#oh you’ve added. a pristine elevator.

[demynom]

The thing about the ffvii remakes is that you will enjoy them more if you’ve played the original. You will also hate them more if you’ve played the original. It is impressive.

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

Odd Hours//Getting Even

Pairing: Marcus Pike x Reader Rating: T Warnings: Cursing; Fluff; slow burn but not nearly as slow as my usual slow burns. Notes: This is uh... I don’t know, I’ve had the idea kicking around in my head for a while. Also please excuse the film trivia. I will take any excuse to talk about The Man Who Came to Dinner. I couldn’t decide on which title would suit better so I named it both. Not beta-read. Summary: You’d never spoken to the your new neighbor before, just traded friendly waves… At the oddest times. 

Your new neighbor looked very put together all of the time. Well… The couple of times that you’d seen him in passing. He was always in a suit, his tie was always straight, and his hair was always coiffed so neatly. You just assumed that he looked that good all the time. You’d seen him with a beard once, and then the next time you’d seen him, he was clean-shaven. He was gorgeous both ways, but that beard… Fuck, it had looked good. You’d never spoken to the guy before, just traded friendly waves… At the oddest times.

-- The first time you spoke to him was evidence of that. It was almost three in the morning. You’d just gotten off of work at one of your jobs at a bar. You stifled a yawn as you stepped off of the elevator and fished into your pocket for your keys. You managed to dislodge something on your way, but you didn’t notice. At least, not until you heard: “You dropped this.” You turned to see your neighbor holding out the foldable reusable bag you tended to keep in your pocket. “Oh!” You reached out, smiling, “Thank you-- I didn’t even notice.” “Sure,” He nodded, “We haven’t met, I’m in 5B.” “5A,” You jerked your thumb over your shoulder to your door. “Marcus Pike,” He held his hand out to you, and you shook it, giving him your name. “Long night?” You asked, and he chuckled, nodding. “Very.” The two of you linger for a moment longer before you nod over your shoulder, “I’ve got a couple of hungry cats to get to, so.” “Right,” Marcus nodded. “Nice to meet you.” “You, too.” You ducked into your apartment, shutting and locking the door behind yourself. You flicked the living room light on and tossed your keys into the bowl beside the door. You stepped further inside, smiling at the sight of your two Siamese cats, Princess and Pyewacket. They lifted their heads from where they were both lounging on the couch. “I met our neighbor,” You told them. Pyewacket got up, stretching before jumping off of the couch and following you into the kitchen. “Yes, he seemed very nice,” You answered the cat’s unasked question as you reached down, scratching his chin above the black moon and star patterned collar he had on. Princess slinked into the kitchen behind him, a matching pink collar around her neck. “And hello to you, too,” You murmured, “Let’s get you fed.” -- The next run-in was almost two weeks later. It was nearly noon, and you were coming off of your other job at a bookstore nearby. You ran into Marcus as he was leaving his apartment, and your brows rose. “Hi there,” he greeted, smiling. “Hey,” You shift your bag on your shoulder as you twirl your keys around your finger. “How are the cats?” You laughed a little, nodding, “They’re good. I won’t say they were happy to see me, but I fed them, so they tolerated my existence for another day.” You eyed his pristine-as-usual-suit. “Heading to work?” “Yeah, just came off of a late night. I actually just kinda...Came back to shower and change,” He absently swept his hand over his tie. “Oh, yikes,” Your brow furrowed, “What do you do?” “I work for the FBI, International Art Theft.” Your brows rose. “Wow.” “Surprised?”

“A little,” You admitted as you walked to your door, “I had my money on your being a lawyer.”

“Really?”

You lean back against your door, waving at him, “It was the suits.” 

He chuckled, “I should get going-- as long as you don’t have any stolen art in there.”

“If I did, I wouldn’t tell you, now would I?” You teased, shooting him a wink, “Have a good day, Agent, and uh-- try to get some sleep at some point.”

--

It wasn’t every day that you got a knock on your door at two in the morning. Your hackles were immediately up, and you were quiet and careful as you crept toward your door. You peered through the peephole, frowning at the sight of Agent Pike-- And one of your cats. You hurriedly flicked your light on and opened the door. “Is, uh, this one of yours?”

“Pye,” You groaned, reaching out to take Pyewacket out of Marcus’ arms, “I’m sorry-- sometimes he slips out when I come in, and-- He’s such a weirdo, he always waits right out here.” You cuddled him close to your chest, smiling a little as Pyewacket pushed his head up against your chin. “Thank you,” You added, scratching Pye under the chin, “I hope he didn’t bug you.” “No, he was pretty friendly.” Your brows rose. That was rather unlike Pyewacket. “I’ll be honest, I was a little surprised to see you holding him-- Though that was more because, you know.” “It’s like two in the morning?” Marcus asked. You laughed, nodding. “Another late night for you, Agent?” “Slightly,” Marcus admitted before reaching out and scratching Pyewacket under the chin, “But I appreciated the welcoming committee.” You smiled, glancing down at the cat as Marcus’ fingers brushed yours. “Well, I’m glad Pye could be of assistance.” “‘Pye’?” Marcus repeated, leaning in your doorway, “Like the food?” “Oh, no. It’s short for Pyewacket,” You explained, shifting the cat in your arms. “Like in Bell, Book and Candle with uh-- Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart?” He asked. You blinked up at Marcus in surprise. “Uh… Yeah,” You nodded, and laughed, “Sorry, just-- Most people don’t know that.” “I’m a fan of classic movies. --Who’s this?” Marcus looked down.

You followed his gaze, laughing, “Someone that was feeling left out. That’s Princess,” You smiled. You took a little bit of a step back as Marcus crouched down to pet her. You were suddenly acutely aware that you were in your pajamas and Marcus was still very...very suited. You couldn’t help but grin as he cooed over Princess, though. “I’m not gonna lie, you strike me as a dog guy,” You admitted. “Oh,” Marcus scooped Princess up, cradling her against his chest, “I do like dogs, don’t get me wrong, but my grandmother had a cat-- big fluffy Persian named Chester.” You were quiet for a moment, watching Marcus and Princess before you glanced into your apartment. “Do um--” You hesitated, “Do you wanna come in for a drink or something?” Frankly, standing across from a cute guy as you each held one of your cats had to be the weirdest way you had ever asked a man into your place. But it wound up with you and Marcus on your couch with a beer each having a shockingly nice conversation. You didn’t keep him long - you could tell it had been a long night for him and you didn’t want to keep him late - not to mention you had come off of a shift at the bar and you were pretty tired yourself.

Pike was out of there by 2:45 (though you’d gotten his number in your phone and yours in his by 2:42). Pyewacket trotted after him to the door. Marcus gave him one last scratch under his chin, one last look at you before he murmured, “Goodnight.”

--

Smitten was not the word you would use.  It was what you were, but you wouldn’t admit it. Hell, you barely knew the guy, had only met him a couple of times. But he seemed sweet-- and your cats liked him, that was a good sign. 

You tried not to reflect on the fact that that thought made you sound like your Great-Aunt Cecily.

You held off on using Pike’s phone number for about two weeks. Then one night, around 10:30, in the middle of a William Powell marathon on TCM, Pyewacket jumped off of your couch and trotted over to the front door. You frowned, watching him and muttering, “What the fuck, dude?” before you heard the jingling of keys. You smiled when you realized why he’d gotten up - and went out on a limb as you pulled your phone out and texted Pike:

-Either you just got home or the ghosts in the hallway are bothering my cat again

You raised your phone, snapping a quick picture of Pyewacket at the door before sending it off. You glanced down at the lone messages in the chat before you closed it, tossing your phone onto the couch cushion beside you. It didn’t stay there long, though-- it buzzed a moment later.

5B: You’ve got a great alarm cat

5B: Just how often do the ghosts in the hallway bother Pyewacket?

5B: And how many ghosts are we talking?

-Like once a week, they’re very mean to him.

-And at least two ghosts, I’m convinced

You put your phone down, figuring that that would be the end of it. You were wrong. 5B: They bug Princess, too?

-Nope, they don’t dare. No one fucks with Princess

-How’s work?

5B: Busy.  -Long day?

5B: Excruciatingly

-Sorry 😞

You winced, resting your head on your hand and considering.  Why did you use an emoji? You raised your phone and snapped a picture of Princess where she was curled up on your lap.

-You could take Princess with you next time if it’ll help?

5B: Might take you up on that. I’d prefer not to be fucked with tomorrow

You smiled. -I’ll see what I can do about a leash

5B: Very kind of you

-Anytime

--

5B: Okay, I don’t wanna be weird, but I feel like almost every time I come in around dinner time, whatever you get or are making smells delicious

You looked down at your phone as it buzzed and chuckled, picking it up from where you’d left it on the counter. 

-Not weird. Not to brag but I’m kinda the slow-cooker queen

You glanced at the slow-cooker, and the timer reading fifteen minutes left on the food you were making. It was a large batch - you’d wanted to have enough so that you could bring lunch to work at the bookstore. But there was enough to spare. You hesitated before texting,

-Hungry? 

--

Marcus brought wine, and stayed for three hours. The two of you ate dinner, did the washing up, and wound up on your couch watching It Happened One Night. Conversation flowed over most of it - you’d both seen it several times. The movie gave the two of you the chance to watch and weave in and out of conversation and film trivia without pressure. Pye and Princess curled up on the couch between you like sleepy little chaperones.

By the time he left, the bottle of wine that he’d brought was empty, and he had cat hair all over his pant legs.

“Thanks for dinner,” He turned around to face you as he stopped in the hall.

“Sure,” You leaned in your doorway, tucking your hands into the pockets of your sweatpants.

“I’ll have to have you over sometime, make us even.”

Your stomach flipped at the offer and you nodded, “I’d like that.”

--

“What’s got you out so late?”

“Work.”

“I’m guessing it’s the bar and not the bookshop?” Marcus asked as he watched you slouch against the wall of the elevator. You smiled a little tiredly. “I see those sharp skills aren’t just reserved for art thieves, Agent Pike.” He chuckled as the two of you stepped off at your floor. “What about you?” You asked. “Grabbed drinks with the team after work. We closed a case.” “Congratulations,” You smiled, “What happened?”

“It’s a slightly long story,” Marcus shrugged, “...Would you like to come in and hear about it?” “Gimme half an hour to shower and feed the babies and I’ll be right over.” --  “...Shit.” “What?” You lifted your head from his shoulder. Considering the last two times Marcus had been to yours, you hadn’t had any reservations about going over to Marcus’ in your comfy clothes. You’d shuffled over in your slippers, and when Marcus had opened the door, you’d held up a bottle of white wine. He’d grinned and told you it would pair well with the grilled cheese he was planning on making for the two of you. Without the cats between you, you and Marcus had settled close together on the couch. As the late night wore into early morning, you’d wound up tucked into his side as you talked. “It’s almost four,” He chuckled, looking away from his watch. “Oh,” You yawned widely, “I should let you get to bed.” “I’m the boss, I can get in a little late.” You smiled, tipping your head up and finding him watching you. “You don’t seem the type to abuse that power,” You teased. “Long as it doesn’t become a habit.” “Mm-mm,” You shook your head a little bit and sat up, “I don’t wanna be a bad influence. I save that for Pye and Princess.” “Can I walk you home?” You laughed and nodded as you and Marcus got up from the couch. You missed the warmth of him as soon as you were up, and you were so tempted to turn back toward him and cuddle into his chest-- if only to warm back up. You chatted a little more on your way to the door, and you tried not to overthink the way Marcus put his hand on your lower back as he opened the door for you. -- “Can you recommend a good book?” You didn’t look away from what you’re shelving, but you couldn’t help the slight flurry of butterflies in your stomach at the question. “That depends on what you’re looking for.” “Oh...Maybe something on classic film.” “That’s gonna be two aisles that way,” You nodded over your shoulder, “Back wall.” “Could you show me?” “You really don’t have anything better to do today, Agent Pike?” You teased. There was a pause before you heard him drifting closer to you. He peered over your shoulder, his breath brushing against the shell of your ear as he murmured, “Well, I was hoping I could take you to lunch, if you’ve got time.” “You trying to even out our meal score?”

You glanced up as he leaned against the shelf beside you and met your eyes. “I’m trying to spend more time with you,” He admitted, “If you’re interested.” You lowered your eyes to the books you were shelving, unable to help the smile that grew on your lips at his bluntness. “I’m interested.” 

-- 

Lunch ended with plans for Marcus to come over after your shift at the bar the following night. He dropped you back off at the bookstore and left you with a kiss on the corner of your mouth that you thought about for the rest of your shift. --

TCM was airing a Bette Davis marathon. By the time you got home, it was nearly 10:30. You showered, neatened up the apartment, cleaned as much cat hair off of the couch as you possibly could, and told Princess and Pyewacket to behave themselves. Princess blinked at you; Pyewacket flicked his tail. You texted Marcus that he could come over whenever he was ready, and there was a knock on the door ten minutes later. Marcus looked cozy in a way you hadn’t seen before - sweatpants and a t-shirt that accentuated his broad shoulders and strong arms. You stepped back and nodded him in, and grinned as he crouched down, immediately scooping up Pyewacket as he came over. --

“You know, Bette Davis wanted John Barrymore to play Whiteside,” You were cuddled against Marcus’ chest; his arm was curled around your shoulders, fingers skimming along the strap of your tank top, “But he was drinking so heavily he couldn’t remember his lines. They wound up going with Monty Wooley-- he played Whiteside on Broadway, too.” “Really?” Marcus’ question was mumbled against your temple. You nodded a little. “Mhm. Cary Grant was set to play the role at one point, but Davis was so against it that he withdrew.” “Something tells me you like this movie.” You laughed, reaching out and absently picking off a piece of cat hair off of his sweatpants. When you’d disposed of it, you rested your hand on his knee lightly, giving him a chance to shake it off. Marcus just gave your shoulder a squeeze, and you gave his knee one in turn.

-- 

The two of you watched The Man Who Came to Dinner and All About Eve. “I’m worried that I’m setting a dangerous precedent for your sleep pattern,” You sighed as the credits rolled. It was almost half past three. “Mm, don’t worry about me,” He murmured, nuzzling into your neck. You closed your eyes, shivering a little bit. “...Do you wanna stay over?” You offered, raising your hand and lightly running your fingers along Marcus’ arm. “I’d like that.” You could hear the smile in his voice. “C’mon,” You urged, patting his thigh and standing. “Should we clean up?” Marcus stood with you, looking at the empty popcorn bowl and discarded cans of beer on the coffee table. “Nah, we can deal with it in the morning,” You took hold of his hand, leading him back to your room. Marcus glanced back toward your cats, to where Princess and Pyewacket were still settled on the couch. “Do the cats sleep with you?” He asked. “Sometimes.” “They gonna be mad if I shut your door?” “They’ll get over it.”

-- It was your alarm that woke you up. You leaned across Marcus, mumbling your ‘sorry’s and shutting it off. Once you did, you leaned back down, resting your head on his shoulder and closing your eyes again. You smiled as his arm curled around your waist. “You need to go?” He mumbled. “No, just-- Forgot I had it set.” “Good.” You smiled, turning your head and nuzzling against his shoulder. “You sleep okay?” “Mhm,” He hummed, sliding his thumb along the hem of your shirt, “You should stay over at mine next time.” “So we’re even?” You blinked up at him as his fingers curled under your jaw, tipping your head up to look at him. “Things aren’t always about getting even,” He smiled sleepily down at you. “What’s it about then?” “...Why’d you ask me to stay over?” You hesitated before you pushed yourself up to lean over him, “I thought you’d look good in my bed. And whaddaya know? I was right.” Marcus laughed, using the arm wrapped around you to draw you against his chest. “You know what I’ve been thinking about?” He asked. “Mm?” “Kissing you.” Heat curls in your stomach, tingling and pleasant. “Something stopping you?” You asked. The hand on your jaw slipped down to rest on the back of your neck. His eyes darted between your eyes and your lips for a few moments before he leaned up, brushing his lips against yours. You felt that spark grow in your stomach, and you dipped your head a little closer, chasing the chaste touch. You shifted, leaning more heavily against him and resting your hand on his chest, fingers curling in the fabric of his shirt, hooking in his collar. When he pulled you closer and turned, settling you down on your back, you went easily, letting your thighs splay so that he could lay between them. You moaned quietly as your kisses became warmer, more insistent. You wrapped an arm around Marcus’ shoulders, sighing as he slipped a hand under your shirt. And then you heard a yowl at your door. You groaned quietly, dropping your head back as Marcus laughed, resting his forehead against your neck. “I told them to behave,” You whined. “Don't blame them, this is on me. I should’ve kissed you last night,” Marcus murmured against your throat. You shivered, chuckling a little. “I should feed them before they do something rude like continue to yell... or throw up in your shoes.” “Would they do that?” “Oh, god yeah. I love Princess, but she’s an asshole.” --

You reached down, setting Pye’s food dish down for him and scratching him behind the ears as he began to eat. Princess was already halfway through her food. You glanced over at your phone as it buzzed on the counter and grinned when you saw who it was.

❤️5B: How’s unpacking?

-Nearly finished. A couple of boxes left. Pye was sleeping on a stack, so I couldn’t touch it.

❤️5B: No worries, baby. On my way home. Need anything?

-Cat food and popcorn. Humphrey Boggart marathon starts at 8

❤️5B: Takeout?

-Nope, got dinner covered. ❤️5B: You’re my favorite. -Don’t let Pyewacket hear you saying that. ❤️5B: Favorite human.

-Better. Btw some couple moved in across the hall. I think they have a dog?

❤️5B: I’ll make sure Pye doesn’t get out when I come in

Tag list: @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo; @fantasticcopeaglepasta; @paintballkid711

[xlovely-daydreamsx]

an angel on my shoulder and the devil in my heart (yandere!hawks x reader) ch3

Summary: You train a bit with Hawks and ask some serious questions.

Warnings: Yandere, stalking, ns///fw-ish, more tags to be added

Note: thank you all SO much for the love and support on this fic! i’ll try to keep updates pretty regular. btw, this one is a bit longer than usual, so i hope you enjoy :)

Chapter 2 here!

This is so awkward, you think as you ride the elevator with Hawks, your back pressed against the corner. He looks at you, slightly bemused.

"Be honest," he says, pulling himself back together and giving you one of his signature smiles, "were you a fan of me before this?"

"Of course," you don't even have to think about it, "isn't every hero student a fan of yours?" His spot on the leaderboard paired with his constant publicity in magazines and news, it's hard not to find yourself interested by him. Hawks laughs, unamused.

"As if," he stares down at you, his gaze shifting over you like a machine reading a barcode, "but why do you say that?"

"Isn't it obvious? You're the number three hero for a reason, and it's not just because of your good looks."

"You think I'm good looking?" He smirks and you wave it off, cursing the heat you feel on your face.

"You know what I mean; you've got your persona down pact. Teenage girls like you because you're pretty, teenage boys like you because of your quirk," he tilts his eyebrow at you but you avert your gaze, "the adults like you because you tell the truth, even if it hurts," you finally look him in the eye, "and anyone who says they don't like you is just afraid because you say exactly what they're thinking when they'd rather ignore it." He looks almost... shocked. He knew you were good, or at least that you had the potential to be, but he realizes now that maybe you're a bit smarter than he gave you credit for in the first place.

He takes a step forward, and another, and another until he's in your space, too close for comfort and too precise to overlook as an accident.

"You really know me, kid," he says, and you're almost tired of how many times his breath against your skin has made you shiver, "but what do you think that persona covers up?" He asks. Your breath is caught in your throat- he looks scary. His eyes are big, pupils blown wide as he stares down at you, that grin of his turned into a smirk as he watches you flinch back slightly. He's intimidating, that much you're sure of, but you can't understand why a thing like that would make your stomach flip like it does or ignite a flame somewhere deep inside you, an itch you can't scratch.

Either way, you really have no idea how to respond to his question. When he's Hawks, he's straightforward but witty, charming yet provocative. You can't pin him down as one thing and he doesn't play one role more than the other. He rocks the boat, but just enough to let in a bit of water, remind the people of the ocean underneath, but why? Who is he when he isn't being a hero?

Thankfully, you don't have to answer him. The door to the elevator pings and they slide open, letting Hawks step away from you and out the door, presumably leaving behind whatever the hell that conversation was as well. You follow him wordlessly, obediently.

"This is one of the training floors in this facility," he gestures to the room around you. It's a basement leveled floor, so any light in the room comes from the overbearing white light of the LEDs above you. Two of the walls consist solely of mirrors, while the others house practice weapons, benches, and informational posters. The floors are tile, almost completely masked by padded mats. The whole room looks so pristine, you wonder if it's ever been used.

"Does anybody else even work here?" You finally ask. You've been in the building for almost a half an hour and you've only seen a single person other than Hawks. Floor after floor of office space, yet not a single desk or work station was taken by a person. Frankly, it's unsettling. Hawks just laughs.

"Of course they do, (Y/N); I just gave them the day off," his brow furrows in annoyance, like it's such a stupid question for you to ask.

"Why?" You don't bother to call out the casual use of your first name.

"Didn't want anyone getting in our way on your first day." He shrugs. "This doesn't really matter though, does it? We're wasting training time." You know Hawks is right; there's no reason for you to be upset by that- he just wanted you to have an easy first day. So why do you feel so unsettled?

Hawks sends you away to change into your hero costume, taking a seat on the bench as he waits for your return. Oh, how he'd love to accompany you, slowly slide your uniform off of your perfect body, let his hands caress your smooth skin. And your feathers- immaculate little things- soft as cotton and silky smooth, perfect for running his hands through. Of course he noticed the way it made you shake, your breath coming out in shallow puffs as you tried to stay calm. Really, you should just give in to him; he knows you must have a crush on him, what, with that speech you gave him in the elevator practically professing your love for him. 

Would you like him, he wonders, if you knew the real him? Hawks would never think the things Keigo does, would never watch you through your window or follow you home. But isn't it endearing to know how much he cares about you? Would you think so? He really just wants what's best for you, and the best thing for you is to be by his side.

This isn't really like him, though- he's never latched on to someone quite like he has with you, but you're special, he rationalizes; you're kindred spirits, his angelic pair, his soulmate. Your gold and white wings were crafted by God to carry you to him and no further. You're not Icarus, no, your wings won't melt away, but if you fly too far away from home, away from Hawks, they certainly might break. Or, at least, he'll have to break them for you.

"Hawks- uh, Mr. Hawks?" Your timid voice pulls him away from his thoughts. You're standing in the doorway, arms crossed over your chest, and Hawks can't help but give you a once-over. Your hero outfit is a bit odd, in his opinion- it's more stylized than most he's seen. Your top consists of what looks like a golden breastplate, and your shoulder pads, elbow pads, and knee pads are all fashioned in the same greek armor style. Underneath your armor top is a white tunic, which moves downward towards your skirt and cuts off in the back, leaving the front a bit shorter than the rest. Your legs are protected by a chainmail pair of leggings. On the top of your head rests a golden laurel wreath, with a white wing protruding from each side. 

Cute, cute, cute, Hawks thinks to himself, a smile back on his face, my own little greek goddess.

"I'd tell you it's just Hawks, but hearing you stumble around 'mister hawks' is almost too entertaining to pass up." You have the audacity to look annoyed at him; it's hardly intimidating, "hey, if it's that upsetting, you could always call me Keigo." His smug face stares up at you from its place rested in his hands and you scoff.

"Thanks, but I like to keep the professional titles for at least a day."

He shrugs, "your loss," and stands up from his bench. "I think we should spar first, just to give me an idea of your skill." He wrings his neck and stretches out his shoulders, giving them a little shake.

"Sounds good to-" your cut off as a red feather whizzes past your face and you duck to the ground. It lodges itself neatly into the wall behind you. "Are you kidding me?"

"What? I said we're sparring." Okay, maybe it's because he's a little upset you won't call him Keigo, but he did technically give you a warning.

"That could've hit me!" You reply as you push yourself back up and into a fighting stance.

"Yeah, but it didn't," another feather shoots past you and you easily move out of the way, circling Hawks, "and do you think a villain is gonna give you a heads up? No," another, and then another feather and you barrel roll, one of them narrowly missing your face, "so now you're more prepared! You should be thanking me."

"I think you talk too much," you reply simply. You move up into a crouch and push forward, aiming to get close enough to at least get a hit on Hawks. He watches you, slightly bemused and launches another feather, this one sticking into the ground and effectively pinning your skirt, pulling you face forward into the floor with your own momentum. Two more lodge themselves into the sides of your hero suit, keeping you against the ground.

"Well I think," You can hear the smirk in his voice as he comes and nudges you with his foot, "that I just kicked your ass in three seconds.”

"Definitely not one of my best matches," you agree, and he lets up his feathers. 

My poor hero suit, you sigh as you eye the holes, big enough to fit you hand through. Only one day as an intern and you'll already need a patch job.

"I can't say I'm impressed," Hawks offers you a hand and pulls you to your feet, "but I didn't expect you to do well." He laughs at your indignant 'hey,' and continues. "C'mon, you couldn't have thought you'd win against Japan's best hero."

"I didn't know I was fighting All Might." 

"Yeah, yeah," he waves you off. "Do you only fight hand-to-hand?" You nod.

"My quirk isn't built for offense like yours is." Hawks looks you up and down, a hand on his chin as he contemplates.

"Have you considered using a support weapon?" Your eyes go wide. That's actually really smart. "I could talk to our support department about getting something together for you..." he pauses again, thinking, but exclaims, "I can get you a sword and train you; we'll be one of those dynamic duos!" He grabs you by the shoulders and shakes. He wants you to be as excited as he is, wants you to at least smile for god's sake. If you've got wings on your back, his sword by your side, and his agency under your belt, there'll be no mistaking who you belong to.

"I'm not sure I'd be any good at that," you look to the ground, a stray hand coming to nervously scratch at your neck. 

"With me as your teacher? You'll be an ace," his hands don't move from their place on your shoulders and he gives them a possessive squeeze, "plus, it'll match your costume."

"...I guess I can try it, then," you comply and he beams, white teeth shining brighter than the sun. You know you'll make a fool out of yourself, you're certain of it, but the way he looks at you makes you feel like it might not matter how bad you are; he'll help you through it. You can't stop yourself from smiling back; you think you made the right decision choosing Hawks as your mentor.

You spend the rest of the afternoon practicing hand-to-hand combat, having your ass thoroughly kicked by Hawks every time. Every time you thought you might beat him, you ended up face first on the mat, Hawks sitting on your back and pinning your arm. 'I win again' he whispered, a little too close for comfort before letting go and helping you up. By the time Hawks elected that you had been beat enough, the sun was already down outside.

"Let me walk you home," Hawks holds the big glass door open for you as you exit, the lights flickering off inside and obscuring his face, "it's a gentleman's duty." You let out a chuckle.

"I don't wanna trouble you-" he raises a hand to silence you.

"It's really no trouble at all, kid," you feel like the conversation is over- Hawks has already made up his mind; he's going to walk you home.

“...alright, then,” you compromise again, following him like a dog down the road.

The streetlights illuminate the both of you as you stroll down the empty roads, your voices carrying in the silence of the night. Hawks has elected this as no-work time, so he asks you silly questions about yourself: what's your favorite color, favorite food, things like that. He seems happy to get to know you, and indulges your own questions about his interests.

He likes when you smile, he decides, as you laugh at one of his jokes. Whenever you notice him staring, you cover your mouth, but your laugh is so pretty and genuine; he can't understand why you would be embarrassed by it. Although, he can't help the twinge in his gut that wants you to save your smiles and your laugh just for him, or the anger that bubbles up when he thinks of someone else getting to see you like this, lit up by the yellow glow of the streetlights. So pretty and all his.

He says goodnight to you at the door, waving to you like he won't be outside your window for the rest of the night.

If you like my work, please consider supporting me on ko-fi!

[svu-ncis-criminalminds]

Undercover Part 2

Part 1

Here’s part two of our story. I hope you all enjoy it, let me know! 

Your brother and sister-in-law were as tolerable as they can be on the taxi ride to the resort the wedding was at and where you’d be staying. When you got there though the bile rose in your throat at the sight of your mother, sister, and her soon to be husband waiting for you. Sonny felt you tense up next to him and grabbed your hand squeezing it gently.

“Alright?” He asked, nudging his shoulder into yours.

“Alright.” You breathed.

You got out of the car and braced for impact.

“Y/N!” Your mother called, coming to you. You didn’t expect a hug, your mother wasn’t the hugging type, but she did grasp the front of your sweater tugging when you got to you. “You wore this on the plane?”

“I’m comfortable.”

“You can be comfortable and fashionable, it’s possible.” Stopping yourself from pinching the bridge of your nose out of frustration you just nodded and stepped back.

“Mom you’ve met Sonny, my partner, he’s also now my boyfriend,” The words felt funny in your mouth, but they made you smile slightly every time you said it. “Sonny, you remember my mother.”

“Call me Monica, please.” She greeted, and Sonny put down your suitcase to out stretch his hand just like he did for Cody and Anna. Surprisingly your mother took it with a tight lipped smile, the most you could usually elicit from her.

“Monica, good to see you again.” He was so good with people, you admired that about him daily on your job as he talked to victims and witnesses, but it was different watching him try it on your mother. Finally the attention turned to your sister who was practically bursting from her skin waiting to talk about herself and the wedding.

“Hey Maddison.” You greeted.

“Y/N. Y/N’s boyfriend.” You wanted to snap at her that he had a name but it was late and you were tired.

“Are you hungry?” Your mother asked, glancing at you up and down. “The buffet has a salad bar.” You wanted to scream.

“Mostly tired. We’ll call in some room service.” Your mother continued to eye you but shrugged. She handed you the key and everybody wished everybody a goodnight before you practically dragged Sonny into the hotel and towards the elevator. Once again from prying eyes you dropped your shoulders and groaned.

“They’re not that bad..” Sonny tried to assure you but you just shook your head.

“They are,”

“Okay so they are. But I see a pool and a hot tub. And we’re gonna get some room service, and we’re gonna relax for the first time in a long time. I even got a new bathing suit!” You snorted. You got to your room and used the key card to let yourself in, Sonny let out a low whistle.

“I’m sorry, are we the ones getting married.”

“Not yet,” You don’t know where the comment came from but you flushed and Sonny laughed, going to flop down on the nice big king sized bed wrapped in pristine white linens. There was a sofa area and a balcony with big windows overlooking the ocean. It was gorgeous. You peaked into the bathroom and saw your plan for the evening.

“I want a bath.” Sonny came up to your side and whistled again.

“That’s a pool, doll.”

Sonny found the room service menu and sprawled out on the bed, you perching next to him to read over his shoulder.

“Is this on your ma’s dime? If so I want the lobster.” You smirked.

“Make it two.” You wound up getting two entrees and a couple apps to split and a big bottle of white wine. The food arrived fast and it was hot and delicious, exactly what you needed. You two sat on the bed facing each other and eating and drinking. The wine was going to your head and you felt giggly and light, swaying slightly as you laughed at one of Sonny’s impersonations of your siblings. He always knew how to make sure you were having a good time. Sonny was drunk too, you could tell by his flushed cheeks and the fact that his usually kept hair was a mess from running his fingers through it. You wondered if you’d have the chance to do that.

“Hey,” Sonny broke your thought and brought your attention away from his hair.

“Huh,”

“Why ya staring at me?” He asked wiggling his brows, and you smiled, shoving the last bite of calamari into your mouth.

“I like your hair messy,” You admitted and Sonny’s blush on his cheeks deepened and spread to his ears. Suddenly a light went on and he grinned.

“You still want that bath?”

“Oh, I forgot. Yeah?” Sonny leapt up.

“Put on your bathing suit.” He pointed at you, staggering over to his own suitcase and opening it hastily.

“What?” You almost squeaked.

“You think you’re gonna have all the fun? There’s another bottle of wine in the mini fridge, we can drink it in the tub. It’s got jets, Y/N. Jets.” He was serious. Oh my god, he was serious?

“You’re serious?”

He stopped, bathing suit in hand as he looked at you, he shrugged and smiled almost sheepishly.

“Why not? When will we get the chance again.” He was right, when would you get the chance again to pretend you both were in love.

“Alright.” Sonny grinned and walked towards the bathroom.

“Get changed and get the wine, I’ll get the bath ready.” Bath ready. Bath with Sonny. The door to the bathroom shut to let you change in peace and you felt your head spin. Slowly you got up and went to your suitcase, opening it and taking out one of the bathing suits you brought. You glanced around the room and listened as the sound of running water started from the bathroom. You breathed in deep and stood up, changing quickly. You stood, feeling exposed briefly before your nervousness was replaced by giddiness. You grabbed the bottle of wine from the fridge, ignoring the price tag. You knocked on the bathroom door and Sonny called back, “Come in,”

You opened the bathroom door and stepped in before closing it behind you. The room was steamy from the hot water of the tub, which was still filling up with water and the bubbles Sonny added.

“Bubbles?” You grinned. Sonny grabbed the bottle of wine from you and set it next to the tub.

“Only the best for you.” Sonny looked at you, eyes briefly glancing down and over your body before training on your eyes again like it didn’t happen. And maybe it didn’t and you were imagining things.

“You’re too good to me.” You murmured and Sonny chuckled. He grabbed your hand while you got in the tub so you ‘didn’t slip’ before climbing in on the other side so you were facing each other. The tub was huge, plenty big for you to both sit, legs only touching. I mean there was so much leg on Sonny you weren’t surprised by the contact, but you were surprised about the heat it brought to your gut. Sonny took a big gulp of wine right from the bottle before passing it over to you. You drank from it and allowed the alcohol and hot water to ease some of the tension from you.

Sonny shifted down in the bathtub, so just his upper chest and head were above the bubbles. This meant more of those long legs pressed against yours. You flushed, thankful for the room being hot so it would be barely noticeable.

You handed the bottle over to Sonny who happily drank from it before waving it around slightly.

“This is really something, Y/N, I feel so high class, I didn’t know you were rich.” You winced slightly at his words giving a small shrug.

“They’re rich. I’m not. My mother didn’t agree with my major so she didn’t pay for college. I moved out when I was 19 and stopped taking any money from them. Not that they ever really offered it, besides the occasional condescending remark about borrowing capital. Whatever,” You shrugged, “That’s family for ya,” Sonny handed the bottle back your way, frowning slightly.

“No family doesn’t do that. You’ve got plenty of good family back home. Me, Fin, Rollins, Liv and even Barba on his good days” You smiled at that, sipping again from the bottle.

“You’re right.” Sonny grinned.

“Course I am, I always am. Though your sister-in-law is right” He said gravely.

“About?”

“Two detective salaries, I can’t let you borrow capital.” He mimicked your mothers fake voice and you snorted, shaking your head. You were happy while stuck on a family trip. Something that hadn’t ever happened before to your knowledge, and it was all because of Sonny Carisi.

“Thank you,” You smiled, passing the bottle back to Sonny who took it happily, you watched him drink, adam's apple bobbing. You swallowed. This was getting to be too much.

“Anytime, Y/N.”

“You wanna be my boyfriend anytime?” You asked, unsure why you would ask that. You knew the answer. And yet Sonny faltered, mouth slightly open as he looked at you. There was something there for a moment. Your eyes met over the expanse of water and bubbles between you before it all came to a rude and sudden end. Someone was pounding on your hotel room door.

“What the hell?” Sonny asked, “Don’t move.” He jumped out of the bath and you gaped at him for a second. Wet and glistening, his muscles were tense from the sudden interruption. You imagined your hands on those - cut it out you shook your head watching him wrap a towel around his waist before going out of the bathroom and to the door. The pounding never stopping. Sonny looked into the peep hole and quickly opened it.

“Monica?”

“Where is my daughter!” She part shrieked part sobbed.

“Mom?” You gasped quickly getting out of the tub and wrapping a towel around yourself in time for her to burst into the bathroom.

“Y/N!” She barely even glanced at the fact that you and Sonny had been found both seemingly bathing together.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” You asked, one hand holding the towel up, one hand going to her arm. Sonny stood in the bathroom doorway, eyes wide.

“Your sister! Oh god it’s horrible, we need to go to hospital you need to come!” She cried. Your eyes shot open wide and you shook your mom slightly.

“What? What’s wrong?” Sonny was already moving out of the doorway so you could push past him to go get dressed. “Mom, did you call 911?”

“No, Ed is going to drive her.”

“Why is her fiance waiting for me??” You cried, turning away from your mother and Sonny, damn them both, before ripping your swimsuit top off and tossing it. You kept your back to them as you pulled on a t-shirt. You kept the towel around your waist and took your bottoms off before pulling on a pair of jeans and letting the towel drop. When you turned around the bathroom door opened and Sonny came out in a pair of jeans before grabbing a t-shirt. Your mother was standing with the door to your suite open, she ushered you both out.

` You could hear your sister's shrill voice carrying down the hallway as she screamed at her fiance but you couldn’t quite make out exactly what the argument was until you got to the door and your mother let you in. You stopped dead in your tracks, first shock washed over your, then anger, then you burst out laughing. Everyone in the room turned on you.

“It’s not funny!” Your mother cried.

“Mom!” Your sister screamed.

“Don’t laugh at your sister!” Your father scolded. You nodded, raising your hands in defeat.

“Alright I’m sorry, it just.. Took me by surprise!” In front of you your sister was crying through red and puffy eyes. And a red and puffy everything else. You continued to try not to smile.

“It looks like an allergic reaction to me.”

“Of course it is,” Your brother snapped at you, “We didn’t call you in here because you’re a doctor, Y/N.” You glared. “We need to go to the hospital. She needs steroids if she’s going to want to look normal by the wedding.” Your sister burst back into hysterics.

“Okay?” You asked, glancing at your mother who was trying to console her, “Well I’m here, now go to the hospital,”

“You’re coming.”

“Why! I can’t drive, I've been drinking.” Your mother patted your sisters back.

“We’re going as a family! Your sister needs support!”

“Oh lord, okay fine alright we’ll all go. You go in Ed’s car, Sonny and I will order a cab and meet you there in like 20 minutes. Alright?” You asked, grabbing a box of tissues and handing them to your sister, “Come on, let’s get moving.” It was a fiasco getting your family down to the lobby and out to the rental car. You got everyone packed in and closed the door, leaning in the open window. “We will meet you there.”

“Be fast!” Your mother called from the backseat with your sister before the car pulled out with a screech leaving you and Sonny standing in the quiet and dimly lit parking garage. You turned and looked at Sonny who had wide eyes, making you laugh.

“Sorry about.” You waved your arms around, “Everything. I wish I could tell you that my family isn’t always like this but… we kinda are.” Sonny shook his head, brows knitting together.

“Don’t apologize. It’s.. I mean it’s entertaining.” You laughed at that, pulling your phone out to order yourself an uber to the hospital before your mother had a conniption fit.

“That’s one way to put it, sure.”

---

Tags : @thejediprincess56 

[thatbloodymuggle]

the one with the slumber party

Tongue Tied (jj maybank) 3/?

masterlist

word count: 3.3k

warnings: cursing (but when isn’t there any)

read it on wattpad

playlist

-

"That's what, a three-story fall to the deck? I give you about a one in three chance of survival."

Rosie watched from her spot on the wooden railing of the deck of the under-construction house as John B waved his foot off the edge of the roof.

John B hummed in contemplation, "Should I do it?"

"Yeah, you should jump," Pope held up a drill as if it were a gun, "I'll shoot you on the way down."

"You're gonna shoot me?" John B held up his hands to form the shape of a gun.

"Yeah"

Rosie laughed at her friends' banter and took a sip from her half-empty can of beer. Before John B could do anything stupid, Kie sauntered out onto the deck.

"They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers," she cried with a look of disgust.

"Of course they would, why wouldn't they?" JJ piped up from his spot on an elevated board. Kie continued ranting about turtle habitats, but was drowned out by JJ, "I can't have cold towels!"

Kie paused and gave John B, who was still teetering on the edge of the roof, a judging stare, "Can you please not kill yourself?"

"No no, let him. I believe in you, JB! Spread your wings and fly!" Rosie giggled, swinging her legs back and forth. John B shot her a devious grin.

"Don't spill that beer," JJ eyed his friend on the roof, "I'm not giving you another one."

As if on cue, John B nearly lost his balance and dropped the can of beer onto the deck below. The dark liquid spilled across the deck with a loud clatter, "Oh, shit."

"Of course you did."

"Smooth"

"Might as well jump now!"

"Dumbass"

John B groaned in distress as his friends laughed at him. He was saved from their torment by the screech of wheels against concrete.

"Hey!"

Rosie's eyes shot towards the driveway and widened upon spotting a familiar, plump security guard. She hopped off the railing just as Pope called out to the others, "Hey, uh, guys? Security's here!"

Pope, Rosie, Kie, and JJ all moved to clear out while John B lingered for a moment longer.

"Humpty Dumpy! Let's roll," JJ called out to grab his attention.

While the group of Pogues climbed down from their spots around the deck, JJ continuously taunted the security guard, Gary, drawing even more unnecessary attention.

"JJ, shut up," Rosie lightly shoved the blond to get him moving. "Let's go!"

The teenagers wove their way through the poles and wooden planks littered around the house, cheering the whole way. Rosie laughed as Pope nearly tripped over a pole. This time JJ shoved her to keep her moving.

The next 20 seconds were a shit show, to say the least. Sprinting full speed towards one exit, only to turn abruptly go to the next. Running into multiple security guards and escaping their clammy grip. Trying not to get caught, but also having fun doing so. The more the old men shouted after them, the more the teenagers laughed. They jumped one by one over a newly-constructed wooden fence. Rosie hauled up Pope, who fell face-first onto the grass.

John B's van pulled out into the street with perfect timing. JJ, Rosie, and Pope hopped into the large car one by one. They all cheered in victory once John B zoomed off, leaving the guards in the dust. But the moving van didn't discourage Gary the security guard, who continued to chase after them on foot.

"Check out Gary gunnin' for a raise," Pope laughed.

JJ stuck his head out of the door with a grin, "Come on Gary!"

"You're gonna give him a heart attack," Kie warned him, but couldn't contain her laughter.

JJ turned back to John B driving the car, "Hey slow down." The van slowed, allowing the old man to catch up, but not enough. "You're so close, you can do it!" JJ taunted him, and tossed him his empty beer can, "there you go!"

"Stop, JJ, Stop."

Kie yanked the blond boy back inside the van as she began to feel bad for the security guard.

"He's gonna go into cardiac arrest if you keep it up," Rosie added, sliding the side door of the van shut.

"Oh come on, that sort of initiative is just begging to be punished," JJ protested but let her close the door regardless.

Adrenaline still pumped through Rosie's veins. She subconsciously bounced in her seat in excitement. The teenagers fell into scattered conversation as John B drove through the Figure Eight. Rosie stared out the windows at the pristine white houses and matching boats. She often forgot that she had once lived the Kook life when her father was still around. It was so long ago now—nine years—that she tended to forget that part of her life ever existed. Slowly the white mansions morphed into wooden shacks and unmowed lawns.

The Cut. Her home.

"Where we goin'?" John B called out to his friends.

"The Wreck for me and Rosie," Kie replied.

Rosie sent her a soft smile. She was lucky to be working alongside one of her best friends, but Rosie knew that she'd have to start working full-time soon. The money she'd saved for the past few years was good for now, but certainly wouldn't last forever.

"Got it. Pope, JJ, how does touron-hunting sound?" John B glanced back at his guy friends with a devious grin.

"Perfect. They're just in season, too," JJ smirked, earning a slap in the gut from both Kie and Rosie.

"I mean, I don't have a choice, do I?" Pope laughed.

"Nope," JJ and John B spoke in unison just as the van pulled into Kie's dad's restaurant.

"And this is where we part ways," Kie slid the van door open and jumped out, quickly followed by Rosie.

"Don't do anything too stupid," Rosie added. She gave a pointed look to JJ, who raised his arms in surrender.

"Can't promise anything," JJ taunted before closing the car door again, effectively cutting them off. The beat-up van pulled out of the parking lot and drove off down the road—most likely towards the beach full of clueless tourists.

"Boys," Kie shook her head and laughed. The two girls entered the restaurant for their night shift.

The rather large restaurant was nearly empty apart from an old couple sitting in the far corner. But the peace and quiet didn't fool the two girls. 4:30 PM was the prime time to get ready for the dinner rush.

"You're late," Kie's dad peeked his head out from the kitchen with a glare. The teenagers made their way to the back of the shop and into the kitchen.

"Sorry, Mike, we completely lost track of time," Rosie put on her infamous puppy dog eyes. She grabbed her apron from the wall rack. "It won't happen again!"

Kie's dad scoffed, "Yeah. That's likely," he shook his head at the two. "Just finish up meal prep, and I might forget you were late."

As he walked to the table with the older couple, Kie turned to face her friend, "You are such a suck-up, Rosie. I don't understand how you do it."

"Years of practice with these babies," Rosie fluttered her eyes before widening them again to resemble those of a kicked puppy.

Kiara rolled hers, "Yeah, yeah. Might've worked this time, but they won't save us from my dad again if we don't start chopping tomatoes."

Rosie nodded in agreement and the teenagers set to work, chatting the entire time.

Dinner service went off without a hitch. Before anyone knew it, the last customers had exited the restaurant leaving the Carrera's and Rosie. As they got ready to close up, the previously boring news report on the TV suddenly became interesting.

"Hurricane Agatha is moving closer to the coastal Carolina's as we speak. Citizens are advised to take shelter and brace themselves for the storm. We'll likely see the worst of it tomorrow evening," the voice of the reporter reverberated throughout the restaurant. Rosie frowned and looked out the window to see that it was, in fact, raining.

"Well shit," Kie mumbled.

"That doesn't look good," Rosie added.

Kiara's dad redirected the teenagers' attention from the TV screen, "We're good to lock up now. Don't bother coming in tomorrow," he nodded his head from Rosie to the news report. "Do you need a ride home?"

Rosie gratefully accepted his offer to avoid a miserable walk through the rain. The rest of the night went by in the blink of an eye and before she knew it, Rosie was passed out face-first, still fully clothed, on her bed.

-

Rosie spent almost the entirety of the next day prepping for the oncoming storm, napping and reading. It was by far her most boring day in the Cut since she'd returned a few days earlier. The wind and rain were picking up rapidly, causing anxiety to erupt in her stomach. Rosie wasn't afraid of storms, but she'd never had to wait one out alone. She reached for her phone to call John B and ask if she could spend the night at the Chateau, but there was no signal. The girl tried to calm herself by picking up another book, but the howling wind and pouring rain made it impossible.

Frustrated, she slammed the book down and grabbed her dad's old raincoat from the coatrack. Rosie went to pick up her car keys but decided against driving. Her car was parked in a safe place now, and she certainly couldn't afford a new one if it were to get destroyed.

With an exaggerated huff, Rosie zipped the massive coat up to her chin and threw the hood over her head. The layer of protection proved useless as soon as she opened her door. The piercing wind blew her hood back and rain pelted her face and hair.

"You've got to be kidding me," she grumbled to herself.

It was difficult to see more than 10 feet in front of her, but Rosie forced herself to continue onwards. The thought of the Chateau and a warm set of sweatpants from John B motivated her to break out into a run. The sooner she got there, the better.

In just ten minutes, Rosie had reached the old fisher shack. She sighed in relief. For a moment, she thought she'd get blown away by the wind and never be seen again. The teenager broke into a sprint and didn't stop until she was at the front door. She took off her coat and swung the unstable door open.

Sure enough, there sat John B on the striped couch with his partner in crime, JJ.

"You can walk, Rosie. It'll be fine, Rosie. Don't take your car, Rosie," the girl strode into the room, "God, I'm so fucking dumb!" she cried. She tried to wring out the water from her soaked hair but to no avail.

"Hey, we actually agree on something!" JJ shouted with a stupid grin. He held up his hand awaiting a high-five, only for Rosie to swiftly hit him upside his head.

John B tried not to laugh at her drowned-rat appearance, but his attempts were futile. She really did look horrendous. "Here," he tossed her a nearby towel.

Rosie took it graciously and began to dry off her hair. "At least one of you is helpful. Do you have any spare sweatpants and a shirt I can borrow?"

"You're staying?" John B asked, only to get a smack upside his head like JJ.

"What, you'd rather me go back out into that?" Rosie screeched.

"What? No, I meant—

"Yes."

"—shut up JJ—of course, you can spend the night. I'll go grab you some clothes," John B rushed off to his room and away from the fuming girl.

Rosie huffed and turned to face JJ, who was still wearing a smug grin.

"Of course, you're enjoying this," she glared at the unfazed blond.

Before he could retaliate, John B came rushing back into the room with a pair of grey sweatpants and a tie-dye shirt.

"Here," he handed them to the soaking girl.

She snatched them and rushed to the bathroom to get out of her soaking clothes. The oversized pants were instantly warming as she slid them up her shivering legs. Rosie pulled the large t-shirt over her head and attempted to detangle her hair with her fingers. 'Of course, John B wouldn't own a brush,' she thought to herself. Once she'd deemed her appearance half-acceptable, she folded her wet clothes into a neat pile and exited the bathroom.

Now warm and dry, Rosie fell back onto the comfy striped-couch next to John B with a sigh.

"Better?" he laughed.

"Much."

JJ and John B carried on with whatever conversation they were having. Rosie let her eyes flutter shut and her body sink into the couch. She was just on the verge of sleep when John B's voice pulled her back,

"Oh my God, our 7th-grade yearbook photos were legendary. Pope had that huge zit that looked like a third eye, my head was shaved, you had that massive black eye, and Rosie was missing one of her front teeth!" John B and JJ howled in laughter as they reminisced on their past.

"Yeah, thanks to Blondie, over here. Do you have any idea how much money it costs to replace a missing tooth?" Rosie grumbled with her eyes still closed.

"That was one of my finer moments. Golf ball to the face? Genius. And it wasn't even on purpose. I'm just naturally that good," JJ praised himself as if 'unintentionally' injuring her was an art.

"Yeah, 'cause your black eye was so much cuter," Rosie scoffed, now opening her eyes to look at JJ. "Soccer ball to the face is fucking classic."

John B laughed at his bickering best friends. Having met the boys in 4th grade, Rosie had so many priceless memories with them. Rosie transitioned from a Kook private school to the Pogue public one after the death of her dad, and they were the first (and only) friends she made. Rosie didn't mind the transition—she and her mother had always been Pogues at heart with a Kook father and husband. But switching schools is never easy. Truth be told, Rosie, JJ, John B, and Pope hadn't changed much since elementary school. In part because they grew up together, but also because they still had a similar childlike inkling for adventure.

"How did your feud even start?" John B asked with an amused grin.

"He broke my arm."

"She broke my nose."

"Well yeah, we all know about that. But it started before then," John B laughed. His two friends both stared at him like he was crazy. "Like, JJ. Obviously you pushed Rosie off her bike and broke her arm for a reason," he tried to explain further.

"I dunno, cooties?" JJ shrugged.

John B rolled his eyes but dismissed the subject regardless. Instead, the group continued reminiscing on their favorite stories growing up together. The more they talked, the louder the storm raged and the darker the sky grew. The lights flickered before going out completely, leaving the three teenagers in darkness.

"I think that's a sign," John B sighed. "It's getting late anyway."

JJ and Rosie both nodded in agreement. Rosie suddenly realized how tired she was.

"I got spare room," JJ announced, walking off towards the room in the back of the shack.

"I'll take the couch then," Rosie yawned, searching for a blanket.

"Rosie, you can't sleep in here," John B said.

She furrowed her brows, "What? Why not?"

He gave her an incredulous look, "Um, hello? Raging storm? Room surrounded by windows and an unstable door? No way," he pulled her off the couch.

"Well, where am I supposed to sleep then?" Rosie frowned. A smirk tugged at John B's lips and realization dawned upon her. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open, "No. Absolutely fucking not. I will not be sleeping with JJ," she cried. Rosie ignored the muffled laughter coming from the bedroom JJ was in.

"Don't be so dramatic. It's a big bed, and it's just one night. You'll be fine. And if one of you kills the other, I'll take full responsibility," John B called out while walking backwards towards his own bedroom.

"Why can't I just sleep in yours?" she whined.

"Because my bed's a twin. Suck it up, buttercup. Sweet dreams!" John B laughed and shut the door to his room, leaving Rosie alone in the hallway.

The girl groaned, but trudged towards the spare bedroom, nevertheless. JJ was already underneath the covers in the middle of the bed with a dumb grin.

"Slumber party!" he shrieked in a feminine voice.

"You make sleeping outside in a hurricane sound more appealing," Rosie grumbled. She attempted to shove his body over to one side of the bed, but he wouldn't budge.

"Move."

"No."

"Move!"

"Ask nicely. What's the magic word?"

"Please move, you brainless fool."

JJ scooted a few inches to the right giving Rosie about 1/3 of the bed. She readied herself to physically haul him over, but was far too tired. Instead, she made a show of getting under the covers, making sure he could sense her displeasure.

"Bastard," she mumbled.

Rosie turned so her back was facing the boy and closed her eyes, hoping to fall asleep as soon as possible. They immediately shot back open as she felt an arm drape itself over her waist.

She violently slapped JJ away, "Absolutely not!"

"Aw, don't be a party pooper, Rosie. We're having a slumber party! You can't have a slumber party without cuddling," the blond laughed, tightening his grip around her.

"I don't cuddle with idiots," she hissed and attempted to push his arm away. He wouldn't budge, and she quickly grew tired of pushing. Rosie paused for a moment to recollect her strength, before trying to push JJ off again.

"Hmmph, someone needs to hit the gym," JJ mumbled into his pillow. Rosie sighed and gave up her struggle. She'd just wait for him to eventually move his arm instead.

But minutes passed, and JJ's arm remained around the girl's waist. JJ's heavy breathing soon turned into soft snores, and Rosie felt his grip begin to relax slightly. She decided to seize the opportunity and lifted his arm. Just as she began to move it away from her body, the boy shifted in his sleep. He subconsciously retightened his grip, this time pulling her even closer than before so that her back was against his chest as if she were a teddy bear.

Rosie stiffened, but the body heat radiating off of JJ and the steady beat of his heart against her shoulder were undeniably soothing. The tired girl gave in and relaxed in his grip. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and she felt herself slipping from consciousness. In a matter of seconds, Rosie was lulled to sleep by the sweet sound of the raging storm outside and JJ's soft snores.

And what a good sleep it was.

-

taglist:

@tangledinsparkles @lovelymaybankk @my--heroine @thelonelyumbrella @floretsoleil​ @flick24​ @books-netflix-and-pizza​

-

this chapter was mainly filler and def not my best work, but I tried to make it cute at the end :)

[ragnarachael]

the valiant arsonist — worry

Pairing: Loki x TVA Agent!Reader

Word Count: 2,273

Summary: You're not sure what to do with the new found information Loki's given you, and you meet what seems to be a new hire.

Note(s): this is part two of WHO KNOWS HOW MANY also the gif has nothing to do with the content of my fic,,,, i just love watching it and watched it for like.. 5 mins before adding it on here. (also shoutout to @klargreeves for their loki post about how he’s the reason behind Julius Caesar getting stabbed!! it’s mentioned briefly in this piece!) 

file no. 1 file no. 2 (you are here)

"You're going to what?" You asked suddenly, panic starting to flood through your veins. Loki just stayed still, the smirk on his face still evident as the sunlight from the singular window beamed down onto his pale skin.

"You heard me, darling," he stated. "I don't believe it needs repeating."

You tried to form words, but every time you opened your mouth, shock took over and made you silent.

"Be sure to keep that mouth shut, pet, or I'll readily find another use for it," Loki quipped from his seat, his smirk only growing as you recoiled in disgust from his comment.

"Why would you be burning this place to the ground?"

"Is it not obvious? Your team has captured me. I would rather be out in the world continuing my personal vendetta and not continue to be locked up in this Hel you deem as your place of work." You blinked at the God as you started to slowly stand from your seat. "I thought your kind were smarter than this."

"Well," you started, stepping around your chair to push it back in how you found it as you tried to ignore the gravity of his reply. "We are."

Loki scoffed out a laugh that definitely shook you to your core. "Now that, I beg to differ, darling. Just because you are simply a researcher does not mean you're knowledgeable."

To say that his comment hurt you would be an understatement.

"Stop with the nicknames. Just—Just stop," you demanded weakly, taking in a shaking breath as you tried to stand up straight, squaring your shoulders again. "Is there anything else you have planned?"

"Like I would tell you," Loki replied easily, the smirk finally going away to be replaced with a venomous smile.

You sighed quietly and found your hands rubbing your face for a moment.

"This has been... enlightening," you finally began, forcing a kind smile at Loki. "Thank you for your response, Loki. We'll be in touch."

You turned to leave before you could even get a reply, twisting the doorknob and pressing against the door again once you were on the other side, feeling like you could finally, finally breathe clean air.

Loki was quick to get under your skin and make you even more anxious about speaking with him than you were to begin with. Maybe that's what he had as powers.

Maybe.

Or, perhaps he was just a huge prick from some kind of family of Gods.

Regardless, you had little time for recovery as you could hear the radio's the security guards used coming from the opposite end of the hall. So, you pulled yourself together and made it seem like you were checking on the guards to see that they were back from their break.

After giving a brief welcome back to the men you smiled and walked back into the sea of desks, easily navigating to your own before looking through your small stack of files to dig up your research.

Loki's voice was still echoing in your head.

I'm going to burn this place to the ground.

It still made you shudder, even thinking about the smirks and smiles he gave you when you two conversed. Frankly, you could feel the hair on your arms standing up just thinking about it.

This also made you realize that no one noticed where you had gone. It was suspicious for sure. Everyone who worked at the TVA knew who was doing what at all times.

Maybe you were actually sneaky enough.

You grabbed a pen and started to manually write down everything you could remember from your visit with Loki, ignoring the painful scratch of the pen tip against the paper as your writing speed picked up.

Once you had finished transcribing the conversation in your notes, it finally crossed your mind that you were right.

Loki is planning something. And your director didn't believe you.

You could tell her, but that was at the cost of admitting how you got that information...

Or, you could just sit back and watch what would happen while the rest of the group figured a plan of attack to get Loki to talk and admit to his actions.

Sighing, you closed your research files and started to reach for the file that held all of Loki's time disturbances, deciding that you should brush up on the information and not actually believe anything this man says.

He is a criminal, afterall.

The manila folder was thick. Thicker than you remembered from the first time you had discovered the slight disruptions in the multiverse, and you wouldn't be too shocked if there was another folder to accompany the first one.

Upon opening the folder, you saw what little profiling the TVA had on Loki. It was stapled to the left side of the cardstock, all printed in black and white ink. Your eyes drifted to the technical mugshot that was taken of Loki the day you caught him and could feel fear starting to bubble in your stomach.

He had that devious smile as he stared right into the camera. Next to the mugshot was the simple basic identification questions, but next to race, place of birth, family, and species there were question marks followed by unknown.

At least you knew that he could most certainly be a God.

After eyeing the rest of the document, you turned your direction to the stack of papers that were attached to the right side of the folder, looking at the neon green sticky note on the top.

"All known time disturbances for inmate 60383," you easily read aloud off the sticky note before lifting the sheet it was stuck on to see another sheet full of images and handwritten descriptions. "Oh my god.."

You don't know how the pictures were taken or even who took the pictures (let's be realistic, it was probably the Chronomonitors up stairs), but it looked like the Theatre of Pompeii.

From 44 BC.

Your mind made the connections immediately, noticing the Greek architecture and the pictures varying with men of all sorts stabbing another man.

It was the Ides of March. Well—March 15th. The day Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times.

Loki was behind that assassination, because of course he was.

As you continued in his files, you found that he was actually behind a lot of mishaps in history.

Including but not limited to: causing the French Revolution in 1789, The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand—also the assassination of Alexander The Great's father—and many, many more things that just so happened to change history in the universe.

It was giving you a headache, learning everything he's accomplished in such a short time. It's like mischief was his job.

"Wait a second," you mumbled to yourself, twisting in your office chair slightly to click around on your computer screen to open a search engine. Once you opened the first search engine your mouse could find, you typed in Norse Mythology and waited for the screen to load. Your computer was taking ages, which let you have your eyes wander on your desktop before catching the time in the upper right hand corner of your computer screen.

It was 12:30 in the afternoon.

Cursing quietly you were quick to get up from your seat, almost forgetting to close the loading window of your search as you grabbed your jacket that you tossed on the corner of your desk forever ago when you came in at 6 this morning.

"Okay, jacket, wallet—" you let your hand slip into your back pocket, feeling the plastic edge of Travis's I.D. as you pulled it out of the pocket. You've never been faster to shove something deep within the confines of a random desk drawer, cursing as you grabbed your car keys in rapid succession before practically flying through the sea of desks provided by the TVA officials.

The elevator was... calming. In a way. Smooth jazz playing on the speakers followed by occasional dings that signified what floor you were passing.

Until you were stopped on the 13th floor of the building, a man stepped in. He was tall, short dirty blond curls resting pristinely on his head. His hair actually looked to be borderline auburn thanks to the lighting in this metal deathtrap, you noted. You also noticed he was dressed up in an almost similar get up as you were that researchers were required to wear in the office.

The two of you gave awkward yet kind smiles to each other as he stepped in, hands in his jean pockets.

"Uh, what floor?" You asked softly, gesturing to the panel you were standing close to. The man glanced at the board.

"Same floor as you," he replied with the same tone.

He had an accent. A british accent. He reminded you of someone from Earth-199999, and you couldn't put your finger on it.

All you did was nod in reply before letting your hands go into your jacket pockets, redirecting your gaze to the elevator doors as the beeping started to continue as you passed floors.

After passing floor ten, you started to actually look closely at the man.

His jawline looked like it was structured by some higher power, and if you were to try and even touch you'd have cut something open. His stubble dusted over the sharp edges, though. It looked a lot softer than it might if he were clean shaven—which with the policies in the TVA, would be soon—and frankly, you'd like to see it.

It's almost like he looked like—

"Tom Hiddleston!" You exclaimed, finally making the connection in your brain.

"I beg your pardon?" The stranger asked, turning his head to look at you.

"Sorry, it's just," you started, laughing awkwardly, "you look a lot like this famous actor from Earth-199999. Tom Hiddleston."

"Oh," he started while shifting on his feet, seeming to step closer to you. "He's in that one show on Broadway, isn't he?"

"Yeah, uh, Betrayal I think it's called? I can't remember. It's been ages since I've looked at those files from that case forever ago."

There was a brief pause between the two of you before you took a breath and decided to introduce yourself, holding out your hand as you tried to relay your name without the awkward tone you still had in your voice.

The man smiled again and let one of his hand out of his pocket to shake your own. "Jonathan."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, not Tom Hiddleston—"

"Don't start that," Jonathan groaned playfully, the both of you sharing a laugh. "Are you part of Director Love's team?"

You nodded as you recovered from giggling in your corner of the elevator. "Yeah."

"She's really a piece of work."

"Yeah, but she gets her missions done," you replied easily, looking up at Jonathan. "Are you with Director Wilson?"

Jonathan looked confused for a moment before shaking his head, "no, no. Director Mills."

"Ah. Heard he's a tough guy."

"He's like the drill sergeant I've never had."

The two of you shared a laugh again before a comfortable silence took over the space. The jazz music seemed to have stopped playing now, which confused you slightly before Jonathan spoke up again.

"I don't mean to be rude or.. or break the rules, but what's your current mission about? Isn't it with that Loki guy?"

You hesitated for a moment. Why would you tell Jonathan anything about your mission? You've never seen him around before, let alone get told about him period. He seemed like a new hire. Newer than you.

That alone made you want to slam one of the buttons on the elevator wall so you could get off to avoid this whole topic.

And yet, you nodded, still under his curious gaze as you took a deep breath.

"Yeah. Inmate 60383. He's.. He's, well," you exhaled uneasily, letting out a weak laugh, "he's definitely something."

Jonathan didn't seem to like that answer enough.

"Something? What is that meant to mean?" He sounded like he was offended on Loki's behalf. You couldn't help the look you gave the man. It was a mix of confusion and offense.

"If you tried to interrogate him, you'd get it." You let out a sigh as you could feel the tension rise between the two of you, the elevator finally getting to the first floor of the building. The usual automated voice rung out in the metal box, announcing arrival to the first floor before the doors opened.

You were quick to get out, Jonathan following behind as he called your name. He probably noticed he struck a chord with his question.

Luckily, you were the only two in the main lobby of the TVA building as he kept trying to get your attention.

You grabbed the handle to the doors that led to the parking lot, turning around to look at Jonathan who seemed to look apologetic as he said your name one final time.

"I-I'm sorry for my comment. Really. I just want to know more about Inmate 60..."

"60383," you finished for him, part of you thinking you should be feeling skeptical about this whole situation.

"Yeah. 60383."

"Well," you started, letting your hand fall from the door handle, "I can't tell you anything, it's protocol. And I'd like to keep my job."

And with that, you threw open the main door to the building and walked out to the parking lot to head to your car and finally meet up with Travis for lunch.

[alienspawnwrites]

Laying Hands Chapter 3

Read on AO3

End of Introductions

Tony Stark was clearly very rich. If having his own skyscraper hadn't been an obvious clue, the casual glamour of the interior of the building certainly reflected his wealth. The open floor plan and comfortable living areas were a far cry from Althea's previous arrangement with the group she now knew as Hydra.

Tony proudly escorted Althea through the building, showing her to the lounge first. A large sunken floor was ringed by deep, plush couches. A long row of window cushioned seats ran along the floor to ceiling windows of the room, looking extremely warm and inviting even in setting sun. The bar occupied pride of place near the center of the room, and he boasted that it held just about every liquor ever produced. One wall was dominated by huge bookshelves. Combined, they contained more books than Althea had ever seen outside the public library she had frequented as a child. On another wall hung a massive television screen, and she marveled at how thin the electronic was. Technology had certainly advanced during her years in confinement. The space had a small kitchenette stockpiled with various drinks and snacks as well as a large round table with room enough to seat ten, at least. Tony informed her he had once tried to initiate a game night, his tone indicating the attempt had not gone well.

A few floors down, the kitchen proper was no less impressive or technologically advanced. Tony pointed out various appliances, going over their functions with dizzying speed. Some looked familiar, others looked to her like something straight out of an episode of Star Trek. Even the refrigerator was outfitted with it's own display panel, though Althea couldn't fathom what possible purpose they could serve. It was a cold box; why would anyone feel the need to attach a computer to something so simple?

Steve, who had joined them for the tour, noticed her obvious confusion. "Don't worry," he whispered, leaning in. "It took me forever to figure this stuff out too. I still can't make a normal cup of coffee on that thing." He pointed to a device that looked to be more buttons than machine. "I keep making something Tony calls a 'frappe'." His exaggerated look of frustration earned a chuckle from Althea. He smiled, happy she was starting to feel at ease. "It is delicious, though."

Below the dining floor, Tony explained, were the sleeping quarters of everyone on the team. "Except for me, of course. I'm up top in the penthouse. They might call it 'Avengers Tower' but I still pay the bills. That comes with certain perks."

Tony had just shown Althea to what was to be her bedroom when they were interrupted by a voice emanating from the watch on Tony's wrist. "Sir, Miss Romanoff has returned. She is waiting for you in the debriefing room." Althea was hardly surprised to learn Tony had a stereotypical British butler. What kind of eccentric billionaire would he be without one?

"Ah. Looks like the rest of the tour is going to have to wait until later. We'll let you settle in while we get everyone caught up to speed. Feel free to explore if you want, though I imagine you're probably tuckered out after today. If you need anything just ask J.A.R.V.I.S."

"Jarvis?" Thea looked around. She hadn't seen anyone other than Tony and Steve during the entirety of their tour.

"How can I help you, ma'am," came the same British voice as before. Althea started and looked around, searching desperately for its source.

"J.A.R.V.I.S. is an artificial intelligence program, a computer if you must, of my own invention. He runs just about everything around here," Stark explained. "J.A.R.V.I.S., meet Thea. She's going to be staying with us for a while. Let's start with level 3 clearance for now and go from there."

"Very well, sir."

"We'll come get you later. You should meet the rest of the team once you've gotten some rest." Steve gave her a last parting smile before he and Tony turned, leaving her alone in her new quarters.

Althea examined the room. It was simple but incredibly spacious, outfitted with a king size bed covered with a plush blue bedspread, and a pair of long, low dressers. Curious, she opened one of the drawers, but found it empty. For a moment she debated asking Tony's A.I. butler for a change of clothes, but decided against it. Even if it was capable of filling the request, a new wardrobe would probably be too bold for her first day. The room only had one window, albeit a large one, located just behind the bed. Through it, Althea had commanding view of the city, no less impressive in the waning light of the nearly set sun. Again, she found herself captivated by the sight, unable to tear her attention away for several minutes.

When at last she turned away, she noticed a second door stood on the far side of the room. She opened it cautiously, revealing a pristine bathroom. As she stepped inside, her movement in the large wall-mounted mirror caught her eye and she stopped to investigate her reflection.

She couldn't remember the last time she had properly seen herself, and she was unimpressed at the sight. If she didn't know better, Althea would say she looked sickly. She fingered a lock of her lackluster hair, rubbing the dry strands between her fingers. The understated luxury of her surroundings only highlighted her pathetic appearance. Suddenly, she remembered Steve had mentioned meeting 'the rest', and she grew even more self-conscious.

She decided a shower could do nothing but improve her sad condition, and was pleased to find towels conveniently laid out nearby. Even better, she noticed, she was able to lock the bathroom from the inside. Althea couldn't recall the last time she had locked someone out, rather than been locked in. The small taste of power helped her relax. She removed her clothes, hoping J.A.R.V.I.S. wasn't somehow watching, and stepped into the shower.

She emerged from the bathroom clean and redressed, toweling off her damp hair. The shower had been well stocked, and she held out hope that the conditioner she had found would make some improvement on her unhealthy locks. At the very least she smelt a good deal better. A small platter of food had been placed atop a box on the dresser in her absence, and Althea became aware of just how hungry she was. She immediately set about devouring the simple meal: a turkey sandwich and a packet of crisps. It wasn't until she had polished off the last remaining crumb that she paid the box any mind. Opening it, she found a brand new pair of tennis shoes. The gift brought a smile to Althea's face. They had noticed her shoddy footwear and found her a suitable replacement without her needing to ask. She mentally added a check in the "good guys" column. She added another when she slipped the shoes on, finding them a near-perfect fit.

Althea found she was too nervous to take Tony up on his offer to explore on her own. Truthfully, he had been right: she was exhausted. She carefully laid herself down in the middle of the expansive bed, studying the ceiling above as she ran through the events of the day. Her nerves were far less frayed than they had been just a few hours earlier. The chaos surrounding her meeting the Avengers and her escape from the organization they called Hydra already felt so far away. She silently chastised herself. She didn't know these people. It was too soon to get comfortable and let her guard down. A hot shower and some shoes shouldn't be enough to win her trust; she knew better. Despite her renewed resolve to remain wary, Althea soon drifted into the deep dreamless sleep brought on by physical and mental exhaustion, still wearing her new shoes.

An insistent knocking woke Althea. She shot up and looked around blankly at the now dark room. Her mind raced as she groggily tried to place herself and remember how she had ended up asleep atop the covers of the strange bed. The rapping persisted as the circumstances surrounding her new quarters returned to her, and she leapt out of bed to answer the door.

Althea was still blinking the sleep from her eyes when she opened the door, revealing a rather annoyed looking Tony Stark. "Jesus kid, I was beginning to think you were dead or something. Come one," he waved for her to follow. "The gang's all assembled. They're just dying to meet you." He led her through the halls and to the elevator. Althea's nerves caught up with her as they rode up towards the lounge and she wrung her hands anxiously.

"Don't worry," Tony attempted to console her, noticing her distress. Despite the costumes and nicknames we're all nice enough, pretty normal even. Well, most of us anyway." Before she had a chance to ask for clarification, the doors slid open, revealing five persons scattered about the room.

"Cap you already know," Tony gestured to Steve, now casually dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans. Maskless and out of costume he looked surprisingly... normal. "As well as Natasha, though I don't think you guys had a chance to properly introduce yourselves." Natasha nodded towards Althea in greeting, even gracing her with a small smile though it didn't seem to reach her eyes. Despite the relaxed setting she still appeared to be all business.

"Let's move on to the new faces." Tony clapped his hands and spun to face the rest of the assembled group. "Bruce here, well he's probably the second smartest person on the team, next to myself of course." A timid looking man with graying hair gave her a small wave. "Don't be fooled though. He may look like a mild-mannered scientist, but he's got one hell of an anger issue. Best not to push it, unless you want to butt heads with the not-so-jolly green giant." Althea was suitably confused, and Bruce's bashful reaction did nothing to clarify Tony's meaning.

"I'm not, that's not really the whole story. It's.. it's complicated," stammered Bruce. Althea looked between the two men for an explaination.

"Oh 'complicated' doesn't even begin to describe you, does it Brucey."

"Alright stop it, Tony," Steve cut in. "You'll scare her."

"Sorry," he answered, dripping with sarcasm. Then, seeing Althea's anxious face, more seriously, "Sorry. Bruce is a stand up guy, really. Nothing to be scared of. Honestly." Althea gave Bruce a dubious side-long glance but nodded. Despite Tony's insinuations, she couldn't bring herself to be scared of the sheepish looking man.

"I would like to introduce myself to the new girl." Althea spun to face the loud, commanding voice. She found herself face to face, or rather face to chest, with an enormous, brawny man. He was standing so close that she had to crane her next just to see his face. Bright blue eyes sparkled above a broad, sincere smile, framed by a head of sandy blond locks. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Thea. I am Thor, son of Odin, Prince of Asgard and God of Thunder." He offered her a giant hand, which she took hesitantly. His grip was incredibly strong, painfully grinding the bones of her fingers together. Oblivious to her discomfort, he gave her hand a vigorous shake, the force nearly lifting her off her feet.

"God?", she repeated incredulously as he released her. She chose to ignore her sore digits, unconcerned with the obvious damage his zealous greeting had caused.

"Yes, the God of Thunder." He seemed unfazed by her skepticism. "I channel lightening through my hammer, Mjolnir. It was crafted for me by dwarves in the furnaces of Nidavellir. It is very impressive, it has no equal." His words were boastful, but his tone sounded matter-of-fact, as though he were merely conveying mundane facts. Althea slowly turned to Steve, whom she felt to be the most reasonable of the group, for some sort of explanation, but he merely shrugged and nodded.

She turned back to Thor, who was still beaming at her. Althea found herself smiling back, albeit tentatively, at his unbridled affability. "Nice to meet you too, Thor...uh, your majesty?" She added nervously. She had no idea what was proper etiquette when speaking with royalty, let alone a superhuman prince.

"No, no no no, don't do that," cut in Tony. "'Thor is fine. He only gets titles on his own planet. Besides, 'majesty' is for a king, you call a prince 'highness'."

"His planet ?"Althea wheeled on Thor, her eyes wide a saucers. "As in 'not Earth'?"

"This mortal appears denser than the average Midgardian," came a condescending voice from behind Thor. "Why is she here again? Is she some sort of pet?"

Althea noticed the tall, lanky figure for the first time. He stood a little apart from the rest, leaning casually against the kitchenette counter and looking entirely disinterested by the entire situation. He wore street clothes, but they were a far cry from the casual outfits donned by the rest of the assembled Avengers. Instead he wore a fine, expensive looking suit, perfectly tailored to his lithe frame. Every piece of the ensemble was jet black, barely distinguishable from one another. It matched his raven hair and highlighted the paleness of his alabaster skin. Looking at him, Althea was reminded of the marble statues of antiquity.

"Do not mind Loki." Thor strode leisurely over to the man. "It is in my brother's nature to jest." He made to land a good-natured pat on Loki's shoulder, but his hand met no resistance, instead passing through the illusion in a ripple of green light. Thor was caught off balance, and gracelessly stumbled forward a few steps.

The rest of the party momentarily joined in Althea's confusion, though none of them seemed to share her surprise. They all looked around the room. Movement from a dark corner drew their attention, and Althea saw the same figure, Loki, rise from the window seat farthest away from where the rest of the group was seated. Without acknowledging them, he made his way to the door.

"In the future, I ask that you only summon me for important matters... or at least interesting ones," he called out behind him, without turning around.

The entire interaction left Althea stunned, and she closed her gaping mouth, unaware it had fallen open.

"Like I said, most of us are nice," Tony grimaced.

"Forgive him," Thor pleaded on his brother's behalf. "Loki may not be the most courteous, but he has a good heart. It will reveal itself in time."

"Yeah, so you keep saying," came Tony's retort.

Althea turned her attention back to the rest, "Where's Clint...uh, Hawkeye?", Althea wondered aloud. She had been hoping to learn more about the quiet, sullen archer.

"Oh Clint doesn't like to hang around with us much. He's not really the sociable type." Tony didn't seem too bothered by the absence.

"He has his own place," corrected Natasha, and left it at that.

"So, that's introductions out of the way. These are the Avengers: Earth's mightiest heroes, and one sulky jerk. Why don't you tell the class a little about yourself." Tony offered her the floor.

"I, uh, well I don't really know what to say," Althea shifted uncomfortably under their joint scrutiny.

"You could start with what you were doing in a top secret Hydra hideout in the Alleghenies," prompted Natasha.

"I don't even know who or what Hydra is."

"They're an organization bent on world domination, evil as they come by all accounts," Steve explained. "They've got long arms and fingers in just about criminal pie out there. Weapons, covert governments, terrorism, the works. We've been after them for years. They keep us pretty busy, living up to their name. Every time we find one base of operation another two pop up. The raid this morning was just the most recent battle in a long fight."

"We received intel they were working on a special project in the mountains. Intel that led us to you." Natasha pinned Althea with a biting look. "The 'asset'."

Althea stared at her feel, overwhelmed by this new information. She had never entertained the idea that she had suffered in the name of some philanthropic cause, but neither had she imagined anything so heinous or with such a large scope.

"I didn't know what they were doing, or even what they wanted with me. I didn't have a choice."

"How long were you there?" Bruce's voice was soft and sincere.

"I don't know exactly," she conceded. "What year is it?"

"2015," Steve replied.

"2015?", Althea reeled. After a bit of mental math, she had her answer. "Eleven, maybe twelve years."

"Twelve... twelve years? You're telling me you've been down in the bunker since you were a kid? Since Martha Stewart went to prison? Since before Facebook?"

"What's Facebook?", Thor, Steve and Althea all voiced the question in unison.

Tony looked back and forth between the three of them. "Unbelievable. How is it nearly half of the people living in this tower are completely removed from modern, human culture. Honestly, if you only knew the jokes I've wasted on you lot."

"If they kept you around for so long, they must have had a reason," Bruce gently pressed.

Althea only ground her teeth in response. She wanted to tell them, to trust them. She wanted nothing more to unburden herself and count these people as allies, or even eventually friends, but she knew that was only the best case scenario. The countless other possible outcomes kept her mouth shut. True, they seemed trustworthy, if not odd, but she had been here all of a day. It was too soon to know for certain, and she had to be certain.

With a deep breath, she gathered the courage to speak up. "I don't know what they were trying to do. Honestly, I don't. I know you guys want to know why I was there, what it is about me that made them so interested. And I want to tell you, but I... I need time. I just spent nearly half my life held prisoner by what you tell me is an evil, global organization bent on controlling the world. I didn't even know their name until today. I promise I'm not going to hurt anyone. I don't even think I could hurt someone if I tried, let alone any of you. From what I've seen you could take me out without breaking a sweat. But I didn't leave one prison just to hand myself over to another, all because of something I had no say in." She held her breath, hoping they could hear the truth of her words.

"Pretty sure that's the most you've spoken since we picked you up," muttered Tony, breaking the tension that had permeated the room.

"We can give you time," said Steve. He looked around at each of his companions, making sure they understood that the decision had been made. "We'll have to keep an eye on you for now, I hope you understand, keep you confined to the tower. But you're not our prisoner, and when you're ready to tell us, we'll be here."

Althea couldn't help the appreciative smile that crept across her face at his understanding. She added another check to the ever growing 'good guys' tally in her mind.  

[firegrilled]

Mommas’ Boys - Part 4

@erejeanweek2k19 Prompt: Formal Wear

Summary: Homecoming has arrived and neither Eren nor Armin know who Mikasa’s date is. Carla enjoys her son’s shock when their guests arrive.

Part 1 | Part 5

“Come on, Mikasa. Who’s your date to Homecoming?” Eren asked, crossing his arms.

“Eren, stop prying and don’t wrinkle your suit!” Carla warned him, waving her finger at her son. “I’m sure you’ll find out whenever he comes to get her tonight.”

“Can’t be Connie cause he’s going with Sasha… Maybe Floch? God I hope not. And it can’t be Armin for obvious reasons.”

“Eren stop trying to guess and just wait,” Mikasa shook her head. She didn’t bother to make eye contact with her adopted brother while she finished applying her eyeshadow. “I’m not going to tell you.”

“Well whoever it is better treat you good,” Eren frowned. Not that Mikasa needed any defending but the thought of someone mistreating her stirred his fury.

“I don’t think she would’ve asked them out if she didn’t think they would do that,” Armin chimed in from the doorway.

“Them? Did she ask a girl?” Eren wondered, quirking an eyebrow. Rather than give it much thought his eyes fell to his best friend. Armin wore a light blue button down shirt with a navy blue tie. Eren’s heart skipped a beat at how cute he looked. “Looking good, ‘Min.”

A pink blush dusted Armin’s cheek at the compliment.

“He’d look even better if he wore the outfit his grandpa picked out for him,” spoke a deeper but distinctly older voice from behind Armin. An older man emerged with a wide smile, placing his hands on Armin’s shoulder. “Isn’t that right, ma’ boy?”

“No one wears sweater vests anymore, grandpa,” Armin sighed.

“I disagree! Gentlemen of class still wear them proudly,” Armin’s grandpa laughed heartily, gesturing to his own sweater vest.

He walked into the room with his grandson trailing in behind him.

“Armin can wear what he likes,” Eren shrugged, taking another quick once over of Armin.

At that comment, Armin’s grandpa stepped forward and loomed over Eren.

“And what are you intentions with ma’ boy, Eren? Just ‘cause you’re now in the neighborhood and I’ve known you since you were a tadpole don’t think I won’t judge you any less if you-”

“Grandpa!” Armin interrupted, his face a deep red. “We’re just going to Homecoming! This isn’t a date!”

“He’s made advances on you, ma’ boy! I’m just saying-“

“I’m going to give him the best night of his life,” Eren answered, looking Mr. Arlert in the eyes.

A wide grin broke across his wrinkled face.

“That’s what I like to hear! Mikasa, make sure they don’t get in trouble. Oh, and that’s a beautiful dress. Red really is your color.”

“Of course, thank you,” Mikasa smiled, glancing down at her low cut dress.

A knocking at the door drew the attention of those in the now crowded bedroom. Everyone looked to see Levi dressed in a suit with a pristine white shirt and black tie in the hall.

“Mikasa, your date is here,” he informed her.

“Thanks, uncle,” Mikasa smiled. “Can you tell him I’ll be down in a few minutes?”

“Sure, I can do that,” Levi returned an uncharacteristic smile.

As Levi turned to go down the stairs, Eren and Armin both jumped to their feet to see who Mikasa would ask as a date to Homecoming.

Carla wasn’t too far behind since she knew there’d be another guest to attend to as well. She descended the stairs in time to see her son’s jaw drop and Armin go wide-eyed. Walking past the two boys she went to greet her two guests.

“Welcome to our home,” Carla spoke, her voice warm.

Eren barely kept his voice down as he vocalized his shock.

“K-K-Kirschtein?!” Eren gawked at the boy and his mother.

Jean wore a scowl, along with a crimson button down and black tie.

“Good to see you too, Jaeger,” Jean replied.

Eren’s shoulders slumped as he hung his head. “Mikasa asked you? You weren’t even on the list…”

“List? What list?” Jean narrowed his eyes, unsure how to process that statement.

Armin giggled, taking a seat on one of the sofas in the room. He explained, “We had a bet going to try and figure out who was Mikasa’s date. You never crossed anyone’s radar.”

Jean rolled his eyes, going to take a seat by Armin. “Just cause the entire grade hates me doesn’t mean I can’t get a date to Homecoming.”

“They don’t hate you, they fear you. There’s a difference,” Eren grinned. He joined the other two on the couch. “No one’s ever crossed you since you pulled that stunt last year. Mina, Thomas, and Franz never knew what hit them.”

Jean’s scowl faded into a smirk at the memory. “They deserved it. Trying to make fun of you for your dad was bullshit and I told them that. I don’t regret fucking them over.”

“Jean, language!” Celine snapped at him, causing him to straighten up in his seat.

“Yes, maman!”

Celine shook her head, turning to face Carla so only her friend could see her wide grin.

“Boys,” Carla whispered.

“Yes, yes, but I have to at least try,” Celine stifled her laughter. Her eyes bounced around the room as she took in the details. Plenty of seating, lots of pictures of Carla and her kids, a few decorations, and of course the remnants of the luxurious furniture of her previous house. “This place looks a lot more like home than the last time I came here.”

“A lot can change over a year. You really should visit more often, you live just a block away!” Carla said, placing her hands on her hips. “Just because you’re my boss doesn’t change the fact we were friends well before that.”

“True, professionalism and social life blur together so much these days anyways,” Celine sighed. “I’m glad you’ve adapted so well.”

“Thanks again, truly. I wouldn’t be this well-adjusted without your help. Or theirs,” Carla gestured to Levi and Armin’s grandpa who were lost in their own conversation.

“It’s what friends are for,” Celine stated, placing a hand on Carla’s shoulder.

“So,” Eren spoke. “I thought you did that because they posted all that stuff about you in the halls.”

Shaking his head, Jean explained, “Nah that was just the final nail in the coffin. I don’t care what people say about me. I tormented enough people in the school that no one really likes me anyways.”

“Oi, Kirschtein,” Levi called out, grabbing the attention of the boys on the couch. “All that shit you said about those brats, was it all true? I’ve always wondered.”

Celine and Carla paused their conversation as their curiosity got the better of them.

Smirking again, Jean shrugged.

“Some of it sure but adding a little exaggeration to the truth can do a whole lotta damage.”

“Wait, so did Thomas actually screw his teddy bear?” Eren asked, leaning into Jean’s personal space.

Jean snorted.

“Hell no, but now everyone thinks he did.”

Levi laughed loudly at that.

Despite being over a year later, Celine was still impressed with her son’s brash behavior that day. His revenge was brief, public, and cut deep. She almost felt pity for those three kids if they she didn’t know what they were like.

Walking over to the couch, Levi positioned himself over Jean and placed his foot on the leather cushion between Jean’s legs. He rested his elbow on his elevated knee and glared down at him.

“While I do like your spirit I will warn you. If you ruin my niece’s night I will come for you like a hawk. I know where you live and where your locker is. You better have the best intentions,” Levi threatened, his glower draining the blood from Jean’s face.

“Y-y-yes, sir!”

“Good,” Levi smiled again before dropping his leg and walking back over to Mr. Arlert, who nodded in approval.

Celine hid her giggling behind her hand. Although Levi was barely over five feet she respected how he always managed to make his presence intimidating.

As if on cue, the clack of heels drew the boys’ attention to the stairs.

Mikasa descended while holding her long, red dress just above her feet so she didn’t trip. She wore her usual stoic expression but the light blush added some color to her usual pale skin.

Jean’s eyes widened, swallowing at the sight in front of him. His hands started trembling so he shoved them under her his thigh.

“Hey, Jean,” Mikasa greeted cooly.

“H-hi,” Jean stumbled over his reply, infinitely thankful his voice didn’t jump an octave.

Celine’s heart skipped a beat at her son’s display. Bittersweet memories crept into a smile on her face, expressions that she hadn’t seen in almost two decades now danced across her son’s as he took in Mikasa’s beauty.

“You are your father’s son,” Celine mumbled, not noticing Carla’s eyes glance at her for a second.

“Okay, picture time!” Carla announced. “Jean and Mikasa, please stand right in front of the mantle.”

Nodding, Mikasa strolled over to the fireplace.

Jean almost tripped while standing up but Armin quickly caught him.

“Thanks,” Jean whispered to him, earning a nod from his friend.

The pair stood side by side in front of the mantle, inches apart. Jean wore a nervous smile while Mikasa kept her usual stoic expression.

“Get closer and put your arm around her, Jeanbo. This isn’t a family picture,” Celine waved a hand at them.

A deep blush colored Jean’s face red.

“Mom!”

“What? Get a move on, your ride will be here soon.”

Taking a deep breath to calm the butterflies in his stomach, Jean looped an arm behind Mikasa’s back and rested his hand on her hip. He gently pulled her closer. To his shock and joy, Mikasa closed the distance between them and leaned into his shoulder.

“Perfect,” Celine exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. She pulled out her phone and started taking pictures next to Carla. The pair took their sweet time trying to find the perfect angles.

Meanwhile, Levi glared daggers at Jean who did his best to ignore the icy stare of death.

Armin laughed at the display going on around him but his eyes fell to his date, who he found also gazing at Jean. He followed Eren’s eyes to Jean’s outfit. Despite the loose fitting jacket and pants, Jean really did clean up well.

“I thought I was your date,” Armin whispered to Eren, nudging his side.

Eren jumped in his seat, pink tinting his cheeks lightly.

“Y-you are!” Eren defended himself.

“Jealous of Mikasa?” Armin teased his best friend. Rarely was Eren ever flustered and Armin intended to milk the moment.

“Of horseface? As if,” Eren shook his head, vehemently denying the thought.

“I can hear you,” Jean snapped at the pair.

Before the situation could escalate, a knocking at the door drew the high schoolers’ attention.

“I think your ride is here,” Carla announced, finally done picture taking.

“Our ride? Isn’t your mom driving?” Jean asked Mikasa.

“Nope, there’s a reason my uncle is dressed up,” Mikasa informed Jean as she walked over to the door.

The door opened to reveal Erwin Smith dressed in a light blue button down shirt with a black tie, all underneath a sweater vest. Behind him the kids could see a minivan parked in the driveway.

“Hello, Ms. Ackerman,” their principal greeted. “I’m here to take my date to Homecoming.”

“One thing first,” Mikasa spoke, her voice low. “What are your intentions with my uncle?”

To Be Continued

[mrs-hollandstan]

Making Amends {2} || Peter Parker

Read Part One Here!

Warnings: America’s version of underage drinking, language, teasing, more buildup, drunk confessions

Word Count: 2,775

Author’s Note: Here’s part two! I feel like this part was so boring but eh, I think it’ll get better. Lemme know what you think!

Request something here! Wanna be added to this story’s taglist? Ask here!

The next few days were eerily quiet between Peter and I. He would steal quick glances at me over the table at dinner, but all words were left unspoken. Training was strictly kept between Steve and I and somehow, Peter had somehow talked Bucky into being his training partner. Anything Peter could do to avoid me, he was accomplishing. Other than the meetings with us, Bucky, Steve, and my father to go over the mission and our positions. But he sat across the table and only answered my father, swallowing whenever our names were paired. It was hilarious to me though. Despite not wanting to torture Peter, and be the bigger person, Pete has managed to inflict his own pain on himself. The bags under his eyes, the sad look, the light dying from the chocolate brown puppy dog eyes. His skin was even whiter and I could tell he hadn’t slept like he wanted to. 

When we arrived in Paris, Steve and Bucky fetched the keys to our room, Peter rocking on his feet and avoiding my eyes. I giggled, looking around the lobby at all of the other guests, merrily carrying on conversations and drinking.

“Well, your father outdid himself.” Steve muttered, approaching us again. I cocked my head, looking up at the tall blonde,

“What do you mean?” He licked his lips and lifted his bag from the floor,

“How bout we go up and you can see what I’m talking about.” I nodded and followed, Peter and Bucky just behind us. Bucky looked around the lobby like a little tourist child, his eyes wide as he looked over the ceiling mural, and fountains dug into marble floors, pristinely polished and kept shining for future guests. His eyes didn’t dim when he stepped in the elevator though his nose crinkled at the smell of stale cigar smoke from the wealthy businessmen that rented out rooms for their trips. The gold plated elevator shaft rose gracefully, a quiet ding sounding through the small space as we crested all the way to the fourth fifth floor, gasps leaving Peter and Bucky while I looked to Steve,

“Penthouse?” His blue eyes sparkled humorously as he nodded,

“Typical Tony Stark.” Stepping off of the elevator, there were only four doors down the expanse of the hallway. Steve stopped at the first one on the left,

“Its only got two bedrooms so we’ll have to bunk up, but that’s okay. Pete… Y/N… good together?” Peter opened his mouth as I nodded,

“Yeah… we’re fine. Right Pete? Don’t we wanna let these two reconvene since we stole them from each other for training?” I cooed, Peter’s eyes on me the whole time, his chest starting to heave gently. When I batted my lashes at him, he nodded,

“Yeah… uhh, yes, that’s fine.” Steve nodded, looking between Peter and I for just a moment before unlocking the door and waltzing inside. I looked to Bucky who motioned us forward before him with a glinting metal hand. I smiled and walked forward, Peter trudging after. The four of us were in awe over the room. Yes, with my father being Tony Stark, I’ve seen luxurious, but to be in a penthouse, just South of the Eiffel Tower was absolutely spectacular. Tony Stark, once again outdid himself. Turning to the three boys, I internally laughed at myself as I realized what I was about to do. Taking a broad step forward, Peter’s eyes widened when he realized what I was doing as well,

“Come one Petey, let’s go claim a room before the grandpas do.” Lacing my hand under his arm, I held his bicep firmly, walking him towards two separate doors, split by a large bathroom with jack and jill doors connecting all three. When we were met with carpet, I kicked my shoes off and disconnected from Peter, walking forward and sitting at the end of the big white bed,

“What’re you doing?” Peter spoke up huskily. I looked up, watching as he closed the door behind him and left his suitcase just behind it, taking a step forward,

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean Y/N! What the hell did you just do back there? Agreeing to share a bed? Calling me Petey? Dragging me in here with you? How the hell am I supposed to give you space if you keep-”

“What do you mean give me space?” I asked, my eyebrows furrowing as he paused, dramatically with his hand in the space in front of him. He closed his open mouth, his cheeks turning the softest shade of pink,

“Well ya know… I figured you’d need it after i pushed for us to be best friends at the compound last week. I mean, like you said, sounds take time to heal and I was invading all of your space, trying to get you to talk to me. I knew we’d have this mission, but I figured I could take the couch or something. You just volunteered us to be roommates when I wanna give you some time away from me.” Letting silence ferment for a few moments, I decided on a comeback,

“So you thought your best option was to cuddle the Winter Soldier?” I giggled which drew a laugh from Peter’s chest. It was a nice sound. Smooth yet sultry like a glass of tea on a warm summer evening. He looked forward and out of the window wall looking over the hustle and bustle of Paris,

“I guess I kinda did. He and I did some really good training stuff. I dunno… I guess I just figured you and Steve would’ve been okay rooming it up together.” I cocked my head and crossed my legs beneath me,

“Nah. I mean yeah, we woulda been fine but Bucky gets night terrors sometimes. I suppose being back doing this’ll trigger something. We’ll be fine, me and you. Just as long as the cuddling you and Buck were gonna do dies with the idea of you two sleeping in the same bed.” Peter chuckled again, my heart skipping a beat. He kicked his lips and nodded, finding my eyes,

“Deal.” I nodded, standing and turning to the bed,

“Let’s establish who’s side is who’s. Hey, we could make a pillow wall between us. There’s enough here. I only need one.” He nodded, watching as I laid back against the left side of the bed, wiggling around before rolling to the right side and doing the same. I frowned,

“Help. I can’t decide.” Rather than laying beside me like I expected, he looked around the room,

“Well, on the right you’re more vulnerable because the door is closer so if someone were to come in, they’d attack you first. However, you’re also farther away from the bathroom and kitchen in case of you know, needing water or using the restroom during the night. You have a more likely chance of stubbing a toe or knocking your knee into something in the dark.” I smiled, standing up,

“I’ll take the left. I think the view of Paris at night’ll be comforting.” He nodded, pulling his suitcase over to his side of the bed while I sat facing away from him. Looking out over the city, I looked down at my hands,

“I’m not gonna kill you.” The bed shifted and I could only imagine him turning to me.

“Huh?” I turned my head to look him in the eye,

“What my dad allowed me to do… I won’t. I’ve decided to let it all go. What happened is the past and I don’t wanna dwell on it. Yeah, sure, you hurt me, but holding a grudge isn’t gonna fix everything. We’re not best friends, but I don’t completely hate you.” He smiled shyly,

“Thanks.” I nodded, the door behind him opening. Bucky smiled, holding a champagne bottle up,

“You guys are old enough to drink here. We could go get some later if you’re up for it but test out the waters with this lovers.” Tossing it towards us, Peter caught it, looking the label over,

“Seriously? You’re gonna take us to a bar?” Bucky shrugged,

“Why not? There’s one in the hotel and I know damn well Y/N brought formal wear seeing that she’s bait. We could just have a couple drinks. America’s just prudish. There’s no reason you’re not mature enough to drink. Hell, you save lives, that’s reason enough.” I giggled,

“You’re just tryin yo give my dad more reasons to hate you huh?” He shrugged, backing from the room,

“We’ll order dinner at six and go down at seven.”

Just as he’d said, Bucky, Steve, Peter and I gathered around a small table when room service delivered dinner. Peter stared down at it like he’d been starving and it was the first meal he’d had. Right after, Peter took the bathroom to get ready while I got dressed in our bedroom. When I stepped out of the room, all three boys looked to me, three sets of eyes going wide,

“Oh stop. You act like you’ve never seen a girl in a dress and heels before.” Bucky swallowed,

“Not one that looks like you that’s for damn sure.” I looked the three of them over, cocking my head,

“Dad said we’re supposed to stay under the radar but the three of you-”

“Are nothing compared to you.” Steve spoke up. I sighed, playing with my hands,

“The four of us are a threat. Something tells me someone’s getting laid tonight.” Bucky scoffed,

“Right. No one’s gonna talk to me because of the arm, Steve is too nice to just lay someone out and you two… okay maybe you two will-”

“Whoa, what is that supposed to mean?” Peter piped up, turning to look at him. Bucky looked between Peter and I,

“You two… oh come on there’s all kinds of chemistry there. I see the way you look at each other.” I scoffed,

“Right because my high school bully is my soulmate right?” Bucky’s eyes continued between Peter and I for a few moments before he shrugged,

“Okay sure… whatever you say.” I shook my head, walking towards the door and opening it. I waited for the three of them just outside before Steve held his arm out,

“Would you like an escort?” I smiled, lacing my hand in his arm,

“Of course.” Walking me to the elevator, we waited for it, my eyes wandering to the other two men beside us. Bucky stared up at the elevator going through floors while Peter stared at his feet, playing with his fingers. When the elevator dinged, Peter looked up, his eyes momentarily finding mine before it was right back to the opening doors. But that look. The look in his eyes when I caught them. Like he was… sad. Steve didn’t let me think about it, dragging me into the elevator and then out into the lobby and across it into the small bar. All four of us sat at the bar, lined like ducks and all looking forward.

“Four beers.” Steve spoke up.

“No,” he found my eyes, his brow furrowing, “I’ll take whiskey. I’m not afraid.” Bucky smiled over Steve’s shoulder as the bartender served three beers and a whiskey, watching as I sipped from the tumbler. He smiled, looking between the four of us. Bucky chuckled,

“Yep… she’s a Stark.”

                                              {Peter’s P.O.V}

Nearly three tumblers of whiskey and four shots of vodka later Y/N was wrecked. She was a giggling mess in the booth we had moved into. She had flung herself at Steve and I when we trapped her in,

“Petey. Be a dear and get me another drink.” She slurred, draping her head over my shoulder. I chuckled, sliding my water towards her,

“I think you’ve had enough honey. Drink some of this.” Seemingly thinking it was more alcohol she downed what was in the glass and crinkled her nose. She’d done it a lot tonight and I had to admit… it was actually pretty cute. She broke me from my thoughts when her beautiful eyes met my own,

“You’re pretty cute you know that?” I nearly swallowed my tongue while Steve and Bucky looked on, snickering to themselves,

“W-what?” She blinked slowly, swaying a little bit as she moved to drape her arm around my neck,

“You’re cute Penis Parker.” She giggled to herself, covering her mouth like she’d just admitted something she wasn’t supposed to. And seeing how the past few days had been tense, it was some big secret she wasn’t supposed to reveal.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. You’re cute Peter Parker.” She spit out, swaying some more and practically falling into my lap. I smiled, rubbing her back,

“Yeah… I don’t think you’d like to hear yourself say that if you were sober.”

“No, no, I’ve always liked you. That’s why I hated you so much. You were so cute and I and I had a… crush on you and you were an ass. You were a big ass. You just ripped my heart from my chest and you… you just stomped on it. You hurt my heart Parker.” It felt like my own heart had been ripped from my body. She HAD been in love with me. Before she left Midtown, people loved to tell me she had feelings for me. I was selfish and I pushed her down and I told them no but she did. She’d liked me and I screwed it up just to be something that wouldn’t matter in five years. I’d hurt Y/N and at the time I didn’t even care. But I regretted it. Trust me I regretted it. Especially now.

“I’m sorry.” I muttered, resting my head over hers on my shoulder. She hummed, wrapping her arms around my own, and snuggling into me. I looked up, both Steve and Bucky looking at us. I swallowed, averting my eyes,

“What?” Bucky shook his head, looking around at the other people in the bar,

“Nothin. You two are just-”

“Forget it. She’ll never admit this stuff when she’s in her right mind. She’ll never go out with me or like me the same way again. I screwed up and it’s not like it was back in middle school and the beginning of high school. She dropped out of school because of me,” looking down at Y/N slowly but surely falling asleep against me, I shook my head, “I bullied her and I don’t deserve her now.” Steve cocked his head,

“If you’re soulmates, she’ll forgive you Peter. You just have to show her that she’s worthy. Show her that you’re sorry rather than saying it because until she’s seeing you in a different light, she’ll have no idea how into her you are.” I looked down at her, taking her hand in mine. It felt right. I’d been a dumbass in high school. I wouldn’t push her or hit her but mentally I scarred the poor thing. She was so sweet and she had no idea what she was doing when she “ruined my life” but I knew exactly what I was doing and it didn’t feel right back then. She absolutely dreaded coming into classes if I was in them. I’d seen her stand just outside to prepare herself.

“Do you think you’d go out with me if I talked you into it?” I mumbled into Y/N’s ear. She nodded, squeezing my hand. I sighed, laying my head over hers,

“Then I should probably get on making you like me again huh?” Opening her eyes, she looked up at me,

“Yes.” I nodded, rubbing her back,

“Let’s get you up to bed. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” She groaned when I stood, taking my hands and standing on wobbly legs. Bucky and Steve followed as I led Y/N back to the elevator, her arm around my neck. Looking down at her, she stared back up at me,

“Kiss me.” I smiled, shaking my head,

“Like I said babe, wait until we’ve established some boundaries. If you come to and find out I kissed you, you’ll gut me and what you said today about not doing what your dad said will fly out of our window wall with me.” She pouted, but moved on when I led her into the elevator. Bucky scoffed as he and Steve trapped the two of us in the small shaft,

“And you told me you’d never be anything. Liar.” I frowned up at him as the doors closed before us. 

Taglist: @bethanystan @peter–man @tiny-friggin-human @tom-hollands-eyelash

[notes-from-my-journal]

top floor // chapter one - the interview

A/N: Hi guys! So this idea popped into my head late last night. The reader struggles with mental health and whatnot which will be elaborated throughout the story, I will of course put trigger warnings if it ever gets super serious (which I do not think it will). I personally struggle with it myself, go to counseling and take meds so I am not writing blind. I thought it would be interesting to incorporate in a series. I am also working on a masterlist :) Please let me know what you think/if you want to be included in a taglist! xx

You stare up from the sidewalk on Wilshire, at the 700 foot skyscraper above your head. In the background is a homeless person yelling profanities at a Subaru, but you try to block it out and instead try to give yourself what you consider a pre-interview pep talk.

“You graduated, solidify this now or be broke for half of your 20’s.”

Your hands are trembling slightly but not enough to be noticeable as you approach the receptionist with what you hope looks like a smile.

“Hi my name is Y/N Y/L/N. I’m here for a 2:00 interview with Mr. Holland.”

“I will let him know. His office is on the top floor, so by the time you arrive he will probably be waiting for you in the lobby.”

“Thank you,” you breathe out.

Pressing the top floor button, you let out a breath. Reaching into your bag, you grab the pills in your purse and took the one you were saving for the interview. There was too much weight on this interview to take the meds hours before just for it to wear off by the time you arrived. Your thoughts are interrupted by the ding of the elevator.

You look up to see a pristine lobby, with a grey and white marble theme. A few pieces of simplistic art hang on the walls, but the real piece of art is talking to the second receptionist you’ve seen this afternoon. He turns to you as soon as the door opens. He pauses to make eye contact with you. His eyes sparkle with a blue that makes the ocean jealous and your breath hitches a little. So much for the stupid medication.

“Ah, you must be Y/N. Welcome to H&O. Follow me.” He uses his arm to motion towards the hallway where there are three doors, and he stops at the middle one. He opens the door for you.

“Thank you…” you didn’t want to mistake this man to be one of the CEO’s since the biographies on the website had no pictures, and if he was one of them you didn’t want to get the wrong name, so you leave an opening.

“Osterfield. Harrison Osterfield. I’m the O of H&O. Sorry about that, I know you were expecting Tom. Emergency meeting, and by emergency meeting I mean standard meeting that the dicks at our other corporate office didn’t let him know about. Take a seat and we can get started.”

Last minute changes weren’t the end of the world, but your anxiety spikes. You prepped in every way to interview, even going as far as to practice adding Mr. Holland to the end of almost every sentence. Needless to say your tremble was more noticeable than when it was downstairs. You breathe as deeply through your nose as possible as you sit down across from the ocean-eyed beauty and his white desk.

“So you are applying for the executive assistant position, so you know that this is different from others considering this company is a partnership and you will be assisting two people rather than one?”

“Yes, it’s actually what interested me in the position. I enjoy the potential for various types of work.” You sounded like a robot and you knew it.

Harrison chuckles at you. “No need to be so stiff, Y/N. You realize you are like...two years younger than me right?”

You giggle. “I was aware, doesn’t relieve the pressure though.” You think back on what you read on the website about the two CEO’s and attempt to relax yourself on the outside.

“Continuing, you graduated from NYU...impressive. What made you come back from the East Coast?”

“I’m actually from here sir. I missed it and want to set the foundation of my career here, especially with the proximity to studios and everything for film production.”

“First Y/N, no need for the sir please. I’m 24 not 44.” You laugh lightly at his remark feeling more comfortable already. “And I respect that. West Coast best coast, as they say.”

You go over strengths, weaknesses, and past jobs with Harrison before he signals the end of the meeting.

“The resume is our main form of judgement to be frank with you, Y/N, and we had already sorted through candidates. It was between you and one other person but I would like to happily offer you the position now,” Harrison explains as you walk towards the elevator.

You stop. “Oh...I wasn’t expecting to know the results so quick. Um...thank you, Mr. O-”

“Harrison. Please.” He sticks his hand out and you shake it, hoping the claminess isn’t as bad as usual.

“Harrison. Thank you so much.”

“I will see you Monday morning at 9. We’ll send information for paperwork to the same email used for the interview setup?”

“Yes, see you Monday. Thank you again.” You try to express your gratitude through a smile as you get into the elevator.

You cover your mouth with your hand as you watch the decreasing numbers on the elevator screen planning your outfit, coffee order, and everything in between for the following Monday.

[fandomsentertainment]

Iqi: The Arrival Chapter Ten

Hey guys I’m so sorry it took so long for me to come out with this chapter. I don’t really have an excuse I was being lazy about it. But I’ve really gotten back into the groove of things and I’m happy to announce that chapter eleven is almost completed as well!

Support me on Wattpad please!

https://www.wattpad.com/story/135795678-iqi-arrival

______________________________________________________________

I regretted my recent life decisions. I never really had to make any before and now I was spying for my mother’s home planet on members of said planet. As Katherine walked out of the stunning white mansion towards us on the beach I couldn’t imagine her to be capable of all that President Tapiwa. She was dressed casually. She wore a pink tee-shirt with some Earth writing, baby blue jeans and white sneakers. The only thing that reminded me she was a scientist was her white lab coat that blew in the wind with her hair.

“Iqi! I’m so glad you came!” she beamed.

I couldn’t help but smile back… or notice Hermione’s scowl.

“Yes, thank you for inviting us Ms. Ahuja,” Hermione smiled politely.

“Of course,” Katherine smiled back, she turned to me. “Ler and Kym are so excited to meet you. The others too.”

“The other scientists?” I asked.

“No, the other Selkie,” she smiled.

“Our reports say that you only have two Selkie in possession,” one of my security stepped forward.

“Do they?” Katherine mused. “You must have been misinformed. Also the Selkie are not my property they are my guests. Come. Let’s go inside.”

We followed her up towards mansion where her own security stood on guard. The doors opened on their own as we stepped into the pristine and white… home? The mansion looked nothing like a lab or research facility on the inside. It looked like a family home with furniture and pictures on the walls. We followed Katherine into the living room confused as two of her security guards trailed us.

“Here we are,” Katherine said cheerfully. “Now I apologize for the breach of privacy but I will have to have you all searched before we enter the facility. Jeremy,” she said gesturing to one of the security guards.

They began to pat us down carefully being gentle but thorough. Hermione wasn’t having it.

“Is this all necessary?” she complained. “Why invite us if you’re going to treat us like criminals?”

Katherine laughed. “Oh trust me this is a lot kinder than the security protocol they had when I first joined. I was blind, deaf and handcuffed for most of my journey to SOUS.”

A few of the security chuckled along with her.

“Well, now that that’s out of the way let’s head downstairs,” Katherine touched her hand to the wall and a panel lit up scanning her hand print. Suddenly it seemed as if the wall split in two and opened to a sleek white elevator. She gestured for us to enter.

“Now do you guys want the short or long tour of the facilities?” She asked as the doors closed behind us.

“The long tour,” I said quickly remembering that President Tapiwa wanted me to get a good idea of the facilities capabilities.

“Long tour it is then,” she smiled as the doors opened again.

“Katherine! Did you know that there’s a Sword Art Online movie!” I heard a male voice call as we stepped out of the elevator.

“Noam,” Katherine replied as we exited the elevator. “You remember Iqi right? From the banquet.”

The young man I had seen with Katherine that night was sitting on a couch with his laptop on his lap. He grinned as we entered.

“Iqi! My man! What’s good?” he addressed me familiarly.

“I’m well, thank you,” I said not knowing how else to respond.

He stood up and walked towards us. I noticed with a bit of curiosity he had green eyes. I didn’t think any humans did, perhaps he was wearing contacts to change his eye color. Humans are weird like that.

“Noam this is Iqi’s sister Hermione and their guards Kapono and Anton,” Katherine introduced us.

“How did you know our names?” Kapono asked suspiciously.

Katherine smiled warmly at him. “I know a great many things Kapono. Especially about the people I allow into my facility.”

“So are we gonna have this tour or what?” Hermione asked annoyed.

“Where are you guys touring first?” Noam asked Katherine.

“I was gonna grab you first then head down to the labs Joham and the others are there.”

“Alright I’ll come with,” Noam smiled enter the elevator.

Katherine gestured for us to come.

“So Iqi,” Katherine asked. “Have you been enjoying New York?”

“Yes,” I nodded. “The city has such wonderful people. It seems larger than life at night.”

Katherine smiled. “I still remember my first time in New York. It was so loud and there were just too many people.”

“You didn’t enjoy it?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No, I was a kid it was terrifying. But now I really like New York, there's lots to see and do there.”

“Oh, I don’t get out much,” I said.

She gave me a small smile. “Well, that’s to be expected considering your popularity with humans.”

The elevator doors opened to a brilliant laboratory. Dr. Willoughby would have lost her mind at the sight of it. A stark contrast to the white pristine mansion above the laboratory was bright and colorful. Beautiful murals decorated the walls and each distinct station had its own personal flair. The scientists who had been working and walking around all stopped at our arrival.

“This is my laboratory,” Katherine beamed. “This is where the bulk of our work is done.”

We stepped into the lab awed at the high ceilings and decor.

“Everyone is this Iqi, Hermione, Kapono and Anton. They are our guests and will be staying with us for a short time.”

We got a small chorus of hellos from the relatively small group of scientists. I was surprised. I expected an army of experienced faculty but there seemed to be less than twenty. They varied in age from as young as Katherine to much older humans. They also varied in hue, size, shape and more. Most human scientist seemed to be the pale type it was delightfully strange seeing so many different types of humans working here. Katherine seemed to like different.

“So what exactly do you do in this laboratory Katherine?” Hermione asked.

“Oh all kinds of things,” Katherine smiled walking us through the lab. “Whatever really holds our interest. Right now we’ve been into cancer research so we’ve been doing a lot of that lately.”

“I’ve been working on some cures against ebola right now. It’s a very free-range kind of lab,” Noam added.

“What does that have to do with the Selkie?” Hermione asked frowning.

“Nothing at all,” Katherine smiled in a way that implied otherwise.

I only half listened to their conversation as we walked through the lab. I was much more interested in the devices and work the scientist here were doing. They smiled when I made eye contact with them but for the most part continued their work undisturbed. It was almost like seeing me wasn’t a big deal. And that felt… kind of nice. It’s like I was just another person walking through, not Iqi the angelic alien child of the warrior Maia Floros.

“Absolutely not!” Hermione snarled.

I turned back to them wondering what had upset Hermione. Katherine met my eye.

“I was just explaining to your sister that I only allow very few people to have contact with the Selkie and your entourage would have to wait here or elsewhere in the lab while you and I visited,” Katherine said apologetically.

“Why do you think we brought guards?” Hermione huffed. “They aren’t here to protect against you they’re here to protect against those things!”

Katherine eyes narrowed. “That’s exactly why I won’t allow them near the Selkie. I can’t have a bunch of trigger happy people who already see the Selkie as threats to be near them. That’s a recipe for disaster. Iqi comes with me alone or not at all.”

“Not gonna happen…”

“Fair enough,” I said.

“Excuse me!” Hermione gaped at me. “Iqi if you think I’m gonna allow you to just…”

“Hermione no offense but I don’t need your permission,” I said not unkindly. “Also I have more experience with meet new species than anyone on this planet. Katherine is right that a hostile attitude brought into an situation can make the situation hostile,” I quoted Caption Kiernan.

“Besides it’s not just you,” a new voice said.

A tall slender dark skinned man approached us. He had a strong aura of authority but a warm and pleasant smile.

“Katherine only allows three people in this facility besides herself to see the Selkie on a regular basis,” the man said. “She’s very protective of them.”

“Joham,” Katherine beamed. “You’re back! How was your honeymoon?”

“It was glorious, I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you,” Joham smiled.

Katherine snorted. “Please Joham, that was me repaying you for all you’ve done. But back to the topic on hand, Iqi if you’re ready to go we can head down right now.”

“Yes,” I said excited.

“No!” Hermione said firmly.

“We’ll take the elevator Iqi,” Katherine ignored her walking past the group and back to the elevator.

I casted Hermione an apologetic smile and hurried after Katherine. The look she gave me was almost murderous. But I knew I was safe with Katherine. At the press conference the creatures seemed so gentle and looked at her with such love and devotion. It was clear they were more than science experiments to Katherine.

As we waited for the elevator to descend I took a moment to observe Katherine. This was the first time I had seen her up close. She was small for a human but always walked with her head high. Her hair reminded me of the tygit fabric made on planet Hqi’quet. It was dark full of texture but extremely soft looking. I wondered silently if it was as soft to the touch s it was on the eyes. Her brown skin wasn’t as dark as President Tapiwa’s or Joham. It was a lovely shade of dirt, warm and oddly unblemished. Her dark brown eye was suddenly on me.

“You’re observing me,” she said.

“Sorry,” I stammered embarrassed at being caught studying her. I had forgotten humans didn’t like being stared at for too long.

She laughed. “Don’t look so frightened. I’m used to be observed by humanoids. Ler has a strong fascination with humans, much like you.”

“Humans are very strange,” I nodded. “But there’s something wonderful about your oddness.”

She smiled at me. “No wonder they love you so much,” she mused.

The elevator doors opened to a sudden burst of fresh air as if we were outside. The smell of the sea was rich and salty but misplaced to the view of the giant pool in front of us. We stepped out and it made sense.

A giant glass wall was the only thing that seperated us and the ocean. It was almost as if we were underwater. I realized the pool before us was also filled with clear beautiful seawater. Different fish and aquatic plants were living inside of what I could see of it. In the middle of the pool was a structure that looked like a rocky set of caves.

“Welcome to the pool!” Katherine grinned suddenly childlike. “This is where the Selkie live!”

[imagines-corner]

Forbidden: Liam Dunbar (Ch. 5: The Final Chapter)

pairing: Liam Dunbar x OC!Reader

word count: 3.0k

warnings: mentions of blood, gun violence, mentions of death

summary: In the final battle between the hunters and the pack, the line between life and death are blurred.

a/n: This is it, guys! The final chapter of Forbidden has arrived! I had a lot of fun writing this series (mini series, I guess) and I would love to do it again! If anyone has any requests (long or short), feel free to drop them in my inbox! (or just send me messages bc I’m lonely on campus lol) Anyways, enjoy the final chapter of Forbidden, and happy holidays!

Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // Chapter 4

CHAPTER 5: LIMBO

“Thank god you brought her,” Corey breathed, standing from his spot in the corner of the morgue.

“We have to get you out of here,” Liam spoke.

“Those idiots are everywhere,” You sighed, thinking about the kids with guns who had been patrolling the place. They were on the lookout for anyone like you, waiting to kill you without hesitation. They were terrified, all because of the Anuk-Ite, but that didn’t make the threat any less real.

“Should we just hide here?” Mason asked, “Until someone else can come help us?”

“No,” Liam shook his head, “That’s too risky. We need to find an escape route.”

“We don’t need one,” You replied, flexing your fingers to feel the energy coursing between them, “I’m ready.”

The room was silent aside from the hum of the air conditioner. The three boys stared, simultaneously terrified and amazed. You watched them all as they prepared for your directions, ready to follow your lead.

“Are you sure?” Liam asked, breaking the silence, “After all that you’ve done tonight, I’m not sure-“

“Trust me,” You whispered, grabbing his hand, “I’m strong enough.”

Slowly, the four of you headed for the door. You peaked your head out, watching as the hallway was clear before guiding everyone towards the stairwell. Each of you rushed through that door before heading down, giving you a false sense of success before you reached the first floor.

You peeked out the window, watching as a few nurses walked around the waiting room while others were busy with other tasks. There were no teenagers with guns in sight, nobody who looked ready to kill a bunch of supernaturals. You pushed open the door, getting one last look at everyone around you before continuing. You could see the exit in sight, a beacon of hope and success…

“Did you really think you could get out that easy?”

You turned, staring the boy who seemed to be the ringleader down as he cocked his gun. Behind him stood roughly twenty other hunters, each with their own gun provided by a mysterious donor.

“You do realize this isn’t a fair fight, right?” You asked, crossing your arms.

The boy sighed. “You know what?” He sighed, “You’re right.” He smiled.

“I’ll kill you, Gabe,” Liam growled. You placed a hand on his shoulder calmly.

I’ve got a plan, You told your friends, Trust me.

“Why don’t we make this more of a fair fight, then?” Gabe asked, taking a step forward, “I’ll count to three, and you all can run. It’s more fun that way.” At this point, he was standing almost face to face with you. Though he clearly towered over you, his attempt at intimidation meant nothing.

“Oh, you naive boy,” You sighed, “Didn’t you know a Douglas witch never runs from a threat?” With that, you placed your hands on his chest and sent him flying backwards. “RUN!” You yelled to your friends, holding your hands out still as you tried to rip the guns out of everyone’s hands and send them slamming against the wall.

“I want her dead!” Gabe screamed, wiping blood from his nose. He grabbed a stray gun off the ground and pointed it at you, but you were able to deflect it. Turning down the hallway, you ran, following your friends towards the exit. “You can’t run from me!”

Before you could escape, another hunter came up from behind you and tried to stab you. You were able to dodge him, but you were not able to keep all the guns away from the hunters grasps. Gunshots followed, leading to the sounds of terror from the innocent nurses, doctors, and patients.

You ran, turning down random hallways to try and confuse them. You never felt more mortal in your life, the adrenaline pumping through your veins as your body tried to decide between fighting and running. You ran towards the morgue, the cool air around you giving you a moment to think. What could you fight with? What spell could you use?

You looked around, staring at the metal boxes. There was something you could do, something you had only tried on dead rats and pets. You weren’t sure how successful you would be on a larger scale like this, but you had no other choice. Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and felt the boxes fly open.

Fight with me, You begged, holding your hands out, Help me protect my family.

Soon, dead bodies began to crawl out of the boxes and onto the cool floor. They were pale, many of them missing parts of their limbs or with patches of skin pulled off. You could hear the hunters running down the hallway, kicking down doors and shooting into random rooms. It was only a matter of time before they found you.

Sliding into a corner, you waited.

“She’s in here!” One of them yelled, spotting you as you were hiding in the corner. He pushed open the door, only to find two dozen corpses reanimated.

Subdue him.

Immediately, all of the corpses headed towards him. They reminded you of every zombie from a horror movie, slow, lethargic, and lethal. You didn’t want to kill him, but you knew that if you had asked, they would have killed. As the other hunters came into the room, the corpses headed for them, attacking before they even had a chance to shoot.

You ran for the other door, heading out to find another way to the exit. As you ran down another hallway, wiping the blood that trickled from under your nose, you heard gunshots come from behind. You turned a corner, knowing well that there could be a hunter in front of you, but trusting that your instincts would be faster.

Surely enough, several of them were waiting for you.

“You can’t run forever,” One of them smiled, holding a gun up to your head. You breathed, preparing for the final moment, when someone pulled you into the elevator. As the doors closed, you took a moment to breath.

“Who the hell are you?” You asked, staring at this boy you didn’t recognize. He was about six feet, as most of the boys around here seemed to be, with the typical floppy haircut.

“I’m Theo,” He replied, “You must be that witch girl everyone’s talking about.”

“Everyone?” You asked, immediately shaking your head. “Forget that question. Thank you.”

Theo nodded. “I seem to do this a lot for you and your friends.” As the elevator binged, signaling that you were on the ground floor, he prepared a plan. “You run for the door. I’ll hold them off.”

“No way,” You shook your head, “I’m stronger-“

“I have some debts to pay,” Theo sighed, “Just do it.”

The two of you stepped out, and Theo immediately roared with a deep, angry sensation. Several hunters came running down the hallway, preparing their guns, as Theo pushed you.

“Run!” He reminded, shoving you down the hallway. As you ran, Liam came running through the entrance, trying to meet you at the corner. Almost instantly, Gabe turned a corner, coming towards you but out of Liam’s sight. He held his gun up, ready to shoot Liam in the head, but you ran forward before he was able to.

“Put the gun down!” You yelled, holding your hand out as you stepped in front of Liam. He leaned it down, pulling the trigger away from Liam’s head.

Everything after that was a blur. You felt a final surge of energy rush through your body, sending Gabe flying all the way down the hallway and into a glass cabinet, which shattered upon the impact. Gabe lied there, unconscious, as your knees buckled. Liam was screaming, throwing his arms around you to try and hold you up, but everything was muffled. Several people you recognized but couldn’t identify crowded around, helping you to the ground while trying to fix your wound.

“Rowan,” You mumbled, your bottom lip quivering, “Get Rowan.”

Liam’s hands shook as Melissa pushed everyone out of the way.

“We’ve gotta get the bullet out,” She told Liam, “She can’t heal if it’s in there.”

“Do witches heal like us?” Corey asked, looking around frantically as Mason searched for Rowan’s number in your phone. As he dialed, the room went silent, but Liam’s mind was noisier than ever. He placed his hands around yours, trying desperately to take the pain away.

“She’s unconscious,” Theo spoke, walking in from around the corner, “She’s not gonna feel pain.”

“If she wakes up she will,” Melissa added, “Keep her still.” She began working on your abdomen, trying desperately to get the bullet out with the tools she had on hand.

“Rowan’s on his way,” Mason informed everyone, standing off with Corey on the other side of the room while Liam and Melissa worked diligently on getting the bullet out.

“Please stay alive,” Liam begged, “Please.”

The first thing you saw when you woke up was a bright light. When your eyes adjusted, you realized you were lying on the floor in a white room, surrounded by nothing but pristine walls and crystal clean floors.

You sat up, realizing you were dressed in all white as well. It was a normal outfit you had worn several times, but now your normal jeans and a sweater had a new, bright white appearance.

“Nice to see you again, honey.”

You turned frantically, watching as Winnie sat in a corner, reading a newspaper. She too was dressed in all white, her dress a floral sundress that seemed to have been completely stripped of color. Her bright red curls stood out from her surroundings.

“Where are we?” You asked, standing.

“Here? This is Limbo,” She replied, “You’ve clearly never been here before.”

“What’s Limbo?” You asked, taking several steps forward.

“The place between life and death,” She responded, “You’ve been shot.”

You felt a twinge of pain in your abdomen as she said that, lifting your knit sweater to reveal a large scar on your lower left side.

“Your friends are desperately trying to save you,” Winnie explained, putting down the newspaper, “But it’s not up to them.”

“What do I have to do?” You asked, “To survive?”

Winnie laughed. “Honey, I’m dead. Clearly I didn’t figure that out.” As she continued laughing, you walked back to the center of the room. “I’m just kidding.” Your eyes darted to her, ready for her answer. “What does this place remind you of?”

You shrugged. “My dreams.”

“Exactly. How do you get out of those dreams?”

“I wake up,” You replied, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Fantastic,” Winnie nodded, “So wake up.”

You lied back down on the ground, trying to force yourself awake like you had done many times before. Every time you opened your eyes, though, you were still in this room, still in Limbo, still waiting to live or die.

“It’s not working,” You mumbled, trying again and again, “It’s not working.” You looked up at Winnie, but she was nowhere to be found. “Winnie?” Your voice echoed against the walls of this empty room, just you alone with your thoughts and fears. You sat up, tears running down your cheeks.

This time, you weren’t invincible.

Rowan ran through the doors, followed by Scott, Lydia, Malia, and several other people Liam only slightly recognized.

“Move!” Rowan cried, shoving Liam aside so that he could be with his sister. Though Melissa was successful in removing the bullet, your breathing remained shallow. Rowan got straight to work, wiping the tears from his eyes as he placed his hands on the lower part of his chest and breathed.

“What are you doing?” Liam asked, “CPR isn’t going to work.”

“I’m not doing CPR you idiot,” Rowan snapped, sniffling, “I’m bringing her back to life.” He closed his eyes, and soon a light glow was coming from his hands. Rowan continued to cry as he proceeded with the ritual, his body shaking. He soon started to wince from the pain, the complex combination of emotional and physical pain keeping him from completing the task.

You were slipping away, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Liam moved closer, placing his hand on Rowan’s shoulder. Though the two of them had their differences, it was in that moment that Liam knew those things didn’t matter anymore. He too closed his eyes, wincing as the black veins on his arm revealed themselves. While Liam began to feel the excruciating weight, Rowan felt lighter and more capable.

“Come on, Selene,” Rowan cried, “Come on…” His eyes remained shut, ignoring the sliding doors as they opened and closed, making way for two more spectators. In that moment, Rowan’s eyes snapped open, revealing a bright golden glow that terrified everyone.

And, almost instantly, your eyes did the same, as a gasp brought air into your lungs and life into your body.

You sat up slowly, still getting used to your surroundings. You immediately recognized Rowan and hugged him, the two of you realizing well just how dependent you were on each other.

“Don’t die again,” Rowan begged, holding you tight.

“I’m not planning on it,” You replied, gripping the back of his sweater tightly. You then turned to Liam, the two of you sharing a moment in which nobody else in the room mattered. He reached out, grabbing your hand as he breathed in relief.

“Get away from her,” Your mother spoke, pushing through the small crowd of your friends and allies that had gathered. Liam slid against the cool fake wood of the front desk, knowing well that he shouldn’t mess with your mother. “What’s going on here? The two of you disappear all day, no phone calls, no messages, nothing, and then - then we get a sudden feeling that you’ve died-“

“She did,” Rowan spoke, “She died trying to save you. Everyone. This entire county.”

“Stop being dramatic, Rowan,” Your father sighed.

“I’m not being dramatic!” Rowan exclaimed, standing as he walked towards his parents, “I’ll show you!” He grabbed their hands, showing them the events of the last 12 hours that he had gone through. From the hunters at the lacrosse game, to the divination session at the veterinary clinic, to the phone call from Mason warning Rowan that there might not be enough time. When he pulled away, crossing his arms over his chest, your parents looked shocked.

Your mother was silent, unsure of how to appropriately respond.

“Not to mention I wouldn’t have been able to save Selene if it weren’t for Liam.”

Your mother looked over at him, and you felt the fear radiating off of his skin. “Is that true?”

“I think,” Liam shrugged, “I just took his pain away.”

She nodded. “Thank you.” She then looked at you and Rowan, motioning for you both to follow her home. “I’m glad you’re all safe. Now, let’s get you back home.”

“One more, I want the two of you by the window,” Your mother spoke, holding a camera in one hand and motioning for you to move closer to the window in the living room with the other. You felt Liam’s hand graze against yours as he moved too, clearly looking uncomfortable in his freshly-tailored suit. “Perfect.”

“Mom, I think you’ve taken enough photos,” Rowan mumbled beside you, playing with the sleeve of his suit jacket, “We’re gonna be late.”

“Rowan, I’m allowed this moment,” Your mother sighed, “Just like I’m allowed to do this with all of you at graduation too.” There was a collective sigh from your group of friends before everyone smiled for a few more photos.

“Syb, honey, they do need to actually go to prom,” Your father whispered, “I think that’s enough.”

Your mother groaned. “Fine.” She motioned for you and your brother to come over, giving you each a kiss on the forehead before sending you off. “Have fun tonight, you two.”

“But not too much fun,” Rowan smirked, walking beside Mason and Corey on their way through the door.

Liam grabbed your hand and gave it a squeeze, thankful for every new moment he got with you. “I think she’s really starting to like me,” He whispered, opening the door of Rowan’s SUV to help you climb in.

“She didn’t even say a word to you,” Mason reminded, “I’m not sure that’s her liking you.”

“She didn’t give me a glare this time, though,” Liam smiled, “I think that’s a start. Maybe soon she’ll allow me to call her Sybil.”

“That’s a stretch,” You laughed, planting a light kiss on his cheek, “But she is starting to tolerate you. I mean, she didn’t tell you about curfew this time.”

Liam nodded before pulling you in for another kiss. He was astonished when he found out that your mother was fine with you being friends, let alone date. It had taken a few months for her to come around to the idea of her daughter dating a werewolf, but after all he had done for you, she couldn’t find any reason to say no. He had proven, time and time again, that he was better than any witch boy she could ever set you up with.

As Rowan pulled up to the venue, there was a buzz of excitement in the car. Walking up the front steps, you felt as if everything was a dream. It was impossible for this to be real - you, with Liam, at your senior prom. You, with Liam, as a couple, at your senior prom.

The night seemed to go by quickly, but it was a night you would never forget. It took you several tries to pull Liam onto the dance floor, but once he was convinced the two of you danced the night away.

Later that night, standing out on the patio together, you rested your head on Liam’s shoulder.

“Selene?” Liam asked, his arm wrapped around your waist as his jacket sat warmly around your shoulders.

“Hm?” You answered, looking up at the reflection of the stars in his eyes.

“I love you,” He spoke, his body radiating anxiety as the words rolled off his lips. It was something you had never heard him say before, something both terrifying and exhilarating all at once. You wrapped one arm around the back of his neck lightly while the other played with his hair.

“I love you too, Liam Dunbar,” You whispered as you planted another kiss on his lips.

[ohnopuddin]

from the dining table; bucky barnes

based of the song “from the dining table” by harry styles

warnings: cheating, liqour, feelings, lots of language, angst, iM soRRY

The night wasn’t supposed to go this way. You had come back from a mission early, elated to surprise your loving boyfriend. Seems more like you were the one surprised instead. As you trudged up the stairs to your shared apartment, it was startling to find two people standing in front of the cheaply made door.

It didn’t take long to realize who one of them was, tall with a dark haired man bun. Your Bucky. What you didn’t know, was who the other person was. Or why the pair of them were standing so close.

You swiftly hid behind the wall concealing the stairway and listened closely. You could feel your head pound to the rhythm of your heart and the tips of your fingers tapped together in anxiousness.

“I really had a great time, Buck.” The woman had obviously spoken, using the nickname reserved for his closest friends and you.

“Me too, doll.” Your heart twindged at the adorning name but you couldn’t find it in you to reveal yourself.

“Maybe next time, we can end it at my place?” She spoke suggestively and you could hear it followed by Bucky’s chuckled.

“I’d like that,” You peeked your head around the corner and took in the sight before your eyes. Her long arms around his neck and nails in this hair, her lips planted firmly on his. His arms snaked around her hourglass figure as he lifted her off the ground and reached for the door knob.

You felt physically ill. With your stomached tied into several knots and your knees feeling weak, you turned on your heel and slowly walked down the stairs leaning on the wall for support.

Of course it had to rain this night of all. The cold splatters soaked you to the core as you stepped out into the night. The rising bile in your throat made an appearance as you ran to the bushes and dry heaved seemingly forever.

You chest hurt and it felt like someone was stabbing into you repeatedly, all the while rubbing salt in the wounds. You stumbled to a standing positions and began walking toward the hotel a block from your- his apartment.

The receptionist had noticed your distraught look, recognizing it as heartbreak; something no one was immune to. She took pity on your defeated form and gave you a room on the top floor, far from anyone. With a muted thanks and a slow sluggish walk you willed yourself to the elevator to the 14th floor.

The room was nice, with a crystal chandelier and a mini fridge, any other time you would have been elated but now you just wanted to cry. You stood in front of the closed mahogany door and the tears you managed to keep in spilled from your bloodshot eyes. Sliding down the door, and shook violently as you screamed out in frustration.

How could he do that to you? How could he find another woman within the weeks time you were gone. Thats when it hit you, it was going on much longer than that. All the late night gym trips and sudden disappearances had added up. How did you not see it before? How had you been so stupid? So blind to what was right in front of you?

The pristine white of the bed mocked you, the purity of the sheets mocked you. You had given Bucky everything you had, and he tainted it all without you noticing. Your pure view on him was ruined, ripped apart and stomped on until there was nothing left with dust, painful dust. Sorta like your heart.

You shakily stood and stripped the soaked clothes from your body and dragged yourself to the shower. The water burned your skin and left you raw and red, but you secretly hoped it would wash your pain away. You stayed in there until you felt so tired you were worried you may collapse in the shower.

The bed was cool against your hot and raw skin and soothed the scars of your heart. Your eyes stared at the white ceiling and the tears leaked out of the sides of your eyes. Sleep engulfed you like the darkness your heart now felt.

Woke up alone in this hotel room

Played with myself, where were you?

The sun shone through the opened curtains and you winced, the pounding sensation in your head making you feel delirious.

The unfamiliar room was puzzling to you until the events of last night rushed to your mind. The pain reinstated itself into your chest and you pulled a shaky breath, unable to cry anymore.

The digital clock next to the bed read 10:47 and the lump in your throat grew as you thought of Bucky. His mystery woman was probably making them breakfast, or was leaving to go home. Thoughts ran through your head at a rapid pace and you stopped yourself.

You didn’t deserve to feel this pain.

You threw the mini fridge open and found they had no alcohol stored, but when you walked to the door to run to the bar downstairs, you found a bottle of bourbon at your feet.

A small note was attached and you bent over to inspect it. “Heartbreak’s a bitch, but bourbon isn’t” You realized it must have been from the receptionist and faintly smiled as you picked the glass bottle up.

It was half gone by twelve.

Fell back to sleep,

I got drunk by noon.

I never felt less cool.

It was another day before you gathered the courage to go home. To him.

Standing in front of the cheap and poorly painted door of your apartment, it almost seemed unreal. Walking into what was once a home filled with blissful memories, it was hard to believe there was something sinister behind closed doors.

You cautiously treaded on the wooden floor, not wanting encounter anyone. Much to your dismay, Bucky was sitting on the couch and heard you come in.

“Doll?” He grinned widely, rushing towards you to engulf you in a hug. You stood in the embrace, not moving to hold him too. He took notice and pulled back with a concerned look. “You okay?”

You pulled a sad smile and nodded, “Just tired” The lied passed straight through yor teeth so effortlessly you wondered why you explode on him.

The rest of the day had been filled with silence, besides Bucky’s attempts at starting a conversation. He tried to understand that you were tired, but his frustration was obvious.

we haven’t spoke since you went away

the comfortable silence is so overrated

why won’t you ever say what you want to say?

“Doll, you gotta talk to me. I haven’t had anything to do since you left.” He whined and pouted his bottom lip at you. It was so cute you almost forgave his sins right there.

You scoffed and mumbled under your breath, “But you had someone to do.” You dipped a tea bag into some boiled water and tried to avert your attention.

Bucky furrowed his thick eyebrows, “What was that, love?”

You set the mug aside to sit and rolled your eyes in annoyance. “Nothing, James.” That had caught him off guard, you never called him James.

Why won’t you ever say what you want to say?” He groaned and leaned against the white countertop.

Something in his tone had ticked a nerve, and that’s the exactly moment things went from bad, to hell.

“You wanna know what I have to say?” You snapped, turning around and facing him, anger etched into your features. He gave you a look that urged you to continue, so you did.

“What did you really do while I was gone, hm?”

His stomach dropped for a split second before he regained himself and tried to reason that you had no idea. “Whaddya mean, doll?”

“Oh shut the fuck up James.” The anger and betrayal leaked through your voice and he knew everything was going to change.

“Excuse me?” He tried, feigning confusion to her outburst.

“So who is she, Buck?” You glared into his blue eyes and saw fear flash through them. “An agent? A civilian? Some random whore?” You spat and began to walk away.

“The hell are you talking about, (Y/N)”

“Jesus Christ James! Just stop lying already. I fucking know you’ve been sleeping with someone else.”

The pain that pulsed through your heart showed in your eyes, because Bucky took a step back and felt a knot form in his throat.

“I came home two days ago, and saw you and the skank outside of our door.” You whispered and ran a shaky hand through your hair.

His blue eyes got glassy and he was at a loss for words. For the first time, James Barnes didn’t know what to say to woman. “Doll-”

“STOP CALLING ME THAT DAMNIT!” You screamed slamming your palms on the counter.

“THEN WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?” He yelled back, fat tears starting to roll down his scruffy cheeks.

“NOTHING! IT MAKES IT WAY EASIER TO HATE YOU THAT WAY.” You screamed and blinked rapidly to push the oncoming tears back

“Oh so you’re gonna hate me now? After one lousy mistake?”

He was trying to play the victim. To flip the whole situation like it was your fault he cheated. “Oh stop being such a fucking prick. I know it was more than once.” You turned around and placed your palms on the counter that was previously behind you. “All the nights out. The early morning disappearances. It all makes sense now.” You gritted out through your teeth as the tear spilled over your clenched eyelids.

“Well it wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t such a shit girlfriend. You were never good enough!” He seemed to realize the venomous words that slipped off his tongue and immediately wished he could take them back.

It happened so fast he barely had time to react. The mug filled with hot tea flew passed his head and shattered against the wall as glass flew to every inch of the room. “Maybe everyone was right,” You spoke fiercely before shrinking to a whisper. “I’m not good enough. But at least i’m not a monster like you.”

He had never felt pain like he had in that moment. His stomach knotted so tightly he feared he was going to puke all over. His temples pounded to the beat of his heart and his world spun around him. How had he done this to you, he wondered. To the one person who had ever accepted him after everything he did, and forgave every thing he had done in the past. How had he tainted the one pure thing left in his life? How had he taken every inch of your big heart only to vandalize it with infidelity and hateful words? He hated himself, he hated what he did to you. And he would never forgive himself.

As you rolled your packed luggage to the door, tears soaking your pink cheeks, you paused. Bucky sat crumpled to his knees, his head buried in his hand and he cried roughly. Your heart lurched at the defeated sight, and had it not been for the cab already waiting downstairs, you would have stayed. His crystal blue eyes traced your features, trying to memorize every detail before you walked out of his life forever.

“I hope she was worth it, James.” You whispered before walking out the cheaply painted door, wishing never to see his face again.

Your last words haunted his sleep for years. He had never regretted anything so deeply and sincerely.

On what would have been your 6th anniversary, had he not ruined everything, he picked up his phone and typed in the number that was forever chiseled into his brain. Pressing send, he let out a shaky breath and waited.

“I’m sorry.”

He waited and waited for the familiar ding of his phone. But it never came. He would have to wait until death to be relieved from the weight on his shoulders. And he did.

Maybe one day you’ll call me and tell me that you’re sorry, too. But you, you never do.

[whimsical-ness]

You Drive Me Insane | Sehun

◇ Link to Masterlist

◇ Genre: Love/hate drama, Office! AU, Mild smut (kind of) 

◇ Summary: In which you and Sehun are co-workers who hate each other and are forced to team up...until an unexpected encounter maybe sort of leads to some confusing feelings....

◇ Word Count: 2.8k

Your bad day at work started early that morning when you accidently spilled coffee down your pristine white blouse, and could do nothing to fix it.

You prayed that no one would point it out at least until you could borrow someone's blazer to cover up the stain. But alas, as soon as you quickly began walking towards your desk, you heard a loud voice.

"Is that actual shit on your shirt, Y/N?"

You turned, and with a quick glance to see if any of your superiors were around, you put up your middle finger at the person who'd spoken.

Of course it was Oh Sehun, your jerk of a colleague who you had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing every single day.

Sehun just smirked at your response.

You sat down at your desk with a huff, and when your friend Brenda finally arrived, you very nearly tore her blazer off her back.

You had a big presentation today, and there was no way you were going to let anything mess it up for you. In fact, you were actually going against Sehun on this one, because your boss had not so subtly hinted that she was going to observe both you and him on separate occasions and then come to a decision on who to hand over the responsibility of the next big project to.

And there was no way in hell you were going to lose to Oh Sehun.

When it was finally time for the meeting, you actually felt pretty confident, because you had spent all night preparing and rehearsing.

Thankfully, it ended up going smoothly, and the clients looked pleased. Your boss even complimented you, and you passed Sehun a smug look as you walked back to your desk.

Alas, good things never lasted, as you would soon come to find out. Right before you were about to leave for the day, your boss called you into her office. To your annoyance, Sehun was also present.

“Alright then. As you both already know, the two of you are my primary candidates for the position of being the main supervisor on our next project. However, since I found both of you to have done good jobs, I think it’s best if you work together as co-leaders instead,” she said.

You just gaped at her. Sehun started shaking his head. “Um, ma’am, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” he said. “And why not?” she asked calmly.

“We don’t get along,” you blurted out.

“Well, you better make sure you do, because I’ve made up my mind. The two of you need to have this done by the month’s end, and this is not a request,” she said sternly. “I’m trusting you.”

The two of you had no choice but to nod silently. But as soon as you left her room, you groaned. This was your worst nightmare come true.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” you said, glaring at your nemesis. Sehun just looked bored. “This is honestly worse for me. I’m going to have to listen to your incessant complaining for the next month,” he drawled.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve seen the way you work. You have no sense of discipline whatsoever, and I’m not going to stand for it,” you said angrily. “If you mess this up for me, you’re going to regret it.”

Sehun yawned. “If you’re done yapping can I go now?”

“Whatever, Oh Sehun. Just remember what I said.”

To no one's surprise, Sehun was an absolute pain in the ass. He refused to co-operate with you, and did literally the opposite of whatever you told him to.

“I know what I’m doing,” he said. “You’re driving me insane with your nagging.” “I wouldn’t be nagging if you just did it right the first time,” you hissed. This was going to be the longest month of your life.

Two weeks in, you were drowning in work. And after spending the entire of your Saturday re-doing Sehun’s shitty work, you were boiling in anger. This was a two-person project. Why were you working your ass off while Sehun was probably relaxing and enjoying his weekend without a care in the world? “I’m going to go give him a piece of my mind,” you muttered, and fumed out of your apartment with your laptop and USB drive, on a mission.

You knew exactly where he lived, but only because he’d hosted a small party for his co-workers once, and your friend had forced you to go along. You hadn’t really hated him as much then, but somehow over the months the two of you had developed some sort of strange dislike for each other.

Halfway there, you realized how stupid you would look, storming into his house. There was also a good chance he wouldn’t be home. But you were furious, and you were going to let him know whether he liked it or not.

You made to his front door, and just as you were about to ring the bell, you heard raised voices.

“I can’t believe you. This is literally why we broke up. You’re such a fucking child,” said a female voice.

Ouch. This was probably not a good time.

“Honestly, just get out,” you heard Sehun say. He sounded tired. “I’m not sure why you showed up here anyway.”

“You know what? Fine. I’m leaving. But if you don’t stop me this time I’m never coming back,” said the female voice again.

You began to back away from the door. This was definitely not a good time.

But before you could make it to the elevator, the door flew open, and out stormed a girl with long brown hair. Sehun was right behind her, and when he saw you, his eyes widened in confusion.

You stood there like a deer caught in the headlights until the girl spoke. “Who is she?” she said rudely, pointing at you.

Sehun spoke before you could reply. “She’s a friend from work,” he said smoothly.

“Oh, I wouldn’t really call us friends –” you started, but Sehun strode over to you suddenly, and grabbed your hand. You tried to pull free, mortified, but his grip on you was too strong.

“Right, we aren’t really friends. We were until recently but now...” he continued, plastering a sweet smile on his face.

“Now what?” the girl said, narrowing her eyes.

Sehun looked at you. “Y/N, darling, you should’ve called before coming over. Now this is going to get awkward,” he said, shaking his head.

You stared at him. Had he just called you darling?

“Excuse me, but –” you began, but in a swift, Sehun lifted your chin and pressed his lips down on yours.

Your mind went blank. Before you could react, the girl screamed in rage. “Fuck you, Oh Sehun! I never want to see you again!” And then she was shoving past you and into the elevator, and was gone.

As soon as Sehun let go of you, you slapped him hard across the face.

“That hurt,” he said, scowling, his hand cupping his now red cheek. “Are you fucking insane?” you said, your voice rising several octaves.

Sehun rolled his eyes. “You’re welcome. That was probably the first kiss you’ve had in a while, huh?”

You gaped at him.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry. I just had to get her to leave,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “‘Sorry’ isn’t going to fucking cut it,’ you snapped.

“Look, she’s my ex-girlfriend, and she’s exceptionally annoying. Even more than you, and that’s saying something,” Sehun added.

“That doesn’t give you the right to ju-just completely violate –” you broke off, stammering. You mentally kicked yourself for not being able to form coherent sentences. Why was this asshole making it so hard for you to speak?

“Why are you here anyway?” said Sehun, walking back towards his apartment.

You glanced down, dazed, at the laptop case in your hand, having completely forgotten why’d you’d brought it in the first place. “I just –” you started, and then shook your head. Sehun smirked, leaning against the door.

“Well, do you want to come in?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “No!” you said, forcefully. “I most definitely do not want to come in.”

Sehun shrugged. “Goodnight then.”

You didn’t sleep that entire night. Every time you closed your eyes, the mental image of Sehun leaning to kiss you popped up, and you felt fluttery. Then grossed out. And then fluttery again.

Why the hell was this affecting you so much? The kiss had hardly lasted a few seconds, and it had obviously not meant anything at all. But you felt humiliated, and also a little bit confused, as though someone had taken something from you without asking first.

On Monday, you could hardly make eye contact with him when you saw him. “You look like shit,” he observed. “Thanks,” you muttered, too tired to shoot back with a comeback. And in all honesty, you did kind of look like shit. You had hardly slept at all, and the dark circles under your eyes had proven very difficult to conceal effectively.

For some peculiar reason, you also began to notice Sehun’s good looks. There was no doubt that everyone at work thought he was ridiculously handsome. But you’d always found him irksome, so his attractiveness had never struck you before.

But ever since that dumb kiss, you started to find him maddeningly gorgeous, and you despised yourself for it.

You tried your best to avoid him for most of the week, but annoyingly enough, Sehun seemed to notice your discomfort and made it a point to ask you stupid questions about the project every chance he could.

“I thought you said you knew what you were doing,” you said, irritated. “Ah, but I thought you loved ordering me around?” he asked innocently, but you saw the glint in his eye.

“Just send me an email once you’re finished,” you said shortly, and got up to leave.

It was late, and the two of you were probably the last ones who were still at the office, working on the project. All you wanted to do was get away from Sehun and spend your weekend alone in peace. Then one last week, and the whole thing would be over and you wouldn’t have to deal with him again.

“It’s really funny, watching you avoid me,” said Sehun. “I guess it really must have affected you more than I imagined.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you said coolly, continuing to pack up.

“Oh, you know. The ki –”

You cut him off with a loud protest. “Don’t. Don’t even bring it up. You’re a dick.”

Sehun laughed. “That just makes me want to talk about it more. Tell me, what would you do if I did it again?”

You froze. He wouldn’t dare. “You’re psycho. Do you honestly think I’m going to let you? You’ll be walking out of here with a broken toe.”

“I think I’ll take my chances,” he said, and suddenly, he was on his feet.

He backed you up against the wall with a thud, giving you no chance of getting away.

“You do know that this is like, physical harassment, right?” you said, trying your best to keep your voice steady. Your heart was pounding. He was way too close; you could see your own reflection in his deep black eyes.

“It’s not really harassment if I have your consent,” said Sehun. “And why in hell would I give you my consent?” you said, your voice dangerously low.

“Because you want to. Admit it. You want to kiss me,” he said, his eyes flashing.

“You’re crazy,” you whispered. But his words reverberated in your head. You want to kiss me. It wasn’t a lie. You could feel his breath on your skin. With him this close to you, your defenses were slowly melting down.

You weren’t exactly sure who moved first. Maybe you both moved at the same time. But in an instant, his lips were on yours, and your knees nearly gave way.

You couldn’t pull away. While your brain was screaming at you to let go, your hands somehow wound up in his hair, and you were tugging him closer, gasping against his mouth.

Sehun seemed startled by your response, and made a muffled groan in his throat. He grabbed your waist, and began kissing you harder, his fingers digging into your side.

When you broke apart to breath, he started to kiss a trail down your jawline till your neck, his lips moving desperately against your skin. You shuddered in pleasure against his touch, and your hands automatically moved towards his shirt, reaching for the buttons. You needed to get closer, somehow.

You managed to unbutton it halfway, but suddenly a warning signal went off in your head, loud and clear.

What the actual fuck were you doing?

With tremendous effort, you shoved Sehun away from you. He staggered back, breathing heavily. The realization of what had just happened seemed to strike him, and he flushed a dark red.

“I-I need to go,” you said, stumbling to grab your things. “Y-yeah same,” he said, his hands fumbling while he attempted to quickly re-button his shirt.

You ran out of there as if you had a murderer chasing behind you, and didn’t dare think about Sehun until you got home, relieved to finally be alone.

The last week of the project went by in a blur. You almost expected things to mess up, but they went surprisingly smoothly. Sehun actually pulled through and did his bit, and needless to say, you were pretty satisfied with the end result.

Neither of you brought up the kiss.

But there was a sense of awkward tension between you two. And it wasn’t the kind of usual tension you felt around him when he got on your nerves. Sehun was also visibly flustered, and his usual banter with you was absent.

You didn’t really know what to do. You hoped once the project was done things would go back to normal and you would just starting hating him again.

On the last day, your boss called the two of you to her office. “I have to say, I’m extremely impressed,” she said smiling. “The data you’ve gathered is well-structured and to the point, and I’m pleased to tell you that the clients loved it.”

You sighed in relief. “I see my decision to let the two of you work together was a successful one,” she said. “Congratulations. You’ll be happy to know that an extra bonus will be added to both of your salaries this month.”

Sehun smiled widely. “Thank you,” he said and you nodded. This was better news than you could have ever asked for.

You turned to Sehun as you left the room, and put out your hand awkwardly. “Um well, it was nice working with you, I guess,” you said.

Sehun stared at your hand, and then snorted. “Are we really going to do the whole handshake thing?”

You dropped your hand, sighing. Of course, the old Sehun was resurfacing, but you weren’t sure whether to be happy or sad about it.

“I mean,” he continued, “I don’t really think I can shake your hand, when I quite frankly would rather kiss you instead.”

You blinked.

Sehun shrugged, but you could see him start to blush. “Look, can you honestly go about every day pretending that it never happened? I tried, believe me, but it didn’t work out so well,” he admitted.

“But we hate each other,” you blurted. “The whole thing was a mistake –”

Sehun shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.” You couldn’t believe your ears. “What are you saying, exactly?”

“I’m saying…that I don’t mind, um, getting to know you,” he said awkwardly. “We’ve known each other for a year,” you pointed out. But you know what he meant.

You’d never talked to him as a real friend before. You’d never even tried. You’d just told yourself you hated him ever since you knew him. And clearly, you thought to yourself, I wouldn’t have kissed him like that if I hated him anyway.

“So…” said Sehun again. “What do you say to lunch? As a celebration for our success, if nothing else,” he added. You almost giggled at his nervousness. It was cute, you realized with a pang.

You smiled, nodding. And then, “Can I kiss you?”

You slapped your hand over your mouth, horrified that you’d spoken the words out loud. Sehun began to laugh. “We’re in the middle of the office,” he said, grinning.

But then he came closer, and took your hand. “I don’t know why I said that. No more kissing until we figure out what we are,” you muttered. “Deal?”

“You do know I hate taking orders from you, right?” Sehun said, smirking. You bit your lip, unable to take your eyes off him.

Oh, you knew all too well. 

“Okay, so maybe in this case I won’t be too annoyed if you don’t listen,” you said, and pulled him forward for a kiss.

A/N: So...how was it? Don’t be afraid to leave your thoughts in my ask💕

[celtic7irish]

A Safe Space

Title: A Safe Place

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13342515

Square Filled: B1 - Nesting

Ship: Tony x Bucky

Rating: Mature

Major Tags: None

Summary: Nesting: The act of cuddling and other such public displays of affection in an open area. Also, the act of settling yourself into a cozy convenient corner of your bedroom and surrounding yourself with all the comforts of your many vices. Also, the act of leaving small stashes of your things in various places in a random and unorganized manner.Or: Bucky has a safe space of his own. Tony likes to spend time in it. 

Word Count: 3683

Created for @mcukinkbingo

Full Text Below:

When Bruce moved into the Tower, Tony made a space just for him. He had a lab – three labs, actually – and an entire floor to live on.  There was a room for meditation, and another that could be locked down if Bruce transformed.  There were exotic teas from the world over, and a library stacked floor to ceiling with books that covered every genre and subject imaginable.  There were tablets and holo-displays and servers keyed to his unique gamma signature.  It was everything Bruce could have ever wanted, and far more than he’d ever dared to hope for.

As the rest of the Avengers trickled in, one or two at a time, Tony did the same for them. Clint had a full-size shooting range; Natasha had a dance studio.  They shared an armory.  Steve had a gym and a track that could be raised or lowered, or have hurdles or pitfalls.  He also had a room filled with things from the forties, and tech that was a bit more old-fashioned and less complicated.  He had a library as well.  Thor’s room was done in as close a proximity to Asgardian décor as Tony could figure out from the vivid descriptions the blonde prince enjoyed regaling them with.

Tony’s floor, however, was as Spartan and cold as if nobody lived there at all. The furniture was sleek leather, the technology high-end.  The fridge and bar were always stocked, the bathroom always pristine.  Even the bedroom looked like nobody slept there, though the whole team had seen him go up to the Penthouse to sleep off a four-day engineering binge.

Tony’s workshop was the exact opposite, though, covered in half-completed projects and decorated with drawings made by the bots. There was a mini fridge and a comfortable couch.  Tools were scattered about in organized chaos that only Tony and his bots seemed to understand.  Snacks were hidden in drawers and on shelves, and the stools and chairs were designed with comfort in mind.

The Avengers rarely had cause to go to the Penthouse, which was why it took them so long to notice the changes. It started shortly after Barnes moved in, warily following Steven into the Tower, ready  to bolt at the first sign of danger.  Tony had taken one look at the soldier’s cybernetic arm and had practically kidnapped the man, spending hours with him in the workshop.

Barnes, one he’d realized that Tony had no intention of hurting him or experimenting on him, was content to stay down in Tony’s workshop with him, playing with the bots and pestering Tony about modern technology. It turned out that Barnes was a bit of a science nerd, and Tony was all too happy to answer his incessant questions.

Steve was the first one to realize something was going on when Bucky stopped sleeping in the floor that Tony had set aside for him. Questioning Jarvis proved fruitless as the AI adamantly refused to break the privacy protocols set in place by Tony, stating only that Sergeant Barnes was not in danger, nor was he a a danger to any of the Tower’s residents.

Steve cornered Bucky a few days later after one of their morning runs, and Bucky cheerfully told him to mind his own damn business. Steve opened his mouth to press the issue, but Bucky ignored him in favor of greeting Tony, who was staggering drunkenly down the hall.

“You’re a mess,” Bucky told him, gripping his arm carefully and steering him away from the wall he’d been about to run into. “C’mon, bed.”

Tony looked up at the soldier and gave a long, slow blnk, swaying on his feet. “Hm?” he mumbled absently.

“Bed,” Bucky repeated in mild exasperation. “Y’know, that monstrosity you’ve got up a coupla floors?”  He was grinning, not bothering to hide his fond amusement at the genius’ apparent confusion.  Steve just watched in mild consternation, knowing that he was missing something, but not sure what.

Tony blinked. “Oh, yes,” he agreed.  “It’s a very nice bed.”  He tipped his head to the side and gave Bucky a smile that Steve wall all too familiar with.  “Your Nest is better, though,” he added.  Steve could hear the capitalization.

“Buck-“ he started, but the other man glared at him so darkly that he snapped his mouth closed abruptly.

The soldier turned back to Tony once he was satisfied that Steve wasn’t going to interrupt, his expression softening as he gave the genius a pleased smile. “You really think so?” he asked.

“Yep,” Tony nodded, leaning tiredly against Bucky. “’S comfortable.”

“Then that’s where we’ll go,” Bucky told him. Steve was left to stare after them in stunned surprise as the two men made their way down the hall and to the lift.

“Hey, Buck?” he called, just before the two men entered the elevator. Barnes looked back at him curiously, and Steve sighed.  “Try to get him to sleep more than two hours, yeah?” he asked, as close as he could manage to giving them his blessing.

Bucky’s grin was blinding. “Yeah,” he agreed, just before the doors to the lift closed on them, whisking them away.

Away from the prying eyes of Captain America, Tony straightened up with an exaggerated yawn, stretching enticingly so that the hem of his tank top lifted, revealing a strip of tanned skin by his waist. He grinned wickedly at Bucky, who was smirking back at him.  “Think that did it?” he asked.

Bucky shrugged. “He’s been side-eyein’ me for days now,” he grouched.  “I figured it was ‘bout time we helped him out a bit.  I hate seein’ him worry like that, like he’s scared I’ll run off if he asks me somethin’.”

Tony leaned into him more firmly. “He’ll be fine,” he reassured him.  “Besides,” he pointed out slyly, “I’m pretty sure we just smacked him over the head with a sledgehammer.”  Bucky’s metal arm slid easily around his shoulder, a familiar weight by now.  “So now what?” Tony purred seductively.

Bucky nuzzled against him, pressing lips to the top of Tony’s head. “Well, Stevie did suggest that I try to get you sleep for ‘more than two hours’,” he suggested hopefully.

Tony snorted. “Gotta wear me out before that,” he shot back.

Barnes moved suddenly, before Tony could react to the change in position, gripping him at the hips and shoving him back against the wall of the lift, one firm thigh sliding between Tony’s legs. “Oh, I plan to,” he growled teasingly, a hint of challenge in his gaze.

Tony grinned. “Oh, excellent,” he sighed happily.  He wrapped his arms around Bucky’s neck, not the least bit surprised when the soldier got a double-handful of his ass and lifted him clear off the floor as soon as the doors opened, carrying him out of the lift and through the Penthouse to the bedroom.  And to Bucky’s large, comfortable nest.

Barnes had been so skittish when he’d first arrived, and Tony had set Jarvis to monitoring him – discretely, of course. Mostly so he’d know if he needed to run interference with Steve, since the blonde idiot was far too reckless with his own safety.  Besides booby-trapping his quarters, Barnes had taken to sleeping under the bed.  At least it was clean, and Barnes had only busted up on cleaner bot before he’d realized that they were harmless.  Still, Tony had fixed the bot and reprogrammed it to only attend to Barnes’ rooms when he was in the gym or the shower or something.  There had been on further incidents.

Gradually, items had started to go missing from around the Tower. Mostly Steve’s stuff, of course, but also some of Tony’s, surprisingly.  It had taken him a while to get up the nerve to confront Barnes about his thieving habits, but the soldier had sheepishly admitted that with his enhanced senses, he needed to surround himself with comfortable, familiar things.  It was something that Hydra hadn’t allowed, but now that he could indulge without fear of punishment, he couldn’t seem to stop.  Soft blankets that scented of Steve.  Fluffy towels and plush pillows.  Old, worn flannels.  They all made their way to Bucky’s room.

Tony had kind of understood why he’d taken Steve’s stuff – the guy had been his best friend for forever, and even know, Steve only wanted to help Barnes. But that still didn’t explain why some of his own stuff had gone missing.  Until Barnes had pointed out that the whole Tower belonged to him, that the Tower was, in its own way, a fortress to protect those inside of it.  And so Barnes had quickly come to associate Tony with protection and safety.  Especially after spending so much time in the lab, and seeing the weapons and armor he made for the team, to aid and protect them in battle.

Even so, he’d continued to sleep under the bed, despite Steve’s best efforts to the contrary. Even Sam had tried speaking to the soldier, but it hadn’t done any good.  Not until Tony had asked Barnes what he needed in order to feel safe.  And Barnes, perhaps surprised that somebody was actually asking him what he needed rather than trying to tell him, had admitted that he needed to wake up not alone.  It couldn’t be Steve, though, because despite Barnes fighting his conditioning, Steve was still an unfinished mission, and Barnes wasn’t willing to risk waking up as the Winter Soldier and actually killing the other man.

Tony had considered that for all of thirty seconds before suggesting that Barnes come stay in the Penthouse. Jarvis watched over Tony, and the armor was never far away, should it be needed.  It had taken about a week of coaxing, but Barnes had eventually agreed, and had brought his nest up to Tony’s bedroom.  It was actually a mutually beneficial arrangement, because knowing that Bucky needed somebody to be there when he woke up actually led to Tony going up to bed more often than not.  Sometimes he even managed a couple hours of sleep while he was there.

And then, one night, Tony had suffered a nightmare. He couldn’t even remember what it had been about now; Afghanistan or space or having his heart ripped out or drowning.  It didn’t really matter.  But he had woken up screaming, and Barnes had grabbed him and brought him to the nest and curled up against him, just holding him until he’d quieted.  Tony had slept undisturbed for a solid six hours, far more than he usually got these days.

After that, it had become rather commonplace for the two men to sleep in the nest that Bucky had built. The soldier had even started adding a few items from the other Avengers into the nest.  The first time Tony had found one of Bruce’s slightly large button-ups buried under a pile of soft blankets, he’d laughed.  And then proceeded to kiss Bucky senseless.

There had been some painful conversations made in the nest, too, the two men curled up so that they faced away from each other, as Bucky admitted to having killed his parents, as Tony admitted to having known about it for years prior. Tony had spoken haltingly of Howard and Obie and the Ten Rings, and Barnes had spoken of the war and Hydra and cryo.

Today, though, there would be no talking about the hard, painful things that each of them had been through, no confessing of sins or absolution of them. Just love and patience, and skin against skin.

Tony was squirming impatiently before his lover had even set him down. “Just…here….lemme,” he growled, helping Bucky shove both their shirts over their heads.  He lifted his hips obligingly so Bucky could tug his sweatpants down and off, then sprawled out on the blankets, watching with avid delight as Bucky efficiently removed his own jeans – by virtue of tearing them with his metal hand, the zipper breaking and a button dropping down into the nest.  Tony palmed it, then burrowed his hand under a bunch of pillows and blankets before releasing it, leaving the button as just another part of the nest, like the various wires and knife sheaths and leather straps that were already there. He preferred the blankets and pillows and clothing, himself, but this was Bucky’s Nest, and if he wanted to have knife sheaths and straps from Steve’s uniform – before Tony had improved it yet again, of course – then that was fine, too.

Propped up on a mound of pillows, Tony enjoyed the teasing, tickling sensation of the faux fur against his spine and sides as Bucky dropped to his knees, pinning Tony with one leg on either side of Tony’s thighs, looking down at him with dark, predatory eyes. Tony looked back just as intensely.  “You know, I could get you real fur pillows,” he pointed out reasonably.

Bucky grinned. “Naw, I like the fake stuff,” he said, leaning down to drop a kiss on Tony’s upturned lips.  “Nothing got killed for it.”  And there was something darker in that statement, something that they’d probably talk about eventually.  But not today.

Tony reached for his lover. “Fine, then,” he mock-groused.  “Keep it.  But I get to choose the next addition.”  And hadn’t that been something of a surprise, discovering that he also enjoyed nesting?  He’d always thought that the terms related only to mothers-to-be, bustling about the home preparing it for a newborn.  But to his knowledge, his mother had never bothered, content to let the servants handle everything.  And this was different, anyhow.  This was creating a safe space and surrounding themselves with family and friends, even when those members weren’t actually present.

“Sure,” Bucky agreed. “As long as it isn’t somethin’ stupid.”

Tony just laughed, already picturing his fluffiest robe, crimson with a gold trim. It had been something of a joke-gift from Rhodey, but Tony loved the stupid thing and had worn it often when he’d been alone in the Penthouse, after his breakup with Pepper.  There had been something comforting about the soft warmth of it.  Kind of like Bucky’s nest, he supposed.

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and find out,” he teased.

Bucky huffed in mock-annoyance, but shifted so that his body rested firmly on top of Tony’s, skin to skin. His metal fingers were tracing idle patterns on Tony’s right shoulder, sending tickling shivers down his arm.  “Enough talkin’,” Bucky told him, then suited words to action and kissed him, hard and possessive.

Tony moaned happily into the kiss, squirming under Bucky’s bulk, relishing in the pressure and heat radiating off the other man. Barnes was like a furnace, making the nest warm and comfortable.  He let his legs slip a bit further open, drawing Barnes further down on him.  “Lube?” he murmured as Bucky trailed a line of kisses and sharp nips across his chin and down his throat. Bucky latched onto the cord of his throat and started pulling blood to the surface.  His right hand fumbled around the raised, padded edge of the nest before coming up and showing Tony the small bottle of lube.

Tony hummed approvingly, his hand tangled in Bucky’s hair, resting on his head while the other man gave him a hickey to rival all hickeys. “Possessive son of a bitch, aren’t you?” he said happily.

Barnes answered him by flipping open the cap and somehow managing to get the lube on his fingers without dumping it. “Hm…dexterity,” Tony murmured.

Bucky muffled his chuckle against Tony’s throat. “Motivation,” he countered, fingers already teasing at Tony’s hole, calluses catching on the rim and making Tony gasp at the slightly rough sensation.  “Not gonna mess up the nest before I get a chance to mess you up in it,” he leered.

Tony arched, pressing back and down into Bucky’s touch, hoping to entice him to go faster. Instead, Bucky pulled away entirely, and Tony let out a low growl, his eyes narrowing at the other man.  Bucky just twisted away, leaning over the edge of the nest – and giving Tony a very nice view of his ass and the muscles in his back and shoulders and thighs – and grabbing something.

“Turn over?” he suggested coyly, turning his head to meet Tony’s gaze and smirking when he realized that Tony wasn’t watching his face at all.

Tony sighed, aggrieved, but did as he’d been asked, twisting over onto his front and lifting himself up on hands and knees. He generally preferred to be able to see his partners, to make sure they were enjoying themselves, but this way could be fun, too.  Bucky draped himself over Tony’s back, his weight pressing down on him and forcing Tony to use both arms to hold himself up.  Bucky’s cock pressed enticingly against Tony’s ass, and the genius shoved back, trying to get the other man to do something.

Bucky settled something below Tony, who glanced down and laughed at the ugly, yellowish-brown towels. He was sure there was a proper name for the color, but the fact remained that it was ugly, and therefore could be incinerated.  And it would keep them from messing up the nest.  Probably.

Bucky shifted again, lube-slicked fingers circling Tony’s hole again, occasionally dipping inside. Tony huffed.  “I don’t have all day,” he pointed out.  “I’ve got a board meeting in the morning, so if you want to get any sleep tonight, you should probably pick up the pace,” he suggested.

He got a sharp nip at the dip of his spine for his trouble, but Bucky moved them along, sliding the first finger inside and crooking it before dragging it back out slowly, letting it catch on Tony’s skin on the way out. Tony sighed in pleasure, his head dropping.  He was tempted to reach down and stroke himself, but Bucky’s metal hand resting between his shoulder blades stopped that; the bastard would probably knock him off-balance if he tried it.

Bucky’s tongue was tracing random designs on Tony’s skin, teeth nipping occasionally, and Tony squirmed impatiently. “Always so impatient,” Bucky chided, but his tone was amused, and Tony just turned his head to smirk at him.

“Or maybe you’re just not that good, soldier,” he challenged. Bucky’s eyes darkened, and the next thrust of his fingers – they were up to three now, when had that happened? – pressed ruthlessly against Tony’s prostate, making him shudder and jerk forward with a grunt, sparks shooting through him as he trembled, his arms nearly collapsing under him.

“You sure about that?” Bucky teased him, pressing a gentle kiss to the dip in his spine. His other hand pressed down on Tony’s back, encouraging him to drop to the bedding as Bucky straightened up, pulling his fingers free and slicking himself up before pressing in, as careful as ever.  Tony whined, but didn’t try to push back.  Bucky had explained, very seriously, that he’d hurt so many people over the years as the Winter Soldier that he never wanted to hurt anyone ever again, in any way.  And he was a lot to take in all at once without at least a little bit of pain, so Tony let him set the pace.  To reward him, Bucky fitted his metal hand against Tony’s left hip to support himself, the fingers cool and slick against Tony’s sweat-soaked skin.  

Once he was fully seated, Tony panting below him with the urge to just move, Bucky reached around and gripped him firmly, and then started moving, his thrusts pushing Tony forward into his grip and then back again, chasing after the pleasure. The pillows below him had been scattered, and Tony’s cheek was pressed to a soft fleece blanket that smelled of gunpowder and Old Spice – not the modern-day stuff, but the original.  The kind that Tony imagined his grandfather might have worn, if he’d ever known the man.  There was also the fresh scent that accompanied fresh laundry, but it was muted, subtle.  The blanket smelled of Bucky, and Tony turned to press his nose against it, breathing in the scent of the man that was all around him, in and over and holding him secure.

Bucky was murmuring words of praise and devotion into his skin, and the words swept through Tony, making him shudder with him. He might have been begging, his words muffled by the blankets, but Bucky knew what he needed.  He always knew.  His grip tightened, and he slid his metal hand down, stroking the cool metal lightly up Tony’s chest and across his nipples before coming to rest lightly on the side of his throat.  There was no threat there, no inherent danger, but Tony could hear the soft shifting of the metal as the tiny plates shifted, calibrating to keep from pinching, and he cried out as he came, feeling Bucky stiffen behind him, giving a few more hard thrusts before coming as well, a cry wrung from his throat even as his orgasm tore through his body.

Bucky’s weight settled heavily against Tony, who turned his head enough that he could breathe, but otherwise didn’t move, enjoying the weight and the warmth. “Mmm,” he mumbled in appreciation.  Bucky answered with a grunt, and Tony smiled.

After several long moments, and before Tony got too terribly uncomfortable, Bucky pushed himself up with a grunt and staggered in the direction of the bathroom. He came back with a wash cloth and cleaned Tony up, then tossed both the wash cloth and towel across the room, in the general direction of the hamper, before settling back down on his side.  Tony rolled into him, content to let his lover hold him, his face buried in the other man’s throat.

Bucky rummaged around for a moment before tugging up yet another blanket and draping it over the two sated men. “Mmm…like cuddling,” he admitted quietly.

Tony grinned, burrowing further down in the nest so that he was completely surrounded by comforting scents .

“Yeah,” he agreed, already halfway to dozing. “Me, too.”

[cosmic-cactus2]

laws of attraction | spencer reid x reader | chapter two

Description: "The law of attraction is the attractive, magnetic power of the Universe that manifests through everyone and through everything. It is part of the creative power of the Universe. Even the law of gravity is part of the law of attraction. This law attracts thoughts, ideas, people, situations, circumstances, and the things you think about." She was cynical about love. She didn't believe in soulmates, or fate, or that the universe brought you together. She believed in science, facts, and statistics. Her experience had taught her that love didn't exist, so she wasn't hell bent on finding it. But when she gets bumped up to a job working for BAU as a personal forensics analyst at Quantico, she meets someone that might just make her believe in love again. He might have too. {SET AFTER SEASON 13 OF CRIMINAL MINDS}. Warnings: adult language, some adult themes. Couple: Spencer Reid x Female Reader. ————————————————————

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three

not-so-flattering first impression

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The breeze coming through your window was almost comforting, and the sound of your alarm clock left you with pure excitement and joy for the first time in a long time. You practically threw the plush sheets off your body before hopping up, starting the water up in the shower and turning it on as hot as was tolerable. You sang loudly in the shower, blasting out any note that came to your mind as you started to wake up from the water. You turned the water off and dried quickly, using a blowdryer to make sure you didn't waste any time.

When you'd gotten the job, they said they'd recommend you dress business casual, but the dress code was pretty loose. You put on a pair of black dressier jeans, tucking in a grey band t-shirt under the hem. You made it look a little more dressed up by adding a blazer and heeled boots, slipping a long dangling silver necklace and matching bracelet on. You grabbed a donut on the way out, making sure not to forget your satchel and your copy of Introducing Chaos before heading out the door. Your keys jangled from your hip as you hopped down the flights of stairs to the parking garage, approaching the dark blue Jeep you drove to work. When your keys turned in the ignition rock music blasted through the speakers, leaving you bobbing to the music as you pulled onto the road.

About 15 minutes later (maybe 20, thanks to traffic) you arrive at the FBI building, showing the security guard your badge. You took the elevator up to the 4th floor, taking in a deep breath right before the doors opened. People bustled around as you gawked at the pristine glass doors leading into the BAU, preparing yourself for whatever was to come with this new opportunity you'd been handed. You clutched the book to your side and adjusted your bag, stepping out of the elevator doors. You walked forward with a pep in your step, flinging the glass door wide open-

-and right into a passing figure, sending coffee all down the front of his sweater vest.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" You sputtered out almost a million apologies a minute, searching in your bag for napkins which you hastily handed to the man. He assured you it was no big deal and that "on the bright side, the stain wouldn't show anyway since it matched the color of the fabric". You still felt terrible for it, continuously apologizing. You didn't realize you'd dropped your book in the scuffle, both of you reaching down to pick it up at the same time.

Delightful cliche rom-com trope. Too bad life isn't like the movies.

Your hands brushed for only a second before he picked it up for you, a blush rising on your cheeks. When you stood up, you got a good look at him and his features.

His eyes were a comforting hazel color, a warm smile on the bottom half of his face. His hair was long, dark, and curly and you took notice that he'd occasionally run his hands through it to push it back. He was right about the whole stain thing; you couldn't really see it on his brown sweater vest, but a small bit of the coffee stain was noticeable on his white button up that was underneath it. He wore a suit jacket over the top and a tie, making you suddenly feel very dressed down. Everything about him screamed sophistication, and everything about you screamed grow out of the 90's grunge phase already. He was attractive, no doubt about it. His eyes glanced down at the book.

"Chaos theory?"

"Y-Yeah. It's one of the many topics I find increasingly interesting. Well, it's the latest in personal research topics I've taken up to keep my mind busy."

"You have personal research topics?"

"Shocking I know, but I find that keeping the mind sharp and invested in some sort of grounding topic helps to focus. Mine just happen to be scientific and philosophical." He laughed a small bit, making you laugh in return. "Oh, I should probably introduce myself. I'm Y/N L/N. I'll be working as an on-site forensics specialist and lab analyst."

"Dr.Spencer Reid. Prentiss didn't tell us that we were getting an analyst."

"Analyst? What? There's someone knew I didn't know about? How is this possible, I know everything." A very colorful woman came through the doors, standing taller than you due to her heels. Her blonde hair had various decorations strewn about in it, accompanied by many bracelets and a matching colored dress with a bright pattern. She held out her arm aggressively for you to shake, and you took it.

"Penelope Garcia, technical analyst. Nice to meet you." Her smile was warm and inviting, and you could tell this was someone you'd be easy to get along with. And truth be told, that was rare.

"Y/N L/N, forensic specialist and lab analyst. Nice to meet you, as well Penelope." You smiled back at her before putting your hands in your pockets. You heard your name called and turned, seeing the only familiar face of Emily Prentiss smiling at you with her hand outstretched.

"Agent L/N, nice to see you again. I see you've met Garcia and Dr.Reid?"

"Uh, yeah. I have. And please, call me Y/N. I really hate the formalities."

"Of course. I hope your okay to jump right into things with the rest of the team? We just got a new case in."

"Of course. To be truthful with you I've been waiting pretty much all week for this."

"Great. Follow me and I'll introduce you to everyone else." She started walking towards a small set of stairs and you followed her, the two other agents following behind. As they did, Garcia leaned over and semi-whispered to Reid.

"Did you know she was coming?" Spencer shook his head slowly as his eyes stayed on your confident and almost overjoyed demeanor and walk. The way you carried yourself spoke to him that you were more excited about this than anyone else here, which was odd considering you'd be up close and personal with all the blood and gore being a forensic specialist and all.

"No, Emily didn't tell me anything." His eyes never left you as your hair swished back and forth, hands not quite sure whether they wanted to rest in your back pockets or the ones in your blazer. He found it especially unique that you wore a simple t-shirt under a blazer to work, but it was just another thing that made you stand out. He didn't snap out of his observation session until Penelope snapped her hand in his face.

"Helloooo? Earth to Dr.Reid. Why'd you just zone off for like a good few minutes there? You almost tripped up the stairs." He didn't notice they were stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading out of the bullpen until just then.

"I, Uh, don't know-" Penelope let out a gasp.

"You think she's cute, don't you?" Her face lit up like a Christmas tree as Spencer started rambling.

"What? N-No we just met. I mean, yes she's attractive but I-"

"Ohhhh, you totally do." She ran off up the stairs giggling. Truth was, yes, he did find you attractive. The way you profusely apologized about accidentally making him spill coffee all over himself even after he told you repeatedly it was fine made him smile a little bit, and your eccentric nature was a nice reprieve from both the horrors of the job and the sometimes overbearing uniqueness of one Penelope Garcia. It was like you were certainly more extroverted than him, but not quite so much as Garcia. He found it to be a nice balance. Of course, he barely knew you, only having talked to you for about 5 minutes about a book he hadn't read in a few years. Although that did intrigue him too; you were easy to jump into conversation with, and for once he'd met someone who shared similar interests and reading habits as he did. To him, your presence was a bit...refreshing.

He entered the room and sat down at the table in his usual spot, which you now sat across from. The rest of those who hadn't met you look slightly confused at your presence. Prentiss stood up as you followed suit.

"Everyone, I know this is an unexpected surprise but meet Y/N L/N. She's going to be our onsite forensics analyst and specialist, since recently lab results have been unnecessarily slow in the recent cases." You waved shyly, feeling all eyes on you. Everyone else in the room smiled, offering a wave back. "Y/N, these are agents Luke Alvez, Matt Simmons, David Rossi, Jennifer Jureau-" The blonde haired woman interrupted briefly.

"You can call me JJ."

"-and Dr.Tara Lewis. Y/N is going to be joining us in the field from now on to assist with crime scene analysis and reconstruction."

"Fair warning, I'm used to being behind a lab desk so if I seem a little overwhelmed at first don't be surprised." You sat back down, scanning the room again. There were a few chuckles from some people, and the man sitting across from you held a wide and welcoming smile, as if to say 'Welcome to the team.'

"Alright, lets get started."