#and then youre told to do 2 stitches in each 1 stitch

[konigenblobbity]

It’s All Written Down [Part 2]

Hobie x SpideyF!Reader

Warnings: Angsty, also fluffy, sad Hobie, sad reader, comforting, crying, kissing

—> [Part 1]

Summary: After reading your note, Hobie immediately went off to find you, racking his brain to where you might’ve gone. When he finally remembers, he makes his way to you, hiding. Once you see him, you can’t help but break down… unable to contain your emotions, luckily it allows him to finally find the strength to share his own.

A/n: AAA the love I got for the first part! Y’all are so cute I was legit blushing! I also had SO much fun writing the first one so I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! Hope part 2 lives up to your expectations ;) enjoy meine Lieben

You held your mask in your hands, running your fingers over the stitching that lined the eyes. The fabric soaks up your tear as it falls onto it. You sniffle softly and then bring a hand to your face, rubbing away your tears. You had left Hobie’s apartment just 30 minutes ago, still crying over everything that had happened.

Meanwhile Hobie was swinging through the city, eyes darting around, looking for any trace of you or where you might’ve been. He racks his brain for any possible place you might’ve gone to, any place you’ve brought him to. He was desperate to find you, fearing that if he didn’t soon, you’d be gone forever.

He pushed away those thoughts, as he finally realizes where you might’ve gone to. A place you’ve told him about before, one you’ve mentioned fondly, explained how you’d go there before missions, to be by yourself and just enjoy the silence.

-

“Aren’t you just full of surprises” he chuckles and you just smile. “Everyone always says they’re creepy, but I don’t know…. They’re nice and quiet, full of history, very endearing in their own way” you and him were sitting on his bed, you sitting against the headboard, while he was sitting in front of you, legs overlapping with yours.

For the past hour you two have been playing a little game of questions, just using the time to learn more about each other. “So yeah… secret location to relax, the cemetery out near the city bridge.” You say and he just looks at you smiling. His tilts his head to the side softly, leaning back on his hands as he just stares at you, seemingly in adoration.

You blush slightly and glance away for a moment “What are you looking at?” He just shrugs but doesn’t pull his eyes away from your figure. “Nothin’ Marlin… just can’t help but enjoy this moment” he slowly moves to sit up, pulling his legs off yours. “Since I only ever see ya spider self at HQ or on missions” he moves to kneel on the bed.

The way his figure loomed over you now had you stiffening slightly, trying to move back more against the headboard. He just begins to smirk before speaking again “Only here do I get to relish how you talk bout what you love” he moves closer. His knees now on either side of your thighs, practically straddling you. You look away entirely now.

“How only I know what ya beautiful face looks like under that mask” he reaches a hand forward and places it on your chin, he lifts it slightly so your head looks up at him. When your eyes lock with his, he lets out a light chuckle, barely audible but a shiver runs through you as you hear it. “Such a gorgeous lil Marlin” he says narrowing his eyes.

“But what I relish most…” he leans forward slightly and your breath gets caught in your throat, nervous for what he could be up to. Up until that point everything’s been platonic. Your heart beat speeding up at the idea of him changing that part of relationship.

“Is your cheeky little laugh” You were taken by complete surprise at his hands went for your sides, beginning to tickle you without mercy. Your body immediately reacts, back arching as you begin to writhe under him. You laugh out at the feeling of his deft fingers tracing at your sides so softly. “AH! H-hobie! S-st haha! Stop it!”

He keeps you pinned down with his hips pressed against your own, not allowing you to run away from his attack. “There it is… that laugh right there” he says continuing to tease you with his words along with his fingers. You continue to writhe, hands going to grab his wrists to stop him, he easily pushes them away, smiling down at you.

“HOBIE PLEASE! Hahaha! S-stop! Hobi- haha!” You continue to plead, eyes beginning to well up from the shivers running through your whole body. He finally abides, stopping his hand’s movements, letting them just rest on your waist. You reposition yourself to sit up against the headboard again, having slid down from Hobie’s sudden attack.

“God I love it Marlin…” You have a grin stretching from ear to ear, hands grabbing Hobie’s wrists just in case he decides to go back to tickling you. “What I love more is that only I get to hear it” he can’t stop himself as he talks, suddenly feeling very affectionate. Your face begins to blush a dark red at his words, having never had someone as vocal as Hobie with their thoughts.

“T-That’s really sweet Hobie” you say softly and he just continues to look down at you. You both sit there in silence for a bit, his eyes locked with yours. His gaze pure admiration and care, you were sure that yours reflected the same thing. The way Hobie cares for you made your heart sing, knowing that he found the parts of you everyone disliked… endearing.

-

At the memory he couldn’t help but smile, but simultaneously changed his course to find the cemetery you mentioned that night. He had never been this determined before, not even on his missions… his whole mind spinning with worry. Now that he knew where you were, he just hoped you were okay.

You were sat on one of the small concrete buildings within the cemetery, often used to store tools or went down into the ground where more people were buried. It was high enough to overlook the rest of the cemetery, your eyes moving from row to row of headstones decorating the lush green of the ground.

Picking up on which graves were new and pristine, which were covered in moss and had become weathered, which had flowers - wilting or fresh. Then you felt a change in the air, your spider senses went off and you could hear him before you saw him. There was a soft brush of wind that went past you as Hobie landed behind you on the building.

You hear his footsteps come closer, before you notice his figure come into view on your left, watching in your peripheral vision how he sits down next to you, cross-legged, just like you. “I’ve been looking for you…” he says and you can feel his eyes burning into the side of your skull. The sound of his voice enough to make your heart sing, you’d only been gone for 1 hour but had already missed him endlessly.

You don’t say anything, just continue to look down at your mask, just one look at Hobie would be enough to make you fold. You were fighting back tears threatening to surface, your grip on your mask tightened. Hobie immediately noticed, reaching a hand over cautiously to place it on your thigh.

“I read the letter… Marlin listen I-“ at hearing his voice again you couldn’t help yourself, you lunged into his chest, wrapping your arms around his torso. Hobie was so caught off guard, he had to use one arm to brace himself, while the other wrapped around your back. He was frozen for a moment but upon hearing your soft sobs, all his attention was back on you.

He sat up, shifting so you could comfortably lie between his legs, allowing you to nuzzle your head further into his chest. He softly caresses your back, trying to soothe you as you continue to cry into his chest. “Oh god… I’m so sorry love” he didn’t know what else to say, your whole body was trembling in his arms, it caused him pain to see you like this, he could feel his heart screaming.

“I-I’m sorry… I-I didn’t know what else to do“ you couldn’t talk clearly, shaky breathes interrupting your words before they even left your lips. “I-I just… I didn’t-” Hobie brought a hand to your head, softly caressing your hair, beginning to rock you gently in his arms.

“Hey… hey Marlin it’s alright. Deep breaths, just take some deep breaths… I’ve got ya, you’re safe” he kept his voice low, not wanting to overwhelm you. His tone was clearly pained, but he tried to stay composed… for you. You were his only priority right now, all he wanted was to help calm you down.

For 30 minutes Hobie sat there, holding you in his arms, comforting you. Your breathing began to return to an even pace, heart rate slowing. At this point your eyes had closed and you were just listening to the sound of Hobie’s heart beat, finding it’s even rhythm soothing.

You finally spoke, although it was low and raspy, he listened intently “Miguel’s right… I can’t handle missions on my own, so I left. Wanted to make it easier, by just leaving” Hobie begins to shake his head, eyes furrowed as he looks down at you “Miguel is fucking daft… he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, he doesn’t know you Marlin. No one knows you like I do”

Even at the mention of Miguel Hobie’s blood boiled, the name sat like poison on his tongue. His insult was quick, every word laced with malice. He hated that one goddamn moron in a spandex suit with a shocking amount of self-righteousness was the one to hurt you to the point that you ran away.

“Marlin you’re fucking phenomenal… dozens of missions, and never once did ya make a mess of it. Not even Miguel can say that” he continued to pet your hair softly, occasionally spinning a few strands around his fingers, knowing how you always did that to calm yourself during missions.

“That’s not true… what about w-“ your voice was so soft Hobie easily interrupted you “Don’t fight me on this Marlin.” His words were playful, but still held a weight of warning. You unwrap your arms enough to push yourself out of his chest, sitting between his legs as you look up at him. “Hobie I’m just not sure whether-“

When you finally see Hobie’s face, were shocked to find his eyes watering and a tear running down his cheek, you reach a hand up to wipe it away and gently cup his face. His expression is sullen as he places a hand on yours “Please Marlin… we’ll talk to Miguel. If he doesn’ want you workin’ team missions, we’ll do solo missions together. Just us” his voice was almost a whisper, his head leaning into your touch. You bit your lip, feeling your eyes well up all over again.

You’d never seen Hobie so vulnerable… to be fair, he’d never seen you so vulnerable either. Before you could respond he tilted his head to kiss the palm of your hand, your breath catching in your throat at the sight… heart stopping at the feeling. “Please don’t leave… we’ll figure something out” you felt more tears run down your cheeks.

All you could do was nod your head quickly, a soft “okay…” leaving your lips. Your gaze focused on him as you gave him a comforting smile, even if your expression was contorted with hurt. He let out a soft huff, before smiling wildly and reaching forward pulling you into his arms.

The grasp he had on you was unbearably tight, but you didn’t want him to loosen it or let go, his arms and warmth making you feel safe… as if nothing could hurt you. Your arms wrapped around his neck as you nuzzled into where it met his collar, holding Hobie as tight as you could, grabbing the fabric of his shirt in your fists.

“Christ Marlin…” he begins to say and you hum softly in question, urging him to continue “I can’t believe you said goodbye with a fucking piece of paper” His words were meant to be teasing, but you could sense the hurt and sincerity of his statement. You pull away from his neck enough to look at him again.

“I’m sorry… I just knew that if I said goodbye to your face, I’d never have left at all” you smile at him and he gives you his signature smirk back, leaning forward and kissing your forehead softly. “Then I guess I just have to keep ya eyes on me, hm Marlin?” he winks at you, you chuckle slightly and blush at his words

He was gazing into your eyes, a clear admiration in them, but there was something else. It was the same back in his room, when you two were playing questions. Just as you did that day, you tilted your head and asked with a smile “What are you looking at?” He chuckles softly, recognizing this conversation, he tilts his head and narrows his eyes.

“Nothing… just enjoying this moment Marlin” he begins to say, you watch as his eyes glance at your lips once before locking eyes with you again. “Seeing as I only ever see your Spidey persona at HQ or on missions” you move a hand from around his neck to caress his cheek, using your thumb to trace his cheekbone.

“It’s when we’re alone that I can wrap my arms around you” His tone was low and he was still looking at you, practically unblinking. You swear you saw his pupils dilate. “Only in my room do I get to see that gorgeous face you hide under your mask” his hands grab at your waist. pulling you closer to him, moving you to straddle his lap, his hands now resting on your waist.

“But my favorite part…” a devilish smirk crosses his face and you remember this all too well. You grab his wrists as a precaution, but leaving his hands on your waist. You look at him warningly, raising your brows “don’t you dare tickle me Hobie…” he lets out a soft chuckle before leaning forward.

His plush lips meet yours, you let out a soft gasp in response, which immediately gets swallowed up by his lips. His eyes were closed and after a moment yours fluttered shut as well. He then whispers softly against your lips, finishing his statement “my favorite part is that you let me” you hummed softly at his words.

All his attention went back to kissing you, it was slow, gentle, but you could feel every bit of adoration and care he put into it. Your hands loosened their grip on his wrists, he then intertwined his fingers with yours, lifting them. You abided and let him lead your touch, he placed them around his neck, before placing his hands back on your waist.

Your hands softly begin to caress him, gliding up and down his lean shoulders, one finding its way further up, beginning to gently trace his wicks. You heard a soft groan leave him, before he pulled you closer against him, continuing to mold his lips against yours expertly. When he finally pulled away it took a moment to regain your composure and open your eyes.

“To know that I’m the one you trust most, the one you bear ya soul to… that just about might be the hottest thing in the world Marlin”

Tag list:

@thegirlwholovesmythology @aizawa-shouta-2018 @lavandercookie @darksidescorner @graciebeanss @sunariin @athenxt @pemizart @lilttblog @gamenabaanona @atrashpandaunderthestars @em711 @reaperfeels @jjkclub @5sos-wdw @gwendolyngonzalez

#konigenblobbity #fanfiction #atsv hobie #hobie brown x reader #Hobie brown #across the universe #hobie x you #hobie x reader #hobie atsv #hobie fic #hobie spiderverse #atsv fic #spider punk

[be-missed]

Not Strong Enough (Chap 3)

Jenna Ortega x Fem!Reader

(picture not mine)

Summary: Jenna was visiting her mom in the hospital to drop off the food that will be eaten for the hospital party, but she met a resident surgeon and she thought "God forbid I ran into an accident, but I want her to open me and stitch me up." While the surgeon tries her best to keep her fan girling low-key.

Warning: curse words

A/N: Hey, 3rd chapter in a row. Thank you again for reading and enjoy!

Masterlist

Chap 1 | Chap 2

______________________________________________________________

Chap 3

"Had a fun time in the party, I'm so glad we got to have this celebration for our achievements in our department" Ava said as she dropped her bags beside their front door. Behind her is her wife Beatrice, followed by Y/N and their other friend Camila, who is also a doctor in the Pediatric Department.

"Aww, that really sucks, why do I always get to be left out by you guys." Camila said with a pout on her lips while the other three people inside the house just laughed at her.

"Well sweety, you chose to do your residency in Pedia Department and you love kids, that is why." Beatrice answered her while she went to Ava in their kitchen to help with reheating the premade dinner that they cooked earlier today.

As Y/N and Camila got settled in the living room, they started to catch up with each others life and what stresses them in their department. A little banter over here and there, laughs were echoing throughout the household until Ava called them to go to the dining table to eat.

"Cheers to us noobs to conquering and still being here thriving to do our best, cheers." Y/N tells as she raised their glass and drink their wine.

"I told you having a monthly dinner between the four of us is a great idea, us being free and to catch up with one another." Camila said with a cheeky grin while the other three are just laughing.

"We are all well informed with each others life since we are just literally in the same department unlike you." Beatrice chimed in which makes them laugh, because they love to tease Camila for being the only one that chose pediatrics, but they truly support her since that is where her passion goes but they also love teasing her.

"Not fair guys, I'm getting bullied here, I'm all by myself." Camila teasingly moping and laughing.

"But truly, I really am thankful for the three of you for adopting me in your friend group. I always feel that my home is far but when I'm with you all, home just gets a little bit closer." Y/N tells with a grateful smile on her face.

"Okay, stop with the cheesiness, Halloween is just around the corner so Bea and I planned of a Halloween party, but you know, just for the four of us since we can't really handle big crowds and get overstimulated." Ava proposed and laughs.

"I'm definitely in." Y/N approved and everyone nodded while they enjoy their dinner.

While Y/N is having fun in Ava and Bea's household, Jenna on the other side is facing her mom with the questions that she expected to be asked.

"Well?" Natalie asked Jenna with her left hand on her hip.

"She is new and she looks fun, what is wrong with having a new friend right?" Jenna answered.

Natalie looked at her daughter with questioning eyes, not fully believing what her daughter answered, but, she won't push through, she doesn't want to rush and pressure her daughter.

"Okay, I believe in you. But don't pull that stunt on me again mija, I am a nurse not an actress." Natalie answered with a smile and kissed her daughter's forehead as she leaves Jenna's room.

---

Sun goes up so then another day arrived. The beams of light never shined so bright for Y/N because today is her day-off, which means she can just lay-down and just spend the rest of her day snuggling her pillow and ordering a whole pizza for dinner just to binge watch Brooklyn 99 for the nth time.

BUT. There is a big but that comes to her mind. If they will have a costume party, that means that she needs to buy a costume for herself, because if she did not, Ava will totally gonna punch her face, Camila will kick her in the stomach, and Beatrice will gonna Aikido her. So yes, what she planned was never gonna happen.

Y/N rolled over on her bed until her feet falls and touches the ground, and tries to push her body to stand up. She is trying so hard, looking like a baby that wants to stand up and just walk, and after fighting her own for a second, she got the chance to stand up and scream.

Screaming, that was therapeutic for Y/N, you just scream and all the tension inside your body will somehow get out. For her it is good, but for her neighbors, probably no.

Finding some clothes and going outside to her car, she received a notification.

Fr Jenna:

Thank you again for yesterday.

To Jenna:

No worries. You can text me or call me if you need something :D.

Fr Jenna:

Wow, that is something that I will hold on to ;)

And with that, Y/N smashed her head in her steering wheel, asking WHY OH WHY, Jenna just sent her a wink. A FUCKING WINK. It's just a wink but her heart can't seem to follow the right rhythm for it to function naturally.

Breathing in, Breathing out. A minute of breathing exercise helped Y/N to pull herself together and starts her car to go to the mall.

Traffic lights turned from green to red from red to green, driving around corners and street while listening to NIKI, Y/N arrived at the mall and had one thing in mind; to buy a dress just like Mavis from Hotel Transylvania.

She loved that movie, that is probably one of her comfort movie. So, on the drive to the mall, she sets her mind on finding a black dress, a red and black striped thigh and some pair of fangs.

Going in and out of different stores, she got to buy the dress and the fangs, but those damn red and black striped thighs are surely nowhere to be found. Going down the escalator, she saw a crowd of people that is following a person, with their cellphones out, flashes from their phone camera on, a paper to sign on.

Y/N thinks that it must be a pain in the ass to be in the middle of a crowd and getting huddled at. Trying to find the person that causes a crowd, she stops on the foot of the escalator and tried to tip on her toes and found her target.

While seeing the person that was in the middle she thought "Wow, she is so small in the middle, with her big ass headphones? Damn she might not here a thing, and that fit, she knows how to dress." Slowly, her eyes trail from the girl's outfit and focused on her face that was hidden with those bangs.

And Y/N realised, like she got hit by a truck, struck by lighting, and thrown in an ice bath. HOLY SHIT IT IS JENNA YOU DUMBASS. Y/N hurriedly went and followed the crowd yelling Jenna's name.

"JENNA..... JEEENNNAAAA." Y/N realised that that was a dumb move, everyone calling Jenna. So the next thing that Y/N did is to thread along in the crowd until she is close enough to touch Jenna.

But Jenna is inside her head thinking, she just wants to chill and relax by the roof top in the mall, reading a book that she just bought so she could have a relaxing day. But then a person noticed her and the news that Jenna Ortega was in the building spread like a wildfire until she builds a crowd that is now huddling her.

All Jenna wanted was some peace. She just wants to do the things that she did in the past, but it looks like she also can't have that now. Being so much in her head, she never realised that Y/N was totally yelling at her and calling her, not until she felt someone tugged at her elbow, and she really tried to be polite, but tugging her elbow was her last straw. So she looked up with her brow meeting at the end and ready to throw some bad looks to the person that just tugged her.

That's when she realised that it was you. The angry face and her eyes that holds a look that can kill slowly disappear. Her eyes are now looking at you with such tender and softness, her lips are holding a sad smile, and her brows never looked so calm. So what she did was to stop on her tracks to focus on you more.

"You wanna get out?" Y/N asked, while Jenna just nodded.

Y/N graced Jenna with a bright smile and asked "Think you can run?" and without waiting for Jenna's answer, Y/N tugged Jenna's hands as they started to run away from the crowd and went inside the department store which where they try to lose the people that is trying to follow Jenna.

Even though they are out of breath, smiles was plastered in their faces, hands are tightly held with each other and with every passing floor that they run to, they got into a secluded place of the store and got the chance to take a little rest and chase their breaths.

Y/N was the one to break the silence "Well that was fun." and she handed Jenna a handkerchief that was neatly folded inside her back pocket while she swiped her own sweat with another handkerchief that she got from her front pocket.

Jenna accepted the handkerchief and helped herself "Always ready. huh?" and smirked, while Y/N answered "Yup, we never know when a pretty lady needs one, right?" and winked at Jenna.

AND DAMN, Jenna knows that she is blushing so she just kept on blotting her face.

"Do you have a ride home? I can drop you by if you want." Y/N kindly offered, and Jenna is too tired to defy so she just nodded and said "Yes please."

---

While in the car, the album that Y/N played earlier continued to help them blur out the noise from the outside.

"Thank you for earlier, I was just trying to relax then everything got out of hand and then one moment I was alone the I got crowded by a lot of people and I kind of just shut down and blurred my environment." Looking at y/N's side profile with a sad look on her face.

"Hey now, don't be hard on yourself. It's fine and you're welcome. I don't know how you fully feel about the situation that happened earlier but I am right here to listen to it and to understand you okay? I'm here to listen. It's okay to blur things out when everything got out of hand." Y/N answered with a soft smile plastered on her face.

Red light was indicated by the traffic light and that got Y/N a chance to reach for Jenna's hand and squeeze it without looking at her.

Jenna smiled, thankful not only for what Y/N did earlier but for what she also said. Because it sometimes irritates her when someone tells her "I know and I understand your situation" because they just don't. Jenna believed that even if we are faced with the exact same thing in our life, it doesn't mean that we get to experience it just the same. This is where Jenna's understanding the life of other people is not as easy or hard as hers, we have different perspective in life and how we view things.

A comfortable silence once again situated in the air not until Jenna hears Y/N humming to the song that is playing that is slowly turning into mumbled lyrics.

"So why can't you for once, disregard the world and run to what you know is real." Y/N sang without a care in her mind and not noticing that Jenna is now staring at her.

"Take a chance with me... take a chance with me." Y?N sang with such desperation that got Jenna thinking "who the hell is she pertaining that to?"

The car suddenly breaks and Y/N looked at Jenna "Well, we arrived at our destination."

That got Jenna sad, since it means no Y/N beside her.

"Thank you again for earlier and driving me home. I can't think of anything to repay your kindness." Jenna said shyly.

"Hey, don't mind it, we are friends, and I will totally help you whenever you need me." Y/N said, which hurt Jenna slight because Y/N just used the word "friend" but that is a good start isn't it?

"Okay let's stop moping and what if you repay me by going to a concert with me this coming weekend?" Y/N hopefully asked Jenna. Asking her in a concert might be to dangerous since there are a lot of people that will notice them, but taking a risk isn't bad thing, right?

Jenna smirked and nodded her head "Sure, absolutely, I would love to join you."

Y/N went out of her side and went to Jenna's side to open her car door "This way m'lady" Y/N said with a curtsy that made Jenna laugh.

"Hmm, a gentle woman who open doors and gives me a curtsy huh." Jenna teased while Y/N answered "Well this probably will never get out of style huh?" with a grin.

"Oh yeah? You doing some old stuff like curtsy get you girls? Is that why you are still driving a stick?" Jenna teased with a laugh and Y/N acted hurt and answered "Why would you say that? I love my car and it makes me feel like I'm racing just like in Fast and the Furious."

They walked to the Ortega's front door and stand in front of each other.

Jenna broke the silence "Thank you again." and her pointer finger silently reached for Y/N's pointer finger, which Y/N decided to give and they intertwined it with each other.

With Y/N's other hand, she swats the flying hair away from Jenna's face and tell her "Again, if it is for you, I'll always be there." and smiles.

"That's fucking cheesy."

Jenna and Y/N heard from their side and saw Aliyah with a teasing face. The both of them didn't noticed that the door opened just a few seconds after they got situated in the front door.

Jenna immediately closed their front door and yelled "WHAT THE HELL ALIYAH."

Y/N just laughed and said "I'm going now, have some rest." and waved going to her car.

Jenna then yelled "Text me when you got home and stay safe!"

Jenna stayed at their front porch playing with her finger that touched Y/N not knowing that Y/N is also doing the same inside of her car.

Y/N smiled at herself and screams inside her car, not because she is stressed but she is filled with happiness that was caused by this girl whom she just dropped off.

Jenna entered their living room and yelled "ALIYAH YOU ARE SO DEAD."

______________________________________________________________

Chap 4

A/N: Thanks for reading. Comments and suggestions are appreciated! Hope you enjoyed the story and you can click this song title to listen to the song Take A Chance With Me by NIKI.

#jenna ortega x y/n #jenna ortega x you #jenna ortega x fem!reader #jenna ortega x reader #NotStrongEnough #fiction #fanfic #jenna ortega imagine #wednesday addams imagine #tara carpenter x reader

[starlostastronaut]

MOONY'S COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS | masterlist

SUMMARY: a series of one shots posted each day in december

PAIRING: stray kids x reader

START: 1st december 2023

TAGLIST: closed

WC: 26k (individual word counts specified at each oneshot)

NOTES: each one shot will be more specified once posted, including genres, tw/cw, etc. also i will probably be refering to this as 'mctc' bcs the title is simply too long lol

my personal favourites - ☆

general masterlist here

DAY 1 | a complete mess

pairing: jisung x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 0.94k

prompt: "falling for your best friend. stupid, i know. i mean, who does that?" "i did"

DAY 2 | as lucky as us

pairing: felix x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 0.80k

prompt: matching bracelets

DAY 3 | a state of mind

pairing: chris x reader

genre: angst, hurt/comfort, eventual fluff

word count: 1.76k

prompt: you're beautiful - the rose

DAY 4 | in the dark

pairing: hyunjin x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 0.80k

prompt: "tell me a secret"

DAY 5 | more than this now ☆

pairing: chris x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 1.17k

prompt: accidentally saying they think the other one is pretty

DAY 6 | stories to be told ☆

pairing: jisung x reader

genre: bitersweet, ambiguous ending

word count: 1.14k

prompt: coming back after years apart

DAY 7 | but a troublemaker girl ☆

pairing: changbin x reader

genre: crack, fluff

word count: 0.77k

prompt: "your hand looks heavy, can i hold it for you?"

DAY 8 | got no regrets

pairing: changbin x reader

genre: fluff, crack

word count: 0.68k

prompt: stealing his clothes

DAY 9 | eyes on me ☆

pairing: felix x reader

genre: fluff, meet-cute

word count: 1.23k

prompt: "do you want to dance?"

DAY 10 | all we are ☆

pairing: seungmin x reader

genre: college au, rivals to lovers

word count: 1.70k

prompt: "i don't need your help" "are you sure? cause it sure does look like it"

DAY 11 | night we met ☆

pairing: minho x reader

genre: angst, non idol au, unrequited love

word count: 1.27k

prompt: realizing they fell for the other one too late

DAY 12 | be mine ☆

pairing: jeongin x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 1.18k

prompt: dandelions - ruth b

DAY 13 | november rain

pairing: changbin x reader

genre: hurt/comfort

word count: 0.98k

prompt: "you came?" "you called"

DAY 14 | the same heart

pairing: hyunjin x reader

genre: exes to lovers, slight angst, ambiguous ending

word count: 1.12k

prompt: "i can't keep kissing strangers pretending that they're you"

DAY 15 | future of happiness

pairing: jeongin x reader

genre: fluff, soulmate au

word count: 0.89k

prompt: soulmate marks (tattoos)

DAY 16 | your sword and shield ☆

pairing: minho x reader

genre: spy au

word count: 1.14k

prompt: "this is going to hurt like a bitch but i have to stitch up that wound"

DAY 17 | sober ☆

pairing: hyunjin x reader

genre: angst, songfic

word count: 1.48k

prompt: wish you were sober - conan gray

DAY 18 | in this world

pairing: felix x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 0.96k

prompt: cuddling session

DAY 19 | hold on

pairing: minho x reader

genre: spy au, slight angst with happy ending

word count: 1.09k

prompt: "if you die, i'll kill you"

DAY 20 | take a chance

pairing: jeongin x reader

genre: fantasy au, non idol au, fluff

word count: 1.02k

prompt: "normal is boring"

DAY 21 | zero gravity ☆

pairing: chris x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 1.19k

prompt: kissing under the moonlight

DAY 22 | picture frames

pairing: seungmin x reader

genre: non idol au, fluff

word count: 1.06k

prompt: he asks you to be his model

DAY 23 | hold both your hands

pairing: jisung x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 0.67k

prompt: "you are my new pillow"

DAY 24 | young forever ☆

pairing: seungmin x reader

genre: fluff

word count: 1.07k

prompt: snow fight

#moony's countdown to christmas #mctc masterlist #stray kids x reader #bang chan x reader #lee minho x reader #seo changbin x reader #hwang hyunjin x reader #han jisung x reader #lee felix x reader #kim seungmin x reader #yang jeongin x reader #advent calendar #mctc info #mctc

[raph-x-reader-logs]

Masterlist

I would like to preface this with a disclaimer that I do not own TMNT and I am not a writer! This is a collection of all the Raphael writings I can find, so it would be easier to binge-read for my favorite turtle.

╔════════════════════╗

Directions:

This is fairly simple and straightforward, but I'll add some directions just in case!

The master list is split into different iterations, genres, points of view, and then reader types. If the section gets too long (which I'm expecting they will) a new page will be created and linked on this post.

Each link will take you exactly where you want to go within this blog! This exempts the posts with a cut in them, those links will take you directly to the blog where the story is posted.

As for AO3 links, if the story has multiple chapters, it will take you to the "Entire Work" version so you can binge the whole fic.

Rules:

I am open to any suggestions or submissions! HOWEVER, within this Masterlist, you will not find the following:

OC x Raph

Canon x Raph

TCEST x Raph

Now that all of that stuff is out of the way; Enjoy!! :D -Pinto🌱

╚════════════════════╝

Fluff

NSFW

Angst

Just Friends by @theyhavetakenovermylife , 2POV, fem! reader, NSFW too, Summary: Raph has trouble juggling his mission and his feelings for you.

—

Fluff

NSFW

Angst

—

Fluff

Focus by @pebblestar , 2POV, gn!reader, Summary: Raph helps you focus, whether he likes it or not.

NSFW

Angst

—

Fluff

NSFW

Shower Sex by @theyhavetakenovermylife , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary: Things get a bit steamy with Raph.

Angst

Acceptance by RubyRaspberry , AO3, 2POV, Hurt and Comfort, fem!reader, Summary: An injured Raph lands on your fire escape! Turns out you’re an extremely understanding person! But how much are you willing to accept?

—

Fluff

NSFW

Angst

A Reasonable Turtle by @thejudiciousneurotic , 2POV, gn!reader, Yandere, Summary: Raphael wasn't an unreasonable turtle—at least that's what he told himself with each hit of his fists, relentlessly beating the man who dared to try to take you from him.

—

Fluff

Raph with S/O who has particular sleeping habits by @novasintheroom , 2POV, gn!reader, hc format

Spring Fever by @dontlookatmytmntcollection , 3POV, fem!reader , suggestive ending, Summary: Raph is upset you have to go into work.

Raphs Karma pt 1 / pt 2 / pt 3 by @tmntxreader-fics , 2POV, gn!reader, Summary: You leave your best friend Raphael for school and return a few years later to a tank of a turtle. Will you be able to hide your feelings from him?

Bad Child by @tmntxreader-fics , 2POV, gn!reader, slight angst, Summary: Birds of a feather flock together. Who knew that being the dejected/temperamental sibling of the family would make you an unlikely ‘friend’?

Getting Stitched Up by @moxfirefly , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary: You bandage Raph up after a fight.

First Kiss by @yorshie , 2POV, gn!reader, Summary: Raph is a stubborn man. You can be stubborn too.

No Good, Very Bad Day by @pink-bandana-writes , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary: You've been stressed and he wants to help you feel better.

A Nervous First Kiss by @captainofthedauntless , 2POV, gn!reader, Summary: Raphael really wants to kiss you, but he's nervous about it.

Gym Buddies by @eveandtheturtles , 2POV, gn!reader, Summary: You made the mistake of New Years Resolutions with a friend and got ditched. Raph lets some things slip!

Tender Moments by @cowabungacafe , 2POV, gn!reader, Summary: Raph thinks you're absolutely adorable.

Quiet Connection by @cowabungacafe , 2POV, gn!reader, Summary: "Putting their foreheads together and just being content with each other's presence"

Homecoming Comfort by @cowabungacafe , 2POV, gn!reader, Summary: "Those nights when they come home late and see you asleep on the couch and they come, pick you up and tuck you into bed with a kiss on your forehead"

If You Take My Pulse by @theawfuledges , 2POV, gn!reader, Summary: It's not like he's avoiding you. When he see's you he nearly makes a fool of himself and he'd rather not deal with that..

Pining by @moxfirefly , 2POV, Suggestive, fem!reader, Summary: He wanted to eat you. Not in the full definition of the word, but the spirit of it.

Summer Loving by @zprites , 2POV, f!reader, Summary: “Well, that didn’t go as planned…”

NSFW

Hey, Beautiful by @avery73 , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary: Waking up in the middle of the night in his embrace really gets you going... He sees no problem with this.

That's Starting to Get Annoying by @moxfirefly , 2POV, fem!reader , Summary: Raph wants to spend time with you, but your phone keeps ringing.

They're Gonna Hear Us by @moxfirefly , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary:"They're gonna hear us." "Then I guess you better be quiet."

Raph Watches You From the Rooftop by @moxfirefly , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary: "I can make you feel better than that pathetic toy"

Ya’ Can Repay Me In The Mornin' by @vintagereigns , 3POV, fem!reader, Summary: Raph helps you get nice and relaxed before bed.

Oh Shit.. by @moxfirefly , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary: "I think the condom just broke.."

Begging by @raphsgrl , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary: A short oneshot of some spicy time with Raph.

To Leave a Mark by @oozedninjas , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary: "Mark me. Mark me so everyone knows who I belong to."“You’re mine”

Spotting by @faith-forgxtten-land , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary: It's Valentine's Day and you want to try working out with Raph.

Differences by @moxfirefly , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary: He loves how small you are compared to him.

By The Fire by @moxfirefly , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary: A little warm, cozy loving with Raphie on a cold winter night,

Angst

Let's Trick or Treat! by @thejudiciousneurotic , 2POV, fem!reader, Angst with some Fluff, Summary: “I love you; I swear I do, but we're not wearing matching costumes”

Yellow Light by @justalotoffanfiction , 2POV, fem!reader, Angst with Fluff, Hurt and Comfort, Summary: Inspired by the song Inventor's Daughter by the Branches. Reader meets Raph for the first time and isn't scared away by him.

Be You by @moxfirefly , 2POV, fem!reader, Hurt and Comfort, Summary: Raph helps you through some doubts you have.

—

Fluff

Cuddle Headcanons by @mysticovo , 2POV, fem!reader

He's Too Nervous to Ask You Out by @scaredycatqlt , 2POV, masc!reader, hc format

You Don't Scare Me by @tmntfixationxreader , 2POV, fem!reader, Summary: Raph misunderstands your shyness toward him as fear.

Self Conscious Sleepover by @tmntfixationxreader , 2POV, gn!reader, Summary: Raph doesn't want you to see his retainer during your sleepover together.

NSFW

Gentle by @fishstixloser , 2POV, gn!reader , Summary: You spend some quality time with Raph while he's brumating.

Angst

Change by @tmntxthings , 2POV, Hurt no Comfort, gn!reader, Summary: You make him happy and he's willing to do anything to make you see that he loves you. He wishes you can see that.

Big Teddy Bears Are The Best by @theyhavetakenovermylife , 2POV, f!reader, Summary: Raph knows he's a big guy, he can't change that. But sometimes he wishes he could.

—

Fluff

Miss Me? by @theyhavetakenovermylife , 2POV , fem!reader , Summary: Raphael is away in Gotham and you miss him.

NSFW

The Night Before by @theyhavetakenovermylife , 2POV , fem!reader, Summary: The events of the night before Raphael leaves for Gotham.

Angst

—

Fluff

Hallway Crush by @theyhavetakenovermylife , 2POV, f!reader, Summary: Raph had a crush on the prettiest girl in school, but he's too nervous to talk to her. He took down SuperFly! He saved New York! He can do this!!

Angst

—

Fluff

NSFW

How The Movie Night Went by @theyhavetakenovermylife , 2POV , fem!reader, Summary: Things get a little steamy during movie night with Raphie.

Angst

—

This absolutely is NOT all of them. I'm steadily working through the tag again, so I'll be updating this frequently (as frequently as my life will permit lol).

Again! If you have a fic in mind and you don't see it here, please submit it! I'd love to add it to this list!

Last Updated: 01 April 2024

#bayverse raph #rise raph #2003 raph #1987 raphael #mirage raph #mm raph #batman raph #2012 raph #fortnite raph #2007 raph #tmnt raph #tmnt x reader #lol guess what my preference is #im gonna try and be more neutral but gosh #bayverse raph is delicious

[sweetlysimss]

► NOT SO BERRY x BERRY PASTEL RAINBOWCY - AN UPDATED VERSION

as some of you might know, I've written updated versions of the not so berry challenge and the berry pastel rainbowcy before. however, I keep wanting to switch between the two challenges or abandoning my one save for the other. so, on a random Monday evening I figured, why not combine the two for the ultimate updated challenge experience? my lovely fellow simmers over at @berrygameplay convinced me to write stuff down and... the NSB x BPR updated rules was born!

credit goes to @lilsimsie and @alwaysimming for the original nsb rules and @berrysweetboutique for the original berry pastel rainbowcy rules!

►WHAT ABOUT THE RULES

as with my two other updated challenges, i've written the rules in a google doc (that you cannot edit! stop asking for permission to edit the file!). if you want to save the rules for yourself, go to file > create a copy and you're able to save the rules wherever you want and edit them. this will not change the original document.

there are disclaimers, a list of packs you need for this challenge (most packs are optional) and an index to move through generations quickly. each gen has their own introductory story (you don't have to adhere to these stories!), required traits - aspirations - careers, the generational rule (bpr), reward traits to buy, and the list of objectives catered to that generation. feel free to edit these objectives to your hearts desire! this challenge is supposed to be fun :)

► NSBxBPR

if you want to play this challenge, please tag your posts with #nsbxbpr so I can follow and share them!

so. let's get to it:

► SEND ME TO THE RULES

For easy access and to show an example of the rules, here are the first generation’s rules all written out. If you want to look at the other generations, click on the “send me to the rules” link!

generation one: white

coming from a long line of privileged sims, you’re ready to break away from your family and pursue your own dreams. you’ve only really felt close to your grandparent and never told anyone you were the sole heir to their old, rundown farmhouse. starting off with nothing, you pick up the hobby you were never allowed to put into practice: painting. you find it difficult to let other sims in and may come across as rude sometimes. you just need that one special sim to make you feel like it’s all worth it. slowly but surely, your own family starts to grow, but not without its ups and downs…

traits: creative, mean, [open slot]

aspiration: painter extraordinaire OR chief of mischief

career: none (sell paintings, produce, and harvestables)

spouses career: [open slot]

rules

GENERATIONAL RULE: paint a portrait of your heir REWARD TRAITS TO BUY: mentor, speed reader, super green thumb

move into a lot with the ‘simple living’ lot challenge (size is up to you)

max painting skill

max gardening skill

max mischief skill

max logic skill

have multiple different love interests, but do not settle before having a child

date with a purple, pink, AND/OR red sim

have only 1 child with purple, pink, or red sim and 1 alien child

become enemies with the spouse you decide not to go long-term with

optional: make at least 2 enemies

marry a purple, pink OR red sim

sell at least 5 masterpieces

have at least 2 different animals on your farm

choose from the following: horse, goat, lamb, cow, llama, bunny, chicken, cat, dog, rodent

if you choose a horse, max the horse skills: temperament, jumping, agility, endurance

become good friends with all of your children and animals

adult or elder: max the knitting and/or cross-stitch skill

adult or elder: become good friends with at least 1 grandchild

#nsbxbpr #nsb #bpr #not so berry #berry pastel rainbowcy #sims 4 challenge #sims #sims 4 #ts4 #the sims 4 #legacy rules #legacy challenge #not so berry x berry pastel rainbowcy updated

[aclowntiny]

Black Flag, Black Hearts? Falling for Pirate!Ateez (Meeting Pirate!Ateez Part 2- Female Reader)

One (1) request for part 2 was all it was going to take to continue one of my favorite pieces hehe… but I got 2 🥲🥹 hope y’all enjoy this one too! 🏴‍☠️ plenty more where this AU came from 😉

Warnings: suggestive content, a little more gun mention this time, some violence, blood, death implication

☠Hongjoong☠

As breath returned to your body and pain subsided, you were held to no debt. Should have known, really, that the thieves robbing thieves sought not to use a life as a transaction. Legend had gotten the best of you once and you dared not repeat that.

For your own honor, honor far beyond that of the so-called law, it seemed fit for a thanks, though. Fit for some token of gratitude immeasurable, for how does one quantify life? Your tavern was ash beside, so what tether had you to the land? No job, no marriage, not even a debt to escape. Much as you might miss a few polite regulars, it was likely you could disappear unnoticed.

And disappear you did, shoving off with the Eightfold as the new cook. One of the others bore the mantel for some time, bid you share it with him for his own joy, but their captain insisted you were far better suited for it. From what you knew of men, that could easily prove true.

Bringing a woman aboard, necessity though it may have been, proved great fun for the raucous middle-mates, as you called them. Not the youngest, not the eldest, just dreadfully, wonderfully boisterous people the likes of whom always got feet stomping back in the tavern.

And stomp feet they did, insisting you must dance with them after so long a drought of partners to reel or otherwise with atop the waves. You were earning your sea legs, wondering if you might have a tilt akin to theirs at your next port stop, so why not challenge yourself with a dance or three?

Skirts in hand, you circled Mingi, who had laughingly unbuckled his pistol belt at your wary glance. Too many a shot had drunkenly or exuberantly fired into a floorboard or a foot for you not to. The tall gunslinger danced like Old Man Jo's hound dog, unaware of strength that could bowl a woman over, but far too kind to wish that. The pair of you laughed a lot before you were handed off to San, who took you gently by the hands and spun you with delicate care, reminding you more of the sweet childhood cat that used to curl at your side whenever you took ill or cried. What a whirlwind before you, nearly a stitch in your chest, got passed to Wooyoung, who found a nice middle ground between push-and-pull and treating you like glass, but coupled with the unfortunate side effect of being a little handsier than necessary, his grip sliding lower on your hip.

And that, that was when you saw it. Like a shadow, a falcon poised for an elegant, precise swoop, your dance partner's Captain stood glaring, stare intense as every wanted poster that had crossed your path made it out to be. Spine tingling as it was wont to do at that look, you found your attention transfixed upon Hongjoong as he strode up to Wooyoung, authority resounding in each strike of his boots. Wooyoung smiled, somehow half proudly and half sheepishly, a wave crashed, and still glaring Hongjoong gave a jerk of his head and a few quiet words that had his junior scurrying off.

Then he was before you, entire affect altered, face a sole mask of concern. It was as if you peered into completely different eyes. "I told him not to touch you like that," he told you, voice dark only as you'd heard once before, just on that fateful night you thought you'd met your end, "he shouldn't dare."

Serious as the captain sounded, you couldn't help smiling. "Thank you. Don't be too hard on him, though, I've dealt with worse. Think he just forgot himself. Why don't you show him how it's done, then?"

That earned you a slightly cocky grin, that satisfied look you frankly couldn't get enough of. "With pleasure. May I, then?”

His hands hovered until you nodded, then one took yours and the other held your waist, this time far more proper than his predecessor’s hold. You had nothing to compare this dance to, no parallel of memory to the way Hongjoong made you feel.

“This moonlight becomes you,” he remarked quietly, “becomes you far more than galley lamps. You are our Diana then.”

Goddess of the moon. The moon which did hang like a great wide monocular gaze over your dance, the way your hand reflexively tightened over Hongjoong’s shoulder at the return of his honeyed words. “You think so highly of me?” Was all you could ask, surprisement coloring your face and tone alike.

“Suppose I need to get better at showing it,” Hongjoong joked in response, but something stirred in his gaze that confirmed it better than words.

Since that night, Hongjoong spent more time than ever in the galley, playing guessing games with you about your destination and playfully rolling his eyes when you made the man stop and eat something for once.

“What can I say,” you shot back at his teasing smile, “I’m trying to get better at showing it, too.”

☠Seonghwa☠

Your sack was as full of little trinkets-and even a bit of new clothing-as your heart was apprehension. Every thud of your soles upon the planks of the dock, then the ship, echoed beats of your heart. Live on as you may, nothing could have properly prepared you that morning for the fact that there was no return to your old life, that a gentleman claiming to be a pirate would whisk you away to his ship.

Upon setting foot upon the deck, Seonghwa undid your handkerchief, revealing his handsome face as he handed it back, and clapped a hand to the shoulder of another man, this one tall, smiling, and a bit fair.

Said man nodded your way, shocking you with as friendly a smile as you had ever seen. “And who might this be?”

“My name,” you answered, internally cursing the small voice such apprehension had produced, “is (y/n). I took interest in your First Mate’s cartography.”

“She has an interest in all the arts, it seems,” Seonghwa added, a touch of pride coloring his voice, “I saw the way she admired weaving, blown glass…”

The other man tilted his head, still smiling. “Oh, really? Well, have you any skills in its study along with your valuation our captain will take quite a liking to you.” So the ship did not belong to him.

You swallowed, shuffling a bit forward from Seonghwa’s side, feeling the sudden absence of warmth there. “Are you art thieves, then?”

“In a manner of speaking,” another voice rang at your back, several bootfalls following it.

Turning on your heels, skirts swirling about your feet, you were faced with the intense gaze and proud smile of a man in a long, billowing black jacket, a gold pin shining upon its lapel. The designs on his waistcoat were intricate yet sharp, clearly hand-painted. Perhaps he’d stolen that too.

“For what does my First Mate bring you here?” Imposing words, yet with a tone clearly meant to put you at ease.

“For my love of the arts, it seems,” you replied, trying your best to look the man you took to be Captain in the eyes, “my question stands if it may: are you art thieves?”

The captain’s hand fully left his side, dropping your heart at the realization he likely concealed a blade there. “Have you heard what happened to the Egyptians? Their craftsmanship scooped up to line the halls of the rich. The great monarchs of the world with their hoards of untouched advancement? Creations returned to their creators. Wealth in the hands of the poor. Do you call that an art thief?” He looked quite satisfied at the dropping of your jaw.

“I call that right. The- the authorities say you kill and pillage.”

“Of course they do,” Seonghwa chimed in with a snort, “they want you to turn us in, do they not? I beg your pardon, ma’am, but you see why I say stories are to be doubted.”

“I do,” you nodded, “but I am no thief, just an admirer.”

“Could you identify a fake if you laid eyes upon it?”

“A counterfeit?”

“I suppose I could try. My art education is not exactly extensive, but if I cannot return home, at least I can continue it still.”

“Then it is settled. Excellent recruit, Seonghwa,” the Captain said, “go make sure she is comfortable.”

~

“You have so many wonderful things, Seonghwa. Are they gifts?”

The First Mate had led you down a hatch, down a set of stairs into a cozy little wood space that reminded you faintly of a hayloft. There was a bed already, a mattress draped with a quilt bearing some traditional pattern you didn’t quite recognize, likely a gift from travels prior. He helped you set your assortment of glass animals upon the claw-footed chest-of-drawers that sat against the wall across from the bed, even dusting off the looking glass for you. You’d remarked that it was a nice room-a lamp was already set upon the nightstand and a painting on the wall- but a mite lonely, so Seonghwa showed you his quarters across the hall. Jointed figures of wood covered one dresser, several ships in bottles resting in various places upon his bookshelf.

“Some of them, yes. The fine carvings are gifts, the cruder ones my own attempts,” he chuckled, “assembling a ship in a bottle is about all I’m good for.”

“And how does one do that?” You asked.

He’d sat you down on one side of a little table, his seat shuffled right at your side. Bits and pieces of tiny masts and sails were scattered about. You saw a tiny wheel, the smallest seagulls you’d ever laid eyes upon, all resting upon the finely stained wood. Picking up a pair of very long, thin tools, Seonghwa slid the bottle closer between you. “Very carefully.”

His smile made you smile, leaning in to watch him assemble it all. He named every piece of the ship, taught you which was port and starboard, pointed out the carven mermaid figurehead of the ship. “Beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” you nodded.

“Look closer. She looks a lot like you.”

Your lips parted, failing to form words as heat crept across your cheeks. Suddenly you were quite thankful for the oil lamp’s safe distance from all the wooden bits and bobs. The legends certainly were lies, for never had you felt more comfortable, any safer, than at the table of a pirate.

☠Yunho☠

"Another round, then, on me!" One of the Eight, the one who seemed most worthy of being Captain beside the man in the gold pin himself, called out to the almost creakingly full table, raising his tankard heartily.

"I believe you mean on me, Jongho," you replied, plucking the intricately filigreed mug from his hand and grabbing his neighbor San's too, turning the smooth fired rim in your hand.

Some months ago your inherited estate had been a dull, lonely cave of finery, joy of almost every dress and other beautiful thing you had inherited gone at the loss of family and company that had befallen you alongside it. What care had you for silken curtains hanging in a parlor no one sat in or a grand piano with no audience? Indeed, the sea was your greatest companion, solitude drowned out by whistling wind, crashing waves, and the sensation of feet upon sand. Such forces of nature offered much greater solace from your thoughts than anything of mankind, yet utterly void of their touch.

Now those once-consuming thoughts were but a laughable memory. Raucous song filled your parlor and kegs of ale your cellar lest the Eightfold arrive after a drop at their hollow on your beach, filling their cave with yet another chest of gold and stolen riches before making their way to you, presenting you with beachside finds and the odd gifted artifact, often a figurine for your many surfaces and shadowboxes.

"You're wearing a new dress every time we see you," another pirate, this one by the name of Wooyoung, remarked.

"I was given so many," you replied from your countertop, shrugging as you filled the two mugs.

"And jewelry, no doubt."

"Why," you shot back, reentering the dining room with a careful grip upon the now foam-topped vessels, dodging a flying arm punch between pirates, "do you plan to rob me after all this time?"

"No, I was just wondering why with all you've got you wear those silly shells about your wrist every single day."

As you laid your cargo down your eyes instinctively fell to the string of small orange shells Yunho had made you the day you met, then flicked to the pirate himself. "Perhaps it is important to me," you replied, nose in the air and heart in your throat.

Clearing some plates off the table and straightening the lace runner was supposed to distract you, but of their own accord your eyes fell to Yunho, whose gaze rested solely upon you. Hurrying, you shuffled to the kitchen, setting the plates aside the basin with the rest.

When all was said and done for your meal, you returned to the parlor for song, caring not for whatever sand tracked into the flowered carpet. You could clean. Passing through the doorway, you heard the voices of the young men squabbling over whose turn at the piano it was.

"Let me, please, I've a good one," you heard Yunho request, voice a soft plea to the others' raised bickers, "and I believe I still owe our hostess, all things considered."

"He is right, you know," you chimed in from your lean upon the threshold, arms crossed, “did he tell you the tale?”

"Ha!" Taking the bench and apparently ignoring the nature of the tale, which involved his blade upon your throat, Yunho swatted the two men on either side of him upon the head with the backs of his hands and began to play.

No shock was it for a man with hands like that to be adept at playing the piano. Nor the sweetness of his voice, the likes of which you'd been graced with prior, even if it was chorusing a shanty. The words he sang, however, raised brows.

From a sailor's perspective, the whole of it was a lament of missing a woman while upon the sea, and missing her dearly. Yunho charmed the keys and poured out genuine emotion with every note of his sweet voice, bidding you wonder if he’d had a woman at port the whole time.

Everyone applauded him, naturally, when he finished, but as he rose from the bench and urged Seonghwa forward in his stead, again his eyes fell upon you.

“Who is she, this woman who charms such shanties out of you? Not a pirate queen, it seems?” You inquired, raising an eyebrow and straightening your brooch.

“I plan to make one of her yet. She certainly has no fear of making a mess of herself at the sea’s edge. I’ve never seen a smile like hers, but she’ll set a man straight if she wants to. She flew a kite with me once, and that was how I knew it would be murder stepping off her shores again.”

You’d flown kites together the previous month. He hadn’t one before, yours a gift to him. “Has she any token of her sailor?” You asked, swallowing and taking a step closer, lest you misread the man who’d made you a string of shells, run a hand over it every time you danced- and that was certainly much more than with any other crewmate.

At that, Yunho lifted your hand up by the wrist, presenting those same beads of nature you never had the heart to go without. They were as a sign to you- a sign you were never truly to be without companionship again. His hand held yours so gently, like a gentleman, before he placed a kiss to the back of it.

“From the moment I met her, I knew I couldn’t leave her without her wearing some sign of me. Aren’t I selfish?” He smiled, looking for all the world like a proud, mischievous boy you couldn’t quite bring yourself to discipline. “What a pirate. Even from an apology I seek something for myself.”

“Funny, my pirate is always saying his riches don’t belong to him. Saying things like he and his friends have rebuilt half of Seonghwa’s hometown with the money that had been fattening kings.”

“Your pirate, hm?” Yunho gazed into your eyes, fluttering his lashes as he brought your hand closer, pulling it near his chest, your face warming with the gesture. “I like the sound of that. Do you think of me, then, as I think of you?”

“I feel as though I am counting the days until your return,” you admit with a flush.

“Then let us be as otters on the sea, always holding each other afloat,” Yunho whispered, leaning to press a kiss to your lips, soft, chaste, and yet loving enough to spin your head, “come with me. You are more than a lady at the dock- I would have you by my side.”

☠Yeosang☠

You said yes.

Water lapped at the sides of the boat, swaying it comfortingly. The Captain had looked upon Yeosang with surprise, then some degree of annoyance, as they spoke outside of your earshot, but the moment he dubbed you a jeweler it was all smiles.

You’d have assignments before you knew it, but such would come to pass seemingly ages after the moment’s heaven. Shrugging the covers higher, you shuddered under the chill of untouched silk upon warm skin.

"Cold?" Yeosang slipped a bit closer, a hand running up and down your upper arm.

"Faintly," you replied, lashes fluttering into your gaze upon his visage, obscuring the beautiful candlelit image.

"Well, is it any small wonder? You've no clothes on!"

"I wonder who did that," you teased.

"I wonder," Yeosang repeated, smiling and pressing a kiss to your forehead.

Nestling into the crook of his arm, you chuckled contentedly, gaze briefly flicking up to the crisscrossing of rafters making possible your hazy shelter. Glancing to the side, you caught a faraway look in Yeosang’s eyes as he gazed upon you, one you internally, half-jokingly, hoped was not regret.

“What are you thinking about?” You asked.

He flushed. No getting shy now, you wanted to say.

“I-I was wondering,” he began, trailing off sheepishly.

You loved that about him- such a man, and yet sweet as a lamb. What a wonderful contradiction.

“Yes?” You prompted.

“Now that we are nine,” Yeosang continued, shifting slightly beneath the covers, “will you…will you stay in my quarters?”

It was your turn to feel heat rising to your cheeks. So soon he wished that? Perhaps you should have been scared, but every risk you had taken, even leaving your hometown behind, had done nothing but excite and content you. All you felt was flattered, joyed, satisfied that you truly had made the pirate in the tavern yours.

“If you wish it, I will gladly stay here,” you replied with a smile, voice barely above a whisper.

“Huzzah!” He exclaimed quietly, hands balling into little fists about the sheets as he smiled widely. “It gets lonely in here, you know. But now I have the finest company of all.”

Your heart beat rapidly. “You shall also have the highest traffic- everyone will need the work of the jeweler’s daughter ere we know it,” you teased.

“Well,” Yeosang loosened one of his hands, sliding it beneath both layers of the blankets and sheets to take yours, giving it a squeeze, “that is a hazard I gladly accept.”

☠San☠

"I do care. I care to make new of my life," you told San, "for though you say you are wanted I see nothing but a good man. What place would your crew have for a shoe-shine girl?”

“You, Miss (y/n), are far more than that. The fact that you see the good in others is refreshing alone. Sometimes simplicities like that are forgotten in my line of work. I try to keep to them myself. When I saw you, I saw what I seek to be,” San replied, “if you join my crew, I can promise a home. I can promise adventure. But I cannot promise you freedom from things that could shatter the wonder in your eyes. Piracy is no easy job.”

Perhaps a part of you wanted to hear that word, but still your chest clenched, hand tightening slightly too around the note you held out, wind fluttering your hair. An eerie stillness resided within it, still an absence of passersby. The man before you truly was no ordinary sailor.

“When you say you want to give back to a place like this…” You began, trailing off beneath San’s intense gaze.

“We steal. We do,” San answered matter-of-factly, surely steeled in spite of any fanciful idealism, “but we have plenty. Towns like this? Places where priceless artifacts are stolen as trinkets or spectacles? Some thievery only rights thievery.”

He truly cut a dashing figure, trim and noble and a quiet sort of bold. Folly or not, you believed the man who showed you the kindness of a new life, be it in simple prosperity or adventure. Adventure of spying your first breaching of dolphins or tasting the fruit of a neighboring land, of unlocking some stolen artifact or even fighting burly men off your friend who’d started a barfight. Swinging off a ship’s rope. All the stories San had regaled you with as you shined his boots.

“I want to go with you.”

~

Humanity, not pity, was truly the way of the Eightfold. Not a one treated you like a stray they'd adopted off the streets, not like the people with high noses of your former home. You, rather, were an opportunity.

They all smiled at the way your eyes widened at the boat's rocking. Never had you been adrift before. Two of them climbed you up to the crow's nest and you, fighting off the shudderings of fear at the newfound height, leaned out over the glittering expanse, feeling as a bird or the north wind herself. And sure were they that your greatest skill would be found in no time. You'd offered to swab the deck, but San was insistent you'd done enough cleaning for now.

"We can make Mingi do that," he teased the tall, sharp-eyed marksman who'd surprised you with a boyish love of attention, nodding his way.

"Oi!" Mingi started up after him, pointing at the man who'd helped you decorate your new quarters. "Let Seonghwa keep doing it, he's the only one that likes it."

"I don't like it, I'm the only one who does it right!"

"Boys, boys," the captain held out hands, grinning in amusement, "you'll all have a turn at the deck, don't you worry. As for (y/n), San is right. She's more than earned something new."

'Something new' came in the form of another nerve-wracking crow's nest climb, steep ramps of fear with each hand over the other, and yet such a great reward. Stars now provided shine to the roiling sea, night sky reflecting it an inky black besides.

"Takes my breath away every time," San muttered at your side, looking at the water as if the stars weren't already in his widened eyes.

"I can imagine. Why do we come out here so late, though?"

"'Tis time for sextant training," San replied with a smile.

"Time for what?" You burst out in response, eyes flicking away from his back to the sea-never off the bottom of the crow's nest again, that was a one-time mistake-as your face rapidly warmed.

From your vision's peripheries, San held up a brass instrument boasting a pair of mirrors. "This, Miss (y/n), is how we find ourselves. Celestial bodies help us determine our location," he replied, gentle tone greatly contrasting yours. If he was surprised by the raising of your voice, such puzzlement remained with him.

"Very well," you replied, perhaps a bit too hastily, "let me see how it works."

~

You were a natural with the navigation device, an expert. Well, according to San, who convinced Captain Hongjoong that his shoe-shine girl was a perfect navigator. The sweet words he always had for you, the 'my' added to your old nickname, that one smile it seemed he reserved for you, well, it all accumulated in your heart like grains of sand lodged within an oyster, ever mindful of their presence. Grains rapidly expanding, shining into pearls.

San and you were to pose as an aristocrat couple, the rest of his crew having procured fine clothes from their stock. The dress they gave you was so beautiful, finer silk than had ever touched your skin, that you sat and simply admired it for a moment before even dressing. The pink fabric hugged your body perfectly, accentuating your figure far beyond what you could have ever imagined, even if the low neckline of current vogue had you flushing a bit. Then in came San, reflected in the looking glass as he cut a dashing figure in a tailored suit complete with a delicately embroidered waistcoat. Surely your eyes lingered a bit too long, but you could nary help yourself as he made purposeful strides to your side.

As you rose, rotating to face him, his mouth fell agape, lips parting in…shock?

“Quite different from my usual rags, is this not?” You joked in response.

“You look beautiful,” San breathed, his next step slower, almost reverent, “but it needs one final touch. Do you have my gift?” This time, his tone was a bit shy.

“Yes, of course,” you replied, making the short way to your dresser where you’d wrapped it up for safekeeping and procuring it, “right here.”

“If- if you’d be all right with it,” San said, “please keep that as your spoil. We pirates keep a sign of our first plunder, and though this was a gift, I would be so happy to see you wear it as such.”

Your eyes fell to the dripping gems, topaz alternating between classic yellow and the pink that perfectly matched the gown left at your door. No woman that you could imagine would have denied such elegant craftsmanship, such shine adorning her chest, but San’s expression was so deadly serious, so searching, that that would have been enough.

You nodded, giving a smile you hoped to be reassuring. “Of course, San.”

He broke out into the widest look of joy and flooding relief you’d ever seen, as though someone had just told him all his debts were paid. “Then let me put it on you,” he continued, rushing over to your side once more and gently lifting the necklace from your hands.

His hands shook, yet his fingers, surely trained from their reliefs of spoils, deftly clasped the chain about you as they gently, warmly, brushed your skin. From your peripheries you saw him tilt his head, and something in you bid you turn. You did, meeting him there as your lips connected, San’s holding yours, guiding them so softly he might have thought them glass. Your chest burst triumphantly, as if those fireworks your old home’s mayor had brought in to launch off the docks from China had been lit within your soaring heart.

There was that look again, that dimpled smile of pure joy, those eyes softened as they met yours, when San finally straightened again, parting with the sweet sorrow of old. “Well, it looks like we’ll play this couple role well tonight, won’t we?”

All you could do was nod, heart fluttering as he took your hand, leading you from your room as one might a bride, pearls in your heart glistening like the rainbows of a renewed sky.

☠Mingi☠

The first thing you did was strip your corset off.

Mingi had spirited you away to his quarters while he sought to go, in his words, “explain you”. He was almost naively confident that you would be accepted, leaving you to your own devices in his space with ease. Before leaving, he had dropped a pair of trousers that might fit you on his hammock, the whimsical waving space where he took his rest. Thank the stars, they fit, lacing up at the front like the reverse of your horrendous undergarments and actually allowing you to-shock of shocks!- loosen them as needed.

There was a long scroll of paper hanging by a nail on the wall. It was plain white save for strokes of ink down its surface, gorgeous brushstrokes of calligraphy. Brushing your fingers against the bottom of it, you wondered whose delicate hand might have drawn it. As it was, you were dressed and Mingi hadn’t exactly bidden you wait any certain amount of time, so you creaked your way back up the steps and onto the deck, seal ring hanging in scornful display about your chest.

The pirate had leant you trousers, knee-high boots, and a white tunic to tuck in, and while you felt a bit self-conscious at the open chest a part of you smiled. This would have had the aristocratic courts you’d been thrust in you fainting at the sight-even showing a bit of ankle was a bit unseemly, yet there you were. What a relief it was to stride in trousers, let a little skin breathe.

You almost walked into Mingi in your reverie, stopping just short of a collision as he excitedly announced you’d made the crew a Ninefold.

“I have? Your captain is letting me stay, then?”

Mingi didn’t answer, just stood stock still, jaw falling a bit open. The only sound around you was the breeze, a lone seagull calling out from the clouds.

“Mingi?”

He shook his head, a sudden jerking motion. “My apologies. I just…” His expression turned sheepish, back to that kind look that initially endeared you. “I thought you were pretty before, but wow…”

The compliment, that kind smile, the sheer innocence, all had your heart turning over. What sort of feeling was that?

~

“Selfishly I am quite glad you chose learning to shoot.”

Mingi had set up something of a shooting gallery for you, the crew’s entirety having insisted upon your learning some form of combative measures for defense at least. Being unsure as you were regarding your readiness for the brutality of the sword, you felt it a clear choice: learn to shoot. The tall pirate who had rescued you, if doing the opposite to your unfortunate boor of a betrothed and his companions who attempted a foolish fight, was the ship’s adept with firearms, handing you the very same revolver which had killed your near-captor.

It was heavy in your hand, both physically and in the most literary of senses, as if you yourself had now borne the weight of a life ended. The weapon had beautiful mother-of-pearl inlays decorating its wood, metal shined freshly. Mingi clearly cared for the things, and quite dashing they were up close.

“Now, remember, no finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Aim for the box there,” Mingi pointed, guiding you toward an old broken crate he’d propped on a barrel, assuring you it was trash anyway.

Willing your hand not to shake, you held up a revolver in both hands, aiming at the crate before your index finger slid to the trigger, pulling it back. You knew it was coming and yet the kick had you stumbling. Your first shot was a bit low, striking the upper edge of the barrel. Of course you apologized, but Mingi just laughed and waved a hand, flashing you that wonderfully kind grin.

“Here, let me help you aim,” he told you as he stepped behind you, standing flush to your back and taking hold of your elbow, sliding his hand up as he stayed your arm.

Haze descended into every crevasse of your brain at the warmth of his hip against yours, thicker than that day he’d paid you compliment. His words had made you a fool…

“Alright, (y/n), now!”

BANG!

“That’s my girl!” Turning you around, this time with hands upon your hips, Mingi smiled right into your haze, sea breeze ruffling his hair and whipping through yours.

You grinned back, leaping for joy beneath his hold. A fool you were to be, but an accurate one yet.

☠Wooyoung☠

You slapped the hand of the pirate who called himself Wooyoung off the curve of your waist as he strode triumphantly out of the tavern with you.

“Quit that, you’re not taking me home,” you chided.

He grinned. “I live on the ship. I’m taking you to the ship.”

“To speak with your Captain. See if he’s even got the room for me you think he does.”

“If you’re half as vicious in a fight, he will indeed.”

“You seem to think me quite a fighter for someone with no proof,” you teased.

“We could always wrestle.”

Another slap, this one markedly softer than the last, though. You shook your head, fighting a smile as you crossed the streets, inching ever closer to the docks, the waves surrounding your hometown. Night had closed firmly in upon the patchwork of angles and shingles that were your mess of a birthplace, casting shadows from every eave you passed beneath. Soon, though, you made your way upon the dock, Wooyoung walking you up to the side of a ship bearing the black flag. You knew your ramshackle town was quite friendly with outlaws, but it still rose an eyebrow how bold this man Wooyoung and his crew flaunted their thievery.

“Here we are,” said pirate waved a braceleted hand at the ship’s gangplank, allowing you to lift your skirt and tap up it first, “home sweet home.”

No sooner had you set foot upon the deck than did a voice ring out at your side, another pirate emerging from the shadows. “I know you threatened to find a tavern girl to take home, Wooyoung, but have some class. Is that fair to her?”

No man cowed you anymore. You stepped right over to him, pointed-heel boots thudding upon wood hollower than that of your workplace. “I am only here to speak to your Captain. Nothing more, nothing less. If anyone conquers anyone, it shall be me to his false bravado,” you told the pirate, nodding back to the man you’d danced with.

“He’s a good man beneath it all,” the dark-haired pirate all but whispered.

“I suspected,” you replied. For all Wooyoung’s talk, he held you gently, swayed you merrily, treated you like a far finer thing than a night. Something in him must have thought it unfitting for a man in his position or else found it entertaining. Honestly, likely the latter. “He wishes to make a pirate queen out of a hellhole’s barmaid,” you chuckled, “No one has ever helped me before.”

“He sees something special in you, and I can see why. Welcome to the Eightfold.”

“If your Captain consents,” you shot back.

“I do,” the man who’d melted from the shadows grinned, fingers reaching up to a gold jolly roger pin upon the lapel of his flowing jacket, clearly some symbol of status, “you’ve much spirit indeed, Miss.”

~

You were willing to throw a punch and knew how to prepare the odd fruit the Eightfold had two crates of, and that was good enough for them. They all insisted you were a worthy recruit for quelling barfights alone. Flattering. At least they made good on their promise to get you a sword. The thing felt good in your hand, that much more satisfying than the knife you'd already hidden for the journey to the ship.

Ever an authority of insistence, Wooyoung pushed for his crew to throw a little party to welcome you. Likely an excuse to swing you around the deck, you reflected with a smirk.

Sure enough, as three of his crewmates procured instruments, he bowed like a gentleman at some high-class affair and offered his hand. "May I show our pirate queen a good time?"

You took it. "You may, though I'll stick with 'newest member' for now."

The pair of you stepped in a merry circle to kick off the first upbeat dance before Wooyoung wrapped a hand around your waist from the side, ready to whirl. "Funny, I'd have said 'best looking'," he shot back.

"Oh? That's not you, my daring highwayman?"

You spied a quite unfamiliar bashfulness creep through Wooyoung's smile, his stark gaze dropping a bit beneath the repetition of tunes and the crashing of small waves and the stomping of boots. The look lasted but a moment, replaced by the old standby of wicked fun. "Highwayman? High-seas-man, perhaps!"

"However you like to fancy yourself," you replied, smiling back despite your words.

You'll give the man that: the neverending battle of wits made for good fun, flowing as much a force of nature for you as those surging waves. He was a good dancer, too.

No sooner had you thought that then did the push and pull and twirl overtake, your feet quite literally being swept off as you were dipped low to the deck, a hand instinctively moving to Wooyoung's chest to stabilize yourself. The vee of his tunic was quite deep, your balancing act catching far more of him than of fabric. Another thing he had in his favor, you reflected as your dance partner slid a hand to the back of your head, angling you a bit lower in the process. He leaned a bit further in, nose almost touching yours.

Your eyelashes fluttered as you spoke, voice low. "Not with everyone watching," you told him, pushing back up on his chest in a way that had him standing you back up as the notes faded out into the night's wind.

As you sauntered off to fetch a drink, you caught Wooyoung's eyes following you even more intensely, chest blooming and lips rising with satisfaction.

☠Jongho☠

He’d offered his arm and you’d taken it. A stroll like two lovers meeting, and yet you were leading a pirate to aid in robbing your gracious host. Resisting a dark chuckle, you simply exhaled, giving a little shake of your head. Nothing like you'd expected of the fine evening.

Jongho hummed at your side, tilting his head in question as you passed beneath parted velvet curtains through a columned doorway out to the garden path.

"This is simply...not what I expected of the evening," you spoke into his silent query.

“You can always turn back,” he offered, still looking imperceptibly matter-of-fact.

At that, you shook your head. “Not now. This is an opportunity to be a part of something. To have purpose beyond another. I think maybe that is a better step than falling in love first.”

At that, Jongho smiled, leading you further until you stopped beneath a silver trellis, where three other men stood. ��I agree. Well, I say here should be a fair stop. I thank you for-” He froze, grip loosening on your arm.

Following his gaze, you saw another man, fair-haired and finely dressed, standing only about two metres off, an azalea bush only slightly obscuring him. “Not one of your others, is he?”

Jongho shook his head.

“What should we do?” You asked quietly.

Another of Jongho’s men, a tall figure with dark hair and a blade sheathed at his side, replied from the ivy-covered rendezvous point. “If we had something to knock him out with, maybe he’d forget what he saw long enough for us to leave.”

You had heard of that- all it took was a great enough weight, right? Stooping as much as your dress allowed, you hoisted up a little marble statue of a cherub seated on a little pedestal, book in hand. “This should do, right?”

Another of the men, this one with shining black bangs like curtains, nodded and smiled impishly. The tall gentleman-er, pirate- with the blade began a nod, then his entire countenance, face and posture, faded into shock as you lunged forward, knocking the angel into the man’s head and sending him falling backwards. Your stomach heaved at the crimson rivulet streaming from where he lie, hands shooting to your face.

“Is he- Did I..?” Your voice rose barely above a whisper as the carven angel, now dripping with blood, clattered onto a tile from your loosening fingers.

"We need to run," Jongho said, taking hold of your wrist this time as he shuffled through the trellis, "all of us."

"But wait-" You protested beneath his careful hold, running on instinct in an attempt to keep up with the rapid pumping of his legs, barely avoiding catching your skirts.

"If anyone sees that you did that, you could be hanged as a m-" The third man, one with wide, innocent eyes, spoke up, words quite in contrast to his demeanor.

"That's enough," Jongho cut him off, still plodding down the tile trail past the home's prize rosebushes, "(y/n), this place is not safe for you. Run away with us."

You felt sick, but your heart fluttered- out of nerves or excitement, you could hardly tell. All you did was nod weakly, chest burning with heavy breaths from your sprint out the garden gate with four men you barely knew.

~

Guilt wound its way through your chest like a cold snake at what transpired in the garden that night, and yet you found comfort in the pirates who had whisked you to their ship. Being the Eightfold, there were four others beside Jongho and the three who'd looted your hosts that evening, Yunho, Wooyoung, and Seonghwa. Mingi, another tall, imposing pirate, removed his wide-brimmed hat and held it as his chest.

"The first one is always the hardest," he said, and in his tone rested clouds of such a deep sadness that you could nary even question his meaning.

The men gave you such a royal welcome, distracting you with rousing song and dance and more questions and stories than your head could spin at. They’d brought an octopus on deck, taught you how to play tavern card games no lady would have dared touch at home, and hosted a mock trial with Jongho presiding as judge when First Mate Seonghwa ‘tried Captain Hongjoong for high piracy’. You’d expected Jongho to play a serious judge, yet his character broke his dry persona by playing with his gavel and shouting at inopportune times. They saw the way you still balked at sparring, however.

"Do you regret it?" Jongho asked you one day, striding to your side and joining you in leaning upon the edge of the ship, watching the passage of white-capped waves.

“Of course I do. I was so caught up in the moment, I had no inkling I- I- something like that could come of my hand. But I think what I regret more was the faint part of me that enjoyed it. Something completely untouched, utterly foreign woke in me and rushed through my veins and I fear what could come of releasing it again.”

You heard Jongho inhale at your side, felt his exhale faintly against you with the brush of his tunic upon your own shirt. “I will tell you this: we pirates at least never kill without a very, very good reason. And what you did, you did not realize. It was not so in your heart. You were afraid, had just seen a fight, felt for the first time in your life you had something to defend. Would you not say?”

You stared into the shine of Jongho’s deep eyes. He spoke so closely into your mind, it was as if he had been there himself. The waves surrounding you drowned out your emotion, grounded your tears with swirls far more powerful than you could ever truly comprehend. He was right. All your life, you had been taught to seek something to hold onto. In your upbringing, that had been someone else, the security of a man, a fortuitous marriage. An education perhaps, were you feeling any inclination to teach in a prestigious field. Anything to increase the size of your twinkle in society’s eyes. Never fighting to take care of your life. Never to find what it was you wanted. Certainly not learning how to fish just because the fancy had taken you and a crewmate on a still day. All of this came pouring forth from your heart to your lips, no tears accompanying the words, just a tired shudder, a slump as you fell into what felt like a waking sleep, your body truly able to relax from its admissions.

Jongho tensed a bit when your head hit his shoulder. Fatigued as you were, you shot up instantly, leaning further upon the wood again. The strong man before you was, you gathered, the least in favor of the others’ brotherly holds. What a nuisance you must have seemed…

He looked at you with those searching eyes again, the eyes that seemed to bore into thoughts that had barely even come to fruition for you. “It’s all right. I understand. You need this.” He patted his shoulder, welcoming you back. “If you want to.” His gaze darted a bit as he smiled softly, breaking the so-steady contact that had you both wishing to hide away the shadows he saw and lean into it completely.

Something snapped in your chest at that look, yet another of Jongho’s many surprises you’d seen since he first broke your dance to manhandle a villain. For seeming such a smile man, he understood you so much more than you him. Maybe someday that would change.

As it was, you gratefully leaned again, bobbing with the sea in silence save for her mighty roar.

#ateez #ateez imagines #ateez reactions #ateez x reader #ateez scenarios #hongjoong #seongwha #yunho #yeosang #san #mingi #wooyoung #jongho #ateez x female reader #female reader #pirate au #long post

[nyasiaaaaa]

In the Bleak Mid-Winter

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x Fem reader (Nurse)  Fem reader x Arthur ( platonic) Fem reader x John( platonic )

Summary: This is a story about two people who become constants in each others lives, and eventually fall for each. While one learns to love again, the other learns the cost of loving a man like him. 

Word count: 3.5k

Warnings: Cursing, blood, death, , drinking, alcohol, talks of war, guns, murder, Tommy Shelby, ( If I missed anything or you think something should be added please tell me.) ( Also Y/N is on dick, IDKY she acts like this)

A/N: part 1 takes place during season two, part 2/3 season 3 and 4/5/6 season 4. This is a Slow burn there will be smut eventually. 

Part 1  Part 2    Part 4   Part 5  part 6

*****************************

It was early, though you didn't know how early; sunlight filled the room slowly, and you heard birds chirping in the distance. You were still on the floor, but your position had changed slightly. Tommy was now lying to your right on his side with his head in your lap, and your legs were stretched out in front of you with one hand on your lap and the other playing with his hair. Neither of you had to gone to sleep; even though Tommy's eyes were closed, you knew he wasn't asleep. 

You didn't know how long you had been laying there, and honestly, your body was aching, but you were going to stay till he was ready to get up. 

It wasn't long after the sun completely filled the room that Tommy got up without a word or a glance in your direction. He walked to the bathroom that was in the room and shut the door, locking it. 

You stood up and stretched, then you stood there debating whether to wait for him or leave. He needs space, right?  

Yeah— he needed space; you decided to leave and go check on Gracie's body to make sure she was ready to be transported. You headed towards the nurses' station, hoping to get an update. 

As you approached the station, you were glad to see a nurse you knew and liked.

"Hey Jackie," your voice fell flat as you slightly smiled. 

"Hi, you OK. " 

"Yeah, just tired. Uh, did Grace's body get taken care of? Is it all stitched up and down in the morgue?" 

"Yeah, and one of the other doctors had to stitch her up. Dr. Brown's hands weren't the steadiest between the Whiskey and Grace dying on his watch. And now the board wants to do an investigation," she said and smacked her teeth. 

"I had told them— I told the board that Dr. Brown was a drunk and that It was only a matter of time before someone got killed." You had pushed the papers on the counter in frustration before resting your arms on it and placing your head in your hands. "Maybe— I don't know." 

You had been too caught up in your emotions to notice that your friend had gone silent. You didn't notice till someone cleared their throat behind you; slowly, you raised your head to see your friend frozen in fear. 

You turned around and saw Tommy standing behind you; he cleared his throat again before licking his lip and then running his cigarette across them. He placed it in his mouth, lit it, and took a long drag, all while his eyes remained on the floor. 

Pulling the cig from his lip, he lifted his head to look at you. 

His eyes looked different; they were darker, and they looked.... empty.

"I'll send someone for Grace," he said before turning and leaving the hospital. 

You watched him as he walked away from you. You wanted to say something, but what could you say? 

You just watched him walk away till he was out of your sight. 

You were sick, you knew about Dr.Brown, and you never said anything, and now Tommy Kn-

Wait

Tommy had just heard you admit that you knew Dr.Brown was a drunk, and you never told him, and now Grace was dead because of him. 

Because of you. 

You fell back, but Jackie caught you; people around you asked questions, but you couldn't hear them, let alone see them, as your vision started to get blurry and your chest tightened.

Tommy was going to kill you, no doubt about it. 

*******************************

You had yet to die; you were so sure that by nightfall, you would be in a shallow grave right next to Dr.Brown. But surprisingly, you and Dr.Brown were still alive, and it had been one week since Grace's death. 

For the first couple of days after Grace's death, you had been slightly paranoid, constantly checking your surroundings on the lookout for Tommy or any peaky man. But after a week of not seeing anyone, you started to calm down.

Everything had been quiet and slow. It didn't feel right, like the calm before the storm. 

You had been sitting at the nurse's station doing paperwork when a fellow nurse came up to you and told you that you had been requested to exam room one. 

You were petrified.

You got up slowly from your chair. Your legs had a slight shake to them as you walked. Had he done this on purpose? Did he wait you out just to kill you when you least expected it? Your breath started to come out shaky, and you started feeling light-headed. You looked at the wall, counting down the exam rooms as you walked. It was like the universe was laughing at you, giving you your very own count down to your death, 5….4….3….2…1.

You stood in front of exam room one. 

It was time. 

You couldn't move, your arms felt glued to your side, you couldn't move them, you couldn't open the curtain.  

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath.

On three, you would go in.

One 

Two 

Three 

You didn't move, not an inch. 

You felt like screaming; you brought your hands up to your mouth to keep you from making a sound.  

Your face suddenly felt cold and wet; you reached up to touch your cheek; it was tears you were crying. 

You couldn't do this. Maybe you could run away; you did have an Aunt in America somewhere, you think. You could-

The curtain was pulled back, and in front of you stood John and Arthur. 

You started to back up, and your tears flowed more freely. 

"No, no, no, Please," you sob out. 

Arthur said your name as he reached for you, but you flinched away and continued to back up until you hit a wall.

You were trapped; there was nowhere you could run, so you just slid down the wall and curled into yourself.

"Calm down, will you? I don't know what you think is going on, but we need your help," John said 

You raised your head out of your knees and looked up to John before looking over at Arthur. 

"It's true here; take my hand," he said, reaching his hand out to you; you hesitated but eventually took it. He helped you up to your feet, guided you into the exam room, and closed the curtains behind y'all.

"What do you need?" your voice was strained, and you kept sniffing.

 Arthur took out his handkerchief, handing it to you; you took it and wiped your face.

The two shared a look before Arthur spoke up, "Tommy wants the doctor dead, the one who worked on Grace." 

You were confused. If they weren't here to kill you, then what did they want, and why are they telling you this.

"OK, what does that have to do with me?" 

"The Doctor isn't taking any visitors or new patients. He's keeping himself locked up, and we're having difficulty getting to him. We need your help. Tommy said you would know how to help." John was blunt, and while Arthur stood, there was a look on his face that you could quite read. You had heard that the Doctor locked himself up in his office days ago, so it made sense that they couldn't reach him. 

You had assumed Tommy was talking about taking the Doctor down the hall you snuck him out of. It made sense; they could snatch him as soon as he walked out the door, he wouldn't suspect a thing, and there would be no witness. It's not like anyone would snitch anyway. 

You didn't take a second to think about it cause there was nothing to think about. You had no choice but to help them, so you said, "OK, follow me." 

You lead them to the hallway and out the door; you tell them your plan and tell them to wait there for you. Once they understood, you left them and headed towards Dr. Brown's office. 

You walked fast. There was no reason to drag this out.

You arrived at his office and jiggled the handle, but it was locked, so you reached up and knocked.

"Doctor, it me open up. It's me, Dr.Brown; open up." 

 You heard footsteps approach the door, then a lock turn; he peeked out the door slightly before shutting it again. You were confused and about to knock again when you heard stuff being moved around. He must've barricaded himself inside, not taking any risk. 

You waited, and soon, he came to the door again and opened it; he pulled you inside before closing the door and locking it again.

It smelled like shit, 

you looked around; the room was a mess; the trash cans were overfilled, spilling onto the floor, papers were everywhere, and furniture was tossed around. You turned back to look at the Doctor, who was already looking at you. He looked like he had been rolling around dirty; his clothes and hair were all messed up, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. 

You felt bad for what you were about to do.

"They're here, Tommy, Arthur, John. They're all here. They're looking for you." You tried to sound panicked so he would believe you.

He started to pace around the floor and ran his finger through his hair. "What—here—no, no." He stopped and turned to look at you. "Why are you here, you with them? You here to kill me, please, please don't. I'm a good guy; you know I'm a good guy." Tears fell down his face as he got on his knees in front of you and begged. 

You felt your eyes start to water; you couldn't do this; you panicked and turned your back towards him. 

You closed your eyes and calmed yourself down. 

You turned back to face him and hoped he wouldn't read into what just happened. 

"Get up; I'm not here to kill you; I'm here to help you." 

"What"

"If I was with them, they would have come through the doors instead of me. Now Get Up!" 

He looked at you briefly, got up, grabbed some cash from his desk, and met you at the door.

"OK, we'll have to be quick; they could be anywhere. I will let you out on the south side, and after that, you're on your own." He nodded at you, tears still falling from his eyes.

You quickly opened the door before you could stop yourself. You pretended to check if the coast was clear before telling him to follow you. 

Your walk to the south end of the hospital felt so slow but fast at the same time. You were approaching the final stretch of hallway, the door was in your sight, and you picked your pace up, 

you just wanted to get this over with.

"Thank you so much. I had prayed for a way out, and in came you." 

His words caused you to let a few tears sip; you quickly wiped them and reached out to open the door.

As soon as the both of y'all were out the door and it closed, Arthur and John came around from the wall. You heard him panic but kept walking straight. He yelled your name as he begged for his life, 

that only made you walk even faster. 

You passed Arthur and John, but you didn't look them in the eye; you couldn't. 

You heard the gun cock, and that's when his begging ended, and he started saying prayers.

"By The Order Of The Peaky Blinders" 

Then the gun went off.

You jumped, frightened, and quickened your pace.

You walked to the front of the building and into the hospital. You walked up to the nurses' station and grabbed your things. Some other nurses were there, and you told them you weren't feeling well and would be out for a few days. You didn't wait to hear their response and rushed home. 

When you got home, you immediately went and showered; you felt dirty. You were in there for over an hour, and you kept soaping up and washing it off over and over again. No matter how hard you scrubbed, you still felt like there was blood on you. 

When you finally got out of the shower, your skin was sore, and you were tired. You were too tired to even put clothes on; you hopped on your bed in your towel and balled yourself up real tight. 

At the angle you were lying at, you could see yourself in the mirror; you just looked at yourself. 

It wasn't like you were looking at a completely different person; you knew it was you. It wasn't a stranger in the mirror. It was just a different version of you that you hadn't seen since the war. 

A version you didn't want coming back. 

************************************

It had been a month since you saw Tommy and a few weeks since the Dr.Brown thing. 

You had taken a week off to handle your emotions; it was your first week back, and you were doing fine. You weren't your happiest self, but you spoke when you were spoken to, ate with everyone else, and even laughed at people's jokes. 

Was any of it genuine? No, but you are all about faking it till you make it. 

You had also been trying to write a letter to Tommy. It will say how you are genuinely grateful for everything that he has done, but you can't do this anymore. You would back pay him in rent when you could, but for now, if he could stop the protection detail and send his men to get fixed up, you would greatly appreciate it. 

You were having a hard time sounding stern. You had to make sure he understood that you couldn't do this anymore; you couldn't keep a man like him in your life, 

cause it was starting to cost you.

You were chewing on your pencil as you stared down at the letter you had written. The paper was smudged, and eraser pieces were everywhere.

 You had glanced up the clock to check the time; it was late, a quarter to midnight. You were working a night shift at the hospital; it wasn't bad. It was a chill night, pretty quiet. 

You stood up about to get a snack when you heard a tire screech outside; you peeked around the corner and saw a car in the ambulance bay; it must have been pretty serious if someone had driven here instead of calling an ambulance. You started walking towards the door of the bay when they suddenly burst open; a young lady yelled as she fell back. 

"Help, please, someone help."

You rushed over to help her, and that's when you realized the woman was Ada and the man she was holding in her arms was 

Tommy. 

"Ada, what happened?" You grabbed Tommy off her and signed for her to stand up; together, you both lifted him on a gurney and rushed him to an exam room.

"I don't know, h-he said," She was struggling to speak as she cried, "he said he had a cracked skull, concussion, internal bleed, and something about hemorrhaging." 

You looked at her, confused; if he had all that, he would be dead right now; he should be dead. You placed Tommy in a room and started to look him over; he was severely injured. 

"OK, Ada, look at me." You grabbed her arm tightly to get her attention. "I needed you to run towards the hospital's front desk and tell them that I need help. OK, say my name and tell them I need a neurosurgeon to come." She looked at you, hesitant to leave Tommy 

"Please, Ada, I can only do so much." 

She nodded and took off. You put gloves on before assessing Tommy. 

He had bruised ribs and a dark purple stomach; he might have been right about the internal bleeding; you went up to check his pupil reacting, and you grabbed his head softly, turning it up toward you before flashing your light. One eye was blown, but the other was good. 

He was in serious trouble; the likelihood of him dying outweighed the possibility of him not.

You were about to walk away to grab some gauze when someone grabbed your wrist; you tuned in and saw Tommy blinking; you rushed over and stood over him.

"Tommy, hey, can you see me? Can you hear me? You are in the hospital. Everything's going to be OK." He let out grunts of noise, not making any sense.

"Shhh, it's OK. Don't speak, please; you might hurt yourself."

"G-Grace " 

You immediately got nervous; if he was seeing Grace, he didn't have much time left.

"Tommy, no, it's me, hey, it's me." You grabbed his face in your hands and made him look at you. 

He whispered your name.

"Yeah, Tommy, it's me." Tears had been falling from your face, but you didn't notice until you tasted them. 

"Yo- You h-hav-e to P-ull me out." 

"What?" You reached up to wipe your tears; you were so confused.

"Pu-ll me out." That time, he spoke just above a whisper, but you still heard him and were still confused.

The Doctor then rushed in and quickly assessed Tommy; Ada stood behind in the distance. 

You stayed next to Tommy; you held his hand instead of his head, out of the Doctor's way. 

Before you knew it, other nurses had pushed the wheels into a moving position. They were about to take off towards the surgery room. You jogged alongside them to the room.

"It's going to be OK, Tommy; they're going to take good care of you, OK?" You squeezed his hand for reassurance.

"In t-he-" 

"What, what did you say?" You leaned closer to his face to hear him better.

"In the Bleak Mid-winter" 

You had reached the surgical room and let his hand go; you didn't want to put up a fight; this wasn't your specialty. You knew you would only delay his care if you fought to be in the room when you weren't needed. 

You had slowly walked back to the ER; your mind raced so fast you couldn't keep up.

You had heard that before; you didn't know where, but you were sure you'd heard "In a bleak mid-winter" before. And not at church but in a way Tommy just said, in a "final good-bye" kind of way 

You were so confused and so caught up in your thoughts that you didn't even realize that you had made it back to the ER. Once you pushed through the door, you were immediately rushed by Tommy's family, who asked you a million questions. 

You backed up a bit before speaking.

"I don't know anything. I don't know if he will live or die. I don't know the extent of his injuries. All I know is that he's in good hands; this Doctor is the best in the county. " 

Even though no one seemed satisfied with your answer, they all backed off. You had decided to lead them to the same private room they were in before to await Tommy's fait. You had been waiting no longer than 20 minutes when a nurse came in; you had all gotten a bit nervous, someone coming in so soon. 

He had to be dead. 

He wasn't, though, and the nurse had just come to gather some information about Tommy.

Ada helped, and you stared off, trying to remember. You weren't listening to them, but she said something that caught your attention.

"What did you say?" You asked Ada; you had pushed yourself slightly out of your seat to get closer to her and hear her properly.

"I said Tommy was a tunneler in the war and had been in a Tunnel collapse." 

You nodded your head slowly as you sat back down, 

"In a bleak mid-winter," you whispered as you slowly remembered where you had heard that before; your head was starting to hurt as the memories came rushing back in. 

It all started to make sense now, from your first in contour, the way he looked at you, and why he trusted you so quick without even knowing you, not only with his life but with his men, Grace, and his son. The reason he pays your rent and the reason you have a protection detail. 

You never understood it before; you never understood how you made such an impression on Tommy after one night or why he made you a constant in his life.

But now you understand, this isn't the first time you met Tommy.

You met him all those years ago when you dug him out of the dirt, brought him back, and saved his life. 

That's what he meant with Grace, how you saved him but couldn't save her.

He knew who you were this whole time, yet he didn't say anything.

Why didn't he say anything? 

#tommy shelby fanfic #thomas shelby x reader #peaky blinder fanfic #cillian murphy #cillian x fem!reader #thomas shelby x y/n #thomas shelby #tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby x y/n #tommy shelby

[ukulelevillainwrites]

who follows the rules anyway

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8

pairing : anthony lockwood x reader

word count : 10k

warnings : drinking, drunken state

taglist : @demigoddess-of-ghosts ; @oblivious-idiot ; @neewtmas ; @bobbys-not-that-small ; @bella-rose29 ; @maraschinomerry ; @novelizt ; @fudosl ; @archiveoftara ; @cassiopeiia24 (i think i didn't forget anyone but i could be wrong)

content : I couldn’t resist some callbacks to the attic scene before fittes’ party, George wears a bowtie for all the fans of ali in a bowtie out there know that it was my frame of reference, I tried to not make it look like a direct copy of the fittes party but there are a lot of similarities

note : life got so out of hand, I sincerely apologize that it took so long but to make up for it it’s quite long and I really really like this part it’s THE part I’ve fantasized about since I started writing and I really like how the main scenes came out

Also sorry I know it’s been a long time but pt8 picks up right after the last scene of pt7

She realized what she just said as she walked past him entering the kitchen. She turned around suddenly, bumping into him as he followed her inside.

“I’m so sorry Lockwood I’m being so rude.”

“Well, you’re not wrong but you could tell me this without stepping on my toes.”

She looked down and fair enough she was. She took a few steps back, apologizing again and she bumped into the cupboards behind her.

“Ow!”

“Am I gonna have to stitch you up again?” Lockwood asked, amused.

“I’m so sorry.” She said again sitting down in the chair closest to her.

“You keep saying that.”

“Well, I am. I’m sorry I talked to you that way in front of Lucy, and I’m sorry I talked to you like that in the hall, and I’m sorry I came into your life yelling at you and making you angry-”

“I’m not angry.” He interrupted. “Just… frustrated.” They stayed in silence for a while staring at each other.

“I can’t figure you out.” He admitted in a lower voice.

She could have told him the same thing.

“You hate me, then you warm up to me, then you give me the cold shoulder and hate me again… what am I supposed to think?”

“I don’t hate you. I just… I can’t figure you out either. I never know what you’re thinking.”

“Well, I hired you because I think you’re good, I hate fighting, I genuinely want to help you with this whole thing, and I think it’s pretty nice when we get along. Is that clear enough?”

Not quite, she thought. What were they supposed to be? Did he consider them actual friends now or were they far from it? Did he mean it when he said that he had always been honest with her? His charming act did look awfully familiar every time he used it with clients. She didn’t know what she was supposed to think. All the questions that clouded her mind when she thought about him came rushing in.

“We’re strictly colleagues then? Or am I allowed to say that we’re friends.” She managed.

“I think friends is more fitting. I mean what kind of employer would I be sleeping in the same couch as my underling?”

She blushed furiously at the memory of his arms around her.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Did I go too far that night? I never meant to-”

“Lockwood it’s alright. It was sweet really… I didn’t expect you to watch over me like that.”

They both looked anywhere else but each other, embarrassed at the thought of that night. She didn’t regret it, quite the contrary. She still thought about it fondly.

“It was nice… I felt safe.” She added in a tone barely above a whisper.

“I know you’d do the same for me…”

She looked up at him in surprise.

“Wouldn’t you?” he asked, his frown deepening as he looked into her eyes, almost begging.

“I… I just don’t see what I did to make you so sure of it. Was it the insults or the yelling?”

He laughed.

“You saved my life twice. I didn’t think I’d have to remind you that, I rather thought you’d gloat and annoy me with it every single day.”

“You’re right I should.”

They exchanged another look, warmer and more knowing.

She got up to prepare some tea. She made his cup the way he liked it and handed to him. He smiled at her with the familiarity she liked so much. She turned around before he could notice the blush on her cheeks. She then prepared two more cups, George’s with slightly more sugar than hers and placed them on an unused corner of the Thinking Cloth. She called on George and handed him his tea. When she looked up at Lockwood his smile wasn’t as wide. The three of them settled around the table.

“Alright, let’s plan a heist.”

--

“Why can’t we just push it back one week? It’d give us the extra time we need to prepare.”

“The event for the launch of their new rapier line will be more crowded and it lasts an entire day. Showing up there will never be enough to keep us out of suspicion. It has to be the fundraiser tomorrow.”

Lockwood hadn’t looked up from the plans of the building. They were trying to figure out the safest route for Lucy and Norrie to reach the documents they needed while staying as far from the party as possible and they were running out of time. Lockwood had had a hard time getting them in the fundraiser. For starter he had tried reaching out to different contacts to get in. The only result he got was a newfound rage against the Organization for not inviting them in the first place. She could have guessed a million things that could have motivated Lockwood to get them into this party at all costs. She didn’t think Bunchurch would be the one. Apparently the less than prestigious agency had some agents attending the event. In fact, all agencies had some representatives attending, or almost all of them. Something about showing the growing bonds between agencies and the Silverpoint Organization. Lockwood’s renewed determination led him to go all the way down to their headquarters to demand an invite using a mix of his usual charms and some threats of bad press. He had been convincing enough to get the three of them in. He had just put the envelopes down on the Thinking Cloth with a triumphant smile when someone knocked on the door. George led Lucy in the kitchen and they all smiled widely when she told them she and Norrie would join them. All the pieces were finally coming together. Then they studied the plans of the house and realized that it wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

First of all because it was a mansion and not a house. The surface was significantly larger and the number of rooms they had to cover seemed impossible to search in just a few hours. Second of all because it was a city mansion, just north of Hyde Park, with other buildings right next to it, no garden and the front door accessible from the street. No other point of entry and neighbours on both sides. It had been fairly easy to determine which rooms to search first, compared to figuring out how the girls were supposed to get inside and out while remaining unseen.

“Wait what’s this?” Norrie asked picking up some of the research y/n had done on the party. She had spent so much time looking at those papers she couldn’t bear to look at them again.

“It’s details about the party, the agencies and companies that will be represented, the staff I managed to get information about, that kind of thing.”

“Well, if we know which catering company they’ll be hiring why don’t we use that?”

“How?”

“I don’t know… Maybe get hired, be a waitress during the event and use that to slip out?”

They all stared at her, in disbelief that they didn’t make the connection sooner.

“That’s a good idea but I’m not sure we’ll have enough time to get hired.” Lucy raised a good point.

“They’re always looking for extra people at the last minute for this kind of event. They get to hire desperate people who need a job so they can pay them less. It could be worth a try.”

“Norrie, that’s brilliant.” Lockwood exclaimed, his enthusiasm renewed. “Okay, you and Lucy will get in by waitressing at the event.” He got up and started pacing around the room. “You discreetly slip out and search the rooms in that order. I’ll need you to find a folder to put the documents in. Next, one of you go up on the second floor in that room.” He pointed at what seemed to be a bedroom drawn on the top left corner of the map. “You’ll let the folder fall from that window into the alley next to the mansion. When it’s done, give us a discreet sign. One of us will fake going out to take some fresh air and retrieve the documents.”

Relief filled the room as Lockwood finished explaining the last details of his plan. He was so sure of himself, so confident and convinced that they would succeed that it was hard to be pessimistic. He made it sound so easy.

“Lucy, Norrie, you should go and see if you can get hired today. George, now that we have a plan, I’m ordering you to find something decent to wear to the event.”

George sighed, clearly not happy about having to leave his research and take on an activity he had no interest in.

“Do you have something to wear, y/n?”

“I’ll probably figure something out.” She answered, rubbing her eyes. The long days of research, planning and cases had drained all energy from her, and like George she wasn’t too eager to spend time on her feet looking for something to wear at a party she wasn’t going to have fun at. Her bed sounded more appealing than anything else.

“Am I going to have to lead you both out with the point of my rapier in your back to get you moving?”

“Are you threatening us so we go shopping?”

“Well, locking you out of the house isn’t an option because of a certain someone,” Lockwood said as his stare lingered on her a few seconds more than she thought necessary, “so I have to resort to extreme measures.” He concluded with a wink.

They looked at him in disbelief. Since when did he care so much about what they were wearing?

“We need to be camera ready, this could be Lockwood and Co.’s first very public night we need to look our best!”

She was so exhausted she hadn’t realized they now had to endure fame-struck Lockwood craving the attention of the public. He was not going to let this go. She reluctantly stood up, mouthing “fine” at him with a thin smile. She dragged George out of the kitchen before he could protest and start an argument he would lose anyway. When public image was at stake, Lockwood always had the last word.

They got home three hours later, arms tired from carrying heavy bags. George’s suit weighed a ton, so did her shoes. She thought then that the platforms might have been overkill. Especially since she still didn’t know what she was going to wear. Finding something appropriate had taken longer than expected. Not for George, who bought the first cheapest suit he could find to get this over with. He complained louder each time she tried on a dress she didn’t buy. She was as frustrated as he was, really. The weather was getting colder and for some reason all she could find were backless or sleeveless dresses in which she was already too cold just by trying them on. Between George’s complaints and her feet growing tired y/n thought about giving up more than once. They started to walk back, discussing the plan for their very busy evening the following night when George interrupted himself.

“Look!”

“What? What is it?”

“In the window across the street. That could fit you for tomorrow night, right?”

She looked across to see a long-sleeved black jumpsuit on the mannequin in the shop in front of them. It was simple but very elegant, with a square neckline, a tight body giving the illusion of a corset, and wider pants long enough to touch the floor. The platforms would come in handy here. Since it was George’s idea, she told him he wasn’t allowed to complain if it didn’t fit. She went inside and came back out fifteen minutes later with another heavy bag to carry home.

---

She couldn’t help the tremor in her hand while she applied mascara on her eyelashes. As the hours went on, y/n could feel the knot in her stomach tighten. The idea of spending the night at such a sophisticated event made her nervous. She was incredibly intimidated, especially considering the type of crowd she would have to face. Being surrounded by rich and elegant people was not something she was used to, and tonight she would have to talk to them to make sure they saw her there. It added a stinging salt to her already oozing wound. She fixed her hair for the tenth time in the past fifteen minutes, checking her reflection under every angle. She jumped and dropped her hairbrush when someone knocked on the door to the attic.

“y/n, are you alright?”

She recognized Lockwood’s voice and told him to come in. She bent down to retrieve her hairbrush and when she looked back up she saw him standing next to the mirror, wide-eyed and silent.

“Do I look this bad?”

“You… No! No, no on the contrary you look…” He blushed as he looked into her eyes.

“You look great.” He said shyly.

She didn’t think she had ever seen him so flustered. Had she not been so nervous, she might have read into his reaction. But her nerves were so unsettled that she simply smiled back at him before putting on her lipstick. She had picked a dark red to complete her elegant look for the night. She focused on the reflection of her lips. When she looked back up Lockwood was gone. She wondered if she had imagined his eyes following her every movement in the mirror. He was acting strange, but it was a very stressful night. She couldn’t even stop her hands from shaking. It was surprising coming from him, but they had never been in that situation before. Confused, she went to sit on her bed to put on her shoes. Another knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

“Yes?”

Lockwood was back, the same bewildered expression on his face.

“I’ve never seen you with lipstick.”

“Well, it’s not really my priority when going out to fight visitors all night.” She joked.

He kept staring insistently at her.

“What is it? Did I get some on my teeth?” She stood back up to look in the mirror again. Everything had to be perfect. She inspected every inch of her face, every tooth, every hair. Movement behind her made her look up to see Lockwood stepping closer in the reflection, reaching for something in his pocket.

“Here, I thought it would make you look even more elegant than you already are.”

He took out a red velvet pouch and revealed a pearl necklace.

“Lockwood… that’s… very thoughtful. Thank you.” She hoped the warm lights of her bedroom were enough to hide the red that had spread across her cheeks. He detached the clasp and went to stand behind her. She looked back into the mirror as he placed the necklace around her neck. She pushed her hair away, her hand softly brushing against his for a second. His gaze remained fixed on her reflection, the dark brown of his irises looking even warmer in the soft dim light. He looked back at her neck.

“They belonged to my mother.” He said as he fastened the clasp.

She looked at him in the mirror with surprise. He was smiling. A soft, delicate smile. He had rendered her speechless. For the briefest moment, the party didn’t matter, the past few months and everything that had led her there tonight weren’t as important. She was here, now, with him and everything was okay.

She blinked and turned around.

“Lockwood I can’t-”

“It’s nothing, really. Plus, you’ll fit right in tonight looking like this.” He winked, his smile back to its usual wolfish grin. “I’ll go get us a cab, George should be about ready too.”

Before she could protest, he was down the stairs, asking George if was ready, leaving her standing there, a hand resting on the necklace. She looked back at her reflection. The pearls did make her look rich and sophisticated, she admitted to herself. Lockwood had never talked to her about his family. She was incredibly flattered by this gift, and most importantly by the fact that he had opened up, even just a little. The softness of his eyes kept flashing back in her mind. She breathed in deeply, more assured than she was. He had quite an effect on her, she thought. The brush of his skin on hers, his soft breathing in her neck… If only he had stood closer, even just for an instant. She stopped her mind from going any further. The butterflies in her stomach were back and her heart was ready to jump out of her chest, but it’d have to wait. They had a party to attend and some documents to steal.

She came down the stairs to join Lockwood and George, ready to leave. George was adjusting his bowtie in the mirror in the living room. She was surprised to see him look quite dashing.

“George, promise me you’ll make an effort to socialize and be as visible as you can tonight.”

“Easy for you to say, it’ll be second nature for you to be at the center of attention!”

Lockwood laughed as he headed for the door and stopped in his tracks when she entered the room.

“Especially if I have the most gorgeous girl at the party on my arm.” He said after a pause.

She blushed furiously at the remark. He had never complimented her so much, or been so kind to her before. She tried to keep a stiff upper lip, but really she was close to falling on her knees. It was like he loved tormenting her.

They stayed staring at each other in silence, their smiles getting wider every second.

“I think I liked it better when you were fighting.” Said George in an exasperated tone.

Lockwood ignored him as he crossed the room to offer her his arm.

“Shall we?”

---

The ride over to the fundraiser was a silent one, though the three of them were agitated. George kept adjusting his bowtie and cleaning his glasses, y/n checked her lipstick in her pocket mirror every five minutes. Lockwood kept fidgeting, but it wasn’t really unusual for him. While they kept glancing anxiously at the road, he alternatively looked through each window like a toddler wondering if they were there yet. y/n did not share his excitement. She gripped the pearls around her neck and took a deep breath. Lockwood nudged his knee against hers to get her attention.

“It’s gonna go just fine.” He said in a low voice.

She smiled but it was rigid, almost fake. Panic was slowly strengthening its grip on her. What was she supposed to talk about with these people all night? She didn’t have Lockwood’s natural talent and ease when it came to socializing. She was terrified of saying something wrong and making a fool of herself. He rested a hand on her knee, bringing her out of her overwhelming thoughts.

“You’ll be great.”

She reached for his hand as she whispered a low ‘thank you’.

Despite his best efforts to reassure her, the crowd on the sidewalk and the animation coming from the mansion brought back her insecurities. Everyone looked so elegant and influential that she instantly felt out of place.

The look on George’s face reassured her a little bit. She wasn’t the only one desperate to go home. They got out of the cab and mingled in the crowd waiting to check their coats. y/n took a first look at the faces she would have to talk to during the night, trying to recognize anyone that would be easier to talk to. None of them looked like she could have seen them around at Fittes, or clients she could have worked with. She did notice the catering van parked in front of an alleyway next to the house, the waiters and waitresses all gathered next to it. She saw Lucy and Norrie with them, acting professional. Before she could try to get their attention and ask them if they were okay, Lockwood grabbed her arm and led her inside.

The elegance of the hall did not prepare her for the spectacular room in which the event took place. An imposing marble staircase was lit with candles, so many she couldn’t count them all, yet it was only half as much as the ones lighting up the crystal chandelier illuminating the room and taking up half the ceiling. If the Silverpoint Organization was a non-profit, they showed none of it during their receptions. The room was full of eloquent people, as she expected, most of them middle aged. Most men wore a lavender pin on their lapel, but some of them had a silver brooch in the shape of a harp instead. Women wore them too. She didn’t know what it stood for and felt foolish, dreading the interactions to come even more now. Every now and then she saw agents in the crowd. Fittes, Rotwell, Tendy’s, Bunchurch too. Unsure what to do, George and y/n looked expectantly at Lockwood.

“Why don’t you two mingle, I’ll go get us some drinks.” He said cheerfully before leaving them to fend for themselves.

They didn’t have time to protest, he was already lost in the crowd. George turned to her, suggesting that they should make a break for it while they still could. As much as she wished they could leave, she couldn’t bail on their plan now.

“I’ll make hot cocoa with extra whipped cream and those mini marshmallows you love so much!” He insisted with a pleading look.

“As much as I want to, we can’t.”

Before he could add anything that was likely to change her mind, the ringing of glasses rose through the air and soon the room fell silent. At the top of the grand staircase stood a man, stoic while he waited for the last conversations to die out.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” y/n was taken aback by the authority in his voice. She mustn’t have been the only one. The first few guests at the end of the staircase had stood straighter at the words.

“I am Theodor Mullet, chairman of Mullet and Sons and your host for the night,” he continued, “I hope you are all enjoying your evening so far. The music will continue in a moment but first I wanted to thank you all for attending and for your generous donations. As you know, the Silverpoint Organization has been helping our brave agents in the small way it can for over 20 years now.” He went on to describe the actions the Organization had taken over the years, reassuring the attendees that their money would be put to good use. Even though she knew for a fact that the donations in question would be spent on the black market, a part of her couldn’t help but believe he was telling the truth. The way he stood, tall and broad with his dark hair greying on the temples and his black glasses framing his gaze made him look straightforward. He didn’t have the appearance of a lying politician like she expected, instead he looked very matter-of-fact, what you would expect of a businessman at the head of one of the largest companies in the country. As she analyzed his every feature, she noticed that he too wore a silver brooch in the shape of a harp on the lapel of his vest. She wondered what kind of association he shared with the guests she had seen with the same accessory in the crowd.

“It was all the more important to me that all agencies attend this event, as both the Silverpoint Organization and Mullet&Sons want to further our relationship with them and support them all in keeping the nation safe. The courage of those young people is truly worth all our admiration, which is why I invite you all to raise a glass to the bravery of the agents present here with us tonight. May all agencies, big or small, defeat the Problem.” He raised his glass to the audience, and all guests followed suit. Many people were now staring at her and George with a mix of respect and pity.

“I could really use a drink… Where is Lockwood?” She said, turning towards George to avoid looking at the rest of the crowd.

“I don’t know… I think I’ll go try the buffet.”

y/n was too nervous to eat anything, especially with all this unwanted attention directed towards her. It didn’t seem to matter to George who was already gone before she could tell him that. She went her separate way to look for Lockwood in the crowd. It wouldn’t have surprised her if she found him charming some prestigious guests with dazzling stories about one of their cases. He was made for this after all and he had a knack for embellishing random anecdotes, turning them into thrilling quests. She tried to break through the crowd as respectfully as she could, overhearing small talk about what a fantastic man Theodor Mullet was or vivid debates about what the Organization’s next actions should be. She grew desperate the longer she looked. Without Lockwood, she didn’t think she could manage talking about those topics for an entire evening.

Relief flooded her when she spotted him next to the bar, glasses in hand. She got closer and stopped a few feet away, frozen. Her already dreadful evening turned even worse. She watched as El gently but confidently stroked his arm, throwing their head back in an exaggerated laughter that rose above the commotion. They did always have a flare for the dramatic. Lockwood smiled politely, but she couldn’t tell if he was genuinely enjoying talking to them. She dismissed the idea immediately. El was too proud, too flashy and overall, too much and Lockwood couldn’t enjoy the company of someone like this. Or could he? He looked around the room but didn’t notice the small sign she gave him, discreetly asking if he needed help. Before she could try something else, he was drawn back into the conversation, El clinging to his arm more every passing second. The knot in her stomach tightened.

She looked over at the buffet where George was having a better time than she was, enjoying the canapes that Lucy and Norrie or some of their colleagues for the night had brought out. She tried to spot the girls to make sure everything was fine but she couldn’t find them among the waiters. When she looked back over at Lockwood, El had placed a hand on his chest, now stroking his tie. She reached them in two strides, not minding the people previously in her way.

“There you are!” She pressed a kiss on his cheek. “I’ve been looking all over for you! Thank you for getting me a drink!” She said as she reached for the second glass he had in hand, interlocking her arm with his.

She looked up to see the confused look on his face. She ignored it and stared at El with feigned surprise.

“Oh… long time no see.”

El was staring back with barely hidden disgust.

“So you two are-”

“I heard you didn’t make it into Kipps’ team…” She didn’t let them finish. “That’s too bad.”

Their eyes darkened at that mention.

“I’ve moved on to better things.”

y/n huffed as she rolled her eyes.

“I’ve been working closely with Mrs. Dufour actually.” They said with a proud smirk. “It pays really well. And I get to meet a lot of influential people… Very influential. If I were you, I’d watch my back.”

She was barely surprised at that revelation.

“I see your loyalty hasn’t changed. At least it looks like your nose just about recovered, that’s a relief.” She forced a smile. Lockwood was staring at her with confusion, not saying a word.

She started to turn away, dragging Lockwood by the hand with her, when they forcefully grabbed her arm.

“I’m sorry your late-night encounter with Rasler didn’t manage to drive you out of town. Maybe next time I’ll finish the job myself.”

Lockwood untangled his arm and came to stand between them. His features were sharper than usual, his jaw clenched in anger. Even when they had particularly bad fights, he never looked so stern.

“Oh you have your prince charming coming to your rescue now! How adorable.”

They both were about to protest when El continued.

“Please don’t make a scene, this a class A event after all.” They looked back at her. “Not that you should get used to that, y/n.”

El then turned away and headed for the bar.

“Are you okay?” Lockwood asked her, worried.

“I should be the one to ask you that. How long were you stuck talking to them?”

He instinctively offered her his arm as they walked away from the scene.

“They ambushed me right after the speech. You have some very questionable acquaintances.”

“Well, I did punch them in the face, it made the inconvenience more palatable.”

She was about to take a sip of her champagne when Lockwood stopped abruptly, making her almost spill her drink. He looked at his reflection in one of the mirrors adorning the room before turning towards her.

“y/n, have I been walking around with your lipstick on my cheek for the past ten minutes?”

She laughed, louder than she had meant, only now paying attention to the very defined dark red shape of her lips on his pale skin.

“That’s not funny I look ridiculous!”

“It’s a little bit funny.” She said gasping for air. “Admit it!”

He smiled, but the blush on his cheeks betrayed his embarrassment.

“It’ll come off easily I swear!” She said, dragging him out of the ballroom to look for a bathroom.

He kept his hand on his cheek, trying to hide the source of his shame. y/n had stopped laughing, the realization of what she had done only hitting her now. It was her turn to blush. She wasn’t thinking, she acted on instinct. But why did her instinct have to make her do this in particular?

They reached a corridor lit with golden sconces on the wall. The light was softer here, giving the space a more intimate atmosphere.

“Was the kiss really necessary?” Lockwood asked in a lower voice now that they were further from the crowd.

She forced her embarrassment down and used all the courage she could muster to look in his eyes. His smirk betrayed the seriousness of his tone. He was messing with her.

“Next time I’ll let you fend for yourself.” She answered.

“Do you have many more nemeses I should be on the lookout for?”

“No, I don’t. Unless Dufour decides to go for someone half her age.” She joked.

“I should be safe from this kind of situation then.”

She looked through every door, looking for any room that would have a sink or a vanity, anything to help save his case.

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that if I were you.” She said absentmindedly, opening yet another door. “You’re young, attractive, you own your company… How come in a place as big as this one none of these doors are bathrooms?”

“You think I’m-”

“Ah! There we are, finally!” She led him into the powder room. She looked for a tissue or anything that would help him get the lipstick stain off. The room matched the elegance of the mansion, fancy soaps and cloth towels displayed next to the sink for the comfort of the guests. She ran a hand towel under the faucet, added some soap and handed it to Lockwood. He stared at her for a few seconds, before reaching for it. He rubbed the cloth on his face, staining it red. Somehow, he made the mark bigger, spreading it across his whole cheek. She laughed as he helplessly looked up at her in the mirror.

“This is all your fault, need I remind you.”

He tried to look upset, but soon he laughed with her at the scene, mocking his own reflection.

“I look like a clown.”

She took the cloth out of his hand and told him to crouch a little so she could take care of it. He leaned slightly against the sink, enough to meet her at eye level. She gently lifted and turned his chin to clean the rest of her lipstick off. He looked at her softly while she worked. She tried to ignore him or the way the soft bathroom light made his eyes sparkle. His eyelashes looked longer somehow. Maybe it was because she was seeing them from so close.

“There.” She said softly. “It’s gone.”

She looked back into his eyes. He was already staring. He smiled softly but didn’t say anything.

“You could thank me, you know?”

“For cleaning up your mess? Do you want a medal too?” He smiled wider. She laughed.

“You jerk!” She threw the towel at him, without doing much damage as it was thrown from so close. “I could also make it worse.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” He said defiantly.

She held his stare, becoming increasingly aware of their proximity. Heat creeped up her cheeks, but she didn’t want to move. Instead, she leaned into it, inching ever so slightly closer to him. She rested her hand on the edge of the sink, her fingers meeting the warmth of the back of his hand instead. He opened his palm and wrapped his fingers around hers. He subtly parted his lips, making her look at them then back into his eyes. He did the same. His other hand came to rest on her waist. His touch was delicate and soft, yet it was enough to send shivers down her back. It reached the small of her back, bringing her slowly closer to him, his eyes still focused on hers.

The door suddenly opened, making them both jump up in surprise.

“This isn’t the bathroom!” He man said loudly in the hallway before shutting the door.

She instinctively checked her hair in the mirror. Lockwood stood straighter, clearing his throat. She looked back at him with a thin smile, hoping the dim light hid her crimson cheeks.

“Thank you… for your help.”

“Oh you’re welcome!” She stammered. “You’re very welcome.”

They stood awkwardly, not sure what to do next.

“y/n… Do you…”

“I- uh we should go.”

She exited the room, flushed and a little disoriented. Lockwood called after her, asking her to wait. She wanted to turn back, desperately so, but a voice inside her head kept her from it. They were colleagues, she reminded herself. The voice of reason that had snuck into her head the morning after they fell asleep on the couch came screaming back, listing everything that was questionable about her behaviour. She never would have dared anything like this when she was at Fittes’. Lockwood’s recklessness was rubbing off on her and her conscience wasn’t having any of it. Her crush was inappropriate and now was certainly not the time to get lost in it. She headed back towards the ballroom to make sure enough guests witnessed her presence, but Lockwood caught up with her, reaching for her hand.

“y/n wait, please. I’m sorry I shouldn’t have…”

She looked back at him, her face still flushed from the moment they had shared.

“No, it’s me. I let my feelings get the best of me. We should really head back before someone notices we’re missing.” She said as she tried to regain composure.

“Your… feelings?” He asked, intrigued. He tried to act casual, but a grin had already formed at the corner of his mouth.

She didn’t think it was possible to be more embarrassed but here she was. She looked at him with wide eyes, realizing what had slipped out of her mouth and hurried back to the reception, hoping that the night wouldn’t get any worse. She heard Lockwood run after her and she instinctively hid among the guests in response. She grabbed a glass of champagne being served by one of the waiters and swallowed it down in full gulps. If anything else didn’t go as expected, at least she would find it funny. She spotted George still standing next to the buffet. He was joined by Lockwood a few minutes later, who still scanned the crowd, she guessed he was looking for her. She turned her back to him to avoid his eyes and knocked into someone. She apologized profusely, silently cursing this night and everything that had led her there in the first place.

“y/n? What are you doing here?”

She looked up to see her old team leader standing there, glass of champagne in hand, wearing a tuxedo that somehow made him look even more intimidating than his grey uniform.

“Kipps! Hi!” She answered.

“I didn’t expect to see you here tonight!”

“Me neither if I’m honest. You’re here to represent Fittes I’m guessing?”

“Officially yes.” He said, but his voice had an edge.

“Officially?”

“I’m actually glad to see you again. I could use your insight on something.” He added in a growingly ominous tone.

“Kipps, what’s going on?” She asked impatiently.

“Yeah Kipps, what’s going on?” said a voice behind her. She didn’t need to turn around to know that Lockwood was looking down at him with the smug look he always had when he fed into that ridiculous rivalry of theirs.

“Not now Tony, I need y/n’s advice on something.”

“Oh really? And what would that be, Kipps? Put your team members in unfathomable danger again? How many children have you traumatized this time?”

“Lockwood, please. This is important.” She had no idea what Kipps wanted her advice on, but she wasn’t ready to face Lockwood yet. She wouldn’t be for a while. She looked up at him to silently tell him to go. He looked back at her and his smile vanished. She didn’t think this would hurt him, but however ridiculous his fight with Kipps was, his pride was taking a hit having to walk away. It didn’t help that Kipps added insult to injury with snobbish remarks, not caring how childish it made him look.

She started to walk towards an empty corner of the room, grabbing another glass on her way. Kipps followed closely.

“What is this all about Kipps?”

“I’m not just here to represent Fittes.” He paused significantly, as if he enjoyed building some kind of suspense around his intentions. “I’m trying to collect more information on Dufour.”

She stayed quiet for a minute as she tried to process what all it implied. On the one hand, they had a potential new ally in this mess. On the other hand, Kipps could make their whole plan fail and this would not end well. She took another sip to calm her nerves and frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“y/n, you never needed to tell me what happened for me to understand that she fired you because you got in the way.”

A new wave of panic washed over her. She hadn’t told him the whole story, she reminded herself. And she hadn’t seen him since that awful article had been published to humiliate her. There was no way he could have come to the same conclusions.

“I mean, you noticed a lot earlier than me how strange she was acting. After that article came out, I kept an eye on her when I could. There was more and more chatter among supervisors about her. Many clients had started complaining and it was reaching higher level executives. It was pretty obvious where all of this was heading.” He said in a sly tone. She finished her glass. Maybe he had.  

“She’s getting fired and tries to find a job with the Organization!” He concluded, congratulating his deduction skills. At least he wasn’t onto them. She was about to ask what kind of advice he expected her to give him when he started monologuing again. He visibly hadn’t told anyone about this and was getting too enthusiastic finally sharing his theories.

“I’ve already talked to a few guests about this, subtly mind you. I try to stay discreet on this whole thing. I managed to talk to one of the members of the Organization and left him with plenty to think about.” He said with a grin.

“What do you… I mean, what kind of advice are you looking for exactly?”

“Well let’s just say that the few anecdotes I shared tonight might jeopardize some of Dufour’s opportunities.” He winked at her. “I didn’t really need your advice, I just wanted to tell you that what she did is unforgivable, and she had no right to take you off my team. I’m just making sure she pays her dues.”

Apparently in Dufour’s case karma had a name and it was Quill F. Kipps. She smiled and the alcohol made her laugh much more than anticipated. She held onto him as she threw her head back in a fit of laughter, tears starting to prickle the corner of her eyes.

“That’s really sweet of you Kipps, thank you.” She said when her breathing evened out.

“I was proud to have you on my team y/n.” He said, raising his glass. She grabbed another one on a tray a waiter was passing around to clink a glass with his.

“You know,” She said, taking another sip, “I was always so intimidated by you. I was constantly trying to impress you.”

“Well, you did.”

Even though they hadn’t worked together in months, his recognition still made her feel queasy. Or maybe she was drunker than she realized. She looked away, searching for her reflection to make sure she wasn’t as red as she felt she was. Instead, she saw Lockwood watching the whole scene.

“Would you like to dance, maybe?” Kipps asked behind her.

She looked back at him, unable to refuse after what he had done for her. They headed towards the dancing crowd and when she looked back, Lockwood was gone. She tried to focus on her steps and not let him distract her movements. Her head was dangerously dizzy and if it was not for Kipps’ arm around her waist she would have fallen down twice already.

The song felt like it was going on forever, her feet were killing her and a headache started to hurt her temples. After another spin, she spotted Norrie’s red hair from afar, tray in hand and a wide smile on her face. She locked eyes with her and winked before heading back towards the buffet. Did Lucy manage to get the documents? She tried to look around to see if George or Lockwood had the folder. There were so many faces to look at. She lost her balance and tripped, saved by her dancing partner’s quick reflexes.

“y/n are you okay? You should drink some water.” He said as he led her towards the bar. He helped her sit down and brought her a glass, checking if she was alright. He never let go of her hand the whole time.

“I’m fine, I think I just had too much champagne.”

She barely had the time to take a sip of water when a familiar voice resonated behind her.

“What the hell did you do to her?”

She felt Lockwood place his arm behind her back, his touch just as warm as it had been a few hours earlier. His other hand reached her chin, making her look up at him with sleepy eyes.

“Did he make you drink too much?” He asked her in a softer tone, worry filling his voice.

“This is ridiculous!” Kipps answered.

“You shut up!”

“Come on Tony, throwing a tantrum because I danced with your girlfriend, seriously?”

“You-”

“Lockwood! I’m okay, I swear.” She intervened. “Kipps you’ve been great tonight. Thank you for everything, but don’t ruin it now.” She squeezed his hand before letting go. She turned back towards Lockwood. “Maybe we should go now? The first guests seem to be leaving too.”

He hadn’t stopped glaring towards Kipps. When he looked back down at her, he sighed before agreeing.

“Why don’t you go look for George? I’ll be with you in a minute.”

He seemed surprised at her words, like he couldn’t conceive letting her alone with Kipps any longer. He pressed his hand against her back before heading towards the hall. She stood back up, struggling with the height of her heals. Kipps helped her up, holding her still as she tried to find her balance.

“Thank you for everything, Kipps. I never thought you would help me get revenge on Dufour and I have to say that I greatly appreciate it.”

“I tried being the bigger person but it didn’t work out too well for me.”

She teased him once more about the childish fight he had with Lockwood, not convinced that he could ever be the bigger person. They laughed, and she felt truly happy at the comradery they shared. She offered to meet him some time for coffee. He agreed and told her she should probably get back to her boss to avoid any trouble at home. She answered that he was annoying as they hugged goodbye and he ruffled her hair in exchange. With a smile, she headed towards the entrance where Lockwood was already waiting with her coat in hand.

As soon as they got in the car, Lockwood pulled a folder out of his jacket. His smile was radiant as he went over the numbers. They were more than enough to put the Organization in trouble, and hopefully Dufour with it too. As enthusiastic as he was, they were too exhausted to be receptive. George swore he would never set foot in this kind of event ever again while y/n struggled to stay awake.

“I’d rather fight thirteen limbless than talk to another member of that stupid organization.” He exclaimed, shuffling in his seat, disturbing her as she rested her head against the window. There was no time for her to fall asleep, as the cab was already slowing down in front of the house.

George practically jumped out of the car, eager to go to bed to “put this horrible night behind him”. She didn’t know what happened that made him so irritable, but she was sure she had missed something while she was talking to Kipps. Lockwood stepped out next, waiting beside the door to help her out. It was out of necessity more than chivalry since her knees buckled when she stood up. Never leaving her side, he helped her up the stairs into the hall. She started walking or rather stumbling towards the stairs when Lockwood stopped her in her tracks.

“You should drink at least two full glasses of water before sleeping.”

She didn’t answer and simply pouted like a child.

“Fine, if you can walk up to the attic on your own, I won’t make you drink water.”

She gave him an exaggerated smile and immediately tripped over the first step. He put his arm around her and led her towards the kitchen.

She rested against the countertop while he poured her a glass from the tap. She drank it all and he filled it up again. She smiled lazily. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. He stared back, making sure she drank it all. The stood there for a few minutes in a comfortable silence, wordlessly getting lost in each other’s eyes.

“Thank you for taking care of me.” She said while tilting her head to the side.

It was a bad call. She couldn’t even move her head without being a fall risk.

He caught her just in time, as he always had this evening, and held her closer to start the long climb to the attic. She rested her face against his chest, nestling and taking comfort in his reassuring scent.

“Oh no…” She muttered under her breath.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m putting make-up all over your shirt.” Her voice was sad but she made no move to try and stop it.

“It’s not the first time you put your make-up all over me tonight, darling. I think I’ll be alright.”

After the first flight of stairs, she slouched even more against him. Instead of taking the way up to the attic, he led her towards the opposite end of the hallway in his room. She didn’t register until he laid her down on his bed. The blanket she felt underneath her fingertips wasn’t the same texture as the one she had gotten used to.

“Lockwood I can’t sleep in your bed.” She mumbled, her face pressed into a pillow.

“Of course you can. You’re half asleep already.”

“Yeah but-”

“I’ll go sleep in your bed for tonight.”

She muttered an “okay” barely audible, drifting in and out of consciousness.

“I think that’s enough drinking and dancing for a while.” He said as he pressed a soft kiss against her temple.

“Hardly, I didn’t even get to dance with you!” Her eyelids started to close. “You’re the only one I wanted to dance with.”

She closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly, not noticing when Lockwood exited the room quietly.

---

She woke up to the sound of hammers from the construction across the street. The sun burned her eyes and a painful headache pressed her forehead when she tightly closed her eyelids. She reached for the closest pillow and buried her head under it, hoping to draw out the hurtful sound and the blinding light. It didn’t do much, but it had the perk of surrounding her with a familiar comforting scent. She didn’t know how long she stayed like this. She remembered this wasn’t her room and she was surprised that no one had come in yet. She turned on her side and opened her eyes carefully. The first thing she saw was a glass of water resting on the bedside table. The second was Lockwood’s clothes from last night hanging on the back of his chair. She stared at them for a while, wondering if he had been comfortable enough to change in the same room she was passed out in. While she was sleeping in his bed, nonetheless. She tried the best she could to sit up. Drinking on an empty stomach had not done her any favor. There wasn’t much chance she would get anything done today. She drank the glass left for her and rose up with great difficulty.

Everything hurt. She made her way down the stairs, and by the time she reached the kitchen someone had made her a plate with warm toast. It was sitting on the table at the seat she usually took but there was no one around to greet her. She forced herself to eat even though her stomach wasn’t cooperative and drank as much water as she could, hoping it would help getting over her hangover. The house was quiet. It was a nice change from the noises that had woken her up but it was unsettling not hearing any sign of life. Usually when she thought she was alone she would still hear Lockwood training in the basement or George mutter something under his breath while researching a case. It was rare that the both of them left at the same time. She wondered where they could have gone as she made her way back up the stairs. She passed the library and the turning of pages made her turn around. Lockwood was sitting in his armchair, flipping through his magazine the way he usually did in the late hours of the night after a case. He was impeccable as always and she felt acutely self-conscious standing there at the beginning of the afternoon with messy hair and probably runny make-up all over her face. If he looked up from his magazine she didn’t pay him any attention and ran upstairs to try and look more presentable, no matter how awful she felt.

“Are you feeling better?” He asked when she came back down, not looking up from what he was reading. She took the sit next to him.

“As good as I can.” She answered, massaging her temples.

He pushed forward a glass of water on the table between them.

“Where’s George?” She asked between two sips.

“I sent him to deliver the documents to DEPRAC. I thought he was better suited to leave it anonymously with a semblance of discretion. If Barnes ever saw me there, we could never get away with it.”

“Smart.” She had avoided his eyes the entire time. The entire night was blurry, but the alcohol had not erased the specific memories she was trying to ignore. They stayed in an uncomfortable silence until he finished his magazine, eventually closing it and putting it back on the table between them. The ghost-jar was back into the fireplace, covered in ashes with burn marks here and there. She wondered when George had found the time to keep experimenting on it with how busy they had been these past few weeks. Instead of making its usual horrible faces it simply stared at her. It looked over at Lockwood who didn’t seem to pay him no mind, then back at her with that same insistent stare. It made her even more uncomfortable than the heavy silence filling the room. When she got up to get away from it, it smiled. A crude and devilish smile. What a horrid wretched thing. She was too distracted to realize that Lockwood had followed her into the hall.

“y/n, about last night…”

Before she could turn around, the entire chain of events flashed before her eyes. What part did he want to talk about: her drunken state, the night she spent in his bed, the lipstick mark she left on his cheek or the way she almost kissed him? She couldn’t pick which would be more embarrassing. She didn’t want to talk about any of it either. She didn’t even want to think about it, though this part was harder than it looked. Heat rose to her cheeks at the memory of his hand around her waist in that first-floor bathroom. After behaving so recklessly, a conversation like this was bound to happen. They might as well get it over with.

“I just wanted to say…”

When she finally mustered the courage to look him in the eye, the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” She said, hurrying to open the door.

It was Kipps, coming to see if she was feeling better.

“I’m doing alright! Thanks for checking in.”

“I brought you some chocolate chip cookies from a bakery near my flat. Thought they could help.”

“That’s sweet of you Kipps but we’re a doughnut family here.” Lockwood said before snatching the bag out of his hands, coming behind her to wave Kipps away. Kipps ignored him and turned his attention back to her.

“If you’re feeling okay maybe we could grab that cup of coffee you talked about last night?”

“Thanks but I’m still feeling a bit sick, I’d love to go out when I’m fully recovered though!”

“Sure, give me a call when you’re free. Take care, alright?”

“I will, thank you.”

She waved back at him as he left and slowly closed the door behind her. Lockwood was standing silently at the bottom of the stairs.

“You asked Kipps to get coffee after what happened last night?”

“Yes, he’s been a real friend to me. He’s helping me with Dufour without me asking.”

“What do you mean he’s helping you? Have you been cooperating with him behind our backs?”

“Of course not! I just found out he’s been giving her bad press.”

“So, it wasn’t a date then?”

“Are you jealous of Quill Kipps?” She asked with a laugh.

“How dare you say something like that under my roof!”

They both smiled at the situation, easing the tension that was there a few minutes earlier.

“But seriously, y/n. I wanted to apologize about last night. I never meant to make anything weird or-”

“Can we just say that we both acted dumb?”

He took a few seconds to consider her offer.

“Well, you started it.” He grinned.

She looked at him defiantly. She would not take the fall for this, even though her unrequited crush was definitely to blame.

“Didn’t you call me darling last night?”

He blushed at the mention, only saved by the front door opening and letting George in, followed closely by Inspector Barnes. The intrusion of the DEPRAC representative took them aback. They stared mutely back and forth between George and the inspector, waiting for an explanation. The man stared back at them, a familiar folder in hand. Without saying a word, Lockwood led him to the living room. y/n closed the door before joining them. Barnes stood in the middle of the room, glaring between them, holding up the folder and pointing it accusingly at Lockwood.

“I don’t want to know how you could have gotten your hand on these documents.”

“I’ve never seen that folder before in my life.” Lockwood replied, feigning innocence.

“Shut it! I don’t care how you did it, I know it was you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have caught Karim here sneaking out of Scotland Yard after an ‘anonymous contribution’ was made for the case you seem to be tied to.” He glared in her direction to punctuate his words. After holding her stare in an anger-fueled silence, he looks down in resignation. “As much as I hate to admit it, this evidence makes our case stronger against the Silverpoint Organization.”

She couldn’t help a thin smile to form on her lips. She looked back at Lockwood, relieved. He was already looking back at her with a soft smile. He winked before looking back at Barnes with a proud smile.

“Don’t even dare congratulate yourselves for this. Next time you step out of line, one mistake and I revoke your license and shut down this agency for good.”

They all looked down, trying to hide their joy at hearing that their plan had worked. After a few more minutes of silent scolding, the inspector aimed for the door.

“An audit of the organization’s finances will start in a few days and we’ll probably put an end to your surveillance.” He turned back. “That does not mean that you should get back to breaking any law-”

“Does that mean that Dufour will be arrested soon?” y/n couldn’t help asking, interrupting Barnes who had an exasperated look on his face. He sighed.

“Unfortunately, like any person involved in relic dealings the only evidence that can guarantee an arrest are catching the perpetrators in the act. I’m afraid Mrs. Dufour will remain free for now.” He didn’t seem as frustrated as she was. Probably because this kind of injustice was commonplace in his line of work. Still, her highest hopes came crashing down. The rollercoaster from the joy of their success to this disillusion made her sick.

“Oh.” She simply said.

“I’ll do my best to get her complaint against you dropped. Don’t get the idea of putting yourself in any more danger to get more evidence yourself. Am I clear?”

“Perfectly clear, inspector.”

The three of them led him back to the front door. When she closed it behind him, George and Lockwood both placed an arm around her.

“We’ll figure something out.” Lockwood said. “I promise.”

“It’s alright.” She said in a flat tone. “I’ll go lie down for a while, I think I’m still sick from the champagne.”

As she went up the stairs, her mind was already reeling. If Barnes couldn’t get the evidence he needed to put Dufour away for good, she’d find a way to do it herself.

#who follows the rules anyway #ukuwrites #lockwood and co fic #lockwood and co #anthony lockwood x reader #anthony lockwood x y/n #anthony lockwood #lockwood & co #george karim #lucy carlyle #norrie white #quill kipps #montagu barnes #save lockwood and co

[softstarlite]

The Casualty of Love

CHAPTER 2

Summary: He's back home. You have almost forgotten how warm his eyes were and how big your crush for him was.

Warnings: Age gap (Javier is 40 and reader is 27), talks of baby loss, talks of pregnancy, angst, cheating, mentions of cancer, mentions of death.

Rating: +18 (not explicit)

Word Count: 2.9k

Chapter 1 / Masterlist

A/N: here you go guys!! Second chapter is up!! I'm feeling so much better from my stupid cold. I would like to keep a schedule with posting, my goal is to post at least one new chapter every week but I had a cornea transplant less than 5 months ago (I still have 14 stitches on my right eye) so sometimes I need to rest my eye from screen time or the pain sometimes gets too bad and I need to rest in general, so I don't know if I'll be able to meet my goal every week, sorry in advance. I hope you guys like this new chapter!! <3 <3

Divider by @saradika

Javier wipes the sweat of his hands on the front of his jeans for the fourth time in the last hour since he started getting ready to go to Maria´s house, he looks at his reflection on the mirror, he can feel fear engulf his body, fear of disappointing Maria, he wasn't the same man he was when he left for Colombia. That day…

His mom, Alma, had been diagnosed with lung cancer four months before it happened, when Lorraine had told him that she was pregnant, he was shit scared, how could he be a father? He didn't know anything about being one, he was only 27, he assumed that he had at least 5 or 6 years more before even thinking about having a family of his own.

He didn't hesitate to get on one knee and proposed to Lorraine, part of him was happy that his mom would be able to meet at least one of her grandchildren; the doctors had already prepare them for the worst, the cancer was very aggressive, and even if his mom was still young, only 44, they had detected it very late.

The night before the wedding Lorraine showed up at his parents ranch, crying her heart out. They were sleeping in different houses since it was bad luck to see each other before the wedding. He got really worried, he didn't believe in that tradition, she had been the one very keen in doing it so it was already rare that she had showed up there unannounced but even more that she showed up crying.

“Lor? What happened?” he had been sitting on the front porch when she appeared, he got up from his seat quickly and headed to her putting his hands on her cheeks “What is it Lor? Is the baby okay?” he asked her with so much worry in his voice.

Lorraine only kept saying sorry and shaking her head no again and again. “Please baby, tell me what is happening, are you hurt?” he pleaded her.

“I'm sorry Javi… I'm so sorry… There´s no baby…” she said, not able to meet his gaze.

“What? Baby…” he could feel tears in his eyes already, he thought that she had lost it, he never would've thought that she had done what she did. He tries to make her look at him ¡. “Baby…Lor, look at me. Baby it's not your fault, we need to take you-” he was interrupted by her.

“No, Javi… There's no baby, there never has been a baby…” she took a step away from him, feeling shame in what she had done.

“What? Lorraine, this is not funny… Stop it” that was the only possibility in his head, she must have been pranking him, she would never hurt him this way, she loved him, right?

“I'm so sorry Javi, baby…” she tried to reach for him now but he didn't say anything and just walked inside without a word.

The next morning no one could find Javier, until his mom saw a little note on the kitchen table where he had written that he had accepted the job with the DEA in Colombia that the rest could be explained by Lorraine.

You were only 14 when you were sat down by your mom and Alma and got the news about her sickness, that was your first heartbreak, but definitely not your last. You loved Alma like a second mother, she was there when you said your first words, she had been the one encouraging you when you took your first steps… You couldn't imagine a life and a world without her, without her smile or her kindness… No, it had to be a mistake, the doctors mixed up some papers and they gave her the diagnosis of someone else, she couldn't leave you…

When Javier left, you weren't given the real reason from the adults around you, they told you that he and Lorraine weren't together anymore and he had to go work in Colombia, that was it. Obviously, living in a place like Laredo you heard the truth very soon, and felt heartbroken all over again for him, as big as your crush for him was, when you saw how excited he was when he talked about anything related with the baby in the weekly dinners your families shared, it filled your heart to see him just happy, so you couldn't understand how Lorraine had been able to break him like that, she said that he loved him and wanted to spend her entire life with him but then do that? How can you be so cruel to someone that you supposedly love?

A year later from Javier´s move to Colombia, Alma passed away, you only remember crying for three days straight without even sleeping. You remember your mom telling you that “Javiercito is coming for the funeral, he'll be here tomorrow morning”, then the next thing you remember is been dressed in all black, that made you think that Alma would´ve hate it, then not been able to see the casket through the tears and the last thing you remember of that day was how Javier had put his arms around you, caressing your hair and telling you how much Alma loved you and that would never leave you. It never did, you could feel her love everyday, in little things like the chirping of the birds outside, the warm sun, the little desserts you would bake with her recipes, etc…

That was the last time you saw Javier, when you were 15 and crying for the biggest lost in your life.

He parks his truck on Maria´s driveway and gets out with a nervous sigh. After he knocks on the door twice, you open the door with a big smile, fuck, he thought you wouldn't be here. He didn't have a problem with you being here, on the contrary, he was very happy when he saw you the other day, it had been way too long without seeing you. But the problem was that you had grown up… And fuck, did the years had treat you amanzingly. You were a full on woman now, and he didn't like that, because it made his body feel things that it shouldn't. If Maria or his own father could read what had gone through his mind since he first saw you a few days ago, he would definitely be six feet under.

“Hey! You're here!” you say with that big smile on your face. He doesn't say anything, just nods and gives you a tight smile back.

“Come in!” you move a little to give him enough space to come inside. “Mom is still cooking what must be her twentieth dish” you chuckle. He slips inside but you hadn't anticipated how broad his shoulders were so he bumps one of his shoulders into you.

“Oh, sorry” he apologizes and you can't help but feel a million goosebumps all over your body. “She shouldn't have trouble herself…”

You shake the feeling away, you weren't a stupid teenager anymore. “yeah, tell that to her” you smirk knowing he would never dare.

He walks to the kitchen with you behind, he remembers the way as if no time has passed, as if he hadn't gone through more than a decade without putting a foot in this house. When he makes it past the arch of the kitchen, he sees your mom, her back facing him, he can see the grey conquering her whole hair. For a moment he can almost see his own mom beside her cutting some vegetables.

Seeing his silence, you decide to clear your throat to make your presence known to your mom. She turns around starting a sentence that sounds like a question about who was at the door, but as soon as she sees Javier there, before her, her mouth shuts and she freezes. Knowing they'll need a moment, you walk around them to the stove to continue to stir whatever dish your mom is making now, so it doesn't burn while they catch up.

“Javiercito!” she almost screams, launching herself into him, a hand on the back of his head and the other arm across his back.

“Maria…” is all that he can get out of his mouth, apart from the biggest breath out that he has ever let out. He didn't even know that he was holding that breath for so long.

“Déjame verte bien mijo (Let me get a good look at you, my son)” she pulls away from him and pushes him a little back by the shoulders, then looks him up and down like she was examining that he isn´t missing anything.

“Ma, esta bien, no le agobies (Mom, he's fine, don't bother him)” you say from the stove, not even looking at them.

“¿Bien? (fine?) Have you seen him? Está demasiado delgado, gracias a dios que prepare suficiente comida. Siéntate, mijo. (He's too skinny, thank god i´ve prepare enough food. Sit, my son) I'll bring you some food right away” She says, patting his cheek and signaling with a hand to the kitchen table, then she goes back to the stove and replaces the place you were filling.

You chuckle and shake your head in disbelief. “Do you want something to drink, Javi?” you ask him while opening the fridge to get a beer for yourself.

He talks again after feeling overwhelmed by the situation. “Sure, whatever you´re having” with that you pull out another beer for him and after uncapping them, you hand him one. “Thanks” he says, not meeting your eye.

You sit across from him on the kitchen table and take a sip of your own beer. Your mom puts a bowl of Pozole in front of each of you, and while you eat, she and Javier talk about a million things, how things around the house had been since your dad died, how you and her go to Chucho´s every now and then, how you help Chucho everytime the fruit trees need harvesting (which brings a blush to your cheeks when Javi asks if that's right and looks at you), and of course your mom starts to let Javi know about all the gossip he has missed in Laredo, which by his face, he couldn't care less to be honest but i guess your mom didn't want to pick that up. He just nods and hums while eating, while your mom tells him about how the girl from the Gonzalez´s was seen in the local theater every week casually talking and giggling with the guy working there; after a bit something pricks his ears, specifically when your name is mentioned.

“And you wouldn't believe all the commotion that it caused , pff, nos tuvimos que quedar en casa varios días antes de que ella se atreviera a enseñar la cara (we had to stay at home for a few days before she was brave enough to show her face)” she says while picking up both of your bowls to bring to the sink. You don't know where to hide in that moment, you couldn't believe your mom was telling him about that.

“Ma…” you say, trying to make her drop the subject. She obviously doesn't want to catch your desperation.

“What? Sorry i was lost in my head for a moment” he says not realizing that you don't want the subject to be brought up.

“Ay mijo, te estaba diciendo (i was telling you) about how she used to go out with the Lopez´s boy, Diego, and she heard from Doña Lucía about him and a girl, that no one knew, been seen in Jacinto´s ice cream shop, then she decided to confront him that same day, but she instead saw him and the girl on the town square just there,” she makes a dramatic gesture with her hands like she was physically pointing at them right there. “just sitting on a bench, muy acaramelados los muy sinvergüenzas (very lovey-dovey, those scoundrels). Doña Lucía told me that she just took the lemonade in the girl's hand and threw it to him, allí delante de todos, ¿tu te crees, mijo? (in front of everybody, can you believe it, my son?)” she shakes her head in almost disappointment.

“Well, if I'm honest with you Maria. Creo que le hizo poco, yo le hubiese dado un buen puño” you can see how his hands become fists, and his jaw becomes more tense. Javi feels a fire inside of him that he hasn't felt since he left Colombia, he already knows that if he crosses paths with Diego Lopez, he won't be exactly kind towards him.”Wait, he cheated and you had to hide at home?!” he asks, now looking at you.

“I didn't hide, she did” you say pointing towards your mom, who's washing the dishes, with your head. “I was just going through a breakup like a normal person” you shrug your shoulders to try to take some weight off of the conversation.

He nods, understanding now the situation. “Good, you shouldn't feel embarrassed, it's his loss” he huffs “He must be as stupid as he was when he was a kid” he says more to himself than to you, it makes you blush again.

“Javier Jesús Peña!!” your mom scolds him from the sink, turning her head towards him. Javi for a moment feels like a teenager again, being scolded by Maria and his mom for saying a bad word in the kitchen of Pena´s ranch while they make empanadas.

“What? No podes defender al desgraciado, hizo daño a nuestra vampirita (you can't defend that bastard, he hurted our little vampire” he chuckles sincerely now. You gasp at the mention of your old childhood nickname he gave you for being obsessed with the book Dracula when you were 9 years old.

“You don't want to play that game, Peña” you challenge him, squinting your eyes at him, but a little smile in your lips betrays your facade. He laughs with his whole belly now, throwing his head back. You decide right then that you like seeing him laugh sincerely a lot.

After some hours of more delicious food and banter, Javier informs you that he needs to go back to the ranch before his dad comes looking for him for leaving him all day alone with the chores.

You walk him to the door, his arms full of mountains of tupperware full of leftovers that your mom had insisted him to take for himself and Chucho.

You open the door for him since he has his hands occupied, those hands that you´ve been stealing glances to all day, you wonder how rough they would feel around your own hand, around your neck, around your- “Thanks for um… everything” he says interrupting your thread of thoughts.

“Don't mention it” you give him a shy smile, like he could´ve read what you had been thinking. Next thing you know, your mouth is working by it´s own mind, you ask without thinking.”Are you going to the barbecue at Doña Lucia's house this Sunday after church?” when you realize how eager your voice sounds about the prospect of seeing him again in less than two days you add “I believe she invited Chucho the other day, and i'm sure she did it in person with the sole purpose of having you at the barbecue and confirm the rumors of you being fully back home” you chuckle trying to play it cool, god you felt like you were 15 again, drooling for him.

His dad had told him about the gathering but he wasn't planning on going, but now, seeing the slight spark your eyes got when you asked him about his possible attendance, he couldn't think of a better plan for Sunday. “Yeah, my pops told me the other day. I take you´re going too?” you nod with doe eyes and he can't help his eyes for going down to where you tongue tips out of your mouth to wet your lower lip, he gulps and can feel a drop of sweat going down his spine; his mind wondering how you tongue and your lips might feel against his own, against his neck or his chest…

Your mom suddenly yells your name from inside the house. “Dani is calling you, mija!!” you both can hear her voice coming from the living room where the telephone is.

“Dila que voy ma!! (tell her i'll be right there mom!!)” you yell towards her, turning your head over your shoulder, then you turn towards Javi again. You guys keep looking into each other's eyes for what feels like a second and an eternity at the same time until you decide that if you don't stop it, your mom will come over and ruin the moment even more. “I'll see you on Sunday then?”

He nods and then does something that makes you melt into a puddle of water into the ground, he kisses your cheek and with a breathy and deep whisper wishes you a good day to then turn around and walk to his truck on the driveway. You can't help but to stay right there frozen with your heart going way too fast and an almost shocked expression, watching how he puts the leftovers on the passenger side then gets behind the wheel and drives away; it isn´t until your mom calls your name again that you defroze.

Next chapter

#narcos #javier peña x reader #javier pena narcos #javier pena x reader #javier pena fanfiction #javier peña #javier pena x you #javier peña x f!hispanic reader #javier peña x f!reader #javier peña x female reader #javier peña x you #javier pena x female reader #javier pena x f!reader #javier pena x f!hispanic reader #javier peña fanfiction #javi pena x you #javi pena fanfiction #javi pena x reader #javi pena #javi pena x female reader #javi pena x f!reader #javi peña x you #javi peña x reader #javi peña #javi peña fanfiction #javi peña x female reader #pedrostories #the casualty of love

[it-was-too-cold-always]

Always Read the Fine Print Chapter 5

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Who actually reads all the terms and conditions? After mindlessly checking a box years ago, our Reader unintentionally agrees to be part of a scientific study to create super soldier babies. To make matters worse, her fellow test subject is the brooding and intimidating Bucky Barnes.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Bucky gets stitched up, the reader struggles to keep her thoughts in check, and the happy couple moves into their new home.

Warnings: arranged marriage, forced proximity, eventual smut, lots of angst, violence, PTSD/nightmares, panic attacks

Bucky led you up the porch steps to the front door. He opened it slowly, stepping aside to let you in first. He was watching you carefully. The inside of the house was just as charming as the outside. The house was old, from the 50s if you had to guess. It had a lot of character. The entryway had one of those little cutouts in the wall for knickknacks, and you smiled - you love old houses and their little quirks. You were praying the bathroom had a pink tub.

Bucky was pleased with your reaction to the house and decided to show you around. "The bedrooms are all upstairs. The master is to the left. There's only one bathroom up there, so we'll have to share with our little shadows," he said, gesturing to the two black SUVs sitting in the driveway. “They moved all your stuff from the hotel into our bedroom. Get settled while I talk to the guys outside,” he instructed. A shiver went down your spine. Our bedroom. Holy shit. And the way he kept telling you what to do? Bucky Barnes was turning you into a little puddle.

You did as you were told and went upstairs. Everything was pretty basic – a plain beige comforter, nothing hanging on the walls, very bare bones. Just wait until I hit up HomeGoods, you thought. You went into the bathroom to put away your toothbrush, and sure enough, a pink tub. “Oh HELL yes!” you said to yourself. Little did you know Bucky was watching you from the top of the staircase, smiling at your excitement over a bathroom. He spoke before you could notice him watching you. “Dinner’s here. I hope you like pizza.”

You followed him downstairs to see two agents eating on the couch, feet up on the coffee table, watching a football game on the TV. You and Bucky shared a look – your new roommates were going to test your patience. He put a couple slices on your plate and sat down next to you at the kitchen table. The two of you ate in silence. Well, as silent as it could be with two goons cheering at the TV. You felt at ease, almost like you were just enjoying each other’s company. Stop making things more romantic than they are, you’re just eating pizza, you told yourself. Just because you were practically in love with him doesn’t mean that he feels the same. Besides, you don’t really know him. And he definitely doesn’t know you.

Despite what you thought, Bucky did know a little about you. SHIELD made a report of all the intel they could gather about you, and he got his very own copy. It was a very extensive file, everything from your work performance evals to personality tests to purchasing habits. Each night, he would read over your file and learn as much as he could. He gathered you really loved Target and planned on taking you there once your belly gets too big for your clothes. The thought of you with round with his child gave him butterflies. Besides the initial rage he feels about this study, he felt nervous. He wasn’t sure he was ready or deserved to be a father. Pregnancy scared the shit out of him, but he knew he’d have to man up and be there for you.

Wanting to stay away from the noise of the agents watching football, you decided to head up to the bedroom. It was barely 7:00, but you were ready for sleep. Bucky said he’d be up in a couple minutes, he had a phone call to make. You were about to crawl into bed when you remembered you needed to charge your phone. You looked all over the room, but no luck. You thought you’d check Bucky’s nightstand – maybe he put yours in there without thinking. Sliding the drawer open, you see a copy of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.” You laughed quietly. Bucky was actually preparing himself for this. Your laugh turned into a frown when you remembered the reason you’re in this house to begin with. The entire situation was against your will. And his.

You closed the drawer and decided you’d ask Bucky if he had a spare charger once he got to the room. You didn’t last long after crawling into bed. Bucky walked in and saw that you were asleep, so he moved as quietly as possible. He noticed you were still wearing your glasses, so he reached down gently to take them off. You fluttered your eyes open as he was setting them down.

“Do you have an extra phone charger?” you mumbled, still half asleep. He chuckled. “Yeah, gimme a second,” he said as he started rummaging through his bag. He pulled one out, walked over to your side of the bed, and plugged in the cord. “Where’s your phone?” he asked. You patted your hands around until you found it wrapped in the sheets. Bucky gestured for you to give it to him. He plugged your phone in and set it on the nightstand, then walked over to his side of the bed.

You were waiting to feel the bed shift under his weight, but it never came. You turned around. His pillow was gone. Sitting up on your heels to get a better view, you see him on the floor at the foot of the bed, laying down with his pillow and a blanket.

“What are you doing?” you ask.

“Going to bed, like I thought you were doing,” he answers.

“I didn’t think you were being serious about sleeping on the floor. We can share the bed, Bucky. It’s not a big deal.” You were kind of looking forward to sleeping next to him.

“Nah, I’m fine here. Just go to bed, Y/N.”

You settled back into bed with a frown. It seemed wrong to sleep on this comfy bed while he slept on the hardwood floor. But you were too tired to argue. You kept to your side of the bed in case he changes his mind in the middle of the night.

You woke up to the sound of Bucky in distress. It took you a minute to figure out what was going on – you were a little disoriented. You shot out of bed to see him clearly in the middle of a nightmare. He was clutching his metal arm, knuckles turning white. “Bucky?” you whispered. You didn’t want to wake up the agents sleeping in the rooms down the hall. “Bucky, wake up,” you pleaded as you knelt next to him.

Not wanting to frighten him, you rubbed your thumb along his cheekbone. “Bucky?” He still wasn’t waking up, so you decided it was time for a little nudge. Being gentle yet assertive, you gave him a solid poke in the ribs, being careful not to bother the fresh wound in his shoulder. Bucky’s eyes shot open, seeing a figure looming over him.

Before you could process what was happening, Bucky was on top of you with his metal hand wrapped around your throat. “Bucky, it’s me! Bucky please it’s just me!” you wheezed out, already seeing stars. You saw confusion on his face, which quickly turned to horror. He shot up and scrambled off you, backing into the far corner of the room.

“Sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he muttered over and over. You were coughing violently, trying to get the air back in your lungs. Once you caught your breath, you looked over at him. He was staring at you with complete devastation.

“Bucky? Are you okay?” you asked quietly.

“I hurt you,” he whispered.

“No, I’m okay, I promise. It was just a nightmare. We’re okay,” you reassured.

Your heart was breaking at the sight of him in such despair. He shook his head and fought back tears. The one good thing he had in his life and he almost killed her. “Hey, come on, let’s crawl into bed,” you said. You grabbed his arm and helped him up. He flinched at your touch; you tried to not let that bother you. You guided him to his side of the bed. He wouldn’t lay down, but he sat on the edge and looked out the window. You sat next to him and started rubbing circles in his back. “I promise it’s okay,” you whispered, “we’re going to be okay.” You hoped to god you were right.

Chapter 6

Taglist 💛

@kandis-mom @learisa @pono-pura-vida @smile1318 @stinkerbelle007 @glitterydeputyshepherdwagon @wonderland2425

#bucky barnes #bucky fanfic #bucky x reader #marvel #angst

[itskattkm]

New York New Rules Pt. 3

Warnings: Violence, Trauma, Fluff, maybe Smut, mental health, blood

Summary: Y/N meets the survivors of the last events in Woodsborrow and gets on Ghostface's list. But there is also a darkness in Y/N wich path is she going to choose

Female Y/N x Tara Carpenter

Sorry for bad writing. I'm using a translator and hope you guys can enjoy it. Also, this is going to be a long story

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

My body began to vibrate, or rather my head when I leaned it against the window of the taxi. So let's start reflecting on the day as it went so far.

Missed therapy hour because my therapist was brutally murdered. Check.

Shit... it would take me months until I find a new one.

What happened next? I closed my eyes and played the pictures in my head through like a movie.

Been accused for murder? Check.

Have been exposed and embarrassed In front of your girl crush and her sister? Check.

Surprising meeting with Kirby? Check.

Pursued by paparazzis and "interviewed" by Gale weathers? Check.

Witness to Tara punching Gale Weathers? Check.

Was I slightly turned on by it? Double Check.

"Y/N you're good?" A soft voice brought me back. I opened my eyes and had to blink slightly because of the unexpected brightness around me. I nodded silently and looked for the eyes of the taxi driver in the rear-view mirror. I put my hand on the passenger seat and pulled slightly forward, which is why Tara who sat between me and Sam pushed herself closer to Sam to give me the place I needed. "Hey you can let me out at Pompeii Pizza" he nodded to me but now Sam bent down in front "Y/N you can't go now you have to come with us" there was that shy me I knew so good. I probably would have done anything she said, but right now? Now I felt numb. Not present. And I didn't care.

No matter what happened yesterday. No matter what happened today. I just had to go home and hide in my room. It was one thing to become suspicious for several murders but to be exposed in front of almost complete strangers and to be claimed as a crazy woman with mental problems? And on top of that in front of your crush. That was too much for me.

Although Detective Bailey had exposed me to the two and they knew now more about me than I would have liked to let them know, I asked myself the question

Why do you want me to come with you?

"Why?" I asked confused

"Apart from the fact that you are a suspect, we have to talk to the others about it. Mindy wants us all to meet at the Blackmoore," she said and her eyes darkened. Although they didn't seem particularly inviting at the moment, I recognized something soothing in them.

"So you believe what Bailey said?" I asked and did not seem as strong as I had hoped. My voice was getting quieter and quieter. Maybe we didn't know each other so well, and I was just a friend of Mindy but did they really believe that I was behind it?

"Where were you during the bodega attack?" Said Tara cautions.

Confused, my gaze met hers. No, I wasn't confused. I was hurt. Her look was cold. Anger could be seen in her dark eyes, but the way she pulled her eyebrows together told me that there was something else, but what?

"Pompeii Pizza" said the driver and stopped.

Exhausted, I took a look and sighed. I shook my head when I opened the door of the taxi and got out.

"Y/N!"

I ignored it. Did Tara really think I was behind it? I didn't like the way she looked at me. As if I were a monster... the cars on the street were getting louder and louder for me. The measurements of people who were on the streets. Confused, I looked at the floor as I slowly went to the pizzeria.

And there they were at once. A few minutes before, I felt numb and now. Now there were too many feelings. I tried to arrange it in my head like a riddle. But I couldn't see anything. Too many letters. No words. I clenched my hands into fists to feel something I could describe. Then there was this sting. A continuous stitch. I had pressed my nails firmly into my palms so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Now I asked myself. What does that feel like?

After resensood.

Pressure a pressure that did not want to disappear.

And then the letters in my head came together and the word pain appeared before my eyes.

"Y/N wait!" I was grabbed by my shoulder and expected to be abruptly turned over. However, I was surprised and that of Sam. She sighed and slowly stood in front of me, so that I was forced to look at her. I was forced not to go any further.

"I was also a patient at Dr. Stone"

With widened eyes, I looked at her and a short smile escaped her lips when she agreed to my expression with a nodding head. "Believe me when I tell you that I can imagine how you feel. But you also have to understand-"

She looked over my shoulder to see Tara. However, I did not follow her gaze. As Tara had looked at me earlier... I never wanted to see these eyes again. That look in them. It made me feel so vulnerable and anxious. I already had it so hard to keep in touch with the people around me, but I tried to stand by. And with Tara, well it won't be difficult for me to ignore her in the near future.

At least that's what I thought

"After what we've been through, it's difficult for us with new people... and how fucked that sounds, but that's what Bailey said are very violent coincidences Y/N and if we should trust you... then you have to prove it to us"

Now I felt a different feeling.

Incomprehension

"Why should I do that?"

Surprised, Sam looked at me and straightened up. She probably didn't expect this answer.

"Sam, I am not part of your group. I'm just a friend of Mindy's"

I looked at the pizzeria and looked into the eyes of my own reflection Why do I looked so sad?

"As much as I wish it would be different, but even for Mindy I am just an acquaintance from the courses we have in common. And we both know Mindy, she is also very careful when it comes to new people. After she told me about Ghostface because it was a short topic in our course and not because she told me as a friend, I knew, okay. This friendship is nothing more than an an acquaintance, so why should I care Sam?" My legs were moving. I lightly bumped Sam on her shoulder to go past her but she grabbed me tightly by my arm and moved us so that I had to meet her eyes and my back faced the pizzeria.

"Because you care," she said bright. Confused, I looked at her. Her look was gentler than before and there was this glow.

"You may feel alone. And maybe you are... but you care. No matter how bad you are feeling. How the people around you are doing... you are someone who can feel how others are doing. And as much as you sometimes have to struggle with the darkness... you still care. Even if it hurts"

Why did it feel like a description of herself?

Were we both more similar than knew? I mean, we both went to the same therapist, maybe there was something to it. But what was Sam's problem? Also aggression? Mindy had never told me in detail what happened to all of them back then. She just said that the stab movies are based on true events and the murders of last year? Well she and her friends were involved.

Of course, I had watched all the stab films afterwards, but I couldn't imagine what must have happened to them.

"Go home. Take your time. But I hope that you come to the Blackmoore and try to find an answer for all this, together with us. You don't want to be a suspect, do you? So why not find out who is really behind it?"

She gave me a slight smile and left. Even after the taxi drove away, I was still starring on the same spot. Where did I get in there?

Damn Samantha Carpenter...

These feelings which you and your sister leave me behind are too much for me.

#jenna ortega #actress #fanfiction #ghostface #melissa barrera #samantha carpenter #scream #tara carpenter #x reader #tara carpenter x you #tara carpenter x reader #vada cavell #wednesday #wednsday addams #celebrity #lorraine day #jenna ortega x reader

[sassycheesecake]

A/N: I have been really into dark romance and shit, ever since I got that TikTok recommendation. I hereby present yakuza!Shinsuke Kita x Reader. Part 1/2

‘Shit. Shit. Shit! I am late!’, you curse yourself as you almost bolt out of the train, as soon as it stops and its doors open.

You accidentally ran into a lot of people, shouting quick apologies over your shoulder, still running to your workplace.

Thank the heavens for your stamina.

Finally arriving at the Tokyo Ambulance Rescue Station, you quickly run inside and each of your coworkers stops what they are doing to look at you.

Huffing and almost wheezing like you’re having an asthma attack, you step inside and head to the female locker room without looking at any of your coworkers.

Already feeling disgusted by your sweaty state, you change into your paramedic uniform nonetheless. 

Now in fresh clothes, you trot your way to one of the ambulance vehicles, seeing your friend Makima checking the equipment in the backpacks and making sure everything is filled up. 

Gulping in nervousness, you approach slowly.

“Glad you decided to show up. Almost done.” Makima tells you in a deadly calm voice. Makima is one of those people who despise being late, whether it's herself or someone she is waiting on. She is only a few years older than you but still your superior. Great, this is just your first month after graduating but you were so tired last night that you forgot to put on your damn alarm for the next morning. 

Not that this is an excuse, but your showing up is all that matters right?

With shaking footsteps, you make your way into the vehicle and start apologizing in a rant.

“Makima I am so so sorry, I promise it will never happen again!”, you frantically explain yourself, still out of breath.

The long-haired redhead briefly looks at you before bursting out laughing and you don’t know if this makes you feel better or worse. 

Giggling, she closes up the i.v. medication backpack and storages it back underneath the cabinet of the bandages. 

“(Y/N) don’t worry about it really, shit happens to all of us. No one is perfect and everyone here at the station was late once. Even me.” Makima explains and you can feel yourself being able to breathe easier already.

Just when you were about to reply to her, your beeper went off with a loud annoying peeping voice.

You run to the rack, where your black jacket with your name and the words T.A.R.S. are stitched into, and hop into the passenger seat of the vehicle.

Reading the screen at the front, you groan at the message that the fire station has sent you.

‘PATIENT PROB OD, TROUBLE BREATHING, UNCONSCIOUS, UNRESPONSIVE ‘

It’s probably the troublesome homeless teenager Denji again. You have met Denji twice now. Once beaten up badly and lying knocked out cold in an alley where he was found by a couple of passengers. The other time you found him almost bleeding to death due to a deep stab wound in his thigh, which he explained he simply got mugged. 

Nonetheless, you press the buttons for the siren and the blue lights, while Makima steps on the gas to rush to the scene. 

The rush and adrenaline are running through your system, making your heart bounce in excitement. Saving lives in acute situations is your thing! It’s a working environment that always comes with new foreign things and patients. Each day is different, which is exactly what your brain needs. Even if you have to drive through the massive city of Tokyo, the different kinds of people and the stories you get to tell your parents sometimes, are worth their shocking and even disgusting expressions sometimes. 

Once you were called to a restaurant, in which a patient had an allergic reaction and went into a nonlethal anaphylactic shock. 

The patient told you that his date was so horrible, that he purposely ate onions, even though he is allergic to them. 

All just to get away from her.

Shaking your head, the logic of men never ceases to amaze you. 

Arriving at the scene, you see two people leaning over a young guy that is laying on the sidewalk. He is already turned to his side, making sure in case he needs to throw up, he doesn’t choke on his vomit. Mentally thanking these people for performing the stable lateral position on the unconscious boy.

You grab the mobile vital monitor and the backpack that includes material for giving an I.V. including meds and an infusion. 

Before Makima grabs the breathing and the medical suction pump, she turns off the siren but leaves the blue lights on. Pressing the lock on the car keys, the ambulance is securely locked. Unfortunately, people tend to break into ambulance vehicles and proceed to steal the medications.

Both women are rushing to the patient, quickly going through the ABCDE approach, and they manage to load him onto the stretcher after making sure he didn’t overdose. His heart is beating abnormally fast, his blood pressure is at 75/40 and when you shine a small flashlight to take a look at his eyes, his pupils are dilated.

There’s no doubt about it, that Denji got his hands on cocaine.

After giving him Adrenaline and Naloxone, his condition stabilises and Denji begins to stir.

Blinking his eyes open, a bright light immediately greets him and Denji swears he died. 

He feels incredibly nauseous and his head is spinning like he just went on countless rides on a spinning wheel. 

You hover over Denji’s pale figure, a vomiting bag already in your right hand. 

“Denji? Can you hear me?” You ask him in a concerned voice.

When Denji was about to answer, he rapidly sits up and snatches the bag out of your hand, and hurls right into it.

Rubbing his back in a comforting manner, you sit beside him on the stretcher.

Makima is giving a quick report to their station boss, before joining you in the vehicle.

The sight of Denji vomiting disgusts Makima, deciding to wait outside because she can’t stand the smell or sight of someone throwing up.

“Denji, I think we should really take you to the hospital, you’re only 16 years old, where did you even get this stuff?” You ask him in a worried voice.

“It’s none of your business, let me out! I need to go!” Denji snaps at you, beginning to stand up. 

You know you shouldn’t fight someone who just woke up from a drug rush, so you let him stand up.

Standing on wobbly legs, he places his hand against the vehicle wall to stabilize his balance.  

Breathing heavily out of his mouth, he was about to open the vehicle door when Makima already beat him to it.

Surprised that he is up, she moves to the side to let him step out of the vehicle.

Denji almost falls flat on his face and his pale face makes you even more worried about him. 

“Denji, are you sure you’re okay? Do you want us to call anyone?” 

“Stop acting like you fucking care about me. I am just a street rat. I don’t need your pity! Just leave me the fuck alone!” He angrily spits at you, like a moody teenager that got his phone taken away. 

Makima and you are watching him walk away, still unbalanced but both of you leave him be.

“You’re welcome by the way for not letting you die today!” Makima yells after him. Denji shows his middle finger up in response and continues to stomp away.

Sighing in defeat, Makima and you get back into the vehicle and you are making your way back to the station.

Giving the report that the patient refused to cooperate and come with you, you drive back.

The clock strikes 22:00 and Makima and you are finally free to change after the night shift has arrived. 

Farewelling Makima goodbye, you begin to walk to the train station.

Having your headphones in your ear, you scroll through your Spotify playlist and choose ‘Glitter and Gold’. 

You had a really busy day and barely had a chance to go to the bathroom. 

Entering the women’s restroom, you look up from your phone, and the sight before you freezes immediately.

Right in front of you stands a very tall guy with sandy-blonde hair, he has to be at least 6’1 and he is holding a lot of tissues against his arm, blood soaking each tissue.

The stranger holds a painful expression while putting pressure on his arm.

His muscled body is leaning against the sink, the blood on his upper arm dripping down right into it. 

Brown eyes rapidly look in your direction, his face shining with curiosity.

Chuckling nervously, he starts talking with his deep voice.

“Don’t scream, don't call for anyone. Just got a little scratch on my arm.” 

Blinking a few times at his wound, you slowly step towards him.

Your approach is making him tense, his non-injured arm moving to his side, where he holds a dagger in case you want to attack him.

“Your wound looks pretty bad. Don’t worry I am a paramedic, I can take care of that if you want to.”

The blonde-haired giant looks at you for a few seconds, making sure you’re not lying. 

After a few moments of tense silence, he nods unsurely.

Breathing out slowly, you awkwardly glance at the door and at him a few times. 

“Uhm. Just follow me then, I need to take a proper look at it. I have my materials at home so come home with me so I can patch you up properly.” You explain to him.

His eyes watch you carefully, hesitantly he nods and puts his maroon jacket back on.

“Do you have a belt or something on you?” You ask him as you both exit the public restroom.��

The tall stranger nods and takes off his belt to hand it to you.

Grasping the belt you begin to tie it around his arm, so the wound hopefully stops the bleeding until you both arrive at your place. 

Wincing at the tightness, he thanks you quietly.

As you both begin to enter the train, which is thankfully empty around this time on a weekday, you ask him what happened to his arm.

“Not that's yer business anyway, so I’d rather not say.” He avoids your curious look. 

“But that wound is pretty deep! You need to go to the hospital and get that stitched up probably.” You try to reason with him.

“I am serious. Drop it.” He snaps at you with an angry frown.

Accepting his request, you decide to drop it. 

With nervous hands, you glance down at the metro floor and wait in silence to arrive at your destination. 

Ten uncomfortable minutes later, you both arrive at the subway station that is close to your apartment.

Unlocking the door with your key, you enter inside and wait for him.

The blonde hesitates for a few seconds, glancing down the hallway nervously before deciding that you’re not a threat, and enters as well.

Gently closing the door, you urge him to follow you into your bathroom where your medical kit lies underneath the sink.

You direct him to sit on the edge of the bathtub and he complies without question.

“I need to see your wound properly in order to clean it up.” You tell him while putting on medical gloves and setting the necessary materials like the stitching materials, disinfectant wipes, and fluid, and scissors. 

He winces while rolling up his sleeve to present you with his injury. 

You start by taking a wet washcloth and gently dabbing it around the area, quietly apologizing whenever he hisses and flinches away from the touch.

As you are now able to see the injury better, you see that it’s actually a bullet wound, hence the bleeding was so heavy.

Shocked that he has this kind of injury, you remember that he doesn’t want to talk about how he got it. 

“Lift your arm please, I need to know if the bullet is still in the muscle tissue.“

He gives you an incredulous look since lifting his arm would only worsen his pain. Nonetheless, he complies.

Quickly looking around his arm you don’t see an exit wound, closing your eyes in pity for the stranger, you know what you are going to say next, definitely won’t be easy.

“Let me guess. That thing is still in there.” He looks to the ceiling of your bathroom with a tight smile.

“U-Uhm yes. I told you to go to a hospital. It needs to be surgically removed. I really recommend it Mr….”, you drift off as you don’t recall knowing his name.

He looks at you and realizes he’s never introduced himself to you properly. 

“Name’s Atsumu Miya, ya can call me Atsumu.” 

Later on, Atsumu enters the familiar door of the headquarters of the ‘Fox Den’ and lets out a heavy sigh.

The pent-up frustration from the fight with Karasuno, the pain, and the treatment that he had to bite through with you is making his body insanely tired from exhaustion. 

Nonetheless, he needs to give a report to his boss, the leader of the Inarizaki gang of Hyogo. 

Atsumu walks down the hallway that has multiple doors connected to it and since it’s awfully quiet, Atsumu guesses that most members are either asleep or away on missions.

Entering the lift at the end of the hallway, he presses the ‘5’ button for the conference rooms and where also the office of his boss. 

Swinging back and forth on his heels, Atsumu waits until the elevator stops and continues his path to the room of the leader of Inarizaki.

Once he arrives at his destination, he knocks first, before entering.

“Hey Kita, 'm back from the mission." The blonde says when he steps into the office.

A man who has silver hair with black tips in it, is sitting at the desk and he briefly looks up from his laptop with a stoic face, before looking down again, continuing to type something down. 

Ignoring the warm greeting of his boss, Atsumu plops down on one of the chairs in front of the desk and puts his arms behind his head to stretch.

Unfortunately, he completely forgot about the injury on his arm, immediately putting the injured arm down again with a winced hiss. 

The head of the gang looks at his trusted friend before a slight frown of concern decorates his face. 

“What happened?“ he asks in a calm voice.

“Oh, you know the usual. Just some fuckers from Karasuno in our territory and one of them fucking shot me.“ Atsumu explains while gently rubbing over his arm, feeling the wrapped bandage from you underneath his jacket. 

His frown deepens at the mention of their rival gang, the Karasuno crows, but listens quietly. 

“Do you need medical attention? Do you want me to send Ginjima or Riseki up?“ He continues to question him.

“Nah, I am good Kita. Got stitched up by this cute girl that I met while I was bleedin‘ out like a pig in a women’s restroom by the train station.“ Atsumu pulls his sleeve to reveal the bandage.

Kita glances at the bandage on his friend‘s arm, a mix between concern and anger but also suspicion haunts his face. 

He slowly gets up from his chair and rounds his table with slow steps, making his way toward the older twin.

The injured man looks at him with curious eyes while raising his eyebrow in confusion.

The silver-haired man stares at one of his most trusted right-hand man with a neutral expression and puts his arms behind his back.

“Tell me more about this mysterious medic girl.“ He demands.

Atsumu grins mischievously at his boss and begins to tell him about his fight to the encounter of meeting you. 

Yawning, you stretched out your exhausted limbs and climbed into your comforting blue soft blankets. The feeling of your head hitting the cushy pillow makes you sigh in bliss. It was a long day, first the rowdy patients, then getting vomited on by a drunk homeless person that almost overdosed, and then there was the injured blonde-haired stranger you met tonight. You’re not going to lie, it was a whole mountain of stupid to just invite a stranger over to your apartment. Anxiously, you remember, that he mentioned he didn’t want to go to the hospital to get patched up because he needs to stay anonymous. 

The only question is…

Why does he need to do that?

Your thoughts are interrupted when your phone vibrates with a message. You curiously pick it up to see what the notification is. 

Eyes widening in shock and also a concern, you glance at your screen.

Unknown number

‘Thank you for taking care of my friend. I would like to repay you some time for your kind service’

#haikyuu!! #haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu!! x reader #haikyū!! #hq x reader #hq fluff #inarizaki #shinsuke kita #kita shinsuke x reader #kita shinsuke #yakuza!au #yakuza #haikyuu mafia

[be-missed]

Not Strong Enough (Chap 6)

Jenna Ortega x Fem!Reader

(pictures not mine)

Summary: Jenna was visiting her mom in the hospital to drop off the food that will be eaten for the hospital party, but she met a resident surgeon and she thought "God forbid I ran into an accident, but I want her to open me and stitch me up." While the surgeon tries her best to keep her fan girling low-key.

Warning: curse words.

A/N: uhm, hi thanks for waiting, enjoy!

Words: 2.6K

Masterlist

Chap 1 | Chap 2 | Chap 3 | Chap 4 | Chap 5

______________________________________________________________

Chap 6

"What the fuck is happening?" Ava said as she enters the breakroom, Y/N is breathing with the help of a paper bag, Beatrice on her side guiding her how to properly breathe, and Camila in front of them with her phone out capturing every moment that Y/N is losing.

"You should've entered earlier Ava, Y/N was panicking because Y/N is going to have dinner with Jenna's family tonight" Camila exclaimed while checking all the photos that she have earlier of Y/N.

Y/N then crumpled the paper bag and throw it to Camila "You asshole, are you really my friend? You should be helping me!" while Camila just laughed and said "Beatrice is by your side, and helping you breathe is a one man job anyway" smirking to herself while Y/N answered "Okay, that's it, I don't give you the permission to talk to Jenna."

And as if on cue, the breakroom door then opened and Jenna entered.

"Who am I not talking to?" Jenna asked Y/N with a raised eyebrow and a smile. Y/N then started to look at Bea while Ava kicked Y/N under the table and whispered "Get your shit together."

"Hey" Y/N said while she waved to Jenna and invited her to seat in their table. The girl who just entered put a paper bag in the middle of the table, "Here are uhm, some cookies that I baked earlier, just a small treat for you all."

Ava started to open the bag and bring out the container with Beatrice helping her, Camila is still standing in front of them and said "So Jenna, as I promised you last time, I'm gonna show you my Wednesday Dance."

Jenna then looked at Y/N who was shaking her head and said "Please say no..." Jenna doesn't have the chance to answer when they heard the Bloody Mary Sped up Version in Camila's phone.

Camila stood up in front of them, tapping her foot with the beat. Beatrice was shaking her head and trying to not laugh, Ava was eating a cookie and enjoying the act, while Y/N landed her hand on Jenna's thigh and whispered "You don't have to do this" with a sad smile.

I'll dance, dance, dance,

With my hands, hands, hands

Camila started to dance, Jenna was nodding her head to the beat, Beatrice palmed her face, and Ava is clapping. Y/N's phone vibrated and got a message from their co-surgeon that all of the residents are needed in the surgery room.

Above my head, head, head like Jesus said

"Uhm, Bea & Ava, I think we are needed in the surgery room, we need to get going" Y/N said tapping the table to get the attention of the three of them, "Okay, show is over Camila, you can wait for us in here so that we can go home together" Beatrice said, while walking out with Ava.

Y/N looked at Jenna and said "Hey, will you be okay here? I'll be going back to you after, okay?" Jenna then nodded and replies "Duty calls, yes, I'll be waiting for you. I think me and Camila might bond for now."

With what she heard, Camila jumped up and down. But before Y/N reached the door, Jenna pulled Y/N and kissed her on her cheek and said "Work well."

Jenna then went back to the seat and Camila is side eyeing her, "What? You are creeping me out" Jenna said, "What was that for?" Camila asked the other girl with her eye brows raised, "Nothing, Y/N told me friends kiss each other's cheek so we just kinda did... for fun..." Jenna answered, not really telling the truth that she just wants to kiss Y/N, but Y/N did tell her about that so...

"Okay, friends... So did Y/N showed you her collection of her funko pops?" Camila asked Jenna, "Uhm no, actually I haven't been into her house" and that surprised Camila, "WHAT? She have all of the funkos of your character and what do you mean you haven't been to her house?"

"Funkos... of all of my characters?", Jenna thought, "Why would Y/N have funkos of my characters?" Jenna asked, "Well in the first place, she is like one of your biggest fan, she also went to some of your movie premiers but not lucky enough to get your autograph, and like she have a massive crush on you ever since, so like..." Camila ended with a shrug, Jenna was just listening to this new information that she is getting.

Camila then continued "Yeah, and we were like so surprised when you released a Nighttime Routine with Harper's Bazaar and Y/N was like, viewed that a hundred times and was like so dreamy about it. You know, I thought she knew that because like, you know, you are her friend so I thought you'll advise her with that, but I guess not since she fucking screamed at my ear when she refreshed her YouTube."

There is only one thing in Jenna's mind, "What the fuck?" and as for the Harper Bazaar's video, she saw Y/N all smiley while watching Melissa, so she contacted her agent if she can also do that video, and Jenna did that because she was just jealous on how Y/N is all smiley watching the video, before Jenna gets to ask Camila again, the three surgeon enters the breakroom.

Y/N went towards Jenna and asked "Do you wanna go home? Your mom said she'll be with your dad and you can come home with me..." and Jenna just nodded her head and said their good bye's to the other doctors.

Inside the car, Jenna is looking at Y/N and its creeping Y/N somehow, since she feels that Jenna is hiding something, "Why are you looking at me like that?" Y/N asked, "Nothing, I just learned something new today, and also, can I come to your house?" Jenna asked.

Y/N stepped on the break, "I'm sorry, uhm... Yeah sure, we can have dinner in my house next time" Jenna accepted the answer "That sounds fun, I can't wait" and smiled at Y/N.

---

Getting home, Y/N got acquainted with Jenna's family, seating at the sofa talking to Jenna's dad, going to the kitchen to help Jenna's mom, running around to chase Jenna's nieces and nephews, talks about social issues with Jenna's siblings.

Jenna pulled Y/N next to the stairs, away from everyone, "Are you good?" Y/N asked, "Yes, I just pulled you to the side to let you breathe, you're like a talking machine out there" Jenna answered with a smile, appreciating the effort that Y/N puts to get to know her family.

"Well, I mean your family is nice and they are fun so, I can't say that I'm getting tired, I actually enjoy it" Y/N says and leans her back to the wall waiting for Jenna to say something, but instead, Jenna just walked closer to her and smiled at Y/N.

Y/N feels a big hole inside her stomach is forming while Jenna just situated herself between Y/N's legs and rest both of her arms in Y/N's shoulder. "What are you doing?" Y/N swallowed and asked Jenna with a shake in her voice, "Nothing, just situating myself" Jenna answered and assisted Y/N's hand to rest in her hips.

Jenna rounded her arms tightly into Y/N's neck and played with the baby hair in her nape. Jenna stared intently to those beautiful eyes that she adored ever since Y/N greeted her in the hospital. Y/N's breathing becomes quick, with her proximity to Jenna.

"Hey relax, it's just me and you" Jenna said quietly and tries to help Y/N to slow down her breathing "Relax, it's just me and you, yeah?"

After a few seconds, Y/N relaxes her arms and tightens it hold around Jenna's waist that made them closer than they were. "I like this" Y/N said that made Jenna smile and said "Then probably you'll like this more."

Before Y/N gets to process what Jenna said, the other girl kissed her in the lips that surprised Y/N, she was like a stone for a second and Jenna felt that Y/N is not reciprocating the kiss, so she started to pull away, not until Y/N's arms tightened and kissed Jenna back.

Jenna's pushed Y/N's head towards her and tilts her head to make the kiss deeper and keep Y/N in her arms and her lips longer. Y/N bit Jenna's lip and pulled away slightly util their foreheads are touching.

"Dinner's ready, come to the table now!" Jenna's mom yelled from the kitchen.

Y/N and Jenna are just staring at each other with a lingering smile plastered in their faces.

A knock on the wall beside the stairs stopped them from their own bubble, "Girls, dinner is ready, come on."

The whole family started to sit in their places, while Y/N and Jenna got situated, Aliyah said "Y/N, i think your lipstick is smudged, here wipe it" and handed Y/N a tissue with a smirk in her lips, and the whole family looked at Y/N looking like a deer caught in headlights while Jenna reached for the tissue and wiped her own lipstick in Y/N's lips.

"Okay, let's dig in" Jenna's mother said to ease the situation.

The whole dinner was filled with chatters, laughter, and banters with each of them enjoying the food and the company of each other. To note, Jenna kept her left hand situated into Y/N's lap the whole dinner and eats with her right hand that made Y/N's heart beats so fast.

After the movie, everyone gets up and started to say their good nights and went to their room, as for Y/N, she started to walk towards the door and said her good bye's and thank you's to the family.

"Are you leaving?" Jenna asked while Y/N is holding her hand, "Sad to say, but yes, I need to sleep to" Y/N said with a sad smile "Can you like stay? Please" Jenna said and squeezed Y/N's hand "...please" Jenna added and she sounded so small.

Y/N answered "Sure, I would love to" and the two of them went up and straight to Jenna's room, "I don't have any clothes though" Y/N stated and Jenna answered "Don't worry you can wear mine."

The both of them got inside Jenna's room and Y/N's eyes roam, trying to embed every detail that she can see "Here, think my clothes can fit you?" Jenna said while handling Y/N her oversize clothes "Yeah, your clothes would totally fit me." Y/N replied with a smile and went inside the bathroom to shower and change.

After minutes, Y/N went out and saw Jenna was now under the covers using her phone, "So you're a right side of the bed sleeper?" Y/N asked that made Jenna look up, and wow oh wow, Y/N looks so cute in her clothes, and also the first time Jenna saw Y/N with house clothes. Y/N looks soft and small without her white coat and her formal clothes on, Jenna thought.

Y/N got situated beside Jenna. The two just looked at each other, wiggling their eyebrows at each other and smiling, "What?" Jenna said "Nothing" Y/N answered.

Jenna seated closer to Y/N and reached for Y/N's hand, "About earlier... I uhm. I'm not sorry for kissing you, just so you know. I have been wanting to do that ever since" Jenna said, "It's okay, I'm not sorry too" Y/N said, so what Jenna did is to lean in and kiss Y/N again, which Y/N gladly reciprocated, but before everything got out of hand, Jenna pulled away and remembered what Camila said to her earlier and plan to tease Y/N.

"So, what's your favorite show of mine?" Jenna asked with a smirk, "Huh?" Y/N played it off and tried to act like she doesn't know it "Camila told me earlier that you like my movies and you have a crush on me" Jenna added. If Y/N was not red earlier, well she is definitely now, heat creeping up her cheeks and pulling Jenna's blanket to cover her face.

"Come on don't be shy now, you just kissed me" Jenna stated as she situated herself on top of Y/N and started o tickle the other girl. Fits of laughter can be heard, "Okay, Okay stop please" Y/N said while giggling "I'll tell you my favorite show of yours" Y/N added.

Stopping her movements, Jenna helped Y/N to fix her hair, "Ok, so what's your favorite?" Jenna asked, "Iron Man 3, I really like how you sat the whole scene" Y/N stated, and Jenna slapped Y/N's arm and exclaimed "Be serious oh my god!" Y/N laughed and answered "It's The Fallout, honestly, I love Vada."

It surprised Jenna since the answer she got commonly are Scream or Wednesday, so she again asked Y/N "What makes you love Vada then?" Y/N shrugged and answered "Well first of all, she is a trauma survivor, and I loved how the movie showed a different perspective of how a teenager cope to such trauma" and Jenna did agree to Y/N, "But most of all, Vada is a girl kisser so..." Y/N added.

"You can't be really serious, yeah?" Jenna answered trying to get off of Y/N, but Y/N held Jenna's hip to stay in place "Stay on top of me, I'm starting to like your weight on top of me" Y/N said with a loving smile.

With that, Jenna situated herself and lay herself down on top of Y/N.

"On a serious note, I'm really just curious" Y/N started caressing Jenna's back "I don't know, I just need to be sure okay. Don't laugh at me please" Jenna lift herself up and look at Y/N "Please just say it."

"Do you like... like me or I don't know, I mean, do you like me as you know... do you like envision me as your girl friend or something, I mean not to jump into conclusions, but like you know, I just want to know like, are we dating? Or like a winter thing?" Y/N stuttered and Jenna just looked at her.

"I just brought you to our family dinner, yeah?" Jenna asked.

Y/N nods,

"I hold your hand and rubs your thigh at dinner?" Jenna asked.

Y/N nods,

"I kissed you, in the lips, hard, and deep before dinner, yes?" Jenna aksed.

Y/N nods,

"I invited you inside my room, let you wear my clothes, I lay on top of you, kisses you again, and listen to you talk, yes?" Jenna asked for the last time.

And Y/N nods for the last time.

Jenna sighs and sits, "Yes, I like you Y/N. I also want to be your girlfriend, and yes, we are dating, if you want to. I mean, if you don't want to dat-"

Before Jenna finished her sentence, Y/N kissed her and yelled "YES! Oh my god" Y/N is now doing her happy dance while Jenna just smiled at the girl "Okay let's get to sleep now."

Y/N lay down Jenna on top of her, "Good night" Y/N whispered and Jenna answered back "Good night and sweet dreams" and kissed Y/N's collar bones.

______________________________________________________________

Chapter 7

A/N: FINALLY I FINISHED THIS. Hope you enjoy! Open for Comments and Suggestions. To those people who leave comments on my work, I really appreciate you, thank you! Also added a word count just because I feel like this is my current longest story (really not sure, I just feel like it, lol).

What's your favourite show/movie of Jenna?

#jenna ortega #jenna ortega x fem!reader #jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega x y/n #jenna ortega x you #fanfic #fiction #jenna ortega imagine

[save-the-villainous-cat]

Cat’s 3K Series

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5

Part Four

The villain talked.

Their ears were red and they were worked up. Angry wasn’t the right term to describe their condition. No, the hero had seen them angry before. Spitting fuck yous and threats was their usual reaction when it came to wrath. Not this.

“What were you thinking?” they asked in a lulled voice. “Going out like this on your own…you could’ve been killed.”

Without thinking, they pulled down the suit’s zipper. If the hero hadn’t been so exhausted, they probably would’ve blushed or maybe they were doing just that, no matter the level of their sleepiness. They didn’t know, for they were too busy with staring at the villain’s fingers. The villain helped them out of the sweaty and bloody suit, cold digits going over bruised ribs.

“God, you look awful,” the villain whispered. The colourful band aids were still on their body, one stretching over their jaw with a panda on it. It looked so adorable…

“I was angry. Stupid,” the hero answered. And then, their voice was hoarse. “You look hot.”

The villain shook their head.

“Don’t do this. Don’t start flirting because you’re nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.”

“You always flirt when you’re nervous.”

“Not true.” The villain sighed and took the bandages out of the first aid kit. They fidgeted with them, stared at the hero’s torso, looked back at the bandage and decided to pick a different one that was sturdier.

“Can’t believe you went out there alone,” the villain mumbled again. Slowly, they wrapped the bandages around the hero’s torso, stabilising the broken bones. Thankfully, their device hadn’t shown any damaged organs.

“I think they mixed up the villains. The evaluation sheet they sent to me was wrong.” Though, the hero didn’t really think that. They suspected a clever plan to teach them a lesson. As punishment for not responding and skipping work. “God, I’m so tired.”

“Do you need any more painkillers?” the villain asked. Working quickly yet undeniably efficiently. Mesmerised, the hero studied them and how precise they were. I’m no expert either. Sure.

“No.”

“Do you want to talk?” the villain asked. For a moment, the villain looked at the finished product, made some other adjustments and then proceeded with cleaning a wound on the hero’s shoulder. Definitely a perfectionist. It was hard to see them as the scary big villain with the panda band aid on their face. The hero’s heart was melting and they didn’t even know it.

“Already told you about the agency.”

“Your panic attack, I mean.” The villain sterilised the needle the hero had used to stitch their wounds a few days ago but they had problems with the thread. Automatically, the hero helped them, fingertips brushing against fingertips.

Both didn’t dare to look at each other. It was much more personal than stitching up a reluctant villain. Both knew that.

Not only was the villain’s behaviour a mystery to the hero, they were also not really sure about their own. The hero hadn’t had much energy left. Hell, they had never been this close to death in their entire life. If the villain hadn’t shown up…they were sure they would’ve choked on their own panic attack and then died due to internal injuries.

The hero was quiet, their mind wandering back to the moment. How helpless they’d been, how stupid it was. Most of the time, they wasted their life with flirting or stupid jokes or a smile on their face. Pretending was easy and yet…they could’ve died tonight, not only because of their anger but because they wouldn't work through their emotions.

“Do you get them often?” the villain asked.

“Not really.”

“I used to have them, too,” the villain said. “Talking about it might help. What might have triggered it? What did you feel?”

The hero looked out of the window and bit the inside of their cheek. What a violent memory this conjured.

“I…I survived a plane crash,” they said, voice shaking. “It triggered my powers. Situations of immense stress can do that.”

They swallowed and bit into their cheek again when the villain started with the stitching. It hurt like hell.

“I was the only survivor of that plane crash and it was…it was horrible. I saw people around me, parts of people. I believe I survived because of my powers but honestly, I wish I had died. Of course, the government found out. They sent me to the agency and started experimenting on me. They basically own me.”

The villain was working quietly, closing the wound with each painful stitch. Was it illegal to be attracted to that?

“I flipped when they said experiment. One stupid word.” There was a stinging in the hero’s nose and they knew tears would follow soon. They wanted to get angry again, to go away and make stupid jokes and have fun. But they had nowhere to go. Had nothing to do.

The villain stopped working on them and observed them.

“I know what it feels like to be used,” they said. “You didn’t deserve what they did to you.”

“Huh, now you like me or what?” The villain gave them a warning gaze.

“No flirting. And yes, maybe you’re not that bad. I thought you wanted to torture me for information. But treating my wounds? Making food? Protecting me? Letting me go? I guess I was wrong about you.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say so much in my life.”

The villain smiled. Smiled. It was crooked. Cheeky. Absolutely adorable. The hero heard the drumming in their chest grow louder.

“Maybe not.”

And then the hero felt brave. Felt brave enough to ask, to find out something about the other as well.

“Who hurt you? The same person who did this?” They gestured down their battered body.

The villain seemed more careful now, back to their old stoic self who wasn’t willing to share anything about their life. Slightly frowning however, they nodded.

“Yes, it was them. Don’t worry, though. You are pretty good at patching me up. Give yourself some more credit.”

They continued with their work on the hero, stretching skin and pulling the thread through it.

“What did they do?”

“…I don’t wanna talk about that right now, is that alright?” the villain asked. Out of a sudden they seemed distant again, like they were gonna stop talking. As if they were gonna leave the hero again.

“Of course,” the hero said, suddenly embarrassed. “I’m sorry, listen…”

They grabbed the villain’s forearm gently, feeling the strong muscles, squeezing a little once they weren’t sure anymore. Just as surprised, the villain looked up from their work, ears burning.

“You saved me,” the hero said.

“And you saved me.” The villain’s eyes were widened, pupils dilated. They held the needle between their fingers, making them look oh so professional.

“I was so stupid. I always thought I could leave all of this behind, I could smile and move on. Forget about the dead and the survivor’s guilt. About the experiments and the control. I thought I could push it away but it only hurts. It hurts and hurts and I swear, I would’ve died without you.” The hero’s eyes dropped to the villain’s lips. The villain had saved them, had given them something to think about.

“You saved me too, you know. I was an ass to you and you decided to help me. Sometimes, I’m afraid to move on as well. But I’m also so tired of fighting.”

And the hero didn’t know why but words had never resonated with them so well. They had never felt this seen, this understood in their entire life.

What followed were actions of desire and exhaustion mixed together. The hero palmed the villain’s jaw and without thinking twice, they kissed them tenderly. They could feel the hesitation and the surprise in the way the villain kissed back. The hero almost thought they were inexperienced but when the villain moaned their name against their lips and got a possessive grip on the hero’s hips, they rethought it.

“Thank you,” the hero said between kisses. “Thank you, thank you thank you—”

It made the villain chuckle sweetly, a thick sound that made the hero feel all warm and fuzzy. How could a big and scary person like the villain be so gentle and soft? The hero didn’t know.

Somewhat clumsy, the hero pushed the first aid kit off the couch to make more room for them.

“You on top,” the villain whispered, demanding even that softly. The hero nodded and pushed them down, turning the kisses into something more passionate and blasphemous. They couldn’t remember when they’d been ever touched like this. As if the villain had remembered their injuries, they avoided every part of the hero that could hurt.

However, the fun was over when the villain pulled back and stared at their shirt, then back at the hero’s stomach. A wound had open again and blood was dropping onto the villain.

The hero didn’t really care, though. They wanted to continue, wanted to love the villain. Thank them for saving them, for showing them there was an end to suffering. An end to feeling like shit every day. Thanking them for seeing them, listening to them. Showing them they cared.

But that didn’t happen.

“Stop it,” the villain whispered. They took the hero’s hand. “Hey, stop it.”

They gently pushed them away and picked up the first aid kit. The hero was out of breath and stared at the stains they had left on the villain.

“Let’s take it easy, alright?”

#start praying #writing snippet #heroxvillain prompt #heroxvillain snippet #heroes and villains #hero #villain #heroxvillain #hero x villain #request #3K

[im-a-writer-sometimes]

Thank You, Doctor (Miguel O’Hara - Part 2/4)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Epilogue

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x fem!reader

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: language, miguel being a bit of a jealous prick

🕷

“I told you it was a good idea.”

Miguel woke up to the sight of a tiny golden figure hovering above him, hands clasped behind her back, lips pursed in victory. He turned his face into the pillow.

“You’re an AI, not an alarm,” he said.

“I’m both,” replied Lyla. “And right now, I’m right.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

“About Doctor Y/l/n,” she said, her smile sharpening.

“Leave me in peace,” he said, groaning into his pillow. “Just once.”

“I thought perhaps we could discuss expanding the operation,” she said. “Letting more anomalies integrate into spider society. So long as they wear their wristbands like Y/n, they’d pose no threat.”

“Except that Y/n is an exception,” he said, finally sitting up, biting back a groan at the stabbing pain in his gut. “Most of the other anomalies here are criminals, Lyla.”

Lyla kicked her feet together, shrugging. “Just something to consider.” And then she winked out, leaving Miguel in his supposedly cheerless room. He glanced around; maybe he did need to get a hobby.

The rest of his day was spent in his control room, standing—and then after insistence from Lyla—sitting in the midst of his endless yellow screens. The rest of his week went as such, and by the end, he realized Lyla had been going back and forth between him and Y/n, reporting on his progress. It had been Y/n demanding that he sit and take a break to eat and drink water and change his dressings; her demands had simply come from Lyla’s mouth.

At the end of the week, as planned, he returned to the med bay to have his stitches removed. A part of him realized that in any other circumstance, he would’ve just ripped them out himself and blown off whatever overbearing doctor insisted to do it for him. But he squashed that part of himself deep, deep down inside, plopping himself down on a bed in front of your station. 

“How are you feeling?” you asked, lining up your tools on a tray beside the bed. “I know you’re too tough to feel pain, but has it subsided at all?”

“Yes,” he said. “I’m just a bit sore.”

You nodded, and then you just stared at each other—you sitting on a stool beside the bed, him propped up on the mattress. You cleared your throat after a minute.

“Usually, I need access to the wounds in order to pull out the stitches,” you said, eyebrows raising as your eyes dropped to his suit.

He didn’t respond, but his face went a little red as he worked himself out of the top of his suit, leaving it pushed down to his waist. And then, very suddenly, he wasn’t the only one blushing. You were a doctor in training, you’d seen plenty of bodies. Bodies meant nothing to you. But they meant—something, when he was unquestionably ripped and blushing like a schoolboy. 

You smiled as you began to pull back the bandaging, nodding to yourself as you began to cut off the stitches.

“Think I’ll live?” he asked, and your smile widened.

“He’s a proper comedian now,” you said, pulling out the last stitch on his abdomen, standing up and coming around to his back to begin pulling out those. 

“General cheer and joy,” he said. “Doctor’s orders.”

You were glad you were tucked out of his line of vision, your cheeks growing warmer. “We’ve been over this,” you said. “I’m not a doctor.”

You had to climb halfway onto the bed to reach his wound, and it didn’t escape your notice the way his shoulders tensed at the slight dip of the mattress under your knee. “What did you do?” you asked. “Before all this?”

He went silent, the only sound between you the occasional snip of your medical scissors. “I had a family,” he said, the weight of the words hunching his back as you worked. “A daughter.”

“What’s her name?”

More silence.

Eventually, he said, “Lyla’s convinced me to start allowing more anomalies into spider society.”

“That’s long,” you replied. “Did she have a nickname?”

You couldn’t see the soft smile that curled his lips, but you could physically feel the tightness ease from his muscles. “Gabi,” he said.

“Cute,” you replied. “And do you mean that? About the anomalies?”

He nodded.

“Good,” you said.

“There’s a man from Earth-55403 who was a doctor in his own universe. We picked him up after he’d jumped unknowingly,” he said. “He starts next week.”

“It’ll be nice to have an actual doctor around here,” you said, and he didn’t reply.

After you’d finished, you climbed off the bed and came around to face him once more, peeling off your gloves. “You know your body and its limits. I have a feeling if I told you to wait another week, you’d just ignore me.”

“Probably,” he said. 

“I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you here again soon after you’ve reopened your wounds on a mission.”

“Probably.”

“And I have a feeling that if I gave you ointment to prevent any scarring, you’d just say, scars make me look cool, and not use it.”

“That’s not what I sound like,” he said. “And probably.”

You laughed, and turned towards the sink to wash your hands. “Alright. Well, I’ll see you the next time you’re on the brink of death, Miguel.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” he said as he stood, and by the time you turned around to face him again, he was gone.

🕷

You hated him. You hated him and his stupid face that refused to ever flee your mind. You hated the hitch in your breath every time someone stepped into the med bay, and the sinking of your shoulders every time it wasn’t him. Which was every time. You weren’t some blushing schoolgirl. You were an adult. An almost doctor. You shouldn’t have been fawning over a man you’d had a handful of conversations with, but there was some sort of easy charm, the kind you lulled yourself into, whenever his stone facade gave way.

You’d made other friends—several accident prone spiders who came in often. One such spider was Peter Parker from a universe that sounded stranger and stranger every time he described it to you. But he was funny and awkwardly pleasant—like nearly every spider person that came through. Save for one.

“You know, when Miguel told me we’d be catching multiversal anomalies, I expected giant goo monsters and half-human nutcases,” he said, watching me with his mask off as I bandaged a cut on his arm. “Not smart, pretty girls with extensive medical knowledge.”

“How do you know I’m not secretly a half-human goo monster nutcase?” I asked, taping off the bandage and sitting up straight to look at him.

“That would make you even more mysterious and alluring,” he said.

“You’ve got a concerning taste in women, Peter.”

It was then that a person—just a person, seemingly not a spider—you hadn’t seen before stepped into the med bay, looking about with Lyla perched on his shoulder. 

“Who’s that guy?” asked Peter.

“Another secret half-human goo monster,” you said, before patting his shoulder and standing to greet the newcomer.

“Dr. Eddard,” said Lyla, floating between you two. “This is Dr. Y/l/n.”

“Just Y/n Y/l/n,” you said, reaching out to shake his hand. “Not quite a doctor.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Y/n,” said Dr. Eddard. “You can call me Sam.”

Sam was nice. Quiet, diligent worker. Lyla had him shadow you that first day just to get acclimated to the space, but after that, you only saw each other when your shift was over and his had begun. After a little while, he started bringing you dinner when he came to relieve you, and a little while after that, you greeted him each morning with breakfast in hand. After a week of your new routine with Sam, and over a week since you’d seen Miguel, the spider reappeared. 

He stepped into the med bay while you were patching up another spider, standing awkwardly by the door as he waited for you to finish. You noticed he wasn’t in his suit as usual, but in a t-shirt and sweatpants. He looked—domestic, almost.

“Rip open your wounds?” you asked as soon as the other spider had left, and he crossed the room, standing stiffly before your station.

“No,” he said. “I came by to check that everything with the new doctor is going well.”

You nodded. “No complaints from me. How are you healing?”

His response was to lift up his shirt and put his new, gnarly-looking scars on display. You smiled.

“They do look kinda cool,” you said.

He dropped his shirt back down, clasping his hands behind his back. “That’s not all,” he said. “It’s been explained to you that your father is a multiversal criminal.”

“Um, yes,” you said, sitting down on your stool as he continued.

“We’d lost his trail for a long time, but I believe we’ve found it again.”

You just blinked. “Okay.”

“He’s put countless universes at risk. Collapsed some, nearly collapsed your own.”

“Are you asking my permission to catch him?” you asked.

“No,” he said. “I just—wanted to let you know.”

You shrugged. “I’ve never met the guy, I’ve got no objections.”

He watched you as you turned towards your station, reorganizing lines of already perfectly organized medical supplies. You knew he didn’t quite believe you—you didn’t quite believe you—but you didn’t want his pity. 

“I’m jumping to his last known universe tomorrow,” he said. “I can keep you updated if you like.”

You shook your head. “No need.”

At that moment, Sam arrived with a take-out box, and you lifted your eyes to the clock. Your shift was already over. Sam sidestepped Miguel with a nervous smile at the man before offering the food to you. “I got you that turkey sandwich you like,” he said, and you thanked him, feeling Miguel’s eyes on you the entire time.

“Uh, Dr. Eddard, this is Miguel,” you said. You left out the fact that he was in charge, not sure exactly how Sam was feeling about the whole multiversal anomaly thing.

“I’m Sam,” he said, extending a hand out to Miguel. Miguel simply glanced down at it before lifting his eyes back to Sam’s face with an unimpressed twitch of his brow. Sam cleared his throat and dropped his hand.

“Thanks for checking in, Miguel,” you said, offering him one more smile before turning towards Sam, laughing at something as you opened up your takeout box, jokes already being exchanged between the two of you.

Miguel stood there for a beat longer than acceptable before slipping out, oblivious to your eyes following him out the door.

🕷

“Are they—close?”

Lyla simply blinked at Miguel, once again going against her programming by not giving him an immediate answer. Well, she was giving him an answer in her wide, judgy eyes, but not the one he wanted.

“They’ve known each other for a week,” she eventually said.

“I know that, but they seem well-acquainted,” said Miguel.

Lyla’s mouth slowly curved into a smile. “You’re jealous.”

“No,” he said, a little too quickly. “I am simply in charge of the anomalies here, and I want to be sure I haven’t put Dr. Y/l/n in danger. Dr. Eddard was a minor criminal, but a criminal nonetheless.”

“Well then sure,” said Lyla. “They’re close.”

“How do you know?”

“They are each the person the other has seen most since they left their own universes,” she said. “I believe they call it trauma-bonding.”

Miguel stared at her for a moment, before grunting and turning away. “¿Porqué me importa?³” he mumbled to himself, to which Lyla rolled her eyes.

“You care because you haven’t gotten your dick wet in years,” she said.

Miguel crossed his arms. “I’m sorry? I don’t remember programming you to give hookup advice.”

“It’s not advice,” she countered. “Just an observation. Everyone else here is essentially you in another form, but Dr. Y/l/n is a fresh, pretty face, who also happens to be smart and funny and kind, and it’s got your dick in a knot.”

“Can we stop talking about my dick?” he said, head whipping in the direction of the doors as they burst open, and the last person he wanted to see in that moment stepped through.

“I really don’t want to know what sort of conversation I was interrupting,” you said, breathless. “But something has happened.”

Miguel followed you as you started speed walking out of the room, and you explained that Sam had accidentally cut off his wristband while helping someone, and he’d started glitching nonstop. 

“No one else knew where the wristbands were kept—” you started, but he simply placed a hand on your shoulder.

“It’s alright,” he said. “I’ve got it.”

You watched him wrap a new band around Sam’s wrist as soon as you got to the med bay, placing a steadying hand on the doctor’s back as he settled back into his body.

“God, I’m so sorry,” Sam said, half to Miguel, half to you, as he leaned back against the nearest bed. “I don’t know how I could have been so careless.”

“How did it happen?” asked Miguel, eyeing the only spider in the med bay—the one Sam must have been helping. The man had an ice pack on his knee. No wounds. No stitches. Nothing that required anything sharp.

“I don’t know,” said Sam. “My scalpel must’ve slipped.”

“I was just coming in for my shift, and I found him like this,” you said, and Miguel stalked over to the bed where the only spider was siting, watching the scene before him with wide eyes. Miguel picked up the severed wristband from the floor, turning it over between his fingers.

“You understand that you will continue glitching and eventually disintegrate without this?” he said, eyeing the man.

“Yes, yes, I was just careless. My apologies.”

He stared at the man for a moment longer, before glancing back at Y/n.

“Perhaps he should stay under your observation for the day,” said Miguel, and you nodded.

“Right, of course,” you said, and he lingered until your breath had evened out and the panicked look in your eyes had eased.

--

Part 3

(3) “Why do I care?”

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara fanfiction #miguel o'hara fic #miguel o'hara imagine #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel x reader #miguel o'hara angst #miguel o'hara fluff #spiderman 2099 #spiderman 2099 fanfiction #spiderman 2099 imagine #across the spiderverse #across the spider-verse #across the spider-verse fanfiction

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

spider-man!ethan hc!!!

ethan landry masterlist

- when he first came to your place fucking wrecked (bleeding from a bunch of cuts. suit ripped in so many places. black eye forming) you had two reactions. 1. panicked 2. wanting to throw up. we are not medical professionals in this house hold, hell no.

“y/n, it’s- it’s okay.” ethan’s voice weak and his body folding over. “ethan it’s not fucking okay! you need a hospital!” “no! no hospital. just- just get a first aid kit.” “i don’t even think we own one and i’m not a fucking doctor. i’m not doing any stitches, you’re gonna suck it up and do them yourself.” and you left your room looking around your apartment for any type of medical supplies.

- ethan either is constantly talking, throwing jokes at the bad guys. it’s mostly when he’s in a good mood or blabbering as his own distraction when fighting. but when he’s really pissed off (like if someone hurts you🫣) he goes silent and doesn’t hold back his strength (well more like he’s doing 85% than his usual…45%?)

- his first year of being spider-man (complete suit and alias recognized by the public) he was dealing with some purse snatchers on 11th and franklin (i’m not from NY leave me alone!!!!) so when he webbed them up and handed the bag back to the single mother he turned on his heel, ready to swing away, but his eyes found you in the dissipating crowd. mouth lightly parted, a slight breeze playing with your hair as you held the straps of your school bag. (he fell in love again and you kinda grew an interest in this bug hero)

- ethan’s really sweet to kids when they come up to him as he’s spider-man (you know that AG SM bts where he’s playing basketball with some kids?? ethan would do something like that)

“mr. spider-man?” ethan turned at the little voice and crouched to be eye to mask level with the adorable little boy and girl duo. “what can i do for the both of you?” the little girl had glossy eyes and the boy was holding her hand, “we got lost on the way to the library. our mom said to go there after school so she can take us home. can you take us? i’m the big brother, i’m supposed to keep us safe.” ethan smiled brightly under his mask, eyes barely squinting from the action. “and you did the right thing to come to me for help. i can carry the both of you to the library, that okay?” the boy beamed and the girl perked up, tears no longer staining her round brown eyes. so ethan scooped the both of them like nothing and walked the two blocks to the library making simple conversation.

- okay so after you guys start dating (go read A Spiders Bite, same world) nothing changed too much from your previous dynamic. just a few things were new and something to get used to doing (kissing, hand holding, touching both intimately and lingering, going on explicitly stated dates, stealing ethan’s clothes, sometimes wearing the suit and getting…frisky with each other) but honestly with how much you wanted each other, you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself

“i think i’m gonna barf,” mindy commented to tara. the two of them were walking through the campus and then tara started to smack mindy’s shoulder repeatedly then pointed at the green grass and to a big oak tree keeping the summer shade away. mindy was about to ask what was so interesting about a gross couple sucking face with the girl sitting in the boys lap when tara almost screamed, “it’s fucking ethan and y/n! holy shit!” neither of you told your friends about your relationship yet. the group chat was a fucking town hall meeting with the spam texts.

- you buy a bunch of spider-man themed items. shirts, toys, plushies, cards, makeup collabs, even bandaids!

“i think you’re my stalker at this point,” ethan joked when he walked into your room one day and noticed the new spider-man blanket and pillow set. “didn’t know you wanted to sleep with spider-man this much, almost starting to feel like the other woman when i’m the boyfriend….AND HE’S ME!!!”

- okay, so let’s say the symbiote came down to earth and ethan’s dealing with evil scientists where they are studying the substance and it attaches itself to ethan. so we know it changes the host personality (SM3 nightmare) so ethan’s personality would definitely be a bit like his ghostface reveal (too cocky and for sure an asshole for no reason. and it hurts you cause where did your sweet and awkward boyfriend go?)

“ethan, what’s up with you? what’s this new…personality?” ambushing him at his house, needing to get to the bottom of this. ethan laid on his bed scrolling through his phone and ignoring you. “ethan, stop being a fucking asshole. this isn’t you.” “well maybe this is the new me so get used to it sweetheart.” and he said the usually loving pet name with such a douche bag tone it made your blood boil. “fine. don’t fucking talk to me until you get your shit together. i don’t want to see or hear from you, landry.” and you slammed his door on the way out, tears stinging your eyes.

- okay, leaving emo ethan alone for now. back to sunshine ethan! ethan still has trouble sticking up for himself so you’re his protector, just like you said in 7th grade. (he asked for no pickles. a 6’2 muscled boy standing behind you trying to make himself smaller)

“damn…” ethan muttered as he inspected his food. “what?” you asked around the fry in your mouth. “uh, nothing. just didn’t cook my burger right. it’s- it’s fine. no- no, y/n-“ “excuse me, sorry,” you flagged down your waitress and politely ask if they could remake ethan’s burger. and when you looked back to ethan his cheeks were turning red with embarrassment and you were about to apologize if that bothered him, but he just set a hand over yours and said “thank you. wouldn’t have enjoyed my food as much.”

- chad is a spider-man FANBOY AND HE WILL DENY IT BUT ITS TRUE. and it makes ethan flustered.

“chad just say you want to date spider-man.” mindy teased her twin. you were sat beside ethan at the table and noted how his eyes widened at her comment. you couldn’t help your quiet chuckle while chad tried to defend himself. “fuck off, mindy. he just seems like a cool dude. saving the city, friendly with the civilians, probably could bench press a car, bet he gets all the ladies-“ “okay, okay chad. stop talking about your crush.” and ethan’s ears turned red. you leaned into his side and whispered in his ear, “chad is your hall pass if you want.” and ethan fully wanted to die.

- okay another symbiote moment. so in the Spectacular SM peter becomes the host for the goo and there’s a fight with him and the sinister six, but then we find out he was asleep and the symbiote was using him like a puppet. so same thing with ethan. he’s asleep at your house him the big spoon you the little spoon (he likes being little spoon when he’s had a ROUGH day) so you wake up sometime in the night and when you look at the time it shows 3:38am and ethan is not beside you. so you look around the place and he’s nowhere, it makes you worry and angry. he’s never left this late at night, he’s usually always beside you the next morning. so when he is back in bed later that morning you question him.

“ethan where were you?” voice scratching from just waking up. you turned over in your messy bed to face ethan’s sleep puffy face. he groaned and his brows scrunched, “what are you talking about?” voice thick and deep, and usually that’d make you smother ethan in kisses, but you reworded your question. “last night. you disappeared around 3:40, where’d you go?” hoping it wasn’t the answer you were conjuring up. he inhaled deeply, “i didn’t go anywhere. was here the whole night.” “okay, now your just gaslighting me. why? with some side chick who’s got the hots for spider-man?” (possible black cat mention🤔) ethan couldn’t help the huffed laugh and that made you frown further, “i’m serious ethan. were you with some other girl?” and that fully woke ethan up, “no! no, sweetheart i swear i didn’t go anywhere. i mean, maybe i had a sleep walking moment, but i swear i wouldn’t purposely leave you at night.” his eyes a panic as he reached his hands to your waist and pulled you closer. you weren’t sure if you fully believed him, but you knew with certainty by his voice that he wasn’t cheating on you. “you know, i had the weirdness dream.” “what kind of dream?” “i was in central park at night and i’m dressed in a black spider-man suit fighting off doc ock, electro, scorpion, and sandman. really fucking weird.” and when you checked your phone later that day to see video footage from last night showing the exact description ethan gave you, you knew something was wrong.

- okay okay, i need more fluff to balance this growing angst. for halloween the both of you did a couples costume of han solo and princess leia (god i’m so fucking lonely😭)

“should of done luke instead,” mindy randomly commented. you replied, “you do know luke and leia are siblings, right?” she shrugged her shoulders, “seems more like luke than a han.” ethan couldn’t help butting in now, “what’s that mean?” “i think you know, chanel boots.” and walked away leaving the two of you speechless.

- you want to adopt a puppy, ethan wants a cat. so you get a potted plant. it dies after a week. “we’re not gonna be good parents” ethan said seriously while you couldn’t help chuckling behind your hand.

- okay i gotta bring up the upside down kiss, COME ON!!!! so your walking down the alleyway of your apartment dropping off your trash (idk something for you to be in alley) and your kinda distracted until a web shoots at your shirt and gives a tug.

“ethan! i really like this shirt,” you whined while pulling at the sticking substance. he tugged you closer and his boyish giggles sang into your ears, “sorry, sorry. you were a bit zoned out, didn’t want to spook you.” “and this was better?” “…eh” you walk closer to there he’s hangin from a web upside down, “really embracing the spider, spider-man.” teasing how his feet sat on the webbing as he held tightly, “aren’t you gonna get light headed?” “no, doesn’t affect me anymore” “lucky bastard” he chuckled some more and you walked closer to be face to face. he was a bit lower, big eyes sitting near your chin. you raised your hands to hold the sides of his face feeling the raised bits of fabric on his mask. “you know, i’ve always wanted to kiss a superhero. kinda a wild fantasy that was hard to fulfill.” voice dropping to a seductive coo with your thumbs tracing over his masked cheeks. ethan was quiet and then, “well, what kind of hero would i be if i didn’t help a beautiful civilian?” his voice also lowered and the masked covered up any signs of red blooming atop his skin. “can i pull your mask up, spider-man?” (y’all be KINKY!!!!) “just over the nose, gotta keep my identity.” you bit into your bottom lip while smiling, “of course.” your fingers slipped below the seam of his mask and teasingly rolled it until only his chin, parted mouth, and tip of his nose were visible. “you have lovely lips.” something you say all the time to ethan. his upside down mouth smiled, “and they are pretty lonely. so if you could plant one on me sweetheart, i’d really appreciate that.” and who were you to deny the friendly neighborhood spider-man of such a request? it was definitely a bit weird with the new angle, but the two of you simple feel into your usual rhythm. (i don’t feel like describing it, i’m sorry) when you pulled away first slowly you kept your eyes closed, letting the lingering tingle wash over you. finally when you opened them and look at ethan he fully said, “that was hot. we gotta do that more often.” and you fully agree.

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