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criminalmindzjunkie · 4 years

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The Reward of Suffering

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Summary: A retelling of the events of season 12 episode 13.

Gif credit to the wonderful and talented @imagining-in-the-margins

A/N: After several months of contemplation, I have finally decided to post part one of my first ever fic on Tumblr! This fic will follow the event of Spencer’s prison arc, so needless to say there will be SPOILERS. This first part is super long, but I felt that it needed to be in order to set up the plot. I hope you all enjoy reading! If you would like to be tagged on future updates, let me know!

Pairing: Spencer Reid/Fem! Reader

Warnings: no smut (yet), mentions of past frug use, cursing, typical CM case talk

Word count: 12.1k

“Reid is in jail.”

I felt the color immediately drain from my face and an intense feeling of dread began to wash through my body. I sat up in my chair, back ramrod straight. I briefly looked towards the faces of my teammates, Luke and JJ to my left and Penelope to my right. Their faces were all contorted, displaying varying degrees of shock and confusion. It was hard for any of us to process what we were hearing. The idea of Spencer Reid, the same Spencer who wore a mask to the office on Halloween and put on elaborate magic shows for everyone’s children, doing anything that would warrant being put behind bars was preposterous.

Surely, this is all just a big misunderstanding.

“Jail?” Penelope squeaked out. My eyes flitted to her, taking note of the way her eyebrows were drawn together in disbelief. She was thinking the same thing I’m sure we all were; that there was no way Spencer Reid had engaged in any illegal activity. Spencer was a well-educated, highly regarded FBI agent, for Christ sake. He knew the laws of the land better than any of us.

“In Mexico.”

My attention focused solely on Emily. In the few weeks since I had come to know her, I had begun to look at her not only as a sort of fearless leader, but also as a kind of fiercely loyal friend that I was incredibly lucky to have. Emily somehow managed to find the perfect balance between being accommodating and stern. She was the kind of boss you could have a drink and cut up with after a long day, but she also carried herself in a way that demanded the utmost respect in the workplace. Emily Prentiss’s bravery was unmatched, and I admired her for that.

It shook me to my core when her eyes met mine and I saw the pure, unbridled fear in them. If Emily was scared, then this must be leagues worse than we could have ever imagined.

“What the hell is he doing down there?” JJ asked, crossing her arms and shuffling from one foot to the other.

“I don’t know. I didn’t talk to him. The call came in to Cruz from their lead investigator.”

Luke was the next to chime in. “What’s he being held for?”

“Drug possession,” Rossi said, before taking on, “with intent to distribute.”

For the second time that day, it felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. Images of Spencer sitting across from me in a dimly lit coffee shop, tripping over his words as he confided in me, spilling his deepest and darkest secrets in a voice barely above a whisper. His voice had grown stronger as he neared the end of his story and he had dug deep in his satchel, producing a small golden coin. We both had tears in our eyes as we looked at the writing engraved into the coin; unity, service recovery. Spencer Reid was ten years sober, and the pride on his face was as clear as day.

There was no way he would throw all of that away.

“What type of drugs?”

“Cocaine and heroin,” Rossi said, his voice shaky.

Rossi and Spencer had always had a good relationship. Spencer had admired his work long before he met him, having read and reread every book he had ever published. It had delighted Spencer that he and Rossi had managed to develop rapport so quickly. Rossi was the only one talented enough at the game of chess to even think of giving Spencer a run for his money, though many of us had tried. In one of many hushed conversations shared on the jet, he had once told me that he had begun to think of Rossi as somewhat of a father figure; he didn’t quite fill the role in the same way Gideon had, but Spencer was thankful just the same. One look at Rossi’s troubled expression was enough to tell me that the feelings were definitely mutual.

“Oh my God. This can’t be happening.” JJ was positively crestfallen, clutching a hand against her own chest in an attempt to ground herself. Her other hand came up to her face as she absentmindedly pushed her hair away.

“We need Lewis and Walker here, ASAP,” Emily directed her order and Penelope, who was quick to comply.

Everyone sprang into action, but I found myself unable to move, weighed down by the deeply unsettling circumstance. It felt as if I was no longer in my own body, like I was watching everything unfold from an outsider’s perspective. Maybe I am, I thought. Maybe this is all just some horrible nightmare. Any second now, my alarm will go off and this will all be over.

I waited and waited for my alarm to sound, but that never happened. Instead, Emily crouched down in front of me, grasping my arm firmly in her right hand.

“I know how devastated you must be. Trust me, I do,” she sympathized, her deep brown eyes boring into my own. “But Reid’s going to need you now more than ever. You’re his best friend and you know him better than anyone. Did he ever mention to you that he was going to Mexico?”

I shook my head numbly, my motions feeling alien and stilted.

“Never. He told me the same thing he told you; that he was going to Houston for a few days to meet with his mother’s doctor,” I whispered. I feared that if I raised my voice any higher, tears would begin to fall. Maintaining my composure was becoming harder with every passing second, and I wasn’t exactly privy to breaking down in front of my boss. “I guess I don’t know him as well as I thought.”

Emily sighed, letting go of my arm before straightening up.

“Apparently, none of us did. But I know damn well that this has to be a mistake. We’ll get him out of this.”

The apprehension in her voice told me that even she wasn’t sure we could pull this one off.

“This has got to be Scratch,” Tara stated, her voice wafting through the speakers of Luke’s laptop. Emily, Rossi, Luke and I were currently in the jet, on our way to the jail where Spencer was being held. All of us were huddled close together around the computer, listening on with eager ears. “He was laying low, and now we know why.”

“Crossing the border as a fugitive is a huge risk,” Luke pointed out.

“The reward is even greater. He’s been punishing the team, and now his target is Reid.” Emily’s voice was full of frustration and contempt.

“Peter Lewis dropped off the map after attacking Tara’s family,” Stephen chimed in. Not even his deep baritone voice could do anything to calm my frazzled nerves. “Maybe he’s been hiding in Mexico this whole time.”

“We also have to consider that it isn’t related to him,” I murmured. Several pairs of eyes locked on me, shocked. I had been uncharacteristically quiet since this whole ordeal began, limiting my responses to one word replies and hums of acknowledgement. On a normal day, I’d be throwing in my two cents any time I saw fit. Today, I was struggling just to keep breathing.

“Who else would it be?” Rossi asked.

“Drug cartels. Could’ve threatened Reid and used him as a mule.” Saying his name was painful, because it reminded me that we weren’t just talking about a victim with whom we had no personal ties; we were talking about our colleague and beloved friend.

“Agreed,” Rossi nodded. “This could simply be a case of bad luck. Reid was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Spencer’s mom is okay.” JJ’s announcement was like music to my ears. I let out an audible sigh of relief. “The home nurse he hired said all is stable.”

“How long did he tell the nurse he’d be gone?”

“Three days.”

“That sounds reasonable. After the Palm Springs case, Reid said he had to get back to Houston to talk to his mom’s doctor,” Emily interjected. I nodded along in agreement. He’d told me the same thing when I talked to him the night before last.

The fatigue in his voice had alerted me to the fact that things hadn’t been going so well with his mother. Her condition had been rapidly deteriorating in the recent months, prompting Spencer to make the tough decision to remove her from the assisted living facility she was at and into his own apartment. His main argument had been that no one could possibly take better care of his mother that him; that he was familiar with her condition and how best to respond when she had an episode. When I had asked him how he was handling it all, he was quick to reassure me that it was not anything he couldn’t handle.

Spencer’s loyalty ran deep; so deep that I knew he would do anything in his power to take care of Diana, but I’d never imagined that it would land him in fucking jail.

“Well, Houston is only a five-hour drive from the border,” Tara mused. “The question is, why did he go down there?”

“And why does he have narcotics?” Rossi was the first to speak on what was at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

“Yeah, exactly. He wouldn’t… He wouldn’t do that. Those drugs were planted on him,” Penelope insisted.

“Absolutely, but there’s something bigger in play. That’s why he crossed the border and kept it a secret. There’s something he didn’t want to share with any of you.”

I cringed at Stephen’s choice of wording. Spencer and I were as close as two people could be, and there was nothing I withheld from him. He knew everything about me, every dark and embarrassing thought that had ever crossed my mind; yet, he accepted me just the same. I had always assumed that it went both ways, that he was just as honest and forthcoming with me as I was with him. It hurt to know that there were things he kept from me, secrets that he felt he couldn’t trust me with.

But most of all, it absolutely gutted me to think that he was dealing with something so horrible that it landed him in jail, and he that he had to do it all alone.

“Okay, so what would make him risk everything?” Emily pondered aloud.

“His mom.” My answer was instantaneous.

A ping sounded from the other end of the video call, and we all leaning in, our interest piqued.

“Cruz just sent me the arresting report,” Penelope announced, clicking away at her computer before continuing. “It says here that Reid was involved in a high-speed chase.”

“What?” I choked out, my voice coming out several pitches higher than usual. “Spencer hardly ever drives.” I could feel my stomach begin to churn, bile threatening to force its way up my esophagus. This isn’t right, I wanted to scream. Our Spencer would never get himself involved in something that would put himself or others at risk.

“None of this sounds like him,” Penelope whispered, her thoughts mimicking my own. “It says he was wearing jeans and a baseball cap and that he was really confused. According to the arresting officer, he was really high on something.”

Unity, service, respect; ten years sober. All down the fucking drain.

I shot up from my seat, bolting down the walkway and into the bathroom. I immediately fell to my knees, barely managing to push my hair out of the way before retching into the toilet bowl. I continued like this for several minutes, only pausing momentarily when I felt large, soothing hands running up and down my back. Soft murmurings of reassurance alerted me to the fact that it was Luke who was sitting with me. I let out a strained ‘thank you’ before another wave of nausea hit me, rendering me speechless. Luke held my hair back, never once leaving my side.

When I had thrown up the entirety of my breakfast and all I could do was dry heave, I slumped back against the wall, relishing in how cool it felt against my flushed skin. A stretch of silence passed before he decided to break it.

“That was an extreme reaction,” Luke pointed out, still sitting in the floor with his legs crisscrossed. I noticed how closely he was watching me, his eyes focused on reading my expressions. He was profiling me, that much was obvious. It was an unspoken rule between us all that we would never profile one another, but any fight I had left in me had long since dissipated.

“He worked so hard to get clean, Luke. I wasn’t around when it happened, but he told me about it. He was so proud of himself,” I whispered. My throat was now raw and my voice came out more than a little bit hoarse.

Luke’s eyebrows came together, confusion clear on his face.

“Get clean? What are you talking about?”

I let out a shuddery breath. It felt wrong to divulge information on Spencer’s personal life; like I was betraying his trust. Given the circumstance, I supposed he wouldn’t mind, but it still felt treacherous and left a bad taste in my mouth. Sorry, Spence.

“Ten years ago, Reid was kidnapped by an unsub with DID. He kept him in a remote cabin for several days, alternating between beating him senseless and shooting him full of so much hydromorphone that he couldn’t remember his own name. At one point, he even,” I trailed off, hot tears spilling out of my eyes and running down my cheeks. Luke took my hand in his in an act of reassurance, his way of telling me not to rush. Luke hadn’t been with us for long, and our interactions thus far hadn’t gone much farther than conversations about work. Seeing the way he was offering himself up to me as a confidant and shoulder to cry on made me feel guilty for ever having written him off.

Thank God for Luke Alvez.

After a long pause, I managed to continue. “Spencer ended up having a seizure and he died for several minutes. The unsub’s more benevolent personality, Tobias, was able to resuscitate him. Eventually Spencer was able to take him down, but the trauma mixed with the exposure to such a highly addictive drug led to him developing a dependence on it.”

Luke swore and ran a hand through his hair.

“I never would’ve guessed it. The kid carries himself so well.”

A small, fond smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

“He’s amazing, really. He detoxed all by himself and started going to NA meetings. This past October marked ten years. We celebrated by going to one of those really fancy museums he likes and he insisted on taking the guided tour so that he could see how many errors the guide would make,” I let out a light laugh at the memory. “Every time they’d get something wrong, he’d lean down whisper the correct information so that only I could hear it. I don’t think I’d ever seen him that happy,” I reminisced, allowing myself to forget about the current situation for the tiniest of moments. I wondered if I’d ever get to experience a day like that with Spencer ever again.

“You two are close, I take it?”

I nodded. Luke had fit in with the group so seamlessly that I had forgotten that he had only been with us for a short time. He didn’t really know the dynamics of everything yet.

“He’s my best friend.”

Luke hummed, and I could feel his eyes looking at me inquisitively.

“And that boyfriend of yours, he doesn’t mind?” Okay, maybe Luke was a little bit more perceptive than he let on.

Gavin and I had begun dating at the end of my first year with the BAU. He and I had meet in the most cliché of ways; bumping into each other in the cereal aisle at the grocery store. Gavin was more than a little bit handsome, but what had reeled me in had been the way he taken one look at the box of cereal in my cart and immediately scrunched his nose up in disgust.

“Plain Cheerios? Are you some sort of masochist, or something?” he had asked, a playful lilt to his voice. Normally, if a strange man had approached me in public, I would’ve been quick to express my disinterest. If my job had taught me anything, it was that a woman being approached by a strange man was a recipe for trouble. But something about him seemed wholly unthreatening, and I couldn’t help but laugh at his forwardness, raising an eyebrow at him.

“As if your choice is any better. Lucky Charms? What are you, six?”

“Don’t even go there. Lucky Charms are magically delicious, thank you very much,” he sniffed, feigning superiority. “And if we’re touching on the subject of age, the only person I know that eats plain Cheerios is my eighty-six-year-old grandmother. You look a bit young to be worrying about heart health, and I refuse to believe that you actually enjoy the taste, so what gives?”

“First of all, I find it concerning that you are so familiar with cereal slogans,” I breezed, leaning against my shopping cart. “Second, I am curious; do you make it a habit to harass people about their cereal preferences?”

“Only if they’re cute.”

And that had been that. Several dates later he had asked me to be his girlfriend over a dinner he had attempted to make himself. I said yes and he kissed me, nearly knocking over his plate of burnt chicken parmesan in the process.

“We, uh, have an understanding. He knows that Spencer and I are just good friends.”

Gavin and I did have an understanding, but it wasn’t a very solid one. In fact, I was sure that he damn near despised Spencer’s very existence. He had done a good job at hiding it for a while, but after coming home one night from an impromptu movie night with Spencer, he had revealed to me that he had a jealous streak a mile long. I reassured him that there was absolutely nothing that he needed to worry about, but I could tell he didn’t believe a word of it. Gavin had out flat demanded that I cut all ties with Spencer, and I had laughed in his face.

“I’m not the kind of girl that likes to be told what to do. Either you learn to live with him being a part of my life, or you can find someone else to boss around, because I can tell you right now, that won’t fly with me.”

My threat had proven to be effective, and he had apologized, and that had been the end of that. He still wasn’t fond of the idea that Spencer and I were such close friends, but he hadn’t tried to proposition me with any more ridiculous ultimatums.

“That’s good to hear,” Luke hummed, squeezing my hand before rising to his feet. I could tell that he didn’t necessarily buy into what I was saying, but I was thankful that he didn’t press it any further. “What do you say we go back out there. We’ve got to be getting close by now.”

I nodded and he helped me to my feet. I bent down to the faucet, swishing some water in my mouth before spitting it out.

When Luke and I returned to our seats, I was immediately aware of the way Rossi and Emily were eyeing me; like I was a delicate thing that needed to be handled with kid gloves.

I absolutely hated it.

“Sorry about that. It won’t happen again,” I said, before turning my attention back to the video call and saying, “so, what did we miss?”

The police station was surprisingly small. The hallways were narrow and the light bulbs above me gave off an almost green tint, casting an eerie glow on the place. The sounds of disgruntled detainees calling out drifted through the hallways, sounding akin to the moaning of a ghost. My eyes darted around constantly as we walked, the uneasy feeling in my stomach growing with every step we took towards the heart of the precinct.

“Thank you for calling us.” Emily’s words were directed at the police officer, Chief Castenada, who was leading us down the hall. He was a short man with graying hair and a seemingly permanent frown etched into his face. It didn’t take a genius to deduce that he wasn’t happy that four federal agents were in his jail.

“A U.S. fed in our custody isn’t something we see every day,” the man said, his tone entirely unfriendly. I grimaced.

“Have you gotten any of his tox screen panels back yet?” I prodded, quickening the pace of my strides until I was walking alongside him. He looked down at me like I was a pesky gnat that he wanted to bat away.

“No.”

Color me unsurprised.

“You’ll need to expedite that. We have cause to believe that Doctor Reid was drugged.”

“He was definitely high and driving like a bat out of Hell. Not to mention he had $20,000 worth of heroin in his possession,” he sneered, ceasing to walk and staring down at me with distaste. “Both of which put my officers at risk. You’re in our jurisdiction. Don’t forget that. The rules are different here.”

I opened my mouth, ready to fire back with some smart-assery of my own, but a hand at my elbow stopped me. I turned and saw that it was Luke, who nodded his head to the left of us. I looked in the direction he was referring to, and I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces.

Just up ahead was a holding cell with several poorly constructed benches in the center of it. On the very first row of seats sat Spencer, who had seemingly retreated in to himself. He was hunched over, his arms wrapped pitifully around himself, much like you’d imagine a child might do to keep warm. Spencer’s clothes were tattered and dirty and a bandage adorned his right hand. His usually beautiful chestnut curls were flying around his head in a mess of tangles and dirt. Despite the fact that Spencer towered over most of us, I couldn’t help but notice how incredibly small he looked.

Even as awful as he looked in his current state, a direct contradiction of the way he usually presented himself, I’d never been happier to lay my eyes on someone in my life.

My feet carried me forward before my brain had time to catch up. I closed the distance between me and the cell, pausing and taking a good, long look at him before allowing myself to speak. He hadn’t noticed me standing there yet. His gaze was instead trained on something at the other end of the room, his eyes red rimmed and glassy and his face completely slack.

“Spence?” I called out, the nickname falling from my lips like a prayer. In a way I suppose it was; a prayer that he was alright, that the horrible things Penelope had told us about were nothing but a horrible lie. At first, I was worried that he hadn’t heard me or that he was too out of his mind to even register the sound of my voice. Just when I opened my mouth to speak again, he turned his head in way that I would have described as comically slow if the situation hadn’t been so serious. The spacey look in his eyes told me that my prayers wouldn’t be answered.

Spencer’s eyes locked with mine, but his face remained completely blank, devoid of all expression. I stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, until it hit me like a ton of bricks; he had no clue who I was.

I wanted to be mad. I wanted to scream at him, to ask him how could he forget me, of all people. My anger was irrational and unfair, but I couldn’t help it. While I understood that it was no fault of his own, that the drugs coursing through his veins were to blame, it didn’t make it hurt any less.

I swallowed down the emotions that threatened to spill out, pushing them down into the depths of my being. I couldn’t let my emotional attachment hinder my judgment. I needed to be as vigilant as ever, no, more vigilant. The fate of my favorite person in the whole world depended on it.

“It’s me, Y/N,” I explained, keeping my voice as steady as I could manage. “It’s good to see you, Spencer. You’re a sight for sore eyes.”

He watched me for a moment before standing and making his way to where I was leaning against the bars.

“Y/N,” Spencer murmured when he reached me, as if testing my name out to see how it rolled off of his tongue. His stare was still vacant, but having him in front of me after worrying about his wellbeing for the last five hours was more than enough for now. I’d take him however I could have him. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course, we came,” I murmured, my eyes raking over every inch of his body for any signs of distress. Other than the bandage on his hand, he seemed to be in one piece.

Rossi was quick to join me, coming to a stop at my left.

“We’re going to get you out of here, kid,” he reassured, his tone more serious than I’d ever heard it.

“We need to work out some details with the locals, okay?” Emily said, waiting for a response but getting none.

“Who was your contact down here?” Luke asked.

Spencer was quicker to respond this time.

“Rosa,” he mumbled as he grabbed his shirt sleeve and pulled it up. On his inner arm, the name Rosa Medina was written in what was undoubtably his own handwriting. Spencer was notorious around the office for having the worst handwriting. I like to blame it on the fact that he was a doctor, which always elicited a laugh from him. “I think she’s a doctor.”

Luke pulled his phone out from his pocket, snapping a picture of the name.

“Where did you meet her?”

Spencer shook his head and a frown pulled down at the corner of his lips.

“I… I don’t remember.”

“If you saw her, would you remember her?”

Spencer nodded in affirmation.

“You’re missing time, aren’t you?” I asked, causing him to look at me once more. His brows furrowed together and he was nodding again, slightly surer of himself this time.

“It’s peeking out. It’s coming in flashes.”

“And you’ve been drugged?”

I didn’t know it was possible for his face to fall any more, but the look of shame that manifested itself when he registered my words was absolutely heartbreaking.

“Yeah, but I didn’t take it myself,” he insisted, a spark of life burning bright in the depths of his eyes. Somewhere in there, under the haze of narcotics, was the same Spencer that had fought tooth and nail for his sobriety all those years ago. My heart broke for him.

“Of course, you didn’t, Spence. We know that,” I said, almost reaching out to touch him before thinking better of it. “We’re thinking it might be Scratch.”

Just like before, when I had first spoken to him, absolutely no sign of recognition showed itself on his face.

“Scratch,” he muttered detachedly, much the same as before.

Luke’s phone rang then and he excused himself for a moment before stepping away. I looked to Rossi and Emily, who seemed to also be at a loss for words. The silence that filled the room was excruciating, and I once again started to feel like the walls were closing in on me. I wanted nothing more than to scream, to cry out in frustration. The whole situation was unfair in a way that I didn’t think was possible. I was a big believer in karma; put good in and get good out, or something like that. But now, standing outside of a holding cell that looked more like a dungeon than anything, I was ready to throw away that belief entirely.

Of all the people that I know, Spencer was the least deserving of something like this.

Just when I began to consider ducking outside for a breath of fresh air, Luke returned.

“Hey, the team sent this. Is this the doctor you met?” he asked, pointing to a picture of a woman he had pulled up on his phone. The woman was of Mexican descent, with short, choppy gray hair. She appeared to be middle aged, from what I could guess.

Spencer stared at the picture before nodding.

“Her alias is Rosa Medina and her real name is Nadi Ramos. Garcia tracked her to a motel just outside of town. Does that sound familiar?”

Spencer’s brows furrowed and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

“No.”

“Okay, we’ll need to take Castenada and his officers with us,” Emily announced, before turning and heading towards the door.

“Do you want company here?” Rossi asked.

Spencer seemed to take a moment to process before answering with an almost imperceptible nod. He turned his head and focused his gaze on me.

“Can… Can you stay?”

Rossi turned to face me too, raising an eyebrow as if to say ‘are you okay with this?’ I gave him what I hoped was a convincing smile. Honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure that I could handle this; the this that I am referring to being a nearly catatonic Spencer Reid. I was used to the Spencer who regaled me with interesting tidbits of information whenever there was a lull in conversation. The Spencer that stood before me now was a shell of his former self, and that terrified me.

“I’ll be fine here. Let me know if you guys find anything,” I told Rossi. He nodded once to me before enveloping me in a tight hug.

“Resta forte mia piccolo colomba,” Rossi murmured in my ear. I hadn’t a clue what the phrase meant, but the words draped over me like a warm blanket. Suddenly the weight of the current situation didn’t seem so heavy, and I felt immensely thankful that a man like David Rossi was in my life.

Rossi pressed his lips to the top of my head before releasing me. He gave one last, despairing look to Spencer before hurrying off after Luke and Emily. It could’ve been the light playing tricks on me, or maybe the exhaustion, but when Rossi turned away from us, I swear I saw tears welling in his eyes.

And then there were two.

I took glance at my watch for the first time all day, cringing when I saw the time to be 8:17PM. Quantico was an hour ahead, meaning Gavin was probably losing his shit wondering where I was. I sighed, fishing my phone out of my back pocket and turning it on.

“Spence, I’m going to make a phone call really quick,” I murmured. He offered no reply, just as I had come to expect. He was watching me, standing stock still in the same place he had been the entire time. I moved to stand in the doorway, hopefully far enough away that he couldn’t hear me anymore.

As soon as my phone booted up, a plethora of notifications came through. Seventeen missed calls and twenty-four unread text messages, to be exact. I decided to forgo reading the messages, instead pressing the return call button and tapping my foot anxiously against the floor. Gavin didn’t keep me waiting long, picking up on the very first ring.

“About time you answer your goddamn phone,” he hissed out. “Do you know how worried I’ve been? I even called your office phone and no one would answer that, either. What the fuck is going on? Where are you?”

“I’m… In Mexico.”

A long pause followed and I held my breath, waiting for the onslaught to begin.

“You left the country without even bothering to tell me?” Gavin asked, his voice raising in volume. I could picture him now; probably sitting on our sofa, fists balled together and jaw clenched. “Would you like to enlighten me as to why you’re in Mexico?”

I closed my eyes, frustration bubbling deep inside me. Today was arguably the shittiest day of my entire life, and I certainly didn’t need Gavin harping on about how I hadn’t been in touch. Honestly, informing him of my whereabouts had been the furthest thing from my mind.

“It’s Spencer,” I began, trying to think of the proper way to word it all. “He got into some… trouble. We think he’s being framed by Scratch.”

“Isn’t that the guy that just went after Tara’s family?”

“Yeah, it is. He’s been laying low for the past few months, and I guess he was just building up to all of this. It’s really bad, Gav,” I whispered the last bit, hoping that Spencer couldn’t hear me. If he did, he made no move that indicated it. “He’s high out of his mind and can’t remember anything.”

“How long will you guys be there?” Gavin asked, completely ignoring the fact that I mentioned Spencer at all. I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from saying something I might regret. I understand that he doesn’t like the guy, but he could show some common decency and at least pretend.

“I’m not entirely sure. Rossi, Emily, and Luke just headed out to go check on a lead. I don’t know how long that’ll take.”

“Wait, so, where are you?”

“I’m at the jail with Spencer, why?” I inquired, running my hand through my hair and absentmindedly combing out the knots that had formed. I was sure that I looked a right mess, but I couldn’t be too bothered to care.

“Let me get this straight. They left you alone with a guy who is wasted on God knows what, not knowing how he’ll react to it?” A bitter laugh flowed through the phone speaker. “Sounds like you don’t exactly work with the smartest bunch. What if he tries to attack you or something?”

I let his words hang in the air for a moment, unable to formulate a reply that wasn’t something like you’re being an absolute fucking dick bag right now. No, I was a grown woman and I was going to communicate like one, despite the fact that his ignorant reply was making me shake with rage.

“The first thing I’m going to address is the fact that this is not some guy. We’re talking about my best friend and teammate, and his name is Spencer. Use it,” I said through gritted teeth. “The second thing is that he’s not some wild animal. He’s not going to try to come through the bars and pounce on me. What he’s going through right now is traumatic, and he doesn’t need to be left alone right now. Show some compassion.”

“Yeah, okay, I’m sorry,” Gavin muttered. It was the most unapologetic apology I’d ever heard in my life, prompting me to roll my eyes. I don’t understand how I can love someone and want to throttle them simultaneously. “I’m just worried about you, is all. How are you holding up?”

“I’m as good as can be expected,” I sighed, bringing my free hand up to rub at my eyes. “I’m just tired of watching this guy terrorize all of my friends. First, he takes Hotch from us, then he nearly kills Tara’s brother, and now this. I’m beginning to think we’ll never catch a break.”

“I know you’re tired, baby. Just try to hang on a little bit longer. As much as I question some of their decisions, your team is good at what they do. You guys will catch him. I have faith in you.”

There it is. That’s the Gavin that I fell in love with.

“Thank you,” I murmured. “It’s been a long day and I needed to hear that.” I cast a glance back at Spencer, who was now staring down at his bandaged hand, an indiscernible expression on his face. He looked so lost, standing all alone in the grimy holding cell. The lights cast shadows on his face, making his already angular face look gaunt. The Spencer I knew was the human embodiment of light; filling up every room he was in with his delightfully idiosyncratic presence. The Spencer in the cell was so shrouded in darkness that the room seemed to be swallowing him whole, taking his brilliance and crushing it into smithereens.

“Gav, I think I need to get back in there.”

“Yeah, alright. Just keep me in the loop this time, please. I don’t like not knowing where my girlfriend is.”

“I’ll make sure to check in whenever I can,” I promised, before tacking on a, “love you.”

“Love you, too.”

I pocketed my phone with hands that shook, no longer from rage but from apprehension. I liked to think that I was good at my job. I had done well at the academy; not well enough to have graduated at the top of my class, but I did manage to be in the top ten. After lucking into the job of a lifetime, I had fully committed myself to learning to be the best profiler I could possibly be. Two years of piecing together the innerworkings of criminal minds had taught me more than I ever could have imagined about the human psyche. I had talked many a deranged psychopath down from the ledge, and I had saved more than a few lives along the way. Unfortunately, not all cases can end favorably. Those are the ones that taught me the most.

For all that I learned, nothing could’ve prepared me to deal with the shell of a man that stood before me.

I was standing in front of him now, fiddling nervously with my hands. When Spencer had originally told me about his battle with addiction, I had taken it upon myself to do some research of my own. I wanted to be able to identify the signs, God forbid he ever relapse. While conducting my research, I had read somewhere that the best way to support someone during a come down is by remaining positive and creating a calm, safe environment.

I was currently the antithesis of calm, but for Spencer’s sake, I was going to do my best.

I took a step forward and offered him a small smile.

“I’ve never seen you in jeans and boots before,” I said. I was proud of myself when the words came out sounding relatively casual. “It’s a good look on you, but I have to admit I prefer the academic look. I suppose it’s the sapiosexual in me.”

He gave no response, but the tinniest tug at the corner of his mouth told me that he found my comment amusing.

I let my eyes drag over him again and I fixated on the bandage on his right hand, frowning.

“Do you remember what happened to your hand?”

Spencer raised his hand up, absentmindedly flipping it over and inspecting it.

“I don’t know,” he murmured. Spencer’s usually high pitched voice came out gravely, no doubt a byproduct of dehydration related to the drugs. My eyes skimmed across the holding cell and I frowned when I saw no water fountain in sight.

“M’ gonna go get you some water, okay?” I turned away and pivoted on my heel, taking one step before a hand wrapped around my upper arm. I spun around so fast I nearly caught whiplash.

Spencer’s eyes were wide and full of panic, conveying more emotion than he’d had since we’d arrived. His eyebrows were drawn together as well, contorting his face into a pitiful expression.

“Don’t go,” he rasped, his hand still firmly grasping my arm. “Please.”

The hopelessness in his voice was like a dagger through my heart. I nodded fervently and placed my hand over his, prompting him to loosen his grip. He did, and I took his hand in both of mine. I rubbed my thumbs over his skin, haphazardly tracing patterns in an attempt to calm him.

“Yeah, okay. I’m not going anywhere, I promise,” I soothed, bringing his hand up to my mouth and placing a chaste kiss to the skin. “I’ve got you, Spence. It’s all going to be okay.”

The look of panic slowly washed away the longer we stood there. He held onto my hands like I was a lifeline, the only thing tethering him to the ground. While I longed for nothing more than to really embrace him, to pull all of him into my arms and hold on for dear life, the bars that separated us inhibited me from doing so. So instead I just relished in the feel of his hand intertwined with my own.

It would have to be enough for now.

Nadi Ramos was dead.

I didn’t have to ask Emily to know that the situation had gone from bad to absolutely fucking terrible. We knew Scratch was a horrendous individual; that much had been proved by his preferred modus operandi. We also knew that he had become fixated on taking down each of us one by one. He’d tried twice with Hotch, even going as far as to target his son, resulting in the two of them joining WITSEC for their own safety. The next blow had come when he had set his sights on Tara, or, more specifically, her brother. We’d gotten lucky with that one, having located and freed her brother just in the nick of time. After the incident with Tara’s brother, we all expected the next attack to come in quick succession. When several months passed with no sign of Scratch, we all became terribly on edge. No one was saying it, but we all were waiting to see which one of us would be next, crossing our fingers and hoping it wouldn’t be us.

I knew that none of us were exempt from Scratch’s wrath, but for some reason, I’d never imagined him targeting Spencer.

And target him he fucking did.

“We know you didn’t do this,” Emily spoke for the group, knowing good and well that we were all on the same page.

“How did it happen?” Spencer’s back was to us. His shoulders were slumped and his face downturned.

“She was stabbed multiple times. It looked personal,” Luke answered, his voice low and careful. It was obvious to us all that he was being extra careful with his wording, making sure to broach the subject carefully. We all knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Spencer was innocent; but that didn’t mean that Spencer did.

Chief Castenada trudged into the holding cell, the portrait of all things cranky and unpleasant. His presence acted as a proverbial storm cloud on an already shitty day.

“We got the results of your blood work. There’s cocaine and heroin in your system.”

“What else?” Emily asked, causing Castenada to give her a confused look.

“He was in possession of cocaine and heroin when he was arrested. I found what I needed.”

I felt myself bristle and before I knew it, my mouth was open and I was spouting out pure venom.

“Thanks so much for doing the bare minimum, but we’re going to need a full tox screen panel. We’re looking for scopolamine.”

Emily’s eyes cut over to me and if I hadn’t been fighting on Spencer’s behalf, I would’ve withered under the weight of the shut the fuck up look she gave me. Instead, I continued on, silently praying I’d still have a job after today.

“It’ll take longer, but we need it,” I explained in what I hoped was a slightly more accommodating tone. Castenada gave a curt nod in reply before exiting the room, grumbling something in Spanish that had Luke and Emily shooting daggers at his retreating figure.

“Do I want to know?”

Luke shook his head, shooting a small smile in my direction.

“Let’s just say he’s not your biggest fan, and we’ll leave it at that,” he offered, before straightening out his expression and turning back to Spencer. “You were given a speed ball. The opiates block the dopamine in your brain. That’s why things go from clear to hazy. The combination of the drugs causes a dissociative state and explains the memory loss. Are you coming down now?”

“I think so,” Spencer said. His cadence wasn’t as slow as it had been earlier, which was a relief.

“Do you think you could do a cognitive interview?” Emily’s voice was hopeful, and if Spencer was one thing, it was a people pleaser. It was obvious that he was overwhelmed; I had taken note of the fact that he was displaying one of his nervous ticks. Spencer was touching the pad of his thumb on the tips of his other fingers in rapid succession. Despite his obvious discomfort, he nodded his head in agreeance.

“I’ll try.”

Rossi took the lull in conversation as an opportunity to hold up the plastic bag in his hand. I narrowed my eyes at it inquisitively. There were five vials of a murky, dark brown liquid in the bag.

“There were five of these in your bag at the motel. Do you recognize them?”

Spencer’s eyes zeroed in on the bag and its contents, his brows furrowing. It wasn’t long until a look of partial recognition flashed across his face. It was so faint that if he hadn’t been in a room of profilers, it would’ve gone unnoticed.

“What is it?” I asked from my place at his side. He’d been somewhat clingy since the incident that had transpired while everyone was at the motel, gravitating towards me as soon as we all had been granted entrance to the holding cell. I knew that he needed familiarity right now; he was in a very vulnerable state and he needed something that made him feel safe and secure.

Butterflies erupted in my stomach when I had realized what he was doing, that I was that thing that made him feel safe and secure.

Spencer opened his mouth once before closing it, as if trying to put his thoughts into words was difficult. He did this a few more times before settling on,

“Whatever’s in those vials, I was giving it to my mom,” he said, his eyes darting around the room as he spoke. “That’s the only thing I’m sure of.”

“I’ll have them run it through the lab,” Rossi said, before leaving and heading towards the direction in which Castenada had retreated.

Emily and Luke were quick to hop into a rushed conversation, leaving only Spencer and I still in the cell. I looked up at him, at the way his forehead creased as he bit his lip in quiet contemplation.

“Are you sure you’re ready for a cognitive? I know the effects may be wearing off, but you’re gonna be cloudy for a while. If you don’t want to do it now, all you have to do is say the word,” I murmured, keeping my voice low so that only he could hear it. “I can tell that you’re a bit overwhelmed, and that’s okay.”

Spencer’s response came in the form of a shrug of his shoulders.

“I want to try, because I know it’s important. I just don’t know that it will be of much help,” he replied, casting his eyes down to me.

“Yes, it is important, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself. We’ll figure this out even if you can’t remember it all right now.”

Spencer nodded once before running his tongue across his chapped bottom lip.

“I don’t remember what happened, but I know I didn’t kill her,” he whispered, barely audible. Even though his words were quiet, I could hear the desperation in them; almost as if he was begging me to believe them, begging himself to believe them.

I made the irrational decision then to throw professionalism aside and wrap both of my arms around his torso, my grip tight and assured. Spencer’s aversion to touch was common knowledge amongst us all, but for some reason that never seemed to apply to me, and I could see in his eyes that the way we were all treating him like he was fragile was wounding him more than he would ever admit. I hoped to remedy that with my embrace, and the speed in which he reciprocated was so fast that I was certain he was thankful. He wrapped his injured hand around my waist, the other finding purchase in my hair. I felt his chest move as he let out a shuddering breath.

“I know you didn’t, Spence. Everyone on the team knows you didn’t,” I reassured him, my words muffled as my face was pressed against his chest. “And we’re not going to stop until everyone else knows it, too.”

I was well aware that our embrace had garnered the attention of our teammates, but Spencer’s hold on me hadn’t faltered in the slightest, so I didn’t let mine either. Instead, I gripped the fabric of his flannel shirt tighter in my hands.

When Emily exited the room in which they had conducted the cognitive interview, the look on her face was grim. I visibly cringed at the sight as I felt the sliver of hope that I had left die a miserable death.

We are so beyond fucked.

“How’s he doing?” Rossi asked, obviously taking note of the distress on Emily’s face.

“He’s made some breakthroughs, but I’m not sure how helpful they’ll be,” she sighed, running a hand through her jet-black hair. When none of us spoke, Emily’s eyes flitted around, finally noticing that our expressions were a direct reflection of her own. “What is it?”

“They just charged Reid with the murder of Nadi Ramos.”

Hearing it said aloud wasn’t any easier the second time.

While the rest of us had taken it upon ourselves to lean against the cement walls, Luke had begun pacing down the short hallway. After about ten minutes of unbearable silence, he decided he’d had enough.

“We can’t get him out of here, can we?” he finally spoke, his voice a mix of anger and desperation.

“I don’t know how.”

“He didn’t kill her,” I reiterated, speaking more to myself than the three of them.

“If all I had to go on was the evidence, I would swear he did,” Rossi sighed. I knew he was right; Spencer’s personal belongings were all over the hotel room, which was about as incriminating as you could get. “But knowing Reid, hearing the cognitive…”

“Yes, he said there was another person in that motel room, but,” Emily pressed play on the audio recording, and her voice proceeded to flow through the speakers.

“Who has the knife? Who is stabbing Rosa?”

“I don’t know. It’s in my hand.”

Emily pressed the power button and the screen went black.

“Right now, this is just more evidence against him.”

“So, what do we do now? Do we just sit and twiddle our thumbs until the consulate agrees to the extradition?” I asked. “There’s got to be more we can do. We can’t let them take him to jail, he won’t survive in there.”

“I called in some help from IRT. Clara Seger and Matt Simmons will be arriving at any moment,” Emily said, checking her phone after hearing it ping. “In fact, that would be them. They’re here.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as we all fell into step beside Emily. Having people from other areas of expertise that are willing to help is a good thing. Maybe they’ll be able to see something that we didn’t.

“We come bearing good news,” I announced, leading the group as we all entered the holding cell. Spencer was quick to turn around and the corners of his lips pulled upwards as he set his sights on all of us. “Back up is here.”

“Hey Spencer,” Matt greeted, offering up a small smile before crossing his arms across his chest.

“Hey,” Spencer replied, moving to stand up from his spot on the bench. He was still a little wobbly on his feet, but he was doing much better than he was when we had arrived. “Thank you for coming.”

“Yeah, of course. Jack and me are finishing up a case in Costa Rica, so we hopped on a commercial plane to get here,” Clara explained.

“We’re trying to stop you transfer to El Diablo.”

Spencer’s eyes darted over to me and he swallowed hard before speaking.

“Do you think it’s possible?” Hearing the hope in his voice tugged at my heart strings. The way that he could manage to stay optimistic at time like this was a true testament to his character.

“Yes,” Clara began. “Lab reports on the vials came back and some of what was in there hasn’t been approved by the FDA, but there aren’t any illegal substances.”

“That’s great news,” I sighed, letting out the breath that I didn’t know I had been holding.

“Is there anything else you remember about your time here?”

“I remember what happened to the vials at home. My mom threw most of them out.”

“So, that’s why you were here. To get more,” Clara said in an attempt to clarify.

“It must be,” Spencer murmured, shuffling anxiously from one foot to the other.

“Well, you’re off the hook for that. There’s no contraband involved,” Matt announced. Okay, this is good. One less thing to worry about.

“Yeah, but we’re still looking at the planted drug and the murder charges, which could keep you here for a long time.”

“Can we do anything to delay the transfer?” I wondered aloud. Clara took into account what I said and sighed, before turning towards Spencer once again.

“You said that you met Nadi, who calls herself Rosa, in Houston. Why didn’t she just give you the vials in the U.S.?”

“I don’t know,” Spencer said, running his uninjured hand through his hair. “I don’t know, but she helped us and I trusted her. I was right to. I still believe that.”

“Well, she convinced you to cross the border multiple times. She had you risk your life,” Matt argued.

“Because she must have something to lose, too,” I mumbled, eliciting a series of fervent nods from Clara. “Family, maybe?”

“We need to know more about her,” Clara said.

And then, something glorious happened. It was like a switch had flipped inside of Spencer’s head, and all of the sudden the lights were back on. I could tell that he had been struck with an idea, and it was a wonderous sight to behold.

“What was in those vials?” Spencer asked, only solidifying my observation.

Matt produced a paper with the lab results and began reading off the results.

“There are so nootropic compounds like Ampalex, uh, but also some more natural stuff; coral calcium, jimson weed, coconut oil, a variety of vitamins. B12, D3-”

“Where are we right now?” Spencer interjected.

“Matamoros, Northern Mexico.”

“Jimson weed, otherwise known as the Devil’s Snare, originated in Mexico but its natural growing region is further north or south of the border,” Spencer said, his words flowing out rapidly. I felt my heart soar and I didn’t even try to suppress the smile that fought its way to my face.

“Boy Genius is back,” I announced, and for just a moment, the mood in the room lightened for the first time all day.

“So, if it isn’t from here, then were did she get it?” Clara asked.

“Let me get Garcia on,” Emily murmured, dialing the number and tapping her foot as it rang. On the third ring, Penelope’s bright and cheerful voice filled the room, a sunbeam shining through on a cloudy day.

“Please tell me you’re calling to tell me some good news.”

“Garcia, I have some questions for you.”

“Hey, Penelope,” Matt greeted, earning a pleasantly surprised gasp from the woman on the other end.

“Oh my God, it’s the dulcet tones of Matt Simmons,” Penelope gushed. “Are you there to save the day?”

“I’m trying. Clara’s here, too.” A relieved sigh floated through the speakers.

“Knowing we have you guys as backup is providing me some much-needed hope, and I work better this way.”

“Hey, lady,” Clara greeted. “We’re trying to catch up on a few things. Where is Nadi Ramos from?” Before Clara even managed to finish her sentence, the sound of Garcia’s acrylic nails tapping away at her keyboard could be heard.

“Mm she lives with her family just north of Matamoros.”

“That must be where she got the jimson weed,” Emily pointed out.

“What’s weird in she crosses the border, like, a lot.”

“Why?”

“Well, she works in Houston at that clinic, but she also helps at a low-income healthcare center. I can’t find a visa on her, which is double weird. And, in finishing the weird trifecta, there’s a social security number on her W2 form.”

“Social security? She’s an American citizen?” I asked. Matt confirmed my suspicions with a nod of his head.

“Yeah, she had dual citizenship. She was born in Houston, and her family had to move back to Mexico. She lives with them and she works in the U.S.”

“This changes everything. We need to talk to the consulate,” Emily stated.

Just as things were beginning to look up, Chief Castenada decided to grace us with his presence once more; and this time, he had an entourage.

“It’s time for his transfer,” Castenada announced, looking pointedly in my direction.

“We’ve had a break in the case,” Emily argued, shaking her head at him. “The victim was also American, and that calls for extradition.”

Castenada merely shrugged before walking past us all.

“I’ve got orders, sorry,” he muttered, making Gavin’s apology from earlier in the day sound heartfelt in comparison. Castenada wasted no time in beginning to place handcuffs on Spencer, locking them in place with a definitive click. Spencer and I shared a look of panic before both of us looked towards Emily in a silent plea.

One of the men roughly grabbed Spencer by the arm and led him from the room. I watched in horror as they led him away, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. I barely registered the fact that Emily was now on the phone. I just stood there, staring blankly at the entrance to the cell.

“With the victim having dual citizenship, we now have concurrent jurisdiction. It was my understanding that the official order to extradite SSA Spencer Reid would be evaluated,” Emily damn near snarled into the phone. She paused for a moment, listening to the voice on the other line, before a look of relief washed over her face. “I understand, thank you.” She promptly hung up the phone before turning to face Luke. “They’re taking it to their brass. Go get him.”

Luke took off in a rush, not needing to be told twice.

I only wished I could be there to see the look on Castenada’s face.

“We’re working on all channels here. Matt Cruz is on with the consulate right now. We could get an immediate extradition, but it’s just the beginning,” Emily explained, her voice stern.

Spencer regarded her with a weary expression. The drug induced haze had finally lifted, leaving him painfully aware of how dire the situation was.

“I really screwed up and I’m so sorry,” he choked out, resulting in a crack forming in Emily’s hard exterior. I couldn’t blame her; it wasn’t easy to stay mad at Spencer Reid. Spencer’s eyes were like kryptonite to most; big and brown and full of emotion. I’m sure if you searched ‘puppy dog eyes’ in the dictionary, a picture of Spencer Reid would be found in example.

“It was for the right reason.”

“I can’t remember what happened, but I know I didn’t kill anyone.” It was obvious in the way that he kept repeating the words that he was desperate for us to believe him. No amount of calm reassurance from us could quell the voice in his head that was surely telling him that we thought him guilty.

“We do, too.”

Clara was first to enter the cell, immediately followed by Matt.

“Hey, they approved the extradition,” Clara announced, smiling brightly at the three of us.

“Effective immediately,” Matt added on.

We all exchanged relieved smiles before Matt and Clara led Spencer from the cell. Emily and I were quick to follow, right on Matt’s heels when we were stopped by Castenada.

“I must point out that I feel like justice isn’t exactly being served with this move.”

I pursed my lips together. In the short time we had been in Mexico, my feelings towards the man had grown from distaste to almost a full-blown hatred. That being said, I couldn’t help but understand where he was coming from. If Spencer hadn’t been a federal agent, he wouldn’t be granted the privilege of the extradition. Nor would he be allowed to fly home with us. I hated to admit it, but Castenada made a valid point.

“I understand, but I can assure you that this has gone to the highest ranks and there will be a full investigation,” Emily reassured him.

“Thank you for working with us,” I offered in an attempt to smooth over the rift I had created earlier. Now that my judgement wasn’t so clouded by my need to defend Spencer, I could see the error of my ways. I hadn’t been the most professional.

Castenada nodded once in my direction before turning his attention back to Emily.

“For our reports, I would like to have the recording of that cognitive interview.”

I felt my blood run cold. That interview would just add to the list of things that could be used against Spencer in court. He had openly admitted to holding the murder weapon in his own hands, an admission that would surely earn him twenty to life.

We cannot give him that recording.

Emily seemed to be on the same page as I was.

“I didn’t record it.”

Castenada’s face contorted into an ugly frown.

“But that was our agreement,” he squawked angrily.

“I determined he was still under the influence. Anything he said wouldn’t have clarified matters.”

Castenada’s gaze never faltered, eyeing Emily in an attempt to discern if she was giving him the run around. Luckily, Castenada was unable to find a hint of dishonesty on Emily’s face, and he nodded in resignation.

Years of profiling will teach you how to control your micro expressions.

“You’re committed agents. And I’ve worked with the IRT before. I trust you know what you’re doing.”

“We do. I promise,” I stated, my voice giving off more confidence than I felt. Yes, I thought to myself, there’s no doubt that we’re good at what we do.

But so is Scratch.

All was quiet on the jet, the steady thrum of the engine being the only sound that could be heard. Rossi had been the only one able to fall asleep, something that I would be sure to tease him about later. Next to Rossi sat Emily, who had busied herself with flipping through Spencer’s arresting report. Clara and Matt sat across from them, engulfed in their own hushed conversation.

Spencer had opted to sit on the couch, but he didn’t allow himself to sprawl out like he normally would have done. He was visibly exhausted, wiping at his eyes frequently in an attempt to keep the fatigue at bay. It was almost like he was punishing himself; like he didn’t feel he deserved the solace that sleep would bring.

“You should go talk to him. See if you can’t get him to lay down,” Luke whispered encouragingly from his seat beside mine.

“I have no idea what to say to him,” I confessed. I tore my gaze away from Spencer and turned my attention to Luke. “There’s nothing I can say that will make this any better.”

“You’re not wrong about that, but maybe just letting him know you’re here for him will help. Just go and sit with him, I’m sure he could use a friend right now.”

Luke was right. I let out a dramatic sigh before shooting Luke a pointed look.

“Since when did you get so insightful?”

A grin stretched its way across his face.

“Always have been, sweetness. It’s part of my charm. I’m more than just a pretty face, you know.”

“And on that note, I’ll be going,” I announced, standing up from my seat and walking the short distance to the couch. Luke’s chuckles sounded off behind me and I couldn’t help but smile; note to self, make more of an effort to get to know Luke Alvez.

I approached slowly, hoping not to startle him as he seemed to be lost in his own world. He didn’t notice me until I came to a stop in front of the couch. Spencer’s head shot up suddenly, the worry on his face melting away to form a small smile.

“Hi,” I greeted, returning his smile tenfold. “You looked like you could use some company. Do you mind if I sit?”

Spencer gave me a soft smile and scooted over, patting at the space next to him. I lowered myself onto the couch, angling my body so it was facing him.

“You’re tired,” I observed, leaning back into the soft cushions. Spencer shrugged in reply, opening his mouth to argue, only for a yawn to slip out. I let out a light laugh. “Don’t even try to argue. There’s no telling how long you’ve been up. Why don’t you try and get some sleep?”

Spencer’s eyes reluctantly met mine and I felt almost paralyzed when I saw the sheer vulnerability in them.

“Researchers from the University of Cardiff conducted a two-part study looking at whether people’s daily frustration or fulfilment of their psychological needs, such as feeling autonomous or competent, affects their dreams. The results from the first study showed that people who were frustrated with their daily situation tended to have recurring dreams in which they were falling, failing or being attacked,” he rasped out, his words jumbling together as they fell from his mouth in rapid succession. “The lead author on the study concluded that negative dream emotions may directly result from distressing dream events, and might represent the psyche’s attempt to process and make sense of particularly psychologically challenging waking experiences.”

“And you’re worried your dreams will reflect what happened today.”

Spencer bit the inside of his cheek before nodding in affirmation.

“I can’t promise you that you won’t dream about those things,” I began, my voice coming out soft. “But I can tell you that sleep deprivation can cause lots of very unfortunate symptoms like impaired memory, reduced physical strength, and inability to concentrate. Do you know how I know those things?”

A light flush dusted over the tops of his cheeks.

“Probably because I’ve made it a habit to bore you with my information dumps.”

I shook my head adamantly, reaching a hand up and ruffling up his hair. He batted my hand away, ducking his head to try and hide the smile tugging at his lips.

“Never a bore, Spence. But yes, I know those things because of you and that remarkable brain of yours. And we’re going to need that remarkable brain in tip top shape if we want to get you out of this mess, understood?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he relented.

I patted a hand on my lap, an invitation for him to use me as a pillow. He seemed hesitant, eyes flitting from my face before going back down to my lap.

“Don’t act shy around me, Pretty Boy. I know better than anyone that you’re a secret cuddle bug,” I teased, earning a snort from the man next to me.

“Am not,” he harrumphed, before deciding to take me up on my offer. He laid his head down on my lap before stretching his legs out across the expanse of the couch. My heart lurched pitifully when he nuzzled his head into my leg before letting out a loud sigh.

“Thank you,” Spencer whispered, voice thick with emotion. His eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks, casting tiny shadows on his face. I smiled at the sight and began carding my hands through his hair.

“No need to thank me,” I murmured, raking my nails against his scalp and eliciting a pleased hum from him. “Don’t you worry about a thing, okay? We’re going to get you out of this. I know we will. And don’t worry about your mom, either; I’m going to check on your mom every day, I promise.”

Spencer’s breathing stuttered at the mention of Diana, and I worried I had crossed a line. He stayed silent for a moment, before moving his hand up and squeezing my knee.

“You’re entirely too good to me.”

“Yeah, well, you’d do the same for me. That’s what friends are for.”

No more words were exchanged, and within five minutes Spencer’s breathing evened out and he was asleep.

Several hours later, we were all filing out of the elevator and into the bullpen. I shivered slightly as the cool air hit my bare arms, but I tried not to show my discomfort. I’d shrugged off my sweater and offered it to Spencer the moment we stepped off the jet, draping it across his cuffed hands in an attempt to conceal them. Spencer had thanked me with a pitiful smile and I returned the sentiment, blinking several times to try and stifle the tears pooling in my eyes.

JJ was the first to greet him, with Stephen, Tara and Penelope following closely behind. I watched on for a moment before my attention was pulled elsewhere. Stephen’s phone had rung, prompting him to slip away from the group and retreat further down the hall. I furrowed my brow at this, taking advantage of my colleagues’ distraction as I wandered towards Stephen. I strained to hear his whispered words, but just as soon as I neared, he ended the call.

“What was that about?” I asked quietly. The look on his face told me that the news couldn’t be good, and I didn’t want to ruin the reunion going on just down the hall. They all deserved a few moments of relief.

Stephen let out a long sigh and ran his hand through his hair before speaking.

“I, uh, just got a call. Reid isn’t eligible for the bureau’s legal assistance.”

Stephen’s words sent a jolt of white-hot dread through me. “How is that even possible?” “Spencer went without being briefed, and he wasn’t in Mexico on government business. They refuse to represent him.”

I let my wary eyes drift down the hall, towards the group of wonderful misfits that I had grown to think of as family;

Penelope, whose optimism never wavered, even in the face of the absolute worst that the world had to offer.

JJ, a devoted mother with a heart of gold and a fierceness that inspired me every single day.

Tara, one of the most intelligent and caring women I had ever had the privilege to know.

Rossi, a father figure to all with enough wisdom to create a legacy that would inspire generations of profilers to be.

Emily, a fearless leader whom I trusted with my life and would follow into battle without question.

Luke, a newcomer who took special care to comfort me when I was at my worst.

Spencer, a man too remarkable to even try to describe with words. A man that anyone of us would defend until our very last breath.

That undeniable truth gave birth to the tiny sliver of hope growing inside of me. Spencer Reid was innocent, and we are all hellbent on proving it.

I nodded once in affirmation, more to myself than to Stephen, before allowing myself to meet his gaze.

“We’re on our own.”

And if anyone could pull this off, it was this team. My team.

There is a point when facing the unknown stops being a longed-for adventure and becomes a terrifying reality.

-Storm Constantine

#spencer reid smut #spencer x reader #spencer reid #spencer reid x you #criminal minds #matthew gray gubler fanfic #mgg #criminal minds fanfic #criminal minds fic #spencer reid fic #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid self insert #criminal minds self insert #prison spencer #prison!reid

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riversofmars · 3 years

Note

Prompt? 13's companions having various run-ins with River and eventually 13 finds out?

Hi all! I decided to use this brilliant prompt for the next part of the “Big, Vast, Complicated and Ridiculous“ Series. I didn’t do various run-ins as it would have turned into a whole thing of its own but Yaz is about to meet the Doctor’s wife ;D Enjoy! <3

Rating: G

Word Count: 2700

Read on AO3 or below

Chapter 6: Sheffield

Yaz watched as the TARDIS dematerialised and she felt her heart sink. She didn’t want the Doctor to go off again, for fear of her not returning but she knew she had to trust her. If there was something the Doctor had to do for herself before setting off on their travels again, she had to give her the time and space to do it.

Yaz checked the time on her phone as she made her way back to her apartment block. One hour. Plenty of time to pack a bag and grab a bite to eat before the Doctor would return - hopefully on time. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice the woman appearing out of thin air just behind her.

“Excuse me!“ The woman called out to Yaz while trying to get her bearings.

“Sorry?“ Yaz looked around surprised.

“What year is this?“ The woman asked as she hurriedly stuffed something into her coat pocket that Yaz couldn’t quite make out.

“What?“ Yaz frowned, confused by the question.

“The year, dear, I haven’t got all day.“ The woman retorted as she threw up the hood of her coat, covering an impressive amount of golden curls.

“2021…“ Yaz answered slowly, wondering what might have prompted the strange question.

“Right, okay, that checks out, the date too…“ She pulled the device back out of her pocket and checked something on the dial. Yaz frowned at the strange item of technology.

“What’s that…“ Yaz asked slowly, growing suspicious. All this time travelling with the Doctor and her time researching the Daleks had made her weary of strange technology.

“Never mind, it’s bloody broken anyway. One way trip…“ The woman huffed as she examined the device critically. “Should have taken Dorium up on his offer… next time.“ She was talking to herself more than anything else. “These were the right coordinates, am I late or early? Where is he?“

“I’ve never seen a device like that.“ Yaz took a step closer, trying to get a better look but the woman seemed to guess her intentions. She stuff the piece of kit back into her pocket.

“Never mind, have a good night.“ She pulled her hood further into her face and started walking down the road in the opposite direction of where Yaz should be going. Going with her gut instinct, Yaz threw caution to the wind and followed after her.

“Are you looking for something, or someone?“ She called out trying to get her attention.

“You’re awfully curious.“ The woman carried on walking.

“You seem lost is all, you’re not from round here, are you? That’s a London accent, is it?“ Yaz caught up and fell into step with her.

“Oh darling, you have no idea just how much I’m not from around here.“ The woman chuckled, clearly amused.

“Maybe I do. Do you have something to do with the Daleks by any chance?“ It was a bold move but Yaz sensed that something was off about her. That technology didn’t look contemporary, it reminded her of the vortex manipulator they had seen on the man in Alabama, only much more beat up and rudimentary. With the Daleks just defeated, the appearance of someone who carried alien tech and asked about the year was curious to say the least.

“Daleks?“ The woman stopped, surprised. “Here? When?“ She looked around.

“How did you not see them? They’re still putting out the fires.“ Yaz retorted bewildered but her suspicion was confirmed. This woman was not from around here and knew more than she was letting on. The only way she didn’t know about the Daleks was if she had arrived in this time period after it had happened. She had to be a time traveller, Yaz was sure of it.

“Must have arrived late then. Damn.“ The mystery woman huffed and pulled the device back out of her pocket. “And this thing doesn’t have another jump in it…“ She sighed exasperated as she wiggle some cables and one broke out of its fixture. “Hang on…“ She looked up to Yaz as if something had only just occurred to her. She narrowed her eyes, looking the girl up and down, trying to get the measure of her.

“What?“ Yaz asked and instinctively took a little step back, feeling nervous.

“How do you know who the Daleks are? Who are you here with?“ The woman asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…“ Yaz retorted taking another step back. She suddenly realised that she had absolutely no reason to trust this woman, she had no back up with the Doctor being away and this could turn into a dangerous situation very quickly.

“Yes you do.“ The woman hummed knowingly but she didn’t get the opportunity to carry on. Suddenly, the area around them was flooded with light from something high up above. A voice, amplified by what felt like hundreds of loud speakers thundered:

“Attention population, there is a dangerous fugitive at large in your area, please remain in your habitats while the situation is being dealt with.“

“Oh come on, give me a break.“ The woman frowned, clearly terribly annoyed.

“What now?“ Yaz looked up towards the sky but the light was so blinding that she couldn’t make anything out.

“Sorry, lovely, you’re coming with me.“ The woman stepped closer and Yaz froze when she realised it was to cover the gun she was holding to her side.

“They’re looking for you, aren’t they.“ Yaz realised, trying to keep her voice steady and not let on how anxious she was all of a sudden with a blaster pressed to her ribs.

“Possibly.“ The woman hummed and pulled her along, off the main road into an alley. It was just in time too as suddenly, a troop of what appeared to be law enforcement, teleported onto the high street.

“They’re aliens.“ Yaz couldn’t help but point out. There were humanoid but definitely not human. They were also carrying deadly looking guns. Who was this woman to warrant a show of force like this? It was incredibly disconcerting. Yaz knew better than to struggle as they hid around a corner.

“You're not surprised as a 21st century girl should be, I knew you know more than you’re letting on.“ The woman observed. “So where is he?“

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.“ Yaz retorted. She had no idea who she was searching for and it wasn’t like she was giving her any clues.

“Dr. Song, we have located your life signs, surrender now.“ One of the soldiers barked down the road towards them.

“Are you a doctor or a criminal?“ Yaz asked looking to Dr. Song who peered down the road seemingly more annoyed than worried. Yaz, however, was getting very anxious about the whole situation, her eyes falling onto the gun in the other woman’s hand. She had to get away from her, she was clearly dangerous. She quickly pulled her phone from her pocket and sent a very simple, quick text: Help. She managed to put her phone back just in time before Dr. Song turned back around to answer her question:

“Are those things mutually exclusive?“ She chuckled before addressing her actual problem: “They must be tracking my bio signature. That’s why I need better time travel than a few circuits tied together with a shoe lace…“

“What are you doing here?“ Yaz was starting to relax a little as she seemed to have no intention of actually shooting her. Just yet, anyway.

“Running from the authorities and looking for my husband. Those things usually go together.“ The woman explained. “Which brings me back to my original question, where is the Doctor?“

“The Doctor?“ Yaz echoed, stunned. This couldn’t be a coincidence but it made absolutely no sense to her.

“Don’t play dumb, how else would you know about the Daleks and not bat an eyelid at aliens on the streets of Sheffield? You know the Doctor, maybe you’re even travelling with him. This was meant to be an intersection of our timelines. So either I’m late, he’s gone already and left you behind or I’m early and he’s going to be picking you up.“ Dr. Song very cleverly concluded and Yaz couldn’t come up with a credible lie.

“How do you know the Doctor?“ Yaz asked, eying up the gun still pointed at her. “You’re quite clearly a criminal.“

“Criminal is a strong word.“ The other woman chuckled in amusement.

“Was it the Doctor that brought you to justice and now you’re looking for revenge? Cause there is no way I will…“ Yaz started but was interrupted:

“Dr. Song, step away from the human.“

“Ah, hello.“ Dr. Song sighed, looking to the soldiers advancing towards them and before Yaz could do anything, she pulled her in front of her, wrapping her arm around her shoulder, gun pressed against her lower back. Yaz’s breath caught, her heart racing, this was not turning out the way she had hoped. This would be a brilliant time for the Doctor to turn up.

“You are surrounded Dr. Song. Let go of the human.“ One of the soldiers barked.

“But why? This is a Level 5 World, you can’t just go around endangering its population with your little witch hunt, I’d be very careful.“ Dr. Song smirked.

“What are you doing?“ Yaz tried her best to keep the panic out of her voice.

“Using you as a human shield while I try to come up with a plan, I thought that was obvious.“ The woman retorted as she stared down the advancing soldiers.

“Do not resist. Your sentence will be extended.“ One of the soldiers demanded.

“Ah one life sentence more or less doesn’t really matter by this point.“ Dr. Song shot back as she looked around for a way out.

“Release the human!“ The soldier shouted again.

“But we’re becoming fast friends.“ Dr. Song grinned, taking the situation far less serious than Yaz would have expected. The tense stand off was interrupted when suddenly, the TARDIS started materialising at the top of the road. Yaz laughed in relief and to her surprise, the woman let her go, seemingly relieved as well.

“Doctor.“ Dr. Song grinned turning towards the TARDIS. She was caught completely off guard when Yaz took the opportunity to punch her in the face and knock the blaster from her hand. “Ouch. Now that’s just…“ She stumbled and the soldiers were on her in a flash.

“Dr. Song, you’re under arrest and will be returned to the Stormcage facility.“ Two soldiers grabbed her arms while a third used handcuffs to fasten her hands behind her back.

“Come on, just let me see my husband…“ Dr. Song groaned in annoyance looking to the TARDIS.

“Your husband?“ Yaz echoed as suddenly the pieces were falling into place. It was the Doctor she was looking for assuming she was still a man as she had been. Yaz’s head was spinning as the TARDIS’s door opened and the Doctor rushed outside. She must have received her text.

“Doctor?“ Dr. Song stared at her, bewildered and the Doctor stared back, trying to grasp the situation.

“River?“ She retorted, dumbstruck.

“Doctor?“ Yaz looked to her friend, utterly confused.

“Yaz?“ The Doctor looked to Yaz for an explanation as to what was going on. Before she could ask any questions, the soldiers teleported away, taking River with them. “So uh… what happened?“ She asked slowly as Yaz was clearly still in shock.

“What happened? What happened is that some alien police just came to collect this woman, who seems to be a time traveller, a known criminal and your wife?!“ Yaz burst out, unsure which bit of information was the most important.

“Yeah, I sort of got that bit…“ The Doctor smiled apologetically as she put her arm around Yaz and gently manoeuvred her towards the TARDIS.

“She just put a gun to my head!“ Yaz snapped, annoyed at how unbothered her friend seemed about the whole thing.

“She has a habit of doing that.“ The Doctor closed the TARDIS door behind them. “She wouldn’t actually have hurt you… I don’t think…“

“So it’s true? You know her?!“ Yaz turned towards her, putting her hands on her hips, demanding an explanation. “Who is she?“

“Professor - no more likely Doctor at this point - River Song.“ The Doctor answered slowly.

“I got the name, who is she?“ Yaz threw her hands up.

“My wife, obviously.“ The Doctor gave an awkward smile and scratched the back of her head. “It’s complicated, people usually need a flow chart…“

“You’re married to a criminal?“ Up until that moment, Yaz had expected her to deny it, now she was dumbfounded.

“Sort of criminal… not really. Well, she got put in prison for my murder which obviously wasn’t very successful. But that’s not to say that she’s not a criminal. She’s a very prolific assassin, occasional mercenary… well, she likes nice things and it pays well…“ The Doctor went off on a tangent.

“I don’t believe this.“ Yaz shook her head to herself, trying to wrap her head around the whole thing. “Why did you never tell us?“ That question bothered her more than the seemingly checkered history the Doctor’s wife appeared to have with the law.

“Like I said, it’s complicated.“ The Doctor sighed, without meeting her friend’s eyes. How was she supposed to explain the constant pain she felt at her wife’s absence? How talking about her only made her think more about where she had ended up and how she hadn’t been able to save her. The Doctor tuned to the controls of the TARDIS to distract herself. “Silly woman, probably just broken out of Stormcage… I should really go and visit her there, what if this was the first time she met this version of me? I got to tell her not to tell me… why does this keep happening?“ She mumbled to herself, annoyed.

“You’re making even less sense than usual.“ Yaz sighed, deciding to let the matter go for the time being, hoping the Doctor would tell her more in her own time.

“River and me, we meet out of order and… well I just recently found out that she’s had encounters with this version of me that I never knew about and it’s even more mixed up then usual, I need to make sure I keep the causality in tact…“ The Doctor tried to explain, as Yaz stepped up to the console as well.

“When you say recently… Where have you been? What was it you had to do before we could go travelling?“ Yaz asked, sensing there was a connection there.

“I just… had to work some things out for myself for a little bit. I was feeling really lost…“ The Doctor revealed without looking up from the controls.

“Feel any better now?“ Yaz asked and the Doctor chuckled.

“Maybe a little.“ She admitted, running through her recent encounters with River in her mind. Particularly seeing her at Luna University had helped. She felt a little bit more like herself now.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot, me and her.“ Yaz sighed. Surely, there was much more to River Song than she had seen in their brief encounter. If she was the Doctor’s wife, she had to be very special indeed. Trust the Doctor to marry someone who was locked up for murdering them…

“I’m going to make her apologies to you for that.“ The Doctor said and Yaz laughed:

“She doesn’t seem like the kind of person you could make do anything.“

“No, I really can’t… I’ll try… But I really need to find her at the right point in time to tell her to keep this secret…“ She worked the controls wondering where in her time at Stormcage River was just then.

“So, are you going to tell me a little more about her before we go?“ Yaz asked with a smile, it wasn’t every day you found out your friend was married. “You said it’s complicated. Where is she from? How did you meet? Who kissed whom first?“

“Oh, not again…“ The Doctor groaned as the TARDIS jumped into action on its own accord before she could set coordinates or address Yaz’s questions.

#Doctor Who #river x thirteen #river x doctor #thirteen/river #river song #thirteen #thirteenth doctor #Yasmin Khan #femslash #general #banter #river song being river song #space wives #yowzah #the doctor #tardis

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visionsofus · 3 years

Text

Wanda and Vision's Mixtape Masterlist (updating now)

cover by the wonderful @jjlover01

Note: my inbox is currently open for prompt/ song submissions 🥰 (1-2wk turn around)

AoU to CW

#10 Death Stranding by CHVRCHES

what will become of us if we dare to dream? Wanda and Vision spend the night at a glitzy party for a mission and get jealous when they see each other with other people. read on AO3

# 11 Happy Together by the Turtles

the only one for me is you. In which Wanda and Vision try to deliver on a promise to cook breakfast for the rest of the team but end up goofing off together instead. read on Tumblr // AO3

#12 Where the Shadow Ends by BANNERS

put your trust in the light you cannot see. Wanda falls ill at the compound and Vision panics. Surprisingly, her illness gives them an opportunity to talk about their feelings. Wanda comes to terms with putting faith in her feelings and in Vision. read on AO3

#15 Flares by The Script

did you see the sparks filled with hope? Mere days after the battle in Sokovia Wanda is still coming to terms with Pietro's absence and the new life she is faced with in upstate New York. Waking from a nightmare she leaves sleep behind and takes solace in Vision as an unexpected comfort. Read on Tumblr // AO3

#19 Feel Something by Jaymes Young

you could be the one to make me feel. Movie night at the compound isn’t going well for Vision, and that’s even before he decides to try and be a bit more human and eat food. He manages to drunkenly confess his deepest insecurities about his own existence before the night is out. Ft. angsty Vision, jealous Vision, pining Vision and basically Vision feeling a whole array of emotions he doesn’t know how to deal with. read on Tumblr // AO3

#21 Start a Riot by BANNERS

I will tear down every wall just to bring you home. Wanda has a breakdown shortly into arriving at the compound and Vision is the only one who can get through to her. read on Tumblr // AO3

#25 Remedy by Adele

I will be your remedy. Wanda comes back injured from a mission and Vision has to come to terms with her mortality, and the limits of their relationship. Tender touching and the intimacy of tending to wounds. AO3

CW to IW

#3 Rescue my Heart by Liz Longley

Rescue my heart (I'll drown without you). In which Vision arrives to help break the Cap’s team out of Raft prison post-Civil War. Wanda recalls fond memories of the compound and comes to terms with the idea of living on the run. read on Tumblr // AO3

#5 The Best by Tina Turner

a lifetime of promises, a world of dreams. In which Wanda searches Edinburgh for Vision after she arrives late at their safehouse. When she discovers his energy signature floating around the city, she decides to follow the threads to their source. Along the journey she recalls the complications of their long-distance, secretive relationship but by the end recalls exactly why they sacrifice so much to be together. read on AO3

#6 Somewhere only we know

In which nobody died in Endgame and Vision gets the opportunity to pick up where he and Wanda left off before they were interrupted in Edinburgh. read on AO3

#7 Clarity by Foxes

don't speak as I try to leave (I'll fall right back to you). A distressed Vision shows up at Wanda’s door after a particularly bad situation goes down at the compound. She comforts him as they both try to reconcile with the very different lives they are now living. read on AO3.

#8 Our Corner of the Universe by K.S. Rhoads

Our little corner of the universe. In which Wanda and Vision are coming to the end of a few weeks together in Paris pre-IW and Wanda dreams a life for them where they no longer have to run and hide. Unknowingly, she draws Vision into her dream and they both must contend with the idea that this reality isn't something that will be easy for them. read on Tumblr // AO3

#9 If You Ever Come Back by The Script

just like you were never gone. Wanda and Vision recall an argument that forced them to go their separate ways in the early days of their relationship post-CW. Upon finding out Wanda is near the Compound Vision can't help himself and seeks her out to apologise. Read on Tumblr // AO3

#13 I Know Places by Taylor Swift

just grab my hand and don't ever drop it. Wanda and Vision try to spend a peaceful evening out for dinner in Paris when they are suddenly attacked. To keep each other safe they split up, forced to make the harrowing journey to the next safe house separately. Vision is faced with Wanda's mortality. read on AO3

#14 Me and My Husband by Mitski

when he walks in, I am loved. Vision is reminded that it is Valentine's Day and decides to show up at Wanda's safehouse to surprise her. Fluff ensues and Wanda's fugitive teammates realise exactly how close the pair have become. read on AO3

#17 Can You Feel My Heart by Bring Me the Horizon

can you feel my heart. One year into being a fugitive Wanda gets cornered, Vision sees the news in real time and runs to her aid. Aka Vision going apeshit when he thinks Wanda is dead. read on Tumblr // AO3

#18 That's All by Michael Bublé

All I have are these arms to enfold you and a love time can never destroy. Wanda and Vision share a perfect morning in Paris, snuggled up together watching the rain stream past the windows. aka 1000 words of fluff. Read on Tumblr // AO3

#20 The Scientist by Coldplay

you don't know how lovely you are. Wanda surprises Vision by breaking into the compound shortly after the fight in Germany. read on Tumblr // AO3

#23 Bury This by RVRB

I should bury this. Immediately after Wanda leaves in Civil War, Vision reflects on his feelings surrounding her departure. AO3

Post-IW

#16 Through the Fire by Jake Etheridge

I was lost (now I'm found again). The Battle of Wakanda is over. Vision knows he's gone and that there is no coming back. Taking pity on Vision, the mind stone lets him see some of his most treasured memories once more, to ease his passing. read on Tumblr // AO3

Canon Divergence

#1 Last Dance by Camera Can't Lie

If this was our last chance (I'd ask you to say). In which Civil War never happened and they all lived happily ever after. Wanda and Vision dance at one of Tony’s fancy galas and are forced to address the feelings that have become apparent to themselves, and the rest of the team. Yearning included with a happy resolution after a lil bit of angsty longing. read on Tumblr // AO3

#2 Infinity by Jaymes Young

Darling my soul, it aches for yours. In which Wanda and Vision sneak out of the compound and go on a date and just revel in the act of being together in public. The rest of the team doesn't know yet so they're working had on keeping everything a secret. When they arrive back Vision is so enamoured with Wanda that he trips the Compound alarms, waking everyone up with the fear of a break in at the front of their mind only to find the pair in a compromised position. Read on AO3

#4 Light Me Up by Ingrid Michaelson

we are tonight, we are forever. Wanda and Vision spend a domestic evening together free from the rest of the team. read on Tumblr // AO3

#22 Only Us by Ben Platt

it can be us, and only us. The Sokovia Accords are renegotiated so that the team are never divided. Following the successful signing of the document a press event is held at the compound. Wanda and Vision take a moment to breath away from the crowds, both have been holding back from each other for months, worried about risking their friendship. A simple miscommunication leads to a brief moment of angst as they realise their months of pining over each other has been mutual. read on Tumblr // AO3

#24 I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys

I wanna be yours. Things get racy between Wanda and Vision in the compound kitchen. Vision tries to come to terms with the intensity of his feelings for Wanda. AO3

#Wandavision #scarletvision #wanda x vision #wanda maximoff #the vision #scarlet vision fanfiction #visionsofusfics #fic masterlist #my writing

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tbhwhocaresanymore · 3 years

Text

Merry Lizmas @alyblacklist, I’m your secret Santa! Please find under the cut a short Keenler fic. It’s not very fluffy because I’m bad at that, but I tried to keep it in the Christmas spirit.

Ressler had never thought of himself as stupid.

He had always tested well, even when he hated the subject. He was fairly good at keeping his wits about him, and even as a kid his parents had never had to tell him to not get into vans with strangers. He had graduated in the top two percent of his class from Quantico, and so if he was being perfectly honest, Ressler knew he had above average intelligence. Under normal circumstances this would exempt him from taking any sort of stupid, unnecessary risk.

But whenever Liz Keen was involved, normal became a faraway dream.

He cut through a parking garage and crossed the street to start walking in the opposite direction. He’d lost the tail Cooper put on him a few blocks ago, but he was still wary Reddington might also be following somehow. He gripped the burner phone in his pocket.

The package had arrived at his apartment two days ago, and he’d received a single text with a today’s date and an address. He’d tried to trace the number only to find it disconnected, and so he’d taken out the battery and waited.

A police car with the lights off was parked on the side of the street, a bored looking cop behind the wheel. Ressler told himself he was just being paranoid. Cooper and Reddington had no proof he and Liz were in contact because they weren’tin contact, but that didn’t mean they trusted him. This was probably good judgement on their part since every so often she sent him a phone and a single text, and every time he (stupidly) showed up where she said. It probably wasn’t the healthiest relationship, but he comforted himself with the fact that at least he was honest with her, unlike her ex-husband.

He turned the corner and relaxed slightly as the cop car disappeared from view. A light snow started falling as he maneuvered around a group of carolers, ignoring a man in white robes with a sign proclaiming the imminent apocalypse.

A sign over his destination advertised VACANCY in a flickering red light. Unwilling to let the front desk worker see his face, he bypassed the office and went around the side. He took a flight of stairs two at a time, walked three doors down, and raised a hand before hesitating.

The text was burned into his eyes. Motel 6 on Down St, Room 13. 12/24 4pm.But what if this time the text hadn’t come from Liz? Or what if it had and someone had gotten here first? He shook himself. He had these fears every time he showed up to meet her, but they had yet to be realized. He’d known what he was getting himself into the first time he came without turning her in, the latest in a long line of questionable decisions involving Liz Keen.

Ressler knocked three times, and jammed his hands back in his pockets. His breath crystallized in the chilly air. He heard movement on the other side of the door and instinctively glanced over his shoulder, checking for a tail one last time.

There was the sound of a deadbolt unlocking and the door swung open.

The clock on the bedside table ticked from 4:03 to 4:04 and Liz felt her muscles crank even tighter.

An abrupt knock on the door startled her to her feet, the gun in her hand whipping up to point at the noise.

She walked up to the door and pressed the gun against it before checking through the spyhole in the door. Ressler. No matter how many times she sent for him, each time she was afraid that he wouldn’t show up.

Liz undid the chain lock and swung the door open.

Ressler blinked rapidly as he took her in, eyes scanning her up and down. “Hey.” His voice was rougher than she remembered.

“Hi.”

She stepped aside and he entered, taking his coat off and dropping it on the armoire. Liz placed her gun on top of it, drinking in the sight of him. “Thanks for coming.”

Ressler was looking at her like he’d been afraid he might never see her again. Although considering she was waging a one-woman war against Raymond Reddington, that wasn’t outside the realm of possibilities. “How are you?” Ressler asked.

Her thoughts immediately went to the patchwork of bruises on her left side. A souvenir from when she’d snuck into a business Reddington owned fifty-one percent of, and tussled with a security guard. “Fine. You?”

“Really? You’re fine?” His eyebrows rose on his forehead. “Because we got a report of a woman matching your description breaking and entering a private bank a couple days ago, a bank that happens to be controlled by Reddington. Said woman fought with a security guard who is now in the hospital but swears he got some hits in.”

Liz pursed her lips. “I’ll admit I’m a little banged up but it’s nothing.”

“Damn it Keen.” Ressler scowled at her, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Let me take you in.”

“No.” She folded her arms.

“Then let me help you.”

“No.”

“Then what the hell am I doing here?” he demanded.

Liz felt her hands form into fists. “I missed you, you idiot.”

Ressler sighed, his shoulders dropping as he stepped forward to envelop her in a hug. Liz wrapped her arms around him, breathing deeply. She was now intimately familiar with his body in a myriad of ways, and let her hands come to rest on his shoulder blades, taking comfort in his warmth.

“What are you doing to me Liz?” She heard him whisper the words into her hair.

“I’m not doing it on purpose.” The defense had barely left her when Ressler was fisting his hand in her hair to pull her head back, kissing her harshly. She responded in kind, biting his lower lip between her teeth.

They fell into each other with a frenzy, tearing each other’s clothes off in a way that was almost violent. Certain moments stood out in her mind, ones she would turn to later when she hadn’t seen him in weeks and was cold under the covers. His mouth on her collarbone, bruising the skin, her nails scratching lines into his back, the sight of his head between her legs. The sex was angry because they were angry. Ressler was angry that Liz insisted on going this alone, was angry at himself for not taking her in. Liz was angry at the world for always taking things away, and punishing her when she tried to take things in return, she was angry with Reddington and his endless, endless need for deception and lies. They were angry about all the bodies they’d had to bury over the years.

Afterwards, spent, they laid beneath the covers of the room’s single bed. Ressler was on his back, running absent fingers through her hair, Liz had an arm on his chest and her legs mixed up with his.

She felt his chest inflate and knew he was about to speak. “There has to be some way I can help you is all I’m saying.”

Liz closed her eyes. “Can we please not do this again?” They had this fight every time they saw each other and it was getting old quick.

He sighed and pressed a kiss to her head. “I’m sorry. But thinking about you out there, all alone… it drives me crazy. I’m your partner, Liz. I’m supposed to have your back.”

“You have.” She tightened her hold on him. “You do. Seeing you like this, it helps me more than you know. And don’t think I don’t realize how much you’re risking to meet with me.”

Eventually they put their underwear and shirts back on and Liz pulled out a pack of gummy bears she’d gotten from the vending machine down the hall and a card deck. He’d been teaching her poker games like Blackjack, Razz, and Texas Hold ‘em. While her poker face was impeccable, her actual knowledge of the games left a lot to be desired.

Ressler ended up winning all her gummy bears, but she put the last one between her teeth to make him take it from her with a kiss. They ended up lying back down on the sheets, the cards getting mixed up as Ressler rolled her over and lavished kisses up and down her body, being gentle with the bruises.

After what felt like no time at all, Liz heard her text tone going off and swore quietly. She picked up their clothes on the bed, rifling through them until she found her jeans. She pulled her latest burner out of the pocket and read the message.

“What is it?”

Liz snapped the phone shut. “A guy managed to come through with something I need, but I have to go now.” NYPD had tagged the car she was using after the bank break-in, so she’d had to hitchhike back to DC where she knew someone who could get her a new one.

Ressler pushed her hair aside to kiss the mark he’d left on her neck. “Relax, I’m not asking.”

She turned around to hug him, very badly not wanting to let go. But then she closed her eyes and saw her mother’s body jerking as the bullets made contact, saw Katarina crashing to the ground, Reddington standing over her with his finger on the trigger.

“This means you have to go doesn’t it?”

Liz didn’t pull back to answer. “Yeah it does.”

Ressler knelt next to his bed, staring at the open shoe box he kept beneath the loose floorboard under his nightstand. Inside it were four identical burner phones, each with the battery removed.

Even as he stared Ressler chastised himself for being so stupid. The phones were evidence, incriminating evidence. They might not have had Keen’s fingerprints on them and she may have ditched the old numbers, but he was afraid Reddington could still use them to find her if he got his hands on them. Not to mention if anyone managed to prove Keen had sent him the phones, if Park or Cooper or Aram put in the battery and saw the message that he hadn’t reported, he could go to jail for aiding a fugitive.

But that didn’t stop him from taking the fifth phone out of his pocket and adding it to the pile. Her office and apartment had been cleared out as evidence, he had nothing else left of her.

With a sigh he placed the box back in its hiding place and turned out the lights as he climbed into bed. He found himself staring at the clock, as the minutes ticked by, until it hit midnight.

Ressler looked out the window and sighed. “Merry Christmas Liz.”

End

Okay well hope you enjoyed. Happy holidays!

#TheBlacklistSecretSanta #keenler #alyblacklist #liz x ressler

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pastthevaulteddoors · 3 years

Text

What if, in book 3, instead of running off after Pettigrew and Sirius on the map, Remus had the forethought to rush to Snape for the wolfsbane potion. I mean, it was nearly sunset, he would know he couldn’t confront his past friends if he turned werewolf. Snape follows Remus in secret when he rushes out of his office once Remus drank the potion.

Therefore, Remus would never have went batshit crazy when the moon hit his eye (like a big pizza pie).

More under cut because this went far longer than I meant it to.

In the chaos of the transformation, Pettigrew tried to transform into a rat but a mindful werewolf-Remus put the rat in his mouth and held him there like a jail cell. When Snape comes out of the stump, he freaks out at first, but then remembers the wolfsbane potion Remus rushed him to finish. Not trusting either man, Snape demanded that Harry and co. get to the castle for help (partly to keep them away from harm aka werewolf and Sirius).

Remus almost decides to crush rat Pettigrew in his mouth but overcomes that murderous desire so Pettigrew is alive when help arrives. After a few minutes of a Mexican standoff of Snape, a werewolf, a fugitive, dementors, and auroras, Pettigrew is forced to reveal himself. Now with evidence, the Ministry doesn’t send Sirius to the dementors when they take him into custody, but hold him for questioning.

In the end, Sirius is cleared of all charges. Remus still resigns once Snape gets petty and reveals his condition, but when Harry goes to check on his favorite teacher, Sirius is there with him as he’s packing up. Sirius explains how he is going to immediately try to reclaim his family’s home and start knocking down walls and bad memories. When he has approval and proper enchantments done on the house, he’s going to take Harry in.

Remus says he’ll be staying with Sirius, to help with the house and, well, the two have thirteen years of pain and trust issues to overcome.

That’s the first time Harry realizes that these two were perhaps closer than friends.

It only takes a month into the holidays before Harry is invited to Grimmauld Place. Although not blood related, being godfather does include its own veil of protective magics. (Although Remus and Sirius are very British about showing affections to each other, it doesn’t take Harry long to realize that not only are the two on a road to emotional recovery, but the affection between them is definitely romantic love. Not to mention that they share a room and no one says anything about it.)

Anyway, Harry has a great summer with his new family. Sirius goes out a lot for interviews and aims to reclaim his name in society. He also gains an emotional support dog that looks suspiciously like a grim (it’s not a magical beast, it’s legit just a dog trained to assist Sirius after 13 years of Azkaban induced PTSD).

Remus obviously wants to work but is shunned loudly by the public, so he remains at home most days. Harry can tell he’s upset about not being able to find a job and ‘be useful’ he once heard him say, so Harry asks him for defensive lessons. It sparks joy in Remus to teach again, and when Ron and Hermione visit, they let him give them a lesson or two. (To be fair, he’s a kick ass teacher so who wouldn’t want to be tutored by him?)

Otherwise, Remus spends his days fixing up the house and talks of some day creating a house for wayward werewolves. With Sirius’ backing and inheritance, it would be possible.

Year four is as it should be, only Sirius is there to support Harry, and, since he’s a public figure, defends his godson in the daily profit when Rita Skeeter writes her columns. Remus never shows up, as he is not family and he does not want to stir up trouble with everyone knowing his ‘condition.’

Year five, Harry never goes to the Dursley’s and goes directly to Grimmauld place, which has had a huge face-lift since last summer. Remus put a lot of work into creating a home for them. It does become the Order of the Phoenix’s headquarters but still they don’t let Harry in on what’s going on.

Around his birthday, Mrs. Weasley asks the trio to pop over to the store to get eggs since she and Ginny need them to make Harry’s birthday cake. Harry suspects they’ll come back to a surprise party, but does’t probe and lets himself get shoved out the door. Down an alleyway is when they’re attacked by dementors.

Of course, he is not expelled because Dumbledore interferes.

Towards the end of the year, within the Department of Mysteries, Sirius has long since learned to trust more and his wits are about him. He doesn’t get distracted by Harry’s James-like dexterity and therefore is able to get out of the way of Bellatrix’s avada kedavra spell. However, he does become gravely injured to where Harry thinks he’s dead.

He lives though. Because.

Year six is basically the same, but the Order still meets at Grimmauld Place and sometimes the trio is allowed, if only for their own safety. Life is not unbearably dark and grim.

During Christmas, Remus has to finally get firm with Tonk’s flirting that accidentally outs him and Sirius. Only a few didn’t catch onto their relationship so it’s not really too big of a surprise.

I almost want to say some Drarry happens in year six, what with Harry with a new outlook on life, and mentors that wish the best for him. Harry reaches out to Draco until the boy crumbles. When Draco doesn’t kill Dumbledore and Snape does, Harry takes Draco to the Order with him for protection. Shortly after, Mrs. Malfoy deflects as well and goes into hiding at Grimmauld Place. Mr. Malfoy remains a coward at Voldermort’s side.

Year seven, the trio set out on their journey to find and destroy the horcruxes but with the support of his family. Harry is able to use the broken mirror as intended and thus ends up in less deaths. No dead Dobby, or Hedwig, or Mad-Eye, or Tonks, or Remus, or Fred because they were able to communicate and prepare better for the attack. (and damnit I love happy endings!)

When the dust settles and the world starts to right itself, Remus and Sirius finally marry properly. Remus opens his House for Wayward Werewolves. Harry accompanies Draco back to the manor where he is now the head of house (since Mr. Malfoy died... because he was trash) and helps him rebuild.

A few years later, Harry and Ron quickly become dissatisfied with being aurors. Harry decides to become the next DADA teacher. Ron goes to assist his brothers at turning the joke shop into a cash cow as he does in canon, except, ya know, Fred is still alive. Because of course he is.

With Hermione rising in the ranks at the Ministry, she’s able to overturn a lot of backwards thinking and laws on non-Wizards. Therefore, Remus returns to Hogwarts. Maybe as the librarian or transfiguration teacher.

Sirius is a dandy and never gets a real job. Surprisingly, Sirius and Draco become close as in-laws and are fearsome elites amid the magical community. Not fearsome like Draco’s dad was, but in a ‘yes, we’re elites and we’re going to use our power to help those in need. House elves you say? You bet we’re in for the cause!’

...

I... dunno what just happened.

It’s a Harry Potter time of year.

#harry potter #drarry #draco malfoy #sirius black #remus lupin #wolfstar #i've never shipped drarry until this moment #be proud of me younger self

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imjustthemechanic · 3 years

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The Price of a Soul

Part 1/? - Agent Russel Part 2/? - The Letter Part 3/? - Miss Lake Part 4/? - The Stewardess Part 5/? - An Assassination Part 6/? - Fallout Part 7/? - Face to Face Part 8/? - Deals, Details, and Other Devils Part 9/? - Baggage Part 10/? - Private Funding Part 11/? - Just Passing Through Part 12/? - Party of Four Part 13/? - Resolute Part 14/? - The Wreck Part 15/? - Body Snatchers Part 16/? - Out of the Frying Pan Part 17/? - A Miracle Part 18/? - A Matter of Circumstance Part 19/? - Nome Part 20/? - The Future Part 21/? - A Hero’s Welcome Part 22/? - Up to Speed Part 23/? - Expect Further Delays Part 24/? - The Welcome Wagon Part 25/? - Fugitives

Alone and on the run from the law, Peggy and Kay have to decide what to do next.

ince Kay’s bunker was a no-go, they ended up spending the night in an abandoned farmhouse on the edge of the Pine Barrens. This was exactly as creepy as it sounded, with no electricity, and rats and raccoons nesting in it. It started to rain around midnight, drumming on the roof and coming in through the long-broken windows. Peggy and Kay broke up some pieces of the stair bannister and used them to light a fire in the fireplace, and by that flickering light, they tried to figure out what to do next.

“I don’t suppose you can go back in time again and start over,” Peggy said.

Kay shook her head. “This was a one-shot thing.”

“I see.” Peggy thought for a moment. “When we’re caught, I’m going to tell them you kidnapped me.”

“Cool,” said Kay. She sighed heavily, hugging her knees to her chest she stared into the flames. Peggy noticed that her root were growing out, coming in darker than the blonde, although by the firelight it was impossible to say quite what colour they were.

“Everything was supposed to be better,” Kay said. “Steve was supposed to get the happy ending he wanted, with you and James. HYDRA would be rooted out once and for all before they could really get their claws into the government.” She reached up to scrub at her eyes with her fingers. “The Red Room would be destroyed. I don’t know if I’d be able to force Howard to hug his son once in a while but I was going to try. I don’t know if I’d be able to do anything for Clint or for Bruce… I’m not going to live that long.” She shrugged. “And after that… I don’t know if we can destroy the Infinity Stones with the technology of this decade, but if anybody could figure it out, it’s Howard Stark.”

She hadn’t been joking when she said she had an extensive to-do list, Peggy thought. Most of the items on it meant absolutely nothing to Peggy, but she could tell they were things Kay cared about very much.

Which made for one odd omission. “What about you?”

“The Red Room,” said Kay. “That’s the code name for the place where they raise girls into spies. If that doesn’t exist, then I won’t be drafted into it when my parents abandon me. I don’t know what will happen to me, but even starving on the streets of Volgograd would be better than that.”

Peggy thought of some of the things she’d seen at that facility in Siberia, and shuddered.

“The thing is,” Kay added, “I know I can’t do it alone. I need you guys. If you’re in prison and Ste… and Captain America’s off shaking hands with his fans, then I can’t do it. I might be able to do it myself in the twenty-first century, but not now, I don’t know enough. Even if I did, it would be so much easier with help. I had one shot, and I ruined it.”

She fell silent then, and Peggy wondered what it was she wanted. Reassurance that everything would be okay? Peggy couldn’t give her that. “Well, you certainly didn’t improve things by taking us both on the run,” she said.

“Probably not,” Kay agreed.

Peggy wrapped her coat around herself to use as a blanket, and lay down with her own elbow for a pillow. “In the morning,” she said, “we should head to the nearest town and turn ourselves in.”

“Then what happens to Steve?” asked Kay. “And to James?”

“At the moment I’m primarily worried about what happens to me,” said Peggy. Steve was doubtless worried about her, and about Sergeant Barnes, and if Kay said was true, Barnes did need help, but Peggy was not in a position to do anything about that right now. Her focus had to be on her own survival, both physical and political. “If I wasn’t going to end up in prison before I certainly am now.”

“I know,” said Kay. “I’m sorry.”

“Apologies don’t do a lot of good at this point,” Peggy told her.

“Apologies never do a lot of good for me,” said Kay. “I’ve always been the one who throws the other guy over a cliff. Looks like nothing’s changed.”

Peggy woke up early, stiff and cold from sleeping on the floor. The fire had burned itself down to a smolder, and Kay was gone. For a moment Peggy was furious, thinking the other woman had abandoned her, but then she rolled over and discovered Kay’s red purse, still sitting there on the floor. Had she simply left that behind, or was it intended to tell Peggy she was coming back?

She got up, stretched the kinks out of her neck as best she could, and went to look out front. The car was still there, and Kay was sitting in the driver’s seat. When Peggy came closer, picking her way between the puddles and the rotten boards of the front steps, she found that the radio was on.

“They haven’t said anything about us yet,” said Kay, “but I’ve only been here about ten minutes. Weather’s supposed to be nice today.”

Peggy climbed in the passenger seat to listen for herself. There was a weather report, and then it began talking about Captain America.

New York Senator Elect Vernon Masters brought the Captain home to Brooklyn last night to tremendous fanfare, the announcer said. Captain America will be embarking on a tour of the state capitals, along with the Senator Elect and industrialist Howard Stark, who was instrumental in locating the wreck of the German bomber.

“Of course they don’t mention Jason,” grumbled Peggy. If anything, he had more trouble getting recognition for his achievements than she did.

“They don’t mention us, either,” Kay mused. “That means they don’t want people knowing we’ve escaped.”

“Specifically, Thompson doesn’t want people knowing,” said Peggy. “He must be dreadfully tired of people escaping from him.”

“He ought to take better care of them, then,” snorted Kay. “You still want to turn yourself in?”

Peggy had to think about it. “I think we’d better,” she said. “But not to Thompson. We need to find a pay telephone, and I’ll speak to Daniel.”

They drove into the nearest town, where they found a little diner to order breakfast. Kay clearly had no appetite, nibbling at her toast and forcing herself to eat her scrambled eggs. Peggy didn’t feel very hungry, either, despite some grumbling from her stomach. She got through about half of it, and then pushed her plate away and checked her watch, which was still on Los Angeles time.

The moment it reached eight-thirty AM, she went outside and picked up the pay telephone. “Hello,” she said, “I’d like to make a long-distance call.”

She gave the number for the storefront in Los Angeles, and waited while switchboard operators across the country made connections. Finally, the line picked up, and Rose’s somewhat staticky but familiar voice said, “good morning, Auerbach Theatrical Agency.”

“Good morning,” said Peggy. “May I speak to Mr. Auerbach, please?”

“Peggy?” Rose asked. “Where are you?”

“I can’t say,” Peggy replied. “I just need to speak with Daniel right away.”

Rose lowered her voice. “You can’t,” she said. “He was arrested yesterday, just after you left! What’s going on?”

Peggy’s insides turned to ice. Daniel had been arrested… because of course, Dottie had told Thompson that Daniel had colluded with Peggy in letting her out of jail. She’d probably implicated Mr. Jarvis, too. This wasn’t just about what would happen to Peggy anymore, not at all. This was about what was going to happen to all of them.

“I… can’t say,” Peggy repeated. “Listen, please don’t tell anybody I spoke to you. We’re all in a lot of trouble.”

“All right,” said Rose. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m not sure yet,” said Peggy. She hung up the phone and stood there a moment, digesting what she’d just heard. ‘Borrowing’ Dottie to get the sample of Zero Matter had been Peggy’s idea. Daniel and Mr. Jarvis had helped, but none of it would have happened without Peggy, and now they were possibly all going to hang for it. Would pleading that they’d done it to save the world do any good? Not likely. Masters’ lawyers would argue that there must have been other options. It was just that in the hurry of the moment, Peggy hadn’t been able to think of any.

Kay was waiting for her outside the phone booth. When Peggy opened the door, her eyes went wide.

“Sit down,” she ordered. “Put your head between your knees.”

“I am not going to faint!” Peggy snapped. “Daniel has been arrested as well, and Mr. Jarvis. I don’t know if she’s implicated Howard and Jason or not.”

“Oh.” Kay covered her mouth. “This is… this is all my fault…”

“No, it isn’t,” Peggy said. “It’s mine.”

“If I hadn’t been here…”

“Even with you here, we wouldn’t be in trouble if I hadn’t had the blindingly stupid idea to break Dottie out of jail to begin with!” Peggy informed her. This sensation of crushing weight on her chest, as her bad decisions rained down like bricks to bruise and bury her… this must be what Kay had felt last night when Thompson had tried to arrest them for treason. If so, Peggy found herself reacting to it in what had to be a very similar way.

“Bugger it,” she said. “You are a bad influence.”

“I know,” said Kay.

“Do you have any more change?”

Kay dug into her purse for some coins, and Peggy lifted the receiver again. “Hello, operator. I would like to make a long-distance call. Can you get me the California FBI office in Sacramento?”

She didn’t actually know if the FBI opened as early as the SSR, though it seemed likely, so it was a relief when she heard a receptionist pick up and greet her. “FBI, can I help you?”

“Good morning,” said Peggy, affecting an American accent. “May I please speak to Agent Ned Russel? This is his wife, Alice.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the woman replied. “He’s still in New York, working on a case.”

“I thought he’d been taken off that case,” Peggy said.

“I don’t know the details,” said the receptionist. “I think he was reinstated as a favour for somebody from another agency. Would you like to speak to the chief?”

“No, no thank you,” Peggy said. “I’ll see if I can call him there. Goodbye.”

She hung up, and turned to Kay again. “I have an idea.”

The black SSR vehicle they’d been driving so far was far too recognizable to take back into the city, so the women left it behind and stole a green Ford coupe they found parked beside the diner. Peggy drove this time, as they headed north back towards the city.

“What’s your plan?” asked Kay.

Peggy took a deep breath. “The easiest, although perhaps not the most legal, way to get everybody I know and love out of trouble is to make sure Dottie cannot testify,” she said. “Masters and Thompson didn’t make their move until they had her, so she must be the cornerstone of their case. We remove Dottie again, and they have nothing.”

“Makes sense,” said Kay in a deadpan. It was impossible to tell what she thought.

“Unfortunately, we cannot get in to see her,” Peggy went on. “Last time I got her out by wearing a disguise, but that’s not going to work again. The police guarding her know me now, because I was in there to see you, and there’s the possibility that Dottie herself will raise the alarm. And you certainly can’t go in because they know you as well. However, we know somebody who probably has every right to be there, we know that he is slightly terrified of both of us, and we possibly know where he eats lunch.”

It was with that in mind that they parked their stolen car behind the Automat up the street from the telephone company building. The lunch rush had just ended, and Peggy could see Pearl standing by the back door on a cigarette break. She approached.

“Hi, Peggy,” said Pearl. “What are you doing back here?”

“I need to see Angie right away, privately,” said Peggy. “It’s very important. Don’t tell anybody else I’m here… and tell her it’s Phone Company Business.”

“Ah… all right,” said Pearl. She dropped the remains of her cigarette on the pavement and went inside to get her co-worker. Angie appeared a few minutes later, looking concerned – she knew very well what Peggy meant by Phone Company Business.

“What’s wrong, English?” she asked.

“Angela Martinelli!” Kay exclaimed.

Angie blinked. “Do we know each other?”

“You’re going to be in Stark Pictures’ Captain America movies,” said Kay, “opposite Burt Lancaster!”

“Ignore her, she thinks she can see the future,” said Peggy. “Listen to me, Angie… did we frighten Agent Russel away permanently?”

“No, he had his lunch here today,” Angie said. “He didn’t sit in my section.”

Peggy smiled. “Excellent,” she said. “Here’s what we need you to do.”

#fanfic #captain america #agent carter #peggy carter #steve rogers #steggy #fix it fic

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gloves94 · 4 years

Text

Sunburn [Prince Zuko] 11

Warnings: None Rating: PG-13 Pairings: Zuko/OC Summary: “You have everything you’ve ever wanted.” “No.” He said softly. “Not everything…” His golden eyes looked at her with a melting intensity she had never witnessed before. “I guess not.” She responded with glassy eyes as tears welled up threatening to break the dam of her eyes.

My fanfiction: M A S T E R L I S T

Zuko growled as he fell out of the bushes with leaves sticking to his clothes. His pack was to his uncle as he picked the flora that had stuck to him.

"I didn't find anything to eat! I can't live like this! I wasn't meant to be a fugitive!" Zuko shouted as he threw royal tantrum tossing his hands in the air and yelling at the sky, "This is impossible!"

Silence was his only response as Iroh ignored him. He frowned then turned around to look at his uncle, who wasn't paying any attention to him and was instead crouching beside a small bush with large red and white orchid like flower stemming from it.

"Uncle, what are you doing?" Zuko asked in exasperation as he walked over to look at the flower his uncle was apparently so enamored with. "Where's Tsai? She said we'd meet us back here before the sunset," he put his hands on his waist and sighed his exasperation growing with each passing moment.

It had been a couple of weeks since the prince, his uncle and the banished daughter of the Vice Royal family of You Dao had officially gone into hiding. The three had barely managed to scrape from Azula's vile hands. It didn't help that Zuko complained about everything.

xxx

"Do you HAVE to complain about everything?" Tsai had said to him more than irritated with his pessimistic attitude.

"I wan't meant for this life," The prince added in a snotty tone.

Honestly he could be such a spoiled brat sometimes. "Ho! Sorry your highness," she taunted with a smirk. "I didn't know you were so sensible about a camping trip."

"You call this a camping trip?!" He snapped at her in a fiery tantrum.

"Five Stars," the girl retorted sarcastically rolling her eyes. "Of course not! But we are fugitives. And none of us have anywhere to go so there's no use in complaining."

"She's right," Iroh added wisely as they walked together.

xxx

"You're looking at the rare white dragon bush. Its leaves make a tea so delicious, it's heartbreaking." Iroh said as he doted over the flower placing both hands over his chest. His eyebrow knitted as he frowned for a moment and sat thoughtfully, "That, or it's the white jade, which is poisonous." He scratched his beard as he pondered on that thought.

"We need food, not tea." Zuko snapped as he rolled his eyes at his uncle. "Wait here for Tsai!" Zuko ordered. "I'm going fishing..." He declared.

"Hmm... delectable tea?" Iroh mused ignoring the young prince. Both of his eyes enamored by the rare orchid flower before him. He gave the plant a suspicious look, "Or deadly poison?"

Xxx

Zuko rolled up the bottom of his pants as he prepared himself to step into the cold creek before him. On one hand he held a sharpened staff he had prepared to stab his future lunch. He stepped into the water and focused his sight on the small fish that swam the current by his feet.

"Stupid fish...." He grumbled to himself as he stabbed the water in an attempt to catch something. Anything. Who would've thought that fishing was so hard. He had been fishing for a while and was about to call it quits when something caught his eye. Something glimmering in the water. It was moving against the current and in between his feet the object was catching and reflecting a flickering light. He lowered his guard and his stick bending over to pick up whatever that was. It went under his feet. It was then that he felt a pair of palms press to his back and the next thing he knew he had fallen face first into the cold creek. He sat in the water, spitting some out a deep scowl on his face. A fish even leapt from the water and mocked him by slapping his face with its fins.

Tsai stood inside the stream as well. She was bent over from laughing so hard. She had officially shed her old clothes and now wore a pair of tight dark brown pants, a dry lime green earth kingdom shirt that reached just above her elbows and had a golden trim with a matching ribbon wrapping it around her waist with two long strange to the side. She had gotten rid of her long sleeves and displayed her fighting gauntlets that covered most of her lowered arm and the back of her palms. She still wore her old above the knee boots and sunstone choker. She had repeatedly refused to cut her hair and instead wore it wrapped up in a tight bun on the nape of her neck and a conical hat which was traditional to the are and hid most of her hair without the exception of several whips of bangs that stuck out.

"Looks like you almost caught one!" She laughed loudly clenching her stomach which ached from laughing so hard.

She pulled a string that had been tied to an Earth Kingdom coin and held it between her thumb and index fingers. "I can't believe you fell for that," she teased with a cheesy grin..

Zuko glared. 'Could she be any more annoying?'

"Maybe if you spent half as much time looking for food instead of playing practical jokes on me, maybe we wouldn't be starving!" He shot back extremely irritated.

"Take it down a notch, your highness" She emphasized his title with dripping sarcasm. Zuko could be such a diva sometimes. She rolled her eyes and patted a small sack she kept slung around her shoulder. "Found plenty of berries and nuts." He glared. "Come on," She extended her hand to help him up.

He kept his head lowered focused on her feet.

"Let's get back to Uncle Iroh before he worries about us."

He took her hand and she pulled his weight up. Or at least tried to. She missed the smallest and slyest of smirks that made way to his face. As he pulled her down into the water. His foot kicked hers out of balance and she fell face first in the most karmic way. Soaked to the bone she turned to glare at him and realized he was actually laughing. She had never seen or even heard Zuko laugh, it was an odd sight. So odd for an inexplicable reason it was contagious.

"You know, you should do that more often," she said with a sincere smile. The kind of smile that touches your heart. "Have fun."

It was almost as if a switch had gone off. Just like that his laughter ceased and he rose to his feet with a stoic expression on his face.

"I don't have time for fun." He stated looking away. She raised an eyebrow. Suddenly distracted by a brushing by her knee in the water. She looked down and stabbed through a fish with her hidden blade.

"What do you know? I caught one!"

Xxx

"Mine's totally bigger than yours," Tsai continued to push his buttons. She was proud of the medium sized fish she had caught. "Is not," the other retorted. He was basically stomping back into the small clearing where he had left his uncle with the orchid flower before he had gone fishing, the long branch he had used as a fishing pole resting against his shoulder while a very tiny fish flapping about helplessly on the sharp end. "You call that a fish? Looks more like a shrimp," she laughed at his puny fish. "It's not! Since when are you the expert fisherwoman? First you're a nature fanatic now this?" He glared. "Woah," she retorted. "So touchy about size, it's almost as if you were compensating for something else..." She muttered the last part evilly. "What did you say?!" The other bickered back flustered, his face turning red.

"Zuko, remember that plant that I thought might be tea?" Iroh called out sheepishly without turning around to look at the two teenagers. They instantly snapped out of their childish banter.

Zuko's brow furrowed slightly when he saw his uncle still hunched over in front of the plant with his back to then. He was standing terribly still. Tsai raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"You didn't..." Zuko groaned in exasperation.

'Oh No...'

"I did." Iroh responded then started to turn around, "And it wasn't..."

Zuko gasped and recoiled back sharply when his uncle turned around fully, revealing himself to be largely swollen and covered in a bright red rash which stretched in patches all over his body.

"White Jade poison..." Tsai groaned out annoyed.

"When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing." Iroh explained in a surprisingly calm voice as he scratched at his cheek for a moment then he stood and walked over to the teenagers and showed them a branch with white berries, "But look what I found. These are bacui berries, known to cure the poison of the white jade..."

Iroh's excited voice trailed off for a moment then he continued unenthusiastically, "That, or maka'ole berries that cause blindness..."

"These are maka'ole berries," Tsai said snatching the branch of white berries from Iroh's hand and tossing it over her shoulder and into the woods with an annoyed look on her face. "That's it! We're not taking any more chances with these plants!" Zuko snapped angrily. "We need to get help."

"Here," Tsai kneeled before Iroh. She pulled out her wet satchel ad pulled out a handful of white berries. "You're lucky I found some bacaui berries. These should take care of the the White Jade poison."

"Wait!" Zuko stopped her. "How do you know?" He asked placing a hand on her shoulder. "Easy," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The stem of bacaui berries is green, the one of maka'ole berries is red. Here's an easy way to remember. 'If you're green you're in the clear, if you're red then you're dead.'"

Zuko processed this for a moment and she thought he as looking for any petty comeback but instead stood silent, "Brilliant."

Tsai ordered Iroh to eat the berries. She was going to brew the plants leaves to make a tea which would be more effective in concentrated amounts and went back returned for more berries. Some which she was currently mashing into a pulp between two rocks.

The three currently sat under the shade of a medium sized tree which was near the stream where Zuko and Tsai had been fishing in earlier.

"How do you know so much about herbology?" Zuko suddenly asked as he ate some of the berries she had brought back with her. Iroh sat leaning against the tree shirtless. He presently sipped on some of the tea Tsai had brewed for him.

"Tea," she answered with a casual shrug. "I guess I just picked up the knowledge about herbalism when learning about different plants and herbs." "You do wrong in underestimating the value of tea Prince Zuko," Iroh said wisely.

"I accidentally poisoned my whole family once when I made some Oleander tea," she said sheepishly with a small laugh. At the time it had been scary consider they almost died, she was just glad that she could laugh at it now.

"I would like to go into town," she said after a moment. "I'm sure you're not the first or last person to become poisoned by a white jade and we could sell these berries to a local apothecary."

Iroh was impressed. Never would he have imaged that the Vice Royal Governor's daughter had such a knack for herbology. It trully was a blessing in disguise.

"But where are we going to go?" Iroh asked he began to scratch his fading rash, "We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom and fugitives of the Fire Nation."

Zuko folded his arms over his chest and cupped his chin in thought, "If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they'll have us killed."

Right. That was a fact.

"But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula." Iroh added as he stood up and scratched at his arm.

The three paused and looked at each other for a moment then nodded in agreement.

"Earth Kingdom it is." Zuko muttered and walked away, Tsai followed with Iroh trailing after them, still scratching his rash vigorously.

xxx

"You must not be from around here." A young woman with dark hair said in slight amusement as she handed Tsai back some coins for the herbs she had brought to her. She was close enough that she could see some red strands sticking out from under her hat.

"Your hair, I've never seen such a pretty color," she commented while looking at Tsai's hair.

Feeling self conscious she simply smiled politely and nodded. Iroh had been right. She had to do something about her hair, the length and the color were such a striking contrast to those of the Earth Kingdom.

"So where are you traveling from?" The girl pressed curiously as she glanced over at the three strangers that stood before her.

Zuko stood nervously, "Yes, we're travelers."

"Do you have names?" The girl questioned. Tsai was ready to leave. She didn't feel like answering any more questions or even lingering around.

"Names? Of course we have names..." Zuko stuttered with apprehension, "I'm, uh...Lee ," Tsai almost face palmed. 'Idiot', of course he picked the most common name in the Fire Nation. "And this is my Uncle Mushi and-" He looked at the auburn hair girl standing next to him. "Ding-Ding," she felt the corner of her eye twitch in irritation at the ridiculous name. Both turned to shoot him an annoyed look. However, Iroh smiled pleasantly at the girl who was attending them.

"Yes, my nephew was named after his father, so we just call him Junior." Iroh said then leaned to the side and shot Zuko a pleased smile. "Yeah, excuse him. He was dropped on his head as a child," she glared. "Right Lee-ly pad?""

Zuko's eyebrow twitched slightly and he glared at both the girl and his uncle them moved his finger across his throat, signaling that Iroh both were dead meat but the scarred prince stopped instantly when the girl in the counter turned to look at him.

"Well, we best get going. It's been a pleasure," Tsai turned on her heel.

"Mushi, Ding-Ding and Junior, huh. My name is Song. You look like you could use a good meal." The girl introduced herself then she glanced at Iroh and swatted at his arm when he started scratching his rash again, "Why don't you stay for dinner?"

"Sorry, but we need to be moving on." Tsai responded carefully as she looked away from the girl's gaze. "Yeah," Zuko added.

"That's too bad." Song replied as she smiled innocently at the group, "My mom always make too much roast duck."

'Oh no..'

Iroh's eye lit up excitedly and he grinned widely at the girl, "Where do you live exactly?"

Zuko sighed and closed his eyes, resisting the temptation to smack his forehead in exasperation. The corner of Tsai's eye twitched a little more intensely.

xxx

"My daughter tells me you're refugees." Song's mother commented as she placed a platter of roast duck on the table then took a seat across from Iroh at the table in the open-wall dining room, "We were once refugees ourselves."

"When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village." Song said , her voice sad as she looked at Zuko from under her lashes, "All the men were taken away. That was the last time I saw my father."

Tsai felt something churn inside of her. It was that guilt she now bore with her. Her sense of nationalism was fading... The Fire Nation.. She thought about what would happen if Song and her mother knew who they really were... The Fire Nation was vile... The thought hurt her. It hit close to home. To her identity to the only fatherland she had ever known.

Then she saw something that made both of her eyes narrow. Song placed a hand on Lee's shoulder and Tsai sat stiffly the edge of her lip twitching with a slightly grimace.

'Was she- was she flirting with Zuko? ' Once again she could feel the edge of her eye twitching with annoyance a tic she hoped wouldn't become a habit. She turned to glare at the prince sitting besides her. 'I mean- he looked very handsome with his new haircut, but so what?' She thought smugly.

"I haven't seen my father in many years." Zuko stated quietly as he glanced off to the side.

The air in the table felt heavy. The conversation had clearly shifted to a darker tone. A more vulnerable one. Tsai slurped her tea loudly and very rudely. All eyes turned to look at her. "What?" She snapped rudely. "I haven't seen my family either," she said in what almost sounded like a scoff.

"Oh?" Song questioned as she looked at them Zuko curiously, "Are your family's fighting the war?"

Zuko hesitated to answer. Iroh watched carefully from the corner of his eye as he slurped up a bowl of noodles. "Something like that," Tsai retorted ominously glaring at the pretty woman across the table.

The conversation shifted to tea and herbalism and eventually Zuko stood up to leave the room. Some moments later Song stood up and also exited the room following after him. Tsai panicked not wanting to leave them alone. When Song's mother suddenly reached for her hair.

"Such pretty hair, dear." She said politely as she twirled a strand of the red-auburn hair between her fingers. "I've never seen such a color."

She immediately tensed. She had removed her hat not to be rude during the dinner, but had now decided it had been a terrible idea. She really had to do something about it... The conversation shifted about hair colors for a while. Tsai just wanted it to be over.

xxx

Zuko sat cross-legged on the front porch of Song's house, looking out at the trees that surrounded the property. The sliding door suddenly opened and Song stepped out lightly sliding the door behind her.

"Can I join you?" She asked then walked over to Zuko without waiting for a reply, "I don't think your girlfriend likes me very much," she said with a polite smile. He was about to correct her but instead only shook his head in denial and went silence.

"I know what you've been through. We've all been through it."

She sat cross-legged beside him and her eyes flicked over Zuko's scar for a moment then she turned her head to face him a little more.

"The Fire Nation has hurt you." Song said quietly then she reached up to touch his scar.

Zuko caught her wrist and pushed her hand away without looking at her. Song folded her hands in her lap and looked at him for a moment then closed her eyes.

"It's okay. They've hurt me, too." She said compassionately then shifted right leg out from under her and pulled her pant leg up, revealing a large scar on her lower leg.

Zuko's good eye widenned slightly as he stared at the large burn in surprise then he looked up at her curiously.

Suddenly the door was almost ripped opened. There appeared to be an ominous air around Tsai. Something different about the way she was carrying herself tonight. Zuko thought she was acting extremely weird.

"Ah, great meal. Need to walk. Indigestion you know?" She spoke quickly as she with exaggerated movements stretched her arms around her body and rubbed her stomach dramatically before letting out a nervous laugh. "Oh? What are you two doing?" She asked in a faux saccharine tone as she forcefully squeezed in and sat between them.

'Why is.. Tsai acting so weird?' Zuko thought oddly as he looked at her with a strange expression. She immediately straightened her back and a hand through her hair nervously. "So is it true that a duck's quack can't echo?

Tsai would never admit it out loud and less to another human being, but jealousy...

Let's just say it wasn't one of her best traits.

Some painful moments later. Iroh finally stepped out.

"Thank you for the duck." He said with a smile as he Tsai and Zuko stood outside of Song and her mother's house, "It was excellent." He lightly bowed in gratitude.

"You're welcome." Song's mother stated with a warm smile as she handed Iroh a parcel of leftover roast duck and rice, "It brings me pleasure to see someone eat my cooking with such...gusto."

Iroh patted his stomach in a contented manner, "Much practice."

Zuko resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned to leave but Iroh stopped him. Tsai was ready to go. She was grateful for the meal. However she did not like Song or her mother, in the very least. Her jealousy greatly influencing her emotions.

"Junior, Ding-Ding where are your manners?" The older man chided softly as he tugged on both of their sleeves, "You need to thank these nice people."

Zuko turned back around and bowed to the two women, "Thank you." Tsai simply bowed a small scowl on her face.

"I know you don't think there's any hope left in the world, but there is hope." Song told Zuko as he continued to walk away, "The Avatar has returned."

Zuko paused at the small gate that surrounded the yard and glanced over his shoulder at the young woman.

The Avatar. Iroh noticed how the girl from the colonies also tensed up at the word her posture automatically becoming more stuff at the trigger word. 'The Avatar...' Maybe... Zuko was right. Maybe the only way to get everything back was by capturing the Avatar. Maybe then would they be pardon. Maybe then would she be able to return home to her family. After all what was her dream of having an equalist nation when there was nobody to share it with?

"I know." He muttered bitterly then he opened the gate and continued walking with Iroh trailing behind him. Tsai flashed her a mean glare. Afterwards she left a little guilty and her expression softened. She didn't mean to be so rude, it's just that sometimes. Her thoughts just. Again, jealousy was not her best trait.

Zuko stopped walking when he heard the ostrich-horse tied to a post a few feet away from the gate. The banished prince hesitated a moment then quietly walked over to the animal and untied the reins from the post. He led the ostrich-horse away from post then mounted it and rode it over to where his uncle and Tsai were standing.

"What are you doing?" Iroh demanded quietly as Zuko rode up beside him, "These people just showed you great kindness." "Yeah, are you nuts?" The girl said crossing her arms over her chest.

"They're about to show us a little more kindness." Zuko retorted calmly as he waited for his uncle to climb into the saddle, "Well?"

Iroh sighed in disappointment then reluctantly climbed into the saddle behind his nephew.

"Come on Ding-Ding, get on, you're only slowing us down." "Call me that again and I'll make you regret it Junior." She growled out. "And I'm not getting on that thing-" she said turning and walking away from the ostrich-horse. "Tsai, come on. Don't be difficult," he urged the ostrich-horse forward, unbeknownst to the fact that Song was watching them leave from a small crack in the sliding door. The young woman looked down sadly then closed the screen door silently.

xxxx

FIRST https://gloves94.tumblr.com/post/621142853126602752/sunburn-prince-zuko-1

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CHAPTER MASTERLIST

#zuko #prince zuko #zukoxreader #Zuko x oc #Zuko x you #atla zuko #avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar fanfic #avatar x oc #avatar fanfiction #fanfiction #fan fiction

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vyther16 · 4 years

Text

Breathe

whumptober 2020; day 13: breathe in, breathe out

glossary, with definitions to the best of my non-chinese understanding. tangjie - older female cousin on dad's side xiaojie - lady, lit little big sister gongzi - young master xiao - little

a/n

I recommend reading the work this is inspired by, "Why need we stay together day and night" by the lovely JianghuChild on Ao3. It has Shen-xiaojie being a soft-hearted badass and still getting to be in love with Yan Bingyun. If you have no patience for that, then all you need to know is Shen-xiaojie is pretending to be a cousin of the Fan sibs (Fan Sisi is her name), the entire capital thinks yby killed Fan Xian in a trauma-induced breakdown, and Fan Ruoruo started a spy ring of all the ladies in the capital to take down corrupt and womanizing officials and protect all the women in the capital.

this is not a fully fleshed out idea yet; it is a single scene that i wrote for this prompt, and that has a full au surrounding it that only i know right now. it will be expanded on eventually. maybe around thanksgiving, when I have less school to deal with.

Shen-xiaojie’s name is Shen Wan’er, in accordance with the novel (that I haven’t read lol)

~start~

Yan Bingyun stares at the inconspicuous note folded in his newly washed robes. There is no sender on the outside.

He remembers Shen--Fan Sisi’s note, the only contact he’s had with her since that night. It had appeared in the same way, and Yan Bingyun has an idea of how they have managed to pass by his extensive protections. He considers dismissing his maids and hiring a whole new household, but that would require too much explanation, and far too much time besides.

True to her word, Fan Sisi has not contacted him since that afternoon two months ago. He’s seen her with Fan Ruoruo and sometimes Fan Sizhe. She’s visited Lin Wan’er and Ye Ling’er often, and she has tea with a collection of high society women every week. She’s done well for herself, here in DaQing. He smothers the small spark of pride he feels at that, because she isn’t his, was never going to be his, and he can afford even less with her than he can with even a courtesan.

Not, that is, that he would ever want a courtesan, even if his traitorous heart didn’t belong to one woman alone.

He brushes his fingers over the note, feeling the quality of the paper. It’s the same stock as the note from Fan Sisi, all those months ago. He unfolds it slowly.

The characters are small and neat, lacking the small flair Fan Sisi always puts on the last stroke. He doesn’t recognize them.

He reads the note.

Meet me at the westernmost bridge tomorrow at dusk. If you do not, your monthly trips out of the city will not remain secret much longer.

Yan Bingyun’s breath catches in his throat. Someone knows .

“Gongzi, ” the hooded figure greets.

Yan Bingyun inclines his head, keeping his hands out in the open. He has an idea of who sent him the note, but that just makes him more aware of the dangers. The daggers in his sleeves and boot are a small comfort, the steel warmed by close proximity to his skin. The blood from the tiny knicks left behind by the unsheathed blades is difficult to see on the black robes he has taken to wearing, which is fortunate.

He has had rather enough of white robes to last him a lifetime.

The figure draws back her hood.

“ Xiaojie, ” Yan Bingyun says.

Fan Ruoruo smiles, a dangerous thing that hides itself behind dainty gestures and even daintier words.

“Why have you called me? They say I killed your brother.” He knows he didn't kill Fan Xian, but Fan Ruoruo has no reason to know that.

“Yet you disappear every month like clockwork, to a secluded cabin in the woods nearby. A cabin where you sometimes meet with Beiqi’s Shengnu. A cabin where you’re keeping my brother.”

Yan Bingyun’s breath stutters. He lets his dagger slip out of his sleeve.

“ Xiao- Yan- gongzi, the only reason I haven’t turned you in yet is because tangjie vouched for you. But tangjie has gone missing.”

Yan Bingyun staggers back.

They know about Fan Xian. Shen Wan'er is missing. Haitang Duoduo has been seen. Fan Xian is in danger again. Shen Wan'er has vanished. Haitang will be caught as a traitor. Fan Xian might be killed for real this time. Shen Wan'er has been discovered. Haitang will be killed.

Yan Bingyun breathes out, a shuddering sound that grates on his ears for the weakness it reveals.

Then he lurches forward, pressing his dagger to Fan Ruoruo’s throat. “You can’t tell anyone he’s alive. You can’t. The Second Prince will kill more than just Fan Xian if our deception is found out.”

“The Second Prince?” Fan Ruoruo chokes out, pushing futilely against Yan Bingyun’s weight.

Yan Bingyun steps back, hands shaking. There’s a thin line of blood on Fan Ruoruo’s neck. “Of course. He’s the one who asked me to kill Fan Xian.” He hesitates, then adds, “And the one who threatened Fan Sizhe as well.”

Fan Ruoruo’s eyes go wide. “That’s why he welcomed you back so quickly. We wondered.”

“Does anyone else know about Fan Xian?” Yan Bingyun gets out. His breathing is too fast, the way it gets sometimes. He rubs his thumb along the hilt of his dagger. Forward, breathe in. Back, breathe out. Repeat. Breathe in, forward. Breathe out, backwards.

“Only my people,” Fan Ruoruo says.

Forward, breathe in. “Who are your people?” Back, breathe out. Fan Ruoruo wouldn’t jeopardize her brother’s safety. Fan Xian is safe for now.

“Shadows.” Fan Ruoruo smiles, knife-sharp.

“They won’t tell the royal family? Or the director?” He presses. Forward, breathe in.

“The royal family and the director are terrified of us. But they don’t know who we are.”

Back, breathe out. Yan Bingyun pushes past the bone-deep terror for Fan Xian, for Shen Wan'er, for even Haitang Duoduo.

“The spy ring. The one that topples corrupt officials. You’re the ringleader?”

Fan Ruoruo’s grin widens. “Very good, Yan Bingyun. How very clever of you.” He's reminded starkly of Fan Xian, in the hours after his rescue, praising him for putting together dots a child could connect.

“If you can find all those things about the ministers, why do you need my help?” Forward, breathe in.

“Shen Wan'er is missing. She was taken from her room two days ago, and we have not seen her since. My people have looked, but we cannot find her. You have the unique privilege of being both Overwatch Council and someone we are willing to deal with, if absolutely necessary.”

Back, breathe out. “Shen- xiaojie made it quite clear how she felt about me the last time we saw each other,” Yan Bingyun says, squashing the emotions that claw their way up his throat at the thought of Shen Wan'er.

“Tangjie is a fugitive from Beiqi. You know this as well as I do. I fear the Overwatch Council has found out. They won’t care that she is merely the younger sister of a disgraced and dead lord, who doesn’t know any state secrets.”

Yan Bingyun knows what the Overwatch Council will do to her in hopes of getting information. He rubs his thumb over the hilt of his dagger again. "Do you have a plan?"

Fan Ruoruo draws her hood back up, hiding her face in shadows. "Of course."

~fin~

a/n

recall, if you will, that this is merely a scene from an unpublished au. do not at me about things that are not canon compliant or about ooc-ness, bc there are things that happen to these characters to make every action they take mostly in character. I will add a chapter to this directing to the finished fic this is from when I eventually finish writing it, but that probably won't be until late next month at the earliest. it will probably be around thanksgiving and/or christmas, when I have breaks from school

i didn't bother with a fancy title for this one, since it's not a fully fleshed out scene or idea, soooooooooo..............

ao3 link in the reblog to my main; reblogs>likes

#whumptober 2020 #no.13 #breathe in breathe out #qing yu nian #joy of life #yan bingyun #fan ruoruo #fic #fanfiction #tw:#panic attack #torture #paranoia #breathe au

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dorminchu · 4 years

Text

ereani 30 day otp wip - timeskip au, nsfw

a tentative successor to 07, old soul on young shoulders. ponytail eren and his brooding attitude make a return, as does the raging sexual tension between him and the Scouting Legion's newest pawn. Possibly a fugitive fic. Roleplay also comes back, except it's a bit more deliberate? Working title is 13. given no quarter. Sauciness under the cut.

01.

He can't find it in himself to regret his decision entirely. Annie was and still is an enemy soldier — and he's not a boy blinded by loyalty. If they end up going their separate ways he will not fault her. If they cross paths after that, he'd invariably end up cutting her down, no room for doubts.

He supposes that he could've been nicer, but what would that prove besides his own uncertainty? There's no sense in getting too attached, after all; she's made a name for herself with the Legion. He could have surely been a Captain, if not for his war crimes in Marley.

She's deigned to hear him out when no one else would try — and he has repaid her hesitation with a quick fuck and a ploy. He doesn't feel much point in justifying it, now that it's done — expressing whatever sentiments he'd retained that couldn't be put into words, laid now (he tells himself) to rest.

Why else would she accept his offer to go AWOL (check term), if not to let his guard down?

He isn't sure he would have felt the same way about mercy, in her position. That said, he isn't about to make the same mistake twice.

When he puts it in these terms, he really doesn't have much of an advantage. She's the one in a position of authority, despite her prior reputation. He is the deserter, the boy who once showed promise as a martyr and a fairly accomplished soldier turned rogue. If it weren't for the fact he's got some of the guards under his thumb, they'd in a hell of a lot more trouble.

At the same time, he'd forgotten the simple intimacy of just… being close to another person, with no intent to harm.

Life resumes, almost as though the whole fiasco had never happened in the first place. The cell is quiet. He doesn't have much evidence to prove himself it happened, save the more obvious minutia; more prominently, a scuff on the stone floor where he'd shunted the bed.

02.

Annie raises her hips. There's no need to waste his breath. It's a temporary escape from the hell they live in, nothing more.

He might've been kinder when he was a boy. He isn't as brusque upfront as last time, but he is efficient, getting her close, unable to come. He lays her back down on the bed — his bed, he thinks — grappling her hips and arse, drawing his tongue out to kiss her instead.

When she does come, and it doesn't take too much after that build-up, he does not stop, only slows; Annie's caught off guard on her back, makes these long dragging gasps that give way to moaning, clenching on nothing.

She's trying to get her legs up over him, but he'd thought of that too, handling the small of her back, tipping her waist up to get a better go of it. She can only do so much from this point.

"You — idiot," she rasps, "c-come up here'n — u-ungh."

Eren grunts indistinctly, pausing to slant his mouth over her clit. Annie's hips jerk, she gasps, "Shit!" and pretty soon she's panting harder, saying, Eren, Eren.

"Once more," he tells her, "you can handle that, can't you."

"Yes," she shudders.

"Yes, what?"

She collects herself, still breathy. "Sir."

He shifts his weight, tries to catch his breath himself.

"You enjoy this, sir."

He looks up. "What, this?"

She tries to scowl but she's flushed, glassy eyed. "Don't play dumb."

"No, go on. What else do you want me to do to you?"

Annie takes a little breath. "Lie on your back. I'll ride you first. Then you can fuck me."

He gives her a smile, a real one. "Oh yeah?"

"Eren," she hisses, squeezing her legs around his shoulders.

He swats at her thigh. "That won't help you."

"Fuck, sir," she grits, "let me ride you."

He licks his lips. "How can I be sure you'll behave?"

Annie reclines herself, hands splayed at his pelvis, feigning disillusionment. "I—I've been good, haven't I."

"Yeah." He sits up. "I want to be sure."

Her eyes narrow. "You talk too much."

"Yeah," he says again. "But I promised you this much. Go on. Ride me."

Annie stares at him. She shifts over to his chest, on her knees. He grasps the meat of her thighs and doesn't wait for her to settle, licks in like he's been waiting for this moment since the very start. Annie sucks in a breath and starts grinding in earnest. Pretty soon she's all he can smell or taste. He's lucky he has a firm grip on her legs. She starts to tremble when she's close, legs clamp down like he's going to slip away somehow.

When she does come, with a shout and her body turned rigid, he holds her in place, laps at her until he can hear the frantic noises she's making. He doesn't give her a minute, or half that much; if he doesn't make good on his word he's going to come in his pants and ruin the point of this entirely. He kicks off his trousers and pulls her into his lap, buries himself in one clean thrust. Her breath sticks in her throat and she moans his name again.

"That won't help you," he says harshly.

Annie's eyes flutter, wide. "Fuck me, sir," she pants.

Eren gauges this, cupping under her arse. Annie cants herself back and takes him in inches.

"Gonna fuck yourself, instead?" he pants.

The familiar light returns to her eyes. "Whatever you like, sir."

He grunts. "Go ahead. You've earned that much."

Annie looks confused again. "E—sir."

"I can't last forever, you know. You don't start movin', and I'll have to do this all by myself."

"Hm?"

"'Yeah, I might just pull out right now," he squeezes her hips, "an' come in your mouth."

It had sounded a lot better in his head. Annie seems to take this in stride, grinds herself back against him until he's deeper. "Ah. That so?"

He thrusts up, hits something that makes her hiss. "I'll put you over the cabinet and eat you all over again if you don't hurry up. You want that?"

Now Annie looks a little struck. She cants her hips and says, with deliberate discipline: "Next time."

Eren groans. "Shit, Annie."

"I don't want it nearly as much as you." She's smirking, though. He's so relieved to see a recognisable response from her.

"O.K., Leonhardt."

She huffs. "Goddam it. You're not even — hah."

"Hm? What — should I do?" She's gnawing her lip, working herself over. Eren tries to keep up with her but it's almost too much after all that waiting, and all the noises he's pulled out of her. He can hear how wet she is every time she pulls back and he's about five seconds away from rolling them over and giving her what she wants.

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #eren jaeger #annie leonhardt #ereani #ereannie #aot #snk #fanfic #fanfiction #wip #not sfw

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lakesandquarries · 4 years

Text

After the Storm - Chapter Seven

AO3 Link

Rachel throws the door open the instant Maddie touches her knuckles to it, a scowl on her face.

“Hi,” Tom says, waving.

“You better have a good explanation,” Rachel says, ushering them in. “I mean, really! A cryptic text like that, and then nothing , and then you just show up at my door? You better not be planning to stay, I don’t even know how you got here so fast.”

“The suitcase isn’t for us,” Maddie says, attempting to placate her sister. “How about we sit down?”

“What’s the suitcase for?”

Maddie glances back at Tom. He shrugs at her.

“Before I tell you anything, you have to promise not to freak out,” Maddie says.

“Excuse me?”

“Pinky promise,” Tom intejects.

Rachel huffs. “ Fine. ” She holds out her pinky. “I won’t freak out.”

“Or call the police. Or tell anyone .”

Still holding out her pinky, Rachel rolls her eyes. “It’s about that alien, isn’t it?”

Maddie hooks her pinky with Rachel’s. “His name,” she says, shaking it, “is Sonic.”

“Oh, hell no,” Rachel says.

“I’m gonna go somewhere else,” Tom announces, grabbing the suitcase and quickly retreating to the kitchen.

“Maddie,” Rachel says. “What is going on ?”

“You promised not to freak out,” Maddie reminds her.

“ Maddie ,” Rachel repeats.

In the same sharp tone of voice Maddie replies, “ Rachel. ”

“Did you bring an alien into my house?”

“His name is Sonic,” Maddie repeats.

“Oh, my god.”

“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not that,” Maddie says quickly, trying to stop the rant she can feel is coming.

“Okay, so you aren’t harboring some kind of dangerous alien fugitive? And bringing it to my house ? This was bad enough when it was just Tom being an idiot, but now you’re in on it too! The FBI showed up at my front door!”

“Please tell me you didn’t say anything.”

“I told them that your husband is an idiot,” Rachel says, folding her arms.

“What else? Did you tell them about Sonic?”

Rachel rolls her eyes. “I’m not stupid. Just because I think you’re making a horrible decision doesn’t mean I’m gonna tell the FBI about it.”

Maddie deflates, letting out a relieved sigh.

“Starting to wonder if I should’ve,” Rachel mutters.

“Don’t you dare. ”

“Relax, I’m not gonna. I promised, didn’t I? But you need to explain what’s going on. Did you, or did you not bring some kind of alien fugitive to my house?”

“He’s a kid , Rachel. He’s barely older than Jojo. Yes, he is some kind of alien fugitive, and also, he’s maybe 13 years old and he lived in a cave. Maybe it was a reckless idea, but you can’t convince me it was a bad one.”

Rachel’s gaze darts to the kitchen doors. “Maddie, this is crazy. ”

“Maybe,” she admits. “But I had to do something.”

“The worst part of this is I can’t even say I’m that surprised,” Rachel says, leaning against the couch cushions. “Of course you end up adopting the fugitive alien. Sure. Might as well.” She rubs her forehead, running her hands down her face. “I thought you and Tom wanted to wait before having kids?”

“That was the original plan, yeah. But...things change. Plans change.”

“People, apparently, do not.” Rachel takes a breath, sitting up on the couch. “I still think this is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” she says, “but alright. Let’s go meet my new nephew.”

“Can I come out?” Sonic asks, as soon as he feels the suitcase stop moving.

“Yeah,” Tom says. The suitcase unzips and Sonic stumbles out, stretching after being stuck in there for the whole journey.

“That wasn’t as bad as the duffel bag, but this was not what I thought the trip was gonna be like,” he complains.

“I know, kiddo. We just didn’t want Rachel freaking out.”

Sonic sighs dramatically, pouting. “I don’t get why people keep freaking out!”

“You can be a little startling, buddy.”

Sonic doesn’t look at him, folding his arms and staring at the floor.

“Hey, it’s just for a little bit. Maddie’s catching Rachel up, and then you’re not gonna need to keep hiding.”

Well, that part sounds nice. It’s not that Sonic isn’t grateful for the opportunities he has, it’s just...well, he’d thought maybe he wouldn’t have to hide at all anymore. Not a realistic thought, but still. He’d gotten so caught up in the excitement of being known , he forgot that it was really only a small group of people who actually knew.

It’s better than before, he reminds himself. And the idea of the whole world knowing about him….he’s not sure he’d be able to handle it. It’s for the best, to still be partially hidden. And he’s safe, and technically he’s still following Longclaw’s instructions, sorta, so it’s fine. It’s good, even! There’s nothing for him to be upset about.

“Sonic?” Tom says, kneeling down and putting a hand on his shoulder. “You good?”

“Huh?”

“You’re mumbling to yourself again, and you’re gonna wear a path in the kitchen floor at the rate you’re going.”

“Oh. I’m fine. Just….thinking. But I’m fine! Promise.”

Stupid , he thinks. Could you be anymore obvious?

“I know it’s rough,” Tom says, patting his shoulder. “But hey, at least the suitcase smelled better, right?”

Sonic scrunches up his face. “ Barely. ” It’s obvious what Tom is doing, but he doesn’t mind the change in topic.

“You guys in here?” He hears someone tap on the kitchen door - Maddie, probably, considering he also heard her talking.

“No,” Tom calls back, winking at Sonic.

Maddie opens the door anyway. “Rachel is taking things surprisingly well. She wants a proper introduction. Sonic, does that sound good to you?”

He bounces on his heels, rushing past Maddie over to the living room. There’s a woman getting up from the couch, who he assumes is Rachel. She looks a little like Maddie, if he squints. Her smile is kinda similar, warm and friendly.

“Hi there,” Rachel says. “You’re Sonic?”

“Yes,” he says, and it comes out embarrassingly squeaky. He clears his throat. “Yes! That's me. I’m Sonic. Hi. You’re Rachel?”

She nods and smiles at him, reaching out her hand. He almost high fives her before realizing she’s probably looking for a handshake.

“Well aren’t you just adorable,” Rachel says, leaning over to pat his head. “Goodness, you’re tiny.”

“Be nice,” Maddie says, but she’s smiling too. “If I remember, you were pretty short for a very long time.”

“You were just way too tall,” Rachel says, turning her attention from Sonic back to Maddie. Sonic shifts his weight back and forth, uncertain if he should interrupt, when she says something about how “At least he’s polite,” but Rachel turns back to him quick. “It’s good to meet you. You let me know if you need anything, alright honey?”

“I think I’m fine,” he says, tilting his head.

“Not right now. I mean, yes right now - you want something to eat? I hope these two are feeding you well, I swear Maddie never eats enough and we all know about Tom’s diet -”

“I take offense to that!” Tom says, poking his head out of the kitchen.

Sonic laughs. “I used to call him Donut Lord before I knew his name.”

“You see! Setting a terrible example.” Rachel sits back down on the couch, patting the seat next to her. He takes a moment to sit down, trying to make sure his quills won’t accidentally stab the cushions, and once he’s settled Rachel leans over and pats him on the head again.

“So you just let me know if you ever need anything,” she repeats, waving Maddie over. She sits down on the other side of Sonic and he leans his head against her arm. “Well, isn’t that just adorable.”

“You’re a lot less scary than I thought you’d be,” Sonic blurts out. Maddie bursts into laughter.

“Maddie, what have you been telling him?”

“Nothing that isn’t true.”

This sparks a whole conversation that Sonic can barely follow, so he shoots a glance at Tom, who’s finally decided to come join them in the living room. He hasn’t joined them on the couch, choosing to sit on a chair across from them, and he doesn’t actually offer any help in figuring out what’s going on, instead just shrugging.

“So, Sonic,” Rachel says, apparently done with whatever argument she was having with Maddie, “how old are you?”

“Uh,” Sonic says, trying to do the math in his head and failing. “Thirteen? I think?”

“Little older than Jojo,” Rachel notes.

“Where is Jojo? Maddie made it sound like she was gonna be here.”

“She’s at school. Should be home pretty soon, school lets out in about twenty minutes and she usually walks home.”

Sonic turns to Maddie, about to ask how late they can stay, but Maddie’s already asking - “Can we stay until she gets back? Sonic was very excited about getting to see her.”

“I was hoping you’d ask,” Rachel says.

Rachel intercepts Jojo at the door, Sonic hiding behind her as she explains there’s a special guest. They reunite like best friends, Sonic nearly knocking Jojo over in his excitement.

“You still have the shoes!” Jojo points out.

“Of course!” he responds, shuffling his feet in something resembling a dance. “And! I have something to give you this time!” He darts back to the kitchen, returning with the massive cowboy hat and gently placing it on Jojo’s head. She giggles, reaching up to touch it.

“This is just precious ,” Rachel whispers to Maddie.

“We’re gonna have to visit more often, huh?”

“Oh, definitely. But -”

“I’m still bringing Tom.”

Rachel rolls her eyes. Maddie pays her no mind, focused more on the scene in front of her, Sonic excitedly explaining that he lives with them now and no Ozzie isn’t here but next time he’ll bring him, maybe, if there is a next time? Tom doesn’t hesitate to tell him yes, of course, and sure, they’ll bring Ozzie.

It’s domestic in a way Maddie never expected her life to be, and she can’t think of a single thing to complain about.

“Mama, can I show Sonic my room?” Jojo asks, grabbing Rachel’s arm.

“You got any homework?”

“Just a little math.”

“Okay well, he can stay for a little while longer. An hour. But! Afterwards, homework, and no complaining, okay?”

Jojo nods frantically, massive cowboy hat trying to slide off her head, before she grabs Sonic’s hand and darts off.

“I’ll admit, he’s cute,” Rachel says, once the kids are gone. “Way more energy than I could handle. But cute.”

“He’s a handful,” Maddie admits. “I’m glad to see him and Jojo get along.”

“She would not shut up about him,” Rachel says, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Kept running around the house the whole night.”

“Yeah? Try dealing with that every night.” Maddie moves back towards the living room, where Tom is slowly melting into his chair. Rachel tsks when she sees him, shaking her head.

“He’s gonna be a terrible influence,” she says, sitting back down on the couch.

“No worse than you’ll be,” Maddie shoots back, bumping Rachel’s shoulder with her own.

“Let me know if you need anything, alright? Do you think he’d want some of Jojo’s old clothing or anything? He’s small enough to fit.”

“I don’t know if he’d even be willing to wear clothing,” Maddie says, “but he liked the shoes well enough, so it can’t hurt.”

She can hear laughter from down the hall, along with a few more chaotic noises.

“They better not be breaking anything,” Rachel says, glancing towards Jojo’s room after they hear a particularly loud yell.

“I’m sure they’re not,” Maddie says, immediately followed by a crash. She winces.

“I’ll go check on them,” Tom offers.

Rachel quickly gets up before Tom can. “Oh, absolutely not.”

Tom turns to Maddie once she’s gone. “That turned out better than I expected.”

“Honestly, yeah. I thought I’d have to do a lot more convincing.”

“She likes the kid way more than me,” he says.

“Can you really blame her?”

Tom pouts, though he drops it quickly.

“Maybe she’ll finally stop trying to get you to leave me,” he muses, shifting sideways on the chair so his head is resting on the arm.

Tom ends up falling asleep, only to be immediately woken up by Rachel coming back into the living room and yelling at him to get his nasty feet off the couch.

“Oh, let him sleep,” Maddie says, and Rachel huffs and sighs but soon enough she’s sat back on the couch and Tom is passed out.

“How are the kids doing?” Maddie asks.

“They’re adorable. You guys better come visit again - how did you get here, actually?”

“About that,” Maddie starts, and tries to explain rings as best she can with her own limited knowledge.

“You better use those to visit us,” Rachel says once she’s done.

“Of course.”

When the hour’s up, Maddie pokes her head into Jojo’s room, and both kids immediately start screaming.

“If we can do this peacefully, we can come back next week,” she says, and they immediately shut up. “Much better. Alright. Sonic, are you ready to go?”

“Mm,” he mumbles.

“We’re gonna come back next week,” she reminds him. “On the weekend, when Jojo won’t have school, and you’ll have the whole day together.” That at least cheers him up.

She wakes up Tom while Sonic gets the portal ready, and the last thing she sees before she steps through is her niece beaming with a massive cowboy hat on her head.

#sonic movie #sonic 2020 #sonic the hedgehog #sonic wachowski #tom wachowski #maddie wachowski #cora writes #ats tag #after the storm.#rachel (sonic)#how tf do i tag her

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fandomfanfics12 · 4 years

Text

We Are A Family-Part 26

Title: We Are A Family. Pairings: Steve x tony, Peter x Wade, Nat x Clint, Sam x Bucky. Part: 26/? Warnings: swearing, fluff, angst, eventual smut, slowburn. Summary: When Nat comes into the avengers tower with baby Peter Parker, the avengers didn’t know what they were getting themselves into. But now that Peter is here,Steve and Tony both feel protective over him. It doesn’t help that Peter hates everyone other than Steve and tony. But as Steve and tony raise Peter, they start to fall for one another. Will this superfamily work out or will it all turn to hell? A/N: it feels good to be working on this fic again. i’m also working on some other fics so stay tuned for those and a new part should come out within the next 2 to 3 days.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25

On the plane ride home, Tony felt guilt as he sat across from Natasha. Peter was a few aisles back with Wade, Natasha was scowling at him.

"I'm really sorry." Tony said and Nat took a slow deep breath. He knew she was physically restraining herself from murdering him.

"Well thanks to you and your drama, I'm not married and my fiancé is currently in prison. So your apology isn't accepted."

"I didn't mean for this." she scowled at him.

"I don't care Tony, Bruce is gone, Clint is incarcerated! Steve, Bucky, Wanda and Sam are on the run and Rhodey..." She trailed off and Tony flinched.

"I was just trying to look for Wanda." Tony whispered and she scowled.

"And look where that got us. I'm sorry that this is going to hurt but Steve doesn't want you." she may as well have stabbed him.

"Wow."

"He doesn't want you anymore Tony and you have to move on, you can't fight for a marriage when it's dead."

"could you be any colder?"

"I don't want to hurt you but this has gone on long enough and now you've hurt others in your obsession with trying to fix Steve. He doesn't need fixing, he simply just doesn't want you anymore." Tony gritted his teeth, she hadn't heard what Steve had said. But then, Tony rubbed at his chest where the shield had dug in. How he'd picked Bucky's body up off the floor and carried him away from the mess of the fight.

"Okay." Tony whispered and her brows rose.

"Seriously?"

"You're right. I have to let go of it. of him. I'll move on." And he meant it. when he got home, he'd put the house up for sale. He'd see Stephen more often and he would get his shit together. He had no other choice.

Peter was exhausted and over the passing months, the exhaustion never faded. He wasn't sure he'd ever forgive his pops for what he'd done to Tony. When Peter had found his dad lying on the floor, unconscious, Peter had thought he was dead. But Tony had woken up, bruised and bloody, but he was alive. Peter watched as his dad began to change though. He started the process of putting the house up for sale, despite Peter's protests, worked reasonable hours and Peter was pretty sure that his dad was seeing someone.

"He seems good." Peter told Wade at lunch in the cafeteria. Wade was in the process of moving out of May's, and Peter made a note of how pale Wade looked. How tired.

"Then you shouldn't worry." Wade assured him and Peter nodded.

"Are you okay?" Wade nodded and bit into an apple, scrunching his face up ever so slightly. But Peter could sense Wade's anxiety at the question, something was wrong.

"Does this have something to do with whatever you're hiding from me?" Peter asked and Wade looked down, a bad sign.

"Let's not talk about it." Peter scowled, he was growing fed up with this lie.

"Why not?" He wanted Wade to let him in, the way Peter had let Wade in. He wanted things to be like when they were kids, well he wanted more than that. But Wade only saw Peter as a friend and Peter wouldn't ask for anything more.

"I don't want to talk about it, please Petey." After a hesitant moment Peter found himself nodding.

"Alright, not now. but later?" Wade nodded his head.

"I'll tell you everything." Wade promised and Peter nodded, satisfied by that answer.

Steve hated this. he sat in the dodgy hotel room, Sam and Bucky paced before him, both impatient, both angry.

"Can you tell me why I can't leave now?" Sam asked and Steve met Bucky's gaze.

"Focus." Steve told him and Bucky took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at Sam.

"something, or someone has a grip on my mind and on Steve's mind." He choked on the words but they were out there in the world.

"what?"

"keep going." Steve said and Bucky began to tremble.

"It's been controlling us for a long time, it's why Steve ended his marriage." Sam's eyes widened.

"Why we broke up?" Bucky nodded once more.

"Yes. It's still controlling us but we're getting better at resisiting." Bucky gritted his teeth and blood began to pour out of his nose.

"Buck?" Sam asked and rushed to Bucky's side.

"I'm fine. But we need you to tell the others. Now." Bucky pleaded and Sam shook his head.

"I'm not going to leave you when your mind is being controlled." Sam said and Bucky's eyes slid to Steve's.

"Sam we need you to do this. the more people that know, the more people who can help. Tony can help us but only if he knows." Steve hated how desperate he sounded, but Sam needed to understand the severity of this situation.

"and what about you two?" he asked and Steve looked down at the floor.

"We can look after one another, we've been on our own with this for a while now."

"And how's that turned out for you? you're fugitives on the run, divorced and your son hates you." at that, Steve flinched.

"Sam." Bucky's voice was sharp and Sam sighed.

"I know you had no control over your words and actions. But you're not as fine as you're pretending to be."

"will you go? Please?" Steve asked. And your son hates you. god, Peter had to hate Steve. It wasn't something Steve had considered. Not really, but it made sense. Of course Peter would hate him, he'd destroyed Peter's life. He'd ruined everything.

"Fine. I'll tell them what's going on."

Tony was in the best shape he'd been in since the divorce. His life was balanced, healthy and he was happy. As happy as he could be given the circumstances of his life. He and Stephen were good, really good, and he was starting the process of letting Peter know.

"Dad?" Peter called out as he came inside the new house. There was still boxes everywhere, they really needed to unpack their shit.

"Kitchen." Tony said and Peter came in.

"Hey." Peter grabbed an apple and tossed it back and forth between his hands.

"How was school?" Tony quirked and eyebrow and pressed a few buttons on his tablet.

"fine." Tony put the tablet down.

"Excited for the field trip tomorrow?" Peter shrugged and looked down at his hands.

"guess so." He mumbled and Tony narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong.

"What's up?" Peter raised his head and met Tony's gaze.

"Nothing." A clear lie, Peter was a terrible liar. He bit into the apple, chewed, swallowed.

"Peter." Tony said and Peter sighed, looking up at the roof. Things had been good between Tony and Peter for a while now too, they were happy.

"It's Wade." Peter ran a hand through his hair and Tony had to fight off a smile. Maybe the boys were going to finally admit that they had feelings for one another.

"What about Wade?" Peter glared and Tony had to stifle a laugh, Peter just shook his head and groaned with frustration.

"He's hiding something and he's been hiding it for ages and I feel like it's serious." Peter said. Tony nodded, a tendril of concern curled inside of him. May had mentioned something about Wade months ago, when the boy had moved in with her. But Tony couldn't remember what it was.

"I'm sure everything's fine Peter. The boy's probably going to ask for help with chemistry." But tony made a mental note to give May a call later.

"Well he's coming over soon to tell me what's going on." Peter said and Tony smiled.

"see, it's probably nothing to worry about."

"I wouldn't be worrying if it weren't for..." Pete shuddered and Tony flinched.

"The sense?" Tony asked and Peter nodded. Once again Tony felt a flicker of resentment to Richard Parker for letting his son play with his experiment when Peter was only a baby. The spider bite had never done anything good for Peter.

"It could be nothing. Don't psyche yourself out over this. alright? Do you want me out of the house when you guys have your big talk?" Tony offered and Peter frowned.

"Really?" Tony nodded, knowing his kid probably would want space.

"Yeah. I'll go pick up some Chinese from that place three blocks down, I can get a movie and some ice cream?" Peter grinned and Tony felt relief wash over him.

"that'd be amazing." Tony nodded and stood up as the doorbell rang.

"I'll be back later." He said and grabbed his phone and wallet on the way out.

"Hey Tony." Wade said as Tony opened up the front door.

"Afternoon Wade. I'll see you two later." And as Tony walked down the street he gave May a call.

"Tony?" she asked on the third ring and Tony sighed.

"Alright my son's freaking out. What's going on with Wade Wilson?"

Peter couldn't sit still and it was freaking Wade out. Which in turn only made Peter more fidgety.

"Pete." Wade said softly and Peter's bouncing knee stilled.

"It's serious, isn't it?" Peter asked and Wade found himself nodding.

"kind of."

"What does that mean exactly?" Wade swallowed and Peter's knee started to bounce again. Things would never be the same. Once Peter knew, any resemblance of normal would be gone.

"Everything's going to change if I tell you. you'll treat me differently." Wade whispered and hated the tide of emotions that were starting to rise up within him.

"Just talk to me. tell me what's going on with you." but that was the problem. Wade didn't want to talk to Peter about this. didn't want to break this news to Peter. He wanted to curl up in a ball and pretend like he was fine. I'm dying Peter. There's nothing anyone can do. I'm not responding to treatment, I've got months.

"I-" the words died in his throat and Peter took Wade's hand.

"It's okay." Peter whispered and squeezed. It was too much. Wade couldn't tell Peter and he couldn't touch Peter.

"I like you Peter." The words blurted out of Wade's mouth and hung in the air. Peter pulled his hand back and stared at the wall. Wade's heart hammered in his chest. It wasn't a lie. He really did like Peter, had done for ages now, it was just the easier truth to tell Peter.

"Is that a joke?" Peter's voice was raw, hoarse and Wade swallowed.

"A joke?"

"Are you mocking me? is this where you reveal the camera and Flash jumps out and you both laugh at me?" Wade was dumbfounded.

"of course not!" he shot to his feet and began to pace. Frustration and anger sat in his stomach. He didn't know what to do with all these emotions.

"Wade I'm serious. If you're just mocking me I need you to tell me right now." Peter's voice was shaking and Wade curled his hands into fists. He wanted to run his hands through his hair, but every time he did that, clumps came out and he couldn't let Peter see that.

"I'm serious Peter! I like you, I really really like you. like, crazy about you like you. You've changed my whole life in more ways than you could ever know!" Wade shouted and Peter flinched. Wade squeezed his eyes shut and his heart hammered inside of his chest. He'd fucked up. This wasn't how he'd pictured this going. He should have just come out with the fact that he was dying. Because then Peter wouldn't hate him. Then he wouldn't lose Peter.

"Really?"

"Fuck. Yes really." Wade opened his eyes and looked at Pete. But he wasn't staring back with anger, not with hatred, but with something else.

"Oh."

Peter didn't know what to say, his mind was stuck on those words, I really really like you. like, crazy about you like you.

"Oh?" Wade asked and Peter found himself nodding.

"It's just that, I really really like you too." Peter told him and Wade rose his brows.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh." And then Wade was kneeling before Peter, his hands curled into tight balls. Peter's knee bounced more frantically now, he knew what was about to happen and he'd waited years for this moment. Wade leaned forward and Peter met him halfway and the two of them melted together. Wade's lips pressed against Peter's in a gentle kiss that left Peter breathless. Wade was the one to pull back, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Wade?" Peter whispered, afraid that they'd both shatter if he spoke too loudly.

"I want this, I really want this Peter." He whispered and Peter grinned.

"me too." And then he pulled Wade back to him and kissed him more fiercely. Wade hadn't shaved and there was a light stubble which rubbed against Peter's face, Wade's lips were soft and warm and he tasted like mint.

Peter wanted this, Peter wanted this to go on forever.

"What's going on May?" May had agreed to meet Tony at the Chinese place and they were waiting for Tony's order.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone. Not even Peter." May said and Tony frowned.

"Not even Peter?"

"Especially not Peter." Tony didn't like that. He was in such a good place with Peter.

"What's going on?" Tony asked again and May sighed.

"Al was never sick." May's hands began to tremble and she shook her head.

"Then why was Wade staying with you?" Tony's stomach twisted itself into knots, worry made its way through him until his knee began to nervously bounce.

"Please don't tell Peter. Wade deserves some normalcy. He's a good kid Tony." Tony clenched his teeth together and nodded once. May sagged with relief and looked down at the floor.

"He's sick. Really sick."

"Sick?" Was that what this was all about? Wade was sick?

"It's bad."

"why didn't you tell me sooner, whatever he needs I can pay for it, I can get the best-" But May shook her head and Tony dreaded whatever she was about to say.

"You can't Tony. He's got cancer. And he's not responding to treatment." The wind was knocked out of him and Tony's hands began to tremble. Poor Peter.

"What about surgery?" May took one of Tony's hands and squeezed but shook her head.

"it's in his liver, lungs, prostate, and brain. He's too far gone." Tony squeezed his eyes shut. what now? what was he supposed to do now?

"And what about Peter? How is this fair for him? He went years without Wade, they hated each other. And now they're best friends again, how was that right for Peter?" Tony demanded and May sighed.

"What did you want me to do? He was dying and I couldn't keep the two of them apart. Not when Peter couldn't go home because of-" But May cut herself off. Tony shook his head.

"Because of Steve and I." Tony finished for her.

"No one is to blame here. The doctors think Wade has a few more months left. He's supposed to tell Peter tonight." God, what would Tony be walking into when he got home?

"Mr Stark?" his food was ready. Tony stood and took the bag, then turned back to May.

"Thanks for telling me." and with that, Tony readied himself to put back together the broken pieces of his sons heart.

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