#one of my other coworkers saw too so bonus witness

[magicmagica]

Some serial killer level bullshit omfg

[plaidbooks]

My Beautiful Rose

A/N: Oof, this is a long one, and I wanna thank Karen for helping me with the concept! It’s a Sonny Carisi x reader fic, covers the Flowers/Candy square in the VDay bingo, and may or may not get a part 2; who knows? Hope you enjoy! P.S. I’m sorry for my lack of medical knowledge! P.S.S. this jumps perspective a lot.

Tags: talks of stab wounds, blood, ventilators/tubes, whump

Words: 4197 

Taglist: @witches-unruly-heart @beccabarba @thatesqcrush @itsjustmyfantasyroom @stardust-fray @permanentlydizzy @infiniteoddball @ben-c-group-therapy @glowingmess @whimsicallymad @lv7867 @storiesofsvu @cycat4077 @barbasimp @alwaysachorusgirl @reading--mermaid @averyhotchner @mrsrafaelbarba @detective-giggles

Sonny was working late again tonight, you knew. It was obvious by the box of chocolates he had sent home, as an apology for not making it home for dinner. The bouquet of red roses was just a bonus, because he liked to call you “his beautiful rose.” You didn’t mind—he often worked late nights as detective—but you were always worried. Always afraid to get that phone call, that Sonny wasn’t coming home. You looked at your new engagement ring, twisting it gently around your finger. He was fine; he was always fine. But that didn’t stop the worry from eating away at you every time he stepped out that door, badge and gun on his hip. What you didn’t know was how much worse it was to not get that phone call.

***

The nurses burst through the doors of the ER, jogging with the gurney, the man passed out with an oxygen mask laying lifeless on top of it, blood staining his shirt. A doctor caught up with them, falling into step beside them.

“What do we have?” he asked.

“Multiple stab wounds in the chest area—heart rate is 74 and dropping, blood pressure is 90/60, respiratory rate is 10 per minute, O2Sat is 90% and temperature is 95. He lost a lot of blood, at least 10%,” a nurse listed off.

“Jesus…any vital organs punctured?”

“Hard to tell without X-rays, but by the way he’s rasping, he may have a punctured lung.”

The doctor nodded. “Prep him for X-rays and a transfusion. I’ll disinfect and be right in.”

***

You woke up in the morning with no word from Sonny, and your heart started to race. You tried to push the anxiety down; you had texted him the night before with no reply, but that wasn’t unheard of. Sometimes, he was super busy. Other times, he looked at the text, then got caught up in something else and simply forgot to respond. Though, when half the day went by and you had heard nothing, you couldn’t stop the panic that tore through you. Maybe he was working a triple shift and was napping at the precinct. Or maybe something terrible had happened. You tried texting him again, and then waited.

***

“No, I’m sorry Bella, you can’t visit him,” Olivia was saying into her phone. She was leaning against the wall in the hallway of the hospital. “It’s not safe right now; this was a hit, and his family can be targeted.” She waited, listening to the youngest Carisi on the phone. “I know that this is hard, but I promise to keep you updated, okay?” She hung up, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger before re-entering the hospital room.

Amanda was in the visitor’s chair by the bed, working on her laptop. Liv glanced at Sonny, unconscious in the hospital bed, his slowly rising and falling chest the only sign of life…though, the machine strapped to his face, tube down his throat, was helping him breathe. She felt overwhelming guilt that this had happened to the young detective, that he was now battling for his life.

It was supposed to be a routine escort—Sonny was simply taking a working girl to the hotel room that would act as her refuge until the trial against her pimp. But the information had leaked, and they were jumped, both Sonny and the girl being stabbed multiple times. The girl died on the way to the hospital, and Sonny had been barely clinging to life. The knife had punctured a lung, and it slowly filled with blood as he was rushed to the hospital. Another couple minutes, and he’d be dead.

The good news was that the doctor was optimistic about his chances of making a full recovery. The bad news was that this happened at all, and that they now didn’t have a witness to testify against the pimp. Though, if Sonny did pull through, he could hopefully testify…if there was a connection between the men that jumped him and the pimp, which there was no doubt in Olivia’s mind that the two were connected. Either way, Sonny wasn’t safe, which is why Olivia was barring anyone but officers or detectives from seeing him. And only then, it was people she knew, people she trusted. She didn’t know who leaked the location of the hotel room, but she would find out.

“Rollins; why don’t you head home? You’ve been here all night. I’ll stay here with him for the rest of the day until Fin switches out,” Olivia murmured, patting the blonde’s shoulder motherly.

Amanda looked like she would argue at first, but she was so exhausted, and she sighed. “Yeah, okay. Keep me updated, yeah?” She closed her laptop, pushing to stand.

“Of course. Stay safe—watch your six.”

Amanda nodded, heading out the door. Olivia didn’t really think that they could be in trouble for being associated with Sonny. But she wasn’t taking any chances. Glancing at Sonny, she sunk into the chair Amanda had abandoned, pulling out her phone, and going through emails.

***

After you awoke on the second morning with still nothing from Sonny, it solidified the notion that something was wrong. He has never gone this long without notifying you, work or no. And your calls and texts had been going unanswered—a bad sign indeed. With no other choice, you grabbed your things, heading to the precinct of SVU with shaking hands.

 *************************

The building was busy, officers mulling about, rushing to and from desks and file cabinets and fax machines and copiers. After being pointed towards the SVU department, you headed up the elevator, starting to feel very nervous indeed about being here. Sonny had made it clear that he kept his home life separate from his work life, and while he’d talk to you about work and cases, you didn’t know how much his coworkers knew about you…if at all.

Making your way towards all the desks, you glanced around the room, trying to find your fiancé. But when you didn’t see him, your eyes went glassy with tears, and you struggled to hold yourself together.

“May I help you?” a woman asked, coming over to you. “I’m Lieutenant Olivia Benson; are you okay?”

“I…is there a Detective Dominick Carisi Jr. here?” you asked, voice watery.

The lieutenant seemed to stiffen at his name and a wave of worry washed through you. You noticed the other personnel around you giving you a hard look, and you shuffled uncomfortably.

“Come with me,” Benson said tersely, leading you towards a room off to the side. You followed her, eager to get away from the probing stares. She gestured you to enter, then followed you in, closing the door behind her. “What’s your name and why are you looking for Carisi?”

You blinked in surprise at her harsh tone. “I…it’s been almost three days since I last saw him and I’m worried. He’s not answering his phone, and I don’t know how else to track him down—”

Benson put her hand up, stopping you. “Name and why you’re looking for him. Now.”

Tears spilled down your cheeks as you choked out your name. “H-he’s my…he’s my fiancé, and I just want to know if he’s alive—please. If you know where he is—”

“Fiancé? Funny, he never mentioned being engaged, let alone having a girlfriend.”

With shaky hands, you reached for your purse, and Benson reached for her gun. “I’m just…phone,” you sobbed, grabbing your cell and pulling it out. You unlocked your phone, turning it towards her. Your home screen was a picture of Sonny with his arm around your shoulders, kissing the side of your head while you showed off your new engagement ring. “I-I got more pictures,” you murmured, scrolling until you found the photo album, opening it to hundreds of pictures of you and Sonny, flipping through them, proving your relationship to him.

Benson seemed to deflate as she looked at your phone. “Oh…I’m so sorry…. He never mentioned—”

“He keeps work and home separate,” you said, putting your phone back in your purse. “Now, please tell me if he’s still alive.”

 ***************

Your heart was in your throat as you road in the squad car to the hospital. At first, Lieutenant Benson wasn’t willing to take you to the hospital to see Sonny, claiming it was too dangerous. But all your worry and anxiety turned into white-hot rage at being kept from him, and she reluctantly agreed, already feeling guilty about thinking you may be someone trying to finish the job. You followed the lieutenant closely, still shaking slightly, unable to remain calm until you saw him, confirmed that he was still alive.

You froze it the doorway to his room when she entered, moving to the blonde woman in the visitor’s chair and exchanging a few mumbled words with her. But they were deaf to your ears as you stared at Sonny’s lifeless form on the bed, ventilator strapped to his face, machines buzzing and whirring around him. Letting out a choked sob, you rushed over to him, reaching out for his hand then stopping yourself, afraid to touch him, to hurt him somehow.

In a calm voice, Benson explained what had happened, and you half-listened, wincing at words like “stabbed” and “punctured lung.”

“Will he be okay?” you asked, wiping away the tears trailing down your cheeks.

“The doctor said that he should make a full recovery, yes,” Benson replied, and for the first time in three days, relief swept through you. But only briefly, before worry and anxiety crashed back into you. You nodded, bringing the other visitor’s chair over and plopping down into it. You had found Sonny; he was alive.

“Oh, you can’t stay here, hun,” the blonde detective said softly, as if you were a child. “It’s not safe.”

“My fiancé has been missing for three days and is on a ventilator. I’m not leaving his side,” you replied through gritted teeth. This time, you did reach out and grab his hand; it was warm and reaffirmed that he was still alive.

“And if they come here to finish the job—”

“You’re going to have to arrest me, because I’m not leaving him. If someone tries to hurt my Dominick, then I’ll…I’ll…” you trailed off; you didn’t know what you’d do. But you wouldn’t go down without a fight. Sonny was your everything, and now that you found him again, you couldn’t bear the thought of losing him. Even the thought of leaving him to go to the bathroom filled you with dread.

Benson sighed heavily, looking defeated. “I…don’t want to arrest you, but I will to keep you safe. Especially for Carisi. But please don’t make me do that. Come quietly.”

“I’m not leaving him,” you said resolutely, gripping his hand tighter. Your breath caught when you felt him squeeze back gently, just a twitch of the fingers. Whipping your head to look at him, you stood from the chair, moving to stand directly over him. The machines were making a different noise now, but he still wasn’t moving.

“[y/n], you are under arrest,” Benson started, placing a cool, metal handcuff around your free wrist, unaware of the change in him. But she stopped as nurses rushed in, talking to each other in jargon you didn’t understand, checking the machines, and checking Sonny.

“What’s happening?” you asked, voice catching in your throat. You no longer felt the handcuff on your skin as a nurse gently pushed you away from Sonny’s body.

“Mr. Carisi is starting to breathe on his own—he doesn’t need the ventilator anymore. He also seems to be waking up; did you notice any change in his condition?” the nurse asked.

You blinked back the tears threatening to form. “He, uh, I squeezed his hand, and I thought he squeezed back….”

The nurse nodded before going back to the bed, helping the other nurses. You watched as Sonny’s eyelids slowly fluttered, the ventilator now gone, his breath coming in raspy through his slightly ajar mouth. You leaned forward, wanting nothing more than to hold him as he slowly came to, blinking and looking around at all the faces staring back at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but a nurse told him not to, that he was going to be sore for a little bit. Instead, she poured him some water, held it while he took a few sips from the straw.

Finally, his dull blue eyes found you, standing just to the side of his bed, behind the nurses surrounding him. “[y/n]?” he croaked, his voice sounding foreign.

You smiled softly at him, tears trailing down your cheeks. “I’m here, Dominick. You’re okay; you’re safe.”

After the nurses had finished doing whatever it was they had to, they left, reminding Sonny to try not to talk, giving him a small white board and pen to communicate. It seemed like you weren’t the only one entranced by the nurses—Benson still only had one handcuff on you, and the other detective had been watching with big eyes. Taking advantage of their latency, you pulled out of Benson’s grip, rushing back to Sonny’s side, clutching his hand.

“I’m so fucking glad you’re okay—that you’re alive. I was so fucking scared, Dom,” you murmured, kissing his hand.

“I love you,” he rasped, and you gave him a hard look that had no real weight behind it.

“I love you, too, but no talking. Use the board and pen, babe,” you urged, gesturing towards the board in his lap. ‘No talking’ for Sonny was going to be rough; he was the most talkative person you knew.

Sonny smiled at you, but it quickly faded as he saw the metal cuff hanging from your wrist. His eyes narrowed, and he glanced at Benson meaningfully, then gestured with his head to you. So, maybe he didn’t need to talk to get his point across.

Benson launched into the story of what happened yet again, ending with how he wasn’t safe in the hospital room. Then, you supplied what the last three days had been like at home, and that you went to the precinct for answers before being brought here.

“I was only going to arrest her to take her some place safe. In case you get attacked here,” Benson explained.

“But I’m not leaving your side,” you quickly added.

Sonny looked torn, his eyes downcast as he thought. Finally, he took his hand from you, opening the pen and bringing the board close to him, so you couldn’t see what he was writing. Finished, he flipped it back towards you, and you read: I love you, but go with Lieutenant Benson. It’s not safe here

You glanced back into his face, his now bright blue eyes sad, and he blinked away the tears quickly. “I can’t leave you, Dom,” you muttered.

“Please,” he croaked out, voice weak.

You closed your eyes as a few tears escaped down your cheeks. “Okay,” you finally agreed. “For you Dominick. You stay safe, you get better, and then you come home, okay?”

Sonny nodded, taking your hand and kissing your knuckles. Then he quickly erased his board, writing something else, then showed it to Benson: Protect her, make sure she’s got unis at our place

“Of course,” Benson replied, and he visibly relaxed back onto the bed. You allowed her to lead you out of the room, taking one last look at your fiancé before you left.

 *******************

It had been two days since you had seen Sonny. He had his phone again, but he was still discouraged from talking, so you texted more than anything. Though, it was killing you not to see him. And yet, he still somehow managed to send you a new bouquet of roses. You chuckled sadly, tears in your eyes when they showed up at your door; Sonny was the only person you knew who could be in a hospital bed and sending you flowers. You made sure to have a florist take some to him, as well; even if you couldn’t be there in person, his beautiful rose was thinking of him.

There was a knock on the door, and you rolled your eyes, thinking Sonny had sent something else now. But opening the door, you were face-to-face with a gangster wannabe-looking man. You had a moment to be confused before he lunged at you, something sharp glinting in his hand. Acting on your most basic instincts, you dodged backwards, the knife only slicing through your shirt. Both of your momentums had you stumbling backwards into your loft. You regained your balance first, grabbing the closest thing to you as a weapon. It was the vase of beautiful red roses, and you whipped your arm around, smashing it into the side of his head. Glass, water, and flowers exploded everywhere as the man tumbled to the ground, blood seeping out from his head. Hands shaking and chest heaving, you scrambled to find your phone, calling Sonny.

You heard the call connect and you didn’t even wait for him to speak before your words rushed out of you. “I was attacked at home and I hit the guy in the head and now he’s bleeding out on the carpet and I don’t know what to do—"

“Woah, calm down,” Sonny replied hoarsely. His voice was getting stronger, but it wasn’t back to normal quite yet. “You were attacked?”

You sniffed, tears clouding your vision. “Y-yeah; he just…knocked on the door, and I answered like an idiot—”

“Holy shit, are you okay? What happened to the unis? I’m sending—” Sonny started hacking and coughing, and your heart sank.

“Calm down, Dom. I’m safe, babe. I’m okay. Drink water…. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called—”

He pulled himself together. “Fuck that; you call me first.” He coughed a moment more, and you heard him swallow liquid. He cleared his throat. “I’m sending Lieutenant Benson there, okay?”

You glanced at the man still unmoving on the floor. “What do I do with the guy? He’s laying face down…did I kill him?” you asked, voice soft.

“Shit, I forgot he’s still there! Get out of our loft—can you go next door to the Thompsons? Get away from him, but don’t go outside,” Sonny instructed.

“I-I don’t know, Dom…I’ll see if they’re home—” you stopped talking as you heard voices in the hallway outside your loft.

“What the hell is taking Juan so long? It’s just some bitch,” a man said.

The hairs on the back of your neck stood up, and you rushed to the master bedroom, closing and locking the door. With a burst of inspiration, you opened the window leading to the fire escape before tucking yourself into the bathroom, locking the door, hoping beyond hope that they’d take the bait, thinking you escaped out the window.

You heard a muffled voice and realized that it was Sonny yelling into the phone still clutched in your hand. “[y/n]! What the hell’s happening?” he asked, voice raspy.

“Th-there’s more of them,” you whispered. “I can’t talk; gotta stay quiet.”

“Liv’s on her way—she should be there any minute now. Just stay calm, stay quiet. You’re going to be okay; I promise. I’ll stay on the line with you until you’re safe,” Sonny muttered back, trying his best to keep the panic from his voice.

You heard the exclamation from them finding their buddy on your floor in the foyer, then footsteps coming down the hallway. You clutched the phone closer to your ear, like Sonny’s voice was a lifeline. There was a loud pounding, then wood splintering as the door frame shattered in your bedroom. You let out a soft whimper, tears streaming down your face. You could no longer hear Sonny’s voice, all your focus trained on the footsteps on the other side of the bathroom door.

“Fuck; she went out the window. Find her before she makes it to the hospital—we can’t get her once she’s there,” the same man’s voice from before ordered. You let out a sigh of relief as the footsteps retreated. But you still didn’t hear Sonny’s voice. Glancing at your phone, you saw that it was dead.

***

“What is it? What happened?” Sonny asked desperately when he heard the door explode open, heard you let out a scared whimper. But you didn’t respond. All he got was a soft beeping, letting him know the call dropped. He frantically redialed, heart beating rapidly in his chest, but it went straight to voicemail. Tears in his eyes, he shoved himself up to sitting position, flinging the sheets off himself.

“What the hell are you doing?” Amanda asked, springing up for the visitor’s chair and grabbing his shoulder, trying to force him back in bed.

“[y/n] needs me; I can’t get ahold of her! There were men in our loft; she’s in danger. I gotta go—”

“Yeah? And what are you gonna do in this condition?” Amanda forced him back in bed, but Sonny pushed and shoved at her. She was tired from spending all her time either there in the hospital or at work, having not slept a full night in days, while Sonny was well-rested, besides his injuries.

“I don’t care! She needs me!” Sonny got her hands off him, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

“Nurse!” Amanda yelled; her last resort, as she grabbed at Sonny’s shoulders, trying to wrestle him down. It took five nurses, plus Amanda, to shove Sonny back onto the bed, holding him still long enough to sedate him. He cursed at all of them in broken English and Italian, tears in his eyes as the drug worked its way through his system, and he finally passed out.

***

You never left the bathroom, even though the loft was quiet, until Olivia got there with officers in tow. The man you had hit, Juan, was still laying face down on the carpet, the blood now thoroughly staining your carpet. Olivia told you that he was miraculously still alive—you felt better knowing you didn’t kill someone—and that the officers would deal with getting an ambulance for him. She was more concerned about getting you somewhere safe; the unis charged with watching you were dead.

“The guys that came in after this guy said that they can’t get me at the hospital,” you said, remembering his words. Olivia gave you a look but didn’t argue; she seemed beaten down from the past week. So, she led you from the loft after you packed a few essentials—including your phone charger—and drove you back to the hospital.

You practically rush into Sonny’s room, Olivia on your heels, but you stopped short when you saw Sonny unconscious, that blonde detective from before sitting next to him.

“What happened?” you asked, coming to stand by his bed, trailing your fingers over his arm. His hair was slightly ruffled, his shirt askew.

“Had to sedate him—he tried to leave cause he couldn’t get ahold of you,” the woman explained.

Olivia ran a hand through her hair while your heart broke. “Rollins, go home; it’s my turn anyways.” The blonde nodded, waving a goodnight before leaving. You took her seat, pulling yourself close to Sonny’s bed, taking his limp hand in yours. Olivia joined you in the other visitor’s chair, but sat far enough back to make it seem like you had your own space with him.

You poured a glass of water for when he’d awake, and noticed all the cards, flowers, and small gifts on the table, making your heart full. You were happy that Sonny was so loved, that his friends and coworkers cared about him so much. You smiled at the bouquet of roses you had sent him, pushed to the front so that he could see them clearly.

Sonny was only out for another 30 minutes, and he was groggy when he awoke, disorientated. Though, his dull eyes found you immediately, latching on to your face like he was trying to memorize you.

He opened his mouth, but you shook your head. “Don’t speak; save your throat. Here,” you lifted the glass of water to his lips, letting him drink his fill from the straw.

Even with your words, Sonny cleared his throat. “I thought something bad happened to you,” he murmured, words slightly slurred from the medication still in him. He blinked a few times, trying to focus his eyes.

“I’m safe, babe. I’m…so sorry to have made you worry. But I’m here; I’m safe.” You broke on the last word, tears streaming down your face. Sonny reached for your hand, squeezing you in comfort.

“I’m glad you’re safe…my beautiful rose…I love you,” Sonny whispered, kissing your knuckles.

You tried to control yourself. “I love you, too, Dominick. I’m glad you’re safe, too. Let’s just…worry about getting you back to full health.”

He nodded. “With you here, I feel better already.”

[essaysbyciara]

Thy Neighbor  (Chapter 12)

[Chapter 1][Chapter 2][Chapter 3][Chapter 4][Chapter 5 + 6][Chapter 7 + 8][Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] 

So, sowwyyyyyy. I said Wednesday. My bad, faves. Technically I wasn’t supposed to be on Tumblr -- because of Lent -- but the death of Nipsey Hussle (rest in power, King) had me on all the socials this past week which made me fall off a bit. But anyway ... just one chapter today, it’s pretty long. 

Warnings: There’s a boatload of cursing in this chapter. Within reason. You’ll see lol

As always, THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU for the likes, reads, comments, messages and follows. And if you would like to be added to the taglist, let me know. 

Oh ... there’s only five chapters left! 

You should do it. It wasn’t like you were waiting for the right person. You were waiting for the right time. Trevante would be worth it. He does look like he knows what he’s doing. You weren’t saving yourself or anything like that, you know that. Trevante likes you. You Googled the price of that bottle. $300. That could pay for your books, shit. Yep, you’re going to do it. Him. You’re going to do him.

Trevante monopolizes the squat rack every time he’s in the gym. No one dare came close when Trevante would level up, every ninety-pound plate clinking in unison. Seeing him would put the fear in most. He loved his imposing size, staring at himself in the mirror every time that he could. The scrawny kid from high school was no more, that kid afraid of his father was gone. The bigger he grew, he felt like he was able to fight back from all the pain he witnessed as a kid. Or appear as if he could fight back. The fear from others left him pretty lonely.  But he had his weights. They were friends enough.

“You’re not going to say bye to me?” Veronica, the gym manager, yells from behind the desk at the gym. She always made it a point to show off their situation in front of others, hoping to make her co-workers jealous for bagging their finest client. She knew she was just a plaything for Trevante and did not care to be anything else. The status of being with him was enough to keep her holding on.

Trevante wanted to ignore her. He needed to get home, his dinner date with Ciara was soon to come. A dinner date he didn’t want to do. He felt a way about Ciara’s seemingly dismissal of his gift. He wanted Ciara to run into his arms and tell him ‘thank you’ a thousand times to his face. It was a $300 bottle, for goodness sakes. He then wanted her to say that she didn’t deserve it and then he tell her that she did and that he had another gift for her if she wanted it. And she’d say ‘yes’. And he wouldn’t give a damn about keeping the noise down.

But she turned him down when everything in the air and universe said that it was the best time for them to do what they both wanted to do. He still couldn’t get over the fact that she chose to not have sex with him. It felt challenging. In all other circumstances it would have happened already. Ciara isn’t like all circumstances.

So he thought dinner would give him an opportunity to wax all of her fears away. And to show her that he’s more than just her neighbor who sexes everything moving. He could actually act interested and engaged. Their friendship would be the start of something … and enough to make her relent.

Trevante reluctantly pulls the earbuds out of his ears. “Yo, hey, sorry. What was that?”

“You forgot to say bye to me.” Veronica says, biting her lip to punctuate her thoughts.

“Oh, my bad.”

“It’s okay, Tre. I, uh, am about to get off from work. You want to hang out?”

Common sense is telling Tre to tell her ‘no’. But Trevante’s penis always won over common sense. And if he wasn’t going to get any from Ciara, he’s going to score some, someway.

“I don’t have that much time tonight but yeah. Text me when you’re out front.”

Veronica gleefully grabs her things, turning to look at her coworkers whose faces were covered with bewilderment. Nothing new.

Hey! Are you back yet?

We can do Chinese if you want to…

You fell asleep, didn’t you lol.

This is stupid. I’m knocking on your door lol

7:30 turned into 8:00 which turned into 8:30. With every 30 minutes, Ciara grew slightly more annoyed. He knew he didn’t forget, she thought. He must’ve tired himself out so much at the gym that he fell asleep. So tired he’d sleep through the jazz music she could hear blasting from inside of his apartment.

He wasn’t asleep.

He was deep into Veronica, ignoring the buzzing of his phone, in complete disregard of the time. His Sarah Vaughan vinyl blasting from his speakers, only to muffle out the noise coming from his bedroom. Having sex to “Tenderly” was a new one for the both of them. After Veronica flops onto his body, he looks at his phone. At that point, it hit him. He blew Ciara off. But she was coming away as he saw her last text was sent just minutes ago. As he tried to text her back, he heard a knock on the door.

“Hey! Yo, you look exhausted.”

“Yeah. Hard session at the gym. Go ahead and order the Chinese. Give me like 20 minutes and…”

“Aight. Bet…”

Ciara’s head snaps back when she sees Veronica saunter into his living room in one of Trevante’s tee shirts. She couldn’t believe it but yet she could. “Really, dude…” she whispers through her teeth at Trevante.

“Oh, hi!” Veronica says. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know someone was at the door. Hey, don’t you work out at Levels?”

“I do, yeah. You work there, right?”

“Yep, manager. Girl, you look great. You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

“Thanks. The staff there is great.  Um, yeah … I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you guys. I just wanted to return this bottle.”

Trevante cuts a look at Ciara. While he could understand why she would be upset to find another woman in his apartment, giving back a gift seemed a bit too extreme of a response.

Ciara’s eyes pierced through Trevante with enough intensity to procure rays. In that moment, she felt played. “My friend didn’t show up for dinner so I just wanted to make sure my neighbor got it back. I won’t be needing it.”

Trevante can’t believe her. “It’s a gift, Ciara. Keep it.”

Ciara doesn’t want to believe him. “No, it’s okay. It’s not my favorite. I’d waste it.” Ciara shoves the bottle into the side of Trevante’s naked torso. “But thank you though.” Ciara lets off a coy smile and walks back into her apartment. Trevante rolls his eyes and slams the door to his.

Hey, girl. You close to Ngosi? I need a fucking drink…

“You’re a dumbass for giving back that bottle, Ciara. I’m sorry.” Mahalia cuts her eyes at Ciara. “We could be at your place drinking that rather than this cheap-ass house wine shit they got here.”

“Really, bitch?!” quips Ashley through a fit of understanding laughter from behind the bar. Ciara and Mahalia start to laugh with her. “Girl, look. You dodged one there. Trust me. Dude was in my DMs for weeks.”

“What? God, why you make Trevante such a hoe?!” Ciara throws up her hands, causing them to land on the bar in exasperated disgust. “But what am I thinking? He wasn’t trying to fuck me anyway.”

Ashley and Mahalia let off a “what?!” with wicked speed. “Here she goes with this shit. She always does this.”

Ciara always found herself back here, this place where she thought her size and sensibilities kept her from finding a man. Anytime a relationship didn’t work out, she’d always blame herself. “He didn’t like girls like me,” she reckoned, quickly forgetting that her size 16 frame would damn near stop traffic.

“No, no. You two ain’t doing this to me. You and I both saw all them chicks coming to his apartment, Mahalia. I wasn’t them. That had to be the reason.”

“No, no, nope. Not tonight, Ciara.” Mahalia says. “I bet he couldn’t wait to bend you over.”

Mahalia was right. He couldn’t.

“All those swole-ass gym dudes want a taste of what you have, trust.”

“Wild thing is, Mahalia … I told myself that if he’d asked me tonight to do it, I’d be in. I was game.”

At that point, Mahalia had enough.

“Girl, I will never understand why you turn down as much dick as you do.” Mahalia says, the so-called cheap house wine catching up to her. “But I know you. And your story. And you ain’t about wasting your goodness on a dude who ain’t worth it, which I can’t lie... I respect it. You better be happy you ain’t waste an orgasm on that dude. Doubt he’d give you one of those though. Looks like he comes quick. Quick dick ni--a.”

Ciara, Ashley and Mahalia’s laughs cascade throughout all of Ngosi, causing other patrons to look at them with gleeful curiosity. Ciara desperately needed that joy and her girlfriends to reaffirm her in a moment after feeling dismissed.

As Ashley makes her rounds for last call, Trevante’s friend, Yahya, walks in Ngosi. His 6’4 chocolate frame was hard to miss, causing Ciara to ferociously tap Mahalia on her right arm to signal his welcomed arrival. And in that moment, in that very tipsy mind of Ciara, she felt the need to be petty -- and revengeful.

“Ain’t that Trevante’s boy?”

Mahalia senses a recipe for disaster.

“Nah, Ciara. Don’t.”

taglist:  @blackpinup22 @voyagetoadinas9

bonus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WAukgZlZCs; Sarah Vaughan - Tenderly

[pavementslam]

a beginner’s guide to hostage negotiation.

G RATED - SOUSA & THOMPSON & CARTER - SOME MILD LANGUAGE, CANON TYPICAL VIOLENCE.

In which Peggy, Daniel and Jack are held in a suspect’s cellar.

AN: This is an old fic I wrote for the Agent Carter Valentines challenge a while back, originally posted on AO3 here. I’m just moving all my fics from AO3 to here while I set up my new blog!

23:36pm

“Well, ain’t this splendid.”

Daniel rolled his eyes, head thumping back against the wall behind them, “Shut your mouth, Thompson.”

“No, really,” Jack carried on, “I’ve always wanted to be held hostage with you two. A real barrel of laughs, hell, I’ma need stitches from splitting my side after this.”

Peggy elbowed Jack as hard as her restraints would allow, which turned out to be not very hard at all. The handcuffs just smarted on her wrists, and the chains made too much noise as they rattled. It did make her feel slightly better though.

“Your stunning wit is not required, Agent Thompson,” she snapped, “If it is, be sure to know that we will call upon you for your witty comments as needed.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jack said sarcastically from her left, while Daniel groaned on her right.

It was going to be a long night.

-

23:55pm

According to Jack’s watch, they only had four hours until check in, which meant four and a half hours until the captain got suspicious of their whereabouts and sent people after them. The one bonus of getting chained in someone’s cellar with Jack Thompson was that people generally assumed he was a more than adequate agent, and so treated a legitimate threat to him as exactly that - legitimate. Had it just been Daniel and Peggy, it could have been days before people started asking where they’d gotten to that wasn’t just the general misfortune of a woman and an amputee.

But that still meant five hours in a cellar, chained to the wall, stuck with Daniel Sousa and Jack Thompson. The chains were heavy iron, and the handcuffs thick steel. The restraints were too short for them to lift their hands more than a few inches above their laps, and they’d all been stripped of their weapons when they’d been chained up.

All in all, it was looking a rather gloomy outcome.

Peggy spared another glance at Jack’s watch - three hours and fifty-six minutes.

-

00:14am

“What about if one of us pretended to be sick-”

“No,” Peggy and Daniel answered immediately.

-

01:00am

An hour in and between them, they’d tried everything they could think of.

They were handcuffed. Their handcuffs were attached to an iron bar. The bar was chained to the wall. Jack had almost broken his wrist trying to force the handcuffs apart. They were fastened too tight for Peggy to pass her hand through. Daniel’s attempts to loosen the chains had gotten them a barrage of abuse from the armed guard outside. And between them, all they had was a pencil, $3.15 in change and a parking ticket. As far as bright ideas were going, they were all running dry.

Peggy estimated they had a further forty minutes before Jack and Daniel’s irritable bickering took a nasty turn, and then if their captor didn’t kill them, they might kill each other.

“We only have to wait until the office realises we’re gone,” Jack muttered again as Daniel tried the cuffs again, “then they’ll come find us.”

“And when they find us, will that be before or after the person holding us has decided which river to throw our bodies in, Thompson?”

Jack glared at Daniel, “Well, aren’t you just a ray of sunshine. Bad day?”

Peggy opened her mouth to interject, but Daniel just steamrolled over her, “Actually, Jack, I was having a great day. Had a lovely breakfast at my local diner-”

“Oh, did you now?” Jack said sarcastically, leaning forward in enthusiasm, “Did they cook your eggs right, just like your mama used to make?”

“Yes, they did,” Daniel replied, nodded happily, “Thanks for asking!”

“Boys, really,” Peggy tried to interrupt, but they were on a roll.

“What else? Tell me about your day, honey, because I’d just love to fucking hear it,” There was a giant false smiled plastered all over Jack’s face.

“Oh, you’re just so considerate! Well, I was having a lovely day at work until my coworker told me I had to come along to visit a suspect, to, and I quote, ‘rile him up a bit’,” Daniel bit out, “Peggy, what do you think happens if you ‘rile up’ a millionaire megalomaniac attempting to build a superpowered bomb in his back room?”

Peggy sighed, “I’m sure you’re about to tell me, Daniel.”

“Well, Peggy, apparently, his armed guards takes offense to you flashing your badges around and they lock you in the cellar!”

Peggy shut her eyes and let her head rest of the wall as Jack mocked surprise, “Oh, wow, your powers of deduction are so impressive, Agent Sousa, tell me, any great ideas on getting us out of that situation?”

“Oh, deduce this, Thompson,” Daniel snapped, flipping Jack the bird as viciously as his restraints would allow him.

-

01:22am

“God, I’m starving.”

Jack and Daniel had managed to take a break in their ongoing argument long enough to complain about something different. Jack hummed in quiet agreement.

“Me too,” he said sadly. Peggy was inclined to sympathise; her stomach was also gurgling, “I’d kill a man for a cheeseburger right now.”

“Me too,” Daniel muttered.

Peggy sighed, “Me three.”

-

01:57am

“Are you sure you don’t want to hear my plan about Peggy pretending to be sick-”

-

02:25am

“I’m never going to get the smell of mould out of these trousers,” Jack said, groaning.

“Nevermind your trousers,” Peggy shook her head, “Just run through it again. What do we have?”

Jack took a fortifying breath, “Well, I have a parking ticket and a few coins. Daniel has some more change, and a pencil, and possibly a pencil sharpener, but it’s in his back pocket which he can’t reach.”

“And when you combine that all together?” Peggy asked.

“It means that when our bodies are disposed of, it won’t waste too much money,” Daniel said bluntly.

“For the love of God.”

Three highly skilled agents should have been able to get out of their restraints. Between them, they had more field experience than most of the office put together. Peggy had been in countless spots far tighter than this. Jack was a celebrated veteran. Daniel was one of the most ingenious people she’d ever met. Yet between them, they couldn’t even crack the four pin lock on a set of commercial handcuffs.

Peggy paused.

Four pin.

“Pin,” she said plainly.

Daniel looked at her, “What?”

“Pin,” she repeated, “Oh, I’m so stupid.”

“What-”

“Jack, can you see the thin black pins in my hair? There should be two, just above my temple.”

Jack looked thoroughly confused, but looked anyway, “Well, yeah. What good is that? Your hair looks fine, Carter-”

“I can’t reach them, but I need you to get them out somehow, okay? Then I can pick the locks.”

Daniel’s face slowly split into a wide smile, “Oh, you’re a genius, Peggy.”

Jack furrowed his brow, “How am I supposed to get them if you can’t- Oh, hang on.”

Without warning, he leant towards her. For a split second, Peggy truly thought he was going to kiss her, and she was fully prepared to immediately headbutt him and demand to know what he thought he was doing, but instead, Jack began retrieving the pins from her hair with his teeth. Daniel looked away, staring at the floor. Sighing, Peggy reminded herself that both men were to be held to secrecy over this. There was something extremely bizarre about Jack Thompson doing anything to her with his teeth that could surely never be mentioned again.

Eventually, he dropped both the pins in her open hands, looking rather smug, but Peggy just rolled her eyes and set to opening the locks.

-

02:46am

“Finally,” Jack groaned, rubbing his wrists.

It had taken a good long while; her hands weren’t exactly in the easiest of positions to pick handcuffs from, and the pins were cheap, and they kept bending. But, they were out, and with a minimum of noise, too. Better than pulling the chains off the wall, at least. Luckily, most of their stuff was on a table in the cellar, including Daniel’s crutch, and all their guns.

Making their way quietly up the stairs to the door to the cellar, Jack walked right up to the door, listening. After a second, he shrugged, and knocked.

Daniel looked ready to punch him there and then, when the door opened, one of the guards stood outside. Jack threw a short punch to his face, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him down the stairs. Daniel and Peggy watched as he tumbled down, landing unconscious at the bottom. When they both looked up at Jack, he shrugged.

“Don’t have time for this, y’know,” he said, “I’m hungry.”

The three of them crept silently through the house. It was lightly guarded, and despite having to go slow to avoid Daniel’s crutch making too much noise, they made it through mostly undetected. A few guards were listening to the radio in the kitchen, unaware of their movements. Only the one stationed outside the front door saw them, and Peggy took a satisfying swing at his jaw with her elbow, grabbing his hair and dragging his face down onto her knee. Daniel grinned as he hit the floor with a thud . Even Jack smirked a little.

“Now, that’s hostage negotiation.”

-

03:28am

Jack leant his head against the payphone, waiting for a reply from the SSR, while Daniel and Peggy stood beside him. Jack’s car was nowhere to be found when they got out the house, probably dumped or set alight long ago, and they’d had to walk half a mile to find a payphone to call for a lift.

“Bet he’s glad we had the change now,” Daniel muttered under his breath, and Peggy snorted.

-

03:43am

“So,” Captain Dooley said, crossing his arms, “Jack, do you want to explain why you showed up to a suspect’s house without back-up, in the middle of the night, and apparently, without a plan?”

Jack’s mouth opened, bravely stood in the middle of their shamed trio. Peggy wasn’t looking, but she knew the entire night shift was behind them, watching through the window.

“Well, sir, you see-”

“Actually, Captain,” Peggy interrupted, making Jack stare at her like she was insane, “there was no intel to suggest the suspect lived at the address.” Lie . “Agent Thompson interrogated someone earlier who lead him to believe that it was the suspect’s accountant.” Lie . “Since we know he likes the keep as much of his business as official looking as possible, it was assumed that his accountant would be completely separate from the rest of the operation.” Half-lie. They knew the accountant wouldn’t be under armed guard, but they also knew he was based in New Jersey. Peggy knew that because it was in the report of Jack’s interrogation, which was on her desk, where she had left it when she pestered them to let her come along instead of doing filing.

Captain Dooley looked at her carefully, before turning back to Jack, “Is this true, Agent?”

“Absolutely,” Daniel piped up, “Should have been a harmless conversation.”

Jack’s mouth could have been cemented shut for how tight it was closed.

“Agent?” Dooley prompted again.

Jack swallowed, “That’s right, sir.”

“So why the need to bring Sousa along? Surely an agent of your skills can handle a harmless conversation ?”

Again, Daniel stepped forward, “That was my idea, sir. Just a little good cop, bad cop, y’know? Rattle the old guy’s cage.”

Dooley looked ready to call them out on their bullshit, instead, he just shook his head, “And Carter was part of this how?”

Both Jack and Daniel blinked helplessly, so Peggy stepped forward, “Well, both Agent Thompson and Agent Sousa are very talented agents, captain. They should be allowed to concentrate wholly on their jobs, I only went along to take notes, so as they didn’t need to.”

All three of them stood stock still as the captain watched them with stern eyes. After a minute, he just blew a breath out his cheeks, scrubbing a hand down his face and stepping back behind his desk.

“Finish your reports then go home, agents,” he said, shaking his head, “ Now .”

-

05:01am

“And here’s your cheeseburgers, guys,” the waitress said, putting their food in front of them, “How come you’se all ordering dinner at five in the morning anyway?”

Jack was already shovelling his into his mouth, and Daniel just shook his head, smirking.

“Long night,” Peggy said, popping a fry into her mouth.

The waitress gave them all a strange look, but left them to eat their food in companionable silence.

[animenger]

Another Story Based On A Nightmare I Had:

Richard stared at the seawater, and at the strange island off in the distance as he thought about his current situation and the reason he was holding a ferry ticket in his hand. His world had been turned completely upside down . It started shortly after his 17th birthday, one year ago. His parents had suddenly went missing. However, while that in itself is a big deal, what happened after could be considered even more strange. At least, from an outside perspective it could. It began with Richard asking around. He started with the police, who he had called days after they first left in order to get to the bottom of this. He told them what he knew of his parents’ regular behaviors and of what they were planning on the day they went missing. However, while the police promised to fully investigate this incident, Richard felt a sense of apprehension. He felt that just leaving it at that would get him nowhere. Why though? They said they’d investigate, and they are most certainly qualified to do so. So why couldn’t he just trust them and leave it at that? Then he tried his friends and neighbors. As expected, they knew nothing. However, to him, it seemed like more than that. He started to notice different reactions out of different people. Some seemed genuinely unknowing while others seemed, almost desperately, just unwilling to talk at all. In the end, all this really managed to do was increase Richard’s feelings of skepticism and insecurity. This was a sensation that Richard wasn’t familiar with. However, he had no idea at the time that this small gut feeling of his would end up leading to so much more. The incident, of course, wasn’t reported on heavily at all. After all, he lived in "Paradise Peak, the town where nothing went wrong.” He found it a bit funny looking back now. After all, he himself had believed those words up until that incident.

He didn’t have much time to think too much after his personal “investigation”. After all, he suddenly found himself without parents at 17. It was a huge change from the “perfect” life he had been living up until that point. He would have to find work just to survive. As his situation changed, so too did his personality along with his outlook on the world. The more things he experienced the more things he found strange. For example, he noticed a number of things after he started working. He worked in a factory, which was the best he could ask for. It was hard, but it put food in his stomach. He got the job through a connection from one of his parents’ associates. While it was all they could do for him, it was more than enough. He even managed to avoid the tedium of applying and going through an orientation. They would train him and he would work. It seemed like a simple enough start. However, to him, this situation was anything but simple. The first thing he noticed was the state of the workplace and workforce. Order. Organization. Perfection. These words could all be used to describe what he witnessed. Not only were the other workers perfectly efficient at all times. They even always seemed happy to be working. This wasn’t a feeling Richard could relate to or understand. Work was a place to earn living expenses not to play. So why did his coworkers always seem so content? He decided to conduct another investigation.

This, however, wouldn’t be nearly big enough to call a full fledged “investigation”. He knew very well that just asking around or aimlessly voicing his suspicions would yield no results. He almost felt that it would be dangerous to take things too far. He managed to keep his cool during work but he wouldn’t just be able to keep up this routine forever. There was a part of him ached to figure out why he felt so out of place. One that wouldn’t be satisfied until he had all the answers. What answers were those? What questions should he even be asking? What’s his goal? He hadn’t thought it through that far. However, he knew that sitting still wasn’t something he could do for long. He decided to follow his gut and pursue the one lead he had. Actually it wasn’t a physical lead so much as it was a person. His name was Damian. He was the one friend that Richard had made at his workplace. The one person he would hang out with both during work breaks and outside of work hours. The one person who didn’t seem to mesh quite right with the other “cogs” that made up this “perfect” society.

Rather than bombard Damian with skeptical questions about the “perfect society” like he had wanted to, Richard decided to take a much simpler approach. He asked Damian if he knew of anyone “disappearing” or going missing. Damian seemed a bit more shaken by this line of questioning than Richard originally predicted. However, rather than answer directly Damian gave Richard a single option. “Take my work transfer offer in my place.” It didn’t make much sense at first. What did a work transfer have to do with Richard’s parents going missing? How would this answer his questions? However, Richard’s attitude quickly changed after he heard where the transfer would take him. It was a job doing maintenance for the rides at “Paradise Park”. The amusement park that only the upper class could afford to get into. The park so big that it takes up its own island off the coast of “Paradise Peak”. The same park that Richard’s parents were planning on going the day they went missing.

That brought him to where he was today. A full year had passed. It was a year without his parents. A year where he didn’t even celebrate his 18th birthday. The only things he had were a briefcase with some clothes, and a ferry ticket. The job he was taking would offer him housing and meals. This was just a bonus on top of the fact that he got to work at the “perfect town’s” main attraction, “One of the happiest places on Earth”, “Paradise Park”. However, he couldn’t be happy just like that. It wasn’t that simple. At least, it wasn’t anymore.

There he stood, almost anxiously. He felt that this was going to be a turning point in his life. He felt that, on that “Utopian” island, he may find the answers he’s looking for. He was finally going to get to the bottom of his parents’ disappearance. The same disappearance that was investigated for over a year with no results. The same disappearance that threw his life in a completely unexpected direction. As he thought this, the ferry in front of him filled up and took off. The next one, which was on its way, would be the one that took him to that island. At that moment he decided to glance over at the ferry that had just left. What he saw, however, was something that shook him to his very core. 

His eyes widened and he began to hyperventilate. Red. The people that had boarded the ferry were now corpses. They weren’t just dead. They were mutilated. Their blood had been spilled all over the boat they were on. Their bodies were twisted and torn up The sight could only be described as absolutely gruesome. Richard’s vision began to blur. He quickly clutched a safety rail as his legs began to fail him. It took all he had not to puke on the spot. However, when he looked around, all he got were concerned looks. Shocked, he looked over at the departed ferry again. Nothing had actually changed. The passengers were normal. Cheery even. Richard collapsed to the ground.

It took only a minute for Richard to recover. He brushed off the concerned onlookers as the next ferry approached. “What the hell was that??” he wondered to himself. It was a sight that was now engraved into his mind permanently. Death. Blood. Mutilation. Was it a hallucination? A premonition? A warning of some sort? He couldn’t say. One thing was for sure though. That bright and perfect island suddenly had an ominous shadow hanging over it. Whatever that vision was wouldn’t deter him though. Not after he had come this far. If the fate that awaited him on that island was death, then he had no choice but to struggle against that fate with everything he had. No matter what, he couldn’t turn back. With both new fear and new resolve in his mind, he boarded the ferry heading to “Paradise Park.” 

To be continued...

[muteelfmoonmoon]

I just read your newest ITaB fill and I just adore it! I feel a bit bad for Tony though, it's not easy saying no when you're bribed with a kitten... Perhaps Bucky could retire as an avenger and open up a cat café instead, with all the cats he can dream of.

So, um…  as soon as I read the word ‘cat café’, this popped into my head, and then, whoops, my hand slipped…

(Not exactly the same thing, since it’s a no-powers AU, but it’s still Bucky running a cat café. Hope you like it, nonny!)

For as long as Tony could remember, he’d always been a cat person.

Maybe it was because he saw a little of himself in the quirky furballs. Perhaps it was because of their cleverness, or because - much like his closest friends, Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy - they were still loving while being disinclined to take his or anyone else’s bullshit. Most likely, though, it was because their soft fur and happy purrs never failed to melt Tony’s stress away, and he’d never found himself unhappy while petting a cat.

In any case, Tony loved cats, but was self-aware enough to know adopting one wasn’t a good idea. Pets needed attention, and he was a workaholic who traveled and had a hard enough time taking care of himself, let alone another living, breathing creature. So he resigned himself to a cat-free life, and contented with a few wistful visits to animal shelters and cat sanctuaries.

Until one cold, autumn day, when he’d discovered his first cat café while on a coffee run.

To say he’d been delighted was an understatement. A place he could go, just to relax and be around his favorite things outside of inventing? Hell yes. Tony was hooked after his first visit, and was soon a frequent and habitual patron.

The first café had been a bit out of his way, though, so he’d had JARVIS compile a list of all the cat cafés in the area. To his pleasant surprise, there were four in New York, and after spending a week staking each one out, he’d quickly found a favorite.

The Winter Snuggler Cat Café had many advantages besides its sweet and quirky kitties, first and foremost being that it was only ten minutes from Stark Tower - i.e., a quick jaunt for Tony if he wanted to sneak away for a few minutes of peace. It also had excellent coffee, as well as the best cinnamon crumb cake Tony had ever tasted.

None of those, however, were the reason Tony chose to frequent that particular café. No, that honor belonged to the incredibly hot owner, Bucky Barnes, whose talents included making a mean latte, herding cats (literally), and giving Tony heart palpitations by winking.

*(Psst, mobile users, there’s a read more under here.)*

Well, okay, that wasn’t entirely true - Tony really did go for the cats and their tension-removing kitty goodness. But Bucky was the reason Tony had gone from visiting twice a week to once every other day when he was in town.

But really, Tony thought, who could blame him? Honestly, Tony didn’t know how anyone could resist the man. Bucky was something else, with his disarming smile and sexy voice and smouldering blue eyes. Plus he was kind and charming and funny, with a wicked, sarcastic sense of humor that matched Tony’s quip for quip.

Yep, Bucky was the whole package - looks, wit, and charm - with the added bonus of also being a cat person.

Tony was maybe, possibly holding a torch for him.

And, for a while there, Tony had thought the feeling might even be mutual. Bucky flirted like he breathed, and wasn’t shy about checking Tony out, even when he knew Tony saw him looking. Tony had been this close to just asking him out when Bucky had made a passing reference to the girlfriend he’d had waiting for him at home, dashing Tony’s dreams and very firmly placing himself in the ‘unavailable’ column in Tony’s book.

Tony was many things, but a homewrecker wasn’t one of them. Besides, Bucky didn’t seem like a person who strayed, so Tony figured he’d just been reading things wrong. Bucky was friendly, and probably flirted with everyone. Tony could admire from afar, even if he did (somewhat jealously) think this Natasha person - whom Bucky fondly called ‘his old lady’ - was really lucky.

In any case, Tony was a hedonistic masochist, and even though he knew it would never come to anything, he still looked forward to seeing Bucky whenever he stopped by The Winter Snuggler.

So he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointment when he walked in and was greeted by one of Bucky’s coworkers instead of the man himself, even if said coworker didn’t share the sentiment.

“Tony, hey!” Sam said warmly from behind the counter, smiling brightly and raising his hand in greeting. Steve, the café’s giant but energetic orange tabby, was draped over his shoulders, and gave a happy meow upon seeing Tony as well.

The happy sound was enough to dissipate the letdown of Bucky’s absence, and made Tony’s face split in a grin.

“Hey, kitty-Cap,” Tony cooed, laughing when Steve jumped down to dash across the counter and butt against Tony’s hand.

Sam mock-scowled down at him. “Traitor,” he said, before looking back up at Tony and grinning. “I swear, these cats all like you more than me or Bucky. It’s almost like they forget that we’re the ones who feed them.”

Steve purred loudly, arching up when Tony started scratching his favorite spot behind his ears, then meowed again when Tony pulled a treat out of his pocket for him. As if summoned by magic, two more kitties - Thor and Loki - jumped up onto the counter, and began vying for Tony’s attention as well.

“They have good taste,” Tony said, straight-faced, while Sam shook his head. He pulled out two more treats for Thor and Loki, then cleared his throat, hoping he sounded casual when he asked, “Speaking of Bucky, where is he? I thought he usually worked this time of day.”

Sam waved his hand, then scooped up Thor, who’d looked ready to pounce onto Tony’s shoulder. “He texted me this morning and said he was going to come in a little later. Something about having to take Natasha to an appointment or something.” Sam cocked his head, his smile turning into a smirk. “He’s going to be annoyed that he missed you,” he added, eyes glinting mischievously.

Tony knew his crush on Bucky was pathetically obvious, but still wasn’t comfortable with Sam’s teasing.

“Like two ships in the night,” Tony said to deflect, before bending down and stroking Peggy, who’d been standing at his feet, politely waiting for him to start paying attention to her. While he was bent down, Clint jumped up onto his back. “Ow ow ow, what are you - Clint, buddy, we’ve been over this. Why must you hurt me with your love?” Tony sighed, while Clint purred and then nipped at his ear.

Sam put Thor down, then walked around the counter so he could help pry Clint off. “You menace, where did you even come from? And where’s your - did you chew the bell off your collar again? Oh, you better not have eaten it…”

Tony gave Clint a quick stroke before Sam walked away with him, still scolding. Then he wiped the cat slobber off his ear, gave each of the assembled kitties one last pet, and walked further into the café.

He ran into more happy kitties on the way to his destination, and greeted each one accordingly. A treat for Fury, who wouldn’t eat it while Tony was watching him, but two for Fitz, who would take one back to Simmons. Exactly three pets to Maria’s head, but no more, and a belly rub for Volstagg, whom everyone was pretty sure was actually part dog. Coulson got a thorough chin rub, while T’Challa got his head scratched, and Peter was content to give Tony a little love bite. Tony spent a little extra time with Bruce - who darted out of his hiding place and practically hurled himself at Tony’s legs - running his fingers through the cat’s massive fluff, which made him look three times his actual size, and had earned him the nickname ‘The Incredible Hulk’.  

Once he was finished with Bruce, Tony set him down, and walked over to the little enclosed space Bucky and Sam had dubbed ‘the playpen’. The café’s newest additions - two kittens named Wanda and Pietro - were playing in it, batting a little jingling ball back and forth.

“Hey, kiddos,” Tony said lightly, crouching down and holding his hand out. Pietro immediately bounced over to give Tony’s hand a sniff, but Wanda hunched down and watched Tony warily. They’d only been here two weeks, and while Pietro was finally starting to warm up to Tony, Wanda still acted skittish around him - something Tony had been working to fix.

“How are you today, pretty girl?” Tony asked her, while Pietro, the little brat, starting chewing on Tony’s thumb. “Is your brother wearing you out?”

Pietro gave one of his high-pitched, squeaky meows - almost as if he knew Tony had been talking about him - then flopped over onto his back and batted at Tony’s hand, clearly in a mood to play. Tony grinned and gave the abandoned jingling ball a roll. Pietro shot up and darted after it, pouncing on it and rolling it even further away.

Tony chuckled, then pulled the special kitten treats he’d bought just for today out of his pocket, and set one down in front of Wanda. Wanda stood up and sniffed at it cautiously, then looked back up at Tony.

“Just for you, cupcake,” Tony assured her in a gentle voice. “But only if you eat it before your brother does.”

As if sensing Tony talking about him again, Pietro came rambling back over, his own greedy eyes on the treat, which was apparently all the encouragement Wanda needed to start scarfing it down. Feeling triumphant, Tony gave Pietro his own treat so he wouldn’t bother Wanda, then smiled in delight when Wanda edged a little closer and meowed at him.

“Aw, it’s okay, buttercup. I have plenty more. But not too many, okay?”

After giving them each another treat, Tony picked up one of their feathery toys and dangled it in front of Pietro. To Tony’s surprise and pleasure, Wanda joined in on their little game, too, and even let Tony get a few good pets in once she was too worn out to keep playing.

Grinning in victory now that both kittens were asleep, Tony stood up and stretched. He’d been so distracted by Sam’s presence and eager to visit the kittens, he’d forgotten to order anything, and needed his caffeine fix. In general, the café had a policy about playing with the cats without buying something or paying the fee first, but since Tony was such a regular and a big tipper to boot, Sam and Bucky didn’t bother enforcing it with him. Most of the time, Tony didn’t even need to order anything; Bucky knew him so well, he usually had Tony’s favorite order ready for him within a few minutes of Tony walking in, and without Tony even needing to ask.

Now that his thoughts were on food, Tony turned back towards the counter to see if Sam was busy, and felt his stomach swoop a little when he saw Bucky standing by the counter as well, though he looked much grumpier than usual.

“- she’s a demon in cat form,” Bucky was telling Sam as Tony approached, pointing towards the cat carrier at his feet. “As soon as the shot was done, she bit poor Dr. Cho, and shredded my good leather jacket this morning when she saw me pulling out the cat carrier.”

Sam laughed. “Hey, you’re the one who took her in,” he said, grinning and shaking his head. “I warned you, that first day you let her into your apartment and fed her and then found her stealing all of your goldfish out of their tank. ‘She’s feral,’ I said. ‘She’s been a mean stray out on the streets too long to-’ Tony, no!”

Bucky whirled around while Tony froze at Sam’s exclamation, his fingers already through the bars at the front of the cat carrier.

“What?” Tony asked, while the dark, doe-eyed cat with the prettiest green eyes he’d ever seen rubbed against his fingers from inside the cat carrier.

Bucky and Sam both goggled at him in shock. “Is she… purring?” Bucky asked, dumbfounded.

Tony shrugged, and angled his fingers to scratch under the cat’s chin. “Yeah, sounds like it,” he said, before turning back to the cat and cooing, “What’s up, sweetheart? You want out of this stuffy carrier, huh?”

The cat meowed, somewhat pitifully, and then smooshed her face more firmly against Tony’s fingers.

Tony looked back up at the other two men, who still looked as though they’d seen a ghost. “Is it okay if I let her out and hold her?”

“Not if you want to keep your face,” Sam said, at the same time Bucky said, “If she’ll let you.”

Tony frowned. “Am I missing something?” he asked, opening the carrier and smiling when the cat immediately started rubbing up against him. He scooped her up and stood, noting that both men visibly tensed when he did so, even though the cat had started purring even louder.

Bucky coughed. “It’s just, well... she pretty much only likes me,” he said, while Sam stared on with something like awe. “And even then, it kinda depends on her mood. Most of the time she just tolerates me. You’re a mean old lady, aren’t you, girl?”

The cat gave him an unimpressed look, then arched up to butt her head against Tony’s chin.

“She seems plenty sweet to me,” Tony said, scritching behind the cat’s ears and grinning.

Sam shook his head. “That last time I tried to pick her up, she practically tore my hand off,” he said, mouth twitching. Then he turned to Bucky. “I’m telling you, man, he’s like the cat whisperer.”

Bucky chuckled, the sound doing funny, squirmy things to Tony’s stomach. “At least we found somebody she likes,” he said, eyes warm when they caught Tony’s. “I was startin’ to get worried - she’s so territorial, I can barely have people over, anymore. The last time someone tried to sleep over, she literally ran them out of my bed.”

Tony continued stroking through the cat’s super-soft, reddish-brown fur, and frowned. “Doesn’t she like Natasha?” he asked, confused. He could have sworn Bucky had said he lived with his girlfriend.

Bucky and Sam both gave him funny looks.

“Sorry?” Bucky asked, brow knitted in confusion.

“Your girlfriend, Natasha,” Tony said, while the cat’s tail swished back and forth. “Your ‘old lady’? I thought you lived together.”

Bucky and Sam looked at each other. Then Sam snorted and looked away, covering his mouth. Bucky scowled at him, then turned to Tony, cheeks pink.

“Natasha isn’t my girlfriend,” he said, after clearing my throat. “She’s my cat, which you’re holding.”

Tony blinked, then looked down at the cat in his arms, who was somehow purring louder. “Er… what?”

Bucky looked pained. “Natasha is a cat, Tony,” he said slowly, while Sam bent over, still muffling his laughter. “And, while I do love cats, I draw the line at dating one.”

Natasha the cat sneezed, somehow filling the sound with disdain, as though saying she was too good for Bucky anyway.

Tony looked down at her, then back up at Bucky, feeling his cheeks heat. “Oh,” he said dimly.

Bucky’s mouth turned up at the corners. “Wait, did you think… is that why you haven’t been flirting back as much, lately?” he asked, eyes sparkling. “You thought I was taken?”

Tony coughed, and looked down at Natasha, hoping to hide his expression. “Um, uh… maybe?” he said evasively, shifting uncomfortably.

Bucky’s grin widened. “Aw, doll. That’s adorable,” he drawled, and though his tone was teasing, his eyes had gone oddly soft.

Tony scowled at him. Then Natasha actually turned and hissed at Bucky, making him - and Sam - both jump.

“Seriously?” Bucky protested, taking a step back out of Natasha’s reach. Natasha swiped at him anyway, then climbed up to shove her face against Tony’s neck and began purring again.

Tony adjusted his hold, and started petting her again. “It’s not nice to make fun of people,” he said, straight-faced.

Bucky snorted, then leaned back against the counter. “Good point,” he agreed with a nod. “How about I make it up to you by taking you out to lunch sometime?”

While Tony tried not to choke on his own tongue, Natasha removed her face from Tony’s neck and looked over at Bucky in what Tony could swear was approval.

“Uh, sure,” Tony said, once he could find his words. “Um, yeah, I can… I can do that. Sometime. Tomorrow. Or not tomorrow, if that’s not good for you. I can do some other time, too, or -”

“I can do tomorrow,” Bucky said, smiling in what looked like relief. Natasha meowed at him, and allowed him to pet her head when he reached a cautious hand out to her.  

“Tomorrow it is, then,” Tony said, feeling a little giddy as he tried to contain his grin. Then his stomach growled.

“For now, though, how about your usual with an extra slice of crumb cake thrown in,” Bucky suggested, one side of his mouth quirked up, while Natasha stared up at Tony as though he’d just insulted her ancestors.

“On the house,” Sam - whom Tony had almost forgotten - added. “When you exorcise the evil from Bucky’s murder-cat, you get free coffee.”

Natasha twisted around in Tony’s arms and hissed again.

“When you exorcise most of the evil from Bucky’s murder-cat, you get free coffee,” Sam amended, from much further away.

Tony chuckled, then turned Natasha around so that she was facing him. “You won’t kick me out of his bed, will you?” he asked her lowly, once Bucky had gone around the counter to help Sam.

Natasha blinked at him, her tail swishing back and forth. Then she butted up against his chin again.

Tony nodded seriously. “I’m holding you to that,” he told her, before looking up, catching Bucky’s eye, and smiling.

[meanwhileinoz]

20+ People Shared Dramatic Stories Of Catching Their Partners Cheating

Cheating Is Stupid And Always Ends Up Hurting Others.

Cheating sucks, but reading stories about other people cheating make is great entertainment. I know that sounds awful but come on. Every single love story is made more intense with unfaithfulness. Most of these stories end with the person getting what they deserve.

So don’t worry about your own partner and enjoy the little guilty pleasure you didn’t know you had.

Via GIPHY

#1 Sounds Like The Best Revenge.

One of my co-workers ran intoher then-boyfriend’s house to get her phone charger before work. She walked into his bedroom and found him in bed with another woman. She then took a picture of them in bed, and SENT IT TO HIS MOTHER.

–chillhoneybunny28

#2 She Didn’t Even Have TO Go Inside The House.

My mom came home to our old farm property to find my ex step-dad porking his girlfriend in the front yard. On their 35th wedding anniversary. She called the cops and had them both removed.

–takhesis

#3 Well At Least He Dodged A Bullet.

Walked in on my ex fiancée 6 weeks before our wedding. She was sleeping with one of our coworkers. Quit my job there, she made me cover the remaining costs of the wedding since we were within the 90-day limits and ONLY my name was on the contracts. I moved away to college. She stalked me. I put a restraining order on her and got counseling. I was a mess.

Life gets better. I’m married to an incredible woman. Successful in my job. And I’m 1.5 years cancer free! I’ll take it. Plus I don’t have her in my life anymore. Dodged the bullet is how I look at it now.

–Grinder312

#4 At Least The Manager Had A Good Laugh.

Not me, but I worked with a woman who walked in on her husband and her brother going to town. A few days after that she came into work and said “My husband ran off with my brother”. One of the managers was laughing so hard he fell down.

–banjo-fittings

#5 That Really Does Sound Epic!

I walked in early from work. My door was locked. It’s never locked. So I super stealth mode opened the door and found her and my roommate in bed together. I simply had her move her shit from my room to his. I hooked up with one of her friends like a week later and she was pissed.

They both moved out at the end of the month. She tried to break in after I went on deployment, but didn’t know that I found a new roommate. He pulled a sword on her, it was epic.

–imn0tg00d

Via GIPHY

#6 Well At Least He Was Polite.

My brother walked in on his ex wife in bed with another guy. He told the guy “put your pants on. I’m not going to beat the fuck out of you while you’re naked.”

So he put his pants on. And my brother beat the fuck out of him.

Edit: Yes, the guy knew she was married.

–Hovie1

#7 That Must Have been A Surprise For Her.

I didn’t walk in to the act, but walked in the evidence of the act (used condom).

I chilled in her house for a bit, grabbed a beer from the fridge, drank it on the patio, fired up tinder and started swiping, peed on her toothbrush, then left!

–SmallBlue

#8 At Least Something Good Came Out Of This.

He agreed to meet me for lunch on my birthday at work. My manager decided to let me out a few minutes early and I saw him being dropped off by another girl who kissed him good bye and drove off.

Turned out neither of us knew about the other and though we were dating a sweet guy not a fuckboy. We both dumped him and became pretty good friends. I even went to her wedding in December. Life can be funny sometimes.

–Prannke

#9 Family Is Always There For You.

Accidentally caught my sister’s BF cheating on her.I was out at a bar with a few of my friends. We walk in and there is my sister’s boyfriend making out with someone who is not my sister. I’ve had a couple drinks at this point and decided I wanted to be evil.

I wait until the girl who’s making out with my sister’s bf comes over to the bar. I strike up a conversation with her to see if I could get some information out of her. So, I asked her about her date and she goes into this long story about how they dated back in high school but broke up and now he’s dating someone else but doesn’t care because the other girl is a total prude and what they have is true love.

I let her say her appeal until I introduce myself with my first and last name. She immediately starts sputtering something and I walk away to call my sister. Meanwhile, the shitty bf is across the bar being filled in on what just happened.

He immediately calls my sister and tells her that I’m a liar and he’s still at work. I sent her pictures of the two of them together and they ended up breaking up the next day.

At first my sister was furious with me but now we joke about it. I feel bad since they dated for 2 years but apparently the cheating had been going on for close to 6 months.

–goalieamd

#10 That Is What She Deserved Though.

I walk in on him and my neighbor just as he was about to come. He ended up pulling out of her too fast and shot semen right in her eye.

She had pink eye for a week.It was one of the few times I witnessed karma in action.

–clockworknyxia

#11 She Got A Good Friend Out Of It.

We had a huge fight the evening before regarding his odd behaviour and this girl in his life that I didn’t feel comfortable with. She ended up messaging me afterwards to assure me that they are like siblings and nothing would ever happen.

Fast forward to the next day I get a message from his best friend asking when he was coming back. So I called and told him we haven’t spoken since our argument. My ex told his friend that he was coming over to makeup with me and would be back in a hour…..4 hours ago.

He had his phone off, which never happens, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he got in a car accident on the highway (he is a shitty driver) between our houses or something of that nature. Went for a drive with his friends, stopped at a couple common stops of his, nothing. Then I figured I would check one last spot, her house.

SURE ENOUGH there he was. Parked in the drive way, they didn’t even make it inside. His friend hoped out of my car banged on his window, where they were buck naked, yelled “you got some shit to fix” ran back to my car.

Ex kicked the chick out naked on her driveway, and the car chase ensued down the highway back to my place where he begged and pleaded with me saying it wasn’t what it looked like blah blah blah. And that was the end of that. Bonus, his best friend became my best friend instead after that.

–Lil-one

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