#all my hard work in my drafts gone because I forgot to save it

[xisadorapurlowx]

[masterwords]

I’m back!

I was thinking about Derek and Aaron having to put together some kind of toy or project for Jack (you know kids always do it the night before it’s due). I’m just picturing some sweet and sarcastic time together doing something for Jack that should be easier but is probably harder than they thought.

Super excited for May now!

Starting May off with this one! And yeah, it got a LOT sappier than I meant for it to...that happens I suppose.

Summary: Jack needs to build a rocket and he has two dads who can help him out. Lucky kid.

Warnings: mention of Derek's dad's death and financial troubles after

Words: 1.3k

Read below the cut or on AO3!

**

** Blast Off **

“You're doing it wrong,” Derek says from the floor. He's on his second set of one hundred pushups, maybe the third, Hotch has lost count. Up and down up and down.

“The directions said...”

“Read them again.”

He can't. Jack lost them about an hour before when Hotch told him to clean up all of the mess he'd made that didn't have anything to do with the damn rocket so they could focus. He can manage chaos on a grand scale, but in his own home it's just a little too much. The sad truth is, those instructions are probably in the trash can beneath the scraps from dinner.

In other words, long gone. He's not digging through the trash to figure this little thing out.

He doesn't think it should matter. There are not that many pieces. They're all laid out, side by side, just like he would set it up if he was taking apart one of his guns to be cleaned. It looks so simple, and it probably is it's just that he's afraid to commit and make a mistake. They don't have time to go buy another kit, they waited until the last minute. Not because anyone forgot, just because Hotch had been a little extra busy at work. Story of his life.

Derek finishes his push-ups and spends almost a full minute drinking every drop from his water bottle. Hotch envies his dedication to fitness, the way he always manages to get these things in without excuse. Hotch hasn't done push-ups in days even though they entered into this monthly challenge some of the guys at the Academy started together. This month is push-ups, next month is running. He'll make them up, no way he's going to come in last or just give up, but he's definitely not making it easy on himself.

“This part goes here,” Derek says, pointing. “I watched my dad and Sarah make one of these.”

“I made one when I was a kid but not from a kit. My dad almost cut his hand off helping me with mine. He wasn't much of an engineer...” In other words, his rocket had looked pretty cool but had been an epic fail. It blew to bits when it hit the ground.

Derek's mom didn't have the money to buy him a kit when it was his turn. It wasn't that expensive, but it would have over drafted her account. If it had been a week later maybe she could have been able to swing it, pinch a few pennies, but things were just tight. Her job didn't pay much and the hospital and funeral expenses were still weighing her down so he was home sick on rocket day to save face. Being the only kid who showed up empty handed would have killed him and Fran knew it. He already had to be the kid whose dad died, he didn't need that too. Things were hard enough on him.

Derek doesn't bring it up but Hotch can see it on his face, he can see it written in the lines on his forehead. He doesn't dwell on these things but they still sting when confronted with them.

“Do you want to take my place?” Hotch asks without a hint of frustration. He thinks maybe Derek might like a do-over. “I could use a few minutes to get some push-ups in before I'm at the bottom of the pile.”

Derek doesn't need the instructions. He can reconstruct a bomb from scraps, he can see the way the pieces fit together and instinctively knows what each of them does. Hotch knows that even if it's not exactly the way the instructions say to do it, Jack's rocket will probably win.

The only thing Derek can think is that this feels huge. This is a father son project, Jack has been talking about it for weeks. The fact that Hotch isn't home often and Jack was worried he'd have to build it with aunt Jessica had been at the forefront of his mind. Not that he would hate that, he just...it was all Jack wanted. Building a rocket with daddy. It's a whole thing. After they build the rockets his whole class will go to a field and launch them, there are even prizes for the winners. Highest, farthest, best paint job. There are about a million categories, enough that each kid in the class will probably get something for their trouble. But Jack just wants to build it with Hotch. And after launch day, to further the experience, they get to go to the air and space museum. It's not the sort of thing some random guy just gets to jump in on. He knows he isn't just some random guy, but until this moment he wasn't really sure where he fit. Jack likes him, or at least tolerates him, and he's careful not to infringe on Jack's precious time with his dad.

This makes him feel like part of the family in a way he hasn't before.

“You sure?”

He expects Jack to politely refuse. He wouldn't mind it. If he could have done this with his father...

“YEAH! PLEASE DEREK!”

Jack's enthusiasm nearly makes him cry. It's all he can do to hold himself together as he takes a seat beside the kid and starts rearranging the pieces into an order that makes sense to him. No hesitation. If Jack wants him to do it, then he's going to do it and he's going to do it right. He thinks about that stupid Inside Out movie that makes him cry every time Jack wants to watch it and he knows this is a core memory.

Maybe for both of them.

They work all evening, laughing and making a mess while Hotch makes up for lost time on his damn push-ups. His arms feel like jelly, his elbows are creaking, but he's back in the running again. He pops a few Tylenol PM so the ache in his arms doesn't keep him up that night but he feels good otherwise. Could probably do more if he wanted but he didn't want. It's late and all he wants to do is read Jack a chapter from their bedtime story and go to bed.

By the time he comes to the table to check on things, they've got it painted with the wildest set of tiger stripes he's ever seen. It looks fast and mean. And the most shocking part? The table is mostly cleaned up.

“Will it fly?” Hotch asks in awe. Derek and Jack laugh in unison and he can't get over how good that sound is.

“Not only will it fly,” Derek starts, standing and arching his sore back. He hates sitting so long. “It's gonna win.”

“Yeah?”

“Definitely.”

Hotch takes Jack to get ready for bed while Derek finishes shutting down the apartment, checking locks, turning off lights. He gives the glue a test, tugs at the fins, pulls the nose off and checks that the parachute is intact. It all looks good. He knows the engine is solid, it's in there, it's going places. Once he's satisfied with the work they put in, he heads off toward Hotch's room to wait for him to finish, but hears his name called from Jack's room.

“Yeah?” he asks, leaning in the doorway. Jack is tucked into his bed, Hotch kneeling on the floor beside him with the book in his hand.

“Would you come with me tomorrow?” Jack asks with a hopeful smile. “Since you helped me build it.”

Derek can't stop the tears this time. They obscure his vision and for a moment he's speechless. Hotch nods and smiles.

“Yeah, buddy. If the boss says I can have the morning off, I'd love to.”

“Can he dad? Please?”

“I'll think about it.” He's posturing. It's a done deal. Derek already knows it.

“Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddddddddddddddd...”

Hotch smiles in a way that lights his eyes up and he nods. “Of course. But only if he brings me lunch.”

“Deal.”

[briefhandsstudenttoad]

Pepper Potts x Tony Stark smut ??

I've already responded to this request however I sadly forgot to save it to my drafts so this is my rewritten work which is hopefully as good as the original 😂 Thank you very much for the request though - keep them coming for all marvel characters!

🔥💕 I miss you

After Captain Marvel returns Tony to Earth he's a different man and Pepper feels...alone. That is until Tony decided to show her just how much he has missed her. TW. P in V smut, oral, Tony feeling sad about himself but very fluffy.

4 minutes

Pepper slammed the lakehouse door shut behind her as she heaved the shopping bags through.

It had been a few months since Thanos snapped and Tony had since returned from Titan to his now wife who is currently 7 months pregnant.

☆-----------------------------------------------☆

When Captain Marvel had brought Tony back he was merely a shell of the man he had once been after having lost almost everything.

Peppers pregnancy however had brought some hope for him though, a new purpose for him. He had meaning again.

A new optimism arose within him and he felt the need to move on from his past and focus on the future - a bright one where he no longer had to worry about the responsibility of being a superhero and his main worry will be baby names.

With this new optimism however came new downfalls.

He shut out the remaining avengers.

He blocked as many past memories as possible.

He didn't allow himself the opportunity to greive.

And he also didn't allow himself to be intimate, physically, emotionally, socially and sexually which left Pepper feeling a little...alone.

He simply changed himself. He was no longer Iron Man or Tony Stark - billionaire, playboy, genius, philanthropist. He was just Tony Stark, a normal expectant father without any worries.

☆-----------------------------------------------☆

Pepper made her way to the nursery where she knew Tony would be and sure enough he was on top of the stepladder, paintbrush in hand, creating the most extraordinary intricate work any nursery had ever had.

He turned smiling at her showing of all of his sparkly white teeth.

"Hey honey, what do you think?"

"Oh Tony it's beautiful, it really is. I love it".

Tony made his way down the ladder and headed over to his wonderful wife to place a light quick kiss on her lips.

Pepper was quicker though as she suddenly felt the urge to deepen the kiss to show him just how much she missed and needed him. She held him by the back of his neck and pressed him to her hard.

Tony felt different though. Her feelings were not reciprocated to him and he was suddenly overwhelmed by so many emotions.

Guilt. Shame. Doubt. Regret. Sadness. Anger.

Because it was all his fault.

Why did he get to enjoy his life with his loved ones whilst the other half of the universe is gone? Whilst their families are all mourning why does he get to celebrate?

No. It didn't feel right. He couldn't do this.

He pulled away and walked out of the room and Pepper heard him mutter something about 'needing fresh air' although there was no doubt about the strain in his voice.

☆-----------------------------------------------☆

Pepper lay in bed wide awake a few hours later. Dinner had came and went, spent mostly in an awkward silence over the events earlier. She just didn't know how to bring the topic up.

Tony stood in the doorway of the bedroom gazing at his wife who had her back turned to the entrance. He rarely slept in the same bed as her anymore due to the extremity of his insomnia and if he did sleep he opted to choose the couch where he wouldn't wake her in case of a nightmare.

Pepper tossed and turned so uncomfortable in the bed due to her swollen pregnant stomach - god nobody said it was this hard.

"Peps?"

She gave a slight jump and turned to find her husband. The bed dipped a little as he sat on the side of it, stroking her arm.

"Can we talk about before Tony, please?" Pepper begged. "I just want to understand".

"Pepper it isn't fair. It's all my fault. How can I enjoy my life with you when all of them don't even get a life? It should have been me".

Even in the darkness Pepper could catch the shimmer of tears in his eyes and the sob he choked back.

"Tony don't say that. We've all made mistakes but that doesn't mean we should be punished forever - everyone deserves a second chance. It's nobody's fault and you couldn't have stopped him so stop blaming yourself". Pepper cradled his face and she felt wetness fall into her palms from the tears that began to drip down.

"Thanks peps...I think that's what I needed to hear" Tony sniffed.

"Come here". Tony lay down into Peppers arms and that's how they lay for a few minutes. Just embracing one another in silence, unlike the awkward one at dinner, this silence had a calming atmosphere.

After a few minutes Tony looked over and gazed into Peppers eyes. They were a deep ocean blue and he missed them so much because this is the woman who he had fallen in love with yet also hurt and neglected so much these past few months.

He kissed her. For the first time in so long properly - with true love and passion.

He carefully climbed over on top of her, so as not to squish her baby bump and continued his kissing.

"Tony you don't have to do this".

"Mmm. No I want to - as long as you're comfortable that is" Tony quickly added to which Pepper gave an excited and rushed nod.

He gently lifted her nightdress over her body and discarded his clothes aswell and Pepper immediately revelled in the sight.

The baby hormones had been driving her crazy for this for so long.

Tony took off her underwear and kissed her all the way down her body, showing slightly more love to her stomach before continuing his journey downwards. When he got to her heat he planted another quick kiss and let her wrap her legs around his neck as he got to work sucking and licking as he just let her use him. He could've got off from just that alone.

Pepper was an absolute moaning mess. Tony was so experienced and she forgot how it felt to be treated like this.

Her mouth gaped open fully wide as she tried to moan but she was left utterly speechless as Tony stayed there attacking her bundle of neves.

When he had finished she felt so tired out and sensitive yet she still wanted more. Tony came back up to kiss her on the lips again and his beard was all dishevelled and wet even though he had a big smug smile plastered on his face.

He slipped into her so easily and let out a groan in her neck. He held her for a moment. He was on top of her and inside her. One hand cradling the back of her head, the other holding her baby bump and he realised that this is how he wants to be forever. And they stayed like that for a few seconds just staring at eachother before Tony realised that he needed to move.

He tenderly moved in and out of his beautiful wife as they both whispered sweet nothings to eachother and kissed one another through passionate exchanges.

Suddenly Pepper clenched around him and he let out a guttural groan onto her lips at the unanticipated tension and they both stilled for a moment before he continued again.

They used to have quite a high sex drive but they had never made love quite like this before. This was something new.

"Peps...i need to..."

Tony stared directly into Peppers eyes as he pushed one final time into her and released his all inside her - rubbing her gently so she could join him in the pleasure and sure enough she clung to his neck as she also reached her climax.

Their eyes connected as he dragged them both through their highs and pulled out of the very exhausted and stimulated Pepper.

☆-----------------------------------------------☆

And that's when Tony came up with the plan.

The plan to bring everyone back.

[eviltiddyproductions]

ITAEWON CLASS

Episode 1

I've already watched half of it and forgot to save my draft here so my thoughts are gone forever </3 BUT! I'll write a small recap. I'm currently on the scene where Sae Ro Yi (Park Seo Joon) is drinking with his dad.

I ABSOLUTELY ADORE HIS DAD. (I would die for you!!!) and I have a very bad feeling that he's going to die. Like something in my head is tingling, I hope I'm proven wrong because he's so sweet and so real and Sae Ro Yi literally bawled for him.

Anyway for now we have seen:

A random girl whose definitely the lead talk to a therapist about dying. Real.

Her therapist being a little too chill with all of this, maybe because she's not fazed by it or this is normal? (I'm a little concerned)

Flashback already. We are doomed as we find out this has been Sae Ro Yi's go to hairstyle since he was 17 !!!

Annoying teacher things happen. A girl has a crush on him, and reveals it, she is stronger than me and is my inspiration moving forward. Gets rejected like rudely like he doesn't even say no or anything just walks past her LMAO?

Bumps into this girl being rude and she's just rude to him again. They meet at an orphanage where his dad works and she meets him again, does NOT apologize for her rude ass behaviour (like babe he could've failed his exam and you're weirdly rude) continues being rude. He ends up sitting next to her in school, even though he misses his bus to avoid being with her at the bus stop I guess. Messes with a bully (#REAL) and gets punished for it.

Honestly, up until then I was just mildly annoyed by everyone. Like I do not like or care about any of you but him breaking down at the thought of his dad resigning and his dad actually sticking by his son warmed my heart.

Okay, now back to regular programming.

Chug it uncle, you deserve everything. <3

I guess when you've had a hard successful day, or a day has left an impression on you, your soju tastes sweet.

WHY IS HIS CRYING FACE SO REAL I AM GOING TO CRY. I do not care for him, but I see and he sees what his dad has done for him and our hearts are collectively breaking.

NOT me relating this hard to a character but my dad is exactly like this. Not only will he have our backs but has these alternative solutions ready as if it doesn't matter that a crisis has befallen us because of me 5 seconds ago. I take my words back, I will not be okay if his dad dies.

Park Seo Joon is an excellent crier and he has barely cried.

Now, why is this creepy rich boy back again?

At least, our girl with the bob was rude to him. (I was about to call her our bitch with the bob {said endearingly} but then realised it's too early to get a feel on her and to be fair she has reasons to be mad at the world)

Now the dad's here to be a dad again. MY HEART HIS SMILE WAS SO BRIGHT. HE IS THE EMBODIMENT OF SUN Y'ALL.

No he really is the sun because I promise you, no one but you can look at her and call her a magnificent person lmaooo.

Awww I take it back, she loves him. He paid for her tuition he is literally insane like he is the real sun!!!

Do Bong Soon's dad and the bully's dad in this show is scaring me.

Did he just call my sunshine a dog ?!?!?!? SOMEONE HOLD ME BACK I AM GOING TO PUNCH THIS BITCH INSIDE THE SCREEN

Awwww he took her bag. That's such a mom move. (said lovingly because I don't know how to describe this yet) She took it back lmao.

They're running to some random song but all I hear now when someone runs is Run Bulletproof Run yeah you gotta RUN!

SHE MADE IT ON TIME AND CAN STAND??? Legs of steel baby!

LMAO, I just found her name. Look at her cutely reminiscing about him saying all the best. I get it girl!

HE WAITED.

AWWWW (I kinda want justice for my chocolate girl but hey progress is progress)

His smile is adowableeee. But that hair still takes me out HELP. He keeps rubbing it when he's nervous or happy and it takes me out LMAO. 💀

The way he stopped smiling as soon as she brought up his expulsion. They are terrible at small talk.

AAAH HIM CUTELY ASKING AND GIVING HIS NUMBER AND DILLY DALLYING (is that a thing? he's just flailing his arms adorablY!!!)

HE ALREADY HAS A CRUSH ON HER 💀

Look at that puppy face when she tells him not to like her.

The way she ran to take her number back. I like her.

AWWWWWW. He called her cool and pretty. HE"S SOOOO

Babes the cute montage is scaring me. Hold my hand....

WHY DID I HAVE TO SEE THAT UP CLOSE DO YOU HATE ME ?!? LIKE DO YOU ACTUALLY HATE ME>

IS DO BONG SOON"S DAD AFTER THIS?

This hurts my heart :(

WAIT IS SHE GOING TO SEE THE 777 CAR BC I THINK HE IS AFTER THIS>

RAMEN NOODLE, I KNEW YOU WERE AFTER THIS>

He is about to do something real stupid. Even though I'm all for Ramen Noodle head getting punched because you hit someone and couldn't dial the ambulance, dumb ass.

GIRL STOP HIM

The elevator door was open for so long, stop HIM

oh no

[evanescentdawn]

(July 3rd)

today’s writing:

—wips: ss//older!sk/younger!sauce, yukishima//how bold ⭐️, hananene//kiss kiss kiss, itafushikugi//meg first kiss, jaena//hurt leg

—okay, lmao. today just Wasn’t working out. I was worried abt the time travel fic for SS, since I didn’t think I’d make it, and was like….Ok, I don’t have to do it today, I can do it late. It’s ok because I don’t plan to do it for those two day prompts anyways, and can work on it more tmmr and post it hopefully but ha……today, Today. was gonna work on it afternoon since I got time <3 but lmao, hit a block. internet problems T.T & phone Gone, but I had my song on iPad and could replay it, thankfully, since I was already listening to it before……and had the wip and stuff on doc already up but….Wow, insanely hard to focus! I kept writing abt Every Little Process & thoughts I had which made things insanely slow and by the time my phone came back……………….I just gave up. didn’t want to work on it. motivation hit bottom LMAO, but writing this rn…it Really makes me want to work on it. I fcking love time travel with all my heart. its so <333 and literally, forgetting the smut, this is gonna be SO GOOD. wow. this is hyping me up to work on it fjkfkf. okay, wasnt looking at time while I was doing sss thingies and was like SHIT, I forgot…! I wanted to show snippet for ssmonth today, since I couldn’t finish this and God why did this take so long. I went off writing, realised stuff, continued to edit when I got the section to standard I snippet-show BUT THEN I KEPT NOTICING TYPO’S AND HAD TO DELETE??? but managed to post it in time lmoa

—I thought it might be good to take a break from SS stuff, and remembered the yukishima short thing I wrote for raven’s prompt and was like let’s edit and then post. have edited !!! just neeeds to post but title is being a pain in the backside, lmao. I Cant think of one. like genuinely, even. mind is blank. jfkfkfkfk I SOMEHOW THOUGHT OF TITLE !!! was thinking Shima and went with “double faced” but damn this is making me want to write a whole thing for this now….like the Urge right there hhhhh. really love this lil fic, it’s so good <3 <3 <3

—remembered today is sss today!! gotta do it. heart wants to work on that jaeha fic & def tbhk stuff…I miss it!! tbhk is SO fun to write for. YOOOO I Just remembered that hananene fic that I was so close to finish, gotta check that out first. maybe I got some enlightenment 👀 I DID !!! I edited and wroteee. damn. I’m So happy. because I fcking love this wip so much hhhhhhhhh ITS SO FREAKING FUN !!!!

—choose to do jjk for the first sss, and WAS gonna do nbmi but then WAIT no, that yumei fic. but then, no. I’m doing Meg first kiss. because damn, it’s actually finished, tbh. I just need to Edit. I worked on it !!!! but lmao, this requires muchhhh energy that I just don’t have rn. but I worked on the first section so that’s v :D :D also like, pretty sure missing edits that i need to scour for….in my tumblr drafts…..ahaha. good luck with that, future me. still feeling insane abt the word count for this, like holy shit, y’know?

—only like few mins left. BECAUSE OF THAT DAMN SSSNIPET so sadly couldn’t that tsukanene idea I wanted, and went for the jaena one, because idk. heart decided on akayona and that one, and it was good because like mins were going and had to quickly write it lmao. good thing I chose that idea, because I had like literally the part I wrote, written in the notes app, just added some lines. also, wow. just realised. I COULD HAVE COPY&PASTED. would have saved time……wow.

[babyboibucky]

The Match - Part 10

Pairing: CEO!Bucky x Fem!Reader

Summary: Sam helps you out in planning for the launch while Bucky is away.

Word Count: 4.2k (woopsies)

Warnings: SMUT is back, angry unprotected sex, spitting, a tiny hint at scratching and choking, some hurtful words thrown in yada yada yada, kinda intense asjkcackansk

A/N: STRAP THE FUCK IN BECAUSE WE BOUTTA RIDE A DAMN ROLLERCOASTER OMG I’m nervous for this because I found this part very intense while writing it. And I hope it comes across as that to y’all as well because my fingers ached from how hard I was typing this part lmfao. Team Bucky vs Team Reader/Team Sam here we goooo sksksk enjoy

The Match Masterlist || MAIN MASTERLIST

You didn't accept Sam's invitation to connect in LinkedIn. Not yet. But it did give you several ideas, like maybe submitting a resignation letter? Get away from Bucky and his toxic ass? He has Mackenzie now, he can easily have her take over your position anyway.

However, you were also torn because you loved your job at Bucky's company. It paved way for you to improve your skills and you experienced a lot of growth too. And well, Bucky's there too but god, you hated him right now. As much as you wanted to wave the white flag, you didn't feel like it was the right thing to do.

You wanted Bucky to learn that not everything he wants, he can easily get. And Mark was right, that you weren't just a trophy employee or whatever. You were so much more than what Bucky probably thinks of you.

And you were going to prove him that.

-

"Hey, Bev. Can you ring up your boss for me? Tell him I want to go over some of the plans I made for the launch before I discuss it with Mackenzie tomorrow." you asked.

Beverly was about to lift the phone up when an unexpected visitor arrived. None other than Sam Wilson himself.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop but did I hear you correctly? You've already made some plans for the launch?" he asked with interest.

You chuckled, "Sort of. Well, it's a rough draft of my ideas. I just thought it would be nice to get a headstart." you admitted.

Sam nodded and was about to say something when Bucky stepped out of his office, his brows furrowing upon seeing you and Sam conversing. Bucky eyed you before glancing over at Sam, patting his shoulder gently as a greeting.

"You checking up on us or what?" Bucky teased with a chuckle.

Sam shook his head, "Not really. Well, kinda. I figured that another presentation would be unnecessary, I mean. I'd love to work on the launch with your team instead of being on the sidelines for approvals." he admitted.

You shrugged, "I think that's a great idea too. Less time to waste, less back and forth." you pitched in.

Bucky frowned a bit, his jaw clenching at how you backed up Sam immediately. "That's fine, but I have a meeting in a few. Might last the entire day. Mackenzie won't be here until tomorrow too." he said.

"She and I can discuss her plans today and maybe I can pitch in some of my ideas too. She can present them tomorrow to you and Kenzie." Sam suggested, gesturing over to you.

Bucky stared at you and Sam alternately, his hands balling into fists at his sides. You could see his internal struggle about leaving you and Sam to discuss about the launch, without his presence.

You lifted up the folder in your hand, "I wanted to go over these plans with you but I didn't know you have a meeting. Sam and I can just refine these today, would save us a lot of time. We don't want to be rushing anything for this project at the last minute." you told him.

Bucky swallowed but nodded anyway, albeit with hesitation, "Yeah. Of course. I'll just catch up on the both of you later."

And with that, Bucky walked away but not without sparing you and Sam one final glance. His eyes met yours for a brief moment and you weren't sure, but you saw a flash of worry in his eyes before it was immediately replaced by his usual stern, ice-cold gaze.

You turned to Sam with a smile, "We can discuss in the conference room." you said and led the way.

-

The planning was seamless and you were surprised that you had so much fun exchanging ideas with Sam, to the point of almost forgetting about lunch break. It was quarter past noon when the both of you realized that it was way past lunch time.

"Do you want to grab lunch or order something instead? I honestly hate working lunch, just so you know." Sam said with a laugh.

You groaned, "I hate that too, honestly." you admitted with a chuckle.

Sam nodded, "Great, we can head out for a quick lunch?" he asked.

It didn't even cross your mind to hesitate, so you immediately agreed and even asked if you can take Beverly with you. You'd grown somewhat attached to her in the short time you've known her. Poor kid was being treated like an outcast by the other office girls. She always waited for you to have your lunch break too, especially that Mark has been pretty busy lately.

Sam was kind enough to agree about including Beverly for lunch. The two of you were about to head out of the conference room when Beverly peeked in, worry etched all over her face.

"I need your help." she whined, "I think I messed up Sir James' schedule. Mister Nakajima is on the phone and said that he's going to be an hour late for a meeting today. I forgot about Sir James’ meeting with another company today!" she explained, almost close to tears.

You rushed over to her and held her shoulders, "Hey, calm down. Did you tell Mister Nakajima?" you asked.

"I did and he got mad at me! Today is his only free day and he said that if he doesn't meet up with Sir James, the deal is off." Beverly said, stomping her foot on the ground.

You heaved out a sigh, knowing that the deal was very important. Mister Nakajima owned an auto manufacturing company which produces world-class materials for cars. Bucky had been working on convincing Mister Nakajima to be his permanent supplier for quite a while now. Big fucking deal.

You looked back at Sam, "Hey, I'm sorry. Can you give me a couple of minutes?" you asked with an apologetic expression.

"Take your time." Sam nodded with a smile.

You went over to Beverly's desk and took over the phone call, without knowing that Sam trailed behind you. He watched you carefully as you talked to Mister Nakajima, your demeanor calm yet confident.

"Hi, Mister Nakajima. I'm the company's Marketing Head and I would like to apologize for the mix up. Bucky has been working really hard on improving the quality of our products, he's been in meetings in and out. That being said, would it be alright if I take over this afternoon's meeting instead? Bucky worked on an amazing presentation and I honestly would love to go over it with you and just show you how this partnership would be beneficial for both our companies." you asked.

Fortunately, you were able to appease Mister Nakajima while also saving Beverly's ass for her honest mistake. As soon as the call was done, you reassured Beverly that everything was fine now and that you'll take care of Bucky. By the time you looked back at Sam, he was merely smiling at you.

"You're really good with people."

-

Lunch break passed by quickly, with you, Sam and Beverly engaging in all sorts of conversations. Even Beverly felt comfortable being around his presence. He mainly talked about his experiences at his first job, giving Beverly a couple of tips on how to navigate through the corporate world.

Sam was very kind.

The planning resumed after lunch and by the time Mister Nakajima and his associates arrived, the launch plan was pretty much refined with a lot of details. Sam excused himself to give you time to meet with Mister Nakajima, however, he said he'll be staying until Bucky comes back.

Presenting to Mister Nakajima made you nervous as fuck, especially that he didn't really work closely with you which might affect his decision. Luckily though, you knew Bucky's presentation like the back of your hand due to the fact that he had gone over it with you for a couple of times back when the two of you were still, well, fucking around.

Ah, the good old days.

The meeting with Mister Nakajima went perfectly well because as soon as you were done with the presentation, the old man simply asked for the contract to seal the deal. Although it wasn't you who actually worked on the deck, you had a sense of fulfillment. You were proud of yourself and you couldn't wait to dangle it right in front of Bucky's face.

"Thank you so much, Mister Nakajima. We are excited for this partnership." you said happily as you led him and his associates out of the conference room, just as when Bucky arrived.

He looked confused when Mister Nakajima greeted him happily, shaking his hand and telling him how good his presentation was. Bucky looked over at you, as if asking what the hell was going on. You merely shrugged and headed back inside the conference with Sam.

Bucky followed shortly and for some reason, he looked agitated. He was about to speak up when Sam beat him to it, giving him a hard pat on the back.

"The launch event is gonna be really good." he said confidently before glancing at you.

"You're lucky to have her, Bucky." he said before bidding goodbye, giving you one last look and a wink as well, something that Bucky immediately noticed.

When Sam left, so did the light atmosphere inside the conference room. Bucky turned to you with a scowl, his footsteps rushed and heavy as he approached you.

"What the hell happened with Mister Nakajima?" he asked gruffly.

You smiled as you handed him an envelope, "The partnership is a go. He signed the contract and his team will be keeping in contact with us and our factory soon." you explained proudly.

Bucky took the envelope from your hand and went through the contract before placing it back on the table. "I thought my meeting with him isn't until Friday."

"Beverly mixed up your schedule and before you even reprimand her, give the girl a break. It's her first job and with the amount of meetings you've been having, mix-ups are inevitable. What matters now is that I took over the presentation and Mister Nakajima signed the contract." you explained with nonchalance.

Bucky shook his head, "The end does not justify the means." he said. "Beverly should have been careful. My schedule is not a joke and if I miss another important meeting, that can fuck up the entire company."

You rolled your eyes, "Calm down, Beverly surely learned from today's mistake. It's done. The deal is on. Everything is peachy. The launch details have been planned out, Sam is happy with it. All I have to do is to secure your and Mackenzie's approval for it and then we can start with the execution. You're welcome." you said all in one breath, handing Bucky a USB containing the details of the launch.

You brushed past Bucky to leave the conference room but you were immediately pulled back with his hand around your arm. He looked down at you with an angry look on his face, almost fuming. You couldn't understand why the fuck he was so aggravated with you today. Sure, he had been testing your patience lately but it was the first time he actually looked like he was going to snap.

Not at the situation, but at you.

"Are you trying to impress Sam? Taking on my responsibilities while he's around?" he asked, eyes narrowing at you.

You scoffed, unable to believe what Bucky was accusing you of. Pulling your arm back, you took a step back and looked at him with disgust. "You're unbelievable, Bucky." you said.

"Had I not stepped in, we would have lost the deal. You promoted me for a reason, and I believe part of it is my leadership skills. And no, I'm not trying to impress Sam. I'm simply doing my fucking job." you hissed and tried to side step Bucky, only for him to block your way.

"Did he offer you a position in his company? What the fuck was the wink all about?" Bucky accused yet again.

"Oh my god, Bucky! You're blowing things out of proportion. He didn't. We talked about the event. That's it." you explained, pinching the bridge of your nose because Bucky was getting on your very last nerve.

Bucky had been fucking with you too much now and you could feel the last bits of your composure slowly slip away with every word that was coming out of his mouth. Coming for your job was one thing, but accusing you of flirting your way to another company? That was a low blow.

"Don't lie to me, I saw the notification on your phone the other day. Seems to me like Tinder matches don't work for you anymore, you moved on to LinkedIn now to find connections instead?" he asked and that particular statement struck a certain nerve.

You let out a bitter scoff, "Do you even hear yourself, Bucky? At least Sam was being professional and didn't use Tinder to hire a fucking consultant to threaten my damn job!" you slipped, unable to hold back.

The look on Bucky's face was a whirlwind of emotions-- shock, wrath, exhaustion-- and you felt like you were supposed to get scared. Gone were the blue orbs that used to make you feel safe, his eyes only held anger in them. And the thing was, your eyes looked the same as you held Bucky's gaze.

You were so fucking tired of everything, of Bucky.

"How did you-- it doesn't matter." Bucky said, shaking his head. "How much did Sam offer you?" he asked.

Your jaw dropped at the implication of Bucky's statement, "You are a fucking asshole, Bucky. Sam didn't offer me a fucking job. You really don't listen, Bucky. You never listen." you huffed out exasperatedly.

"Okay, maybe he hasn't laid down his offer yet. Perhaps, you let him fuck you too?"

Your vision blacked out upon hearing that and by the time you regained your senses, all you could feel was how your palm stung. You had walked up to Bucky and slapped him right across the face, hard enough to make the corner of his bottom lip bleed. Your entire body was trembling from rage as you stood in front of Bucky.

He tilted his head as he wiped the blood off from his lip, looking up at you with lust-filled eyes. And then his hand gripped your neck, tugging you close for a bruising kiss. You grunted against his mouth and pushed him away, slapping him again. Before Bucky could even recover, your fingers wrapped around his tie pulling him down to you for another kiss.

Walls crumbled down, tension was broken and needs were being fulfilled. The rush of emotions blurred the line between fury and lust with the latter obviously winning. All you could think about was the throb that you suddenly felt within your core begging for relief.

Relief that was denied from you for the past few weeks of playing cat and mouse with Bucky.

And with the way Bucky was kissing you, you knew he felt the same. It had been too long and both your minds were too hazy to even care that it was only five in the afternoon and that there were employees working just outside the conference room.

Was the fear of getting caught going to stop you? No, not now. Because you needed release and you were sure as hell going to get it. This wasn't like the other times you and Bucky fucked. You didn't care about Bucky at the moment, how he felt or what was going on in his mind. You just needed to release all your pent up emotions and you were going to use Bucky to get what you need.

Bucky pushed you against the table, your tailbone hitting the edge with such force that made you groan from pain.

"Yeah, why don't you make some noise so everyone can see how fucking needy you are for me?" Bucky growled, gripping your face with one hand, forcing you to keep your eyes on him as his other hand bunched your skirt up to your waist.

You let out a chuckle, "I'm not the one going to make noise here." you warned before reaching down to palm his erection.

Bucky hissed and bit his lip hard to prevent himself from eliciting a moan. His jaw ticked as he squeezed your face tighter, forcing you to open your mouth as his eyes scanned your features.

"Watch your fucking mouth, baby. I still own you, you're fucking mine." he said through gritted teeth, his eyes lidded as he looked down at you like a predator.

You kept your mouth closed but as soon as Bucky's fingers found your damp panties, you weren't able to stop your whimper. Bucky took the opportunity and spit in your mouth before crashing his lips against yours in a messy kiss. It was all tongue and spit, the way he kissed you as his fingers rubbed at your folds through the thin fabric of your underwear.

He kissed you like he owned you.

"I'm not yours, Bucky." you said as your hands quickly unbuckled his belt, unzipping his trousers and pulling out his hard cock from the confines of his boxers.

The groan that reverberated from Bucky's chest as you stroked him made you smirk. His hand on your face slid down to your neck, holding you tightly as he pushed aside your underwear and then he slid into you with no prior warning. The lack of foreplay made it hurt when he bottomed out, but the pain quickly turned into pleasure when Bucky started moving his hips against yours.

No words were further exchanged from then on. Only soft whimpers and hushed grunts could be heard. However, it was clear that even up until now, there was competition. You didn't want to make noise, didn't want to lose to Bucky. You didn't want to give him the pleasure of knowing how fucking good he was making you feel right now, with how each drag of his cock was making your toes curl inside your heels.

Your hands held onto his broad shoulders as he fucked you against the table, the fabric of his suit bunching up against your fingers. Bucky kept his gaze on you and not once did you falter, not even when the tip of his cock hit your cervix, almost punching the air out of your lungs.

Bucky held the back of your thighs and lifted you up, sitting you on the edge of the table and bending forward so he could angle his cock in a way that you would feel it deep within you. Your legs automatically wrapped around his waist, one of your hands scratching at his jaw as he continued to pound your sopping cunt.

"God, fucking missed this pussy. Can feel you clamping down on my cock, you gonna cum soon?" he asked, pressing the tip of his nose against yours.

You clamped a hand over your mouth, muffling the wanton moan that Bucky pounded out of you. Not wanting to be the only one to make noise, you clenched around him hard. Bucky let out a growl at how your walls squeezed his cock, his balls tightening as his own orgasm approached.

"Cum for me, Bucky." you whimpered, tipping your head up to lick at Bucky's mouth as your legs tightened around his waist to pull him deeper into you.

Bucky exhaled heavily through his nose, the veins on his neck popping out as he fucked your harder on the table. He kept his hand wrapped around your neck while the other held onto your waist so tight, you could feel his fingers digging deep into your skin. Even with your clothes on, you were sure that you'll be getting bruises from how hard his grip on you was.

"Go on, Bucky. Want your cum inside, want to feel you fill me up again." you moaned against his parted lips, darting your tongue out to taste his mouth.

The needy tone of your voice sent Bucky to the edge first. He uttered a string of curses under his breath as ropes of his cum painted your walls with their warmth with triggered your orgasm. Your body convulsed as waves of pleasure ran through your veins, starting from your fingertips down to your toes. Bucky kissed you and swallowed your moans as his thrusts slowed down.

It took a while for the both of you to recover from the intense fucking. Bucky nuzzled your neck with his nose, his heavy breaths warming up your sweaty skin. There was a short moment of peace that followed, the tension gone and was replaced by a heavy feeling.

You swallowed hard and slowly regained your senses. The release cleared your mind and the memories of the heated exchange from earlier were quick to come back. Bucky's accusations echoed in your ear and they were so clear it almost felt like he was saying them to you again.

Suddenly, you doubted Bucky's intentions when he promoted you. Was he really impressed of your skills at work or was it because you let him fuck you?

"Get off of me." you said, pushing at Bucky's chest until he straightened up.

Ignoring the emptiness you felt when his cock slipped out of you, you hopped down from the table and started fixing yourself. In the many times you had slept with Bucky, it was the first time that you felt disgusted with yourself.

You turned your back to Bucky as you adjusted your underwear, pulling down your skirt and pressing your palms against the fabric to iron out the creases. Your breath was heavy as you processed what had just happened. And just like that, your reserve broke and the strong facade you had built crumbled down into pieces, leaving you vulnerable.

"Hey, are you okay? Did I hurt you?" Bucky suddenly asked when he heard your sniffing, the darkness in his features gone.

His eyes were back to blue and there was nothing but genuine concern when he saw the tears in your eyes. Bucky tried to approach you but you quickly backed away from him, your arms wrapping around yourself as protection.

"Did you hurt me?" you scoffed. "In more ways than one, Bucky." you quickly added, wiping away your tears hastily with the back of your hand.

You were about to walk out of the conference but decided that it was probably time for you to actually speak up about everything. How you felt for him and how much you hated him for coming at you like that.

"I was going to admit that I like you. I thought about it and figured that I was too proud and a bit selfish for not considering your feelings when I rejected you." you explained.

Bucky blinked in confusion, "What? When?"

You shrugged, "The day you brought in Mackenzie. And I was more hurt than mad that you did that. Because you knew how much this job means to me and you had used it against me. You basically took advantage of my weakness, for what? To get me to cave in? Even when I clearly told you how fucking scared I was of the consequences of whatever kind of relationship we have?" you huffed out.

You didn't allow Bucky to speak, not yet. Not until you were done making him understand why you had been so hell-bent on keeping things professional.

"I wasn't born into a rich family like you, Bucky. I had to work my way up to where I am. Unlike you, I have a family to support and if I lose this job, it's not only me who would suffer. And it won't be easy for me to find another one, not after the reputation I'd have once we get busted." you further explained.

"I told you about it so many times and I wish you listened. Because maybe we could've figured shit out. Or I don't know, maybe the fucking was too good and you only wanted me for that." you shrugged.

Bucky quickly shook his head, "No. God no, you're more than that."

You chuckled again, a fresh wave of tears flooding the corners of your eyes. "It most definitely felt like it when you accused me of fucking Sam."

"Fuck, I'm sorry. Let me explain, please? I didn't mean to, I was too--"

"No, Bucky. You didn't listen to me when I told you how I felt about us. Now you're going to know how it feels to not to get what you want." you sternly said before walking over to the door.

You turned back at Bucky and refused to let his expression get to you. He looked devastated, his eyes glassy from the tears he had been holding back, his lips parted as he finally realized what he had done.

"Expect my resignation letter by tomorrow. As soon as we're done with the launch, I'm out."

-

The Match Special Tags:

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Everything Bucky Tag List:

@ddowii @jessou893 @stealapizzamyheart @bagelofthelord @mxnt @dontputyourfckingdrinkonmytable @jeeperky @ohladymacbeth @wildflowergubler @supraveng @twinerd14 @buckysmar @bakugouswh0r3 @sweetcoldharmony @wintersfilm @charminivy @amelia-song-pond @iamvalentinaconstanza @mcubqrnes @im-squished @tcc-gizmachine @sipsteacasually @prettyintopeerpressure @weloveyasmin @est19xxshit @bloodhon3yx @dressed-in-prada @lizette50 @thatfangirl42 @sunflowerbunny2 @unmagically @okiegirl24 @sugarpunch-princess @enlyume @vvipgotbb @slimeyderp @lyoongx @just-deka @nobody-will @jaziona92 @elisebuitron @dpaccione @suvikamahes98blr @buckybarneshairpullingkink @earthtonav @x-judyjude-x @nani-kenobi @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @belladonnabarnes @iloveangstposts @weenersoldierr​ @asemistablehundredyearoldman @reidbuck @lizzarooni @girlfriday007​ @bonkywobble​ @lost-in-the-stars03​ @its-yasbxtch​ @whoth3hellisbucky​

[20moonchild21]

𝗦𝗲𝗵𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵𝘁 [𝗯𝘁𝘀]

⇉ 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 16

[pairings]

JK x female!oc, Bunny!JK x human!female!oc, Jin x female!oc, Leopard!Jin x human!female!oc, Jimin x female!oc, white Tiger!Jimin x human!female!oc, Taehyung x female!oc, black Tiger!Taehyung x human!female!oc, Hobi x female!oc, Fox!Hobi x human!female!oc, Namjoon x female!oc, Wolf!Namjoon x human!female!oc, JK x Jin x Jimin x Taehyung x Hobi x Namjoon xfemale!oc

[warnings]

none

[words]

4.0k

[author]

A little late but here it is! I already had saved the draft, but I somehow forgot to upload it yesterday. I am sorry.

In case I will forgot again to upload punctually, I want you to check out @starlightauroras-writes and her story Inferiority Complex. She is so talented in writing, so leave her a lot of likes and comments!

I also wanted to say that I am not a lawyer! I just wrote how I imagined it in my head, so please, don’t blame me😅I tried really hard. If you like this chapter anyway, feel free to leave a like or comment. It would make my day!

Stay healthy and safe!

Mꨄ

[chapter 15 ||| chapter 17]

„Okay, how does this look?” All the boys looked up when Hope walked around the corner and into the living room.

It was the day before Hope would start her first day of working and right now, the boys were all helping her with choosing the right outfit for that special day. She had started with some simple dresses, which had left Jimin’s open in amazement.

He had always thought of her as a beautiful girl, but seeing her in those dresses that had hugged her waist and chest perfectly was a picture he would never forget again. When he had looked from side to side, he had spotted the other boys making the same faces as him.

Right now, Hope walked into the living room, wearing a black, tight trouser, combined with a white blouse and a black jacket. Jimin felt like she was walking in in slow-motion. In his eyes, everything she was putting on her body was fitting perfectly.

“Wow.” He whispered under his breath, as the girl stood in front of them and in front of the large mirror that was hanging next towards the front door.

She was turning her body from side to side, sliding her hands over her shirt and trousers from time to time and knitting her eyebrows together. Jimin absolutely adored those small habits of her, like she would chew on bottom lip every time she was concentrating, or how the cringes would form on her forehead when she was thinking about something really hard.

“Hope, you look amazing.” Jungkook stood up from the sofa and walked up towards the smaller girl.

When he reached her, he took her left hand, lifted it up and just twisted her around. Hope began to giggle, before she fell against the bunny’s chest and placed her hands there. Jimin should probably feel jealous or hurt while watching that scene in front of him, but he didn’t. Not even when the younger boy bent down and pressed kiss towards the girl’s cheek.

By now, he was so used to Jin and Jungkook that he almost saw them as his brothers as well. He just felt that somewhere deep down, there was a deeper connection between them. The white tiger wasn’t quite sure what the connection between them was, but he was sure that the other were feeling the same way.

Jimin didn’t realize that he had been spacing out, until his brother beside him slightly nudged his arm.

“Close your mouth, or you will catch flies while staring at her.” He joked, before he was throwing his arm around the smaller boy’s shoulders and pulling him closer. “How cute. You were drooling over her again.”

“Like you.” He joked back, poking Taehyung’s side, who’s cheeks were slightly redden now.

Taehyung had gone through a major change since the both of them had been living here. He had been a grumpy boy in the beginning, but now, he was a normal boy. He would show more physical affection to him but also to the other two hybrids and even towards the girl.

It made Jimin happy to see his brother’s transformation but also his own. He was not the shy, and shaking boy anymore. The white tiger had learnt that he actually was a pretty physical person. He loved to hug and cuddle with other people, showing them how much he liked them and how thankful he was. He was thankful that Hope had taken them in, that Jin had given him his trust from the first

night, and he was thankful that Jungkook had given him and his brother a chance to live here.

He even had found his passion for music and dancing a few days ago when Hope had given him her MP3 player. It was amazing what his body was able to do and how to move to the beat of the music. If he would ever have the chance to lean a profession, he was sure that he wanted to do something with dancing and singing.

His gaze fell on the girl once again. When she had come home yesterday, she had pretended to be sad when actually she got the job she had ever wanted. Now, she had a real chance to change something in this world and maybe, just maybe, Jimin could someday make his dream come true.

“Are you nervous, Hope?” Hobi’s voice pulled him out of his mind.

The white fox had wrapped a fluffy blanket around his shoulders and was now sitting crossed legs on the couch. Jimin had noticed that Hobi was a pretty curious and open minded person. He never seemed to be scared to ask questions, and he would always listen to every little detail he was told.

“To be honest, yes.” Hope drove one of her hands through her thick hair, before she let herself sink down onto the corner of the sofa. “I mean, it is good to be nervous, isn’t it? I should be worried if I wasn’t, but I am also a little bit scared that I won’t do a good job and that maybe –“

“You will be the best lawyer girl, Hope.” Jimin pushed Taehyung’s arm off of his shoulder moved closer towards the girl, before he took her left hand. “I know it.”

“Yeah, you will.” Jungkook sat down next to her other side. “You will safe all Hybrids who need help and then the world will be a better place for everyone.”

Jimin didn’t miss the red shade that was now covering her plump cheeks. She pushed a strand of her almost golden hair behind her ear, while she started giggling slightly.

“But please, don’t bring all of them here with you.” Tae mumbled, as he was still laying on his back with his eyes closed.

By now, the girl’s giggles had turned into a real laughing, and as the corners of her mouth went up, Jimin could only stare at that beautiful pair of dimples that were now forming on her cheeks. Automatically, he started laughing along with her.

In that moment, Jimin realized how lucky he had been. Of course, there had been hard times for him and his brother in the past, but he knew that from now on, his life was heading into the right direction.

“You must be Ms. Carson, right?” The brown haired woman smiled widely at Hope, as she stretched out her hand. “It is so nice to finally have amplification to our small team. We need every possible support. I am Laura and I will show you around today.”

Still overwhelmed from all the new surroundings and people, Hope carefully shook the woman’s hand.

“Hello, Laure. Please, call me Hope.” She politely answered and let go of Laura’s hand.

Laura was a taller woman with wavy brown hair that fell over her shoulders and chest. Her smile was authentic and bright, and Hope immediately felt a heavy weight falling from her shoulders. The fear that she would not get along with her new colleagues had held her wide away through the previous night. But now, as she already had met a few people, she knew that she would not have to worry about anything.

“Okay, Hope.” Laura turned around and started walking down the hallway with Hope walking beside her. “Firstly, I want to show you the building a little bit. You will be confused, but I promise that you will get used to it in just a few days.”

Together, the two girls made their way from door to door, looking into different rooms and sections of the company. The building was located a little bit outside the city of New York in an older building, but that didn’t change the fact that inside, it looked exactly like Hope had imagined it.

After the reception and waiting area, Laura first showed Hope alle the meeting rooms where they would hold their weekly conferences, but also important customer talks or presentations. All the meeting rooms were completely surrounded by glass windows, so you could see right inside without hearing anything.

When they kept walking through the hallways, Hope suddenly spotted that one of the 4 meeting rooms was currently used by a smaller amount of people. Hope watched with wide eyes, how one of the men bent over a sheet of paper at the desk, pointing his pencil onto it. He was talking to a woman, who was standing next to the table and was looking at the sheet of paper as well.

But what fascinated Hope the most was that when the woman took a step to the side, she could actually see the reason she came here for. Opposite of the man in the black suit and next to the woman was a Hybrids boy sitting. The boy was carefully listening to what the men and woman were explaining to him, because he had his golden ears up in hight in the air.

From his body expression, Hope could see that there was still a hint of fear in his eyes. While he had one of his eyebrows cocked up, he also had wrapped his slim, long tail with the fluffy tip around his calve.

“What you are seeing there is one of our newest cases.” Hope just noticed that she had stopped walking when she saw Laura walking back towards her with a small smile on her face. “Adam Neil is a lion Hybrid. He wants to lawsuit against his adoption in court, because his owner locked him up in the basement for a few days. It took him a while to finally talk to us but now, it’s going forward for him.”

Hope didn’t miss the bitterness in Laura’s voice as she talked about the lion’s case. Her eyes were fixed on the boy, as Hope’s curiousness grew more and more. She wanted to ask more questions about every little detail of the case, but Laura had already started walking again.

They took turn after turn until they reached another section. Down the hallway, there were several doors on either side. Most of those doors were closed, but some were also opened so Hope could peak inside. The rooms weren’t big, but inside, they all had a desk and many book shelves.

“Those are our offices.” Laura pointed her fingers from door to door, as they kept walking down the hallway. “We do most of our paper work in here – and believe me, you will have a lot of paper work to do – but we also have private talks with clients here. You will have your own office once your trial period is over. Until then, you will help out in my office.”

“Wow.” Hope whispered, before she quickly walked up beside Laura. “This is amazing. I can’t wait to finally have my own cases.”

Laura looked down at the smaller girl with a slightly smirking expression.

“You remind me of myself, when I was just starting here.” She laughed and took another turn into another hallway. “I came from university and couldn’t wait to go in front of the judges. I can see how passionate you are, Hope. We need people like you, who want to defend our clients until the last second. May I ask you where that passion is coming from?”

Immediately, a large smile formed on Hope’s face. It was the though at her boys who were currently waiting for at home, but also the memory at her mother who raised her to be that open minded person she was now.

“I – my mother taught me that we all are equal.” She said and looked up at Laura. “She worked in the hospital and saved some Hybrids during her career. It made me so proud, and I just wanted to do the same things as her. I just think that we are living in a crual world, you know? People say that they changed their minds, but they also torture living beings at the same time.”

This time, it was Laura who stopped in her tracks. She turned around in one smooth movement and looked down at the blond haired girl with wide eyes.

“You are really mature for your age, but I like it.” She said, before she carefully walked closer and laid her hands on Hope’s shoulders. “You will fit perfectly in here.”

Both girls continued their tour through the building. The next section was a very special and rare among all companies for Hybrid rights. The company had built a small, separated building next to the main house, that was just meant for the clients to live in. If a Hybrid would decide to accuse someone or lawsuit someone in court, his owner would probably not welcome them back home with open arms. The company provided them a bed to sleep and something to eat while they had to wait for their verdicts.

Hope had seen all kinds of Hybrids walking around in that building. Some of them looked at her in a scared way, other were more open and asked her what she was doing there. Every time Hope had told them that she was a new addition to the company, the Hybrids’ eyes would began to sparkle with hope. Sadly, they couldn’t stay as long as Hope wanted to stay, because they had a strict schedule.

“Okay, we are now coming to our last section. In those rooms, there are the interrogations are taking their places.” Laura explained, before she turned around o face Hope directly. To the smaller girl’s surprise, her face was now worried and strict. “We have all kinds of cases there. The ones who came willingly, but also the ones who have to. For the papers, every Hybrid has to deliver a statement, but as you know, most of the judges doesn’t care about that. Like I said, it’s just for the papers.”

Laura pushed open a new door and lead both of them into a totally new room. The room looked similar to the reception room they had passed in the beginning of their tour. There was also a reception and many, different doors on every side of the room.

“We will also start our work here.” Laura told her, as she showed the lady at the reception her ID-card and walked towards a big shelf with many different folders. She grabbed one of them and shoved it into Hope’s arms. “Here. Our long-time and hardest case. He was accused for aggressive behaviour against state authorities. He had been here for almost two months now, but unfortunately, we don’t know anything about him, because he refuses to talk to us. His court date is in 30 days, and if we don’t get his statement, he will go straight to jail for several years.”

Hope’s heart was racing in her chest when she opened the folder with the Hybrid’s information.

Name: Kim, Namjoon

Date of bird: 12th September 2026

Breed: Mexican Grey wolf

Origin: Seoul, South Korea

Accusation:

Illegal abidance without a registration, resistance to state orders, aggressive behaviour against state authorities

Hope’s eyes fell onto the picture that was pinned at the top of the file. It showed a picture of an actually beautiful, young man who looked pretty tiredly and powerless into the camera. Immediately, Hope had the feeling that she should protect that boy from everything. The way his emotionless eyes were looking into the camera made it clear that he had already given up.

“What are we going to do with him?” Hope carefully asked but never took her eyes off of his picture.

“The same procedure as every day.” Laura dryly answered, before she walked towards the last door at the end of the room. “We will try to talk to him. If he answers, we can finally take a step forward and if not, we will do the same tomorrow.”

Hope closed the boy’s file and walked with confident steps towards her new college. She was determined that she would help this boy at all it would cost. She took a last, deep breath, as Laura pushed the door of the interrogation room open.

The room was decorated decent with only a table in the middle, a small cupboard and some flowers. It didn’t look intimidating though. On the other side at the window was a boy standing. He had his back turned towards both woman and was not turning around when they entered, his grey, fluffy tail was waving slowly from side to side.

Even from the distance, Hope could see that Namjoon was pretty tall and muscular. The grey jacket he was wearing was falling over is broad shoulders and over his baggy pants.

“Good morning, Namjoon.” Laura calmly said towards the boy, who had suddenly stopped to swing his tail around. “I brought a guest with me today. This is Hope. She is working with us from now on, and I hope you don’t mind her being here with me.”

Hope took another step further inside the room, with her eyes still fixed on the only boy here. Namjoon took a few deep breaths, before he slowly turned his head around. Hope held her breath when his sharp, dark eyes met hers for the very first time. For the split of a second, they just stared into each other’s eyes like there was nothing else around them, before Namjoon moved his eyes up and down her body an turned back to look out of the window.

Laura let out a small sighed of frustration. She gave Hope a last glance, before she sat down at the table. Hope on the other hand didn’t sit down. She guest that Laura and Namjoon had in some way a connection to each other and after all, Hope should just watch.

“So, how have you been, Namjoon?” Laura tried again, talking directly towards the boy.

The room fell in silence for a few minutes. Namjoon completely ignored both woman who were still looking expectedly at the tall boy. He just kept looking out of the window, his tail slightly moving through the air. Hope could see the sadness in his deep brown eyes. He looked so tired and powerless, but not because he didn’t sleep, more because he had mentally no energy left.

“Okay, Namjoon.” Laura sighed again, before she opened up a small note book. “You know I will have to ask you the same questions as always. I would love to see you cooperate with us, so we can help you.”

No reaction. It seemed like Namjoon was blocking out everything Laura was telling him and Hope already knew why. Laura was a nice and calm woman, but her strategy to get him to talk was completely wrong. At least when it came to the wolf Hybrid. How could he possible trust Laura, when he had absolutely no emotionally connection to her?

It was something Hope had learnt in the last few months. The process of trusting someone, especially when someone had been hurt and betrayed so many times, needed more space and much more time. It was not enough for Namjoon to gain trust in someone who would only spend two hours a day asking him questions.

“Hope.” Laura turned her head towards the blond haired girl. “I will go and get the three of us something to drink. Do you think you can stay here alone?”

Hope quickly nodded her head, and Laura headed out of the room, leaving the wolf and the small girl alone. The tension in the room seemed to grow with every passing second. The girl knew that she had to be really careful with what she was saying and doing. He should know that she was someone he could emotionally trust.

Slowly and with small steps, Hope walked around the table and over towards the large window. Standing there with a certain distance to Namjoon, the small girl leant her hands onto the window sill and looked outside. It was obvious that the tall boy was yearning for freedom. Of course, he was practically free to do everything while he was living here but after all, he was also like a prisoner who was waiting for his last day to come.

“You are wasting your time here.” Namjoon’s deep voice suddenly filled the silence in the room. “They have sent many psychologists here to get me to talk. I don’t need this.”

Hope turned her head to face the boy to her left. Though he had sent his words into her direction, he was not looking at her. His grey and white ears were standing still on top of his head, while he was now wrapping his tail around his right leg.

Hope knew this gesture by now. Jin would always wrap his long tail around his left leg when he felt embarrassed or shy, while Jimin would always do it when he was scared or insecure about something.

“I – I am not a psychologist. I am a lawyer.” She almost whispered, as she turned her head away from Namjoon. “I just finished my university degree. That’s why Laura brought me with her today.”

From the corner of her eyes, Hope saw how Namjoon turned his head to look at her side. He looked at her for several seconds, before she could suddenly head him sniffing the air a few times.

“Your scent is – quiet unusual.” He stated and this time, it was her who turned her head.

A small smile formed on her lips. She knew exactly what he was referring to when he mentioned her scent. Living together with 5 male Hybrids who wanted to cuddle as often as possible, left the girl covered in all of their scents.

“Our home is pretty hectical.” She laughed, before she lifted her gaze and met the boy’s eyes. “I live together with 5 Hybrids. All of the boys – they literally stumbled into my life, and it just clicked with us.”

Hope paid especially attention to use words like our home, together or us, to show Namjoon that she didn’t have any intentions to harm anyone. The tall boy on the other hand was now looking at her with wide eyes.

“You adopted 5 Hybrids?” He mumbled under his breath.

“No.” Hope replied calmly. “Just two of them. Jin and Jungkook have been living with me for several months now, but Jimin, Taehyung and Hobi have only been with us for a few weeks. We all are still getting used to each other, but yes, I – I also want to adopt them someday.”

Hope didn’t knew if it would be the right choice to tell him about how they all had ended up together, but he needed to knew where her passion to save Hybrids was coming from.

“I – I kind of rescued them.” She started talking again. “Jungkook and Jin came from a really bad home. Their owners had much money, but didn’t care about them. I found Jungkook by accident, and when he told me about his brother, I had no other choice than getting him out there. Later, I met Jimin. He and his brother needed help, so I offered them to stay with me and the boys. Hobi came to us a few days ago. He recognized Jin when we went shopping together. I saw and I still can see their suffers and I knew that they are safe with me. But I also know that thousands of Hybrids are not that lucky. That’s why I am here for.”

Both adults were now looking deep into each other’s eyes. Maybe Namjoon would not trust from one second to another, but he now had enough time to think about what she had told him and after all, he already spoke to her. That was a good sign.

“I am not here for the papers or to tell you some psychical stuff, Namjoon.” She said again after a few seconds of silence. “I know how hard it is for you to open up. I went through it more often than I would like, but I will defend you in front of the court, whether you talk to me or not.”

[Inspirations | Recommendations]

@starlightauroras-writes

@wishesunderthestars

@agustdakasuga

@ditttiii

@angelicyoongie

[renaerys]

Prompt 50. But Berserk & Boomer😔👉👈💕

50. “I thought you left.”

We’re calling this one Unfortunately, She Impressed Him. This is a pair of characters I love with all my heart in any flavor of relationship and can’t wait to write more of in my ongoing multi-chapter fic Trinity House over on AO3.

This fic is part of a prompt challenge that is now closed to new requests, but you can read all the completed submissions here. Reminder that the challenge is to make everything SFW, so we’re getting creative here.

xxx

Boomer was halfway across the deserted lobby of Faust Keating Rogers, LLP when he realized he’d forgotten his keys at his desk. He groaned aloud because it was 8 p.m. and no one was around to hear him because they had all gone home to their families hours ago like normal people. Boomer didn’t have two to three kids and a house in the suburbs, though, and neither did his boss. The three hour lull reserved for dinner, baths, and bedtimes before the evening work-from-home grind offered him no alternative but to power through. He fully planned to grab take out on his way home and enjoy an episode of whatever was on HBOMax before getting back to the tedious work of reviewing the draft prospectus statement his boss had sent him to proof by tomorrow morning.

Except, his keys were forty floors up and he now had to risk running into her again when he’d managed to slip away so neatly. He’d even removed his tie on the elevator ride down, and now he rubbed his exposed neck, flushed with anxiety over what might happen if she saw him and asked him to stick around to finish the work here.

“Nice going, dumbass,” he lamented as he stepped onto the elevator and hit the button for the fortieth floor.

It wasn’t that Boomer disliked his job. In fact, he didn’t mind it at all. It was better than slinging drinks or waiting tables. He had health insurance, a steady paycheck, and a resumé that could proudly display the name of one of the most elite accounting firms in the country. He could pivot his career if he wanted to, as Brick would say. Boomer wasn’t thinking about his next job right now, though. Right now, he was thinking about this one and how his boss was a hard-ass and a workaholic even if she was brilliant, and how there was a one hundred percent chance she would detect him coming back to his desk (which was annoyingly set up right in front of her office so that he could answer her calls, manage her meetings, and deal with whoever passed close enough to her event horizon to get suckered into the latest heinous audit in need of staffing).

There were his traitorous keys sitting on the desk next to the framed picture of his brothers. He glared at them, as if they were a forgotten household item that had developed a supernatural grudge like in those old Japanese folktales he liked to read online. He half expected them to jingle and alert his boss to his presence, just to spite him.

They didn’t, and he slipped them into his pocket as quietly as could be. He released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and took a beat. It was quiet. Most of the offices were dark, save for a few poor souls in the large conference room stuck on the ongoing year-end audit for one of the firm’s most important clients: Unicorn, Inc. His boss’s office was also lit up behind her closed door, but she hadn’t called out to him like she would during the day when he got back from his lunch break hoping for a few minutes to catch up on emails in peace before she dumped more work on him.

This, of course, was odd. The small legion of assistants who had come before Boomer were notorious for their short-term employment working this specific desk. The work was demanding and so was the boss, but there was something else that set her apart from other senior associates in the International Tax Services division, something that seemed to intimidate away any support the higher ups sent her way. Denise a couple desks down had warned Boomer not to bring too many personal effects to the office; chances were he wasn’t going to last long. Boomer had smiled thinly and thanked Denise for her advice, and brought the picture of his brothers in the next morning because he had his pride and Brick told him it was healthy to indulge that once in a while. Brick would certainly know.

So here he was, uncertain. Anxiety over having to sit here for another two hours finishing work and having tepid Doordash delivered pulled him toward the elevator and escape, while that annoying, rare pride demanded he check on his boss and make sure she knew he was here to support her, lest she get the idea that he needed to be fired.

The longer he stood there, indecisive, the greater his curiosity grew. What was she doing in there? It was quiet, even when he strained his Super hearing. He could hear Dean Matheson pouring whiskey a few offices down (that guy had a drinking problem and everyone knew they only kept him around because he had the Unicorn, Inc. account), Adebayo Hansou on a conference call with Dubai that was escalating to profanity, Shelly Kim with her head down and typing away at an Excel spreadsheet like a pro. Their assistants were long gone for the night, but here was Boomer, loitering and indecisive and what is she doing in there not yelling at me when she definitely knows I’m here?

He couldn’t take it anymore. He knocked on the closed door—rap, rap, rap—and called out softly, “Berserk?”

A beat, then: “Come in.”

Finding his boss in upward facing dog while still in her pencil skirt was not a sight Boomer was prepared for. Berserk had her eyes closed as she stretched at a near ninety degree angle and listened to music on her Airpods. Boomer had never seen her with her heels off and her mane of red hair thrown together in a messy bun; it was so casual that it was almost obscene.

“You’re staring.”

Fuck, he was staring and now she was looking right at him down her nose, even though she was the one on the floor. He stood up straighter, unable to help himself when she took that tone that reminded him so much of Brick’s when he was about to criticize, but he didn’t avert his gaze. “Sorry.”

She breathed in deeply through her nose and hoisted herself up into downward dog position. “Why are you here?”

Forgot my keys seemed like a really lame excuse that she’d probably laugh at him for, but he also was not in the habit of making shit up on the spot if he hoped to make people believe him. “I forgot my keys.” He took them from his pocket to show her, as if she might not know what keys are, as a concept.

“Smart locks.” Berserk exhaled and slowly walked her hands back on the yoga mat until she reached her feet and began to swing slowly left and right.

Huh? he almost said like an idiot, until he caught himself. “Don’t think my landlord would approve of me installing that.” Also, those things were like $200 a pop, which was not worth the occasional inconvenience and shame of forgetting his keys and then catching his boss doing yoga in her office after hours.

Berserk made some noncommittal sound like whatever, peasant and slowly uncurled upward one vertebra at a time. Boomer realized he was back to staring again, literally lingering in her door watching her and trying to equate this subdued, casual version of Berserk with the terse, no-nonsense businesswoman he was used to dealing with on a daily basis.

When she finally achieved her full height, she popped her neck. The hair that was too short for her bun fell in around her narrow face in a stylish, athleisure sort of way. The top buttons on her blouse were undone. She wore a small, golden necklace he’d never noticed before because he wasn’t in the habit of checking out his boss. “I thought you left.”

The accusatory nature of her words were totally at odds with her flat tone, only the barest hint of curiosity dangling there at the end, like she expected him to respond.

Oh, she expected him to respond.

Boomer took another step into her office because he was full of poor judgment today. “I forgot my keys.”

At which point he showed her his keys again and also had a mild stroke, because what the fuck are you doing, mate?

Berserk smiled. “Yeah, I got that part.”

Was she laughing at him? He had never heard her laugh before, unless it was at Dean Matheson, that comb-over in denial who, in addition to being a high functioning alcoholic, also had a reputation for throwing associates under the bus when a client wasn’t happy.

Boomer smiled back, because that was what he did when people smiled at him, and ‘people’ now included Berserk, apparently.

“Well, since you’re here,” she said as she padded around to her desk.

Crap, there was the work he was afraid of soliciting from her by remaining in the building. He debated an excuse to give her: picking up dry cleaning? Plausible, but transparent. Meeting up with his brothers? No, she’d probably make him stay all night for the chance to ruin Brick’s plans.

“Thai or Mexican?”

Boomer stared dumbly. He was becoming quite good at that (10,000 hours and you can become an expert at anything, they say). “Huh?”

The yoga must have put Berserk in an exceedingly gracious mood, because she actually repeated her question without getting that look on her face like she was picturing him getting trampled by stampeding monsters. “Thai or Mexican? I don’t have a preference.”

Oh.

Oh.

Boomer’s stomach picked that time to snarl at him—8 p.m. and still no dinner, the fiend.

Berserk snorted in laughter and fanned herself with her phone. “Jesus. Mexican it is.”

Which was how Boomer found himself on the small sofa tucked in the corner of Berserk’s office, shoes off and belt loosened, with enough tacos, tamales, and rice and beans to feed a small family. He even had a beer from the mini fridge Berserk kept under her desk.

She hadn’t stayed late to work. Well, she had, but only because she didn’t have a reason to go home.

“I just hate getting home to a dark apartment sometimes,” she said in between bites of food. She had her legs tucked up under her on the sofa close enough to brush Boomer’s thigh if he reached to grab the salsa.

“I thought you lived with your sister?”

“Brute got her own place a few months ago. The arrangement was only temporary while she was in between jobs.”

It was weird knowing so little about a person whose whole family had been in Boomer’s inner orbit since childhood. As far as he knew, Berserk wasn’t close to any of her cousins, not even Blossom. Boomer himself had never been more eager to leave a room than when Brat walked into it. Only Butch, Brute, and Buttercup had ever found common ground among each other once the sworn rivalries and blood feuds of their youth gave way to teenage rebellion against their respective overlord fathers and then the slog of adulthood that was inescapable even for a bunch of Supers flying high on Chemical X.

The fact that Boomer had gotten this job surprised him more than anyone. After drifting from restaurant jobs to office temp placements over the last six years, he’d never thought he would dust off his economics degree and land a temp-to-permanent position that seemed way above his qualifications. And he never thought it would be working for a woman he’d most definitely electrocuted in battle at least a dozen times before puberty.

“What?”

Boomer blinked. He’d been staring again, Jesus Christ. “Sorry, I was just thinking… I didn't know that. I’ve been working here for five months and I don’t actually know much about you at all.”

“Hm.”

Her magenta eyes were wine-dark against the murky sky beyond the window forty stories up. Boomer did avert his gaze this time to reach for the salsa, but he didn’t use it.

“I don’t even know why you invited me to stay for dinner in the office if we’re not going to do any work.”

“Why did you stay?”

“For the free food.”

Berserk grinned—the third time she had smiled at him tonight (or ever). He needed to stop counting; he’d be disappointed when it stopped happening tomorrow.

“Don’t get used to it. Much as I appreciate the company now and again, there’s no need for both of us to be stuck here while Matheson’s breathing down the associates’ necks. Can’t have him poaching you out from under me.”

“Well, I don’t work for him; I work for you.”

“It’s sweet how you don’t understand office politics.” She ate a lone slice of avocado with a fork. “He landed Unicorn back when they were early stage, and back when he was still putting in the work to earn his reputation. But since they IPO’d three years ago and make up twenty percent of our revenue now, he’s just another big name coasting by on associate work. You know he regularly schedules client calls and just doesn’t bother to show up? He forgets half the time, and the other half he’s busy playing golf or buying a yacht or whatever the fuck rich, white Boomers do.”

“Well, as a Boomer myself, I can say I’ve spent exactly zero hours buying yachts.”

She chuckled. Fourth time. “Oh, really.”

“Never even thought of yachts. As far as I’m concerned, they’re not even real.”

“Thanks for your expert opinion.”

“Any time.” Boomer turned his body to face her and draped his arm over the back of the sofa. With only the soft light from the floor lamp in the corner, he imagined himself adrift in the darkness, the sky scraper lights nearby stars. It was a lonely thought, one made romantic in the knowledge that she was here too, and he wasn’t actually alone.

“Matheson almost did poach you, you know.”

“What do you mean?” Boomer couldn’t recall exchanging more than a few words with the man.

“When we were filling support positions. Someone recognized you from the news a few years back, when the Cyclops Monster attacked the marina district and you and your brothers took it out. Matheson got it in his head that you’d be able to work at Super speed and help lower his billables.”

“Wow. Maybe you should’ve let him. What do you think the net savings would be in yacht units of measurement?”

Berserk rolled her eyes, but she was smiling again. “I claimed you before he could get the paperwork in.”

Boomer hyper-focused on that word: claimed. He also pointedly ignored it entirely, much in the same way he ignored the new count of five smiles tonight. “Showed him your bending powers, did you?”

Berserk’s Corona bottle turned frosty under her hand in a totally unnecessary, big dick energy display of said powers, and she took another sip. “No. Sharon from HR likes me. And I promised her I wouldn’t fire you after three months like your predecessors.”

Flattered was not how Boomer would describe the feeling of being claimed by Berserk and eluding Matheson’s vampiric clutches. But he was a bit tickled all the same. This was the woman Butch had once described as essentially Brick, if he were constipated all the time.

And then he realized what she was doing. “Hey, you’re sharing things about yourself.”

She clinked her bottle to his, and Boomer shivered at the frosty chill she transferred on contact. “Aw, you figured it out all by yourself.”

“Ha ha.”

She didn’t quite smile, but she did look kind of serene then, content even, as she lay back against the arm of the sofa and yawned. Her gold necklace—just a simple disk with an engraving Boomer could not make out—reflected the lamp light when she moved. It rested just beneath her collarbone, which had suddenly become the single-most interesting part of Berserk, and oh no, was he interested—

“You’re staring again.”

Son of a bitch.

“Sorry,” he said automatically. “I didn’t mean to.”

Hard no. He was not allowed to be any percent attracted to Berserk. First, she was his boss, and there was a cliché here that, while subverted on the gender role spectrum, was still very risky for both of them. Second, she was Berserk, a fellow Super, cousin to his best friend Bubbles and a shrewd, stiletto bitch in Brick’s estimation, which sounded bad. Not that she was bad, or even evil, unless you counted helping rich corporations accurately report their taxes while taking advantage of the many egregious loopholes in the Internal Revenue Code. Which, okay, point taken, but he also worked here and anyway, people should not be deemed good or evil so much as their choices ought to be—

“Are you thinking about fucking me?”

You shrewd, stiletto bitch!

She was smiling again, and Boomer pathetically logged that as the sixth time, although he wasn’t sure he should count it given the overt malice behind it.

Unfortunately, Boomer was, as had been previously established, very bad at making shit up on the fly. So he miserably said, “Yeah.”

“Hm.”

She sipped her beer slowly, and of course he watched. If it was out in the open, as fleeting a bout of insanity as it may have been, at least he could wallow in it without worrying about appearances.

It was the yoga. That fucking upward facing dog, Jesus Christ.

It was more than that too. Over the last few months, he had worked closely with her, watched her navigate the cutthroat halls full of piranhas like Matheson and other account managers, getting herself work on the best clients while managing her juniors with efficiency and professionalism. She was excellent and sharp, and she demanded excellency and sharpness in kind. After years of going it alone or temping for bosses who didn’t care enough even to learn his name, much less provide him with guidance and mentorship, it was an unspeakable relief to work under someone who knew how to rally the troops. Someone who knew how to lead, how to motivate, and how to reward loyalty with loyalty in return. It didn’t hurt that she looked amazing in her daily stilettos, either.

Unfortunately, she impressed him.

“I have some work to get done tonight.” Berserk stood up and smoothed her skirt.

Boomer scrambled to his feet. “Of course! Um.” He began closing food containers and repackaging them in the bags they’d come in, because he was panicking. “I’ll get rid of the trash. Do you want the leftovers in the fridge?”

“You take them. Otherwise my office will smell like a burrito for a week.”

“Okay.” Numbly, Boomer finished packing everything up, while Berserk made her way back to her desk and logged into her computer to check her emails.

Boomer lingered at the door. “I’ll have the prospectus back to you later tonight.”

“Thanks.”

Wow, way to go, stud.

He turned to leave, but her voice stopped him.

“Boomer?”

“Yeah?”

“Friday is good.”

He stared back at her in expert mode. “Huh?”

Berserk poked her head around the side of her large, external monitor. She was smiling again. Lucky number seven. “For fucking.”

“Okay,” Boomer said.

Okay?!

She pulled back behind her monitor. “I was going to get a cat, but you’ll do much better.”

Because she didn’t like going home to a dark, empty apartment alone. With no one to fuck.

“That was a joke.”

“Yeah, I got that,” he croaked.

Friday is for fucking, he thought, which was delightful alliteration and also completely insane and one hundred percent something he was getting more on board with by the nanosecond.

“See you tomorrow,” she said.

Boomer clutched the leftover Mexican food in his fist. “Okay. Goodnight.”

It took him the time to fly home and put the food away in his small fridge to realize that he had a sort-of date with Berserk lined up for two days from now.

He Y-posed at the window and whooped, “Hell yes!!”

Loud pounding in the floor followed by old Mrs. Cruikshank’s muffled Keep it down! couldn’t bring down his mood.

Boomer leaped onto his threadbare, living room sofa with his work laptop and took to the prospectus with alacrity. He’d send over superior work product and make Berserk’s job just that much easier tomorrow morning.

xxx

If you enjoy my writing, check out more of my fics on AO3, link in my profile. I’m currently updating Trinity House (which has a lot more Berserk and Boomer content, btw!) and The Alchemy of Us. Thanks for reading!

[wevegottogetaway]

I love you

First I love yous...do I need to say more? Anyway, please don’t hesitate to reach out for anything, whether that be comments, requests, feedback or just to have a chat! Happy reading xx

It’s been three days of utter pandemonium ripping through your brain in complete disarray. Three days of pent up stress storming through your mind as you ran like a headless chicken to try and find a handle on a situation that frankly, you didn’t give a rat’s ass about.

It all started when your boss had called you in his office, his signature tyrant-resting face on, solid frown drafting his features in a look of severity. Well, this can’t be good, you’d immediately thought once you took a hesitant seat across his desk. You’d hoped for a benign reason behind the sudden meeting, and that the scowl on his face was merely a residual of some other trouble that had absolutely nothing to do with you.

Your prayers had fallen on deaf ears however, as the summoning proved to be a twenty minutes angry diatribe about how one of your most recent client had expressed their wish to withdraw from their deal and de facto, the company. Though it hadn’t been your fault per se, your boss didn’t have any reservations about reminding you of your supposed responsibility to keep your clients sated and on the company’s leash. He’d given you three days to fix it after that. Three days to persuade the client not to pull out of the deal, or you risked some serious downgrading if not redundancy.  

You’d called Harry for support the minute you got home and spent the whole evening brainstorming the craziest ideas to him. He’d listened patiently, holding your hand on the table as you both indulged in the Thai take-out he’d picked up on his way over. That first night, you’d barely slept as you laid in his strong arms, back to his chest. Your reeling mind had still been trying to conjure up any sort of plan that would help you out of this chaos; but for each switch of the glowing red digits on your alarm clock, your hopes had dwindled some.

You hadn’t known then, but Harry couldn’t find rest either as he spooned you against him. You two hadn’t been dating long, several months at best, but already your distress was unbearable to him and every bone in his body ached to do something to help you. This feeling of powerlessness was crawling out of his skin and swimming around like a shark amidst his prevalent thoughts of support, admiration and love. Because, while he’d shown you the first and conveyed the second countless times in the past, the third had yet to tumble out of his lips, despite the confession burning their flesh a bit stronger every day.

What really had had his mind reeling though, was knowing that maybe, just maybe, he had the power to make this situation go away; and for each switch of the glowing red digits on your alarm clock, his hopes grew some.

Your earlier utterance of the client’s name had been ringing through his mind in faint recognition, an itch starting to fester at his fingertips. Dialing a phone number was all it could take. A couple choice words and if he played his cards right, the deal would be back on the table. He’d known interfering was arguably a bad idea, and truthfully he’d always made a point of honor not to use his connections to serve ulterior motives (his or anyone else’s), but how was he supposed to do nothing when the person that caused you trouble was in fact a friend of a friend that might reevaluate their stance if he pitched in with a bit of charm and compelling words? How was he supposed to stay idle, watch you dissolve in an anxious mess, if he wasn’t as powerless as he thought?

So he didn’t. 

He’d originally planned on keeping you in the loop, but you’d been gone by the time his forest green eyes had fluttered back to consciousness the next morning. After a quick shower, a large mug of the coffee you’d left for him before running back to work, and locking your apartment with the spare key you’d given him a couple weeks back, he’d pulled out his phone. Two minutes was all it took for his friend to pass him your client’s number and without hesitation, he’d launched the call and brought his phone to his ear.

It took a bit longer than a couple of minutes for that conversation to take effect, but eventually his words hit their target. After all, his lovely nature could pierce through the most robust walls and stubborn minds. He didn’t even have to put on the charm that much, instead drawing earnest sentiments about your impeccable skills and rambling about how there was no better person to keep their account safe in the business. He’d gnawed at his lips the whole time, desperate to pull through but still scared to fail you somehow. You’d already been let down by the client and your boss, you certainly didn’t need your boyfriend added to the list.

The call had ended with their promise to reassess and consider your undeniable abilities in the equation, yet the next day you were once again convoked to your boss’ office with a snarly bark of your name. Puzzlement washed over you as you speed-walked after him. Why was he still so resentful with you when you’d gotten the client to reenter the contract?

Another twenty minutes of intense scolding provided you with that answer. With a disdainful gaze puncturing your poise, your boss told you that while your job was no longer on the line, you’d been given a firm warning about using your boyfriend as negotiator for the company’s dealings.

How he knew when you yourself weren’t aware of the fact, you didn’t know. In retrospect, your talk with the client had been suspiciously easy for someone who’d made their will to ditch the company crystal clear. You’d merely laid out your arguments, expecting resistance and some pushing, but were only met with a squinted look and cautious acceptance. Now you know your case had already been pleaded once, by the man who was taking more and more space for himself inside the chambers of your heart.

You didn’t quite know how to feel about it; didn’t know if you should be mad or grateful. You were specifically stunned because you knew it was out of character for Harry. Your boyfriend was the most generous being you’d ever met, but humility was even more so a prevailing layer of his beautiful nature. You certainly didn’t expect it, didn’t wish for it to happen again because you were always adamant not to ever use anyone for their assets. Yet there was a tingling, a mixture of discomfort and gratefulness, sloshing in the pit of your stomach. 

This whole thing was a mind-fuckery of emotions you were too tired to process.

What you did feel though, was the pure frustration at your boss’ hypocrisy. You both knew he didn’t really care how you’d gotten the deal back, just that you did, but his intolerable disposition wouldn’t allow him to applaud your efforts and move on.

Wanting to put this all mess behind you, you bit back the retorts that you craved to force down his throat, simply nodded through his chastising charade, and leaped to your feet as soon as the dismissing words left his stupid trap.

Now that you’re making your way inside your home, your nose is hit by a waft of delicious aromas traveling from the kitchen. Your mind is still fuzzy with every trouble and startling revelation that transpired in the past three days, but as your eyes settle on your apron-clad boyfriend, you take a moment to appreciate the sight of his soft figure stirring the content of what must be a pan on the gas. His back is facing you, but you can hear the gentle humming under his breath, as he hasn’t registered your arrival yet.

After another minute of whistling, he finally twists around and his eyes almost pop out of their socket when they find your timid stance a couple feet away. "Jesus, pet, didn’t know you were home yet," he chuckles softly before taking in your somewhat moony features. Your expression is hard to pinpoint, your delicate traits blank of any emotions yet your eyes have the same sparkle that greets him every morning and every night when he pulls you for a deep kiss in his warm embrace. "Everythin’ okay, love?"

The query snaps you out of your semblance of trance, your head looking down to the floor to gather your wits before you level your gaze back to his. "Yeah it is. Umm, my boss called me in again today," your bite your lip, not knowing how to navigate the conversation. In all honesty, you just want to be done with the whole thing, would rather spend an evening full of cuddles and potentially mind-blowing sex, but you know this ought to be acknowledged.

"Oh," his brows pull together with the same confusion you’d experienced when your boss ushered you to his office. "Did he thank you for the big save?"

"Not exactly," you clear your throat bracing yourself and Harry’s face tenses at the realization about where this is going. "My job is safe and I’m still working on the account," hie loosens up in relief, but your next words have him stiffen right back up in alarm. "But I got a warning for a certain someone’s involvement in the company’s operations. Apparently, my boyfriend called the client on my behalf and forgot to clue me in…"

Your voice is calm and doesn’t carry any reproachful tone, but Harry’s pulse is suddenly speeding with dread regardless. The fact that he could have lost you your jobs is the only thing registering in his frenzied mind, as he sets the dish towel from his shoulder down on the counter and steps closer to you. His eyes are bouncing off yours in a frantic back and forth, as he gulps his remorse down. Before you can appease him with reassuring words, and show your lack of anger, he launches in an apologetic rant, enclosing both your hands between his palms.

"M’so sorry, love. I didn’t mean to put you in a bad position. Fuck I just- I kept thinkin’ I could help since your client was a friend of a friend. And, the more I thought about it, the more I kept thinking 'I can’t do nothin’. Cause I hate seein’ you in pain an’ I really want to be here fo’ you and I know this was probably the wrong way to go about it, but damn y/n, I couldn’t stand doin’ nothing, m’sorry-"

"I love you."

The words come fast but distinct, airy but firm, not an ounce of doubt laced through their utterance. An eerie silence permeate the small space surrounding them, as Harry tries to find his own words back. It took three of them to steal all of his, but in his defense they were the ones he’d been dying to hear and to deliver himself. His eyes are wide, blinking in total surprise. He’d expected irritation, disappointment perhaps, maybe even anger, but definitely not the sweetest words he’s been keeping at the forefront of his mind. "I- you do?"

You still have that wondrous look on your face, but this time a bright smile enlivens your features, "I really do." You take your hands out of his grip to hold onto his wrists and pull him closer to you. You have to look up since he towers over you but you’ve always liked that about your relationship; the way he always seems to dwarf you in his embraces, whether because of his height or his bear-paw hands. "I mean, don’t that again," you let out a soft laugh, "but I know why you did it, and I love you for it." 

Harry smiles rivals your own now, as your hands smooth up his arms to clasp at the nape of his neck, "plus, my boss is a jerk anyway so, who cares?" You pull him in a loving kiss then and his arms wrap themselves around your shoulders in a tight lock. His lips are as soft as ever between your own, and you detect the faintest taste of pepper and other exotic herbs lingering on their edge, from his cooking endeavors. He’s always been one to have a taste or two while he’s working, whether that be in the kitchen or other rooms…and regardless, you always like it when you get your share from his supple lips.

He feels slightly distracted against your mouth though, his technique not as ravishing as it usually is. and before you can wonder why, he’s pulling an inch away from your swollen lips, hurriedly whispering your tender confession back to you as though the words couldn’t be out of his mouth and into your heart fast enough, "I love you too, pet. So much." His hands are cajoling your face, thumbs drawing soothing circles across your cheeks, and his beaming smile is melting your heart in a goo of pleasure after all the strain it suffered in the past couple of days.

"Fuck, c’mere, don’t ever wanna stop kissing you," Harry mutters against your lips before diving in for a real mind-bending, soul-shaking, tantalizing kiss this time. Just like that, all your worries and sorrow evaporate into thin air, only to be replaced by an intoxicating pink loving brume. You two definitely spend the most perfect evening with lots of cuddles and endless mind-blowing lovemaking. Screw everything else.

➪ Masterlist

[klbwriting]

Unexpected Allies - Chapter 17

Fandom: Six of Crows

Pairing: Kaz/female!Reader

Summary: disaster strikes and Kaz has some planning to do

Notes: ugh, once again this is going to get worse but you’ll love it

Taglist:  @mcntsee @amwitherspoon @cxlpxrnia @fcvcritecrime​ @aysegust​ @sagewrites111​ @spawn0fsatan​ @itsemy01 @thedelusionreaderbitch

              Y/N wasn’t surprised when Kaz didn’t come out to see them off in the morning, but she was surprised to see Inej there, looking annoyed.  She approached the smaller woman and folded her arms.  Jesper and Matthias took that as their cue to go make sure the Fabikator and the horses were ready.

              “You didn’t have to lie to him and keep the parem a secret” Inej whispered.   Y/N cocked an eyebrow and felt a little vindicated in knowing that someone would have heard them had she told him.  Inej would have told the leaders, she was one of them now.  “I would have kept it a secret.”  

              “Liar,” Y/N retorted.  “Look, just, give this to Kaz if you see him, I know he might just tear it up but I want him to know how sorry I am and how much I love him.” Inej took the letter and pocketed it quick before Mal came over.  The look he gave her told her that everyone knew she had slept in her own tent last night and she didn’t like the pity.

              “Ready to go?” he asked.  She took one last look around, hoping that maybe he was in the shadows somewhere, still watching her even if she didn’t see him.  She nodded finally and went to climb on her horse.  “Try to just lead him away from us alright?  You don’t have to have the big fight all alone, we just need time.”  

              “If I can kill him, I’m killing him,” she said, urging the horse to walk away.  She took a last glance back and saw the glint of something shiny in the sun and smiled a little.  He had been there, at least, she hoped he had been.  

              It took nearly two days before they found the Darkling, alone in a field, waiting for them.   Y/N had figured he would be setting a trap and she was glad that the Fabrikator had almost finished the amplifier.  Even though it wouldn’t be at full strength it would help.  They stopped about 20 feet from their king and stared.  He smirked.

              “Hello Y/N, please, I know that you are going to try to fight me, and I have heard rumor that you have gotten a Grisha made amplifier, why don’t you put it on?” he asked.   Y/N felt wrong about all of this but before she would say anything the Fabrikator stuck the collar around her neck, sealing it on.  

              “Alright Aleksander, leave now and I won’t have to kill you, just leave us be,” she said, standing ready.  She heard a clinking sound to her right but ignored it. Jesper cried out a warning but by the time she reacted the chain had already been fused to the collar.  The Fabrikator was running towards the Darkling with the chain in his hands.   Y/N tried to stop him, slow his heart, but her power was suddenly gone.  Then with horror she realized that they had been betrayed.

              “You know, the problem with Alina was I gave her a collar, but I forgot to make sure she had her leash,” the Darkling said as the Fabrikator put the chain in his hands.   Y/N’ eyes widened.

              “RUN!” she yelled to the other two.  The Darkling lifted his hands and a shot rang out.  Jesper had fired but the Darkling had assumed this was coming, moving at the last moment so that he was just grazed in the shoulder.  Luckily this gave Matthias time to grab Jesper, pulling him onto his horse before the cut took him out.   Y/N tried to run but was yanked back hard by the Darkling.  She sputtered as she stood again, only to be dragged back another time. This time the Darkling just dragged her to the tree line where a carriage was waiting.  He had the Fabrikator enter before tossing her inside.  He joined her, making sure to sit right next to her as they were driven back to the Little Palace and what she assumed was her execution.  

                Kaz was waiting at the gate for Y/N.  He knew it was too early to expect the group back, but he wanted to be the first person she saw.  He had cooled off from their fight, talked to Inej, hell he even talked to Nina about everything, and both had set him right on what was the real problem.  He understood now that Y/N’s priorities were to save Ravka and to keep him safe, the only way in her mind to do that was to keep herself as the only target.  If she was the only person who had or knew where the parem was then he was safe.  He was an idiot; he would have done the same thing in her situation.  Now he just wanted to set things right and then he was asking her to leave with him.  This place got rot for all he cared, he hated it and wanted out.  He just hoped the Dregs and Y/N would leave with him.

              When Jesper and Matthias came over the horizon Kaz started to walk over but then saw that they were alone.  He felt panic rising in him.  Was she dead?  Captured? Where was Y/N?  The two men got off the horse as other joined Kaz at the gates.

              “We were betrayed,” Matthias said, panting from exertion.  They hadn’t stopped riding since their encounter, and they were exhausted.  Jesper looked at Kaz.

              “The Fabrikator…he made the collar to dampen her powers.  He was the Darkling’s plant here,” he said.  Dammit, Kaz had been weeding out other plants, knowing exactly how to recognize them from his time in Ketterdam and he had missed one.  “He made a chain too, gave it to the Darkling so she couldn’t run from him.”  Nina and Wylan helped the other men back to the camp while Inej and Mal approached Kaz.

              “Brekker, I think we need a thug to handle this,” Mal said after a moment.  Kaz stared at him.  “Can you plan something to help us?

              “I need time to plan,” he said, stomping off without a word to Inej as he went back to his tent.  He couldn’t think right now, everything in his brain was just screaming. She was at the Little Palace, probably going to be executed in some display of power by the Darkling and the last thing he had said to her was that he gave up on her, on them.  He started swinging again, once again breaking everything in sight. Once he was done he looked to the door to see Inej there holding out a letter.

              “ Y/N wanted me to give this to you.  I was hoping that she would be back to tell you herself but now…I’m sorry I kept it,” she said.  Kaz snatched it away and dismissed her with a wave of his hand.  He moved to the cot and sat down, opening the letter.

Kaz,

I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the parem.  It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you, not really, its that I don’t trust the world anymore.  As soon as I let a secret slip disaster always seems to strike.  As soon as I trust the world is going to work in my favor it cuts me down and I didn’t want that to happen.  I never lied about how I felt about you.  I love you more than I thought I possibly could love anyone.  Remember back when you proposed to me?  Next time someone asks me my full name I’m saying Y/N Brekker because it was yes then and its yes now.  Hope I can see you soon, I miss holding your hand.

Love,

Y/N

              Kaz leaned his head to his hand and for the first time since Jordie he cried.  It was like he broke and every time something bad had happened to him came rushing to him, bringing out desperate sobs.  He knew what she meant about trusting the world, the world never cared about him just like it didn’t care about her.  He cared about her and he had thrown that in her face.  He took a deep breath and finally pulled himself together.  He put the letter under his pillow before getting a pen and paper of his own and writing out two things, one was instructions for Jesper and the second was something for Y/N.  Then Kaz stood and let the tears and sadness behind.  It was time for Kaz to lay low while Dirtyhands came out to play.  

              First, he found Jesper and gave him the instructions and the letter, telling him that if he read the letter that Kaz would personally rip his eyeballs from his face.  Jesper took the instructions and went to work.  Second, Kaz called a meeting of the Dregs and Mal.  He had a plan and it needed to be put into action immediately.  Finally, he told Nina that after the meeting they needed to have a talk.  Once the Dregs were assembled and Mal had sat down Kaz started.

              “Jesper is already on his way to the Little Palace,” Kaz started.  There was a gasp and Wylan actively gagged on his saliva in surprise, coughing loudly.

              “Why in the hell is he going there?” Mal asked. Kaz threw him a glare.  He was in the middle of his plan and Mal needed to fall in line or it wouldn’t work.

              “He is going because I kicked him out of the resistance, and he is going to tell the Darkling that.  Jesper came back empty handed, a Grisha returned to us without Y/N, what use is a Grisha if he can’t use his powers to protect his comrades?” Kaz asked.  Mal’s mouth fell open, he had been the only one in that room unaware of Jesper’s abilities. “He is going to go to the Little Palace and tell them everything he knows about the resistance, proving his loyalty.  We are going to evacuate and head south, just outside of Os Alta and ready for an attack.”

              “We don’t have those numbers…” Mal started.  Inej shushed him.

              “No, we don’t but by the time we reach Os Alta we will. Matthias is going to go to Frejda and gather the small army from there, and Kuwei will go to Shu Han and tell them what happened to his father,” he said.  “Make sure they know that the Darkling is ready to attack everyone, he’s not only after Ravka, he wants everywhere under his control.”

              “Why would they believe that?  He has been relatively peaceful with them before,” Mal said. Kaz smirked and he could tell that made Mal uncomfortable.

              “Before she was taken Y/N and I were planning an all out war with the Darkling, we drafted counterfeit proclamations of war to the Frejdans and the Shu, which they will be receiving just before Matthias and Kuwei arrive,” he said.  “After we have gathered this army we will attack, in which case I assume that the Darkling will try to use Y/N’s power against us using that collar he created. But we’re going to have its creator in our camp before then and he will tell us how to remove the collar.”

              “How will we get him?” Inej asked.  

              “A good question, you will be getting him out of the Little Palace throw a series of tunnels that Y/N created there while she was serving the Darkling, she drew a map for me,” he said, producing the paper, showing several tunnels that led in and out of the Palace.  “You will have to be more careful than ever before Inej, she didn’t know if the Darkling found these tunnels and sealed them or is guarding them.  Once inside Jesper should have the Fabrikator ready for you.”

              “How will we get the Fabrikator to talk?  If he was willing to betray us once he might lie,” Wylan said, still looking sick that Jesper was walking into the Darkling’s stronghold.  

              “That is for me and Nina to worry about.  Shall we Nina?” Kaz extended his gloved hand to her. She took it with an uneasy sigh and he pulled her out of the tent to explain the final, and most difficult, part of his plan.

[beecherdrysdale]

Project Partners - Brendan Brisson

Hey guys, so here’s a fic I started like a month ago and then kind of forgot about. Please send feedback bc I’m trying to improve my writing skills! Also, covid doesn’t exist in this.  

warnings: language, underage drinking, that’s all i think?

///

“Y/L/N and Brisson.” You groan as you hear your professor name your partner for the term-long project. Of course you know who Brendan Brisson is. You had grown up as a huge hockey fan, so of course you had been watching the draft when he got drafted by the Golden Knights, and of course you had seen him playing for Team USA at World Juniors. From what you could tell of him, he seemed like the kind of guy who would make you do all the work and use hockey as an excuse as to why he couldn’t help. That’s too bad for him though, because he’s not the only varsity athlete, and swimming takes up just as much time, if not more, than hockey. Your professor continues to drone on about the project requirements as you contemplate why you even decided to take this course in the first place. 

Finally, class ends, and you see Brendan walking toward you. “Hey, you’re Y/N, right? I’m Brendan,” he introduces himself.

“Yeah, I’m Y/N. Guess I’m stuck with you for the rest of the semester, huh.”

“Yeah, so I just wanted to let you know I have hock-” he started.

“Save it, Brisson,” you cut him off, “you’re not the only athlete here, OK?”

“Wow, someone really woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

“Sorry,” you sigh, “I’m just really tired of having to do all the work in group projects. I did it enough in high school, and I’m just so done with everyone’s excuses y’know?”

“Well, what I was trying to say is that I have hockey a lot so we should coordinate our schedules to work around it.” He pauses a second, then adds, “And whatever sport you play.”

“Swimming,” you supply.

“What?” He looks confused.

“Swimming is the sport I do,” you clarify. “Anyways, does the library at 8 on Tuesdays and Thursdays work for you? Besides when you have games or I have meets obviously.”

“Yeah that works.”

“Ok, see you tomorrow then,” you reply, turning to leave.

“Wait!” he stops you. “Can I get your number or snap or something in case I need to talk to you?”

“Yeah, sure,” you reply, quickly typing them into his phone.

“Thanks! See you tomorrow at 8,” he says before jogging to catch up to his friends.

///

The next day when you get to the library, the first thing you hear is, “You’re late. Where were you?”

“Sorry we got out of practice late and then I had to shower cuz chlorine and then I couldn’t find my hat and I didn’t want to go outside without it cuz my hair would freeze...” you begin to ramble.

“Hey, calm down, I was joking. You’re literally only like 2 minutes late.”

“Ok but I lowkey still feel bad.”

“Seriously, it’s fine,” he says, “Come on, let’s choose our topic.”

“Ok,” you respond, “so I don’t know if you have any ideas but I was thinking maybe we could do the effect of hockey on the Cold War? Cuz like you play hockey and I watch it all the time. Plus, I did a research paper on it in high school, so we could pull info from that and it shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” he says, seeming distracted. “Hey, why didn’t you tell me you’re a big hockey fan?”

“Ummm, cuz you never asked? You’ve literally only spoken like 3 words to me before yesterday so I don’t know why I would tell you.”

“Ok, I guess that’s true,” he responds. He then proceeds to quiz you about hockey, seemingly trying to make sure you’re an actual fan and not just trying to use hockey to get to him like some other girls he knows. You seem to pass his test, because it’s not long before the two of you are messing around, making fun of each other’s taste in hockey teams. Two hours later, the two of you have gotten to know each other a lot better, but you haven’t even started your project. 

“Shit,” you say, checking the time on your phone, “I gotta go. I still have to help my friend with her math and I have morning practice tomorrow.

“Ok, I’ll see you tomorrow in class,” he says. “And Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t be late.”

“Omg shut up. You’re not funny,” you say playfully, as he laughs his ass off.

“You know I am,” he shoots back.

“Sure, Brisson, whatever you say. I’ll see you tomorrow,” you say as you leave.

///

After a few more library sessions, the animosity between you and Brendan which, you admit, was your fault had completely dissipated. The two of you quickly learn you actually have a lot in common, like your love of sports and your music taste, and despite his fratboy vibes you quickly grow to trust him. That’s why you don’t hesitate to say yes when he asks if you can meet at the hockey house to work on your project instead of in the library. 

When you arrive at the house, you are greeted by the sound of the entire hockey team arguing over whose turn it is to make dinner. “I have to work on my project though,” you can faintly hear Brendan.

“It’s OK Brisson, sounds like you have more important things to do. We’re somehow ahead of schedule anyway,” you say, entering the kitchen. 

“Seriously Y/L/N?” he groans. “You were supposed to be on my side.”

“Sorry,” you say, shrugging.

Your apology is interrupted by Cam, “Hey Brisson, who’s this? Wanna introduce us to your new girlfriend?”

“Funny,” you say. “We’re just friends. We got assigned to work on this project together. Isn’t he wheeling like 3-4 girls a weekend anyways?”

“Hey,” Brendan protests. “You make it sound like a bad thing. I only do what they want.”

“Beside the point Brisson,” Johnny jumps in. “Just introduce us to your new friend.

“Fine,” he groans. “Guys, this is Y/N. Y/N, these are the guys. Now,” he says, grabbing your arm and dragging you toward the stairs, trying to make his escape, “let’s go work on our project.”

“Not so fast, Brisson,” Nolan cuts in. “You’re making dinner. Y/N said it’s fine.”

Brendan sighs in response.

“C’mon,” you say. “I’ll help you. I promise it’s not that hard.” 

Brendan begrudgingly follows you back to the kitchen as the rest of the guys scatter. You begin to pull the ingredients to make tacos, which thankfully they have, out of the fridge. “Here,” you say, tossing Brendan a tomato. “Can you dice this?”

The two of you work in silence for a few minutes before you decide to turn some music on. As you turn to reach for your phone, you glance over to see Brendan’s pile of tomatoes. “Seriously, Brisson?” you ask, staring at the haphazard pile in dismay. “Have you ever cut a tomato before? I had better cutting skills than that in preschool.” You hear a few guys snicker from the other room at that. After showing him how to cut it properly and turning on your Spotify, you continue to work, chirping Brendan occasionally. Once you and Brendan finish making dinner, you call the rest of the guys back into the kitchen to come eat. 

As the guys eat, they drill you with questions, trying to find out as much as they can about Brendan’s “project partner.” You answer all their questions, and by the end of dinner you fit in seamlessly with the boys, even joining in their good-natured chirping of one another. Eventually, you have to leave, but the boys are quick to let you know you’re always welcome back whether it’s for your food or your company, you don’t know before you go.

///

As soon as you leave, all eyes are on Brendan. “So Briss, you wanna tell us about your new girlfriend?” Nolan asks.

“She said it herself, we’re just friends. We’re working on a project together,” Brendan is quick to reply.

“Sure...” Cam counters. “Friends don’t look at friends like that Brisson.”

“Like what?” Brendan asks.

“Like she hung the stars in the sky or some shit like that,” Johnny responds. “Look Briss, just go for it. It’s not like she’s gonna say no, she literally looks at you the same way.”

“But she would say no,” Brendan protests. “She’s the one who said we’re just friends first so obviously she doesn’t like me like that. Why should I go for someone who’s gonna reject me when I an go to a party and pick up whatever girl I want, like she said?”

“Because you can’t get whatever girl you want, Brisson. She’s the one you want. We can all see it,” Johnny replies.

“Ok you know what, fuck off. Leave me alone. The two of us are just friends,” Brendan reaches his breaking point. At that, the guys let it drop, Brendan’s outburst giving them all the proof they need.

///

Meanwhile, you are back in your dorm chastising yourself. Why did you have to say you and Brendan are just friends? You know any chance you had of him liking you back is now gone, because he thinks you only think of him as a friend. You debate what to do, even going so far as to pick up your phone and tap on his contact, before changing your mind and getting ready for bed. Guys like him don’t go for girls like you anyway or so you think. You’re sure he wants one of those perfect girlfriends who are always put together and dress cute, not some athlete who always walks around in sweats, and the last thing you want to do is fuck up your friendship by confessing. You ignore the feeling of jealousy that rises in your chest when you think of Brendan with another girl and force yourself to go to sleep.

///

It’s not even two days before you get a snap from Nolan asking if you want to go to a party with all of the guys. You agree immediately because you don’t have morning practice tomorrow and your plans with friends got cancelled and you’ve secretly been looking for an excuse to see Brendan outside of working on your project.

That night, you try to dress extra cute, even going so far as to ask your roommate to help you choose your outfit as she seems to have no problems picking up guys. You finally settle on an outfit and hurry out the door, wanting to make sure you get to the party on time so you can meet the guys outside and not have to walk in alone. As you walk out the door, you hear your roommate call, “Have fun! Be safe! Use a condom!” You flip her off as the door closes. 

When you get to the party, you see the guys outside waiting for you. “Hey Y/N,” you hear a couple guys say.

“Heyyy,” you reply, as you guys start heading toward the house. Brendan lags behind the group, eyes trailing down your body. As much as he loved the fact that you wore what you wanted read: sweats and didn’t try to be a Barbie doll, he had to admit seeing you like this was hot. He hurries to reach the rest of the group, deciding you were standing just a little too close to Cam for his liking. He may not be able to be with you, but he sure as hell wasn’t gonna watch you date one of his teammates. He catches up and wraps an arm around your shoulders.

“Hey Brisson,” you greet. “What’s up? You learned how to cut a tomato yet?”

“Haha, very funny Y/L/N,” he responds.

“Oh come on, you know it was,” you protest.

As soon as you guys enter the house Johnny says, “I’m going to get a drink. Anyone want one?”

“Yeah, can you get me a Natty?” you’re quick to respond. “But please make sure it’s closed.”

A couple other guys request drinks, and Johnny goes to get them while the rest of you head further inside. You stay with the guys pretty much the whole night, not wanting to get separated because you know what happens to girls who are at parties alone. 

At some point in the night you guys end up near the beer pong table, and when it’s Brendan’s turn he makes you be his partner not that you’re complaining and drags you over to the table. The two of you quickly get on a winning streak and you end up winning the tournament you got pulled into. At this point you’re pretty drunk, so you don’t hesitate to go along with it when Brendan hugs you, the two of you stumbling a little bit. Both of you are reluctant to let go, reveling in the feeling of each other, as each of you thinks the other doesn’t like you back so you’ll never get to experience the feeling again. 

You and the guys stay at the party a little longer before they realize how drunk you are because you had had more beers than any of them and decide its time to leave. All the guys come with you back to your dorm in order to make sure you get back safe, a gesture both you and your roommate thank them for before they leave.

///

It’s a couple weeks later and you’re hanging out with the guys, as has become usual for you, when Johnny ask, “Hey Y/L/N, how come you never come to any of our games? I thought Brisson said you’re a big hockey fan.”

“Yeah, I am,” you reply, “I just usually have swim when you guys have games. Plus you guys never invite me so...”

“Well we kinda assumed you already knew you were invited,” Nolan says. “You’re always welcome at our games, and if you tell us you’re coming we can probably get you good seats.”

“OK, well we actually don’t have swim practice on Friday for some reason, so I can probably come,” you say. “I’ll try to drag my roommate to come with too.”

The boys groan, “Really, Y/N? You want us to get two tickets? Do you know how much work that is?” before quickly revealing that they’re joking and telling you that of course they’ll get you two tickets.

///

True to the boys’ word, when Johnny sits next to you in your class together on Friday, he hands you an envelope with two tickets. “What are you wearing to the game tonight?” he asks with a plan up his sleeve.

“I don’t know,” you respond. “Probably my Michigan swimming hoodie.”

“You wear that everywhere though,” he protests.

“Yeah, so?” you fire back. “It’s a Michigan hoodie. School spirit.”

“Or you could wear this,” he says pulling something out of his backpack. He unfolds it to reveal that it’s one of Brendan’s hockey hoodies.

“Doesn’t he need that for the game tonight?” you ask.

“No, he has two,” Johnny replies. “Now stop trying to get out of wearing it. You have to wear something hockey related to support us.”

“Ugh fine,” you give in, knowing Johnny will be persistent.

///

That evening, you arrive at the arena with your roommate, begrudgingly wearing the hoodie with “Brisson” boldly stamped across your back. You are not enjoying yourself, because knowing what it feels like to wear Brendan’s sweatshirt and smell his cologne makes you all the more aware that this will never be your reality. Nevertheless, you force a smile on your face as you and your roommate sit down to watch warmups. You can feel the energy in the arena even now, before the game begins, as UMich is playing rival school Ohio State. 

Once warmups are over you and your roommate go to use the bathroom and get snacks. The line for the bathroom is so long you don’t think you’ll make it back to your seats before the game starts, but thankfully you get to them just a second before puck drop. The game gets off to a rough start, with Ohio State scoring twice early, but by the end of the first the guys have picked up their pace, and you hope that they’ll be able to tie it up in the second.

After intermission, the boys come out guns blazing. Brendan scores just 30 seconds in to the period off an offensive zone face-off win. As he cellies, he makes eye contact with you up in the stands. “He is so into you!” your roommate squeals when she notices.

“No he’s not, shut up,” you reply, turning your focus back to the game. The guys stay on the forecheck pretty much the whole period, and it finally pays off when Johnny scores with 5 minutes left to play in the second. When the period ends and the guys head back to the locker room, the game is tied 2-2.

The third period begins with an Ohio State faceoff win, and they quickly get off a shot attempt. Thankfully, the shot goes wide and play continues. The teams go back and forth all period getting good scoring chances, but neither team is able to capitalize. It looks like the game is going to go to overtime, but then Brendan scores again with just 43 seconds remaining. Once again, he makes eye contact with you and smiles as he cellies, and once again your roommate freaks out and says that he definitely likes you. You make her shut up and start to grab your stuff as the final seconds wind down. 

“Woah, slow down. Where are we going?” she asks.

“The guys told me to meet them outside the locker rooms,” you say, beginning to lead the way.

///

When you get to the hallway outside the locker room, you lean up against the wall and start scrolling through Insta as you wait for the guys to come out. Eventually the guys slowly begin trickling out of the locker room and heading over to their various girlfriends gathered in the hallway as all the single guys congregate around you, but you ignore them so you don’t get dragged into one of their arguments. 

Finally, you see Brendan come out of the locker room so you put your phone away and push your body away from the wall. He starts to make a beeline toward you and does a double take when he realizes you’re wearing one of his sweatshirts. The guys had been bugging him for weeks to ask you out and he had been thinking of maybe doing it tonight, but seeing you in his sweatshirt has finally given him the confidence to make a move. As he reaches you, you say, “Hey Briss.”

“Hey,” he replies, and then his lips are on yours, and you don’t know where this is coming from but you’ve been wanting it for a while now so of course you kiss back, and it just feels so right you don’t ever want to stop. When you finally break apart, all the guys are cheering and whistling and you hear a couple guys mutter “finally”.

As the guys quiet down, you ask Brendan, “What was that for?”

“Shit, sorry, I shouldn’t have done it,” he panics, thinking you were mad, even though you kissed back so you obviously weren’t.

“No, I liked it,” comes your reply. “It just kinda came out of nowhere.”

“Oh,” he calms down. “Well I’ve been wanting to ask you out for a while now, but I was kinda nervous so I kept putting it off. But then you looked really hot in my hoodie, so I just went for it.”

“Yes,” you say.

“Yes, what?” he asks, looking confused.

“You said you wanted to ask me out. I said yes,” you explain.

“Ok, so do you want to go get Chipotle or something tomorrow then?” he asks.

“Yeah, of course,” you reply. “But for now let’s go out and celebrate with the other guys.” He wraps his arm around your shoulders as the two of you walk with the team, and you are finally content.

[netheritenugget]

I feel so conflicted about quackitys stream roxyyyyyy like, hes not having a villain arc per se, or at least thats not the vibe im getting, but he just looks so cruel. Its not like hes a diferent or corrupted person yknow, its still the same quackity, he hasnt changed much, he makes the same jokes and he reads his contracts and its still him and still,,,,,, its just like that cruelty was in him all along, he just hasnt ever used it much? Cause if he hasnt changed then the potential to do what hes doing rn was always there,,,,,, god i love his character so much you dont understand, c!quackity my beloved, sorry for gushing in your askbox you dont need to answer this but its just!!!! he!!!

Oh I think Quackity is definitely descending into villainy. I love it.

Let's do some comparisons, shall we?

Tommy is planning to kill Dream because he believes Dream is going to escape and bring destruction and suffering to his friends and loved ones. He wanted to be better person and wanted to keep Dream in prison without resorting to killing him, but with Dream's knowledge of how to revive people and the threat of bringing back Wilbur hanging over his head, Tommy feels that his hand has been forced. It is a reasonable reaction to the threat, and a reasonable punishment for the things Dream has done. It's justice.

Quackity, on the other hand, wants power over Dream. This is as much revenge as it is his own ambition.

It's a pretty hard sell convincing people that anyone is evil enough to deserve torture. It can still be argued that, no matter what he's done, Dream is still a person. Death should be punishment enough. Whatever Quackity was planning on doing with those scissors is on the extreme side.

But okay. Let's argue that Dream deserves everything he's getting. Even the scissors. And let's argue that torture was probably the only way Quackity was getting the book from him without making some kind of deal, and it's necessary to get the book away from Dream at all costs because of what he plans to do with it.

Is it still wrong, and a dumb idea? Uh, yeah! Quackity is getting the revive book for Jschlatt, of all people! He could have told him to fuck off, and left him to rot in his stupid gym with his McGraw Hill textbook! He never needed that book! Apparently Karl and Sapnap had the braincell that day, because that's still a terrible idea!

The thing about Quackity's character that makes this arc for him so compelling for me is that we've seen him change.

It's not like Dream, where we didn't get to see the circumstances from his point of view that made him evil, or Technoblade, where we did get to see his POV but he's always held the same exact opinion and hasn't budged one bit.

No, he's gone from neutral good to neutral evil, because he has learned that power and violence are the only things that make him safe. He's tried playing by the rules of government. But it didn't work. So he's making the rules this time.

And I love it.

(Sorry I answered this super late I saved this completed in my drafts and forgot about it 🙊)

[blodreina-noumou]

The 100: One Final Rewatch

This is it. My send-off to The 100. One full, complete rewatch. Season one to season seven. Episode 1 to episode 100. Every cringeworthy, beautiful, brutal, heartwarming moment. Every chopped plot thread, every inspiring character arc, every sailing and sunken ship. Every gut-wrenching death and every narrow escape. The best, the worst, the utterly mediocre.

All of it, in order, one last time.

Unfortunately, we’re not starting off on a strong foot.

Episode 1x01: “Pilot”

(Fun fact! I totally watched the pilot last night and wrote up almost this entire post, and then I forgot to save it in my drafts. In that post I was like “I’m never watching the pilot again after this, lol!” but now I have to so I can remember my notes. I’m mad.)

Highlights

Best quotes:

“Looks like your dad floated me after all.”

“No one has a brother!”

“Let’s give them something else to remember you by. ... Like being the first person on the ground in 100 years.”

Best moments:

1 - Getting to see our first glimpses of most of the major players of The Hundred. Octavia cheering on Finn’s rebelliousness, when he starts floating around the chamber. Monty and Jasper sitting together on the dropship. Murphy standing behind Octavia as she steps out onto the ground. Bellamy and Clarke sure are...there.

2 - Octavia stepping off the dropship and screaming, “We’re back, bitches!” Fucking “Radioactive” playing as the kids run screaming out of the dropship. Everyone experiencing sunlight and fresh air for the first time in the entire lives. It’s cheesy, exciting, and on-the-nose. I love it.

3 - The final moment almost makes up for the rest of the episode. Watching under the impression that these kids are alone on the planet, and basically just running wild without supervision because they feel relatively safe, and for some of them, free for the first time in their lives - the whole thing is charming, but feels a little too juvenile. Then, right in the midst of a fun, summer camp moment, - swinging across a river on a vine, complete with indie pop rock soundtrack - Jasper gets speared right in the fucking chest!! The music cuts, the remaining kids scream and run, and Clarke gasps out that succinct and game-changing line: “We’re not alone.”

Lowlights

Worst quotes:

“Hey spacewalker! Rescue me next.”

“Note to self: next time, save the girl.”

“We have to warn them.” .. “That’s what my father said.”

Worst moments:

There is SO much that I hate about the pilot. So much. It’s hard for me to pin down the worst moments, because I think it’s most of the episode. Here’s my Top 3, to keep it short.

1. Bellamy. Just all of Bellamy in this episode. It took me a long time to warm up to Bellamy, and this season really reminds me why. He’s pulling all of this alpha male posturing that makes me want to mock him relentlessly. He causes chaos and postpones very vital and obvious measures for their survival just to cover his own ass. He might’ve gone to the ground to protect Octavia, but once he’s there, most of his decisions are about making sure he never has to face the consequences of that choice. He does grow a lot from here, but it’s hard not to hate him in the first episode. His hair doesn’t help. Thank god they let that one go quick.

2. Clarke and Finn are supposed to be these super smart, master survivalists, but they drink river water without boiling it or purifying it in any way. Hello giardia! Just one example of bad world-building and inconsistent realism in this universe.

3. Murphy being like, “Leave Jasper alone, he’s with us.” Only because in like, two episodes, he’s going to be ready to kill Jasper. Murphy is a dick in the first season, lmao. It works well, though, because his heel turn is one of the best I’ve ever seen on television. And it’s fun to watch Richard Harmon play around with being a total asshole.

Small Things

Things I Never Noticed Until Now:

1. Finn’s foolishness, and the boys who followed suit, is what breaks the dropship communication systems. I don’t know how I missed that in my half dozen viewings, but here we are.

2. Clarke goes from a very practical braid to a much less practical half-ponytail in the space of five minutes and no one comments on it.

3. Finn is actually the very first person to call Clarke “princess.” I’d always thought it was Octavia. Fun fact - so many people call Clarke “princess” in this episode/season, I spent my very first viewing back in 2015 convinced she was literally descended from royalty.

MVP of the Episode:

Wells Jaha. He tries really hard to counter Bellamy’s ego trip. In the beginning, he’s one of the only people, besides Clarke, who is focused on trying to keep everyone alive. They had to kill him in episode 1x04 because he would’ve solved everything if he stuck around. There’d be no drama, just Wells running shit.

Overall Impression 

The premise of this episode had so much potential. But a clunky script with too much exposition and some very awkward performances makes it fall very short. Maybe it actually stands as a chilling portent of a pattern we’d come to know too well in this series - incredible potential, very little satisfying follow-through.

Episode Rating: 1/10. 

This is one of the worst episodes in the entire series. A feat that wouldn’t be achieved again until at least s6. 

The good news is, we’ve got nowhere to go but up!

[whisperednarratives]

pairing:

bakugo katsuki x reader

cw:

angst

a/n:

im doing to start working on EVOLVE this week! i already have some drafts ready and im so excited to share the final work with you guys!!

fun fact: this scenario was originally written for EVOLVE but i decided not to put it in the story! :)

[NONE OF THE FOLLOWING WORKS HAVE BEEN EDITED OR PROOFREAD YET]

-

“Why are you here?”

Y/N’s fists stayed clenched besides her to stop her hands from shaking.

It was cold today, much like the gaze Bakugo Katsuki had set upon her as soon as she had approached him.

He hadn’t looked at her like that for a while now.

“What are you doing, Katsuki?” Y/N’s voice found its way out of her mouth, her eyes never leaving his.

“What do you think dumbass? I’m leaving.”

The silence that followed hung around the two for a few seconds, the streetlight lamp above their heads flickering occasionally.

“What do you mean?” Furrowing her eyebrows, Y/N tried her best to remain patient.

“What the fuck do you think? I’m leaving U.A. My job here is done,” he rolled his eyes. “Frankly, I’ve over welcomed my stay.”

He turned back around, beginning to walk towards the gates that led to the city that lay outside of the U.A grounds.

They were already outside after curfew and getting caught was not an option. The last time they’d snuck out together, Aizawa had given them detention for a week.

Y/N rushed towards him.

“Katsuki, what are you talking about? What do you mean you’ve over welcomed your stay?”

Bakugo remained silent, his footsteps still thundering towards the metal gates.

Confused and slightly agitated, Y/N reached out to grab his shoulder. As soon as her hand touched his body, he turned around to slap it away.

Recoiling her arm, Y/N’s eyes immediately flooded with hurt.

“Katsuki, what’s the-”

“STOP CALLING ME THAT!”

Bakugo’s eyes were as hard as stone, his voice echoing through the emptiness of the evening that had settled around them. His figure loomed over Y/N’s and for the first time in months, a sliver of fear slid through her body.

“Who the fuck do you think you are? Why are you even following me?”

“Kat-Bakugo, I just saw you leaving the dorms and wanted to make sure you’re okay. I’m your friend...” Y/N managed to say, shrinking underneath his harsh gaze.

Friends. Friends. Friends.

Friends who kiss. Friends who hold hands. Friends who-

Bakugo let out a laugh and for once, Y/N found the sound to be unpleasant.

“Friends? What, you think you can feed me some bullshit and I’ll forget what I really came here for?” Bakugo folded his arms across his chest, crimson eyes blazing with disgust. “You, your words and your ‘friendship’ means nothing to me.”

Y/N’s body stilled, the flash of a memory she usually smiled at causing her eyes to screw themselves shut.

Y/N listened to Bakugo rant, his hands moving as rapidly as Iida’s. Normally the two would be at each other’s throats but today had ended up being different.

During training, Bakugo had been paired with Denki. The two had sparred like they usually would but Bakugo finished the fight with a blow so strong, Denki over exerted himself to the point where he became too dumb to respond. As Mineta and Mina rushed to pick him up, Mineta had decided to give his unwanted opinion.

“Damn Bakugo, sometimes I wonder if you would be better off as a villain.”

Usually, Bakugo would fly Mineta across the room for even speaking to him. But today he had turned around, eyes blank and exited the gym.

Y/N had caught sight of him leaving and decided to follow him. Before she knew it, they found themselves seated on the grass right outside the dorms with Bakugo talking at the speed of light.

“That piece of shit needs to keep his mouth shut before I rip all of the balls off his head. We were sparring, it’s what heroes do to train. It’s not my fault Dunce Face spasmed out of fear and rendered himself stupid. I mean yeah I could’ve gone easy on him but we’re training to fight the best of the best! Does he really think the bad guys will look at him and think, ‘Oh let’s just not attack this one!’ But that pint sized freak had to go and call me a villain!” Bakugo continued to scream, Y/N facing his side as his hand gestures began to get more violent.

Bakugo didn’t understand why he was so mad. Was it because Mina and Dunce Face had been around to hear it? Or because Y/N was nearby and she had witnessed the entire thing?

After all, what Mineta had said was tru-

Interrupting his ranting, Y/N reached out and placed a hand on Bakugo’s shoulder. Her touch was hesitant and so were her next words.

“Look Bakugo, you have raging anger issues and you tend to scream too much. You’re intolerably arrogant and you like to boss people around,” Y/N began, her gaze fixated on the blatant glare Bakugo was shooting her.

“Princess, if you’re going to insult me, at least-”

“But you are one of the strongest people I know,” Y/N continued. “You are brave and smart and so passionate about being a hero that we all overlook the fact that we want to run you over sometimes.”

Bakugo rolled his eyes.

Y/N realised later that the next thing she said is what really helped Bakugo open up to her. And for him to open up to Eijirou and Denki and the rest of the Bakusquad.

It had made him realise that she looked up to him despite his obvious flaws and had decided that he was worthy of her time.

Of her friendship.

And for some odd reason, Bakugo’s heart had filled with unfamiliar warmth at the sight of her smile.

He knew it was wrong. It was so wrong to let his guard down like this but just sitting next to her made him feel so at peace that for a moment he forgot that her smile towards him would eventually become rare sight.

“You are not a villain Bakugo Katsuki.”

“Bakugo, if you’re talking about-”

“Just fuck off. I don’t need you to hold my hand and tell me everything will be okay,” Bakugo snapped. “You will never understand the pressure I am under.”

“Bakugo please, I am your friend. You can talk to me,” Y/N pleaded. “I don’t understand what’s going on but I’m sure we can figure it out together.”

Bakugo barked out another laugh, just as unfriendly as the last one. He uncrossed his arms only to lean down to Y/N’s height.

“You will never understand. Let me make it clear to you L/N, you and I were never friends. You were just some naive little bitch I used as a distraction to get my job done,” Bakugo sneered as Y/N’s eyes started to water.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

“You are weak and vulnerable and stupid. And you always will be. Do not come looking for me. I don’t want to be found or saved if that’s what you’re going for. Don’t try to come after me either or I won’t hesitate to blow you up.”

With that, Bakugo turned on his heels, continuing his journey towards the gates.

Y/N kept her head down, the tears in her eyes threatening to fall any minute now. She willed herself to stay strong, not for herself, but for Bakugo.

She knew he was just trying to say all those things because he wanted her to stay still. He wanted to make her feel pained enough to not chase him. To not come after him.

But he was still Katsuki.

Katsuki, who woke up early to make her breakfast every morning before class. Katsuki, who pushed her to train with him so she could get stronger. Katsuki, who stocked his mini fridge full of her favourite ice cream because she always crashed in his room. Katsuki, who held her hand the entire night when she fell sick a couple of weeks ago. Katsuki, who had hugged her close before whispering the words ‘You’re still a dumbass.’ and pulled her into a kiss. Katsuki, who had promised he’d never leave her.

Fuck. Move Y/N.

Just as Y/N managed to gather all of her strength to lift her foot one step closer, Bakugo paused.

Without bothering to even look at her, he landed his final blow.

“You know I’m glad the League tortured you the way they did when they captured you. After all, it was my idea.”

Y/N didn’t know what happened next.

All she remembered was her knees crumbling under the weight of her emotions only for her tears to flood her face faster than she had managed to fall in love with Bakugo Katsuki.

-

Kirishima awoke to a soft knock on his door. He rubbed his eyes, shifting to check the alarm clock he’d place on his bedside table.

3:45AM.

Who the hell could it be at this hour?

Irritated and still a bit drowsy, he slipped out of his warm bed to approach his door. The knocking continued, albeit a bit harder this time and Kirishima threw the door open.

“Calm down a damn min-”

He paused, eyes meeting Y/N’s.

With her face red and puffy, Y/N pushed past him to seat herself onto his bed. Confused, Kirishima closed the door behind him and switched on the lights in his room. That’s when he realised how shattered Y/N truly looked.

Dried tears streaked her face, her body shivering. Her knees were bruised and her hands would not stop shaking.

He had never seen her like this.

“Y/N, is everything okay? Do you want me to call Baku-“

Before he could finish, Y/N interrupted him.

“He’s gone,” she said, lifting her head just enough for Kirishima to see how lifeless her eyes were. “He... he was helping the v-villains.”

Suddenly, it felt like somebody had punched Kirishima in the gut.

“Bakugo’s the U.A traitor.”

[p-artsypants]

The Ghost of Smokey Joe (5)

Nightmare

No lyrics in this chapter, because the song in the title has no words. But it really embodies everything I wanted to say with the chapter.

Also, ALL ABOARD THE ANGST TRAIN CHOO CHOOOOOO

Ao3 | FF.net

—

“Do you have those drafts ready for the meeting?” Asked Marinette, peering into her co-worker’s office, a very peppy woman named Jill. 

“Of course! I’ve gotten them matted, just like you asked. 10, right?” 

“Yes! Thank God someone is doing their job right today.” 

“Oh, Marinette, where are your shoes?” 

Marinette looked down to her bare feet. “Oh, I wore pumps that are great for working at my desk and walking to the water cooler, but they got kicked off somewhere around 9 this morning.” 

“That bad, huh?” 

“Have you seen Tim? He’s fixing the sizing sheet and I can’t find him anywhere!” 

“Did you try his office?” 

Marinette’s jaw dropped. “Tim has an office?! Since when?” 

“Since always? Are you okay? You look like you could use a nap…or at least a cup of coffee.” 

Marinette groaned. “No naps! No more coffee! My heart is just a hum now anyway! I haven’t been able to sleep the last few days and last night I didn’t sleep at all. I got this weird phone call—“ she stopped herself before she said too much. “Anyway, yes, Tim does have an office. I forgot.” 

“And he’s always so good at emails, you never need to talk to him. I know. We had this same conversation last week.” 

Marinette groaned again as she covered her face in shame. “Why is Mr. Agreste doing this to me?” 

“Speaking of Mr. Agreste, have you gotten any answers from him today? I’ve sent three emails and he’s not responding at all. Apparently Tim’s having the same problem with Adrien.” 

“I haven’t heard a thing from the manor. Not Gabriel, not Adrien, not even Nathalie. We’re supposed to have a meeting at 2, but I haven’t heard if that’s still on.” 

“Doesn’t Adrien usually come into the office on meeting days?” 

“He did…I don’t know what's up with him. He was being super cagey with me yesterday when I went to talk to him.” She sighed, hunching her shoulders. “I’m worried.” She didn’t disclose the truth of the conversation, that Adrien had effectively ended their friendship. It was too painful, but too fresh to ignore. 

“I’ve been working here since Emilie was still around. Gabriel went through a huge personality shift when she disappeared. Maybe Adrien takes after his dad? Maybe something happened?” 

“Ugh, don’t talk like that, I’ll just worry more!” An alert beeped from her phone, letting her know she had an email. “Ah! An intern’s job is never done! See you later!” 

“Good luck, Marinette!” Jill called. After she left, she added, “you’re going to need it.” 

At two o’clock, the department heads and designers all came together in the conference room. Marinette set up her laptop to the screen and had the presentation open, as well as the Skype call to Gabriel. 

He had yet to join the session, but it was still a few minutes before the meeting officially began. 

“I see you’re wearing shoes now,” said Jill. 

“I don’t know if I could handle the ridicule from Mr. Agreste if he saw me bare foot in the conference room.” Marinette chuckled weakly. 

“As if Gabriel would ever reprimand you,” said someone else. “He adores you.” 

“That must be why he took a vacation and told no one,” she laughed again. Was her filter fading with all this sleep deprivation? Probably. 

Finally, the call started, but Nathalie took the helm instead. 

Before questions could be asked, she announced, “I’m afraid this meeting must be postponed.” No ‘hello’, no ‘thank you for your patience and hard work’. It was enough to make Marinette snap in all of her exhaustion and emotional turmoil. 

“Nathalie, with all due respect, everyone is here and ready to go. Why isn’t Gabriel ready?” She huffed. 

Nathalie glanced away from the camera, a tell that she was about to deliver a great blow. “Mr. Agreste is deceased.” 

The room went silent. Someone dropped a pen. 

Marinette fell into a chair, feeling like the ground was shaking under her. 

“Early this morning, both Gabriel and Adrien passed away. A joint visitation and funeral will be held at the manor on Friday evening and Saturday morning, respectively. Everyone is invited, but it’s not mandatory, of course.” 

Marinette couldn’t swallow the lump in her throat; it was so thick. 

“The fall line will not be released this season. Two weeks paid vacation will be passed on as we prepare the new head designer to take Gabriel’s place.” 

Someone asked, “Who is the new designer?” 

Most heads looked to Marinette, knowing the answer. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng has been determined to be the new head designer.” 

She sputtered out of her shock. “What? Me?! No! Surely not! I’m just an intern!” 

“Intern to the head designer,” someone clarified. “We all knew you were going to be hired as his assistant soon. It was obvious.” 

“But—but—“ she stammered. It was rather obvious, thinking about it. Gabriel was just waiting for her to secure that college degree to make it official. “I can’t! I just—“ Without any preamble, tears burst forth and rolled down her face. 

Adrien was gone. 

Her best friend. The love of her life. Without a goodbye, and on such horrible terms. 

Screw the responsibilities, the job title didn’t matter. She didn’t care at all.

Several arms wrapped around her, her coworkers, her friends, comforting as best as they could. 

“No one is expecting you to jump right in,” Nathalie explained. “You were quite close to both of them.” 

“What about you?” Marinette rasped out. 

“I had my moment earlier. I’m in business mode now. If anyone would like more details, please reach me privately.” 

And she left. Like a whirlwind, leaving destruction in her path. 

“Can you get home on your own?” Someone asked Marinette. 

She thought she confirmed affirmative, but someone led her from the room with an arm around the shoulder. Maybe it was Tim. She didn’t really know. She didn’t really care. 

When she arrived home, she dropped her purse on the floor. Where were her other bags? At the office? Oh well, didn’t matter now. 

Nothing mattered anymore.

“Girl, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

Alya and Nino were home, they were here and alive, and they didn’t know. 

They didn’t know and she had to tell them. 

“He’s gone,” She whispered.

“Who?” Asked Alya, resting a comforting hand on her arm. 

“Adrien…he—he’s dead.” 

“…what?” Nino squeaked out. “H-how? Why?” 

“I don’t know…he and Gabriel—“ she stopped and flexed her hand. Her phone was still in her hand. It held answers. 

She called Nathalie on video. 

“Hello Marinette. I’m glad to see you made it home safe. I was worried.” 

“What happened?” She blurted. “Nino and Alya know that he died. What happened?” Because there had to be a reasonable explanation. 

Nathalie’s face morphed from serious business to pain and pity. “Are you sure you want to know?” 

God, with a preamble like that, it couldn’t be good. Not painless like Carbon monoxide poisoning in their sleep, and not instant like a car accident. 

“Please Nathalie, I have to know.” 

She breathed shakily and admitted, “it was a murder-suicide, as enacted by Adrien. He first stabbed Gabriel, and then himself.” 

“Augh!” Marinette sobbed out. It was an ugly sound that couldn’t be controlled or silenced. 

“I’m sorry. I wish I could lie…but I can’t. Adrien had been acting strange lately…I think Gabriel knew this was going to happen.” 

“No! You’re lying!” Marinette yelled. “Adrien loved his father! He would never—he’s not like that!” 

“Marinette, I saw them. Adrien was obviously deeply disturbed.” 

“SHUT UP!!” She ended the call and dropped the phone on the floor. 

Then she looked to her friends, who were both bawling like her. Nino moved first and pulled her into a tight hug. Alya came around the other side, crushing her in a Marinette-sandwich. 

“You’re right, he wouldn’t do that.” Alya offered. “But they’re both gone, so we can’t prove anything.” 

“If Nathalie didn’t tell the office, then the truth might never come out,” Said Nino, nodding in reassurance. “Only the four of us will have any idea.” 

After a long time, numbness started to set in. There was a degree of disbelief in her still, where she may have heard it, but she didn’t see it. 

That left room for doubt. 

Without a word, she took her phone from the floor and wandered back to her room. 

After the door closed, Tikki appeared. “Marinette…” 

But she wasn’t listening. She was staring at her phone screen, like she was trying to solve a puzzle. 

Then she started a call. 

It rang and rang and rang and rang…

“Hey there, it’s Adrien, I’m not available to answer right now. But leave me a message or shoot me a text, and I’ll get back to you. Hope you have a great day!” 

The phone beeped. 

“Adrien,” she sobbed. “Adrien I know—goddamnit this sucks. I’m too late. I love you so much, and I’m too late. I wish I told you sooner. Even last night when you called—I’m sorry I didn’t know you were struggling. I’m sorry I didn’t know how to help you. I loved you so much and I couldn’t save you and I’m so sorry…” 

“Marinette…” Tikki tried to tell her to stop. 

“This is the closest I could get to telling you. And you’ll never hear it and—“ 

The phone beeped again, signaling the end of the recording. 

She saved it, and set the phone down. 

“Marinette…” 

“What is it, Tikki? What’s so important?” 

“I have to tell you something…but it’s really really bad.” 

“Well, hit me with it. Today is literally the worst day of my life.” 

“Adrien…well, he was Chat Noir.” 

As if the day couldn’t get any worse. 

“What?” 

“Chat Noir. He was Adrien.” 

“But—but he can’t be. You must be confused.” 

“Marinette, he literally wore the earrings before.” 

“I KNOW!” She screamed. “But you have to tell me he's someone else! Because I can’t lose both of them! I can’t do it Tikki!” 

“I know it hurts. You two were literally soul mates. The Ladybug and Black Cat always are.” 

“You’re not helping!” She sobbed. 

“I know, I’m sorry.” 

Tikki allowed Marinette to sob for a while, letting her anguish spill out of her. Tikki just kept watch for the Akuma that never came. 

“You know what you have to do next, right?” Asked Tikki. 

“What?” 

She sighed. “You have to go to the visitation and take back the ring.” 

“I can’t do that!” Marinette cried, horrified. “I can’t! There’s no way!” 

“We’ll he can’t be buried with it. You have to, Marinette.” 

Marinette crawled into bed, still fully clothed and wept and wept and wept until her tears burned her cheeks and exhaustion took hold.

--

All the chapter titles are songs from my spooky halloween playlist that inspired this fic (and their lyrics will be in the chapters)! You can find that playlist here. The playlist will be updated as the fic goes on.

[jerzwriter]

I’m baaaaaaaack

With a feelsy question

An old friend or acquaintance of Casey’s ask her to tell them about her man (both hotties), what would she say? How would she describe Ethan/Tobias?

FIRST: I am sooooooo sorry. I have 2 asks of yours that I started, didn't have time to finish, put in drafts, and promptly forgot about them. Is this breaking SOEP code? I hope not! But here you go.

Her descriptions would change over time. These are some statements she'd make.

Ethan and Casey:

Book 1 (beginning): "You're never going to guess who I'm working with! Dr. Ramsey! Yes, that one, can you believe it." "Oh my God and he's as gorgeous as he is brilliant, not that I noticed, I just... it's plain to see." "I seem to be his favorite, though he'll never admit it... I have my own nickname, he calls me Rookie!"

Book 1 (around opera): "He's... he's perfect. I adore him, and, God the way he kissed me. I wish we never had to stop." "I'm so crazy about him, and I know he is about me. Even though he says we can't be together, we always have these stolen glances, little touches, he always looks out for me. He's just... amazing." "No! Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. We can't be together now, but maybe one day. I know he would never hurt me."

Book1 (after the first time): "OMG are you sitting? You're sitting, right... because you have to be sitting! OK, we did it! (SCREAM)" "HE was INCREDIBLE. OMG, this man is perfect. I hope he never goes back to Edenbrook because, now that I know how unbelievable he is, I can't go back.

Between Book 1-2 (Amazon): "I can't believe him! I never took him for such a coward. I know it's hard, doesn't he think it's hard on me too? But instead of trying to get through it together, he leaves me alone!" (After a few too many drinks.) "I hate him. I hate him so much! I was right the first day I met him. He's an asshole! But... but I love him."

The majority of book 2: "We have to work things out, and I think we will. We have to, he's everything I've ever wanted."

I'm going to skip Book 3, because, Book 3.

After:

"I lucked out. Yeah, we may have gone through a lot, but he is the best (boyfriend/fiance/husband) in the world. He's attentive and kind and it's like all that good that was in him, that he held back, it's all pouring out now. He just wants me to be happy, and I just want him to be, so... it's perfect."

Tobias & Casey:

When they meet: "OMG you have to see this guy I met. Jesus, he is beautiful. The eyes, those lips, his smile... I can't even tell you what that smile does to me. And he's a doctor! I don't know, I just hope I see him again. He offered Aurora a job, so it's possible."

After a few dates: "When you come to town you have to meet him. This guy is so freaking sexy. If how he looks wasn't enough, it's just how he is, how he treats me." "No, we haven't done it yet. Every time we get freaking interrupted. Sienna and Bryce are on my shit list for this very reason." "No, it's not just that. He's so sweet with me. Everyone keeps warning me about him, but when I'm with him, I feel like I'm the only person in the world. He wants to know about me, he is just so attentive. He's great."

After he steals Stephanie: "I can't fucking believe him! I should have known! Everyone tried to warn me." "Now I have Ethan wanting to rub it in my face so bad. I mean, he hasn't been that bad, but I know he wants to." "Such a jerk! I really thought we were heading to something special."

After she learns about June: "He's dead to me." "What an asshole!" "Yeah, he keeps saying it didn't matter because it was before me, but you were fucking my co-worker right up to the second we met, and you didn't feel the need to share! This and Steph, nope. Done. Over."

After attack: "Look, we're just friends. But the guy saved my life and, I don't know. He is being so good to me. More than I could have ever expected." "He takes me out once a week, just to get me out of the house. And... I feel safe when I'm with him." "No, it's not more. We're just friends, I'm not ready and... I haven't forgotten." "So we kissed, and I forgot how good his kisses were, but it was just a kiss. Nothing more is coming of this."

After they're together: "Oh my god, I just love him so much. He makes me smile and laugh all the time. And he's just so happy about being with me, he'd hire a skywriter to tell the world if I let him, it's the coolest thing. He's always leaving me little gifts, no matter how much I tell him to stop. I'm so glad I gave this another chance."

Not going any further in the future... cause this is already too long. lol

Thanks hon! 🐑🐑🐑