#in ak you must throw hands before you hold hands

[dlartistanon]

Her equal in ice

[redrydersrequiem]

Lost and found family chapter 3

Previous chapters. Chapter 1. Chapter 2

Again this is all for my own entertainment I just write because I like to none of this is really proofread besides Google so be nice

I want jake to have a redemption cause i feel like they made him very serious and i want him to be a fun loving dad.

Jake, Neytiri,neteyam lo,ak and i all convene in the war room maps and everything everywhere other warriors close to jake join in as well. Greetings are exchanged and then the work begins.

“Let's start off with what you know. What’s the RDAs current mission”

“Well considering they lied to me a lot I can’t be sure what all is the truth and what isn’t. But I can tell you base locations and squad goals. Right now here is the main base and about here and all the way over here are other primary ones, as you know they use that train way to get stuff to and from each one. I also heard they are doing stuff out at the sea but i don't know what they are doing just that they are there.

“Right, well try to get messages out to those clans to see if they need any help.”

“How are you guys on weapons”

“We just had a successful raid and were able to take alot. The problem though is some of the guns are quite different then what we are used to using.

“What let me see”

Jake leads the party out to the supply keep, a bunch of metal containers sit there.

“Here are the standard ars the soldiers usually hold but this box they are a lot longer not something I’ve ever used so they must be a new kind of model.”

“Yeah that’s cause they aren’t ars They’re new age sniper rifles”

I take the giant weapon out of the box attaching the long extra barrel and stock

“Damn I hear Lo’ak say under his breath

“They have a new locking mechanism that if you don’t do it right will cause the thing to blow up in your face.However I'm more concerned about the ammo that comes with this gun. it’s basically a tank piercer so what the rda are using it for could be a problem. The good thing is though there aren’t as many snipers that could hit I’m guessing whatever animals you ride on out of the air, especially if you're fast.

“Can I ask how you know all this? Neteyam say gently jake agreeing

“Because I’m a sniper. A fast one, it’s one of my many talents

“Really? Jake asks

“Yup want me to demonstrate? Here these should be practice rounds not the full tank bullet. I explain taking a set of bullets out of the side of the box

“Now i just need something to hit.

“What about this Lo’ak calls out holding what looks like an old wooden plate.

“Sure that would work, Jake want to throw it for me or do one of the younger ones needs to do it so you don’t throw it through your old man joints.

“Ok one for the last time I’m not old and secondly sure I’ll happily throw the disk for your cocky little ass.

“We all walk out to the opening of the cave making sure no one is flying around or coming in in the next couple of minutes.

“Ok jake ready when you are”

Jake grins and discus throws the plate as far and as fast as he can. The scope to my eye I quickly track the disk before firing. The recoil snapping into my shoulder as the bullet hits its mark. One of the other warriors who were on standby on their ikran goes to collect the item as it hurdles to the pandorian forest.

“Damn” is all I hear behind me as I unload the round from the gun.

“That was hot.” I hear loak say quietly to neteyam , neteyam just shaking his head in agreement with an astounded look on his face. I just pretend i don't hear it as i turn my head into my shoulder and smile The other warrior whose name I learn is ra’gi brings the plate over to jake. A hole in the dead center of it.

“Well ill be damned. Well we know you can shot what else you got kid”

“I'm proficient in hand to hand and can do the stuff a combat medic is able to.”

“Impressive well that settles it your going to get the fast pass to becoming an official omitikaya. Come let's test your hand to hand combat.”

We all walk over to the warriors jake saying several names. Men and two women come forward from the group they all look about mine and neteyams age.

“Ok caspian think of this as initiation. I want you to go up against our new warriors here and see how you hold up

“And here I thought the military discouraged hazing.”

“Haha get in there little red no better time than the present.”

Jake then turns back to the others “Ok i've asked you to come forward to measure our new clans members strength and agility. Does any one wish to volunteer out of the group?’A cocky looking boy steps forward. He is not horrible looking and judging by his stance thinks he's a god gift to the world. Joy.

“Alright mak’tey perfect you’ll hopefully be able to give her a good challenge

“Dad, are you sure about this maktey has been a hunter and fighter his whole life basically.

“It’s fine neteyam i can take him

“Eywa i dont think this will go well.

“Stop stressing bro just enjoy the show that's about to happen. Lo’ak cheers “I bet you ten beads that she loses”

“Hey” I say, looking at lo’ak. The little shit just has the nerve to grin back at me and shrug. Oh when I get a hold of him later I swear.

“Ok let's do basic hand to hand, we'll call the match when you either want to give up or tap out ok, no real weapons you’ll use these wooden training daggers and that it got it.”

“Got it.” I say as I shake out my limbs, cracking my neck, I take one of the knives and step into the fighting zone. I can tell by the boy's face he thinks this will be an easy win. He goes and confirms as much as he jokingly says to the boys behind him how quick this would be in Navi, not realizing I could understand him. He steps up and we both assume our battle stances as we wait for jake to start the round

“Ok begin”

We both start trading blows. Not really hurting each other but testing each other's speed it's truly getting boring so I wait for his next attack, catching his fist I bring it around his neck with my hand and trip him over to fall on his butt. The others laugh and I can tell that probably bruised his high ego. To his credit he rises quickly and gets back in a more serious fight stance. Now coming at me full force swinging and trying to grab onto me to pin me down. He comes close many times but i've honestly had enough sho with his next strike i take his arm knocking the blade out of his hand before kneeing him in the stomach once bent over i knee him again in the face before black widow style spinning him over onto his back (gif to explain, i dont know what else to call that move)

My knife now at his neck, wide eyed he yields the others cheering around me. I stand withdrawing my knife as I offer the warrior my hand.with a breath he takes it and surprisingly nods to me instead of getting pouty like most men when a girl beats them.

Jakes pov

Damn, I must admit I wasn’t expecting the little girl I used to know how to do that. The others all shake out of their shock and go to congratulate her, lo’ak and netayam included as they gush over her skill. Looking to trade instructions and skills. Beads also being passed around from the beats they all secretly took

“Well ill admit im very impressed.”

“Hello i'm a marine. I didn’t just pussy foot around my whole career.” Caspian answers snarkily back at me. I just put my hands up in defeat, smiling down at caspian. Maybe this plan will work out after all.

“Ok well we know you can fight. And shoot but a true test of an omatikaya is passing your iknimaya.

“My what.

“It’s finding and bonding with your own ikran”. Neteyam answer for me before looking back at me with a quizzical look on how fast im trying to push caspian.

“Neteyam is right but were not going to start that now. First i want neteyam and the others to show you around pandora and teach you our ways but i do need to emphasize this will need to be a more accelerated training. Think of this as hell week. Now learn everything you can from everyone and in two weeks well see if your ready. Now why dont you all go with the others and play ok. You’ve earned the rest of the day off.”

“Sir are you sure “

“Im sorry sir? We have to call you sir.” Jake just kind of looks ashamed at caspian asking that. The word coming out of her mouth sounding wrong as she looks at him asking if his son seriously calls him sir instead of dad.

Clearing my throat i say yes but first i ask lo’ak and neteyam to follow me. Shoving caspian over to the others as the call her.

We walk away from the group and I see both my sons are tense and silent. They are afraid of me. My heart twists this isn't what I wanted. I never wanted my children to be afraid of me. I turn to the boys, grabbing both of them at the back of the neck and pulling them into a tight hug.

“I'm so sorry.”

“Uh sir what's.” Neteyam says awkwardly trying to figure out what to do

“No it's not sir. I never should have even started that with you both. Seeing Caspian and remembering all of her childhood reminded me that you all are still children. My children. I never should have forgotten that. I love you both so much and I don't want anything to ever happen to you. So from now on I promise I'm going to make more of an effort to be more understanding. To let you be kids and not just soldiers. I see you my sons and I pray to eywa that we can start over from now on. I'm your father, not your drill sergeant and I almost lost you. I would never be able to forgive myself if you boys didn’t think I loved you. And I see that now ”

The boys both look at each other and bring me back into a hug. I can feel their shoulders slump as they breath heavily, probably trying to contain their tears just like I am.

“It’s ok dad, we forgive you.” Neteyam says for both of them.

I just bring both their heads to mine as I relish in the moment.

“Thank you my sons, now go on have fun ok I'll come get y'all when it's time for dinner. Try and find your sisters to you all could use a fun day after everything y'all hav been through the past few days. Just please for your old man sake don't go anywhere you're not supposed to.”

“We won't dad I promise. Like an actual promise”. Lo’ak says holding his hand up like a Boy Scout.

“Ok you rascals now get out of here.” I push them off towards the tents and the other teens/young adults not realizing my mate had come up behind me until her arms are around my waist.

“Hello my love.”

:Hello ma jake. Im very proud of you.”

“I must appologize to you as well neytiri you tried to tell me and her hands stop me covering my mouth as she looks at me.”

“It is all in the past ma jake eywa has guided you back to the right path all you can do now is continue to move forward on it. “

“I will love i will.” The couple walks back to their tent listening to the sounds of all their children enjoying the day.

Caspians pov

The week goes by and every day I learn something new. From the prayers and rights to speak while hunting. I spend a lot of time with everyone, tuk teaching me how to braid little things and which flowers make the prettiest paints. Kiri teaches me about healing. What plants to use and which to avoid. Lo’ak teaches me about the animals around us. Helping me with my dire horse riding. Well more like laughing at me when i fall off but still he tries to help. Neteyam teaches me to hunt and move through the forest. Showing me all the little places he’s found. Jake is much lighter now. It’s like he’s finally learned when to put on his chief pants and when to just be jake sully a father and husband.The rda has been silent for now probably trying to teach their recombants what they can before they send the hunting dogs back out but there’s nothing we can do about them for now.

The day finally comes. Tuk and lo’ak waking me early. The bright rays of light blinding me as lo’ak shakes my hammock side to side.

“Come on bro wake up already.”

“Lo’ak i swear leave me alone”. I say trying to rollover back into my hammock

“Come on, Cassy todays supposed to be important. Tuk yells as she gets up in my hammock now sitting in my stomach shaking me like a kid on Christmas waiting to open their presents.

“Ok ok im up im up.”

Tuk takes my hand and drags me over to everyone. Neytiri smiling and smoothing down my wild sleep hair as she hands me a plate of food.

“Good morning Caspian”

“Good morning neytiri. Good morning everyone. Where’s jake and neteyam.” As if summoned by their names the duo enter into the pod

“There she is bright and early.” Jake says throwing his arms around me messing up the hair kiri just helped me tame to her disappointment and mine

“Good morning caspian. Good morning neteyam. What where you two out doing.”

“Oh you know bonding but we where making sure everything was prepared for today”

“Why whats happening?”i say looking around at everyone. Neytiri and jake share a knowing look before looking back over at me with smiles on their face

“Caspian we have decided today is the day for you to take on you iknimaya.” Neytiri says lovingly

“What.?”

“It’s time for you to become a true part of this clan little red.” Jake adds to his mates words

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Yeah I've watched you the past weeks and you’ve learned so much in so little time. I know you have much more to learn but you and the others are ready and besides we need you air born if you're going to be of any help to us. So eat up cause after breakfast kiri and neytiri are going to help get you dressed and then it begins.”

The floating hallelujah mountains are truly beautiful. Is all I can think of as I follow the others up.

“So what is this called again?”

“Come on bro we’ve told you a thousand times at this point it's your iknimaya”

“You keep saying that like I should know what that all entails besides climbing this big ass mountain.”

“Hey, blame yourself since your determined ass wants to help dad, and the others in the field.”

“I'm a marine and of course I'm going to help”. I gripe back at lo’ak. Lo’ak had made it to the top of the cliff, the others and myself following.”

“Finally”

“I thought you were supposed to be a soldier?” I hear kiri ask smuggly looking down at me

“And I thought you kids were taught to respect your elders”

“Elders, you and nete are the same age and besides tuk has even climbed with us before ''. Lo’ak jokes back

All I hear is their laughing as I finally get to my feet. The view struck me. Every time I look out over Pandora the sight is absolutely incredible, almost breathtaking.

“Hey skxqwng come on.”

“Who’s a skxqwng Lo’ak I'll bet your ass.” His laugh is contagious as I can’t keep the smile off my face. Making swipes at him as we round the corner into a large opening, I see jake, neytiri, tuk and neteyam all standing there with their ikrans behind them.

“Hey, that's cheating if you get to fly up here.” I say motioning towards jake

“Hey I did it the hard way the same as you, besides if you want to be part of the clan this is what you got to do little red.

All I can do is look out into the open cliff side where dozens of ikrans lay waiting.

“Getting scared” Lo’ak teased relishing in my slowly paling face.

“Leave her alone “ neytiri hissed carrying tuk on her hip

“Aww come on I have to mess with her. I can't let her beat my time”. Lo’ak adds pulling a stopwatch out of the pouch at his hip.

“You timed this?!” I asked incredulously

“Yeah I timed everyone, so far Neteyam holds the fastest time. You’ll be fine just don't look down”

Jake smacks him good around the back of the head for that, Neteyam just stifles a laugh, kiri just shakes her head at her brother antics

“Ok little red lets do this”

Jake walks out motioning me to follow we all follow till a waterfall just off a narrow ledge of the rocky cave, pouring down into nothingness. I followed Jake, pressing my back to the wall and shuffling along the narrow edge into the emerging grotto. The banshee rookery I was later told I wish I was told sooner though. I thought just looking at Jakes and the others ikrans were somewhat intimidating but now I'm staring at hundreds of them. Clung to walls and perches hisses and growls heard all through the air

“Listen little red you can do this, you're a fighter remember and you had no problem fighting with me and everyone this whole time. You can do this, just remember what we taught you.”

I just shake my head at him letting him bring me into a quick hug. Netyrir slides up to me as well. Grabbing the back of my head she looks me deep in the eyes. “May Eywa be with you.” She says tenderness gleaming in her eyes.

“Good luck Cassie” tuk adds smiling

All I can do is nod again, too nervous to speak. Neteyam stepped forward resting a hand on my shoulder regrounding me to the situation at hand. My anxiety immediately calming as i look into his eyes

“Stay focused, you've got this. Just do as dad said, remember how hard we all worked on your training.”

“Got it, focus on training.” I about face and slowly make my way into the blinding light of the grotto

“When you choose an ikran you gotta feel it in your heart” neteyam yells out to me as i continue into the grotto

“Ok and how do i know if they choose me again”

“It’ll try to kill you.” Jake says a somewhat smug look on his face.

“Oh f my life.”

“Get on with it already!” I hear lo’ak shout followed by a yelp as kiri punched him in the arm for me.

I close my eyes and regulate my breathing. Putting on my soldier mask. My mind now focused. I open them and steadily start walking forward. The ikrans near me all eye me as I near, several shrieked and took flight, others just flapped their wings and yawned like I was an ant walking by. I just steadily crept through the crowd of winged creatures, bearing my fangs like I was taught trying to get a reaction out of any of them, but none did. It had felt like i had prowled the whole damn grotto not finding a single ikran that tugged at my heart. Letting out a frustrated sigh i turn around to face the sully family again

“Are you sure I can do this? Can they tell I'm a ldreamwalker or something like, what's up. What am I supposed to do ....”

A thud shook the earth under me. Oh shit don't let the mountain fall out of the sky now. I look up quick to see the family’s reaction to that tremor but all i see is them looking behind me. Eyes wide and mouths slightly open

Holy shit” Lo’ak gasps

The others all to stunned to reprimand him. God those can not be good looks, i slowly turned around and there it was. The sun was blocked out by its enormous figure. And the further up I looked the more color drained from my blue face. This thing was massive. Bigger than the other ones around the grotto. It was definitely bigger than jakes and I had no idea what I was about to do. The ikran spread its wings wide and glared straight at me. Letting out a deafening shriek.

Time starts now is all I hear before my instincts begin driving me. Hissing at the ikran it begins to charge me jaws wide as it leaps to eat me if it could. Timing the lunge I swing the leather strap thing jake gave me earlier in my hand like a lasso waiting for the creature to bite at me again. It lunges again, feinting to the right, it misses me and I'm able to snap the strap around its massive jaws, tying them shut. Well that just pissed it off more as a muffled scream it's heard in its throat. It’s starts slashing around with th talons on its front wings barley missing it as i look for another opening to pin the things head to the ground. I find my opening and jump on. The creature toppled to the side with me, koala bear straddling its head. Trying to fling me off like a bull at the rodeo and all i can do is hang on

“Caspian!” I hear Neytiri yell out as she sees me being bashed into some of the rocks around me.

I finally manage to wrestle the beast enough to get its head held down with my legs to grab its antennae i reach for my own que when the ikran suddenly gives a flap of its wings lifting us into the air

“F@ck”

“CASPIAN. Make the bond”. Jake yells out

“2 minutes, lo’ak calls out

“Seriously!”, I scream out in frustration. How am I suddenly the alligator hunter, Jesus, I'm swishing around in the air, the ikran slowly getting closer and closer to the cliff edge.

“Oh hell no, we are not going over that cliff.”

Finally I pull back and push all my weight the other direction throwing the ikran completely off balance, hitting the rock hard below knocking all the air out of me. But I don't have time to catch my breath Grunting I take my que in one hand and its antenna in the other smashing the two together Then silence. I could feel the electricity sweep through every nerve of my body sending a shiver down my spine. I could feel the ikran breath. The air entering and exiting its lungs. It’s heart beating frantically next to mine.

Clam down, I command in my head. The ikran immediately stopped struggling

“Ok we're going to take this slow. I'm going to release you and I just want you to chill ok.” I feel the ikrans hum under me. “Ok here we go.” I uncurl my legs from around the giant's head and slowly loosen my hold as I stand. Our ques are still connected as the ikran now rights itself and calmly stands next to me.

“Caspian quick you have to fly to seal the bond. I hear Neteyam direct me, pushing me to get on my ikran and leading us back over to the ledge.

“Come on little red’ I see Jake mounting his own ikran bob and taking off.

I hop on mine and look tentatively over the edge I was just barely dangling over. Let's do this. And off we both go. Screaming towards the ground before the air fills under my ikrans wings and we’re flying

I've flown before in planes and helicopters different things for the military but never did it feel like this. Flying felt like freedom. That no matter what happened I was free. Feeling the wind rush through my hair and the cold mountain air hit my cheeks. Jake whooping next to me as he weaves around. I hear hollering from my left and see Neteyam as joined us in the air as well, sporting a similar smile to his father. I see kiri, tuk and lo’ak still running around below me and command my ikran to land.

Stepping off, I finally take a good look at the creature.

I couldn't see it before but the ikran was truly beautiful. Its head was a beautiful sunflower yellow turning into red on the very top. I slowly look around him and see he looks almost tye dyed. Beautiful reds and yellows fading out into the cool tones of blue green and purple. The creature is truly a work of art.

“2 minutes 45 seconds” Lo’ak yells out in disbelief waving the watch around as he runs in a circle like an overexcited toddler. Jake let out a long whoop of joy running up to me swinging me around like a doll. Neteyam and kiri not far behind him, neytiri was bouncing tuk up and down on her hip in celebration as they joined the group. Lo’ak still a blue blur as he ran around crying “2 minutes.”

“Lo’ak stop running around”. Kiri finally scolds lo’ak tired of his yelling and running. I simply stare at my new ikran.

“How do you feel?” Neteyam gently asks me

“I feel incredible.”

Neteyam simply gives me one of his kilowatt smiles as my ikran lifts its head chirping out

“So little red that was fun huh.” Jake says, bumping my shoulder, smiling down at me.

“I will kill you right now, Jake sully. You didn’t tell me they could be this big.”

“Technically that is not even the biggest.”

“Cassie, Cassie you did it.” tuk yells launching into my arms

“Your ikrans so big, they're pretty though.”

“Why thank you tuk I agree.”

“What are you going to name him? Kiri asks next to me.

“Hmmmm ill call him tidy”

“Tidy? Why? Tuk asks curiously

“Cause he looks like he’s been tye dyed in colors.”

“What’s tye dye.? Tuk as questioningly.”

“It’s a clothing technique on earth, it's kind of hard to explain. I say ruffling tuk hair.

With the hard part over everyone climbs aboard their individual ikran as we fly over pandora back to home base. Where the celebration will go into the night. And all i can think as we fly is, eywa i'm glad I didn’t go back to sleep this morning.

[atravisphilepsclicker]

Can I get comfort from sal? So trans male reader keeps his binder on to long to the point of bruises and pain? You can chose headcanons or a one shot it’s up to you •3•

Summary: Sal comes home from his supermarket job to see you were in your shared bedroom in your shared apartment and asks how long you kept your binder on after you answer him he tries to help you with the pain.

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Word Count:1654

Pronouns: he/him

Gender: trans male

Warning: mentions of dysphoria, bruising, back pain and small injury

Modern AU

You both are in high school and Sal has a part-time job at the town Walmart.

Y/N = your name

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3rd Person POV

Sal stood in front of the apartment door with the card key in his left hand and was texting the group gc ( with him, todd, larry, ashily, maple and chug ). He turned off his phone and slid the key into the card lock and a small light turned red to green showing that it was unlocked.

Walking into the apartment Sal was met with silence. It didn’t worry him but he wondered where you were when he came home from work you usually were sitting on the couch doing something to pass the time as you waited for him but you weren’t there to give him his usual greeting of “ Hey, Sal, “ or “ Hey, blue! “

Sal then locked the door, took off his shoes, and put them on the boot rack on the door’s left side. Sal stood upright and walked into the living room and that’s when he heard it, “ Oh you’re home, Welcome back! “ Sal heard you greet him from the bedroom. The bedroom door was half open leaving him being able to see you laying on the bed in the room. Sal walked over to the door and opened it and leaned on the door frame.

He looked at you, you were so handsome laying there your legs laying straight on the bed as you scrolled on your phone. You had a tired look on your face and you bet your ass your amazing boyfriend Sal noticed and frowned, furrowing his brow. “ So how was your day today? You look tired. “ Sal asked with a slightly worried tone. You look at him with a small smile and turn off your phone, putting it on the nightstand beside your side of the bed.

“ It was fine I haven’t had a lot of sleep since I was trying to finish the dam book assignment T/N gave us. I did ask todd to help me after I finished pulling out my hair a little. So it’s done now and I won’t have to return to hell for a few days till our next assignment. But other than that I’ve had a fine day. “ You told the blue-haired male that was now on sitting on the bed beside you legs crossed with one hand holding his face listening to you.

You looked at him and asked, “ So how was your day at work? I guess the boss gave you overtime at the store again? “ You asked since he came home 2 hours later than his work schedule had said. “ Yeah, sorry! I tried to get off earlier but she just gave me so many things to do! “ He said annoyed. You leaned on one side wincing at the bit of pain moving gave you and Sal noticed. Sal was not a genius but when he saw you do that it didn’t take long for him to remember the last time a few months ago you didn’t take off your binder for longer than it intended. “ Hey, love how long have you had your binder on? “ He asked with tones of worry in his voice. You saw his eyes through the mask, they looked worried for you, the love of his life.

You sigh and close your eyes not wanting to see his reaction, “ 12 hours. “ You say quietly, almost in a mumble. “ Take it off. “ Sal told you with a stern pained voice. You were hesitant not wanting to have terrible dysphoria again, I mean that the entire reason you have had that on for so long and you both knew it. It took a little time to think but you finally surrendered. “ Fine…” You said with an upset sigh. You sat up quickly sending a jolt of pain down your spine making you lay back down and groan in pain. Sal quickly moved over to you and held your arm with one hand. “ Do you need me to help get up? It must be really painful to move. “ Sal asked rubbing circles on your arm. You make a pained smile, “ That would be really nice of you blue, thank you. “

Sal moved, straightening his back. “ Okay, first let’s sit you up just tell me when you’re ready to move and ill put my hand behind your back and push you up slowly. “ Sal told you. You waited for a minute for the pain to die down a little and told him you were ready. Sal slid his hand under the lower side of your back knowing your upper back must be in so much pain right at the moment.“ K, one...two...three! “ Sal started to move you up slowly and steadily.

Once you sat up Sal helped you lean your back on the backboard of your bed. After that Sal got off the bed and stood beside you. “ You alright? “ He asked squatting down to lead his head in your lap. “ Yeah, I’m fine just in a little bit of pain but no worries! “ You answer as you twirl a few of Sal’s soft blue locks in your fingers. “ Well...if you’re sure you’ll be fine then do you think we could try to stand you up and get that binder off of you? “ He asked in a caring tone. “ Yeah, we could try but I think I might fall over if I do. “ You cucked. SaL then stood up and held both of your arms. “ You know you don’t need to hold me like this right? “ You say as you steadily move up wincing at the pain your binder gave you to move. “ I know I just want to make sure you’re safe and won’t get hurt more than you already are. “ He started concentrating on getting you to stand up. Once you finally stood up he started getting your shirt off as you looked away embarrassed and disgusted. “ Why are you okay seeing my disgusting body? “ You aked as Sal threw your shirt on the bad behind you both. He looked bad at you and put his hand on your face and started rubbing small shapes with his thumb, “ Because I love you, and your handsome body, love. You are anything but disgusting! You're my handsome attractive boyfriend and that's what you'll always be to me, even if you hate how you look ill help you show that you're beautiful! And hey, we can always start saving up for surgery to get them removed if you really want. I’ll do anything to make you happy and I want you to know that but for now, we just need to get that binder off of you. “ He told you. You started to tear up as he started taking it off of you and finally broke down as he also put that down with the discarded shirt. “ Thank you. I love you! “ You cried on her shoulder.

“ Shhhh it’s okay….how about I give you a nice massage to relieve some of the pain? “ Sal asked calming you down slightly. You sniffed a bit and then looked at him with tear stains down your face. “ Yeah, that would be nice….” You said as you lay down in the middle of the bed. Sal sat down beside you and rolled up his sleeves. He first put his hands on your shoulders, thankfully they were warm and he started messaging the notes out. It felt good and you gave a big sigh. He then moved to where your bruises and cuts are from the binder. His hands became softer on your skin and he was careful to relieve some of the pain not give you some more. You felt a wave of relief when the pain died down you didn't even notice when Sal stopped till he said something to you. “ I'm going to get some ointment to put on the bruises! “ He told you walking out of your bedroom.

You stare at the wall in front of you as you listen to his movement, him opening the bathroom door then him opening the cupboard and moving some things around till he found the ointment. You looked over at the door as Sal walked in medicine in hand. He sat back down beside you were still laying on your stomach. “ This is going to be cold on your skin. “ He said opening the medicine and putting some on his finger. He put some on a large bruise and yeah, he was right, it's fucking cold. You wince at the cold feeling on your skin but you soon get used to the feeling as Sal rubbed it in more.

Soon enough he was done and you were tired mentally and physically. You look at your wonderful boyfriend beside you scrolling on his phone. “ You think we can cuddle? “ You ask looking at him with i tired and pained face. “ He turned off his phone and looked at you with beautiful and caring eyes. “ Sure, love! Let me just take off my mask. “ He told you unclipping the clips under his hair. You didn't even really notice he still had it on but was happy he's still comfortable taking it off around you. After setting his mask down on the nightstand he layed his back on the backboard and moved his arms out waiting for you to come in his arms. You crawled over to Sal and went into his comforting arms. You both stayed there in the quiet only sounds of small movement and breathing in air. Soon enough your eyes started getting droopy and you started letting out cute yawns. You hear Sal chuckle and you say a quick shut up before your eyes closed for good and you fell fast asleep going into an amazing and magical dream.

Now you both were together and that wouldn't change ever even if either of you struggles with things or life throws things at you you'll always be there for each other, from now and forever.

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

Pictures

Sal Fisher- https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/496873771387590071/

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

Sorry if this was terrible! I honestly loved writing this but was having some trouble getting my ideas down on the computer so it might seem quite bad, but hopefully, this helps even a little and have a great day/afternoon/night and remember to stay hydrated!

[tanzaniiite]

Can I request hcs with Akaashi, bokuto, iwaizumi and Sugawara’s reactions to you playing drums on their ass, if that made any sense lol

BEAT THAT ASS LIKE IT’S BONGOS

w/ akaashi, bokuto, iwaizumi & sugawara

requests: OPEN

warnings: talk of butts

yes, this request makes perfect sense! don’t question the title, it just came to me 💀 thanks for the request!

oh this poor bby, he’s gonna be so confused

he doesn’t smack your butt cause he doesn’t get the appeal? and he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable

but akaashi?? more like akasshi 🥴

i’ll take my leave now

n e ways you two would be hanging out in his backyard, just soaking in the sun and lounging around

he’s on a lounge chair reading a book while you’re laying next to him on your phone

he turns over to look for something in his bag and there it is

his ass in all it’s glory 👀

you’re mesmerized to say the least and you just,, you gotta touch it

so you smack his butt lightly, not too hard but it wasn’t soft either

when i tell you he snapped his neck to look at you,, whew chile

his eyes are wide and his face is just red, “y-y/n what are you doing?”

“i’m sorry baby, i just wanted to touch your butt. did i make you uncomfortable?” 🥺

he can’t even be mad at you, damn your cute face. keiji just shakes his head and looks away shyly

“no, it’s okay”

“yay! so can i play your butt like it’s drums?”

*voice crack* “wHAT?”

you are literally going to break him

he lets you do it though cause you seem excited to do so

but only when you guys are alone and he blushes the whole time

my bby

look, you have to understand… bokuto’s ass is–

phat 🥵✨

i would be surprised if you’ve haven’t smacked his ass before

anywho y’all are chilling at your house, he’s on your bed on ft with akaashi who’s tutoring him

you know he needs the help and you definitely don’t have keiji’s god given patience to help him, so you usually leave him alone during these little sessions

but alas, you are bored~

so you go into your room after getting a bottle of water for kou, once you give it to him, he gives you a sweet and appreciative smile

i love him

you smile back and give him a small forehead kiss before getting on the bed behind him

bokuto’s already been on ft w/ akaashi for like a good hour now, so he’s just laying on his stomach trying to understand what the hell his best friend is talking about

you chill on your phone for a bit until you catch a glimpse 👀

what you doing with all that 🍑 sir

AND he’s in his grey shorts??? the dude is asking for it tbh

n e ways you slowly creep behind him and sit on the backs of his legs. it’s not uncommon for you to climb him like a jungle gym so he doesn’t really pay you any mind

that is until you smack his ass dummy hard, he tenses and looks at you with a nervous smile

“hey babe, whatcha doing there?”

“don’t look at me like that, you’re the one with all this ass”

you then proceed to play a small beat on his butt, specifically the beat of ‘bruk off yuh back’

kou just blushes slightly while laughing at your antics

“i didn’t know you liked my butt so much!”

you pause and look him dead in the eyes

“kou. i love your ass”

lmao do you have a death wish?

iwa’s butt is also A1 but he will literally rip your hands off if you touch it

but this dude is a whole hypocrite cause he’ll smack your ass for shits and giggles all the time

and ik y’all seen him play volleyball, his smacks aren’t light in the slightest

anyway your tired of being on the receiving end of butt smacking and you decide to pull out your reverse card

y’all are at his house and you guys decided to take a nap together on the couch. you woke up before him and he’s so peaceful sleeping with his head on your chest 🥺

time to ruin that ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

you start off by just running your hands up and down his back. eventually you move your hands lower and give his butt a lil experimental pat

look at that jiggle

he doesn’t wake up, just buries his face in your chest more so you continue to pat his butt lightly. you’re mesmerized by the jiggle

but then you remember how he smacked your butt without mercy several times before and you suddenly feel vengeful

you then smack his ass hard and continue to do so having little fun by following the beat of ‘ayy ladies’

this causes hajime to jolt up, almost hitting your chin in the process

“y/n! what the fuck are you doing?!”

he looks really disoriented and confused

“i’m smacking your ass, duh” you say as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world

iwaizumi looks at you, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed

“well stop”

“hmm, no”

“the fuck you mean no?”

he tries to get up but you trap him by locking your legs around his thighs to hold him in place

“y/n, i will throw you off this couch”

you shrug and continue smacking his butt

iwaizumi continues to struggle against your hold on him while blushing furiously

“wow babe, if i didn’t know any better, one might say you like this”

“shut up and let me go!”

bold of you to assume he hasn’t done this to you

i feel you and suga have very playful relationship so stuff like this isn’t foreign

you guys are probably hanging out at his house with daichi and asahi. it was suppose to be a study session but turned into you guys just laying around in the living room

the afternoon approaches quickly and daichi offers to go get lunch for everyone, asahi decides to go with him

“don’t have too much fun while we’re gone” daichi teases

you roll your eyes playfully, “whatever dad, don’t mess up my order”

daichi laughs and leaves with asahi behind him

you turn to suga, who’s laying on his stomach, scrolling through his phone aimlessly

“i’m gonna get water, want anything?”

he hums in acknowledgement but shakes his head, “no thank you love”

ugh my heart

you can tell that he’s sleepy by 1) how heavy his eyes look and 2) how slow his movements are

as you get your water you contemplate on if you should be a good partner and let him sleep or if you should get him to wake up a bit

you decide to go with the latter

when you walk back into the living room, sure enough he’s snoozing on the floor. his head rested on his folded arms

a literal angel y’all

slowly you get next to him and get ready to strike—

“don’t even try it love”

AHJKEJEBIW WHAT

“i– how?”

he opens his eyes and gives you a sleepy smile, “instincts”

you’re stunned for a minute bc what the fuck but then you smirk slightly

“well you can’t stop me!” you exclaim, sitting on his back quickly. you then continue to smack his butt to the beat of ‘then leave’

he’s laughing but making no attempt to stop you, like i said before, this is normal behavior for you two

“okay don’t be mad when i do this to you the next time you sleep over” he warns

even after the initial start of this dies down, you continue to play random beats on his butt while he scrolls though his phone again

just normal tings 😌✨

“uhh…”

you both look at the entrance to see an embarrassed asahi with food bags in his hands, daichi must be parking his car

you quickly get off suga and laugh nervously

“haha i can explain”

…

“daiCHI—”

tanzaniiite © 2020 — all rights reserved. do not repost, modify, or copy. do not plagiarize. thank you.

[dontcare77ghj]

Don’t Touch That Dial

Wanda x reader x Vision

Non-reader POV

It was the middle of the night. Vision, Y/N, and Wanda were all sound asleep in their single beds when Wanda bolted upright at a loud thudding sound.

"What was that?" Wanda wondered aloud. She looked to her right to see Y/N and Vision sleeping. For a second, she questioned if she should chance to wake them up, but when the thuds continued, she turned the light on with her magic.

Stop being silly, Wanda chided herself, turning the light off. But what if it is something? Wanda wondered, snapping the light back on. It's probably nothing, Wanda. She decided turning the light off again, this time for good.

While Wanda was debating waking her loves, she hadn't noticed they had already woken.

"Wanda?" Vision asked, pulling his eye mask off.

"Yes, dear?" 

"Are you using your powers to turn on the light?" Vision questioned, staring at the window.

"Yes, dear," Wanda admitted, feeling guilty.

"Allow me, dear." Vision said, getting out of bed as Y/N sat up.

"What even woke you up?" Y/N asked before there was another loud thud. "Never mind."

"What do you see?" Wanda questioned Vision, who was now standing at the window.

"Only your lovely rosebushes and carnations," Vision told her.

"That's all?" Y/N wondered.

"Are you using your night vision, Vision?" Wanda quizzed the man.

"I assure you, my love, I see nothing amiss." Vision promised, turning to face both women. "You have absolutely no reason to be frightened." The android said before there was another loud bang. Vision let out a loud yelp and jumped back into bed quickly.

"You were saying?" Y/N asked, raising a brow while Wanda shook her head. 

"Actually, I did overhear a couple of lads at work remarking on a few unsavory characters settling in the neighborhood. Now, who knows what those ne'er-do-wells might be up to? Robbing houses, vandalizing property." Vision suggested.

"Walking through walls. Moving objects without touching them. Causing lightning of sunny days." Wanda teased.

"I did that once, and it was because you scared me," Y/N grumbled. 

"Wanda, sweetheart, you can't possibly be suggesting my colleagues were referring to us," Vision asked before there was another bang.

The three jumped, and Wanda caused all three beds to join.

"One of us should really determine the source of that sound." Vision commented.

"That's something we could do," Y/N said, clutching her blankets.

"One of us should." Wanda agreed.

It was more a bang this time that caused them all to jump.

"Oh, this getting ridiculous." Y/N snapped, pushing her blankets down. "I am going to take a look." 

"Be careful, Y/N."

"Oh, God." 

Without moving from her spot, Y/N blew the curtains open to reveal the tree. Its branches, crashing against the window.

"Well, I think we handled that well," Wanda said, sinking down into the bed.

"Yes, I must say I'm rather proud of myself. And look how you seized the opportunity to redecorate." Vision said, noting that all their beds were pressed together.

"This is better, isn't it?" Wanda asked.

"Mmm." Vision nodded before Wanda pointed her finger, and instead of three separate beds, the three of you were now on one large joint bed.

"Why did it take us this long?" Y/N asked, smiling at how close she was to her husband and wife.

"Wanda, darling?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Hit the lights." 

The three pulled the blankets over their heads, and Wanda snapped the lights off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, for my final trick, I bring you The Cabinet of Mysteries." Vision practiced in front of an invisible audience. "Wanda, that's your cue." 

"You said "The Cabinet of Mysteries?" Wanda called from behind him. 

"I said "The Cabinet of Mysteries."

"Then that's my cue." Wanda agreed and began to wheel a large cabinet into their living room.

"Holy Toledo!" Vision exclaimed, rushing to help Wanda. "Darling, do all the other acts in the talent show have such elaborate props?"

"Are you kidding? Fred and Linda are building a moat and a fully functioning portcullis, and no-one knows why." Wanda shook her head. 

"I heard Fred was going to throw Linda into the moat," Y/N said from inside the cabinet. "Can we hurry this along? I'm getting claustrophobic." She added.

"Let's keep going." Wanda nodded, taking her place.

"Yes. Yes. Where was I? Ah, yes, watch closely as I, Illusion, Master of Enigma, make my captivating assistant, Glamour, disappear." Vision rehearsed as Wanda held her hand up and gasped. The two opened the doors, and Vision helped Wanda into the cabinet.

"You really are very dashing." Wanda complimented, breaking character.

"Thank you, darling." Vision smiled. "Fear not, Glamour, for I, Illusion vow, to bring you back." The android said, shutting the doors on Wanda. "Abracadabra." He announced, opening the doors to reveal Y/N standing in Wanda's place. "What's this? I seem to have changed my lovely assistant into another lovely being." 

"I saw your assistant in the dimension of the cabinet," Y/N said as Vision helped her out. "To bring her back, I think you'll have to try the spell again."

"So we shall." Vision nodded. He and Y/N closed the doors once more, and Vision held his wand at the ready. "Abracadabra." He said, tapping the cabinet twice, and when the doors opened, this time, there stood Wanda, who was clapping her hands and grinning widely.

"Darlings, you're not at all worried that the audience might just see through this little charade?"

"That's the whole point, sweetheart," Y/N assured her husband. "In a real magic act, everything is fake. Not everyone can do what Wanda does."

"The talent show fundraiser is the most important event of the season, and it's our neighborly duty to participate." Wanda fretted. "Plus, it's our chance to appear as normal as possible while doing so."

"Well, I don't think that should be a problem." Vision joked, gesturing to his undisguised face.

Y/N and Vision chuckled at Vision's joke, but Wanda just stared between the two.

"This is our home now. I just want us to fit in." Wanda admitted.

"Oh, Wand, of course, we fit in," Y/N promised, resting her hand on the woman's waist.

"And if not, then we shall. And we're going to knock the neighborhood's socks off. Especially if the two of you are dressed like this." Vision commented, picking up one of his wife's costumes.

"Oh, that's actually the rest of your costume." Wanda joked, cracking a smile. "Oh, Y/N, we better get going if we want to make the planning committee meeting." Wanda gasped, noting the time on her wristwatch.

"That's me off too, actually." Vision said, pulling on his sweater. "There's a gathering of the neighborhood watch at the public library. After last night's excitement, I want to make sure this town's security is up to snuff." He admitted.

"That's an outta sight idea, Vis." Y/N complimented.

"Real swell, sweetheart. You tell those tree branches whose boss." Wanda teased, leaning up to kiss the man.

"Would you look at us? Wanda, Y/N, and Vision, Westview fitter-inners." Vision smiled before kissing Y/N. "I'll see you both at curtain call." He said, moving to leave.

"Do you have your keys, Vis?" Y/N aked before he left the house. 

"Of course." Vision said, pulling on a hat and his glasses. "When have I ever forgot them?" He wondered, causing Y/N and Wanda to share a look.

"Just now, to name one time," Wanda said, floating Vision his set of keys.

"Oh. Perhaps my processors need a cleaning." Vision mused, changing his appearance and taking the floating keys. "Until curtain call!" He exclaimed.

"Until curtain call!" Both women called back.

Y/N and Wanda still had several minutes before they had to leave for the committee meeting. The two moved around the house, putting dishes away, straightening trinkets, and fluffing pillows when there was a loud noise outside.

"Do you think it's the tree?" Y/N wondered as Wanda began to move out the front door. 

But Wanda didn't respond as she continued to walk in a trance-like state.

"Sweetheart?" Y/N asked, following after her wife. Wanda moved outside and towards the rosebushes where a toy helicopter sat. "Do any of our neighbors have children?" Y/N asked, receiving no response once again.

Wanda pulled the toy out of the bush and stared at it in confusion. 

"Wanda? Sweetheart?" Y/N asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Howdie stars!" Agnes exclaimed, suddenly appearing at the gate. 

Both Y/N and Wanda jumped as Agnes chuckled.

"Agnes! Y/N!" Wanda chuckled, holding one hand to her chest. "I'm sorry, what did you say, Agnes?" Wanda asked, taking Y/N's hand and clutching it tightly.

"I brought my pet rabbit," Agnes said, holding up a cage with a large rabbit. "For your magic act." She explained.

"Yes, of course! Thank you, Agnes." Wanda nodded. 

"We promise we will take good care of him," Y/N added, taking the cage into her arms. "I'll take him inside." She told Wanda.

"I'll come with. I'll lock the back door." Wanda said, following her wife.

"Senor Scratchy just loves the stage. He played baby Jesus in last year's Christmas pageant." Agnes bragged loudly as the two Vision women took her rabbit into their home. "Good morning, Dennis." That was the last thing Y/N and Wanda heard from Agnes as they disappeared into their home.

"You gonna tell me what all that was about?" Y/N asked, putting Senor Scratchy's cage beside the couch.

"What what was all about?" Wanda asked, locking the back door.

"The helicopter." Y/N reminded. "You blanked out on me." She said as they moved back towards the front door.

"I'm having a spacey day, sweetheart. That's all." Wanda assured, closing the front door and stopping Y/N on the porch. "I promise." She said, pressing a kiss to Y/N's lips, taking her hand, and walking back down to Agnes. "Shall we?"

"We shall." Agnes smiled, hooking her arm around Wanda's free one. "So, are you ready to meet Queen Cul de Sac and her merry homemakers?" Agnes questioned the two.

"Dottie, can't be as bad as you say, Agnes." Wanda laughed.

"Wanda, have you met most women? Not everyone's like Agnes or us." Y/N asked, causing Agnes to laugh.

"She's right, you know? You'll notice Dottie's roses bloom under the penalty of death." Agnes told the two, though Wanda scoffed a little. "Can I give you girls a bit of friendly advice?" Agnes asked, stopping in her tracks.

"Is it about how we're dressed?"

"Yes, but it's too late for that now," Agnes said, looking the two over. 

Wanda looked concerned, but Y/N couldn't bring herself to care.

Pants were slowly becoming more incorporated in women's daily wardrobe, and Y/N wouldn't be giving them up for anyone.

"Dottie is the key to everything in this town." Agnes continued. "Country club memberships, parties, school admissions." She teased the two. 

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Wanda shook her head, though there was a smile on her face.

"You get in with Dotties, and it'll be smooth sailing from here on out," Agnes told them. "Just mind your P's and Q's, and you're gonna do just fine." She said assuringly.

"Why can't we just be ourselves?" Y/N asked.

"More or less so," Wanda added.

Agnes stared at the two in confusion before letting out a laugh.

"That's good, girls. Very good." She said.

"Everyone, hurry up, please." A new voice called. 

The three women turned to the left and noticed a fair-haired woman leaving a house with a procession of women behind her.

"Hiya, Dottie!" Agnes called. "Your roses are divine!" She complimented, waving a hand.

Y/N and Wanda both followed suit and waved as well. Wanda little more enthusiastically than Y/N's awkward one.

"Well, thank you." Dottie smiled politely and waved daintily. 

Neither Y/N nor Wanda knew just what they were getting themselves into.

Y/N, Wanda, and Agnes all followed Dottie and her group to the country club. The three had sat to the side as Dottie's followers meticulously set everything up.

As one woman spoke about the fundraiser's progress, Wanda watched Dottie intently as the woman made her ice tea to her liking.

"The rotary club is finishing the stage set-up as we speak. They've given the gazebo a fresh coat of paint, and they'll be installing the final decorations all throughout the town square. And if you recognize the antique footlights, it's because they're from my store." The lady standing finished explaining with a fake smile.

"And the chairs?" Dottie asked, tilting her head to the side.

The woman seemingly froze at Dottie's question before she forced a smile back onto her face.

"I'm sorry, Dottie. I didn't ask about the chairs." She admitted.

"So you better not ask me if you can chair any committees in the future," Dottie said, grinning at the other women who laughed at her words. "The devil's in the details, Bev," Dottie said, standing as Bev rushed back to her seat in shame.

"That's not the only place he is," Agnes said to Wanda.

"As you all know, the talent show is the sole fundraiser for Westview Elementary," Dottie explained.

"This might help," Agnes said, raising a small flask.

"Do you have any spare?" Y/N asked, leaning over Wanda, but Agnes shook her head.

"In the eight years since I founded our little club, this event has gotten bigger and better every season." Dottie bragged as a woman passed around a tray of biscuits to Y/N, who handed them onto Wanda.

"Say, those pants are peachy keen. Both sets." The mystery woman complimented.

"Do you really think so?" Wanda asked with wide eyes. "The other ladies are in skirts. I was worried."

"Not me," Y/N mumbled, sipping her drink.

"We only have a few hours until showtime. So, a little less cross chatter and a little more focus would be greatly appreciated," Dottie interrupted, causing the three to freeze.

"Okay." Wanda nodded, passing along the tray. 

"Those little boys and girls are counting on us. All of this is for the children." Dottie said.

The other women, bar Y/N and Wanda, parroted back the phrase, 

"For the children."

Y/N looked very uncomfortable at the chanting women and muttered,

"This is a cult."

But Wanda had been eating her biscuit and parroted the phrase back after everyone else had finished. 

Everyone turned to stare at the Vision women, and Dottie looked more than displeased at the two.

"So I want you all to give yourselves a big hand," Dottie started but was interrupted by Wanda clapping loudly. "At the appropriate time, of course." Dottie scolded as you grabbed Wanda's hands and pulled them down. "But first, let's review event etiquette. The dress code is, of course, upscale garden party,"

"The only reason I didn't clap is that I'm afraid to move." The woman beside Y/N leaned over to whisper.

"I don't think I was paying enough attention to clap," Y/N told her. The woman smiled while Wanda lightly hit her wife's leg.

"I actually don't know what I'm doing here." The mystery woman admitted. 

"I'm starting to feel that way myself," Wanda admitted. "I'm Wanda." She said, holding her hand out.

"I'm, uh, Geraldine." The woman introduced herself after taking Wanda's hand.

"And I'm Y/N."

"And I'm irritated." Dottie interrupted, staring at the three of you, her features pinched together in anger. "Tickets for tonight are completely sold out. Now you can clap." Dottie commanded. The woman allowed everyone to clap for five seconds before she raised her hand. "And stop."

"How is anyone doing this sober?" Agnes muttered, shaking her head.

Across town, Vision had finally made his way to the library and was rushing inside. Afraid to have missed his chance at joining the committee.

Vision quickly found the group he was looking for, surrounding a table, speaking quietly amongst themselves.

"Pardon me, is this the neighborhood watch meeting?" Vision asked, standing to the left of the group, his hat in his hands.

Everyone turned to stare at the man, all clearly unsure what he was doing there.

"Oh, hiya Vision. Didn't expect to see you here." Norm said. "This is sort of a 'members only' type of deal." He informed his coworker.

"Oh certainly! Right, well." Vision stuttered, rocking back on his heels. "I'll just stay here and be quiet as a church mouse until you open up the floor for new business." Vision assured the assembled group.

"Well, in truth, we were just getting to new business." Herb, his next-door neighbor, admitted.

"Oh, splendid! Could you tell me how often you rotate security patrols?" Vision inquired, pulling up a chair between Herb and Norm. "Do you interface directly with local law enforcement? And what are your protocols for threats such as burglary, graffiti, and reckless driving?" He pushed.

"No Vision," Norm started, but Vision interrupted him.

"I know these are indeed grave matters." Vision nodded.

"New business actually means another round of Danish," Norm admitted.

"Raspberry or cheese-filled?" Jones asked, pulling a box onto the table and sitting it before Vision.

"Oh, neither for me, thank you. I don't eat food." Vision said without thinking. 

Vision didn't even register what he had said until he noticed the rest of the table staring at him in confusion.

"What I mean to say is that I don't eat food in between meals but at mealtimes. I'm a regular eating machine." Vision rambled.

There were a couple nods at Vision's reasoning, and Herb even huffed out a short laugh before he leaned in close to the table.

"Hey fellas. Vision here does have a point. Now listen up because I got some top-secret intelligence for you." Herb told everyone who leaned in closer to hear.

"Oh, excellent!"

"You know how Johnson's been braggin' about that treehouse he built for his kids?"

"Yeah?"

"It's a prefab job," Herb informed everyone. The table immediately scoffed at his words and nodded along.

"That blockhead can't even hold a hammer." One mocked.

"I can do you one better." Norm bragged. "You know those bowling trophies Arthur's always polishing? He bought 'em all at a yard sale in Hackensack."

"I knew it! I've never once seen him down at the lanes." Herb shook his head.

Is this how I'm to fit in? Vision pondered. By peddling gossip and stories? Well, if it is to fit in. He decided, nodding to himself.

"I, too have, some top-secret gossip to share." Vision announced. "Norm here's a communist." He declared.

Norm froze for a second as the rest of the table turned to face him. But he didn't have to worry as everyone burst out into boisterous laughter, Norm included.

"Vision, you're a real cut up." Jones complimented.

"You know, I always thought you were kinda square," Norm told him.

"Me? No! I'm as round as they come." Vision said, causing the rest of the men to laugh once more.

"Hey, Vis, card for a stick big Red?" Herb asked, offering a stick of gum to the android.

"Well, hold on a second. Didn't you hear the man? He doesn't eat food." Norm teased as Vision held the gum between two fingers.

"Is gum food?"

"Well, my understanding is that it's purely for mastication." Vision shrugged, turning his head to Herb for began to stutter.

"Oh no, I don't do that!" Herb denied, shaking his head firmly.

"Well, when in Westview." Vision shrugged, unwrapping the gum. "Cheers." He said, raising the stick before putting it in his mouth.

"Who knew you were such a funny guy?" Norm asked.

"And to think you came here all hot and bothered about protocols and nonsense." Herb chuckled. "We actually thought you were serious," Herb said, slapping Vision on the back.

At the rough and sudden movement, Vision accidentally swallowed the gum in his mouth.

Vision could feel the wad of gum sliding down his throat and getting stuck in his internal processors.

"He's funny. All right, so, back to the barbeque." Herb directed the meeting back on topic. 

But what none of the other men noticed was Vision's growing panic at the foreign object now stuck in his internal processors.

Back at the country club, it was now only Y/N, Wanda, and Dottie. 

Wanda and Y/N had been tasked with cleaning up after the meeting while Dottie sat prissily behind them.

"And this is why you never do a seating chart on an empty stomach," Dottie commented as Wanda heaved a heavy tray of plates onto the table.

"Golly, you're a whiz at all the committee stuff, Dottie." Wanda complimented as Y/N picked up two stacks of teacups. "Thank you for choosing us to help you clean up. I feel so lucky." Wanda commented, taking one stack off Y/N's hands.

"You are." Dottie shrugged as they lugged the china onto the cart.

"I don't like her," Y/N whispered into her wife's ear once their backs were to their host. "Let's just split now."

"Not yet." Wanda denied before turning back to Dottie. "I can't help but wonder if the three of us haven't gotten off on the wrong foot, Dottie. And I'd like to, we'd like to, correct that if we can."

"And how would you do that?" Dottie asked, her face void of emotion.

Wanda didn't have an answer for Dottie as she chuckled awkwardly and glanced at her wife for an answer. But Y/N didn't have one either.

"I've heard things about you," Dottie revealed, rising to a stand. "About you, about your husband, and about your wife," Dottie said, pointing at both women.

"Well, I don't know what you've been told, but I assure you we don't mean anyone any harm," Wanda said as Y/N moved to stand beside her.

"I don't believe you," Dottie said, staring the two women down with a mean glare.

For a minute, the three women merely stared at one another. Dottie glared in distrust, Wanda looked almost scared, and Y/N was glaring at Dottie for threatening her wife, husband, and their life here.

The staring contest was interrupted by the radio crackling loudly before a man's voice came through it.

"Wanda. Wanda, can you hear? Agent Barton, do you read me?"

"Who is that?" Dottie asked, looking at the radio in fear.

"Wanda? Y/N?"

"Who are you?" Dottie gasped, now turning her fearful gaze to Wanda and Y/N.

The voice continued to call for both Wanda and Y/N. It kept repeating their names until a glass shattered.

The glass in Dottie's hand shattered, and the radio silenced.

"Dottie!" Wanda gasped, gazing at Dottie's bleeding hand in shock.

Wanda quickly took the woman's hand into her own as Y/N pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket.

"Pop quiz, Wanda," Dottie said as Y/N wrapped her hand. "How does a housewife get a bloodstain out white linen?" She asked. When neither woman gave her an answer, she answered her own question. "By doing it herself."

And with that, Dottie walked away.

"Wanda, what is going on?" Y/N demanded as Wanda glanced down at the radio. "What was that? Was that you? That couldn't have been you. Why was it calling me Agent Barton?" Y/N questioned her.

Wanda had never seen her wife really lose her cool in all their time together.

Y/N was always the level-headed one of the trio.

"Sweetheart," Wanda said, taking Y/N's face in her hands. At Wanda's touch, Y/N physically slacked in her grip. "You're exhausted," Wanda explained, running her thumb under Y/N's eye. "It's been a long day, and we didn't sleep last night. You need rest." 

"I need rest." Y/N agreed, nodding her head gently.

"We have time before the show to go home and take a nap." Wanda determined. "Maybe we can find something for your head at home or some tea? Does that sound okay?" 

"That sounds okay." Y/N nodded, smiling at her wife. "You know it's really your fault we didn't get any sleep last night." Y/N teased as she stood upright.

"Of course it was." Wanda smiled, wrapping her arm around Y/N's waist. "Let's get you home."

As the two began to walk away, Wanda couldn't stop herself from looking back and at the radio.

Just what was that?

Wanda and Y/N had gone home and taken an hour for themselves before they had to get ready for the show and bring their props down to the town square.

All of their neighbors had prepared an act. Everyone was performing.

Wanda, Y/N, and Vision were the last act on the agenda. The only problem with their performance was that they were missing a key component.

They were missing Vision.

"I'd hate to go after this guy." Geraldine giggled, staring at what was happening through the curtains while Wanda paced.

"What?" Wanda panicked. 

"Oh no, not like that. You guys are gonna be great." Geraldine assured. 

"Oh, what time is it now?" Wanda asked, beginning to pace again.

"Wanda, it's been two minutes," Y/N told the woman.

"I just don't know where he could be."

"Wanda, Vision will be here," Y/N promised, stopping her wife in her pacing by taking her hands. "He promised, and he'd never break a promise to us."

"Is that him?" Geraldine interrupted, pointing to a man stumbling up the stairs. 

Y/N and Wanda both turned to see their husband stumbling up the steps of the gazebo.

"It looks like he's got a little hitch in his giddyup," Geraldine commented, shaking her head.

"Vis?" Wanda asked, moving towards the man.

"Wanda! Wanda, my little cabbage, you look smashing!" Vision complimented before letting out a groan.

"What have you been doing?" Y/N asked, stepping next to Wanda.

"Not to worry, my little squash, me and the boys were just playing a rather thrilling game of horses with shoes." Vision said before shaking his head. "No, that's not right. Shoe horses. Horse's shoes!"

"Listen, something strange happened with Dottie," Y/N said, grabbing Vision's arms. "And before that. Something strange has been going on all day. It's hard to explain." Y/N told him.

"I was just playing with his shoes!" Vision yelled, pointing his finger at a man walking by in a horse costume.

Both Y/N and Wanda stared at their husband in confusion. He'd never acted like this before.

"What is going on?" Wanda asked a tad hysterically.

"You are!" Geraldine interrupted.

Wanda rushed to the curtains where Geraldine was peeking her head out to see Dottie giving a speech.

"I want to thank you all for coming out to support Westview Elementary, "For the Children." Dottie gushed.

"For the children." The crowd parroted back.

"The whole town's in this cult." Y/N shook her head.

"And for our final act, I give you Wanda, Y/N, and Vision," Dottie announced, politely clapping as she left the stage to sit with her husbands.

Wanda grabbed Y/N's hand and pulled the woman through the curtains.

The two smiled at the audience as they moved to their spot and, at the same time, gestured for Vision to exit.

Except Vision didn't exit. He completely missed his cue. 

"Hey! Hey you! You're up, Cowboy!" Geraldine snapped backstage at Vision.

"What?" Vision asked, struggling with a deck of cards. "Oh, shoot! I've got to go!"

Vision rushed towards the stage, and instead of exiting calmly, as they had planned, Vision burst through the curtains.

"Hello, Westview!" Vision exclaimed as Y/N and Wanda exchanged looks. "It's so lovely to be. I'm so sorry!" Vision apologized to a handrail he had bumped into. "Excuse me. I am Allure, and these are my delightful assistant's Illusion and Glamour."

"I am Glamour," Wanda interjected, raising a hand in a flourish.

"And I am Allure," Y/N added, copying Wanda's movements. "And this is the incredible,

"Illusion." The two introduced.

"Whatever they said." Vision nodded along. "Today, we will lie to you, and yet you will believe our little deceptions because human beings are easily fooled. But that's not your fault!" Vision told the audience. "It's because of human's limited understanding of the inner workings of the universe." He shrugged while his wife's once again stared at him questioningly. "Flourish!"

"You don't have to say it out loud, honey," Wanda muttered.

"You just do it. Like we practiced." Y/N added.

"Bah!" Vision waved off the advice. "And now, my wive's and I will delight in your dumbstruck little faces. Flourish!" He called before he was suddenly floating above the stage.

Wanda and Y/N froze at their husband's actions. And they weren't the only ones. 

Everyone in the audience saw what Vision was doing, and they all gasped at the sight of him floating.

What was he thinking?

Wanda's head snapped to the audience, and she noticed Dottie watching intently. 

Thinking quickly, Wanda pointed at Vision and conjured a wire for him to float from.

Y/N, noticing Wanda's actions, rushed across the stage and moved a poster board revealing the lever connected to the rope and pully.

"Ha! Do you see? He's using a rope!" Norm called from the audience.

"Wanda, what's, oh God! No! Y/N, stop her!" Vision yelled as Wanda began to pull Vision higher, to the audience's delight. "Darlings, let me down! I'm feeling pukey!"

After that line, Wanda finally lowered Vision to the ground as the audience clapped loudly.

"Thank you!" Vision smiled. "What's next? Oh, yeah, this is, this is gonna be great!" He said, moving over to the piano. "A staggering feat of strength!" He bragged, raising the piano with one hand.

The audience gasped and stared at the man in confusion.

"What do you think of that?" Vision asked the crowd.

"Illusion." Wanda gasped, struggling to think of how to fix this. "Illusion, Master of Engima, allow me." She said, wiggling her fingers subtly before rushing across the stage.

Wanda grabbed the piano out of Vision's hand, and it was replaced by a cardboard replica.

"Whoops!" Wanda gasped as she showed the audience the fake back. "You weren't supposed to see how we did that trick!" She teased, causing the audience to clap and giggle.

"That was my grandmother's piano," Jones said in the audience, watching as Wanda threw the piano to Y/N.

As the piano was removed from the stage, Vision turned his sights to the audience before excitedly exclaiming,

"Sherbert! This is my old mate Sherbert!" Vision yelled, moving towards the crowd. "Stand up, Sherbert! Say hello to the crowd!" He demanded, rushing beside the other man.

"It's Herbert. Herb." Herb clarified.

"Pipe down, Sherbie, and pick a card." Vision said, pushing the deck in Herb's direction. "Any card, now put it back in the deck." He ordered, turning his back to his neighbor. "I'm not looking. All right, watch this."

Vision halved the deck and pulled out the King of Diamonds, holding it smugly in front of Herb.

"Is this your card?"

"No." Herb shook his head.

"I beg to differ." Vision scoffed, thrusting the card towards Herb.

"It's not."

"Really?" Vision asked, cocking his head to the side. "Is this your card?" He questioned, pulling out another card.

"Vision," Y/N said from the stage, a fake smile on her face.

But Vision ignored her as he continued to pull cards from the deck.

"Is this your card? Is this your card? Is your card?" Vision kept repeating, showing cards and then throwing them to the side as Herb denied him.

"Sweetheart?" Wanda asked as cards flew everywhere.

"Is this your card?" Vision demanded, pulling out the King of Spades.

"Oh, it is," Herb said, surprised at it finally being pulled out.

"It is what?" Vision asked, staring at him in confusion. 

"It's my card." Herb smiled.

"Well, pardon me, Herb. Have it back." Vision scoffed, thrusting the card into the man's hands.

"No, that's not what I meant. You did the trick right." Herb told him as Vision stormed away.

"Well, of course, I did the trick right. I'm Illusion!" Vision exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "Flourish!" He emitted, bowing deeply.

Wanda and Y/N quickly began to clap at Vision's trick', causing the audience to join.

"And now, for my next trick," Vision began to announce.

"He's still going?" Y/N whispered to her wife, who sighed.

"Where's my hat? Who stole my hat?" Vision asked, turning to see his hat on the stage floor, Senor Scratchy hopping out of it. "Oh! Stop that rabbit!" He called as Y/N, and Wanda chased after the rabbit. "I've got to pull a hat out of you!"

"Senor Scratchy's got real star quality, don't you think?" Agnes asked anyone who would listen as Wanda caught him.

"Maybe we leave the poor bunny out of this one, shall we?" Wanda questioned, stroking the rabbit's fur gently.

"That sounds swell," Y/N said, approaching Wanda with the cage.

"Well then, I will just have to pull this hat out of myself!" Vision determined, facing the audience with a grin.

"Vision no." Wanda gasped, staring at him pleadingly.

"I'm doing it."

"Don't you dare," Y/N said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Ah-ha!" Vision cheered. Having ignored his wives pleading, Vision had gone ahead and pushed his hat through his torso.

The crowd didn't clap, and they didn't gasp. Everyone merely stared in confusion, not understanding what they just saw.

"If only we could tell you our secret." Y/N awkwardly smiled as Wanda wiggled her fingers.

The curtains opened behind the three, revealing a set of mirrors to the audience.

The assembled crowd let out sounds of recognition and began to clap, now understanding the trick.

"Is that how mirrors work?" Bev wondered a costume horse head on her lap.

"Shut up, Bev." Dottie scolded the other woman without even turning to look at her.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, for our grand finale." Vision announced as Wanda moved to get the cabinet while Y/N closed the curtains. "I bring you the Magnet of Crysteries!"

"The Cabinet of Mysteries," Wanda told the crowd, a slight snap in her tone.

Wanda was so fed up with how the day had gone that all she wanted was to get the show over with.

But she was so focused on her frustration that she never noticed, Y/N wasn't in the cabinet.

"I will now make my wife disappear!" Vision announced, opening the doors to show the crowd and shutting them before Wanda could enter.

"Are you sure you don't want an audience volunteer named "My husband Ralph?" Agnes called from the crowd.

The rest of the crowd, particularly the women, laughed at Agnes' joke.

"No. Abracadabra!" Vision cheered, tapping his wand on the cabinet door.

"Uh, Vision, sweetheart?" Wanda said from where she still stood.

"Yeah?"

"Hi." Wanda waved, causing Vision to freeze.

"Oh."

"Hiya, darlings," Y/N announced, now standing beside Vision.

"Oh." Both her partners said, now staring at her.

"What's in the box?" The crowd began to chant. "What's in the box? What's in the box?"

"What is in the box?" Vision asked, staring at his wives in confusion.

"What's in the box? What's in the box?"

Wanda pointed at the cabinet, and when she and Vision opened the doors, there stood Geraldine.

The audience all gasped at the woman's appearance before beginning to clap wildly.

"Let's bounce," Y/N said, grabbing Vision's hand and dragging him off stage with Wanda following behind.

Once away from the crowd, Vision immediately began to cry.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so stupid." Vision cried.

"Vis, it is all right," Wanda assured, putting her hands on Vision's chest.

"Vision, it's okay, everything is fine. You're not stupid." Y/N added, taking his hand in one of hers.

"But what is going on with you?" Wanda demanded of him.

"I have no idea!" Vision cried. "I've been feeling weirdy all day!"

"It's okay. We can solve this," Y/N told him soothingly.

Wanda stepped back and raised her hand towards him. She began to scan through Vision's systems and stopped in the middle of his torso. 

Vision let out a groan at the sensation as Wanda's eyes widened.

Wanda worked her magic and forced the gum out of Vision's systems.

The gum forced itself up Vision's throat and out of his mouth.

"Disgusting," Y/N said, cringing at the scene.

"Well, would you look at that? That really gummed up the works, didn't it?" Vision joked, the gum that had caused so many problems between his fingers. "I'm not as funny without it, am I?" He asked when neither of his wives responded.

"Oh, honey, no," Y/N said, squeezing his hand. "You weren't funny with it either." She teased.

"Well, you're back to yourself." Wanda sighed, relieved.

"And that's all we really need," Y/N promised, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"Now, let's get out of here before Dottie, and the planning committee, string us up for ruining the show," Wanda said to the two.

"Don't joke. The cult might actually do that." Y/N commented.

"I'm sorry, what cult?" Vision asked, looking quite concerned.

"I'll explain later," Y/N promised as the three reached the edge of the curtains.

The three tried to inconspicuously sneak away from the show but were stopped with a cry.

"You three, stop right there!"

"Oh, we're dead." Y/N cringed as the three began to turn around with grimaces adorning their faces. 

"Nothing, like what the three of you just did up there, has ever happened in the history of our talent show," Dottie told the three.

"Dottie, we are so,"

"Hilarious." Dottie cut Wanda off. "That was the most hilarious act we've ever seen. Wouldn't you agree?" Dottie asked the crowd, who applauded in agreeance.

Wanda let out a relieved chuckle while Y/N grinned victoriously.

"Oh, yes, of course!" Vision exclaimed, playing along as if everything that had just happened was intentional.

"You three, come on up. Come on." Dottie ordered. 

The married three all looked at one another before agreeing it was safe to move on stage.

"On behalf of the planning committee, I would like to award you with the inaugural Comedy Performance of the year," Dottie announced, handing Wanda the trophy.

The audience rose to their feet and began to cheer for the three.

Wanda, Y/N, and Vision all giddily grinned as Wanda raised the trophy, and they indulged in their moment.

Wanda heard clapping from the stage side and turned her head to see Geraldine clapping happily.

Y/N, noticing where Wanda was looking, also turned to Geraldine and began to gesture her over.

"Come on." Wanda mouthed as the other woman hesitated.

With a bit more encouraging, and Vision pulling her over, Geraldine finally moved to stand with the three, a smile on her face.

"I do have to ask," Geraldine whispered, turning her head to Vision. "One second I'm backstage, and the next, I'm in a dark cubby hole." She said as the four bowed. "How'd you do it?"

"Oh, a magician never reveals his secrets." Vision said sagely. "He leaves that to his assistants.

"And she's not talking," Y/N told the curious woman.

"Nope. Neither of them are." Wanda added with a sly smile.

"Why did I have a feeling you'd say that?" Geraldine asked with a giggle.

"For the children!" Norm called from the crowd.

"For the children!" The rest of the crowd repeated.

"It's still culty," Y/N whispered in her wife's ear.

The three were in a joyful mood as they walked home. Despite the show not going the way they had wanted it to, everything had turned out okay.

They had fit in with their neighbors, entertained their friends, and no-one was any the wiser about their secrets.

"When did you learn to salsa dance?" Wanda laughed, watching as Y/N and Vision danced down the street.

"I don't remember when I learned to, I just know it was at night, and I read many books on the subject." Vision said as he twirled Y/N out.

"Of course you." Y/N laughed before she took over the dominant role and began to lead. She then spun Vision towards Wanda.

The three continued to dance into their home, their costumes and other items balanced in skilled hands.

"You were tremendous, Glamour." Vision complimented, opening the door as Wanda dramatically fell into his arms.

"As were you, Illusion," Wanda said, grinning up at the man.

"Despite the circumstances." Y/N smiled, entering behind the two. Wanda had moved out of Vision's arms to put the trophy away, allowing Vision to wrap both arms around Y/N's waist.

"Why, thank you, Allure." Vision said, smiling down at his wife. Y/N returned the smile before leaning up to kiss the man.

"I don't know what I was so worried about." Wanda sighed, taking her seat on the couch. "It wasn't so hard to fit in at all." 

"And all we had to do was be ourselves." Vision agreed, sitting to her right.

"At least the public version," Y/N smirked, sitting on Wanda's other side.

"And it was all for the children."

"For the children."

"For the children."

"Well, I think the children might need some popcorn," Wanda commented.

"And some coffee," Y/N added as she and Wanda rose to their feet.

"Wanda. Y/N." Vision said, stopping the two of them in their tracks.

"Hmm, what?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" 

As Vision rose from the couch, his gaze remained focused on their stomachs, causing the two to finally look down.

"Oh shoot." Y/N gasped, noting hers and Wanda's matching bellies. 

"Is this really happening?" Wanda asked, a hand on her engorged stomach and her other on Y/N's.

"Yes, my love." Vision smiled, leaning down to kiss Wanda gently as if she would break if he applied too much pressure.

"We're gonna have a family." Y/N smiled, pressing her fingertips onto Wanda's stomach as her husband and wife pulled apart.

"We are, my dove." Vision nodded, grin still attached to his face, before leaning down and kissing Y/N with the same gentleness.

"We're pregnant." Wanda grinned, her eyes slightly glassy before she pulled Y/N into a kiss. Hers more firm than the one's Vision had done.

As Wanda kissed Y/N, there was a loud banging outside, causing the three to jump.

"If that's that damn tree again, I'm going to rip it out by the roots." Vision snapped, storming towards the door.

"Don't touch my tree, Vis!" Y/N exclaimed as she and Wanda followed after Vision.

"I don't see anything," Wanda said as the three searched the yard for the noise.

"What is that?" Vision asked, standing at the gate. Y/N and Wanda moved to see what he was looking at and saw a storm drain cover moving.

As something began to climb out, Vision moved forward and wrapped his arms around his wives protectively.

A man in a beekeeper's costume emerged, a swarm of bees surrounding him.

"No," Wanda whispered as the man's head snapped towards the three.

"We're pregnant." Wanda grinned, her eyes slightly glassy before she pulled Y/N into a kiss. Hers more firm than the one's Vision had done.

When the two pulled apart, it was as if their world was suddenly all the more vibrant. 

Their home was bright, and the three were glowing. 

"Everything's changing," Y/N said, looking at her partners with a grin.

"It is." Vision agreed, pulling the two women into his embrace.

"All for the better," Wanda told the two.

And it was. 

Taglist will be open throughout the series.  

@x-uglyprincess-x @imthedoctorlove @loveinnoya @unknownalien3388 @bindythedemon @summersimmerus @buckmesidewaysandcallmesteve @natasharomanoffismywife @mcsteamy4ever @monxpeet @amywinehouseisgod @milleniumloki @buckybarnesplumwhore @kennedywxlsh @drpepperobsessed @madamevirgo @superbsccissorsdeanexpert @itty-bitty-witch @essenceproxima @severusminerva @okkulta @mrscasnovak @niki-is-a-thing

[13uswntimagines]

Your Ass Is Out of This World (Kelley x Reader)

Request: alex or kelley or sonnett x reader where they've been dating for a few years R is an astronaut for NASA and she gets to go to space

Author’s Note: Special thanks to @literaryhedgehog​ cause without her, none of this would have happened. 

Kelley wasn’t quite sure how she had ended up standing next to a dive bar sipping a lukewarm beer on a Friday night. In her defense, Ali and Ashlyn had convinced her it would be fun and had promised to pay for the Uber rides both ways. It had been fun for a while, dancing with them to some old 70s songs on the light-up dance floor, but half an hour ago they had disappeared off into a hallway somewhere, and she had no intention of third-wheeling (she knew she should have convinced Alex to join them). But she also wasn’t going to leave without them, because she wasn’t convinced either of them were sober enough to take any kind of transportation safely (someone needed to be there to make sure they didn’t puke in someone’s car).

So here she was, standing by the bar waiting for her friends’ sexcapades to be over, nursing her drink. The clink of a glass settling in front of her caught her attention. She blinked at the bartender. “I didn’t order another one,” 

The man’s lips ticked up and he shrugged. “Lady on the end paid for it. Said you looked sad,” 

Kelley looked up, following the man’s eyes towards a woman standing a few seats down the bar from her. She was also standing alone but was dressed as though for a different event altogether. Kelley had embraced the 70s theme of the bar slightly, wearing a jumpsuit and a scarf around her head, but this woman had just thrown a white NASA shirt--like the one Kelley got for her little cousin at Target-- over a pair of black jeans. As she bobbed her head to the music she met Kelley’s eyes and smiled. 

Kelley took that as her invitation to approach. Kelley’s eyes traced her form, lingering on the white material. She didn’t know those came in adult sizes...

“You must be a star, I can't stop orbiting around you” Kelley smiled charmingly as she approached you, setting her beer on the bar beside you and settling in the seat to the left of yours. 

“I do believe I was the one to buy you the drink…” you said, your lips twitching as you tried to keep a serious expression. “Shouldn’t I be the one throwing pickup lines here?”

“You bought me the drink, so I get to be the one to woo you. I’m Kelley, are you from Mars? 'cuz I wanna explore you with curiosity.” Kelley said, wiggling her eyebrows at you, enjoying the light blush coloring your cheeks. 

“Oh my god,” you groaned, “that was terrible. I mean really good but absolutely awful.”

“At least I got you to smile, but you still haven’t told me your name.” Kelley laughed, taking a sip of her beer. She was prepared to lay on the horrible pick up lines for your entertainment. 

“I’m Y/n,” you said, putting down your drink and holding out your hand, “pleasure.”

“They call me the milky way...Pleasure You Can't Measure,” Kelley smiled, shaking your hand as you laughed and pulling you a little closer “Why look at the moon, if I can’t touch it? Why look at your lips, if I can't kiss them,” she said, winking so you knew she was completely joking. 

“How do you know so many of these?” You said, shaking your head in awe. “ All I know off the top of my head is ‘do you work for NASA? Because you’re out of this world!’”

“Ah, a magician never reveals her secrets,” Kelley whispered conspiratoryly, bringing her hand up to cover her lips. “but my team and I have definitely had flirt offs for bonding nights,” 

“Your team?” 

“Yeah, I play soccer for the US and Washington,” She shrugged as if it wasn’t a huge accomplishment. 

Your eyes widened and you nearly spat out your drink. “Didn’t they, like, just win a World Cup?” 

“Yeah, No biggie,” Kelley said, side-eyeing you as she took another sip. 

“No biggie?  I’m surprised you don’t have a swarm of paparazzi shadowing you, that’s incredible! Weren’t the USWNT like the most successful US team in soccer?’

“Hm, there’s not enough drama for them, but we don’t mind. How about you? What do you do beautiful?” Kelley hummed. 

“Oh. I work for NASA,” you said, gesturing at the shirt. “I can’t wait to bring some of those lines back to work.”

“What??” 

****

“So do they at least give you a good choice of flavors? So you don’t get bored and stuff?” Emily asked from across the table, licking her dripping I cream cone. 

When your girlfriend decided to introduce you to the team after their match against Colombia, you were quite surprised she had chosen an ice cream shop as a venue. But with how food motivated the youngins seemed, you realized how appropriate it was. 

“I mean,” you said, your spoon suspended in the air as you blinked at Emily, “ice cream isn’t the only thing we will eat. I’m going to be on the station for like 8 months. Ice cream is not a balanced diet.”

“But it’s the only one they sell in the stores. You don’t have to lie cause the veggie lovers are here,” The defender said, leaning across the table, as though it would prevent the rest of the table from hearing her. 

“Babe, you literally love most veggies too,” Lindsey rolled her eyes, using her thumb to wipe a spot of chocolate ice cream from Emily’s nose. 

“Actually, I heard they’re a pretty good selection of dehydrated fruits and veggies and MRE’s and Tortillas and stuff. Plus I get to take a few things from home…” You mumbled, leaning back. 

She couldn’t be serious right? There was no way she thought you were supposed to sustain yourself on horrible freeze-dried dairy products for that long. Not to mention, freeze-dried ‘astronaut’ products for the most part weren’t actually possible to bring to space, with how crumbly they are. You were more likely to eat actual ice cream on the space station (less chance for an errant crumb being inhaled or destroying an important piece of equipment) than that gift shop garbage. 

“Oh yeah, MRE sounds way more likely than just eating the stuff they literally label as being for astronauts…” Emily said, rolling her eyes. “What does that even stand for? ‘Must reject Emily?”

You opened your mouth to answer, eyebrows furrowed, only for Kelley to nudge you softly. 

“It’s not worth the fight babe, trust me. Not the brightest lighthouse if you know what I mean,” Your girlfriend made a swirling motion with her finger next to her temple. 

You leaned in closer so your lips were nearly touching her ear. “She’s not serious right?” 

“I never joke about ice cream,” Emily answered seriously. 

You blinked at her, looking to your girlfriend who just shrugged and raised her eyebrows. 

“I’m, I’m not sure if they have a flavor rotation system for ice cream flavors. We haven’t been… briefed on that yet,” you nodded seriously. 

…...

“Can you hear me?” Kelley said, tapping her fingers impatiently as your face appeared in the video call. 

“He- -utiful,” You smiled through the glitchy computer screen. Your waving was broken up like a bad claymation. You leaned in to make out the fuzzy figures standing behind your girlfriend, assuming she was at camp or something. 

Normal long distance sucked, but literally being off-planet really made things difficult. It wasn’t like Kelley could just text you when she missed you, or randomly call you when she missed you at 3 am. Sure, she could email and you made a tremendous effort to schedule calls once a month, but it was still incredibly difficult (and slightly weird that a NASA tech dude had to monitor each call to make sure the connection stayed up). And sometimes even the best video-calling technology had issues. Like today (when a giant satellite or piece of space trash would block the signal). 

“Are you hav- -un at -amp?” You asked, grabbing your floating water pouch pushing out a sip sized water drop. 

“Yeah, it’s great,” Kelley said, watching you munch on your water. When you first got on the station you sent her pictures of artwork you made out of different drops of colored water- specifically making a giant water ‘soccer ball’ for her. Then you tried to boop it around and ended up losing control, amusing all your crewmates who watched you trying not to run into too many walls. “We’re looking forward to playing against Brazil on Friday, should be brutal.” 

“We’re set to be ov- Florida on -day, so I’ll try and tune into the ga-. Catch a nice - view,” You nodded, wiggling your eyebrows (which looked more like you having a seizure due to how badly you were pixelated). 

While Kelley wasn’t entirely sure what you were saying, she went ahead and nodded. “Let me know what you think!”

“Wh- color -it are you w-ing? Y- look -uper s-xy in the -ue,” you said, floating up in a ‘draw me like one of your french girls’ pose. 

“You’re favorite one,” Kelley said, winking at you. 

“-es!!” You cheered “-ake p-ture -or -“ the screen flickered dangerously for a second. Before a wobbly picture returned. 

“Babe you’re breaking up, I can’t tell what you’re saying. Y/n. Are you there? UGh. I love you! We’ll talk soon.”

“-ove y- -oo” 

Kelley blew a slow kiss to her camera before she heard a deep voice saying “Sorry ma’am. The connection was lost. Y’all still have five minutes on your scheduled call- Want me to try calling again? See if the signal improves?”

“Yeah,” Kelley shifted, rubbing the bridge of her nose as typing sounds echoed through the speaker. How she was going to make it through four more months of this she had no idea. 

“What if like the ship was attacked by aliens or something,” Sonnett whispered from her left, staring at the blank screen with real trepidation. 

“Not possible ma’am,” she heard him laugh. “But I doubt I would have the right level of security clearance to know.”

“great.”

Kelley grabbed a pen and marked a day off the calendar hanging on her wall. So much for ‘phone call with Y/n.’ She sighed. Just a few months to go. 

****

Gravity fucking sucked. It was disorienting and heavy and made you sick to your stomach. Space station alums always talked about re-entry and how bad that was, but you thought sitting in a NASA hospital bed while your equilibrium readjusted was way worse than your fireball craft plummeting into the ocean. 

“This fucking sucks,” You groaned, again throwing your hand over to pull out the IV. You hated how hard it was to move (and how you actually had to hold up a cup of water to get a drink but that was beside the point). 

“Whoa babe, I know you’re a little out of it right now, but that has to stay in. Just try and relax for a little while,” Kelley said, grabbing your hand and kissing the back of your knuckles. 

You frowned at her through heavy-lidded eyes. “Don’t wanna be here. Wanna be home with you.” 

“I know, but you gotta stay here until the re-entry symptoms have worn off a little more,” She said again. She knew that you weren’t going to be 100% when you stepped out of the spacecraft, but she hadn’t expected you to be so out of it. You were sick to your stomach and entirely unable to walk without assistance. 

The doctors assured her that you would be fine (residual effects from not being in gravity for so long and the impact of the landing or whatever), but it was still difficult to watch. It didn’t help that you were a horrendous patient. 

“Just watch the game. The US is even in Blue,” Kelley tried to coax. Even she was beginning to grow restless. But you couldn’t leave until you could keep down solid foods. 

“I don’t want to watch. You’re not in it,” You said, grabbing the remote from her and turning the television off. Then you tried to set the remote in the air, but instead of hovering like it should have done, it dropped to the ground. 

“Alright, commander Y/l/n. It’s dinner time,” one of the NASA hospital nurses said, bringing in a tray for you. Kelley thanked them as they left since you were too dazed to think of it.  

“God this food sucks, I hate jello ” you grumbled, lifting the spoon in front of your face (fully expecting it to float so you could take your bite) and dropping it as you want to open the pudding packet instead. “I just want a big juicy cheeseburger. With bacon and onions and-“ You trailed off, your mouth watering at the thought. You hadn’t had proper food in 8 months, and it had been your major cravings food. 

“A side of diabetes” she scoffed, picking up the discarded remote and spoon, “And are you going to keep dropping things everywhere?” She asked, carefully filling a spoon with chocolate pudding and guiding it to your mouth. 

“Fuck Newton. Things are supposed to float,” 

****

You loved the soft skin behind Kelley’s ear. It was so smooth, and it always smelt like a mix of her perfume, shampoo, and something inherently Kelley. It was a bonus that your exploration of the area always sent a shiver down her spine. You ran your nose along the skin there, nibbling on her ear before moving down her neck. Leaving little kisses along your path. Kelley sighed, sleepily scratching your scalp and tilting her head to the side to encourage you to continue. 

“You,” Kelley said. “ I like you.”

“Hm, I’m glad. It would be kinda scary if you were doing this with someone you didn’t like,” you mumbled against her skin, unwilling to part with it for even a moment. Kelley giggled at the tickling sensation. How you still had so much energy after you had thoroughly worn her out getting… reacquainted she would never know.

 “But what do you like most. Tell me, babe,” You said, moving your lips a little lower, towards where her shoulder and neck met. 

“I love… your ass. It’s out of this world.” She said sleepily, reaching around to grab her favorite asset of yours. 

“Well, it has been,” You laughed, pulling away reluctantly so you could look her in the eyes. 

“Shut up you goof,” She rolled her eyes, grabbing a pillow and whacking you lightly. You fell over dramatically, pulling her so she was on top of you. 

“Hm, I’m your goof,” 

“Yeah. You are. And babe?” She smiled down at you, leaning down to press a kiss to your lips. 

“Hmm?” You hummed against her lips. She leaned back to look you in the eyes, one forearm across your chest and her other hand beside your head supporting her. 

“No more space travel for a while?” 

 “Pinky promise,” You said, wiggling your hand so your littlest finger connected with hers. 

“Good. I can’t believe I was dating someone from TEXAS for a while.” Kelley pretended to shudder. “Jus think, one of your coworkers might have been a Houston dash supporter!”

[suguruist]

sskk ; that star looks like you.

shin soukoku fluff , in which atsushi and akutagawa have a picnic on a hilltop under the starry sky of yokohama.

genre: fluff

pairing: akutagawa x atsushi ; romantically

tw: none !

wc // 766 under the cut, i indulged myself in shin soukoku i love them skjsfhdfd i'm sorry

" do you think we were meant to be ? "

akutagawa stands on the grassy hilltop, the cold wind biting, ever so slightly, nipping, at his face. a bad night to be out, akutagawa thinks, his thick hair whipping at his cheeks. the cold of yokohama in the night wasn't something to enjoy - in fact, most people would be at home, wrapped in fluffy blankets and sipping hot chocolate. in fact, the whole port mafia's probably having a grand roast dinner at this point of time , popping wine bottles and getting high in a rare moment of closeness .

and yet akutagawa's here , shivering and hoping it wouldn't snow any time soon . and the worst thing ? he isn't in his winter clothes . rashomon's warmth isn't helping either , and that pisses akutagawa off . and what's he risking his health and sanity when he could be in the warm for ?

" ak-u-tagawa! " akutagawa smiles despite himself. there it is . the reason for akutagawa to sacrifice the warmth of his futon in the port mafia. but he isn't going to say that to him . noooo way. " jinko . you're late. " he says, his voice clipped. atsushi stops in front of him and begins laying the picnic mat out , together with grapefruit juice and fig pie , and cherry blossom mochis and ham sandwhiches .

a gush of warmth fills akutagawa's heart when he sees atsushi preparing all his favourite food . who needs the port mafia's roast turkey or the agency's steamed tofu when i have him ? he thought involuntarily. " you're smiling. " atsushi cheerfully points out , poking the blush on akutagawa's cheeks. " shut up , jinko . " akutagawa snaps , embarrassed .

undeterred , atsushi finishes his setup and pulls akutagawa down with him. " jinko , are you- oh. " akutagawa's words leave him in a breath as atsushi places his head on his shoulder , feeding him pie ever so gently. akutagawa gives in to the warmth of his boyfriend , relishing the sound of his small heart beating against his chest , thump-thump.

they both aren't with the mafia or the agency for this reason . an alliance within a long-standing rivalry , two hearts bonded despite the fires sparked within both companies. being here was worth it. "hey , akutagawa? " atsushi wonders. " do you think we were meant to be? "

the sudden question throws akutagawa off guard - are we meant to be ? atsushi's warm gaze locks onto akutagawa, waiting for a response. " look at it , we're bonded even across the boundaries of the port mafia and the agency . how could we not be ? " he continues, holding up his hand and tilting it so it was aligned with the constellations in the velvet-black sky.

" hm. " is all akutagawa says , as he uncorks a glass of juice and chugs it in a gulp. " is that all? " atsushi said , not missing a beat . he stands up , about to get a sandwich , when he trips over his own feet . " jinko- " akutagawa started , launching rashomon to break his fall . the warm fabric wraps around atsushi's ankle, causing him to crouch on the ground .

" thanks ! " atsushi says cheerfully , standing up as a tendril of rashomon slithers away. " hm. " akutagawa says again , a smile playing at his lips at atsushi's cuteness. the emerald green of the grass turns silver under the moonlight , akutagawa thinks. it's as beautiful as the beast under the moonlight. " eh? atsushi , aren't you going to transform ? "

atsushi grins. " i can control my ability so i don't transform to a whole tiger. " atsushi cocks his head. " buuut, i can transform just my paws. do you want me to do that? " akutagawa flushes. " can you transform...you know...just your ears. that's cute. " he stutters, covering his mouth and coughing delicately.

" yeah, i can! " atsushi says, before a pair of ears cutely pop up. akutagawa almost dies , his heart racing a mile a minute. " come here. " akutagawa says , pulling atsushi by the waist to hug him to his side. atsushi snuggles into rashomon's warmth, hugging akutagawa tightly.

" that star looks like you. " atsushi says softly, pointing at a random star in the depths of the night sky. " oh? why's that so? " akutagawa asks, admiring the way atsushi's eyes shone like a tiger's in the darkness. " because it was the first one that caught my attention. and it's the brightest of them all. that must mean something, right? "

akutagawa finally lets himself smile without holding back, laughing with atsushi.

and as the first flakes of snow begin to fall, adorning their hair with tiny snow flowers, akutagawa stands up, entwining his fingers with atsushi's.

under the shelter of the sakura tree on the hilltop, with a starry sky above their heads, akutagawa squeezes atsushi's hand.

" yeah , i think we were meant to be. "

[snowgoldwaylon]

You Call That Sneaky?? - Dimitri Belikov X Reader

Not all goes as planned when Y/N and Belikov fly the bird.

TW: Strong language, use of gunship/death.

"Belikov, we need covering fire!" is what you heard come through his comms attached to his collar. It was Adler, they were in a pretty tight place. You quickly pulled the missiles online and hit "launch sequence" on the AC-31 Gunship.

Belikov flipped some switches, pulled back on the yoke and held it steady. He looked back at you and gave the nod. You quickly got on the radios to let them know the danger.

"Y/N to Adler, danger close. I repeat danger close. AC-31 out!" You warned them.

You set off the first round of just bullets, and quickly switched to bursts of incendiary rounds.

"Shot out!" You called, hitting a direct target.

The place was practically crawling with enemies, and you needed to clear extraction to bring the team up. They originally came here to collect some potential information regarding Robert Aldrich.

You needed to take him out because he was leaking sensitive information to Perseus, and his trail went cold after Bell was able to crack his spy ring.

So, of course hotshot Adler loaded himself, Woods, and Mason up and hauled their cookies all the way to the Border of Colorado.

They snuck around, maintaining stealth. You and Belikov controlled the bird, and flew around for sweep and cover protection. But, as they snuck up on a meeting, it was all revealed.

Turns out, it was a set up. And it really pissed off Frank. It pissed him off so much, he ended up losing his temper, and reached for a conveniently well place grenade launcher.

To sum it up, Frank fucked up. Because now the three man dream team went up against well over 200 enemies. So, here you were. You layed multiple rounds out until slowly but surely all the white in the thermal sights faded.

"We are clear Belikov! We are heading to the Southeast ridge, hooking up there!" Mason said into the radio.

"We got you guys, don't even worry. Y/N here will keep you safe!" Belikov said, looking over at you and winking.

You felt yourself blush, and quickly turned back to the controls.

"Well, looks like Woods owes all of us a drink after this shit show. You are sleeping on the couch tonight!" Adler yelled.

"Hey fuck you, I'll sleep there with your mom!" Frank retorted.

Man, the conversations between them never got old. You loved the time spent with the team.

You and Belikov pulled the helicopter over the ridge, where the team was going to hook up. You got up from the cockpit, and readied three a long, safety rope with three hookup points for the boys.

You dropped it over and it fell. You watched as they all attached, and you hit the botton for the rope to start slowly retracting.

You made sure they got in one by one, for the safety of everyone. You went back up to the co pilot seat and strapped in.

"Belikov, we are clear! Boys, headphones on!" You shouted.

They all put the headphones on, and started to relax a little.

"Good job as my helper today, Y/N. Soon, you'll be able to fly by yourself. And when that day comes, you'll feel so full and accomplished you'll burst! And that'll be the day I take you out for party." Belikov said, flashing you a dazzling smile.

"Well thank you, Dimitri. And you better! We've talked about this since I first started flying!" You said, Watching the skys.

"Of course, anything for you. You are amazing in everyway possible." He winked at you.

You felt like you were in a daze, until you heard a familiar, yet worrying ding. You immediately sighed, knowing exactly what that ding met.

"Fuck, of course! Dimitri I thought you said you filled up before we left!" You said.

Belikov shot you a "oh shit I completely forgot face" and shrugged.

"The beauty of Adler's face had me distracted. I must have forgotten." He said.

"Finally, someone that appreciates this handsome face." Adler mumbled to himself.

"Well, what now? We'll never make it past the summit if we don't fuel up!" Mason cried.

You turned, looking back at them.

"What happens now, is either Dimitri or I have to go outside and hang off the ledge. While doing that, one of us will have to quickly connect the emergency fuel so it can atleast get us back to a drop zone." You spoke calmly, turning to him.

"But, since Belikov did it last time, it's my turn. I will go do this real quick, prepare for a stop at a fueling station. It looks like I'm reading one about 20 clicks North." You said, slipping on gear.

"Y/N, are you sure about this? I can do it while you fly, come now. Don't be stupid, nyet!" Belikov said.

You looked back, and gave him a thumbs up.

"No, I can do it. It's only fair, don't worry I got this. It'll be quick and easy!" You said, slipping an emergency parachute on just in case.

Adler, Woods, and Mason all watched as you geared up, stepping towards the opening of the heli.

"Y/N, your fuckin' nuts. Do you need any help?" Woods questioned.

You looked back at him, and nodded yes. He got up and came over to you.

"I need you to hold onto my feet until I tell you to let go. I need to start off with a good grip, or else I'll go splat." You said.

He nodded, and you went prone. You hung halfway out, and grabbed onto the support handles. Woods grabbed your feet and secured you.

You clipped your belt to the safety clamp and gave Woods a 'hold steady' hand signal. But, to him it apparently looked like a thumbs up. So, out of routine, he carefully let your feet go.

Immediately, the strong winds pulled your body out of the side, and left you hanging by your harness. The wind whipped and slashed at your skin like tiny, ice cold daggers as you desperately tried to reach for the handles.

Everyone on board started freaking out. Belikov went to make an emergency landing, but there were too many trees. He looked and looked for the best spot possible, and finally spotted a clearing.

You were screaming, yelling and crying. You felt the harness behind to tick and tear. It was going to bust at the seams at any moment, and you were still in the air.

You hung from the clip in the middle of your chest, trying to use your feet to kick back to the side.

Adler was trying to reach you with his arm, but it wasn't happening. You were just out of reach by a few feet. You were out of options.

"Y/N!!! Hang on, we almost have you!!" Mason shouted, quickly throwing together a rope to secure you with.

"What the hell did you do idyot?? I can't land, we are right over Soviet territory!" Belikov wretched out.

He dropped lower to land, but not fast enough. By time he dropped almost enough, is when your harness finally tore straight in half. The clip broke from the force, and you dropped straight down, backwards.

You screamed as you felt the force of the fall practically crush you. You were able to turn to your stomach, and quickly reach for the string used for the parachute.

You fumbled to find out, but when you did you yanked. Relief swept over you when it deployed, and slowly descended down to a platform.

"Her chute deployed, but it's heading straight to the middle of that warehouse it looks like!" Mason yelled.

Belikov channeled your radio, worry racing through him.

"Y/N? Y/N can you hear this? If so, I landed just a few clicks West of you. This is heavily guarded compound!" Belikov spoke into it.

You landed with a thud, and you quickly switched it on, ripping off the vest. You quickly took cover behind a fallen log, looking all around at your surroundings.

"I can see, and that little stunt just sent out a whole fucking search party. They have dogs, please tell me you have a plan." You said, finally throwing the vest to the ground.

Adler came on the radio next.

"Y/N, the best thing for you to do is to try and sneak around to the West side of the compound. We are going to push to you so you'll be safe. Do NOT draw any attention to you. Meet me at the blue warehouse." Was what he said.

"Blue warehouse, got it." Was all you said, clicking it off. You reached for a sharp looking rock you found on the ground, and got up to slowly look around.

You determined the best path to the warehouse, and set off. You were hurt, scared, and shaking. You could feel the adrenaline move through your body, and you almost couldn't think.

You weren't mad at Woods, you knew it was an accident. But right now.....All you wanted was to be in the arms of Dimitri Belikov. You decided now, after you got back to the heli you were going to say how you felt.

You were ready, and nearly dying really helped you decide. You just hoped he felt the same way.

Meanwhile, back with Belikov he was ready to kill. He assembled his trusty AK-47 and was ready to full send it to you. His heart was in a panic, he felt like he was going to have a heart attack.

"Belikov, Y/N is going to be just find. Adler will go get her, and then you'll get us home. Everything will work out, I promise." Mason said, trying to get Belikov to calm down.

Belikov looked to Mason with tears in his eyes. He couldn't stand the though of you out there, alone with no weapon. But knowing you, he knew you found something. That's what he loved about you, and many other things.

"I know, but she is worth a lot to me. I love her." Belikov sobbed.

Mason picked up on his distress, and he opened his arms for Belikov.

Belikov accepted the hug, and Mason patted his back.

"This will be over in a few minutes. Adler and Y/N will be back in no time, I promise." Was what Mason said.

Meanwhile, Frank fueled up the heli. The plan was to pick you up, and book it back home. Nobody wanted to be here more than they had to be.

Back with you, you approached a small fire. Around the fire was a few enemies, asleep. One was in a chair, the other on the ground, and the last against a barrell, hat pulled over his eyes.

You went to step around the group and take a right, but you smacked right into the frame of an old truck. This ended up setting off the panic alarm. You dove behind another old car and held still, as you heard them all shoot up from slumber.

You heard guns cock, and your heart sank. You swallowed hard, and leaned your head back against a car, looking up. They all started looking around, you heard the footsteps.

You fully accepted that you were doing to die. How the hell were you supposed to fight four people off with a sharp rock, while they had full automatic weapons.

You felt no hope, until you saw familiar sunglasses. Adler sat up on the ridge above you, waving you to follow him. Your eyes went wide, but you moved when he signaled.

That was, until you ran right into a person. You looked up at him, and he began to yell in Russian. He pulled his gun on you, but you tackled him quickly. You subdued him somehow, and grabbed his AK.

But you and Adler both spotted a flare in the distance. The screaming of the base alarm system filled your ears.

"Y/N, let's go! Just run, we are right up here!" Adler yelled, taking your hand.

You both sprinted full speed up the ridge side, with the entire army base on your heels. Adler radioed in, and finally you saw the heli in the distance.

"Be ready to go! We have the entire base on our ass, we're about 100 feet from you!" Is what Adler shouted.

You heard the blades begin to spin, it was ready to go. You both gave it all you had ad bullets zipped and flew past your head at incredible speed.

You came to the last few steps, and booked it. You both dove into the side, and Mason slammed it closed. The helicopter took off at full speeds, while bullets hit the side, making a panging sound.

You huffed and puffed on the ground, completely spread out. You suddenly felt arms around you, and a head in your neck.

It was Belikov, you recognized his smell from anywhere. You looked at him, lifting his face. You gave him a big smile and wiped his tears away.

"Hey its alright, I'm here. I'm safe, thanks to Doc." You chuckled.

Belikov took your face in his hands, and tucked your stray hair away.

"I thought I lost you. Y/N, I love you. I realized that tonight, after thinking you were dead. I always have, and will." He said, a tear falling from his eye.

You choked up, and rested your forehead against his. Your hand stroked his face, as you leaned in.

"And the same as I, Dimitri. Now, kissing me you fool." You said with a laugh.

You locked lips. It felt like fireworks and sparklers went off in your brain. It was everything you ever wanted.

After pulling away from the kiss, Belikov pulled you to his chest, and held you there all the way back. He looked down at you, and lost it laughing.

"What's so funny huh?" You questioned.

"No offense Y/N but, you call that sneaky? Tripping right into an enemy?"

[crystalirises]

Na Tinuruan Mo ang Puso Ko na Umibig na Tunay (That You Really had Taught My Heart How to Truly Fall in Love)

wawawawawawa finally wrote this!

Just a note, this is a songfic and the song used is originally sang in Filipino. The bold italicized texts are the original lyrics while the italicized lyrics within dialogue is the English translation. Also note, I did use English lyrics from a website so I want this to be clear, the English lyrics are different from the original a bit so... Even though you can't understand the song, if you want to, you can try to listen to the original song (which is in Filipino) Anyway, bye bye.

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28886223/chapters/79904587

‘Kamukha mo si Paraluman

Nu'ng tayo ay bata pa

At ang galing-galing mong sumayaw

Mapa-Boogie man o Cha-Cha’

“You looked just like Paraluman, when were kids before…” He glanced up at Fundy, his hands fidgeting against the diner table in front of him. Their song was playing in the background, memories of their youth racing through his mind. The fox hybrid glared at him from the other side of the table, arms crossed in front of his chest and with bags underneath his eyes. He didn’t know what had come over him, honestly. Meeting up with his… ex-boyfriend? Well, here they were now. In a rundown diner in the middle of the nothing-town that they both had grown up in. Both washed-up losers. “And you danced so beautifully, whether it’s Boogie or a Cha-cha.”

“You came all this way… All this way, Dream… just for that to be your first words?”

“I’m just trying to reminisce, sta一 Funds. No need to be so aggressive, it wasn’t as if you were planning on saying anything anyway.” He huffed, adjusting his hands until they were hidden inside the pockets of his sweater. Fundy’s eyes had narrowed into thin slits, no doubt at Dream’s accidental slip of an old nickname. He wasn’t sure why he still remembered it. That was such a long time ago. Both of them were practically stupid teenagers when he had dubbed his then-boyfriend with the nickname star. He didn’t even remember why he’d called Fundy that. He leaned his head against the seat, wincing at the loud groans and squeaks of the springs beneath him. Gods, he’d always hated this place. “I don’t know what to say, okay? Then that song started to play and I just said what came to mind… Look, just… let me remember who we were, okay?”

‘Ngunit ang paborito

Ay pagsayaw mo ng El Bimbo

Nakakaindak, nakakaaliw

Nakakatindig-balahibo’

He smiled, nodding along as though that was answer enough for himself. “I think my favorite was when you danced to the El Bimbo.” He glanced around the diner, glad to find that there was no one there, except for the waitress by the counter who was throwing him weird glances. He thinks he knows her, from long ago. Perhaps in high school, a familiar face who looked on at him with pity that made him want to run out of there. Still, Fundy was right in front of him, waiting for him to get to the point. “It makes me shiver, it’s like a show. It makes my hair go straight.”

‘He remembers the first time he’d seen Fundy. It had been a passing moment, a flicker of a lifetime. Yet he had paused that day, eyes drawn to the dancer upon that empty stage of their local school theater. He had disappeared into the room to escape the crowd of high school, needing a moment for himself, and that was when he looked up and saw him. A boy his age, dancing across the stage to a song that he couldn’t quite remember anymore. Fundy had never once looked his way, too enthralled in his steps and in the music to pay attention to a rowdy jock like him. He had stayed until the end, mouth hanging open in shock. His hand had made its way to his chest, his heart racing madly that he had feared it would explode. He was enraptured.’

“You’re lucky I didn’t look up that day. Imagine… being stared up by a creep!”

“I was not一 I was not being a creep.”

“You’re just lucky you’re cute.”

‘Pagkagaling sa 'skwela

Ay didiretso na sa inyo

At buong maghapon ay tinuturuan mo ako’

“After my classes were dismissed I went into your house.” Dream chuckled, shaking his head at the thought. The amount of minutes he’d spent climbing up the tree so he could scale the branch to enter Fundy’s room. He nearly once since Fundy had decided to scare him. Dream had been quick to grab onto the windowsill. “And for the whole afternoon, you taught me how to dance.”

“Gods… you fucking prick, do you know how many times my dad nearly caught you?” Fundy reached across the table, lightly smacking Dream’s hand. “He would have skinned you alive!”

“That’s why I’m still alive today, babe. Your old man’s too slow to catch me.”

‘Magkahawak ang ating kamay

At walang kamalay-malay

Na tinuruan mo ang puso ko

Na umibig na tunay’

“As we held our hands together, I had no doubt in my mind…” He remembered those long hot afternoon days, where they would dance to the beat of whatever song came on the record, their hands clasped together so gently. “That you really had taught my heart how to truly fall in love.”

‘He remembers climbing into Fundy’s window, nearly tripping against the bright orange carpet that decorated his boyfriend’s whole bedroom. They were both alone in the house, Fundy’s family being out due to a family outing that Fundy had weaseled his way out of. When he managed to get in, Fundy was already waiting for him, the radio opened to an old song that neither of them really knew the lyrics to. Fundy had smiled at him, reaching to pull him closer. Despite what people might say, when it came to dancing, Fundy always took the lead. He always did. Dream was never allowed to take the lead because dancing was Fundy’s niche and Dream was just a beginner. That one afternoon day, Fundy held his hands in his. But unlike the other times, he had a whole other plan in mind. Dream could only blink back his shock when Fundy slowly leaned in, their lips touching. It was quick, but it was enough to pull Dream in for more. So, he leaned in.’

“Our first kiss.”

“Yeah…”

“I’m surprised you still remember… Then again, I’m also not surprised.”

‘Naninigas ang aking katawan

'Pag umikot na ang plaka

Patay sa kembot ng beywang mo

At pungay ng 'yong mga mata’

“My body starts to harden when the record starts to spin.” His breath would quicken with each step they took within their dance. In that small bedroom, it felt like the whole world just melted away. Dream glanced up, smiling shyly when he caught Fundy’s eyes. He always found them to be mesmerizing, liking the way how gold seemed to glitter in them each time the sun illuminated Fundy’s whole body. “I love when your hips start to shake, as well as the sight of your eyes.”

“I do have great eyes. You loved that about me. You always spent too long staring into them like it would be your last chance to do so. Dream, you do know my eyes were just brown, right? I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about. Golden flecks? You’re too much of a romantic for your own good. Then… I always liked that about you, seeing that other side of you, the other side to the smug jock that people fawned over that it was personally nauseating to watch.” Fundy rolled his eyes from across the counter. Dream nearly jolted when Fundy suddenly stood up, leaning against the booth while he kept his gaze on him. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering despite the warm air of the diner. None of the windows were open. It felt like he was being stripped from the inside out, like Fundy was clawing out every dirty detail that Dream had acquired over the past years of his miserable life. “I… You and me… wow, how did we even—”

“I don’t regret it. You and me. I never once regretted it.” Dream wanted so much to reach out, to clasp a hand on Fundy’s shoulder or even pull him into an embrace. But he couldn’t bring himself to. He couldn’t. He settled deeper into his seat, resting a hand on the back of his neck. “I regret many of my decisions in life. But falling in love with you… was probably the only good choice I ever made. I would never regret falling in love with you, and I hope… you never once regretted falling in love with me. I loved you with all my heart, Fundy. I loved you so much.”

‘Lumiliwanag ang buhay

Habang tayo'y magkaakbay

At dahan-dahang dumudulas

Ang kamay ko sa makinis mong braso, hoo’

“My life just gets brighter while we're holding hands with each other.” Those had been the best moments of his life. Though what they had only lasted for a few years, it was real. Dream thought it was real. During those afternoons where he would come to visit Fundy, he felt like he could leave his troubles at the window. When they danced, it was just them. The world would never know who they were, would never know the dances and talks they shared. No one could judge them, or mock them, or expect more from them. They were just two teens crazy in love with each other. But all good things must come to an end. Dream lowered his gaze, swallowing down the bitterness in his throat. He remembered that night so clearly, remembered the tears they both had cried. “And slowly, I lose my grip when my hand starts to slip on your shoulder.”

‘It had been a rainy night, cliche but Dream didn’t really find it all that funny. High school was over, and it was time they moved on. Fundy had barely even looked at him the entire time, maybe he was terrified of what Dream would do, but Dream was too busy holding back his own tears. Of course he had expected it. He knew it was coming, he just didn’t think it would be so soon and so sudden. Fundy had apologized, stating that his family was sending him to a faroff college, one that Dream would never be able to get into no matter how hard he tried. It was officially over.’

“I broke up with you.”

“You did… It hurt. It still does.”

“I know.”

‘Sana noon pa man ay sinabi na sa iyo

Kahit hindi na uso ay ito lang ang alam ko’

“I wish that at that time I had told you what I felt.” Dream wished he’d told him how much he loved him. If he had, then maybe… “Even if it's not popular, this is the only thing that I know—”

“Shut up.” He startled, flinching once he realized that Fundy was moving closer. Dream paused once he realized that Fundy was reaching out a hand towards him. “One last dance, Dream?”

“I’d die to have one last dance, Fundy.” He looked down at Fundy’s hand, glancing at the harshness of his palms. Fundy used to have the softest hands, but the years have changed that. Dream hesitantly placed his hand on Fundy’s, pulling himself off his seat before swaying gently to the music. Fundy held onto his hands, a small content smile on his face. Dream could feel the waitress’ gaze on the back of his head, but there and now, he could have cared less. He wanted this last dance before he went to leave again. He wished he could have more than one last dance.

‘Magkahawak ang ating kamay

At walang kamalay-malay

Na tinuruan mo ang puso ko

Na umibig na tunay’

“As we held our hands together, I had no doubt in my mind…” Dream could feel the tears fall past his cheeks, gasping for air. “That you really had taught my heart how to truly fall in love.”

La la la la, la la, la la, la la la

He held on tightly to Fundy’s hands, wishing for that moment to last forever. They danced together, swaying to the tune of the music. Even if the diner hadn’t been empty, Dream would have danced with Fundy if he’d asked. He would have jumped at the chance to dance with again. The song finished, and Dream collapsed back into his seat. It was their song that was playing.

‘Lumipas ang maraming taon

'Di na tayo nagkita

Balita ko'y may anak ka na

Ngunit walang asawa’

“And many years had passed by, we didn’t see each other anymore.” He started shakily, waking himself. “I heard from somewhere that you have a child… but you don't have a husband.”

‘Taga-hugas ka raw ng pinggan sa may Ermita

At isang gabi'y nasagasaan sa isang madilim na eskinita

Lahat ng pangarap ko'y bigla lang natunaw

Sa panaginip na lang pala kita maisasayaw’

“They said you wash the plates in a place called Ermita, and one day, there was an accident that happened on a very dark alleyway.” His head felt heavy, like a hammer was beating in a nail against the back. Dream rested his head against the cool table. He couldn’t bear to look up again. He couldn’t look up again. For his own sake, he couldn’t. “All my hopes for the future had just started to melt away. I guess my dreams are the only place where I could dance with you again.”

‘Magkahawak ang ating kamay

At walang kamalay-malay

Na tinuruan mo ang puso ko

Na umibig na tunay’

“As we held our hands together, I had no doubt in my mind that you really had taught my heart how to truly fall in love.” Still, Dream would hold onto the memories of them. The kinder times.

‘Magkahawak ang ating kamay

At walang kamalay-malay

Na tinuruan mo ang puso ko

Na umibig na tunay’

As we held our hands together

I had no doubt in my mind

That you really had taught my heart

How to truly fall in love

La la la la, la la, la la, la la la

La la la la, la la, la la, la la la

“He talked about you a lot.”

Dream looked up, the waitress was holding a box of tissues towards him.

“He did?”

“He did.”

Dream reached for the box of tissues, his heart burning with ache.

“I just wish…”

“I understand. I wish he was still here too. He was… He is my best friend.”

The waitress wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

“I… We used to date. It’s stupid but… I miss him.”

“I do too. Yogurt, Fundy’s son, he’s devastated.”

“He’s young, and he’s already lost his dad.”

Dream glanced down at the box of tissues, forcing a smile on his face. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Be good to him, or I will hunt you down and kill you.”

He laughed at that, reaching for one of the tissues. “Thank you, Miss…?”

“Niki. It’s Niki.”

She reached down, patting his shoulder.

She gave him a bittersweet smile.

“Fundy would have… He trusted you. So, be good to Yogurt for him, please.”

“I will.”

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

Killed off Fundy, not feeling good ;-;

Also Yogurt is mentioned but not significant, I'm so sorry Yogurt ;-;

Also rip the imagery of Dream dancing alone in the middle of an empty diner ;-;

[rexsjaigeyes]

Wearing Only This

Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo x female reader | NSFW, 18+

Words: 2,328

Warnings: getting caught masturbating, unprotected sex, Miguel’s semi-submissive

A/N: Based on a section of my NSFW abc for Miguel. Thank you to @just-a-fan-i-guess​ for checking my Spanish!

Miguel had been gone all day, which wasn’t out of the ordinary. What was out of the ordinary was that you had been a damn mess since he left; you craved his touch from the second he left your bed, and the ache between your legs was relentless all day long. The hours always felt like they were passing slowly whenever you had to wait for Miguel to come home from work, but this time it felt like torture.

Several moments throughout the day, you had debated taking matters into your own hands, but you knew he wouldn’t appreciate it if you had fun without him. Miguel preferred if you waited for him before touching yourself, but you weren’t sure how much longer you could hold out. Staring at the clock in frustration, you muttered a curse under your breath before getting comfortable in bed and pulling off your clothes. You convinced yourself that it would be over before Miguel gets home, and what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Slipping out of your underwear, you sighed and traced your body with your fingertips the way Miguel would if he was there. Normally, you would have spent more time on the foreplay, but you were too riled up for that so you quickly slid your hands down to your pussy. You could tell that your body was more than ready for release. You were already soaking wet, but something didn’t feel right.

Groaning, you realized that your own hands just weren’t doing the trick. You craved the feeling of Miguel’s weight on top of you, the warmth that radiates from his body when he touches you. You missed the feeling of his hands all over you and the way his hot mouth feels when he worships every inch of your skin.

Sighing in exasperation, you stopped touching yourself and thought of how you could make the experience better. You just needed relief and then you’d be able to relax, but you had to try something different. Weighing your options, your gaze landed on the large closet that held all of Miguel’s fancy suits.

Sheepishly, you walked over to the closet and ruffled through his clothes. You felt a little embarrassed about your plan, but you were too horny to convince yourself that it was a bad idea. You smiled to yourself when your eyes landed on his dark blue suit; it was one of your favorites because you loved how the color looked on him. Carefully, you took the jacket off the hanger before slipping it over your naked body and scurrying back to bed.

You giggled to yourself, shivering slightly from the silk lining of his jacket cooling your heated body. Laying back on the mattress, you sighed, feeling much closer to him now even though he wasn’t really there. You slid your hands down your body and closed your eyes, imagining he was with you. The way it enveloped your body reminded you of how safe you feel when he holds you. The warmth from the jacket morphed into the heat of his naked body, and the faint smell of his cologne on the soft fabric invaded your senses. Now it was much easier for you to imagine he was on top of you, touching you and tickling your skin in the places where his jacket brushed against your body.

Your mind wandered and the pleasure steadily built in the pit of your stomach. You continued touching yourself, getting so carried away that you didn’t hear Miguel enter the house or call out for you before reaching the bedroom door. Your fingers were pushed deep inside your pussy and you were already so close to the edge, but his voice cut through the sound of your loud moans and quickly snapped you out of your daze. You jolted at the sound of your name, and you were greeted with a very exhausted but amused Miguel.

His hair was a mess; the normally perfect, slicked back strands had all fallen out of their place as if he had run his hands through his hair too many times. His shirt was untucked from his pants and his jacket was slung over his shoulders. He must have had a rough day, but now he looked at you with a smirk as if this was exactly how he wanted to be greeted all along.

“No podías esperarme, ¿eh?” He chuckled, and you blushed before trying to come up with an excuse.

You couldn’t wait for me, huh?

You gaped at him, unable to find a way to explain why you were currently sweating through his expensive suit jacket. Tripping over your words, you mumbled a soft apology before sitting up on the bed and attempting to cover yourself. You were expecting him to yell at you or look mad about the situation, but Miguel just grinned and entered the room fully. You watched him with wide eyes, unsure what to say, so you just waited for his next move.

He walked into the closet and discarded the jacket that he had been wearing before lazily making his way to the bed. Miguel kept his eyes on you as he unbuttoned his shirt slowly, causing the act to look far too erotic for your sexually frustrated brain. He kept his shirt on his shoulders, only exposing the white undershirt instead of his bare skin. You watched his hands intently as they moved down his body to unbuckle his belt before throwing it aside.

Blushing, you moved to take off the jacket you were wearing, but he sat beside you on the bed and whispered, “No, mantén la chaqueta puesta.”

No, keep it on.

You gasped silently, not expecting the turn of events, but his simple phrase caused heat to pool in the pit of your stomach. He brought a hand to your chin and lifted your head so that your gaze landed on his dark eyes. No matter how tired he looked, you could still recognize the desire on his face.

He smiled and caressed your face, tracing your bottom lip with his thumb. “¿En serio me extrañaste tanto, cariño?”

Did you really miss me that much, darling?

You nodded shyly and leaned into his touch, grateful that he was finally home to give you what you craved so badly. You thought he was going to kiss you with the way that his thumb brushed against your lips, but instead you saw his eyes flicker down to your chest. He slid his hand down your neck, his pointer finger tracing invisible patterns on your collarbone before gliding down the lapel of his jacket.

Looking up at you for a second, he silently asked for your permission before pushing the jacket open so that he had better access to your breasts. Your breath hitched when he exposed one nipple to the cool air, but Miguel was quick to replace the cold with his warm hand. Continuing his feather-light touches, he circled your nipple with one finger, taking his time to tease you.

His touch was gentle and lazy, a stark contrast from how handsy he normally gets after a long day. This time, something seemed to have put him in a trance. He was mesmerized by the way you looked in his jacket, his hand slowly moving further underneath the lapel so that he could wrap his entire hand over the swell of your breast and massage it. You moaned when the rough pad of his thumb made contact with your hardened nipple. Miguel always loved paying special attention to your tits, and his hands felt perfect over your soft skin.

“Ven aquí,” he whispered and pulled you closer to him so that he could kiss you.

Come here

Leaning forward, you parted your lips and weaved your fingers in his hair as he kissed you deeply. He continued playing with your breasts, causing you to moan into the kiss and tug on his hair. A few seconds passed before Miguel pulled away, leaving you to pant heavily as he peppered kisses down your neck. He pecked the swell of one breast before latching his mouth around your nipple. You moaned and balled your fists in his hair as he flicked his tongue over the sensitive bud. He tugged on the lapel of his jacket to keep you in place as you squirmed from his touch.

“Hm, tuve un día duro,” he mumbled against your skin. He pulled away from your chest and laid down on the bed before tugging on the jacket again. “Necesito que seas la que tenga el control esta vez,” he whispered so softly that for a second, you thought you imagined it.

I had a rough day. I need you to be the one in control this time.

You raised your brows in surprise but another tug from him brought you back to reality and you rolled over so that you could straddle him. It was different seeing him beneath you like this; you felt a rush of excitement at the sight of such a powerful man underneath you. You rolled your hips, enjoying the way the rough fabric of his pants felt against your exposed pussy. Miguel groaned in response, and you could feel how hard he was inside his pants. Desperate to feel more of him, you fumbled with the zipper so that you could pull his length out.

He chuckled, gripping your waist and joking, “Tómate tu tiempo, no me iré a ninguna parte.”

Take your time, I’m not going anywhere.

You nodded silently and slowed your movements, your cheeks flushing in embarrassment. He rubbed soothing circles on your hips with his thumbs, watching you intently as you took his cock out of his pants. Miguel hissed softly when you cautiously pumped him once, testing the waters. He clenched his jaw but waited for your next move; you were shocked at how he was actually letting you take the lead, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Gaining confidence now, you stroked him again before grazing your thumb against the tip of his cock. He was already so slick with arousal, and the sight made your body ache for him. You were impatient, and Miguel’s eyes were closed in bliss, so you lifted your hips and lined up your entrance before sinking onto his cock. You felt his nails dig into your hips and his eyes shot open to meet your face before looking down to see where your bodies met.

He groaned at the sight of you taking every inch until he was all the way inside. His hips jerked slightly, but he waited for you to adjust to his length. You were sure that you’d have bruises on your hips from the way he was gripping you, but the pain felt good and you would wear the bruises proudly. Throwing your head back, you rocked your hips slowly, loving the feeling of how deep he was now that you were on top.

You built up a rhythm, gyrating your hips and holding onto Miguel’s chest for leverage so that you could bounce on his cock. His hands traveled up your body before resting on your tits. He groped them gently and watched them with hooded eyes, enjoying the way they bounced as you fucked yourself on him.

“Te ves tan hermosa,” he moaned, his eyes flickering all over your body and following the curves of his jacket. “Deberías usar mi chaqueta todo el tiempo.” He tugged on the jacket, bringing your torso down so that he could plant a kiss on your lips. “Me recuerda que eres toda mía,” he hummed against your lips possessively.

You look so beautiful. You should wear my jacket all the time. It reminds me that you're all mine.

He let go of you so that you could go back to riding him properly. You picked up the pace, breathing heavily as you felt your orgasm approaching. You looked down at Miguel, giving him a pleading look that you knew he would recognize. He trailed one hand down your body so that he could rub your clit with his thumb, watching your reactions closely to make sure you were enjoying it. You whimpered, your movements getting sloppy now but luckily Miguel was as close as you were.

In a raspy voice, he warned you that he was close, his voice sounding like a low whine and causing your stomach to do flips. You nodded your head frantically, begging him to cum with you. Clenching tightly around him, you gave into your orgasm and shouted his name. The pleasure washed over you as you rocked your hips lazily. Miguel grunted softly before releasing his load deep inside your cunt. You rode your orgasm out, groaning when you felt his cum seep out of you.

Carefully, you slipped out of his jacket and threw it to the side of the room, not wanting to get it any more dirty than it already was. Sighing in bliss, you slowly lifted your hips and tried not to get all riled up again as you pulled yourself off Miguel’s cock. You both made a mess all over his clothes and the bed, but he didn’t care; he smiled and pulled you down to lay on his chest. Miguel stroked your hair and pressed gentle kisses on your forehead, waiting for you to catch your breath. You knew he wouldn’t be staying in bed with you once you calmed down, but you were enjoying resting your head on his chest too much. With each rise and fall, you felt yourself relax, and you could hear his heart beating as quickly as yours. Pulling away reluctantly, you rolled over so that he could get off the bed whenever he was ready.

You pouted and played with one of his hands that was splayed on his chest before asking, “¿Hay alguna manera de convencerte de que te quedes en cama más tiempo hoy?”

Is there any way I can convince you to stay in bed longer today?

He chuckled softly and kissed your forehead again. “Tal vez si me prometes recibirme así todos los días cuando llegue a casa del trabajo,” he joked with a smile.

Maybe if you promise to greet me like this every day when I come home from work.

“¿Eso es todo?” Your smile widened and you wrapped your arms around his waist with no intention of letting him leave the bed now. “Entonces es un trato.”

That’s all? Then it's a deal.

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

Félix tag list: @sirianisrock @foreveradreamlover @antmnwasp @diegoluna-asian

Lmk if you wanna be added to my Félix tag list!

[untaemedqueen]

The Lions Den

Mafia!Jeongguk x Girlfriend!Lee

Genre: Mafia!AU, Smut, Fluff, Angst

Chapter 13.

Warnings: Smut, Blood, Guns, Knives, Excessive Cursing, Excessive Alcohol Intake, Smoking (Cigarettes and Cigars), Mental Health Issues

Warnings In This Chapter: Body Worship, Daddy Kink, Cunnilingus, Degradation (Slut), Fingering, Fellatio, Face Fucking, Edging, Riding, Tummy Swelling, Praise, Hot Wiring A Car, Excessive Drink, Blood, Gorey Descriptions, Cut Body Parts

A/N: Shout out to @xjoonchildx​ and @ladyartemesia​ for beta-ing this and rooting me on

TagList- @ayyyocee​, @mysugabear03, @wisebtsgot7prune​, @imaforeigner​​, @yeonkiminnie​​, @stories1907​​, @ppersonna​​, @brilee64​​, @gooplibrary​​, @vivpurple7​​, @xjoonchildx​​, @brightwingr5​​, @yaniposts22​​, @rjsmochii​​, @taeslittletiger​​, @pjmcth​​, @bts-chub​​, @kpoppingthempills, @kim-ji-hyeons-world​​, @jikooksgirl19​​, @yoong-i​​, @ruinsofangels​​, @absolutefantrash​​, @chiminies-noona​​, @eclectically-esoteric​​, @kimsdior, @danika808​, 

Sequel to The Bird Cage

It’s cherry blossom petals and flowing silk fabrics. 

It’s light brown eyes and gorgeous emeralds. 

It’s her.

“Hi, baby.” Jeongguk whispers as he leans back against the cherry blossom tree. His counterpart turns to him with a wide smile. One that makes his heart stutter and his palms become sweaty. She wrinkles her nose happily at his words. Opening his arms, he gives a lazy smile wanting to feel her small body coddle to his chest. 

“Hi.” Her voice is so melodic. So beautifully toned. 

“Hi my Lee.” He mutters as she hugs him tightly. 

He could smell the sea breeze in her hair, he could feel her heart fluttering inside of her chest as he holds her so closely. 

“My Lee.” He mumbles as his face is buried into her neck. 

He could hear her content sigh. Could feel how her fingers dig into his taut back, trying to pull him ever closer. 

“Want to go home now? It’s getting dark out and you know how I feel about that.” He tells her as he stands up to his full height. She hums to him in agreement as he looks at the horizon. 

It wasn’t too long ago that the Bangs were on their front door with AK-47’s and a need for revenge. With Kim Shin still around and breathing down everyone's necks, there was always a need for caution. 

Slinging his arm over her petite shoulders, he pulls her towards the Escalade. 

“Come on, beautiful. Let’s get you home. I have a bone to pick with you.” He whispers into her ear playfully before slapping her backside.

She giggles loudly, clutching onto his black tank top as he smiles down at her. 

The house is quiet as per usual. 

Stepping inside of the entryway, he watches his girlfriend throw her handbag on the small marble table beside the door. 

Looking her over, the butterflies in his stomach triple. He has been in love with her since high school. Adoring her every waking moment since he was young. 

Stepping behind her, he wraps his arms around her waist before hauling her up and spinning her around. Her adorable yelp makes him smile as he buries his face into her neck. 

She was pristine. 

His angel on this hell of an Earth. 

"Guk!" She says with a giggle. He chuckles against her skin, smelling the orange blossom scent that is so naturally hers.

"I love you." He mutters, his voice muffled into her skin. 

He closes his eyes, taking in the moment. All this craziness lately, all of the guys egos being knocked down to less than nothing. He can't help but savor this moment. His forever in his arms. 

“Your heart is made of cherry blossoms and stars.” He whispers as he sets her back down gently on the ground. 

She turns to him, her small face now in her hands. His thumbs run over the apples of her cheeks as she gives a small smile. 

“Come on, let's go upstairs. You said you have a bone to pick with me.” She teases as she pulls him towards the right staircase. He gives a gentle snort as he follows her willingly. His hand is clasped in hers as he follows behind her, watching her ascend the stairs before him. 

He watches her white lace dress ruffle and flow with every step and he shakes his head in a loving daze. How is he the luckiest man in the universe? 

She turns her face to him, her long hair flowing over her shoulder as she smiles. His breath stutters in his throat as he smiles back. 

As they reach the second landing, Jeongguk's eyes look up as shadows greet him from the third floor. His hand immediately reaches for his gun. 

A woman with a small tube dress meets his eyes as his best friend follows her. He stumbles and hiccups as he leans against the wall. 

“Kookie. Welcome home.” Jimin slurs before nodding his head to the girl. He reaches into his pocket before pulling out a wad of Won. He slaps it into her hand before looking over at Lee. 

The younger man pulls his girlfriend behind him as the paid woman begins to descend the stairs. 

“Thanks Jimin. See you Tuesday.” She says as she bows her head to Guk. 

Jimin rolls his eyes before fixing his belt and hiccuping. 

“Hyung, you okay?” He asks as the scent of alcohol breeches his senses. 

“I’m Park Jimin. I’m always fucking okay.” He slurs out before kicking off the wall and walking back up the staircase. 

“Goodnight!” Lee calls to him as she cranes her neck to look at him.

“Mmm.” He hums nonchalantly.

Jeongguk releases a large breath, he didn’t know he was holding before looking down at his girlfriend. She shrugs her shoulders as sweetly as possible. His heart clenched as he heard his older brother's bedroom door slam loudly. 

He sighs gently before following Lee to their bedroom as she tugs on his hand. 

Entering the bedroom, he shrugs off his leather jacket. Throwing it onto the wall rack, he closes his eyes. He rubs his hands over his face as he sighs. 

“He’s going to be okay. He just needs to find the one.” Lee says, reading his mind as she begins to get undressed. 

“It just hurts to see him so fucked up. I mean, his parents and his brother are here. Can’t he just try to act like he has his shit together?” He asks his girlfriend as he takes off his black t-shirt.

His eyes rake over her as she stands in her lacy underwear. As he takes off his pants, she makes eyes with him before pouting

"It's hard to act when you can't even understand what you're feeling." She tells him.

This is why he loves her. She's so understanding. So thoughtful. 

"Come here." He mumbles as he lays back, opening his arms.

With a seductive smirk she kneels on the foot of the bed before crawling up slowly. He finds his body relaxing and molding into the bed as he watches her hips sway with criminal intent up toward him. 

Her breasts are pressed together in the confines of her lace bra as she crawls. His mind is enraptured as per usual, not knowing where to look and wanting to look everywhere. She's a goddess. His goddess.

Her thighs clamped around his sides as she sits up straight, ass pressing to his growing erection. On instinct his hands find her soft sides, his thumbs making soft swipes over her skin as he licks his lips. 

"How are you so beautiful? Hmm? I must have been a very good boy in my past life to have you." He whispers to the quiet room.

She giggles at his sweetness before gasping as he flips their bodies suddenly. 

Her hair splayed out beneath her as his lips met hers. The kiss is slow and sensual. Their tongues colliding and sliding over each other as they moan into each other's mouths. His needy hands press to her clothed breasts, rolling and squeezing them.

She lets out a wanton moan, turning her head to the side to give him access to her neck. Her scent wafts through his nose as his lips trail down her neck. He suckles at her pail skin, leaving beautiful cherry blossom petals in his wake. 

Rutting his hips into the air, his cock is begging to be released from the confines of his briefs. He groans against her marked skin, pulling her chest to his as he skillfully undoes her bra. Her dark brown nipples greet his eyes, puffy and needing attention. 

He wants to tell her how excited he is for when she's pregnant. How he can't wait until she swells with his childs milk but he says it so often he doesn't want it to lose its meaning. They're going to try for a baby soon, he can wait until then. He can wait for Valentine's Day.

"I love you so much. You're so beautiful." He tells his girlfriend as he kisses over the skin of her breasts. His tongue licks over her areola earning the sweetest gasp before encircling her nipple with his lips. 

He shows her nipple love, suckling and plucking with his ardent desire before moving to the abandoned breast. His name tumbles from her lips with a wanton moan. Begging for more of him and he's more than willing to give her more.

His fingers hook into the sides of her panties as he kisses down the flat of her stomach. Stopping at her belly button piercing to nip at the silver chain that hangs down towards her sex with his intials in white gold plated sterling silver. 

"Who do you belong to, my Lee?" He asks quietly as he slowly drags down her panties. 

"You. Daddy. Always yours." He shivers at her words, clothed cock rutting into the air once more as he discards her panties.

His large hands spread her knees. Opening up her legs to see her sodden pussy. Weeping and begging with desire to be filled. In the lighting of the bedroom, her arousal gleams on her thighs and even sliding down towards the bed. 

"You're such a messy girl, baby." He mumbles as his cock twitches. Her hands run over his tattooed arms, trying to pull him closer for a kiss. He clicks his tongue in defiance to her before bowing down.

"Daddy has to clean up your mess, baby. You're too dirty." His hands hook around her thighs, using his strength to pull her down closer to his face. She gasps loudly in anticipation, her fingers carding through his long black hair. 

His eyes meet hers as he gives a flat lick to her weeping cunt. He adores how her body shudders before pressing harder into the mattress beneath her. His nose wrinkles at the sweet sight before him. 

Her small mewls only goad him on as his lips attach to her swelling bundle of nerves. Suckling sweetly against her, he lives to see her pleased by him. 

He teases her entrance with a finger, watching her lips press into a straight line as she rolls her hips. 

"Daddy! Fuck! Feels so good!" Lee whines as she grips at his hair. 

He hums in agreement as he enters his finger easily, the amount of arousal letting him slide right in. He pumps his finger in a few times before adding a second. 

Her back bows off of the bed, keening and moaning at the fullness. 

"That's it, baby girl. Look how beautiful you are for me. Such a needy little slut, hmm?" She nods fervently at his words, head swimming with lust as he begins to finger her faster. 

His fingers curl upwards, finding the soft bundle of nerves within her. 

"Oh shit! Daddy! Yes! Fuck yes!" She whines loudly as he ruts his cock into the mattress. 

"You like it? You like Daddy filling you up with just his fingers? You like when Daddy gets you off like this?" He teases as her hips meet his every thrust with his fingers. 

She whines loudly as he spits on her already soaked cunt. His tongue lavishes on her swollen clit. 

He knows she's close, the way she pulses around his fingers and how she gasps quietly. Her eyes screw shut in the pleasure. Legs spreading wider as he continues to lavish on her body. 

"Cum for me, gorgeous. Show Daddy how much you adore him." He whispers as he curls his fingers faster.

Willing it to be so, the bubble that expanded so large within her bursts. She undulates under him, moaning loudly as she orgasms. Her thighs quake with pleasure as she moans his name. 

He lifts up, watching her ride out her high and his heart swells. She is it for him. The one. 

He scissors his fingers inside of her, prepping her for his large cock. As he preps her, his lips find hers. She moans at the taste of arousal on his tongue and his free hand grips at her side.

"God, you're so beautiful. You know how much I adore you, don't you?" He asks her as he strips himself of his briefs.

She hums to him as she plays with his hair, "As long as you know how much I adore you." She replies.

He chuckles against her lips before giving her a swift kiss. 

It was more than just sex, this was pouring out their souls to each other. Their love is so intense, so pure of heart. So true. 

His girlfriend wraps her hand around his large cock. Pumping his shaft slowly to hear his content sigh.

"Oh my Lee." He mumbles before falling to her side. 

His thighs quiver at the attention, bottom lip tucking between his teeth. His hand caresses her cheek as she situates herself between his thighs. 

"I love you, baby." He whispers as her head bows down. 

She twirls her tongue around the weeping head of his cock. 

"Fuck!" He curses through gritted teeth as she bobs her head down. 

He grabs at her hair, making a makeshift ponytail as she works her mouth on him. His head lolls back, gasping and groaning at the pleasure she gives him. 

"Fuck yes. Just like that. You suck my cock so well, baby girl." He moans as he tugs on her hair. 

Her cheeks hollow as she continues to please him, spittle and precum stream over her chin. 

"Let me fuck your pretty mouth baby." She hums in agreement, earning a twitch from his cock at her willingness.

With a harsh thrust, her eyes spill over with tears. With every gag and whimper, he feels his pleasure doubling. 

"Yeah. Fuck yeah. Just like that. Look at you, so willing to let me fuck your mouth. Oh Christ! You love when I give you my cock any way I do. Such a slut for me." He rambles as she grips onto his thighs. 

"Lee! Fuck, baby!" She swallows around him, letting him go deeper in her throat. He moans loudly, setting off a fresh wave of arousal within her.

"Oh God! You're such a good girl. Letting me use you like a little fucking cocksleeve. So hot." He murmurs into the still air of the room. 

His cock begins to throb, begging for release. A sheen of sweat developing on his body as he holds her down on his cock. With a groan he pulls out of her mouth before gripping the base of his cock.

"Sit on Daddy's cock." He instructs her as she wipes her chin. 

She climbs over him, pressing her hands to his muscled chest. Rocking her hips, her slick folds part at the underside of his cock. His eyes watch with unabashed fascination as she coats him in her arousal. The stimulation to her clit sends her into a moaning mess. 

"That's it, baby girl." He whispers as his hands cup her breasts. His fingers pinch and roll her stiff peaked nipples between his fingers as she aligns him to her entrance. 

They collectively gasp as she slides down slowly on his cock. 

"Oh fuck." She whines as she sits down fully. He chokes on his own moan as his hand finds her womb. 

"God, you're stuffed." He says as the outline of his large cock is presented to him.

"You make me so full. You're so big." She whimpers out.

His hands find her sides as her tummy bulges with him inside. 

She lets her muscles relax around him. Taking the time to kiss down his neck and chest. She can feel his cock twitching inside of her, begging for her to move.

Lifting her hips slowly, she relishes in the curse that he utters. He watches his cock coated in her arousal become sheathed to his eyes once more. 

She begins a steady pace, hopping on his cock with loud moans as he fills her so well.

"Look at you." He says reverently as he grips her sides harder. 

Her head lolls back, the both of them moaning in tandem. The sounds of skin slapping skin send Jeongguk into a frenzy. 

Sitting up, his lips attach to her nipple suckling roughly at the sensitive skin. 

"Daddy! Fuck! Feels so good!" She babbles, almost incoherently. 

"Yeah. You like Daddy's big cock don't you baby? Love how well it fills you." He whispers against her breasts. 

He could feel her pussy quivering around him, her moans getting higher as he spanks the skin on the globes of her ass. 

"Gonna cum for me again, baby? Show me how much you adore my big cock." 

His hand snakes to the back of her neck before pulling her face closer to his. The kiss is heated, his teeth nip at her bottom lip as he begins to lift his hips to meet hers. She was practically drooling for him. Her moans turn into whimpers as her eyes screw shut. 

Without warning she cums for him again, moaning into his mouth as she holds him tightly.

"Good girl, babe." He praises as he flips them over.

He gives shorter thrusts, letting her come down from her high. And, he finds himself smiling as her eyes become lidded with tiredness and pleasure.

"Thank Daddy for his big cock." Every word is punctuated by a harsh thrust. She moans loudly, certainly waking her up as she grips at the bed sheets. Her knuckles go white as he begins to pick up his pace.

"Th-Thank you Daddy! Your cock feels so fucking good!" She whines and he hums in agreement. 

He pours his love into his strokes. He buries his face into her neck as he bulldozes himself inside of her. His hands grab for hers, intertwining their fingers as he hauls her arms over her head. 

He whispers sweet words into her ear as she clutches onto his hands tighter. 

"God. I love you so much Lee. I want to spend the rest of my life with you like this. Just with you. Forever." He moans against her neck.

"I love you, too. Forever." She tells him.

Letting her hands go, he hooks her ankles over his shoulders. The new angle allows the head of his cock to brush against her g-spot. Through blubbering and incoherent moans, he catches the three words that fuel his life. 

His cock throbs, thickening to release himself inside of his woman. With a choked sob he grips onto her ankles.

"Lee. Fuck. I'm cumming!" He whines as she whimpers below him.

With a few more thrusts, he hips stutter as he groans long and low. He groans out his woman's name as ropes of cum lather her pussy. 

"I love you baby."

"I love you too."

Pulling out of her gently, he lays down beside her. His arm wraps around her shoulders as she lays on his sweated chest.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Lee asks him as he kisses her temple.

"Going to pick you out a pretty dress for our Valentine's Day date." He whispers as he holds her tighter.

With a gasp, Jeongguk shoots up in his bed. A shaky hand reaches up to his cheeks, feeling the tears that seemed to have slipped in his sleep. 

"Fuck!" He yells loudly, running his shaky hands through his hair. 

Without a second thought, his hand reaches out for where his whisky would normally be before finding the water Y/N left for him. 

He lets out a groan as he puts his hands over his eyes. 

He can feel his heart hammering within his chest, his body coated in a thick sheen of sweat. 

His mind races at a mile a minute. His eyes flit back and forth between his bare legs and the soaked bed sheets. He can barely register how high the sun is in the sky, berating the bedroom with its rays. 

He promised Y/N he would get it together. He promised that he would stop drinking. But, he can't do it. He fucking can't. 

With a sharp breath between his teeth, he grips his bedpost lifting himself out of the bed. The recently closed cut he adorns on his stomach is slowly healing but he has to get out of this house. 

"You have to be fucking kidding me. You have to be. I can't. I fucking can't." He babbles aloud as he slowly and painfully puts on his clothes.

His chest is tight, breathing irregular. If he doesn't leave now, he's going to have a fucking panic attack or a heart attack. 

With a grunt, he slips on a grey hoodie before slowly walking to the door. His hand glides over the wall, keeping him upright as he breaths raggedly from the pain. 

He stops for a second to look at himself in the mirror. Wrinkled and disheveled is what greets him. Swallowing thickly, he grabs his gun off of the dresser by the door before weeping silently.

This is all too much. Why must he be haunted like this? Why can't he just be normal? 

He wipes at his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie before opening the door. He peeks out, silence greeting him in the early morning. 

Jimin took away his car keys but hot wiring is in his DNA. He needs a drink and to calm down.

"Ugh fuck." He groans as he leans against the familiar cherry blossom tree to support his weight. Unscrewing the cap to the Johnny Walker, he takes a sip before shivering at the burn.

"This is all your fault. I should be getting better for Y/N and the babies!" He cries out into the still air. He knows she wouldn't respond, but he needs to speak his mind or he might explode.

"It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you alone. I wanted to surprise you but I was the one surprised when I got home." He chuckles darkly at his words before continuing to drink his whisky. 

This is all too familiar now. The gnawing loneliness, the constant feeling of dread. He was doing so well and to fall off the bandwagon… Everyone would be disappointed. 

He was the epitome of a mess. An absolute loser. He was spiraling into a hole that he would never be able to get out of.

"I need to get better!" He cries out as he shuts his eyes.

"I need to make sure that my family is safe! I'm the weak link!" He sobs into his hand. 

Furrowing his eyebrows, he takes a deep breath before looking at the whisky bottle. The rage is quick, ricocheting through him like lightning. He throws the bottle against another close cherry blossom tree trunk before seething incoherently through his teeth. 

His fingers card through his greasy hair before looking at the sun setting on the horizon. 

"I have to be better." He whines.

It would be a sorrowful sight to anyone around. How this handsome man has been beaten down by his own mind. Turning him into a sack of flesh that he couldn't even recognize anymore. 

"Jeon Jeongguk?" His head whips to the voice, drawing his gun and pointing it.

The delivery man holds up his hands, a white box in the left. 

"Who the fuck are you?!" He barks out as he looks over the man's attire.

"I have a delivery for you." The man says holding out the package.

Raising an eyebrow, he grabs the box without a second thought.

"Can you sign this?" He asks Jeongguk gently.

"I'll shoot your dick off. Fuck off." He threatens. 

The man looks him over before backing away and fleeing towards his moped.

"Yeah. I'm afraid of me too." He calls to the guy as he drives away without a glance back. 

He shakes the box bringing it up to his ear. He didn't even think to ask what it was, how he found him in this random park, nothing. 

Putting his gun back in its place, he opens the white flaps of the box. He can smell the familiar scent of his warehouse, wafting out of the box and his eyes widen.

"What the fuck?" He mutters before opening the box fully.

"Oh Jesus!" He yells as a hand and an eyeball greets him. His back presses hard against the tree as he groans. Gingerly he presses a hand to the wound on his stomach before a thin sheen of sweat envelops him.

Maybe it's the alcohol or the sudden surprise, but he turns his head to the side vomiting up the alcoholic contents in his stomach. 

"Fuck. Jimin." He whispers as he hangs his head. 

He makes his way back to his truck, throwing the box into the passenger's seat. 

"What the fuck is going on around here?" 

[batarella]

The Bullet: A Sequel to the Commander - Part 6 (Jason Todd x Reader)

FUUUUCK THIS TOOK SO LONG AM SORRY BUT MAAAAN AM I PROUD OF THIS. YES THE FLOYD LAWTON I’M BASING ON IS WILL FUCKING SMITH

WORDS: 10333 WARNINGS: IMPRISONMENT, STARVATION, DEHYDRATION, TORTURE, FIREARMS

MASTERLIST

THE BULLET MASTERLIST

-----

“How do you plead?”

Soulless.

Mindless.

Lifeless.

She finally became that cold, callous machine. It took her this far just to get there.

It was just about as painless as your skin and nerve endings being burned off.

A soulless, mindless, lifeless muster of steel and hard parts.

To every pair of eyes that looked her way, she was no human being. She was no woman. She wasn’t someone who loved or was loved. She wasn’t someone’s cousin, or someone’s lover. And especially not someone who could have been a mother. Taking care of a child would be nothing short of abuse.

She wasn’t Y/N. She was Deadshot. An eerie mimic to her infamous uncle.

With the cuffs on her wrists, three guards on her side, unarmed in case she could possibly reach out for them, she heard the distant flickering of camera shots and murmurs. Her silence was already something to note, with the reporters eating up this story like worms on a cold carcass. But not once did she look up from her feet, at the steel clinging to her skin. Her attention didn’t leave the coarseness of the bright orange suit, sticking to her skin like sandpaper.

“Guilty.”

Her own trial. And she barely paid attention. She didn’t listen to just about anyone who went up to speak, at the lawyers, the judge, the jury with their whispers. She didn’t listen to their stories about her, whether or not they were true. And even if it were a lie, it wouldn’t matter much. It would only add up to the countless life sentences she’d expect to have in the end. It wouldn’t change anything about her situation. Waller was going to win, whatever happens.

For the murders of fifteen different people. Fifteen different cases. It was barely a fraction of what she’d done just by the past few months alone, not including the last one since she swore off killing. But they were the ones she chose to admit to. By herself. Her part of the deal with Waller.

A trial that was supposed to last the whole of the day, ended up being adjourned after barely an hour. Barely any witnesses, barely any proof to go against her. If she hadn’t admitted to anything, she wouldn’t have gotten more than one or two life sentences.

Now, she ended up with eight.

And after her eyelids shielded her away from more visions of the reality in front of her, she still managed to watch herself being taken away. With even more unarmed guards around her in a circle and two standing from a fair distance away, holding AKs and pistols strapped to their hips.

She saw herself being cuffed on her ankles, lead to an armored car like a circus animal. Reporters all around her, snapping pictures and holding out their microphones trying to get something out of her. And despite everything Waller had said, about her histories, her crimes, and all the horrible things she’s done, not everyone immediately went back to looking at her scornfully. At the far off crowd outside the courthouse, there were a group of girls, holding up a sign with hearts around her name. Her real name this time.

And they all cheered for her to be let go. They cried out to her, calling her a hero, calling her things she clearly wasn’t.

A cop pulled her head back to look in front of her, back crouched over, face covered with her hair. When she got to the car, she could no longer hear screams of neither hate nor support. She never felt so alone. So dead. Dead beneath her skin despite her heart still up in a beat. But it was clearly barely there. She was barely alive.

They took her to a plane. Then on another car. Then she arrived in Belle Reve.

Guards gave her looks. And she didn’t care to think about what went on in their clearly corrupted minds. She was taken to a brightly lit room, and despite it being so lit up, everything around her felt cold and dark. Her eyes, dropped down, she let the guard take her hand and press her inked fingers onto a piece of paper. Then they scanned her eyes, took her blood, took a piece of her hair.  

She was given a sign to hold, with her name on it and alias.

She stood in front of the wall with the height meter and faced the camera.

And on her face, she finally gave off a taste of the emotions running through the labyrinth in her mind. Her eyebrows arched down, her shoulders crouched over, her hair coming down to frame her face and her mouth arching down the most terrifying frown.

And her eyes. They looked black from the hooded darkness.

Anger. So much anger. For everything around her. For everything that had to happen.

They took the shot.

Just hours later, her mug shot had circulated all over Gotham, all over billboards and television screens, and almost everywhere on social media. Mixed criticisms. People wanting her to be let out. People praising her to be so brave. People saying she deserved what she got. People saying she should be put on death penalty.

Deadshot. Even when her name was everywhere. Even when the world had claimed her real name for their use. It wasn’t hers anymore.

She will, and always will be, Deadshot.

-----

Cops weren’t supposed to shove him into the back of a car like a dog being tied down and taken to the pound.

Cops weren’t supposed to throw his rights out the window out of fear over the woman who was supposedly above the law.

Cops weren’t supposed put their fear of losing their jobs in front of treating other people with basic human decency and have some sort of humanity left in them.

Cops weren’t supposed to use their job as an excuse to hurt other people. An excuse to let out their personal angers out on people who don’t deserve it.

But Jason Todd, a vigilante who had just been relieved out of god knows how many murder charges over the course of just two years, he shouldn’t expect the cops to be nice to him. As much as they were kind to Batman, as much as Commissioner Gordon was considered saint, there will always be a number of them that are just as bad as the criminals they detain.

They took him almost a hundred miles away from the city. Out into an unknown country side he had no idea where to go to. Not a motel, a gasoline station, or a diner in sight. He must have been in that car for four hours. He didn’t exactly know. Just that it was almost day time when they threw him out, his face meeting the dewy grass and the youthful orange sky. And the air around him felt nothing like the cold Gotham winds. It was fresh, light, healthy to take in. That’s when he realized just how far off he really was from home.

Jason was hungry, throat starting to feel a little dry. And his clothes will barely be enough to hold him up. He had two days. Maybe three days tops. By then he’ll have to make sure he’ll at least find a motel to stay in. He searched his pockets. His phone had fallen off. But he had his wallet.

He started walking to where the car came from. If they ran in circles to throw him off, he’ll probably die before he gets anywhere near the city by now. When the sun had fully risen, his skin now starting to feel the prickling of his sweat and the burn of the hot rays of light, he kept going. He kept pushing his legs forward, one in front of the other.

By sundown, he felt something in his stomach churn and eat him away from the inside. He shivered, despite the warmth. Then he decided to rest for just a few minutes to press back the tingling pain in his horribly dried up throat. He sat on the grass, weight on his hands, then he looked up at the sky, at the lack of clouds and immense brightness.

And he wasn’t upset about any of it. He wasn’t so worried about his life as he should be, dying of hunger, dying of thirst, feeling the heat burn his skin, or that he might never get home soon enough to actually live. He wasn’t so worried about what could happen to him in the cold dark or if he ever actually does find shelter, or help, or a single car that hadn’t passed by him so far.

He was sure he’d survive. He’d gone through worse. So much worse. And it was no different from being a child at crime alley not knowing if he was getting some food on his plate that day or not.

But it wasn’t even because of that why he wasn’t crying out in desperation and scavenging for any sort of help he could find.

He didn’t worry, because all he could ever think about was what could possibly be happening to Y/N in Belle Reve right that moment.

Jason never liked being in the unknown when it came to her, when she wasn’t by his side. When they were apart, as often as he could, he made sure to follow her around when she wasn’t expecting it, keep tabs on her almost every minute of the day, know where she was going and what she wanted to do. It had always been something in him to make sure the one person he loved more than anything else in the world was okay. Watch her from afar. Make sure she wasn’t hurt. That she wasn’t hurting herself. When she came back to him he swore he’d never lose her again. He swore to himself, and to her.

And now it was that all over again. And this time, he might never get to hold her for the rest of his life. This time, he might actually lose her for good. There was no way for him to follow her, to know what she was doing.

And it scared him to death. Scared him so much that it tore away every rational thinking in his head. That was most probably going to kill him. His lack of instinct. His lack of the will to keep going. When all he could think about was whether she was actually still alive and not have the bomb in her neck explo-

Jason pulled on his hair.

He already missed her so much…

He was in the middle of nowhere and he didn’t have so much as a picture of her to look at.

Wait.

His wallet.

He pulled it out.

An old photo of her. From her identification all the way back from the militia. From when she was recruited. He got her files and looked through them. Found her picture. Thought she was pretty. Had the files on his desk for months and after a while he ended up bringing it with him. Kept it in his wallet for two years and completely forgot about it. He thought he was a creep then, especially since they weren’t even so much as friends, but he remembered.

He got out his wallet and took it out from an enclosed pocket.

Hair kept back, cropped up to her collarbone and her face staring at him blankly. But her eyes still had that remnant of brightness and her mouth was so subtly curving up on one side.

Jason had his eyes on that little picture until he realized he had to keep going.

-----

Floyd’s old cell.

Waller and her sick little game.

She wasn’t placed with the other women in the prison with shared cells and barred gates. She was forced into the old cell of Floyd Lawton. Instead its walls of iron were three inches thick, solid, indestructible. There was but a little opening at eye’s length and another by the handle to bring in her food. It wasn’t as small as she thought it would be. But it smelled like five rats had died there this morning.

Deadshot took too long to get in and a baton swung against her back.

She fell to the floor and swore she heard her spine crack. For a moment her nerves stopped working, a buzzing numbness in slow surges, all except for the sharp pain at the base of her back.

“Get in there!” the guard screamed at her then kicked her further down. Crawling into the cell, she heard the gate slam shut and the whole room grow dim, save for a single orange light at the corner.

She didn’t do so much as stand up for a few hours. Her head was stuck to the ground, curled up to her stomach just to cling into some parts of her body that wasn’t already in pain. Everything in her hurt so much. There was a small cot at the corner and a punching bag at the other side. That had to be for Floyd. She didn’t want it. She hated that she wasn’t so much as given her own cell and had to settle for yet another of whatever scraps her uncle left behind. She got his guns. His suit. His fucking name. and now, she fucking laughed, she got his kills, his debt, his life sentences, his squad, his boss, his cell.

Everything she had. Everything she’s ever stood to live for. It had all been a remnant of who Floyd Lawton was. Never hers. She had no identity. Nothing good ever came out of anything he’s given her. Only a lifetime of running and money and taking lives. There had only ever been one good thing that came out of it.

And she had to lose him, too.

Deadshot had no idea if Jason was ever going to be okay. That he wasn’t going to eventually get himself killed without anyone holding him back. She couldn’t check on him anymore. She’ll have no idea if he even dies.

So she was just going to have to tell herself that he’ll be okay.

When the late afternoon came, she finally took to standing from the ground, on her knees, then she held herself up with the wall and hissed at how her bones cracked at the lack of movement. Everything hurt so much. She went to the cot, sat on its edge, and waited until the sun fell and rose again.

In the morning, the guards threw in a single burnt toast through the hole on the door. She didn’t touch it.

When the sun fell once more, she fell back against the wall and closed her eyes. She didn’t even get to sleep. No matter how much her eyelids started to hurt.

On the next day, they threw an apple into her cell. Deadshot took a bite, spat it out, then threw it out of the single window through the bars.

That night, she couldn’t bare not being able to sleep anymore. She tossed around in the cot, turning off all her other senses even when it only ended up amplifying the dead, yet raging thoughts.

She wanted a life. A good one. And finally it was within her grasps and it went away as quickly as it came. This wasn’t living. This was merely taking up space. This wasn’t a life anymore and it sucked when she knew there was nothing to look forward to.

Everything hurt to think about. Everything. Except when it often trailed off to Jason. Then her heart would swell, her wonderous thoughts halted. Thoughts of him. Thoughts of how he was. It was as calming as it was painful. And even if it stung, it brought back her humanity.

So she resorted to him. When the pain became too much. When her cell got too cold, or when the guards started to taunt her. When the cot got too uncomfortable or when her most silent screams haunted her at night.

She thought of him.

Is Jason okay? Is he eating? Is he even alive? Is he back in their apartment or out of Gotham or…

No. He wasn’t going to be okay.

Even if he was alive. Even if he was eating three times a day or if he was out of the state.

She knew. Because the moment she walked out of the apartment all those months ago, when she regrettably left the love of her life, she never stopped looking after him. He had no idea. He thought he was the one following her around. But out on patrols when Red Hood thought he was working alone, Deadshot was a few hundred yards away, looking out on her scope, watching and waiting for anything that might come out to take him down or anything he might not get to handle.

She never loved anyone like she loved him, and she often smiled at how they came to be, how it wasn’t supposed to be. No one would have thought it would work, but when it actually happened, it always made sense. To everyone.

Her Jason. Her sweet Jason.

She clutched at her chest.

She’ll have her thoughts of him to keep going. That somehow if she stayed alive, it was a step closer to getting to be with him again. A step closer than if she were dead.

And subjecting him to that kind of pain, when she knew he loved her, too, when he’s always made it clear, always made sure she knew he loved her.

Okay. Maybe it wasn’t too calming to think about him.

If anything, it only made the pain even worse.

------

Was that a house?

It looked like one.

It had a windmill, too.

And probably a barn.

Twenty-six hours of walking on the side of the road. Twenty-six hours of no food. No water. No shelter. Twenty-six hours, and only two cars have passed by him. Not one of them stopped.

Jason’s hair was sticking to his forehead now from the immense amount of sweat that had seeped out of his hairline, which was only going to lessen his days to live from three to just two or one. His throat. It was practically as course as the cement road.

But when he saw the house. A triangular roof. A windmill. A field right in front and what looked like a small barn by its side.

He only hoped it wasn’t a mirage.

Jason kept going, and his feet felt so much heavier to lug around like they were sacks of rice strapped to his knees. But he kept walking, further down until he started seeing the house’s porch that had a rocking chair inside it. He might have even seen a dog, running out of the house with its tail wagging and going back in through the doggy door.

Once he reached the front yard, he almost fell to his knees. The sun was scorching and he was probably going to come out of this with his skin almost burnt off of his flesh. If he ever does get out of this alive. But he could see from the screen door that there was someone inside. Human beings that might actually have the heart to help him. Jason swallowed what little fluids there was left in his desert of a mouth.

When he stepped into the porch, the dog came out once again, barking at him. It kept its stance outside the door and snarled whenever Jason tried to go anywhere near the front entrance.

“Who’s out there?!”

It was the voice of an old man. Not so old to be rickety and harsh, barely enough to be audible with his mouth probably struggling to keep up. He seemed to be up to his sixties. When he went up to the door, he stared at Jason through the screen.

“You need anything, boy?”

Jason tried to speak, but even that hurt to do. He tried to cough it out but it was like running his throat through a wrought iron bar.

“I’m… I need help…”

The old man stepped closer, peering in through the tiny holes of the netting. “You look like shit.”

“Can I… have some water?”

The dog stopped his barking, it started to take interest in his smell, on his shoes in particular. Its tail was up especially when his nose started smelling up his leg.

“How long have you been out here? The next city’s hours away by car.”

“A day. Probably. I’m not too sure.”

The old man unlocked the screen door and leaned against the archway. “You look like a dangerous man. You ain’t here to rob me, are ya?”

“No sir. Please. I just need some water.”

Jason saw his throat hitch, looking away out into the field for a short while before he eventually nodded. “Take a seat. Right there. I’ll get you a glass.”

The rocking chair. To him, it looked like the softest bed. He slumped down, tried so hard to keep his eyes open when all of him weighed a ton. He heaved his chest up in a slow, steady pace and made sure not to go into whatever light there might be that greets him.

Jason actually did take a bit of a nap when the door pushed open and he jolted in his seat. The man handed him a glass of cold water.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The dog was beside him once again. This time, it started to pant, like it was smiling at him with his tail wagging. He placed the glass between his lips and savored every single drop of water like it was liquified gold running down his throat. It hurt. All the way down his stomach. But he’s never had anything so refreshing.

“Can't walk back out there. You’ll die.”

“I have to. I can't stay here.”

“Plenty of bodies found at the side of the road with their stomachs inside out. I’m telling you, kid. You won't survive out there.”

With the glass empty, he pressed it onto his head just to cool himself off.

“Here. I’ll get you another glass.”

Jason didn’t want to ask for another but the man had already grabbed the glass away from him and went back inside. When he came out, he brought a sandwich with him as well.

“You’re very kind. Thank you.”

“I said don’t mention it. Folks out here getting lost. Some I offer to help and they end up taking an old family heirloom.”

“I’m sorry.”

“But when they aren’t pieces of shit, it’s nice to know I’ve saved a few lives.”

“Yeah,” Jason bit into the sandwich. “I know the feel.”

“I don’t have a spare bed. But you can stay over at the barn.”

“I really can't stay. Someone needs me.”

“Don’t be fuckin’ stupid. No car’s about to pass by and give you a ride and you’ll die before you’ll even get to Kentucky.”

“Kentucky?! Where am I?!”

The old man burst out a hearty laugh.

“Where you from, kid?”

“Gotham City.”

He whistled a hiss. “You're a long way from home, young man.” Jason took his time to drink up the water. Just so the man wouldn’t feel the need to get him another one.

“You're at the interstate going to Tennessee. From the looks of it, whoever dropped you off took you somewhere between here and Birmingham.”

Fuck. So the cops, if they were even cops at this point, didn’t drive for four hours. They were driving for twelve.

Fuck Waller and her men.

“I should be going.”

“Stay over at the barn. Every three days two buses pass along this road. One for each way. It’s either that, or the vultures will have you for breakfast. That’s more time than you probably have surviving out there by yourself.”

Jason stared at his half-eaten sandwich and his glass of water.

Yeah. Think rationally. He could at least do that for himself. The heat definitely was getting to him.

When he finished his food, he stayed on that chair until the sky went dark.

-----

The food was so disgusting, it was inhumane.

Two days. And all Deadshot had eaten was a stale piece of bread, two bites out of a rotten apple, half a bowl of chili, and a greasy patty. Her stomach was going to give out any second now. And the hot porridge of something they just threw in was definitely going to make her puke if she even had anything in her stomach right then.

Every part of her body numb, she went up to the punching bag.

One.

Two.

Three.

Her fists didn’t hurt as much as she thought it would. Even when her bones were basically made of jelly by now. She hit the bag, balled up her tight fists.

Six.

Seven.

Eight. Nine. Ten.

Floyd. Floyd. Floyd.

It had been a while since he spoke to her.

But every second in this cell, she’s heard Floyd’s name being whispered amongst the guards more than anything else there was. Referring to her. To what she was. Floyd’s second. Floyd’s niece. Floyd’s protégé. Floyd’s heir.

Twenty-six. Twenty-seven. Twenty-eight.

She wasn’t Y/N. None of them cared enough about her real identity. Not even the news stations cared enough to flash her real name on the screen for more than a few seconds before calling her Deadshot for the rest of their report. She can't call herself Y/N in a place where all people would look at her for was to compare her to her uncle.

She heard voices. Outside. Guards.

Lots of them.

“OPEN THE GATES!”

“EVERYBODY, LINE UP FOR EXTRACTION.”

“LET’S GO. MOVE. MOVE.”

Huh.

So that was today.

They all had to be armed. And ready to take her down.

She can put up a bit of a fight. For the fun of it.

She turned away from the bag, fists secured up to her head. She saw their faces incoming. A large shield held by the front liner and about ten viciously armed guards trailing behind.

“Come on, motherfuckers!” Deadshot said.

“GO. GO.”

The door slid open.

The shield pushed her to the ground before she could even do so much as move out of the way. She jumped up, twisted the arm that grabbed onto her and kneed him to the pelvis, stomped on his thighs.

Guns started aiming at her.

“Don’t you dare shoot that gun!” Their leader screamed at them.

Not long after, her arms were being held back, another one grabbing her legs. She flailed and kicked about.

“I can walk, you assholes!”

“Can't take the chance.”

A chair. A wheelchair that looked more like a torture machine than anything else. She thrashed about and screamed just as they placed her to sit on it, strapping her arms and head in place so she could barely move at all.

She calmed. She didn’t struggle. She didn’t even ask where she was going. She knew exactly where she was headed.

When they took her to an impossibly dark hallway where at the end, she saw soldiers without armor waiting for her with a suitcase, she swallowed.

“This gonna hurt?” she asked.

“You won't feel a thing…”

She breathed. Breathed. Breathed. Slowly as the chair went closer to the station, she tried so much to hide her neck, but couldn’t with the straps.

And when she saw the size of the needle gun, she jumped up in her seat.

“It’s been six fuckin’ years since Floyd, you didn’t think to have a little upgrade in your equipment?”

“Shut up.”

They pressed the gun to her neck and shot the nanite explosive right past her flesh and muscle.

It was like surviving a bullet and staying awake the whole time it went into her skin. She screamed out in so much pain. It was a bullet. It was a bullet. It was a fucking bullet. She was shot. No. She was dying. Bleeding. She pulled on all the straps.

“Let me go!”

“Take her back to the cell.”

Every hair on her body was sticking up. She swore she felt it bleed. There was something running down her neck. Onto her orange suit. The whole time she was taken to her place, she wouldn’t stop screaming and crying out for the help that was never to come.

They took her back in, undid the straps.

Then she fell to the ground.

“Calm down,” the guard said. “Everybody move out!”

Once again, she was alone. In an old, dusty prison cell that wasn’t even hers to begin with.

At least she thought she was.

“You shouldn’t be so scared of bullets…”

No.

The nerve of this man.

He just had to show up now.

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“You have no one else to talk to.”

“That doesn’t mean I need you.”

Floyd was sitting on the edge of her little bed, crouched over to his knees. “Get up,” he said.

Something within her, so used to doing exactly as he told her to, it wouldn’t let her say no. She shut her eyes closed and crawled over to a wall so she can pull herself up. Her hand went over to her neck, at the same mark Floyd had on his.

“Don’t touch it.”

She leaned against the wall, arms over her chest.

“Even when you were scared of bullets coming right at you, you were never afraid of guns.”

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

“You love guns. You love what you do. Don’t pretend I put you up to a life you never wanted.”

“This?!” she pointed up around the cell. “This wasn’t what I wanted. Not by a long shot.”

“But you knew there was a risk. You took it anyway. You put yourself in more danger than you can handle because you wanted to.”

No. He fucking wasn’t going to use that against her.

“I cleared your debts. I’m here because Waller wanted another Deadshot on the team. It’s because of you, I have a bomb in my neck. I always wanted to be a fucking great markswoman, but it doesn’t mean I wanted to be you.”

It would have probably stung him if he was here at all. But frankly, a figment of her imagination wouldn’t have its feelings hurt if she didn’t want it to.

Floyd let out a sigh and patted the side of the cot to let her sit beside him.

“Y/N…”

Only in her head. She finally hears her name after two days.

She rolled her eyes and took the damn seat.

“You know why you have that fear?”

Her attention never left the ground.

“You know how much you hurt people. All the way back from when you shot your first target. The more you killed, the more you realized how painful it was going to be when the world bites you back and gives you what you think you deserve…”

“It is what I deserve.”

“You think irony is what’s going to kill you.”

“Stop it.”

“But this is who you are. You have never been me. You have always been a different Deadshot. And I knew that. Always. Zoe could see it. Jason could see it-“

“Don’t. Say. His name.”

“This is you. And you're forgetting what you used to call yourself when you were little. When you weren’t so afraid of it taking your life. I never gave you a name because you’ve already named yourself-“

“FLOYD-“

“You are The Bullet. If you think irony wants you dead, bit it back in the ass. Become your fear.”

“AGH!”

She swung at her side, but Floyd was gone.

-----

A pile of hay was actually nice to lay down on.

The cow that was staring at him the whole time, though, was quite unnerving. The chickens as well. And they woke him up just as the sun began to rise, and Jason never would have thought he’d have to wake up to ten chickens and roosters screaming at his ear, as a well a dog with so much salivation licking up his face.

He relieved himself, scratched his head, splashed his face with a bucket of water. Already, he felt so much better.

When he walked out of the barn, Jason saw the old farmer stretching his arms at the porch. He turned over to him and waved. Jason waved back. then he saw him gesture for him to come over and reluctantly, he did.

“Got a good night’s rest?”

“I certainly did. I can't thank you enough.”

“Don’t thank me just yet. Come on. Let’s get some breakfast.”

“I really should-“

“Oh, young man, you shouldn’t feel like this is of any trouble. ‘Cuz you are going to get your breakfast yourself.”

He wasn’t so sure what that meant. “What?”

“Here’s a basket. Stay away from the chicken at the far back. She likes to peck out of your fingers.”

Oh. Well, shit.

“Okay,” Jason swallowed.

He went back into the barn and walked on over to the chicken coop. There were a few of the females in their cages laying eggs. And the roosters were just strutting about like they owned the place.

A certain one with a smooth head and red and yellow feathers started pecking at his feet. “You know, you remind me of a certain replacement back at home.”

The rooster clucked, then walked away into the hay piles.

“Okay, don’t kill me,” Jason kept his head away when he reached in and felt for eggs in the nest. It was still warm to touch. He took two and placed them on the basket. He did the same over the other ones until he reached the last one. The largest one.

But she had her own eggs inside and there wasn’t really much for both of them to eat. He closed one eye as he reached over…

“BUUUUUCK!” The chicken bit his hand and rapidly flapped her wings at Jason, then he instantly shut the cage door.

“Shit.”

He went back over to the house and knocked on the door. The farmer smiled at him as he took the basket.

“Come on. You can wait over at the table and I’ll fry these babies up.”

“I don’t mean to impos-“

“Eh, come on over.”

The old man had already turned around and went into the kitchen. His house was so small. There was only one couch. No TV. A lot of books. A dinner table that sat two.

He went over to the shelf.

It wasn’t so much the kind of books he read. Not the classics. They were all dime romance novels you’d find at a gas station store. And there were a lot of them.

“My wife left them behind,” the farmer said to him. “I read one everyday. Just to keep some kind of memory of her.”

He smiled. Because he didn’t say it like he was someone to pity over. He said it like it was something to be proud of. And it was.

“You read the paper, boy? It’s over there.”

He pointed at the newspaper on the table. “We got a delivery boy from the next house. I pay him a hefty price just to come all the way up here everyday.”

“They still have newspapers?”

The old man narrowed his boys. “Youngsters.”

He took the paper and sat on the table. Nothing much interested him. Mostly just news on a town in Tennessee.

But there was one, tiny section at the corner that caught his eye.

‘Dead Billionaire Falcone Found Penniless’

‘Gotham City’s billionaire philanthropist Carmine Falcone, after being murdered in his office underneath the Gotham Museum of Art, was discovered to have left nothing to his apparent heirs, as the title of all his assets, the museum included, had been secretly sold out and transferred ownership to various other enterprises from all across the world. This includes all the recently bought out conglomerates and properties from other businessmen of Gotham, such as Salvatore Maroni and ten others. These assets have since been liquidated just days prior to his death. But as they checked all of Mr. Falcone’s accounts, the numbers were as good as zeroes. It is unknown where the money had gone to and why the billionaire chose to do so. The Falcone Family insists on investigating the matter and getting the inheritance that their patriarch had left behind.’

 The old farmer then placed his plate of eggs on the table, as well as a few strips of bacon.

“Killed that boar just a few days ago. Pig’s been feeding me everyday since then,” he chuckled, then he took the seat beside Jason and ate up his food.

When Jason was washing the plates, the old farmer had fallen asleep on his couch. It was refreshing, seeing folks like this so trusting. It will kill him, one of these days. If he ever lets in the wrong kind of people. And looking around, he didn’t even look like he had a gun. If Jason had one with him, he’d give it to the old man just so he’d have some chance against the evils out there.

Jason sat out the porch, on the rocking chair. He watched as the field of wheat danced along the wind, as the grass fluttered with that beautiful, calming sound brushing against each other. Every so often, the wind strengthens, and it was with the bells hung on the door and the windvane that sounded so well with the leaves being blown away. It was so different from Gotham.

He pulled out the picture of Y/N and instantly, everything felt even lighter. And heavier. At the same time. Lighter because she brightens up everything there was, wherever he was. And heavier because she wasn’t actually here. And while he was this lucky to have found the help he needed, she, on the other hand, wasn’t.

He’s never had anyone sacrifice so much for him more than she did.

She loved him so much…

And the prison was all the way over to Louisiana. The opposite side of where he was going. After a night’s rest, he realized there wasn’t even anything waiting for him at Gotham. She wasn’t there. Everything he hated, on the other hand, was. There was nothing left for him. Nothing he could go back to.

“Pretty thing, she is.”

The old man was leaning against the wall behind him, looking over his shoulder at Y/N’s picture.

“Yeah… the prettiest.”

“Your girl?”

He nodded.

“She who you going back to in Gotham?”

“She… uh… isn’t there.”

“Where is she then?”

This man didn’t know anyone five miles outside his house. It probably wouldn’t matter. “She’s… in Belle Reve.”

“Oh,” He wheezed through the spaces in his gums. “Sorry to hear that.”

“I should have gone there with her.”

“Belle Reve, eh?” the farmer asked.

“Yeah.”

“Take the bus across the street. You’ll end up going back to where you came from but that bus’s going all the way over to Louisiana.

“There’s a bus going to the prison?”

“Aye. I suggest you go after her. You got better things to do back at home?”

He didn’t answer. He just stared at the fluttering wheat and the tall grass around it.

“I served my time. Four years. My wife visited me all the time. Made me feel appreciated. Like she never gave up on me. Doesn’t matter what I did or what I’ve done to deserve it.”

“What did you do?”

He laughed. “What didn’t I do? I was a bad kid. All the way up to my thirties. Everyone looked at me like I was some sort of rat. Especially my son. He left the minute he could walk and never came back.”

“I’m sorry…” he shook his head. “And I know how it feels. Being a troubled kid.”

“Then that woman of yours better look at you differently than everyone else, ‘cuz they be the only ones we hang on to. Makes us want to do better and prove them right.”

Yeah. Definitely.

That night, he slept on the rocking chair looking up at the stars. When he woke up, the farmer had placed a blanket over him.

-----

“AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!”

“Get up from the damn floor, Lawton!”

“My name…” Deadshot spat at the floor. “…isn’t Lawton.”

“I don’t care. Get up.”

The taser was brought right back up against her spine. Daring her. Waiting for her to try to snap another neck. Then with both her arms held back, they started leading her out into the open field.

“Usually, we do this far away from the facility. But with Waller here, she wanted to see what you can do.”

“Ah. Tryouts. Do I get this fucking bomb off my neck if I fail?”

“No. It will detonate.”

“Fuck you.”

Out into the bright, glimmering sunshine, she squinted her eyes and shielded her face with her hair. But she could barely do so much as blink when there were five guards around her, armed this time. She could probably reach out into a man’s hip and grab a gun without them looking if she didn’t already know where she was headed.

Out on the bright, orange field. Clear of grass and littered with human shaped shooting targets. They were, however, laid out side by side, closely to each other. She would have thought they’d be further apart. And they all stood on top of a black, outstretched tire that went in a large circle.

Amanda Waller. One of her men held out an umbrella for her despite her being a few inches taller. There were even more armed men littered around. One more so than the rest. A pale-skinned man with a large AK over his chest, a bullet proof vest, military gear. Sunglasses that shielded his eyes.

Rick Flag.

“So you’re the new Deadshot,” Rick greeted her as they dragged her toward the range. “I see the resemblance.”

“She’s even more daring than Floyd,” Waller said to her. “I’d be careful.”

“Well, we might as well know now if she’s any better than her uncle.”

“I am.”

“Are you now?”

“That’s what she says,” Waller raised a brow at her.

“Unlock her.”

She waited for the guards to take out the cuffs. Smoothing out her wrists, she stretched out her arms.

“How would you know I won't shoot you?”

“I don’t. But I’m here to see if you're just a fraud or if you're at least half as good as your uncle. Now get to work.”

Her neck stretching over to the side, Deadshot went over to the table. A whole arsenal of weapons. AKs. Sniper rifles. Pistols. With all the magazines and ammo she needed. She walked on over and picked the pistol.

The daylight young, the people around her silent, everyone turned their watchful eyes on her, guns out, ready to pounce.

She pointed the AK-47 at the targets and fired.

At the ten targets. One shot on each of their heads. She shot it all within a second, just as she told Waller she could do. And at the next round, she shot those exact same bullet holes in the same length of time. And all over again five times over.

There was only just one hole on each target. A hole she’s shot at several times from a hundred yards away.

She placed the AK back onto the table.

“Done. Can I go now?”

“No. We decided to give you more of a challenge.”

The rubber tire, or what looked like one, where the targets were standing on, they all of a sudden started spinning slowly in a circle at a click on Rick Flag’s remote. Turning over the corner, back facing Deadshot, before it turned back to face her again. It was a fucking conveyer belt.

Deadshot bit onto her gums.

She took the pistol this time.

“Go.”

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

“We didn’t have this in our time,” Floyd said to her ear.

“Shut up.”

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

The targets had turned. She had to shoot their backs. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

Almost missed that one. She placed another magazine.

Fifteen.

Sixteen.

Eighteen.

Twenty-two.

The target looked like it was about to break. Even with it made of metal.

Thirty. Forty.

Then the target got faster.

She took an M-16 Carbine.

The recoil was sharp on her shoulder, painful when it pushed her back. She kept firing. Firing. She was slower, took her time just a bit more. She reloaded it not long after until finally, one of the target’s heads actually blew off.

Sixty. Seventy. Eighty

Finally, the Barret MRad Sniper rifle.

The targets started spinning even faster. But she didn’t flinch. She kept her focus.

She breathed.

She slowed her heartbeat.

She cleared her thoughts.

Ninety-seven.

‘Come on.’

Ninety-eight.

‘You’re almost there.’

Ninety-nine.

‘Become the bullet.’

One fucking hundred.

Breaths out, she put the gun back on the table.

Then Flag turned off the conveyer belt.

One hundred shots. Which meant each target should have had around ten bullets pierce through it’s head.

But there was only one bullet hole on all of them. Right at the center of their heads. The same ones she had already made.

“Sorry about the other one,” she shrugged. “Didn’t realize your equipment wasn’t up to par.”

Flag didn’t move his head, but let his eyes follow her until she walked over to the guards, put her hands behind her and smirked.

“I’m surprised you're not asking for a million dollars like your uncle.”

“He asked for Zoe to live a good life. And you couldn’t even give that. And trust me, I’ve already made my deal with your boss. Am I right, Waller?”

Waller’s frown was something no one would be able to draw. Her nostrils were flared up, and the way Deadshot just smiled at her, it was braver than anyone else in the whole building had done.

The guards kept their silence now. Didn’t stick a taser up her back. Didn’t beat her with a baton on the way to her cell. But when they locked her up, they added just one more lock on its hinges. She placed her elbows against the door and looked out through the opening, watching the guards avoid the look on her eye.

-----

Six eggs. The last chicken finally let him hand over her lays and he walked happily out of the barn and walked back into the house.

“Here,” he gave it to the old man.

“Thank you, son. You’re a real good man.”

“No. I don’t… I don’t know how to thank you enough. You saved my life.”

“Ah. Don’t mention it. The company you’ve given me? More than what I could ask for. You remind me so much of my son. Except, you're a lot nicer.”

Jason watched him crack the eggs into the pan.

“I should get going.”

“You won't stay for breakfast?”

“I can't. But thank you.”

“Here,” he went over to his fridge and took out a sandwich. “Prepared it for you. For the trip back.”

He didn’t even know how much he’s thanked this man so far. Who was he? Did he know Jason somehow? Was he someone he forgot?

Probably not. He was just a lonely old man in need of company. His wife would have died three, maybe four years ago, and he only ever goes out into the city once a month. He wasn’t sure if he even talks to people in between them.

“I guess I can have a bite,” Jason said.

The old man’s smile was incomparable.

They ate and laughed the whole time on that table. Jason ate the eggs, drank the freshest glass of milk he’s had in a long time. He had bathed in the barn that morning and he’s never felt better since he got dropped off in the middle of nowhere. It was humbling, where he was.

He could only wish he got to share this with Y/N. He and the farmer would have hit it off.

The old man went out with him on the porch. The bus to Gotham arrives in five minutes.

“Here.” Jason took out his wallet and took out a few bills. “For your troubles.”

“Son, I have no use for money. I grow my own food. I buy only the absolute necessities. You would end up needing it more than I do.”

“Please…”

The old man held out his hand, shook his head. Every time, he surprises him.

“I can't believe I never caught your name…” Jason said.

He grinned from ear to ear, tipped down his hat, then laughed. “Name’s Bruce.”

It caught him off guard. Just for a second. “What?”

“Bruce Larkin. Lived in Tennessee my whole life.”

He stretched out his hand for him to take. Eyes not leaving his face, Jason took it. “What’s your name, boy?”

“Jason. Jason Todd.”

“Young Jason. Pleasure to have met you.”

“You're a good man, Bruce.”

“I may have done my deeds, but I lived a good life. Now go. Bus should be here in a few seconds.”

It almost hurt having to leave the old man behind. One of these days, he’ll come back. Pay a visit. Still, it made him wonder who this man truly was, what his intentions actually were.

He’s only met so many good people, truly good people, ones who never think of anything in return and take happiness out of helping strangers they didn’t know. It was hard to believe that no matter the cruelties he’s dealt with his whole life, there were the pure angels out there to lift him back up.

And, the one thing he couldn’t believe he noticed, Farmer Bruce never once mentioned the mark on his face. Didn’t think it tainted him or looked at it long enough to make him squirm.

He looked back out at the house. Bruce was still there, hands in his pockets.

The bus stopped in front of him and the door split open.

If he gets on, he’ll be off to Gotham.

If he stays behind and crosses the street, he’ll wait another five minutes for the bus to Louisiana. He’ll risk his life and do anything to see Y/N again.

It wasn’t even a hard decision to make.

Jason watched the bus doors closed. Then when it left, he crossed the street. Minutes later the next bus stopped and he got in. Waving at Bruce through the window, he settled down and closed his eyes.

He watched the miles of grass, wide open fields, swamps, forests, and lakes pass through him in the window. He let the calmness help him mellow down. And although it helped, it only guilted him into remembering the tortures his one love had to be going through right now. While he was so lucky, she was suffering. Fuck.

He had no idea what to expect. The day turned to night, then turned back to morning. He was in the bus for hours. Absolutely nothing went on in his mind. And he was scared. He didn’t even have a plan. He was probably going to have to break into Belle Reve. And that was if they hadn’t already taken her away to some god awful mission and possibly lose her life.

He couldn’t sleep on the bus. But he was ready. He was going to stop at nothing to see her.

The gates of Belle Reve. He hopped off the cab and stared at it from the outside.

Then he saw a few guards doing their rounds around the perimeter.

If he was fast enough, he might catch one of them alone. It’ll be all he needed. So he watched the cameras. Found a blind spot. And it was a risk without his visor on.

But for Y/N, it didn’t seem like much of a risk at all.

-----

This cot was going to blow out anytime soon.

It wasn’t even that she was heavy. It was rickety and old, probably the same exact one Floyd used. And Floyd was a large man. The seams started to rip and the place where her ass lays against was as worn out as a dirty rag. She didn’t like to think about why that was.

But god help her if she even cares much about the stupid cot. She laid against the wall, knees up to her chest. The wall was staring back at her like and she wasn’t about to let it win. Was she going crazy? Probably. She didn’t care much about that either. She’ll be working with Harley. She’ll have to be crazy to deal with her.

She heard guards from outside. So she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

Only one guard, it seems. There weren’t any talking. And there was only one set of footsteps coming her way. She hated that even more. Then the taunting and catcalling and harassing won't be in any way hindered.

“Y/FN Y/LN?”

That was a first. No one’s said her real name in… ever.

“What do you want?”

She heard the small opening at her door slide open. The guard’s voice was less muffled now. “It’s me.”

Who-

That voice.

She looked up.

“Oh my god…” she leapt up the cot and ran all the way over to the door. Hands on the iron, eyes watery and gleaming against the dim, orange light.

Jason was the most beautiful man in the whole world and he looked no less than an angel disguised as a guard, half his face covered with a mask. But it was, without a doubt, his bright blue eyes that was staring right at her.

“I’m here, baby…”

“Jason…” The endless tears. All of it. She hadn’t even cried her whole time in Belle Reve. She’s screamed. She’s yelled out in the most horrible pain. But she never cried. And all those days of torture, it came out of her now. Even more so when Jason pulled down his mask and pressed his forehead against the door to get as close to her as she could.

At the bottom opening, he had his hand out. Y/N took it and held it so tightly that her fingers started going numb. He took off his gloves so he could feel her warmth. Or rather, let her feel his warmth.

“You are a complete dumbass for breaking in here,” she cried.

“I know. I am. But I’ve always been one for you.”

“God,” she reached out with her other hand, holding both of his. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“Are you alright? What did they do to you?”

She wanted to lie. Tell him she was okay. Even though she was barely even holding up on her own two feet. “Just about how every prisoner gets treated here…”

“Fuck… Y/N…”

His thumb over her skin, she never felt so happy over something that was never going to last.

“I swear I’ll do anything to get you out.”

“Jay…” she cried. “You’ll die…”

“And if I don’t, you’ll die.”

“I’ll be alright. They’ll let you visit. After a while. I think. I’m not too sure.”

“I’m not taking that chance.”

“Jay-“

“No. I mean it. I’m not going to let this go. You can't possibly expect me to move on…”

No. She didn’t. Not without the worst kinds of pain that’ll possibly drive him mad.

“I’m so sorry…”

“Look at me.”

She did. He was so beautiful…

“I’ll get you out. You won't have to suffer for long. I’ll make sure of it. One way or another, I’m getting you out.”

He’s never held his hand so tight.

“Okay…”

Footsteps. They were coming.

“Shit…”

“I love you.”

“I love you so much. I promise you. I’m getting you out of here, Y/N.”

Y/N. She was Y/N again. Always had been.

Jason stuffed something small into her palm.

Then he left before the other guard could turn to the corner and see them together. He looked at Y/N, who was staring out the opening.

The guard squinted at her, walked closer, then shut the hole closed.

She looked at her palm.

The brightest blue engagement ring stared right back at her.

-----

Jason had to get out.

But he had to do this fast. He was at the guard’s lounge, where plenty were taking their lunch breaks. They didn’t give him so much as a glance when their eyes were focused onto the TV watching a football game. There was a telephone at a wall nearby. One he didn’t have to pay for.

He walked to it.

When he said he’ll do everything, he meant everything.

His pride could fucking suck it. His ego can die. He didn’t care if those assholes will have to think he’d grown soft. This was about Y/N. He didn’t care if he had to strut naked out at the Gotham Plaza. Though, this was so much worse.

Farmer Bruce would have done the same.

And he was going to get all the help he needed.

“Hello?”

“Dick,” his mouth trembled against the phone. “It’s me. Jason.”

“Jason?! This is a fucking collect call-“

“Then you better listen. Y/N’s in prison.”

“What?!”

He told him everything. About the deal with Waller. Her place in the Squad. The bomb in her neck. He tried with all he can to sound as desperate as he actually was. Dick, as much as it pained him to hear, wasn’t so convinced in what he asked of him.

“Jason, if you're asking me to help you get her out-“

“Please. Please. She’ll die. We need Oracle. And Robin.”

“Jason...” He heard Dick sigh.

The cops roared at the TV. Someone scored a goal.

“What Waller’s doing is wrong. You know that.”

“I know, but she made a deal with Bruce that he wasn’t to interfere with her task force.”

“We’re not Bruce. This is Y/N. Please, Dick, she’s the only thing I’ve got… You say you want me back in the family. Well, she’s my family. And I swear, if you help me with this, I owe you my life.”

“Okay. Okay,” he let out a sigh. “Okay. She’s… I understand.”

Jason’s breath was shaking against the phone. “I should be back in Gotham in a day’s time.”

“We need to do this as legally as possible. What did you have in mind?”

“I’m- I’m not so sure. It’s impossible to break her out of this place. They’ve upped the security since Harley broke out.”

“So we wait?”

“On her first mission out with the squad. We can go with them and sneak her out when no one’s looking. And I’ll need Oracle to come up with something that can disable the bomb in her neck.”

“Jason, that could be months from now.”

“Or days. Waller seemed persistent to get her here. I thought she might have been preparing for something. You heard about the news on Falcone?“

“Yeah. Real shady stuff. All his money went out to so many ghost accounts under different names of people that don’t even exist. And they’ve all been withdrawn. That’s billions of dollars.”

“Exactly. What if it’s just one guy? Waller knew about Falcone. She’s been warning Y/N not to work for him for a while. What if she knows exactly who’s behind it the whole time? Falcone’s puppet master to get him the money he needed?”

“That’s a long list of suspects, Jay.”

“We can narrow it dow-“

Loud groans from the guards screaming boos at the TV. When he looked up, he saw the game had been interrupted by breaking news.

Jason stopped talking to Dick when he saw the picture on the screen.

“Jason? You there?”

“Dick… Turn on the news…”

“Reports from Gotham City where it seems to have had history repeat itself from the night before the Arkham Knight Militia occupation. The National Bank of Gotham had just been exposed to a familiar cloud of fear toxin. One-hundred twenty-six people were inside the building as the smoke dispersed, and almost all of them had fallen victim from the bank’s armed guard, who had used his gun to massacre more than twenty people in the building. The victims were shown to have displayed severe cases of mania and hallucinations, causing them to act almost inhumane and do countless of harmful acts.”

“Fuck…” Dick said to the phone. “Not again…”

“The man behind this infamous toxin is no other than Dr. Jonathan Crane, also known by his alias as the Scarecrow-“

Vicki Vale stopped talking to the camera and pressed on her earpiece.

“Hold on. I’m getting reports on Scarecrow releasing a broadcast over at Times’ Square. Air it now!”

The camera switched over to one at the square. It faced the billboard.

Nothing changed. Not even his face. And if he weren’t paying attention, if Jason hadn’t been behind the camera the first time Scarecrow released his city wide warning, he wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.

“This city… cannot so easily escape my reign of fear… If you thought the last time was the worst I can do, I am telling you now… Citizens of Gotham. This is no longer just about you. You can no longer escape. There is no use in evacuating… I have amassed a new Cloudburst weapon powerful enough to engulf the whole of the country in my latest toxin… This is not a warning to Gotham.

“This… is my only warning… to America…”

“Dick…” Jason said over to the phone. “Wanna bet on where he got the funding for that weapon?”

-----

MASTERLIST

THE BULLET MASTERLIST

------

everyartistwas-firstanamateur  @sarcasmismyfirstlove @damned-queen-of-gotham @idkmanicantenglish @wunderstell @birdy-bat-riya @get-loki@everyday-imfangirling @comic-nerd-dc@multifandoms916@icequeen208@offendedfishnoises@egdolan@xemiefx@arkhamtoddler@elsenthal@mythicbitchx@supremehaunter burning-alive  @lucy-roo  roseangel013bf @ loxbbg  reclusive-chicken-nuggethttp-cherriesshadowsndaisiesriver9noblezphilophobiazannoylinglyaries@knightfall05flowersgirl02 @l-inkage​ @hyp-oh-critical​

[somebodyhelpthenotdeadfreds]

The Von Savage kids meeting the tutor

“I’m certain you will get along with the children, Mr. Wick.” “Please, call me John,” Nate replied, walking down the long hallway alongside Katrina, who had introduced herself as the children’s physical instructor.

She looked down her nose, just enough that it was evident, and smiled at him. “Of course, John. As I’ve said, you will have no behavioral issues. Mr. Savage’s children are model students. Scandal can be a bit… aggressive, but she’s a lovely young woman.”

Nate nodded, scratching behind his ear at his earpiece to send a signal back to the Waverider. He was at the right house, good. Ever since Gary disappeared and five other angry weirdoes showed up demanding to know where their leader was, there had been a lot of new knowledge uncovered about their favorite time agent. Nate had responded with the same shock as everyone else, but as he drove out to the sprawling country estate, he couldn’t help but think about his time in the Bureau with Gary. Gary had never talked about his childhood much. All Nate could remember was a dentist father and the way Gary shut down when someone mentioned school at all. Nate shook his head. He couldn’t feel guilty right now, even as it ate at him.

As it turned out, he didn’t even have to tune them out, the piercing scream of a whistle brought him back to the present.

Katrina let the whistle fall back against her throat. “Children! Downstairs, at once,” she called out, not a hair moving from the tight bun at the base of her neck.

Nate looked up at the sounds of running, and three children nearly jumped over the banister trying to get downstairs faster than each other. The taller boy shoved past both of his siblings, making it to the bottom first. A shorter girl stood to his right, an even shorter boy to his right.

The children stared up at Nate, all with toothed smiles.

“Children, this is your new tutor, Mr. Wick. John, these are Mr. Savage’s children. Scandal is twelve, Bishop is ten, and Gareth is eight.”

The children nodded in unison. Nate gave them all a wave and an awkward smile back. Yeah, he can do this. Why was everyone so worried about him taking this mission on in the first place?

“Okay! Okay, no punching at the library table,” Nate said, standing between Bishop and Gareth. “We’re having some quiet reading time, remember?”

“He’s breathing too loud.”

“I am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

“Shut UP,” Scandal snapped, throwing a discarded book at both of them. Nate batted it away, and rubbed his temple. This was going poorly on so many levels.

“I can’t focus on my biology textbook with you BREATHING on me!”

“I’m not, Bishop!” Gareth protested. “I’m all the way over here!”

“Both of you need to shut up, I don’t want to hear either of you.”

Bishop narrowed his eyes, chewing his bottom lip. He waited until Scandal turned back to her book, before he reached out and smacked it out of her hands. He snickered as she shrieked.

Scandal picked up Nate’s stapler and dove over the table, knocking Bishop to the ground. Gareth covered his ears as they struggled. Nate had to peel Scandal off of her brother. “Guys, guys, guys, that’s enough.”

“Oooo, did Katrina show you how to do that?” “Shut UP, Bishop.”

“Mr. Wick, my sister has a CRUSH on Katrina!” Bishop taunted and Scandal’s face went white. “It’s true, she writes about it in her-“

Nate apparently hadn’t had a tight enough hold to restrain a twelve year old full of rage, and Scandal was loose enough to kick Bishop in the throat and knock him over. He coughed on the floor while Nate set Scandal down in her chair. He shoved Nate away, still gasping. “’S true, Gareth told me so.”

Gareth’s eyes went wide, flicking over to Scandal glaring bloody murder at him. “I didn’t! I didn’t do that! Bishop’s the one that-“

A knock at the door made all three children silent, and Nate took a moment to breathe in the awful peace of the moment. He realized none of them were answering the knock, so he called towards the door, “Hello?”

“Are the children busy?”

“They are - finishing a quiz, just give us a minute.”

Nate sat Bishop back in his chair and handed him a book. He gave them all a thumbs up and a smile to set them at ease. He got blank stares back. “Come in!”

Katrina wheeled in a cart set for afternoon tea, the steam escaping out the spout of the kettle. She smiled. “I see the children are adapting to you well.”

“Oh, they’re angels,” Nate smiled, brushing a sweaty strand of hair out of his face. He helped her set out a scone and a cup for each child.

Katrina poured them all tea, smiling warmly at each of them. “Your father was proud to hear of your excellence in marksmanship this morning, Gareth.”

Gareth nodded, nibbling at his scone but not touching his tea. Bishop had already finished his while Scandal was halfway done with her cup. She poked Gary in the shoulder, and Nate watched them share a look. She shook her head at Gareth and Gareth shook his head back.

Katrina looked over her tablet at him. “Gareth, drink your tea.”

“No.. no thank you,” he whispered. Katrina’s smile turned downwards.

“Gareth, your father sent this up as a treat for all of you.”

“I’m not thirsty.”

Scandal nudged his shoulder a bit harder this time, but Gareth didn’t look up. Nate felt a bit helpless, until he remembered something his mother did when he didn’t want to eat his broccoli at dinner. He took his empty coffee mug, filled with tea, and downed it before anyone could ask him. He smiled at Gareth after he set the cup down, “See, man? It’s good, I’d have more.”

He didn’t really understand the shocked look on everyone’s face, including Katrina’s.

But it had to be worth it, because Gareth picked up his teacup with both hands, and drank his tea down. Katrina gave him a curt nod of approval, and asked Nate to gather materials for a lesson on the Roman Empire. Nate agreed, leaving the children to their snack at the table, slipping away to a back shelf. He tapped his earpiece. It’s me, can you guys hear me?

Nate, what’s up?

I can’t find anything on Katrina, Savage’s right hand. I haven’t even seen the man himself yet. He’s in the West Wing or something, nobody talks to him except for her.

What about Scandal? And Gary?

They’re just kids, guys, I don’t know what else to tell you. They’re homeschooled, they don’t like each…other….Garrrrrry hates….what was it….

Nate? Nate, what’s wrong with your voice?

…the tea…the tea…guyssss….guys…they’re being dr…..

Nate woke up gasping, sweat cold against his neck as he came too on the library floor. The lights were out, and the children were gone. He stumbled out the door, clutching the doorknob to steady himself. The mansion was silent, except for a tapping sound coming from the foyer. He managed to drag himself down the stairs to Katrina standing before the front door, monitoring her tablet that never left her hands.

“Mr. Wick,” she nodded in his direction. “Good of you to join us.”

“What was in that tea?”

“I had another pot for you, you were too impatient. Patience is a virtue, Mr. Wick.”

“No,” Nate shook his head. “No. What was in that tea? Why were you feeding it to them?”

“The children must be able to complete their work even under duress, you understand.”

Nate looked out the open door. The night had set in and the darkness hung over the estate like a shroud. “You - are they out there?”

“Of course.”

“But - but they’re kids. They’ll get lost, they’ll get hurt.”

“Mr. Wick. Mr. Savage’s children never get lost. And do not worry. Children are remarkably difficult to break.”

A flatline sound echoed from her tablet right as a gunshot echoed from the woods. Nate was a step away from shoving her aside and running out there to find the kids himself when a figure ran out from the trees.

Katrina made a note on her tablet. “Thirty minutes faster this time. Excellent work.”

Nate couldn’t ask what she meant, because the figure ran up the front steps and stepped through the doorway. He looked away from Katrina into the empty eyes of a tween girl with an AK-47 too big for her small hands. She had grime and blood smeared across her face, and she didn’t even blink the soil out of her eyes.

Katrina patted her head, kissed her forehead and smiled at her with pride. “Excellent work,” she repeated. “I sent six out with you, six flatlines. I’ll have the scouts bring them back in the morning.”

Nate felt his stomach creep into his esophagus as he saw the flatline next to both of her siblings’ names.

Scandal let the gun clatter to the floor, mumbling about being hungry, being tired, wanting to go away, please let me go to bed.

A voice boomed from the top of the stairs. “Scandal.”

Scandal lifted her eyes, and Katrina turned around. Nate didn’t. He knew who was talking.

“Scandal,” Vandal Savage repeated, an awful smile in his tone, “I see you have made wonderful progress under Katrina these past two years. This is your best time yet.”

Scandal nodded.

“Have you learned all you can from Katrina?”

Scandal shook her head.

“Scandal.”

“No, Father. I can learn - I can learn more from her.”

“Hmm,” Vandal pondered. “I don’t believe so.”

The tablet fell out of Katrina’s hands, hitting the floor along with the tutor’s jaw. She shook her head. “Mr. Savage, Scandal still needs to learn much more from me.”

“Could she beat you in a fight?”

“I - I -“

“Scandal,” Vandal ordered, not even looking at his tutor. “Pin her down.”

Tears fell out of Scandal’s eyes as Katrina whipped her head around, punching her pupil in the side of the mouth. Scandal didn’t scream, but grabbed her wrist from the punch and ripped it back, breaking it. Katrina shrieked, reaching out to grab Scandal’s throat, only for Scandal to kick her in the stomach once, then twice, then swing for her throat. She grabbed her hairbun, ripping it from its many pins, and used it to level her on the ground. She put a knee on her chest and grabbed her throat. She looked up at Vandal.

“Very good, Scandal. Finish it.”

Scandal flicked a sharp steel spike from her bracelet and looked down.

“Scandal…sweetheart…you don’t want to hurt me, please, please, please don’t -“

Scandal brought it down on Katrina’s scream.

Nate fell back against the door, the air sucked out of his lungs in a gasp.

Scandal got up, tears streaming down her face but no noise coming out of her throat.

Vandal smiled down at her. “You are truly my heir, Scandal. My number two. Come, clean up and eat your dinner. You’ve earned it tonight.”

Scandal scrubbed her eyes as she climbed the stairs after her father, looking back at Nate for a moment before turning around again.

Nate tapped his earpiece when he was alone except for Katrina’s blood soaking his pant leg. Guys, we have a major problem.

What?

It’s not the tutor. It never was the tutor.

Nate, what are you-

It’s the kids. It’s always been the kids.

[lexa-lives-in-us]

Now I gotta see Cobalt Ruby, maybe having a nice evening together, and Beau comes like, through the window and is like, “It’s bad, we’re running.” And then Dairon has to defend MARION AND BE A COOL ASS SPY AND THEN THEY KISS AS THE SMOKE AND CHAOS IS CLEARING.

Part 4 of ???

Read 1 - 2 - 3

Dairon shoves their clothes in the suitcase. This is not what they’d signed up for, in any fucking way. No.

They are an agent, a spy, they’re special op. The assignment in and on itself isn’t something they’re entirely keen on, because it’s not their style.

But being busted by a possible contact less than twelve hours into the mission?

No. They should have called it in hours ago, at the first red flag.

It’s stupid. They’d been stupid, irresponsible and reckless. And that isn’t them. Agent Lionett, maybe, but not them.

And yet, they can’t bring themselves to call it in. They’re packing, they’re shoving everything they have, which is admittedly very little, into the suitcase, they’ve put the earpiece in, decided on disappearing through the night, but they still haven’t made the call.

Dairon finds a flyer on the bedside table as they’re grabbing the charger, and they stare at the words “Come see the Ruby of the Sea” for a second too long before clutching the paper in their fist and throwing it then in the garbage.

Their stomach drops at the gesture, but they move past it. They can’t dwell on that. Not now. They’ll have time to rethink all their life choices once they’re on the plane back to the States.

They look around, checking for missing items, when the soft sound of a knock at their door makes them turn.

The gun appear in their hands. Dairon wishes they’d changed into something more comfortable than the suit, but eventually moves towards the door. They peek through the peephole, and close their eyes.

Dairon considers not opening, considers remaining quiet until the way is clear, but Marion sighs on the other side.

“I know you’re in there. Open the door, please.”

And Dairon, God herself be damned, can’t deny this woman anything. It’s dangerous and reckless and so not like them.

They unlock the door, before taking a step back and clutching the gun with their free hand. Finally, they hold the door open.

Marion walks in, and Dairon quickly closes the door behind her.

The woman takes a brief look at the room before turning to greet them.

“You’re leaving.” Marion says, and Dairon hates the pained look on her face, they hate how affected she seems to be at the realization. They’ve met today, for fuck’s sake, this is not-

“My darling,” Marion whispers, and Dairon’s heart jumps in their throat. “Please don’t leave on my account. I will not bother you, I will not talk to you, I will not even look at you if my presence has somehow put in danger what you work for.”

Dairon swallows the distress at the idea of Marion not looking at them anymore, and places the gun in their back holster.

“What do you even know of what I work for?”

Marion smiles, gently, almost in the same, motherly way Dairon’s seen her doing with Beauregard. They hate it. But they also see a wisdom through that look that they do not expect.

“I know plenty more than anyone here imagines.” Marion says. “I’m sure you have met my daughters.”

Met is a big word, if Dairon has to be honest. Jester Lavorre is very well known as one of Agent Lionett’s most trusted allies and team players, but she’s also quite... Elusive. Jester is what movies would call ‘The Tech Guy’.

Jester is what Beau and her team use to find communication channels, override hidden cameras, tamper with traffic lights... Which is also probably how Beauregard has obtained Dairon’s new numbers in such a short period of time.

Dairon knows that, no matter where they are, Jester could find a way to send a message, if the occasion was to arise.

But Jester is also a very wanted person in a couple different EU countries, and her presence is often scarce when Dairon flies on this side of the ocean.

But in response to Marion’s question, Dairon nods. It makes sense. Jester is probably a huge source of information, classified information, for her own mother.

“Then you must know that I am not completely clueless to what you or your organization do.”

Dairon nods once more, but doesn’t move. They can’t. Because Marion is giving them reason to trust her, and Dairon can’t trust her.

“It’s dangerous.” they say, out loud, almost regretting for the words to come out.

Marion takes a step forward, and Dairon wants nothing more than do the same, but they hold themselves back. It is too dangerous.

“Are you talking about your mission?” Marion murmurs, ruby red eyes finding theirs. “Or are you talking about your heart?”

Dairon’s entire body shivers, their entire being rejecting the idea, opposing to those words with as much force as they can muster.

But they can’t deny the effect those few words have on them.

“Marion.” they plead, almost, standing frozen in the middle of the room, spine ramrod straight, fists clenched at their sides.

“Dairon.” Marion echoes, gently, softly, with so much pain and so much hope that Dairon wants to crumble. Never in their lives a woman had enchanted them like she is doing now.

“We have met today.” Dairon says through gritted teeth.

Marion’s hand reaches forward, and for the first time, Dairon doesn’t take it. The woman tilts her head, then steps just a bit closer, so that her palm can rest on Dairon’s half bare chest, right on the sternum, right where she can feel their heart beating.

“What does it matter, in the grand scheme of things?”

Everything. Absolutely everything. This is what Dairon wants to say. They can’t, of course.

They look at Marion, and how this woman wants to be here, with them, right now, remains a mystery to them, but Dairon knows it in their heart that Marion would never lie to them.

They open their mouth to respond, and the ear piece crackles in their ear.

A somewhat even more familiar voice giggles in their ear, and Jester’s voice breaks the spell.

“Heeeeeeeey Dairon. I need you to take my mama and hide. Like. Now.”

Dairon blinks, looks toward the window, right beside Marion’s shoulder, and catches the first glimpse of a disaster.

A laser.

“With me, now.” they snap, grabbing Marion’s hand and pulling her with them. To her credit, besides widening her eyes in surprise, Marion does what she’s told.

Hell breaks loose after that.

The window all but explodes under the shower of bullets, and Dairon manages to kick the table in front of them just in time for the machine gun to vomit a whole charge on it. They crouch, back against the quickly dissolving wood of the table, and extract their gun.

“Are you okay?” they yell above the noise.

Marion nods, then turn towards the door.

Dairon turns as well, just in time to see Beauregard kicking the bloody thing open, with what looks like a heavily modified AK-47 in hand.

“It’s bad!” she screams, “We’re running!”

Dairon does what they always do when Beauregard is involved, and trusts her. They grab Marion’s hand once more, gesturing for her to follow, and thanks to Beauregard’s cover they manage to duck their way out of the room.

Marion presses her back against the wall, taking a couple deep breaths, and Dairon grabs her by the shoulders.

“Are you okay?” they ask, again.

Marion nods, smiles weakly, just as Beauregard ducks out of the room to reload. Once she does that, her eyes meet Dairon’s, and Dairon extends a hand.

Beauregard grins, tossing the Kalashnikova at them.

They study it for a brief second, fix it against their shoulders and press their back against the outer wall.

A deep breath.

Dairon turns, stepping in the doorframe, gun pressed against their shoulder and cheek against the weapon.

It’s almost too easy.

Their eyes focus on the window, on the other side of the street, on the building where on of the snipers is sitting (they count three more)... And pull the trigger.

One shot.

The bullet moves through the air almost in slow motion, as Dairon watches as it crosses the whole distance and matches the target.

Dairon ducks back out.

Beauregard laughs, and Marion looks at them in a way that Dairon doesn’t really understand, but they are quickly distracted by the gentle ping of the elevator.

They all turn, as the doors slowly open, and Yasha walks gingerly out, so casual in her night dress, strolling around happily with a-

“Where the fuck did you get a bazooka?!” Dairon shrieks, outraged by their protégé and her wife.

Beauregard shrugs, but the look on her face is of pure lust, and Dairon takes it as their cue to leave.

They turn to look at Marion, and this time, they’re the ones extending a hand.

“Come with me?” they say, and it should be an order, it should be a command, but it isn’t.

Marion smiles, cheekily almost, and stands tall. She grabs their hand.

“I know a way.” she winks, and god fucking dammit, Dairon wants to kiss her.

[hegleg]

Lucifer x reader

Hanahaki

Hanahaki: is a fictional disease in which the victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. It ends when the beloved returns their feelings or when the victim dies.

3am:

Violent coughs filled your room. Your eyes strained from the pressure building in your chest coming up your throat. Desperately, you clawed at your bed sheets, squeezing them tight in a fist. Tears slipped down your cheeks, you couldn't wipe them, your hands now occupied with keeping the blood and petals from spilling out your throat. After a couple minutes of this, the spasms died down and you were left with an aftermath of flower petals and blood coughed up onto your mattress.

"How could I ever allow it to get so bad.." You murmured, cupping your hands while you scooped the flower petals into them. You emptied your hands and let the bloodied flower petals drop into your waste bin. What to do about the blood stained bed sheets though?

You clawed off the bed sheets and put them in a hamper. You decided you'd wash them in the laundry, a seperate load you'd probably wash and moniter yourself just to be safe no one would see it.

...............

Days turned into weeks and the disease only worsened. What used to be a few petals quickly developed into handfuls of them, sticky with coats of blood. The coughing fits would hit you much more frequent, turning from once a week to several times a day.

You didn't know how much longer you would hold up. Would you have to tell him? Surely he wouldn't return your feelings. So, what other option were you left with? To die..?

"Oi, y/n!" Mammon yelled.

This snapped you from your thoughts.

"Huh- what do you need?" You asked.

"Lucifer asked me to get you, its already dinner time and you're holed up in your room like this," Mammon narrowed his eyes at you, "what's up?"

You gulped. Mammon was your closest friend, surely you could trust him with a secret like this. However, fear held a firm grip on you and made you hesitant to say anything.

"I'm fine, just lost track of time, Mammon. I'll come done for dinner in a bit" you smiled weakly. "Okay then.." Mammon said looking back towards the door. "Just don't be long. Lucifer's getting tired of waiting" he said before closing the door behind him.

You gulped. Your stomach churned, and your chest was burning as it it were being torn from the inside. They were rose petals after all.

Sighing, you clambered off your bed and walked yourself to the dining room. You silently pondered how long you could keep the charade up. How long until they'd all find out. How long till Lucifer found out he was the cause. How long would you hold up for diner.

...........

When seated at the dining table you sat far away from Beel. If you sat next to him it'd be much too obvious you were picking at your food. Instead, you sat yourself in between Lucifer and Levi.

You couldn't eat, and mostly poked at your food with your fork. Lucifer glanced at you and stared at your untouched plate.

"Everything alright, y/n?"

"Yeah..I'm-" you felt the pressure begin to build in your chest. "Shit, of all times, why now?" You silently cursed.

"I'm fine-" you said, sticking a palm to your mouth. You didn't trust yourself to not cough anything up. Lucifer raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"You don't look very convincing"

"look I'm fine-" you doubled over from the petals threatening to escape your mouth.

"Y/n-"

"I said I'm fine!"

"You're bleeding though.." Lucifer said, pointing to a stream of blood that trailed down your palm. You had covered your mouth with your hands and blood still found a way to stream through due to the pressure.

"Ahah- must of bit my tongue-"

Your body began to shake, your chest was burning and your mouth began to get too full of petals to continue speaking, so you defaulted to just nodding your head.

"Y/n, can you let go of your mouth..?" Lucifer asked. You shook your head violently. No way. You were not being discovered now of all times.

"Y/n, please, let go of your mouth. You're bleeding, and its streaming down onto your lap-"

You hadn't realized it but the pressure of containing it all in your mouth caused blood to stream out your mouth, through your fingers and into your lap, staining your clothes.

By now, all the brothers eyes were on you.

The pressure built up in your mouth, causing your eyes to water and nose to run. Unable to hold it much longer you convulsed and spit out the handfuls of rose petals and blood that'd been gathering in your mouth and throat.

Blood pooled onto the table, running down the table, even carrying some stray petals. You panted to catch your breath but found it hard to control, especially with everybody's eyes on you.

Your chest was scratchy, a burning sensation rising in it. You looked up at everyone. Looks of alarm filled the room. In mere seconds, the brothers had jumped up from their spots and gathered around you.

"Are you okay, y/n!?"

"What happened?"

"Are those flowers?"

"So much blood.."

"Are you losing too much blood?"

You groaned, and held your head in your hands. "What should we do?" Beel said, voice tight with worry.

Lucifer, being the big brother, struggled for control over the situation. "Levi, Satan, you two take care of the mess. Beel, Mammon, take y/n to their room. Asmo, clean y/n up, wipe the blood off them." He ordered.

With little understanding of the situation, no one dared defy Lucifer. The brothers lept into action and began to do as intructed of them.

Lucifer sighed, and brought a palm to his face. His face twisted with concern and fear. He knew exactly what these were symptoms of.

..............

"Mammon, really, it's not that bad-"

"'Not that bad?' You threw up pools of blood, y/n!" Mammon stressed, throwing a hand through his white locks. Beel nodded his head, "I agree with Mammon, y/n. This is seriously bad. What if you died? Humans are so fragile.." Beel murmured. Fear clearly, plagued the two of them.

"Agreed. Humans are so fragile~! That's why we gotta protect y/n!" Asmo declared, wiping blood from your chin with a cotton swab. You knew their words came from a place of concern, but you didn't want to be "fragile" or "protected."

"Guys, seriously, I'm fine-"

"You're not 'fine', y/n. Now tell us, what the hell that was? What's going on?" Mammon begged.

You bit your lip in frustration. You knew they were concerned, but if you told them about your unrequited love for their brother they might blab to him about it.

"Its hanahaki disease" you said, expecting none of them to know it.

"Disease!?" Mammon exclaimed, voice tight with worry. Well, you were right about one at least. It seemed Mammon didn't know what it was. Asmo narrowed his eyes at you, his interested piqued.

"Hanahaki, eh?" Asmo said, almost sympathetically. Crap. He knew what it was. "Wait- you know what it is-" you stammered. "Eh? Of course I do. I may be the Avatar of Lust but I'm well versed in love, including the one-sided kind" he purred.

"One-sided?" Mammon aked.

"Y/n loves someone?" Beel asked, tilting his head. "Mhm~" Asmo said, giving away your secret.

"I-I love all of you! Eheh.." You protested weakly. "Oh, come on, y/n! I'm smarter than that. I know its a romantic love. You wouldn't be coughing up roses if it weren't" Asmo said. There goes your last line of defense.

"So...who is it?" Mammon asked.

"Mammon! You don't ask someone that" Asmo chided. "Sorry..but like..we won't be able to help if we don't know, right..?" he mumbled. He had a point. You'd eventually have to spill the beans.

"Its..Lucifer" you muttered. You braced yourself for laughs and remarks. Instead you were hit with silence. Mammon sucked in air through his teeth,"good luck, y/n."

"Mammon!"

"What, I meant that in a supportive way!"

You sighed a breath of relief.

"Thanks.."

Silence enveloped the room again. "Oh! I know!" Beel said lighting up.

"Lets just get Lucifer in here. Then you can confess to him. It should stop after that, right?"

"Only if their feelings are reciprocated.." Asmo mumbled sympathetically. "Oh.." Beel silenced.

The room was silent once again.

"Ughhhh. I can't take it! Im getting Lucifer!" Mammon said, agitated.

"Mammon wait!-"

The Avatar of Greed stormed out of your room. Beel and Asmo were silent. "We'd..better go now..come on, Beel" Asmo mumbled.

With that, Asmo and Beel shuffled out of the room. A minute later Mammon reappeared with Lucifer at his side. Mammon locked eyes with you, gave you a supportive nod and turned away. Leaving you and Lucifer alone.

The room was silent once again. The air felt awkward, clearly filled with tension from the both of you.

"Lucifer I-"

"Y/n are you-"

You both attempted to speak at the same time. You nodded at Lucifer, "you first." Lucifer cleared his throat before beginning again. "Are you alright?" You nodded. "Yeah, mostly. I'm holding up" you said anxiously.

"Ah, good." The room was then silent again.

"You next," Lucifer said, reminding you, you still had a confession to make. You gulped. "Lucifer..have you ever heard of the 'Hanahaki Disease'," you asked, anxiously biting your lip. He nodded solemnly. "I have. I know that's the cause of your current condition."

"Oh, I guess that'll make this easier, then.." you chuckled to ease the tension between each other. You did not.

Lucifer raised a brow at you.

"Lucifer, I'm..in love...with you" you said in a near whisper. He was silent for a moment, contemplative.

You looked up at him, in fearful expectance, to see an expression you've never seen before on him.

A blush was painted on his face, his eyes were narrowed, he looked like he was lost in thought. He bit his lip and looked at you.

"Y/n..are you sure?"

"Lucifer, I'm coughing up flowers, I don't think I could be anymore sure" you chuckled. He shook his head. "Sorry, that's not what I meant. I meant are you sure you know what loving me, is? What is means?"

You cocked your head at him, "what do you mean?" He gripped his forehead in his hands. "I mean..would you accept the responsibility of loving the Avatar of Pride, a high level, literal demon..." He breathed. You furrowed your brows.

"Does any of that matter? I love you for you, not because you're a demon-"

"Yes-," Lucifer cut in, "-but that's precisely what I am. A demon. What if.. I hurt you..?" Lucifer took a shaky breath. "I don't want to hurt you, y/n.."

Your chest burned inside you. You felt blood rising in your throat. Gingerly, you clasped Lucifers hand in one of your own, while you placed your other hand over your mouth.

"You won't hurt me, Lucifer. That's not you. I know you wouldn't."

Lucifer's gaze dropped to the floor. He squeezed your hand in his. "Y/n, would you really be okay loving me..a demon?"

You nodded at him, and squeezed his hand back supportively. "Yes," you smiled up at him. "Even if you leave here-"

"Even if I go back to the human world and can't come back, I would still want to love you, Lucifer" you said, blush tinting your cheeks. Lucifer smiled weekly and removed your hand slowly from your mouth. He leaned to you and cupped your face in his hands, peppering your lips with kisses. "I love you too, y/n."

You blushed as a stream of blood ran down your lips. "Ah- I'm sorry about that.." you chuckled nervously. Lucifer shrugged, "it may be because I'm a demon, but I don't mind the taste" he smirked. You blushed and wiped your mouth for stray blood. Strangely, your chest felt light, like a heavy weight had been lifted from it.

[wordsablaze]

5. of logic with naught but a look

your beauty hides the pain Lost on the mountain, Jaskier accidentally angers a mage who decides to curse Yennefer with his company and for once, it might actually be a blessing in disguise…

A/N: it’s been months but hi again !! we’ve switched from eventual geraskefer to yennskier btw :p @random-nerd-3 @surreal-static x

previous chapter

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Jaskier has something of a panic attack later in the chapter, it's not awful but if it may make you uncomfortable then skip from the first 'and so he does' to the second of the same line xx

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“-ake up already, bard.”

Jaskier groans, blinking rapidly as he pulls himself upright.

Yet again, he finds Yennefer glaring down at him. This time though, she doesn’t try to send him through a portal or through the air itself, she just folds her arms. “You take far too long waking up.”

“I’ll have you know that I have a reputation for making my leave faster than should be possible, thank you very much,” Jaskier argues, stretching his arms above his head as he straightens up.

“Escaping the consequences of your lust doesn’t count as being efficient,” Yennefer scoffs, turning away.

Jaskier makes a face at her before standing up. “And threatening to steal a man’s blood does?”

Yennefer just rolls her eyes. “He’s hardly a man. And I couldn’t care less what happens to his blood, I’m only here for my payment.”

“Well, what exactly is your mysterious payment? Must you act so suspiciously all the time?” Jaskier asks as he brushes off dust that doesn’t exist from his clothes.

She waves a hand dismissively but she seems almost pleased to be called mysterious, which, when he thinks about it, doesn’t exactly come as a total surprise.

Either way, she’s presented with a small box when they arrive downstairs and Jaskier is given no time to question the contents of the box or the possibility of breakfast before he’s being pulled through a portal and they’re leaving.

He drops to his knees as soon as they emerge, one hand curled around his stomach. “Gods, now I understand why Geralt prefers to travel on foot. Well, on horse if we’re being technical. Which we’re not because you’re walking away…” he trails off, focusing his energy on keeping up rather than rambling.

“Any chance we’re headed to a town? Or a village? Or anywhere else that serves food?” Jaskier asks.

Yennefer sighs loudly. “Can’t you go just one morning without a meal?”

Jaskier scowls at the back of her head but chooses not to point out the fact that it’s been more like three days since he’s had an actual proper meal, instead starting to hum and idly strum his lute as they keep walking.

And keep walking.

And keep walking.

And keep walking until his throat is too dry to produce actual lyrics and he’s beginning to question why they used a portal in the first place. He can’t afford to slow down though, not when that would cause them both pain and Yennefer seems to be on a warpath of an errand.

It’s plenty of hours later, when humming begins to hurt as well, that he slows down and leans - read: collapses - against the nearest tree. “I know you’re a heartless witch and all but really, darling, are you trying to kill me?” he manages.

Yennefer blinks as she turns to face him, as if she’d forgotten he was following her at all. “You look awful.”

Jaskier snorts. “And you look appalling as ever.”

Her lips curve into a small smile before she walks over and places the back of her hand against his forehead. “You’re not ill,” she concludes with a frown.

“Oh, I will be if we keep walking at this pace, I assure you,” Jaskier replies, “for even the sun has begun its descent and I fear I shall sink down into eternal slumber along with it.”

“If only,” Yennefer mutters but then sighs slowly. “I suppose we can rest for a while. I don’t want to be dragging around your corpse after all.”

Taking that as permission, Jaskier slides down to the floor, shifting so he’s more comfortably propped up against the tree and his lute is cradled in his lap. Yennefer raises an eyebrow at him and without breaking their gaze, twirls her hands and brings a tent to life behind her.

Jaskier stares at her. “Would you like me to applaud?”

Now it’s her turn to snort in amusement. “Do you need me to spell it out for you? Neither will I settle for cold ground unless I have to and nor will I be seen travelling with someone covered in dirt. Now get in, bard.”

Wordlessly, he pulls himself to his feet and stumbles inside as gracefully as he can, a small smile spreading on his face when he sees two beds inside. “Why, Yennefer, you might have a heart after all,” he breathes as he falls face-first onto the smaller one.

“Do you always tire this easily?” She asks, but he’s already halfway asleep and doesn’t care to explain himself.

He still doesn’t care to explain himself when he’s halfway awake and topples off the bed, which promptly promotes him to all the way awake and rather annoyed about it too.

Yennefer appears either not to have slept or to have woken before him, half a smile on her face as he watches him recover and flop back onto the bed. “Are you aware that you snore terribly?”

Jaskier rolls his eyes as he shrugs on the doublet he seems to have wriggled out of at some point and rolls his shoulders. “Are you aware that not everybody is ashamed to be caught breathing while they’re asleep?”

“Most men are stupid like that,” Yennefer replies and if Jaskier didn’t know better, he might have thought there was something like appreciation in the way she raises an eyebrow at him.

He waves a hand dismissively before winking at her. “I think I’ve earned the right to be seen as unique, don’t you?”

She doesn’t answer but that in itself implies she doesn’t outrightly disagree so he lets himself be content with it. While he’s doing that, she unravels the tent and quite literally tucks it into her pocket, continuing to walk with the assumption that he’ll follow - the correct and only logical assumption, so he can’t really fault her for that.

He trips over something within three seconds because turns out taking a nap in the afternoon means waking up in the evening, in the dark. “Not that I don’t love walking practically blind but what is it that’s so urgent we can’t even afford to rest for the night?”

“Rest for the night? I don’t know how you and Geralt did things, bard, but nightfall doesn’t stop me from getting where I want,” Yennefer replies without even turning around.

Jaskier resists the urge to flinch and throws his hands up instead, not that she would see either of those actions anyway. “As I’ve been asking, darling, all I care to know is where you want to be. Oh and while we’re on the subject, why we only portalled halfway!”

“Certain areas are strongly warded against portals, idiot. And I don’t need to justify anything else to you so if you’re going to be a stubborn child about it then you can very well shut up,” Yennefer practically hisses at him.

And so he does.

Unwillingly.

He gasps as his throat closes up, something heavy and tight settling around his neck and forcing him into silence.

He’s dimly aware of himself letting out a small whimper but he doesn’t care, he doesn’t even remotely think to care because he wants to say something, anything, but he can’t, he can’t, he can’t.

He can’t and it’s just like last time with the djinn and he can’t breathe but this time there’s nobody to clutch onto, nobody to take him to a healer, nobody to care about him losing his voice, and he can’t do this a second time around, he can’t-

“Jaskier!”

What exactly is he meant to do about buttercups when he can’t breathe?

He can’t do anything about them because he can’t do anything at all and he’s never going to be able to pick or look at buttercups or any other flower again and it’s all his fault for being so loud and annoying and he wants to go back and change things but he can’t change who he is and he can’t breathe and he’s going to die and-

His knees slam into the ground when his legs buckle and his hands scrabble to dislodge the pressure around his neck but there’s nothing there and oh gods, he must he cursed again because he can’t breathe and he can’t think and he’s going to lose his voice or his life and really those are the same thing and he’s going to die alone and he can’t-

“Breathe, bard!”

He can’t, he can’t, he can’t.

He doesn’t remember how to breathe and it’s too late because he thinks his eyes are open but the world is black so he’s probably already gone blind and now he’s going to go mute and it’s too late for him and there’s nothing to be done and-

“I said breathe!”

And so he does.

Normally.

He gasps again as he finds he can taste the air around him, hauling in breaths as if he’s never been blessed with the ability to do so before.

Pressing his head to the ground as he slowly tries to think past the pounding of his heart, he turns his attention to the quiet chatter of birds and the soothing hand on his back and the feel of leaves beneath his knees and wait, what?

He pulls himself upright, peeling his eyes open and frowning when he sees Yennefer kneeling beside him, one hand still resting between his shoulders and the other balanced on the dirty ground she swore she’d avoid touching.

She beats him to saying anything with a small, remorseful smile. “I’m sorry, I… I didn’t realise how the chaos here would affect my words.”

Oh.

He nods, sitting back on his heels and returning her small smile. “That’s the third time you’ve apologised in just as many days. Are you sure you’re not being affected too?” He asks, wincing at the croak of a voice that leaves his lips.

Yennefer rolls her eyes but he can’t find any malice in the act this time. “I meant it, Jaskier, you don’t need me to cause you additional pain when you have plenty of your own.”

He doesn’t really know how he’s meant to reply to that so he doesn’t, simply taking her hand as she offers to help him to his feet and leaning on her for a moment until his legs decide they’re strong enough to hold him up on their own.

“Thank you,” he whispers softly.

She nods, glancing over him once more before continuing to walk and if her pace is purposefully slower this time, well, neither of them are going to point it out.

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