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a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all · 1 year

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Joel Kinnaman Masterlist

Rick Flag

Takeshi Kovacs

Stephen Holder

Ed Baldwin

🌟= new post

🤕= Whump 😥 = Angst 😘= Fluff/ Relationship

✍= reader insert ✉️ = ask/ request

Main Masterlist

Fics:

Schrodinger’s Cat (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

Rick is about to leave on his next mission with Task Force X, and you have a bad feeling about it….

Bleeding Heart Masterlist (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

Rick has a mysterious new recruit on Task Force X. Without being provided any information, Rick will have to learn about this new team member on the job.

Surprise! (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 ✍

Rick loves sneaking up and scaring you when you least expect it. But turnabout is fair play….

The Colonel and the Sergeant Masterlist (Rick Flag x Reader, Past Bucky Barnes x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

When you and your boyfriend Rick Flag bump into your ex, Bucky Barnes, at a bar one night, things get a bit awkward. But how will revelations about your past relationship affect your current one?

A Christmas Miracle (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍ ✉️

When you are in an accident and forced to stay in the hospital for Christmas, will your partner Rick Flag be his normal pain in the ass self, or will he surprise you?

Up in Smoke (Hurt/Comfort Edition) (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

Rick feels terrible when he has to work late and misses dinner with you, but he is in for a terrible surprise when he gets home.

Up in Smoke (Pure Angst Edition) (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

Rick feels terrible when he has to work late and misses dinner with you, but he is in for a deadly surprise when he gets home.

Since That Day (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

Since the day you lost Rick in Corto Maltese, you have been planning your revenge. And now, the time has come…

Break the Ice (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍ ✉️

When his best friend falls through the ice when skating, Rick tries to save you. But pulling you out of the water might just be the start of things….

All I Want for Christmas is You (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

Last Christmas Eve, Rick had a special surprise for you. This Christmas Eve, another big event is happening as well.

Christmas is for Friends and Family (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

When you tell Rick that you don’t do Christmas because it is a time for family and friends, neither of which you have, he makes it his mission to prove you wrong.

Whatever You Need (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

When his friend calls him late at night to say you were attacked and needs his help, Rick races to your aid immediately.

The Person I’ve Become (Dark!Rick Flag x Reader) 🤕 😥 ✍ ✉️

After he returned from Corto Maltese, Rick thought his life was over. Until, that is, he is reunited with an old acquaintance. But what happens when the truth comes out and it appears he might lose everything once again?

Not So Friendly Fire (Rick Flag x Reader) 🤕 😥 ✍

When you are captured, Rick Flag will do whatever it takes to get you back.

It’ll Be Okay (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍ ✉️

Rick and you are captured on a mission by a man looking for information. And he is willing to use any means necessary to get the answers he is looking for.

Promises Masterlist (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

Rick has promised you time and time again that he would leave Task Force X, but yet again he has failed to keep his word. And this time you have finally had enough.

Being Afraid Doesn’t Make You Weak Masterlist (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

Rick has known about your fear of flying for a while. So when your plane heads directly into a storm on the way to a mission, he tries his best to make you as comfortable as possible. And the flight is just the start of the troubles….

Partners (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

You and Rick have been partners in DC for years. But when you hear a rumor he might be getting transferred, you can’t help but wonder what this will mean for your friendship.

This Means War (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

After receiving new commands from Waller, you have no choice but the lead the Suicide Squad into battle against ARGUS. But to make it to the end of the fight, what are you willing to do? And are you willing to take out anyone who stands in your way?

Let Me Teach You (Rick Flag & gn!Reader) 😘 ✍ ✉️

When Rick finds out he has to go to a big military ball, he is horrified. Dancing is definitely not one of his many skills. So, you offer to teach him.

Breakfast For Two (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

On your first anniversary, Rick tries to surprise you by making eggs for breakfast. While it doesn’t go as planned, you keep up that tradition years later.

Hello Darlin’ (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍ ✉️

Your ex-boyfriend, Rick, broke your heart when he left town months ago. But when he suddenly reappears and wants to talk, can you find a way to forgive him?

Presumed Dead Masterlist (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

Rick Flag watched the love of his life fall to her death three months ago. However, when he is captured by the same enemy that stole you from him, he discovers things aren't always what they seem.

Thank You, Colonel Flag (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 ✍

On the one-year anniversary of his near-death experience on Corto Maltese, Rick Flag is left reflecting on the disaster his life has become. But a chance encounter with a familiar stranger may change his perspective.

Eternally Yours Masterlist (Vampire!Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

As a vampire, you have walked the Earth alone for thousands of years, resigned to the fact that everyone you ever meet will perish in what seems like a blink of an eye. That is until you find the one person who you can't bear to lose….

I’d Catch a Grenade For You (Rick Flag x Reader) 🤕 😥 ✍

When a mission goes wrong, Rick makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect you.

I Got You (Rick Flag x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

The mission went from bad to worse. After you are injured, Rick manages to get you to the safe house. However, after an infection sets in, is there anything else he can do?

Drabbles:

"Where does it hurt?” = Rick Flag x Female!Reader

“You’re so stubborn!”

“All I ever wanted was for you to see me.”

Shielding the other with their body to save/protect them

Person A finding a hand-sketched photo of them on Person B’s desk

A Hand-Sketched Photo (Alternate POV)

Fics:

It’s Still You and It’s Still Me (Takeshi Kovacs x Envoy!Reader) 😘 ✍

You were once an Envoy and lover of Takeshi Kovacs. 250 years ago, you were both killed. Now after a mix up, you are resleeved and alone. That is, until you run across a familiar stranger…..

Eternity (Hades!Takeshi Kovacs x Persephone!Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

A Hades & Persephone AU: Takeshi Kovacs and you are as different as night and day. Yet somehow your relationship works. However, when his lifestyle catches up with you, the two of you must deal with the consequences.

Don’t Hide From Me (Takeshi Kovacs x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍ ✉️

When Takeshi is targeted, you get caught in the crossfire.

Never Threaten a Man’s Profit Margin (Takeshi Kovacs x Reader) 🤕 😥 ✍

Takeshi Kovacs and you go to track down a suspect at Fightdrome. But when you disappear, Tak is in for a terrible surprise.

Sleep is For the Weak (Takeshi Kovacs x F!Reader) 😘 ✍ ✉️

You and Takeshi are trying to track down the suspect in your latest case. But sometimes Tak forgets you are not as unstoppable as you try to make yourself seem.

Impossible Situation (Takeshi Kovacs x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

When you ran away from your abusive family of criminals, you met Tak and everything seemed perfect. But major crime syndicates will do whatever it takes to reclaim what they view is theirs, leaving Tak with an impossible choice.

Drabbles:

“How did you get in here?”

“It’s alright to feel broken every once in a while. And it’s alright to take time to heal.”

As you begin to fall asleep, you feel a gentle kiss pressed to your temple and a blanket draped over you.

A kisses B, but A can tell there is no feeling behind it anymore.

Fics:

Christmas Magic (Stephen Holder x Reader) 😘 ✍

When you and your partner Holder are forced to go out of town Christmas Eve for a case, you try to find a way to reveal to him your feelings. But when one thing after another goes wrong, can either one of you salvage things?

Someone Always Gets Hurt (Stephen Holder x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

It was only supposed to be a friends-with-benefits arrangement between you and Holder, but when one of you develops real feelings, things get complicated.

Please Wake Up (Stephen Holder x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

Stephen goes missing in the middle of a case so you join the search party even though you ended things with him a few weeks ago. However, as you search, some revelations make you rethink your decision to break up with him.

Clowns (Stephen Holder x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

Holder and you are trying to track down a suspect, but something about him is making Holder uncomfortable.

My Favorite Song (Stephen Holder x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

When your boyfriend starts avoiding you, you try everything to figure out what went wrong.

Santa and His Elf (Stephen Holder x Reader) 😘 ✍

Holder signs the two of you up to play Santa and his elf at the local Christmas Village only to show up late. While initially furious with him, things soon take an unexpected turn….

Drabbles:

“Why would you even care?” = Stephen Holder x Female!Reader

“Bake me a cake and we’ll talk.” = Stephen Holder x Female!Reader

“Don’t go on that date.” “Why?” “You know why.” = Stephen Holder x Female!Reader

Surprise Sunday morning breakfast. = Stephen Holder x Female!Reader

Fics:

History Repeats Itself (Ed Baldwin x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

When Ed receives a call, he has to experience one of the worst experiences in his life all over again.

You're Going to Be Fine Masterlist (Ed Baldwin x Reader) 😘 🤕 😥 ✍

When things go wrong in space, you only have your other crew member to be there for you. And you will always have Ed Baldwin’s back. Even if that means putting his health and safety before your own.

Distress Call (Ed Baldwin) 😥 ✍

Ed managed to be the last survivor after Jamestown was attacked. But for how much longer?

Focus on Your Next Breath (Ed Baldwin x Reader) 😘 😥 ✍

Set between Seasons 1 and 2 of For All Mankind, Ed has returned from the moon yet he is still dealing with everything that happened to him in the past 6 months: Physically, mentally, and emotionally. Good thing he has his old friend to help talk him through it.

Drabbles:

The Only Way

#masterlist #joel kinnaman #rick flag #rick flag x reader #the suicide squad #suicide squad #dc #takeshi kovacs #takeshi kovacs x reader #altered carbon #stephen holder #stephen holder x reader #the killing #ed baldwin #ed baldwin x reader #for all mankind

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a-reader-and-a-writer · 6 months

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There Never Was a Choice

AI-Less Whumptober 2023: 4. Betrayal, 6. Forced to Hurt Someone Else, 13. Crushed, 14. Field Medicine, 16. Amputation, 29. Forced to Choose Fandom: For All Mankind, Ed Baldwin, f!reader Summary: When an accident on Jamestown Base leaves you trapped, Ed must make an impossible decision. Word Count: 3702 TW: Amputation, Heartbreak, Depression, Begging, Betrayal, Language, Implied Age Gap in Relationship Notes: Thank you to @loverhymeswith for the GIF and ask that inspired this fic! 💖 Part of @ailesswhumptober's event

Takes place between season 2 and season 3

Even before he opened his eyes, Ed heard the screaming. It was a high-pitched keen of agony that was reverberating all around the tight enclosed space. And while he knew he needed to get up—to go investigate—the back of his head was throbbing so fiercely that he didn’t even want to open his eyes for fear of making it somehow worse. All he wanted to do was sink back into the dark numbing abyss and sleep off the pain.

“Get this goddamn thing off me!”

Ed’s eyes snapped open before quickly recoiling from the light. However, he blinked away the pain and forced himself up onto unsteady feet. All desire to succumb to unconsciousness evaporated the moment he heard your agonized voice and realized it had been you screaming this whole time. Instead, a fresh wave of adrenaline and dread pushed him forward towards the crowd of people on the other side of the room.

As the other astronauts noticed him approaching, they silently moved aside, everyone avoiding his gaze. And it was then that he finally saw you.

You were lying on your back in a pool of blood that was slowly growing larger. At first glance, you seemed relatively fine. There were some small cuts on your face and arm but nothing that would put you in the kind of agony he had heard moments before. But then Ed noticed your left arm disappearing beneath a pile of twisted metal beside you. He had no idea where the debris had come from, however, it had clearly trapped your arm beneath it.

Your face was pinched in pain but as soon as you saw him standing there, it softened slightly. “Ed,” you moaned, reaching out toward him with your freed arm. He quickly knelt down and took your hand in his. “Are you okay?”

“Am I okay?” he asked incredulously. “You’re the one currently pinned beneath heavy machinery.”

“Yeah, well, it’s obvious I’m not alright. But you hit your head in the explosion and that can’t be good for you, old man.” You were trying to stay upbeat and your usual snarky self, but underneath the forced levity, Ed could hear the pain and fear in your voice.

“I think we both know there’s not much up there worth damaging,” he joked back, trying to keep the same false lighthearted tone as you were. Squeezing your hand tighter, he added, “But I’ll be alright and so will you. Just wait and we’ll get you outta there.”

You snorted. “Where am I gonna go?”

But then a shiver of pain ran through your body. Your face twisted into an agonized grimace as you squeezed Ed’s hand so tightly he felt his bones crunch in your grasp. However, he made no move to stop you. Instead, he brushed the hair off your face with his free hand and waited for your pain to fade.

Once your grip lessened some and you seemed to relax, Ed murmured, “Hey, I’ll be right back, okay? I just need a minute then we’ll get this figured out. Hold on.”

You nod and reluctantly let go of his hand. As he stood up, Ed grabbed the closest person to him and pulled the young man across the room so they were out of your earshot. The man seemed flustered and unsure of why he had been dragged away, but Ed put up a hand before he could speak.

Glancing down at his suit, Ed saw his patch read “N. Corrado” and after scouring his still foggy brain for a moment, he remembered you mentioned your friend Nick was coming to the moon on the next rotation along with the supplies. Considering this man had just arrived two days earlier and was the only astronaut Ed hadn’t recognized, he was pretty sure he must now be speaking to your friend.

“What happened? Start at the beginning.” Nick opened his mouth but Ed interrupted once more. “I need the quick and concise version.”

And that was what Nick gave him.

They had been trying to update Jamestown and expand the base with new equipment they had just received from Earth a few days ago. Ed had obviously known that part. But what was news to him was that while trying to install the new air system, one of the oxygen tanks exploded, damaging not only the new system but the equipment around it as well. The team managed to throw up the emergency shields so the base wasn’t in danger of depressurizing or losing air, but there had still been two injuries in the accident.

One of the pieces had been thrown off and hit Ed in the head—hence his headache and unconsciousness—and they had carefully moved him to the other side of the room so he was out of the way while they dealt with the real problem…you.

You had been right next to the tank when it exploded, sending you, the remains of the tank, and several other parts of the base flying across the room. It was a miracle the debris had only landed on your arm and not the rest of you, otherwise they would be planning a funeral rather than an extraction.

Ed took in everything Nick said with a growing dread in his chest. That equipment was incredibly sturdy and heavy to ensure it could withstand the deadly conditions on the moon. If there was a leak or crack in any of it, it could mean the death of the entire base. Because of this, the metal was three times thicker than necessary just to be on the safe side. This was why everything had to be moved with loaders and other transportation equipment—all of which were too large to fit inside the base itself. And since you were currently pinned in one of the inner rooms of the base—

Another one of your wails filled the room as the rest of the crew tried again in vain to remove the debris. Ed buried his head in his hands, wishing there was something he could do to stop your pain. But falling apart wasn’t going to help you. Right now, you needed him to suck it up and be the leader he had been sent on this mission to be.

So, taking a deep breath, he looked at Nick and asked, “So, what have you been trying to do to free her? Can we just turn the gravity off so we can push it off her?”

Nick shook his head. “We still don’t know how much damage the explosion caused. There’s a chance if we turn the gravity off, we won’t be able to turn it back on.”

Ed scrubbed his hand over his face. “Well, what about the saws we use for moon rocks? Can we cut the metal into smaller pieces and move them off?”

“We tried but it didn’t work on the metal.” But then Nick hesitated and Ed could see he wanted to say something else.

“What? What is it?” When Nick still didn’t reply, Ed took a step forward and growled in his face, “Corrado, we are not leaving her there to bleed out, so tell me what you are thinking.”

Nick swallowed heavily, then mumbled, “I’m not saying we leave her. Well…Not all of her.”

The meaning of Nick’s words hit Ed like a punch to his chest. Clenching his jaw firmly, he shook his head. “No. No, we’re not doing that.”

Nick bowed his head. “Sir—”

“No! We are not cutting off her goddam arm! Do you understand me?”

“I do,” Nick muttered meekly. But then he took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked Ed straight in the eye. “But I don’t think you understand, Commander. She’s losing blood and we can’t stop that until we can actually get to her arm. And even then, we can only stop the bleeding temporarily with what we have with us here. Which means she has to go home but it takes almost two days to reach Earth in the emergency shuttle. So we need to get her out of here right now if she has any chance of surviving.”

Having finished what he needed to say, Nick withdrew into himself once more as he averted his gaze from Ed’s. Mumbling softly, he added, “I’m sorry, sir. It’s just….she’s a good friend and the best astronaut we have. I understand how horrible this decision is and if there was any other way…”

Ed sighed. “No, you are right. I was just reacting to the situation without thinking it through. But we don’t have a choice here so we’ll do what we have to in order to save her life…Even if she hates us for it.” Nick squeezed his eyes together tightly, and Ed placed his hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be alright, son. I’ll be the one to tell her. Just…just get the others ready. She’s not gonna take this well.”

Nick nodded and quickly scurried back to where the other crew members were gathered around you. Ed watched him whisper something to the medic whose head shot up and he looked at Ed. Ed nodded his consent before slowly walking over to your side once more.

You smiled as he knelt down beside you, but it was weaker this time. Pain and exhaustion had sapped your will to put on a brave face and seeing that was the final push Ed needed to know he was making the right decision.

Squeezing your shoulder, he said, “You need medical attention as soon as possible. I was hoping…God, I was hoping we had more time or another way, but you’re losing too much blood so we have to take the only option that will free you immediately.”

“You guys had a plan for getting me outta here just like that and you hadn’t done it? What kind of friends…” Your joke died in your throat as you watched Ed bow his head. It took a moment, but Ed felt you tense beneath his hand as soon as you realized what he was saying. Your eyes grew wide and you shrunk away from Ed as much as your pinned arm would allow. “No…you can’t mean…you can’t do that.”

Ed tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “Believe me, this is the last resort. We can’t move the metal off of you which only leaves us with one option.”

“No, Ed, please! If you take my arm…that’s the end of my career. They’ll never let me in space ever again.”

He shook his head sadly. “It’s better than the end of your life if I don’t. I’m sorry. If there was any other way—”

“No! Don’t! Please! Ed…Ed, if you love me, you won’t do this.”

Ed felt every eye in the station suddenly focused on him. There of course had been rumors about the two of you—the hotshot commander and his brilliant prodigy—but there had never been any proof…until now. For two years, the two of you had managed to keep your relationship a secret but now the cat was out of the bag. However, he didn’t have time to deal with it right at that moment. Once he got you free and home safely, then he could worry about the repercussions of your relationship. Right now all he could focus on was saving your life.

Brushing a loose strand of your hair behind your ear, Ed murmured softly, “It’s because I love you that I have to do this. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

He nodded at the medic who had just stepped up next to you. The medic drove the syringe he had prepared while you and Ed were talking into your arm even as you thrashed and begged for him not to. Almost instantly, your body fell limp and your eyes rolled back in your head as the tranquilizer took effect.

For a moment, an eerily silence filled the base. All eyes were still turned to Ed, waiting for him to give the final confirmation that they should proceed. What needed to happen was horrible enough, but the fact Ed had to be the one to make that call, that he had to say the words that would change your life forever, was almost too much to bear.

Leaning over, he pressed his lips against your sweat-drenched forehead and said a silent prayer to a God he hadn’t believed in for over a decade. Then, turning to the crew, he mumbled, “Do it.”

Unable to watch what happened next, Ed turned his back to everyone and walked to the other side of the room as one of the saws buzzed to life. Even without looking, he could hear the pitch change as the saw began to bite into your flesh and bone.

Ed had tried to visit you every day since the two of you had landed in the escape pod and you were rushed into surgery but there had been one complication after another. Your body was still used to the conditions on the moon after having been stationed there for the past three months. Even a completely healthy body took time to readjust from that, but yours had been traumatized before reentering the atmosphere only to be then thrown into the immediate chaos of anesthesia, operations, and pain. It was no wonder they almost lost you on the table three times but somehow, mercifully, you pulled through in the end.

It took almost a full day for you to wake up after surgery but when you did and saw what had been done to you, you lost it. According to the report, it took three nurses to keep you from ripping out your IVs and tearing your stitches. It even got to the point where they had to sedate you for your own safety. And Ed had to learn all of this secondhand.

He had been examined to make sure everything was alright from where he hit his head, but then they had forced him from the hospital. Apparently, word had already gotten back to Earth before the escape pod had about his relationship with you and it was determined he should be kept far away from your recovery until there was an investigation to make sure no improprieties had led to the accident. But thankfully, Molly was slipping him any information she could on your well-being.

However, every update he got just broke him more and more. This shouldn’t be happening, not to you. You…who was on the path to lead the human race to Mars and beyond as the most talented and intuitive astronaut he had ever trained. You…who had been dreaming of exploring the vast unknown of space for longer than you could remember. You…who had turned his life around when he was spiraling into his own personal blackhole and rekindled his love for his job.

You……who he had fallen hopelessly and completely in love with.

It seemed impossible that not so long ago you were both lying naked in his bed, your head resting on his heaving chest as you leisurely ran your fingers through his damp hair. The two of you had talked about what would happen after this mission including the very real possibility of moving in together, consequences be damned. Ed had never seen you so happy or peaceful.

But now—

Five days after returning to Earth, Ed was finally told you had been taken off the sedatives and he was given permission to visit you. As he walked down the empty halls towards your room, he briefly wondered if Shane had taken his last breath in a place like this. So sterile. So white. So cold and unfeeling. God, he hated hospitals!

Reaching your room, he paused outside your door as he got his first glimpse of you since returning to Earth.

Your left arm had been severed just below your elbow and layers of gauze covered the end so Ed was unable to assess how well the surgeries had gone. You were hooked up to several machines to help you readjust to being back on Earth as well as ones you needed after your operations. All of it seemed fairly standard and not too concerning. But your eyes…your eyes were a different matter.

Ed had first fallen in love with your eyes. Not the color or anything like that, but the flames blazing within them. It was a fire that burned as brilliantly as the brightest star, born out of determination and drive. And quickly, he had become addicted to your light.

But now when he looked into your eyes, there was nothing. Just the cold emptiness of space.

However, he tried his best to push that thought aside as he stepped closer. “Hey, sweetheart. You feeling up to a visitor?”

You made no indication that you had heard him. You just continued to stare out the window with that same blank, emotionless gaze. It wasn’t an invitation in the slightest, but you also hadn’t told him to fuck off and leave you alone as Ed had expected, so he slowly stepped into the room.

As he came around the side of the bed and into your line of sight, your eyes shifted slightly to avoid looking at him yet you still didn’t turn your head or make any move to hide from him. Once again, a fairly promising sign.

Ed sat down on the far end of the bed, his hand resting just a or so inch from your blanket-covered legs. He smiled softly as he asked, “How are you? I-I wanted to come see you as soon as you got outta surgery but they said…they said it wasn’t a good time. But, uh, Molly says the doctors think you’ll be able to leave by the end of the week. That’ll be nice, huh? Getting to go home to your own bed?”

You didn’t move or make any acknowledgment of his words so Ed changed the subject in the hopes of sparking some reaction. “And I know it won’t be the same, but I’ve already talked to Margo and she has a few positions in mind for you once you’re ready to come back to work. Obviously, you’ll need some time but just because you can’t go back to space doesn’t mean your career at NASA is over. You can work in Mission Control, or become one of the instructors, or Margo said you might even qualify for Chief of the Astronaut Office. I guess that would make you my boss, then.” Ed forced a chuckle as he tried to keep the mood upbeat. “It’ll be nice to work together again, even if in different positions. They know about us now—after what you said at Jamestown I couldn’t hide it—but I think it’s gonna be alright. A little slap on the wrist but nothing I can’t handle. So once you come home, we can start on those plans we had. Maybe find a new house or apartment. You know, a fresh start for both of us. I think that’d be good—”

“Please, Ed. Just go.”

Your whispered words washed over him like a freezing rain. “Sweetheart, I—”

“Please. Leave me alone. Go and don’t come back.” You squeezed your eyes together tightly as tears began slowly streaming down your face. “I don’t ever want to see you again.”

Ed felt his world shatter around him. He knew you would be upset that he had made the call to amputate your arm, that it would take time for things to go back to the way they were—if they ever did at all. He had even prepared for the possibility you wouldn’t want to see him right now. But he never imagined you would want to cut him out of your life completely.

Sliding over so he was seated right next to your uninjured arm, he said, “Listen, I can’t even imagine how you are feeling right now but I’m here for you. I wanna help however I can and I know you’re gonna come back from this. Just don’t cut me out—”

“Ed, if you’re not out of this room in the next 60 seconds, I’m calling security.”

He blinked in utter shock as he finally realized how serious you were. But, surprisingly, what hurt even more than your threatening to have him forced from the room was the fact that your words and expression were still as lifeless and flat as ever. The you he knew—the you he loved—would have been screaming, snapping, hissing with anger as you threw him from your room. But now? It seemed as if your spirit had been left with your arm back on the moon.

“Okay. I’ll go.” Leaning over, he pressed his lips against your forehead and whispered, “But you know how to find me if you change your mind. Anytime day or night, I’ll be there. Just please…don’t give up on us.”

Ed straightened up, sniffing as he wiped the corner of his eye, and forced himself to walk towards the door. It was killing him to leave you alone like this, so broken and numb, but it didn’t seem as if you were giving him any choice. He just hoped, given time, you would relent and allow him back into your life.

But just as his hand reached for the door handle, you softly whispered from the bed, “There is no us—not anymore. You made sure of that.”

Without turning around, Ed said in a firm, clear voice, “I don’t regret my decision, not as your commander or as the man who loves you. And if we really are done because of what I did, I still wouldn’t change a thing. At the end of the day...there never was a choice. Because I would rather live in a universe where you are alive to hate my guts than one where you loved me but I let you die. And nothing you say will ever make me feel differently.”

And with that, Commander Ed Baldwin walked out of your life—though he still held out the slightest of hope that the door had not locked behind him.

Taglist: @loverhymeswith, @bewitchedignition, @tavners, @merlehs, @sunshineflowerchild789, @shanimallina87, @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy, @katjnordstrom96, @mayhem24-7forever, @green-socks, @princessmisery666, @deppresseddyslexic

#ailesswhumptober2023 #fic #whumptober #ed baldwin #ed baldwin x reader #f!reader #reader #nick corrado #for all mankind #joel kinnaman #angst #whump #amputation tw #heartbreak tw #hospital tw #begging tw #betrayal tw #depression tw

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lacontroller1991 · 7 months

Text

WHUMPTOBER 2023

ITS SPOOKY SEASON BITCHES AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS???? WHUMPTOBER

Main Master List

SOOOOO I am giving it a go again this year. That being said, I don't have all the days planned out and I might not post on all of the days, but the ones I do have planned out I do plan on posting. So HUGE SHOUTOUT to @ailesswhumptober for supplying the prompts I will be using this year.

They are as follows:

1) Drugged/Sick/Poisoned (Sub: Bloody Knuckles) - Johnny Lawrence

You got in a fight for your life and the only thing you could think about is going to the comfort of your sensei, unknowing of your wounds.

2) Overworked/Insomnia/Exhaustion - Ernest Lawrence

Lawrence has been working very long and very hard hours to produce the first nuclear bomb. Long enough hours to forget a very important celebration.

3) Sensory Deprivation/Overstimulation/Isolation - Ed Baldwin

Being on the moon by yourself is tricky as is, dealing with the loss of you however? It’s downright insufferable.

4) Hiding an Injury/Betrayal/Lying - N/A

5) Hostage/Kidnapping/Held at Gunpoint - Roman Sionis

With you now being known as Roman Sionis’s girlfriend, you becomes an easy target.

6) Conditioning/Mind Control/Forced to Hurt Someone - N/A

7) Flatline/Restrained/CPR - Rick Flag

Rick and you have always had prank competitions, but this year, you take it a little too far.

8) Panic Attacks/Dissociation/Seizure - Gordo Stevens

You wait at the restaurant for 30 minutes and are very irritated that Gordo doesn’t show up. Deciding to give him a piece of your mind, you go to his house only to find that Gordo is in the middle of a panic attack.

9) Scar Reveal/Interrogation/Presumed Dead - N/A

10) Branding/Scarring/Collar - N/A

11) Fainting/Paralyzed/Adrenaline - Ernest Lawrence

Feeling the buzz of finally completing the first nuclear bomb, Lawrence comes home to you and fucks you.

12) Self Harm/Sacrifice/Character Death - Gordo Stevens

After a night of heavy drinking, Gordo reflects on his life and how pathetic he has become. Wanting to hurt himself but not go through with it, he calls you, who he knows will help out.

13) Earthquake/Flood/Crushed - N/A

14) Bleeding through the bandage/Field Medicine/No Anesthesia - N/A

15) Experimentation/Muzzle/Transformation - Jonathan Crane

You decide to be a test subject for his new toxin.

16) Amputation/Chronic Pain/Hospital - N/A

17) Hypothermia/Heat Stroke/"You Look a Little Pale" - J. Robert Oppenheimer

In which the detonation of the atomic bomb is successful but the one person who should be celebrating isn’t looking too hot.

18) Fever/Vomiting/Warm Soup - Gordo Stevens

Gordo survived Jamestown but at what cost?

19) Taken for Granted/Left Behind/”Why wasn’t I enough?” - Stephen Holder

Holder is smitten by a fellow detective and so he does all of your paperwork at your request. Linden confronts Holder about this behavior but Holder deflects it. When he goes to ask you out, you reject, leaving a heartbroken Holder.

20) Dehumanization/Stockholm Syndrome/Master and Servant - N/A

21) Blood Loss/Shock/Near Death Experience - Gordo Stevens

Follows the events of season 2 where instead of Ed’s plane catching on fire, Gordo’s plane catches on fire and he’s forced to eject, causing him to land in the middle of the ocean. You are nearly devastated, Gordo has never felt more alive.

22) Whipping/Punishment/Stress position - N/A

23) Begging/”Take me Instead”/Forced to Watch - N/A

24) Failed Escape/Hunted Down/Too exhausted to keep running - N/A

25) Nightmares/Flashback/”Why didn’t you save me?” - Joe Pickett

In which Joe has recurrent nightmares about his childhood and you try to help him.

26) Magical Exhaustion/Curse/Came Back Wrong - N/A

27) Forgotten/Locked Away/Immortal - N/A

28) Whumpee Hair Pulling/Oxygen Deprivation/Sweating - N/A

29) “The easy or the hard way?”/Bargaining/Force To Choose - Obi Wan Kenobi

Maul is holding both you and the Duchess Satine Hostage and forces Kenobi to choose one, the woman he “loves” or the woman he loved.

30) Possession/Mind Games/Coma - Rick Flag

The Enchantress control’s Rick’s mind and knowing Rick’s connection with you, his best friend, the Enchantress decides to get rid of you.

31) PTSD/Headaches/Crying - N/A

If you guys have any thoughts about the ones I have unnamed, please send me an Ask or DM if you would like to see someone in that slot!!!!

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reveluving · 2 years

Text

reveluving ; masterlist navigation

next destination: reve road!

↬ A little community for those looking for a fresh start, involving you & your beloved.

a/n:

Fem!reader as I have grown accustomed to the style.

Asterisks (*) indicates smut so this masterlist is for 18+ ONLY! like, a lot. so MINORS, DNI! please, I can’t stress this enough!

m.list:

↬ joel kinnaman & char.

↬ a mother's touch (batmom series)

↬ future mrs barber (andy barber series)

↬ eyes locked hands locked (cod series)

↬ a little more love (peter hale & deucalion series)

↬ choices: stories you play (f!mc reader)

↬ miscellaneous char.

askbox:

Askbox is always open BUT due to IRL responsibilities, time of responses may vary. Still, I'd love to hear what y'all have in mind; thots, questions or just a quick hello, you name it! ᝰ.ᐟ

tags directory:

#— reveluving's masterlist 🌹 , #— reve's reverie 🌹» all the fics written by yours truly!

#— reve's asks 🌹» answering your questions/thots/drabbles!

#— reve's mutuals 🌹 » posts by my beloveds!

#— reve's ruby 🌹 (based on year) , #— reve's number one 🌹 » timeless favourites!

#queue got me feeling like a psycho 🕯 » random collection of my favourite posts!

remember:

No, I do not post my works anywhere else, except here & AO3 (reveluving). Should anyone stumble upon my work elsewhere, it has been published without my knowledge & especially consent.

Please let me know if you have ever come across such issue.

˚ · . Don't be shy, look around! Maybe come & say hello! ᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟ

#reveluving #— reve's reverie 🌹#— reveluving's masterlist 🌹#rick flag x reader #stephen holder x reader #ed baldwin x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bruce wayne x reader #batfam x reader #a mother's touch series #andy barber x reader #future mrs barber series #cod x reader #cod x you #choices fanfic #the deucalion x reader #peter hale x reader

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loverhymeswith · 2 years

Text

A Sky Full of Stars | Ed Baldwin x F!Reader | Two

Masterlist

Summary: Monday morning comes around too soon.

Warnings: Slow burn, age gap, drinking, grief, build up to smut, 18+ due to smut in part three

Word Count: 4k

A/N: Thank you to @a-reader-and-a-writer for beta-reading and lending your invaluable advice and suggestions <3

As so often tends to be the case, Monday comes around far too quickly. It was even more of a struggle than usual to drag yourself out of bed this morning, thanks in no small part to your lack of sleep. The encounter with Ed has been playing on your mind all weekend, endlessly occupying your thoughts and keeping you up at night as you attempt to analyse what his actions meant. Until the moment that his lips touched yours, it had never occurred to you that you wanted Ed to kiss you. But now that you’ve had a taste, you’re starting to think that there’s nothing you want more.

‘I shouldn’t have done that.’

His words continue to haunt you, though. Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what you want; Ed has made his feelings clear. Kissing you was a mistake, no matter how much you’d like for it to happen again.

From the moment you step foot inside JSC, a tightness forms in your chest and your palms feel clammy. The likelihood of bumping into Ed along these corridors is very real – very high – and if you’re being completely honest, you’re just as excited as you are terrified. If you do run into him, what will he say? What will you do?

Thankfully, Monday gets off to a busy start. Margo has a series of meetings that occupy most of the day, but rather than focusing on taking the minutes, you find yourself running through the mental list of reasons you have compiled as to why nothing can or will happen between you and Ed Baldwin: one, he’s Chief of the Astronaut Office and you’re a lowly secretary – the fact that he even looked at you twice makes little sense; two, he’s recently divorced and you’ve never had a relationship last longer than a week – to say you were scared of commitment would be an understatement; three, he’s much older, in fact nearly fifteen years your senior – what would your colleagues say?; four-

“Afternoon, Ed.”

The sound of his name in Margo’s smooth southern drawl swiftly sweeps you out of your daydream. You look up from your notepad, startled to find that Ed has entered the meeting room. Just like back in his office, all of the energy in the room, and indeed everyone's attention, is instantly focused on him. A tall, broad, and unfairly handsome centre of gravity.

“Hi Margo. Good weekend?”

As Ed approaches your corner of the room, you will yourself to shrink further into the chair, to become invisible. It’s possible he hasn’t noticed you yet. Better to keep it that way.

“Nothin’ special.” Margo clears a stack of papers from the conference table, making room for Ed to join her. “How did your game with Molly go?”

Ed pulls out the heavy chair as if it weighs nothing. When he responds, his voice is low and rumbling. “She beat my ass as usual.”

Margo hums under her breath, her lack of surprise evident. Everyone knows that Molly Cobb is a fearsomely competitive woman. During your evenings with Ed he told you all about their weekly golf games, and how desperate he is to beat her.

With your eyes glued to Ed now, you can’t help but watch on fascinatedly as he unbuttons his jacket and lowers into the seat. His movements are hypnotic. The way he carries himself so confidently, so self-assured. How many others in this room know the true weight of the grief he bears?

Just as you start to think you’ve got away with it, that he hasn’t seen you hiding at the back of the room, he glances over his shoulder. The moment his hazel eyes meet yours, a spark ignites in the pit of your stomach, and you find yourself clutching onto your notepad for dear life. Ed doesn’t seem surprised to see you; the faintest of smiles tugs at his soft lips and he acknowledges you with a nod.

Shocked as you are by your body’s reaction to seeing him again, you manage a weak smile of your own before he turns back around.

The meeting begins and once again you struggle to concentrate, but this time it’s because you can barely take your eyes away from Ed. He's like a magnet, commanding every ounce of your focus, even when he's doing nothing more interesting than chewing the end of his pen.

Every now and then he leans over to whisper into Margo’s ear. From this short distance you have no idea what’s being said, and Margo’s posture gives nothing away. It certainly shouldn't be of any concern, and yet his one small glance in your direction was more than enough to have you spiralling back into a pit of overthinking.

He didn’t seem unhappy to see you. That was definitely a smile on his face. What is he talking to Margo about? When might you see him again?

After a painful ninety minutes filled with anxiety and inappropriate thoughts, the final meeting of the day draws to a close. As usual, Margo is last to vacate the room. It suits you just fine, leaving no opportunity for awkward conversations or the embarrassment of being ignored. Your heart might be pounding at a million miles a minute as you help tidy away Margo’s documents, but you’ve survived Ed's presence.

“Walk with me to mission control?” she requests. “I wanna go over some notes.”

Hoping she’s not referring to the notes you haven’t been taking, you follow her out of the door, relieved but maybe just a little disappointed to find the corridor abandoned.

As the two of you head towards the other side of the building, Margo’s stream of consciousness soon turns to matters other than General Bradford and his lack of respect for her authority. “I heard you finally finished up with Ed’s paperwork last week. Thanks for helping out with that.”

The lie comes too easily. “It was nothing.”

"Well, you must have done a good job." She eyes you over the rim of her glasses. "You certainly made a great impression. He was singing your praises back there."

Margo’s offhand comment sends blood rushing to your cheeks. It was you that he was whispering about? Goodness knows how, but you manage to maintain a neutral expression when you reply. "Well, let’s hope he sticks to the system.”

“Yes, let’s.” Margo gives you a nod as you arrive outside mission control. “Don’t worry though, I told him he’s not taking advantage of you like that again.”

You freeze, terrified for a moment that Margo somehow knows what transpired between the two of you on that final night in Ed’s office. But before you can start planning your resignation letter, Margo is continuing. “You’re far too valuable to be wasting your time with his filing. If he can’t manage it himself, maybe he should find his own assistant.”

You find yourself nodding along, your fear slowly receding as you realise that Margo is – in her own way – trying to give you a complement.

“Anyway, it’s nearly five. Why don’t you clock off early and we’ll catch up in the morning.”

“Thanks Margo.”

Once she has disappeared inside, you glance at your watch and can't help but laugh. It’s five minutes to five. Not quite an early clock-off by the time you make it back to her office and collect your belongings, but you know Margo means well.

Willing yourself to think of anything other than Ed Baldwin, you take a deep breath. Day one is almost over. You can do this. You can move on with your life as if nothing happened.

You’ve barely taken two steps along the corridor when you feel a presence behind you. Assuming Margo has forgotten something, you start to turn, just as a hand shoots out and grabs your wrist, spinning you around.

“E-Ed?”

He’s looking down at you with an uncharacteristically uncertain expression, but there's no room for argument in his tone when he tugs your wrist and mutters, "Come with me.”

You open your mouth to ask where exactly he's taking you, but he's already pulling you through an unlocked door that leads into the old comms room. It's a small space, especially for a man of Ed's size, and you find yourself holding in a breath as he reaches over your shoulder to flick the light switch.

Blinking as your vision adjusts to the warm yellow glow, you stare up at Ed. Your body is vibrating with nervous energy and you can't quite hide the tension in your voice. “What - what's going on?”

Ed swallows. His jaw is set and his lips are drawn into a firm line. It's a world away from the softer, playful version of Ed that you came to know over the last few weeks, and you feel your stomach drop as you begin to realise why you're here. He's planning to let you down gently.

“I didn’t mean to scare you," he begins, folding his arms across his chest. Evidently this is just as uncomfortable for Ed as it is for you. "It’s just, I’ve been wanting to apologise for the other night. You left in such a rush, I never got the chance to explain and I…" He trails off, his gaze flickering from your eyes and down to your lips. A beat of silence fills the space as he scrubs a hand across his jaw. "You know what? I'm not sorry."

Your confusion must be visible, because he quickly continues. "I'm not sorry I kissed you. I've been wanting to do that for days. If anything, I'm sorry it took me so long."

Ed watches you carefully, waiting for your reaction. You're certain there are plenty of appropriate responses to such a revelation, but in the heat of the moment you find yourself blurting out the first coherent thought that enters your mind. "I wish you hadn't waited so long either."

He’s grinning down at you now, a wide smile that transforms him from the feared and revered Admiral Edward Baldwin to just plain Ed. It lights up his whole face, chasing away the grief and uncertainty that you know lurks behind his beautiful eyes.

Even after his confession, Ed’s next words knock the air from your lungs. "Think we could try it again?"

No longer in control of your body or senses, you close the distance, until there's barely an inch of space between you. "Yes."

When Ed kisses you this time, it's soft and gentle, but unlike the other night there's a confidence behind his actions that leaves you in no doubt of his true intention or desire. He cups your jaw tenderly between his two big hands, keeping you moulded to his mouth. While his lips slowly brush over yours, a rush of warmth spreads throughout your body, and you feel yourself begin to melt beneath his touch.

Instead of staggering backwards like before, this time he carefully releases you. One hand travels along the curve of your spine and a lopsided grin returns to his face.

"Have dinner with me on Friday night?"

Unlike Monday morning, Friday takes forever to arrive. Anxiety and excitement has lingered with you all week, but if Margo has noticed your sudden abundance of nervous energy, she is yet to comment on it.

Ever since leaving Ed in the old comms-room, you've felt giddy. This kiss – much like the one before it – has been constantly on your mind. In the space of those few stolen minutes two things became apparent: not only was your first kiss far from the mistake you had initially thought, but you were correct in your assumption that once his lips were on yours, you would only want much more of Ed.

At five o’clock sharp you lock yourself in the ladies’ room, taking far too long worrying over your appearance as you wait for the corridors to clear. You don’t relish the thought of having to explain to anyone why you are visiting Ed Baldwin outside of office hours. Gossip spreads like wildfire here, and aside from the knowledge that you’ll be having dinner with him tonight, you really don’t know where your relationship stands.

Margo’s calendar was so hectic throughout the week that you only caught fleeting glimpses of Ed before this evening. If not for one brief encounter on Wednesday morning you’d probably have convinced yourself you made the whole thing up. You had just been leaving the office with an armful of paperwork, when a tall figure fell into stride beside you.

“Italian?” Ed had asked in his deep, rumbling voice.

Ignoring the butterflies filling your stomach – a now-confirmed side effect of being in Ed’s company – you’d offered him a bemused smile. “Excuse me?”

“Food.” Ed had elaborated with a wry grin. “You like it?”

“It’s my favourite,” you’d admitted, clutching the paperwork tightly to your chest, as if it might hide your racing heart.

“Great. I booked a table at this place out of town. Swing by my office after five on Friday and I’ll drive.”

Before you could ask for more details, a group of ASCANs had rounded the corner. Their postures instantly stiffened when they caught sight of Ed, and you couldn’t help but feel a sliver of pity for them. Stifling a smile while they nervously yet politely greeted him, you sensed the weight of Ed's hand on your lower back as he guided you out of their path. Even now you remember how the contact had sent a rush of heat along your spine, but it had been over just as quickly when you saw Molly and Danielle Poole hot on the ASCANs' heels. Ed had silently removed his hand, an unspoken ‘catch you later’ written on his face.

That had been two days ago. You haven’t seen him since. And now that the coast and corridors are clear, you stand outside his office door with your heart in your throat. This is the last chance to back out, but you know you won’t do that. You’ve never been the type to listen to your head, especially not when every other part of your body is desperate to find out where this might go.

Swallowing a tiny seed of doubt, you rap on the door twice before Ed hollers for you to come in. You find him at his desk, reading glasses resting on the bridge of his nose as he studies the file in his hands. When he slowly looks up at you his pensive gaze shifts into something more akin to hunger. Your chest flutters and you wonder if his expression matches your own. With his crisp white shirt stretched tightly across his shoulders and his hair neatly parted and swept to the side, he truly is the most breathtaking man you’ve ever laid eyes on.

"Take a seat. I'll just be a minute."

You slip into the chair opposite Ed and place your purse by your feet. “I hope you’ve been sticking to the filing system,” you tease, smoothing out your skirt.

He responds with a low chuckle. “If I thought it meant I'd get to see more of you, I would have messed it up by Monday. But Margo has already made her feelings on the matter pretty clear.”

"So I heard."

Ed simply grins.

The restaurant Ed picked is not what you'd expected. It's quaint and understated. Intimate. A candle burns on the table between you, the flickering glow sharpening the fine features of his handsome face.

If you thought Ed was different in the privacy of his office, it's nothing compared to the change you see in him once you've left the halls of JSC behind. The weight of responsibility falls off his shoulders, giving space for his best qualities to shine. Ed Baldwin is kind, charming, funny. And he’s been the perfect gentleman all evening. Almost too perfect.

After dessert has been served, Ed shifts in his seat. “I might have a confession to make. It wasn't exactly a coincidence that I chose Italian, you know."

Curiosity piqued, you raise a brow, prompting him to continue.

"Might'a asked some of the astronauts – don't look so worried, they knew you'd been helping me out with admin – told them you'd recommended a new restaurant in town, but for the life of me I couldn't remember the name. Powell said it was probably something Italian." A soft smirk spreads across his face. Evidently, he’s pleased with himself.

Bemused, you shake your head. “I think your talents are wasted at NASA, Ed. You should have applied to the FBI instead.”

His eyes crease with amusement. "FBI agents don't get to fly rockets to the moon. Besides, if it wasn't for NASA I never would have met you."

Cheeks flaming, you stare into your wine glass. But Ed hasn't finished.

“While we’re on the subject of confessions, there’s something else I wanna tell you.” His voice has dropped an octave and when you glance up, his expression has darkened.

"That first night when I came back to the office and found you gazing at Apollo 1, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. But what business did an old man like me have looking at you like that?"

"You're not that old, Ed," you interject quickly.

He responds with a wistful smile. "I tried to stay away from you. Really, I did. But when you gave me your opinions on my astronauts, I knew for sure I was screwed. Couldn’t help myself after that. You captivated me, plain and simple. Guess you noticed how I kept finding excuses to stick around?"

"When you broke out the golf clubs, I did start to get a little suspicious."

He chuckles. "I meant what I said, though. Spending those evenings together made me realise just how lonely I'd been. And I think we both know that life is short. I don't wanna waste any more time wondering what I might be missing out on."

"What are you saying, Ed?"

"I'm saying that if it's ok with you, I think we should get the hell out of here so I can kiss you again."

You don't make it to the car. The moment you step outside of the restaurant, Ed grabs your wrist and tugs you around the corner. Just out of sight of prying eyes, his hands land on your waist, pulling you flush against his huge body. Your fingers instinctively curl around his shoulders and then his lips are devouring you.

This time is different. You can sense it in the way he touches you; he's no longer holding back. You can taste the loneliness, the grief, the weight of expectation as he pours everything of himself into the kiss.

And you take it all, willingly. You see every part of Ed Baldwin, and you're not afraid.

When you eventually break away, the two of you are flustered and wide-eyed and panting for breath. No one has ever kissed you like that before. There’s something else, too. Something has stirred deep in your stomach, awakening a hunger you'd almost forgotten existed.

"I should get you home," Ed says, almost reluctantly.

Just as reluctantly, you let him lead you to the car.

Ed has barely pulled onto the highway, when you're stricken by a sudden thought. "Damn it, I think I left my purse in your office."

"No problem," Ed assures you with an easy smile. "We'll swing by JSC before I take you home."

"That’s ok. You can just drop me off at the office and I'll call a cab home.” While you’re far from eager for the night to end, the last thing you want is to be a burden.

Ed glances across at you, his eyebrow raised. "Yeah. No. I'm driving you home."

If there's one thing you've learned about Ed Baldwin, it's that he's not a man you want to argue with.

The carpark is all but deserted when you arrive at NASA. You know there’s a skeleton staff covering the night shift in case of emergencies up on Jamestown, but they’ll be sequestered in mission control so you have no worries about running into anyone.

"I'll be five minutes," you tell Ed as you reach for the handle, but he's already opening his door.

You've never been inside JSC this late. It's eerie how quiet it is – a world away from the daily hustle and bustle you’re accustomed to.The security guard on the front desk takes one glance at Ed before waving the two of you through. Apparently Ed’s status offers him the freedom to come and go as he pleases, no questions asked.

“He’s not going to say anything, is he?” You ask, trying to keep up with Ed’s long strides.

“Who, Jeffrey?” Ed shakes his head. “Come tomorrow morning, he won’t even remember we were here.”

When you reach his office, Ed ushers you inside. Sure enough, your purse lies on the floor beside the vacant chair, exactly where you left it. Silently cursing your absent-mindedness, you bend down to snatch it up.

"Sometimes I think I'd forget my own head if it wasn't-"

You trail off, thoughts cut short by the heated expression on Ed’s face as you turn around. The room seems to shrink. Your surroundings fade into the background. You lick your lips, and he’s beside you in two strides.

Ed captures you in a kiss for the second time this evening and with a firm grip on your hips, he walks you backwards until your legs hit the desk. A soft whimper escapes your lips. Encouraged by the sounds you’re making and the way your fingers are tracing the angles of his jaw, Ed slides his hands to the back of your thighs. In one smooth movement he’s lifting you onto the desk; the wood is cool against your burning skin.

All sensible thoughts leave your mind as he slots himself between your legs, pressing the length of his body against you. With your skirt bunched around your hips, the evidence of his desire is apparent. It sends a heady rush of heat straight to your core. You wrap your legs around his waist, needing him to know that you want this, too. But when your fingers greedily reach for the buttons of his shirt, he covers them with his own.

Breaking the kiss, you blink up at him, confused.

"Pretty sure this is going to kill me,” he says roughly, “but I think we should stop.” Your disappointment must be evident because, cupping your cheeks, he quickly adds, "It's not that I don't want this. It's just that I want to do this right.”

Ed helps you off the desk before stepping back to give you some space. You take the opportunity to straighten your skirt, unable to shake the feeling that perhaps you’ve done something wrong. Were you too eager? Did you want this too much?

Ed rubs the back of his neck. “Truth is…” He lets out a deep breath. “Truth is…I haven’t been with anyone since - since Karen.” He can’t seem to meet your eye. “And I like you. So much. I really don’t wanna mess this up.” Turning away, as if he’s scared of your reaction, he continues. “I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. I don’t want this to be a one-night thing. I want…”

Rounding the desk, you join him by the window, where he looks out towards the night sky. Ever so gently, you place your hand on his waist. “I understand, Ed. And I really like you, too. We can take this one day at a time.”

Ed glances down at you, that soft smile of his tugging at his lips. His own hand finds its way to your waist and he draws you closer. “For the longest time I felt like I was tumbling through space without a tether. Didn’t know where I was going, or where I was supposed to be. But when I saw you standing here beside the mission-board that night, telling me what I should do with my astronauts, it was like a switch inside me had been flipped.” With a gentle touch he tilts your chin, murmuring your name so reverently. “I think you might just be the starlight I need to guide me home.”

Joel Taglist: @a-reader-and-a-writer @babblydrabbly @sociiallydiisoriiented @skvatnavle @yespolkadotkitty @heresathreebee @mayhem24-7forever @phoenixhalliwell @bewitchedignition @weallhaveadestiny @katjnordstrom96 @lavenderluna10 @kirsteng42 @s-u-t @immyownlittlebitch @lacontroller1991 @justin-hammers @xoxabs88xox @littlefreakingfangirl @fairchildflag @ed-baldwin

#ed baldwin #joel kinnaman #for all mankind #ed baldwin x reader #ed baldwin x you #admiral ed baldwin #for all mankind fanfic #famk

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violetmuses · 11 months

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Coming back slowly and this man lives in my head rent-free! 🚀 💭

J Krew: @nerdysuperchick @a-reader-and-a-writer @babblydrabbly @lacontroller1991 @shadowkittybucky @loverhymeswith @justin-hammers @weallhaveadestiny @xoxabs88xox @katjnordstrom96 @skvatnavle @mayhem24-7forever @heresathreebee @alieninoklahoma @maddu-oliveira @tavners

#ed baldwin #for all mankind #ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh #joel kinnaman #apple tv #ed Baldwin x reader #my writing #violetmuses

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lacontroller1992 · 1 year

Text

For All Mankind Master List

Main Master List Writing Prompt Master List

ED BALDWIN

Fluff

Talking To the Moon

Unsaid Things

Worth The Wait

Hold On Tight (Sequel to Worth the Wait)

Happier Than Ever

You're Having My Baby

What Becomes of the Broken Hearted pt 2

Angst

What Becomes of the Broken Hearted pt 1

6 Days

Support System

Lime/Smut

Drive In Movie

I'm All Yours

GORDO STEVENS

Fluff

Faithfully

Angst

Late Night Visitor

Constellations

Lime/Smut

Sunset Ride

Regolith

SERIES

Stress Relief Series (Gordo x Reader x Ed)

The Other Stevens

#ed baldwin x reader #ed baldwin x you #joel kinnaman #ed baldwin #gordo stevens #michael dorman #for all mankind #gordo stevens x reader #gordo stevens x you #gordon stevens #admiral ed baldwin #astronaut ed baldwin #astronaut gordo stevens #I swear I love gordo and ed with all my heart #lacontroller1991 #master list

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mayhem24-7forever · 2 years

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i love that just as a fandom, all the ed baldwin fanfic authors made a silent agreement to always go against canon and have ed and karen divorce. like the show writers won’t do it but y’all will and i think that’s beautiful

#ed baldwin #for all mankind #ed baldwin fic #ed baldwin x you #ed baldwin x reader #for all mankind fic #joel kinnaman

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castalyne · 9 months

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First time writing CanonxReader fic. Please be gentle. Or don't.

#Ed Baldwin #Reader insert #x female reader #Ed Baldwin x Reader #For All Mankind

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madkovacs · 2 years

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For @lacontroller1991 silver fox Ed 💖

Tags: @edwardbaldwin @a-reader-and-a-writer @loverhymeswith @bewitchedignition @fairchildflag @yespolkadotkitty @skvatnavle

#joel kinnaman #for all mankind #ed baldwin #ed baldwin x reader #takeshi kovacs #rick flag #madkovacs #madkovacs art

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floralcyanide · 9 months

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𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 - 𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐧

ed baldwin x gn!reader

In which your husband, Ed, returns home to Earth from the Jamestown Base on the Moon after being stranded.

warnings: none, just fluff (:

word count: 525

author’s note: I'm back from my hiatus, except it's for my new hyperfixation, the Apple TV original For All Mankind. if you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend it! especially if you love history, alternate history, space, etc. this is a little fic for a moment that isn't shown between Ed and Karen on the show. reader is gender neutral!

masterlist | add yourself to the taglist here

Your heart is thumping rapidly in your chest as you stand with the welcoming crew of NASA. Today is your first time seeing your husband, Ed, in over six months. Even in the South, it’s a bitterly cold December, so you pull yourself further into your coat. You cross your arms to keep in some warmth as you giddily bounce on the balls of your heels. Gordo and Danielle are close by, waiting to welcome their friend and colleague home as well. You can’t imagine what they went through together up there, but you know better than to ask.

Ed has to be cleared by NASA before making his first appearance since splashdown, so everyone is waiting as patiently as possible despite the tedious process. The press is everywhere, and you’ve been asked several questions. You never minded answering harmless questions to the media but still kept to yourself quite a bit. You and Ed liked your lives to be kept somewhat private.

The sound of clapping begins at the start of the crowd to your left, mission control coming out of their pit, and the landing crew to shake hands with Ed. You scan the area, waiting to spot your husband. You finally do, but he doesn’t see you yet. You swear your heart feels like it’s going to explode. Ed finally finishes shaking hands with the crew and isn’t too far from you now. His eyes dart across the crowd, looking for someone- looking for you. His eyes meet yours, and for a second, everything stops.

You start walking over to him, then begin briskly picking up your pace until you’re running over to Ed. You can hear the sounds of cameras popping as you dart to your husband, who looks over to you and opens his arms just in time to catch you mid-run. He spins you around in his arms as you bury your face into his neck. Your arms are wrapped tightly around his neck as you’re afraid to let go as if he’d vanish at any second, like this was all a dream. But it’s not; it’s real, and you can feel Ed’s strong arms supporting you. You take your time breathing in his scent that had long since disappeared from his pillow and clothes at home. You pull away from his neck, tears streaming down your cheeks as you grab ahold of Ed’s face, looking him closely in the eyes for the first time in ages.

“I love you,” you choke out, “so much.”

“I love you too,” Ed grins, leaning in to give you the kiss you’ve been waiting so long for.

Everyone cheers and claps as you and Ed laugh into the kiss. He lets you back down onto the ground, his arm immediately snaking around your waist protectively as he leads both of you over to Gordo, Danielle, and the rest of the astronauts waiting. The entire time Ed speaks to them, you can’t help but beam up at him, watching as his face contorts into a laugh before he hugs Gordo and his other friends. Ed is finally back, and you couldn’t be happier.

#for all mankind #for all mankind tv #for all mankind apple tv #ed baldwin #edward baldwin #ed baldwin x reader #ed baldwin fanifc #ed baldwin fanfiction #ed baldwin fic #ed baldwin imagine #joel kinnaman #joel kinnaman x reader #joel kinnaman fanfiction #joel kinnaman fanfic #joel kinnaman fic #jeol kinnaman imagine #floralcyanide writes

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a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all · 6 months

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There Never Was a Choice

Takes place between season 2 and season 3

“Get this goddamn thing off me!”

As the other astronauts noticed him approaching, they silently moved aside, everyone avoiding his gaze. And it was then that he finally saw you.

“Am I okay?” he asked incredulously. “You’re the one currently pinned beneath heavy machinery.”

You snorted. “Where am I gonna go?”

Once your grip lessened some and you seemed to relax, Ed murmured, “Hey, I’ll be right back, okay? I just need a minute then we’ll get this figured out. Hold on.”

“What happened? Start at the beginning.” Nick opened his mouth but Ed interrupted once more. “I need the quick and concise version.”

And that was what Nick gave him.

So, taking a deep breath, he looked at Nick and asked, “So, what have you been trying to do to free her? Can we just turn the gravity off so we can push it off her?”

Nick shook his head. “We still don’t know how much damage the explosion caused. There’s a chance if we turn the gravity off, we won’t be able to turn it back on.”

Ed scrubbed his hand over his face. “Well, what about the saws we use for moon rocks? Can we cut the metal into smaller pieces and move them off?”

“We tried but it didn’t work on the metal.” But then Nick hesitated and Ed could see he wanted to say something else.

“What? What is it?” When Nick still didn’t reply, Ed took a step forward and growled in his face, “Corrado, we are not leaving her there to bleed out, so tell me what you are thinking.”

Nick swallowed heavily, then mumbled, “I’m not saying we leave her. Well…Not all of her.”

The meaning of Nick’s words hit Ed like a punch to his chest. Clenching his jaw firmly, he shook his head. “No. No, we’re not doing that.”

Nick bowed his head. “Sir—”

“No! We are not cutting off her goddam arm! Do you understand me?”

Ed tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “Believe me, this is the last resort. We can’t move the metal off of you which only leaves us with one option.”

“No, Ed, please! If you take my arm…that’s the end of my career. They’ll never let me in space ever again.”

He shook his head sadly. “It’s better than the end of your life if I don’t. I’m sorry. If there was any other way—”

“No! Don’t! Please! Ed…Ed, if you love me, you won’t do this.”

Brushing a loose strand of your hair behind your ear, Ed murmured softly, “It’s because I love you that I have to do this. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

Leaning over, he pressed his lips against your sweat-drenched forehead and said a silent prayer to a God he hadn’t believed in for over a decade. Then, turning to the crew, he mumbled, “Do it.”

You……who he had fallen hopelessly and completely in love with.

But now—

Reaching your room, he paused outside your door as he got his first glimpse of you since returning to Earth.

But now when he looked into your eyes, there was nothing. Just the cold emptiness of space.

However, he tried his best to push that thought aside as he stepped closer. “Hey, sweetheart. You feeling up to a visitor?”

“Please, Ed. Just go.”

Your whispered words washed over him like a freezing rain. “Sweetheart, I—”

“Please. Leave me alone. Go and don’t come back.” You squeezed your eyes together tightly as tears began slowly streaming down your face. “I don’t ever want to see you again.”

“Ed, if you’re not out of this room in the next 60 seconds, I’m calling security.”

But just as his hand reached for the door handle, you softly whispered from the bed, “There is no us—not anymore. You made sure of that.”

And with that, Commander Ed Baldwin walked out of your life—though he still held out the slightest of hope that the door had not locked behind him.

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lacontroller1991 · 7 months

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Whumptober Day 3: Ed Baldwin

Main Master List || Whumptober Master List

Summary: Being on the moon by yourself is tricky as is, dealing with the loss of you however? It’s downright insufferable.

Warning: DEATH OF CHARACTERS, hallucination, depression

----------

Time seemed to have come to a stop for Ed. He doesn’t know how many hours or even days it’s been since Gordo had called to tell him about the death of not only Shane, but also of you. Head on collision with a drunk driver. When he first heard the news, he was stunned, not really sure what to say. Even the ever talkative Gordo had shut up, his own tears welling in his eyes at the loss of his sister.

Ed hadn’t bothered to turn off the computer as he walked away. He’s millions of miles away and the two people that meant the most to him are just… gone.

He doesn’t know when the last time he’s eaten something aside from before the news. He doesn’t know when the last time he’s taken a shower. Time doesn’t seem to exist for him anymore. All Ed Baldwin can do is stare out the window into the endless void that is space. Maybe it would’ve been tolerable if Gordo and Dani were still with him, but Dani would have to deal with not one, but two, emotional wrecks, and that’s a huge task. Ed can’t even think about what Gordo is going through. But at least he still has his wife and children, Ed thinks bitterly to himself, stepping out of the airlock and onto the lunar surface. What’s the point of living if there’s nothing to live for?

“You shouldn’t think like that.” Your voice fills his head, causing him to look up, seeing you standing on the surface of the moon, wearing clothes he doesn’t recognize.

“You’re not real.” He blinks his eyes rapidly, wishing he could rub his eyes, but with a fishbowl on his head that’s a little more difficult.

“No, Ed. I’m not.” You take a step closer to him, placing your hand on his helmet, causing him to fall to his knees, his hands trying to grab at your waist to pull you into him, but they move through your silhouette.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For being away. I could’ve stopped it. I could’ve stopped you and Shane from dying.” He cries out, hugging himself as you stoop to his level.

“Ed, nothing was going to stop it. Stuff like this happens. Don’t apologize for something that you can’t control.” He looks at you through hazy eyes, a light glow surrounding your body and it occurs to him that you look as beautiful as the first time he met you. “Now get up. You have work to do. Gordo and you are going to need each other,” you comment, placing a loving kiss on the top of his helmet before starting to walk away.

“Wait, wait.” You turn around, waiting patiently for your lover. “Will I see you again?” You let out a sad smile, wishing that you could comfort him. “I hope so. Please look after my brother,” Ed hangs his head in a nod, “and Ed?” He looks up, the silhouette of his wife slowly fading.

“Yeah?”

“Live for me. Live for Shane. And don’t you ever forget that we love you.”

“I love you too.” Ed blinks his tears away only to find you nowhere near in sight. Standing up, Ed’s hazel eyes scan the horizon as he realizes that he is now alone.

===========

#joel kinnaman #ed baldwin x reader #ed baldwin x you #ed baldwin #for all mankind #whumptober #lacontroller1991 #astronaut ed baldwin

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reveluving · 2 years

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masterlist ; joel kinnaman & char.

˚ · . RICK FLAG

the lady in the middle* (ft captain syverson)

Why choose between two of the hottest veterans when you can have both?

lovememore (+ sequel!*)

Belle Reve or not, Rick is already content when you’re around.

‘rick flag vs the triple frontier boys’ series ; 1, 2, 3, 4*, 5*

You’re unaware that your old friends, the Delta Boys, are taking a liking to you. The problem? Rick Flag is your husband. (#rick flag vs the triple frontier boys)

hold me closely (flag family series) ; 1, 2, 3

'Cool, calm & collected' is how many describe the Flags, and they're right. To a certain degree, at least.

˚ · . STEPHEN HOLDER

in the fall (+ prequel!)

Life is tough but that’s okay — you two have each other.

˚ · . ED BALDWIN

love language*

Ed wants you to teach him your native language.

velvet (ft gordo stevens) [preview]

Ed’s interest in his best friend’s fiancée comes to light, but in the best way possible.

little one

Ed comes home to his little family.

private time*

You & Ed fool around when the girls leave for the park.

late night heart attacks

You & Ed are in for a surprise, quite literally.

˚ · . TAKESHI KOVACS

love again*

Seeing Takeshi smile is rare, a privilege only you have.

˚ · . back to full m.list , kudos to @ed-baldwin for the gif! ❤

#reveluving #— reve's reverie 🌹#— reveluving's masterlist 🌹#joel kinnaman masterlist #joel kinnaman #Joel kinnaman fanfiction #rick flag #rick flag x reader #rick flag vs the triple frontier boys #tss 2021 #stephen holder #stephen holder x reader #ed baldwin #ed baldwin x reader #for all mankind #takeshi kovacs #takeshi kovacs x reader #altered carbon

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loverhymeswith · 2 years

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A Sky Full of Stars | Ed Baldwin x F!Reader| One

Masterlist

Summary: Margo offers you some overtime. A prequel to Sunday Morning.

Warnings: Slow burn, age gap, drinking, grief, 18+ due to smut in part two

Word Count: 7.5k

A/N: In celebration of For All Mankind Season 3 airing tomorrow, this is Part One of my new Ed Baldwin series. Look out for Part Two coming very soon! Thank you to @a-reader-and-a-writer and @sociiallydiisoriiented for all your help! <3

In all the years that you have worked for the Director of Johnson Space Centre, Ms. Margo Madison, you have never once known her to joke around, which is why you are certain she is being deadly serious about the offer she has just laid out before you.

Hesitating in the doorway of her office with doubt filling your mind, you bite your lip and attempt to sidestep the question. "I don't know, Margo. Isn't there anyone else you can ask?"

Seated at her desk, the older woman studies you over the rim of her glasses. When she responds, there's a familiar hint of impatience evident amidst her lilting southern accent. "It's just a bit of filing. I thought you wanted all the overtime you could get."

She's right. Under normal circumstances, you would jump at the opportunity to make a bit of extra money. Whilst working as Margo's assistant doesn't exactly pay peanuts, living alone on a single income and paying for your mother's endless medical bills doesn't leave you with much change at the end of the month.

"I do,” you assure her. “It's just… Ed Baldwin?"

Margo waves her hand as if to shoo away your doubts. "Ignore the rumours. Ed's just a big teddy bear."

You've seen the man in question around JSC plenty of times and while he certainly is big, you can't speak to the rest of Margo's statement. From what you've heard of the astronauts' gossip, Admiral Baldwin's reputation precedes him; he's definitely not the sort of man you want to cross, and up to now, you've succeeded in avoiding him.

"Besides," Margo continues, returning her attention to the stacks of graphs and charts before her, as if the matter has already been concluded. "Ed usually clocks off at five on the dot. Swing around a few minutes after the hour and you won't even see him."

You open your mouth, still unsure of whether you're going to accept, but Margo swiftly cuts you off.

"I've already told him that this is a one time deal. You get his files tidied up and then it's his responsibility. We're not bailing him out every month, just because he thinks he's too important for paperwork."

"Why are we bailing him out?"

Margo glances up from her work and gives you a tight-lipped smile. "Because Ed Baldwin is exactly the kind of man you want to owe you a favour."

Erring on the side of caution, you wait until ten minutes past five before heading over to Ed’s office. Despite your doubts, Margo wasn't going to take no for an answer, and having her owe you a favour of your own wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Approaching the unassuming door, you cast your gaze over the plaque on the wall: Chief of the Astronaut Office. Telling yourself there's really no reason to be so nervous, you try the handle. Just as Margo promised, the room is unlocked. You take a deep breath and, shaking off the inexplicable feeling that you are doing something wrong, you let yourself in.

Ed's office, while not as big as Margo's, is still intimidating - just like the man himself. A large mahogany desk, covered by sheet upon sheet of loose paperwork, fills much of the space. The beige, soft-panel walls boast a variety of photos, paintings and awards, but it's the huge mission-assignment board on the far side of the room that immediately draws your attention.

Tentatively, you approach the board for closer inspection. It is divided into multiple sections, and you can see that Ed has been busy assigning pilots, engineers and scientists to the next twelve months' worth of lunar missions. Every astronaut on the programme is represented by a small head-shot, and amongst the photographs, the familiar faces of your friends smile back at you.

After allowing yourself a moment of satisfaction, realising you now hold information that your friends would kill for, you study the rest of the office. You’ve always thought that it's possible to read a lot about a person from their workspace, and it's the personal details that fascinate you the most: a soft grey jacket hanging on a stand by the window, a pair of reading glasses lying forgotten on the desk.

Idly, you start to wonder who the real Ed Baldwin might be.

Besides the personal effects, you quickly notice the scaled down versions of previous lunar modules that are dotted around Ed's office, taking pride of place on bookshelves and cabinets alike. One module in particular catches your eye.

Apollo 1.

Without thinking, your legs carry you over to the cabinet where the miniature command module resides next to a small lamp. The first crewed mission of the Apollo program, or at least it would have been…A familiar tightness spreads across your chest as your fingers drift over the figure.

Staring at the miniature Apollo 1, you're faintly aware of the door clicking open, but it's not until you hear the deep clearing of a throat that you spin around and find yourself face to face with Admiral Edward Baldwin.

As his sharp eyes assess you, a look of confusion momentarily crosses the admiral's handsome face.

"Sorry! Uh, hi," you stammer, hurriedly introducing yourself before he demands to know why you're lurking in his office. "I'm Margo's assistant."

Ed's face slowly but surely relaxes into the faintest of smiles. "Of course. I know who you are. Margo tells me you volunteered to help fix this mess." He gestures to the piles of paperwork littering the desk, an apologetic glint now sparkling in his hazel eyes.

'Volunteered' is a strong word, you think to yourself as you shrug. "Yeah. Something like that."

"Margo's not a woman you wanna argue with, right?" He flashes you a knowing smile. "But I appreciate that she’s letting me borrow you for the next few evenings. Hope it won't take you too long. I hate paperwork, as you can probably tell."

Still feeling self-conscious, almost as if you've been caught snooping in the headmaster's office, you nod.

"Anyway, I'll be out of your hair in just a minute. Forgot my damn jacket." He crosses the room in a few long strides, snatching the offending article from its hook on the stand. He's even bigger up close, you decide. Larger than life.

You catch yourself staring unashamedly as Ed shrugs on the jacket over a broad set of shoulders. The white collared shirt he's wearing seems to strain at the seams and you can feel your skin warm as you imagine all the muscle that is hidden underneath. For a man that now spends much of his time behind a desk, he certainly takes care of himself.

Mentally scolding yourself for such an inappropriate thought, you find yourself rooted to the spot as he rounds the desk, coming to stand before you. You were right. He is far bigger up close, practically towering over you as he glances at the small model by your hand.

His smile slowly fades. "Apollo 1. Damn shame. You know it'll be ten years-"

"In ten days' time. January 27th." It hadn't been your intention to cut him off, but the date, imprinted on your heart like a brand, just slips out.

Ed's eyes widen ever so slightly. You suspect he's not accustomed to being interrupted. "That's right. I see you got a mind for dates, huh? Some of those ASCANs could take a leaf outta your book. Don't know their own damn history."

Feeling yourself shrink under the weight of his gaze, you cast your own attention to the carpet. He's half right. You do have a mind for dates, but only this one in particular. As if you would ever be able to forget.

When you dare to glance back up, you find him shaking his head, arms folded across the expanse of his chest. "No wonder Margo snapped you up."

"That's kind of you to say, Admiral Baldwin."

His face scrunches up in distaste. "Oh please, just call me Ed. I feel old enough as it is."

You offer him a nervous smile, relieved that he isn't going to interrogate you further. This time of year is hard enough as it is. The last thing you want is to drag up the past with Ed Baldwin.

Whether he senses your awkwardness, or he's just keen to get home, Ed seems to decide that it's time to take his leave. "Well, I guess I'll let you get to it. If you have any trouble, come find me in the morning. And thanks again."

As he slips past you and out of the door, you allow yourself a quiet breath of relief. You've survived your first encounter with the infamous Ed Baldwin. Perhaps he isn't quite as intimidating as you'd expected.

A career in office administration might not have been your primary ambition growing up - in fact, your true aspirations couldn't have been much further from your current situation - but over the years you've been able to find peace and a small amount of satisfaction in the work that you do for Margo, and NASA.

It's one of the reasons why, despite your initial reservations, you really don't mind organising Ed's paperwork, even if it is going to be a greater task than Margo had led you to believe. There had clearly been a system in place once upon a time - back in the days of Ed's predecessors, you imagine - but evidently, this has fallen by the wayside.

After Ed had left, you spent the first evening of your overtime creating a brand new filing system that would house the current crop of astronauts' medical charts, qualifications, and psyche-evaluations. Now, as you make your way through the corridors of JSC ready to embark on your second evening of overtime, you start to think about the next steps.

Just like the night before, the door to Ed’s office has been left unlocked. This time, you don't hesitate before entering. There's a ton of paperwork to get through and as much as you need the money, you've never been the type to push your luck. You'll work as hard as you need to, in order to get the job done quickly.

As soon as you open the door, you're immediately aware that unlike the night before, the office has not yet been vacated. Ed is still sitting at his desk, reading glasses resting on the bridge of his nose as he pours over a handful of documents.

When he hears you enter, he slowly raises his head, a faint look of alarm crossing his face as he glances at the large silver watch on his wrist. "Is that the time?"

Hesitating in the doorway, you take a small step backwards. "I can come by later."

"No, no, come on in. Don't mind me.” He beckons you in. “Promise I'll be out of your way soon."

Feeling very much like you're the one in his way, you close the door behind you and approach one of the cushioned chairs opposite his own.

Ed indicates that you should take a seat, offering you a warm smile that goes some way to easing your nerves, even if the smile itself is a rarity. Every time you’ve seen him around the corridors of JSC he seems to be wearing a rather stoic expression.

Smoothing down your skirt, you slip quietly into the chair, attempting to take up as little space as possible. The files you were working on last night remain in a neat pile at the edge of his desk. You feel his attention on you as you reach for them.

"Just pretend I'm not here."

He makes it sound so easy, as if you don't feel his presence with every nerve, every cell, in your body. All of the energy in the room seems to gravitate towards him. Is this what his astronauts mean when they tell you how he puts them on edge?

With little choice but to ignore the insistent tug and get on with your task, you lower your head and begin arranging the pile of medical charts into alphabetical order, but it isn't long before your attention is once again pulled towards the man sitting opposite.

"Damnit." Ed removes his glasses and massages his temple. "I need more pilots. I ain't got shit to choose from."

You watch silently as he pushes back his seat and stalks towards the mission-assignment board, one hand resting on his hip.

"Had to drop Bowen from the mission," he explains, without bothering to check whether you're listening. "He just found out his wife is pregnant. Can't have the man up on the moon, missing the birth of his first child."

There's not a soul working at JSC today who doesn't know what happened to Ed's young son, Shane, while Ed was stranded on Jamestown. It's just one of the many reasons why the admiral is so revered, and it makes perfect sense that he would be thinking of his astronauts’ families as he sends them up into space.

"What does Bowen think about that?" You don't know the astronaut as well as some of the others, but you do know he had been excited for his first trip to the moon.

"I think he was relieved." Ed turns and shoots you a faint smile. "And I promised him a seat in eighteen months time."

"That was kind of you."

"Don't look so surprised," he teases. "I'm not always the big bad wolf those rookies make me out to be."

His gaze lingers on you for a beat and you will yourself to look away. Grasping for something to say, anything to alleviate the tiny spark of tension that is threatening to catch, you squint at the board - specifically, the pool of available pilots.

"What about Michaels?" you find yourself suggesting. "Sure, it would be his first time, but he trained with Commander Ripley for years. She'll keep a close eye on him and…"

Whatever look you found in Ed's eyes a moment earlier has now been replaced by obvious surprise. "For Margo's assistant, you sure know a lot about my astronauts."

There's no hint of accusation in his tone, but fearing you've spoken out of turn, you attempt to explain. "I went to school with some of them, and we've remained good friends over the years." You choose to leave out the fact that you've dated some of them, too. For some reason, you don’t want Ed to judge you for that..

"Is that so?" Ed seems to study you a little closer, turning his body to face you as he leans against the board.

You sit up straighter. "Yes. We were in the same class, but I didn't get the grades for NASA." You're not sure why you're telling him this, unprompted. It's usually a topic you try to avoid, but something about the way Ed is looking at you draws it all out, almost as if you don't want to hide from him.

"But here you are," he muses. He's still watching you carefully, and you don't miss the glimmer of curiosity in his eye.

"Here I am." You could tell him all about the turn of events that saw you working for Margo, but really, it's not much of a story.

Eventually, Ed turns back to the board. "Michaels, huh?" He removes the picture of the astronaut in question from its place at the bottom of the board. "You think he's ready for his first flight?"

"I mean…it's just what I've heard. Whether or not he's ready - I guess that's up to you."

Ed glances over his shoulder and gives you a wink. "There's only one way to find out."

You watch, bewildered, as Ed adds Michaels' picture to the upcoming mission roster. You hadn't expected him to actually listen to your suggestion, never mind follow through on it.

When he notices your expression, Ed chuckles. Low and rumbling, you feel the sound in the pit of your stomach and deep within your bones. "Michaels was on my shortlist. You just settled it for me."

The following morning, the halls of JSC are a hive activity as usual, but as you pass the astronauts' briefing room on the way to Margo's office, there's only one thing on everyone's mind. Admiral Baldwin has just given Jason Michaels his first flight ticket after nearly five years on the program.

You smile to yourself, realising that you are maybe just a tiny bit responsible for that. Not that you'd ever admit to having Ed Baldwin's ear, no matter how fleeting the moment might have been.

Ed had left you to your filing shortly after the conversation about Jason. With the admiral gone, it felt like you could breathe freely again, but at the same time, his departure seemed to take all the energy from the room. The rush of adrenaline you felt whilst talking to Ed had instantly disappeared, and you’d struggled to concentrate on the task at hand for the remainder of the evening.

The day gets off to a slow start. You accompany Margo to her meeting with General Bradford, where you sit, invisible in the background, taking minutes, and trying not to mull over your first two encounters with Ed. As ever, the general is not particularly forthcoming about the military's plans for the future of the lunar base, and Margo's annoyance is palpable.

After lunch, you're typing up the notes from the morning’s meeting when a shadow falls over your desk. You drag your gaze away from the computer to find the now familiar figure of Ed Baldwin looming over you. Flustered, you give him your best attempt at a friendly smile whilst hiding your surprise. It's rare for Ed to wander over to this side of the building.

"Is the boss in?" He gestures to Margo's door, hazel eyes flashing with amusement.

"Go ahead." If it was anyone other than Ed, you would have called ahead first, but you know that Margo has nothing scheduled for the rest of the day, and you don't feel inclined to make him wait.

Ed raps on the door and a few seconds later you hear Margo call out for him to enter. To your surprise, Ed leaves the door open.

Despite your best efforts not to eavesdrop, you can everything.

"Afternoon Margo."

"Hi Ed."

"I need a favour." He doesn’t beat around the bush.

There's a brief pause, before Margo responds dryly. "Another one?"

"Let me borrow your assistant for the afternoon."

Your pulse spikes when you realise that he's talking about you. What could he possibly want?

Margo begins to interrogate him, obviously sharing the same thought. "For what? She's already scheduled to continue with your filing tonight."

"I need help with some admin."

There’s no trace of humour in his voice, but Margo scoffs lightly. "You don't do any admin."

"Exactly. That's why I need help. I promise not to break her, alright? You can have her back as good as new tomorrow morning."

You realise you're gripping the arms of your chair tightly as you listen to them talk about you, as if you're not just sitting on the other side of the door. Your stomach fills with a swarm of angry butterflies.

Even from your distance, you can hear Margo sigh. "Fine, Ed. But you had better keep that promise. I don't need anyone else running to me about how you’ve made them cry."

"That was one time, Margo. The guy couldn't take a damn joke."

Margo grumbles something unintelligible under her breath, and then Ed is backing out of the office. You return your attention to typing, pretending you haven't heard every single word of their conversation when Ed approaches your desk, laying his broad hands out on the surface.

There's a hint of mischief in his smile. "Need your help with something."

A few minutes later, you find yourself anxiously following Ed to his office, struggling to keep up with his long strides. You're still none the wiser about his plans for you, but his promise to Margo continues to play on your mind.

I promise not to break her.

That was just a joke, right?

He waits until you're safely inside the room and standing by his side before explaining. "You impressed me these last couple of days. Figured I could use some of your insight."

“My insight?” You frown up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I want you to give me the lowdown on these guys." He points towards the mission-assignment board in front of you. "Who gets on with who, any rivalries, stuff that could affect a mission."

The realisation quickly dawns on you. Folding your arms, you level him with a look. "You want me to snitch on my friends?"

Ed takes a step back so that he’s now standing behind you. "Don't think of it as snitching." With a gentle hand on each of your shoulders, he ushers you over to the board. "I'm not gonna bump them off their flights. I just wanna make sure I've got the best crews for the mission."

"I don't think I'm really qualified…"

"Personality is just as important up there," he tells you, removing his hands. You feel the loss of their weight immediately. "These guys and girls are gonna be living together 24/7 for six months. And you know them better than I do. I'm just looking for a second opinion."

You stare at the board as Ed returns to your side. "I guess I can do that."

Over the next few hours, you give Ed a run down of what you know of the astronauts - or at least, a heavily filtered version. At the end of the day, they are still your friends. You don’t tell him anything he couldn’t work out after a few hours in their company at The Outpost, and he assures you multiple times that nothing you say will affect their assignments.

Meanwhile, you take the opportunity to carry on with your filing. Ed isn’t taking notes, so it’s difficult to gauge how serious his request for information really is, and talk eventually turns to other matters: tidbits of gossip from the mission control centre, and speculation over who might become the next flight commander.

After a while, you find the courage to bring up a subject that has been weighing heavily on your mind since you left Margo. You wait until Ed is sitting down, reclined in the chair opposite you. He seems relaxed and hopefully unlikely to take offence.

"Can I ask you something?”

Ed looks up from the miniature Enterprise shuttle he’s been playing with. “Go ahead.”

“Did you really make someone cry?"

He returns the shuttle to his desk and rubs the back of his neck, sheepishly. In all your years of working at JSC you have never once seen Ed look anything other than calm and in control, so his look of chagrin takes you by surprise.

"Can I be honest? I really felt bad about it afterwards. I was only messing around. Thought the poor kid was gonna piss himself."

As bad as you feel for the astronaut in question, you have to stifle a laugh. It must have been quite the sight. Truly, you can believe that Ed has the ability to reduce anyone to tears.

Emboldened by this easy-going side to Ed that you are starting to discover, you lean forwards in your seat. "Can I be honest?" When Ed nods, you continue. "When Margo first asked me to help, I was scared of you, too. But I think I'm starting to see that you're not really that bad."

Ed chuckles, his expression softening into a warm smile.

No, he’s really not so bad at all.

You don't see Ed for the rest of the week, or the start of the next, meaning it's much easier to make progress with his filing. Equally though, you find yourself inexplicably disappointed each time you walk into the empty office. His presence, whilst continuing to be utterly captivating, no longer sets you quite so on edge.

What does set you on edge, however, is the fact that the date you've been dreading has quickly rolled around. Just like every year, Margo offers to give you the day off. But you'd rather keep busy than be left alone to wallow over something that happened a decade ago, completely outside of your control.

Walking into the lobby of JSC that very morning, you've convinced yourself you can hold it together. It’s just another day. Keeping your head down, you make your way straight for Margo’s office, but like a magnet, no matter how hard you want to avoid it, that one particular picture attracts your gaze - and it’s aided in no small amount, by the American Flag and ribbon that have been specially placed by its side for the occasion. You can’t help but be drawn over.

The photo shows the crew of Apollo 1, taken just days before their launch test, where the cabin caught fire. The three men standing before the launch pad had no idea what fate was to befall them. One face, as familiar to you as your own, stares back at you with a crooked smile.

The shadow of grief that has never quite released its hold on you, now grips your heart like a vice, squeezing so tightly that your vision blurs with unshed tears. Ten years. The pain is just as raw as it was that day.

Willing yourself not to break down, not to cry, you become faintly aware of a crowd gathering behind you. No doubt they’ve been drawn over by the flag and ribbons, as they too remember the date. But the last thing you want is an audience for your grief.

Voices hum around you, a constant drone of hollow thoughts and prayers. You’ve heard it all before. Or at least, you think you have, until one familiar voice stands out over all the others, and you sense the crowd parting.

You don't need to look up to know that it’s Ed standing beside you. He's silent for a moment, studying the photo, and then quietly, so that only you can hear, he murmurs, "After ten years, it still doesn’t get any easier."

Your hand flies to your mouth in a failed attempt to cover your choked sob. You can feel Ed's attention fixed on you, but it's too late. The tears are rolling freely down your cheeks.

Shielding you from view with his large body, you feel Ed's hand land gently on your waist. Wordlessly, he guides you away from the picture; you're only half aware that your feet have even been carrying you, until you arrive outside Ed's office. His hand remains on your waist as he ushers you through the door and into one of the chairs.

Focusing on a frayed spot on the carpet as you will your tears to fade, you hear Ed make a call to Margo, informing her that he's borrowing you again. You can’t hear the other half of the conversation, but Ed leaves no room for argument in his calm, measured tone. Then, without asking, he pours a small glass of liquor from a bottle that’s been hidden somewhere within his desk.

It might not yet be nine AM, but you accept the drink with trembling hands and take a sip. The liquid burns your throat, but it goes some way to chasing off a sliver of grief.

"I should have realised who your father was earlier," Ed tells you somberly, leaning against the desk with his own glass in hand. "I knew him back in my early days with NASA. He even did some of my training. He was a good man. Terrifying, of course. But a good man nonetheless."

You take another tentative sip of the whisky, trying not to screw your face up in disgust. It’s a welcome distraction at the very least. "He wasn’t like that at home."

The corner’s of Ed’s mouth uptick into a soft smile. "Of course not. It's all an act, you know. A habit that just keeps getting passed on, or…something like that.”

You let the statement linger for a moment as memories of your father invade every corner of your mind. “He was never in any doubt that he’d go to the moon one day,” you tell Ed, quietly, staring at the amber liquid as it swirls in your glass. “I think he would have been glad to see that you made it there eventually.”

“I think about him every day. We all do,” Ed admits. When you meet his eye, you find nothing but sincerity in his expression. “Every time we step onto the launch pad, we know there’s a high chance we’re not gonna make it back. So many of us didn’t.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Space?” He shrugs. “Sometimes.”

You can tell there’s more to his answer, but you don’t push it. Not yet. Not today.

Unable to stand the thought of silence, you keep talking. “I always wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps." For some reason, it feels easy to admit this to Ed, hidden away in the privacy of his office. "But after the accident, it sent me spiralling. I started drinking and smoking. I flunked all my exams. The school offered to let me resit them, but I couldn't bring myself to care any more. I just felt like what was the point, you know? Was I just going to share the same fate as him?"

"But you still ended up at NASA."

"I guess Margo and Thomas Paine took pity on me. They kept in touch after the accident and when my mom got sick they reached out, offering me a job. It’s not quite what I had in mind when I was a child…”

You trail off when Ed reaches out and covers your hand with his. His skin is warm against your own, and that heat travels along your arm and up into the centre of your chest, thawing away another sliver of grief.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think pity is Margo’s style.” The ghost of a smile crosses Ed’s face.

“Perhaps not.”

“But I am sorry to hear about your mom. Life sure knows how to kick us when we’re down.”

Coming from anyone else, you might have paid little mind to his pretty words, but you know Ed has experienced more than his own share of grief. You murmur your thanks as he withdraws his hand, instantly feeling the loss of contact.

He takes your glass and sets it beside his own on the desk, studying you closely. Just as you think he's about to say something more, the door to his office flies open and the familiar figure of Gordo Stevens bursts in.

Gordo’s gaze immediately lands on you, seated in front of Ed's desk with watery eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "Woah, I'm not interrupting anything am I?" He takes a step back.

"You're always interrupting, Gordo," Ed grumbles as he offers you an apologetic grimace.

“I should go,” you tell Ed, shooting up out of your chair. Breaking down in front of Ed was one thing, but if Gordo gets wind that you’ve been crying in Ed’s office, no doubt the rumours will start to fly.

“Wait, are you sure you’re-”

But Ed doesn’t get the chance to finish his question, because you’re already out of the door.

With the anniversary of your father’s death behind you for another year, it feels like a small load has been lifted. Margo sent you home on time that evening, so you didn’t see Ed again. But when you enter his office the next day at five pm sharp - you’ve long since stopped waiting until ten past the hour before showing up - you find him seated behind his desk.

“More goddamn paperwork,” he grumbles by way of explanation, noticing your look of surprise.

He doesn’t say much more, but you can tell that his attention is fixed on you as you drag one of the chairs over to the filing cabinet, ready to pick up where you left off. Though you may be as keenly aware of his presence as ever, you no longer feel anxious in Ed’s company. If anything, you feel calm. Safe. Something seemed to pass between the two of you yesterday, an unspoken understanding. He too knows how it feels to be weighed down by grief.

As you work through the files, you sense him watching you from time to time. He still doesn’t say anything, but it makes your cheeks warm, and your heart beat a little faster. And you take the opportunity to sneak glances at him, too, quietly cataloguing his expressions as he’s illuminated by the soft glow of the desk lamp. From the crease of his brow as he frowns at whatever he’s reading, to the way his bottom lip softly juts out as he rests his chin against his hand. Objectively, Ed Baldwin is a handsome man, but beyond his fine features, you’re starting to see another side to him. A side that is slowly starting to captivate you.

On more than one occasion, you meet his gaze across the room. Each time this happens, you quickly look away, but not before you feel a sudden rush of energy. It flows through your veins, setting your nerves alight, almost as if you've been struck by electricity. Does he feel it, too?

After the second time that your eyes meet, Ed gets up abruptly and leaves the room. Panic sets in as you start to wonder what you could have possibly done to offend him. Just how many times did he catch you staring? But your doubts are swiftly alleviated when he returns minutes later with a coffee in each hand.

“Figured we could use a pick-me-up,” he grins, handing you one of the mugs. It’s impossible to avoid brushing your fingers against his as you take the drink, but he doesn’t seem to notice.

As the evening draws on, Ed shows no signs of leaving. Curious, considering Margo told you he finishes at five like clockwork, but you’re not in a position to question him. Instead, you gently inform him when you’re ready to go.

“Hold up, I’ll walk you out.” He rises from his chair, pausing only to grab his briefcase and jacket, before joining you at the door. You can’t quite shake the feeling that he’s been waiting for you to finish, although you really have no evidence to support it.

As you walk through the deserted corridors and into the lobby of JSC, Ed shortens his strides, making it easier for you to keep up. Now that you are outside of his office, he seems to find his voice again. “Sorry about Gordo bursting in like that yesterday. He sure knows how to pick his moments.”

“It’s ok.” In reality, you’ve been hoping Ed’s friend didn’t jump to the wrong conclusion and assume that you were receiving a dressing down from the admiral. A rumour like that would spread like wildfire, and you don’t think you could bear the embarrassment.

When you reach the exit, Ed is quick to hold the door open for you. Your sleeve brushes his arm as you pass by, and a shiver runs down the back of your neck. You can’t help but feel that the cool January evening is not solely to blame.

“I wanted to make sure you were alright before I let you go,” Ed continues as he falls back in step with you. “Are you? Alright, that is?”

Touched by his concern, you offer him a small smile as you fish your car keys out of your purse. “I’m fine.” At least, you suspect you’re as fine as you’ll ever be. You’ve learnt to live with the pain.

Ed’s stern expression suggests he doesn’t quite believe you, but he lets it slide as he follows you through the parking lot and over to your car. “Well, I hope this goes without saying, but if you ever need anything, just holler.”

“Thank you, Ed.”

For a moment, it seems as if there is more he wants to say, but realising that you’re now standing before your car, his time has run out.

You offer him another faint smile. “See you tomorrow?”

“You will.”

Sure enough, the next day at five, you find Ed behind his desk again. You do so the following night, and the night after that. At first, he tells you he has more paperwork to sign, but eventually he drops the pretence, practising his short range golf swing, or just chatting to you about the astronauts. Around the same time every evening, he’ll disappear for a minute or two, quickly returning with coffee, and sometimes even a snack. Believe it or not, you’re beginning to suspect that Ed Baldwin is a bit of a mother-hen.

One evening, when your work is almost done, and Ed has seemingly run out of valid excuses to linger, you build up the courage to question him about it - to ask why he’s been staying in the office so late. Curiosity has been burning in your chest for a while now, and you’re afraid if you don’t bring it up now, you might never find out.

He’s deep in concentration, lining up a shot, when the question spills from your lips. "Don't you have a home to go to?"

Ed raises his head, momentarily surprised. You worry that you’ve inadvertently offended him, your question was a little blunt, but his eyes soon crease softly in amusement. "You trying to get rid of me?"

"No. Nothing like that,” you assure him. “I guess I'm just curious. Margo led me to believe you didn’t stick around, but you’ve been here every night for the last week. You can trust me, you know. I won’t break anything if you leave me unattended."

Ed puts down the golf club and leans against the desk. He’s watching you carefully, an unreadable expression on his face. "You want the honest answer?"

You nod, and for the first time since you started your overtime, you feel inexplicably nervous again.

Ed hesitates, leading you to wonder if he’s not really sure how to respond. He doesn’t seem to know what to do with his hands either, gripping the edge of the desk, before folding his arms across his chest. Finally, in an uncharacteristic display of unease, he scrubs a hand over his jaw and replies. “Being here with you beats another night alone."

His admission knocks the wind out of your lungs. Of course, you're aware of his divorce, but it has never crossed your mind that he might be lonely, too.

“I’m sorry, I -”

“Don’t apologise.” He pushes off the desk and moves to stand by the window. “It’s been two years since we separated. I should be used to it by now.”

“Time doesn’t always heal.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” His steady gaze flickers over you, before he returns his attention to the window. “Karen really thought that we could make it work. I knew we couldn’t. She was never gonna forgive me for not being there when Shane…” He trails off and you know that it’s because it’s still too raw, too painful, to say the words out loud. “And I could never forgive her for keeping it from me.”

He opens the blinds, revealing the window and the pitch black sky beyond. “I was in a really dark place when I came back down, and Karen couldn’t even bring herself to look at me. We were supposed to be there for each other, isn’t that what marriage is all about? Instead, we were like strangers, separated by our grief… our anger.”

Ed’s words burrow beneath your skin, finding their way to your heart and unlocking something deep within your chest, until once again, you find yourself speaking to him without fear of judgement. “Sometimes the people who are supposed to be there for you… they let you down. After the accident, my mother turned to drink. I know she had just lost her husband, and I wasn’t a child anymore - I didn’t need her to look after me - but I’d just lost my father. I really needed my mom, you know?”

Ed turns away from the window. “I’m sorry that you had to go through that alone.”

“It is what it is.” While the grief of your father’s death will remain with you forever, you’ve finally managed to make peace with your mother. She was doing her best, and you don’t want it to cloud whatever time you have left with her.

A beat of silence passes between the two of you before Ed speaks again. “One thing I found, up on Jamestown, was that no matter how dark it got, the light always returned. Cresting above the horizon and bathing us in that beautiful glow.” His hazel eyes are fixed firmly on your face. “Sometimes, you gotta weather the dark times to appreciate the light.”

It seems like no time has passed at all before your overtime finally draws to an end. The stacks upon stacks of paperwork that littered Ed's desk have been sorted, alphabetised, and filed away. As relieved as you are that the mammoth task is over, you can't help but feel a twinge of disappointment that you won't be spending any more time with Ed.

Placing the final document into the filing cabinet, you step back and smile to yourself. "All done."

Ed’s now familiar voice chimes out behind you from his position at the desk. "Really? That was quicker than I expected."

You glance over your shoulder and meet his eye across the room. "Should I show you how it works?"

A wry smile forms on his face. “You could, but I probably won't remember."

"Don't you dare let all this work go to waste,” you warn, waving your finger at him as he continues to grin. “Margo won't let you have me again."

"I'm sure she could be persuaded,” he muses. “Everyone has a price."

"Just come over here and humour me, ok? I'm proud of this."

The tentative relationship you have with Ed has thawed entirely since he spoke so candidly about his divorce, and it’s starting to feel more like friendship. He truly seems to appreciate, and possibly even enjoy your company. A feeling that is most assuredly mutual, although you can’t quite find the words to tell him so.

"Alright, alright." Ed holds up his hands in defeat, pushing the chair out from under his desk. "Let's see what you've done."

You wait until he joins you at the far side of the room before beginning your demonstration. "The first three drawers are the astronauts’ files, A-Z by surname." You open the drawers in question, proceeding to explain how you've organised the documents within each file, too. It's hard to tell if Ed is paying attention. He's nodding and humming in all the right places, but there's a slight glaze to his expression.

"The bottom drawer has spare folders, so when you get a new astronaut you can…Ed! Are you even listening?"

"Yes!"

You shoot him a doubtful expression as you crouch down and open the bottom drawer, testing him. “What did I say was in here?”

"Spare folders. Got it."

You’re not convinced, but you guess it’s Margo’s problem.

When Ed offers his hand to help you back up, you gratefully accept. His fingers curl around yours, dwarfing your hand with his much larger one. Once again, you’re instantly startled by the heat of his skin, so at odds with the cool exterior he portrays around the building.

As he starts to pull you gently to your feet, your eyes meet. His expression has shifted from boredom to something more intense, and that inexplicable rush of electricity returns. You feel it from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. At the very last moment, your heel slips on the carpet, causing you to stumble forwards, but Ed is there to catch you. With a steady hand at the base of your spine, he draws you to him.

Attempting to regain your balance, your free hand flies out, landing on his chest. His warm, solid chest. When you dare to look up through your lashes, cheeks burning and ready to apologise, you're just in time to see him lean in.

To say that it takes you by surprise would be an understatement. Ed’s lips are soft and warm as they brush against yours, and you can feel his heart pounding beneath your fingertips. But before you can respond, before you can lose yourself entirely, he staggers backwards and your fingers slip from his grasp.

“I - I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

Joel Taglist: @a-reader-and-a-writer @skvatnavle @yespolkadotkitty @babblydrabbly @sociiallydiisoriiented @bewitchedignition @edwardbaldwin @fairchildflag @lacontroller1991 @phoenixhalliwell @mayhem24-7forever @immyownlittlebitch @weallhaveadestiny @lavenderluna10 @katjnordstrom96 @kirsteng42 @s-u-t @heresathreebee

#ed baldwin #joel kinnaman #ed baldwin x you #ed baldwin x reader #for all mankind #famk #admiral ed baldwin #prequel #a sky full of stars

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