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#fan fic newbie
elowmojo · 2 years
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I want to post my little story I'm doing on Cyberpunk 2077.
I've already made 4 small chapters.
The story has absolutely NOTHING to do with Stranger Things (even though I'm using the character of Billy)
Well, let's say it could be a Billy from the future Ahaha!
But I'm just making it clear that this is only a story that has NOTHING to do with Stranger Things. So don't be surprised to see characters, and situations that will not be familiar to anyone except Cyberpunk fans.
So please don’t be mad if the Billy Hargrove you know has nothing in common with mine. 😅
I'll probably post it. Even if I don't dare too much AHA 🥸
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etherati · 2 months
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An au fic that is near and dear to my heart, and one that spawned hundreds of thousands of words of follow-up, companion pieces, aus, and so on. AKA the one where I fixed canon by turning a major character into a zombie.
Lot of firsts on this bind -- first time using a guillotine for the edges, first time including a bookmark, and first time using heat transfer vinyl, for the lettering and bloodstains on the cover. For a first attempt, not awful; the letters came out a little raggedy but I decided to just roll with it since this is, thematically, supposed to be a bloodied and ratty relic of an apocalypse. And I FUCKING LOVE how the blood splattered page edges turned out.
Technical details under the cut.
Body text is Kozuka Mincho Pro R on French fleece white parchtone; titles are Haettenschweiler; chapter headers are Traveling Typewriter; chapter caps and Tshirt text are You Murderer BB. Blood splatters from a font called simply "splatter".
End papers are some kind of scrapbook paper from a "blood splatter" pack I found online somewhere. Bookcloth is generic BbH. Vinyl is Siser Metal HTV, cut with cricut, that I jacked up by using an iron instead of a proper heat press. Edge splatter with mix of liquitex naphol red light and FW Pearlescent black acrylic inks.
I think that's everything. Most ambitious bind I've done and one of the ones I'm happiest with in terms of overall presentation.
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breathe-rainbow · 8 months
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💌 Calling all halo bearers and fanfic lovers : I need your help!! 💌
First off… you’re all amazing ♥️ Despite the continuous disappointment we face, the support and camaraderie within this fandom is astounding. When it comes to fanfic, the creative talent is incredible and I know for many of us, the sense of escapism we experience reading them has helped heal some of that pain as we wait for news during these uncertain times.Despite dabbling in writing, I have never previously considered writing fanfic, yet I’ve been inspired by the creative talent of this fandom to give it a go!
So basically… I wanted to know if anyone has any gems of wisdom to share to someone just starting out and who has next to no idea how AO3 works 🥲 feel free to share what makes a good fanfic for you, what you wish you saw more of, your own Dos/Donts of fanfiction or any information you think I should know before getting started.
Any help will be greatly appreciated!! Much love to you all,
Meg ♥️
Also big thanks already to @justanotherheartbeat @yiyibeckfeld6 @anewstart1512 @smokeyeyesbrokenlife for your support/advice/offers of being proofreaders!! You’re absolute legends!
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megatronsimp · 9 months
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brakingpoint · 6 months
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i'd say "before you go spilling about ao3 to the actual drivers you should submit some of your very own fanfiction to them and see how embarrassed and uncomfortable that makes you feel and maybe you'll reconsider dropping other people in it like that without their permission" but i genuinely think to some of these newbie fans it wouldn't even register as an issue because they're so rpf-pilled into hardly viewing these drivers as real people that they'd probably view max verstappen reading their fic as a fucking compliment
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unequivocallyreid · 5 months
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Stay With Me Till Morning
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hi guys! another fic for you :) i got a little carried away at the end, but you know how it goes. this is for any munch!spencer fans 🤗
pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader
summary:
Spencer and you are co-workers, strictly co-workers, despite your feelings for him. A few nights sharing a room won’t change that, right?
warnings: mentions of body-specific insecurity, fluff, smut, oral sex (fem receiving)
wc: 3.2k
if i missed anything let me know!
One of the worst things about being a newbie, at any job, is coming into a place where connections have already been made. Working at the FBI, more specifically the BAU, was no different.
Now don’t get the wrong idea, working there was a dream for you, but there was no doubt that you were severely lacking in personal relationships compared to others. Derek and Reid had a sort of brotherly bond, JJ and Emily’s like sisters, and Hotch and Rossi’s went unspoken but still glaringly obvious. You existed in their orbit, and while you had all grown to love each other, you still felt a bit like an outsider sometimes.
Unfortunately for you, this feeling intensified whenever the topic of room sharing came up. Sure there were benefits, like having a room to yourself on occasion, but usually it just served to worsen your imposter syndrome.
The case that you were working currently, sans Rossi (he was on a book tour following his latest release), pushed this feeling to surface even more.
You all were in Upstate New York investigating a series of homicides that seemed to mimic a string of murders that had occurred 20 years ago. The town you were in was on the smaller side, so the only place you could find accommodations was a small bed and breakfast.
Said BnB did not have enough rooms available for anyone to ride solo, and with Rossi gone, Hotch and Morgan were buddied up, leaving Emily and JJ and Reid and you. Naturally, Emily and JJ bunked up together, leaving you to share a room with the boy wonder.
It’s not that you didn’t like Reid, quite the opposite actually, you liked him too much. You’ve always had a propensity for falling incredibly deeply incredibly fast, and when you met Spencer for the first time you proved you reputation correct.
Your first impression probably put him off slightly, but he was gracious enough not to show it. When Hotch introduced you, the first thing you thought was how ridiculous attractive the man in front of you was. His high cheekbones and big, brown eyes drew you in immediately. To make matters worse, he was fucking adorable. After snapping back to reality, you offered Spencer your hand, which he declined citing the pathogens and it being safer to kiss.
In one of your more impressive displays of cluelessness you said, “I think we could make that happen.”
This caused Spencer to flush and a ghost of a smile to grace Hotch’s face. Thankfully, in the last few months you had redeemed yourself slightly, developed a rapport with the doctor, and stood by hopelessly as you crush developed into a nasty little monster.
So, no sharing a room with Spencer wasn’t really an issue, but still, might just be the thing that breaks you.
~
“There’s only one fucking bed?”
You’d spoke far too soon.
After assuring Spencer you were completely fine and not at all uncomfortable with sharing a room with him, you and him walked together to your room, only to find a scene straight out of a shitty romance novel.
When Spencer heard you and noticed that there was in fact, only one bed, he immediately said, “I can sleep on the couch.”
Maybe you should’ve just agreed and saved yourself from a week of sexual frustration, but you couldn’t.
“Spence, that couch is maybe five feet long. I don’t even think I could sleep on it.”
You looked at him then to muster up some courage, “We can share the bed. We’re both adults.”
He looked slightly pained, which panicked you a bit. God, how fucking embarrassing.
“Or I can take the couch. I wont let you, but if you’re uncomfortable I can. I’m a bit shorter.”
Spencer hurried to speak, “No!”
His outburst took you by surprise but he quickly went on.
“I mean, no. I’m not uncomfortable. I just don’t want you to be at all or feel like I’m forcing you to sleep with me. Fuck, or I mean next to me-“
You cut him off before he could fall into a tailspin.
“We’ll share then.”
~
Sharing the bed had actually not been that bad for you at first. You were on your third day in New York, and you were making steady progress on the case. Hopefully, it would be wrapped up in a day or two.
Aside from the fact that you barely spent any time in the room, you had managed to stay on your side bed. The only spot of trouble was the dreams you were having, dreams about the person next to you that would turn even the worst sinner’s cheeks red. Still, Reid was acting no different, so at least you were confident you weren’t talking, or, god-forbid, moaning, in your sleep.
It had been an incredibly hard day. Not only was it freezing, but you had been outside and away from temperature controlled environments for far too long. Immediately once you got back to the Inn you were staying at, you asked Spencer if he’d mind you taking the shower first.
“I’m freezing my ass of right now. You don’t mind do you?”
“No, of course not. You know it’s kind of a superstition, but there’s some actual evidence that being cold can make you sick. I just read a study which showed 10% of people exposed to-“
You cut him off before he could finish.
“Spence, I’d love to hear about all that, but please just wait till I’m out of the shower.”
“Oh! Yeah, of course. Sorry.”
You shook off his apology as it wasn’t needed. That was one thing you didn’t get about the rest of the team; you loved hearing all the little tid bits of information that Reid let out. Yeah, he was like a literal encyclopedia at times, but it was never annoying. If anything it made you like him more. You loved the way he lit up when he told you about something he’d just read about, or read about 15 years ago. It was cute.
Getting into the shower was like a blessing. The water rolled over your cold skin and helped to loosen the muscles you’d been stressing all day. If you were bolder, or clueless to Spencer’s aversion to touch, you’d ask him to give you a shoulder rub. Your mind wondered off to where else he might touch you, but that was just wishful thinking.
After spending a near gratuitous amount of time in the shower, you shut off the water and reached for a towel. Only once you’d started drying off did you realize in you haste to warm up you’d forgotten to bring your sleep clothes into the bathroom with you. Now, you had to walk out in a tiny, hotel towel right in front of Reid. Sure, it was the start of a few of your fantasies, but in real life the idea seemed mortifying.
As quietly as possible, to not draw attention to yourself, you opened the bathroom door. With one hand gripping the point where the towel connected with itself, you tried to tiptoe unnoticed to your suitcase.
“Y/n?”
You looked up to see Spencer watching your frame like a hawk. As he took in your damp, barely covered figure, you wished to yourself that the lights in the room weren’t so fucking bright.
“I, uh, forgot to bring my clothes in,” and with that, you raced back into the bathroom to change.
After taking a minute to collect yourself, you make your way out of the bathroom again. The room is, thankfully, much darker and you see Reid tucked into his side of the bed. You climb in next to him.
“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. That was weird. I, I won’t forget my clothes again.”
“It didn’t, Y/n, don’t worry.”
With that, you both tried your best to fall asleep and put the day behind you.
~
When you wake up, it’s decidedly not light out and you are decidedly not alone on your side of the bed. One of Spencer’s arms is over your waist, holding you against his body. Still, you don’t know why you’ve woken up.
You tend to be a pretty heavy sleeper, and you know that some light spooning wasn’t enough to wake you up. As you lay awake, trying to figure out why you are up and what to do next you feel Spencer move behind you.
Now, you definitely know what woke you. Spencer, who could barely look you in the eye after seeing you in a towel, was grinding into while you slept. Obviously, he was asleep too, but that didn’t stop the shock of it all from hitting you like a fucking bus. He was silent aside from the occasional whimper, which sent shockwaves straight to your core each time he let one slip.
Despite this, again, being the start to a few of your own wet dreams, you were pretty literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. You felt like you’d be taking advantage of Reid if you didn’t wake him, but if you did you know he’d just about die from embarrassment. Or, worse, he’d think that you somehow executed all of this in a sick ploy. Not likely, but still a source of anxiety.
It took you a few minutes to get your head on straight, what with the burning feeling brewing in your abdomen, but eventually you realized that waking him up was pretty much the only thing you could do.
“Spence,” you said while gently shaking his shoulder.
“Spence, love, you gotta wake up.”
You were turned toward him now and saw his eyes open a crack, “Y/n? What’s wrong what’s goin-“
The realization of your situation also hit him like a truck, which was sort of comforting because at least you weren’t alone in the feeling.
“Oh my god, Y/n. Fuck, I’m so sorry. Jesus, I, I can’t- Fuck I’m so sorry.”
He went to spring out of bed, but your hand grabbed his arm before he could.
“Spence, it’s okay I promise. Honestly I’m surprised it didn’t happen earlier.”
“No, no it’s not. You don’t even like me that way and I was all over you-“
You cut him off when you heard this, “Spence, what do you mean I don’t like you like that?”
“You heard me right? I said your name?”
The world stops spinning, “What?”
“Oh, oh no. Look, I’m so sorry. I’ll go sleep in one of the cars. Fuck, I’m so-”
“Spencer stop. Please stop apologizing.”
It’s like an old Western showdown for a moment, the two of you staring at each other without making a move.
“Were you dreaming about me?”
He nodded, about to speak and likely offer more apologies. But, before he gets the chance you push your lips to meet his.
The kiss is soft and gentle. At first, his lips don’t move against yours, and you start to pull back, worried you read the situation wrong. Fortunately, before your lips could even part from his, he’s pulled you back in. His hands find the side of your face and his lips pressed into yours with a bruising intensity. Slowly, his hands moved to your waist, holding you in place.
The feeling rushing through you was unlike any you’d ever experienced. His lips molded to yours so perfectly it was almost unbelievable. If you’re hands weren’t so preoccupied by his hair, you’d pinch yourself to make sure you weren’t dreaming. With a move you didn’t think he’d possibly pull, Spencer bit into your lip, making you gasp. He took the opportunity to press further into the kiss, tracing your tongue with his.
Before you could fall completely into the kiss you pulled away to ask, “Spence, are you sure this is what you want?”
“I’ve been thinking about it since the day we met, Y/n.”
With that, he pulled you back in. His hands moved more surely on you, dipping below your shirt. The feeling of his skin on yours sent shockwaves through your body. You moved to take off his shirt in turn, desperate to feel even more of him. He was relentless, breaking free from your lips to drag his mouth down your neck and over your exposed collar bone.
You felt needier than ever, and evidently so did he. In another move you didn’t expect (maybe you should throw your expectations out the window at this point) he grabbed your hips and pulled you into his lap. With you straddling him, he moved to take your shirt off. Insecurity grabbed hold of you before you could push it away.
You stilled his hands in yours, “I haven’t let anyone see me like this in a long time. Just, please don’t be disappointed by what you see.”
His face morphed into one so full of love that it made your teeth ache.
“You’re my dream, Y/n. You’ll never, ever disappoint me.”
You let go of his hands and they resumed their previous journey, pushing up your shirt and letting that part of you be bare to him. Admittedly, you had to fight the urge to cover yourself, but when you saw his face you knew it was pointless. He was ogling you, not offensively, but more like he couldn’t believe you were actually in front of him.
“You’re so, so beautiful.”
His words didn’t erase the thoughts you had, but they certainly made them easier to ignore. Moving up from your waist, he went to cup your breast, fingers playing with your nipple which made your back arch into him. He took the opportunity to flip you over so you were laying underneath him. The weight of his body over you was heavenly. You felt him press himself into your center through his sweatpants. There were just thin layers of clothes between you now.
“Will you let me taste you? I’ve been dying to.”
You’re stunned from words but you manage to nod your head. As he moved down your body, he took your shorts and panties with you, leaving you completely exposed. For the first time in a long time, you didn’t feel scared of the feeling or his reaction to you. With Spencer, you felt completely at home.
You felt him kiss down your things, teasing you in a way that made you feel completely crazy. His breath ghosted over your core, but he still hadn’t made contact with where you needed him most.
“Spencer, please.”
Hearing your voice must have broken his resolve. He dove in like a man starved. In the past, you hadn’t found yourself enjoying the presence on a man’s head between your legs. Not that you had much experience, but the men who had you in that way always seemed to treat it as a means to an end. One of the two boyfriends you’d had refused to go down on you at all, and the other wouldn’t unless you were completely shaved. Safe to say you didn’t feel like you were missing much.
Everything was different with Spencer. He licked into you there was no place he’d rather be. His tongue over traced over your cunt as he tried to find all the places that drove you wild, and god did he. The noises in the room were obscene, from the moans falling from your lips to the sound of his driving you to an orgasm.
You locked your hands in his hair, grinding into his face without even noticing that you were. You were so close, and you found the final push in his fingers. God, his beautiful fingers.
His mouth was on your clit as he pushed two digits into you, curling in before pulling out, over and over until your legs begin to shake. His unoccupied hand pressed on your lower stomach, building up the feeling until you burst.
You repeated a mantra of his name as you came harder than you can ever remember coming before. The sensation took you out for a minute, but when you came back down and looked down at Spencer, you saw him staring at you in awe and completely soaked.
“Fuck, Y/n. Have you, have you done that before? I think that was the sexist thing I’ve ever seen.”
You were confused for a moment, wondering why he’d think you hadn’t orgasmed before. That was before you felt the damp fabric of the bed beneath you.
“Oh! Oh god, uh, no I haven’t. I’m sorry I didn’t-“
“Don’t apologize for that, Y/n. Fuck, I’d spend the rest of my life between your legs if it meant I could see that again.”
The constat praise falling from him had you noticeably riled up, and you pulled him up, back on top of you.
“Spencer, please. I want you. I want you inside me.”
“Fuck, Y/n.”
He made incredibly quick work of his own pants, freeing himself. Your mouth dropped open as you took him in. He was big, the biggest you’d been with, and he was pretty. You would have drooled if it wasn’t for his lips pressing into yours. He ran his middle finger through your folds before grasping himself. He followed his own path and ran his member through your dripping cunt.
“Fuck, baby, you’re so perfect.”
The pet name made you even more desperate, “Please, Spence. Fuck, please.”
He put you out of your misery, sinking into you in one motion. You had to adjust to his size, but the feeling of him inside you, as close to you as possible had you reeling. You bucked your hips up, urging him to move.
He gave you exactly what you wanted, pushing into you at a perfect pace as he whispered sweet nothings in your ear.
You were overcome and all you could mutter was “thank you, thank you, thank you” in time with each of his thrusts. When he started to push into you harder, you couldn’t help but squeeze down on him.
His hips stalled, “You’re gonna make me come, Y/n. You’re so fucking tight”
You let your hands take down his back, “Please, Spence. Want you to, want to feel you come in me.”
His pace picked up, and you could feel how close he was. Still he wasn’t done. His fingers again found your clit and rubbed circles on it.
“Need to feel you come on me first baby. Need you to come.”
His words made your head spin. It only took a few more thrusts before you were coming again, just as intense as the first time. You pulsed around him and it pushed him over the edge. You felt him come inside you, filling you completely.
“I love you.”
You couldn’t stop the words from spilling out, but you froze immediately after saying them, worried that you had ruined everything. But, just as he had done before, Spencer quelled your worries.
“I love you too. God, I love you.”
~
The next morning was bliss. You woke in Spencer’s arms, and let him into you again. The sex was slow and you each let the three words spill uninhibited.
When you went downstairs, ready to finish the case, you were met with the sheepish faces of your team.
Derek spoke first, “I’d say congratulations if you both weren’t so loud last night.”
While you were mortified, watching the rest of the team hold back their chuckles, you couldn’t help but agree that this was all a moment to celebrate.
End
let me know what you think!!
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moumouton4 · 8 months
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Angry Sex || Sanemi Shinazugawa x fem!reader
A/n : Prompt 20 of the Smutember 2023 ( Hello as you can see I'm very late but school and my own health are keeping me away from writing as much as I'd want too. I'm so dizzy I had to come back from school today, though I still wanted / needed to write the end of this fic I started 5 days ago )
The list of prompts is HERE
Smutember 2023 Masterlist ⚜
Warnings : angry sex, biting, growling, 18+ READERS ONLY and wrap it before you tap it
Masterlist ⚜
I don’t give permission to repost my work, if you want to share it just reblogue it
Word count : 1111
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Despite what everyone may think, angry and rough sex wasn't really something he accustomed you with. In fact, Sanemi was quite the lever boy, always being sweet to you, as love making was for him a deep moment of intimacy in vulnerability. Though he was like everyone and sometimes things, even the more pointless, managed to get under his skin. And when he would get home let’s say that you better be off for the next few days, just saying.
Today wasn't like any other day. Your boyfriend, who usually didn’t have any problem getting the respect of his peers, got beaten up by a little boy. Some kind of newbie that came with his sister, a mucking demon. That he told you way after, in the morning the tension finally leaves his body. Because when he came home and you tried to ask him why his face was so bloody but he only wiped his face with the back of his hand and stared at you.
He looked pissed off but with something more adding to it. His pupils were dilated with something similar to lust but the anger was almost taking the upper hand.
“Sanemi are y-”
“Get over here” he growled to you, in a way that wasn't casually for him when he talked to you in the intimacy of your home.
You didn’t need anything more to be said. You walked towards him with a certain anticipation creeping in the back of your head. As soon  as you stepped closer enough he literally snatched you like some wild beasts, with his muscular arm tightly wrapped around your waist. His face was so close to you. You could feel his hot and ragged breath fanning against your lips. Suddenly you fell the ground disappear under your feet as he hoisted you on his shoulder.
You were so entranced by his action, as he made his way to your room at a determined pace, that you didn’t hear him the first time. So he repeated himself “‘T’s not going to be like usual” he mumbled once again.
This time you heard and snapped your head towards his, trying to look at his face.  But as you managed to finally catch a glimpse of his face he plumped you on the bed. From then, he didn’t waste any time in pouncing over to you to undress you. Of course he made sure you were consenting to continue. Once he himself undressed you couldn't tire your gaze away from his hardening member. Damn.
You still wondered how the fact of being angry could bring his body to react this way. You couldn't say though the thought of it and what you were seeing was enticing. He crawled on the bed, as he set himself between your legs. You could feel his hardness brush against your thigh. You could feel the heat emanating from his strong body.
Then you noticed that his gaze was drifting between your thigh, as if he was trying to gauge how aroused you were. He didn’t want you to hurt while he penetrated you even if he was in this state. He brought his fingers and gently stroked your clit as he pushed his hips forward to gauge the water. His swollen tip brushed against your slick folds, his mouth half opened as a growl escaped past his lips. You were so wet already and he just knew you were ready for him.
After a last quick glance at you, he let go of everything as he entered you with one quick thrust, bottoming out right away. That was now that he was going to let his emotions consume his every action. He almost immediately started pounding your tight warmth, your body suddenly pushed back into the soft mattress. Mattress he bought because well he was a bit worried to destroy your back in the fûton.
His calloused hands firmly held you in place as his hips worked deftly against yours to coax as much the pleasure out of you both. With a swift motion he grabbed your legs and threw them above his shoulders, his length plunging deeper and deeper with the new angle. If you were a moaning mess, he just couldn't help but groan loudly in your ear, as if trying to assess a certain domination. This day and unexpected encounter had a toll on his pride and he just wanted to make sure that he could still get the upper hand when he wanted to.
“S-Sanemi I-I’m going t-” you whimpered, barely able to talk because of the rapid pace he had set.
His head inched closer to the flesh of your shoulder as he spoke lowly “Give it all. Give me everything Y/n” and just like that his teeth sunk in your shoulder. There will definitely be a mark tomorrow. You moaned louder, your walls milking his cock just the way they should to push him over the edge. Each time he dragged his come out before slamming it back in, he could see it covered in your cream and gosh he was this close to pull out and go down on you if he wasn't at this close from painting your insides in white.
His rhythm got more assertive as he neared the edge. The pace got incredibly fast until he felt the knot in his stomach burst in a firework. His hips stuttered against yours, his mouth coming back to yours as if seeking comfort amongst everything that was happening. His balls tensed suddenly just before he started to fill you with his seed, marking as his once again. He clung to you as his body quivered like each time he had such an orgasm.
His hips, way more slowly now kept moving against yours as he emptied himself, until his softened length slided out of you by itself. Your breaths and tongues mingled in a heavy dance, between lust and exhaustion. After a moment he set his head against your breasts, aka the best pillow. His milky hair tickled your skin as he nuzzled against you, sighing contentedly. There he was, your post-orgasmic soft and cuddly Sanemi. His grip got looser as his fingers drew idly patterns on your skin.
“Thank you” he muttered, genuinely grateful for the intimacy you shared, even when he was like this.
“It was my pleasure” you breathed softly as your fingers combed through his hair, relaxing him even further “Whenever you’d like” you added, bringing a rare smile to his lips, as he nuzzled closer to you. He was so so so grateful to have you in his life and so did you.
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ao3commentoftheday · 2 years
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When I started reading fics, readers would save fics a lot just in case they got deleted, but now I'm noticing this trend of "don't download and print fics without the author's permission." Is that the new norm or am I just following fandom newbies?
You're just following fandom newbies.
This is a discourse that goes around every once in a while, and I'm not really sure of the root cause of it. My guess is authors who are insecure in some way and need to feel a measure of control over their works. Or authors who are planning to pull their work off AO3 in order to file off the fandom serial numbers and publish it as original fiction.
If you don't want people downloading your work, don't put it online. It's that simple. As soon as it's on the internet, it's downloadable - whether there's a conveniently placed button or whether it's via screenshots or whether it's using an extension that pulls text into a notepad file.
Sorry authors, but if you really don't want people saving your fics, you kinda need to not share them. And readers? Just because a Big Name Fan says something, doesn't make it true (myself included).
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WIBTA if I told someone to edit their fanfic so they don't get accused of plagiarism? All are adults.
A member of my niche ship server has shown me their wip, it looks really good and something much needed in this ship's tag. They've been talking about it for years, claiming it's their big ambitious project. They don't write short fics, they're a one huge multichapteted fic per fandom kind of writer I guess. I've never read any of their other works but they said they've written before, rarely punlished and always under a different account. They don't even post wips or drabbles or headcanons, they only share snippets in the dms of their friends.
This new wip is according to them a few years old. So is an ongoing multichaptered fic that's currently being published under this exact ship tag, with almost the exact same premise. The author of that one is very popular with a history to show off, and these two people don't know each other as far as I'm aware.
There's a chance that the popular author's fans might attack the newbie with plagiarism accusations and newbie would not be able to defend themself. So I'm in a dilemma. This person seems genuine, they're also autistic so I don't want to offend them or come off as trying to limit them. They're conflict avoidant and I want them to have a stress free author life in the future.
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ghastigiggles · 7 months
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danse macabre
so uh. uhm. hi. i kept forgetting to post this and i feel really bad about it. i'm so sorry tadc nation here's some food for you
npc oc because i didnt feel comfortable writing anyone as a ler - not yet, anyway. but pomni needed to get wrecked so bad. she's so cute. i get cuteness aggression every time she's on screen
usual disclaimer; sfw tickling fic, very soft and fluffy, even a little goofy and silly.
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"Given that our last adventure took an exciting turn, I thought doing a rerun would be a better idea today!"
A rippling groan passed through the veteran players that Caine seemed to entirely ignore, turning his attention to Pomni with an exaggerated movement.
"Something a little more calm, I'd say! Should help bring you down from any thoughts of the Void from the other day!"
"Ahh… I don't –"
"You'll love it," He interrupted, swooping back into the air with an extravagant gesture; "It's a fan favourite! Everyone knows it, everyone loves it, it's… 'Where in the World is Sir Wigglesburg?'!"
Pomni, of course, didn't miss the way everyone else in the room tensed up – though she didn't catch the way Gangle actually perked instead, immediately shooting sideways glances at everyone else before poorly mirroring their tension. 
"... You're kiddin'," Jax muttered, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. Caine simply continued as though he didn't hear the rabbit while Bubble floated nearby with an empty look in her eyes.
"Sir Wigglesburg is one of our most esteemed citizens –"
"Not an actual player," Ragatha helpfully cut in with a glance to Pomni, trying to give her context.
" – with a terrible habit of wandering off! His dear wife has, once again, asked us – rather, you – to lend a helping hand and bring him home safe! The first to lead Sir Wigglesburg back to the stage shall win a prize! (To be determined, prize may or may not meet or exceed expectations.) Good luck!"
And, with no further context or instruction, their ringmaster and his companion entirely disappeared. There was a brief silence before Zooble grunted, already walking away.
"... Right. I'm going back to my room, then."
"Aww, somebody too chicken to help the poor guy?"
Jax sneered in their direction, and they shot him a searing glare; "Well, if you want a repeat of last time, be my guest. I don't."
"I will also take my leave," Kinger muttered in a hurried fashion, looking askance; "The last time we did this, it was before… Mngh…"
Ragatha offered him a sympathetic smile, nodding as the other two softened just slightly. 
"It's alright, Kinger. We understand."
"Thank you… If you do take on the quest, give Sir my best." 
With that, both Zooble and Kinger headed towards the living quarters, leaving Pomni to finally pipe up again, looking between Ragatha and Jax.
"... So, um… W-what's so upsetting about the rerun, anyway? Is it, um, bad…?"
"Oh – no, not – not per se," The ragdoll replied quickly, tapping her chin; "I mean, Caine wasn't lying… This is one of the calmer adventures."
"Yeah. You should do it, newbie."
Both sets of eyes snapped to Jax, who simply grinned passively. Ragatha squinted.
"... And I don't suppose you'd be coming along?"
"I will, actually. Could be funny. What about you, Rags?"
Though she grimaced, Ragatha sighed in resignation, turning a little to give Pomni a small smile.
"Well, I'm not gonna let her go it alone… Again."
That much, at least, gave Pomni heart, and she almost smiled back – until she realized one of their party wasn't accounted for, and her brow furrowed.
"Uh… Where's Gangle?"
The other two also seemed to only just notice Gangle's absence, and the three of them glanced around briefly before their search was cut short by a distant shriek from the player in question.
"That sounded like her…!"
"Is she getting hurt?! W-what if someone else abstracted?!" Pomni shot them a panicked glance; "Sh-should we –"
"Let's go investigate before anything else," Jax interrupted calmly, barely keeping the amusement from his face as he gestured for Pomni to take the lead. When Ragatha shot him a glare, he simply shrugged, following after her with the ragdoll shortly behind.
They had little more than a vague direction, down a corridor and two left turns that seemed to dim the further along they went; Gangle made no further sounds, giving them little in the way of direction, and eventually Pomni sighed haplessly, squinting into the darkness.
"... It's no use… Should – should we go find Caine again…?"
She was met with silence, and turned around – only to find Ragatha and Jax were nowhere to be seen, and her stomach dropped with dread.
"... Guys…?"
"Ooh? Who is this…? A face I've yet to see and greet?"
At a new voice, Pomni yelped, whipping around – and coming face-to-face with what appeared to be some kind of massive, cartoonish caterpillar. His body appeared to be covered in green fur, disappearing into the darkness past his neck – or so Pomni assumed at first glance, anyway. His face and what could only be described as underbelly were covered in white fur that parted around his features, such as a long purple nose and big black eyes – one of which sported a golden monocle. And, of course, his hands had the same cartoon glove sort of thing that Kinger had going on, though this time with black noodle arms seemingly attached.
In her shock, she entirely lost her voice, merely stammering wordlessly – and earning a chuckle from the caterpillar looming over her. 
"Such a small thing, you are! 'Tis a pleasure, indeed!" 
Smiling, he extended one of his hands for a shake, a gesture that finally managed to pull Pomni from her stupor.
"I am Sir Wigglesburg! And you, my gentile jester, would be…?"
"A-ahhh…" Though hesitant, she extended her own hand, despite it being barely half the size of his own, "P-Pomni – woah –!"
The moment their palms yet, Wigglesburg pulled her closer, twirling her around so suddenly that her eyes spun in alternating directions – and as she was steadied again, pulled along by his sudden movements, she was abruptly made aware of his overwhelming amount of hands, with a second dominant one taking her free hand to hold her steady while two more settled on her back and hip, respectively.
"Pomni, Pomni! A wondrously adorable and charming name! Please, indulge me with a dance – 'tis a formal greeting between my people!"
"I – I'm actually – ah!"
The hand on her hip pinched her side unexpectedly, making her jerk in an attempt to escape – yet Wigglesburg easily moved with her reflexive maneuver like it was a step in her dance.  
"I'm actually – ehh! – l-looking for s – hey! – some – sohome –"
The hand squeezed again, and again, and again; and every time, she tried to sidestep or wiggle away – and every time, it just encouraged their "dance", with Wigglesburg's gentle but firm grip keeping her upright despite the giggles bubbling in her chest and the involuntary smile that had been pulling at her lips. 
"My dear Pomni," Wigglesburg crooned as though she wasn't struggling to articulate a sentence; "You are a wonderful dancer!"
" – Ghhh, thank you…? But I – ah!! – would you plehease –"
She squeaked again as she was suddenly pulled into a dip, very nearly panicking before she realized Wigglesburg was still supporting her gently. His wide smile was kind and sweet, but undercut by the mischief in his eyes as he looked down at her.
"... That said, you are giggling quite a lot! I didn't think dancing with a wyrm would be that much fun for you!"
"I-It's not the dancing – GyaAH –"
"Is it not?" 
Pomni couldn't manage a reply, stuck in a fit of uncontrollable giggles caused by the fingers wiggling at both sides, forcing her to squirm back and forth with no true escape from the unexpected and overwhelming sensation. Wigglesburg hummed, tilting his head with an adoring expression.
"I say, I was under the impression that it was the jester who caused nobles to laugh, not the other way around! Yet, here you are, practically beside yourself…"
For a mercy, he did release her hands, and she immediately brought her arms in – not that they did much, proportionately, to protect her. 
"Aheheh, I can't – I cahahan't –"
"Oh, my poor dear, does it tickle? Are we feeling a little sensitive?"
She hiccuped through her laughter at that, shaking her head and ducking down; it felt like the teasing sent a shot through her nerves, which only made it worse when he started scratching experimentally at her ribs, prompting a few snorts to escape her as well.
"Ngh – nahahaa, not th - thehehere…!"
"What? Here? Or here – oh, dear me."
His hands shot to Pomni's underarms for just a few seconds, but it was enough to prompt a shriek from her, wriggling and kicking fruitlessly with even more vigour than before.
"NnnoOHOHO – gh – $%^@# – I cahAAHAAN'T –!"
"Yes, I can see that! 'Twould seem that 'tis an especially sensitive spot."
"Plhehe – PLEHEEHEEHEASE!"
She threw back her head with a loud cackle as Wigglesburg doubled down, every stroke of his fingers sending shocks down her arms and through her body – but she only had to endure it a moment longer before he finally laid off, lightly massaging her sides with his thumbs as she gasped for breath – an act that was more instinctual than actually necessary, given that breathing wasn't really a thing anymore – with a goofy, natural smile still stuck on her face.
"I do hope you can forgive my zeal in tormenting you," Wigglesburg offered after a moment, smiling apologetically; "I cannot help myself around the players."
"I – it's… Haah…" With a final breath, Pomni shook out the residual giggles, looking back up at Wigglesburg; "It's alright…"
"Oh, I figured! You never once asked me to stop, after all."
She stiffened at that, her eyes widening as she searched her memory – because, surely not… And yet, he was right.
She had no idea if the digital avatar could blush, but with how hot her face felt upon that realization, she really, really hoped it couldn't.
"But enough of that – you were searching for someone, yes?"
"Uh! Um. Y-yeah. You, actually, but also – Gangle, if you've seen her…"
"Oh! My dear Gangle has been here all along!"
Pomni blinked dumbly, and Wigglesburg chuckled, curling in on himself and cradling her close as his spine arched up to where she could see clearly – and, sure enough, Gangle was splayed out in the wyrm's green fur, seeming a little sleepy and out of it… Yet, content, even as she looked up and waved at Pomni.
"But… Her scream…"
"'Twas a scream of joy and laughter," Wigglesburg assured her; "Gangle is one of my favorite dancing partners – and I, hers! I admit, I went overboard this time, though… It has been too long since the last time."
"Oh."
A lot of things made sense, now. The way everyone had seemed tense and awkward when Wigglesburg's name came up; Gangle's quiet disappearance in the wake of the adventure's start. The little comments everyone was making towards each other… 
"Pomni! Are you alright?!"
Ragatha's voice pulled Pomni from her thoughts, and she looked down to see the ragdoll standing below, looking up with faint relief… And heavy amusement. Shortly behind her stood Jax, smug as ever – yet, notably, keeping a good generous distance between himself and the wyrm.
"Uh. Yeah," Pomni replied; "I found Gangle? And… And Sir Wigglesburg."
"We know. We heard you," Jax chuckled, easily side-stepping to avoid a tiny kick from Ragatha. For her part, the doll smiled.
"That's great! Let's head back to the stage and wrap up this adventure, then!"
Sir Wigglesburg, however, pouted a little, looking down at her.
"Oh, are you sure I can't convince you to share just one dance with me…?"
"Ahh… Maybe next time?"
Ragatha offered him a nervous smile, and Wigglesburg sighed dramatically – but he didn't object, simply setting Pomni on his back near Gangle before he began to crawl along on the path back to the stage. Distantly, Jax grumbled about not being offered a ride as he and Ragatha followed on foot.
In the softness of his fur, Pomni felt a tempting urge to "nod off", partially encouraged by the dance she'd just been through – but Gangle's voice, just barely loud enough to be heard – kept her in the waking world.
"... I'm glad you like his game. I've been the only one for awhile… Knowing someone else likes it makes me feel less weird."
And, with a small nod in response, Pomni hid her smile in the wyrm's fur.
Maybe not every part of the digital circus was terrible or terrifying.
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exhuastedpigeon · 3 months
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Do you have any favorite Buddie fan fic writers? I've followed you since Sterek and I'm starting to fall down the Buddie rabbit hole because of your writing.
Ahhh hi anon! Another person in the Sterek to Buddie pipeline :) I'm glad my writing got you hooked!
There are SO many writers I love in the Buddie fandom and I know I'm going to forget some so if anyone wants to add to this they are more than welcome to!
These are in no particular order. Starting with people off the top of my head from tumblr
@cal-daisies-and-briars / Daisies_and_Briars Everything Cal writes blows me away. They're so talented and I love how unique their stories are!
@malewifediaz / oklahoma Amanda writes my favourite version of Eddie. Bitchy, sappy, kind, protective, goofy. Everything she writes is lovely!
@monsterrae1 / MonsterRae1 Rae's Buddie fics were some of the first Buddie fics I read since she was a Sterek person! I love how different every fic is with so much truth to the characters.
@daffi-990 / Daffi_990_ao3 Daffi's first ever fic was one of the best first fics I've read! I cannot wait to read her Rival Firefighters AU!
@devirnis / devirnis Currently sweating just thinking about some of the smut Ali has written, probably because I just finished the second chapter of let you set the pace.
@rainbow-nerdss / rainbow_nerds Sorcha's latest fic (a minor delay) is SO SO SO wonderful! I've recced it to so many people at this point.
@puppyboybuckley / callmenewbie Anxiously awaiting the next chapter of Newbie's mudslide fic!! Check it out :)
@elvensorceress / ElvenSorceress Plus or Minus is one of my favourite Buddie fics of all time! Jenwyn has such a great read on both Buck and Eddie as characters, it's so fun to read their writing.
@hmslusitania / HMSLusitania I don't think they're actively writing fic right now, but their stuff is so amazing!
And for some folks I don't have on Tumblr
hammersmiths ProsperDemeter withmeornotatall withoutthetiger glorious_spoon hattalove Leslie_Knope
I know I forgot so many people, so please feel free to add to this list for this anon!
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reiderwriter · 8 months
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Unlovable
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Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reider Warnings: angst, canon death, cheating, implied infidelity, whump, angst, spoilers for Season 8 of Criminal Minds, mentions of shooting/ murder/ suicide/ general case facts. Summary: A stalking case brings back some bad memories for the BAU, but as the newbie, you're not sure why until you start recalling past case files you've read through. A/N: I wrote this as part of @tobias-hankel 's Pre-Whumptober Challenge, so it's short and sweet because I'm not great at angst, but it was a great challenge! I think this will probably be my last fic that mentions Maeve for at least a while because I'm getting a bit bored of writing around her lol, but let me know what you think with a like, comment, reblog, or message in my inbox!
It had been a few months since you’d joined the team, and you’d really thought you’d settled in well. After all, you’d worked on enough of their paperwork in your prior desk job to think you had a good grasp of everyone on the team’s working styles.
Until this case. They’d all been tense since the stalking case was called in, and you couldn’t figure out why. A girl had been taken captive by her stalker, whose identity had been so far unknown to the police department. As you sat talking through the possible suspects, you’d realized suddenly that you were the newcomer, an outsider in the team.
“Why is everyone so tense, we’ve worked cases like this one before, we can do this and save her.” You were hopeful of course, looking around the room to see if anyone else would agree.
“Each case is different, Y/N, you know that.” Morgan was the only one to reply, the others shooting careful glances around the room.
“But everyone is so tense for this one specifically, and I just don’t get it.”
“You read our case files, right?” Reid spoke up from the other side of the room. He’d been particularly tense on this one, and it was really his attitude that was worrying you the most. You’d become fast friends with him when you joined the team, and he was always happy and engaging with you. But there was something about this case that made him cold and distant and it was really rubbing you the wrong way.
“Yeah, I read all of them, but I don’t have an eidetic memory, so please, catch me up.”
“Maeve Donovan, does that ring a bell?” He almost spat the words out, but you were so thankful that he was even talking to you that you responded enthusiastically.
“Oh, of course, I read that case file. She was killed by her stalker, right? But we can’t base every case off our bad experiences, especially since that case had unforeseen circumstances.”
“Y/N,” Morgan gently warned you, but you were deaf to him as your eyes locked on Reid.
“Unforeseen circumstances?”
“She engaged in a relationship with an FBI Agent to help prioritize her case despite the fiance she had, which made her hard to track down to help. And her stalker was experiencing some serious delusions so you couldn’t stop her from killing both of them, but that’s a single case, and you’ve all worked at least ten other stalking cases in the past.
The air was sucked out of the room as Spencer stormed out, not bothering to tell you where you’d gone wrong. JJ trailed behind after him, going to pick up the pieces as the rest of them stared at you pityingly.
“Did I- Did I say something wrong?” You asked, but most of them just shook their heads and walked out.
“The agent she was dating was Reid. He offered to die instead of her, but that set her stalker off and that’s why she killed the both of them.” With each of Morgan’s words, you felt your heart drop.
“I didn’t-” You started but he cut you off with a pat on your shoulder.
“None of us were the greatest fans of Maeve after our investigation, but you weren’t here after she died. The kid was in pieces, and he still can’t really talk about it without some of those emotions creeping back in. Just… be a bit more understanding.”
You spend the rest of the case trying to apologize to Reid, but he avoids you like the plague, frustrating you to no end. You corner him one night on the way to his room, but he snaps at you with such violence you have to turn and run away before you let yourself cry in front of him.
Your resentment for Maeve grows as you watch him work though, seeing him become an empty shell of a man as he gets lost in his memory trying to save the new victim. You’re angry that she died, angry that she put him in that position, angry that no one forced him off the case, that no one foresaw the negative effect that this would have on him when it ended badly. You’re angry that she loved him first because your heart aches without his company.
Thankfully, the case ends well, and you manage to save the girl who has been abducted. You don’t even want to think about what that would mean for Reid, having to see the dead body of another girl knowing he couldn’t save them either. He practically runs off the jet when you land back at Quantico as you try, once again, to apologize.
Penelope comforts you at your desk as you cry, desperate to make things right. She’s the one who slips you his address, and not even an hour later, you feel like a shell of a person driving directly there, not stopping to worry about whether he’ll even see you.
When he opens the door, he doesn’t look surprised to see you. He doesn’t look anything at all, emotionally drained from the last week. You thought you would apologize right then and there, and leave, but he turns back into his apartment and you have to follow him in, saying nothing as he sets himself beside a chessboard again.
“Spencer…” you start, but you have to stop to swallow the lump forming in your throat. “I didn’t know you were the agent. I wouldn’t have said what I did had I known.”
“Would you still think it?” He asked sharply, and you can feel the anger in his voice. He’s trying to control it, but he’s never been the best at masking his emotions with his team members.
“Spencer, please, I’m trying to apologize.”
“Would you have looked at me with pitying eyes? The FBI Agent who couldn’t even save his girlfriend from a stalker. The girlfriend who probably didn’t even love him either because what is there to love about-”
“Spencer! Stop putting words in my mouth.” Your tone is harsh but it gets him to finally look up at you. His tone was angry, but his eyes were all despair, shining with tears as he tried, so hard, to pull himself together. He’s failing.
“Why am I so unlovable? What about me is so difficult to love?” Your heart breaks at his words. The way he says it sounds like he is genuinely searching for an answer, his eyes darting between your own as his body sinks in on itself, and you sink with him, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him into you.
“Nothing. Nothing, Spencer, you are so loved. You need to know that I love you, that we all love you, Spencer.” Your voice breaks a little at your confession, as you suddenly realize how true those words are.
“But she still died. I had to have done something wrong, but I play it back again in my head, every conversation and-” he breaks down in sobs then, his entire body shaking with the weight of his grief. The wound isn’t new but it runs deep, and you quietly sob beside him, knowing no matter how much you love him it won’t be enough to replace the love he lost with her.
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aliorsboxostuff · 1 month
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Hi! If your requests are open I have one! Just saw ATSV yesterday and its rotting my brain agsisghagdh anyways-
An M!Spider!Reader who is one of Miguel's trusted agents with a tendency to overwork himself to make sure that his teammates are kept safe and ignoring his own health in the process. This understandably makes Miguel very concerned but this man cannot healthily express this are you kidding? What I'm saying is classic troupe of patching you up while scolding you in Spanish and then maybe they kiss a little bit and well if you want to make it a little spicy I wont stop you >:]
Thank you very much! Genuinely makes my gay little heart happy when I see writers like you who exclusively write for gn/male readers, y'all are the backbone of the x reader community fr 💜
A/N: im so sorry this took so long this was months ago but a mf forgot and wow here i am yippee!!!! As usual, if yall find any spelling mistakes pls inform me as i’m always praciticing this damn 2nd language lmao. Lets see if my writing skills is still any good LOL enjoy!! <333
Careless 
Tags: Miguel O’hara xM!Reader, Spidey!Reader, Lyla, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Spider Society, No Smut, Kissing , Fluff, Reader is another spiderman, Soft!Miguel, slight OOC, patching up, healing fic, non-graphic description of wounds, mentions of blood and cuts 
Yet, with all that said, Miguel likes to remind himself that no spidey truly comes home unscathed.
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Ever since the new guy joined the team, he quickly rose in the ranks and became Miguel’s right-hand man. He’d usually go on patrol, jumping from one universe to another with the man as they capture and contain anomalies like the bugs they are. Miguel puts his trust in him, well, as much trust as a man like Miguel can put in someone. But despite the short time the newbie has been in the Spider society, he has managed to capture Miguel and most of the Spider people's hearts so easily. 
He’s a comet that passes by the compound. Each time he returned from a mission, the spiders would gather around him, congratulating him on another successful mission and inviting him to drink or eat together.  A aswarm would always gather around the portal they knew he would come out from and each time, without fail, he would emerge to cheers and smiles. It wasn't like everyone else wasn't doing a good job, they were all doing what they were supposed to, but somehow the newbie was liked all around, solidifying Miguel’s slowly growing infatuation with him. 
But despite the trust and praises he gets, a spidey doesn't come home unscathed, not every time. Sometimes he’d come back from one of his solo missions with a broken rib or two, bruises in more places than necessary, a torn muscle here a twisted ankle there. He’d limp his way into the infirmary, an army of other spideys following him in worry yet he’d dismiss them easily with a simple wave and a; “It’s nothing guys, I’ll be fine,”
Miguel hates it.
Whenever the man goes on missions with the leader of the society, without fail, he will come home with nothing more than one or two bruises that would heal in a couple of hours if not minutes. Miguel would roll his shoulders back and the man would simply shake his head furiously like a dog before prancing to greet his waves of fans. Miguel didn't need to pay attention to him unless they were doing teamwork. He would run around by himself, track down the anomaly with him, and they would contain it easily and transfer it back just as easily. 
He might not look like it, but when Miguel brings a teammate with him on duo missions, he’s expected to cover their back and vice versa. Miguel will break any skull that dares to hurt his team and he hopes for the same response from his teammate. The newbie never disappoints. 
Miguel would find himself enraged, almost cornered by an anomaly, and there come’s Prince Charming with a devastating kick towards the anomaly’s side which sends it hurling into another building. Miguel appreciates their duo missions, the main reason he puts himself with the newbie. 
Not to mention, he makes a great team leader too. He’s carried out several missions with the younger ones, mainly Miles and Gwen, and despite it all, they always return successfully and with a snack in hand. When he goes on missions with Hobie, they’d somehow come back with a new intricate playlist created and when he goes on missions with Pavitr, they’d come back with pockets full of trinkets ready to give them to the other youngins. All in all, a solid team leader.
Yet, with all that said, Miguel likes to remind himself that no spidey truly comes home unscathed.
You were on a mission with Miles. One of your duo missions with the boy, rare considering Gwen usually tags along. But today she’s got a mission with Pavitr and Peni, which leaves you and Miles for some quality Dude Time. 
It was a sunny day in the universe Miles and you dropped in. As the two of you swing from building to building, talking about Miles’ thing with Gwen and laughing at how embarrassed he gets, continuing the topic to buying a new Lego set for Pavitr and Hobie as the two of you swung past a Lego shop, when suddenly the anomaly reveals itself.
Another variant of Doc Oct holding themselves up with their extended metal arms. You can handle a Doc Oct alone, and with Miles helping you, the mission was expected to be so easy you were already thinking about what to have for dinner. 
But things don't always go according to plan, does it?
It strikes 8 pm when Miguel gets a notif from Lyla that an arriving portal was opened into the containment site of the compound. The man clicks his tongue, dropping from his platform before making his way to the site. Every step he takes he leaves his foul mood like a repellent, making the other spidey avoid him, cutting the middle path of the other spideys like a blade. His scowl is not helping his case either way.
The last portal should've been at 6 pm.
The door slides open, and a slight hiss rings out into the room. Inside the evenly lit expanse of the room, he easily spots yours and Mile’s spider suits in between all the other anomaly's dingy outfits. Miguel takes a breath before he stalks towards the two men, their backs to him.
“Ugh, my rib is killing me,” You groan, pressing in the code to store the anomaly in its cell.
“You're telling me, this bruise is going to be a pain in the butt to heal,” Miles sighed, holding his left arm. “But if it weren't for you, man, I’d be dead meat,” 
“Oh come on Miles, none of us knew the guy would send a gas truck our way,” You scoff. The terminal beeps and the thrashing anomaly is contained. 
“The fact that it burned on its way towards us was also something we didn't expect.” Miles laughs at what you said as you find yourself cringing. You knew there were going to be burn marks on your leg.
“No, but seriously, thanks for covering me back there, I thought we’d-”
“You thought you’d what?” 
Miles practically jumps into your arms as the both of you screams. You shut your eyes and it seems like Mile’s did the same before a stern cough makes you peek through your eyelids. There, in front of you, stands a solid wall of muscle and anger. Miguel has his arms crossed, eyes so sharp it could cut a mountain in half. The slight scowl on his lips would be cute if it weren't for the pure bloodlust as he gazes down into you, making you gulp.
“Heeeeeey Miguel,” Your pathetic excuse of a smile was met with nothing but him deepening his frown. Okay alright yup.
Miles awkwardly scuffles down your arms. He coughs into his fist, pulling at the edge of his suit. “Hi there haha…”
Miguel stares. “The last arrival portal should've been at six.”
Not a sound from you or Miles. Miguel holds back a growl. 
“You two are late.”
“Right, ‘m sorry Miguel, I promise this would be the last time, it was just that- See me and Miles here; we didn't realize that this Doc Oct was gonna be slightly more insane than the others-” You ramble, Miles quickly nodding along. 
“And haha, well, one truck lead to another and next thing ya’ now, bam! We got uh… hurt,” A nervous chuckle left your lips. Miguel replies nothing.
“B-but! I covered Miles from the fire! So he only got a couple of bruises, I promise the kid is fine and it wasn't his fault either so let’s just-”
“Enough.” He barks. You practically clamped your mouth shut. 
The doors hisses open again and Gwen comes running in, worry on her face. She sighs in relief as he spots Miles hiding beside you. “Miles! Thank goodness you’re okay!” 
Miguel turns as she runs and wraps her arms around the boy. “You came back so late!”
“I’m sorry Gwen, things got a bit out of control,” Miles pats the girl back reassuringly. “I just got a bit beaten up, nothing I can't handle,” 
Gwen pulls back and grabs the boy's face before turning it left and right and up and down, her eyes scanning like a hawk. She deems it enough as she stops, hands firmly holding Miles’ arms. “You always say that,” She sighs. 
You can't help the small relieved smile on your lips as you watch the two teens catch up with each other before Miguel makes a gesture with his hand.
“Gwen, go take Morales into the infirmary.” He says as he nods to Lyla that popped up on his brace. “And make sure he doesn't get out of bed for the next two days.”
“What?! But it’s barely a scratch-” 
“Now, Morales.” The man stares them down until eventually, Miles relents with a sigh and lets the girl usher him into the Infirmary's direction, the two of them shuffling next to each other, Gwen's arm around Miles. 
You hear something along the lines of ‘detention’ from Gwen as she laughs before the door slides close, leaving you with an enraged lion in its territory. You gulp as Miguel fixes his red eyes on you.
“You. Come with me.” 
And that's how you find yourself walking down the halls of the many living quarters of the compound. You followed silently behind Miguel’s broad shoulders, in any other day you would find it hard to resist not ogling those massive arms, but tonight Miguel was practically a walking beacon of rage. The smallest misstep would make him burst and thats the last thing you want to happen. 
“Miguel, I'm sorry, okay?” You try, catching up to walk beside him. “I promise this will be the last time I’ll come back from a mission late, plus, I won't bring anyone else with me too if I ever do it again. I swear this won't hap-”
His sudden halt catches you off guard and you bump against him. You scratch the bridge of your nose with a slight frown from the impact. The dimly lit hallway made it a slight challenge to read the nameplate but you managed to make out ‘O’Hara’ and with that, your stomach drops.
“Um… Miguel, this isn't my room…” 
The door opens. The room is pitch black. 
Miguel makes his way inside. His red eye glows before he commands; “Sit.” 
Fear brought you to sit on his bed, not a crease in sight which only struck your fear deeper into you. You could hear your heartbeat, terrified for what's to come. The worst thing Miguel could do would probably chew you out in the comfort of his room, away from any possible witnesses, and then maybe take you out of commission for a while as your punishment. 
You gulp as the man sets something beside you. It was a box, hard to make out what it was but it seemed heavy. Miguel clawed and the large hand extends towards you and you screw your eyes shut, hell did you pray to any god that was willing to listen to you so please please please-
“Bring your face closer.” 
Huh?
Cautiously, you open your eyes to Miguel’s face inches away from you, a warm light bathes over his features, making the lines of worry and fear evident. “Let me see your wounds.” 
You blink, once, twice, owlishly, making the man before you sigh and cup your jaw softly. He turns your face to inspect it before he brings his other hand which wipes your fringe away from covering any other possible wounds. 
He hums. “Looks like just scratches.” 
The mystery box turns out to be a first aid kit. Miguel flicks it open and rummages around in it before he pulls a couple of bottles and bandages out. 
“Take off your suit top, we need to treat that burn before it gets worse.” He demands. You cough before awkwardly peeling off what's left of your suit before dropping it on the carpeted floor. You need to get that repaired.
You couldn't bear to meet Miguel's eyes. Not when he’s kneeled in front of you, his usually intimidating body looking small as he’s hunched over. He looks tired, his frown is a mixture of worry and annoyance, but there is something beneath it. Something you don't dare to think about but you know. You always knew. From the first day, you finally managed to see that crack in Miguel’s hardened exterior, you’ve been scared to make another move toward him. Behind this wall of a man, is a heart guarded with spikes and what he has in his eyes right now as he’s wrapping a cooling pad around your arm is something that petrifies you. 
“Next time you’ll be doing missions with me and me only. I won't be assigning you to any other spiders until you learn to take care of yourself,” He huffs, unveiling another roll of bandages.  He pulls at your shoulder which makes you turn slightly. 
"Fucking hell, ¿cómo puedes ser tan descuidado? You run around saving everyone else but who’s going to save you, huh?" He huffs, wrapping the last of the bandage slightly too tight which makes you wince. He notices but does nothing. 
Once again, he holds your chin between his fingers as your gazes suddenly meet. Miguel growls with how you won't meet his eyes, firmly pointed anywhere but into Miguel’s red eyes. He sighs before letting you go as he takes out some ointments. He puts the substance on your cheek and under your slowly blackening eye, then down your jaw where you know a pretty bad bruise taints your skin. You feel his movement slow before his hand rests on your nape, sending jolts of warmth through your body.
“Cuídate, ¿eh? Cuídate." His voice devastatingly soft. 
Confusion and a steady wave of feelings start at the bottom of your heart, which only worsens as you finally find the courage to look at Miguel. To your surprise, his eyes are wider than usual, pools of crimson oozing with care as he scans your features. His thumb rubs at the base of your skull. “I can't lose my right-hand man.” 
He sighs. “Please, necesito que estés seguro por mí,"
You inhale sharply. Without realizing it, he's practically inches away from you. Your heart races, beats out of your control when Miguel rubs your nape again. 
“Miguel…?” 
A beat passes. Silence. 
Before Miguel growls roughly and promptly stands, taking the med kit with him. He makes his way to what you assume was his wardrobe. Panic rises beside you, making you wave around your hands. “I- Um- Miguel please I didn't mean to- Oof!”
Something was thrown at you. Something soft and large and is this hit shirt and… boxers?! 
“Change your clothes. You can't sleep in those.” Miguel points out, his scowl now a pout on his lips. 
“But-”
“I'm not saying this twice.” He growls before he slides into the bathroom and leaves you in his bedroom along with the pile of his clothes in your arms. 
You slowly look down at what you're holding. Carefully, you slide off what's left of your suit and drop them in a discarded pile before pulling on Miguel's clothes. To no one's surprise, you're practically drowning in the shirt. His boxers barrel fits you and the first goes over your tighs easily. You feel smaller even for your height and stature, but it feels… safe. 
The door of the bathroom slides open to reveal Miguel standing with slightly damp hair as he's drying it off with a towel and in nothing but gray sweats. Something grows within you and it’s definitely something else besides your heart. 
“Ah, you're done,” He glances toward you before setting the towel down neatly. He saunters to the side of his large bed, pulling the covers off before sliding in. An arm keeps the cover slightly open, before he raises an obvious brow.
“Get in here and sleep,” He huffs. 
You jump and quickly slide beside Miguel, careful to keep an inch of a distance. But that was deemed unsuccessful when the man beside you pulled you to his side, and his arm wrapped protectively around your middle which made you drape your hand over his chest. Before you can squirm, he locks his chin over your head with a content sigh. 
Shit, he really is a giant lion. You sigh. 
“Sleep. You need your rest to heal.” Miguel’s voice purrs through you while you're practically glued to his side. You chuckle slightly before pressing a peck just below his jaw.
“You sleep too.” You smile. “Good night Miguel.” 
You hear Miguel hum before he presses his lips to your crown. “Good night.” 
Translations:
how can you be so careless? = cómo puedes ser tan descuidado
Take care, huh? Take care of yourself. = Cuídate, ¿eh? Cuídate.
I need you to be safe for me, = necesito que estés seguro por mí,
Reblogs are appreciated <3
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olderthannetfic · 2 months
Note
I think another reason why people bemoan the relative lack of engagement compared to the Good Old Days Of Fandom - however they define them - is that you just get more attention when the show or whatever is still relatively new. Even more so if you yourself are new to the fan community, and said community centers on something niche. In my experience, if you find yourself as a new arrival in small-ship hell with 12 other people, these twelve other people WILL play "Yes, and" with even your dumbest blorbo/shitto headcanons. They'll leave kudos AND comments on all your drabbles (and you theirs). Your follower count will go up by 12. And that sets a bar in people's heads. But once a fandom gets a bit older, things settle down. Some of the old crowd will have moved on or be just casually into it, so new arrivals don't get as big a welcome as they used to. There's more fic to read at that point, so less incentive/gratefulness due to fic-hunger to leave comments on everything. People who struck up friendships in The Old Days will largely stick to each other bc they are either out of the hyperfixation or had already had the discussions that the newbies now have amongst each other five years ago. I think lack of engagement "nowadays" is really mostly a matter of timing, and not so much of lazyness or entitlement or whatecer "kids these days" get accused of.
--
A lot of it is just human memory being fallible. Another major factor is people discovering fandom in the first place through something big and active, then taking their interest in fic and such to the next pieces of media they happen to like—which may or may not be ones with fanworks fandoms.
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coucouatoi · 9 months
Text
we're not who we used to be | h.s.
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Pairing: Harry Styles X Reader
Summary: Some letters you've written but never sent to Harry over the years.
Warnings: Angst... so much... there's some fluff, emphasise on the some, there's a hopeful ending tho!
A/N: Sooo this is the childhood friends to strangers fic no one asked for... Hope you all enjoy! This is my writing debut in Harry land :)
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April 10' 2010
To: Harry Styles From: Your first fan
Hiya Harry,
It's currently 11:29 pm about 10 hours away from your audition. I figured since you told me to stop praising you and boosting your ego, I'm writing down the rest of the things I want to say.
Firstly, I know you're going to smash it! All the judges are going to want you in. There's no chance that they won't see how special you are, how you're the next big thing.
I won't let you back out of it last second! Anne, Gemma and I are ready to drag you onto the stage, we've discussed it thoroughly...
Secondly, I'm already so proud of you. This is a huge step, I know how nervous you are about it. How you think that everything is going to go wrong and that you'll fail. I've got enough hope in you for the both of us. I'll stand by your side the whole time and I'll cheer the loudest.
To finish, you're Harry Styles. You can do anything.
Break a leg superstar!!
Cheering you on already,
Your first-ever fan
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December 12' 2010
To: Harry Styles From: Your biggest fan
Harry!
You've made it all the way to the finals! It's crazy! I knew you could do it but seeing you go further and further has been surreal.
I hope you and the other boys get along well! We haven't had much chance to really gossip about it all, you seem excited with them!
The finale is set to start in about 2 hours and I had to get some emotions out (my mom was tired of hearing them... rude) Anyway! I remembered that I had written you a letter a few months ago and now I'm back in this notebook.
I'm so nervous, excited and kind of nauseous about watching the last episode tonight. I can't even imagine what you're feeling right now... You must be so scared but incredibly jittery!
I'm counting the days until I get to see you again! I want to hear everything that's happened behind the scenes! You know how nosy I am!
I've already taken up two pages so I'll stop for now.
You can do this!
Talk to you soon,
Your favourite person ever
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March 7' 2011
To: You From: Me <3
You called me Angel today...
I don't know what to make of that.
I had so many butterflies in my stomach.
Could you call me that again?
You're my favourite person,
Angel
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November 20' 2011
To: Harry From: Angel
Boo!
You finally let me listen to the full album today! Said you had to be there when I listened to it so you could give me all the secrets. You also wanted to see live how I reacted to every song. You're too cute.
"I Want" is my current favourite.
You did tell me that you'd resonated with a lot of the lyrics you sang on this album. That almost scares me.
How did you relate? Who was going through your mind?
You do have the world at your feet now. I shouldn't feel jealous but I do like having you all to myself. Don't worry I'll get used to sharing...
The Up All Night Tour is starting soon! I'm happy that you've invited me to come to some shows. I'll be there no matter if I have to miss school.
I have to show all these newbies that I'm THE biggest Harry Styles fan out there!
Hopefully, you thought about me while signing.
Because I think about you all the time,
Your favourite fan.
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April 13' 2012
To: Harry From: Angel
G'Day Mate!
So you're officially all the way in Australia now! That's so exciting I wish that you could have stuffed me into your suitcase... sniff
I bet it's super warm there! Or not wait their seasons aren't the same as ours, are they? I'm not even sure...
Hopefully, you can tan a little while you're there! Don't go near any animals or insects!!
I miss you a lot, maybe I'll send this one (spoiler I definitely won't).
Talk to you soon hopefully.
Go swim in the ocean,
Someone who wants to be in it
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August 29' 2012
To: Harry From: Angel?
You haven't come to see me since you've been back.
Too busy being a celebrity?
I've been seeing all these tabloids... I'm not allowed to be jealous I know but I miss you.
I hope you've missed me.
I really really wish you were here with me or that I was with you wherever you are now.
I just want to be us.
Have you forgotten your friend from the small town already?
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January 1' 2013
To: Harry From: Someone You've Hurt
I don't know what to think,
You kissed me. It made me happy.
You said it was a New Year's kiss.
You said you drank too much, it hurt.
You ended up kissing someone else about 20 minutes later.
That hurt even more it almost made me feel used.
I'm happy you were my first kiss.
I don't think you'll even remember it,
Y/N
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November 27' 2014
To: Harry From: Me
I love the new album, took me a while to finally listen to it. I thought you'd come home and make me listen to it in your presence.
You didn't. The first album that I've listened to alone.
Spaces and Fools Gold are my favourite songs. I wonder how many lyrics you resonate with. How many of them did you write?
Come home?
Only for a day please,
Your first Angel
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October 21' 2015
To: Harry From: Y/N
It's been a while,
It's your mom's birthday today. Well only for a few more hours...
She invited my family and me to the party, and of course we went. I didn't think you'd be there. I haven't seen you in almost a year.
It was fun.
Catching up about everything that's been going on with you and the band. Your life is so much more interesting than mine now.
I'm just a boring college student... you're this huge star but that's ok there's no one like you for me, you're my safe place. No matter how far away.
You asked about my love life and I told you about the date I had a few days ago. You asked if we had sex, I lied and said yes. I didn't want to embarrass myself by telling you no one's ever been with me like that.
We ended up getting drunk. Too drunk.
We fucked.
You took my virginity and you have no idea... should I tell you? You were so good. So gentle, loving but you fucked with a purpose, you needed to get off. I won't ever see your childhood bedroom the same way.
This was only a few hours ago.
I've felt every emotion about it. Now I'm crying because I know you'll find someone new to share a bed with. I'm just a notch in your headboard.
It meant everything to me.
But I think I regret it...
Y/N
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May 12' 2017
To: You From: Me
Really?
I hope Only Angel isn't about me.
But I'm overanalysing every single song. Is one about me? Did you think of me while making this album?
We haven't talked since the last time we saw each other. When we fucked again. It wasn't even the second time, after your mom's birthday two years ago we never stopped. It's all we do when we see each other.
It doesn't make me feel all that much better but I feel like if it wasn't for that we wouldn't even know each other anymore.
I'm moving away this year. Got a job offer in Canada and I'm taking it.
Maybe I'll get over you... hopefully.
I can't live my whole life waiting for someone who I don't know anymore.
I'm blocking your number.
I miss who we used to be,
Your first-ever fan
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December 4' 2019
To: H From: Y/N
Hello,
You've crawled your way back into my life, Harry. This morning, you decided to send me your album. Your new one, Fine Line. Your fans haven't even heard it yet. The public hasn't either.
You didn't write a single thing in your email, the mp3 link was staring me down with your automated signature. Not even a greeting.
I shouldn't have listened to it.
I don't know why you sent it to me. We haven't spoken or crossed paths in over a year. Not since I moved and tried to get rid of every way of contact between us.
I still haven't answered, I don't think I will.
You don't get to know what I feel about it. Not anymore.
I'm sorry Harry.
I've moved on,
Y/N
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December 13' 2019
To: H From: Y/N
Your new album came out today.
I'm proud of you even if we are strangers now.
You're a superstar.
I always knew you would be,
Y/N
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March 17' 2020
To: H From: Y/N
I saw that you had to postpone your tour.
You must feel so defeated.
I know I do. Everything's been closed and opened and closed again here in Canada. It's getting exhausting.
I hope the world starts working again soon.
This all sucks...
Crossing my fingers for the tour,
Y/N
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May 18' 2022
To: Harry From: Y/N
Hi,
You sent me the album before the release again.
This time you did say something: I miss you Angel, Can we meet up?
I didn't think I could feel so many butterflies in my stomach. I felt like a teenager again. And I cried more than once listening to Harry's House.
I'm still considering if I should answer... if I do what should I choose? Should I agree and go into the unknown or forget it happened and keep on going with my life?
I miss you too... the one I knew. Not the one who used me. I guess I used you too... How did we get here?
All I want is to be loved and to be in love.
I'm not sure if I'm ready for the hurt this will bring but maybe I should just be a grown-up about this...
I want you back in my life.
That scares me,
Y/N
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August 16' 2022
To: Harry From: Y/N
Well,
I'm going to the Love On Tour today and after we are going to "meet". We even have until the 20th because that is when your next show is, after today obviously.
You were so excited when I agreed.
It's almost as if no time has passed when we text (he changed his number in the last few years... no need for an embarrassing unblocking).
My friend, the one who convinced me to agree, helped me pick out an outfit. Thankfully for her, I won't stick out like a sore thumb in the crowd of feather boas and cowboy hats.
I really want this to work.
I want to believe that we can be good again. We can be healthy for one another again but I'll be worried until I see you.
Until we speak.
I won't let myself touch you, I have a feeling that it would be far too easy to fall back into a bed. Maybe a hug would be okay.
I'm excited for the show, to see the Superstar Harry Styles in action. After so many years you have to have evolved so much.
You aren't little Harry from Worcestershire anymore.
I'm not the same person I once was either.
See you tonight.
Break a leg,
Y/N
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akingdomscrypt · 3 months
Text
Forget-Me-Not
Part One
Pairing; Gaz x male!reader
WC; ~6.3k
Warnings; none? I don't think?? Lemme know if there are any I should tag
Summary; gaz is definitely an attraction-at-first-sight kinda man/ it's time to wake up from that coma bby <33
A/n; when I said 'fluffy' I meant no one was gettin tortured this time around . Also, yes, this is definitely a set up for a ton of angst content <3 (note the unfinished ch title) There's going to be a "missing scenes" feel to this one, that's intentional.
Edit- I forgot to mention, this takes place before the other two fics, during the mw2 campaign (tho I definitely spread out the events bc no way could this all take place in the span of a week)
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---"this is how we began,"---
Kyle had just gotten back from almost a week of being tossed around like a damn ping-pong ball when he met them. Or, rather, met you.
Fresh out of the shower—yet he swore he could still smell that filthy water on himself—and bored out of his mind with nothing else to do.
It would take a bit of time before Laswell fed them some more actionable intel, and to Kyle's knowledge, the two other members of their team were already on the hunt in Mexico. So all there was to do was wait.
Well, Kyle figured he could probably use this time to catch up on some much needed rest—but where was the fun in that?
He couldn't sleep, not right now, not when Price had informed him of a new squad touching down at their base this afternoon. According to the captain, they—around five or so soldiers—were just here to provide support if needed.
Kyle didn't think it was necessary, but it's not like he had any say in the matter. Especially since, apparently, the squad would only be using their base as a rest stop between their own missions. So, again, he didn't see the point.
But, like any curious soldier would do—and any who were a bit skeptical about their newest comrades—, Kyle was already beelining his way to where he knew the newcomers would touch down.
Kyle had paid attention to the bare minimum information needed to avoid butting heads with the group, but never dug much further than that. Some American mercenaries under General Shepard's direct command and, as he'd mentioned before, here to provide support or something. Again, he hadn't paid much mind to the info thrown at him; honestly didn't think he'd end up meeting them anyhow.
Only when he finally gets out on the tarmac Kyle doesn't immediately rush to greet the new soldiers as he usually would. He comes to a full stop, previously resting heartbeat now running a marathon in his chest, gaze zeroed in on you.
Seeing you—your form lax and almost casual in comparison to your stiff-postured comrades, a certain air of confidence surrounding you—made Kyle wish he'd done a bit more research, asked a few more questions.
Dressed no differently from the rest, there was nothing particularly interesting about you. Nothing that should draw him in so wholly upon merely seeing you. He couldn't even see your face, for fuck's sake—nor could he see any of the rest of the squad's, but that's besides the point.
You hadn't even glanced his way and Kyle was acting like a schoolboy seeing his crush in the hall between classes.
“You're staring, Kyle.”
“Mh- Wha-?” He drags his attention away from you, wholly prepared to start spluttering out his defense when he recognizes the man who'd come to stand beside him. Noticing the barest hint of a smile pulling at his captain's mouth.
With a soft scoff Kyle looks away again, shaking his head a little. “Not at all, Cap’, just scoping out the newcomers. That's all.”
As anyone else would do, of course.
But they both know it's a lie.
Right before Price has the chance to open his mouth again—likely to playfully call Kyle out on his bullshit in that gruff way of his—the aforementioned group of newbies comes to a stop in front of them.
Two in front, three fanned out behind them. Five after all, it seemed. You and some guy in the front, the rest Kyle wasn't sure of, their identities far too obscure to tell.
“Cap-” The guy standing beside you starts to speak, only to be roughly—albeit probably playfully—nudged aside by your elbow, effectively cutting him off.
“Greetin’s Captain,” you say, amusement obvious in your tone, a slight wrinkling at the corners of your eyes betraying a hidden smile.
And Kyle would be lying if he said he wasn't completely enraptured as you spoke. Barely even registering the hand you held out to shake Price’s hand.
“Shadow 0-9, at your service,” though there's still a hint of humor in your voice, there's a certain air of professionalism to it too. Even as you retract your hand and raise it, fingers curled into a fist and thumb jutted out, to gesture to the soldiers around you.
Starting with the one beside you, then on to the three behind you, right to left. “Joined by Shadows 0-3, 1-4, 1-5, and 2-3.”
Then it's on to the actually serious stuff. “Commander Graves has sent us under the General's orders to stay here and provide assistance to your cause if need be. Though mostly we will be carrying out our own missions and using your base as a landing zone between operations.”
And again, amused—your flip-flopping emotions were going to give him whiplash at this rate.
This time clapping a heavy, gloved hand on 0-3’s shoulder, the slight crinkle around your eyes returning. “If y'all got any questions, feel free to ask me,” lightly jostling 0-3 now. “these imbeciles hardly got a clue what's goin' on half the time anyway.”
It's obvious the other four Shadows are used to your antics, as none of them even bat an eye at your, likely empty, insult to their intelligence.
Kyle zones out as Price goes over his own spiel, mind somehow blissfully blank as he stands beside his captain. Thumbs subconsciously slung through his belt loops in place of gripping his vest like he usually would, gaze focused on the group in front of him, giving all the impressions of some serious, gold-star sergeant attentively paying attention to his CO.
That couldn't be further from the truth.
The spell Kyle is under only breaks when Price directs his attention his way, drawing his focus when the man says, “-gent Garrick ‘ere will show you lot around. All the standard things; barracks, mess, rec and the works-”
He then proceeds to space out again when your gaze slips from Price and to Kyle instead, not a single thing out of place as you analyze him.
It feels like you've got a scalpel to his skin, peeling away layer after layer. Through the muscle and fatty tissue, and deeper still, until you've reached the bone, and you keep going.
It's not uncomfortable, the way you tear into him like a rabid hound gobbles up a raw steak. Or maybe not rabid, no, you're not feral. You’re cool and calculating and yet playful all the same. A working dog, a trained hound, then.
It's more.. Kyle doesn't think he harbors the vocabulary to put it into words how he feels about it; flayed alive under your watchful gaze. It's strange. But it's not.. bad.
It's been all of five seconds when your eyes flicks away from him. A quick scan, a once over, just as he had done to your squad, and then you're fixated on Price again.
Price who's still talking, saying things Kyle doesn't have the wherewithal to bring himself to care about. Not when he felt so viscerally raw and unbelievably vulnerable in his own damn base at the moment.
He has a few more seconds to compose himself before Price finishes up and all five of the collectives’ attention is on him, expectant.
And so Kyle plasters on a carefree expression, the corner of his mouth quirked up in a half-smile, and casually nudges Price with a loose fist. A mused, “thanks, Cap'” and such, then he's taking charge.
Voice level and strong, like any typical self-respecting Sergeant, as he turns and urges the group to follow.
The last thing Kyle expects is for you to fall into step beside him—with the impression of your personality he'd gathered, it shouldn't be a surprise—, only lagging a half-step behind, a grin obvious under your mask.
His brain short-circuits, but Kyle quickly recovers, keeping his focus locked straight ahead and decidedly not looking at you. Not for any reason in particular.
“Sergeant,” You drawl—and, fuck, it was just a rank, a title, several others held the same one. So why the hell did it feel so different when you said it?
“Got somethin’ on your mind-” Kyle begins casually, as if his heart wasn't doing literal jumping jacks in his ribcage right now. And it takes him a brief moment to remember what he was supposed to call you, wracking his brain for answers, before he finishes with a bland, “0-9?”
God, he hoped that was the right number. There were five of you, all these numbers were going to be a struggle to keep up with.
“Oh, none ‘a that.” You say with a soft chuckle, waving him off. “I know those digits can get a bit confusing. Call me Viper, that's what everyone else calls me anyway.”
Viper? Like a fucking snake? Not that Kyle had any room to judge; not when two of his teammates were a cleaning product and a Hot Topic employee.
Shite, that probably also meant you wanted him to extend the same damn olive branch. Kyle considered himself a pretty social man, he could hold his own in a group, could approach strangers with almost the same confidence he did with friends.
But there was something about you.
And Kyle wasn't sure if it was good or not.
“A’right, Viper,” Kyle doesn't remember swiping his keycard, but he does jump right back into his body when his hand curls around the handle, pulling the door open and letting you in first before letting your comrades struggle with the heavy door after him. Taking his place just that half a step in front of you once more. “They call me Gaz.”
“There a story behind that one?” You ask, not a single ounce of hesitation or delay.
“That depends, there one behind yours?” Kyle quips right back, not missing a beat.
Kyle's ears pick up the tiniest huff you let out, but nothing else. “That depends,” you mimic. “how much you wanna know?”
“Whatever you'll give me.” It was easy to lay the charm on thick, but it seemed almost like a competition between you two, as you quickly fired back.
“Desperate, are we, Sergeant?” Kyle could've swore you just, honest to God, purred when you said that. But he must've just been hearing things.
“Just curious.” You had asked first. How had this turned on him?
“Mm, think I'll just leave ya guessing.” You muse, closing that half-step distance to just barely brush your arm up against his, and then back to your place again. “It'll be more fun that way.”
Kyle nearly forgets there's four other people witnessing this conversation right then.
Finally alone again, and having gotten the new squad settled in properly, Kyle takes a moment for himself.
As of right now apparently his fellow sergeant and good ‘ol lieutenant were currently taking a tour around Mexico, and Price was out doing very important Captain-things, so Kyle was entirely on his own.
On his own to deal with whatever the fuck that dumpsterfire of a base tour that had been.
He'd been entirely sidetracked by you the whole time! It didn't make any sense, what did you have that the other soldiers didn't?
You all wore the same uniform, all bore the same random-ass numbers, all were just a bunch of trained killers- there was literally nothing to set you apart!
A lot of people were touchy by nature, especially in professions like this that were built on comradery, Soap certainly was, so there was no reason in the deepest parts of hell for why-
Kyle groans softly to himself, running a hand over his hair before pushing himself up and off his desk chair.
There was no rhyme or reason to it, to why he, in the most cheesy fucking way, honestly felt a goddamn spark when you touched him.
And it wasn't even in the realm of- of intimate. It was a simple brush against him here and there, made perfect sense too! You'd been standing so close the entire time- it was only expected that once and a while you two would graze each other now and again.
He's pacing now, wishing nothing more than to be able to pick up his phone and call the only man who'd be able to help him make sense of all these weird feelings. And also the only man who'd call him daft and his brother in the same sentence.
But he can't do that, so Kyle resigned to simply doing what he should've done in the first place after his furious scrub down in the shower; take a damn nap.
Kyle's first impression of your personality had been wildly off-mark.
If he was going off of how he'd first perceived you last week on the tarmac, he would say that you were easygoing, gave off a more.. laid back energy, maybe even a bit quick-witted.
But his current observations said everything but that.
Kyle had been trying to skirt past all the tired, bleary-eyed soldiers that passed him in the hall without being noticed by the more lively of the bunch; he didn't have the energy for that right now. The last few had nearly flown by him though, wide-eyed and clearly spooked.
Confused, Kyle had brushed it off and continued walking. Sometimes these men were like wild horses, alerted by the smallest mishaps.
Kyle becomes keenly aware of exactly why those last stragglers had appeared so frightened when he turns down the next corner, on his way to the rec room, when he spots you.
Or, more accurately, spots you tearing one of your own soldiers a new one in the empty corridor. The very self-explanatory as to why, isolated corridor.
He gets the gist of it fairly quickly, even as the words flying out of your mouth go in one ear and out the other without a hint of recognition.
The shorter man had obviously fucked something up, and was now hearing it in all the jumbled mix of curses and slang Kyle couldn't even begin to comprehend.
“An' if I eva’ ‘ear ya sayin' shit like that again I'll ‘ave ya scrapin’ shit out the muck from the break ‘a dawn ‘n ‘til the damn cows come home, ya hear?” You spit, masked face mere centimeters away from the other's. A gloved hand fisted in 1-5’s, if he remembered correctly, shirt collar, making him have to nearly raise to the toe of his boots in order to not be choked by the fabric.
There's a venomous flare in your eyes when you snap to look at him, a misstep on his part alerting you, and Kyle has never felt more conflicted in his life.
“Everything good here, Viper?” Obviously not, but what else was he supposed to say?
“Just peachy.” You grit out, fingers slowly unfurling from 1-5’s shirt. In turn the poor man is able to lower himself back onto the ground fully, letting out an obvious breath of relief when your hand pulls back completely, falling clenched at your side.
The brave soul who had somehow triggered the brunt of your aggression manages to stand there a little longer until you huff out a gruff, “dismissed.” And send 1-5 on his way.
Though not before barking out a, “And be sure ‘ta relay the message ‘ta Pierce!” As the man scurries away, a quick “yes, sir!” choked out over his shoulder.
“And if I asked what that was about?” Kyle asks when 1-5 is out of sight, raising a curious eyebrow.
“I'd say it ain't yer business, Garrick.” You snap, still obviously not having gotten the frustration out of your system. Kyle's first instinct is to throw another quip right back at you, extra sarcasm on top like it's sprinkles and he's making a damn sundae, and he almost does, but Kyle quickly slams his mouth back shut before the words escape.
Instead he sighs and relaxes his posture.
“Y’look like shit.”
That seems to put a halt to whatever was rampaging through your head, the rage clearing for a moment to make room for shock first, then confusion.
“..what?” Your clearly puzzled gaze—so expressive, even with the mask—would be humorous, if not for the truth to Kyle's words.
You did look like shit. Like someone had run a train on you—literally. A real one; honk honk, rattle rattle and all. Your hair ruffled, matted with some unknown substance and sticking up in every which direction. The black paint around your eyes was smudged away and exposed your true skin tone, well.. kinda. Now with the additional flavor of mud and debris.
Even with the limited access he had to your face, Kyle would say you looked.. tired. Run ragged—maybe that train wasn't all that metaphorical. Beneath the anger it was clear as day you were just exhausted; you looked nothing like that first day he'd met you, when he had shown you around base.
Hidden grin and playful banter replaced with a stiff posture and veiled limp—yeah, he definitely noticed that part. You weren't the only observant one here.
“I said you look like shit, mate.” Kyle says. His clarification doesn't, well, clear anything up for you, if anything just frustrating you further. Making your eyebrows furrow in a way that's almost cute.
You huff, posture straightening even though Kyle can see the way the new position puts a strain on your worn body- he doesn't mention it. It's not his place.
“Thanks.” You reply, voice flat.
“It was a compliment.” It wasn't.
Deadpan, “really?”
“Mhm.” But Kyle stays firm in his resolve.
“I aim to please.”
“Clearly.” And there it is. Kyle can't see it, obviously, but the small twitch of your features, the slightest crinkle at the corner of your eye, tells him he has succeeded. Even if it's not your usual smile—not that he would know what that looked like.
Another puff of air from you, closer to a sigh this time. “Did you need somethin', Gaz?”
The heat is gone, but Kyle can see the way the embers linger; ready to reignite at the first spark.
“How ‘bout we take a walk, mh?” He wasn't planning on a walk, really, but Kyle wasn't actively planning against one either. “Clear your head a bit?”
You look like you want to brush him off, hesitating like you want to say no and rush off just like your subordinate had. But you don't. “..sure.”
And that's all Kyle needs to tilt his head in the direction he came from before turning around.
Kyle doesn't have to look back to know you've taken your place the position on his left, half a step behind him. Just as you had that first day.
It becomes a sort of.. routine.. after that. And while Kyle hadn't seen much of you that first week, you make an appearance by his side—always on the left, always half a step behind—more often than not.
A little spark of some unidentifiable emotion lighting up in your eyes when you see him. Kyle isn't quite certain what it means, but if it meant he got to see you more often, he was fine with not knowing.
You were.. friends. Or as much as you could be in this situation, one Kyle knew was temporary. Which had the man trying to heed Ghost's advice for once and not get attached; there was no telling when either of you would be shipped out again, never to return.
“Gaz!” The sound of your voice is unmistakable when shouted over the noisy chatter of the cafeteria, and Kyle's heart definitely does not do a weird flip when he hears it. Definitely not.
Yeah, so he may or may not be struggling with the whole following Ghost's advice thing. Hey! He said he was trying, not that it was actively working.
“Viper.” Kyle greets when you take a seat in front of him. Usually he would have lunch with his dear captain, but Price was even more busy as of late—and reasonably so—and the lack of that familiar presence was really starting to wear on him. Made the lack of another pair of comrades much more prominent.
“Did you know your bellybutton is actually attached to your bladder-”
You filled in that empty space a little.
“What? I thought it was just cut off from everything else?”
Kyle never did find out what had you so down in the dumps, but it wasn't his place to know anyway. Everyone had their secrets.
“No! There's a lil' line that travels from your bellybutton down to your bladder. That's why it feels so damn weird when touched-”
You were a little spitfire. Reminded him of Soap, kinda. Except Soap didn't flip flop from fiery rage one moment to calm and collected the next, buttery smooth words dripping with innuendo.
And then there was right now, where you shared the strangest little factoids with Kyle.
“And don't even get me started on the dormant blood vessel in your liver-”
And that is where Kyle drew the line.
“Nope, nope, nope-” Kyle says, waving a fork in your general direction. Amused when you gasp in surprise, as if he's threatening you with something more substantial than this flimsy plastic. “I am eating. I don't wanna hear gross facts about my anatomy.”
“Would you prefer a physical demonstration on anatomy instead?”
And that was the weird innuendos he mentioned before. Sure, Soap and him shared a few playful taunts now and again, occasionally the rest of the team would chime in—and there was whatever the hell Soap and Ghost had going on, but Kyle didn't think those were all jokes. But this felt.. different.
“You are a menace, you know that?” Kyle huffs, twirling some bland mush around the fear-inspiring fork from before; now that he wasn't actively threatening you with it.
A dramatic gasp, and Kyle doesn't even have to look up to know you look just as dramatized as you sound.
“I am a damn saint, Gaz!”
“Rigghhhht, is that what we're calling this?” He does look up this time, and the slight widening of your eyes, the little glimmer of something hiding in those captivating hues, makes him glad he did. Pocketing that adorable priceless look on your face for safekeeping.
“I've got the body, the attitude,” you count with both hands, a finger for each listed item. Gaze on something vaguely to your right as you think. “And the charm! That's like- the fuckin' holy trinity. I'm a damn holy temple, I tell ya!”
“Sure you are, mate.” Kyle says, a small grin on his face that he couldn't get rid of even if he wanted to. It does make eating a little difficult though.
He tries not to linger on the fact that you never eat in front of him. But you always come to hang out with him anyway.
Things are good between you two, and Kyle feels warm and giddy every time you grace him with your, as you'd once put it, saintly presence. He doesn't ponder much as to the why he feels this way; not that it really matters, this was temporary and you'd be shipped off somewhere else eventually.
That space to his left feels cold when you're not there, empty, and even though he's never worked with you in the field, Kyle finds himself looking back, expecting you to be there when he crawls through tall grass and mud in that suffocating ghillie suit.
It's dumb and Kyle doesn't know why he does it, but he half expects you to chip in a word or two over his shoulder in the midst of his playful banter with Price and Laswell. When he is, once again, pushing through tall grass. Only this time he gets to snipe a few dozen unsuspecting soldiers from hundreds of meters away.
Things are going well, so damn well, almost too good to be true. And it is.
Kyle would have never expected to hear such raw panic in his captain's voice, accustomed to the man's usual gruff and composed behavior. It strikes fear right into Kyle's core, cutting through his chest and piercing directly into the sergeant's heart.
In the beginning, Kyle had been eager to get this over with and fly back to base with the expectation of seeing you again; now that idea was nothing but a passive thought as his mind was clouded with a worry mirroring Price's.
Kyle's entire torso feels like it's been ripped to shreds when they touch down on base again, every step shooting sparks of pain through his nerves and reminding him why he hates heights so damn much. But at least they managed to get Laswell back before anything could go terribly wrong. They had Farah and her soldiers to thank for that.
Wanting nothing more than to soak himself in a tub of scalding hot water, and knowing he'll have to settle for a lukewarm shower instead, then sleep the pain away, Kyle's path is interrupted by the sight of you marching down the corridor.
“Gaz! Shit- there you are!” You call when a few paces away from him, a sort of relief obvious in your breathy tone. You come to an abrupt halt right in front of him, blocking Kyle's way and causing him to come to a sudden stop lest he accidentally crash into you.
Your eyes are analytical and Kyle is far too exhausted to decipher the several layers of emotion that flash through your gaze.
In the end you seem to come to some sort of conclusion, stating a flat, “Y’look like shit.”
“Yeah,” Kyle huffs out a surprised laugh; the phrase reminiscent of when he'd caught you chewing out one of your soldiers. “Falling out of a helicopter doesn't usually make for a pretty sight.”
“Fuckin'- pardon!?” Your eyes go wide, and Kyle would bet your mouth was hanging open right now too. “How the hell did that even happen?”
Kyle couldn't reveal too much of their little rendezvous in Urzikstan, but he could tell you the gist of it. Namely how the fuck he got tossed out of Nikolai's helicopter like a damn ragdoll.
“Was helping out a friend,” car hopping and trying not to get shot at in the process. “Got a bit tossed around, you know how it is- RPG, couldn't deploy countermeasures in time..”
“Luckily I got the rope latched in time, shit hurt the most when the rope ran out.” Kyle's hip bones ache at the memory, and he knows for certain his body will be one giant bruise in the morning.
“Are- are you okay-?” You stammer, gaze no longer on him and now flicking over his dirtied uniform. Never lingering on one spot.
“I'll bounce back soon eno-” Your hands reach out then, as if wanting to touch him and make sure for yourself. Kyle cuts off mid sentence, eyes widening by a fraction and body going stiff.
As if just realizing what you were doing, your hands pause where they are, hovering awkwardly between the two of you. Your gloves and his own gear serve as a thick barrier between your bodies, but Kyle swears there is an energy buzzing there; an electric static thriving in the air between you both, the tension near suffocating.
“I'm just gonna..” it takes Kyle a second to realize you've fully retracted your hands by now, a stale awkwardness lingering between you two.
Kyle isn't sure whether to feel disappointed or be appalled by how much he wished you had touched him. Between the fluctuating altitudes he'd endured and the full body ache he was currently experiencing, Kyle comes to the conclusion that it must just be the exhaustion finally kicking in. Yes, of course. That is why he was mourning the loss of something that hadn't even happened. There was no other possible reason.
Clearing his throat with a stilted cough, Kyle nods. “Y-yeah, definitely. And I should take that shower..”
“Of course, yeah-” Your gaze is downcast now, arms tucked behind your back and Kyle notes the nervous shift of your weight from one foot to the other. “You- you do that.”
“Yeah.” And then Kyle hightails his ass out of there, it's a little awkward—who is he kidding, it's beyond awkward. And how many times was he going to say awkward, would any other synonyms suffice? You had been standing in front of him, so Kyle has to do a weird little hop to the side to get around you- which then triggers you into motion. And you step to the side to get out of his way.
Only the direction your subconscious chooses is once again right in his path and Kyle stumbles over his own feet, barely avoiding colliding with you but pulling on his sore muscles in a way that has him digging his teeth into his lip to avoid letting out a sharp yelp.
When Kyle regains his balance, the hallway is empty and you're nowhere to be found. With a deep sigh, and a heavier weight on his shoulders than before, Kyle straightens back up and continues on his way to his initial destination.
There better be some warm water left when he gets there.
As it turned out, falling out of a helicopter and just barely surviving by sheer luck did actually have its drawbacks and one couldn't just walk away with a few scrapes and expect to be a-okay in the ol’ nob up top.
For Kyle that meant various scenes playing out in his dreams of what could have happened, not what did. Ranging from him not having clipped the hook onto his gear right, to the rope just snapping in half the minute Kyle reached the end of the line. Even some where he just straight up splat into the back of one of the many trucks that had been flying by. The worst had to be when the helo was hit dead on and Kyle wasn't even given the chance to make things right, bleeding out and dying right then and there in the cabin of Nikolai's helicopter.
Waking up drenched in a cold sweat wasn't anything new to the sergeant, but waking up alone, as of late, was. Usually he was bunked up with Soap, and when not on base, or stationed on another, he was grouped up with other soldiers.
Being forced into the waking world with his heart lodged in his throat and beating so fast it was practically trying to escape, with the aches and bruises that made the nightmares all that more real, and being stuck inside a dark, empty room? Now that just wasn't pleasant at all.
Pushing through the stabbing aches radiating throughout his body, Kyle forces himself to stand, haphazardly throws on an old hoodie and decides right then and there he needs a cup of tea. Extra steamy.
The walk to the common room, and subsequently the kitchenette beyond that, is short and Kyle doesn't have to think about it when he places one foot in front of the other. His legs easily carried him to his destination without the need for any extra brainpower.
Kyle doesn't notice the looming figure in the dark, obscured by shadow in the corner of the rec room, until he's already got a burning hot mug between his hands. Passing back through now that he's got his tea, he's graciously welcomed back by a lamp in the corner flicking on.
He blames the high-pitched squeal that rips from his throat on his exhaustion and not that he'd been spooked by a fucking light of all things.
“Viper- shit,” He breathes, the hand not currently cradling the mug flying up to clutch at his heart.
“Sorry.” You murmur, sounding a bit sheepish. Your voice is a little deeper than usual and Kyle assumes you must've also woken up recently. He opts to ignore the small flutters that erupt in his stomach at the sound. “Couldn't sleep. Didn't think anyone else would be out ‘ere, wasn't tryna startle ya.”
Kyle moves to wave off your concern, only to wince at the strain it puts on his sore muscles, sucking in a sharp breath between his teeth.
You, ever the observant bastard, immediately zero in on his discomfort, one of your eyebrows quirking upward as you study him.
“Alright?”
Not trusting his voice, Kyle hums a noncommittal sound, and, trying to appear at least a little put together, straightens his posture and steps forward.
But the pain is worse now and he nearly spills his tea, instinctively tightening his grip around the steamy mug.
Fuck, Kyle had known it would hurt—Christ’s sake, he had literally fallen out of a damn helicopter—but he had obviously severely underestimated how bad it would be. Now, he was used to pain, you didn't get very far in this line of work without at the very least some tolerance for the aches and burns.
But this? This was a pain that went from an average sort of soreness in the muscles of his thighs, to sharp stabbing pains in his hips and a near debilitating throbbing ache that spanned over practically his entire torso.
Everything hurts. Laying down hurts. Standing hurts. Sitting hurts. Everything. Unless he stayed completely still, Kyle's entire body felt like one giant bruise. Any little twitch of a muscle sent a stabbing shock straight to his nervous system.
You're on your feet and standing in front of him before Kyle even has a chance to right himself again. When had his breathing become so labored?
There's no hesitation this time around, no awkwardness when your hands shoot out. Grasping his shoulders, your hold gentle yet firm, and stabilizing Kyle where he stood.
Kyle isn't quite sure when it had happened, but the warmth of his mug was gone. Replaced by the heat of your own body from where his hands rested—really, more or less hanging on for dear life; he'd be ashamed if he had the wherewithal to do so—on your waist. Fingers curled tight, twisted and snagged into the fabric of your shirt.
If Kyle hadn't been so out of it from the sheer amount of pain he was in, he would've noticed your lack of uniform. More dressed down than he'd ever seen you—though a mask still firmly in place, he would've noticed if it were otherwise.
“Did anyone check you out when you came back?” Kyle has to actively work to zone back in on the rough timber of your voice, his mind sluggish as it works through each word and syllable.
“Y- kinda? I wasn't bleeding out or nothing.”
“Oh, fuck's sake-” you let out a heavy exhale, and Kyle, though as disorientated as he currently is, can here the unsaid you’re a goddamn idiot clear as day in that singular breath.
“Alright. You're comin' with me.”
“Wh- huh?”
“With me. No questions, Garrick.” You hold no authority over him, if anything, this being his base, and not yours, Kyle had a bit more of a say in matters than you did. And yet, when you release your hold and untangle yourself from his, Kyle follows.
There is nothing stopping you from touching him now. Not since last night.
Kyle can still feel your hands, strong and yet so, so unbelievably delicate, running across his skin. Scouring his abdomen for anything that would clue you in on whether he had internal bleeding or not, pressing down on his bruised rib cage, checking for breaks in the fragile bone.
Thankfully, you find nothing but the bruising painted clearly on his skin, and Kyle can't get the picture, the feel, of your hands brushing over his stomach. Up his sides and down to his hips, further still to his aching thighs. The latter had been over his clothes, but the heat of your palms had been more than enough.
The following day, and practically every waking second now, Kyle's mind and eyes were on you. If he couldn't see you, he was thinking about you. And if he could see you, you were usually at his side. A hand on his shoulder, an elbow nudging his arm.
Kyle now found himself in an odd state of yearning. His body craved your touch in a way it never had for any other's. His heart skipped a couple beats every time he even caught sight of you.
And when you touched him? Shit, Kyle had to hope and pray the blush he could feel warming his cheeks wasn't as visible as it felt.
Kyle wasn't quite sure why he reacted to you the way he did. And, honestly, he wasn't quite sure he wanted to. He was perfectly content not knowing—was he? Or was he just burying what he didn't want to acknowledge?
He didn't ruminate on the fact that Soap had a tendency to touch him similarly—but, shit, it was different, wasn't it?—, and never had Kyle once responded to it the way he did with you.
If Price had noticed—which he likely hadn't with what was going on halfway around the globe. Soap and Ghost stuck somewhere in Mexico, and of course the constant planning on what their next move would be. The captain didn't mention it.
If Soap was here, he'd probably call Kyle out on his bullshit. But he wasn't, and Kyle was perfectly alright with continuing to ignore the, definitely one-hundred percent platonic, convoluted emotions he felt towards you.
Things were good; the last thing Kyle wanted was to accidentally rock this delicate sailboat when he currently had unlimited access to your bubbling laugher, sarcastic quips, and crinkling eyes.
A Viper, that's what you were nicknamed after, and, with that fiery attitude of yours, Kyle was starting to understand why.
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