#i have smut in my drafts but we'll see how this one does first

[multifandombitxh]

Midnight Massacre

Pairing: Ghost x Reader (tried to keep it gender neutral)

Genre: Fluff, hurt/comfort

Warnings: Depictions of violence/blood/death/k*lling, g*ns, knives, bullets, strong language, mentions of s*icide and PTSD

A/N: And I'd fuckin do it again. I'm playing MW2 and I swear to GOD this man has me in a whole chokehold. Lovin' it. I will not apologize. Enjoy lol

It had taken a few minutes for your heart rate to return to normal, the nightmare leaving you in a cold sweat and pumped full of adrenaline. The dreams were never the same, so you never knew what to expect when they reared their ugly heads. One night it could be slow torture from a faceless enemy, the next it could be fire, horrifying screams, and death.

No matter the context, the scenes haunted your sleep on random occasions and left you feeling weak and helpless by the time you woke up. Tonight's dream, however, was especially traumatizing, and it did a number on your perception of reality.

Once you were fully aware of your surroundings again and realized you were awake, you shook the images away and covered your eyes with your palms. Sweat dropped down your spine, leaving a cold trail. You all but ripped your t-shirt off, searched for a replacement in the dark, and settled on a tank top.

With shaking hands you left your designated sleeping area for the night, slipping on your black cargo pants and boots. Leaving behind all thoughts of blood, gore, and the sounds of your friends perishing, you made your way down the dark, dusty hallway.

You'd only joined 141 recently, but it had been long enough now that you weren't exactly considered new blood anymore. One of the more interesting men in the unit had caught your eye from day one, despite the fact that he had little interest in getting to know you on a personal level. In group conversations he rarely engaged you, but one on one was a different story. There had been plenty of nights where the others had gone to bed while the two of you played a little game to see who would cave and take first watch.

It was usually you.

Ghost had a fucking novel of shitty jokes; some crude, some cheesy, some straight up cruel. Every now and then he'd crack one that would have you accepting defeat and taking the first watch of the night. Granted, he always took the second one if you took the first, and vice versa. None of the others dared to complain about this strange ritual, since it left them each with a later watch.

Tonight, Ghost had caved in first, finding your story about summer camp as a teenager unbelievably boring. It did offend you in a way, but at the same time, you knew it would get him to give in quickly. A man can only hear so much about how to make a friendship bracelet in vivid detail, or how to do a proper French braid.

Because of this, it allowed you to get some sleep first, but that obviously didn't work out. You'd all found shelter in a warehouse that wasn't far from your destination, and had to stay the night since the plan had to take place during the day to work. As you traveled down the hall, using the wall to guide you in the darkness, you finally stumbled upon the main area of the warehouse.

A circle of chairs sat in the middle of the room where you'd all gathered earlier that night, where you claimed your victory over Ghost. He was still there in the dim yellow lighting, arms crossed tightly over his chest and his eyes trained forward. Most of his own gear was absent, the only thing covering his torso a thick black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. You shuffled into the room, kicking the concrete floor to make your presence known.

"Your watch hasn't started yet," Ghost stated without turning to look at you.

"I'm aware," You replied, leaning against the hallway entrance.

He looked over his shoulder at you, black makeup smudged around his eyes as if he'd just been rubbing at them. "Come to relieve me early, then? Sweet of you."

"Sure," You said, throwing up your hands in defeat. "You caught me, boss."

"Don't get all soft on me now, Sledge," Ghost said, blowing air out of his nose.

The use of your call sign made you visibly cringe; you didn't even choose the damn thing. After running out of amo and breaking your only knife during a firefight, you made do with your surroundings and found a sledge hammer. Needless to say, the unit was shocked at the amount of damage you managed to inflict with the thing. Thus, your call sign was born, and from that moment forward, you were affectionately known as Sledge.

You hated it.

There was nothing worse than a daily reminder of the carnage you witnessed at your own hand.

Shaking off the memory, you made your way over to a table with weapons and amo scattered all about. Rolling your eyes, you carefully examined the guns to make sure they still had their safety on, and made sure every knife was sheathed. After organizing the mess a bit, you snagged a hunting knife and a pistol, tucking them away and looking for the proper ammunition.

"I know you're not actually here to take your watch," Ghost said, his voice dangerously close to your ear. "What's goin' on?"

"Nothing," You shrugged, "Concrete floors are hard on my shoulders. Makes it hard to sleep."

"Sure, sure," Ghost hummed, "Wanna tell me the real reason you're up, Sledge?"

"Quit calling me that, you know I hate it. And no, I'm not telling you."

"Shame. Was hoping you'd tell me Johnny's talkin' in his sleep again."

You threw him a half-hearted smile over your shoulder, now fully aware of just how close he truly was. "Maybe you should go check on him, then. He might be."

His eyes locked with yours and you felt your insides shrink. It was easy to feel small under his gaze, considering he was a brick house of a human being and looked like he ate bullets and nails for breakfast. The mask certainly didn't help, that was for sure. Feeling uneasy with the eye contact, you returned your attention to the table of weapons.

"Y/N, look at me," Ghost whispered.

Hearing him say your name was enough to make you shiver, his accent making it roll off of his tongue like silk. It was nice that he listened to your request to stop calling you by the nickname you despised, considering you'd normally be taunted for expressing your distain for it. Even still, you did your best to ignore him.

"Do you remember which amo we use for these?" You asked, hoping to change the subject and gesturing to your empty gun. "Can't remember to save my life."

"Don't try this with me. Won't work and you know it."

"I always get them mixed up."

"Y/N, look at me, that's an order."

With some reluctance, you turned on your heel, leaned back against the table, and looked up at your lieutenant. His arms were still crossed over his chest, and you couldn't help eyeing the tattoo you hadn't seen before on his forearm. How long had that been there? Realizing you still weren't looking at him, Ghost placed his index finger under your chin and raised your head to meet his gaze.

"If something's going on with you, I need to know," He explained, "If you're not okay, that's something we have to take into account."

"Oh, for Christ's sake," You muttered, shaking your head. "Is anyone in this unit actually okay? I mean, really. I'm pretty sure everyone gets nightmares every now and then, Ghost. I'm fine."

"So it's nightmares, then," He said with a nod, "Could'a just said that."

"Didn't feel relevant."

"Come sit down."

Groaning like a teenager about to be grounded, you followed him over to the circle of chairs, sitting down beside him and crossing your arms. He leaned forward on his knees, his hands clasped together in front of him. You waited patiently to get the scolding of the century about 'paying attention to your mental health' and 'you know what happens when a soldier starts displaying signs of PTSD'.

But it never came.

Instead, an uncomfortable silence fell over the room. The only sound you could make out was the faintest rain drops that began splattering the old windows of the warehouse.

"Go on, tell us about it," Ghost said after a few moments.

"The nightmare?" You asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're joking, right?"

He didn't respond.

With a deep breath, you turned your head to the side, focusing on the many different objects that dotted the floor before you began.

"It's always different," You sighed, "I'm used to them by now, I can shake them off just fine usually. But this one... I don't know. I woke up, but I was still dreaming. Everyone was here, just talking like normal. These soldiers came out of the shadows and stood behind everyone. One for each of you. They all had guns, and one by one, they just..."

Tears welled in your eyes at the images that flitted through your head, forcing you to shake them away. You rubbed the back of your neck anxiously, taking a small breath and willing away the pain. A large hand closed over your knee, startling you.

When you looked up at Ghost, he had turned fully in his seat to face you. His arm was outstretched as his gloved hand sat carefully on your knee. The gesture made you shift in your seat, and you unintentionally found yourself facing him as well. Something in your subconscious knew he was safe, despite your efforts to avoid this whole encounter.

"Tell me what they did," Ghost said, his tone soft like you'd never heard it before. "Go on."

"Do I really have to say it?" You asked in a weak voice.

"Trust me."

You drew in another shaky breath before continuing, "They executed everyone."

"Sounds pretty serious," Ghost said with a nod, "Then what?"

"I was trying to stop them, but I couldn't move," You recalled as you fought back tears again. "It was like I was stuck in quicksand. I was just... Frozen. All I could do was watch."

"What would you have done?" He asked, "If you could've moved, what would you do?"

Anger bubbled in the pit of your stomach, overtaking the sadness. You balled your fists and dug your nails in hard. "I would've killed them myself. I don't care how long it would take, I'd do it. I wanted to, I'd make them suffer."

"I know you would," Ghost said with a small laugh, "I've seen you take big groups out for less."

"But I didn't," You said, lowering your head.

Ghost stood from his chair to move in front of you, crouching down on the floor in the space between your legs. He had to crane his neck to look up at you, and when you avoided his gaze again, he gently took your chin in his hand and held you in place. With no other choice but to stare into his eyes, you gave in, your shoulders slumping.

"It wasn't real," He said slowly, "If it was, none of those soldiers would have made it out in one piece. But it wasn't real, and it didn't happen."

"That doesn't really make me feel any better," You said with a small, broken laugh.

"How can I make it better?" He asked, his voice just above a whisper. "Anything, just tell me."

"Why do you care so much?" You asked in return, puzzled by his question. It wasn't like him to act like this, and you wondered to yourself if this was some kind of prank. "It was just a dream."

Ghost released your chin and let his hand slide down to your arm, slowly trailing downward until he reached the palms of your hands. When his fingers began lacing between yours, heat flooded your body and you tensed. Sensing this, Ghost loosened his grip and used the pad of his thumb to stroke your knuckles.

"Like it or not, I do care about you," He explained, and you could swear he was smiling beneath his mask. "Nightmares are serious business. I've seen soldiers off themselves over nightmares more times than I can count. I don't want that to happen to you."

"I wouldn't do that," You scoffed, "I don't think I'm capable of that sort of thing, anyway."

"Keep it that way," Ghost said, his tone firm. "You even start thinkin' like that, you come straight to me. That's an order."

"You sure like dishing out orders," You joked, allowing yourself a small smile. "When are you gonna quit telling me what to do, huh?"

"When you start listening," He shot back, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Definitely a smile under there, you were sure of it now. "Head back to bed, yeah? I'll take your watch."

"You don't have to do that, seriously-"

"I'm not asking, I'm telling," He cut you off, standing from his spot in front of you and pulling you up with him. "You've had more than enough excitement for one night."

Before you could further protest, Ghost did the unthinkable, pulling you in close by your wrist so you were flush against his chest. Your breath caught in your throat as he looked you over, his eyes trailing over your face, down your nose, and landing on your lips. A different hand snaked around your middle and you froze, his palm pressed flat against the center of your back. When it began sliding downward, you thought you were going to pass out.

For the first time that night, you were just fine with maintaining eye contact, waiting for him to do something, anything. His hand traveled lower and lower until it reached the hem of your pants, one of his fingers lacing through a belt loop.

"Make me a promise, yeah?" He asked in a deep, gruff voice.

You swallowed hard. "Depends on what it is."

Ghost leaned in close until he reached the shell of your ear, his hot breath barely grazing your skin through his mask. Your head was running marathons as you tried to comprehend what was happening, but for whatever reason, you didn't want it to stop. Using what little bravery you had, you dared to reach up and lay your hand over the left side of his chest. Even with the thick fabric in the way, it was easy to make out every detail of the muscle there. He tensed under your touch and held his own breath for a moment.

Ghost released your hand and raised it to his own face. You were sure what he was doing until you felt warm, chapped lips ghosting over the skin of your ear.

He pulled his mask up.

"Promise me you'll keep this between us, love," He murmured, his tone close to that of a purr. When he spoke, his lips made contact with your ear, and goosebumps raised on your skin.

"What if I don't?" You dared to ask, feeling bold.

He fell silent, humming once as the hand on your lower back abandoned its position. For a moment you thought you'd gone too far, and when he removed your knife from it's place on your hip, you took in a sharp breath. It clattered to the floor beside you, the protective case around the blade muffling the sound slightly. Next he took your still empty gun, placing it in his own holster and making a point to shove it in roughly.

"Guess I'll have to make it an order, then."

[risingsoleil]

Fic Writer Interview

My lovely friend @sheepwithspecs tagged me here, and I will spread this by tagging @yellowsalt3 @linnorabeifong @vr-tb @chiefbeifongcanrailme

1. How many works do you have on ao3? 14!

2. What's your total ao3 word count? 414,633

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Choices, Chances, Changes

You Are My Life

Talking to the Moon

The Other Side of Heaven

Lay All Your Love on Me

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I definitely try to respond to comments! The fact that someone spent time and energy to comment means so much to me, and I want to acknowledge that. I'm not the best at leaving comments, but I'm trying to do it more often as a reader bc I, too, am often dying at how awesome fics are

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

It's probably Meant To Be. Now that I think about it, I might write an extra piece for this fic just bc I feel like being salty lol

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

The Only Light We'll See - The whole fic was just an excuse to write steamy, smutty Linzin and let them have a happy life together. I guess you could argue that the main Linzin and family AU I write could also be one of them, but I haven't completed their story yet in this universe. Tbf, I don't think my Linzin AU has an "ending" but whatever happens, Linzin gets their happy ever after

7. Do you write crossovers?

Right now, I don't. But I was more open to writing crossovers when I was a kid.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I haven't thankfully, I have really awesome and sweet and kind-hearted readers in my circle 💞

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Hell yeah, I fucking do! It's prob one of my fav things to write 😂 Idk what they mean by "what kind" but I've written possessive, romantic and loving, quickies, foreplay, first times, and spontaneous stuff. It's fun and my otps tend to be...super horny vibes

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I haven't, but I would be interested in seeing one of my fics translated!

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! It's Come As You Are with picajc and @alemanriq, and this holds a special place in my heart

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

404 error. I have too many, but for now it's Lin/Tenzin

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Probably Olvídame y Pega La Vuelta just bc I lost the vision for it

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think emotions are a big part of my writing process and it comes through in my fics. I channel my own emotions into my writing and it does leave a more profound impression.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Sometimes I want my writing perfect in the first draft, and it stops me from just enjoying the process. Recently, I've been wanting to write and that has manifested into writing for "results" rather than quality. I mean, I still try to write my best and for the fun of it. It's just that work sucks my energy and the time I have left for myself is recharging 😭

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I need more context with this question. Does this mean if I do something like this:

Lin and Tenzin raised their brows at the girl with the electronic device.

"어머, 죽겠다! 린베이퐁과 텐진 진짜 앞에 있다," she said aloud, though the language is not her mother tongue. "어떡해...인스타로 올리겠지"

In general, I would be open to it because it can open up new pathways for writing

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Meet The Robinsons

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I don't think I have one. For the most part, if I want to write for a fandom, I just do it lol

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Choices, Chances, Changes. I swear a divine force guided me into writing this bc I was so compelled to bring it to life. The updates were posted every few days, and the story was completely written in 6 months.

There were 21 chapters.

Also, it was the first fic I completed in like 14 years (omg I sound old now 💀)

Thanks @sheepwithspecs for tagging me! 💜

[starfall-spirit]

20 questions for writers

Thank you for the tag @tunaababee and @whatishowedyouinthedark!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

63 (and another in my drafts for omegaverse free day)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

237,274

3. What fandoms do you write for?

ACOTAR and Fourth Wing mostly, but I'm looking to get more works posted for ToG and Assistant to the Villain (esp with book 2 in hand). Once upon a time I was a Miraculous LB girl too.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Dragons Know Best (Riorgail)

Your Claim on My Heart (Riorgail)

Our Own Little Show (Violiaden)

So This is What Heaven Feels Like (Feysand)

High Lord, Cold and Cruel(Feysand)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Definitely. A single comment can be enough to turn a shitty day or even week on its head and I want my readers to know how much they mean to me. I also just love discussing my work with people who genuinely care about it.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I'm not an angst writer and I haven't looked at this one in a couple of years but my miraculous oneshot Agony has MCD. So does The Night the Stars Fell on Velaris, even if it turns out to just be a nightmare in the end.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Last year for Feysand Week I wrote All's Fair in Love & Paint Wars which is pure HEA tooth-rotting fluff and smut.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I don't thankfully. There have been a few snotty people who claim i should use a beta or whatever, but I have been very lucky to avoid major hate and entitlement to updates. Part of it is probably that I'm not as popular as other writers in the fandom and I keep my Ao3 locked. People don't like to be a bitch when their name is there for all to see.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Oh yes. Both fluffy and dark.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I don't, unless you count combining characters from the SJM universe. In that case I have a worldwalking next gen fic and a modern au for Feysand x Ruhn.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I'm not opposed to the idea.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes!! You guys should check out the ACOTAR Writing Circle. I participated in the 3rd circle. There's another thing I'm working on with a friend, hopefully for Feysand Week, but we'll see.

14. What is your all-time favorite ship?

Feysand, the Rowaelin. After that, probably the rareships Feyre x Eris x Rhys and Violiaden.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oof. Um, I've really been struggling to find motivation for Remember me? (Feysand x Ruhn) I started it when I saw an ask @captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship asked, but I'm very much a pantser and didn't do anything more than write one crappy chapter before hitting post.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Banter, I think. It's so much fun to write and since I'm lacking in most other components I let it lead my fics. I've had several people tell me I write great dirty talk, but idk. I just make mean men say 'good girl" repeatedly, so...

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Describing anything. My fics are too dialogue heavy and I'm well aware of it, but I've yet to improve my writing.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'm great when it comes to learning sign, but I've never managed to hold onto spoken languages beyond English. I'm not brave enough to trust google translate.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

My Percy Jackson and Harry Potter was never published, so probably ACOTAR.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Burning in the Starlight/How Can I Loathe and Crave You? as well as Precious Collateral. Also super excited about my submission for this Saturday.

They're more about the vibes than making a fic that's actually worth reading and there's something so refreshing about just writing for yourself and like, three dark romance/poly fic girlies who hype you up. I'm in my happy little dark!rhys bubble and will be staying here a long while, thank you.

Tagging: @captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship // @panicatthenightcourt // @writtenonreceipts // @thelovelymadone

[eriquin]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @devondespresso. Thank you! I'm going to do this instead of writing. XD

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Oh, statistics page here I come. Wait, that's just in my dashboard. 12

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

897,492

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Things, Dragon Quest Builders 2, and Supernatural

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Trolley Problem

War of the Broses

Is This a Kissing Fic?

That Time I Resurrected the Big Bad

Of Empires, Queens, and Builders

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! Eventually. Because I like engaging with people who liked my fic enough to comment.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

A lot of my stuff is WIP. Nothings going to be particularly angsty when I'm done with it, but the conclusion of the current plot of The Trolley Problem is going to be a downer. Also The Third Task might get a bittersweet ending, depending on how you look at it.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Now I'm trying to remember if I have massages in my fics so I can make a joke out of that question. A lot of my things aren't really over. Is This a Kissing Fic? is short and sweet, with very little angst, so maybe that one.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep! It's limited so far, but both my Bigbad fic and the Kissing Fic have a lot of smut. I've got a monsterfucker WIP in the drafts somewhere. Crown of Thorns might have tentacles stuff in at some point. We'll see.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Kind of but not really? An old WIP is the cast of Supernatural but with the plot of Final Fantasy VI. It is unfinished, and not really a crossover. I have cameos from other things either in my fics or planned for my fics. Very blink-and-you'll-miss-it though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not to my knowledge.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not exactly, but @gigglebug and I cross-beta'd a lot of DQB2 stuff together.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

That's like picking a favorite child. Right now it's Steve/Eddie and Malroth/Builder.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The aforementioned SPN-FF6 fic, Dancing Mad. Maybe someday.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Banter and dialogue.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Does doing too much world building count as a weakness? Otherwise, editing, probably.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've done it but it has to fit the character. And I don't really speak any other languages so I know I'm just kind of flailing at stuff. It's fanfic. It'll do.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Ao3 would tell you Supernatural but it's actually Legend of Zelda. Those are lost to time and my grandfather's old computer, never to be found again. Maybe something is written down on paper somewhere.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I like the adventure fics with lots of twists, so probably Of Empires, Queens, and Builders. Maybe someday I'll write the sequel. Crown of Thorns is shaping up pretty nicely, too.

Tagging (no pressure): @gigglebug, @ltleflrt, @torakowalski, @vthx, @redbirdblogs, @momotonescreaming, @patchworkgargoyle

[erinmar13]

⭐ please!

omg, you didn't give me something specific to talk about and now i have no idea what to say XD

um...alright, firstly, i don't know if anyone noticed or not, but in my current fic, dogs of the military (the oliviza werewolf au) there are 5(possibly 6? it's been a while and i forgot to count) relevant critical role easter eggs and 1 relevant historic easter egg. some of them are a little more obvious, but some are less so. i HOPE people notice at least some of them, but whether anyone does or not, i had fun putting them in there.

also, that fic is the best story i have ever written. it has a plot and a subplot, and which one is which i'm not even sure 😅 there's investigation, there's subterfuge, dramatic irony(if you recognize the characters well enough), there's so much going on on top of the obvious these hot ladies need to fall in love and bone drive of fic.(at least for me)

but it's not my favorite story i've written, embers in the snow is. which is nothing but fluffy romance, but in an incredibly realistic way.(which is something i pride myself on, i think i do that very well) embers started as 3600 pure smut just because there wasn't hardly any for them on ao3. but then they demanded that i needed more set up, i needed the drawn out act of them falling in love. i needed to really feel the impact of them sleeping together. which led to me thinking, well, obviously they get married then because olivier would only allow someone in like that if she believed they would get married. and then a voice said, write it.... then i FINALLY had the pieces fall together for the idea of olivier going after riza to make up after a fight, thinking riza had left left, and making up from that. so we ended up with 50k and the absolute smuttiest fic i have ever written(or probably will ever write). the sex scene in chapter 5 is literally a thousand words longer than the original draft XD. but yeah, i adore this story SO MUCH. it was the most difficult to write and kept constantly demanding more from me and i just love it. i love olivier in it, i love how she subtly and slowly breaks down her own walls for riza. i love how human she is in it. she's emotional and fallible in ways that are still true to the over the top characterization she gets in the canon. and look, i have a lot of feelings about olivier armstrong to begin with. so thanks, babe, for making me watch this really good anime cuz it was apparently life changing for me.

and i think lastly i will talk about my jack and miranda fic, from now until the end of the world. i wrote this story 8 years ago(!!!) and it was the first story i wrote that i was consciously aware of knowing that i could write it better. but i didn't have the tools at the time. i could feel that it needed to be better, that i could write it better, i just didn't know how at the time. i've been wanting to rewrite it for a long time now because i felt like i developed enough to have the ability to do so. so that will be the next thing i do once i finally finish out dogs of the military. hopefully i can get it out for n7 day, we'll see. but i am looking forward to putting so much more meat on the bones of that story.

[pricemarshfield]

merci beaucoup

[Image ID: a woman with brown hair and highlights facing away from the camera, edited so that it’s colorized purple and with the text merci beaucoup | zava 2.0 / 3k over it. End ID.]

Image Source: found on Pinterest, earliest source I could find was WeHeartIt.

Title: merci beaucoup

Pairing: Zava 2.0

Rating: E (minors DNI).

Word Count: 3475.

Summary: A Zava 2.0 smut fic, diverging from 5x04, requested by @hizzieluthor.

Warnings: Infidelity, minor dom/sub (explicitly negotiated in-story).

Created For: @lgbtqbingo, filling the kiss on the forehead square! Read below the cut or on AO3 here.

"Behrad, now!"

The burst of wind is perfectly timed to keep Zari from getting tackled by the rabid mob of paparazzi and publicists and CatChat influencers, and Ava allows herself a little pride. Sure, this mission's gone haywire, thanks to Zari's theft, but it's a well-executed move, and under her command, at that. It gives Ava the chance to move in front of Zari, stop her in her tracks and execute the most important step of the plan.

Zari looks touched, eyes wide and open and surprised. "You guys came back for me."

"A Legend never gets left behind, even an interim one," she says, grabbing Zari's hand. "Follow me." Zari does, letting Ava lead her up to the fountain.

She stops there, though, and Ava looks back at her. "What are you doing?"

"Trust me!" Ava reaches a hand out, and Zari glances at it for just a second before turning to stare at the crowd. Behrad's still holding them back, but it's clear they're not gonna be able to do that forever even before he gets on comms to say as much. "Come on!"

"Okay," Zari says, grabbing Ava's hand. It's warm, which is a weird thing to notice when the timeline is in danger.

Staring down at the fountain, Ava thinks for what's far from the first time about how well-made the A.L.O.H.A. system is. They don't even need the last step this time! "Hydrate!" They jump into the fountain together, and even with the Dragonesque fucking up her sense of smell, she'd swear she gets a whiff of the best thing she's ever smelled as a spray of green sparks go flying up and away.

Ava stands up in the fountain, Zari ineffectually brushing herself off next to her. "You know, there's a reason I never did this."

"Because it's gross?"

"So gross."

Ava smiles, just a little, and moves to help her on her way out of the fountain, Nate scrambling on the other side to help them. He looks completely infatuated with Zari as he helps her out, but he does at least get Ava out of the fountain, too.

Now that people have their minds back, Ava'd like to get out of here sooner rather than later. She always keeps her time courier handy, though, so it's just a matter of meeting up with Behrad before they transport back onto the Waverider.

There. Only a bad showing for her first time as captain, rather than an abysmal one.

"Wait, what does that last A stand for?" Nate asks as the portal closes behind them.

"Attack!"

Before Ava has a chance to be surprised and delighted at Rory actually reading her post-briefing email notes on the mission brief, he and Ray tackle Marie Antoinette's body. She stares at them in abject disbelief.

"We got her," Ray says brightly.

"I can see that," Ava says, and is about to congratulate them for a job well done when a draft reminds her that she is soaking wet, and not in the fun way. "And we'll have a post-mission wrap-up once I'm wearing anything else, okay?"

"Sounds good, captain," Behrad says casually. "You gonna need the bathroom?"

"No, go ahead, I'll be in my room," Ava says. "If anyone needs me--knock first."

"Aye, aye!" Ray says with a little salute that's--appreciated, if unnecessary.

It's nothing like her old apartment, but Ava's grown to love her room on the Waverider. Her and Sara's room, even if Sara's out on missions in the timestream or Star City more often than she's not. She's got the blazer of her jacket off when someone knocks on the door.

"Yeah?"

"Can I come in?"

Ava honestly isn't feeling up to conversation with Zari right now, but she's captain, so it's her job to be here. "Yeah, go ahead."

The door slides open and Zari walks in, thankfully closing it behind her. She stares at Ava for a second, eyes catching on her arms before her gaze snaps back up to Ava's face. "I just--I wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Oh." Ava hadn't honestly anticipated that, at least not before a few missions worth of development. "Well. I appreciate it."

Zari frowns. "And thank you. You saved me."

"Like I told you, a Legend--"

"--never gets left behind, yeah," Zari says with a huff. "But, I mean...you know, I really appreciate it, Ava."

"Okay...?" Clearly there's something else going on here, but Ava can't quite pick up on what. "Is that...all?"

"Oh my god," Zari says, like Ava's the one who's missing something here. "You know what? No, I can do this. I'm glad you came to save me!"

"I am too?"

"I mean, I'm sure I had it handled," Zari says with a cocky little shrug. Ava rolls her eyes and is about to refute the point with a numbered list of reasons why no, she didn't "have it handled", but Zari keeps going before she can. "Not that I didn't like getting wet with you, but--"

"I'm sorry, are you serious? You're--what, hitting on me and ignoring your extreme irresponsibility--"

"Well, you didn't seem to be getting what I was after with just me thanking you, so! Yeah! What if I am? Are you gonna punish me for it?"

What Ava should say here is, "No, and get out of my room. My and my girlfriend's room." What she says instead is, "Why, do you want me to?"

Zari smiles and Ava hears the click of the door locking behind her. "I think I'd like that."

"This is--" Ava laughs, the situation absurd. "You barely know me. And I'm taken! And for that matter, aren't you?"

Zari's expression shutters. "After that stunt, I doubt it. And besides, he--I don't want to talk about him. There's better things we could do with our time, don't you agree?"

"Look, I don't know why you--"

"I needed you to help me, and you did," Zari says, interrupting her. There's an openness to her voice that she's not used to hearing from Zari. (Or, for that matter, from anyone, when it's directed at her, not even--) "And that's--I don't get that a lot, okay? Or ever. And I just--Ava, I didn't exactly come here looking to talk feelings."

Maybe it's the raw honesty in how she's talking. Maybe it's the speed Sara ditched her with earlier. Maybe it's that she's as selfish as the man who made her what she was, maybe she's just as unable to love as she's worried about, maybe it's that she's more human than she thinks of herself as being. But instead of doing any of what she should, she pulls Zari in.

At least Zari doesn't make it complicated, lets herself be pulled in with a grin still too-smug for Ava's taste. Ava's sense of smell is still--pretty much gone, so she can't taste whatever probably-lovely lip gloss Zari has on, but she's still as warm as she was earlier, even with the fountain water all over her, dragging her dress down.

Ava kind of wants to rip it off of her.

Zari lets Ava pull the dress off, leaving her in her unsurprisingly pretty underwear, even soaked through as it is, follows Ava to the bed and straddles her lap. Ava's clothes are getting pretty uncomfortable at this point, but not enough to distract her from the weight of Zari in her lap. This is--stupid. She already feels guilty for doing this to Sara, there's no reason to keep going except that she doesn't seem to want to stop.

Ava pulls back from the kiss. Zari makes a little dissatisfied noise that quiets  as soon as Ava leans back in, pressing kisses to the corner of her mouth, the line of her jaw, the column of her throat, being careful not to leave a mark. As she does, she tries a few times to unlatch Zari's bra. On the sixth unsuccessful attempt, she pulls back and says, "Okay, you deal with it, that's needlessly complicated."

Zari huffs, annoyed, but does take her bra off, setting it next to them on the bed rather than doing what Sara does and tossing it to whatever corner of the room she's facing. "Seriously? My bra stumped you?"

Ava's hands tighten on Zari's hips, and Zari's eyes get a little darker as she looks down at Ava. "You seriously want me to punish you, don't you?"

"Mm, yeah," Zari says, a surprisingly shy smile on her face. "I mean, I'll sleep with you anyway without that, if you don't want--"

"I didn't say that." Ava taps her fingers on Zari's hip. "What were you thinking?"

"Uh, I'll leave that up to you." 

Ava rolls her eyes. "That's terrible kink etiquette. Negotiations are an extremely important part of any BDSM scene."

Zari snorts. "You probably have a binder full of notes on it somewhere, don't you? Listing all your limits and safewords and things to do in scenes where verbal safewords aren't possible?"

Ava's cheeks feel warmer than the contact between the two of them, which is to say, very. "I find it's best to be prepared."

"Oh, I'm not complaining," Zari says, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead, which shocks Ava into stillness for a second. "How about this: stoplight system, and really basic stuff. Spanking and the like. We can work our way up to the rest."

It sounds fair. Well, actually, it sounds like a terrible idea, but no more than sleeping with Zari at all is a terrible idea, so. "Works with me."

"Great," Zari says. "Oh, wait, do you have toys? Because I'd like to try a lot more if you have toys."

Ava groans, leaning in to rest her head on Zari's shoulder. "You're gonna be the death of me. Yeah, I have a few."

Zari hums, pleased at her reaction. "Any strap-ons?" Ava nods without moving off of Zari. "How do you feel about anal? Me receiving, obvi."

At this point, Ava's hands have to be tight enough on Zari that they're going to bruise. "Pull your underwear off and get on all fours."

"Ooh, that's a yes, then!" Zari rolls off of her, and Ava goes to grab a strap-on from the drawer of toys. Most of what's in here are Sara's, but this strap-on had been hers, something from a date that had gone so disastrously wrong that they'd run into the nearest store to hide from cops and they'd had to shop for something to blend in.

Sara's not a huge fan of it. Ava's been dreaming of using it for ages.

She doesn't put it on yet, though, just turns to the woman waiting for her on the bed. Zari's done exactly what she asked, though somehow is visibly impatient even though Ava can't see her face. Rather than hurry right to her, Ava strips, the weight on her clothes back to uncomfortable without Zari pressed against her as a distraction.

"I can hear you," Zari says. "Hurry up."

"What, you thought spanking was gonna be the only punishment?" Ava says. Zari shivers. "You can wait. Color?"

"Green," Zari says quickly, and only mutters something brattish once it's clear that she's fine with everything that's happening.

Once Ava's got all her clothes off, she throws the toy and a bottle of lube next to Zari for easy access later and climbs up behind her so that they're both in arms reach. She runs one hand down the line of Zari's back, the angle such that she can't arch into it. Ava can't help but move closer, until they're hip-to-hip, Zari wet against her thigh. Zari whines and tries to grind into it until Ava grabs her hip, more a warning than actually holding her from it.

Leaning down so that she's holding herself over Zari, she says, low and right into Zari's ear. "Remember you asked for this."

Pulling back so that there's no place they're touching, Ava slaps Zari's thigh. Zari jolts and hisses at the pain. After giving her a moment to adjust, Ava hits her on the other side. This time, she yelps, loud enough that--

Ava freezes, stopping completely and wondering if there's any possible ways to wipe the memory of not only everyone on the ship, but Gideon herself. Fuck, fuck, she knew she shouldn't do this, but she just--

Zari looks back at her over her shoulder. "Why'd you stop?"

"This room is only soundproofed when we ask--" She can't say Gideon's name; on the off-chance she's not paying attention, this is hardly the type of thing Ava wants to call attention to. "Everyone can hear--"

"Oh, is that all? Yeah, I made sure to turn on the soundproofing before I went in," Zari says, as though that's not encrypted. "And I also made it so that the computer can't look in here for the next couple hours. Told her it was because I wanted to apologize in privacy. Technically not a lie, too!"

Ava didn't know she could do that, and is honestly pretty impressed at the display of competency. "Oh." 

"So, you know, you can keep going."

Against her baser instincts, Ava waits for her to close her mouth before hitting her again, this time a little lower so it doesn't overlap the last place she hit completely. It would be harder to explain away bringing Zari to Gideon for a bitten tongue. "That's three."

"Oh, don't count, I don't like that," Zari says. "Just--you know, color check occasionally."

Works for Ava. "Color?"

"Green," Zari says, resting her face against the bed. Ava keeps spanking lower and lower, trying to make it so that there won't be an inch where Zari doesn't feel this later. She alternates sides so Zari has an idea where the next hit will be. She's holding back, but every hit still makes Zari gasp and grunt and, when Ava accidentally hits the crease between her ass and her thigh, screams.

"Color?" Ava asks, rubbing her lower back in a hopefully-comforting gesture.

"Green," Zari says. "Sorry, I'll be--quiet--"

"It doesn't bother me," Ava says. "If you want to sing, we don't have an audience."

Zari sighs and looks up at her with eyes that are too fond by half for a tryst. "You are checking every one of my boxes, just so you know."

Ava doesn't acknowledge that because she has, quite frankly, no idea what to say, just hits her again. Now that she's been given the go-ahead, Zari can barely stop moaning long enough to breathe in more air. The sound's the hottest thing Ava's heard in a long, long time. She doesn't want to stop, but she also doesn't want to actually hurt her, so at around fifteen strikes she stops completely, waiting for Zari to catch her breath before she runs a hand over one cheek.

The pain has to flare up at that, but Zari just moans again, sounding barely pained at all.

"Good job," Ava says, because she did take it well, and she's trying really hard to give concrete feedback the times when the Legends don't fuck up, too. Zari preens at the praise, a smile on her face even half-pressed into the pillow. Her eyes are wet, though Ava can't see any tear tracks on her face. Still, she did well, so Ava presses a quick kiss between her shoulderblades before working her way down until her head's buried between Zari's thighs.

The noise Zari makes at that is going to haunt Ava's fantasies for the rest of her life. Even if the guilt catches up to her, she won't be able to forget it, has to actually press her thighs together as a distraction even with her mouth otherwise occupied. Ava licks into Zari, coaxing her onto the edge and then pulling back so the friction won't be enough to push her over. Zari whines, frustrated, and Ava pulls back completely when she tries to jerk her hips herself to get some pressure.

"I'm so close, please--"

"I know," Ava says, reaching for the toy. Her hands are shaking slightly, making it a little harder to get it on. Eventually the thing's tightened enough that she can move without it slipping, and she moves closer so Zari can feel it against her thigh.

"Yes, yes, c'mon--"

"I still need to open you up," Ava says, grabbing the lube and drizzling it over her left hand.

"Oh, ugh, it's vintage," Zari grumbles. "You need to stop by 2040. They have toys that open you up as you go, makes this way faster--"

Rather than argue the point, Ava slides the tips of two fingers into Zari's hole. Zari's noise of surprise is going to haunt Ava as much as her moans did, so Ava teases her, pushing only the very tips of her fingers in and out, over and over, slow and careful. One, it'll be good to open her up slowly, and two, Ava loves the sight of it.

After awhile of the slow  pace Ava's set, Zari starts begging. "Ava, I can take more, just give me more, I'm so close and I want you inside me--"

Ignoring the stir of heat she feels at that last part, Ava says, "Oh, come on, you can ask more nicely than that."

Zari whines and pushes back, but Ava does the same so she doesn't actually get any more pressure. "Please, please, I'm sorry about being irresponsible but I've been good, please please please--"

"Well, since you asked nicely," Ava says, though mostly because her control's already fracturing and better to speed things up now than rush and hurt Zari later. She opens her up as quickly as she thinks Zari can take after that, generous with the lube and unable to tear her eyes away from the marks she's left all over Zari. No one will be able to see but Zari won't be able to forget it, will have to shift in her seat for days.

When Zari can take three fingers easily, Ava pulls out entirely, drizzles some lube onto the toy for good measure, and guides the toy into her. She doesn't bother with teasing at this point, Zari already on the edge and Ava not far behind even though she hasn't even gotten a hand on herself, sliding into her in one quick motion. Zari winces when Ava's hips meet the bruises on her ass, but still pushes back into it, a constant stream of please and yes and thank you. (That last one has Ava's hips jerking forward almost involuntarily.)

Ava waits until they've gotten a rhythm to get a hand around to touch Zari, who shudders out an orgasm practically two seconds after Ava finds her clit. Fucking her through the aftershocks, Ava doesn't pull out until Zari's stopped begging. It's easier to take the harness off than it is to get on, so she manages to get it fully off before Zari's fully back to herself.

She expects that she'll just have to make do with her hand, but Zari surprises her yet again, rolling over and eating her out. She lets Ava grab her hair and direct her, even though her pace stays leisurely. Really, her whole demeanor is like the cat who got the cream, and it's working for Ava more than she'd like it to be, following Zari over the edge not long after.

This whole thing is a mistake, Ava knows it, but when Zari nestles up next to her, mumbling something about how that was exactly what she needed, she can't help but picture next time, picture having Zari in the shower, on her knees, in the library, a practically endless menagerie of mistakes they could make.

"You're thinking too loud," Zari says, breath fanning out over Ava's neck. "Interrupting my beauty sleep."

"We'll have to set you up with a room of your own," Ava says, and doesn't miss the way Zari's arms get a little tighter around her. "Make it permanently soundproofed and Gideon-free."

"So you do wanna keep doing this," Zari says, sounding surprised. "You're not kicking me out of the Legends forever?"

"What? No. For--this? This is at much my fuck-up as yours, if not more--"

"No, for the perfume."

"Oh, that. Listen, screwing up the timeline is as much a part of being a Legend as fixing it. More, even. Just--try not to steal things that come from hell anymore, and we're good."

"Good," Zari says, and promptly falls asleep. Ava pets her hair--still soft, even with the fountain water, and Ava has got to get the name of the shampoo she uses--until she dozes off herself.