#getting a new manager at work (NOT BEING LAID OFF AFTER ALL) and she seems great so far

[basaltbutch]

ohhhhh i think . everything's gonna be alright forever.

[tojisbbygworl]

The Apartment Across The Street - Sukuna x Reader

In the short time he watches her, he learns 3 new things: 1. She has a mirror on the left side of the window. 2. She is completely unaware of how easily someone could see her in all her half-naked glory. 3. Sukuna could overpower her if it came down to it.

Or maybe it’s 4 things. From the beating of his heart and the warm rushing feeling heading towards his dick, he learns the drug he thought he needed might not be a drug at all.

Words: 6.7k

Tags - 18+ MDNI, No Use of Y/N, No Curses, Set in late 90s/early 00s, Smut, Angst, High Sex, Missionary, Degredation, Marijuana, Slight x Toji (I can't help myself)

WARNINGS - Dead Dove, Dark, Non-Con/Dub-con, Breaking and Entering, Sukuna and Toji are criminals, Sukuna's a hitman, Choking, Violence

AO3 Version

Masterlist

author's note: Heyyyy! Okay I went a little too hard like I always do so this is a bit long and (imo) it get's a little intense so be warned. I hope you enjoy hopefully I have some motivation to keep writing. art cred: @innaillus

That apartment used to be empty.

Sukuna hadn’t been home in a week. He doesn’t mind. He’s learned to not have too many hopes or expectations in this line of work. Besides, he prefers being his own boss. He accepts contracts when he needs money then he’s off until it runs out. Doesn’t matter if they take days or even weeks.

Shorter jobs like this one weren’t his treat. They don’t pay as much as he likes, but it works out. These apartments were a bit shitty, they didn’t cost too much. And, he was right in the middle of the city. Easy to meet clients. The clubs went on all night long. Which is exactly how late he was out when he was home. Actually, he was planning to go out tonight. Meet up with Toji and see if he can’t get a woman in his bed by 2 am.

He wondered how long it would take to see his newest neighbor. The way the apartments in the complex are built, you could easily see into your neighbor’s bedroom. 'State guidelines say blinds aren’t required. You buy them,' was the response he received when he brought the problem up to the landlord. A lot of people invested in curtains, maybe they hadn’t bought any yet. He saw a bed, but it seems to be the only thing they’ve managed to set up. There were a couple boxes with flaps wide open sitting beside it.

After a few more moments of rumination, he closed his curtain and laid down on his bed waiting for a text to come over. In truth, he couldn't wait to see who was unlucky enough to be his new window neighbor. The last one didn’t go too well. They also didn’t invest in curtains and he isn’t entirely sure if he’s the reason they moved out, but he’s sure they didn’t appreciate catching his stare multiple times a day. And that one time at midnight.

-

All it took was the next morning.

Sukuna’s eyes crept open and he stared towards the ceiling. The girl he brought home last night was dead asleep and naked on his chest. He yawned and wiped his face tiredly. He nudged the girl off of him a bit, then sat up on the side of his bed. Ugh, he felt like shit. Toji always went entirely too hard when they went out, but Sukuna doesn’t mind. He has nowhere to be. Nothing to do. 

He got up and stretched then walked to the bathroom. As he completed his morning routine, he pondered about what today would behold for him. This is another reason he hated short jobs. Sukuna loves free time, but only if there’s something to do with it. There never really is.

He could kill that girl in his bedroom. In fact, he could have killed any girl he brought home since he moved in half a year ago. But the last time he made his job his hobby, it didn’t go so well for him. It was too close of a call, and getting arrested for murder just isn’t worth it. He could spend a couple months in the pen, not years at a time.

He spat out his toothpaste. Life was so fucking mundane. He had no life goals, barely any friends, his little brother hates him, and he works alone. All things he doesn’t actually care about, but shit, when is he going to get some excitement? Nothing gets him going anymore.

He needs something that will make him feel. A drug of some sort? But that doesn’t seem right to him. Even now as he walks back in the room staring at the woman in his bed, he feels nothing. If she woke back up and decided she wanted to have sex with him, he would say yes, but only because it’s something to do. He’s not feeling any particular way about her.

The moment he sat back down on the bed, she started shifting around. A few seconds later, she lifts her head and yawns. “Good morning.” She giggles, she leans over and kisses his cheek. Sukuna grunts.

The girl looks around the dark room. “It is morning, right?” She doesn’t let him answer before she stands up and opens the curtains. “Oh wow,” she exclaims. “I can see directly into your neighbor’s room.” She says. He still doesn’t get up, just hums at her.

“She’s cute though.”

Sukuna perks up upon hearing that. “Oh yeah? I haven’t seen her yet. She’s new.”

This was the first time since they’ve met that she said something interesting, but unfortunately for him, she drops the subject immediately and walks back into bed, leaving the curtains open. Sukuna holds back his sigh. Does he really want to spend the rest of his morning with this girl? It was half past 8. Way too early.

“I'm going to start getting ready for work,” he says without skipping a beat. She stops in her tracks and blinks at him, clearly not expecting that. It’s silent for a few moments. Sukuna’s not sure what she’s waiting on, but if it’s for him to say he’s kidding or let her stay, she’s sorely mistaken.

“Oh, I thought you were contracted,” she says nervously.

‘I only work when I feel like it, gorgeous.’ Sukuna inwardly curses himself for his suave nature. “Yeah. I got a contract. In an hour.”

His curtness and annoyed expression did good to make her feel completely and totally unwanted. The girl awkwardly smiled at him. “Oh, ha ha. Yeah…okay.” Sukuna got up and walked out of the room. Give her a little space to feel like shit while she gets ready to leave. He makes himself a cup of coffee, his face still that same blank expression even after he hears her rushing out the door from behind him. When she’s gone he takes himself back into his room.

He walks up to his window to close the curtains once more until someone catches his eye. He freezes and his eyebrows shoot upwards. That girl was right. She was cute. And he had the perfect view of her. She seemed to be posing or checking herself out. Sukuna wasn’t sure which one it was, but he hoped she didn’t stop. That bikini she had on was doing wonders for her, and him.

Something was off. Looking at her made him…tense. His hands were gripping the curtains, he was biting the inside of his cheek, his leg was shaking; Was it anxiety? No, she’s not making him nervous. What he’s feeling is euphoric. He likes it. He wants to grip her bare waist and squeeze her until she bruises.

In the short time he watches her, he learns 3 new things: 1. She has a mirror on the left side of her window. 2. She is completely unaware of how easily someone could see her in all her half-naked glory. 3. Sukuna could overpower her if it came down to it. Or maybe it’s 4 things. From the beating of his heart and the warm rushing feeling heading towards his dick, he learns the drug he thought he needed might not be a drug at all.

-

It doesn’t take long after that to finally meet her.

Before taking his most recent job, Sukuna had nearly consumed everything in his fridge. What was left was now finished and he spent a lot of his morning sulking at a half empty milk carton, his breakfast for the day. He hated eating out, it messed with his figure.

The local grocery wasn't too bad of a walk from his place, although he hated carrying everything back. He always bought a few necessities and a few ingredients to quickly whip something up for his dinner. Today, he’d have to bulk up if he doesn’t want to keep coming back.

As much as he hated the public, shopping never seemed to be a problem for him. He was tall and intimidating, he never smiled, he was always tense; people tended to avoid him like the plague. He appreciated it. But, as he enters the frozen meal aisle with his cart half full he wishes that just for a moment, he looked approachable. Then, this would be much easier.

There she was, in sweatpants and a cropped tube top, looking at the frozen pizzas. She looked like she had been home all day. She was much cuter now that he could see her better. A lot cuter. She’s pretty as hell.

Thank goodness, too. He already knew what her body looked like, what with her constantly taking pictures of herself in front of the window. She liked to play dress up, she would try on entirely different outfits before she was satisfied. Pretty soon, the colors of her bras and panties would be ingrained into his memory.

He stood there looking her up and down for a few more seconds before he started browsing once more. Although he really was looking for food he wanted, he used this opportunity to slowly get closer to her. He pretended to be interested in some frozen broccoli and he snuck a look at her. To his surprise, and enjoyment, she had done the same. When they made eye contact, she jerked and looked away. A couple moments after that, she grabbed her food and walked away into another aisle.

Sukuna chuckled to himself. She wouldn’t get away that easily. He dropped the broccoli in his cart and followed after her. He hadn’t seen which aisle she’d gone into, so he kept walking down and looking into each one until he found her trying to get some chips from a high shelf. He smiled upon seeing her struggle. Maybe this would be easier than he thought.

He managed to walk right up behind her and reach for the chips she was trying to get before she got startled. She gasped a bit and looked up at him. He looked down at her. Fuck, she was pretty. His heart started to pound, he could practically salivate at the idea of taking her home.

He hands her the chips before she can say anything, then walks away. Before he’s out of her sight he hears her say, “Thank you so much.”

Her cadence, the velvety softness of her voice; it made him want to drop to his knees. How sweet would she sound if he bit into her neck? How soft is her yelp when she stubs her toe? How shrill is her scream when she’s in pain?

Her appreciation made him stop in his tracks. He turned over his shoulder to look at her. She seemed nervous and her eyes were uncertain. Sukuna began to feel restless. So many ideas of what he could do to her if he got her alone were rushing through his mind and she was none the wiser. This aisle has been empty and no one has come by. He could take her right now.

Instead, he looks her up and down. “Yeah, sure.” And then he walks away with his shopping. He leaves wondering when next they’ll meet, she does the same as she watches his back.

-

“Still haven’t called the maintenance guy, huh? Lazy jackass.”

Sukuna turns his head to the side and glares at his unwanted guest. Toji may have been his best friend, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t want to break his fat neck and bury him in the park. Besides, that title meant jack shit. They met in jail and Toji helped him get on his feet when Sukuna’s sentence was up. Toji never really left him alone and Sukuna stayed because his family was rich. If anything, they were close acquaintances who had sex sometimes.

Speaking of Toji’s money, the asshole grew up in an affluent family which means his standards were a bit too high for the humble abode that Sukuna prefers. It was probably the most annoying part about him. He was complaining about the door to the bathroom. It didn’t close correctly so you had to force it shut. Something that just isn’t enough of a problem to be bothered to try and fix.

“Stop coming over if it annoys you so much,” Sukuna responds, taking another drag from their second blunt for the morning. He was finally starting to feel something from it and he didn’t want to hear Toji whining about bullshit.

“Nah, I think I’ll keep coming. Especially with your fine ass neighbor.” Toji walked away again, not seeing Sukuna’s head jerk towards him. What was he talking about? Sukuna didn’t tell him about her. Did he see her?

“Why the fuck are you in my room?” He gets up to follow behind him. Sukuna looks down the hallway and sees both his room and the bathroom doors wide open. The bathroom was empty. “Get out.”

He starts walking towards his room door but jumps back when Toji rushes out of it. “Come look at this,” he says, grabbing his arm.

Toji had this crazed grin on his face and he was tugging him along impatiently. “What the hell are you-” Sukuna’s words die in his throat as he gazes upon what had Toji so excited. It was his beautiful neighbor changing in front of her mirror again except, there was a big problem. She had never been completely naked before.

Holy shit, her body could stop a truck. Sukuna let his jaw drop. His eyes raked her from her breasts to her legs. She would turn around occasionally, walk back and forth in front of the window, oh he loved the way her tits bounced. He wanted her on top of him, his dick sliding in and out of her while he latched onto her nipple.

“She’s sexy as fuck, huh?” Sukuna’s unceremoniously snapped out of his trance by Toji’s comment. He turns his head towards him looking at his smile and twinkling eyes. “She do this all the time? Does she even know?” Toji gasps and looks him in the eye. “Does she do it on purpose?”

I’m that moment, a switch had flipped inside of Sukuna. Toji was watching her before he brought him in here. He saw her naked first. He shouldn’t have seen her at all. The warm swarm of butterflies in his abdomen had fluttered away, a feeling of rage building in his heart instead. She was Sukuna’s to look at, not Toji’s.

To answer his question, Sukuna shrugs. Then, they both turn towards her again only to make eye contact with her. They see her gasp, cover herself and shriek before running from the window. “Fuck,” they say in unison before shutting the curtain.

“I blame you for that,” Toji says despite both of them being at fault. He puts his hands in his pockets and walks out of the room. “Where’s the blunt?”

Toji may have forgotten about that little encounter, but Sukuna doesn’t think he can forget anytime soon. He hates that Toji got to see her like that. They still haven’t spoken more than once to each other, and now she knows he’s a pervert that stares at her through their windows. Sukuna scowls at the ground then slams his hand into the wall. She’ll leave soon just like the last one did, but this time, he doesn’t want to accept that as a possibility.

He gives himself time to calm down before joining Toji again. He can’t bring work home again.

-

It was over.

He saw her once after that incident. Waiting for Toji to pick him up for the night, he stood outside the local gas station smoking a cigarette. She’d been on his mind since. She invested in curtains, unfortunately. She was really uncomfortable. He’s not even sure if she’s left the apartment.

Thinking about what happened made him furious. If Toji hadn’t gone into his room he would have never seen her. Oh he just can’t shut the hell up about the shape of her ass and how he would let her suffocate him with her gorgeous thighs. Sukuna sighed, her thighs were gorgeous weren’t they?

She was a missed opportunity. There are so many ways he could have started something with her. It’s not like she didn’t like him, had they met again before that, he’s sure he could have gotten her number. Usually, missing out on a woman wasn’t that bothersome, but she was different for him. He looked forward to beating his dick under the windowsill while she tried on clothes. His imagination wasn’t bad, but by the time he came in his hands, his dick was red and sore and his arm was tired.

His memory is not enough. He wants her.

He looks at the time on his watch. A quarter ‘til midnight. He rolls his eyes. Toji’s always late. A quick snack is in order.

Sukuna mindlessly stares at the powdered donuts wondering if he really feels like fucking up his clothes and having dirty fingers. He hates club bathrooms, the one here is just as bad, and he doesn’t want to lick his fingers. Maybe he won’t. But right before he decides to leave, the door opens. He turns his head upon hearing the small ring of a bell, but doesn’t pay attention to the culprit until they’re in the same aisle. “Oh shit,” he said before he could stop himself.

He tries to look away before she notices, but it’s too late. He looks back at her and grimaces. The girl is shaken to her core. Poor thing is afraid. And while Sukuna feels a bit bad about making such a cutie so frightened, it kind of…warms his heart. She takes in a deep breath and twists back around. She doesn’t even buy anything. She just leaves.

He almost chases her. He stands in the aisle still reveling in her presence. He breathes deeply thinking about how nice it felt to have such power over someone. Hm.

Sukuna leaves the store only a few moments after her. Toji’s BMW was running next to a pump as he got out of the car. “Oh shit, there you are.” He grins. “Guess who I just saw.”

“I know. She was running from me.” Sukuna says, getting into the passenger seat.

Toji cackles while driving away. “Damn, so she’s scared of us, huh?” Sukuna shrugs. “She looked like it. Girl was huffing it. Actually…she ran down the street towards where we’re going.”

Sukuna raises a brow at him. Toji doesn’t say anything and just keeps smiling. “So?”

He turns on his beamers and slows down as he drives between the apartment buildings. Sukuna’s eyes widen as he realizes just what Toji’s trying to do. And soon his lips follow. Just up ahead was a figure with a hoodie walking very quickly. They turn around and immediately shield their eyes from the bright lights. It was her.

She seemed confused at first, and the bright light contrasted with the darkness of the night blinded her from seeing who was in the car. However, she didn’t stop walking or slow down. She decided to mind her business instead. It could be anyone. Anyone. Even though it was the same car waiting at the gas station.

Despite her telling herself that she’s okay, she couldn’t help but notice how they were matching her speed. And that once they had gotten right behind her, the window was rolled down. And that she still had a block left to go.

“Ay,” Sukuna shouted from behind her, effectively terrifying her. She turned to see his smile and upon further investigation, she saw Toji’s from the driver’s seat. Oh no. “You can’t say hi? You scared of me?” He taunts.

She ran.

-

And that was the worst thing she could have done.

There have been a few recent instances that made her question her move to this city. She was hoping to start a new life, away from her family, away from her ex, make some new friends; she didn’t think she would be planning to move out after a couple months.

That man…she didn’t know what the hell his problem was. Why did he and his friend follow her out of the gas station? Was he crazy? Did she do something to him? Since they followed her, she’s been racking her mind trying to figure out what the hell she did to deserve this. Before that, she had only ever spoken to him once at the grocery store. He was extremely intimidating, but she was intrigued by him. She didn’t mean to stare, but he was very attractive. Clearly he had seen it as some sort of invitation. Maybe he followed her into that aisle and it wasn’t just an act of kindness.

Coming home after work had become so much more nerve wracking. In fact, coming out of her unit brings her horrible anxiety. She’s constantly looking over her shoulder. Tries to pretend the building across doesn’t even exist. She doesn’t understand what took her so long to get curtains; it just wasn’t a priority for her. Either way, she didn’t deserve to be punished for her forgetfulness.

She’s in a weird position where the longer she goes without seeing him, the more worried she becomes even though she never wants to see him or his friend again. Currently, she was in the elevator heading up to her apartment. She was catching her breath and trying to relax now that she was safe. She does this everyday now.

She couldn’t wait to be home. The entire day she’s been feeling like complete crap. Her heart refused to leave her stomach. She dropped so many cups behind the bar that she spent more time sweeping and wiping up drinks than making them. And she was on the verge of tears the entire time. It was nice to be home, but she wondered how bad it would be tomorrow.

In fact, it was so bad today that although she was physically relaxed, her brain just wouldn’t be quiet. It kept telling her to stay alert, that there was still something waiting for her. She tried her best to ignore it and enjoy her night. She was going to kick off her shoes, rip off all her clothes, warm up her leftovers and hit her bong. She was off tomorrow and she is not planning on leaving her room at all.

She messed with her keys when she approached her door. All the apartments had two locks, a deadlock and a lock on the handle, but she was looking for another that she could attach herself. The home goods store near her didn’t have any promising ones, so she had to wait on a shipment.

She reached for the handle to unlock it. Her hand twisted the lever and she retracted it immediately. Her heart starts racing once more, but then she realizes the door was still closed. When she can’t get the door open, she sighs in relief. The deadlock was still intact and locked. The apartments are just shitty.

As relieved as she was in that moment, this just meant she had another problem to deal with. She couldn’t go with one of her locks not working, especially not the handle. In fact, maybe she’ll deal with it tonight. She does have tools and she can be pretty handy when she needs to be.

Like she wanted to, she kicks off her shoes and rips off her jacket. She almost takes off her clothes before she notices a certain smell in the air. Her apartment smelled of weed, but it smelled like someone was actively smoking right at that moment. Maybe it was her next door neighbor.

She walks through her silent home. Maybe she should get a cat. There are quite a few friendly strays around. She could afford-

What was that noise?

A bump. In her bedroom.

What could it have been? Had her worst fears come true?

No. It’s not possible…so why had that sinking feeling returned in full force? There was nothing in her room. There was no one in her room…

-

Toji had broken the lock for him. 'Just record it for me,' was his end of the bargain.

The place was just as cute as he thought it was. She still had a lot of things unpacked, and she hadn’t gotten a couch for the living room. Hm. He wonders if she really is planning on leaving. That would not be good.

He would want her to stay, but if she can get away from him, at least he’ll get a taste of her.

She leaves her weed out. Hm…he would enjoy this better if he were high. And he’ll make her smoke too. 

When he heard her coming closer to her room, he put the bong down and stood up. Her room was small and it was pitch black, the only light coming from the embers in the bowl. He hit her closet door and she heard it. Fuck. He hopes she doesn’t get a weapon out.

And she didn’t. This girl is…something else.

He hides right behind the door in between the wall and the hinges. Then, he waited quietly and patiently until she slowly opened the door and turned on the light. And before she could try to look around, he slammed the door shut behind her.

-

It all happened in a second.

She heard the door slam and time froze. She told herself then and there, that she was going to die tonight. She knew who her killer would be before she turned around. Did she even want to?

She didn’t have a choice, her body reacted before she could think. All she saw was a small scowl, he had brown eyes, but they looked tainted with blood. His hands, his large hands, shot towards her head and before she could scream he trapped her mouth shut. His other hand gripped the back of her head.

She fought him as violently as she could. She scratched his face, pulled his hair, tried to poke him in the eyes; but he was quick to show her that he was much stronger than her. He pulls his hand off of her mouth and smacks her across the face. She can only scream for a second before his hand is back on her mouth and he pushes her into the bed.

Sukuna takes his hand off of the back of her head and squeezes her neck. He still holds her mouth shut. She gets weaker and weaker as the oxygen leaves her brain. He leans down towards her face to speak to her. “You want to live?”

Tears had long been streaming down her face, but this is the point where she finally breaks down wailing. She lets her arms fall and Sukuna loosens his grip on her neck. But only slightly. She takes a deep breath and cries into his hand. “Answer me,” he says. “Come on, pretty girl.”

She cries a bit more before nodding her head in defeat. “I know. You’re gonna do what I say?”

She nods again. “You’re not gonna scream when I take my hand off?” She sniffles and sobs again. “Because you want to fucking live, right? Right?” He tightens his grip on her neck again. She kicks her feet and nods as best as she can. “Go turn off your light and turn on your lamp. You’re gonna smoke with me.”

He gets off her and watches her to make sure she does what he asks. It takes her a minute, she lays there quietly sobbing and wiping her tears while Sukuna takes another hit of her bong, but eventually she gets up to turn on her lamp, then flip her light switch. “Lock the door too. I like the feeling of extra privacy when I’m taking a woman to bed.”

-

He disgusts her.

He forces her to take several long hits that had her in horrible coughing fits. And of course, it wasn’t long before she was completely inebriated. She couldn’t really move too much, or think too much. But even though she was out of commission, she could hear every word Sukuna said to her.

He talked her ear off about how he’d been looking at her for a week before they met at the grocery store. All the way up until she realized just how exposed she was from catching him and his friend staring. It was her fault, is what he said. He said she was stupid to not think anyone could see her. She should have gotten blinds or curtains when she moved in. A fucking dumbass bitch.

That’s how she felt.

He taunted her as he watched her take her clothes off. His dick was already in his hand, he had been hard for a while. Imagining his dick finally pounding into her as he squeezes the life out of her.

‘I think you wanted someone to watch you,’ he said to her. She hung onto every word he said, answered every question he had. ‘You’re an attention seeking slut, aren’t you? Nod your head.’ And she did. ‘What’s your name?’ And she told him. ‘Take that shit off faster and come hit this again.’

She was completely out of it, but instead of floating, she sank. She sunk deeper into the bedsheets, Sukuna weighing her down with every word. Every stroke of his hand on her thigh, every lick on her neck and collarbone, every bite on her chest. When he reached down between her legs and stroked her clit, she moaned, then cried in shame.

“Shhhh,” he whispered in her ear from behind her. “You’re gonna love me. And if you’re good I won’t hurt you.” He kisses her ear, then nibbles on it. He leaves a trail of wet kisses down the side of her neck. She cries and shakes, twisting her head away from him as best as she could. Sukuna’s hands explore her body eagerly. He can’t decide whether he wants to grip her hips or play with her nipples. She was so soft, just as he imagined.

He flips her onto her back. “Look at me, baby.” She opens her eyes only slightly, her tears blurring her vision completely before falling. He takes his hand to cup her cheek and wipe them with his thumb. As she gazed upon his naked body on top of hers, she accepts her fate: this man was going to rape then kill her.

He looked deranged. His brows were knit together with a lopsided grin. Her body is racked with sobs once more. “It’s okay,” he tells her. “Shhhh.” He slowly brings his thumb wet with salty tears to her mouth. She tries to pull her head away, but he quickly attaches his hands back to her mouth and head then he leans down towards her. “I thought you said you wanted to live.”

She’s actually not sure at this point. Does she want to live with this trauma? Does she want to continue being this man’s neighbor for him to torture however he sees fit? Does she want to have to look at his building every single day living in fear that he’ll do it again? Living in fear of his friend getting any bright ideas?

“Just relax.” He lets go of her head and goes for her neck. She moans as he bites and sucks on it, making sure to leave a mark reminding her of what he did. It won’t be the only one.

Sukuna slowly takes his hands and lifts both of her legs in the air. He licks his fingers while looking at her, then bites his lip as he plays with her clit once more. She breathes harder and harder with every rub. They don’t break eye contact, it does something to him. He’s reveling in her fear. Her eyes were shot, her mascara and eyeliner running down her face. It made her look even more beautiful. She was making him feral.

Sukuna’s dick was an angry scarlet and dripped precum all over her leg where it rested. He was big and it scared her even more. As his eyes explored her body, he got hungrier and hungrier. He slides a finger inside of her and starts pumping. Her pussy was slick with her arousal.

“Fuck,” he whispered putting in another finger. He pumped his fingers hard enough to make her wetness splash. She threw her head back and arched her chest into the air. She sounded just as sweet as he thought she would. She was turning out to be everything he wanted and more. He wasn’t waiting any longer.

He yanked his fingers out of her and searched her bedside table for his camcorder. She whined when he removed himself from her and watched him. Sukuna pressed record.

“Say hi to Toji,” he told her, sticking the lens in her face. She closes her eyes and tries to avoid the camera. He grips her chin with his fingers and forces her head forward. “Ain’t she pretty?” Sukuna pulls away from her face to record her body. He takes her tit in his hand to play with. He jiggles and pulls on her nipple before smacking it. When she squealed he did it again.

“He’s gonna love watching me fuck the shit out of you.” Sukuna sat and balanced the recorder on her nightstand perfectly angled to show their torsos and hips. He gets back on the bed to grab her waist and pull her towards his. He groaned when he felt his dick rub against her pussy. “You know who I’m talking about, right? My friend? You know he saw you before I did.”

He pauses to spit into his hand and starts jerking his throbbing shaft. “I wanted to kill that fucker.” Sukuna leans over once more and kisses her several times before capturing her lips in one long and forceful kiss. He rubs his dick against her entrance as he does this, with a desperate moan from both of them to accompany it. Sukuna rests his forehead against hers. “Tell me you’re mine.” His eyes are fiery, and she doesn’t wish to find out what will happen if she fails to do what he asks.

His tip begins to poke through her entrance. She whimpers and he brings his head down and bites her lip. “Come on…”

“I’m yours-” He finally starts tucking his dick into her. The feeling of being inside her was heaven on Earth. He wasn’t ashamed of how loudly he moaned. She was louder anyway. They always are. Even when they don’t want it.

“My name is Sukuna.” She takes all of him like a fucking champ. And looks good as fuck while doing it. And her voice…

“I’m yours, Sukuna.”

A tear ran down her cheek. The dragging of his dick against her walls was nothing like she’s ever felt before. It felt so good, but she was the unhappiest she’d ever been. She’s terrified and unsure if she’ll live to see tomorrow. He says he won’t kill her if she’s good, but what does good even mean to him?

She knows there’s nothing she really could have done to avoid what was currently happening to her. This man- no, Sukuna, saw her when she was first moved in and decided then and there that he wanted to rape her. No matter what he claims about her being rude and ignoring him when he helped her. And yet, she blames herself.

If she had just gotten curtains or blinds early enough, then maybe she could have avoided him. Or maybe she wouldn’t have existed to him at all. At least he wouldn’t have known what floor she was on or her room. Maybe he wouldn’t have known what building she was in.

She was so fucking stupid.

-

He repeated that all night.

‘Stupid fucking bitch,’ he would mutter under his breath. ‘Changing in front of a window, thinking no one’s gonna see you? Posing in mirrors and shit?’ He fucked her at a smooth and steady rythym, she was soaking wet and splashing all over his stubble. The sheets were damp underneath. ‘Oh yeah. You like it when I talk to you like that?’ She couldn’t stop herself from crying in humiliation.

He asked her to cry louder for ‘Toji’, which she did, and he proceeded to smack her across the face for being too loud.

He felt amazing, he pushed her legs into her chest and hammered into her. She cried into his mouth as she came all over him. Her pussy squeezing his member drive him insane and before he knew it he was cumming inside her. ‘Fuck…’ He pulled out and jerked the rest of his cum onto her pussy and thighs. He quickly grabbed the camera to show Toji, with the flash on.

‘Look at that shit,’ Sukuna made sure to examine her at every angle. He pushed his finger into her and chuckled when she moaned. His index was covered with his cum and he brought it and the camera up to her body and face.

She was completely tired out. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t speak, she could barely even lift her eyelids. Sukuna kissed at her like a dog, then maneuvered the camera to her face. Her face was soaked with tears and spit. Her makeup had smudged everywhere and ran down her cheeks. Her hair was a mess, and she ached everywhere.

Her mouth hung open and Sukuna proceeded to jam his finger into it. He used it to pull her head back over to him and made out with her. Then, his dick started poking her ass.

She had no idea what time last night they were finally done, talk less of when she actually fell asleep. He smoked a blunt after the whole thing, sat her up so he could make her smoke too. He found her liquor cabinet. The night got worse.

She puked her guts out then fell asleep on the floor, but now she was in her bed trapped underneath him. They were both naked. She was sore as the day was long. He snores next to her. Holy fucking hell. She’s alive. Why is she alive?

She starts breathing heavily and looking around her room. She doesn’t know what to do. She didn’t think she would still be here.

In a flash, he’s up. His hand is over her mouth, and his eyes are staring into hers. He has a poker face. She shakes in his clutches and her eyes fill with tears already. “Relax. Listen to me. I know what you’re planning.”

What? What is he- “I dare you to fucking try and move away from me. I will follow you and ruin your life.”

“You said you were mine last night? Then you’re mine. You’ll do what I say, and I’ll do as I please with you. Do you understand?”

All she could do was nod. What could she say? She was planning on moving despite not having the money for it. She would have to save up. And now that he’s shown her what he’s capable of, why would she take the risk? 

Why is this happening to her? What did she do to deserve this? Want a better life for herself?

-

Sukuna was pleased with how the morning was going.

She was sitting on a stool in her dining room watching him make them breakfast with an ice pack on her face and a blanket over her body. She didn’t know what to think.

Suddenly, he perks up and turns towards her. “You got a phone, pretty?” 

She could throw up again. She swallows and points towards the hall . “My room,” her voice was hoarse and weak. “On the other side of the bed.”

He pauses and blinks at her. She gets scared again wondering what she did wrong this time. He turns the heat off. “You’re coming with me.”

Toji answers in a flash. “So, how was it?”

“You’re gonna like what you see.” He turns towards where she’s sitting on the bed. “Isn’t that right?” She’s not amused.

“Are you…are you with the bitch right now?” Toji asks.

“Yeah,” Sukuna makes his voice dreamy. “We’re going steady.”

ending a/n: Please lmk what you think ! Thank you for reading !

Masterlist

W E L C O M E P A G E

[punkshort]

somewhere to run | 1. a fresh start

Pairing: sheriff!Joel x f!reader

Chapter Summary: After you settle into your tiny, dingy apartment safely in the middle of nowhere, you go on the hunt for a job to help make ends meet. There, you meet someone who forces back memories you would rather forget.

Chapter Warnings: language, slow burn, PTSD-type symptoms

WC: 6K

Series Masterlist

Anybody else who walked into the small, one bedroom apartment you were currently standing in would most likely be revolted. The kitchen faucet dripped incessantly, the toilet was stained, the carpet looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a decade, and the entire place smelled like garlic from the pizza place downstairs. But when you looked at it, you smiled. You could work with this. Rummaging around the dollar store bags you left on the kitchen counter, you pulled out all of the cleaning supplies you picked up and got to work.

The landlord - who also happened to be the owner of the pizza place - seemed surprised you wanted to rent it. He said the place had been vacant for close to a year, and considering the state, he knocked off quite a bit on the price. But you could see the potential beyond the grime, and you never shied away from a little hard work, so you jumped at the opportunity. It took you almost the whole day, but you managed to get the place smelling halfway decent. The bathroom and kitchen both looked sparkling new - well, relatively. The only thing you couldn't figure out was the faucet, but that concerned you the least since your landlord said that utilities were included.

Aside from the low rent, the next best thing about the place was it came partially furnished. It had a queen bed, a beat up sofa, and a rickety dining room table, but that was all you needed. At this point, you were just happy to not be staying in another dirty motel. You were ready to find a home, plant down some roots, and start fresh. And Fredericksburg, Texas was just as good a town as any.

You were surprised by how cute the town was when you first drove down Main Street. It was quiet and quaint, and very much had a small town atmosphere. When you were at the dollar store, you had overheard the cashier making conversation with every single customer as if she had known them all her life. By the time it was your turn to cash out, she examined you quizzically, most likely trying to place you, but fortunately she let it go and didn't pry. You weren't in the mood to make up more lies. You were exhausted from being on the road so much the past few weeks, and you just wanted to collapse into bed in a somewhat clean room.

And that is exactly what you did, after you stocked the small fridge with some essentials from the grocery store at the corner of the street so you would at least have coffee and something to eat in the morning.

As you laid in bed, staring at the ceiling fan swirling above, you silently thanked your grandmother all those years ago who told you since you were old enough to understand when you meet a man, keep your own bank account. At the time, you laughed, wondering why on earth anyone would purposely keep secrets from their partner. That it seemed like such a betrayal to even suggest it. But luckily for you, when you met Patrick, you already had your own bank account. You let it lie dormant for a while, almost forgetting you had it. Eventually, you told yourself you should close the account. But that required going down to the branch in person, and you never seemed to find the time to do it. Or maybe some part of you always knew there was something ugly about him, and maybe your grandmother's words had more of an effect on you than you realized.

Whatever it was, it's the reason you were able to find a shitty little apartment in the middle of nowhere without anybody being able to track you down. And for the first time in a long time, you closed your eyes and felt safe.

The next morning, after you drank your surprisingly palatable off brand coffee and ate a borderline stale blueberry muffin, you headed down the steps of your apartment to the sidewalk lining Main Street. You took a deep breath and looked around, a small smile playing on your lips. The town was just waking up, businesses just opening their doors, cars rolling lazily down the street. You had your own car - it was an old Honda Civic that you weren't entirely sure had many years left - but you wouldn't need it today. Picking an apartment on the main drag in town afforded you the option to walk almost anywhere. So you chose a direction and started walking, glancing in the windows of the shops, looking for any help wanted signs.

You tried a small clothing boutique and a coffee shop before entering the pharmacy. There wasn't a help wanted sign out front, but you needed to pick up a few things, anyway. Things the dollar store didn't have, or things you didn't exactly trust to buy there.

You grabbed a basket by the door and smiled at the teenager behind the counter who greeted you before heading down the first aisle. You snagged some generic pain reliever and a box of tampons before you made your way to the hair products. Flipping open the caps, you took a hesitant sniff and put them back before deciding on a cheaper bottle that smelled like strawberries and didn't make you gag. Dropping the bottles in your basket, you wandered past the makeup, looking at it longingly but knowing you wouldn't waste the money on it. Instead, you stopped in front of an end-cap where a display of chapstick caught your eye.

"Sarah?" you heard a deep voice call from behind. You ignored it and kept looking at the display, landing on a vanilla scent as the man walked past. You didn't see his face, but you smelled his cologne, and you instantly recoiled. Your heart began to slam in your chest and your throat felt tight. You squeezed your eyes shut as you focused on taking deep breaths. It's not him, it's not him, it's not him.

"Excuse me, can I grab one of those?" a girl's voice said softly behind you. Taking a shaky step back, you nodded and forced a weak smile.

"Sorry, of course," you told her. She had beautiful, dark brown eyes and thick hair with tight curls framing her face. She looked like she was in her early teens, and based on the backpack over her shoulders, you were probably right.

"Sarah?" you heard the voice call again, and you saw her eyes flick up. You realized the man with the cologne was probably related to her, and you weren't sure you would be able to handle smelling it again, so you quickly took off down the next aisle to hide, waiting until their voices carried them to the cash registers and out the front door before taking a few steadying breaths and forcing yourself to move.

Minor setback aside, you had a pretty good morning. You found you had some luck at the diner a few blocks over. The owner took a liking to you right away and interviewed you on the spot.

"You came at the perfect time, darlin'," he said, taking a seat across from you. "Just missed the breakfast rush, so I got the time to talk right now. Name's Tommy," he said, extending his hand. You smiled and shook it, introducing yourself, then quickly brought your hand back to your lap to nervously fidget with the hem of your shirt.

"You ever work in a restaurant before?"

"Uh, yeah, it's been a few years. But I think it's like riding a bike. I have really good time management skills, I have experience handling cash, I'm friendly, I'm great at anticipating customer's needs-"

Tommy laughed and patted his hand on the table.

"Sounds like you got more skills than half the waitstaff I already got. Some of the older ladies ain't exactly friendly, but they've been here so long, no one seems to mind," he explained quietly with a wink. You chuckled and glanced down at your hands.

"You from around here? I don't think I recognize you," he asked, his eyebrows pinching together. You shook your head.

"Nope, just moved here." You briefly wondered if you should lie - you were so used to lying at this point, it came as second nature - but you couldn't see what it would hurt to tell him the truth. "I'm from Pennsylvania. Just got in last night, actually."

"Long way from home, what brought you here?" he asked, leaning back to study you. You just shrugged.

"Looking for a fresh start," you said honestly. If you were really looking to start over, the lying needed to stop, too.

Tommy nodded and glanced behind you before meeting your gaze again.

"Well, you're hired. If you want the job, that is," he said. You grinned, not expecting that.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. When can you start?"

"Uh, tomorrow?" you offered, your mind racing. You weren't sure if you would need new clothes so you wanted to give yourself the rest of the day, at least, to prepare.

"Works for me. Maria," Tommy called over your shoulder. You turned around and saw a beautiful woman with long, dark braids walking over. He introduced her as his wife, who also happened to be the hostess. You stood to shake her hand, exchanging warm smiles as Tommy told her your name.

"Why don't you come by tomorrow 'round 9 and Maria can show you the ropes? I work the kitchen, she's got the floor," he explained, and you nodded along excitedly.

"I'll be here," you confirmed, the grin still plastered on your face. Tommy left to head back to the kitchen as Maria told you what you needed to bring the next day. You took out your new phone and began jotting down everything she mentioned.

On the way back home, you stopped to pick up a pair of nonslip sneakers from a shoe store. Maria had given you a couple plain black skirts and black t-shirts with the diner's logo that all of the waitresses wore as their uniform before you left. To celebrate, you got a pizza from the pizza place below your apartment and watched old reruns on the ancient TV in your living room.

Things were finally starting to come together.

"Refills are free. Cream and sugar is down here, along with any extra condiments. Coffee should be made every hour but you'll go through the pot long before that," Maria said to you, pointing as she walked behind the counter. "Here's some extra notepads and pens. The computer system is kind of old but pretty easy to use. Tommy'll ring the bell when food is up, we try to move it as quick as possible before it gets cold, even if it's not your table," she said, turning around to face you. "It might take some time to learn the table numbers but we have a little cheat sheet next to all the registers. And if you're ever not sure, don't hesitate to ask."

"I think I got it," you said confidently, tapping your pen against your notepad.

"You can shadow with Betty today, she's been here for decades, long before Tommy and me ever bought the place. She knows her shit forwards and backwards," Maria said, leading you back to the kitchen where you saw an older, round woman struggling with a cardboard box.

"Here, let me help," you told her, rushing over to take the box from her.

"Thanks, sweetie," she said with a smile. "Can you take it up front for me?"

"Of course," you said, following her through the kitchen.

Maria introduced you to Betty as you helped her stock the ketchup bottles underneath the front counter. You heard Tommy's voice call for Maria through the kitchen window and she excused herself, leaving the two of you to tend to the only two customers in the place.

The morning went by quickly. Betty was nicer than you expected. In your experience, when a newcomer joins a seasoned team, it sometimes takes time for the veterans to warm up, but she seemed very eager to show you the ropes, and she had the patience of a saint. All of the customers seemed to know her name and history, some occasionally asking about her husband or her children. As it inched closer to noon, the diner started getting busier again, so you began to branch out a bit on your own, taking a few simple orders and delivering food or refills whenever you could. Betty was deep in conversation with a regular when she waved you over.

"D'you mind takin' care of him?" she asked, nodding over to the man who just sat down. "That's Joel, Tommy's brother. Don't charge him for nothin', he comes in all the time."

You nodded and pulled your pen and notepad out of your apron as you headed over to greet him. When you finally lifted your gaze, you noticed he was wearing a worn, brown suit with a striped tie and as you got closer, you saw the little gold star pinned to his belt and the bulge of a handgun under his blazer.

Your breath got caught in your throat when you made the realization he's a cop.

It's fine, it's fine, it's fine you kept repeating to yourself, forcing your feet to move. You thought you were okay by the time you stood in front of him, but then his cologne invaded your senses, and you had to squeeze your eyes shut. Fuck.

Fortunately, his head was bent down looking at the menu and didn't see your reaction, which afforded you a few precious seconds to collect yourself. It's not him.

"Hey Betty, I'll have-" he glanced up and realized you were not, in fact, Betty. His warm brown eyes trailed over your face for a moment too long, making you shift your weight nervously.

"Sorry, didn't uh - have we met?" he asked, his eyes unblinking as he continued to stare, and you felt the heat creeping up your neck. It's fine, you're fine.

"No," you finally managed to squeak out, shaking your head and introducing yourself right as his eyes drifted to your name tag. "What can I get for you?"

You needed to walk away. You weren't sure how much longer you could stand there smelling that fucking cologne and staring at that badge. But for some reason, he didn't answer you. Maybe if you weren't so wrapped up in your own issues, you would have recognized the look in his eye. The look that clearly expressed interest beyond you taking his food order. And maybe, if you weren't so messed up, you would have realized he was insanely handsome. Maybe, if you could have seen past the cologne and the gold star on his waist, you would have noticed how plush his lips looked, or how big and strong his hands were. You had no idea how you could possibly miss how broad his shoulders were or how thick and soft the messy, dark curls were on top of his head.

But you did miss all of those things the first time you saw him, because he just kept staring and the scent was making your stomach turn and the fluorescent light was shining too brightly off that damn star, so you repeated yourself with a little more edge to your voice than you usually had.

He finally snapped out of it and glanced down at the menu, quickly telling you his order. You wrote it down and held your breath, only letting it go once you were around the corner and far enough away. He comes in all the time, Betty's words replayed in your mind. You were either going to need to find a way to deal with your issues, or find a new job.

"Hiya, Joel. New girl take care of you?" Betty asked as she ambled over to refill his coffee. His eyes flicked around the diner, following your form as you smiled and chatted warmly with other customers.

"Yeah, when did she start?" he asked, trying to sound noncommittal, but Betty saw right through it.

"Today," she told him with a smirk. "Real smart. Pretty, too, don'tcha think?"

"Uh," Joel stammered before clearing his throat. "Yeah, suppose so."

"I think she's single," Betty told him, leaning up against the counter.

"When are you gonna quit tryin' to set me up with every woman in this town?" Joel asked her with a grin.

"Whenever you decide to finally settle down," she shot right back. "You need a woman in your life, Joel."

"Do you do this to all your customers, Betty? Grill 'em 'bout their love lives and tell 'em what they need, like you know best?"

"I do know best, Joel," she said with a wink. "And you know it."

"Yeah, well. I got my hands full with Sarah and work down at the station. Don't got time for all that," he said, taking a sip of his black coffee.

"Sarah's 'bout to be goin' off to college before you know it, and there ain't nearly enough crime in this town to keep you that busy," she said with a shake of her head.

Joel mumbled something under his breath before taking another sip of coffee and glancing around the dining room.

"What was that?" Betty asked, leaning in and cupping her ear. Joel sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Don't think she likes me much, anyway," he said, clearer now.

"Oh, well I can find out for you, sugar. All you gotta do is ask." Betty gave Joel the biggest shit eating grin she could muster. He took a deep breath before asking what he knew would be a huge mistake, but he suddenly needed to know the answer.

"Can you..." he trailed off, chewing the inside of his cheek and staring down at the closed menu.

"Can I what?"

Joel groaned and dragged his eyes back up to Betty.

"Can you find out if she'd be interested?" he finally spit out, and Betty clapped her hands.

"Of course I will, Joel! I would absolutely love to," she gushed, and he rolled his eyes again. Just then, he saw you come around the corner and go behind the counter, completely ignoring the two of you before reaching up to the kitchen window and grabbing his lunch. You turned around and gave him what looked to be a forced smile and carefully set the plate down in front of him with a bottle of ketchup. Betty took a step back and watched with a glimmer in her eye as Joel's neck began to flush.

"Can I get you anything else?" you asked. Your voice sounded sweet and you were smiling, but your smile didn't reach your eyes. Maybe he was reading too much into it.

"Nope, all set, thank you," he said, giving you a warm smile in return, but before he even had a chance to say anything else, to try to make a connection and learn more about you, you scurried away. He glanced over at Betty and raised his eyebrows.

"See?"

She waved him off and picked up a rag to wipe down the counter.

"She's just nervous, is all."

The embarrassment still sat with you by the time you arrived back to your apartment that evening. When Betty caught you off guard and asked what you thought of Joel, you couldn't turn down the idea fast enough. You must have looked and sounded crazy based on her reaction. Your only saving grace was Joel had already left the diner and didn't hear you vehemently tell her you wanted nothing to do with him. It wasn't his fault, you weren't interested in hurting his feelings, but you were far too vulnerable still. The wounds were too fresh and the memories were too strong.

Besides, even if you weren't in the unfortunate position you were in, you wouldn't feel right dragging even more people down with you. You dug this grave, so you had to dig yourself out. And you were on the right track, too. As far as you knew, nobody knew where you were. You were incredibly careful, you kept a low profile, and you didn't contact a single person back home. You had no idea who you could even trust anymore, so the safest bet was to just cut all ties and start over.

You weren't going to risk everything by getting involved with some guy. Okay, he was more like a man. But still. Your situation was far too complicated to get involved with anybody. Technically, you shouldn't get involved with anybody.

No, it was a very bad idea.

So why couldn't you stop thinking about him?

"Stop it," you muttered out loud to yourself as you paced around your little apartment. With a huff, you picked up the small potted plant you bought on clearance and gave it a little bit of water from the dripping kitchen sink before putting it back on the windowsill.

Remember what he smelled like? Remember he's a cop?

That did the trick. Those two simple reminders erased all prior thoughts about the handsome sheriff who visited the diner earlier that day.

And as you tucked yourself into bed that night, you convinced yourself the only reason who were momentarily intrigued by the man's interest was flattery. You were simply flattered someone looked at you in that way. It's been a long time since anybody had, and it just made you feel good.

Yep, that's all it was.

When Joel sat down at the counter the next day and was greeted by Betty instead of you, he was surprised to find he was disappointed. He had just met you, he knew nothing about you, he barely even spoke to you. Why should he care if you were waiting on him today or not?

"She ain't here," Betty said when she caught Joel glancing around the dining room. He tried not to look deflated.

"Who?"

Betty laughed heartily at that and had to pause to catch her breath so she wouldn't spill his coffee.

"Listen, Joel," she said, setting the coffee pot down and leaning on the counter. "Remember what I said yesterday? 'Bout how I always know what's best?"

"Yeah," he said slowly, eyeing her up and bracing for what was coming next.

"Well, turns out I might have been wrong. There's a first time for everythin', right?" she said, forcing a laugh that he didn't reciprocate.

"What'dya mean?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't think she's interested in datin' anyone right now," was all she said, and he felt the disappointment instantly flood his veins. He didn't even realize how much he had been hoping his instinct was wrong, that maybe he misread you, but of course he was right. He was a cop, after all. He was good at reading people, it's what he was trained to do.

"That's it?"

"I don't know, Joel. Maybe she's not into men, I didn't ask any more questions," she said. "Besides, I was thinkin'. Margaret's daughter is back in town. You remember Nikki?"

Joel shrugged and turned back to his coffee. He remembered Nikki. He wasn't interested in Nikki. She was a nice girl, but he didn't feel anything when he looked at her. Not like the way he felt when he looked at you.

"Now I know for a fact that Nikki's had a crush on you since you were in high school. I could talk to Margaret at church this weekend..."

"No thanks," Joel said immediately, then glanced at his watch before standing up and tossing a tip down on the table. "Gotta get back to work, I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

He turned on his heel and left before Betty had a chance to reply.

What a stupid idea. What did he expect would actually happen? That you would fall in love with him after he spoke barely three sentences to you? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Hey, Joel," he heard the owner of the hardware shop call out to him in greeting as he walked by.

"Hey, Lee. How's it goin'?" Joel stopped outside the open door to the shop, leaning against the doorframe as he watched Lee sweep the floor.

"Can't complain. 'Cept, you get any leads on those vandals? Someone's been drawin' obscene things on the street signs over on Willow." Lee lowered his voice and glanced over his shoulder before adding "someone even drew a phallic image on a deer crossin' sign."

Joel had to stifle a chuckle because he knew the old man was completely serious.

"I'm on it, Lee. Promise, I'll get to the bottom of it," he said with a nod.

A clatter deep within the store pulled both of their attention toward the noise.

"You alright back there, miss?" Lee called, peering down the aisle. Joel's breath caught in his throat when he heard your voice.

"Yeah, sorry! Just dropped something," you replied, emerging from the aisle looking a little flustered and holding an array of tools in your hands. You stiffened before you even laid eyes on him, like you could sense him before even seeing he was there. Joel couldn't help but take it a little personally. Why were you so sweet and friendly to Lee and other customers at the diner, but so cold to him?

You glanced his way nervously and he tried to give you a reassuring smile, maybe even a quick hello, but you immediately turned to address Lee, asking him questions on how to fix a kitchen faucet. Joel watched as Lee picked out the right tool for you and explained how to fix it, but it was clear as day you were having a hard time following. Lee must have noticed as well.

"You ever fix anythin' 'round a house, sweetheart?" Lee asked, and a little pink dusted your cheeks, making Joel's heart flutter in his chest.

"Is it that obvious?" you asked him with a sweet smile. Why wouldn't you look at him like that?

Lee laughed good-naturedly before turning to Joel.

"Joel, would you mind helpin' her out? Her place's on the way back to the station."

Your smile fell and you instantly shook your head, eyes widening as you clutched the tool in your hand.

"N-no, that's okay, I can manage," you said, first to Lee, then braved a glance in his direction before dropping your eyes to the floor.

A big part of Joel told himself to just give up, just let you be and ignore whatever it was that made you dislike him so much. But he just couldn't do it.

"Not a problem, it should just take a second," Joel finally said, tilting his head to look at you. "Where d'you live?"

He could tell you were incredibly uncomfortable now, and he wondered if he should stop pushing it. It looked like you could hardly breathe as you stared at the floor and considered your options.

"Just a few blocks that way," you said meekly, pointing north up Main Street. Joel pushed himself off the doorframe and stood aside so you could squeeze through without getting too close to him, and for that you seemed grateful. He nodded to Lee before following you down the sidewalk, his hands shoved deep in his pockets as he tried to think of something to say.

"You likin' it here so far?"

"Uh huh," you replied, your gaze trained straight ahead. The pair of you walked in an awkward silence for another minute before he tried again.

"You got a place right on Main?"

"Above the pizza parlor," you said, and before he could follow up with another question, you suddenly stopped walking. He turned around when he realized and gave you a confused look.

"I really appreciate the offer, but I think I can figure out the sink for myself," you told him, forcing yourself to look into his eyes this time when you spoke.

"It's no trouble. It's what we all do 'round here, we help each other out," he replied. You fidgeted with the strap of your purse and averted your gaze. He waited for you to weigh your options, not wanting to pressure you but also not ready to give up, either. Finally, you spoke.

"You said it'll be quick?"

He grinned and nodded.

"Less than ten minutes."

You sighed and forced yourself to continue walking.

"Okay, if you're sure you don't mind..."

"I'm sure."

You walked in silence the rest of the way to your apartment. Joel seemed nice enough, and you could probably even get over the fact he was a cop, but you just couldn't get past the fucking cologne. It permeated every molecule of air whenever he was near, and you couldn't stop the horrible memories that came flooding back. You knew you would end up regretting allowing him into your apartment because you would end up spending the rest of the day trying to rid your little sanctuary of that scent. But you were weak. You never were very good at saying no. And this time was no exception.

You unlocked the front door and Joel held it open while you led him up the creaky stairs, then unlocked the second door at the top that led directly into your small apartment. He closed the door behind him and glanced around, taking in your space for the first time.

"Cozy," he finally said, and you let out a soft chuckle.

"You could say that," you replied. The room wasn't very big, but he noticed the moment you both entered, you put as much space between the two of you as you could. Your eyes were flicking around the room anxiously, your back against the only window and your fingers clutching the tool to your chest, toying with it nervously. He took a couple steps towards you and your fidgeting stopped. You dragged your gaze up to his as he studied your curious behavior. If it wasn't obvious before, it was crystal clear now: he made you incredibly uncomfortable.

Rather than make things worse, he stopped halfway across the room and just held out his hand. You stared at it, unmoving and barely breathing before he cleared his throat.

"Wrench?"

"Oh," you said softly, letting out a shaky breath before taking a step forward and handing him the tool you had just bought. He took it and gave you one more look before turning back towards the small kitchen. He shrugged off his blazer and draped it over the back of a chair, and your throat went dry when you clocked the gun on his waist.

You watched him warily as he flicked on the overhead light and fiddled with the lever of the sink before opening the cabinets underneath and peering inside at the plumbing. You hardly moved a muscle as you watched him. You wished you could light the scented candle on your table to help minimize the cologne, but you were too nervous he would find that suggestive. The silence became deafening as he worked, and you felt compelled to say something.

"Can I get you some water?"

He stopped what he was doing and gave you a small smirk.

"As long as it ain't from the tap," he said, tilting his head towards the faucet he currently had taken apart. You smiled and walked quickly over to the fridge, pulling out two bottles of water. He noticed your fingers shaking slightly when you handed him the water, and he frowned.

"You alright?"

"Me?" you squeaked, as if there were anyone else in the room he could be addressing. He nodded slowly and unscrewed the cap, still staring at you.

"I'm fine," you assured him, but still took a few paces back to stand next to your window again. Far away from him. He looked you up and down as he took a sip of his water before setting the bottle down on the counter.

"I can tell you got some issue with me," he began, and you stilled, watching him carefully from across the room, clutching the water bottle tightly against your chest. You shook your head quickly, but he held out a hand to stop you.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable at the diner," he said.

"W-what do you mean?" you stammered.

"Betty," he added, raising his eyebrows. "She's got a tendency to stick her nose where it don't belong, and I know she said somethin' to you 'bout me. I just wanted to apologize if that put you in tough spot."

"Oh, that's alright," you told him, quickly waving him off. He chewed the corner of his mouth as he studied your surprisingly relaxed response. So Betty's prying wasn't the problem.

"You gotta give me somethin' here," he said after a moment, and you dropped your gaze to your feet. "What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything," you said softly, your eyes still pinned to the floor.

"Then why can't you stand lookin' at me for more than five seconds?" he asked, desperate now to know the answer.

"Does it matter?" you whispered.

"I wish it didn't," he said, the words slipping out before he could stop them. You finally looked up at him now, taking in his hurt expression, and you felt your resolve crumbling. What happened to you wasn't this man's fault.

"What does that mean?" you asked him, and it was his turn to look away.

"Nothin'," he finally mumbled, his heart slamming against his chest.

"It's your cologne," you blurted out, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. He wasn't expecting that.

"My... cologne?"

"It's nothing personal, I'm just sensitive to smells." He knew you were lying. Your entire apartment smelled like garlic and marinara sauce from the pizza place downstairs. But he decided not to push it.

"My daughter - Sarah - she got it for me for Father's Day. Truth be told, I don't like it much, either," he told you, and much to his relief, he saw the corners of your mouth tug into a small smile.

"I'm sorry," you said quietly. He just shrugged and turned back to the sink.

"Nothin' for you to be sorry 'bout. Thought I offended you or somethin', is all," he told you as he worked on putting the faucet back together.

You took a few tentative steps closer to peer over his shoulder.

"Can you show me what you did to fix it?" you asked. He straightened up to look at you and twirled the wrench in his hand, deciding to be bold.

"If I do that, then I won't have an excuse to come see you when it breaks again."

You bit your lip to hide your smile as your cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He grinned and turned back to the sink. Maybe he still had a chance. He was nearly finished, but he showed mercy on you and explained what he did, anyway.

Once he was done, you walked him down to the first floor, thanking him profusely along the way.

"Don't mention it," he said, shoving his arms through his blazer as he walked, but turned back before you closed the door.

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

You swallowed the lump in your throat as you gazed up at him. Now that you were back outside and the scent wasn't so strong, you allowed yourself to acknowledge that Joel was a good looking man. A really good looking man. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you cursed Patrick for ruining so many things for you, but you were afraid the worst thing he might have actually ruined for you was Joel.

You slowly nodded, then he grinned and tilted his head to the side.

"You have yourself a good rest of the day, sweetheart."

You felt yourself blush at the term of endearment, but luckily he had already turned away.

Taglist: @harriedandharassed @merz-8 @sarap-77

[daysofyellowroses]

sandwich

carmen berzatto x afab!reader | 7.9k | based on this wonderful request by @kpopgirlbtssvt (sincere apologies this took so long!) | 18+ minors dni | warnings: smut, mentions of abuse, shitty shitty behaviour, language

finally finally finally i am posting this! it was not intended to be so long but i couldn't bring myself to end it, then life and work got busy and long story short, here it is! i have more requests to get working on, but i have a week off from today so hopefully no more delays! 🌼💗🫶🏻

🐻

“I can do this, I can totally do this.”

You repeated the words to yourself over and over, looking at your reflection in the bathroom mirror. It was just a job interview, it wasn't like you were going into battle or something. Still, that thought didn't ease the knot in your stomach. Job interviews were always nerve-wracking, it was just the nature of them. You'd lost track of how many you'd been on, they all started to blur together. Some of the jobs weren't even really what you wanted, but you needed something new. Your notice was burning a hole in your pocket, just waiting to be handed in. 

You stepped back from the mirror, taking a deep breath. Your outfit looked professional, you felt. A white shirt and navy pants, simple but effective. You forced yourself to smile, to try and feel more relaxed. The world wouldn't end, you still had a job, technically, had a roof over your head. A new roof, a new life. Now you just needed a new job and it would all fall into place.

Heading into your bedroom, you checked your phone to see which interview it was, your calendar flooded with notices. The latest was a hostess job for the Bear, a newly opened restaurant. You'd been a little surprised to get a call for an interview, while you had worked in a restaurant before it was a couple of years ago and you'd worked there for less than a year. Still, an interview was an interview, and you wouldn't be too down if you didn't get it.

When you arrived at the restaurant, you wondered if you'd gone to the right address. In theory it looked like a restaurant, but there was still a whole lot of construction work going on. You wondered how soon the soon-to-be-open was exactly. Heading inside, you raised a brow at how much work was being done, an interview on a construction site would be a new experience for sure.

After a moment,  a blonde woman walked through one of the open doorways, picking her way across the floor to you. She seemed to be heavily pregnant, but it didn't stop her weaving through the room with ease.

“Hi, sorry to keep you waiting,” She smiled as she approached you. “I'm Natalie, one of the managers here. You must be my ten o'clock interview, come on in.”

She led you to a table that had been laid out how you imagined all the tables would eventually look, with its elegant wine glasses and luxurious napkins and cutlery. There were, you noticed, three chairs across the table from you, your heart beating a little faster. You didn't mind interviews but when there were three or four people talking to you at once it could be a little intense.

You gave her your details and placed your purse on the back of your chair, taking a deep breath.

“Great,” Natalie smiled, placing the copy of your resume that you had given her on the table. “I'm just waiting for-”

“I'm here,” A voice called from across the room. “Sorry I'm late.”

You looked over, finding a tall man in a dark suit walking over to the table. He looked about mid-40s, piercing blue,eyes, pretty attractive but not necessarily your type. Not that it mattered, you told yourself. Finding your boss attractive hadn't been great for you historically. 

The man introduced himself and you did the same, sitting up a little as he sat down beside Natalie.

“Are Carm and Sydney coming to this one?” Natalie asked Richie, quietly. “They said they would.”

“Said they'd try,” Richie replied, looking over to you with a polite smile. “But let's get started shall we?”

“Absolutely.” You nodded with a smile, taking a deep breath. 

“Well let's tell you a little bit about us,” Natalie smiled. “As you can see we're still in the renovation stage, but we're close to the end now. We were a sandwich shop before but now we're moving to a more high end operation, which we're all very excited about. It's a great team we have here, and we're looking forward to building on what we already have.”

“That sounds great,” You smiled, glancing down to the table for a moment to gather your thoughts before looking back up. “I'm used to working as part of a strong team, so that wouldn't be a problem.”

“Excellent,” Natalie nodded, looking at your resume for a moment before looking over to Richie. “Well Richie here is our front of house manager so I'll let him fill you in on what we would expect from you.”

Richie nodded, looking over to you and you felt your heart race a little. For good or bad you weren't sure, but you decided to roll with it.

“As Natalie said we're going to be a high end operation,” Richie began, his gaze burning into you. “What does that mean to you?”

You thought about it for a moment, adjusting the napkin in front of you before looking back at Richie. 

“To me it means excellent food, a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, and a strong focus on customer service.”

Richie was quiet for a moment and you found yourself questioning your answer. 

“Good,” Richie nodded, sitting back a little. “Now..”

It was fifteen or so minutes later when the door to the restaurant opened. Richie and Natalie both glanced over and you paused what you were saying. After a moment they looked back at you and you kept going, a man about your age coming over to the table and sitting in the empty chair beside Natalie. He gave you a polite smile and you felt your heart race in a way you knew definitely wasn't good but in the best possible way. 

“Apologies for my brother's lateness,” Natalie sighed softly, gesturing to the man beside her. “This is Carmy, he's the head chef.”

He smiled as he held his hand out to you and it took you a second to remember your own name. You shook his had, trying to ignore the spark that shot through you.

The rest of the interview felt like a blur, before you knew it you were saying your goodbyes and heading out. You had no idea if you had actually done well or not, with every other interview you'd had some idea but you were honestly clueless with this one.

It was a couple of days later when you got a phone call. You had just gotten out of the shower when your phone rang, you could hear it from your bedroom and quickly threw a towel around yourself before heading into your bedroom. You didn't have time to check the ID before answering your phone, clutching your towel around yourself. 

“Hello?”

“Hi, sorry to call so early.”

You vaguely recognised the voice, running through possible options in your head before it dawned on you.

“Uh..no, no it's fine,” You nodded, sitting on the edge of your bed. “Don't worry.”

“Great,” Carmy replied. “I wanted to thank you for coming in the other day, we had a lot of interviews..”

You took a deep breath as you braced yourself for rejection. It wouldn't be the worst thing, but it still always felt a little deflating to be told you weren't good enough. 

“..and I wanted to let you know that we would love to have you on board, if you're still interested?”

Your heart flew into your mouth, your mind unable to process an answer for a moment.

“I..yes, yes I'm still interested,” You nodded, a smile breaking out on your face. “That's amazing, thank you so much.”

“My pleasure,” Carmy's voice sounded low in your ear and you found yourself clutching your towel tighter. “I know you have to work out your notice in your current job but whenever you're free to start, we'll be here.”

“Oh, great,” You murmured, cursing yourself for sounding so dazed. “I'll hand my notice in today, and..I'll keep you updated. Thank you so much.”

“Don't mention it, I'll talk to you soon okay?”

“Okay,” You nodded, saying your goodbyes before ending the call and sitting on your bed for a while longer to process what had happened. It was a weight off your shoulders, of course, but you still had a nervous excitement about it.

The two weeks you had to finish out seemed to pass by in an instant. On your last day you were given a card and flowers, someone brought in a cake, and you found yourself wondering if anyone would even remember you in a week's time.

Then, before you knew it, you were getting ready to start your first shift at the Bear. It was the opening night, and you weren't sure if the nerves would ever end. The evening was all a blur, you felt like you were on autopilot, watching your own body in action. Richie took the helm much to your relief, and you just followed his lead. By the time you were putting your jacket on and getting ready to go home, you weren't sure you hadn't dreamed the whole thing. 

The nerves really hit on your following shift. There wasn't the buzz of the opening night, the pressure that made you strangely calm. You spent a solid two hours getting ready, looking at yourself in the mirror for a ridiculously long time. Your dress felt too short, even with your dark tights. Your makeup felt like it was too much and not enough. Eventually you had to leave, and tried to push your insecurities aside before they drove you crazy.

You arrived at the restaurant just in time for the staff dinner, taking your seat and taking off your jacket. You felt too nervous to eat, even though the food looked incredible. Instead, you opted to take a sip of water, glancing up and finding Carmy looking at you. He looked away when you met his eyes and you slowly set your cup down, adjusting your dress under the table.

While you forced yourself to eat something, you looked over to Richie as he launched into a story, finding yourself relaxing slightly. You were sure you felt eyes on you, but when you glanced at Carmy he wasn't looking at you. After dinner, the nerves struck again as everyone got ready for the service. You hung back for a moment, taking a deep breath. 

“Hey, feeling okay?”

You looked up and swallowed a breath as you saw Carmy walking over to you.

“Uh..yeah, yeah I'm good,” You nodded, clearing your throat. “Just the tiniest bit nervous. It's been a minute since I was in a job like this..I hope last night wasn't just a fluke.”

“It wasn't,” Carmy smiled, raising a brow. “Don't worry. You were great, really great. You can do this, just overthink it, alright?”

“Alright,” You smiled, feeling the knot in your stomach loosen slightly. “I won't.”

Service actually went well, at least for a while. You put on a mask of confidence and found yourself feeling better about your abilities as the evening went on. Until, that is, you were in the kitchen explaining an order update for a table when Richie burst in with a face like thunder and your stomach dropped.

“Hey,” He looked over to you and you already wanted the ground to open up and swallow you. 

“Did you seat table nine?”

“I..yes, I did,” You nodded, wondering what exactly the problem was, nothing springing to mind. “Why? Should I..not have?”

Richie sighed and ran his hand over his face, while you felt like you were back in school about to be ripped apart by a teacher. 

“You seated them,” Richie nodded, resting his hands on his hips. “Despite the fact that table nine is reserved for seven thirty, did you just decide not to do your job?”

“I..I'm so sorry,” You insisted, holding your hands up.  “It was a mistake, I take complete responsibility for it, I'm so sorry.”

“You should be,” Richie sighed, shaking his head. “You made the mess, you clean it up. I can't fucking believe this.”

“I..” You stopped yourself as Richie held his hand up, trying to hold back your tears and cursing yourself for being so damn overly sensitive. 

“No, you just need to stop,” Richie muttered. “I gotta think.”

You closed your eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, looking over your shoulder as you felt a hand on your back.

“Don't worry,” Carmy murmured softly, meeting your eyes. “he's just a drama queen. You can do this, don't panic.”

You felt more eyes on you, some of the other chefs looking at you with surprise before they got back to work.

“Alright,” You nodded, taking a deep breath before looking back at Richie. 

“I'll handle it.”

You left the kitchen, holding your head up high and leaving the mask aside. 

After service was over, you slipped out to the back and sat on a low wall before pulling a back of cigarettes from your purse. A moment later you let out a long exhale and felt your body relax. 

“Mind if I bum one of those?”

“Of course,” You smiled, holding the packet out to Carmy as he walked towards you. “Go for it.”

“Thanks,” Carmy nodded, taking the pack. “Didn't have you pegged as a smoker. No offense.”

“None taken,” You smiled, wrapping your arm around yourself. “I don't smoke so much anymore, just after a tough day. Stress reliever.”

Carmy nodded as he lit up a cigarette, handing you back the packet. “I get you. But I should warn you this job will have you back smoking full time, nature of it and all.”

You nodded as you took a drag of your cigarette, watching Carmy sit down beside you. 

“Thanks for the heads up..and I'm sorry again for tonight.”

Carmy shook his head, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees.

“Don't apologize, honestly. It was an honest mistake, it all got resolved. Richie just needs to have a moment now and then. He'll apologize in a day or two.”

“Can't wait,” You laughed softly, flicking your cigarette by your feet. “I really thought he was gonna kill me at one point. If I'm still here in a month I'll be amazed.”

“You'll still be here,” Carmy nudged you gently. “If I have my way anyway. Don't let Richie get in your head. You're good at what you do, embrace it.”

“Are you a chef or a life coach?” You teased, smiling to yourself. “I just get a little too in my head sometimes, overthink things.”

“Well join the club,” Carmy laughed softly as he shook his head. “We're all guilty of that. You just gotta push past it, I guess.”

“Hm, has that ever worked for you?” You asked, looking over to Carmy.

“Honestly?” Carmy met your gaze, his cigarette between his lips and his eyes sincere. “Not even once.”

“Hm, I suspected as much,” You smiled, looking away. “easier said than done, right?”

“Right,” Carmy murmured. “So maybe we just tell each other when we're overthinking. Get the thoughts out.”

“That sounds great, in theory,” You raised a brow, looking up for a moment with a smile. “Guess we'll just have to see how it goes in practice.”

A month later, you had started to settle into your role more, getting more comfortable and confident. There were a couple of slip ups here and there, but you always seemed to have Carmy in your corner. You got better at handling problems, and gradually started to build a bond with Richie, who you grew a soft spot for.

One particular Saturday, there was a plan to go for drinks after work. You hadn't been planning to go, but figured it would be nice to spend some time with everyone outside of work, in your normal clothes and without only being able to speak in short bursts.

Well, you and Carmy did tend to spend some time after work having a cigarette, sometimes it was twenty minutes, sometimes it was an hour. At first you would just talk about work, about the night's service, any annoying customers, but gradually you started to learn more. You found that you enjoyed just listening to him talk, when he would tell you little snippets of his life. It was never too much, too detailed, but enough for you to piece together a more clear picture of his life. You shared some details of your life, never anything too much, but enough that he seemed interested, asking you more and more questions. 

After service that Saturday, you felt like you could sleep for a week but everyone else's excitement gave you a buzz. You got changed in the bathroom, throwing on a pair of dark jeans and a simple red velvet top, stuffing your hostess dress into your bag. You felt more than ready for a drink, but there was one thing you had to do first.

“Didn't think you were coming out tonight.”

“For a drink or a smoke?” You asked, walking over to the wall and sitting beside Carmy. He was wearing jeans and a sweater but when you were so used to seeing him in his whites it made a difference. 

“Either,” Carmy handed you a pack of cigarettes. “Not complaining though.”

“Didn't think you would,” You smiled, plucking a cigarette from the pack. “I told Syd I'd head to the bar in a few, they're all gonna go on ahead. Richie said first round on him.”

“I'll believe that when I see it,” Carmy scoffed, shaking his head. “What's your poison?”

“Arsenic,” You replied, looking over to Carm with a grin. “Ask an old question and get an old answer.”

“Alright, fair,” Carmy nodded, a smile on his face. “if I was to give you a drink right now what would you have?”

“Right now?” You looked up for a moment, thinking about it. 

“Mm..probably like a whiskey sour.”

“You're such an old man,” Carm laughed as you rolled your eyes. “A whiskey sour?”

“It's a classic,” You lightly swatted his arm. “Don't knock it. We can't all be cool bros who drink fucking beer.”

“I never said I was having a beer,” Carmy raised a brow, holding his hand over his heart. “You're really gonna slap me with the bro label?”

“Yeah,” You nodded, taking a drag on your cigarette before looking over to Carm with a grin. “It's an old man's prerogative.”

You and Carm ended up arriving at the bar after everyone else had already finished half their first drinks. One of you had suggested walking to the bar, it didn't seem so far away at the time. On the way you'd stopped to get cigarettes, arguing over who was paying, Carmy beating you to the card machine by a split second.

The bar felt warm when you walked in, Carm's hand on your back as you removed your jacket not helping. He told you he'd order the drinks, disappearing before you could offer your card.

You joined the others, sitting down beside Richie and laughing as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders and rested his head on yours. By the time Carmy came over with your drinks you were caught up in Syds's story, taking a moment before looking over to Carm and mouthing a ‘thank you’.

As the night went on, you weren't sure how many drinks you had actually had, between your trips to the bar more glasses were placed in front of you, everyone forgetting who they actually owed. In the latest bar you'd all ended up in, you leaned against Carmy's shoulder, his arm around yours.

“Oh shit,” You heard Richie exclaim, slowly dragging your gaze over to him. 

“They got karaoke!”

“Karaoke?” You grinned, looking up at Carmy. “Oh wait, you're probably too cool for that, huh bro?”

“Shut up,” Carmy rolled his eyes with a smile, lightly squeezing your shoulder. “We can't all get up and belt out Sinatra.”

“Hey,” You raised a brow. “My drinks may be old but my music taste is not. Get me the sight up sheet.”

The lights of the stage felt bright and hot on your already warm skin, but you felt a rush of adrenaline as everyone cheered and your eyes met Carm's. 

“Hey,” You smiled, giving a little wave and trying not to cringe at the sound of your voice in the microphone. “I'm gonna sing a song that I love, and hope I don't butcher it entirely.”

You laughed softly as the Bear crowd cheered, someone giving you a whistle. The alcohol-induced confidence took over you as the music started, and you decided to just embrace the moment as you held the microphone.

‘All the lights in Miami begin to gleam

Ruby, blue and green, neon too

Everything looks better from above my king

Like aquamarine, ocean's blue

Ah ah ah ah

Ah ah ah ah

Cacciatore

La da da da da

La da da da da

Limousines

Ah ah ah ah

Ah ah ah ah

Ciao amore

La da da da da

La da da da da

Soft ice cream’

Any lingering nerves you had disappeared when you looked over to your table and heard cheers, your eyes meeting Carmy's for a moment. His gaze was totally focused on you, your heart beating faster as you continued the song, feeling a little more confident as you kept your gaze on him.

‘Catch me if you can

Working on my tan

Salvatore

Dying by the hand

Of a foreign man

Happily

Calling out my name

In the summer rain

Ciao amore

Salvatore can wait

Now it's time to eat

Soft ice cream’

You felt like you were in a daze as the song ended, smiling when there was a round of applause and making your way back to the table. Richie squeezed your shoulder and went to get you a drink, which you knew would have you fully committing to a hangover but you didn't care.

“You were incredible,” Carmy whispered in your ear, low and warm. “I had no idea you could sing.”

“Really?” You grinned, turning your head and meeting his eyes. “Well I guess I'm just full of surprises.”

A couple of hours later, you found yourself trying not to fall asleep in the back of an Uber, your head on Carmy's shoulder. You were drunk, but not so much that you had lost all sense of yourself. Instead you felt pleasantly buzzed and sleepy, wanting to fall into your bed and stay there forever.

“We're here,” Carm gently squeezed your shoulder, dragging you from your drifting thoughts. “Let's go.”

You let him help you out of the car, your arm linked with his as he led you to the door of your building. It took a minute to remember the code to the door, but you got there in the end, laughing to yourself when it worked. 

“Now I just need to remember what number my apartment is,” You sighed as you pushed the button for the elevator, grinning as Carmy gave you a deadpan look. “Kidding, don't worry.”

When you reached your front door, you expected Carmy to give a polite excuse and leave, even though that was the last thing you wanted him to do. When he didn't, you tried not to look too pleased, holding the door open for him and taking a deep breath. 

“Where's your kitchen?” Carm asked, turning to you as you closed the door. “I'll get you some water.”

“Just through there,” You smiled, gesturing to the door on your left. “I'm gonna go change.”

You went into your bedroom, leaving the door open and flicking on the light. You peeled off your clothes and dropped them into/close enough to the laundry hamper before heading to the chest of drawers and pulling open a drawer. You rifled through until you found a pair of simple blue pajamas, pulling on the t-shirt then the shorts. 

When you turned around Carm was heading through the door, glancing around the room before placing the glass of water on your nightstand. He turned to look at you and you felt your heart leap from your chest.

“Stay,” You asked, or rather requested, feeling a little embarrassed by your firmness. “I mean..if you want, you can stay. It's pretty late.”

“Oh, uh..okay,” Carmy nodded, and you found yourself relaxing a little. “Sure. I can crash on the couch.”

“Don't be stupid,” You smiled, gesturing to your double, albeit a small double, bed. “It's alright, I don't bite.”

Carm looked concerned for a moment before he laughed and shook his head.

“Ah what the hell. It's one night.”

“Don't sound too offended to share my bed,” You teased, walking over to the nightstand and picking up the glass. “Not just anyone gets that privilege.”

“I'm flattered,” Carm laughed softly, rubbing his neck. “Just don't want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“You couldn't if you tried,” You insisted, gently touching his arm before sitting down on your bed. “Now hurry up, I'm exhausted.”

A couple of moments later, Carm was down to his shorts, and you tried not to stare. He turned out the light before you could hear him crossing the room. You slipped under the covers, your breath catching as you felt him get in beside you.

“Comfortable?” You asked, turning onto your side and resting your hand under your pillow. 

“Yeah,” Carmy nodded, laying on his back. You could just about make him out in the dark, the lingering scent of his cologne, cigarettes and beer feeling heady and desirable. “Thanks.”

“You're welcome,” You murmured softly, taking a breath. “tonight was really fun..I can't really remember the last time I had a night out.”

“Me too,” Carm sighed softly, the mattress dipping slightly as he turned to face you. “I'll pay for it tomorrow, I feel the hangover creeping over the horizon.”

“That's the downside to getting older,” You shrugged softly. “You start to feel hungover before you've even gone to sleep.”

“Well you would know,” Carm retorted. “You old, old man.”

You gasped and reached out to lightly swat his arm, smiling as he laughed.

“That is uncalled for. I'm old, not old old.”

“Is there a difference?” Carm asked, his voice dropping low as he nestled into the pillow.

“Not really,” You murmured softly, your hand resting on the gap in the mattress. “But I stand by my actions.”

“Never had you pegged as violent,” Carm murmured, his hand resting close to yours. “Learning so much about you.”

“Hey I can't give away all my secrets,” You smiled softly, moving your hand ever so slightly closer to his. “I like being a little mysterious.”

“I like that,” Carmy laughed softly, his hand moving to lay gently on top of yours. “But I like everything about you so..hardly a surprise.”

You were quiet for a moment, a tired smile forming on your face. 

“I like everything about you too,” You murmured softly, feeling like you could see Carm clearly even in the darkness. 

“Hardly a surprise.”

He let out a gentle laugh, his thumb gently stroking over your hand. You felt your heart fly into your mouth, like you were suddenly wide awake and able to see through the alcohol-induced haze.

“We should get some sleep.”

The words had your heart dropping back into your stomach, your mouth turning dry. 

“Uh..yeah, yeah we should,” You murmured, closing your eyes and trying not to feel so disappointed. “Sweet dreams.”

Before you knew it the mattress had dipped again, and his hand was gone from yours.

Carmy was already gone when you woke up the next morning, and you decided to try and put the memories of his hand on yours to rest. 

For the next week at work, you felt like you weren't really yourself. Maybe it was subconscious, but you found yourself avoiding Carmy where possible. You sat at the opposite end of the table to him at family dinner, you stopped going for a smoke after work, and only really interacted with him in a professional manner. You could see he was confused by the change, and you hoped he would understand. In time you'd be like you were, you just needed time for your feelings to dissolve.

The following Saturday, you felt like you were going through the motions at work, flicking the customer service switch on when you needed to. Any time you'd gone into the kitchen Carm had looked at you with a smile and you had forced yourself to look away, guilt eating away at you.

Then it happened. 

The worst possible situation you could find yourself in.

The front door had opened and you looked up from the reservations list to greet the latest visitors, your heart sinking as you saw who it was.

Your ex-boyfriend, someone you had very carefully avoided for months was walking towards you with a woman holding onto his arm and giggling. She looked beautiful, was probably a decent, kind person. You wondered how long it would be before she realized who exactly she was dating.

It took every ounce of self control you had to stay professional, to smile and greet the pair. The reservation was under her name, and you knew it was a purposely chosen move. He lived on the other side of town, there was no way he would just happen to come to the Bear if you didn't work there, you knew it.

After taking them to their table, you found Richie and told him you needed a moment, which he granted you. You went to the bathroom and locked yourself in a cubicle, leaning against the door. 

He was out there, you couldn't avoid him. You imagined Richie getting their drinks, finding them to be a charming, loved up couple. Because your ex was great at making people think that. He was charming and witty and romantic, on the surface. Until you were alone with him.

You made your way back out to the floor, trying to focus on work. When you had to go into the kitchen you felt overwhelmed by the heat, the smells, the voices coming from every direction. You closed your eyes and pinched the bridge of your nose, taking a deep breath. A moment later, you felt a hand on your back, your eyes opening and your heart calming as you met Carmy's gaze.

“Hey,” He smiled softly, raising a brow. “You good?”

“Yeah,” You nodded softly, wanting to touch his arm to ground yourself but forcing yourself not to. “I'm good.”

Back on the floor, you felt like you were in a daze. Any time you had to go to your ex's table it was like torture. He was perfectly polite, didn't give any indication he knew you, but you could feel his eyes burning into you.

After you took another small break to compose yourself, you left the bathroom and let out a gasp as you found your ex in the vestibule. You wanted to run to the door, go back to the floor. As you went to leave however, he grabbed your wrist, and you wanted to scream.

“Just gonna leave without saying hello properly?”

“Let me go,” You snapped, looking back at him and trying to pull your wrist free from his grasp. “Now.”

“What's the rush?” Your ex grinned, and you felt sick. “Let's have a little catch up. This where you been since you ran off?”

“I said let me go,” You repeated, gasping when your ex stepped forward and shoved you against the wall. He kept his hand on your wrist, his other hand resting on the wall by your head.

“Not so hasty hm?” Your ex smiled, tilting his head. “I think you owe me an explanation.”

“I don't owe you anything!” You snapped, trying to push him away and failing. “Get off me or I'll scream.”

“Oh try it,” Your ex laughed. “Your theatrics never worked before and they won't work now. “Now, maybe you want to tell me why you left? I never did get an explanation, did I?”

You opened your mouth to scream, the sound immediately muffled as your ex's hand clamped over your mouth, a furious look in his eyes.

“Don't you fucking dare,” He snapped, his hand pressing harder. “Nobody disrespect me, certainly not you. Look at you, you're pathetic.”

You felt tears welling up in your eyes, panic setting in. You knew what he was capable of, and you wouldn't be able to go back onto the floor if he lost control and left bruises.

The main door began to push open, your ex immediately stepping back from you while you tried to quickly compose yourself.  You felt a sense of relief when Richie walked in, your heart racing as you spotted Carmy walk in behind him.

“Everything okay?” Richie asked, looking over to you. “You were gone a while,” He looked over to your ex, skeptically, before looking back to you. “Just wanted to see if you were good to get back out.”

“Yes,” You nodded, taking a deep breath and avoiding meeting anyone's eyes. “Apologies, chef. I'll head back out.”

“She will in a second,” Your ex smiled, reaching out to grab your wrist, his fingers digging into your skin. “We're old friends, just catching up.”

“Well I have to go,” You murmured, trying to subtly free yourself and feeling fresh tears well up as your ex tightened his grip. “So..”

“Right,” Richie nodded, his eyes on your ex while you briefly met Carmy's gaze. “I'll escort you back to your table, sir.”

“Yeah, in a minute,” Your ex nodded, pulling you closer to him. “We just have some things to discuss.”

“Please don't do this,” You muttered, tears filling your vision, trying to pull your wrist free as your ex grabbed your arm firmly. 

“Hey,” You heard Carmy's voice and looked down at the ground, trying to compose yourself. “I need my staff to get back to work, and I need you to get the fuck out of my restaurant.”

“Fuck yes cousin,” Richie nodded. “He's out.”

“I don't think so,” Your ex laughed, squeezing your arm harder. “I'm a paying customer, show some respect.”

“Show some respect?” Carmy repeated, a harsh edge in his voice. “I'm giving you a chance to leave quietly, I suggest you take it.”

“Or what?” Your ex smirked, stepping closer to you. “I'll leave when I want. Like I said, we're catching up.”

“That's it,” Carmy sighed, stepping closer. “Get the fuck out of my restaurant right now before I have you forcibly removed.” 

You let out a gasp as you were pushed back against the wall, everything happening in a blur. You could hear Carm and Richie saying something as they grabbed your ex and pulled him off you. Richie hauled him outside before Carmy's hand was in yours, guiding you out into the restaurant and through the kitchen, the two of you finally ending up in his office.

“Sit down,” Carm gestured to the desk chair. “I'll go get you some water.”

“No,” You insisted, reaching out to touch his arm. “Please. Don't leave me alone.”

Carm was quiet for a moment before he nodded, stepping closer to you and wrapping his arms around you. You buried your face in his neck, clinging to him as you tried to stop your tears to no avail.

You weren't sure how much time passed, but before you knew it it was closing time. You assured Carm you were okay before you went to help Richie out front, giving him a nod as he gave you a concerned look. 

When it came time to leave, you clutched your keys tightly in your hand, making your way to your car and taking a deep breath. You felt like you couldn't breathe properly until you arrived back home and checked every room. Your ex didn't know where you lived, but it didn't stop you feeling a little paranoid.

After getting ready for bed, you decided to stay up a little longer, settling on the couch to watch a movie. While you were scrolling through Netflix your phone rang, and the brief panic that hit you subsided when you saw it was Carmy calling you.

“Hey,” You smiled softly as you answered, picking up one of the cushions and holding it against you. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, all good,” Carm replied, and you could swear you heard traffic in the background. “Could you let me into your building? I didn't want to buzz, just in case.”

“Oh,” You glanced to the door before slowly standing up. “Uh..yeah, yeah just give me a second.”

You set the cushion down and walked to the door, pushing the button to open the door.

“Come on up, I'll see you in a second.”

You ended the call, taking a step back from the door and clutching your phone. When there was a knock at your door you took a second before opening it.

“Hey, come in,” You stepped aside, giving a quick glance out to the hall before closing the door and turning to Carmy.

“Are you sure everything is okay?”

“Of course,” Carm nodded, rubbing his cheek. “I uh..I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I was going to offer you ride home but I thought I might be being too much and you would be uncomfortable which is fair then I couldn't stop thinking about you and I thought I should-”

You held up your hand with a smile, tilting your head slightly.

“I'm glad you're here. I probably would have ended up calling you anyway so..it's fine. I'm just trying to find a movie, I'm open to suggestions.”

An hour later, you were sitting on the couch with your head on Carm's shoulder, his arm around your waist. You were only half focused on the movie, too busy enjoying Carm's presence after isolating yourself for a week. Cuddling up to him wouldn't help you dissolve your feelings but you were willing to overlook that, given recent events.

“Damn,” Carm murmured softly, his hand gently stroking your waist. “I guess they'll have to take down the government after all.”

“What?” You raised a brow, looking over to him. 

“I knew you weren't paying attention,” Carmy laughed softly, looking at you with a grin. 

“Oh shut up,” You rolled your eyes playfully. “it's not my fault it can't hold my attention. Got other things on my mind.”

“Yeah,” Carm nodded, clearing his throat and looking up for a moment. “I uh..I wanted to ask, how are you feeling after..after tonight?”

You thought about it for a moment, looking over to the TV and letting out a soft sigh.

“I feel like it was some kind of surreal dream. I don't hear so much as a whisper for months, almost a year, then suddenly he's just there..but I really appreciate what you did,” You looked back to Carmy, gently touching his arm. “I hate that you had to get involved in my drama but..thank you.”

“Don't mention it,” Carm looked back to you. “I wasn't going to stand back and let it happen. You don't deserve to be treated like that. You deserve..I don't know, the universe.”

“The universe?” You repeated, smiling softly. “That's a lot to handle but..if I'm deserving of it I guess I'll learn to handle the responsibility.”

“That's my girl,” Carm smiled, and you felt a knot twist in your stomach at how much the words made your heart leap. “You deserve it and more.”

“Could you..could you not say that?” You murmured softly, taking a deep breath and feeling guilty when Carm immediately looked like he'd regretted everything he'd ever done. 

“It wasn't bad, I just..I want you to say those things but I also don't because it's just going to give me more feelings for you and I really can't even handle the ones I already have so..”

“You have feelings for me,” Carm murmured softly, and you weren't sure whether it was a question or a statement, looking away from him. “I..I had no idea. I mean, I didn't think you hated me but..you were so distant this week I thought I'd done something to you.”

“No, never,” You insisted, trying not to cry at how badly you felt you were handling the situation. “I just thought I could get rid of my feelings if I wasn't around you so much, that's all.”

“Why didn't you just tell me?” Carm asked softly, his hand on your waist feeling more prominent. “Am I so unapproachable? Oh god, am I unapproachable? That's it isn't it? You thought I would like flip out or something, and I swear I never would, not at you, ever.”

“I know,” You nodded, looking back at him. “I just..I didn't want to make things awkward. I'm not in high school, I don't want to act like I am. I may as well have gotten Syd to pass you a note from me, check the box if you like me kinda vibe.”

“Don't you want to know if I would have ticked the box?” Carm asked, his tone gentle. “Because I would have. Every time.”

You laughed softly, shaking your head and looking up. 

“Damn, guess I should have sent you the none then hm?”

“Well there's still time,” Carm smiled as you looked back at him. “Though I can't guarantee Syd wouldn't just chuck it in the trash. You know when you started she told me not to fall in love with you because the restaurant needs you more than I do?”

“Good thing you didn't then,” You smiled, leaning in a little closer and resting your hand on Carm's cheek. “I can stay.”

You leaned in and closed the gap between you, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He hesitated for a moment before kissing you back, surging forward.

Your arms wrapped around Carm's neck as he eased you onto your back, the kiss deepening. All the stress of the evening melted away as you felt Carm touch you carefully, smiling into the kiss as you reached for the hem of his white t-shirt and tugged it up. 

It didn't like long to have Carm completely stripped, a frown on his face as he looked at you.

“Well this isn't a fair trade.”

“No?” You smiled, picking at your pajama top. “ Well I'm not stopping you leveling the field.”

It took a little longer for you to be stripped, your breath catching in your throat as Carm took his time removing your pajamas, leaving a trail of kisses on your skin as he did. You felt exposed, laying on the couch in your deeply unsexy mismatched bra and panties, but in the most wonderful way. 

“Still not quite even,” You smiled softly, reaching out to gently stroke Carm's cheek and beaming when he leaned down to kiss you, his hand gripping your waist.

“You're right,” Carm murmured softly, pulling back and meeting your eyes. “It's not fair.”

He sat back, his hand slowly moving down to grip the waistband of your panties. You kept your eyes on him as he slowly peeled them down your thighs, stopping after a moment.

“Close enough.” He grinned,his hands moving to your thighs and lifting them up. Your breath hitched in your throat as you watched him move between your legs, closing your eyes as he slowly spread your legs, feeling the material of your panties rub against your leg.

“Oh god,” You breathed as you felt Carm lick a stripe along your already soaked folds, his hands gripping your thighs and holding you in place. His movements were achingly slow as he licked you, one of his hands slowly moving along your thigh.

It had been a long while since you'd felt so good, a wave slowly building in your stomach. Any urge to beg for more was dissolved as you felt Carm's finger gently sweep across your entrance, his tongue swirling your clit. You couldn't focus on anything, your hand moving to his curls as he eased his finger into your warm entrance, your eyes clenching shut as moans tumbled from your lips.

By the time he added a second finger you felt like you were ready to fall apart, his tongue moving slowly but precisely, exactly where you needed without having to tell him.

“Oh, fuck,” You moaned as you felt yourself get closer to the edge, your free hand clamping over your forehead. “Please..I..ohh my god..”

You felt your eyes roll back into your head, your breath catching in your throat as you came, feeling like you could see stars.

You wasted no time in pulling Carm up to you, tasting yourself on his lips and letting out a moan at the sensation. He pulled at your bra straps, tugging down your bra and rolling your nipple between his thumb and finger.

“Please,” You murmured against his lips, your forehead hot against his. “Fuck me, now, please..”

“Are you sure?” Carm asked, giving you another kiss as he moved his hand down between your legs, a moan escaping you as he touched your sensitive pussy. 

“We can go to your bed, or wait, or..”

“Carm,” You breathed, opening your eyes and looking at him. “Please..I can't wait. I'm on the pill, it's fine, just..please.”

He met your gaze, a look in his eyes you hadn't seen before that had you soaked even more instantly.

“Use your words,” He murmured softly, two fingers pushing back into you as you moaned. “What does my girl want?”

“Oh god,” You groaned, wanting to stay in the moment forever. “I want..I want you to fuck me, now.”

“Anything my girl wants,” Carm grinned, slowly easing his fingers out of you and replacing them with his thick cock, another moan escaping you. You wrapped your arms around his neck, your legs hooked around his waist, wanting him as close as possible.

You felt like everything fell away around you as Carm moved slowly, getting you used to the feel of him, before he was pulling you up into his lap, his lips wrapping around your hard nipple as your nails dug into your shoulders, his hands on your waist encouraging you to set the pace. 

By the time the two of you were laying on the couch, catching your breath with your arms lazily draped around each other, you wondered when you'd last been so unbearably happy.

“I'll understand if you immediately run away when I say this,” You looked over to Carm with a smile. “But.

I love you.”

He looked over to you, a wide smile on his face as he moved closer, his arm wrapping firmly around your waist. 

“I love you too. Which is a shame, I guess. Gotta find a new hostess now.”

“Yeah, sucks to be you,” You grinned, moving your hand into Carm's hair. “Though before you fire me could you help me fulfill this little fantasy I have of fucking my boss at work?”

“I guess I could,” Carm grinned, leaning in to place a kiss to the corner of your mouth. “Let's get in some more practice shall we?”

[zepskies]

Break Me Down - Part 12

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x Female Reader

Summary: You’re a private investigator by trade, but now you happily sit at a desk — leading a surveillance team at Supe Affairs. After managing to end Homelander in New York, Soldier Boy escapes custody. You are recruited for the manhunt, joining Butcher’s team.

Truly, you joined the S.A. for the right reasons. But after you become his accidental hostage, Soldier Boy will break down every single one of them…

💚 Break Me Down Masterlist

Word Count: 5,700 Tags/Warnings: Violence and peril, angst central, a touch of PTSD, and a surprise ending… 

Part 12: All Your Wicked Ways

Something was wrong. 

It was a gut instinct, but yours was far too often right. 

Ben had been sleeping for a long time. After he’d fallen asleep yesterday, you did shortly after from the combination of fatigue, pain from your broken ribs, and the painkillers in your system. 

But even after your keepers had woken you with a tray of food, Ben still hadn’t woken up.

“Ben?” you tried calling to him, but he didn’t rouse from where he laid in his cot, one arm pillowed behind his head and the other across his stomach.

You got up, your pain making you slow as you made sounds of struggle. 

You went to the large window and supported yourself with your hands on the glass. You called his name again, louder.

His face scrunched a little, but your voice couldn’t penetrate the Novichok haze—the poison being pumped into his cell to dull his senses and keep him too drowsy to function.

You paused as you heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall. It turned out to be several, in fact, as a team of Vought security guards came to your cell. 

“What’s going on?” you asked. No one answered you as they grabbed and handcuffed you with your arms in front of you. You struggled, but you didn’t have the strength or energy to give much of a fight. 

They wheeled in what looked like a large metal casket. You had only seen one of these in pictures, but it had to be a cryochamber. 

A doctor in her mid-fifties accompanied them, giving directions on how to safely enter Ben’s cell. Your eyes widened.

“What the hell are you doing?” you shouted. Panic trilled down your spine as the guards fitted themselves with special suits and gas masks. The doctor turned toward you as the guards led you out of your cell and into the hall.

“You’re being transported,” she informed you. 

“Where?”

“To a lab with better security.”

“Why? Where’s my father? I know that bastard’s still alive,” you demanded, but it seemed you weren’t interesting enough for the doctor. 

You spied her last name, Baker, embroidered above the breast pocket her lab coat. You finally recognized Dr. Tonya Baker; you hadn’t worked with her much during your time at Vought, but you knew her by reputation.

Your heart fell into your stomach. 

You struggled against the stern grip of the guard holding you and shouted, “Ben, wake up!”

Between your voice and the commotion outside his door, he started to rouse.

“Get her out of here,” said Dr. Baker. 

Your guards tried to drag you, but you dug your heels in and made it as difficult as possible. Meanwhile, Ben could hear you—when you called his name and now, while you were struggling. He finally drew enough energy and strength to open his eyes and sit up in the cot. 

Once he saw you being manhandled against your will, his fury sparked. 

“Hey!” he barked. He managed to rise off his cot and draw himself to his feet. The first door of his cell slid open for the guards in their hazmat suits. Once that closed, the second one disengaged, and they came pouring in. 

Ben fought them. He managed to punch the first one into the far wall, shaking the fortified glass. He snapped the second man’s neck and broke a leg on the third, but they just kept coming in batches of three or four. The room was misty as hell, slowing Ben’s stamina, and he gritted his teeth in frustration. 

Their strength was in numbers, and gradually, they were able to latch onto his arms, kick behind his knees to bring him down to the ground.

He saw the mask coming towards his face, and the well of panic, hearing your distressed yelling of his name—it gave him the strength to break the chain of men holding him down. 

That’s when he noticed the star bolts zipping outside his cell. 

You were still fighting against the guard’s hold. You ripped back his sleeve and bit into the man’s wrist, eliciting a yell of pain. His grip eased up enough for you to steal his secondary gun on his belt, and despite your cuffed wrists, you shot him in the leg twice to bring him down. 

You raised the gun at your next attacker—Frenchie, who raised up his hands in friendly surrender. 

“Cherie! It’s surprising to see you alive,” he said. You grinned.

“A good surprise?” you asked, and you shot another guard approaching from behind him. 

Frenchie flinched slightly, but after he watched the man fall to the ground, screaming and clutching between his legs, Frenchie’s lips raised in a more genuine smile. 

“Yes, I think so,” he teased. 

You looked past him and watched as Kimiko, M.M., Annie, Hughie, and Butcher took out the rest of the guards. You didn’t see Dr. Baker anywhere; in all likelihood, she’d fled the scene when she saw her opportunity. 

Ben still remained in his cell, and you went to the glass window. He looked all right as he met your gaze, but there were about ten bodies lying around him. His face was firm and assessing. Still, you read the uncertainty behind it.  

You sighed and turned to your team. “Hey, guys. Good to see you.”

Annie went to you first, grasping your shoulders. Her large eyes peered into yours.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Well, more or less,” was your weary reply. Your ribs were throbbing, but you raised your cuffed hands. “Think you can help me with these?”

Annie raised a hand over your cuffs and concentrated her powers into melting them, just enough for Kimiko to strike through them. You slid off the remaining metal pieces and rubbed your stinging wrists. 

“All right, let’s get a fucking move on,” said Butcher.

“Hello to you too,” you replied, raising a brow. 

“Oh, just you wait. You’ve got plenty of fucking explaining to do,” he said, leveling a finger at you. He slid it over to Ben, who watched him right back. 

“Ello, gov.” Butcher smirked. “Look at you, all gift-wrapped for us.”

He turned to M.M., who approached with an especially terrifying-looking gas mask. Your eyes widened. 

“Ready?” Butcher asked him. 

“Ready to knock this motherfucker out and bring him into custody,” M.M. grimly agreed. 

“Wait,” you said, stepping past Annie to get between M.M. and Butcher. 

With your back to the glass, you didn’t see how Ben’s eyes followed you. They hid a thread of uncertainty. He had a feeling you might do this, but he didn’t know what to expect from your team. 

“It doesn’t have to go down like this,” you told them. “He took out Homelander. He could help us bring down Vought. This fucking tower, the whole thing.”

“Is that why you ran at the airport?” M.M. asked. Then he shook his head. “Never mind. We don’t have time to debate this.”

You held out a halting hand. “Look, clearly they're not done making supes if they brought back a new and improved Black Noir. Now they’re selling V24 to the military. They need to be stopped, and with our help, Ben could do it.”

“Oh, it’s Ben now, is it?” Butcher stared at you shrewdly, then at Ben himself. The latter just tilted his head, his mouth quirking with an edge of cockiness. 

Butcher raised a brow. His gaze returned to you, noting the way you stood your ground, but pursed your lips. You were hiding something…a guilty conscience, perhaps. 

“Bloody hell. You two’ve been fucking,” he realized. 

Shocked silence spread through the rest of the team. 

Your embarrassment radiated off your flushing cheeks, and it took everything within you to resist looking back at Ben. You didn’t want to see what kind of expression he wore, but you could guess.

“No,” Annie regarded you with shock. 

“Seriously?” Hughie remarked in a high voice. 

“That’s…well, that’s none of your goddamn business, is it?” you tried to be stern, but your embarrassed shuffling made it lose some of its effect.

Kimiko shared raised brows with Frenchie, who just looked amused. M.M., on the other hand, grimaced with disgust. That actually stung, but you crossed your arms. You didn’t have a good answer for them. Not one you wanted to say in front of Ben, anyway.

“I think we can come to an agreement here,” Ben said at last. 

You turned around, and he gained the attention of the others as well. He briefly met your gaze before he shifted to Butcher. 

“Worked for us once, before you tried to double-cross me,” Ben said. 

“You want to take out Vought.” Butcher glanced at their surroundings, specifically Ben’s cell. He gave a snort of amusement. “I could understand that.”

“Butcher,” M.M. said sharply. 

“We–we should probably get out of here now,” Hughie pointed out. He looked back down the hall nervously. You agreed with him; any moment now, more guards could be coming. 

“Think about it,” said Ben. “The only way you’re getting that mask on me is with a fight. One you’ll probably lose, fucking miserably. We can have the same deal as before, no strings. Until Stan Edgar and Noir are dead.”

It took Butcher all of seconds. 

He turned to Frenchie and said, “Open her up.”

“Butcher, what the fuck!” M.M. argued. 

“What do you fucking want from me, eh? Their special ops security will be all over us soon,” Butcher said. 

But he shared a meaningful look with the other man that you didn’t miss. It sparked your suspicion.

You stepped back as the first door unlocked after Frenchie hacked the commands. Then the gas misting up the cell receded.

There was an immediate reaction from Ben. He blinked in relief as he started to breathe easy. The brain fog making it almost impossible for him to stay alert slowly ebbed. 

He took one step into the hall before it happened—all in a rush, but not unexpected. He blocked M.M.’s punch and tossed him across the hall. 

Someone jumped on his back. He heard you shout, but before he could rip off the hanger on, Kimiko slipped the mask over his face and deployed a heavy dose of nerve gas. It was enough to drop him to his knees as his eyes rolled back into his head. 

Lights out. 

On the way to Supe Affairs, you weren’t happy, but there wasn’t much you could do. 

You were still in your Vought-issued gray pajamas, bare footed as you rode along with your friends in Frenchie’s van. In the very back was the haul of Ben, laid to rest in a chamber keeping him sedated. 

You had to explain to the rest of them that your father, Jonathan, was Stan Edgar’s Chief of Security. You were a cog in Vought’s wheel once upon a time, but joining the S.A. helped you escape. Ben offered you a way to achieve what you couldn’t at the S.A.—taking it all down.

Still, M.M. looked at you like he didn’t even know you. 

“How do you explain fucking him?” he asked.

You shot him a tight frown.

“First of all, none of you know what the hell I went through,” you said. “At first, I was just trying to learn how to read him. How to survive and somehow get back home.”

Emotion clogged in your throat when you thought of seeing your sister again soon, and your mom. You thought of all you had gone through in past two months, and knew that it had changed you…

For better or worse, you didn’t yet know for sure. 

“But for all his arrogance, his chauvinism, his massive ego and general bastardry, there’s still humanity in Ben,” you said, looking up at your team. You thought they had become your friends…but you supposed you would see. 

“Why else would he save me?” you said. 

They didn’t answer. You turned your head to Annie, but even she didn’t look convinced. Though you could see she wanted to be on your side, it was difficult for her to reconcile her own feelings about Soldier Boy. You certainly understood that. 

“He’s too powerful to kill,” you also pointed out. “Putting him to sleep like this will just make it worse when he wakes up…but if he’s properly motivated, he could do some good.” 

“Or off anyone who looks at him sideways,” Butcher wryly replied. “He’s dickmatized you, love.” 

You could tell the others sided with him on this. 

“You can disagree with me,” you said, “but do you have a better way to kill Noir and take down Vought?”

At the S.A., you were able to shower and get on proper clothes in a black tracksuit and some sneakers. You weren’t allowed to find out where they’d taken Ben yet, but Grace Mallory oversaw the transport, just as she called you into her office for your immediate debriefing.  

It felt more like an interrogation, not unlike the one you underwent to be recruited for the manhunt of Soldier Boy.

You felt like a different person sitting across from her. This time you sat up tall, not intimidated by the ice blue stare that greeted you. The lines in the older woman’s face were drawn, but there was an unyielding wall within the woman that you could admire. 

It just didn’t change the fact that right now, she was your opponent. And the chess game had begun.

“You went way off-road with this assignment,” she said at last. You raised a brow. 

“I’m sorry my kidnapping inconvenienced you,” you remarked. 

“Don’t be cute. You know what the hell I’m talking about,” Grace said. “At this point, I’m debating whether to bring you into custody along with Soldier Boy.”

“I’m the one who got him back to the States,” you pointed out, sitting back in your chair with your arms crossed. “I had to get in contact with my father to make that happen. Do you know what that cost me?” 

You resisted an uncomfortable shudder. They’d given you more painkillers for your ribs, but it wasn’t enough the relieve the damage of that encounter. Not to your mind. 

“Aside from any other self-debasing tactics I used in order to do my job, not to mention save my own life. Without me, and the sacrifices I made, Soldier Boy wouldn’t be in a cell downstairs,” you finished. 

Saying those words stung. Like you were somehow betraying yourself. 

“That doesn’t fool me,” Grace said. In fact, her shrewd gaze was much like Butcher’s. It saw straight through you as she tilted her head in wonder. “You care about him.” 

Your lips tightened. 

After a moment, you answered.

“He was tortured for forty years,” you said. “Whether he admits it or not, he’s got scars just like the rest of us…but more importantly to you, he can help us take down Vought once and for all.” 

Grace considered you with a shifting light. “I didn’t think that mattered to you.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” you retorted. “But make no mistake. You will pay me what you owe me for this mission. If you think you’re going to welch on your end of the deal, then I’m about to be your long-term problem.” 

Grace huffed in wry amusement. 

“I have a feeling you will be, regardless,” she said. 

“And to that end, I will be checking in on Ben,” you replied. “He’s a person, not a weapon or a lab rat.” 

“Mind yourself, young lady,” Grace snapped, her eyes narrowing. “I admire your sense of loyalty, but in this case, it’s misplaced. That man is a bastard and a murderer, with a devastating power he can’t hope to control. And you, frankly, don’t have any standing to make demands.” 

“And what’s your body count, agent?” you challenged. “Have they all been sanctioned kills?”

When she didn’t answer, merely staring back at you, you stood up.

“You’re right, he can’t control it. Yet. Maybe that’s something productive you can get your damn scientists on,” you said. 

And before you left, you added one more thing. 

“I may not have your security clearance, your power, or your money,” you said. “But I’ve got a big fucking mouth. So unless you want me to use it, my clearance now includes seeing Ben.” 

Grace stared back at you for a moment. 

Her nails tapped on her desk as she assessed you. 

Releasing a long sigh through her nose, she relented. A little. 

“Fine,” she said. “If you can convince him to ally with us on the Vought issue, I’ll allow you to see him.” 

You nodded. For all that Grace hated Soldier Boy, she was a practical woman. She saw the same opportunity you did, and was willing to take advantage of it…even if you both knew that convincing Ben to play ball would be damn near impossible. 

In fact, this would probably be your biggest challenge yet. But this, you were willing to fight for. 

“I can start tomorrow,” you said.  

It seemed that Vought and the CIA had been thinking similarly on how to confine Soldier Boy. 

You spent one strange night back in your musty apartment before you returned to the S.A., bright and early, so that Grace could lead you to a lab below the main building. It was dark and made of pure concrete, encased in titanium. 

In it was a state-of-the-art cell with three metal walls that had to disengage before you could reach the inner room. Inside those four corners of fortified, bullet-proof glass were scarce furnishings. Ben himself was strapped to a bed, with a mask held over his face. 

At least he was out of the coffin, but it was difficult for you to watch, even as the scientists and guards unstrapped him and left the cell. The mask disengaged from his face, allowing him to breathe real air as he started to wake. But gas flooded into the compartment, not unlike Vought’s setup. 

You and Grace stood outside the glass. She glanced at you with sharp nod. Then she left you alone. 

Well, relatively speaking. There were guards posted at the entrance of the three walls behind you, controlling who got in and out of the cell area. 

Once all the walls were back in place after Grace’s departure, you let out a shaky breath and stepped forward with the plate of food you brought, along with a few bottles of water.

Ben was moving off the bed, trying and failing to clear his head as he took in his surroundings with a furious glare. It only dimmed slightly when he realized you were there. 

He made his way toward you, and you pressed a button that would allow you to safely pass his meal to him without letting any nerve gas escape the inner cell. Ben removed the lid from the plate, inspected the chicken and vegetables with an unreadable expression.

Then, with a burst of force, he took the plate and tossed it as hard as he could into one of the glass walls. 

You flinched. But by the time he looked back at you, you’d schooled your expression, merely raising a brow. 

“That was real fucking mature.” 

“Suck on my balls, sweetheart,” he retorted. He cocked his head to the side.  “Oh wait, you did. Last Tuesday.” 

You glared at him with a hot blush spreading across your face. That was not, in fact, last Tuesday. But you didn’t rise to his bait.

“Are you really willing to partner with the S.A. to take down Vought? Or was that just you bluffing?” you asked. 

Ben started to pace in irritation. You knew he was upset, and itching for revenge on anyone that would dare confine him again. You could guess what being in a cell was already doing to his mental state. 

Which was why you were here, desperately trying to help him.

“Really, would you rather be hunted all your life, or would you rather just play ball here?” you tried to reason. “Become a real ally with the S.A. Show Mallory that you can operate within the law.”

Ben looked up from his pacing just to glare at you.

“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to with all these demands, huh?” 

“You, Ben. I’m talking to you!” 

He ignored you, resuming his pacing. “I’m a solo act for a damn reason.”

Oh really? you wanted to say. That’s why he needed your help to try and get to Stan.

“That got you here, now didn’t it?” you asked. 

He didn’t answer. It made you think you weren’t going to get anywhere with him today. Maybe he needed some time to cool off.

You sighed and turned to leave, but his voice stopped you.

“You’re just going to leave me in here?” he asked in disbelief. And you thought you could read a throughline of hurt behind his eyes. “I saved you…shit, I’ve lost count how many times now. And still, you fucking betrayed me.”

“Don’t you do that,” you warned. Though you felt a prickle of guilt run down your spine. “You know very well what got you here. I tried to stop it. And I’m the only one who’s on your side right now.”

“Doesn’t fucking look like it from where I’m standing.”  

You sighed in frustration. “I’ll tell you the truth, I don’t want to leave you in here. But if I can’t trust you, they never will.” 

“I don’t know what delusions you have about me,” he said, coming closer. 

“But when I get out of here, I’m slaughtering anyone who gets in my way!” he shouted savagely. 

He banged his fists into the glass so hard that it trembled, making you flinch with a gasp. A more concentrated fog smoked up the cell. Ben coughed and cursed as he stumbled back, and eventually, he fell unconscious right there on the floor. 

You watched in dismay. Despite his rage, it still hurt you to see him like this. Like a caged animal. 

Tears welled up in your eyes, but you forced yourself to leave the cell before the cameras caught them. You knew Grace would be monitoring this exchange later. 

She would probably feel vindicated at what she saw. 

The thought disgusted you as the outer walls parted, allowing you to leave. M.M. was waiting for you at the exit. He’d seen the entire thing through a monitor at the control desk, where two guards sat eating their lunch. 

“You want to protect that piece of shit?” M.M. said, jerking a thumb towards the cell. “That’s what he really is. And he clearly don’t give a fuck about you.” 

Your jaw tightened. 

“I’m not going to justify my actions to you, M.M. I know what he’s done, especially to you," you said. "But he didn’t just let me live. He protected me, saved me, more than once. From his own men even. And…he was kind to me, in his own way. I have to think that counts for something.” 

M.M. shook his head at you in disbelief.

“Maybe he went soft for a pretty girl, but that doesn’t mean he ain’t a monster,” he said. 

“That’s not all there is to him,” you said. “You didn’t see it, M.M.”

The other man watched you for a moment, before he let out a deep sigh. 

“You actually think he can be saved,” he said. 

“Maybe,” you said. “We’ll see.” 

He crossed his arms. You understood how he felt, but you couldn’t deny what your instincts told you about Ben…and your heart as well. 

“He’s right about one thing,” M.M. said. “You are delusional.”

A few days went by as the team went back to work at the S.A. as usual. But your days during your first week home became marked by your strenuous visits to Ben.

Once again, he’d rather pace than look at you. You had a feeling it helped him stay awake.

“I fought for my country,” he groused. “I don’t fucking deserve this.”

“Oh, would you stop lying?” you said in annoyance. “You’ve only ever fought for yourself. You didn’t even fight in World War II! You’ve never been a soldier. And unless you get a fucking clue, you’re going to continue being the massive man-child your father saw in you.”

Maybe it wasn’t kind, but you were fed up with his stubbornness. You turned to leave. 

“Don’t you fucking walk away from me!” Ben shouted. 

You raised a brow, and you turned on your heel. The man was livid, standing in the center of his cell.

“Or what?” you challenged. 

But you soon relented at the way he withdrew–into himself. 

You had checked the monitors before you came in; he was trying not to sleep, wasn’t letting his body rest. This place was like an open wound: complete wall-to-wall glass, no privacy, nowhere to go, and nothing to do. He couldn’t distract himself with drugs, or TV, or good food, or even good sex and conversation. 

This was terrible for him, and you knew it. 

“Ben, I want to help you,” you said, letting out a shaky breath. You laid a hand on the glass. “Let me help you.”

His gaze was angry and unyielding. 

“There’s only one way you can help me,” he said. “But you won’t fucking do it.”

The team was giving you a wide berth. Even Annie greeted you in the office with more politeness than warmth. 

Above all else, you remained professional, but it was a simple fact that your team was no longer your team. They didn’t trust you, or your judgment. And you refused to show how deeply that hurt you. 

However, until you all got a breakthrough on taking down Vought and Noir, there was still work to be done. So you fell into step back in with the Surveillance team.

That meant taking your place as second-in-command to your manager, as well as returning to your cubicle next to your coworker Jess. She hugged you when she saw you, even shed tears. 

You’d hugged her a bit awkwardly, but you were touched. You hadn’t thought she cared about you that much. 

She told you that the entire Surveillance department had been worried about you. That they’d missed you, especially your calm, supportive leadership. (Apparently your manager had been stressed handling the entire department without you.)

That at least buoyed you throughout the rest of the week. 

When you returned home on Thursday, however, you received an unexpected call. But when you saw the caller ID, you inwardly kicked yourself before you answered. 

“Louisa?”

“What the hell is wrong with you!” came your sister’s sharp voice. 

So many things, you thought with a weary sigh. You held your phone to your ear while you tried to find something to cook for dinner in your pantry. All you found was a box of spaghetti…which dragged up bittersweet memories you’d rather not think about. 

“I meant to call you as soon as I got back,” you tried to explain. “But I’ve been in full debrief mode. It’s been a circus since I got back, Lou.”

You slammed the pantry shut and went for the frozen dinner in the freezer.

“I don’t care. I didn’t hear from you for almost two straight months…” 

You knew the S.A. hadn’t told her anything about your kidnapping, but you knew she had to have been worrying when you didn’t check in at all after that first time in Medellin. The sound of her emotion-choked voice made your own eyes sting. 

“I’m sorry, Lou. I’ll come visit you this weekend, okay? I’m still taking care of some things at work.” Namely a grumpy supe on lockdown. “How’s school?”

“School is fine!” she snapped. You heard her take a breath, presumably to calm herself. She had a bit of a temper, just like you, but your sister managed herself much better than you. You supposed being more well-adjusted had its perks.

“Mom was worried too, but I kept her calm. Focused on work,” she said. 

“I appreciate that. Thanks,” you replied. You knew you had to call your mom soon as well. Maybe you’d stop in on her after your sister. 

“I better see you this weekend,” she grumbled. You smiled. 

“Love you too,” you said.

“Love you…okay, I’ll let you go for now. But don’t forget!”

Once you said goodbye and hung up, you held the phone to your chest and heaved another sigh. You were exhausted, really. Sleep hadn’t been coming easy to you ever since you got back. But you knew it was nothing compared to what Ben was going through.

Which was why you visited him every day.

The next morning, you made your pitstop to the “cellar,” as you’d been calling it in your mind.

You’d brought whatever Grace allowed you to give him, like books and magazines, and an old iPod to listen to music on, but he mostly ignored you.

This time, however, he seemed in a different mood as you sat in a plastic fold out chair and ate your breakfast with him, on your side of the cell of course. You took another bite of your blueberry muffin while he pushed aside his bland-looking eggs. 

“So, how much did you get paid?” he asked. His tone was nonchalant, but his gaze was accusing. You let out a breath and looked up at him. 

“Enough to put my sister through college and pay off my mom’s debts,” you told him. “I took this job for my family, Ben.”

His finger tapped on his arm, but he didn’t relent. “Selling out is selling out.”

Wow. He really had the nerve to compare you to the way his team sold him out.

You’d tried to be nice. You really did. But he could be such a massive pain in the ass.

“You don’t seem to understand just how much shit I’m in for trying to help you right now,” you said. 

Ben mustered up some strength and got up from his cot. He drew near to you, crossing his arms.

“If this is your idea of doing me a fucking favor, then I don’t need it,” he said angrily. “I don’t need a naive little girl like you to help me do jack shit.”

You set down your muffin and stood to your feet, matching his glare. 

“Like you didn’t need my help to get into Vought Tower?” you pointed out, satisfied by the way he piped down. Silently simmering. 

“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be awake right now,” you added. “You’d be back in an ice coffin.”

And that could still happen if you couldn’t convince him to cooperate with Supe Affairs.

“Fuck off,” he snapped. “And fuck you.”

Oh really? You frowned. At this point, you wanted to slap him. It seemed to be his sheer stubbornness and ego that was keeping him from his own freedom, and that, you just couldn't tolerate.

“You know what?” you said, grabbing your muffin and your fold-up chair. “Suck my dick, Ben. When you’re ready to talk to me like a human being, tap on the glass.”

You left him behind to do your real job, and this time, you didn’t let him halt your steps.

You’d scarcely entered your apartment that evening, when a shadow on the living room sofa gave you a small heart attack. 

You flipped on the lights and found your younger sister, arms crossed with a raised brow. On the coffee table in front of her was a glass of soda. It looked like she’d made herself comfortable while waiting for you.  

“Louisa! What are you doing here?” you exclaimed, with a hand on your chest. “Why the hell are you sitting in the dark?”

“I heard you coming up those rickety stairs and thought I’d pay you back for disappearing in South America,” she said. 

But soon enough, wide grins took over both of your faces. 

You pulled her into a big, warm hug. Tears burned in your eyes, and one or two slid down your cheeks as you tried to get ahold of yourself. 

“I missed you so much,” you confessed. You were just slightly taller than her, able to comfortably pet her hair and press a kiss to her cheek. Louisa was just as emotional, her pretty eyes filled with happy tears. 

She was about to speak when the glass on the coffee table suddenly shattered. 

You both flinched, and your sister gasped. You held onto her shoulders tighter, more protective as you assessed the room. You listened closely. 

A shot rang out, but it hit the wall beside your head. You moved at the last moment and narrowly avoided the third shot that would’ve struck you between the eyes. 

“Get down!” you yelled, forcing your sister to crouch along with you and move across the living room. 

Bullets tore with a vengeance through the windows, crashing into vases, picture frames, shattering the surface glass of the wooden coffee table, and ripping into the sofa until its internal fluff rose into the air like cotton confetti.

You protected Louisa’s head as you both took shelter behind the sofa. 

“What’s happening?” she shouted over the cacophony, but you didn’t have an answer for her yet. 

Your front door burst open and shattered the lock. You tensed, looking for where you stashed the spare gun you kept at home. The S.A. hadn’t gotten around to issuing you a new glock yet.

Heavy boots came through your apartment. You grabbed a piece of broken glass and told Louisa to stay down.

But when you stood and met your attacker, he was nearly three times your size. He grabbed your wrist in a firm, but not painful hold. He pulled his black ski mask down with a hand and revealed a familiar face. 

Your eyes widened, your mouth gaping in shock. 

“Frank?”

AN: 😏 Did I get'cha? Did I? Let me know in the comments. 😂

Next Time:

“Wait, wait. You’re not getting out of this.” Louisa leaned over and grabbed your hand. “What’s the deal with you and Soldier Boy? I thought the whole point of your mission was to capture him.”

You let out an exasperated sigh. 

“I was on the job, things went sideways, I got captured, and things got…complicated.” 

Frank huffed. “I think the kids are calling it Frenemies with Benefits.” 

Keep Reading: PART 13

Soldier Boy Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Series Tag List:

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[misshoneyimhome]

Please please tell us that she will conduct another press conference cause she deserves all of that praise kink and beard burn. I feel he flip his shit if one of the fans gets too close to her after having so many simps on social media.

Well of course she'll conduct another press conference, babe! Did you really think we could just let it go and not have our possessive Willy have the chance to almost lose his shit 😉

Warnings; 18+ smut; oral sex (f receiving); uprotected sex;

Word count; 4.5K

・✶ ｡ﾟ

Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep I William Nylander 🖋️⚡️ [intern x willy]

It was scorching. 

Never before had you felt so hot while doing your work. Yet, luckily, you were relieved today that you opted for a darker outfit, ensuring that your sweat wouldn't be too conspicuous. And nothing too revealing, either.

Ever since William's reaction the last time you appeared on camera, you'd become cautious about your wardrobe choices. It's not that William didn't appreciate your work outfits; in fact, he seemed to enjoy your skirts and fitted blouses more than anyone.

However, being your boyfriend, he wasn't thrilled about the public eye getting a glimpse of you as well. Sure, you might look alluring and beautiful for him, but the moment others laid eyes on you, he turned into a bit of a protective force.

Which became even more challenging since your relationship was also a secret.

William Nylander could only savour the view of you from across the room when you were fulfilling your duties as the MLSE intern, working for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

And you could only admire him from the sidelines, observing how he commanded the ice, put in the hard work at the weight room, and efficiently handled media availability.

It was tough not to want to give him a bit more media time whenever you conducted questionnaires with the players or lingered around during training just to watch him pursue his passion.

Yet, despite the tempting moments, both of you managed to maintain professionalism at work. After all, dealing with work pressure and showcasing your best skills were crucial for your future career.

Brad even threw in a few words that could pass as compliments – something like 'so far so good' paired with what might have seemed like a warm smile to some.

You played it off casually. The banter remained the same as before your relationship, so it didn’t really raise any eyebrows. As long as William didn't come too close with his flirty remarks, only smiles of joy graced your lips.

However, he did have a habit of leaning in and whispering sweet nothings or suggestive comments, well aware of how it made you blush entirely.

You knew he found it amusing, and despite hating the sensation of your cheeks blazing, deep down, you enjoyed his teasing. It was almost like a little naughty foreplay.

But today, there was no such thing.

Instead, you had to stay focused as you were once again given the opportunity to kick off the brief press conference before tonight's match at the UBS Arena in New York.

And you were a great mess. Despite having a go at your makeup four times and adjusting your outfit, you still felt out of place. In your opinion, you didn't even belong in front of the cameras.

Yet, as you practiced the lines Jennifer had given you, you were slowly feeling more and more confident and comfortable in your own skin.

It was going to be just fine. All you had to do was introduce tonight's players for the pre-game interviews, offer a few words about tonight's expectations, and, as always, manage the journalists. You'd been instructed to guide them on what to focus on with their questions and try to maintain order on who speaks when, well aware that the press always had their own agenda.

However, just as you were about to make an exit from the dressing room, a large body collided with yours. Why does this keep happening, you thought. And worst of all, you spilled your almost-empty cup of coffee all over your nice shirt, just minutes before you were to go on.

"Fuck," you muttered, at least following an apology from the man who'd rushed past you, bumping into your shoulder. And so, you had to turn back to the dressing room. However, the only spare shirt you had in your go-bag was a light-coloured one and knowing you hadn't exactly matched your underwear for that outfit, there was a risk it could be see-through. Normally, you'd have a jumper or cardigan to cover any transparency, but of course, today you hadn't brought one.

"Shit, shit, shit..." you mumbled again. Yet, you acknowledged it was at least the better of the worse, since a coffee stain wasn't exactly proper dress wear either.

So, as you took your place before the cameras, amidst chatting and microphones, you took a deep breath and exhaled deeply before offering a small introduction.

First, Coach Keefe would talk about tonight's strategies, how he'd spoken to players, and the encouraging words he'd shared. Then, Captain John Tavares would step up, talking about how he'd lead the team tonight, letting every player do their best and ensuring everyone supported each other and gave one another the space needed.

And finally, Rielly and Marner would offer a few words on how they'd focus on the offence and defence.

"So, if there are no more questions, I'd like to thank you all for your time," you flashed a great smile, standing tall and confident as you eyed all the individual journalists.

"Could you tell us more about how the fans are reacting to the team?" interrupted a man's voice just as you were preparing to take off.

"In what aspect?" you inquired; a bit unsure about the reason behind his question.

"How do the fans feel about the management's focus on building a stronger core with key players like Matthews, Nylander, Marner, and Rielly, rather than spreading the talent across the lines for a broader strength, relying on more players than just a handful?"

You instantly knew the topic at hand. This had been a hot discussion in recent years, especially when the team had had a few standout players and others were more average, while rival teams opted for lines with multiple strong players.

And you were also well aware that the public's response had been mixed. Some wished for the core players to leave if it meant getting more talent to diversify the team's strength. While others believed the key players were the very core strength of the team.  

"Well, I'm not entirely sure if I'm the right person to comment on the team's strategic preferences..."

"He's not asking about strategies; he's asking about the fans' reactions – something you've been dealing with, right?"

Indeed, you had been actively involved in the team's social media, posting content, and monitoring comments. So, you did feel a level of confidence in responding to the questions they deliberately directed at you. And with a reassuring nod from Jennifer in the background, you decided to share your insights.

"Truthfully, the reactions have been mixed – both positive and negative. People naturally raise valid concerns about the team's performance, wondering if this approach is the best. Yet, there's a sense of trust within the team that the management knows what they're doing and has the right experience to navigate the path for the Toronto Maple Leafs."

"Have there been any instances of online backlash?"

"No, fortunately, Leafs' fans have shown tremendous support for the team, as they always do."

You felt confident in your words, letting them come straight from your heart as you posed and smiled. And as they seemed satisfied with your response, expressing gratitude and nods, you stepped away from the spotlight.

However, despite feeling good about your brief press conference, everyone shared disappointment when the Islanders clinched the win in overtime. Regardless of Auston Matthews' impressive return, the Islanders remained formidable and sealed the match just 21 seconds into overtime, concluding with a score of 4-3.

Once again, you gathered the press to secure post-game interviews with the coach and a few players. However, without speaking a word this time, you concluded the media availability time and bid farewell to everyone.

"Miss Y/L/N, you really did an amazing job; you're almost like a natural," a familiar voice spoke from behind. Surprisingly, it wasn't your boyfriend William's voice; it was Christian, one of the content creators for the Leafs fan social media. You had spent a significant amount of time working on content together for the players and maintaining fan pages, ensuring no detrimental rumours circulated.

"Thanks, Chris," you smiled at him. "But I'm far from a natural… I work hard to make sure I get it right."

"You most definitely did... the only thing, though..." he gave you a slightly crooked and nervous smile.

"What? Chris, what did I do wrong?"

“Nothing, it’s just… you maybe should have thought twice about the choice of your shirt…” he spoke gently as he rubbed the back of his neck, making an effort not to stare at your chest. Your eyes widened in bewilderment. 

“Shit…what…” you looked down at yourself. Christian, instead of explaining, handed you his phone to show the video he’d recorded. It turned out your shirt wasn't completely see-through as you had feared, but a button had decided not to stay put, ensuring you unintentionally flashed the cameras with a bit more cleavage than most would consider appropriate.

“No...” you mentally kicked yourself. 

"Yeah, you really gave the audience a view to remember," Christian chuckled lightly. However, you found it far from amusing. While you were aware of having nice-looking breasts, they weren't intended for the entire internet to see, and you were certain William wouldn't appreciate it either.

With a final smile and a soft wave, Christian bid his farewell, leaving you to hastily button up your shirt before more people could catch a glimpse.

“Fuck…”

**

As you made your way back to the hotel alongside the rest of the staff, a sense of worry crept in. William hadn’t spoken to you since the match, nor had he sent any of the naughty or flirty messages as he usually did. Initially, you thought he was caught up in gathering his thoughts after the loss or the team was discussing the game. But no matter what, you hadn't heard from him.

It wasn't until you were back at the hotel.

After gathering the equipment with David and Peter, you grabbed your go-bag, navigated through the lobby, and finally breathed out as you waited for the lift.

But once again, a voice disrupted your thoughts. This time though, it wasn’t familiar to you.

“Hey,” the man said, standing next to you.

“Hi,” you offered him a friendly smile, not entirely sure why this stranger decided to strike up a conversation. Moreover, you didn't have the extra energy to be excessively nice and chatty.

But the stranger didn’t let the awkward silence linger for too long, though.

“Can I just say, what a great job you do for the team,” he flashed you a wide smile, his eyes slightly sparkling as his lips formed what seemed like a smirk.

“Uhm… thanks, I’m just doing my job really,” you tried to provide a brief answer with a friendly smile, but your friendliness seemed to encourage him further.

“They're really lucky to have you; you should know that,” the man continued, and you couldn’t help but wonder why the lift was taking so long. Apparently, it seemed to be stuck a few levels above.

“Thank you, I appreciate your kind words,” you simply nodded, turning again to check the number indicating the elevator's location.

“You know, I don’t mean to come off too straightforward here, but I really don’t think you realise what kind of attention you’ve drawn from the fans,” he chuckled lightly, and now he had your full attention. 

"What did you just say?" you inquired all baffled.

“Yeah, I mean, we’re like a bunch who really enjoy that you’ve gotten some extra camera works, and you should know that you’re doing more than just fine,” he flashed you a mischievous smile, and you could feel the blush rise to your cheek.

It's not that he wasn't good-looking or anything, but his words had you beyond surprised. The fans had been looking at you?

While you knew some had commented on the video from a few days ago, you couldn’t believe that you’d drawn more attention to yourself like that.

“Well, uhm… thank you, but uhm, I really don’t want to make it about me – it’s about the team,” you tried to brush him off, and just as the lift fortunately pinged and you could walk in, the man suddenly grabbed your wrists, holding you back.

“How about a drink, maybe?” he quickly asked, and you had to stop the doors from shutting close.

“Please, I don’t mean to be rude or anything – but thanks, but no thanks,” you offered him your best smile in the given moment, trying to pull your arm away from him.

“Come on, just one drink,” the man persisted; however, he was quickly pulled away from you by a very familiar person.

"She told you no," William spoke with a sombre tone, his piercing blue eyes revealing his simmering discontent.

"Sorry, my mistake..." the man quickly apologised. And in no time, you found yourself pushed into the elevator, the button for your floor illuminated, as your boyfriend stood before you, jaw clenched, and eyes ablaze.

"Willy..." you softly breathed, a mix of surprise and confusion lingering.

"Don't talk," William spoke firmly, and you knew better than challenging him at this very moment. His entire body was tensed, his hand forming a fist, exerting every muscle to restrain himself.

Yet, his face maintained its usual calm demeanour. He kept a straight face as the two of you reached the floor, aware of the risk with his entire team possibly in the hallway.

Yet, with only a few teammates down the hall, William followed you straight to your room, shutting the door behind, before he grabbed your bag, tossing it across the room.

It was rare to see William Nylander react with such frustration. You'd only seen him once break his stick in anger; otherwise, he always found a way to keep his cool.

But not tonight, not after seeing a stranger, a man approach you like that. And he knew he couldn't just yell, proclaiming you were his, as your relationship was secret. No, he had to stay composed in case anyone noticed.

Yet, he felt the boiling within. Slamming his hands onto the desk, William let out a deep sigh.

"It's not fair..." he mumbled, looking down at the wood, as you slowly walked towards him.

"Willy, it's okay. He was just a bit flirty. He didn't hurt me or anything," you tried your best to reassure him, wrapping your hands around his larger body, prompting him to stand up straight and turn in your arms.

Your eyes met in a tender moment, yet his body remained tense, and his eyes dark.

"That's not... baby, it's not okay," William sighed again.

"What do you mean, Willy?" you asked softly, looking up at your boyfriend.

"Do you realise how difficult this is for me? To see you do so amazing at your work, but then I read comments about men drooling over your boobs, writing about how hot you are, and then finding you in the lobby to ask you out?"

So, that's why he hadn't texted all evening. It wasn't just frustration from the match; he had seen your brief press speech, and it really got under his skin.

Normally, William wasn't the overly jealous type, but since he’d started dating you, he couldn't stand other men approaching you like that. Maybe it was because he couldn't openly share your relationship, but regardless, he couldn't suppress his jealousy.

As you looked up at him, your hands gently cupped his cheeks, caressing them as his rested on your hips, leaning against the desk behind him.

"Willy..." your voice slightly trembled as you were about to ask a question you knew you'd immediately regret. Yet, seeing your boyfriend in this state, you felt it needed addressing. "Do you... do you want to end this?"

Your heart ached as the words left your lips in a soft whisper. But William only furrowed his brows and straightened up.

"What? No, why would you ask that," he said in surprise. "Do you want to end this?" he countered.

"No! Not at all... I just don't want you to feel like this, like we can't be together, and you regret it every day whenever I do anything work-related..." you raised your voice slightly, eyes searching for any hints of his thoughts.

Yet, William didn't display anger or anything of the sort. Instead, his eyes softened and showed a hint of concern.

"Y/n, the only thing I regret is falling in love with someone I can't just shout to the world is mine..." he spoke in a dark, husky voice. "All I want is to tell you how fucking amazing you are at your work! How proud I am of you every day for doing what you do... I just don't like that everyone else gets to look at you like that."

It was one of those rare moments when William showed his true feelings. He wasn't always the best with words, but his deep desires were unmistakable.

And a smile crept onto your lips as you took a moment to mull over his words. "God, you really are the cutest, did you know that?"

William couldn't help but let out a light chuckle in response to your sweet smile and compliment. "No... no, I didn't," he returned the smile, the hotel room's lingering stress and tension slowly dissipating.

"Willy, there's nothing else I'd want more than to shout how much I love you to the world – and I'm sorry that I've apparently become the new spokesperson, but just remember that I AM yours, and no matter what the fans write about me online, it won't change anything between us," you reassured him once again, and this time, it seemed to sink in much better.

"I know... I guess I just have a really amazing girlfriend, huh?" William grinned, his hands moving a bit further down, resting on your ass as he pulled himself closer, causing you to tighten your grip around his neck. Your eyes locked, and a sense of growing lust was palpable in him.

"I suppose you do," you chuckled up at him before he leaned down, closing the gap between you.

His strong arms held you closely, your mouths dancing in a passionate kiss. His tongue gently slipped past your lips, deepening the connection. Your body relaxed and sank into his embrace as your tongues sensually intertwined. Gradually, William's firm grip on your ass lifted you into his arms, prompting you to wrap your legs around his hips. He took a few steps towards the bed, and gently placing you on your back.

"Well, how about I show you just how proud I am of you?" he asked in a dark, seductive voice, standing before the bed as you propped yourself onto your elbows.

You couldn't help but bite your lower lip as his eyes darkened, and his fingers smoothly found the button of your trousers.

Following his every move, you offered him a gentle nod before he undid the button and removed your piece of clothing. His hungry eyes admired the dainty piece of lace covering your core. However, first, William took the opportunity to get rid of the item that had been on his mind all night.

Swiftly, he leaned over your body and ripped your shirt apart, breaking every single button to expose your breasts in a matching lacy bra.

"That's more like it."

You felt your heat almost pulsating merely from his husky words. And before you knew it, he knelt between your legs, tucking down your thong as he discarded it and tossing your legs over his shoulders.

If there was one way William knew how to reward you, it was with his skilful mouth.

And as he then delved his head further between your legs, his warm mouth coming in contact with your most sensitive area, you already felt yourself rolling your eyes to the back of your head, letting go of your elbows as you rested on your back.

"Oh yes, Willy," you moaned as his tongue and lips found your sensitive flesh. His arms held your thighs as he savoured the sweetness of your cunt, tasting every bit of juice you provided him with.

Your hands were unsure what to do, one finding his long hair as the other gripped the bedsheets above your head.

His mouth felt so fucking good, and William was well aware of it.

Exploring every part of your heat, he left no inch untouched. His tongue switched between flicking your clit and probing your entrance, licking between your folds and then sucking on that little bud of nerves.

He was making you feel incredible.

William's beard grinded against your inner thighs, leaving burn marks as he gazed intensely up at you. He loved how you tossed your head from side to side, unable to control the sweet sounds escaping your lips as air emptied from your lungs with every breath.

The pull on his hair became firmer, indicating the pleasure coursing through your body, as your heels dug into the back of his shoulders as the build-up of an orgasm took hold.

And William was beyond satisfied.

He wanted to show you how much he loved pleasing you, how he was just as much yours as you were his, and he wanted to devote every minute of his life to you.

And seeing how he could make you squirm under his touch brought him a sense of pleasure as well.

His cock slowly grew as he listened intently to your moans growing louder, not caring about who might be in the next room. And he didn't care either. All he wanted was to make you feel good.

"Fuck, Willy... I'm getting close..." you breathed out heavily, and William knew it was his cue to bring you over the edge.

Shifting one of his arms from his grip, he kept his mouth on your clit as he guided two of his fingers to press against your entrance. Easing them into your warm depth, your hand in his hair pulled away and joined the other above your head, gripping firmly into the sheets as you let out deeper moans.

"Yes… oh, shit, fuck…"

Incoherent words tumbled from your lips as you felt his fingers curl and pump in and out, complemented by his skilful mouth. Your walls tightened, and your vision became blurry as a rush took over your mind.

And with only a few more pumps, you surrendered to the intensity of an orgasm. Letting go completely, your juices soaked William's fingers, mouth, and beard entirely.

You heard yourself making noises you'd probably never done before. And slowly, you came down from your high as William withdrew his digits and released your core from his mouth, a giant smirk forming across his lips.

Despite the slight pain of beard burns between your legs, you were pleased to see he'd grown it out again, now glistening with your liquids.

"Shit, Willy… how are you always so fucking good at this…" you managed to speak between breaths as you gently moved to lean on your elbows once again.

"I just love pleasing you, babe," he simply replied, smirking at you before kissing your inner thighs a few times, gently nipping and biting. His teeth dug a little deeper into your skin, leaving a good solid mark to remind you of where he'd been.

"You're so fucking amazing, and you deserve the world," he added, rubbing his beard against your already red skin, admiring the sweetness of your dripping cunt before him.

And you couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.

His sweet, dirty words were making you weak in the knees as you were still coming out of the euphoric state of mind.

"Come on, let's take care of you too," you spoke gently, looking down at your boyfriend between your legs. But William simply shook his head.

"Mm, no… y/n/n, this is about you and how incredible you are… I can wait."

With those words, William once again dug his lips to meet yours, making the scenario repeat itself.

However, this time you didn't last as long. You couldn't help but squirt all your juices over his face as he brought you to your second intense orgasm, painting his satisfied smirk as you loudly moaned out his name again.

You were a hot mess before him.

And as he finally released you from his grip, standing to admire what a piece of art he'd turned you into, you could feel his eyes especially looking between your thighs where you were sure he'd painted you red. And what would most likely turn into dark blue and purple colours over the next few days.

"Let's go to bed," William suggested with his ever so casual and confident smug face, despite his hard cock tucked away in his boxers.

"You're sure you want to stay in here?" you inquired with a soft expression, finally gathering enough strength to rise from your position and sit on the bed. You tossed the shirt away and unclasped your bra, but the sight of your bare chest wasn't exactly going to convince William to leave the room.

Instead, he undressed, keeping his eyes on you, as he joined you on the bed, swiftly pulling you onto him. And before you could say "goalie interference," you had his cock buried deep inside you as you rode him to the moon and back.

It was passionate lovemaking as you rocked your hips, feeling every inch of him stretching your walls. You supported your hands on his chest, moans escaping your lips as William grew more eager to reach his own climax, and he began pounding up into you.

"Fuck, baby, you feel so fucking good!" he blurted out with every thrust. "I'm gonna… shit, I'm gonna come…"

And with a few more thrusts, he spilled himself into your depths, letting out a deep grunt and your name along the way with heavy breaths.

It hadn't been his intention to have sex with you tonight; he had only planned to go down on you and spoil you as you deserved. But when you were there, naked in front of him, how could he resist the temptation?

And as you then cuddled up, spooning in the dark and letting your tiredness take over, William suddenly broke the silence with a soft whisper.

"I'm sorry..."

"Sorry for what, Willy?"

"For being so jealous all the time..."

You couldn't help but turn in your position, softly caressing his cheek as you listened to his heartbeat.

"I kind of love that you're jealous... it just shows that you care," you tried to comfort him, and he couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

"Fuck, what have you done to me, baby."

But as sleep slowly took over you, William couldn't drift off entirely. His thoughts raced about what had happened throughout the day, how much he loved you, and how he wanted to support everything you did. However, he couldn't deny either that the comments from fans were keeping him awake as he thought about how you could have chosen someone else over him, someone you could be exclusive with, openly and officially to everyone.

Yet, he also knew that he needed to believe when you told him that you didn't want anyone else.

[idanceuntilidie]

You have 1 new message

Beep

Hey could you do yandere villainess x GN reader? (I was gonna say female reader but GN is kinda better that’s all)

Beep

I can say this req took me a year haha I will stop now

Yandere villainess x gn reader

Warnings: yandere themes, suggestive themes, Stockholm syndrome, kidnapping

tags: @sinnful-darling

Taking What’s Not Yours

Moving to the town was a big step for you.

It was also a sign of freedom and independence which you yearned for since you finished highschool.

Your job sucked though, you can’t really have everything it seems.

In a world of heroes and villains you are just a simple, very very basic human being. Slaving your life away in some retail.

But then your eyes wander to the tv in your room after hard days of work, and see the chaos in the world of heroes and thank heavens you don’t need to take part in that, especially when with that new villainess around.

You rub your tired eyes and look at your phone. Just 15 minutes left, and you can leave this hell hole.

„Y/N hide me!” Charlotte, your new coworker screeched.

She hid behind you, despite your tired protests, and you finally saw what she was running away from. A young girl, probably still in highschool. Her face was bright red, she looked pissed off.

“Well Charlotte gotta admit, making people angry is your specialty”

You heard her whine, which made you sigh and look at the highschool girl again. She walked away, thank Gods.

Seeing that Charlotte slowly let go of your shirt and smiled awkwardly. She is new here but oh dear she just exists and creates trouble, and she has been here like a week. You pat her head lightly as you check your phone.

Freedom. You smile proudly and look at Charlotte.

“Well looks like you will have to deal with everyone until Mikey comes, good luck!”

You proudly walked to the staff room to get your things, ignoring the wailing Charlotte.

You breathe in the not so fresh air. Ah yes, city life.

The sun was going down, making the city look stunning. The orange light made it feel warm and cozy. You gotta take a photo.

You turned around to face the sun and take a few photos when you heard a crash, looking up you see a huge chunk of a building falling right at you. You freeze, a scream stuck in your throat. Well so that’s how you die? You expect a piano to be honest. It looks like you were in the middle of a fight. You closed your eyes and sheltered your face. Let death be quick and painless.

Nothing happened, you were still alive. Your heart thumping in your ears makes you disoriented. You open your eyes to see someone lifting the fallen chunk of the building.

Holy shit. It’s motherfucking Caelus.

Well this is the first time you see a hero in action, hell this one even saved your ass.

“You okay?”

“A-Ah?” you managed to squeak out, face getting hot from embarrassment.

“Run and hide, it’s not safe here.”

He threw away the chunk and ran back to help other heroes.

Ah. You just embarrassed yourself in front of one of the most popular people in the entire world. Way to go superstar.

You went to work the next day, you really didn’t want to. Hell you were kind of scared something might happen to you again, but you knew better than to try to reason with the manager.

He has a peanut for a brain and you don’t feel like talking to an elementary kid.

This time you and Charlotte didn’t have a shift together. It made the shift boring, no pissed customers chasing the blonde equals no fun. You laid your head on the counter, eyes closing. It was a slow day, lucky for you, working too hard makes you tired. You sighed blissfully only to hear a loud crash and gust of wind.

You open your eyes to see half of the shop gone, mouth agape you try to make sense of what just happened.

You choked on the dust that suddenly attacked your nostrils. Your eyes gloss over making it harder to see. It was only natural that someone sneaked behind you and knocked you out.

You wake up blindfolded and gagged. It looks like you should have stayed home.

You try to move your hands and legs, tied up. Of course.

This is awkward.

You heard very heavy footsteps and muffled conversation followed by a very loud sound of door opening. It was really painful.

“Ah you caught them? Splendid! Now I have Caelus in my grasp!” someone said, a young woman you assumed. Her cackle echoed through the room.

“Take off their blindfold”

Finally after a good while of panicking and being blind, you were finally able to see where you were. It didn’t tell you much, it looked like some basement but very big and very VERY moist. Your eyes focused on the large robot and the woman that was sitting on one of its hands.

Pale skin, beautiful black hair and outfit.

You felt your heart sink as you finally understood your situation.

You were kidnapped by Raven, one of the newest villains. Someone that even Caelus had trouble with.

“Hello little toy!” she smiled before continuing. “You must be pretty confused on why you are here and the reasoning is simple; you will help me kill that poor excuse of a hero, Caelus”

You whimpered and began to struggle.

“Look how lively they are MiMi '' she patted the robot. It didn’t react but Raven didn’t seem to mind. She patted it's arm again, this time the machine lowered her on the ground. She walked happily to you and took your gag off.

“W-Why me..?”

“Because you two are a couple”

You raised a brow at her, you and Caelus? You mostly saw him on TV, and once in real life. When he saved your ass from becoming a pancake. Is this how much it takes to be with someone?

“We are not..”

“What do you mean you are not-”

Someone else ran into the room, a short man dressed like a butler. He was old, his cheeks turned red as he tried to catch his breath.

“M-Miss there was a mistake, they kidnapped the wrong person” he began breathless, scared. Terrified even.

Raven's face began to turn beet red in anger. Hand gripping the chair you were sitting on, slowly cracking. The worst part was the silence.

Raven said nothing, but boy did she look angry. The poor butler tried to explain everything, and when he finished she sent him away and when he was out of sight.She screeched loudly, you swear you felt your ears bleed. Raven looked at you and it seemed like all of her anger washed away. Good, you kinda like being alive and hey maybe she will let you go.

Raven walked to the robot, opening its chestplate. A screen appeared, she typed a few things. You didn't catch what it was, she typed too fast. Finally when she was done, she returned to you. You tried to back off as much as you could, which wasn't a lot. Your movement was very limited.

The woman smiled at you. “You are still useful, haha yeah, a poor citizen in the claws of the raven. Caelus will save you of course.” she said sweetly patting your head.

Oh boy, you are in for a ride.

In the end Raven didn't let you go and didn't let anyone know she has you. She kept you like a pet.

At first she just left you in a room, with restraints of course but when she learned to trust you, you were able to move freely. Only in your room. Then she began checking on you often, no one else was allowed to give you food, escort you to the bathroom. Only Raven, why need anyone else? After a month, or what it felt like a month, Raven moved you to her room, so now you had to spend every second with her. She studied you, watched you sleep. Not even a week passed since you moved into her room. She knew your little quirks, what you like, what you don’t. What you did and who you were before. She even bought you a collar and a leash.

You felt like a dog, and she treated you as such.

There was one time where one of her butlers tried to free you, the next day he lost his head. She made you watch it. It's for your own good she said, you are a useful asset, you know too much, she can't let you just go.

People thought she still had plans for using you, but they didn't see how much she spoils you, how she dresses you up just for her to see. How she hugs you, how her lips ghost over your neck.

They do not know what happens behind the closed doors at night.

After months, maybe years, thanks to Stockholm syndrome, you have gotten used to it. To her affection, to Raven. Only she cares, she knows you better than you yourself.

No one cares or loves you as much as her, that's why no one came for you.

What you didn't know was, people thought you were dead

[heartfullofleeches]

would there be any way the staff!reader could stay overnight in the gallery safely? without being turned into an art piece so everyone doesnt have to worry about losing them? maybe this reader, somehow hired to take care of and maintain everyone in the gallery, doesn't really have anywhere to go home to...?

honestly? i'd feel very protected if i had to sleep in an art gallery full of art + director that love and cherish me. after i get used to them being alive first–

BTW i hope you are safe, happy, stress-free, are eating well and drinking lots of water! have an amazing day whether you choose to answer this or not!! :D

Well, as long as you manage to make it clear that you'll never leave them, the gallery won't have to resort to turning you into a painting. I imagine living there would be the best way to do so actually. The topic will most likely come up again as you age or if you get seriously injured, but for the time they would be content with the arrangement and (somehow) work together to make sure you're given the same care that you've given them.

-

"Is Y/n comfortable?"

The question's accompanied by light snickering as the hands at work complete their mission. You wrestle against your binds, but their softness and the persisting presence of hands pinning to the mat as well as combing through your hair makes you still. You accept defeat physically - but you're not down for the count yet.

"Scavenger, I really appreciate your effort, but I need to check on the other floors before I get some rest."

The Scavenger only laughs more, yet there's a notable difference to its tone. While clocking out for the night and tending to the rest of your duties off-shift, you were ambushed by the painting and dragged back to the storage closet you slept in. Your own bedding had already been laid out; added onto by the various blankets, foods, and other comforts they had stolen for you. The Scavenger used said blankets to swaddle you in and has been trying for the past half hour to get you to fall asleep. It hushes you with a finger to your lips.

"Shhhh. Quiet. There are new rules to follow. New rules to keep Y/n safe. Once their shift is over, it's our turn to take care of them. Might get sick otherwise."

The Scavenger runs its blackened fingers across the dark circles under your eyes to prove their point. As you prepare your rebuttal, the storage room door opens. Your stomach drops seeing who walks in.

The Lady in White. Red clings to the tails of her dress like haunts of her crimes and a knife welt in her hand. Crimson decorates the blade, but it's not blood. On further investigation, its revealed to the remaining skin of the item resting on the plate in her opposite hand. Her face scrunches up in disgust as she looks at all the processed foods around you.

"Please, stop feeding my darling garbage. I've left them in your company because I believe its for the best for us all, but I am not afraid to cut you all down if I must."

She places a plate of apple slices on the floor. "The Rose has been growing these for you. It's not much, but its food. If I had the right ingredients, I'm sure I can make a proper dish with them. Use this to buy them for me, and whatever else you may need."

She sets a wallet beside the plate. At least she tried to scrape off the blood the time. As soon as she takes her leave, another member of the gallery enters the room. Two in fact. The Painter, and a newer addition to the team, Soleil. The living clock had a habit of leaving its parts about for you to find, but seemed to be in working condition as it cocks its head at you quizzically. Its companion stares down the halls with a worried expression; shocked when they look over at you.

"Oh, dear. You're still awake, Poppy? That's no good- no good at all. I came all the way from my workshop to capture your-... I mean, check on you before the Angel stopped by to play guard."

"I told you they'd be up. They're always up at this hour no matter how often I tell them the time."

"Quiet, you overgrown alarm clock. We need to let them get their rest."

Then wh..y aren't you?

Soleil jumps at the new voice, while The Painter merely slacks their shoulders. No hope in getting that perfect picture now. The Faceless Angel stands behind the duo. They have gotten better with speech since they first lost their face. Slurred, their deep and raspy voice is much clearer now with only the smallest hiccups when they speak for long. Singing and talk to you while you winded down for the night help their progress immensely. In their hands, they hold a bright pink rose which yips in excitement the closer it gets to you. The angel puts it next to your bed and takes a seat; acting as your guardian angel for now, and as long as you will allow.

With your alarm clock, guardian, and two slightly bothersome, but still caring paintings - your eyes start to grow heavy. You don't remember when you start to dose off, or how long you actually slept, but the time on Soleil's open chest reads 4am when you're woken by a gentle shake.

"Hey, Y/n. Sorry for waking you, but I lost my house keys. Can I sleep next to you?"

You mumble a reply your coworker takes as a yes. Anri snuggles up beside you, careful not to touch you aside from placing a hand over your arm. You'd save wondering how they got their hands on a new uniform in the morning.

With the gallery's residents returned back to place, the director shuts the storage room door with a prayer of pleasant dreams. It feels so good to know that you're home.

[helloheyhihowdyheya]

One Step at a Time

Peter Parker x gn!reader

Masterlist

And thank you for (over) 250 followers! Wow <3

Summary: You're not having a good day, but you do have Peter.

Word Count: ~1.8k

Warnings: Mentions of reader being upset, tired, crying. Comfort. Peter being a dork. Bad jokes. Angst. Fluff.

A/n: Inspired by my own life and @reidslovely's post here (thank you <3). Thank you for reading. Would love to hear what you think!

- -

Like a breeze drifting through a cracked window, Peter slipped into your shared apartment after patrolling. The golden hour laid against his back as he found you curled up in bed. As soon as he saw your body buried under the blankets and heard your ragged exhales, he took off his mask and came to your side. 

Though his muscles ached, he kneeled beside the bed. The red of the suit he still wore shined in the early evening light, encasing the hand he gingerly reached under the blankets. His fingers wrapped around yours, offering a lifeline – a chance to pull your head above the water.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he whispered, rubbing a thumb along the back of your hand.

The memories of today that you’d unsuccessfully tried to ignore came trickling back – until they grew into a suffocating flood threatening to break the dam. Your mind wavered, feeling exhausted and unable to do what you wanted. The same thing that seemed to happen every day.

Mornings started out okay, hopeful even that you could make it through. But then something would throw you off, make doubt and anxiety creep up your throat and paralyze you. The pillow sank further as you pressed your head into it, hoping it would quiet your brain just a little. Eventually, as Peter squeezed your hand, you found your voice.

“Work called me to ask if I could work overtime all week… and I just feel like they’re pulling me in a million different ways without letting me get a chance to breathe. But my coworker seems like she’s doing fine with it, so maybe I’m just not good at the job,” you sniffled from under the blanket, mumbling your words. 

“And then I tried to make lunch, but I burned it and made a huge mess that I still haven’t cleaned up – I’m sorry – and I went out to get myself a drink from our usual cafe to cheer me up, but someone bumped into me, so it all spilled on my new shirt.”

You took in a sharp breath, squeezing your eyes shut. “I wanted today to be productive, to feel good about how much I accomplished. But all I’ve managed to do was make a mess of the apartment and waste the day away.”

Peter had let you talk, even though his jaw ticked as he kept himself from telling you to stop being hard on yourself. He let you get it all out before whispering, “Hey. Look at me, it’s okay. Come on, it’s just you and me.” His other hand slowly pulled the blanket from you, revealing your red eyes and tear-stained skin.

You found it hard to listen to his words, let alone do what he said, when your thoughts refused to slow down – instead, they multiplied, overlapping and jumbling into a mess that only make your hiccuping breaths worse. You stared downward, blinking away hot tears, when Peter’s hands found your jaw. His calloused fingers cupped around your face, thumb brushing along your cheekbone as he brought your head up to look at him.

Through your watery vision, you let yourself fall into the deep color of his eyes, embracing the warmth and love they held. Your lip wavered as you tried stopping the next wave of tears from cresting past your lashes, your teeth digging into the inside of your cheek.

“Come here.” Peter pulled you into a hug, letting you wrap around his body while he rubbed up and down your back. Your fingers dug into the material of his suit, tried to squeeze it so hard that it would take you from your thoughts – pull you from this body that never seemed to be on your side.

Pulling back, Peter wiped the tears from your cheeks before pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I’m sorry today hasn’t been good to you, and I would kick its ass for treating you like this if I could,” he said, earning a sad sort of laugh out of you.

“But you’re not some weak person incapable of handling things. I’m serious,” he said when you looked away, knowing that you were internally resisting his words. Pressing his forehead against yours, he continued. “First, your job is ridiculous for expecting you to give up your life for them. And second, you don’t need to accomplish a million things, or even one thing, to feel good about yourself. I know I’ve said it before, but your productivity does not define your self-worth, okay? I’m proud of you for making it through the day – I know it’s not always easy. But let’s start over and try again.”

Peter held you, making sure you heard his words loud and clear – forcing you to care about yourself as much as he did. Making his voice louder than the critical one inside your head. “I love you. Now, have you had anything to eat since lunch?” he asked, his voice so kind, like each word could somehow hold you together until you felt better.

You shook your head, sniffling once again. “I love you too.”

“Okay, I can quick grab some dinner and bring it back. What are you feeling?” He started to sit back on his heels, moving away just slightly.

Your hands held onto him harder, wordlessly pleading with him to stay. “Could you just order it for delivery?” you whispered, eyes fixated on the threads of the blanket.

“Yeah, of course. I’ll pull up a list of restaurants on my phone.” He came up on the bed, sitting against the headboard and pulling you into his chest. A few minutes passed as you scrolled through, willing yourself to find anything to eat.

Passing a burger place, Peter said, “I stopped a robber from stealing from that place last week. He didn’t appreciate my ‘Hamburglar’ jokes very much.”

You couldn’t stop from letting out a small laugh, pressing your face into his chest. “Do you really make conversation with the criminals you stop?”

He shrugged, a toothy smile spreading across his face. “Gotta make friends in this business somehow.”

Shaking your head, you just turned back to the list and picked out a place. “I’ll be right back,” Peter told you as he got up to grab his wallet, leaving you in the bed. 

The urge to crawl under the blanket again called to you in the cold absence of Peter, the wave of it nearly pushing you back into that mindset. But you held on, squeezing one of your hands with the other as you breathed through it.

You had this. You were capable, even when everything in the world tried to make you forget that. With a final wipe of your eyes, you slowly climbed from the bed and into the living room, one step at a time. Though your body tried telling you to go back and disappear, you kept going.

The sun still shined, the spring weather wafting into the apartment as you opened the window. It danced past you, placing warm kisses along your skin. 

You felt Peter walk up behind you, now dressed in sweats, wrapping his arms around your middle. Together, you watched the city breathe below. The skyline laid against a background of orange and yellow hues that you’d missed. A sunset you would’ve gone without had you stayed closed off under the blankets.

“Well I can’t fight the day if it’s going to look this beautiful,” Peter muttered as you laid your head back against his solid body. 

“What’s the point of having a superhero boyfriend if he can’t fight the universe for you?” You rested your arms on top of his, holding tight as you let out a dramatic sigh.

His hair brushed along you as he shook his head, a small smile on his face. Beside your ear, he whispered, “To do this.” His hand held onto you, picking you up like you weighed nothing as you let out a shriek.

He sat down on the couch, keeping you between his legs and your back to his chest. “I guess that is a perk,” you said, laughter shaking through your body. “Though… the remote is all the way over there.” You pointed over to the other side of the couch, just out of arm's reach.

“Also a good reason for a superhero boyfriend.” Peter shot his hand out toward it, webs snagging the remote.

He turned the TV on as you leaned back to look into his eyes, loving the bright glint they held. “Okay, you’ve proven yourself worthy. I’ll keep dating you.”

Even his dramatic sigh couldn’t hide his amusement, his complete adoration for you. “How generous of you. So glad I could be of service.”

The rumble of his laughter shook through you, leading a trail of warmth through your body. With your comfort movie playing on the TV, the two of you sat there. His chest rose and fell along with yours, breaths like watery swells crashing against one another. 

You only moved when the food arrived, Peter running down to grab it (but not before fixing you with a hard stare when you offered to grab it yourself.) 

Walking in with arms full a minute later, he called your name in a sing-songy voice. From behind his back, he pulled out more than just dinner. A bouquet full of colorful flowers sat in one hand while a drink from the cafe near your apartment sat in the other – the one you’d spilled earlier. 

In an instant, soft tears began to sting at the corners of your eyes as you looked at him and his nervous smile. “Thought this could help,” he said, handing you the drink and food. “You deserve it.”

“Peter…” you whispered as he started toward the kitchen. But you grabbed onto his arm, pulling him back onto the couch.

He flopped next to you, hair wild as he looked between you and the flowers. “But…” Though the look you gave him made him quickly give up. Peter couldn’t help being weak against any request you made.

The flowers were lovely, of course, but in the wave of emotion that filled your heart, you just wanted Peter right by your side. Setting everything else aside, he wrapped his arms around you, holding you against him. Only the two of you existed in the moment, everything else disappearing. The movie continued on in the background, but you stayed there, with him.

In his embrace, you could feel the weight of his earlier words – his urge to be kind to yourself. You would certainly try, as you took small steps through life. And no, not every day was going to be easy. But they were easier with Peter.

[smartycvnt]

Extraction

Title: Extraction

Pairing: Ada Wong x Reader

Summary: Y/n waits for Ada to come and rescue her on a mission gone wrong.

Word Count: 933

Y/n tried to remind herself that all of her training had been for this. Umbrella hadn't been nearly as careful to avoid another Raccoon City incident as they promisd they had been. If they were serious about making sure no other incidents like that happened again, the company would have shut down a lot more departments and projects than they had. She wouldn't have been given a job after being discharged if Umbrella wasn't still fucking around with forces they couldn't control.

Bullets flew over Y/n's head as she laid behind her cover. She had been a part of the first extraction team, most of whom were now laying somewhere behind her. A second one was supposed to be coming in, but Y/n had no idea who they could be sending after her. Her unit was the best of the best, and the majority of them had been downed within minutes of their arrival on the location.

"Y/n, do you copy?" The comms were full of static, but Y/n could still clearly tell that Ada was trying to reach her.

"Ada, it's madness out here. I don't know if anybody else is still alive. I don't think I'll make it," Y/n said. It was hard to admit defeat like that, but Y/n was being realistic. Between the gunfire and unknown BOWs roaming around, Y/n knew her chances were slim.

"You passed a bunker on your way there. Go back to it and seal yourself inside. You shoot anybody who comes through that door who isn't me," Ada instructed. Y/n took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind enough to remember where the bunker entrance was. "Y/n, do you understand your orders?"

"I copy," Y/n confirmed. "If I don't make it-,"

"Don't talk like that, you're the best operative I know. Make a run for it, and try not to get hit. I prefer you when you aren't riddled with bullet holes," Ada said. It was a rare moment of her showing her care for Y/n. Ada always protected the other woman, but she rarely ever complimented her like that.

Y/n took a deep breath and moved herself into position to run. Whoever was shooting at her seemed like local militia because she had a clean break as everybody reloaded. Y/n smirked to herself as she made her break, practically undetected. They inched forward on her a bit, but at Umbrella, it paid off to be crafy. Many of the corpses of her teammates were rigged to explode when disturbed.

It would have been impossible to come out unscathed like what Ada wanted, but Y/n tried her best. She couldn't look back, so there were more than a few close calls as she ran. The two bullet wounds from before wouldn't count. She could hide those from Ada easily enough once she got out of her old armor and into some new.

Y/n doubted that Ada would waltz through the front door, so she barricaded that up. There was a vent in the corner that Ada easily could move through since she tended to travel light. Y/n doubted that anybody out there would have had the tact to get through that little space to get to her, and if they did, Y/n would be ready for them.

She wasn't sure that she had ever changed her gear so quickly before. Y/n discarded the bloodied and slightly damaged gear in the corner of the room. She set a couple of traps in case the sheer amount of enemies coming towards her managed to break through the traps. All there was left for Y/n to do was wait.

It was quiet in the bunker, even as she could hear all the fighting. Ada worked alone, but she needed a distraction. Umbrella was always more than happy to send a team of grunts in for that purpose. Y/n had once been one of those grunts, and it was the fact that she singlehandedly returned to Ada on a suicide mission that anybody had begun to pay attention to her.

"You know, damsel in distress is not usually my type, but you pull it off well," Ada teased. Y/n watched her climb out of the vent and land gracefully on her feet with a soft thud. "Were you hit?"

"Not on the return," Y/n told her. Ada pulled Y/n up onto her feet and pointed towards one of the tables in the corner. "What's over here?"

"Our escape," Ada said. Y/n moved the table for Ada, who lifted up a hatch. The tunnels led straight through the city and out towards a mountainside camp where a helicopter was waiting for them.

"What happened to the hostages?" Y/n asked. Ada made a point of not looking over at Y/n or answering the question. The uneasy silence spoke volumes, and Y/n felt a pang of guilt. She had failed her mission, and the hostages that she had been sent to rescue had been killed. Y/n felt like she should have been one of them.

"Don't beat yourself up. I wasn't sent in to extract you," Ada told her. Y/n's jaw clenched. What had been the point of sending her team in to get killed if Ada was coming to kill them all anyway. Y/n dreaded to think of the amount of lives that had been lost that day, and Umbrella hadn't even started their "clean up" yet.

[beautifulchris]

fate brought us together again — epilogue

⤷ pairing: bang chan x gn!reader

⤷ synopsis: after spending two years abroad, you come back to the only college that accepted you; the same chris goes to

⤷ genre: smau, college!au, exes to lovers!au, fluff, angst, humor, romance, drama

⤷ tw: mentions of drinking, swearing

⤷ wc: 0,4k under the cut

everybody was chatting and laughing when you entered your friends’ bar. soleil was the first to spot you. you walked up to them making drinks behind the bar.

mark tapped your shoulder as he passed by, giving the customers’ orders to soleil and putting fresh cocktails on his plate. he smiled at you and left to serve the drinks.

“the usual?” soleil asked when you were close enough.

“please.”

“you look tired. a bad client today?”

you nodded, sighing deeply. “not an easy one but he pays well.”

turning around, you stared at the large table filled with your friends. olivia and jeongin were glued together, same for yuna and intak. felix, ryujin and jisung seemed to be in an intense conversation, while jake, seungmin, changbin and jisung were telling each other jokes. minho was casually drinking and glancing at the bar where soleil was, caught between different conversations while chris was typing on his phone, your blue jacket laid and secured on his left arm.

you were feeling warmth in your chest from the fact he was holding onto your jacket when your phone notified you of a new message.

my love❤️ : angel, are you gonna be here soon? i miss you

my love❤️ : the kids are getting louder by the minute

you smiled, walked up to him and kissed his head. he was startled, but when he saw your face, he quickly got up and hugged you, under the cheers of your friends. he buried his face in your neck while you gripped on him tightly, quietly enjoying his presence and sweet perfume.

“you’re finally here!” olivia smiled, getting off jeongin to wait for her turn to hug you.

she waited longer than the duration of the hug she received, but she was satisfied nonetheless.

you sat next to chris, hyunjin brought your drink order, side hugged you and got back to work.

soleil and mark loved the city so much they worked and opened their own bar! soleil is the bartender and mark is a waiter when there's a lot of customers. otherwise, he's the manager.

chris, changbin and jisung make music. they’re getting famous, their songs being streamed over a million times (you’re no stranger to this).

olivia, jeongin, yuna and intak opened their own interior design agency. their different views on decoration make them a powerful quatuor.

felix, hyunjin and minho still dance. felix is also a baker in a café near the bar, hyunjin is a waiter here and minho is a dance teacher for kids.

finally, ryujin, seungmin and jake are professional photographers. ryujin specialized in weddings, seungmin in nature and jake in animals. he even recently came back from a trip overseas.

you’re a professional photographer as well, specialized in people, mostly models and modeling events.

all of you work and are happy doing what you love, even if sometimes it gets hard, you’re here for each other. that’s what matters most.

fate brought you and chris together again. fate made you meet new amazing people and reconcile with old ones.

chapter 25 | masterlist

notes: here it is!!! i'm officially done with fbuta. I enjoyed every minute, thank you everyone! I'd like to know your thoughts on it :)

taglist: @soobin-chois @exfolitae @linos-catnip @raethethey @q1sng @kangyounghyunhands @whyyougottadothatbro @amaranth-writing @nattisbored @adestayskz @rag-iii @liashinmenu @soulphoenix1618 @fangeekkk @borahae-reads @minhwa @jihanniee @misosick @jia-qian @sachisarkive @makayluvsaisans @skz-streamer @stickycrusadecollective

[natashasnoodle]

Homesick | Robin Buckley x Female Reader

Masterlist | R.B Masterlist

Words 2.6k

Summary: Friends -> enemies -> lovers

✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

You heard the out-of-breath panting coming from behind you as you sprinted across the grass, giggles escaping your mouth as you forced your legs to run as fast as they could. The muscles pushing you along burned and ached as you continued your run, but you would much rather feel the pain than have Robin catch you in your game of tag.

Tag was your game, and you would be damned if Robin would catch you. She never normally did which always bummed her out but she liked to try each day anyway after she secretly practised running around in circles in her backyard most days to try and raise her stamina. It did work, she was able to chase you for a lot longer than she had previously, but she just couldn't gather the speed that you were able to.

Through the eleven years that you had known Robin, aka the entirety of your life, she had only ever beaten you in tag once. And that was when you had tripped over and sprained your ankle. Instead of helping she bent down to tap your shoulder yelling, "Tag!", in victory before running off to go and get your Mom after a minute of checking that you were being serious and not 'faking it because she was catching up'.

You didn't really count that as a win considering your leg could have fallen off, though she still likes to say that she beat you once. But presently, when she yelled calling for a time out, you saw that she really was closer than you thought that she was, "Hey good job Robbie you're getting faster!", you praised her genuinely with a pat on the back as she was doubled over clutching the pain in her side that had arisen from pushing her body too far. She mumbled a thank you before standing up unsteadily, her face red and her jaw slack as she tried to draw in as much oxygen as she could.

She did not appreciate the amused look that appeared on your face at seeing her current state. "Don't be grumpy it's our last day off before we start Middle School", you pushed her slightly in faux-offence, which again she didn't seem to appreciate. A frown appeared on her face as she glared at you, and for a moment the fear of God ran through your veins when she tackled you to the floor, though you both soon burst out in fits of laughter as you ended up tumbling down the hill, limbs tangled together.

After the long fall to the bottom, you both lay in a starfish position on your backs, chests heaving with the exertion, and as the sun beat down on your bodies, you and Robin gave each other big smiles with sparkling eyes before you got up and extended your hand to help your friend up. "Come on Buckley, race you to the top!", you shouted as soon as she was standing on two legs again, earning a groan from her as she watched you sprint to the top, but smiling anyway as she began her ascent.

If you had known that would be your last last day of summer with Robin, you probably would have laid there for a lot longer before running up that hill and going home.

---

Your first day of senior year was finally here, and you were excited. Due to being on the track team and easily earning the top place in the school, you had been put forward to attend college on a scholarship. So as long as you kept trying this year and showed your teachers that you were still putting effort into your studies, you were all set. Your future was a go.

Though one thing was bothering you. Or rather, one person. The usual one person who managed to get under your skin. Robin Buckley.

Your first year of middle school completely ruined things between you and your best friend. It was when you started getting more into the sports clubs as you excelled in athletics, and this brought forward a new social circle for you, which you were excited about. Even though you tried to balance your time with your new friends and Robin, even introducing her to the group of people, she still felt as though you were leaving her behind and so started distancing herself, and hanging out with people she thought were more on her wavelength.

Robin's absence truly had an impact on your life, you missed her with all of your heart. She was your anchor, so even at the young age of eleven you desperately tried to bring her back into your life, but she was having none of it. Over the years and especially when high school started is when the glares began. The two of you seemed to develop an extreme distaste towards one another that completely trumped all of the good times that you had together.

At first, you had thought it was a shame that things had come to this point, but the more that the two of you spared each other evil glances and deliberately bashed into each other in the hall, the less bad you felt that this was the current state of your relationship.

The thing was, you just couldn't seem to escape her. During the athletics competitions and practices, the school band would play. For the most part, you would manage to ignore her presence during the races, but when the team came together to celebrate a win or a good time during practice, you could see her staring daggers at you as you celebrated. Especially if you were lifted into the air or similar, you got a good view of the stands that way. Although you were supposed to hate her, you always felt your mood drop whenever you saw her staring at you like that.

When you were younger and had originally gotten your place on the team you had always imagined celebrating wins with Robin, though it just wasn't meant to be. Things had gotten so bad that you probably wouldn't talk to her again, especially with it now being your last year of high school. You had no clue if she was going to go to college, but even so, you would be and you didn't plan on returning to Hawkins after that. It made you a bit sad that that would be the end of your and Robin's intertwined journey, but you pushed it down.

The name that you liked to call the pokey little town was "The land stuck in time". There was no progression, and you didn't like many of the people. Your friends were decent people to you, but you saw how backwards their mindsets were, the problem was that most people in Hawkins were the same, so you just had to put up with it, and tried to ignore the pain your chest felt when they made a jab at a part of you you hadn't concealed to them.

These thoughts had run through your mind yet again after a big win where you and Robin tried to kill each other with your eyes, but you tried to shrug it off as you walked on your own towards the water dispenser around the side of the main school building, away from the eyes of those still on the pitch. You'd forgotten to fill it up before the session, so now you were left dehydrated. Though you really wished that you had filled it up before when you saw who was currently filling up their bottle.

Robin Buckley.

Your legs froze when you spotted her as you debated whether to turn around or not, but your dry mouth was screaming at you to go and get some water, so, you continued. As you neared her she must have sensed that someone was there, and as soon as her bottle was full she whipped her head around to face you. The surprise on her face that someone was there quickly morphed into anger as she took in who it was. You.

Your chest tightening indicated just how uncomfortable you were with this situation, but with your head held high, you continued forward, ignoring how your heart was screaming to run the other way.

Just as you were a few steps away and about to say a friendly hello, she shoved past you, knocking the bottle from your hand, not that she noticed as she took marching strides forward to get away from you. "Do you mind?", you exclaimed as you bent down to pick up your bottle. It was cheap but still your favourite, so as you noticed some scratches you delicately rubbed at them as if that would help at all whilst slowly standing, disappointment flashing across your features.

She turned around suddenly, expecting a shouting match, but at seeing you looking genuinely disheartened she felt her heart drop slightly before straightening her posture and looking at you as though she did nothing wrong. When you looked up and met her gaze you saw red as you saw a smirk dance across her lips. "You could at least pretend to care", you mumbled as you walked to the dispenser, thinking that she couldn't hear you, though apparently, she did.

"Yeah? Like you pretended with me for eleven years?", she scoffed, and you turned to face her with a scowl on your face. "I never pretended to care about you, Buckley", you said her name with pure malice as though the word tasted awful on your tongue, "I genuinely did care until you shut me out and started acting as though you wanted me dead".

"I shut you out because you completely ditched me", she marched back towards you, her jaw tight with anger. "I never ditched you!". This was feeling like all of the arguments you had in the past as kids. "Did", she spoke with confidence and took another step forward.

"Did not".

"Did".

You sighed and ran a hand through your hair at the childishness, just wanting to escape the situation altogether. Clearly, you and Robin weren't capable of civility at all now, and you just wanted to go back to the people you could talk regularly to. "Just leave me alone", you spoke and tried to move past her, but she quickly pushed your shoulder back so that you were standing in front of her as before. "No, I'm sick of you running away from me whenever we argue. I want to argue".

Never in your life had you been more confused, "You want- you want to argue with me?".

"If that means that I can talk to you for more than two seconds then yes! Yes, I do want to argue", she nodded defiantly, and you stared at her as though you didn't understand a word of English, causing her to roll her eyes. "For someone going to college you don't seem very bright, Y/l/n", she taunted with a smirk, making red appear on your cheeks for her making you feel stupid.

Again you blinked a few times as you stared at her, not believing that she would try and make fun of you, even though it wasn't a surprise considering your history. "I don't want to do this", you shook your head as the corners of your lips tugged down. Recently with thinking about moving away from Hawkins and the realisation that you wouldn't see Robin again, it had made you feel a certain sadness. Mourning for what once was. So, having her being so 'stick up her ass like' to you just hurt, "I don't want to argue with you, Robbie".

Her entire demeanour faltered at the nickname, one that she hadn't heard in seven years. "Why?". Now it was your time to look at her like she was stupid. "I thought you would have loved to shout at me, you always look like you hate me whenever I see you", she continued. You sighed again and looked her dead in the eye, "Because you always glared at me, so I just did it back, over time it became natural".

"I glared at you because you glared at me", she pointed an accusing finger at you, and your face scrunched up. "No, you glared at me, so I glared at you".

"No-", Robin tried to start again but you interrupted. "Let's not do that again, okay?", you allowed a small smile to rest on your lips and she gave a hesitant one in agreement. "So, we both had a misunderstanding with how we looked at each other, okay? Can we agree on that?", you proposed, and she shrugged but nodded. Baby steps. "I get that you were upset that I didn't spend as much time as you, but I really tried to keep you in my life, but whenever I went to your house you told me to go away".

"Yeah, because like I said, you ditched me for those idiot jocks and cheerleaders", she immediately became defensive again, her glare ever more prominent. "I didn't ditch you!", you shouted and took a daring step closer to her, your faces now practically touching.

"Yes. Yes you did". You pursed your lips in disbelief, completely missing the way Robin's eyes settled on them for a moment before meeting yours again. "Why did you care so much that I met new people?. Why was that such an issue that you wanted to cut me out of your life forever?", you interrogated, which seemed to catch her off-guard as she briefly frowned before returning an answer. "Because you got so much closer with Chrissy and completely left me! She would always give you hugs and just always be- I don't know, just always be all over you and I couldn't stand it".

Chrissy was an absolute sweetheart, you didn't get why Robin had such an issue with her. "I hugged you too though?".

"I know, but I didn't want you hugging other people, I didn't know why when we were kids but it became really clear to me over the last couple of-", Robin's eyes widened as she clearly thought that she had spilt too much information. "What became clear?", you questioned but didn't receive an answer, "Robin, what became clear", you tried again more sternly.

Though you regretted the tone change when you saw that tears rushed to her waterline. You were able to see them even if she had quickly pushed them down. "Robbie...", you tried again in a sweeter tone, which made her practically melt into a puddle in front of you.

"It became clear", she tried again with a broken voice, "That I love you", she spoke so quietly that if you were another step back you wouldn't have been able to hear her. You were in shock. After spending years thinking that Robin hated you, only to find out months before you were due to move away forever that she loved you was a tough pill to swallow. Especially since you had been spending your time shoving mutual feelings down where no one would ever find them.

Though Robin took your silence as a bad thing and immediately began to panic. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anything", she rushed out and took a step back, though was stopped from going further by you gently taking a hold of her hand. "Robin please don't go", you pleaded softly, and she frowned, not understanding what was going on. You took a step forward to bridge the gap, and she gulped with anticipation.

"I love you too", a smile appeared on your face as Robin gave a dry chuckle of disbelief. Years of hating each other for no reason. "You do?". You gave a hum of agreement as she pulled you into a tight hug, one that made you feel safer than you had done in years. "I missed you", she whispered and held you tighter. "I missed you too".

Being back in Robin's arms made you realise that she was home. You had spent the last seven years not realising that you were homesick. But now you were home.

In her arms, you were home. 

✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

Taglist: @fxckmiup @itsdoni

[cannedbeefaroni]

Get This (Joby Taylor X Reader) (SMUT)

Summary: You're the lead singer of a less than successful local band. You find yourself unlucky enough to run into your very first shitty rock guy at a gig, and hatred blossoms.

Content: SMUT 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, unhealthy dynamics, don't replicate irl, hatefuck, public sex, bathroom sex, clothed sex, dryhumping, finishing in pants, joby gets slapped in the face

Reader is written to be entirely gender neutral, but is implied to have an androgynous appearance (Joby implies he can't tell whether they're a boy or a girl)

Genuinely, you felt like you were going nowhere. Being stuck as a local band playing gigs at dingy bars and clubs with 15 max patrons was taking a big hit on your ego as the lead of a band. Your band members didn’t seem to give a shit, gladly taking whatever they can get, getting high off their balls every week and generally not caring about life. You wanted more out of this, and being so stagnant made you agitated all the time. After trying so hard to make things work, ultimately, very little progress was made. At one point the band got lucky, getting a gig at a park for a couple shows sprawled throughout the month. Sure, the set lists were composed of songs you hated and thought were boring, to appeal to the local community but the teenagers who came to watch thought you guys were the heaviest motherfuckers on the planet. Sadly, 21 and up venues did not have dumb teens with bad taste, and most of those audiences were either dead or unamused.

At the very least your drummer was passionate about the band, despite being a little too laid back. Your guitarist and bassist straight up couldn’t be bothered. You contemplated trying to recruit new members, but it would’ve taken so much trial and error. Until your guitarist quit. You always had the tendency to lash out at her whenever she acted diva-ish, but the last time was the last straw. You threw a bottle at her head, missing as it shattered against the wall behind her. Before you could apologize, she got up and left. You had to pick up the slack, since you knew how to play, but you weren’t used to singing and playing at once while performing. Every show since then had been exhausting, and you and your band members had failed to find any recruits. Months had passed, and you accepted that you had become a three person band. 

Through all the bad shit, you were lucky to get a new gig at a lounge. You were nervous, knowing if the manager didn’t like the band's performance, you probably wouldn’t get to play there again. Despite how hopeful and excited you were, you were worried sick. You wanted to practice with the others as often as possible, but you could only push them so much, so you spent even more time practicing the set list alone. You were losing your mind, feeling overwhelmed despite the stakes being low. You wanted to prove yourself, but you didn’t know who to. Maybe to yourself, or to random people you didn’t even care about. 

Setting up for the show, you ran around with equipment, skipping around like an idiot trying to get everything ready. The two others took their time, which they had every right to, since there was no rush. At some point, your drummer placed a drink on the table next to you, insisting you needed to loosen up before the show. You were hesitant to accept, but you eventually agreed and downed the drink. It was strong, but just one drink wouldn’t get you drunk. Turning around to take a seat, you notice some fucked up looking guy slouched in a seat at the table. The sun had just set and he already looked drunk, head leaning back with his legs spread and ass on the edge of the seat. His jeans were too low waisted and too tight, and his overall look could be described as greasy. Wondering how long he’d been there, you pulled a chair away from the table, awkwardly sitting trying to keep a distance. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around, sweetheart,” his voice creaked like a door, deep and lazily. You gave him an uncomfortable look. 

“This is our first gig here,” you gave a half smile, trying to be polite but ending up coming across dismissive. 

“Oh, shit. I had no idea you were in the band. I thought you just worked here or something,” he chuckled, but you failed to find what was funny. “Y’know, I’ve toured with a couple bands, but none of them had any female members.”

You had no response, so you sat silently, somewhat hoping the conversation would die out. 

“You are a girl, right? It’s hard to tell sometimes,” he doesn’t stop talking, and for some reason thinks he can salvage the conversation. 

“What’s your fucking problem, dude?” you sigh, wondering why you keep entertaining his bullshit. 

“Chill, man, I know your nerves are shot ‘cause of this gig. You guys are new, right?” he scoffs, hanging his head to the side, pushing his hair back with a cocky grin. 

“Yeah, but I’m not young. I’m in my late 20’s,” you roll your eyes. 

“Hang on, I didn’t say-“

“Come on man, you’re a shitty rock guy. I know you’re trying to get with younger chicks. Your bullshit won’t work on me,” you snap back at him, losing your patience. He fucking laughs, and you have no idea why it enrages you so much. 

“You got a rockstar attitude, that’s for sure,” his smile pissed you off.

You scoffed as you got up without uttering a word. There wasn’t time for this, you needed to get some vocal exercises in before the show, so you headed to the bathroom for some privacy. You had no idea why you were so embarrassed of warming up your voice, it just felt awkward doing it in front of other people. There were only two bathrooms in the establishment, both having only one toilet. While you really hoped the turnout would be good, you also hoped it wouldn’t get crowded enough to the point of the bathrooms having a 2 hour wait time. 

When the show was about to begin, all your worries skyrocketed. You started worrying if the audience wouldn’t like the set list, but the manager who booked you guys approved it and even picked some of the songs. It was going to be the first time a venue let you play as heavy as you wanted, but by the looks of the patrons who were primarily older men, you weren’t sure if you had the right audience. They were probably expecting classic rock, which your band definitely would not deliver on. Despite your worries, the manager assured you that it’d be fine. 

As the show was minutes from starting, you and the band made your way to the stage. You went to plug your mic into the amp, and as you did you caught a glimpse of that weirdo you spoke with earlier. He was sitting at a booth across from two women who looked like they just turned 21 yesterday. They were squealing with glee at the sight of him, which utterly confused you. You couldn’t help but eavesdrop, hearing one of the girls exclaim, “oh my god, are you Joby Taylor?” No wonder he had such a massive ego. He’s probably from some hotshot band that’s popular with teenage girls. You rolled your eyes hearing him soak in their praise, and humble-brag about himself. Everything Joby did enraged you. He caught you staring and shot a wink at you, and you could’ve sworn you popped a hernia. You knew it was stupid to let something so dumb bother you, but it was as if Joby was created in a lab to be the most insufferable rocker guy on the planet. You egged yourself on, needing to convey that rage in your first song.

The show started, and you jumped up on stage and swung your guitar over your shoulder. You gave your usual intro, but before starting you pulled an index card out of your pocket to read out the promotion you were forced to by the manager. You tossed it aside, readying yourself for possible humiliation. You made it a habit not to look at the crowd, because that always leads to awkward eye contact with a stranger. Staring at the back wall was the best bet, but of course, with your luck, your eyes glanced at Joby, and he stared at you with his eyes hooded and his chin resting in his hand. He was judging you, probably thinking he was better than you. 

“Gimme a scream,” the drummer called out, and you did, without breaking eye contact with Joby. If there was one thing you were proud of, it was your voice. You’d often get compliments on how you can scream like hell, but also have a pretty singing voice. This first song, however, was all screaming. It felt risky doing it first, but watching Joby’s eyes widen in horror as he heard the demonic growl ripped from your throat was priceless. 

I DON’T LIKE A FUCKING THING

MUSIC SUCKS DICK

SUCK THE SNOT END OF THE TIP OF MY PRICK, YOU FUCKING CUNTS

GET OFF MY BACK

I DON’T WANNA DO A SHOW WITH YOUR SHITTY FUCKING BAND

You leaped into action, jumping around as you played along with the band. Being a more eccentric performer, you liked having freedom to take the stage and command an audience, but the added guitar playing made that way harder, especially when you just started learning the instrument 3 years ago. It exhausted you, and was probably the reason you were so much more irritable all the time. You were kidding yourself when you thought you didn’t need a guitarist. Considering Joby, though, you wanted to prove in your performance that you could do anything. That you were better than him, no matter how famous or experienced he was.

DON’T BERATE ME ‘CAUSE YOU CAN’T STOP ME 

FROM BREAKING YOUR FACE, IT’S YOU I’LL ERASE

IT’S HATE, MOTHERFUCKER, HATE, MOTHERFUCKER, HATE 

It felt good screaming all this out after all the bullshit you had to endure. You didn’t care if the audience didn’t like your band anymore, you just wanted to fuck shit up. As you looked back at Joby, you noticed that the girls who were sitting with him just a while ago had gotten up and were headed for the door. It seemed like they weren’t big fans of heavy metal. Joby seemed isolated and upset over it, and you grinned to yourself as if you did a job well done. Two less girls who get to be manipulated by some greasy dude. You felt euphoric as you screamed the vulgar lyrics, as if you finally got the chance to cuss out everyone out there who’s hurt you. 

LIFE’S SO SHITTY, BUT AIN’T IT FUCKING GREAT? 

LIFE’S SO SHITTY, BUT AIN’T IT FUCKING GREAT? 

Then you realized that you wanted him all alone. Joby was inside your head, and no matter what you couldn’t spin it any other way. He had you wrapped around his finger and you couldn’t do a damn thing. You hated him for seemingly no reason. Maybe it was the way he seemed to try pulling you in, as if he wanted to push you into doing things you’d regret. Like you were a piece of meat. You weren’t even a person to him. He thinks he can just run around fucking any groupie he wants and run off like nothing ever happened. You’re not a groupie. You’re the motherfucking lead singer of Poor Impulse Control. 

GET THIS OR DIE, GET THIS OR DIE,

GET THIS OR DIE, GET THIS OR DIE,

GET THIS OR DIE, GET THIS OR DIE,

GET THIS OR DIE, GET THIS OR DIE,

GET THIS OR DIE, GET THIS OR DIE,

GET THIS OR DIE, GET THIS OR DIE,

GET THIS OR DIE, GET THIS OR DIE,

GET THIS OR DIE, GET THIS OR DIE

You were jumping and stomping on every GET THIS OR DIE. You wanted to stomp it into everyone’s thick fucking skulls. By the end of the song, you felt like you just underwent an exorcism. There was no more hatred, just sweat, tears, and your racing heart. The audience actually clapped. Though it was dry, they were pleased by the performance. You laughed as tears rolled down your face. 

About an hour or so later, the show ended, and the turnout was decent. The audience seemed somewhat impressed by the performance, and that was good enough for you. Right after signing off for the night, you headed straight for the bar, completely spent and sweaty. You weren’t planning on getting drunk, you were just in desperate need of some water. 

“You were really cool up there,” the bartender smiled, sliding a glass of water over to you. “Are you guys gonna be a regular gig?”  

“Thanks,” you said shyly, voice quiet and horse from the performance. “Not sure. Depends if he likes us or not.” 

“He would,” another voice interjects. Joby was sitting at the stool next to yours, taking shots. You groaned, almost inaudible. “He likes that kinda trashy stuff.” The bartender left the scene, sensing the tension rising between you and him. 

“Trashy?” you sneer. 

“I mean, you gotta admit it’s trashy, but you make it work, babe,” he ruffles your already messed up hair, like he’s cool with you. 

“You would know. You’re the definition of trash,” you grumble. “I doubt your band’s music is any better.”

“Actually, I’m not in a band right now,” he admitted, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “Y’know, something’s got me thinking.”

He leans his head against his hand, elbow on the counter. As he leans in a little, you sit unphased.

“You guys seem to be short a member, right?” 

“What makes you say that?” you brush him off. 

“I don’t think you’re all that great of a guitarist,” he starts, but you’re ready to counter argue. He presses a finger against your lip, shushing you so he can continue. “Your vocals are good, but that guitar is holding you back from being great.” 

“So what? I can get better,” you swat his hand away. 

“It would be easier if you had a guitarist, no?” his tone becomes soft, like he’s pretending to be a nice guy all of a sudden. “Someone with experience?” the way he inched closer made you feel cornered.

You were absolutely stuck. After all this time, what you wanted was handed to you on a silver platter, but in the form of a walking greaseball. Staring at your glass, you still felt his gaze burning holes in you. “I guess. If you really want we could hold an audition for you,” you say reluctantly, “but I don’t know if the band would be cool with it.” You search around for them, but they have already packed up and left. There goes your scapegoat. 

“I think they left without you,” he leaned in, whispering in your ear as if it was a secret. It sent a shiver down your spine, making you tense. His hand brushes along your thigh ever so slightly. Though every feeling you had about Joby was visceral hatred, your body reacted to him embarrassingly. You wanted to find him completely unappealing, but unfortunately he was totally your type. The way he made you feel was unbearable. Uncomfortable pulsing as you sat in your soiled underwear. The fact that your band members weren’t there to judge made you bolder than usual. 

“They tend to do that,” you replied, looking down at your lap pensively. He slowly brought his hand to your knee, resting his palm against it as he dragged it upward slightly. You stared at his fingers with jealousy. They were incredibly long, which probably made fingering any instrument easy. Then again, it would make fingering easy, period. His fingers gripped your thigh, startling you. 

“Guess I have you all to myself,” he grinned, and it sent a rush through you. 

You’re an idiot, so you got up, grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the bathroom. Luckily the bar was nearly empty again by the end of the night, so there were no occupants. You wish you were drunk right now so you had something to blame this on, but you needed relief and he was very much willing to give it to you. As you shut the bathroom door, you pushed him up against it, and before you got the chance, he was the one to break the space between, kissing you intensely. You instantly melted into him, pressing into him as your arms hooked around his neck. He was way too good at this, instantly taking the lead, grabbing the base of your hair and tilting your head, allowing your lips to lock perfectly. You pressed your knee against his crotch, and he groaned. His legs intertwined with yours, and you started grinding against his thigh. Snaking a hand down your back, it grabbed your ass, forcing the movement of your hips to stay in rhythm with his. Eagerly, you took his tongue into your mouth, letting him lick up the inside. He tasted just like you expected, like cigarettes and vodka. You whined for him like you were begging, and it felt humiliating. 

He pulled you away by your hair, making you whimper. You stared up at him as he chuckled at you, loving the way you submitted to him. “Admit it,” he said, slowly repositioning your hips, lining your crotch up with his. “Admit you need me,” he grinded into you, the head of his cock brushing over the perfect spot, making you moan for him. He humped you like he was showing you how he’d fuck you, and it made your mind go numb. Grabbing your face by the cheeks, he forced you to make eye contact with him. He thrusted hard, watching you squeal at the intense stimulation. “You can do it, sweetheart.” 

“I need you. I need you,” you whined, breathless and weak as he gave you a few sharp thrusts. 

“What do you need?” he pulled your face closer, lips inching closer to yours. 

“Fine! I need you in my band!” you exclaimed.

He chucked. “Now, was that so hard?” he cooed before pulling you in again, brushing his tongue along the seam of your lips, wrenching your jaw open once again to let it in. His thrusts were ruthless, abusing your nerves, pushing you to the edge. His lips traveled to your neck, licking the delicate skin over your pulse point before sinking his teeth in. As he bruised you, all control was lost as you were pushed to the point of cumming in your pants. Despite trying your hardest to stay quiet, you let out a borderline pornographic screech. Most embarrassingly, in your foggy state of mind, you moaned his name as your head fell to the crook of his neck, body melding into his. Heavily, you panted as you came down from your high. 

“So, you do know who I am,” he chuckled cruelly, making you scowl. You suddenly felt his hands come between you two, and you failed to notice his fingers working his buckle, then unzipping his pants. Only when you pulled away slightly and glanced down, you were met with the sight of his cock springing from the waistband of his underwear, unprompted. 

In a state of shock, you delivered a sharp smack to his face, making his head recoil to the side. You stared widely in horror as your hand slapped over your mouth, watching his cheek bloom red. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered meekly. “I don’t think I want to go any further,” you clarified as you pulled away from him. 

“I can see that,” he brought his hand to his face, rubbing the stinging skin. Hastily, he pulled his pants back up.

“Uhm,” you started, trying to find what to say. “We can have the audition tomorrow, if you still want,” you suggested awkwardly, hoping the original plan was still in motion. 

“Only if you promise not to slap me again.” 

“Only if you promise not to take your cock out again,” you rebuttal.

“Deal.”

[starsheild]

Partner: Part 10

Sierra looked around cautiously at her new home. This place had obviously not been built with humans in mind, but she had been assured that it had been altered to accommodate them. She hesitated, looking at the mechs that towered over her and still marveling a little at the sight of Prowl in root form.

"You don't have to do this, you know. The government will foot the bill for my care. And after that…"

Well, honestly after that she wasn't sure what she was going to do. There were many people in life that had moved on after suffering injuries like hers. It would just take starting over. Again.

"No." Prowl and Jazz spoke together, in complete sync. That was going some getting used to, and Sierra still wanted a comprehensive explanation on how this whole bonding thing worked. At the moment all she knew was that Prowl and Jazz were somehow linked now, permanently, and that their actions were often amusing or disconcerting by turn.

They had both argued for her being allowed to come live among the Autobots, at least until she was well enough to be on her own. Gathering her courage and swallowing her pride she looked at them. "Well, are you going to show me around then?"

This was not how it was supposed to end. Prowl stood back, at the edge of the gathered humans. Many more had shown up that he would have expected. But then, Sierra had changed during the time that they had worked together. Changed to the point that even if her colleagues did not seek out her company they respected her.

As an officer she had also had a far greater impact on the community then even Prowl had guessed. The children she would wave at, the adults she would speak to, they all remembered. They came.

Some of them had seemed surprised to learn that her partner had been an Autobot, but Prowl hadn't been willing to let anyone else be the honor guard on the procession. Now he stood, surrounding by his brothers and sisters in arms to honor the human that had ended up touching so many of them. With her humor and her laughter. With her strength and stubbornness. With her courage and dedication present right up to the very end.

Prowl bowed his head and leaned into the momentary comfort that Jazz offered when the service was over. He was not alone. He was not the last. But once again an important part of his life was missing.

*****

"So explain to me what we are doing again Prowler?" Jazz questioned, more confused about visiting an outdoor human location in the rain than bothered by the idea.

Prowl had done something he never did- he took a day off. Two days off, in fact. One because, as he told Prime, there was something important he needed to do for a friend. And no, the date was not negotiable. The other day was because the Decepticons had managed to cause a rather thorough upset on the anniversary of their bonding, and who was Jazz to complain is Prowl felt the need to make it up to him?

Still, Prowl was acting very odd, and if Jazz couldn't see into his spark so well he would have contemplated having Ratchet run a scan on the mech's processor. The small bag the human at the station had given him hadn't cleared matters up at all, especially since she seemed just as confused as to why Prowl would want whatever was in it.

"Here." Prowl said, transforming quietly deep in the park. Jazz wasn't even going to point out the fact that they had gone around a sign saying that the park was currently closed to visitors. Law breaking Prowl was a new one too.

He followed Prowl across a small clearing, skirting the empty shelter, to a large rock. He watched quietly as Prowl opened the bag and laid out five candles, arranging them carefully.

"What are those for?" He asked softly as Prowl lit the first one, recognizing it as some sort of human ritual, even if he didn't understand the point quite yet.

"Sierra's creators." Prowl explained softly as he lit the white pair. "Her brother." The red one. "Her first partner." The blue.

The lighter hovered over the green for a moment, and Jazz understood as the flame came into life. "Sierra."

Jazz moved closer, hearing but even more deeply feeling the prayer that his bonded intoned to Primus, the only deity known to their kind. When Prowl was finished Jazz wrapped his arms around the Praxian, and together they watched the candle flames flicker softly as the sky above them cleared and the stars shone overhead, reflecting the lights below.

[cottoncandy-cult]

Hitoshi Shinsou x cat quirk! reader

"Come here kitten." The male had beckoned over the cat girl across from him, the two had been dating since he was a first year at UA. Now here he sat at a desk as an adult, the male having managed to create his own agency at this point. Something he felt wouldn't have happened without Aizawa or his sweet kitten. Tonight, he had been working late, finishing up a bit of paperwork left over from where his agency had recently merged with a smaller one and now, he had to sign off. Because of that (Y/n) had brought him dinner, the girl had attended UA alongside Hitoshi but after graduating decided that hero life wasn't for her. Instead, she had opened up a cat hotel and café of her own to help with the local stray population, it had been doing well and because of her husband's job she was able to spend a pretty penny on making sure the local groups of stray cats were fixed and given their shots. Those that were friendly would be taken in and they would "work" at the café and hotel keeping those who visited happy and entertained. Many were on adoption lists so visitors who got attached to a cat while there could fill out an application and possibly take in one of the furry friends, it was a wonderful thing she loved to do. But it could be a little stressful, as even with workers there was plenty of stuff only, she had the authority to deal with. Tonight, had been one of those nights, bringing her husband dinner after a long day was her only relief.

Of course, Shinsou could tell from the moment she entered the room that she was tired and a bit overworked, her (F/c) tail hung low, and her ears twitched lazily as they sat near lopsidedly on her head. The sight made a grin cross the male's face, she looked adorable, and he couldn't help the chuckle that left him as she set the plate on his desk and walked around to where he sat. Without missing a beat, he pulled her onto his lap, his pride swelling at how she instantly melted into his arms. "Shinsou?..." (E/c) orbs peered up at him curiously, his grin softened when he noticed the tiredness creeping into her eyes. So, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, a hand rubbing her lower back gently. "Just relax, tomorrow I'll see if I can't call in a favor and get you some help so you can rest a bit." The girl in his arms near purred at the soothing touch, though she knew he'd probably find a way to get Aizawa involved. The older male "begrudgingly" assisted with certain things when it came to her business, though she knew despite his complaining he enjoyed having an excuse to interact with so many cats at once. Having heard many times about his "temper" checks, in which he just goes around petting the cats and playing with them. He claims this was to ensure they behaved well and socialized correctly, though she didn't believe a word of it and liked setting him up every now and then with a new kitten just so she can send the video to Shinsou or some of their friends.

Once satisfied with the choice, and comfortable on his lap, (Y/n) had snuggled close as her husband ate. Already being asleep by the time he finished the purple haired male finished eating he decided to simply let her rest on his chest while he finished his work, something that felt like it went by a lot quicker when he had her near. He was sure to work in near silence, wanting her to sleep easy. And when all was said and done, he was careful when lifting her into his arms and taking her back to their home. To his relief she hadn't stirred even once along the way, when he had set her on the bed, he had to resist the urge to chuckle at the sleepy whine that left the girl. So with another quick kiss to her forehead, he got them changed into their night clothes, he hadn't even completely laid down under the covers when seemed to sense that he was close and reached for him. A large grin crossing his face at the thought of how he'd tease her in the mornings, how could he not when she was being so cute and hugging onto him in her sleep. With a soft and breathy chuckle, he tucked the cover around them and held her close in return, sleep coming easy when he had her tucked away against his chest and hidden away from all but him.

[inkedreverie]

Beyond Control

pairing: loki laufeyson x avenger!witch!reader

warnings: angst and fluff at the end. 

summary: after working together for several months, Loki and Y/N begin to discover that their relationship might be more than a partnership. word count: 2k+

a/n: welll. this was not planned at all. I have always wanted to write for loki but the muse never struck me enough. I’ve been struggling with writers block and I managed to break it with this little piece right here. I hope you enjoy. Please be kind as this is my first loki fic.

Library | Read on AO3

When Loki joined the Avengers, he hadn’t planned on catching feelings. However, no one ever really planned on falling in love, did they? His infatuation with her started off quickly, practically the moment he laid eyes on her at the compound. It only grew more intense as their bond grew closer while on the field. It had been Tony’s idea to pair them up. 

Loki accepted the offer willingly. It was either join or be arrested, and he wasn’t going to exactly give up a chance to meet Y/N. Plus, he needed to show the whole team he could be trusted due to his suspicious past. 

Y/N was quite shocked at the news. She couldn’t believe Tony was giving him a chance like this, especially after Loki had tried to kill most of the team. 

The other Avengers were wary, even his brother, Thor. He had burned a lot of bridges, so if he decided to be his usual mischievous self, Y/N would have to handle it all on her own.

If she was being honest, though, she didn’t really mind it. She liked Loki, despite the small voice in her head that kept telling her it was a bad idea to get close to him. Even Thor had warned her, “Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother, but keep your guard up, little one.” He’d said, giving her a soft pat on the back and offered her a small smile.

Loki was kind, sarcastic, witty and sometimes charming, which would often catch her off guard and leave her a bit flustered at times. However, there was more to him than that. He understood what it was like to feel misunderstood, an outcast, and to feel unloved. Once Y/N joined the Avengers, she truly felt seen, like they were her family. Loki only contributed to that feeling and it was nice to have another sorcerer on the team. In some ways, he was like a mentor to her.

Loki had helped Y/N hone her skills, including how and when to strike, and had actually strengthened her abilities. Even so, she knew she would never be more powerful than him. After all, he was a Norse God and she was only a witch - a powerful witch, nonetheless. He would always be able to overpower her and, to be honest, Loki loved to remind her of that every now and then.

It wasn’t until their third mission that Loki’ had realized his true feelings for her. He certainly hadn’t planned on it, it just happened. They had been infiltrating a Hydra camp, and after all the soldiers had fallen, Y/N began to feel woozy. One second, Loki was smiling in triumph, and the next he was watching her collapse. Y/N braced herself for the rough impact of the cement, but instead, she felt his warm embrace. His brows were knitted together, his bright green eyes gazing down at hers, filled with concern. 

“Hey, hey, stay with me, Y/N! What’s wrong?” Loki urgently asked, concern reflecting in his green eyes as he glanced down at her.

“I feel…dizzy.” She managed to reply, breathing heavily.

“You think you can walk? If not, I need to carry you. We can’t stay here.”

 She shakes her head, breathing heavily. Loki slips his other arm under her knees, swooping her up in his arms. She feels as if the world is spinning and when she glances back at Loki, she sees he has two heads instead of one. 

Y/N closes her eyes and lays her head against his chest. She doesn’t want to seem weak in front of him, especially after he had warned her not to push herself too hard. But then they had been surrounded by Hydra soldiers, and the thought of Loki getting hurt or injured was too much for her to bear. 

She tried her hardest to stay awake despite the feeling of her eyelids growing heavy, her muscles sore and tightening. The last thing she heard was Loki’s voice telling her, “We’re almost there,” and the thrumming of the helicopter above their heads. Before everything went black, she caught a glimpse of him rushing her to the chopper. She then passed out, the last thing she remembered was the feeling of being strapped to a stretcher and the rough movement of the helicopter as it lifted off.

–

When she wakes up, she realizes that she’s in one of the bedrooms at the compound, but it doesn’t take her long to realize it’s not hers. The room has dark green and gold silk bedsheets that are rolled back, exposing the bed.

A brown wooden dresser filled with candles and ancient textbooks sits against the wall. They seem to be Asgardian, or at least related to Loki’s culture, but she can’t be sure due to the splitting headache that’s affecting her senses. She knows Loki helped her escape, but she can’t remember much else. All she knows is that they were surrounded by Hydra soldiers, and then she woke up here, in Loki’s bedroom.

As Y/N sits up, a shadowy figure appears before her. The small candles on the bedside table cast a warm light on his features as he walks over to the side of the bed. "Easy, easy," Loki says as he leans in. "How are you feeling?"

Before she can answer, a wave of pain shoots up towards her temples. She bites down on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from letting out a pained cry. "Headache?" Loki asks, and she barely manages to nod.

Loki is dressed in his usual black suit, but without the jacket. Only the pressed black dress shirt sits against his chest as his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. He pours some water into a glass, along with some advil and hands it to her. After she downs the medication, the pain is still present but now feels more distant and manageable.

"What were you thinking?" Loki asks with a serious tone, clearly upset. "You could have been killed."

Y/N sighs, recognizing where this conversation is headed and being well aware that she's in no mood to deal with it. "I was thinking I was saving you," she responds, already regretting the words.

Loki pauses for a moment, weighing whether or not he should continue. In the end, his heart decides for him, "How could you be so reckless?"

"Reckless?!" Y/N snaps right back, standing abruptly from the bed. She knows where this conversation is heading and doesn't particularly like it. "You may not have died, but you still could have been hurt!"

Loki arches an eyebrow at her, a slight smirk twitching at the corner of his lips. "You were worried about me?" he says, clearly amused.

Y/N turns away from him, determined not to let her feelings show. "Of course I was worried about you!" she exclaims, her voice laced with frustration. "You're my partner!" But she can feel how close they are to each other, and knows that all it would take is one more step for their conversation to turn into something else entirely.

Loki can't control himself any longer. He smirks down at her, closing the gap between them until they're standing right next to each other.

"Partner, huh?" he says, his voice full of a playful yet serious tone.

"What is it that you're not telling me, little one?"

"N-nothing," Y/N stammers, her heart beating faster and faster. She can feel how close they are to each other, and knows that they're on the brink of something more. She tries to maintain her composure, lifting her chin up and shifting her weight onto her right foot.

"Oh, is that so?" Loki's grin never falters, and there's a twinkle in his bright green eyes that seems to pierce right through her soul. "Well, if you won't tell me, I guess I'll have to see for myself."

"You wouldn't!" Y/N exclaims, taking a step back. She doesn't want him to delve into her mind, to find out the secret she's been keeping from him. They both agreed that they wouldn't touch each other's thoughts unless it was a matter of life or death.

"I most certainly would," Loki replies, unbothered. But then he sees the look on Y/N's face, and his tone softens. "You've been acting strange ever since I carried you away from that camp. And you're still not telling me what's going on."

Y/N sighs, knowing that she can't keep this up forever. Maybe it's time to let him in, to divulge the secret she's been keeping from him. But for now, she can't bring herself to do it. She turns her back on him, determined to keep this secret just a little while longer. "This is ridiculous," she mutters under her breath. "You're being ridiculous."

That would definitely be a bad idea. Y/N thinks, considering the true feelings she has for Loki. He's her partner and her friend - she doesn't want to ruin their relationship. They've become so close, and she enjoys their closeness. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she says out loud, her voice shaky but determined. "I think it's time to leave. The others are probably worried about me."

Just as Y/N reaches for the doorknob, she realizes she can't open it. A chill runs down her spine as she senses Loki's energy encircled around her, locking her in. Suddenly, she's being pulled towards Loki, her feet two inches off the ground. When she looks up, she's staring right into his intense green gaze. "I wasn't finished," he says, his voice dripping with irritation.

She can feel her cheeks grow hot with anger as Loki's energy wraps itself around her, pulling her towards him. When she finally arrives in front of him, she's speechless for a moment, then her voice comes out in a whisper. "Put... put me down," she says, trying to hide her fear.

Loki smirks at her, then flickers his wrist. Instantly, Y/N is released from his grasp, landing back on the ground with a hard thud. She's not hurt, but her pride is wounded. Her heart's racing, and she can feel his touch lingering on her skin. "I think you care for me," he says, brushing away stray strands of her hair. His fingers trail gently down her cheek, and she feels herself falling for his touch.

But as strong as her feelings are for Loki, she knows it isn't right. She's torn between her heart and her mind, her desire and her duty. She shakes her head, trying to clear it. No matter how much she wants to lean into his touch, she can't. It's not right, and she knows she has to resist.

When the silence hangs in the air for another moment too long, Y/N breaks the quiet. "No, I think you care for me," she says, speaking the words with a hint of defiance. "Why didn't you just send me to the medical bay, Loki? Instead you carried me to your room. Maybe it's you... maybe you're infatuated with me."

Loki's voice drops to a whisper, a note of amusement in his tone. "That's an interesting theory, love. Would you like to test it out?" There's a sharp look in his eyes as his gaze travels from her eyes to her lips, and Y/N can feel his desire for her pulsing through the air. She can see the way he bites his lower lip, the way his chest rises with a deep breath. He wants nothing more than to kiss her right now.

But Y/N knows she can't give in, no matter how much she wants to. She shakes her head, trying to hide the longing in her eyes. "No," she whispers, but her voice is barely more than a breath.

"No?" Loki repeats, a small smirk curling at his lips. He's testing her, seeing how far he can push her buttons. "No," Y/N says again, this time forcing conviction into her voice. But her resolve wavers as she meets his eyes again.

Loki takes note of her hesitation, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest. She can feel his heart beating against her, the warmth of his breath on her skin. She turns her head away, not wanting to give in to his desire. He's testing her, and she knows she has to resist. She's not sure if she can keep it up, but she has to try. She closes her eyes, trying to focus on anything else but the way his touch is making her feel.

Loki pushes a few curls away from Y/N's shoulder, his fingers trailing along the edge of her lace-trimmed collar as he stares into her eyes. "Y/N, you're not answering me," he says, a note of amusement in his voice.

She sighs, growing impatient. "Loki, this is ridiculous. Can you please let me go?"

Loki hums, his gaze narrowing. "Mhm," he replies, still not releasing his grip on her. "Once you answer my question."

With an irritated huff, Y/N finally gives in. "No," she says, but the way he looks at her, the way his fingertips dance along her skin, tells her he doesn't believe her. She can feel the butterflies in her stomach fluttering, her heart racing. She tries to pull away from him, but as strong as her willpower is, it's no match for his hold on her.

Finally, she meets his eyes and hopes her expression doesn't betray her true feelings. "Nothing," she says, but her voice cracks, and she knows she's failing. "I feel nothing," she adds, trying to squeeze out of his grip.

Loki leans down, his chin resting on her shoulder. His intense stare makes her gasp, sending goosebumps rippling down her skin. He trails a soft kiss along her neck, and her heart threatens to jump out of her chest.

Her eyes flutter close at the sensation, a tingle running down her spine. For a moment, she doesn't say anything, but then he takes it further. He trails kisses up her neck and by her jawline, his grip around her waist tightening. She gasps again, but this time it's a small moan that escapes her lips.

The tension in the room is palpable. The air is thick with desire and anticipation, every touch and glance speaking volumes. Despite Y/N's best efforts to conceal her true feelings, there's no denying it anymore - her heart is racing, her breath coming in short bursts, and she can feel Loki's warm breath against her neck.

Loki's gaze travels from her eyes to her lips, and she can see the wicked grin on his face. He's won, and they both know it. The amount of restraint he's had to exercise not to kiss her has been slowly waning, and she can tell he's only seconds away from giving in. His hand cups her face, his gaze still locked on her lips, and she feels herself swaying towards him, caught in the intensity of his desire.

But she can't lie to him anymore. She pulls him closer, kissing him passionately, arms wrapped tightly around his body. He responds in kind, kissing her back with equal enthusiasm, until she pulls away. "I might have told you that I feel nothing for you," she admits, "but that was just a lie." She lowers her voice, staring him directly in the eyes as she speaks. "I might have everything I've ever needed right in front of me."