#just checked the weather and it's like ''Extreme Cold Warning'' and I'm like ''No shit'' as I sit here bundled up indoors & still shivering

[andrasta14]

[bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky]

So for my 478263th request 😂

Reader and Bucky staying at a mountain cabin together completely snowed in for a weekend with no power ☺️ I have no idea how they got there in the first place, and at first they’re just friends, but as the days go by the sexual tension grows and grows until whoops they’re all of a sudden venturing into #nsfw territory in front of a roaring fire 🥰

Snowed In | Bucky Barnes x Reader

Hi, @everything-burns-down 🥰 I loved this idea, thank you so so much for sending it my way! I hope you enjoy it 💕

Please feel free to send me comments, requests, and suggestions!

Tag list: @beefybuckrrito @shadytalementality @everything-burns-down @rainbow-unicorn-pony @mandersshow @emetophilily

Warnings: teasing, fingering and oral (f receiving), PIV sex

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What was supposed to be a fun group ski vacation had suddenly taken an unexpected turn. Grounded flights, unsafe roads, and power outages meant that Maria, Sharon, Sam, John, and Lamar were all stuck back in the city- leaving you and Bucky in the cabin all alone. He knew you hated driving in the snow, so he'd picked you up and given you a lift, but what neither of you had expected was the blizzard that was consuming the quiet country side where the cabin resided, leaving you stranded.

It had taken a while for you to get to know Bucky. He had the tendency to be a little quiet, fading into the background of your group hang outs- he was always the quiet half of he and Sam's dynamic duo. He was a good guy with a kind heart and a sweet disposition, as well as a great sense of humor- but you had to be right next to him to hear him mumble his quips under his breath. Once the two of you got close, he made his jokes exclusively to you when hanging out with the group, making you feel like you were the only people in the room. It was no secret that he was handsome, you'd practically been drooling over him since you met him-and now you were alone with him, stranded in a secluded mountain cabin...

You stood just inside the front door, watching Bucky trudge through the deep snow with both his bag and yours in hand. He'd insisted that you stay inside while he got your stuff, reasoning that you were the only one of the two of you who could get frostbite, and you'd complied.

"Fuck, it's cold," Bucky muttered as he carried your things inside and placed them in the living room. You nodded emphatically, feeling a shiver run down your spine even under your thick coat. A pang of worry shot through Bucky's chest, he knew you weren't going to be able to handle the extreme cold as well as he could and suddenly felt a deep need to take care of you.

You watched him grab an armful of logs and place them in the fireplace, arranging them just so. Something about him building a fire for you, taking care of you, worrying about you was...hot. A warm sensation flashed across your cheeks at the thought and you thought you might have to take a step outside into the freezing weather just to calm down.

In no time, Bucky had the fire roaring. You sat down in front of it, letting it warm your frigid body while staring at up at him.

"Thank you, Buck."

"Sure thing, doll. Any time," he said with a wink. "I just realized I don't have any service here, so it really is just you and me. Let's see how long it takes for me to drive you crazy..."

"Yeah, right. I'm just glad you're here and not John. Is it bad that I was happy when he said he couldn't come? Why do we even hang out with him anyway?"

Bucky chuckled and sat down on the floor next to you, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you into his body for warmth. "Because he's Lamar's friend and Lamar's great...he just comes with an unsavory sidekick".

You laughed out loud, knowing that John would lose his mind at being called a sidekick. Bucky began telling stories about all the stupid shit he'd seen John do, holding you tightly against his side all the while.

A yawn escaped your lips and you checked the time- 10:56pm. The drive to the cabin had taken way longer that you'd originally thought thanks to the storm, and you felt yourself getting sleepy as you sat in front of the warm fire.

"Okay, I know there's like, a ton of beds in this house, but I think I'm just gonna sleep in here on the floor. I may not survive the night if I'm not in front of the fire," you said with a laugh.

"Good call- I was… actually thinking about doing the same thing, though. Is it alright if I join you?"

You nodded emphatically, happy that you wouldn't be sleeping all alone in this big empty house. Leaving the fire for just a moment, you changed into your pajamas and brushed your teeth, ready to pass out for a while. Re-entering the living room, you found Bucky setting up a pallet on the floor that looked incredibly inviting. This man had really stripped all the beds of their comforters, making an extremely cozy cocoon for you in front of the fire.

"Will this work for you?" he asked, motioning to the perfect set up he'd made for you.

"Ohhhh, absolutely. Thanks, Buck," you said with a smile as you burrowed under the metric ton of blankets. Bucky grinned, and laid down in his own pallet a few feet away from you.

"Goodnight, doll" he whispered.

"Goodnight, Buck".

\\\\\\\\\\

The storm had lasted longer than anyone expected, leaving you and Bucky truly stuck. You'd been a little nervous at first, fearing that you were going to get on his nerves before day two was even over-but things had actually gone well. On the second morning, you'd awoken with Bucky's strong arms wrapped around you, holding you close to his chest:

"Oh, shit...I'm sorry," Bucky said as he unwound his strong arms from your middle.

"Hey, I don't mind" you'd replied, grabbing his arm and putting it back in place. The two of you fell asleep once more, bodies pressed together, in front of the fire.

To keep yourselves entertained, you and Bucky told ghost stories, shared your deepest fears, exchanged stories about family, and told funny tales from childhood.

The two of you spent all afternoon on the third day, asking each other random personal questions while he gave you a foot massage. You returned the favor by working the knots out of his strong back- all the while trying to resist the urge to press your lips to his skin.

You'd known Bucky pretty well before this trip, but there were a few things you’d always wanted to know about him, and after you spent the day with your hands all over his strong shoulders, you couldn’t help but ask.

"Okay, tell me this, Barnes. What are you like...in bed?"

A loud laugh made him throw his head back and clutch his chest, "I did not expect you to say that".

"We've talked about basically everythiiiiiiing, Buck. But we haven’t talked about the fun stuff so, come on, spill your guts. I won't tell anyone.”

He rolled his eyes at you and rubbed absentmindedly at the back of his neck, his eyes downcast.

“I don’t want to tell you…” he murmured.

“Oh. God, I-I’m sorry” you stammered, “I didn’t mean to-”

“I want to show you…”

“What…?”

“I said, I want to show you.”

Suddenly, you lost the ability to speak, only managing to give him an enthusiastic nod. The second you showed interest, he was pulling you into his lap, wrapping his hands tightly around your waist. His kiss was eager yet gentle, like he’d been waiting to kiss you for a long time. Sighing into his mouth, you surrendered to his touch and leaned in even closer to him. Your hands slid up his chest and lightly caressed his stubble on their way up to his neck.

Bucky gave a hmmm of approval as you entangled your fingers in his hair, and the sound just spurred you on more. He laughed into your mouth at the gentle tug you made at his hair and bit down on your bottom lip in response, eliciting a small moan.

His hands roamed your body as he kissed you, first running up and down your thighs before slipping up the back of your shirt. A shiver ran up your spine as Bucky’s cold, metal hand caressed your skin and you shrunk away instinctively from the sensation, already cold from the seemingly apocalyptic snow storm.

“Oh, shit. Sorry, sometimes I forget about this thing,” he joked.

He wrapped his hands tightly around the back of your thighs and lifted you as he stood, carrying you from the couch and placing you down gently on your pallet in front of the fireplace.

“Ooooh, romantic” you quipped, and he chuckled against your skin as he attached his mouth to your neck. The heat from the fire combined with the warmth of Bucky’s mouth pressed to your throat made your chest tighten. He took his sweet time with your neck, sucking marks into your skin and leaving love bites trailing from your jaw to your clavicle. His tongue flicked over the bites, soothing them as he prepared to leave more. His stubble lightly scratched at your sensitive skin, making goosebumps appear across the surface.

“Damn, still cold?” Bucky asked, pulling away.

You shook your head and placed your hands on either side of his face, dragging him back down for a needy kiss. His muscled body pressed tightly against yours, crushing you in the best way possible. Your legs wound around his waist and pulled him even closer somehow, pressing his already rock-hard bulge against your aching core.

Greedy hands tugged at Bucky’s Henley and he slipped out of it quickly, exposing the chiseled muscles of his torso and the scar that had changed his life. Without thinking you pressed your lips to the skin, trailing kisses along the entirety of the reminder from Bucky’s Hydra days. A deep moan escaped his lips as you worked down the scar and then across his chest, feeling his taught muscles ripple against your mouth.

His hands made quick work of your shirt, lifting it up until it had almost reached your breasts- but he stopped.

“What?” you asked, breathless, before realizing the cause of his hesitation. You laughed and pulled your shirt off the rest of the way, throwing it near couch. “I’m not cold anymore, I mean, I’ve got a super soldier on top of me…”

He rolled his eyes and laughed before eagerly resuming his work. His hands found yours and clutched them sweetly before his fingers wrapped around your wrists and pinned your hands above your head. You fought back ever so slightly, knowing that you’d lose, just for the fun of it. He nipped and kissed at the skin of your chest, moving painstakingly slowly.

Finally, his tongue flicked lightly against one of your nipples and your back arched- you swore that he could feel the pulsating of your clit against his cock. Hungrily, he wrapped his lips around one of your nipples, running his tongue over it teasingly before grazing it with his teeth. The contact sent a shock through your body and you couldn’t help but grind your hips against his. He let out a low chuckle against your skin, loving the effect he had on you. His mouth worked over your other nipple as his hands slid from your wrists to your hips, tugging every so slightly at the waistband of your sweatpants. Your hips arched for him, letting him remove your pajamas with ease.

A little laugh left his lips and you stared at him, wondering what he found so funny.

“These are the underwear you brought for a ski trip?” he asked with a chuckle as he traced a finger along the waist band of your delicate, lacy- and not at all appropriate for the weather- underwear.

“Hey, maybe I was hoping I’d get lucky…” you retorted.

Without warning, Bucky pressed his warm mouth against your clothed cunt making your hips buck ever so slightly in search of more contact. “So eager…” he whispered as he tugged at the lace and removed your underwear completely, making you gasp.

He stared at you as you laid fully exposed in front of him, and gave a satisfied ‘hmm’ before getting to work. He let his hands slowly snake up the length of your legs before reaching your almost dripping cunt. With one finger, he lightly ran a stripe from your entrance to your clit, making you shiver. He placed a light, teasing circles over your clit for a moment just so he could watch you squirm beneath him.

It was then that he slowly, teasingly slid a finger inside you, smiling at the deep moan that emanated from your mouth. He quickly laid down between your legs and brought his mouth to your clit while slipping a second finger inside. Your breath caught in your throat at the sensation and all you could manage to whisper was “Bucky…”

He loved the sound of you moaning his name, and he hummed approvingly against your clit, sending vibrations through your center just to drive you crazy. You tugged at his hair, encouraging him even more. He sucked at your clit while his fingers curled inside you, hitting you in the perfect spot. With his other hand, he pressed your hips into the ground, not leaving you a chance of escaping the sensations that threatened to drive you crazy.

“Fuuuuck, Bucky, I-”

The quick, light circles of his tongue against your clit mixed with the deep, intense pressure of his fingers inside you was almost too much. He had you moaning uncontrollably under his touch, melting before his very eyes. Bucky gazed up at you and saw your tense muscles and erratic breathing, knowing you were close.

“You gonna cum for me, baby?” he asked teasingly before resuming his punishing work against your clit.

All you could do was nod, but that didn’t satisfy him. “Use your words, tell me”. It took all of your focus to make out the words, and when you finally did, it made Bucky even harder.

“I’m-fuck, I’m gonna cum…”

“Cum for who, sweetheart?”

“For you, I- fuck. For you, all for you.”

“That’s right. Fall apart for me, baby”

It was only moments later that you lost the ability to respond as an orgasm ripped through you, making you scream Bucky’s name as you clenched unrelentingly around his strong fingers. He didn’t stop the motion of his hand or his tongue as the waves of your high crashed over you, sending little aftershocks through your body.

You opened your eyes to see him hovering over you with a cocky grin on his face. “Hey there. You good, sweets?” he asked with a wink.

You nodded, still out of breath but feeling like you’d died and gone to heaven. “I’m great” you whispered.

“Great” he retorted before standing and removing his sweatpants, letting you take in the full sight of him. You’d always thought he was hot, but when you stared up at his gorgeous body, aglow in the light from the roaring fire, you realized just how perfect he was.

He took his rightful place on top of you, and crushed your mouth with his, swallowing the moan that escaped your lips. Ever so slowly, his lips traveled from your jaw to your hip, stopping every few centimeters to leave a hot kiss on your skin. He pressed a few light kisses to your clit before teasing the head of his cock at your entrance.

“You’re a tease, Barnes. You know that?”

The air left your lungs as he plunged his cock into you slowly, letting you feel every inch.

“Oh, I know…” he whispered as he leaned down to kiss you deeply. He pulled out of you almost completely before slamming into you again, forcing a moan out of your chest.

Your nails ran up the length of his back, leaving red tracks along his spine and making him shiver slightly under your touch.

“S’ good for me, doll, takin’ me so well”

You pressed crescent moons into his shoulders as he quickened his pace, your legs wrapping ever tighter around his waist. His strong hands gripped your wrists again, pressing them down into the floor with a force that stirred something in your chest. He stared down at you, watching as your struggled to keep it together under his unrelenting pace.

Suddenly, his hands were on your hips, pulling them upward as he sat up on his knees. The new angle let him go even deeper somehow, making your eyes squeeze shut. You were right on the edge and he knew it, making him want to play with you even more.

"How's that, doll?" He asked with a wicked smile, already knowing the answer. You couldn't seem to remember how to speak, simply letting out a dirty moan in response.

"Hey, what did I say, gorgeous? Use your words for me."

Gathering all of your strength, you managed a whisper for him, "So-so fucking good".

"Good, then let go for me. Come on, baby. I know you want to" he murmured-and he was right. A second climax hit you fiercely, setting your skin on fire and filling your vision with stars.

Watching you lose your mind for a second time all because of him made Bucky almost salivate. His thrusts became sloppier as he tried to keep up his punishing pace, but his orgasm made him lose focus. He collapsed over you breathlessly as he filled you with his hot cum, his dark blue eyes staring into your soul.

"Fuck..." he whispered, still reeling.

All you could do was nod, still in disbelief that you'd finally fucked Bucky Barnes.

"I don't know about you" he murmured, "but I hope this storm never ends".

[kaiparker-avengerssmut]

Their Doll 13

Thump

B.Barnes x Stark!Reader, S.Rogers x Stark!Reader

series synopsis:  y/n Stark, all records of her non existent, and yet Hydra still find her. When she is kidnapped by a certain super-soldier and no one believes her, she finds herself searching for unexpected familiarity in her not-so-distant past.

Series Warnings: smut, violence, torture, swearing

Chapter Summary: y/n goes on her first and only mission at HYDRA with Bucky

Warnings: swearing, violence, blood, death

A/n: The timeline in this has been altered, as there I things I wanted to include but I also wanted this fic to follow the storyline/timeline of Winter Soldier and Civil war.So for purposes of this fanfic, Peter Parker was discovered by Tony at a much younger age - when he was bitten - and has been an intern with him since, almost like a protégée.(For the purposes of this story Peter was bitten much younger too - more like when he was 9 or ten rather than 14/15)

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

This was the first mission I was assigned to with the Soldier. And I had a strong feeling it'd be the last. The Soldier's mind seemed less distant, clearer recently. I never complained, of course, as it meant two things: one, I actually had someone to talk to here that didn't want to either murder me or rape me and two, he was really fucking good with his dick when his mind was sharper.

We were currently holed up in a train carriage, which was stacked ceiling-high with wooden crates all marked 'stock'. Stock of what, neither of us knew. We had sneaked on, jumping onto the top of the train as it passed a hill we'd been waiting for. Once on top of the train, the soldier helped me into the back - which is where we currently are. It appeared like he'd done this a hundred times before - and one thing I did pick up on was his hesitance while scaling the side of the train. I didn't think much of it - I for one was nervous as shit when we were simply clinging to the small ladder down the end of the back carriage.

We were huddled close, the coldness seeping in from the mountains surrounding the track, the chill in my flesh making me shiver slightly and lean further into the Soldier. His arm was thrown over my shoulders, his own teeth chattered slightly but I could tell he was trying to appear unaffected by the surging weather.

I took the time to replay the briefing for the mission in my mind. Sneak in, stay discreet, use the vents to find the room with the politicians in, take them all but one out, frame the one who remained alive. God I'm happy I'm not doing this alone.

We had a plan. We would sneak in through the back entrance after sniping the two guards that were meant to be stationed there. From inside the door, just a meter to our left was easy access to the vents that we could crawl through for 50 minutes and we'd be directly above the room they were all set to gather in at 18:00. Once there, I'd use my voice to bring them into a state of unawares, from which The Soldier would shoot them all except one. I'd then use my powers to convince the left over that he was the one who did it and the Soldier would give him the gun that was used.

From there, I'd sneak down and take photos of the files they were discussing - HYDRA hadn't told us what they were but I was sure it was something that would deeply concern them - and then we'd leave the way we came.

Simple enough, really.

"You seem on edge." I commented, observing the way his eyes never remained in one place. "Something bad happen here?" I prompted when he only looked at me.

"I- I don't know." He came back with, eyes boring into mine. "You know the plan, right?" He asked, eyes still locked on mine like magnets. I nodded, humming in affirmation. "Good, I don't know if they'll fight back or not, so be ready." The soldier said, head tilting towards my waist in gesture of my belt that wrapped around the black tactical suit, holding various knives I could throw and a small, but powerful, gun.

I never liked using the gun, I always found the loud noise distracting. I preferred knives, and as my aim was particularly good whilst throwing them, I had little need for a gun unless I ran out of blades. But that seldom happened.

The temperature seemed to change, warming only slightly. A subtle thing that very few would pickup on, but as trained assassins you learn to notice the subtle things. I today, I knew this temperature change meant we'd entered the city. The pollution and bustling of people always increased the temperature, and only by a few degrees but when you were freezing your ass off, you tend to notice the discrete change.

"Time to get our asses moving." The soldier muttered before rising to his feet, offering me a hand as he did so.

"Let's get this show on the road." I murmured once on my feet, standing back as the soldier wrenched the door at the side of the carriage open.

"Roll once you land, it'll make the impact less brutal." He commented before he was diving from the train, landing with a smooth roll over the gravel, which crunched beneath him. I took a deep inhale, leaping from the carriage with nothing but hope that I'd land it rather than end up dead in the process.

My eyes sprang open as I landed, shock rolling through me as I realised that I was alright. A wide smile beckoned my lips, curling them upwards into a grin and I pushed myself from the floor and up onto my feet.

"That was the easy part." The soldier assured me as he walked towards me, my smile instantly dropping and his face falling into a hard expression. I new that face - it was his mission face. One that meant no more messing around, because shit was about to get real serious and real dangerous.

"Let's go." I said, beginning to walk towards the mass of buildings. The soldier followed quickly, directing us to slip behind the first block of apartments we came across so no one in the city would see us.

As we snuck our way to the centre, we flattened ourselves against the wall - melting into the plentiful shadows. As we approached our target, I felt the soldier's hand wrap around my bicep, pulling me back.

"Stay here. I'm going to get higher ground. When you see them drop, continue on and get into that door." He ordered gruffly, and before I could agree he was gone.

I crouched down slowly, now aware with how close we were to the two security guards that any sudden movement had the possibility of catching their attention. I leant into the side of the building, observing the two men as they blatantly ignored their surroundings. We're they trying to make this easy for us?

I felt a sneeze rise in my throat, that tangy feeling settling over my nose as I covered the lower half of my face with my hand. Try as I might, I couldn't prevent the unwanted noise, the small sound catching one of the guard's attention.

"Over there!" He hissed, tapping the other on the shoulder furiously in order to get their attention.

"What is it? I can't see anything." They dismissed, clearly trying to turn back around before the first guard yanked his attention back. I stayed as still as a statue, for once extremely glad that I was completely clad in black.

"I heard someone. Over there." The guard exclaimed, pointing almost directly at me. I held in my breath, eyes widened as I sat petrified. That's when my weight shifted, a small twig I didn't know was beneath my shoe snapping under the pressure. I stopped myself from wincing, the snapping noise echoing and completely giving away my position.

"There they are! Quickly, shoot them!" The second guard shouted, pointing at me as the first fumbled with his belt. I took the opportunity, pulling a blade from my belt as quick as I could and preparing to throw. But two pained shouted caught my attention, my gaze raving to see the two men sprawled on the floor, foreheads pierced with bullets.

My gaze drifted upwards, the soldier crouched over the top of a clearly abandoned bridge, gun in hands and still pointed towards them. A scowl was etched on his features, the lower banks of his face now covered by an ominous black mask.

I snapped from my trance, darting along the back of the building until I reached the door. Once I reached it, I cursed under my breath, realising it was locked as I tried to tug it open. I sighed in frustration, reaching into a pocket on the side of my leg and pulling out a pin.

I crouched by the door again, trying to not be caught a second time as the piece of metal wiggled around in the key hole until I heard the  soft, tell-tale click that signalled the door had unlocked. I stood up, tucking the pin back into my suit and moving to open the door. As I slowly tuned the handle, edging the door open enough to check inside, the Soldier appeared beside me.

"Great job." He deadpanned, eyes cold as he glared at me.

"Hey! It wasn't my fault, blame the gardener that decided daisies were a good idea!" I retaliated in a whispered-shout.

"Just shut up and go." He demanded, brushing past me and into the building once he realised it was clear. Once I'd collected my thoughts as called him a wanker under my breath, I pushed through the door after him to be met with the sight of the soldier's muscles bulging as he tried to pry the vent door from the wall as quietly as he could.

The metal clanked gingerly as he removed the door, placing the vented slab to the side of the now-clear entrance before turning to me and gesturing for me to follow. I got to my knees, crawling through the hole in the wall and placing the vent back in place behind me to lower suspicions.

We crawled through the vents stealthily, the concentration on us apparent as we both counted the meters. I almost crashed straight into the soldier's behind when he abruptly stopped, so I assumed the vent we needed to take out the plan was in front of him. He climbed over it quickly, so we were either side of the slats in the floor.

The soldier looked at me, bringing a finger to his lips as one of the politicians went in a rant.

"It's ridiculous! They expect us to vote on this and we don't even have all the information!"

"Well maybe if you'd read the file, you'd know the answer to all these bloody questions you keep asking!"

The soldier pointed a finder towards the men below us, before moving the same fingers so it was pointed at my mouth. I gave him a curt nod.

The tune flowed from my lips freely, easily, as I began humming. I almost stopped when I saw one of the men tense through the vent, knowing we'd been caught and probably executed or something. But when his shoulders relaxed my fear dissipated, the song falling from my continuously.

I noticed the metal plugs now in the soldier's ears as he leant over the vent, which he'd now pried open and had slid toward me slightly. His gun was pointed down the space he'd created, eyes cantered in on presumably one of the targets. Then he fired, and I flinched as I heard a hollow thump as the body slipped limply to the ground.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The man who had tended remained alive, still relaxed and eyes glazed over. The soldier motioned for me to move, pushing the vent conger completely out of his way before jumping down into the room, the expected thud as he landed never coming. Wow, this man really is light on his feet.

Maybe he should've been a ballerina, that little voice in my head sung, a smug smile drawing over my lips at the thought of the Winter Soldier in a tutu.

I snapped out of it, following him down and landing crouched, almost disappointed at the tiny thud when I landed.

I barely noticed I'd stopped singing until the burning pain in my shoulder pierced through my thoughts.

"Get down!" The soldier shouted, shoving my down my my good shoulder and taking a lethal shot to the remaining politician's throat. He fell the the floor with a garbled cough, the splatter of blood across my cheek making my wince. The soldier chucked the gun to the table, scooping up the files and pushing them desperately into one of his big pockets on the leather he wore before yanking my up via my arm. "We have to hurry." He gritted through clenched teeth, using two clasped hands under my foot before hoisting me back into the vent.

He all but jumped up after me, replacing the grate before placing two hands on my cheeks to centre me. Hot tears ran down my cheeks, my breathing fast and uneven and my eyes refusing to meet him.

"Hey, look at me," my eyes found his, "I know you're in pain, trust me." He said, a tiny smirk pulling at his lips as the words tumbled from his lips, "but right now, you're running on adrenaline and we need to take advantage of that. So you're going to turn around, and you're going to crawl to the end of this vent and get out of the building. Quietly." He instructed, and I began nodded. I went to turn around, but he used two gloved, metal fingers I redirect my head to him. "It's nothing personal." He said with a  pitiful smile before whipping a few hanker chiefs from his pocket and stuffing them into my mouth. "Bite down on them if it hurts." The soldier clarified when I gave him a confused expression.

...

The sound of the alarm seemed to follow us and we ran, my hand clutching my shoulder as my big down aggressively at the cloth in my mouth. The soldier was behind me, making sure I didn't fall behind with my injury.

The blaring noise of the alarm stressed me out, knowing that they were probably looking for us making my pick up the pace despite the burning in my shoulder.

"There!" The soldier exclaimed, my eyes low finding the black car that we knew would be to pick us up. As we approached the end of the alley we walked down, the soldier over took me, sprinting forward to hold the door open for me.

I stumbled into the back of the car, being ushered farther in as the soldier climbed in behind me and slammed the car door shut.

The vehicle began moving, the chauffeur barely paying kind to us as my chest heaved and a scream broke through the cloth in a muffled shout.

The panicked look on the soldier's eyes is all that I could focus on, his mask off now and his lips moving but I couldn't seem to hear him. Black crept up on me, clouding the edge of my vision as it invaded my senses.

...

"Someone's finally awake then." The displeased    chide of the General filling my ears as my eyes fluttered open.

"You have to leave her alone! It wasn't her fault!" The soldier's voice said desperately, I could hear the worried tone edging his words.

"Quiet. She's the reason you failed your mission, Soldat. I won't have it happen again." The general snapped, my vision fully in focus now.

The general was stood before me, my hands strapped to the ceiling and my toes barely touching the floor. The pain in my shoulder screamed at me, but I could no longer feel the sickening wetness of my blood dripping down my back. They must've taken me to the medic on the flight home.

"Please, don't you think she's endured enough? She was shot for god's sake!" The soldiers reasoned, and I could see him fighting against his restraints. But the general ignored him.

"I think you're memory is getting too sharp. I'll be sure to get you reset once I'm done." He dismissed, a wince finding me as three guards filed into the cell. "Make her pay." He barked, standing back.

The guards grinned sickeningly, my eyes widening as a scream of protest trying to escape the silencer as I caught sight of the bats in their hands. It felt like the air had been punched from my lungs when one of the bats made contact with y stomach, and I already knew the area would be bloody and bruised when they were done.

"And don't stop until she passes out."

[thiswasinevitableid]

42 or 20 with indruck! Can you tell I'm a sap?? ❤❤❤

I went with 20, since I’ve actually done a variation for 42 for Indruck before.

Prompt 20 from this list: My amazing partner just dumped me. Please come home with me for the holidays and pretend to be my partner.

“DUCK I NEED HELP!”

Duck’s used to his neighbor and friend entering his house without knocking. After all, he does much the same to him. But the panicked tone is enough to send him tumbling off the couch.

“Ow. What’s up, ‘Drid?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Indrid drops to the floor to check on him, and Duck waves his hand dismissively to show he’s fine, “I’m just, it’s, I realized another horrible part of Derrick dumping me.” 

Duck sits up, facing his friend as the thinner man continues, “The few times I spoke with my parents since I started dating him, I bragged about how wonderful he was. Goodness knows they’d criticized me enough for everything else, at the very least it felt nice to tell them my relationship was going well. And now I get to go home in a week for the holidays, without the wonderful boyfriend I told them all I had. It’s going to make everything worse.”

Duck nods sympathetically. He’d been the first person Indrid told about the break up, Derrick leaving him abruptly two weeks ago after revealing he’d been dating someone else at the same time until he could make up his mind about who would make the better.

He’d apparently said Indrid needed “too much work” to be the winning partner. Duck keeps hoping to run into the guy so he can give him a piece of his mind (and tell him to be glad it’s Duck, and not Aubrey, who’s confronting him because she is pissed). 

Indrid is weird, sure. He can be absentminded, messy, can leave sketches scattered across his floor for weeks. But he’s funny, thoughtful, and Duck has pictured him without clothes more than once, wondering what it would be like if it was him drawing the high, faintly cracked noises from him on the other side of the wall. 

But more than any of that Duck always gets a strange sense of belonging when he comes home in the evening and sees Indrid’s apartment lit beside his own, still dark one. Indrid is home, next door, and that means things will be okay. 

Duck would have given anything to be in Derricks place. 

“Duck, I need you to come with me and pretend to be my boyfriend.”

Duck should have put some specifications on that statement.

“‘Drid, you full well I can’t lie well enough to pull that off. And ain’t they gonna notice I’m nothin’ like the guy you told ‘em about?”

“I kept everything vague to decrease the chances of them finding something to disapprove of. You won’t need to lie, Duck, please I’ll,” Indrid’s gaze darts around the room, his red glasses sitting on his forehead allowing Duck to enjoy the light brown of his eyes, “I’ll design your next tattoo for free, I’ll pay both our internet bills for a year, I’ll, ah, I’ll-”

“Whoah, whoah, ‘Drid, you ain't got to do anythin like that. We’re friends, we help each other out.”

“So you’ll do it?” Indrid bites the inside of his lip.

“How long would it be?”

“Five days, six if we hit bad weather coming back up here. That wouldn’t take you away from work too long, would it? Or do they expect the part time rangers to cover the holidays?”

“Nah, the center is closed on Christmas. And I’m pretty sure Juno wants a few extra hours anyway. I’ll ask to be sure, but think I oughta be able to get the time off.” He looks back at Indrid’s face. There are bags under his eyes, the result of the semester and graveyard shifts at a coffee shop. His strange, wide smile is tentatively trying to spread across his face. It’s the first time since the break up he’s looked hopeful. 

“Yeah, what the hell, can’t let my friend be lonesome for the holidays.”

Indrid makes a delighted noise, flapping his hands, “Thank you!” He throws his arms around Duck, and Duck returns the hug. Indrid loves his hugs (most people love Duck’s hugs, but Indrid’s opinion tends to take up the most space in his mind). 

He’s doing his friend a favor, and that makes the fact this is a terrible idea worth the risk. And hey, five days paling around with his friend in some fancy seaside town will be fun.

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

Juno: You know that’s a terrible idea, right?

Juno: Pretending to date Indrid is going to make for one heartbroken Duck and you know it.

Duck: It’ll be fine

Juno: How long have you had a crush on him again?

Duck: A year. And we stayed friends the whole time because I fucking knew when to keep it to myself. And I can keep keeping it to myself because his friendship means more to me than my fucking dick. 

Juno: ……..

Juno:...... Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you

Duck tosses the phone on the bed as he finishes packing his suitcase. Yes, he’s had a crush on Indrid for awhile. And yes, by the time he realized just how intense the crush was, Indrid was in a relationship that made him happy, and the strength of the crush was overwhelmed by the desire to not make Indrid’s life harder. So Duck kept those feelings to himself, focused on being Indrid’s friend, including putting in a good word on his behalf to their landlord so he could get the little studio apartment next to Duck’s one-bedroom. 

Who knows, maybe spending so much time in close proximity will get rid of the crush….

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

…………….Or it will make it ten times stronger Duck muses during his turn at the wheel. It’s the west coast, so there’s no snow, but rain patters on the windshield as they drive down I-5. Indrid is humming along with the playlist he put on, finishing up the last of the meal they grabbed from  Dairy Queen. He’s been intermittently hand feeding Duck fries so he can keep driving. 

He also does a thing where eagerly and licks the spoon while eating his Blizzard and Duck is afraid he might hit the guard rail if he doesn’t stop staring. 

“How did we meet?” Indrid asks somewhere near Sacramento. 

“Uh, think Dani introduced us, right?”

Indrid nods, “That’s what I thought. We’ll need to have our story straight, but it seems easiest just to describe our relationship as truthfully as possible.”

“You mean we ain’t tellin ‘em we me when I rescued you from an evil goat?”

Indrid “humphs” crossing his arms, “I did not expect to tackled at the petting zoo. But I appreciated the rescue all the same.”

“Thought Aubrey was gonna wet her pants laughin at you.” Duck giggles at the memory of Indrid flat on his back with an extremely hungry goat on top of him.

They run through increasingly ridiculous things to tell Indrids family; that they met on a botched bank robbery, they got trapped in an elevator together, their characters fell in love during a game of D&D and it spread out into their real lives, and so on until Indrid is doubled over with laughter. It would be so easy, feel so natural to reach over and squeeze his hand or stroke his face as they both come down from their giggling fits, but Duck knows better than to trap his friend in a car with unwanted affection.

By the time they reach Carmel, it’s well after ten at night. Indrid drives the last leg, explaining that the house numbers can be tricky to see. They arrive at a stately three story house four blocks from the beach.

“Right.” Indrid sits in the front seat, key in his hand but showing no desire to reach for the door, “here goes nothing.”

They carry their bags up to the house, which is all dark save for the porch light. Once they’re inside, Indrid slips off his shoes, Duck following suit and immediately spotting why.

“Who has this much white carpet?”

“My parents.” Indrid grumbles. 

They tiptoe towards the stairs, and in spite of the fact they’re expected guests, Duck feels like they’re teenagers slipping in after curfew. The bedroom Indrid leads them to is bland.

“My, they really did take it all down.” Indrid sighs, setting his suitcase on the floor.

“This was your room?”

“Yes. I wonder what they did with all the art and posters. I liked a lot of them. And I’d lay money that all of Brad’s sports awards are still up somewhere. They always preferred those to my art.” He sighs as he changes into his pajamas, then slides under the floral bedspread. 

Duck didn’t bring pajamas. He just sleeps in his boxers.

“Um” He points at himself in an attempt to indicate the problem. Indrid goes completely still, looking him up and down.

“It’s alright, Duck. That doesn’t bother me. Come on” he pats the mattress, flipping back the covers, “I’m cold and you’re a spaceheater disguised as a man.”

Duck snorts,settles beside him, “No, you’re just an icicle that got an art degree.”

Indrid barks out a laugh, sets his glasses on the bedside table “Touche. Goodnight, Duck.”

“Night, Drid.”

The light goes out and Duck nestles under the covers. Should he roll over so his back is to Indrid? No, that might seem like he’s hiding something. But rolling towards him could be too much, seem like this is real instead of a trick they’re playing.

“Duck?” Indrid whispers.

“Yeah?” He rolls over, finds Indrid on his side facing him. 

“Thank you. For coming with me. The, the next few days may be a bit awkward.”

“‘Drid, I wasn’t expectin anythin else. Not after eveythin you told me about your folks.”

“I know but, well.” Indrid takes his hand, toying with his fingers, “I’m sorry in  advance for anything they say.  Or do. Or imply. Or-”

“‘Drid.” Duck takes their joined hands, holds them against his chest, “You ain’t gotta apologize to me for shit they might do. I knew what I was gettin into when I agreed to this.”

“Thank you.” Indrid says again. He looks so tired. 

“Go to sleep, icicle.”

Indrid smiles in the darkness, and shuts his eyes. He keeps his hand in Ducks, humming softly when Duck pulls the larger quilt over them. Their hands stay linked as Duck sinks into the pillows and a deep sleep. 

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

Indrid towels himself off absentmindedly, eyeing the china-shop decor of his once lovely room. Duck volunteered to venture downstairs in search of coffee for them (Indrid trusts three people to make his coffee sweet enough: himself, his friend Barclay, and Duck). Indrid woke up first this morning, found Ducks head resting against his shoulder. He took his time studying the lines of his face, wondering if Duck would let Indrid draw him. Ideally, nude. 

Maybe asking his friend who he has a raging crush on to join him on his trip was a bad idea. 

He’d realized his feelings for Duck about four months ago. But he was happy with Derrick (well, until the last two months before the break-up, when he’d suddenly gone cold around Indrid), and knew it was common to get crushes on people even when dating someone. Besides, he and Duck were close friends; Duck made him feel safe, didn’t judge him for his quirks, was funny and charming in his own quiet way. So what if he occasionally pictured him while masturbating, imagining what it felt like to kiss him on every inch of his body?

There’d been a temptation to ask Duck out in the days after the break up. But his friend would no doubt assume Indrid was treating him as a rebound, and Duck deserved to feel truly wanted. Now it might be too late. 

The door swings open and Duck shuts it quickly behind him.

“This is a fuckin labyrinth.”

Indrid chuckles, “Couldn’t find the kitchen?”

“No! Thank fuck we got a bathroom attached to this place or I;d go to take a piss and you’d never fuckin see me again.”

“If it’s any consolation, you don’t need to worry about a Minotaur unless my brother is up.”

A silver bell rings and blinks, “Does your family use a fuckin dinner bell?”

“Yes.” Indrid finishes dressing as Duck checks his hair in the mirror, “and it means it’s time to face the family.” He holds out his hand, “stay close; I’d hate to lose you in the maze.” 

Duck hesitates, then grabs his hand, and they head downstairs. 

His parents and brother beat them there.

“Is that really what you’re wearing out today?” His mother asks when they appear. 

“Hello to you as well.” He and Duck sit side by side, and he only relinquishes Ducks hand in order to pass dishes. 

“So,” His father eyes Duck, the scrutiny in the gaze making Indrid wince automatically, “you’re Indrid’s boyfriend.”

“Yep. Name’s Duck, and it’s real nice to meet y’all.”

Brad, his brother, snorts, “Duck?”

“It’s a nickname, oh, thanks darlin.” He smiles when Indrid hands him a cup of coffee. 

“Indrid says you’re interested in...environmental science, yes?” His father continues. 

“More or less. Done a lot of work in forestry and botany and such. Goal is to be a full time ranger in a national park or somethin.”

“I don’t know why we even have those; why the fuck are we preserving a bunch of trees when that land could help enrich the economy.”

“Shut up, Brad.” Indrid glares. 

“Indrid, manners. Besides, your brother has a point. All that land could be a boon for mining and development,”

“With all due respect, uh, Mr.Cold, public lands are one of the best ideas we’ve had as a country. And they bring in lots of money to places that wouldn’t get it otherwise. Hell, back home in Kepler, most of the money comes from tourists visitin the national forest.” Duck chews his eggs thoughtfully, “Plus, screwin nature only comes back to bite us in the end.”

“At least it’s a degree that has a potential job that comes after it.” His mother stares pointedly at him and Indrid groans.

The rest of breakfast goes much the same, and Indrid pulls Duck from the table as soon as he’s done eating. 

“Right, that was awful.” Indrid sinks onto his bed. 

“And you didn’t eat anythin.”

“I had toast.” Indrid snips back. 

“One piece. Come on, darlin, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I let my sweetheart starve?” Duck catches the pet names this time, coughs, “sorry, figured better to keep up the game in the house, in case someone can hear us.”

Right, of course. Duck’s being practical. He doesn’t really think of Indrid as his darling. 

“There somewhere in town you like?” Duck settles beside him, voice gentle, “It’s okay if there ain’t. Can even brave the labyrinth and grab you leftovers if you need me to.”

Indrid meets his eyes, and gingerly rests his head on his shoulder, “Well, there is one place…”

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

The outdoor mall is obscenely cheery, Christmas trees covered in shiny baubles and carols blasting from storefronts. Signs tout the perfect gift for that special someone, and Duck imagines himself wandering from salesperson to salesperson until he finds the thing that could show Indrid just how much he cares about him.

After a leisurely breakfast in a tiny, scruffy cafe (indeed, the only scruffy store amidst the pristine, wealth soaked chains and boutiques) in which Indrid scarfed two cinnamon rolls the size of his head, they wander arm in arm, window shopping and people watching. Indrid relaxes incrementally, and keeps casting strange, affectionate glances Ducks way. 

In spite of the chilly weather, they opt to go to the beach, finding it mostly deserted. Indrid shows him a patch of tidepools, and proceeds to ask a dozen questions about what he’s seeing. Duck does his best, though ocean life isn’t his specialty. 

“Oooh, hello little friend.” Indrid is on his stomach, leaning over one of the pools with a hermit crab in his hand, “your shell is so pretty.”

“Uh, ‘Drid, you might wanna keep an eye on that-”

Splash

“Wave.” Duck tries not to laugh at his friend, who now looks like a surprised, damp cat. 

“Oh dear.” Indrid looks at his soaked top half and shudders, “that is going to be unpleasant to walk home in.” 

“Here, take those off.” Duck unzips and doffs his jacket, unbuttons his green shirt and hands it to the taller man, “That oughta help until we get back.”

Indrid, skinny and shivering, takes the shirt and slips it on. His fingers fumble and Duck steps forward and begins buttoning it for him. 

“You don’t-” Indrid starts

“I want to” Duck finishes. When he buttons the last one, he looks up and finds their noses nearly brushing. 

“We should head back.” Indrid murmurs.

“Yeah.” Duck drops his gaze, taking a step back, “lead the way, darlin.”

Indrid hops off the rock onto the sand, offering his hand to Duck so he can do the same. Duck supposes they don’t need to hold hands on the empty beach. 

They end up holding them all the way back to the house. 

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

It all comes to a head at dinner the next night. 

“This is low even for you, bro.” Brad grins.

Indrid rolls his eyes, “What is?”

“Bringing a fake boyfriend because your skinny ass got dumped.”

The little bit Indrid’s eaten threatens to come back up. Duck is still, save for the chewing on the inside of his lip.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Indrid responds coolly. 

“Friend of a friend on Insta said in a group text that he knows your ex.” Brad looks over at their mother, “Apparently Indrid is too stupid to know when he’s being strung along, and too much of a dud to actually keep the guy.”

“In that case” His father turns to Duck, “how did you end up involved in this?”

“Probably paid him.” Brad sips his beer and Indrid growls. 

“Actually” Duck says quietly, “I came because Indrid asked me to. Couldn’t say no to the most amazin guy I know. Indrid’s perfect and Derrick was shitty to him. Just cause we ain’t had time to put a label on things don’t mean I ain’t crazy about him. And for your information” he stares down Brad, “that ‘skinny ass’ is the nicest lookin ass on the entire coast, and you are the shittiest siblin’ I’ve ever had the displeasure of meetin’.”

“How dare you?” His mother hisses and Indrid takes that opportunity to bolt, certain Duck will follow him. As he’s halfway up the stairs he hears Duck drawl, “Mom always said money can’t buy class. Thanks for the real-time demonstration.”

By the time his friend enters the bedroom, Indrid is huddled on the bed, trying not to cry. 

“Shit, ‘Drid, I’m sorry, that was outta line of me but I can’t, I couldn’t sit there and let ‘em talk to you like that. I know you got your reasons for not speakin up, but you don’t deserve to have no one takin your side.”

“It’s not that. I can’t, Duck, how could you say those things knowing full well we aren’t together? Do you have any idea how badly I’ve wanted to believe you feel that way about me? That’s the most loved I’ve felt in months and I know it was a lie.” He buries his face in his hands, glasses denting his skin. 

“Hey, goofus.” Duck nudges him until he looks up, “you’re forgettin the part where I can’t lie.”

The gears of the world grind to a halt, and in a frozen moment in time Indrid processes a dozen realizations at once.

“You do like me.” He whispers. 

“No shit, darlin. Indrid, I’ve been into you for months, but I didn’t wanna push you away by tellin you and makin’ you uncomfortable. I meant every goddamn word, and that all barely scratches the surface of how bad I want youMOphhhm.”

Kissing Duck is a hundred times better than he ever imagined, the two of them tangled up before they even fall fully backwards. Warm fingers tangle in his hair and Duck whimpers beneath him, arching frantically into Indrids touch.

“Fuck me.” Duck pants when Indrid lets him breathe. 

“Not here. I, I think we should go somewhere else, leave early. They don’t want me here, not really, we could go home, rent a hotel room, anything, Duck, goodness please let’s get out of here.”

“It was an exclamation goofus, this room is a boner killer if there ever was one. But yeah, gettin gone sounds real fuckin good to me. I’ll let you take the lead, sugar.”

“You promise?”

Duck kisses his nose, “Wherever you wanna go, darlin. I’ll be right there next to you. I promise.”