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#but you just can’t shake the feeling New York gave you
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It’s missing New York City hour, lads
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itaehynz · 9 months
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SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. — C.YJ
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pairing: choi yeonjun x fem!reader
genre: fluff, crack, suggestive.
breakdown/summary: yeonjun is sooo seven coded — based off the song ‘seven’ by jungkook, i can no longer contain these thoughts about yeonjun 😵‍💫😵‍💫 i just know he’d be so consistent when it comes to him being in love with someone, like a lovesick puppy!
warnings: profanity, suggestive words, yeonjun is kind of a himbo (?), reader is a bit mean at first but she warms up to him, yeonjun does not give up at all.
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yeonjun who is confused at first, as to why you’re not giving him the attention everyone else does? is there something wrong with him, is he ugly? it can’t be that. or maybe you just don’t get the hype of being so obsessed with him? ding ding ding. he’s first thinking to himself, maybe i can attract them with flowers? and that’s when he starts his mission:
getting you and your attention.
yeonjun, who tries to get you within a week’s time, if he can’t get you by saturday, he’ll leave you be… well, he would but he’s way too prideful, he knows he can get you within a week.
SUNDAY.
he drops off a bouquet of flowers to your house, thank god you were home at the time. he feels as if he’s already had you wrapped around his finger before you text him.
tloml <3: don’t drop off shit at my house w/o letting me know first. i’m throwing them away + i still don’t want you.
ouch, that was harsh. he thinks to himself, typing a response for your “cruel” response to his offering.
you: y/nnn :( why do you hate me?
tloml <3: i don’t hate you, i just don’t like how you’re trying to throw yourself at me. can’t you take a hint?
you: well for one, i’m not throwing myself at you. it’s just when i want something, i don’t stop until i get it. and two, no, i cannot take a hint especially when it’s coming from you! 😋
tloml <3: yeonjun, please get the fuck off my phone. i gave you my number so you can ask me about the comic you purchased, not so you can send flowers to my home. next time you send something to my house, i’m going to find you and bash your smug face into cement.
you: oh my gosh you said my name 🤭 hearing you say that makes me so happy, you don’t even understand.
tloml <3: i’m not even really saying it…
you: so? i can hear it in my head.
tloml <3: you’re insane, don’t text me again.
he tries sending another message but it doesn’t go through, that’s when he finally realizes what you did. you BLOCKED him. he’s in utter shock. did he go too far? what if you hate him now? he shakes these thoughts away with a swipe of a hand through his hair. i guess i’ll just have to work harder for these next days.
MONDAY.
yeonjun decides to bring food and flowers (again) to your job! he sees you from the window of his car, working the front register. your hair is tied up into a ponytail, you’re wearing a beige crew neck with the words “new york” embroidered on it, loose gray sweatpants & old high top converse.
good thing you work in a comic book store.
yeonjun thinks you look absolutely stunning. he leaves his car to approach the store, walking in with his chin held high plus the food and flowers in hand. you hear the bell above the front door ring, looking up to greet the new customer.
“hello! welcome to the eternal comic store, how can i-” you sigh, “what do you want, yeonjun?” you say as he looks at you with a bright smile.
“ohhh you know nothing, just wanted to drop these off for you,” he places the food and flowers on the counter, hoping you’ll atleast take something. you look at him annoyed, not understanding what’s so special about you that he continues to keep trying with you… you’re starting to like it.
“thank you but, can i ask you a question?” he nods. “why do you keep trying to get at me? i already said i don’t like you, was that not enough? do i have to punch you in the face?” you ask, irritation slowly making its way into your tone.
yeonjun raises his eyebrows, not expecting that question but still knowing his answer. “y/n, the first minute i walked in this store i just felt myself gravitating towards you. you have this type of aura, i don’t know how to describe it,” he pauses, resting his head on his chin.
“it’s just like, you’re comforting? yeah that, even though you’ve been nothing but mean to me… i can tell that’s just you having your guard up to protect yourself and i get it. but besides you having a comforting aura, you’re just really pretty and i’d also like to get to know you because you seem cool! and, please do not punch me, i might cry.” he finishes, straightening his lips into a thin line.
you blink, trying to understand everything. you open your mouth to say something but nothing comes out, so you just roll your eyes and nod. he watches your expression with the same smile on his face, admiring how nice your eyes are.
“thank you for the food and flowers yeonjun, but please get out of the store,” you finally say, rushing a hand through your hair. he catches the small smile you give him and nods before saying, “alsooo, do you mind unblocking my number? i won’t annoy you but can you please just do it?” he asks with a small pout.
you nod shooing him away and pulling out your phone to do so. he smiles widely, walking away with his hands in his pockets.
even though he annoys you to no end, he’s very consistent and it’s something you slightly admire. just slightly.
TUESDAY.
yeonjun comes back to your job with nothing to give except his conversation. he waves at you as he walks in, not caring how you stare at him blankly instead of waving back.
this time he came in with a friend, a friend named soobin apparently. yeonjun must be talking about you to soobin because he keeps glancing over at you behind the counter.
“see, she’s so pretty. doing her job and stuff, normal human things,” he sighs, “why doesn’t she want me?” he looks over at soobin.
soobin rolls his eyes, looking through the manga section. “probably because you’re a pain in the ass? i don’t know though, just a thought.” yeonjun smacks the back of his head, causing it to make a noise which has your head perking up from your phone.
he looks over at you, smiling and waving his hand trying to say it’s nothing, don’t worry which has you rolling your eyes and looking back down at your phone.
his smile fades away as he looks back at soobin, “don’t be a dumbass, i’m not even that annoying to her… yet,” he adds looking over at you once again. “yeah, yet.” soobin mumbles.
“i’m sorry, what was that?” yeonjun asks, which makes soobin shake his head. he nods, snapping his fingers as a way to tell soobin to hurry up.
soobin picks up a manga, walking over to the counter. yeonjun follows behind, smile adorning his face as he approaches you. seeing him from your peripheral, you choose to ignore him and focus on his friend.
“will that be all?” you ask as soobin nods, “okay, that will be 8.36. will you be paying with cash or card?” yeonjun notices how you haven’t said much of a word to him nor have you even gave him his daily dose of mean glares. “card is fine,” soobin says.
you accept his card, swiping it quickly before handing it back. “enjoy your read!” you chirp, giving him a small smile.
yeonjun tells him to go, watching as he walks out. looking back over at you, he pouts, “y/nnn, why haven’t you talked to me?” he quirks his head to the right.
“what is there to talk about? once again, i already said i don’t like you, yeonjun.” you walk out from behind the counter, going over to a bookshelf. he follows you like a lost puppy, pout stuck on his face.
“yes, i get that but you haven’t like me for a while and we still spoke a little. what’s so different now, do you not like me even more today?” he questions, coming closer to you.
you turn around to him and say, “yeah, pretty much.” he stands there, pout gone and jaw on the floor.
“WHAT DID I DO?” he yells, making the few customers turn around. your eyes widen, covering his mouth with your hand. you grab him by his hand, dragging him to the back room, “yeonjun, shut up! do not yell please, i was kidding.” you whisper yell.
“y/n, please let go of my hand before i kiss you,” he says with a blank look on his face.
you look down to see you are in fact, holding his hand. you snatch it away, confused on why you didn’t do so sooner. looking back up at him, you sigh telling him that it’s just best to not yell anymore or else he’ll be banned from the store.
“i thought you’d want me banned from the store?” he asks, genuinely confused. “as much as i’d love to, you and your friends are some of our best paying customers,” you tell him as you walk back to the front.
he follows behind you with a light smirk on his face, “can you please say you enjoy my company already, this fake rudeness is getting a bit old y/n,” he says yawning into his palm.
“get out the store.” you tell him exhausted, rubbing your nose bridge with two fingers. he raises his hands in defense before walking away while saying “byeee y/n, i’ll see you tomorrow,” blowing you a kiss.
“bye yeonjun,” resting your chin in your hand, thinking about the whole thing. is yeonjun starting to grow on you? it seems so.
let’s pray you don’t make it too obvious.
WEDNESDAY.
this time, yeonjun doesn’t even come in the store. he doesn’t even text you either, which is a shock to you.
hm, he must have not tried anything today, you sigh, finally some peace and quiet.
well, that’s what you thought. until yeonjun’s friend, soobin comes into the store.
“hi, are you y/n?” he asks carefully. you nod slowly, confused with what’s going on. “yeonjun wanted me to give you this, enjoy your day!” he adds, handing you a small box with an envelope attached to it.
“you too,” you say looking down at the box, confusion gracing your features. what the hell is this, you think to yourself.
you open the envelope first, seeing a letter.
“hi pretty, it’s yeonjun.
today is the worst day of my life, i came down with a fever :( i couldn’t drop you off anything because i didn’t have any energy to reach for my phone, hence why i’m writing a letter!! i hope i’m okay by tomorrow or if not, friday.
i’m really really sorry i couldn’t send you food with this, i’ll try tomorrow if i feel okay. for now, you can just have this. i’ve noticed you have an interest in lotus flowers so, i hope you like this.
love, yeonjun. :)”
you place the letter to the side, opening the small box.
a necklace.
he got you a fucking necklace.
a silver lotus flower necklace, it’s actually beautiful. you take it out, checking if it’s real just for… precautions. you once again don’t know what’s so special about you that yeonjun decided to give you necklace but you’re gonna wear it. you don’t know why but something just feels right about wearing it, is it possible that you may be falling for yeonjun? you’d like to say no but you’re not even sure of your own answer.
-
you spend the rest of the day at home contemplating on whether you should text yeonjun, just to check if he’s okay. not that you really care or anything (you do).
you: hi yeonjun, i got your gift and letter from soobin. thank you for the necklace :) i just wanted to check up on you, see if you’re okay. text me back when you can, love you.
you send the message without hesitation before reading over it but once you do, you regret ever sending it.
you told yeonjun you love him. are you fucking insane?
before you can even finish processing what you’ve done, your eyes are widening in shock. seeing three bubbles pop up meaning that yeonjun is texting back. fuck, what if he doesn’t say it back? no, what if he says it back and doesn’t mean it.
a few minutes pass as your phone pings in alert, a text from yeonjun gracing your notifications. you open it reading,
yeonjun: hi pretty <3 thank you for texting me, i was scared you hated me or something lol
yeonjun: but you’re welcome, it was nothing! you know i love giving you things ☺️ & thank you for checking in, i’m doing a bit better! i had some kimchi soup my friend taehyun made for me, it was really good, i hope you ate something >:(. but yes i’m feeling a bit better so thank you for that! and, i’ll always text back fast if it’s you!
yeonjun: but i’m gonna go back to sleep bcuz junie is sleepy… & i love you too pretty :)
for some reason, you can’t help but feel glad that he’s doing better but… you’re even happier that he said he loves you too.
your stomach is filled with butterflies as you reread the last message over and over again, stuck on the fact that he didn’t even question how early you said the L word.
this is a very unfamiliar feeling, you’re not very fond of it. but you’re going to stop yourself before it gets any worse.
THURSDAY.
once again, yeonjun doesn’t show up. but his friend does, it’s a different friend though.
jjun: hi pretty! i’m still a little sick so i’m having my friend drop off some food for you + something extra ;) i hope you enjoy, love you & enjoy your shift!
you: read at 10:07 am.
you feel bad for not responding back but once again, stopping yourself before it gets worse is the only the thing you know.
who you’re assuming is yeonjun’s friend comes in, he has long brown hair and doe eyes. he’s wearing a blue beanie & a plain white short sleeve with grey sweats. he gently smiles at you, waving hello before walking up to the counter.
“this is from yeonjun, which i’m pretty sure you knew already,” he pauses to look around, “oh, he also says that he loves you and he’ll see you tomorrow!” he nods with a smile still on his face. you say thank you before he begins walking out the store, looking down in the bag you notice another small box somewhat the same from yesterday and another envelope.
you open the envelope first once again, reading what yeonjun has written to you.
“helloooo again pretty! i know you’re probably already tired of these letters but it has become a form of communication between us and now i’ll never stop!
i noticed you didn’t respond to my message which made me a little sad but maybe you’re just having a bad day! which is totally okay, i just hope you enjoy this meal and have a good rest of your day at work!
love, yeonjun! :)”
you fold the letter back up, guilt coming back to you as the letter reminds you that you haven’t responded to him.
you know what, fuck this. you’re not responding. don’t let the guilt eat you alive and just carry on with your day, he’ll be fine.
-
you finish up your shift at 6pm. you walk to the back room, punching in your time sheet once again to clock out.
you have your airpods in, music playing before it pauses. siri reads, “incoming facetime call from yeonjun”.
why the hell is he calling you? he must have buttdialed you. you let it ring, waiting for it to hang up by itself but when it does, he calls you again.
growing agitated, you take your phone out of your pocket and decide to pick up.
“what do you want yeonjun? why are you calling me?” is the first thing you ask as his face pops up on the screen.
he has a pout on his face and his eyes are narrowed “why haven’t you texted me y/n,” he sniffles slightly. “do you fucking hate me?” he asks, you start growing regretful of the decision you made as you hear how upset he sounds.
“what?” is all you can seem to say right now, which leaves him baffled.
“that’s all you’re gonna say?” he asks, venom lacing his tone for the first time in a while.
“yes, goodbye yeonjun.” you say before hanging up abruptly, leaving yeonjun shocked on the other end.
tomorrow, yeonjun’s definitely going to give you an earful.
FRIDAY.
today, yeonjun finally comes in. you sigh heavily, already knowing what’s about to come. you’re ready for him to talk your ear off but you weren’t ready for what he came in wearing.
he’s wearing a black wifebeater with a gray hoodie over it, black sweatpants and black converse. his long black hair is slightly disheveled from all the times he’s ran his hands through it. his plump lips, covered in moisturizer as they shine from the store lighting. makes you wonder what his lips would look like covered in your slick after licking you up so softly, slim fingers pumping in and out of your rough walls, hitting that same spot over, and over again.
get your head out of your ass y/n.
you shake off these thoughts, watching yeonjun walk up to the counter.
“can i talk to you in the back,” he asks with a fake smile gracing his face. you nod as you get up, telling your coworker to handle the register for you.
you and yeonjun both go to the back before you speak first.
“what are we in here for?” you question already knowing the answer. he rolls his eyes in annoyance, clicking his tongue.
“ever since you said you loved me in messages, which i knew was a mistake, you’ve been ignoring me. why is that?” he says ticking his head to the side.
you look up trying to find a valid response, “i don’t know yeonjun, maybe i just didn’t feel like texting you anymore after that?” you say, fake irritation lacing your tone.
his eyes widen in shock, “really y/n? that’s your excuse? that’s the dumbest shit i’ve ever heard, please be honest with me. you know i won’t judge anything you tell me.” he says, genuine anger starting to cover up his gentle tone.
you sigh, “i don’t know why honestly. yeonjun, you’ve been doing nothing but bothering me ever since last friday so, i don’t even understand how i could feel this way.”
yeonjun’s eyebrow raises, “feel what way?” you blink in shock.
“i’m pretty sure i have feelings for you.” you say, looking down at your shoes.
now it’s yeonjun’s turn to blink in shock, “oh wow.” he says looking over to the side.
“and y/n, why didn’t you tell me?” he asks. “because i wasn’t sure before and i tried to make myself lose feelings but, you kept doing all this sweet shit for me and i just couldn’t stop myself anymore. i really do like you, yeonjun.”
you both share a look before yeonjun glances down at your lips and you do the same to him.
his eyes dart back up to yours before he smiles gently.
“y/n, you know i like you back. i make it very clear but, i get why you were scared… i think. you were probably confused by the unfamiliar feeling, and i completely understand that.” he says, now speaking in his normal tone.
your face softens at the way he’s trying to understand where you’re coming from. you smile softly, making his eyes light up.
“that’s the first time i’ve ever seen you smile y/n,” he says with pure adoration glazing his naturally soft tone.
“yeah, i know,” you say with the smile still on your face.
“i’d like it if you smiled more around me, it’s really pretty,” he adds, watching you cover your face with your hands.
he brings his hand to your face, peeling your hands away. he licks his lips, implying that he obviously wants something.
“i already know what you want so just do it—” you say before he cuts you off, smashing his lips onto yours. even though you’re slightly caught off guard, you kiss back with just as much passion as him.
one of his hands are softly gripping onto your neck as the other is resting on your hip. both of your arms are slinging around his neck, moving into him deepening the kiss.
he moves the hand on your waist down to your thigh, tapping softly signaling you to jump up. doing so, he picks you up with ease resting you down on a small counter near the back room door. his left hand begins rubbing small circles into the flesh of your thigh, while his right hand is grabbing your chin to deepen the kiss even more with his tongue.
the slight intrusion of his tongue makes you softly moan into the kiss which has him lowering the kisses to your neck, he lightly sucks on your sweet spot drawing a delicious moan from you. he covers your mouth with his free hand, continuing to suck on that spot making you close your eyes in satisfaction.
he stops abruptly, a smug smile plastered on his face.
“i don’t think we should be doing this here, y/n,” he whispers with the same smile still on his face. you groan in annoyance, but think about how right he is.
“we can finish this back at my place, if you want?” he asks as he eyes you down with lust glazing over them. you nod bashfully, jumping off the counter gently patting down your clothing to try and make yourself look normal.
he does the same, fixing his hair and clothing. you both walk out before you ask your co-worker to clock you out when it’s time for your shift to end. they nod with a smile, already knowing what you’re about to be up to.
you smile back, walking out hand in hand with yeonjun, letting yeonjun take you to his place to have you however he would like to.
SATURDAY.
you wake up to find yourself in an unfamiliar space. you look over to find your clothes on the floor, along with someone else’s. they’re yeonjun’s. you finally realize what you’ve done, you slept with him.
you look down at your waist, seeing his arms wrapped around you. you try to get out of his grasp to go to the bathroom but he subconsciously tightens it, “y/nnn, where are you going?” he mumbles sleepily, pout resting on his face.
your face softens at the sound of his voice, “just to the bathroom jun, i’ll be back don’t worry,” you say. he hums in response, “my shirts are in the top left drawer and my boxers are right under that drawer.”
he releases his grasp on you and lets you get up to find clothing. you get up and walk to his drawer, picking the first pieces of clothing you see and putting them on. you walk over to his bathroom, taking a new toothbrush out of the pack.
you peek out the bathroom, seeing that yeonjun is still sleeping. you take a few minutes to brush your teeth and wash your face, coming up with the plan to make you and yeonjun breakfast.
you make your way to the kitchen, trying not to make any noise as you look for a frying pan. once you find one you turn on the stovetop, checking the fridge for any eggs. grabbing the carton, you crack a couple onto the already heated pan preparing an omelette.
you hear soft footsteps approaching you, feeling yeonjun’s arms wrap around you once again.
“good morning baby, what are you making?” he asks, looking over your shoulder to see what’s being made. he hums in delight, nuzzling his nose the crook of your neck, placing open mouthed kisses.
“jun stop, you’re distracting me,” he giggles, moving away from your neck to let you focus.
“how much longer is this gonna takeeee, i wanna cuddle with you,” yeonjun pleads, a small frown painting his features.
“i’m almost done, give me a sec,” you reply, plating both dishes & finally walking over to sit down next to yeonjun.
he smiles in glee, taking in the smell of the freshly-made breakfast. he pats the cushion next to him motioning for you to sit down as you hand him his plate.
“thank you pretty,” he says while cutting the omelette into a small enough bite for him to chew, humming in delight at the savory taste. you watch him with a mix of hopefulness & confusion swirling in your eyes, waiting for him to tell you he likes it.
he nods slowly, “i like it! it’s really good, your cooking is amazing y/n,” he smiles, taking another bite.
“thank you yeonjun,” you say as you begin to take small bites of your own food. you feel the male next to you wrapping his arm around your waist, leaning his head on your shoulder.
“i know this is sudden but, will you be my girlfriend? i really want you to be, it’d really mean the world to me… you can say no!” he mumbles at first, gradually increasing his volume. you stare at him dumbfounded, shocked he’d even think you’d want anything else more than that.
“it’s weird you’d think otherwise jun, i’d love to be your girlfriend.” you say, raising your hand to gently rub his cheek.
he melts into your touch, turning his head to kiss your palm.
“i’m glad, i love you so so much.”
“i love you so so much more.” you say, before pressing a soft kiss onto yeonjun’s lips.
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2023 TTYUNZ.
taglist: @k-labels @boba-beom @bucketofhiros @yeofy @n0-thisispatrick @hyukafied @hyunimylove @luvsoobs @choiwrld @majestyjun @tyunkus @belovedxiao @h00nerz !
author’s note: this was kinda rushed i’m so sorry guys, i hope you enjoy! 🥹🥹
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thebearer · 7 months
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the milestones menu: nonna berzatto's homemade pasta
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prompt: yours and carmen's first "i love you".
contains: fluff, general fluff. some mentions to dead relatives, carmen's self doubt, but very minimal bc it's very fluffy :)
2 cups of flour- Semolina. 
4 Large Eggs 
Pinch of Salt
Put flour into a mound. Make a center, and add the eggs to the middle. Whisk slowly with a fork, gradually working it in little at a time until nice and thick. Knead the mixture for about ten minutes. Let it rest in the fridge for thirty minutes. Put it in a ball, and roll it out very thin. 
“Can’t believe you never had homemade pasta.” Carmen shook his head, blue eyes peeking out from under the mess of curls. 
“Nope.” You shook your head, grinning over the crystal wine glass, sipping your riesling slowly. “Strictly a boxed pasta girl.” 
“Fuckin’ criminal.” Carmen grinned, a playful, lopsided smirk that had you blushing.
The counter was covered in flour, stopping just where you rested, propped up on the granite while Carmen worked. Your eyes trained on his hands, hands that stirred the eggs into the flour, kneaded the dough until your thighs were clenching. 
“My Nonna is rollin’ in her grave right now, you know that?” Carmen pulled you from your gaze, rolling out the dough. 
“Noooo, don't say that.” You laughed, shaking your head. “You’re making me feel bad, Carmen. I swear I thought Olive Garden made fresh pasta.” 
Carmen laughed, a little shy but louder now- more himself. He’d blossomed with you lately, unveiling new parts of himself every single day. “‘M just kiddin’, baby.” Carmen hummed, eyes cutting to you a little skeptical. “Sorry, I-I didn’t mean to sound like an asshole. That sounded douchey, right?” 
You smiled, setting your glass behind you. “No, I was just messin’ with you, bear.” The nickname- his nickname. Hearing it more and more roll from your tongue, each time his heart skipped harder than the last. 
“Is this her recipe?” You asked, picking up the faded recipe card, looped cursive on the aged paper. “Your Nonna’s?” 
“Yeah,” Carmen nodded. “I, uh, so when I left to go to culinary school, right? She was sick, and… and I think she, like, knew that when I went to New York that would be the last time she saw me.” Carmen’s face dropped, slow and sad, it made your own heart sink. 
“So she-she gave me all these recipe books and-and cards that were hers. We used to cook together a lot. She taught me how to cook, y’know? My mom and dad were always at the restaurant and didn’t want to cook when they got home. They didn’t want me in the restaurant either so I spent a lot of time with her.” Carmen muttered. You could see the memories playing behind his eyes. 
You liked to picture that version of Carmen, a little boy with wild curls, helping his Nonna cook. Happy memories. 
“That’s sweet.” You smiled, leaning against the cabinets. “She did a really good job. You know she’s so insanely proud of you.” 
Carmen snorted, shaking his head lightly. “Yes, she is. Everyone’s proud of you, Carmen… I’m proud of you.” You hesitate, eyes scanning his features. It was true, of course, but handling Carmen sometimes was like handling a frightened animal. You were never sure what would make him scatter away in fear. 
Carmen swallowed thickly, cheeks flushed red, lips in a tight line. “T-Thanks.” Carmen muttered, wiping his hands on his apron, tossing the flour back into his clammy hands. 
“She, uh, she woulda loved you, y’know.” Carmen’s eyes met yours, intense and piercing. “I wish you coulda met her.” 
“Yeah, me too.” You nod. “I would’ve loved to hear all the baby Carmen cooking stories. I bet she had some good ones.” You smiled, bright and wide- perfect. It made Carmen’s brain numb. 
“Yeah, she would.” Carmen nodded, hands stilling, still buried in the dough. 
He felt it in his bones, his heart, consuming his thoughts. The overwhelming need he’d felt for weeks, since the first time you kissed him really, that he’d been fighting- too scared to say. What he felt every time he looked at you, when he thought about you. 
“Um, I-I wanna say something, and-and I don’t know if I should even fuckin’ say this or-or if it’s… fuck, if you-you feel the same or I just, I don’t wanna fuck this up because this is like the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and-and I’m workin’ on not ruinin’ good shit in my life and bein’ ok with it like-like my therapist says ya know, but-” Carmen rambled, words spilling out in fast, overwhelming bouts that took you by surprise. 
Carmen flustered, reaching a dough covered hand to his face, the sticky batter catching on his brows and hair. He flushed deeply, hands shaking in embarrassment, cursing under his breath. “F-Fuck, I-I’m sorry. I-I, nevermind, it’s not… I don’t know why-why I would-” His hands trembled, body shaking with anger and embarrassment. Way to fuckin’ go, Berzatto, you fuckin’ ruin it. That’s all you ever do, Carmen thought bitterly, wiping his hands off on the cloth. 
“Carm,” You said softly, your voice a beacon in the raging sea of his mind, pulling him out of his own harsh thoughts. 
Carmen turned, a fury flush of pure embarrassment that burnt all down his cheeks to his chest. Eyes soft and wary, hesitant like he was doomed, destined for the worse. 
You slide off the counter easily, grabbing the spare towel, bringing it to his eyebrows, wiping the dough off gently. The softness of your touch soothed Carmen, lulling his hammering heart- he didn’t see your own shaking hands, filled with your own adrenaline nerves. 
You stood in front of him, eyes on the other, careful and watching- unsure. “I-I love you, too.” Your breath hitched, squeezing the words out in a nervous tumble. Carmen didn’t move, body going rigid, heart stopping entirely. The ringing was back in his ears, clouding his brain so loudly he was sure he heard you wrong. 
“I’ve wanted to say it for a while, too, but didn’t…” You shook your head, heat in your own cheeks, eyes casting down to his dough covered hand. “I didn’t know if-if you felt that or if- I don’t know, I didn’t want to seem crazy or obsessive if it was too soon, and-and scare you.” 
“No,” Carmen croaked, tongue thick in his own mouth. “No, I-I mean- fuck,” Carmen shook his head, looking to the wall. He needed a second, words jumbled in his mouth, heart racing, so high off the adrenaline he felt like he could combust at any moment. 
“I-I was gonna say that too.” Carmen nodded, the quirk in your lips making his heart lurch. “That I love you. I was- yeah, I love you. I-I have for a while.” 
“Really?” You whispered, voice tiny and excited, like it was a secret just for the two of you. Maybe it was. 
“Yeah, fuck yeah.” Carmen let out a breathy, shaky laugh. “I love you, and-and I just love you so much it makes my brain hurt sometimes.” 
“Me too.” You grin, a hand pressing to his cheek. “I love you.” The phrase you’d repressed for so long, deprived yourself of saying now spilled out of you like a mantra- like that was all you could say now. 
Carmen grinned, brain bubbly and light. He let you pull him into a kiss, head tilting down, lips molding over yours so they fit perfectly. 
Later over plates of Bologonese, you grinned across the table from Carmen. “If I didn’t tell you I loved you before, I definitely would now.” You moaned, pointing at the plate. “I really was missing out.” 
Carmen beamed under your praise, gooey and love drunk off your words- off you. He knew Viola Berzatto, wherever she was, was boasting with pride. 
And he knew his Nonna would have loved you too. 
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corrodedcoffins-blog · 6 months
Text
The First Meeting
main masterlist
spencer reid x famous!reader Universe
word count: 4.1 k
warnings: stalking, murder, character asking to die (if I missed something please let me know)
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Today was supposed to be an easy day for the BAU. It was a paperwork day, no case, no one dying on their watch.
These were some of Spencer's favourite days, don’t get him wrong he loves being in the field and profiling killers, and when they arrest an unsub, that’s the best feeling.
But having days every now and again where they don’t have to travel and Spencer can read and reflect on their previous case, he greatly enjoys it. And he can’t say he’s the only one, but he can say he’s the only one that uses paperwork days to do paperwork.
Penelope walks in the glass doors humming a tune, foreign to Spencer.
“You got that James Dean day dream, hmm hm mhmmm, I got that red lip classic” 
“What’s got you so happy, babygirl?” Derek says, from across Spencer.
“Um, because The Met Gala is tonight! Biggest night in Fashion! And no case means I can watch it.”
“Oh, I must have forgot to put it on my calendar.” Derek, sarcastically remarks while getting up and out of his chair on his way to refill his coffee cup. All the while JJ comes rushing the bullpen, giving the rest of her co-workers a sympathetic face.
“Just when I thought, we would have an easy day.” Emily mumbles getting out her desk chair and walking away with JJ.
“Wally Melman, a music producer in New York, was killed two weeks ago, and Natali Ryan , a singer and songwriter, was killed 4 days ago also in New York.” JJ says while the screen behind her shows pictures of the crime scene.
“The police said they found pictures with the victim's face with ‘You’re Next’ written in red marker across their face. Suspected to have gotten in the mail.”
“And why have they called us now?” Derek says, clearing knowing there was more JJ was going to say but wanting her to get to it quicker. 
“Yesturday, another singer/songwriter, by the name of Y/n L/n-” 
“Oh. My God!” Penny interrupts JJ, having come in to tell the team an update she had gotten from the NYPD. “uh- sorry, I’m sorry.. Um, the NYPD wants a couple of us to go straight to the crime scene once we land, and that the next vic- uh Y/n L/n I suppose- is at the station waiting.” Penny says, turning and leaving after finishing her sentence. 
“Okay everyone, wheels up in 30. JJ can fill us in on the jet.”
When the team arrived in New York, Hotch sent Rossi and Emily to the recent crime scene, and JJ to talk to the media, while himself, Spencer, and Derek went to the station.
When the three got to the station they were shown the note Y/n had gotten from the unsub, different to the others, hers having ‘You Owe Me’ written across her face instead. The team walked into the room they were told Y/n would be in.
Spencer knew she would be pretty, everyone in Hollywood was gorgeous that’s how it worked, but this girl was easily the most beautiful girl he had ever laid his eyes upon, even with her bleached hair that he could assume was a split second decision.
She sat on a chair next to one of the officers' desks, as if she was like everyone else and not a world-wide popstar. Y/n and her manager Joe look up, hearing footsteps walk into the room. She stood up to shake Hotch’s hand. 
“Hi, I’m Y/n, it’s nice to meet you and thank you so much.” “Of course” 
She goes to shake Derek hand, saying a greeting similar to the one she gave Hotch, then she comes face to face with Spencer, or possibly- not definitely the most beautiful man she has ever seen, sticking out her hand she says, “Hi, nice to meet you..”
“Dr. Spencer Reid- or just Spencer, you don’t have to call me doctor.” “Nice to meet you Spencer.” Y/n stays looking at Spencer maybe a second longer than she should have. It’s just so hard to look away from a man that beautiful. When Y/n does finally look away, she takes a seat and they begin their questioning. 
“How well do you know Natalie Ryan?”
“Uh, we talked when we were at the same events and were always friendly, but we weren’t friends.”
“How about Wally Melman?”
“What?” 
“Wally Melman, he was a producer who was killed a couple months ago.” Spencer jumps in, making Y/n turn to address him, while she asks her next statement .
“The paper said that it was a robbery.” “The paper was wrong.” Derek responded quickly.
“Did you know him?” Hotch asks, wanting to get back to the questions he has for Y/n.
“I wanted to work with him on my last album, but he started working with..” Y/n cut herself off.
“Who?” Spencer asks concernedly, seeing the scared look on Y/n's face.
“Natalie Ryan, and they beat Y/n for song of the year” Joe says while Y/n is setting her face to rest in her hands, trying to comprehend what was happening.
“Do you ever have the feeling that someone is following you, or watching you?” Derek asks.
“Only every second I spend outside my house. I have fans, and paparazzi following me everywhere. It’s part of the job.” 
“Do you ever get repetitive phone calls, hang ups, or gifts sent anonymously?” Spencer asks.
“I receive flowers, Lilies, my favourite. The seventh of each month they get sent to each of my homes, they just show up on the doorstep. Never a note, nothing.” 
After a few more of their questions it just becomes too much, knowing that these people are being killed because of her or ‘for’ her and Y/n gets up and leaves the room. Not being able to actually leave given the cameras outside, she doesn’t get too far. And Spencer is right behind her.
“Y/n wait!”
“Can you explain what the hell is going on?”
“Well, it’s still rather speculative, but it appears there’s a delusional assassin who’s killing people to help further your career. It probably started as a stalker. An erotomaniac stalker. There’s a psychopathology of the evolution of these types of stalkers and the fact that he’s contacting you indicates that he believes you owe him something. This model frequently concludes itself with one of two possibilities, either the stalker will kill himself or he’ll kill the object of his affection.”
If Spencer wasn’t talking about the possibility of Y/n’s untimely death, she would have had more time to find Spencer’s rambling and seemingly never ending knowledge hot.
Y/n had gotten home from her time at the station, hoping to be able to relax as she has the Met tomorrow night. But when she had gotten to her front door the yellow notepad paper taped onto it caught her eye.
After reading the note she called the station immediately. The BAU had arrived looking over the note, Y/n was in the room but not listening, she onlys snaps back into listening to the conversations when she hears Spencer. 
“In English?” one of the officers asks.
“That is English actually.” Y/n smiles at that, while Spencer continues, getting cut off by Derek not too far into his explanation. Y/n finally speaks up, after the team starts talking about how she should continue, as if she isn’t there.
“I’m standing right here guys..”
“If we did remove you from the street, you couldn’t stay here, we would have to take you to an undisclosed location.”
“I have a fitting here in 30 mins, and the Met tonight, then I’m all yours. Look, I don't want to be afraid of this lunatic.”
"We can clear all but essential personnel, and up your security.”
“Derek and Spencer will stay here with you.”
“Okay.”
The team getting Y/n ready for the Met have set up, Y/n just finished getting hair and makeup done in just her underwear and a robe. Spencer walks up to Y/n while she’s opening a greenhouse ginger shot to drink.
“I’m sorry if I was insensitive earlier.” Spencer says, referring to when he followed her outside of the questioning room and told her there was a possibility this stalker/assassin guy will kill her, just a tad insensitive.
But nonetheless Y/n responds with, “It’s fine, you were just doing your job, right?” “Yeah.” Y/n takes her ginger shot with a look of remorse on her face. She reaches for the soda in Spencer’s hand, to wash it down. 
“You don’t mind sharing with me do you?”  Spencer quickly shakes his head mumbling a quick ‘no’ while Y/n’s team calls her to get into the dress, Y/n takes off the robe she was wearing, causing Spencer’s eyes to widen, then throwing the robe over a nearby chair. Now standing in just her underwear she smiles at Spencer before walking over to the team helping her get into the dress.
Leaving Spencer to watch her as she subtly sways her hips slightly more than usual when she walks. Spencer takes a sip of the soda Y/n had handed back after taking a sip, Derek coming over to tease Spencer about the scene he just watched.
“You don’t mind sharing with me, do you?” “Shut up.” Spencer says as he walks away. “Go get ‘em, lover.”
Y/n didn’t get to stay at the Met nearly as long as she wished. With double the security and Spencer there with her, she knew she wouldn’t have the night she was hoping for, but maybe something close.
But as she danced with Tom Hiddleston, Spencer got the call to take her to the safe house. Spencer didn’t really want to interrupt Y/n dancing on who he assumes is  another famous person, but he had to, for her safety. 
“Um- Y- Y/n we have to go.” Spencer says while struggling to gain her attention.
“Really?” “Yeah..” “Okay” she sighs, turning to Tom, mumbling an apology and some fake excuse.
They got to Y/n's home. Spencer rambling about safety measures Y/n should take. “You should also probably change all your phone numbers.” “I’m unlisted.” “Anytime you call an 800 number or an 888 number your phone number’s put into a data bank that’s then sold to telemarketers. If someone gets your cell phone number they can go online and research all your records.”
Y/n looks at Spencer expecting him to continue, but when he doesn’t she assumes he’s done, and gets up to walk into her kitchen, saying as she gets up, “You’re very cute when you ramble.” Causing Spencer to freeze but when she turns the corner out of his sight he rushes to keep up with her.
“You should also probably carry a piece of paper and a pen with you wherever you go in case you see any suspicious licence plates that often reappear.” Spence trails of looking closely at a collage hung up on Y/n’s wall 
“It’s a photographic collage. I like how obscure it is.”
“You should also get a dog. Like a guard dog of some sort.” Spencer says, staring intently at the collage but not acknowledging what Y/n said about it. 
“I don’t think so, I'm a cat person. Dogs are not for me… Earl grey good?”
“Wha- what?”
“Tea, do you want some tea?”
“Uh yes, yes sure.”
“Okay” Y/n says smiling at his nervousness.
Y/n walks into the living room, in her swimsuit with a robe overtop, coming to stand next to Spencer while he stares intently at the picture collage on Y/n’s wall. 
“Are you feeling anything?” “There is something definitely appealing about it.” “That’s a start” Y/n says while chuckling.
Turning on her heels towards the back door to the pool. This catches Spencer’s actions wondering what she's doing, he asks, “What are you doing?” “Going for a swim.” Y/n responds nonchalantly. “What? No, Y/N!” Spencer yells following her, but before he can reach her she dives into the pool.
Swimming up to the surface and wiping her face with her hands. She looks so gorgeous, she looks like a movie star, which is not far off. But Spencer really shouldn’t be thinking about how beautiful she is when he’s job is to keep her safe, and her being out here is not safe.
“Y/n, you cannot do this.” “Just a few minutes?” She ‘asks’ while giving Spencer puppy dog eyes. “Go get a suite in the house.” “What? No, I’m not going to grab a suit. Are you kidding me? No.” Spencer says in that high pitched tone he does, she’s only heard it once before, but she can’t help but find it so cute.
“Join me.” “No, I’m going to join you.” “Why not?” “You’re being pursued by a psychotic killer who shoots people in the head!” “I’m not going to stop living my life because of him.” Y/n turns to float in the water. “Y/n, I’m begging you. Will you please get out of the pool?”
“Come on, Spence, you should live a little.” “Live a little? I’ve not known you for 24 hours, I feel like I’ve already aged 10 years.” “Ugh, I can’t be that bad.” “Yes, you are that bad.” Y/n turns off of her back and starts to swim to the edge of the pool Spencer is standing at. 
“Fine, but can you help me out at least?” She says putting on an innocent face as if she really did want help out of the pool. When Spencer leans down to grab her hand to help her up, Y/n pulls him into the pool causing a big splash following after Spencer falls in. 
Which then causes a laugh to come from Y/n as Spencer rises to the water's surface. 
“Yes, very funny. Laugh it up, Y/n. Hilarious. My gun’s wet. That’s just great” Spencer swims to the edge to get his gun out of the water, Y/n swimming behind him, still chuckling. 
“My clothes.” “I told you to grab a suit.” 
While Spencer looks down at his wet chest, Y/n’s hand comes to rest on his peck, causing Spencer to look up at Y/n. When he looks at her, she is already looking in his eyes, her eyes asking the question ‘do you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you?’ the answer being ‘yes’ as Spencer starts to lean in. Not knowing what he’s doing, leaning in to kiss Y/n L/n global superstar? Who does he think he is, thinking she would want to kiss him? But contrary to Spencer's beliefs, Y/N leans in too, pulling his body closer to hers faster by his tie. As their lips collide, it feels as if the world slows down. For the first time in a long time Y/n feels normal, regular, ordinary, in the best possible way. She feels in the way Spencer's lips are moving against hers that he doesn’t want her for her fame, or looks, but for her. Just her. But then Spencer pulls away. It had only been a couple seconds, how could a kiss that short hold that much emotion? Spencer’s words stop her from thinking too much. 
“This is completely inappropriate.” “Spence..” Y/n looks into Spencer's eyes only looking away when she closes them and pulls him into another kiss, by his tie. This kiss, still sweet and emotion filled, yet rougher, as if they had gotten that much more comfortable now versus 15 seconds ago. Their lips move together roughly, Y/n tongue brushing Spencer’s lips looking for access, which causes Spencer to move his lips back from Y/n’s again. “No, there’s this thing called transference.” Spencer says, all the while Y/n is trying to recover from the best kiss of her life, and Spencer has no idea. “Do you not like me?” “What?” Spencer says quickly like him not liking her, and is just the most insane idea in the world, and truthfully that’s not far off. “Was that kiss not good?” “No- no it was very good.” “Because I like you.” “I like you too. It’s just I’m a federal agent. You know. And I’m supposed to protect you.” “Then you should keep me close.” Y/n mumbles moving her lips to Spencers again. Spencer pulls back to start talking again, as Y/N’s kisses move to his neck, kissing and nipping at his skin every so often, the first nibble causing Spencer to let out a surprised noise that quickly turns into a moan. “I’m just, hmm.. I’m a little worried, you know? We’re in a pool.” “Are we?” “And it’s uh.. We’re pretty much exposed.” Y/n moves to give Spencer's lips a quick peck, before responding to his concerns. “We have cops. We have cops posted out front.” Y/n cuts herself off to kiss Spencer again, “There are coyotes out back.” Y/n pauses looking at Spencer’s lips, while licking her own, then shooting her eyes up to Spencer’s “And then it’s just you and me.” Y/n moves her lips to be hovering over Spencer’s their noses rubbing against each other, it feels much more intimate than just kissing him, breathing in the after shave and cologne mixed with chlorine soaked into his skin is a smell Y/n would never get sick of, no matter how much she hated the smell of chlorine. She moves her lips back to the spot she found on his neck that makes him the most reactive. “Stop- I have to tell you something.” “What?” “I didn’t want to tell you this before, because I was a little bit worried… I didn’t know how to say it, but I can’t not tell you.” “Spence, just tell me. What is it?” “Your manager, Joe… Hotch went to check on him, but he got there too late.” Y/n looks into Spencer’s eyes any ounce of a look that would tell her he wasn’t serious. Because Joe couldn’t be dead. Not because of her, Joe was like family, no matter how weird he was. Joe was always there. Y/n turns away not being able to look at Spencer, “How could you-” She turns back to him, looking Spencer in the eyes as she aks, “How could you not tell me?” “I was afraid you’d be upset.” “You knew? How could you know and not tell me?” “Y/n, I’m so sorry” Y/n moves towards the edge of the pool to pull herself out, Spencer trying to help her. “Don’t- Don’ touch me! Please, don’t touch me!” Y/n gets out walking back into the house with a towel around herself, leaving Spencer in the pool.
Spencer walks into Y/n’s living room, seeing her sitting on her couch crying, he wants to comfort her. Just don't know how. “Y/n?...Are you still… Are you okay?” “Joe was like family.” Hearing Y/n cry hurts Spencer more than he thought possible from a girl he met not even 24 hours ago. “It’s just so hard to trust people in this industry, you don’t know who to believe.Everybody wants something from you. And I felt- I thought you were different.” “I know I should have told you.” “I told him not to.” Rossi cuts in having heard most of the conversation from behind Spencer. “He was only following my orders.” Rossi pats Spencer's shoulder while leaving the room. “The last time I could really trust people was when I moved to Nashville.” Y/n says, all the while Spencer is decoding the picture collage on Y/n’s wall. “Nashville, you said you lived you Houston street? And you were on KZ fm in high school?..” “Yeah..?” When Y/n sees the way Spencer is intensely staring at the collage she also gets up, to stand next to him. “I need to take this thing about.” Spencer says while not looking away. “What?” “I’ll put it back. I think I see images of you. Guys!”
Y/n stands to the side with Derek while Spencer and Emily are putting the pieces together. “Y/n, it looks like someone has been stalking you for years.”
“Yeah, this tells your whole life story. Awards, Billboard charts, Albums.” 
“Everything since moving to Nashville.”
“Who gave you this collage?” Derek asked, leaning over the island counter. “Um- he did” Y/N says pointing at a picture on the collage. “Who is he?” “Uh- Parker Dunley, I don’t really know him, he just owns a gallery I go to sometimes.” 
Spencer gets off the phone quickly turning to Y/N. “Y/N, do you someone by the name of Veronica Hartley?” “Roni? Yeah, of course I know her. I’ve known her for years. She’s one of my assistants.” Their conversation gets cut off by Y/n’s phone ringing. “What is it?” Spencer asks, seeing the way her eyes widened when she read the caller ID.
“That’s her calling now.” 
“Is she calling from her cell phone?” 
“Yeah.” 
“Y/n, we think Roni’s the stalker.” 
“No- No way.” 
“Answer the phone. Act completely natural, the longer you keep her on the line the more likely we’ll be able to trace the call.. Trust me.” Spencer walks away to call the team, while Y/n answers Roni’s call.
“Hello?…Roni?...” Spencer turns to Y/N and gives her a signal to keep talking.
“Rons?... You’re tired?......I saw you today?.... I don’t know what you’re talking about.. I remember.. Roni, that was just one weekend…”
“Y/n” Spencer whisper yells, after getting off the phone with Penny, finding out Roni’s calling inside the house.
“How did she get inside?”
“She has keys.”
Spencer starts searching the house Y/n walking behind him. When they get up to a guest bedroom, Y/n feels the barrel of a gun being pressed to her skull, Spencer quickly turns around. 
“Put down the gun.” Roni demands. “Roni..” Spencer says while lowering his gun. “Don’t call me ‘Roni” you don’t know me! Come on, Y/n, let’s go. We have to go, baby. Come on.” Y/n looks in Spencer’s eyes begging him to do something. “Roni, don’t hurt her. You don’t need to hurt her.” “You don’t know anything. I would never hurt her. I created her" "No you didn’t.” “Yes, I did you stupid, ungrateful, little bitch.. I can’t believe I ever loved you.” “Roni, she.. She loves me now.” Roni moves her gun from pointing it at Y/n’s head to pointing it at Spencer. “She told me so. When we were in the pool. She kissed me. Now she loves me okay?” “No.” “Tell her we kissed in the pool.” “No!’ Roni yells this time switching from pointing her gun from Spencer to Y/n. Y/n looks at Spencer hopefully to tell her the next move, when he nods his head at her she says, “Yes, we kissed.” Roni then pushes Y/n, and Spencer tackles Roni to the ground, grabbing her gun, and pointing it at her. “Kill me! Please. Kill me! I’ll be so much happier!” But Spencer shakes his head, lowering the gun as he says, “No, we’re going to get you some help.” 
Y/n is standing in the station talking to her publicist, while news vans are lined up outside.
“I don’t want any media.” “Come on, Y/n” “No. No media.” “Okay, no media. Let me deal with these guys then.”
After Y/n’s publicist leaves, Spencer walks up to Y/n. “I wish we didn’t meet under these circumstances. More normal maybe.” “Y/n, believe me, no matter how we met, I’m glad we did.” Y/n feels her whole body, warm at that, she turns her head, knowing Spencer can see the blush on her face. They’re interrupted when Derek yells for Spencer. “Hey, Reid. Come on, we got to move.” “Well, um- here, take this.” Y/n passes Spencer a receipt she had written her new number on. “Would you- if it’s okay with you, give me a call.” “Yeah, I would love to.” Rossi comes walking over. “I hate to intrude, kid, but we’re waiting.” “Yeah- yeah a second.” “So- call me, I’ll be waiting.” Y/n turns to walk away, but Spencer puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Y/n turns towards Spencer, he puts his hand on her check, Y/n leaning into his palm, turning her head slightly to press a small kiss into his palm, before walking away. 
235 notes · View notes
ginnsbaker · 11 months
Text
In Losing Grip On Sinking Ships (4/?)
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Chapter summary: The night at the club - from your perspective. And we find out whether you came to the opening of Wanda's cafe or not
Chapter word count: 6.3k+
Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader, Yelena Belova x Fem!Reader (heavy on this chapter)
Tags: fluff if you squint (did I just say fluff?)
AO3 | Masterlist 
Next Chapter: Five
Taglist: @blackluthxr | @esposadejoyhuerta | @secretbackrooms | @justgotlizzied , @casquinhaa | @marvelwomen-simp | @sunsol-22 | @wandanatlov3r | @kyaraderuwez
-
Four
The night at the club - from your perspective
The club Clint chooses for Natasha’s send-off is a drug deal away from being sleazy, despite its popularity. It’s significantly larger too, than the typical nightclubs you’ve been to in the past; there's a mezzanine for VIP members and celebrity guests; three bars are stationed at the corners of the main room, selling beverages based on a price bracket–with the most expensive ones near the steps leading to the VIP area. In here, you find all kinds of party-goers–from preppy high school kids with their daddy’s money and fake IDs to aging business men looking to score a high-end escort or a B-list actress in need of a sponsor for their lavish lifestyle. 
And then there’s you–newly single, unemployed, nearing your 30s and rooming with your best friend. Just with how you’re dressed–a white, velvet sleeveless cowl neck top and skinny jeans–you wonder what other people think of you, what backstory they’ve concocted in their heads. Whatever it is, it couldn’t be worse than your actual reality.
“How did you find this place?” you ask Clint after he returns with shots of tequila to start the night with.
He glances between you and then Natasha, who finishes her shot in a single gulp the second she snatches it from Clint’s fingers.
“Did you not see how big this place is from outside? It’s hard to miss the biggest nightclub in New York, Y/N.” His breath fans over your face, and all it takes is one whiff to know he’s already had some pre-party drinks in his system. 
“I prefer the dive bars we used to frequent.” you say, grimacing as the tequila burns down your throat. It immediately warms the middle of your chest, leaving you thirstier than before.
Clint raises his eyebrows at you incredulously. “We’re not here to talk and catch-up. We’re here to get trashed because our girl right here,” he playfully puts an arm around Natasha so she’s snug against his side. “Is returning to the front lines.”
“Damn right!” Natasha yells, raising her empty shot glass to no one in particular. She’s deadly as she looks for what she’s capable of–which you know very little about–and yet, astoundingly lightweight when it comes to holding her liquor. It wouldn’t take three more rounds to render her thoroughly incapacitated.
Clint looks so smug, and it doesn’t take a second more for you to realize that he gave Natasha a double. You weakly jab his side with your elbow and then proceed to swipe his credit card from his back pocket, making sure he at least pays for everything tonight.
“Come on,” you say, reaching for Natasha’s hand. “We can’t have you drinking on an empty stomach or you won’t last until midnight.”
Natasha shakes her head with a pout. “Gotta last much, much, much later than that.”
“For sure. But first, let’s–”
“Where are you taking my sister?” A voice behind you asks in a demanding but playful manner. You feel it being said right in your ear, causing goosebumps all over the back of your neck.
Whipping your head around, you find Yelena smiling at you as she staggers a step back to avoid you accidentally kissing her cheek in the process.
There’s tension from the last time you saw each other, and it becomes instantly obvious that it hasn’t gone away the moment you take in her plunge cocktail dress and the rose-colored smirk she has on. You don’t really mean to, but it’s easy to make the conclusion that anyone would easily find her the most attractive person in the room. 
“Little sis,” Natasha exclaims in barely contained excitement, hastily enveloping Yelena in a bear hug. “You came!”
“Hey,” you breathe out, failing to stop your gaze from straying below her collarbone and landing on her proud cleavage. 
“Hey, stranger.” she greets you back, and you catch the mischievous smile on her lips despite having half of her face squashed against Natasha’s shoulder. Yup. She’s definitely noticed.
“See you around, kid. I’ll take care of this one.” Clint says, already pulling Natasha away before she can suffocate Yelena further.
Helplessly, you watch Clint and Natasha disappear into the crowd, anxiety crippling your ability to decide what you’re going to do or where you’re going next.
Yelena lightly taps you on the shoulder to get your attention–which, for all intents and purposes–is already hers to begin with. You just don’t want to be too obvious about it.
“My sweater.” she simply says with an unreadable expression when you turn to address her.
“Sorry?”
“You still have it?”
And then it comes back to you. Your ruined shirt, borrowing’s Yelena sweater, Yelena joking about her first sexual experience, that happened to be with you–
You can always blame the tequila for the way your cheeks flush at the memories. 
Biting your lip, you say, “The truth is I forgot to mail it. With everything that’s happened–”
“It’s okay. Nat just recently told me the stuff you went through the past few months,” Yelena cuts in, and the softness in her gaze gives you a sense of calm. “Do you, maybe, want to drink about it? First round’s on me.” she reluctantly offers.
“Nah,” you dismiss her intentions to pay, as you hold up Clint’s Visa. “All our rounds on this.”
Yelena orders a frozen margarita, while you opt for a more basic choice of gin and tonic. You find yourselves sitting closely together, sharing a couch with random strangers in the most relatively secluded part of the club.
“So, what exactly did Natasha tell you?” you ask, letting your index finger dance along the rim of your glass. 
Yelena takes a sip of her drink and considers how she should relay what she knows. 
In the end, she goes for the unfiltered narrative, given that there’s really no way of making it sound less severe than it is. “That your wife cheated on you with her student.” 
You offer her a wan smile and clink your drinks togethers. “Cheers.”
“I’m sorry, Y/N. I can’t imagine what it feels like to be betrayed like that by the person you–I assume–trust the most.” Yelena says after some time. She’s not used to being the one to give consolation, especially with you. Growing up, you were a steady, ever-reliable presence in her life; her place of solitude throughout the pains of her youth. It’s pathetic how she’s wishing she had gone through the same ordeal if it meant she could give you the comfort and understanding you needed. 
“Me too. I don’t even remember how I was able to survive what came right after taking your sister’s call that day. Did Nat mention that I almost killed the kid? He’s only a little younger than you are.” you say.
“Yeah. It’s fucked up. But it doesn't compare to what she did.” Yelena tells you with a pained expression. “You’re okay now, though. Right?”
“I’m,” You search for the right word that perfectly describes your monotonous routine and lack of a meaningful purpose. But you figure that there’s no need for Yelena–or anyone for that matter–to worry about you. Life’s easier to live without the concern of disappointing people who care about you. “I’m better than I was yesterday.”
Yelena nods empathically, and places a hand on your knee. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Your smile is small, but genuine. Clearing your throat, she quickly puts her hand back over her lap. 
“Y/N?” Yelena starts.
“Yes?”
Yelena, for all her boldness and tenacity, has to put down her glass lest it accidentally slips from her shaking hands. 
“There’s something I want to say, and you can’t talk unless I say so. Understood?” she says as calmly as she can manage.
“Am I free to react?” A smile plucks at the corner of your mouth, eyes twinkling with mirth. 
Yelena has grown into a woman so different from when she was just Natasha’s little sister. She carries an air of sophistication, and from what you can tell, sasses her way out of difficult situations and knows what and how to get what she wants. Which is why it’s refreshing to see her display glimpses of the shy girl who spent her summers burning through classic literature in the public library. 
A husky laugh escapes Yelena’s throat. “As long as it’s a good reaction.” she says.
You playfully roll your eyes at her. 
“But seriously, hear me out,” Yelena breathes steadily through her nose. “First of all, I want to apologize about what happened when you were at my apartment.
“I didn’t know why I brought up losing my virginity to you, and it was terribly awkward–for me especially because the look on your face was…” Yelena trails off, pointedly avoiding your curious eyes. “It’s like you were recalling a bad memory–a memory that’s dear to me. And to be honest, it hurt me a bit.”
“Yelena–”
Yelena shushes you with a finger. “Let me finish. I was hurt, but I understood that I crossed a line that day. I was flirting with you the whole time knowing you were married. In a way, I was no better than–well, your ex-wife.”
Yelena pauses to look at you. She can’t read your expression, but at least you haven’t run away yet. Which is more than a good sign for her to continue.
“There’s no excuse for what I did. I could dismiss it as friendly between old friends, but could we even call ourselves that? We were never just friends. We had something that wasn’t official, and then I ran off to the UK before we had a chance to talk about that thing that wasn’t official, and then when I got back, I found out you’re already with someone else.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is… that was a shitty move on my part and I’m sorry. But I’d be lying if I said I didn't mean to do any of that. ‘Cause I did want to stir the pot just to see if there’s still something there.”
You wait for her to continue, but eventually Yelena vaguely signals that she’d done speaking. 
You cover your mouth with your hand, thumb scratching lightly at your chin as you thoroughly digest her confession.
“Y/N?” Yelena asks when she feels you’re being silent for too long, fear lacing her voice. “Are you mad at me?”
“Of course not,” you quickly reply. “I accept your apology. And I do appreciate your candor–for not skirting around that incident like I probably would’ve, for…well, forever.”
Yelena is overwhelmed with relief.
“You were never great at confrontations.” she muses, and your minds both wander to the letter you wrote for her that she had missed, already having boarded the plane when you decided to drop by and hand-deliver it yourself.
“I’m working on it. I know I can’t keep putting things at the back of my head until I eventually forget them and then it’s too late.”
“Or maybe you just think it’s too late, and you use that as an excuse to not even try.” Yelena counters. It’s a fair point and somehow applicable to your shared history together. 
“You know what? I’m just gonna shoot my shot here while I’m feeling brave,” Yelena says, keeping her eyes trained on her almost empty drink.
“Go to dinner with me next Friday.” 
Before you can stop it, Wanda’s languid face in the mornings registers in your brain fleetingly. And then you blink once and the image of her is gone, replaced by Yelena’s hopeful stare. 
“Dinner, as in…” you try to clarify, just in case you’re misreading it.
“As in I’m asking you out,” Yelena confirms, and proudly smiles at how your ears redden at this point. “Or if you’re not ready, say so. I’m a big girl. I can take it. Then I’ll ask you again in a few months.”
“I-I don’t know. Can I sleep on it?” you say, suddenly embarrassed. 
“Take all the time you need. I just thought you should know that I’m an option.”
Your expression turns grim once you question the fact that someone like Yelena wants you.
She senses your internal conflict and asks, “What’s wrong?” 
“How could you want me? I’m damaged goods. You know that, right?”
“Y/N,” Yelena chides, and she looks positively horrified.  “Don’t you ever think you’re half the person you are just because somebody was stupid enough not to know your worth.”
You shrug your shoulders. There’s no point in arguing. Regardless of what other people think, it’s what you see in the mirror these days.
“Okay.” you mumble in reply and casually chug your drink to the last drop.
Yelena’s not convinced, but recognizes that it’s not the right place nor the right time to show you you’re more than just damaged goods. 
“Okay.” she says, then looks over to where people seem to be under the spell of eternal bliss. 
“Wanna dance with me at least? You know–as friends,” Yelena says, and then a second later adds, “For now.”
You don’t answer and merely allow yourself to be pulled towards writhing bodies moving to the beat of the music, like puppets on strings. 
-
You don’t remember the last time you’ve thoroughly enjoyed dancing with someone.
(That’s a lie though, because you do; if twirling your wife and enthusiastically swaying to her poor singing in the kitchen counts.)
Unbeknownst to you, a pair of green eyes darts to you and your dance partner, before they shut in reprieve.  
-
A surprisingly sober Natasha appears next to you as you’re getting the next round of drinks. You fan yourself uselessly with your hand after breaking out a sweat on the dancefloor. 
“Hey! Where have you been?” you say.
“Bruce was here. But that’s not important.” Natasha says.
“Are you guys–” you begin to ask about it, but Natasha brazenly cuts you off. 
“Don’t even think about it.” she says, her tone unusually stern, and you whip your head so fast in her direction your vision spins a little.  
“Think about what?” you say.
“Flirting with my sister.” 
“I wasn’t,” you say and Natasha lifts an eyebrow. “I swear.”
Natasha surveys you a while longer with an unreadable expression, and just as you start feeling uncomfortable, she backs off with a small nod.
It only bothers you more. “I-Is that something I’m not allowed to do?” you cautiously ask.
Natasha scratches at her nape. “Technically, you’re single now and you can flirt with whoever you want. But maybe not my sister, okay? I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“What are you implying?”
“Look, Y/N, I’m just trying to give you the big sister talk, and I hope you understand why I need to. Especially since Yelena told me not long ago about the R-rated version of your history together.”
Your mouth falls open in shock, already circling around the details of what Yelena might have shared with your best friend. “She what?”
“I wanted to smack you in the face when she told me that you were…” Natasha grimaces, trying not to imagine you in bed with her sister. “... her first.”
“God, Nat. I–” Your tongue feels heavy, and you wish you weren’t half-sober for this. “She–we–”
“Relax, Y/N. It’s not like I found out about it yesterday. I’ve known ever since she came back to New York.”
“I think I’d prefer if you’d still smack me in the face right now. But please consider how tiny I am compared to your usual sparring partners.”
Natasha lets out an airy laugh that gives you a bit of relief. “To be honest, I think I’ve always known that there was something going on between you and her. I was just too stubborn to admit it because I care about you both so much.”
“I care about you too. And Yelena.”
“I believe you,” Natasha says. “But Yelena thinks you hung the moon and stars and all that shit, and you’re–you’re kind of a mess, Y/N. No offense.”
“Do you want me to stay away from her?” you ask. 
“Not really. But as her older sister, I need to remind you to think about it carefully if ever it becomes more than platonic.” she says. “I’m leaving in a few hours, so I need you to promise me not to be reckless. That's all I’m asking.”
Natasha gives and gives and gives, and rarely ever asks for anything. 
And you suppose you owe it to her in some way.
“Promise.”
-
A couple of more shots (and an incident of restraining Natasha from punching the lights out of a guy who randomly grabbed your ass) later, you’re stumbling out of the club, reeking of smoke, sweat and alcohol. 
Your phone dies just before you could confirm a ride, and you blearily stare at it like you’re expecting it to suddenly come alive again by some miracle. Yelena has left earlier, mentioning an early meeting at work, and you can’t find Natasha since Bruce’s surprise appearance. An option is to walk to your apartment, but you can’t seem to move any part of your body with the intense throbbing in your head.
You deliberate your fate for the night, until you feel an odd sensation of being watched. 
Your eyes flit across the street and there she is.
Wanda Maximoff.
-
You get home safely with the help of your ex-wife. Once you reach your room, you don’t bother to brush your teeth or wash your face. You just mechanically strip down to your underwear before diving under the covers.
In your sleep, you dream about Wanda.
Dream Wanda resembles College Wanda, with her dirty blonde hair that falls in waves past her shoulders. She’s cradling your head on her lap, while you look up at her lovingly.
“Wands,” you whisper. “I miss you.”
She scrunches her nose as she smiles down at you. “I’m right here, baby.”
“You’re not.”
“Where did I go then?”
You shake your head and close your eyes. “I honestly don’t know.”
“Look for me, then. I only want to be found by you.”
“I’m not sure I want to.” you confess to Dream Wanda, and her brows stitch together into a frown. Then you feel something wet and cold drip on your cheeks. Your eyes flutter open but instead of seeing Wanda, you see Vision’s face covered in blood. 
Your mouth opens in a silent scream. In reality, you’re alone in Natasha’s apartment, thrashing in your bed and mumbling incoherently. 
The next morning, you don’t recall any of it, but you feel its echoes in your heart anyway.
-
You wake up to a text from Natasha, telling her that she’s already at the airport. The message came in at 1:30AM, and was followed by another text six hours later, saying that she has landed safely and that you won’t be hearing from her again in the next ten days at the minimum. A third message came in a second after that, and it simply read, “Look out for my sister. Don’t forget what you promised.” You text back a short “Take care, Nat.”, before tossing your phone somewhere on your unmade bed. 
Trudging towards the kitchen, you think about Yelena. 
There was a time when the blonde used to occupy your thoughts day and night, notwithstanding the thousands of miles you were apart.
But all that changed the day you met Wanda, and she never crossed your mind again except when she’d come up in conversations, and until that time you accidentally almost ran her over in Soho. 
You languidly stir together the milk and cereal in your bowl. It would be a lie to say that seeing Yelena, especially in that dress, didn’t do things to you that a married woman would normally stamp out before they could spread like wildfire. Except, you’re no longer a married woman. And Yelena let you look as much as you wanted–even encouraged it. 
It’s liberating more than anything, not because you’re free from the confines of marriage, but because you didn’t feel guilty having looked.
Is it time? 
You’ve always thought of Yelena as your ‘right person, wrong time’. 
Is it the right time?
-
The weekend passes in a blur of series marathons and Chinese takeouts. Wanda doesn’t text or call, neither does Yelena. You thought you had sufficient time to reconsider Wanda’s invitation, but Monday eventually comes around, bringing about an unexplainable anxiety you can’t curb and can only attribute to intuition. Even if you don’t tell Wanda the reason you won’t come, binge-watching another show instead of doing something meaningful for someone is at a level of pathetic you’re not willing to stoop towards. 
Besides, you said you’d come. Being steadfast in your word is both your strength and your undoing. And so, your intent to follow through with your promise brings you to a corner gardening store, after scouring the internet for ‘grand opening gift ideas’.
None of them suggested this. Though you knew Wanda enough to know better than those online articles.
“And this pretty thing? What does it stand for?” you ask, pointing at flowers of a variety of colors resembling a pompon.
“That’s a Chrysanthemum–or just ‘mums’. Very easy to keep them alive. In Chinese culture, it represents longevity and good luck. But it also simply symbolizes friendship and happiness.” the store keeper says. 
“Perfect,” you say, focusing on ‘longevity and good luck’. “I’ll get… Five of those in a pot.”
“What color would you like, dear?”
Without thinking, you pick Wanda’s favorite color. “The red ones. All of them.” 
The store keeper claps her hands together. “Excellent choice. Just give me a second to prepare them for you.”
A pleased smile works its way to your lips. “Thanks a lot.”
Mums in a pot. That's a good gift right? Not too thoughtful nor impersonal. It would look good displayed anywhere in her shop should Wanda decide to keep it there. Or she can place it at her new home near a window, as it probably needs six hours of sunlight a day. 
Perhaps you should also write instructions for Wanda on how to care for these mums. And will she need some fertilizers too? 
You’re busy putting together a mental list when the store keeper comes out with the final product. 
“Here you go,” she says and hands you over Wanda’s gift in a paper bag. “It’s $95.86.”
You pull out a hundred dollar bill from your wallet. “Keep the change.”
She does a little bow of gratitude and says, “Thank you, dear. She’s going to love it.”
“She?” you sputter, bewildered.
“The recipient’s a lady, I assume. Is it not?”
“It…is.” you hesitantly confirm.
“Good luck, ma’m.” she says with innocent cheer, unmindful of your sudden skepticism.
As you leave the shop feeling less sure of your gift choice, your phone’s ringing tone goes off in your pants. With urgency, you take your phone out of your pocket and find an unknown number calling. 
“Hello?”
“Y/N,” A husky voice greets you over the receiver.
“Yelena?”
“Hey. I, uh, got your number from Nat,” she says, hearing her heavy sighs in between sentences. “Is this a bad time?”
“No. Is something wrong?” you ask, swinging the paper bag back and forth as you meander about the busy alley on your way back home.
“I’m in the middle of a news article that’s due for tomorrow, and I heard that your former boss is Scott Lang?”
“You heard right.”
“I need your banking knowledge to go over some facts in my draft,” she says. “And maybe, get a quick interview with Mr. Lang?”
For a while, you don’t know how to answer. You haven’t been in touch with Scott or any of your colleagues since moving back, and it seems kind of rude to call him up out of the blue for a favor.
“Please?” you hear Yelena beg softly. You knew Yelena. Like Natasha, she almost never asks for help, not unless it’s a matter of life, death or career. 
“Okay,” you finally say. “Where should we meet?”
“I’ll meet you at Nat’s in an hour? It’s where you’ve been staying, right?”
You agree on the time and place, and hurry to catch a bus instead of your original plan to walk the thirty minutes back to the apartment.
It oddly feels good to be part of a Monday’s morning rush once again.
-
You end up spending the whole day helping Yelena and trailing after her to visit various places and meet financial executives just to put together a 1,500-word news article on The Wall Street Journal. 
“You saved me today,” Yelena tells you while you escort her to the lobby. “Let me make it up to you on Friday?” 
It’s tempting, especially after discovering that you both make a great team. You actually had fun running errands with her. 
But you promised Natasha.
“I’ll text you.” you answer with a small smile. 
Once Yelena gets inside her ride, it hits you right away where you’re supposed to be. You check your watch and the time displayed sends you in a panic. 
It’s almost ten. Wanda’s café is only open until nine. You quickly grab your gift for Wanda and hail a cab for Queens.
Your cab screeches to a halt right in front of Second Chances. You make sure to tip big for forcing your driver to beat the speed limit several times on the way. 
You get off the cab, and take in your first impression of Wanda’s café. The facade of the coffee shop is simple: the signage looks obviously hand-drawn, while the black awning underneath it gives it a Parisian vibe; a string of yellow led lights hang above the glass door and the full-length window next to it.
It has Wanda written all over it. And you can’t help the teary smile that creeps its way to your lips. Carrying the potted Chrysanthemum securely under your arm, you walk to the entrance that holds a ‘Sorry, We’re Closed’ sign. The stainless shutter is lowered down just barely, and it’s pitch black inside except for a beam of light coming from the back room.
You raise your fist, about to knock, when suddenly you catch a figure from the corner of your eyes. 
It’s Wanda, and she’s asleep with her arms as her pillow, hunched over the bar table facing the window. Curiously, you move over to stand right across her and push your palm against the translucent barrier. 
She waited for you to show. Your heart betrays you as it thumps wildly in your chest. 
For a moment you just stand there watching. There are still days when you randomly get angry at Wanda all over again. Some days, you bargain and simultaneously undergo depression. And you cycle over these stages in random orders but haven't–not even once–felt like you’re ready to accept all of it. 
Somewhere in the stillness, an ambulance siren could be heard wailing in the distance. Wanda is slow to come to, and even as you realize she’s waking up, you stay frozen in your position.
“Y/N?” you read your name being spoken from her lips. Wanda looks confused in her sleepy state, still deciding if you’re actually there. You beam at her and mouth a ‘hi’ in return. 
Wanda lights up right before your eyes. She hurries to unlock the door to her shop.  
“Sorry I’m late.” you say.
Wanda’s smile only widens, and then she says, “Better late than never.”
You choose to sit at one of the tiny dining tables for two near the open kitchen. There are congratulatory flowers arranged neatly by the counter, making you a bit self-conscious about bringing something similar on a smaller, more insignificant scale.
“How long have you been waiting?” you ask as you survey the interior of the cafe..
“Not long.” Wanda assures you, and then proudly hands you over the menu. Her writing is almost instantly recognizable. 
“Pick anything you want. On the house.” she says, tying back her apron. 
There aren’t many items on the list, but you’re familiar with each of them from Wanda having made them for you over the years. 
“I’ll have a Spanish latte,” you say, eyes still scanning the menu. “Do you have any cookies left?”
“Sorry, they are all sold out.” 
“Wanda, that’s awesome!” You exclaim, placing the menu back on the table.
Wanda endearingly chuckles at your excitement. You’re still a customer, and it’s very unusual for one to cheer when the item they want is unavailable.
“Have you eaten? I can whip something up.” Wanda says, peeking inside the fridge. 
You haven’t eaten since lunch, but you don’t want Wanda to go through the trouble of preparing something off the menu. “It’s fine.” 
“I’m kinda hungry myself,” Wanda chews on her bottom lip. “Does garlic pasta sound good?”
As if on cue, your stomach rumbles and Wanda tries to suppress a smirk.
“Sounds amazing.” you mumble, somewhat flustered by the sound you just made. The thought of a warm pasta for dinner, however, is already making you drool.
Wanda grins, buzzing with childlike enthusiasm. “Coming right up!”
Right before she gets to it, Wanda puts on some music and gives you her phone. “Play anything you want.” she says. A classical piano piece starts playing in the background, and it actually matches the mood and the vibe of the room, so you choose to stay on the current playlist.
Wanda already has some minced garlic and left over pasta from earlier, so it’s just a matter of reheating and then mixing the ingredients. In less than ten minutes, she’s bringing out two plates of Aglio e Olio and your order of a hot Spanish latte.
You haven’t realized how starving you are until the aroma of Wanda’s dish reaches your nose. 
“What’s that?” Wanda points to the paper bag sitting beside you after she settles in her seat across you.
“Oh!” you say. “I almost forgot. This is for you. Happy, uh, grand opening day?”
Wanda takes the bag, unintentionally brushing your fingers in the process. Her skin is warm from cooking and smells like the condiments she used to prepare your food.
You quietly eat your food, unable to keep yourself from moaning out your satisfaction. After months of living on takeouts, it’s a very welcome change.
Wanda, on the other hand, peers inside the paper bag, and her smile grows and grows until it reaches her watery eyes. 
“These are gorgeous, Y/N,” Wanda comments, taking the pot out of its hiding. “I love them. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Wanda stands up and walks towards the window near the entrance, the plant and a glass of water in tow. She places the mums in the corner where it will be least bothered by customers, but should receive the most sunlight at the same time. She then proceeds to water it, careful to cover the whole soil and sprinkle some on its delicate petals. 
A smile graces your lips as you watch her tend to the mums. 
It’s hard not to wonder if maybe this could work. Maybe healing can be possible while being friends.
“How much do I owe you?” you ask, after you finish your food. You subtly eye Wanda’s plate, which she’s barely touched. 
“Like I said, on the house.” she answers. 
You purse your lips in disapproval but don’t insist; the tip jar is right beside the register and you can slip some twenties later when Wanda’s not looking.
“So, any feedback? Is the latte too sweet?” Wanda asks with a devoted curiosity of a businesswoman. “For the pasta I added an extra ounce of minced garlic from the original recipe, but I’m not sure if it made the flavor too strong. And this table–don’t you think it’s too small? Cause they don’t look standard-sized to me, and I keep telling them–”
“Wanda, slow down,” you gently cut in, bringing the coffee mug to your lips for a taste test. It’s sweet but not achingly so. There’s still a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste, and the richness of the condensed milk counters it, resulting in a very comforting pick-me-up.
“It’s good. I’d say, better than the ones I always got when I was still working.”
“You’re not working anymore?”
You bite your lip at that, not really meaning for that information to slip out of you.
“I took a sabbatical,” you explain, refusing to call yourself jobless in front of your ex-wife, who somehow contrived to achieve greater heights following a divorce and a narrowly missed small town sex scandal.
You quickly try to change the subject. “Anyway, don’t worry about the furniture. As long as they’re comfy.”
“Half of your ass is barely hanging onto your seat, you know?” Wanda points out with a giggle. 
There’s no denying the tinge of jealousy you feel over the fact that Wanda seems to have her shit together more than she cares to admit. But that’s overruled by the natural joy of seeing someone you care about (because you do, you really still do) thrive, no matter how much they hurt you in the past. 
“Are you saying my ass is fat?” you ask, pretending to be offended. 
She laughs harder, resulting in tiny hiccups that never fails to trigger you into a fit as well.
“Honestly though, it barely fits mine as well. But that's all I can afford for now.” Wanda says as she keeps twirling the pasta around her fork without any intention of actually eating.
“You shouldn’t play with your food.” you chide, still smiling.
“Do you want some of mine?”
You shake your head no. “Not when you just implied I have a fat ass.”
Wanda snorts, her laughter building up again at your poker face. 
When she recovers this time, you sheepishly smile and take some from her plate and transfer it to yours. 
“I haven’t thanked you for coming.” Wanda mutters in a hoarse voice. You wordlessly fill her empty glass with water.
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure until this morning if I was going to.” you say.
Certain muscles on Wanda’s face visibly tighten at that.
“Why is that?” Wanda whispers, staring at her unwanted food, losing again the appetite she lied about in the first place.
You mull about it for a moment. There’s no point in denying that you feel things for Wanda. Abstract feelings that you can’t name, but feel regardless. And it’s still unclear whether they are beneficial or not to you moving forward. Just that, being in communication with Wanda again puts you at ease; brings back a sense of normalcy that you so crave. It could be because you can’t remember a time she wasn’t a part of your life, can’t remember who you were before her. Going cold-turkey only led to some impulsive decisions (not to mention, a cheap and random sex with a stranger who was spoken for).
“Because I want to do what’s right for me, this time. And I’m not sure if this is.”
“This?”
“Being in each other’s lives.” you coolly state, crossing your arms and leaning back on your chair. 
Wanda blinks a couple of times when wetness gathers around her eyes. You drop your head and sigh. It goes without saying that these meetings with Wanda are always volatile. But constantly crying around someone is obviously not an indication of a healthy bond. 
“I’m afraid you’re the only one who can answer your own question, Y/N.” Wanda swipes at the corner of her eyes. 
You hollowly laugh. “I was kinda expecting you’d convince me that this is a good idea.”
“The fact that I invited you here and never stopped trying to contact you says alot without me having to say it.” Wanda reasons evenly.
“And me doing exactly the opposite, must also say a lot. Is that it?” you retort. 
Wanda squints at your hard tone. “That’s not what I’m saying.” 
“Well, it’s what I’m hearing.” 
An impasse is reached, and Wanda wishes nothing more than to retract her statements and start all over again. 
“Why do I keep fucking this up?” you’re scarcely able to hear Wanda talk, more directly to herself than you.
You release a ragged breath and speak out, “You’re not fucking up anything, Wanda. There’s nothing to fuck up in the first place because we’re not supposed to expect anything from each other anymore, remember?”
Wands nods in understanding. “It just feels like I keep saying the wrong thing.”
You consider her words for a moment. “Maybe it’s because I keep waiting for you to.”
Wanda looks up at you with wide, limpid eyes. “So I am walking on eggshells.” 
“You don’t have to though. You can’t always worry about what will set me off. Let me worry about that.” 
“I’m scared, Y/N,” Wanda whispers. “I’m scared I’ll say one wrong thing and I won’t hear from you again for a long time. I mean, I just… I just found you. Inadvertently, if I may add.”
“I-I get where you’re coming from, and I don’t blame you for feeling that way,” you say. “But I can’t promise that I won’t disappear when something happens.”
Wanda hums and you lick your lips.
“I have thought about it.” you say, in spite of the delicate timing. 
She looks skeptical. “Thought about…?”
“Us,” you motion between yourself and her. “Being friends.”
“Oh,” Wanda tries not to sound disappointed. The problem is she wants too much too soon. And she needs to work on that or else she ruins her chance with you. “And?”
You’re nothing but truthful when you say, “And I miss the comfort of having you as a friend.” 
“Me too,” Wanda whispers thickly as you both share a meaningful look.
Maybe someday, she can have everything she has lost. 
Just not all at once.
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9w1ft · 1 month
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I'm a gaylor myself so this isn't coming from a place of hate but I really don't think karlie and taylor are still together, I think taylor still references her in her art and probably will for quite some time because that relationship -- whatever the nature of it was -- left such a deep impact on her. but I really can't see them still being together, I think she's forced herself to move on from karlie and has since dated a lot of other women. that doesn't mean her feelings for karlie have faded, just that they will probably always be there but they broke up for sure before 2019, I think. folklore and evermore, midnights even, are all breakup albums, I just can't see how they could still be together. especially all her anger and sadness in those songs that are thought of to be for karlie (like my tears ricochet or exile or mad woman) also the cover art being shoot in bedfords, new york, the exact same place where karlie got married feels more like taylor revisiting this place to really say goodbye and mourn her for one last final time so she can move on
sorry, this got a bit long, I just don't understand the appeal or the reasoning for lsk's because taylor has indicated so many times that they are over, she's been mourning her relationship with karlie quite publicly since 2019 (wearing all black during the lover era) so yeah
hi! i don’t usually respond to these but i’m not sensing any ill will so i’ve decided to give a reply a go.
first off, for me, i kinda just interpret her wearing black in the back end of lover era because her masters had gotten bought by scooter. and maybe the fact that she decided to not come out. there can be other reasons, but i really do not think that her breaking up with karlie has to be one of them.
another thing i can’t shake is the fact that it was a very notorious troll/manipulative person on tumblr who spread the first rumor that they broke up in 2019, a fact that is well understood by a lot of OG’s, and this troll got in the head of a few popular kaylor and gaylor swift accounts at the time and in doing so she got a lot of people to fold. she then went on to write all this progressively unhinged fanfiction about taylor and karlie trying to make one another jealous and sleeping with all these women, presented with the same level of seriousness with which she pushed the breakup agenda. even to this day, i see present day gaylors talk about stuff that stems from narratives this account and a few other power hungry accounts spread around many years ago and it honestly just goes to show how a lot of well known gaylors may be platformmed up but that don’t really know what they’re talking about.. i only write this because the troll deactivated about a year ago (maybe they’re lurking on platforms with more malleable minds—once a troll always a troll—but at least they’ve left here), they were a really dangerous person.. and several have wild receipts to prove it.
anyways sorry i recognize that’s a tangent, i guess what i mean to say by it is, a lot of the sentiment surrounding the idea of a 2019 breakup and the reinforcement of the narrative by a gaylor community none the wiser stems from the work of someone with disingenuous intentions. a lot of “masterposts” or “realistic timelines” draw from what this person made up and it’s gone through enough filters for it to seem like credible sentiment but like, if you were there and you read all of what she wrote you know how silly it all sounded and how incoherently it was all written.
okay so to circle back to more of a content-centric angle, in my interpretation of the events that gave us folklore, evermore, and midnights, taylor had so much to be sad about. her mom had been very sick, the pandemic arrived and she had to cancel lover fest, she had to come to terms with scott b having sold her work to her sworn enemy… songs on midnights and folklore, and on her lover era apple music playlist allude to certain other things that may have had her in a mournful mood. things were bad! and i don’t doubt that her and karlie have been through a lot. but for me, when you’ve got a ride or die love, you don’t just break up. this has been something frustrating for me and others, i think, to see so many people treat a relationship as either being all systems go or broken up, as if long term partners can’t experience sadness together, difficulty together, even heartbreak together.
i don’t like getting in to touchy subjects so much but there’s just been too much pointing towards what i consider to be a rather simple narrative that is a natural progression for people committed and in love. how did the lover music video begin and end? whats a randomly specific word in a song she performed at the grammys minutes after someone was announced to the world? what about taylor’s envisioned future stands out about the anti hero music video? i think i’ll stop here but idk man 😆 poke around my archive if you feel like wasting a few days of your life… there’s just been a consistent flow of the same kind of hijinks that we’ve seen from them for years, and i’d say that there are many songs that back up everything i’d want in order to stay invested in seeing if what i believe is true.
now, i know i just wrote what reads like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to people not following kaylor. but im okay with that. i’ve accepted that. and i know that the whole patterns and koincidences and twinning and symbolism beat isn’t for everyone and so i respect people’s decisions to believe they aren’t together, but in closing i’ll just say im sometimes at a loss to see time and time again people suggest that kaylors believe in kaylor because they find it appealing or because they want to ship it. when it’s literally not that— it just makes the most sense to a lot of us!
also, does this look like the face of someone mourning?
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lupiningwolves · 8 months
Text
Teasing | S.Rogers x fem!reader
summary: teasing steve leads to him snapping
warnings: Dom!Steve x Sub!fem!reader, smut, Sir kink, degradation, praise, male and female masturbation, light choking, light breeding, cumming inside, unprotected piv
guess i‘m back? not proofread btw
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“Don’t you think that this is a bad idea?”
Sam didn’t need to say that. You were able to feel the tension in his shoulders and the fear that radiated from him. Still, he fulfilled his best friend duties and helped you. Though he was right and this was probably the worst idea you ever had in your entire life
To be fair, it was Steve’s own fault. His idea to agree with Tony on this celebration party in a club somewhere in New York. His idea to ask you to be his date. His idea of what you should wear. His idea to tease you by small touches and smirks and dark looks. And definitely his idea to not interact with you otherwise. He knew what he was doing. He had smirked every time you pressed down your thighs together after he touched you.
Now, the tables have turned. You had discarded your jacket, now revealing the little of an outfit you wore and asked Sam to go to the dance floor with you. He had agreed way before he saw the death stare his friend gave him.
“Don’t be silly, Sam. What could possibly happen?” To you, Sam. There was a lot to happen to you, though—at least you hoped so. You and Steve had been teasing each other forever to the point that you weren’t possible to give yourself the much needed release anymore. And Steve knew. God, he so did. And he got off on the way you tried everything to get a reaction out of him.
It surely seemed like you did now. He watched you from the table as Tony and Clint talked about something he definitely was not listening to. His had that rested on the table was balled into a fist, his eyes filled with lust and jealousy. It wouldn’t take much longer for him to get up, drag you out of here and fuck you.
“Are you really sure that-“ Sam stopped mid-sentence when you slung your arms around his neck and pulled him closer towards you. “What the fuck are you doing?”
You moved your face to the other side of his head, where Steve couldn’t be sure what you were doing. “Just relax, I’m this won’t be much longer. Put you hands on my-“
Before you could finish your sentence you were pulled off of Sam and dragged out of the club. You looked back over your shoulder when Sam stood, head shaking and grinning. Then, you looked up the the person on your right. Steve looked furious, which only increased the wetness pooling in your underwear.
His hand gripped your upper arm tightly when he opened the door to his car for you. Never had you been driven around New York so quickly. “You just had to be a little slut, didn’t you?”, Steve asked harshly and opened the door to his room in the tower. “Desperate little girl.”
“I just ended what you started. I think you should thank me.” Oh, so someone would help you.
Steve gripped your neck and squeezed. “It had only taken a little ‘please’ from you and I would’ve made this so much more pleasurable for you. But apparently, the idea never crossed your mind. Or you just wanted to be treated like the whore you are.” He let go of your neck and threw his jacket somewhere into the room. “Clothes off. On the bed.”
You did like he had asked in record time and lied down on the bed. Steve had gotten rid of his shirt, revealing his muscular chest. “Steve, please.”
“Now’s not the time to start with the begging. You should’ve done that a lot earlier, baby”, he said and stood in front of the bed. “I think seeing as you were a bad girl, you should be punished. Denied what you want most.” His lips turned up into a devilish grin as your eyes widened. “Make yourself cum, otherwise I won’t touch you.”
“Steve-”
“Wrong”, he interfered sternly. “Adress me properly, baby.”
Your eyes rolled back at his words and your hands involuntary found their way to your dripping core. “Sir”, you breathed. “You know I can’t do that.”
“You should’ve thought about that a lot sooner, then. Get going, we haven’t got all day.”
Fuck, maybe it was possible to do that if he continued with his words. You started teasing your clit, head already throwing back. Everything was sensitive, especially now that Steve was watching. Your other hand gripped your tits and squeezed and massaged.
You were already moaning and shutting your eyes after a few touches. You pushed two fingers inside of you, whereupon a particular moan erupted in the room. But it wasn’t yours. You opened your eyes to see Steve standing naked now, his semi-hard cock in his hand.
A whole new wave of arousal came over you. “Sir, please, j-just touch me. Let me touch you.”
“No, baby. Be a good girl and continue. If you’re good I’ll fuck you afterwards.”
At the thought your fingers sped up, trying as hard as possible for your filthiest dream to come true. Much to your surprise, it didn’t take much long for you to reach the point where you were able to cum already. It was probably the way Steve had jerking himself off, throwing his head back here and there, but always looking at you and keeping eye contact.
Something about all it was forbidden arousing, having you ready to cum—just like he had asked. “G-Gonna cum, Sir. Please let me.”
“Already? I thought you said you couldn’t do it.” His eyes were fixated on your fingers as they sped up again, bringing you so close to the edge. “Go on, be a good girl and cum all over your fingers.”
And you did. You felt yourself clench around your fingers and let out a series of loud moans. Still, you kept your eyes open and watched how Steve admired his view.
In a moment of content, you let your eyes fall shut for a second while you pulled your fingers out of your dripping pussy. Steve had used this to his advantage, got on the bed and thrusted into you in one hard thrust.
Your eyes flew open in shock, immediately whimpering at the stretch. “Fuck, baby, always so fucking tight”, he moaned. “My good slut.”
You rapidly nodded, watching how Steve’s cock pumped inside you. “Mhm, s’good, Sir.”
“Yeah? Feel good, baby?”
You nodded, throwing your head back when Steve grabbed your waist and took you at a different angle. That allowed him to hit this specific spot inside of you, making your legs shake and mind cloud. Every time he pushed his cock back inside of you, an unidentified noise escaped your mouth.
You had stopped registering anything else than the pleasure and Steve’s word a long time ago. Now, you felt the edge building in your stomach again, there was just a little something missing.
“Please, Sir, m-more”, you mumbled and gripped his biceps.
Steve smirked down at you, knowing exactly knowing what you wanted. “What do you need, baby? Hm? Tell me or else I can’t help you.” You mumbled something incoherent. “C’mon, be a good girl.”
You couldn’t talk anymore, simply grabbing his wrist and placing his hand around your throat, closing his fingers with yours. It was like something had snapped inside him. He closed his hand tightly, a little oxygen still making its way. He pounded even harder into you, his other hand circling your clit.
“Needa cum, Sir”, you said. “Please, p-please, cum.”
“Do it, baby. Right behind you.”
You fell over the edge the second he finished his sentence. You were still shaking around him, because he was pounding into you restlessly, trying to chase his own high. “Where do you want my-“
“Inside”, you answered before he could finish his sentence.
With one last thrust, he spilled his seed inside of you. “Look at that, baby. You think anyone else would’ve bred you this beautifully?”
“No, Sir. Only you.”
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The devil in disguise
Matt Murdock x fem!Reader
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summary || You are the sweet innocent daughter of Wilson Fisk who has fallen in love with Matt Murdock. Unaware of their private lives, you introduce them.
word count || 2.7k
warnings || nothing really, just a bit angsty. brief mention of violence & blood
a/n || hii, I hope you all enjoy this. I spent a very long time writing and rewriting it. I don’t want to sound like a beg, but Id be very thankful if you gave feedback. this is based on a request. much love💌
masterlist + rules
taglist
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Being an artist in New York was a tough job, a city where everyone wanted the same thing- opportunity. In the beginning, you had a bit of a tough run with selling your pieces, you wanted people to buy them because they loved your art and not because of the connections to your well-known father. You loved your dad, but you wanted to do this on your own. You wanted your gallery to be something that you made, not your father.
So after a couple of years, spending hundreds of hours curating your artwork, you were finally able to display them in a mini store that you converted into a gallery.
You have only been open one day and things were already flying off the shelves, selling your most loved artwork for thousands of dollars apiece.
Today, your boyfriend of six months, will finally be meeting your dad at your gallery. You wanted to share this special time with the two people that meant the most to you. Unlocking the doors, your arm linked into Matt’s, leading him through the shop of your most prized work.
“Pass your hand.” You say sweetly, taking his hand in yours. Laying it flat against the canvas on the wall, directing his hand to brush along the mixed media. “You inspired me for this one.” You smile. “If you feel here. There’s a message… I indented the canvas to make braille, and if I got it right… it should say something.” Watching the way his lips turned into a smile.
The bell rings at the door, immediately diverting your attention. “Hello princess.” Your dad greets you, pulling you in for a hug.
“Hi.” You smile, pulling apart to introduce your boyfriend who was looking around uneasily. “Dad, this is Matt, Matt, this is my dad.” You sweetly grin, looking between them with gleaming eyes.
“Pleasure.” He greets your boyfriend, firmly shaking Matt’s hand.
“Good to meet you, sir.” Matt smiles forcefully.
Excitedly screeching, gazing between the two. “Okay- I can’t wait anymore, let me show you around.” Grabbing Matt’s hand to lead him. “Dad follow me.”
You showed them throughout the whole gallery, talking endlessly about the inspiration behind each piece of work, chatting their ears off about every detail.
“Excuse me one moment.” Your dad announces, walking into the back room to answer his phone call.
Matt inconspicuously pulls you aside now that it was just the two of you. “You never told me his name…” Matt quietly asks.
“Oh my goodness- sorry, I completely forgot. It’s Wilson. Sorry, that must’ve been really uncomfortable.” You apologise, placing a sweet kiss on Matt’s now tense cheek. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah- I’m fine. Just you know, meeting your dad.” He partially lies.
“I’m sorry princess, I’ve got to go.” Wilson enters the room, glancing between you and Matt with questioning eyes. His stare penetrated the side of Matt’s face.
“Dad?” You warned, disguising it with a cough. Noticing the way he was looking at Matt.
“Right. I’ll see you soon.” He kisses your cheek before leaving. “If you hurt my little girl…” he turns around to warn, focusing in on your perturbed boyfriend.
-
Matt has been uneasy around you ever since the day at the gallery a few days ago. You thought it was because your dad frightened him with that scolding, but you didn’t know if it was just that or if there was something else to it. You haven’t seen him since then either, he avoided all your texts and calls, replying hours later with ‘sorry, I was on a case’ or ‘I couldn’t find my phone.’
You had spent the day at your gallery doing inventory and rearranging pieces, quietly enjoying the day to yourself. Taking a seat on the sofa by the wide glass window, zoning out as you gaze at the busy city. Aimlessly scanning around until you notice something out the corner of your eye. It was a car you had seen dozens of times over the last couple of months. You tried not to look at it for too long, never wanting the person inside to acknowledge your awareness.
You picked up an art magazine from the coffee table, opening it and raising it to your face. Peeking your eyes over the top to get a better look at the number plate, and to no surprise, it was the same one you had been seeing everywhere.
Startling yourself when the door opens, the bell ringing obnoxiously. Dropping the magazine, you see your father by the entrance with a solemn expression.
“You okay?” You ask nervously, walking over to him.
“I have some news.” He frowns, gesturing for you to take a seat.
“What is it? You’re scaring me.” Scanning your dad's face for answers.
“I don’t want you to hate me...”
“I won’t, what’s up, tell me.” You push once more.
“I did some digging…” Wilson trails off.
“Yeah?”
“Your boyfriend…”
“What about him?” You snap, desperately needing answers.
“I’m afraid he’s not someone you should trust…Here…” Pulling out his phone to show you a clip.
Staring at the video confused. “I don’t get it- what is it?” Darting your eyes between him and the screen.
“That’s… Daredevil.”
“Yeah, so?”
“That’s your boyfriend…” he says slowly. Masking his lies.
“No, it’s not.” Shaking your head.
“It is. ‘The devil of Hell’s Kitchen’ or whatever he calls himself. He’s a vigilante… and he’s dangerous… he…” he starts.
“‘He’ what?”
“It’s too much...” He closes his eyes, avoiding your surveying gaze.
“Please just tell me.” You plead.
“He… killed your mother.” Intensely staring at the floor.
“What-? Why are you telling me this?” Walking away in disbelief, pacing around. “Why would you say that?”
“There are more videos.” Extending his phone.
“No! I don’t want to see it. How can he do that? Seriously, how? He’s blind.” You defend.
“He was lying about that… it was a cover.”
“Let me see the video.” You demand, snatching the phone from his hand.
Anxiously fiddling with the hem of your dress as you watched the clip of your boyfriend in the red suit. You couldn’t believe your eyes- you didn’t want to believe them.
“I’ve seen enough.” Sliding the phone along the coffee table.
“I’m sorry. I’ll get out of the way.” He frowns, sitting up and leaving without a single look back.
-
You had decided to close the shop early, feeling too confused to want to be anywhere but home. Right now you wanted nothing more than to slump into the couch and watch shitty tv with a big bag of chips.
When you return to your apartment building, panic settles in when you notice the car again. Unlocking the door with shaky hands, trying your best to keep them still.
“Allow me.” A male voice says from behind. Immediately shuddering and dropping the keys.
“I’m sorry.” Turning around to look at the man. “Just a long day.”
“I’m sorry, that must’ve been really hard.”
“Yeah.” You exhale, disguising it in a laugh. “Thanks” taking the keys from his hand. “Do you- uh, live around here?” You ask, anxiously looking around.
“No, I was here to see a friend. But I saw you struggling so had to help.” He smiles. “And you are…?”
Telling him your name with a friendly smile.
“I’m Dex.” Shaking your hand. “Good to meet you… I’ll uh- see you around.”
After a long hot bath and take-out dinner, you lump yourself onto the couch. Pulling out your phone to see numerous missed calls from Matt. Deciding not to engage, you place it aside.
Frantic knocks pound at your door that startle you upright. Quietly walking over, peeking through the peephole to see Matt anxiously pacing around.
“What?” You snap, whipping the door open.
“I came to see you… you wouldn’t answer my calls.” He gushes, smiling apologetically.
“Not so nice is it?” You say snidely.
“No-“
You cut him off. “I’m not in the mood right now. What do you want?”
“You scared me- you didn’t answer, I thought something bad had happened-” He continues, catching his breath.
Interrupting him again. “Are you actually blind?”
He flashes a confused look, head tilting to the side as if to understand you better. “Yes. Why would you ask that?”
“Wait a second- how did you get here?” You ask, finally putting the pieces together. “If you can’t see… then how did you run here?” You question with a stern whisper, not wanting your neighbours to hear.
“Can I come in?” He asks, avoiding your question.
“No, you can answer from out there.” Placing your hands over his chest to stop him from coming any further.
“What’s going on?” He questions, his face looking puzzled.
“Why don’t you tell me?”
“… I don’t know.”
“Who are you?”
His mouth opens but no words are made, gazing at you with his eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?” He snarks, walking past you and into your apartment.
“I didn’t say you can come in.” Forcefully closing the door to follow Matt into your living room.
“Where’s this coming from?” He sadly questions, taking a polite seat on your armchair.
“I saw my dad today…” you start.
He gives you a nod to tell you he’s listening.
“He told me something and… I don’t know.” Burying your head in your hands.
“What’s wrong?” He asks sweetly, rushing over to the seat next to you to console you. Gently stroking over your back.
“Please just tell me who you are.” You quietly ask, your words muffling against your palms.
He deeply sighs, brushing his spare hand through his hair. “I think you know...”
Your back stiffens and your neck twists around to stare holes into Matt’s closed eyes. “You’re ‘him’? You’re Daredevil?” You speak quietly as if to soften the blow. “He was right.” You mumble to yourself.
“Who was right?” He questions.
“My dad- he showed me a video… you’re the devil of Hell’s Kitchen? You killed my mom?” You ask, almost rhetorically.
“Wait a sec-“ he interjects. “I don’t kill anyone.” Shaking his head.
“So you are him?”
“Yeah- but that’s not me.” His face grimaces at the thought. “That’s why I’ve been busy…”
“What do you mean?” You ask warmly as if the haze was clearing and you could finally see a few pieces to the puzzle.
“Your dad… he showed you the clip?”
“Mhm.” You mumble, listening intently.
“Was the person in the suit wearing red?”
“Yeah, like a- like a dark red.” Ears pulling back with intrigue.
“I know this might not make any sense right now, but I need you to understand… I don’t wear that red suit anymore- not after midland circle. That person… he isn’t me.” His face looks as though he’s thinking. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.” You reply instantly, not once giving it a second thought because it was the truth.
“I think your dad is framing me.”
“Why?”
“I think he knows who I am, and is setting me up.” Placing a gentle hand on your knee.
“Why would he do that?” You question.
“Because he’s not just a businessman.” He says, almost as if he’s regretting it already. Not wanting to ruin your perception of your father.
“What is he?” Searching his face for more answers.
“I can’t do that to you.” He says sadly, stroking your confused face. “Just… in your phone, type in ‘Kingpin, Hell’s Kitchen’.”
Immediately opening your phone, typing into the search engine, instantly overwhelmed by the dozens of articles. Clicking the top one, reading through an article from the New York Bulletin. Your eyes darting over the words, as your heart thumps in your chest.
Matt laces his hand into yours, stroking his thumb over your skin to calm you down.
“My dads a crimelord?” You question in almost disbelief.
“I’m sorry.” He emphatically comforts, hating the idea of you feeling betrayed by your father.
“How did you know?”
“I’ve been after him for years…“
“Is that why you’re with me?” You sadly ask, already thinking the worst.
“No.” He gushes, cupping your cheek. “God, no. I only found out at your gallery the other day.” He reassures, sweetly brushing over your cheek. ���Please come and stay with me for a few days. I don’t think it’s safe here…”
“Can I ask you something?” You almost whisper. Mind is racing and struggling to keep up with everything that’s happened over the last few hours.
“Of course, anything.” Gently placing a stray strand of hair behind your ear and then cupping your jaw.
“If you’re daredevil- the real one… are you really blind? Or is that a cover?”
“I am blind, I lost my sight when I was nine.”
“You can say no, of course. But, I don’t think you’ve actually told me how you lost it. I don’t want to push you, and you can stop me from talking because I feel like I’m blabbering-“
Sweetly smiling at the way you were so considerate with your delivery. “No no, it’s okay.” He interrupts.
Matt thought it was finally time to give you a look into his past, telling you every minor and major event that has happened in his life. Stories about his dad, St Agnes, Maggie, his abilities, what he does as Daredevil, and even about Fisk.
-
Matt was waiting patiently on the couch while you finished packing your bags; throwing in anything and everything you might need over the next few days.
“I’m ready.” You smile, lugging your bags by the front door.
“You left a light on in there.” Nodding to your en-suite.
Rushing to the bathroom to flick the switch, returning with a grin. “That is amazing.”
Flashing you a wide grin in response, collecting the heaviest bag and throwing it over his shoulder.
When you exit the building, you do a quick look around the street, quickly observing everything. Across the road you spot the car again, squinting your eyes to double-check the number plate. Matt doesn’t know about your potential stalker, to be honest, you didn’t want to worry him. But now you know he’s capable, you decide to finally tell him.
Discreetly covering your mouth to hide what you were about to say. “Matt.” You whisper. “That car… I see it all the time.”
“What do you mean?” He asks, barely moving his lips as he purposely twisted his head to look around.
“I think it’s been following me.”
His face grows stern and rigid, looking as though he’s calculating the situation. Placing your bags to the floor, taking a step onto the sidewalk. Immediately grabbing his arm to stop him from walking any further.
“No- don’t go over.” You plead, trying your hardest to stop him freeing from your grip.
“Wait there.” He sweetly instructs, shaking himself from your grasp.
“No, I’m coming with you.” Chasing after him.
Matt pulls out his stick, tapping it against the ground as he walked down the street, looking around aimlessly until he ‘accidentally’ bumps into the car. The person inside slides down the window “watch it, man.”
“My apologies, I don’t suppose you know the way to Josie’s bar. It’s just… you know.” Raising his arm to show the man his cane.
Watching from the side, you see a familiar man in the wing mirror. Immediately walking over, following after your legs that had a mind of their own.
“Dex?” You question, head tilting to the side in confusion.
He coughs, lowering his cap to hide his face. Stammering on his words.
Matt’s ears pull back in concentration, listening intently. Reaching his hand inside the car, gripping Dex’s neck and yanking him towards the window. Hitting his head with his free hand, as he pulled him through the window and out of the car. “Who are you?” He demands, landing another strike to his face. Instead, he doesn’t do anything, he just tauntingly laughs, purposely trying to provoke Matt.
“Enough.” You shout, pulling Matt off Dex who was laughing hysterically on the floor, blood dripping from his cheek.
“What the fuck was that about?” You grit, ushering him away.
“That’s Special Agent Poindexter.” He starts. Straighten his tie and adjusting his glasses, linking his arm into yours, acting nonchalant.
“Am I supposed to know what that means?” You whisper shout, quickly looking over your shoulder check on Dex who was splayed out on the sidewalk.
“Fisk hired him. If I’m right, and I’m sure I am… he’s pretending to be me.” Leading you across the street, and back to your apartment building.
“Wait a second…” letting go of Matt’s arm and halting in your tracks.
“That video my dad showed me… it was a CCTV clip…” pausing as if to complete your thought. “It was outside of my mom’s house… and…” face contorting at the idea. “He had my mom killed?”
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sorry for the cliffhanger!! I wasn’t sure how to end this and was hoping that some of you guys could maybe give some ideas. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with Fisk and Dex, and how Matt would work into it. but if you have any ideas I’d love to hear them. I will be doing a part 2, just need some help from you angels first
I think it’s because I’ve been working on this so long my mind has turned to mush😭
but thank you for reading, hope you liked it🤍
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defectivevillain · 4 months
Text
judgment by the hounds
pairing: Loki Laufeyson & Reader (can be read as platonic or romantic; reader's race is ambiguous and gender/pronouns are unspecified)
summary:
Loki is captured and held in S.H.I.E.L.D. captivity. However, he doesn’t attempt to break free right away. Instead, he bides his time by waiting for something—or, more accurately, someone.
You’re an FBI agent called in by S.H.I.E.L.D. to interrogate their newest prisoner, Loki Laufeyson.
word count: 5.6k | ao3 version
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warnings: blood, injury & gore typical to SotL; manipulation & mind games
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I thought about writing this as I was reading Silence of the Lambs — I imagined questioning Loki & having a similar dynamic with him during his temporary imprisonment. There aren’t any explicit references to SoL in here, but I wanted to include it as a fandom tag because Hannibal & Clarice’s dynamic really inspired this fic.
This is not canon compliant, and there will likely be some discrepancies. Just pretend this is an alternate timeline. :>
The title of this fic is from I’m Your Man by Mitski. The lyrics “I’ll meet judgment by the hounds… People always gave me love… Others were never to blame after all… You believe me like a god, I’ll betray you like a man” felt pretty relevant to this fic.
The reader is racially ambiguous, gender is ambiguous, and pronouns aren't used. warnings: canon-typical violence and gore (typical to SotL)
thanks anna (@pinocchiospissrock) for the beta! (any remaining mistakes are mine.) luv u and so excited to see u soon!!!! <333
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If you told your younger self that your criminal investigative work would’ve earned you a conversation with the legendary Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., your younger self would have laughed. The mere thought would be preposterous. Fury is the face of the entire organization, and the founder of the Avengers! What would a mere FBI agent like yourself do to even earn a moment with him, let alone a full conversation? 
Apparently, you’re becoming somewhat renowned for your investigative work. You’ve always avoided the press—otherwise you would have noticed your name cropping up in cases with big profiles in the public eye. You would’ve noticed that you were slowly starting to get more and more credit for your accomplishments; you would’ve been able to connect the dots between Nick Fury—desperate for information and willing to do anything to get it—and you—an FBI agent rising in the ranks for important work with the Behavioral Analysis Unit and Jack Crawford. 
Despite these recognitions, however, you can’t quite believe that you’re being flown to the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in New York City to speak with Nick Fury. Truly, this feels like some kind of fever dream. As you’re escorted through the high-level security installments on the ground floor of the building, you can’t shake the feeling that you’re not meant to be here. This must be some kind of mistake, you’re thinking to yourself, even as you’re given a visitor ID badge. You’re led into a glass elevator that rises to the twentieth floor, through a cold stone hall and even more security installments. Eventually, you come face-to-face with a nondescript wooden door. The security guard knocks on the door and opens it for you, revealing a clean and modern space with black leather furniture and an array of windows (bulletproof and likely very durable) overlooking the street below. There is a figure seated at the grand desk in the center of the room. Nick Fury looks up at the sudden disturbance, his brown eye immediately assessing your form before moving to the guard in the doorway. He nods and the guard steps out of the room, closing the door behind them. 
“Agent, have a seat,” Fury offers. It’s an order, not a simple statement. You comply immediately and Fury raises an eyebrow. For a long moment, tension settles in the air as Nick Fury unsubtly scrutinizes you. Fury puts a contemplative hand on his chin and stares at you. Despite the eye patch covering his left eye, his menacing gaze is enough to send a shiver down your spine. 
“I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here,” Fury remarks vaguely. You nod. “I need you to do something for me.” You raise an eyebrow. When he continues, any confidence you gained from the notion of him requesting something of you promptly fades from existence. He tells you about a god with a penchant for mischief that borders on cruelty—about a devastating attack on New York City that left thousands injured and hundreds dead. You had heard about the attack on the news, but you had too much going on to truly process what you were seeing. Fury tells you that this trickster, a Norse god by the name of Loki, is currently in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most secure containment. It’s clear S.H.I.E.L.D. is desperate for information, otherwise they wouldn’t be bringing you in for something like this—this is far above your pay grade. Norse gods were never mentioned in your training at Quantico.
“Loki has been largely uncooperative,” Fury continues, immune to the emotional whiplash you’re currently experiencing. “We needed to try a different approach.” He looks at you after that. “Can you do this?” You take a slow breath in. Do you really have a choice? 
“Yes, sir,” you respond. Fury regards you for another second, before evidently deciding that your answer is satisfactory. He then hands you a device, which appears to be a pass that allows you entrance into the high-security cells. It’s an effective dismissal. You take it and murmur a word of thanks, before stepping out of the room. With the security guard’s guidance, you’re able to learn the location of the high-security prison and you take another elevator ride. When the doors ding, a giant metronome sounds off in your head. You can’t go back now, you think to yourself as you cross the threshold of the elevator and step towards the reinforced metal door with a fingerprint and retinal scanner. You glance at the guard, who nods and urges you to continue. Somehow, in the brief time that you spoke with Fury, your information is registered in the system and your name appears on screen after it scans your finger. You then lean down and allow the machine to scan your retina, before a blue light flashes once. You frown at the door, before seeing a screen flashing on the left side. You push the pad to the screen and the door clicks, swinging open ominously.  
You take a step forward and leave the door open, expecting for the guard to follow you. They shoot you a disbelieving look and take a step backwards, letting the door fall shut. You’re left alone in a hallway reminiscent of a steel prison. As you slowly walk down the narrow path between iron bars, you feel hard gazes boring into your very skin. Someone jeers at you. You keep walking until you reach the solitary cell at the end of the hall. For the first time since entering the space, you allow yourself to look up—only to look into the glimmering green eyes of Loki Laufeyson. 
Safe to say, Fury neglected to mention that Loki would be the single most intimidating individual you’ve ever had the misfortune and displeasure to meet. Staring at him through the thick walls of glass, you’re suffocated with a sudden, intense dread. Even if Fury hadn’t given you any background on him, you’re sure you still would’ve been able to surmise this man’s maleficence and cruelty. He has long dark hair, sharp features, and a positively malevolent grin on his face. 
“Hello,” you murmur guardedly. The thick walls of glass aren’t enough to ensure you of your safety—that attentive gaze cuts straight through your skin and sinks deep into the bone. The god raises an eyebrow at you, pausing for a moment to allow you the opportunity to turn tail and run away. You very nearly take the gifted opportunity, before you remember that information on the invasion could save lives.
“Are you lost?” Loki asks, regarding you with as much respect as someone regards a pebble beneath their feet. Your hands are ever so slightly trembling from your sides and you stuff your hands in your pockets, suddenly feeling the need to keep yourself occupied. 
“No,” You eventually reply. You decide to introduce yourself, before raising your eyebrows at the god in return. You resist the urge to ask him to introduce himself. You know who he is, and you would likely end up insulting him with the question anyway. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to be very careful around him. The slightest word or provocation would lose the information for good. Why are you being called in for this, again?
“What could possibly have possessed Fury to send a mere agent such as yourself to speak with me?” The god questions, echoing your very own thoughts. You take a deep breath and try to steel your nerves. 
“I’m a criminal investigator,” you respond, once your tongue is no longer ironed to the roof of your mouth. “I’ve spent most of my life studying how criminal types think and what motivates them. I want to ask you a few questions.”
“Interesting,” Loki hums. He doesn’t seem the least bit intrigued; rather, he appears incredibly bored. “And you think this Midgardian experience is enough to grant you a conversation with me? You know nothing of who I am and what I am capable of.” 
You want to be surprised, but you expected something along those lines. A brief white-hot fury overtakes you as you remember the tension in Fury’s shoulders, the withdrawn tone in his voice, how he seemed to expect you to fail. Everyone is expecting you to fail. “I know enough,” you respond, before you can contemplate the consequences of doing so.  In truth, Fury had given you Loki’s file earlier. He also left you with a few words of warning. You manage to tear yourself away from your conversation with Fury and focus on what you viewed in Loki’s file. The information comes to mind within seconds. “You caused quite the scene in Germany. I suspect that was the intention.” There is no acknowledgement that he’s even listening to you, save for the intense gaze that seems to be dissecting you for his own amusement. 
The words slip from your tongue before you can stop them. “You’re the adopted son of Odin and Frigga, and the brother of Thor. Your real father is Laufey, the Frost Giant King. You’re the God of Mischief. And you’re a constant thorn in the side of the Avengers and Nick Fury.”
“Those are just the facts,” you conclude. You’re met with nothing but silence. There’s an undercurrent of expectation in the air, as if he’s waiting for you to continue. You grit your teeth. Somehow, you have his attention now. It would be best if you didn’t lose it. “As for my first impressions… You’re manipulative, obviously. Cunning and clever. Selfish, extremely controlling. You derive pleasure from other people’s pain. You enjoy being the chessmaster—manipulating your pawns and discarding them the moment they’ve fulfilled their purpose.”
“Beneath all that, you’re frighteningly human. Jealousy, envy, a visceral desire for Odin’s approval, and a thirst for power… You delight in your darkest urges and scorn any of the ones that come close to resembling even a hint of genuine emotion.”
“Now will you answer my questions?” You finish. 
Loki’s head is down now. His shoulders are shaking and for a second, you think he’s crying. Then he raises his head, revealing a twisted grin on his face. “No one has possessed the courage to talk to me in such a manner in millenia,” the god remarks, his hands clasped behind his back. He takes a step forward and inspects you through the glass. You remember your fear from earlier. “Who are you, exactly?”
“I’ve already told you,” you answer. You’ve done this song and dance before, and you have enough experience to know nothing good comes from giving a criminal your name. In the few rare instances in which it seemed that they simply wouldn’t give in, you would give a fake name. You’re not foolish enough to try that with the God of Mischief, though. “Besides, that doesn’t matter. I’m here for information.” You repeat for what feels like the umpteenth time. 
“Oh, I’m well aware,” Loki says, studying you with scrutiny. Your skin crawls. Everything about this feels like a horrible idea. Not for the first time, you question why you were called in for this assignment. “I’m not allowed visitors otherwise—on account of the last one being found in his home with his throat slit.” There’s another flash of amusement in his eyes. 
“Fun,” you remark flatly. Your heart is racing out of your chest, but you know not to show your apprehension. Fear is Loki’s game. “Seriously, though. I assume you want to get out of here in the next millennium.” You remark. 
“Au contraire,” Loki replies. It takes you a few seconds to process what he says, and several more seconds to recall the translation: ‘On the contrary.’ You wait patiently for the god to continue.  “You don’t really think I’ll be released, do you? And don’t bother pretending otherwise—you don’t have the power or authority to make promises here.”
“I’m not sure why you’re entertaining conversation with me in the first place, then,” you reason. You feel lost in this conversation, admittedly. It’s taking an unhealthy amount of mental energy to keep yourself afloat in these verbal traps.
“Maybe I’m bored,” Loki drawls. In the fluorescent lighting beaming down on him, he looks every bit as royal as he is rumored to be. “Maybe I’m waiting for you to let your guard down, for your mental defenses to fade away and corrode into nothingness before my control slips into your psyche, forcing you to be a spectator as I pilot your body and mind.”
You stare at him for a moment, heart hammering away in your chest. Somehow, it’s that sentiment that cements the reality of the situation. You’re not qualified enough for whatever the hell this is. You’ve interrogated loads of criminals before, but they’ve never posed a legitimate physical and mental threat to you in the same manner that Loki does. You find yourself genuinely fearing for your safety as you stare at Loki’s glittering green eyes. 
As your heart races and you take a few steps backwards, you catch a sudden blur in your peripheral vision, before you’re struck with white-hot pain that flares up the left side of your face. You blink dazedly and bring a hand up to your left cheek, only to find blood splattered across your skin. There’s a jagged fragment resting on the floor near your foot—evidently the cause of the wound. You turn to the left, only to find the man from before clutching at the bars of his cell with ferocity—a crazed look in his eyes as he stares at you. Your gaze then falls to the porcelain toilet in the corner of his cell, with a notable chunk missing. That must’ve been where he got the shard. The side of your face is burning, hot blood trickling down your cheek. You press the back of your hand to the wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. Unsurprisingly, the wound doesn’t magically heal or stop bleeding. You grimace and set off down the hallway, intending to leave and find a first-aid kit. Just as your palm flattens on the door, Loki says your name. 
You pause, your cheek stinging. You feel Loki’s gaze at your back and you know you probably don’t have the luxury to continue walking away. Yet… you can’t bear to turn around. You open the door and walk away, unaware of the furious expression on Loki’s face. The security guard’s eyebrows climb up their face as they see the blood trickling down your face, but you simply hand them the keypad and walk away. 
You have nothing in lieu of information and a fresh, jagged cut on your cheek. You don’t expect to be called to the high-security cells again any time soon—not after that complete and utter failure. You leave S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters that day with a bandage on your cheek and wounded pride. The conversation with Loki keeps you up that night in your hotel room, as you turn over every statement in your head. There’s a notable disconnect between Loki’s words and his actions. Furthermore, if he’s truly so powerful, then why is he still contained? You know S.H.I.E.L.D. is well-equipped to handle villains, but Loki is a Norse god. Surely he could snap his fingers and transport himself somewhere else? If that’s the case, you can’t help but wonder why he hasn’t escaped yet. 
You avoid work the next few days to fully recover from the physical and mental injuries acquired that day. It’s nice to have some free time, but it is still somewhat dampened by the knowledge that you didn’t get any information from Loki. Fury is going to be, well, furious. 
Safe to say, you don’t expect to see Nick Fury on your doorstep one morning, a troubled expression on his face. You greet him and try to invite him in, but he remains outside. His dissecting gaze flits about your face, searching for something. “It’s been an interesting day, Agent,” he evidently decides to say.  
“How so?” You ask. Fury glances to his left and right, before taking a small step forward and leaning closer. 
“A prisoner in the high security area was murdered,” he murmurs, “He was found in his cell. It seems he was fed his own tongue before he choked and suffocated to death. Miggs. Awful guy, but… we had intended on getting more information from him.” Fury shakes his head. Meanwhile, you’re reeling. There’s no way the prisoner that was murdered was the same one who assaulted you earlier. That would be a truly troubling occurrence—one you’re not quite sure you could put down to coincidence. 
“Anyway…  I need you to speak with Loki again.” Fury continues, his expression serious. He raises an eyebrow upon seeing the slight shock that must be showing on your face. “You seem surprised.”
You nod. “I was under the impression that our conversation didn’t go well,” you decide to respond honestly. Fury seems to appreciate the truthfulness, although his eyebrows furrow and he takes a deep breath. 
There’s a beat of silence. “He’s refused to speak with anyone else we’ve sent,” Fury explains, “Since your last visit, he’s been exceptionally…Well. He asked for you specifically.”
What was Fury going to say just then? And, more importantly, did you even hear him correctly? Did Loki really ask to speak with you, even after the tense conversation you had? You’re immediately suspicious. 
“Listen,” Fury breaks off, looking conflicted and resolved all at once. “For whatever reason, he’s different with you. I’m not sure why, but whatever the reason, we need to take advantage. Loki has valuable information about the attack on New York.” 
“In reality, he asked for you a few days ago,” Fury continues, after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. You look over to him in surprise. “I refused. But… since then, he’s been extremely disagreeable—and we’re running out of time.”
“I’ll try to speak with him,” you answer. That’s the best you can promise. You certainly can’t promise that it’ll be a productive conversation, or that you’ll get any information from him. Indeed, the last discussion you had with Loki, it felt as if you were disclosing more information than he was. Still, the prospect seems to be good enough for Fury. 
“Thank you, Agent,” he nods, returning the keycard that grants access to the high security area. You take a deep breath and follow him back to his car, steeling your nerves as the city buildings pass before your vision. Once you reach the headquarters, you walk down the halls and head to the elevators. Fury and you part ways as he gets off the elevator, and he leaves you with a brief nod. 
It only takes a few steps in the hallway of the high-security cells for you to notice that something’s missing. A cell is empty—the same one that Miggs had occupied before. You feel dread coiling in your chest, yet you can’t stop yourself from taking a step closer and getting a better look at the empty cell. There’s blood splattered all across the ground—although it appears as if someone tried to clean it, since it bears a closer resemblance to dark brown than red. The sheets of the mattress are clean and the cell looks entirely untouched, save for the stains across the floor and the noticeable chunk missing from the toilet. 
Your attention is captured by the cell—so much so that you forget your company. “Ah, what a pleasant surprise,” Loki remarks, sending your heart racing as you remember his presence. You take a deep breath and tear your eyes away from the evidence of Miggs’s death. As you break the distance between Loki’s enclosure and you, you can’t help but shake the feeling that he had something to do with the death of Miggs. You don’t have any proof, but the awful feeling stirring in your gut certainly makes you question what you thought you knew. 
Loki clears his throat pointedly and you remember yourself. “You asked for me,” you then answer cautiously. 
“Yes, but I wasn’t sure if Fury would oblige,” Loki drawls, regarding you with mild amusement. You’re not sure what he thinks is entertaining, so you just pretend not to have noticed his smug grin. “He doesn’t seem to care for me much.”
“I’d argue most of us don’t,” you hear yourself blurt out. You really need a better filter, especially in a conversation as important as this one. If you want information from Loki, you’ll have to be nicer to him. Despite that thought, Loki is staring at you with the same amusement as before. There’s no sense that the insult even registered. 
“And yourself?” The god asks, once again reminding you that you’re the one at the mercy of the conversation. You grit your teeth and try to remain calm, despite the overwhelming feelings of inadequacy that threaten to send you down the hall. 
“What about me?” You raise an eyebrow. 
“You said most of us,” Loki says, “Does that include you?”
You don’t bother to dignify that question with a response. “What do you want?” He doesn’t respond and you resist the urge to exhibit any signs of your growing impatience. “You asked to speak with me—I’m assuming you want something.”
“I have information you want,” Loki states, his eyes boring into yours and sending a prickling sensation down your skin. His intense gaze is unnerving, and you feel as if you’re being intensely scrutinized. “You have information I want. I propose a trade.”
You’re not surprised by the remark, save for the idea that you have something he wants. “I’m not quite sure what information I could give you,” you frown, shifting your balance slightly to keep your body occupied. You cross your arms over your chest and pretend you don’t feel entirely vulnerable in front of Loki. 
“I’ll be the one to determine that,” the god says. His next statement is entirely unexpected. “Now, tell me about yourself, your childhood.”
“What?” You choke out. “About myself? I don’t see how that’s relevant.” You break off. Loki’s gaze is focused on you with burning intensity. You take a shuddering breath in and try to summon some information that isn’t dangerous for you to disclose. “I’m a criminal investigator—have been for years. I’m from around here, grew up here.” You end up settling for a mix of ambiguity and omission. Loki seems to pick up on it regardless. 
“Don’t lie to me.” His gaze is dark and dangerous. It suddenly feels as if the temperature dropped in the space around you. You’re pinned under the god’s watchful eyes. “I think I deserve more than that, don’t you?” You can’t find the words to answer. You have, once again, severely underestimated Loki’s capabilities. 
“Very well, then,” Loki murmurs some time later, after it’s clear that you’re unwilling to give him more information. His posture is effortlessly casual, but you know it’s just a façade. “I can start for you. You worked as a criminal investigator for years in your hometown, until you decided to become an FBI agent. With more responsibility came more criminals, and closer calls. Even so, you began to gain notoriety for your cases. Your name appears in more and more press coverage. Meanwhile, Nick Fury grows increasingly frustrated with me, with the lack of information. He sees you on the morning news and finds his perfect solution. He calls you here to New York, tells you that he needs you for this pivotal role. An exaggeration, of course.”
“You agree with his offer—surely, you don’t have any other choice. Meanwhile, Fury promptly forgets your existence, until he needs you once more. A tool in a toolbox is all you are to him. Why else would he send you to me? He doesn’t have faith in your abilities, Agent—he just needs bait.”
You know it’s true, but it still hurts. Truthfully, you had suspected the same thing; something about the Norse god speaking on your thoughts cements them in reality. Indeed, why else would Fury have called you in? There are plenty of high-ranking officials that would’ve been better suited for such a task. 
“You come in here and provoke me,” Loki continues, as if you aren’t even there. He seems entirely in his element as he paces about his cell. “I attack you, then break out of captivity. A group of agents lurks outside to interrupt my eventual escape. The whole thing is laughably predictable, really.” Your eyes widen as you realize just why the security guard lingered outside the door. They aren’t guarding the door—it’s secure enough on its own. They’re guarding you, waiting for you to fail and for Loki to escape. The thought sends a shiver down your spine. 
“And, of course, you have a visceral desire for Fury’s approval,” he continues, repeating what you said to him mere days ago. You feel as if a bucket of ice cold water was just dumped all over you, making you shiver and question everything you thought you knew. Are you really so formulaic? Have you been lured into a false sense of confidence these past few years? You try to grapple with these questions, while the god stares at you. “Am I ‘in the ballpark,’ as you mortals say?” There’s a sharp grin on Loki’s face that deeply unsettles you. 
It takes you several moments to collect your composure and find the words to say. “I think you know you are,” you respond, ignoring your heart pounding out of your chest. It’s unnerving that Loki could glean that much about you in such a short time span. Despite his obvious attempt at mockery, you know that you need to answer his questions if you want information. You keep silent and wait for Loki to continue. 
“Now, you still haven’t given me anything,” Loki reminds you, dispelling any hope that he may have forgotten. You feel extremely restless and steadily avoid his gaze, even when you feel his eyes practically tearing holes through your form. “So, I ask once more: what was your childhood like?”
You can’t afford to argue this time—not if you want information. The glint in Loki’s eyes grows brighter with each tidbit you give him. At his request, you tell him about your past—everything from your childhood home to the relationships you have with your family. Time becomes fickle and you don’t realize you’re oversharing until you glance down at your watch and see that far too much time has passed.  “That’s more than enough,” you interject some time later. You don’t feel as if you can truly grasp the severity of your actions just now. Even so, you know that you’ve given him too much ammunition. You pinch the bridge of your nose, feeling a headache developing. “It’s your turn.”
“Very well,” Loki responds, his lips parting to reveal a crooked smirk. The expression on his face confirms your suspicions that he was planning on continuing the conversation until you stopped him. “I will answer two of your questions.” You feel your heart drop. 
“Two?”  You exclaim in disbelief, “You must’ve asked me a hundred just now-”
“I didn’t force you to answer any of my questions,” Loki reasons. Unfortunately, he’s correct in that regard—you should’ve been more wary. You let your guard down and he was content to take advantage of it. “Now, do you want information or not?”
You grit your teeth. Damn it. Two questions is a very insignificant number. You try to remember what Fury told you mere minutes before. “He’s been extremely disagreeable… and we’re running out of time.” You can’t afford to slip up here. 
“Fine,” you say. The look on Loki’s face doesn’t change, but you can still sense arrogance radiating off of him. “Why?” You decide to ask. 
“You’ll have to be more specific,” Loki drawls, continuing to pace about. He looks completely and utterly bored. “Why does one do anything?” You resist an eye roll. 
“Why did you do it?” You rephrase. You don’t need to specify for Loki to understand what you’re referring to: the attack on New York, the Chitauri invasion. Surely, knowing his motivations would help S.H.I.E.L.D. prevent instances like it from happening in the future. Besides, you’re not sure what else to ask. As has been established, you don’t think you’re the best fit for this task of vital importance. 
“I was seeking revenge,” Loki answers without hesitation. His unblinking gaze is beginning to unnerve you. “Is that what you’d like me to say?”
“I’d like you to tell the truth,” you assert, unable to hide some of your irritation. The god picks up on it and smiles infuriatingly, as if your annoyance is entertaining. Perhaps it is entertaining to him. You take a deep breath and remind yourself to keep calm. It would do you no good to get riled up. You have one job: collecting information. 
“The truth,” Loki remarks languidly, tearing you from your thoughts. His answer comes without hesitation. “I was bored.” Boredom. Boredom pushed him to wreak havoc on the city, causing hundreds of casualties and inordinate bloodshed. Loki was motivated by a lack of fulfillment. The thought is extremely disconcerting. On the one hand, you’re not sure what you were expecting. On the other, you had been looking for a more clearcut, legitimate reason to contextualize his actions. You weren’t planning on excusing his crimes, but if he provided something that seemed to somewhat justify his reaction, you would’ve been able to get more information and also deduce a clear motive to these kinds of attacks. Perhaps that was your error in thinking, though: Loki can’t be a predictor of a pattern. He is wildly unpredictable, and trying to predict him will both waste your time and only result in more frustration.
“One more question,” Loki reminds you tauntingly. You grit your teeth, pushing past your irritation. The god seems to enjoy emphasizing the differences between you and him—your mortality, your weakness.  
You try to think a little harder. Admittedly, a particular question has been weighing on your mind throughout most of your interactions, burrowing into your subconscious and refusing to let go. After a few moments, you decide to verbalize it. “Why haven’t you escaped yet?”
The god laughs. “Haven’t I?” Loki asks in response. A shiver rolls down your spine. You watch warily as he takes one step forward, then another. From what you’ve seen, the god will often pace about his cell. However, his current movements make it seem as if he has a purpose, an endgame. Loki’s eyes flash. He takes another step forward and his foot crosses the threshold where the glass is supposed to be. Loki grins and crosses the entirety of the boundary, before looking at you with a truly malicious smile. He’s free from captivity.  
You can’t even take a step backwards before the god is there , extending a hand to your temple and pressing his fingertips past your skin, into your very being. And suddenly, you’re a child again. Everything you told Loki is rushing through your head all at once. You’re trapped in vivid memories. The world around you is blurred with childlike joy and hope. Your surroundings all seem to fall away; despite your knowledge that you aren’t a child anymore, you can’t escape this onslaught of memory that Loki seemed to force on you. 
When Loki removes his hand from your temple, you nearly choke on your breath. There’s an excruciating pain running through your head—strong enough to make you lose your balance. Despite the fact that you’re horribly outmatched, you still try to get away from him. You’re not sure what the God of Mischief wants, but you doubt it’s anything good. This interest—as Fury said—that he’s cultivated in you… It’s dangerous. 
You should be dead right now. Surely, were you any other S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, your corpse would be slowly decaying on the ground in front of you. You heard whispers of what Loki did to some of the agents that spoke to him before you. One of them was directly admitted to a mental hospital—unable to ground themself in reality. The thought shakes you to your core. 
You take another step backwards, only for him to match your retreat with a step forward. Your balance is growing more and more unsteady as you try to fight against the vertigo threatening to send you tumbling. Your vision is oscillating between painful sharpness and indiscernible blurriness. “What do you want from me?” You manage to spit out through the pained haze. 
“Everything.” Loki answers. Before you can push him away, he’s bringing a hand to your temple again. Your mind explodes with energy and you feel your eyelids fluttering shut of their own accord. You try your hardest to remain conscious and you manage to catch glimpses: Loki’s hand slipping from your temple as you fall to the ground. Loki carrying you out of the building. You’re stuck in the recesses of your own mind, with no hope for escape. Eventually, you’re forced to succumb to the darkness lurking in the corners of your vision.
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It may strike you all as strange that Loki stays in captivity rather than escaping, but I think I can justify that with a multitude of reasons. First of all, he's immortal—time passes differently for him. While a mortal may agonize at the thought of being trapped in a capsule for an indefinite time, Loki is entirely unbothered by it. He knows that he has the ability to escape; the question then becomes when he will escape, not if he will escape. Second, Loki has a reason to stay: the reader. He is interested in the reader [the nature of this interest is up to you]. He enjoys the conversations they have, especially when they’re under the false guise of him being trapped and in a position of need. The God of Mischief isn’t one to rush things. Anyway, that’s how I justified these choices to myself. *shrugs*
I desperately wanted to add something like this, but I couldn’t find an authentic moment for it… It may seem a little out of character, too… So I’ll throw it here and walk away:
“You should put some ointment on that,” Loki suggests, looking pointedly at the scar on your face. “Don’t Midgardians care about that sort of thing? Quite foolish, in my opinion.” “How is that foolish?” You ask. “Scars are proof of conquest,” Loki responds. “Of course,” you sigh.
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thenotsoholyspirit · 3 months
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The devil's in the details
(Matt Murdock x reader)
(💕First of all, I'm sorry I have not had the time yet to publish the 4 chapter for my other fic, my first semester at Uni is surely taking a load, but I still wanted to give an old idea a chance and try to see where I could go with it. It's mostly an introductory chapter hope you like it !) 💕
Summary. Trying to makes end meet as a young woman has never been easy, even less living in the turbulent city that is New York. When (y/n) will have to make an impossible choice, she'll have to decide between the ones she cares the most. It's never safe to fall in love, especially with that mysterious lawyer at the bar she's been working at and the secret she guards underneath.
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“Another round for the tables two and one, and please don’t forget the missing beers for the group at table five”
It definitely was a busy night at Josie’s.
I had barely entered the bar when multiple orders were already piling up in the kitchen. Friday shifts were always the best to work they told me, and being new around here, I was kind of guilty to be glad Katy asked for a longer maternity leave.
“(Y/n)!”
I turn around, Josie looking at me impatiently. 
“I didn't hire you to stand there and look pretty princess” She sighs but gives me a small smile, she could never stay mad at us for too long, “Now, please bring these three beers to the pool table”
I nod excusing myself as I go grab the drinks.
The atmosphere tonight was intoxicating. The talking, the music, even the bursts of laughter and the smell of alcohol that surrounded me were enough to get dizzy on my own. It was almost too overwhelming.
I take a deep breath, as I twitch my lips, trying my best not to bite them as I had promise myself to stop that bad habit.
Normally I had a better handle on my anxiety, but I’m not used to work during the busiest hours. Yet, I need money, and Friday nights are generous on tips. I couldn't let such an opportunity pass, and when Josie asked for our availabilities I was the first to raise her hand.
It’s for her.. all of this is for her
I’m so involved in my own thoughts I don’t notice the man passing in front of me. I suddenly lose my equilibrium, the plate of beers now jumping in the air, as I stumble falling on the floor. I barely have the time to register what’s happening when I feel a quick hand behind my back that stabilizes me again. 
“Well… there go our beers”
I hear a voice from the back, a blond guy with slightly longer hair and another blond woman staring at me.
I look down at the floor, now with a puddle of beer and pieces of glass laying there. 
Josie is going to kill me
“Are you ok ?”
I look up now to the man in front me. He had dark glasses and his short yet slightly ruffled hair only gave him a more attractive look. I notice the big stain of beer on his chest, which admittingly looked quite well built under the white shirt he was wearing. 
C'mon you ain't here to flirt with clients
“Yes I'm sorry your shirt it’s”
I notice now the white stick on his left hand and the realization of his blindness hits me. I feel even worse now. “O.. o shit I’m sorry.. I’m awful I.” 
“Don’t worry” he gives me a small smile “It was due to clean anyways. Although.. I heard some glass breaking.. Are you hurt in any way ?”
I shake my head until I realize he can’t exactly see it. 
“No I’m ok just..” I sigh, why was I about to tell my problems to a stranger, “I haven’t quite been the best waitress tonight”
He smiles again, this time with a little bit of curiosity in his look. 
God if smiles could kill
“Too much of an ambiance ?”
”Is it that obvious that this is my first busy shift ?”
He slightly laughs, until I see Josie appearing with a loud sigh.
“(y/n) could you try not to kill one of our regulars ?”
“Hey Josie the beers are on us all right add it to the Murdock Nelson tab, this stuff always happens”
Josie smiles at the man, it seemed that they’ve been acquaintances for quite some time. She easily accepts as she also gives a nod to the other blond guy.
“I’ll bring the mop”, I shyly tell her as I leave the scene. When I arrive at the kitchen, I hear Josie chuckling at me.
“So Matt caught your attention ?”
I do my best not to turn completely red. 
“You know I ain't got time for that Josie” 
I sigh. It was true. Too many bills to pay, too many things to do. Where would the time for a boyfriend ever be? Josie’s face becomes then more serious, she also knew all too well about my situation  
“How's your mother been ?”
I try to smile, it was never easy to talk about that subject.
“Doctors say she may get a leave from the hospital next week, but you know, i'd rather not be too optimistic on that subject…. I still remember last time”
I take the mop as I sigh. I knew Josie wouldn't have hired me if she didn't know my situation. I was already working at some convenience store during the day, but I was still short of money for the rest of my bills. This without counting the community college classes I was taking half time. 
And still not enough money.. it's never enough money
She gives me a warm smile, patting my back as if she wanted to say more but had no words. 
“You’re a good girl (y/n), you’ll get through this” 
I just nod. There was no time for feelings. 
Before leaving the kitchen, I give a last look to the group where Matt and his two friends were happily chatting . 
I shake my head, not wanting to be too distracted. 
There was no time for stuff like this, I can only move forwards. 
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At some corner of the bar, a man was sitting, stirring his cocktail as he gives an attentive look to the place. Nobody notices him when he goes out for a smoke as he makes a call on his phone. 
“We found her boss… she’s still here… at some bar in Hell's kitchen” 
“Perfect’" the voice on the other side of the line was professional, yet so cold and grave, “Tell Weasley to bring the guys... It's gonna be a long night”  
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lucerothings1 · 11 months
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New Neighbor
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Young Brad Pitt x male reader smut
PSA brad is not an actor in this fic he is just a random regular guy. 
Warnings: gay sex, oral, top brad, bottom reader, doggy style, ass eating.
Summary: You go over to meet your new neighbor in the apartment complex and he seems to like you a lot.
It had already been a week of your new neighbor moving to the vacant apartment next door. You had guessed you know how he looked like since you topped into a stranger not two days ago in the elevator. So you found yourself in a position of having to make a good impression and be known as the nice neighbor or make a bad impression by not even saying hello and be known as the rude one.
And just as you knew yourself you where a people pleaser so here you found yourself changing into a simple but effective outfit from your work clothes just a simple white t-shirt your pants and some converse shoes.
As you got out your apartment it wasn’t much moving since he lived in the apartment in front of yours. As you knocked you seemed to hear a voice yell out “It’s open come on in” as you walked you where meet with a familiar face just as you thought it was the guy from the elevator.
“Hello um you know it might not be the safest option to let your door unlocked in a place you don’t know much about” you said to the stranger “Okay will take that into consideration but how I’m I gonna do that if it’s gonna stop people as cute as you from coming in” he said to you causing to to feel hot and blush at the face.
“Hello my name is Brad” he said to you giving you his hand to shake, “Hello Brad my name is M/n I’m your front neighbor nice to meet you” you said to him taking his hand in yours. “Well nice to meet you too M/n”.
“So what brings you to New York City handsome” you told him. “Awww thank you M/n and I wanted something new in my life so I choose here” he said with a smirk looking you up and down.
“Well looks like you could use help I don’t mind helping out” you said “Really thank but I can’t let you do that” “No don’t worry I insist I’ll help” “Okay then thanks” he said smiling.
*Timeskip
Soon from what started as helping was long gone and turned into brad pushing you into the wall when you finished helping and crashing his lips onto yours as you gave him access to your mouth and also kissed back.
You then found yourself being picked up from the legs still making out heavily and being taken and thrown onto what you would assume to be his bed. He was now in between your legs and as he started by taking of his shirt in a hurry.
As you where staring onto his fine chiseled abs. All he did was look at you for a minute and tell you “Why don’t I help you get rid of this as well” he said getting a hold of the bottom hem of your shirt. “Yes please” you responded.
As he took off your shirt you started to work on taking of his belt and kick off your shoes. After successfully getting you both naked now just a thin piece of fabric separating both of your manhood.
At that moment you took a hold of him from his waist and throw him onto the bed beginning to strip him of his briefs and to be met with his hard eight inch cock as you looked at him for approval he looked at you nodding giving you the green light.
As you where sucking him off all that could be heard was the sweet sounds of slurping and moans coming from brad. “ Oh fu-ck stop” he said pulling you off his cock.
“What” you said confused “I didn’t want the fun to be over just yet come on get up here on your knees” he said getting up and letting you go on all fours for him.
“Oh that a really pretty hole you got there honey” he said removing your briefs and tossing them aside. “Oh look at that” he said putting spit onto his finger and circling your twitching entrances with his finger tips sending you shivers.
Soon that sensation was replaced with one even better his tongue starting to work you open for him. “Mm-hmm baby you taste so good” he said getting up for air.
“I’m gonna put my finger in okay” he said “okay” you said reassuring him to go further soon one finger became two then three “Okay you well open now he said getting up from the floor now onto of the bed.
“ Okay give me a minute” he said reaching for a condom on his nightstand and rolling it on. “Okay I’m going in” “okay ahh oh that feels good” you said feeling him sinking in one inch by one until all his eight inches where in you.
He waited giving you time to adjust “Okay you can move now go ahead” you said turning your face to face his “Okay” he said smirking and starting to roll his hips in a rhythm. “Oh fuck you tight baby” he said.
“Ah mm-hmm go faster” you asked him and he obliged “yeah take my fucking dick baby yeah” he said and at the same time reaching down to your own aching hard on and pumping it.
“Oh fuck I’ma cum SHIT” you yelled “Yeah cum for me baby” he said in your ear sending you over the edge and releasing a lover his hand and sheets. “Oh fuck I’ma CUM” Brad shouted pulling out and taking off his condom and releasing his warm liquid all over your back.
“Oh fuck that was amazing” he said collapsing on the side of you and reaching to kiss you “Yeah it was” you agreed “we should do this again sometime” you said looking at him in the eyes “Oh hell yeah” he said nodding in agreement.
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Come Home
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Pairing: Lumberjack!Bucky x Reader
Summary: Bucky goes on a lumber delivery for the first time since everything’s settled down. Your nightmares begin for first time since meeting Bucky.
Word count: 2.8k
Warnings: Nightmares, past trauma, some angst
a/n: This is a oneshot associated with my series Undisclosed, but can be read separately :) It’s based off of a request I got a while ago, but I can’t find the ask. Whoever gave me this inspo, thank you!!
Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist
~~
It was completely irrational for your nightmares to start now. Everyone that could hurt you—that had hurt you—was locked away in prison. You had made sure of that yourself just a few weeks ago, your closet still in disarray from your awful unpacking job after the last trial in New York. You watched as each and every criminal was walked out of the courtroom with years on their heads, and rationally, you knew you were safe. 
But trauma wasn’t rational. It wasn’t kind and it didn’t fit into boxes that could be opened and closed at a whim. The people that plagued your life may have been locked away, but the memories and the years of confusion were something they left behind—a cruel parting gift that you had to sort out in their wake. It was a downpour when you weren’t expecting it; a set of headlights blinding you in an otherwise calm night. 
It was Bucky going on a lumber delivery, leaving you behind for the first time since your attack. 
“Weather’s not too bad out here. Definitely warmer than Stowe, that’s for sure.” 
You huffed out a small laugh, dangling a loose string of yarn for Alpine to swat at. “Everywhere’s warmer than here.” 
“I don’t know about all that,” Bucky argued, his smile obvious even as several states separated you. “Feel pretty warm when I’m home with you.” 
“God, you’re such a flirt.” 
“Can’t help it. Got a beautiful girl sitting on my couch over a hundred miles away. Flirting’s the only way I can get her to stay there until I get back.” 
You laughed, the smile tugging on your lips tight with an invisible exhaustion. It had been about three days since Bucky left for his delivery, meaning it had been about three days since you’d actually been able to sleep. Neither of you had expected that to happen, obviously, and Bucky still had no idea; you weren’t going to bother him with something he had no control over, especially while he was working. 
“When will you be back?” you posed, trying to keep your question light. 
He let out a long breath, and you could almost see him scratching his beard as he thought. “Four days tops. Tryna get back sooner but the traffic’s awful down here. Why? You okay?” 
You cringed, knocking your head back against the couch in silent regret. “Of course I’m okay. Just miss you, as always.” 
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. You released the yarn, Alpine jumping on it as you held your breath in anticipation. 
“I miss you, sweet girl,” Bucky replied, voice dropping lower as he followed up with, “You can always tell me if something’s wrong.” 
“I know, Buck. But everything’s great, promise.” 
~~
Everything wasn’t great, but you were expecting that.
Five days since Bucky left and everything felt like a hallucination. You only got about an hour of sleep every night before you were so distressed and tangled up in the sheets that even resting was impossible. You’d wake up out of breath and shaking, Alpine brushing up against your skin the only thing grounding you to reality. The thought of closing your eyes after that always had you cringing. 
You still had to work—that was one of the main reasons you hadn’t gone with Bucky in the first place—but you were just barely ghosting through the days. Greta had thrown you quite a few side-eyes throughout the week, but with the amount of times you had messed up, you were surprised that was all she did. 
“Tried this really weird coffee this morning. You’d probably like it, sweetheart. Lots of spices,” Bucky chatted, his tone light as he relayed his day over the phone. 
You hummed. “That sounds nice, Bucky.” 
“What about you, huh? What’d you get up to today?” 
“Not much.” Your eyes drooped; you were so tired your body ached. “After the library I sorta just… walked home.”
Bucky’s car door slammed through your speaker, jolting you from your stupor. “What? It’s Friday—you didn’t go to the diner with everybody else?” 
Shit. 
You’d had a hard enough time convincing Steve to let you stay home earlier; Bucky was definitely going to think something was wrong. 
“Yeah, I just—” you perked up, the faked enthusiasm already draining “—you know, was feeling a bit tired. Greta had me pull a bunch of stuff from the archives and it was heavy.” 
The same excuse you used on Steve. The tall blonde had smothered you in a hug after giving you a skeptical look, a lot of meaning put into his arms—you don’t have to act so tough, and you can always talk to me, you know that. But he had still let your lame excuse slide this time, tossing you one last smile on his way out your door. 
Bucky wasn’t that easy. 
“You’ve sounded off the last few times I’ve called, honey. You really just tired?” 
You bit back the urge to cry, tears burning your waterline and sprouting a pain in the base of your neck. “Just tired and missing you. Happy it’s the weekend.” Happy you could hide in the house for two days and not have any eyes on you. 
“Why don’t I call Nat and Maria, yeah?” Bucky offered, the concern nearly dripping from his words. “I don’t like you being alone for so long after everything. They can stay at our place until I get back.” 
“No!” you shot out. “No, I just… I just, uh—Alpine is enough, Buck. Really. If those two come I’ll probably just be more tired. They stay up until like two in the morning.” 
A skeptical hum floated past your ears. “The guys been checking in on you?” 
“Yes.” 
“Every night?” 
“Yes, Bucky. I’m still alive, aren’t I?” 
Bucky let out a gentle sigh. “Just worry about my girl s’all. You know I get a little anxious sometimes, ‘specially about you.” 
Your heart clenched. This was the exact reason why you hadn’t told Bucky about your sleepless nights. He cared so much; he held you when you cried and touched you with such gentleness and he loved you—god, did he love you. You didn’t think it was possible to feel so cared for, and yet, Bucky outdid himself every time you were sure he couldn’t. 
You’d have to get by on the memory of him, just for the next few days. Thinking about his laugh and his hands on you; the way his body felt pressed against yours; the huffs of his breath by your ear and the sweet smile against your neck. A few days and he would be back. A few days and you could finally sleep. 
“I know, Buck,” you calmed, slumping into the couch. “But I’m safe here. I’m fine. I’m just waiting for you to get home so I can love you.” 
“I’ll hurry back then.” 
~~
Saturday was the worst. 
You were alone in the house all morning, no job to whisk you away and keep your bleary mind fixed on some repetitive task. You tried to go through the motions of your usual calm weekend, but it was missing a large, doting shadow at your back. And it was missing quite a few hours of sleep as well. Along with your sanity. 
You broke down while you were making toast, so frustrated at the pounding in your head that refused to let up. You were miserable, tired, and, frankly, you were scared. 
Every time you closed your eyes you were plagued by the images that made their way into the little sleep you were able to catch. Some were memories, others were possibilities, but all were enough to make you jump at every little sound Bucky’s sturdy cabin made. 
You rationalized that was the reason you jumped so hard when Bucky’s call came through this morning, your phone vibrating the plate you were trying to make toast on. You took a few breaths to calm yourself, cheeks still wet from strained tears as you accepted the call. 
“Hey, Buck. You’re calling early today.” 
“Hey, sweet—what’s the matter?” he cut himself off, his words almost sending you spiraling again. 
You bit into your lip for a steadying moment, and then assured, “Nothing! How’s the drive been? You still gonna be back tomorrow?” 
“I hate that I can’t see you right now.” 
So your wobbly words and ragged breath hadn’t completely evened out then. Bucky knew you like the back of his hand, but you had hoped that his cell service was bad enough to block out the signs of your tears. Apparently not. 
“But you’ll be home tomorrow, right?” You reiterated your nonchalant question from earlier, this time with more of an edge. 
“Yeah, sweetheart, tomorrow, okay?” 
“Okay,” you breathed, staring at the white-knuckle grip you had on the countertop. “Okay, yeah. Tomorrow.” 
“Why don’t you go sit on the couch and enjoy that fire I made Sam get goin’ for you? You can dig into those cookies from Sarah and I’ll be back in no time.” 
“But you just called…” 
Bucky chuckled lowly, the sound lackluster. “Sounds like you need a nap more than my rambling. Go to sleep, sweet girl. I love you, okay?” 
And Bucky’s honeyed-words did send you into a nap, but you would have preferred his rambling. After tossing your limp toast in the trash and trading it for a cookie, you slowly drifted with Alpine on your lap. The throw blanket over the couch wrapped you in comfort and you allowed yourself to simply close your eyes. 
The dreams came quickly, and with a vengeance. 
You were in a state of partial consciousness, pushing past a deep wall of black that meant freedom from your mind. This wasn’t real… you knew you were dreaming, but there was no way to wake yourself up. You figured when Bucky was here, his warmth and steady heart were enough to keep you grounded, but he wasn’t here. He wasn’t here and you were curled up on the couch and alone. 
You felt so warm; the fire was prickling at your skin and you couldn’t see it, but it’s heat was enough that you didn’t need to. You flung out in your sleep, trashing against the blanket and letting low noises slip from your throat when you were wound too tight. There were surely tears making tracks down your cheeks, but that had been normal these past few days. 
But then something abnormal happened. Your face was held by something, encased in a gentle warmth and offered soft touches. It yanked on a thread within you, urging you to kick down the wall keeping you trapped in your mind. You struggled against it, and slowly, the sounds and smells of the living room trickled through your senses. 
“Y/n. C’mon, sweetheart, you’re dreamin’. Wake up, honey,” Bucky’s voice stressed. The words echoed in your dream—made bad feelings fade and the panic dissipate. 
You scrunched your face up as the grogginess faded, eyes cracking open to finally catch the worry etched deep on Bucky’s brow. He brought his neck forward to follow your gaze as his hands stayed pressed to your cheeks. It felt surreal to have him here after so many nights waking up to this alone. 
“You okay?” he breathed, eyes frantically searching your own. 
You felt peace in the pad of his thumb against your cheek. 
You choked on the heat of the living room. 
“Y/n,” Bucky fought for your attention, adjusting his knees on the wood floor. “Look at me, you okay?” 
“Bad dream,” you finally sputtered out, reaching up to run a hand down your face and grip Bucky’s wrist along the way. “I’m fine, just a bad dream.” 
“Just? You look like you’ve been through the wringer, sweetheart.” 
You squeezed your eyes shut, shook your head a few times and tried to get back to reality. “You’re back?” you croaked. 
Bucky sighed. It sounded strained. 
He let his fingers fall from your face and stood. The polyester on his coat shifted, and it was then that you took in the rest of him. Boots, jacket, gloves; Bucky hadn’t removed a single article of clothing before he woke you up, and as he sat down on the couch beside you, he didn’t appear to be taking them off anytime soon. 
He wrapped his arm around you instead, ushering your legs onto his lap and tugging the tangled blanket from your limbs. 
“I wanted to surprise you,” he spoke, low words whispering against your temple. “But I kinda figured something was wrong last time I called, so I broke a few traffic laws to get here faster.” 
“You didn’t have to do that, I’m okay,” you assured, fiddling with the button on his sleeve, the corduroy encasing cold metal and the skin where his wrist lay exposed.
Bucky pulled you back as he reclined on the couch. The fire had died down a bit, but it still popped in the brief silence. “How many times have I told you not to lie about this kind of thing?” 
“I’m not lying, Buck. I’m fine, aren’t I? I’m safe here.” 
“You’ve always been safe here. Doesn’t mean you’re fine.” 
Bucky was always rational, but never in a cold, demeaning way. He always spoke truths in soft tones. Always broke down the facts with soft touches and tender lips and never in an attempt to make you feel guilty. You figured it was something he learned from his Ma, maybe just something he was born with. 
And he was doing that now, his hand running a steady path over the back of your head as he let you process and formulate. 
“I guess, when you were gone—” you began, feeling brave with his lips against your skin. “I had more time to think. At night… all the time. It made it hard to sleep, like, at all.” 
Bucky hummed, but didn’t speak; he simply held you closer, made your chest ache at the feel of him after the absence of so many days. 
So you continued, “I didn’t want to bother you while you were on the road, because I’m fine, really. You aren’t to blame for my messed up sleep schedule.” 
“But I would’ve wanted to help,” Bucky interrupted, his brows furrowed to a point. “I coulda stayed on the phone at night if I knew it was tough for you.” 
You ran your finger down the ridges of his coat zipper. The sound of his voice made your eyes feel heavy. 
“You’re helping now. Being here.” Bucky adjusted his hold on you, and a small gust of air left your chest when you felt yourself rising in his arms . “What are you doing?” 
He grunted, kicking the bedroom door open with his boot. “Helping.” 
“You haven’t even gotten the chance to get changed. Buck, you just got home. Take a second to—” 
Your words were cut off when he tossed you onto the bed, the sound of his boots hitting the ground echoing against wooden walls and carefully hung picture frames. He shucked his gloves off and let his jacket fall into a heap by the nightstand and then he was tugging the blankets back, sliding into bed in the place that was cold. 
“No more talking,” he shushed, pulling you against him and settling his chin on the top of your head. “Unless you need to, then I’m all ears.” 
“But you—” “Nope. I’m laying here all night. No complaining.” 
You sighed, knocking your head against his chest as he held you closer. He rubbed his hand down your spine and kept the other one still, letting it rise and fall with each of your breaths. He did that often. You never called him out on it. 
“I’m sorry, Bucky,” you whispered after a while, when the silence had created another blanket on the bed and you felt vulnerable to the rhythm of his breath. 
But he just said, “I love you.” And he said, “Don’t be sorry.” And he finished off with, “I’d do a lot more for you… a lot more for a lot longer.” 
And the kiss he pressed to your head sent you drifting. 
Bucky stopped going on deliveries for a while after that. 
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Opening for BTSV thought…
Ok so, we know how Gwen opened up ATSV, she had like the first 20 minutes that set up the movie. Now hear me out, what if Pavitr opens up BTSV (I may be biased but let me live lol), but imagine if you will…
Pavitr was left behind when the rest of the Spider Band left for Nueva York, so Pav is there wondering what’s going on. He swings down to the other Spider people where they are trying to contain the black hole that appeared. He starts asking them questions, but all of the answers aren’t very helpful. “We’re trying to contain the anomaly.” “The canon was broken.” This doesn’t really clear anything up, but he knows whatever is happening is not good.
He swings back up to the bridge, he makes sure everyone is clear of the damage. He heads home to Maya Auntie, he finds her asleep on the couch. She left the tv on, it was the news. They were reporting on the black hole that appeared in the middle of city. Pav feels weary, he finds a blanket and places it over Maya and turns the tv off. He goes to bed and tries to sleep, but he can’t.
Quietly, he puts his suit on and grabs his watch from Miguel and swings into the night. His plan was to travel to Nueva York to get answers from Miguel as to what was happening to his city. But as he swings, he ends up swinging by Gayatri’s home. He sees her on the balcony and lands on a near by rooftop. Normally, he wouldn’t interact with her as Spider-Man, but in this case, he felt it justified to check up on her since he did rescue her earlier.
He swings and lands on top of her rooftop. He attaches is web to their chimney and hangs upside down in front of her. She’s startled at first but recollects herself once she realizes who it is. He apologizes for scaring her and says he recognized her as the girl from the bus. He asks her if she’s alright, she giggles and says she’s fine and that she’s lucky that he was there to save her. He’s relieved and tells her he needs to go, but she tells him to wait. She asks him if there’s a way she can repay him for saving her life, perhaps a kiss.
Pav is taken a back, he’s stammering, he wants to say yes because of course he wants a kiss from her. But he’s not Pavitr right now, he’s Spider-Man, he can’t accept. But he still form a coherent sentence, finding it hard to say no. Gayatri laughs “What’s wrong, you don’t want a kiss from your girlfriend, Pav?”
He goes silent, trying hard to process what she just said. “W-what?” is all he could manage. “It’s okay Pavitr, I know it’s you.” At this point, he flipped himself right-side up, standing in front of her now. Slowly, he reaches up to his mask and pulls it off, he stares at the ground.
“How did you know?” He asks softly, he hasn’t lifted his head to look at her yet. “Well, the hug you gave today kind of sealed it for me. But your hair is very recognizable, Pav.” He laughed a little, finally meeting her gaze. He apologizes for not telling her, saying he wanted to keep her safe. She’s understanding and give him a small peck on the cheek, it’s hard for him to hide the blush on his face.
He tells her that he’s worried about the black hole that appeared in the city today and that he’s going to to find answers. All of a sudden, there’s a shaking in her room. A few things start to levitate slowly off the ground, they look at each other confused. A portal opens, suddenly Gwen appears. Pavitr is relieved, Gayatri is still confused but relaxes when she sees her boyfriend is calm, he tells her not to worry and that she’s a friend.
“Miles is in trouble, Pav. We need your help. Please.” Gwen says. Behind her appears Hobie and Peter B with Mayday. Pavitr nods and turns to Gayatri. “I have to go. I’ll be back soon, I promise,” he says. He leans down and gives her a tight hug. “Be safe,” she whispers in his ear. He pulls back and smiles, “I always am.” He plants a small kiss on her forehead and heads towards Gwen and the portal.
Hobie, Peter B., and Gwen all walk through the portal. Pavitr turns around one last time before stepping through. “I love you,” he says, and disappears along with the portal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Listen, this isn’t the prettiest writing or set up, but I would love something like this as it feels like a parallel to ATSV and Gwen’s story and I wanted to self indulge 😭
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webslingingslasher · 1 year
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hii, could you please write peter comforting international student reader who misses her family?
i know a little bit about this but i was only states away and almost kermitted so i had to move back home, anyways don't be like me. i'm here for anyone in this boat, so if it ever feels like too much feel free to scream into the void that is my inbox. <3
“What the hell are you googling?” 
Peter’s sharp voice made you jump in your seat, feeling guilt immediately when he caught you in the act. You weren’t going to actually do anything but it was worth a google, you were just slightly curious, that’s all. 
“Nothing!” You try to shut the screen but his hand stops it from shutting. “Nuh uh, use my computer, tell the truth about what you’re doing.” You pucker and wait, calling his bluff. He said you could use his computer anytime you needed or wanted, this was one of those times. It was the best part about not having a laptop, you had a boyfriend that gave you free access to his. 
“How to get deported.” You mumble the words and watch him hold his head in his hands, he grunts and repeats your words. 
“How to get deported- if you get deported you don’t get to come back.” He snorts and comes to sit next to you on his bed, you shuffle further in his shoulder. You sigh, “I know, I just miss it.” 
Peter frowns, he understands how you feel. You feel like a stranger and out of place, it seems like everyone here, whether they know each other or not, are in on a big inside joke. The city feels too big, and at the end of the day, when you’re tired and hungry and poor you want to do nothing but come home to a familiar face, a warm hug from mom. Or an insult from a sibling, or maybe a passive aggressive comment from dad, something you would normally roll your eyes at or try and dodge by playing a timer in your mind to run to your room, but those were things to count on, now you were greeted by silence as your roommate failed to invite you out yet again. 
It feels scary and cold and alone and you really, really miss home. Because even if you were home, sacred, cold and lonely, you would still be at home. 
And Peter has been great. He’s invited you with loving arms, he’s given you a friends list and even extended his aunt’s love to you. But it wasn’t home, he and you knew that. Peter Parker can be magical, but he can’t make New York feel like home no matter how hard he tries. 
“It’s okay to be homesick.” He presses a kiss to your temple. You want to cry. 
“Will this ever feel like home?” 
It seemed impossible. You’d been here for over a year, that’s what makes it hard. International was expensive, you didn’t get to go home for the holidays. Without facetime you think you would forget what your family looks like, it’s hard now to imagine your hometown, and the most troubling part of it all was that even if you went home, it wouldn’t feel like home anymore. 
It's purgatory. Half between where home once was and where the bones remain, and the new home, the home you’re building yourself. No one told you it would be so hard, they prepare you for moving on and growing up but never how to fix melancholia or make a house feel like a home. They don’t prepare you to be a stranger in your own home.  
Peter stops the spirling sadness. 
He thinks on it for a minute and speaks. 
“No.” 
You look at him with wide doe eyes, sparkling with the promise of tears. 
“No?” All you wanted was for him to say this was home, did he not understand? 
Peter shakes his head confidently, “No. No, this will never feel like home, because it’s not home. It’s where you are now, and you can make it home, but it builds slowly.” 
“What do you mean?” 
“Home is home for you because it’s what you knew. You could rely on your parents being there, or that your favorite coffee shop is the one from home, because you’ve been going there for half your life. Or maybe it’s home because you’ve walked those same routes until you nearly wore a tread mark in the concrete, I’m just saying home is only home because it’s routine.” 
“So I can make a new home?” 
“Of course you can, it doesn’t take away from the one you already have either. When people move away and start their life somewhere else they say it’s home, but when they go visit for the holidays what do they always say?” 
“I’m going home.” 
“And when they leave and go back to where they left, what do they say?” 
You pause. “I’m going home.” 
Peter nods, like you’ve just proved his point. 
You sigh and try to blink back tears. Those people are not like you, they’re strong and brave. You can almost bet they never cry and think about being home, or how they are impossibly far away from home. 
“And I can build a routine here? I can build a home?” 
Peter hums, “What’s your favorite part about Wednesday?” 
You grin, “Our weekly mission to eat at every pizza place in the city.” 
“And never the same one twice.” 
You hold up a finger to correct him, “Until we get through all of them first.” 
“How about Friday?” 
You wiggle next to him, excited even thinking about the upcoming one. “Discount movies at the red theater.” 
“What about coming back from school?” 
“I love to walk the long way because I get to pass under all those willow trees and I can see Kevin.” 
Peter gasps, “I can’t believe I almost forgot about Kevin.” 
You furrow your brows and speak seriously, “He’s incredibly important to me, Peter.” 
He laughs and speaks once more, “What I’m saying is you’re building a home, a routine. You look forward to Wednesdays and Fridays and Kevin’s and walking home from school, and some days are going to be really hard and you want nothing more than the comfort of home. But on those days I'm here for you. And I can try and get schwifty on trying to get you deported.” 
You lean into his arm and sniffle, “And Kevin? Will he be there for me on those days too?” 
Peter grunts, “Yes, Y/N. The damn cat from the bodega will be there.” 
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uzurimisery · 5 months
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chapter 1: a bet. / gojo satoru
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gojo in a suit wearing nice perfume yes please
wc: 2,194
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Being a legal secretary was far from a straightforward job. You need to be smart, but not too much, otherwise the insecure old men might lose their minds. You needed to draft and proofread legal documents and thus understand legal ongoings, on top of ensuring important court filings were submitted on time. But being a great legal secretary meant doing so much more, and being a great legal secretary at one of the top firms in Los Angeles? God, did you deserve a medal for doing all the heavy lifting while wearing heels!
Suguru would be lost without you truly, and that’s something the whole firm knew. Your researching abilities gave him a step ahead of the opposing party, and the critical details you had uncovered had saved more than a few cases from being lost. Add to that your legal strategy you were more of an associate than the third years. Which is why for the past six years, you’ve been Suguru Getou’s secretary.
You were friends first, having met at a shitty dive bar near Harvard’s campus in your final years. (He in law school and your undergrad) You didn’t run in the same circles, but it was thanks to an internship you had landed at a third rate law firm near campus, which Suguru also had an internship at, you two bonded. Perhaps over one too many jager-bombs, but what university without those regrets?
Besides those regrets, you got your job now at Masamichi & Associates Los Angeles Branch, which you loved. Minus the 80 work weeks, ass kissing to rich clients, dealing with the first year associates, and the — well, there’s a lot you could say you disliked about the job, but truly you love it. Even if you had to miss out on your friend’s bachelorette party. It was her second marriage to be fair, so you didn’t feel as bad. But yes, you loved your job. Except for right now.
You stood in front of Suguru’s desk, seething with anger. “You used me as a bet?!”
“Y/n, listen,” Suguru said, holding up his hands in defence. “I was certain I was going to win!”
“Oh my god,” you said, shaking your head. “I should throttle you! I mean, what the hell, Suguru? You didn’t even ask me if I was fine with being bet on.”
“I knew you would say no,” Suguru admitted.
“No shit, I’d say no!” you exclaimed.
“Y/n,” Suguru said, standing up from his chair and motioning for you to sit down in his place. “I truly thought he wouldn’t win the case and that I’d actually have to pay up.”
You sat down, plopping down into the chair rather than sitting gracefully. Suguru stood behind you and rubbed your shoulders.
“I can’t believe you,” you said. “After all that we have been through, you threw me away to a half-rate lawyer.”
“Okay, harsh,” Suguru said. “He’s not a half-rate lawyer-“
“You’re the one who called him that,” you pointed out.
Suguru sighed. “Yes, I did,” he said. “But I was just being facetious. I know he’s a talented lawyer.”
“Then why did you bet me on him?” you asked.
“Because I was confident that I was going to win,” Suguru said again. “I thought it would be a funny bet, you know? A little friendly wager.”
“It wasn’t funny,” you said. “It is humiliating. I feel like a prize to be won, not a person.”
“You’re the best person and he’s actually a wonderful lawyer, the best at the branch in Japan, which is why he’s coming to the New York branch. Plus, Satoru is a friend of mine from my undergraduate and law school days, which I still don’t know how you never met him, or Shoko.”
“I was antisocial, Suguru. It’s a miracle I even knew you.” A huff escaped you. “What’s he like?”
“He’s annoying, a bit of a narcissist-”
“Just like you then.” Getou made a face at you, leaning over you so you could see his face.
“He’s good at his job. Smart. Like freakishly so. He likes answering questions too, used to be a TA when we were in high school, so he’ll put up with all yours. You’re gonna love it with him, I promise! And if you don’t, then give it three months and I’ll pay him the 300k instead.”
“Fine…” the dollar amount clicked in your brain. “YOU BET ME FOR 300 THOUSAND DOLLARS?!”
__________
Your heels clicked against the polished wood flooring as you made your way from the Northwest corner office to Suguru’s office on the Southeastern side of the floor. Luckily, you wouldn’t be stuck down on the 53rd floor, where they put transfers. Gojo was clearly one of the best lawyers at the firm if he was taking a corner office, too.
It took you a few hours to get everything set up at your new desk and for IT to move your computer over. Truthfully, you could have done it faster without them, but rules and procedures were rules and procedures. The nice thing was that your desk was bigger now, with an elevated spot for your monitor and phone. Getou would be hearing from you after all of this to upgrade your desk with him.
Gojo wasn’t due to be back from a meeting with Mr. Trent Chow, an investment banker at a hedge fund the firm had been trying to get on the books for a few weeks now, until after lunch, which gave you enough time to go hear all the gossip from the other secretaries about him.
Gojo had worked in the States before, as well as in the UK. He was known for closing deals and was a self-described “winner.” He drank fine scotch and dated even finer women. Apparently, there was an issue in the Japanese branch, with a few ex-clients being barred from the premises after Gojo may or may not have slept with their wives. He was an excellent lawyer, but an egotistical person.
Halfway through your second coffee of the day, expertly crafted by the barista at the Cafe at the ground floor of the building who was hopelessly into you, a body leaned up against the top of your desk.
A tailored pinstripe navy suit by Brioni, a name-brand Italian leather watch by Patek Philippe, and a class ring with the same graduation year as Getou—it wasn’t hard to tell that it was an attorney leaning on your desk.
“So you’re the unlucky secretary sacrificed to Gojo,” she said in a raspy, low-toned voice.
You raised an eyebrow. “Is he that bad?”
“Oh, he’s not bad,” Shoko said with a smile. “He’s just... a lot.”
“How so?”
“He’s arrogant, obnoxious, and he has a terrible habit of flirting with every woman he meets,” Shoko said. “But he’s also one of the best attorneys I know. He’s brilliant, and he’s always prepared. So if you can handle his ego, you’ll be fine.”
“I think I can handle it,” you said with a smirk.
Shoko laughed. “I knew I was going to like you,” she said. “Shoko Ieri, senior partner.” She extended her hand.
You shook her hand. “Y/N,” you said. “Secretary extraordinaire.”
Shoko held your gaze for a moment. “I think we’re going to be a great team,” she said.
“How long have you been at the firm?” You asked her.
“Same amount of time as Getou and Gojo. We all graduated together and got put in the bullpen together, too. Gojo and I ended up back in Japan to help the transition after Masamishi became named partner.”
“Oh, so you went to Harvard as well?”
“Guilty. Still don’t know if it was worth it. You?”
“Harvard too. I was two years under your class and in the undergrad program.”
The chatter between you and Shoko continued for a while, only stopping as Gojo rounded the corner.
6’3” with platinum blonde hair, more akin to white, swept back and styled, only disrupted by a pair of sunglasses perched on top of his head, that was perfectly coiffed, without a single strand out of place. His skin was pale and flawless, and his cheekbones were sharp and defined. His nose was straight and angular, and his lips were full and sensual.
He wore a tailored three-piece black suit with a maroon tie hanging undone, revealing a glimpse of his toned chest. The top two buttons of his white button-down shirt were undone, showcasing his strong jawline.
His gait was confident and unhurried. He walked like he owned the place, with his head held high and his shoulders back. His demeanour was polished and sophisticated, and he had a natural elegance that seemed effortless. There was an air of authority about him, a sense that he was accustomed to being in charge. He came from a long line of judges, attorneys, and government officials both in the USA and Japan, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he actually felt that way. He was born into it all.
When he reached your desk, he placed a few manilla folders on top of it. Given his reputation, it was easy to guess it was Trent Chow signing on to the firm. You could smell him now that he was closer, and he smelt good. Clary sage wrapped up with pear and bergamot, cushioned by amber and patchouli. He smelt as expensive as he dressed.
“You must be my new secretary.” He smiled, one side going up higher than the other revealing a sharp canine. “Gojo Satoru, best closer in the city and your new boss, though I guess it’s the other way around here. Anyway! Come into my office, let’s talk.”
To say his office was impressive was an understatement. It was a corner facing unit overlooking the expanse of the city. The interior was well decorated, but stilly minimal. A wall of records and books filled with a range of media and titles from the early 1900s to now. His desk was sleek, ornate but not overstated, with the latest generation MacBook idling on it. Two tub chairs sat facing the desk, both at an angle so that the person sitting in it would have to look at Gojo.
Towards the south-facing window was a more expensive version of an IKEA Kallax unit, lined with sport memorabilia and signed basketballs. A few feet away from it was a sitting area. A brown leather couch draped with throw facing a metal and glass coffee table flanked by two dark grey Herman Miller Chadwick modular chairs. On the table was a neatly organised stack of the times layered between sport magazines, and a lit candle filling the room with a rainy cedar smell like a mountain forest in spring.
The most impressive thing might have been that he had the entire office set up for his first day.
Gojo sat down in his office chair and gave a full 360 spin before facing you, propping his chin on his left hand and he leaned forward against the desk and the right removed the sunglasses from his head and placed them down neatly.
Being this close, you could see his eyes for all that they were. They were strangely unnerving, an endless expanse that felt like he wasn’t seeing you, but through you instead. As if under his gaze, lay all your little habits and transgressions bare for him to observe.
He stared at you for what felt like an hour before speaking.
��Sugu told me you were the best. Kept him organised. Helped him manage the litigation of 405 Holdings, created curated lists of clients with detailed information on their likes and dislikes for him to improve relationships with them, and said your view on legal proceedings was better than a fifth year associate,” He dropped his hand and leaned back in his chair “but he didn’t tell me you were gorgeous.”
There was the notorious flirting they had warned you of.
“Mr. Gojo-”
“Please, Satoru’s fine.”
“Satoru,” you corrected, leaning against the armrest of the chair “You’ve got a meeting with Orlando Smitt from Smitt & Sons Petroleum at 2:00 at Le Pavillion, expect for it to take two and half hours as he likes to chat. After that you’ve got a meeting on the Park Holdings case with Suguru, followed by a dinner with Laurence Hill, a potential client in the automotive manufacturing industry with an estimated company value of $1.7 billion, and I’m to remind you that Masamichi wants a copy of your brief on the Trust Development case on his desk by nine tomorrow or your on the next pro Bono case which, I’ve been told, is housing court.”
You rose, leaning over his desk with a hand spread across it “And yes, I am gorgeous, but you think a little sweet talk is all it’s going to take to get me to even have the slightest amount of interest in you?”
Spinning on your heel, you sauntered towards the door, opening it while looking over your shoulder at him
“Oh, and Mr. Smitt is allergic to shellfish.”
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Series masterlist: here
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themculibrary · 3 months
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Peggy/Natasha Masterlist
A Minor Distraction (ao3) - orphan_account E, 3k
Summary: Rumors about an organization experimenting with the super soldier serum bring Peggy Carter to Russia, where she meets a young factory worker named Natalia.
Better Together (ao3) - rearranged (her_ghost) E, 5k
Summary: Peggy adjusted to life in the 21st century because she had no other option. One trip across space-time was an anomaly, or so she thought.
When she was yanked into an alternate universe by a being with incredible power to help fight against a multiversal threat, Peggy realized the idea of finding a way back to her time might be an achievable goal.
The Watcher told Peggy that her world, and that time, needed their Captain Carter. He showed her why with a few detours on the way home.
Carter (ao3) - crackdkettle G, 1k
Summary: An AU in which Peggy is the Winter Soldier, and she and Natasha have a remarkably uncomplicated relationship over the years.
Co-Captains (ao3) - orphan_account T, 4k
Summary: This is starting to move beyond normal co-captain behavior.
Coming and Going (ao3) - Anonymous M, 3k
Summary: Natasha tilts her head to allow Eileen access to her neck and, god, Peggy can’t help staring at her, just a little, hair mussed, vivid red lipstick smeared slightly, she looks like… She’s looking right at Peggy.
Right. The mission. The signal.
Disposition (ao3) - Anonymous E, 2k
Summary: Natasha and Peggy learn more about the other than they expected when they go undercover at a retreat for couples.
i break wild roses (ao3) - halfmoonsevenstars M, 7k
Summary: It’s August 1950 and Peggy Carter, Director of SHIELD, is back in New York for the week, wrangling diplomats and soothing fractured bureaucratic egos by day. By night, Peggy goes out for drinks and dancing with Angie, but it’s a beautiful Russian girl she brings back to the hotel room.
(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons (ao3) - Eustacia Vye (eustaciavye) E, 6k
Summary: I love you for sentimental reasons. I hope you do believe me, I'll give you my heart.
I may never go home but at least I have you (ao3) - ziazippy5379 T, 1k
Summary: Peggy finds a woman in strange clothes in the alley behind her apartment.
Match Made (ao3) - fluffharpy E, 16k
Summary: "What about you?" Peggy asked over a disposable cup of tea, the exasperation in her tone for once not coming from the fact that there was something subtly unnatural about trying to drink hot liquid out of a plastic lid. Her gaze locked on Natasha Romanoff seated across the table from her, full of righteous challenge. "Who are you dating?"
The look Natasha gave being called on her game, skeptical and just a bit petulant, was gratifying.
"If you're so eager to find me a date," Peggy said, imperious, "then you'll have to find one for yourself as well."
peggynat (ao3) - slayyybestie N/R, 3k
Summary: tumblr requests for peggynat fic
Remember When (We Used To Be) (ao3) - flipflop_diva T, 1k
Summary: Peggy stared, her heart thudding in her chest, her hand that was still holding the gun shaking. Those green eyes. Those beautiful green eyes. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t. It was impossible.
“Natalia,” she whispered
“Who the hell is Natalia?”
show me how to fight for now (ao3) - hallowed (AMRainer) T, 1k
Summary: there's nothing as intimate as dancing ; and Natalia knows exactly which steps to take.
undercover in our overcoats (ao3) - Dayadhvam T, 5k
Summary: Prague, 1968. Neither Agent Carter nor the Black Widow would have called it anything like love.
what you can't bear to lose (ao3) - Melime T, 7k
Summary: A mission gone wrong leaves Peggy and Nat buried under the debris of an exploded building, and although they are rescued, the danger of the situation forces them to confront their feelings for each other.
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