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fairyoftbz · 3 years

Text

maternal weariness | l. sangyeon

🐣 pairing: neighbour!sangyeon x single mother!reader 🐣 word count: 2.7k 🐣 genre: fluff, slight angst, a bit domestic, cliché AF 🐣 tw: none? 🐣 synopsis: your daughter is suffering from her growing teeth and you're about to lose your mind, but you have enough self-control to do something before bursting. 🐣 a/n: i am so domestic for that man it was almost impossible for me not to write something else for sangyeon + kids. 🐣 requested: no!

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A headache started immersing itself into your skull, hitting all your nerves at once to the point of having you totter for a few seconds. Once you finally got a grip on yourself, you decided to take your crying baby in your arms in order to desperately calm her down. You closed your eyes as you rocked her, feeling frustration, exhaustion and annoyance bubbling inside your entire body. This torrent of emotions crashing into you didn’t help with your headache, only to have it spreading at the back of your neck to your shoulders. Sitting down inside your rock chair, the cries of your small daughter didn’t subside, you almost had the feeling that they increased.

“Shht baby, I know it hurts, calm down love,” you said as you stroked her cheek with your thumb, tears gathered in your eyes as you felt helpless. It was wonderful to have a baby, you had never felt this happy in life, but it was a whole other responsibility. There were many ups and downs, but never once have you regretted giving birth to your beautiful daughter.

Today, you were more on the downside of the life of a mother. Despite all the efforts and pieces of advice you received from books or other mothers, your daughter seemed to not be ready to sleep through the night yet, forcing you to stay awake until dawn, only getting dozens of minutes of rest each night. Bringing up a child on your own was not impossible, but it was certain that it was hard. Hearing your friends that had husbands or partners willingly taking the reins so they could rest had you envious, and somewhat feeling guilty.

The baby daddy was never there, only supporting from afar through small amounts of money. At the beginning of your motherhood, you hated it but almost begged him to come and help you, but he always claimed that he had better things to do and that you should already be grateful that he was willing to financially support you two.

What kind of father did you give your daughter? Where did the gentleman and the caring boyfriend from a few years ago go? Who decided to replace him with a rich asshole that only cared about his appearance and his own health?

The tears threatened to fall as you thought of all this while rocking your daughter back and forth, the side of her cheek against your chest as she kept on yelling in pain. It hurt to see her in this state, you wished you could take the pain away from her, but sadly, you had to assist her in her teething process as best as you could, which meant only cradling her and kissing her.

However, your daughter seemed to have another sense, a sixth one if we could call it that way, and she knew when you were stressed or angry, two emotions that were currently pulsating in your veins and controlling your entire being. You wanted to scream and cry just like her, but you resisted the temptation, you had to stay strong for your daughter. The process was hard you two, but one of you was about to burst and lose her mind. Your breathing pattern picked up, became irregular, the crying of your baby only increasing.

Clutching your teeth, the tears finally spurted out of your eyes violently, uncontrollably cascading down your face onto your daughter’s pyjamas. While a tidal wave of emotions burst into your mind, you remembered one thing many mothers, as well as your own once told you: Never. Ever. Shake your baby out of pure rage or despair. No matter how exhausted or frustrated you are, pass it onto someone else before calming down.

And that’s exactly what you did. Putting on your slippers, you crossed the threshold of your apartment to appear into the corridor, the cold air only increased your daughter’s cries, probably disturbing the entire building. Violently crying and struggling to catch your breath back, you weakly crashed your fist onto your neighbour’s front door, desperately hoping that they were here.

It was getting suffocating, and you felt like fainting, but you were trying to get a grip on your emotions for your daughter. As you were about to go back to your apartment filled with utter defeat, the door opened on your neighbour, a confused look written on his face as you sighed in relief.

Sangyeon was a young man you had met on your first day moving inside your current apartment. He was kind enough to help you get some boxes inside the elevator while you maintained the metallic doors opened, helping you even more as he saw that you were his new neighbour. He looked really happy to help, relieving you of this stress as you were exhausted from the irregular sleeping schedules of being a mother.

He had let you come inside his apartment once when you had accidentally locked yourself out with your daughter as you were going on a walk to try and lull her to sleep. You felt like you had the angels on your side because he knew an old friend from an ex-co-worker that was a locksmith. He offered him a great tip, so he came within the next hour, allowing you to unlock your door and get back to your apartment safely. The next day, you walked up to his door and offered him a bottle of wine and some baked goods as a way of thanking him, and you could tell that he was touched by your gesture.

Back to the present, Sangyeon took in your messy state, concern filling his eyes as your tears never seemed to stop.

“I am so sorry to disturb you, but my daughter’s been crying for hours now and she doesn’t want to stop, and I don’t know what to do and-“ you tried to say in one breath, but your neighbour stopped you by placing a hand on your shoulder, exhaling deeply as you were lost and confused.

“Please breathe Y/N, it’s gonna be okay. Tell me what’s happening,” he said, his voice clear-cut and composed despite the disturbing screeches of your daughter.

“Her teeth are coming out and she’s in so much pain I don’t know what to do, it keeps me up all night and… and I don’t feel like being capable anymore,” you said as you kept on crying, your neighbour nodding at every word you said.

“Let’s not stay in the corridor. Can I come in your apartment?” he carefully said as he quickly grabbed his keys and locked his door, accompanying you towards yours.

“Yes, yes, of course,” your daughter couldn’t stop yelling and crying, the volume never decreased, only getting rid of the echo thanks to the smaller walls of your apartment.

Your neighbour took his shoes off and placed his keys next to yours, eyes quickly wandering around the apartment: there was no sign of a partner’s presence. He made a mental note of it and strode to the living room, your apartment layout being the same as his, just a tad bit smaller. You sat on the sofa with your crying daughter, eyes still glistening with tears as you couldn’t hold them back.

“Pass me your daughter,” he said as he extended his hands, only for you to stand up and began to guide him on how to take your daughter, but he seemed pretty comfortable without your explanation.

“My sister is a mother too, I got a bit of practice beforehand,” he explained with a reassuring smile, and you nodded, thankful that he filled in the silence, satisfied with the small nods and exhausted smiles you were giving him.

He soothingly rubbed your daughter’s back, gently resting her head on his shoulder as he strolled around the living room. You sighed as you let your temple rest on the backrest of the sofa, trying to get rid of the negative thoughts invading your mind.

“May I ask for her name again?” he asked, and you sniffled, wiping your tears with your top sleeve. “It’s Haerin,” you answered with a tired expression, the man nodding at your words with a reassuring smile. “I wish we could have met again in other circumstances, but babies are a priority,” he said as your daughter’s cries were slowly decreasing, feeling already a bit better as he seemed to be able to magically soothe her.

“I’m so sorry. I needed to give her to someone for a moment, I feel like exploding,” you explained with an apologetic look on your face, but Sangyeon just shook his head, his reassuring smile never leaving his face.

“Don’t apologise for this, you did what was best for you and your daughter,” you felt better at his words, the encouragement you were desperately craving from someone finally reaching your ears.

At the mere thought of not having someone by your side to raise your daughter, loneliness and guilt hit you like a tidal wave, eyes filling up with tears again, and Sangyeon sadly looked at you.

“Thank you. It’s just that… I don’t have someone in my life right now and I barely talk to my friends and family because of my job and my daughter, so hearing some reassurance just makes me feel slightly better,” you said and Sangyeon smiled, walking to the couch as your daughter was now magically asleep in his arms, reddened cheeks due to her cries and the pain of her appearing teeth.

“Y/N, I am sure you are being an amazing mother. It’s not innate to take care of a newborn, it requires a lot of effort, strength, and sacrifices. Of course, it is easier to have someone by your side because they can help around the house, feed your daughter, bathe her, and take care of you and her while you rest. Nevertheless, it’s not impossible to do that alone, and you are even stronger when you cope with everything on your own.” Sangyeon mumbles, gently caressing your daughter's back.

“Don’t you think you are doing a bit too much?” you asked, a bit embarrassed to be praised like that by your neighbour, but you also asked for it. You truly didn’t know what to say, and timidly looked away as Sangyeon didn’t seem to stop.

“No, I don’t think so. Not only do you take care of her, but you also do all the chores, go to work, grocery shopping, do all the administrative work, you are a wonder woman! So with all the physical and mental charges you go through every single day, it’s normal to want to break down at some point. And you did what’s best, give your daughter to someone before you burst. It was a good reflex. Even if it’s hard, you are doing great Y/N, never forget that,” he said with your sleeping daughter in his arms, her tiny fists clutching onto the fabric of his black t-shirt. Tears were streaming down your face as you managed to smile at his words, feeling some strength reappearing in your system at the end of his praising monologue. “Thank you. You don’t realise how much I needed that,” you said in a weak voice, only to have Sangyeon smiling down at you.

“It’s completely normal. You can always come and ask for help with your daughter, or anything else. I’d gladly praise you for being a single mother all over again,” you managed to chuckle at his words, looking down to the floor as you felt his eyes never leaving you.

Looking at your daughter, you felt some maternal inner peace coming back as she was now resting, looking quite peaceful. She looked so safe in his strong, muscular arms, you were almost envying her for being in someone’s embrace.

Sangyeon exuded financial and mental stability, you were glad you rang at his door and not some crazy people. He looked so comfortable on your couch, almost as if he lived there. Well, maybe he felt so comfy because the configuration of his apartment was just like yours, but something felt different. Seeing him sitting on your couch with your daughter in his hold felt… natural, almost normal.

You shook your head as you tried to get rid of those thoughts, feeling suddenly embarrassed to fantasise so easily about him. You held back a smile by clutching your jaw, putting your thoughts down on the fact that you were exhausted and slowly going crazy with managing everything in your life.

“Where is your daughter’s crib?” he whispered and you slowly stood up, waiting a few seconds as dizziness took over your brain, your neighbour holding your forearm with his free hand.

“Follow me,” you tiptoed to her purple bedroom, Sangyeon smiling as he looked at the pretty decoration. He handed your daughter back to you to get her ready for bed, admiring the walls to give you two some privacy. Once you placed her down and neared her stuffed toy, you turned the baby phone on and switched off the light, Sangyeon inviting you to leave the bedroom first before closing the door.

“Thank you so much for your help,” you whispered, and he shook his head, a friendly hand landing on your shoulder.

“You can ring at my door at any time, I’ll try my best to help you,” he said with a reassuring tone. You felt like he was slipping away from you, and before you could do anything, your mouth spoke faster than your brain.

“Can I maybe cook you dinner to thank you?” his eyes widened for a quick second. “It’s really nice of you Y/N, but you are exhausted, you should rest.” “I insist, I think I can do it,” you cursed at yourself for sounding this helpless, watching him ponder your offer before sighing. “Only if you let me help you, then,” he said and you nodded, getting into work in silence as not to wake up your daughter.

With a warm dinner now digesting in your stomach, you both sat down on your couch, unintentionally sitting close to the other as you were exhausted. Closing your eyes for a second, you felt like you had been hit at the back of your head, your tiredness being easily readable on your face.

Drawn features, pale skin, dark circles falling to the middle of your cheek, you looked extremely scary, almost sick. But at least your daughter was healthy, and that’s what mattered the most to you as a mother. Sangyeon started chatting with you about some things, but you were too tired to keep up with what he was talking about.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” you mumbled as silence filled in the room, Sangyeon looking at you before letting a smile emerging on his face.

“It’s okay, it was just chattering anyway,” he said and you swallowed down the lump of guilt on your throat, heavily sighing as your whole entire body was screaming and begging you to go to sleep.

The man next to you noticed your drowsy state and exhaled as well. Your head kept falling downwards, only to immediately raise it back up and blink a few times. Without even noticing it, Sangyeon sat closer, and his hand raised to your cheek, cradling it as he gently pushed your head to the side. Your other cheek landed on his shoulder and you frowned, trying to move away as his hand didn’t leave your face.

“Rest Y/N,” he whispered, and you weakly smiled, now realising how your daughter fell asleep in a few minutes in his arms.

Only by resting on his shoulder, you could feel your body grow heavier and more comfortable. His body warmth mixed with his laundry scent and cologne were a surprisingly good mixture to lull you to sleep. Your eyes grew heavier, and you finally gave up, shutting them before falling asleep within the following seconds.

Sangyeon chuckled at your state, gently pushing you away to unfold his arm and wrap it around you, resting your head against his chest. His thumb rubbed in circular motions on your upper arm, sitting comfortably on your couch as you slept against him.

He threw a few glances towards you and you were heavily sleeping, smiling to himself as you unconsciously wrapped your arm around his middle. Maybe he was meant to enter your life and to be honest, he wasn’t willing to leave anytime soon.

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syn0vial · 3 years

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Hello Wise One! I was actually hoping if you can give me some solid personality pointers on Jango, rather than Boba, Fett?

sure thing! full disclosure that my knowledge of jango is not as extensive as my knowledge of boba, but i’ll do my best with what i have! here are some personality traits of jango’s i’ve observed:

paranoid/protective: this is a big one if you ask me. jango endured a life of betrayal and loss before he became a bounty hunter and it shows. besides boba, he doesn’t trust anyone fully, not even those closest to him and is always ready to cut ties at the drop of a hat—lethally, if necessary. his mistrust of the rest of the galaxy is so potent that when he takes boba on missions to populated areas, he instructs him to hide even from normal foot traffic and becomes anxious when he learns that others may have spotted him. it becomes pretty evident that part of the reason boba was so isolated growing up was that jango didn’t trust the vast majority of the galaxy enough to let them near the kid. and when other bounty hunters find out about him? ho boy. jango actually convinces them that he killed boba using a cloned child’s body, bc he’d rather be known as the worst kind of monster rather than make boba a target. there’s also the fact that, after their apartment on kamino gets found out by obi-wan, jango is packed and ready to leave in minutes. not only is he ready to bug out at the first sign of danger, but he’s well-prepared to do so at a moment’s notice.

a loving father: another big one. for those who look at a man as battle-hardened and stoic as jango fett and wonder whether boba got enough affection as a kid, worry not: in the vast majority of depictions, jango is a very loving father, especially when he’s out of the prying eyes of clients and colleagues. he hugs boba, tells him he loves him, joins him in playing with toy starfighters, and tries to make time for him as much as he can. he even does his dadly duty of going fishing with his son (though he and boba practice spearfishing rather than using a rod and tackle). there’s also a wistful little scene where, trying to help boba feel better after zam’s death, he takes him to kamino’s main spaceport and lets him infodump about all the ships he sees there :,) so overall, he has a lot of good qualities as a dad

controlling: and the other side of the coin! while jango is a genuinely loving father, he’s not at all the type to encourage his son’s independent development. self-sufficiency? sure. interests in anything other than the path jango has laid out for him? not really. he actively discourages boba from learning about “unimportant” topics from books, an apparently very broad category given it includes things such as schools, moms, and other children. he drills into boba’s head that he’s going to be a bounty hunter and that he needs to abide by a code with such healthy guidelines like, “don’t have friends or attachments” and “trust no one but use everyone.” boba, of course, goes with it bc he loves his father and wants to live up to his expectations, but he never really gets a choice in the matter. honestly, i think this side of jango is best summed up by him leaving a post-humous note for boba that says, among other things, “i am more than a parent to you.” it kind of goes along with how, after jango’s death, boba continued to think of his father not just with love and grief, but also an almost religious dread of failing his expectations. jango undoubtedly loved his son but he also seems to have defined a very narrow path for him to walk, without room for deviation.

possesses an actual charisma score: okay, now for a more fun one: jango has a charisma score and he apparently makes a habit of using it, to the point where his old friend rozatta pokes fun at him for it (he compliments her and she’s like “oh, you’re flattering me? must mean you want something!”) he also pulls the same thing on zam, calling her charming to get her to agree to help him break into a target’s stronghold. so yeah, jango fett turning up the charm to get people to help him/give him info? 100% canon, baby

very fun friendship with zam wesell: look, this isn’t a personality trait, but it’s important to me. these two are just so fucking funny together. like, on the surface, it’s just a fun dynamic of zam making flirty banter and jokes while jango pretends to be annoyed and drag her, much to her delight. but then on a professional level, you have these two ammoral assholes bouncing wildly between being one another’s Sexy Rival and being one another’s Unhinged Partner but whoops, jango went and had a kid, so now they’re Unhinged But Mostly Responsible Co-Parents. one of my favorite scenes is when, in an attempt to intimidate a prisoner into talking, zam impersonates a politician and lets jango pretend to “kill” her in front of him. for some reason, even after they’re done, jango continues to bridal carry zam’s “body” into the cockpit of slave I, at which point, she perks up, bats her eyelashes at him, and goes, “you’d never really kill me would you, jango?” jango quite honestly replies, “only if i had to.” there’s a beat and then zam’s like, “....you’re so sweet! 😘” honestly, they’re so stupid, i love them

ascetic: much like his son, jango doesn’t seem to have much interest in luxury or “the finer things.” despite having enough money to live very comfortably, his apartment on kamino is described as “spartan” in design and furnishing. this may have something to do with the first bullet point, given that a simple life is easier to pack up and take with you at a moment’s notice, but i do think there’s some amount of preference in this lifestyle, given it’s what both fetts seem most comfortable with in all circumstances.

traumatized: i mean, he’s a fett, ain’t he? particularly, just like boba after him, jango is traumatized by the loss of his family, especially his own father figure, jaster mereel. much like boba, jango seems haunted by the need to live up to jaster’s name and legacy. for background, jaster was betrayed and killed in an ambush by the leader of deathwatch, after which he passed on the title of mand’alor to jango. however, some time after this, the true mandalorians led by jango were wiped out by a combination of death watch and the jedi, with jango himself being stripped of his armor and sold as a slave. after this point, jango does not seem to see himself as worthy of jaster’s legacy and thus attempts to pass it on to his son, resulting in the high and narrow expectations he sets for boba as mentioned in bullet point #3. boba himself concludes as much as an adult. on top of the trauma of losing his family, jango also seems to have been traumatized by his time as a slave. most notably, when he’s being tortured after being captured by target komari vosa, he at first remains fairly stoic, even as she starts to mutilate his face. it isn’t until she mentions enslaving him that he seems to panic, struggling desperately to get away. vosa even laughs and says that she must have touched a nerve with her comment. basically: fetts be traumatized :(

soft spot for (some) kids: another thing that’s interesting about jango is that he... usually attempts to do right when kids are involved. i say “usually” bc fat lot of good it did all the cloned children he had a hand in creating >:( but, for example, after killing a runaway clonetrooper as part of a bounty, he finds out that the clone had a son. unwilling to let the child live in poverty due to his own actions, he has regular payments sent to the boy’s mother to help support him. in another instance, jango and zam help deliver an artifact to a client who intends to use it to carry out a terrorist attack on coruscant against millions of civilians. when zam finds out about the client’s intentions, she’s horrified and goes to jango demanding they steal the artifact back. jango completely brushes her off at first, telling her it’s not his problem and that he needs to spend more time with his son. zam coldly asks him how many “sons” he thinks live on coruscant. needless to say, her argument convinces him to join her in stopping the terrorist plot :,)

aaand that’s all i got at the moment! i hope it helps to characterize jango a little bit more!

#crcgeneralwandsmith #jango fett #boba fett #zam wesell #fetts pass on trauma like a family heirloom :`)#like ''got this from grandpa jaster so don't lose it now''

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teamhook · 3 years

Text

Emma and Killian :: Kate and Leopold CS AU for CSMM

Hello lovelies!! So I’m on a schedule and you will be getting updates for my fics. 3 per Month ;)

I want to thank @captainswanmoviemarathon and the wonderful CSMM Discord Family. My co-writer @revanmeetra87

I want to also thank @ultraluckycatnd for Beta-ing thiis thing for us.

|FFN|

|AO3|

Friday and The Weekend

Killian and David shared a guilty look. They had both behaved like children. Killian knew he had more than the other, in part due to his inebriety and the other part was jealousy of what he didn't know. Killian said goodnight to his mate and went home to ponder on his actions.

He decided he would try his best to make amends to her. So he did what he did best, put his thoughts on paper, and hoped that it would grant him redemption.

The next day, Emma woke up and got ready fast. She had to get to work and somehow fix the mess her brother and that jerk that couldn't keep his mouth shut had made.

David greeted her in the kitchen with a cup of coffee ready for her which she promptly snubbed and rushed out.

David had arranged for Emma to find the letter that Killian had dropped off earlier, but she was eager to leave the apartment. He knew they both had misbehaved and his sister was in her right to be angry at them.

He grabbed both the letter and the first fruit in the basket he could and dashed after her.

Emma had reached the street and was just about to hail a cab when she heard David's voice. "Ems! Emma, wait!"

She halted because she loved her idiot brother, and it's them against the world.

She turned to face him with her best 'you're in trouble' face.

"Before you say anything, I'm sorry. I know I fucked things up for us. I know that everything you do is for us to have a better life."

Emma stared her brother down. "I have to go clean up the mess you two made."

"Emma, I know and for whatever it's worth, I'm sorry. Here, you can't go to work on an empty stomach," David said as he handed her a papaya. "Yeah, I know that," Emma says as she looks to the street for a cab. That's when he slipped the letter into her bag. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Emma arrived at work, waiting for the fallout of the previous night, but it never came. She was told there's a meeting with marketing, and she was the last one to arrive. She rushed into the conference room and took a seat so they could finally begin. The marketing team was going over the troubles they had come across due to the texture of the margarine. Emma peeked at her boss to see if looked angry or like the usual. She really doesn't see a change in him, but they have yet to talk. She sighed and opened her bag to pull out some papers. An envelope caught her eye and she quietly opened it.

Dearest Emma...

I behaved as an imbecile last night, animated in part by drink, in part by your beauty, and in part by my own foolish pride and for that, I am profoundly sorry. Please accept, as a gesture of apology for my bad form, a private dinner on the rooftop tonight at 8 O'Clock.

Yours truly, Killian

Emma felt her cheeks blush as her thoughts were interrupted by her boss.

"Emma, dear, where are we on Farmer's Bounty?" Mr. Oz asked.

Emma turned to her boss and took a deep breath. "We are good. As you know, we found our spokesperson. The response room final showed a 98 in the top two boxes. His key female descriptors were handsome, romantic, and with some write-ins of "What a babe".

Mr. Oz sullenly replied with a simple, "Great."

As they ended the meeting and everyone went back to work, Mary Margaret was waiting for her. Emma handed her assistant her bag and rushed after Walsh to say her apologies.

"Mr. Oz, I mean Walsh, I just want to apologize for what happened last night," Emma said.

"I appreciate that," he simply said.

"So are we okay?" she asks, hopeful.

"Yes, we are. Now if you would excuse me, I have to make some calls. We will talk later," Walsh said as he walked to his office.

Meanwhile, Jefferson was losing his patience at the Hospital. He just wanted to get released so he could get home and get Killian back to his time. Out of pure desperation, he thought explaining the situation to his doctor would be enough, but Dr. Hyde wasn't as receptive as he had hoped.

"I didn't jump to my death. I fell because there was no elevator," Jefferson clarified.

Dr. Hyde nodded. "And you feel it's somehow your fault?"

"Well, it stands to reason that nature would correct itself since my great-great-grandfather isn't there to invent the elevator or spawn his seed," Jefferson added matter of factly.

"Both you and the elevator would cease to exist, but clearly do," the doctor said.

Jefferson shook his head. "I can see you are a very busy man and I hate to take up your valuable time. I'm not one of those people who need your attention. Would you please just sign my release papers?"

Dr. Hyde sighed. "I'm concerned you might be a danger to yourself. State law requires that I keep you here in such cases. I'm afraid I cannot in good conscience sign your release."

Jefferson tried to open the door while balancing on crutches.

Before he could open it, the door flew open. "Dr. Hyde, is there a problem?" a lovely woman asked.

"No Priscilla, everything is fine. Could you please assist Jefferson back to his room and ensure this prescription is filled?" Dr. Hyde said to his nurse.

"Jefferson, I'm going to prescribe a mild antipsychotic. Nothing too strong."

Wandering around in circles in Game of Thorns, David looked over his notes, nerves getting worse with each lap.

"Mary Margaret, did you want - no, Mary Margaret, would you like...uggh…"

He was never going to convince her to go on a date if he tried mumbling and bumbling through his invitation. He was already humiliated, and he wasn't even asking her yet!

Outside of the flower shop, he could see Killian handing a street musician some cash as he made a request. Just what the request was, David couldn't quite hear.

Well, he had enough of his own problems to deal with, in any case.

Killian then entered the shop, and David practically pounced on him. "Listen, Killian, about the things you wrote for me here, for Mary Margaret...Some if it seems kind of…"

"Did you pick your flowers?" Killian asked, looking at him expectantly.

"Oh. Yep. Right, uhhh...here," David said, grabbing the nearest arrangement. "Now, about this speech-"

"Oh no, this will not do," Killian said, concerned.

"What, the flowers?" David looked at them for the first time. They seemed pretty enough to him. Plenty of colors. They even smelled nice.

"The orange lily suggests extreme hatred. The begonia and lavender danger and suspicion, respectively. Every flower has a meaning." Glancing around him, Killian grasped an enormous (and to David, absurd-looking) flower and held it in front of David. "Might I suggest the amaryllis, which declares the recipient a most splendid beauty. Or-" Breaking off, Killian strode forward. "- the cabbage rose…"

Sighing, hoping Killian was right about all this, David followed.

Inside her office, Emma lifted a piece of paper that was accepting Killian's invitation.

The only problem?

She hadn't written it.

Grinding her teeth, trying to pretend she was angry at her assistant and not at the fact that she did want to accept Killian's offer, Emma called for Mary Margaret.

Almost immediately, Mary Margaret poked her head in the office. "Yes?"

"What is this?" asked Emma, waving the paper in the air.

"It's your agreement to having dinner with Killian," she responded, as though there was nothing unusual about it. "I made it up for you to sign."

"I hadn't decided if I was going!" Emma cried, slapping the letter on her desk. She knew she was overreacting, but the thought of a private dinner with Killian was making her so...so stupidly nervous.

Mary Margaret lifted her chin, and a bit of fire entered her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said in the strongest voice Emma had ever heard from her. "But that is the best apology in the history of mankind, and if you don't go with him, I know you will regret it! Please, just sign it, and we can fax it to him. There is still time."

Taken aback by her usually shy assistant's firm manner, Emma closed her eyes, bit her lip, and grabbed for her pen.

Inside Jefferson's apartment, Killian was cooking the meal for his dinner with Emma. To his relief and delight, he had received the fax confirming her presence.

Taking his eyes from the stove, while still being attentive to his work, Killian watched as David paced the room nervously with the telephone to his ear.

Suddenly, with a little start, David said, "Oh, hi Mary Margaret; it's me, David. I was calling to see if you got my flowers. I mean your flowers. I mean the ones I sent?" He paused for a breath, then said "Good!" to the reply. He then looked to Killian, voice stalling.

Killian gave him a smile and a nod. "You can do this, my friend."

Pressing onward, David continued. "I was wondering if you would like to go to a movie, and then...perhaps accompany me to dinner?" Waving his free hand, he rushed on, "I-I-I-I understand completely if you are otherwise engaged. But, uh, I just wanted to say, umm…" Stopping to consult his notes, a small furrow appeared in David's brow.

"Come on. No need to be ashamed. You can do the speech as written," Killian encouraged silently.

"I wanted to say you've made an impression on me. And...and it's not only because you are so pretty. I mean, you're very pretty, but it's more than that. It's, umm...You're graceful. You know, the way you move, and speak. You just have a way with words. And I really, really like you."

There was a very long pause, during which David looked terrified. Then, responding to what Mary Margaret had said, he mumbled, "Seven? Yes! Yes, seven would be great. Would be fantastic. See you then!"

He ended the call, then jumped straight up in the air victoriously. "I did it! I am going out with Mary Margaret!"

Killian chuckled as David did a small dance.

"I gotta go get ready!" David exclaimed.

Emma arrived home and she would deny it to anyone, but she was a little excited about the dinner date with Killian. She was about to go to her room to get ready when her brother came out of his room looking very handsome. He had a silly grin on his face that she had not seen in a while.

David smiled wide at his sister as he greeted her with a quick kiss on her cheek.

"You look very handsome David. I didn't know you were going out tonight."

"Yeah, I have plans. It was unplanned until earlier today."

"So is this a big date?" she asked.

"Yeah, Ems I really like this girl."

"Who is the lucky lady?"

"Uhm, if it goes well, I'll tell you tomorrow, but I just don't want to jinx it."

Emma nodded. "Okay, good luck, and for what it's worth, she is lucky to have your attention."

"Thanks, and I think you are supposed to say that cause you are my sister."

"Just stating facts, David. You don't give yourself enough credit. You are one of the good ones."

"Ems, so are you. Have fun tonight, okay?"

She smiled. "I will. Now go before you are late for the big date!"

Finally, in her room, she opened her closet. She ruffled through the hangers, trying to find the right outfit. Her eyes landed on a pale pink dress she purchased years ago, and it never felt right to wear until now.

The dress fit perfectly and it made her feel like a true princess. She put her hair in a high ponytail with very light makeup, just enough to heighten her looks. Why was she so nervous?

It was time to make her way up to the roof.

Emma opened the roof door slowly and was astonished at the display in front of her. There were fairy lights hanging, creating a magical environment, and a man was playing the violin. The table was set with candlelight, and she could see a wine bottle next to plates and the tray with the food. Her mouth opened at the effort Killian made to please her.

"This is beautiful! You didn't have to go to so much trouble," Emma said, biting her bottom lip.

"No trouble at all, lass," Killian confirmed as he met her to guide her to her seat.

"May I?" he asked as he grabbed the chair to pull it out for her.

She nodded, unable to speak. He looked handsome wearing his old-timey outfit. Perhaps the atmosphere he created made him appear as if he was the lead in a romantic novel.

Emma stared into the night for a moment. "My mom was a true romantic." She smiled fondly. "She cried for weeks after Prince Charles and Lady Di got married."

Killian furrowed his brows. "I'm not familiar with them."

"Oh, trust me, you wouldn't want to be. A cautionary tale, proof that you can't live a fairy tale," Emma said and added, "I'm not very good with men."

"Perhaps you haven't found the right one," he said hopefully.

"Maybe, True Love only exists in fairy tales."

"My brother told me I had become a blemish on the family name due to an indiscretion from my youth, and now he tries to marry me off every chance he gets. I would be married now if I hadn't followed Jefferson. I was to announce a bride that night."

"Who?"

He sighed. "I don't know, it didn't matter to him. I suppose the one with the most money. Our family fortune is gone, and all we have is the family name."

After they finished eating, Emma stood up to start cleaning.

"What are you doing?" Killian asked.

"Just cleaning up."

"The night is not over yet. Would you do me the honor of a dance? Please?" he asked as he extended his hand for her to take.

"I'm not a good dancer," she said as she took his hand.

"There's only one rule. Pick a partner who knows what he's doing." He winked, pulling her close to him as she rolled her eyes, and they started gliding.

"Smee always told me love is a leap. I was never ready to jump until I met you."

"Killian, this was lovely but I don't know if I can leap, even if I am inspired." The lightness she had felt while dancing with him was sinking into harsh reality. And she was afraid. "I'm not...not brave enough."

Then, in the next moment, he was quoting something to her, something beautiful and flowery and perfectly Killian, and she was kissing him, warmth spreading from her chest all the way to her toes.

The next morning, after a wonderful date with Mary Margaret, David woke to the sound of Killian cooking breakfast.

They exchanged hellos, each asking how the other's date went. According to Killian, his date had also gone well.

David was pleased, but something was nagging at him. Emma was so rarely happy these days. And it was great that Killian was helping her to take down her walls, but if things were to continue...well, he wanted to make sure Emma was with someone she could really trust.

"Look, Killian, I have to ask you…" David trailed off. "Who are you? I mean, really?"

Killian spread some jam on toast, seeming confused. "What do you mean?"

"It's been a lot of fun doing the duke act with you, but...Emma's been through a lot, and I don't want her to have to deal with even more."

Killian lifted his hand. "I understand, David."

"So...Who are you?"

With a deep breath, Killian said, "I am the man who loves your sister. Who would go to the end of the world, or time, for her."

And with that, David was reassured.

David showed Killian how to master the dishwasher after breakfast was made. Killian was still in awe of the technology of the time.

"Just make sure Emma sees you push the button. Whatever you do, don't press it until she is awake to see you do it."

"Oh, clever. The proverbial tree in the woods. If a man washes a dish and no one sees it...Did it happen?"

"Exactly!" David said, excitedly.

Emma then made her appearance. Her stomach growled at the delicious scent.

Killian's smile welcomed her. "Love, a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, thank you."

David watched the pair making eyes at each other and decided not to be a third wheel and made his escape. Perhaps he could call Mary Margaret to make more plans.

Killian got a plate ready for Emma as she took her seat.

"Nine-grain toast with strawberries and mascarpone, my lady."

"Yum, this is really good," she moaned as she took bite after bite.

He hadn't seen anything as beautiful in his life.

Emma took the last bite and turned to Killian with a smile. "What should we do today?"

"Your heart's desire," Killian simply answered.

Emma and Killian get dressed, independently of course. Killian Jones was always a gentleman, after all. They set out to explore the city together.

Killian stopped at a market table full of sunglasses.

Emma snorted. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no," she said as she took the glasses away from him, scrunched her face, and put them back on their display.

Killian looked so sad as he faced her.

"Make that face all you want, but those glasses were so inappropriate for you."

He quirked an eyebrow and they resumed their walk.

Killian gasped. "Emma, love. Emma, come!" he said excitedly as he pulled her toward a house.

"Killian, what are you doing?" she hissed.

He had gotten them inside the house; it appeared to be a museum of sorts.

"Bloody hell! This is where I lived. Good Lord. A portrait of my parents, my brother... and me." He pulled her up the stairs.

Emma looked at the portrait and gulped as she passed it. She still tried to find logic and deny what he told her was true. "Killian, I don't think that we should just be barging around here like that."

Killian held her hand as he pulled her all over the house before he stopped and stood in front of one of the rooms. He faced her with a smile. "Emma, this is my old quarters," he said as he walked to his hidden spot.

Emma looked around frantically. "What are you doing?"

He put pressure on a spot, then they heard a crackling sound. "Emma, this is the place where I put everything I most cared for. Things I didn't want Liam to touch. Like our mother's ring." He showed her a beautiful ring that he somehow knew its hiding place, and she hated to think what that truly meant for them, so she ignored the nagging pull in her heart.

Emma smiled. "Oh, it's breathtaking."

Later that evening, Emma and Killian finally end up cuddled on the sofa together after their day exploring the city.

Emma had her hand on his chest, playing with the hair there. She felt so comfortable in his arms. She sighed. "Do you..."

"Hmm, What would like to know, love?" he asked as he gently caressed her back.

She sighed and shifted in his embrace to see his face. "Do you miss where you're from?"

"Ah, I suppose I do in a way. There are things I miss, such as its rhythm."

"Is that slower like today?"

"Aye, quite a bit slower." He smiled.

She groaned. "That means that tomorrow is Sunday. I don't want it to be Sunday. What I do want is more of this." She snuggled closer to him.

He laughed heartily.

"Ooh, Monday is when we shoot your commercial so that's something exciting." She hummed comfortably from her cozy little bubble.

Not long after that, she drifted into sleep.

Killian kissed the top of her head and took out his mother's ring. He knew she had fallen asleep and it was now a lost moment. He picked her up and took her to bed, and tucked her in affectionately.

Emma said sleepily, "You're tucking me in."

"Aye."

"Huh, you're my Smee."

"Yes, I am Your Grace."

"Hey, hey, you don't have to... don't go upstairs. Stay."

He nodded and got in bed behind her, spooning her. He whispered, "I love you, Emma," in her ear before drifting off to sleep himself.

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#Captain Swan #CSMM #CSMM20 #cs ff #Captain Swan Movie Marathon

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jmnjmnjmn · 4 years

Text

Eternal beings | Chapter 1

Pairing: Vampire!Jungkook x Human!Reader

Key words: supernatural, vampire.

Word count: less than 3,000

Warnings: swearing, sadness, jealousy, mentions of murder

Inspo board

Masterlist

In the spirit of Halloween I decided to write a whole series about Vampire!Jungkook. I know should’ve been posting it throughout October and not on Halloween... Bare with me okay? There’s more to come.

Walking through the city at two in the morning isn’t as cute and mysterious as it may seem. The streets are empty and dark despite the street lights being on and every noise sounds like a forecast for something dangerous, especially when you're a girl walking home from work by yourself. You recently took up night shifts at the convenience store you were working at part time. Your boss was more than happy when you announced to her that you can work nights for half of the week. It was always hard to find people for those hours. With all of your classes at college being online this semester you had more time to work and earn money for rent and other things. You actually liked working at night, because there weren’t many customers then if any at all, so you had freedom to spend most of your time at work reading magazines, studying or sitting on your laptop. The only drawback of working at that time though was the walk home.

You pulled the steel grating over the door and locked it slowly in the faint light of the neon sign above the door. Before walking away you pulled on the padlock to make sure it’s definitely locked right. When you didn’t feel it budge under your fingers you turned on your heel and started speed walking home. Your apartment wasn’t further than twenty five minutes away from the shop and though it felt like a short stroll during the day at night it almost always seemed like a pilgrimage. “Fortunately for me-” You thought. “-the summer is in full swing and the nights aren’t so cold anymore.” You shivered at the thought of walking home in winter time. On the other hand the increase in temperature caused all sorts of shady people to come from their homes and clubs out onto the streets. For example you already walked past more than a dozen of drug deals and were cat called by drunk men leaving the bars so many times you couldn’t count anymore. And that’s only this summer season.

Despite all those unpleasantries you kept working and getting the money you desperately needed to pay the rent for your small flat and lead a decent life in the city. And because of those same unpleasantries you came up with a special system of walking home from work that made you a tad bit more comfortable and it went like this. First: leave the shop with earbuds in your ears, but no music playing, walk with big strides and your head up to notice any potential danger and stay alert no matter how tired you are. Second: walk only the bigger streets with street lamps and businesses on them, preferably ones that are open at night so there’s always someone to run to for help. That part wasn’t too hard since you worked right in the center of the city and lived close by. You smiled to yourself, thinking of the deal you cut on your current apartment. You were subletting from one of your college friends who left to study abroad for a year. He didn’t want to break the lease on his place and not have something to come back to when he finishes his studies, especially since his apartment was in such a perfect location for a young student. That led him to looking around for someone to sublet to and… Tadah! You got a beautifully furnished, one bedroom apartment right in the city for a price that was unheard of in that area. Only downside was that you had to vacate the place in less than ten months.

A loud sudden sound pulled you out of your thoughts, but what followed made your heart skip a beat. A sound so faint it was barely hearable, but clear enough to make you stop in your tracks.

“Please, n-no.” The voice definitely belonged to a male. It sounded as if its owner was struggling to breath out the words. You heard him inhale sharply and ask again. “P-lease, stop.” His begging words sent a shiver down your spine. Something really bad was happening around that corner. “N-no.” You felt your shoulders tense up. You didn’t want to get involved with something dangerous, but you couldn’t just walk by a possible assault or maybe something worse. You tightened your grip on your bag and started to walk back quietly. Your instincts started to kick in slowly as you made the difficult choice between the two possible options. Fight or flight. “Flight.” You thought to yourself. “From a safe place I will call the police. I promise.” You sweared in your head to the man around the corner.

“Stop.” Said a second voice also belonging to a man by the pitch of it.

“Please.” The first man said. “Please.” He repeated now with more strength in his voice. Within a second you heard shuffling indicating a fight broke out between the pleading man and his attacker. You started pressing in the police number on your phone and started moving faster as the noises started getting louder and closer to the alleyways exit. The very same exit from which you were trying to back away from.

“I told you to stop.” The second man repeated himself. Right when you were just about to turn the corner and start running to safety with the police on the phone two men fell to the ground in front of the alleyways exit. Both of them in disheveled suits. The older one, which you assumed was the previously heard beggar, was clearly losing to the other man. You made your last step back and tried to turn to the side to start running when you heard the losing man speak.

“Help me.” He croaked looking in your direction and blowing your already weak cover. Standing in the shadowy street you thought he wouldn’t be able to see you backing away, but he did and his attacker now saw you as well. “H-elp.” He tried to repeat his statement, but the other man pushed him to the ground getting rid of the bits of air in his lungs. “What should I do?” You asked yourself. The nerve connections in your brain made a snap judgment for you. The scene you had before you looked just as frightening as comical. What even was this situation? Two well dressed men, who you would think are well behaved and well above resulting in physical fights if you saw them in the shop you were working at, were playing some murderous tug of war right in front of you in the middle of the night. As you realised the oddity of the situation it stopped being so scary all of a sudden. “They’re just drunk office rats fighting in an alley.” You thought to yourself but didn’t put your phone back down in case things escalated to something more dangerous. You continued to back away when the standing man spoke.

“How many times do I have to repeat myself?” He asked in an authoritative tone, but you weren’t going to listen. You turned around and made a step to your left wanting to reach the main road again and get away from this bull. “Stop.” He said tiredly. You turned the corner and started to run before he could say or do anything more to you. You pressed the green button on your phone screen calling the police.

“112.” Said a female operator on the other side of the phone after just a short moment. “Hello. There’s a fight going on near my house. Two men. It looked pretty bad.” You said nervously.

You woke up the next morning around noon. Having already forgotten the events of last night you got ready for work. You were covering a shift in the afternoon at the shop for your co-worker Jimin. He worked there a couple of months longer than you, showed you the ropes on your first day and since you got along pretty well you became work friends. You decided not to eat breakfast at home and just grab something at the shop. Just like that within twenty minutes of you waking up you were out the door.

The mid day was warm but you had your jacket in the bag ready to be put on in the late hours of the night when you’ll be walking home. You turned the corner to get to the main street and have a stroll to work in the sun when you were met with a hoard of policemen blocking the sidewalk. You crossed the road and took a different route than usual, not bothering to think twice about the reason the police were where they were right now.

As you entered the shop you noticed Jimin watching television on the small screen hanging over the cigarette shelf. The bell over the door rang when you closed it and Jimin instantly turned his head towards you, greeting you with a warm smile as you walked towards him.

“Great to finally see you.” He said, taking off his name tag.

“You’re only happy to see me today, because I’m relieving you of your shift.” You joked and he laughed quietly.

“Only today.” He said smiling and let you behind the counter. “I have to run. Yoongi’s probably already waiting for me.” He waved you goodbye, grabbed his bag and headed for the door.

“Go. Have fun.” You called after him smiling.

You turned the volume down on the TV and cranked it up on the ancient radio on the counter. Jimin always watches TV at work while you prefer listening to music and shuffling through magazines or newspapers. You pinned your name tag on and started looking for a good read as a bell rang signaling an arrival of a customer. You picked a fitness magazine and leaned on the shelves behind you and started reading about “the benefits of doing squats”. After a couple of minutes the customer who earlier entered the shop came to the counter with his pickings. You scanned the last item when he asked you to turn on the volume on the TV. You pushed the “+” button on the remote and was about to tell the man the amount he has to pay for the items when you heard the speaker's voice on TV describe something horrible.

“... A gruesome murder. Victim: a man in his thirties, possibly a nearby office worker. His exact identity is still being confirmed by the police.”

“Horrible.” Said the customer. “And so close by. Who would do such a thing?” He asked, sounding truly concerned.

“Twelve thirty, sir.” You said politely. That’s exactly why you didn’t like watching TV at work. This particular television set was about twenty years old and had an antenna so crooked it played only three channels, two of them being news. There was no day there wouldn’t be bad news. A natural distaster, an economic crash, a new riot or war somewhere in the world or, like today, a murder. The man scanned his card and left with his things. As the door was closing behind him you reached for the remote to mute the TV again.

“Estimated time of the murder is thirty minutes after two in the morning.” Said the speaker and you quickly put two and two together. Glancing at the screen you reached your shaky hand for your phone and started searching the internet for more information on the event. A cold shiver went down your whole body when you read an article header stating the place where the “gruesom murder” took place. It was that alleway near your building. You dialed your friend Taehyung’s number still looking at the screen, waiting for more details to be described by the news anchors.

“The number you are calling is unavailable.” You heard an automated message and hung up the phone. “What the hell do I do now?” You whispered to yourself. “I called the police last night and described the situation as well as I could.” You thought. “It’s not my fault they didn’t intervene… Or did so too late.” You explained to yourself. “Still, shouldn’t they have my number saved somehow? And shouldn’t they be calling me up right now for questioning? I was there after all.” You couldn’t wrap your head around the idea that you could have seen a murderer last night. “Maybe it wasn’t them.” You started wandering. “Maybe they left right after they saw me and someone else did… That.” Another announcement by the news anchors pulled you out of this train of thought. “Police just confirmed the identity of the victim. Thirty five year old (Victim’s name), an office manager at (Company’s name) was brutally murdered last night on Third.” You covered your mouth with your free hand when the picture of the victim popped up on the screen. It was the man from last night, the one that lost the fight. “His body was found by a passerby over four hours after the murder took place.”

“Impossible.” You breathed out. “I called the police right around two. How is it that they didn’t send anyone to check on the situation?” You thought and dialled Taehyung’s number again.

“The number you are calling is unavailable.”

“Shit.” You hissed. You really wanted to talk to a friend right now and figure out what to do. Taehyung was your closest friend right now, you knew each other from highschool and hung out all through your first years of college to this day. You dialed the police number once again in the last twelve hours.

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sherrybaby14 · 4 years

Text

Welcome Home

Summary: You couldn’t take your controlling boyfriend, so you ran away. He found you and hopes to change your mind, with the help of some friends.

Warnings: Smut, lost and found, very brief suicidal thought, I would not label this dub-con, but some might. (I have not warned for every possible trigger. Please read at your own risk).

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader

Words: 4200

A/N: This is for @darkficsyouneveraskedfor challenge! My prompt was “Safe in Hell”.

“There’s a real hottie in your section.” Your coworker reached above you for the coffee pot. “If he asks for your number you should give it to him.”

Your nerves went off. Was this the day? Did he find you? You shook them down, trying to act normal.

“Right.” You were trying to balance the tray of drinks for the rare family of four who walked into the diner. “Because I give it out to all the other truckers who stop in here.”

“Other truckers?” She laughed. “You won’t even give it to me! When are we going to get together for after work drinks?”

Another thing to worry about, people getting too chummy. A sign to leave.

“Soon.” You gave a nervous laugh as you rounded, hoisting the orange juices in the air as you went back into the crowded eating area.

Soon you would be gone. Never stay in a place for longer than three months, never use your real name, cash under the table, save whatever possible. No relationships, no attachments. That was the advice handed to you. It worked well the last eighteen months. Were you getting sloppy? Was the strange man finally him? The tray wobbled, thinking about dropping it and running out the backdoor.

It wasn’t the life you had planned for yourself, but you were more free in your time on the road than you had been the two years before.

You spotted the “hottie” your friend talked about. His back was to you, short dark hair, smaller shoulders, shorter. Any sense of worry you had faded. Wasn’t him.

A lot of the men who stopped in here were good looking. Ninety percent of them drove trucks back and forth across the country. They would forget your face as soon as they left, stomachs filled with greasy food and an insane amount of coffee. He was just another. It was the blondes that worried you.

Nobody questioned your secrecy until just now, most were in the same boat. Part of you was sure one of the cooks was wanted for murder. Your co-workers last names were Smith, Johnson, Washington, Jefferson. A lot of presidents. Made it hard to google Sarah Adams and get any pointed results.

“There we go.” You handed out the orange juice to the road-tripping family. “Gimme a minute and I’ll be back to take your order.”

Your coworker walked by, coffee pot in hand. You handed her the tray and took the hot beverage without even asking. The solo man’s cup was spun upright and you began to fill it when you approached the table.

“Room for cream?” You watched the dark liquid rise.

“I’d prefer a double whipped non-fat late, but I suppose cream will do.” The voice struck a nerve in your cord and you dropped the coffee pot.

Everything was moving in slow motion. You swore you saw the liquid following out, but the guest grabbed the pot in one hand while reaching out with his other and grabbing your wrist.

“Hi there.” He smiled up at you. “Have a seat.”

You were too numb to respond as he dragged your arm, pulling you into the booth behind him. You started to hyperventilate, the noise of the crowd fading as your world started to spin. How was this happening? Was this real?

“Don’t forget to breathe.” Tony let go of your wrist and took a sip of his coffee. “Not bad.”

You couldn’t react. You didn’t know how to.

“Really, I thought this was going to taste like dirt, but there’s something so basic about it, I can’t put my finger on it.” The billionaire took another sip. “Did you make it?”

You grabbed on to the table, a shake in your body as you looked up. Tony’s warm eyes had a hint of sympathy, but he smiled and it vanished. Had you lost your mind?

“Don’t have a lot of time so speak up Princess.” Tony flicked your arm.

A million questions ran through your head, but you spit out the first one. Your main fear.

“Is he….here?” There was a lump in your throat, could you outrun Ironman? Were you insane?

“Don’t ask questions you won’t like the answer to.” Tony’s eyes dropped to the table as he grabbed a packet of sugar.

Escape. You had to escape. All the ways out you had planned in your head didn’t involve a visit from Tony Stark. How was that even possible? They were the good guys. Maybe they didn’t know? Maybe you could reason with his friend, get them to see. Put an end to this madness, get your life back.

“Listen to me.” You grabbed Tony’s hand, not wanting to understand how you were capable of touching him. “He is insane. He is controlling and demanding and you need to help me.”

“I know.” Tony nodded. “Trust me, I know.”

Your shoulders relaxed. Tony knew he was insane.

“When you were in his life, you made him better.” Tony laughed. “SInce you’ve been gone. Well, everyone else has had to deal with that side.”

You recoiled.

“He has saved a lot of lives. He’s a good man.” Tony let out a huge breath.

“HE RUINED MY LIFE!” You slammed the table. “He...he picked out my clothes, he made me quit my job, he nit picked everything I did, he followed me everywhere, he destroyed my friendships, he controlled everything.”

“Did he ever hit you?” Tony ran his hand over his hair.

“What?” You glanced over his face.

“Did he tell you what you could and couldn’t do?” Tony leaned back in the booth. “What was he holding over you? That you couldn’t leave? That you ran away in the middle of the night?”

“I tried to break up with him.” Your lip quivered. “But he sabotaged everything, every job application, apartment, bills. He forced it so he was my only option.”

That was how Steve operated. He didn’t give ultimatums, he didn’t hit you. He just twisted your life so you were dependent on him. A master of emotional manipulation.

“Well, when he had you to look after.” Tony reached down next to him and pulled out some electronic device. “He wasn’t so difficult to deal with, but since you left of your own free will, he has been a bit of a horror.”

“Own free will?” You were seething. “I tried to leave at least ten times! He always found a way to make me come back. We were only together for a year, I realized he was tricking me, messing with my mind. I called it off then, it took me another year of forgiving and coming back before I had to vanish.”

“Vanish?” Tony raised an eyebrow. “Hardly.”

He tapped a button on his device. This place barely got cell service but a screen seemed to appear out of nowhere. Your jaw dropped as you scanned what was in front of you. Pictures, notes, dollar amounts. Every place you’d been the last eighteen months.

“I...I need to get back to work.” You started to stand, planning to sprint out the back and run until you died.

Tony let out a whistle. All noise in the diner stopped. The people got up from their seats, the staff stopped in place. All of them left the building in a neat and practiced order.

“Sit back down.” Tony slid the screen over, but didn’t close it. “Don’t make this difficult.”

“I am leaving.” Your chest was heavy. “You can’t stop me.”

“No, but I can call the police.” Tony scratched his head. “They will be here faster than you can get outside, ready with a pair of handcuffs.”

“I didn’t do anything.” Your legs started to shake.

“In the last year and a half you have committed a staggering amount of crimes.” Tony hit his screen and they changed. “Identity theft, tax evasion, moving stolen property over state lines, not to mention the civil liabilities from the landlords you ran out on.”

“Bullshit!” You hit the table. “I used fake names, I worked under the table, I was trying to hide.”

“Well, there’s an admission to the tax evasion.” Tony crossed his arms and leaned back. “My personal attorneys have studied this and found every little thing you have done wrong. It’s all here. Those fake names, turns out some real people have them.”

You knew how powerful the Avengers were, but you thought the only evil one was Steve. Besides, there was the one other nagging thought.

“How?” Your mind was so focused on Steve, you couldn’t focus on anything else.

“With a good federal prosecutor and several amazing state’s attorneys, you will be bouncing from prison-to-prison for the rest of your life. Would you like to have a seat now?” Tony’s sympathy vanished.

Yes. You thought about life in prison. Could you handle it? Take it? Would it be better than this?

“I promise you it would not.” Tony glared up at you. “Now sit.”

You crumbled back into the booth.

“What does he want?” You knew Tony was just the middle man. “Were any of the people here ever real? Were you just waiting until you had enough on me?”

“Of course we were.” Tony rolled his eyes. “Steve found you a day after you left. He has been trailing you nonstop. I saw the bigger picture. He’d convince you to come back and you would run again. We tempted you with some major crimes by the way, kudos to you for not robbing that guy in Portland. Those were marked bills. Would’ve had you ten months ago.”

“I’m going to be sick.” You leaned over and clutched your stomach, all the precautions you’d been taking, your life. It meant nothing.

“Here’s what he wants.” Tony slammed a little black box on the table. “Not the most romantic proposal, but you know Steve. He doesn’t want any of the dirty stuff on his hands.”

“Oh God.” You clutched your stomach, trying to ignore the sound of Tony opening the box.

“He loves you.” Tony reached over the table and set it on your knee. “He will take care of you. Your life will be better than this.”

“He’s obsessed with me.” You glared at him. “That’s not love!”

“Sure it is.” There was no humor on Tony’s face. “Maybe not your definition. But to him, it’s love.”

“He...he could have anyone, why me?” Your reality began to set in and tears started to fall.

“If I had to guess, your mind.”

“I’m not a genius.” You looked up at him with red shot eyes. “I thought I was free and he, he never left me.”

You thought back to all the good looking single guys in here asking for your number, the way your coworkers were in the same boat as you. It wasn’t dumb luck. It was a controlled experiment.

“You need to ask him these questions.” Tony’s sympathy showed again. “He is waiting for your answer. Take a look at the ring. Put it on your finger, or else except some less-than-pleasant jewelry on your wrists.”

The sound of Tony’s footsteps and the ding of the diner bell made you sob. There was no doubt the building was surrounded. You had a third option, but that wasn’t in the cards for you.

Your life with Steve flashed in your brain. The way he looked at you, the way he sent a tingle down your spine, the way he got you to try new things, and when you didn’t like them he would stop. He was kind, to you, but any life outside of him, that’s when he showed his true colors.

Without opening your eyes you knew what the ring would look like. Large and heavy, a single giant stone that people could see from yards away. Ownership. That was Steve.

Which prison did you want?

You gulped down, and looked at the box. Your heart raced as you brought your hand to your mouth. It was small. It was ugly even, a single pear cut diamond in a bronze band, but your heart filled with warmth.

Different memories came forward, pretending to be a bride with a pillowcase, talking with your father about walking down the aisle, watching your mother cheers at your graduation. The ring on her finger.

“How?” Your parents were dead, a tragic accident, nothing was recovered. It happened a year before you met Steve.

The initial wave of comfort he had brought came over you again. The way he listened, tried to help you.

“Photos.” Nat’s voice made you jerk your head up. “He had it recreated down to exact specifics.”

“It's not hers?” Your heart didn’t sink at the realization, in fact it panged with comfort.

“He’s not a miracle worker.” Nat slid into the booth. “But he tries.”

The strangeness of the last five minutes dawned on you again. You wouldn’t go back, you slammed the ring box shut.

“Please, we were friends. Get Steve to let me go.” You bit back a sob. “Women-to-women, you saw how bad it got and…”

“I saw a devoted man, who might not have chosen a woman who understood all his traits, but awoke something in him.” Nat leaned forward. “He wants you. Only you. I sent a few incredibly good looking guys to hit on you, and you shut them all down. Are you sure you want anyone else?”

“I didn’t...I couldn’t...settle down.” You took a heavy breath. “He could find me if I built a life. I needed to keep moving.”

“He’s always known where you were.” Nat smiled. “Now make the right choice. He’s waiting.”

“Wait, help me?” You looked up at her with glassy eyes as she left the booth.

“I already have.” The sadness on her face was too much, you started to cry again. “We both have.”

You didn’t take your eyes off of her as she left the diner. The door moved in slow motion, slammed shut.

You tried to bite back the scream, but it came out. The vision faded, the diner was filled again. Ghosts vanished.

The tray of orange juice hit the ground with a smash and a spill. Everyone in the diner turned to stare at you. Including the “hottie” your coworker warned you about.

Tall, blonde, beautiful, controlling, manipulative, but also protective, caring, pushing, and instead of crying and running away you burst out into tears and ran toward him. Not registering that everyone in the diner was watching.

“I...I missed you so much.” Steve scooped you up in his arms. “I was wrong. I was wrong on so many levels, after we lost Tony and Natasha, I couldn’t lose you. And I shouldn’t have tried to keep you the way I did.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Warmth, home, everything negative flushed away.

“Hey, you gonna clean this up?” Your coworker held the coffee pot, looking pissed off.

You looked back at Steve, who was just as stunned from the kiss as the rest of the restaurant was from the sound of you dropping your tray.

“I’ll change. I miss you so much.” Steve wrapped his arms around your waist. “I’ve been changing. Working on myself. I can’t believe I pushed you that hard. I wanted to keep you safe.”

“I’m safe when I am with you.” There was a fullness in your heart, one you didn’t realize you were missing. “I didn’t do anything bad.”

“What?” Steve laughed. “You? This was not the conversation I was expecting. The night you left, I just, I realized my trying to protect you was overriding everything else. My trauma was creating trauma for you. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, if you let me.”

“Please?” You didn’t wait for a response when you put your lips to his.

Steve let out a grunt and held you tighter, your bodies pressed together as hard as they could be, your mouth devouring each other in the middle of the restaurant.

He pulled away first, slowing down the kiss until he could press his forehead to yours.

“Let’s get out of here.” His gaze made your heart feel like it was going to beat out of your chest.

You nodded and undid the tie on your apron, throwing it on the table along with the orders and cash you’d received on your shift so far.

Everyone’s eyes were on you as Steve took your hand and led you out of the place. Nobody spoke a word. It was like they weren’t even there.

Steve walked you to the side of a pick up truck. He opened the door and boosted you inside.

“You don’t understand how unprepared I was for this.” Steve grinned as he buckled your seatbelt. “I was ready to plead and beg, we were meant for each other.”

As the belt clicked you grabbed his cheeks and kissed him again, moaning into his mouth. The time apart now felt like a wasted lifetime. This was right. He was right. Why did it take unearthly visitors to show you what was in front of your face the whole time.

“We have to stop, or I won’t be able to control myself.” Steve wiped his lips as he backed away, slamming the door shut.

He rounded the front of the truck and climbed in the driver’s seat. Buckling in and turning over the engine he whipped out of the parking lot. You wasted no time sliding your hand up his thigh.

“I missed you. God, I missed you.” He gripped the wheel. “I can’t believe I let you get away.”

“Well I’m back now.” You let your hand climb father up his jeans, cupping the bulge of his pants. “And I’m never leaving again.”

You glanced at him, his eyes were fixed on the deserted road. You went for the button on his pants.

“What are you doing?” Steve looked to you with concern.

“I can’t wait any longer.” You yanked down the zipper and pulled his cock out. “I need you, as much of you as I can get.”

Steve let out a moan, approving. You dropped your head and wrapped your lips around his cock. Trying to drool as much as possible, wanting to take him deep.

He shifted, and moved as close to you as possible without stopping. His hand found the skirt of your waitress uniform and pushed it up. He cupped your pussy, making you squeak with the realization of how wet you were, rubbing down hard.

“I guess you did miss me.” He dragged his fingers up and over the top of your panties.

You lifted your hips and pulled them down, trying to concentrate on getting his dick as wet as possible, but eager for your own pleasure too.

“I love you.” His finger found your slit and gathered your juices. “I’ll love you forever.”

Your eyes popped open as he slid a digit inside you with ease. You turned your body so that you were able to press your clit to the base of his palm as he flexed his finger inside of you.

A moan left your mouth and his cock slid deeper.

“You are my forever. I need you. I was a wreck without you.” Steve grunted and his cock slid further into your mouth. “I’ll never let you leave. Never again. I can’t...I can’t be without you.”

You flicked your tongue and sucked harder, sliding down. His knee popped up to touch the steering wheel and his other hand found the back of your head.

“You’re like no other.” He guided you further, his fingers working you into a frenzy as you humped against him, your clit coming to life. “The only soul in existence who fits with mine.”

His words made your heart flutter, but his hands were bringing you closer to the edge.

“And you lied. You did do something bad.” Steve groaned. “You left. I never gave up. I gave you your space, but that’s over. You’re my home.”

You tried to nod as best you could, but you were more interested in controlling your gag reflex. Your body was on fire, nipples tightening, hot and cold alternated all over you. Why did you ever leave him? None of that mattered now.

“Now, be a good girl.” Steve slid another finger inside and began working faster, sliding in and out, flexing against your inside while his palm ground into your clit. “Show me how much you missed me.”

Your body knew what he wanted before you mind caught up and you started to convulse around his hand. Shots of pleasure firing off your entire being. You fell forward, his cock hitting the back of your throat, but the orgasm made you unaware of anything but ecstasy.

His hands vanished and you moved your mouth back, still unsteady from your release. You needed to return the favor, but before you could get to work two hands were on your shoulders, pushing you up to sitting.

You looked out the window and saw you were pulled over on the side of the road in broad daylight. Steve went between your legs and yanked your panties off.

“I need to have all of you.” He grabbed your thigh and guided you to his lap.

You nodded, straddling him as he guided his cock to your entrance.

“Mmm.” You bit your lip as he stretched your quaking pussy. “I missed you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never should have left.”

“Shhh.” Steve pulled you down as he flexed up. The burn it caused was beautiful. “Our future is forever. Welcome home.”

You winced when you took him to the hilt. Home. That was the feeling in your heart.

Tears stung at the corner of your eyes as you dropped your head, Steve grabbed your cheek and guided your lips to his. His other hand dug into your hip and guided your body as he fucked you.

You need him to take the lead, incapable of knowing what to do without his skill. His tongue worked yours while his cock brought your pussy to life, rocking you while he slid in and out, short fast movements.

“Oh God.” You broke the kiss, unable to concentrate on it as he picked up the pace.

Steve pulled you against him, his mouth finding your neck, he bit and teased at the skin as you turned into a mewling shaking mess.

“You’re ready to cum.” Steve nipped at your skin.

“No.” You weren’t close, it was the after effects of the first one.

“Yes.” Steve’s hands ran up your back and pulled your down harder. “Don’t fight it. Don’t fight me. Give over.”

“I’m…” You didn’t understand your own body.

“Cum, cum for me.” Steve tugged you down with so much strength you gasped. “NOW!”

Your body responded. The orgasm ripping through you out of what felt like nowhere. The tears flowed as an inhuman noise left your body. You were nothing, just a ball of pleasure, pure euphoria.

Steve growled and joined you in finishing, coating your insides with his white foam. You collapsed against him, wishing the clothes were gone.

Consciousness was sneaking away, your eyes drifting shut. Before you slipped into sleep you swore you saw Tony and Nat, both smiling at you. You were home.

“Hey.” Steve was shaking your shoulder.

“Huh?” Your eyes opened to see a dark sky.

“We have to stop for the night.” He lifted you out of the truck. “You’ve been sleeping all day, but now I need some rest.”

“Sorry.” You wrapped your arms around his neck as he cradled you to his chest.

“Something tells me you haven’t slept that well in a long time.” Steve kissed your forehead as he carried you into the motel room. “You needed it.”

“I needed you.” You smiled as he set you down on the bed.

“Always.” Steve tossed a large bag he’d been carrying onto the floor. “I’m going to take a quick shower. You want to join me?”

“No.” You turned on your side and cuddle the pillow. “Too tired.”

“Alright.” He laughed. “I’ll be right out.”

Steve kissed your forehead again before going into the bathroom. The second he was gone your eyes popped open. You ran for the bag, unzipping it.

It didn’t take long for you to find two things. One was a Manila folder. You opened it and saw everything Tony had shown you, just the old fashioned paper way. Then you saw the little black box. The ring on the inside was the one Nat forced you to look at.

“Thank you.” You looked up at the ceiling, hoping they could hear you.

Steve was going to have you either way, but at least your visitors let you do it on your own terms. You closed up the bag and stood up from the floor.

You glanced to the exit, seeing the keys to the truck sitting there. Instead you smiled, and went to the bathroom, stripping off your clothes in the process. You were home.

#steve rogers x reader #steve x reader #fanfic #marvel #marvel fanfic #fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #avengers fanfic

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angstysebfan · 4 years

Text

But I Love You... Part 5

Pairing: Bucky x reader

Summary: You and Bucky are best friends after meeting the Avenger at a coffee shop. You are both extremely close, and you start to catch feelings. But Bucky starts to date someone else.

It’s been a few weeks of hell for you. You went out on a few more dates with Greg, and really enjoy his company, but you have also continued to see Bucky and enjoy being with him. You knew that you would have to make a decision soon, but then a bomb was dropped on you, or was it a gift.

You walk up to your front door after a long day at work. When you walk in, you smell dinner in the oven, smiling to yourself. Bucky walks into the living room, bringing you a beer and giving you a small peck on the lips. After a few moments, you are both sitting on your couch, watching a movie and eating.

You are mostly playing with your food, nerves eating away at you. Bucky notices and mutes the TV. “You okay there Doll?” he asks. You give him a small smile and shrug your shoulders. He turns his body for toward you. “What’s going on?” he asks.

You look down at your hands for a moment, nervous to tell him about the recent events that happened at work. Bucky starts to get nervous himself, and puts his hand on yours. “Y/N, you’re freaking me out here.” he says. You look at him with a nervous smile. “Sorry. I am not sure how to say this. Something happened today that is both great and bad at the same time.” you say quickly.

Bucky stands, looking annoyed. “You chose him, didn’t you?” he asked. You stand up shaking your head. “No. I didn’t choose him. I got a promotion, a big one. It’s something I have been working towards for years and I finally got it.” you say.

Bucky gives you a huge smile and wraps his arms around your waist lifting you off the ground. “That’s amazing! Congratulations! We need to celebrate!” he shouts. When he puts you down he notices your face is not as elated as it should be. “Why aren’t you more happy about this?” he asks, really getting nervous.

“Bucky, this promotion means that I am moving out of the city. I would be moving to San Francisco to be in charge of the division out there.” you say looking into his eyes. Bucky’s smile slowly disappears from his face. “But... you can’t leave.” he says in a panic.

He wraps himself around you quickly as if you are about to disappear in front of his eyes. You wrap your arms around him too, and eventually you find yourself sitting on his lap with your arms around tightly round each other. The silence goes on for so long, that you almost wonder if he fell asleep. You pull back slightly to look at him, and see he has tears in his eyes.

“Oh Bucky, please don’t cry.” you say, your voice cracking. You hold him tighter and run your hands through his hair. “We were supposed to end up together.” he whispers into your neck, which makes you cry silently. “I know. But I can’t give this opportunity up.” you say.

You both pull back look into each others eyes. Bucky kisses your forehead before you nuzzle into his neck. You hold each other for awhile, neither of you speaking. Bucky finally breaks the silence. “How did Greg take it?” he asks. You can’t help but laugh, hiding your face into Bucky’s neck. You sit up and look at Bucky, who has a small smile on his face.

“He was fine, because he got my job. No harm with him.” you say, tucking hair behind Bucky’s ear. He pulls you back into his arms, enjoying the feel of you. “When?” he asks quietly. You take a deep breath, “I have to leave on Saturday.” you say.

You feel his arms get tighter. “Can I stay with you until then?” he asks. You look at him and smile, “I would love that.” you say before kissing him. The kiss starts to turn more passionate and eventually you find yourself on your bed with Bucky expressing your love physically.

The next few days was more of the same. Bucky was attached to your hip, and every night you spent together in your arms in the throes of passion. On Friday night, you sat in your nearly empty apartment, snuggled with the man you love. “How am I going to live without you right here?” he asks. You sigh, as tears fall down your face. “Could always come with me.” you say.

6 Months Later

You had flown back into New York for a conference. You would lie if you said you didn’t miss that city. You did like San Francisco, but New York was home. You knew you were going to do everything you could to get back there. After saying goodbye to all of your old co-workers you leave the building, pressing the contact on your phone.

“Hey, I was hoping to see you before I left, but I have been so busy. Maybe next time? I miss you, a lot. Okay... call me when you get this. Bye.” You say sadly. Your black SUV pulls up and you get into the back. You head to the airport to had back to the west coast. During the ride you think about your last night with Bucky.

“Could always come with me.” you say. “Y/N... I...” Bucky hesitates. “I can’t leave. What if I am needed for a mission or something?” he says. You nod, knowing this would be his answer. “I know.” you whisper.

“But we will talk every day, and I’ll come back and visit. I mean who knows, we could still end up together, right?” you ask. Bucky smiles and nods. “Right, Doll. I know you are it for me.”

You land back in San Francisco and turn your phone back on. You see a few missed calls and a text from Bucky.

-Hey Doll, sorry I missed you. We have been very busy here. Hope to see you next time.

You smile sadly at this. You head back home and order yourself take out. You flip through Instagram and see Bucky with Lindsay. They got back together about 2 months after you left. You were happy for him, though you were very sad. The last post he made was of them lying together on the couch watching movies with the caption reading, “Love my best girl.”

You sigh as you sign off and turn on TV. You can’t help but wonder if you and Bucky would have made it. He seemed to go back to Lindsay pretty quick, and half the time he doesn’t even answer your phone calls. Maybe it was never meant to be.

As you sit there, your phone rings. You smile reading the caller ID. “Hey Buck.” you say softly. “Hey doll. I am so sorry I missed you. I was off on a mission.” he says. “No, it’s ok, I understand. How is everything? How’s...” you cut yourself off.

Bucky sighs, “You ok, doll?” he asks. Tears flow down your cheeks. “Uh, yea. Just miss home.” you say. “I know. I miss you, too.” You sigh now, “You seem to be doing fine without me.” you say sadly. There is silence for a few moments. “Lindsay understands. I mean yes I like her, but...” “Please don’t Buck. I can’t hear what you are about to say.” you interrupt.

“I’m sorry.” he says after a moment. “Yea, me too. But um... I got to go. I’m going to be really busy with a new project over the next few weeks, so I might be silent for awhile.” you say quickly. You hear him sniff, “Oh. Okay, well I’ll try and reach out. Maybe I will get lucky and catch you when you have a moment.” he says.

“Yeah, I doubt it, but you can try.” you say. Bucky knows your hidden meaning and closes his eyes for a moment. “Y/N, I’m really sorry.” he says. “I gotta go Bucky.” you say. You hang up before he gets another word in. You look at his contact in your phone and scroll down to the bottom.

“I love you Bucky” you whisper before hitting the block button.

Previous Part

Wanted to try my hand at an angsty ending. I did write a happy ending also that I am considering posting also. What do you think? Feedback is appreciated.

Taglist: @hailmary-yramliah @tuiccim @comedictragedy @cap-n-stuff @thefridgeismybestie @swiftmind @aleaisntcreative @joannie95 @buckybau

#Bucky Barnes #Bucky angst #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader

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starforgednegativespace · 3 years

Text

Part One: Animus

I had been on Animus less than a stellar day and already felt like I'd been gargling with lava. Even within the relative shelter of Rampart, the planet-side mining complex where I'd come to meet my contact, the air was barely breathable. Decades of disrepair had left the air scrubbers barely functioning; apparently the locals were used to it, but even the recycled air on Rune Song tasted how I imagine a cool summer breeze would taste by comparison.

In the warm rain, Rampart's wide streets, asphalt peppered with sickly coloured dust, shone under flickering neon lights from overhanging signs for drug bars, pubs and brothels; everything a miner risking their lives and health could want. I walked through the darkening streets, hands jammed firmly in the pockets of my deep red flight suit, one hand gripping the barely functioning bolt pistol in my left pocket, concealed under the bulk of my belt pouches and rain-slicked overcoat. I was tired. Being a spacer, you have to deal with local times being different in settlements than the ship time your body gets used to, and right now I should've been wrapped up in my bunk aboard Rune Song letting the Six-Ten-Ten handle things, but instead I had planet under my feet and an early evening appointment I had no right to be keeping to keep. I stifled a yawn, pushed my rain-soaked mauve hair back from my face with my free hand, and pushed open the door of Kenji's saloon.

The saloon air was warm and smelled like stale liquor and just the faintest hint of the pervasive toxicity of Animus. Behind the bar, a bent-out-of-shape old timer with sharp, angular features and a bad prosthetic arm was pouring liquor for grim faced miners, while a couple of disinterested looking girls wearing revealing outfits which showed the toxic scarring on their thighs and collars pulled silver from eager locals for games of Traust. Some patrons gave me a quick look, and few looked long as I entered, turning back to their drinks and gambling, muttered conversations lost under the distorted electronic jazz sputtering from the jukebox in the corner. I opened my jacket, shook some rainwater from it, and scanned the room. Over in the opposite corner from the jukebox, sitting alone with a pair of drinks, was Shepherd. She nodded, full lips curling slightly into what you'd charitably call a smile, motioning for me to go over. I scanned the room again; none of the people here looked like Ikaro's goons, and none of them had the air of mercenaries about them. My grip on the bolt pistol relaxed, and I headed to her table, dropping into the worn synthetic-leather booth opposite her.

"Kiri Quint, in the flesh" she purred, raising a slightly grubby glass to me. "How long's it been?"

"Too long, Shepherd" I replied, courteous as I could muster, and reached for the second glass. Her hand slapped mine away. "Sorry, I assumed..."

"The good liquor doesn't come cheap round these parts," she shot back. "I'm sure Kenji has some forge-spawn piss the locals love so much with your name on it." She motioned to the bartender, then pointed to me. The bartender nodded and started pouring what I assumed was some cheap local faux-liquor into a plastic tumbler. Shepherd smiled that tight, half smile again. "It's on me."

"Still a saint, huh Shep?" I pulled the hip flask from my inner pocket, unscrewed it and took a pull of the burning liquor within. Shepherd's eyes narrowed. I offered her the flask. "This is the good stuff."

Shepherd declined the flask with a wave of an immaculately manicured hand.

"No offence, Cutter, but I don't know where you've been"

The bartender, Kenji I assume, brought the dirty plastic tumbler over, dropped it in front of me and grunted, eyes giving me the once over. He glanced at Shepherd like he was waiting to be dismissed, then slinked away when she continued to ignore him. I picked up the tumbler and sniffed it.

"Smells like hydraulic fluid. You trying to poison me, Shep?"

I forced a laugh, took a sip and grimaced.

"Always willing to try new things, huh?" Shep smirked and sipped her drink, long lashes fluttering slightly over the glass as her eyes stayed on me. I exhaled, stifled another yawn, and looked around the dingy tavern. I motioned with my finger.

"This yours?"

"Mostly. I have a controlling stake in operations on Rampart. With that comes, I guess you could call it a stewardship of the local entertainment. It's a symbiotic relationship."

"Oh, I get it, you pay the miners salaries then take it back through whatever means necessary?"

She smirked again.

"Pretty much, yes."

I took another sip from the dirty cup of cheap synthesized booze and fished around in one of the many pockets of my flight suit until I found the crumpled pack of nic-rods. I put it to my mouth and Shepherd, right on cue, was there with a light for me.

"Thanks." I blew stale smoke to the side. The nic-rods were old, and I barely smoked unless I was very, very tense; and right now I was just that. Shepherd had that way about her. Always had, even back when she was calling herself Hal and sporting a man's body.

"You're welcome. I know yours isn't working."

Rust-dammit

"You heard about that?"

Shit. Shit shit shit. If Shepherd knew, then that meant Ikaro probably knew, and if Ikaro knew...

"I like to keep tabs on my favourite Spacers. I have to admit, I was impressed when I heard our little Cutter was Ironsworn now." She put her drink down and lit a nic-rod of her own, blowing sweet-smelling smoke towards me. "Relax, Kiri. She doesn't know. Vlada Ikaro and I are no longer associates."

Associate was one way of putting it. Executive assistant to a blood-thirsty warlord was a more accurate description.

"Nobody leaves Ikaro" I said flatly. My hand slipped back into my pocket to make sure the gun was still there, my instinct to get up and run from this place was overwhelming. Cut and run at the first sign of trouble, like I always did. That's why they called me Cutter back then.

"You did. I never got the chance to tell you how much it amused me to learn that you took her cargo. Her ship too. The sheer audacity of it."

"I earned Rune Song."

"I'm sure you did. For what it's worth, Vlada and I parted company on rather better terms. We came to an amicable agreement."

"How much of your share in Rampart does she get?"

That was maybe too far. Shepherd sucked her teeth and put her glass down. Guess I hit a nerve. But my point still stood. Nobody leaves Ikaro. Not really. "Look, I was surprised to hear from you. I had no idea you were even in this sector, having a Herald track me down came as kind of a shock, not least of all because this whole set up seems a little unglamorous for your tastes."

She seemed to loosen up a little.

"You'd be surprised; far end of town there are some really rather lovely subterranean apartments. Clean air, access to all the best shipments, the works. And far less getting my hands dirty in the process than organising wet-work for Vlada Ikaro. No, I do well here."

"Here's to moving on." I raised my cup and drained it. "Now, why don't you tell me why you asked me here?"

Shepherd raised her glass, took a sip, and stubbed the half-smoked nic-rod out in a copper ashtray.

"I need a courier. Someone capable"

I narrowed my eyes

"You have silver to pay for Heralds who can track me down, why not use one of them?"

She smiled that slight, tight smile again.

"The Heralds share information. I need someone who can afford to be more discreet. Someone who would get the job done no matter what..." Wait for it... "Someone Ironsworn."

There it was

"Why all the secrecy, Shep? What's the job?"

Shepherd's eyes lit up like she couldn't wait to tell me some wild secret. She leaned in close, so close I could smell the expensive booze on her breath.

"You want to know why I picked this world to settle on? Why someone like me would choose to cool their heels in a rusty mining colony on a toxic shithole like Animus?" I nodded. " Let me ask you this, Kiri, when you were landing here, did your nav-com take you on an unusual trajectory?"

"Yeah, I figured atmospheric disturbances or something. It's not uncommon for a world like this"

"No. Port control have orders to steer ships away from a particular region of near space. You see, up there..." she pointed upwards. "Orbiting right above our heads, just out of atmo... is a fucking precursor vault."

By Iron, I swore. I unscrewed the cap of my hip flask and took a long pull. Precursor vaults were scattered throughout The Forge; unimaginably ancient relics from a long-dead race of technologically advanced beings who once ruled this region of space. Rumours of tombs filled with relics of incredible power and technology were common among spacers. Some people thought they were myths, but those people had never flown the drift and seen the horrors of the forge up close.

"What's the job?"

"I need you to take some cargo to Paradox Station at Hera, I have a contact there who'll give you the co-ordinates to a deep-space research station where the cargo goes. A simple delivery job with a stop-over, but it's long distance and I need someone I can trust and someone with an Eidolon Drive. And if I recall, Rune Song is equipped with such a drive..."

I nodded again and stubbed the nic rod out.

"That kind of distance is gonna cost, Shep. At least -"

"Twenty thousand silver, ten up front, ten on completion."

Twenty thousand silver was a lot of money for a simple cargo run. More than double what I was going to ask, and what I was going to ask was double what the job was worth. There was a lot I didn't trust about this whole situation, but Rune Song needed repairs and I was down to my last few silver. Shit, it was worth it.

"What's the cargo?" I asked.

#ironsworn #starforged #ttrpg #solo rpg #actual play

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puckngrind · 4 years

Text

Marry Me - J. Toews

Song inspiration: Marry Me by Jason Derulo

Warning: swearing, mentions of sex

Word count: 2066

Part 2

🎶105 is the number that comes to my head.

When I think of all the years I wanna be with you.

Wake up every morning with you in my bed.

That's precisely what I plan to do. 🎶

Your announcement that you accepted a position in Chicago, found a roommate, and leaving your hometown in the matter of 2 weeks didn’t go over well. You didn’t exactly care because you fell in love with Chicago the moment you stepped foot off the plane for the interview. Your best friend went with you to cover up the real motives and you two hit all the suggestions including the way too fancy for you restaurant. This is where you actually ran head first into him. Your head was down making your way to the restroom and he was turning the corner. You made your apologies and your eyes wandered up to the very tall handsome man who’s suit cost more the entire contents of your suitcase. You were sure of it.

“Sorry, my fault.” His fingers brushed your elbow as you scurried past him. Not even giving him a chance to continue. You could feel the pink in your cheeks before even hitting the door. It was a tell-tale sign how embarrassed you were about the run in. Collecting yourself and returning to your table you were attempting to act like you didn’t just physically run into the most handsome man you’ve set eyes on in real life.

“You good (y/n)?” Your bestie, Savannah, takes a long sip of her drink and takes in your mood change.

“Yup, just embarrassing myself like normal.” You pinch your nose and recount the run in...literally.

“Handsome man? Where?” Savannah pops up a bit from her seat to see if she can put eyes on this man. You were focused getting her to stop that when the server placed the drink on the table you physically jumped.

“From the gentleman over there. He sends his apologies.” The server brought your attention to the room off your best friend’s shoulder where the same man you ran into was standing drink in hand and raised it up towards you. You do the same and the silent squeal coming from Savannah’s mouth was only noticeable to you.

“I swear (y/n), if you don’t go thank that fine fine man I’m gonna for you!” You worked up all the nerve possible and walked towards him.

“Thank you for the drink but I really should be apologizing to you.” His smile was intoxicating.

“Call it even then? I’m Jon, and you are?” He puts out his hand to shake yours. You nervously wipe your palm on your dress and place your hand in his. His grip firm but gentle.

“(Y/N). Are you having a party or something?” You blurt out taking in the room behind him with maybe twenty similarly dressed men loudly joking around.

“Um, something like that. It’s a work thing.” You look down at your hands realizing he hasn’t let go of yours.

“So you are from around here?” You slip your hand out his. Shocked at how large they were.

“No, I work here. You?” His stare into your eyes is intense that you some how babble on about the job interview and possible move. He listens intently. “This may sound forward, but I would love to show you around if you get the job.”

“OH! That’s...wow...uh...how will you know?” You fumble realizing it and bringing your gaze down to your shoes that are kicking at the carpet.

“How about you give me your number and we can start from there?” His phone comes into view at your hand level. You nervously type in your number and name and hand it back.

Jon types away and smiles. “Well, (y/n), I’ll let you get back to your dinner and I’ll talk to you soon.” He reaches out again to pull your attention to his face before retreating to your respective tables.

“Your phone vibrated while you were gone.” Your best friend just looks down at your phone that was face down at the table and then back up to your pink cheeks.

“Yeah. I assumed Jon texted me.” You flip over the phone to find an unknown number.

Jon: Hi, this is Jon. The man you ran into. I’m hoping you respond to this after you finish your dinner.

You couldn’t wipe the smile off your face the next two weeks. The two of you texted back and forth and he was so excited when you sent him word about the job. He helped you find a roommate. One of his co-worker’s girlfriends. You were slightly concerned about rooming with a stranger but something about how Jon treated you made you trust him.

Jon met you and Savannah at your new place with some of his friends to help move you in. You didn’t have much by Kelly said you didn’t need much.

“We are going to go clean up and will meet you out to celebrate.” Jon side hugged you after finishing getting you settled. You and the girls fall on the couch and start talking.

“So they aren’t all from the US are they?” Savannah finally questions Kelly.

“Nope. Actually most of them aren’t.” Kelly just laughs.

“And what exactly do they do? Savannah continues.

“I was told not to disclose that information.” Kelly pops up and heads to change.

“What does that mean?” Savannah waits to hear Kelly’s door before blurting out.

“I don’t know.” You think Jon will tell you sooner or later.

“And how can the two of you afford this...in CHICAGO?” Savannah has moved to the view which you will admit was not what you were expecting.

“Again, I don’t know.” Kelly emerges as you finish your statement.

“Let’s go ladies!” She claps and you grab your bags and head to her car.

Jon is waiting for you on the sidewalk. You take in the third style you’ve seen him in. Suit, sweats, and now jeans and a button down that hugs him just enough. All makes him look so damn sexy. You shake the thought out of your mind. Savannah snags a pic of you and her before heading inside.

The first night in Chicago was amazing. Deep dish pizza even though Jon just got a salad, a bar for drinks, then back to your place. You hardly even looked at your phone but decided to step out to the patio to text your mom. The door was caught behind you and Jon was standing there.

“Want company?” He asks.

“Sure. Just texting my mom.” You finally look at your phone since before dinner. Your brother’s text notification on the screen

Brother: Why is the captain of the Blackhawks behind you in the snap Savannah sent me?

“OH!” You answer aloud

“Oh?” He questions.

“My brother says the captain of the Blackhawks was behind me in the picture Savannah sent. I didn’t even realize.” You click into snapchat and Jon’s hand stops you.

“So....” He grabs your phone and places it on the table.

“Jon, why did you do that?” You look up at him.

“I’ve got something to tell you.” You seem concerned but his soft expression doesn’t make you less worried.

“Ok, what is it?”

“Kelly told me Savannah asked what I did for a living.” Jon leans against the railing.

“Yeah. Said you wanted to tell me.” You lean about two feet from him.

“And I knew when I met you that you had no idea who I was or any of my coworkers.”

“Should I?” You question looking back at the gathering in your now living space.

“If you watched hockey, maybe.” He chuckles a little. “I am said captain your brother is talking about (y/n).” Jon’s hand covers yours.

“Holy shit!” You blurt out. “How...why...fuck. Sorry.” Jon laughs uncontrollably. “Why are you laughing at me?”

“Because I was terrified what you might think. I like you (y/n). I’m not sure exactly how you feel about me.”

“I like you too. Which is weird because this is only the 2nd time we’ve seen each other.” You look up and Jon has closed the distance. His hand comes up to your face.

“And knowing what I do doesn’t scare you?”

“Why would it?” Your eyebrow raises.

“Some previous women only wanted to date me because of my status.” He admitted.

“Well that’s dumb.” You look into his eyes and he smiles.

“It is. Can I kiss you?” His thumb slides down your cheek. You nod because your heart is beating out of your chest and words were not forming. His lips grace yours and that’s where your relationship started.

That was two years ago and you two didn’t spend much time apart. The first summer you stayed in Chicago and you realized quickly when you met him in Winnipeg that you couldn’t ask him to stay in Chicago with you during summers. You loved seeing him home in his element. You moved in that August and found a job that was more freelance giving you a schedule that could bend around his season.

“I love that I get to wake up every morning to you.” Jon whispers in your ear one morning.

“You mean when you aren’t on the road.” You giggle.

“Yeah, but your face is the first I see on the road too.” His lips ghost yours. “Eventually my career will be over and we will be an old retired married couple.”

“Married couple huh?” You question as his body presses into yours.

“Not rushed, but yes. We will be retired in our 40s bugging the hell out of our kids.” You feel him growing between your bodies as he kisses your skin. The conversation left to explore each other.

🎶 Will forever be enough, so there ain't no need to rush.

But one day, I won't be able to ask you loud enough.

I'll say will you marry me.

I swear that I will mean it.

I'll say will you marry me.

How many girls in the world can make me feel like this?

Baby I don't ever plan to find out.

The more I look, the more I find the reasons why.

You're the love of my life.🎶

Your phone buzzes with a text while facetiming Savannah. Your weekly bestie time.

Jon: Wear the dress you wore the night we met and an Uber will pick you up at 7pm.

You: Okay? Any reason?

Jon: Trust me. Love you.

With that you went to the back of your closet to fish out the dress and got ready.

As promised the Uber was waiting for you when you left your shared condo.

“Where are we going?” You look up from your phone without the driver answering and realize you are heading towards the restaurant you first ran into Jon. He’s standing out front in the same suit he was wearing that night. Opening the door he holds his hand out for you.

“J, what are we doing here?” You eye your handsome boyfriend and he takes your arm in his and escorts you in. “No one is here Jon.” You look around at the normally packed restaurant.

“Well, I wanted to bring you back to the place we met.” He stops at the door where you gave him your number. “This is the place I realized I needed to know more about you.” His expression wasn’t one you’ve seen before.

“Same. I couldn’t stop smiling for two straight weeks.” You admit and he chuckles breathes in deep.

“You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I to shout out it from the root top that you are mine.” He starts then reaches into his pocket. You gasp realizing exactly what was going on. He gets on one knee and holds your hand.

“I love you with my whole being. Would you make the the luckiest man on the world and be my wife?” He pops open the box with one hand to reveal the perfect engagement ring.

“YES!” You shout as he stands and kisses you passionately.

“Cannot wait to make you Mrs. Toews!” He places the ring on your left ring hand and you wipe the tear from his eyes.

“I love you Mr. Toews!” You breathe out as he pulls you in.

#Jonathan Toews fic #marry me one shot #k's one shots #first time writing for him #I kinda liked it #tazer me 19

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shakespeareanwannabe · 4 years

Text

Heartbeats

Santiago Pope Garcia x F!OC/Santiago ‘Pope’ Garcia x Rebecca Cooke

Summary: A first date at a Beer Garden shouldn’t be difficult to manage, especially with his team at his side, but Santi still has doubts.

Warnings: Drinking/Alcohol Consumption, Swearing, Benny being Benny, references to war time injuries, references to Anxiety if you squint

A/N: Hey y’all. Sorry it’s been a while. Some stuff came up, but I am so happy to finally have this chapter out to you all! Anyway, this is chapter 3. Please enjoy!

**********

Listening to his own heartbeat had become something that Santi was pretty comfortable with. When the Humvee had hit a landmine during his first deployment, sending him, Frankie, and Will sky high, he’d woken up in a military hospital in Germany, with only the steady beeping of his heart monitor to keep him company. Well, it kept him company until Will wandered in with a cup of coffee. The youngest member of the team had somehow managed to walk away with a couple of cracked ribs and some scarring on his back, whereas Pope had fractured his knee and given himself a pretty nasty concussion. At that point, Frankie was still out. He had broken a rib, punctured a lung, and fractured his hip, all on top of a nastier concussion than Pope’s. There was a harried moment when they thought he wouldn’t make it, but Fish was the toughest bastard out of any of them, and within nine months he was patrolling the desert with Santi once more.

After various near-misses, his multiple knee surgeries, and his so-called miracle neck surgery, Santi woke up to that same sound of his heart beating. It reminded him that he was alive. It was a comfort.

Now, his heart was beating so loudly in his ears he couldn’t think straight. And, the kicker was, he wasn’t even in country or recovering from a near miss. He wasn’t getting shot at or sneaking around an enemy compound. He wasn’t even sitting in the back of a helicopter while Fish tried to fly it over the fucking Andes while carrying too much weight and, fuck, he was an idiot. He hadn’t even been able to pull off a ‘sure thing’ mission. He hadn’t been able to pull of a relationship with a girl that everyone thought he was fucking anyway. Why the fuck did he think he would be able to pull off impressing this much younger woman who, for some god forsaken reason, thought he was worth her time?

Rebecca was a professional. She had a fucking Masters of Fine Arts that she used to lead tours and co-curate the art museum while also teaching art lessons to kids all across the state. And then there was him. Santiago Garcia. A washed up, beaten down, half-broken retired soldier who was living off his (not unsubstantial) savings and the kindness of friends, who had almost no prospects other than signing another damn contract and going off to shoot questionable people under the orders of even more questionable people until his knees gave out or he broke his fucking neck running around on favela rooftops. She was so far out of his league, he had no clue how to even find her league.

And yet, he found himself sitting outside her apartment in his truck, about to go and buzz up to let her know that he was there. Early. To pick her up. For their date. What was he thinking?

He was shaken out of his negative reverie when his phone buzzed four times in quick succession.

“I swear to god, if you’re sitting outside her apartment deliberating over actually picking her up or standing her up, I will drive there myself and beat some sense into you.”

“Hey man, Charlie’s had a little too much to drink (first weekend alone without Mateo) and she’s threatening your manhood if you stand up your date. Do not show up here alone, cabrón.”

“Dude, you’re bringing a date? Why haven’t I heard about this lovely lady?”

“Ignore him. He’s drunk.”

Pope could imagine his friends, his team, sitting around their reserved table at the beer garden, acting like millennials with their phones out, texting him and ignoring each other for a moment. They were insane…He loved them.

“Keep your shirts on, I’m coming.” He copied and pasted the message into the four separate threads and sent them off, ignoring when his phone buzzed again with what could only be a “That’s what she said” reply from Benny as he exited his truck and made his way to her lobby door.

He pressed the small white button next to her name and waited impatiently for her response.

“Hello?” the tinny machine garbled, but he had become accustomed to her voice. It was quickly becoming one of his favourite sounds, like the sound of the waves at the beach or the sound of his own heartbeat. Soothing.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“Hey, c’mon up! I’ll be ready to go in five!”

Santi gulped then shook his head and pulled the door open when the lock clicked, signalling that she had unlocked it for him. What was he nervous about? He was god damn Delta Force. Some girl should not be shaking him up this bad.

Santi took the short elevator ride up to the fifth floor, trying to calm his hammering heart, and knocked on her door.

When the door creaked open, he was reminded that Rebecca Cooke wasn’t just ‘some girl’. He had taken one look at her, sweaty and red faced and face distorted from pressing into a massage table and been smitten. Every conversation he had with her dragged him further in, until he was hooked.

Now, standing in front of him, dressed in a sapphire blue lace dress that swished around her knees, he was smacked in the face with the fact that she was, in fact, the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen. The short sleeves showed off the smoothness of her arms and the V-neck had him having to drag his eyes away from her décolletage.

“Hey Santi,” she smiled gently at him, moving in to place her hands on his shoulders as she placed a hesitant kiss on his cheek.

“Um…hey,” he replied, mentally kicking himself for being so lame. “Uh, these are for you.” He handed her the bouquet of wildflowers he had bought on a whim on his drive over.

Rebecca smiled up at him, a slight glimmer in her eyes as though he had just made her the happiest person on the planet. “Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you,” he blurted. She giggled, turning her back to him and he grimaced at the stupid cornball line.

“Let me put these in some water and grab my shoes, and we can go, okay?” she called back. He looked towards her retreating form and gulped at the sight of her bare back. Fuck, this was going to be a long night if he couldn’t get himself under control. If he was going to actively pursue Rebecca, he was going to do it properly.

“Uh, yeah. No worries.” He followed her a few steps into her home and peered around at the small space. It was a small apartment, cozy and warm. A suede sectional sofa overtook most of the living room, a soft looking throw blanket tossed over the side and brightly coloured patterned pillows were piled up on one end as though she had been searching for something. A variety of prints and pictures decorated her walls, everything from the infamous Kissing on VJ Day photo to a print of San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk by Monet, drawing his eye from one frame to another in rapid succession, drinking in the little details of the life she lived that he so desperately hoped to be a part of.

“Ready to go?”

His eyes were drawn back to her like magnets as she exited the small but spacious kitchen, glass vase in hand. She deposited the vase with the wildflowers on the side table next to the sofa, picked up her purse and held up her other hand, a pair of strappy sandals hanging from her finger.

“Uh…yeah. Sorry. It’s a, uh…it’s a nice place you’ve got here,” he managed to get out, cursing himself internally at his stupidity.

She smiled sweetly at him, that starry-eyed look still in her eyes as she clutched his arm to slide her sandals on.

“Thanks. It’s not much, but it’s home.”

She didn’t release his arm as they exited the apartment, clutching him close as she locked the door, as they rode the elevator, and exited the building. He shifted carefully to grip her hand and help her into his truck, closing the door softly behind her as he paced over to his door, silently coaching himself to not be a total idiot on this date.

She was into him. Holding onto his arm, looking at him the way she was. She liked him. All he had to do was not screw it up…and not let his friends screw it up.

He hauled himself up into the driver’s seat of the truck and let it idle for a minute as he double checked his mirrors. Finally, he pulled out of the parking lot and began the ten-minute drive to the Beer Garden.

“I, uh, I meant what I said. About your apartment. And about how beautiful you look. Because you do. Look beautiful, I mean. That dress is…nice.”

“Thanks.” An uncomfortable silence stretched between them, and Santi fidgeted with the wheel. He was halfway to convincing himself that this whole thing had been a bad idea when she turned to him. “Are you as nervous as I am?”

“Fuck yes,” he breathed, causing her to giggle. “I swear to god, I’m not normally like this.”

“I know, that’s why I asked! I thought you were either really nervous or completely regretting asking me out,” she sighed, leaning back in her seat as the tension began to slowly dissipate.

He waited until he pulled up to a red light to turn and meet her gaze. “The only regret I’d have is if I didn’t ask you out at all and was left wondering what might have happened if I’d just gotten my balls up and asked.”

He watched her eyes widen as she looked down at her lap, jerking the car back into motion as someone honked behind him.

“Can I confess something to you?” She waited for his nod. “I had a shot before you got to my place to try to calm my nerves, but I don’t think it worked. I just…why are we nervous? We’ve been friends for a couple of months now, right?”

“Right!” he exclaimed, laughing as he risked another look at her. “I don’t know, Bex. Maybe that’s why we’re nervous?”

She shrugged delicately, pulling her legs up into the seat as she twisted to watch him drive. “I don’t know. Maybe. I just…I really want this to go well, you know?”

Santi took a hand off the wheel and reached out to squeeze her hand. “I know. I really know.”

She sighed, twisting her hand in his grip until she could interlace their fingers. “Okay. So. We’re two friends. Going on a date. We’ll just…see how it goes, okay? At the end of the night, if we decide we’re better off as friends, you drop me off, give me a high five, and we’ll see each other on Monday at the clinic.”

“But?” he asked anxiously because, like he said, he knew. He knew how badly she wanted things to go well because he desperately wanted the same thing. He’d been drowning in her for months, and he felt like he was just now being taught how to swim.

“But…” he heard her take a shuddery breath. “But if things do go well, and I really hope they do, Santi…If things go well, we agree to go on that coffee date before our sessions on Monday. Deal?”

He squeezed her hand again. “Deal.”

**********

The Beer Garden was a nice place. A solid first date choice. There was liquor to settle the nerves, incredible food to snack on over conversation, a live band to dance along to, mood lighting, and an outdoor patio with fairy lights that was pretty fucking magical, if Santi was allowed to say so.

He and the team had been there once or twice, usually after completing a room at Santi’s house, but this was the first time both Charlie and Frankie would be joining them, since Mateo was off for a sleepover at Grandma’s house. In a way, Santi was grateful. Rebecca knew Charlie, and Charlie was very protective of her patients both inside and outside of the clinic. Santi knew that Charlie and Frankie would help make her feel welcome. Will wouldn’t be an issue. But Benny…when the kid drank, he drank hard, and he was a loudmouth stone cold sober. Hopefully, Will would be able to keep his kid brother in line.

Santi slowed as he felt the distance between him and Rebecca grow, their arms growing taut until he was forced to stop and turn around, lest he let go of her hand.

“Hey, you okay?” he moved to stand in front of her, shielding her from the busy wait staff and slightly drunken customers who were milling around the door to the outdoor patio.

She offered him a distracted nod, her free hand coming up to smooth her hair behind her ear. “Uh, I’m just gonna…” her eyes widened slightly as she caught sight of Charlie sitting at a long picnic style table with a bunch of large men. She met his eyes urgently. “I’ll be right back. Bathroom.”

Again, Santi found himself watching her retreating form as he cursed his own actions. He thought that having a group hangout would be a good idea for a first date. It kept things loose and informal and, after their conversation in the truck, he thought it couldn’t hurt to have some people there to help things continue moving in the right direction. Besides, so many people had group first dates. It kept things light. Only, now Pope was seeing his mistake. He wasn’t just introducing Rebecca to his friends. He was introducing her to the most important people in his life. His closest friends. His team.

“Fuck…” he mumbled to himself as he watched her duck into the bathroom before nearly sprinting outside to the table. He dodged a few waiters and barbacks before slamming his hands down on the table, causing Benny to jump. “She’s in the bathroom, Chuck, don’t start,” he quickly stated, watching as Charlie’s eyes went from murderous to understanding in the space of a blink. He slowly met each and every one of their eyes. “If any one of you motherfuckers ruin this for me, I swear to god I’ll find a way to end you.”

“Hey, I like her already,” Charlie shrugged, tipping her glass back to swallow the last of the foam. “If you ruin this with her, I’ll be the one ending you.”

“Noted. Fish?” His best friend cocked an eyebrow at him and Santi nodded, communicating in that way that only best friends can. “Fair enough. Will?”

“Hey man, I just came out for a drink.”

“Yeah, I know,” he conceded, before fixing his eyes on the youngest member of the group. “Benny?”

“What? What am I gonna do?”

“Considering you’ve stared at every waitress’ ass as they walk by, and commented on two of the barbacks’ butts, I’d say you’re definitely the problem here, Ben,” Charlie commented lightly, leaning over to rest her head gently on Frankie’s shoulder, smiling softly when he planted a sweet kiss on her temple.

“Hey, I—”

“Shut up, she’s right,” Will growled into his glass.

“Fine, I’ll be a perfect gentleman. Happy?”

“Ecstatic. Charlie, did you collect on your little workplace bet?” She offered him a slightly drunken thumbs-up. “Good, you’re buying.” Pope considered the table before him before straightening and taking a few steps back towards the door. “Please, just be nice?”

“Hey, I’m always nice!” countered Benny, a cocksure grin on his face.

“Yeah, that’s what he’s afraid of, dipshit.”

The din of another Miller argument faded as Santi returned to his post just in time for Rebecca to emerge from the bathroom.

“Uh, sorry about that.”

“It’s okay.” Santi wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he led her out onto the raised wooden patio. “You’re still nervous, huh?”

She nodded hesitantly. “Charlie’s fine, but the rest of your friends…”

Santi tugged her gently to the side and pulled her to a stop.

“Don’t worry about them, okay?”

She rolled her eyes. “Santi, you fought a war with them. That’s not something I can just not worry about.”

“Look, they’re gonna love you. Trust me…” he looked over his shoulder to peer at his friends, who were all surreptitiously trying to both look at them and look natural. “They’re idiots, but they’re my idiots. Look…see that blond guy? That’s Will. You could set a bomb off next to him and he wouldn’t flinch.”

“Oh, so that’s Will the Wise?” Santi smiled at the moniker. He’d found himself dropping some of Will’s more memorable motivational quotes during physio, and she had come up with the name for his quiet but forceful friend. “And the one who hasn’t stopped staring at my ass is Benny, I assume?” Santi whipped his head around to see Benny subtly trying to peer around him to get a glance at Bex’s profile. He quickly moved into his field of view and turned his back on him. Benny wanted to check out a nice ass? He could feel free. “And I know Charlie, which makes the quiet one…?”

Santi smiled softly. “That’s Frankie.”

“I like him already.”

His smile grew at the pronouncement. “I figured you would. Frankie’s good people. Easy to get along with. Now, please don’t worry?” he gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze before running his hands up and down her arms soothingly. “They’re gonna see exactly what I see.”

“Which is?”

He smiled. “A stunningly beautiful, intelligent woman who I somehow suckered into going out with me. Ready?”

She gripped his hand again and smiled up at him. “Ready.”

**********

Things were going…well. Better than Santi had dared to hope. He didn’t know what Will had said, but Benny was being a real gentleman and keeping his mouth shut other than asking polite and interested questions about Bex’s work. Bex and Frankie had taken off like two peas in a pod, which gave him a warm feeling in his chest that he dared not name. Not now, anyway. Instead of examining his feelings, he decided to go get another drink.

He stood slowly, squeezing her hand when the angle got too awkward to maintain contact, and leaned down to ask, “You want another one, Bex?”

She smiled and nodded, “Yeah, would you mind getting me a pale ale this time?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up!” Benny interrupted, leaning across the table towards them. “She got a nickname?”

Santi shot Will a look, but the older Miller just held his hands up in surrender, as if to say, “You brought it on yourself”.

“I-is that a problem?” Rebecca asked, looking around confused.

Frankie leaned forward, resting his free arm against the table and adjusting his grip around Charlie’s waist. “Every one of us has a nickname,” he explained quietly. “For us,” he gestured to the men. “It’s a military thing. Kind of like a right of passage.”

“I earned ‘Charlie’ after three months of seriously dating Frankie,” Charlie added, her voice only slightly muffled from her cheek resting on Frankie’s chest. “Chuck came three months after that, and then only Santi gets to call me that.”

“Oh…” Rebecca murmured, wrapping her arms around herself and looking around the table at the demolished plates of nachos, chicken wings, sliders, poutine, and potato wedges. Santi quickly retook his seat, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

It had been instinct, giving her a nickname. Rebecca was too formal for the spitfire who made him laugh so hard his abs hurt more than his knees after a physio session. Becca was cute but she had grimaced at the name, citing overuse in popular culture for her dislike. Rebbie made her snort, and Becky made him want to go find Douchebag Derek and give him a swift kick so there was no way his DNA would be reproduced.

She had loved the name Bex. It was rare, it was quick, it denoted her spark and her wit, and, best of all, he was the only one who used it. Now, it looked like she was feeling insecure in it.

“Frankie’s nickname is Catfish,” he piped up, not wanting her to think too much on the subject of him giving her a cute moniker so early in their relationship (week 3 to be exact).

It worked. Her head whipped around so quickly both Charlie and Santi winced.

“Really? Why?” she asked the man sitting next to her.

Frankie’s quick glare and microscope cock of the eyebrow went unnoticed by the entire table, except Santi, who gave him an apologetic half shrug.

“When we were in basic,” he began with a good-natured grumble. “We were all swapping stories one night, and the only good one I had was the one where my old man and I went out fishing together.” Rebecca watched as Charlie placed a small kiss on Frankie’s chest, just above the third highest button, where Frankie had evidently decided to quit, not that his fiancée was complaining about the excess skin on display. Clearly a sore subject, Rebecca filed away for later. “We went all day without catching a single fish, but just as we were about to call it quits, there’s a tug on my line. And I ended up reeling in a 17-pound catfish.”

“Last time you told the story it was 15 pounds,” Will muttered.

“I always heard 13,” Benny laughed.

“Eh, whatever. It was a big fish to 10-year-old me, okay?” Frankie downed the last of his beer. “Besides, it’s not as stupid as how Ironhead got his name.”

Santi laughed. “Oh, that’s a good one.” Will glared at him. “Hey man, Frankie told his story, now you’ve gotta tell yours.”

Will sighed as he sat forward, leaning in towards Rebecca. “So…I was probably the clumsiest private in basic training. Now, I could do push ups and sit ups like a champion, but the more complicated exercises…Well, let’s just say our drill sergeant didn’t know what the hell to do with me. Climbing a rope ladder? I’d get my foot twisted and end up hanging there like three-day old laundry on the line. Going on a march through the woods? I’d find the only rock in the road and trip over it. Field striping a rifle? I’d yank on something too quickly and give myself a black eye.” Rebecca giggled, bringing a smile to Santi’s face. “And inevitably, every time I screwed up, I’d end up smacking my head. One day, we were doing this exercise and I really got my bell rung. Our drill sergeant sent me to the infirmary because he knew there was no way in hell that I didn’t have a concussion. But I didn’t. Hell, I didn’t even pass out. When he found out, he was shocked. Said I must have the hardest skull on earth. Thus, Ironhead was born.”

“Pfft…” Benny snorted loudly, the sound breaking through Bex’s giggles and Charlie’s muffled chuckles. “It’s not even a good story, man! I coulda told your drill sergeant that you were clumsy as fuck the day you enlisted! Now, Pope’s…that’s a good fucking story,” he guffawed, leaning back as far as the bench seat would let him.

“Benny…” Will put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, which was quickly shrugged off. Santi fixed him with a glare, and Frankie was subtly drawing his hand over his neck, but Benny was too drunk to care.

“Pope?” Bex looked up at Santi confusedly, but he didn’t get the chance to explain before Benny’s crowing laughter boomed out once more.

“‘Oh god, oh god! Yes god! Yes! Please, god. Por favor, mi dios! Oh my god, oh my god!’,” Benny’s voice rang out in a poor imitation of a girlish squeal. He threw his head back and laughed drunkenly, almost falling off the bench seat. “We thought for sure that Corporal had to have the Pope himself in her room for her to be screaming for God that loudly. But no. Turned out to only be Santiago Garcia, known almost exclusively as Pope from then on out.”

Bex looked between the two men, eyes wide, before standing and squeezing out into the crowd, heading back towards the bathrooms.

“At least I got a nickname, jackass,” Santi hissed, kicking away from the table. “I didn’t spend my whole military career known only as ‘Will’s Little Brother Benny’.”

Santi turned and chased after Rebecca, praying she hadn’t gone too far.

“What? What did I say?” Benny asked, half a potato skin hanging out of his mouth.

“If this fucks them up, I’ll kick your ass for both of them,” Charlie groaned, unable to take her eyes away from where her two friends had just disappeared.

**********

He found her standing under the strings of lights that hung above the front door.

“Y-you weren’t thinking of leaving, were you?” he asked in a slightly trembling voice.

She turned to him, eyes bright, and chuckled. “No…I just needed some air. Well,” she looked around the darkened city street. “Some different air. Front fresh air instead of back fresh air. Sorry, I’m rambling.”

“It’s okay,” he shrugged out of his jacket and gently placed it over her shoulders as she shivered. “I…I’m sorry about Benny. He’s an idiot most of the time, but when he drinks…”

“He could win the Nobel Prize for Darwinism?”

He chuckled, a soft smirk appearing on his face. “Yeah, something like that.” They stared up at the dark sky for a long moment, a hesitant peace falling between them. “That story he told…I’m not exactly proud of the way I used to be. I hope you know that.”

Rebecca shrugged delicately. “We all have a past. We all have things we’re not proud of. What matters is who we are today. And you want to know something?” she looked up at him with those eyes, and he pressed down the urge to kiss her.

“What?”

“I really like who you are today,” she whispered, bringing a smile to his face.

“I really like who you are every day,” he whispered back, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, his smile growing even larger when she leaned into him. “You ready to get out of here?”

She wrapped his jacket tighter around her body. “Yeah, it’s getting a little chilly.”

He nodded in agreement, gave her a quick squeeze and released her. “I’ll go grab my wallet and we can get going.”

Santi wove his way back through the crowded Beer Garden until he reached the table, quietly scooping up his wallet.

“Everything okay?” Frankie asked quietly as Charlie dozed on his chest.

“Yeah, tell your firecracker that she doesn’t have to kick any asses. See you tomorrow?” Frankie nodded as Santi pulled out a crisp twenty and threw it on the table. “Adios, hermano,” he murmured, bringing his hand gently down upon Frankie’s cap and giving his head a slight jiggle. “Will, can you get me that info on that electrician?” Will nodded as Santi clapped a hand down on his shoulder, bringing his hand up to gently clasp his buddy’s forearm before Santi removed it to give Benny a quick swat on the back of the head.

“Hey!” Santi fixed him with a glare. “Yeah, okay. I deserved that. Night man.”

Santi strolled out of the restaurant, a smile tugging at his lips when he saw Rebecca, wrapped in his jacket, staring at the restaurant doors, waiting for him. That warm feeling in the pit of his stomach came back full force, and, for the first time, he didn’t want it to go away.

**********

His truck quietly slid into a parking spot out front of her apartment building.

“Well…” she murmured. “I guess this is me.”

Santi nodded, a sigh building in his chest. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he didn’t want a simple dinner date to end, but he wanted it to continue. He wanted to keep talking to her, keep listening to her, keep touching her.

“I’ll, uh…I’ll walk you to the front door,” he stated, desperate to stretch their remaining few seconds as long as he could.

She smiled and waited as he made his way around the front of the truck, opening her door and offering her his hand. They strolled the maybe twenty paces to the front door and stopped, turning to face each other while their free hands sought each other out.

“I had a really nice time. Your friends are great. Frankie’s awesome.”

“He really is.”

“Well…uh…good night, Santi.”

“Bex?” he tugged slightly on her hands, so she remained facing him. “I…” That warm feeling in his stomach burst. “Oh, fuck it,” he pressed forward, planting his lips on hers the way he had been imaging since he had picked her up four hours previous. Sweet and tender, raw and full of something that would go unnamed for a while but had so much potential. He pulled back for the space of a breath, taking in her closed eyes and slightly parted lips. “Tell me to stop if you don’t want this.”

Finally, her eyes opened. “Don’t stop,” she quietly pled, freeing her hands to place them on either side of his face, tugging him back to her lips.

They stood there for what could have been minutes or hours, neither knew nor cared. It was like every moment of their friendship had been leading them to this moment, and they wanted to live in it forever.

It wasn’t until the nearby sound of a fire truck siren starting up broke the serene quiet that they broke apart.

“So, uh…coffee on Monday?” she asked, eyes slightly glazed over and lips plump.

“Definitely.”

**********

Tags list: @darksideofclarke, @writefightandflightclub, @eternallyvenus, @rae-rae-patcha, @himbopoes, @sophoclese, @phoenixhalliwell, @buckstaposition, @who-talks-first

#santiago pope garcia x oc #santiago pope garcia x rebecca cooke #not another fairytale ending fic #first date fic #series #triple frontier fanfic #frankie catfish morales #santiago pope garcia #oscar issac #pedro pascal #slow burn #but its not that slow

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tara-the-quiet-bookworm-2016 · 3 years

Text

Fight Me, Bite Me Silas (RK900 x Gavin Reed) (Chapter Four)

Authors Notes- And here I am finally with another chapter of fight me, bite me. Sorry it took me forever to get this chapter I have no reasons for my absence. As you know by now I like to put my trigger warnings so in this chapter it will feature things such as swearing. If none of this isn’t your cup of tea then this is where we part ways but I’ll remember our time fondly. Now that we got that out of the way here is chapter four of fight me, bite me.

Chapter Four: On The Trail

This was unbearable. Gavin thought as he drove, the ever silent RK900 in the seat beside him, those cold, emotionless eyes scanning the area through the window. As if half expecting the killer to be strolling down the street and to stumble across him. God, wouldn’t that be something? Hell, for all Gavin knew was that the only way they were going to catch this killer was when he or she was caught commiting another crime that had nothing to do with the murders. Wouldn’t be the first time thought, would it? Yeah right as if they would be so lucky.

“So Brainiac got any other ideas?” Gavin asked when the silence became too much for even him.

At that Silas turn his steely eyes to him. “I have done some research on where our victims have frequented before they were abducted and killed perhaps someone saw something on the day they went missing. Surely you know how Detective work goes search every single lead even if it turns out to be a dead end.”

Biting his bottom lip Gavin looked away from the android, saying nothing the rest of the ride was once again in silence until they pulled into parking lot of the apartment the first victim shared with her roommate, a woman named Mila. From what Gavin recalled she and the first victim, no Gavin corrected himself as he and Silas climbed the stairs. Susan her name was Susan Miller, age 22, as he thought that an image of a young woman with bright green eyes and freckles dusting across her nose and cheeks. A tattoo of a butterfly on her shoulder. It had been one of the things Gavin had been able to identify her as when he had seen her body her face was a mess of bruises and burns and her eyes those bright green eyes that shone with life were gone.

That was another unanswered question. Why was the killer taking their victims eyes? Were they a trophy? Or something else? For all Gavin knew was that their killer was going to end up leaving them in some place for them.

“Detective Reed?” Silas’ voice cut in through his thoughts, making him look in his direction. “We’re here.” Blinking Gavin looked to where Silas was pointing, finding themselves standing in front of the apartment door.

Gathering his nerves Gavin knocked on the door and waited. Remembering how devastated the roommate was when Gavin had told her her friend was murdered, hearing the door creak open he looked up and was greeted by the tired looking young woman in her twenties.

“Ms. Jones? It’s Detective Reed, I have a few more questions for you.”

“Do you have anything on who killed Susan?” she asked, peering at him from the crack in the door.

Gavin opened his mouth, guilt gripping his chest. God, he wanted nothing more than to tell her that yes they had caught the bastard, but that wasn’t the case, god he hated his job sometimes. Swallowing he met her gaze once more and shook his head. Watching that small sliver of hope in her hazel eyes die.

“Then what do you want? I have nothing more to tell you.”

“We were wondering if you remembered anything from before Susan was murdered.” Silas spoke.

“And what makes you think I know anything more?” Mila snapped. “You think I somehow saw her killer before she was killed?” Gavin and Silas heard the door unlatch and they found themselves staring at a dark haired, dark skinned woman anger shining in her eyes as she looked between the two. “Do you think that when we were spending the last time together that I was scoping out her killer? We went out. Like we always do.” She said, turning away from the Detectives.

“That’s good, perhaps you saw something, maybe a guy paying way too much attention to Susan. Or something.” Silas pried.

At that Mila worried at her bottom lip, brow furrowing. Blinking she looked up at them, realization hitting her as she held up her hand. “Wait... I do remember something...” she said.

Gavin’s heart skipped a beat, perhaps they were on to something...

“I remember how useless you cops really are.” Mila snapped, getting up from her seat, and turning away from them. “Seriously? How many people got to die before you get your heads from your asses?”

“Please.” Silas pleaded. Grabbing a hold of her her wrist stopping her from walking off. “You must know something.”

At that Mila paused, thinking for a second before relaxing, a sigh escaping her lips. “Fine, okay there was someone watching us when we went to that new bar before she went missing.”

That was new, Gavin thought perking up. “What bar was this?” he asked.

“It was called the Blue Devil.” Mila said, “One of those new places own by an android were androids and humans alike can hang out. One thing that stood out to me was that some dude kept staring at us.”

That was something they hadn’t heard before.

“What did this guy look like?” Gavin asked.

Mila shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno white, blonde haired guy wore a hoodie that covered his eyes. But he gave us the creeps.”

“Is there anything else you could tell us about this guy?” Gavin asked.

Mila thought for a moment then looked to them. “I do remember how he seemed to follow after us when he left that place, it wasn’t until that we ducked into a nearby store that he left us alone.”

“Was that the last time you saw him?” Gavin asked.

Swallowing Mila nodded, as the two Detective’s turned towards the door after offering her a thank you.

“Wait!” Mila said, stopping them in their tracks.

The two of them turned towards her, Mila stood there, wringing her hands and worrying at her bottom lip. “Promise me you’ll get this guy?”

Saying nothing the duo nodded, Gavin offering her a small smile before the left the apartment, the two of them continuing on in silence as the headed for the car.

“Think this might be our guy?” Silas asked, looking to Gavin, noticing the thoughtful look on the mans face.

“Could be some creep, but it couldn’t hurt to look now could it?” Gavin said without a glance in Silas’ direction.

After what seemed like forever the two pulled up at the bar Mila had mentioned, the two of them looking up at the blinking blue neon sign as Gavin turned to Silas as he read the sign that this was android owned. “Okay random thought but you think they got the name for this place because androids bleed blue?”

Arching an eyebrow Silas turned to him. Where did this come from? “I’m sure it’s just some coincidence?”

“I mean it’s weird it’d be like me owning a place and naming it something to do with human blood.”

“You DO have places named after the color of blood, is this really where your mind is going right now of all times?” Silas asked.

Shaking his head Gavin shot him a sheepish look before making his way to the door, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkened room and taking note of several people occupying the various tables and the bar. His eyes immediately settling on the android behind the bar.

Gavin noticed that the android that ran the place was a AX400 and was watching them warily as she cleaned glasses. Her LED flickering yellow for the briefest of seconds as the two stepped up to the bar.

“May I help you?” She asked, eyes darting to Silas before looking to Gavin. Her eyes immediately going to Gavin’s badge, this time her LED flickering red as she met his gaze once more. “Look everything is in order with my license I jumped through all the legal hoops to open this place.” She started, only to have Silas hold up his hand silencing her.

“As you can see we’re not here to give you a hard time we’re with homicide.” Silas said, flashing his badge at her. Watching as her mouth snapped shut.

“What can I do for you?” She asked, setting the glass aside, her hands pressed against the counter, the few patrons that were in at this hour glanced briefly at them before returning to their drinks or their conversations.

“Do you remember seeing any of these women coming in here, maybe alone or together?”

The AX400 looked to them before turning her gaze to the pictures before her, tucking a stray hand behind her ear as she did so, her brow furrowing before looking up at them once more.

“Yeah, actually I did see a few of these girls in here before, a few of them together.” She said after a while.

Gavin’s heart leaped at that, leaning forward he looked to the android bartender. “Do you remember when and if so do you remember if anyone seemed out of the ordinary?”

“Mister there are always people like that.” She told him. “Can you be a bit more specific?”

Gavin shook his head. “Was there anyone who might have been watching them? Or seemed a little bit interested in them?”

The AX400 mulled over the question for a moment, looking off into the distance before nodding. “Yeah there was some creepy guy sitting off in the corner watching them, don’t ask me why but there was just something off about him. He gave even me the chills and very few people can do that to me. And now that you mentioned it he did seem a little off he was wearing a black hoodie, not that that’s at all weird I suppose but he just stood there, hands and his pockets and everything. Of course I thought nothing of it some people just come for a drink or several to unwind. But now that you mentioned it he did seem to be watching...this girl.” She said, pointing to the picture of Susan.

“This girl?” Gavin asked.

The Ax400 nodded.

“Just her?” He asked again

Again she nodded. Then added, “He seemed angry too. Like unbelievably angry, even as he followed her out of the bar after last call.”

At that Gavin looked to her once more before looking around the bar. Eyes spying the security camera off in the corner. Looking to the android once more he jerked his head towards said camera. Following his gaze she looked at him nodding. Not saying another word she headed to the back, returning momentarily with a disk which she promptly handed to Gavin.

Nodding his thanks to her he looked to Silas as the android reached into his pocket handing the bartender a card telling her to call him if she thought of anything else, before following Gavin out of the bar. Finally, after nothing but dead end after dead end they might have something. His eyes falling to the disk in his hands as they drove back to the station. Eager to see what info this disk would yield.

Neither of them knowing that they were being watched...

*A Few Hours Later*

“Could you please sit still, Detective?” Silas asked, eyes remaining glued to the screen before him, arms crossed over his chest. As Gavin paced behind him, worrying at his bottom lip as he glanced occasionally at the screen.

“Pacing around isn’t going to make this go any faster.”

At that Gavin scoffed, turning to face the back of the android. “Well, I’m sorry but with every minute we stand here waiting for results our killer could be out there choosing his next victim.” Gavin said, looking over Silas’ shoulder, watching as the database working on finding their killer, his eyes glued on the image of the hooded man in the video the bartender had given them.

Gavin’s heart thundering in his chest as he watched as the computer continued to scan through the database, the Detective uttering a silent plea as he sat back, arms crossed as he took a seat beside Silas. The two of them sitting in silence, when finally, finally they got results. The two of them jerking when an image popped up on screen, showing them an image of a man in his late twenties with sandy blonde hair and steely grey eyes.

Gavin’s heart thundered in his chest as he scanned the mans rap sheet. His eyes lighting up when he scanned the rap sheet, eyes lighting up when he saw that the man, named Mitchell Russo, had a rap sheet as long as Gavin’s arm. And what was more? Was that he had been the ex-boyfriend of their first victim, Susan. And she had a restraining order against him. Interesting.

Placing a hand on his chin Gavin scanned through the file, it seemed their suspect was a piece of work too an Gavin had no doubt that he was their killer. Perhaps he had been triggered by his girlfriend leaving him and getting the restraining order from her might have set him off? People have gone on killing sprees for far less Gavin mused.

Straightening Gavin looked to Silas, who was looking to him, and for the slight moment he saw hoping shining in his eyes. Saying nothing the two of them took note of his address before both getting up and heading for the door. Not wanting to waste another moment, as he tossed his coat on Silas couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about this....

#Chapter 4 of 10 #DBH #Reed900 #Tw swearing #Someone is watching #Sorry this is so dialog heavy

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commanderbensolo · 4 years

Text

Stolen My Heart

A/N: Hi there! This is a one shot that has been requested by @dirtymagicimagines96, thank you for the request and I hope I did it justice. I went in a bit of a different direction and set it in a modern AU instead of the SW universe and veered off a bit, but I hope you still like it! Enjoy lovelies <3

Request: Hey!! Can I make a request for Kylo Ren? The reader is dating him and as her family was falling apart due to her parents getting divorced. She was very close with her younger brother and is very protective of him. Kylo had a general idea of what her family was like from what she told him. He found out more about it when he hears her having an upsetting phone call from her dad. Kylo has met her brother before and got along well with him. He sees her brother standing next to her, clearly upset. The reader ends the phone call with her dad by telling him to fuck off and leave them alone. After the ordeal, Kylo helps them to feel better and talk things out about the situation they were in and learns that her dad is really mean.

Pairing: Kylo Ren x Reader

Warnings: Angst (some), strong language, a whole lotta fluff at the end cos I’m a sucker for it, a mention of anxiety if that triggers anyone?

(I know that isn’t a GIF of Kylo but I feel like that GIF relates more to this one shot than a Kylo one would).

“Hey, babe, your phone’s ringing!” Kylo shouted through to you into the bedroom as you finished putting on your makeup. Tonight was date night, and you had decided to go all out for once and you had to say, you looked like a million fucking dollars. If this didn’t drive Kylo crazy, then practically nothing would. You had on a short, sleeveless black dress with red lace around the neckline and hem, as well as a red crystal necklace that Kylo had gotten you one year for your birthday and black heels with red soles. Your Y/H/C hair was done up in beautiful barrel curls and had been put up into a half up bun, half down hairstyle with a few hairs being brushed out at the side to make it seem more natural. For makeup, you had decided to go with a simple smoky eye look with winged eyeliner and a blood-red lipstick shade that complimented your dark eyeshadow choice. “Okay, I’m coming babe hold on!” You hollered back through as you finished your last coat of lipstick and took one last look in the mirror. Taking your heels for now and going to the living room, you notice Kylo’s mouth literally drop when he saw you. To render him speechless was an achievement in itself, so to render him to a point where he couldn’t do anything other than look at you made you real damn proud of yourself. “See something you like?” You ask coyly, grabbing your phone from the coffee table and noticing you had a missed call, from a person you didn’t really speak to: your dad.

You and your family had a… complicated relationship. Growing up, you had the occasional row with your parents about the usual stuff like ‘wanting to go on my own path’ and ‘being allowed out at later times’, but you had always gotten along fairly well with them all. However, the only person in your family who you were especially close to was your younger brother. You were incredibly protective of him and had always been like that, from the minute he was born. He was 5 years younger than you, and so when you had went off to college he was still in middle school and a year away from becoming a freshman in high school, so you were really worried about what it was going to be like at school and at home now that you were spending most of your time studying for your future. You knew that he had a hard time in school; he wasn’t a jock or a popular kid, instead of playing football he would rather read a play by Shakespeare or code a new game on his laptop. He aced all his midterms and finals and pop quizzes, and got an A+ on every single assignment and project. He was part of the school council and the debate team rather than signing up for soccer. And for most of his school life, he had been bullied for it. Which you found immensely unfair. Why should someone be bullied just because they’re different?

The phone rang again; it’s light, musical tone bringing you out of your thoughts, the irony of how happy ringtone was and what the person on the other end of the line was like. Swiping shakily, you look at Kylo and put a finger to your lips as you speak into the phone. “Hey dad, what’s up?”

“Hey Y/N, how are you doing?”

You look at Kylo confused, and he just shrugs his shoulders and looks at you sympathetically. From what you’ve told him, your family is regular, but you’ve all still got a rocky relationship with each other. You never really kept in contact with your dad since you guys were so different; all communication was relayed through your mother. “I’m… fine, why you calling me? Our summer meetup isn’t for another couple of weeks.” That was another thing about your family. Since you were studying for a doctorate in medicine across the country, and your father mainly went on business trips due to his job, you guys didn’t see each other (which was probably a good thing in all honesty). So, a couple times a year on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, each other’s birthdays and for a whole 2 weeks in the summer, you guys met up for a chance to act like one big happy family. Luckily, since you and Kylo started dating, he was happy to come along with you, which had eased the tension now that you finally had ‘a man on your arm’ as your mother had commented last year when you had brought him along. “Well, it’s actually not about that. It’s about me and your mother.”

“Oh. Right. What about you and mom? Are you and her okay? Is something wrong?”

“Well, nothings wrong in the sense that one of us is in danger. Look, I’m just going to tell you outright. Me and your mother are getting divorced.”

You nearly drop the phone in shock from his statement and Kylo immediately stands up and walks over to you, placing his hand on your back and rubbing soothing circles into it as you speak calmly into the receiver. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Yeah, kiddo, me and your mom are splitting. You gotta admit, this has been a long time coming now don’t you think?”

You seethe as you try and compose yourself so you don’t start raging at him through the phone. Throughout your childhood and adolescence, he had always said that you had a temper on you, you definitely didn’t want to prove him right on this occasion. Suddenly, you hear a knock at the door. “Hey dad can you hold on a minute? Someone’s at the door.” Hearing a ‘yes’ come from the receiver, you put the phone on hold and place it down on the coffee table. Resisting the urge to scream, you fling your arms around Kylo, just muttering a ‘thanks’ and ‘I’ll tell you about it later’ in his ear, knowing full well that he’s going to ask about what happened during the call. Hearing someone knock again, you look in the mirror hanging above the mantel and deem yourself presentable. Walking to the door, you cautiously open it, only to recognise who is it and fling it open in shock. “Jeremy?” You say, not thinking that it’s him and it’s some evil clones. Damn, you really need to stop watching those spy shows. “Hey, Y/N, did you get a call from dad? Did you hear about him and mom?” He says with a forced smile and watery eyes, and you can tell that he’s a couple minutes from breaking down.

“Yeah, I did. How are you doing with that?”

“…If I’m being completely honest- not great.” He says, finally breaking down and throwing his arms around your shoulders and bringing you into a bear hug. Even though he was your younger brother, he was still taller than you, which made hugging him a bit difficult, but you still reciprocated with as much fierceness as you could. “Listen, dad’s on the phone, why don’t me and you go talk to him together?” He nods wordlessly and just hugs you again, albeit softer this time, and follows you to the living room. “Hey Kylo. How you doin?” Your brother says to your boyfriend as you go to the kitchen and grab a glass of water. “I’m pretty good kid, though I’m more worried about you and your sister. She said she’ll tell me later, but I really just wanna be there for her, ya know? She means a hell of lot to me, I hope you know that, kid.” You smile at the confession, and realize that this is the man you want to spend the rest of your life with, once and for all. But that was a discussion that had to be shelved for later, you had bigger fish to fry right now.

“Right.” You said as you walked back to the living room and picking up your phone. “I’m gonna take dad off of hold and we’ll both talk to him. Kylo do you want to go do something or are you okay to stay here? I think this might take a while unfortunately, so I don’t know if you want to cancel those dinner reservations babe.” He nods and smiles at you, planting a kiss on your cheek and whispering a ‘I’ll be right back’ as he goes to call the restaurant. You take a deep breath to calm your nerves, look at your brother and press the HOLD button. “Hey dad, it’s me, I’m back.”

“Hey kiddo, I was starting to get worried, who was at the door?”

“Uh, actually it was Jeremy, and he’s pretty upset to be honest. You must have sprung this on him pretty quickly.” You hear your dad take an audible gulp on the phone, as if he wasn’t expecting your response. You’re glad to have made him rattled, now he knew how you and your brother felt. “Oh, right. Is he still there?” You nod at your brother, and luckily he gets the hint. “Hey dad, it’s uh, Jeremy.”

“Hey son, what you doing at your sister’s house?

“Well, since you and mom are splitting, I couldn’t exactly go to either of you two, and I was already out with some friends so I decided to drive over to Y/N’s. At least she’s always been there for me.”

“Hey, that’s not fair. I thought I was doing the right thing by telling you over the phone. I know how you get when faced with difficult topics, and it ain’t pretty. Kinda didn’t want to be in the middle of that, ya get me?”

Jeremy let out a mirthless laugh into the phone, filled with hurt and irony. “Well dad thanks for that. Real helpful. And the excuse you ‘didn’t want to be in the middle of it’? What does ‘it’ even mean? What, just because I was diagnosed with anxiety last year doesn’t mean I’m gonna break. But again, thanks a lot, really helpful.”

Jeremy walks away after saying his piece, and you know better than to go after him. By this time, Kylo has arrived back in the room, and walks over to Jeremy to console him while you deal with your father on the phone. “Listen dad, you have to understand that even though you may not want to face these things, you’re gonna have to sooner or later. We’re still your kids after all. Our feelings and opinions should matter to you.”

“Sweetheart, I-“

“No dad, let me finish. You can’t say that you ‘thought it was for best’ when you clearly just wanted to the easy way out, which isn’t really fair on me and Jeremy, is it?”

“…No. No, it’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not fucking fair. Even though I’m an adult, Jeremy is only halfway through high school. He’s still going through shit of his own, and to spring something as big as him on that is just downright cruel. So you know what you can do?”

“Sweetheart, don’t do this-“

“You can fuck right the hell off. I’ll talk to mom about this, maybe she’ll actually explain this situation to us instead of just dropping us in it and expecting us to be completely fucking fine with it, which we’re not by the way, just in case you couldn’t tell. So goodbye dad, text me when your moving out of moms house if you haven’t already and I’ll see you whenever.”

You tear the phone from your ear like it was burning you and press the END CALL button immediately, chest heaving from anger and distress. You hadn’t gotten too out of hand on the phone apart from that bit at the end, so you considered it a win. Debating on whether to call your mother, you decide against it, realising now probably wasn’t the best time to talk to her after the altercation you had just had with you dad, opting to instead throw your phone on the couch. Rubbing your hands all over your face in annoyance, you only realise a second later that you were going to ruin all your makeup, which took a whole 2 hours to do. Groaning at the thought of having to reapply it, you fall down on the couch with your head in your hands and start to sob, only to feel someone’s warm hands rub soothing circles into your back. Kylo. He was still here. He hadn’t ran away, even after witnessing that terrible argument with your father. You looked up at him and just smiled, thankful to have someone there for you.

“Jeremy just went out to pick up a pizza and a couple bottles of soda. I know this is probably a stupid question, but are you okay?” You laugh lightly at the question, but the laugh is light and tinkly, genuine. “Yeah, I’ll be okay, it just came as a bit of a shock. Though I don’t think we’ll have to drag ourselves along to the summer trip this year, thank fuck.” He laughs loudly and kisses you on the forehead, laying back into the couch and bringing you with him to snuggle into his chest. “As much as I love you, I don’t think I could go another year with your mother hounding me about finally ‘popping the question’. Is it not enough we’re living together?” You gasp a little and turn your head up to face him. “She has not been, please tell me she has not been hounding you with questions about grandchildren and marriage?”

“Well… grandchildren never made an appearance but last year she literally brought your grandmothers ring and showed it to me and everything. She even knew what ring size you were and had already gotten it sized for me to give to you. I told her thank you, but that it felt a little too early to be thinking about marriage ya know? We had only just moved in together as well, I didn’t wanna scare you off.”

“And what about now?” You murmur, looking at the ceiling above you and just enjoying the way Kylo felt against you, behind you, with you. “Hmm?” He asked, not quite sure what you were implying. “How do you feel… about marriage now?” You say nervously, twisting your head around again to gauge his reaction to your question. “Well, would you wanna marry me?” He asks with a laugh, though you can see the anxiety behind his eyes as he asks you the question.

You reach up to his jaw with one hand and pull him down to meet your lips in a soft, chaste kiss. Pulling away after a moment, you smile brightly at him. “Kylo Ren, I would absolutely love to fucking marry you. But you know what I want first?” His eyes brighten considerably with excitement. “What?” He says with a smile. “I want for us to go away, and for you to propose to me when I’m not expecting it. And I don’t want anyone there to see it. I want it to be our moment. Just you and me. Is that okay?”

He nods excitedly and leans down to kiss you a couple more times, grinning like a mad man. ‘But’ you thought ‘’even whilst grinning like a mad man he still looks handsome. My handsome man’. “God I love you, you know that? I love you so much fucking much it hurts sometimes.”

“Well don’t go hurting yourself over me, silly.” You say with a laugh, nudging his side only to get one back in return. “I thought you were training to be a doctor?”

“Well, that’s true…”

“Well, doctor we have a serious case here, I need immediate assistance.”

“And why would that be, young sir?”

“A beautiful woman has stolen my heart, and I don’t want her to give it back.”

#kylo ren x reader #kylo ren #modern au #modern kylo ren #fluff #angst

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royallyprincesslilly · 5 years

Text

Title: Rumor Has It

Chris Evans x Famous Reader Uriah “Riah” Tyler

Warning: Cursing

Word Count: 1.7K

Summary: Inspired by a video of Chris and his co-star Ana De Armas on their press tour for Knives Out at where she kept touching his chest and face standing about five inches apart while talking to him. This was not asked for, just something I thought up because of it. Also, I don’t know what this is. LOL

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

“Come on, Riah; you need to be in front of that camera in five!” Your personal assistant/ cousin, Zora's voice, was loud as hell.

You rolled your eyes and walked out the bathroom where you were checking your messages trying to get some time to yourself. It had been a long ass day. You’d been awake since four in the morning, and it was nearing six, and still, you were doing this photoshoot. When you walked into the room you passed the wall-mounted flat-screen TV to get to your makeup artist/best friend, Kizzy. You glanced at the TV as you sat down and did a double take.

“Turn that up.”

“You saw it here first guys. This is exclusive footage caught by someone on the set. This is Chris Evans and his co-star Ana De Armas who he stars with in their new movie Knives Out. As you can see, Ana is touchy-feely. She touches his chest several times before his face and beard. Onlookers on the set said the two laughed and joked nonstop and had an easy sort of air around them, an air similar to those who’ve either been best friends for life, married or who’ve been intimate. As you guys know Ana and Chris have said they didn’t know each other before filming of this movie, so that leaves two other possibilities,” Harvey gossiped on the Thursday evening episode of TMZ.

“I mean, does it really? The guy is married to none other than fashion model turned actress Uriah Tyler. So, we know that he and Ana aren’t married,” Shavonne, another commentator at TMZ added with her hand out to say, “hold on now.” She was the only black girl there.

“That only leaves one other possibility,” Dax reported. You knew all their faces well. You’d spent some time becoming familiar with them from your PR team when you were single, so you knew who to throw fat ass lawsuits to when need be. They all gave each other the eye as if they were implying something.

The video played again on a loop, and your eyes zeroed in on her hands and every touched seared into your memory. “What the fuck? Riah, are you seeing this shit?” You held up your hand to silence her and leaned closer to watch the video again. The commentary of the asses at TMZ was working your nerves. If one wasn’t flat out insinuating that your husband Chris was fucking this woman they were hinting at it. Looking at the video it looked suspicious as hell.

“Don’t jump to conclusions Riah, it’s a gossip show, and they always blow things out of proportion. Take a beat and think clearly,” Zora cautioned trying to reason with your logical side, the side that knew what it was like to be in the public eye. The side that knew shows and mags liked to cause problems where there weren’t any just for ratings and copies sold. You heard her, you did, but you also had eyes and what you saw before you was not platonic. What you saw before you was a plain as day sign that something didn’t meet the eye.

You jumped out your seat, grabbing your phone from the table before you and scrolled through to your husband’s contact and hit the green dial button. Pacing the room, you pressed the phone to your ear and waited for him to pick up. One ring, two rings, three rings. After the fourth ring, you were pissed beyond belief.

“Hey, this is Chris you got the beep you know what to do. I’ll get back to ya when I can.”

The tone sounded, and you squeezed the phone. You desperately wanted to cuss him the fuck out, but you also didn’t want to get loud and ignorant in this room knowing outside there were countless set workers. You loudly groaned. “Christopher Robert Evans, what the actual fuck am I watching right now? What the fuck is this? I can’t believe this shit!” Your words were tight and controlled though you felt anything but. Ending the call, you bent, rested your hands on your knees and took a few breaths.

“Riah, calm down. Looks can be deceiving,” Zora added.

You wanted to say some slick shit. This was not the first time you’d seen some shit with him and his female co-stars. There was Scarlett, but that was before you guys got together. There were even rumors about him and his Defending Jacob co-star. It seemed wherever your husband went the thirsty ass women followed and didn’t know where the fucking line was drawn. He was a fucking married man. Then the thought hit you that they are half the problem; it is your husband’s responsibility to stop the pussy train from trying to make him a passenger. That made you even angrier.

The knock to your door signaled you had to get your ass to the call spot now. Standing you took a few final breaths and composed yourself. You didn’t want to give anyone any reason to gossip even more than necessary. When the doors opened, you walked out and down the hall with your head held high. Taking your spot in front of the decorated set you lowered your robe revealing the sexy designer gown you wore. As the shoot began you tried to remain as focused as possible, but you definitely weren’t on your A-game. Your heart was heavy.

~~~~~~~

By the time you made it home, it was after one in the morning. You were exhausted, and all you wanted was a bottle of wine, a hot bath and the dim-sum from the Japanese place in Beverly Hills. You walked through your dark house, past the modern and traditional mix decorations in the halls and to the kitchen. You didn’t need light to know where you were going. You and Chris had lived here for almost five years now, so you knew every nook and cranny with your eyes closed. Scanning the contents of the fridge you grabbed a bottle of your favorite Moscato and the leftover dim-sum.

While you waited for it to heat in the microwave, you opened the bottle of wine. When the food finished you made your way upstairs deciding against a glass. You knew you’d finish the entire bottle; there was no need to front like you’d only have one glass. You’d never been a “one glass of wine” type of girl. Why have one when the whole bottle was meant to be consumed?

Walking into your master bedroom you sighed, you could still smell him everywhere. He’d been gone for two weeks now, and still, his scent lingered. You walked into the ensuite and turned on the water to the giant tub and walked back into the room. Tossing your bag on one of the couches in the room you didn’t budge when your dead phone fell out. Usually, you’d have rushed to plug it in to get some juice, but you didn’t give a flying fuck about a phone right now.

Once you’d undressed, tied your hair up and made it back into the bathroom, the water was high enough. Turning it off you added some bath oils and three bath bombs before grabbing your favorite soap. Chris always said you smelled good enough to eat after you showered with it. So good that he usually always ended up spending half the night with his head buried between your thighs. When you sank into the hot water you sighed and stretched allowing your muscles to elongate. Reaching for the bottle of wine and took a few gulps before dropping your head back to the cushion.

Your head was still spinning from that stupid TMZ report. Shortly after you called Chris, your phone died. Zora made a move to charge it, but you fanned her off. You didn’t want to talk to him. What more could he say? You’d had this discussion before, not about Ana but other overtly friendly co-stars. He always said the same thing “it’s nothing, I’d never do that to you.” You believed him, believed him enough to marry his ass after four months traveling the world together after he finally took a break between Avengers films.

Everyone said four months wasn’t enough to build a whole lifetime together. Everyone said why rush, take your time, date. You and Chris always repeated the same thing; “When you know, you know.” You loved your husband, you loved him with everything in you, but you hated everything that he came with. In your career, you’d known fame and pressures from the tabloids but with your first line of work you weren’t hounded like crazy. It was only when you made a transition into acting after your wedding did that attention pick up. A huge part was because you were now Mrs. Chris Evans, thee Captain America, the almost lifelong bachelor. Apparently, there were plenty of bets he’d never get married and even more jokes that when he did every woman in the world dedicated a full ten minutes of silence as they wept. It was ridiculous.

You knew the rumors came with the territory, but you hadn’t been prepared for all of this. It was stressful. You groaned out loud and rubbed your forehead.

“He wouldn’t, right?” You doubled down on your guzzling of the wine and kissed your teeth. “Oh, I’m sure she would though.”

Focusing on a spot of color in the bathwater you scowled. “He wouldn’t throw away everything we’d built so easily, would he?” Realizing you were sitting there talking to yourself, you rolled your eyes and dropped your head back in frustration.

When you made it back into the bedroom, a few hours had passed, you decided against turning on the TV not wanting to see any more potentially upsetting stories. So, you sat in the bed and ate the dim-sum staring at Chris’ empty side. You tried not to wonder whose bed he was in tonight; if it was his own hotel bed or hers. By the time you finished the bottle of wine and the food, you’d pushed those thoughts aside and moved on to hopeful thoughts that your husband wasn’t a complete asshole and actually loved you. The last thought before you drifted off to sleep was that you were going to cut his dick off if even a single theory of yours was true.

#rumor has it fic #Chris Evans #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x you #Chris Evans X black reader #chris evans x reader

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random-imagines-blog · 5 years

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Drunk on Shadows {Robb Stark x Reader Oneshot}

Requested by: @disneyprincessbuffyannesummers Wordcount: 3485 Warnings: Mentions of incest. Summary: You’re one of Craster’s daughters and end up getting pregnant. You have the willpower and strength to escape, and find yourself in the company and protection of the handsome Lord Stark.

You had been brainwashed throughout your whole life to be thankful to have a roof over your head, a fire to keep you warm, and food in your belly. You had been told from the moment that you were born that as long as those things were given to you, you could and should put up with everything else that life gives you, because you were one of the lucky ones on this side of the wall. And life had given you a lot of bad over the years. You were the prettiest of the Craster girls, according to your father, and he paid very special attention to you. It was the sort of attention that you didn’t want, but some of the other girls grew jealous for they wanted what you were getting. You would have given anything to escape from this place - but things changed when you found out that you had grown pregnant from your father’s seed. Knowing that a girl would have to endure what you did, or that your boy would be sacrificed, it gave you no other choice than to try to suck up to your father to keep the little one safe from harm. You didn’t mind getting eaten by wolves or attacked by whatever monsters were out there in the dark forests, but being with child made you have to think for two.

The father of your child, your father, may have favored you above the others but that didn’t mean that he was going to listen to you. You were told that things would go on as they always had - your little girl would grow up like you, or your boy would be put into the woods to die. It felt like the fetus had turned to snow with how cold those words had made you. Once he had said that, then sent you to his bedchambers to wait for him, you started to form your plan, knowing that you had to do something, even if it could potentially kill you. For the first time, you were seeing things as they truly were. You didn’t care if there was a roof keeping the snow off you if it was someone disgusting keeping you warm under the covers. You didn’t care about the food in your belly with the cost of it being your obedience.

So you found your father’s sword in his room, and you held the hilt in your hands, feeling the powerful weight of it against your weak arms. He walked in, expecting you to be in his bed, but instead he found you holding the blade close to his neck. “Don’t ever, ever touch me again, you filthy man.” You spat on the floor by his feet. He dared to try to take the sword from you, but you swung it ever so slightly and the sharp edge cut the palm of his hand. “You have some nerve, I should cut your fingers off, and that little cock of yours too.”

“This is going to be your death, y/n,” He roared, coming towards you again. Lightly, you took two steps back and swung the sword without really looking. It sliced through something, but with your eyes clenched shut, you weren’t able to see what. A splash of something warm was on your hands. You didn’t dare drop the sword but kept swinging it, though this time, it was only hitting air.

“You’re not going to ever hurt me again, and you are never going to meet our baby. I’ll tell it lies. Your name will never be known to him or her. Once they are old enough, I’ll tell them that their father was a hero who died protecting the realm, because that is the sort of father that they deserve. But if they are anything like you, I will hold it under the water until it dies, your blood with them.”

You finally opened your eyes but kept them up or forward, rather than look at where your father had been standing. You grasped the hilt even tighter, and slunk out of the room, closing the door behind you. Some of your sisters would be furious with you if they had known what you had done. The longer that he stayed hurt and hidden, the better for you.

You had a room with five of your sisters, but most of them were hunting for tomorrow’s breakfast, since they hadn’t been called to your father’s room for services. Keeping the sword in your hand, although it was dripping blood which would definitely be noticed on the wooden floors, you packed up a bundle of things into your bag, put on your warmest furs and prepared yourself mentally for what would be the biggest decision of your life.

The land on the other side of the wall was like everything that you had dreamed. A kind man on the Knight’s Watch had helped you through to the other side, but once again, you were on your own. You still had your father’s sword sheathed to your waist, but it stuck out uncomfortably, and you were always hitting your elbow against the hilt. Your stomach had grown into a pouch, only slightly showing beneath the rough-hewn dress that you were wearing. It was still cold over here, and you still required your furs, but there were signs of nature here that you didn’t see back home.

What was better is that the kind knight had given you some basic directions that would take you to a city called Winterfell. You weren’t sure where you were going to live there, but surely with your hunting and cooking skills, you may be able to find something. Working wasn’t going to be ideal while pregnant, but what other choice did you have?

You did manage to find employment as a maid for the Starks. Catelyn Stark immediately sympathized with you once she heard your story, but she didn’t lessen any of the work, making sure that you earned your small quarters and your dinner. You grew to find pride in your work, since you knew that as long as you were here, you were safe. “Robb!” You heard a voice from behind you as you were scrubbing the tables in the dining hall. You looked up for a brief moment to see Catelyn and her eldest son Robb were in the room, the latter dressed in his full battle attire. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m going to King’s Landing to protest Father’s arrest.” The young Lord of Winterfell said to his mother. He looked very determined to do so, and realizing that this was not your place, you started to pack up your things to leave the room temporarily.

“There is no need to leave, y/n.” Catelyn said, gently, bringing Robb’s attention to you. You stopped what you were doing, caught eyes with the Lord, and then slowly resumed your work, one hand on your stomach as the baby inside of you was causing you strain. “Who will take over as the Lord of Winterfell in your absence, then? Bran is bedridden and Rickon is just a boy-”

“What do you then suggest?” Robb asked.

“I will go in your stead and plead for his release.” Catelyn said, head held high. You tuned the rest out, knowing that it was none of your business, and as just a maid, you shouldn’t be listening to such things. Instead, you focused on the splashing of the water on the wooden table, and the scrubbing of troublesome wine and gravy stains. You were paying so much attention to that, you hardly noticed your name being called.

“Y/N, is that your name?” Robb was asking you. You looked upwards to notice both him and Catelyn looking at you. A flush went across your cheeks, since you weren’t used to being noticed here.

“Yes, Lord Stark,” You bowed your head.

“I’d like you to accompany me to my chambers. There’s a mess of cobwebs that needs cleaning.”

You looked over at Catelyn who nodded her head briskly. You looked back at Robb and nodded. Another maid came to relieve you of your dining room tasks and you followed the handsome man to his room. He closed the door as the both of you entered, making you blush all the more. This was the first time that you were alone in a room with someone who was not your father, and you were entirely unchaparoned!

He lead you to the spot where the cobwebs hung on the wall. You had to stand on a stool to get at them, but it was an easy enough tasks. The spiders had long ago departed, and had left only their wisps. “You’re not from Winterfell, are you?” Robb asked, sitting on his bed, taking off his boots.

“It is that obvious?” You asked, swiping a rag across the dusty area. Since Catelyn had been the one whom you told your story to, you did slightly assume that she kept it to herself. You had thought that she was a good woman to keep secrets, especially one as heavy as that one. “Do you want anything else cleaned, while I’m in here?”

“There’s some more cobwebs in the other corner.” You heard the sound of one heavy boot reaching the ground, and then another. He then stood up, as you could tell by the creaking of the bed. There were indeed more cobwebs in the room, and you stepped off of the stool, picked it up and started to walk into the other corner, but you bumped right into the lord himself. Your stomach brushed against his, and you knew that he felt how swollen it had become. Even now, apart from the monster who had raped you, you still felt a little shame.

Robb steadied you, hands on each of your arms. They were trembling, you noticed, and when you went to catch eyes with him, you saw that he was looking at your stomach. “You’re with child?” He questioned now.

Instead of answering verbally, you nodded, head back to looking downwards.

“The father?” He asked, acting very curious for a man of his standing.

“Why does that matter?” You muttered, not wanting to explain to him your situation. You had felt completely degraded when you had told Catelyn about it, you weren’t ready to tell another person.

“Because I need to know these things.” Robb countered. He put a finger under your chin and pushed it up so that you were forced to look at him. Even so, you couldn’t hide the emotion that was in your eyes, and he read some of that in them, his blue eyes looking dark in the dim light from the dying fire. “You were forced against your will,” He determined. All you could do to that was nod. “Y/N, is he dead?”

You shrugged. When he heard nothing coming from your lips, he insisted once more that you tell him. Although you didn’t want to, he was your Lord and he wasn’t to be disobeyed if you wanted to make your life here. “When I saw him last, I had left him for dead,” You admitted. You didn’t know if your father had actually died, or if he had survived it, but you were hoping for the former. Robb frowned at this, then let go of your chin. A strange cold came over the spot, and you hadn’t realized that he had made you feel so warm. “I’m leaving my past behind me, Lord Stark, as best as I can. I don’t intend on hurting anybody else, or disturbing a thing. I just want to work hard to make a life for me and this child, and look towards the future.”

His eyes looked you up and down, taking in your determined jawline, your hands which were growing calloused from all of the work that you were doing, and your stomach which was protruding through your simple dress. He nodded, and moved out of the way so that you could attend to the rest of the cobwebs. “You’ll be safe here, and will always have a home as long as a Stark rules Winterfell,” He told you. You could still feel his eyes on you as your back was turned to him, and addressed your cleaning. A tear came to your eye that you wiped away with the back of your hand because for the first time, you did truly feel safe.

Happily, you had become the most envied maid in Winterfell. That was because Robb Stark had taken a shine to you, and you were the only one who would attend to his room from now on. He usually stayed in there with you, replying to correspondence while you made his bed and swept the floor.

What had begun as just a maid and Lord relationship had turned into a friendship, and soon he started requesting your presence even when the room was clean. It was great for both parties, since he had someone non-biased that he could confide in, and you felt a strong sense of security being close to the Stark man. Robb, unknowing to you, had even started to feel like he was falling for you, but he couldn’t let his feelings show. You were due to give birth within the month, and you were considered to be a wildling. He knew there was no way that his mother would allow you two to be together.

On a dreary Tuesday, you were sitting by Robb Stark’s fire, finishing the embroidery on a baby blanket that you were customizing for your baby. A maid, whom you were meant to be supervising for she was new to the castle, was making the Lord’s best, while the man himself was having a meeting with the other important men of Winterfell and the surrounding areas. You pricked your finger on the needle, and stuck it into your mouth to suck the blood off, but another pain came from deep inside your stomach - a much sharper pain than the needle.

Everything started to happen at once. The door opening as Robb returned from his meeting with a look of anger, the maid seeing the look of pain and surprise on your face and rushing towards you, and the liquid gushing from between your legs as your water broke. The maid took hold of your hand as you came to the realization that your water had just broken.

“We must get her to the surgeon.” The maid said with wide eyes to the Lord.

“No, there’s no need to create a fuss,” You said, slowly getting to your feet and pressed your hands on your small back after the contraction had subsided. You had seen your sisters and nieces give birth enough to know what to expect, and what you should do. “I’ll return to my own room and attend to myself-”

“Nonsense!” The maid complained. You looked at her, blinking with disbelief. “I’ll stay with you, I’ve helped my sister give birth before, I know how to help - as long as Lord Stark has no problem with excusing me from my duties.”

As soon as his name was brought up, both you and the maid looked over at Robb, who looked absolutely bewildered. “Your father is here.” He said, making a sharp pain go through your stomach as you suddenly felt an immense amount of stress and fear. You had assumed that he had died, considering he had waited months to come and find you.

“We must get you to a bed, and call a midwife,” The maid insisted, taking hold of your hand. You squeezed it tightly, and gave no further complaint as you were lead to your room like a child. You were much too full of thoughts of your father rushing in and stealing the baby from you. That was worst case scenario. That was the worst possible thing that you could imagine happening.

Your room was quiet, and away from the hustle and bustle of the castle. You could feel a pain unlike any before as the baby started to crown, wanting to come out as soon as possible. Roughly only an hour or two had passed from the time your water broke to when you were laying in bed, your knees bent, and the young maid holding your hand and encouraging you to push. Someone must have sent for the midwife for she was there with you, between your legs, encouraging you also.

The pain nearly made you pass out. There were a couple of times when you swear you lost minutes, going in and out of consciousness. But the pain continued to pull you back to reality - and with a loud cry from both you and the maid, you gave the final push. There was a moment of pure silence, only the sound of the wind outside against the window could be heard.

And then the room was filled with the loud cry of the baby in the midwife’s arms.

The baby might have left your body - your son, you smiled as you looked upon his little face and cradled him close to yourself to keep him warm - but the stress did not. You knew that your father was still out there somewhere, and could come charging in at any moment. The maid dozed on the floor next to you, sitting with her head resting on the foot of your bed, and the midwife had departed after the cord had been cut. All was quiet and calm until a knock came at the door.

Your heart sank into your stomach. The maid by your feet looked up, her hair askew from her sleeping position, and started to head towards the door.

“No - please.” You pleaded with her, but she opened the door nonetheless. Instead of your worst fear, your father, Robb Stark stood there, sword in hand, dressed in his armor like he had been when you two had met in the dining hall.

“Your father is gone, he was turned away from the castle doors,” He told you, the sword falling with a clang onto the floor, laying forgotten as he took steps towards you. “You didn’t tell me that he was-” His eyes went to the baby that was in your arms, and then again at your face. “He talked about you and the baby with such pride, it was revolting.”

“Can you understand why it was better for me to come here with nothing, than to stay there?” You whispered, tucking the blanket around your son. The maid excused herself and left the room, closing the door so you and the Lord were left with privacy. “I couldn’t tell you, I thought you might have-”

“Exiled you?” He asked, coming closer. He stood by your head and looked down at the baby in your arms. Reaching down with a gloved hand, he lightly stroked the chubby cheek. “Never. But him - yes. If he sets foot inside of Winterfell, he will be executed for his crimes. I promise you, nothing is going to get you and the baby.”

“Why do we mean so much to you?” You asked, your eyes glazing over with tears. You looked up at his handsome visage, admiring the way that his blue eyes looked in the candlelight. “I am just a maid, and he is just a bastard.”

“I’ve fallen for you, my lady,” He kneeled down beside your bed to get a closer look at the two of you together. The tears left your eyes and streamed down your face, for it was the first time that you have ever been called a lady. It felt like a burden had been lifted off of your shoulders with just those words. “And I told you you will always have a safe place here.”

Despite your sweaty forehead, the ratty hair, the condition of your room and the fact that you probably didn’t smell too great at the moment - you leaned into Robb for the first kiss. He returned it, and the both of you got utterly lost in the moment until your son gave a great wail. His little hands beat against your chest, and his legs stretched out to kick at Robb. You pulled away, chuckled then shushed your baby, rocking him gently. “I shudder to think about what your mother will say.”

“Leave her to me. You’re worth the arguments.”

#Robb Stark #Robb Stark x reader #Robb Stark oneshot #Game of Thrones #Game of Thrones oneshot #GOT #GOT oneshots #RobbS #nonrequest #oneshot #oneshots

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etherealwaifgoddess · 4 years

Text

Maybe I Am? - Chpt.1

Characters: Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes

Summary: After meeting in a chatroom Steve and Bucky finally meet up in real life, however Bucky isn’t anything Steve was expecting. Master list HERE.

Content Warning: a very confused Steve, an adorably disappointed Bucky.

Word Count: 3.1k

Author’s Note: Hello lovelies! One of my favorite versions of Steve is the sweet confused Steve, and so I decided to have a little fun with him in this fic. Also, Steve Rogers is a Slytherin and I will fight ya’ll to the death on that one. If you don’t believe me read #10 in THIS article. There will be six chapters total, one posted every evening until we’re done. Hope you enjoy! XOXO - Ash

Chapter One

Bucky stared at Alpine, desperate for more companionship than the fluffy white cat could provide. He’d been stuck inside for the past four days while he got over the damned late winter cold he’d caught. Bucky hadn’t been sick in almost two years so he couldn’t really complain, but he was social by nature and Alpine could only do so much for her end of the conversation. He finally drug himself out of bed, carrying his fluffy duvet to the sofa with him so he could throw on a rerun of The Good Place and fire up his laptop. Bucky logged into the chat site he used to frequent that hosted discussions on all different fandoms from movies to television shows to music. He used to love hanging out online in some of the Harry Potter chats, especially HuffleHaven which he was pleased to see was still active. Bored and not really feeling up to fangirling at a level appropriate for a proud Hufflepuff, he hopped into a punk rock appreciation chat to hopefully find a way out of his bored funk.

WinterBae: so ur a Greenday fan?

AmericanIdiot: What was your first clue?

WinterBae: well i heard the sounds of hysteria

AmericanIdiot: LOL nice. Is that your cat in the profile pic?

WinterBae: yuppp, that’s my girl Alpine

AmericanIdiot: She looks sweet. So, what fandom are you here for?

Bucky flicked over to view AmericanIdiot’s profile and was instantly smitten with the blonde who claimed punk rock was life and he could live on tacos alone if given the chance. He wondered briefly if the pic was real, it wasn’t unheard of for people to use model’s photos instead of their own, and the guy in AmericanIdiot’s picture was definitely model worthy. Tall, buff, and gorgeous; Bucky was definitely interested in more than conversation. Well, nothing to make himself feel better than a little harmless flirting.

xxXxx

Three months later.

AmericanIdiot: I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.

WinterBae: oh come on! it’s not that bad, just let the hat sort you and i’ll let you retreat to your boring punk rock group.

AmericanIdiot: You so owe me for this one.

WinterBae: puhleeeease please please please

AmericanIdiot: FINE. But you still owe me.

WinterBae: whatever you want. Promise :D

[Private Chat Initiated]

AmericanIdiot: Well shit.

WinterBae: was i right??

AmericanIdiot: I hate you.

WinterBae: nope, u luv me. and i told u so ;)

AmericanIdiot: How in the ever loving fuck am I a Slytherin?? I literally help my neighbor with her grocery bags every week! I feel like a puppy kicker now.

WinterBae: the hat sees inside ur soul puppy kicker mwahaha

AmericanIdiot: You totally owe me.

WinterBae: fine. coffee? sunday morning maybe? r u near red hook?

AmericanIdiot: I’m over in Park Slope. So not too far. Wait, are you serious? You really want to meet up?

WinterBae: let’s meet @ magnolia cafe 10am on sunday

AmericanIdiot: But how will I know it’s you?

WinterBae: i’ll wear a red rose tucked in my hair. cuz i’m classy like that lol

AmericanIdiot: Haha. Nice. I can’t wait.

WinterBae: me too :)

Steve closed the lid of his laptop, unable to believe his luck. He was finally going to meet WinterBae in real life after months of witty banter and playful flirting. He pulled on his sneakers, ready to go run out all the nervous energy thrumming inside him, and he hoped he wasn’t getting his hopes too high. Sam had already pointed out several times that he didn’t know a whole lot about WinterBae, not even what she really looked like. Steve maintained he wasn’t shallow and he knew enough about her to know that she was everything he’d hoped to find in a woman. She was bright and funny, kept him on his toes for sure, and had a biting wit that left him laughing harder than he had in years. Steve had been so lonely since Peggy up and left him, moving back to England after eight months of living together. He was finally ready to move on and he hoped WinterBae would be the one to do that with.

Across the bustling streets of Brooklyn, in his little apartment in Red Hook, Bucky was rapid fire texting Nat about his date. She cheered him on good naturedly, happy he was actually putting himself back out there after the disaster that was Brock Rumlow. Bucky was proud that he’d been so smooth in asking AmericanIdiot to meet up, or at least smooth by his own nerdy standards. He reminded himself several times that even if the profile pic wasn’t really AmericanIdiot, he would most likely still be interested. How could he not be after spending the past three months talking to the guy every day? They talked about everything together and Bucky felt like he knew AmericanIdiot better than some of his real life friends. Two more days and he would have a name and a face to put with the amazing, brilliant, artistic guy he was completely head over heels for. Now he just had to figure out where to buy a red rose.

xxXxx

Bucky sat at a small cafe table inside Magnolia Cafe, trying not to fidget with the rose tucked behind his ear. He felt a little silly for wearing it, but also kind of like he was in a romance novel waiting to meet his knight in shining armor. He had worn his very best skinny jeans and a black button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, leaving his assortment of bracelets on display. He wasn’t getting his hopes up, but damned if he wasn’t going to look his best just in case. Nat had insisted on going along, wanting to make sure Bucky’s online friend wasn’t some kind of creeper. The fierce redhead sat a few tables away, poised and ready to strike should the guy make any untoward moves. Bucky loved how protective Nat was, though honestly she was a bit terrifying at times. So he waited, scrolling through Buzzfeed News, hoping that maybe this once luck would be on his side.

Steve was so nervous he was sweating a little by the time he got to the cafe. He wiped his palms on the side of his tee shirt, wondering belatedly if he should have put in a little more effort. All he had was work clothes anymore, even the navy tee he had on was emblazoned with their star logo and the name of their gym underneath. Paired with the only jeans he owned and a lightweight leather jacket, he hoped he would make a good first impression. WinterBae had mentioned being into fashion but Steve had never had an eye for that sort of thing. Nerves rising, Steve hoped he would be able to find WinterBae easily. He knew only that she would have a red rose tucked in her hair, and from a brief mention a few weeks ago about haircuts, he knew to expect shoulder length wavy brown hair. But that was it. Steve reminded himself that he needed to go into this with open eyes, if nothing else he would walk away with a new friend. Someone other than Sam to hang out with, somewhere other than the gym they co-owned. Deep down though, he still hoped for more.

The cafe was dimly lit inside and it took Steve a minute to let his eyes adjust. He scanned the room quickly, taking note of all the women sitting at various tables. Most were with other people, leaving only four on their own, but try as he might he couldn’t spot red roses on any of them. He felt a pang of disappointment but prayed he was just early and not being stood up. He was about to go order himself an Americano to sip while he waited when he heard a rough, masculine voice call out “AmericanIdiot?” in a tone tinged with awe.

Steve turned in the direction of the voice to see a man about his age with a red rose tucked into his shoulder length wavy brown hair. His mouth moved while his brain reeled, “WinterBae?”

“Yeah! Hey!” Bucky felt like he was vibrating out of his skin; he was so thrilled. The blonde god standing in front of him really was the man from the picture, and he looked even better in real life, if that was possible. Brilliant, sweet, and hot. Bucky had hit the jackpot.

Steve let himself be pulled into a warm hug, the man was a few inches shorter than his own 6’2” and fit nicely against his chest. The man. WinterBae was a man. Steve replayed all of their conversations in his head and kept coming up with the same assumption. Steve had never once in a million years thought he was a man. He supposed in retrospect that having a female best friend, a love of clothes, and a cat he called a “fur baby” was not necessarily concrete signs of being a woman, but damned if Steve had even thought twice about WinterBae’s gender. He forced himself to return the hug, happy to meet a new friend, even though his heart was crushed under the disappointment that nothing more would be coming of this meeting.

“I’m so glad you made it.” Bucky told him as they pulled apart.

“Of course. Gotta get my cup of coffee for being tortured by a magical hat.”

Bucky laughed, a rich rumbling sound, “Yeah, a Slytherin would never pass up the opportunity to benefit off the kindness of others.”

“Well at least your poor little Huffle-brain won’t realize what’s going on.”

“Ouch, punk. Those are some strong words from someone who watched Sorcerer's Stone for the first time less than a month ago.”

“It’s your fault I did too, jerk. Uh, you can call me Steve by the way.”

“Steve, nice. It suits you. I’m Bucky. Well, James, but everyone calls me Bucky.”

“Now that’s a story I have to hear.” Steve said with a laugh and let Bucky lead him over to the line for his drink.

They ended up spending two and a half hours talking at their little table at the cafe. Coffee turned into a muffin to split, which turned into a panini and iced teas for both of them. Steve couldn’t remember the last time conversation flowed so easily with someone. Talking to Bucky felt like they had been best friends for years opposed to only knowing each other a few months. They topic hopped relentlessly, never losing each other along the way. Steve found himself laughing so hard his ribs hurt when Bucky spoke about one of his teenage misadventures with his sister Becca.

Bucky was very clearly flirting by the time they finished their lunch; shooting Steve sweet little smiles every so often and pushing his hair back behind his ear coyly. Steve knew he should put the breaks on the flirting, he didn’t want to lead Bucky on, but it was so much easier to just smile along with him. In his thirty years of life, Steve had never once questioned his sexuality. Men had never held any attraction for him, but something about the way Bucky chewed on his bottom lip, the tiny tip of his pink tongue peeking out, had part of Steve wanting to taste that lip himself.

With a cough, Steve shook his head, trying to clear his unexpected wayward thoughts. “I’m sorry, I missed that.” he prompted.

Bucky titled his head slightly with a lopsided smile, “It’s okay. I was just saying that my sister was the one who gave me the courage to come out to my parents. She came out first and seeing how my parents reacted made it a lot easier for me to. She was only 15 at the time, but she always has been a hell of a lot braver than I am.”

“I doubt that. But that’s great you guys are so close.”

“Yeah, she’s been my best friend since the day she was born. Well, other than Nat, but don’t tell her that.” Bucky chuckled thinking back on the loving bickering Becca and Nat used to do when they were younger. “So how did you come out to your parents?”

Steve wanted to die on the spot. A bright blush tinged his cheeks, staining his pale skin all the way down his neck. “I, uh. Well. I’m not. Um. I didn’t, actually. Because I’m not, um, gay.” Please god, let the ground open up and swallow me whole, he prayed silently, unable to meet Bucky’s eyes.

The smile Bucky had worn, waiting for what he thought must have been one hell of a story based on Steve's blush, completely vanished. Along with all his foolish daydreams of dating someone as amazing as Steve. “Oh. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed.” he finally choked out semi-normal sounding.

“No, it’s my fault.” Steve hastily protested, “We talked so much online and I didn’t realize you were a man.” The wide eyed shock on Bucky’s face made Steve realize he hadn’t made things any better.

“Wait, what? You thought I was a woman?” Bucky asked incredulously.

“Well, yeah. Nothing about your profile or our conversations were very clear and I guess I just somehow jumped to the conclusion that you were. I’m sorry, Bucky.”

Disappointed but not wanting to miss out on a great friendship Bucky forced himself to smile reassuringly at Steve. “It’s okay. No harm done. So you're straight then?”

“I think so.”

That did not help things. “That’s kinda something you know.”

“Yeah, I thought so too. I like talking to you though. A lot.” Bucky was looking at him like he had three heads and Steve just wanted to crawl home and die of embarrassment.

“Okay. I like talking to you a lot too. We can just be friends though, Steve. I’m not going to get my feelings hurt just because you bat for the other team.”

“Thanks. I really am sorry. If I were to ever switch teams you’d be the first guy I call. You’re incredible.”

“Aww come on. You don’t gotta say that. It’s all good, really. Now tell me more about this gym you run.”

Steve sighed, thankful to change topics, “Well, my best friend Sam and I opened it when he retired from the Air Force six years ago.” Steve launched into the story of how he met Sam through the VA where they had both volunteered as teenagers and then years later, they teamed up to start Shield Gym which was now one of the most popular gyms in the city.

The conversation lulled a little after that and Bucky politely refrained from any more flirting. Steve found himself missing the cute little gestures. He couldn’t figure out what the hell was wrong with him but he knew he needed to figure it out sooner rather than later. They parted as friends, swapping cell phone numbers so they could text instead of the message boards and private chats online. Steve initiated the goodbye hug, wanting to test the feeling of the smaller man in his arms once more. It was just as nice as the first time and only added to Steve’s confusion.

Nat caught up with Bucky barely a block from the cafe, pulling him for a tight hug when she saw his morose expression. “Do I need to kill him?” she asked seriously.

“He's straight.” Bucky told her, “Well, he said he thinks he’s straight. Whatever the hell that means.”

Nat quirked a brow at that, not commenting though.

“Either way, back to spending all my nights with you and Alpine. And Becca, when the brat has time to fly out.”

“Maybe don’t write him off just yet.” Nat said carefully, “I saw you two together, it was sweet.”

Bucky sighed, “I can’t do it, Nat. Just let the poor straight boy be slightly confused on his own before he settles down with some perfect human barbie doll he meets at his gym.”

Nat pursed her lips in disapproval but remained silent. She wrapped an arm around Bucky’s waist and followed him home so they could share a pint of gelato and watch a trashy rom-com until Bukcy felt better.

“Shit, Sam.” Steve whined at his best friend back in their gym in Park Slope. He’d gone straight from the cafe to the gym, knowing Sam was working the midday shift. “How did this happen?”

“You made an honest mistake, it happens.” Sam tried to be kind with his words, “But, and I’m not saying I told you so, you didn’t really know as much about this guy as you thought you did.”

“That might have been the politest ‘I told you so’ ever.”

“I am sorry that it didn’t work out though. I know you thought you really falling for this WinterBae.”

“His name is Bucky. And, I don’t know Sam, he’s just as incredible in person. More so, even. I don’t know what to do. I’m not gay. But…. maybe I am?”

Sam set down the bottle of spray disinfectant and the rag he was wiping down the machines with. “Steve, I know you had your hopes up for this guy. But he’s a guy. And being straight, or not straight, is typically something you figure out before your thirties.”

“I know. I know.” Steve groaned, raking his hands through his hair.

“At least you made a new friend, right?” Sam tried hopefully.

Steve shook his head, “Yeah, but it doesn’t feel like enough. I don’t know what to do, Sam.”

“You gotta figure that one out on your own, man. But whatever you do, don’t drag that poor boy through whatever premature mid life crisis you got going on. It wouldn’t be fair to him to get his hopes up.”

“I know that.” Steve fought to keep the glare he wanted to give Sam off his face, “I would never hurt him. I just… I need to think about it, I guess.”

Sam clapped Steve on the shoulder supportively before resuming his cleaning, “You do that. And if you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

Steve thanked him and then headed out. He had a lot of thinking to do.

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #stucky #steve rogers x bucky barnes #idiots in love #confused steve rogers #gay bucky barnes #meet ugly #stucky fanfic #stucky fanfiction

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