#i would change the hair but god forbid i try adding more onto this i am in so much pain

[thousand-feuilles]

oh jesus christ mye yes hurt

but um. bonbon birthday!!! ft. him but no wig 🤯 and a le bas design (omg)

FINALLY frevposting for real...

[collapse-and-comfort]

Love your blog! Can I ask for a sick fic with some comfort? The whumpee ignoring symptoms and pushing on until they collapse. So the caretaker carries them to bed, and looks after the whumpee the next few days. The whumpee is weak and scared because they’ve never been that badly sick. But they don’t want to go to hospital (maybe bad experiences before).

🌡🤒🌡Thank you so much!!! Sorry this took so long. It just kind of kept going and ended up being a little over 4K words! I hope you enjoy! (I'm going to tag @lurkingwhump because I know you were interested in a story like this! I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention @i-write-whump because her prompts were constantly on my mind while I was writing this.) 🌡🤒🌡

Whumpee watched their interviewee’s retreating back. They’d been less a lead and more an aggravation. The beat of an eighties pop song made their headache (and their mood) worse and they closed their eyes and pinched the bridge of their nose.

“You good?”

“Yeah,” Whumpee said as they tapped a thumb on the table and tried to ignore the growing ache in their throat. “Let’s go.”

They walked back to Whumpee’s apartment to review information. It amounted to tirespinning and tail chasing. The longer the evening went, the more difficult it became for Whumpee to concentrate. They tossed a file onto their coffee table with the rest of the information they were pouring over. They leaned back on their couch and closed their eyes. No matter how they tried to will their headache away, it continued to compound itself. An ache and a chill were working their way into Whumpee’s body. They didn’t need to look at Caretaker to know they were watching them with questions on their tongue and concern in their eyes.

“Getting late,” Caretaker said.

“Late” was several hours ago.

“Mmhhm,” Whumpee said without opening their eyes. They weren’t taking the bait. “You’d better get going. We’ve got an early start tomorrow.”

“Right,” Caretaker said with a dubious quirk in their brow. They left, but they gave Whumpee ample time  to reconsider, to tell them they needed a break, or help. Or something.

Whumpee sat on their couch in silence as the chill in their body intensified. They refused to believe they were getting sick. Allergies, exhaustion. Had to be. They couldn’t even remember the last time they were ill. Whumpee groaned as they heaved themself up. The room spun and they closed their eyes until the dizziness passed. A string of expletives played in their head as they found their way down the hall and into the restroom.

They dry swallowed some pills that had likely exceeded their expiration date and they avoided catching sight of the flushed, hollow-eyed specter they would see if they looked in the mirror.

They didn’t bother struggling out of their clothes before curling up beneath their covers and dropping into a fitful sleep.

Whumpee woke to someone banging - no, just insistent, undemanding knocking the way their partner always did - on their door. They pawed at their nightstand in search of their phone, but it was nowhere to be found. They peeled their eyes open and wondered how long Caretaker had been knocking. They disentangled themself from their covers and slowly rolled their way off the mattress.

Too hot, they thought as they willed themself, one foot after the other, to make the distance from their room to their door.

When they opened up, Caretaker stepped in with a coffee in each hand. Their affable expression faltered when they looked at Whumpee. If Caretaker noticed Whumpee was wearing the same clothes they’d been dressed in the previous evening - and of course they did - they didn’t mention it.

“Shit,” Caretaker said as they handed Whumpee a cup. “Guess I should have brought you tea instead, huh?”

“As long as it had sugar in it,” Whumpee said before clearing their throat and grimacing at the sensation and the way their voice rasped. “Just give me a minute.”

---

“We can pass this off,” Caretaker suggested by mid-morning. They could. They knew several of their teammates were dying to sink their teeth into this case and there was no harm in letting them.

They watched as Whumpee rested their head against the passenger side window. Whumpee didn’t respond, but Caretaker knew what they would say. They couldn’t put this on hold; they had to finish it. Besides, I’m fine.

“Right,” Caretaker said. They felt as though that one, marginally passive aggressive word, was becoming their personal mantra. They couldn’t make Whumpee do something they didn’t want to do, and while they’d never seen Whumpee with so much as a sniffle, they knew Whumpee would run themself into the ground regardless of whether or not they had a job to do.

God forbid you take care of yourself, Caretaker thought.

The day wore on like that. Caretaker doubted the small measures Whumpee was taking to make themself less miserable - resting or rubbing their eyes, pulling their coat tighter around themself - were cries for help. Each time they asked Whumpee if they were okay, they were rewarded with a glare or a surly shrug.

The evening found them back in Whumpee’s apartment. Caretaker had grown genuinely worried about Whumpee. They watched as Whumpee stared at the same paper they’d been holding for the past ten minutes. They shut their eyes and slouched forward in their chair before closing their eyes. Caretaker frowned at the way Whumpee’s jaws were clenched, the way their shoulders were bunched, and the way their face was flushed. Whumpee’s clothes looked rumpled and uncomfortable. Not exactly surprising since they were the same ones they’d been wearing the previous day.

“You’re half asleep, Whumpee. Why don’t you at least change into some fresh clothing?”

They expected a brusque reply, but Whumpee put down the paper and nodded without looking at Caretaker. That set off warning bells.

Whumpee used the coffee table to steady themself as they rose and Caretaker reached out to help when they saw how badly Whumpee’s arms were shaking.

“I’m fine,” Whumpee muttered as they stood to their full height.

“Bullshit,” Caretaker said as they stood too. They’d spent the entire day watching Whumpee suffer needlessly and they’d had enough. “You can’t keep pushing yourself.”

Caretaker waited for Whumpee to tell them how they’d be better in the morning, or they’re just tired, or...

Whumpee swayed on their feet and their eyes rolled back before their knees buckled and dropped to the floor with jarring force. Caretaker swore as they quickly closed the distance between them and caught Whumpee’s upper body before they could fall the rest of the way. Whumpee let out a distant-sounding moan as their forehead rolled on Caretaker’s shoulder. As Caretaker held Whumpee’s chest against their own, they were shocked at the heat rolling off of Whumpee.

How the hell did Whumpee let themself get this bad?!

Caretaker didn’t berate Whumpee for neglecting themself. Rather, they gathered Whumpee in their arms. There was a flash of confusion, then annoyance on Whumpee’s face. Caretaker pretended they didn’t see the latter emotion.

“Just gonna get you to bed,” they said.

Then possibly to the hospital, they added in their head.

Whumpee didn’t put up a fight as Caretaker carried them back the hall and to their room. Caretaker angled themself so as not to run Whumpee’s head into a wall or door frame. They were unsurprised to find that Whumpee had left their covers a tangled mess. They set Whumpee down and helped them into a seated position while they straightened the covers as best they could. Caretaker circled back around to where Whumpee sat and all the aggravation they’d felt at Whumpee for not taking better care of themself fled them completely.

Whumpee’s arms hung at their sides, their mouth was part way open and their eyes were glassy. Without worrying about Whumpee’s sensibilities, Caretaker put their palm on Whumpee’s forehead.

“You’re burning up, Whumpee,” they said. That Whumpee was running a fever was far from surprising, but the sickly heat that was coming off of them was no less worrying to feel. “Jesus, how long have you been sick?”

“Few days,” Whumpee said. They looked up at Caretaker with wounded pride and they tried to pull away when Caretaker cupped their neck with their hands.

“Sshh,” Caretaker said as they gently pressed their fingers against Whumpee’s throat. They winced at how swollen Whumpee’s glands felt beneath their fingertips.

They frowned and idly swept a damp lock of hair from Whumpee’s forehead and decided what to do.

“Okay,” they said. “Is there anything we need to bring with us to the hospital?”

Whatever indignation and bravado were left in Whumpee disappeared. Whumpee’s eyes went a little wider and they shrank back from Caretaker as they drew in several sharp breaths as they shook their head.

“No. No hospitals.”

“Whumpee, you passed out and you’re running a high fever. I really-”

“No!”

Whumpee tried to stand, but Caretaker stopped them before they could land on the floor again. Caretaker put one hand on Whumpee’s shoulder and held onto one of Whumpee’s arms, trying to hold them as steadily and as gently as possible.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Caretaker said. They kept their voice low as Whumpee landed back on the bed and began to struggle. “Easy, Whumpee. Hey, it’s okay. Calm down. It’s okay. Hey, hey, look at me.”

Whumpee’s energy flagged and finally, their wary, fever-bright eyes found Caretaker’s.

“That’s it, Whumpee.”

Caretaker knew Whumpee had a thing about hospitals, but they never would have guessed it was this bad. Had their fever amplified that fear, or had it simply laid it bare?

“No hospitals.”

Caretaker sighed and nodded. It wasn’t going to do either of them any good to drag Whumpee, half out of their mind with a fever, into an emergency room. Maybe they could talk Whumpee into it if it came to that. Or maybe they’d call an ambulance. Caretaker let go of Whumpee’s arm and rubbed their shoulder. Their heart went out to Whumpee when they felt their breathing hitch beneath their palm.

“Okay,” Caretaker conceded. “No hospitals. But we have to get your temperature down. Where do you keep your thermometer?

“I’ve never been this sick before,” Whumpee said. Their voice was thick and apologetic as they dropped their gaze.

No thermometer, then, Caretaker concluded as they alternated between rubbing and patting Whumpee’s shoulder.

“Okay, what about some Tylenol?”

Whumpee paused and thought about it.

“Above the bathroom sink.”

Caretaker located the bottle. Empty. They sighed, discarded it, and moved to the kitchen. They rummaged through Whumpee’s fridge, but settled on taking them a glass of water. Whumpee sat where they left them.

“I want you to drink some of this,” they said as they pressed the glass into Whumpee’s hands. “I’m going to go pick up a few things, okay?”

Whumpee looked from the glass and back up to Caretaker. They nodded and took several sips of water before setting the glass on their nightstand. Caretaker took note of the way they winced each time they swallowed.

““Do you think you’d be more comfortable in different clothing?”

Whumpee gave them a tired mmhmm and tried to lift themself again.

“I got it,” Caretaker said as they put up a staying hand. “Let me help.”

Whumpee directed them to the bottom drawer of their dresser. Caretaker selected a pair of black athletic shorts and an overly large gray tee shirt. Whumpee didn’t protest when Caretaker helped them out of their old clothes and into the new ones. Whatever energy Whumpee had was depleted and they allowed themself to be helped down to the mattress without complaint. They used one arm to unevenly pull their covers back over themself. Caretaker refrained from helping them pull the covers more completely over them.

They didn’t want to leave Whumpee like this for any amount of time, but if they were going to help them, they needed to. Caretaker fetched Whumpee’s cell phone from the living room and put it on the nightstand next to the water.

“I’ll be back soon, but if you need anything, just call.”

All told, it took them about a half an hour for them to visit a drug store and a convenience store - both within walking distance - to gather what they needed and return. They organized everything on the counter, then took the immediate essentials to Whumpee’s room.

Whumpee was asleep beneath their covers and the water sat, untouched, on the nightstand. Caretaker regretted that they needed to wake them up. They put a hand on Whumpee’s forehead - still far too warm - then patted their cheek.

“Hey, Whumpee,” they said. “I need you to wake up for a minute, okay?”

“Mmm?” Whumpee mumbled as they looked up at Caretaker with bleary, half-lidded eyes.

“Just gonna get your temperature,” they said as they held up the oral thermometer they’d bought.

Whumpee frowned.

“It’s clean,” Caretaker said, though they doubted that was Whumpee’s objection. They leaned down and put the tip of the thermometer to Whumpee’s lips. “C’mon.”

Thankfully, Whumpee did as they were asked.

“Keep it under your tongue,” Caretaker told them, letting memories of their mother be their guide.

Whumpee kept their eyes closed while the thermometer worked, but they opened them again when the beepbeepbeep sounded. They reached for the offending instrument, but Caretaker halted them.

“Just leave it for a sec,” they said. Part of them didn’t want to see the reading, didn’t want the numbers to force their hand with Whumpee’s care.

They removed the thermometer and turned it so they could see the segmented, digital numbers.

“One-oh-three point nine,” Caretaker said, frowning at the thermometer as though it were to blame.

Not great, Caretaker thought, though they knew it could be worse. They tried to remember if they’d seen Whumpee eat anything the past couple of days. They picked up the new bottle of Tylenol, but paused when they saw Whumpee’s face. Whumpee’s jaw clenched as they clumsily wiped a tear away, They crouched down at Whumpee’s side - the pills rattled as they did so - and they put a hand on Whumpee’s arm.

Caretaker cursed themself for not stepping in earlier, for not seeing just how sick Whumpee was, for not making Whumpee take better care of themself. The latter was easier said than done, of course, but now it seemed the confirmation that they were sick was too much for Whumpee to bear.

“Okay,” they said, speaking more gently than they could ever remember speaking to Whumpee. Overt tenderness, or any other sort of tenderness for that matter, had never been a part of their dynamic. Whumpee let themself sniffle and that led to a coughing fit. Caretaker seated themself on the mattress next to Whumpee and patted their back as they waited for the coughing to pass. “It’s okay. I know this sucks. We’ve gotta work on getting your temp down, though, so I want you to take these pills.”

Caretaker helped them lean up and take the pills.

“You need to drink more, too,” Caretaker said, careful not to sound like they were scolding them. They wondered how much longer Whumpee would have let themself go without some sort of aid. A niggling thought worked its way into Caretaker’s mind. There was the very real possibility Whumpee had never had anyone to care for them in this way.

Caretaker gave Whumpee’s forearm a squeeze and then stood.

“Be right back,” they said.

They returned with a cool, damp washcloth. Caretaker swept Whumpee’s hair back and put the cloth on their forehead.

“Cold,” they murmured without opening their eyes.

“I know,” Caretaker said as they sat down on the edge of the bed. “Just don’t want your brain to get cooked.”

Whumpee hummed in agreement and laid still. Their breathing evened out and Caretaker removed the cloth when it had taken on as much of Whumpee’s body heat as it could. Whumpee didn’t stir while Caretaker repeated the process several times.

Once they were sure Whumpee was resting soundly enough, Caretaker went about the business turning their case over to other, equally competent hands. They didn’t look forward to telling Whumpee, but they’d cross that bridge when they had to.

When Caretaker returned to  Whumpee’s room, Whumpee was curled on their side. Their mouth was open and their breathing was deep. Caretaker risked placing the back of their hand on Whumpee’s forehead. Still warm, but it was better.

All was quiet until just after one in the morning. Whumpee stirred and Caretaker sat upright in the recliner in the corner of the room. Whumpee rolled onto their back and pawed at the covers.

“Hey,” Caretaker said as they walked over to the side of the bed. They put a hand on Whumpee’s shoulder and shook it a little bit. “You good, Whumpee?”

Whumpee’s eyes slid open and settled on Caretaker. It took a moment, but Caretaker could see the memory of the evening return to them.

“Too warm,” they rasped.

“Fever’s breaking,” Caretaker said with a nod as they helped Whumpee off with the covers. To Whumpee’s chagrin, Caretaker got their temp again, though that time it was a much more agreeable ninety-nine point eight.

“Don’t have to stay,” Whumpee mumbled as they rubbed a hand over their face.

Yes I do, Caretaker thought.

“It’s no problem,” they said with a shrug. “Besides, I know your WiFi password. Can I get you anything?”

Whumpee swallowed and grimaced as though there was a bad taste in their mouth.

“Drink?”

Caretaker brought them ginger ale, more pills and chapstick. Whumpee was quick to fall back to sleep after that.

Whumpee’s fever spiked again in the morning, though it was nowhere near as harrowing. What worried Caretaker was how pliant Whumpee had become. Just more evidence of how run down they’d let themself get.

After they took a shower, Whumpee set up camp in the living room and Caretaker took the opportunity to change the bedclothes. It was a small thing, but sometimes those provided the most comfort. Caretaker knew they were well on their way to becoming a mother hen, but they couldn’t quite bring themself to care.

Caretaker waited for the inevitable questions about work, but they never came. Caretaker wondered if Whumpee already knew what they’d done. The day wore on and Whumpee alternated between dozing and trying to watch whatever brainless actioner Caretaker opted to play. Their blanket was on. Their blanket was off.

Caretaker intermittently cleared away tissues when they began to accumulate around Whumpee. Caretaker plied them with a steady stream of drinks (Tea with honey seemed most effective.), and in the early evening, despite their declaration that they weren’t hungry, Whumpee managed to eat some soup. Caretaker extended a hand to take the dishes away when Whumpee was done. Whumpee started to say something, but their words fell off and they looked down at their lap when Caretaker took the dishes from them.

Caretaker wanted to reassure them, but they knew whatever they said in that moment would sound useless and patronizing to Whumpee. Maybe the best thing they could do was give Whumpee some alone time. At least for as long as it took Caretaker to pick up some things from their own place.

When Caretaker got back Whumpee was ready for bed. Caretaker regarded them. Their cheeks were flushed again and their eyes were glassy. Caretaker asked them the same questions they’d been asking them all day. How’s your throat? You okay? Do you need anything?

“I’m just tired,” Whumpee said as they started off with shuffling steps towards their room.

“Okay.” Caretaker calculated the time they’d remind Whumpee to take more pills like the world’s most proactive medi-minder. They chewed their lip as they watched Whumpee go. They hoped they got some rest. “Let me know if you need anything.”

That night, Caretaker dozed in the couch, but a single whimper from Whumpee’s room woke them. They crossed the room and fumbled for the lamp’s switch. The golden light revealed Whumpee, sweating and tangled in their covers. Their eyes were dazed and frightful; their mouth opened and they let out a pathetic groan as they pulled themself toward the edge of the bed.

“Whumpee,” Caretaker said as they put a hand on Whumpee’s shoulder; they were looking at them, but they weren’t seeing them.  “Hey, Whumpee.”

“Nonono,” Whumpee said. Their voice was far off, but it sounded no less distressed. “Stop Don't Please. It Hurts. N-”

Whumpee came awake and they panted as they braced themself on their elbows. They recoiled from Caretaker’s touch with a whimper and their feet worked at kicking their covers away.

“It’s okay, Whumpee,” Caretaker said. “Ssh. You’re safe. I promise you’re safe, Whumpee.”

They risked putting a hand back on Whumpee’s shoulder. They reminded themself to stay calm for Whumpee’s sake. A sob escaped Whumpee as they fell onto their side, breathing hard. Their feet stil moved ineffectually under the covers.

Caretaker pulled the blankets off of Whumpee and they stopped trying to escape whatever was hunting them. Caretaker grabbed the thermometer and the tissue box before sitting down next to Whumpee and began rubbing the curve of their shoulder.

“It’s okay,” they repeated. “Shshsh. Just a bad dream.”

Was it, though? How dramatically had their fever spiked?

After a bout of coughing, Caretaker offered Whumpee a tissue. Whumpee blew their nose before Caretaker tried to get them to take the thermometer in their mouth. Whumpee turned their face away and pursed their lips. Caretaker might have found humor in the sheer petulence of the gesture had Whumpee not looked so scared.

“C’mon, Whumpee. I’ve gotta see your temp.”

“No,” Whumpee said as they reached with a weak hand, trying to bat away the thermometer.

Caretaker caught Whumpee’s clammy hand and lowered it to the bed.

“I’ve gotta know how bad it is, Whumpee. It’ll just take a minute.”

“Don’t…” Whumpee said as they looked at Caretaker with unfocused eyes. “Don’t take me to the hospital. I can’t be there.”

“I’m just-”

“I can’t.”

Caretaker took a breath. They couldn’t let Whumpee work themself into a lather.

“You’re just coming out of a nightmare, Whumpee. Just give things a minute to make sense.”

“I-”

Whumpee cut themself off; Caretaker hadn’t said whatever they’d expected to hear.

“Just focus on me for a minute. Can you try to do that?”

They nodded, blinked and looked at Caretaker as though they were actually seeing them. Silence fell between them. Whumpee took a deep breath and rested their head back on their pillow and stared at the opposite wall.

“Okay,” they said finally. They allowed Caretaker to place the thermometer under their tongue. It seemed to take an eternity for the thermometer to beep. Caretaker took it back and before looking at it, they prayed to whoever or whatever might be listening that they didn't have to get Whumpee to a hospital.

“One-oh-two point six,” Caretaker said with relief. “That's not so bad. Just a bad dream that did a number on you.”

The lines of Whumpee’s face relaxed and they rested on the pillow, but some sort of melancholy had taken the place of Whumpee’s fear. It was an equally disheartening sight.

“Need anything?” Caretaker asked after they went through the routine they seemed to have established in nursing their friend.

“No.”

“Okay, ” Caretaker said. “Just let me know if you do.”

Caretaker stood and pulled a blanket back over Whumpee, who took its edge in their hand and pulled it to their chin.

“Wait,” Whumpee said when Caretaker turned.

Caretaker paused and looked back at Whumpee.

“Can you…” Whumpee looked at them, their eyes begging Caretaker to understand. “Can you stay?”

What had they dreamed that had them so rattled?

“Of course, ” they said. They settled back down next to Whumpee and swept Whumpee’s hair out of their face. “Whatever you need.”

Whumpee slept late the next morning and Caretaker took the time to tidy the apartment and ask for updates on the case. It had been solved.

When Whumpee came out into the living room, they made a beeline for their recliner. Though Caretaker was constantly present, they exchanged few words and Caretaker could tell Whumpee was putting effort into avoiding their gaze. The news that the case had been resolved seemed to do little to cheer them.

After cleaning the lunch mess, and doing dishes Caretaker sat on the side of the couch that was closest to Whumpee.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Whumpee said without taking their gaze off of the TV.

“It’s no problem.”

More silence. Whumpee dozed off and Caretaker channel surfed.

Caretaker chose a book from Whumpee’s shelf.

Caretaker read the same sentence five damn times before giving up and putting the book on the coffee table.

Whumpee jolted awake with a gasp. Their fingers dug into the armrests and their eyes darted over the room as though they’d woken up somewhere entirely foreign. They cursed and let out a harsh breath.

Caretaker guessed embarrassment, and not sickness, colored Whumpee’s cheeks.

“It’s fine,” Whumpee said before Caretaker could ask.

Whumpee stood, shakily at first, then walked to the kitchen. Caretaker knew any attempt to help them would be rebuffed, so they waited for Whumpee to stare into the refrigerator before they selected a bottle of water before moving back to their seat.

Whumpee sat and sipped.

Caretaker needed to address the elephant in the room. Or at least let Whumpee know the elephant could stay where it was.

“We don’t have to talk about it. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” Caretaker said. “But I hope you know you can if you need to.”

Whumpee’s fingers worried at the armrests.

“I do. I do know. I’m just not used to...” Whumpee’s voice was low but solemn as they gestured toward all the signs of care that had been taken on their behalf. “... to any of this.”

Caretaker wanted to pull them close and tell them how sorry they were to hear that, that they never needed to hesitate to ask for help. They didn’t know what they could possibly say to make it better. Instead, they flashed the easygoing smile that had been missing from their features for the past couple days.

“Well,” they said. “Get used to it.”

[lord-explosion-baku]

Disconnect

Yandere!Shinsou x reader

Warnings: yandere, adult themes, bordering Stockholm syndrome, hints of dubious consent

A/N: here’s another fic I posted and deleted a bit ago, but I edited it and revamped it a bit. I was in a weird place when I wrote this, but it’s content! Gonna stop impulsively deleting shit😂

“Are you in love with me?”

What a pathetic question. You know it is, but it’s been on your mind all damn day. That, amongst other things. Insecurities have been bombarding your brain and consuming your thoughts. They’re the kind that you’ve managed to repress for years, but today, while bored of all the nothing you had to do while Shinsou was away, they came at you full force, as if they were paying you back for forgetting about them.

Before Shinsou took you, happiness had been perpetually evasive. Some days you could pretend like it had been there, but that had just been a trick of the mind—a phantom emotion that muzzled how you’d actually been feeling.

The truth is, your friends—your family—everyone you know has always simply tolerated you. You could go to them when you were feeling down, but they never really wanted to hear your qualms. They’d always tell you anything you needed to hear to get you to stop whining. There’d been an art to ignoring how they grimaced at your attempted humor and hope for you to stop trying. They never wanted to hear about your interests or aspirations, either—most of them were too big for you anyways—but they would smile and wait for you to finish prattling on, then exhale with relief when it was over.

So, it hadn’t been like you could tell them how you felt, lest you wanted to risk being a ceaseless nuisance.

Some days you’d wondered if they wouldn’t mind if you just disappeared. Now you find yourself wondering what they think now that you have.

It’s fine. Rather, it had been fine when you were around them. However, the more time you’re forced to spend with Shinsou, the more you realize how unhappy you used to be.

You can’t say you’re happy now, either. With the reality of your situation, you’d actually have to be insane to say that you’re happy. A caged bird could never thrive if he couldn't fly. But Shinsou has been the first person that wanted to hear you talk about anything and everything. He wants to know you—to be there for you. He actually asks about your likes and dislikes, how you’re feeling, what he can do to make things better, while you’ve always been reluctant to answer him.

Still, you want to know. You want to be sure. You can assume that he does love you. Afterall, he’s taking care of you right now.

Earlier, he sensed that you were stressed and offered to give you a massage. Normally you would slink away from his touch, but you were feeling weak, so you said yes. You have to admit that having him touch you is... nice.

A deep groan escapes your chest when he presses on a particularly tense spot in your back, so he rubs the area more, making sure to massage all of your anxieties away. He leans down low to press his lips against the shell of your ear. You can feel the curl of his mouth when he says, “that’s a stupid question.”

I know. You want to tell him that, but you won’t. You won’t open up to him. You know he’d like that too much. It’s ironic, really. The one person who wants you to open up to them and it’s the last person on earth you’d want to tell anything too personal to.

“I wouldn’t have asked it if I didn’t need to hear the answer.”

“You wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t in love with you,” he counters.

Touché, asshole.

“So the moment you fall out of love with me, you’re going to let me go.”

You very nearly say ‘you’re going to kick me out,’ but it’s not like you’re simply visiting with him. You’re there against your will. He's your captor, you’re his prisoner.

“That’s not going to happen.”

“But if it does-“

“It won’t.” Shinsou begins kissing down your spine. “Getting you here was a drag, but I won’t be letting you go under any circumstances.”

“Why?”

Darks skepticism envelopes his timbre when he asks, “why, what?”

You can't blame him. There’s been plenty of one-sided conversation where you’ve practically begged to be released, only to have Shinsou give you the cold shoulder. This won’t be another one of those discussions. You couldn’t bear it.

“Why do you like me?”

“Why do I like you, or why am I in love with you?”

You think about it for a second and decide to hell with it. You threw your dignity out the window the second you asked your first question. You hide your face in the pillow and mutter, “both.”

Shinsou hums against your back, pretending to consider the question while he squeezes your hips, pressing his thumbs into either side of your tailbone.

“Oh, god,” you sigh, pushing your ass up so he presses deeper on you, “that feels so good.”

“Reason one as to why I like you-“ Shinsou moves his hands down to your ass. He kneads your muscles, partly because he knows you want it, but mostly because he loves handling your ass- “you sound like that when you moan.”

“Be serious!” You bark back half-heartedly, because he seriously knows how to give a good massage, and you can’t stay annoyed when he’s touching you like that.

“I’m being plenty serious. It’s hot.” He squeezes your bottom, adding just the right amount of pressure to get you to moan again. He chuckles and thumbs the side of your underwear, letting it snap back to your skin pap! “So hot.”

“So, you like me because I’m hot?” You exhale when he squeezes more lotion onto your back, the cool sensation making goosebumps rise on your skin.

“Well-“ there’s a shrug in his voice when he makes his way back up to your spine-“it’s one of the reasons.”

Shinsou begins listing things he likes about you: the curl of your hair, the dip in your hips, the curve of your ass, the way your nose scrunches up when you smell something you think is going to be nice, but is actually unappealing, and that “cute little mole in that one place,” he suggests, “you know, the one I like to kiss…”

It’s all almost nice to hear, except they all have one thing in common: they’re all physical. You won’t always look like what you do now. You don’t think that Shinsou is so superficial that he only judges you on your appearance, but you can’t stop the swelling in your chest.

“And I especially like your neck,” he whispers at the column of your throat, right before licking a stripe up to your earlobe. You shudder when he smiles against you. “So sensitive…”

“So that’s it?”

You’re being negative, demanding even, and you shouldn’t feel bad about it because it’s with Shinsou, but you do. You need to hear more. You need to feel like you matter.

“There’s loads more, but this is what I’m focusing on right now. My partner’s half naked in front of me and I’m only human.”

You turn to face him, maneuvering the pillow your head was on to the front of you, hiding Shinsou’s eyes both from your chest, and from the tears you’ve left behind.

“What about when I change?” You ask, squeezing your fluffy shield against your stomach.

“What do you mean?”

“Like-“ you bow your head, fiddling with the fringes on the pillow- “I don’t know. If I’m gonna be stuck here forever, then obviously I’m gonna age.”

Shinsou frowns. “So?”

“So...I won’t always be-“ you make a flippant gesture at him-“your version of hot!”

He snorts. “My version of hot? What’s that?”

“You tell me!”

He shakes his head, laughing as he brings his hand to the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “You’re my version of hot...it won’t matter if your hair turns silver, your skin wrinkles, you get all saggy and crinkly-“ he chuckles- “same thing’s gonna happen to me, only with my job, I might end up losing an arm or—heaven forbid—I get a scar over an eye.”

You dismiss that. “Scars can be hot.”

“Duly noted.” He smirks. “I might have to be extra reckless on my next mission. See how you react to my battle wounds.”

“Please don’t,” you say immediately. You gaze up at him to see that his usual sleep-ridden eyes have softened. Geez, he’s acting as if you said something nice to him.

“What’s going on with you?” Shinsou asks as his hand falls over your pillow shield. He tugs on it to move, but you keep it clawed to your chest. “C’mon...let me in.”

It’s hard because you want to. You want to let him in, and you’re stupid for it. At least you have the mind to shake your head at him.

“Alright then,” he says, “what do you like about me? Or should I say, do you like me?”

“No.” That part is easy enough to say. Even if it's a lie, which you aren’t sure if it is or not, you know it’s what you should say every time. Regardless of what he makes you feel, what he does for you, how he takes care of you, you’re still there against your will.

You don’t get a moment to feel guilty about saying it either, because as soon as the answer rolls off of your tongue, you freeze, unable to move or speak. Immediately you want to rebuke, tell him off, scream at him, but your body disobeys every single one of your furious demands. Shinsou hasn’t used his mind control on you too much lately, and you let yourself forget that he has it. You’re absolutely seething.

Bastard.

“I’m sorry, darlin’. I’m a slave to my own whims.” Shinsou takes the pillow away from your body. His eyes scan over your torso appreciatively before finding the dark dots stained from your tears on the fabric of your pillow. He flexes his jaw, then places the pillow back behind you.

“Lay back,” he commands, and you’re helpless to oblige.

For a moment, the two of you are still. Shinsou’s staring at you, but not in a way that’s weird...er than normal. He’s seen you naked plenty of times, so he’s not being entirely a pervert. It’s only when he rolls down to level his face with yours, you see that there’s mist in his eyes.

“You’re intelligent,” he says, placing a hand over your navel, “and not in a way that’s annoying. You can hold stimulating conversations, and you think...differently, but you’re also interested in listening to divergent viewpoints.”

Shinsou starts moving his hand in circles, using his fingertips to draw intricate designs across your skin.

“You don’t know how to make a proper playlist, so when you listen to music, the weirdest shit comes on, and you sing along to all of it. And you’re so bad at singing, but you belt that shit out like you don’t even care.”

You kinda wanna hit him. You kinda wanna laugh. You kinda don’t wanna accept that you've gotten comfortable enough around Shinsou to actually sing around him, even if it’s in the goofy voice that you use.

“You’re kind to animals, you laugh in your sleep, you yell at inanimate objects, and you always read the last page of a novel once you’re halfway through it, which is infuriating, but it’s because you get so excited that you can’t stand not knowing what’s going to happen.”

Shinsou brings his hand up to cup your face. “You piss me off. You challenge me. You’re stubborn and defiant and abrasive and I-“ he pauses, sighing- “and I love it. I love every part of you—vexing vices and valorous virtues.”

He leans down so that his lips are a hair away from yours. His voice is tight, raspy from something he’s holding back, but still, he speaks. “I know I’m fucked up for this. I know you hate it here, but there’s no way in hell I’d ever let anyone else have you. You’re so fucking weird, and beautiful, and angry. You’re precious to me, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I’ll always be in love with you. And that means damning you to me. I would say that I’m sorry, but I’m not. At least, not for keeping you. You’re the only thing I've ever wanted—the only sin I don’t regret.”

Your brain is ocean fog when his lips meet yours. He kisses you softly, because he doesn’t want to bring you out of your stupor just yet. His fingers travel down your sides, resting at the waistband of your panties. He pulls back and eyes you deviously.

“And if you don’t like me yet, I guess I’ll have to deal, but that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna keep gunning for your affection.” He smirks, hooking his thumbs around the sides of your briefs. Your entire body flushes in direct reaction to him, anticipating what comes next. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

With a devilish glint in his indigo eyes, he smirks up at you and says, “at least I know some things you love about me”

[1a-imagines]

A/n: I also did bakugo and todoroki cause you deserve all the comfort and loving!!

Also i couldn't stop myself from adding them.

I hope you enjoy and that things get better for you!!

Midoriya:

He's really observant, so he would know something was wrong almost immediately.

Even if you try to hide it, he could see your smile wasn't reaching your eyes, that you were zoning out a lot and your movements were sluggish.

He'll go to your room one night to find you laying on your bed, curtains closed despite it being midday, it breaks his heart to see you like this.

He walks over, the bed dipping as he sits down and rubs circles into your back.

He hopes the gesture is enough for you to understand that he's here for you.

"Honey… what's going on? You haven't been acting like yourself.."

Whether you eventually open up or not is up to you, but it wont change the fact he'll do everything he can to help you feel better.

He can tell you need a break, so he'll set aside a whole day just for you two.

He'll make you the best pillow fort you've ever seen, blankets and fairy lights are hung from the ceiling, pillows and stuffed animals scattered all over the floor, your favourite drinks and snacks are carefully placed onto trays.

After he shows you the surprise and you get comfortable in your blanket fort he'll cuddle up with you and switch on your favorite show.

He whole times he's either pressing kisses to your face or playing with your hair.

Of course he's aware one day won't instantly change everything, so he's going to make a lot more time for you and him to spend together.

He’ll be on the internet and looking up ways that can help, hell write down notes of ideas that could possibly get a smile out of you.

He’ll eat all 3 meals of the day with you so he can make sure you’re well fed. He’ll try to make sure they're filled with fruits and vegetables too.

He'll suggest going on walks to the park or through the city. Fresh air, sunlight and exercise is always a good idea. They also make for nice breaks too.

He knows hugs are a good way to relieve stress too so expect a lot of hugs, cuddles and kisses followed by endless compliments.

You're in good hands with him, he won't quit until your smile reaches your eyes again.

Bakugo:

He might be a hothead but he's observant too.

I genuinely believe he would notice something wrong almost immediately.

You're one of the few people that managed to sneak into his heart, so of-fucking-course he can tell when somethings not right.

He won't wait long to confront you about it.

After school, when you two are walking back to the dorms, alone, he speaks up.

"What the hell's going on with you, dumbass?"

He'll be pretty stubborn about the situation, so he'll force answers out of you.

He just wants you to lean on him, that's what he's here for right? Keeping your feelings bottled up is fucking stupid and hes learned that first hand.

He’ll stay quiet as you vent about all that's stressing you out, sometimes his eyebrows creased as you explained certain situations.

God forbid it's a person adding to your stress. He'll demand you tell him where they are so he can go blow them up.

He isn’t great at empathising or comforting.

He won't know what to say and you may mistake his silence for him not caring.

But when you make it back to your room he'll pull you into his arms, holding you tightly and pressing a kiss to your head.

“Clear your schedule tomorrow.”

“huh? why?”

“Were going on a date.”

And boy, will it be a date to remember!

It's a whole day dedicated to you.

You're the kind of person who likes coffee dates? He'll take you to your favourite coffee shop. You like going to the zoo? He's got it covered. Want to go to a fancy restaurant and then a midnight stroll around a park? He can do that too. or maybe you just want to lounge around all day, eating junk food and playing video games?? He's on it.

Basically, he's about to take you on your dream date.

It's much easier to show you he cares than tell you.

Words mean nothing to him, he wants you to see that he loves you, that he's here for you.

He acts like it's nothing, like it's not a big deal.

But if he doesn't get you to smile at least once? Then he's failed.

and he. never. fails. anything.

So bet your ass he's going to make you feel like the happiest person alive.

You're going to smile so fucking much your cheeks will hurt for weeks!!

Todoroki:

Unlike the other two, he might not notice immediately.

But it won't take him too long to notice you're acting different than usual.

But he doesn't believe in sticking his nose in other people's problems, if you haven't come to him about it he won't pry.

But he'll try to help in other ways.

Like, making you breakfast in bed , bringing you glasses of water, asking you to watch a movie with him (as a way to make sure you're taking breaks).

He'll be a little more affectionate than usual, he hopes that giving you more hugs and kisses will work as a silent way of telling you he's here for you.

He'll treat you like royalty, so you're bound to catch onto the change in behaviour from him eventually.

When you're ready to open up to him he'll be there for you to lean on.

He'll let you talk for hours if you need it and won't say a word to interrupt you.

He already knows there isn't much he can say to change your circumstances but he can run his fingers through your hair and let you know you're not alone.

"Is there anything I can do to help you with my love?"

Whatever you ask of him, he'll do no questions asked. You need cuddles and kisses? Or you want to go on a date?

Hell! He'd even book a hotel getaway for a weekend if you needed it.

His dads got enough money to cover that for you both.

If you say you don't need anything from him, he'll try not to suffocate you but that won't stop him from worrying.

He's still going to leave gifts around your room for when you get back from classes, and cook you meals, and hold you until you fall asleep.

You were always there for him when he needed you most and now it was his turn to do the same.

[de-profundis-ad-astra]

Let’s Get Something Straight

Pairing || William Miller x Reader Rating || E (18+ ONLY) Warnings || Sex in the great outdoors, sex on Will’s car Word Count || 4.1k shut up Prompt || Anonymous Request: Will and the reader have a fight that ends with them having rough makeup sex. Taglist ||   @firefeatherx @goldenhour-goldenboy @mandoplease @mylifeliterally @phoenixhalliwell @havenforafrazzledmind @living-reminder @beatriz-silva-00 @pascalz @worldominatorx @givemethatgold @agirllovespancakes @lilacyennefer @dignityneeded @veuliee @briskywalker @the-bird-suit @mapache-lector @skylyknightly (let me know if you want to be added/removed!)

You decided a long time ago that the worst thing about text messages is that they line up on your locked phone screen and you end up reading them without even wanting to.

What was the name of your contact in Germany?

Lost the password to the bus station locker in Boulder. Help?

Are you still alive?

William Miller has the best memory out of any person you’ve ever met. There’s no way he lost the name of your contact or, god forbid, forgot a four number combination for a locker when that man keeps track of every damn thing in his life. He’s just trying to get a response out of you.

However, there was something even worse. When the text messages….

Stop.

The emptiness of your phone screen is agony, but you can’t seem to stop checking it. After about a month of this, you’re sitting, feeling bruised, at the window of a coffee shop. Your phone is face down beside your mug and your laptop. On the other side of the window, a fall rain shower sweeps down the small town street. it wets down the leaves on the sidewalk and fills the shop with the crisp scent of wet pavement every time a patron bustles in or out.

You respond to Will’s requests for help. Just because things hadn’t worked out between you doesn’t mean you had to become an asshole. You had gotten through a month on your own; you were doing well without him.

As well as could be expected.

You’d run and gunned, fought, and made love with the adamant, selfless, hedonistic man who was William Miller for a year and a half. It had been a time of soaring, you realize, and golden, flying time full of freedom to touch, snuggle, fight, endure. You hadn’t fully realized this until it all went south–when a mission had gone wrong and Ben had let it slip that William had tried to do it on his own and that was the top of those other three botched missions and the time Will said:

No, not gonna go back through that. It’s better to move on.

Move on? How delusional are you?

You can’t escape the furious pain in Will’s eyes when you left, after he tried to kiss you like that would change your mind. Despite the ugliness of the past year, Will, in all his tall, deadly, blunt, powerful glory, made parts of you hum with contentment and warmth–something you still don’t now how you’ll survive without.

You gulp down some coffee to force back tears. You’ll survive, anyway.

And that’s when you see his car roll right past the window.

You choke, eyes fastening on the passengers–it’s them. Will driving, Ben riding. You shrink down as if you can hide behind your mug.

Oh no. Your own car is parked right in front of the shop. The Millers don’t miss a thing, but you desperately hope this one time–

Ben’s head swivels, his eyes locked onto your truck. Will notices and cranes his head back to stare at your truck, too.

Then they’re gone, and you’re sitting there, heart racing.

Well, shit.

–

“Feel like I’m in freaking high school again! Ooh, better take a different way to class so I don’t pass his fucking locker!”

Your falsetto fills the cabin of your truck as you navigate the town’s main drag. You’re talking to yourself.

Again.

“Well is the whole country going to be a high school now?” you continue. “Or… no, I’ll go be all mature and woman-power-ish, and I’ll just stick it out and pretend they’re not here–SURE, NO PROBLEM, LET ME JUST WALTZ AROUND LIKE I’M NOT A FUCKING MESS… godDAMMIT!”

And now you’re crying because dammit, you fucking miss William Miller and his fucking car and his fucking smile and the way his hair sticks up in back in the morning and the look he gets when he knows you’re bullshitting him and the way he’s never cold and the way he gloats when he makes you scream in pleasure, like he just invented the fucking wheel.

You bounce and splash through a few blocks of neighborhood, glaring furiously. The sun is cutting through masses of gold leaves, turning the streets into shiny, steaming lanes out of a storybook, and you fucking hate it.

And then, in your rear view mirror, you see the flash of a grille and the gleam of black paint. William’s turns onto the street behind you.

There’s only one person riding in it now.

A barbed-wire spasm of pain draws a gasp from your lips. “Oh fuck, that’s it. That is it.”

And then your foot stomps on the accelerator and you are getting out of town; you’re not coming back. You can’t handle this, and if he’s gonna follow you, screw him; you’re not gonna stop. The two-lane country road you’re on goes somewhere you don’t know, but you haul down it anyway, jaw mulishly set as you blow through stop sign after stop sign.

Will doesn’t stop, either.

You’ve learned several reasons why the boys call him Ironhead. This one takes the cake.

He follows you. And keeps following you. Soon, you’ve been going about three miles, and you’re starting to get more worried than angry. What if he’s off his rocker?

Suddenly, he starts to fade back. You let off the accelerator a bit as he fades back more… and then he fades so quickly, he has to be stopping.

He pulls over to the side of the road: I’m done.

Good! You keep going, William shrinking into the sunset…

… for about a hundred feet.

You curse and slam on the brakes. You wrench your truck into park and sit for a moment, gasping.

“What the hell?” you breathe. When he pulled over, you had felt pain worse than anything you felt yet.

You open your door, and cool air full of fields and trees and rain washes over you. The setting sun lays down a warm blanket as you slam the door shut behind you. You walk to the tailgate of your truck and stare down the road.

The car slowly returns to the road and crawls toward you, lurching over potholes. Your eyes devour Will’s silhouette as his car comes to a stop and falls silent about fifteen feet away. The door screeches open, and his workboots hit the pavement.

He looks pissed.

Well, you’re pissed, too. You wipe your eyes and meet him halfway, not a step more, not a step less. It’s like charging a lion. You cross your arms. It feels as if you’re seeing him for the first time all over again–it’s overwhelming how good he looks-stubble, tired eyes and all.

“Cryin’ over me, sweetheart?” he asks, feet wide, chin up.

Just the sound of his rough baritone makes you melt, but you fight it. “Following me like a stalker?” you retort.

He gives you the bullshit look and closes in a step. The setting sun catches half his face, and the light pools in his gold-brown right eye as he raises his eyebrows. “You’ve got nothing, sweetheart.”

You shove your face toward his. “Neither do you, buster.”

The two of you stare at each other, and the temperature between you shoots up. Will’s generous lips part and he starts to angle his head-

You recoil. “How many girls have you slept with since I left?”

His eyes go cold, his expression ugly. “I’ll tell you if you tell me how many guys have gotten into your pants.”

“Fuck you! Nobody’s gotten anything from me, you bastard!”

“Well the last chick I touched was you, you bitch!”

And then you’re just glaring at each other.

“Why did you lie to me about those missions?” you demand.

“I didn’t lie exact-”

“It’s called lying by omission, Will! Maybe if you’d-”

And then he’s in your face again, teeth bared. “I wanted to keep you safe,  dammit, but I’ve realized I can’t–fucking helli–I realized it, but you were too busy packing up and not listening!”

You blink at him. “Say that again?”

He closes his eyes and sighs, rubbing a hand over his eyes. “I get it, okay? I get it. And really, I don’t want to have a girl who’s just something I need to protect; I want one who kicks ass. Who I can still protect. A little.”

Unconvinced, you squint at him.

“Come back with me.” He blurts it quickly, only briefly meeting your eyes.

There are crickets singing in the long grass. The sun is halfway beneath the horizon. Most of you is screaming yes and snuggling into his strong chest. A fraction waits and doubts.

“I’m not asking again,” he says more softly, and he meets your gaze, straightening his shoulders. “I’m not gonna beg.”

“You shouldn’t have to.” The words exit your mouth, and with them goes the cold tightness that’s been clutching your chest for a month. Loose warmth fills you up instead. “You don’t have to.” You step into the tall sturdiness of him, tucking your head into his shoulder. His powerful arms encircle you tightly and he tucks his face into your neck, a tremor running through him.

You stand like that for a long time, breathing against each other, squeezing tighter and tighter and tighter. The sun slips behind the horizon, leaving a hollow sky dotted with orange clouds. You can hear traffic on bigger roads, but it’s all far, far, far away.

Soon, you can’t breathe, he’s squeezing so tightly. Your lips start to smile without your permission. “God, you’re such a-“

He pulls back. His mouth crashes into yours and it feels so soft-wet-familiar-hot-delicious, your knees give a little spasm before giving out. You quickly grab him around the neck and hang on, overwhelmed by how deeply you missed this. If his urgency is any indication, Will missed it just as much. He buries his fingers in your hair, pressing you closer as he slants his mouth over yours, first one way and then the other, filling you with his taste–taste that floods you with wet heat all the way to the core.

He breaks away, and you moan a protest, trying to recapture him, but his breath fans over your face. “Hey.” His voice is gruff. You can barely open your eyes, but when you do, you stiffen.

This is an expression you’ve never seen before. Eyes narrowed, jaw clenched, nostrils flared … somehow he looks ravenous and vulnerable at the same time. And somehow, it makes you want to flee and pounce all at once. “W-Will-“

He takes your wrist and pulls you toward his car. You follow him through the deepening blue, the crunching of your boots almost too loud in the dusky hush. He pulls you around, and the backs of your legs hit his car. His big hands fall to your hips, massaging as he grinds into you, breathing faster. He’s hooked his thumbs into the side belt loops and he’s tugging down.

You gape up at him. “Will–wait, Will, you can’t –“

He presses his forehead to yours and you almost lose your balance; only his grip on your hips keeps you upright. His nose brushes yours, smooth and warm. “You tell me flat-out no and we’ll do this somewhere else,” he growls. “Otherwise, we are going to get something straight, right here, right now. Got it?”

“… Yeah? …Wait. Get what straight?”

“And there’s why I’m doing this.” He rises, and, staring you in the eyes, unbuckles your belt.

You have never, ever been naked outside a bathroom or bedroom. You grab his wrists, trying not to fall back onto the car’s hood. “Will–W-Will –“

“The deal is you tell me no, remember?” His hands keep moving despite your grip on his wrists. The rasp of your zipper coming down is loud in the wide silence, and you squeak when he twists free of your grip. He slides his hands in between your jeans and panties, his fingers digging into your ass as he pushes your pants down around your thighs.

“Oh, I missed this.” He pins you to his chest with one arm while his other snakes down over your ass and burrows between your legs from behind. You squirm as his fingers stroke up and down your pussy, your hands fisted in his red and black flannel. Making a rough sound deep in his throat, he presses one finger in deeper than the others and opens you through your panties. You bury your face in his shirt now, overcome by embarrassment and a roaring tsunami of please yes!

He withdraws, and you peek out as his chest expands. His eyes are closed and he’s pressing his fingers to his nose, breathing deeply. He opens his eyes, and your lips part when you see the quicksilver gleam of liquid over his lower lashes.

And then he’s moving fast. You shiver as he rips off his flannel and spreads it on the car’s hood behind you. Then, clad in a t-shirt, he pushes your jeans to your ankles and lifts you onto his flannel. He pulls off his t-shirt and now you’re almost crying; the familiar planes of his chest unravel all the barriers you’d built the last month to remain upright.

He grabs your shirt, and, frightened, you clamp your arms to your sides. Unstoppable, he slides his hands up your back and unhooks your bra instead.

His hands are splayed over your back…

… now forcing themselves under your arms…

… under your bra –

You keen and arch. He grins like he always does when your breasts are in his hands, and squeezes. You melt backward, knees falling open. The car creaks as he pulls you to the edge and settles into the cradle of your hips, wriggling to press flush against your core. You shudder when you feel how hard he is. “That’s better,” he murmurs. And then he makes rings with his thumbs and forefingers, tightly frames your nipples with them, and nuzzles into your breasts.

You toss your head back, nails digging into his shoulders. “Oh god–oh g-g-god Will!”

He bites and tongues your nipples slowly through your shirt and bra, so the damp heat of his mouth soaks through to your prickling skin. You squeeze your eyes shut, face burning. And then, with one deft movement, he’s got your shirt and bra over your head. You gasp as he yanks to loosen your hands - and then both your shirt and bra are flying off to join his shirt.

“Will! Will, no-Will!” You start to sit up, trying to track your clothing, but the cool air on your bare back frightens you into lying right back down. The feeling of the open on your skin is terrifying. It’s not just air; it’s distances; it’s the world. You cover your chest with a curse, glaring up at Will, who looms against the fiery clouds wearing a smirk.

“Was that an official no?” he asks, gyrating his hips the tiniest bit.

You groan at the sensation. “Nnn-no, no, but Will, what if someone comes?”

He hums deep in his chest. “Well I think two people might be–”

“No!” Irritated, you shove with your legs, pushing him back a step so you can bend your knees and press them together.  “You know what I mean.”

He stands where you shoved him and lifts his hands in surrender. “They’ll see us lying on a car. Y’know,” he adds, belt clinking as he undoes it, “they’d see less of you if I’m on top of you.”

You don’t open your legs and keep glaring. The sky is so big. What if some pervy farmer is watching from that copse over there? Teens out on a romp? Your teeth start to chatter.

Will drops his pants to reveal his straining boxers. He steps up to your fused knees and leans against your shins, hands flanking your hips. He takes in the sight of your naked body lying on the hood of his car and curses through clenched teeth before taking a deep, steadying breath. “You’d feel better if you’d let me in, sweetheart. Let me show you.”

He runs his hands –they are so, so warm- up your shins, over your knees, down the backs of your thighs. His fingers hook into the flesh on either side of your pussy and pull it wide open so your panties cling to the sensitive skin. You gasp, squeezing your legs tighter together.

It does nothing.

He grins wolfishly and his fingers slither into your pussy, skin to skin. You jump with a bleat, fingers digging into your upper arms. His fingers delve deep, all the way to your opening, where they swirl in the thick wetness. His breath hisses through his teeth. “So fucking wet.” Your toes curl as he gently swipes upward to your clit.

Abruptly, he whips his fingers hard over your entire pussy, forcing it open with every pass. Your entire body goes taut and you moan through clenched teeth as the sensuous heat in your belly skyrockets. He grinds his finger down on your clit a few times and you throw your head back with a strangled cry. “Will-Will-please!”

He doesn’t stop. You fight to keep your legs together as the fire between them tries to spasm them apart, but it gets harder and harder. And Will knows exactly what’s happening.

“When you come, your legs always open up,” he says breathlessly. “I’ll get you either way. Come on. You let me in now, and I’ll cover you when you lose it.”

With a desperate squeal, you open up, reach up, grab his shoulders, and pull him down. He lets you with a chuckle, planting his left hand by your head to support his weight. “There we go,” he gloats, pulling his hand free of your panties so his boxer-clad erection can nestle into the wet heat of your core. All he can do in the moment is moan as he settles against you

He is so warm. He leans down and kisses you deeply, slowly, while his hips languidly rock into yours. You whimper into his mouth; your clit is sparking and tingling under the sliding ridge of his cock, and you feel frantically hollow.

Will breaks away. His cheeks look darker. He lays his head on your chest and lifts his hips, using both hands to free himself from his boxers. As he pumps his cock a few times with his hand, his stubble bites into your sternum, and he knows it; he lifts his head by dragging his cheek over first one nipple, then the other. You choke, hands white-knuckled on his shoulders.

“So.” He stares you right in the eyes. “We gotta set something … straight … for the future.”

“Huh?”

He breathes through pursed lips for control and slides a hand between you. He fists the crotch of your panties for a second and you freeze, waiting. “From now on,” he says roughly, “whether I make a mistake or you make a mistake-“

He wrenches your panties to the side, and the head of his cock is immediately against your opening. You stiffen, the hollowness inside you yawning unbearably deep.

“Or you’re… pissed or… I’m pissed…” he struggles to continue. A drip of sweat lands on your neck. “No …matter what,” he gasps, “I’m … y-yours.” And he shoves deep into you–stretching and filling your hollowness at last. Both of you cry out at the same time, melting into muffled curses.

Then Will grasps your chin and looks you straight in the eye. “And you’re … mine…”

“Y-y-yours,” you breathe, throat closing up with tears.

His entire aspect loosens. He buries his face in your neck and starts rocking shallowly into you. Your entire body lights up all the way to your fingertips. Sweat blooms all over you, chilling the skin that isn’t sliding against Will’s. You wrap your arms around his neck, wishing you could wrap your legs around his hips, but your jeans keep your ankles trapped beneath him.

Then he slows almost to a stop, and you squirm. Slowly, he pulls almost all the way out. Then –

“Mine.” He slides in deep.

You gasp for breath, holding perfectly still, eyes huge as his breath fills your ear.

He pulls back again, leaving you hollow. He pauses, and you wait, not even breathing –

Any second now…

…How long is he going to-

“Mine.”

You cry out as he thrusts deep again.

… And then pulls back again. Your nails are starting to dig into the soft skin of his back. Then-

“Mine.”

“God, Will!” you wail, arching desperately. And then you wait…

“Mine.”

Your eyes are leaking and you don’t know if you’re sobbing-crying or just struggling for breath-

“Mine.”

You shriek, writhing-

“Mine.”

“Please, please, plea-“

“Mine.”

“WILL!”

And then he picks up the pace a little, his voice a low, low force in your ear.  “Mine … mine … mine … mine … mine … you’re mine …”

It’s if he’s pushing the word into you. You tremble around him, trying to open up further, to stretch absolutely wide.

His voice hardens and his thrusts sharpen. “Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine-”

Every time he thrusts… every time he fills you… to the fullest

“Mine-”

When the tip of him penetrates the deepest, that one word floods your ear

“Mine-”

Pulses of electric heat ratchet you tighter each time, until you’re shaking, head thrown back, pinned open–

“Mine-”

With no choice but to accept the humming tide rising between your legs.

“Mine-”

All of this, after so long, feels so GOOD. o

“Mine-”

So GOOD. His voice is just a growl now. Getting faster and louder.

“Oh god!”

“Mine!”

“Please!”

“Mine-mine-”

“W-WILL PLEASE-”

“MINE-MINE-MINE-”

Then he swells and cracks the last barrier between you and the maelstrom –

-and you scream WIIIIILLLLLLLLLL—! clenching down on him and writhing, and it’s the best, oh it’s the BEST—

He grabs your hips, pulls back, and then thrusts so hard it almost knocks the air out of you, penetrating your spasming pussy deeper than he ever has before, which just shoves you further into orgasm.

As you try to scream, he rasps, “M-mine … oh-f-f-f-f-uck!” And then he bites into the thick muscle at the base of your neck and snarls, twitching against your fluttering walls and flooding you with burst after burst of wet heat. He grinds into you, pressing and rubbing all the rawness inside and making you clench as it comes in waves.

It stretches on-

And on-

And on.

You end up gasping the cool, fragrant air together, riding out the last of the storm. And then he rests for a minute, almost all his weight on you. You try to relax even though you can hardly breathe, stroking his hair.

When he lifts up and pulls out, you moan. It aches, but worse than that, you feel empty again. He replaces your panties over your pussy. Then he shakily wraps a tanned arm around your waist and levers the both of you upright with his free arm.

He cups the back of your head and pulls you into his still-heaving chest. You wrap your arms around his waist and nuzzle his flushed, slick skin. You breathe together until your sweat chills, and then he helps you off his car, catching you when your legs almost give out.

You both dress again in peaceful silence, laughing as you try to retrieve his shirt from a bramble bush. By the time you’re dressed, it’s hard to make out his features in the darkness.

You almost ride back into town with him in his car. But he raises his eyebrows incredulously and leads you to your truck, where he opens the door for you and smacks your ass as you get in.

“Follow me back?” he asks.

The smiling warmth in his deep voice almost makes you tackle him. After dinner, you promise yourself.

“Right behind you,” you say.

You see his teeth gleam in the shadows, and then the two of you close the truck door so slowly, it doesn’t latch, and you have to snort and do it again.  

[we-always-hit-our-ass]

Heyyyy uh I love your stuff and I had an idea that wont let me sleep 😂 What if like the reader was mia or something and everyone was really upset and nervous and cobb kept saying how you were dead until doc roe just has enough of his bullshit and just punches him. (Feel free to change the character i just thought doc losing his composure was an interesting concept) bonus points for romantic connection? Im sorry if this is horrible im vry vry tired

Taglist: @radiantcade, @deldontplay, @thatsonefishyboi, @noneofurbusinez, @meteora-fc, @hufflepuffpancakes

yo i can totally get why this idea wouldn’t let u sleep. its because its damn good-  

lovely anon, this one is for you ;))))

also italic means past events-

words: 2.8k words (aww srry if its shorter than my other fics)

warnings: some violence, cursing, ANGST and sadly no resolved or happy ending :’((((

btw thank u @radiantcade for tellin me to make a taglist, major kudos to u ma’am. btw if you want to be added just hmu, no worries ;)))

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder (Eugene Roe x Reader)

---------------------

---------------------

“Aw, Genie! Don’t look at me that way!”

“Looking at you like what?”

“Like you’re mad! C’mon Genie, it was only a joke! Y’know I didn’t mean to make you upset by taking your morphine-”

Gene shot you a look which seemed to look like a mix of exasperation and annoyance. He stiffly grabbed the small packets of morphine that were being held in your grip. Eugene then quickly stuffed them in his pocket before walking away from your position with his signature blank look.

“I’m not mad.”

“Hey! You are! I can tell by your face.”

You followed after him, desperate for him to accept your apology, or at least for him to give you a smile. You desperately tried to keep up with him, his brisk pace making it a challenge for you to walk by his side.

“Well, this is the face I got.”

He walked faster, seemingly trying to avoid or lose you. He walked through buildings, dove straight forward into crowds of people, or even going as far as to tell someone to block you. You still made haste though, and in no time were already hot on his heel. 

You grew tired of it and reached out to grab his hand. After you had his hand in yours, he stopped immediately and turned slowly to face you.

“For someone who’s mad, you’re acting awfully childish.”

“(Y/N), for the last time, I’m not mad. I can never get mad at you”

“Then what are you?”

You stood in front of him with one eyebrow quirked up and your hands on your hips. You tapped your foot on the ground as you waited for an answer.

You were left shocked as he pushed by you. He was only a couple steps away from you until he turned with a small smile and gave you a shrug before heading back to the Med Bay.

---------------------

It was that day, the day that Eugene Roe realized how much he cared for you.

It’s been four days since you disappeared from Easy Company. Four. Fucking. Days. Everybody was extremely worried and your absence has made everyone tense. 

If someone as lovable and skilled as you was missing, then they certainly wouldn’t stand a chance.

The men weren’t the same and it took a significant toll on every single one of them. But it especially took a large toll on the Cajun medic. Eugene couldn’t believe it. He refused to. He refused to believe that you weren’t there with them for four days.

Where the fuck were you? That was the thought on everyone’s minds. 

Eugene couldn’t comprehend it. It felt like only yesterday that you were there right beside him, making him turn as red as his nose and making his heart pound like a drum. 

Memories of you were still fresh on his mind, and they always seemed to taunt him.

He’d think of scenarios of you not being missing and how’d it was all just a big stupid joke or dream. Your face was all he could think about and his heart clenched every time.

It was soul-crushing, and he despised it. Eugene couldn’t focus since the day you were reported gone. Of course, he was fine after a few days, but the feeling of unease and tension grew with each passing moment. It gnawed on him continuously, but he couldn’t stop it.

(E/C) eyes and (H/C) hair was what he only wanted to see. But then he would see those beautiful eyes of yours dull and void of life, your once soft hair then greasy and matted with dried blood. Eugene would wake up in a cold sweat, the beating of his heart deafening him.

Everyone noticed his changed demeanor. Eugene got more cold, a little more distant and stand-offish. His personality mirrored everybody else’s after they got the news. But he was the one that was most affected. That was a fact.

Eugene was spacing off more than what was necessary. He was constantly in a daze and of course slower in his work. It was only when someone was injured that he was moving fast. But even then, he still wasn’t focused.

The spark of life in him was extinguished and that affected his work. He’d sometimes forget what he was doing, causing one of his patients to scream at his ear. 

It wasn’t the first time it happened. As the days went by, the more Eugene got caught up with his thoughts on your being. 

It caused him to get a nice chat with Winters on why he was acting like this.

“Roe… I know that it just might be nothing, but I noticed that you aren’t the same. Like something’s been bothering you. May I ask why you’re acting like this.”

“Sir, I think you already know of (Y/N) being MIA.”

Winters immediately looked down, as even someone with such authority like him was distraught about you. Winters quickly looked up and cleared his throat, eyes full or sorrow like Gene’s. 

Eugene straightened his back and he gripped onto the fabric of his pants.

“Of course… It’s been affecting everyone. I just wish that she was back with us. Do you still believe that she’s alive, Roe?”

“Of course, sir. I’m sure that she’ll turn up. Someday.”

“Maybe, Roe…” Winters nodded towards Eugene with a tight smile. “Dismissed.”

Eugene was being hit with numerous waves of anger, sadness, and worry. All five stages of grief were being experienced at the same time. He walked away, and even if he was supposed to be used to it by now, he couldn’t muster the courage to do so.

Images you being held prisoner and being tortured by the German Army scared him. Then images of you lying on the ground, fresh bullet wound on your head, the crimson liquid running down your face and onto the ground to create a morbid halo flashed afterwards. 

Eugene did nothing but drown in his thoughts underneath a tree nearby after that.

-------------------

“Gene?”

“Yes, mon ange?”

“Why do you always call me that?”

“For starters… You are one.”

“One of what?”

“An angel. ‘Mon ange’ means ‘my angel’. I also call you that because… Like I said, I am sure that you are one yourself. I wouldn’t believe you if you said you weren’t.”

The sun beamed down upon the two of you as you sat upon the grassy field. Your eyes were on the lush green trees in the distance, Eugene’s eyes, however, were fixed upon your face. You seemed oblivious to it, fortunately for him. 

You smiled and you turned your eyes to meet his, and you reached your (S/C) hands to intertwine with his bigger ones. You turned back to set your gaze on the forest, but the dark-haired man’s look never averted.

“Gene…”

“Hm?”

“You really think that?”

“Of course I do. God forbid the day I stop calling you mon ange.”

You rested your head on his shoulders, as the sun set over the horizon. Eugene tensed up momentarily before he relaxed, taking in your warm presence and happy demeanor. You tightened your hold on his hand and a smile crept on your lips.

“Je t’aime, mon ange…”

“I love you too, Genie.”

------------------

------------------

It had been more that a week since any sign of you. Some of the paratroopers had already seemed to have given up hoping for you to magically come back. No one dared to mention you, it was already too much to handle. Some of the privates that you knew couldn’t say your name without tearing up.

 Eugene felt like that too, but he was too cold to let anybody see him that way.

Most of Easy Company still held on to their feeble thoughts and dreams however. Eugene was one of them.

 He waited for a sign. Any sign. No matter how insignificant or small, he wanted one. He just wanted a sign that reassured him that you were indeed fine and well.

Eugene of course waited patiently for it. His nights were spent praying for you to return to them. Most importantly, to return to him.

 By then he would make sure that you would always be by his side. By then he’d also make sure that he won’t take those fleeting moments he spends with you for granted.

Eugene already did that too much and those were one of the many things he regrets. If he ever sees your face again, he’ll make sure to make you his the moment he lays his eyes on you. That was exactly what he was going to do.

For the time being, Eugene and a few of the boys from Easy Company were lazing around in their bunks, and some already sleeping. They were practically waiting for anything. Orders. An attack. Maybe even you returning...

Moments like these passed uneventfully. That was what Eugene always thought. The soft rumbling and muffled sounds of German artillery hitting something didn’t surprise them anymore. 

“Why are you all so quiet?”

A familiar annoying voice rang out through the room and most heads turned towards the culprit. Eugene mildly disliked Cobb, he was annoying sure, but he didn’t really do anything to make Eugene’s blood boil. Others ignored him, seemingly thinking that dealing with Cobb just isn’t worth it.

Cobb had a different plan. As soon as he saw that nobody paid attention and answered his question, he opened his mouth and crossed the line that no man in Easy Company has ever dared to step over.

“Are you guys still thinking about (Y/N)?

The air immediately grew stagnant and sour, and the men of Easy turned to face Cobb, who had a very shit-eating grin on his face. Eugene was one of the men who turned to him, and he glared hard at Cobb. 

“Oh come on, she’s clearly dead.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Cobb.” George snapped at Cobb, who didn’t seem to listen.

 The air was full of tension and every man in the room wanted to throw Cobb into a fucking fire. Eugene then turned away, anger gnawing at his mind. Some of the men were clearly in discomfort, one of them even excusing themselves from the room.

“Just think about it, a girl, like her? She’s clearly gone, I mean she’s been missing for what? A week? Take a look at people who’ve been missin’ for a day. Look where they ended up. They ended up dead.”

“Do you not know when to shut your fucking mouth?”

“Well all of you are really stupid for believing she’s going to come back! She’s fucking dead, get over it. What’s so special about her anyway, huh?”

Liebgott sprung from his seat and walked to stand face to face with Cobb. Eugene begged for Cobb to shut up for once. The dark-haired man narrowed his eyes at Cobb, his lips pursing as he sat tense in his seat.

You didn’t deserve this. You didn’t deserve to disappear and to be talked in this way by a man who had the same brain capacity as fucking rock. 

Eugene clenched his fists as he looked down on his lap. It took all of his will to not strangle Cobb right then and there.

Cobb’s pestering voice kept ranging out throughout the room, the men were trying their best to make him stop his bullshit. It was like a buzzing mosquito next to Eugene’s ear, and he wanted it gone.

“(Y/N)’s dead, you fucking idiots. All of Easy Company would be way better without her anywa-”

“Shut up. Shut up!”

Eugene lunged from his chair, the creaking of the wooden air on the cold ground rang throughout the air. But it wasn’t the harsh creaking that made everyone silent. It was the fact that Eugene Roe, the cold medic who kept to himself, snapped. Immediately everyone’s eyes widened as they eyed Eugene.

The Cajun man felt nothing but pure, unfiltered rage as he looked straight into Cobb’s eyes. He couldn’t tell, but Eugene was shaking. His clenched fist raised up in the air to direct itself into Cobb’s jaw.

 A sickening crack was heard as Cobb fell into the floor and Eugene only looked in indifference.

Cobb fell down on the floor as he cried out, the eyes of the men in the room only widened further as they looked to each other for any sort of answer as to what came over Eugene. 

Everyone knew that you and Eugene were close, rumours were even spreading around that you two were dating, which turned out to be true.

They weren’t anticipating Eugene almost knocking out Cobb though. It was bound to happen, anyway. Eugene couldn’t let you get insulted by Cobb, he didn’t stand up for it. The angry red feeling was intense as it coursed through his entire body as he opened his lips to speak again.

“Do you even hear yourself, you selfish bastard? You only care about yourself and you never take into consideration what's going on, do you? If (Y/N) is dead, so what? She’s still a better soldier and person than you are.”

Cobb sat still as Eugene went on his rant, his hand clenching his aching jaw and head. Eugene was seething beyond recognition and everyone just looked in shock.

“-I don’t get it! How come she gets to die while you stay here with us? How come it isn’t you in her place? How come you’re the one here instead of her?”

Harsh words flew from Eugene’s mouth, each syllable was laced in venom and his accent making each word hurt more. Eugene pointed at Cobb repeatedly as he raised his hands. During his anger-filled speech, the photograph he kept with him fell to the ground.

Eugene fell silent as he went up to pick up the picture. It was a photograph of you. You were smiling with not a care in the world. You were wearing your uniform proudly as you showed off your jump wings to the camera. You were beautiful...

But most importantly, you were still there with him. As reality dropped down upon him like a pile of bricks and he hurriedly shoved the faded photograph into his pocket.

 His eyes fell upon a shaken Cobb and his anger was only fueled more. He stood up straighter and his eyebrows furrowed more.

“She deserved it way more than you! (Y/N) didn’t need people talking about her behind her back! (Y/N) didn’t need to be separated from us! So tell me, why on Earth are you not gone, but she is? Give me a good reason!”

Cobb stayed silent as he mumbled angrily under his breath while clutching his jaw, his eyes were narrowed at Eugene who stared back. 

“Get the fuck out.”

Immediately Cobb git back on his feet, his hands grabbing the wall for support before stumbling for the door to outside. Cobb threw one last glare at Eugene before opening the door and heading out of the building.

The slam of the door echoed in the building, and heads turned towards the medic. Eugene stood in his spot, eyes glued to the closed door where Cobb had just left. 

His chest was still rising up and down heavily, and exasperated breaths were pulled from his mouth. George slowly brought up a hand to go onto Eugene’s shoulder, but Eugene pulled away before he could.

“Eugene?”

“I’m going outside…”

His deep voice was menacing, but they held deep amounts of pure and utter despair. The boys decided to let him go as they saw his state. Heavy footsteps were heard as Eugene walked to the door. 

He hesitated for a moment before heading out in the cold, biting air. Eugene gingerly took the photo from his pocket and he held it by his fingertips as he lovingly gazed at your smiling face.

He sat on the debris near the stone building, but it was hidden from sight, giving him time to himself. The medic looked at the photograph with a melancholy expression, another tight smile was brought on his face.

The world was cruel, Eugene knew that, but he never experienced it this hard. The pain from losing a patient or friend in his hands was incomparable to the pain he felt at this moment. The snow fell on the ground, a calm and serene sight. Which was a complete opposite of Eugene.

Soft yet clear sniffles were heard as fresh tears dropped on the snow below. He tried to choke back tears, but they ran down his cold cheeks.

 Eugene brought his hands to wipe them away, but they were quickly replaced. His lip quivered and Eugene attempted to stay as quiet as he could. He stifled more cries and whimpers and he leaned his head back.

That photo taunted him.

Your smiling face in the photograph only brought him temporary relief and happiness, but he needed the real you. Eugene loved you so much. Maybe a litte too much. 

But you would never know the extent of his love… Your fate was unknown, but his hopes were crushed as soon as those dreaded words left Cobb’s lips.

Eugene Roe, the now dazed and distant medic of Easy Company, has finally broken.

-------------------

-----------------

im not crying i swear-

btw sorry this is shorter than my other fics but i hope you liked what i did! im sorry if it didnt come up the way you would have wanted but hopefully you still enjoy it!

but this request got me fucked up and i sort of wanted to torture myself by writing angst-

anyways thank you sweet anon!😭💕💕

[saiilorstars]

Falling in Temptation

Previous chapters • Sequel to Stars Dance •  Fairy Tale Memoirs (Companion story)

Ch. 19:  The Heist

Fandom: Doctor Who // Pairing: 11th Doctor x Female OC

Chapter summary: When Avalon is well done with her lockdown in the TARDIS, she manages to rope in the traveling gang for an old fashion heist!

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel​ [If you’d like to be added to this specific OC’s stories/edits, send me a message!]

"NO! I SAID NO! STOP IT!"

The Doctor burst into Avalon's room just as she woke up from her nightmare. Avalon sat upright with a jolt and cried without actual tears. It was more fear than actual tears she felt.

The Doctor rushed forwards and climbed on the bed. "Ava! You're awake now! It's okay!" Her breathing was jagged but once she saw him she realized he was right. She was in her room. She was safe in her room and not with Kovarian.

"There we are..." the Doctor gently pushed some hair out of her face. Her hair was a bit damp from the sweat that'd collected during her nightmare. "Safe and sound, okay?"

Once Avalon was fully awake she let out a frustrated groan and angrily kicked the sheets off her. "Not again! Dammit!"

The Doctor would've liked to stop her but why bother? There wasn't a lot to do to release that frustration so if she wanted to throw off the covers, she could. He only helped take the covers off in the when she started to tear up because they got tangled around her left ankle.

"I can't do anything right!" She buried her face into her hands.

"Ava, c'mon," the Doctor gently pried her hands off her skin and kept them both in his own hands. "What was it this time?"

Avalon groaned. "Kovarian had me again. But like... I think this was a new room. I can't really remember it that well. It was like a...a library of some sort? She was there...and the Silence...and more people but I can't remember them. I just know that I was pretty scared and sad."

"It's okay," the Doctor scooted closer to hug her. "If the memories come back then okay but we don't have to force them either."

Avalon remembered only fragments of her time with Kovarian and they mostly showed up in nightmares, like tonight. The Doctor made himself readily available when it so happened that Avalon chose to sleep. Every once in a while she would wake up screaming because she thought she was back with Kovarian. The sight of her in that state broke the Doctor's hearts. How he wished he could take it all away but it was clear that even a memory wipe wasn't enough to make the horrible memories disappear. Kovarian no doubt made it a thorough memory wipe but even then Avalon's unique brain didn't take it.

"Can you stay with me please?" Avalon whispered the question so frailly that the Doctor almost missed it.

"Of course," the Doctor smiled against her hair. It wouldn't be the first time he stayed with her after a nightmare until she fell asleep again.

"But like...like stay with me?" She raised her head off his chest and showed him her best sad eyes. "Until I wake up?"

"Oh I know it must be boring but...you're the one who saves me in my dreams. I'd feel a lot better if you were right next to me in real life too."

"I can't argue with your logic," the Doctor said. Avalon rolled her eyes at his smugness. "For my Ava, I'll do anything to make her feel better."

"Never has there been a truer statement said," Avalon sighed contently. "You do everything you can for me."

"I don't know about that..." the Doctor mumbled. He did try but it didn't mean he was successful at it.

"I do," Avalon watched him kick his shoes off. She had a strict rule about her perfectly white sparkly duvet covers not being soiled with dirt. It took only one lecture for that lesson to stick. "You're my Fairy Tale Man. You always save me."

"I try-"

"You do," she insisted. She reached to undo his bowtie, thinking it'd be too uncomfortable to lie down with.

The Doctor watched her easily maneuver the strings. She'd taken custom of undoing his bowtie every once in a while and he learned fast that he loved the feeling of her soft fingers touching his skin. Sometimes it wasn't even the bowtie she was aiming for, she just liked touching him. It was something intimate but not sexual, more gentle and...loving?

"There we are," Avalon handed him the the bowtie. "Wanna keep that in your pockets, right? Bigger on the inside?" God forbid one of those ever got lost. He'd go crazy for sure.

"You should sleep, c'mon," the Doctor scooted slightly so they could both lay down.

Avalon immediately scooted her body the amount the Doctor had pulled away. "I'm not sure I can sleep now."

"You're making me stay still, you're going to sleep."

Avalon laughed. "Fair enough." She snuggled up to him and practically pulled his arm over her waist. "That's better. Now I know for sure that I won't have another nightmare, not when my Fairy Tale Man is holding me."

"The trust you have in me is beyond me," the Doctor admitted with genuine guilt lacing his words.

"Oh shush. You have got to stop blaming yourself for everything bad that happens to people around you. That's what gives Kovarian fuel to her cause."

"How do you mean?"

Avalon sighed and tilted her head up at him. She'd been wondering when it would be the right time to tell him the fact that she knew about his previous companions and all the battles he'd been a part of; that Kovarian had forced her to learn everything. Maybe now is as good a time as ever...

The Doctor could see the struggle in her eyes and assumed it was yet another thing Kovarian caused. "Ava? You can tell me."

"...I'm afraid of how you'll react."

A ripple of anger flourished through the Doctor's body as he thought of what Kovarian told Avalon to make her fear telling him something. Despite his moral code, he was sure that if he ever saw that woman again...he'd kill her. And yet, as he passed a hand over Avalon's hair he did it so gently that Avalon could never guess the dark thoughts that were running through his mind right now. "You can tell me anything, Ava. You can always tell me anything." Avalon closed her eyes when she felt his lips press against her temple.

"I...I know about things...from your past..." she had spoken so quietly she wondered if he managed to hear her words. When he didn't respond, she tilted her head up again. He was still but there was a clear fear etched across his face. Now he was afraid.

"What-what kind of things?" his voice had fallen to a similar volume as Avalon's whisper.

"Kovarian made me learn about some of your previous, most recent, battles from your past. She thought that it would help brainwash me if she taught me the 'truth' about you."

"Oh..." the Doctor couldn't find a place to glue to his gaze to. His hearts were beginning to hammer under his chest just thinking what Avalon knew. This wouldn't be happening if you'd had the courage to tell her yourself, he snapped at himself.

He'd been focused on the happy, kissing times and actively ignoring the darkness that followed him. He was foolish to think that he could keep the blissful bubble around them forever. Sooner or later, Avalon would learn his past.

Avalon's hand slid from his chest up to his cheek. She could only guess what was going on in that big head of his. That's what Kovarian wanted. She wanted him to be guilty and ashamed because when he did feel those things, he would either let himself be killed or do the job for them.

"I understand it wasn't your fault," she assured him.

"What do you know?" the Doctor found his courage but he wasn't sure if he could hold onto it as she answered.

"I know about the Reality Bomb the Daleks built and how the walls of the universe were breaking down. One of your old companions, Rose Tyler, inadvertently helped break the walls when she was trying to get back to you. I know that the Daleks made you see how changed your companions were because of you." Avalon watched his face sink as she told him everything about the Crucible. She hated the way he couldn't look at her out of shame.

"I had to do it..." he weakly argued when Avalon reached to the point of Donna Noble's memory wipe. He swallowed hard just remembering the way Donna had cried and begged him not to take her memories. "I ruined her life...like I ruined everyone else's."

"You didn't ruin them, you changed their lives," Avalon flinched at his hard scoff. He pulled his arms from her body and moved away from her. She immediately missed his warmth but even as she tried to reach for his arm, he made himself scoot to the edge of the bed.

"Tell me what else you know," he instructed her, his voice cool yet she didn't miss the sharpness in it. There was no choice of keeping everything back.

With a sigh, Avalon went back to talk about the year that never was. As soon as she mentioned the Master, the Doctor's entire body flinched. His horrified expression told her she should've never learned about him. It made it all the more difficult to keep going. "I know about the...the Toclafane? I think that's what they were called. A lot of people died but I also know that it never happened. No one died." She then switched gears to the Battle of Canary Wharf. "I-I remember that the Cybermen...the robots...they were everywhere. And the Daleks. Kovarian showed me the pictures of the aftermath. That's how I remembered it better. So many people died..."

"And I was at the middle of it," the Doctor muttered. "I was the reason. I couldn't save everyone. Kovarian was right. I got up and left afterwards."

Avalon pursed her lips together. "You didn't do it on purpose. It's what happened when you crashed into Amy's garden."

"Avalon I know who I am. I know that I do change people. I mean, I changed Rose so much that she accidentally helped Daleks because she wanted to cross worlds. I did that on accident. Imagine the times where I've legitimately manipulated people to change."

Avalon lowered her gaze. She couldn't take his eyes the way they were, all dark and full of hatred for himself. "This is what Kovarian wants, you know. She wants you to hate yourself-"

"Oh she's a bit late at that, love. I hated myself long before she came about. Is this what she showed you, then? She wanted you to hate me as much as I hate myself."

"But I don't hate you," Avalon once again tried touching him but he got up from the bed altogether.

"Avalon, I would appreciate if you were honest here."

"I am being honest-"

"Avalon!" he snapped, startling her. Her blue eyes widened and blinked fast. "Sorry," he apologized. The last thing she deserved was to be yelled at. She should be yelling at him. "It's important to me, okay? Did learning these things make you think differently about me?"

Avalon swallowed hard. "If you want the truth? Yes...I was a little scared." She felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach when she saw the look of horror on the Doctor's face. "But you know that I'm not afraid of you. Would I be here if I was afraid? No. Right? It was a natural response given everything Kovarian showed me. I saw people dead but I never once blamed you. I am simply aware of the reality that you unfortunately have been in. I am so sorry you've endured all that. Nobody should ever have to."

"Kovarian showed you all that - a minuscule part of my horrors by the way - so you would join them, because she knows how dangerous I am. But that's not everything, why talk about my friends from the past? No," the Doctor almost stormed to Avalon's side. "Why? What could she want from that?"

"Oh Doctor, it's not relevant." Avalon turned her head away too fast for him to believe that was true.

"You look like it bothered you, or scared you. " He brought her gaze back with a finger under her chin. "What else happened, Avalon?"

The Doctor's eyes begged her to answer, for him. He needed to know how much they told her about him, how badly she would be scared of him. Avalon couldn't take it.

"She said you would leave me behind like you did with the others," she whispered. "You would change me, like you changed the others, and that you would leave me, Amy and Rory behind. We'd become more names to your list."

"Oh Ava..." the Doctor's eyes softened, his hands cupping her face, "I wouldn't...I couldn't! Not you!"

Avalon leaned into his touch. "She was so hellbent on making me change my mind about you, but I can't. I know what surrounds you, I know that sometimes people do change around you but they change because of everything they've seen. How could I not change when you've shown me different worlds? How could I not change after everything?"

"You shouldn't have to change, that was Kovarian's point," the Doctor moved to sit on the edge of the bed with Avalon. "Nobody should have to die because of me. If I wasn't around, how many people would be alive right now?"

Avalon held onto one of his hands before he could pull them both away from her face. "How many people would be dead if you hadn't helped them? Or...how many people wouldn't exist because of you?"

The Doctor couldn't help smile at that last bit. "Well...maybe it's not all that bad. I got you after everything. I got my Ava."

"And I want to be here for a very long time," she promised him. "I know the truth, Doctor, but it's not the distorted one you and Kovarian have. Believe me." She moved herself so she could hug him.

I wish I could, the Doctor silently thought. He held Avalon for as long as she wanted, but there was still a part of him that wondered if she wasn't just a little bit afraid of him after seeing the mass chaos he'd caused in the past.

~0~

"I'm bored! I am so bored!" Avalon dramatically walked around the console room, stopping between Amy and Rory. "Please, can we go out?" She threw her head back, squeezing her eyes shut. "Please?"

The couple shared the same irritated faces and even answered at the same time, "No!"

Avalon groaned and walked away from them. "But I'm bored! It's been weeks without going out! I'ts not fair! I got dressed and everything!" And she was pretty sure that she looked damn good for a day out. She'd rummaged through her closet and found a white wrap top with three-quarter puffy sleeves that she adored. She paired with light blue jeans and a pair of brown ankle-length boots.

"Jeez, you're worse than the Sapling and he's a child," Amy made sure to remind loud and clear so that Avalon would drop her games.

"Oh c'mon!" Avalon stomped her foot, making it clear that she would not be desisting anytime soon. "It's been months since I got back and I'm pretty sure my health is back to normal!"

"It'll never be normal again," Rory frowned but Avalon shushed him.

"If you're not on my side, don't help! C'mon guys!"

"Why are you even bothering us about this?" Amy threw her hands in the air and turned away. She loved Avalon, she did, but sometimes she got on her nerves. Right now was one of those times. "We're not the ones in charge of the TARDIS!"

"Course not, I am," the Doctor came in with the Sapling. "Why are we discussing who's in charge?"

"Doctor, I'm bored!" Avalon exclaimed. "Can we please go out?"

"Oh, I'd love to go out," the Sapling closed the book he was holding and excitedly turned to the Doctor. "Can we?"

"Avalon, why do you do that?" the Doctor sighed with annoyance. "You know hearing you say that makes him want to go out too."

"Really? Didn't know that..." Avalon failed to hide her knowing smile. This wasn't the first time she was asking to go out so she'd began to think of some tricks. "C'mon, it's been weeks since we went to Leadworth. I'm okay now!"

"Because you've been under constant watch," the Doctor reminded her. He was truthfully afraid of taking her out somewhere not sterilized. She was correct about her health - she'd been okay lately and her health was almost that of a regular human's - but it still didn't make the Doctor any less nervous. "I don't think it's a good idea." Needless to say, Avalon wasn't happy with his words. A deep scowl marked her face while he played casual and took the Sapling's book. "Here, why don't you read it? Seems like your kind of thing anyways." He held the book at her for a second before she snatched it from his hands.

"History of Jewels?" she read the title with an unimpressed look. "Seriously? You want me to read this?"

"I learned a lot from it!" the Sapling exclaimed happily. "I like the Fire stone best! What was its proper name, Father?"

"The Ignis Jewel," the Doctor tapped the top of the Sapling's head, making the tree child giggle. "It's actually quite impressive! You should read about it!" He told Avalon who responded with a groan.

"You're bored too," she watched him carefully avoid looking at her when he crossed the room to come up to the console. Ever since she told him that she knew about some of his past, he'd been so weird with her. She should've seen it coming though. As if the Doctor could ever let it all just go. The only thing Avalon hadn't worked out yet was how to get him to move on from it. And he certainly wasn't helping when he kept pissing her off.

"Doesn't matter what I think," the Doctor said from his newest spot away from her.

"Aha!" Avalon whirled around with a finger pointed at the Doctor. "So you are bored!"

"He just said it doesn't matter, Avalon," Rory said before the Doctor could answer. He moved around the ginger and tapped the cover of the book she was holding. "Why don't you go read instead? You love doing it anyways."

Avalon rolled her eyes. "You guys are so mean!" She stomped her way out of the room, leaving the group to hear her stomps getting father and farther.

"Sapling, why don't you go make sure she reads the book?" the Doctor asked, thinking that if the Sapling was around Avalon she would hopefully simmer down.

"Okay!" the Sapling turned and ran after his Mother.

"She is so bored," Amy shook her head.

"I hadn't noticed," the Doctor sarcastically said.

"Would it be so bad if we just went out for a little bit?" As soon as Amy asked the question, she had her husband on her.

"It's too dangerous! She's not ready for that!" Rory was almost shouting so Amy planted a hand over his mouth.

"Do you want Avalon to come back!?"

Rory pushed her hand off his mouth and continued on but with a much quieter voice. "She's not ready to go out."

"Yeah, but she makes a point. How do we know when she's ready if we never let her go out?" Amy folded her arms and waited for somebody to give her the answer. She smirked at the silence that followed. "Exactly. Doctor, she did stay in Leadworth for a few days and nothing happened. How come we can't try something else just for a little bit?"

"Because what if it goes wrong?" the Doctor didn't hesitate to respond with. Unfortunately, he forgot he was dealing with Amy Pond.

"What if nothing happens?" she counted and walked up to him. "Look Doctor, I get that we're all worried about Avalon's new health situation but we can't actually keep her locked away forever. She likes Rapunzel but she will hurt us all if she stays here another day!" Amy looked between the Doctor and Rory while she waited for either of them to make a comeback. Of course, none of them did. "So, where should we go?"

~ 0 ~

Avalon was quietly reading through the History of Jewels with the Sapling next to her. Since he had already read the book with the Doctor, he was giving Avalon the most important pages he thought she would like. The Doctor had been right: the Sapling's presence did semi-simmer Avalon's anger.

Neither of them noticed the others walking into the media room until the Doctor cleared his throat. He was leading Amy and Rory in and came to a stop beside Avalon's side of the couch. "Ava...?"

"Hmm," she hummed and pretended to keep reading.

"Right, well, we've been talking about it and...maybe you're right. You should have the opportunity to start travelling again." The Doctor didn't want to say that he was expecting Avalon to jump from the couch with excitement but...he did expect it. So when Avalon merely turned the page of her book, he became worried that her anger had worsened.

"Avalon, didn't you hear?" Rory called. "We're going to take you out like you wanted."

Avalon exchanged a secret glance with the Sapling. Both of them smirked.

"Avalon?" Amy asked.

"I have to thank you, Doctor, for making me read this thing," Avalon began to turn the pages of her book. "And the Sapling showed me his favorite jewel, the Ignis Jewel?" She got up from the couch and held the open book for them all to see. "Interesting thing about it is how it was stolen from a civilization and then placed in some elegant museum for other aliens to see."

"Yeah, so?" the Doctor tried taking the book from her but she slammed it shut, nearly getting his fingers had he not flinched away in time. Soon as he saw her mischievous grin, he dreaded what was to come.

"I know what I want to do today! I want to heist!"

"You want to what!?" Both Amy and Rory simultaneously yelled.

Avalon laughed and turned away, swaying with her book to her chest. "Doesn't it sound like fun!? A heist!"

"Yes! Yes!" the Sapling clapped on the couch. "I want to heist too!"

"No, no, there will be no heisting of any kind!" the Doctor wagged a finger at her that she did not see. "Why would you get an idea like that!?"

"Because of your stupid lockdown!" Avalon turned around, her grin momentarily replaced with an angry scowl. "Do you know how many TV series I've binge-watched in these past months?"

"Well..."

"FIFTY!"

"Okay, fifty..." the Doctor made a face and mouthed the number at Amy and Rory. They both nodded their heads in confirmation, making him do another face. Alright, that could drive him crazy too. It would, the voice in his head declared.

"The TARDIS was kind enough to give me series that haven't come out yet on Earth and it showed me one called Brooklyn-99! And guess what they do every year?" Avalon didn't wait for any of them to guess, she blurted the answer out in pure excitement. "They heist! They literally heist and that's what we're going to do today!"

"Avalon Harmony Reynolds you cannot be serious," Amy sternly looked at her granddaughter, wanting both to laugh and shake the girl.

But Avalon was so excited that she didn't even bat an eye at the fact Amy used her middle name that she hated. "I am so serious! Here!" she chucked the book at the trio, making them all scramble to catch it before it hit them. "Check it out!" she told them once Rory held the book between Amy and the Doctor. "It says the Ignis Jewel was stolen from a primitive civilization that would use the jewel to start fires. The jewel ensures fire. If it stays on the ground longer than a minute, it'll start a fire."

"Isn't it cool!?" the Sapling got on his knees on the couch, scooting himself to the armrest next to Avalon.

"Yes, but what's not cool is how these museum chains took it just so other people can come and look at it! It's literally sitting on a pedestal under glass!"

"Okay, okay, I get that it's been stolen but us stealing it back doesn't make us any better," the Doctor said, though there was a glint in his eyes that Avalon saw. He was so interested, he wouldn't be able to deny it for much longer.

"Except when we take it back, we can return it to its proper place!" Avalon grinned. "We'd be like Robin Hood! And we can make a wager if that'll make things more interesting."

"We're not doing this," Rory closed the book but he was mighty surprised when he heard Amy go "Weeeelll..." His head snapped in her direction. "Amy!"

"I don't know, knowing that it's already been stolen and we'd just be taking it back..." Amy shrugged her shoulders and mumbled, very lowly, her next words, "...sounds kinda fun..."

"Amy!"

"Yay!" Avalon clapped her hands. "Amy's on my team!"

"What - no! There'll be no teams because there'll be no heist! Doctor!" Rory whacked the Time Lord's arm to get his support. "Tell her!" Silence. Rory blinked and turned to the Doctor. "Doctor? Tell her!"

The Doctor cocked his head to the side, one eye squeezing shut. "I'm thinking..."

"What!? There's no thinking!"

"I'm looking at the possible consequences-"

"DOCTOR!"

"He's in!" Avalon waved the two men off and high-fived with the Sapling. "I told you we could do it!"

Rory slapped a hand over his face. "I can't believe this is seriously happening."

"Better believe it Rory Williams!" Avalon laughed so joyfully that for a moment, the trio forgot about their concerns for this crazy idea. Avalon hopped on the couch with the Sapling and together they clapped. "We are heisting!"

"Stomp jumping on the couch," Amy scolded them before they fell. The pair immediately let themselves fall on the couch into a sitting position.

Avalon flipped her head in their direction, her smirk back on her face. "So then, let's get the teams together."

~ 0 ~

"Knock-knock!" Avalon tapped a knuckle against River's cell, startling the brunette for a second. "Hi River!"

"What are you doing here?" River got up from her bed and hurried up to the gate. "You're not sneaking out again are you?"

"Oh great so the last version I met isn't that far from this you?"

"Somewhat, that was a month ago for me. Where are you right now?"

"Um, well, sort of getting back on my feet. Oh! I did have my first reading in Leadworth - have you gone to that?"

"No..." River eyed her strangely which only confirmed her answer.

"Oh, well, you're invited to my first public reading in Leadworth, October 21st, 2011 at 11:00 AM."

"Duly noted," River hurried back to her bed to jot the date down in her journal. She wouldn't miss that for anything! Her daughter's first public reading? Her heart swelled with pride just thinking about it. "So, what are you doing right now then?"

"Welll..." Avalon swayed her head, missing the way River smirked at her.

"What are you up to, young lady?" These were rare moments where River could sneak in a little bit of motherhood on Avalon without her suspecting.

"We are heisting today!"

Bemused, River stopped writing in her journal. "You're what?"

"We're heisting! And I want you to be on my team!"

River had to laugh. She finished writing the date down in her journal then came back to the cell bars. "Avalon Harmony Reynolds, what are you doing?"

"There's this thing called the Ignis Jewel that's been stolen and placed in a museum so I thought we should pull a heist and steal it back! We'll give it back to its rightful owners!"

"Why on Earth would you want to do something like that?"

"...because I'm bored," Avalon answered with a straight face, only making River laugh again. "I've been locked away for months now with only Leadworth. I was promised stars and planets and I am ready to come back!"

"And the Doctor actually agreed to this?" River asked fully knowing that the man would agree to anything that Avalon asked to.

"Course he did," Avalon shrugged. "He's bored too. So what do you say? Want help me steal something and make sure the Doctor loses?"

The same smirk that'd been on Avalon's face earlier was now on River's. "Always."

~ 0 ~

"Alright," the Doctor announced as he unrolled the schematics of the museum they would shortly arrive at. He pressed the paper against a large table in the TARDIS library for them all to see. "So the Bijou Museum is three-story building with roughly about 10 rooms on each floor. What we're looking for is on the third floor right there!" His finger tapped the small square nearing the middle from their right side. "Each room has their own security feed but, as per rules, I will disable them upon our arrival. Can't have us getting caught before we even steal the damn thing."

"Right, because that would be wrong," Rory said with a sigh of irritation. No one had listened to him about how ridiculous this whole thing was. He should've known that his daughter would of course agree with the entire stunt. River was just as excited as Avalon! Shocker.

"Oh shush," Amy bumped his shoulder with more or less the same excitement as River and Avalon. "It might be fun. I've never stolen anything."

"To be clear," the Doctor cleared his throat and raised a finger in the air. "We are not stealing this, we are retrieving it for a civilization who deserves to get it back." As he finished his clarification, his eyes landed on the Sapling. He didn't want his tree child to get the wrong idea that stealing was okay if you were bored. "We are not stealing."

"Right, we're heisting," Avalon moved around the table so she was across from the Doctor. "Totally different."

"It's really not," Rory mumbled but yelped when Amy jabbed her elbow into his side.

"We're doing something good," the Sapling chimed in to help his parents. They were so excited and he was too!

"Oh father," River shook her head. "Lighten up. It'll be fun. So, the cameras will be off?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah. I'll just make it so the screens show the same thing on a loop."

"And nobody will notice that it's a loop?"

Avalon snorted. "Please. They're probably bored to death up in that security room. I bet they're so good at solitaire."

"These are alien security guards, Ava," Rory pointed out. "They don't even know solitaire."

"Actually," River swayed her head. "That's what most of the boys play at home."

"Please, don't help."

River smirked.

"Right then!" the Doctor said to keep things moving. "So we'll have about two hours to pull the heist before the cameras start showing the live feed again. In two hours, we all need to be back in the TARDIS no matter what." His eyes reluctantly found Avalon's. For the life of him he just couldn't face her. Each time he did, he remembered that she knew more about him than he ever wanted her to. The shame and guilt were just inevitable. "Whether or not we have the Ignis Jewel, we all need to come back."

Avalon gave a firm nod. "I understand. Thanks for doing this though." This time the Doctor nodded slightly and quickly looked at someone else. The action hurt Avalon more than she would've thought.

River didn't miss it. She made a mental note to look into that later.

"Anything is fair game except for the TARDIS," the Doctor went on as he pulled up a second copy of the schematics from his inside pocket.

"And your sonic," Amy gave him a pointed look. She held her hand out for the infamous sonic. The Doctor reached into his jacket's pocket and pulled out his beloved sonic. "Thank you!" Amy placed it on the table where the TARDIS would take care it until they got back.

"Alright," Avalon clapped her hands together. "Final thing: the wager." Her eyebrows quirked with a smirk on her face. "If my team wins-"

"Which we will," River muttered to Amy who agreed with a hum.

"-then you have to let me and Amy choose where we will go for the next month. And we pick River up each time. No buts about it."

"Fine, but if you lose - which you will - then you have to stay inside the TARDIS for another month." The Doctor planted his hands on the table and leaned forwards, smirking so smugly like he already knew what the outcome of the heist would be. "No buts about it," he mimicked her tone.

Avalon's tongue pressed against her teeth before she finally clicked it. "Fine." She did the same as him and leaned forwards on the table. "But you can't use any sonic of any type! Not even a little sonic pen!"

"Don't have one..." the Doctor faltered for a moment as he realized he'd never actually made one, "Why haven't I thought about that yet? Never mind! No sonic, no TARDIS. However, I'm also going to need River to promise not to use any of her little weapons she has stored."

River opened her mouth to argue but promptly shut it and shrugged. "Yeah, alright. They're all in my cell anyways."

"How do you even get that past the guards?" Avalon genuinely asked with curiosity.

"I'll tell you later," River smirked until she noticed Amy's disapproving look. Her smirk fell and she cleared her throat. "Or maybe not. Probably not."

"So," the Doctor called, "Two hours. No sonics, no weapons, no TARDIS, and no hurting anyone! Me, Rory and the Sapling against Avalon, Amy and River. Any other question?"

"Yes," Avalon leaned just a bit closer over the table, leaving a questionable distance between her face and the Doctor's. "Are you ready to cater to my every desire after you lose?"

The Doctor would've liked to have answered with "I always strive to" when he remembered there were other people in the room. He might have thought of kissing her too - her smirking lips were begging to be kissed - but other people and his own thoughts were forcing him back. Instead, he chose not to answer directly. He reeled away from the table - putting some distance would help him control himself - and turned to the others. "Let's head out, team!"

"Yes! Good luck Mother!" the Sapling scurried around the table to hug Avalon. The ginger, however, was a bit distracted with the Doctor's rash departure from the room but the Sapling tugged on her sleeve to claim her attention in the end. "Mother, good luck!"

Avalon smiled lightly at him. "Don't go getting yourself into trouble."

The Sapling giggled and rushed out of the room with Rory.

Avalon looked at her own team, choosing to focus on the task they had. "Well then ladies, let the heist begin."

~ 0 ~

Avalon, River and Amy decided to scope out the precise room where the Ignius Jewel was on display. The museum was functioning as it normally would, meaning the room was pretty crowded.

Amy noticed that the other displays of gemstones and the artworks against the walls each had their personal crowd of people. "I'm beginning to think that Rory has a point here."

"What do you mean?" Avalon distractedly asked while she and River studied the Ignius' display. It was a normal golden pedestal with a glass box over it. The jewel was tucked on a navy blue pillow. It was fairly easy...or so it appeared.

"There's loads of people!"

"Shhh, Mother," River put a finger over her lips, but Amy rolled her eyes. "Don't go all nervous on us."

"How are we supposed to get this out without getting caught?" Amy folded her arms and gave a nod towards the jewel.

"Well I have a few ideas," Avalon announced, earning two different reactions from the other two. Amy looked rather concerned that she'd already come up with a way to steal something in a crowded room but River seemed intrigued and perhaps a tad impressed that it only took her a few minutes to get ideas.

"Let's hear it," River gave Avalon the floor but made a gesture for the ginger to keep it down.

"Well," Avalon clasped her hands behind her back as she moved to the left side of the pedestal. "First option would be to lift it out of the glass assuming we could disable the alarm system."

"We'd need to get into the security room," River pointed out, not intending on shooting the idea down but only reminding Avalon they'd need to do that step first.

"What?" hissed Amy but neither her daughter nor her granddaughter paid her attention.

"Right. Shouldn't be that hard though, not if we use the right mode of entry," Avalon agreed with River and slowly moved to the other side of the pedestal. "If we're feeling adventurous-"

"Always," River nodded and shared a smirk with Avalon.

"-we could get some rope and climb down from up there," Avalon raised her head at the ceiling. The spot directly above the pedestal was an air vent. "We'd only need to clear out the room-"

"How would we do that!?" Amy once again hissed.

Avalon and River fixed the same stare on Amy. "Wait for lunch hour, duh."

If she could, Amy would have really liked to scold both of them for being so...alike. Without even trying, Avalon and River were too alike in situations like these and that honestly worried Amy for the future. What kind of trouble could these two get into when nobody was around?

"I checked the schedule," Avalon continued with River. "Lunch is in two hours which is just the time limit we have anyways. It'll be our last resort."

"I say we start the easiest way possible," River declared and before either woman could ask her what that way was, she reached inside her jacket's pocket to pull out a familiar tube of red lipstick.

"Oh I bloody love you!" Avalon laughed a bit too loud and got some looks from the other guests.

River's smirk widened. "Let's go ladies!"

~ 0 ~

"Excuse me?" the Doctor had come up to the reception desk on the first floor of the museum. A young brunette woman was working the desk when he arrived. "I was wondering what times are your scheduled tours for the, uh, third floor?"

"Well, you just missed one," the woman said as she stood up from her seat. "But you can catch the next one in twenty minutes. There's actually a pamphlet, hold on…"

"Take your time, take all the time you need…" the Doctor murmured as he watched Rory and the Sapling creep up to the opposite side of the desk.

"Here we are!" the woman exclaimed, raising her head up just as Rory was about to slip into her part of the desk.

"Oh! Why don't you show it to me!?" the Doctor quickly moved the woman to the very edge of the desk. He decided to pull her out of the desk so that they were standing on his side, hunched over the pamphlets. "I have a son, you see, and he's so adamant that we go through the best tours. Care to pinpoint those?"

Once the woman was thoroughly focused on the pamphlet, Rory tried slipping into the desk again. The Sapling remained just at the edge in case anybody happened to stop by, but he had to physically stop himself from giggling at the funny squatted-walking Rory was doing. He couldn't stand up to search the desk so he had to naturally walk with his legs squatting.

He was loving Heists!

Rory was quick to search for what they came for. His hands raked through the drawers until he reached the last one. It would be in that one that he found a ring of keys. He was careful to take them without jingling them and then bolted from the desk altogether. His hearts hammered until he reached the safety of a hallway.

A few minutes later, the Doctor and the Sapling joined him.

"I hate this!" Rory declared as he handed the ring of keys to the Doctor. "I just stole security keys! Don't-" he pointed a warning finger at the Sapling, "-you ever do that, Sapling! Got it!? Don't do what I'm doing! What any of us are doing!"

The Sapling brought his hands to his mouth as he laughed. "I know, grandfather."

"Oh..." Rory nearly lost his balance when he realized just how truly bad this whole thing was. In the Sapling's mind, his mother, his father, his grandmother and his great grandparents were all teaching him how to pull a heist. "Oh, my stomach hurts. My stomach really hurts." Rory pressed a hand against the wall to lean against while his arm wrapped around his stomach.

"Loosen up, Rory!" the Doctor exclaimed as he scanned the hallway for any suspicious actions. So far, no one had seen a thing. "Now then, these keys will let us walk into any room we want."

"But the damn jewel isn't even in a room with a door! Why did we get the keys at all?" Rory asked once he felt air begin to come back to him.

"Because if we have them, then the girls don't! Do keep up, Rory!"

"Yeah!" the Sapling mimicked his Father's tone. "The girls won't be able to lock or open any rooms!"

Rory's face went flat as his eyes flickered between the Sapling and the Doctor. "Oh, you two are so-"

"That is beyond petty," River's voice pulled the trio's attention to the end of the hallway. "I'm impressed, Doctor." The Doctor quickly stuffed the ring of keys into his inside pocket. Avalon and Amy had come up on either side of River. "But it won't be enough to win this."

"I'm going back to the petty part - that was really petty!" Avalon scrunched her face at the Doctor. "Fairy Tale Man, what the hell?"

The Doctor only slightly looked at her before turning away with Rory and the Sapling. "Off we go!" he ushered them off and ran behind them.

Avalon's face went grim for a moment, and even though it was just for one moment River still noticed it, then turned to the women. "So, lipstick, who are we using it on?"

"I was going to use it on whoever was in charge of those keys. I thought the same as the Doctor," River admitted with a sheepish smile. "I know, don't tell me." Avalon chuckled.

"But he got the keys so now what?" asked Amy.

"We move onto the next phase of our plan of course!" River took the lead down the hallway. It was fairly easy maneuvering their way through without being suspected. Nobody suspected three simple women wanting to find the best art piece on that floor.

Eventually, they stopped in front of a less crowded hallway. They would be going into the security room to de-activate the alarms.

"Amy, ready?" River asked.

Amy fervently nodded. "Keep an eye out. Easy-peasy."

River then looked at Avalon. "Ready?" Avalon was more than excited to finally start. River almost laughed and blew their cover. "Right. One, two, three!" She flung the door open and immediately went up to the first of two men.

"Hey! What are you-"

River grabbed the man's collars and yanked him forwards for a kiss. Avalon went straight for the second man and punched him across the face. She quickly swiped the small stun gun from the man's waist.

"Oh, you know you can't keep that," River warned when Avalon turned around. "Part of the rules, remember?"

"This is to stun," Avalon said, chucking it to River. "And you can keep it for now. Is he going to be okay?"

River looked back at the man she'd 'kissed' and nodded her head. "Yeah. He thinks he's dreaming that he's tied up. Hilarious really. And this one," she moved past Avalon to the man she'd knocked out. She smudged her lipstick across the unconscious man's lips. "Should be doing the same when he comes to. Blimey what a hand you've got."

Avalon proudly smiled behind her. "Now we can get the alarms!"

"Yes! They should be pretty visible!"

Avalon turned to the control panel. Her eyes flickered to the dozens of screens playing the loop that the Doctor had preset before arriving. Everything was completely normal to these people. She and River focused on the mess of buttons and and wires sticking out.

"So while we're here, you want to tell me what's going on with you and the Doctor?" River worked swiftly to find the head of the alarms on the screens. So far, she only had the alarms for the first floor.

Avalon had paused working for a moment to throw River a look. "What? How do you know-" She didn't get to finish asking on account of River scoffing loudly. "It is so weird how you do that!"

River laughed. She'd succeeded getting through the alarms for the second floor and now she just needed the third floor. "I always know about you, sweetie."

"Still," Avalon folded her arms over her chest. "So...so you know that he and I...?"

"Are in a relationship?" River only stopped to nod at her then went right back to work. "Of course I do. Can't hide that from me even if you tried."

"And...and you don't...you're okay with that?"

A flicker of confusion crossed River's face at the question. She stopped working again and turned her head in Avalon's way. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know cos...cos you're from the future. I mean, one time Amy even said if you were the Doctor's wife in the future."

"Hasn't said it to this me yet," River said, prompting Avalon to realize the Byzantium hadn't yet happened to this River yet. "And I really hope she never says it to me. That's...that's just..." She shuddered a breath and made Avalon smile out of relief. "Besides, we've talked about this, remember? The reason I know things about him is because I've seen future versions of him, and you! All your future is my past! We're going in the wrong order, sweetie, so of course to you it would look like I just know everything. But the truth is, I don't know everything. You tell me a lot of it, about you and the Doctor. Your future together." River loved watching her daughter's face light up with delight.

"You mean that?" Avalon clearly tried to dial down her happiness and relief but it was a hard thing to do.

"Of course I do! I honestly don't know how you stand that man for more than a few hours! I salute you Avalon, because it can't be easy!"

Avalon laughed for a short moment before a lamenting sigh came through. "Too bad right now we're in a funk. He's upset because I told him that I know about his past, you know the darker parts? He doesn't know how to be around me and...I don't like it. I wish I could sit him down and make him talk to me again but knowing him all I'm gonna get is his silent brooding face."

"You'll have to give him some time, Avalon. Just like you got your space after Berlin. Give him sometime to really think about it and then he'll come to you. Trust me."

For some reason, Avalon could trust River. It wasn't even because River was from the future, something about her always had Avalon more inclined in her favor. Even when the Doctor was completely against River, Avalon always tried defending her and seeing the helpful sides River often brought to their group. Things had always been like that.

~ 0 ~

With the alarms off, the jewel would be easier to take once they came up with the right plan. However, Amy raised the question of how they would make a clear getaway if somebody would immediately notice the jewel was missing.

"We get a decoy," River's tone was blatantly telling her mother this was yet another obvious thing.

"Really?" Amy jutted her hip. "And do you know where we could get a perfect decoy Ignis jewel?"

"Oh!" Avalon gasped when the answer hit her. "The little shop! There's always little gift shops in these places! I bet they sell all sorta of toy versions of the pieces here."

River pointed at Avalon with a proud smirk. "See that, Mother? Avalon's thinking!" Amy rolled her eyes. "Good job Avalon!"

"Thanks. The Doctor always tells me about the stupid gift shops he's spent hours at..." Avalon's smile lessened when she thought about him. She bet that right now, the Doctor wouldn't tell her anything about what he liked.

"Let's go to the gift shop then, see what happens," Amy sighed and rushed off first.

"We need to head to the third floor," River instructed as she and Avalon followed. "Each gift shop probably sells what's on that floor."

They got to elevator quickly and pressed the 3rd floor button. Once they arrived they made a quick down the hallway. Spotting someone familiar, Avalon skidded to a stop near the entrance of the Ignis jewel's room.

"Doctor!" she clung to his arm before he would run off on her.

"What!? Let go!" he frantically exclaimed, assuming this was one of her heist tricks.

"No, listen to me!" Avalon let go only so that he would calm down. "We, uh, we...we took down the alarms."

That sure made him freeze. "What?"

"Just for the 2 hours. They're down."

"Why would you tell me this?"

Because I really like you and I'll basically tell you anything you want. That would've been nice to say out loud. It would've pulled a smug smile from him. Avalon would pretend to hate it when in reality those smiles made her melt for him. "I just wanted to even the playing field. Wouldn't be very fair, right?"

"Right..." the Doctor gave a slow nod. He made to turn back for the room when he realized he hadn't even made sure Avalon's body wasn't reacting to the new environment. With all the heisting and his own issues, he'd forgotten. He could never let that happen. "How are you feeling?"

The corner of Avalon's lips twitched, warning to turn into a smile. He still wants to make sure I'm okay. Of course he would. He hasn't broken up with you and he hasn't stopped being kind. "I'm okay. I'm having a lot of fun so...thanks for doing this."

"Avalon!" River hissed from the other end of the hallway, making Avalon jump in her spot. "Stop cohorting with the enemy!"

"Gotta go!" Avalon quickly said and kissed the Doctor's cheek before running off.

The Doctor stayed put in his spot for a few seconds. Whether he wanted to or not, he smiled after her. He was aware of his rude behavior towards her and yet instead of yelling at him, Avalon did that instead. He just didn't know what to do now that she knew more about his dark past.

"Father, I'm in!" the Sapling's voice rang through an comm. piece in the Doctor's ear.

The Doctor shook himself out of his thoughts and focused on their task. "Right. Be careful Sapling!"

"I know!"

"Oh, and the alarms are off. I repeat: the alarms are off." The Doctor turned back for the room and strode in like any other visitor. He scanned the room and saw Rory pretending to study an art portrait hanging next to the Ignis Jewel.

Check.

He then spotted the current tour guide leading a group of guests around the room.

Check.

"And if you look very closely, you can see that each figure is actually made of dots..." the male tour guide was gesturing to the huge portrait hanging in the opposite side of the room. "It was inspired by the human painter-"

"Georges Seurat," the Doctor cut in, nearly sliding in beside the tour guide. "Marvelous French painter if you asked me. Least that's what I used to tell him."

"You've met a human?" One of the guests in the crowd asked, making it seem novelty despite being humanoid themself.

"Of course. Do some travelling, you see..." the Doctor prepared his longest rambling story that he would tell with extra pauses.

Rory glanced over his shoulder to make sure the crowd was deep into the Doctor's riveting story. They were. Rory turned away from the painting and quietly used his own comm. piece. "Sapling, now."

"Yay!" the Sapling exclaimed. He was up in the air vent waiting for his signal and now that it was, he peered over the vent. It was perfectly above the Ignis' display. He placed a hand over the vent and let his fingers extend into branches.

Rory nervously watched the branches stick against the wall and slowly creep its way down. From his spot, the Doctor made sure the Sapling was heading his branch in the right direction.

"Little bit to the right," he mumbled under his breath and continued with his story for the guests.

"Sorry!" the Sapling tried moving his body around so he could see the display and the wall but the slits of the vent were too narrow.

"You've got it now," Rory assured him. The branches were reaching the top of the display. Despite the Doctor telling them that the alarms were off, the Sapling still hesitated to actually touch the glass display. "C'mon Sapling!"

The branches slipped between the wall and the glass case but now the Sapling would have to sneak under the case for the jewel.

"A little to the right now," Rory instructed while not making it blatantly obvious he was staring at the branches on the wall. "No, no, my right not yours!"

"Sorry!" the Sapling shifted the branch to the right side and started to feel the tip of the cushion. "I feel it! Now I just gotta-"

"Aaaah! What is that!?" A screaming woman had froze the trio in their respective stops.

Rory scrunched his face when he realized a woman had stopped by to see the jewel.

"Thanks Rory," the Doctor groaned lightly before rushing towards them. The crowd was right behind him.

"What is that!?" the woman kept crying and pointing at the branch stuck on the wall.

"It's an infestation!" the Doctor quickly supplied the excuse as quickly as it came to him.

"Sapling, get out of there," Rory hurriedly left the crowd to speak to the child.

"I know! I know!" the Sapling wiggled his arm which in turn made the branch on the wall wiggle as well. He winced when he heard the same woman's scream again.

"Nothing to worry about folks, just a petty infestation," the Doctor said only a few seconds before the Sapling disconnected the piece of branch from his body. He beamed at his regular hand and quickly crawled back through the vents.

Down below, the branch crumbled into pieces...and the same woman still screamed.

~ 0 ~

"Right this way folks," Amy the newest museum tour guide led a group down the hallway, going past the Ignis' room.

"Wait, we're not going into this room?" an elderly humanoid man asked and pointed to the room on their way.

"Not right now. It's at the end of the tour, c'mon," Amy motioned the group to walk faster with her.

Inside the room, River and Avalon were making rounds looking at different artworks separately. There were hardly any people in the room since Amy had taken away the current tour group. Avalon waited near the entrance and as soon as a roaming guard walked in, she loudly coughed. River turned right away from an art piece and made a casual walk in the guard's direction. She purposely went around another jewel pedestal and dropped a red jewel that looked exactly the same as the real Ignis.

Avalon waited for River to be a safe distance away from the guard before gasping loudly. "Oh my goodness! Is that the Ignis jewel!?" At her question, the guard spun around to where she was pointing.

"I think it is!" River agreed and motioned the others in the room come see it.

"But that's impossible!" the guard rushed towards the sight, though because people were spread around the jewel, it was difficult getting through.

Avalon took her opportunity to dash up to the Ignis' display.

"Move! Let me see!" the guard shoved an old woman out of the way, earning himself a colorful response from her. "Sorry, ma'am!"

River poked her head around the crowd to see Avalon lifting the glass display, though it seemed pretty heavy judging by the struggle she was in. Avalon had her entire arms wrapped around the glass case and she lifted with all her might. She was halfway there when they got a lovely call...

"Mother! Hi!" the Sapling's sudden call made Avalon drop the case back in its place. At his call, the group turned away from the jewel and allowed the guard to finally pick it up.

"This is just a gift shop souvenir!" he groaned. "Seriously people?"

River scrunched her face but Avalon stalked her way out of the room, intending on shouting at the Doctor and Rory for sabotaging them. However, only the Sapling was in the hallway.

"Where's your father? Why are you alone!?"

The Sapling chuckled. "Father said he wanted to go to the gift shop and I snuck out. I don't think he's noticed yet-"

"Sapling!" they suddenly heard the Doctor's voice from the end of the hallway. He came zooming out of the store and sticking his head into each room for the Sapling. "Sapl-"

"I'm here, Father!" the Sapling waved his hand.

"Yeah, nice going! And sabotaging by the way!" Avalon shook her head and ushered the Sapling to the Doctor.

"Really?" the Doctor smiled proudly at the Sapling for a moment. "Good job, Sapling."

"I didn't mean to but okay!"

"GO!" Avalon yelled through her gritted teeth and was quite satisfied to see both of them rushing away from her.

~ 0 ~

The trip to the gift shop spawned a device for a purpose that Rory couldn't understand yet. The Doctor tinkered with the makeshift device on their way down the hallway. "Right then, with this we'll be able to grasp the frequency of the glass display. According to the Sapling, Avalon struggled to lift it which means that it has to be pretty strong."

"What - so you were sabotaging them?" Rory threw him and the Sapling a disapproving look.

"No, of course not, but the Sapling had perfect timing!"

The Sapling agreed in a hum. "Mother was trying her best to lift the case but she couldn't. I thought I might help her but then I remembered we were on different teams. Maybe next time I can be on her team!"

Rory's eyes widened. "The next...? No! There won't be anymore heists after this! Doctor, whatever you're thinking, please tell me it'll work so we can finally leave this place?"

"With luck, it will," the Doctor tapped a knuckle against the small beeping device in his hands. He'd found some petty tech souvenirs in the gift shop that he'd torn apart to reconstruct for his needs. It resembled his sonic but it was not his sonic. There were no sonics allowed after all. "And I added a touch of a laser in case it doesn't."

"Why would we need a laser?" Rory dreaded to ask and felt even worse when the Doctor smirked.

A short moment later they were back in the Ignis' room. The Doctor moved to the Ignis' display and discreetly took the scan of the glass. The results concluded that they would need to come up with another way to take the glass off because lifting it would require at least two of them and the Sapling couldn't risk using his branch-like abilities in public.

"Gentlemen, listen very closely..." the Doctor started to whisper their next moves and in the next few minutes, they enacted it.

The Sapling was hopping around the room, taking Rory from one art piece to a pedestal. He excitedly touched one pedestal, immediately instigating the scold of the guard.

"Sorry, he's just so excited," Rory apologized but by then the Sapling had gone to touch an art portrait.

"Hey!" the guard went after him and thus Rory too.

The Doctor pointed his makeshift device at the Ignis' display and shot a thin laser at it. He leaned closer to it, making it seem like he was just getting a better look at it while his hand slowly went in a circular shape. Just one small circle and he could pull it off. But midway through, something in the next room exploded and rocked everyone on their feet.

"What!?" the Doctor spun around, his first thought going to the Sapling and Rory, but they were just as confused as everyone else.

"Avalon?" River came running into the room with Amy at her side.

Avalon! The Doctor dropped his device to the floor and bolted for the women. "Where's my Ava?" He searched around them but, like everyone else, they didn't know what was going on. The Doctor could actually feel the way his hearts started picking up their beats. "Where is she!?"

"I-I don't know! She was supposed to be cutting through the wall-" River tried gesturing to the wall directly behind the Ignis' jewel but she was just as concerned as the Doctor.

"Everybody stay put!" the guard in the room started heading for the entrance. "Nobody move-" But the Doctor was already way ahead of him, literally. "Sir!" the guard called but the Time Lord was out of the room in two seconds. "Sir!"

"What do you think happened?" Amy quietly pulled River to the side while the rest of the guests were ushered together.

"My guess?" River gave Amy a look asking her if she truly wanted to know. Of course Amy did. "My daughter got carried away with her new toy. Now c'mon, we'll have to be in front of the pedestal in a bit and then we'll have to get Rory and the Sapling. We'll need to do a lot of running!"

~ 0 ~

Avalon was crouched in front of a wall, humming the tune of Once Upon a Dream tune to herself as she finished cutting a circle into the wall with a new gun. She had no idea that guards' guns were this powerful. She'd made an explosion a few minutes ago just because she'd accidentally fired it at one of the metal shelves. The shelf had fallen against the wall and pretty much destroyed everything that'd been on it, but everything else in the storage room was fine.

"River and Amy: I hope you're ready," Avalon said once she successfully cut the hole in the wall. It was a small hold that wouldn't be give her away but would still be visible on the other side. She put the gun down on the floor then pulled out another Ignis decoy jewel from her jean's pocket. Her hand squeezed through the hole and was relieved to feel the velvet of the cushion the Ignis jewel was on.

On the other side, River and Amy were standing directly in front of the pedestal. Amy looked over her shoulder and saw Avalon's fingers searching for the jewel.

"She's in," she whispered to River who was keeping her eyes on the guests. The guard had positioned himself at the entrance, not letting anyone come in or go out until the museum figured out what had caused the explosion.

"Good, because we'll be running in five minutes."

"Why five?"

"Because that's when they'll be figuring out we took down the alarms."

"Ah." Amy's eyes found Rory and the Sapling across from them and willed her husband to meet her gaze. She mouthed 'Five minutes and run' to him, hoping it'd be enough to get the point across.

Thankfully, he had.

River discreetly glanced behind them and saw Avalon was puling her hand back through the wall with the Ignis Jewel in hand. "That's my girl," she whispered proudly and continued to look ahead.

Back in the storage room, Avalon had cheered when she pulled her hand out and saw the bright red jewel in her palm. "Avalon Reynolds, you are a genius!" She had just stuck her hand back into the hole when the Doctor burst into the room.

"There you are! Are you okay!?" His sudden entrance and yell had startled Avalon into smacking her head against the wall.

"Doctor, you idiot!" She rubbed her forehead with her free hand.

"What are you doing!?" the Doctor made sure to close the door behind him. The guards were going back and forth trying to discover the origin point of the explosion. It was then that he noticed the fallen shelf in the corner of the room. "And what did you do to that!?"

"Had an accident with that," Avalon nodded her head to the gun sitting beside her. "It's all good, though." She struggled to yank her hand out of the hole again but once she did she cheered. "It's all very good!" She jumped on her feet and turned around with the Ignis Jewel in her hand. "Because I just won this heist!"

"I thought you were hurt," the Doctor sighed but she scoffed at his concern.

"Please!"

"What!?"

"Oh you know what it means! You've barely looked at me ever since I told you what I learned with Kovarian! So don't come running here, telling me that you were concerned! Just acknowledge that you've lost!" She waved the jewel in the air and strode for the door, only for the Doctor to grab her arm and turn her back.

"I always care, Ava! I've just been having trouble accepting that you have a better idea of what I am!"

Avalon shoved his hand off her arm and scowled. "For the last time, I know who you are! You're my Fairy Tale Man and I hate seeing you doubt yourself! I know who I'm dating, alright?" Her anger faded to be replaced with a soft sigh. Her lips curved into a near pout. "And I really miss his hugs and his kisses..."

The Doctor's shoulders slumped as his head seemed to lower. "I'm sorry Ava. I'm afraid that this whole blissful bubble is reaching its end and that you're going to be afraid of me. Lots of people are afraid of me...but I don't know what I'd do if you were afraid of me."

"That's never going to happen," Avalon felt like this would have to be something she would be repeating for a while. That was okay. She knew that a few months ago she was in constant need of reassurance. It was her turn to be there for the Doctor and she would be. "I need my Fairy Tale Man right next to me..." She took the needed steps to leave them face-to-face. "And if he needs me to tell him every morning, every afternoon, every night I'll do it." Her free hand came to stroke his cheek. "I'll be there."

The Doctor smiled down at her. "Even if he's an idiot?"

"Yeah, I think it's a cute look on him..." Avalon smirked at his reddened face. She laughed and kissed him, muffling her own laugh.

It was true what Avalon had said. The Doctor had only just now realized it'd been too long without a kiss between them and now that he had her with him, he would be making up for lost time. He passed a hand under her chin, lifting her head up slightly more. It gave a much better angle for a rougher, faster kiss. Avalon brought her arms over his shoulders, never realizing that she'd let go of the Ignis jewel. Neither heard it clink against the floor and roll a few feet away from them.

Avalon forgot the Heist altogether when the Doctor hoisted her up. He hadn't yet done that and she wasn't complaining one bit. She wrapped her legs around his waist and met his lips again for a continuation. The Doctor's hand gone up to the back of her neck and firmly pressed her against his body. He couldn't get enough of her right now. Her sweet lavender scent, on a normal day, was simply wonderful but right now it was intoxicating. He left her lips - something Avalon deeply groaned for - but she got over it when she felt his hot kisses on the side of her neck.

She moaned and tilted her head in the opposite direction, giving him an easier access to her sweet skin. He had only started a few seconds ago and he was already settling in the crook of her neck, a spot he'd come to learn was one of the spots for Avalon. He gently bit down and smirked when she automatically gasped. He felt her fingers grasp the back of his hair, an extra treat for him for being oh-so-kind to her.

"More, more," she patted the nape of his neck, letting her eyes fall shut.

"More?" he taunted with a soft kiss on the same spot.

She groaned at it, making him laugh. "Not funny! Don't start what you're not going to finish you tease!"

The Doctor bit the same spot again, harder than the previous time, and heard her moan for him. He continued his series of kisses afterwards, bouncing her bit to keep her steady between his arms.

Avalon laughed when his lips once again attached themselves to her neck. Seems like he found his favorite spot, she realized and once he started leaving new hot kisses on her clavicle then nearer to her throat and finally lower...she realized it was her favorite spot too. He was outlining the v-neck of her blouse but had distinctly heard her moans louder when he went straight down her throat. She was right, he was a tease and he was enjoying every minute of it. She eventually got frustrated that he'd forgotten about her lips for a while so she raised his head. "I'm up here my love." She dove down for a kiss, quickening it within seconds.

Neither of them noticed the steam that was beginning to rise from the Ignis jewel on the floor...but they flinched when the sprinklers went off. All the rooms had suddenly fired its sprinklers on.

Their lips reluctantly, and slowly, disconnected as they both turned their heads up to the sprinklers.

"I thought we disabled the alarms...?" Avalon made a face at them, though she had to look down from to avoid the pelting of cold water in her eyes.

"Fire system is a different system," the Doctor said distractedly.

"But why would they go off...?"

Their eyes simultaneously widened at each other when they remembered. "The Ignis Jewel!"

The Doctor let Avalon down and both turned their attention to the steaming jewel on the floor. "It wants to burst into fire but the sprinklers are disabling it. We gotta get it out of here." The Doctor ran towards it only for Avalon to scream "NO!" and jumped on his back. "AVA!" The Doctor shouted at her.

"It's mine! I had it first!" She exclaimed, keeping her arms tightly around his neck.

"Avalon, get the hell off of me! I'm trying to bring it back to the TARDIS!" the Doctor tried prying her hands off him but she was strongly holding them together.

"Yeah, and bring it into the TARDIS first! I know that you're trying to trick me! You bring it in and you win the heist!"

Maybe I am, he silently thought. She was just too smart. "Fine! But it's fair game!"

"IT'S MINE!"

The Doctor spun around twice before finally pushing Avalon off his back. He winced when he heard her hit the ground with a loud thud. "Ava!" He turned around just as she groaned.

"Ow..." She scrunched her face in pain.

"Avalon, I am so sorry!" the Doctor reached to help her stand up. She took his hand but the moment she had a tight grip on him, she yanked him down to the ground beside her. "Uff!" the Doctor felt his back connect with the floor in two seconds flat. He heard Avalon's teasing giggle beside him and turned his head to see her looking at him with the biggest smile on her face. She was looking incredibly beautiful right now despite the water soaking them wet. Her ginger curls were sticking to her face, but her blue eyes were shining with mirth. It was as if somebody had pressed the rewind button and they were back to a time before the Silence and Kovarian had struck. They were traveling together while Amy and Rory were honeymooning. It was just him and Avalon, exploring and pulling shenanigans like this. The Doctor admitted to himself that he could see a life like this with Avalon, only with Avalon because he lo...

Oh God. I love her. The Doctor felt his hearts stop while he caught up to his own thoughts. He loved her. He loved Avalon. He loved the wild, unpredictable, passionate writer that was Avalon Reynolds. He loved her sweet self, her kind eyes and warm heart...he loved her temper and her challenging personality.

"Gotcha!" Avalon giggled again as she bopped his nose.

The Doctor grabbed her hand before it could leave his face and kept their fingers intertwined. This is my girl, he realized with his swelling hearts. He couldn't imagine himself being with anyone else but her. Only Avalon would pull this kind of stuff on him, and truth be told it was the same stuff he'd do too. One moment they were passionately snogging and the next...she was jumping on his back and he was spinning around to get her off.

He brought their interlocked hands and kissed Avalon's hand softly. "You got me alright."

Avalon blushed and sat upright. "Yeah?" He nodded and smiled when she leaned down to kiss him again. "You got me too," she whispered and pressed another kiss to his lips. "And I'm...going to get myself first place for this Heist!" She jumped from her spot and swiped the Ignis' jewel off the ground.

"Avalon!" the Doctor cried but a part of him was already laughing by the time he got up.

The ginger ran right past him. "Can't catch me!" she taunted on her way out.

The Doctor smirked after her. "I do love me a good chase!"

Avalon's laugh echoed down the hallways they ran through. And because somebody knew her laughter so well, River was able to catch it from the next room.

"Now Amy!"

"RORY!" Amy yelled before she made a dash with River.

"Sapling!" Rory grabbed the Sapling's hand and ran after the women.

"You can't leave this room!" the guard at the entrance barked but River neatly punched him across the face.

Amy's mouth fell open but River yanked her out of the room. "You just punched that guy!"

"Yes, I did! You're welcome!"

"River!" Rory called once he and the Sapling were behind them in the hallway. "You just punched a guy!"

"You're welcome!" River groaned and picked up her pace. They needed to get out of here fast or else she'd have another charge against her.

The group ran past guards and lingering guests until they reached the first floor. Elevators were down so they had to take the stairs, but with their adrenaline they crossed them in no time. Finally, they saw the TARDIS standing in the basement just like they'd left her earlier.

"I see Mother and Father!" the Sapling exclaimed just as the pair had disappeared into the TARDIS.

"I WIN! I WIN! I WIN!" Avalon was cheering around the console when the group ran inside. "I win the heist!"

"Oh shut up!" the Doctor went after her in a sulk. Soon as he saw the others coming in, he took the TARDIS off. Safe and sound they were, but nobody was safe from Avalon's relentless yelling.

Avalon was dancing around the console, waving the jewel in her hand. "I win the heist! And my dear Doctor lost! I win!"

River laughed and high-fived her daughter. "Good job!"

"Yeah!" Avalon high-fived Amy next. "We won, ladies!" She turned around to the Doctor and smirked. "Did I mention I won?"

"You might have mentioned it once or twice," the Doctor muttered.

"Thank God this is over," Rory exhaled and finally felt his stomach rid itself of those knots. "What was that explosion anyways?"

"That was me! I accidentally fired a shelf," Avalon dismissed the matter with a wave of her hand.

"WHAT-"

"But I won! I won the first heist!"

"First and last," Rory cut in with a stern finger pointed at his granddaughter. "We are never doing this again!"

Avalon's smirk promised something else, though.

"Mother, I'm so happy you won," the Sapling rushed to Avalon's side and hugged her. "But maybe next time I can win!"

Rory groaned, throwing his hands in the air as he turned away. Amy moved over to console her husband.

"Alright, this is truly been a pleasure," River started making her way around the console, switching buttons here and there to set course for Stormcage. "I must get going though."

"No, not yet. You should dry up and get changed," Avalon gestured to River's wet appearance. They were all soaked from the sprinkles. "Can't have you going back all wet and stuff."

"Right," River agreed with a nod. "Give me a second then." She hurried off for the corridors and since the water had been truly cold, Amy and Rory followed seconds later.

"Sapling, you may be made out of bark but please go get dried up too," the Doctor nodded the child towards the hallway.

"Okay! But what are we going to do with the jewel now?"

"Well, we're giving it back to its rightful owners," the Doctor glanced at Avalon to see her agreeing with a nod.

"Yes! And listen Sapling," Avalon stepped up to the Sapling, crouching in front of him. "Uncle Rory was right when he said that we don't steal. What we did today was different, alright? It was fun, but we weren't trying to hurt anyone. I really hope you understand this..."

The Sapling laughed carelessly. "Of course I do! Mother and Father don't hurt people! Heisting was just different but I know that it's not okay to steal."

"That's my boy," Avalon chuckled and kissed the Sapling's cheek. "Now go get dried up!"

"Okay!" the Sapling ran off to find his bedroom.

"He knows, Ava," the Doctor said once they were alone.

"I just don't want him growing up with my irresponsible behavior in him," she sighed. "God knows I was a handful."

"Was?" the Doctor innocently asked and received quite a hard mock glare in return. "You should've seen me back in my day."

"I'd like to learn about it one day," Avalon's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "What was my Fairy Tale Man like when he was a child?"

"Oh, dangerous question..."

"Even then?"

"Yes."

"Oh my..." Avalon laughed shortly then came up to him, a soft smile gracing her soaking face. "Well, when you're ready, I'd love to get to know about those parts of your life. Nine hundred years has to have some nice parts right?"

"...yes," the Doctor nodded slowly. There were plenty of moments he would always cherish from his past. Funny how easily he could forget them when somebody dangled his darker moments in front of him.

Avalon reached around his neck to undo his bowtie, reminding him of the gentle moments he'd missed between them as well. "You should go change too." She picked his left palm up and let his bowtie fall into it. "I'll meet you here in 20 minutes. Maybe 30. This-" she gestured to her wet curls, "-might take a bit more time to tame."

"You still look beautiful as ever," the Doctor passed his hand through her curls. Avalon closed her eyes for a minute and let herself enjoy the touch of his fingers playing with her hair. The Doctor would've loved to play with her hair for hours, but he needed to he responsible. "Go on, love. I don't want you getting a cold. Lower immunity system means you're a lot more susceptible to common illnesses like a cold."

"Right," Avalon sighed with a shrug of her shoulders. She turned to leave but stopped at the stairs. "Oh," she turned back, "And don't worry. I'll be sure to wear this blouse more often."

The Doctor's face went red in an instant, especially when Avalon pushed her hair to one side so he could see the reddened spots on her neck and, shamefully, near her cleavage. He coughed in embarrassment while Avalon laughed.

"I'm a biter too so...expect that the next time," she blew him a kiss and ran off.

My girl alright, the Doctor smiled to himself once he was alone.

Author's Note:

Listen I just KNOW that if Avalon was real she would totally vibe with Brooklyn 99. I even know for a fact that she would love Rosa Diaz. I just do okay? And you just know that it would only be Avalon and the Doctor who would pull heists. It's just so them. But yayayay the Doctor knows that he loves her, when do you think Avalon will realize she loves him too? I loved writing that moment too.

[halfwaythereroyalwrites]

Self-Care (Bucky Barnes x Reader Kilig One-Shot)

GIF Credit: I’m not sure, but it’s definitely not mine. Let me know if you know whose this is!

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Rating: PG. A fluffy story of trying to get Bucky to relax. Mild flirtation. Possible secondhand embarrassment 

Word Count: 2,247 words

A/N: I always planned on doing one-shots for the Kilig series, and I got inspiration for this last night and wrote this so fast because I didn’t want the idea to leave me. This is the first time I’ve ever written in second person because I want my stories to be more inclusive. Feel free to message me with any comments or if would like to be added to my taglist. Enjoy! 

A/N Part 2: Takes place in an AU where everyone is living happily at Stark headquarters 😁

Kilig is a Tagalog word to describe the feeling of excitement and exhilaration and possibly embarrassment from anything remotely romantic.

Masterlist

______________________________________

It finally came!

You had come in to Avengers Headquarters carrying several packages in your arms, shuffling excitedly into the living room before plopping down on the floor and spreading out the various boxes. You let out a squeal of excitement before getting to work on opening one of the boxes. This proved to be a tougher task than you thought, however, because the tape bunched into one thick strip when you tried to rip it off with your hand. You let out a groan of frustration before stomping over to the kitchen where Bucky had been watching you, confused.

“Oh hey, Bucky! I didn’t even see you there,” You greeted him absentmindedly. Your mind was occupied shuffling through the kitchen drawers, trying to find the scissors.

“Hey, doll. What’re you looking for?” Bucky asked, eyes following your hurried movements in the kitchen.

“The scissors! Why are they never where they’re supposed to be?!”

“Oh sorry. I used it earlier,” he apologized. Bucky grabbed the scissors out of the drying rack by the sink and handed them to you, sharp point pointed towards him.

“Oh great! Thanks Bucky!” You shuffled back to the living room and got to work opening your packages and sorting out the contents. Opening the boxes was like Christmas come early for you! Except you had paid for all your presents. With your own money. But still. You heard Bucky settle onto the couch behind you, observing your glee over sorting out the colorful products into ten neat piles on the coffee table.

“Did you buy out an entire store? What is all this?” Bucky grabbed a colorful foil package off the coffee table and read its label.

“These, my dear Bucky, are my Korean skincare products. ” You turned your torso to face him. His brows were furrowed trying to make sense of the ingredients list, wondering why snail mucin was an essential ingredient. “I ran out of a bunch of my skincare stuff, and it took a while for the packages to arrive.”

“…there’s like 30 things here.”

“Yeah isn’t it exciting?!” You clapped your hands and took the mask out of his hands, placing it in its designated pile.

“I guess,” he answered. I turned back around to see his face still ridden with confusion at the amount of skincare products sitting on the table.

“Bucky, what do you use to wash your face?” you asked.

“I don’t know. Soap. Water.” You scanned his face for any signs of blemishes, but his skin looked impossibly perfect. No signs of acne. No dark spots. No redness. The bastard.

“Typical,” you rolled your eyes. “Men do so little and yet their skin stays perfect, but god forbid I eat cake or else my skin loses its shit” you muttered. Bucky chuckled from behind at your annoyance.

“I bet you look perfect without all this, doll.” Bucky remarked, trying to ease your frustration. Your cheeks heated up slightly from the casual compliment. You sorted out the last of the products before turning to face him again.

“It’s not about looking perfect, Bucky. It’s about self-care. I find ‘all this’ relaxing.” Bucky’s brows furrowed at your words. His eyes went distant — in thought — his gaze thoughtful while staring at the masks. You chose to break the silence after a few moments. “What do you do for self-care, Bucky?”

His mind snapped back to present time with a slight jolt at the sound of his name. He thought about your question for a few seconds before answering, “Boxing. Sparring. Running.”

“That works. Anything that doesn’t involve sweating?” you jokingly asked, trying to lighten Bucky’s brooding mood. He tended to let his mind wander off nowadays, shutting himself down from every thing and every one around him. After years of being surrounded by people who did not have his best interests at heart, Bucky was still adjusting to domestic life filled with people who cared about him. You noticed improvement whenever he was around Sam, Bucky, or Nat. On the other hand, it was taking a while for him to warm up to you and the rest of the team. You have been persistent, however, almost annoying so. You wanted nothing more than for the war-wearied soldier to finally feel comfortable.

Bucky shook his head at your question. “Really? Oh my gosh we have to change that.” You got up and dusted off imaginary dust off your shorts. You watched his confused expression as you held out a hand for him to take.

“What do you mean?” he asked suspiciously.

“You are going to learn about the beautiful world of the ten-step Korean skincare. I promise it’s relaxing. If you don’t like it, we never have to do it again. If you do, well, that means I have a new skincare buddy. Come on.” You shook your hand again, indicating for him to take it. Bucky glanced at your outstretched hand before peering at your eyes. “Trust me.” You whispered softly. He took your hand and rose from the sofa. Your neck craned upward to be able to fully take in his towering figure.

“Alright let’s do this.” You beamed.

Step 1

“The first step is oil cleansing. This gets a bunch of the oils, dirt, and grime off your face. Take a little bit of this balm.” You placed a small amount of the white balm onto his fingertips. You placed the same amount on your fingertips before turning to face the bathroom mirror, watching Bucky in the reflection. The scene in front of you was one to behold. The pair of you were wearing matching cloth headbands to keep the hair out of your face, towels draped around your neck at the ready. At your insistence, Bucky had also tied his hair back in a half-up ponytail. “Now put the balm on your face and rub it all around. Rub it on your neck too.”

You demonstrated the action to Bucky, rubbing the balm onto your cheeks before moving the balm-turned-oil all around your face. Bucky watched you first before slowly doing the same. “How long do we do this for?” Bucky asked, his face contorting as he moved his fingers all around, massaging the oil into his pores.

“Oil cleansing is around a minute.”

“What’s this black stuff?” Bucky looked at his fingers that had a few black rolls on them.

“Oh that’s blackheads! That means you’re doing this very well.” You smiled and continued to massage your face. A hint of a grin made its way onto his lips before he also continued.

Step 2

“Next is water-based cleanser. Take some of this face wash, and lather it onto your face and neck for a minute.”

“This is already taking so long, Y/N. How can you do this every night?”

“I don’t, but we are doing all of it tonight because I want you to take care of yourself. Now lather.”

“Yes ma’am,” Bucky jokingly saluted.

Step 3

“It’s time for exfoliating! Hold out your fingertips.” You took out a small bottle filled with a chemical exfoliant. Bucky held out his right hand toward you, fingers outstretched. You held his fingers together and dripped the dark crimson liquid onto them. “Now spread this all around your face. Avoid your eyes.”

“This looks like blood, doll.”

“It’s not. Come on!” Bucky lightly groaned at you before spreading the red liquid onto his face and neck. He and you locked eyes through the mirror’s reflection. You grinned at his and your red faces. “Ok ten minutes on the clock.”

Bucky’s eyes went wide. “Ten minutes?!”

Step 4, 5, and 6

“Toner, essence, and serum. Take this cotton pad, and squirt some toner onto there. Wipe your whole face.” Bucky followed your instructions, taking special care to avoid his eye area like you have repeatedly advised. You noticed his actions were more careful and calculated when cleansing his face with the toner. Initially, he massaged the cleansing balm onto his face similar to a child smearing paint on walls. As he relaxed into your occasional nighttime routine, you noticed his shoulders relaxing and his genuine interest growing. Small talk flowed freely between the two of you as time went on. He would smile whenever his words elicited laughs out of you, and a warm feeling in your chest would grow in response.

“Alright,” you tossed out your cotton pad. You opened a jar filled with white powder and took a small scoop out. You took Bucky’s hand into yours and placed the powder in the middle of his cupped palm. You took the bottle of essence and shook out a few drops onto the small pile of powder. You took some powder and essence into your palm as well before facing him. “This is vitamin c powder. You mix it in with the essence, and then…” You mixed the powder and liquid together and carefully spread the mixture on to your face. “You tap tap tap it into your face, neck, décolletage, and the back of your hand.” You lightly tapped the essence mixture into your skin, gazing at Bucky through the mirror in the meantime.

He followed your hands’ movements, and your eyes remained on his reflection. You noticed how his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down when your tapping hands made its way down your chest. “Bucky, you listening?” you teased. He snapped out of his trance and glanced up to meet your eyes. You raised your eyebrow and smirked knowingly. Bucky cleared his throat before tapping the mixture onto his skin. The warmth from your chest traveled up your neck, heating up at the growing tension between you two. Your eyes followed his movements, mesmerized by the curves and contours of his face and his collarbone peeking out from his Henley. The fluorescent bathroom lights cast dark shadows on his face when he looked up to tap the mixture onto his neck, the dark contours emphasizing the sharpness of his features. There was a nagging temptation to trace the contours of his face with your fingertips.

“Y/N.” You snapped out of your gaze to find Bucky’s hand waving in front of your face. He was grinning at you.

“Sorry. Got lost for a minute. Um…right…serum!”

Step 7

“Pick a mask already!” Bucky was sorting through the various foil packages, reading through the claimed benefits aloud, and taking his sweet time doing so.

“You said I have redness around my nose and dry skin, but I don’t even know what half of these things do.”

“Bucky, choose the aloe one.”

“Does it work for that?”

“I think so.”

“You don’t know?”

“Come on! This step takes 30 minutes.”

“30 minutes?!”

“Beauty takes time, Bucky!” He picked out the aloe mask and carefully peeled and unfolded the saturated mask. I did the same to mine, and we looked upward before placing the masks onto our faces. We turned around and took in each other’s appearances. Our faces were completely covered but the sheet mask, other than our eyes and mouth. A silence settled into the air before we burst out laughing. However, our faces’ movements were limited by the sheet masks, so our mouths were laughing, but the rest of our face couldn’t contort in response to the laughter for fear of displacing the mask. Our laughter slowly died down into giggles and chuckles. “Come on. Let’s go start a movie.” I took his hand and dragged him back to the living room.

Steps 8, 9, and 10 (…but not really)

The rest of the Avengers trickled into headquarters one-by-one, all of them being met with the image of Bucky and you watching a movie while wearing sheet masks. They quietly gathered in the kitchen, observing the two of you banter and laugh over exchanged stories, not paying attention to the growing group. You sat with your feet tucked under you, torso faced toward Bucky. Bucky, meanwhile, had his metal arm draped around the back of the couch, facing you. A small smile graced his lips, amused at your stories and appearance. The movie played in the background, forgotten, merely providing background noise.

The last ones to join the group were Steve and Tony. They looked around before finding the Avengers in the kitchen, quietly focusing on the couple in front of them. Steve and Tony sauntered over to the kitchen. Tony was about to speak when Natasha put a finger to her lip, shushing him, before cocking her head towards your direction. Tony and Steve turned to watch Bucky and you, still wrapped up in your own little world. Tony was the first to speak.

“So we having a little spa day?” Tony asked, walking over to the living room.

“Tony!” Your head turned to find the Avengers staring at you from the kitchen. “Join us!” Everyone slowly made their way to the living room, taking note of the neat piles of skincare products on the coffee table. “Anyone up for a face mask?” You heard the familiar rip of foil packaging from Tony, who took the liberty of opening up one of the face masks and placing it on his face. He sank down into the couch, face turned upward to prevent the mask from falling off his face. He let out a loud sigh of relief and allowed his body to slump in relaxation.

“Ohhhhh yeah. That’s the stuff.”

______________________________________

Taglist: @multifandomlife22

[chilling-seavey]

Blurb on 1900s teenage Christian!! Happy 3 months to my favourite WW1 novel Passchendaele!! ❤️ ~T

I miss Passchendaele 🤍 And I especially miss 1910s era Christian. Sweet boy deserved better than what he was served...

Christian was a very complex character to write, although we didn’t see much of who he was before the war in the novel. Daniel was right in the sense that meeting his brother on the battlefields was like meeting a stranger…he could hardly recognize him. Christian was a young man who steered clear of conflict at all times and honestly he wouldn’t have dreamt of hurting a fly. He was patient and gentle and caring and incredibly sweet; vastly different from the cold hard demeanor of his father, pushing him to be more of a man. Whatever that meant.

He worked in the church where his father was the pastor, often used to dust the books or sweep the floors between services. He was expected to become a pastor himself when he got a bit older, but Christian was not interested in that career at all.

Tucked in the inside breast pocket of his jacket was a thin novel and when he was finally left alone in the church to sweep – his father busy with other jobs in the back – Christian would slink down to the floor between the pews out of sight, squished between the old wood, and read a chapter or two. He was only twenty and his head was too far in the clouds to care about his father’s expectations.

“Christian!”

He shoved the novel back in his pocket before rushing to his feet again, broom in hand. His father was coming out of the back room, eyes narrowed.

“What were you doing?”

“Sweeping, Father.” Christian answered plainly, continuing on like he hadn’t taken a break between the pews.

“Well, hurry up. There is no time to dawdle, it’s already half three. Things need to be finished.”

“Yes, Father.” Christian said plainly.

Jobs weren’t as easy to complete with his father in the same room, watching his every move and critiquing his ever action and more often than not it felt like it would never end.

Suddenly, the church doors burst open and two pairs of boots came stomping loudly into the hall, paired with youthful laughter. Christian glanced up to his two younger siblings as they ran over to him.

“There’s a new family of ducks in the pond, Chris! A Mother and three little fluffy babies!” Anna squealed, jumping up on one of the pews in her muddy boots to be closer to his height.

“Anna Grace!” their father scolded, making her frown and hop loudly to the ground again.

“You have to come see them. They’re so cute and tiny!” Daniel added.

“I cannot leave.” Christian mumbled, eyeing their father across the room. “Father is already upset with me today about a million different things. If we want to be permitted to go to the theatre tonight, I need to stay.”

“Aw, come on.” Anna pleaded.

“Children, stop distracting your brother while he is working. Go back outside and play.” their father ordered.

Daniel and Anna looked from their father back to their older brother with mirrored frowns. Christian nodded towards the door to get them to leave but still offered a small smile, just enough that his dimples pressed into his cheeks. The youngest two shuffled back outside, shutting the church doors behind them.

“I expect you to mop up that mud.”

“Yes, Father.”

Christian was often left to lock up at the end of the day’s work, his father leaving earlier to do whatever he did between work and home. Christian didn’t bother to ever ask.

With the broom put away and the keys in hand, Christian made his way down the front steps of the church and farther into town. It was late afternoon bordering on early evening and shops were just starting to close. Thankfully, he made it just in time to the florist stand in the town square and picked out a small bouquet for his last two pence in his pocket.

Their house was a little ways out of town, built in a row of others with front gardens and slightly smaller backyards. They weren’t a rich family but they weren’t poor either and so they lived comfortably for the working class. Having a father as the pastor also meant townspeople and neighbours were extra willing to lend a helping hand with anything just to get on the good side of the Lord…or whatever they expected to have happen.

Christian let himself into their small foyer, twisting around to close the door behind him, the smell of supper cooking already wafting through the house from the kitchen.

“I’m home!” he called out.

“In the kitchen, darling!” his mother replied form the back of the house. “I got my hands in the gravy!”

Christian made his way down the narrow hallway, setting the keys on the front table by the door before heading into the kitchen. His mother was busy working away, her apron stained in sauces and ingredients from years of wear and her dark hair was tied back around her head with pins. She sent him a sweet smile and he kissed her cheek.

“How are you, Mama?”

“Just lovely, dear.” she said, turning down the stove a little to focus on him. “How was your day?”

“Fine. Made a quick stop on the way home.” Christian set his bag beside the table to pull the wrapped bouquet of daisies from behind his back.

His mother smiled at him and took the flowers in one hand to smell before setting her other against his face, “My perfect darling boy. What did I do to deserve you? Thank you.”

Christian only grinned at her as he watched her take the flowers to the sink and fill a vase with water to set them in.

“I’ll trim them up after supper.”

“It smells amazing, Mama.” Christian praised gently.

“I am trying a new recipe so I am hesitant but your words make me confident.”

“Everything you make is wonderful.”

“Now you are just buttering me up.” she chuckled.

“Mama, I had a question.” Christian asked hesitantly.

“There it is.” she shot him a teasing smile as she turned back to the stove.

“I wanted to take Daniel and Anna to the theatre tonight, at 8:00, if you will permit us to go.”

“Of course, darling boy. You know I love when you want to broaden your knowledge and the theatre is always a perfect place to do so. Now go outside and play with your brother and sister before supper and I’ll call you in to wash up.”

Christian beamed at the offer – his mother knew him too well – and he rushed out the back door into the yard. Daniel and Anna were sitting on the ground in the backyard, ripping up handfuls of grass and throwing it at each other.

“Christian!” Anna shrieked excitedly as he approached.

“Are you two ever not bickering?” Christian laughed, joining them on the lawn.

“Only when he’s stuffing his face with food!” Anna threw herself onto her middle brother, knocking him backwards onto the grass with a gasp and she shoved a handful of grass into his face.

“Anna Grace!” Christian gasped, grabbing her around the waist to drag her off of Daniel. “Father will have a fit if he sees you acting so improper.”

“Since when do you care about what’s proper?” Daniel chuckled.

“Christian’s perfectly proper.” Anna said. “Just doesn’t like sweeping the church every weekend.”

“God forbid.” Christian agreed, sitting himself down on the grass with his siblings.

“Did you ask Mother about the theatre?” Daniel asked.

“Yes. She permitted us to go, although I doubt Father knows.” Christian said. “We will get ready right after supper and then leave when he has his brandy and cigar in the parlor.”

“That’s when he naps.” Anna giggled.

“Exactly.” Christian squished her cheek lovingly.

“I ironed my trousers myself today in preparation.” Daniel smiled proudly.

“You ironed? Wow, Dani, you’re going to be a swell wife to some lucky man before you know it.” Christian teased.

“Shut up.” Daniel threw a handful of grass at him.

When their mother called them in for supper and they were washed up, they helped her set the table and the family got settled. With their father at the head, he began the conversation, something about an article in the newspaper from that morning as the family stayed quiet and listened politely. Christian glanced to his right where Daniel was sat, his leg bouncing restlessly as he pushed the peas around his plate with his fork.

Christian look up at his parents and, when they were distracted, nudged his brother and dropped his open hand just under the table edge. Daniel sent him a small smile and carefully rolled a few peas off the side of his plate and into his older brother’s hand until his serving was gone and Christian casually poured them onto his own plate and took his fork to them.

The brothers shared cheeky smiles as they continued eating without another word.

Sure enough, after supper, their father retired to the parlour with a fresh cigar and a glass of brandy, giving the three children time to scurry upstairs to get changed into their Sunday best. Their mother ushered them out the door with kisses and a few extra coins for snacks before closing the door behind them, their father already asleep in his chair.

It was already dark by 7:30 but, left alone and free from their parents, the three siblings took off down the calm street, shouting with excitement and talking loudly about what show they were going to see. Daniel had received a pair of Christian’s old dress shoes as a hand-me-down and they were still a bit big so he kept tripping over his feet on the way, having to nearly cling onto his brother to keep himself standing as Anna rushed ahead of them to set the pace.

“First thing I’m gong to do when I become a well-paid playwright is buy you a pair of shoes of your very own.” Christian chuckled, pulling his fourteen-year-old brother along with an arm around his back.

“And a dress for me! You said you’d buy me a dress.” Anna spun around to face them.

“After Daniel’s shoes.” Christian said, catching Daniel as he tripped again and nearly fell on his face.

The theatre was busy when they arrived and Christian paid for their tickets at the door. The show that night was A Midsummers Night Dream and Christian was excited to see another Shakespeare play; they were always his favourites, and he brought his copy of the play with him to the theatre. They couldn’t afford close seats but the balcony seats allowed for a good view of the entire stage. Anna was on the edge of her seat the entire time, mostly in awe by the costumes and fairy tale aspect of it, while Daniel kept glancing at Christian to try and mirror his thinking face, clearly understanding more of the plot than he was.

It was almost 11pm when they arrived back home and the siblings walked quietly inside to avoid waking their parents. But they were already awake and waiting up in the parlour for their arrival. Their mother sent them a sympathetic glance as she herded the younger two upstairs for bed.

Daniel looked back at Christian as he ascended the stairs and Christian could barely muster a half smile in return. They both knew what was coming. It happened almost every time.

Christian met his father in the parlour, the fireplace still on and his face still set in a scowl. He stood in front of him, holding his book behind his back with both hands, waiting for his father to make the first move.

“Your mother said you were at the theatre again tonight.” his father spoke lowly.

“Yes. I took Daniel and Anna to see A Midsummers-“

“I do not care what you saw. I told you not to waste your time going to watch absurd acts of circus.”

“Father, with all due respect, it is literature. Going to see plays live only allows you to broaden your language and grasp a better understanding of-“

His father stood up from his chair, speaking loudly through the small parlour, “You are my son and I expect you to take on proper responsibilities that any man should. You are not permitted to meander about acting like a woman and dressing up to go see a show.”

Christian clenched his jaw and kept his eyes on the carpet.

“You are wasting valuable working time on something so trivial! Always with your damn nose in a storybook! You are expected to take on the family name and support your wife and children and reading and jumping around a stage like a sissy has no beneficial impacts to making a living!”

“You still have Daniel-“

“You are my eldest son!” their father boomed. “You are to follow in my footsteps and carry on the family legacy. How dare you drag your brother along to try and sway his personal values away from his own blossoming future? You are an utter disappointment to myself and your mother! Stop trying to give your brother the same fate! We have raised you to be responsible and have a sliver of compassion for all that we’ve done for you!”

Christian had many rebuttals he could have said but he stayed silent, never wanting to add fuel to the fire. He simply stood with his hands behind his back, fingernails digging into the cover of the book in his hand, and stared at the carpet.

“All you can do is purposely go against everything I ask of you! Dammit, Christian, you need to get your head out of the clouds and start acting like a man! How I wish there was a way for you to be straightened out with proper discipline. Look at me when I am speaking to you!”

Christian raised his head from the ground to stare back at his father, the two men about the same height as Christian had just turned twenty. His father’s dark blue eyes stared angrily into his own, his full cheeks red with emotion and the probable more than one brandy he had after supper.

“I expect all your books to be on the floor here by tomorrow morning and you will watch me burn each of them while you think about what you have put us through.” his father pointed to the rug in front of the fireplace.

Christian physically bit his tongue, feeling tears welling in his eyes and he swallowed them back the best he could. But the tears were shimmering over his blue eyes in the firelight and his father saw it.

“Are you crying?”

Christian took a breath and shook his head.

“No son of mine cries. Seavey men are not weak.” his father stood right in front of him, a finger pressed into his chest and his hot breath felt against his face, “Look what these ridiculous books are teaching you; that crying is okay. Shameful. Man up, Christian John. Pull yourself together, stop acting like a damn woman.”

There was a beat of heavy silence. His father glanced down at his hands behind his back and then back up at his son’s face. He grabbed his arm and tugged his hand around to reveal the book in his hand. Christian held tightly onto it the best he could in one hand, clutching it until his knuckles turned white as his father tried to pry it out of his hand. A few of the pages ripped as it was torn from his hand and Christian whimpered softly as his father tossed it into the fireplace, the flame engulfing the book right away and it flickered manically in front of Christian’s shimmering eyes. He didn’t put up a fight as he father snatched the torn few pages from his hand and tossed them in the fire again.

“Get yourself upstairs to bed and I do not want to see you tomorrow until you have fixed yourself. I want to look at my son tomorrow morning, not whatever the hell this is standing in front of me right now.”

Christian was shoved by the shoulder towards the stairs and he rushed up them two at a time, passing Daniel at the top who was sitting by the railing and listening to the argument. Christian didn’t even look at his brother as he fought back his tears and slammed their shared bedroom door behind him.

[jornthur]

“Unshaken” Chapter 8

Originally posted: April 11, 2020

Arthur Morgan x Reader, Slow-Burn Romance

Summary: You save a mysterious man who is dying on a mountain. Finding out he has Tuberculosis, you use your knowledge and skills with herbs and natural remedies to save him from death and help nurse him back to health. As he slowly starts to recover, you can’t help but wonder: Who is this man? Why had you found him the way that you did, beaten and ill? Only time, patience … and perhaps love … will tell.

•••••

The food was absolutely delicious.

Fried Muskie, with diced potatoes that you had grown in your garden and thick creamy butter that you’d made from the goats’ milk. You cut another piece out of the fish and placed the meat on your tongue, nearly moaning at the taste. “This is so tasty, Austin!” You said cheerfully as you looked across the table at him.

He smiled at your compliment. “Y’all are the ones that caught the fish, I only cooked them. Not to mention you’re the one who spiced them with those herbs of yours,” he said with a teasing grin, lifting one of his brows in amusement.

It was true, you thought with a smile. Some of the herbs you grew in your garden were not just for medicinal means, but also for adding different tastes. Sage was definitely one of your favorites.

The air was silent as the three of you sat at the kitchen table, the sound of utensils on plates creating the only noise in the cabin for several minutes. You couldn’t help but occasionally look over at Arthur to observe him, studying how he ate. For such an intimidating and large man, he seemed to have delicate manners when it came to eating, wiping his mouth with the napkin whenever he made the smallest of messes. You weren’t sure, but you thought you could see him giving your brother a hairy look from time to time. There was no doubt in your mind what it was for.

Arthur’s passive aggressive glaring at your brother for his earlier interruption was kind of adorable, you thought honestly. You knew he’d been about to kiss you again back in the stables, but Austin had called out to you from the cabin just before his lips had touched yours.

You blushed as you thought about the fact that you actually would have let him kiss you again … that you’d really wanted him to kiss you again. This man you were just getting to know, a man with a mysterious nature and past. A man who was … in all honesty … truly beautiful.

As he was distracted with dinner, you decided to allow yourself to study his features, to take every detail in that you possibly could. His skin was weathered, tanned, scarred in some of the areas that you could see, especially two thick scars that were plainly visible on his chin, preventing any stubble from growing there.

That chestnut-brown hair that swept over his temples looked so soft, as if the strands would feel as silky as flower petals if you ran your fingers through them. His brows were thick, slightly darker than his hair. His short brown beard on his square jaw was scruffy, and you remembered how rough it had felt for that brief moment against your skin. And dammit, those eyes of his … they truly looked like two unique gems, as if emeralds and sapphires had decided to merge and become two multicolored green-and-blue diamonds.

How could any man possess so many gorgeous features at once?

Then finally … those lips, looking so pink and lush like the pink carnation flower. Truly, they looked as soft as one, too. But they had been rough, the feeling of their texture and warmth coming back into your mind. You found yourself suddenly wondering what they would feel like in other places as well …

You shook your head mentally — hard. Why on Earth were you thinking this way about a man you were trying to help recover from a disease that had nearly claimed his life not more than a month ago? You felt ashamed, embarrassed that you would dare have any sort of intimate thoughts about your own patient. Well, not a patient, really, but he might as well be one since you were treating his health. Of course, he’d been the one to kiss you, and … and you had wanted it, but — it wasn’t right. Arthur’s health needed to come first, not your desires.

“So, Arthur,” Austin’s voice interrupted your thoughts, bringing you back into reality. You looked over to see that both Arthur and Austin had actually finished their meals, while you were still only halfway done. How long had you been daydreaming?

Arthur turned his gaze to look at Austin, his deep drawl a soft rumble, “Yeah, feller?”

Austin set his utensils down on the table, reaching out for the napkin to wipe it across his own mouth and chin. He set it down and took a deep breath, as if he were bracing himself for what he was about to say next. After a few moments he finally met Arthur’s gaze, “I know I mentioned this earlier, but I was wonderin’ … if you could take me hunting tomorrow mornin’? Show me how to track and kill game properly? I thought the sooner we could start, the better.” He looked back down at his empty plate, as if he were nervous about Arthur’s answer. He was scratching his cheek again, that gesture he made every single time he was nervous.

You knew what was going through Austin’s mind. For the past month your brother had been nothing but a dumbass, in all honesty. Showing no manners or respect for the man in any form whatsoever. You knew he had his own reasons, but to you they were more like excuses. Arthur hadn’t deserved to be treated by Austin the way he had. Not in the least bit. Even though Arthur had offered the favor earlier, Austin still seemed hesitant to be asking him about it.

Then abruptly you absorbed his words and their meaning. “Absolutely not, Austin!” You said firmly before Arthur could say anything, placing your utensils down hard. You couldn’t help it, but you felt a little bit of anger sweep through you. Arthur was still sick, his body still fighting off the remaining bacteria that was left in his body. There was absolutely no way you were going to let him go out there in the wilderness where there were unknown dangers. Out there, he was at so much risk of getting hurt. What if he got attacked by a wild creature? What if he slipped and fell off a cliff? What if he drowned? What if he got himself cut on a branch? What if —

You paused, realizing that some of your worries were actually getting rather ridiculous. But … still … you found yourself deeply concerned for his safety. Since his body was still medicated, it wouldn’t be able to handle much adrenaline. God forbid, what if they ran into something like a grizzly bear on their hunting trip? Any wounds a wild creature could inflict on Arthur could possibly hurt his chances of recovering fully. He needed every ounce of strength, every drop of blood he possessed if he was going to heal fully.

Austin looked over at you, a stunned expression on his face from your sharp reaction. Even Arthur turned his head to meet your furious eyes.

“Arthur needs rest, alright? That’s all I want him to worry about, you’re just goin’ to have to make do with what you know for the next few months, alright?” You shook your head, lowering your eyes to your half-finished plate. “I mean, you’ve been huntin’ on your own for three years, what’s a few more months?” You took several more bites to keep from saying something you might regret.

“Y/N, it’s nearing the end of September now … it’ll be winter before he’s even fully recovered. I thought that maybe the sooner I can get better at huntin’, the sooner and quicker I can be with catchin’ what we need to stock up for the winter season.”

Shaking your head again, you lifted your gaze to look him straight in the eyes, letting him know exactly how upset you were. “Austin, if he goes out there and gets hurt, it’s going to effect how his body will heal.”

“Y/N,” Your brother’s voice lowered in tone, as if he were trying to push some sort of reason onto you, “I just want him to teach me how to track. I swear we won’t do anything more than that.”

Arthur intervened before you could answer. “Guess I’m up for that,” he said as he lifted his shoulders in a single shrug, scratching at his jaw with the back of his thumb, “would be a welcome change to get out of this cabin for awhile, get a lay of the land.”

Your eyes widened at his response and you jerked your head in his direction, shooting him a glare. “Arthur! I need you to stay here and rest!” You weren’t yelling at him yet, but dammit, you were about to if they both kept acting like idiots with this stupid idea. Didn’t they realize how risky this was?

“Dammit, woman, I’ll be fine,” Arthur groaned with a sigh of exasperation, his face already looking exhausted as if he didn’t want to argue, “I’ve been cooped up here for too damn long, anyway. It’s ’bout time I head out there and see some of the world again.” He reached an arm up and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing some of it back from his face. “I’ll tell you what, darlin’, if we promise to keep to just trackin’, will you let me leave then?” His blue eyes lifted to yours at his question, waiting for your answer.

After he shot a glare at Arthur for calling you that endearment again, Austin turned to look at you with hope in his eyes, no doubt waiting for a yes as well.

You lowered your head, using your fork to play with the food left on your plate. Arguing with your brother was one thing, but even Arthur wanted to get out of here, you thought worriedly. But truly, could you actually blame him? He’d been stuck here for weeks, barely seeing what was outside the walls of this cabin. It would probably be good for him to get out there for a while.

‘Get a lay of the land,’ as he put it.

The only problem that kept you from wanting to accept his wish, however, was the fact that you knew his body wouldn’t be able to handle any danger they might come across. Adrenaline was a terrible thing on a weak body, and stress could negatively effect any sort of healing process an animal body was going through, so why would a human body be any different? If anything terrible happened, if he ended up having to defend himself from a wild attack, his body and muscles could actually have major problems. What medicine and herbs were running through his system would get his heart and blood pumping too fast, risking any number of things.

But even with all your concerns, you knew that no matter what you said, Arthur would still probably not listen, so why not just give him the freedom he wanted? It was better than denying it from him, especially if he was going to take it anyway. You knew that he was just that kind of man, that no one could truly keep him from doing what he wanted to do, no matter who they were.

You were extremely worried though, so you were going to try and strike a deal with them. You let out a deep breath, raising your gaze back up to meet both men. “I’ll make a deal with you.”

They both looked at you expectantly.

“As long as you don’t travel too far. No more than two miles, you hear me? And keep close to the trails. If I somehow find out that you travelled off of them, I will poison you with my herbs myself, Austin. Do you hear me?” Your tone was completely stoic, demanding absolutely no nonsense. Of course you would never actually kill you older brother, but Arthur’s safety was your top priority. And if anything ended up happening to him under your brother’s watch? You would definitely make sure that Austin would live to regret it. “And there will be absolutely no hunting. I’ll let you take your gun with you for defense, but don’t you dare think about huntin’ any large game, you hear me? Tracking only.”

Austin’s face positively glowed, completely unfazed by your threatening tone. “Thank you so much, sis. I swear to you we will do everything you ask.”

“Which is … ?” You wanted to clarify that your brother memorized and knew everything you’d asked of him to do.

“No more than two miles, stick to the trails, no huntin’ allowed, trackin’ only.” He listed them off with his fingers, lifting them up one by one with each demand. Arthur smiled in amusement, as if he were entertained by the minor quarrel the two of you were having.

You nodded then stood up, clearing the dishes off of the table and sticking everything in the sink. “Arthur,” you said as you turned the faucet on to begin washing the plates. “After I’m done here, I need you ready for another check-up, alright?”

Arthur sighed roughly as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, “You sure I need another so soon?” He asked, looking over at you with a playful but annoyed look in his eyes as he lifted a single dark brow, his voice carrying slight indignation in his tone. “I feel fine, woman. Also I’m gettin’ pretty sick of those things.”

“Yes, and you will get sick — even more so — if you don’t let me do them.” You kept your response firm, authoritative. He needed to know that you weren’t going to take any more crap from either of them, especially tonight. You had just agreed to let Austin take Arthur out of the cabin and far out into the wilderness, where possible dangers lurked. No amount of words or promises was ever going to comfort you for the rest of the night, not until they returned home safe and sound from their trip tomorrow. “So, if you’d be so kind,” you said sweetly, rather with some venom to go with that sugar, “I would greatly appreciate it if you would go into the sitting room and get yourself comfortable.” You pointed toward the door to the sitting room with the large knife you were holding, shooting sharp darts at him with your gaze.

He grinned at your response, obviously entertained by the big-boss-lady you had turned into. He held his hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright. Dammit, darlin’,” he said, standing up from his chair.

Austin glared up at him, “I thought I told you to stop callin’ my sister that, cowpoke.”

Arthur looked down at him, his large stature giving off nothing but threatening intimidation. “Now you need to shut that damn mouth of yours unless you want to lose them teeth, son.” He growled, and Austin’s eyes widened, a hint of fear showing in them. But Arthur just grinned and patted Austin’s shoulder hard with an open palm. “I’m just needlin’ ya, boah. I know you’re just protectin’ your sister.” He tucked a hand on his belt as he made his way into the sitting room, mindfully closing the door behind him.

Austin looked back at you, giving you a weird smile. “You know, Y/N, in all honesty, that man looks more and more dangerous with each passin’ day.”

“And yet you’re goin’ on a huntin’ trip with him tomorrow,” you teased, unable to let out a small laugh as you finished up washing the last utensil and placed it on the drying rack. “A little one-on-one time with the big, dangerous man. Lucky you.” You turned to face him, propping your hip against the counter of the sink as you crossed you arms, narrowing your eyes at your brother. “Now don’t you dare think that I’m in the least bit happy about this.”

His smile lowered, turning into a frown, “I know you’re not, Y/N. But we need to start thinking about this. Autumn is nearly here, and then it’s going to be winter. It will be much harder to hunt during that time. We both know it, we’ve been through it before, and now that there’s three of us, well — ” He reached around his head and rubbed at the back of his neck. “I need to start stocking up what I can find. Plus, if Arthur starts showin’ me how to track early on, it might give me a better chance of huntin’ in the winter time.” He lowered his eyes for a second, then raised them back up at you after a few moments, “Arthur’s probably not going to stay with us forever, you know.”

Those last words slammed into your heart like a bag of bricks, slashing through your chest like a hundred daggers. Even though you knew your brother was right, you didn’t like to think about that inevitable fact.

You didn’t want to think about Arthur leaving, and truly that thought surprised you … this man you barely knew, who’d been living with you for less than a month … and you already couldn’t bear the thought of him being gone.

But eventually, once Arthur was fully recovered, you were certain he was going to leave. As far as you knew, he had never mentioned anything about permanently staying after he was better. The thought of him no longer being here actually scared you, and you shook your head hard. “I know what you’re saying, Austin, I just want him to be safe.”

Your brother nodded, and he stood up slowly, making his way around the table to walk over to you and pull you into a hug. “I understand what you’re feeling, Y/N. I promise you, we’ll stick to the trails, and we won’t do anything stupid, alright?”

You nodded against his chest, accepting his warm embrace as you wrapped your arms around him to return the hug. “Thank you, Austin. I’m sorry, I’m just very worried for him.”

“I know.”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Arthur sat on the large couch, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, watching the flames in the fireplace as they licked greedily at the firewood, all the while waiting for Y/N to come in and start another check-up on him. He looked down at his inner arm, noting all the tiny holes that had healed where she kept sticking those damn needles in. Dammit, his Tuberculosis was going to leave scars on him in more ways than one. There was no doubt about that, he thought with a sigh.

But of course, he’d rather have scars than be dead, he thought. Though, if he were completely sincere with himself, he would somewhat actually prefer death over some of them … such as his memories. He couldn’t bear to think about all he’d lost, the pain of emptiness like an aching black hole in his heart.

Arthur knew that he eventually had to decide what he was going to do with his life once he was fully recovered, now that there was no longer anything or anyone to go back to.

He’d thought several times about staying here with Y/N and Austin, at least for a little while. He knew he needed to repay them for all they’d done for him in what ever way he could, but there was no way he would allow himself to stay permanently. He refused to become a burden on them. He wasn’t going to let himself take advantage of their hospitality after his body was completely healed. Hell, he felt like a useless idiot even now.

Arthur closed his eyes in a sigh, thinking back to that mountain again, doing his best to remember every single thing that had happened. He recalled sending John away before facing off with Micah and Dutch. He remembered Dutch turning his back on him despite the years of service and loyalty that Arthur had given him. After that, all he could remember was trying to crawl, dragging his body across the hard and cold ground until it had completely given out, his muscles shutting down as he’d felt his heart start to slow, his breath becoming more and more shallow as he’d collapsed … turning his face to watch the sun just as it had begun to peak over the horizon.

All he could remember after that was a peculiar taste on his tongue, and the feeling of being lifted into the air. The next time he’d opened his eyes, he could barely make out the face of a woman sitting by his side, and they’d engaged in some kind of conversation before he had passed out again.

This was all so strange, he thought. He was supposed to be dead, and he damn well knew it.

Yet it was absolutely undeniable; this woman had saved his life, and he was still here. Arthur ran a hand across his face, rubbing at his forehead. What the hell was he ever going to do now, he still wondered.

Suddenly he thought of John again, and about the dreams he’d been having of late. Was there some sort of meaning to them that he wasn’t able to pick up on? Why were the dreams always of a deer? What the hell was going on in his mind that he somehow wasn’t aware of?

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the kitchen door opened, Austin and Y/N walking through. The man nodded at him as he walked by, heading down the hallway to his bedroom and shutting the door behind him. Arthur looked over at Y/N, reading her somber expression as she walked over to gather supplies from her desk. What the hell had gone down between them, he asked himself. She looked sad for some reason, and he wanted to find out why.

She came over to him and placed the tray of supplies on the nightstand, sitting on the couch next to him. “Alright, Arthur, it’s time,” she said, her voice sounding soft and patient, not matching her sad expression in the least bit.

Arthur turned his upper body to face her as she put on the stethoscope and started running the disk over his chest. “You okay?” He asked, curious as to what might’ve transpired to put her in the mood she was in now. Of course he’d left the room when she’d been slightly upset. But this seemed different, as if she’d been told some sort of terrible news. What, though? He turned to gaze down the hall. Had her brother done or said something to hurt her? Just the possibility alone started to boil his blood. “Austin didn’t do somethin’ to hurt you, did he?”

She snapped her head up to meet his gaze, surprise in her eyes and in her voice, “Of course not, Arthur. Why would you think that?”

He lowered his eyes to watch her move the disk around his chest. “I don’t know, you just seem — ” He shrugged, “Ah, never mind.”

She lifted her lips in a small smile, “Well, thank you for your concern, but I’m fine. Austin didn’t do anything, so don’t you worry, alright? Now take some deep breaths for me, you know how it goes.”

Arthur felt his lips stretch into an amused grin as he did as she asked, taking in as much air as he could into his lungs before letting it back out. He wasn’t sure he entirely believed her, but he would leave it alone for now, unless she decided to speak about it any further at some point.

“So,” she said as she pulled the disk away, taking off the stethoscope and placing it back on the tray. “Arthur, your heart and lungs are sounding really good. I’m very proud of how well your body has responded to the treatments.” She looked back at him as she held up an empty hypodermic needle for him to see. “Now we’re going to try something a little different tonight — I need to take some of your blood.”

Arthur’s heart skipped at those words. This was definitely new. What the hell did she need to draw his blood for?

As if Y/N had read his mind, she added, “Once I get some of your blood, I can analyze it with my microscope to see how much Tuberculosis bacteria is still left in your body. This procedure is what I use in order to tell how an animal is doing during its healing process … it should be about the same for a human.” She looked away when she said that last part.

Was that a hint of nervousness he’d detected in her tone?

“Well … ,” Arthur studied her features for a bit before he finally decided to give in, resting his arm on his thigh palm-up. “Have at it, then, honey.”

He trusted her. She’d never given him any reason not to.

She smiled at him gratefully, before she leaned over and disinfected the area on his skin with pure alcohol, wiping it clean with a fresh cloth.

Bringing the tip of the needle over his skin, she prodded around with her finger until she found his thick vein, and then pushed the point in. Arthur flinched, grimacing and releasing a deep grunt as she pulled back the plunger, slowly drawing his blood into the tiny glass barrel.

After several seconds passed, she finally pulled the needle out and pushed the cloth against the small fresh wound she’d left behind to keep any more blood from escaping. “Could you hold that in place for me, please?” She asked him.

Arthur obliged her, pushing the thing down hard with his other hand. She gave a nod of appreciation and stood up, bringing the vial that was now filled with his blood over to the large metal microscope on her desk. She dispensed the blood into some kind of glass tray before placing it underneath the lens, looking through the scope. He watched as she played around with his blood using a small metal tool, stirring it around.

He found himself extremely curious with her actions. “Just what are you doin’ there?” Arthur asked.

She didn’t answer, appearing to be lost in some kind of deep thought. Her expressions changed as moments passed by, as if she were thinking really hard about whatever she was seeing. Once she was finished, she stepped back and took everything over to the sink to to clean and disinfect them. Completing that task, she washed her hands and walked back over to him. “Well, Arthur,” she said as she sat back down next to him, she turned her gaze to his as she spoke the next words. “I do still see a little bit of bacteria left in your blood, but I expected that, so it’s no surprise. What’s still there appears to be dying off, they looked very weak, but it’ll be at least another couple of months before everything is all cleared up … I would really rather you stay here tomorrow, but I’ll leave that up to you.” She raised a hand to rub at her shoulder, as if she were trying to hold herself back from adding anymore onto that last statement.

Arthur looked at her, baffled. “You could see it in my blood?” He couldn’t help the gravel in his voice from the surprise he felt.

Y/N nodded, “Of course, microscopes are incredibly helpful when it comes to seeing what our naked eyes can’t.”

Arthur found himself unable to say anything so he just nodded, feeling like a complete dumbass sitting next to a woman that kept managing to surprise him. Truly, she was too damn smart for her own good, he thought, unable to even begin to understand her way of thinking and how she saw the world.

After a long silent moment passed between them, Y/N reached back over to the tray and held that familiar pot out to him again, but this time she didn’t meet his gaze as he took it from her hand.

“More honey, huh?” Arthur couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, lifting the lid and grabbing the spoon from the jar. She didn’t say anything as he began taking the sweet substance into his mouth. Apparently honey was truly one of nature’s strongest natural remedies for treating Tuberculosis, who the hell knew?

As he focused on the taste, he found himself thinking about something else that was just as sweet, something else he would like to taste. Someone else. A certain kind of other honey. Arthur lowered his eyes to stare down at Y/N’s lips as he swallowed, studying how luscious they looked, thinking again about how soft they’d felt against his own.

Dammit, what the hell was wrong with him? He squeezed his eyes shut, his brows tightening. He barely knew this woman, so why did he find himself so drawn to her? Because she’d saved his life? Because she was helping to cure him of a deadly disease? Because she was possibly the smartest person he’d ever met? … Because she was absolutely beautiful … ? … Because she’d shown him more tenderness and care than anyone else ever had in a long time … ? He lifted his lids to look at her again, and she blushed. She must’ve read his expression, and he wondered what his face looked like to bring out that reaction in her.

Suddenly she cleared her throat, standing up from the couch. “Um — I have something for you.” She left the sitting room and disappeared down the hallway, leaving him alone to feel like a complete idiot. Of course he’d scared her off, he thought, completely unsurprised and wanting to punch himself in the face for doing so.

A minute later she came back with some kind of large dark red cloth in her hands. “I meant to give this to you sooner, but I wasn’t sure you wanted them since you already had the other pair.” She came over and held it out to him. Arthur took it and spread out the soft cloth to see that it was a dark red union suit. He lifted his gaze up to hers, giving her a questioning look, “You’re givin’ this to me?”

She lifted a finger to her hair to twirl around in her strands, as if she were nervous, “Well, I placed an order in the catalog for my brother before we moved up here, but when it came in it was too big for him. He didn’t mind though, said he really appreciated the thought but he wasn’t really of fan of red, anyways. Of course I ordered him another one after that, that one ended up suiting him perfectly and it was his favorite color: dark blue.” She let out a small giggle and gestured at the union suit. “This should fit you just fine. Neither of us have any use for it, so I want you to have it.”

She looked nervous, like she was waiting for him to turn it down. But he wasn’t going to do that. “Well, thanks for the gift, Y/N,” he said as he gave her a grateful smile, folding the cloth up and placing it on his lap. “I think red’s a great color,” He patted the cloth, “looks good on just about anythin’, if you ask me.”

She let out a small laugh, which lifted his spirits. Her laugh was truly one of a kind, a sweet little jingle that heated his blood. “I’ll go ahead and take your clothes for you after you’ve put it on, I’m planning on doin’ laundry tonight anyways.”

Arthur squinted at her, “Need any help with that, honey?”

She blushed slightly, turning her eyes away. Arthur knew he was never going to get tired of calling her that, if only to see that same adorable reaction every time. “No, thank you. It’s not a hassle, really. It allows me some time to think. Just leave your clothes sitting outside and I’ll see to them.” She fiddled with the collar of her blouse, then said sweetly, “Well, anyway, you have a good night, Arthur.” She looked at him then, and her eyes glowed as those lips lifted into another beautiful smile.

Damn, he wanted so badly to kiss her again, he thought, he wanted to taste those lips of hers once more. But before he could think to make any sort of move, she turned away and made her way back towards the kitchen.

Arthur watched as she shut the door softly behind her, leaving him alone on the large couch.

He looked down at the soft red fabric she’d just gifted him with. Running his hand across it, he noted how silky and smooth the texture felt underneath his fingers. There was no doubt in his mind that this cloth had definitely cost a pretty penny. So she had ordered this before she’d moved up here?

Arthur remembered her talking about having grown up on a plantation, and he found himself wondering where exactly she was truly from. Who was she really, he thought. Did she actually come from a family of wealth? If so, what exactly happened that made her want to leave? He recalled her saying something about ‘not wanting to stay cooped up’ there. But that couldn’t be all there was to it, so what was the true reason? He couldn’t fathom why anyone would want to give up a life of luxury to live out in the damn woods …

If anything, Arthur thought, she was just as mysterious to him as he no doubt was to her.

Later that night

Arthur found himself standing in the middle of a heavy fog, unable to see anything past the thick haze surrounding him. He looked around, but there was absolutely nothing. No sound, no voices, just complete silence. Where the hell was he now?

Suddenly the sound of a stick snapping resonated in the distance, and Arthur jerked his head in the direction he’d heard it from. But nothing seemed to give itself away, and he started to feel his agitation grow. “Who’s out there?” He shouted, swiping violently at the thick mist with his arms, trying to take a few steps forward as he did so.

A wet drop landed on his cheek, and Arthur looked up. It was starting to snow, the frozen drops beginning to fall slowly from the sky around him, and the ground beneath him quickly began to get covered in a thick blanket. What in the damn hell was going on? He squinted, trying his best to see anything, anything at all, but he could see nothing but the color white. White fog, white ground, white snow, white sky. Why was there so much damn white?

Feeling nearly helpless, though he hated to think of himself in that term, Arthur began to walk forward, taking one slow step at a time. He wasn’t sure what he would walk into, or hell, there was probably a large cliff up ahead for all he knew, but he couldn’t stay here. He continued swiping at the fog in an effort to clear up a small path in front of him, but the effort did nothing to help clear his vision what so damn ever.

Time seemed to pause, and Arthur kept moving, feeling the snow land on his shoulders and hair as he continued through the fog.

Arthur stopped, spotting a dark shadow in the distance. From what he could barely make out, it looked like a creature of some kind … the deer again? He moved closer, crouching low to the ground in hopes of not spooking it as he slowly began to approach. As the distance grew shorter, the fog began clearing up, and Arthur suddenly found himself mesmerized.

Not a deer.

It was a wolf.

The dark creature had long, greasy black fur, and Arthur couldn’t see its face as it wandered over the peak of a tall hill off in the distance, sniffing at the cold ground as if it were searching for something. The wolf didn’t seem to notice him, but Arthur could sense some sort of strange feeling coming from the creature, as if it was lost or afraid, or maybe both. It even looked like it was ready to attack anyone that came near it to defend itself.

He took another step towards it, somehow feeling drawn to its presence. Despite not making a sound, the wolf’s head jerked up and looked in his direction, and Arthur stilled, his heart feeling like it had suddenly stopped beating in his chest.

Two large scars ran across the right side of the wolf’s face … its eyes — they were completely white, as if it was blind?

Could it see anything?

The wolf growled, baring its sharp teeth in his direction. Arthur raised his hands up, an attempt to try and tell the creature that he meant no harm — even though he had no clue why doing so was his first thought.

The dark creature crept backwards, withdrawing slowly as if it were afraid of him, but shouldn’t it be the other way around?

Arthur somehow felt compelled to approach, and he tried to move forward in an effort to get closer.

The wolf sprinted, turning its tail away as it fled from him.

“Wait!” Arthur called out, and suddenly he was able to run, drifting quickly through the heavy snow and fog so he didn’t lose sight of the black wolf. He had no idea why he was chasing after it, but hell, there was nothing else here! And those scars …

As he ran through the fog, tall trees began to appear. One to his left, two to his right, until he was running through a dense snow-covered forest.

Arthur stopped in his tracks, trying to catch his breath. There was a sudden sharp pain in his lungs, and he felt like he could barely breathe. He looked around as he panted, and he saw the wolf standing not too far off.

It had stopped. Its ears were perked up, and it appeared as though it had spotted something.

Arthur squinted in the direction it was looking … and there he saw the deer.

The large animal was grazing at a small patch of green grass, the only color in this world of black and white, as if it was the only source of life here. Arthur looked back over at the wolf, and he noticed that it suddenly looked hungry.

His eyes widened and he tried to move forward, somehow compelled to stop the impending attack.

But that’s not what happened.

No.

The deer lifted its head from the grass and looked over at the wolf, as if it had known all along that the feral beast was nearby.

Arthur noticed it instantly — the deer had his own eyes again. That familiar reflection of blue adding color to the land devoid of any other next to the green grass. It was almost as if it represented something, but for what? The deer? The wolf?

The wolf and deer seemed to take each other in.

Long moments passed, and Arthur couldn’t move, his body caught in some kind of invisible hold.

The black wolf began to creep forward, and the deer actually took a step in the predator’s direction. Both of the animals seemed to hesitate at first, but as they drew closer to each other, some kind of bond began to form.

The deer leaned forward as the wolf reached out, each of their noses nearly touching as they stared at one another, cloudy eyes meeting blue.

Silence.

Both of the creatures seemed at peace, as if they understood each other in some kind of mysterious way. The deer lifted its head away and began walking in no particular direction, merely meandering as the wolf decided to follow.

Arthur felt his body suddenly start to become air, as if he were being lifted into some kind of haze as he watched the unlikely pair saunter side by side through the trees.

What happened next, Arthur couldn’t explain.

A sharp gunshot sounded out, followed by a loud thunderous noise that echoed through the sky like a storm. Both of the animals jerked their heads, as if they had no clue where the ominous sounds had come from. The deer nudged the wolf’s neck and began to run, the wolf following close behind. Arthur felt himself being carried with them, an invisible aura able to do nothing but spectate what played out before him.

The two ran for days, it felt like. Weeks, months, years … What was only just a short time felt as though it stretched on forever, and they just kept on running, continuing to dodge whichever direction the repeating gunshots were coming from. Faster and faster they ran together, until the land around them was nothing but a white and gray blur.

That gray blur suddenly became green, and the sky turned from white to blue. Soon after the deer and the wolf suddenly ran into a clearing of open grassy fields, the land beyond completely covered in lush greenery and flora. They ran until both of them reached a cliff.

The wolf stopped right on the edge, but the deer leapt over it and into the air, suddenly fading away, disappearing abruptly from the wolf’s side into a glimmering gold mist.

The black wolf was left alone to stand over the tall cliff, looking down on what lied before him. Arthur looked over the landscape, taking in what the wolf saw.

It was some kind of ranch, a place that somehow felt welcoming and safe … he looked over at the wolf and saw them then and there.

John’s clear brown eyes.

•••••

— To Be Continued

[amythedvdhoarder]

Protection - Part 7

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Summary: Steve has been taken. Bucky wants to keep you safe but he needs to get his best friend back. Can he do both?

Warnings: Angst and fluff

Word count: 2.6K

Author’s note: Gif not mine. The story continues. Thanks to all of you who are reading this. I am really loving writing fanfics. If anyone wants to be added to the taglist let me know. If you have any requests then send me an ask!

series masterlist

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You tapped your fingers nervously on the table in front of you. Tony was pacing around the front of the briefing room waiting for Nat and Sam to get there. Bucky, moved his hand over yours stopping your tapping instantly. He gave your hand a gently squeeze and turned slowly to face him. Despite his calm exterior you could see some anxiety in his eyes. “Do you think this about Steve and Zemo?” you asked him quietly. He nodded. Steve had gone to Poland following some intel they had received about a possible sighting of Zemo. Generally speaking these things took max 24 hours. Steve had been gone over 48 hours now. All of you knew missions didn’t always go to plan but Steve normally would have checked in with Bucky by now, or if things were really going south then he would have called them team. You rested your head on Bucky’s shoulders and closed your eyes in thought.

Sam and Nat came through the door shattering the quiet around you. Tony stopped pacing and looked out at the four faces in front of him. He explained the situation quickly. Steve was missing, he hadn’t checked in with anyone in 48 hours, very unlike Steve. Last known position was near the border with the Czech Republic, he had called in from Warsaw to say that Zemo had indeed been spotted and was travelling to his last known position. Satellite images showed a cluster of isolated agricultural buildings, suspected of having some type of structure underground. The mission was to rescue Steve and get him back safely, capturing Zemo would be a bonus but Steve was the priority. Bucky had stayed silent throughout the meeting, nodding in agreement when appropriate. Tony hadn’t outlined an exact plan, it was a search and rescue mission, areas were to be swept in pairs and Tony would be above acting as sentry and back-up when needed. Since Morgan had been born his priorities had changed, he didn’t often come on missions but as it was Steve he made the exception.

Tony dismissed you all and you headed towards the jet. Bucky remained silent. The journey to Poland would be around 8 hours. Bucky got onto the jet; he picked a seat on one of the benches near the weapons stores, eyes trained on the floor, trying to avoid any type of interaction. You knew him well enough to know that he would say something when he wanted to. The others headed towards the front of the jet; Nat piloting with Tony as co-pilot. Sam had looked at Bucky and knew that he would want his space. Sam and Steve were best friends but Bucky and Steve had so much shared history, they had a different type of bond, they were brothers. Sam and Bucky openly argued with each other but everyone knew this was a weird act that they both did. Both of them had a lot of respect for one another; Sam was the one who had spent over a year tracking Bucky down when Steve was busy with the Ultron mess. He had of course helped out when Steve was trying to protect Bucky from the government and ended up spending time in prison as a result. As Sam walked to the seats at the front he sent a small nod your way, a smile tugging on your lips in response.

You took the seat next to Bucky, clipped in your seatbelt. You rested your head back and sighed. The jet had started it’s take off. Bucky looked at you, he took your hand in his and placed it on his lap. It must have been a hour so with you both sat like this until Bucky suddenly said “You should get some sleep doll.” You shifted so that you were leaning against him “You ok Buck?”  His thumb lazily stroked the back of your hand “Will be once we get that punk back.” You nodded against his shoulder. “It’s weird, haven’t really had to save his ass since he was the small guy picking fights in Brooklyn.” You looked up to find Bucky’s eyes. “We’ll get him back Buck. Steve’s met people much worse than Zemo.” He smiled at you softly, “promise me you stay near me when we get there Y/N.” You leant up and kissed his lips gently. “I can take care of myself but yes I’ll stay near you.” His chuckled lightly at your response “I know you can Y/N. It is just I relax more and think more clearly when I know where you are.” He was being sweet but you rolled your eyes a this. This provoked a questioning glare from Bucky “What was that for?” You scoffed “You’re so protective, very sweet but definitely overprotective” shoving into him slightly. He let out an exasperated sigh “Bucky, I’m messing with you. We’re a team, we both know that.” He seemed slightly appeased at this, you leant into him and closed your eyes. Bucky kissed the top of your head and murmured something you didn’t catch against your hair as you drifted off to sleep.

Hours later Bucky stroked your arm lightly to wake you up. “Doll, we’re nearly there, we need to get everything prepped.” You yawned as you undid your seatbelt and stretched out of your seat. Bucky went over to the weapons stores and pulled out his box and yours, placing them on the table. You opened your box, selecting a couple of handguns and the ammunition to match. You started stripping the guns down, checking over them, firing a couple of dry shots before reassembling them and placing them in your holsters. To your left Bucky was doing a similar thing and then he turned his attention to the knife collection in front of him. A brief smile crossed your face, Bucky loved his knife collection. When you had first joined the team, Bucky and Steve were responsible for your training; helping you hone your hand-to-hand combat skills and Bucky in particular improved your knife work.

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12 months ago

Training with Bucky had been intense. When you had been introduced to Bucky for the first time he hadn’t spoken to you, just casted an intimidating glare over you. Steve made you watch him and Bucky fight, and you were immediately mesmerised. He moved with a violent grace that you had never seen before. Steve was good but Bucky was incredible, you could count the number of times Steve bettered him in these types of fights on one hand. The first time you had a training fight with Bucky it was over in 30 seconds. He had you pinned down, your breathing was frantic and he had barely broken a sweat. You remembered Bucky’s demeanour changing when he looked at you beneath him. His blue eyes softened slightly and as you squirmed slightly beneath him, he almost seemed to have forgotten that had wrestled you to the ground in a fight. He quickly stood up and offered you a hand up which you gratefully took. From that moment on he pushed you to your limit in training sessions, sometimes beyond. He made it his mission to make you as good, if not better than him. You were competent with using guns but Bucky wanted you to be able to protect yourself properly in close combat. He made you train for hours with knives, making sure you could use them to your full advantage. Simulated courses had you taking out 15-20 people at a time with only two knives, you could swap blades between your hands with ease and silently subdue unsuspecting targets.

Bucky had been impressed at how fast you had picked everything up, he had watched in admiration as you took down varied members of the team in training sessions until at last, you faced your final opponent. Him. After training with you for three months the day had come. He had been pushing you hard all day, making you complete trial after trial. Now facing you he could see you were running on your last energy reserves but you looked determined. He had already started developing feelings for you at this points and you occupied his mind more frequently that he cared to admit. He loved your stubbornness, you could surprise him. Often when it looked like you were going to lose a fight, you would dig deep and find something giving you an edge and helping you turn a situation back in your favour. The reason he had pushed you so hard was to make sure you were equipped to protect yourself. He had secretly vowed to keep you safe but he wanted to make sure you were protected if, god forbid, he wasn’t there. However, right now, he had to bury all his feelings and force you to prove that you had learnt all you could from him.

Everyone else disappeared from your view, the only focus you had was Bucky. The only thought you had in your head was to take him down. Get your retaliation in first. You were going to wait for him to make the first move and try and get in a hit whilst he was stepping in. Bucky made a sudden lurch forward and you ducked down and swept to his side, planting a kick to his thigh as you did so. This landed and knocked him off balance momentarily. It was now Bucky’s turn to counter, he skipped around you sending a sharp elbow into the gap between your shoulders making you hiss in pain. You removed a short blade from the holster in your thigh, turning to face him. He smirked at you as he mirrored your move. The fight continued in a similar vain, neither of you quite getting the upper hand. Tiredness was starting to take over your body, Bucky had managed to knock the knife out of your hand and you knew what was coming. This was going to be his final play; knocking you to the ground with his own blade pressing against the flesh of your throat. So, you countered. You used his own momentum against him, throwing him to the ground, your hand smashing his flesh hand into the mat making him release his blade. Your knees held his shoulders to the ground as you straddled his chest preventing him from using his strength against you. Reaching behind you pulled your other knife from your ankle, swiftly bringing it around and pressing this against his throat. Applause and cheers broke out around you, suddenly making you aware of the other people in the room. You stowed the blade back in its sheath and stood up offering Bucky a hand up. He pulled you into a bear hug “impressive doll” he whispered in your ear as he held you to him for a little longer than he should have done. This didn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the team but you were oblivious. You were exhausted but the elation of beating your tutor in a fight kept you from collapsing.

Bucky seemed satisfied with your official training now complete, he knew you could handle yourself but he still kept a watchful eye over your development. With you and him so close he often would give you advice whilst working out or in training sessions with Steve, an interaction you happily accepted. Soon enough you were going on missions and without you knowing Bucky had always asked to accompany you. On the rare occasion you had gone without him, he would have to spend hours in the gym to distract himself from thinking about you. Steve had once come down to the gym early in the morning and saw to his surprise Bucky flat out on the treadmill. Bucky brought the machine down to a gentle walk so talk to his best friend who was sending him a knowing look. “Y/N away on a mission?” Bucky nodded and looked away “It’s her solo mission.” Steve nodded in understanding “You trained her well Buck.” Bucky muttered something even Steve couldn’t hear. “You could just tell her man, we all know.” Bucky shot him a confused look, stopped the treadmill and got off it, picking up his towel. “Don’t know what you’re talking about punk. Catch you later.” Steve scoffed as Bucky walked away from him.

The rest of the week you had been away had been torture for Bucky. You had messaged him to let him know you were on your way back. He couldn’t wait to see you. Bucky waited for you on the landing platform. You flung yourself at him as soon as the door had opened. He picked you up and squeezed you tightly only putting you down when Steve coughed somewhere behind him. You had giggled when Bucky clumsily let go of you. “Mission go alright Y/N?” you smirked back at him “yeah, all that training definitely helped. Thanks Steve!” He been going insane the whole week whilst you were away and now you were teasing him? You punched him lightly on the arm and told him you were off to get changed and freshen up. As you walked away you called back to him “movie in thirty?” He grinned back at you and shouted “sure thing doll.” He had allowed himself to hope that maybe you had missed him too.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

You watched as Bucky made his weapon selection before turning to your own. Bucky had been an excellent teacher and you knew that his combat style complimented your own. His weakness was your strength and vice versa. You picked 2 short blades to accompany your gun selection. No one had any idea about what you would be facing when you arrived in Poland. There was an apprehensive atmosphere in the jet as you finally landed. The sun was just beginning to rise as the door opened onto a deserted farm. “Comms check?” Tony’s voice rang out through your earpiece. You all gave the thumbs up. All of you knew the plan; get Steve back safely. Bucky looked at you, you smiled at him and whispered ‘be careful’ at him. “You too” he replied. You walked out of the jet together, guns raised not quite knowing what was to come.

Nat and Sam went to the left towards one of the outbuildings. Bucky and you went to the right towards the main building. Tony checked the surrounding areas from above for anything out of the ordinary. A wooden door lay ahead of you. You walked forwards towards it, Bucky automatically covering your back. You both stopped as you spotted a motorbike. “Tony, I think we have found the bike Steve used to follow Zemo.” Tony landed near you and inspected the bike. He lifted something small up into the air for you and Bucky to see. It was a crushed up mobile phone. “Steve’s” Bucky said through gritted teeth. Sam and Nat called through to say the outer buildings were clear, no sign of activity and were now working their way to the back door of the main house. Upon reaching the door, you waited for everyone to be in position and said clearly “ready?” Bucky grunted in response and with the signal from the rest of the team you opened the door and entered the building.

Taglist: @broco8​

[crystal-moon-101]

Ehhhhh, more redesigns/rewrites! The Hong Kong Gang up here. And yes, I added Circe because I see her as part of the squad.

-Cricket-

I tried to make her a little more bug like. Adding a couple more details to the body, adding those palps to her face and changing the white in her eyes to black. Her outfit is slightly different but I changed her hair to a pixie cut, because I thought she'd suit a shorter hair style.

Notes:

16 Years Old

5'5 (When she is half cured, she becomes 5'4)

Real name is ‘Chen Tsui’

Because of her strange bug legs, she had to wear very short shorts. She didn't feel comfortable walking around with them on, however. So she ended up also wearing her skirt.

Before she mutated, she lived with her parents. They weren't the greatest of people, both extremely rich and successful in their businesses, expecting the same with their daughter. They constantly put her down and emotional abused her. The moment she became EVO, they kicked her onto the streets.

Use to have long hair, but Skwydd helped her cut and style it to a much shorter length. It was mostly so it didn't get in the way with the amount of jumping she did, but also a little rebellion against her parents. They would never allow such a look.

Excellent chief, food is often a ten out of ten.

Was the only one in the gang, including Rex, who was already in Hong Kong before going EVO.

When she is incredibly happy, the palps on her face will wiggle.

Emotional sponge of the group.

Because of her up bringing, she sometimes just does insane or stupid stuff out of nowhere because things use to be so uptight and strict for her. It strangely relaxes her.

Took her weeks to figure out how to walk with those legs.

Loves candles, especially scented ones.

Has a thing for street boys with a heart of gold (*Cough* *Cough* Rex *Cough* Tuck *Cough*).

Many don't notice it, but her and Skwydd have a sibling like relationship.

-Tuck-

I changed him the least. His original design is very simple so I couldn't think of much to do. I did rough up his shirt a little more, adjust his build and give him a loose belt.

Notes:

17 Years Old

6'0 (Later grows to be 6'3.)

Full name 'Tuck Byron Craig'

Leader of The Hong Kong Gang since Rex left.

Before he mutated, he lived with his single father, who was a car mechanic. They were happy together, but sadly, they weren't in the best financial situation. They ended up borrowing money from some dangerous people, and when they couldn't came back they came to their place. A fight broke out, Tuck's father was killed and he ran away, living on the streets ever since, eventually mutating.

When Rex vanished, he spent the longest time looking for him. Skwydd assumed the worst quickly and Cricket gave up after a few weeks, while Tuck looked for months.

No.1 Bro to all.

Quarry had made plans to give Tuck Rex's hold spot, but he trash the idea when he saw that he didn't have the same flare as Rex did.

Because of his father, he knows a lot about mechanics with cars or motorcycles.

The one most likely to want to talk things through than fight if there is a chance (Cricket is too quick on defense, Skwydd doesn't trust easily and Circe many issues.)

God awful at trying to speak another language. Cricket tried teaching him Cantonese, but his pronunciations were way off. He tries, he really does.

Would have gotten his ear pierces if he had ears.

He likes crappy high school films, they always just make him laugh.

He's had a thing for Cricket for a long time, but when it became apparent to him she liked Rex, he didn't make any attempt. But now, in the present, he's began trying since it's clear nothing will come between the two.

-Skwydd-

Small squish boy. Honestly my favorite out of the crew. But anyway, I made his tentacles a little longer, gave him little eyebrow things, a gradient on his hands and gave him a new jacket/jumper.

Notes:

15 Years Old

5'6

Real name is ‘Walter Milo Martin’

Emo with a secret soft heart <3.

Before he mutated, he was the child of a young couple who died in an accident, so he was giving to his maternal Grandmother, who was happy to raise him. Bit of an odd child, but he loved his Grandma and had a lovely relationship with her. Even when he turned EVO, she accepted him. However, in her older years she started having heart problems and died one morning. He, of course, called for help, but fled before anyone arrived. He knew very well that being an EVO will get him into trouble. Since then, he's lived on the streets.

He loves art, his favorite form being ink stuff, ironically. Him and Rex like to share drawings, one of the few quiet moments they have with one another.

Has a dorky crush on Circe.

Has a very squishy body and it's honestly nice to hug him, if he allows it.

While his ink spray is his main defense, his does have one nasty bite.

Also, his ink stuff stains, badly.

Has suction cups on his hand/fingers. It's the only way he can hold stuff with them.

Probably listens to My Chemical Romance or piano music.

Knows how the play the flute, a skill learnt from his Grandma.

The one you could vent to for hours without him having to talk too.

Has a really strange bone structure. Like, some parts of him has bones, some don't.

Had to painfully watch the love situation between Rex, Cricket and Tuck on the sidelines.

His real hair is quite long and he learnt early on how to cut, brush and manage hair, even style it. Sadly, he can't really do that anymore, and Cricket hair is too short to style, while Tuck has none. However, sometime after Circe joined and was comfortable enough, she lets him style it for her.

-Circe Kleiss-

You read that right, in this rewrite/reboot/WHATEVER!? Circe is the daughter of Van Kleiss. It was an idea me and my friend came up with, as a way to explain some of her actions and motives, but also for more dramaaaaaa, along with adding onto Van Kleiss's character. Yes, this also means her and Rex knew each other before the Nanite Event. Again, adds more drama. Her outfit changes were to be more practical, especially because of where the Pack lives and sends her on missions. I also made her a little muscular, because this girl has quite the training. Still a bit of a goth girl though.

Notes:

16 Years Old

5'8 (Grows to be around 6'0 in her young adult years.)

Fear this girl, she knows how to fight.

She was young when her mother died, roughly four years old, so she doesn't remember her that well. However, her father has always openly talked about her to Circe, so she knows her mother was a lovely person, with a personality that somehow made the cruelest of people smile. Sadly, she died to an untreatable disease, though this is was resulting in Van Kleiss joining the Nanite Project, after learning that it was suppose to prevent illnesses.

Biowulf was her primary training, so they have some respect for each other, but can get snarky at one another.

Her and Breach however? Not that great of a relationship. Circe does feel a little bad, as she understands Breach is not all there, but that doesn't stop them from bickering.

Skalamander and her have a rather peaceful relationship. She appreciates all that he does, even if it's minimal compared to the other two.

You could imagine her shock when she saw Rex, her childhood friend, alive. Gave quite the yelling at her father when she learns he never told her this.

Her and Cricket like to have little make up session, even if Cricket doesn't keep hers on afterwards.

She's really good a writing, often making little poems or short stories here and there. Horror is a favorite of hers.

In the past, her and Rex were the only kids around the labs during the Nanite Project. You can imagine the trouble they caused.

She has trouble standing up for herself, but lord forbid you say something about her friend.

She likes to watch murder mysterious, often getting really into the story and making predictions all the time.  

Has the least knowledge of online culture.

Has a giant EVO worm thing as a pet (This one is actually in the show).

[imtrynnawriteshit]

Jacob Frye x Female!Reader (2! Looks like I’m actually going through with this! Hooray!)

Oh wow it’s been uh a while

This is v conversation heavy? Is that how you describe things??

Well, it is now hehehe

Something I forgot to mention the last time: the slang that I’m using is not entirely period appropriate? I mean, it somewhat is, but I’m also mixing up years and classes of people who used them (because I cannot be arsed to sit and sort everything out class and period wise)

If it seems like I only stick to a couple of letters worth of slang, that’s because I’ve only just gotten to ones that start with D. It’s a whole process and I’m lazy

Also, I know absolutely nothing about business and I like to think I can be clever, so if the whole thing just sounds way too dramatic, I’m srry, I cannot business at all

But I tried and that’s what counts, right? :D

Hope u enjoy luv u

Words: 1608

Warnings: One (1) damn, not properly edited (maybe I’ll do it l8r though), might get v pretentious (I’m trying to channel my inner Victorian) :((

Fandom: Assassin’s Creed (Syndicate)

Characters: Jacob Frye, Reader

Relationships: Jacob Frye x Reader but like, still business-y (as if I know what that means)

Fortunately, you'd managed to avoid Mr. Starrick finding out about your unexpected little detour. Rather unfortunately, though, your driver seemed to have left town - you'd seen neither hide nor hair of him for the past week or so.

Not that you had the time to look for him, of course. You'd been entirely focused on building the company up again, regaining all the profits you'd lost after Pearl's death, so much so that you'd even forgotten Mr. Frye was due for a visit.

Until he showed up in a manner suited to one of his particular disposition.

You'd visited one of your friends that afternoon for a cup of tea, briefly putting aside the contracts and accounts you were constantly pouring over. Your departure soon after found you feeling lighter, the tension not weighing down your shoulders for once.

Though you did your best to counter it, of course. God forbid it ruin your posture.

Mind immediately wandering to the paperwork you had left, you approached your carriage (which, despite having been discreetly sent off to get fixed up, still bore a few scratches from your misadventure). The new driver already held the door open, arm extended to help you in. It was only when you glanced at him, nodding your gratitude, hand firmly in his grasp, that you realized it wasn’t, in fact, your recent employ.

It was Mr. Frye.

You let out a rather un-ladylike groan as you sat down.

"Please tell me you didn’t scare this one off too. I can't exactly afford the habit of interviewing for drivers."

His eyes widened in mock-innocence before he shut the door, getting on to the bench and taking the reins, all the while running his mouth about how he'd "never" and he was "appalled" you thought so little of him.

Good heavens.

"Yes, alright, but will he be back?"

"He'll meet you at Trafalgar Square in an hour," he sighed, urging the horse into a steady trot.

You frowned, "But that's only five minutes away."

"Which gives us fifty-five to talk, doesn't it?" he said, sounding rather exasperated. You chose to ignore that, instead peaking out the window, trying to figure out where you were headed.

"Mr. Frye, where exactly are we going?"

"Why, to the cosiest alley the district has to offer, of course!" he said, turning into one just within reach of the Square, hopping into the carriage almost as soon as he brought it to a halt.

"Well, this certainly won't rouse suspicion," you remark, peering through the window, eyebrows raised, before drawing the curtains and turning to look at him again. "Now, I presume you have something for me".

"Yes and no."

You narrowed your eyes, "That's not how it works, Mr. Frye. You either have an offer or you don't. Which is it?"

"There is something I can give you, but I'll need time to deliver on it."

"And that something is?"

Frankly, you didn’t expect much. There was barely anything he could offer that you couldn’t acquire (if you didn’t already have it) anyway.

"Complete ownership of Attaway Transport, without the added burden of Starrick's overbearing and ever-looming presence."

Or so you thought.

He managed to shock you into silent for a moment, before you shook yourself out of it and huffed out a small laugh.

"I have to say: I didn’t quite think you'd manage it, but you've captured my interest. Tell me, then; how exactly would you go about that? Mr. Starrick isn't one to just give up power."

"Luckily enough, we're looking to provide a more permanent solution to the problem of - well, him."

"Are you now?" your eyebrows shot up again, this time in intrigue, and you could feel the anticipation and excitement brewing within you at the thought of the possibilities his death could bring. If the way Mr. Frye's brow twitched in return was any indication, you weren't doing a very good job hiding it. "That certainly changes things. Though I suppose I should've known, you haven't been all that...subtle about your intentions, the way you've been running around London wreaking havoc."

"There you have it, then," he grinned, throwing an arm up over the back of the seat. "What do you say?"

You took a moment to deliberate, Mr. Frye letting you take the time you needed to come to a decision once you shot him a look when he started getting antsy, stopping him before he could get much further than "I don't mean to badger you but-". You could see the eagerness in the way he'd leaned ever so slightly towards you, in how his eyes remained trained on you, analyzing every shift in your features, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was going on in your head, of the decision you'd come to.

Well, there was certainly no doubt about what your answer was going to be. It was, however, quite endearing, the way he impatiently awaited your response.

Probably best you put him out of his misery, though, and so you offered him your hand.

"It appears," you smiled, "you have yourself a deal, Mr. Frye. I do hope you can hold up your end, and as shall I to the best of my abilities."

His face relaxed, and he took your hand, shaking it firmly. Though you expected it, the warmth of his grip, even through both his and your own glove, still left you pleasantly surprised.

"I must admit, however," you withdrew your hand, "I am curious: why trust me? After everything that's happened? Some might think you all the more barmy for it."

"Crotchetty as I may seem," he shot back, "I'll admit, I'm not exactly spoiled for choice when it comes to allies who can provide me better insight into Templar plans. You don't seem to care for the Order either, which is reassuring. To an extent. Naturally you'll have to earn my trust before I let Evie know about this little arrangement-"

"You haven't told your sister?"

"'Course not," he scoffed, "she'd never agree to it. Not after your mother. Besides, what my dear sister doesn't understand, is that sometimes you need to take a chance. Like I did, with the Rooks. And now with you."

You supposed that made sense.

"Besides," he continued, "it doesn't hurt to have powerful friends close to your nemesis-"

"As I've already mentioned," you injected, stifling a chuckle at how affronted he looked at being so unceremoniously interrupted, "I'm neither powerful nor am I close to Mr. Starrick. He doesn't trust me. Which means, more often than not, he'll ensure he bears witness to every move I make."

You shifted towards him.

"It's not just my business that's on the line here, Mr. Frye. It's my life. If he ever suspects me of consorting with you, I'd lose everything. My agreement is me trusting you to kill him and deliver on your end of the bargain."

At that, his eyes softened, and when he spoke next, sincerity was carefully woven into every word. "You needn't worry, Miss Attaway, you have my word. I will do whatever it takes to rid you of Starrick and his control."

Nodding softly in lieu of thanks, you cleared your throat, embarrassment burning in your chest at having let yourself be so vulnerable (for lack of a better word) with someone.

And a man you barely knew, at that.

"I apologise, you must think me utterly mercurial, and-"

"On the contrary, I think you're rather bricky," he said, and his damned gaze was still so gentle as it rest upon you, his tone somewhat similar to the one often adopted by strangers when they learned of how you came to live with Pearl. The thought of being pitied by him for having gotten into this situation, even though it was mostly his fault, left you feeling angry and humiliated.

You didn't need nor ask for his commiseration.

Choosing not to dignify that with a response (you knew anything you'd say would be in bad form), you immediately carried on like nothing had happened. "Right, I'll need a few weeks or so to get everything up and running again. In the meantime, you encourage any competitors that are not affiliated to Mr. Starrick. With a rival around, I could try and-"

"-blame your lack of profits onto them?" at your affirmation, he let out a low whistle. "Clever. That might just work."

The admiration in his voice didn't go unnoticed. You shrugged, "I know, and I'm counting on it. Of course, if it doesn't alleviate suspicion, we might have to resort to drastic measures, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, this is all we need to focus on."

Your sentence was punctuated by the chiming of Big Ben, indicating that your hour was up. With a "by your leave, Miss Attaway", Mr. Frye leapt into action, getting back onto the bench and driving the carriage to where your actual employee was to meet you. In an attempt to look a bit more inconspicuous, you drew open the curtains. Nothing like the hidden interior of a carriage to get people gossiping.

Dismounting, Mr. Frye glanced around, making sure you hadn't attracted any unwarranted attention, before tipping his cap to you and stalking off. Thankfully, it was crowded enough that no one paid a briefly unattended carriage any mind, and it gave him the opportunity to blend in with the locals, seemingly vanishing from sight.

You watched him go, and thinking your decision over for the rest of your journey, could only hope you'd made the right choice.

Slang used:

Crotchetty - eccentric, unexpected

Bricky - brave, fearless, adroit after the manner of a brick

Other:

Glove etiquette - whenever a gentleman had to shake someone’s hand, he would take off his glove (that he always wore when outside) before doing so. If he had to leave it on, he’d apologise while shaking the other person’s hand. Women, however, had to keep their gloves on at all times when they were out and about, except when at the dinner table during a party, because it was considered bad form to wear gloves while eating (mainly because the gloves were delicate, especially those made of kid, and wearing dirty gloves was “tacky”). However, when giving his hand to a woman whose own hands were gloved, a man wasn’t supposed to take off his. It was necessary to do so if hers were off too, though.

(Tumblr's an ass, so I'll reblog this post in a bit to link the articles I used as a reference because they're much, much better at providing a comprehensive explanation to how glove etiquette worked)

[in-class-daydreams]

Cherry Blossom | Daichi Sawamura x Reader Oneshot

- Pairing: Daichi Sawamura x Reader One Shot 

Word Count: ~ 4600

Genres: Fluff, slight angst, unrequited feelings

CW: Self-deprecating inner thoughts, implied anxiety

Summary: (Y/N), a third year attending Karasuno High School, spirals into confusion as she begins to develop feelings for a certain childhood friend. 

2: 26

‘Are you kidding me?’

The day was already going by extremely slow for (Y/N), and she definitely was not having a good one either. She slept past her alarm until about 20 minutes before class started. In a rush, she attempted to make toast, which she somehow managed to burn, which meant on her sprint to school she had to eat some crusty, burnt ass toast and try not to choke on it. Yum! On top of that, all her lectures throughout the day have been painstakingly slow, and that didn’t improve her mood one bit.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a hand slip a small piece of paper onto her desk.

“What’re you doing after class today?”

Judging from the handwriting, (Y/N) knew it was from Yui-chan, who, just like (Y/N), could not care less about the titration process.

Discreetly, she wrote and responded back to her note, “Photoshoot. Houka-san said it’ll be on campus today,” and quickly passed it back to her.

After multiple exchanges, the teacher was finally cut off by the bell. At last, they could escape this hellhole known as school. As she packed up her supplies into the bookbag, she felt a hand on top of her head, ruffling her hair. Immediately, she knew who it was.

“Ah! Daichi! Stop it! I have a photoshoot soon, you’ll mess up my hair!”

“What do you mean? It still looks the same,” the boy smiled back. (Y/N) could only look back at him back with the most deadpan expression. Well, she was actually looking up at him quite a bit. She was by no means short, but in comparison to the tall volleyball player, she was definitely on the shorter side.

“Where were you this morning? I waited for you at the usual spot, but you weren’t there.” Daichi asked.

“Overslept. It was a nightmare honestly.” (Y/N) responded while attempting to clear her memory of the chaotic mess that she was that morning.

“Oh? The flawless and perfect (Y/N)-senpai had a stumble getting ready?” Daichi grinned teasingly, with obvious sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“Shut up, I’m human too,” she snapped back. “Don’t you have practice soon? You don’t want to be late now, do you, Captain?”

“Suppose not,” he said before facing the other girl standing off to the side, “Ah Michimiya-san, I was going to talk to you about the gym schedule for next week.”

Yui had an obvious flush on her face, and was struggling to get the right words out, let alone look him in the eyes. (Y/N) mercifully suggested that the three of them walk to practice together, so they won’t be late.

‘Hopefully, that’ll give her more time to collect herself and talk to him.”

With all her stuff collected, she went and changed into the bathroom to get ready for the photoshoot. After brushing and styling her hair that Daichi had ruined, she quickly walked out to the cherry blossom trees by the gym to meet up with her photographer.

“My apologies, Houka-san, I got caught up in something.”

“It’s alright (Y/N)-san. Please don’t be late next time. I’m on a strict schedule after all,” she sighed irritatingly, “Now, shall we get started?”

“Ah yes, of course. It won’t happen again,” she sheepishly apologized.

After getting herself together, (Y/N) felt immense ease. Being near the cherry blossoms had always comforted her. Maybe it had something to do with the aesthetic of it, but a lot of it had to do with the lasting memories that came along with it.

~~

Thirteen Years Ago : Age 6

(Y/N) woke up in an unfamiliar room. She sat herself upright, and took a look around the room. Bandages everywhere, a single stool, and a desk with a file folder.

‘Right, I fell asleep in the nurse’s office’

Her mom, being a teacher, told (Y/N) to go take a nap in the nurse’s office while she finished things inside the classroom. She would eventually go wake her up when she was done, or if the young girl woke up early, she could go to her classroom instead.

After straightening herself up, she opened the door and walked down the unfamiliar hallway. The only thing she remembered was that her mother had told the young child her classroom was in a different building. Naturally, she walked outside the building only to realize she didn’t specify which building it was in.

‘Ah shoot.’

Wandering around the large campus only drained the poor girl, and (Y/N) was suddenly overwhelmed with panic that accompanied her with her failure to find her mother’s classroom.

Tears couldn’t help but form in the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall any second now. She ran around the corner, now tears rolling down her face.

With her eyes facing the floor, half closed, and half visible from her hands wiping away her tears, she ran into a wall...or what she thought was a wall.

She looked up to find a boy, with jet black hair who looked to be about her age, looking down at her with a worried expression.

“Hey, you okay? What happened?” he asked.

The tears stopped flowing down her face, and she stood up to reach eye-level to the boy.

“N-no, I don’t know where my mom’s classroom is and I’m lost”

“Here I can help you find it!” The boy replied cheerfully, “I’m Daichi Sawamura by the way. What’s your name?”

“(Y/N) (L/N)”

“(L/N)-chan, we can go look for her classroom together! My dad works as a teacher here too, so I know my way around here pretty good”

Before she could respond, Daichi grabbed her hand and led her away from the cherry tree they were standing under moments ago. Something about him told her that she could trust him without any concern, and she was right.

(Y/N) learned a lot about him while he was leading her. She found out his favorite colour is orange, came to this school everyday after school to wait for his dad to finish work, and that he loved volleyball. After a few minutes, they entered a building filled with different classrooms, and managed to find the right classroom.

“Ah, thank you for the help, Daichi-kun”

“No problem. Say, wanna meet by that cherry tree tomorrow too?”

Little did she know that it would end up being a daily routine to meet there.

~~

The photoshoot ended smoothly, and that edition of the magazine she was shooting for was scheduled to be released sometime within the next month. Nowadays, it wasn’t uncommon to see her pictures on the front cover of popular magazines displayed at stores. Since the beginning of this year, her popularity as a model had skyrocketed beyond anybody’s expectations for someone who rarely posted on her social media. Well, that changed quite a bit after her career took off.

Normally, she would wait for Daichi to be done with practice so they could walk home together, but seeing that she would have to wait an extra 45 minutes or so, she started walking to the gym. Cracking the door open slightly, and seeing the coast was clear, she walked towards the back until a round object was flying towards her at an alarming rate.

Bam! A volleyball slammed into the wall beside her.

‘Phew, barely missed me.’ She looked up after receiving a mild shock, and everyone on the court had their eyes on the mysterious girl who just walked in.

‘Well, so much for sneaking in,’ she mentally slapped herself.

“NOYA-SAN! LOOK! (Y/N)-SENPAI’S HERE!”

“WHAT?!? (Y/N)-SENPAIIIIIIII!”

The two very energetic boys flung themselves at her, and before she could move out of the way, two strong arms held them back mid-jump.

“Oi, knock it off you two,” Daichi scolded. “(Y/N), I thought you said you had a photoshoot. Why are you here?”

“It went really well, so I ended early, and I figured I’d wait for you in here,”

“You could’ve just gone home--”

“Daichi, I’m not gonna break tradition because I ended early--”

As their bickering continued, the first years, particularly the one with some orange hair asked nobody in particular, “Who’s that pretty senpai punching Daichi-san?”

“That’s (Y/N)-chan. She and Daichi have been childhood friends.” A pure angel, by the name of Sugawara, was happy to satisfy his kohai’s curiosity, before mumbling, “though he should really do something about being friends,”

After facing a barrage of punches from (Y/N), Daichi finally got back to practice while she sat on the benches scrolling through her feed and managing her account. Her recent post was filled with support from her fans anticipating her next magazine release, as well as some hate comments, particularly about her age and looks. But honestly, they were irrelevant wimps that had to bully people from behind a keyboard to feel good about themselves, so it never really bothered her too much.

Before she knew it, Daichi’s practice had ended, and she didn’t even notice him get changed and coming back to pick her up. It wasn’t super dark, but having Daichi with her definitely helped her feel reassured, though she could easily fight off a couple people if needed. Regardless, the dim lights added to the comfortable silence as they continued to walk to their houses.

(Y/N) was the first to break the silence, “Hey Daichi,”

He hummed a quiet, “Hmm?” as he continued to look forward.

“Did things go well with Yui-chan earlier? You didn’t scare her off or something did you?” she joked light-heartedly.

“What? I didn’t think I scared her off? Maybe I did on accident?” he began to think about all his interactions with her because God forbid if it was his fault that’s causing tension between them. “You’re probably right though. I don’t think she likes me all that much, or at least she’s uncomfortable around me. I’ve talked to her on multiple occasions because of volleyball, but every time I get the same vibe from her...maybe I did something to offend her… Why? Did she say something about it?”

‘I guess the saying is true. Men are oblivious as fuck.’

“Oh no, I haven’t seen her after she left with you. I was just wondering because you know--”

“Because..?” Daichi stopped for a second to face her.

(Y/N) had to think about it for a second. She remembered Yui-chan’s request from a couple days ago that she couldn’t decline.

~~

“(Y/N), please! You know him really well! I just get flustered really easily around him, but he’s just so sweet! I really like him, can you please help me get noticed by him?” Yui pleaded. Her eyes were filled with genuinity, and after seeing that, there was no way she could say no to her.

~~

“--because I actually think it might be the opposite of what you think.” (Y/N) chose her words carefully, “if anything, I think she’s getting flustered because she really admires you, you know?”

“Really? You think so?”

“Mmhmm,” she hummed. ‘And she’s not the only one,’

“Ah well, I mean, I know that feeling. I have for a while actually,” he stated awkwardly. Daichi was not one to express his feelings, so this came across as a big shock to (Y/N), for this was the first time he had ever said anything along the lines of romance.

This time, she was the one to stop suddenly, and before she could process her thoughts, Daichi interrupted her to let her know they’ve reached her house. After quickly saying goodbye, (Y/N) walked up before heading to bed with an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

~~

The next day was filled with confusion in (Y/N)’s mind and heart. Her mind was confused because she did not understand one bit as to what the teacher was talking about, but her heart was left aching the entire day. After what Daichi said last night, she couldn’t bring herself to see him. If anything, it caused her to actively avoid him throughout the day. In the years that she’s known him, he’s never brought up his romantic feelings towards someone.

‘Do I like Daichi?’ she asked herself. She slapped both hands to her cheeks, ‘That’s not possible! I’ve known him for a long time, and he’s my best friend! It’s not like that! ...right?’

Yet, simultaneously, the idea of him being with another girl left her feeling queasy. As much as she loved Yui-chan and wanted the best for her, the idea of Daichi being hers gave her an ugly feeling inside that she quite disliked.

‘Will Daichi leave me then? I know he’s not the type to do that, but what if I’m wrong? If it’s Yui-chan that he likes, will she need me afterwards? What if they decide they only need each other, and I go back to being unapproachable?’

She knew that these negative thoughts weren’t true. (Y/N) knew better than to doubt her friends. If anything, she should be grateful that they’re by her side. After all, they don’t treat her like she’s on a pedestal. She was aware that being somewhat “famous” gave people a different perception towards her, but Daichi and Yui-chan still treated her as if she’s still a high school student, not a magazine model, and for that she was greatly appreciative towards them. But with that preciousness comes with the greater fear of loss. Before she could go off on her own tangent, she was interrupted by Yui-chan.

“-N),(Y/N). Class is over. Are you okay? You looked like you were spacing out for a bit?” Yui asked, concerningly, after the girl failed to respond to the bell ringing, and to her continuous (and aggressive) waving. The poor girl looked like she was about to break down from panicking seeing that her attempts to get her friend’s attention were failing.

“O-oh, I guess I’m just a little out of it today.” A familiar sense of fatigue and guilt pained her after seeing her best friend falling apart right in front of her eyes.

‘Clearly, there’s no need to explain the whole truth, right? If I do Yui is going to freak herself out’

“Did something happen between you and Sawamura-kun?” Yui asked innocently.

The sound of his name made her hesitate and shift in her seat. Yui, aware of how she acts when something bothers her, knew that it had to have been just that. Giving her time, Yui waited before (Y/N) responded.

“We were walking home yesterday, and we talked about you,” she started carefully, and glancing over to her friend, it was no surprise to see her eyes filled with anticipation, ready to hear what she would say next. “I didn’t say explicitly that you liked him, but rather you admire him, and with your personality, it could be a little harder for you to be open right away. It came up because he thought you didn’t like him, so I just assured him that wasn’t the case. Then he said something that I’ve never really heard him talk about. He said that he also had that feeling towards someone.”

She looked over once again, Yui, clearly at this point looked like she was going to explode. “I’m not sure who he's referring to, but I figured it’d be you. So, I’ve just been thinking about how to go about with what you’ve asked of me. But, I think it’s safe to say, you should talk to him more. To me it seems like the feeling is mutual between you two.”

She could’ve sworn she could’ve won an Oscar from that performance. To her, she showed no worries of avoiding the truth externally, quite contrary to the painful stabbing inside her chest with every word she breathed. What she said wasn’t completely untrue, but she hated how she couldn’t be open with how she felt. She trusted Yui with all her heart, but Yui’s happiness was more important in this case. Afterall, she didn’t want to destroy her relationship with Yui, and just decided to keep it to herself.

Contrary to how (Y/N) was feeling, her friend was clearly ecstatic. Her face just lit up with joy before jumping out of her seat to hug her friend.

“Thank you so much (Y/N)! You don’t know how much this means to me!” Yui beamed. All she could do was hug back in response.

After Yui left for practice, (Y/N) decided her heart had too much to handle for one day. For the first time since Kindergarten, she broke away from the “ritual,” and walked home alone without Daichi. Quite honestly, it was a weird sensation not having the boy next to her.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only day that this had occurred. Over the next couple days, she actively avoided Daichi, and continued to walk home without him.

After a few days, (Y/N) slipped on her outdoor shoes and started to head towards the school gates, once again, without the absence of Daichi. Even though days have passed, she still couldn’t get used to the feeling without him. All of a sudden, a large hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her from walking further. Right as she turned around, she saw the one person she didn’t want to see.

“D-daichi!”

‘Great’

He was clearly out of breath as if he had sprinted over to her. ‘Did he run over to me before I could leave?’

“(Y/N). I wanted to talk to you before you left,” he said firmly. The days without talking to him, hearing his voice was so soothing on her mind that momentarily she forgot why she was avoiding him in the first place. Snapping out of her trance, she tried to pull away from his arm to stop them from walking further, but Daichi kept a firm grip on her. She didn’t realize she was back at their usual meeting spot, underneath the cherry blossom tree.

“Daichi, let go of me. I have to leave, and you have practice,” she tried to reason.

“I know you don’t have anything after school today, and practice can wait. This is more important,” he replied, not once breaking eye contact. He was serious about this.

There was a quick pause before he started again, “(Y/N), what’s going on?”

Thump.

“N-nothing” she said weakly, looking away from him. She could feel his gaze on her, and he still never looked away.

“(Y/N), I’m just worried about you. Is everything okay? I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve been avoiding me lately. Did I do something wrong to upset you?” he asked cautiously.

“I wasn’t avoiding you. I’ve been busy recently, and I wanted you to have time to sort out that feeling of admiration you have towards that person. It seemed like I was going to be holding you back, and I only just realized it after you said it that day.” Her voice was wavering, and she tried her best to keep her feelings in check. It certainly didn’t help that her heartbeat could be heard from miles away.

Thump. Thump.

“This was the first time you’ve ever said anything remotely related to romance, and I know you don’t talk about your feelings a lot. So I thought I would just be getting in your way. I mean, if there was a guy I liked, and I saw a girl around them constantly I would be pretty discouraged about my chances. And--”

Before she could even finish her rambling, she saw him walking closer towards her. She kept backing away slowly, only to be stopped by the cherry blossom tree behind her. Before she knew it, there was a warm,gentle feeling on her lips.

She froze.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Before she could process what was happening, he pulled away, and suddenly the distance between them grew bigger again. (Y/N) stood there looking like a dumbfounded idiot, unsure what to do, but mostly in shock trying to figure out what just happened.

“D-daichi...you, uh, uhm--” she sputtered.

“The girl that I feel admiration for wasn’t Michimiya-san. It’s you. It’s always been you, (Y/N). These last couple days without you near me, or by my side, it’s been so painful. I’ve missed you. You know you mean a lot to me, right. More than I could even tell you.”

“Daichi, I-” she composed herself. She finally looked him in the eyes, and noticed his face was clearly flushed. Oddly enough, that reassured her quite a bit in the moment.

“I don’t need an answer now, (Y/N). But, I just really needed you to know, and whatever you decide, I respect your decision. For all I know, things might change between us, but just know that whatever happens, I’ll still be there for you, always.”

Moments after, silence filled the air, and Daichi took that as his cue to excuse himself, and save himself from making the situation even worse. He shuffled his feet a little bit and glanced up at the girl before he headed towards the gym, only to stop momentarily to look back at her before ultimately deciding to leave her to her thoughts.

‘Oh my god. Daichi and I--!’

That kiss just confirmed that yes, she felt the same as Daichi, and she’s always liked him. That provided some relief for her knowing that his feelings weren’t towards Yui--

‘Oh no--Yui-chan… What am I going to tell her? Should I tell her? Yes, I should, she deserves to know.’

Shortly after, she decided the sooner she tells Yui, the better it will be for everybody.

To: Yui-chan [3:46 pm]: Yui-chan, after practice can we talk? Meet up at StarDollar at 6?

From: Yui-chan [3:47 pm]: Yup, see you then!

~~

6:00 pm

(Y/N) sat nervously at the cafe table waiting for Yui to show up. She got a latte to try and calm herself a little bit before telling her the truth. Seconds later, Yui walked into the shop scanning the room before her eyes landed on her friend, and walked over to her.

“Yui-chan,” (Y/N) started, “I’m sorry for calling you out here last minute, especially right after practice too.”

“Oh no it’s okay. I thought it might’ve been a little serious judging from your tone and all. Is everything okay?” Yui asked, hesitantly.

“Yeah. No. Not really.”

Yui, let her friend collect her thoughts before (Y/N) began to speak again.

“Yui, you have to know how much you mean to me. And I want to apologize for being a terrible friend, and letting this happen,” tears were starting to form in (Y/N)’s eyes. “Today, Daichi confessed to me.”

Silence.

At this point, the tears in her eyes were falling. She couldn’t bring herself to look at her friend’s eyes. She didn’t want to see the face of hurt and betrayal in her precious friend’s eyes. That was, until she left a pair of warm hands wrap around hers.

“(Y/N), you’re not a terrible friend. If you really were, I don’t think you would’ve told me this. In fact, I’m really grateful you trust me enough to tell me this,” she said with a smile on her face.

(Y/N) couldn’t tell exactly what her friend was feeling. She wasn’t mad? Was she beyond pissed, and this was all she could say out of courtesy?

“(Y/N), thank you for telling me this.”

“You’re not pissed?”

“Pissed? No. A little heartbroken? Yes. But I already knew somewhere deep down that the person he admired wasn’t me. I’ve known it was you all along. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and how his face brightens whenever he’s with you. I’ve also seen it with you. If anything, I’ve been the terrible friend. I knew that you two liked each other in some way, but I was being selfish, and I asked you a request that I never should’ve.”

‘I guess then not to make these worse, I might have to reject Daichi. Then that means everything goes back to the way it used to be, right?’

“(Y/N), I know you’re thinking of rejecting Daichi-”

‘Damn it, how did she read my mind?’

“Don’t. I know I shouldn’t tell you what to do, but it seems to me like you two like each other mutually. There’s nothing wrong with accepting a confession from someone you like.”

“But Yui--”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine,” she gave a small reinforced smile to try and prove some assurance for her emotional friend.

“Yui...thank you,” (Y/N) said as she pulled Yui in for a hug.

“Anytime. I’d never let a man come between our friendship. You mean so much more to me than some guy.” she replied, returning the hug.

After leaving as emotional wrecks from StarDollar, (Y/N) felt some sort of relief inside her. For sure, she felt bad for Yui having to deal with this outcome, but also extremely grateful that she wasn’t willing to jeopardize their friendship.

~~

The next day, (Y/N) woke up feeling a lot more refreshed. Maybe even empowered? She strode to class with an aura of fresh air, and Yui definitely seemed to take notice.

“Good morning (Y/N)!” Yui greeted.

“Good morning Yui!”

“Are you planning on returning his feelings to Sawamura-san soon?” Yui questioned.

“Yeah, I’m planning to do it after his practice today. I have another photoshoot today, but timings should work out if everything goes well,”

“Nice! Good luck (Y/N), you’ve got this!”

The rest of the day flew by quickly, and even the photoshoot went by a breeze. She quickly made it over to the gym where the boys’ volleyball team would be practicing and burst open the doors.

“DAICHI!”

Everyone turned towards her. The tall boy with freckles literally jumped in his spot.

‘Whoops. I’ll apologize to the team later.’

“(Y/N)?” Daichi inquired, “what’re you doing here?”

“Daichi, can we talk? Please?” she pleaded. Before he could answer, she turned to the team behind him, bowing. “Sorry guys, I’ll be borrowing your captain for a moment.” She took Daichi by the arm and dragged him out of the gym.

“It’s about time ‘friends’ became something more,” Sugawara muttered to himself.

Outside, (Y/N) walked towards the cherry blossom where Daichi had confessed to her. Daichi was quite honestly, frozen with shock after being suddenly removed from yelling at the simpletons for going crazy again.

“Daichi-” (Y/N) she started, and his attention snapped back to her, “Daichi, I thought a lot about what you said yesterday, and I have my answer.”

“(Y/N) if you need more time then--” he was cut off.

“Daichi, you mean the world to me. You treat me like (Y/N), the high school student, your childhood best friend, like a normal person, not like someone who’s placed upon a pedestal. That itself means so much to me. But it’s not only that. Daichi, I realized, when I started walking home by myself, my life is so different without you. It’s so boring, so dreadful. You bring joy into my life with just by being near me. And for that, I’m forever grateful.”

“(Y/N)-” his words were cut off this time with another familiar warm feeling.

She placed her lips on his, slightly hesitant at first, and Daichi, hesitant because he couldn’t believe this was happening to him. For years, this was only a mere dream, or fantasy of his, but it was becoming a reality.

After separating, Daichi pulled her into a warm embrace. Her head rested on his chest, and his arms wrapped around her like a protective shield (back off peeps lmaoooo).

This moment was quickly ruined by the rustling in the bushes, followed by the boys’ volleyball team jumping out and yelling in pure joy.

“About time Daichi!”

“Our captain is such a man!”

“(Y/N)-senpai isn’t single anymore, but she’s in the hands of someone trustworthy!”

“Noya-san! That was so deep!”

Fin.

~~

(A/N): This was the first one-shot I’ve ever written, so I hope it turned out okay :)

Special thanks to Apprentice Admin Strawberry-Chan and Mango-Chan for helping me edit this !

- Admin Kiwi-Chan

[midnight-writ3r]

Dance, Baby!

Ten x Genderneutral reader

Inspired by: https://open.spotify.com/track/5EV4bGHxVN0kHpcAFvgnTt?si=7kQP-Bu4QsiYr-giQg8qYw

Summary: In your dance classes, a student becomes a little too friendly with Ten. You don´t think much of it, but Ten wants to remind you how much he loves you anyways.

Genre: Fluff, slight smut, Dancers!Au

Warnings: slightly sexual content!

A/N: There´s not much to say for me, except that Ten is one of my favourite dancers in history and I hope that someday he finds a partner who shares his passion in all the best ways :’) Yes, soft hours for Ten are open <3

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

If someone asked any of your friends, your family, or even people you only know fleetingly, none of them would think of jealousy, when it comes to your personal traits. You trust the person you usually engage in relationships with, since those are not stories you like to begin carelessly. Even Ten had taken you on at least seven dates and spent five months flirting and texting his way into your heart, before you were willing to move onto a serious relationship. That´s why there is no doubt you trust him, more than you even trust your closest friends. Ten is loyal, loving and has never given you a reason to believe that he has eyes for anyone but you.

However, there are just some people who don´t get that.

The two of you had hosted another dance class together, loving to collaborate and teach your students new choreographies. You´d often make them up together, swoon over the perfect beats and watch dance movies together. It was what connected the two of you from the first day on – feeling free and weightless, as you moved to the beats that you were given.

However, there is no denying that occasions like this can be complicated. Being at your actual job, the two of you are expected to act professional. That means no unnecessary touches, none of your usual, cheeky flirting and god-forbid, any kisses. That had been the only rule given to you, when you had requested hosting a dance class together for the first time. Back then it hadn´t seemed like such a big deal, but now…

You roll your eyes, watching one of your students, as she sends Ten a coy smile. He has his polite job-smile on, but she doesn´t seem to get the hint, as her hand trails over his chest, down to his upper stomach without any shame.

It´s not a rare occurance, of course. You realize that Ten is an attractive man. Sometimes, the roles reverse, too and you find yourself with one of your students giving you flirty smirks or trying out pick-up lines that would make you laugh, were they not meant to be serious. The two of you are fit, all lean muscle from excessive hours of dance training and you love to pamper yourself and stay clean, too. You guess, you can sympathize with the students who dare to take their shot.

That doesn´t mean it doesn´t piss you off a little, too.

You watch Ten just avoiding to have the girl press even closer to him, as he slips away to prepare the stereo. As he walks, all cat-like you catch his eye and, for an abashed second you realize you had been staring at him. It doesn´t look like he is bothered by it though, as he sends you a knowing wink. Discreet enough, you think and clap your hands together, to tell everyone to get back into position.

Forgetting about the incident throughout the class is easier than you thought, although it shouldn´t really come as a surprise. You know that Ten doesn´t find anything exciting about teaching, much rather spending his time in clubs and moving wherever and however he wants to. You, on the other hand, have a great passion for it. Explaining steps, watching the students eyes light up and their confidence rise, whenever they get the choreo right – it´s all adding to a pool of warmth right in your chest. Something that fills you with pride and a distinct feeling of accomplishment.

Only once the class is over and everyone moves to pack their stuff and walk to the changing rooms, are you reminded of the obnoxious feeling again. It´s subtle and, if you hadn´t been watching, you wouldn´t have noticed at all. Yet, you still peek the girl from before slipping a piece of paper into Ten´s hand and sending him a flying kiss. Seriously?

You try not to let your irritation show, when the girl leaves through the door at last and Ten approaches you, “So what will it be tonight? Chinese or Pizza?”

“I don´t care.” You mutter, “Choose something.”

He watches you for a moment. Only when you set the speakers into their respective cupboard a little harder than necessary, does he speak up: “Babe, you okay?”

“Fine just…” Sighing, you try to collect yourself, “It´s stupid. Just ignore me, please. Chinese sounds pretty good, actually.”

From the sceptical frown on his face, you can tell that he isn´t buying it at all, “Are you sure? You know you can tell me when something´s on your mind.”

“I just–… Do you have to let them so close?” Already as the words leave your mouth, you feel stupid about them.

“Close? Whom-” He shuts himself up, before the word can fully leave his mouth, “Ah, I see… this is about the student.” He hesitates, “You do know I trashed the number, right? I´m not interested in her.”

Running a hand through your hair, you give up on trying to fit all the stereo parts into the cupboard. Usually, Ten is the one taking care of it. How the hell does he always manage to squeeze it into that tiny space? “I know. I´m sorry, this has nothing to do with you. I told you it´s stupid.”

“It´s not stupid.” Suddenly, there are hands on your hips and a firm chest, pressed against your back, “Just sounds to me like you´re in need of a little reminder here.”

“A reminder?” You snicker, despite yourself, “Of what?”

“Of how much I adore you. Of how no one comes even near you.” The grin in his words tickles against your cheek.

Humming, you turn in his hold, “How are you gonna do that?”

For a moment, he just looks at you like the cheshire cat. The next thing you know is a yelp leaving your lips, as you´re lifted onto the table for the stereo. It creaks a little under the sudden collision, but you´re not given any time to contemplate it, as a hungry kiss is hunted from your lips. Your shoulders relax, as you ease into the kiss – a gentle caress of lips and occasional teeth. It´s easy to crave more, when Ten is so warm and smells so much like himself, after the intense dance class.

Your fist closes around his tank-top and you yank him harder against you. A dark sound leaves from deep within his throat, when he settles a possessive hand on your hip and deepens the kiss further. You moan softly, feeling his tongue graze against yours and his taste in your mouth. Your trained thighs close around him easily, unwilling to give more space than absolutely necessary. He seems content enough, pressing his hips against yours and threading the fingers of his free hand in your hair. You groan softly, feeling them give a gentle pull.

Ten´s pupils are blown wide and dark, when he pulls away and looks at you, “Mark me.”

“Wuh-What?”

“Mark me, so everyone knows I´m yours.” He tilts his head, to make room with a smirk.

You want to tell him that it´s not necessary – that you trust him, regardless of what other people assume and try – but then you look into his eyes and understanding crashes over your head: He is the one who wants this. This isn´t just about giving you reassurance, this is also about him wanting to belong. Not being pursued anymore, because he is someone´s loved one. He wants a reminder for himself, not just one for you.

So, that´s what you give him. The startled gasp that breaks from his mouth when your lips latch onto the skin right beneath his jaw, make your skin tingle pleasantly. He leans into it and you allow your teeth to join the mix, too. Once a beautiful, purple bruise has formed beneath your lips, you move further down, repeating the process, until there is a long trail of hickeys, climbing all the way down to his collar bone. A piece of art, if you might say so. The contrast against his milky skin is divine and the slightly blisses out look on his face, only improves the whole picture in your eyes.

“You´re so sensitive.” You mutter, feeling his crotch press rather hard against yours with a grin. An insistent plea, which you have a hard time ignoring, “You wanna take this home?”

“It´ll be a miracle if we make it to the car.” Ten responds, stealing another heated kiss from you, “Let´s do it right here.”

Even though the request sends a shiver of arousal down your spine you shake your head with a chuckle, “And have an unknowing student walk in on us? No thanks.”

“The office is empty today.”

The pleasured sigh that leaves you, as he presses your bodies together tighter, doesn´t help undermining your point: “They´ll fire us, if we get caught.”

“Well then, let´s not get caught.” Ten teases.

“You´re unbelievable.” Gulping, you make a quick decision and take his hand into your own, “Let´s go, hurry up. We gotta make this quick.”

“And then for round two at home?”

“Shut UP!” 

-*- FIN -*-

[dreams-of-valeria]

Could it be F1 and A1 but like maybe the reader and hopper have an age gap so the reader parents are almost (but they are not... or they are ? Idk that’s up to you lol) the same age as hopper therefore there’s this kind of tension??? And hopper being kind of clumsy at the cake ? Sorry if I am asking too much, tbh your prompts got me exited!

@may85 asked:

Sooooooo can I please request A1 and F10 together? F10 being that the readers parents are complete shit and giving reader a hard time about Hop being late. Pllleassee!? 🥰🥰

In the midst of winter

F1: Baking a cake together

F10: Requester's choice

A1: Late for Christmas dinner with Reader's parents

Pairing: Jim Hopper × Younger female reader

A/N: Merry Christmas and thank you so much for your kind words! I’ve clubbed both of your requests together because as you can see, they are essentially the same but I’ve made sure to give them some individuality and I really hope you like it!

Warnings: Ok so this turned out to be a little darker than I expected and includes mentions of abuse and crying but it’s nothing our favourite Chief can’t handle. Age gap.

Word count: 3,067

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The old clock on the wall taunted you with every plock, demanding your attention between every bite of the bread you were working down just to keep your mouth busy.

The alternative would be to make conversation with the two severely conservative, stuck up and judgy people you knew as your parents. But unlike that moment, your childhood didn’t consist of you swimming in bread, although it had always been your favorite.

Your eyes drifted anywhere but over them sitting across from you at the table, and rather flew over the spread you had spent all day making. Gingerbread, ham, mashed potatoes, roasted green beans and carrots, sugar cookies, cake batter on the counter and a stuffed chicken because the store had run out of turkeys the night of Christmas Eve. The festive season was surely joyous and mesmerizing, but also meant you had to work tirelessly to a goal you had set for yourself, and could barely accomplish when your parents had arrived an hour early; just so they’d have extra time to pick at how untidy your apartment was, how old your simple black dress looked, and how you were wasting your life working as a writer at local newspaper. Which, they had added rather graphically the people of Hawkins only used to wipe their unmentionables. And that was even before they got to the pièce de resistance.

They had always been elitist and looked down upon the humble families just trying to survive and make it in a capitalist country, especially the folks of a small town, which was part of the reason you had moved to Hawkins, Indiana. The lion’s share was because you just had to get away.

The pleasant dream of having a small, homely Christmas dinner with Hopper had been shattered by that one phone call last night, of how your parents had caught wind that you’d found someone for yourself from your sister.

Becky hadn’t told them on purpose, of course. Unlike your parents, she didn’t see anything wrong with you dating a 40-year-old man especially when you were finally, truly happy. In fact, her only folly had been to leave the postcard you had sent her out on the counter, and naturally, your nosy parents had found out. Strangely, it had been Hopper’s idea to dress both of you up in all red for the photograph and send Christmas postcards out to everyone you knew. He wasn’t very generically forthcoming but did have certain ways to show affection.

Including offering to cook dinner with you. You smiled when you remembered, how only last night he had taken you in his arms after the phone call and calmed you down until your panic attack had passed. ‘We can figure it out’, he’d said, brushing your hair lovingly. You missed feeling that sense of warmth and safety in his arms.

You didn’t feel even an iota of that warmth and safety in your own apartment and surrounded by the people you’d known ever since you were born. But knowing and loving were two completely different things, you’d realised, a little too late in your life. The moment you did, you were on a bus heading south.

But now there was nowhere to run. They were there to meet your boyfriend, and like he had said, you just had to get through it. Pull off the bandaid. You wished Hopper wasn’t late, that he was there to defend you from the comments or offer comfort with his hand on the small of your back, but he was late, fighting crime. Typical.

Unlike in your parents’ case, you found that to be endearing. Even if he was forced to let you cook dinner alone.

“It’s been a while,” commented your mother, pulling her blazer’s sleeve back down over her diamond wristwatch. She was studded all over with stones, and they made your eyes hurt from the glare. You swallowed the bread and the lump down your throat and tried to smile.

“Like I said, he’s the Chief of police and must be busy with work.”

“On Christmas Eve? Did someone lose a cow or something?” Your father laughed, a balding bespectacled man who outshone his better half only in contempt.

“We’re not all mindless, farming hillbillies, dad.” You sighed, taking a sip from the wine, but reminding yourself not to drink too much. Drowning your sorrows in alcohol had worked before, but right then, it would only work in your parents’ favor. Just another reason to find a flaw in you.

“Of course not, dear. You’re not one of them.” Rebutted your dad, keeping it civil but his eyes spoke otherwise. Appearances meant everything to them, but you could never forget that look in their eyes that spoke more than those golden words ever did.

“Them are people too you know? Like Jim, my boyfriend.” You smiled, rubbing it in. It was a rarity for you to have the upper hand when it came to irking your parents, and you were not going to let this go. Your father sighed, and you could see that he was taking deep breaths to keep the civility going. Deep down, you wished he would break. You could feel a storm brewing, but it was no reason to let Jim bear witness to it. Provided that he made it in time.

“Of course.” He gritted his teeth but soon eased up. “All we’re saying is, it’s rude to be late to dinner. Especially when you spent all day cooking.”

You opened your mouth in reflex to counter but then listened to his words. Really listened. There were no double entendres or veiled insults. That made you even more suspicious.

”We just want what’s best for you, y/n.” He smiled and your mother mirrored him, and you looked between them like a deer in headlights. What sort of game were they playing? There had to be a game.

“And it’s never too late to make the right decision–” Your mother started off, and you interrupted her with an exasperated sigh.

“I knew it,” you chuckled grimly. “You’re just here to try to talk me out of my relationship.”

“What relationship?” Your father spat suddenly, and the timber of his voice made you shudder. There it was. “You are a child, and that jerk is just forcing you to–”

The door clicked open behind you and heavy footsteps gushed in, along with a gust of frozen air. All eyes went to the hallway and landed on the man of the hour, all bundled up in a parka and boots and huffing heavy breaths, probably from running up the three flights of stairs.

He scanned the room and pursed his lips. “H-hey.”

He was terrible at meeting new people. But that was the least of your concerns. You went up to him with an automatic smile on your face despite the circumstances and helped get his parka off.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, a car had tipped over on Maple street and it took forever for the fire engine to get there and I had to wait, baby, there were kids inside–”

“It’s ok.” You assured him with a smile, holding his face in your hands briefly, knowing you had an audience. An especially judgy one.

On that note, he approached the table with a smile and drew his arm across to the seated guests.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Brown, I’m Jim–”

“Ms. Brown.” You mother corrected, eyeing him sharply. You went up behind him and rest your hand on his back, as a form of apology. You knew already you’d be doing a lot of that later.

“My apologies, Ms. Brown. And also for being late. It’s great to meet you.” You could hear the smile in his voice despite the curt way in which they shook his hand.

“Likewise, Jim.” Your father’s jaw clenched. “Now, shall we eat before you get called into duty again?”

Hopper forced a chuckle and you could hear it. He took his seat by you, not excusing himself to change out of his uniform or splash some water on his face like he usually did before dinner. He knew that no matter how much you mouthed off about them, there was still something there, and he respected that enough not to drag it out longer than it had to be and to take whatever they threw at him. It warmed your heart that he would do that for you, but at the same time, you wished he wouldn’t.

“It smells amazing, y/n.” Jim smiled on your right, squeezing your knee gently. You looked into his tired eyes and smiled back. He meant the world to you. Would they ever see that?

“Do you cook, Jim?” Asked your father as he served himself some vegetables, beating you to it. You sighed and served the potatoes to your mother, yourself and Jim.

“I’m afraid not, Mr. Brown–thank you, sweetheart–unless you count microwave dinners.” He laughed in that deep, rumbling voice as he scooped some potatoes onto his spoon.

“I don’t.” Snapped your father, watching him intently as he chewed. “So this is what your … relationship is like? My daughter cooks for you and you don’t even help out–”

“I like cooking for him.” You interrupted, making louder noises with the cutlery than needed. You used to get reprimanded for that too.

Jim gently rubbed your thigh. “I meant to get here earlier, but my job–”

“So if God forbid something happened to y/n late at night, you’d be on Maple street, correct?”

“I bet you’d love if something happened to me, wouldn’t you, mom?” You hissed, stuffing your mouth with the potatoes. They were overcooked. Damn it.

“Please don’t be a martyr, y/n.” She scoffed.

“How could I be when you steal the show, mom?” You snapped and watched her jaw drop. That had never happened before.

“Y/n! That is not how you speak to your mother. Apologize.” You could see the perspiration on your father’s forehead already, and the next level would be his vein throbbing. Some part of you wanted to push him further.

“No, I’m good. Honey, could you pass the ham?” You asked Hopper, and it took him a second to blink and realize you were talking to him. He did as asked with a slight frown as he watched you closely.

You could feel your father’s eyes burn holes through you a while longer before he wordlessly returned to his dinner. You’d nailed the ham. That Jacques Pepin really knew what he was doing.

“If we knew this was how it was going to be, we’d never had flown up.” Your father said passive-aggressively, attacking the poor ham with his knife. “Thought we could just visit our daughter for Christmas …”

“Don’t pretend like that’s all you’re here for, dad.” You rubbed your fingers over your eyes, feeling moisture come back.

“Well, of course, it’s not! We paired you up with the most perfect man!” He exploded, and you were surprised he could hold it in for as long as he did. Of course, he would bring up the lowest point in your life.

“Oh, Gerald?” You scoffed, watching his vein pop. Hopper shifted uncomfortably, arms ready to interrupt if it came to that. He knew everything about your past.

“Yes, Gerald! He went to Yale! He’s going to be a doctor, y/n.” Your father cried, eyebrows furrowed in a rage. Like you had stabbed him in the back. Your mind imploded with the overwhelming memories and seemed to grip at your chest painfully. You could feel another attack coming.

“He … hurt me.” Your voice cracked, and Jim’s arm came around your shoulders.

“So you say!” Your mother dropped her cutlery, leaning forward in a rage. “He is a good boy but of course you would find faults with him, y/n–”

“He hurt me …” you gasped for breath as your voice quivered, feeling the tears track down your face. “ … every. Day.” Jim’s other arm had come around your front and held you tight, but somehow it made you feel better. The weight on your chest was getting lighter with his touches, as he whispered sweet nothings into your ear.

“Oh, I remember the lies, y/n. And that you ran away. And all for what? Him?” Your father spat, pointing at Hopper. His arms around you froze, and you followed.

“Do you have any idea how much you’ve marred the Brown family name? Dating a damn divorcee who’s twice your age in the middle of Godforsaken nowhere?” He rasped, as his entire face turned red.

“What do you want me to do, dad?” You pleaded, throwing him another lifeline. You were stupid to hope, but that was who you were. “You want me to leave the man who loves me for who I am and finally makes me happy and go back to the one you two approve of? Even if he beats me up?”

You gazed at your parents through tears with a sincere question, still waiting like a fool for them to prove you right.

“Gerald would never do that.” Your father sighed, cleaning his glasses to the end of the table cloth, before looking up at you. There was nothing behind those eyes. “But, yes.”

And there it was.

You knew the moment you’d received that phone call that was the reason they were flying down. Not to check on their younger daughter who couldn’t do anything right with her life, or wouldn’t stay with the abuser her own parents had chosen for her right out of college to marry. But still, you dreamed that they were coming to see how you were doing, to meet Jim and maybe playfully threaten him to take care of you or to tell you that no matter what choices you made or who you were, that they were with you. That they loved and supported you.

You scoffed, realizing that that moment was the final nail in the coffin. You had long abandoned your dream of seeking your parents’ approval, but this was the end. You’d found a new dream already, and Jim would not make you chase him or point out your flaws. And you were completely and gratefully in love with him. And that was enough.

You gazed up at his face, at his still tired eyes and haphazard hair, but also at the overwhelming love in his eyes as he asked you repeatedly if you were alright. He was more than enough.

You smiled at him before turning back to them.

“Well, if I’m such a dishonor to the family name, maybe I shouldn’t have it anymore.” You said, straightening up in your seat as Hopper released you, but still kept his hand on your chair.

They looked up at you slowly, until they said almost at the same time, “What?”

“You heard me. And I think you should get going before the snow comes in.” You pulled your chair back and stood to your feet, watching them expectantly.

They seemed confused, and stared up at you with slack jaws until he said, “You’re kicking us out?”

“Perceptive aren’t you, father?” You mocked, and that seemed to do it. They hastily got to their feet and shuffled around to the hallway, grumbling as they put their coats on.

“You remember this moment when you turned your own family away, y/n. When you come begging back to us.”

“Jim treats me more like family than you two ever did. And if I do come back, it’ll be as Y/N Hopper.” You said, before closing the door after them. Their startled faces were etched into your mind as you walked back into the kitchen, wiping the remnant tears from your face.

“Honey?” Jim called hesitantly from behind you but paused in the kitchen when he saw you at the counter, throwing your apron on.

“You promised you’d help, Chief. Get your apron,” You smiled at him warmly through the tears as you uncovered the half mixed cake batter in the bowl. Hopper cautiously threw the apron on as he watched you, washing your hands before dousing them into the yellow batter.

“I’m sure we have a whisk, sweetheart.” He said, tucking some loose hair behind your ears.

“No, it’s better this way,” you smiled like you didn’t just cut off ties with your parents.

“You wanna talk about it?” Hopper asked in as gentle a voice as he could, eyeing the raisins in a bowl. He didn’t like raisins in his cake.

“I’m good. Could you pass the vanilla, please?” You asked, pointing your eyes to the small vial by the oven. He did as you asked, and you could still feel his eyes on him.

“The raisins, too.” You asked, but Jim didn’t spring into action this time. You entered a staredown, one where you looked at him expectantly, and he pleaded with his eyes. You gave in with a chuckle. He could be so adorable sometimes.

“Alright, but just this once.” You conceded, and he hovered behind you, laying a soft kiss on your shoulder.

“I love you,” he whispered, kissing your hair this time. You paused the mixing and sighed, smiling as his arms wrapped around you again. That one ounce of doubt disappeared when you were in his arms again, and bliss replaced it.

“I love you too,” you declared, turning your face to kiss him. Jim was chaste this time and let you off with a peck, lending that moment more gooey-ness than the batter. And it only increased when he slid his fingers down your arms and into the bowl, kneading along with you.

“What are you doing?” You chuckled, leaning back into him. He was your pillar in more ways than one. You were grateful for him every day, starting with the day you’d met him at the newspaper office when he’d wanted some ‘intel’. You’d found out days later that it was all made up and the only reason he was there, was for you.

“Helping.” He hummed, kissing your cheek as his fingers intertwined with yours and straightened out the batter, and Jim Hopper was kind enough to lend the same favor to you.

And that was more than enough.

J.