#but my coworkers who were hanging out at a table in front of the bar after work also said they thought he was about to pull a gun on me

[prisonhannibal]

had a great day at work except for the part where I thought a customer was gonna shoot me with a gun

[new-fandom-scene]

Speechless

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Tim's lights are on, but nobody seems to be home.

Word Count: 1,572

By the time Tim and Angela made it out and into the bar, the usual nine to five crowd was already deep in "weekend mode". Groups of girlfriends were giggling while taking shots of cheap tequila. Packs of guys were working their way through pitcher after pitcher of beer. Weaving through the loud and lively crowd, Wesley already had their usuals sitting at their table for them. Lopez hums in content as she greets Wesley with a kiss and a grateful smile. "This is how it should be at the end of every week", Lopez declares before raising her bottle and clinking hers against Wesley and Tim's glasses.

"So now you're expecting me to be sitting pretty nursing the first round, just waiting for you guys to get here every Friday?" Wesley looks to his wife incredulously and rolls his eyes. "I think I'll pass". Angela shrugs dismissively, taking a sip.

"Obviously not every week, Babe. You and Tim's next lady can alternate every other week". Now it's Tim's turn to roll his eyes.

"Right, because a beer wench is all I'm looking for in a partner. No offense, Wes". Wesley shrugs.

"Since I have no choice but to accept this fate, maybe I can help find my new coworker? There's gotta be a single girl somewhere in my department. I can ask around on Monday". Angela takes her turn to roll her eyes.

"I so need my husband to ask around about the single women at his office", sarcasm dripping with every word. Lopez tips her bottle all the way up, getting the last drop, before setting it back down on the table. "Timothy will get a pretty lady soon enough. But right now, he's gotta get the next round."

Stiffly, Tim stretches his arms out wide and lets out a sigh before pushing himself up from the table. "Next round comin' up". Turning swiftly, Tim makes his way to the center of the bar, but not before bumping right into someone walking the opposite direction and back towards their table. Instinctively, Tim catches the victim of his unwareness by the waist, steadying her before fumbling any further.

"I am so sorry!" You say, rubbing your hands together anxiously. "I definitely thought I was paying attention, but there are so many people, I- I'm so sorry!" You try to search for any signs of anger or frustration on Tim's face, but you don't find any. In fact, you don't even think there's anyone home upstairs, from the looks of it.

Tim's mouth hangs open slightly as he stares at the woman in front of him. A million thoughts running through his head as none of those thoughts are actually making it to his mouth as tangible words. He doesn't think he's ever seen anyone as breathtaking as you, or stunning, as he is literally stunned in front of you. "Ar-are you okay?" You ask again, bringing him a little back to reality. Tim nods, still frozen in place from the shoulders down. "Umm, okay then. Since we don't need to exchange insurances or anything, I should be heading back". The last thing Tim wants is for you to leave his space, but those words are still taking their sweet time getting to his mouth. "Sorry again, have a good night!" You say as you awkwardly shuffle around him and head back to your table of friends. Tim still stands there, analyzing everything, until Angela begins to laugh and Tim's defense mode starts to kick in.

"Someone better be home up there before the squatters try to break in!" Angela jabs while Tim slowly brings himself down to sit at the table.

"Was it- was it that bad?" Tim looks to Wesley, who grimaces. Tim clenches his jaw.

"She might as well have been Medusa with how stonely you stood, man" Wesley shakes his head. "But you know, there's always room for bouncing back". Angela throws her head back with laughter.

"Next round says you can't come back from that", she challenges. Tim swallows hard. It couldn't have been bad beyond recovery, right? He shakes himself out of it and the adrenaline starts to course through his body. Looking out beyond their booth, Tim spots your head bobbing as you weave your way back to the bar. Time to man up, Bradford, he thinks to himself.

"Get your card ready, Lopez", Tim smirks as he pushes himself back up and towards the bar. Angela smiles to herself.

"It'd be Wesley's card anyways!" She calls back, but her voice gets lost amongst the sea of people Tim wades through to get to where you're standing and waiting to be served. You can do this, Bradford. You're a very handsome boy." Shaking any anxieties out of his body, he taps you on your shoulder. You turn around to investigate, blushing nervously with a shy smile. Tim can feel himself begin to seize in front you, and, for not knowing him pretty much at all, you're starting to feel that he is too.

"Let me guess, you have an injury and we actually do need to exchange insurances?" You chuckle. Tim opens his mouth to speak, but is met with, yet again, an empty house. You're usually never this forward, but you've got a couple of drinks under your belt. Guess you gotta taken the reins on this one, you think to yourself. "You know, what? I've actually got the shittiest insurance, maybe we should just exchange numbers instead so I can make it up to you? Think grabbing dinner could compensate for the value of your injuries?" You suggest, rocking back and forth on your heels. "I-I'm (y/n) by the way", you add and stick your hand out for him to shake. "Guess I should have said that earlier". You pray that your hand isn't sweaty as you hold it out for him, simultaneously searching his face for any signs of life.

Her hand! Shake her damn hand! Tim yells at himself internally and pushes himself to stick his hand out to meet yours. Tim notices how perfectly your hand fits with his, memorizing the softness of your skin. "T-Tim", he says to you, which comes out more as cough or gasp for air. Your shoulders visibly lower in relief that you hadn't stuck yourself out there for nothing.

"Nice to meet you, Tim", you smile and continue to shake his hand. Tim can't keep his eyes off you, taking in every sparkle in your eyes and how your smile could honestly fix any hard day's work that he's ever had. He notices how there seems to be one piece of your hair that's about to fall in front of your gorgeous face and he resists the urge to reach out and stop it from happening. What else can I say? Think, handsome boy, think. Shit, we're still shaking her hand! He drops your hand more abruptly than he liked to, a rigid smile and nervous chuckle following.

"I like burgers!" Tim says loudly, also more abruptly than he liked to. Your smile widens as you let a hearty laugh escape.

"I like burgers too!" You say with just as much energy. Now it's your turn to make him chuckle. You watch as his body relaxes into a more comfortable stance. "Easing up a little bit, I see?" You tease, stepping slightly closer to him. Tim shakes his head and smiles, his gaze returning to yours with an amazed smile on his face.

"I don't believe I've ever met anyone that has actually left me speechless", he admits to you. "I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable in any way". You smile and swat your hand playfully dismissive.

"Don't worry about it," you smile. "I just hope burgers are enough to compensate for taking away your personal space and your breath away". Tim rolls his eyes playfully.

"Hey, I was still breathing" he lazily defends. "But a burger and some more of your time would certainly be a good start towards my compensation". You nod, impressed, and motion with your hand for Tim's phone. He opens it and places it into your hands for you to enter your phone number.

"How about your people talk to my people, and we can discuss proper reimbursement?" You hand the phone back to him with a smile. Tim reaches out and gets a hold of the phone, his fingers lingering over yours for just a moment before putting it back in his pocket.

"Sounds like a good start to me," Tim agrees, reluctant to leave your area of space. "I'll call you, (y/n). And I'll actually have more words this time", he promises and watches your smile get brighter and cheeks get rosier. He swears he'll do whatever he can to always make you look at him like that.

"I can't wait to hear them," you say. "It was nice to meet you, Tim". He smiles and nods before waving a small goodbye and heading back to an expectant Angela and Wesley.

"Where's my drink at?" Angela asks. Tim shakes his head slowly while pulling out his phone to show them your number. The husband and wife clap slowly, very impressed and surprised by the turnaround.

"So, where's my drink at, Lopez?" Tim shoots back, teasing. Angela looks to Wesley, eyebrows raised. Wesley sighs before pushing himself up from the table.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm on it".

[neo404]

Nick x Drag Queen reader

How you guys meet:

"Hey, Lovy (your stage name). Boss told me there is a birthday boy today, make sure to do your special song for him. I’ll leave you the name here." My friend and coworker leave a note on my desk as I keep putting make up on my face.

"All right, thanks."

"Have a great show." they pat me on the shoulder and leave.

The show was great, all of the Queens were amazing as usual. The last and longest act was mine, since I love to talk and Im friends with the bar owner.

My music plays and I get on stage with a bright smile, some people clap, some people scream. I dance until my first two songs end. Then I grab the microphone that’s on stage.

"A little manager told me; someone is having his birthday todaaaaay." I say scanning the room for the birthday boy. "Where are you? raise your hand to receive your gift." I see a guy slowly raise his hand, brunet hair and surrounded of friends who made fun of him for his red cheeks, perfect, my favorite kind of show. "Ohhh, I see you. I’m coming baby." I walk down the stage and to his table, the "birthday" music started to play, it’s just a song we always play on birthdays and the Queen on stage will dance for whoever is celebrating that day.

I stand in front of him and I see him gulp at my sigh, he tries to meet my eyes but is too shy to do it. "What’s your name?"

"I-... Nick."

I put the microphone close to my lips again. "Everyone give an applause for Nick." The bar claps, and shouts and whistles for his, he giggles. I leave the mic on his table and I start my performance. I dance for him and him alone.

When the music stops, I was sitting on his right leg, microphone on my hand. His friends holding back laughter and recording us, mostly his red face.

"Happy birthday, Nick." I said and stood up to walk to stage. "Oh." I turn around., "If you want to buy me a drink, my shift ends in 1 hour." I wink at him, the lights turn off and when they turn back on, I was on stage again, my next two songs playing on the speakers.

your shift ends.

"AHHHH, my knees hurt. Why did I choose floor work as a statement for me????" one of my coworkers complain.

"Girl, ask me. My neck hurts, I regret buying those big ass wigs." someone else says.

"Why are you so distracted??" the first one said.

"Nothing."

"Cute birthday boy."

"SHHHH. No, it’s not that, god." I roll my eyes. "See you tomorrow." I wave at them.

"Byeeee, tell us how your date goes." I roll my eyes at this and go outside, hopping that he stayed to buy me a drink.

The manager was standing outside the changing room.

"Wh-"

"Birthday boy wants to buy you a drink. Is he cool or creep? do i kick him out? do I call security?"

"Its fine Ali. I told him he could. thanks for worrying." I kiss their cheek and walk to the main room, searching for him, I can see him... Nick, I can see Nick standing close to the bar nervously looking back to his friends who hyped him up.

I walk to him and stand beside him, leaning into the bar.

"Hi, Larry. Can you make me a margarita?" I turn around and look at him. "Waiting for someone?"

"Oh, hi. I didn’t see you coming." He nervously adjusts his shirt and takes a sip of his water. "What drink do you want?"

"Already ordered."

"Oh... great. Uh, great show. I loved that thing you did on stage when you stood on a chair and all that thing."

"Thanks, Nick."

"How do you know my name??" he seems very nervous. How cute.

"You told me."

"RIGHT! I forgot, how embarrassing." his cheeks light up again.

"You are cute."

"Uh?"

"You are cute, Nick."

After long hours of talking and a quick exchange of numbers, you and Nick start to become closer and closer every time you guys hang out.

He loves to go to your shows, alone or with his friends.

Once the two of you start dating, he will show you off (more than he used to do), he will drag his friends to see you perform, he will post your reels or posts on his stories, he will take millions of pictures and videos of you performing (in everyone video you can hear him scream).

He loves to stare at you while you put your make up and wig on. He thinks you look sexy while doing it.

He will 100% let you dress him up and put make up on him.

Will go with you to buy make up or clothes.

Always wants to be the highest tip after your shows.

Fall in love with you more every time he sees you in high heels or boots.

Always reminds you how much he loves you and how amazed he is at your hard work.

Will kiss your bruised knees (if you do floor work) or massage your back and neck.

Nick will bring flowers to your performances to cheer you up.

Overall, he is the best boyfriend you could ask for.

Taglist: @freshloveforthefit @shywolfapricotfan @sturnphilia @matty-bear @thenickgirl @stvrniolvsp @paige05 @soursturniolo @miloisdone1 @teenagetrash00 @lovely-calypso @h3arts4harry @malirosee

[eldritch-thrumming]

Steve looks up when there’s a knock on his cubicle wall. Robin stands on the other side, leaning over the flimsy partition that gives the busy office floor the illusion of privacy.

“Hey, Steve, wanna get lunch?” She asks him.

“Yeah, let me finish this,” Steve says before turning back to his computer screen to save his notes from fashion week. He can’t help but sigh as he looks at the endless lists of what celebrity wore which brands and who sat front row at each show.

He and Robin make their way downstairs to the cafeteria, where they head to the end of the long line. The lunch room was always packed at this time of day. Steve thinks for the thousandth time that they should plan their breaks better, maybe for a time when the entire building wasn’t battling a sudden salad bar craving.

After about twenty minutes and several sharp elbows to the ribs at the refrigerator where the pudding cups are kept, they make their way to the only open table with their sad, wilted-looking lettuce. Steve stares down at his plate, stomach rumbling, before Robin catches his attention.

“Ready for the pitch meeting?” Her brows are furrowed, anxiety written across her face.

“I mean, yeah.” Steve shrugs his shoulders. “Not much to pitch. I’m just gonna get that lame premiere assignment anyway.” His voice comes out an irritated grumble.

“What about that story about the teachers’ strikes you wanted to pitch? The teachers organizing across districts?” The furrow in her brow deepens.

“Face it, Robin,” Steve sighs. “If we want to write what we really want to write, we’re not gonna do it here. Best to get these few years under out belt and do what we’re told, so we can get a good reference for a publication that actually cares about the things we care about.”

Robin looks down at her own plate, moves her fork around her pile of browned lettuce and ranch dressing. “Well, I’m pitching my rail nationalization story. Imagine what this country could do with a high speed rail system organized by the state. It would be a game changer!” She sounds excited about her pitch and Steve wonders if that’s the way he used to sound, too, before he’d been relegated to “Who Wore It Better”s and celebrity advice columns.

As Steve’s contemplating his entire career trajectory, Nancy makes her way over to them with a tray in her white-knuckled grip. Steve would never say it to her face, but he thought it was only a matter of time before she popped a blood vessel because of the cafeteria line.

“I fucking hate this place,” Nancy practically snarls as she slams her tray down on the table between them. She takes a chair from the neighboring table without even asking before sitting and hanging her crossbody bag on the back. She glances at Steve’s tray. “You got a pudding cup?” Steve says nothing as he moves the pudding cup further from Nancy’s reach. She rolls her eyes.

“We were just talking about the pitch meeting,” Robin tells her. “I’m really gonna pitch the railway story. This is important stuff, Nance, we should be publishing it.”

Nancy takes a sip from her orange juice before responding. “I don’t disagree, Robin, but Erica will never go for it. You know those serious pieces are reserved for Terry, Patrick, and Elaine.”

“Terry, Patrick, and Elaine are practically geriatric,” Robin rolls her eyes. “The magazine needs fresh new voices. Erica understands that. I’m pretty sure it was her who said that at last month’s meeting.”

“Well, good luck,” Nancy says, twirling her fork in her pasta. Steve’s not even sure what sort of sauce the pasta’s supposed to have. He grimaces.

“Thank you,” Robin grins, choosing to ignore Nancy’s sarcasm.

~*~

Steve, Robin, and Nancy sit side-by-side in the conference room as they wait for their editor, Erica, to finish the phone call she’d taken in her office. They were surrounded by their coworkers--photographers, stylists, journalists--and there was a massive pile of donuts in the center of the huge polished wooden table. Steve’s fingers itched to reach for one, but the last time he’d eaten a donut at one of these meetings, he’d gotten a huge glob of strawberry jelly on his slacks. He’d had to beg to borrow a pair of pants from the fashion closet so he could go do an interview without a massive red stain on his leg later that day.

Everyone looks up when Erica enters the room. She always looked to Steve like she floated around the place, somehow both intimidating and approachable all at once. Steve’s palms were always sweaty whenever he had to have a one-on-one conversation with her.

The meeting starts and Erica directs the conversation around the room, hearing pitch after pitch for the next few editions of the magazine. Steve’s head is starting to bobble as he listened to the stylists pitch five different fashion spreads. He’s startled from a daydream when Erica says, “Alright, what do you three have for me?” from the end of the table.

Robin looks at Steve and Nancy before she speaks. “Well, uh. I had this thought that we could, uh, maybe do a piece, like, an article, you know? With, uh, interviews and first-person accounts and statistics and all that stuff--”

“Right, I know what an article is, Robin,” Erica says firmly, but not unfriendly.

“Right, Robin swallows, squirming. “Sorry. Um. Well, there’s been a lot of talk recently about the railway workers unionizing and the derailments and how corporations are going about handling these issues.” Steve notices how Robin’s voice starts to sound much stronger when she really gets in to her pitch. “And there’s a renewed interest online and in DC in a potential nationalization of the railway system in America and I think that could be a really worthwhile and interesting story for our readers.”

Erica looks at Robin for a long moment, thinking. Steve holds his breath, waiting for Erica to speak.

“I like it,” she finally says, a slow smile spreading across her face. “We’ll talk to residents where the derailments occurred, doctors and scientists, state representatives, workers, officials. It could even be a serial piece.”

“Wow, really?” Robin’s eyes brighten.

“Yeah, really,” Erica smiles again, before turning to her right. “Terry, what do you think? Can you handle that?” Steve sees Robin’s face fall out of the corner of his eye. Terry responds in the affirmative, before Steve cuts off the conversation that they’re having about Robin’s story.

“I have a pitch,” Steve says, voice loud in his own ears. His hands shake in his lap.

“Really, Harrington?” Erica asks, eyebrows shooting up in surprise as she turns to look at him.

“Yeah,” Steve nods. “About the teachers’ strikes and how they’re organizing across districts in the city.”

Erica looks at him, like she’d looked at Robin. Her eyes shift back and forth between the two of them.

“That’s not a bad story,” she tells him. She pauses again, looking at Steve for another long moment before continuing. “Listen, I see what’s happening here. You want a chance at more serious stories. But you’ve both been here only a year. I need to know that you can write more than an analysis of what Selena Gomez was wearing when Justin Bieber broke up with her.” She looks at them and she looks so far away from where Steve is sitting. He feels like his vision has taken on a fish-eye lens, distorting at the edges, making everyone look tiny. “So, here’s what we’ll do. I was just on the phone with Corroded Coffin’s PR. Apparently the band is coming out of retirement and they’re announcing a new album and a new tour kicking off in March. They’ve asked us to publish something about the band, with full and complete access to recording studios, one-on-one interviews with each member, and live shows before the tour starts. We’re doing a whole issue on the resurgence of grunge and metal style from the eighties and nineties for it. I’ll let you, Buckley, and Wheeler have the central article. If you can get me some new, interesting, and relevant information on the band’s personal lives, I’ll let you start writing more serious pieces for the magazine.”

Steve’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise as the blood rushes in his ears. He hadn’t expected that to actually work. Plus, the Corroded Coffin article itself was a huge deal. Nancy’s saying yes on everyone’s behalf before Steve can even really wrap his mind around the offer.

~*~

After the meeting, Steve sits at his desk doing a cursory Google search of Corroded Coffin. He wasn’t the biggest metal fan and the closest he’d ever come to really giving the genre a try was adding a few Nirvana songs to his workout playlist.

He’s scrolling through the search results when he realizes that there’s a significant lack of interviews, even though the band has been active for almost a decade. Most of the articles were descriptions of the lead singer’s rather outlandish public stunts.

“Hey, Rob?” He calls out over the partition that separates their cubicles.

“Yeah?” She responds. Steve doesn’t like when he can’t see her while they’re talking, so he rolls his eyes and pulls himself from the chair to look over their shared wall.

“Have you noticed that there’s, like, no interviews with the band?”

She looks up from her computer screen. “There’s a few,” she says, sighing. “On the second page of Google. But there’s none with Munson.” Robin throws herself against the back of his chair. “A few of the articles say he’s ‘notoriously private.’” She rolls her eyes as she puts air quotes around the last two words.

Steve stomach drops. This was supposed to be an easy article. Full access usually meant a lot more intimacy between the journalist and the subject, but Steve knew first hand how hard it was to get a cagey and jaded celebrity to talk, even when the request for the interview came from their own camp. Sometimes especially when the request came from their camp.

“Is this going to be harder than we thought?” Steve asks, brow furrowing in concern. “”What are we going to do?”

Robin smirks. “We’ll just have to get creative.”

part one part two

[michelle-is-writing]

I’ll always protect you, Dick Grayson

Rating: M

Word Count: 2k~

Dick never gets mad when I tell him I’m going out with friends. In fact, he encourages it, and I’m so happy he does. He’s told me many times that he loves spending time with me, but I should also spend time with friends. He’s not the “you have to be with me 24/7” type of boyfriend; although, I don’t think he would complain if that were the case. He says it’s only fair since he has to work at night, so he’s not always awake to do certain things. If only I knew what it is about his job that makes him so tired when he gets home.

When I texted him about tonight, he sent a happy response back, hoping I had a fun night. For a few minutes, that’s all he said until he sent another text.

Is that new guy going to be there?

Now, Dick isn’t the jealous type, nor is he controlling; but he is very cautious and knows trouble when he sees it. Especially when the man introduced himself to me as ‘Jake,’ followed by ‘a man who can tell a woman’s personality just by her blouse’. I wasn’t too happy with his comment myself, but Dick wanted to absolutely destroy this man.

It’s a girls night, and as far as we know, it’s just us

I sent Dick this message right as we clocked out, and the girls agreed. Nobody had invited him, so there’s no way Jake was tagging along. Finally, we can head out and have fun together without worrying about the pervy asshole who can’t take a hint.

“Guys, I’m thinking about calling corporate to complain about him because H-R hasn’t done a damn thing about it,” one of my coworkers announces as we all sit around a circle table, drinks in hand. We’ve been here for a while now, and as I drink this third glass, I’m feeling pretty good. “I’m getting sick and tired of his quote-on-quote funny jokes when really it’s just him being disgusting.”

“I agree,” I respond, nodding my head. “It’s getting to be too much. I know the position is hard to keep people in but is he really getting his job done when he’s constantly harassing us?” My question gains a chorus of amens before we all agree on letting it go and enjoying the night.

That is until a certain jerk makes an appearance at our table with a whole new list of inappropriate comments and jokes to make in front of us. Instead of getting the professional response Jake usually gets, one of my coworkers tells him to fuck off, but he doesn’t listen. Two of my friends go to get security, but I go outside instead. I want to get as far away from him as possible, and knowing that he most likely followed us here makes me want to vomit. I have to call Dick.

Walking to a more secluded part outside the bar, I lean against the side of the building and dial Dick. Putting the phone up to my ear, I hear the number ring for a few moments but he doesn’t answer. Trying again, I groan to myself before hanging up and slipping my phone back into my pocket. That’s very unusual of him; he always answers my calls with the rare exception that he forgot his phone somewhere.

“Mhm how I’d love to hear you make that noise again,” I hear a familiar voice behind me, making me roll my eyes in disgust.

Turning around, I see Jake standing a few feet away from me, a smirk on his lips. Instant rage boils within me, making me clench my fists as I squint my eyes at him. “Jerkoff, if you haven’t gotten the message, nobody wants you here,” I point out the obvious, the alcohol in my system taking away any filter I’d have any other time. “You’re disgusting and rude, and I’d like it if you’d leave me and my friends the hell alone.”

Anger makes its way onto his face after hearing my words, but instead of shouting at me or cussing me out, he moves forward. Before I can fully react, he’s grabbing me by my arm and twisting it up high. Spitting at me with rage, he begins yelling. “Nobody talks to me that way!” Fear courses through me; I just had to choose the most secluded part outside the bar, I just had to.

However, just as I see his hand raise to slap me, Jake’s hit over the head with some type of stick, the hit so hard that he stumbles back. Feeling his hand loosen up enough to get out of his grip, I practically throw myself backward, only for a pair of firm arms to direct me behind an equally firm body.

“Didn’t anyone tell you to take a hint?” The man in front of me asks, his voice oddly familiar. Looking up from the black suit he wears, my eyes catch his wavy black hair as well as the glowing staff he swipes toward Jake, only to purposely miss and scare the jerk. “When a woman tells you to go, you go,” the man further states before swinging the staff underneath Jake’s jaw, effectively knocking him out.

Looking at the sight of Jake on the ground of the bar’s parking lot, I smile with a quick sigh of relief. “Thank you so much,” I gasp out, placing a hand on my chest. The man in front of me turns around, a mask concealing the skin around his eyes and part of his forehead. On the chest of his suit, I can clearly tell this is Nightwing, but that’s not what’s distracting me. Right now, my eyes are glued to the familiar jawline and the blue orbs staring back at me, the same ones I gaze into every day.

“Dick?” I whisper, only to be answered by the man pulling me close to him and pressing his lips to mine. As soon as he does this, he seals the answer as his lips are unmistakable for Dick’s. Besides, no other man could kiss me like Dick does. Pressing me against the building, his lips are unrelenting as his hands pull every inch of me close to him. Or at least, that’s what his grip feels like right now, and usually, I wouldn't complain, but the almost-completely-steel suit he has on right now isn't all that comfortable.

Parting from me, Dick lets me catch my breath as his once unmoving face is now dusted pink, and after a few moments, my eyes meet his. “I never knew,” I confess, lifting a hand up to cradle his face. He immediately softens against my touch, watching as I continue on. “I wish I did, I would’ve patched you up when you got home,” Dick only smiles at this, “but it explains why you’re always so quote-on-quote clumsy.”

With that, Dick chuckles and leans close to kiss my lips once more before pulling away. “Let me take you home before I have to go on watch,” Dick offers, his hands now gently resting against my waist. I nod at him, a few seconds passing before he sighs and looks over at the still unconscious man on the ground. “Told you I didn’t trust him.”

I smile at his words before leaning close and kissing his cheek. “Thank you, Mr. Nightwing,” I whisper to him, resting my head on his shoulder. Looking over at me, Dick smiles with curiosity as I bat my eyelashes teasingly. If it weren’t for the drinks earlier, I wouldn’t be so calm after finding out my boyfriend is one of Gotham’s defenders, but for some reason, I really feel like teasing him right now. “How can I ever repay you for saving me?”

“You’re pushing it, baby,” he warns, leaning closer once again as his hands move farther down. However, the teasing only lasts a few moments before Dick takes my hand and starts walking us to our apartment. On the walk there, Dick remains in the dark shadows of the night, but that doesn’t stop him from murmuring stuff in my ear that he knows will get to me. “If I didn’t have to work tonight, you would be all mine,” he all but groans as we get to our house.

Unlocking the door, I quickly open it and smirk at him. “Guess you’ll have to wait till you get home later,” I tease, Dick not liking the current smirk painted across my lips. I don’t know if it’s the alcohol or the sheer surprise from finding out Dick is Nightwing, but this surge of confidence is making me say things I never thought I would say. “That is, if you can last that long without me.”

Without another second passing, Dick follows me into the house before slamming the door shut and pressing me against it. Pinning my hands above my head with one hand, Dick bends my knee with the other and proceeds to kiss me once again, purposefully pressing his clothed thigh against my center. The air around me feels hot all of a sudden, and the sensations I’m currently experiencing are almost overwhelming.

“Baby,” he starts, pulling away from my lips to begin biting down my neck. My eyes nearly roll to the back of my head at this just as he moves his leg once more. “Jason owes me a favor, and it just so happens tonight’s the night he’ll do that favor.”

At his words, I grow a little confused until it dawns on me. His family members are the other protectors of Gotham, meaning his dad is most likely Batman, the leader among the large group of heroes. I would’ve never guessed that this is what Dick does when he works at night. The thought would have never even crossed my mind.

Gasping at a particularly harsh bite from Dick on my collarbone, I watch as he quickly takes the chance to kiss me once again, his movements slow and more sensual rather than rough like before. Upon pulling away from me, Dick leans his forehead against mine. “I love you so much, (Y/n),” he confesses, his voice soft. “I never wanna see anybody grab you like that again, no one can grab you like that.”

Noticing his now flustered state, I untangle my hands from his and lower them to his face. Pulling him close, I peck his lips gently before gazing into his eyes. “You protected me tonight, and I’m so thankful for that,” I tell him, bringing a smile to his face thankfully. “Let me make it up to you, huh? My very own protector.”

With that, the once rough and passionate Dick is back and I barely have a chance to brace myself before he’s picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. Always the one to multitask, he does as he said he would and calls his brother. As soon as Jason answers, Dick tells him he has to take watch tonight, to which Jason asks why.

“Because I have to stay home tonight,” he simply explains, looking over at me with a sweet smile. If it weren’t for the slightly swollen lips and reddened cheeks, you wouldn’t think Dick just made out with me and then swung me over his shoulder to throw on the bed.

“I’ve gotta take care of my girl,” he tells Jason, his tone almost endearing. Most people would perceive it as a sentimental statement, but to me, I know exactly what it means.

Luck is probably not going to be on my side tonight.

[ejzah]

Can you do a fanfic (set in the early seasons) where a female friend of Deeks hangs out with the team during their off hours, but notices how they treat him unfarily and calls them out on their behavior. Deeks's friend stands up for him (when he isn't around) and really makes the team feel gulity about their treatment.

A/N: Oh look, another poor abandoned prompt. More apologies forthcoming. Set around season 3.

***

It’s Just A Joke

“And that is how it’s done, Gentleman,” Deeks crowed, laying his pool cue on the green covered table as he held out his right hand. “Pay up.”

He grinned, the very definition of smug while Callen shook his head in reluctant appreciation. Sam seemed annoyed by Deeks’ overwhelming win in the last three games.

“Nice job, Partner,” Kensi congratulated him, leaning over for a high five. Deeks returned it, still grinning.

She’d dropped out of their impromptu competition a few games ago after a string of bad turns. She’d didn’t seem all that bothered to sit out, but Deeks figured that had something to do with winning $30 off each of them before that.

As far as team nights went, it was shaping up to be pretty good.

“How is it that you almost never win, but tonight you beat us in half the games?” Sam asked, digging out his wallet and slapping a perfect $50 into Deeks’ palm. “You’ve always been mediocre at best. Kensi, you been teaching him?”

He turned to Kensi, who raised her hands to absolve her of any involvement.

“I had nothing to do with it. Deeks won completely on his own,” she told him, and Deeks felt just a tiny bit of pleasure at the respect in her voice.

“I wouldn’t exactly say I’m a pool shark, but I used to play sometimes with Ray in high school and off and on over the years,” Deeks explained. “Plus, I’ve spent the last two years picking up your strategies.”

“Uh-huh, likely story.” As they headed back to their table, Sam and Callen continued to rib him.

“Well, since you’re the big winner, I think it’s only fair you get the next round, Deeks,” Callen piped up.

“Ooh, in that case, I want some jalapeño poppers and nachos too,” Kensi added, nudging Deeks’ shoulder when he squinted one eye on here. “C’mon, for your beloved partner.”

“Not feeling super loved right now,” Deeks joked. “Those snacks are pretty expensive and I’m just a lowly detective.” He gave Kensi a pitiful look, which she gave just as much attention as he expected. Rolling her eyes, she pulled a crumpled five out of her pocket and stuffed it in his front pocket.

“There. Happy now?”

“Delighted. Two orders of heartburn coming right up.”

Deeks put in their orders at the bar, taking a couple minutes to chat with the bartender while he waited.

“Hey, is that my favorite detective?” A voice said from slightly behind him, and he turned, smiling when he recognized the woman connected to the voice.

“Marley,” he said, reaching over to hug the blonde woman. “It’s good to see you.” She leaned into the hug, giving him an extra squeeze before she stepped back with a wide grin.

“Yeah, it’s been way too long. I saw you playing pool earlier with your friends, but I didn’t want to interrupt,” she explained.

“Oh, they’re just my coworkers. You want to meet them?” Maybe it was a terrible idea to offer, but he was curious to see the team’s reaction to someone who could easily out debate him.

“Sure, as long as you don’t think I’ll be intruding. I’d love to hear about what you’ve been doing the last five years.”

Marley helped him carry the two trays of drinks and food when it came out a few minutes later. By the team they reached table, they were both laughing over a joke no one else ever found funny.

“Hey guys, this is my friend Marley Steiger,” Deeks introduced her, noting the way they all silently assessed her within a few seconds. “Marley, these are my coworkers Sam, Callen, and Kensi.”

Callen and Kensi each nodded, while Sam cracked a smirk.

“Nice to meet you, Marley. So you’re telling me Deeks actually has friends,” he joked, offering a hand to Marley. She took it after a brief hesitation, brows wrinkling.

“Uh, not really sure what you mean by that, but yeah, we’ve been friends since high school,” she responded pleasantly. Deeks could tell she was doing her own assessing as she stared Sam down. “We were the Star members of the debate team.” She turned to wink at Deeks.

“And let me guess, you guys ended up law school together,” Kensi said.

“Actually, no. We ended up at different colleges, different majors, but we’ve kept up over the years. I always have to get my Deeks fix now and again.”

Kensi’s eyes widened at that and Deeks rolled his eyes when Marley curled her arm through his. She had zero romantic interest him, never had, but she did enjoy flirting.

“Well, pull up a chair Marley,” Callen offered. “We’ve got lots of stories to share.”

***

Kensi tried to focus on Sam as he related a story from one of Deeks’ first weeks with the team. Her eyes kept flickering to the side where Marley was seated next to Deeks. One of her hands rested on his arm, her touch familiar and comfortable as she pressed up against his side.

From every story she’d told, it was clear Marley liked Deeks a lot. Ot made her curious, and oddly-though she was loathe to name it-jealous of their connection, their history. She’d seen Deeks open up in a way he rarely did in the presence of his old friend.

“Hey, can you get another beer,” Marley asked Deeks when there was a loll in the conversation.

“Sure.” Deeks stood, brushing her arms as he did so. Marley watched him walk away, then turned back, her smile dropping in an instant.

“Ok, do you guys hate Deeks?” she asked. “Is there some inside rivalry going on that I don’t know about?”

“What?” Kensi said, surprised by the questions and the sudden shift in demeanor. So far, she’d seen little of the fierce debater Deeks had indicated, but now with her staring them down, Kensi felt a tinge of unease. “Of course we don’t hate Deeks. He’s part of our team.”

“Well, you could have fooled me. In the last hour and a half, I’ve heard you imply Deeks was dishonest, insult his appearance, and criticize his work ethic.” She gave both Sam and Callen a pointed look. “That doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you say about someone you like.”

“Marley, it’s just the way things go on a team like ours,” Sam explained. “We all joke around with each other and Deeks knows that.”

“Really? So you’re saying that it’d be ok if Deeks turned around and questioned your skills in front of your friends or at all?” she countered and Kensi felt her cheeks heat as Marley sent her a disappointed look.

“We were joking tonight, but Deeks is a newer member of the team—” Callen started to say, but Marley cut across him a derisive sound.

“Look at you trying to justify it. I’ve had enemies that treat better than you do him.” She made another sound, this time disgusted and stood up abruptly. “You know what, I think I should go before I say something I really regret. Tell Marty I’ll call him.”

As she quickly turned and cut through the crowd, Kensi got up too, shooting Sam and Callen a dismayed look. They just seemed perplexed.

“Marley,” she called out, hurrying after the other woman. She managed to catch her as she was headed out the front entrance. “Marley, can I talk to you for a moment?”

Sighing, Marley finally stopped, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Fine. What did you want to say?”

Kensi paused, awkwardly rubbing her hands on her jeans.

“I want to apologize for what happened in there.”

“I’m not the one you need to apologize to,” Marley said pointedly.

“Ok, well, still. That’s not what we’re normally like. There’s a lot of history that you didn’t see, but we definitely respect him and need him on our team,” Kensi told her. As she spoke, Marley shifted back on one foot, tilting her head as she stared at Kensi.

“You really believe that, don’t you?” Marley shook her head, seeming more sad than anything now. “Maybe that’s how your team, whatever is you do, operates. Maybe it usually works for you, but to an outsider, probably to your other colleagues, it calls Deeks’ abilities and professionalism into question. And no matter what Deeks might say, that has to take its toll day after day.”

“I guess I’ve never really thought about it that way,” Kensi murmured, worrying at her bottom lip. She thought of Deeks who had sat through all their jokes, their teasing tonight. The way he dealt in sarcasm and rarely showed any sign that he was bothered. Was it all an act?

“Well maybe you should,” Marley said gently.

“He’s the best partner I’ve ever had,” Kensi admitted. She didn’t know why she was telling a near stranger something so personal, why it mattered. It seemed important that a Marley believe her though.

“Good.” Nodding, Marley gave her arm a squeeze. “Now maybe make sure that Deeks knows it to.”

As she turned towards her car again, Kensi headed back inside. Deeks was back at their table, head thrown back as he laughed.

Maybe Marley was completely wrong; maybe he didn’t care what they said about him at all. Either way, she was going to do everything in her power to make sure he stayed. Because she couldn’t bare to think of working without him.

***

A/N: I feel this turned out quite OOC and fairly unrealistic, but I hope it was still enjoyable.

I also know Deeks does his fair amount of teasing and such, though not to the same degree and with the same level of nastiness as the others often do.

Thanks for the prompt!

[pisces448]

woke up from a multiple days dream. so much happened and i can see it all so clearly

so i was at "work" like the starbucks in my dreams is kinda laid out like java detour but a little different. and it was so busy but we only had one oven and the other one was up on top of a fridge hooked up to some wires and when i asked my boss said "oh it's having a software update" but the screen on it was going fucking crazy glitching everywhere and there were sparks coming out the back. then i looked around and saw how busy we were but none of the espresso bars were going everyone was sitting at the bar like on break or something. so when i left work i went home and it was not my usual dream home, it was an apartment in the run down/slopey side of town and when i went in there my sister and i think avery were in there and we were talking about the dogs watching them run around crazy. then my mom? or someone older came by and was like this place is disgusting. and she unveiled a back room that id forgotten about and there wA some kind of weird red sealed box that she unlatched and opened and there was a million nasty black flies and a puff of black powder came out and it smelled rancid. i suddenly remembered i used to keep pets back there and i guess they died and they were in that box for who knows how long. then suddenly i was home alone and feeling so sad, ithink about the pets and the state of my house. i sat down at a huge desk (similar to my attic apartment desk from 3 years ago) and i was going to do my bullet journal but i decided to write in my diary first. then my coworker jon came by and he was in a really sour mood he was so upset because of something that happened at work (yesterday he had a meeting with my boss and another ssv IRL) so i was like okay well my sister and av should be back soon so let's go walk outside and you can hang out with all of us. so we went outside and i noticed in between my house and the next one, they were excavating some kind of tiny house in the ground. it was like the flat iron building except really small. i was telling the guy how i think these triangle buildings were so cool. it was a man and a woman on the site. he unlocked the door for me and i peered inside and it was so much smaller inside. like a personal tent that you can only sit in. it had a small table, a stool, rolled up sleeping bag, and a little gas stove in there. then all my dogs jumped into it when the door was open cause i left my front door open. so i got them out and jon left sometime during all that. so i went back inside and i was looking at my disgusting house when lorin and brendan walk in. they are also judging the state of my house and something really weird is going on that i cant recall.

[ledenews]

FLASHBACK - 3 Years: An Old Alpha Uncovered

(Publisher's Note: This article appeared three years ago after the property at 50 Carmel Road was sold at auction and the renovation work was started by new ownership. The Alpha Tavern, the new eatery that replaced Ye Olde Alpha, now is open seven days per week and offers outdoor seating.) It will never be the same again because what we all came to know had to be destroyed in the name of safety. And, while we know a bar and eatery will be recreated on this property, what it will look like remains an unknown, and it may be even longer now that the coronavirus pandemic has interrupted, well, everything. But it will not be Ye Olde Alpha, a legendary establishment once with a fairly simple, yet loved menu, and for the kills hanging from its walls. It was known as a “joint” when Frank Miller owned and operated it, and it stayed the same after his passing when his son, Bob, took over operations. Bob, however, suddenly passed away in August 2004, and after his family attempted to keep it going, they decided to sell to partners who kept the name and the décor but made significant changes to the menu. The eatery, however, was shuttered by the Ohio County Health Department in January, and then the new owner, Wheeling Coin, began renovations a month later. The initial goal was to be open again by Nov. 1, but that timeframe has been extended. The flooring needed to be removed to be sure the space could be cleaned as much as what was needed. Right of Passage? For some who were raised in the area of Edgington Lane, the Alpha was where those 18th birthdays were held because, up until the late 1980s, 18 was the legal drinking age in West Virginia. But for others, it was a treasure found later in life, perhaps during college or even later. “I don't remember hearing anything about the Alpha until I was in college when it was the place to meet up over the holidays,” recalled Christie Companion-Varnado, a 1986 graduate of Wheeling Park who now lives in Charleston, S.C. “Generations of families would be there -- my parents and their friends, their kids, and eventually the oldest grandchildren. "Oh! And the animal heads in the bar,” she continued.  “I remember hearing about them.” "It seemed like it was the place to be in Wheeling," said Wheeling resident Josh Wack. “When I was growing up in Wheeling, I always heard stories about the Alpha from my family. My grandfather and uncle, both professors at Wheeling Jesuit, frequented the Alpha quite a bit to socialize with both their coworkers, friends, and students,” he said. “My parents spoke fondly of the Alpha, as well, as they frequented the Alpha when they were first dating. I got the impression very early on that it was a great place to socialize.” But some, for sure, found other establishments more attractive for whatever reasons. “Growing up,” explained Heather Glasser, a 1984 grad of Wheeling Park, “I spent a lot of my weekends and summers in Edgington Lane. I always knew the Alpha to be the place where a lot of families went out for dinner on a regular basis, but my family never did.” Yes, that is a Bobcat in middle of what used to be the bar side of Ye Olde Alpha. That First Time? The taxidermy. The long bar. Pool tables. And for nearly 20 years, the poker room. That’s when patrons entered through the front door on the left. The door on the right took you to the dining room. Once upon a time long ago, the kitchen was in the middle of the two areas but was replaced with a high-top seating area after a new kitchen was constructed in the back. But not everyone waited to visit for that first legal beverage, and that’s because parents were fans of the menu that featured home-cooked comfort food and the best cheese sticks and beer mustard in the history of cheese sticks and beer mustard. “I recall going to eat at the Alpha when I was younger. Specifically eating French fries with gravy, Reuben sandwiches, and olives (maybe from my parents’ martinis)," Wack recalled. “I definitely remember my first time going to the Alpha as a paying/drinking customer. “I was excited to be seen there and felt as though I had been accepted into some kind of cool social club,” he said. “I loved the fact that I was able to see so many people I knew in one small area.” And then, of course, there were the holidays spent home during those college years. “Without a doubt, the Alpha was a holiday gathering place,” he said. “When I was in Cincinnati for college, I never missed a Thanksgiving Eve Alpha night. I don’t think I missed that night until I had kids in my early 30s. After I moved back to Wheeling, I started doing the Christmas Day tradition, which is such a fun time. Without question, the Alpha was the holiday gathering point to reconnect.” The seating area connected to the tavern is receiving a complete makeover. But Glasser, who grew up no more than two miles away from the Ye Olde Alpha, did not venture inside 50 Carmel Road until after college. “The first time I actually went there was in my mid-20s. I had met some friends at the bar and sat near the jackalope,” she remembered. “I clearly remember naively believing it was real and was amazed that I had never seen a rabbit with antlers before. “I've actually only had dinner or lunch at the Alpha less than a dozen times, and I rarely went there on a weekend night out,” Glasser said. “Unlike a lot of people I know, I don't have that same bond with the Alpha as so many of my friends do. I moved away from Wheeling when I was 28, and when I would come home for holidays my go-to was The Swing Club, Claytor's, Office Lounge, the Bridge Tavern, (and) a few other places in Ohio. I just started going there more in the last 10 years than I ever did when I was younger.” Companion-Varnado departed Wheeling for the University of South Carolina to earn her ungraduate and law degrees, and when first returning to her hometown, Mac’s Club in Washington Avenue is where she met her friends. But then, the homecoming spot changed to, yes, the Alpha. “I don’t remember why that happened or what trip home it was, but that’s where everyone was going,” she explained. “And it was that way for a long time until it closed. “But the Alpha was the place to be on Thanksgiving Eve, that’s for sure,” Companion-Varnado said. “It was packed, really packed, every year, but you did get to see so many people from when I lived there, and that was always the best part. It was just like the Rax parking lot when I was in high school.” The bar side is the top priority to the new owner of the property so the dining room hasn’t been touched much by the team of construction workers. Ye Olde Alpha or Carmel Road? For nearly a century, Ye Olde Alpha was a neighborhood bar nestled in an area that remains retail heavy. Once it included the Rose Bowl, Frank’s Hairquarters, the liquor store, Miklas Meat Market, and the Minute Market. Today, the bowling alley remains, and so does the butcher shop, but now Country Roads Barbecue has transformed the former Minute Market location. Changes have taken place, yes, and more will occur soon, so where will the Alpha regulars go when both the new location is opened at Stratford Springs and the new eatery is operating on Carmel Road? “I have a lot of memories associated with the new location that are incongruous with the Alpha being there. I can't stand seeing that they built a building where the pool used to be,” said Companion-Varnado. “I never went to the Alpha for the food and probably ate there only a couple times, so I can't say whether the food will be a draw for others. It won't be for me. Or for any memories of good service -- it felt nearly impossible to get a drink sometimes. “Beyond that, the location is not a convenient one and won't have the 'old neighborhood bar' feel that was part of the Alpha's charm on Carmel Road. I believe that many of us returning to Wheeling from away over the holidays will go to the Carmel Road location to meet up with old friends because it's a habit, as long as the new setup is conducive to that type of gathering." Some of her best memories, Companion-Varnado realizes, never will be the same. “We'll maybe miss the 'pure Wheeling-ness' of the old ambience -- the bar entrance where the pay phone was leading to that long narrow space with the dark wood, ancient bar setups, and of course the animal heads,” she said. “But I expect to hear, ‘Let's meet at whatever they are calling the Alpha these days,' and everyone will understand that to be the Carmel Road location.” It won’t happen to Wack, though, because the Alpha is the Alpha. “I lived a quarter mile from the old location and considered myself lucky to have such close access, but I’m looking forward to the new location of the Alpha,” he said. “It’s a very cool building, and I’ll be interested to see a nice combination of old and new. I have faith that the menu will always be solid, the loyal clientele will always support the business, and Charlie will always find innovative ways to make the experience a unique one.” While Glasser has not been a persistent patron, she believes the love affair to continue as Wheeling makes it work. “I have no doubt that wherever the new location ends up being and whenever it eventually reopens, the place will be successful,” she said. “’It's good people who make good places,’ said Anna Sewell, 'and  Wheeling is full of great people, so you can be sure that they will come together for the new Alpha and make a generation of new lasting memories.'” Read the full article

[agent-whiskeys-sweetheart]

Meant To Be (ii)

Pairing: Hotch x F!Reader

Summary: Over a year after your first interaction with the BAU, it is finally time for your first day as an official team member. Even with all the excitement of the day, the biggest thing you look forward to is seeing Aaron Hotchner again. However, your perfect first day quickly turns out to be not at all what you had imagined. 

Warnings: None, some angst? 

Word Count: 5,585

A/N: Just know that I promise things are going to get better lol.

NOVEMBER 2007

QUANTICO, VA

For the first time in your life the sound of your alarm is a very welcome one as it rouses you from your light slumber. The whole room is filled with light as the sun streams through the cracked blinds. You had been in this apartment for two months now. It had taken some getting used to but it was starting to feel like home. That was very important to you seeing as Quantico was where you were going to be for the foreseeable future. It took you no time at all to sit up in bed, throwing off your blanket. When you got up to start getting ready, everything was exactly where it was supposed to be. Your clothes draped over the chair at the end of the bed, your go-bag on top of the dresser, and your entry paperwork out on the kitchen table. As always, you had thought out every minute detail. You are determined to make sure that your first day at the BAU is perfect. It had taken excruciatingly hard work and dedication to get to where you are now. Nothing and no one is going to spoil it for you.

After getting dressed in record time you grab your go-bag off the dresser and head out to the living room. You set it on the table next to your paperwork and make your way into the kitchen. Scrambled eggs and toast sound like a good way to start the morning so you get out a skillet and a few eggs. Before you even have a chance to turn on the burner the sound of your phone going off in your bedroom causes you to run back in to check it. As you pull it off the charger you immediately smile widely at the name that flashes on your screen.

“Hey there Miss FBI Agent. God, that sounds good doesn’t it? FBI agent. Or maybe BAU agent. Didn’t I hear you say SSA once? What does that mean? Is it good? It sounds pretty powerful.” 

“It means Supervisory Special Agent. And anything you call me that means I’m not hallucinating this whole thing is fine with me.”

“I like that. SSA Y/N L/N. Sounds official. Which is exactly what you are as of today! How are you feeling right now?”

“Excited. Prepared. Kind of like I’m on top of the world.” 

“As you should! It’s been a long journey to get here, you deserve to enjoy every step. I still can’t believe my little sister is in the FBI.” 

Your sister has been your biggest support system for as long as you can remember. No matter what path you choose, you know she will always have your back. It had been heartbreaking to leave her when you moved but you knew it would be worthwhile in the end. Today is when it finally pays off. She has called you almost every day so even though you are states apart, she is never truly absent. Hearing her voice now, getting the chance to share this moment with her, is more important to you than you know how to express.

“I can’t believe that you’re awake before noon.” This earns a scoff.

“I will have you know that I set an alarm for 5:30 so I would be awake in time to tell you good morning before you head off to work.” 

“That’s very sweet of you. I’m really glad you called.”

“Hey, there’s no way in hell I was gonna miss your first day!” 

“I appreciate that. It means a lot to have your support.”

“Of course! I will always give it freely. Besides, this is too cool not to talk about. You get to catch bad guys. You now have special government access. Plus you can basically read minds. You’re a real life superhero. How totally awesome is that?”

“Oh, I know. Why do you think I wanted the job? I’m glad you’re able to see its merits. Most people find it very morbid. Or boring.” 

“Well most people aren’t us.” Glancing over at the clock, you can’t help a small sigh from leaving your chest. Your sister of course catches on. “Do you have to go?” 

“Yeah. I only have about 15 minutes. Thank you so much for calling though! I always look forward to hearing from you.”

“Well I don’t have any patients today and I expect you to call me later tonight so we can talk about everything, okay?”

“Okay, it’s a plan. I love you.” 

“I love you too. Have a great first day.” You hang up quickly, making your way back into the kitchen to put away what you had gotten out. Instead you pull out a few granola bars to eat on the way. Even though this isn’t quite what you had planned you don’t mind one bit. Talking to your sister is more important. You briefly wonder if she took today off just so she could be there for you or if it is just a coincidence. If it was on purpose, you wouldn’t be surprised. It had always been kind of funny to you what careers both of you had chosen. She is a therapist. You are a profiler. While the two do have distinct differences there are also a lot of striking similarities. It’s just funny how life works out sometimes. Never what you expect. 

You head into the bedroom to grab your go-bag, making sure everything you need is in there. Picking up the paperwork from the table, you head out the door and downstairs to your car. After loading your things up, you turn on the radio to the most uplifting station you can find. This is the kind of morning where nothing less than radiant positivity is welcomed. It’s the first day of your new life and you are going to make the most of it, even if it kills you. 

The drive seems to go by in an instant and soon you find yourself in the parking lot of the BAU headquarters. There is still confidence bubbling inside of you but seeing the building right there in front of you causes the nerves to kick in as well. It seems so much bigger to you now. With a deep breath, you realize you need a little boost from your good luck charm. The small compartment on top of your dashboard opens with a click and you pull out the piece of paper inside. It feels good to have in your hands and you read the name at the top over and over again. Aaron Hotchner. His business card had stayed in your car all these years and whenever you felt nervous or unsteady, you pulled it out and for some reason it always calmed you. You were grateful to have it now more than ever. 

Feeling renewed, you set the card back in its cubby and get out of the car. Things in hand, you stride right up to the front doors and let yourself inside. Once inside the main lobby you head over to the front desk, where a man asks for your ID. Reaching into the front pocket of your go bag you pull out the badge you had collected weeks in advance. A feeling of power washes over you when he clears you, much like a year and a half ago when you had stepped inside the Fort Worth precinct. However, it was a much more intense feeling now. 

The journey towards the main offices of the BAU feels like a dream. The elevator carries you to the right floor and you float towards the glass doors that lead into your new workspace. Inside, it is bright and full of life. People move past you with such fluidity that it seems almost like a dance and baby, you are ready to tango.

Soon your attention is being commanded by a friendly voice you recognize very quickly. “Well, look who it is!”

Morgan makes his way towards you, a wide grin on his face. He looks just how you remember. You are glad the first person to greet you is someone you know. Now standing in front of you, he raises his arms and his expression changes as he silently asks for your permission. With a nod, you reach out as well as he pulls you in for a hug. 

“It’s nice to see you again sweetheart. I was starting to wonder if you were ever gonna show up.” Laughing lightly at this, you feel yourself relaxing. “Look at you, all professional. How does it feel?” 

“Completely liberating. It feels like it took me a lifetime to get here and now that I am, I can’t wait to get started.” 

“Well, you’re gonna get your chance sooner than you think. We just got a case this morning. They called us in a little early to debrief us. We’ll fill you in on the jet. It’s go time baby.” He lightly pats your arm with a smile as he leads you over to where the rest of the team is, all sat at their desks. Spencer and JJ you recognize but there’s one face that you haven’t seen before. “Look who finally made it.”

JJ stands quickly to give you a hug, patting your back. “Leave her alone. She was doing a lot of hard work to get here. She doesn’t deserve to be teased in her first ten minutes on the job.” She says to Morgan, shooting him a playful glare. “Welcome. We’re really excited to have you here. You’re going to make a wonderful addition to the team. If you ever need anything just let me know, okay?” 

“I will. Promise. Thanks.” Spencer is the next to stand, extending his hand to you. Taking it in your own, you nod respectfully. You don’t linger, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. 

“Hi. Sorry, I’m not much of a hugger.” 

“Oh, no need to be sorry. I definitely get it. It’s nice to see you again. I know we didn’t really get a chance to talk the last time we saw each other but I’m hoping to change that now that we’re coworkers.” 

“Of course. I would like that.” There is still a slight awkwardness in the way he smiles but not nearly as much so as when you first met him. He’s the only one of the three that you don’t feel much of a connection with but you are determined to change that. These were your peers now. Your new family. It was important to you that you get to know all of them. It was jarring at first seeing how familiar they are with you already but it doesn’t take long for you to become comfortable as well. However you quickly remember that there is one person you still haven’t met. Turning to her, you extend your hand. 

“Hello. I’m Y/N L/N.” She shakes your hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Emily Prentiss. These guys seem to have the advantage here. How do you all know each other?” 

“Oh, I shadowed them about a year and a half ago now while I was still a student. Today is my first day as a member of the team.” 

“That’s wonderful! Well, I’m excited to get to know you as well.” She offers a welcoming smile, one you appreciate. As you look around the bullpen you take note of the fact that Elle is nowhere to be found. At the moment you feel it isn’t your place to bring this up, so you simply smile at the people who are with you now. 

“So, I hear we’ve got a case.” You begin, desperately wanting to learn everything you can now so you can fully prepare yourself.

“Yeah,” JJ answers. “It’s a string of high level armed robberies in Los Angeles. Nobody has been able to identify or apprehend any of the unsubs. There are five of them. All of the robberies were almost identical except for the last one. Someone was shot and killed. That’s when the authorities invited us to work the case.” 

“Sounds like fun, huh?” Derek chimes in, jabbing you with his elbow. 

“I don’t know if fun is the right word. Interesting sounds better, I think. I’m ready to get started though.” 

“Yeah, I see that,” He gestures to your go-bag. “Good thing you’re all packed. That was a smart choice. They don’t always tell you to bring a bag on the first day. You’re all over it though.” 

“Well, you only get one shot at a first impression. I wanted to be seen as professional. Plus I am very rarely unprepared for things.” 

“Good. That’s a pretty good philosophy to hang onto, especially in this profession. The more prepared you are going into it, the better equipped you are to handle the stressors of the job. There’s a lot of tough things you’re gonna have to deal with but if you charge head first with a clear sense of where you’re going and what you’re doing, it’ll take a lot of the anxiety out of it.” You listen intently as he speaks with a tone of sincerity you have not yet heard from him. When he sees you staring at him, he chuckles. “First tip is free but next time I’m gonna charge you. Good advice like that doesn’t come cheap.” 

“Okay, good to know.” You laugh, looking towards the others with a smile. “How about you guys? Any free tips for the newbie?” 

“Yeah,” Emily chimes in. “Don’t listen to anything Morgan says.” This causes him to roll his eyes jokingly. “Although here’s a real piece of advice. No matter what happens, no matter how hard the job gets, don’t forget who you are. Don’t let this work compromise your beliefs and your morals. There are going to be times when you rethink what you know but don’t let the awful things you see harden you and turn you into someone you’re not. I can already see that you have a real light and kindness about you. Never let the bad people take that away from you or else they win.” Hearing this, your expression softens. For only having known you for a few minutes, Emily already seems to have bonded with you. Enough to give you such important advice. Her words linger in your head for a moment.

“I’ll definitely remember that.” JJ places a hand on your arm. 

“Can I add something?” You nod eagerly, wanting to soak up all of the knowledge that you possibly can from these people. “My advice would be to talk to your loved ones as often as you can. Trust me, you’ll definitely want to after some of the stuff that we see. Talking to someone outside of work and grounding yourself in those relationships will help keep you sane. You’re going to be really grateful for a strong support system later on.” 

“Luckily I do have a really strong support system in my sister. She basically raised me. She’s my best friend. It was hard to leave her but I know she still supports my decision.” 

“That’s so great. I’m really glad you have someone like that.” You nod, feeling a small tinge of sadness when you think about how much you wish she was here with you. However, it passes quickly when Morgan puts his hand on your shoulder as a sign of comfort. The gesture is simple but calming, almost as if he’s telling you that he is a part of your support system now too. You know the people surrounding you will have your back. That thought lifts your spirits immeasurably. 

“What about you? I’m sure I could get some good advice from a genius.” You say to Spencer after clearing your throat. 

He chuckles lightly and thinks for a moment. “I guess I would say don’t let your age stop you from reaching your potential. You and I are the same age so I think I know to some extent how nerve wracking all this must be. Just know that even though you are young you have a lot of skills and abilities to bring to the table. Chase after what you want and soak up everything you can now. I’m obviously a strong believer in the collection of knowledge so the more you learn the better off you’ll be later. And you have as much right to be here as anyone else. You’ve done the work so believe in your own skills.” The three of you watch him for a moment and he looks between you. “But, hey, what do I know.” His joke makes you laugh.

“No, that’s really good advice. Thank you.” Before you have a chance to say anything else, a voice from behind causes all of you to stop.

“What’s all the commotion out here?” Turning around quickly you see an older man with dark hair standing on the walkway that wraps around the bullpen. His eyebrows are raised as he begins making his way towards you. Upon seeing him you put on your best professional face but the others seem to stay relaxed as he walks over to you. Once he’s standing next to you he offers you his hand. “Hello.” You take it quickly, shaking hands with him as you maintain eye contact. Unsure of who this man is, you are afraid to make a bad impression. As you look into his eyes there is something so strikingly familiar about him but you aren’t quite sure what it is. “Who might you be?” 

“Sorry, sir. I am Y/N L/N. Today is my first day as a member of the BAU. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His dark expression immediately lightens as he gives you a small smile. 

“Ah. It’s nice to meet you as well. Sorry to scare you. I just have to keep these trouble makers in line from time to time.” Seeing him smile causes you to grin as well, beginning to relax again.

“Of course. It’s not a problem at all sir.” 

“Well I’m David Rossi. Welcome to the BAU, I guess would be an appropriate introduction. I promise I’m not always so scary.” 

“Just most of the time.” Derek adds, causing David to give him a look.

“Please ignore him. I like to think I’m a nice man. I don’t want to scare you off on your first day.” At this you can’t help but laugh. 

“Oh trust me sir, you won’t. I’ve worked really hard to get here. There’s no getting rid of me now.” This causes him to laugh. 

“That’s a good attitude to have. It’ll get you pretty far in this career. Keep working, keep putting the bad people away. It may take a while but it’s a gratifying feeling. In the meantime, just keep your chin up and you’ll be just fine. You seem like a bright kid.” 

“Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.” 

“Please, you can call me Rossi. Everyone else does.” 

“Okay. Rossi. Thanks.” With a warm smile he pats your arm. 

“If you want a prime example of working hard to get ahead, look at Hotch. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that man not at work. That’s why he’s the boss.” Derek says. His words make your breath hitch. Just the mention of his name makes you nervous. It’s been such a long time since you’ve seen him and you only spent time together for one day but even so he has been such a huge inspiration to you. And seemingly for good reason. You already know that Hotchner is going to be the man to impress around here but you don’t mind that much.

“Speaking of, have you spoken with Hotch yet today?” Rossi asks. 

“No. I actually have some paperwork that I need to give to him before we leave, clearing me to travel and all of that. Could I possibly see him now?” You try not to sound too desperately hopeful.

“Yeah, of course. His office is right up there.” Rossi points to a door across the room. With a deep breath you nod in gratitude and then begin making the walk over to his office. It seems like an endless journey as you remind yourself over and over again that he’s just a person and you don’t need to be so afraid. Or nervous. Excited? Infatuated? Whatever the feeling is, it’s overwhelming. Once you’re outside his door, you close your eyes and breath before knocking. His voice is clear coming from the other side as he tells you to come in. 

Opening the door cautiously, you step inside with paperwork in hand. Hotch is sitting at his desk filling something out, not looking up.

“Good morning sir.” Upon hearing your voice he looks quickly up at you. His eyes are just as dark and intense as you dreamed, fixated completely on you. The two of you maintain eye contact for a moment and the world is nothing but him. Suddenly realizing what you’re doing you force yourself to snap out of it, reminding yourself that this man is your boss and you’re acting like a lunatic. 

“Good morning.” He says simply, not moving as he watches you intently. Willing yourself to gather up all of your confidence, you walk over to stand right in front of his desk. 

“It’s really lovely to see you again. Being here is like a dream. At the BAU, I mean. I’ve been looking forward to it for so long, I almost can’t believe that I’m here. Now that I am though, I’m ready to work. I plan to earn your trust now just like I did the last time we worked together. I won’t let you down.” With a sudden flush of embarrassment, you grip the papers tightly. You have only been in his office for a few seconds and already you have completely exploded in excitement. Taking another breath, you calm yourself. “Sorry sir. I’m just very excited to be here. If you couldn’t tell.” 

There is another moment of silence as Hotch’s eyes stay locked on yours, scrutinizing your expression with calm intensity. For a second you can almost see him thinking, as though he’s working something out in his head though you aren’t quite sure what that is. After a moment he stands up, putting you both on equal footing. Everything about him commands your focus and attention. A quiet prayer hangs on your lips as you wait for him to say your name again after all this time. Just once is all you need and then you’d be happy. No more daydreams, no more delusions, no more distractions. Just once and you can do your job. If only he’d quit staring at you so deeply and tell you exactly what you want to hear.

“I do appreciate your heartfelt words ma’am but I’m afraid I’m at a loss. I’m not sure I know who you are.” With that your heart drops. Of all the things he could have possibly said, this was the most disappointing. It’s such a small sentence but it is a mighty blow.

“I’m sorry?” You inquire, hoping that maybe you misunderstood.

“I’m really very sorry ma’am but I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not sure we’ve ever met.” Nope, you had understood what he was saying perfectly much to your dismay.

“My name is Y/N L/N sir. We did meet a little over a year ago now. You came to my hometown to work on a case and I spent the day shadowing you. I was a student at the time. Today is my first day here as a team member.” Hotch says nothing in response for a time, his expression exposing what seems to be a deep sense of regret. 

“I apologize. We go through a lot of cases, it’s difficult for me to keep track of all the people that come and go in my life.” That is all you need to hear to shut down any further fantasizing. You had come and gone from his life a long time ago. Frankly you feel foolish for indulging these thoughts anyway. It was one day a year ago. There is nothing to look into. He is your boss now, not some high school crush. This is a professional environment. This would be for the better anyway. At least those are the sorts of things you tell yourself. “I really don’t mean any offense. It’s nice to meet you. Needless to say we’ll get to know each other now since we’ll be working together. Welcome to the team.” He tries to soften his expression but there is still a severity to it that doesn’t ease the knot in your stomach. 

“It’s really my fault, sir. I shouldn’t have expected you to remember me. It was a long time ago and you’re a very busy man. No offense taken. I’m excited to work with you.” Trying to change the subject, you extend your paperwork towards him. “Here’s all of my entry paperwork. It gives me authorization to travel, my medical and professional history is there as well. All I need is your signature and I will be clear to begin working.” Looking through it quickly he nods before signing each of the necessary lines. He hands it back to you and you nod awkwardly before deciding to merely head towards the door. “Thank you sir. I’ll take this to the front desk really quickly and I’ll be good to work this latest case. I’ve already brought a go-bag.” 

“Oh, you won’t be needing a go-bag.” This stops you in your tracks.

“I won’t?” You ask, turning to face him. 

“No, you won’t. You’re not travelling with us for the case.” Every dream you’d had about your first day at the BAU is crumbling around you with every word that comes out of his mouth. 

“Can I ask why, sir?” Leaning down to open a cabinet, he pulls out his own go-bag and unzips it to check its contents. This simple act of dismissal is enough to make you feel an inch tall. 

“It’s only your first day, I don’t hardly know anything about you. I don’t feel comfortable taking an agent into the field that is practically a stranger to me and to the rest of my team. It will only compromise your safety and the safety of others. When I get back, we’ll have a discussion and see where you’re at when the next case rolls around.”

“But sir,” For a second your own words ring in your head. You’re the boss. No explanation necessary. You are not the kind of person that questions authority. You never have been and you thought you never would be but hearing your new boss say this to you makes your blood boil for some reason. It’s like Spencer said. You have as much right to be here as anyone else and you have not gone through seven years of grueling work to be put on the sidelines from day one. “I have studied and trained for a long time. I put in the work, the same as the rest of you and that’s why I’m here. I didn’t just show up on accident, it’s because I’m good at what I do. I have all the paperwork and I am prepared to put in the effort on this case.” His movements have stopped now and his eyes stay locked on yours, unable to look away as you speak. Once you’re finished he breaks away and sighs deeply. 

“I am not disputing any of that but I am responsible for the safety of my team and now that includes you. It would make me feel much better if I could talk with you before sending you to the front lines. I’m on your side here even if it doesn’t seem like it. But at the end of the day I am your boss and I have final say. The answer is no. I want to like you, Y/N. Don’t give me reason to distrust you on your first day.” 

“Yes sir,” Is all you are able to mutter as you feel yourself deflate. “I didn’t mean any disrespect.” The shift in your demeanor must have been palpable because his expression suddenly softens and a hint of a smile ghosts over his lips as he walks over to you. 

“I know you didn’t. I’m sorry to disappoint you but you’ll have your chance soon enough.” With that, he grabs his bag and walks out of the office. In no more than ten minutes all of your big hopes and dreams for your perfect first day at the BAU were crushed. Everything has been happening so fast that it still seems like it might not be real. It’s all you can do to walk back out into the bullpen. Derek is the first one to notice your mood shift. 

“What happened?” With a forced smile you shake your head.

“I’m not going to be joining you guys. The boss doesn’t feel comfortable letting me into the field just yet. I guess it makes sense.” Hearing this, Derek, JJ, and Spencer all three share a confused look.

“It actually doesn’t make that much sense. If you’ve got the paperwork, you are clear to go in the field. Everything should be in order. I’m not sure why he would wanna keep you behind. You’ll learn more in the field than you will sitting here.” Emily and JJ nod in agreement and you shrug off his questioning.

“It is what it is. I’ll just have to make the most out of it.” You quiet down but he can see that there is still something upsetting you.

“Okay, come on. What else happened?” The expression on his face is one of determination as he stares you down, waiting for an answer. 

“It’s nothing really. It’s just that he didn’t remember me and I was a little disappointed. That’s all. It’s not really a big deal.” 

“No, that is definitely a big deal. Hotch is not a forgetful man. Especially when it comes to people. If he worked one on one with you a year ago and he knew you were going to be a future member of his team, he would have paid especially close attention to you. That just definitely doesn’t seem right to me.” As much as you agreed with him you decided now wasn’t the time to push the issue. 

“Well, I’m sure he just had a lot on his mind. It doesn’t matter. Anyway, good luck guys. I’ll see you when you get back.” The look on Derek’s face indicates that he wants to continue the conversation but he doesn’t. The three of them grab their go-bags and head to the door. Following them you smile when Derek gives you a side hug.

“We’ll all go get a drink when we get back. I promise.” You nod. 

“I’ll hold you to that.” Before he can walk out the doors with the others you stop him. “Hey. Thanks. I know we still don’t know each other that well but I appreciate you making me feel welcome.” 

“No problem, kid. You’re one of us now. We have to protect our own.” With one last smile he disappears through the main doors. Stepping out after him you stop when you see Hotch standing right outside the doors. With a small breath you walk over to him. 

“You’ll be working with our technical analyst, Penelope Garcia. Go down to the bottom floor. Her office will be the third door on the right when you get off the elevator. She’ll introduce herself. She’s very friendly. We’ll speak when I get back.” With that, he too disappears. 

In little more than thirty minutes, your perfect day is ruined before it has even really begun. Thoughts spin inside your head faster than you can comprehend. It feels like your fault for letting your expectations get so high. There is no way of erasing it. No matter how many good days you have from here on out, your first day at the BAU will always be a sad memory. It hadn’t been all bad of course. It had been nice to talk with the other team members for the short time that you had. However, that feeling was quickly ruined by your interaction with Hotchner. He was one of the main reasons you were so excited to begin working. You were sure that he would have some inspirational words of advice for you but all he had done was make you feel belittled. There was no way of taking that back. Now you were side lined for your very first case and it was completely out of your control. You really wish you had your good luck charm right about now. Something tells you you’re going to need it now more than ever. The Hotch that exists within that business card is the one you want to linger in your memories. The respectful and professional agent who had made you feel so respected and appreciated. That is the Hotch you need right now but that isn’t the man you’d spoken with today. That is what broke your heart more than anything. With one last longing look at the main doors you gather yourself up and head down to meet Penelope Garcia. 

Tags:  @talesfromtheguild @lannister-slings-and-arrows @gamingaquarius @gryffindorwriter @nopeforyou @sheerfreesia007 @roxypeanut​ @ssahotchie​ @ohpedromypedro @ithinkhesgaybutwesavedmufasa @readsalot73 @the-mechanical-angel @races-erster @maxlordd @pascalisthepunkest @paintballkid711 @hotchafterhours @h0tchner @ssahotchswife @ssahotchhner @technotic-prophecy @klinenovakwinchester @hotch-stufff​

[robinofgothamcity]

♡ prompt: you’re going to a chistmas party with your ex in attendance and you try to find a replacement as quick as possible. 

♡ song suggestion: HIP - MAMAMOO

♡ pairing: jon kent (superboy) x fem! reader

♡ note: not checked for grammar or spelling mistakes 

“i can’t just go to this party and not show up with a date, do you know how humiliating that is?” you exclaimed to Damian, chugging back the last bit of wine you had in your glass, “it’s easy for you to show up like that because you’re fucking Bruce Wayne’s son and you aren’t the one who actually lied here...I DID!” 

Damian saw the panic arising in your eyes as you tried to come up with just anything to get out of the Wayne Christmas party but nothing was coming up in order to actually get you out of it. it was too late to actually back out and you swore to Damian you’d attend the party so it wouldn’t be so miserable for him. 

“who exactly did you lie to that you’re that deep into a lie?” Damian asked, kicking his legs up on his desk. “Michael from human resources! he’s been up my ass about taking me out that i finally broke one day and said I was already in a relationship and while he did back off, he’s expecting me to bring a date,” you confessed. 

Damian started laughing again, not knowing whether to fire Michael to finally put you out of your misery or actually take the opportunity to make you meet his oh so single best friend...Jon Kent. he sat on the idea for a few minutes as you ran your fingers through your hair nervously. 

“good lord, if I bring a friend of mine as your date, will you be quiet?” you looked at him in confusion. “you have friends?” you laughed, instantly dodging his wad of paper. 

“for your information, I actually do,” you sighed, not really knowing if you wanted to take him up on the offer, “he’s a friend of mine from Metropolis. he’ll say yes, it’s up to you,” you cautiously agreed, threatening him that if his so called ‘friend’ ended up being some creep, you were within your rights to hurt him. 

as you and Damian exited the building, you saw the copious amounts of reporters standing to the side, trying to capture photos of Damian or getting information on the party for tomorrow. 

you sighed, giving the reporters the middle finger, not really in the mood to deal with their bs. there were a few times those nosey reporters had made stories about you and Damian. claiming that you were sleeping with him so you could get closer to the Wayne family heir. it didn’t exactly help that you were in the assistant and secretary role as well. 

“wow, feisty aren’t you?” you heard Damian’s eldest brother, Dick, say out of no where. you quickly greeted him, seeing that the street to get out of Wayne Enterprises was getting clogged up with traffic, “see all of you tomorrow! Damian, don’t let me down!” 

Dick looked over to his brother, wondering what you meant by that. “I’m bringing Jon as her date for tomorrow,” he explained. his eyes widened, “really? him?” he asked, surprised that he would even set up a date for someone. “yeah, he has way too much time on his hands and it’d be better for me to set those two up to finally get them out of my hair.” Dick laughed knowing exactly where that could go wrong. 

+ 

the morning finally came, much to your unamused pleasure. you had told Damian that you’d meet him at his place so if anything funny happened with his date, it wouldn’t happen to your embarrassment at your work place. you were not sure who your mystery date was and Damian refused to give you a name. all he had told you was that he worked in Metropolis and had been his friend for years. 

you dragged yourself into the shower and unwillingly got dressed. your makeup was the hardest part of the entire outfit as you were going to try and perfect it as much as possible. you had never really gone all out with the makeup in what felt like years so you figured today would be the day. 

“almost ready?” Damian asked over the phone. you rolled your eyes, “yeah, i’m just pulling my shoes on before heading over to your place,” you responded as you munched on a granola bar, “why do you care?” you asked. 

you heard two voices laugh, “because your date is here so hurry up!” Damian exclaimed before hanging up the phone. you didn’t bother to play into his antics before finishing up. the dress you had bought was something you had from a previous event and up until now, you hadn’t worn it again. 

the dress you had picked was one from a previous event that no one hardly saw. it hugged the curves you wanted to show and you knew it would surprise those who hardly saw you gala or formal party attire. 

you got into your car and chugged back a red bull before heading into Damian’s home. you saw a few cars parked in his garage along with a limo to which you assumed you and a few others were going to take. you annoyingly pushed the doorbell to strike a nerve in Damian. 

“woah,” you heard Dick say as he opened the door, “I know, I look good,” you said smiling. he nodded in agreement as the two of you walked in farther into the house. you could tell Dick kept looking at you every so often and even dropping a few compliments and pick up lines. 

as the two of you were walking, you hadn’t realized you had completely passed Damian and his friend. you were so enamored with your conversation with Dick that it wasn’t until Damian half-annoyed screamed your name out to catch your attention. you turned around and stopped mid way through when you saw Damian and his friend. 

“oh hey,” you whispered, not wanting to look at Damian’s friend in the eye. he was a lot more attractive than you had anticipated. “didn’t know you could actually clean up nicely,” Damian murmured, not even hiding the fact that he was checking you out. 

you gave him the middle finger in response, “this is Jon Kent, Jon, this is ( your name ), I guess she’s my friend,” he rolled his eyes at the last thing he had said. you slowly stuck your hand out to shake but much to your surprise, Jon had shook your hand rather excitedly. 

“nice to meet ya!” he exclaimed, his slight southern drawl coming out. you laughed at his excited tone, “heard a lot about ya!” he continued. you looked at Damian, “aww, you do like me!” you said, a mischievous smile appearing on your face. 

Damian kicked you in the back of the leg before murmuring that all of you needed to head out before any of you got into trouble for being late. you met up with Dick and Tim who were arguing about something as the three of you waited for Alfred to pull up with the car. 

the entire ride to the venue, it was just you and Jon talking here and there. you could tell that Jon was the very exact opposite of Damian and it was a wonder how him and Damian even got along with their personalities being the exact opposite from each other. once the car came to halt, all of you piled out, the cameras immediately snapping as they realized the Wayne’s have arrived. 

“don’t kill them this time,” Damian threatened you as you put up your hands in defense. you looked over to Jon and gave him a small nervous smile, “ready?” he asked as you nodded. 

he put his arm around your waist, tightening it as the two of you walked up to the red carpet. you smiled fakely to the cameras. Jon looked down at you, not expecting this reaction to the paparazzi. “not a fan, eh?” he asked. you shook your head no, “god knows how many times those idiots have thought that Damian and I were together.” 

Jon gave you a look, “but the two of you are like siblings?” you shook your head, “I know but they think we’re hiding behind all of that.” the two of you reached inside of the building to see the long extended tables as you and Jon were seated on a two chaired table. 

Jon pulled your chair out, making sure you were comfortable before sitting down across from you. the menu was pre filled as it was your job to make sure everything on it was correct and put everything they were going to serve for the course of the night. 

“so, what do you for a living in Metropolis?” you asked as they put small appetizers in front of you. Jon smiled, “I work for the newspaper,” he replied, “I bet it’s tough to be Damian’s assistant, huh?” he asked as you nodded yes, dramatically. 

through the course of the night, you and Jon talked, Jon making sure the conversation never died down. you had to give Damian credit. you weren’t exactly trustful in Damian that he would pull through on his blind date for you but Jon up till this point had not made you seem uncomfortable or even slightly creeped out. he was like the perfect gentleman. 

“wanna dance?” Jon asked, getting up from his chair and grabbing your hand softly. you held his hand, giving it a squeeze as a response. 

the two of you walked to the small dance floor as you saw a few of your coworkers, those who were either married or in long term relationships dancing. you gave them a wave as they waved back before going back to their conversations with their partners. 

“I’m glad you came,” you told Jon as you took a sip of your champagne shyly. he looked down to you and grinned, “I’m glad I did too. I wasn’t going too originally but once Damian told me a bit about you, I just knew I had to meet you,” he replied as you hid your face in his shoulder, slightly embarrassed. 

the song playing in the background happened to be a piano rendition of ‘Someday My Prince Will Come’. you had watched Snow White a million times as a child and the fact that this song was playing as you were dancing with someone who you hoped would give you a second date made your heart swell. 

“I have to admit, I’m glad I told Damian as well. the date was so last minute and honestly, Damian is the last person I would ever trust to put me in a blind date situation but I’m happy that he actually pulled through for once.” 

Jon laughed as he bent down a bit and kissed your cheek in response. you noticed that the more nervous Jon got, the more his slight southern accent would come out. you reciprocated the kiss but this time, you kissed him on the lips. he was taken by surprise but nevertheless, he returned it. this time deepening it a bit. 

after the two of you danced a few more songs, you took a break as Jon excused himself to the bathroom and you made a beeline to the bar to refill your glass along with Jon’s. 

“hey there gorgeous,” you heard the voice from the last person you wanted to see. you turned to Michael and gave him a tight lipped smile, “good evening Michael,” you responded, trying to get back to getting your drinks. “I saw you with your little boyfriend earlier but I knew I had to come over here and tell you how fine you looked.” 

you felt yourself wanting to gag by what he was saying as you felt him grab your wrist, “since your boyfriend isn’t around, how about you give me a little dance,” he asked. just as you were about to response, you felt Jon’s presence behind you, “who’s this, baby?” he asked, staring down at Michael. 

to Jon’s credit, he was towering over Michael. “no one,” you replied, shaking yourself off of him, “hiya! I’m Jon, ( your names ) boyfriend. you are?” he asked. Michael scoffed, half scared at how Jon was looming over him, “I’m her coworker,” he replied before leaving. 

you look to Jon in relief, “thank you so much,” you said. he smiled, putting his arm around your waist, “no problem, isn’t that what I’m here for?” he asked with a smile on his face. without actually realizing what you were doing, you happened to snuggle closer to Jon as you saw Damian approaching the two of you. 

throughout the rest of the night, you kept yourself to Jon’s side as you remained with Damian and a few others. every time you left, Jon made sure that once you returned, he always had his arm around your waist or shoulder. Jon’s grasp was firm and even slightly possessive but you did not mind it one bit. 

if you were being honest, you were hoping that at some point in the future, the two of you would get farther than that but for the moment, you enjoyed being in his grasp. 

[seiyasabi]

The Scientist

(Hange (Hanji) can rearrange by guts tbh :P Lol, anyways, this is a Yandere Hanji x Female Reader story! It takes place in current time tho (same universe as Yelena). Also, idgaf how tall the creator says Hanji is. In this fic, even the tall girlies get to be shorter than Hanji. 

TW: kidnapping!, !drugging!, unwanted advances, stalking!, etc! 

Please proceed with caution! Also, I’m sorry if you can tell that this was in my drafts for a hot min. I started to write this when I first started this blog, and I just finished/revised it lol. ) 

“Hey, (Nickname!” Hearing the loud shout of a certain brunet, you jump about a foot in the air. As usual, Hanji decides to surprise you whilst you’re in the middle of something. 

Pulling away from the microscope you’re currently looking at, you put on a strained smile, “Yes?” 

Their one eye sparkles in a hopeful fashion from behind their glasses, one of her their fiddling with their eyepatch, “Sooo,” They draw out the o, seemingly trying to disarm you, “Are you free this weekend? There’s this suuuuper cool bar that’s just opening, and me and the others are thinking about going! It’s totally not a date or anything,” They pause to let out a loud laugh, “I think it’ll be fun! What D'ya say?” 

Forcing out a chuckle, you shake your head, “Ah, I’m sorry, Hanji, but I’m busy this weekend. I have a lot of samples I need to process for that upcoming court case,” You chew your bottom lip nervously, “I’m sorry. I hope you and the others have a good time, though!” 

A new voice is heard, butting into your conversation, “I can do those! I’ve been needing more hours, anyways,” Whipping your head in the direction of the voice, you silently curse. Fuck Armin for being so helpful! 

Hanji beams even brighter than before, clapping their hands together happily, “See! Armin can do that for you!” They lean in closer to you, their lab coat brushing against yours, “Come on, (Nickname), I’d be reaaaaally happy if you go!” 

An uneasy feeling pools in your gut, as an anxious sweat begins to bead at your brow, “I-uhm-I suppose I can go for an hour or two.”

“Great!” They grab your hands in theirs, squeezing them in a friendly manner, “The bar is called ‘Titan’s Wrath,’ and we’re meeting at eight on Saturday!” Releasing you, they pat you on the back, “See you later!” They run off, most likely back to the dry lab. 

After a moment of silence, you slowly turn towards the short haired blond man, “Armin, I’m going to kill you.”

He blanches at your blunt tone, flushing a bright red, “Wha-what?” 

You grit your teeth, tears starting to bead your eyes in frustration, “They’re the person I was telling you about! Hanji constantly harasses me, and you practically just tossed me into their arms! Why would you do that?” 

A look of pure terror and remorse appears of his face, “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I-I didn’t realise that they were the person-oh my God, I’m so stupid. I-I really didn’t know! I’m so, so sorry!” You let out a quivering breath, hands clenched into fists to calm you down. 

“It-it’s alright. I never really told you who they were. Just never do that again, okay? If you need more hours, just tell me, and I’ll see what I can do,” The younger man sighs in relief, shoulders deflating. 

“I promise to never do that again!” You nod, blinking away your unshed tears, and smile at him. 

“Okay, then we don’t have any problems,” You laugh lightly, shaking your head, “Who would’ve thought our newest intern was the dry lab’s wing man?” He panics again, making you cackle good-naturedly, “Now, can you please grab the dilluter? I forgot to grab it from the fridge.”

-

Hanji, being the ever cheerful person that they are, set their sights on you the moment you were hired. 

But, if they came out with their feelings immediately, you’d just assume that they wanted to take advantage of you. 

So, they watched you. Writing down your likes and dislikes, your quirks, everything. Through their ‘research,’ they came to realise that you’re very good at your job. The wet-lab should be lucky that they have you… but they never give you the recognition you deserve! 

They bombard you with assignments, become upset when you don’t finish them in seconds (which is so unreasonable!), and hardly give you any time off! 

You don’t seem to mind, being the good girl you are, but Hanji sure does! 

So, they’d seek out the top graduates from the college nearby, and help them become employed at the lab. The newbies really helped get the load off of your shoulders, and once done, they decided to swoop in now that you had a decent amount of free time. 

It started at the vending machine- they’d asked you if you wanted to get coffee with them sometime. You said no, probably because you felt it wasn’t professional. After all, rumours would spread like wildfire if you went out with the lead lab tech of the dry lab! 

So, everytime they knew you had a weekend off, they’d approach you with new places to try. 

Be it a movie, a store, a concert- it didn’t matter. They just desperately wanted to have some time with you! 

But, you reacted the complete opposite of how you were supposed to. 

You’d pick up as many shifts as possible, most times going into over time, just to avoid the flamboyant lead. Whenever you saw them in the hall or by the break room, you’d turn in the complete opposite direction. If wet-lab needed to correspond with the dry-lab, you’d send your most qualified coworker to do so. 

It was saddening, to be honest. They love you so much, yet you refuse to even face them. 

But, thanks to that Armin kid, their plans can finally bloom into fruition. For once, you can’t escape the brunet’s advances! 

Because of that, Hanji made a note to the owner of the lab that Armin would make a good contribution to the lab after he gets all of his qualifications. 

-

Saturday night comes far too soon. 

Dressed in black skinny jeans and a cropped, white long sleeve, you stand in front of ‘Titans Wrath.’ Scoffing at how the bar sounds like a metal band, you make your way inside. 

Grabbing the door handle, you yank it open, immediately hearing loud rock music. Mentally patting yourself on the back for your observation, you step inside of the cool building. 

Looking inside, you see a large, double sided bar in the middle of the room, a stage and standing area just behind it. There are a few pool tables in the front area where you’re standing, along with double doors leading to a hidden kitchen. 

There’s also a lot of people inside. You can’t see Hanji or their friends, but seeing a band setting up on the stage tells you that they’re probably on the other side of the bar. 

Walking over to the steps leading down into the stage area, you try to ignore the leers of a few men around you. Maybe you shouldn’t have worn clothes that accentuate your beautiful figure. Peering around the corner, you see the scientist and their friends, an empty seat in between them and a large blond man, that you vaguely recall being the police chief of your city. 

Strolling towards them halfheartedly, you give yourself a small peptalk inside of your mind. Sure, Hanji has always been touchy-feely with you, sure, they’ve asked you out about one hundred times, sure, you run into them every time you leave the house, sure- 

“(Nickname)! You actually came!” The brunet’s voice is loud, loud enough to cut through the loud music and equally loud chatter. Forcing a smile onto your face, you give a small wave, suddenly uncomfortable with the line of strangers at the bar suddenly looking at you. 

“Yes, hello, Hanji,” When you’re close enough, you’re thrown into a tight embrace, their body practically molding into your own. They’re about a head taller than you, making it so your head is practically forced against their protruding collarbones. Hesitating slightly, you give them a soft pat on the back, trying to escape their suffocating embrace. 

“I’m so glad you came!” They release you just as suddenly as they grabbed you, putting a hand on the small of your back, and practically forcing you in between the blond man and themself, “(Nickname), this is Erwin. Erwin, this is (First Name).”

His blue eyes rake over your appearance, recognition appearing on his face, “It’s nice to see you again, Ms. (Last Name), especially under better circumstances.” 

You nod, thinking back on some high profile cases you met with him for, “Yes, it’s nice to see you again, Mr. Smith.” 

A loud scoff is heard from beside Erwin, the head of a short, dark haired man peeks around the broad chested man, “It’s about time you brought a respectful brat,” You have to stop yourself from flinching at his harsh tone, “I am Levi,” Opening your mouth to introduce yourself, he holds up a hand, halting you, “There’s no need for introductions, Shitty-glasses has gushed about the ‘pretty wet-lab scientist’ for months now.” 

“Oh, alright. It’s nice to meet you,” His lifts his whiskey on rocks in acknowledgement, before downing it with one swig. 

“Likewise,” After that, he turns towards a light brown haired woman, her high pitched voice is heard from where you’re sitting. 

“I’m sorry about that. The detective is very… unsociable.” 

“It’s alright, Mr. Smith. He kind of reminds me of one of my interns, Annie,” You say with a small smile, before your swiveling bar stool is forced around so you’re facing Hanji. 

“Sooo, you like the bar so far?” Their smile is somewhat pleading, and you can’t help but just go along with them. 

“Yes, this place is, um, cool. Very interesting choice,” They clasp their hands together with a pleased expression, as they somehow move closer to you than they already are. At this point, you’re worried that they’ll fall off their stool. 

“Right? Our residential emo boy found it, and we’ve been hooked ever since,” A loud ‘Shut up, Shitty-glasses,’ is heard from behind you, making the brunet laugh, “Let me order you a drink! I think there’s something that you’ll really like!” 

Opening your mouth to reject, it was seemingly too late, because the brunet has already waved over a punk-ed out bartender. You didn’t really hear what the drink is called, but the man sets to work immediately. 

It barely takes a minute for it to be finished, and the purple drink is suddenly in front of your motionless form. Looking up, the purple haired man winks at you, before turning his attention back to a speaking Hanji. 

“Anything she orders, put it on my tab,” He nods, before walking off to service another customer. 

Turning your attention back to Hanji, you try to persuade them to let you pay, “Thanks, Hanji, but it’s alright. I can pay for my own drinks-”

“Don’t worry about it; I asked you out, remember? And it’s the least I can do for harassing you for the past few months,” Startled by their uncharacteristically somber words, you nod in understanding. 

“Alright. Thank you,” They nod, before motioning towards your drink. 

“Try it! I’m sure you’ll like it!” Grabbing the cool glass cup, you bring it up to your lips, and take a small sip. It’s amazing. It tastes like (favourite flavour), and it goes down smooth. 

“You’re right, this is delicious!” They grin brightly, clapping their hands together in glee. 

“Great!” They motion towards the stage with their head, “The show’s about to start! Are you ready for a kickass night?” You laugh at their vigour, and nod. 

“You bet!” 

Maybe tonight won’t be so bad after all. 

-

You spoke too soon. 

It seems like you’ve drank too much, because you’re now feeling dizzy. Throughout the set, you’d ordered about five more drinks, and they seemingly hit you all at once. 

Hanji, who’s been watching you since your fourth drink, feigns shock at your unstable form. That Rohypnol they grabbed from work works quite well! Now they can see why it’s the choice drug for those awful, awful people. 

“Whoa there, (Nickname), it seems you’ve had too much to drink!” Hanji jokes, hands holding you steady on your bar stool. The only person from your group still at the bar is Erwin, but he knows they have it under control. As chief of police, he feels a bit of remorse, but he knows it's for the best. Hanji will take care of you, because, after all, you’re their only true obsession. 

“Wha-huh? Was’ happenin?” Hanji can all but coo at how cute you are. 

“Don’t worry, cutie. I’ll get you home safe,” Helping you to your boot clad feet, they send a knowing look to Erwin, who smiles in return. Wrapping an arm around your waist, they help you stumble out of the bar, and walk towards their car. Once at the passenger side, the brunet unlocks the door, and assists you inside. You flop onto their leather interior, eyes unfocused, and body movements random. Chuckling to themself, they buckle you in, not before pulling on gloves, and taking your phone, keys, and wallet off of you. 

Taking these items, they empty your wallet of its cash, and chuck everything into a nearby bush. Knowing that the cameras outside the building and the buildings surrounding the place are off, they feel at ease. If anything, they feel like your knight in shining armour. If they hadn’t taken you, someone else would’ve-you’re just too cute. 

Closing your door, and rounding the car, they slide into the driver’s side, before starting the car. Buckling themself in, they look at your out-of-it form, and smile. 

[andvys]

You will be my girl

Warnings: alcohol consumption, a bit of a steamy scene towards the end

Pairing: Rockstar!Ellie Williams x Reader

You just got done with your shift at the small cafe you were working at. You went into the break room, taking off your apron, laying it on the table, you heard Dina walking in behind you.

Dina was your best friend and your coworker, you’ve known each other since elementary school and you were attached to each other ever since. You even lived together. She was basically your sister at this point, with how you close you are.

“So.... you coming tonight right.?” She asked, looking at you with hope in her eyes.

She was referring to a bar, where a concert was supposed to be tonight. You knew she only wanted to go because of Jesse, he was a regular at your café. Always coming in to get coffee for him and his band. He was nice you liked him and Dina was crushing hard on him. You constantly tried to encourage her to ask him out on a date, knowing that Jesse would agree right away but she was stubborn about it, wanting him to make the first move and he did, inviting her to come see him and his band play at the towns bar tonight and to hang out later with him, playing it cool she agreed to it only to completely flip out once he left the café. You were excited for her, happy about seeing her finally liking someone this way.

“Of course, Dina. Can’t let you go there by yourself. We don’t want you to do something you’ll regret later on.” You winked at her.

Teasing her was your favorite thing to do.

“Ugh you’re the worst (y/n).” She rolled her eyes at you. “Make sure to look hot tonight, maybe you’ll find yourself a hot lady friend.” Now she was the one teasing you. “I’m not the one going on a “date” tonight.” You replied.

“Whatever.” She said before walking back out to the counter.

Putting your jacket on, you grabbed your stuff and went over to the counter asking Dina to make you a coffee before leaving. You would surely need it, knowing you’d be at the bar till late in the night. You talked to Dina for a while longer before leaving to go home, not noticing that a stranger was admiring you from afar.

You got home, took a shower and started to get ready. You wanted to look good tonight, you rarely went out so you might as well put some effort into your outfit.

By the time you got to the bar it was pretty crowded already. Some loud rock music playing. Dina was holding your hand pulling you towards the bar to get some drinks.

She waved the bartender over. “Hi, can I please get two Long Island iced teas?” She yelled over the loud the music. The bartender nodding at her, starting to mix the drinks.

“You’re not planning on getting drunk tonight are you Dina?” You asked.

“Umm of course I’m planning on getting drunk, come on (y/n) it’s Friday night, loosen up a little we’re gonna have a good time!” She was so excited about this night, it was kinda cute.

“Alright, how am I gonna get your drunk ass home if I’m gonna be drunk myself?” You questioned.

“Who says we’re going home tonight?” She smirked at you.

You gasped, “Dina you dirty girl, planning on keeping Jesse some company tonight aren’t you?” Smirking at her.

“Yup and we are going to find you a hot girl to hook up with, trust me you need it when was the last time you had sex anyways?” She asked you.

This girl was really testing you tonight.

“Dina!! I’m perfectly fine alright? Plus if you go home with Jesse tonight, I’ll have the apartment to myself, not having to deal with your drunk ass seems pretty nice to me.”

“That’s exactly why you have to find yourself a girl tonight, apartment is free you can be as loud as you want to.” She winked at you.

“Oh my god, okay whatever.” You gave in knowing it was a lost cause discussing this with her, she would bug you as long as she had to till you’d agree with her.

Just when you got your drinks you saw Jesse coming up behind Dina, motioning for you to not tell her he’s behind her.

He put his hands in front of her eyes, “guess who?” He smiled standing close to her.

Dina started grinning, “ummm is it the weird guy from the café who keeps ordering the grossest drinks ever?” She started teasing him.

She was not wrong about it, Jesse did order the weirdest drinks ever.

“Hey they’re not gross”, Jesse protested.

Coming up from behind her he pulled her into a hug. He turned around also pulling you in for a quick hug, ruffling your hair.

“Hey (y/n), nice seeing you here. I hope you enjoy our music.” He smiled at you.

Smiling back at him, “Hi Jesse, I’m sure I will!”

Wanting to give them some privacy you decided to go sit at one of the free tables close to the stage. You watched the rest of the band setting up some stuff, preparing for the concert. You noticed a girl amongst the other people on the stage, strumming her guitar. She was hot, the way she had half of her hair in a bun, she was wearing a plaid shirt that had the sleeves cut off, showing off a tattoo on her arm. She was definitely your type. You couldn’t help but stare at her, looking her up and down you didn’t realize she catched you staring at her until you looked back at her face, noticing how her eyes were on you now. Your eyes widened, embarrassed about her catching you shamelessly checking her out. She smirked at you, challenging you to keep looking at her. You suddenly felt shy under her gaze not able to look at her anymore you tried distracting yourself with your phone, switching from one app to another. You didn’t even know why you had your phone in your hand, you couldn’t distract yourself not when you could still feel her eyes on you.

Was she actually still looking at you or was your mind playing tricks on you? Looking up to where she was, she was indeed still staring at you. Giving her a shy smile you didn’t notice Dina sitting down next to you. She watched you and the stranger sending literal heart eyes to each other, she started smirking remembering how you just told her minutes ago how you were perfectly fine on your own and now you and the stranger were practically undressing each other with your eyes.

“Hah, look at you eye fucking the singer, didn’t peg you for a groupie (y/n).” Dina laughed at you.

Shocked at Dina’s words you snapped out if it, “Dina!!”. You were embarrassed, not only did the hot girl catch you staring at her Dina did too, she was going to be so annoying about this now.

“I mean, she looks pretty into you too. Guess you won’t be going home alone after all.” She smiled, taking a sip of her drink. She noticed how shy you’ve gotten, deciding to spare you from her teasing right now she told you how they were going to start with the concert now, she took your hand pulling you away from the table and towards the stage, you suddenly got nervous. Noticing how close you’ve gotten to the stage, meaning you were closer to the girl too. Trying to avoid looking at the stage before they start playing you were making small talk with Dina over the loud chattering of all the people that gathered around the stage.

A few minutes later the band finally started playing. Jesse being the drummer, two other guys both with electric guitars, similar to the one the girl had, she was standing at the front fixing the mic before she started singing.

Her voice was just as beautiful as she was. The crowd going wild when the first song started playing. Dina grabbed your hands and started dancing to the music.

You haven’t felt this good in such a long time. The band was amazing and you had so much fun, forgetting everything for a moment. You asked yourself why you didn’t go to concerts more often.

The girl kept staring at you throughout the whole concert, occasionally looking away only to have her eyes back on you a moment later. Smirking and winking at you at certain parts of the lyrics she sang.

You were a mess under her gaze but something about her pulled you in, you were intrigued.

You noticed her flushed cheeks and her face covered in a thin layer of sweat from performing all night.

The concert was coming to an end, currently playing a much slower song, her voice getting a little raspy now. It was raw and beautiful and she looked even prettier now, her eyes currently closed she enjoyed the last song of the night.

When she was done, she said a quick thank you into the mic and the crowd started clapping and whistling for the last time that night. She looked at you one last time before disappearing behind the curtains.

Jesse waved Dina over, motioning her to follow him to the stage room. You started smirking at her.“Go get him tiger.” You laughed when you saw her starting to blush.

“You’re the worst (y/n).” She said. Playfully rolling her eyes at you.

You pushed her towards were Jesse was waiting for her, telling her you were going to get some drinks at the bar. She finally started walking towards him.

Watching how Jesse smiled at her and took her small hand in his much larger one was so cute, you were happy for your best friend. You had to admit Jesse and Dina would make a good pair.

You sat down, ordering yourself another drink. You looked around, noting how it was getting a little less crowded now, some 60s rock playing in the background.

The bartender putting down the drink in front of you, he gave you a small smile and went back to his other costumers.

You took a sip of your drink, feeling someone come up beside you, you realized it was the girl from the band, she ordered herself a whiskey. She turned to you finally seeing you up close, she looked you up and down and sat down on the bar stool next you you. She was bold, you liked that.

You turned to look at her and gave her small smile “hi” you shyly said.

“hey, I’m Ellie.” She confidently said, looking into your eyes.

“I’m (y/n).” God you were so nervous, you don’t remember ever being this nervous before talking to someone.

She smiled at you, “So... did you enjoy yourself tonight?” She asked. Taking a sip from her whiskey.

“Yes! All of the songs you performed tonight were amazing but the last one was definitely my favorite.” You were talking about ‘through the valley’ by Shawn James. You definitely preferred Ellie’s version of the song, loving her voice and the raw emotion she put into it.

“It’s my favorite too.” She added. Her voice was going to be the death of you, it was so raspy right now and she looked so hot. Your palms were getting sweaty, she was making you nervous.

Ellie wasn’t stupid, she saw the effect she had on you and she enjoyed it. She felt the same though, she was just better at controlling her emotions.

She was enamored with you the second she saw you at the café this morning, she knew you didn’t see her but she desperately wanted to ask you out but you left the café before she had the chance too, so seeing you at her concert tonight was a surprise, she was excited to see you here and she had to take a chance and talk to you. Ellie wanted you, bad.

You kept some small talk going but that quickly turned into some flirting from both sides, you noticed how hot it’s suddenly gotten. You needed to splash some water on your face, your cheeks felt like they were on fire. Your skin was so hot, it was just Ellie’s effect on you. This sensation was new to you, you haven’t felt this way before, not even with your ex girlfriend. You excused yourself to the bathroom, telling Ellie you’d be right back. She bit her lip, watching you leave.

You went into the bathroom, splashing some water on your face you looked into the mirror. Telling yourself to get a grip, she was just a girl. No she wasn’t just a girl, she made you nervous. You were totally at her mercy, you didn’t even know her, she was a stranger but she gave you a such comfortable feeling, letting you know you were safe with her. Hearing the door open behind you, you saw Ellie through the mirror. You turned around staring at her as she was slowly making her way towards you. You stared at her. You knew she wasn’t here to make conversation and you were totally fine with that. She was so close to you now, her nose almost touching yours. Feeling her breath on your skin. Your heart started racing. You were looking at her lips, boldly you decided to make the first move, you got closer and brushed your lips against hers, testing the waters. Looking into her eyes, giving her a teasing smile.

She smirked at you, grabbing your face she closed her eyes and smashed her lips against yours. You gasped in her mouth, closing your eyes as well you put your arms around her neck and started kissing her back. You tasted the whiskey she had earlier. Staying like that for a while, kissing each other, her hands left your face, she grabbed you by your waist pulling you even closer to her, her grip was tight. You liked the way she was holding you against her.

Pulling away from each other you were left breathless, Ellie started kissing your neck, teasing you, her hands going lower she grabbed your thighs putting you up on the sink. She got in between your legs, going in for another kiss. This one being more heated, she brushed her tongue on your bottom lip, asking for entrance, which you granted her. She softly put her hands around your throat, squeezing slightly causing you to let out a moan.

She smirked into the kiss. You put your legs around her waist grabbing her face you pulled her closer.

After what felt like forever of making out, she pulled away looking at your disheveled hair and your puffy lips from all the kissing, she gave you a sweet kiss.

Brushing some hair out of your face. “So do you want to...” not even letting her finish “yes” she started grinning at you “my place?” She asked you.

“We can had back to mine, my roommate isn’t home.” You smirked at her

She gave you a devilish smile, “good, we wouldn’t want to wake up your roommate, babe.” She whispered in your ear, giving you another kiss, she grabbed your hand, intertwining your fingers she guided you out of the bar.

@twdimagining your wish is my command, here’s the first part to rockstar ellie!! Hope this is what you imagined it like to be!! Second part is going to be a steamy one 👀💕

[vad-hander]

JAEBEOM, THE GUY FROM THE BAR

Pairing: Jaebeom x reader

Genre: Series | Eventual Smut | Angst | Fluff

Warnings: break up, cheating, strangers to lovers, mentions of drinking

Words: 2.9k

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

As soon as the clock on your phone hit 5:00 PM, you got all of your belongings into your bag, subconsciously typing into your Uber search the address of the bar you spent your last Friday at. The estimated one and a half hours of the drive didn’t change your spontaneous decision.

You ran out of the building, noticing the car that was waiting for you, jumping into the backseat and greeting the driver. Your eyes focused on the view behind the window, not getting used to the quick change of the picture as the car drove through the city. You watched people get off work, running to their cars and taxis, walking with their coworkers to the bus stations, noticing in this craziness people, who were just walking through the city with a drink in their hand, enjoying the breeze of the evening, that was spreading over the city.

Your thoughts ran everywhere, but mostly they ran around the guy you spoke to last weekend. Your mind went back to him multiple times during work, you thought of him a couple of times when you watched TV and you remembered what he said when your boyfriend leaned in to kiss you on your date this Wednesday. The guy pissed you off with his words, made you furious with his silly assumptions, but regardless something inside of you was curious to see him once again. With vague memories of the night due to amount of drinks you consumed you were remembering vividly three things: how he called you pretty, how his eyes turned into moons when you joked with him and how he said he was a regular there. The last one haunted you through the whole week, making your mind up to go and try your luck to see him.

You didn’t change your mind though, you weren’t interested in him, but you liked the idea of talking to someone who’s not related to anyone you know at all. It was nice to talk to him, laugh with him and just be next to him even when he spoke nonsense and made you mad. He was a complete stranger and this fact made your insides tingle.

A loud ‘excuse me’ woke you up, letting you know that you somehow fell asleep and that you already arrived. You thanked the driver for the ride and for waking you up, quickly running across the street to get in front of the entrance to this bar-club place. You doubted for a slight second if it was a good idea to do so, when a small crowd pushed you towards the entrance, giving you no option to back off. At the end of the day, there was a chance that he just didn’t come here today, a chance of him not remembering that he spoke to you and a chance that he’d be with someone he wouldn’t want to give up to pay attention to you.

The place wasn’t completely packed, and now, when it was still pretty early in the evening it looked different from what you remembered. It seemed to you as if they had more tables out, but you weren’t too sure about it. You ran your eyes over the room, trying not to look as if you were looking for someone too much. Sitting down at the only empty spot at the bar that was in the furthest corner of it, you raised your arm when bartender turned his head towards your direction and he gave you a light nod signalling that he noticed you. The guy behind the bar was the same one as the one last weekend, and a silent question if he remembered you hung over you like a cloud.

“Rum and coke?” he asked on his way to you before you could even open your mouth.

He remembered your silent party for one, nice.

“No.” you smiled awkwardly “Just coke would be fine.”

“No problem.” he smiled kindheartedly, placing a glass in front of you.

“Thanks.” you sighed into the glass, taking a sip of the sparkling beverage.

Getting drunk tonight wasn’t your plan, you just went there to hang out and chill, you weren’t into drinking regularly and you weren’t into spending much money on that too. Your main goal was … what it actually was? You didn’t know what your goal was. You just went there to make a friend, maybe it sounded too childishly, but your inner you didn’t want to lose the person you talked to. Your inner you wanted to keep in contact with the guy for whatever reason there was, if there was any.

You fished your phone from your pocket, running your eyes through the messages that your coworkers sent in your chat.

The coke was quickly gone, and before you could even call the bartender, he was already in front of you.

“Coke?”

“Add half a rum to that.” you said shyly and the bartender nodded knowingly.

“Just a second.” a glass landed in front of you.

“Thanks.” you smiled.

“Difficult week?” the voice you remembered clearly resonated behind your back. You swallowed heavily, taking a sip and turning your head towards him. You tried to look careless but when your, sober this time, mind landed on his face, it felt as if the air was punched from your lungs.

So he really was THAT handsome, you didn’t imagine it. The thought ran through your mind multiple times, before you could reply back to him.

“Kind of.” you shot him a smile and his features visibly eased. He looked around but all the seats around you were taken, making the both of you separately but at the same time sad. “You’re here alone?” the question left your mouth when his eyes met yours again. He smirked in reply and you scolded yourself internally for asking.

“No, my friend and his girlfriend are over there.” he quickly pointed somewhere behind your back. “Are you?” his eyes ran over the bar quickly.

“Yeah…” you coughed awkwardly expecting him to ask why you’re here alone, but he didn’t do it for some reason, dropping the topic.

“Want to go over there to my friends?”

“You remember I have a boyfriend, right?” you stuttered while asking and he laughed loudly, making the guy to your right turn his head towards you two.

“I thought you dumped that scum back right after I told you the truth.” he said carelessly making you immediately regret coming all the way here to see HIM.

“Why exactly would I listen to a rootless advice of a guy I met for the first time at a bar and still don’t know the name of?”

“You seem to be a smart girl, maybe that’s why I thought so.” he paused “And it’s Jaebeom, by the way.”

“Is that an insult or a compliment, I can’t figure it out.” you raised your brows at him with a smirk.

“It’s another invitation to hang out with me.” he smiled mysteriously, expanding a hand in front of you to take it. You doubted, wondering if it won’t be awkward, if it’s what you wanted, but then on the other hand you’ll just go back home because he’ll give up, and all this long way will be pointless.

“Okay.” your hand found your glass, getting up.

“You didn’t tell me your name.” he pointed when you stood up next to him.

“It’s Y/n.”

“Very nice to meet you again, Y/n.” he looked you deeply in the eyes, making you feel as if honey dripped off your ears when your name left his mouth.

He walked towards where his friends were. Now the both of you were standing and you could check out how tall and wide he was, you could see how long his legs were and how tiny his waist was in comparison to shoulders. You stared at his back, not noticing how he stopped walking, bumping into his back with your drink. His immediate reaction, before even turning to you or saying anything, was pulling the sweatshirt, that he was wearing, off his body immediately. Everything happened so quickly you didn’t say or do anything, you just froze, watching him take it off and turn to you. Your eyes noticed how his shirt crawled up his stomach, letting you know he had a happy trail. You tried to shove that information into the furthest drawer in your head but the more you tried the quicker the image flashed before your eyes.

He probably looked at you and your eyes slowly ran up to his face in fear.

“Now you owe me one.” he said calmly and you sighed in relief.

“Yeah… okay, I’m sorry. Things like that don’t usually happen to me.”

“Don’t mind, it’s fine.” his hand landed on your shoulder, rubbing it soothingly. “By the way, that’s my friend Jinyoung and his girlfriend Joohyun.” he turned half of his body towards them. The girl waved at you kindly, while Jinyoung’s eyes ran over you, judging.

“Hi.” he nodded in pout.

“Hi.” you replied.

“That’s the girl you said wa…?” he spoke, turning his gaze to Jaebeom.

“No. No, that’s not her. Shut up.” he cut him off quickly, making your curiosity eat you from inside out in a span of a second. He has someone else? The girl that was…? Was what…? The girl he dated? The girl he wanted to date? The girl that was what? Pretty? Your mind ran over Jinyoungs words from every way possible, before you stopped and asked yourself the main question - why did you care? You’re the one with the boyfriend. You made a mental note to train yourself to stop the curious person inside of you. You shouldn’t care, even if he does have a girl that was something worth talking about it, you shouldn’t care, because you’re the one who wanted to be friends, the one who weren’t interested in THAT way. “Here, sit.” he showed you with his hand to sit on a free couch across the table from his friends. “Want a new rum and coke?” he asked when you sat and you jumped up, protesting. Jinyoung and Joohyun looked confusedly at you and you shot them an awkward smile. “She’s afraid I’ll poison her and take advantage.” Jaebeom said beside you and you shook your head no vigorously.

“It’s not that… I just don’t like people paying for me.”

“Nice.” Jinyoung nodded approvingly.

“Let’s go back to the bar together?” Jaebeom asked again.

“If you’ll get me a bottle of water I’ll be endlessly thankful.” you smiled at him, sitting back down.

“Okay.” he nodded and left.

“So…” Jinyoung drew your attention to him “For how long have you known Jaebeom?”

“A week…”

“A week?” You nodded “So it’s your first date?” Joohyun asked.

“No, no. We met accidentally here, today and last week too. I just found out his name.” you chuckled.

“Maybe this is faith?” Joohyun said suddenly excited.

“I’m in a relationship.” you said shyly.

“That won’t be a problem for him.” Jinyoung said carelessly and you were on the verge of chocking on air.

“Jinyoung!” Joohyun exclaimed.

“What won’t be a problem for who?” Jaebeom asked from behind your back, making you jump.

“For you to charm anyone.” Joohyun said sweetly “Are you here from work?” she changed the topic, talking directly to you.

“Yeah…”

“You’re working somewhere nearby?”

“Kind of… not really… I just liked the place last week and wanted to hang over here again.” you moved your gaze from Joohyun to Jinyoung and then turned to meet Jaebeom’s eyes, who stared at you with a smile.

“I knew I’d see you again when you were leaving.” he kept smiling, resting his head on his palm. His eyes were looking at you warmly and you didn’t know what to do under his stare.

“Why?”

“I just knew.” his eyes ran over your face landing on your lips and going back up to your eyes. You watched him lick his lips, expecting him to speak afterwards, but he just stared. “Y/n…” he randomly said your name aloud, as if he was tasting it on his tongue. You turned away to see what his friends were doing meeting their gazes on you.

Joohyun stood up, expanding her hand to Jinyoung, inviting him to go. “We’ll go dance.” she smiled and Jaebeom nodded, resting his hand on the backrest of the couch. You felt his body move quicker and you got in instant panic, scared of what he could possibly do, if he’d do anything.

“Why did you come alone?” his face got closer to your ear, giving you an opportunity to know what he smells like “Is your boyfriend with his best friends sister again?”

Oh, boy, he smelled as good as he looked.

“I just came here after work, that’s it.”

“I’m glad you did.” you could feel him smile with your skin.

“Why?” you tried to face him but his head was too close to not touch faces.

“I told you you caught my eye. I like your company.” you kept quiet not knowing what to say. “Do you not like me even a little bit?” he sulked and you felt your insides cry in response.

“No, you’re fine. We could be friends.” you nodded joyfully, moving you body to sit further and finally look him in the eyes.

“I’ll be whatever you’ll call me.” he chuckled and pushed back, resting his back against the couch.

A weird vibration drew your attention to your back, making you realise a couple of seconds later your phone rang.

“Jenoyah” you picked up the call as soon as your eyes ran over the callers name. “Hi baby. I’m at the bar, you didn’t pick up so I went alone. Where were you?” he told you he just got off work. “No, I won’t come early tomorrow, no, it’s not because I’m drinking at the club without you.” you laughed “no, baby, you don’t have to be jealous.” you turned away under Jaebeom’s piercing gaze. “I have to get a part of your birthday gift on the other side of the city. I don’t think I’ll make it before 1pm. I’m sorry, I’ll try to come as early as possible, so don’t leave your home just in case.” you chuckled again. “Yes, I love you, see you tomorrow, birthday boy. Bye-bye.” you smiled to yourself, before turning back to face Jaebeom.

“Sweet.” he commented. “I thought you’re the type to get ready for events a month prior.”

“I am, I lied to surprise him. I’ll come in the morning with miyeok guk, I just didn’t want him to now.” you said excitedly but stopped yourself again, focusing your vision on his face.

“Can you make me a miyeok guk for my birthday?” he simply asked making you startled again.

“It depends.” you mumbled.

“I won’t let you forget about the promise.” he booped your nose with his finger and you lost everything you had in your mind.

“Is that going to count as the one I owed you?”

“No. You won’t get off that easily, you ruined my favourite sweatshirt, how am I going to pick up girls with the back of my shirt being soaked in coke.”

“Don’t you need to get rid of me to pick up girls first?” you genuinely wondered.

“I can always tell you’re my sister.” he laughed.

Your eyes ran over your phone, noticing the time on the Lock Screen. 9 pm, with keeping in mind you have to wake up early and had over an hour to go home, you were in need to leave now.

“Actually, I have to go.”

“I won’t pick up girls, it’s a joke.”

“No it’s not that, I really need to go, I need to get up early.” you excused yourself.

“Let me drive you home? Now you know me more or less, you know there’s nothing to be afraid of.” your mind ran over the possibility of all the conversations the both of you could have in this long drive, making up your mind to say no.

“I don’t want to bother you, have fun. Hope to see you again.” you stood up quicker than it was needed, knocking over the bottle that was standing on the table in front of you. “Fuck.” you sighed. “What is wrong with me today? I think you’re a bad influence for me.” you chuckled.

“Thank god the water bottle is sealed.” he laughed and stood up too.

He walked closer to you, making you stand in front of each other.

“Promise me you’ll come here again.”

“I can’t promise that.”

“Please do, I’ll come here everyday to not miss out on you.” Your silly mind thought for a slight second he leaned in to kiss you and even the thought of it gave you a whiplash. “I honestly will do that.” he leaned in more, whispering into your ear. You lost all your words in the way he spoke to you and your body malfunctioned. “I’ll hug you.” he whispered in your ear, pulling you in with both his hands, making you tuck your head in his chest with the way he hugged you. “Bye, Y/n.” his hands left you and now you weren’t too into leaving this place without him.

He had an effect on you you couldn’t explain.

[the-witty-pen-name]

Dive Bar

Bucky x F!Reader 

Prompt: “Call me / her that again, and you will find my steel somewhere uncomfortable”

Warnings: drinking, harassment, violence, cursing 

Word Count: 2.7k

A/N: Thank you so much to @everyhowlmarksthedead for the suggestion! I loved this prompt and this was so fun to write!!

If anyone thinks I should write a part 2 to this, let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in! 

My tag list and requests are both open!

Thank you all so much for reading!!

There was a hole in the wall dive bar Bucky would frequent. He’d been dragged all over New York by Sam now that it was just them and he hated every place Sam would force him to go except this bar. It was a place that besides his apartment, Bucky found comfortable. For the most part it was a relatively relaxed atmosphere and even though he couldn’t get drunk, it was one of his favorite places to go. Sam went with him a few times, but for the most part Bucky went on his own. He liked having a place that was like his go-to. He’d been working on collecting a lot of his own regular places- coffee shop, news stand, bar… It was helping him find some sense of stability in recent times.

It was a little busier in the bar than normal, probably because there was a football on tonight. It still wasn’t too much, he enjoyed just nursing a beer and sitting in a rounded booth in the back just people watching or just enjoying the atmosphere. All the employees knew him by now, and he was comfortable taking off his jacket and gloves. He’s sure everyone knew who he was just by the arm alone, but he appreciated that people here didn’t normally bother him. The only people who have approached him, hadn’t recognized him and ask if he served in the military. He’d smile and say he did, and they’d thank him for his service.

Since it was a busier night, Bucky noticed they had two people who usually bartended were brought in to run drinks and take orders while two other people were bartending. Almost every seat at the bar was taken, and all of the booths were filled. Couples filled the three high top tables that were on top of the small makeshift dance floor, obviously extra tables brought in to accommodate for the busy night. Most of the people there were very preoccupied by the tv behind the bar, expect for the two servers who were running back and forth from the bar with trays of drinks.

“How you doing Bucky?” You ask with a grin as you walk by, balancing a tray of tall drafts and a pitcher. You bring the tray to the booth right next to his and then return to briefly chat with him. You knew him pretty well as you were usually the bartender on the nights he comes by. Bucky hadn’t admitted to himself yet, but you were one of the main reasons he kept coming back. He most definitely was developing a crush on you.

“Hey (Y/N),” he smiled looking up at you returning your grin. “Much better now,” he said playfully, feeling relaxed just seeing you. “How’s your night going?” He asks.

“Busy,” you chuckle, gesturing to the atmosphere, “Great night for tips though.”

“Yeah, definitely,” he agreed.

“You’re surprisingly sober,” you comment with a smirk, as you grab the several empty bottles in front of him.

“Oh…,” He says awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. “I can’t get drunk.”

“So, you drink beer for the taste? Weird,” you laugh. It makes him smile, and the nervousness that had risen subsides again.

“You don’t like beer?” He asks.

“I like the affects of it,” you joke, “I wouldn’t choose to drink it for the taste alone. But that’s just me. I don’t judge you, Buck.”

He opens his mouth to respond but you are pulled away from him by a loud voice rudely trying to get your attention. A guy a few booths down has an empty glass and his refill is clearly the most important thing to ever happen. You roll your eyes playfully and Bucky laughs before you head over to deal with the rude customer.

The night continues on and as the game ends, people stagger out. There’re a few stragglers at the bar and the high tops have been moved so some couples can sway to some slow songs playing on the jukebox. Bucky has moved from his seat at a booth to the bar now that your fellow coworkers have left for the night and you’ve taken over as bartender. The night is definitely coming to an end and the atmosphere has become much more mellow.

You were cleaning off the counters behind the bar, getting a head start on cleaning up for the night, as Bucky just watched you intently. The place had mellowed out to a comfortable silence despite the few people that you knew would linger until you ushered them out.

Bucky was thinking back to one of the first times he came here with Sam and how immediately Sam was able to pick up Bucky’s interest in you. Sam had teased him when Bucky would fumble over his words when you would talk to him. Sam would insist Bucky hurry up and ask you out before someone else would. At the time, he hadn’t felt ready to open himself up to someone else. He wanted to take some time for himself. How could he even possibly think of bringing someone else into this equation before taking care of himself first? It wouldn’t be fair to either person in that equation. But now, it finally felt like he was ready. He knew now he was ready to let someone in, but now his fear he battled with was the possibility of rejection.

Now, with the calmness of the night and the low, romantic song playing from the jukebox as the last two couples sway to the music, it started to feel like it could be the right moment. Maybe Sam was right, and he waited to long to say something. Fear of rejection made him also worried about not being able to ever show his face here again. He asks you out, you say no, and then suddenly one of his places he loses forever. He loses seeing you and he loses this place where he can allow himself to just… be. He wasn’t ready to open himself up to new bars or new spots, he found comfort in these little things as ridiculous as he knew he was being.

“You hanging around for a while?” you ask, snapping him out of his thoughts. You leaned on the bar, leaning in close to him so he was the only one to hear you. He caught the worry in your voice and he saw the way your eyes were widened slightly.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts and day dreams he hadn’t noticed another man sitting at the bar who was making you clearly uncomfortable. The man absolutely reeked from the amount of alcohol he consumed. You hadn’t been working the bar when he first arrived and you’re mad at your coworkers for not cutting him off sooner. He had been making you uneasy most of the night, and now his stares were becoming more obvious the drunker he becomes, and his comments becoming more and more crass.

“Yeah, of course,” Bucky said comfortingly. You sigh relieved, feeling safe with the promise Bucky would be there at the end of the night. You smile showing your appreciation, and tilt your head discreetly to just let him know the man at the end of the bar was the source of your discomfort. Bucky takes a look at him and immediately able to sum him up.

“I’ll stay and walk you to your car,” he offers without you needing to ask, and touches your hand in a comforting way. You sigh relieved.

“Thank you so much, Buck,” you say with a sigh, immediately feeling a little better. You smile at him and his heart just completely skips a beat. You check the time and you just had to make it through another 15 minutes before you get to go home. You start putting the liquors away and just continuing to lock up.

“Honey, what are you doing wasting your pretty self with a guy like that,” the guy said obnoxiously, slurring his words, “Can’t expect a man with one arm to be able to satisfy a woman.” You rolled your eyes and ignored him, while Bucky’s jaw tightened and his flesh hand made a fist on the bar. You shoot a sympathizing look to Bucky silently apologizing for having to put up with this and silently asking him to not take his words to heart. “If you gave me a chance, I could show you how a real man uses both his hands,” he slurs. He clearly was too drunk to recognize Bucky and you look at Bucky again, and the man looks like he’s one more comment away from killing this guy. “Fucking bitch,” the guy spits, reaching over the bar to grab your arm and force you to face him, “You know it’s rude to ignore people when they speak to you, sweetheart,” he continues, the atmosphere Bucky had been enjoying has entirely vanished and the air hangs heavy at his words.

Before you could even process anything, Bucky had the guy pushed against the wall with his metal arm holding his throat in a chokehold and his flash hand punching the guy in the stomach. You gasp and back away, the sting of his grip still hurting your arm.

“Call her that again, and you will find my steel somewhere uncomfortable,” Bucky says as he lets the guy go and lets him collapse on the floor. The guy gasps for air, and scurries out of the bar as fast as he could, not even able to stand up properly yet- not wanting to stick around to see if Bucky was a man of his word.

You stare back at Bucky in silence for a moment, as he tries to calm his breathing. You cross your arms over your chest, cowering- not at Bucky but just how you small you felt from the man’s words and forceful grip. You see the painting from the wall is tilted from how aggressively Bucky pushed him. You were breathless and still in shock of what just happened.

“Are you okay, doll?” he asks, walking behind the bar and gently looking at your arm.

“I’m so sorry you had to put up with that,” you whisper, unable to meet his eye yet. “But thank you,” you say looking up to meet his gaze. “I don’t even want to think about if you hadn’t been here.”

“As long as you’re okay that’s all I care about,” he says, his eyes scanning yours.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” you say with a soft chuckle, “Kind of shaken up but I’ll be fine.”

You both didn’t say much as you closed up, Bucky giving you a hand and bringing the extra tables back to storage. Then you both worked together to put all the chairs on top of the bar’s few permanent tables. He offered to sweep up for you while you took the cash from the register to the safe and grabbed your jacket from the back. Then he walked you to your car just as he promised.

The night air outside was incredibly cold, and you walked with your hands buried deep in the pockets of your coat. Your car was the only one left in the lot because Bucky walked like he usually did. “Well, this is me,” you joke awkwardly when the two of you reach your car. You turn to look up at him. “Again, Bucky,” you say a little breathless from the cold air, “Thank you so much.”

“It was nothing I mean…,” he says, blushing, rubbing the back of his neck again, nervously.

“Can I give you a ride home?” You ask, “It’s the least I can do.”

“You don’t have to, doll,” he mumbles shyly, like he wasn’t the same man who just knocked a creep onto the floor for you. “I only live a couple blocks that way.”

“Coffee tomorrow maybe?” You offer with a smile as an alternative. “There’s like this place I go all the time that’s right near here- the one with the green awnings.”

“I go there every day,” he beams excitedly.

“Me too,” you grin stupidly, “I guess we go at different times.”

“I’m always up really early,” he shrugs. It’s more accurate to say that he never is able to fall back asleep.

“I’m always sleeping in working nights,” you admit, pulling your keys out of your pocket.

There’s a quiet moment, exchanged between the two of you. The awkwardness arises because neither of you actually want to bid your goodbyes or want the moment to end. Bucky desperately wishes he could take back his rejection of your offer for a ride home so he could spend more time with you and wouldn’t have to wait hours before seeing you again tomorrow.

“Oh,” you say, suddenly, your voice echoing through the night’s still silence. “I should give you my number.”

Bucky feels like he might fall over. He nods pulling his phone out of his pocket and unlocking it for you. He hands it over to you and he tries to ignores the butterflies when your fingers graze his own when you take the phone. You smile, biting your lip slightly as you type away, the glow from the screen lighting up your face in the darkness. He was longing to just kiss you. But the thought is fleeting when you hand his phone back to him. After everything that happened tonight, he thought of you first and how he just wanted you to feel comfortable.

“Well, um,” you say with a shy smile, “I guess I should head home. Are you sure about not needing a ride…?”

“Um,” he starts, wanting desperately to change his answer to spend more time with you. He decides against it, even though he can’t give a reason as to why except his own nervousness. “Yeah, I’m sure,” he smiles.

“Call me tomorrow?” you ask, unlocking your car and he nods.

“Absolutely,” he says with a shy grin. You smile once more and then get in your car. Bucky gives you a short wave before walking towards the direction of his apartment building. As he walks, he stares at his phone with your contact open. He knows it’s outdated, but he still memorizes your number until he knows it by heart.

He gets back to his apartment and hangs his coat on the hook, dropping his keys in the bowl and kicking his shoes off at the door. Alpine stirs from the cat bed that was in the living room and begins to affectionately rub at Bucky’s legs. He scoops up the cat, scratching behind the ears and holding them close to his chest. He takes a seat on his couch, Alpine snuggling into a ball on his lap. Bucky stares at his phone, and he wonders if you made it home safely.

Is it too clingy to call? Or should he text you? He despises texting. There are so many unspoken rules that he didn’t understand and it often got him into trouble. Why did he have to respond to texts that don’t have a question but are shown as read? He hated the guess work that went along with it and he would be too worried to mess anything up with you. It wouldn’t be weird to see if you got home safe, surely, considering everything that happened. Or maybe he could call Sam? No. He wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Alpine picked up on his stress and purred comfortingly. Bucky let out a sigh and looked at the clock on his tv box. Under normal circumstances he’d never think about calling someone so early in the morning. Actually, it was the first time in years he had someone to call. And you said call, not text, he remembers distinctly. His mind is racing with thoughts of you.

“Fuck it,” he mutters, pressing the call button before he chickens out again. The line rings and his breathing is quick, the poor man was a nervous wreck.

“I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon,” your voice on the other end immediately calming him down. “Miss me already?”

“Yeah,” he says with a chuckle, being able to hear your smile over the phone. “I really do.”

Taglist:

@blackirisposts​

[closedafterdark]

Just passing by after a long time being a silent reader~ Anyway, name 1-2 persons from your favourite group that you really wanna befriends with and give the reasons!

From the moment you two met, you were enamored. Initially strangers as employee and customer, her beauty and elegance radiated the cafe from the moment she first entered. Phone in hand while fumbling through her small purse, you assumed her to be one of the many customers who pass by. Completely arrogant and thinking of themselves as above others.

What a waste of a beautiful face, you thought to yourself. You continued to judge her based on body language and physical appearance before even hearing her voice.

"One iced americano, please."

Those four simple words were enough to get your attention immediately. Slightly nasally with a hint of soft, mellow undertones. The way her eyes formed inverted half crescents. The way her nose scrunched up slightly. But mainly it was the well-defined cheekbones and way her radiating smile made you believe she was unreal. Taking the card from her after reading the price of her drink while shaking nervously, you bowed as she flashed that same heartwarming smile while thanking you. Your coworker couldn't help but let out a snort as you froze up.

Embarrassing yourself even further by having your voice crack as you announced her name and drink, she takes it, tapping the straw from its paper wrapping before taking a sip of the dark, slightly bitter liquid. Satisfied, she waved at you before exiting the cafe.

--

The next day, you were busy wiping down tables while putting customers' discarded cups and crumpled up napkins onto a tray. The initial morning rush has ended, allowing you to relax slightly and go around cleaning up while making sure to restock the bar area.

The familiar jingle of the front entrance rings. You were a bit disappointed as you weren't able to finish your current task. It was only two of you as the opening crew with your coworker working on the inventory of supplies that arrived. As you turned around and were about to groan while begrudgingly greet the customer, you were almost face to face with her. She tilts her head slightly and greets you with her warm smile that seemed to be her trademark.

Rubbing your hands on your apron, you timidly raise your hand. She laughs softly before bringing her own hand and pressing it against yours. This causes you to smile back at her and calmed your nerves.

She left a deep impression on you, leaving you wanting to know more about her.

--

Each subsequent day almost formed a routine. Like clockwork at the same exact time, the woman enters the cafe. She orders the same iced americano while flashing a smile at you and asking for a high five each time she picks up her drink. She was something to look forward to - especially after long stressful morning rushes.

Every time you saw her, you could have sworn she looked even more beautiful than the last. Her outfits constantly changed, yet possessed a certain look that was all her own. It may have been because you were smitten with her, but she would constantly outdo herself and leave you unsure of what your favorite outfit of hers was, preferring all of them.

You soon got your wish of getting to know her on a more personal level. It wasn't out of the ordinary for her to hang out and chat with you. Everything from her job at her university's local radio program, to her other job waiting tables at a restaurant close to campus. She would even vent to you about her unreasonable school workload and how vivid her dreams would be - often having her professors be subjected to the same torture they made her go through.

She was able to make you eat all the assumptions you ignorantly forged in your mind the moment she first stepped foot into the cafe. She was as down to earth as could be, a kind soul you were certain was too pure to exist among the harsh realities of life.

Once she became a regular customer, you began to change your appearance. Making sure your dress shirts were always freshly ironed the night before, you rolled up your sleeves in order to make your muscles more defined. Whenever there wasn't a customer, you used the shiny stainless steel of the espresso machine to fix your hair and make yourself appear presentable.

One such occasion was met with a knock on the glass separating the barista area and the customer. Slightly startled, you looked up and found the woman giggling as she covered her mouth with her hand. You blushed, embarrassed as if she caught you doing something you weren't supposed to.

"T-The usual?" you asked, mentally slapping yourself for stuttering once again.

"Mmm." she said, reading the menu above you. "I'd like to try something else this time."

"Sure, what would you like?"

"I'll get a dalgona coffee."

"Coming right up."

Having had plenty of practice making the drink as it has quickly become popular amongst customers, it didn't take long for you to call her name. She slowly approached the bar and grabbed the drink from you. Putting her straw into the drink, you raised your hand, anticipating a high five. Instead, she grabbed your wrist gently and placed a small piece of paper on it. Waving at you, she exited the cafe.

Turning it around, it contained her name and what you assumed to be her phone number followed by a heart.

--

"Remember how nervous you were the first time we ever spoke to each other? You couldn't even say my name without the cup shaking!"

"You try having someone extremely pretty as a customer and not freeze up!"

"You thought I was pretty?"

"I-I never said that..."

"You're always so cute when you're nervous. Just as you were back then."

The two of you had just finished coming from the movie theater and subsequent dinner afterwards, wanting to burn off the food you just ate. Despite it being still being early evening, the bright overhead lights kept the streets well illuminated.

The only thought in your mind was repeating her say you were always cute. It seemed like a broken record - stuck in an infinite loop. You and her would occasionally bump shoulders, causing both of you to shyly laugh and look away. You could feel her fingers brush against yours. Thinking it was just an accident from the close proximity, it happens a few more times before she takes your hand into hers.

The smile plastered on your face could not be removed as you used your free hand and squeezed your jaw together - something she took note of as she clumsily squeezed your hand a bit too tightly. Apologizing, you told her it was all right before reuniting your hands together and continuing the peaceful walk home. No words needed to be said.

Choi Yewon completed you.

[ivyyreid]

greek tragedy

description: breakups are hard. but you usually don't completely change who you are and start killing, right?

category: angst

tw: mentions of self harm, eating disorders, breakups, knives, mentions of stab wounds, death, suicide, blood, men, guns, self-loathing, one-sided love.

masterlist

sometimes, i don't know what haunts me more.. the memories of you... or the happy person i used to be.

--

two years and two months ago.

spencer came into the bullpen with a gleam in his eye. a shy kind of happiness. the kind that makes you blush, and makes you embarrassed. the kind that makes people feel like kids again.

vivian came in with the same smile. the same red on her cheeks, the same glint in her eyes.

they both felt like kids again. happy, and in love.

they held hands under the table in the conference room. everyone noticed. and everyone smiled a bit more, knowing that two happy people are now making each other happier.

the night before, vivian and spencer had kissed in the rain under the stars. after an eternity of falling for each other, they finally gave in.

when they came in the next day, vivian's blonde hair seemed a little more golden, her eyes a little more warm. spencer's face seemed softer, and relaxed.

they played in the park, and watched nineties movies, and ate thai on the roof while watching the stars. all with the biggest goofiest smiles on their faces.

because you're nothing if not crazy when you're in love.

two months ago

blonde hair stained brown.

pink lips turned red.

a realtionship gone sour.

they broke up last week. they stood in the rain once again. but this time the rain didn't bring hope, and a new start. this time the rain fell, tainting the blue sky gray.

the girls heart shattered onto the pavement. pieces on the sidewalk, pieces in the grass. pieces being washed away by the rain.

no one knows what they said to each other, how it ended.

all they know is that the cuts on vivian's wrist are fresh, and that the numbers on her scale have rapidly declined.

she came into work on monday, her golden blonde hair painted dark brown, her young pink lips stained blood red. everyone stared, except spencer. she stared at no-one, but spencer.

she was there for a day after the breakup. maybe two. long enough to know that someone else had already brought a gleam into spencer's eyes. that someone else was already making him happy.

no one saw her after that. she left quickly and quietly. one day, her desk was personalized and filled with framed pictures, the next it was empty and bare. you could say that her desk matched her heart.

now, she lies on the floor of her bathroom. head pounding, rivers of red seeping onto the tiled floor.

one month ago.

seven men stabbed twice in the heart, all dead, over the course of two weeks. all left with red carnations.

the bau accepts the invitation to take on the case.

vivian watches the news coverage announcing the bureaus involvement, a smirk dancing on her face as she applies a new coat of lipstick.

one week ago, at the bar.

the bar is full of bodies. bodies against bodies. dancing, sweating, living.

the tall brunette, with the red lipstick and cold eyes slips off her coat, revealing the small black dress underneath. the heartless predator.

a drunk mans eyes follow the woman's every move. analyzing her every curve, watching the way her lips part. he sets down his glass and walks over. the unsuspecting prey.

he makes his way through the crowd, licking his lips as he nears vivian. her blonde hair, now turned brown, and her blood red lips enchant him.

her finger plays with her straw, spinning it around in her drink as she makes eye contact with him. she tilts her head slyly, and smiles a bit. egging him on.

"jonathan," he says, standing over her.

"cleo," she responds, flipping her dark hair over her exposed shoulder. she stands up, hand on his tie, and leans forward to whisper seductively in his ear:

"let's get out of here, jonathan."

three days ago, at the bau.

"we have a new body," hotch announces as he walks into the room. he pins a few pictures to the board. the first, an image of a smiling man. dark brown hair, dark eyes, and a square jaw. the next few are the body. dumped carelessly in an alleyway. two stabs to the heart, and red carnations scattered onto the body.

"woah," emily says, concern lacing her voice. "that makes fourteen bodies now."

"she's devolving," morgan adds. "speeding up the kills. her last kill was only one day ago, she's getting more dangerous. but she's also more likely to slip up."

the team nods to this, each thinking their own separate thoughts. eventually, they will all come to the same conclusion. the same suspect. but they won't share their ideas until it's too late.

the teams profile:

the unsub is female.

she recently suffered heartbreak, and has a newfound prejudice against men.

she changes her appearance each time. wigs, makeup, etc.

she stabs each victim twice in the heart, which must mean something.

she leaves red carnations at each scene, which means "alas for my poor heart, my heart aches," in some cultures.

she is highly intelligent, driven, but also depressed and self-loathing.

she is likely to have self-inflicted wounds, and possibly try and kill herself.

one day ago, vivian's apartment.

vivian stares in the mirror, and the woman in the mirror stares back at her.

a blonde wig is tossed carelessly on the floor, and boxes of colored contacts join it.

these objects are supposed to be able to change who you are on the outside, but to vivian, they're crushing her even more on the inside.

she doesn't recognize the woman in the mirror. the dark straight hair, red lips, and hollow eyes. the woman in the tight dress and heels.

she looks down, trying to hold back the tears that threaten to spill over her face. this isn't the girl that spencer loved. she isn't the girl that spencer loved anymore.

and then she looks back up, and her heart stops. because there she is.

the girl in the mirror has long, wavy blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. her eyes are full of life, not hollow and lifeless. her lips are pink, her cheeks flushed, her face innocent. her sundress hangs perfectly around her frame, and underneath her bright converse her socks mismatch.

the girl that spencer loved. the girl vivian stopped being when spencer stopped loving here.

the image takes vivian's breath away for a second, and a tear slips down her face, but she doesn't stop staring at the reflection, hoping that if she stares hard enough the girl will die and leave vivian alone.

her stare turns into a smirk. smirking at the innocent, dumb, oblivious girl. laughing silently at her.

the girl was oblivious to the heartbreak that awaited her. the emptiness that would creep into her soul.

the girl that was so blindly in love with the man that didn't care for her, even though he acted like he did.

maybe she was still in love with him. just a bit. even after he broke her heart, she still loved him. but she also hated him.

fuck spencer.

a couple of hours ago, bau.

vivian's face is front and center on the tv. her blonde hair, green eyes, and large smile.

the team sits around the table, shocked at the conclusion they came to.

vivian, their ex-coworker who always seemed so perfect and happy, is the unsub? vivian killed fifteen men?

they may want to deny it, but they all know it makes sense.

she broke up with spencer and completely fell apart. she quit her job. spencer says she was angry and sad and completely broken, hence the hate towards men. and the killings started around the time her and spencer broke up. even the number of stabs on each body makes sense. two stabs for two years her and spencer were together.

they're all shocked, but most can still talk, and move, and discuss. spencer is just frozen.

how could vivian have killed someone?

forty-five minutes ago, vivian's apartment.

spencer looks around the apartment, flashlight held and gun drawn.

when he used to come over, the apartment was homey and life like. plants would hang from the ceilings, and would sit on shelves. books were scattered on tables, and the floor to ceiling bookshelf would be disorganized. she used to have pictures of her and the team, and of spencer everywhere. but now it's bare, and empty. if spencer knew any better he would think no one lived there at all.

the team does a quick search, clearing all the rooms before gathering again in the living room.

"she's obviously not here, but she knows that we know it's her. she's been wanting us to know." derek says, and glances at spencer. "spencer, is there anywhere she liked to go, anywhere close?" he asks, and spencer furrows his brow.

"the roof! she liked to watch the sky!" he says suddenly, and hotch nods. the team climbs up the flights of stairs to get to the roof, which at first glance appears to be empty, until spencer notices a woman sitting against the chimney.

"spencer no way, she's armed man," derek says as spencer moves forward, but spencer tells him it's ok. he knows her. she has no intention of hurting him.

vivian stares at him, a tears falling down her face. spencer sits down next to her, eyes widening when he notices the knife in her hands. pointed at her own heart.

"vivian..." he says cautiously, taking in her died hair and red lips, "this isn't you. put the knife down." at this, vivian collapses into a fit of sobs, trailing mascara down her cheeks.

"i'm so sorry spencer," her voice is shaky and she's crying, but she keeps the knife pointed upwards towards her heart.

"please vivian just put the knife down," spencer whispers, his voice cracking a bit.

"i can't spencer, i have to do this," she sobs. "i killed....i killed so many people and i can't stop myself and i still love you but i hate you and you broke my heart but i have to do this spencer."

the boys eyes are sad, because deep down he knows he can't stop her from doing this. but he'll still try,

"please vivian, i-i love you," he pleads, but vivian just shakes her head, and laughs through her tears.

"no you don't spencer," she whispers, smiling a bit. "but it's ok. you will never have to hurt the way you know that i do," she says, and spencer knows whats coming. her grip on the knife tightens, and in a flash she jams it into her heart, gasping a bit as it deepens.

"no!" spencer yells, as she slumps and collapses. blood trickles from her lips, and her tears spill from her eyes. but still, she smiles. because it's finally over.

her final breath isn't sad, it's relieved. because she doesn't have to suffer anymore. the sadness, pain, and anger is finally gone.

spencer is tearless. her death was shocking, sad, but it was truthful. maybe she deserved it, even wanted it, but spencer knew she was going somewhere where she was happier.

happier without him.

as spencer stares at her body, laid out on the concrete, he sees the girl he loved. the blonde hair, sea green eyes, and the innocent face.

innocence, purity.

and all he can think about as she's wheeled into the ambulance, covered by the blanket is who she used to be. who she really is.

the beautiful, happy girl.

maybe one day, in another life she'll find true love.

who knows?

all anyone knows is that the day that her heart poured a red river onto the concrete, she started over. she began anew.

and maybe that was better for everyone.