#neil tenet x reader fanfiction

[imaginedisish]

Devil’s Advocate (Tenet) Neil x Reader

Chapter 2: I’ll Try Anything Once

A/N: Hi guys! So this sort of feels like a filler chapter, but I hope you still all enjoy it :) And ps...this chapter is based on I’ll Try Anything Once by Julian Casablancas (it’s derived from one of the Strokes’ demos I think)

Summary: You and Neil land in London to some majorly unfortunate circumstances that are too overwhelming for you to handle, but Neil is done letting you get hurt. 

Warnings: Death, guns, gunshot wounds, explosions, violence/murder (implied more or less), cursing, minor angst maybe, and yay fluff!

Word Count: 4,191

“Hey,” A voice whispers softly; the familiar sound encourages you to lift your eyelids. “(Y/N), we’re about to land,” The voice whispers again as you feel yourself slowly rocking back and forth. You groggily open your eyes. 

The cabin of the plane is dark except for a few scattered overhead reading lights. You notice that your head is still resting against Neil’s chest as his warm hold envelopes you, keeping you pressed tightly against him. A tickle twitches in your stomach as you feel the plane drop down closer to the ground. The tickle quickly turns to terror as you remember where you’re headed. You feel your heart rapidly beat in your chest. You take a deep breath, hoping to suppress your paralyzing fears of being back out in the field. 

Neil’s calming voice grounds you. “Are you alright?” He asks, his arms tightening around you. The airplane drops some more, causing the tickle in your stomach to continue. 

“I’m not sure,” You respond honestly as you try and swallow your fear in your throat. Of course, it doesn’t work. The airplane drops again, and you pull slightly away from Neil to look out the window. Lights twinkle below you, and you can see Heathrow Airport in the near distance. 

The seat creaks a bit as Neil moves closer to you. His cheek brushes up against yours as he peers out the window. His closeness was comforting. 

Neil sighs. “I know you don’t want to be here, (Y/N),” Neil says as his right arm wraps around your shoulders again, stealing your attention away from the lights of the towns below.  “But it’s going to be okay. We’ll get in, get what we need, get rid of who we don’t, and get out.” He shoots a smirk in your direction.

The plane grows even closer to the ground but the tickles disappear, and nausea fills your stomach. “I think I’m going to be sick,” You complain. Anxiety courses through your veins, worsening your current state. 

Neil, with his arm still around your shoulders, shakes his head and pulls you away from the window. “You’re not throwing up here,” He says, chuckling a bit. “Or I’ll be doubled over with you.” You find yourself laughing too, but it’s no surprise. That’s simply what Neil does to you. He makes everything seem like it could be…

Okay. 

You were too wrapped up in thoughts of Neil to notice when the wheels of the plane came crashing on the ground. The sound of skid marks screeching against the tarmac gave way for the anxiety to settle back down into your stomach. You shudder, imagining all the things that could go wrong. All the stupid little things that could go horribly, horribly wrong.

You watch as everyone begins to stand up from their seats, walking out into the aisle and grabbing their things from the overhead compartments. Neil gives you a final squeeze before letting go and following suit with the rest of the people on the plane. You look back out the window for a second, contemplating whether or not being in Tenet is worth it at all. There’s so much danger, so much death, so much fear. 

And my own father is the enemy, You think. 

“Are you ready, love?” Neil calls, breaking you out of your thoughts. 

You shrug and stand up from the seat, hunching over ever so slightly as to not smack your head against the ceiling. “I don’t think I’ll ever be, so I might as well just jump without looking, right?” 

Neil smiles sadly, almost as if to apologize. “Then I’ll be ready for you, and I’ll catch you when you fall.” 

Your heart flutters in your chest at his reassurance, despite the sardonic nature of your comment. “Neil I-,” You say, carefully stepping out into the aisle. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“Don’t thank me,” Neil starts, seemingly minimizing his ability to change your entire mood. “This is what friends are for.”

Right, friends. 

Neil guides you out of the plane and onto the bridge. After a short walk, you enter the airport. 

It’s a ghost town. Some people are sleeping, slumped over in uncomfortable, stiff chairs waiting for their flight. You had forgotten that the time had changed. You look down at your phone to see that your New York time zone has already been switched to London’s. 

3:56 AM

It only takes a few shuffles out to the main concourse for you to recognize how exhausted you are in spite of your ability to sleep on the plane. After all, that had been the most sleep you had gotten since the…accident. 

You and Neil walk in silence for a while. It isn’t an awkward silence. It’s the comfortable, relaxing kind. It’s the kind of silence shared by two people who don’t need to talk to share how much they enjoy the other’s company. You take in all the shops and food stores as an attempt to keep yourself distracted from the terror of the mission. 

You step onto an escalator, and your attention finally lands on Neil’s face. You had studied it a million times, as odd as that sounds, but you couldn’t help it. You liked looking at him. You liked getting confirmation that he was in fact real and was in fact with you. 

“Hey,” You finally speak up. “Aren’t we in your hometown now?”

You watch as Neil’s cheeks lift and the corners of his mouth turn up. “Yeah,” He says back. “I guess we are.” His eyes rest on yours for a second before they flicker down to your lips. It catches you off guard, but the moment is gone just as soon as it begins as you’re forced to step off the escalator. You enter the baggage claim area and head straight towards the exit of the airport. 

Conveniently waiting outside the doors is a black town car. You look to Neil, making sure it’s the right one. Neil nods, silently confirming that this is a part of the plan. You open the door and plop onto the seat. You hear Neil open and close the trunk before he takes his spot next to you in the car. 

“We live in a twilight world,” Neil says. But there’s no answer. 

You clear your throat nervously, reaching underneath your black, baggy, menswear dress pants, clutching onto the small revolver tied against your calf. “He said, we live in a twilight world.” 

There’s no answer again. You take the revolver out, aiming it at the man. You look over at Neil and notice that his shirt is undone; he had already taken his gun out. He always kept it under his shirt, attached to his chest. He hunches over, slowly moving towards the man through the center console. 

The man’s hat is titled over his forehead. Neil takes it off. 

Neil parts his lips. “Fuck,” His voice is shallow. “He’s dead. He’s got a bullet in the center of his forehead,” There’s a panic in Neil’s voice.  He looks up to the windshield, and you follow his gaze. There’s no point of entry, no shattered glass. 

“So someone else has already been here,” You remark. Neil’s eyes widen as he moves the man’s shirt over a bit. 

That’s when the light beeping noise starts. 

“SHIT!” Neil screams. “Get out of the car! NOW!” He opens the door on your side of the car and practically shoves you out. You stumble, barely able to catch your balance when your feet hit the ground. Neil sprints to the trunk, opening it up and grabbing the luggage. 

You follow behind him, tugging on his arm, trying to pull him away. “The luggage, really?” You shout in disbelief. 

Neil secures both bags in his right hand, and grabs your wrist with his left. You both break out into a sprint. “We need to take cover,” Neil says in between breaths, his eyes frantically searching around the taxi area. “Do you see-,”

BOOM!

“FUCK!” Neil yells, practically tripping over his feet as the concrete vibrates violently below. He catches his balance just before he can face plant into the ground.

The car explodes behind you. The heat of the flames radiate on your back. You don’t dare look behind you; you keep running. 

You and Neil finally reach a parking lot, and stop for a break.

“What the hell was that?” You whisper, angrily grabbing Neil by the collar and bringing him in between two minivans for cover, just in case anyone had followed you or was planning to attack. 

Neil grabs your waist in return, brining you even closer to him. Your breath hitches in your throat as you realize how close you are to him. “They must know we’re here,” Neil says. His eyes are still wide and his breathing is still heavy. 

“And the suitcases?” You question with heavy concern, and even frustration, in your voice. “Do you not have firefighters come into your elementary schools in England? Do you not get taught that stuff can be replaced and human beings can’t be?” Your whisper turns into more of an angry shout. 

Neil shakes his head in disapproval. “There are explosives in my suitcase, (Y/N). If they detonated we would be dead,” He says, panic still evident in his voice, and a bit of anger as well. 

You nod, loosening your grip on his collar. “I’m sorry I just,” You pause, knowing full well what had just come over you. “I just didn’t want anything to happen to you, that’s all.” You feel your eyes becoming glossy. This was the very thing you were afraid of. You were almost blown to bits, and worse than that, Neil could’ve died. The mission was already failing, and it hadn’t even truly started yet.

You shut your eyes tightly, and a few tears roll down your cheeks.

Neil swallows hard, his arms still resting on your waist. “No, I’m sorry. You didn’t know. I shouldn’t have jumped down your throat like that.” Neil pulls you into an embrace. 

“It’s okay,” You mumble quietly into his chest.

You let him hold you in silence for a few moments. You needed to process things. You needed to ground yourself. You needed this second with Neil. 

You feel yourself dozing off a bit in Neil’s arms. Visions of a bed with a plush comforter and satin sheets play over in your head. It had to be almost 4:30 in the morning at this point. 

“How are we going to get to the hotel?” You ask, longing for a good night’s sleep. “And what if they know what hotel we’re staying in?”

Neil pulls apart from you and reaches into his pocket to grab his phone. “I’ll call TP and figure out what we’re supposed to do.” Neil types in his passcode, presses on the screen a few times, and lifts his phone up to his ear. 

You look up into the night sky to distract yourself. The stars twinkle lightly, but there’s too much light pollution to get a good look. The cold wind nips at you roughly. You turn to face Neil. He’s pacing back and forth about twenty feet away from you. You try and tune into what he’s saying.

“They fucking know we’re here, what am I supposed to do?” The frustration in his voice is clear. He waits for a response. 

“Yeah, she’s alright I guess, but you shouldn’t have forced her out into the field this early,” He pauses again. “No I don’t care that you’re the boss, she wasn’t ready when she left this afternoon and she definitely isn’t ready now!”

Silence, and then another sentence. “No, I’m not letting my feelings get in the way, that’s not what this is.”

Feelings? 

“I mean of course it’s because I care about her, you know how I feel…” He trails off, and walks a bit farther away from you. What he says next, you can’t hear.

After a few seconds, he starts to walk back, still keeping a bit of a distance. “Alright, we’ll head over there now,” Neil looks up at you and winks, confirming that there’s some sort of plan set in place. 

Neil turns his back to you. “And I swear to God,” He whispers, thinking you can’t hear him, “If she dies, I’m going to kill you.” 

A shiver rolls down your spine at his words. You knew Neil cared about you, but you didn’t know he would threaten TP for you, even if it was just a sarcastic threat.

But this wasn’t a joke.  

“Yeah okay. Thanks,” Neil says finally. “Talk to you later.” He takes the phone away from his ear and presses the red button to hang up. He walks back over to you. You’re still overwhelmed by what Neil had said on the phone, but you push those thoughts to the back of your head.

You yawn listlessly. “So what’s going to happen?” You ask, ready to crash to the ground in exhaustion. 

Neil smiles. He picks up the luggage in his right hand again, and points to the other side of the parking lot. You notice a separate lot filled with rental cars. “TP put in a favor and we’re getting our own car. Looks like you’ll have to deal with my driving.” 

You can’t help but smile back at him. You didn’t mind Neil’s driving at all, to be honest. You felt safe when Neil drove. But then again, you felt safe with Neil no matter what he did. 

“It’s just on the other side of the lot,” Neil reassures. You roll your eyes at the thought of more walking, but you figured it may be a good time to talk about what you had just heard Neil say on the phone. 

Before you can think of something to say, Neil loops his left arm around your waist. His fingers settle on the exposed skin underneath your oversized blazer. Your nerves tingle underneath his touch, and any thoughts you had before disappear from your mind. 

After a few seconds, you force yourself to think back to the phone call. “Neil? Can I ask you something?” 

“Anything,” Neil says back, smiling down at you. 

“The phone call you just had, with TP,” You pause, trying to find the right words.

Neil shakes his head. “Whatever you heard, don’t worry about it, please. I know what I’m doing,” He pauses and pulls you closer to him. "You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll be alright. ” You’re not entirely content with his answer, but it’s enough for now. 

After a five minute walk, you finally reach the rental lot. Neil walks over to the man inside of the tiny cube shaped building. You can’t hear what he’s saying, but a set of keys are exchanged, and Neil motions for you to follow him. You begrudgingly pick up your pace to catch up with him.

“What kind of car is it?” You ask. Neil presses the panic button once, and the headlights of a black, Porsche 911 flash across your face. 

You go to get into the car, approaching the door on your left hand side, forgetting you’re now in Europe. Neil smirks at you, grabs your hand, and brings you to the other side of the car. He sets the luggage down on the ground, and opens your door, letting you slip inside. Normally, you would have a cheeky response to Neil opening the door for you, but you were too tired now. Neil grabs the luggage, and walks around the other side of the car. He opens his door and puts the luggage in the back seat. 

Neil puts the key into the ignition and starts the car. He takes out his phone, and through your blurry vision, you watch as he slides his finger around. 

“What are you doing?” You ask. Your voice is barely above a whisper and it’s filled with tiredness. “Just drive,” You order sarcastically, nudging Neil with your elbow.  Your sarcasm melts away when you remember the gravity of the situation. “What if they’re already here? What if they’re looking for us?” 

Neil puts his phone in the cupholder, and rests his hand on your thigh. “I’m just setting up the GPS and choosing some music, love,” Neil says. “Take a deep breath. TP just arranged for us to stay at a different hotel, and he has eyes and ears everywhere. We’ll be alright.”

Ten decisions shape your life,

You’ll be aware of 5 about,

7 ways to go to school,

Either you’re noticed or left out.

“I love this song,” You say, struggling to keep your eyes open. 

“I know,” Neil says. “Try to sleep, I’ll wake you up when we get there.” His voice is calming, and you almost do as he says, but you remember where you are. You wanted to look at the city. You wanted to see it before all the chaos began. You had been to London plenty of times before, but leaving the United States still excited you, even though you were rarely there at all anymore.

When I said "I can see me in your eyes,”

You said "I can see you in my pants,”

That's not just friendship that's romance too.

You like music we can dance to.

The highway goes on for a while, looking reminiscent of highways in America. Grass and trees line the black concrete. There’s no light save for a few street lamps. Each time you start to doze off, you force yourself to wake up. The feeling of Neil’s thumb drawing circles on your thigh doesn’t make it too hard. 

Sit me down,

Shut me up,

I'll calm down,

And I'll get along with you.

The trees melt into industrial areas. Car dealerships, stores, apartments, hotels. And finally, after a few more minutes, you’ve hit Central London. The lights are bright and the buildings are beautiful. 

Don't don't don't don't it's not safe no more,

I've got to see you one more time.

Neil pulls into a parking garage and finds an open spot. “We’re here,” He says, squeezing your thigh lightly. 

You unbuckle your seat belt, carefully open the door, and slide out of the car. Neil grabs the two duffle bags and gets out after you. You head inside the hotel, and Neil checks in. He grabs the keycard and ushers you into the elevator. 

The second you enter the lift, worry fills Neil’s face. His brows furrow and he shuts his eyes as he lets his head hit the wall behind him. 

“Neil?” You ask. “What’s going on?” Maybe it was the jet lag, or maybe it was the exhaustion, but you feel more confident than usual. You step towards him and grab his hands in yours.

Neil takes a deep breath. “I’m so sorry we’re here,” He says, his eyes still closed, as if he’s too guilty to face you. “I didn’t want to do the mission yet. I really wanted to wait. I know you aren’t ready yet. I just-,” 

You wrap your arms around Neil, and hold him tightly against your body. “I’ll be alright Neil, I promise.” His arms wrap around your body in response. You pull away from him slightly, your heart beating rapidly in your chest. You look up into his eyes, down to his lips, and back into his eyes again. Neil brings his face closer to yours, so close that you can feel his breath against your lips. 

“(Y/N), I need to-,” 

The conversation is interrupted by the dinging of the elevator and the giggles of a drunken couple as they step inside. 

The woman speaks up. “Sssorry for interrupting, loves,” She slurs, cackling a bit. Her boyfriend joins in and cackles with her. Neil politely smiles and nods. He picks up the luggage yet again with one hand, grabbing your wrist with the other. He pulls you outside the elevator and into the hallway. 

Your heart is still beating wildly in your chest. “Neil, you had something you needed to say?”

But the moment is over. He shakes his head. “We can talk about it some other time, I don’t want to overwhelm you. Enough has happened tonight.” Your heart sinks in your chest. Neil swallows, glancing back over towards the elevator. “And those people seemed off. We should really get inside the room.” You nod, agreeing, and allow Neil to take hold of your hand and guide you down the hall to the suite.  

You finally approach the room. 

505. 

“This is us,” Neil says, setting the luggage on the ground to swipe the keycard. The door unlocks, and Neil press down on the handle. You enter the dully lit room, and immediately flop onto the king bed. Neil smirks at you from the doorway. 

He walks inside, and you sigh in relief. “This is so nice,” You murmur, sliding your black converse off your feet. You push yourself further onto the bed so that your head rests on a pillow. 

“We should probably shower,” Neil says, crossing the room. He places the duffle bags on the desk by the window. He takes his suit jacket off. 

You chuckle. “What, like, together?” You erupt into laughter. There was something about being so unbelievably tired and jet lagged that made you a completely different person. It was like being drunk. 

Neil shakes his head and smiles widely. “If that’s what you want,” He retorts.

Oh? Is he flirting with me? He can’t be.

“I-I think I’m t-too tired for a shower a-at all,” You stutter, not sure what else to say. 

“Me too,” Neil says. He begins to undo the buttons of his white dress shirt one by one. Suddenly, his chest is completely exposed. You feel heat rising to your cheeks. 

He undoes his belt, unzips his fly, and steps out of his trousers. He’s only wearing his boxers now. You had seen him like this a million times, but it still caught you by surprise. He walks over to the other side of the bed, grabs a pillow, and drops it on the ground. He grabs the throw blanket at the edge of the bed and drops it on the ground as well.

You furrow your brows, confused by his actions. “What are you doing?” You ask. 

Neil’s blue gaze meets yours. “Setting up camp,” He jokes, sending a smile your way.

You breathe deeply, still riding out on the confidence that being sleep deprived gave you. “Why don’t you sleep in the bed with me?” 

Neil inhales sharply. “I don’t want to bother you. You’re exhausted.”

“I think I’d sleep better if you were with me, actually.” You let the words come right out, no regrets. “You make me feel safe, Neil,” You confess. 

Neil smiles and bends down, grabbing the pillow and the blanket, placing them back on the bed. He lifts the covers and slides in. You get underneath the covers too. You don’t realize how close you are to Neil until you turn onto your side to face him. 

“I’m glad I make you feel safe, (Y/N),” Neil finally responds. Your heart feels like it might burst. You and Neil had shared a bed in the past, but you had only ever been this close inside of one a handful of times before. “You have no idea how much I care about you.”

“You have no idea how much I care about you, Neil,” You say. 

Neil pushes himself up a bit, and presses a kiss against your forehead. You’re stunned. “Goodnight, (Y/N),” Neil says, and he reaches over to turn off the lamp next to his nightstand. The room goes pitch black. 

“Goodnight, Neil,” You say. Neil turns over to the other side and you do the same. You stay like that for a few minutes, before tossing and turning a few times. Seconds ago you were comfortable, and now you weren’t. 

As you laid alone in your thoughts, your anxieties all began to flood back to you. How the fuck am I going to do this? How is this mission going to turn out? This is going to be absolutely impossible. What if something happens to Neil? Your mind races with thoughts. You turn a few more times before you feel a hand on your waist. 

“I thought you were exhausted,” Neil snickers. 

“I am but-,”

Neil cuts you off. “But that doesn’t stop your mind from racing?” 

You turn around to face him. “Unfortunately, no.”

Neil wraps his arms around you, and pulls you into his bare chest. “Is this okay?” He asks. 

“Y-yes,” You stutter, pressing your face into the center of his chest. 

And finally, for the first night in over a month, you were able to sleep, nightmare free. 

So why not try it all,

If you only remember it once?

Sit me down,

Shut me up,

I'll calm down,

And I'll get along with you.

>>>>>Chapter 3

[crowleying]

Recruiting | gn!reader

Date: 24.03.2021

Pairing:  Ives x gn!reader

Reader's pronouns: they/them

Words: 2.331

Fandom: Tenet

Characters: gn!reader, Ives, Neil

Genre: Romance

Length: Oneshot

Warnings: Open ending

Requested: No

Prompts: No

Summary: Neil asks Ives, your future husband you still don't know, to help him recruit you.

A/N: It's my first time writing something with a gender neutral reader so I hope I didn't mess this up, if so please let me know so I can fix it. Also, I'm sorry for the requests still waiting in my inbox, my inspiration is all over the place lately.

English is not my first language so feel free to correct any mistake and I would love to know what do you think about it. REQUESTS ARE OPEN. I posted a List of prompts, so check it out! Let me know if you would like to be tagged in my works.

IF YOU LIKE MY WORKS, PLEASE REBLOG THEM

Masterlist

Ao3

[ID: a gif of Ives wearing his military uniform. He turns to leave while saying "This is cowboy shit. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into if you go through that door. End ID.]

“Don’t,” Ives said grabbing Neil’s arm stopping him from getting up. It was one of the very rare missions in which Ives didn’t have to wear his gear. They were there to recruit you. Usually, Ives wasn’t involved in the recruitment, but nobody knew you the way he did. For this reason, Neil had asked him to join the mission this time. The two of them were sitting in a bar in their suits looking at you just a few tables away from them.

Neil turned to look at him confused. “What?”

“Don’t recruit them,” Ives said looking at him serious before glancing at you, busy with your book.

“What are you talking about? If we don’t recruit them, you two won’t ever meet,” he tried to make him reason.

“I can still go there and talk to them without recruiting them.”

Neil shook his head. “What is this all about?” He was starting to think it hadn’t been the best idea to take Ives with him.

Ives glanced at you then looked back at Neil and sighed. “It’s just… Our work is so dangerous, and it will bring so much pain in their life… I wish they didn’t have to go through that,” he said sincerely.

Neil understood but he knew there was no other way this could go. “I know, but they love this job, and they are our best agent, you know how much the world needs them.”

Ives sighed again and nodded. “I know.”

Neil patted his back. “Come on.”

“I’m just going to kill whoever hurts them,” he mumbled.

Neil chuckled. “I know you will.” Something caught his eye. “Oh, and take off your wedding ring.”

Ives looked at him as if he had suddenly grown two heads. “Are you crazy, they would kill me if I did.”

“I know but they can’t see you with the ring on now or they will think you are taken and won’t ever act on their future feelings,” Neil pointed out. Ives reluctantly took the ring off and put it on the chain of his dog tag.

They got up and walked to your table.

Feeling their presence next to you, you looked up and smiled at them politely. “Can I help you gentlemen?”

you asked noticing how handsome they were.

“May we join you?” Neil asked, since Ives seemed he had lost his tongue.

“Please, be my guests,” you said pointing at the free chairs around the table. You were curious to hear what they wanted from you. They clearly had a goal, it seemed as if they were on a mission.

They sat down and your eyes lingered longer on Ives. His blue eyes had captured you.

“I’m Neil and my friend here,” he gestured towards Ives, “is Ives.” You looked back to Neil and then again to Ives. “We are here to offer you a job.”

You looked at Neil wide-eyed. “What? You don’t know me, why would you want to hire me and for what job?”

“We have a feeling,” Ives said, talking for the first time and, boy, did that voice do things to you.

You stared at him. “Do you often hire people based on… feelings?” you managed to ask.

“Not exactly. We… kept an eye on you and we think you are the perfect person for the job. You would get to help a lot of people,” Neil explained, not quite satisfying you.

“Are you… are you secret agents?” you asked suspicious and a little scared. Those people had probably been following you.

“Something like that,” Neil said with a smile.

You stayed silent for a moment then gathered your things and got up. “It was very… creepy meeting you. Have a nice day, gentlemen.”

As you were leaving Ives pulled out a black business card from his pocket and handed it to you. “In case you changed your mind.”

You took it and looked at it. On one side there was written “TENET” and Ives’ name and surname in smaller letters, on the other side there was an address. You were unsure if you wanted to keep the card or not. You looked him in the eyes and decided to keep it, then you left. It was weird, you had no reason to trust them, in fact you knew that following common sense you shouldn’t trust them, but somehow you felt you could.

When you were out of earshot, Ives sighed and put his wedding ring back on. “They were right. It was very creepy, why did we do it this way?”

“Did you have a better idea?”

“I’m not the expert of recruitments, here,” he pointed out. “If I don’t get married to them it’s all your fault.”

Neil chuckled. “You already are married to them.”

It took you almost a week to finally decide to go to the address written on the card. You had looked “TENET” up on the internet, but you hadn’t find anything. So, either it was a super-secret agency, way more than CIA, KGB and MI6, or the men had lied. Somehow, the fact that there was nothing about that online, made you think that they were telling the truth. They had made quite an effort for the business cards, why not going all the way and create a website too to make their lie more believable, if they were lying? Right?

You simply couldn’t stop thinking about it and obviously the only thing you could do to be sure was to go and find out more.

You were surprised to find yourself in front of one of the most central and beautiful buildings of London. You checked the address twice to be sure it was the right one. It seemed it was, so you walked in and looked around. You spotted a receptionist behind a counter. You walked closer.

“Good morning. I’m here to see… Ives? Or Neil?” you said, sounding less sure than you would have liked.

“What’s your name?”

As soon as you told him your name, he nodded. “Please, follow me, Neil is waiting for you.”

Of course he knew you were arriving. You followed the man through a long corridor and then up the stairs. The place was quite busy, so you had to slalom between the people moving around. Some looked at you as if they knew you, other didn’t even look your way.

The two of you stopped in front of a door and your chauffeur knocked. A voice from inside, invited you in. The man opened the door and announced you, then let you in. Neil was there, standing behind a desk, smiling at you. He went around the desk and offered you his hand. You shook it and then you sat down as he had invited you to do.

He turned to the man that had led you there. “Please, ask Ives to come here, he should finish the training in a few minutes.” The man left and Neil went to take his seat behind the desk.

“I’m happy you came,” he said, and somehow you knew he was sincere.

“But you already knew I would, didn’t you?”

He smiled. He did. “I know this might sound a little odd, but I would really like for you to work with us. Our organization’s aim is that of preventing terrible things from happening.”

You stopped him before he could go on to explain whatever it was they did. “How is it possible that there is no record of your organization anywhere?”

“It’s because it is a very secret organization. Nobody can know about its existence.”

You weren’t fully convinced but you let him go on.

“Look, I think your knowledge and your abilities would be very helpful for us. Of course we would train you and brief you on everything you need to know to work with us. I can’t be any more specific unless you accept the job and pass the basic training.”

You snorted. “Of course.”

You heard the door behind you open. You turned and saw Ives coming in wearing his training clothes and he had no right looking that good in them. “You wanted to see…” he couldn’t finish the sentence because he noticed you and looked at you as if he didn’t believe you were really there and maybe a bit as if you took his breath away.

“Hey,” you let out.

He swallowed. “Hey.”

“Come in, Ives. I was telling them about the training, but I’m sure you could explain it better,” Neil said with a knowing smile.

“Yeah, I could give them a tour of the facility,” he replied, still looking at you.

“This is a great idea.” He got up and so did you. You shook hands.

“I’m sure I’ll see you soon.”

“Of course, you’re always very sure I’ll come back,” you pointed out.

He simply chuckled.

Ives held the door open to let you out and glanced at Neil who winked at him. Then he followed you out and closed the door behind.

“This way.” He showed you the way and you walked next to each other towards the nearest elevator.

“I don’t know what Neil told you, but I guess it’s not much,” he finally spoke as you reached the elevator, and he pressed the button.

“Nothing really. He just said that he can’t tell me anything unless I pass the basic training,” you replied.

He finally looked at you and smiled. You hadn’t seen his smile before then. It made his eyes shine. “You will.” The doors of the elevator slid open and the two of you walked in. “That is if you decide to join us, of course.” He pushed one of the many numbers. You were quite surprised to see there were so many and most of them seemed to be underground.

“And you know I’ll pass it because?” you asked arching your brow.

“Because I’d be the one training you,” he replied amused.

“Oh, I see you are all very sure of the future.”

“I guess you could say so,” he confirmed nodding.

You looked at each other for a long moment, nobody said anything. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Ives stretched an arm, inviting you to leave first. You stepped out and he followed you. You were several floors underground and everything looked very different and more modern there.

“I’ll show you how we train. It’s very similar to how they do it in the military,” he said walking closer to walls in which there were big windows that allowed to look down in a huge gym where people were either fighting or running or climbing the walls.

“See? Nothing too hard.”

“Are you saying you think I couldn’t do anything harder than that?” you asked pretending to be offended.

He smiled amused. “On the contrary, but I don’t want to scare you away.”

“Now you’re implying that I’m easily scared,” you pointed out, unable to hide a small smile.

He chuckled. “If you were, you wouldn’t be here.” He had a point.

“Come, there is more.”

You followed him through a door and found yourself in the firing range. You looked at the people that were already shooting there and for a second your mind played a weird trick on you because it seemed like instead of shooting, they were calling the bullets back to their guns. It lasted just a second, though, because then, Ives handed you earmuffs and glasses. You wore them and followed him to the nearest firing point.

“Have you ever shot before?” You shook your head. You thought he would have simply shown you how to shoot. You didn’t expect him to ask you to shoot.

“Come here,” he said in an unexpectedly delicate way. You just couldn’t resist, any doubt you were ready to voice was forgotten. You went closer to him. You took warily the gun he was handing you and he positioned himself behind you. He took your hands holding the gun in his and started explaining how to aim but you could barely focus on his words. Having him so close made it hard to think about anything that wasn’t his body pressed against your and his breath tickling your ear.

“Shoot,” he said, and you, without thinking, pulled the trigger. The bullet ended up exactly in the centre of the target, but you were sure it was all thanks to him holding your hands steady. A shaking breath left your lips and you put the gun down.

“Wasn’t hard, was it?” he asked with a smile, pulling back.

You shook your head and took off the glasses and the earmuffs. He took them and the gun and gave it back.

You took the time to calm down.

“Ready to continue?” You nodded and followed him again.

He showed you other training rooms and explained probably more than he should have but the visit ended way too soon anyway.

“I’m afraid that’s it for the moment,” he said when you arrived in the entrance hall.

You nodded. “Well, thank you. It was a pleasure,” you replied offering him your hand.

He shook it. “For me too. I hope it convinced you to join us…” he said looking sincerely hopeful. You wandered if he was like this with everyone.

You offered a small smile. “I will think about it.”

He nodded and you stepped away to leave. You were already halfway to the door when you stopped and turned to look at him. He was still standing there looking at you. “In case I refused, would I still be able to see you again?” you asked.

He hesitated and took a couple step to close the distance between you.

“That would be very hard. My life… My work is my life, and it is a work that doesn’t really allow us to have a life in the outside world… I’m not sure it would work.”

You pressed your lips together and nodded, then turned away and left.

[chelseasdagger]

Wound Up Like a Weapon

Summary: You tease Neil during an important business party and he gets back at you later that night

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: smut, dirty talk, fingering, oral, edging, slight hair pulling

A/N: First time attempting smut so apologies if it’s not good. Thank you all to my friends who gave me the encouragement to write this <3

Neil has had enough.

The two of you were at an event for his work. It didn’t happen too often, and this one was a black tie event. All of his colleagues were in their best attire, and you were no exception. Your short, black dress accentuated your frame beautifully and Neil couldn’t take his eyes off of you. And once you took note of this, you decided to make his evening more interesting.

Neil was having a wonderful evening, being able to show off his gorgeous girl to his coworkers of his classified work life. He strolled around to converse with the people from his job’s different departments, you by his side with each exchange. He felt as though his face might crack from the smile he wore all night. 

Initially, he thought you were just being sweet. He enjoyed the feeling of your body so close to his, your fingers wrapped around the lapels of his suit. It wasn’t until you lifted your head up and brushed your lips against his neck that he caught a feeling that your intentions weren’t so pure. He stuttered over his words, all of his attention brought to the warm kiss on his skin. The sound of him clearing his throat and trying to continue his train of thought made you chuckle. Neil glanced down at you with his eyebrows brought together in confusion. The only answer he received was the feel of your lips curling into a smile.

The next time you pushed his limits was when everyone sat down together at the long dinner table. Expensive entrées and wine glasses decorated the mahogany wood. A man had stood and raised his glass and commanded each person’s attention so fully that you knew he must’ve been an important executive. You felt slightly excluded from the conversation. Neil, however, was completely trained on the higher-up’s words. 

He was until he felt your hand on his knee underneath the table. You could feel him tense up underneath your touch. You felt bold after seeing him blink a few times, trying to re-engage himself in the man’s words. He shot you a warning glance when your hand continued its trail up higher on his thigh, but you kept your gaze trained on the businessman. You maintained your faux interest and watched from the corner of your eye as he straightened his shoulders. When Neil didn’t get a reaction from you, he turned back to the supervisor and let out a sharp exhale from his nose. 

But the final thing you did to tick him off was after everyone had begun eating. He kept short conversations, looking at you from his peripheral vision. You wanted to stay quiet and give him the disillusionment that you would behave. After he finished a quick catchup with Ives, he turned his head to face you with a smile. His blue eyes had regained that spark and he seemed less stiff. 

You raised your wine glass to your mouth, locking your eyes with his over the rim of the glass. Neil watched as you swallowed a big gulp and sat the glass down again. A sinful smirk had spread across your face as you lifted your hand from the table. You saw his eyes drop to your mouth as you brushed your thumb on the corner of your lips, gathering the little drop of wine that remained there. Neil’s mouth parted slightly when he watched you push your thumb past your lips. He stared as you hollowed out your cheeks and sucked on your digit just to tease him. When his eyes met yours again, the spark was replaced by something dark. The smile had fallen from his face. The energy that exuded from him was completely different and you felt the shift immediately. 

He brought his own glass up to his face and didn’t look at you as he spoke. “You are so in for it later,” he mumbled and then took a sip. 

Your eyes went wide and you tried to find his, but Neil’s stare was trained across the room. He smiled as he raised his drink in the air and nodded to the person he said a silent greeting to. He seemed completely calm and composed. He looked as if he hadn’t just threatened you with the most tempting thing in the world. 

The car ride back to his apartment was tense. You’re almost certain your thighs were pressed together as tight as Neil’s jaw was clenched. 

And that brings you to now, with his lips crashing onto yours in a harsh manner. Neil’s big hands frame either side of your face, and you can’t help but feel small in comparison. He pushes you past the door to his bedroom, finally breaking away for you to breathe. 

“I can’t believe you acted that way tonight. I bring you around all my coworkers and bosses and you behave like a little brat,” Neil mumbles. He brings his mouth to your neck and kisses right below your ear. Your breath hitches in your throat and a shiver spreads down your spine. The anticipation of what he has planned grows with each word he speaks.

“Clearly you have no self restraint. I guess we’ll have to work on that, won’t we?” he asks. One of his hands wraps around your waist, pulling you closer towards him, and the other works to pull the zipper down on your dress. Your mind feels foggy from the warm breath on your skin.

“Won’t we?” he repeats himself, tone slightly clipped. He pushes the material down your shoulders, goosebumps forming from the cold air surrounding your exposed body.

“Yes,” you whisper as he pulls away from you. As you take him in for the first time since getting home, you see how into this he is. Eyes so dark it’s hard to see any blue in the dim light of his bedroom. His hair, previously styled for the party, is now disheveled with loose strands falling in his face. His expression tells you that you’re in for a long night.

“Yes what?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good girl,” a devilish smirk etches its way onto his face. Neil walks forward a few steps, shedding off his suit jacket and haphazardly tossing it to the floor. You step backward until the back of your legs hit the bed. He instructs you to lie down on the mattress while his hand reaches up to his tie. You watch as he pulls on the knot back and forth, loosening its hold on his neck. Then, he's sliding his hand down, unraveling the knot fully.

As you look up to him, you can’t help but notice the juxtaposition of you two. Neil’s still wearing his button-up shirt tucked in, his belt still looped around his slacks. And all you’re left in is your matching underwear set. 

He kneels onto the bed, crawling up to meet your lips once again. He quickly reaches behind you to unclasp your bra. Pulling it away from your chest, he tosses it to the side. His mouth moves against yours slowly like he’s savoring the kiss. Neil tended to take his time when it came to moments like these. He made sure to drag it out, made sure to focus all his attention on you and make you feel good. Your eyes flutter shut as you lift your chin to him and deepen the embrace. His right hand reaches up to brush a hand though your hair, his left grabbing softly at your breast.

“Neil,” you moaned into his lips. You feel him smirk, he always did love the effect he has on you. He continues his kisses down your jaw and your breathing staggers again. You hear a chuckle before his touch is removed from you completely. 

You open your eyes at the loss of contact. He smiles at the pout on your lips. Sitting back on his knees, his stare fixates on where you needed him most. His bottom lip finds its way between his teeth almost subconsciously.

“Open for me, darling,” Neil instructs. His hand is resting on the inside of your knee and, when you spread apart for him, it slides down to your underwear. You let in a sharp inhale when you feel his fingers brush across the fabric and how easily it sticks to you. A guttural groan escapes his mouth as he pulls away, leaving you desperate for his touch again.

“You’re so wet, love,” he remarks. You can hear the smile in his voice. 

“Please, Neil,” you beg him. He continues as if he hadn’t heard you.

“I bet it’s from all the teasing at the party, wasn’t it? Acting like a little minx, knowing you’d get in trouble for it,” his fingers curl around the waistband of your panties. Pushing them off and to the floor, he casts his eyes back to you.

“But we know who the real tease is in this relationship.”

He reaches down and rubs his fingers against you, spreading your slick, before pushing one inside you. Your head falls back against the pillows at the feeling of finally getting what you wanted. Soon a second finger is sliding in beside the first. The sounds of his fingers making a mess of you resounds in the room. His long digits curl inside you, pressing firmly against the spot that makes you clench. Another husky chuckle rings out in the room and he pushes into you harder, eager to make you unravel by his touch alone. 

Whines keep escaping your mouth as you feel the pressure building in the pit of your stomach. The pleasure consumes you, fisting the sheets, and you knew you wouldn’t last much longer.

Once Neil sees your back arch off of the bed, hears your moans getting higher, feels you tighten around him one too many times, he pulls his hand away from you completely. 

A pathetic, frustrated groan escapes you when you realize what he’s doing. “You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you? Sweetheart, we’re only getting started,” he brings his fingers up to his mouth and hums at the taste of you. The sight sends another shudder through you and your legs clasp together, searching for some friction.

You pout up at him, an action you know is futile the moment you attempt it. He’s going to keep this torture up for as long as he can.

Neil gets on his stomach, his chest flat against the mattress and his hands spreading you open again. His left hand pushes your thigh to the bed and his mouth is quick to meet the skin there as well. He leaves warm, wet kisses on you, slowly trailing towards your center, and goosebumps form in their wake. 

Your impatience for him against your core grows with each breath against you. After being denied your first orgasm, each sensation feels even more heightened.

“Look at you, squirming around. Big game for such a sensitive little girl,” he mumbles against you. He’s got his head tilted on your thigh, his eyes looking up at you, and his lips pressing kisses in the little nook where your thighs met your hips. 

Neil finally sinks his head lower and presses his tongue flat your folds, licking a strip up to your clit. You’re moaning out within seconds, eyes rolling back again. Vibrations run through you as you feel him snicker. 

“Now remember, love, you aren’t allowed to come,” he reminds you, pulling away. You whine out from the deprivation and he smirks. The urge to slap it off his face is tempting. 

And then his mouth is back on you, nose nuzzling your mound. He switches between slow, broad strokes of his tongue against your opening to quick flicks against your clit. When he wraps his lips around it and sucks it into his mouth, your hands drop to his head. You can’t stop the sounds falling out of your mouth or your fingers tugging at his messy blond strands. 

When you start bucking up involuntarily, he throws his forearm over your hips, effectively holding you in place. Having nowhere to squirm away to, you’re forced to take all of this pleasure. It’s nearly too much after being edged just moments ago. 

“Fuck,” you whimper out. Your grip on his tufts of hair tightens, and you feel him groan into you as a response. Neil loved when you pulled at his hair, a silent praise, telling him just how amazing he made you feel. It was his favorite reaction to get out of you. The ones you had no control over. Seeing that he made his girl feel so very good, it made him euphoric.

Once again, his touch is removed from you all too soon. You hear him mutter something, but you can’t exactly hear it. You’re slightly dazed from the feeling of the fire in your stomach dialing back down again. He gives a light slap to the side of your hip and repeats himself. “Over.”

You look up, eyes focusing on him unbuckling his belt and shoving his slacks and briefs down. He brings a hand through his hair, tongue swiping over his glistening lips. He helps turn you and you shakily get on your hands and knees. 

Neil’s touch lights a fire through your back, the path tracing from your shoulder to your hip. You feel him at your entrance, the tip of him teasing you. When his head nudges against your clit, you instinctively flinch away, the feeling becoming too much. 

He finally pushes in and you nearly cry out. He quickly settles into a fast pace, groaning deep at the feeling of you so tight around him. His grip on you tightens as he pulls you back to meet his thrusts. Your mouth falls open at the feel of him so deep inside you.

He murmurs out different praises, tells you how good you feel and how you’re such a good girl taking him like this. His voice is deep and raspy, breaths and gasps falling from his lips. You feel his cock hit inside you deeper until it’s hitting that spongy spot again. Neil hisses between his teeth when you clench around him.

“Christ, look at you. Falling apart for me,” his thrusts slow into languid strokes. You’re pushing your hips back, desperate to feel him move again, but he keeps his hips pressed to your ass. “But I need you to hold on a little longer, darling.” 

“I can’t Neil. I can’t please-” he cuts off your feeble pleads with whispers of encouragement.

“Yes you can, baby. Just a little bit longer. Doing so well for me.” His hand that’s not holding your hip goes to the arch in your back, rubbing to help calm you. When he starts his agonizingly slow thrusts back up, your arms almost give out. You can feel that your body can’t take much more. 

The sound of his hips hitting against yours grows in volume as he increases his speed. You’re blubbering out incoherent curses and they echo with the sounds of his thrust, a harmonious euphony to Neil’s ears. All you can focus on is his touch and the searing pleasure spreading throughout your body. 

A hand tangles through your hair before you’re being forced up, your back pressed tight to his chest. He drives his hips up harder into yours, no longer prolonging your release. His left hand reaches down to your clit and he rubs three fingers against you. Your head falls back on his shoulder, a loud gasp escaping you, and he noses at your neck.

“Ask nicely and you can come,” he instructs. Words seem to fail you as his touch between your legs quickens, but you manage to cry out just one.

“Please! Please, please,” you sob fervently. You can feel yourself squeezing around him and his pace falters. He grunts loudly in your ear, the sound getting you that much closer.

“Come for me, shit, wanna feel you,” he murmurs in your ear. You feel the pressure growing inside you until it finally spills over. Your walls clamp down on him and your mouth falls open, eyes fluttering shut as you finally feel your orgasm crashing down on you. Neil drives into you for a few more thrusts, drawing out the apex of your climax, your thighs shaking against his. 

His hips stall and he bites down on your shoulder as his own orgasm hits him. The feeling of you coming on his cock always brought him over the brink. You can feel the muffled groan resonate inside your body. 

Neil pulls away from you and lies you gently onto the bed, head resting on the pillows. He pushes the hair away from your face and cradles your cheek gently.

“You okay?” he asks softly. You open your eyes and find his own close to your face. His eyebrows are slightly pulled together and his blue irises are flickering between your own. He always made sure you were alright after pushing your limits like this. 

“Never better,” you mutter sleepily. You reach up and wrap an arm around his neck, pulling him to you. He captures you in a slow, loving kiss. Your fingers tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck before pulling away to speak again.

“I love you,” you whisper against his lips. He lies down on the bed beside you and raises his arm, a silent come here. 

You lie your head against his chest, legs intertwined and arms wrapped around one another. He draws little patterns onto your arm and sighs contently. 

“I love you too,” he replies, “so much.” The steady rise and fall of his chest is slowly lulling you to sleep.

“Remind me to tease you more often,” you manage to mumble out. Neil’s soft chortle fills the quiet space between you as you slip into unconsciousness. 

[neutron-stars-collision]

The Art of Inversion

Neil x Reader

Chapter 1 - The Life Changing Offer

Summary: You receive a mysterious invitation for a job interview and are faced with a fascinating stranger that is definitely not like any employer you’ve ever met before. This is potentially a beginning of something incredible if you’re brave enough to take up the offer...

Warnings: None really. General rating (for now).

Author’s Notes: So here it is, my first attempt at published fanfiction... Sorry for any grammatical errors and such. Thanks to @sh3tani​ and @piccolini-cuscino​ for much needed chats and encouragement! Hope you enjoy! Feedback is greatly appreciated

Next chapter:

The café was getting increasingly busy with people flooding in for lunch breaks. You were sat at a table near the outskirts of the outdoor dining area. You came to the meeting way too early because that was always safer than arriving on time. Still, you have been glancing at the watch every few seconds, worried you’ve somehow messed it up by being too late or at a wrong place. Once the clock has struck 2pm, your hands began to shake slightly. You have been so focused on trying to deepen anxious breaths that you have not noticed when someone approached the table. Only once your name was mentioned you looked up. The man stood by your table was wearing an expensive looking grey suit and had hair in a dirty shade of blonde. You stood up quickly, surprised by his sudden appearance:

“Hello, hope I haven’t startled you” he smiled and extended a hand.

“Hi” you’ve managed to sober up enough to shake his hand “Sorry, I got lost in thoughts there” you let out a nervous laugh.

“No worries” up close his eyes were very blue “I’m Neil and I hope you are the person I was supposed to meet about work or else I’m in serious trouble” he joked lightly and let go of your hand.

“That’s me” you smiled a little, feeling the tension dissolve.

“Perfect” another dazzling grin sent in your direction.

You had to admit that the guy was a charmer from the get-go. He gestured for you both to sit down and signalled the waitress.

“Hello guys, what do you fancy?”

Before you could place the order, Neil spoke up:

“Café Breve for me” he turned to you and eyed you up quickly with a thoughtful look “And Latte for the lady” You stared at him, one eye brow arched in confusion. He seemed to take in your expression before asking:

“Was I correct?”

“Yeah… but I wasn’t aware my coffee order was part of my work resume” you laughed.

“It wasn’t but I like knowing such details about people” he smirked, and you looked down, suddenly flustered.

This certainly wasn’t looking like an ordinary job interview. Neil was different to any employer you have ever met, and his suave demeanour was starting to make you feel very intrigued. It didn’t help that he was quite fascinating too.

“So shall we begin?” his voice brought you out of daydreams again “I bet you have many questions about this meeting and the job offer”

He was looking at you expectantly, studying your expression. It was as though he has switched into the professional mode now.

“Well yeah, I can’t say the call was very informative” you admitted.

All you knew was that they were searching for someone in your area of expertise – international relations and public safety. And that you have been recommended by your university professor for the role. They haven’t even mentioned the name of the organisation.

“I know and sorry about that” the gentle smile was back, and you couldn’t help but return it “We have a very strong policy of secrecy”

“May I ask who’s ‘we’ then?” his friendliness made you a little braver.

“Of course. I represent Tenet, which is a rather secret organisation that protects the world from quite dangerous threats”

Before you could react, the drinks had arrived and you both fell silent. You could tell that the waitress was interested in Neil and you couldn’t blame her. He was very good-looking. However, he took no notice of her looks. He was still studying you, trying to understand your personality and predict the reactions. You have already impressed him by not being overwhelmed by the situation.

You took a sip of the coffee before asking:

“About how dangerous threats are we talking here?”

His brow furrowed as he took some time to think of the best way to answer your question.

“We’re talking about potential world ending catastrophes”

You stared at him, lips parted in shock. It wasn’t looking like any boring offer that you would find advertised on indeed.co.uk. While you never wanted a desk job, this alternative sounded a bit terrifying. But you were still intrigued. You wanted to know more. You looked back at Neil to see him casually sipping coffee. He was silent, waiting for your reaction. You briefly wondered whether your face was showing any signs of the internal conflict you were feeling. He looked up and your eyes met for a short moment before you averted your gaze and asked:

“Do you mean nuclear level of threat?”

“Not quite” you raised one eyebrow, curious now “We mostly deal with threats of temporal nature. Specifically weapons and ammunition that are being manufactured in the future and are streaming back at us through time”

“Time travelling weapons?” your head begun to hurt.

Definitely not an ordinary job then.

“You could say so” Neil grinned, enjoying your approach to the topic “Though we prefer to call it inversion”

You let out a nervous laugh and shook your head, trying to clear it. Way too much information to take in at once. Neil was looking at you with sympathy in his eyes. “If you want to back out of this, I’d say that this is the moment” he offered.

You took a deep breath, trying to clear your head. It sounded like a dangerous job, something that could maybe even get you killed if things went south. But at the same time it was absolutely fascinating…

Oh why the hell not!

“What kind of work do you have for me then?” you met Neil’s gaze with determination.

“You’re brave. That’s good” he commented, and you shrugged “The offer we have for you involves being a field agent. You would travel on missions with me and other agents. First of course you have to pass the training, but I think that won’t be a problem” he eyed you up again, this time with more playfulness in his eyes.

You blushed and chose to stare at the table for a short while. You felt his gaze on your face. After a beat he broke the silence:

“Do you have any more questions?”

You didn’t know where to begin. Taking a deep breath you chose to ask the most pressing one.

“How does the inversion work?” the foreign word made you frown.

“That’s a very good question. But I think it will be easier if I show you rather than try to explain it” he got up and glanced at you expectantly.

“Now?” you downed the remains of coffee way too fast, coughing as you nearly choked on it.

Neil grinned. You have intrigued him too. He tossed a banknote onto the table. Seeing you start to dig in the purse for money he put a hand on top of yours to stop the movement:

“No need for that. You can treat coffee as one of the work benefits” he smirked and began to walk away, clearly expecting you to follow.

You stared at his back for a second before jogging to catch up. Neil was definitely something else entirely, but you were way too absorbed now to give up. He smiled lightly when he saw you fall into step next to him.

This is definitely a beginning of something strange... and potentially wonderful, you thought while letting him lead you into the unknown. Quite literally.

[scentedkittenperfection]

Neil x Kat's sister!Reader

Movie: Tenet

You were watching a film which is so boring, so Neil decided to tickle you to have some fun.

Author's note: I decided to get back into fanfiction this summer. If this doesn't go right, I'm sorry. Also request me more stuff to write.

As you and Neil we're watching Fifty Shades of Grey, y/n yawned because she was getting bored. But Neil had a chaotic idea. He straddled y/n's waist and yelled, “Let the tickle fest commence!!” as he began digging into her armpits with his fingers and scribbling them. "Ah hahahahaha. Neeeeeeilllllll."

Neil replied, "Whhhhatttttt?" To mock you as he tickled her stomach and sides which would be her death spot.

"No no no no no no nooooooooohoooooo."

As he tickles her death spot.

Y/n says in between laughter, "Neil I swear if you don't stop, I'll kick you in the crotch."

Neil stops and says, "oh, are you threatening me, love? Well this will make you drive crazy." As he goes down to her lower body and tickles her thighs and then her feet. Then you start squealing.

Neil teased you, "awwwe, made ya squeal. Are you giving up, darling?"

Y/n said, "Yesssshesssssss pleaseeeeeeeee stohop."

Neil stops and pulls her in for a kiss.

Neil said, "Want to watch Notting Hill?"

Y/n said, "Sure."

As they put on Notting Hill, they cuddled for the rest of the night.

[whats-rambled-rambled]

Posterity - part 3

Neil x gn!Reader

Chapter 3: Confidant

(see chapter 2, 1)

summary: one of the teams gets caught in an ambush, and you have to deal with the aftermath 

warnings: swearing, angst, mentions of death and grief 

author’s note: would you look at that, it took me 3 chapters to get to proper angst! I think nobody is surprised at this point. But that seemed like such a vital part of the Reader’s job to cover, and it had to be done at one point or another. 

✨hurt/comfort✨

3,8k words

The song for this chapter is Blakey - Confidant

Your feedback warms my heart and keeps me going, I’m so grateful to have you all around.

Enjoy! And as always - let me know what you think?

--------

taglist:  @hollandorks @neilsgirl91 @thecraziestcrayon @sunnyitwillbe @eravanaaaah @blue-aconite​ @mcrmarvelloki​ 

-----

“Posterity, this is Jenkins. We’re fucked. I repeat - we’re fucked.”

“Understood, sending the Cavalry to your location –”

“NO! Don’t....we’re already dead. Just tell the others about the ambush. This place is rigged and crawling with antags.”

“Copy. Help is on the way, Agent, sit tight. Are you hurt? ”

“Walked straight into this… ah shit. Yeah, got hit pretty bad.”

“Hold on just a little while longer.”

“No need, Operator. T’was pleasure, guys. Come here you motherfu-...”

“Agent…?”

“...”

Come in, Agent.”

“...”

“Agent Jenkins, are you there?”

“...”

“...goddamnit.”

—

The office was quiet. Empty. It was better that way, you couldn’t imagine going through this part of the job with an audience of any kind.

Of course, it was not the first time it had happened. Sometimes, there wasn’t  much you could do, and even having the full medical team dispatched with the backup was not enough to save everyone.

You sighed, opening another file.

Most operators went through it at some point in their careers. Multiple points, most likely.

Everyone coped with it in their own way. Some people took a day off. Some went straight to the nearest bar as soon as they clocked out. You? You always asked for another shift, to be the one to process the paperwork. It seemed only fair.

The first time someone died on your call… it had been rough. As in throwing up in the bathroom and sobbing for a solid quarter rough. That was how your boss had found you, then took you to his office and talked you through it, enough to calm you down so you hadn’t quit on him right there and then.

You couldn’t say it’d gotten easier. Could it ever? You’d built walls to protect yourself. You’d learned to keep your distance. You’d focused on the things you were still able to do. On the bigger picture. But even then, when you were left alone in the office with the fallen agents looking at you from your screen, there was an ache in your chest, making you struggle to take a deeper breath.

Another timeline. Not too complicated - must have belonged to a rookie.

That was another kind of pain. Every one of those people had their whole future ahead of them, but those wide-eyed newlings always had so much light in them.

It was a rare thing to see it shining bright in someone after a few years spent in the field.

You glanced at your phone.

It was persistently silent.

You hadn’t heard from Neil, aside from the calls during business hours. The requests kept on coming with the usual cheeky politeness, and you were glad nothing had changed after that party.

One little thing had, however.

You caught yourself missing his voice when you hadn’t heard from him for too long.

Even more reasons to be grateful that he respected your boundaries, right?

Everything was in order. You closed the loop, added all the needed annotations, and changed the status of the operative to KIA.

Next file.

You read the name on the screen and your palms got sweaty. You chewed on your lip, trying to level your shallow breath. The shots rang in your ears again. And that scream, the last cry of a man going out with guns blazing. Hellbent on taking down with him as many antagonists as possible.

Of course, you remembered his first call. How he stuttered nervously, cursing every other word, and then solemnly apologized for it. The confidence gained over the next months reflected in his record as he’d earned a leadership position in his own squad. He made sure to mention it during his next call, and you couldn’t help but feel a little proud.

“T’was pleasure, guys.”

You wiped a trembling hand through your face and exhaled slowly. The gnawing in your chest was becoming unbearable.

Maybe that was why, against your better judgment, you grabbed your phone.

The reason kicked back in the second you heard the line ringing, but as you were about to hang up, you heard a sleepy voice:

“Are you really calling or am I still dreaming?”

You cringed and rewarded your stupidity with a hearty facepalm. What the hell were you doing?

“Oh god, I woke you–- I’m sorry, I don’t even know what time it is.” A wave of embarrassment tangled both your thoughts and your tongue. “It-it’s nothing, go back to sleep.”

“No, no, no, it’s okay. Just something new.” Neil grunted lightly. “What’s going on?”

You drew a deep breath, then let it out with a barely audible shudder.

“This kind of day, huh?” His sad chuckle made the tip of your nose tingle, even more so when you heard the softness in his voice as he urged you gently, “Talk to me. What happened?”

“You heard about Malmö?” you asked, hoping you wouldn’t be the one to deliver the news.

“Yeah, I spoke to Ives a couple hours ago. Six of ours down?”

You swallowed with effort.

“It’s eight now.”  

“Jesus,” he sighed breathlessly.

“I was on a call with a guy from that team.” You frowned at yourself. He deserved more than a nameless mention. “With Jenkins.” Better. Shifting in your seat, you continued, pushing out one strained word after another. “Now I have paperwork to process and I’m closing all the loops– wait, you know about the loops?”

“May have an idea, but tell me more.”

“The numbers you give us when you log in, right? Imagine them put onto a giant timeline.” You glanced at your screen, at Jenkins’ one already loaded up. “That’s how we keep an eye on you, we can check if the time loop you entered has closed properly, or if you are still in the middle of one. It’s more complicated, but also not as much?” A nervous laugh escaped your lips when you realized you were rambling, as you always did when it came to aspects of the job you were quite fascinated with. “It would be easier to show you. I think you’d appreciate the design, it’s pretty neat.”

“Sounds like it.”

There was a hint of a smile hiding in Neil’s tone, and it was enough to give you the strength to carry on into the more difficult part.

“Anyway, aside from the calls, requests, and routine checks on agents with long inactivity in the system, I’m also responsible for updating the files. When something happens…,” - you forced another deep breath in - “that means double-checking the loops and a lot of time spent looking at their timelines. Seeing their journeys, from the very start… It’s never easy.”

Neil hummed sympathetically. “I can imagine. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. It hurts, even if I only knew them as voices in my headphones.” You sighed, dropping your gaze again. “It’s hard not to get attached to people.”

“Oh.”

The sudden realization in the expression curled a corner of your mouth into a sad smirk. “You know where I’m going with this, huh?”

“Possibly.” He weighed his words. “That’s why you keep us at arm's length?”

You scoffed softly. “That’s why I try.”

“And not calling us by our names? Part of it, too?” he said and the curious notes in his tone suggested he’d been sitting on this thought for a while. “It’s not the protocol, I checked.”

You shook your head, not so surprised he’d picked on that, too. He was perceptive, he had to be in his profession.

“It’s not, you’re right.”

“Hm.”

“Doesn’t make sense to you?” you asked with quiet resignation. You wouldn’t blame him if it didn’t. Although you weren’t sure if you had it in you to defend yourself. Not today. Not against him.

Fortunately, you didn’t have to.

“No, I understand why you do it, but…” He hesitated, and you cut in:

“But you don’t approve.”

He smacked his tongue and stifled a sigh. “That’s not it.”

Suddenly, you realized he was holding back an opinion, mindful not to overstep.

“What is it then?” To soothe his apprehension, you let a shade of smile into your voice “Make your case.”

“Thank you, your honor,” said Neil, tongue-in-cheek. Then, it was his turn to take a deeper breath, as if he was grounding himself, preparing to share something more personal. “I know how it feels to lose someone you care about. The emptiness that comes with it. Almost physical pain that follows.” He faltered, lost in a memory for a short while, then continued more softly, “It’s scary. Hence the need to protect yourself from it. Especially with the certain danger written into our job. I understand. Only, at the same time… the world can be a shitty place, and having people around, those who get the metaphorical it...who get you.. not only makes life easier. It makes it all that better.”

You sighed and propped the forehead on your knuckles, blankly staring down.

“I know.”

A short, knowing hum. “But it’s not enough to outweigh the possible pain, because what if it ends?”

You tightened the grip on your phone as the lump in your throat grew bigger.

“Exactly.”

“It doesn’t take all those things away from you. What’s happened’s happened. And it’s yours, forever. All you got to experience together, all those little moments you shared, the emotions that warmed you whenever you needed. They stay. Even if the person is no longer with you.”

A tear plopped on the desk and you wiped it with your sleeve, then squeezed your eyes shut, swallowing with effort.

Meanwhile, Neil continued, and every quiet sentence carried immense compassion and warmth. “I know it hurts. Life’s short, but that’s also what makes it all worth it. You deserve to be happy.” He paused for a bit, then added, “That can also mean playing it safe.” He chuckled lightly. “The choice is yours. And I rest my case.”

The last remark made you laugh, but the sound came out with a sob. “Damn, I’m sorry,” you sniffled, wiping your eyes with the back of your hand. “I hear you, yeah.”

“Are you okay?”  

There was nothing but concern on the other end of the line, and your heart clenched painfully.

“I am. Hit close to home, that’s all.” You frowned and sighed, a little embarrassed. “I like the way you look at it.”

You really did. Although, you weren’t quite sure you would be able to rewire yourself like that. Even if you really wanted to.

“Just give it a thought, okay? Nothing more.”

That you could do. “I will, I promise,” you said, lips curling in a gentle smile. “Thank you for this. And for letting me vent.”

“Of course. Anytime.” There was this light in his words again, and you knew he really meant it. “Are you going home soon?”

Looking back at your screen, you quickly went over the tasks on your to-do list. “I have two operatives left to…debrief. Gonna take a while.” You heard a stifled grunt as if Neil was stretching and was trying not to let it show, and it made you remember the start of your conversation. And made you very self-conscious because of it. “I’m sorry, I’m keeping you awake, go back to bed.”

“I am in bed,” he said, all smug about it. “And I don’t mind.”

The image in your head, complimented by the ever so slight switch in his tone, suddenly made you flustered. Heat crept up your cheeks as you cleared your throat.

“I’d love to keep chatting then, but I should really get back to work.” Saying it aloud brought back the heaviness to your shoulders. However, there was enough calmness inside you now, as if some of the load had dissolved once you’d shared it, and you were ready to face the task again.

“It was great to hear your voice.”

You wanted to point out that it hadn’t been that long since your last talk, but that was not what he had in mind. The implication resonated deeply, and you could only say, “Yours too.”

The silence that fell was loaded, but not for too long. Neil was first to break the spell, audibly cracking up at something.

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry, I was waiting for you to call me agent again.”

Oh. You snickered, shaking your head.

“It got stuck in my throat, believe it or not.”

“We could stick to darling if you'd like."

A grin brightened your face as you scoffed in disbelief. "You think it's less personal than a name?"

"I think it can be whatever we need it to be.” You could almost picture him shrugging lightly, with those playful sparks shining in his eyes. "All words are made up, anyway."

“Sure,” you snorted, unable to find a counter to that.

“No pressure. I’m happy you called.”

“Me too,” you sighed softly, the warmth slowly spreading through your chest. “Thanks again and good night…darling.”

“Blimey.” No teasing. No mocking. Pure amusement. And something else, you couldn’t quite figure out yet. “Take care, darling. Good night.”

It wasn’t one if you looked at it as a whole.

The one part that was, however, was enough to carry you through the rest of it. Through the paperwork, and through saying goodbye to the agents.

Because for the first time in years, you allowed yourself to grieve.

Over the people. Over the things that had been. Over the ones that could have been.

And over those that would never be.

—

That extra shift meant entering another day in some sort of zombie mode.

The exhaustion from the lack of sleep amplified the emotional fatigue, putting you in a nice, numb state, and letting you sail through the first few hours of work without too much damage. It wasn’t zen, no, not with that hollow feeling still present inside. But you knew it would pass, eventually, and being able to jump back into routine activities would only help with that.

The team knew the drill. Business as usual.

One call. A couple of reports. A bit of research. Five answered messages. Another call.

Time went by, and soon you were off on a break, grabbing a quick lunch in a canteen.

The elevator opened with a quiet ping, and you went into the corridor leading to the office, already juggling through the possible solutions to one of the pending requests in your mind. Then, you noticed a figure in a familiar dark navy overcoat and you stopped, any thought process ceasing instantly as well.

Perhaps it was easy to forget you were actually working together, like– physically, occasionally in the same building, even.

All because meeting any operative on your floor was highly improbable.

And it bordered on the security breach.

That was definitely why your heart was beating so fast all of the sudden. No other reason.

Neil was standing right next to your door, a reusable cup in one hand, a phone in the other, looking as if was battling with himself over something.

“Are you lost, darling?” you asked, squinting suspiciously, incapable of hiding a  smile already dangling in a corner of your mouth.

He found your gaze, bewildered, but quickly schooled his features and grinned at you.

“Not anymore,” he said and slid the phone into his pocket as you made your way to him. There was a fleeting moment of hesitation when both of you wondered what was the greeting protocol in the current state of affairs, but it took the smallest cue from him and you walked straight into his arms.

The hug was tight. Warm. Bringing back the memories. Overriding reason.

That was why you had to pull away, even though you wanted nothing more but to lose yourself in his embrace for a while longer.

Neil seemed a little more tired than the last time you’d seen him. Messy hair was his default, apparently, as well as a five o’clock shadow, but the faint dark circles under his eyes were something new, and you pondered if that was the lack of sleep caused by your late-night conversation, or the strain of his own duties taking a toll on him. What didn’t change, however, was the light shining in the blue irises, and a playful smile dancing on his lips, bound to prompt one of your own.

“What are you doing here?”

“They called us in for some drills, so I was around.” His fingers glided down your forearm, almost making your breath hitch. A shade of concern clouded his expression and he searched your face, then added quietly, “I wanted to check if you’re okay. How are you feeling?”

You blinked a few times, slightly shaking your head to dismiss his worries sooner than you were able to collect your thoughts.

“I’m fine. Or better, at least.” Choking out a small laugh, you met the blue eyes again, boring into you attentively, consistently, not mindful of the blonde strands falling into them. “I’ll be alright,” you said softly. Of course you were gonna be alright. Things happened, over and over again, and if you hadn’t been able to handle it, you wouldn’t have been cut out for the job. And you were. As you held his gaze, you sent him a reassuring smile, pouring all your confidence into it. “Thank you for checking on me, though. I appreciate it.”

Neil gave you a small nod, visibly relieved. “Don’t mention it.” He moved his tongue across his lips, then nibbled on the bottom one, glancing over your shoulder into the corridor as the elevator rumbled, fortunately moving past your floor. “I don’t wanna keep you any longer. Besides,“ - a roguish smile curved his mouth - “I might not have a hall pass.”

But before you could lecture him on security measures, Neil took your hand and put the cup in it, sneaking something resembling a folded piece of paper into your grasp.

“What is this?”

“A little pick-me-up,” he said and shrugged, then tilted his head. “Fruity, on the sour side, right?” You gaped at him, utterly perplexed, and he snickered at the shock painted across your face. “No vodka this time, sadly.” He sighed, then patted your arm. “Have a nice day, darling.”

You managed to choke out - “Yeah, you too,” - tightening hold on the cup while he marched towards the elevator, unwilling to take his chances for much longer.

Smart move, and yet, there was a pang near your heart as you watched him walk away.

You were really that tired, huh?

With a hand on the doorknob, you glanced at him one last time. Just as Neil looked over his shoulder.

He met your eyes and smiled softly.

Goddamnit.

You chewed on your lip, desperate to stop the flush threatening to creep up your face, then took a deep breath and entered the office.  

The door clicked behind you and as you went to your desk, Alex watched you like a hawk.

“Thirsty?” they asked casually, but with a mocking gimmer clearly visible in their dark eyes.

There was no way in hell they’d heard anything. Yet, your heart pounded heavily, as if you’d been caught on something inappropriate.

You arched a brow and sent them a shrug.

“Heating season, you know how it is.”

“Uh-huh.”

You fell on your chair and took a sip from the cup.

Tea. With raspberry juice, orange slices, ginger, and cloves. Sweet, but not overbearingly, with a touch of spice, definitely leaning into its sour notes. Hot and comforting. Homely.

You closed your eyes and allowed the warmth to spread through you.

A pick-me-up, indeed.

What about that paper tucked in your palm, though?

You unfolded it and your confused frown only deepened.

An envelope. An empty one, to be precise.

As you checked the other side and read a single word written on it, a loud snort escaped you, and you hid your face in your palms, trying to muffle a hysterical laugh rising in your throat.

Strings.

—-

The end of your shift couldn’t come fast enough. Your fingers were itching, and it took some intense reasoning from your brain not to call him immediately after leaving the building.

For the second time in 24 hours? Come on, that wouldn’t be wise. On so many levels.

On the other hand, it would’ve been rude not to thank him for that tea. And you couldn’t exactly do that during his next request call, could you?

Why not? It was doable.

Without raising suspicion? Alex had already been smirking at you after your little giggling fit.

Asking for trouble, nothing more.

Maybe it was. Definitely it was. And yet–

Back and forth, all the way home. The inner dispute ended with the conclusion that you were tired, and you needed rest, first and foremost, because the emotions running loose like that were not helping anyone.

The Universe solved your headache itself, and just as you crossed your apartment's threshold, your phone buzzed with a message.

//Was it balanced to your liking?//

It was easier to call him back since you were in the middle of taking off your outdoor clothes.

Neil picked up straight away.

“It was perfect, thank you,” you said right on the beat. ” Why, you made it yourself?”

“That’s classified, I’m afraid.”

You scoffed at a sly grin tainting his tone. “Understood. No strings attached though, huh?”

“I knew you’d get it,” he hummed with satisfaction, then hesitated and sighed, finally landing on a more serious note. “I’ve been thinking about our last talk. When I said no pressure, I meant it.” A bated chuckle sneaked between the words, now soft and warm and ringing with care that made your heart squeeze with fondness. “We don’t have to dance. Or do whatever else you’re not comfortable with, for that matter. But I’m here if you need anything. Anytime. Simple as that.”

“It means a lot, really.” You couldn’t find words to express how much it did. It was overwhelming, but at the same time calming; swirling a lot of different emotions inside you that you didn’t know how to process. It had to wait, however, because you had an offer to reciprocate. “Same goes to you, darling. I’m always a phone call away.”

“I’ll remember that. Thank you.”

Suddenly, there was that inkling again, and you needed to ask.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Me?” That clearly caught him off-guard. “Yeah, why?”

“I don’t know, you seemed a bit tired today.” Probably wasn’t the nicest thing to say, and as you realized that, you winced slightly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to--”

“No, it’s alright,” he said, the initial puzzlement already wearing off. “I’m okay. Permanently jet-lagged, but okay.” He let out a small laugh. “Thanks for asking. Was it the habit kicking in?”

“Maybe.” Or maybe you just cared, more than you’d like to admit. “Go get some rest.”

“You too, darling. Talk to you soon?”

You smiled hearing the hopeful notes in the question.

“Naturally.”

That was it. That was the word.

Because everything came just like that with him.

And everything felt like that when it came to him.

Even more so.  

It felt undeniably right.

(next chapter ->)

[imaginedisish]

She’s My Collar (Robert Pattinson x Reader)

A/N: I am so so sorry for the long wait guys! This was a really tough week for me! I hope you’re all doing well, and I really hope you guys enjoy this!! Someone requested some blonde Robert smut, and so here it is! Enjoy ahhh!!! (also, y/f/n is your friend’s name)

P.S, this story marks 100,000 words written for this blog...that’s all :))

Summary: You and Rob are friends with benefits, but after saving you on a horrendous night out with your friend, you find that your relationship means more than just that. 

Warnings: So, this is serious, but there is some sexual harassment/assault in here. It’s brief and not graphic or anything like that, but I wanted to write the scene in to demonstrate how fucked up it is, regardless of the setting and regardless of what someone is wearing, as well as how important awareness is. No means no, thank you!

Other warnings: Smut!!!!! Smut smut smut!! Cursing, stuff like that, brief violence/mention of blood.

Word Count: 4,203

“Oh come on, what do you mean you aren’t going to come?” Your friend shouts from the other side of the room, waving her mascara wand around violently. She points the wand towards you. “You told me you were going to come, no matter what.” Her voice is accusatory and she gives you a look. 

A look you knew far too well. 

She disappears into the bathroom to continue getting ready. You let yourself fall back onto the olive green leather couch behind you. Your head gently hits the wall and you glance up to the ceiling in an attempt to evade your friend’s question. She already knows why you aren’t joining her on her clubbing escapades this evening, but you don’t want to admit it. 

A deep breath escapes your lips and you shake your head. “No reason in particular,” You utter quietly, hoping she can’t hear you over the music playing in the background. You look down at your phone, waiting for a ding or a text from the man you were waiting to hear from. 

If I could take her down and run, then I'd call her

'Cause she's standing drama, she know I'll call her

She's getting on the sun and then she ordered

Imagine me, imagine me now (she's my collar)

“No reason, huh?” She yells over the music. “Perfect, then you can keep your promise.”

You roll your eyes and look up from the screen. “No reason that you need to know,” You yell back, pushing yourself up off the couch. “And I don’t recall promising you anything,” You say sardonically as you walk towards the bed on the other side of the room. You grab the short, blue dress you had brought with you just in case you were going to join her off of the covers. 

Your friend pops out of the bathroom just as you start heading towards the bedroom door. “Oh come on! This just isn’t fair.” She’s very clearly annoyed, and she should be. 

You were planning on ditching her the second Rob texted you that he wanted to hang out.

About a year ago, you had met Rob after your set at Glastonbury. You and your band got off stage and he was there, waiting for you. 

“That was amazing!” He shouts over the crowd still roaring behind you. He places a hand on your shoulder. Your heart flutters in your chest. “Really, you’re incredible.” He lets go, but the warmth of his touch lingers on your exposed skin.

You blush a bit. “Thank you so much,” You say, smiling widely. You had obviously met other celebrities before. After all, you had won a grammy, played hundreds of concerts, and yet, something about this felt different. 

Rob smiles back, chuckling lightly.“I can’t help but feel a little star struck right now, with (Y/N) (Y/L/N) standing in front of me,” He jokes, nudging your right arm with his elbow ever so slightly. 

“The feeling is mutual,” You say shyly. You genuinely were a bit star struck, despite having just played the closing set at Glastonbury. 

He shouts something again, but you can barely make out what he’s saying. You grab his arm and pull him into the small dressing room directly next to you. The sound of the crowd dissipates a bit, and Rob begins to speak again. 

“So how long are you in England for?” Rob asks. You look down and realize you hadn’t let go of his arm yet. You quickly pull away as heat rises to your cheeks.

“We’ll be here for the next week,” You start. “Tomorrow night we’re leaving for London to play the O2.” 

Rob nods, his smile not leaving his face. “Well then, if you’re staying in the Somerset area tonight, maybe we could go grab drinks or something?” Your heart beats rapidly out of your chest. 

“Th-that sounds great,” You stutter, embarrassed that you could barely get a sentence out. 

Ever since then, you and Rob had been seeing each other casually. There wasn’t a label or anything like that, but that wasn’t a problem for you. He was exciting, if not intoxicating, to be around. You were addicted to him. Even the semblance of a “Maybe we could see each other tonight,” was enough to drive you mad. You would cancel plans at the drop of a hat for him because you simply couldn’t get enough, and that was the exact predicament you had found yourself in tonight. 

You had been staring at your phone the entire time you were at your friend’s apartment, and intended on bailing on her the second Rob texted you to come over to his place. 

But he hadn’t yet, and you couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Your mind often wandered in times like these. You couldn’t help but think that maybe he was with someone else. What if you weren’t the only one he was running with?

“Earth to (Y/N)!” Your friend yelled, dragging you out of your thoughts and into the real world. The annoyed look on her face sent you walking into the bathroom. You changed into the dress you had brought and pushed your hair behind your ears. The spaghetti strap, black lace lined, blue dress was short and fell to the middle of your thighs. You found yourself wondering about what Rob would do if he saw you in the dress, but you quickly shake off the idea and walk back out into the bedroom. 

You roll your eyes as your friend claps at your entrance. “Are you happy now?” You ask, frustrated that this was your current situation. 

“I’m beyond happy,” Your friend remarks cockily. “Are you ready to get wasted, or what?” Her voice is excited, but you could’t feel the same. 

“I guess,” You respond, letting her lead the way to the door and out of the apartment. After several flights of stairs, you find yourself out on the streets of London. A black taxi cab is ready and stopped directly in front of you. 

Your friend opens the door and heads inside the cab as you follow closely behind her, closing the door as you finally sit down. 

“So where are we going?” You ask, hoping it’ll be somewhere low-key. You were happy the paparazzi hadn’t caught a glimpse of you leaving the apartment, and so far, you were free and clear of any fans. It was a nice change of pace, especially given that you were off doing something you weren’t the biggest fan of. You didn’t love clubbing

Your friend lets out a slightly evil chuckle. “Ministry of Sound,” She says simply, waiting for your outrage. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” You say angrily. “Fucking Ministry of Sound? Do you want me to die?” Anxiety grew heavy in your stomach. You despised large crowds, especially without a security detail. You would have to work hard to go unnoticed, and it would probably be impossible to do so.

Your friend looks over to you with a certain lack of empathy in her stare. “Hey, this is completely fair,” Your friend says, rolling her eyes nonchalantly. “It’s payback for trying to blow me off to go see Rob,” She says, her eyes leaving yours as they look out the window casually, as if what she had done was not a big deal to you.

“No, it’s not fair,” You state aggressively, but she doesn’t respond.

You look down at your phone and notice a new notification.

Rob

1 New Message

You immediately unlock your phone. 

“Are you busy tonight?” The message reads. Your heart flutters in your chest, the same way that it did when you had first met Rob.

Shit, You think to yourself. You look over to your friend and back down to your phone. You swallow the massive lump in your throat as your thumbs rapidly press against the bottom of the screen. 

“Sort of…” You type and hit send. 

Rob starts to type right away. He was usually quite good at responding quickly. 

“Does that mean it’s something I can tag along to?” Rob asks. You were surprised, but pleasantly surprised at that. You and Rob were trying to keep things under wraps. Neither of you were sure how the public would react to you two essentially being friends with benefits, so this was quite the shock. 

Regardless, you can’t help but smirk. “Why, would you go to Ministry of Sound just to save me from the evil clutches of (Y/F/N)?”

Within a few seconds, Rob sends another message. “Clubbing?” A few more seconds pass before he sends his next message, as if he’s trying to asses how ‘risky’ the text is. 

“Are you trying to replace me?”

You knew he was joking, but you couldn’t help but wonder if there was some real jealousy there. So you type, “Come and maybe I won’t,” and press send. 

“On my way.” 

Your feel your cheeks flush with heat as you drop your phone into your lap. 

After a few more minutes, you finally pull up to the club. Your friend hands the driver the cash for the trip, and you hop out on opposite sides of the cab. 

A long line of young, skimpily dressed, bright eyed Londoners wraps around the entire building and down the street. You and your friend walk closer to the door of the club and much to your dismay, you’re instantly recognized. 

Cameras begin to flash violently in your face as voices scream your name. You bypass the line as the bouncer lets you and your friend in without a single question, without any proof of ID. 

The second you enter, the bass of the song that’s playing rattles your bones. The strobe lights pulse against your skin and you can feel the warmth of the crowded room fill your body. But it wasn’t a comfortable warmth, it was a sweaty, anxious kind. The kind that made you want to turn around and run for the door. Your friend immediately grabs your wrist and runs out to the dance floor, roughly pushing through the crowd to get closer to the front. 

As your friend finally arrives at the spot she was hoping for, the song fades out. 

“Shit, I love that song,” She curses.

The next song starts. An ever so familiar marimba chimes through the club and a small smile makes its way to your lips. 

There’s an army on the dance floor, 

It’s a fashion with a gun my love,

In a room without a door

A kiss is not enough. 

“Love my way!” You sing out, shaking your hips side to side with your friend. “It’s a new road!” You feel your anxieties melt away as you sing the chorus, jumping up and down excitedly. 

“See, it just takes the right song to get you in the mood,” You friend retorts. You roll your eyes, refusing to tell her she’s right. 

She locks eyes with a woman a few feet away, and the two gravitate towards each other. Before you know it, your friend disappears, dancing off with the woman and into the crowd. This happened every time you went out with her, and you hated it. You were happy your friend was having a good time, but you hated being left alone. You take a deep breath and continue to dance, hoping that you can hold your own. The second verse of the song plays loudly, the words bouncing off the walls of the club. 

A tall, brown haired-man approaches you, dancing and brushing up against you lightly. 

“N-no thanks, I’m waiting for someone,” You say, stepping back a bit. He steps behind you, and seemingly disappears.

Just when you think he’s gone, you feel something brush up behind you. You turn your head and see that it’s the same man from before. 

“I said no,” You say louder and more powerfully this time. The man grabs your waist and pulls you closer. You try to pull away, but he doesn’t let go. “Fuck off dude, let go of me!” You shout. The music is too loud for anyone to hear you. 

“Love, when you wear something like that, you’re asking for it,” He says condescendingly, as if you’re some child who doesn’t understand the world just yet. You try to elbow him in the stomach, but the way he’s holding you doesn’t allow you to move very much. 

“Fucking let go of me!” You shout louder this time. But he doesn’t move. 

Suddenly, you hear a yelp, and the man crashes to the floor. The crowd parts, leaving an opening for the man. Gaped mouths and frozen dancers line the sides of the club. 

“She said to fucking let go mate, so maybe you should’ve fucking let go!” A familiar voice shouts commandingly. 

It was Rob. His fist was bloody, but the man on the floor’s face was bloodier. iPhone cameras begin flickering sporadically. Rob instinctively grabs your wrist and leads you to the door of the club. You rush out to the street, and Rob hails a cab. You hop in as Rob rattles off his address to the driver, and suddenly you’re on your way.  

Everything had moved so quickly that the two of you had forgotten to say a single word to each other. 

“Are you alright?” Rob asks, his hand was still wrapped around your wrist. He moves his fingers down to intertwine with your own.

You nod your head. “Y-yeah, I just hate clubs…” You trail off, looking out the window to see the city streets. You had coincidentally moved to London around the same time you had met Rob. You still had an apartment in New York to be able to go back to the states whenever you wanted, but there was something more interesting and beautiful about London to you.  

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Rob asks again, his thumb brushing lightly against the back of your hand. 

“I’m good now,” You say more confidently this time. “Thank you for showing up,” You smile, giggling a little. 

Rob smiles back. “Anything for you, darling,” He says softly, his hand squeezing yours lightly. He seemed to be more shaken up about the whole situation than you were. Unfortunately, this wasn’t new for you. Men were fucking scumbags at clubs, and you always mentally prepared yourself for the worst case scenario. 

The cab slowly rolls to a stop, and Rob opens up his door. He hands some cash to the driver while being sure to keep his hand in yours, and leads the way out of the cab. You two walk side by side up the steps to the door of Rob’s townhouse. He unlocks the door and you two head inside. 

Rob sets the keys down on the side table and steps closer towards you. He wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you into his chest. 

“I’m always here for you, you know that right?” Rob whispers. He had been this sentimental before; it wasn’t like your relationship was solely based on sex, but it still felt special to hear him say those words. 

You let your head rest against him. You mumble a yes into his chest and shut your eyes. You feel safe, protected. You want to say more. You want to say much, much more. But you know you can’t. You don’t want to overwhelm your relationship with Rob with the “L” word, so you decide to keep quiet. 

You take your head off of Rob’s chest and bring your lips up to his, pressing a light kiss against them. Rob kisses back hungrily. The kiss grows more intense, more passionate. He brings one hand off of your waist and up to the nape of your neck. He combs his fingers through your hair, and you hum against his lips in response. Your clit accidentally rubs against Rob’s thigh at the perfect angle, and you feel yourself starting to want more. You brush up against him, searching for some more friction. 

Rob breaks the kiss and stares at you with a concerned look in his eyes. “Wait,” He says breathlessly. “Are you sure you’re okay to do this right now?” He asks. 

You smile at his concern. “I’m fine, I promise. I wouldn’t have started this if I didn’t want it,” You say back. 

Rob nods and presses a languid kiss against your lips. He brings his hands back to where they were before, one tangled in your hair and the other resting on the small of your back. You bring your hands up to his hair too, pulling on the blondish strands as moans find their way out of his mouth.

He slips his hand out of your hair and down your body, gliding down your sides and down to the bottom of your dress. He grabs onto the inside of your thigh, causing you to spread your legs a part for him

“Good girl,” He whispers in your ear, “Spreading your legs without me even asking you to.” He lifts your tight dress up, revealing your black panties. He begins to rub you up and down through the thin fabric, stopping finally at your clit. He lightly draws circles around your heat as a moan escapes your lips. 

“R-rob,” You stutter, unable to say anything else. He adds more pressure, and begins to circle at a quicker pace. 

His lips find their way to your neck, and he sucks at your exposed skin. He moves your panties to the side and his fingers immediately go back to work. 

“F-fuck,” You mutter as Rob quickens his pace yet again.  

Rob takes his fingers away from your clit, and his lips disconnect from your neck. You whimper at the loss of contact, and Rob grins in response. 

“You didn’t think you’d get what you want that easily, did you?” Rob asserts, grabbing your wrist and leading you up the stairs to the second floor of his flat. 

He bursts through his bedroom door and shuts it behind you, pushing you against it the second it closes. His lips immediately attach to your neck again, leaving rough kisses against your skin. His fingers toy at the bottom of your dress, slowly but surely lifting the fabric up. He moves his focus to the sides of your panties, pulling down slightly on them, teasing you. 

“P-please R-rob,” You whisper, barely able to get a word out between your heavy breaths. 

“Please what?” Rob questions. “Tell me what you want, darling,” He commands. 

“T-touch me, please,” You manage to get out. 

Rob chuckles, and gets down on his knees. “Good girl, telling me what you want,” He says, looking up at you as he hooks his fingers into the sides of your panties and pulls them down, throwing them to across the room once they’re off of you. 

His fingers find their way back to your core as he stands back up, and he begins to tease you. 

“You’re so wet for me,” Rob says. His voice is smooth yet commanding. He pushes your back against the door again as his fingers dance around your entrance. “Is this what you want?” He asks. 

You take a deep breath. “Yes,” You say back. 

Rob takes his fingers away and before you could complain, grabs your wrist yet again, bringing you over to the bed. He gently nudges you and you let yourself fall back onto the covers as he crawls on top of you. 

“Yes what?”

“Y-yes please.”

Rob presses a kiss to your lips and inserts his two middle digits into you, causing you to cry out in response. You feel your walls flutter around his fingers as his thumb circles your clit. His fingers pump in and out of you quickly, bringing you closer and closer to the edge. 

Your back arches up off of the mattress as Rob’s pace quickens. He adds more pressure against your clit, swirling around faster and faster. You shut your eyes, not realizing that Rob had begun moving down your body. 

His fingers leave your clit, and are suddenly replaced by his lips. 

“Holy shit,” You cry out as his tongue flicks against your clit. His fingers continue to pump in and out of you. 

He sucks at your core, taking you into his mouth. “You taste so good,” Rob mumbles against you, the vibrations of his words pulsing against your heat.

Your walls tighten around his fingers as you feel yourself growing closer to finishing. 

“Rob I’m s-so close,” You say, his fingers hitting your G-spot and moving faster than they were before. “Sh-shit.” Rob doesn’t stop, despite how close he knows you are. 

“Hold on for me, darling. I’m not done with you yet,” He says, taking his lips away from your clit, and removing his fingers from you. You shut your eyes groan at the emptiness. When you open your eyes again, you see Rob undoing his belt and pulling down his black trousers. He discards them to the side and begins to unbutton his white shirt. 

Within a few seconds, he’s shirtless, with only his boxers left on, standing in front of you. He finally slips the boxers off, revealing his hardened member. He crawls back on top of you and pins your hands against your head. He lets go and grabs the bottom of your dress, pulling it over your head and throwing it across the room. 

Rob’s tongue darts out and licks his lips, taking you in. “Arch your back for me darling,” Rob demands, and you do as he says. He unclasps your strapless bra with one hand, tossing it to the side, and brings his other down to your clit. 

“More, please,” You beg. 

Rob smirks, and without warning fills you up completely. He pumps in and out of you quickly, rubbing your clit at the same time. 

“Sh-shit,” Rob stutters, “You feel amazing.” His breathing his heavy. “You’re so tight.” His words alone could send you over the edge. 

You can feel yourself getting closer. The build up from before had almost made you come, and you weren’t sure how much longer you could last. 

Rob lets out a list of profanities before his lips come crashing down onto yours. He bites your lower lip lightly as his rhythm picks up. 

“I-I’m so close,” You cry out. 

“You’re taking me so well, (Y/N), just hold on a bit longer for me, darling,” Robert whispers through labored breaths. “I-I’m close too.” 

Rob’s pressure on your clit becomes heavier, and he speeds up. He pushes far into you, filling you up entirely, hitting you G-spot. You can feel yourself starting to unravel around him. His pace somehow speeds up even more, and you know he’s almost there. 

He takes a deep breath and parts his lips. “Fuck,” He curses. “Come with me darling,” He manages to get out. 

You suddenly feel a great release, seeing stars, as your walls tighten around him. You finally let yourself come undone. “Holy shit,” You cry out, and Rob comes with you. 

His pace slows as your walls flutter around him a few more times. He pulls out and crashes down next to you on your right side. His arm wraps around you, pulling you onto your side and into his chest.

You laid there for a few minutes in silence, Rob peppering your exposed skin with light kisses. It’s calm and quiet. The world meant nothing. The club, your friend, the incident, life, it was all nothing when you were with Rob. It was just you and him. 

“R-Rob,” You say, finally breaking the silence. 

Rob smiles and kisses your forehead before responding. “Yes darling?”

“Are you,” You pause, suddenly hating yourself for starting to ask this question, but you knew you had to follow through, “Seeing anyone else? It’s fine if you are. I mean, I’m not and I haven’t been, but if you are it’s really okay I’m just-,”

You’re cut off as Rob’s lips crash against yours hungrily. He pulls apart from you and smiles. 

“No, it’s just you, and it’s just been you since we started, well, this,” Rob confesses rather matter-of-factly. 

You smile back at him, but his face changes. His smile disappears, and he seems more nervous. 

“You’re the only one I think about,” Rob says. “I really like you, (Y/N),” But he shakes his head, as if those weren’t the right words. "It’s more than that, to be honest,” He says finally. 

“It’s more than that for me too,” You say back, and the smile reappears on his face. 

Rob swallows harshly. “So then, we’re more than just, friends,” Rob starts, his fore finger drawing circles on your shoulder “We’re dating. Is that alright with you?”

You smile widens. “That’s more than alright with me.” 

She's the one I'm running with

She's the one I'm running with

She's the one I'm running with

She's my collar

Oh, she's my collar

Tags: @mellifluous-cosmos​

[whats-rambled-rambled]

Posterity - part 2

Neil x gn!Reader

Chapter 2: Fireworks

(see chapter 1)

summary: New Year’s Eve. You promised your friend you would actually do some socializing, for a change. Let’s see how it goes.

warnings: some swearing, alcohol consumption

author’s note: even though this part of the story has been brewing in my mind for a good while, these two still found a way to surprise me.

3,2k words

The song for this chapter is Hazlett - Fireworks

I’m so grateful there’s so many of you still interested in stories about him. 

And, as always, all feedback is greatly appreciated. A penny for your thoughts?

----

“Wheeler. 8-1-9. Good evening, Operator.”

“Welcome, Agent. How may I assist you today?”

“I need a courier, but the cargo is too *sensitive* to use FedEx and we’re not done here yet.”

“Understood. How big is the parcel?”

“An old-fashioned suitcase? On the heavier side.”

“Copy. Please hold – …someone should be approaching your location any minute now. Anything else I can help you with?”

“I think I see them. Thanks, Operator.”

“Over and out.

—

The end of the year was slower. Most of the operatives were taking some family time, but that didn’t necessarily mean any fewer duties in the office. The teams planned their shifts around the holidays ahead, so everyone got time off when they needed it. You didn’t have any important personal obligations, although not being stuck behind the desk at midnight on New Year’s Eve was a nice perspective, especially since it looked like it was going to be a slow shift anyway.

And for the first time in years, you actually had something planned for the evening.

Might be because you’d promised Alex you would actually do some socializing.

Or because you had no other excuses as they’d accidentally told on you to your mutual friend, Sarah, who was hosting the party.

The effect was still the same - you were going out. It also meant out of your comfort zone, and that included at least a light knot in your stomach, but you kept reminding yourself it wasn’t like you wouldn’t know anyone there. You knew the hostess – …and yeah, that was pretty much it.

So a house full of strangers. Loud and questionable music, probably. Obligatory mingling, most definitely.

Maybe he was right and you were not as high-functioning as you’d like to think.

But first, before having second thoughts could make you cancel plans, you had to finish your work.

The doors clicked and you glanced up, only to see The Protagonist entering the office.

Not a rare sight, as the boss made an effort to personally check on you all from time to time. Always with a hearty smile plastered on his handsome face, and this day was no different.

“How’s my favorite team doing?”

“Favorite?” You smirked. “I bet you say that to all of them, boss.”

He grinned in response. “Doesn’t make it any less true.” You rolled your chair back slightly, and he gave you a small nod, perching on the edge of your desk as usual. “You a big fan of Elvis, Operator?”

Of course, he noticed.

“Not really,” you chuckled, but as he eyed you curiously, you felt that going into details was too much of a risk. Not that relations between office staff and agents were something frowned upon, or bringing personal items to the workspace was against regulations. Still. You simply shrugged. “Long story.”

“I bet it is,” pondered The Protagonist and arched a brow.

Alex could barely contain a knowing beam, so they tried to mask it with a cough and change of topic. “What’s new? Any special events incoming? Spill the tea, boss, to what do we owe this pleasure?”

He was not one to share anything of significance, and you knew the reason. The whole personnel did. Knowledge divided, and everything that came with the statement.

That was why you kept streaming cases back to other teams, after all - as a precaution.

“I just wanted to wish you all a happy New Year. And to tell you how much I appreciate you all.”

“Enough to give us a raise?” cut in Kraig.

He could be the most reserved out of you three, but he was always the one to spot and seize an opportunity.

The boss hummed, amused, then rapped his fingers against your desk and grinned smugly.

“How does 5% sound to you?”

“Make it 7 and we gotta keep that fav title just to ourselves,” said Alex, matching his expression.

“Deal.” The Protagonist reached out his hand and your friend shook it. Only then, he added, “Could have easily pushed for 10, you know.”

“Shit.”

He laughed, but as he slid off your desk, you caught a brief shadow clouding his features. Before you could bite your tongue, you asked quietly, “Everything okay, boss?”

Whatever was bothering him, got quickly hidden under a schooled expression and a trademark smile.

“Of course. Look at the time. Off you go, I bet you have better places to be.”

—

The house was crammed with people, all right. Loud music? Check, even if slightly less questionable than you’d expected.

Or that might have been that second drink in your hand talking.

The lights in the rooms were dimmed, which made it a little easier to navigate through people without getting into too many random conversations. Finally, you noticed a pretty empty area in the library; it looked like a promising spot to get a breather, finish your drink, maybe linger for a while longer and then take French leave.

You leaned against a wall with a quiet sigh. To hell with Alex, you’d socialized enough - and you could still make it back in time to watch fireworks from your apartment.

Laughter erupted somewhere nearby and your eyes landed on a small group of men on the other side of the room, lost in a jovial conversation you couldn’t quite hear. Among the overjoyed crew, however, there seemed to be a person stuck in a conundrum of politeness, captured in an unfortunate spot from where it was hard to make an exit - especially since one of the men standing the closest was quite grabby.

And you knew that unlucky bastard.

Technically, of course, because you’d never met in person before. You had the operatives’ faces and voices memorized, after all, and this one was hard to confuse with anyone else.

The photo in the files didn’t do his disheveled blonde mane justice, though.

And he was right there, almost empty glass in his hand, trying hard to focus on the conversation that was clearly boring him beyond comprehension.

Was it a conscious choice on your side? Or merely an instinct kicking in? You were about to ask yourself that many times later, but for now, you downed your drink and made your way to the noisy group.

“Neil, darling! Fancy meeting you here!” you gushed, squeezing yourself past the obnoxious-looking guy.

Neil gaped at you, perplexed.

“Hello,” he said with a cautious smile, a confused frown only deepened when you closed the gap between you to grant him a social kiss.

Perfectly hidden from the prying glances of his acquaintances, you went for your shot. “Do you need assistance?” you whispered as you brushed your cheek against his, hoping he would catch on fast enough.

Oh, he did.

“Jesus,” he breathed, and as you went for the other cheek, you saw how wide his eyes became for a second. “Get me out, please.”

“Right on.” You put on the most gracious smile, linked your elbow with Neil’s, and turned to the rest of the men. “Excuse us, gentlemen, the lady of the house needs this one in the kitchen, stat.”

Nothing too improbable, and you hadn’t seen Sarah for a while. The guys didn’t seem to mind, besides - no one sane would cross the hostess, even on a good day, and you were able to get out of their sight without too much of a bother.

You wanted to slip out of the hold as soon as the coast got clear, but Neil persistently kept you close as you marched towards the kitchen arm-in-arm.

The blue eyes swept through you up and down, as he was now the one to try to get the pieces together.

“How…?” he asked, and a sly smirk dangled in the corner of your lips.

“Habit.” You gestured vaguely, keeping your voice low and confidential. “I see an agent in distress, I come to help. Looked like you were about to drop dead from boredom out there.”

“Close call, yeah.”

“What was that conversation about?”

Neil rolled his eyes and sighed with exasperation.

“Sports.”

“Oh no, glad I could get you out in time, then,” you snorted and met his gaze, now lit with playful sparks.

“Me too.” He smiled and opened the kitchen door. As soon as you got inside, he stopped and put his hands on your arms, taking you in again. He dropped his head, scoffed, looked back at you, and squeezed your arms lightly, only then letting you go. “Sorry, I don’t mean to stare, but it’s so nice to finally put a face to the voice.”

“Ah, I already knew your face.” You grinned at his quirked eyebrow. “Might have seen your files, once or twice.”

“Blimey.” He beamed widely. “Shall we make it official?” he asked and reached out his hand. “Neil.”

You shook it and introduced yourself, earning a court nod in return.

There was no reason not to give him your name. It was a pleasantry, a custom, and you were both on neutral ground, after hours. Nothing inappropriate.

There was also that feeling you couldn’t quite describe. The apprehension you associated with newly met people was missing, instead, it felt like you’d actually known each other for years. Like his presence brought a certain comfort, even

But again, you were two drinks in, and about to fix yourself another one.

You looked around the neat, shabby chic kitchen, oddly empty of people - seeing as kitchens were usually one of the most favorite places to hang around at home parties. It was a rather pleasant breather to your overstimulated brain, even if you could still hear the music blasting in the adjacent room. Doubly so, now that you spotted a makeshift cocktail station prepared on the kitchen island.

“How about a refill?” You asked, pointing at the glass in Neil’s hand, as you walked towards the counter. “Vodka tonic?”

He squinted suspiciously. “Don’t tell me that my drink of choice was also included in the files.”

“Imagine that.” Laughing, you shook your head. “No, I saw you drinking something transparent, and judging by the fine selection of ingredients here, and assuming it wasn’t water–”

“You guessed it, all right.” Neil sent you an amused grin and watched as you prepared drinks for you both. “You like more color to your beverages, I see.”

“Can’t go wrong with something fruity,” you said, handing him his glass and topping a splash of vodka in yours with orange juice. “At least as long as it’s on the sour side, that is. Cheers!”

The glasses clinked and you perched on the bar stools together. “So how did you end up here?”

“I’ve known Steve since uni. He always invites me, but I’m rarely in town. I didn't have any plans, and it seemed better than staying in another sad hotel room.” Neil paused and took a sip of his drink, partially to hide a hint of a bitter grimace. But as he rolled his shoulders and glanced back at you, a light smile played on his lips again. “Thought I might give it a shot. You?”

“I know Steve’s other half. And same - she keeps inviting me, and apparently, there's a finite amount of excuses you can use before someone takes offense.” You made a face and scoffed softly into your glass.

Humorous sparks lit up his eyes. “Not a big fan of socializing?”

“Depends on the crowd,” you admitted, and he nodded without an ounce of judgment. This evening had proven your point to him, after all.

The song in the background changed. Neil perked in his seat, and when the realization dawned on you, your mouth fell open in astonishment.

“This is not happening.”

Neil raised his hands and choked out through laughter, “I had nothing to do with this, I swear.”

You chewed on your lip, trying to stifle a hysterical giggle, then squeezed your eyes shut. What are the chances…?

“Wanna dance?”

A warning siren blazing in your mind was loud enough to get through the music, and you stopped swaying your foot to the rhythm instantly.

“I don’t dance–” you began, but suddenly the kitchen doors flew open and the familiar buoyant group of men rolled into the kitchen, irreversibly tainting the peace of the space with their obnoxious noisiness. Neil’s face dropped at the sight, and you ground your teeth as you bit back the rest of the sentence. You took his hand and finished the rest of your drink in one swig. “Okay, come on.” Then you led him to the other room, and he held onto your hand until you found a little bit of space in the crowded dance floor area.

//Baby, close your eyes and listen to the music

Drifting through a summer breeze

It's a groovy night and I can show you how to use it

Come along with me and put your mind at ease//

Maybe that was the solution, you thought as you swallowed hard through rising nervousness. The music blasted through the speakers loud enough to tune out the internal litany of curses, and you let it wash over you.

And you let it go.

Luckily, Neil’s carefree vibe was so effortless to match, because he didn’t take himself too seriously on the dance floor as well. Soon enough, you both sang along to the lyrics, making silly faces while you danced off each other as if you played to the longest inner joke The Universe had granted you.

The utter joy that resonated between you. Expanding your chest, bringing the biggest smile to your face. Making everything easy. That was why one song turned into two, three, and then you stopped counting, so even when the choice of tunes took turn into trashy classics, you had so much unapologetic fun that you didn’t want it to stop.

None of you did.

Finally, DJ switched tempo, and you fell into each other’s arms, giggling uncontrollably while you tried to catch your breaths.

“So, Elvis,” you said, attempting to school your features enough to wipe the idiotic grin off your face.  

Neil took your hand in his, the other one placed on your waist. “Could be worse.”

“You think?” you snickered, then followed him instinctively as you gently swayed to the music together.

“Well, he has some of the most beautiful love songs in the world.”

When you searched his eyes, you found something sincere shining through the playfulness. It caught you off-guard and a new kind of warmth pooled inside you, one that didn’t have much to do with dancing the last half an hour away.

“Careful, or they’re gonna revoke your British passport.”

He scrunched his nose and shrugged dismissively.

“Well, you’d get me a new one, right?”

“Right.” And although you laughed - because how could you not, so close to that contagious smile of his - the familiar knot tightened in your stomach.

The word bounced around inside your head, making you painfully aware of the situation.

Right, right, right, right, right.

Only that it wasn’t.

Even if it felt very much so up to this moment.

Neil’s voice snapped your attention back to him. “It’s almost midnight,” he said. “That balcony should make for a nice spot if you want to watch fireworks.” With the way studied your expression, you were almost sure he noticed your sudden mood swing.

“Sure, let’s go.” You forced a little smile. “Let me just grab my coat.”

The air was crisp, sobering.

With the anticipation palpable all around you, it was hard not to think about what another year was about to bring. You weren’t one to let anxiety roam free, you couldn’t be efficient at your work if you were. Instead of worrying, it was better to act, but maybe it was the alcohol mixed with the heaviness you felt after that last bit of conversation, perhaps prompted even earlier by the boss visiting your office. All combined together rang in a deep sigh, almost forcefully pushed through your tightened chest.

Neil shot you a curious glance. “Feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders?”

“Don’t you, sometimes?” you asked, sending him one back. “With all the saving it requires?”

He looked at the city skyline, pondering over your question for a while.

“Everyone has a responsibility towards a slice of reality they live in.” A corner of his mouth lifted. “Ours just happens to be a little bigger.”

“A whole goddamn cake,” you snorted. “That inverted entropy really makes the flavor pop though, huh?”

He met your eyes, his own lit up with amusement, and hummed, “It sure does.”

Someone next to you started the countdown, and when it got to zero and the world around erupted in cheers and blasting lights, you found yourself in Neil’s arms, and it was all that mattered at that moment.

It was ‘good luck next year’ and so much more. It was ‘I see you, and you are not alone'. The tight embrace of ‘so good to be next to someone who gets it’. And warmth. Immense comfort. Safety. Two souls touching and recognizing each other in a mad world, sharing a gleam of peace among the people unaware of the stakes.

When you pulled back, you exchanged a soft smile and turned to watch the fireworks, arms pressed together as if to prolong the contact.

The rest of the party went by fast. You found a relatively quiet place, sat down with drinks, and talked about everything and nothing in particular, simply enjoying each other’s company. As much as you did your best to stay present and not let anything break the spell too soon, it was bound to happen at some point.

And it did, just as you stepped outside the building and were about to call it a night.

“Do you want to grab a coffee?” asked Neil as he walked you to an Uber. “Not now, obviously, but-”

The heart sank in your chest as you cut in, “Listen, I-” There was only one way to say this, even if it went against any reason after a night like that. And he wasn’t making it any easier, looking at you with brows knitted together in gentle concern. “Back in the kitchen, what I’ve been meaning to say was that I don’t dance...with my agents. I’m so sorry if I lead you on tonight.” You held his gaze with bated breath, scanning for any switch in the behavior.

“Not at all.” There wasn’t any. Instead, Neil gave you a reassuring smile, his eyes never losing light shining bright inside them. “Thanks for making this night fun. And for saving me.”

“Of course. It was nice to meet you, Agent,” you said and reached out your hand.

He drew a bottom lip between his teeth and chuckled. “You too, Operator. Have a good night.” As he shook your hand, his thumb stroked it ever so slightly. “Happy New Year.”

Alone in your own bed, you could still feel that soft brush against your skin. His light stubble on your cheek. The heat of his body. His scent, fresh and warm in its citrus and woody undertones. The arms wrapped around you.

Those memories could possibly haunt you, only deepening that hollow pit inside of you.

But for now, you didn’t care, because that night you were falling asleep with a smile on your face.

Somehow feeling less alone in the world.

---------

And that was enough.

(next chapter->)

taglist: @hollandorks ​ @neilsgirl91 @thecraziestcrayon

[imaginedisish]

The Adults are Talking (Tenet) Neil x Reader

A/N: HEY GUYS!!! HERE IS THE SMUT!!! This is my first time writing smut in a long time, so I’m sorry if it’s awkward ahhh!!! It’s 3:30 over here on the East Coast of the US, so I’m going to BEDDDD!!!! Enjoy!

Summary: (dom!)Neil teaches you a lesson for being forgetful and late, and it’s the type of lesson you're sure to never forget. 

Warnings: SMUT, SO MUCH SMUT. Overstimulation, lot’s of cursing, minor violence, and a very dominant Neil, so this is very much 18+, read at your own risk...

Word Count: 3,747

I’m so fucking late, You think to yourself. 

Nervousness swells in your gut as your black boots press harshly into green grass below your feet. Your eyes search the crowd around you as shoulders hurriedly crash into your chest. No one apologizes, they just keep moving as they try to get a better view of what lies at the front of the crowd. 

You were 10 minutes late for a training session with the new recruits. You knew that Neil would most likely tease you endlessly for it. You were late because of him, after all. 

You and Neil had been secretly together for quite sometime, which meant extensive sneaking around, just like a couple of teenagers. Usually you would go to his room while everyone was still eating dinner in the cafeteria, spend some time together, and then head back into your room to go to sleep. No one saw a thing. No questions were asked. 

But this time was different. This time, you let yourself fall asleep in his arms. 

I’m an idiot, You think to yourself as you push a hand through your dampened hair. Neil decided to steal the keys to your room and run into the shower ahead of you as a playful punishment for your forgetfulness. 

“I don’t know what to say, but I’m disappointed, (Y/N)!” Neil sarcastically sings through the other side of the bathroom door. 

You rush over to the door, and knock a few times. “Come on Neil, let me in, or at least give me my keys so I can shower in my room!” You can’t help but smile, despite the fact that you were definitely going to be late. 

“No, I’m teaching you a lesson here,” Neil pauses, “And then after the training session, I’ll teach you another.” You feel your cheeks flush with redness. 

Your heart somersaults in your chest at the thought of the other lesson Neil had planned.

You look around, forcing yourself to focus. You can easily tell that you stick out like a sore thumb amongst the new recruits. You look far too polished and put together to be new. You’re too…sophisticated. Your black, faux leather dress pants and tight black turtleneck clash against the beige and green bodies spread across the open field. Still, despite your appearance, you get the feeling that you’re a freshman being judged by the older kids, when in reality it should be the other way around. You shake the feeling off, remembering that you have nothing to prove. 

While you weren’t recruited to Tenet too long ago, you were granted extremely high clearance almost immediately. TP saw something special in you from the very second he met you. You were skilled in hand to hand combat, and you could shoot a gun better than anyone, better than Ives, better than Neil, even better than TP.  After all, you were a high level CIA operative before you were recruited to join Tenet. Your training goes back years. 

“(Y/N)!” You hear a familiar voice call out from the near distance. You stand on your tippy toes, searching for the dirty blonde head that matched the voice. 

Out of the corner of your eye you spot two slender, toned arms waving erratically at the front of the crowd. He smirks, and waves even faster as he realizes that you’ve found him. You push through the recruits as you get closer to the front. 

All of a sudden, a hand grabs your wrist and pulls you out of the sea of people. 

“Took you long enough,” Neil says, a cocky grin spread across his face. Your heart thumps in your chest. His long fingers are still wrapped around your wrist. He pulls you closer to him, and brings his lips to your right ear, “Try to be faster next time, love, and maybe I’ll go easier on you.” 

You feel your face redden with heat. He lets you go, but you’re all shaken up now. You almost wish he held on. A shiver travels down your spine. Your mind is too foggy with thoughts of Neil to recognize that Ives had already started talking. 

You clear your throat, still focused on what Neil had just said. “G-go easier on me?” 

With the blink of an eye, Neil grabs your waist, and pins you down to the ground. He presses his right hand into the center of your chest. He pulls a knife from his back left pocket and points it in the direction of your throat. The recruits rowdily cheer Neil on. He smirks, basking in the attention. You can’t even imagine how red your face is now. 

“And at this point,” Ives pauses as a slight smile tugs at his lips. He looks down to you, “We can see that Neil has the advantage. It’s safe to say that (Y/N) would be dead if she were the enemy.” Neil puts the knife back into his pocket, and stands up.

He extends a hand out to you, and you grab it, grateful for the assistance. That is, until he twists your arm, turning you to face the crowd. His right arm pulls your back into his chest. Your hips brush against his. He pulls you even closer so that you’re glued against him. You’re stuck; there’s nowhere to go. He takes his knife out of his pocket and brings it to your neck again. 

You swear that you can feel him pushing his crotch against your lower half. 

“Are you alright, darling,” He mumbles against the skin of your neck. You can feel his gaze land on your face. You swallow harshly and nod. “Good,” Neil says in response. “I wouldn’t want you too beat up, especially for later.” 

Later? You think to yourself as you ignore Ives’s description of Neil’s move. “What’s happening later?” You whisper back to him. 

He lets you go and gives you a smug look that reads, You should know already, love. 

You breathe in sharply as your mind races with thoughts of Neil. Now wasn’t the time for this. You were embarrassing yourself in front of the new recruits. They were going to think you were weak. 

You tilt your head side to side, cracking your neck slightly. You roll your shoulders back and get into your fighting stance. You’re ready this time. You tune everything out and focus on Neil’s movements. He flashes a smile your way but you know he’s trying to distract you. The recruits’ cheers quiet down a bit as their interest piques. 

“You’re so unbelievably cocky, Neil. It’ll be the death of you,” You playfully remark. Neil furrows his brows and squints his eyes. He takes a single step towards you and you take a single step back. 

Neil chuckles, “What? You’re too scared to get any closer to me?” You can tell Neil’s guard is down. You’ve got him right where you want him.

The left corner of your mouth turns up slightly. You rush towards him, stepping onto your left foot and round housing Neil on the right side of his stomach. He buckles over. You feel a twinge of guilt before you take another step, sliding down to the ground, and kicking your legs into Neil’s ankles in a circular motion from left to right. You sweep him off his feet and he falls to the ground. You stand back up and look down at him. 

“Now that’s what I call a comeback!” Ives shouts. The new recruits roar in excitement. You reach out your right hand to Neil and he takes it. He gets back on his feet and brushes off the dirt from his navy blue dress shirt.

Neil shakes his head in defeat. “Yeah, I guess she got me back,” He says taking a step towards you. He lowers his voice and says something that’s clearly only meant for you to hear, 

“But I’ll get you back later.” 

Later, the word repeats itself over and over in your head. 

“Alright everyone! We’ll reconvene after lunch!” Ives yells, and the recruits make their way back into the boxy white building that houses the Tenet headquarters. 

Neil and Ives walk a few feet away from you and begin to chat. Ives briefly looks concerned, but Neil waves his hand, appearing to reassure him about something you’re not supposed to hear. Ives shakes his head as the concerned look falls back upon his face. He breaks his stare from Neil and looks towards you. 

You take that as your cue to walk over. “I kicked your ass there, didn’t I?” You say jokingly, nudging into Neil’s side with your elbow. 

Neil sighs and moves his head to turn towards you. “The adults are talking, (Y/N), pipe down love.” The sense of elitism in Neil’s words are carried through an ever so dominant tone. You know he’s teasing you, but you can also tell he’s trying to get under you skin. 

Ives chuckles, “The ‘adults’? Neil, since when have you proved to me that you’re an adult?” You can’t help laugh at Ives’s dig at Neil. Ives’s laughing continues as turns away from you and Neil and follows closely behind the recruits. 

You take a step forwards to walk behind Ives, expecting Neil to come along as well, but he doesn’t. He grabs your upper arm and pulls you towards him. 

“Thought you could get away?” He stares into your eyes. “You didn’t forget about what I said earlier, did you?” He questions, his grip growing tighter around your arm. 

Your heart pounds in your chest as you think of some sort of response. “I-I-,” But you���re speechless. 

Neil’s eyes pierce through your soul and he parts his lips, “I believe I told you that I’d be teaching you a lesson, didn’t I?” His domineering voice leaves goosebumps on your arms. 

You look around, noticing that everyone had already gone inside. It was just you and Neil now. 

Neil pulls you closer to him yet again. “You still haven’t answered, love,” He says softly as his free hand glides down your side, settling finally on your hip. 

“Yes,” You mumble under your breath. You can’t concentrate. You’re too wrapped up in the thought of Neil pinning you down to the ground and taking you right here and now. 

Neil releases your hip and begins to walk you towards the building. “Good,” He says nonchalantly. You walk across the green field and onto the concrete sidewalk that outlines the shape of the headquarters. You finally approach a door. Neil opens it and brings you inside. He instinctively lets go of your arm the second you enter the building, as the sounds of people and the flow of pedestrian traffic overwhelms your senses. 

“Follow me,” Neil demands. He walks in front of you, and you follow close behind. You walk down a series of similar hallways before recognizing where you are. 

You’re headed towards the living quarters of the building. 

You swallow hard, trying to keep up with Neil. He turns around to catch a glimpse of you, and notices that you’re starting a slow down a bit. 

He grins confidently as he closes the gap between you and him. “What? Are you overwhelmed, darling?” He questions as his hands land on your waist. 

“Neil,” You whisper, “What if someone sees us?” 

Neil pulls you against his chest. “That just makes it more exciting, doesn’t it?”  

You gasp as he pulls the collar of your turtleneck down a bit, bringing his lips to your neck, planting soft kisses on your now exposed skin. He sucks lightly. You look around. The coast is clear, but you know it won’t be for long. 

“N-Neil,” You moan. Neil’s lips leave your neck in response, and he brings his left hand up to cover your mouth. 

He looks left, and then right, searching for somewhere to go. There’s a single door at the end of the hallway. He uncovers your mouth and grabs your wrist. He practically runs into the door before twisting the knob and pushing it open. 

He pulls you into the room as the door shuts behind you. 

“What happened to going back to your room?” You ask, confused as to why you’re in what appears to be a dark, tiny, unused office.

“Because, I couldn’t wait any longer.”

You feel your need for him growing. He takes a step towards you so that your back is up against the door. Neil reaches behind you and twists the lock. 

You can feel yourself getting more and more wet. You need friction between your legs. The sensation is driving you crazy.

Neil’s hands secure themselves onto your hips, pushing you harder into the door. His lips find themselves in the crook of your neck again, but this time Neil is rougher. He lightly sucks your skin, intending to leave his mark on your. You moan in pleasure as Neil’s right hand finds its way in between your legs, spreading them a part slightly. 

“You need me, don’t you?” He asks as his lips leave your neck. His ocean eyes deeply stare into yours. 

You breathe shallowly. “Y-yes,” You stutter. 

Neil grins. “I thought so.” He grabs your waist again, picking you up and setting you down on the desk that’s on other side of the tiny room. He grabs the inside of your thighs and parts your legs with his hand, filling the newly made gap with his body. He rests his right hand on your thigh, and his left on your waist. 

“Please, Neil,” You murmur, wanting him to touch you where you need him most. 

“Please what?” Neil asks, his face moves closer to yours. 

“Please,” You pause as your heart beats out of your chest, “Touch me.”

Neil’s lips crash into yours as his hands wander to the hem of your pants. His fingers move down to play with your button before undoing it completely. He finds his way to your zipper and carelessly unzips your pants. His hands move back up to the top of your trousers. Much to your dismay, his lips leave yours. You groan at the loss. 

Your unhappiness ends almost instantly as you feel Neil slide your pants down your legs, discarding them to the side. He pushes himself back in between your legs and brings his thumb over the your underwear to your clit, slowly sliding down to explore the rest of you. 

He lands over your folds and smiles. “You’re already wet for me and I’ve barely touched you at all,” Neil says. He takes his hand away from your heat and brings it up towards the hem of your panties. He plays with the elastic band for a second and brings his attention to your eyes, searching for consent. 

You nod your head in anticipation, and he pulls at the hem, bringing them down your legs, and throwing them on the floor. 

Neil grabs the bottom of your shirt next, pulling it up over your head as you lift your arms to give him easier access. He places his hands on your back and starts to mess with the hooks of your bra. With ease, he undoes the clasp, and your bra falls to the side. 

He steps back, looking you up and down. You bring your knees together, rubbing them against one another in search of some sort of friction. Neil shakes his head and spreads your legs again. 

“You haven’t earned that yet,” He breathes. His hands grab your waist and slide up the sides of your body. He stops at your breasts, playing lightly with your nipples. 

You gasp at the feeling, needing more. Neil squeezes them tightly. He smirks, and then moves his hands back down to your hips. 

“What do you want me to do?” Neil asks. His breathing becomes heavier. Despite his attempt to be the dominant one, you can sense his need for you.

You take a deep breath as his hand moves down towards your heat. “I want you to make me come, please,” You plead. 

You gasp as Neil’s thumb brushes over your clit. It’s slow at first, but still enough to make you moan. He picks up the pace a bit, rubbing small, slow circles where you need them most. You throw your head back and moan. Neil smirks, loving how he’s making you feel. 

Neil’s circles get faster, pushing you closer to the edge. You shut your eyes tight, letting the pleasure take over.

Abruptly, Neil’s touch disappears, leaving you feeling cold and empty. You groan in agony, wanting more. “N-Neil don’t st-,” 

You’re cut off by a warm, wet sensation at your folds. You open your eyes to see Neil’s head in between your legs. His tongue rolls over your clit. Suddenly, you feel a finger at your entrance.

“Shit, N-Neil,” You cry out in pleasure as Neil pushes his middle finger inside of you. He sucks roughly on your clit, pushing his finger in and out. 

Neil adds his index finger, and it’s already too much to handle. “Fuck,” You whimper as you feel yourself getting closer and closer to climaxing. 

“You like that?” Neil says, his words vibrating against you, sending waves of pleasure throughout your body. 

You moan in response, but that’s not enough for Neil. He takes his lips off of you, and takes his fingers out. “I asked you a question, (Y/N).”

You want him to fill you up again, to make you feel whole again. “Y-yes Neil, I like it. You feel amaz-, oh fuck!” You practically scream as Neil shoves his fingers back inside of you, his tongue lapping at your folds. 

“You taste amazing,” Neil says against your clit before sucking on you again. His words alone could take you there. 

“Neil I-,” You try to get your words out, but you can’t form a proper sentence. 

“I love when you say my name like that, darling,” He says, sucking even harder now. 

You can’t hold back anymore. “I’m so close,” You mumble. “I wanna come, please,” You beg. 

“Then come for me, (Y/N), now,” Neil commands. You do as he says. You feel your walls tightening, you feel yourself collapsing around his touch. 

“Holy sh-shit,” You stutter. You come around his fingers as you throw your head back against the wall. 

Neil removes his fingers from you and stands up. 

“I think it’s my turn now,” Neil remarks slyly, undoing his belt. You feel butterflies flutter in your stomach. 

You watch closely as he slips his pants down his legs and steps out of them. He brings his hands up to the top of his shirt and unbuttons each button one at a time. He throws his shirt to the side. 

You gulp harshly as he pulls his boxers down, revealing his hardened member. He gets closer to you, pushing your hair out of your face, searching your eyes once more for consent as he lines himself up with your opening. 

You nod.

“F-fuck!” You cry out, feeling the overstimulation wash over every inch of your body as Neil enters you. He grabs your right breast with his hand.

Neil starts out slow. “You feel so good around me,” He says, moving rhythmically in and out of you. 

He then brings one hand up to your chin, and the other to the middle of your back, forcing you to sit up and stare into his eyes. His lips meet yours hungrily, searching for something more. Neil picks up his pace, growing faster and faster. 

“Neil,” You sigh, “I don’t know how long I can last.” You were already close.

“You got to hold on longer, darling. Don’t come yet.” Even when he whispers he’s commanding. 

“O-okay,” You mumble, bitting down on your lip, trying to hold yourself back. It was all becoming too much for you to handle.

“You’re taking me so well, (Y/N),” Neil praises you as he speeds up even more, his hips bumping hard into yours. 

He’s going to send you over the edge. Your walls begin to clench tightly around his cock. 

“Neil, I-,”

He cuts you off. “No, not yet,” He says shakily. “I’m so close. Shit!” 

Neil moans loudly, his lips capturing yours in another passionate kiss. 

“Y-yes,” Neil huffs, pushing in and out of you even quicker now. You know he’s seconds away from finishing, and so are you. “I’m ready now, love. Come with me,” Neil begs. 

You do as he says, your walls clenching harder around his hard dick. Profanities fly out of your mouths as you both reach your climax. After a few, slow pumps, Neil pulls out of you, stroking his cock a few times before reaching down and grabbing his boxers. He slips them on, and looks over at you, still sitting on the table. You’re so sore, so tired. But it’s all so worth it. 

He walks over to you, cupping your right cheek in his hand, and bringing your face close to his. 

“I love you, (Y/N),” Neil says as his lips find yours again. 

You part from him. “I love you too, Neil.” 

Neil grins, looking around the room at the mess you two made, and the mess he made of you. He looks proud. 

And he should be, You think to yourself. Only Neil could make you feel this way. 

You stand up, grabbing your panties and slipping them on. They’re still soaked. You grab your bra put it on as well. You look over at Neil, who’s buttoning up his dress shirt now. 

He’s watching your every move, as if he’s still fucking you in his head. 

“Just looking,” He says, a wide smile makes its way across his face. “I mean, how could I not?” He slides his pants back on, and buckles his belt. 

“So,” He pauses for a second, “Do you think you learned your lesson?” He questions finally, arching an eyebrow in your direction. 

You can’t help but giggle. “If the lesson was that I should ‘misbehave’ more often, then yes, lesson learned.”

Neil grins widely and walks over to you. “I guess I’m a good teacher then.”

He embraces you tightly, pulling you into his chest, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “Yeah, I guess you are,” You say, grinning back at Neil. 

[whats-rambled-rambled]

erode

Neil x Reader

summary: this is what happens when you try to cope with immense heat for way too long  plot what plot 

warnings: 18+ and I mean it, nsfw, teasing, temperature play (listen, I don’t even know, blame it on the weather)

author’s note: I wanted to make it short. They had other ideas. Result? Basically 2,9k words.

I started writing with no particular duo in mind. And at some point I stopped and smiled. 

Hello you two, it’s been a while.

(f!Reader)

The song for this fic is TENDER - Erode

Anyway, enjoy!  ...and let me know what you think, please?

---

“This heat is absurd,” you huff as you flip the pillow to the other side, hoping to find even a degree cooler fabric there.

The cold shower you’ve taken half an hour ago feels like a distant dream, and you’re already drenched in sweat, trying to position yourself strategically to get the most of the small fan placed near the bed. With those crazy temperatures, the chance of getting a stiff neck on the next day seems like a risk worth taking.

“I think I was supposed to kick you in the shin for complaining about warmth,” chuckles Neil and puts down a glass of water on the nightstand, the ice cubes clinking softly. “You're lucky it’s too hot to do so.”

You knit your brows together. It takes you a moment to remember, but then it hits you and you groan. Of course, he brings back something you said during that painfully long stakeout on a freezing December night.

“Why can’t it be just pleasantly warm instead of a variation on The Song of Ice and Fire,” you sigh, taking off the t-shirt. “Fuck climate change deniers, there’s nothing temperate about this climate we’re living in anymore.” You fall back on the pillow, limbs in disarray, longing for a shred of comfort.

With the corner of your eye, you see Neil’s gaze flitting through your body, focusing on the only article of clothing for a second longer.

“You’re one sexy creature.”

His words carry an amused smile and you glance at him, scoffing in disbelief.

“Even when I’m spread out like that?”

“Especially when you’re spread out like that,” he says, moving closer. “Giving me all sorts of ideas”

He leans in for a kiss, but you place a hand on his bare chest, stopping him an inch away.

“Too hot.”

Neil stifles a giggle.“Hot damn?” he chokes out, and you glare at him, but your lips twitch in a smile of their own accord.

“When the temperature drops, I’m gonna give you that hallelujah, or so help me-”

“Promises, promises.” He beams. “I thought this might be the perfect opportunity to give that little sauna fantasy a test run.”

The sole thought of a sauna threatens your sanity right now. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, but I am.” A wicked grin creeps on his face. “Or let me just--”

Neil turns away and reaches for the water again, then finishes it with one swig. He nibbles on the bottom lip, clearly excited, as his long fingers fish out a single ice cube from the glass. The blue eyes light up with roguish sparks when he looks at you. Neil quirks a brow in a silent question, and you nod as your pulse picks up the pace.

He closes his hand on the ice for a moment, then slides the cube to his other palm. You sigh with relief as he runs cold and wet fingers across your forehead, then lets them comb your hair, keeping the wild strands away from your face. A soft smile taints his lips as he moves a bit closer, keeping enough distance so the almost feverish warmth of your bodies wouldn’t override everything else. He steals a quick kiss and then he smirks, rolling to the side and propping the head on his knuckles. His darkened gaze glides over your features, taking in the views and inevitably plotting your demise at the same time.

You swallow with effort as the shiver of anticipation runs down your spine.

The ice cube touches the tip of your nose playfully. You are about to huff, but then Neil moves his hand lower and starts slowly tracing the outline of your parted lips, and you can only gasp. Your heat-hazed mind is defenseless, so you close your eyes, allowing yourself to focus solely on the sensation. The dissolving ice trickles down your cheek, the cold droplet tickles and makes you yelp, but when it reaches the neck, Neil shifts and his warmth floods you. You feel his hot breath against your skin as he licks off the wet trail and sucks on that little spot right under your ear. You whine and inhale sharply, ready to protest the sudden closeness, but you hesitate, torn between getting closer to your personal melting point and already craving for more.

Before you can make up your mind, Neil moves away, a smug smile dangling in the corner of his mouth. A tip of his tongue darts through his lips as he catches the exasperation in your stare.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” he purrs and shushes your comeback by simply gliding the ice cube to your chin and down your throat.

Your head arches back and you draw a shaky breath, but the cold point travels lower, skates between your breasts, through your stomach, around your belly button, and moves back up. You glance down, transfixed on the slender fingers holding the glimmering cube.

“All right?”

The husky question commands your attention back to his face. Neil studies your expression closely and a flash of fondness strikes your racing heart.

You smile and your hand flies to cup his cheek, “Yeah, it’s -- oh god,” you groan as the ice flicks your nipple. Neil chuckles and props himself on the elbow so he can pin your hand over your head in one swift move. “Concern as a distraction? How sneaky of you,” you pant, glaring at the self-satisfied grin on his face.

“It worked, innit?” he says and the mischievous lights dance in the blue eyes as they drop back to your chest. You follow them just to see him cruising the ice cube through your breasts, how your nipples harden when it circles them, again and again until you tremble and squeeze your thighs together, biting back a needy moan. “Look at you, squirming already,” he murmurs, amused.

It’s hard to think, let alone form a coherent sentence, so you just glower and grit your teeth. Neil interlocks his fingers with yours, inching closer, and places a small, reassuring kiss on your shoulder. Then, he palms over the cube and carries on. The warmth and pressure of his hand mix with the coldness of the melting ice, and you sigh and lean into his touch, not mindful of the water dribbling down your sides to the sheets.

He traces the curves and flats of your body. Unhurriedly, but persistently moving lower. Grazes the hip bones, then slides along the hem of your panties. You close your eyes as your thighs come together again, trying to control the bucking hips.

He tightens the hold on you as his hand bearing the ice cube moves to your knee.

Neil’s warmth envelops you once again and he whispers into your ear. “Open for me.”

The request wiping any resolve left in your brain and rushing to your pulsing core. You bite your lip to stifle a moan and comply, earning a pleased hum from Neil.

“Good girl,” he rasps as his hand continues its journey upwards.

“Neil--”

Your weak plea only evokes a throaty chuckle, which doesn’t help in the slightest. He knows what he’s doing. What praise like that can do to you. You see it in his predatory gaze, how he enjoys watching you fall apart. And he still is about to touch you where you need him most.

Neil smacks his tongue. “Not so patient today, are we, my love?” he teases, guiding his large hand up and down your inner thighs slowly.

You want to groan in frustration. You want to shut him up with a hungry kiss. You want him. But instead, you muster some of the strength you have left to control yourself, not willing to give him too much satisfaction. Not yet anyway.

He catches the determined look in your eyes and raises a brow. A corner of his mouth curls and you know that the game is on.

Neil hooks his thumb over a band of your underwear. “May I?”

“By all means,” you breathe out and he lets go of your hand so he can pull your panties down and position himself between your legs.

“Christ, how I adore this view.” He flashes his teeth in a brief smile, his features soften when his gaze meets yours. The extent of love and admiration you see there makes your stomach do a somersault. “You’re so beautiful,” he says quietly and the heart sings in your chest. Then, just when you let your guard down, the blue eyes get dark and yearning. “And mine,” he adds as his knuckles resume the caress.

The pure whiplash from his actions shuts your brain down. You whimper and your whole body tenses when the sleek cube glides over your folds. The cold water joins your own wetness. Your head falls back. The heat that is rushing through your veins has nothing to do with the temperature in the room, but it pearls your temple with sweat just the same. A short pause forces you to look down and you catch the wicked grin forming on Neil’s lips. Your end is inescapable.

You watch as Neil puts the ice cube in his mouth and your eyes widen in sudden realization. He dips his head and then swirls his tongue around your clit and you almost cry out, clenching your fists on the sheets. Hot. Cold. Both at the same time. The pulse pounds in your ears as you walk the line, bold strokes and quick flicks driving you to the edge of sanity. His hand moves up your body, partly to hold you in place. But also to add the fuel to the fire that slowly consumes you. You melt into his touch. You moan. And then he slides his finger inside you and reality begins to crumble.

“Oh yes--” you whine, pushing against his hand. “Please.”

You feel him smile against you and the second finger enters you, then they curl slightly and set the rhythm. You roll your hips and reach down to tug at the golden strands, the only praise you’re capable of right now. Neil’s groan vibrates through you, pushing you to the brink of resolution. And then his mouth envelopes you and he sucks on your clit. The pleasure sears your every nerve, tipping you over, and you arch your back and come with a loud moan. You ride out your high, trembling underneath him, digging your fingers into his arms and then pulling on them, driven by a different kind of need. Neil understands and crawls back up to you, licking your wetness off his lips on the way.

“You okay?” he asks, brushing his knuckles against your cheek tenderly and falls on the pillow next to you.

You nod, still incapable of putting words together. Placing the hand on the back of his neck, you urge him closer and kiss him, grunting softly. It’s hard to level your breath like this, making that act of devotion somewhat sloppy. Neil strokes your hair, deepening the kiss just barely. Fixed on bringing you comfort, first and foremost.

And when you pull back, it’s the eyes that betray him. Full of fondness, yes, but also overcast with desire.

How fortunate you already have an idea how to repay him. Not that he expects it - he would never. But he was so rude, teasing you like that.

And you want payback.

You smile and push him back on the mattress to reach over him to his nightstand. You fish out the biggest of the leftover ice cubes from the glass.

Neil shifts upwards slightly, leaning back on his elbows. His mouth parts as he spots your impish grin.

“Oh.”

“Come on, you really thought I’d let that slide?” you say as you straddle him, batting the eyelashes. You look at the glimmering crystal in your hand, then back at him, raising a brow. “Actually--”

You close your fist and move it over Neil’s chest, and he squirms as the cold droplets fall on his skin. You stare at the way his muscles tense when the water trickles down his toned stomach, and a new wave of excitement washes over you.

You lean on to lay a kiss on his lips, this time a more eager one. Neil sighs when your tongue glides against his and you giggle, breaking the contact. Your noses brush together as you exchange greedy looks, barely containing the animalistic need slowly clouding your minds.

“Not so patient, indeed,” you hum, tipping his chin up with your finger so you can suck on his jaw, letting the hand with the cube ghost over the same spot on the other side. Neil shivers and groans in a way that only boosts your confidence. Your mouth travels down his neck, continuing to play a hot-and-cold mirror game with your hand. You pull back as your eyes follow the wet trails again. Your tongue meets the next one halfway and moves up the chest until it lands on the source of the mess. You look up and you see the blue eyes trained on you, so you smirk, hiding the piece of ice in your mouth the same way Neil did not long ago.

The cube pokes from between your lips as they venture across the body you know so well, but rediscover as you learn its reaction to the new sensation. The goosebumps. The way it trembles. The grunts and gasps that follow. You stop just to get rid of the navy boxer briefs on your way.

The sight ever so gratifying.

Neil’s chest heaves as you start stroking him lightly, but it is when you take his tip in your mouth when Neil moans, sending your heart racing again. You taste and tease him until you hear a stifled curse. Then you drop the ice cube into your hand and you rub it up and down slowly, going back to twirling your tongue over him at the same time. Neil jerks, inhaling sharply and lets out a guttural groan.

“How’s that for a payback?” you ask smugly, enjoying how it takes a moment for him to focus his sight on you.

You recognize the predatory gaze a second too late.

Neil shifts and the next thing you know you end up pinned to the bed.

“Wanna play like that?” he rasps, hovering over you with a sinister grin.

You roll your hips against him, eyes lighting up at the sound of a growl building in his throat.

“Just take me already.”

He crashes his lips on yours and it’s your turn to gasp breathlessly. Then, he flips you to your side so you're facing the running fan and he loops his arm around your waist, pressing himself to your back. The moving air against your body helps, but you're way past caring about overheating now.

Neil brushes your hair away so he can kiss the nape of your neck, sending shivers down your spine. Meanwhile, his other hand travels south, and you hook one leg over his, squirming impatiently.

"God, you drive me crazy," he breathes into your ear, but before you can assure him how mutual the feeling is, he thrusts into you and you moan together, melting further into each other.

But instead of setting a pace, the reckless fingertips trail between your legs again to rub small circles against your clit, and soon enough you whimper as you clench around him. More. Neil bites on your shoulder and groans, finally giving you what you need. What he needed, too. You bury your fingers in the blonde mane. Tugs urging a quicker pace. You close your eyes, climbing the peak again. His touch roams through your body, and then his rhythm falters, and you take his hand in yours and press it to your chest, lacing your fingers together.

I’ve got you.

Neil tenses and hides his face in your neck, gasping frantically, pulling you as close as he can. His high pushes you over the edge and you join him in the rhapsodic release, losing yourself in the pleasure. In the strong embrace. In him.

When reality regains its sharpness, you shift in Neil’s arms to face him. The warmth of affection spreads through you when you meet the hazed gaze. You smile softly as your fingers trace his features. Parted lips. Sharp jawline. The brows, still knitted together. Your heart aches from fondness when you fix the golden strands stuck to his forehead. 

Happy lights dance in the blue eyes and Neil chuckles, panting lightly. You kiss him, then hug him tightly, not mindful of the heat. Of the sweat. There’s only a heavy heartbeat against your cheek. His scent, ingrained deeply in your mind. The slow, calming strokes on your back. Bliss.

“At least with a sauna we’d have a barrel with icy water, you know,” Neil points out casually. “Or even better - a pile of snow.”

“Oh my god,” you snort, pulling back to look at him. “Imagine that,” you sigh as the heat suddenly hits your senses twice as hard.

He grins, taking you by the hand, and places a small kiss on your knuckles. “May I interest you in a very cold shower instead?”

The corner of your lips twitch.

“Lead the way.”

[imaginedisish]

Will there be any more updates to your Neil fic or do you have any new requests for Neil (tenet)? If not, totally fine and I am looking forward to the upcoming content! I love your writing and works by the way!! Hope you are also finding the time to rest as well :)

Hi there!! I’m not sure if I’ll post more chapters to my Tenet fic. Unfortunately, Battinson (I cant get enough of saying that) and the Mandalorian are probably the two main things I’ll be posting for. But...that doesn’t mean I won’t take requests!!!

Also, thank you :) everything you said really means a lot!

P.s.,

I’ll be posting a new Battinson fic Saturday or Sunday! If anyone here is looking for more Mando content, it’ll arrive soon lol. I think I gotta get all the Batman stuff out of my system first.

[imaginedisish]

Feels Like We Only Go Backwards (Tenet) Neil x Reader

A/N: Hey there guys!!! I’m back...again ahhhhh. I’ve been gone for a while (I always am) but hopefully I’ll be back for a while now :) I hope you’re all staying safe and doing well. I know the world is ass, but hopefully things will be better soon. Anyway, I’m obsessed with Tenet right now and I decided that I had to write a Neil x Reader one shot (I love Robert Pattinson, it’s a problem) Also, I think this is my longest fic yet...if someone wants to let me know how to do the “keep reading” thing, please tell me omg. I’m so sorry to those who have to scroll through this. Hopefully I can change that. Anyway folks, ENJOY!!!

p.s pls request tenet stuff. gimme some smut to write.

Summary: You allow your feelings for Neil to get in the way, causing you to compromise the mission and put everyone in danger. (AU, obviously because of the reader insert, and also because this particular scene does not actually happen in the movie).  ~loosely based off “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” by Tame Impala~

Warnings: Violence, mentions of death, guns, blood, wounds, cursing, angst, possibly implications of being “lovers (or friends with benefits)” and luckily fluff :) 

Word Count: 4,163 (Please fucking teach me how to add the “read more” thing holy shit)

You storm down the cold, grey, skinny hallway lit with dimmed fluorescents. There was something inexplicably chilling about this place, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on exactly what that thing was. Maybe it was the way the lights reflected against the walls, glowing subtly against the tiles. It wasn’t a pretty glow. It was the glow one could expect to see along the walls of a morgue. 

Maybe it was the peculiar, dull ringing that followed you down the corridor, haunting your every step. Maybe it was the simple sound of your heels clicking against the concrete floors, and the idea that those clacks could call someone to your very location and leave you absolutely defenseless. Maybe it was the fact that you only had two bullets left in your glock. 

Or, it was because he wasn’t with you anymore. 

You quickly shake off the thought that he, of all people, could make you feel better. You didn’t need him. Hell, you didn’t need anyone, you thought to yourself. But still, your mind kept circling back to the image of him popping up in front of you, taking your hand and leading you away to- 

You cut yourself off. You couldn’t let your mind wonder for that long, especially about Neil. Still, you can’t help but flash back to just minutes ago, when Neil was by your side, when you made the massive mistake of letting your feelings get away of the mission. 

Neil pulled you down the hall, his hand firmly clasped around the upper part of your right arm. He was practically dragging you with him since you couldn’t keep up with his speed. 

Finally, Neil yanks you into an alcove, hoping you two can hide for at least a few minutes before running again. 

“Neil you need to give me an answer, what the fuck is-,” Suddenly, Neil pushes you against the wall, his right hand presses hard on your hip while his left hand covers your mouth. His face is in yours. Any personal space between you two is non-existent. He’s so close that you can feel his breath on your nose. He’s so close that you can feel wisps of his dirty blonde hair dance across your forehead. 

He smirks, “No time for answers.” You felt a twinge in your stomach, like butterflies, or maybe something much more gross, because now was not the time for Neil to make you feel this sort of way. 

The worst part is that he knows exactly what he’s doing. He carefully selects each and every movement he makes. He removes his hand from your mouth and places it at the nape of your neck instead, his thumb brushing lightly just below your hairline. 

You stifle a quiet moan at his touch. “N-Neil, what are you doing?” Your voice is quiet, but shaky. 

“Keeping you calm, I can tell you’re about to lose it,” He says matter-of-factly. Of course that’s the only reason, there’s nothing romantic here, and there never will be. 

‘Neil will never feel the way I feel about him’ you think to yourself. You can’t help but get a bit angry at his ability to put you under his spell. Despite your heart racing, despite your brain being bent out of shape by the close proximity of Neil, you can’t help but feel calmer. And you hated that. You were too stubborn for your own good. 

He breaks the silence, “Are you alright? I figured you’d have something to say. You said you wanted to talk to me before, didn’t you?” 

Before…when you had planned on telling him how you felt. You were going to tell him before.  Before the mission escalated past the point of return. Before you had ruined everything. Before Neil risked his life to bring you to safety. You had fucked up this time, insurmountably. It wasn’t entirely your fault, but you didn’t make it much better. 

Neil blew the entire team’s cover all to save you. You forgot the script, all because you were far too concerned with how you were going to handle your feelings for Neil. It wasn’t just any mission, either. It had to do with Sator’s henchmen. This was Tenet’s way in. This was how you could get more information. This was how you could save the world. 

And yet, you brought it all down. Somehow, Sator’s men believed that you were the only spy, and that everyone else was legitimate. They were going to kill you and spare the others, but Neil practically threw you out of the room and down the hall before anything could happen. The second he grabbed you, gun shots erupted. Now you had to pay for it, hiding in a barely-lit, cold hallway, with Sator creeping somewhere close behind, ready to attack. 

Suddenly, the guilt began to overwhelm you. What if this was it, what if you would be the reason Neil would die? What if your actions destroy the mission all together? Tears free themselves from your eyes, sliding slowly down your cheeks. 

“Hey,” Neil whispers as he moves the hand that rested on your neck up to your left cheek. He wipes away a few tears with his thumb. “It’s alright. We’re going to be fine, don’t worry-,”

Before he can get another word out, you grab his hand. “Stop, please, just stop,” You plead, unable to take anymore. He has to know what he’s doing to you, he just has to, you think, as your sadness slowly turns to anger. It irritated you that he was able to swoop in and save your day. It irritated you that he was able to touch you and comfort you, despite the lack of relationship that you desperately wanted fulfilled more than anything. None of this was fair. It wasn’t fair that he could be this non-nonchalant while you were practically doubled over with butterflies and other real anxieties from the situation you were currently in. 

Neil looks a bit more annoyed now. “I’m just trying to help,” He says, his eyes staring deeply into yours. Those eyes, you could drown in them if you weren’t careful, so you snap back into reality, allowing yourself to feed into your anger. 

“Maybe I don’t need your help,” You say, instantly regretting the words as they leave your lips. 

The corners of Neil’s mouth turn up slightly, his cocky attitude showing yet again. “So back there, earlier,” He gestures backwards, to the past, “You didn’t need my help?” 

You shake your head, “I’m just sick of this.”

Neil’s smile fades away as a confused look finds itself on his face. “Of what?” There’s a sadness in his voice. “Us?” 

His use of“Us” immediately takes you back. ‘What the fuck does he mean by “Us”?’ You ask yourself. You were undeniably close, but he never confirmed or denied his feelings for you.

Your stomach does a back flip before you allow yourself to grow angry again. 

“There is no ‘Us’, and that’s the problem Neil,” You say, pushing him off of you. He stumbles out of the alcove and rushes back in, closing the space between you and him once again. 

Neil gives you a puzzled look.“Bloody hell,” you hear him mumble under his breath. “What the fuck are you talking?” There’s a seriousness in his voice now. His cocky facade disappears into nothingness. He’s frustrated, and it’s all because of you. 

You just couldn’t take it anymore. You needed to say it. 

“Don’t act like you don’t know how I feel.” Your voice is louder now, and it seems as though you’re practically begging to give away your hiding spot. “Neil I-,”

He covers your mouth with his left hand once again. “Alright that’s it,” His voice is still quiet, “You’re the one that needs to stop now. You don’t know how much I-,” 

You push him into the wall before he can get a word out, just as he had interrupted you seconds ago. 

You step out into the hallway. “I don’t know what? How much you don’t care about me?” You notice the sudden pain in Neil’s face. You didn’t expect that, but you also refuse to believe it’s real. “I don’t need you, Neil. I never have and I never will.” 

You begin walking down the hallway as Neil whisper shouts your name, trying to get you to come back without blowing your cover. 

“(Y/N)! Please!” He calls out. 

A hand on your shoulder brings you back to reality and stops you dead in your tracks, “(Y/L/N), I’ve been waiting to meet you.” It’s a familiar voice, a voice you’ve heard before. It’s bitter, callous and malignant. A chill runs up your spine as the name of the voice dawns on you. You flinch, quickly stepping backwards and spinning around to look at the devil-man in front of you. Although, you know he would prefer if you referred to him as a god. 

“Sator,” You curse, spitting on the ground disrespectfully. You brandish your gun, trying to put on your best fake-confident face. Sator doesn’t know you only have two bullets left, and quite frankly he doesn’t need to, you think to yourself. 

Before you can even aim, Sator launches towards you. 

You jump back, and turn around to run. There’s no way you could get away from him in what you were wearing. Your black kitten heals slowed you down a great deal. Your tight, black dress made it hard for you to move in any way at all. 

Sator is right behind you. You kick off your heels, allowing you to speed up a bit. While running barefoot is much better, you know you can’t last forever. You run for a few more seconds before realizing that Sator is only getting closer. 

You turn around, back peddling now. You hold your glock up and aim. 

BANG! 

The bullet misses Sator and ricochets off the tiled wall. What the fuck? You think to yourself as the bullet falls to the ground. The walls must be bullet proof or something. 

Sator is almost within an arm’s reach of you. You lift your gun again and take aim. 

BANG!

But it’s no use. you miss again. This time, the bullet hits such an angle that it comes back straight towards you. It grazes against your left side. 

“FUCK!” You cry out in pain, stumbling a bit. You try your best to continue running, but the pain is far too great to keep going. You feel your legs starting to give out. You crumble to the ground, letting a small whimper of pain escape your lips. You grab your side, blood draining into your hands and onto the floor. 

Sator chuckles maliciously. “You seriously thought you could get away? This is my place. You’re playing in my world,” He shakes his head and reaches for his gun. He points the weapon directly at your head,

“And just so you know, I’m God here.” 

Tears form in your eyes as you hear the gun cock. You brace yourself for impact as your thoughts find their way back to Neil. You hate how you left things, especially considering that would be the last conversation he ever had with you. Guilt began to grow heavy in your stomach. 

What a way to die, totally and completely guilty, a failure, and alone, You think to yourself, as tears fall down your cheeks.

Sator chuckles again. “Crying are we know? Too late for tears, (Y/N). I think you’re all out of time.” You shudder at his words and you prepare for this moment to be your last, shutting your eyes tightly. 

“No! (Y/N)!” A familiar voice cries out from behind you. 

BANG!

You open your eyes to see Sator standing in his place, the gun now pointing above your head. You look down and see a single bullet right next to you. It must have ricochetted off the wall, just like yours did. But where did it come from? You think. 

Turning around slowly, you spot who Sator is pointing his gun towards.

“N-Neil,” You stutter, wincing in pain simply from talking. His gun points back at Sator. His eyes nervously look you up and down. This was far different from when the evening started. You remembered the way Neil looked at you when you had finished getting ready. You remember how he knocked on the door to your hotel room and let himself in. He didn’t wait for you to give him the okay. 

“Wow,” Neil said, taken back by your tight, little black dress. He looked you up and down, seemingly removing each article of clothing in his head. “You look incredible.” 

You missed that moment now. You wish you could just go back. But now you were faced with reality, with a gun in your face. 

Sator looks down at you, and back up to Neil. “I think I’ll let you watch her die, and only after you watch her take her last breath, I’ll kill you too. How’s that?”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Neil states confidently. You look up at him, confused. 

Just as Sator pulls the trigger, Neil grabs your arm and slides you out of the way. 

In the near distance, just a short ways behind Sator, you see a fiery cloud of orange erupt, followed by a massive boom. Neil somehow was able to orchestrate some sort of explosion.

Sator stops in his tracks and turns to look behind him, giving Neil just enough time to pick you up and run down the hallway, turning down a series of other corridors in an attempt to outrun Sator. 

It isn’t long before Neil realizes that you’re bleeding onto him. “H-holy shit,” He looks down to your left side. “I need to get you out of here.” 

You ignore what he’s saying. “Why did you come back for me?” You whisper to Neil. 

He steals a quick look at you as he continues to run down the hallway, but he doesn’t answer your question. 

You clear your throat and try again. “Why did you come back?” 

He ignores you again as you approach an intersection of 3 hallways, each one looking the exact same as the one you’re currently in. Neil pauses for a second, contemplating his options. His heart is beating out of his chest. You’ve never seen him this nervous. While you had only been at Tenet for about half a year now, you had grown to know Neil far too well. The stolen moments you shared, the kisses you swore to tell no one about. You didn’t know what you were with Neil. You didn’t know if this was superficial or real to him. But, you knew his emotions like you knew the back of your hand. You could tell he was panicking. You had never seen him quite like this. Something was different. Suddenly, Neil grunts and choses to go down the hallway to your right. 

You wanted to say something to him, to talk to him, but you felt yourself falling in and out of consciousness. You knew you needed to stay awake. Neil looked down to check on you and immediately noticed your condition. 

“Stay with me, okay?” He begged. You had never heard Neil talk like this before. “Please stay with me. I’m right here, it’s going to be okay.” He started to pick up his pace, practically sprinting down the hallway now. 

“N-Neil?” You managed to call out to him. 

“Yes, darling?” He responded between gasps for air. You could tell that he was getting tired. 

“Are you okay?” You ask, looking around his body for any signs of blood or even for a possible gun shot wound. 

Neil starts to slow down a bit. He looks down at you again, “I’m alright. It’s you I’m worried about.” 

“You’re not actually worried, are you?” You ask. 

Neil stops for a second, completely out of breath. He takes this as an opportunity to look at your injuries again. He puts his hand over your wound and feels all the blood that’s there. He shakes his head, clearly nervous about how much blood you’ve lost. He readjusts his hold on you, making sure you’re secured in his arms.

He brings his face closer to yours. “Fuck, of course I’m worried about you,” He says in a stern tone. He seems annoyed at the thought that you didn’t know he cared about you. “What the fuck would make you think otherwise?” He isn’t just annoyed now, he’s angry, yet he doesn’t take his face away from yours. You can feel his breath on your nose, just like you did before. The wisps of his hair greet your forehead again too. 

“I-I guess I just don’t know how to read you,” You say, taking a deep breath once you finish your sentence. Neil quickly picked up on your labored breathing and began to jog again. 

There’s silence for just a few seconds before Neil finds the right words to say. “I came back for you because I care about you. The second you left I chased after you. You were just far too quick for me.” 

Your heart flutters in your chest. You didn’t know how much he cared for you. You figured he only saw you as a member of the team, a coworker, a girl to flirt with, someone he had to care for out of convenience and association. The way he was speaking now lead you to believe that he cared for you far beyond that. You stare up into his blue eyes, gathering the courage to finally confess how you feel to him. You felt yourself slipping more quickly out of consciousness, and you desperately wanted him to know how you felt. 

“Neil, I just want you to know that-,”

Your words are interrupted by the loud swinging of a door. Suddenly, you’re outside the now flaming building and in the bitter, dark night. The wind whips and nips at your bare skin. You take a quick look around and remember that you’re in Amsterdam. At least it’s a pretty place to die, You think to yourself. You shiver as the wind attacks you again. 

Neil notices how cold you are. He sets you down on a nearby bench and takes his brown suit jacket off, draping it over you. He picks you up and starts jogging again. 

Just a short ways up the street is the BMW he had been driving for the mission. He opens the car door with one hand, making sure to keep you nestled into his chest with the other. He puts you down on the passenger’s seat, buckles you in, and carefully shuts the door. 

When he gets in on the other side, he sees you drifting off again. “Come on, (Y/N), stay with me, please,” He pleads. He leans over to you and gently kisses your forehead. Your eyelids throw themselves open as Neil’s lips leave your skin. He starts the car engine and begins to drive away. He doesn’t say a thing, but you can’t stop thinking about what just happened. 

“What was that?” You ask, wondering if he simply did that to distract you, to wake you up. He had to know what effect he had on you. 

Neil doesn’t say a thing. He only speeds up, blasting through red lights and ignoring stop signs. You look over at him. He looks like an absolute mad man. His dirty blonde hair is a mess. Dark, purple bags rest under his blue eyes. 

At one point, Neil turns the on the radio and glances at you. “Try to listen to some music, maybe it can keep you awake.” Or maybe his concern for your well being could be enough motivation for you. 

It feels like I only go backwards baby,

Every part of me says, “Go ahead”

I got my hopes up again, oh no, not again,

Feels like we only go backwards, darling. 

Neil somehow gets even faster. You notice that he’s pushing the gas pedal all the way into the floor of the car. You manage to get out one final sentence before losing consciousness, “If I don’t die from this wound, I might die from your driving.”

Then, your eyes shut and the whole world goes black. 

——

Your eyes feel like they’re glued shut, but you force them to open. There’s an arm pulling you in tightly to a firm, warm chest. You inhale deeply, instantly recognizing the scent. 

It was Neil. His face was right in front of yours. He looked so calm, so relaxed. Either this was Heaven, or he somehow managed to save your life from his hotel room. You were hoping it was the latter. You wanted this to be real life.

Neil began to stir about a bit, but his arm never left your back. In fact, the more he stirs, the closer you seem to get to him. You decide to take it all in, because you know reality is going to come crashing down eventually. You know Neil is going to back off of you, apologize, and quickly say that he was merely watching over you to make sure you weren’t dying and didn’t mean to fall asleep. There was no way that he meant to hold you like that. 

“Good morning,” Neil said casually, not taking his arm off of you. He manages to pull you even closer still. Now your noses are touching. A playful smile stretches across Neil’s lips. 

You couldn’t believe this was happening. You’re shocked, too shocked to say a thing. 

Your silence makes Neil concerned, “What’s wrong? Did I do something? Are you in pain?”

You smile at him, “No, everything is okay. Of course I’m in pain, but this feels good.” Neil’s smile reappears. But, you’re still confused. “I just need to know something Neil,” You say, as the smile disappears from Neil’s face yet again. 

“What’s the matter?” He asks as he draws letters on your back, or at least that’s what it feels as though he’s doing.  

You shake your head slightly. “Nothing is the matter,” You pause, recalling the events of the previous night. “It’s just, am I okay? How much blood did I loose? And Neil I need to know how you feel about-,” 

Neil abruptly cuts your rambling off, “You’re alright. I took care of you after you passed out. I cleaned out the wound and sowed you up. It was easier to do with you asleep, to be honest. I don’t think you would’ve like it very much,” Neil grins before continuing, “Luckily your heart rate stayed completely stable the whole time.” 

You nod your head, waiting for him to address the half asked question towards the end of your rambling that he seemed to get the understanding of. But, there’s no response. 

You decide it’s time to say something. It can’t wait any longer. “Neil, I need to know what all this means. I need to know how you feel about me.” 

“Likewise,” He returns, but there’s no grin upon his face. He’s serious, if not somber. 

Regardless, you’re annoyed. “Likewise?” You repeat back to him. “I’ve liked you since the second I saw you, and I feel as though I’ve made that abundantly clear. I’ve given you all the signs, all the hints, and you just continue to play these stupid ga-,”

Neil cuts you off, “I had to sit there and watch you almost die. I worked on your wound all night. I’ve been fucking terrified for the past 12 hours wondering whether or not you would make it. I ditched the team to make sure you were safe, and I don’t regret that choice one bit. These aren’t games (Y/N). Being in love with someone isn’t a fucking game.” 

Silence fills the room. Being in love with someone…those words repeated over and over again in your head. You couldn’t let them go. 

Neil catches gaze and holds it. He’s waiting for something from you, but you don’t know how to communicate how you feel anymore. It was like he broke you. 

You know Neil can’t take the tension anymore, and before you can say a word, Neil’s lips hungrily crash into yours. He grabs your waist carefully, keeping you pulled in tight without hurting your wound. 

Neil’s lips leave yours. “Are you happy now?” He asks, brushing where he just was with his thumb. 

“Y-yes,” You say, wanting more. 

“Then it’s settled,” Neil states confidently. He smiles slyly, as he always does.

You’re confused beyond belief. “What is?”

“That you’re mine,” Neil says, taking your chin in between his index finger and thumb. He brings your face closer to his, and kisses you again. 

[imaginedisish]

Instant Crush (Tenet) Neil x Reader ~Part 1~

A/N: WHAT’S THIS??? I’m actually posting two days in a row? WOWOWOW. Okay enough with that, here’s another Neil x Reader fic! Part 2 will be coming tomorrow night. Just one quick thing before y'all begin... this takes place in an AU in which Neil knows he’s going to die in order to save The Protagonist and the world in general (ps I call The Protagonist TP, because that seems to be what other writers in the fandom do, and it’s really much less awkward than saying “The Protagonist” lol). And yes, this is very much inspired by Instant Crush by Daft Punk/Julian Casablancas, although I had the Cage the Elephant cover on almost the entire time I wrote this...NOW ENJOY!!

Summary: (AU where Neil knows how his timeline will end) Neil knows his fate, he knows he’ll have to go back and sacrifice his life in order to save the Protagonist and the world, but how could he ever leave you behind? Maybe he won’t have to. You’re willing to do everything in your power to keep him alive. (Inspired by Instant Crush by Daft Punk/Julian Casablancas)

Warnings: MAJOR ANGST, cursing, mentions of death, implication of sleeping together/ *friends with benefits/lovers*, and I think that’s it. (oh ah! the grammar may be bad...I’ll check it again later, I’m too tired now)

Word Count: 3,601 (please tell me how to do the “read more” thing so many people on this platform must hate me).

You pace back and forth inside of your tiny hotel room. The beige walls make you more nauseous with every step. The brown, carpeted floors creek under your feet. The bright red digital clock next to your bed reads 2:46AM. You feel the world slowly caving in as your mind obsesses over the events that would take place tomorrow. You wouldn’t be there. You weren’t quite sure why. You had trained to join the team on the Temporal Pincer movement, but Ives had come to tell you that you were dropped from the mission just a few minutes ago. 

“What do you mean I’m not in the movement anymore?” You ask, practically shouting in anger. 

Ives shakes his head, leaning into your doorway. He looks down the hallway to make sure no one is there, and puts a finger up to his lips, shushing you. 

“Don’t shush me!” Your voice is commanding. “Who the fuck took me out of the movement? I know it wasn’t you, and I know it wasn’t TP.” 

Ives looks at you, and then looks to the ground. His uncomfortable silence says enough. You have an idea as to who took you off the mission. 

“It was Neil, wasn’t it?” You pry, searching for confirmation, even though you already know the answer. 

Ives taps the doorway and gives a polite half smile, as if to say goodbye. He pushes himself off the doorway and turns to walk down the hall. 

The more you thought about it, the clearer it became. Neil had to be hiding something from you. There’s no way you were taken out of the movement because of your lack of abilities. You were talented with a gun, could easily outrun Neil, and knew exactly what to do in high pressure situations. You excelled at working while inverted. 

There had to be something else, something more, something you didn’t know about yet. You needed to find out what was going on. 

A knock at the door snaps you out of your thoughts. You walk over to the bright white slab of wood that clashes against the beige walls, and look into the peep hole. 

Neil. You immediately unlock the door, and twist the handle. 

He leans his right elbow against your doorway, giving him the space to bend over just a bit. His hand clutches a fist full of his hair. He looks tired, shaken up. Somehow, he still manages to look good. The sleeves of his white dress shirt are pushed up to his elbows. The knot of his maroon tie is half undone, allowing you to see that the top button of his shirt is unbuttoned. 

Neil’s blue eyes meet your own, but his gaze isn’t steady. His eyes look into your hotel room, then back to your face, and then up and down your body. Something is off about him. He seems distraught, chaotic even. He looks as though he’s looking at you for the last time. 

“I can’t do this,” Neil huffs. He quickly turns around and begins to speed down the hallway. 

You grab the keycard by your door and rush after him. The door to your room slams behind you, the sound ricochetting off the walls and most likely waking up the entire floor. You break into a run, trying your best to catch up to Neil. 

“Neil!” You shout. There’s no response, except for the pounding of your feet against the navy, carpeted hallway. 

Neil finally stops in front of a door, taking a keycard out of his pocket, inserting it into the lock, and disappearing into the room. 

You approach the door. You grab the handle and try to get in, but it’s locked already.  “Neil,” you knock three times, “You need to tell me what’s going on. I don’t understand why the plans have changed.” 

No answer, again. 

“Neil, please,” You beg, resting your head on the door. Suddenly, you hear it unlock, and before you can remove your head, the door swings open. You lose your balance and begin to fall forward, but Neil instinctively moves to catch you in his arms.

He holds you there for a second. Your head finds itself placed in the crook of his neck.  “Are you alright?” He asks. You forget to answer; you’re too focused on the scent of his warm, minty, gingery cologne. 

“(Y/N), are you alright?” He asks again, pulling you off of him ever so slightly, just so he can get a good look at your face. His voice is so calm, so quiet. His blue stare meets yours. 

Then, you remember why you’re here. You remember the situation. You remember what is going to happen tomorrow, and you remember that it’s going to happen without you. The anxiety builds in your chest. Your stomach tenses up and you can’t help but feel like your organs are moving wildly around inside of it.  

“No, I’m not alright, and I know you aren’t either,” You say defiantly, pushing off of Neil and walking further into his room. You look around a bit. It’s bigger than yours. The walls are the same beige, and the carpet is the same brown one that could be found in your room. But instead of a twin bed, there’s a queen in the center of the suite. 

Neil can’t help but smirk. “What?” He asks, pausing as he sits on the right side of his bed, swinging his legs around to get more comfortable. He leans up against the headboard, his cocky smile remains on his face, “Are you jealous that my room is nicer than yours?” 

Is he seriously trying to play this off all nonchalantly? Is he really going to pretend as though he didn’t just run out of my room in a panic? You think to yourself.

“I’m done,” You say, walking towards the door. You turn around to look at him, hoping your words can get under his skin. “I know you took me out of the movement, which is just plain fucking stupid on your part.” 

Neil shakes his head. “You don’t understand what’s-,”

You cut him off. “No, of course I don’t understand what’s going on. I have no fucking clue. I was hoping you could tell me a thing or two.” You’re yelling now. You feel the anxiety melt away as you clench your jaw tightly. Your blood boils beneath your skin. “But of course you have nothing to say. You never do.”

“What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?” Neil questions, standing up from the bed once again. He makes his way over to you. 

“You know exactly what it means,” You insist. “You never have anything to say about us and whatever the hell we are. I’m just a fuck toy to you. You don’t give a shit about me,” You pause, noticing how harsh and cold your tone is. You regret the words as they leave your lips, but you continue on anyway. “And now you’re refusing to tell me why I’ve been cut out of the movement. You need me, you know you fucking need me. Ten minutes isn’t enough time to be cutting people out of the movement.” 

You think back to the past few months you’ve spent with Neil. You had been together quite a few times, more times than you could count. You spent secret nights together, going as far as getting a room at a separate hotel on many missions to hide whatever you two were from the rest of the team. Neither of you were seeing anyone else, or at least you weren’t. But still, neither of you made your feelings quite clear. You dropped heavy hints every now and then, mentioning the future, what life might look like after your time at Tenet. But Neil would always change the topic. 

Before you could say a thing, Neil’s face was in yours. You know he’s looking into your eyes, but you just can’t bring yourself to look back. He firmly grabs the upper part of your left arm with his right hand. His fingers press into your skin. 

“So you think you know bloody fucking everything, don’t you?” Neil shouts. You feel his eyes burning into your head; it’s a horrible feeling. You can’t look at him. Your heart is racing uncontrollably. You didn’t mean for this to escalate so quickly. To be honest, you didn’t intend for this to escalate at all. 

You can’t help but think about the past again. You wish you could just go back to one of the many nights you had spent with him. You wish all of this could fade away into nothing. You wish that the end of the world didn’t depend on whether or not you and Neil could simply do your job. You wish you had more time with him. 

“Answer me,” He demands.  You look up at him. His eyes are glossy. He blinks and a single tear slides down his cheek. 

You’re taken back by how emotional he is. “N-Neil, I-,” 

“You don’t get it (Y/N),” Neil’s voice is shaky, but loud. His hand is still tightly wrapped around your arm. His face is bright red. “You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. You don’t know what I have to do.”

You can barely whisper now. You’re too choked up. You didn’t realize distraught Neil was. “Then tell me Neil, please.” 

Neil looks at the ground. Tears begin to fall more freely down his cheeks. This was bad, very bad, and you knew that much. Neil’s silence was enough to tell you that something wasn’t going to go as you had planned. 

Finally, Neil opens his mouth.“I don’t want you getting hurt, so I need you to leave the organization, starting tomorrow.” He’s not yelling anymore, but his voice is still firm and commanding. 

You’re beyond confused now. Leave? Why does he want me to leave? 

“You need to tell me why. You need to tell me what’s going on,” You plead. 

Neil lets go of your arm, and walks over to the edge of the bed. He sits down, allowing his head to fall into his hands. His fingers push back to comb through his hair once, and then he stops, freezing in that position. He looks down into his lap. You walk over and sit by his side. Your arms brush up against each other.  

He takes in a deep breath, “I’m not going to be here anymore, (Y/N).” 

“W-what?” You stare into the side of his head, but he doesn’t move. He’s leaving? Why the fuck is he leaving? “You’re leaving Tenet? Why? And what does that have to do with me? I can handle myself.”

Neil takes another deep breath. “No, that’s not what this is.” He shudders a bit, and lets out a small, quiet sob. He breathes in again. “Tomorrow, when the mission is completed for most of the team and TP, I’m going back into the mission again, but I won’t be coming back after.” 

You shake your head as you begin to understand what Neil means. 

He’s going to die. 

 Tears involuntarily form in your eyes. “N-no.” A shiver crawls up your spine. “No,” you say again, louder this time. “NO!” You’re screaming now, standing up from the edge of the bed. 

Neil stands up with you, reaching out to you, trying to grab you, trying to pull you into his chest. But you don’t want that. You want to run. You want to scream. You back away from Neil so that you’re on the other side of the room. 

“Please, (Y/N), it’s what has to be done,” Neil looks helpless, his arms stretched out to the side, his red face covered with tears, his eyes searching for a response in yours. 

“No, this doesn’t have to happen. You don’t need to do this,” You’re begging now. 

Neil walks closer towards you, “The world will end tomorrow if I don’t.” 

“And how do you know that? How do you know for sure?” You yell.

Neil shakes his head. “I can’t-,” You sense the pain in Neil’s voice as he stumbles upon his words. “You can’t know why, not yet at least.”

Of course…Of course this is my fucking fate. Nothingness. Death. A painful goodbye, and a tall, dirty blonde-haired figure that will just melt down into a memory of someone I used to know. 

You hold back your tears, trying to process exactly what was going through your mind. You try to wrap your head around the situation. But there was no way to process this. It was impossible. 

“So this is it? There’s no going back? This is the end, the end of us?” Your disbelief is abundantly clear in your voice. 

Neil nods. 

I can’t fucking do this, You think. A painful sob erupts from your throat, and Neil rushes over to you, embracing you tightly as if it was one of the last times he would ever get to feel you. 

Except that was exactly it. That was your reality now. 

He holds you in his arms. You press your face into his chest, sobbing loudly. 

You stay there for a few minutes, maybe five, or ten, possibly even more than that. You couldn’t tell. All you knew was that it took you a while to finally think of something to say. 

“S-so this little time with you,” You pause, gasping for air in between sentences, “That’s all I’ll get? I’ll never see you again?” 

Neil presses a kiss to the top of your head. “I’m sorry,” He whispers. You look up at Neil, and watch as tears stream down his face. 

Out of nowhere, a hopeful idea pops into your head. “What if I can stop it? What if  could change things? I can keep you safe, no one would have to know that I was there.”

Neil looks down at you. “What’s happened, happened.” 

You hated when he said that. 

You shake off his words. You had a mission now, a mission to prove that Neil was wrong. A mission to save his life.  

“There’s no way in hell I’m living in a world where I never get to see you again, where I never get to be alone with you again,” You say, stepping back a bit. Neil moves his hands to your waist, not wanting to let go. “This isn’t going to be goodbye, Neil.” 

“It has to be,” Neil says shamelessly, allowing reality to take hold. 

“No, no it doesn’t have to be. I’m going to save you tomorrow and you don’t have a fucking say in the matter!” You’re practically screaming now. You break away from Neil, but he quickly steps forward to close the space between you two. His hands find their familiar spot your waist, the spot they were in just seconds ago. 

You’re hyperventilating now, while Neil seems to have calmed down a bit. You figured he had to have been hiding this for some time now. There’s no way he found this out today. 

He presses his forehead against yours. He takes his right hand off your waist and brings it up to the back of your head. He combs his fingers through your hair, making sure you won’t move away from him again. He parts his lips, “Will you stay with me tonight, please?” 

You nod, even though you’re more than positive that this won’t be your last night with Neil. He presses a light kiss against your lips, and you kiss back. Neil breaks the kiss, leaving your lips feeling cold and alone. He grabs your hand and leads you over to the left side of the bed. You sit on the edge and bring your legs over so that you’re sitting up against the headboard. 

Neil walks over to his suitcase. You shudder at the thought that it could just be a suitcase after tomorrow. It wouldn’t be Neil’s suitcase anymore, because there wouldn’t be a Neil. 

That is, unless you had something to say about it. 

Neil fully unknots his maroon tie and begins to unbutton his white dress shirt, one button by one. Once he’s done, he pushes his sleeves back down to where they belong, and removes the shirt completely. You can’t help but stare at his bare chest. Then he unbuckles his pants, unzips his fly and lets the trousers slide down his toned legs. He just has his boxers on now. 

He runs a hand through his hair as he makes his way over to you. Normally the sight would make you crazy, but this was far too somber and depressing. It was impossible for your mind to go there. Instead, you could only think, What if this is the last time I’m going to see him like this. You try to shake the thought off, but you just can’t. 

Neil crawls on top of the center of the bed, and finds his spot right next to you. He puts both arms around you, inviting you to rest your head on his chest. You allow yourself to do so, listening to his pounding heartbeat with your eyes shut tight. 

“I need to tell you something, (Y/N),” Neil says shyly. Shyly, that was the last word you would normally use to describe something Neil said, but that was what this situation was doing to him, and it wasn’t fair. 

You look up at Neil and nod, waiting for him to say what he wants to say. 

“Before, when you said that you’re just a fuck toy to me…” Neil trails off. Pain was evident in his voice, and it was all because of you. You had never regretted something so much. You had only felt that way because you two hadn’t ever said how you felt about each other. You had made it clear you weren’t seeing anyone else, but Neil never did. Obviously you enjoyed each other, but he never said anything that indicated the idea of the “long term.” 

And yet here you two were, being “together” for over half a year. 

Neil breathes harshly, shuddering a bit. “Well you’re not just a fuck toy to me, and quite honestly I have no idea how you got that idea,” Neil pauses again, taking another deep breath. “So I figured it’s time that I need to tell you that I…” He trails off again, shutting his eyes for a second, allowing himself to catch his mind up to his words. 

“W-what is it?” You stutter, your heart beating hard in your chest. 

Neil clears his throat. “You have no idea how much this hurts. You have no idea how much I wish I could just stay here, with you. I don’t want you leave you here. I-I-,” Neil begins to cry again. You bring your right hand up to the nape of his neck. You gently play with his dirty blonde hair, trying to comfort him. 

“I love you, (Y/N).”   

You had longed to hear those words for what felt like an eternity. From the second you saw his face, you knew that something was there. It was an instant crush, an instant and absolute fall for Neil. 

And there was no way in hell you were losing him now. Not after that. 

“N-Neil, I-,” You stutter. 

Neil puts a finger up to your lips, “Please, don’t say it back, not like this. It’ll make this all too final. You’ll get to say it to me in some future somewhere, maybe in a different past, or maybe somewhere beyond here.” 

You shake your head. “I’ve already told you, this isn’t goodbye, I’m following you in tomorrow,” You say. “I’m not losing you.” 

“Yes you are, my love.”

You shake your head again as another tear falls. You don’t care what he says, so you decide it’s time to say what you’ve been wanting to say for months. 

“I love you Neil, so much.”

Neil smiles painfully, “I thought I told you not to say it back.” 

“You couldn’t have possibly expected me not to,” You say, pressing yourself into his bare chest. You look up at Neil, and watch him yawn. You realize how tired he is. “You should get some sleep,” You say. 

Neil nods, “I know, but I wanted to spend my last night looking at you.” 

“This isn’t your last night, Neil,” You sigh. “And that’s a promise.”

Neil ignores what you say, and reaches over to your side of the bed to turn the lamp off. With a single click, the room goes dark. Neil pushes the covers over you, and puts his arms around your body, pulling you down to his level. He’s holding you as close as he possibly can to himself. 

You hear his heart beat out of his chest. You place soft kisses over his heart, hoping to calm him down somehow. But that was impossible. There was no calming him down about this. 

“I love you, (Y/N),” Neil says again, keeping his grip on you tight. It feels just as good as when he said it the first time.

“I love you too Neil, but,” You pause, trying to chose your words carefully. “You aren’t dying tomorrow, I promise,” You say finally. You hear Neil sigh, but he doesn’t respond. He doesn’t want to fight you. He knows there’s no stopping you, because you know exactly what you’re going to do. 

Part 2

[whats-rambled-rambled]

do it for me

Neil x Reader

summary: plot what plot 

warnings: 18+ and I mean it

author’s note: have I mentioned that my friends are simply the best? They inspire me, provide amazing songs, then show the incredible amount of support during the whole process when I battle my brain to spin a story and make it work for me. I love you ladies, you know who you are.

This is a one-shot, but I wrote it with my Smoke & Mirrors duo in mind (so that means f!Reader)

The song for this fic is Rosenfeld - Do it for me

And listen, could it be filthier? Yes. Or more descriptive? You bet.

But maybe next time.

Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you think, please?

-----

You raised your head at the sound of a litany of curses coming from the kitchen.

What now?

You walked in on Neil waving an oven glove around, coughing into his sleeve.

“Instant cake mix - one. Mister I have a master's in physics  - zero. Who would’ve thought?” you smirked, leaning against a doorframe.

He huffed, opening a window. “Hey, I followed all the instructions from the box!”

“And then?” you asked, scrunching your nose as he paraded past you with a burnt mess of a cake.

He sent you a tired look, tossing the slightly smoky brick into a garbage bin.

“And then I forgot to set a timer.”

You snickered and shook your head. “Of course.” Your gaze landed on a half-full bowl on the countertop. “You think that’s edible?”

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t be, but as we established, today is not my day,” he said, shrugging lightly.

Your chest clenched with fondness and you closed the gap between you. The last few days had been hectic and you both really needed a rest. “Aww, it’s all right,” you cooed, cupping his face in your palms and placing a small kiss on the tip of his nose. “Just get us spoons.”

He gave you a thankful smile and, a moment later, you sat down on the cold kitchen floor, scooping a cream out of the bowl, sharing your most humiliating food-related stories. And when it was almost gone, you put down the spoons and used your hands to clean the sides, not willing to waste anything.

Neil took the empty bowl and stood up to place it in a sink. As you got up and stretched your arms, he looked at you and snorted.

“What?”

“You’ve got--... wait, let me--”

He reached out and wiped a bit of cream from the corner of your mouth.

Oh, right.

And just like that, a cheeky idea popped into your mind.

You grabbed his hand, and mischievous sparks lit up your eyes. Locking your gaze with his, you licked the cream off his finger. And then you wrapped your lips over his digit and sucked on it, twirling your tongue around as you pulled it out slowly.

A roguish smile crept on his face.

“Careful, you’re giving me ideas.”

You raised a brow. “Who says that’s not the point?” you teased, letting go of his hand and reaching to his shirt, tugging at the striped material lightly. Kiting him towards the sofa, you batted your lashes. “Besides, I don’t think they’re gonna beat mine.”

Neil’s eyes widened at the sight of your wicked grin. He composed himself quickly, feigning indifference, but it didn’t reach his darkened gaze.

“Is that so?” he said, grabbing your waist. “Care to share?”

A gentle push on his chest was enough to send him down on the sofa.

“Oh, I don’t know,” you started, pouting and leaning in, placing hands on his laps. You looked into the blue eyes while your fingers unhurriedly traveled up his thighs. “See, I might get too…“ - you ran your tongue through your lips - “...busy to say anything,” you continued, noting with satisfaction the way Neil’s breath hitched. You nudged his ear with your nose and whispered, “How about I just show you--”

He hissed as you palmed over the bulk in his pants.

“Fuck--”

“Well, pretty close,” a husky chuckle escaped your mouth, already ghosting over his neck. “I can’t wait to taste every inch of you.” A barely audible gasp you got from him quickened your heartbeat. You pulled back and looked into his eyes again. “Please?”

The blue irises overcast with lust as he tried to wrap his mind about the fact you could even make a request like that.

“You’re asking...?”

You hummed in confirmation, laying a kiss on his lips. The one you got back was more greedy, just enough to let you know enthusiastic he was, only confirming what you already felt under your palm.

“I’m all yours.”

Your eyes flared up.

“I quite like the sound of that,” you mused as your mouth traveled along his jawline back to his neck again and your fingers unbuttoned his shirt. Sucking on his collarbone, you splayed your hands on his chest and gently scraped the skin, curling the locks of hair around your fingertips, making Neil groan in response. “And of that, too,” you added with a smug grin, kneeling between his legs.

Your hands meandered around his toned stomach and your kisses followed them, the tip of the tongue drifting along the lines of his abdomen, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. Relishing the way Neil both tensed and melted under your touch, you moved lower. And lower. The long fingers combed your hair and you glanced up, meeting the half-lidded, hazed gaze. A warmth spread through you at the sight of a shade of smile on Neil’s parted lips. Desire and affection reflected and resonated between you, grounding you in each other.

None of you could wait any longer. Without breaking eye contact, you got rid of his belt. Then the pants and the boxer briefs. Oh, how hard he was for you already.

Neil leaned back on the pillows, breathing heavily. You feasted your eyes on the view, telling him how spectacular he looked from this angle, earning a shaky exhale in return.

Your keen fingers kept exploring and stroking, rubbing and grazing, until he squirmed and twitched, moaning - a sweet sound turning you on even more. And you still had so much more to give.

Like your tongue, playful and teasing. Flat against him, twirling around him, making Neil clench his jaw and curse. Gliding across the smooth skin, you studied the veiny patterns as Neil's digits tangled in your hair, tugging at it in a silent praise. And then your mouth, finally enveloping him. Sliding up and down. Savoring him. Almost worshipping.

Soon, gasps and groans filled the air, the most delightful melody going straight to your pulsing core. The rising heat of Neil’s body drew you closer. Your hand wandered up to his heaving chest in a selfish attempt to get more of him. Every bit of you craving every bit of him. His heart raced under your palm. The blue eyes squeezed shut. His hips bucked up. He was falling apart, and the way he moaned your name… oh god. He really was yours.

Then, all of the sudden, Neil shifted upwards and cupped your face, stopping you and pulling you up to him.

“Something’s wrong?” you asked, searching his dark gaze.

“No, doing so well for me,” he slurred as he pressed his forehead to yours, panting. “But I wanna feel you.” His trembling fingers slid down your sides and traced the hem of your jeans to your belt buckle and lingered there, waiting. Ever a gentleman.

You couldn’t get out of your pants and soaked underwear fast enough.

Shivering in anticipation, you kissed Neil as you straddled him, moaning against his lips when he filled you in completely.

“Christ, you feel so good,” he groaned, wrapping his arms around you.

You buried your hands in his hair as your bodies started to build a pace.

“Let me tell you a secret,” you murmured, tugging on the golden strands. “I’ve been thinking about you… having you like this... all day.”

His brows knitted together when he gasped for air and cursed. He was a mess, and yet he was still holding back. For you. And as much as it was endearing, that’s not what you wanted. That night was supposed to be about him.

You ground harder into him, leaning in, your mouth brushing against his ear.

“Come for me, Neil.”

“But--” he whined, pulling you closer, balancing on the verge of release.

So you took him even harder.

There was only one word left in you.

“Please.”

Just enough to send him over the brink.

Tensing, arching, Neil came undone with a loud groan, and then collapsed into your arms, shaking uncontrollably.

You held him until he leveled his breath and was able to focus his gaze on you. And when he finally did, you kissed him softly, biting back a needy whimper as you felt yourself tighten around him.

A half-smile against your lips.

“It’s okay,” you said dismissively, pulling back slightly.

But then you met the blue eyes, already lit up with roguish sparks.

“Oh no, I could never leave you like that.”

With his arms still wrapped around you, he shifted you both and the next thing you knew you were lying under him on the sofa. The pulse pounded heavily in your ears, but Neil’s throaty chuckle vibrated in every cell of your body.

“Besides, I want to hear you beg some more.”

[whats-rambled-rambled]

Masterlist

Bruce Wayne x Reader

the way down

stay close (the way down part 2)

pieces (the way down part 3)

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

Neil x Reader

Stuck in reverse 

(complete)

part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

playlist

Stuck in stories /one-shots

first real date

badly hurt on a mission

dancing on your wedding night

sick day

Neil’s perspective

Nikki

I’ll be around (Stuck in Reverse pt 5.5)

hostage situation

true colors

Smoke & Mirrors

(complete)

part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

playlist

Long Nights

(complete)

part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

playlist

Other stories /one-shots

TA, dr and other abbreviations

the challenge

festive

come as you are

do it for me

erode

i want to

Posterity

(complete)

part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

playlist

---

ko-fi?☕

[whats-rambled-rambled]

Long Nights - part 1

Neil x Reader

Chapter 1: Don’t kill my vibe

summary: all days blend into one, and as your friend brings back an unusual challenge, you are more than happy to accept it

warnings: 18+, explicit language, some violence, blood mention

author’s note: Woot woot, new series hype!  

This setting has been brewing inside me for months now, and what started as an idea for a one-shot, turned out to be a fully fleshed out series (f!Reader again, for more gender neutral one check out StuckInReverse series!). And a good chance to introduce this brand new dynamic. Aaaand to play with some rogue tropes - because guess who's gonna teach Neil all he knows about locks and how to pick them? (canon what canon or at least let’s forget the implications for a moment and let's enjoy all the HAND CONTENT instead)

I’m really excited to share this story with you all!

The song for this chapter is Sigrid - Don’t Kill My Vibe

Anyway, enjoy! All feedback is greatly appreciated, let me know what you think?

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

Tag list: @vaneilla @ergunbilge @invertedneil @wanderedaway

----

You absent-mindedly swirled your coffee and ice cubes clinked against the tall glass as you watched a gutsy pigeon searching for crumbs under a table right next to yours. The green and purple feathers on its collar were shining in the morning sun, not as merciless as it was about to get in just a few hours, but still heating the crowded plaza to barely acceptable levels.

“I don’t know, man, all days blend into one, maybe it’s time to skip town again.”

Mahir leaned back on his chair, his glance sliding through the swarm of tourists pouring from the alley nearby.

“No new gigs?”

You mirrored his pose and shrugged.

“Some, but they just lack… pizzaz.”

“Pizzaz?”

“Yes,” - you sighed and gestured vaguely - “that certain oomph, that sparkle, excitement, when your heart starts beating faster at the sole thought--”

“You sure you’re not looking for...would say love but I know you too well, so... a good shag?” your companion chimed in with a sardonic smile plastered on his face.

You scoffed, amused by that insinuation.

“First of all - thank you,” you started, your eyes lighting up and your grin getting wider with every word. “Second - that thrill is better than a good shag, and after a job well done, you can ride that high much longer than even the best orgasm.”

“Forget I said anything--”

“And finally,” - you continued, ignoring his distressed groan - “you skip all the awkwardness of the morning after.”

Mahir raised his hands in defeat, and even though he looked as if he took a mental note to never tease you like that again, you were sure he knew exactly what you meant. After all, he was your favorite partner in crime, and even though he’d come clean (...or at least slightly cleaner) a few years ago, you still could count on him whenever you needed to pull off a spectacular and/or a straight-up batshit crazy stunt.

“How’s Paddsy?”

“Grand, as far as I know, but haven’t heard from him in years, why?” you asked, tilting your head.

Your friend looked at you with impish sparks in his eyes.

“I remember how you kept yourself amused during your teenage years.”

“The challenges?” You raised your brow and laughed at the memory. “Ha, petty theft is one way to fight a dullness of existence, all right.”

“I bet you’ve gotten sloppier with age.”

That taunt in his overly casual tone was clear as day. Were you really that bored, though?

“Please, I could do it right here and now without any prep.”

...yes.

He sent you a smug smile and started browsing the crowd for a possible target. “Okay, what about... that guy over there?”

You followed his gaze and your eyes laid on a pair of men, lost in a conversation, keeping to the peripheries of tourist groups as they walked through the square. One of them was gesturing with enthusiasm, a wide smile brightening his tanned face, the blond hair in complete disarray combined with a slightly unbuttoned white linen shirt with rolled-up sleeves and beige trousers completed a disheveled look. Couldn’t be older than thirty. He was accompanied by a more composed middle-aged Black man, a maroon polo shirt and grey suit pants complimented his fit and refined posture.

“The yellow mane or the polo shirt?” you asked and Mahir snorted in response.

“The polo one.”

You looked the stranger up and down as you assessed the case. Even from afar, you could see an outline of a wallet in the pocket of his trousers, and the short sleeves meant easy access to the watch.

You smacked your lips and pouted. “Too easy.”

“Okay, so both of them,” he said, watching with satisfaction as you perked up at the suggestion.

“Now we’re talking!” you laughed, clapping your hands. You pointed at Mahir’s camera sitting on the table, internally blessing his choice of hobbies. “Mind if I borrow this for a moment?”

“Sure, whatever.”

You bounced at your feet and grabbed the camera and its case, securing both straps on your shoulder. A sudden rush mixed with a familiar coldness as you got your head in the game.

“Be right back.”

Circling the crowd, you positioned yourself on the path of your targets, blending in with the crowd. Right then, nobody would tell you from other slaphappy sightseers, mesmerized by the architecture of the Old Town district. Stopping abruptly every few steps to take yet another photo. Too preoccupied to pay attention to your surroundings. Making it way too easy to bump into someone, you know? Or, if you were clumsy enough, two people one after another, in a little live-action pinball moment.

You raised the camera and stepped back right into the polo guy, yelping at the impact.

“Sorry!” you squealed, jumping out of his way. Straight into the blonde man. “Oh gee, I’m terribly sorry!”

“You all right?” he asked as he caught you, placing hands on your arms for a split-second hold, enough to prevent you from bouncing back and bumping into someone else.

You turned around and met the bright blue eyes studying you curiously.

“Yep,” you mumbled through sheepish laughter. “And you?”

He beamed, raking his unruly hair with his fingers.

“Yeah.”

Your gaze flitted back to his companion, who was looking at you two with polite interest, visibly eager to continue his stroll.

“Sorry again! Have a lovely day, gents!” you chirped, sending one more apologetic smile and squeezing between them to walk away in the opposite direction.

Ten steps later you twirled around. Aiming the camera at a statue nearby, you checked on the men with the corner of your eye. The blonde guy glanced over his shoulder for a moment, but he didn’t seem suspicious. Good.

You made your way back to the cafe and fell back on your chair.

“No sweat,” you said and smirked, handing the camera back to Mahir and placing the case on the table. You turned it around so he could see what was inside - two watches, some mileage card you pulled out of the polo guy’s wallet, and something you grabbed from the other one… an Oyster card for public transport in London? What a combo. And of course, you could have picked the entire wallets instead, but what would be the fun in that? You didn’t have to make their life that much harder, after all, you just wanted to prove a point.

Mahir peeked inside and smacked his tongue.

“Okay, you still got it.”

“Damn straight!” You reached for your abandoned coffee and emptied it in one swig. “But I’d better get going.”

“Wait, what about the loot?”

“Keep it,” - you shrugged, leaning in to place a small kiss on the bearded cheek - “and tip that nice waitress well, will ya?”

“Sure,” sighed Mahir and patted your hand on his shoulder. “Be careful out there, mate.”

“Always.”

You stepped out on the sunny square again. There was nothing particularly interesting on the agenda for the day, so you decided to take a longer and more scenic route to your apartment. You put on the headphones and with your usual playlist on shuffle, you maneuvered between groups of people on your way to one of the alleys. And just as you were about to cross the road, someone blocked your path. You glanced up and it took all your self-control to maintain a neutral expression, despite all the warning sirens blaring at the full volume inside your head. How even--

“Darling! Long time no see!” said the blonde man you’d just robbed gleefully and grinned, his arms spread wide as if you’d known each other for years. Without dropping a jovial face, he leaned in and gave you a chaste hug, using the opportunity to utter straight into your ear. “Don’t make a fuss and come with me.”

Bloody fantastic.

The stranger linked your arms together and started walking down the street, pulling you with him in a little too rushed version of a friendly stroll. It wasn’t your first rodeo, though.

“Where are you taking me?” you squealed, faking badly covered distress and scouting the area in search of his partner, but the polo guy was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, we need to have a little chat,” he said nonchalantly, securing a grip on you with another hand on your arm. “And the streets today are awfully loud, don’t you think?”

He dragged you into a back alley, losing the chummy demeanor with every step further away from the crowds. Lucky for you, the new setting worked in your favor. You’d been indulging him long enough, anyway.

Shifting your balance, you stomped hard on his foot, using the element of surprise to break free. Grabbing the blonde strands, you pulled his head down to meet your flying knee. A muffled groan escaped the stranger’s mouth and his curses followed you when you dashed to a small back street to your right. These few seconds of a head start were more than enough though, especially since you knew the area like the back of your hand. And that’s why you didn’t hesitate when you reached a chain-link fence. You jumped and bounced off the wall, pulling up on the edge and vaulting through the obstacle with ease, then gracefully landed on the other side and turned around just to see the man hitting the fence with frustration. He glared at you, wiping the blood from his face, and you almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

“See ya!” you giggled and blew him a kiss, disappearing into another alley.

You emerged on the main street at a reasonable distance from the place you’d left the stranger, weaving between people on the busy pavement, making sure nobody followed you. After a few blocks, you grew quite certain that you’d lost the unwanted tail. You smiled to yourself. The day turned out to be way more exciting than you could have expected. And it wasn’t even noon yet. 

You noticed a dark grey SUV pulling over next to you, but by the time you realized what was going on, it was already too late. The next thing you knew, you got dragged into the backseat and trapped between the blonde man and the polo guy. Shit.

You glanced at the driver, searching for clues about what you’d gotten yourself into. The woman behind a wheel gave off a paramilitary vibe, but you couldn’t be sure. Anyway, there was no point in trying to escape - you needed to wait for a more suitable moment. You didn’t have too much room to squirm around, so you just fixed your gaze on the road ahead.

“Well, this is awkward,” you said, breaking the silence as the car started moving again.

“As my colleague said - we need to talk.”

You looked to your right at the polo man. “Abduction is such an underrated conversation starter.”

“So is theft,” he noted, a shade of smile tainting the corner of his mouth. “I really liked that watch.”

“I have no idea--”

“We’ve checked the square’s surveillance system,” he interrupted you, but his statement was so ridiculous you just had to laugh it off.

“Now you’re insulting me.”

He raised a brow as he studied you with satisfaction. “You’d rather admit that you’re guilty?”

“No,” - you bridled, slowly getting tired of the whole charade - “but there’s no way you got to the feed so fast, and with how crowded it was out there, there is no way you’d find anything incriminating in there.” You hesitated for a moment, then narrowed your eyes. “Speaking of-- how did you even find me?”

A sudden movement to your left made you switch focus to the quiet blonde man. Still pressing a bunch of bloodied tissues to his face, he showed you his phone - a red dot was blinking steadily in the middle of a screen.

...tracking? You opened your mouth to ask a follow-up question, but then it hit you and your eyes flared up. That hug.

“Sneaky. I like it.” You grinned and nodded at him. “How’s your nose?”

He lowered his hand with the tissues. It was bruised and swollen, but you couldn’t tell if you’d managed to break it or not. Still - ouch.

“Never better,” he said and grimaced slightly.

“You should put some ice on it.”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“You don’t say.”

Biting your lip to stifle a giggle, you glanced back to your right. “So? What do you wanna talk about?”

The other man shook his head.

“Not in the car. We’re almost there.”

You looked out of the window to find out you were driving into an industrial zone, and not the nice part of it. You didn’t mind, though - abandoned and creepy factory buildings were your jam, and they made excellent locations if you ever needed a chance to escape.

After a few minutes, you reached your destination. You got out of the car parked near the entrance to an empty hall. The sunbeams were pouring inside through the broken windows near the ceiling, lighting up a small metal table and a pair of chairs.

“Kudos for prepping such a dramatic setting, gents,” you laughed, taking a seat at the table. The polo man sighed and sat in front of you, sliding a folder with documents your way. You peeked inside, only to confirm your suspicions. They got some serious dirt on you, all right.

“Let’s start again, properly this time. This is Neil,” - he said, pointing at his companion, who was standing nearby, leaning against a pillar - “and I’m The Protagonist.”

You gaped at him and slumped your shoulders. “The Protag--...you’re shitting me,” you huffed, but the man was staring at you indifferently. “Dude, your parents must hate you,” you snorted, not even trying to keep a straight face. “What’s wrong with-- ...I don’t know, David? Or some of the classics, like John?”

“That’s how everyone here addresses me, and I’d like you to do the same.”

“Do I have to?” you groaned as you looked at Neil. He simply nodded, so you had no other option but to roll with it. For now. “Ugh, fine,” you said, shrugging. “You guys are spies or something?”

“Or something,” said The Protagonist. “We use certain espionage techniques to our advantage.”

“Sure,” - you scoffed - “next thing you’re gonna tell me is that you need my help to save the world.”

Neil’s amused snort made you glance at him again. “Well, maybe indirectly.” Playful sparks lit up his eyes as he gave you a half-smile. 

Are they for real? If that was an elaborate prank, this would be a good gotcha moment, but the men seemed serious enough.

You shifted on your seat, laughing nervously.

“Sorry to disappoint, but you’ve got the wrong gal.”

The Protagonist pointed at the folder in front of you.

“We need someone with your skills.”

...right. “Such as?”

“Lockpicking.”

You arched a brow. “Why? You need me to crack something for you?”

“No.” The Protagonist shook his head and took a deep breath. “We need you to teach our agents how to do it.”

“Hard pass,” you said, crossing your arms. “I’m not a tutor material.”

All of a sudden, a familiar voice rang behind you.

“Show her the lock.”

And then you connected all the dots.

“Mahir, you asshole!” you fumed, glaring at your friend as he joined you by the table. “Sloppier with age, I swear, you’re the main reason I have trust issues!”

“Main?” - he sent you a skeptical look - “What about--”

“Okay, you’re in top three, but mind you, today’s stunt alone got you five places up the table.”

“Oh no, I’m gonna cry myself to sleep tonight,” he mocked in his usual deadpan manner.

You huffed - “You better,” - mentally kicking yourself for falling for his ruse so easily. Maybe he was right. Maybe you’d lost your edge. That’s what you got for staying in one place for too long. You blinked rapidly, getting out of your head to focus on an item The Protagonist placed on the table. A small metal lock, pretty basic. No security pins, but you knew this model was made with sloppy tolerances that could give any beginner a headache.

“What’s so special about it?”

“Give it a try,” said The Protagonist and waved his hand in encouragement.

You reached to the pocket of your pants for a compact set of lockpicking tools you always had on you. Nothing fancy, rather a handy emergency set than anything serious - those were safely stored in your apartment, ready for the real work. Unlike the one you were about to do. Or so you thought.

You placed a tiny wrench at the bottom of a keyway and applied a minimal amount of tension, trying to set the first pin inside using a short hook. Trying and failing. The feedback from the tools was bizarre, like the regular laws of physics no longer applied to the lock’s mechanism.

“What in the fresh hell--” you uttered through gritted teeth, pulling out the tools to examine the peculiar lock.

Mahir smirked. “Enough pizzaz?”

“Shut up, I’m still mad at you,” you waved at him dismissively and focused back on The Protagonist, who was watching your attempts with polite interest. And a hint of a satisfied smile. “Where did you get that?”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you,” he replied, leaning back on the chair. “At least for now, that is if you’d like to reconsider our proposal.”

You nibbled on your bottom lip, drumming the fingers on the table. Mahir, you bastard. Of course he knew you wouldn’t be able to resist an offer like this. Even if that meant a certain commitment, and that wasn’t something you were particularly fond of.

“Fine,” you sighed. “But I’m gonna teach only one person.”

“Deal.”

As you shook on it, Neil left his spot by the pillar.

“That will be me.”

You nodded in agreement and asked, “What about the lock?”

“Keep it,” said The Protagonist, standing up. As if he’d share the secrets straight away. “I want to hear your thoughts on it the next time we see each other.”

“And when is that gonna be?”

He just smiled enigmatically. “Soon. Mahir - a word?”

“Is he always like that?” you asked Neil as you got up, watching the others making their way towards the exit, but he just shrugged in return.

“He’s a busy man.”

You eyed your soon-to-be student curiously, and he responded in such, although suddenly losing some of the confidence he’d had before. Even with the bruised face, he radiated with this natural charm, a soft smile and the blonde strands falling into the bright blue eyes only adding to the overall appeal.

“Sorry about the nose.”

“Thanks,” - he smirked - “can’t blame you for that though, right?”

Grinning, you extended your hand in an informal truce offering.

“No hard feelings then?”

“Not at all,” he said as your palms clapped together and you smacked each other’s arms playfully.

With any leftover tension gone, all you had to do was to discuss the schedule and a few other crucial details. Neil took some notes and promised to get everything ready over the next few days. He even offered to drive you home, but you politely turned him down. A long walk, even slightly longer than previously anticipated, seemed more tempting.

Your fingers brushed against the weird lock in your pocket and you smiled to yourself.

For the first time in months, your heart started beating a little bit faster.

(next chapter->)