#but over time... some thing... several things... kept pinching at my consciousness | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

quiltedgold · 4 years ago

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study buddies - leorio p.

pairing: leorio paladiknight x f!reader

wc: 1.9k

genre: smut. 18+ pretty please

contains: smut, unprotected sex, switch!leorio, switch!reader, college-age, handjob, yada yada

notes: this has not been proofread so forgive any mistakes. my friend saw a tiktok art this concept and inspired me to write this. also the empty leorio smut tag made me sad, so. enjoy :p

As you approached the door of your apartment, you dug in your bag for your keys, and… Nothing. No metal against your fingertips or jangling sounds from the depths of the backpack.

Damn it. No way you forgot them in Leorio’s apartment. You two had been studying for so long, and you were positive you had gathered up all your things from the table before heading out…

After one last sweep of your backpack, you were positive. No keys.

Sighing, you turned to make the trek back across campus to Leorio’s place. It wasn’t too far, a fifteen minute walk, ten if you hurried. Hopefully he was still up.

Before long, you were back at the entrance to his apartment complex. Grabbing your phone, you dialed him up and waited as it rang, then went to voicemail. Ah, maybe he was in the shower? No matter, you had a spare key to his place in case of emergencies, and he for yours. He wouldn’t mind if you used it to grab what you needed and got out of there. Fishing it out of your bag, you unlocked the door and headed up to his floor.

Rapping twice on the door, you called out- “Hey, Leorio? It’s me, I forgot something…”

No reply.

Frowning, you slotted the key into the lock and eased the door open, hoping he wasn’t asleep.

Before you saw him, you heard him. Quick, ragged breaths, and the wet, unmistakable sound of… Oh, god.

He was splayed on the couch, his legs spread and his sweatpants loose around his thighs. His head was thrown back against the cushions, facing towards the door, and you. His face was twisted in pleasure, his teeth digging into his lower lip. His sunglasses were nowhere to be seen.

The sounds you heard were coming from his hand wrapped around his dick, rapidly fisting it into his palm. As you watched, his hips stuttered upwards once, and he threw his head back even further, letting out a whine, adam’s apple bobbing up his throat. He looked absolutely debauched.

Your brain battled with your desires, respect for your friend warring with the thoughts raging through your head.

Just when you thought you could work up the courage to leave, Leorio moaned your name in the most breathless, needy tone you’d ever heard from him, followed by a whiny, “Fuck, y/n, please-”

Your feet were immediately frozen to the floor, heart leaping into your throat. Your common sense told you to scram, to shut the door quietly and let him have his privacy and forget this ever happened, for both of your sakes’.

But the other part of you was louder. The part who knew that you’d been lusting after your friend for months, the part who’s encouraged the urge to crawl into his lap and kiss him breathless and more each time you hung out to study, but always been stifled… until now. That part of you made your brain kick into gear again.

You stepped quietly inside, shutting the door behind you, kicking off your shoes and placing your bag on the ground.

You padded over to the couch, face heating up with anticipation as you got closer.

“Leorio…” you whispered, and his eyes flew open, letting out a choked gasp. The hand around his dick halted its ministrations, and he scrambled to pull his sweatpants back up.

“Oh my god, y/n, I’m so sorry, I, I thought you had left-”

“If you were so pent up, you could have asked for my help,” you hummed, gently pushing his hand away from his sweatpants. “What else is a study buddy for?”

Leorio gulped, desperately searching your eyes for confirmation that his actions weren’t wrong, that you meant what you were saying. His pupils were still blown with pleasure, sweat beaded across his forehead.

You trailed your fingers up his thigh, ghosting the base of his dick.

“Need some help?” you asked, holding his gaze for affirmation.

“Yes, please, god, yes. I- I need you so bad, please,” he moaned, bucking his hips up into your featherlight touch.

Smiling, you retracted your hand and fiddled with the hem of his t-shirt instead. “I want you to show me how you were doing it,” you requested.

Gasping, he grabbed his cock again and began pumping it, screwing his eyes shut with pleasure and perhaps shame.

“Tell me what you think about when you do it,” you said, sliding a hand beneath his shirt.

“You, always you,” he moaned without hesitation. “Kissing you, eating you out, f-fucking you, nngh-” He cut himself off as your fingers circled his nipple.

“Keep going,” you teased.

“Oh, god. You, sucking my- my cock, under the table or in the shower, or- fuck!” He jolted as you gave his nipple a pinch. “Please, I want you to… I want-”

“Want me to jerk you off?” You offered.

“Yes,” he answered, gasping.

With a devilish grin, you slid onto the couch next to him and tucked yourself into his side, placing your hand atop his on his cock, entangling your fingers and leading the pace, purposefully slowing it down. You moved with long, slow strokes, squeezing lightly at the base and tracing your thumb against the tip. He was painfully hard, beads of precum oozing from the angry red tip, and his hips bucked up with every especially hard squeeze.

“Fuck,” he garbled. “Fuck, y/n, it’s so good, please, I need to… I need to c-come, please-”

“Go ahead, Leorio,” you purred. “Come for me.”

With a strangled moan, his hips jutted upwards one last time and cum spurted from his tip, painting both of your knuckles’ white. Each pulse of liquid sent a jolt up his cock, and you squeezed it lightly as he rode out the bulk of his orgasm.

As he wound down, panting, you lifted your hand from his dick and brought it to your mouth, making sure he watched as you lapped up his salty substance from each finger. His eyes, already lidded, darkened with desire.

Flitting your gaze down again to his length, you saw that, unbelievably, it was still hard.

“Y/n,” he rasped. “Let me fuck you. Please.”

It was all you could do to nod before he flipped you over, back pressed into the cushions and head against the arm of the couch. In the blink of an eye, he had your shirt and skirt off, leaving you in simply the matching set of lingerie you’d worn in the event that this was an outcome of tonight’s study session.

Leaning back on his heels, he raked his eyes across your figure, admiring each inch, squeezing the base of his cock again with the sight of you.

Struck with a wave of self-consciousness, you pressed your thighs together and turned your head into the armrest, face burning.

Leorio tsked, “Don’t get shy now, not after you just jerked me off on my own couch,” he growled, slotting his knee in between your thighs to force them apart. Running a finger along your covered slit, he stopped when he reached your heat, pressing lightly then bringing his finger up to examine.

“Oh, my god, you’re soaking,” he groaned, sucking his finger into his mouth to lap your juices clean. He leaned down to capture you in a kiss, hungrily sucking at your lower lip and dipping his tongue into your mouth. You could taste yourself on his tongue, and something that normally would have disgusted you only served to turn you on further as your tongues pressed against each other. You kissed hungrily for several moments, until the heat burning down below became too much to bear.

“Please, fuck me,” you moaned into his ear, looping your arms around his neck. “I can’t wait any longer, please.”

Nodding, Leorio wasted no time, shoving your panties to the side and lining his cock up with your entrance. Even the touch of his tip against your hole had both of you groaning, and he met your gaze and held it as he pushed his length all the way in. You wailed, wrapping your legs around his trim waist and trying everything to pull him closer, deeper.

His cock stretched your walls deliciously, filling you perfectly and making you wonder how you could have ever lived without this.

After his pelvis pressed flush against yours, his length as deep as humanly possible, he paused to give you time to adjust. Time held still, your breathing synched, his head dropped against your shoulder and pressing openmouthed kisses against your collarbone, light sideburns scratching gently against your jawline.

Then the moment was over, and he pulled out entirely, just the tip remaining. You almost cried at the loss, but he thrusted back into your heat before you could procure the sound.

The pace he set was breakneck, cock slamming into your tight hole, his moans echoing in your ear. What should have been too much only fanned the flames of your lust, throwing your head back with each thrust and crying his name and an assortment of obscenities.

“Fuck, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” Leorio groaned, breathless. “Ever since you came to my place in that short-ass skirt and kept uncrossing your legs in front of me, god-”

His hands gripped your waist for dear life as he fucked into you, the size of them deliciously large compared to your frame, his thumbs practically touching. Leorio’s fingers pressed shadows into the soft of your stomach, undoubtedly leaving marks by the end of the night; which you couldn’t find it in yourself to be unhappy about.

“Remember that?” He asked, rolling his hips in a way that made you squeal. “I was convinced you were doing it to- nngh- to tease me. By the end of the night I was this close to bending you over the table and taking you right there, shit.”

Catching his breath, he leaned down to hiss in your ear. “But I guess that’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? Little slut.”

Fuck. You wailed at that, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. Your fingers scrabbled for purchase against his back, likely leaving scratches against its tan expanse.

He groaned, speeding up the pace of his thrusts, cock insatiably hot and thick inside you. “Y/n, I’m close- want you to come with me, c’mon-”

Thankfully, the incessant slapping of his balls against your ass, pelvis rubbing against your clit, and his length reaching impossible centers within your cunt was sending you dangerously close to the edge.

“Please, Leorio, I need it, I need you, please-”

“Fuck, baby, I’m c-coming, where d’you- where do you want it-”

“Inside, inside-” you gasped without thinking, and he buried his cock inside you one last time, groaning as thick spurts of white painted your walls. The feeling of his cum inside you sent you over the edge, arching your back and sending your eyes rolling back into your skull as your orgasm racked your body, fireworks of pleasure radiating through each appendage. You gripped his damp hair for purchase as you rode out your climax, and he huffed against your throat, arm muscles rippling as their strength faded.

Both of you panted as you came down from your respective highs. Rolling off you, Leorio collapsed at your side, hands trailing over your heaving chest.

With a puff of laughter, you turned your head to meet his eyes, now droopy and satisfied as they gazed into yours.

You grinned softly. “I should forget my keys over here more often.”

#leorio x reader #hxh x reader #hxh smut #leorio smut

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ordinaryschmuck · 4 years ago

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(I'm counting this as part of the Hiatus of Drabbles because I just felt compelled to write, alright?!)

Holding Tight.

Eda's eyes slowly blinked open, with her brain forcing her back to consciousness.

Peering around her darkened room, she was sure that it wasn't pitch-black enough to be night, but it still seemed too early to get up. And she had no idea why she was awake in the first place.

That is until she felt the arm wrapped around her.

Once looking over her shoulder, Eda's heart awakened at the face of the witch that was behind her.

Raine.

Raine Whispers.

Her ferocious Rainestorm.

The witch she loved the most was in her nest, snoring up a storm while spooning Eda.

At first, Eda had no idea how this was possible. But then she remembered the events of the last few days.

The prisonbreak, followed by lots of pain and a ton more crying, a long-awaited confession, and a night of properly "reuniting."

And Eda smiled to herself, as a warm tingling that she thought had long since got smoldered out by loneliness returned to her in spades throughout her entire being.

'This doesn't seem real,' she thought to herself.

...

Eda then pinched her arm.

'Ok, yeah, it's real,' she concluded.

As slowly and carefully as possible, Eda tried to turn herself over to face Raine properly. Without waking them, of course.

Only for her efforts to amount to squat as they started to stir away from slumberland.

"Whoops," Eda muttered with a grin, "Sorry about that. Did I wake you?"

"Pretty much," Raine mumbled back, blinking their eyes open at Eda, "But I'll admit, you're a sight for sore eyes."

"I'd better be after I saved your butt like that."

Raine chuckled as they pulled Eda closer, with the Owl Lady herself curling into her love's body.

"I still don't know how I feel about you risking your life like that."

"Save it. As if I'd ever risk losing you again."

Raine hummed.

What followed was a nice, sweet, domestic moment as Raine ran their fingers through Eda's hair as the other witch gently brushed fingers down their body.

It reminded Eda of all the nights they spent together long before...they didn't anymore...

"...I missed you," she confessed.

"I missed you too."

"And...And I don't mean since you got captured. I mean that I have missed you since the day I pushed you away. The day that I just...just let you walk out of my life."

Eda felt tears stinging at the edges of her eyes, but she just as quickly pushed them back. There's been enough crying lately.

She was just glad that Raine didn't stop running fingers through her hair, though. It was comforting, in a way.

"Things haven't been the best for me in those couple of years without you."

"You didn't have other partners?" Raine asked.

"I have. But those bozos were nothing compared to you. You were--Titan, you were everything. You were the only one I have ever truly loved. The only person I would ever even consider saying yes to. Heh, and the one I did say yes to, come to think of it."

Raine's fingers stilled, making Eda worry for a second until they slowly continued.

"I've almost forgotten about that, to be honest," They admitted, "What with all the crazier stuff going on."

"I wouldn't blame you."

"...What did you do with the ring? You never gave it back to me after...that day."

"I kept it."

"You kept it?"

"Of course, I kept it," Eda propped herself up to make eye contact with Raine. "I can take you calling things off and even leaving me, but getting rid of that ring, for the longest time, was the one thing I could never imagine doing. It...it stung too much to even think about due to those wonderful years we spent together. But then, Luz showed up, and a different type of love started warming its way into my heart. The next thing I know, that the idea of getting rid of the ring became a lot easier, and, one day, I almost did."

"Almost?"

"Lilith was on her last ropes with Big Bad Belos, panicking about coming back empty-handed. So, on a show of good faith, I gave it to her."

"So Belos has our ring?!"

"Nope. Lily held onto it. Even gave it back to me after we sort of made up. But putting it back on didn't feel right. And the day after you...left again, the idea of slipping that ring just burned me to my core. So, instead, I kept it in that chest over there for...whatever reason."

Raine looked over to the other end of the room.

"That chest?"

"Yeah?"

"Hm..." almost abruptly, Raine slipped out from under the covers and got out of the nest. For a minute, Eda panicked, wondering if she somehow screwed up all over again. Only to feel confused when she saw Raine walk over to the chest, opened it up, take something out, and made their way back to the nest with a smile.

"What are you--" Before even finishing that thought, Raine took Eda's hand and slipped the ring right back on her finger. Eda's eyes grew wide at not only the sight of that small golden bauble but also the implications that came from it.

"I think you should keep it on," Raine finally said, brushing a thumb across Eda's fingers. "I mean, who knows what will happen after we stop Belos. There might be room for...some form of celebration. Right?"

"...Dang it," Eda wiped away the fresh set of tears leaking out the corners of her eyes. "And here I thought I was done crying for one lifetime."

Raine then gently cupped their love's cheek, wiping a few tears with a stroke of their thumb and leaning in to give Eda a kiss. It wasn't as fast and hard as the several they traded hours ago, but it still had so much passion that it made Eda's entire nervous system lit up with pure, unadulterated love.

"I love you," Eda said once they pulled away.

"I love you too. And, for the record, I've also missed you since that day."

They went in for another kiss, and Eda just pulled them close. Closer than anyone else she had have held before.

Because there was no way that she'd be letting go. Not this time.

#the owl house #eda clawthorne #raine whispers #raeda #raeda fluff #the hiatus of drabbles

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dickwheelie · 4 years ago

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this is a few days late but it’s still technically Hanukkah, so! here’s a fic about Jon and Martin celebrating Hanukkah in the safehouse (shhh timelines aren’t real) because I like to project and I really like the idea of Jon being Jewish. a lot of us are having weird holidays this year, away from friends and family, so the boys having a weird one too seemed appropriate. in particular, Jon not having a menorah because I don’t have one this year either :(

the stuff in this is based on my own experiences celebrating Hanukkah growing up in a pretty secular household, so if you see anything that’s “wrong” then that’s why, lol. the prayer is accurate as far as I know though, it’s the same one my family and I sing every year.

(also this is not a good representation of how to make rugelach! if you really want a good recipe, hmu and if you ask nicely I might share my mother’s 😁)

enjoy and Happy Hanukkah!! 💙🕎✡️💙

___________

“I just feel bad,” Martin said, watching from the sofa as Jon put the challah in the oven. “You’re doing all this cooking, and I’m just sitting on the couch like a lump. And this is supposed to be your holiday.”

“Martin, for the tenth time, it’s fine. Besides, the holiday doesn’t actually start until sundown,” Jon called, cheerfully enough, from the kitchen. Jon liked cooking, Martin knew, and he didn’t really see it as a chore in the same way Martin did. Still, this was a special day for Jon (well, eight days, really), and Martin wanted to be of some use. He’d offered to do everything from peeling potatoes to rolling matzoh balls, but Jon, ever the control freak in the kitchen, had stopped him at every turn. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty about not helping out as Jon bustled about, trying to make Hanukkah dinner for the both of them.

More than helping out, really, Martin just kind of . . . wanted to share this with Jon. The way Jon talked about it, it sounded as though he’d had more Hanukkahs alone than with friends or what little family he had. Martin wanted to make Jon feel like he didn’t have to be alone this year, and even if Martin was new to this, he was game to learn. Jon had already told him about the holiday and all the different foods he was making, but there was still some distance there, a disconnect, that Martin knew Jon wasn’t putting between them on purpose. It seemed to Martin more like a force of habit than anything else.

After setting the timer for the challah, Jon nodded, satisfied, and came over to join Martin on the couch. He slouched against him comfortably, and Martin automatically put an arm around his shoulders. Jon had a bit of flour on his nose, and Martin gently swiped it off, which made Jon’s face wrinkle up like a disgruntled cat. Bloody adorable, Martin thought.

“I get a bit of a break before I have to start on the latkes in a few hours,” Jon said. “Got to make those right before dinner so they’re fresh.”

“Can I please help with those?” Martin said, half-joking.

“Fine,” Jon laughed, “yes, Martin, you can help with the latkes.”

“You won’t regret it.”

“I’m sure.”

“Is there dessert?” Martin asked, offhandedly. He hadn’t noticed Jon getting out any sugar or making anything sweet that day. “Do people eat anything sweet on Hanukkah?”

“Well, there’s gelt,” Jon says. “Chocolate coins. But the grocer’s didn’t have any. Unsurprisingly.”

Martin laughed. “Yeah. Probably not a huge priority in the Highlands.”

“People also make rugelach, sometimes.”

“Arugula?”

Jon laughed, not unkindly. “Rugelach. Different from the vegetable. Very different,” he said. “It’s a pastry. A kind of holiday cookie, I guess you could call it. Sweet dough with chocolate or cinnamon inside. It’s simple to make, but I didn’t buy the right stuff for it, and honestly I have enough cooking to do.”

“Yeah? How d’you make it?” Martin asked, innocently enough, though an idea was brewing.

As Jon explained, he waved his hands in the air, miming the process. “You just roll out some pastry dough, cover it with chocolate or cinnamon or walnuts or whatever you like, cut it into strips, and roll them up.” He thought for a moment. “They look a bit like seashells.”

“Huh,” Martin said. “Seems easy enough.” He’d never made dough before, but how hard could it be, really. The hardest part, he figured, would be actually making the things in their tiny cabin and even tinier kitchen without Jon finding out.

Soon after that, the oven timer started beeping, announcing that the bread was done. Martin took advantage of Jon busying himself in the kitchen to slip out the door, giving him some offhand excuse about wanting to get some air, to which Jon waved him off.

In the baking aisle at the grocer’s, Martin quickly realized he was out of his depth. He stared at the display of flour and sugar and baking powder and all sorts of other stuff, utterly at a loss as to what one needed to make pastry dough. He tried, once again, to Google a recipe on his phone, but once again, there was no service and no wifi.

Well, there was always pre-made, frozen dough. Not ideal, but it’d probably work in a pinch. Much faster to make, too, Martin thought as he dropped a couple cans of it into his basket. The filling, at least, he knew he’d be able to handle; he grabbed a few bags of baking chocolate and a shaker of cinnamon, and brought everything up to the checkout counter.

Martin didn’t even know which lucky stars to thank when he arrived back at the cabin to find the kitchen empty, and Jon passed out on the bed in a post-challah, pre-latke cooking nap. Martin gently closed the bedroom door and immediately set to baking.

Going by Jon’s vague descriptions, he rolled out some of the dough into a flat oval shape, but the pre-made kind wasn’t meant to be used all at once, and the end result was a sort of lumpy mass. Digging around in the cupboards, he was able to find some flour, which helped make the dough less sticky, at least. Eventually, he was able to get it flat enough to cover it with the filling, like Jon had told him. Half of the dough he covered in cinnamon, liberally shaking it out all over the dough. The other half he covered with the baking chocolate, which came in little chunks, but he figured it would melt in the oven just fine.

Next, just as Jon had described, he cut the dough into even strips, thin and rectangular, and rolled each of them up, so the filling made a little spiral shape inside. The chocolate ones were a bit chunky and awkward-looking, but, well, it was the taste that counted, wasn’t it.

Martin turned to face the oven, realizing he had no idea how long they ought to bake for, or at what temperature. He checked the instructions on the tins of pre-made dough, deciding to go by whatever they suggested. It wouldn’t do for the dough to be raw, he figured.

Soon enough, the pastries were in the oven, and Jon was still dead to the world, none the wiser. Martin felt quite satisfied as he cleaned up, mentally patting himself on the back for a job well- and stealthily-done. He’d hide them in the oven, he decided, until after dinner, and then he’d surprise Jon. Smiling, he went to join Jon in bed, curling up next to him as he slept, until he fell asleep himself.

Martin woke groggily several hours later to Jon gently shaking him awake, telling him it was time to make the latkes. He’d already got the batter done, a thick, floury mixture of potato and onion, and a pan of oil was bubbling on the stove. Jon showed Martin how to drop spoonfuls of batter into the pan, patting them down to shape them into little fist-sized “pancakes.” He let both sides brown in the oil until they were nice and crispy, before transferring them onto a paper towel-covered plate to cool. It was simple enough, and Martin was able to finish up the batch as Jon set the table, bringing out the challah and matzoh ball soup he’d made, as well as sour cream and apple sauce to dip the latkes in.

Once the latkes were done (and Martin was quite proud to say they’d come out very nicely), Jon retrieved some red wine he’d gotten in the village and poured them both a glass. Then, as Martin was getting ready to sit down, Jon glanced around sheepishly, gesturing at an empty space on the kitchen counter.

“I, ah, normally I’d have a menorah to light. But obviously I didn’t bring one when we came up. And out here, well, it’s the same as with the gelt. No real place to buy one.”

“Oh,” Martin said, heart sinking. He reached out to squeeze Jon’s hand. “That’s a shame. I’m really sorry.”

“Really, I just wish I could show you,” Jon said, shaking his head as he took his seat at the table. “It’s really lovely. You light a new candle every night, and when they’re all lit . . . I’m sure it’d look nice here, especially.” He gestured at the space in front of the darkened kitchen window.

“Yeah,” Martin agreed, wistfully. He’d seen photos of menorahs before, and he could just picture it, he and Jon gathered around, lighting candle after candle as the eight nights passed.

“Well,” Jon said, turning back to face Martin at the table, “we may not have a menorah, but I can still do the blessing.”

“Blessing?”

“Yes. You’re supposed to do it while lighting the menorah, but, well. I’m sure this will do, given the circumstances.” Jon reached his hand across the table, and Martin took it.

“Alright.” Jon cleared his throat, almost self-consciously, and then began to sing in Hebrew, a melodic, practical tune that sounded comfortable and familiar on his tongue, like a well-worn shawl. “Barukh ata Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha’olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav, v’tzivanu, l’hadlik ner, shel Hanukkah.”

Martin couldn’t really sing along to the words, but he nodded along to the melody, and when Jon was done he looked up at him and smiled, and Martin beamed back. They both raised their glasses and drank.

They ate heartily, or at least Martin did, because Jon kept shoving second and third bowls of soup at him, and insisting he finish off the latkes. Not that Martin was complaining, of course; it was all delicious, and Jon did praise him for how nice the latkes had come out.

They left the dirty dishes for later (or, knowing the two of them, tomorrow morning), and after dinner they went straight for presents. Though his options were limited without online shopping or anything outside of the tiny village, Martin had managed to find an adorable little painted china Highland cow in a local antiques shop.

“I know you think they’re cute,” Martin said as Jon lifted it out of the box.

“How did you know,” Jon deadpanned, but he grinned as he brought it up to his nose and stared at its little painted snout. “I love it, Martin, thank you.”

Jon had gone the homemade route, and knitted Martin a scarf. And a pair of mittens. And an entire bloody sweater.

“Oh my god, Jon,” Martin said, staring in disbelief at the mounds of knitwear before him. “How did you find time to do all this? How did you find time to do all this without me knowing?”

Jon looked away sheepishly. “I, uh, I’m a fast knitter.”

Martin shook his head fondly. Unbelievable. But he immediately took off the sweater he’d been wearing and pulled on the one Jon had made. It fit rather well and was as cozy as it looked. “Thank you, Jon,” he said, feeling the sleeves, knowing that every loop and stitch of the fabric had been purposeful. He could practically feel the care and love Jon had put into each one of them. “I love it,” he said, leaning over to kiss Jon at the corner of his eye.

“Well,” Jon said, cheeks darkening, “Happy Holidays, then.”

“Oh,” Martin said, rising from the sofa, “I’ve actually got one more thing. Sort of a last-minute gift.”

“Hm?”

Martin went over to the oven and took out the trays of rugelach. He’d checked them earlier to see if they were cooked through, but hadn’t gotten the chance to taste one yet. “Tried my hand at a bit of dessert,” he said, selecting a couple nice-looking ones and putting them on a plate for Jon to try.

Jon had followed Martin into the kitchen, and was staring at the pastries lined up on the trays. “Oh, well, thank you,” he said, surprised, taking the plate Martin handed to him. “What are they?”

Martin cocked his head at him. “Rugelach,” he said. Wasn’t it obvious?

Jon’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “Ah,” he said, voice strained with positivity. “Of course. Right.”

Martin was starting to get a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Gingerly, Jon took one of the rolled-up pastries, and bit into it.

Martin tried one as well. It was one of the chocolate ones, and it was . . . crunchy. Very crunchy. The chocolate, it seemed, had only partially melted in the oven, and the pastry dough itself was a bit hard to bite through. Besides that, it wasn’t very sweet, the chocolate being too dark and the dough being too salty.

He tried a cinnamon one. Again, the dough was crunchy, and the cinnamon was overpowering without any sweetness to it. Martin considered the possibility that perhaps he ought to have added sugar.

Jon, for his part, was doing his best impression of a person who was very much enjoying the pastry they were eating, honest. “Mmm,” he said, demonstratively, as he swallowed one of the cinnamon ones. “Thank you, Martin, these are . . . delicious.”

Jon was actually reaching for seconds, which Martin knew he was only doing to make him feel better, so he reached out a hand and placed it on Jon’s, stopping him short.

Jon looked up at him. Martin shook his head wordlessly. Jon cracked a smile.

“They’re not good,” Martin said, putting them back on the trays one by one.

“Martin--”

“It’s okay,” Martin said, smiling back at him, “I know. They’re rubbish. I didn’t even use a recipe, of course they were gonna turn out--”

“Well,” Jon said, stubbornly, “you tried. It’s the thought that counts. Thank you, Martin, really,” Jon said, bringing up Martin’s hand to kiss the back of it. “It was very sweet of you to put all this effort into it.”

“Next time, I’ll look up a recipe,” Martin said, bringing one of the trays over to the kitchen bin. Jon was quick to assist him.

“There’s seven nights of Hanukkah left,” Jon said, after a moment’s thought. “We can always try again. Tomorrow, we’ll get more ingredients, and I’ll show you how to do it properly. It really is easy, you just need . . . well. Sugar, for one.”

Martin laughed as he tossed the last of the batch away. “Okay. We’ll try again tomorrow.”

“I mean it, though,” Jon said, looking at him fondly. “Thank you. For this, and for the cow, and for sharing the holiday with me. It’s . . . this has been really . . .”

Jon was gesturing in the empty air, struggling for the proper word, but Martin understood well enough. “Yeah,” he said. “And thank you, for sharing it with me.” He pressed a kiss to Jon’s cheek.

“Happy Hanukkah, Jon.”

#tma #the magnus archives #jonmartin #martin blackwood #jonathan sims #gwyneth writes #oh shit this is long #it's 2.4k #btw not pictured in their spread is gefilte fish which is a staple in my holiday dinners #but again idk if you could find it in the scottish highlands lmao #not a ton of jews out there i imagine #anyway happy hanukkah yall i love you

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jokertrap-ran · 4 years ago

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(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Main Story Chapter 3-16: 海水与火焰 Seawater & Flames Translation

“From now on, all you have to do is to answer my questions.”

*Light and Night Master-list *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join the Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *Main story tag will be #For Light and Night

The air was heavily permeated with the acrid smell of food that had long since turned bad.

Hemp rope, capsules, and many pieces of orange-coloured origami paper littered the ground by my feet.

MC: This is…

Every piece of origami paper that laid scattered on the ground had fold marks, some of it was even complete, folded into the shape of a butterfly.

Origami butterflies, the security guard, racing… The image of a young woman entered my mind.

Osborn: The sound we heard earlier came from over there.

I looked towards a corner of the room. There was a row of tall shelves, blocking the view of the people who were hidden behind. Light shone forth from behind the shelves, casting shadows.

I heard the hiss of tape, along with the sound of heavy and ragged breathing. The person being restrained sounded like they were in great pain.

??: I don't have the time to be playing games with you!

Osborn exchanged a glance with me. Understanding passed between us as we both silently approached the other end.

Through the gaps between the shelves, I could see the same who'd assaulted me back then. He was using hemp rope to tie a woman down on a chair.

The woman cried out, struggling vehemently against her binds. So much, that it enraged the man who then kicked her chair, making it topple right over!

MC: !

I caught sight of a familiar face the moment the chair fell onto the ground.

Lin Yao's agent!?

I felt an iciness creep up my heart. I pulled at Osborn to nab his attention and lowered my voice into a whisper.

MC: I recognize the person who's being bound to the chair. She's the mother and agent of the star, Lin Yao.

The light in Osborn's eyes dimmed a tad before he made a shushing motion.

Man: You should have thought about your fate when you locked her up in the attic back then, abusing her every day.

Man: Hurry and sign that agreement contract! ...Do you hear me!? Otherwise… Otherwise, I will make you disappear; forever!

The bound agent could only vehemently nod in response, gripping onto the pen that had been shoved into her hand and signing the contract with much difficulty.

After a period of silence, the man laughed; a laugh so solemn and tragic.

Man: This is how it should be. Her contact has been dissolved; she's finally free…

Did he kidnap the agent just to dissolve Lin Yao's contract? To grant her freedom? But I didn't interact much with her… So, why would he have attacked me?

Before I could wrap my head around it, I suddenly saw the gleam of a sharp and deadly blade flash in his hand…

Not good!

The shelf we'd been hiding behind was knocked over by a well-timed kick as Osborn threw a couple of fallen debris his way with startling speed and accuracy.

Clatter!

The small knife fell onto the ground.

The man angrily got up and turned around to see just who was behind him… Only to be surrounded and trapped by blue fire!

He wailed in pain, falling to the ground. However, his eyes remained fixated to where the contract had fluttered to a rest. He reached out to the piece of paper, grabbing ahold of it.

Was he laughing; or was he crying? I don't know. His shaky hand reached out, picking the contract up and carefully safekeeping it in his inner breast pocket.

The agent twisted, making muffled cries for help. Her once prideful and haughty face was now marred with a multitude of wounds.

I stepped up and tore the tape that sealed her mouth off.

Agent: H-Help me!

Agent: He's a madman!

Agent: You're police, right? Hurry and arrest him and get me out of here!

Agent: That madman caught me yesterday, insisting that I sign a contract to dissolve my contract with Yao'yao.

Agent: Quick! Get me the contract so that I can rip it apart!

Man: Give it a rest! Over my dead body! I won't let you control her again.

Agent: Stop daydreaming! I'm Lin Yao's mother. She WILL listen to whatever I say.

Man: You are not worthy.

Hearing the agent’s words, the man suddenly got even more agitated. His face was pinched in a pained look.

Man: Just what do you see her as? A money tree!? I should have stopped her from going with you at the orphanage back then!

Man: She was so elated when she went off with you back then, thinking that she'd finally have a family…

Agent: Back then? Are you from the orphanage too? You're a kid from that place!

Man: That's not all. I almost got adopted by you, mom.

The fragments finally pieced themselves together in my mind, forming the full picture.

Lin Yao was a child whom the agent had adopted from the orphanage, and she knew this man since childhood. Hence, Lin Yao’s friend who liked racing should be none other than him.

But for some reason or another, this was also the same man who’d vanished for a long time. After his return, he learnt that Lin Yao was being harshly treated and coerced against her will by the agent. So, he kidnapped her and coerced her to sign a termination agreement instead.

The agent instantly shot up from her spot, seemingly wanting to retort back about something. However, her body swayed twice before she fainted, collapsing onto the ground.

Osborn picked up the small discarded knife that had fallen onto the ground, holding it up and pressing it to the man’s neck.

❖☆———————————★❖

Osborn: From now on, all you have to do is to answer my questions.

Man: This has nothing to do with you, Osborn!

Osborn: Cut the crap.

Osborn: The attacks that have been happening recently. Were they all your doing?

Man: ...Yes.

After a moment of silence, Osborn took out a bracelet from his pocket…

It was the very same nameplate bracelet with the two-headed snake motif that I'd seen that day on the roof.

Osborn: This must be yours then, isn't it?

Man: My bracelet! Why do you have it!? You did THIS to me!!

Osborn: Don't move. Explain yourself.

Osborn: What purpose does this device serve?

Man: To stop us from going berserk.

Osborn turned the bracelet, angling it and pointing to the back.

Osborn: HCP18407. What is it?

Man: That's my name.

Osborn: You said "us" earlier. Who's "us"?

❖☆———————————★❖

The man seemed like he'd wanted to grin so wide that a smile split his face.

However, his skin was so bone-dry that it was clinging tightly to the bones with no give at all. It made moving a struggle for him, and the only thing that still retained its mobility was his eyes.

He laughed. Then, he shrugged his shoulders and started to whine pathetically.

Man: I don't know.

Man: We were kept captive; our names and existences erased. Everyone was given a number.

Man: Hearing, taste, touch… We were all slowly deprived of all senses

Man: In the end, we turned into beasts that had to rely on blood to survive.

He stared at the floor in a daze, his voice growing increasingly muffled.

Man: I witnessed my best bud turn into nothing but an empty shell with my own eyes. And the experiment failed on me, so I was discarded as if I was nothing but trash.

Man: I went through so much just to escape before I got annihilated. Ask just so that I could see Yao'yao!

Man: But without the daily supplement they gave, along with the bracelet's inhibition, I deteriorated by the day.

Man: When night falls, I can't stop myself from assaulting others…

Osborn: Night? But you assaulted her in broad daylight.

Osborn raised a finger and pointed back to me.

Man: I don't know. I suddenly smelt the strong scent of blood. Just like this smell now.

He raised his head to look at me with desire written all over his face. It looked as if he was positively ready to jump me the next second. Then, he struggled with himself, clutching at his neck and forcing himself to retreat a couple of steps.

Man: Her blood is potent and terribly enticing. It makes me lose my rationality. And I'd already attacked her by the time I came back to myself!

Man: I know that this is a crime, but I HAVE to survive.

Osborn fell silent for a long while before he spoke up once more.

Osborn: Who locked you guys up?

Man: I don't know… We're the basest of existence, so we're not allowed to know anything.

Man: I only know that those keeping us locked up were all people of the Blood Tribe.

Osborn: Did you see a man in his forties of medium build in that place? His glasses should have had the same motif that was on the nameplate bracelet.

The man instantly shook his head.

Man: There were only orphans there. All around the same age as me. I never saw anyone over the age of 30.

Knock… Knock…

A strange sound came from the glass windows.

Turning around, I saw a purplite bird knocking on the glass with its sharp beak.

Osborn froze, his expression instantly turned severe; something that I'd never seen on him. He released the man's collar, vehemently whipping around and tackling me.

Osborn: Get down!

CRASH!

The windows shattered, causing shards of glass to splinter in all directions!

A flock of purplite birds flew in front of the open window, swarming and attacking us all.

Osborn shielded me firmly beneath his body, unleashing his fire and making it form a barrier in front of us.

❖☆———————————★❖

The flapping of wings, the sound of impact being made; the shrill cries of the birds filled the dark room.

It was eerie enough to make one's hair stand on end.

The situation had taken a turn for the unexpected. There were sounds of footsteps coming from all directions. The shreds of orange origami paper fluttered in the air, like the broken wings of a butterfly, obscuring our vision.

After a good long while, the cacophony dissolved, and the man from earlier was nowhere to be seen. There wasn't even a single trace of him ever being there.

MC: Osborn, he…

Osborn: Let's get back out first.

I nodded and carried the agent, who'd lost consciousness, together with him, running out the door.

❖☆———————————★❖

I was momentarily blinded by the light when we got outside.

The abandoned building before me seemed so foreign and out of place, as if it were from a completely different world.

I couldn't help but look back at Osborn. He was holding tightly onto a watch, his gaze fixated on the two-headed snake motif on the centre of the clock face.

It was then that I finally understood; That the reason why he was looking for the bracelet up on the roof, and why he asked me what the meaning of this motif was outside the museum that day, had everything to do with that watch he held in his grasp.

And, he'd asked about someone earlier, as if he was trying to locate them.

I wanted to offer him words of comfort, but my attention was called away by the sudden shout. I turned towards the sound.

A plump man was waving his hand, running towards us.

??: Hey bro. I came here as soon as I got your message. What's up?

Osborn had already put away his watch. He glanced at me.

Osborn: He's Wen Wan. He'll send you home.

MC: What about you? Aren't you coming with us?

Osborn: There are still some things I have to clear up here.

MC: ...Are you going back to look for him?

Osborn: You've forgotten what I told you again.

Osborn: The more secrets you know, the more likely you are to-

His lips quirked up into an arc as he quietly averted his gaze elsewhere.

MC: Fine, be that way then… Stay safe.

Osborn: This is a walk in a park.

Osborn: You're that worried about me?

MC: I don't think things are as simple as it seems, and I'm worried that other dangers are lying in wait…

Osborn: Only because you have yet to realize just how dangerous I am.

He suddenly leaned down, opening my palm and depositing a handful of candy before he turned to leave, as free and easy as ever.

Osborn: She's all yours now.

I watched his gradually disappearing silhouette in the distance, tightening my hold on the bunch of lemon candy that he'd dropped off.

❖☆————— �� For Light & Night⊹ —————★❖

Previous Part: (Chapter 3-14) | Next Part: (Chapter 3-19 Light) / (Chapter 3-19 Night)

#光与夜之恋 #Light and Night #Otome #Translations #Tencent #萧逸 #Osborn #齐司礼 #Sariel #陆沉 #Evan #查理苏 #Charlie #夏鸣星 #Jesse #For Light and Night

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ejlovespie · 4 years ago

Text

You Give Me Strength

Fandom: Supernatural

Author: EJ (@ejlovespie)

Summary: A hunt gone wrong puts Dean and the reader in danger. When the reader gets severely injured, Dean is there to help her recover. (angst & fluff)

Pairing: Dean x reader

Word Count: 1860

Warnings: Angst/Cursing/Torture/Near Death Experience

Reader’s Request: Can I pleaaase request a dean x reader angst/fluff/near death one shot where the reader and dean gets captured by vampires or demons during a hunt gone wrong and the reader keeps talking back to them to piss them off so she can distract them from hurting dean which results in her getting beaten up in front of him and severely injured while he gets all protective and worried.

A/N: This was my first reader’s request and I am stoked about it! Thank you Anon! This was so much fun to write so I hope you like it! Any feedback is greatly appreciated and any mistakes are mine. Thank you for reading! :)

As far as you could tell, you were in the basement of an abandoned building. The smell of mildew filled your nose and occasionally you would see something skitter across the grimy floor. Gross. About a yard away, there was a crack in the ceiling that was slowly dripping water into a little puddle. The drip drip sound was driving you crazy so you re-directed your attention to the room around you. The only light came from a few candles on a table where a knife and a bowl sat. You and Dean were both handcuffed to beams in the middle of the room, far enough a part where you couldn’t reach each other. You were also too far away from the table or anything else that you could grab to use as a weapon. You sighed. This was supposed to be a routine hunt; nothing that you and Dean couldn’t handle. Unfortunately, the demons you had been tracking had got the drop on you. One minute you were both walking down the street and the next, you felt a pinch on your neck and you had lost consciousness within minutes.

Dean still hadn’t woken from being drugged. You had called his name a few times, trying to wake him but he didn’t stir, just continued to breathe in and out in a steady rhythm. You sat there for what felt like hours before the sound of a door slamming behind you made you jump. You heard footsteps as someone walked into the room and you tried squinting into the dark to see. After a moment, a man walked over to Dean’s slumped form. You yelled at him when his foot came out and he kicked Dean’s leg. Ignoring you, he bent over and stuck a needle into Dean’s neck. You cursed and yelled again but were cut off when Dean suddenly startled awake. He sat up in a panic, his eyes wild and angry, and growled when he saw you. The man had walked over to the table in the center of the room and was picking up the knife. Shit. You could his eyes now; they were pitch black. Demon. You tugged at your handcuffs again, trying to figure out a way out of this situation.

The demon noticed you struggling and laughed as he walked over to Dean, who was glaring at him. His black eyes turned to you and he smiled before he took the knife and slowly started to dig it into Dean’s collarbone. You screamed as Dean groaned in pain and the demon laughed. In this situation, you had no way to help Dean except to distract the threat. You had to make him focus on you instead. You didn’t think before you started cursing and yelling at him, trying to goad him into walking away from Dean.

“Hey! Leave him alone you black eyed bastard!”

The demon ignored you and you started to panic when he brought the knife up to Dean’s face. You kept yelling, more desperate now.

“Why don’t you bring that over here bitch! Better yet, how about you let me out of these cuffs so I can kick your ass?”

The demon straightened and turned to face you, a huge, evil smile on his face. He sauntered toward you as Dean hollered at him to leave you alone. Hearing the worry in Dean’s voice, you sent him an apology in your mind. You gritted your teeth and braced yourself when the demon crouched in front of you. You watched as he blinked and blue eyes looked you over. You weren’t expecting the soft touch of his hand on your cheek. You flinched and turned your head away from him as he laughed again.

“Well, aren’t you a feisty thing. You can’t be patient and wait your turn? That’s fine. I will just torture you and let your boytoy over there watch.”

You heard Dean yelling again as the demon smiled and brought the hand on your cheek down to your chin. His thumb rubbed at your dry lips for a moment before he leaned toward you, close enough to kiss you. You reacted. In a sharp movement, you crashed your forehead to his, and kicked out with your legs. You were hoping he would drop the knife and you could grab it or kick it to Dean somehow but the demon just reared back and slapped you hard across the face. Your cheek burned and you were seeing stars but a laugh tore from your throat. The surprised look on his face made you laugh even harder. You stopped laughing when the demon’s eyes turned black and fury contorted his face. He snarled at you,

“You’re going to pay for that you little bitch.”

In a rage, the demon slapped you across the face again and then stood and kicked you hard in the ribs. You cried out in pain as he continued to kick you three more times. On the third blow you felt a rib crack. You could hear Dean screaming and fighting against his restraints. You also heard the drip drip, dripping from the ceiling. You tried to keep your breathing even and deep but you were struggling to breathe through the pain from your rib. The demon crouched back down at eye level with you. Looking back at him, you smiled and taunted him further.

"You hit like a bitch."

Once again, the demon slapped you across the face so hard that your lip split. You could feel the blood trickle down your chin. The demon pulled the knife out and held it in front of you to see. With a taunting expression he said,

"You should have kept your mouth shut. Now, I'm going to have fun carving you up real slow before I cut your throat and bleed you like a pig."

Drip Drip

He plunged the knife into your leg and you screamed in pain. With a twisted smile, the demon pulled the blade out of your leg, causing you to scream again. He repeated the move with your other leg. The pain was making you dizzy and you tried to focus and stay conscious. You heard Dean now begging the demon to leave you alone and it broke your heart to hear it. Be strong Dean, you thought to yourself.

Drip

Looking down, you saw blood everywhere but it didn't look like the demon had severed an artery. You gritted your teeth and focused on his face, internally chanting to yourself to not pass out. He smiled at you again before bringing the knife close to your throat. The knife tip touched your skin and the demon made a shallow cut across it. You weren't sure if it was the blood loss or if you were going into shock but you didn't feel pain. You just felt the blood running down your neck and over your chest. You heard a loud crash behind you accompanied by a new voice. Sam? Your vision was starting to blur, blackness creeping in the corners of your vision. You tried to turn your head, to see what was happening but you couldn’t focus anymore. You heard gunshots and the sounds of a fight going on behind you when suddenly everything was quiet and Dean was by your side. He was taking your handcuffs off and telling you to hold on, to stay with him. He was gingerly lifting you into his arms. You tried to stay awake; to tell Dean that you were sorry but darkness pulled you under.

When you woke, you were lying in a hospital bed. Your head was fuzzy and every part of your body felt numb. You squinted at the window where bright sunlight shone through. Dean was sitting there under the window, sleeping with his head on his arms. His large, calloused hand resting on yours on the bed. You weren’t sure how long you lay there, watching him sleep, but eventually you joined him, drifting off peacefully.

You were only in the hospital for a few days. Although you had lost a lot of blood, you didn’t have any permanent damage. You had a cracked rib, possible nerve damage in your legs, and some scarring on your throat. The doctor said you were lucky; you could have bled out and died if you hadn’t made it to the hospital as fast as you did. You were finally home, back in the bunker, and lying in your own bed. Dean had been mad for the first few days, telling you off for what you did and threatening you if you ever pulled a stunt like that again. You had just smiled sweetly and batting your eyes said,

“I couldn’t let him touch your pretty face Dean. That would be a crime against humanity and women everywhere would have mourned the loss.”

Neither he nor Sam found that as funny as you did. Regardless, Dean’s anger had faded and now he was constantly fussing over you. He hadn’t left your side since the hospital. He had carried you, helped you bathe, wrapped your ribs, and changed your bandages on your legs and neck. He sat with you in bed all day, everyday, watching movies, reading, and playing cards. He was so focused on you and your comfort that you had started to worry about him. You told him you would be fine on your own but Dean had refused to leave; he insisted on taking care of you. It was sweet. This big man, a badass hunter, being so gentle with you made your insides all warm and gooey.

You were both lying in bed now and the wounds on your legs itched like crazy. In the healing process they had started to scab over and no lotion or creams helped. Scratching at your bandages, Dean scolded you before gently grabbing your wrists to keep you from scratching. You groaned in response and he chuckled. Your wrists were still in his hands and he brought them to his lips. Placing kisses on your knuckles, he said,

“You know you can’t scratch at them baby...Maybe I could distract you though.”

You giggled when he leaned into your neck and kissed you, the contrast of his scruffy face and soft lips giving you goosebumps. Dean kissed your neck before moving on to kiss your chin and then placed a longer, warm kiss on your lips. Kissing him back, you sighed feeling happy and content. After a few minutes, he pulled away from you and grabbed your hand. With a serious look, he turned to face you and asked,

“Promise me you won't do that again. Never put yourself in harm's way to protect me. I...I can’t lose you Y/N. I love you.”

His words tugged at your heart but you argued, “I can’t promise that Dean. I will always fight for you. The way I feel..I don’t know. It’s like you give me strength. I would do anything to protect you.”

Dean placed a soft kiss on your temple before murmuring, “Then I will just have to keep you here where we’re both safe.”

Dean Tags:

@akshi8278

#dean winchester #dean winchester x reader #dean x reader #dean winchester fluff #dean winchester angst #supernatural #supernatural angst #supernatural fluff #spn #spn fanfiction #spn requests #spn angst #spn fluff

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shikonotama · 4 years ago

Text

Noragami Reverse Bigbang 2021

Hello! This is my piece for this year's @noragamibigbang. The idea for this fic came from @littlessushi who was my partner for this reverse bigbang. Please make sure to check out her beatiful art! As this was the first time I participated in a reverse bigbang I was quite nervous at the beginning but thanks to my partner's help it was a really great time and I enyojed the writing a lot. Have fun reading! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ »That’s all. Thank you very much.« The young woman took the bag in front of her, bowed politely and left the supermarket she often used to visit on her way home. Right after stepping into the already fading sunlight that warmly lit the surroundings; she stretched both her arms high up into the air, closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. It had been a tough day so far.

Since she had finished medical school and started to work at the local hospital some weeks ago, starting from tomorrow she had her first days off, so she could take things easy today.

‘Alright, Hiyori’, she told herself, ‘time to head back home, get some warm tea and a blanket and just chill on the couch.’

Meow…

Surprised she lowered her arms and opened her eyes to look around.

»Meow…« It took her quite some time to get a glimpse of a tiny black cat. It sat on top of a trash can cover and had its eyes strictly focused her way.

»… me…ow…«, the sound coming out of the small mouth got quite a bit lower after she took some steps into the small cat’s direction.

»Don’t be afraid…«, she smiled, stood still and squatted down while leaning forward a bit. At first Hiyori feared the cat would jump up straight away and run, but it just kept watching her, then the black head rose, the cat closed its eyes and the tiny black nose started to wiggle.

»What’s wrong?«, she asked, knowing well a cat wouldn’t answer. Instead it opened both eyes in an instant: »Meow!«, the big green eyes were now focusing the white bag Hiyori just bought. The woman smiled, stood back up and put one hand into the plastic bag.

»Are you hungry? I only bought some buns, you know?«, she laughed and held a piece between her fingers, so the small animal could reach it without any trouble. When their eyes met again, Hiyori’s smile vanished in an instant and she froze.

Even though the weather hadn’t changed the slightest, the sound of raindrops falling onto the ground reached her ears: raindrops that hit the ground, the roof, the rain drain, her umbrella and the trash can cover.

“I will keep my promise!” Her own words echoed in her ears, “I will never ever forget about you…!”The young woman shuddered and held her breath.

»Ya…to…?!«, she whispered while barely getting any kind of sound out of her mouth and took a closer look at the pair of light green eyes that carefully watched her. The bun she just held dropped on the floor. Just one second ago, Hiyori believed that the cat’s eyes’ colour had changed from green into a deep and light blue – but she was wrong: It was still the same.

‘Why …?’

“Will you really keep that promise, I wonder…?”

Not caring about some people who would probably think she had gotten crazy, Hiyori let the entire bag fall on the ground, turned around and ran.

The park she just entered was still filled with people, mostly families and friends. Many of them already started to prepare their way home, but some were still enjoying their time together. The cherry blossom trees throughout the city had just started to bloom and drew everyone’s attention towards them. Tiny pink petals were dancing through the air, swirling around and lightening everybody’s mood, or so it seemed.

Countless children were running around, screaming and dancing with both leaves and their friends while on the other hand older people were sitting on blankets, drinking, chatting and laughing with their beloveds and family – meanwhile Hiyori was still caught in her thoughts, not fully aware of what just happened or where she ran to.

It was only some minutes later when she finally recognised she ran quite a distance. She abruptly stopped and leaned against a trunk, her eyes still closed to get back a hold of her breathing.

As her emotions calmed down and the surrounding sounds started to reach her consciousness again, she carefully blinked and reopened her eyes. Even though she could still feel her heart pounding against her chest, her breathing tempo went back to normal and her brain had started to work properly again. Even her hands had stopped shaking.

‘What’s wrong with me, all of a sudden?’ She led out a heavy sigh and watched the children play on the grass right in front of her eyes. Hiyori couldn’t help herself but bring back a smile to her face. It felt like ages, since she last went out for a walk during the Hanami. When she was younger, she used to go out with her family and play with her brother and friends like those kids did just now. Later, when she entered middle school, she used to come visit the blooming trees together with her friends, but since she went afar to study to become a physician, she simply didn’t have the time to take a relaxing walk around the park.

Just now, when her eyes tried to follow the petals swirling through the air, she felt like a heavy weight was lifted from her chest – a feeling she hadn’t felt in quite a while. Like a vanishing mist that lay upon her soul for the past… days… maybe weeks… or even years?

»This place sure is amazing, isn’t it?! We definitely have to come back here again next year!«

»You bet we will!«

»For real?! It’s a promise! You better not forget, okay?«

»Of course I promise. How could I forget something that important?!«

The three people, walking by Hiyori who still leaned against the trunk of one of the biggest cherry blossom trees around, laughed and giggled up until she lost sight of them.

»… a… promise…?« Hiyori murmured, softly pushing her body away from the cherry tree trunk. Slowly she continued her way through the park, passing by several trees – some of which were lit by nearby street lamps that had just been switched on one second ago. As she moved on, the amount of people crossing her way decreased, until she finally found herself at the edge of the park, looking over a beautiful riverside, while the sun had continued its way, so it was just about to touch the ground in the far distance now. This caused the white and pink petals swirling around Hiyori’s body to be touched by the fading sunlight, turning the already beautiful view into an even more mysterious one. The tree right beside her, which had its trunk wrapped up in a mat of straw, didn’t seem to be one of the strongest or biggest ones she passed today, nevertheless its petals rained down and spread across – some of them might even reach the other riverbank.

She carefully approached the tree and put her palm on top of its somewhat familiar bark.

‘So warm…’ She lifted her eyes and waved her gaze to the treetop. In an instant she could feel a fresh breeze of wind playing with her hair.

“The Sakura’s in full blossom.”, her own voice echoed in her ears. She shrugged.

“Whoa… they sure are pretty!” It was the voice of a young man, maybe still at a kid’s age. Startled, Hiyori took some steps back from the tree she just put her hand on and searched her surroundings.

“They are… Let’s come back next year, too, okay?!”

“Definitely…” The blonde boy beside her, his eyes sparkling in joy, nodded, still gazing at the big cherry blossom tree. Just one second later he snapped out of his current mood, turning his attention to the back while shouting: “Yo – You dumb old stalker. We did you a big favour by letting you come with us, so you better be careful!” Following his voice, Hiyori turned around as well. Some meters behind them stood a young man dressed in a black track suit. His gaze was locked on the cherry tree as well, but in contrast to the boy, his eyes didn’t sparkle, nor was there any joy visible on his face. His expressions hadn’t changed since Yukine spoke to him, he didn’t even spare a glance on the two. Hiyori couldn’t help herself but feel unease: It was rare for him to put up that kind of face. She wanted to ask him, wanted to know if something happened she didn’t know about, but on the same time she didn’t find the right words to do so. His mind seemed to be in a place far away from here, would he even bother to answer?

Then suddenly, he started to mumble some words. Not loud enough to understand completely, even though she really tried. The wind made the young man’s black hair cover his eyes, so she couldn’t get a hold of his expression anymore. ‘What’s wrong??’ Just as she started to make a move to turn around and walk in his direction, some of his words made it through to her.

“… huh? … can’t even remember… when I last saw…”

‘When?’

“What are you rambling about?! Cherry blossoms are everywhere in Japan…!” The boy’s voice snapped both of them out of their thoughts.

“Hmph… Dumplings over flowers for me any day.”

Without any further word, Yato headed straight to the bento boxes Hiyori prepared for today, sat down on the blanket and pinched a bit out of the box next to him. “SO MUCH FOOD!”, he picked up one of the sausages shaped like an octopus. In contrast to his appearance just some moments ago, he wore a big grin on his face, his cheeks rosy from excitement.

“Ahh, just looking at these adorable octopus hotdogs makes me warm with Hiyori’s love…”

“Wait ‘til everybody gets here, okay?”

“Everybody?”

Just as they spoke, a bunch of people appeared in the far, strictly heading for the cherry blossom tree they prepared the picnic at.

Hiyori couldn’t help herself but giggle at the images that just flashed before her eyes. Both Yato and Bishamon sure were energetic that day. Everyone else probably had a lot of fun, too!

»You should quit drinking that much if you lose the capability to control your actions, you know? Don’t blame me, Yukine or anyone else for the things you did!«

Hiyori had turned around, rolling her eyes and both of her hands rested on her hip.

‘At least he doesn’t make that gloomy face anymore.’

The annoyed look on her face vanished and turned into a happy smile as their eyes met.

»Whatever… this day turned out to be a lot of fun, huh? Well… it was even more chaotic as I could’ve ever imagined beforehand…«

After a short pause, she continued: »Yato…!« It was just then, when she finally realised that neither Yato, nor Yukine nor one of the others had been with her to begin with.

In front of her eyes there was still that cherry tree which had a small part of its trunk covered, the same petals dancing around her body and the same river some steps ahead.

»Right…«, she told herself, »… it’s already been some years.« ‘How could I forget? … Again…’ The whole amount of energy she just felt some minutes ago had already left her body, so she leaned against the tree behind her, slowly sliding to the ground. In silence, tears had gathered in both of her eyes, blurring her vision before they rolled over and left a wet mark on her face.

Back then she couldn’t even think about a life without them – a so called normal life. A life where she simply went to school to learn, have fun with her classmates and friends and then starting to think about her future goals.

After she was hit by that truck when she was trying to save this reckless god running over the street to catch a stray, she tended to leave her body from time to time. Even now she couldn’t fully understand what happened back then. As a so called half Ayakashi she could jump up high and her kicks were even stronger than Tono’s. Yato had promised to find a cure for her state. ‘Right… I even payed him the five Yen he requested.’ As time went by, she had started to stop regretting her new state and used the power given to her to help her friends and fight. What started as something alarming and scary turned out to be a way full of friends and mysteries to solve. Never could she have imagined that it would not stay like this forever.

Even though Tenjin had warned her to stay alert and thus suggested that cutting ties with Yato and everybody else would be for the best, she refused and stayed. She wanted to stay by their side – by his side. After she almost forgot about everybody once, she treasured her dairy even more, closely paying attention to reread and write something down every single day.

‘Why did I forget about them again? Did he cut the ties for real this time? That night?’ – He didn’t, she just remembered. After her cord was heavily damaged and her physical body had gotten weaker, Tenjin brought up the matter of cutting ties again.

“I’m sorry… if it wasn’t for me, your condition wouldn’t be that bad right now…«, Yato stood some steps away from her, his eyes strictly directed to the floor. It wasn’t easy to understand every word he said, because his voice was about to start trembling any moment. To cover up, he kept it low.

“That’s not true! Why do keep blaming yourself for things you can’t change?!!”

Hiyori’s voice was filled with anger and despair. If he really wanted to cut the ties that connected the two there wasn’t much she was able to do against.

“Yato…”, after a while she lowered her voice too, slowly closing the gap between them until she was able to touch his chin with her fingertips. Gently and yet firmly she lifted his head so his eyes had to make contact with hers. His were cold and without the sparkling deep blue she loved about them the most. His face was covered in bruises from the many fights he had to endure and despite her having bandaged them the best she could, he really looked like someone who should rest rather than standing here at night, chatting.

“… please.”, she continued her talk, “I don’t want to forget, I will be fine, I’ll-…!”

She felt cold sweat running over her face and her breathing was unsteady and fast. It was just at that moment, when she suddenly felt dizzy and was about to tumble. Yato quickly had put his arms around her waist and pulled her close to his chest. She could feel every finger of his tightly holding onto her shirt while desperately trying to cover the fact that his hands were shaking.

“Please… I don’t want to forget… again…”, she whispered and could feel him strengthen his grip even more.

She tightly wrapped her arms around her knees as she remembered what happened more than six years ago. Her condition kept getting worse, so everyone suggested it may be best for her to continue living a normal life. That’s why she decided to sign up for medical school far away from Kofuku’s house. If she studied far away, kept her distance and regained her health, she would be able to meet with them again – at least that was what she had hoped for.

Her condition did indeed get better throughout the years passing by, she felt a lot healthier now and

could not remember a single day she left body again. ‘But… I ended up forgetting about them… about all of them nonetheless.’

‘I wonder… are they still arguing day for day? Fighting evil spirits? Did they get into a fight again and got hurt? Are they… still ali-…!’

Hiyori stopped her own thoughts, opened her eyes wide and held her breath while covering her mouth with both her hands.

“The only kinds of believers Yato could ever relay on were those one-time customers, not to mention he was never really blessed with a good shinki… I’m sure he had his fair share of fears and doubts. I bet there wasn’t a day when his mind was at ease, since he had to cling to one person’s memory at a time to stay alive…”

‘Right… without his lifeline, an unknown god like Yato would…’

Her chest hurt and her head was filled with dust. Hiyori could feel her knees shaking, as she tried to stand back up on her feet again. After she forgot about him during the past six years, did he…? No…

»This can’t be… right!« Hastily the woman grabbed the bag she was carrying her mobile in; at least she tried to. Where she remembered her bag to be, she could just grasp thin air. She must have lost her bag after encountering the black cat next to the supermarket this afternoon.

»Damn…!« With one jump she ignored her still shaking knees and jumped back on her feet.

‘It doesn’t matter if we’re supposed to cut ties… I don’t care…’ Her body ran back into the park she came out of some minutes ago. All its ways were lit by streetlamps, now that the sunlight was almost completely gone for today.

‘I have to call him… I have to know whether he and Yukine are safe… Please – be safe!’

The tears had flooded her eyes, making it difficult for her to follow the path she was heading properly.

‘Please…’, she begged in her mind, not able to think of something different anymore.

»YATO-…!«

Some birds that were sitting on nearby branches to enjoy the last warmth of the sun flew away in fright – not because Hiyori suddenly shouted out a name into the dark, but because of the sound of two bodies crashing into each other. The uninspected impact made the woman stagger backwards; therefore she was now sitting in the grass, heavily breathing.

»I’m terribly sorry… I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. Are you hurt?«, the calm voice of a young man dispelled the rising panic occupying her mind.

»No, I’m… I’m fine. Sorry.«, she answered in a low voice and raised her head. Since it already got dark and the last piece of sunlight couldn’t reach the centre of the park she was now in, the big cherry blossom trees around her were all lit by some streetlamps. One might say the contrast of the dark night with its deep blue sky made a beautiful contrast to the white and pink petals still swirling to the ground, but Hiyori didn’t care about anything like that right now. She was looking into the direction the young man’s voice had reached her ears from. Even though she could only see his silhouette because he stood right in front of one of the lights, he had a somewhat calming aura around him. As she took a closer look she noticed he wore some kind of tracksuit. Maybe he was one of the students or freshmen who spend their time after work for some fitness runs through the park.

‘Whatever… I have to hurry!’

As she made a move to stand back up again, the person in front of her came some steps closer and made something swing right before her eyes.

»This happens to be yours, doesn’t it?«

Just now she realised that it was indeed her mobile phone the stranger was holding. She nodded.

»I figured.«, he replied and straightened his back again, »Well then…«

»How did you kn-…?«

»Be careful – tonight’s gonna be a gloomy night.« The young man in front of her avoided to answer her question and turned around, just to be gone not even a second later.

»Wait!« Hiyori put her hand in front to push her body on her feet again, when she realised her phone lying right before her eyes. Hastily she picked it up and unlocked the screen when she suddenly paused. Attached to the upper right of her phone, there was a small keychain she did not remember putting there in the first place. It was a golden crown which was attached to a thin string, shining even in the pale light of the street lamps.

The tears that had stopped once she fell to the floor continued to run all over her face, as she embraced the small keychain and squeezed it close to her chest.

»Thank god…«, she murmured and couldn’t hold back the sobbing that echoed through the dark, while a gentle wind, which brought a lot of cherry blossom petals with it, gently caressed her body, as if it wanted to give her at least a little comfort.

************************************************************************

Close to the riverside the young man was looking back at the park full of cherry blossom trees, when the woman’s whispers reached his ears and a relieved smile hushed over his face. He closed his eyes and turned around to leave.

»Stupid… I won’t disappear that easy.«

#noragami #noragamireversebang2021 #hiyori #yato

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7nosecrinkle7 · 4 years ago

Note

49 and 58 with Natasha if u r willing please ❤️

49. “Not with that cold.”

58. “Was it worth being out in the snow/rain like that?”

***This is the first time I’ve written for Natasha. Thank you so much for your request and waiting; my apologies for this taking so long! I hope you enjoy it <3

———————————————————————-

Worth It

Natasha was known for being blunt, cold, and efficient. No personal attachments, no contact with anyone outside of the tower or the other Avengers. But with you, Natasha was sweet, kind, and always patient. You found that when she wanted to be, she was a very chivalrous person… Particularly with you.

She had planned tonight's date night. It was rare that you were both off and not training or recovering. After a candlelit dinner on the patio of this cute new restaurant, you both decided to take a detour through the park. It had been so pleasant the last few nights, so why not? The wrought iron light poles were lit up, creating a soft ambiance as you made your way along the cobblestone path. You weren't alone in the park. Several other couples had similar ideas, but your attention was fixed on the redhead next to you; the lights sparkled exceptionally bright in her eyes.

You had recently picked up the hobby of reading more on your breaks, and Natasha asked about the latest one. Your entwined hands swayed front and back as you walked.

"Honestly, it's better than the summary made it out to be. There's been so much character exploration in the first few chapters, and I'm excited to--" You cut off mid-sentence. It had been a series of beautiful evenings, so neither of you thought to check the weather. You felt a distinct drop of water hit the tip of your nose. You looked over at Natasha.

"Did you feel that?"

"Feel wh--?" Natasha asked and stopped short when she also felt a drop or two.

Of course, it started raining. It was just a drizzle first; One of those light summer sprinkles that was still warm. You shrugged and kept going, the both of you chuckling.

"I won't melt," Natasha said and kissed your cheek.

You smiled and gave her a peck on her lips. You then nudged Natasha's shoulder with your own, thinking it was kind of romantic. So you continued walking.

The pair of you made it about another ten feet of soft droplets until that drizzle got a little heavier and a lot colder.

You and Natasha took off at a run to the little shop at the park's end to buy an umbrella. Thankfully it was still open this late.

Natasha held the door open, and you stepped in out of the downpour. You shivered lightly as the air conditioning hit your wet skin.

The umbrellas were right by the door, so Natasha scooped one up and went right to the counter.

"Will that be all?" The store owner asked.

"Yes, please," Natasha handed over the cash for the umbrella. You could see Natasha was a bit chilled with the way she shuffled, waiting for the change, but you could help the noticeable shiver that shook your shoulders.

"Here," she said, taking off her leather jacket.

You waved it off, "no, Natasha, then you'll be cold."

"I can handle it," she shrugged and smirked, "I'm Russian, I'll be fine." You always loved wearing Natasha's jackets, and she loved seeing you in them.

When you stepped out of the shop, Natasha opened the umbrella. It was ever so slightly too small for the both of you to fit comfortably, but with Natasha's arm wrapped around you, you made it work. She definitely didn't tell you that she was still getting rained on thoroughly, though.

Natasha had a smile on her face that was mirrored on yours. The pair of you laughed your way back to the tower, cracking jokes with each other and really savoring the time together.

A quick, warm, shared shower later, and you were both asleep in Natasha's bed.

………...

You woke up and glanced over at the clock. It read 02:00AM, but you didn't need the digital numbers to tell you. It felt early. You looked around the room, not seeing any immediate threats. You never woke up in the middle of the night.

You figured it out quickly enough, though, when you heard the sounds of Natasha's light snoring. She never snored. Even in her sleep, the black widow did not make any unplanned noises.

A dry cough escaped her lips before she continued snoring, not waking up in the process. Her head was resting on your shoulder, her increasingly stuffy breaths puffing against your chest. She'd cuddled up against you at some point during the night, draping an arm over your stomach.

"Oh, Tasha," you whispered and rubbed circles on her back. You placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

You continued rubbing her back as you drifted off to sleep again.

…………

The second time you came into consciousness, you definitely knew what had awoken you. You felt another nudge into your side and a heavy sigh.

"Bless you," you said, voice thick with sleep.

Natasha sniffled beside you, "Sorry I woke you."

"No, don't worry about that. Are you okay?" You asked and brushed some hair away from Natasha's face.

Natasha groaned and rubbed at her nose, "I've been better." She sniffled; the congestion was unmistakable.

"Here, love," you said and reached over to grab the box of tissues.

Natasha swiped one from the box and buried her nose in it.

Huh hhnxxt…. Hih hngt-shoo!

"Bless you, Nat."

She blew her nose and sniffled a few times, "thanks…" Her hand came up to pinch the bridge of her nose. She sniffled again and let out a few light coughs.

Natasha took a deep breath and sighed before getting out of bed and moving towards the closet. You watched as she pulled out a pair of workout clothes.

"Um, Natasha? What are you doing?" She'd gone from cuddling to getting ready for the day while clearly verging-on-feeling-miserable. "We still have another couple of days off."

"Yeah, but I need a workout. I was going to go running. Want to join me?"

You blinked at her a couple times. Natasha very rarely got sick, not even an annual case of sniffles. She wasn't great at this whole 'being sick' thing. You got up and took both of her hands. Carefully, you backed up towards the couch in the living room.

"Not with that cold." You said and sat down on the couch, pulling Natasha with you.

"Uhm, love, what are you doing?" Natasha asked, swiping at her nose again. She looked genuinely confused.

"You're sick, so you're going to rest. I'll bring you tissues, tea, and we can just relax the day away. You got sick on our date trying to keep me out of the rain. So now I'm going to take care of you."

Natasha went to protest but stopped. "You know what? I'd love some cuddles and tea and tissues." As much as she would've loved to go for a run or get a good workout, she was feeling more congested by the minute. A run would've been murder on her sinuses, the pounding already becoming a bit overwhelming.

While you went to go make tea, Natasha was on her own mini-mission. If you were both going to spend the day on the couch, she wanted to make it comfortable. Natasha grabbed the extra blankets from the bedroom and both of your pillows. She grabbed one last thing before making it back to the living room.

Natasha got everything set up before getting herself situated. The moving around had already worn her out more than she would ever admit. The shifting had also upset her sinuses.

Not having tissues yet, Natasha buried her head into her elbow with a handful of desperate sneezes.

Huuhh hih eTTSHeew!... hihesSHew. AschHEww!

Natasha took a few quick sniffles, keeping her arm in place.

"You sound absolutely miserable," you sighed, coming back into the living room. You put your hand on Natasha's back as she blew her nose in the provided tissues. You couldn't help but feel a little guilty about the whole situation. You hung your head and shook it a little bit. "Was it worth it being out in the rain like that?" You wondered aloud and glanced over quickly before looking back at the tissues you'd just placed on the coffee table.

A warm hand grasped yours. You turned back towards your girlfriend only to be met with the most patient yet earnest look. "It absolutely was worth it. Any time spent with you is worth it no matter the situation."

You still looked unconvinced. Natasha gently tugged you toward her on the sofa until you were lying against her.

"What would make me feel better are some cuddles… And maybe this." Natasha pulled out the latest book you were reading from behind her on the couch. "You wanna read it to me?"

You smiled and sighed, "I'd love to."

#snzfic #sneezefic #7nosecrinkle7 #sneezing #snz #snzblr #sickfic #natasha romanoff/reader #natasha romanoff x reader #crinklewrites

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firefly464 · 5 years ago

Text

The Gilded Cage - Chapter 2

aoweijfda ok im just gonna put it out there, posts are probably gonna be a bit slower for tgc, since me, rivy, and pami are all dealing with school shit. Anyways, have chapter :D

Written in collaboration with @i-have-this-now :D

Thank you @rivys for beta reading, editing, and writing :D

Master Post

First - Previous - Next

~~~

Run.

Cries surrounded him, the voices of people he had thought were his friends piercing his mind. It was unfortunate that they hadn’t thought the same of him.

You need to get away from them.

The cold wind flew past him in streaks of haze. He couldn't tell where he was running to, only that he was running away. A gust of wind blew the hat off of his head, but between the pounding of his heart in his chest and his frantic planning, he barely noticed.

You'll live if you run far enough.

The light dusting of snow brushed against his shoes as he shot past. One of his shoes fell off a while back, leaving one of his feet numb, but he couldn't concentrate on that now.

Run. They aren't your friends anymore. You can't trust them.

Dodging trees and logs and leaves, running to who knows where at this point.

This wasn’t real, this couldn’t be real.

Something flew past his head, only narrowly missing his ear. He let out a curse.

They’re trying to kill you

A sharp pain exploded in his right arm. He only forced himself to run faster.

Ignore the pain. Just keep running. You’ll find safety eventually.

He could feel adrenaline coursing through his veins, numbing his arm.

Keep moving. Just keep moving.

The throbbing in his head was growing worse. His vision was blurring. He forced himself to keep going.

Don’t stop, don’t you fucking stop.

He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears, the sound of blood rushing past, drowning out any other sounds. His breathing was quick, and shallow.

Just focus on running. Don’t think of anything else.

How long had he been running for? He didn’t know. It didn’t matter, just so long as he kept moving. Right now, all that mattered was getting away.

Get as far away as possible.

He was slowing down. Why was he slowing down? He couldn’t slow down, he needed to keep moving. He would be killed if he slowed down. He couldn’t afford to slow down.

Why the fuck are you stopping? You can’t fucking stop.

His legs burned with adrenaline, pins and needles shooting up his thighs. He could feel the warmth of blood running down his arm and the stinging pain that came with it.

Run.

His pace continued to slow down. No, no he can’t. He can’t slow down. If he slows down he’ll-

RUN.

His vision started to blur. Colors and shapes were formed into an arrangement of fuzzy mush. Greens, blues and reds were stirring in his vision. The edges of his eyesight started to fade into black.

Whatever you do, don’t stop. Stop and you’re dead. Stop and you’ll-

The darkness consumed his vision.

~~~

“Eret? Can you hear me? Are you awake?”

The voice was muffled, distant.

“Eret, are you okay?”

He tried to push himself up, but his arms violently shook under him. He bit his tongue, doing his best not to cry out in pain. He watched as blood stained the snow under him underneath him, the deep crimson slowly spreading. He watched as it seeped into the ground, only to freeze over a moment later.

“Woah, hey!” The person grabbed his arm. A jolt of pain coursed through him, but it was dull, and barely noticeable. He couldn’t feel the person grabbing his arm, much less the resulting pain. “You’re still hurt. Careful. God, what did you do…?”

Eret grit his teeth. “I got fuckin’ shot,” he muttered, his words slurred, barely understandable. His eyes blurred, the corners of his vision going dark.

“Language,” The person sighed. “Come on, let’s get you inside.”

Pins and needles shot through him. He was going numb. He could barely see. He could feel himself drifting off, slipping in and out of consciousness. Every logical thought in his mind was telling him to run, run far away, get as far as you can, but he was too exhausted to move.

He could barely hear the voice murmuring to him as they carried him to safety. “You’re gonna be okay.”

~~~

When he finally awoke, he was laying on a soft bed, warmth surrounding him. It was completely different to when he had woken up in the cold van. Instead of being surrounded by hostility, there was a feeling of kindness in the air.

He glanced around, trying to figure out where he was, only to once more find himself unable to see. The blinding white light had returned, making him squint.

As he pushed himself up to a sitting position, he saw the outline of a small bedside table. On top of the table, he was pretty sure he could see a small, dark object. With a wince, he reached over and grabbed the dark glasses.

Instantly, the world around him darkened, letting him actually see his surroundings. He was in what appeared to be a large, open room, split off into different sections. The section he was in seemed to be a makeshift bedroom of sorts, with curtains strung across the ceiling to provide privacy.

From the small opening in the curtains, Eret could just barely make out the center of the room. In the middle stood a large pillar that reached to the ceiling, with stairs leading downwards. On the other side of the pillar was a crackling fireplace that filled the large room with warmth and light. A large couch was sat in front of it, giving a spot to rest and relax.

In one corner, he could just barely make out the corner of what looked to be a kitchen. Eret could hear someone humming to themselves as they moved around the area. The voice sounded familiar, but it was difficult to place from only the humming.

“Hello?” He called out, trying to figure out who the mysterious person was. He couldn’t remember much after he had blacked out, but he did remember someone helping him. Perhaps this was the same person.

The sounds of shuffling came to an abrupt halt. They had stopped.

“Who’s there?” he called out, his voice trembling. “Please, I just want to know what's going on”

With the screech of metal on metal, the curtain in the doorway parted to reveal a tall, shadowy creature. They were an inky black, as though they were a silhouette, and their eyes glowed a haunting white. A dark hood covered their head, making the creature look even more intimidating. Eret was forced to swallow a scream of surprise at the sight.

“Oh good, you’re awake! How are you feeling?” the creature spoke.

Eret couldn’t believe it. This… thing had the exact same voice as his friend back home, and had a striking resemblance to the man’s Minecraft skin. He had to be dreaming.

“Pinch me.”

“What?”

“You need to pinch me. This can’t be real.”

“What? I’m not going to--”

“Pinch me!”

Bad frowned slightly as he sat down at Eret’s bedside. “I’m not going to pinch you, you’re still really hurt. How does your arm feel?”

Eret ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t exactly care about my arm right now, this just… it has to be a dream. None of this can be happening, it’s not real.”

“Oh.” Bad looked down and let out a sigh. “Well, Eret, let me tell you what. You and I are here right now, and I love you, and my love is real. So don’t be a little muffin, alright?”

His friend’s reassuring words couldn’t calm Eret’s fear. “No, this isn’t real! I-I’m in some sort of fucked up dream or coma or something,” His words were filled with desperation, as though he were trying to convince himself of the lie.

“Hey! Watch your language,” Bad said, before giving his friend a sympathetic glance. He looked towards the open curtain and called out, “Hey, George? Do you know what happened to Eret? He seems really upset.”

“Yeah, he got shot.” a calm voice called from beyond the doorway. As George stepped into view, he lifted his sunglasses from his eyes and rested them on his head. “Getting shot can do that to a person.”

“No, I know that, George! I’m just worried!”

The man sighed. “Setting up the control room took a lot of work, not to mention he just nearly froze to death. He’s been through a lot, Bad.”

Eret couldn’t help but stare in dumbfounded shock. It felt too real now. He was here, of course, but he was really here -- in the middle of a war against his best friends, and he didn’t know how to feel about it. He had only been conscious for less than an hour since his arrival, and he had already been injured several times.

On the one hand, at least he wasn’t alone. A single glance at his surroundings proved that he had people to help support him. People to help him, people that he knew he could trust.

But on the other, the SMP’s lore was a hellstorm. There was death, pain, true and terrible suffering. They were in the middle of a war. He didn’t know much about how combat affected someone, but he knew that it could cause long-lasting trauma. That wasn’t something that could be ignored.

“I know, George.” Bad’s gentle voice snapped Eret out of his spiraling thoughts. “But there has to be something we can do to help him, you know?”

“I’m right here…” he muttered under his breath.

George sighed and leaned against the wall. “Alright then, Eret. Talk to me.”

~~~

“What the fuck was all that about?! What just happened?!” Tommy cried out, barging into the small van. His face was red from both the biting cold outside, and the anger that ran through him. He and Tubbo had just returned from chasing Eret out of the L’manberg walls, though Tommy wished they had been able to do more.

He wanted Eret dead. Just thinking about the man brought a mixture of anger and fear to the surface. No, he needed Eret dead. He needed to make that son of a bitch pay for what he did to them.

The inside of the van looked like a warzone, with papers and documents cluttering every available surface. The drawers that were pushed up against the wall were all thrown open, their contents spilled across the floor. Inkwells and quills lay scattered across the table in the center, the dark ink seeping into the wood below.

Wilbur was hastily digging through one of the drawers, throwing vials and potion ingredients all over the floor. It was almost like he was looking for something, but that didn’t make sense.

“What did he take? Why was he here?!” Wil cried out, Tommy’s voice falling on deaf ears.

He jumped at the sound of knocking and turned to face his son standing in the doorway. Fundy looked at his father anxiously, ears pinned back against his head and tail swishing as he side-stepped past Tommy.

“I’m busy,” Wilbur spat. “Now isn’t the time.”

“Well, Dad, I was wondering what we should do about Eret.”

“What, why?! Didn’t you stop him?”

Fundy’s shoulders shot up to his ears and his whole body tensed, his body language giving away his response “Well, we didn’t manage to catch him, but--”

“Then find him!”

Tommy stepped forward. “I understand you’re upset, but I think you’re being a bit harsh with Fundy, sir.”

The General scoffed. “Upset? Really? I’m not upset, I’m fucking pissed! The man that just betrayed our entire nation just ran off and you all let him!”

“Well, to be fair, he ran pretty fast,” Tubbo offered, trying to be helpful.

“I don’t give a shit how fast he ran, you will find him and you will...” Wilbur sputtered and gesticulated wildly. “...you’ll bring him to me, and I can watch the light fade from his stupid fucking glowing eyes, and--”

“Wilbur, please!” Tommy yelled. “You’re getting ahead of yourself.” Wilbur opened his mouth to interrupt, but Tommy stopped him. “Look, we all hate him for what he did, but if we don’t know where he is, we can’t do shit.”

Wilbur stared at his right hand man and sighed. He was jumping ahead, he needed to stay calm and rational. “Fine. Alright. Sure. We can hold off on that for now.”

Fundy let out a shaky sigh of relief. He had seen Wilbur lose his temper before, and it was never fun, but he had gotten used to it. This, though, was something different, and he wasn’t sure how long it was going to last.

He needed to leave, to get out before his adoptive father grew angry again. Fundy could tell from the furrow in Wilbur’s brow that the anger was not yet gone, and it was only a matter of time before it exploded out again.

“I uh, I’m going to go patrol the walls. I want to make sure he’s actually gone,” Fundy said, desperate for a chance to escape.

Will glared at him, a spark in his eye unlike any Fundy had seen before. “No, Fundy, you don’t understand the gravity of the situation. You may have been there with us in the control room, but you will never understand what his betrayal truly meant.”

“Wilbur, I--”

“He was there at the founding of our nation, Fundy, he helped build L’Manburg from the ground up, and he left us all behind. And it hurt, and I know it hurt you too, but here’s the thing. Eret has to pay, but you can’t be the one to collect.”

Fundy felt a growl deep in his chest. “I can do this, Wilbur, just trust me--”

“Fundy.” The General stared directly into his eyes, the emotion in his words seemingly gone. “You. Are. Incompetent. You cannot do this, and I mean that literally. This is not for you.”

Fundy felt his ears flatten on the top of his head and he stepped back in shock. He understood what Wilbur meant, he really did. It made sense. After all, he wasn’t the strongest fighter, or the best tactician, or the best anything, really. This wasn’t a job meant for him, it just wasn’t, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. He needed to prove himself, to show that he could at least do something to help.

His shoulders slumped. “I understand. I… I would still like to go on patrol, sir. If I find anything, I will report to you immediately.” He turned on his heel, not giving Wilbur the chance to respond. Pushing past both Tubbo and Tommy, he left the van, trying to escape his shame.

~~~

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royallyprincesslilly · 5 years ago

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Title: Scantily Clad {One Shot}**

Henry Cavill x Reader

Warning: Cursing, Dominant Behavior, SMUUUUUT, NSFW, Mildly Rough Sex

Words: 4.5k

Summary: Reader is going to an event with Henry, and this is what she decides to wear. Henry isn't happy about it at all. He puts his foot down, but the reader is stubborn and plays the feminist card and still chooses to wear it.

Note: A little HC action for you guys, it has been a while and I miss him. As always, thank you guys for reading, I appreciate you guy so much!!!

If you enjoyed this please, LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG. ❤️❤️❤️

***Loosely Edited/Proofread***

***Interactive***

“Y/N, are you ready yet? We’re going to be late, darling,” Henry shouted from downstairs in the foyer of his London flat.

“Ten minutes, babe, I promise.”

He sighed and checked his watch for the eighth time in the last twenty minutes. You’d told him ten minutes twenty minutes ago. He should have been used to this. You’d been together for almost two years and engaged for four months, and in all that time, this was not the first time you’d taken forever and a day to get ready. He sat in the lounge chair in the foyer and pulled out to phone to answer some emails. He knew that he wouldn’t be getting to any work for the rest of the night, thanks to the event he was going to. That was if you ever came downstairs.

He’d left you in the bedroom forty minutes ago doing your make up and hair. He always loved watching you get ready. It was like a show of you getting done up before the show of him undoing you. He always watched and planned how he’d do it, where he’d start, and by the time he’d formulated a plan, he was always aroused. He also knew that you knew when he was watching. You’d make it a point to make eye contact with him at several points in your process. When you painted your lips with your chosen lip color, you’d lock eyes with him. When you sucked your cheeks in to apply whatever product it was to your cheeks, you stared into his eyes. You knew just what you were doing.

Tonight wasn’t any different. He watched you put one side of your hair up to showcase that gorgeous décolletage and had to restrain himself from going to you to pepper kisses along your skin. The look in your eyes said you wanted him to do it too. When he couldn’t handle watching the golden glow of your skin any longer, he retreated to his office to do a little work. Glancing at his watch again, he groaned, but it was then he heard the upstairs bedroom door close.

“I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m coming,” you shouted from upstairs.

He stood, buttoned his tux jacket, and adjusted his cuffs in prep to leave. The clink of your heels coming down the marbled stairs had him looking up with a smile to watch. What he saw not only took his breath away, shocked him, and annoyed him, but it also confused him. You descended the stairs in a metallic gunmetal grey type gown that incredibly left little to the imagination. As you came down the remaining steps, his eyes darted to every place your skin peeked through.

“I’m here, see I told you ten minutes.” You stopped in front of him, showing him up close just what you’d decided to wear tonight. He heard your voice, but it was mumbled. None of your words were making it to his consciousness. He was too lost in your dress.

“Henry!”

Snapping his head up to your face, he wanted to say something about how beautiful you looked, but something else came out.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Your voice was full of concern as you reached for him, but he stepped back.

“What are you wearing?”

You reared your head back and gave him a confused look.

“What? It’s a dress. It goes perfectly with your bow tie. Come on, we’re going to be late,” you answered before you walked to the mirror in the foyer, giving him the view of the equally revealing back.

“Where the bloody hell do you think you’re going dressed like that?”

That was when you spun around with the look he knew well that said he was acting like a wanker.

“Excuse me?”

“I can see—everything, Y/N.”

“You’re exaggerating it’s not that bad,” you defended.

“Not that bad?” He approached you and touched the slab of fabric that hugged your breast. “This looks like if you bent down and stood, your breast will be out. Not to mention, it gives the perfect imprint of your breasts, giving the world an adequate size measurement.”

“You’re kidding right, Henry?”

“No. Then look at this split. Why is it so high? Your entire thigh and hip are showing. Are you wearing knickers?”

“Wow, of course, I’m wearing underwear. Who do you think I am?”

“I thought I knew, but look at how you’re dressed. You have to go change,” he finished in the voice that said his decision was final.

You snorted then laughed loudly. This was not the time to provoke him, he thought.

“I don’t know who you think you are or even who you think I am that I’d let any man dictate what I wear, especially when it is appropriate enough,” you contested as you brushed past him walking to the front door.

“Y/N!” It was his dominating tone. You stopped in your tracks straightened your back and turned to him.

“You may dominate me in that bedroom upstairs, but that is the only thing you dominate me in. Just because you fuck me until I’m weak does not mean that you control me, Henry. Never make that mistake, and if it’s a meek little mouse you want, then maybe you should rethink this ring on my finger. I’ll be in the car when you’re done throwing a tantrum like a little boy.”

With that, you walked out the door, leaving it open. He stood there trying to get a grasp on his anger not only from your outfit but for what you’d just said. This was going to be a long night, he thought as he followed you out the door.

The drive was a quiet one, you kept your face turned to your side, gazing out at London as it passed, and you kept your legs crossed with your exposed thigh over the other. He knew it was you playing it up, rubbing your defiance in his face. He fell in love with you because of your independence, your determination to be your own woman, and make your own decision and not let any man control your life or destiny. It was a big turn on. Yes, you’d butt heads a few times in your relationship because of his and your equal stubbornness, but it was nothing that you couldn’t overcome and come back from stronger than ever.

Fifteen minutes into the ride, his anger dissipated and left way for him to feel the regret for his words, and it also allowed your words to affect him fully. They hurt. You knew what buttons to push, and he hated it. Every time he thought to open his mouth to say something, he swallowed the words. He knew the only thing to say was that he was sorry, but he was not ready to apologize. Part of him wasn’t sorry. The dress was revealing. He knew every man there would be gawking at you and imagining you naked or worse. He also knew if he saw the looks he’d flip out. Still, he knew he couldn’t leave things this bad. When the car stopped, and the driver got out, he took his leap.

“Y/N,” he softly began.

“Stop. If the words out your mouth aren’t, I’m sorry, then save it, and we both know you’re not sorry.” You looked at him, and he knew you wanted him to correct you and apologize. It was then he decided to concede. Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose before he spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

You look confused and surprised, but you didn’t speak. You looked as if you were waiting for something. He should have left it there.

“But--,” you scoffed and shook your head.

“Apologies don’t have but, Henry,” you said as you knocked on the glass. His door opened immediately, but he didn’t move, he just stared at you.

“Y/N,” he softly pleaded.

“Don’t worry baby once we step out of this car we will be the perfect couple,” you said with a smile painted on your face.

That was what he was afraid of, the façade. He sighed and got out of the car, and painted his own fake smile on. It was time to play a role. As he walked around the car, he waved and smiled until he opened your door and helped you out. When you stood beside him, you smiled and waved also. The two of you walked the carpet together, waving, smiling, stopping for brief interviews all the while never giving a thing away. When you were asked about your dress and complimented by countless photographers and comrades, you politely thanked them and showed it off turning at every angle. He knew it was a huge bugger off to him.

When you walked inside the event space, you leaned to his ear. “See, it was a hit.” Your eyes were cold. This was revenge now, he thought.

-Y/N-

As the night went on, what was supposed to be a gala slash networking event for the who was who in Entertainment to rub elbows, chat, brag, and get together for recognition, you decided to use to teach your fiancé a lesson. You could not believe Henry’s audacity to assume he could dictate how you dressed. You knew he was possessive and could be downright controlling sometimes, but you’d never experienced it to this extent. The dress you were wearing wasn’t even that bad. You’d seen far worse.

As Henry mingled around the room and turned on his British charm with everyone he came across, you did the same. You knew some of the people in his circle, particularly the wives of some of his friends, and that was what you found yourself in, a circle of wives.

“I love your dress,” Elizabeth, Armie’s wife, complimented.

“Thank you. I love yours.”

“You have a body to die for, I’m so jealous,” Sophie, Benedict’s wife, added.

You smiled your thanks, trying to stave off the wave of embarrassment that washed over you. You appreciated the compliments, but from anyone but Henry, they always made you self-conscious.

“Y/N, right?”

Looking to your left, you saw someone you knew well. “Theo?”

His smile was wide before he pulled you in for a hug. “What’re you doing here?”

“Work, but nevermind that. You look incredible.”

Theo looked you up and down as you fanned him off. “Stop, it’s just a dress.”

“A dress you look incredible in, we told her,” Elizabeth pressed.

“Theo, this is Elizabeth and Sophie.”

He shook their hands and exchanged pleasantries before all four of you talked about simple things like the event, and the weather. When Sophie and Elizabeth excused themselves, it left you and Theo alone.

“Here alone, or is Henry around here somewhere?”

“You know he’s here,” you confirmed.

“Eh, was that a slight bit of annoyance I detect? Come to regret your decision to move here or marry him?”

“Theo,” you warned.

He smiled and shrugged. You’d been friends for the last four or so years but never anything else despite what your other friends liked to tease. Neither of you had ever made a move, and it suit you fine. You enjoyed his company even though he liked to tease Henry a lot. He always said he was so stuffy and could stand to loosen up a bit. You always teased him that it was a British thing knowing full well he was also British. It wasn’t funny to him when you did it, though.

The two of you caught up and joked before a few other actors came to join you. Before long, you were enthralled in conversation with all of them. You told stories that had each and every one of them laughing and hanging on the end of every word. Though you were fully invested in the conversation, you always knew where Henry was. When you looked at him, you always found his eyes on you. He didn’t look as if he cared about anything that was being said. He looked like he wanted to be near you, he probably did, but you wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

You moved around the room, mingling with Theo by your side. Every man that approached you had Henry looking at you. You could feel his eyes on you, could feel the sheer commanding power that he held. His presence was strong and always affected you.

“Why is he over there looking at you as if he wished he could come over when he can? Did you have a fight?”

“Doesn’t matter,” you said as you finished your glass of champagne.

“What happened?”

Ignoring Theo, you sat at the table. After a few moments, Theo realized you weren’t going to answer, so he sat beside you and asked again.

“It’s not important. He just overreacted about my dress.”

Theo once again looked you over, then took a sip from his glass. “Ah, the stick in the mud thought it was too revealing.”

“Stick in the mud. Stop.”

“He’s not entirely wrong.” Your head snapped to him and gave him an incredulous look.

“Are you serious?”

“Don’t shoot the messenger. It is revealing.”

You looked over yourself then back to Theo. “Nothing is showing but a little leg.”

“Yes. Think about it, Y/N. We get it. You’re an independent woman; you’re all about doing what you want and not having anyone control you. We get it. We love that about you. No one is debating your independence or amazingness. As a bloke, we don’t want our girlfriends ogled or even thought about inappropriately. Though gorgeous, this dress invites all of that. I’ve spotted at least fifteen gents outright checking you out.”

Glancing around, you caught a few eyes that quickly looked away. So what, you thought.

“Theo,” you began. He knew what was coming.

“I get it. I’m just giving you the perspective of a man that’s not sleeping with you.”

You sighed and nodded, deciding against speaking. What was the purpose? It was then Henry approached with a tight jaw clearing his throat.

“Hey man,” Theo began before he stood, making way for Henry to take his place in the seat.

“Good evening,” Henry muttered as he shook Theo’s outstretched hand. You almost laughed looking at Theo’s face.

“Have a good night you two lovebirds,” Theo said before he walked away.

Henry sat beside you and placed a fresh glass of champagne before you. As the two of you drank in silence, you began to think if Theo had a point. You knew the dress was sexy, but you didn’t think it was anything to get angry about. You also knew that in a relationship, you had to consider the other person’s feelings. On top of being angry about Henry’s reaction, you were also a little hurt. You’d expected him to say you looked beautiful, but he still had yet to even say it or anything remotely loving.

“Y/N,” Henry began turning his face to meet your eyes that were already on him. He didn’t speak, though. Instead, his eyes looked to bore into you as they always did. Staring at him was a love-hate thing. You loved it because they were gorgeous, but you hated it because they were powerful and always left you feeling powerless.

Before either of you could say anything, the lights dimmed, and a speaker appeared before the room. The rest of the night passed in a blur of speeches, applause, champagne, and chatter, none of which included you and Henry talking.

When you got home, you were the one to climb the steps to the bedroom first. When you got to the third step, you felt Henry’s hand wrap around your wrist, stopping you. You didn’t turn around to face him, though. It wasn’t long until you felt his chest against your back.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered before his forehead dropped to your exposed shoulder.

“I was an utter asshole. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to control you, I promise. There is no excuse.”

His words hung in the air. They felt good to hear. You were tired of this entire situation.

“I’m a jealous man, and even worse possessive and dominating. I should never have said what I did. Instead, I should have told you how incredible you looked, how beautiful you are.”

You turned to face him and searched his eyes.

“I should have told you that every chance I got. I’m sorry,” Henry finished.

“I’m sorry,” you began before taking a deep breath. “I shouldn’t have said what I did. I didn’t mean it.”

Henry smiled, pressing his forehead to yours. “Of course, you did.” You rolled your eyes but couldn’t stop your laugher. He knew you too well.

“I deserved it. It hurt, but I deserved it.”

“You did.”

“Do you forgive me?”

You pretended as if you had to think about it on a serious note playing up the amount of time it was taking. Henry smiled but didn’t look bothered, he kissed your jaw and trailed kisses along it up to your ear. You ate it up. When his lips dropped to your neck, you let out a soft moan.

“Am I forgiven, love?” A soft nibble at your neck had you grabbing at his waist that held zero percent fat. The man was built like a God.

“I forgive you.”

As soon as the words were out, Henry crushed his lips to yours, taking control of a soul-sucking kiss. You’d wanted this all night no matter how angry you were with him you always wanted to be near him. Henry wrapped his arm around you cupping your backside, pulling you flush against him. As his lips teasingly moved across yours, his tongue swirled around yours until he was sucking it. You couldn’t breathe, but you didn’t mind or care.

Abruptly henry pulled his lips from yours and groaned. “I’ll lock up. You go ahead.”

Once inside your bedroom, you walked into the closet to find something to put on once you’d finished your shower. You didn’t hear when Henry walked in, but you felt his hand at the nape of your neck.

“I have a love-hate relationship with this dress, my love. On the one hand, you look incredible in it, but on the other hand—it infuriates me.”

You smirked, looking at him in the mirror, making sure he saw that you didn’t care.

“What’re you going to do about it?” His smirk sly, and his eyes were dark. You knew the look well.

In seconds Henry had ripped your dress in half starting at your sternum. You gasped loudly.

“Henry! Do you know how much this cost?” He didn’t stop, though; he finished his handiwork with a faint smile.

“I don’t give a shit. It should be burned instead of ripped.” The material fell from your breasts before it slid down the rest of your body, leaving you in your skimpy thong.

“Huh, so you were wearing knickers after all,” Henry teased before he locked eyes with you and ripped those as well.

“Henry!”

“You love saying my name, don’t you?” He bit your neck as his hands cupped your breasts and fondled to his heart’s content.

As he sucked and bit your neck, you could feel his thick length harden against your ass. He pushed you forcefully, so you were bent over the piece of furniture that held your undergarments. The movement sent your ass poking out for him. A lite slap across your ass had you flinging your head back to give his free hand something to hold onto. As he held your thick, coiled hair, he dropped another slap across your ass; only this one was a lot harder. Your groan was mixed with a moan that told him you liked it enough for him to do it again--so he did, three more times. By the time he’d finished, you were soaking and more than ready to receive the gift that was him.

“Do you want it?” Your eyes met again in the mirror, and you thought to be defiant, but there was no time. You desperately wanted to feel him filling you, stretching you to capacity.

“I can’t hear you, love.” Henry dropped his fingers to slide up along your slit. As he did, he groaned. You knew he could feel your wetness, and he was more than ready to dive in.

“You’re only punishing yourself, darling. The sooner you say the words, the sooner you’ll get what you want—what you crave,” Henry whispered in your ear, making sure his lips grazed your ear.

“And what do I crave, Mr. Cavill?” Again, he smirked that dubious smirk of his that made your belly flip from anticipation.

“You and I both know you want this cock filling you to the hilt. All you have to do is--,” Henry circled his finger at your opening, coating his finger with your juices before bringing his finger to his lips to suck it clean, stealing your breath in the process.

“Mmm. Say the words, my love.” His voice was so deep, so husky you could feel everything he felt. You knew he needed you just as badly as you needed him. Still, your stubbornness persisted. You were testing him, knowing damn well the longer you defied him, the further your eyes would roll to the back of your head. He knew what you were doing, but you also knew he was holding on by a thread. It was obvious.

“Y/N,” Henry warned through clenched teeth. Your smile was the fuel to make his fire rage. Henry’s hand tightened in your hair, bringing your head back a little more. “It’ll only be worse for you.” You could hear him undo the zipper of his pants, and your anxiousness got the better of you. You pushed back onto him brushing your bare ass against him. Henry groaned then slapped it again. A few seconds later, you felt him rub the tip of his need across your sex. Your eyes lulled closed as a shiver erupted through you.

“Do—you—want—me?” Every pause had him dipping just a sliver of his length into your tight cavern. He knew it wouldn’t be enough. On the fourth dip, you tried to push back against him again so you could get what you wanted, but he must have been expecting it because you failed.

“Say the words, and it’s all yours, love. I’ll give you every single inch that you can take—and not take.” As if to help you decide, he dipped a little more into you, pulling a gasp from you.

“I want it,” you whispered.

“One more time.” Henry came closer to your upturned face and waited for you to repeat the words. The look in his eye said he was enjoying this more than he should have been from how hard he felt against you.

“I want it—fuck me, Henry!”

When he smiled, you knew you were in for it. Henry snapped his hips forward seconds after the words left your lips, filling you completely. Your shout was loud as your hand pounded the furniture.

Henry groaned loudly as he ground his hips, sending his cock to nudge against your walls and prod your cervix.

“Bloody Hell!”

As if poked with a stick, Henry began his thrusts, but from the beginning, nothing in the way he moved said slow, or gentle. He had a mission, and teaching you a lesson was absolutely a priority right now. Every time he slammed into you, his grip in your hair would tighten, and your sex would quiver, giving him a tighter than a glove squeeze, which had him getting even louder.

“Uuugh! Christ, you’re so wet.” That was when he changed his angle. Instead of spearing forward, he added a curve as he leaned back just a little.

“Shiiiit!” He knew that was the spot for you, and he looked like he had every intention of making sure your voice was gone the next day.

“How does it feel, love?”

“So fucking good. Yes, yes, right there!” Again, your hand pounded into the wood. You ignored the pain in your hand; the pleasure easily overpowered it.

You didn’t know how much longer you could hold on if he kept giving you strokes like this, you thought. As you did, Henry sped his strokes, and every time he connected your bodies, he rotated his hips. Before you knew it, your eyes were in the back of your head, your hand grabbing the edge of the wood as you screamed and claimed your release. Henry’s grunts got louder and louder; he was close. The knowledge of that had you throwing your ass back to meet him thrust for thrust while bringing yourself to yet another orgasm.

After a few minutes, you felt the force of his release as he tried to bury himself even deeper inside of you.

“Fuuuuck!” The sound of Henry’s near animalistic grunt had you ready for round two already.

“Oh baby,” Henry panted as he dropped across your sweat slickened back.

“Mmm, you’re going to be the death of me,” Henry added as he tried to catch his breath, breath that you still had yet to catch.

“Me?”

You could feel the rumble of his laughter across your back before he kissed a path along your spine. When he got to your ear, he kisses it. “I put that ring on your finger for a reason. You’re my world, and the love I have for you has never been written, it is that of a man’s for his queen. You have my heart. You have my soul—I love you, Y/N,” he whispered.

Your heart swelled, making you look back at him to see a stray tear welling in his eye.

“Aw, baby. I love you; you’re my life, my king, my everything,” you said as you turned to him to clasp his chin in your hands. Once the words were out, you kissed him tenderly so he could feel your love. He could be a dominating wolf one minute, but you knew deep down he was a big softy.

His massive arms held you to him in a tight loving embrace that erased all memory of any slights or anger.

“I’ll give you till the count of ten to get your gorgeous ass in that shower, my queen,” Henry said.

You knew not to test him again, but still, you did. “Only ten? I guess I better hurry.” You pulled from him and slowly walked out of the walk-in closet. You could hear Henry chuckling behind you.

“The wolf is ravenous Y/N. I think it not wise to tempt him further,” Henry warned, creeping up behind you to nip your shoulder.

Screaming and squealing, you ran from him because every wolf loved the chase.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#scantily clad one shot #henry cavill #henry cavill x reader #henry cavill x you #henry cavill x black reader #black fanfiction #henry cavill smut

295 notes · View notes

dp-marvel94 · 4 years ago

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Face to Face- Chapter 31

Summary: When Danny went through the ghost catcher, he expected to be cured of the ghostliness that had haunted him since the accident, not to wake up on the lab floor with his parents saying he’d been overshadowed but everything’s back to normal now. But why does Danny Fenton cry himself to sleep to then dream of flying? Why does Phantom, the ghost who was supposedly possessing Danny remember a life that wasn’t his? Most of all, why do both the human and the ghost feel that something vital is missing, in their very soul? Or: Trying to cure himself of his powers one month after the accident, Danny accidentally splits himself but neither his ghost nor his human half know that that is what they did

First -> Last -> Next

Word Count: 3,730

Also on AO3 and Fanfiction.net

Fenton and Phantom couldn’t see through their tears, the water streaming down their faces obscuring their vision of the world around them. All shades of green, splashes of purple and drab brown rushed past as they flew. Their thoughts screamed with a haunting echo, coming back twice.

Mom….she wasn’t...she’s not sorry. She can’t...can’t accept Phantom. She doesn’t love me. But…. A sniffle broke through two throats, separated by dimensions yet somehow closer that ever. I can’t just pretend to be human for her. I can’t just be Fenton! Like the portal didn't... Like nothing happened...I can’t...I’m not the same!

Their bodies moved without conscious effort, the need to escape so large. Why did he do this? Why did he always run away?

Two voices that were one muttered. “This was….this was supposed to fix things. But...I messed it up!”

He kept running, kept flying. They didn’t know where they were going, just away. Away from all the things that kept hurting him.

Somewhere, far away voices were calling his name. “Danny!”

“Everything’s messed up! Why can’t anything ever go right for me?!” Hands gripped hair that was black. Or was is white? No, it was both but-

“Danny! What’s happening?” Someone called.

“Talking to Mom was supposed to fix things!” He cried.

“Danny! You’ve gotta look at us, man!”

A whine exited two throats. “But she’s never gonna accept me.”

“Danny! Fenton! Listen to us.” Fenton? Who was-

Hands appeared on their shoulders. No, on just one set of their shoulders but which-

“Fenton, you need to come back to us.”

Come back to… “Sam? Tucker?” He recognized the voices.

“Yeah. It’s us, dude.” “Come back to us.”

Come back? He needed to come back to- He blinked. And something snapped. Like a rubber band stretched too far, two components snapped back into place.

“Sam. Tucker.” Fenton frowned, clarity entering his vision. Or more like….his vision shifted away from what he’d been seeing before, from the swirling green clouds, floating purple doors, and hunks of rock in the Ghost Zone. His eyes widened. The Ghost Zone?! He was-

“Yeah man.” Tucker squeezed his shoulder. “Are you with us now?”

Numbly, Fenton nodded. “Yeah. I’m here.” His mouth felt dry.

“What happened?” Sam asked softly.

The boy swallowed. “I-”

Fenton! Something in him cried. Fear lashed out, threatening to pull him back inside himself. Where...where are you? Where am I? What’s happening?

“Phantom!” The human called, vision again starting to blur.

Hands gripped him more tightly. “Don’t you dare leave us again.”

“Sam. Tucker. No I’m…” He sucked in a breath. “Phantom. I’m still here. It’s-” Fenton felt pulled in two directions. He needed to be here, with his friends. He needed to tell them what was happening. But.... No, he needed to be with Phantom. He-

Cold crashed into him, stealing his breath. “Sam? Tucker?” Why did he sound surprised, like he was just now recognizing? Again, his...their lines blurred but in the wrong way.

“Focus!” Sam shook him. “Fenton! We need you to-”

“Why are you calling me Fenton?” Phantom asked through him...No Fenton asked...No…

Gasping, the human body pulling out of Sam’s grip. He leaned over, suddenly nauseous. “Why can’t I just be one person?!”

“Danny!” His friend grabbed his jumpsuit free arms again. “Whichever Danny you are, you need to tell us what’s happening.”

Another deep breath. Human eyes closed and the ghostly vision of the Zone opened up. Both heads shook. They needed to focus on Sam and Tucker but...being exposed in the Zone with their eyes closed would be bad. No, push the vision away, like it’s just an imagined day dream.

“My human body’s here in the real world with you and Tucker.”

Tucker and Sam frowned, but neither commented on the oddity at the beginning of the statement. Instead, the technogeek asked. “And the other you?”

“I’m….He’s….We’re….we’re in the ghost zone.”

“The ghost zone!” Sam exclaimed.

A nod. “Phantom tried to talk to Mom. It...uhh...it didn’t go well. So we ran off.”

Tucker blinked. “You ran off...to another dimension?”

“We panicked, okay! The portal...it was right there. And there was yelling and...I wasn’t thinking! Talking to Mom was supposed to help but... but now we’re lost somewhere in the freaking land of the dead!” The panic that their friends had managed to briefly calm flared, their breathing increasing into a pant. “I mean….we’d wanted to see the Ghost Zone, but not like this! And now Mom’s probably mad at us and I don’t know where I am!” Again, hands gripped black and white hair.

“Hey, it’s okay. Calm down.” Sam pleaded.

“Okay! Okay! I’m lost. I’m-”

“Danny.” Tucker interrupted. “Just take a breath, okay? See if you can figure out which direction you came from.”

“Yeah.” Sam agreed. “Try to go back the way you came. You couldn’t have flown that far.”

Another breath. “Yeah. Okay.” Both heads turned side to side, looking around. The human body stepped away from their friends, turning in a circle like someone looking for a recognizable landmark. “There? No…” He growled in annoyance. “Everything’s moving too fast.” They turned back towards Sam and Tucker, in the real world. Their breath puffed in front of them. Then blue and green eyes suddenly widened in panic as they flinched back. “Shit!”

Several things happened in quick succession. Their human vision blacked out as a rock the size of a minivan hurdled towards their ghost form. The ghost dodged, rapidly ascending. The human tried to copy the action, but being unable to fly, jumped up and then fell to the ground.

“Danny!” Sam and Tucker’s voices again came from far away, the sound traveling through their perception, along with the shock from hitting the ground.

But the feeling passed in a moment as more rocks flew towards them. They dodged and weaved, yelping as a small boulder clipped the edge of their tail. Where were these rocks coming from?!

Below, something growled. They looked down, eyes falling on a large, muscular figure with one eye in the center of its face. Another ghost! That must have been what set off their ghost sense. It roared, yelling something about staying away from its island. They didn’t need to be told twice.

Their ghostly form darted away in a blur, just thinking of escaping the attack. After no more than a minute, they slowed, eyes searching for a place to stop. There! A small, bare island, no more than a quarter of a football field. Near the center was a large boulder, leaning towards the side and forming a small sheltered space. They landed, praying it was empty. Whole body shaking with fear, they sunk to the ground, curling up inside the cave and pulling their lower half, which was still in the serpentine form of a ghostly tail to their chest. Their chest heaved with shaking breath as the tears renewed.

It wasn’t fair. They were lost and scared and tired. Some ghost just attacked them again and they were stranded on some random rock in the Ghost Zone. They shivered; everything around them was so cold but they were somehow too hot. Everything ached and they were starving because they were missing lunch and their knees hurt from when they fell. And...Wait-

A white haired head whipped up, nose wrinkling in confusion as the slight of their tail. They didn’t have knees right now, did they? But…..

Their stomach flopped with sudden nausea. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t right. Newly recognized sensations spark in their perception: the distant sound of Sam and Tucker’s voices, grass under a head, the throb of sore knees.

In the Zone, the ghost leaned forward, feeling sick. Something was wrong. It hurt. Everything hurt so much. Their skin was too tight; the core pulsed too slow and the heart beat too fast.

“Fenton? Phantom? Danny?” They asked, out into the now silent alien environment. Which one...which ones were they? Who were….who was he? He was...they were both or…. all three? Or something in the middle? Ghost or human? One person or two fragments? To his supreme distress, they couldn’t tell, mind overcome with confusion.

Danny, or someone who was almost Danny, pinched his eyes closed. This was...this wasn’t right. He wasn’t supposed to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He felt...he felt like a half reassembled puzzle, one that had been rapidly put together by randomly pushing the pieces together. Instead of the pieces interlocking and forming a complete picture, they were mismatched, the picture fuzzy, off, and disjointed. He...they hadn’t put themselves...himself back together correctly.

He sucked in a breath. He...they couldn’t do this, couldn’t be this right now. They...he needed Fenton and Phantom, needed to be Phantom and Fenton, but not at the same time. Not yet. They would...he would be back to himself soon but first….before the complete picture could be reformed, they needed to pull apart the mismatched puzzle pieces.

His humanity, the part of himself, themselves, that called himself Fenton pulled away. Tangled threads unraveled, the pain easing. Ghost and human separated, divided but still tethered together, even across dimensions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fenton slowly came back to awareness, his consciousness returning to his body. Voices buzzed above him.

“Should we get Jazz? Or call his parents?”

“We can’t do that, Tucker! Didn’t you hear? He had a fight with his Mom.”

“Well, we can’t just take him to the nurse, Sam!”

Sam? Tucker? They were fighting, but what about?

“I know that but-”

“You saw what happened! His eyes started glowing and he started muttering to himself and running away from us. We almost got him calm! Then he freaked out and passed out!”

Oh yeah, that. His eyes blinked open, squinting in the sunlight. He groaned.

That got Sam and Tucker’s attention. “Danny!” Both cried as they knelt down beside him.

“Are you back with us?” Sam asked, brow furrowed with concern.

Fenton nodded, sluggishly. “Yeah, I’m back.” His hands clenched and unclenched, grabbing fists full of grass. So he was on the ground. He glanced towards his feet, eyeing the grass stains on his jeans and his aching knees.

Tucker offered his hand. “Here, let me help you up.” The other boy accepted, half pulling, half pushing himself back into a sitting position. “So...which one are you?”

Blinking in confusion, Fenton turned his head to find his friends looking at him warily. After a moment, his mind caught up with the question. “I’m Fenton….just Fenton.” He frowned, rubbing his eyes. He pulled his hands away, eyeing the moisture on his fingers. Huh...so he had been crying.

“What was that?” Sam’s quiet question drew him out of his thoughts.

The human frowned, biting his lip. “I’m not… I’m not really sure.” He looked down at his hands. “It kinda felt like...we almost fused. But...it wasn’t right. We were confused and…” His voice quieted. “It hurt.”

The boy then glanced up, taking in his friends’ stricken looks. “Dude...are you okay?” Tucker asked, with wide, compassionate eyes.

Fenton shrugged. “Yeah...I think it was the whole two body thing but we’re sorted now.”

His friends traded concerned, skeptical looks and Sam’s eyebrow rose. The human Danny had no doubt; she wanted to press him right now for more explanation, to make sure he actually was okay. And the boy was grateful for her concern. In all honesty, he wasn’t okay. Between the horrible conversation with Mom, being lost in another dimension, and the confusing partial fusion, he was stressed and tired, to say the least. But they had bigger things to solve than his current emotional state.

Sam clearly recognized the same. “Okay.” She sighed, continuing with the conversation. “What was with you eating the dirt?”

The human boy looked down, cheeks reddening in embarrassment. “I..uh...forgot that I can’t fly as a human.” His friends both blinked bewilderedly. Then Tucker laughed and Sam snorted. Fenton’s blush intensified. “We were trying to dodge. Some ghost threw this huge rock at us so ghost me flew up to miss it. This me tried to copy but...” He motioned down his body. “This body can’t fly.”

With that, his friends’ more jovial expressions turned more serious. “I guess that makes sense.” Tucker finally said.

Then Sam nodded. “And Phantom, your ghost half? Where is he?”

Fenton’s frown deepened, his shoulders hanching as he pulled his knees to his chest. “Still in the Zone. We found an island to hang tight on. He should be safe... for now.”

There was a long pause as his friends looked at each other, a silent, worried conversation passing between them. Then Sam’s eyes focused back on Fenton’s face. “Can we talk to Phantom?”

The human blinked. “Why?”

Tucker’s lip turned down in a deepening frown. “We need to figure out how to get the other you home. So...can you let us talk to him?”

“Oh.” Fenton looked down, biting his lip. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” His voice quieted. “I don’t wanna get lost again.”

Sam’s expressions softened. “Okay.” To the human boy’s surprise and relief, she conceded, like she just might understand.

“Can he hear us, at least?” Tucker offered tentatively. “You don’t have to respond, just listen.”

“I don’t know-” Fenton started, equally tentatively, before his reply was interrupted by words in his head.

Fenton? Phantom asked softly.

The human furrowed his brow, eyes losing focus. Yeah? I’m here.

I can hear Sam and Tucker. He said, slightly nervously. I’ve been watching this whole time.

Fenton blinked in confusion. “You have?”

“Danny!” “Not again!” Again, Sam and Tucker’s hands were on his shoulders, eyes wide with concern.

The human boy shook his head. “Sorry. I’m fine. I was just talking to Phantom. Apparently he can hear you. So just...talk to me.”

His friends traded somewhat confused, somewhat exacerbated looks before pressing on. “Okay.” Tucker took a breath. “You need to try and find the portal.”

Fenton started shaking his head but Sam continued. “Just to retrace your steps, okay? Go back the way you came.” She squeezed his arms. “You can do this. You can. I believe in you, Danny Phantom.”

In the back of his mind, Fenton could feel his ghost self’s appreciation of the statement. The corner of his lips turned up in a slight smile. Then his mouth moved of its own volition, his voice echoing. “It’s really nice to hear that Sam but-”

“Dude, your eyes are glowing again.” Tucker cut in, brow furrowing with worry.

They were? His brow furrowed in thought, focusing on the cool burning feeling in his eyes. “Ah that makes sense.” Again, the words came out without his input or rather… “It’s me, Phantom.” With a slight push from his ghost, Fenton held up his hands. “It’s okay, guys. Fenton’s just letting me use his mouth.”

Sam raised a brow. “Because apparently you can do that?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “But anyway...I’m really happy you believe in me guys but...I have no idea where I am. We weren’t really paying attention after we...uh….ran off. And then that ghost was chucking rocks at us and we got turned around flying away.”

“There’s gotta be landmarks or something. Can you just figure out the direction you came from at least?” Tucker asked.

Under Phantom’s direction, Fenton shook his head. “Maybe?” He pursed his lips. “I really don’t want to just go flying off in one direction and just end up farther from the portal.”

The technogeek sighed. “Maybe we should get your parents? They might have some way to help you.”

In the Ghost Zone, Phantom sat, considering the idea. Fenton could distantly feel the ghost thinking, his own thoughts likely following the same pattern. As much as he didn’t want to get his parents’ help, that might be the best option. They could have Phantom sit tight where he was and get Mom and Dad’s assistance to find him. The human Danny then flinched, feeling his ghost self’s anxiety at the thought. Wait….feeling?

The idea hit him like a brick wall. “You don’t have to find the portal. You can find me.” The human Danny said, feeling the glow of his eyes dim. Across their connection, Fenton felt Phantom’s confusion. “Phantom, we’re still connected. There’s like...a line. A tether between us.” He motioned vaguely with his hands.

Understanding dawned as blue eyes again flashed green. “I can follow it back to you!” In the human world, Fenton’s voice echoed, his mouth stretching up into a smile. “That just might work.”

“It will.” The human reassured, mentally poking at the link. He could almost see it in his mind’s eyes, a metaphysical cord connecting the two parts of his mind. A cord he’d felt drawing him and his ghost self together, somehow pulling taut as the two moved closer, more in sync.

“Yeah. I’ll see you really soon.” Phantom replied.

Fenton grinned, his arms wrapping themselves around his chest. He looked down at himself. “Phantom? Are you trying to hug me?”

A blush rose on his face. “Yes.” His arms fell to his sides. “It’s weird talking to you like this.”

“You’re telling me.” The human said, slightly teasingly. “But seriously...you’ve got this.”

“Tucker and I agree.” Sam cut in. Her gaze, level with Fenton’s eyes, drew the boys’ attention. “You’ve got this.” She playfully punched Fenton’s arm. “Hurry up and get back to the land of the living.”

“Yeah man. I wanna see your ghostly self, in person.” The technogeek leaned forward to hug the boy in front of him. “Be careful, Danny.”

Fenton and Phantom both agreed to return the hug. “I will.” The ghost replied. “Thanks for calming me down guys...and just being here. I don’t know where we’d be if you guys hadn’t been with Fenton.”

“Of course.” Sam reassured. “We’re your friends, no matter what weird stuff you’re doing.”

For once, Fenton, nor his ghost half, shied away from word. They were weird. This situation was weird but they had friends who could roll with the punches.

“I’ll see you guys soon.” Phantom finally said, as Fenton pulled out of the hug. “I’ll let you guys go back to your lunch; I know Fenton’s hungry.”

As soon as he said that, the human’s stomach growled. An echoing laugh exited Fenton’s mouth, followed by chuckles from Sam and Tucker. The human shook his head, at his friends’ and his other self’s reactions.

His laughter stopped after a moment as Phantom’s directed his arm to wave. “Bye guys.”

With that, the ghostly light blinked out of his eyes, signaling Phantom’s retreat. Fenton also felt it, the ghost gently closing a mental door and leaving the human solidly alone in his body.

“Fenton?” Sam asked.

“Yeah. Phantom went off to try and find his way back.”

“Man.” Tucker shook his head. “So that’s what your internal dialogue sounds like.”

“Kinda.” The human boy shrugged. “Sorry, that was….it’s never been that...involved, me and Phantom interacting when we’re physically apart…. Being split’s done weird things to my mind.”

His friends of course looked at him with concern at the statement, but there was understanding and acceptance too. “I guess that would make sense.” Sam said.

“Like Sam and I said before, we’re here if you ever want to talk about any of that.” Tucker offered.

Fenton’s lip turned slightly up at the statement, bolstered by the promise of his friends’ support. “Maybe later. Right now I want some food.”

The technogeek laughed. “All right man.” He standed from his kneeling position before offering Fenton a hand up. “Let’s eat.”

The human boy accepted the help, wincing slightly at his bruised knees; he’d need to look at them later but it didn’t feel like they were hurt badly. Sam also stood and the three walked back to the secluded picnic table where they’d been eating lunch before Phantom’s argument with their mother drew him away. So it had turned out that eating outside, away from their classmates and teachers had been beneficial. And speaking of his mom….

His heart did clinch painfully at the memory of her words. He passively wondered; what was she doing right now? What was her reaction to what he said, to him running off? Everything had happened so fast and...briefly, a look of shock had flashed on her face, something that might even have been guilt. He hoped it was but...he could’t worry about that right now. His most important concern was getting his other half back from the ghost zone. After, they could deal with the situation together, like they should have from the beginning.

“Danny.” Sam said his name, capturing the boys’ attention. “Aren’t you going to eat? We’ve only got five minutes left.”

Fenton frowned. “Yeah. Right.” He stuffed a bit of his sandwich in his mouth. He’d worry about that later. For now, he’d eat his lunch, go to study hall, and hope- no trust- he’d trust that Phantom would get back safely.

Note: So this chapter was a little shorter what's typical for me. I ended up splitting it off from the next scene because that was over 6000 words alone and I thought the whole thing would be too long. But the good news is, that means the next chapter is done. I just have to find time to edit it with my beta. And I'm working on what will be chapter 33 now.

This also means this story won't be on hiatus as long. I'm planning on writing at least one story for the Phic Phight and a longer story Inviobang. I may do something for DannyMay was well? I really want to write another part for "It was an Accident, I swear" and the last story in my "Life and Death is all Perspective" series. But IDK. That depends on how fast I finish the other stuff and/or how much self control I have. Well al have to see what happens. Anyway, feel free to leave a comment as always and thank you so much for reading!

#Danny Phantom #Face To Face #Ghost Catcher #double danny #split danny #My fic

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angelicjadamv · 4 years ago

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The story so far

One month after graduating high school in 2015 I was finally able to move away from my family. I was 18 and moved to California for college. Fortunately one of the scholarships I earned was accompanied by a summer program that started in the middle of the summer before fall semester. Shortly after settling in a safe, stable environment for the first time in my life I started to get better. A lot better at first. Then life happened, as it does, and 18 years of repressed trauma and abuse broke me. My nervous breakdown ruined my fall semester, I couldn't go to classes or take exams or function as a student anymore. Until this point, being an exceptional student was all I had and basically how I survived. My safe and stable environment now was dependant on maintaining a certain GPA, among other requirements I could no longer meet. I failed one of my main courses because I had a 0 on 2 exams, including the final. When I went home I was put on antipsychotics. Returning to campus for the 2016 spring semester, I attempted to seek more therapy. I wasn't successful in finding a good therapist (for me, therapy is a personal thing. Just because someone isn't a good therapist for me doesn't necessarily mean they are a bad therapist). I did continue to see my 2 psychiatrists (emergency and regular) often as they attempted to adjust my medication to find something that work. My agoraphobia worsened, I stopped sleeping, I could barely eat, I was manic one moment and dissociative the next, SH and suicidal ideation worsened. I was a burden to my friends and loved ones. I made it through this because I had a beautiful support system that I will forever be grateful for, but I ended up taking a leave of absence academically for my second semester, earning no credits and putting my scholarships at further jeopardy. I was allowed to stay on campus because it was clear I was dangerously unstable with no safe environment to return to and because I had incredible advocates looking out for me. I had realized that I wasn't going to get better in time to salvage my academic career and my life, and was mostly clueless as to how I would survive. I had had an internship in my field since I started college, but I earned basically no money. STEM internships aren't really made to be livable for undergrads, so I had mostly been working for experience in a field I would no longer be able to progress in. Bummer. My physical health had taken a huge dive for all of 2016. I basically always knew I was chronically ill, but I had been abused and gaslit my entire life to believe and act like I was fine, I was just a weak baby, I didn't know what real pain or suffering was, seizures were to be ignored, no I didn't have migraines or pinched nerves (um hello SCOLIOSIS), etc etc. And 2016 was the year my body finally started to break, so I knew "regular" jobs weren't going to be a viable option for me, at least not for long.

And thus I became a survival SW. I stayed in college for a final semester, because I didn't want to miss my friends, I loved my campus and didn't know where else to live, I still needed a lot of campus resources. I also kept my internship as long as I could, because I knew I would miss it for the rest of my life. I didn't really go to classes, again, because as much as a desperately wanted to and as much as my advisors moved heaven and earth to try to make it work for me, I couldn't handle it. I was finally able to find 2 great therapists who I started seeing regularly who actually knew how to diagnose and treat me, one at school and one outside. This is also when I met Daddy (Jace) online. After talking for what is probably a stupidly short time, we fell in love and started dating. This is honestly my first real relationship and time actually catching genuine feelings for someone, something that I hadn't thought I was capable of. Despite being happier than I had ever been in so many ways, my mental and physical health was still steadily declining. My migraines and pain were getting worse, I hadn't been able to eat normally in months and relied entirely on medication to eat or sleep at all. Many people recommended mmj at this point in my life, but I was afraid of how it would interact with my other meds. I only smoked occasionally at parties at this point (because no way was I spending my super duper limited money on weed). I wonder if medicating with something that actually worked well for me, like weed, would have allowed me to finish college. Oh well I guess. Because of my inability to attend classes, I had to take another leave for the fall semester 2016. I worked at a strip club briefly, but my health couldn't handle it for long.

I didn't want to go home for the first winter break in 2015, but campus closed and I had nowhere else to go. It was turbulent. When summer 2016 came, I still didn't go home despite having no place to stay. Until a month or so later, it was revealed to me a relative had terminal cancer. I had to go home again. It was worse than turbulent. When winter 2016 came, my relative was in much worse condition. They only had a few months left, and this was probably my last chance to say goodbye. This visit was by far the most traumatic, and more because of my parents than watching a loved one die. At least Jace was able to come meet me for the first time in person. He also got to meet my relative before they passed 🖤

Freshly fucked up by family, I retuned to California at the beginning of 2017. I was mostly taking a break from SW because of my health and was working vanilla jobs as I could (so not much). I had a pretty decent job that I was really good at and had been promoted, but then my relative passed. I started losing consciousness again ( I had many seizures and fainting spells in my childhood and during high school) and had to quit my job. the funeral was in spring 2017, I flew to Jersey to be with Daddy for a few days and then he drove me several states over for the memorial. That was the last time I saw my family. I wanted to transition to online/content creating, but I had no tech knowledge or equipment (even my phone was a potato). In high school I wasn't allowed to have a smartphone, most social media other than what was heavily monitored (and still had 0 experience with platforms sw is popular on besides Tumblr I guess), I didn't really know much about cameras. Way too sheltered and broken to feel like I could start anything. I was now seeing my outside, or I guess regular and only, therapist twice a week and doing treatments that while working for me were insanely (literally) hard. I had been able to get an apartment with roommates at a super discount in return for taking care of their crazy dog, which was a win win for me (he was a good boi just crazy from a bad past and had the worst separation anxiety). The agreement was that I would live with them until the lease was up in September, and then we would reevaluate the situation. Then they both got promoted at their mega corporation jobs. And after their wedding found a really gorgeous apartment in a much fancier part of the city, and paid to break our lease early in June leaving me homeless. I had been fired from my last 2 jobs (probably for being disabled because California is at will employment but who knows I might have been fired from the nanny job because the husband wanted to fuck me). I had no money or anywhere to go. All of my friends were almost as broke as me, so while I had offers to couchsurf at a few of their places they had other roommates who would have been pissed and in a few months they would be going back to school anyways. Daddy and I had been trying to save up to move in together for months, but he was going to move to California. We didn't have any money for that, so instead he asked me to move in with him in New Jersey. Leaving meant I lost my health insurance and my therapist. It was supposed to be much more temporary and we were supposed to move back to California much sooner than we were able to. I try not to be mad at those roommates because being angry doesn't change anything, but it really sucked.

Moving in with Daddy meant we could start our blog! And I was super happy at first, the happiest I could ever remember. But the years had been too hard and my health started to get worse than ever before. Without treatment and so traumatized, my brain and body were constantly at war. I would wake with splitting migraines, throwing up, my chronic pain became completely unmanageable. I started to need weed all the time because it was the only thing that stopped my cyclical vomiting episodes and kept me out of the hospital. My antipsychotics and other meds had been high-key fucking me up (probably shouldn't have been on them in the first place, thank you doctor who also ignored my seizures even when I had one in front of you) and were almost impossible to come off of because the withdrawals. (Seriously, kicking xanax was easier for me than my antipsychotics.) I'm not anti medication or anything, I just know the ones I was on were not good for me anymore. I'd actually like to be on something again, I just need a doctor who actually understands PTSD and DID.

My health continued to be shit for most of 2018, with several ER visits for severe dehydration from vomiting for days on end. We started to make videos and do snapchat and online sessions to be able to make ends meet. Despite being in the worst situation and thus everything being a trizillion times harder, we really loved (and still love 😇) doing SW and creating content. Our fans and clients have been there in some of our darkest moments, just being lovely or pulling through for us when we needed it most. During 2018 and 2019 I became actively suicidal for the first time since I was 13. I struggled with self harm again. I have gotten worse than I ever thought possible. But I wouldn't have made it at all if it wasn't for SW, this community and our supporters.

At the beginning of 2020 we were finally able to move back to California. Obviously, the pandemic severely disrupted many of our plans, especially regarding my recovery. Despite things being delayed or shifted, we are in a much better place currently. I have what I need to get better and I can build a support system again. I will get better.

Talking about things is hard for me. Being open and honest is hard for me. For 18 years I was trained and abused to not be sad or show negative feelings, or talk about upsetting things, and it has been killing me slowly my entire life. I genuinely don't want pity or to make others feel bad, but I do want to give you the chance to get to know me. I don't always talk about things so much. But I'm trying to get better at it.

#angelicjada #oc #about jada

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athenasbloodyspear · 4 years ago

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Say Something to Stop Me: Chapter 4

Writing Master List | Say Something to Stop Me Master List

Please note: This fic describes depression, anxiety, panic attacks, past/referenced non con and domestic violence. Please read at your own discretion.

The drive to the dive bar down the road from the compound was short. Well, it was short when Bucky was definitely driving 100 miles an hour.

Your hair whipped in the wind behind you and you could feel the deep rumble of the bike underneath you.

“I didn’t think you’d be this scared.” Bucky yelled over the sound of the engine and the wind. “C’mon Doll. Open your eyes.”

You peeled your face away from his shoulder blades and opened your eyes. If you were being honest with yourself, you hadn’t kept your face buried in his back because you were scared. He just smelled so goddamn good. Like leather and spice. Clean. It had felt nice, to just feel the wind and him.

Now that your eyes were open however, you realized how gorgeous the tree lined road looked right now. It was just at the beginning of fall and the leaves had started to change into brilliant reds, oranges and yellows.

“Wow…” you muttered. The wind tore the words away as you breathed in the crisp air and looked all around you. “It’s gorgeous.”

You looked forward again and caught Bucky glancing at you over his shoulder. “Yeah. It is.” He murmured back. Just loud enough to be heard over the engine and the wind.

Bucky shifted the engine down as you approached the little dive bar that was tucked back in the woods. You hadn’t been here in over two years, but it was still exactly as you remembered it. Dilapidated old sign out front, mostly motorcycles and old pick-up trucks in the parking lot. There were a few groups of men standing outside smoking cigarettes.

Bucky pulled into the dirt lot and found a spot to park his bike. You stepped off, surprised at how your legs felt slightly like jelly after being wrapped around that rumbling machine for a while.

The men smoking outside the bar all seemed to be looking your way. Some discreetly, some openly staring at the two of you. Did they recognize you? You supposed two Avengers at the bar down the street from the compound were probably pretty recognizable. You resisted the urge to run your fingers through your hair self consciously. Who cares what these random men thought of your tousled hair, right?

Bucky stepped off the bike and threw his arm around your shoulder and pulled you into his side. “Alright little lady, lets get some grub.”

He steered you straight through the crowd of smoke and men and opened the front door for you.

“Thanks” you mumbled and stepped into the dim light of the bar.

It smelled like stale cigarettes and old beer. There were pool tables to your right, and some low tables to your left with booths lining the left wall. Straight in front of you was a long wooden bar with two incredible beefy and tattooed men as bartenders. A jukebox near the back wall was playing old 70’s music. You loved it instantly. You took a deep breath in through your nose, relishing in the old school grunge of it all.

You walked toward a booth in the corner of the bar that had a good view of the door. You knew it was unlikely that anyone would try to attack the both of you at a bar down the road from your own compound, but you had a hard time feeling comfortable in public spaces unless you could see all the entrances and exits. You knew Bucky would feel the same.

You slid into the booth and grabbed one of the dirty menus that was tucked between the ketchup and mustard bottles on the table. Bucky slid into his seat across from you and pulled off his jacket. It was a damn shame that you couldn’t see his shirt rise up again from this angle.

“I’m going to order probably three burgers.” Bucky said “I’m starved after that giant beat the crap out of me this morning.”

You chuckled. “Yeah, he was so busy telling me about which members of the court had been keeping secret love affairs this afternoon I never got lunch.”

Bucky laughed “That’s right! How did face masks with the demi-god go this afternoon?”

“It was great.” You smiled. “I missed him.” You looked up from the menu and saw that Bucky was staring at you with a soft, almost melancholy smile on his face. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just nice to see you smile like that again. I’m a little jealous that the giant brute is the one who made you smile, but I’d let him beat the shit out of me every day if that’s what it took to see you light up again.” Bucky said this so casually, grabbing a menu to look at it, but your heart skipped several beats.

Bucky? Jealous? Of Thor??

“I mean, I wouldn’t complain if I had to watch the two of you go at it everyday.” You really wouldn’t. Seeing Bucky fight did have a strange effect on you. He was always so confident in his movements, never second guessing a punch or a dodge. Plus there was the bonus of seeing him all sweaty and panting. It really did something to you, not that you’d admit it out loud.

“Yeah. I bet you wouldn’t.” Bucky looked at you over the top of his menu and winked.

Again, what was it with every fucking room you were in together and it getting about 20 degrees warmer when he looked at you?

You forced your eyes back down the menu. You decided you’d get a burger too, and a side of fries, and maybe a beer. You plopped the menu down and looked around the bar. You took your jacket off as well. Your body temperature had risen and the last thing you wanted was to start noticeably sweating right now.

Bucky plopped his menu down too and folded his hands on the table top. You kept looking around the bar. You were still warm from his admission and couldn’t muster up the strength to look him in the eye.

“I missed you.” Bucky says suddenly. You whip your head toward him.

“You did?”

“Of course I did, you brat. I told you before. I had a lot of fun in Budapest. Going to those bars and sitting along the river. It had been a while since I had just enjoyed being somewhere without looking over my shoulder.” You flushed again. How could he sit there so calmly and say something like that to you? Did he know how hard your heart was beating in your chest? “Then I didn’t hear from you for a while. It freaked me out, you know? I started to wonder if I had imagined that whole trip.”

“Oh fuck, Bucky. No it was great. I had a really great time too. I’m sorry. When I got back things kinda… well shit hit the fan I guess…”

You got cut off by one of the large tattooed bartenders approaching your table. You turned to look at him, but Bucky’s eyes stayed on you.

“What can I get ya?” The bartender grunted.

“Um hey. Yeah. Can I get a double cheeseburger, a large order of fries and whatever lager you guys have on tap?”

The bartender just grunted again, scribbling on a tiny notepad. “And you?”

“Can I get three bacon cheeseburgers, a large order of onion rings and a jack and coke?” Bucky still hadn’t taken his eyes off you while he ordered. You were looking at the table, having a hard time looking him in the eye, but you could see him staring at you out of your peripheral vision.

The bartender grunted again as he walked away, seemingly undisturbed by the fact that Bucky had just ordered three whole cheeseburgers to himself. Maybe Bucky came here a lot and he was used to it? Your chest pinched a bit at the thought that you didn’t know if Bucky came here a lot or not.

“So, shit hit the fan?” Bucky prompted. You looked back up at him.

“Uh. Yeah. I came home to kind of a rough situation. I uh… didn’t handle it well. Then I was just sort of embarrassed and didn’t want to talk to anyone about it. I think I created a negative feedback loop for myself. The more I didn’t want to talk to anyone about it, the more I pushed myself away from you all and then I felt even less comfortable trying to talk to anyone.”

“I get it.” Bucky said. Finally pulling his eyes from you to glance around the bar. “I wasn’t exactly great at talking about things when I first got here either, you know.”

You tilted your head a bit as you stared at his profile. The soft colored light coming from the many neon beer signs hung above the bar cast shadows across his jaw and cheekbones. He looked like a greek god, or something out of an old movie from the 70’s. Maybe both.

You really thought about it then. Bucky was right. He had been pretty quiet and reserved when he had first gotten here, almost like he didn’t trust himself to speak in front of others. When he’d come back from Wakanda he had been a little more peaceful and talkative, but it had taken a few months for him to really open up.

When you two had been in Budapest was when you finally got to know more about him on a deeper level than before. It had been the first time that you had been on an extended mission just the two of you. A month, sharing a little safe house in a busy neighborhood of Budapest, tracking a few operatives for Tony. It was a little overkill to have you both there, but Steve had insisted it would be safer for both of you to be there since they didn’t have anywhere else to send people at the moment.

For a month you two had spent your afternoons tailing people around the city and your evenings sipping unicum while sitting at cafes along the river. You had talked about nearly everything under the sun. He had told you about his time in Wakanda, tending goats and reading every novel he could get his hands on. You had laughed at the thought of Bucky taking care of goats everyday, but he had said it was nice to get away from the world and just focus on taking care of something else for a change.

You had told him about how you started at SHIELD as a low level agent and filled in the holes of what he knew about your promotions and being added to the team. You’d commiserated about how painful the serum transition was, and how much you both loved that stubborn stick-in-the-mud Steve. He’d told you about when they were kids growing up in Brooklyn, about him being drafted for the war. He’d never enlisted because he didn’t want Steve to be left behind, but he was drafted anyway. (Steve still had no idea he hadn’t made the choice himself.) He told you about the adventures of the Howling Commandos and he even spoke a bit about his time with Hydra.

“I know, Buck.” You sighed, dropping your eyes to look at your hands. You started picking at your cuticles to keep your hands from shaking. You felt a small twinge in your stomach. Bucky had been so open with you in Budapest. Something he rarely was with anyone, and you hadn’t been in return.

“Why didn’t you tell me about him?” Bucky murmured. You glanced back up at him. He was looking at you again. He didn’t have an ounce of judgement in his eyes. He was just there, allowing you space to be honest with him. Your heart clenched in your chest.

“He didn’t want anything to do with the Avengers.” You sighed finally. Your blood was rushing in your ears, it felt like a panic attack was coming on but you had a deep desire to finally say this to him. He had been so patient and honest with you, it was time to return it. “He hated you. All of you. So much. When I had first been moved to work more directly with the team was the first time that we got into a fight. Like a real fight.”

Bucky shifted a bit in his seat across from you, but stayed silent.

You continued. “He was always angry with me whenever I brought you guys up. Always saying things about how you were all superhuman and didn’t know how to be normal people. That you were all just meatheads with hero complexes. Whenever we would argue and I would happen to slip up and mention one of you he would lose his mind. Just screaming at me to stop comparing him to you ‘freaks.’” You took a deep breath. “So I just started to hide shit from him. When I kept getting promoted, I just told him it was in a different department, that I wasn’t working with the Avengers anymore. He never really asked about work anyway so it wasn’t that hard to keep it a secret.”

You glanced up at Bucky then. He wasn’t looking at you anymore, he was staring out across the bar with his jaw tightly clenched. His hands were fisted where they rested on the table.

“How long were you together?” Bucky asked through clenched teeth.

“My whole adult life.” He looked at you again, the smallest amount of surprise on his face. “We met in highschool. We were just friends until I went to college. He had just showed up at my dorm one day at Harvard and told me that he couldn’t stand the thought of me being with anyone else. We had been dating ever since. Right before I joined the Avengers as a full fledged team member he proposed and we moved in together.”

Bucky hummed in response to that information, tearing his eyes from you to look back over the bar. “So, why didn’t anyone know this?”

“Tony knew.” You responded. “Well… he knew enough. That I was with someone who wanted to be kept away from the world of SHIELD. I didn’t really tell anyone else because I knew if he found out that I talked about him to any of you he would lose his mind. It just kinda… got away from me I guess. One little secret or half truth just kept piling together until it felt like I was living a double life.”

It was silent for a moment. Your heart was pounding in your chest, but you were still breathing. That was a good sign. “I’m really sorry Bucky. I never meant to hurt you or keep anything from you--”

“Stop.” Bucky cut you off, looking you directly in the eye again. It felt like he was looking at the very core of your being. “Never ever apologize to me for that. It wasn’t your fault. You were just trying to protect yourself.”

“Bucky… I--” you started, but you were cut off by the bartender returning with a tray loaded with food. He dropped all your food and drinks at the center of the table with a grunt and walked away.

Bucky reached across the table to squeeze your hand once. “Thank you for telling me.” He grabbed his first burger and dug in. You smiled at him across the table. Your heart squeezed again in your chest. He always knew exactly how to make you feel safe, how far he could push you without hurting you. It was amazing how light and warm you felt around him.

He looked up from his burger and mumbled “What?” through a mouthful of food. You dropped your head back and laughed. A real, warm laugh that bubbled up through your chest. You looked at him again and saw him break into a wide grin, his whole face lit up as his eyes scanned your face.

“Nothing, Buck. I’m just really happy I’m here.” You said as you picked up your burger to finally take a bite.

He swallowed and looked at you for a long moment before saying “I’m really happy you’re here too.”

~0~

You woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed than you had in a really long time. You stretched and smiled up at the ceiling, thinking over the night before.

You and Bucky had spent the rest of your meal chatting and laughing and enjoying each other's company. Bucky filled you in on some missions that had happened while you were away and told you about all the different books he’d read lately. You gave him a highlight reel of Asgardian court drama. He had the most intoxicating laugh. When you really got him going, his nose scrunched up a bit while he giggled and it made your heart flip in your chest.

Suddenly, Friday’s lilt broke through the fog of your daydreaming about Bucky’s smile above you, his chain dangling down from his chest…

“Tony is on his way to your room to discuss something. I thought you may want to get dressed before he arrives. You have approximately 3 minutes before he steps off the elevator on this floor.”

You groaned and shoved your face into your pillow. Both at the direction your thoughts had involuntarily turned, and Friday’s interruption of a wonderful daydream. “Thank you.”

You quickly rushed to your closet to throw on some sweats. You had just stepped back into your room when there was a knock on your door. “It’s open!” You called.

Tony swung open the door and leaned against the door frame “Morning kid.”

“Morning Dad. ” You chuckled, walking over to stand in front of Tony, crossing your arms over your chest. “To what do I owe this early morning honor?”

“First of all, I am not nearly old enough to be your father. Second, you up for a mission? We got a big one. Gonna need a whole team.”

You nearly jumped up and down with joy. Hell yeah you wanted to go on a mission. “First, you may not be old enough, but you and Steve definitely act like my fathers. And second, I thought you’d never ask.”

“Hey” Tony pointed at you. “Captain Righteous is nearly a hundred. He’s at least old enough to be your dad.” You cackled. “Alright suit up and meet us in the conference room. We’re gonna go over the plan and send you all on your way.”

“Right on. Who’s all on board?”

“Flappy bird, megatron, the queen of hearts, Mr. Righteous himself and Archie.”

You laughed out loud again. “Jesus Tony you’re snappy this morning. And you dragged Clint away from home? This must be a big job.”

“I just needed a sharpshooter on the outside to help Sam. It’s a tall building so cover up in the air is gonna be important.” He turned and sauntered back toward the elevator “You got eight minutes to be downstairs kiddo.”

“Aye aye Captain.” You called, turning to rush back to your closet to suit up. You heard Tony yell “I resent that title!” from the hall.

~0~

You hauled ass back down to the conference room, strapping knives to your thighs and guns to your hips as you went. You were in your signature tight kevlar black suit, with a cross body harness around your back with an M429 strapped across your back. You had a glock on both hips and a huge stash of ammo strapped across your chest.

It felt… amazing. It had been so long since you had suited up for real. You felt powerful. No one could touch you when you were dressed like this.

You stepped into the conference room. Just as Tony said, Sam, Bucky, Nat, Cap and Clint were already there, armed to the teeth and ready to rumble.

Clint called out when you stepped in the room “Hey! Long time no see superstar!”

You giggled. “Hey Clint.” You glanced around the room again. Bucky, in his usual mission armor of a thick kevlar jacket and combat pants, was sitting all the way across the room. Combat boots propped up on the conference table, leaning back in his chair.

He didn’t seem to be aware of the way that his eyes were scanning up and down your body, his tongue darted out of his mouth to wet his bottom lip before his eyes caught yours. He flinched slightly, like he had been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. You smirked at him and saluted before plopping down in the chair at the end of the conference table, adjusting the gun strapped to your back slightly so you could lean back in your chair.

Someone had to be turning up the heat in the compound. Why were you always so fucking hot?

“Alright assholes, here’s the plan. There’s a rumor that there’s some Hydra intel being passed around by a group of high class drug dealers in Croatia.” Tony started off. “And I need you to infiltrate their building and get it.”

“Drug dealers, Tony? You’re sending all of us after some dudes slinging cocaine?” Clint piped up from his spot to Tony’s left. “I am not missing my kids T-ball game for this.”

“Due to how loaded these dudes are, I don’t think cocaine is all they trade Clint. Plus, the building we need you to get in is a skyscraper that’s about 40 stories high and I need you in an adjacent building for cover.”

Tony then proceeded to cover the plan. Sam and Clint would offer cover from the air and nearby buildings. You and Bucky would be a battering team on the inside, clearing a path for Natasha and Steve to get to the main computer mainframe on the top floor. Then, you all would repel down the side of the skyscraper to a nearby helipad where the quinjet would be waiting for you. It was a relatively simple extraction, but Tony had a premonition that the place would be heavily guarded and well equipped.

“Get in, and get out. I’m not overly concerned with the status of any of the dudes in there. Kill if you have to, but don’t worry about bringing every one of them down. I’m more interested in whatever they have on their mainframe that’s making them guard it so heavily. Okay?” Tony finished.

Everyone nodded their affirmatives.

“See you tonight.” Tony remarked as he stepped out of the room.

“Alright everyone, grab whatever else you need. Meet on the jet in five.” Cap said, standing to walk towards the jet to prep for take off.

You all stood and began walking out the back doors to the landing pad where the jet was currently parked, all fueled and ready for your mission. No doubt stocked with any weapons that any of you may need as well as the equipment needed to repel down the side of the building after you’d gotten the information.

Bucky sauntered up next to you as you walked toward the jet and bumped your hip with his. “Nervous?”

You looked at him, feigning outrage. “Are you implying I can’t do my job Barnes?”

He laughed. “No. I think you’re one of the best of us. I’m just saying it’s been, what, a year? Since you’ve put on this tight little suit and shot some people.”

You blushed. “Kicking ass is kinda like riding a bike Bucky. You can’t ever really forget how to do it once you’ve mastered it.”

He let out a humourless chuckle. “Don’t I know it, Doll. Don’t I know it.”

You bumped your hip against his again. “C’mon Barnes. Let’s show these punks how it’s done.”

He looked at you again, a real smile on his face. “Welcome back, Y/N. It’s been a while.”

You just rolled your eyes and walked up the ramp to the jet, plopping into a seat and strapping yourself in.

~0~

After the approximately five hour jet ride to Croatia, you all got out of your seats and stretched a bit. No one chatted much in the flight over there. You all typically took the time to breathe and prepare for the mission, going over schematics and floor plans in your head.

Steve handed Bucky, Nat and you a harness for repelling before pulling one on himself. You stepped into yours pulling the straps up and around your hips, clipping it in front. You began to try to tighten the straps around your thighs when a hand brushed your lower back. Bucky leaned in, his breath ghosting across the back of your neck.

“Here. Let me help.” He reached around your back to grab the strap on your right thigh, his left hand went to the small of your waist to steady you while he tugged roughly, tightening the harness so it was snug on your right hip, then he switched his hand position to tighten the other side. You felt your whole body flush and your abdomen filled with fire. His hands rested on either hip from behind you. “That feel good?” He murmured.

“Yeah. Perfect.” You breathed out. You flushed instantly at how breathless you sounded. Bucky patted your hips twice before turning to grab a few more weapons to strap to yourself. You took a deep breath to try to steady your racing heart, and lifted your eyes. You caught Nat staring at you.

She shook her head softly and gave you a smirk that said “I saw that.” It was almost painful how much you wanted to cover your face with your hands. You had to get your head on straight. You were about to charge into a building where people wanted to kill you. You couldn’t be thinking about how warm Bucky’s hands had felt on your hips, how his chin had lightly brushed the shell of your ear, or the pulsing heat low in your abdomen.

Focus.

“Alright, turn your coms on. Everyone ready?” Cap called from the back of the jet.

You all grunted your affirmatives. You started bouncing on the balls of your feet to warm up your muscles, shaking out your hands.

“Okay. Sam and Clint, you all head out first. We won’t start in until we hear affirmatives that you’re in position.” Cap said. He threw a backpack at Bucky. “Here’s your repelling gear. We’re going in pairs. There’s a clip in there that will strap you to Y/N.”

You looked at Bucky. He just looked back at you with an arrogant smirk and strapped the backpack to his back.

~0~

After Clint and Sam had gotten into position, you and Bucky were up. You both walked down the ramp of the quinjet. Once Nat and Cap exited the jet, it would go into stealth mode and autopilot up to the helipad that you would meet it on, staying hidden from any onlookers.

You and Bucky started your route to the main floor of the building. You’d bust in the back door and clear the main floor of any hostiles, before heading up the east stairwell, keeping it clear so that Steve and Nat could head up behind you to the room with the mainframe.

You both snuck up to the back door, luckily thus far you hadn’t run into anyone. Bucky flipped around so his back was to the wall next to the door. He motioned for you to stand right behind him. He looked at you over his shoulder and whispered “Ready?”

You winked and whispered back “Always.” He grinned and turned back to the door, firing twice at each hinge before rearing back and kicking it in.

Phew. He is so damn good at this.

He pushed in through the door, his gun at the ready and scanned the room. You followed in behind him, your backs together to make sure no one heard his shots and followed in behind you.

“There’s easily eight on this floor. If not more.” He whispered over his shoulder. “You ready?”

“What did I say, Barnes? I’m always ready.”

He chuckled softly. “Alrighty then, sweetheart. Let’s kick some ass.”

You felt his back shift away from yours, you spun ducking behind a half wall and aimed around a corner. As soon as you heard his gun unload, you started picking off hostiles one by one. When you had fired at everyone in your line of sight you popped up to follow the path that Bucky had gunned down in front of you.

You stepped around a corner to get a better look at the open area of the main entrance. Suddenly two arms wrapped around you from behind. One coming to cover your mouth. You grunted and swung an elbow back into the gut of the man who had grabbed you, causing him to falter in his grip. You swung your head back to smash into his nose. You heard a nasty crunch and a scream come from your assailant. Your adrenaline was pounding. You felt so fucking strong.

You whipped around, swinging your M249 back across your back. You swung your left foot out to take out his knees. He collapsed in front of you. You brought your gun back around you and smashed the hilt against the back of his head to make sure he stayed down.

You sensed another assailant to your left and instinctively ducked as he fired directly at your head. You swung around and launched yourself at him, wrapping both legs around his neck and then letting your body fall heavily toward the ground, dragging him to the ground and flipping him at the last second so his body swung hard against the ground. You ripped a glock out of your thigh holster and fired twice into his chest. Breathing hard you looked up to scan your surroundings.

It was just Bucky, standing between two dead operatives, grinning at you. “How do you feel, princess?”

You smiled back at him, panting a bit. “I feel fucking amazing.”

He smirked at you. “That’s my girl.”

You blushed. The fire returned to your abdomen.

Dear fucking god.

“Nat, Cap, we’re clear. We’re going to start our trek up the stairs.” Bucky said into his ear piece. Then he smiled at you again. “Let’s go rockstar.”

You trailed him again, backs together as you moved instinctually against him toward the stairs. It felt so natural to be here. Back softly pressed against Bucky’s, huge gun in your hands, firing on anyone who entered the stairwell below you. Feeling Bucky’s back flex as he fired, and lunged and tossed hostiles over the railing of the spiraling stairwell.

It was like magic when you worked together.

You finally made it to the top level and Bucky kicked the door into a few men who had been blocking the other side. You both whipped through the door. You fired a few shots at a couple of operatives, then slammed the hilt of your gun into the throat of a man who had gotten a little too close for comfort before grabbing him by the front of his jacket and slamming a fist into his nose, knocking him unconscious.

You spun and caught the tail end of Bucky kicking a man in the middle of his chest, hurtling him back into the stairwell and down a flight of stairs before his head cracked against the concrete wall.

“You’re relatively clear.” Bucky called into the coms. “We’re gonna scope out this floor, but you should be good to come up.”

“On our way.” Nat said through the line.

Bucky looked at you and silently motioned for you to follow him through the hallway. You nodded and stepped over the body in front of you, taking up your position at his flank.

You snuck through the halls, peeking in doors and down hallways, but found no one.

“It’s a little too quiet up here.” Bucky whispered. You hummed in agreement.

“We’re in.” Cap whispered through the coms. “I’m gonna stand guard on Nat. You two find a good spot to repel.”

“On it.” You said to Cap.

Bucky spun around and you headed back in the direction of the computer database. You rounded the corner and stepped into a large L-shaped open concept office space with floor to ceiling windows on the back wall that looked out onto the building with the helipad. You couldn’t see the quinjet, but you knew that meant that the camouflage was still in place.

You both silently crept across the open room. There was something about the room that made your stomach turn. It was too open. Too quiet. “Bucky…” you whispered.

Suddenly he snagged you around the waist and hauled you to the ground, just as a few bullets ricocheted off the wall of filing cabinets behind you. Right where your head had been.

You were flat on your back, chests melded together. He was scanning the room in the direction of where the bullets had come from. “Stay down” He whispered before rolling off of you and crawling in the direction of the perpetrator.

You picked your head up and flipped over to your stomach, army crawling in the other direction. You had to be sure it wasn’t just a diversion, that there weren’t other men with guns on the other side of the room waiting for Bucky to get distracted.

You sat with your back against the wall of filing cabinets, catching your breath and listening for any movement. Bucky was out of your line of sight, he had to be crouched between filing cabinets, stalking his prey.

You suddenly heard a very small creak, coming from somewhere between the desks behind this wall of cabinets. You took a deep breath, grabbed both glocks from your hips, and whipped around the corner.

You saw two shadows move to your left and you let a smattering of bullets fly in that direction. Two bodies went down somewhere to your left and you spun to your right just in time to duck as a fist swung for your jaw. You bull rushed the guy, wrapping your arms around his waist and slamming your body weight into his gut, tackling him to the ground. Behind you, you could hear shots being fired across the room.

You sat up, straddling him, and with your gun still in your fist, punched him once square in the nose. He spat blood up into your face and choked out “Bitch.” You just smirked and slammed your fist against his skull again, this time knocking him out cold.

“Asshole.” You said down to his unconscious form. You hopped up, both glocks held out in front of you, but you had managed to down every agent on your side of the room. You spun, heading back in the direction that you heard Bucky’s voice alongside an unfamiliar one.

“Put your gun down. Let’s make this interesting, shall we?” The unfamiliar voice crooned.

“My pleasure.” That was Bucky. You heard the thud of what you assumed was his gun being dropped on the floor.

Are you fucking kidding me?

You began weaving through desks toward where you heard the voices, coming from around the corner of the large office space. You could hear grunts and the sounds of fists meeting flesh. When you rounded the corner you saw the unknown man had Bucky in a headlock, cutting off Bucky’s oxygen.

“Fuck me.” You groaned. Both of their heads whipped up to look at you at the same time. Bucky was pretty red in the face.

Without hesitating you lifted your glock and put a hole in the strange man's forehead. It was a pretty close shot, but you were a good aim and you weren’t overly concerned about hitting Buck in the process.

The man dropped to the floor and Bucky fell to his hands and knees, sucking in deep breaths. You stomped over to him, stopping a few inches from where he crouched, and put your hands on your hips to stare down at him.

“Thanks sweet-” Bucky had started to choke out.

“What the actual fuck was that James Buchanan Barnes.” You spit down at him. You were boiling with anger. How dare he? How dare he fucking try to have some macho fight and nearly get himself killed. You almost wanted to kill him yourself, just to prove a fucking point. You were seething.

He just coughed out a laugh and looked up at you with a big grin on his face. “You’re kinda cute when you’re angry.”

You spun on your heel and walked toward the wall of windows behind him. “And you’re kind of an idiot when you’re high on adrenaline James.”

He chuckled again, hauling himself to his feet. He snagged his gun and strapped it over his shoulder. He walked up next to you and punched his metal arm through the drywall of the wall next to the windows. You flinched and looked at him.

What the hell?

“Gotta find a beam to strap ourselves to, Doll.” He smirked at you. He ripped a piece of drywall out with his fist, revealing a big metal I-beam. “We’re set in the office space at the end of the hall whenever you two get your shit together.” He panted into the com.

Nat’s amused voice answered “We’re on our way, but it sounds like you’re the one who needs to get your shit together Barnes.”

You punched Bucky in the shoulder. “Don’t ever do that again you idiot.”

“I knew you’d get him.” Bucky responded, pulling the repelling cable out of the bag on his back and wrapping an end around the I-beam, securing it together.

“That was a pretty close shot Buck.”

“Like I said” he panted, as he clipped a hook to the cable, and then to the harness around his waist. “I knew you’d get him.” He turned to you with a big stupid grin on his face. “You know…” He started, stepping into you “I normally hate when people use my full name, but when it’s coming from your lips I kinda love it.” You were nearly chest to chest now. He flicked your nose.

“Fuck you, James.” You spit. He just chuckled and bit his lower lip. He extended the hook from the middle of his torso to clip into the harness in the middle of yours. There was now only about an inch of space between the two of you. You were sharing every breath.

Behind you, you could hear footsteps as Nat and Steve came running into the room. They made a beeline for your position, Steve ripped their cable from his backpack and began securing it around the I-beam and strapping himself to Nat.

Bucky started to walk backwards toward the giant window behind him. Nat fired her glock a few times at the glass above your heads, causing the glass to shatter and fall away leaving a big opening for you to repel out of. You closed your eyes as glass fell around you.

Bucky wrapped his right arm around your waist and you felt his metal arm pull slightly on the cable, checking for tension. You opened your eyes and found his blue eyes piercing into yours.

“Ready sweetheart?” He asked.

You rolled your eyes. “What have I been saying all day James? I’m alw--”

You didn’t get to finish your sentence because Bucky stepped backward off the edge of the building without taking his eyes off yours.

~0~

You free fell for a few heart beats before Bucky pushed his feet against the wall to slow your descent. As you repelled, you could hear the soft whistling of Clint’s arrows through the air and the shattering of windows around you as he picked off anyone who tried to stop your momentum.

When you reached the level of the building you were supposed to drop onto Bucky tightened his grip around the cable, slowing your momentum. You flinched a bit at the sound of metal scraping metal as the cable slid along his palm.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” You asked.

He shrugged. “A little, I can only kinda feel it. It definitely doesn’t hurt as bad as I’m sure Cap’s hand does right now, even with a kevlar glove.”

So that’s why they had wanted you to repel in pairs. So you and Nat wouldn’t have to get cable burns on your hands. Those two ancient men. Couldn’t get over their chivalry from the 40’s. You rolled your eyes.

“Sam, a little boost please.” Bucky called into the coms.

“Oh c’mon super soldier.” Sam crooned back. “Can’t swing over yourself? You’re looking pretty bad in front of the ladies.”

You giggled. “If you think this is a bad look, you should have seen the dumbass in a head lock up there on the top floor.” Bucky glared at you.

Sam just laughed. “I want to be clear, I’m only coming to help you because you’re strapped to that gorgeous woman with a wicked mouth. Otherwise you’d be on your own Tin Man.”

Sam swung around the building and snagged Bucky by the backpack, flapping his wings and yanking you both backwards so you were hovering over the edge of the building. Bucky quickly unhooked your waists from the cable. When Sam felt your weight drop, he let go of Bucky’s bag and flew back over to bring Nat and Steve over the edge as well.

You dropped straight down to the roof of the building. Bucky took the brunt of the impact, rolling when his back hit the concrete. You laid on your sides on the roof, panting together for a moment before he reached between you and unclasped the hook that connected you. You rolled over to your back, still catching your breath from the impact of hitting the roof.

Bucky turned his head to look at you. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” You panted. Chest heaving up and down as you sucked in oxygen. “I feel fucking incredible.” You turned your head to look at him. He smiled at you.

“You look fucking incredible.” He said. Like it just slipped out before he could stop it. You blushed, your whole body going warm and gooey.

Before either of you could say anything else, you heard two matching grunts as Nat and Steve hit the roof and the mechanical sounds of Sam landing a little ways away. You both rolled to stand up.

Clint scaled down the side of a large water tank structure and started walking toward the jet. “Took you long enough.” He called.

“I blame this one on Barnes.” Nat called. “He was trying a little too hard to show off.”

Sam laughed. “Yeah Buck, it sounds like you got your ass handed to you up there. Little distracted buddy?”

Bucky muttered “Fuck you” under his breath as you all climbed back on the ship. You spun around to walk backward up the ramp so you could cock an eyebrow at Bucky, giving him a little smirk.

He just dropped his head to look at his feet as he stomped up the ramp. “Keep walkin, dollface.”

You cackled, and spun around to walk the rest of the way up the ramp. Dropping into a seat and strapping yourself in for the long flight home.

#bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky fic #bucky

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soprano193 · 5 years ago

Text

Not a Couple

Chapter 8

Jane:

It only took thirteen seconds for Jane's more sophisticated friend to comment on her outfit. After placing her two suitcases in the back of the cab and hopping in the backseat with Jane, she eyed her friend with eyebrows raised. "Jane, I thought you were kidding about the sweats!"

"I was. Mostly." She laughed to herself as she realized how odd of a pair they made, Jane in her black sweats and a Red Sox tee, and Maura with a pencil skirt and green flowy blouse. "Maura, are you comfortable?" Jane asked, gesturing down to the Doctor's heels.

"Comfortable enough." Her answer was non-committal, accompanied by a shrug of her shoulders. So she wasn't comfortable.

"Maur, we're going to be on a plane for seven hours. The driver can wait a few extra minutes for you to change into something comfortable for the trip."

For a moment, it seemed like the honey blonde would accept the offer to change, or at least pick out more comfortable shoes. But with a shake of her head, Maura resigned herself to her choices. "I'll be fine. I've flown many times in this exact outfit." At her words, the cab lurched forward, headed to Logan.

"Hey, as long as you're comfy."

Her friend laughed. "Well, I can see you are!" From her purse, she pulled out a legal pad, flipping through the pages. "I updated my itinerary. I was up for a while, adding you to my plans, and finding new things that might interest us both." As she chatted away about palaces, catacombs, and cathedrals, Jane watched her face, wondering again in awe how she kept so much information inside her brain. Maura must have seen the look on Jane's face, and stopped her rambling to look at the former Detective, her brows furrowed. "What?"

"Nothing. Just watching your giant brain work." At this, Jane swore she saw the hint of a blush creeping up on her friend's face. Looking down at the legal pad, her eyes fixated on Maura's tidy scrawl. "So, did you pack our days, or did you give us some wiggle room?"

"I picked things that would interest us both, and left days for relaxation and writing in between."

"And in all this planning, did you manage to get any sleep?"

Her friend paused. "Not much. But, I planned a two-day recovery so that we can start to adjust our internal clocks." Maura glances at her, hazel eyes studying her face. "What about you? You left pretty late."

"I didn't sleep. I had a few things to finish packing into the Pod so they can store it for me. And I had to add a few nicer outfits to my suitcase." At Maura's pleased smile, Jane grinned. "Besides, I figured we could sleep on the plane."

"Oh, but we shouldn't!" Maura's outburst startled even the cab driver. "When we get to Paris, it will be nighttime. We should try to stay awake on the plane, and then sleep when we get there. It would be beneficial for our internal clocks."

"Maura! You're telling me that I should stay awake for two days voluntarily?"

She giggled. "You've stayed awake before!"

Jane groaned. "During cases, Maur. When there's a body dump and a killer on the loose. There's a difference." They continued to laugh, talk, and plan during their short ride to Logan. Check-in was quick in the early morning before the busy period started. And they were through security after about 30 minutes.

Once in the terminal, Jane wasted no time searching for a store with coffee. She sent a silent prayer to the coffee Gods when around the corner from their gate was a Boston Joe's kiosk. "Maura, coffee." It was a statement rather than a question, and her friend only nodded in response.

"I'm heading to our gate. I'll meet you there."

Jane nodded in response, tapping her friend on the shoulder before jumping in the back of the line. She almost didn't notice the way Maura stiffened at the contact. As she watched the Doctor walk away, she brushed the stiffness off, figuring it had to be exhaustion.

The line was moving slow. There was only one worker behind the counter and several tired travelers looking for a pick-me-up. After the first customer, her phone chimed. A message from Davies.

C: I heard you were starting late. I hope you're not backing out?

J: I'm not, I promise. Just taking a long-deserved vacation to Paris with Maura.

C: Ah, the City of Love. I've heard great things. Send me pictures?

J: I will. See you in a month.

C: Have fun, Jane.

When she got to the counter, she ordered Maura's non-fat latte with no foam, and her own latte with a triple shot. "My travel companion won't let me sleep on the plane." She explained to the barista, who seemed unfazed by the amount of espresso she was pouring into the former Detective's drink. Coffee firmly in her hands, Jane made her way to the gate.

Maura sat in a chair by the windows, her laptop out as she typed away. "What are you working on?" Passing her friend her drink, she watched Maura's screen.

"Well, my plan for this vacation was to change my scenery and write. I figured I might as well now since I probably won't on the plane." She took a sip of her drink, grinning when she saw the stevia packets in Jane's hand. "Thank you. I have something for you, too." She passed over her boarding pass, her finger lingering over the seat number.

It took Jane a second, but once she saw it, she grinned. "You got your seat changed!"

"I did. The person next to you was happy to switch."

"I call the window seat." This made Maura laugh, which made Jane's heart jump up to her chest. Making Maura laugh was one of her favorite pastimes. It would be hard in a month when she couldn't do that every day. Trying to distract herself from her worries, Jane pulled out her phone. "I should tell Ma we made it to the airport safely."

"I already texted her."

Grinning, Jane watched her friend out of the corner of her eye. "Okay, so I'll watch a movie then." Fishing her headphones out of her pocket, she pulled up Netfix and started a random movie. But instead of watching the movie, she read what Maura was typing.

If Maura noticed the intrusion, she didn't let on. She flipped between her word processor and a scanned version of her outline often. At one point she switched to a page filled with character information, adding to it, expanding on her points. When she hesitated, Jane would watch her face, how her jaw would set and her eyes would narrow as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say. Or her small, satisfied smile when she'd written something she liked. Watching Maura's face change as she wrote made Jane want to read her book even more.

On the plane, each passenger had their own little TV on the backs of the chairs in front of them. Once in the air, Maura found archeological documentaries, the kind that had the British narrators that made Jane fall asleep. Jane opted for something with more explosions, to help keep her awake. Unfortunately, around three hours in, she was struggling to keep her eyes open. She tapped her companion, who pulled out an earbud. "I know we're supposed to stay awake, but what's it gonna hurt to take a little nap?"

The Doctor raised her eyebrows at her in response. "Well, it won't hurt, but the time difference and jet lag can be unpleasant. You'll be prone to irritability, fatigue, indigestion, and headaches."

"Maur, I'm already fatigued, and am halfway to irritable. I need to sleep."

"Well, I won't stop you." Her friend's response was all she needed to hear. From her carry-on luggage, Jane pulled out the matching leopard U-shaped pillow that came with her bag. Her friend's laughter didn't stop her from putting it around her neck and against the plane wall. "Sleep well, Jane."

Despite her exhaustion, sleeping on a plane was proving to be very difficult. Every little movement she could feel, and she had never been great at sleeping while sitting. As she was about to give up and complain, looking to Maura for support, she found her friend with eyelids fluttering, her chin resting on her fist. "Maur," She started, making the Doctor startle, "get some rest. You're tired."

The honey blonde shook her head, blinking her hazel eyes. "I can't. I don't want to be irritable."

"Maura, you're with me. I'll forgive you." Jane felt her face soften as she tugged her friend to her, letting Maura rest her head on Jane's shoulder. As Maura snuggled in, letting sleep get the best of her, Jane rested her head on top of Maura's, finally losing consciousness.

They were awoken by the flight attendants, who were preparing for landing. Announcements were made over the speaker that they were approaching their destination. Jane lifted her shade to see what was going on. Maura peering over her shoulder, Jane held her breath until they landed safely on another continent.

It took them almost two hours to clear customs, their bags being the last off the plane. Maura hailed a taxi outside to take them to their hotel. Inside the cab, she spoke perfect French with the driver, which Jane watched in awe. Too tired to even try to follow the conversation, she instead opted to text her Mother, making sure she knew they arrived.

The cab dropped them off at a hotel walking distance from the tower. It looked huge, lit up in the night, glowing beacons shining in the air. Jane could feel her mouth opening as she took it all in. Sure, she knew they were in another country, far from home, but seeing the tower like that, so close, that's when it hit her. She was in Paris. With Maura.

As her friend entered her thoughts, she felt a hand slip into hers and tug it, pulling her gently along the sidewalk. "Jane, come on."

"Pinch me."

The Doctor's laughter was gentle, as she pulled herself into Jane's side, lacing their fingers together. "Why would I want to do that?"

Jane squeezed the younger woman's hand. "So I know this is real." The light chuckle and grin that adorned Maura's face, her dimples showing as she walked backward, it almost outshone the tower.

Their room had a view of the Tower from the balcony. Jane stood at the full-length windows and stared for just a bit longer before being pulled out of her trance by the blonde Doctor placing pills into her hands. "Melatonin. It should help with the jet lag." At Jane's quirked eyebrow, she continued. "It will help you sleep." Jane didn't question it further, and accepted the glass of water her friend held out. The honey-blonde made her way across the room to the bathroom, gathering some clothing from her opened bag as she went. "As much as I want to unpack, I also feel like it's important that we sleep." Jane took the opportunity while her friend was getting ready to change clothes, drawing the curtains closed. "I'm worried that it will be difficult given our nap on the plane."

"I'm not," Jane answered back as she yawned, throwing her travel clothes in a pile and climbing under the covers on her side of the bed. "I think that melanin you gave me is kicking in." As she closed her eyes, she heard her friend chuckle, her footsteps coming closer to the bed. By the time Maura had set up her phone charger and joined Jane under the covers, Jane was asleep.

When her eyes opened next, the clock on the side of the bed shone back at her. 3:42 am. Part of her wanted to groan and fall back asleep, but she woke feeling refreshed. Blaming it on the time change, she turned to face Maura.

Maura was still asleep, her breathing even, her face serene. Despite the long day of travel, her hair was still in perfect waves which sloped gracefully over the curve of her cheek. Jane reached over to brush a stray piece out of her eyes, and felt her breath hitch as she waited to see if Maura woke. Instead, it seemed as if the blonde smiled at Jane's touch, relaxing more in her slumber. Jane felt her heart flip at the intimacy of the moment, realizing that the only other person who would ever experience this was Maura's eventual spouse. It was a strange honor to see the well put together Doctor in such a vulnerable place, and Jane scoffed as she realized that she was jealous of a person who didn't exist yet.

Pushing her thoughts from her head, Jane decided to peruse Facebook, looking at photos from her friends back home. After a few minutes, when she remembered where they were, she climbed out of bed, careful not to disturb her sleeping companion. Walking to the window, she pulled it open and stared out in awe. The Tower's lights were off, but she could still make out the imposing figure in the darkness. The lights absolutely added to its beauty, but just knowing it was there sent shivers down her spine.

The hand pressed into the small of her back had surprised her, but instead of jumping, she leaned back into it, until Maura's arm wrapped around her and she situated herself at Jane's hip. "The lights stop at 1 am." Maura's voice was soft, like she was afraid to break the serenity of the moment.

"I wasn't complaining." She felt Maura chuckle beside her. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"You didn't." The reassurance made Jane let out her breath, relaxing more into her friend's embrace. "How long have you been awake?"

"Just about ten minutes. I remembered where we were and thought I'd admire the view."

"That's a good plan." Maura stood with her, looking out at the Tower, street lamps, trees, and buildings that they could see from their window. "It's gorgeous, isn't it?"

Jane turned her head to look at her friend. Her face was lit up by the glow of the moonlight, her mouth pulled up in the corners, her eyes wide as they looked around the city. Jane was looking at Maura when she answered. "Yeah. Gorgeous."

________________________________________________________________

They spent the first few days adjusting their internal clocks. As much as Jane wanted to explore this foreign city, she also was glad for the time to reacclimate. They found a few coffee shops and restaurants near them and went grocery shopping for some fruits and other things to have in the room. Maura dedicated two hours each day to writing, time that Jane had decided to dedicate to reading or Duolingo. She wouldn't be fluent, but at least she could ask where the bathroom was and understand the response.

Maura set up their first outing, keeping the plans to herself. "At least tell me if I need to dress up."

"No need. Dress comfortably." This was all the permission Jane needed to pull out her BPD sweatpants and a comfy t-shirt. Maura only shook her head, not saying a word, a smile on her face.

"You said 'comfortably'!" Jane shouted in an accusatory tone at Maura's face.

"I did, I wasn't planning on saying anything." Her friend laughed as Jane changed, and she chattered away about lunch plans, when she wanted to write, and her desire to take ridiculous touristy photos.

Jane assured her that they would take all the photos she wanted to. "We need more pictures together, anyway. And my new apartment will need decorating." It was the first time in days that Jane had mentioned her upcoming move, and almost immediately she regretted it. She could see the flash of sadness on Maura's face, her hands fidgeting, followed by her immediate compartmentalization. Trying to bring levity to the room again, Jane smiled. "So tell me more about this adventure."

Maura brought her on a guided tour of the Catacombs. If anyone else had brought her, she would have found it creepy. Most people don't tour graveyards. But this was different. Jane learned about the transfer of hundreds of bodies from overflowing cemeteries to underground quarries, under the cover of darkness so citizens wouldn't be alarmed. They walked along corridors with bones lining the walls in elegant patterns, their tour guide explaining the painstaking work that went into the design. Unable to resist, Jane leaned over to Maura and whispered, "this looks like a scene right out of Scooby-Doo." The Doctor's stifled laughter and the looks of other tourists were worth the glare of the guide.

At a Cafe along the Seine, while eating sandwiches and sipping wine, a woman approached and spoke with Maura. Jane was not proficient enough to figure out what the woman was saying, but watched as a flustered Maura blushed and answered her back. The woman gave an awkward smile and rushed away, nodding at Jane as she left. Not wanting to be left out, Jane looked at the still red blonde, waiting for an answer to her unasked question. Maura gave a nervous chuckle before explaining. "She said she thought we made a cute couple."

Jane furrowed her brows and looked toward the door, where the woman had made a quick exit. "What brought that on?" Looking at the way they were sitting, she didn't notice anything different. They weren't any more affectionate than usual, although she was aware that some people found their affection for one another unusual. Shrugging, she turned back to the younger woman. "I mean, I know we aren't the last people to be approached awkwardly in public. Frankie and Nina get a comment monthly about how beautiful their baby will be." She took a sip of wine. "And it was only Ma once."

This made Maura laugh, her fingers trailing along the bottom of her wine glass. "Your mother says a lot of intrusive things. And asks a lot of questions. It's endearing."

"It's annoying."

Laughing, Maura took a sip of her wine before gesturing to the door, where the woman had left. "What kind of questions do you think your Mother would ask us?"

"If we were in a relationship?" Jane clarified before continuing, waiting for the nod of the Doctor's head. "Probably the same thing she would ask any lesbian couple. Who pays for dinner? Who asks who on the date? Who is going to carry her grandchildren, because so far only one of her children has succeeded in that?"

"Which one is the man?" Maura added, her eyebrows raised at that last word as she waited to watch Jane's reaction.

"Yes, she would ask that. And I thought we established years ago that I would be the guy." Jane smiled to herself as she remembered that case at Merch, going undercover, turning her head and being face to face with Maura's…

"But Jane, isn't the point of a same-sex relationship, that neither one of us is 'the guy'?"

Maura punctuated her words with air quotations, making Jane snort. "You do have a point there, Maur."

Both women dropped the conversation and went back to their meals. It wasn't the first time they had flirted with the idea of dating one another. But for once, it was the first time Jane had felt sorry to see the conversation end. As Maura ate, jotting things down about the setting that she could use in her story later, Jane wondered how her Mother would react to her dating the younger blonde. She had always seen Maura as another daughter, and certainly treated her with as much kindness as she treated the rest of her children. Plus, Maura was a Doctor, so she had that going for her.

"Jane." Her friend's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Jane's nod was slow as she blinked herself to reality. "Yes. Sorry. I was just thinking that I haven't texted Ma in a few days, I should do that." Maura accepted this response, her eyes floating back to her notebook. Jane let out a breath, careful not to draw attention to herself. She did send out a quick text to her mother, along with a photo of Maura next to a skull. It looks like you girls are having a great time. Looking back at Maura, Jane smiled. Maura was very concentrated on her descriptions, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed. Every so often she would look up, cock her head as she looked at something, then scribble down another description. Jane found the sight amusing, yet endearing. Watching, she realized that before she worried about how her Mother would react, she needed to figure out her own feelings first.

________________________________________________________________

A few days later, they visited the Louvre. Jane had never been a fan of art museums, but she knew that this was the trip Maura didn't want to miss. "This is where the Mona Lisa is, right? Let's go see it first, and look at all these other things later."

Maura grabbed her hand, pulling her back to the Doctor's side. "No." She said it in a matter-of-fact tone that made Jane stop. "Everyone goes there first. The best thing to do is wait until closing time, when crowds have thinned."

Jane couldn't help but groan. That was the only piece of artwork that even slightly piqued her interest. Holding a map of the vast museum in her hands, she sighed, ignoring the amused look on Maura's face. "Fine. As long as we still get to see it."

"I promise, you'll see it." Maura giggled, pulling her into a room.

The museum proved to be more interesting than Jane had anticipated. For one, it was interesting to see how many "Virgin and Child" sculptures could fit in a single room. Walking through the sculptures, Jane watched the progression and noted the subtle differences in style. Meanwhile, Maura chatted away, throwing out words like 'gothic', or 'renaissance' off the top of her head. Jane never needed to read a plaque, or plug in and listen. She had a walking encyclopedia who was raised by an art teacher at her side.

As they made their way into the rooms with Roman and Greek statues, they came across one that Jane recognized immediately. "Maura, please tell me there's not a body in it this time."

Her friend paused before answering, her head cocked to one side. "That would be highly unlikely, but I can't rule it out."

Shaking her head, Jane linked elbows with her, pulling her forward. "Well go stand next to it so I can get a picture."

"What? Why?"

"You wanted to take touristy photos! This is a touristy photo." She positioned Maura next to the giant sculpture and backed away until she could fit both in her picture. "Maur, pose like the statue."

"What should I do with my arms?" She waved them around for emphasis.

"Whatever you want. Imagine what she may have been doing." Reluctantly, Maura did just that. Her left knee angled and her body twisted slightly, she placed her right arm over her stomach, and her left pushed forward, as if holding up a mirror. Jane snapped the picture, walking back toward her friend. "Very intellectual, Maura. Do me." Jane stood in the same place, waiting for Maura to get her framing right. Once she held up her phone, Jane extended her arms to the left side of her body and started swaying her hips like she was doing the hula. Laughing, Maura took her picture, her head shaking.

As she approached, she held her arm out, lacing it back through Jane's elbow as they fell back into step. "It's highly unlikely that anyone in ancient Greece would know how to hula." She wore a smile on her face, knowing full well that Jane was messing with her.

"Well, I'll take my chances. You could be wrong this one time."

"Perhaps." The Doctor conceded with a smile, pulling Jane into another room.

The best part of the Louvre was definitely watching Maura. The way she examined every detail of the paintings and sculptures, her hazel eyes darting around, taking them all in. The way she spouted facts like it was nothing, again making Jane wonder where she kept all that information. It was, of all things, stone statues of winged bulls with human heads, that made Maura stop in her tracks. Jane understood it to a point, they were massive and made her feel small. Jane placed her hand in the small of Maura's back, trying to move her along, but her feet were planted. "Tell me what you're thinking, Maur."

"It's just," she gestured in the air, her hands not settling on any one thing, "these statues are over three thousand years old, Jane. And made from stone. And they're so well preserved, and detailed, and here. It's amazing."

Jane had a memory at that moment, of Maura going on about being in awe of what human beings can do. It was endearing at the time, but now, seeing it in action, watching the look on her face, Jane knew this was incredible for her. "Yeah. It's amazing." She responded, her eyes fixated on her friend's face.

They made it to see the Mona Lisa before closing, Jane shocked to realize just how small it was. She then dragged her friend to take more photos in the gardens and along the Place de la Concorde. Then they returned to their hotel room so Maura could write. While Maura worked on her project, Jane recounted the memories from the day. Maura's laughter at her dancing, her never-ending knowledge that she shared so willingly, and that look of awestruck wonder that made her so beautiful. Looking across the room at Maura, Jane felt her stomach sink as she thought about leaving. This trip was making everything so hard.

________________________________________________________________

It was during a morning writing session that Jane realized that Maura was staring at her. She tried to ignore it at first, returning to her phone, but every time she looked up, Maura was looking at her. "Am I distracting you? I can go work out for a bit if I'm bothering you."

"No, please don't." She closed the top of her laptop. "I'm describing you."

"Why?" Jane's brows furrowed as she looked at her friend, her phone falling to her lap.

"They told me my characters and setting were flat. I need to practice using my senses to make people and characters come alive." With that, she reopened her laptop, going back to typing.

"Does it have to be me?" Jane asked as she watched Maura look up at her again.

"Whom else do you suggest I describe?" At this Jane shrugged, picking her phone back up and listening to the green owl teach her French. At one point, she looked over and saw Maura watching her again, her eyes focused on Jane's feet dangling in the chair. Jane began to wiggle them, making Maura roll her eyes. "You have to pretend I'm not watching you. Act natural."

Jane returned her feet to normal, stilling them. "Okay, bossy." This elicited a chuckle from the Doctor, putting a small smile on Jane's face. Jane decided to focus on her Duolingo, finding her French skills improving. When Maura closed her laptop, standing once the hour was up, Jane held out a hand for the Doctor's device. "Do I get to read it?"

Maura's eyes grew wide as she held her computer close to her. "No. It's private."

"Maura! You wrote about me! I should be able to read it!" She was pouting as she whined, her hands opening and closing.

The Doctor chuckled at the sight in front of her, shaking her head. "No, Jane. It's private. And it's not important, it was just an exercise." At Jane's huff of displeasure, she continued. "But give me a few days, I want you to read my revisions on my manuscript."

Playing up her disappointment, Jane huffed. "Fine. That kind of makes up for your secrecy." The only response from the Doctor was more chuckling as she tucked away her computer and changed for the day.

________________________________________________________________

The day they went to Notre Dame, it was rainy. Maura fretted in their hotel room about her hair, and the rain messing it up. "It's the perfect day to pull it back, then." Jane tried to reason with her as she redressed. "You always look nice when you pull it back."

"You think so?" The honey-blonde poked her head out from the bathroom, her hair gathered in her hands as she looked toward the former Detective.

"I do." Taking this positive response, the Doctor disappeared. If Jane was being honest, her friend always looked amazing. No matter what she decided to do with her hair, or what outfit she chose to wear, she always looked amazing. "Do you think I would lie about that?"

Emerging from the bathroom with a smile and high ponytail, the younger woman reached for her umbrella and purse. "I think if you thought it would get me out of the room faster, you might."

Stopping Maura from leaving with her hand on the door, Jane made sure to look in her eyes, her face soft as she spoke. "You're gorgeous, my friend."

Maura stifled her smile, as any humble person would. "Somehow that sounds familiar."

"Yeah, a know-it-all told me that, once." With a chuckle, they left, walking side by side.

Upon entering the cathedral, Jane crossed herself before she lost her breath. Maura's hand in the small of her back kept her moving, but her eyes hadn't come down yet. The ceilings were so high, the room so large, she felt small in comparison. Maura walked at her pace through it all, allowing her to examine the artwork and the architecture. They both stopped to stare at one of the rose windows, high in the air, and at that moment Jane knew what Maura meant when she said that she was in awe of what humans could do.

While admiring the high ceilings and stained glass, Maura's voice pulled her out of her trance, low and reverent as she admired the cathedral. "Standing here as a non-believer, I have to admit that I understand." She met Jane's eyes, and continued at her furrowed brows and curious look. "I mean, just being in here makes me feel insignificant. Like there has to be something else out there, something bigger than myself. It's easy to see why many turn to religious beliefs when they are looking for something more."

Grabbing the younger woman's hand, Jane gave it a squeeze. "You know you're significant, right?"

She nodded. "I do. And I hope you know that too." Jane realized she was blushing, heat rising to her cheeks as she saw Maura's genuine smile. She gently moved Jane along to discover more within the walls.

They stumbled upon an altar with a picture of the Virgin and Child in the background. Red and white flags (Polish, Maura told her with a smile) hung on either side. The picture depicted the mother and Jesus with dark complexions, brilliant gold halos on top of their heads. Maura began talking about Black Madonnas found elsewhere in Europe. "Considering Jesus was reportedly middle eastern, these paintings would be more historically accurate," she explained, as Jane pulled her to see more stained glass windows.

It was the window that seemed to depict a journey that caught Maura's attention, her eyes following the detail. The light shone through this window just right, making Maura's face glow in shades of red, a stray strand of hair grazing against her cheek. Jane's heart skipped a beat, her stomach fluttered, and she resisted the urge to wrap her arms around the awe inspiring woman she called her best friend. Before she could stop it, she spoke. "So beautiful."

Maura, not moving her eyes from the window, answered back. "Yeah, it is."

As their vacations began to come to a close, Jane found it harder and harder to imagine returning to a life without Maura. They talked about plans, Jane's moving process, Skype schedules, and holidays. As much as Jane didn't want to think about it, she knew planning was the best way to combat Maura's anxiety about her leaving. As for her, she was happy to wake up next to Maura every day, to watch her as she slept, to see the subtle changes in her face as she wrote. It was in the quiet of one of those moments, when she had to resist the urge to press a gentle kiss to her lips, that Jane realized what she was walking away from. That she may be leaving the love of her life along with her family to pursue this next step in her career. Sometimes it made her question her decision.

________________________________________________________________

Their last big tour was to Versailles. The grounds were large, the gardens full, and Jane had to fight to keep her face neutral as Maura twirled in the hall of mirrors like a little girl. "Jane, can you imagine attending a ball in the past?"

"What, with the tight bodices, and the hoop skirts so wide they make your ass look huge?" Maura laughed, and Jane felt a pull in her gut. "Yeah, I'm gonna pass."

"Jane! You looked amazing in your Revolutionary War dress." Her hands played with the edges of Jane's jacket. "It would be like that, but with more frills."

"Maura, when would I ever say 'more frills'?" Maura laughed at her, dropping the jacket and moving away, and for a moment Jane wondered if she felt it too. Pushing down her feelings, she continued as normal. "What, are you gonna teach me to waltz too?"

"Oh, not the Waltz." She turned away and wandered down the hall, knowing Jane would follow behind her. "The Waltz only became popular after the Revolution, after the palace at Versailles fell out of use."

"Well, excuse me for being ahead of my time." She couldn't help but laugh with Maura as she turned back around to face the taller woman, walking backwards in the hall.

"If it helps, I've always admired that about you." She caught sight of herself in the mirrors and twirled, slow and graceful, making Jane glad she still had her phone out to capture it on camera. She thought back to that revolutionary war era dress, Maura done up in frills and bows, her hair in a graceful yet intricate updo, and she remembered how beautiful she looked that day. If only she had realized what was right in front of her sooner.

They made their way into another room, either the war room or the peace room. Jane wasn't paying attention as Maura spoke, and was instead looking at all the gold that adorned the walls. "How rich do you have to be to cover all the walls with gold?"

"Gilded bronze." Maura corrected, admiring the large circular painting on the wall.

"Okay. How rich do you need to be to cover all the walls with gilded bronze?"

Maura laughed at the question, bringing a smile to Jane's face. She pointed behind them, into the hallway. "Actually, the real impressive thing here is the mirrors."

"The mirrors are impressive?"

Maura nodded, looking into Jane's eyes as she spoke. "Yes, mirrors in the 18th century were very expensive, only the elite could afford them. That whole hallway was meant to remind allies and enemies how rich the French monarchy was."

Glancing back to the hallway, Jane couldn't help but scoff. "That's a lot of money to blow on an ego boost."

"I found the effect rather striking. Didn't you?" Maura wasn't looking at her anymore as she spoke, her head tilted upward as she examined paintings on the ceiling.

Thinking back to Maura in the hall of mirrors, twirling as she caught sight of herself, Jane couldn't help but smile. "The effect was definitely striking." Her friend laughed at Jane's tone before taking a hold of her hand, pulling her to another room.

When they finished in the palace, Jane pulled Maura into the gardens. Maura had told her they were almost three times the size of Central Park. They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening looking at trees in boxes, hunting down fountains, and watching water shows in the most elaborate outdoor setting Jane had ever seen. The few pictures she took of Maura near some blossoms she knew she would treasure forever.

________________________________________________________________

"Let's go somewhere nice to eat." Maura's voice pulled Jane from her haze. It was their last day in the city of lights, that fact made more real as Jane checked into her flight. "I can get us reservations at a restaurant near the Tower."

"I'm not opposed." The words sent her friend into a flurry of activity. Between looking at review, getting changed, and making calls, she was all over the room in varying stages of undress. It wasn't the first time she had seen the Doctor in varying stages of undress. A month ago it would have been just another day in their lives. But now Jane found herself looking away, trying to forget how her creamy skin contrasted with her deep purple bra. She breathed a sigh of relief as Maura emerged from the bathroom in a pink blouse, her hair straight instead of her usual loose curls.

"I've found a restaurant." She said with a triumphant grin. "Get dressed, we leave in a half an hour."

Jane pulled her one good white blouse out of her suitcase. It had black piping along the edges and down the center of the shirt. This paired with her black pants was as fancy as she was willing to get. Emerging from the bathroom, she breathed a sigh of relief at Maura's nod of approval. She had added a rose gold bracelet to her ensemble, as well as some simple silver earrings. "You look great." Jane breathed, hoping it didn't sound as awkward as it made her feel.

"Thank you. That top is stunning on you." The returned compliment made the former Detective blush. "I haven't seen it before."

"Ma picked it out about three years ago. So naturally, I haven't worn it." Her explanation made the honey-blonde snort, her head shaking. "I know, it's silly. But sometimes she picks out clothing with an ulterior motive, so I don't wear it when she wants me to."

"Jane, you have to let that black dress thing go."

Grabbing her wallet and following Maura out the door, Jane corrected her. "That wasn't the only time, Maura."

The restaurant was nice enough, tucked away into a corner, the Tower seen only in the distance. Maura ordered the duck, while Jane stuck with a meal she knew she would like, beef tenderloin. For a while they talked about Maura's book, and the changes she had made. They then reminisced about their favorite parts of their vacation together, planning to choose another location to visit together in a year. But as dinner came, they had to address their impending separation. "I fear that this vacation has only increased my sadness about you leaving." Maura broke the ice, her face down as she spoke.

Reaching across the table, Jane caressed her hand, the touch foreign to her now with her realized feelings. "Am I still sad? Absolutely. But I don't regret this time I've had to spend with you." Maura's lips pulled up for a split second as she tried to smile through her sadness. "Besides, I'll be back before you know it for Thanksgiving."

Huffing, she pulled her hand away from Jane's, returning to her meal. "I know. And when I have long weekends, I can come down for a visit."

"Exactly!" This made the younger woman smile brighter as she sat up taller in her seat. "Frankie said the drive wasn't too bad."

"Frankie made the drive?"

Nodding, Jane took a bite of her food. "Yeah, he drove my car down there, and Ma drove him back. He and Tommy set up my bed, and left my apartment keys under my floor mats."

"So you're all set up."

"The rest of my stuff will arrive in two days. I'm just waiting for an email from the FBI outlining my first few days." At the mention of the organization, her mind flashed to the man who had offered her the job, the special agent who asked her for pictures of Paris. The special agent she hadn't answered in a month. Even though she was slowly realizing that a relationship between them was not going to work out, she hadn't meant to ghost him. "Shit."

"What's the matter?" Maura looked concerned, her eyes blinking as she looked at her friend.

"Agent Davies. He asked me for pictures of our vacation, and I've ignored him all month long."

"Oh." Maura's reply was curt, shocking Jane with the harshness of it. "You'll see him in a few days. You can catch him up then."

"I know." Taking a sip of her wine, she continued. "I wasn't gonna text him right now. It's our last night in Paris. Tonight everything is about you." Maura seemed to relax at this, loosening her shoulders and speaking in a normal voice.

After dinner they walked along the Seine, taking in the sights and sounds together. They reminisced about cases, funny stories with Jane's family, and their significant others who never seemed to stick. Maura was careful not to bring up Davies, but why, Jane couldn't understand. Maybe she was sensing the doubts Jane was feeling. She hoped Maura wouldn't figure out why she was having doubts. That would be harder to explain.

They found themselves standing on a bridge. A ferry boat was out in the distance. The sky was getting dark. Maura took a moment, closing her eyes and listening to the sounds. Jane took the opportunity to snap a picture. Maura saw the flash, shaking her head. "Jane, let me see it."

"It's gorgeous, Maura." She was gorgeous. She couldn't say that out loud again. But she turned her phone around so Maura could see it, grinning when she nodded her head in approval. "We should get one together."

"Jane, I don't know if I want to take pictures."

"C'mon, Maura." She turned her camera around and stood next to her friend. Demonstrating on her screen, she showed her friend. "See those lights back there? It will make for a nice photo." Her friend nodded, and Jane wrapped her arm around Maura's waist, holding her other arm out to take the photo. Maura's arm wrapped around her back. "One. Two. Three." Jane smiled and took a picture, realizing only after the flash that Maura had been looking not at the camera, but at Jane's face. She turned to her friend, feigning upset with her voice. "Maura! You have to look at the camera. It'll be pretty!"

But Maura was looking at her with soft, wide eyes, her smile broad and unwavering. "Yeah, pretty." It seemed as though Maura was leaning closer, her eyes closing and mouth parting. And before Jane could stop herself, she closed that gap, letting her lips meet Maura's. Her hand fell, placing her phone in her pocket so she could put both her hands on the younger woman's waist, pulling her closer. The small moan Maura let out made Jane weak at the knees, and she opened her mouth for more.

But as she did, Maura pulled away, biting her lips and looking away. "I'm sorry." She covered the lower half of her face with her hand.

Jane wasn't sorry. Everything she had been figuring out was answered once her lips met Maura's. Her past actions, their closeness, the way she was drawn to Maura, it all made sense. And yet, now her friend was standing across from her looking ashamed. In one moment, Jane had figured out what she needed, and lost it all at once. "Oh my God."

"Jane, wait."

Jane began to back away. "Oh my God."

"Jane, please!"

Jane ran. Even as she could hear her friend pleading with her. She ran, letting the hot tears spill from her face. She ran to the place that had been home for the last month. Traces of Maura were everywhere. She couldn't escape. She paced the floor of their room. At some point, she would have to face Maura, have to face the shame and disappointment. Catching sight of her pajamas, she breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe it would work.

Maura had tried to give her space. She returned to the room half an hour after Jane had. But Jane had decided to hide, wrapping herself in blankets and pretending to sleep. "Jane?" Her friend called out, her voice small in the large space. Jane stuck with her charade, not moving, evening her breathing. "I want to talk. Can we talk?" She could feel Maura's presence standing next to her. When she said nothing, Maura cursed. "Shit." She kicked off her heels and crawled on the other side of the bed. "What have I done?" A part of Jane wanted to roll over and hug her, was angry at herself for causing her friend so much pain. But another didn't want to face the shame, the embarrassment she caused her friend. She had just lost so much, she couldn't lose any more. So she stayed wrapped in her cocoon, ignoring the words of her friend, her heart breaking into more tiny pieces.

Maura fell asleep after about an hour, though Jane could tell it was restless. She tossed and turned, and the look on her face was not the serene picture it had been for the past few weeks. Jane on the other hand, did not sleep. She replayed that kiss in her mind over and over, reveling in the moan, the feel of Maura's hand on her hip. Then she replayed the look of shame, the way Maura crumpled in on herself. She watched it again and again. Now Maura knew. Maura knew Jane loved her, and she didn't feel the same. It was too much to bear.

Jane left an hour earlier for her flight, hailing a taxi at the front desk. She scribbled a note to Maura before leaving, dropping it on her pillow. I hope you can forget this someday. She didn't sleep until she was on her plane, the neck pillow squashed up against the window. No one teased her about the print, no one told her she had to try to stay awake. The person next to her did not watch documentaries that made her fall asleep. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. She blew it.

________________________________________________________________

Three days later in her new apartment, her phone rings. Picking it up, she is met with an accusatory voice on the other end. "What happened?" It was Frankie, always concerned. Thankfully, Maura had people in Boston looking out for her.

"Frankie, I fucked up." She sat on her bed, the only piece of furniture she had unpacked.

"Hence why I'm calling you. Janie, Maura won't talk about the trip. She's just really down. She'd not even talking to Ma. What happened?"

Free hand rubbing her eyes, Jane answered. "I kissed her."

There was a long pause, "I don't understand why that would make her upset."

"Frankie, she was ashamed. Maybe of me, maybe not, I don't know. All I know is that I realized I'm in love with her, we kissed, and now she's ashamed."

"Janie. She's not ashamed of you."

Letting out a breath through her nose, she continued. "Well, if she wasn't, she is now."

"You guys need to talk."

"I don't disagree. But I need time."

Jane could hear his car door shut. "Well, don't wait too long."

"I'll try. Don't tell Ma."

Her brother laughed. "I'll try. But you know me, I fall for all her tricks."

"Great." After saying their goodbyes, she hung up. Opening the gallery on her phone, she looked through all the photos she had of Maura. Posing next to a skull, Admiring paintings at the Louvre, posing like statues, smelling trees at Versailles. That last photo, of the two of them together on that bridge would forever be her favorite.

________________________________________________________________

"Janie! I'm lost!" Her Mother had this weird habit of yelling through the phone, so Jane put it on speakerphone and left it on her counter.

"Ma, I sent you the address!"

"I know, but Ron's GPS isn't working and my phone keeps sending me in circles!"

Jane had to laugh. Her Mother had a hard time with technology. "Where is Ron?"

"Back at the hotel. He's researching GPSes."

"Well, send me your location, and I'll come meet you." Her Mother had been good at that. For a while after Maura's kidnapping, she used to do it to give Jane peace of mind. With a ping, Angela sent her location, and was just a couple of blocks away.

Jane pulled into the empty parking lot, and parked right next to Ron's white car. Her Mother got out when Jane did, and despite her protests, wrapped Jane in a huge hug. "I've wanted to do this for two months, missy. Deal with it."

Jane hadn't seen her Mom since leaving for France. After a week of Maura and Jane both being stateside, Ron decided to take Angela on a road trip. They had spent a few days in New York City, a couple of days at the Hamptons, had been to Hershey Pennysylvania, and had updated Jane on their journey along the way. "Well, I'm sorry to hear about the GPS." Jane teased her Mother, putting her hands in her pockets. "You can just follow me home, though."

"Sounds like a plan." At this Jane nodded, reaching for her door. "Oh, Jane! You'll never guess what I saw on the road!"

Stopping, Jane turned her head to face her Mother. "Was it the Mystery Machine?"

Angela laughed. "Not this time! No, we saw a turtle. Ron got out to help it across the road."

"That's nice, Ma." Jane smiled, reaching again for her car door handle. "Let's head to my apartment."

"Or maybe it was a tortoise." Jane stopped again as she spoke, sighing. "I could never tell those apart too good."

"Ma, it's hot. Let's get out of the sun. Then you can text your favorite Doctor and find out for sure."

"Well I'm just saying, I'm glad it wasn't a snapping turtle. Ron needs his fingers, you know." Angela laughed, her eyes following a car pulling in behind them.

Jane was growing tired, and had forgotten how sometimes it could be hard to get Angela back on task. "Ma, just get in the car! You can tell me all about the turtle or tortoise later!"

But as she reached for the door handle, she heard a voice from behind her that stopped her in her tracks. "Angela? Jane? What are you guys doing here?"

#fanfiction #my fic #rizzles #rizzles fic #not a couple #rizzoli and isles

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dragonleesupporter · 4 years ago

Text

The Many Sides of Murder Part I

A/N: Eyy I’m not dead, I promise. I’ve just been smacked around by life a bit. Anyway, this a fanfiction based off of an rp between me and some good homies, shout out to good homies! I’ve been wanting to write this for a very long time.

WARNING: Not for the faint of heart! Also, no t-community stuff in here!

Patton was walking out of the office building after a long day at work. He was exhausted, but he’d have his beautiful rose bush to look forward to when he got home.

“Rosebud…” He said to himself jokingly, shivering in the cold.

One of the first to come to work, and one of the last to leave… Patton looked across the vast parking lot and saw his grey, rusty car sitting on the far end.

Sigh.

As he continued walking, he heard what sounded like scuffling behind the ginormous square garbage bins to his left. He had gotten used to the noises the critters made at night, working the closing shift. Raccoons, possums, skunks, hell- sometimes the homeless stopped by to check the garbage for valuable items.

After several moments of listening to the sound, Patton started to pick up on small alterations, like heavy breathing and shushing of sort. Yep, a homeless or drunk. No doubt about it. Suddenly, a shape leaped out in front of him, running in the same direction as his car. Patton froze, his voice caught in his throat. There was no way he could break into-

“Your efforts are futile.” He heard a monotone voice call out from behind the garbage bins. He then saw what he could only perceive as a living knife launch from the same place the other shape had come from. In mere moments, the man who had started running, was now motionless on the asphalt. The other shape looked down at the body before looking up at Patton.

Patton’s instincts finally kicked in and he turned tail to run in the opposite direction. Even in the dim light of the widely-spaced street lamps, he could tell he had made direct eye contact with whoever just attacked that other person. The sooner he made himself invisible, the better!

“The tree line!” He thought to himself. “There! If I can make it there, then maybe- “

Too late. He felt a harsh shove from behind has he lost his balance mid-stride, falling onto his chest. He then felt a hand grasp his face, some kind of cloth covering his mouth. He took in a deep breath to scream for help, but as soon as he did, his consciousness faded into an almost peaceful oblivion.

“That was close.” Logan silently scolded himself as he carried Patton on his shoulders back to the body of Orlando. “How could I have let a witness run so far away from the execution site? Utterly useless. I must increase my intake, it seems.”

He lit the body ablaze and covered his tracks. Every grain of sand out of place was corrected. He was never there. The only thing now was to decide what to do with the witness he had captured. He adjusted his glasses, sighing. It would slow down his current plan, but in order to make it more secure, he would just have to be patient and take the witness into his care. Perhaps he could reason with him, or at least keep him in a place that he wouldn’t cause any trouble.

…

Patton woke up in a very awkward position. Both his hands and his ankles were restrained, and he immediately noticed that the hearing on the right side of his head had gone blank.

“N-no… this can’t be real.” He started to feel tears well up in his eyes. “This is just a bad dream… I’m at home safe w-with my rosebush… please, please let it be a dream.”

“Ah, you’re finally awake.” A chillingly monotone voice sounded from the other side of the room.

“Wh-what do you want from me?!” Patton blurted out, making an attempt to sound brave and failing somewhat.

“I don’t want anything from you, good sir… in fact, it’s rather a shame that you had to bear witness to my execution. I do not enjoy this situation any more than you do.” Logan stayed sitting on the opposite side of the room.

As Patton’s eyes adjusted, he saw a lean, tall figure sat against the few steps that lined the entrance to a hallway just behind him leading into the room. He had milky white skin and clear blue veins running along his arms and legs. Despite the hostility he had seen at his hand, Logan’s face was strangely calm, his eyes grey behind his glasses. The rest of his attire was simply a black suit and pants, fitting his body as tight was possible. No part of his clothing was loose on him. Just as jet black as his attire, his hair was neatly combed back.

“That being said, I hope we can come to an agreement that benefits both parties.” His grey eyes pierced into Patton’s, reflecting all the apathy the rest of Patton’s left drew to him.

No one really cared about him… he had no friends… no family other than his brother who hardly visited… no one was coming to save him… he was going to die here.

Logan’s posture stiffened at the sound coming out of Patton.

“Like heck! I’m not trusting a word you say!” Patton screamed, tears streaming down his face.

Logan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I knew this would be an issue… I probably should explain myself…”

“No! I am not listening to ANYTHING you have to stay!” Patton’s heart burned with the knowledge that this man could do whatever he wanted to him. He started pulling on his restraints.

“You know that’s not going to work… I wish I could’ve avoided the restraints, but how else am I supposed to keep her here safely?” Logan got up, slowly walking toward the struggling man before him.

It was almost hard for Logan to look into his prisoner’s eyes. They were so bright and full of passion and emotion, even behind his contact lenses. His bright blue eyes kindly reflected off of his matching blue t-shirt, also blending well with his worn-out jeans. His bright blonde hair nearly blinded the criminal as he approached, wavy and tangled.

“Why not just let me go then?! S-stay away from me! Don’t get any closer!” Patton struggled harder as Logan got closer.

“Calm your nerves, you wiggling worm… I need to ask you a question.” Logan sat down next to the bed Patton was tied to.

“Well, I have nothing better to do. Ask away!” Patton called sarcastically. A small hope inside him told him that if he kept acting tough and hiding just how scared he was, he might be able to find a way out.

“Is this correct?” Logan held up an ear aid.

“What do you mean is it correct?” Patton scoffed.

“Is it the right model? After cleaning up, I realized an ear aid had been knocked out of your head. However, when I found it, it had been broken. I did my best to judge what model it was so I could get another for you. Is this the correct model?” Logan’s monotone voice didn’t help Patton’s mood, however his question did puzzle him.

“Th-that is the correct model, yes. Why?” Patton looked up at the figure who almost had to look away from his bright cyan blue eyes.

“Good. I will momentarily untie one of your restraints so you can manually place the ear aid in. As well as take out your contacts. I’m aware they can be painful if you sleep in them.” Logan’s voice changed just a little bit in that moment, and that little bit was all it took.

“O-okay…” Patton’s body went limp as Logan undid one of his restraints.

“And no trying to escape, or I’ll knock you out again.” Logan watched him closely as Patton adjusted both his hearing aids and took out his contacts, relaxing significantly from the lack of pain. Afterwards, Logan tied him up again.

“So, are there any bathroom breaks here?” Patton asked sheepishly.

“Yes. But I’ll only release you if we can gain a mutual sense trust… You see I only restrained you to keep you safe. This is the only place I could keep you from spreading knowledge of my existence. All of these hallways behind me are open to the front door, but they’re all rigged with traps that only I know how to navigate around. This was only set up for defensive measures, but I cannot turn them off now, so they also act a hinderance to your escape. If you were to try and escape, many of those traps would cause you extreme pain, and, in full honesty, I don’t want that.” Logan tapped his chin in thought.

“Something’s not making sense here.” Patton finally spoke after a long silence. “How come you don’t want to hurt me when you hurt that other person?”

“That low-life scum can barely be considered a person…” Logan’s voice grew heavy with anger. “Sh-shit!”

Patton turned to look at his captor to find a surprising sight. Logan, was bent over with a hand firmly pressed to his head. “Damn, it’s wearing off faster!” The criminal rushed over to the opposite side of the room, taking out a syringe.

Patton watched in horror as Logan plunged the needle into his skin and quickly injected himself, his tenses muscles going lax again. Patton saw, for a brief moment, color in Logan’s eyes before it changed back to the grey he had know for the past fifteen minutes.

“I apologize for the interruption. But unbeknownst to you, there’s a great difference between you and the man I killed. I would go into detail, but I have an inkling it might disturb you, so until we are better acquainted, I see no reason to explain.” Logan’s posture loosened further. “I should probably start with my name. My name is Logan, and I’ve been on the hunt for a specific group of individuals. The one you saw me take out was one of those individuals.”

Patton felt odd staring at this man… could even call him that? This THING?

“Well, my name is Patton, and I’ve been on the hunt for a meaningful life.” He chuckled sadly.

“What’s funny?” Logan cocked his head.

“Oh, it was a joke! I like to tell them a lot…”

“A… joke…” Logan appeared to be lost on what Patton was describing.

“Yeah. You tell it to people you care about to make them laugh and smile…” Patton looked away from Logan’s eyes, afraid he would become equally apathetic if he continued to stare.

“And what about searching for a meaningful life is funny?” Logan tapped his chin in thought with a perplexed expression, looking at the ceiling.

“Oh wait… of course this guy’s not going to understand jokes! He’s a complete psychopath! I need to figure out how to get out of here! He said he would give me access to a bathroom once we gained mutual trust for each other. So, if I pretend to trust him, he might trust me and warrant me access to the bathroom. But the bathroom probably doesn’t have any escape routes. If there isn’t a window or a vent… I might be stuck… unless… he’s lying about the hallways! He must think I’m stupid… if there’s no chance of escape in the bathroom, I’ll abide by his rules until he gets sleepy or needs another one of those needles. Yes! Flawless plan!”

“I realized that you’re smiling. Is something funny? Did I unknowingly… tell a… joke?” It took Logan a moment to think of the word again.

“Oh no… I was just thinking about a joke one of my friends told me a couple days ago…” Patton lied.

“Oh? A memory can make you smile… I forgot that…” Logan looked down at the floor. “Thank you for reminding me.”

After a few more moments of awkward silence and Patton trying to avoid the gaze of the mad man, his stomach growled loudly.

“Dammit stomach! This is not the time to be complaining!”

“Ah, I assumed you would need sustenance before long… luckily I was able to grab some ramen from the store. I know from experience that it’s very filling, if not a little bland in taste. I’ll prepare some…” Logan turned his back to Patton getting a stove heated up.

“Oh no! I can’t eat anything that monster gives me! It could be poisoned, or laced with something to make me be truthful with him! But if I don’t eat soon, I might start thinking illogically… m-maybe I already am! Dammit, Patton why did you skip your last break last night??”

“To put all doubts to rest, I will also eat from the same brewed pot of ramen… I apologize for the lack of nutrients in this specific dish. But hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, one meal is all you’ll need…” Logan turned around, giving full view of the pot of ramen, stirring it around.

“Oh Jesus, he’s going to kill me! According to plan?? Only one meal?? That has to be it!”

“A-and what plan would that be?” The captive muttered nervously, eyeing the noodles like he would a loaded gun.

“Ah, my apologies. Allow me to explain after I’ve finished undoing your cuffs.” Patton violently flinched away from the criminal as he undid all of his bonds. “Come sit with me, Patton…”

There was… a hitch in his voice for some reason. Patton couldn’t tell why, but Logan’s perfectly monotone dialogue had broken, just for a second, but he noticed…

He sat down stiffly on the other side of the pot as Logan poured each half of the brew into their bowls. He took the first bite, fully knowing that Patton wouldn’t eat unless he was certain that the food was safe.

“Maybe he built up an immunity a poison he put in the brew… ahhh but it smells so good! I can’t get distracted! Think, Patton! Think…”

Logan continued to eat as Patton played with his food, his thoughts racing. After he had finished the whole bowl, he just sat and stared at Patton, waiting patiently for him to trust the noodles. Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity to Patton, he finally took a bite. He had no way of telling time, but from his judgement, Logan would’ve shown some signs of discomfort if the noodles had been poisoned. It was just a risk he’d have to take, considering, just how badly he needed the food. But he also needed something else.

“M-may I use the restroom?” He asked, looking away from Logan’s piercing eyes.

“I suppose I have no reason not to trust you in this moment, and you trusted me enough to eat what I made for you. How about a compromise? My original offer was to free you of your cuffs without feeling the need to restrain you again… while also giving you free access to the bathroom… but since I can’t fully trust you in moments to come, even if I can trust you now, I’ll give you access to the restroom but restrain you afterwards, though I’ll make sure your restraints aren’t as tight this time…” Logan explained, eyeing the bruises on Patton’s hands.

“O-okay… and where is the bathroom?” He was shaking a little.

“Just to your left. It’s not the most luxurious, but is serves its purpose.” Logan hadn’t even finished his sentence, before the door to the restroom was slammed shut. “I suppose I should clean up this mess…”

“Dammit! No windows or vents! This room is an oven!” Patton thought to himself while doing his business. “It certainly isn’t a good restroom, but it’s a clean one… and right now, I’m in no place to complain… these walls are pretty thick, he probably can’t hear what I’m doing… meaning, if I hurry, he might not be prepared for me to make an escape. The longer I wait, the more he’ll expect me to come out. Better make this quick!”

Patton slowly opened the door and peeked out at Logan, who was occupied washing the dishes they had just eaten from. He had blue eyes again… why did he look so… sad? Patton felt the smallest pang of sympathy for his kidnapper, despite everything. He’d soon need another syringe that made his eyes turn grey again. Some kind of drug. His posture was looser and his normally expressionless face was bent in a look of grief.

“I- is he shaking?” Patton squinted. He could see long-range distance just fine, but movement was a little hard, but he swore, he could see his captor, shaking in place uncontrollably. Enough, he had to get out of there, NOW.

Patton dashed for the hallway entrance just next to the kitchen, side closest to him. Logan noticed the movement right away, and try as he might, he couldn’t move fast to block the blonde from what he knew was going to happen.

“AHHHH!!!” Patton screamed bloody murder as an improvised bear trap snapped around his right leg, dragging him down to the ground. He laid there, whimpering on the ground.

“You stupid son of a bitch!” Logan ran up to him, quickly carrying him back to the main room. “What made you think I was lying about my traps?? Damn you, I was trying to do something good for once and you had to go and make such a stupid move!” He laid Patton down as he cried openly, unable to take the pain.

He quickly ripped off the bear trap and started to examine his leg.

“D-don’t touch me! It hurts! It hurts…” Patton sobbed, unable to move as Logan pressed different parts of his leg.

“Okay, it didn’t break any bones, but your muscle and tissue are severely damaged… I didn’t design that thing to break through bone, but I never tested it before, so that’s a relief… Now all that’s there to do is bandage your poor leg…” Logan quickly wrapped up the wound, adding on several straps of ice to help ease the pain. He then laid Patton back in the bed. “You just made things ten times harder for both you AND me!”

Patton looked up fearfully to see Logan’s bold, indigo eyes starting back at him, his booming voice scolding him. Yet, strangely enough, Patton felt an odd sense of relief. Logan’s colorful eyes and evidently angry voice gave the criminal emotion. The blonde would rather have his kidnapper yell at him, than stare at him coldly from across the room. Logan then cried out in pain, grabbing his head again.

“DAMN! This is YOUR fault! Now I’m even having problems with my CURE!” He hurried back to his cabinet to take another syringe, wincing harshly as the drug made its way into his body, before taking a deep exhale, relaxing significantly, as his eyes started to turn back to the void-ish grey that Patton had come to hate.

“I apologize for my outburst… there will need to be a change of plan due to your foolish refusal to heed my warning about my security system…” Aaaand there’s that awful monotone voice again.

Just then a figure burst into the room from the hallway, several bruises and scratches on him.

“EVERYONE FREEZE!” He held up his gun at both Logan and Patton, who put their hands up. It was a police officer!

As Roman pointed the barrel toward the uninjured suspect, he nearly dropped it.

“L-Logan…? What happened to you?”

To be continued...

@imflynn @boba-and-doughnuts @tottalynotgayatall

#murder Sandersides rp nont

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emy-loves-you · 4 years ago

Text

(Slightly) Less Useless, (Definitely) Gayer Chapter 3

The Rug

Everyone’s trying to get rid of this ugly rug, but Janus seems dead-set on keeping it. But maybe Janus has a reason for wanting to keep it.

Chapter 2 | Masterlist | Chapter 4

Warnings: Nudity, cruel language, a whole lot of flustering, and mentions of Janus’ parents and what they did to him.

After their chat with Kyle, Virgil brought the drinks out to Patton’s car. Patton, after making sure that everything was going well work-wise, soon followed. Virgil quickly rattled off the address, feeling nervous about the multiple hot drinks in his lap. Patton drove a little slower than normal, and Virgil felt a surge of warmth unrelated to the drinks. He’s so sweet, he thought, blushing slightly. It took longer than expected to reach Janus’ house, but Virgil didn’t really mind.

As turned onto Janus’ street, Virgil spoke before Patton could ask. “It’s the house at the end of the street. Just keep going forward and we’ll hit the driveway.”

Patton gasped. “Janus lives at the Williams Estate? How could he afford it?”

Virgil laughed. “He’s Janus Williams, sole heir of Hydra Hydraulics. He’s almost always busy between that and the business front of The Dark Sides. I actually stayed here for a few years before I got my own place.” He turned to look at Patton. He looked… upset? “What’s wrong, Pat?”

Patton jumped slightly. “Nothing’s wrong!” He tensed up before sighing. “It’s just… I know it’s wrong to speak ill of the dead, but there were some… interesting rumors about the late Mr and Mrs Williams.”

Virgil sighed, remembering Janus’ parents. “Whatever rumors you heard, they’re probably true.” They pulled up into the driveway, but Virgil had something else that he needed to say. “Actually, Pat… please do me a favor and don’t mention anyone’s parents? None of us had good parents and we don’t like to bring them up.”

Patton quickly nodded. “Of course! I don’t wanna make any of you uncomfortable!” They got out of the car, making there way up to the front door. “You said you lived here before-” Whatever he was about to say was interrupted by Logan swinging open the front door. His hair was sticking up in all directions, and his tie was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, thank God,” Logan said as his eyes landed on Virgil. “They’ve all gone insane.”

Virgil laughed, handing Logan his coffee. He quickly chugged the hot beverage, moaning the second it touched his lips. Virgil had to fight down a blush from the sound. My poor gay heart can’t take this. “So-” Virgil coughed, hoping that neither Logan nor Patton noticed the way his voice cracked. “Where are they now?”

Logan quickly led them to where he last saw them. Virgil took stock of the house as they passed. The rug was missing, along with some of Janus’ philosophy books. The books were soon found in the living room, along with an unconscious Roman on the couch. Once Logan assured them that Roman was fine, he and Patton sat on the loveseat across from him. Virgil attempted to piece together what happened. Janus had most likely let Logan read the philosophy books, effectively distracting the resident nerd. Roman and Remus could both get violent when competitive, and Janus would find no issue in pitting the twins against each other in a ‘friendly competition.’ With Roman out for the count, Janus would just need to distract Remus-

“JANUS WILLIAMS, YOU GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!” I guess Janus failed on that part. Janus was a yellow and black blur as he ran into the living room, jumped over the couch (and a sleeping Roman), and ran into the next room. Just as Janus exited to room, Remus entered, murder in his eyes. Though that’s not what attracted everyone’s attention.

Patton let out a small eep! as he covered his eyes, his face bright red. Logan suddenly found one of the philosophy books extremely interesting, a blush slowly creeping down his neck. Virgil sighed, too used to the sight to be embarrassed. “Remus, why are you naked? We have guests here.”

Remus grunted, still obviously upset. “JanJan offered to sex the rug before we get rid of it, and of course I was all for it. But as soon as I was naked, he grabbed the rug and ran! As if that would stop me from chasing him!” He crossed his arms. “Honestly, he should know better.” He looked over at Patton and Logan, noticing how they refused to look at him. He laughed. “What’s wrong, boys? Never seen boobs and a vagina before?”

Virgil butted in, sparing his boyfriends from having to answer. “Remus, go put some clothes on. I’ll go get the damn rug, since obviously none of you can do it without getting distracted.” He saw Remus open his mouth, probably to say something extremely vulgar. “Clothes. NOW.” Virgil growled out. Remus’ mouth shut with an audible click. Remus glanced back at Patton and Logan, who were now staring at Virgil with a look that Remus knew far too well. With one last giggle, Remus went back upstairs. Virgil sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Sorry you guys had to see that, it happens a lot more often than it should.” He looked up at Patton and Logan, who were staring at him. Their faces were red, but Virgil didn’t recognize the expression on their faces. “Are you guys okay?”

Patton actually squeaked, his face getting even redder. “We’re fine, Vee!” He and Logan refused to get up. “We’re just gonna sit here and look after Roman for a bit. Why don’t you go find Janus?”

Virgil stared at them for a moment, watching Patton squirm under his gaze. “Are you sure?”

Logan coughed as he shifted on the loveseat, placing the book in his lap. “We’ll be fine, Virgil.”

Virgil gave them one last look before shrugging. “Alright. Be back soon.” If they said they were fine, Virgil will trust them.

He leisurely made his way through the house, already suspecting where Janus was hiding. He walked down the hallway until he reached the broom closet. Back when Virgil used to live here, he would get anxiety attacks often. Whenever they got too bad, Virgil would seek out a small space to hide in. There was a spot in the broom closet that was Virgil’s favorite hiding spot, and he was pretty sure Janus liked it too, judging by the random items Virgil had found there.

Virgil quietly opened the door and turned on the light. The room was fairly large for a broom closet, with several shelves and multiple large boxes. One of the corners had been extended slightly, so there was a small area unable to be seen from the door. It was like a room inside of a room. Two large boxes hid the entrance, and Virgil noticed a blanket covering something in there. Wait, that’s not a blanket. Virgil smirked, slowly approaching the rug. Judging from Janus’ relaxed posture underneath the rug, he hadn’t realized that Virgil was there. Virgil carefully grabbed the edge of the rug before yanking it off of Janus.

Huh. Janus was asleep. Virgil chuckled, folding up the rug on his arm. Janus never got enough sleep. He was so busy, between running Hydra Hydraulics, managing The Dark Side’s legal issues, and taking care of Remus and Virgil. Virgil didn’t know if Janus would even accept a free day to do whatever he wanted, much less what Janus would do. Janus’ parents had planned his entire life out. Taking in Virgil had been the first time Janus did something outside of his parent’s plan. After they died, Janus had all but thrown himself into work. Virgil knew that it made Janus happy, to make decisions for himself, to push himself to be better. But sometimes Virgil wished that Janus would slow down, take some time for himself.

Virgil sighed, gripping the rug tightly. He knew why this rug meant so much to Janus. Remus and Virgil had been the ones to redecorate this house, and even then they didn’t make any drastic changes outside of their bedrooms. This rug was from a random associate that Janus didn’t know the name of. It was atrocious, and his parents would’ve hated it. Janus probably hated it too, judging by the number of times Virgil had caught Janus crushing the bear’s head with his heel. But it would’ve infuriated his parents, so Janus kept it. This had been the first time that Janus had consciously disobeyed his parents after their death.

Virgil nudged Janus with his foot. “Wakey wakey.” He smiled when he saw Janus’ eye twitch. He was awake now, but he was feigning sleep. Probably trying to avoid this conversation. “I know you’re awake, Jay.” Still no response. Virgil sighed, kneeling over to pinch Janus’ arm. He immediately flinched back. “Sorry,” Virgil said, though they both knew it was a lie. Janus didn’t speak, just rubbing his arm in small circles. Virgil sat the rug on one of the boxes before sitting down next to Janus. “You know you shouldn’t do things out of spite. God knows how many times you’ve told Remus that.” Janus huffed, but made no other indication that he’d heard Virgil. “I’m not gonna make you throw away the rug. If you really want it, I’m sure Remus would understand. One disagreement would not be the end of the world. Not to Remus.” Janus pulled his knees up to his chest. “You don’t actually want the rug, do you?” Janus tensed up. Virgil remembered how Janus would sometimes be struck by his parents (it happened rarely. Janus never stepped a toe out of line and verbal abuse left less physical marks for the public to see). Virgil did his best to not flinch in return. “It’s okay to not want something. You know that. What’s not okay is to force yourself to want something.” Virgil got up and put the rug next to Janus. “It’s time to let go.” Virgil left, knowing that Janus needed a moment to himself.

When Virgil returned to the living room, it was different from when he left it. Roman was awake, an icepack on his head. He and Remus- now fully clothed, thankfully- were sitting on the couch, drinking their respective drinks. Patton and Logan were cuddling on the loveseat. The twins seemed to be retelling a story of some sort, each saying a few sentences before letting the other speak. Remus looked up as Roman told his portion. Virgil nodded before moving to sit next to Roman. Virgil leaned into Roman’s open arms as Remus continued the story. “So the brave Knight was clashing swords with the Princess, unaware that the Dragon Witch was right behind him…”

Around half an hour later, Janus appeared, rug in hand. They quickly decided to burn it outside. There was an old fire pit that they never used, not far from the late Williams’ graves. Virgil watched as Janus placed the carefully-folded rug into the pit, and Remus doused the whole thing in lighter fluid. Virgil lit the match before handing it to Janus, leaving him with the choice. He could back out now, and they could clean the rug and take it back in. Or they could move on. Janus stood there for a moment, seeming entranced by the match as he dropped it. As the rug burned, Virgil watched as the flames lit up Janus’ face. He was emotionless, like he always was when dealing with this sort of thing. But his shoulders were less tense, and his back was nowhere near the perfectly-straight posture he strived to keep. Virgil felt the ghost of a smile on his lips as he turned back to the fire. This wasn’t the end, far from it, but it was progress. And that was enough for him.

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Taglist: @bisexualdisaster106 @self-taught-mess @itawalrus @arodynamic-enby @sanderssides-angst @whatishappeningrightnow @idont-freaking-know @cute-and-angsty-princess @artsy-enby09 @girl-who-reads @drarrymalecsolangelo @count-woe-laf @im-an-anxious-wreck

#useless gays #sanders sides fic #virgil sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #remus sanders #janus sanders #roman sanders

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