her voice. “And it’s not your fault you’re stuck here. It’s mine.”

His brow furrowed slightly, confused.

“I was the one who asked you to trust me,” Y/N said. “To follow me out of that hell. I gave you hope, then put you back in a different kind of cage. I told myself it was for your safety. For the world’s. But maybe I just didn’t want to admit I didn’t know how to fix any of it.”

Bob stared at her for a long time.

“Why do you care?” he asked, voice quieter. “Not as a doctor. As you.”

Y/N looked away.

That was the question, wasn’t it?

She stood, unsure how long she could let herself stay this close.

“Because I made a promise,” she whispered. “And because I see you. Not just what they call you. Not just the power. You. And you don’t deserve to feel like this.”

He didn’t respond. But she didn’t expect him to.

Instead, he picked his book back up, but didn’t open it. His fingers just touched the cover, thoughtful.

“Can you stay?” he asked suddenly, almost childlike.

Y/N looked at him—exhausted, bruised by weeks of silence and fear—and nodded.

She walked over and sat beside him on the couch. Close, but not touching.

“I’ll stay,” she said. “For a while.”

She gets up from the couch and starts walking toward his bed.

Bob watched her move in silence, eyes flickering with something unsure. She didn’t hesitate, just sat at the edge of his bed, keeping a respectful distance. Not too close, but close enough that he felt her presence—calming, grounding.

“I have a few questions,” she said, voice soft, but not clinical this time. “Personal ones. Harmless.”

He nodded warily.

“What brought you to Malaysia? I mean… before all of this. What were you doing?”

Bob’s shoulders tensed. His eyes dropped from hers, and he rubbed the back of his neck—embarrassed.

“I was running,” he admitted after a pause. “From everything. My name. My past. From who I became.”

Y/N didn’t say anything. She waited.

“I didn’t have a job,” he added, quieter now. “Not a real one, anyway. I was… a full-time addict. Mostly meth. Sometimes whatever I could find. I wasn’t surviving. Just… stalling.”

His voice cracked near the end—not from shame, but from something deeper. Resignation. And something that sounded like fear of being seen.

She already knew about his addiction, that was why she targeted him. But some of her, in this moment, hoped that he had something for himself, a family, friends, maybe a girlfriend, someone waiting.

She didn’t try to comfort him with platitudes. She just sat with it.

After a long moment, she asked gently, “Did you accept my offer to die… or because you thought it might keep you sober, Bob?”

He took a breath.

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “But I didn’t care. If I did die—I think I would’ve been okay with that.”

That hit her harder than she expected.

Y/N blinked fast, willing the sting in her eyes to go away. A few tears welled up, but she refused to let them fall. Not yet. Not here.

She shifted her posture, straightened her back. Bob glanced at her and noticed—he didn’t say anything, but he saw it.

Then he asked something that caught her off-guard.

“Why did you take this project so personally? Why… care about me at all? You've already told me beofre. People died before me. I’m not the first attempt.”

She hesitated.

Her eyes flickered toward him before she finally said it.

“It was my father in charge before,” she began. “I wasn’t involved yet. Not really. Not until you.”

He looked confused. “Then… why now?”

She sighed. “Because it was mine. Originally. I came up with the initial formula. The groundwork. He hijacked it and sold it because he believe it would fail but it was good money. Valentina really wants to build herself a superhuman. And he never cared if it worked, just if it yielded power.”

She paused, voice low and bitter now.

“I joined again because I wanted one that stays alive.”

Bob’s brows knit together. “What do you mean?”

“I knew something was off. Everyone treated the subjects like they were machines. Inject. Wait. Watch. If it failed—dispose and try again. But I had a feeling… it needed more than that. It wasn’t just about serum compatibility or gene splicing. It was also psychological. All of them fall mentally and that ended up consuming them and something killed them, mostt likely something from the serum obviously.”

She finally looked him in the eyes.

“You can’t build gods in a lab without building them up as people first. And my father—he doesn’t get that. He’s a machine. I’m not.”

Bob swallowed.

Something settled in the room. He could feel it, like the weight of an unsaid truth hanging in the air between them.

“And what happens when this project ends?” he asked. “When they decide I’m not useful anymore?”

Y/N didn’t answer right away.

Then, with a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “You are useful, you are something, and if it fails than...I'll fight for you to get to live.”

Bob stared at her, disbelieving at first.

“You don’t have to.”

“I know,” she replied. "But something tells me that if you have some type of trust than your mind will have strength to keep going, at least until settling."

Y/N looked down at her hands in her lap, clasped too tightly. She hadn’t planned on staying this long in his room, not like this—not talking, not connecting. But something about being near him tonight made the walls she kept around herself feel… exhausting.

And so, quietly, she began.

“I was cruel to you,” she said. “At the start. Cold. Strict. Like I didn’t care.”

Bob blinked, taken aback. “I mean… yeah, maybe a little,” he offered with a soft laugh, trying to defuse the weight in her voice.

But she didn’t laugh. She looked at him, eyes more vulnerable than he’d ever seen them.

“I did it because I was scared,” she confessed. “Because I wasn’t sure my theory would work. And instead of trusting myself… I mimicked my father. I used his methods. His cruelty. Because… he always seemed to be right.”

Bob’s smile slowly faded.

“I tortured you,” she said bitterly. “With all those tests, the harsh regimens. I justified it as science. I told myself you were invincible. But I was trying to silence my own insecurity. I didn’t know if I was good enough to lead this. I still don’t.”

Bob’s chest rose and fell, slow and steady.

Y/N bit her lip and glanced toward him again.

“But then I met you. And… started knowing you,” she added softly. “And you weren’t just another experiment. You were… someone broken, like me. Someone full of pain, and still breathing. You reminded me that this was never about formulas. It was about people.”

Something shifted in Bob’s face then. His eyes softened. Warmth crept into them—real, flickering emotion. Not the fire of power. Not the gold of the Void.

But Bob.

He moved slightly, closing the space between them. Just a little.

“I’m grateful you said that,” he said, voice low. “You didn’t have to.”

She looked away again, suddenly self-conscious.

But he went on, braver now.

“I hope you prove your father wrong. I hope you make something real. Something better. And… if I’m part of that… I’m glad. Because for the first time in years, I don’t want to die.”

Y/N’s breath hitched. Her throat tightened.

“You gave me that,” he said. “A reason to try. To live. Even if I don’t understand it yet.”

They didn’t move for a while.

At some point—neither of them remembered when—their hands brushed.

Her fingers touched the edge of his. Warm. Tentative.

They didn’t pull away.

They didn’t speak.

They just sat there, fingers barely linked, as if holding on would make the moment last longer. As if breaking it would mean returning to the silence, the tests, the weight of the world they carried.

Bob looked at her like she was light.

And for the first time, she allowed herself to see his features. Indeed, he was really handsome, and his eyes so blue...

It was as if they were afraid to move, feeling the slight touch of each oher hoping the other would notice and pull away. Both were thinking the same, looking at each other with a sparkle in their eyes. Perhaps it was just the moonlight, or maybe it was something much more complicated.

The past few days had brought something soft between them. The sharpness of their sessions dulled, replaced by quiet laughter between tests, inside jokes scribbled in the margins of files, and teasing remarks during blood draws. Where once she stood above him with a clipboard and a guarded expression, now she lingered beside him, her smile easier, her walls thinner.

It didn’t go unnoticed.

Dr. Ilari said nothing. But when Y/N passed him in the hallway that morning with a coffee in her hand and a barely concealed smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, he gave her a single, knowing glance—one she refused to meet.

Later that night, Bob sat alone in his room, a book open in his lap, though he wasn’t really reading. His mind kept drifting—back to her, to her laugh that slipped through her lips like an accident, to the way her eyes softened now when she looked at him. It scared him, how much it meant. How much it soothed.

The door burst open suddenly.

“Bob,” her voice rang out.

He looked up, startled—and then completely still.

There she was.

Not in her usual lab coat or the sharp ponytail she wore when in command. Not in her practical shoes or pale eyes dulled by overthinking. No.

She stood framed by the doorway like a vision—wearing a fitted top tucked into a long, flowing skirt that swayed with her movement, the soft candlelight from the hallway catching the shimmer of the fabric. Her heels clicked on the tile floor, elegant and certain. Her makeup was subtle but defining, her lips painted in a deep, soft hue. And her hair—styled, parted in a way that framed her face just so—was down, like silk.

He blinked.

For a second, he truly forgot how to breathe.

“I had a crazy idea,” she said, breathless from excitement, a wild gleam in her eyes.

Before he could respond, something soft and heavy hit his lap.

He looked down.

A bag.

Confused, Bob opened it slowly—only to find a neatly folded pair of men’s dress pants and a crisp button-up shirt. The colors... they matched her outfit.

Matching.

His heart stuttered.

“Y/N…?” he started, unsure what this was.

But his voice faltered when he looked back up—because she was smiling at him like something good was finally happening. Like they were about to escape the walls that had been closing in on them for weeks.

She tilted her head, playful. “You said you were going insane locked up in here. So I figured… why not go a little insane with style?”

Her eyes sparkled.

And Bob—speechless. "Get dressed." She says as she leaves the room.

Y/N leaned casually against the wall just outside Bob’s room, arms crossed, eyes flicking toward the hallway camera with a glint of rebellion in them. She could hear him moving inside—soft thuds, the rustle of fabric, the occasional grumbled curse under his breath as he tried to figure out the buttons on the shirt she picked. It made her smirk.

When he finally emerged, her gaze swept over him—dark slacks snug on his tall frame, the shirt slightly wrinkled but charmingly so, sleeves rolled just below his elbows. He looked…human. Not like a patient. Not like a weapon. Just like a man.

And a devastatingly handsome one at that.

He raised an eyebrow. “So, are you going to tell me what this is about, or am I being lured into some underground fighting ring?”

Y/N chuckled, pushing off the wall. “No fighting tonight. Just a little... sneaky escape.”

Bob blinked. “Wait. Escape? From here?”

She nodded, her grin widening. “You said you were going crazy. So we’re going out. A bar. Some street food. Maybe a rooftop. You deserve to breathe real air.”

He looked around like someone might pop out from a corner and say this was all a test. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious,” she said, already turning on her heel. “Come on. You’ve got five minutes of freedom before the moral part of my brain catches up.”

Before he could respond, she was gone—heels echoing lightly down the hallway.

Bob followed, pulse ticking faster than usual. The lab always felt like a cage. But this? This felt like something out of a dream.

Y/N ducked into the control room with practiced ease. She scanned her badge, fingers flying over the keypad until the surveillance system blinked into standby mode. Cameras looped. Lights dimmed in the lower corridors. Power to the locks was momentarily redirected.

“Just a little blackout,” she murmured to herself.

Outside the room, Bob waited, fidgeting, still half-convinced someone would storm in and drag him back to a testing bed. But when she emerged and gave him a simple, triumphant nod, he smiled.

They crept through the lab’s halls like teenagers sneaking out past curfew. Every closed door was a thrill. Every quiet footstep a tiny rebellion. At the exit, Y/N used a physical key—one of the only old security measures left—to slip them out into the humid Malaysian night.

The city opened up before them like a pulse. Neon signs buzzed in the distance. Scooter engines growled in the streets. The scent of grilled food wafted through the air, sweet and smoky. Music played faintly from a corner bar, the kind where no one would ever recognize a living weapon or the daughter of a mad scientist.

Bob took a deep breath.

It wasn’t perfect.

But it was real.

And when he glanced at Y/N—walking ahead of him, skirt swaying, hair lifted slightly in the breeze—he felt, for the first time in a long time, like a man walking next to a woman… not a subject under surveillance.

“Where are we going first?” he asked, falling into step beside her.

She looked up at him, lips curved in a grin. “Wherever you want.”

And just like that, the night was theirs.

The bar was nestled between two noodle shops, its glowing red lanterns swaying gently in the night breeze. Inside, the atmosphere was golden and easy—walls painted deep maroon, string lights overhead, the air rich with spices and the faint scent of incense. A live band played from a corner, their music a jazzy mix of old Western swing and local soul, the perfect rhythm to make hips sway and laughter bloom.

Y/N was the first to pull Bob toward the dance floor. He hesitated—looking at his feet like they might betray him—but she only smiled and dragged him by the wrist.

“You’re fine,” she shouted over the music, “Just follow me!”

“I can barely walk straight, let alone dance,” he muttered, but his feet moved anyway.

They found themselves in a group of cheerful, lively dancers—locals, expats, tourists. The kind of people who didn’t care where you came from as long as you knew how to smile.

A playful, older man with silver hair and a tropical shirt cut in with a charming wink. “May I steal your lovely partner for a spin?”

Y/N laughed, giving Bob a conspiratorial smirk before twirling into the man’s arms. “Only if you promise not to show him up too hard.”

The man’s wife, a short, beaming woman in a bright orange scarf, clapped her hands and turned to Bob. “Now it’s your turn, handsome.”

Caught off guard, Bob gave a sheepish smile, but followed her into the rhythm. She was light on her feet, graceful in a way that made Bob feel less like a statue and more like he belonged there, in motion, in life.

The music slowed, then sped up again, and the couples spun and twirled. Laughs echoed off the bar’s warm walls. The room glowed like honey.

Then, in the natural rhythm of the dance, it happened—partners switched again, laughter in the air, arms brushing past, and suddenly—

Y/N was in Bob’s arms.

She blinked up at him, breath catching for a moment. His hands found her waist. Her fingers curled gently behind his neck.

They were close. Too close for comfort. Or maybe too close for denial.

Neither said anything at first.

The music pulsed softly now—less wild, more sensual, the kind of melody that made time stretch and bend.

“You’re not half bad,” she finally whispered, looking at him through her lashes.

“You’re the one carrying me,” he muttered, his voice hoarse, though he didn't pull away. “I'm just trying not to step on your feet.”

She smiled, but it was softer now. Smaller. Real.

Their bodies moved slowly, swaying in sync. Something in the air had shifted—no longer just dancing, no longer just playing pretend in a borrowed night. Bob’s hands were gentle, respectful, but he wasn’t looking away from her this time.

He was watching her.

Really watching her.

And Y/N wasn’t pretending not to notice.

She felt his warmth through her clothes. Felt the steadiness of his breath. His eyes weren’t glowing gold now—they were just... Bob’s. Kind. Searching. Like maybe this moment meant more than it should.

“Thank you,” he said, suddenly.

“For what?”

“For tonight. For this.”

She swallowed, her voice almost lost in the music. “You needed it.”

His hand slid slightly along her back, anchoring her. “So did you.”

The streets of Kuala Lumpur pulsed with life, even at this hour. Lanterns swung over narrow alleys, street vendors called out in bursts of Bahasa, and the air smelled like fried garlic, smoke, and sweet condensed milk.

Y/N and Bob slipped through the crowds like two teenagers cutting class, hands brushing accidentally, heads tilted back in laughter. The first bar had been quaint and old-fashioned, but the second was neon-drenched chaos—walls glowing pink, electronic music thumping through the floor. The kind of place where no one looked too long and everyone was dancing like the world might end.

Y/N had dragged him inside before he could even read the sign. Bob had protested weakly, but one drink in, he was laughing with his head thrown back, loosening up in a way she hadn’t seen before—not even in their quietest sessions.

At the bar, she leaned into him to yell over the music, her breath brushing his ear. “Try this,” she said, handing him a drink with a mischievous grin. “It’s like fire in a glass.”

Bob raised a skeptical eyebrow but took a sip. He instantly coughed, eyes watering. “You’re trying to kill me.”

“No,” she laughed, eyes bright, “just trying to remind you you’re alive.”

He looked at her then, the lights turning her face violet and gold. “It’s working.”

The song shifted to something slower but bass-heavy, and Bob turned his gaze away, setting the drink down as though afraid of saying too much. Y/N said nothing either, but the corner of her mouth curled knowingly.

They hit the next spot just down the street—a rooftop bar with glowing tables and dim candlelight. The city stretched below them in soft blues and oranges. The breeze tugged gently at her hair as she stood at the edge, arms out like she might fly.

“This is the most alive I’ve felt in years,” she said, her voice lower now, almost reverent.

Bob leaned against the railing beside her. “You look it.”

She turned to look at him, eyebrow raised.

“I mean—” he fumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, “I mean you just… look happy.”

She didn’t respond at first, only let the quiet hang between them.

Then, softly: “I guess I forgot I could be.”

They didn’t touch. Not here. But when she stepped a little closer and he didn’t move away, their shoulders brushed, and neither of them pulled back. Their silhouettes stood together, dark against the lights of the city, like two survivors just remembering what joy tasted like.

From there, it was a stumble into a back-alley karaoke bar filled with locals cheering each other on. Y/N shoved Bob into a booth with a devilish grin. “Your turn,” she said, flipping open the worn songbook.

“I’m not singing.”

“Oh yes, you are.”

“Absolutely not.”

Ten minutes later, Bob Reynolds was standing under a flickering spotlight, mumbling the first verse of an ‘80s rock ballad with all the shame of a man sent to the gallows. But by the second chorus—her laughing in the front row, clapping off beat—he was belting out the words like a man possessed.

She joined him for the last chorus, pulling the mic from his hands. Their voices collided in awful, glorious harmony. The small crowd roared. Bob bowed theatrically. She curtsied. Their laughter echoed off the walls.

They exited hand-in-hand, still breathless.

“I don’t think I’ve laughed like that in years,” he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“You were awful,” she grinned.

“You were worse.”

They ended up on the curb of a quiet street, shoes in hand, legs stretched out. Her head leaned on his shoulder for just a second. A quick, unspoken moment of surrender to the softness between them.

Neither commented on it.

They didn’t need to.

Because in the electric warmth of the night, with the stars overhead and alcohol blurring the edges of their pain, they weren’t test subject and scientist. Not invincible man and guilt-worn genius.

Just Bob and Y/N.

And the world, for now, was big enough to let them forget who they were supposed to be.

The lab was silent.

Cold, humming white lights cast long shadows across the floor, washing the room in sterile calm. After the warmth of the city, the contrast felt like stepping into ice water. Gone were the neon colors, the blaring music, the laughter echoing through open streets. Now there was only the quiet whirring of machines, the distant click of cooling vents, and the echo of their footsteps down the hallway.

Y/N walked a little ahead, heels in hand, her skirt brushing her ankles. She didn’t say anything. Neither did he.

Their silence wasn’t heavy.

It was… tentative.

Careful.

Like something had changed out there in the night, and now it followed them like a ghost—gentle, but undeniable.

Bob paused just outside his room, looking at her. “Hey,” he said, voice low.

She turned, her makeup slightly smudged, her eyes tired but soft. “Yeah?”

He hesitated, leaning against the doorframe. “Thanks. For tonight.”

Her smile was faint. “Don’t mention it.”

“No, I mean it,” he said. “I haven’t felt… I don’t know. Like a person. In a long time.”

The words landed between them, bare and honest.

Y/N looked at him for a long moment, then stepped closer, letting the distance shrink just a bit. “You are a person, Bob,” she said quietly. “You’re more than what they made you. More than the serum. More than what you’ve done.”

He swallowed, eyes flicking to the floor. “You make it easy to forget the other stuff.”

Her voice almost cracked when she replied. “Then let me help you forget it a little more often.”

Their eyes met, and there it was again—that quiet tension, the kind that made breathing feel deeper. Neither moved. Neither touched. But the air between them felt fragile, like a ripple waiting to break.

He gave a small nod, eyes searching hers. “You know... there was a moment tonight. Just one.”

“Hm?”

“When I looked over at you, dancing… and laughing,” he said, voice rough with sleep and something else, “I thought, if this is it—if this is all I get—then maybe that’s okay.”

Y/N’s lips parted slightly, stunned by the honesty of it.

She didn’t know what to say.

So instead, she did something smaller. Simpler.

She stepped forward and gently reached for his hand, still bruised from a recent test. She didn’t hold it. Just brushed her fingers along his palm before letting go.

He looked at her like she’d touched something deeper than skin.

“I should go,” she whispered. “It’s late.”

“Yeah,” he said, his voice quieter now. “Okay.”

She turned, but before she could walk away, he spoke again—so softly she barely heard it.

“Y/N?”

She stopped.

“You looked beautiful tonight.”

She didn’t look back. Just stood there in the hallway, letting the words settle into her.

Then: “You weren’t too bad yourself, Bob.”

She walked away with a small smile playing at her lips, her footsteps echoing into the silence of the lab.

Y/N’s footsteps echoed softly through the hallway, fading with distance as she walked away from Bob’s door.

But something tugged at her.

It wasn’t just his words. It was the way he had looked at her—like she was something fragile and rare. Something he couldn’t quite believe was real. It had been a long time since anyone had seen her like that. If ever.

She slowed.

Then stopped.

Turned to glance back.

The sterile hallway was still and empty, but the weight of everything hung there—what they'd said, what they hadn’t. Her heart was pounding, not just from nerves, but from the pull she could no longer ignore.

Before she could talk herself out of it, her feet moved. Fast. Purposeful.

She doubled back and reached his door, pausing just long enough to take a breath. Then she pushed it open.

Inside, Bob had his back turned, shirt halfway off as he reached for the dull light green set of clothes folded on the cot. He turned, surprised by the sound, his shirt still hanging from one arm.

“Y/N?” His voice was low, uncertain.

She just looked at him—really looked. He was beautiful in his brokenness, in the way his shoulders tensed like he was always bracing for pain, in how human he looked now compared to the power she’d seen before.

Her shoes hit the floor with a soft thud as she stepped inside.

“I’m going to regret this,” she said under her breath, more to herself than to him. Her voice cracked a little. “But can I do something really quick?”

Bob blinked. “Uh… yeah. Of course. What do you—?”

He didn’t get to finish.

Y/N closed the distance between them in two quick steps, reaching for him—hesitant for a second—and then her hand slid to his jaw, thumb brushing lightly along his cheekbone.

And then she kissed him.

Soft at first.

Searching.

Bob froze, eyes wide, every part of him stunned by the sudden contact. It didn’t make sense. She wasn’t supposed to do this. He wasn’t supposed to deserve it.

But her lips didn’t lie. They trembled slightly, like she was scared too. Like this was something neither of them knew how to survive, but they couldn’t stop.

And then, slowly, something in him gave way.

His hand found the back of her neck, fingers threading into her hair, and he kissed her back.

Deeper this time.

Not desperate. But reverent.

Like she was something holy, and this was the only language he had left to speak.

Their bodies pulled closer, the air between them too charged to ignore. His shirt slipped to the floor, forgotten. Her hands gripped lightly at his sides, holding him there like she didn’t know how to let go.

When they finally broke the kiss, their foreheads rested against each other’s. Their breathing was heavy, uneven.

Bob’s voice was rough, full of everything he couldn’t say. “Why did you do that?”

Y/N closed her eyes, her voice barely a whisper. “Because I didn’t want to walk away without knowing what it would feel like.”

Silence.

Then his fingers brushed against her wrist, gently. “And now that you know?”

She opened her eyes.

Still afraid. Still unsure.

“I’m still trying to breathe.”

He smiled softly, bittersweet. “Me too.”

"Ok so..now I really have to go I have to shower and sleep cause my feat are killing me but...I see you tomorrow Bob." She got up, all smiley at him, making her way to the door.

"I see you tomorrow Y/N." For the first time in a long, Bob felt it, he didn't know if it was love, he didn't even know how complicated things could due to their circunstances but for now, his path started to make sense.

Everything happens for a reason right.

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testing-services · 12 days ago

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How Alcohol Testing Labs Help Prevent Counterfeit Alcohol Products?

The global alcohol industry is worth billions of dollars annually, but alongside this lucrative market comes a serious problem: counterfeit alcohol products. These fake or adulterated products pose significant health risks to consumers and damage the reputation of legitimate manufacturers. As a frontline defense against counterfeit alcohol, Alcohol Testing Lab play a critical role in protecting consumers, businesses, and governments worldwide.

In this blog, we’ll explore how alcohol testing labs help prevent counterfeit alcohol products, the techniques they use, and why their role is more important than ever in ensuring product authenticity and safety.

Understanding the Problem of Counterfeit Alcohol

Counterfeit alcohol includes any alcoholic beverage that is produced, packaged, or labeled fraudulently to mimic a legitimate brand. This can involve:

Diluting genuine alcohol with harmful substances.

Substituting premium brands with cheaper, unsafe liquids.

Falsifying alcohol content or labeling to deceive consumers.

The consequences are severe. Consumption of counterfeit alcohol can lead to poisoning, long-term health complications, or even death. Additionally, counterfeit products harm the legitimate alcohol industry through lost revenue and damaged brand reputation.

Governments and producers face ongoing challenges combating counterfeit alcohol, and testing labs are an essential part of the solution.

Role of Alcohol Testing Labs in Counterfeit Prevention

1. Authenticity Verification Through Chemical Analysis

Alcohol testing labs use sophisticated chemical analysis techniques to verify the authenticity of alcoholic products. These tests can detect:

The exact alcohol composition, including ethanol levels and presence of other alcohols such as methanol, which is toxic and common in counterfeit products.

Additives and contaminants not present in genuine products.

Deviations in flavor compounds, acids, and other trace substances that indicate tampering or substitution.

Through these chemical fingerprints, labs can differentiate authentic products from fakes.

2. Detecting Adulteration and Contaminants

Counterfeiters often mix or adulterate alcohol with dangerous chemicals like methanol, industrial alcohol, or other toxic substances to boost volume or mimic flavor. Alcohol testing labs use highly sensitive techniques such as:

Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS): Identifies and quantifies chemical compounds.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC): Detects impurities and contaminants.

Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR): Provides molecular fingerprints for quick comparison.

These methods enable labs to spot even trace levels of dangerous adulterants, protecting consumers from toxic counterfeit products.

3. Verifying Label Claims and Compliance

Counterfeit products often carry false or misleading label information, such as incorrect alcohol percentages or fake brand names. Alcohol testing labs check:

Whether the declared alcohol by volume (ABV) matches the tested content.

The presence of mandated ingredients and absence of prohibited substances.

Packaging integrity and label authenticity when integrated with forensic techniques.

Verification of labels helps authorities and businesses ensure that only genuine, compliant products reach consumers.

4. Supporting Legal and Regulatory Enforcement

Alcohol testing labs provide critical evidence in legal and regulatory cases against counterfeiters. Detailed and scientifically valid test reports enable:

Law enforcement agencies to prosecute offenders.

Customs authorities to seize fake shipments at borders.

Regulatory bodies to issue warnings and recalls.

This scientific backing is essential for effective crackdown on counterfeit alcohol distribution networks.

5. Assisting Brands in Quality Control and Supply Chain Security

Leading alcohol producers collaborate with testing labs to implement quality control programs that monitor the authenticity of products throughout the supply chain. Labs help by:

Testing random samples from distributors, retailers, or import shipments.

Confirming that products meet quality specifications before reaching the market.

Detecting diversion or counterfeiting attempts early, allowing swift corrective action.

This ongoing lab partnership strengthens brand integrity and consumer trust.

Advanced Technologies Alcohol Testing Labs Use to Combat Counterfeiting

Modern alcohol testing labs employ a variety of cutting-edge technologies beyond traditional chemical analysis to identify counterfeit products quickly and reliably:

Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS): Determines the geographic origin of alcohol based on isotopic signatures, useful in detecting counterfeit products claiming false provenance.

DNA Barcoding: Used for products with botanical ingredients like flavored spirits, ensuring authenticity of natural components.

Spectroscopic Techniques (NMR, Raman, UV-Vis): Offer rapid, non-destructive fingerprinting of alcohol samples for quick screening.

Machine Learning & Data Analytics: Advanced software analyzes chemical data patterns to detect subtle differences indicative of counterfeit products.

These innovations enhance lab capabilities to protect the alcohol market from sophisticated counterfeiters.

Why Partnering with an Accredited Alcohol Testing Lab Matters

Choosing an accredited and reputable alcohol testing lab ensures reliable counterfeit detection and product safety assurance. Accreditation (e.g., ISO/IEC 17025) guarantees:

Standardized, validated testing methods.

Qualified technical experts with deep industry knowledge.

Accurate, reproducible results accepted by regulators and courts.

Confidentiality and ethical handling of proprietary information.

Producers and authorities should prioritize labs with proven expertise in counterfeit detection for optimal results.

Broader Impact: Protecting Consumers and the Industry

By preventing counterfeit alcohol products, testing labs contribute to:

Public Health and Safety: Ensuring consumers do not ingest harmful or mislabeled products.

Economic Stability: Protecting revenue and jobs in the legitimate alcohol industry.

Brand Reputation: Helping companies maintain consumer confidence and loyalty.

Regulatory Compliance: Assisting governments in enforcing laws and standards.

The combined efforts of testing labs, industry stakeholders, and regulators create a safer, more trustworthy alcohol marketplace.

Conclusion

Counterfeit alcohol products represent a serious threat to consumer safety, business integrity, and regulatory compliance worldwide. Alcohol Testing Labs play a vital role in combating this menace by providing precise chemical analyses, detecting adulteration, verifying label claims, and supporting legal enforcement.

As counterfeiters become increasingly sophisticated, the advanced technologies and expertise of accredited alcohol testing labs are more crucial than ever. Their work ensures that only genuine, safe alcoholic beverages reach consumers, protecting public health and preserving the reputation of authentic brands.

#Alcohol Testing Lab #Alcohol Testing #Testing Lab near me #Testing Lab in Delhi

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best-testing-lab-uae · 4 months ago

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Best Alcohol Testing Practices for Employers in Abu Dhabi’s Hospitality Industry | +971 554747210

In Abu Dhabi’s hospitality industry, safety, service quality, and compliance with local regulations are essential. With the increasing prevalence of alcohol in hotels, restaurants, bars, and other hospitality venues, it’s crucial for employers to implement alcohol testing to ensure a safe and productive workplace. Alcohol impairment can lead to accidents, legal issues, and a decrease in service quality. In this blog, we will explore the best alcohol testing practices for employers in Abu Dhabi’s hospitality industry, ensuring workplace safety, regulatory compliance, and enhanced service.

Why Alcohol Testing Is Important in Abu Dhabi’s Hospitality Industry

The hospitality industry in Abu Dhabi is a bustling sector, with establishments that serve food and beverages, including alcoholic drinks. Employees, particularly those working in customer-facing roles such as bartenders, servers, and front-desk staff, need to maintain high levels of alertness and professionalism. Alcohol consumption, even in small amounts, can impair cognitive abilities, reaction times, and judgment. In customer service, this can lead to errors, unsafe behavior, and poor service quality.

Alcohol testing in hospitality is essential for:

Ensuring Customer Safety: Employees need to be alert and capable of managing customer interactions responsibly, especially when serving alcohol.

Preventing Accidents: In environments where employees operate kitchen equipment, cleaning supplies, or heavy machinery, alcohol impairment increases the risk of accidents.

Regulatory Compliance: Abu Dhabi follows strict labor and health and safety regulations, and alcohol testing helps employers remain compliant with local laws.

Maintaining Workplace Productivity: Alcohol testing ensures that employees are sober and fully capable of performing their duties, thereby contributing to higher productivity and a safer work environment.

Best Practices for Alcohol Testing in the Hospitality Industry

1. Establish Clear Alcohol Testing Policies

The first step in alcohol testing for employers in Abu Dhabi’s hospitality industry is to establish a clear and well-documented alcohol testing policy. This policy should outline:

Testing Frequency: Employers should specify whether alcohol testing will be done randomly, after an incident, or during pre-employment screenings.

Testing Procedures: Clearly define the procedures for alcohol testing, including what methods will be used (e.g., breathalyzers, blood tests).

Consequences of Positive Results: Employers should outline the consequences for employees who test positive, such as disciplinary actions, retraining, or termination, depending on the severity of the impairment.

Employee Education: Ensure that all employees are informed about the testing policy, the importance of alcohol testing, and the consequences of non-compliance.

By establishing clear alcohol testing policies, employers in Abu Dhabi’s hospitality sector can ensure a transparent and fair process while reducing the risk of misunderstandings or legal disputes.

2. Random Alcohol Testing

Random alcohol testing is an effective method of ensuring that employees in the hospitality industry remain sober while on duty. Random testing is conducted without prior notice, making it an effective deterrent against alcohol consumption during shifts. It helps prevent employees from showing up under the influence and discourages alcohol use during work hours.

For employers in Abu Dhabi, random alcohol testing provides the benefit of unpredictability, ensuring that employees do not have the opportunity to alter their behavior to avoid detection. This method is especially important for customer-facing roles, such as bartenders and waitstaff, where alcohol impairment can significantly affect service quality.

3. Pre-Employment Alcohol Testing

Pre-employment alcohol testing is another best practice for employers in Abu Dhabi’s hospitality industry. This process involves screening candidates for alcohol consumption before they are hired. It helps employers assess whether potential employees are fit for duty and ensures that they are free from alcohol impairment before joining the workforce.

Pre-employment testing also helps establish a strong foundation for workplace safety from day one. Employers who implement pre-employment alcohol testing show their commitment to maintaining a safe and professional work environment and ensuring that new hires are capable of meeting company standards.

4. Post-Incident Alcohol Testing

In the hospitality industry, accidents, altercations, or unusual behavior may occur due to alcohol impairment. Post-incident alcohol testing is necessary to determine whether alcohol played a role in an incident. If an employee is involved in an accident, exhibits unsafe behavior, or is involved in a customer altercation, alcohol testing helps determine if intoxication contributed to the event.

Post-incident testing serves a dual purpose: It helps identify potential safety hazards and provides legal protection for employers in case of litigation or regulatory scrutiny. This practice also helps ensure that employees remain accountable for their actions and maintain professional behavior in the workplace.

5. Consistent Training and Awareness Programs

While alcohol testing is essential, it’s also crucial to establish ongoing training and awareness programs to educate employees about the importance of alcohol testing and the consequences of alcohol impairment. Hospitality employers in Abu Dhabi should educate their staff on the risks associated with alcohol consumption, both on and off the job.

Training programs should include information on:

Alcohol’s impact on behavior and performance: Educating staff about the signs of alcohol impairment and how it affects their ability to perform duties safely and effectively.

Company policies and expectations: Informing employees about the specific alcohol-related policies within their workplace, including the testing procedures and consequences for non-compliance.

Resources for help: Offering support services or resources, such as counseling or rehabilitation programs, for employees who may be struggling with alcohol-related issues.

Ongoing training helps ensure that employees are aware of the expectations and supports a culture of safety and accountability.

6. Use of Reliable Alcohol Testing Methods

To ensure accuracy and reliability, employers in Abu Dhabi’s hospitality industry should use well-established and scientifically validated alcohol testing methods. Common methods of alcohol testing include:

Breath Alcohol Testing: Breathalyzers are the most widely used method for alcohol testing in the workplace. They are non-invasive, quick, and provide reliable results. A breathalyzer measures the concentration of alcohol in the exhaled air, which correlates to blood alcohol content (BAC). This method is ideal for random testing, pre-employment screenings, and post-incident testing.

Blood Alcohol Testing: This method is more accurate than breath testing and is often used in cases of accidents or legal disputes. A blood alcohol test involves drawing a blood sample to measure the BAC. While it is more invasive than breath testing, it provides precise and definitive results.

Urine Alcohol Testing: Urine tests can detect alcohol consumption over a longer period, making it useful for detecting alcohol use within hours of consumption. While not as common as breath tests, urine testing can be used when other methods are unavailable or when required for compliance.

By choosing the right alcohol testing method, employers ensure the effectiveness of their alcohol testing program.

7. Create a Supportive Workplace Culture

Creating a supportive workplace culture is one of the most effective ways to prevent alcohol-related issues in the hospitality industry. Employers should foster an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing alcohol-related concerns and seeking help if needed. Having clear policies for handling alcohol-related issues, including support services and rehabilitation programs, can help employees avoid alcohol-related problems while promoting overall well-being.

Supportive environments can also reduce the stigma surrounding alcohol testing, helping employees feel more confident in their commitment to maintaining a safe, alcohol-free workplace.

Conclusion

Alcohol testing is a critical aspect of ensuring workplace safety in Abu Dhabi’s hospitality industry. Employers in this sector must adopt best practices such as establishing clear policies, conducting random alcohol testing, implementing pre-employment screenings, performing post-incident testing, and using reliable testing methods. By maintaining a proactive approach to alcohol testing, hospitality employers can reduce the risk of accidents, improve service quality, ensure regulatory compliance, and foster a safe and productive work environment. With these best practices in place, employers can create a safer and more efficient hospitality industry in Abu Dhabi.

#alcohol testing #alcohol testing lab #testing lab uae #alcohol testing uae #testing lab near me

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best-testing-lab-saudi · 4 months ago

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How Alcohol Testing Labs in Ajman Ensure Compliance with International Beverage Standards? | +971 554747210

The global alcoholic beverage industry is under constant scrutiny to ensure that products meet strict regulatory standards, especially when it comes to safety, quality, and environmental impact. Whether it’s a local brewery in Ajman or an international brand exporting to various markets, ensuring compliance with international beverage standards is crucial to avoid legal issues, maintain consumer trust, and succeed in the highly competitive alcohol industry. This is where alcohol testing labs in Ajman come into play.

In this blog, we will explore how alcohol testing lab in Ajman ensure that alcoholic beverages meet international standards. From compliance with safety regulations to ensuring consistency and quality, these labs help manufacturers navigate the complex landscape of beverage standards, making their products safer for consumers and more competitive in the global market.

The Importance of Compliance with International Beverage Standards

International standards for alcoholic beverages are designed to ensure consumer safety and product quality. These regulations cover a wide range of factors, from ingredients and production methods to packaging, labeling, and environmental impact. Compliance with these standards is not only necessary for legal operations but also serves to build consumer confidence in the products.

Key international beverage standards include:

The Codex Alimentarius: Developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), this set of guidelines covers food safety and quality, including alcoholic beverages.

ISO Standards: ISO 22000, ISO 9001, and other ISO certifications are crucial for companies that wish to ensure product quality and safety. These standards are recognized worldwide and are important for businesses that export their products.

The European Union (EU) Regulations: The EU has strict standards for the production, labeling, and safety of alcoholic beverages, including specific rules regarding ingredients and additives.

U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) Guidelines: For companies exporting to the United States, compliance with the TTB's requirements on labeling, alcohol content, and health warnings is critical.

Failure to comply with these regulations can result in product recalls, fines, or the inability to sell in international markets. For this reason, alcohol testing labs in Ajman play a critical role in ensuring that alcoholic beverages meet these global standards.

How Alcohol Testing Labs in Ajman Ensure Compliance with International Beverage Standards

1. Chemical and Microbiological Testing

One of the key functions of alcohol testing labs in Ajman is to ensure that alcoholic beverages are free from harmful contaminants and that they meet chemical and microbiological standards set by international regulators. These labs conduct a series of tests to detect harmful microorganisms, chemical additives, and impurities that could compromise product quality and safety.

Chemical Testing includes:

Alcohol Content: International regulations, such as those from the EU or U.S. TTB, require that alcohol content is precisely measured. Alcohol testing labs use advanced techniques like gas chromatography to ensure that the alcohol content of beverages is within the specified range.

Additives and Preservatives: Many countries have strict limits on the use of additives and preservatives in alcoholic beverages. Testing labs check for substances like sulfites or artificial sweeteners to ensure they meet international safety standards.

Microbiological Testing includes:

Pathogen Detection: International standards require alcoholic beverages to be free from harmful microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, or molds that can cause spoilage or illness. Labs test for pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria to ensure compliance.

Fermentation Monitoring: Testing labs also monitor the fermentation process to ensure that no unintended microorganisms are present, which could lead to contamination and non-compliance with safety regulations.

By conducting these tests, alcohol testing labs in Ajman help producers ensure that their products meet international health and safety standards, making them compliant for both local and global markets.

2. Labeling and Ingredient Compliance

International beverage standards also require alcoholic beverages to have proper labeling that adheres to specific regulations. For example, beverages must include information on alcohol content, ingredients, allergen warnings, and health-related messages. Alcohol testing labs in Ajman play a crucial role in verifying that labels meet the requirements of international regulatory bodies such as the EU, WHO, and the U.S. TTB.

Labeling tests typically cover:

Alcohol Content: International guidelines mandate that alcohol content is clearly stated on labels. Alcohol testing labs measure the exact alcohol content and confirm it is accurately reflected on the product label.

Ingredient Transparency: The Codex Alimentarius and other international standards require that all ingredients in alcoholic beverages, including flavorings, colors, and preservatives, are clearly listed on the label. Testing labs verify that the ingredients comply with international regulations, ensuring transparency for consumers.

Health and Safety Warnings: Many countries require specific health warnings on alcoholic beverages, such as pregnancy-related warnings or warnings about the consumption of alcohol while driving. Alcohol testing labs ensure these messages are included and comply with international standards.

By ensuring that all labeling and ingredient claims are accurate and comply with international regulations, alcohol testing labs in Ajman help producers avoid legal complications and ensure market access across different countries.

3. Packaging Material Safety

The packaging of alcoholic beverages is another area where international standards come into play. Alcoholic beverages must be packaged in materials that are safe for both the product and the consumer. For instance, the EU and U.S. regulations require that packaging materials for alcoholic beverages do not leach harmful chemicals into the contents of the drink.

Alcohol testing labs in Ajman conduct packaging material testing, which includes:

Chemical Migration Testing: This test ensures that packaging materials, such as glass, plastic, or metal, do not release harmful chemicals that could compromise the beverage's safety or quality. These tests help comply with international standards like the EU’s Framework Regulation for Food Contact Materials.

Seal Integrity and Leak Testing: Ensuring that bottles and cans are properly sealed is critical for maintaining the quality and safety of the product. Testing labs check for leaks and ensure that the packaging protects the beverage from contamination and spoilage.

These tests are essential for compliance with international packaging standards and help alcohol producers avoid potential contamination risks during shipping and storage.

4. Environmental and Sustainability Compliance

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important aspect of international regulations and consumer expectations in the alcoholic beverage industry. Many countries have adopted environmental standards that require producers to minimize waste, use eco-friendly packaging, and ensure responsible production processes.

Alcohol testing labs in Ajman help producers meet these sustainability goals by:

Assessing Carbon Footprint: Some international regulations require that producers measure and report their carbon emissions. Testing labs help monitor the environmental impact of the production process.

Recyclability and Waste Management: Testing labs help ensure that packaging materials are recyclable and that waste disposal methods meet global environmental standards.

By supporting sustainability efforts, alcohol testing labs in Ajman help producers comply with international environmental regulations, which can be a key selling point in global markets where eco-conscious consumers are prevalent.

5. Export Compliance and Certification

Many alcoholic beverage producers in Ajman aim to expand their reach to international markets. To do so, they must ensure that their products comply with export requirements, including international beverage standards and certification procedures.

Alcohol testing labs assist with export certification by:

Providing Certificates of Analysis (COAs): These certificates verify that products meet the necessary quality and safety standards, which are required for exports to markets such as the EU, U.S., or Asia.

Supporting Trade Regulations: Alcohol testing labs ensure that the products meet all required import and export standards, which can include quality assurance checks, documentation for customs clearance, and adherence to specific country regulations.

These services help alcohol producers navigate the complexities of international trade and ensure their products are eligible for export, increasing their global competitiveness.

Conclusion

Alcohol testing labs in Ajman play a vital role in ensuring compliance with international beverage standards. From chemical and microbiological testing to labeling, packaging, and sustainability compliance, these labs provide comprehensive testing services that help producers meet the stringent requirements of international markets. By ensuring product safety, quality, and environmental compliance, alcohol testing labs not only protect consumer health but also support the growth and competitiveness of the alcohol industry in Ajman.

For alcohol producers looking to expand their global reach, partnering with a reliable alcohol testing lab in Ajman is essential to ensure that products meet the highest international standards, maintain consumer trust, and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving global market.

#alcohol testing lab #alcohol testing #testing lab near me #testing lab uae

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ladykailitha · 16 days ago

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Forever Young Part 4

Hey guys! We are back with this amazing fic! Since it's been a bit I'd recommend reading the last chapter: here or the from the beginning: here.

Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3

A bit of a longer chapter with lots of twists and turns and a brief cameo of Joyce and Hopper.

Will and Dustin looked at each other and sighed heavily.

“I forgot that there is a distinct messy side to science,” Dustin said, putting his hands on his hips and looking at the bags and bags of garbage out by the garage.

“Let’s see if we can’t find gardening gloves or whatever to protect us...” he waved at the piles with a grimace, “from all of that.”

“Good idea,” Dustin agreed. “There is bound to be broken bottles in there and I really don’t have the desire to call Wayne about needing a ride to the hospital, thanks.”

They found gloves and got to work. They sorted out the bags that were clearly from earlier in the week and focused on the two bags that were the most likely culprits for being from last night.

“So I’m just seeing beer and joint butts,” Will said about twenty minutes later. “How about you?”

Dustin sighed and pushed his bag away. “A whole lot of nothing. Like chip bags and other junk food detritus, no real heavy alcohol or anything that might mix badly with the weed.”

Will nodded. “It just seems like their every day party with out us underaged teenagers. Different kinds of soda and other drinks but nothing that screams body altering drugs.”

He got to his feet and dusted off his knees. “This was a complete bust.”

Dustin got up too. “I don’t think so. Yeah, we didn’t find anything, but that means that it wasn’t drug or alcohol related. That’s something we cross off the list.”

“I suppose,” Will sighed as he pulled off his gloves. “Let’s go tell everyone we didn’t find anything.”

“Let’s hope Dr. Owens has some ideas,” Dustin agreed, pulling off his gloves too. “But I’m plumb out.”

The other four kids were sitting on the sofa, talking among themselves.

“Sorry, guys,” Dustin said flopping on the arm chair, while Will sat cross-legged on the floor. “That was a bust. All they had last night was the usual stuff to get high and drunk.”

“Ours was unfruitful as well,” El said with a sigh. “Dr. Owens said that they had never encountered physical regression before. But he’ll look into it further and call back. I worry he may want to take blood tests.”

“He can fuck off back to whatever hole he crawled out of,” Mike growled. “I’m not letting them do to Nancy what they did to El. I don’t care.”

Lucas put his hand on Mike’s arm. “And we won’t let them either. Especially with Wayne knowing what’s going on. I have a feeling that if they tried to take Eddie, he’d storm the lab with nothing but a shotgun and enough ammo take on a third world country.”

Mike straightened and blinked for a moment. “Oh, yeah. He’d go all Rambo on their ass. Huh. That does make me feel better. Thanks!”

“No problem,” Lucas said with a smile. “Plus if we add El and Erica to the mix, the lab would be razed the ground in seconds.”

El just batted her eyelashes at them sweetly.

“So we’ve got absolutely nothing,” Dustin said with a heavy sigh. “The lab was no help, the garbage was no help. They can’t tell us what went wrong. We’re pretty much stuck until something else happens.”

“Pretty much!” Mike huffed, throwing his head back against the couch cushion. “This sucks. I’ve looked up to Nancy my whole life and after the monsters I’ve admired what a badass she was. But that little girl isn’t the Nancy I grew up with. Like she knows she’s going to be a big sister, but she doesn’t understand what that means right now. For her it’s diaper changes and bottle feeding. Not being a reporter and shotguns.”

There was a creak on the stairs leading down to the basement and everyone looked over expecting Steve as he had slept earlier, but no it was Little Jonathan.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” he whispered shyly, sucking on his thumb.

Will was on his feet in an instant. One of the things that Lonnie liked to yell about either of his sons was that they were too soft. That they needed toughening up. The fact that Little Jonathan was still sucking his thumb at this age was sure sign that Lonnie was an ass and that there was no doubt he had hit his son for trying to get comfort somewhere in this big, wide world.

“Come with me,” he said gently. “I’ll take you to the one up here and then show you where the one downstairs is so you if you spend the night you know where it is, okay?”

Little Jonathan nodded, taking Will’s hand. Will led the way and as he was about to close the door behind the toddler, Little Jonathan looked up him and cocked his head.

“Will the Wise,” he said solemnly. “You’ll find someone who loves you for you some day.” Then he toddled into the bathroom and closed the door, leaving a very stunned Will staring at the wooden surface.

When Little Jonathan came out he didn’t seem to remember what he said before going into the bathroom. So Will just led him back to the living room where the teens were gathered.

“Hey there, buddy,” Lucas said with a soft smile. “Did you want to try to go back to sleep or did you want to color until everyone else woke up?”

“M’mm awake...” came the slurred voice of Little Eddie from the floor. “Just restin’ my eyes.” He sat up sort of cross-legged and rubbed his eyes.

Max giggled. “Sure are, big guy. All bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.”

Then Little Robin came in, hair a mess and drool all over her face. “I’m thirsty, can I get some water?”

“Sure!” Will said, his voice cracking. “El won’t you take them to the kitchen, I’m sure Eddie and Jonathan are thirsty too.”

El looked at him curiously, head cocked to the side. Then she nodded. “Come on, everyone hold hands like they did for lunch.”

The kids did as they were told and El took Little Robin’s hand to lead them into the kitchen.

The kids ooh’ed and awed when El used her powers to get the glasses down from the cupboard because it was too high for her to get.

“Cups are easy,” Little Robin said with a giggle. “She can throw cars with her mind, too!”

El froze and the cup headed for Little Eddie stopped too.

“Supergirl!” Little Eddie agreed, clapping his hands and reaching out for the cup. It took everything El had to let go of the cup so that Eddie could take it.

“You should see her fly a helicopter!” Little Jonathan crowed. “It’s so cool!”

She watched them in wide-eyed amazement as they didn’t seem to understand what it was they just said. They just happily drank the water given to them and then handed the cups back to her. She put them in the sink and then led them back out to the living room.

There was Little Nancy and Little Steve sitting on the floor with their heads together, playing tic-tac-toe as they waited for the other kids to come back.

“I think they’re getting some of them memories back,” El said bluntly. “But only in spurts.”

“I agree,” Dustin said putting his hands on his hips. “But when it does happen, it doesn’t stick around for long. Just a memory and then it’s gone.”

Max narrowed her eyes and then cocked her head back and forth. “Well you want to know what I think? I think we should just let them be kids for awhile.”

“What?” Lucas cried, springing to his feet. “We need them as adults!”

“And that’s the problem!” Max snapped back, getting to her feet, too. “We rely on them too much. When do they get to be kids? Especially Jonathan, Steve, and Nancy. They were our age when they first met the Upside Down, when do they get to shirk their duties and have fun?”

Mike grabbed both Lucas and Max and started pushing them toward the hall, but before he could even get them turned around, Little Jonathan and Little Robin burst into tears. Mike closed his eyes.

“I was trying to avoid that,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Please take this argument elsewhere. Dustin and El, too. They don’t need to hear this.”

There was a lot of shouting and protesting as even more of the kids started to cry.

Suddenly there was a piercing whistle from the doorway to the hall. All the teens stopped arguing even though the kids kept crying. They turned to the door and there was Joyce and Hopper standing there. Hopper had his fingers to his lips, pointing to him as the cause of the whistle.

The teenagers stared at them in shock and maybe a little bit of fear too. They were so busted.

“Where did you lot get a bunch of children?” Hopper groused. “I don’t think I’d let any of ya babysit for love or money.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

Joyce smacked his chest. “Jim!” she cried in amusement.

Suddenly Little Jonathan broke from the crowd of children and dashed straight for Joyce’s legs.

“Mommy!”

Joyce scooped him up out of habit and then froze. “All my babies are grown up, little one.”

Will and El shared a grimace.

Little Jonathan traced a scar on her chin. “Daddy did that. I’m sorry, Mommy.”

Joyce and Jim both went wide-eyed.

Joyce moved Little Jonathan to her hip to get a better look at the little boy in her arms. “Jonathan?”

The little boy nodded.

Of course the other kids were still screaming so Mike and Lucas each grabbed one of the girls to calm down first. Mike took Nancy and began cooing a lullaby. She hiccuped softly, her sobs slackening until they stopped all together.

Hopper waded in and picked up the two boys, bouncing each on his hip. El immediately stood up and grabbed Little Steve from him so he could focus on getting the one quiet. El reading Little Steve’s mind to find a song that would calm him and started humming that.

Once everyone had stopped screaming and Joyce was over her shock, she sat down on the sofa, her son in her arms.

“Will, what’s going on?” she asked her other child.

“We don’t know,” Will huffed. “We know it’s not Upside Down related. El and I checked, but they just woke up like that.”

“They?” Hopper said, looking closer at the child in his arms. “Holy shiiiiivvva,” he said changing the last word at the last second.

“What’s a Shiva?” the little boy asked, cocking his head to the side and looking up at him with chocolate button eyes.

“Shiva is an Indian god,” Hopper huffed. “With too many arms and lots of rage issues.”

“So holy Shiva makes sense,” Little Eddie said solemnly, nodding. “Uncle Wayne said not to swear because they’re big people words. Can I say holy Shiva instead of cussing?”

“Sure, kid,” Hopper said with a huff of laughter.

“Oh no,” Joyce said softly. “If that’s Eddie, and this is Jonathan are those...?”

Will sighed putting his head in his hands.

“I’m afraid so Mrs. Byers,” Dustin said, putting his hands on his hips. “Steve was the first one found like this, then Nancy and Jonathan. We assumed, rightly unfortunately, that Robin and Eddie were affected, too.”

“Does Wayne know about his nephew’s cute-ifaction?” Hopper asked.

Max chewed on her thumbnail. “I think he was the first to know, but didn’t reach out to the rest of us because he didn’t know it had happen to the others, too.”

Hopper set Little Eddie down. “Sounds like you’ve got a bit of a mess. Especially since the reason Joyce and I stopped by is that we’ve got to head out of town for a bit. We were hoping to make sure Steve was aware he had to keep an eye out for you lot.”

“I’m not sure we can leave knowing the older teens are kids now,” Joyce said, holding Jonathan to her chest.

Hopper just shook his head. “I’d agree with you, but Murray was pretty insistent we both be there.”

“Is it Upside Down related?” El asked, cocking her head to the side.

Joyce sighed and then looked over at Hopper.

“We don’t know yet,” Hopper explained calmly. “We know that the Russians tried to open a gate before and if they’ve got someone like Henry Creel, they might try to insert them into the Upside Down to get control of it for their own ends.”

El nodded. “I’ve been keeping an ear out for any stirrings, but there haven’t been so far.”

He kissed her forehead. “That’s good to know.”

“How long will you be gone?” Will asked nervously. He remembered the last time his mom left and really didn’t want to repeat that experience.

Joyce looked up at Hopper and then back at him. “I don’t know love. I know things went bad last time, but that was because a general went crazy and tried to kill El. That won’t happen this time, I promise.”

“No offense, ma’am,” Lucas huffed. “But I really don’t think that’s a promise you can make. I get that it might be Upside Down related, but I don’t know about anyone else, I’m getting tired of grown ups leaving us behind to take on problems well beyond our capacity.”

“You watch your tone, young man,” Joyce said sternly. “It’s not your place to tell adults what they can or cannot do.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’ve still got PTO coming to me then, isn’t it?” Wayne growled from behind them.

“Wayne!” Lucas breathed in relief.

“Went out bought somethings for youngsters,” he said holding up his loot. “You two can go do what you want. I’ll handle this.”

Joyce chewed on her lip and then set Little Jonathan down gently. “I’m going away for a couple of days, but Mr. Munson is going to watch you and your new friends. You’ll be safe, I promise.”

Lucas rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut.

“I’ll take care of it,” Wayne repeated more sternly.

Joyce pressed her lips tightly and then nodded. She pulled money out her purse and handed it to Wayne. “To help cover any food they might need.”

Wayne set down some of the bags he had and took the money. “Thank you.”

“We’ll be in contact,” Hopper said squeezing his shoulder. “Keep the walkie nearby.”

They all nodded.

“Who wants to help me make dinner?” Wayne said with a grin, turning back to the other kids.

A cheer went up.

Part 5

Tag List: CLOSED

1- @itsall-taken @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @sadisticaltarts @dolphincliffs

2- @gregre369 @a-little-unsteddie @irregular-child @cryptid-system @kultiras

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @dreamercec @blondie1006

5- @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @genderless-spoon @fearieshadow @thesecondfate

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

9- @steddieislife @stripey82 @tony-2012 @stedestielfrattficlover @micheledawn1975

10- @moonshadows-13 @bridget-malfoy-stilinski-hale @morallyundefined @best-thing-at-this-party @ollieolive

#my writing #stranger things #steddie #ladykailtiha writes #kid fic

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watermelongirl01 · 7 months ago

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The Tattoo

Aaron Hotchner x fem!reader

Criminal Minds x Supernatural

Summary: Your first humankind case reveals a new Hotchner´s side you didn´t know.

Content Warning: Flirty Hotch, Homicide description, Abuse, Rape, Violence, Triggering situations. (Please let me know if I let something out.)

Note: This is my version of the episode "Jones" in the early seasons, I changed a lot of the things but not all of them, It is just how I would've liked the case to be in my opinion, and obviously added a bunch of other things to fit the thread of my story, like Jason Gideon not being there. I hope you like it.

“Short stuff, are you ready?”

“Nope”

“Come on, you’re going to be just fine.” Morgan gifted you a reassuring smile.

This was your first time filling in for a member of the group. Normally it wasn’t necessary, but the team was reduced to four. Emily was on mandatory vacation and JJ stayed at home to take care of a sick Henry, so now your presence was requested.

“It’s not what I’m used to.”

“No it’s not, but you are a great agent and will do just fine.” He said gently squeezing your arm. “You will charm them all.”

“Of course I will, there is no doubt.” You smiled back.

“Let’s go then.”

You both walked to the briefing room where the rest of the team was waiting, Morgan quickly walked to the empty chair In front of you, slightly pushing you to the side, leaving you with no option but to sit next to Hotch, not that you minded but lately all the members of the team have been acting a little weird.

You looked at Morgan with a questioning look but he completely ignored you and lowered his gaze to read the case files.

“We have a serial killer in New Orleans. Two men’s dead bodies were found over the last month, and a third body was found last night, the same MO, male, throat slashed, they were all found in semi-public places in the French Quarter.” You heard Penelope explain. “The local police have no leads and no suspects so far, Mike Weller, the head detective is waiting for you.”

Hotch nodded and looked at everyone in the room. “Wheels up in thirty.” He said before disappearing out the door.

—

When arriving, Hotch sent you and Reid to the forensic lab to examine the body.

“No hesitation marks.” You said pointing to the terrible wounds.

Spencer nodded. “Cuts are methodical and almost procedural.”

The forensic doctor looked at both of you. “The person who did this definitely had medical training, there’s no other way he could have done this.”

“He?” You glaze up to the doctor.

“No defensive wounds and took out pretty big men.” You frowned. “Although all the toxicology tests showed signs of alcohol.”

“Any relatives came to claim the body?” Spencer asked.

The doctor nodded. “His wife came with his former colleague.” Both of you looked at him with a confused expression. “He was a retired officer.”

“The lead detective didn’t say anything about that.”

“I’m not surprised, he wasn’t popular at all, he had a reputation for being a dirty cop.”

“I’ll call Garcia.” You said getting your phone out.

But suddenly Spencer’s phone began to ring and he immediately answered. “Where? Okay, we’ll be there.” He looked at you as he got off the phone. “Another body was found, call her on the way there.”

—

“Same MO.” Morgan informed. “Some people saw him leave the bar down the street.”

“So, he was drunk just like the other victim.” You said while eyeing the Weller. “Do we know his profession?”

“Does it matter?” He asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

You step aside standing closer to him and shrugging your shoulders. “Humor me, detective.”

Detective Weller side-eyed you but nodded. “He was a well-known lawyer.”

“I see.” You crossed your arms while raising an eyebrow. “You forgot to mention that the fourth victim was a cop who used to work at your police station.”

“I don’t think it is relevant to the case.” Weller huffed.

“Well, we don’t know that yet.” You insisted. “Do we?”

The BAU men were looking at your disagreement with confusion, and suddenly a strong back wearing a gray and elegant suit got in between, blocking your vision. It took only a few seconds to recognize that it belonged to Hotchner.

“We would like to have access to all of the information available, it’s vital to be able to get the unsub’s profile.“ You heard Aaron talking to the detective.

“Sure, Agent Hotchner.” After Weller left the crime scene, Hotch turned around to see you.

“You are riding with me.” Hotch left the place hurriedly making you roll your eyes and toss your keys at Spencer.

You manage to keep up with Hotch’s pace and climb up on the SUV, some minutes passed and neither of you talked, but you got tired of the unbearable silence.

“If you’re going to scold me, just do it now.”

“I’m not.”

“Hotch he was in the wrong, you know that, right?”

“I’m aware.” You shot him a puzzled look.

“Then why get in the middle of my conversation?”

”Because that wasn’t a conversation, he was starting to raise his voice.”

“I can take it, Hotchner.”

“I know you can, doesn’t mean I want you to.” You felt how your facial expression softened at his comment. “Listen, some of these detectives think we are here to make them look bad, they feel threatened.”

You rolled your eyes. “How are their insecurities my fault?”

Hotch chuckled a bit. “They are not, just go easy on them so we can keep the case.”

—

You, Hotch, and Spencer stayed at the precinct to read all the new information about the victims while Rossi and Morgan left to talk with the new possible witnesses. Currently, you are on your third cup of coffee and your fifth case file.

“I can’t believe we were missing all this information.” You hissed.

“Simmer down.” Hotch murmured.

You looked at the evidence board leaning against the table, focusing on the victim's photos, and frowning when looking closer.

“Oh.”

“You found something new?” Spencer asked.

“Hmm, have you seen that all the victims have tattoos?” Both men got closer to look at the photos.

“Well actually, in some religions tattoos are forbidden because they think of the body as a temple.” Spencer babbled and immediately stood up from his chair. “Some other religions even think that if you get a tattoo, you’re not allowed in heaven.”

“Really?” A look of confusion crossed your face.

Spencer quickly nodded while pointing up with his finger. “You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:28.” He added.

“So, we think this is a religious matter?” You asked.

“It could be a coincidence. Let’s ask Garcia if she can find something about it.” Spencer took his phone and left the room, leaving you and Hotch alone, looking at the board side to side.

“Well, that’s concerning. You know, some tattoos are meant to protect you.”

Hotch turned his head towards you. “What do you mean?”

“There’s this kind of tattoos that are protection symbols, usually hunters get them.”

“You have one?” Hotch’s upright posture was visibly shaken.

“I'm no hunter.” You said before walking back to the table, Hotch following you. “But yes, I do have one.”

“I’ve never seen a tattoo on you.” Hotch frowns

“That´s because it’s not in a visible spot.” You giggled while turning your back on Hotch to take out another stack of files.

Hotch’s eyes were found unconsciously roaming over your body. He had seen you in the summer, in short skirts and tiny tops, or with risky cleavages, hell he even had seen you in your pajamas when you shared a hotel room once or twice, but he never noticed any tattoos. That can only mean one last place.

Hotch knew you were busy getting the files so his eyes ended up going down your back to your ass, He was positive your tattoo was on your hip or ass.

You could feel Hotch’s eyes going down and up your body, You even turned your back on him longer than needed, so he could linger his sight on you even longer. Anyone could’ve said it was just Hotch’s curiosity but you saw that tiny shade of lust, sparkle in his eyes for a brief moment when you mentioned you having a tattoo.

You turned your body in a slow move and caught him still hypnotized by your body. “Looking for something Hotch?”

“Hips or ass, agent?” He asked with a straight face but his voice showed a hint of playfulness. He was teasing you.

The question made you smirk. “You’re not gonna hear it from me, you’re going to need to find out in another way, Sir.”

But before he could open his mouth to speak, Spencer came back to the room with bad news.

“Another body appeared, no tattoo.”

–

“Body number five, we can barely keep up with this guy.” you heard in the distance.

“Do we know who he is?” Hotch asked.

“Since it matters so much, His friend says he is a salesman.” Weller said, sending a nasty look at you. “No connection.”

“Detective Weller, I would appreciate it if your answer were directed at me. When I ask a question.” Hotch replied.

Weller huffed with irritation and you thought you heard him grumble something, but you’re not sure if he was agreeing with Hotch or cursing you under his breath. “We have five bodies, Agent Hotchner, and no correlation.”

“Okay, all victims were partying late at night with their friends and killed in the alley with no one noticing, how did the unsub manage to get them alone?” Hotch looked at his team, they were all lost in thoughts.

“A woman.” Detective Weller's mocking laughter echoed in the room.

“Let her finish.” It only took the look on Hotch’s eyes to harden, to force Weller to shut up.

“What is the only temptation for a straight man that’s going to lure him away from his friends and make him leave the bar?” Your expecting eyes were moving around glancing at your team’s faces.

“A woman.” Rossi repeated while nodding his head.

Hotch turned on his heels and looked at the detective. “Gather your men, we are ready to give a profile.”

—

“Ready?” Hotch whispered in your ear, making the baby hairs on the back of your neck stand at the sound of his voice.

“What?” You whispered back feeling numb by his closeness.

“Ready to give the profile?”

“Hotch, I’ve never gi-.” Your voice trails off. “I don’t think it is a good idea.”

“It is.” He assured you pushing you to the side and walking to the room full of cops.

Lost in your thoughts you barely felt two hands holding your arms from behind, giving you a light squeeze. “You got this, Kid.” Rossi left your side and followed Hotch in the other precinct's room.

You sighed and took a deep breath. This was your first time profiling a human case, not covering up supernatural events or rehearsing made-up stories. This felt different, good different.

You walked confidently and stood in the middle of the room surrounded by your team.

“We are looking for a woman between 30 and 35, she’s friendly, she’ll lure with charm but kill with rage.” You began your speech, feeling every pair of eyes looking at you with attention. “We believe she kills men to reclaim her power.”

“She probably suffers from low self-esteem but covers it well.” You heard Morgan's voice.

“We believe this woman went through a catastrophic event, that’s when the killing started.” Rossi pointed.

“She has medical training, you should consider EMTs, doctors, or veterinarians.”

“It’s more likely we are dealing with the Aileen Wournos archetype, motivated by paranoia and fear, luring men with sex.” Spencer added.

“She certainly knows the terrain, so be careful out there.” Hotch remarked.

A couple of hours later after the profile, Detective Weller came in a hurry with a piece of paper in an evidence bag.

“Forensics found a letter on the victim's body.” He said handing it over to Hotch. “She’s mocking us.”

“Dear boss, he wanted it. With that sharp tongue and vulgar hand. I thought you’d like to know that another will soon get what he deserves.

Yours truly.”

“That 's weird.” All eyes searched Spencer’s voice. “Typically offenders write letters to be heard. Jack the Ripper bragged about not being caught yet this Unsub isn’t using correspondence to flaunt her latest kill. Only to explain why she did it.” He explained while moving his hands around.

“It’s possible that she considers herself a vigilante. That the man she’s killing deserves to die.” Rossi blurted.

“Then, every kill she’s acting out is a fantasy of revenge or a real revenge?” Everyone in the room returned to their thoughts wondering at Morgan’s question.

You shifted in your place with uncertainty. “Maybe she is contacting us not because we are on the case, but because she believes we understand.” With fingers tapping against the wood, you began to unravel the tiny hints in the letter. “The Unsub wrote, He wanted it as she couldn’t help herself. What if she’s mirroring the man who raped her?”

”Where are the files stored from your Sex Crimes Division?” Hotch looked at Weller’s direction.

The detective stepped out of the room momentarily and returned with a medium-sized carton box with a few files that barely stuck out of the box. “Here they are.”

“That 's it?” You let out with a surprised tone of voice.

After several hours of trying to match your profile with any file in the box, you were exhausted. You decided to take a quick break and enter the bathroom, You locked yourself inside one of the bathroom booths and sighed while your hands held your head.

The sound of the door being opened ripped you out of your pessimistic thoughts. Suddenly a hand left a piece of paper report at your feet, leaving you uncertain on what to do. You tried to thank the person but, you were answered with fast footsteps leaving the place.

You took the paper and read in a whispered voice, Disturbance at Jones.

“Care to tell us what happened then, detective?” Hotch asked.

Detective Weller shifted in his seat with discomfort. “How did you know about this incident?”

“It was in the box you gave us, Weller.” Morgan said while leaning against the wall, looking directly at Weller.

“I don’t think so.”

“Maybe you misplaced it, who cares?” You argued.

He looked at you with disdain. Aaron couldn’t help himself and stepped closer to you showing protection. “This happened when the head detective before me was in charge, I took some of the declarations but that’s it.”

You smirked with satisfaction Knowing you were right all along. “The detective before you as our third victim?” He nodded.

“What happened there, detective?”

“One of the boys asked her if she wanted to play pool. Witnesses claim she was up for anything. His friend, not far behind.“ All the eyes were on him. “He claims she knew he was there, She said she claimed for help but not a single person claimed that they heard her.”

You shook your head in disbelief.

He continued, “That’s why it was registered as a disturbance. She wanted to press charges. But the head detective back then told her it was a waste of time.”

“How is this just a disturbance?” Rossi asked, frowning at Weller.

“As far as I was concerned, no such rape ever took place, and the boy was a colleague’s son, he is a good boy.”

Something in your stomach twisted and anger started to build up.

“We are trying to know her name; she could be our Unsub.” Morgan pointed out. Weller sighed when this realization dawned on him, but he slightly shook his head as he was ashamed of not knowing the answer.

But you were sure shame wasn’t a feeling men like that could understand.

“You don’t remember her name?“ Morgan asked with incredulity.

“It was nine years ago.”

“What about the name of the good kid that raped her?” You bickered.

“Mr. Tibideaux, we need you to answer a few questions about a disturbance you were involved with.“ Hotch’s voice resonated inside the four walls of the interrogation room.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Disgust appeared in your face, but you hid it by biting your tongue. You didn’t know why Hotch asked you to be there, but you hated every minute of it.

“At a bar called Jones, It was Mardi Gras.” Hotch reminded him.

“You know, then I must’ve been drinking or something. Cause I don’t remember a thing.”

With your feet tapping the floor, you were counting the seconds to be able to leave the room and be away from the so-called good boy.

“We just need to know the name of your accuser.” Hotch demanded. If he was annoyed there was no way to know.

“Look, I told you. I don’t know what you are talking about”

You roughly massaged your right temple, fuming.

”The statute of limitations is up, we just need a name.” He added calmly.

“Someone accuses me of rape, I’m gonna remember her name.” You taunted.

“Well, what can I tell you, Cher? I guess she didn’t make that good of an impression.“

Your eyes narrowed dismissively.

”Unlike yourself right now.” You retorted.

“You know. I’m guessing if someone did do something to that girl that night then she was probably asking for it. Maybe even liked it.”

You controlled the urge to smash his head against the table and abruptly took the file out of Hotch’s hands, you opened it and began to display all the victim's photos in front of him.

“You know Hotch, maybe we are not too late, she murdered these men and I’m guessing it’s only a matter of time before she works her way back to the one she really wants to kill.” You tilted your head to look at him but he was busy looking at the pictures with a horrified look. “Is she making an impression now?

Your words suggested you were talking to Hotch but your sight was set on the other man in the room.

“You don’t want to tell us, fine.” You snickered. “Cause Daddy can’t make this go away, and I have no problem waiting for your dead body to give me a new hint.”

You leaned closer, you didn’t have to talk anymore, you knew your eyes were saying enough. But you continued.

“In fact, I wouldn’t like anything else, so I’m gonna go ahead and set my alarm for tomorrow morning when I get the call from the police.” You ranted. “Cause, believe me, I’m going to sleep better knowing there is one less offender out of the streets.”

After hearing the name you needed, you stormed out of the room leaving everyone behind without looking back until you heard a voice calling for you.

“That was out of line, agent.” You abruptly stopped and turned on your heels to look at Weller.

“The only thing out of line is how pathetic you are at doing your job, Weller.” You turned back at him one more time and kept waking till reaching a quiet corner to make a phone call.

“Work me.” You hear Penelope’s voice on your phone.

“We have a name. Sarah Danlin. I need an address.”

“1141 Sherman Avenue. It looks like she was a med student at Tulane but she dropped out.”

“Let me guess, February nine years ago.”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks.”

You returned to the hotel room by Hotchner’s request, and you knew he was in the right to send you back, you got carried away by your emotions.

You were a mess. Closing your room door, you let your emotions overpower you once more. Tears were falling down your face. You weren’t sure what you were feeling. No one ever prepared you for this kind of case, you felt powerless, empty, and lost. And finally, rage possessed your emotions.

You tossed glasses and trails of empty dishes, and your luggage and clothes flew around the room until your energy and strength gave up and tiredness reached you.

You are sure the hotel staff let Hotch know, cause he kept checking with you constantly. He let you know when they arrested her and how she told them she killed every man who helped cover up her abuse.

You heard your door being open and looked at Hotchner with a questioning look when you saw him standing there.

“How did you open my door?”

He showed you his key. “We are sharing.”

You frowned. “Since when?”

“Since now, there has been an unexpected cut in the budget.” You nodded knowing it was a lie and he probably wanted to check on you. But you said nothing.

“Some things fall by themselves, I think there’s a ghost.” You said when you caught him looking at the mess on the floor.

“I think you can manage that.”

He left his duffel bag on the floor and sat next to you on the bed.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

That simple question was enough to break your strong façade. It was a question you normally have no problem answering with a lie, and you didn’t know if it was the situation or just because Hotch was the one asking. But it brought you down to tears.

He took you in his arms and hugged you tight.

“I’m sorry.”

“It 's okay.” He softly mumbled on your head reassuring you. “You said what you needed to say.”

You quickly shook your head.

“I meant it.” You sniffled. “I was willing to wait.”

“I know.” He said while caressing your back with soothing movements.

“So, normally you have to deal with these detectives making your job impossible?”

“Yeah, all the time.” He chuckled.

“God, it’s exhausting.” You laugh a little

“You don’t?”

“No, they basically beg me to take the case out of their hands.”

Hotch sighed. “You need to learn new methods for the interrogation.” He searched for your eyes. “I mean, only if you want to keep coming to these cases with us, you want to?”

“Yeah.” You smiled at him.

“You are a profiler now, welcome to the team.”

Back in Quantico, you were getting ready to leave your office when you got a call from an unknown number. You hesitated but finally answered after letting it ring for a couple of seconds.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sweetheart.”

“Dean?” You frowned looking back at the number.

“We need a little bit of help.” Reality sank on you.

“Tell me you are not calling from where I think you are calling.”

“Agent Henriksen got to us.”

“Damn it, Dean, How the heck did he manage to do that?”

“Bella Talbot.”

“That bitch again?” You sighed. “Where are you?”

“Colorado.”

“I’m on my way.”

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rezwrites · 8 months ago

Note

Since we are in October… is there any chance you could write a Vampire!Agatha x reader? Agatha finding the most delicious blood of her entire long life (Reader’s blood) and getting excited/horny when she drinks Reader’s blood

love your writing

thank you sm!!

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, TW needles/blood/phlebotomy/venipuncture, blood kink, violence, allusion to kidnapping, non consensual thigh riding, unconsciousness

a/n: sry for going overboard with this, but vampire!hematologist!Agatha was so fun to write, I had to make a moodboard! <3

Waiting in the hematologists office you wring your fingers with nervousness, simultaneously regretting not bringing a light jacket to combat the chill of the air conditioner. You’ve heard nothing but good things about this doctor, hoping for some form of a miracle after cycling through many specialists only to come up empty-handed. It’s worth the out-of-city drive if you get some answers this time.

The nurse calls your name, taking you back to an examination room. As the nurse takes your temperature and vitals, you explain what’s been going on, going through routine questions. After jotting everything down, she orders a quick blood test to test your levels. Leaving to retrieve her equipment you lied down as she instructed.

Turning your head you refused to see what was happening as she tied the tourniquet around your upper arm, the strong sting of the alcohol wipe wafting through your nose. Wincing at the poke of the needle entering your vein, you exhale deeply. The nurse patches you up, gathering the vials. You thank the nurse after she lets you know the doctor will be in soon, leaving the room.

Anxiety rises up again as you await the results, trying your best to keep your breathing steady. Running your eyes over the walls, you read the various degrees and accolades framed. It blew your mind that this woman has fifteen years of school under her belt, being a doctor is definitely not for the faint of heart. A sudden rapping on the door brings you out of your thoughts.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Harkness.” She steps into the room, casting a soft, comforting smile. Her wavy, brunette hair tied in a bun, some loose stands falling over her white coat. Closing the door, she sat on her chair.

“Well, your blood pressure was a little lower than it should be. Lab results showed that you have a decreased amount of red blood cells causing Anemia. Now, if it’s a sudden loss of blood somewhere or an underlying illness, we don’t know yet. It honestly astounds me how those other doctors failed to see this for so long.”

“From time to time I’ll wake up with a sore neck or wrist. And my problems will arise after that.” You added. She looks at you intently, cerulean eyes full of concern. Turning to her computer she started typing everything you had said into her system.

“Mhm and when was the last time you woke up like that?” She questioned.

“A few days ago.”

“And you said you noticed all this happening after you gave blood at a blood drive a few months ago.” She asked.

“Yes,” you confirmed. Finally, some form of an answer and one step closer to a treatment plan. It all hit you at once, there was no way to stop the floodgates.

She turned away from her computer, closing your chart, “I’d like to keep you overnight to observe your condition.”

Her face turned in worry and the sight of your tears, “Oh dear, I understand it’s scary.” She grabbed some tissues off the counter offering them to you.

Taking them you shook your head, drying your eyes, “I’m more relieved to have more or less an answer.”

She pulls some documents from the drawer, explaining that’s it’s a consent to overnight admittance form, “Don’t worry, I’ll give you a note for work if you need one, but it is imperative we get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.”

You nod, signing the paperwork before she put a patient wristband on you. Directing you to follow her she leads you deeper into the building, the atmosphere becoming more homey and welcoming, “This is where I keep my overnight patients, it’s more relaxed and calming than a hospital.”

Opening a wooden door there was a single bed with a television mounted on the wall. A small restroom in the corner and a medical cabinet next to the hallway door. She pulled a medical gown from the cabinet, instructing you to change, then lie down on the bed before exiting to give you privacy.

Re-entering the room she placed an IV bag on the counter moving towards the bed, “I’ll just hook you up to the monitor. I’ll also put you on an IV drip for the night as well, so you can get the vitamins you’ve been missing.” She clips the pulse oximeter to your finger, walking over to the cabinet against the wall grabbing everything she needs.

Once Agatha turned around with the needle in her hand, you turned your head away holding out your arm. Prepping and cleaning the crook of your arm, she warns you, “Small pinch.”

“Good girl.” Agatha praises slipping the cannula into your arm, securing it with tape connecting you to the cannula hanging the bag on the IV hook behind the bed, “here’s the remote for the television, press the call button if you need anything. I’ll be back soon to check on you.”

Dr. Harkness checked on you multiple times throughout the afternoon, making sure you were comfortable and not in any pain. She took another blood sample telling you she just wanted to see if your red blood cell count has increased. You’re truly thankful for her thoroughness and thoughtfulness. The warmth of the evening sun seeping through the small window of your room was causing you to grow drowsy, despite your earnest to stay awake in case anything came up. Unable to keep your eyes open any longer you texted your family, updating them before dozing off.

A soft knock on the door pulls you back into consciousness. Turning on the lamp you called out allowing the person on the other side to come in. Dr. Harkness steps through the door apologizing for the intrusion so late. Her hair loose, coat gone; a different air around her.

“So, good news I know exactly what’s wrong with you.” Agatha starts explaining, striding to the end of the bed, hands in her pants pockets. You listen close to what she has to say.

“Bad news is I’m not exactly going to help you.” She states matter of factly. You blanched at her words, heartbeat quickening. Eyebrows pulled together as you sat up, pressing your back deeper into the pillows.

“I mean, of course, I want you to be as healthy as possible don’t get me wrong, but I found the perfect snack in you at that blood drive.” Fear gripping you as Agatha stepped closer to the bed, her sinister smile showing her fangs, “I settled for rationing twice a month on you, but now that you’re here, I’d be a fool to let you get away this time.”

The room was now energized with malevolence. This woman, monster, was the cause of your problems. Why you can’t get out and enjoy your life anymore because you’re so dizzy and tired to do anything. Balling your fist, fingernails digging into your palms; knuckles turning white, “And when the police come? People know I’m here, if I don’t come home they’ll-”

“Easy. You went out the back where no cameras are, it’s easier to get to the parking lot that way than circling the whole building again. What happened after that nobody would have a clue.” Agatha countered, her smile was sickening, your stomach flipping.

“Even if, small if by the way, you managed to escape and get help who would believe that the good Dr. Harkness, was a vampire.” She started laughing in disbelief.

You eyes shifted between her and the door. Throwing the blanket off you you attempt to jump out of the bed, but Agatha was on you in a second wrestling you back down to the bed. Managing to get an arm free you landed a solid punch to her jaw, the pulse oximeter flying off your finger. Paralyzed with terror when her smile grew, completely unfazed by your punch, her eyes maniacal., “It’s just us here, feel free to scream all you want.”

As much as you wanted to, you couldn’t. Not a sound would come out. Pinning both your wrists in one hand, her other hand sliding off her slacks.

“I believe I got your neck last time,” her knees pushing up your gown as she shuffled up your body. Letting out a pleased sigh Agatha settled herself on your thigh.

Bringing one wrist to her mouth she didn’t waste any time sinking her fangs into you. The sharp, piercing pain elicited a cry from you, tears falling down your face. Agatha’s cold hand held your wrist tightly as she sucked roughly, hips rocking frantically.

“Absolutely divine.” Agatha growled out her ruby eyes holding yours as blood ran down your arm and her chin. She licks the blood running down your arm, her thighs tightening around yours. Tossing her head back as she shudders on top of you moan loudly, “Always so delicious.”

Your breaths grow shallow, everything is cold as you stare at the gray ceiling. A small whine escapes you, vision blurring as you teeter on the brink of consciousness.

“That’s it. Rest easy now.” Agatha voice is fading, “you’re going to need it.”

#I lowkey want to make this a series #agatha harkness #agatha harkness x reader #agatha harkness x fem!reader #Agatha harkness x femal reader #agatha harkness x you #Agatha harkness x y/n #tw: medical equipment #tw: blood #tw: needles #tw: medical

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toxicrelief · 1 month ago

Text

Crawling Back to You

Chapter eight

Synopsis: It is finally time to get on the field, after weeks of waiting.

Pairing: Rex x F!Reader

Word Count: 5.5k

Chapter: 8/?

Masterlist of all Chapters

TW: Mild Description of Blood, Alcohol

Note: This is the longest chapter so far. Plot heavy, hope you enjoy :) also check the note at the end of the chapter for a bit of extra content

Over two weeks had passed. Cecil had not sent you on a single solo mission like he had promised. To say the least, you were starting to lose your patience. But on a brighter note, you finally had a suit. The only thing Art Rosenbaum had asked you was for your preferred color palette. After giving him several colors to work with he went to work. It turned out even better than you expected. The whole idea of a suit felt silly to you sometimes, but you didn’t mind this one. The design itself was sleek, with a burst of color at the chest, a silhouette of a bird, its wings spreading up over the shoulders feeding out into a split cape on the back. It would be a little cooler if you could actually fly.

You had chosen your name on your first visit to the hospital. Cecil had been there waiting when you woke up. He played it cool, but you could tell he was mildly freaked out. You had no idea that would happen. you could still feel how the shock filled you and how sure you were that you were about to be dead once the blood started to fill your hands. But here you were, still alive.

Cecil was talking about some kind of tests he had run that showed you were in complete health, but you were hardly listening. All you could think about was this bird you had read about at some point would pretend to be injured to lead away predators. It is funny how those kinds of things stick around, huh?

Cecil had started to put ideas in your head. You could be a superhero. A real one, not just someone working on blood bags in a lab. So long as you could get a hold of this new problem you would be set. But what if you couldn’t get hold of it? You’d be in combat and all of a sudden heeling over seemingly dead. But only seemingly. You would be extremely exposed. It would be tremendously dangerous. But you’d have the upper hand once you woke up again.

A scenario you realistically hoped would never happen but still led to the choosing of your name. Killdeer.

Of course, that was months ago now, and the extent you’d seen of combat laid minimally between you, a ReAnimen, and one practice session with Rex Splode. Who you had not seen since you had healed him up. Surely, he was enjoying his time away from you.

You had caught some drinks with Rae the other night just the two of you, she came over to your apartment. It was nice to know definitively that she liked you.

“It still feels so weird you get to have your own apartment instead of living at the headquarters.” Rae looked around, circling in a small spin as she took it all in. The contents of her bag clinked lightly with her quick movement.

“I’m not really a full Guardian member. I mean Cecil doesn’t even call me in when you guys go out.” You shrug, leaning against the back of the couch.

“You’re not really missing much; it has been strangely quiet recently. Maybe it has to do with Invincible being gone-”

“He’s gone?” You perked up at this.

“Yeah, took off over a month ago to outer space, no one has heard anything. I guess this is a pretty normal thing. Invincible going to space that is.” Well at least that answers why Cecil had not set up a meeting between you and Mark Grayson yet. He’s not even on the planet. Maybe not even in the solar system. “Oh, I got you this. Housewarming.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a picture frame. Or rather multiple. It was one of those types that folds five times and can hold around six photos.

“Oh, thanks?” You took it from her hand and stood there awkwardly for a moment before then placing it on the built-in shelf next to your TV. You had no photos to put in it. Maybe you’d wait a few months then put it in a drawer somewhere.

“I panicked.” She laughed as she watched you put it up. “Looks good there though, really brings life to the room.”

“Oh yeah.” You agree, folding your arms as you stand back to look at it. “Almost too much life.” You joke before turning towards the kitchen to grab glasses.

“So, there’s no fights going on, then what’s happening at Headquarters? Are you guys’ just training?”

Rae shrugged while settling in on the couch, pulling a bottle of wine out of her bag. “Yeah, kind of. It’s just been kind of uncomfortable honestly. Rudy and Amanda have been going on dates, and Immortal and Kate have some twisted thing going on too. Between those four there always seems to be a tense silence in every room. Just awkward.”

“Immortal and Kate?” You question, putting the glasses down as you begin to uncork the bottle. “Isn’t Immortal like…old?”

“Yeah.” She purses her lips. “Like I said, awkward.”

You crinkly your nose at the imagery, pouring red liquid into her glass then yours. As you go to take a sip you stop. “This isn’t another mystery bottle from Immortal’s stash, is it?”

“What? No!” She acts guilty and then takes a sip. “Not this time, I got this one from Rex’s stash.”

“Why not just buy your own?”

“Why make the shopping trip when you don’t have to?”

“Fair enough.” You take a sip; it still didn’t taste good even if it didn’t taste like rat poison. “Is Rex going to throw a fit when he finds out?”

“Who cares. He throws a fit about everything.”

Fair enough. You could drink to that. Taking another drink, you consider another talking subject, but Rae beats you to it.

“He hasn’t said anything vaguely shitty about you since you left the other day.” Rae glanced over at you with a coy look on her face.

“He says vaguely shitty stuff about me?” You raised an eyebrow at her, blinking a few times.

“All the usual stuff he says to your face.”

“Well, that’s nice.”

“That he hasn’t said any lately?”

“That he says it all to my face.” You laugh and run your hand through your hair. “Why are we talking about Rex?” There were several conversations you would rather have than one revolving around him.

“I just thought you’d be interested.” Rae takes a sip, shifting so she can better face you.

“Why?”

“You were asking about him the other day.”

You looked at her, furrowing your brow. God that makes at least two Guardians that are suspicious of you going to see Rex. Annoying.

What was the likelihood that Rex admitted to why you were there?

Was it possible he was letting unsavory rumors spread to spare the real reason for your visit? Would it be wise to even tell Rae why you were there? You wouldn’t be able to explain how you had hurt him that badly in the first place.

Rae was giving you a cheesy smirk that was starting to unnerve you.

“As entertaining as a scenario I am sure you have dreamed up I was simply there to do my job.”

“Ooh, your job?” You flashed her a glare and she laughed.

“I was there to heal him.”

“Heal what?” Rae still has a teasing glint in her eye, and you don’t even want to think about what she is implying

“I…punched him.” You admitted after a few seconds. “The day before during practice. I accidentally left him with this huge bruise.”

“No shit!” She laughed. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“I’m not completely helpless!”

She held her hands up laughing “I believe you! Please whatever you do just don’t heal me!” She folds her hands as she pretends to beg.

“You’re very brazen for not knowing me that well.” You say sourly, but a slight smile betrays that you don’t mind immediate comfortability she seems to feel around you.

“If I didn’t think you could take it, I wouldn’t say it.” She finished the rest of her glass holding it out for more. “So, you beat him-”

“Depends on how you look at it.”

“Left-”

“He threw a fit, what else was I supposed to do?”

“Then come back the next day to try again-”

“Well…yeah.”

“With a bottle of alcohol, alone in his room?”

You bite the inside of your cheek and pour more into your own glass after filling hers. “Who said anything about alcohol?”

“Overheard Kate talking about it.”

“Seriously?”

Rae nods very seriously. “She doesn’t like you much.”

“Oh great.” This annoyed you tremendously, you had not done anything to her for her to dislike you.

“I’m not sure she likes most people though.”

“Comforting.”

“You’re trying to distract from the point, alcohol, Rex’s room.”

“I was not trying to distract from the point-!” You pinch the bridge of your nose. “Rex was mad, I figured the easiest way to smooth it over was to speak his language.”

“Oh, I am sure it did smooth it over but I’m not sure you know how to speak his language.”

“And what do you mean by that?”

“Just a theory.”

You shift your body to better face Rae, stretching your back slightly. “Spit it out.”

“I think he likes you.”

At this, you let out an almost obnoxiously loud snort. Picking up the wine bottle and placing it further from Rae’s reach. “I think you’ve had enough of that.”

“Hey, I bought that!”

“You already said you stole it from Rex!”

“Oh right.” Rae chuckled. “Regardless I stand by what I said!”

“I think you’re a lightweight with delusions.”

“Oh come on! You seriously don’t think it’s a possibility?”

You flash her an incredulous look. It was easy for her from the outside to come up with these outlandish theories but from your perspective, it felt so unlikely it almost wasn’t funny. “I have never had someone dislike me so outwardly on our first meeting. So, no not really.”

“Ugh, that’s just Rex.”

“Let me make sure I am understanding you-” Rae hums softly in response. “If I am to take everything you’re saying at face value.” Rae hums again. “You’re telling me I should try to pursue a jackass who is so emotionally stunted he does not know how to admit his deep dark secret feelings of being into me to me.” You snort. “That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.”

“Hey, I didn’t say you should pursue him! Freudian slip!”

“That is not how a Freudian slip works Rae-”

“No, but seriously, don’t. I have far too much respect for you to watch you succumb to his asshole charm.”

“You’re the one who’s saying he has charm, you sure you’re not projecting?”

“Look who’s using psychological terms now!”

“I think you have had enough to drink.”

After a long discussion on whether to call Rae a cab or just let her sleep on the couch, you turned around to see she was out. Once you finally had steered her off the topic of Rex, she actually started to open up quite a bit. This whole superhero business seemed a lot less glamorous from her perspective. It did not seem like there was a time that she could remember not being a slave to any ever-approaching threat. Her life seemed lonely. Not that you could speak on being lonely.

You have been alone for a long time now. It was odd looking at her fast asleep in your living room. Her back rose and fell slowly with every breath. Part of you wanted her to leave so you could have your area back to yourself. Lonely but predictable. But you knew there was no way you would make her go back to the headquarters now.

You set both glasses next to the sink, looking out the window in front of it. The city was bright and loud, even at night. You could even now hear the sound of a distant ambulance. It was a melancholy feeling.

With one last glance at the couch, you headed into your bedroom. In the comfort of your bed, it made no difference that you had a guest. She might as well not be there at all. Even so, you were glad to know someone was around.

The next morning was a rush. You were woken up by your phone ringing, and an order to come into the headquarters by Cecil. Rae was not in the best mood, definitely hungover. But when you asked if she wanted you to help with the headache, she exclaimed repeatedly that she was not in fact hungover.

On the drive to the Guardians base, she ended up conceding. Immediately she perked up once your hand left her arm. Which led to more questions than even Cecil asked you on admission about your abilities.

“So, you can cure headaches? That’s so odd I thought you could only heal wounds.” Rae was practically turned towards you in the passenger seat.

“You’d be surprised how vital the blood is to different functions of the body.”

“If I had a headache because I was dehydrated, could you cure that?”

You were silent for a moment. Could you? “I think in that case I would be able to stop it for a present period, but you should definitely drink water, I can’t produce that at will so…”

“Can you cure your own headaches?” Rae’s question was an innocent one. But it stumped you a little. Technically you never had headaches, you were never even sick. Your body worked too quickly fighting foreign biological parasites off. But once your powers were initiated it seemed like there was a set amount of time you were down. Cecil had said it was somewhere around six hours you were out if you pushed yourself to the point of blackout.

“Uh yeah. I just don’t really get sick in general though.”

“Wow.” Rae was silent for a moment, but she was still staring at you. It almost made you shrink in your seat. “Can you get drunk?”

“Uh…” You gave her a guilty smile. “Only if I drink a ridiculous amount in quick succession.”

She lightly hit you on the arm with the back of her hand “You said that first night that you weren’t going to drink anymore because you wanted to drive back to your apartment!”

“Did I?” You tried not to smile, to look like you were genuinely trying to think back.

“Yes.” She said immediately.

“Okay well it was really gross, and I was a little nervous it was poisoned. And I honestly wanted to drive after. I forget sometimes that I only experience the dampened effect.”

“Well, if it was poisoned, wouldn’t your body have healed that too?”

“Oh.” You had not thought about that. And Rae gave you a hard time over it the rest of the drive.

Rae gave you a rather enthusiastic hug when you wished her goodbye in the common area. As you watched her walk away you rubbed your arm absentmindedly. It had been a while since someone had hugged you. A little weird feeling.

“Glad to see you’re mingling.”

“God!” You almost jumped out of your skin. No matter how many times it happen it seemed to always be extremely jarring.

“Probably one of the more complementary names I have been called.” Cecil gave you a small almost indistinguishable smile. A very rare sight.

“Do you get your kicks from sneaking up on people?”

“I don’t sneak.” He walked towards the elevator, and you followed, muttering to yourself. Mostly just repeating what he said in a small mocking tone. God maybe Rex was rubbing off on you. As you stepped into the elevator your eyes did a quick sweep of the common area. Only because you just thought of him, not because you wanted to see him.

You did not want to see him.

The elevator door closed with a clunk. You waited for Cecil to press one of the illuminated buttons, but he didn’t. Moments later the elevator started to move regardless. After what felt like only a few floors, the doors opened again. No number lit up on the indicator inside the elevator for what floor it was.

Outside the metal doors, there were lines of tables. Each with a variety of different pieces of equipment on them. You counted maybe four people spread out across the floor. If you had to place bets though you figured there were a large variety of agents in the area who were invisible to the eye. But after knowing Cecil this long, you always suspected any area to have one of his agents.

As you passed by the rows of tables you began to recognize equipment. One table had on it what you knew to be Black Samson’s suit, or maybe a variation of it. You honestly had not seen him often and saw him in his suit even less. Another was littered with discs you immediately recognized as the ones Rex had thrown at you during practice. Without thinking you picked one up, it was surprisingly heavy in your hand.

“Please refrain from touching the gear.” One of the workers near you immediately plucked it from your hand, placing it back on the table.

“Sorry.” You said quickly, feeling like a child scolded. You turned your attention back to Cecil and sped up to match his pace again.

“What is this place?”

“Research and development.” Cecil says simply, obviously not about to say anything more unprompted.

“Don’t you already have one of those at the GDA?” You decide to poke further.

“This is a local branch. It is here for the accessibility of the Guardians. It used to be a lot less active, but now the Guardians seem to need gadgets more than just relying on their own abilities.” Quite the dig. You looked around at the scarce number of workers, probably scientists. If this is all they need for the current Guardians, you guessed they did not need any with the original team.

Cecil stopped by the last table, and recognition filled you as you looked down at it. The table carried your suit on full display. Your new suit that you just got, not even a week ago. Or had it been a week? The days were beginning to bleed together.

You reached over and ran your fingers over the arm of it. Definitely your suit. But you had never supplied it to Cecil. Last you knew it was in your car. You scoffed to yourself remembering the note you had found on your nightstand several weeks ago. If Cecil wanted something or wanted to be somewhere, he got it.

“You want to show me my suit?”

“We made some adjustments.” Cecil said, straightening his tie slightly. You made a mental note to laugh later at the ‘we’ statement. There was no way Cecil had directly worked on it.

“Those being?”

“I had regulators installed; they should be able to catch when you’re about to have an episode.”

An episode. At least he finally found something to call it. He usually just complained about the blood, or rather, cleanup of the blood. Staring at your suit really brought everything into perspective. All of the tables are full of equipment, each meant to help individual members. Your suit was modified in such a way that you hopefully would not pass out mid-fight. Not even from the assault of others. But from your own abilities. All of these modifications for everyone else were meant to work with their powers, strengthen them. Their biggest adversary was those they were fighting. Your biggest adversary was yourself. Your abilities corroding you from the inside out.

“And if they pick something up?”

“I’ll warn you over your earpiece and worst comes to worst, I’ll have someone get you out of there.”

You ran a hand over the smooth material of the suit, your fingers catching on the ridges of the bird emblem. You felt like a little kid playing superhero and now you were being thrown into a war. You told Cecil you were ready for this. But were you? Surely no hero who is competent at what they do needs these many assurances that they don’t die in the field. It was pathetic.

“Could you give me a jet pack or something too?”

“Just put on the damn suit Killdeer.

Whoever decided spandex was the best material for super-suits obviously never intended to wear one themselves. After almost losing the battle, you finally had it on. A quick glance in the mirror showed just how disheveled your hair looked. You would have to set aside time to practice putting it on for sure.

After an annoyed sigh, you were off. And in a very anticlimactic fashion you…got in your car.

You never felt more jealous of people who could fly than you did right now. Cecil can put modifiers in that measure your brainwaves and send out alerts, but nothing cool?

Another reason to admire Mark Grayson.

Cecil informed you over your earpiece that the local police department was alerted of a potential museum robbery. Simple, human. It should be easy. As you park outside to stake the place out you find yourself jumping at every small thing. Everyone looked suspicious. As easy as this should be, you couldn’t help but feel the jitters of your first mission.

The jitters are gone. Probably about an hour ago. You felt like banging your head against the steering wheel, and you would if you hadn’t already done that around five minutes ago. You would give anything to have Rae sitting in your passenger seat asking a billion questions you did not know the answer to right now. Bulletproof or even Shapesmith would do the trick, just someone to talk to. Hell with every minute that passes you were even considering Rex.

Rex.

You looked across the street at your stakeout point. Still no sign of anything nefarious. Just like the last several hours. The sun had gone down at least two hours ago.

Rex.

At what point do you contact Cecil and ask him when you just give up? Would he think even less of you because your first mission was a bust? Could this even be considered a mission?

Rex.

You groaned, rubbing your eyes. His last words to you echoing in your ears; ‘I don’t hate you’. Bastard.

A dark van pulled up to the front of the museum, it was almost movie-esque. You watched closely waiting for someone to leave the vehicle but no one did. Your eyes narrowed on it, waiting a few more moments before deciding to exit your car.

You approached it as subtly as you could, but there was not much cover in the middle of the road. You looked in the window of the driver’s seat and were surprised to see nothing. It was empty. The van must be self-automated.

They must already be inside. You looked up the steps and sighed. Your current running theory was that they hid somewhere inside before closing. Hopefully, this place did not have a night guard, or you were about to give someone a really bad night.

After running up the steps you tried the door, and to your surprise it was open. No alarm sounding off, no nothing. There was someone inside.

You tried your best to step quietly, the sound of the pads of your suit sending soft shuffling sounds echoing off the bare walls of the reception area. Once again you were feeling that familiar envy of people who could fly. How did Rae get around? Focus.

You listened closely for any noise, anything to give you an idea of where to go. After hearing nothing you whispered: “does this place have camera’s or something that can tell you where they are?”

“Cameras are out.” Not Cecil’s voice but Donald’s.

“Shouldn’t you guys have been monitoring this place from the inside or something? I have been waiting outside for hours for some kind of sign.” There is no response, and you sigh quietly again. Is this how it was for everyone or were you just special?

And so, you took the long route. Manually searching every section, hoping that you wouldn’t accidentally miss them on their way out. You went by the sculptures first, nothing there. Paintings next. You doubted that anyone was about to try walking out with dinosaur bones. And on a more honest note, you were not sure exactly how valuable those actually were.

“Not that one.” It was soft, almost indistinguishable. But you definitely heard it.

Two people, one a man and the other a woman were standing in front of a painting, one you didn’t recognize. Well, you didn’t recognize any of these, but this one especially.

Were you supposed to say something? Step out and say, ‘Stop thief!’? Give them a chance to tell you why they were doing this? You had no idea. So, you just stepped out and immediately brought the male to his knees.

“What the hell?” The woman dropped whatever she was holding and immediately pulled out a gun pointing it directly at you once she managed to tell you were what was causing it. “Who are you?”

Was this when you announced your alias? Make a real name for yourself one villain at a time. You ran your gaze over the two in front of you and mentally noted that this probably was not what ‘villains’ were like. Instead of responding, you splayed the man out, his face sending a painful smacking noise against the concrete floor. It almost made you cringe a little, he probably has a broken nose now. You were so used to the jerky movements of the ReAnimen you had not practiced doing anything gently, or in such a way you intended not to do direct harm.

That ever-familiar dull pain was already beginning to eat away at your brainstem.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Her voice sounded panicked, but for some reason, her finger was not on the trigger. Maybe she had never had to use her gun before.

“I just flooded his head with blood. He’ll be out for a few hours, but he will be fine.” You state honestly, your gaze immediately turns back to her. And you can see her going to pull the trigger.

“Please don’t do that.” The woman froze, not by her own fruition. There was a ridged look to her. Unnatural. It was weird to see the effect you had on real people. The ReAnimen didn’t have facial expressions. It almost put a pit in your stomach.

The gun dropped from her hand, your doing. Her eyes were filled with fear. Tears threaten to spill down her cheeks. She’s terrified…of you. You grimace at the familiar look. At least this time it felt somewhat warranted.

Slowly you made her drop to her knees, practicing delicacy.

“Please-”

“I don’t know what you expected. You’re robbing somewhere in a town that is full of some of the most notable heroes in this part of the world. Did you really think you would just get away with it?” It was a genuine question. One you wondered about constantly when you heard of people committing petty crimes around the city, just to be beaten to a pulp by some hero with super strength. Why do it?

You waited for an answer of some sort, still curious. But with each second that passed the splitting pain in your head spread. “Okay, just save it for your lawyer I guess.” And with that, she was out. Same way the other guy had been.

“Donald?” You said, instinctively putting your hand up to your ear. “Can you alert the police or something so these guys can be picked up?”

“They are en route.”

You nodded to yourself, now not sure what to do. Your head was killing you, but you probably should make sure these two are still here when authorities arrive. Your thoughts are interrupted by a light reflecting on you. You glance at your shadow that was now appearing on the wall then towards the source of the shine. It looked like a flashlight. You squint slightly trying to see who was standing behind it and then a crack fills the air.

You’re thrown back from the impact, immediate striking pain spreading through your side. A cry escapes you at the suddenness of the white-hot agony and the shock of what just happened.

“Did you just shoot me?” You exclaimed, holding a hand to your injured side, warm blood pooling in your hands and trailing down the leg of your suit.

Your eyes focus enough to see that it is a security guard. He’s standing there with his arms extended, gun still out. You have to fight the urge to splay him out like the other perpetrators simply because he JUST SHOT YOU!

YOU JUST GOT SHOT! You take a deep shaky breath, panic immediately starting to fill you, and tears pricking at your eyelids.

“They give museum security guards guns?” Your breath caught in your lungs as you felt your body start to reject the bullet. A piercing groan forced its way from your lungs as you fought to stay standing. You were teetering towards the edge; you could feel it. Your head was killing you and now your body was trying to heal itself, you were overextending.

“Warning, Killdeer you need to stop, your brain waves are indicating an episode.” Donald’s voice rang out over your earpiece.

“Shut up Donald!” You hissed, your vision blurring. “How about you do something useful and get someone down here?”

The security guard was still pointing his gun at you, which was starting to get to you. “Can you put that down? God.” Next thing you knew, you were sitting down against a pillar trying to keep breathing. The bullet wrenching back through your flesh that had already healed. Why on earth would this guy shoot you before even saying anything? You were wearing a damn super-suit even. Think about it for five seconds maybe?

“The police are on their way! Don’t pull anything!” You looked at the guard as he shouted, his gun still pointed at you and hands shaking.

Oh brother.

________________________

“What am I looking at?” Rex said, his arms folded and gaze on Rudy’s screen.

“I have acquired two more pieces of evidence.”

Rex looked at the photo, it was of your face. A few lines diagramming particular sections of the face, different muscles. “Okay, can you stop being obscure for five minutes and just tell me what I am looking at?”

“This is from when Killdeer told us of her powers. Her first day here. I had one of my robots recording.”

“That’s…kind of creepy actually.”

“This muscle here, it’s the zygomatic major.” He ignored Rex and moved on with the photo, shifting back and forth between different expressions. “In this instance, it is not active. This is when she is describing her abilities.” He flipped to the other photo. “Here it is active. She is telling us about her reason for joining stemming from saving the GDA money,”

“Okay.” Rex nodded, having no clue how this mattered.

“She’s lying.”

“Wait, really?” Rex looked between Rudy and the screen. He analyzed your face, he did not see whatever muscle Rudy was seeing. He just saw you.

“The zygomatic major flexes during deception. It is not an exact science, so it is still not enough proof, but it is something.”

“Damn it.”

“And I just received this.” Rudy opened another tab, and a video appeared on the screen.

It was you. The angle of the video did not show the majority of the room, so they could not see what or who was in front of you. You were just standing there, your hand outstretched towards nothing and a concentrated look on your face.

“So, is something going to happen-?” Rex did not get to finish his question, because now there was something flowing from your nose. The video was poor quality and pixelated, but they could both make out you raising your other hand to try and stop it. “What the fuck?” Rex whispered as he watched more of the dark fluid wash down your face, your shirt quickly soaking. You stumbled a foot back and then a foot forward again, trying to remain standing. And then you were down. Out of view of the camera.

Rudy did not seem very phased by it; it was simply another piece of evidence. But Rex was feeling sick. He was not sure of what he had even just saw.

“When was this?” He tried to ask in a cool tone, but part of him was worried it was recent. He had not heard about you in weeks. Not since you left his room. Had he just seen you die on camera and Cecil was covering it up?

“It is dated over three months ago.” Rudy said matter-of-factually.

This happened before he had even met her.

So, she came back from this very much alive. What the fuck was going on?

Author's Note: When I first started writing this chapter I did a really crappy job because I was annoyed I didn't get to write any interactions between reader and Rex. And then I decided to rewrite it completely, so hopefully it is still compelling.

I also took a little longer this update so I could design the suit! It is meant to be in your color choices, so I simply colored it in grayscale :)

divider credit @/ saradika

Taglist: @kittymeowmrow @sketchlove

Chapter nine

#crawling back to you rexfic #rex splode x reader #rex sloan x reader #no use of y/n #enemies to lovers #no beta we die like rex splode apparently #invincible rex splode #rex sloan #rex splode #invincible season 3 #invincible #rex splode fanfic #fanfic #slow burn

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