#kineros robotics

[stayevildarling]

Wilhemina Venable x Reader- Million Reasons

A/N: I‘m back with a little Wilhemina fic. I‘ve been intrigued to write about the character falling for reader and their perspective rather than what I usually write 💜 Title is inspired by the song but I haven‘t incorporated the actual lyrics into this. I proofread this and accidentally deleted the draft, there are some mistakes in this, pls ignore those as I‘m sick and not in the mood to do that again

tw/tags: female reader, mention of scoliosis, mention of unrequited love, some angst/hurt and comfort as always, very much descriptive and not a lot of conversation

word count: 5.5k

taglist:

@lunaticwhittaker , @billiebeanhoward , @lanawinters-ily , @kenzbro , @minaslittleone , @httpfiftyshadesofgay @whitelotus00 , @ninaahs , @paulsonsratched , @vintagepaulson , @isle-of-earle , @grilledcheeseandguavajelly , @lucyintheskywithxanax , @fanfics4world , @mymiraclewitch , @hazard-to-myself , @awritersometimes , @wastdstime , @p1pecleanerwitheyes , @queen2234 , @ihartnat , @lifebyinez , @stepintomyworld , @ahsatanizgay , @blu3dimples

The woman with red hair, captivating brown eyes had a million reasons to fall in love with you. Wilhemina Venable had a simple life, focused on her work which consisted of long days, getting up before the sun rises and often leaving the office building last. She had given her career to the company, practically building it from the back of a van many years ago. And despite her hating her two bosses with every fibre of her being, she had always taken her job seriously. It was her life and she dedicated all her time on it, investing in an extra room at her home, turning it into an office space in order to work from home on the weekends or in the middle of the nights when she couldn‘t find sleep and the files would pile up on her desk.

The redhead, stern woman had never really had much of a private life, barely a decent hobby other than the occasional knitting or watching something on the history channel. She had always loved books, often getting lost in it‘s pages, sometimes finishing a whole book over night as the content captivated her. Committing to anything other than her job felt impossible for the woman obsessed with control and order. It took her several years of doubting before she allowed herself to finally adopt a kitten, by now her truest and most loyal companion. She didn‘t like opening herself up to people, the past and life having hurt her too much to ever allow her to slip again and put trust in other people.

Thats why Wilhemina, also HR of Kineros Robotics hated the idea of her bosses hiring her an assistant. She had never got along with any of them, to the point where they stopped hiring that position many years ago. She didn‘t like their incompetence, that they didn‘t take this as seriously as her, that they only made her job a lot harder. And despite their idiotic traits, they had wanted to do her a favour, hiring someone to help her as the orders have been piling up and they genuinely wanted to help her out, knowing she had sacrificed a lot for this company. It was a rare moment of clarity as usually they are high and off their heads.

Many weeks ago when you had walked into her office the first time, she hated the idea, her nose scrunching in that all too familiar way when disapproving of something. But somehow, she couldn‘t even apply her usual amount of sarcasm and bitchiness as she saw you standing there, notebook neatly wrapped in your hand, a polite smile on your face and somehow the woman could feel you were different than those other assistants before. She almost too politely showed you to the small desk in the corner of her office, facing the wall as she hated having to share the office and not wanting to lay eyes upon this new assistant.

The first few weeks you had managed to prove her right though, never making a mistake, adressing your question to people below her in order not to bother her. You would fetch her coffee without her asking, doing your research beforehand on how she takes it. You would do your work quietly, tapping away on your computer, staring at the wall rather than the window or the woman on the opposite side of the room. You never complained about anything, always volunteering to go to the printers and without asking bringing her the files she had printed also. You didn‘t fall for the silly, yet disgusting jokes of the bosses, simply remaining silent. You didn‘t get yourself into any drama with the other coworkers, either taking your lunch by your desk when the redhead wasn‘t present in order not to bother her or even outside on a bench.

The redhead had never seen you on your private cellphone, never joining for the drinks with the other coworkers after shifts. You were completely and utterly different to her previous assistants and she secretly admired you for it. It took her a while to realize that you are somewhat like her, closed off about your private life, doing your work perfectly and simply going home at the end of your shift. She never approved her other assistants flirting and chatting with the bosses or the disgusting male coworkers from a few floors below, didn‘t appreciate the hangovers and the assistants calling out sick after seeing them going for drinks with the others. And you were different, almost like her and that was the first reason for Wilhemina.

Month one finished and the first challenge arose as both bosses had approved on a rather large order and customer, agreeing and signing the contracts before making sure the materials are available and the contributers on the same page. It meant endless long nights for Wilhemina and she really didn‘t feel like it that week, her back and condition especially rough in the past week. Her eyebrows furrowed when she watched you type away on your desk, long past your usual workday, everyone already having left for the night.

„Ms Y/LN“ she began, causing you to turn around and face her in an instant. „Yes Ms Venable?“ you asked, your voice as friendly as always. „What are you still doing here? you‘re aware we don‘t pay enough for overhours?“ she retorted, her mood particularly bad from her bosses actions and the physical toll of her condition. „Yes Ms. Venable, I‘m aware of that but I know the importance of this project and the deadlines“ you explained and she simply nodded before letting you carry on, astounded at your politeness and the fact you seemed to want to finish the work regardless of the hours and not caring about the pay either. In the end, by night two the two of you had figured it out completely, finishing everything and making sure the order is ready to go by the next morning. And that was Wilhemina‘s second reason, your selflessness, your sense of responsibility and how despite your younger age you care about this company and inevitably the woman you are working with. You had noticed how she never usually eats past lunch and for evening two you took your break and picked up some to go food, doing your research and picking her favorite place, getting her a salad and smoothie and placing it sublty on her desk, without making any comment. The two of you typed away in silence while eating but the woman couldn‘t fully focus, her mind clouded by you.

After that night, the next morning as you arrived, you found your desk in a different position, facing the window rather than the wall and you knew then that you must have done something right, smiling sublty, while enjoying the new view of your desk.

And so, the usual stoic woman found herself thinking about you outside of work, how you had something so effortless yet unique. She never saw you in the same outfit in a week, almost dressed professional but somehow still comfortable, you managed to make a comfortable sweater or cardigan look utterly professional. She liked your rings and how you would play with them a little whenever you are nervous or concentrating on your work. She loved that you occassionally mutter to yourself ever so quietly when reading something, which would usually drive her crazy and unleash her inner dragon but somehow it made her smile on the inside. She liked the stationary you kept hidden in your desk draw, the notebook with flowers on, the packet of teddy bear highlighters and bunny postits that you would only use when she isn't around, using the office standard whenever she is watching. But she had caught on, liking the little unique details about you and how sublty she noticed them over time.

Wilhemina started to grow curious about you, wishing you would share more about yourself, suddenly finding herself wondering what your favorite music is, whether you like to read, whether you have a pet. And some more months in she would ask herself what your life outside of work may be, having done some research on social media but unable to find much about your private life. She wondered whether you may have someone in your life, what you are interested in. But the redhead never finds herself to ever ask you, engage in any conversations without you that aren‘t about work. Sometimes, she would sit there, her hands ghosting over her keyboard, simply staring at you and wondering what she could say or how she could ever say the words on the tip of her tongue.

And then Wilhemina found herself turning back to writing, something she would very rarely do these days, finding herself lost in poetry, writing about the colour of your eyes, the colour of your hair and what those reminded you of. How she would like to know your favorite flower, wishing she could coat your desk with them, wondering what your hand would feel like and whether it could fit into her own. And before she knew it, the woman realized what this was turning into, the familiar longing in her heart, the sudden nerves when around you and the having to withdraw from staring at you too much during the day. She had felt this longing before, rarely ever so strong though and she knew she had to intervene before this could hurt her too much. She knew she wouldn‘t stand a chance, knowing no one could ever truly be interested in her and even by the slim chance that they are, they could never truly accept and love her when they found out about her physical condition.

Wilhemina had learnt the hard way that people would feel bad, either treat her like a child and doing everything for her or telling her its not that bad and other people suffer with worse and that she needs to keep it together. And neither she ever wanted to go through again, so all her life she had pushed any resemblance of a family, friends or a love interest away. And so as the rainy days came by, she turned quieter, more drawn to herself and losing herself in work, sometimes simply spending nights in her office and working, not wanting to go back to her lonely home and wonder what your company may be like there. She retreated from talking to you unless completely necessary, barely making any eye contact and sometimes her usual sarcasm would even slip out.

Now, over the past six months you had gotten to know your boss, knowing how strict and driven she was, seeing how she spoke to people over the phone that annoyed her, seeing how she would answer to the two bosses and throw the same rude comments right back at them, never taking their inappropriate jokes or sometimes even abuse. You heard the shatter by the coffee machines how she hasn‘t fired you yet, how you managed to tame the dragon, never giving in to those comments and simply brushing them off. But you enjoyed her presence, working beside her even through silence, her presence comforting and somehow keeping you calm during the rush of this job and working for the company. And you noticed her pulling away ever so slightly, assuming she may be struggling with some personal things but somehow you wanted to help her, having seen her cane of course, her posture and the medication vials, despite her doing her best to hide it from you. But of course the others chatted about her scoliosis, the occasional comment about the rain making it worse and whether her next outburst may come but you didn‘t care about what they said, wanting to make her life easier, having grown fond of the woman you are working for over these past few months.

„Ms Venable?“ you asked one rainy afternoon, the rain pattering quietly against the large windows as you stood in front of her after your break. She simply carried on typing before muttering some sort of reply that she was listening. „May I assist you with anything?“ you asked, knowing there was no point in asking her whether you can ask her something, knowing she disapproved of unnecessary etiquettes like that. „Have you checked whether those bills have been handed to finances?“ she asked, never once glancing at you. „Yes Ms Venable, all done“ you explained before she nodded, mumbling about you getting back to work. But you didn‘t back away, remaining there before you cleared your throat. „I was wondering if there is anything I can assist you with“ you clarified, causing her eyes to snap towards you, sensing the slight nervousness in your voice for the first time since working with you.

„Whatever do you mean?“ she asked, adjusting her glasses as they slightly moved down her nose from all the reading. „It‘s just I know how demanding this job is for you and after all I am hired as your assistant so I‘d be happy to fetch you whatever you may need, coffee, lunch or even some personal errands, knowing how much time you spend here“ you explained, your heart practically beating out of your chest by the end of it. And Wilhemina found herself torn, this being yet another reason but she had to fight it, keep her walls where they had always been, snapping some reply towards you, causing you to nod and return to your desk, fighting back the tears, wondering what you may had done wrong for her to change so much within the last few weeks. Yet you soldiered through, resuming your work and brushing it off as her having a rough time, knowing you at least did your best to offer it to her.

The next morning as you returned to work, your desk was gone and someone had informed you of you working in the hallway by a smaller desk, right between Ms Venable‘s office and the two bosses. You sighed, wondering what exactly you had done wrong and sad not to be working as closely with her as before. You never questioned that the desk was different, that yet you found your stationary in a draw neatly placed, never connecting the dots as to whom had placed them there in the first place. And momentarily the woman found peace for a few weeks, her mind not constantly clouded and driven by her emotions and reasons of falling in love with you, being able to focus on her work, going home in the evening and spent the night with her most truest and loyal companion. Weeks passed and she would only occasionally see you, the same coffee always there, the files always there waiting for her from the printer. Often she would communicate with you via email, telling you exactly what she needed and she found it easier to cope with her reality.

She had started seeing her therapist again, cancelling the last few sessions due to her demanding work but she managed to talk about you and despite the reassurance that she deserved this, should give this a shot, she couldn‘t believe it, couldn‘t trust the risks, despite having made major breakthroughs in the past while working on herself and slowly healing from some of live's traumas. Things however took a turn when she needed a document urgently, walking to the printers herself before finding you in the small room next door, your face tear stained as you stared at the coffee machine. She carried on but stopped herself in time, returning before finding you turning to her with a brave smile, acting as if nothing happened. She didn't question it, gathering from the two coffee cups you are holding that this may be her bosses doing and so she observed quietly and from a distance, seeing how many times you would walk away from your desk, constantly having to go into your bosses office either to serve or entertain them.

The redhead felt bad, this ultimately her doing for punishing you away for her own feelings. She watched quietly as you walked away yet again to fetch them something before stepping into their large office "I'm so glad Venny got sick of this one, she's perfect" one of them muttered, causing her blood to boil and her overprotectiveness to kick in, which was rare for the woman obsessed with lilac. Her cane banged on the floor twice as she put them in their place and you stood there frozen as she turned around and faced you. "Follow me" she instructed and you did as you are told before she pointed at your old desk in her office "You'll stay in our office again and we will never speak of this again, understood?" she questioned and you nodded eagerly before thanking her and fetching your belongings again. "Our office" the words kept repeating in her head, wanting to slap herself for ever saying that and judging herself for having gone so soft on you.

„Did they do anything to make you uncomfortable?“ she asked out of the blue a while later and you turned to her before answering „No Ms Venable“ and she left it at that, knowing you trusted her enough by now to voice if anything serious happend. Yet, her overprotectiveness caused her issue to return, the sleepless nights, the reasons overwhelming her. It wasn‘t until fate or rather your idiot bosses took matters into their own hands a few weeks later that things finally took a turn.

You arrived on time as always, which by your standards meant showing up fifteen minutes early as always. You knew Ms. Venable had a meeting scheduled this morning with finances due to a small mishap on their part. She had told you to take care of any incoming phone calls, which you didn‘t mind as you had done it plenty of times. You managed to work at your normal pace, only occasionally some calls with people who needed to speak with your boss directly and so you took notes, neatly leaving them on her desk. Before lunchtime, another call came in, this time your idiot bosses who demanded your attention in their office. You obliged of course, nevertheless not looking forward to whatever they would need from you as they also knew Ms Venable was out of reach and somehow you felt safe around the redhead woman, especially in the presence of those two.

„Ah good to see you“ one of them said before patting one of the chairs beside them. You politely declined, opting to stand before asking what you may assist them with. „You know.. we‘ve been thinking and we both know Venny a while“ they started and you knew they meant Ms Venable by this, only able to imagine what she would do if she heard them adress her like this. „And so it struck us as odd how off she‘s been lately“ he carries on explaining which causes your eyebrows to furrow. „Until we found this“ the other one began laughing hysterically as he held up a note on a lilac piece of paper. You stepped forward, trying to take the note but they wouldn‘t let you.

„I look at you, but words won't come, my heart beats loud, my tongue stays numb. Each smile you give, a fragile thread, I fear the truth is best unsaid“ one of them read while giggling and you took all your bravery, lunging forward and taking the note, wrapping it in your pocket before leaving them to it, giggling and cracking jokes as you leave their office and return to your desk. Now you weren‘t sure if it was really true, considering what pranksters they are but as you open the note again, you instantly recognize the womans handwriting and your heart skips as a beat as you slowly read over the words.

I look at you, but words won't come, my heart beats loud, my tongue stays numb. Each smile you give, a fragile thread, I fear the truth is best unsaid.

What if you see the cracks beneath, the tangled heart, the hidden grief? If all I am should break your gaze, and turn your warmth to colder days?

I wear this mask, too scared to show , the parts of me I hope don't grow. But love like this, it's sharp and real, too wild to hide, too raw to heal.

So here I stay, just out of reach, too scared to fall, too shy to speak. If you saw me as I am inside, would you still love me, or run and hide?

By the end of reaching the poem your eyes were swelling with tears, not for the fact that someone loved you enough to write poetry about you but how she viewed herself. You knew she seemed tough and cold on the outside, trying to protect what‘s hidden inside. You knew she cared about rules and structure only to protect the parts of her that needed those in order to get through her days. You knew she thinks her condition turned her into a monster, someone not worth loving. But you didn’t know she feared turning you cold and bitter and it strucks you then what the woman must have been through in her past to see herself like this, not to speak her truth and to hide her feelings. The sadness overwhelmed you as you tried focusing on your work again, only now understanding why she had sent you away before after you offered her help.

Wilhemina returned moments later, just missing the initial events as she entered the office again. As soon as she did, she could tell something wasn‘t right, you were too focused on your work, barely acknowledging her as she tried to speak to you, your usual warmth and openness replaced by something, she couldn‘t quite name. She brushed it off, assuming it was something personal before following up on the calls and emails she had missed. By the time the afternoon arrived, you still almost remained frozen and she began to worry then. She had asked you again but you still seemed frozen and so she opted to leave you be, walk to the printers herself rather than ordering you to. When she returns, she finds her two bosses lingering by the hallway, some smug smiles plastered on their faces.

„Now Ms Venable, want us to book you both a table tonight?“ one of them muttered with a smug smile on his face. Her eyes rolled as she listened to their rambling again and she simply began to walk away, not in the mood for their pranks and jokes. „Oh come on Venny, don‘t tell us Y/N didn‘t like your little poem“ the other one joked before they began giggling. She stopped in her tracks, her cane banging on the floor once as she realized what they had done. She knew she should have kept that draw locked but again she didn‘t expect those two to go through her personal things. She simply walked away, returning to her desk before calmly opening her bottom drawer, needing to check which poem they had taken and given to you. To her distaste they took the last, possibly most meaningful one. She remained silent as she began typing away on her computer, ignoring your presence as well as her actual work that had piled up on her desk by now.

By the time the evening arrives, everyone having left she still types away, having gone to the printers a few times. By around 10pm, you wrap up for the day, keeping your composure as you approach the woman. „Is there anything I can help you with Ms Venable?“ you ask, trying to keep your nerves at bay feeling horrible for what your bosses had done and how they exposed the vulnerable side of the woman sitting in front of you. „No you can leave“ she acknowledges before she passes you a slim folder. „What is this?“ you ask a little confused as you see some printed job offers from different firms, for similar positions than the one you are already working. „These are job offers from other companies, they pay more and they will certainly value your qualities.“ she begins, not meeting your eyes once as the confusion ripples through you. „I‘m sorry?“ you ask confused, taking a closer look at the contents of the folder.

„I have added a very good reference for you and once you make your decision, I‘ll be happy to assist, I have some connections with most of these companies“ she explains camly, ignoring how this is making you feel nervous by the shacking of your hands and voice. Was she firing you? You remain silent, trying to understand what happened when the poem crosses your mind again. „Are you firing me Ms Venable?“ you ask confused, knowing if she was firing you, she wouldn‘t be handing you a good reference and other, maybe even better job opportunities. She glances at you then, opening her mouth as if to speak but she remains silent as she collects her thoughts. And thats when you see the vulnerability in her eyes, matching the contents of her writing so perfectly and it again made your heart ache, knowing she was only doing this to protect you from herself and her now very obvious feelings for you.

„Ms Venable, if this is about the poem“ you begin but she cuts you off immediately. „They had no business going through my things and you had no business reading it“ she snaps, her walls suddenly back as she tries to fight for her last bit of dignity. „I know Ms Venable and I‘m so sorry but if thats why you want to get rid of me then there is no need“ you reassure. She stares at you almost a bit puzzled before sighing „And what makes you say that?“ her tone a bit snappy and much like the usual Ms Venable. „Because if those two were right and this is about me then I don‘t care Ms Venable, I like working here, I respect this company and I enjoy working with you.. I mean underneath you and… I.. I like you too Ms Venable“ you admit, a desperate attempt not to make her push you away, not in order to keep your job but in order to make her see that you cared about her too, maybe more than you had allowed her to see.

„Please…“ she sighs, rolling her eyes at the patheticness of your statement. „I mean it Ms Venable“ you argue, for the first time in a while meeting her brown eyes and she could see it too then, the honesty, how raw and vulnerable you seem in this moment and that every word seems to come from a place of truth. „I may not agree with all parts of your poem but I don‘t want to lose this job or working beside you“ you repeat and she simply stares at you as she listens to your every word. „I don‘t know you very well outside of work of course but the parts I have seen I have grown very fond of, I like the way you sass everyone and how you aren‘t afraid to deal with people like those two idiots, I like how maticuless and responsible you do this job, how this company would be lost without you. I adore how strict you are and how you care for rules and structure but how you can be soft underneath it, truly kind and caring about others.“ Her nose scrunched at the last statement but you can‘t help but carry on. „I don‘t care about the dark sides or the grief, I don‘t care about your condition or how it may affect you on bad days, I care about your wellbeing Ms Venable and you could never turn me cold or ruin me“ you lay out your feelings before suddenly stopping, realizing you may be oversharing and definitely overstepping.

„I would really like to get to know you better and if that means having to leave this job I will happily do that and if you want me to pretend that none of this ever happened then I will but please don‘t send me away“ you beg with a final statement before reaching for your bag and leaving her be, leaving the office for the night wanting to give her enough space to think this through and also calm down as you poured your entire heart and soul out right in front of her. Neither of you managed to sleep a wink that night, you too scared of the consequences of your confession and Wilhemina trying to fight her walls, knowing she actually had a shot at this but way too stubborn to allow herself to feel those feelings for you.

By the time you get into the office she is already there and you simply greet her before beginning on your work, knowing when the time was right, she would approach you. And it took the entirity of the day, the whole office having left again as you return from the printers and find her looking at you with an expression you are unable to read. „Did you mean what you said last night?“ she asks, her voice more vulnerable, lacking her usual strength and composure. „Every word“ you reassure before she nods and looks away „I know this may be a long shot but may I take you for coffee or dinner at some point?“ you ask, surprised as soon as the words left your mouth at this sudden confidence and apparently the redhead feels the same way as a small smirk appears on her face. „Bold attempt“ she smirks, causing your cheeks to blush slightly. „Is that a yes?“ you ask nervously before she nods, causing your smile to widen.

And so, Wilhemina‘s reasons kept going as she got to know you better, learnt about your love for animals, how enthusiastic you are about charity work, how your favourite colours are yellow and lilac, how you like going on walks and buying flowers and plants to decorate your place in, how you adore books and spent a lot of time at the library or local book stores. How you loved wine and how chatty you would get even after one glass. With each detail about you she found herself falling deeper, loving the way you talk and listening to it for hours on end, how you always included her in a conversation, how you always wanted to find out as much as you can about her. And then a few weeks later there was the time when you met her most loyal companion and that had been her last reason, the way you got so excited, how you crouched to his level, how he immediately warmed up to you, which he wouldn‘t usually do with strangers. She watched in awe as you spoke to him in the most adorable voice ever and as she glanced at you, she knew.

On your next „meeting“ which had been dates all along but the woman was still a little shy and awkward she decided to be brave and as your hands brushed, she took yours in hers and just like she had dreamed it fit perfectly together, almost like the missing puzzle piece. „Y/N?“ she halted and you turned towards her at the sudden seriousness of her voice. „Yes Wilhemina?“ you asked and she looked away before whispering „I think it‘s time you take one of those other jobs now“ she explained and your eyebrows furrowed for a moment before she held onto your hand tighter, closing the gap and using all of her confidence to put whatever she had been feeling into the kiss. You couldn‘t help but smile as you immediately kissed her back, so excited that you wanted to giggle and jump up and down. „I‘ll be sure to quit in the morning“ you smirked before adding „I don‘t know how my boss will feel about that though, she lowkey has a crush on me“ you joke which caused the redhead to chuckle lowly.

And so, ever so slowy and over time, Wilhemina didn‘t simply find many reasons to fall in love for the assistant she never wanted but she also learned to love herself again, to allow herself to be open for love and ignore the demons and voices in her head telling her how unworthy and undeserving she was of those. And you made sure to show her for the rest of your lifetime what the woman meant to you, always holding her hand when days got tough, never treating her like a child or a victim and simply being there for her with whatever she needed as you fell just as hard for the readhead, possibly for a million reasons more.

[honeysorwell]

Two hearts can fix everything 

Pairing: Wilhemina Venable x fem!Reader 

Word Count: 1,3k

Tag list: @paulsonix​​ @d14n4ol​​ @harknspet​ @strawberryshorttcakkee and if any of you want to be added just let me know!

Summary: Wilhemina Venable. A strange name, but one that has never caused a stir in the redhead's life. However, when a new coffee shop opens near Kineros Robotics, her unusual name is what brings Wilhemina and Y/N together. Charmed by Y/N's sweet smile, Wilhemina doesn't have the courage to correct the barista when she spells her name wrong every time the redhead orders a coffee and, as time goes by, a feeling grows in Wilhemina's heart and she is tempted to almost add an I and an L to her register.

But one day, this little misunderstanding has to end.

A/N: Hello! i'm back with something new! 

fuck… I miss good fanfiction, so I got inspired and finally fell ok with writing again for this social network after all this time, and nothing better than writing about this pretty redhead who lives in our hearts... 

I have in mind five chapters to this fanfic (to be really specific), but if you all like this I can extend the fanfic to 7 or 8 chapters, just like I did with (a very unprofessional) game changer . 

As I said last time, English is not my first language so something might sound strange, but as always, I did my best.

Anyway this is basically a coffee shop au (mix w 5 times +1) were the cute barista keeps misspelling the other persons name but it's been too long now so the person don't even know how to tell them that without it being 100% awkward BUT happy ending included! And they are cute!! 

Enjoy!

Synopsis of the story + Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

Chapter 1

The first time that it happened, Wilhemina was supposed to go home after a really long day of work, because she couldn't be more irritated on a Monday. Jeff and Mutt started the week smelling like cheap booze and both extremely tipsy, stumbling between the rooms of Kineros Robotics while laughing for no reason at all. Even though the redhead knows that their brains are absolutely useless for anything, she still finds herself getting irritated by their lack of professionalism. And this irritability gives her a headache right away.

The redhead took an antibiotic for the pain, even though her back wasn't bothering her, silently and uselessly wishing that the relaxing medicinal effect would be directed at the throbbing pain in the middle of her forehead. Her primary instinct is to simply get into her car and go home, but as she leaves the building where she works, a sign shines in the sunset across the street and consequently catches Wilhemina's attention.

The sign had been ready for a few days now, full of green plants and eye-catching flowers to the point that the redhead believed it was a flower shop. But now it is clear, thanks to the colorful and festive letters that basically scream “Gardenhouse Coffee”, that it is a coffee shop.

And the redhead simply knows that she will not like it there.

Wilhemina can see, just through the ornate glass of the colored windows, that this is not the kind of place she frequents. It is a mix of shades of green, yellow, purple, pink and blue that contaminate the redhead's vision. She knows that she cannot call it ugly, because even though it is confusing it does not seem ugly. It is just not for her. Definitely not for her.

But when the redhead's headache worsens, as a reminder of her current situation, Wilhemina imagines that, perhaps, there is no harm in visiting the place. After all, the cause of her headache could be the lack of coffee in her day. It made sense since she did not drink coffee in the morning and also did not stop her work for it at any time during the day.

And suddenly, getting rid of this pain quickly turns out so important to Venable that she crosses the street and enters the coffee shop right away.

The inside is not as bad as the facade. There are wooden tables with several plants in different colors, but with green and brown staying everything seems to make more sense. The place is busy, but everyone is already seated at their respective tables and engaged in parallel conversations, and knowing that she doesn't have to wait for anyone to place her order or stand under the gaze of strangers while waiting for a measly coffee makes Wilhemina calmer.

The coffee shop is not as small as Wilhemina imagined looking from the outside, and part of the redhead is surprised to discover that only one woman works there. She wears a light brown apron with some plants printed on it, as well as the name of the coffee shop and a name tag.

Y/N.

The name is written clearly, in a size acceptable to be seen from a distance and with beautiful handwriting. But what really catches Wilhemina's attention is her face. Y/N has bright eyes and a smile that seems to shine in the middle of the coffee shop, as if she were a being oblivious to all the evils of the world. And Wilhemina almost gets scared when her eyes shine with a kind of natural affection directly in her direction.

“Hello, welcome to Gardenhouse Coffee! How can I help you?”, her voice is also soft, full of joy and Wilhemina can’t decide if she likes it or not.

“Just the menu.”, the redhead didn’t mean to, but her voice came out less inviting than she anticipated.

“Here. Just let me know if you need anything, or if something on the menu is confusing.”

“I believe I can find myself on a sheet of paper. Thank you.”

Y/N doesn’t answer her, just nods and focuses her gaze on her own counter, as if looking for something to do besides looking at the redhead. When Venable focuses her gaze on the menu, she notices that the names are absurd. Full of lame puns, or ingredients that are not very inviting to her, and Wilhemina has absolutely no time for any of that, especially when her head starts to hurt again. So, she doesn't bother to look at the entire menu to turn her attention to the waitress in front of her.

"I'll just have a strong coffee, medium size. Black, no sugar or anything else.", as the words slip past her lips, Wilhemina slides the menu to the counter again, and as she does so she can see that Y/N notices that she is not available for any silly conversation in the middle of this sale, and the redhead feels grateful for that since her head continues to hurt more and more with each second.

"It's on its way! What's your name?", the waitress's smile is there again, but the question confuses Wilhemina.

Why does she want Wilhemina's name if she is the only one inn line there waiting for a coffee? And honestly, a simple, regular coffee doesn't take long to make so there's no chance that Y/N will forget what to do or to who it is directed before it is ready.

The redhead thinks about being unpleasant and asking questions in a loud and clear tone for everyone to hear, questioning the attendant's IQ until the incessant smile disappears from her face, but her head is about to throb without pause so Wilhemina just answers quickly before watching Y/N work.

"Venable. Wilhemina Venable."

Maybe it would be better for her back to just sit down, because the idea of ​​the pain in the center of her forehead being accompanied by a much more unpleasant one in the middle of her spine made her saliva taste bitter. But sitting carefully in chairs that seem too low, and then having to get up to leave with the same care, both to avoid hurting herself and to avoid attracting curious looks, is so exhausting that perhaps the first option is actually the best on a comparative scale.

It's official, she prefers to stand and only sit down when she is really comfortable and without pitying looks on her, in her car.

Trying to use the time she has in a profitable way, the redhead takes her wallet out of her bag and then her card, but as soon as she looks up, she sees Y/N writing something down in a cup filled with a dark liquid that Wilhemina could swear is hers.

It really was fast.

The cup is handed to her with a sweet smile, and Wilhemina almost feels obliged to mirror it, even if it was with a slight robotic lift of her lips, but then she sees it.

Wilhielmina.

At another time, Venable would have stared at the striking and beautiful line of the barista's handwriting on the glass, or even the two drawn hearts that accompanied it, but the error in her name screams so loudly in her ears that she can barely think of anything else while staring at the hot drink.

If the redhead were living an ordinary day, her first reaction would be to complain to the person in charge and ask the bright-eyed barista if she was illiterate. After all: an I and an L, really?

But her head hurt so much, her body was really tired and crying out for a shower, and her knees were now tired of supporting her weight.

Wilhemina really just wanted to go home. And so the redhead just grabbed the cup and gave the barista a polite nod before heading out of that rainbow-shaped nightmare, not caring if Y/N had said a word to her.

After all, Wilhemina wouldn't go back there.

The coffee must be bad, so she doesn't care if her name is spelled wrong.

She wouldn't go back there anyway.

[imagines-ahs]

Chapter Fifty: Amaranth.

Summary: Wilhemina Venable felt it was finally time to leave Kineros Robotics and get a job with people who weren’t such morons like Jeff and Mutt. What she didn’t expect, however, was for her new boss to be so damn insufferable. She didn’t expect to fall in love with her, either.

Tag List: @mayfair-fleur @mistysswampmud @paulsonsratched @msvenablx @notmeellaannyy @rwoolfe @golddustdykes​ @lovingsarah @slut-for-sarah @geinobinarie​ (message me to be added if interested!)

“I said no, of course.” Venable watched how Billie’s chest had begun to move a little faster. She’s nervous. Wilhemina could feel herself starting to grow overwhelmed, and Billie Dean’s fingers no longer felt right tangled in her own. As gentle as she could, Venable pulled her hand away. Billie blinked once, glancing down at their hands. The look that settled on Billie Dean’s face caused Wilhemina to feel even more disappointed in herself. I’m hurting her. But her whole body refused to allow itself to be touched, to be felt, to be noticed as something that existed in physical form. Billie only nodded, waiting for Venable to say something else, anything else. Wilhemina’s jaw was tense again. “B-Billie, what happened between you and Terry?”

For a second, everything Billie Dean could hear was a faint buzz. Slowly, her body recovered from the sudden rush of adrenaline that had just washed down. She licked her dry lips, blinking once or twice. “What did she tell you?” I should have talked to her about it. I should have done it before she had the chance. Venable didn’t answer, she only looked away. Billie frowned a little more, holding her emotions back the best she could. “Wilhie, what did she tell you?”

Wilhie. Venable stared down at the floor, body refusing to allow her voice to come out. She pushed it through. “She just… she told me y-you did the same to her— to Terry… d-date her, I m-mean. And then you—you got tired and just… discarded her.”

“I never dated her,” Billie quickly said. “We went out a few times, but we—we never dated.” Her heart had accelerated its pace, for Billie Dean knew where this was going. “There w-were no feelings, and she was not fired b-because of that. It had nothing to do with o-our so called relationship.” She saw right there in Venable’s eyes how she didn’t seem to believe her. Fuck! Honey eyes filled up with tears. “Wilhemina, I d-don’t know what she told you, b-but it was nothing l-like us. Nothing. It was never serious. We only—we hooked up a few times, but we never even went out on a proper date.”

“Will you get tired of me, too?” It was barely a whisper, but one that came in a strong tone and as cold as ice. Venable hated herself for allowing it to come out like that, for allowing her walls to control her like that. Her posture was rigid again, both hands on the cane and head up high. Defensive. Scared.

“I will not.” There was no doubt in that. Billie gulped the lump in her throat. “I d-didn’t get tired of h-her. No one k-knows what happened.” A tear slid down. Billie Dean paid no attention to it. Her hands ached to just hold the woman in front of her. “W-Wilhie… Wilhie, please… I—I don’t k-know what else to tell y-you.” Another tear slipped down, followed by another, and another. She sniffled, never once looking away from Venable. Stop crying, for fuck’s sake!

“Tell me w-what happened.” Wilhemina’s voice trembled, betraying the coldness of her posture. Too many things went through her mind, each one of them taking her to a worst place.

With her eyebrows drawing close together, Billie Dean sniffled. She nodded as she took a deep breath. “Not here.” Venable frowned. “Meet me in the garage in five minutes.”

“Why?”

“T-trust me?”

Wilhemina bit her inner cheek. Staring at those honey oceans that always carried so much kindness, she wondered how could she ever say no to Billie Dean. How could she ever deny her anything when she stared at her with eyes so full of tears and so full of fear. She nodded, and in a gush of even more trust, reached to squeeze one of Billie’s hands. I never meant to hurt her. “I do.”

Taking another deep breath, Billie squeezed Venable’s hand back. “I p-promise I’ll give you a-all the answers.”

Wilhemina nodded. The sight was breaking her heart. Hesitantly, she let Billie Dean’s hand go and followed back to her table, heart beating fast.

Alone in her office, Billie Dean sat back down on her chair. She tried taking a deep breath, but a sob cut through. She felt ashamed. She felt judged by something Venable hadn’t even seen yet. Covering her eyes with her palms, Billie forced her body to calm down; this time, air filled her lungs slowly, completely. Her body craved for nicotine yet again, and she didn’t have another choice but to give in. Reaching for her purse, Billie Dean grabbed a cigarette from the pack she had there along with a lighter and walked to the huge window of her office, opening it carefully. She took drag after drag with eyes staring at nothing at all, focused on blurring colors as she kept herself trapped in all the thoughts that ran through her mind. What if she decides I’m too much for her? Finding someone like Venable had been so hard… it wouldn’t have been anyone but Wilhemina.

It didn’t take long for Venable to get up and walk to the elevator, nail picking on the skin of her thumb— an unconscious, nervous habit. She did notice how Emma stared at her, clearly curious, clearly angry, clearly wanting to get up and follow her to know what was happening. She wouldn’t have the nerve. As Wilhemina stepped into the elevator and the doors closed, she sighed in relief for being the only one there. Her stomach turned as the floors started to go down, mind on Billie, focus on Billie, heart on Billie. What could be so bad? What even could have happened that could be so bad? Why am I so scared? Venable knew why… what if she were being used? What if the Billie Dean she knew was a lie carefully constructed to play some sort of trick on her? I knew it was too good to be true. Billie gave her no reason to think that way, but the part of Wilhemina that refused to see any good on herself screamed louder. As the elevator stopped and the doors opened again, Venable hesitantly followed into a more secluded area of the garage. She hadn’t seen Billie Dean pass through the main office, which meant she wasn’t there yet. She stood there waiting, nibbling on her inner cheek at the same pace her nail dug on her skin. Not even five minutes later, the doors to the elevator opened to reveal Billie, with her sunglasses on and purse in hand. Venable watched her from the corner of her eye, hand squeezing the cane harshly.

As Billie Dean looked around in search of Wilhemina, she caught herself still sniffling the remaining of her tears. Her eyes had grown red and swollen, and her mascara had been all smudged—she tried wiping it off, and at least it got somewhat presentable. Sunglasses were always a lifesaver, though. Her head picked up as she saw a hint of purple, and she watched as Venable stood there so nervous she couldn’t hide it this time. Billie sighed. Please, don’t change your mind. “Hi,” she said softly as she approached Wilhemina.

Turning around, Venable smiled a little. “Hi. She’s wearing glasses. Wilhemina wanted to lean closer and kiss her lips; wanted to hold her hand, comfort her and caress her fingers. But her body refused to allow it, standing on the ground with feet glued on it and refusing to draw closer.

Billie gulped again, eyes falling down. “My car is—is to the left.”

“Your car?” Venable frowned.

Billie Dean nodded. “I need—I want to show you the whole thing.” Her eyes hesitantly moved back to brown ones. Wilhemina looked even more confused. I won’t be able to wait until we get there. Every second that Venable stared at her like that broke her heart a tiny bit more. But also, what was the best to do? Wilhemina was a very logical person, and so perhaps the best was, indeed, to wait.

Venable’s first reaction was to deny getting away from the workplace while she was, technically, working. But Billie Dean was the boss, and even if she weren’t, Billie Dean was her priority right now. So she nodded and followed Billie along until they got to her car. “Thank you,” she nearly whispered as she got in, holding her cane on her lap as Billie Dean closed the door.

“Of course.” Billie walked to the driver’s side and got in as well. She took a deep breath as she buckled up, and then she took her glasses off and turned on the car. Wilhemina watched her closely, eyes tracing each and every line of her. I’m so embarrassed.

Her eyes are blotchy. Venable’s thumb was back at picking on her skin. “Where are we going?” She asked after a second. The car was already moving, and as Wilhemina took a deep breath she realized just how much it smelled like Billie Dean. I want to hold her.

“My house.” Billie licked her lips as she looked over to the sides before moving forward.

“Your house?” What could they possibly do at Billie Dean’s house? Venable was lost; completely lost. She watched as Billie nodded. “Why?”

Billie bit her inner cheek, fingers silently drumming on the wheel. Her stomach kept on twirling. “The… the documents are a-all there.” Her eyes started to grow teary again. She sniffled.

Documents? Wilhemina was starting to grow worried—not for her feelings, not for her trauma, but for Billie Dean. She had seen Billie worried and nervous like that before, and it was never something good. Reach for her hand. Venable eyed them on the wheel. “Billie, you’re worrying me.”

Wiping a tear away, Billie Dean sighed. After a minute or two, she finally gathered the courage to speak again. “I’m scared,” she breathed out. They stopped at a red light, so she was able to look at Venable.

Oh no. Wilhemina didn’t know what to do, how to react, how to comfort Billie when she herself needed comfort. “W-why?” Her voice trembled. Her nerves started to grow agitated. Hiding her feelings had become hard all of a sudden.

“B-because.” Billie Dean sniffled again. Her eyes refused to stay dry. “Terry, she… no one k-knows about i-it. I’ve been d-dealing with that alone, n-no one knows. And I’m scared y-you’ll look at me differently when you f-find out.”Gulping yet again, Venable shook her head. The light turned green, they moved forward. Billie kept on sniffling as she drove, wiping the running tears away the best she could.

Wilhemina had grown quiet again. Would anything be able to make me look at her differently? It wasn’t fair to think something could; not with how Billie Dean had treated her so far, not with the amount of comfort that woman brought to her. She wouldn’t do something that could cause me to look at her differently. Struggling to pass through the walls, Venable began to dig a hole. She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes, thumb now bleeding. I don’t want to lose her. Haven’t my ways taken too much from me already? Every single time Wilhemina happened to be struggling around Billie, she had been anything but kind, loving, sweet. It’s not fair I don’t do the same. Venable wanted to do the same. She dug and dug and dug until she could see a small amount of the outside, and then she opened her eyes again. Billie Dean kept her waterfall eyes on the road. “B-Billie,” she barely managed to whisper. They stopped at a red light again. Their eyes met. She’s terrified. “I… I l-like you for who you a-are. That’s n-not changing.” Taking all the strength she could, Wilhemina reached for Billie Dean’s free hand. She tangled their fingers and caressed it, feeling the soft skin against her own.

With her face scrunching up with tears, Billie shook her head. Her eyes fell down to their hands, and she squeezed Venable’s back as if it were the last time she would be able to do so. “I-I’m ashamed of what happened,” that was all she managed to whisper.

Wilhemina’s frown grew. She knew that feeling well… almost too well. She kept on caressing the fingers tangled in hers, watching as Billie Dean cried more and more. I should stop talking. She’s driving. Billie had to calm down. “Just… just know I’m here with y-you.”

With another nod, Billie Dean got back to driving. She sniffled nonstop, trying to bring her nerves down. With her hand tangled in Venable’s, her chest filled with air a tiny bit easier.

The rest of the ride was quiet. Billie used the time to calm herself down as best as she could, and Wilhemina never once let her hand go; it was the best she could do right now. When they got to Billie Dean’s house, her eyes were dry and only slightly red. She reached for her purse and opened the garage, gently letting go of Venable’s hand as she parked the car. When the engine stopped, Billie took a deep breath. So did Wilhemina.

“Eleanor must be here,” Billie Dean broke the silence. It took a minute for Venable to remember whom Eleanor was, but she nodded anyways. Billie got out of the car and walked to the other side, ready to open the door for Wilhemina; she was already getting out. I need another cigarette. As they followed inside, Venable caught herself regretting not bringing her purse along. She had her bottle of Valium there, and even though she had already taken one today, the fear of a panic attack raising was very much present right now. Billie Dean didn’t dare offering a hand to Wilhemina. Right now, she honestly didn’t feel like she deserved to be held by anyone. The living room was substantially tidier this time Venable noticed, and the whole house smelled like a flower she couldn’t quite point to. “Eleanor?” Billie called. In no more than five minutes, a blonde, pale woman walked into the living room holding a cloth.

“Hello, Ms. Howard. I didn’t expect you here so early.”

Ms. Howard. Billie Dean had already asked Eleanor not to call her like that, but she didn’t have the energy to bring that up right now. “It’s alright. Is everything okay? Could you get settled well?”

“Yes. Thank you, Ms. Howard.” The woman smiled. Wilhemina watched how she eyed her once, smile never leaving her lips. She also took notice of how, even though very much distressed, Billie Dean was still as nice as always. How can I ever see her differently? “I’m cleaning the downstairs bathroom and the pool area right now. Should I clean something else first? Would you like me to prepare you lunch?”

Billie shook her head. “It’s perfect as it is, Eleanor. Thank you so much. There’s no need to prepare us lunch, and when you feel like eating, use the house phone and order whatever you’d like, as always.”

“Right.” Eleanor nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Howard. I’ll go back to doing my job, if you need anything just call me.”

“Alright.” Billie Dean offered her the best smile she could. Excusing herself, Eleanor disappeared on the back door. Taking another deep breath, Billie turned to Venable. Going upstairs is hard for her. “I’ll go grab the documents.”

Wilhemina nodded; her chest clenched from how defeated Billie Dean looked. As Billie disappeared upstairs, Venable caught herself sighing. She walked to the couch and took a seat, hands nervously squeezing the cane. Her eyes scanned the room she had seen only once before, trying to distract herself with the details she could capture: the awards on the shelf, the TV that could almost be mistaken by a painting of birds, the beautiful chandelier. It’s all Billie Dean. Venable adored everything. She looked down at her hands and noticed dry blood on the thumb she had been picking on. She bit her lower lip. I should wash it. But Eleanor had said she was cleaning the bathroom, and she didn’t even know where it was. Plus, she didn’t feel comfortable just walking around Billie Dean’s house. I wouldn’t mind if she did so in mine. Somehow it felt different. Footsteps took her away from her thoughts, and so Wilhemina looked up from her hands to watch as Billie approached her with a folder in hand, head down. She gulped.

Here we go. Billie took a deep breath as she sat down next to Venable. Without saying anything, she just handed her the folder. Wilhemina stared at her in confusion. Billie Dean licked her dry lips. “It’s all there,” she said quietly.

It was hesitant, but Venable slowly began to read the papers. Honey eyes watched her closely, already wanting to grow teary again. Fiery eyebrows kept on drawing closer together. I should have brought my glasses. Taking a deep breath as she read the first document, her eyes grew in size as she realized what she was reading. “She’s blackmailing you?!” Wilhemina turned to look at Billie Dean, whom only nodded with her head down. Venable’s frown grew. “Why are you ashamed of it? She’s the one who should be ashamed.”

“Keep—keep on going…”

Instantly, Wilhemina did so. As she turned to the next page, a few screenshots were printed there, along with chunks of texts explaining the context of them. Venable kept on reading further, and suddenly, when she moved to another page, explicit pictures of Billie—clearly taken without her consent—were printed right there, in color and all. Wilhemina’s eyes grew even more and she quickly closed the file. As she moved to look at Billie Dean, she found her still looking down at the floor, lip trembling as she held back the tears. Venable shook her head. “Billie… Billie, look at me.” She saw the way Billie Dean squeezed her eyes shut, tears cascading down. Venable bit her lip harshly. Just grab her hand already. Hesitantly and ignoring the voices in her head that screamed Billie would get mad at her somehow, Venable reached for one of her hands. Billie Dean opened her eyes and slowly looked at Wilhemina. She offered her a sad smile. “Angel… this is not y-your fault.” Too many things spiraled through her mind, but Wilhemina was determined to keep her focus on Billie. What if she’s lying? There was no way Billie Dean would lie about that, with proof and everything. And Venable knew it. Still, her mind tried taking what was good from her, as it always did. Not this time. Not Billie Dean. Trusting was so fucking hard… but Billie deserved it. She had deserved every single leap of faith she had taken for her.

Seeing Wilhemina through the tears was hard, and so Billie Dean clenched her hand for dear life. Her ears buzzed with adrenaline and shame, body shaking slightly. “Those p-pictures… I’ve… she is threatening t-to sell t-them—“ a sob cut through. Billie shook her head and covered her eyes with her palm, sniffling deeply.

Venable shook her head as her blood started to boil. Who the fuck does she think she is? She clenched her jaw harshly. Wilhemina saw red. She wanted to let Billie Dean know just what she thought about that woman, and she almost started to speak before she forced herself to stop: Saturday morning slipped in her mind, how she had exploded when she heard about the threats from Emma, and how that had made Billie uncomfortable, scared. And that was the last thing she wanted right now. So Venable took a deep breath and found a way to shove her rage aside somewhere—anywhere. And then her mind got quiet. And her body stopped trembling. And she found herself… sad. Sad for seeing what the world did to Billie Dean despite it being cruel to herself, too. And her eyes grew misty, so misty they slowly overflowed. But she didn’t care; not now, not with a person she cared so much. What were emotions if not rage? For the first time in a long time, Wilhemina simply felt. “Billie…” She moved closer, because she trusted Billie Dean would never scream at her for showing affection. “Billie Dean… come h-here.” She let her hand go to wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer until Billie laid her head on her chest. And then she cradled her tightly, lovingly, fingers tangling in blonde hair and caressing it. Billie Dean kept on sobbing loudly while she clenched everything Wilhemina she could reach. Venable felt her cheeks getting wetter and wetter, but she simply let it be. Her nose buried into Billie’s hair, taking a deep breath. “It’s okay,” she whispered. The sound of Billie Dean’s sobs was one she didn’t think she had ever heard before, and it caused Venable to wonder just how long had she been holding them back, how long had she been postponing all these emotions she was meant to let go so long ago. Billie had always told Wilhemina she needed a break, and perhaps the break was not only physical. The urge to protect something wasn’t usual for Venable—it had happened only twice her whole life, first with Olivia, and then with Purpura—but it was undeniable how it had been growing with Billie Dean; perhaps now it had reached its peak.

As much as Billie tried, she just couldn’t take a proper breath, she just couldn’t stop the sobs from cutting through—so she accepted it. She accepted the fear, the shame, the anger at herself and whatever else and simply cried. She cried and cried as she held onto Wilhemina, trying to trade all her pain for lavender so only the purple crowded her senses and emotions. Her eyes hurt, her nose had grown red, and her body had finally stopped shaking after what seemed to be hours. When she finally gathered enough strength to look up at Venable again, she found her cheeks wet as well, eyes caring concern, comfort, worry and care. She sniffled the best she could and pulled away to properly look at her. “I f-feel like a whore,” she murmured lowly. Wilhemina blinked twice, clearly surprised by the words. “I feel s-so stupid with t-these pictures… how could I not see w-what she was doing?” Hadn’t she cried all she had inside, more tears would for sure come one more time. Billie Dean took a deep, shaky breath. She reached for one of Venable’s hands again, caressing it between her own. “I-I’m so ashamed of it all… I’m so scared y-you’ll think I-I do that with everyone.”

Instantly, Wilhemina shook her head. “Don’t say that, Billie…” Only now she reached to wipe her cheeks clean. “She took advantage of you, none of that is your fault.”

“B-but I did sleep with her because I wanted to.”

Ouch. The thought bothered Venable. She focused on logic. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. But she chose to take advantage, she chose to take those pictures without your consent, and that was entirely on her.” Wilhemina did her best to keep her voice caring, soft.

Billie Dean sighed. “We never e-even went out on a date… it was p-purely sex… meaningless… stupid.” She shook her head and looked away, back at the floor. Venable gulped uncomfortably; it was definitely not pleasant to think about Billie kissing someone else, let alone having sex with them. It was a tough realization for Wilhemina, to understand that she was, in fact, jealous. Not that it mattered right now, not that it mattered at all. So many forgotten emotions rolled through her body, making it hard to think clearly. “I think w-we saw each other maybe f-four or five times… in s-six months. I d-didn’t feel good about it anymore… about feeling u-used the next day, every t-time.” Slowly, honey eyes moved back to brown ones. Venable squeezed her hand gently, encouraging her to keep going. “I t-told her I’d love t-to remain friends, b-but I didn’t want the sex anymore. She g-got really mad at me, told me I had been leaning her on, that I s-should have been honest from day one. I w-was… I t-told her after it h-happened the first time, after a p-party for wrapping up the last season of the show, we w-were both drunk… I barely remember it.” Billie shook her head. “I t-told her it h-had been a mistake, she offered for u-us to be casual… I figured i-it wouldn’t be a problem, s-she saw other people, she seemed nice e-enough even though I k-knew there was nothing romantic there for m-me…” A low, bitter chuckle left Billie Dean’s lips. She sighed. “Her w-work had never been the b-best, but she d-did the job and that w-was sufficient… or so I thought. I e-ended up finding numerous mistakes some time later, two o-or three months after w-we stopped seeing each other. I tried t-talking to her, a-asked her to be more careful… she i-insisted I was punishing her for s-some reason… so I h-had to fire her. She told everyone i-it had to do with our relationship—we d-didn’t even have a relationship, n-not in the way she implied, and she was aware of that. Gosh, she tried sleeping w-with Jenny for fuck’s sake!” Wilhemina watched Billie quietly, giving her the time she needed to let it all out. “A day a-after many accusatory t-texts, she sent me t-the first picture. A week later, I h-had all of them along w-with threats of selling them t-to the media if I d-didn’t agree t-to pay her a fee for f-firing her—which had already b-been paid, but she demanded for more. I g-gave in at first… she kept on asking for more… finally, I c-contacted my lawyer. We are… we’re building a c-case…” Billie Dean looked down again. It was all laid out now, clear as day for Venable to see and understand and judge as she pleased. Billie had nothing else to lose. I should have never slept with her, Billie’s mind shouted, I should have contacted my lawyer before, I should have stopped after the first time, I should have, I should have, I should have, I should have…

Digesting everything would take some time, but Wilhemina certainly would. She kept on caressing Billie Dean’s hand, heart beating fast, eyes glossy. What could she even say to that? Billie stared at her as if she were waiting for Venable to decide her faith on death penalty or not, eyes big, lip trapped between her teeth. Wilhemina blinked once, causing matching tears to slip down. Billie frowned in fear. “I d-don’t know what t-to tell you,” she began, slow and gentle and caring and just so unsure of how to word all these foreign emotions. “But I’m here for you. I’m h-here with you. This is not your fault, Billie Dean… none of it is your fault. You did nothing w-wrong, and it breaks m-my heart to see how much that woman i-is causing you to suffer.” Another tear slipped down. “You don’t deserve it,” she nearly breathed out, cheeks getting drenched again. She fought not to allow her eyes to overflow too much, but it was useless.

I’ve never seen her cry before. It shouldn’t, but it caused Billie to worry even more. In her nervous state, comprehending the size of the intimacy she had just reached was nearly impossible. “Don’t c-cry…” With her free hand, Billie Dean carefully wiped a tear away from Venable’s cheeks.

“Why were you so a-shamed of telling me that?” Wilhemina leaned her cheek on Billie’s palm, eyes and hand never leaving hers.

Billie Dean gulped. Her thumb caressed Venable’s cheekbone, stomach twisting and turning in nervous patterns still. “Because I j-judge myself… so I was s-scared you’d judge me, too… and I would l-lose you…”

“I would never judge y-you for that, angel…” The worry dimple was back between Wilhemina’s eyebrows. She turned her head to place a kiss on Billie Dean’s hand.

“I-it’s not just that… I just… you are so—so classy and so intelligent and absolutely captivating and I…” Billie sighed. “I’ve slept w-with women I barely k-knew because I decided a relationship was n-not for me. I went to bars, I had o-one-night stands, I had given up on love because h-how could anyone decide my ways were worth it? And n-now that you’re here I just… I feel so ashamed.”

Oh. The voices inside Venable’s head wanted to start talking again, whispering all kinds of degrading things towards herself. Wilhemina fought hard, refusing to allow them to win; they wouldn’t this time, for now she was not alone anymore, for now she had Billie Dean. She’ll stop liking you as soon as she realizes you have no experience in anything. She probably saw hundreds of bodies that are better than yours. Did Billie even do something worth the crucifying her mind always did? Wasn’t she a single, grown woman who felt comfortable enough to explore a thing society deemed as so absolutely wrong? And for what reason? Why was it wrong? It was definitely not Billie’s fault that she didn’t have experiences as such, that she felt so uncomfortable in her own skin. “You don’t have to be ashamed for h-having a life, Billie.” She sat up straight. Honey eyes looked away as Billie Dean brought her hand back towards herself, nervously playing with her fingers that previously caressed Wilhemina’s cheek. “So what you had one-night stands? So what y-you’ve slept with women you met at bars? That doesn’t make you less of a person, Billie. It doesn’t make you unworthy of love. You could have slept with a different woman a day for all I care, and that wouldn’t make a difference to how I feel towards you.” She hadn’t slept with anyone in years, and she still felt unworthy of love, too… why did it even matter, after all?

“It was—it wasn’t even one per week, probably one-night stand a month,” Billie Dean murmured.

“It’s just an example,” Venable said softly. Billie nodded. Wilhemina smiled sadly. I love her. She nibbled on her lip as she thought, pondering her words. “O-of course I don’t enjoy thinking a-about you sleeping with other people… but it’s because—it’s because I…” I want you to myself. I want to be good enough for you. “I imagine you don’t enjoy thinking about me and Emma, either.” Logic. Logic was good.

Billie Dean instantly shook her head as she grimaced slightly. The corners of Wilhemina’s lips turned up, and for a second all the weight on Billie’s shoulders disappeared. The world could end and she would not give a damn as long as she had that woman with her. Leaning closer, Billie Dean kissed Venable right on the lips, lingering there as she felt a hand caressing her cheek. “I don’t ever want to kiss anyone else,” she whispered.

“Me either.” Wilhemina kissed her again, smiling to herself as she held Billie as close as she could, as tight as she could manage.

Breaking the kiss after a moment, Billie Dean stared at brown eyes. Her heart was still beating fast, and her eyes still threatened to grow teary. After a second, she spoke again. “So… do you still wanna be with me?” She murmured.

“What have I just said, silly?”

Billie Dean’s cheeks tinted pink. “I’m just making sure…”

“You’re cute.” Venable leaned to kiss her on the nose, just like Billie did to her. “Yes, I do.” Will she when she sees just how fucked up I am when it comes to intimacy?

[worldswithoutendings]

Eye for an eye [Michael Langdon] pt.4

Pairing: Michael langdon x female!reader

warnings: mentions of death

words: 1540

summary: your first date with michael and your first workday at Kineros (filler chapter)

AN: I'm still trying to figure out what format works best for me so bear with me, any feedback is highly appreciated <3

When the clock hit 7 you got ready for the dinner you had with Michael, all he said before he left after abusing your closet was to wear the dress and let your hair loose. But nothing more. So you added some black heels and a silver necklace. You did your makeup a tiny bit heavier than usual and for once you didn’t put on perfume in the hope that he would linger more around you like his coat did. Because damn he smells good it should be illegal.

I’m here.

you curse as you run down the stairs, almost breaking your ankle as you grab the door handle to reveal Michael. Clad in an all-black outfit, smelling absolutely divine and his short curls framing his face “Hi” you breathe out and Michael smiles at you “Look at you, you look stunning” he smiles as he holds out his arm “Shall we?” you say nothing, just taking his arm as you follow him to his car, which, of course, is also expensive “you’re picking me up in a Bugatti?!” you gasp out “what, it’s a nice car” “it is! But, so expensive” you breathe out and Michael laughs as he opens the door for you “my lady” “oh, thank you sir” you act with him as you sit down on the seat. Feeling the expensive seat as Michael sits in the driver seat.

Satan watches the two of them spend the day together from his throne “Good, everything is all going to plan” he says as he stretches his fingers out over the armchairs “Now we need to get rid of that Rosalie figure, I hope Michael hurries up with that girl”

Arm in arm you walk with Michael to the restaurant he picked out. And of course, it’s a Michelin-starred restaurant making you huff “What is it?” “I just feel out of place, I’m so used to visiting a McDonald's or a Five Guys as a date. Never set foot in a Michelin-starred restaurant” you mumble and Michael smiles “Good, I can show you how a real man is supposed to treat you” He walks inside with you and a guy comes scurrying towards you both “Mr. Langdon. Such an honor to have you here again. Shall we go to your booth?” the guy stumbles over his words and Michael gives a short nod

“do you come here often?” your mouth speaks before you can think “Yeah, not a lot. just for business” “Did you come here with Rosalie?” you ask self-conscious and Michael smirks “She is on your mind a lot isn’t she? The answer is no” he says as the guy mentions to the booth in the far back of the restaurant where the mood is actually kind of romantic “that’s a shame, it’s beautiful here” you say as you sit down in the booth, realizing both your knees are touching you scrape you throat “well, I only want to bring important people here. So, mostly Ms. Mead. But not since a few months ago” his voice dies down a bit and you can’t help but feel sorry for him even though you don’t know who Ms. Mead is and what happened a few months ago.

The food that was served was divine, just like the wine that was served. You talked about anything and nothing that your minds could think of, Michael even told you what happened to Ms. Mead. How she was set on fire and now, at Kineros they’re trying to make a robot version of her. Michael held her dear and close to his heart like he expected his grandmother to do ‘what happened to your grandmother?” you say as you put a piece of gnocchi in your mouth “She killed herself when she realized that I was aging to quick and murdering people instead of animals” his voice became flat and his knuckles were starting to turn white with how hard he was holding his utensils.

You couldn’t help yourself but touch his hand “I’m so sorry Michael” you whispered but you tried to sound neutral, knowing how much you hated it when your parents died and how everybody started to talk to you like a baby “You, you lost both your parents right?’ Michael asks questionably and you nod as you take a sip of your wine “my dad passed away of a cardiac arrest, my mother died shortly after due to a drug overdose, I was.. 16? Yeah, so, after the deal” your voice becomes quieter and quieter

“do you think that, you know, satan may be behind it? Seeing if I would get deranged?” “I don’t know, y/n, you have to ask him that” “I did actually, multiple times, but he waved it away, saying I was delusional” You play with a single piece of gnocchi and feel a hand on your kneecap. You sigh softly “he probably didn’t mean it like that, he also left me in the dark for years I didn’t know what I was supposed to do until I got to Kineros”

After dinner, Michael took you for a walk through the park. Deciding to sit on a bench with the hot coffee you bought from the stand even though Michael wanted to go to a coffee shop you shook your head “No this is actually good coffee!” you exclaimed so Michael wanted to believe you. And indeed, it was damn good coffee “So, tomorrow you can just come to Kineros, I’ll show you around and get you settled, you don’t have to worry about anything, well, maybe, your clothing but just, wear a button-up shirt or something. We’ll go shopping for it” Michael says before he takes a sip “damn, this is good coffee”

Nervously you arrived at Kineros the following morning. Especially because you just left your old job and your wrist still hurts. The clicking of your heels on the marble floor echoes off the walls as you see two guys with bowl cuts they must go to the same hairdresser because it looks awful. Michael is in a conversation with them but you see that all of a sudden he has trouble with his laughter

“Are you making fun of us?!” the brown-haired one exclaims and Michael immediately stops “No, no! I wouldn’t dare. You do look ridiculous” Michael exclaims and now you really have to hold in your laughter, they both turn around to look at you “Ah our new secretary! Miss y/n. right? We’d appreciate it if you respected our wishes,” the blonde one says immediately “actually, she only respects my wishes” Michael chimes in, yeah you wish.

You learned that their names are Jeff and Mutt, but you would mostly be working for Michael. Ruling over his agenda and keeping him up to date with meetings and calls. Further, you are the one responding to email, which mostly consists of rich dudes who are aching for their new sex doll.

A girl with a familiar face walks, well, storms in. looking like a drug dealer with her hair all matted, and clothes she had probably worn the last 2 weeks and never heard of the word shower or bath. She composes herself the moment she is at your desk and scrapes her throat “Yes?” you reply while you're typing an email to a client “I’m here to see my boyfriend, Michael” Oh shit it’s Rosalie “Are you scheduled?” “no?! I don’t need to schedule anything” she bursts out and you bite your lower lip “One second please,” you say as you reach for the phone. The foul stench of Rosalie makes its way to your nostrils Michael you’re kidding me. You only type in the number 1. Knowing it will connect to his office he immediately picks up “yes?” “Michael, you’re… girlfriend is here” he hangs up with a loud groan. Not much later his door opens and you hear him curse under his breath “Rosalie, what are you doing here. You can’t just barge in at my work” he says as he leans against the doorpost.

Rosalie immediately runs to him which means you can catch a breath we need to buy air fresheners and perfume and incense to get rid of this smell did she fall in a well or something?! You open up a website for fragrances to check out what can be delivered today as you try to hear the conversation as Michael doesn’t want her in his office “I have a meeting in 5 minutes” No you don’t “so you really need to leave” yes you absolutely do “but Michael! You promised!” she screams out “we were supposed to go on a date this week and you declined me! Twice! I can’t do this anymore!” Michael sighs deeply “Just, go. Rosalie. I’ll call you after the meeting okay” “Can I get a kiss?” “did you brush your teeth?” he blurts out and she gasps “Yes?!” she sounds incredibly shocked and you hear him audibly gulp. You reach for your bag as Michael cautiously gives her the tiniest peck on earth and she walks away confidently “Here” you wave around a travel-sized toothbrush and toothpaste you always keep in your bag.

[pfister-jeff]

You can swing by my job at Kineros Robotics anytime 🥺🥺🥺

Jeff don't listen to rory I think we have a connection 🥺🥺🥺🥺

I think so too, pookie 🥺🥺🥺

[january31st]

I show up to the party just to leave (Venable x reader)

Summary: After a long time of not seeing each other, your brother invites you to his birthday party.

A/N: Title from Amoeba by Clairo. Her new album is like salt on an open wound, but in the softest way possible, and I love it :'). This has been in the drafts for a month and it was supposed to be a quick one to get me out of a slump :/ oops i guess (also i have no idea what this is or how we got here)

The reader doesn’t know about the whole selling their souls to the devil thing

Warnings: Drug addiction, overdose and hospital mentions. 

Masterlist

~1800 words

The brightness inside Kineros was somehow even worse than outside in the California heat. Its whiteness and clean, modern look took you by surprise, given that your brother’s room back home used to be a mountain of unwashed dishes and dirty clothes, his PC setup the only thing you could look at without getting a headache. 

“This.... is insane Jeff” you said as you took your sunglasses off, squinting very hard.

“I told you! I don’t know what’s so hard to believe about it. The whole multi-million company thing wasn’t convincing enough to make you believe this place is nice?” He said as he led you around to his office.

“Well, I’m just saying that coming from you I expected more of a nerd bunker than a sci-fi spaceship”

“Are your standards really that low Y/N?” he said with his hand on his chest, pretending to be deeply offended.

“Yeah, in the beginning you bragged for months about your Van”

“Oh but you can’t say that a company on the move isn’t cool”

“Sure” you said, shifting your attention to the woman in purple sitting behind the desk.

“Hi, you must be Ms.Venable! I’m Y/N, Jeff’s sister.” You said with your hand stretched out in front of you.

She looked from you to Jeff, and then at your hand, considering whether she should take it or not. Slowly, with the help of her cane, she stood up and shook it.

“And I hear you would be joining us to prepare for tomorrow, although I’ve told Mr. Pfister I have it handled.” She said, shooting your brother a menacing look, but you were too distracted by the feeling of her gloved hand still in yours. Had someone turned off the AC?

“I know Ms. Venable, I just had to show her the place before the party so she would believe it is nice. And by having her help get things ready she would know we didn’t mess things around to make it look better than it is” He said, and when you managed to shift your gaze away from her you noticed how Jeff looked. Someone finally taught him respect?

“If I had met Ms.Venable before, maybe I wouldn’t doubt how nice it is.”

“If you hadn’t left home for so long, maybe you would know more about the company”

“If you didn’t have so much blow up your nose all the time back then, maybe I wouldn’t feel the need to run away!” 

“Awww family reunions are so cute” You turned to the circle door on the left side of the room to see your brother’s work partner leaning against it and looking at you two with a pout.

“Oh… hey Mutt” 

“How is my favourite Pfister doing? I can’t believe how long it has been since I’ve seen you bro!” He said giving you a hug you did not expect.

“Hey! What the hell? Your favourite Pfister? Really? Stop flirting with my sister, asshole” said Jeff.

“I’m not! But it’s true, your sister is the best. Back then before we even dreamt of Kineros, the three of us would have so much fun!” Mutt answered, his arm still around your shoulders.

“Yeah I guess, before you two started your bullshit in between the lines” you said, scratching at your nose.

“Oh, speaking of flirting, how is that girlfriend of yours doing?” Jeff asked.

“Girlfriend? What… Ah. Yeah, well- she..” You laughed “ I swear I can’t make this shit up. Has it been that long since we spoke really?” The topic was making you even more uncomfortable, and you noticed that Ms. Venable was looking at you with an almost curious look? Was it? She was hard to read.

“Well, would you believe it, she fell in love with your dear coke instead.” Jeff looked at you as if he had just broken your favourite toy.

“Yea she just dumped me a while back and hit the streets. I tried to look for her, but she was just gone. I have no clue if she’s even alive.”

“Shit Y/N I’m sorry” Jeff said.

“Are you? Or are you still sniffing lines like a mad man?” 

“Technically not lines no.” He said, smiling at Mutt knowingly.

You took his arm from your shoulders. “So you’re telling me that if I punch your ass right now it wouldn’t be snowing in here?”

When he didn’t answer with anything other than laughter you went on “It’s not funny! None of this is funny Jeff! Not now, and not that time I had to take your ODing ass to the ER! And not on all those times you were in withdrawal!”

He only laughed more, and said “It would be hell if that happened again!”

“Jeff! Have you-”

“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but the last of the decorations for tomorrow are just arriving.” said Ms. Venable. And despite her low voice, all three of you went silent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You worry too much”

“What?” You asked through the pen you were chewing at, with your back still turned to her from the top of the chair, as you exchanged the regular lightbulb with a colorful one from the box you were holding.

She didn’t repeat herself for a while, as if she regretted saying anything in the first place. The past hour or so you had barely exchanged more than a couple words, her impassive looks making you assume she just didn’t like you.

“You worry too much about him.” She said, her voice loud and clear this time.

You stepped down from the chair placing the white bulb on the box she was holding with one hand. Thinking about your brother now made something clench on your stomach. To hide how hard it was to find an answer for her, you went to write a check on the lighting part of your to-do list.

“How could I not?” You asked.

“I must admit his lifestyle is… interesting. But it seems to have worked to bring this company to where it is today.” She said.

“I know he’s your boss, but you don’t have to doll-up how things are around here. And don’t give him more credit than he deserves, he is cocky enough about it.” after a pause you added “I know that if it were up to him, he would still be assembling robots amidst his dirty socks. It doesn’t take much to realise who’s behind everything that isn’t necessarily robots here.”

You reached for the box she was holding to go put it away, and noticed she was standing as still as a statue. Grabbing it from her with the ghost of a friendly smile on your face you went on, since she didn’t seem to know how to answer you this time.

“He used to say it helped him think and work better. And maybe it does but as his sister I can’t just ignore it and pretend I’m okay with it. He never takes things that matter seriously.”

“Before we got here I- for some stupid reason- actually thought he stopped it. He isn’t like he was before. Something has changed about him.”

“It has.” She said. “I think his dedication to the job put him in his tracks somewhat. Whatever his tracks are” She added with a smirk.

Giggling at that, you said, holding the checklist for her to see “Now that we´re done, how about we go get a snack and talk about something that doesn’t involve dumb and dumber or their tragic hairstyles?”

Fighting back a smile, she guided you somewhere you could eat, and said “I’m glad you don’t have a bowl cut too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the first hour or so Jeff introduced you to random people at the party, none of them getting much of your attention at all. Fancy and famous people, and though it was hard to believe seeing your brother around them- their nice suits next to his striped shirt, jeans and hoodie- you didn’t feel astonished at all. You felt crushed by everyone around you and took every opportunity to avoid dull conversation.

Some of them were surprised to meet you, to see how his casualty wasn’t a trait you shared, and given that you knew this would be a somewhat big party you did, in fact, dress up to the occasion. You decided to wear a nice blazer over a silk lingerie type shirt, straight legged pants and heels, hair slicked back and makeup dark and bold. Anywhere else you would look out of place, but here you managed to melt into the rest of the well dressed crowd. Thankfully that worked to your advantage so you could be away from the center of attention.

On the quick calls you did have, your brother never failed to gloat about his life and how great things were, and a part of you hoped blindlessly that it would mean he left his bad habits behind. Though now as you stood under the coloured lights it was more than obvious that he wouldn’t change, and all the bad memories from his addiction came back to you at once. Overwhelmed by your thoughts and the ambient itself, you made your way to the outside of the building unaware of the tic-toc of a cane following you.

“Where are you going?” her voice pulled you back to reality.

“I don’t know. Just away from this” you said, hand waving in the air. Then you took a second to look at her, as formally dressed as the day before, lilac suit and all, only her expression had changed. Though you knew she would never admit it, her face was contorted in a plea, almost begging for you to stay.

“I thought he changed. I really did. Like a foolish fucking child.”You blurted out.

“You don’t have to leave like this.” She stated, sounding disinterested despite herself.

“I do. I really do.”

“I never come to these events… I hate these people just as much as you do.” You narrowed your eyes at her, waiting for the rest of it, and when it didn’t come you asked “What made you come this time?”

After a long pause she said “I was surprised to meet you. I would never believe your brother had someone as… prudent and sensible in his life.” Another pause. “I’m trying to say don’t leave m-” She stopped herself.

“Then take me somewhere” You said without thinking, looking straight into those brown eyes as they seemed to soften. And for the first time her face twisted into what was definitely, unmistakably, a smile, and all you could do was smile right back.

“Come along then”

[blxckchxrrybxby]

6 Months In Advance

summary: In the midst of sorting out a scheduling mishap, your daughter wanders away from you and makes her way up to HR.

pairing: Wilhemina Venable x Reader + Reader’s Daughter

warning(s): idek; mentions doctor? Scoliosis?

a/n: dude, I didn't revise this at all. Just brain vomit.

Six months.

That’s how far in advance you had planned for this appointment.

It was written in your planner, saved as a reminder on your phone, and circled in red ink on the calendar hanging in your cubicle. Yet, with barely an hour to spare, you found yourself in the main lobby of Kineros Robotics instead; demanding to speak with the men you worked for. The same men who were responsible for fucking up your work schedule and threatening to fire you on the spot if you didn’t come in.

You frowned, pacing as you checked the time anxiously. They couldn’t possibly fire you for a mistake on their behalf. You were more than 99% positive that you had taken this day off as soon as you were given the job. Hell, you had even mentioned it to them before an offer letter was—well—offered!

“Mommy?” Your daughter whispered, interrupting your thoughts with curiosity twinkling in her eyes. She took in the large building that seemed never-ending.

“Yes, sweet pea?” You replied gently (certain to make sure the stress you emitted wouldn’t be absorbed by your own innocent offspring).

“Where are we?” Her doe eyes were far too busy scanning the environment to pay any attention to you—causing you to let out a chuckle.

“At my job. I just need to talk to some friends really quick then we’ll be on our way.”

She nodded, accepting your words, and stared in astonishment at how different the world inside this building looked to her. It was nothing like the world in your cramped apartment. That world was far too small to compare, but her favorite stuffed animals resided there—so it was home. The building was nothing like the one where you dropped her off at to learn her ABC’s either. It was full of big people and not enough kids. Peering at the environment, her heart sunk at the sudden revelation—this place didn’t even have toys!

Despite how impressive this adult world was, it would never impress her more than recess.  

“Uh…why are you here? And why aren’t you two at the doctor’s?” Your coworker (and only friend) asked after spotting you. Their shoes tapped faintly against the floor as they walked closer; holding their arms out to retrieve the bundled-up 5-year-old perched on your hip.

You looked at them with stress evident on your face, “Jeff and Mutt messed up the timesheet.”

They gasped, now holding the child securely against their own hip, “You’re joking.”

“If I were joking, I wouldn’t be standing right here, now would I?” You scoffed at the reality of your situation as your friend shook their head.

“The nerve of those two. On today of all days!”

You nodded, rubbing at your face. Before being granted the chance to respond, the receptionist informed you that Jeff and Mutt were ready to speak with you.

“Thanks, Marcy.” You replied politely and went to grab your daughter before your friend swatted your hand away. Your eyebrows knitted in confusion.

“You’re stressing enough. Just go talk to them. I’ll keep Willow safe and show her around since she seems so… intrigued.”

You both looked at your daughter, who was still eyeing every little detail of the building and chuckled.

“Fine. I’ll come to find you guys when I’m done.” You quickly leaned in and pressed a kiss to Willow’s cheek before scurrying to go see Jeff and Mutt.

Watching you disappear into the elevator, Willow was carried away from the main lobby. As time passed, she met many unfamiliar faces. Most of which slid peppermints into her small hands when y/f/n wasn’t looking, in the hopes of befriending the tiny human. After seeing most of the people on the first floor, Willow grew curious about what other adventures the building held.

Perhaps the top floors weren’t meant for children. Maybe goblins stomped all around guarding their treasures. Or maybe they were full of queens and kings, and the workers were the peasants! As her imagination grew wilder, Willow found herself itching to explore. Squirming in the uncomfortable office chair, she pouted at y/f/n.

“What’s wrong?” They asked, noticing how much your daughter was fidgeting.

“I have to potty.” Willow whined, coming up with the perfect excuse.

They blinked, “Oh, um. Okay... do you remember where the bathroom is at?”

Willow nodded and slid off the chair.

“When you’re done, come right back. I’ll be here waiting, okay?”

Again, Willow nodded before darting off. After passing the bathroom and sneaking past Marcy, Willow made her way onto the elevator. She grinned, pulling out a peppermint and shoving it into her mouth, before slamming her hand against one of the highest numbers. Willow giggled, enjoying the feeling of the elevator moving. It felt like she was on a rollercoaster, and it made her tummy feel funny. Maybe this place was better than recess!

Hearing a ding, the elevator doors opened, and out stepped Willow; instantly bumping into a pair of long legs. With a small, “oof!” her hands managed to grasp onto some fabric. A hesitant hand pressed against her back to keep her balance. Out of curiosity, Willow glanced to the side to see a cane, then glanced up as a woman dressed in purple stared down in slight shock.

“And who are you?”

Willow blinked, gently letting go of the stranger’s skirt, and adjusting her lavender glasses. Tilting her head, she observed as much of the woman as she could. Since the woman wore purple, Willow figured she must be the queen. Purple was for royalty, after all. However, Willow wasn’t naïve. Not all queens are good, she reminded herself.

“I shouldn’t talk to strangers.”

Wilhemina arched an eyebrow, smoothing down her skirt, “Neither should I. Yet here we are.” Huffing to herself, she looked around at her trembling assistant and the empty floor before shaking her head. “Follow me.”

As the queen, and trembling girl of whom Willow assumed to be her servant, began to walk away, Willow remained still; unsure of if she should follow the stranger. Noticing the only footsteps that could be heard were her own, Wilhemina halted and glanced back at the frozen child.

“Are you hard of hearing?”

Willow gnawed at her lip nervously and asked innocently, “…are you taking me to the dungeon?”

“Dun- Excuse me?” Wilhemina asked, more confused than she already was.

“You’re the queen, right?”

Wilhemina’s shock wore off and she chuckled, recognizing how wild the child’s imagination was. “Well, that’s one way to put it. Unfortunately, I don’t get paid enough to own a dungeon…yet. Now, come along before I abandon you in this hallway.” Scurrying after them, Willow grinned happily.

-

Standing in the stranger’s office, Willow looked up at the tall woman as she entered the room. “Do you have candy?”

Venable walked past the child and sat in her chair, “Even if I did, would your parents let you have it this early in the morning?”

Willow shrugged, “I only have one mommy.”

Venable took note of this; Mentally scanning through the employees in her head to guess whom this child could belong to. “Well, would your mother let you?”

Willow paused in thought, “No?”

“Alright then.”

-

As time passed, Wilhemina allowed Willow to get settled until her mother showed up to retrieve her. Alerts were sent out to inform the staff of a misplaced entity with two missing front teeth, now in her possession. Now, all Wilhemina had to do was wait for the culprit to show up at her office door. However, this was taking longer than Venable thought it would and the minor was oddly quiet. Especially considering she didn’t have any objects to keep children tame.

The anxiety of not knowing what the child was doing caused Venable to peer over her purple laptop and observe the little germ sitting on her lovely lavender couch (a fine touch and new addition to her workspace). She wasn’t used to the unpredictability of children. However, to her surprise, the little girl was already staring at her with a crossword book open on her petite lap. Venable furrowed her eyebrows as the curly-haired child adjusted her purple glasses back onto the bridge of her small nose. This little stunt warmed her heart to no end, yet she’d never admit it.

“Can I help you with something?” Venable asked, finally breaking the awkward silence.

The little girl shrugged and continued to stare.

Lowering her glasses, she sighed. “I’m assuming your mother has yet to teach you that staring is rude.”

“I wouldn’t stare if you were not pretty.” Willow stated plainly.

Venable tensed and cleared her throat. “You know nothing about what society sees as pretty.”

Willow frowned, “I don’t know who so-so-“

“Society.”

“-socility-“

“Try again. So-cie-ty.” Venable stated, slowing down her enunciation.

“-socie…um.” Willow tried.

“Take your time.”

“…s-society?”

“Correct.” Venable held back a smile. Willow didn’t. She was proud of her accomplishment. A new word she could tell her friends about.

“I don’t know who…society is, but I think you’re pretty.”

“Well.” Venable began, choosing to keep her insecurities to herself. “I suppose I should thank you.”

“Mommy says you don’t have to always say thank you when people tell you nice things.”

“That’s a bit rude, don’t you think?” Venable questioned, becoming more invested in the conversation than she would like to admit.

“No.” Willow stated bluntly.

“No?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.” Venable arched an eyebrow, trying to piece together who the child’s mother could be.

“Ms. Benavle?”

Venable internally cringed from the mispronunciation. “Yes, child?”

Willow shifted, turning her body towards the awaiting woman, “What does society mean?”

-

Minutes continued to pass as Venable watched over the child. At first, she assumed the little brat was a prodigy, highlighting words at lightning speed in the crossword book. Then, after watching the page become consumed in purple highlighter, her assumptions were tossed out of the window. The child merely enjoyed coloring.

A slight knock caught her attention, breaking her out of the trance she was in. Perhaps it was the child’s mother.

“Come in,” Wilhemina called out, watching in disappointment as her intern opened the door.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Ms. Venable. Um, I just had a f-few more questions about the t-time off requests you wanted me to finish-“

Now standing from her desk and approaching the intern as if she were prey, Venable sneered.

“I understand that you are mediocre at best and the tasks assigned to you may be tedious—however—I can assure you that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to complete them. Now, as you can see, I am with child.” Her hand barely outstretched to point towards Willow, “Go be stupid somewhere else. Preferably on the first floor.”

As the intern scurried out of the office, Willow grimaced and crossed her arms at the tall lady. Venable glanced in her direction and arched an eyebrow, “What?”

“You shouldn’t say bad words.”

With a scoff, Wilhemina retreated back to her desk, “Last I checked, I didn’t.”

“Yuhuh, you just did.”

As her ungloved fingers rubbed at the throbbing temple, she hoped to rid herself of the headache that resided in her head and on the couch across from her.

“And what word was it, exactly?”

Willow blinked; eyes widening in surprise. “You’re letting me say it? Mommy said I shouldn’t say it.”

This caused Venable to snort in amusement. After catching her reaction, she cleared her throat. How odd. “How else will I know what I’ve said unless you tell me?”

Looking around, in case it was a trap, Willow swiftly ran up to Venable, stood on her tippy toes to reach her ear, and whispered, “…stupid.”

Wilhemina closed her eyes for a moment, trying to comprehend how she managed to end up in a situation such as this.

-

As the clock neared Venable’s first break and the child remained in her ownership, she sighed.

“Tell me something, little one.”

Venable’s sudden conversation caught Willow’s attention, causing her to perk up in curiosity.

“Why exactly are you here?”

Willow shrugged and looked down at her hands, “I don’t know. I was going to see the doctor, but mommy came here.”

Wilhemina hummed to herself, trying to piece together why the child had been roaming the building unattended. “An appointment, you say?” She looked through her emails, feeling a hint of deja vu. Something about this was vaguely familiar.

“Yes. I get a new brace today!” This caused Venable to arch an eyebrow, “Hopefully it’s purple like this one! Want to see?” Venable remained silent as the child began to unzip her bubble coat. As she shimmied it off of her petite shoulders, the back brace came into view, launching Venable into a state of paralyzation. “See? It’s very pretty.”

She knew this felt familiar. This was Willow. As HR, Venable was well aware of the subordinates and their beneficiaries. She was also aware of any time off requests submitted. Within the past year, Kineros had onboarded so many new faces that she ignored or denied at least 70% of the time off requests within the first week. It was either you work or you find another place to pay your bills. However, some of the accruing requests must have slipped through her fingers. Something she rarely ever fell victim to. Especially after reading something as detailed as Willow’s mother’s.

“Hello? Ms. Benavle?”

Wilhemina blinked; hearing Willow capture her attention once more. She quickly searched through her files and found the denied time-off request. The only issue was, she didn’t remember denying it. Clicking on the document, it slowly brought up the pdf, showing that it had been stamped with her credentials; meaning she didn’t formally sign it.

Her intern did.

“Shit!” She groaned.

Willow gasped, “Bad word!”

Ignoring her and standing from the chair, Venable quickly made her way toward the door. “Follow me.”

Willow quickly grabbed her coat and followed along, “Where are we going?”

Walking with intention as her cane collided firmly with the floor, Wilhemina pressed the elevator button, “To find your mother.”

-

As the elevator opened to the ground floor and Venable stood with a cane in one hand and Willow’s hand in the other, they both descended into the lobby. You and your friend scurried around, panicking at the fact that there was a lost five-year-old in the building. “How in the hell did you lose her?!”

“She’s sneaky!” your friend retorted.

“She’s five!” you fumed.

Venable arched an eyebrow and held Willow close, before clearing her throat.

 Your friend gasped, seeing Willow with Venable, as did you.

“Oh God, Willow! Baby, where were you??” You worried, as she ran over to you and gave you a hug. Rubbing her back, you sighed in relief.

“With me.” Venable interrupted, “May I have a word with you, y/n?”

You nodded, picking Willow up in your arms, and walked away with Venable.

“I am beyond sorry for everything that’s happened. I swear, this will never happen again, Ms. Venable.”

“Why not?” Venable inquired.

You paused, unsure of how to continue—so she did. “This, no matter how unusual it was, was entirely my fault.” You remained silent and equally dumbfounded. “I extend an apology to both you and Willow. It seems my stupid-“ Willow glared causing Venable to clear her throat, “My incompetent intern did not know better and denied your request. I remembered it. Not that it matters, as it’s potentially too late. However, I understand how difficult it is to get an appointment for these kinds of things. If you would like… I have a doctor who would be more than ecstatic to treat Willow as soon as possible.”

You remained silent. At a complete loss for words.

“As fond as I am of silence, I believe a conversation must include two willing parties.”

Willow nudged you, helping you come back to your senses as Venable awaited a response. “I… I’d love that. However, I’d prefer it now… Um, they informed me that since I’m refusing to work today, this is grounds for termination.”

“Nonsense,” Venable stated, completely unphased. “I will have a word with those two imbeciles, and you needn’t worry about a thing.”

You nodded with a slight blush adorning your cheeks as Willow squirmed from your arms and made her way over to Venable, hugging her legs, “I’ll miss you Ms. Benavle.”

With a chuckle, Wilhemina caressed the child’s head. “I will miss you as well, Willow.” Sliding a piece of peppermint out of her pocket, she handed it to Willow with the whisper of a smile adorning her lips. “Come back and visit whenever.”

[kai-anderson-whore]

New colleague (jeff pfister x fem reader)

Summary: it's your first day at work and one of your new colleagues are all shy and embarrassed about their project

Warnings: Jeff and mutt being little coke whores, sex bot 😭, mentions of mutt embarrassing Jeff for having a boner, and mentions of sex workers

A/n this was requested on wattpad and I thought the sex bot thing is so funny plus its obviously a Jeff and mutt thing to do

•¤❅¤•.•°˚˚°•..•°˚˚°•.•¤❅¤•.•¤❅¤•.•°˚˚°•. .•°˚˚°

It was your first day working at kineros

Robotics after many, many years of studying putting your blood,sweat and tears into your education you were finally here.

You walked up to the secretary who you had met before applying for this job wilhemina venable "Hey wilhemina" you smiled wilhemina looked up at you from her computer screen "ah y/n yes come with me" she smiled taking you to your new office where you will help build robots with your colleagues.

You walked through hallways finally making it to the work station you saw two men with Bob haircuts doing god knows what, wilhemina cleared her throat gaining the attention of the two men, "hey" the brunette one shrugged neither of them noticing you yet, "this is y/n" their heads snapped up hearing a females name that's when you realised they probably don't get any female attention.

"Well what can we do for you" the brunette smirked from his seat, "you'll do nothing for her she works here with you two now so you both better make her feel comfortable and show her around" wilhemina scolded you also made a note that they were the annoying ones to work with great, you noticed the blonde wasn't saying a word he looked shy and timid.

Wilhemina said her goodbyes leaving you with your new colleagues, "I'm mutt by the way and that's jeff" mutt introduced with a polite smile, "nice to meet you" you smiled back giving Jeff a nod, which made him blush, "so where you from originally?" Mutt asked, "Oh I'm from w/y/f I moved here after my breakup with my ex and decided to focus on my career" you shrugged you noticed how Jeff's head peaked up from behind his computer when you mentioned you were single now.

"So how about you two then what's your story" you asked watching mutt snort a line of cocaine, you were shocked you never seen anything like it, before, mutt mostly did the talking for Jeff, "well that's my lunch break Jeff get y/n up to date with our project I'll be back in an hour and a half" mutt said grabbing his jacket leaving the lab.

"So what is it your working on?" You asked trying to start a conversation you knew it was something to do with robots, "erm well a female robot" Jeff mumbled shyly, "Oh cool for any reason" you asked observing the robot, "erm no no just you know doing our job" he chuckled you noticed the robots hand was a weird way so you had to ask why.

"Oh you know holding cups and what not" Jeff stumbled over his words the more you looked at the bot that's when it clicked "it's a sex bot Jeff Oh my god you two are making a sex robot hey I get it sometimes you get lonely" you put your hands up chuckling to yourself, Jeff tried to avoid eye contact with you.

You found it cute how easily shy he got around you no one really ever was like that around you only you around them, "okay so where are you at now with the sex bot" you asked hearing the soft rock playing in the background, "we're pretty much finished just need to test her out" he mumbled shyly you let out a laugh "your seriously not going to fuck the Robot are you what if it like explodes or something" you said in between laughs.

"Of course not I'll have mutt test it out" he chuckled back Jeff didn't want to admit but he thought your laugh was the most beautiful sound in the world he felt embarrassed about you knowing that him and mutt made a sex bot "Hey lovers" you heard mutt call entering the  lab, "mutt I need you to test the robot out in your own time" Jeff blushed at the nickname mutt gave you both and so did you.

Yo thought Jeff was cute he wasn't the type of guy you usually go for but he was sweet and kind and you loved when he blushed, "Oh it's time for my break I'll be back shortly" you said grabbing your coat hanging on the pegs leaving the lab.

"So what have you been up to casanova" mutt asked wiggling his eyebrows dishing out lines of the white powder, "Oh nothing just telling y/n about the robot that's all" Jeff shrugged snorting the lines of cocaine, "you gotta admit she is pretty hot" mutt said also snorting more of the drug.

"What no" Jeff scoffed but mutt saw right through his lie, "so you mean to tell me you wouldn't bang her I mean I could sense your boner when I was on my break" mutt laughed Jeff hid his face with embarrassment he instantly caught feelings for you how could he not.

"Just shoot your shot bro I bet she likes you too" mutt shrugged but Jeff knew talking to girls was not his strong point unless he's paying sex workers, he never had a proper girlfriend so he knew he'd be a nervous reck and probably mess everything up, "no I can't she wouldn't go for a dude like me" Jeff mumbled feeling the doubt.

"Just get to know her more then soon she'll be head over heel I'm telling you" mutt insisted Jeff gave it a thought before agreeing with him hopefully as time goes on you'd feel the same

[langdxn]

the compromise pt i | fire and reign!michael x fem!reader

SUMMARY: You get financial stability. Michael gets what he craves. It’s the perfect compromise.

WARNINGS: drug use, mention of police, sexual tension all over the place, breeding kink, mentions of birth control.

WORD COUNT: 2.7k

A/N: welcome to a series i never thought i’d start but now i’m here, i can’t control myself. this will go on for some time, so please forgive me!

“Mr Langdon wants to see you in his office.”

The words that danced across Ms Venable’s smug lips sent chills up your spine, overwhelming dread washing over you as if a wave had poured through your cubicle’s ceiling tiles and bathed you in abject horror. Venable revelled in delivering the news that your recent behaviour had stirred none other than the company’s mysterious CEO.

Despite working for Kineros Robotics for 13 months, you’d never once met the man who funded the company’s dealings both above and below board, never even passed him in the hallway. The figurehead who made the final decision on the corporation’s actions, the model around which the dubious company functioned, remained a mystery from head to toe.

Office rumour has it the company never used to attract quite as much attention before his appointment, but you were hired a week after he arrived and assumed the unusual surroundings were the status quo. The unexpected combinations of celebrities from all corners of popular culture filing past your cubicle on the way to the CEO’s office on the 66th floor seemed normal to you, but you never worked out what they wanted with a seemingly innocuous robotics company. As much as you valued the job and its income sparing you from innumerable financial crises and final demand letters that poured through your front door, you certainly weren’t paid well enough to care what went on behind closed doors.

At least, that is, until recently.

——

“Take this to the 45th floor,” Venable barked, slamming a heavily-taped cardboard box on your desk. “The last girl had to be… dismissed this morning due to her failure to wear a simple name badge.”

“Yes, Ms Venable,” you blindly complied, gripping the brown package and rising to your feet. As you lifted the heavy box and made your way around your cubicle walls, Venable grabbed your arm and leaned in to whisper in your ear.

“Give this to the blonde mop top that answers to Mr Jeff Pfister,” she half-hissed. “As much as it pains me to admit it, he’s the more sensible of the two. Give this to Jeff only, you understand me?”

“Yes, Ms Venable,” you repeated. An obedient sacrament you hadn’t dared break in all your months at the company, not daring to find out the consequences if you did. With a nod of acknowledgement, Venable gestured toward the hallway and watched you walk away carrying the seemingly precious cargo.

After all the times you’d seen the likes of Ryan Reynolds and Elon Musk grace the hallways of the seemingly endless Kineros building, the journey upstairs never phased you. The elevator leading toward the work conducted at the robotics labs was a mere side effect of the pay packet at the end of the month. The metallic doors swung open automatically as you approached, allowing you to step in, spin around and let out a contented sigh.

Shuffling the box into the crook of your arm to free a hand ready to call the elevator, you chuckled lightly at the sudden recall of a memory of the 7 members of BTS squeezing into the restrictive metallic chamber together. As the box slid back down into your grasp, you noticed a dusty trace it left behind on your forearm. A thin, white line of powder.

Fuck. It’s cocaine.

The dramatic weight of the box in your clutches suddenly dawned on you, straining your arms to keep it steady.

Fuck. It’s a lot of cocaine.

Enough to solve those final demand letters.

Enough to solve any final demand letters.

Before your mind could calculate the consequences, your hands had already fumbled for the weakness in the box and clawed it open further, pouring out handfuls of the white powder and stuffing it into the pockets on your formal suit pants. Not enough to arouse suspicion but enough to line your pockets and earn yourself at least one less red bill.

With the soft ‘ding’ of the elevator arriving at the 45th floor, you’d already worked out your excuse before your messy-haired recipient met you in the crisp white foyer of the robotics laboratory.

“They finally sent a hot chick?” The man who answers to Mr Jeff Pfister called out as he bounded towards you, eyeing you up and down without an ounce of shame. “The last one was totally clapped but this one is a certified babe!”

A chuckle of agreement erupted from a brown-haired man across the lab without looking up from his electronic project at hand.

As Jeff’s gaze dropped to your feet, he noticed a distinct white trail behind you and audibly gasped.

“The fuck?!” He cried out, dropping to his knees and scooping up the powder with his bare hands. “Babe, what the fuck?!”

“Sorry, sir,” you apologised calmly. “This is how it came from the delivery room.”

“Well tell them to be more careful next time, will ya?” He looked up from his cleaning mission for a second before dropping his nose to the floor and snorting the remaining amount. “This is precious cargo right here, we can’t afford to lose this!”

“It won’t happen again, sir.”

In fact, the exact thing happened again. And again. And again. Until your final demand letters became a thing of the past only two weeks later, selling the contents of your pockets to anybody who would buy from the least suspicious coke dealer in the area.

Halfway through your fifth delivery, the hum of the elevator carrying you upwards suddenly snapped you back to reality, an overwhelming pang of realisation crashing over you as you turned to rest your back against the reflective doors. How much longer could you pull this off? How long before suspicions were raised in the building?

What if the CEO found out? Worse still — what if Venable found out?

Your mind raced through the consequences of losing your entire income from the company. The final demand letters would rear their red heads. You’d lose your apartment, your car, have to move back in with your parents, have to take the bus, probably serve jail time, have to apply for a new job having lost the last one due to careless management of inordinate amounts of cocaine — every outcome sounded worse than the last.

None of them were worth the risk anymore.

——

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me,” Venable’s ever-present bark dragged your consciousness back into the present. “We don’t want to keep Mr Langdon waiting now, do we?”

Swallowing harshly and slowly rising from your chair; your gaze met with Venable’s, glimmering with mauve disdain above her narrow glasses. Both of her hands clasped over her cane, she tapped the stick against the floor so hard it nearly shattered the flagstones.

“No, Ms Venable,” you obeyed with a bowed head, tucking your chair under your desk and treading tentatively into the white hallway toward the elevator. The same crisp hallway down which you carried the class A cargo but this time, each step was taken less with anticipation than sheer terror of what lay ahead.

The mirrored doors that not two weeks ago resolved all your financial fears were now destined to carry you to your inevitable firing. The doors hastily slid open on your approach, leading you to gulp loudly and step inside its metallic chamber.

Hang on, why would the CEO personally see you just to fire you? Venable revels in that job, practically clamours for it simply to feed on the anguish of unfortunate employees whose time had come to a premature end for some reason or another. After all, she dismissed the last girl for misplacing her name badge. Hurriedly, your hand raced to your chest to double check your own badge, breathing a heavy sigh of relief to find the metal pin still in place.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you swore under your breath. “The money wasn’t worth this.”

You pressed the ‘66’ on the elevator keypad as if the button itself would destroy your life with one click, squinting to try and block out the next action as the doors swiped shut and encased you in its aluminium prison. Claustrophobia had never been an issue to you until this moment, eyes darting around your mirrored confinement from floor to ceiling as if you’d never make it out alive.

The jolt of the box’s motion skyward nearly toppled your balance as you braced yourself against the shiny wall, glancing up to the blinding lights above you that signposted your journey toward your fate. As if being dismissed wasn’t bad enough, your actions were far more illegal than you realised at the time. Aware that you’ve been mishandling a class A drug, Langdon could be sending you into a trap. The cops could be right behind that door when it reached its destination. You swallowed harshly, knowing full well how close you were to the end of the line.

The insensitive metallic “ding” of the elevator signalling its arrival washed yet another wave of dread over you. Squeezing your eyes tightly shut as the doors wiped open, you stepped out into the unknown and paced forward.

Your motion stopped abruptly as you clashed against an immovable force in front of you, forcing your eyes open to face the obstacle square in its eyes — a tall blonde man whose hard chest you just bumped against.

“It might be worth opening your eyes once in a while,” he sneered through a crooked smile creeping across his full lips, watching intently as you panicked and stumbled backwards raising cautious palms in the space between you to ensure you were a suitable distance away from him. He remained motionless, his hands clasped together behind his back.

“I… I…” you stuttered weakly. A deep chuckle erupted in Mr Langdon’s throat.

“I’m sure I pay you to speak at least a few words,” he smirked, his grin growing wider with every one of your panicked breaths. “Take a seat, miss.”

The elegant man spun on his heels and paced across the room to a chair behind a glass desk, tapping the opposite seat intended for you as he passed. Once the haze of fear finally dropped from your vision, focusing on his frame you noticed tumbling blonde curls pouring over his shoulders, his long black coat billowing as he moved and black boots making a satisfying ‘clack’ across the tiled floor.

Whatever you expected the mysterious Mr Langdon to look like, this definitely was not it.

“You’re not still frozen to the spot, are you?” His booming voice filled the room and caused you to lunge forward and rush to the chair across from him, perching on the edge of the seat and nervously sliding your hands under your thighs.

“Mr Langdon, I—.”

“So tell me,” he continued without acknowledging your attempt to speak, his facial features not changing to reveal his emotions. “What possessed you to steal cocaine from your employers to sell on the street?”

You gulped again. Loudly. How did he know every single detail of your actions? Did he have cameras in the elevator?

Fuck, you should’ve thought about that sooner.

“Sir, I know it was wrong and I’m so, so sorry,” you pleaded weakly, shaking your head in despair with every syllable. “Please, please don’t call the cops and please don’t fire me. I really need this job.”

For the first time, his smug grin dropped. Instead, a quirked eyebrow raised above his deep-set eyes.

“I was under the impression this company meant nothing to you,” he stated perplexed, leaning forward in his chair and placing an elbow on the glass table, resting his chin on his palm and tapping his cheek with his finger. “Particularly if you’d throw it all away over a few pocketfuls of cocaine.”

“Sir, have you ever made a mistake in the heat of the moment?” You instantly regretted your words as they rolled off your tongue without a second thought. “I made a huge mistake that jeopardised not only myself but also the company. I would take it back in a heartbeat.”

Langdon tapped his cheek again, as if dismissing your feeble attempts to resolve your own mess.

“I appreciate your tenacity, but you’ll have to try a little harder if you want me to overlook something as abominably illegal as this.”

“Of course sir, I’ll do anything.”

Langdon’s steady breaths hitched in his throat. His brow raised higher.

“Anything?”

“Anything, sir,” you affirmed.

He froze for what felt like an eternity, seemingly calculating your statement. You both sat in piercing silence, deafened by the unspoken words rolling around in his mind and the remaining desperate attempts to apologise for your mistake tumbling around yours.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, little girl,” he sneered, pursing his lips together.

“I… I’m not, sir. I really would do anything.”

This time, both of his tapered blonde eyebrows raised.

A decision had been made. And that decision terrified you.

Suddenly, Langdon rose from his chair and sidestepped around the desk, running a contemplative hand across the glass as he moved toward you. As he reached your side and his black boots nudged against your shoes, he peered down at you with wonder sparkling in his eyes.

“Stand up,” he commanded as you rose to your feet almost before he could finish his order. Even at your full height, Langdon towered over you, his blonde curls flowing around his shoulders at your eye level.

“If you do as I say, I will add the income you made from the coke to your salary so you never need to sell on the street again. If you do as I say, I will make this all go away. The police will never know, Mutt and Jeff will never know and most importantly, Venable will never know.” Langdon leaned in toward you, his voice softening with every word that left his plump lips. “But if you disobey me, I have the police on speed dial and I will personally ensure you never see the light of day again under the crushing weight of class A drug charges.”

You swallowed harshly, drawing your bottom lip between your teeth. Nodding furiously, you wilfully agreed to anything he had in mind.

“I have a few terms,” he continued, his face blank but searching yours for a reaction. “Number one, do you have an IUD?”

You nearly choked on thin air, eyes bulging from their sockets. You frantically scoured his face for any signal that he was joking, but his emotionless countenance gave nothing away. Realising how deadly serious he was, you shook your head tentatively.

“Good,” he affirmed with a slight quirk of his lips into a contented smile. “Second, are you taking any birth control?”

This time, your eyes darted around the room for a sign of a hidden camera, as if this were some prank. Unfortunately nothing jumped out at you, leaving you to nod obediently.

“Understood. I’m going to need you to stop taking it for at least two weeks. Do I make myself clear?”

Langdon slowly leaned into you, closing the gap between you as your breaths became laboured, until your lips almost met in the middle. You knew if you nodded in response, you’d certainly end up crashing into a kiss.

“Y… yes sir,” you whispered instead.

“Good girl,” he grinned, raising a hand to your face and tucking a rogue strand of hair behind your ear. He revelled in your fear, fed off your trepidation, bathed in your anticipation. He knew your thought process, knew you were following his plan to the letter at least in your mind. You knew exactly why he was asking this of you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to question it, to hear his intentions from his own lips. You knew what your CEO was asking you to do, but verbalising it would make it real.

Suddenly, he spun around and skirted around the table returning to his seat.

“I’ll have a contract drawn up by the morning. Come back by 9am and sign if you still want those charges to flutter off into the ether.”

You gulped in a feeble attempt to disguise your irregular breathing and nodded curtly in response.

“Yes, Mr Langdon,” you obeyed, turning on your heels to the sanctuary of the elevator. As you strode in silence toward the mirrored doors, the CEO’s voice broke through the void once more.

“You can call me Michael,” he called out in the hope you would look back at him.

Noticing you briskly continuing your journey out, he tried again.

“Oh and one more thing,” he added as you finally turned to face him.

“Yes, Michael?”

“Make sure you ditch that stupid name badge before you see me again.”

[stayevildarling]

Because you just reblogged those angst prompts and I love angst too, I’d love to read a combination of “please just hold me”, “you look awful” and maybe “is there anything I can do to help?” Between Wilhemina x Reader with the reader comforting wilhemina please?

Wilhemina Venable x Reader - Holding on for dear life

A/N: thank you for requesting this💜 I struggled a little because as a reader I could never tell her she looks awful plus I struggled at first to see Mina ask for this. But in this scenario I can totally see it. I hope you enjoy and thank you for your support @stepintomyworld

tw: mention of scoliosis, cursing, angst, fluff

taglist: @lunaticwhittaker, @billiebeanhoward , @lanawinters-ily , @kenzbro , @minaslittleone , @httpfiftyshadesofgay , @whitelotus00 , @ninaahs , @vintagepaulson , @isle-of-earle , @paulsonsratched , @stepintomyworld , @grilledcheeseandguavajelly , @lucyintheskywithxanax , @fanfics4world , @mymiraclewitch , @hazard-to-myself , @awritersometime

The sound of your alarm pierces through the dimly lit bedroom, you stir from your slumber, reaching out instinctively for the warmth of your lover beside you, only to find the bed empty. Faintly you remember how she had left the house at 5am this morning, heading to work like she usually does before pressing a soft kiss to your forehead and smiling at your sleeping state.

As you walk into the living room, you immediately notice the half-empty bottle of medication, sitting on the coffee table, its presence sending a wave of concern through your veins. Your heart skips a little as you realise that Mina had forgotten to take her medication to work.

Panic bubbles up inside you as you think about the fact that your redhead girlfriend had been quite irritated lately, snapping at things quicker than she usually would and overall seeming more exhausted. As you inspect the bottles closer, you notice that the medication bottle had the wrong doses printed on it. Confused, you make your way over to the bathroom and take a look at Wilhemina's medication cabinet.

Unusual emptiness finds you as it was usually stocked up with different medications for her back, one to help with sleep, some to help with pain. You notice how her usual medication all have the wrong and weaker doses printed on it. Confused, you try putting the pieces together before deciding to take matters into your own hands. Walking over to her office, you make your way around her desk, carefully opening her calendar. It feels wrong to be snooping around in her things but you know the redhead could be stubborn about this and not accepting any help.

As you skip through the last few weeks, you notice her usual scheduled doctors appointment wasn't listed for another week. She must have missed the last one due to an important work meeting, scheduled in the calendar that week. Thinking about it for a second, you aren't sure whether to just ask her about it and offer your help or just sort it out for her, not wanting to invade her privacy but also wanting to take some of the pressure and what you assume to be great pain at this point off.

A little while later, you had decided to help out in fact and are on your way to the pharmacy, picking up her usual prescription. After calling the Dr's you found out that in fact she didn't make her last appointment and therefore only had some of her older and weaker medication left. The receptionist was very hesitant but knowing your name by now, she helped out, considering she knew you from accompanying Mina to her appointments in the past.

It takes about half an hour until you make your way to Kinero Robotics, walking through the familiar hallways until you finally make it to her office. As you stand by the glass door, you can see a glimpse of your girlfriend, sitting at her desk. Typing away on her lilac laptop, you take in her features. Her cane resting against the desk beside her, her hair in a sharp ponytail, her outfit plastered with lilac as per usual.

As you take in her features a little closer, you notice the bags under her eyes, her tight posture and the way her jaw was in a straight line. You could tell she was in pain and uncomfortable and hoping with your gesture you could lift some of the weights off her tired shoulders. Knocking gently, her head instantly lifts, getting ready to throw shooting arrows with her gaze but her features quickly soften as she sees you standing there.

,,Little one?'' she asks, confusion etched on her tired features. Her right hand reaches for her cane but you quickly shake your head, walking over to her instead, before pressing a gentle kiss on her cheek. ,,What are you doing here?'' she asks confused, noticing the little bag in your hand.

,,Mina-'' you start, not sure what to say as you know she may be upset at you for what you are about to say and give to her. Her eyes press shut as another wave of pain ripples through her. Sighing heavily she turns her gaze to you again, the pain reflecting in her brown orbs. ,,You look awful my love'' you whisper, tilting your head with concern.

,,Thank you for that statement, it's nice to see you too'' she snaps a little as she didn't like the belittlement or pitty.

,,I have these for you'' you simply mutter out, handing her the bag before she opens it only to find her medication, the right dosage inside them. Her features are overtaken by confusion and you aren't sure if you can sense a hint of anger in them also. To deescalate the situation, you reach for her lilac Stanley cup that you purchased for her a while ago, noticing how it was almost empty, quickly walking away to fill it up for her.

As you return she sighs and averts your gaze, taking the medication without saying a word. Your girlfriend was a lot of things but not stupid, she knew what you did in order to fit the pieces together and as much as she disapproved of you probably having been through her schedule and great lengths to get these, right now she appreciates it, knowing this should help soothe the pain, at least a little soon.

,,Is there anything I can do to help Mina?'' you ask carefully as her brown eyes meet yours. You aren't sure how she felt at the moment, knowing that her walls are up high either way but you didn't want to leave without having at least done your best to provide her with the same love and care she shows you on a daily basis.

,,No- I think you have done enough'' she replies. The room fills with silence and from her tone and blank face you couldn't tell whether she was upset or grateful. Figuring you did indeed disturb her at work, you give her a weak smile before saying goodbye and exiting her office.

After you leave Wilhemina feels a wave of overwhelming emotions wash over her. She hated this, she had always hated her back, the way it disabled her to do the most normal things in life. The way the pain, not only physically, held her in its grasps, sometimes freezing her. She hated being perceived as weak or not as able as other people, mostly the reason why she appeared so harsh and tough on the outside.

With you it was different though, she never had anyone truly care about her, truly wanting to help ease the pain and not perceiving her as weak or different, as you had often reminded her. Somehow you made all of her insecurities disappear whenever she was with you and she loved and adored you for it. You wouldn't usually fuss either, which she truly appreciated and somehow she is facing a battle of anger over your fuss but deep gratitude that you went through the lengths of getting the mediation, which she couldn't make the time for due to her career and on top of it, coming all the way to her office to bring it to her.

She rubs her temples, slowly feeling the effect of the pain medication soothing her painful and tired muscles. ,,Fuck'' she curses internally for having driven you away like this. As she takes a look at the time and her desk, seeing the amount of work she still had for the day, she quickly resumed with it, hoping if she gets through it all sooner rather than later, she could make some more time for you tonight, hopefully being able to leave the office sooner.

As hours passed, the weight and pain of the last few days presses down on Wilhemina's shoulders, each moment ticking by with agonising slowness. Despite the medication easing the worst of her pain, she couldn't shake the lingering exhaustion that seemed to have clinged to her like a shadow at this point. As she works tirelessly at her desk, her mind keeps wandering back to the imagine of you standing in her office, your concern etched into every line of your face. The guilt gnawed at her insides as she replayed the exchange in her mind, wondering if she had pushed you away too harshly.

The truth is, she was grateful for your help more than she could ever express. But admitting that meant acknowledging her own vulnerability, something she had spent a lifetimes trying to conceal. And as much as she hated to admit it, your presence had stirred something inside her - a longing for connection that she had long buried beneath layers of steel and ice. As the day draws to a close and the office begins to even out, the redhead finds herself torn between a battle of desire to reach out to you, apologise for her harsh words and to thank you for your unwavering support.

With a heavy sigh, she closes her laptop, having finished up her things for the day, gathering her things as she made her mind up. She couldn't let the day end without making things right with you and showing you just how much you mean to her. As she makes her way home, her thoughts are consumed by visions of you, your gentle smile, the warmth of your embrace, the way your presence soothed her tired and troubled soul.

Meanwhile you spent the day tending to various tasks around the house, partly trying to distract yourself and also your thoughts consumed by her. The sight of her forgotten medication had sparked a sense of urgency in you, driving you to take action to ensure her wellbeing. You made sure that Wilhemina could come home to a clean and comfortable home. Making sure the bedding was changed, washing all done and the apartment looking neat and tidy. You prepared a bath for her, her favourite lavender bath salts sitting on the edge of the bathtub. After, you cooked some dinner, even though uncertainty consumed you when she was coming home and what she would be like tonight.

Wilhemina pushes the door to your apartment open a while later, her heart pounding with doubt and fear. She searches the home for you in the familiar surroundings. Noticing how everything was much cleaner than when she left this morning. She finds a cooked meal waiting for her in the kitchen, a bath waiting for her in the bathroom and the bed changed into some comfortable covers. However she couldn't find you.

When she finally founds you, her heart aches a little at the sight. Sitting in the armchair in a corner of the living room, bathed in the soft glow of the lamplight, her heart swells with a mixture with relief and longing. Relief that you didn't run, didn't leave and stayed.

,,Little one'' she murmurs, her voice filled with emotions as she crosses the room to where you are sat, her cane tapping against the floor. You lift your gaze from your book, giving her a soft and gentle smile. ,,Hi Mina'' you greet her, taking in her features and noticing how her expression and posture seem less tense, meaning the medication must have helped her at least a little.

,,Why is the table only set for one?'' she asks, her brow furrowing in curiosity. You meet her gaze gently explaining ,,I wanted to give you some space to unwind, to have some time for yourself after a long day''.

The redheads heart swells with emotion at your considerate words, a lump forming in her throat as she realises how much you care about her wellbeing. At the same time knowing, usually you would set the table for two and eat with her. She worries, that she had hurt you, drove you away before after the exchange in her office. Despite the reassurance from you and the bad feeling about today, her sense of stubbornness nags at her thoughts. She accepts your explanation with a simple ,,Fine'' before leaving with a tight smile.

As she makes her way to the bathroom, her steps slow and deliberate she seeks solace in the soothing embrace of a warm bath. The tension in her muscles begins to melt away as she sinks into the steaming water, the cares of the day slipping from her mind with each passing moment. After staying in the comfort of the bath for what felt like an eternity, she emerges from the bath. Wrapping herself in a towel and getting changed, turned out to be a challenge again, sending little shooting pains through her back. She knows she could easily ask you for help but again Wilhemina was still far too stubborn for that.

As she makes her way to the kitchen a little while later in anticipation of the meal, she sits down at the table. However she couldn't help but feel a pang of loneliness at the sight of the empty chair across from her. But even as she took each bite of the delicious meal you had prepared, she knows that solitude was necessary, a chance to reflect the events of the day and come to terms with her own feelings. She couldn't keep being stubborn, the fear of pushing you away further far too big a risk.

As she finishes her meal and making her way back to the living room, she finds you in the exact spot, lost in the pages of a book. Wilhemina settles beside you on the couch, finding a comfortable position for her to sit in. A sense of calm washes over her, at the thought you are there beside her. You look up from your book, giving her a gentle smile, before you put the book down altogether.

,,Was dinner okay?'' you ask quietly, trying to make conversation.

,,It was perfect, thank you little one'' she speaks softly and you sense the tension almost gone from her features and voice at this point.

She takes a deep breath before turning to you, her gaze soft but determined. ,,I need to talk to you about today, little one'' she admits, her voice steady despite the turmoil swirling inside her. You nod in return, your eyes meeting hers. ,,Of course Mina'' you reply, your voice gentle and reassuring.

And with your hand clasped in hers, Wilhemina slowly begins to open up, her words tumbling forth in a rush as she pours out her frustrations and regret. She admits she couldn't make time for the doctors appointment and therefor couldn't get a new prescription. She explains the only option being her old and weaker medication. Wilhemina very briefly touches the subject of her fear of appearing weak or vulnerable, her stubborn pride often getting in the way of accepting help or support.

But she quickly changes the subject to her love for you, the anchor that always held her steady. ,,I'm so grateful for you, little one, for all that you do''. Her smile is gentle as she pulls you into her embrace, holding you there for a while.

As the evening carries on, eventually the both of you go to bed and as much as Wilhemina appreciates the soft sheets, and your support to put her in a comfortable position, another wave of pain appears. Wilhemina's scoliosis often brought on bursts of excruciating pain, despite the right medications. The pain wasn't just in her back, it radiated down her legs, sending sharp jolts of agony with each movement. Especially after a long day at work, once she gets to rest it feels like a vice grip squeezing her spine and every attempt to shift position only seems to increase the torment.

As she lays there you can tell her features changing again and your heart breaks at the sight knowing how much pain she was in. ,,Mina?'' you ask gently as her gaze meets yours the pain is very visible in her brown orbs. ,,Can I get you your medication?'' you ask softly. She simply nods, despite her strength and resilience usually, she also had her breaking points. Tonight she had reached it, after not having been on the right medication for weeks, having been agitated all day. The pain wins, forcing her to surrender to its merciless grip.

As you return she thanks you silently and invites you to lay down beside her. The room remains quiet for a while and as you take in her features you notice the usual stoic facade crumbling under the weight of the relentless pain. ,,It feels like shooting pain down my legs'' she murmurs, her voice laced with discomfort. ,,It feels like I can barely move them after today''. Despite her agony there is a hint of frustration in her tone, a silent acknowledgment of her own vulnerability. It was rare to see the usual strong woman in such a state, but even the fiercest of warriors had their moments of weakness.

Your heart breaks at the sight, wishing you could take her pain away. You would do it over and over again, taking all of her pain if it would mean some kind of relief to her. Tears swell in your eyes as you feel helpless and at the same time knowing if she was so open and honest it must be so bad that not even words could describe it. You simply reach for her hand, holding it gently as you listen to her talk.

,,I hate seeing you like this Mina, I'm so sorry'' you say, barely above a whisper.

,,How do you think I feel? I have to actually live with-'' she quickly stops herself as she feels your hand hold onto hers a little tighter. A silent reminder that it was just you two and the rest of the world didn't need to know she was letting her guard and usual high walls down. ,,I'm sorry'' she mumbles, growing frustrated at herself.

,,What can I do Mina?'' you ask softly as you meet her gaze yet again. Her eyes soften, so grateful already for all the things you had done for her today and continue to do.

,,No I don't think so- just'' she starts but quickly stops herself. You sit up beside her, giving her a soft reassuring smile.

,,Can you-'' she starts but stops herself again as she shakes her head slowly. You can tell she's suddenly shy which didn't usually happen.

,,Can you- please just hold me'' she suddenly whispers. The words take a second for your brain to register them as this was not something you expected from Wilhemina and it usually being the other way around. Your features crumble and you have to stop the lump in your throat from bringing any tears to your eyes.

Moving up a little, leaning against the frame of the bed, you open your arms and she nudges slightly as she feels the safety of your arms wrap around her. As Wilhemina rests her head on your chest, listening to your heartbeat and surprised that this wasn't making her back worse, some tears roll down her cheeks.

However you are quick to catch each one reassuring her ,,I've got you Mina, it's okay''. And with every word she believes you. The tears eventually turn into her crying in your arms and despite the scene in front of you breaking you in any way it could, seeing her in so much agony and pain, you also feel some kind of relief. Knowing that every now and then it was healthy for her to show this kind of emotion and let go of her usual stern and hiding nature.

Wilhemina feels a weight lifting from her as she listened to the gentle words escaping your lips and gentle beats of your heart against your chest, where her head still rested. In that moment as you held her in the quiet comfort of your bedroom, surrounded by the warmth of your love, Wilhemina knew that with you by her side she could face any challenge that would come knocking and she knew they wouldn't ever stop. At the same time you knew that you had done something right, knowing Wilhemina wouldn't ever portray her emotions like this easily. And as the redhead holds on for dear life, you both find comfort in the arms of each other, knowing you can face any storms that came her way.

[honeysorwell]

Two hearts can fix everything 

Synopsis of the story + Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

Chapter 2

Par: Wilhemina Venable x fem!Reader

Tag list: @paulsonix​​ @d14n4ol​​ @harknspet​ @strawberryshorttcakkee and if any of you want to be added just let me know!

Warning: none, I think I’m in my clean era.

Word Count: 1,1k

Enjoy!

When Wilhemina returns to “Gardenhouse Coffee” it has been almost a week since she first entered the place, and although the coffee was not bad – quite the opposite – the redhead simply has not found any reason to go back there. Until now.

The coffee maker in her house has permanently broken, or something like that. The important part is that her morning coffee has not been made and now Wilhemina has to park her car directly in front of the coffee shop.

She is not late to start her work day yet. Her biological clock works very well regardless of the time Venable has to get ready for work, thanks to her very restricted routine, but just by pushing open the front door of the coffee shop, the redhead realizes that if the place is full she might be late eventually.

But apparently, it is the beginning of the workday for everyone, since all the tables are empty and Y/N is counting some money and putting it in the cash register with furrowed eyebrows and a concentrated look. But, as if the sound of Venable's cane was an alarm on a calm Sunday morning, the barista's gaze quickly monopolizes hers.

And Y/N smiles.

It happens exactly like the first time, Wilhemina walks towards the counter, silently wondering how the barista can keep a smile like that on her face so early in the morning, and direct it to a stranger without any hesitation.

Well, she works with people so this may be it.

Maybe that was what was expected of the redhead too. To smile and direct a distorted kind of affection to whoever arrived at Kineros Robotics. But that wasn't who Venable was.

Since childhood, with constant pain and little affection shown to her by her parents, Wilhemina never thought of her smile as something that should or could be directed at everyone. It was a weakness, a part of herself that revealed her feelings and thoughts and should never be directed at someone who didn't deserve it.

And she didn't like the idea to tense her face with smiles either.

Her own aesthetics were already something the redhead didn't appreciate in the mirror, and age had already created marks on the skin of her face – the only part of Wilhemina that anyone could look at and barely suspect her scoliosis – so Venable didn't want to ruin it either.

Her hands and arms were always tense, looking for her cane. Her legs were stiff and her feet ungraceful, always afraid of the imminent possibility that the floor she was standing on would knock her over. The front of her torso had an asymmetrical waistline, and her back was the mark that caused all that, but not her face. Her face had always been her triumph, which Wilhemina was not prepared to ruin with marks of expressions, and perhaps that was another reason – already normalized in her mind – for not smiling.

But there was Y/N. Smiling at Wilhemina as if the redhead was going to offer her the moon, and not ask for her services as a barista.

This time the redhead doesn't ask for the menu, she just says the coffee she wants, but now in a large size, and continues to lean on the counter. Nothing in her body hurts, thanks to the hot shower she took before getting ready for work, and the redhead takes advantage of this to continue standing. Maybe this could be a moment to sit down and relax, at least in the chairs near the counter, but before she even pays attention to that, her eyes focus on another part of the decoration.

Inside the counter there are photos.

Y/N is in all of them, with the same warm smile and bright eyes she gave Wilhemina when she wished her good morning minutes before. Some are with a group of people, and all of their faces looked just as happy as hers, some are of Y/N with an older woman, both cooking and smiling at the camera.

Wilhemina is so absorbed in the images she is enjoying, that she barely notices when a coffee is pushed in her direction.

She could even be embarrassed, for snooping around a private and partially hidden place inside the coffee shop – after all, if it was behind the counter, it wasn't supposed to be seen by any customer – but Y/N just smiles in her direction. It takes a few seconds for the redhead to focus her gaze on the hot liquid in front of her, but as soon as she looks up, Wilhemina notices.

Her name is spelled wrong again.

It's the same mistake. An extra i and an l, and maybe this is the right time to correct the attendant, but right above the writing are drawn two hearts, exactly like last time, and Wilhemina takes advantage of the last few minutes she has before being late for work to satisfy this curiosity that already lives intensely in her soul.

"Two hearts…?", her right eyebrow rises high on her forehead for just a few seconds, in a silent request for a meaningful explanation, and Y/N gives her one.

“My mother always says that two hearts make everything better, that they heal everything… That's why I like to put them on everything,” and so Y/N takes a photo from the improvised mural, of herself with an older woman, who has features similar to the bartender's, and shows Wilhemina.

It only takes one more look around for the redhead to find several drawings of two hearts together lost among the decorations, in paintings or just drawn on plant pots, and there Wilhemina notices.

Y/N is the owner of the place, and the one in the photos is her mother.

“And you just draw hearts on all the cups?”, there is also a phrase covered in venom hovering in Wilhemina's mind, insinuating that the barista wastes time and vitality, as well as pen ink on this unsustainable and useless hobby for her business, but Y/N's voice sounds first, interrupting her.

“No. Just yours… I figured you might like it.”

Hearing Y/N's remorseless answer, it was as if what was living in Wilhemina's mind evaporated, and she barely remembered what she was going to say. Her mind screams at her to raise one of her eyebrows in confusion again, just for a second, and correct Y/N, but her body contradicts her and, without even realizing it, she smiles before walking away.

This time, Wilhemina hears when Y/N wishes her a good job before she even opens the door to leave, but again she refuses to answer her.

She is not late, but if she stays any longer she might, and not even the honor of her name is worth enough for her to hear Jeff and Mutt's mocking smiles.

But Wilhemina feels that everything is fine. She still has to buy a new coffee maker for her house after work, but there is no need to rush.

The coffee at Gardenhouse Coffee is good. And she can correct Y/N tomorrow.

[imagines-ahs]

Chapter Forty-Eight: Bisque.

Summary: Wilhemina Venable felt it was finally time to leave Kineros Robotics and get a job with people who weren’t such morons like Jeff and Mutt. What she didn’t expect, however, was for her new boss to be so damn insufferable. She didn’t expect to fall in love with her, either.

Tag List: @mayfair-fleur @mistysswampmud @paulsonsratched @msvenablx @notmeellaannyy @rwoolfe @golddustdykes​ @lovingsarah @slut-for-sarah @geinobinarie​ (message me to be added if interested!)

“Affection memories are the best kind,” Billie’s words came as soft as melted butter. “How old were you?”

I’m not sure I have many of those. “Six.”

“I wish I could have seen young Wilhemina eating cheesecake for the first time.” The corners of Billie Dean’s sparkled lightly. Venable couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as she took another bite.

“Do you have any pictures from when you were young?”

Even though the question seemed a little odd, Billie had learned not to judge. It was safe to say their experiences in life had been very different, even though they shared their fair amount of similarities. She nodded as she took a bite. “I do. Why?”

Wilhemina shrugged. “I’d like to see them… sometime. If that’s alright with you.”

“Of course.” Weird. But it made sense… Billie did want to see younger Venable, too.

Wilhemina nodded slowly as she looked down at her plate. I think I might have a few pictures from school… Granted, she had always hated taking pictures. Brown eyes moved back up to Billie Dean, and a small smile graced Venable’s features as she realized the small amount of cream cheese on Billie’s face. “Your chin,” she said softly.

“Hm?”

“You have cream cheese on your chin.”

“Oh.” Billie let her fork go and reached for a napkin. She chuckled as she wiped her face clean. “Thank you.” Embarrassing.

“Of course.” I can’t believe the nerve of her to look good even with cream cheese on her face.

Carefully taking one last bite, Billie Dean set her plate aside. She licked her lips and made sure no bits were left on her cheeks. Venable still savored the dessert, and so honey eyes watched her. In no time, they were back at the living room with the dishwasher all loaded and running. Purpura sleepily watched them from her spot at the center table.

“That was good,” Billie sat back down at the couch, right beside Wilhemina, whom nodded.

“When did you first find out you had a talent for finding good food?” Venable teased as she leaned back against the couch. Billie Dean let out a small chuckle. Is it safe to feel that comfortable around her? That was a constant doubt in her mind.

“I think it’s a talent only for you.” She reached for one of Venable’s legs, hand resting on her knee and caressing it on top of the pants.

Wilhemina smiled to herself. Floratta Blue permeated her house in comforting tones of coral. “If you say so…”

“Mhm.” Leaning closer, Billie kissed Wilhemina’s cheek before resting back on the couch.

With the corners of her eyes sparkling lightly, Venable turned her head to stare at Billie Dean. The caresses on her leg no longer felt foreign. Such a short time… Things with Emma had taken so long so develop to whatever it had been. How was any of that even happening with Billie? “Will you help me set my iPad?”

“Of course.”

Afternoon dawned and night arrived pretty fast. Shades of orange invaded the living room as Billie Dean was just done helping Wilhemina set everything, and then Venable got up to turn the light on. The iPad now lay charging on the corner table, already with the purple case on and a few apps installed. Honey eyes watched as Wilhemina caressed Purpura on her way back to the couch, and as she was about to comment on her trousers, her phone began to ring from her purse. Brown eyes moved to hers. Billie Dean bit her lower lip and wished the name on the screen didn’t start with the letter ‘E’—thankfully, it didn’t. “It’s Jenny,” she told Venable before walking to the bathroom, receiving a nod back. Closing the door, Billie quickly picked it up. “Hello?”

“Stop ignoring my texts!” From the other side, Jenny yelled teasingly.

“I’m not!” Billie said with a chuckle. “I just haven’t been around my phone today.”

“Oh! Oh—oh! You’re at her house?!”

Laughing, Billie Dean moved to sit down on the closed toilet lid. “Yes, I am.” Her words were quiet, low.

“Did you spend the night? Oh, of course you did!”

Billie couldn’t help but find Jenny’s excitement funny. “I did, but nothing happened.”

“How come?”

“We’re going slow.”

“Did you make out at least?”

“Jenny!”

“Come on!”

Smiling to herself, Billie Dean nodded on the phone. “Yes…”

“So she does have feelings for you, huh?”

“… yes.”

“Where’s my ‘You told me, Jenny. You’re always right, Jenny. I should give you a raise, Jenny.’?”

“Shut up!” Billie chuckled yet again, hearing as the girl did the same on the other side of the phone. After a moment, she bit her lip. Their laughs died down. “Thank you…”

“You’re welcome,” Jenny’s voice came softly, now. “On a more serious note, is everything alright? Is she treating you well and not like she’s made out of ice?”

Billie Dean shook her head. “She’s the sweetest, Jenny…”

“If you say so.”

“Truly.”

“I believe you.”

Billie licked her lips as she thought. “Was Emma alright? Yesterday, when you dropped her home?”Silence. Billie Dean felt Jenny shifting on the other side of the line. Oh no.

“She was just drunk. Do you really want to talk about her now?”

“She said something about Terry, didn’t she?”

Jenny took a deep breath. Billie gulped. “She said a lot of things…”

“Jenny…”

“Yes. She did talk about Terry.”

“Fuck,” Billie breathed out. Closing her eyes, she reached to massage her temple. “What did she say?”

“I don’t remember exactly—or rather, I didn’t understand it very well— but it was something that had to do with telling Wilhemina about her.” Billie Dean groaned. “She was drunk and very much mad at you, I doubt she’ll do anything,” Jenny tried to amend. It didn’t help much.

“She thinks she knows what happened, and she’s assuming that’s what I am doing with Wilhemina.”

“Yeah…”

“That’s not it, Jenny. Terry wasn’t even fired because of that!” Her voice raised a little. Billie quickly took notice of it and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.

From the other side, Jenny gulped. “I know, Billie… but you do know that a few people can’t help but make that connection, right?”

Billie Dean took a deep breath. “Yes…” And it fucking sucks. Just another thing people assumed about her life, as if she didn’t have enough of that already.

“Have you told her about it?”

“Wilhemina?”

“Yes.”

“No… not yet.” Honey eyes fell down. Billie sucked on her lower lip. “I think it’s too soon.”

“Billie, it’s either you telling her or her possibly finding it out through Emma… and I really don’t think you’d like the latter.”

“I know,” Billie Dean murmured. “What else did she tell you?”

“She just cried a lot… and called you a bunch of names.”

“Fair,” she murmured again.

“Not really, but we’ll not dwell on that right now.” Billie nodded to herself. “Are you spending the weekend there?”

“Yes.” Taking a deep breath, Billie Dean sat up a little better. “Why?”

“Just asking. The reports about the party should be out on Monday, and we need to approve the pictures for the special.”

“Right. You can ask them to e-mail me the material.” I desperately need a break from working. The end of the year was always hectic for Billie Dean.

“Already did. They’re waiting on an answer until Monday, noon.”

“Perfect. We can do it in the morning, then.”

“Mhm.”

“Do I need to do anything this weekend?” Billie had found Jenny’s question a little odd, so it was always best to ask.

“Not really. I was just curious about you and her,” the girl chuckled.

“Oh.” Chuckling back, Billie got up from the lid. That’s good at least. “I’ll tell you more on Monday.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting excitedly as the reason for all of that to be happening I am.”

“Silly,” Billie Dean teased back. “Alright, I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Alright. Have a good weekend, wink wink.”

“You too, you annoying human.” With both of them laughing, Billie ended the call. She looked up to the mirror and fixed her clothes and hair, eyes glued on herself. She sighed. She’ll think I do that with everybody. Maybe that talk could wait until Monday… or at least until tomorrow. Billie Dean decided she wouldn’t think about it now. At least not for the night. She still had another whole day before the next week, after all.

Quietly stepping out of the bathroom, Billie Dean walked back to the living room; she didn’t find Venable there. “Wilhie?”

“In the bedroom,” Venable called back.

Quietly still, Billie Dean followed that way. As she got to the room, her eyes were graced with the lovely image of Wilhemina, sitting on the bed with Purpura and a tube of lotion by her side. Lavender notes invaded her nostrils. Billie smiled. “Are you moisturizing her?” She remembered Venable had said something about it, once.

Wilhemina nodded. She reached for more of the lotion and gently caressed the cat’s back, which purred lowly. “Winter makes her skin drier.”

“She’s so well behaved.” Carefully, Billie sat down beside Wilhemina. She watched as her hands worked on Purpura, so gentle and caring. And with such long and dainty fingers… not now. Billie Dean licked her lips and looked back up at Venable, watching the way she was so absolutely focused on the cat, with lips curling up and eyes so soft above the sky of freckles there. To be loved by her must be holy. She could only wish to experience that one day. “Can I help?”

Taken positively aback, deep brown eyes met honey ones. “To moisturize her?” Billie nodded. Venable opened a smile. “Of course.” She reached for the lotion and pushed it closer to Billie Dean. “Here. Her chest is missing still.

“Okay.” As gentle as she could, Billie Dean scooped a small amount of lotion on her fingers and began to caress the cat’s chest, right underneath her neck. Purpura purred a little louder, shifting on the mattress to accommodate the hand. Billie smiled, and as she looked up at Wilhemina, their eyes and smile met again. Air seemed scarce all of a sudden. I want to give her the world.

I love her. When had anyone ever treated Purpura like that? When had anyone wanted to be a part of her life like that? How scary? How good? How foreign? “She likes it,” Wilhemina said, voice as soft as melted butter. “She likes you.”

With a tiny chuckle, Billie Dean used all of her strength to take her eyes off of Venable and look back at the cat. “I like her, too.” With her free hand and mindful of her nails, she reached to pet the cat’s head. Purpura leaned against it, eyes closed. Another chuckle left Billie’s lips.

With her teeth trapping her lips in order not to allow them to smile too big, Wilhemina kept on watching them. She pulled her hands away and wiped them on a towel she had taken, cleaning them of the lotion. After a minute or two, she spoke again. “Thank you for being so nice to her…”

“Of course,” Billie Dean’s eyebrows drew closer in confusion. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Venable shrugged. My mind clearly works wrong. “It’s just that… a few people can be mean because of—of how she looks.” Just like they are to me. She nervously licked her lips. “You know… the skin.”

Billie’s frown grew for a second until she understood just how deep the topic actually was. Her eyes reflected nothing but kindness now. “There’s nothing wrong with how she looks, Wilhie… and even if there were, quote on quote, something wrong about her, that wouldn’t be an excuse for people to treat her in any way but kind.” Gulping again, Wilhemina nodded. She took a discrete deep breath and clutched the small purple towel on her lap. Billie Dean took notice of it. She’s nervous. With her own heart picking up slightly in speed, Billie looked down at the cat for a second before looking back up at Venable. Her lips curled up on the corners. “Besides, I think she looks really cute.”

This time, it was Wilhemina who looked away from Billie Dean. Her cheeks tinted softly. The underlying tone of their conversation was very much explicit. “R-really?”

“Oh, yeah.” She knows I’m talking about her. There was no need to point that out. Billie had been learning compliments and words of affirmation were better left in the murky, at least for now. “More than cute, I think she’s beautiful.” Clutching the towel in her hands a little harsher, Venable nodded quietly. She slowly looked back up, and when her eyes met honey ones again, she found a look in them that left her warm all over, sweet all over, comforted all over. Billie Dean’s smile grew lovingly, pouring affection all over. Carefully not to disturb Purpura, Billie scooted closer to Wilhemina, hand reaching to cup one of her cheeks—slowly, so she could ask her to stop if she wanted. She didn’t. Billie Dean’s thumb caressed the plump crimson skin with so much tenderness it nearly hurt. Venable sighed lowly. “You’re beautiful, Wilhemina,” she whispered, voice as soft as a cozy blanket and as sweet as honey. She could feel Venable’s breath against her lips, faster than usual and oh so inviting. So she kissed her, slow and gentle and affectionate.

With blood rushing up to her head, Wilhemina felt her hands trembling against the cloth. She did the best she could and let go of it, reaching to caress Billie’s arm as she kissed her back. Their lips danced slowly and passionately, and for a split second Venable felt herself losing touch with the parts that could be so damn horrible to her. Her lips picked up in intensity, and she subconsciously scooted closer to Billie Dean, too. Purpura meowed from between them, therefore causing the kiss the break. Wilhemina took a deep breath as she stared at Billie’s eyes, lips rosy and tingling deliciously. Billie Dean watched her closely, thumb still tracing Venable’s cheek. I’m terrified things will change. Reality set back in. Wilhemina gulped. “I’m n-not used to that…”

“Compliments?” Venable nodded. I know. Billie smiled sadly. “Any chance I can help you get used to them?”

With her cheeks still red and hot, Wilhemina bit her lower lip. Hesitantly, she nodded. “It might take a while…” It might never happen at all.

With the softest smile she could manage, Billie Dean reached to tuck a lock of red hair behind Venable’s ear. “That’s okay,” she whispered. Billie felt as dark brown eyes fell down to her lips, so she leaned closer and kissed Wilhemina again, which got herself a sweet sigh. Billie Dean pulled away just enough to stare at Venable. “I’m not in a rush.” She had said that already, about many things, but she would never grow tired of easing Wilhemina’s mind.

And yet again, there she was… bare, raw in front of Billie. Vulnerable, and yet she didn’t feel so scared. That’s scary. Would that become something usual for her?

Sunday morning arrived as sweetly as the past night had been; Wilhemina found herself falling asleep tangled in Billie Dean’s arms again, this time receiving kisses on the forehead until she, eventually, allowed sleep to win. When the first ray of sunlight slipped through the curtains, their limbs were still tangled and their skin was still warm from their embrace. It was Venable who opened her eyes first, eyebrows close as she frowned from the light. When her vision wasn’t so blurry anymore, Wilhemina focused on whatever was in front of her—it happened to be Billie, still fast asleep and with her lips inches away from her own. She took a deep breath. I kissed her. Venable licked her own chapped lips, body falling slowly into reality as it got aware of its position: legs tangled with Billie Dean’s, an arm that wasn’t its own wrapped around her waist, feet touching, blonde hair tickling her face. How lovely was it, to not wake up alone? To not always be by herself? Wilhemina took another deep breath, brown oceans examining the face in front of hers. Is she even real? Venable still had her doubts. Billie frowned as a strand of her own hair tickled her face, nose scrunching up. Wilhemina smiled to herself and reached to pull the strand of hair away and behind Billie Dean’s ear. As she pulled her hand away, she couldn’t help but brush her knuckles against Billie’s face, caressing her peachy skin. I shouldn’t be so attached already. How could she not? When that woman treated her and made her feel a way she had never experienced before? Venable watched as Billie Dean began to slowly open her eyes. She smiled sleepily to herself.

Letting out a small sigh, Billie hummed as her vision came into consciousness, body snuggling closer to whatever was providing it warmth. Lavender soon clouded her senses, and so Billie Dean finally fixated on the face in front of her. Her lips mirrored Wilhemina’s sleepy smile. Was she watching me? “Hi,” Billie croaked out, as sweet as she could manage in her state.

“Hello.” Venable’s smile grew as her cheeks began to tint for some reason. Down her legs, she felt as Billie Dean’s foot caressed her own. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

Billie shook her head before hiding her face against the pillow to cover a yawn. Her hand reached for Wilhemina’s waist and pulled her closer. “You didn’t.” She looked back at dark brown eyes. “I wouldn’t have minded if you had, though.”

Venable nodded at the words as spidery fingers slowly moved up to cup Billie Dean’s cheek. Wilhemina just stared at her for a minute before taking a deep breath. “I like waking up next to you,” she whispered. I didn’t know not being alone could ever feel this way.

Coral fingernails scratched softly against the cloth of Venable’s purple pajamas, caressing her waist and the small of her back. Billie Dean leaned closer and kissed her gently on the lips. I hope my breath is tolerable. “I like waking up next to you, too,” she whispered back. Wilhemina stared at her like she was made of all the stars in the universe, eyes shining and all. Billie couldn’t help but pull her even closer, and this time Venable’s hand fell down to her waist and pulled her closer, too. Their bodies left no space between each other, breaths mingling. “I sleep pretty well when I’m with you… you’re warm and you don’t snore,” she teased.

Chuckling lowly, Wilhemina bit her lip to stop her smile from growing too much. “Why, thank you. I could say the same, but your feet are freezing,” she teased back, because being playful didn’t come with a sentence of being punished when it came to Billie Dean.

With a laugh, Billie made sure her feet were well tangled with Venable’s. “I don’t know why they’re so cold.”

Wilhemina hummed. She reached for the hand that caressed her waist and tangled her fingers with Billie Dean’s. “So is your hand.” She caressed the cold digits between her own, trying to warm them up. “Are you cold?”

“Not really.” Billie licked her lips, and part of her heart still melted every time she was reminded of how just how caring Venable was with her. “Are you?”

“No,” Wilhemina shook her head. She let go of Billie Dean’s hand and now caressed her arm, even though Billie had said she wasn’t cold. Billie Dean didn’t mind, not at all. She kept a smile printed on her lips. “Are you hungry?” I should have bought some pastries.

“A little.”

“I can cook us an omelette, or maybe I can go out and get a few pastries, if you’d like. There’s this—“

“Wilhie,” Billie Dean cut Venable gently just as she was about to start lifting the covers to get out of bed. Wilhemina looked at her. “Can we cuddle a little?”

With her cheeks turning purple, Venable nodded. She blinked twice before slowly snuggling closer to Billie again. “Sorry,” she whispered.

Billie Dean shook her head. Hadn’t it been Wilhemina, she could have thought that maybe there was something wrong with her, but being Venable, she knew she was simply eager to please. “You don’t have to apologize,” she whispered back. Her hand found its place on Wilhemina’s waist again, caressing it. She’s always so anxious.

With a nod, brown eyes fell down. Venable took a deep breath. I’m so idiotic. The deprecating voice was already up and running. She gulped and looked back at honey oceans, legs tangling back with Billie’s. After a moment, she spoke again. “I like cuddling with you,” she said, because part of her felt like Billie Dean could maybe be thinking otherwise, and she didn’t want to ever cause Billie Dean to think like that.

She’s worried. Opening a smile, Billie reached to pull a strand of read hair away from Venable’s eyes. “I know, darling. I didn’t think otherwise.”

Darling. Wilhemina didn’t know if her stomach would ever stop turning with the pet name. This is the second time she’s called me that. How delicious did it feel? “Good,” she murmured somewhat shyly.

Billie Dean hummed back, hand caressing her waist slowly, feeling as it rose and fell with Venable’s breathing. She stared at those chocolate eyes in front of her, watching the way they moved away and back to her own. She’s shy. Her lips curled up softly. “Did you dream of anything?”

Wilhemina shook her head, eyes struggling to stay at brown ones. “Not that I remember. Did you?”

Billie Dean had actually had a dream; she saw a woman, hair red just like Venable’s, face full of suffering and with lines well marked. She cried, but couldn’t speak. Wilhemina didn’t need to know that. “Not really.” Venable hummed. Billie licked her lips, eyes tracing the soft freckles on Wilhemina’s cheeks. “I love your freckles,” she said after a second.

To be stared at like that had never felt good… not until Billie Dean. Venable’s skin grew red still, but not from being uncomfortable. “I’m not a huge fan of them…”

What’s new? Wilhemina didn’t seem to be a huge fan of anything that made her who she was. Billie didn’t need to point that out, but she did keep that in mind. “You always cover them, don’t you?” Venable nodded. Billie Dean opened a sad smile. “I love them,” she repeated.

Wilhemina gulped. She nodded again, eyes falling down before going back up. She licked her sudden dry lips. “Thank you.”

Billie couldn’t help but smile a little more. It was clear Venable wasn’t used to being complimented, or having any kind of intimacy with people, but there was something so sweet about it… so strangely pure, in a way. Most people wouldn’t see it that way, but Billie Dean had never been most people. So she leaned closer and placed a small kiss on Wilhemina’s nose, and then another one on her left cheek, and another one on her right one, right on top of the freckles. Wilhemina blinked twice, and with a chuckle Billie Dean kissed her full on the lips, reaching to cup her face.

Sunday went by with nothing but sweet kisses being shared and a movie or two being watched. When the night began to fall down again, Billie Dean hesitantly went back home, but with the promise of seeing each other on Monday morning. Billie knew she should have talked about Terry; knew she should have brought it up before anyone else had the chance, but how could she when Venable looked at her so lovingly and gave her more trust than she had ever given anyone in a long time? Billie Dean simply didn’t have the guts to do it. And she prayed no one would before she could master the courage to do so.

At night, Wilhemina caught herself missing the warmth of another body next to her. Floratta Blue lingered in the air only slightly, and Venable wished she could smell more of it. Fear clouded her senses before sleep could, trying to trick her, trying to scare her. Wilhemina closed her eyes and thought about Billie; about the kiss they shared just before she entered her car and drove home that evening. Nothing would change in the morning. Nothing would change in the week. Right?

[langdonismsss]

Beginning of the end: Michael Langdon X Reader

Chapter 3: The deal

Description: A young girl is about to start her life after high school. Unfortunately for her, a certain blonde who has never accepted no for an answer learns of her existence before he is to put his purpose into play

A/N: Recently just learned that this pic was slowly starting to head into the direction a few other Michael Langdon fics have gone. Im starting to change my plot as I don't want them to be that similar, please accept this train wreck of a chapter

Warnings: Swearing, violence, mentions of death and dead things.

Word Count: 1.7K

 Your eyes slowly fluttered open. Your mind was fuzzy, but quickly you started to realize the danger you were in. You were in a small confined space, not even aware of which way was up. Hands and feet and mouth were bound with tape. Voices bounced around outside of your area. Shutting your eyes as tightly as possible you try to think. This was that creepy fucking lady. You should have just listened to your gut and avoided her. 

   “She’s still alive though right”? 

   It was a man’s voice, muffled behind the door. 

   You would just pretend you were sleeping to see if he said anything about his intentions.  You shut your eyes and went limp. There was shuffling outside for several minutes and muffled voices before the door opened. The light poured in and exposed two silhouettes. You didn’t have to see to feel their presence. They were powerful and authoritative. 

   “Are you fucking kidding me Miss Mead”, he snapped. It was soft but angry. The weird woman was who you assumed, is Miss Mead. You made a mental note so you could tell the police about that when you got out of here. 

   “Her mouth is taped how can she breathe”? It was him again. The lights were turned on. You had to resist moving your eyes. Otherwise it would give away your position. The tape was abruptly ripped off your mouth. You whimpered but hoped they hadn’t noticed. Hopefully he just thought you had stirred in your sleep.

   “Leave us!”, he shouted. You jumped in your skin. She chuckled nervously and left. The man kneeled beside you. His hand started to caress your face. His thumb running over your cheek bone gently. Your heart stopped. 

   You could physically feel it stopping. You were so fucking scared right now. His hand pulled away to rest his elbow on his knee. His chin pressed against his knuckles and he sighed.  “How stupid do you think I am”? 

   The tears burst just like harsh waves breaking through a dam. You cried on the cold floor not knowing where the hell you were right now. The sobs racketed through your body uncontrollably. “Please let me go home”. 

   He reached forward and grabbed your wrist rather harshly, yet his voice was gentle, “No”. You stopped feeling sorry for yourself and looked up at him. He looked uncomfortable and like he had no clue what he should be doing. He wasn’t very good with people. 

   “Why am I here?”, you whispered, finally taking in his appearance. He had medium length blonde hair, with fluffy curls. His bone structure was sharp, and he had puffy pink lips. His eyes were the most breath taking thing about him. A bright baby blue. In front of you was the most ethereal man you had ever seen. He looked so much like an angel, but his eyes had undertones of evil. His aura was dark and disturbing.

   “So you did all of this. And for what?”, you spit at him.

   His hands were still on your arms and he pulled you up to your feet fast. “For my fathers plans”, he said coldly. You narrowed your eyes and tried to read him. He seemed lonely. He didn’t know what the fuck he was even doing. 

   “Can I get your name at least”?

    Harshly, you were forced forward. 

   “What the fuck”, you hissed. He snorted and dragged you through a creepy hallway. You peered a look over your shoulder and saw that they had you locked in a closet. A small little janitors closet. The sign on the door read Kineros Robotics. You knew this place. It was on the news and they had been experimenting with cloning illegally. 

   Sharply, the man tugged you down another hall. At the end of it was a clear office cubicle. Odd. There were two men sitting in there, feet on their desks, and throwing things across at each other. The doors opened and both men sat up straight. They both had such ugly bowl cuts, you grimaced. 

   “M-Michael, we didn’t expect you back so soon”, they both stammered out. 

   So the man responsible for your kidnapping, was Michael. It was angelic. He looked over at you, face softening. “Have a seat”, pointing to the soft cushiony chair. The two men infant of you almost choked when you sat down. You weren’t sure why. Michael pulled the small, hard wooden stool over to the table and sat down, he was too tall and slouched over slightly. It was almost comical. “Can you boys just give me the device?”, Michael snapped. They were obviously very scared of him. Despite your current situation, you didn’t feel scared. You felt this strange sense of security. That was almost more scary than the actual situation. 

   “Jeff go grab it”, urged the brunette. 

   “On it”, he jumped up and walked over to the large white industrial cabinet. He opened the doors, revealing lots of small knick knacks and several very scary looking objects and devices. 

   “See this is the one we’ve been working on for awhile now. Just to track down Ryan Reynolds if we ever see him, right Mutt”, Jeff said nervously. Mutt said nothing. 

   Michael grabbed it from Jeff and turned to you. It looked like a water gun, but with two very large and very sharp prongs on the end. In shiny red cursive, it said Cooperative on the side. “Now, Y/N, I know you don’t understand what’s happening”, he shot a look over to the men and they got up abruptly and left. “But I’ll explain it to you before we get home”. 

   We?

   “Do not be alarmed when I tell you this”, his blue eyes pierced through your soul. You gave him a slow nod. “I’m the antichrist. To bring forth the end times for my father. To reset life on earth”, he said smoothly. It’s like he actually believed what he was saying. 

   Laughter echoed around the office. Michael looked at you puzzled. “Really? You kidnapped me just to tell me about some rubbish antichrist? And that you are him? Grow up buddy and go to church”, you chuckled, wiping tears from your eyes. As scared as you wanted to be, this whole situation was too ridiculous. 

   The room went cold. Like ice. His face had gone stone cold. “Michael?”, you said nervous. 

   “Could a normal man do this”? His hands swished and then snowflakes fell, coming from seemingly no where. Now you were getting a little scared. Again. 

   “Could a normal man do this?”, he repeated, instead this time throwing his hand up. The thumbtacks on the desk flew off the desk and pierced the wall. 

   “Could a nor-“

   “Listen I get it. Can you just kill me already”? Michael came out of the angry trance and looked at you sorrowful, mouth agape. 

   “Oh you think I’m going to kill you”? He let out a sad chortle before his eyes became dark. “No my love, you are going to help me end the world”. 

   You went quiet. Michael smirked and continued. “You might have noticed some signs these last few months. Like crows, and dead things. My father has hand selected you for partnership. I need…”, he stopped and gave you a dreamy look. “Balance. I need some form of sanity when bringing about the end of times. We are going to start a new world Y/N”, he tilted his head and gave a genuine smile.

   “I would rather fucking die”, you cried out. You stood up so fast the chair fell over and you turned to run. Michael used his powers and shut the doors infant of you. Banging on them you cried. “Let me out”! 

   “Don’t make me do this Y/N”, he bellowed. 

   “Please! I have a life I haven’t lived yet! I want to go to school, and party and get married. Maybe one day have kids and even grand kids! Theres so much I haven’t seen yet or done, please don’t do this. Wait another thousand years if you have to, just not now”, you started to cry again. This was the most you had ever cried. 

   Michael dropped to your level and started to caress your face. “Don’t cry, I can’t handle crying”, he whispered. His eyes were glossed over. “We can do all that in the new world, just tell me whatever you want and you can have it. The world is in your hands”. 

   “You have to understand how sudden and crazy this is right”, you managed to choke out. 

   “I know, that’s why I’m going to give you 1 month. With all the protection and money you could ask for. You can travel and do whatever you feel like. With whoever. You have one month to make a decision”. Your heart dropped. That was the opportunity of a life time. “All I ask, is you consider marrying me”, Michael said sternly. 

   “Thats it? And if I say no?”. 

   His lips went into a thin line. “I’ll have to do what I must”. 

   You swallowed hard, “If I were to marry you, and help you end the world, can I save who I want”? 

   “Whatever you wish for, and it’s yours”, Michael said softly.

   “Okay, I understand. I’ll meet you here in one month”, you said and stood up off the floor. Michael started to click his tongue. “Thats not all”, he picked up the gun and put it on your stomach. “For all that protection and money, you need this”. He pulled the trigger and there was a sharp pain in your tummy. Your jaw dropped and you grabbed the spot in pain. It felt like a small piece of plastic was just inserted into your gut.

“Thats a small chip I’ve just inserted into your stomach. The Co-operative will be tracking you now. When you get home there will be a man waiting for you. He’s going to hand you a card. That card is your ‘bank card’. There is no maximum amount. That man will be stationed outside of your house for the next month. I will always be around”, he smiled. “Ill be seeing you soon”, Michael waved his hand infant of your face and it all went black. 

[pfister-jeff]

Uhm no because I will still be working at Kineros Robotics so you will not be seeing me

Bites u 💜

bites you back 😡

[sarahpaulsonsoftie]

The light within the darkness

Wilhelmina Venable X reader

Angsty but somewhat fluffy ending. I’m a sucker for angst. Hope you guys enjoy.

Word count- 3409.

Wilhelmina was surprised by you. Perhaps even drawn in by you. You were like no other she had ever encountered before. She was curious about you, but you, just like her, had walls that were not so easily dismantled. She saw small quirks to you. The way your eyes always lingered when an altercation happened in the office, your body tensing and your face holding an unreadable expression.

The way, when it rained, you wouldn’t use an umbrella to go to your car and would just walk at your normal pace, not caring at how wet you got. Or the way when she would insult you, you wouldn’t cry or get anxious the way her previous assistants would. You would just accept the insults she would give you before moving onto your next task.

-

You started as an intern at Kineros Robotics at 20. Slightly younger than her previous interns, yet so much more mature. The first time Wilhelmina had encountered you; you were working under Todd in accounting. Wilhelmina knew of him well, many complaints of his suggestive comments and inappropriate jokes were reported by younger female staff. But Jeff and Mutt had simply told her to dismiss them and although it felt wrong for even her to do, she did so without a question.

It must have been your first week when there was a major mess up down the accounting department and Todd had sent you to go an explain what had happened, warning you of Wilhelmina. You nodded, silent before wandering off. She couldn’t be as bad as the stories had made her out to be.

But as you came to the door of her office, you felt an intense uncomfortable feeling you could not explain. You knocked on the door, waiting for her to call you in before entering.

There she sat, in her chair, a cane at her side and a scowl on her face. Her red hair was up in a tight bun, highlighting her sharp cheekbones and jawline. She was wearing a lilac suit with a white blouse underneath. You were brought back to reality but her speaking.

“Pray, tell me, are you going to announce your presence or are you just going to gape like a fish?” Her cold tone matched with what the others had told you about her and you nodded, not letting her words bother you.

“Ms. Venable, I’m Y/N L/N. Todd from accounting sent me. He told me to explain what has happened.” You responded, your hands at your sides, watching as an irritated expression came to her face.

“Oh? You work for that imbecile? I do hope his brain numbing jokes hasn’t snatched you off your last few braincells.” Her voice hardened with every word she spoke, and you smirked slightly as everything she said was correct. Her eyes caught your smirk. “Do tell me what you find so amusing, Ms. L/N before I make you regret waking up today.”

“Already do, Ms. Venable. However, Todd told me to tell you that the reason this whole mess is going on is because he is experiencing a ‘Technical difficulty’” You air quoted, and Ms. Venable raised her eyebrows surprised by her response and your honesty.

“Oh? And between us, what is the real reason?” Ms. Venable asked, and you smiled, moving your hands to the door.

“Todd may be an asshole, but still is my superior.” You smirked as you left the room, your eyes lingering to hers before pulling the door closed.

She knew then that you were different. You weren’t disrespectful like the others, nor were you stupid. You knew what you could and couldn’t expose.

-

The next encounter was a few weeks later. Of course, you had both passed each other in the hallways but this was different. You were sitting in front of her because Todd had requested you be changed department. He did not specify why but he said it would be more beneficial for you to get experience in another department.

“I would describe it as a pleasure to see you today, but the migraine I have from trying to transfer you to another department says otherwise.” Ms. Venable snarked and rubbed her temples and you just stared at her, you were not quite sure what to say this time, scared of being fired. You needed this job; it was perhaps the most stable one you had in your whole life.

“Well, are you going to explain to me why Todd wants you transferred or are you, once again, going to gape at me like a fish?” Her tone grew harsher, but you didn’t immediately respond. “Well, Miss. L/N, if you’re going to waste my time then—”

You cut her off “Whatever Todd said in that email, I suppose.” Wilhelmina eyed you, before standing.

“Well, I suppose, you could become my assistant on a trial basis. However, my assistants never tend to last long.” Her eyes met your and you nodded before thanking her.

-

Your first week being Wilhelmina’s assistant had been going okay… until today. The delivery that was supposed to happen from the company suppliers didn’t happen and you were stressed, because if you failed this, then you would be out of the door quicker than you could apologize for the mishap. So, you had spent the last hour calling any supplier that could give the same product the same day.

However, unbeknownst to you, Wilhelmina had already received the call from the suppliers letting her know about the failed delivery. Instead of berating you straight away, she decided she would wait for you to come to her.

But as the hours passed, Wilhelmina’s irritation grew. She knew you knew but you avoided her. It was obvious to her now you were like the others, and just as she had picked up the phone to call Jeff and Mutt, you came into the office, with a reddened face and your breath was uneven.

“Ms. Venable, are you busy?” You asked, a nervous undertone in your voice. Wilhelmina smirked, knowing now you had come with your tail in between your legs and now she could finally unleash her wrath.

“What is it you want to tell me, Miss. L/N?” Wilhelmina asked, her eyes looking you up and down. She did enjoy you more than her other assistants and it would be a pity to fire you but you were just like the others.

“A few hours ago, the delivery with our suppliers fell through-“Wilhelmina cut you off, her expression now highlighting her annoyance.

“I am aware. I was made aware Hours ago, and you did not inform me. What were you doing for these past few hours? Looking for excuses to give me? Well, your imbecilic behaviors have cost this company an extreme amount of money. What have you got to say for yourself?” She stood from her desk and approached you, once standing in front of you, her hands rested on her cane.

“I know I should have come to you a lot sooner. But the reason I didn’t was because, I was just on the phone to another supplier. They have the EXACT same product for 33% cheaper. I managed to get a delivery with them tomorrow morning. I know it should have come through today but-“You stopped yourself from speaking any more.

Wilhelmina stood in front of you, with a shocked expression however, just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared. “How am I supposed to take any word you say as truthful? You could just be saying this and when tomorrow comes, you’ll say this one fell through.”

“Well, the reason I came to you was to get your signature so I could finalize the order. You can look at all the documents.”

Wilhelmina didn’t show you her surprise anymore and instead requested the emails to be sent to her so she could finalize the order you had set up and inform Jeff and Mutt.

-

That was the night when Wilhelmina realized she had an attraction to you. To your brain. But on a Friday night when everyone was leaving the office for the weekend her car would not start. She sighed before getting out and she spotted you approaching her. You must have been her assistant for 3 months now, the longest lasting one and exchanges of first names was now expected.

“Wilhelmina? Are you okay?” You asked, noticing her defeated expression. Her eyes met yours as she shook her head.

“My car won’t start. I don’t know what to do.” She sighed before looking back her car. You moved closer to her.

“It’s too late to do anything about it now, I’ll drive you home and take a look at it tomorrow for you, how’s that?” You asked, moving your hand closer to hers. Wilhelmina sighed once again before looking you in the eyes and nodding. You took the moment to take in the beauty of her chocolate brown eyes and turned around to avoid her seeing you blush.

“My cars just a few lanes over. Come, follow me.” You stated, and began to walk, looking over your shoulder to make sure she was following you. You slowed your pace slightly, so you were now walking next to you and your hands brushed each other’s as you walked together.

As you reached your car, you unlocked it and opened the passenger seat door for her, eyes lingered for a moment too long before she smiled slightly and thanked you. You nodded, getting into the driver’s seat, and beginning out of the car park.

You were nearly at Wilhelmina’s house before you heard her swear under her breath.

“Shit!” was all she whispered, looking frantically in her bag. You looked at her for a second before moving your eyes back to the road.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, slowing the car, and pulling over. Wilhelmina shut her eyes and sighed.

“I left my house keys in my car. Fuck.” There was a frustration in her voice but not the type of frustration you were used to from Wilhelmina. It was also perhaps one of the first time you had seen the woman lose her composure and swear in front of you.

“Do you have a spare outside your house?” You asked, moving your body slightly to look at her, Wilhelmina sighed again before shaking her head. You let out a long breath before finding the only solution you could to this situation. “It’s late already. If we head back to the office, you won’t get home until gone 10. You can stay at mine, and we’ll grab your keys tomorrow while I look at your car.”

Wilhelmina bit her tongue, contemplating demanding you to drive back but decided that this was probably one of the only times you’d spend time out of the office together, so she nodded. “Thank you.”

You started the car engine and began to drive, before looking at her “Don’t worry about it. But I would prefer if you didn’t mention to anyone where I live.”

“I wouldn’t. I’d prefer you didn’t tell anyone I’m staying the night.” Wilhelmina replied, a bit harsher than she intended and you nodded, the rest of journey in silence.

-

When you pulled into your car park, Wilhelmina noticed your flat was in a rougher part of town. You got out of the car and opened Wilhelmina’s door. You noticed how her eyes wandered around the worn-down area but didn’t say anything. You locked your car and wandered to your front door, opening it and allowing her to walk in first before shutting the door behind you and turning the lights on.

You noticed her eyes wandering around the apartment and you raised your eyebrows. “What’s wrong?” You enquired; Wilhelmina’s gaze met yours as she moved to sit down.

“Nothing. It just- not what I expected.” Her honesty threw you and you shook your head feeling yourself growing defensive.

“Excuse me?” You retorted, putting your keys onto the counter, while moving towards the fridge.

“No! I mean, it’s just I thought- I- “You turned back to her and waited for her to finish her sentence. “It’s lovely.”

You smiled at her, finally seeing the humor to the situation. “The place is a piece of shit. But it’s all an intern can pay for so it’s home.”

Wilhelmina looked down at her lap before you poured both of you a glass of water. You passed it to her and sat down next to her.

“I didn’t realize the pay was an intern was that low.” She murmured suddenly, wishing the glass of water was a glass of wine.

“It’s better than what I did before. Plus, it’s steady income, so it doesn’t really matter.” You shrugged. “I’ve lived in worse.”

“You’ve never told me. About you job before this. Or anything about your personal life for that matter” Wilhelmina’s tone was curious and part of you wanted to tell her, but the other part knew that she’d look at you differently for it. You didn’t want to destroy that.

You shrugged your shoulders and crossed your legs on the couch, looking at her with an almost pained expression. It made her want to lean in and take your face into her hands. You didn’t speak and looked down at your hands before taking a sip of your water. “We’ll leave in the morning to sort out your car. I’ll sleep on the couch; you take the bed.”

You shut her out and Wilhelmina, in turn, felt herself wanting to shut you out too. But she thought too much of you to allow that to happen. She wanted you to open up, even if that meant opening up herself.

“I can tell you’ve been through a lot. I see it in the way you tense when someone gets too loud or if someone touches you without asking. Y/N, I don’t want you to think I’d judge you. I know more than anyone how difficult opening up is.”

“I can’t, Wilhelmina. I’m sorry.” You responded another pained expression on your face. Wilhelmina reached out her hand to touch your and you looked up at her not wanting her hand to leave yours.

“I like you, Y/N. More than I’ve ever liked anyone, and I just want to help you. The day you first met me, you said you already regretted waking up. Talk to me, please. Not as your boss, as a friend.”

This was too much for you. Way too much for you. You couldn’t let her see you venerable. You let out a sarcastic laugh.

“I dunno, Wilhelmina, has it ever occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, the reason I tense when someone at work touches me is because I don’t like anyone there?” You were being harsh, it felt so wrong. The sorrowful look on Wilhelmina’s face made you feel a guilt you’ve never felt before but you needed to stay firm. She was being open with you, but you couldn’t allow yourself the same leniency.

“Not even me?” Her face held hurt and you wanted nothing more than to tell her that she was the only person you’d liked that much in a long time, that you felt yourself falling in love with her and you just wanted to kiss her right then and there to make everything go away. Instead, you did what you always did and ruined it.

“I think we should get some sleep.” You muttered. Wilhelmina couldn’t argue. So instead, she just stood, you followed her lead. You gave her some clothes to sleep in, then showed her to your bedroom before turning in for the night.

-

The next morning you drove her to her car, and Wilhelmina pretended not to know that you woke several times the night before, gasping for breath. You pretended that nothing had happened the night before.

When you got to her car, you managed to get it running again. You wished her a good few days off and said you’d see her Monday. Wilhelmina gripped your hand as you turned to walk away and kissed your cheek. You shrugged her off and there was a hurt in her eyes as you left.

It was almost as she expected you to open up right there and then. But you couldn’t.

-

The Monday afterward was different, she was harsher, stricter. Almost as if she had given up on you. You didn’t let her attitude affect you (Correction: tried not). The next day wasn’t much different, harsh words were exchanged and you didn’t understand yet you were somewhat grateful you had managed to push her away. She didn’t deserve to be part of your mess.

It wasn’t until the Wednesday that something had finally changed. Your nightmares were worse the night before and you felt as if you were on the verge of tears the whole day. When Wilhelmina approached your desk, you knew you were done for.

“Ms. L/N, how many times have I told you not to forward calls straight to my office without notifying me first? Are you that much of an imbecile that you can’t even take in simple instruction? I thought you were better than the rest of them, but I must have been wrong. You’re an imbecile. I don’t understand how you can face the day.” Her harsh words and harsh tone were too much. You knew you deserved it for the way you treated her but today was just too much. You couldn’t help the sob that escaped your lips and you stood. You didn’t look up at her, ashamed you were being this venerable around her.

You walked out of the office, tears freely falling and drove home. You didn’t care anymore. You’d ruined everything.

-

That night, there was a knock on your door. Your face was tear streaked but you didn’t care as you opened the door. Wilhelmina saw you and didn’t say a word as she entered, she just shut the door behind her before taking you into her arms. Her cane fell to the floor but neither of you cared and you began to sob hard into her arms. She moved the hair out of your face and guided you to your couch, moving your head into her lap.

You didn’t know how long you both had been sitting like that, with her stroking your hair in silence before you sat up and took her face into your hands.

“I’m sorry. I’m Sorry. I’m sorry.” You repeated, feeling the guilt of everything wash over you. Wilhelmina moved her hands to your face as well.

“Shh. Shh, Y/N. It’s okay. Please, just tell me what’s going on. I want to help you. I-“ Wilhelmina cut herself off and you bit your lip, and Wilhelmina saw you tear streaked face and wished she could take your pain away.

“It’s getting bad again, Mina. So bad. I didn’t realize it at first. Then I met you and were like this light in this darkness and I- I wanted- I wanted you. I wanted to love you. To tell you everything but it’s like anyone I’ve ever told always leaves and I don’t want you to leave, Mina. I love you.” Your voice cracked multiple times as you spoke but Wilhelmina pulled you into her embrace as she stroked your hair.

“Babygirl, I love you too. I’m so sorry I was cruel to you. I didn’t know how to deal with you shutting me out so I was cruel and I apologize so much my babygirl, my darling. But please tell me what I can do to make this go away.”

You pulled back slightly to look back at her. “Please just kiss me, Mina.”

Wilhelmina knew that a kiss wouldn’t make all of this go away but she knew it would comfort you and show her you cared in ways her words couldn’t so she placed her lips to yours and you drew her in like she was the oxygen you needed.

When you both finally pulled away, you clutched Wilhelmina’s hand in yours, afraid she’d disappear if you let go.

“My darling girl, we’ll get through this together.” Wilhelmina stated as she pulled you in for another kiss, and you smiled a small smile, some of the hurt easing because at least now you had Wilhelmina by your side.

-Fin

Hope you guys enjoyed!

[lotties-ashwagandha]

WHY I HEADCANON WILHEMINA VENABLE AS AUTISTIC

Ok so! If you know me you know that I overanalyze the shit out of things and of art and just literally everything,, and I’ve been considering this headcanon for a while. I’ve seen a couple of other people headcanon Wilhemina as autistic and it fits so well so I’m going to be expanding on that!!

(Also I say all of this as an autistic person)

First, let’s talk about the color purple — a characteristic of autism is developing hyperfixations, which are also referred to as “special interests.” These can range from wide categories of objects or people (ex. Classic literature) to very precise topics or people (ex. American Horror Story: Coven). An autistic person will obsess over their special interests and learn all they can about them, and depending on the interest people may also collect things that relate to their interests. It makes perfect sense for Wilhemina’s special interest to be the color purple, as she always wears purple and purple makeup, and in lots of fanfics and fanart Mina also collects purple home decor, etc.

Next, let’s talk about her mannerisms/social skills and how they’re similar to those commonly exhibited by autistic individuals. People with autism have difficulties socializing, and issues they commonly face while socializing are not knowing when to speak in a conversation, being incredibly blunt, and seeming “aloof” (I struggle with this last one particularly bad — the other day a girl in my class told me I come across as cold and scary?? Like girl it’s the ‘tism). Venable is commonly perceived as cold and a bit awkward (it’s called being a neurodivergent bad bitch). An example of this is like… literally all of the times that she snapped at all of the people at dinner in the outpost, and her perfect articulation and speaking pace (heavy masking, maybe?). Her vocal tone is pretty much monotone too. Also an example of poor social skills is when Venable mistakes Myrtle’s sarcasm for flattery in the flashback at Kineros.

The only person that truly seems to understand and be forgiving of her is Ms Mead… and I feel really bad for Venable bc Mead is literally a robot bro who’s gonna tell her???

Now, let’s talk about her fingerless gloves and hairstyle. Autistic people commonly experience sensory issues. I’m fully convinced that Venable always has her hair pulled back due to sensory issues because I’m autistic and can’t go out in public with my hair down because it drives me halfway to sensory overload just on it’s own. As for the fingerless gloves, I’m convinced that she wears them bc of sensory issues and texture aversions.

There are so many reasons I think this bitch is autistic I haven’t even expressed them all bc I forgot half of them but I might keep adding to this <3

Taglist: @thedeconstructionist @goodeday2u @traumatisedfangirl @cordeliass @paulsonsratched @mayfair-fleur