#egcdeath400challenge

[christowhore]

The Thing About Trust

pairing: mob!steve rogers x girlfriend!reader

summary: an anonymous email was sent, loyalties were questioned, and unforgivable actions were made. unfortunately, by the time the truth is uncovered, it’s already too late.

word count: 6.1k

warnings: ANGST, steve is completely ooc, ‘betrayal’, yelling, slight domestic violence, slapping, excessive drug use & alcohol consumption, heartbreak, no happy endings

notes: this is my submission for @egcdeath ‘Sitcom Challenge’. congrats on 400, i hope you enjoy ! 💗

join my taglist ! ❦ main masterlist

prompt: character a and character b have a nasty misunderstanding that could be solved with a conversation

quote: “I wish I could. But, I don’t want to.” - Phoebe Buffay, Friends

Steve stared at his computer screen, his body filled with a combination of disbelief, fear, and anger. The scotch filled glass that was clutched in his grasp was threatening to shatter under the sheer force of his hold.

For the past few months, 5 of his undercover business fronts were raided. All of them being discovered by the police right when a new shipment of product was brought in, almost as if they knew all about it.

He suspected that there was a mole, there was no other way that the feds could’ve known about the interchanging schedules, unless someone from within was feeding it to them.

It was a notion that he never thought would come up. Being the leader of the Rogers Crime Family, everyone knew not the mess with him. He oozed power and danger was evident in his gaze in any off chance you were met with it. So it was tough to think someone on his trusted team could have betrayed him.

The only person that he could trust without a shadow of a doubt was his right hand man, Bucky. Their long lasting friendship going all the way back to when they were kids. They’ve been through thick and thin together, so it was only obvious that he shared his suspicions with the man.

Steve asked him to check on all the guys on his crew, and make sure that no one was compromised, but his efforts came back fruitless. Everybody on his team appeared to be clean and not conspiring with the feds.

He was about to give up hope when he got an anonymous email that morning. The letter, with a simple heading stating ‘Figure Out Your Mole Yet?’, broke his heart upon opening it.

In the attachment was a photo of you, standing under a bridge in Central Park, a not-so-disguised undercover police detective right in front of you, with an outstretched hand.

He didn’t want to believe that you were the culprit, the one who was dismantling his business from within. Yet, he was riddled with so much frustration that he didn’t bear in mind to just outright ask you about the meaning behind the image.

You two had been dating for 3 years. It was by fortunate chance that he bumped into you one afternoon, spilling your iced coffee across the entirety of your blouse. He was about to mutter a quick apology and go about his business when he locked eyes with you, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. It didn’t take much for him to convince you to go on a date with him, in an effort to make up for staining your shirt.

Only after that single dinner did he know that you were the one for him. He invited you into his home and showed you the ways of his business. So it was an understandable assumption that you might be behind it all.

The blonde showed it to Bucky, and watched his eyes bulge out at the revelation, just like his own did.

“No, this can’t be,” he said incredulously. Bucky thought the world of you, you were like a little sister to him. The thought of you betraying the ones who loved you the most had him feeling heartbroken.

Steve shook his head in disbelief, “Buck, she’s the only other person who’s been in the room for these meetings. She knows the ins and outs of the business. And besides, you checked everyone else and they were clean, unless it’s you I need to look into.”

The brunette playfully smacked his shoulder, “Yeah real funny. You and I both know the shit that I’ve done. No way in hell I’d be anywhere near the cops.”

The pair both sat there, pondering over how to go about their newfound knowledge and their next course of action.

An idea came into Bucky’s mind, “I don’t want to- cause I still want to think she’s innocent in all of this, but we can set up a trap. If the place doesn’t get raided, then we know whoever sent that in is just trying to fuck with you. But if it does…” His voice trailed off at the disappointing thought of your possible betrayal.

Steve pondered over the plan for a minute, then slowly nodded.

“Fine, set it up.”

.·:*¨ ☼ ⭒ ☽ ⊹ ☾ ⭒ ☼ ¨*:·.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was incredibly tense that afternoon, the sound of the grandfather clock ticking with every passing second. The usual occupants of his weekly gathering consisted of Sam, Clint, Lemar, John, and of course Bucky. The only other regular that they were waiting on was you.

Steve’s leg bounced due to impatience. It wasn’t rare that you would show up a few minutes late, claiming that you were busy finishing up a tv episode or trying out a new recipe in the kitchen or some other excuse. But with the speculation regarding your loyalty, all he could think about is that you were secretly figuring out a plan to knock down more pegs in his empire.

The mahogany doors flew open as you waltz in without a care in the world, “Sorry baby, nail appointment ran late.”

He watched with narrowed eyes as you made your way around the large oak desk and all of its inhabitants to stand beside him.

You leaned down in hopes of a kiss but was instead met with a hostile gaze from your boyfriend, the intensity had you faltering and taking a step back. “Baby, what’s wrong?” you questioned, your voice full of concern, “Is everything alright?”

Steve surveyed your face in search of any sign of treachery, a slight glimmer of deceit, but couldn’t find any.

“Yeah, (Y/N), everything’s fine. Why don’t you take a seat, we’re just about to start.”

His rigid tone and questioning eyes had you feeling anxious. And the fact that he didn’t address you with one of the multitude of pet names he assigned you didn’t make you feel any better. So you cautiously sat down in the chair beside him.

You took notice of the change of his behavior over the past few days. Everything seemed normal one morning, then when he came to bed his responses to you were short, apprehensive even. Sort of like he was biting his tongue around you.

The usual early mornings that were filled with slow love making and soft conversations were replaced with you waking up by your lonesome to a cold and empty bed.

Whenever you tried to talk to him, Bucky would continuously inform you that he was busy and to try later.

There was even a change with your mutual best friend. The brunette who would always crack jokes with you began to ignore your playful banter. His usual caring looks turned into piercing stares, as if you had suddenly become the enemy.

You tried to go over in your mind what could’ve caused this shift. You knew that there had been some busts in a few of his businesses, the police closing in on his activities. But you didn’t think he would ever take his anger and frustrations out on you.

Deciding to focus on the events at hand, you tuned back in to the scheduled meeting.

“Alright, so there’s going to be a new shipment coming in,” Steve explained, “I know we only coordinate on Thursdays, but it’s a heavy load. And with the feds on my ass we need to replace the seized merchandise. So Sunday, at noon. Over at Parker Shipping Port. Any questions?”

Though he was asking the group, his main focus was on you. He took note of your rigid behavior, and how you didn’t bother looking him in the eyes. All telltale behaviors of a guilty person, the thought made him dejected. Steve looked over at his best friend, the pair sharing the same incredulous look.

With no one bothering to interject his plan, the gentlemen all nodded in agreement before heading out of the meeting room.

You stayed glued to your seat as you watched Sam, Clint, John and Lemar walk out, leaving only you, your boyfriend and best friend alone.

Observing Steve glide over to his desk, without directing any attention towards you, you spoke up before he had the chance to take a seat. “Did I do something wrong?”

The question made the pair freeze. It’s not like you did anything wrong, it’s just that they didn’t have any proof of any foul play. So they treated you as if you were guilty, until they could prove otherwise.

“Nothing sweetheart,” Steve vacillated, “Is there something that’s supposed to be?”

His question made you scoff and push away from the table, “I don’t know Steve, you tell me! You’ve been ignoring me for the past few days, as have you Bucky! Can one of you please just tell me what the hell is going on?”

The two men both exchanged another glance before redirecting their gaze to you.

Steve never liked seeing you upset, though he did enjoy the way your lips would jut out in an adorable pout. But at this moment, all he could wonder was whether it was all an act. Whether you truly loved him or was he just a pawn in yours and the polices’ game.

But he couldn’t let you think he might be on to you, so he donned a strained smile and reached out to you with an outstretched hand.

Begrudgingly, you made your way towards him and went to sit on his lap, a normal occurrence for you both. You wrapped your arms around him and placed your face in the crook of his neck. The smell of his cedarwood cologne had you unconsciously taking in a deep inhale, the aroma instantly calming your nerves.

Steve rubbed your back and was thankful that you weren’t able to see his saddened face. “Just got a lot on my plate lately with these police raids, sweetheart. It’s gonna get sorted out soon. Everything will be alright and we’ll find out the truth. Just you wait.”

.·:*¨ ☼ ⭒ ☽ ⊹ ☾ ⭒ ☼ ¨*:·.

Sunday morning inevitably came and both Steve and Bucky were nervous to say the least. The amount of tension in the air made you desperate for an escape so you informed them that you were going to see a friend for a little bit.

Getting dressed and grabbing your belongings, you were making your way out the door when you felt the fierce stare from two pairs of eyes on your back.

“Jesus guys, I’m just going to Leah’s house, relax. I'll be alright.”

Though your statement only made them the exact opposite. The thought of you meeting up with detectives filled their minds as they watched you leave the New York City townhouse.

Bucky patted the blonde on his shoulder, “C’mon, it’s almost 12. Let’s wait and see that whoever sent that email was wrong about her.”

The two ventured into the living room; Steve turned on the local news channel while Bucky fetched a few well-needed beers.

They both sat there for over an hour, mindlessly watching the tv and when a breaking coverage report flashed on the screen.

“Breaking news, the NYPD attempted a drug bust seizure this afternoon at Parker Shipping Port in Queens, but were unsuccessful. The apparent business was allegedly belonging to infamous crime boss, Steven ‘The Captain’ Rogers…”

The rest of the broadcast was tuned out by the blonde. He sat there staring at the reported images while his eyesight filled with rage-induced tears.

How could you betray him like that? How could he have been so stupid to think a woman like you actually wanted to be with him? How could he let himself be fooled so easily?

The bottle that was gripped like a vice in his hand was suddenly thrown against the flatscreen. The action caused the tv display to crack and the graphics to glitch.

“You can’t be fucking serious!” Steve yelled as he stood up, the booming sound of his voice almost made the brunette flinch. “She lied to me, she lied to us! I trusted her- I loved her.”

Bucky got up and reached out to hold the unfolding mess of a man. “Me too bud. Me too.”

Steve Rogers, the most ruthless and intimidating man in all of New York, was reduced to a puddle of tears. He cried in the arms of his best friend as his mind wandered to you. How he met you that sunny afternoon. The way he fell head over heels for you in such a short amount of time. And how he was planning to propose with the family heirloom engagement ring he had stowed away in his office safe, before the truth of your lies and deceit came out.

.·:*¨ ☼ ⭒ ☽ ⊹ ☾ ⭒ ☼ ¨*:·.

It was around 4 in the afternoon when you arrived back home with a skip in your step after a much needed day spent with your best friend.

Upon entering, you went out in search of your boyfriend, desperate for his attention when suddenly Bucky appeared before you.

“Hey Bucky boy, I-”

You were cut short by the disgusted sneer etched on his face. “Boss’s office. Now.”

He didn’t even give you a chance to respond before latching onto your upper arm and dragging you through the halls. His metal arm quickly formed bruises under its harsh grip. The force of his grip caused your bag to drop, spilling its contents across the floor.

“Buck, what the hell is wrong with you?” you cursed out to the man while in an unsuccessful effort to smack his hand away from you.

It didn’t take long before you two reached the doors of Steve’s office, the wood being kicked open by the brunette before you were thrown onto the auburn rug.

The room went silent upon your brashful arrival, all heads turned down to you with evident disgust. Sam, Clint, John and Lemar watching and waiting for the imminent showdown. Quickly rising to your feet, you incredulously stared back and forth at your boyfriend and supposed best friend.

“What the hell is this? Are you not going to say something to him about manhandling me like that?”

Steve erupted in a drunken shout, “Ha! As if I care about what happens to a piece of shit like you.”

His out-of-character response had you completely shocked, “Have you been drinking? What the hell has gotten into you?”

You watched as the blonde got up and staggered towards you, “I- I know everything. I know it was you all along, you slut.”

His hurtful words made you want to scream at him, but you opted to tear up instead.

“Oh you can quit the crybaby act (Y/N). I figured out your schemes, you’re not gonna get away with playing pretend with me anymore.”

You stood there in disbelief, not knowing what you were being blamed for. “Stevie, I don’t- what are you talking about?”

Steve laughed at your continued act. “Wow you’re still doing it, huh? Is that what the cops told you how to play it? I know you were the one who leaked the info to the feds. You were the fucking snitch all along.”

He lurched towards his laptop, moving the cursor around to reveal the opened email with the surveillance picture. Turning the screen around, he showed you his proof. “Care to explain sweetheart?”

Looking at the screen you sighed, “That’s what this is about? Jesus Christ, Steve! I was in the park taking a walk when that cop stopped me. He kept going on and on about having dirt on you and-”

“Stop lying to me!”

Steve’s roaring voice caused fear to flash through your being. “Why won't you listen to me? Why don’t you believe me?” your broken voice spoke barely above a whisper.

“Because I had everyone looked into and they all came back clean. Then I got that fucking email, and it all made sense. The fact that you just so happened to bump into me that day. The way you slithered into my life and latched on like a snake. Tell me, did they ask you fuck me so quickly or were so desperate for attention you decided to whore yourself out?”

The tears that previously threatened to fall were now pouring out of your eyes due to his hurtful words. 3 years of loving him unconditionally and you were now being blamed for treason. The trust you thought he had in you was gone in an instant.

“I didn’t do anything you asshole. I never would’ve betrayed you like that, I love you.”

Your vision was so blurry due to tears that you weren’t able to see the raise of his hand, but you felt the sting of his actions across your cheek.

Your head sharply turned to the side as Steve’s palm connected with your cheek. The sharp metal of his rings clipped your skin, causing a small cut to appear. You stood there, holding the side of your face, as your mind raced around what just happened.

Steve hit you. The person who swore to protect you laid their hands on you, treating you as if you were garbage and not the supposed love of their life. Shock took over your body as you stood there frozen in place.

Steve took your silence as opportunity to lean down next to your ear, “And I was stupid enough to fall for worthless skank like you.”

His words were the final blow that caused you to loudly sob, your body shaking due to your uncontrollable actions.

Steve rolled his eyes before tutting his head in disbelief. He knows he should’ve never hit a woman, but he was so consumed with rage and liquor that all sense of respect flew out the window.

Growing tired of your wails, he gripped onto your arm in the same place that Bucky once held, the space already darkening due to bruises. He dragged your weakening body out the room and towards the front door where he opened it up and threw you down onto the asphalt.

“Tell your cop buddies to come pick up their trash. I don’t need it stinking up my house anymore.”

He sneered down at you one more time before slamming the door, leaving you alone on the sidewalk while pedestrians looked in curiosity.

You slowly began to ascend and wipe up the tears from your warm and stinging face. You never expected for this moment to ever happen to you. In the three years of dating Steve, you always showed him unwavering trust. Going as far as to cut off some family and friends who had anything negative to say about him or his occupation.

But here you were, by your lonesome and treated as if you were gum beneath his shoe by the man you once saw a future with.

With no spare clothes and without the purse you left inside that contained your wallet and phone, you began the grueling trek back to your friend's house, trying to contain the overflow of grief that threatened to bubble over once more.

.·:*¨ ☼ ⭒ ☽ ⊹ ☾ ⭒ ☼ ¨*:·.

The following 6 months were a liquor fueled, drug induced fever dream for the mob boss. Steve consumed his weight in alcohol and snorted anything that he could crush down into a powder.

To say he wasn’t handling your betrayal would be an understatement.

His newly adapted, drug-filled, carefree attitude had slowly caused his business to crumble within itself. He couldn’t attend meetings sober, and if he did make an appearance, it would be in the arms of a female companion, whom would resemble you, that he wouldn’t be able nor care to remember the name of.

Anybody that crossed him got away with it due to him being unable to throw a proper punch or safely fire his gun anymore. He was losing his edge, his notoriety, and everyone in the city knew it. Even the NYPD decided that he wasn’t a threat anymore so they moved onto other syndicates. His crew eventually dwindled down, with only his right hand man remaining by his side.

Bucky tried his best to uplift the blonde's spirits and put him back on the right path to remind him of the legacy he was tarnishing, but to no avail.

It was late in the afternoon when Steve woke up from his high nap. He had to push away the coked out prostitutes on his bed to clamber out and down to the kitchen for a well needed drink.

Upon entering he was met with the narrowed eyes of his best friend, but chose to ignore it as he made his way to the fridge.

“You need help, Steve,” spoke Bucky, his voice laced with obvious frustration, yet a tinge or concern. “Drinking and snorting up isn’t going to make the past go away.”

Steve ignored his friend's comments and drank directly out of the filtered water pitcher, desperate to quench his thirst. The pair stayed in silence until a thunderous knock came from the front door. The sound continued, much to Steve’s dismay.

Bucky was about to attend to the unexpected guest when Steve beat him to it. Walking up to the door and opening it, he was met with the face of someone whom he never expected to see.

“What the fuck do you want Zemo?” the blonde questioned.

“To talk, that is all.”

The short haired man made his way past Steve and into his home, ignoring the glaring stare from Bucky.

He sat on the couch in the foyer, dusting off any pieces of lint that caught onto his coat, and disregarding the questioning looks from the pair.

“Get the fuck out of my house now!”

Their paths had never crossed for years, only once when Helmut took over his family’s syndicate after his father passed away. Though his introduction into the crime world wasn’t taken seriously due to his way of going about business.

Instead of normally handling occurring situations himself, he ordered others to do it for him. His choices made other syndicate families not take him as a significant threat, eventually ostracizing him.

But what no one knew, nor expected, was that he was playing the long game. Doing everything in his power to make sure that in the end, he came out on top.

“I just wanted to see how the ‘King of New York’ was doing without his beloved queen,” quipped the man.

The mention of you filled him with rage and a bit of sadness. He was about to launch at the man, fists curling at his sides, when again there was another knock at the door.

“Oh, those are my associates”, states Zemo.

Opening the door once more, Steve locked eyes with his ex-employees, John and Lemar. He tried to speak, but was flabbergasted at the man's newly appointed workers. The pair moved in, with hands on their holsters, to stand beside Zemo.

“Wow, quick to join the other side I see,” Bucky intimidatingly spoke. His statement made them roll their eyes.

“It’s been months and you two still never figured it out huh?” John barked, a cocky grin plastered on his face.

Steve and Bucky looked at each other incredulously, not knowing what the hell was going on.

“If I may. My plan, it was actually really easy. In order to take you down and claim my rightful spot on top, I needed to ensure your demise. So I had to start from within, with the help of these two of course,” Zemo explained, nodding his head to the two men beside him.

The best friends stood in silence as they listened to Zemos hidden agenda.

“They told me all about your businesses, and I simply passed the info along to the authorities. But unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough. Then I realized, to take down a King, you need to get rid of his Queen first.”

Realization began to set in Steve’s mind. He was a pawn in his game, not yours.

Zemo continued on detailing his plan, “You see, all I had to do was get an officer to intercept (Y/N), get it on camera, anonymously send it to you, and wait for you to complete the rest of my masterpiece.”

The Sokovian dramatically stood up before making his way to stand in front of the blonde. Before he could speak, Steve croaked out a question.

“Why? Why do all of this? Why bring (Y/N) into this?”

“Simple. To see an empire fall. To regain what is rightfully mine."

And with that, Zemo and his hired goons walked out of the Brooklyn man's townhouse and into their awaiting car.

Bucky replaced Zemos spot on the couch and dropped his head into his palms. He was suspicious about the email from the start, and yet he had a sliver of hope that you were innocent in all of this. But when the fake business got raided, he didn’t know what to believe. So he turned to anger, he let it fuel him. He looked at you in disgust and handled you like you were trash. The memory caused guilt to weigh down his heart.

Across from him, the blonde's body began to shake. The combination of grief from finding out the truth as well as the copious amount of drugs that were in his system caused him to momentarily go into shock, dropping down to his knees.

You were right along; you never betrayed him, he was being set up. Steve kept replaying the moment in his head, the scene breaking his heart every time he reimagined your heartbroken eyes, trembling frame and the sounds of your sobs that came out once he put his hands on you.

He unfortunately couldn't escape the phantom feel of his hand colliding with your cheek, the sound of the smack echoing off the walls caused his body to retreat within itself. Steve felt sick to his stomach at the knowledge of what he did to you.

Standing up and racing towards the nearest bathroom, he hurled out the entirety of his stomach into the toilet bowl. The sudden purge of consumed alcohol and drugs couldn't get rid of the sick feeling of sorrow deep within him.

Not having the strength to retreat towards a more comfortable surface, Steve laid down on the cool tile of the bathroom floor. Content moments of the two of you lying in bed, you intimately gazing into his eyes, filled his head and drifted him off to sleep.

.·:*¨ ☼ ⭒ ☽ ⊹ ☾ ⭒ ☼ ¨*:·.

It had been a few months since the revelation of Zemo's plan came to light, and both Steve and Bucky searched day and night for any trace of your current whereabouts.

Though it had been difficult in the beginning for Steve going cold turkey from all his vices, he persevered in his efforts knowing that staying sober would help him in his quest for you.

The search for you had taken a lot longer than expected since he had lost almost all of his connections. Resulting in the blonde to go back to his criminal roots to get the job done.

Within 3 months, he was able to build back up a portion of his notoriety. Though not as high as before, it was enough to bring back the fear into individuals' eyes whenever he stepped into a room.

It was with the help of his old colleague, Natasha, that he was able to track you down. You were staying in Canada, specifically in Montreal, with your best friend Leah.

After profusely thanking the redhead, he and Bucky packed a bag and headed up north to try and beg for your forgiveness.

The entirety of the 6 hour plane ride, Steve internally drafted an apology worthy of your forgiveness and hoped that you would at least give him one more chance.

.·:*¨ ☼ ⭒ ☽ ⊹ ☾ ⭒ ☼ ¨*:·.

Steve stood before the auburn-colored door frame of the house supposedly belonging to you and your best friend. To say he was nervous would be a lie, he was terrified to face you. Scared out of his mind at the fact that you wouldn't take him back or worse- that you had moved on.

He didn’t know how long he and Bucky were standing there, their thoughts riddled with guilt as well as hope.

After a feeble attempt to shake off the nerves that plagued him, Steve reached a hand up and knocked on the door. He could hear the patter of footsteps trailing towards them as the pair waited. Once the door was opened, Steve was first met with a look of surprise, which quickly turned into anger.

“You need to leave right fucking now,” seethed your best friend.

“Just please, let me talk to her.”

Leah guffawed at his ridiculous request and the audacity that radiated from him, “You've got a lotta nerve showing up here after what you did. What, are you here to hit her again? Relive the moment of you throwing her out in the street? It's been a year, let her have peace.”

“We’re here to apologize. Where is-” Bucky pleaded, but was abruptly interrupted.

“It’s a little too late for an apology, asshole. She doesn’t want to see you, so leave!”

The three of you spent the next few minutes bickering at each other; Leah berated them while Steve and Bucky continued to beg. So lost in the argument that your presence wasn’t registered until they heard a sharp gasp.

Turning his head, Steve locked eyes with you for the first time in little over a year. You looked different than when he saw you last. It appeared as if you had lost weight and your eyes seemed dejected, no doubt caused by his actions.

The blonde immediately stepped towards you, trying to reach out to hold you in any way but stopped when you backed away from him. There was an unmistakable flash of fear in your eyes, that singular action made his heart painfully throb in his chest.

“Baby, (Y/N), I’m so sorry for what I did,” Steve pleaded out to you, but you were having none of it.

After being accused of betraying him and being thrown on like trash, you had to make the trek back to your best friend's house on foot. The entirety of the walk was spent with you pondering in disbelief. For 3 entire years you stood besides Steve, didn’t bat an eye when he unveiled to you what he did for a living, never treated him differently, never accused him of being with other women when he stayed out late doing god-knows-what. Yet for him to see a singular photograph and throw away the relationship so quickly, the act broke you.

It took a while for you to regain a sense of hope, for months you stayed in Leah's spare room, wallowing away in the dark. Almost every night, she would come home after work to find you in tears or passed out due to exhaustion. Over time, you lost weight due to barely eating.

After a while, Leah grew frustrated and also angry with how everything had been affecting you, so she suggested a change in scenery. Having the option for relocation for her job, the two of you moved up north to Canada.

It was only two weeks after moving away from New York City that you began to leave the comfort of your room and ventured out. You began to eat more frequently and laugh at cheesy jokes your best friend made, but you still held onto a bit of sadness. The emotion was still evident in your eyes.

You thought moving out of the country would guarantee that your paths would never cross again, but here you were standing on the pavement looking into the eyes of the man you once loved. The man that you thought the world of. The man who promised to always love and care for you, no matter what.

The sound of Steve speaking out to you began to feel muffled, as if you were underwater. Your eyes then met with your former best friend, causing tears to form. Bucky had the same apologetic look on his face as Steve. The both of them were speaking, but you were filled with both fear and anger that you blocked them out.

Ignoring their confessional pleas, you sidestepped the pair and tried to walk inside your home when Steve yelled out loud, stopping your movements.

“You were right!” he proclaimed, not caring about the listening ears of passing pedestrians, “You didn’t betray me, it was a set up the entire time.”

For the next 5 minutes, Steve proceeded to explain to you Zemos plan. How the true informers were actually two of his own men, not you. He carefully explained that he spent the past few months searching for you so that he could reveal to you the truth. But you knew all along that you were never a part of the police’s efforts to bring his empire down, just a pawn. A means to an end.

Once he finished his speech, you simply looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Your body language evident that you did not want to be anywhere near him.

“So what,” you began, “Do you expect something from me or?”

Steve looked back and forth from you to his best pal. “Well, I- I mean I was hoping we could go back to how we were.”

The abrupt laugh that came from you surprised the two despondent men in front of you, even yourself. The audacity of the man to expect for you to just take him back with open arms, forget all of what he did, fueled your laughter.

“Wait, why are you laughing?” he questioned, a little confused at your reaction.

You couldn’t control the hysterics pouring out of you, “Do you really think- expect for me to just run back into your arms? After what you did to me?”

The air was silent after your inquiry, the pair not knowing how to properly respond. Their silence allowed you to be able to regain your composure before standing directly in front of them.

Looking directly into Bucky eyes, “You dragged me through the house like I was a Raggedy Ann doll and threw me to the floor, without a care in the world.”

“And you,” you yelled at Steve, “You, my supposed boyfriend! My personal protector. You could’ve avoided all of this, if you just sat down and talked to me. I could’ve told you what happened at the park, but you let anger cloud your judgment.”

You thought your anger was at a minimum, but then remembering what physical actions he did to you, only amplified them.

“You slapped me! Put a fucking cut on my face, after I tried telling you the truth, yet you wouldn't let me speak or believe me. Then threw me out of the house like waste. And you have the fucking nerve to come here and expect me to take you back, just like that?”

Steve watched as you got close to his face, close enough to where he could smell the scent of your coffee that you must’ve drank earlier in the day. Hope filled him that maybe you would kiss him, but it was shattered when you leaned to the side to speak in his ear.

“You are a disgusting piece of shit and I hope you burn in hell.”

Saying your piece, you turned around and tried to head inside when Steve caught your arm. His grip wasn’t rough, but more desperate. “Please (Y/N), just give me one more chance. I promise I will do everything in my power to make it up to you.”

You looked into his blue eyes. His orbs were one of a truly sorry man, but in that moment, going over everything you went through in your mind, you couldn’t seem to care.

“I wish I could. But, I don’t want to.”

And with that you entered the foyer of your home before turning to face the former love of your life for the final time, “Never come back here again. I’ve moved on, it’s time that you do the same.”

Steve and Bucky watched as you shut the door on their faces and expelled them out of your life. The pair stood there for a while, absorbing your words before the brunette clapped the other on the back, snapping him out of his thoughts.

The blonde continued his efforts for the next week. Visiting your home with fresh flowers, hot coffee, those ridiculous caramel filled chocolates you used to always crave so badly.

He was a desperate man, yearning for his love in hopes that he could regain you back into his life.

But his efforts were cut short when two Mounties arrived, informing him that there was a call for trespassing and stalking. Ultimately ordering him to leave, the act signaling that he had lost you and there were no second chances in his horizon.

Bucky had to pull the man away, informing him it was for the best that he leave you alone for good. Steve didn’t fight him on it as they got into their rented vehicle and made the trip back to the airport.

After boarding their flight home, they both sat in their respective seats in silence. Bucky sat there as he mourned the loss of a friend. You were always there for him; an ear to vent to and a shoulder to secretly cry on.

As for Steve, he turned to face the window and watched the city fade away and the plane ascending to cruising altitude.

You were the love of his life, the woman he planned on marrying. And he threw it all away because he didn’t talk to you, ask for the truth, he just assumed. He knew it was a long shot when requesting for you to take him back, but he had to at least try.

For the remainder of the flight, he thought about your smile, the way you would say his name all sweetly, and how he’ll never be able to experience those treasured parts of you ever again, all because of his actions.

.·:*¨ ☼ ⭒ ☽ ⊹ ☾ ⭒ ☼ ¨*:·.

A/N: felt like writing some angst, sorry if it's not the best,. feeling a little rusty.

also: in no way shape or form do i justify domestic violence. this purely a work of fiction.

if you enjoyed this, please make sure to reblog and comment. feedback is much appreciated !

i do not allow the reposting, rewriting or translating of my fics. these are works of my own and i do not give permission for any of the acts stated above.

#egcdeath400challenge #steve rogers #steve rogers angst #steve rogers one shot #steve rogers smut #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x female reader #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers headcanon #mafia!steve rogers #mob!steve #mafia!steve #mob!bucky #mafia!bucky #mafia!bucky barnes #bucky barnes angst #chris evans #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans one shot #chris evans x fem!reader #chris evans x reader #chris evans angst #chris evans x female reader #chris evans fic #sebastian stan #sebastian stan angst #marvel writing challenge #writing challenge

[ghostofskywalker]

To The Highest Bidder

Steve Rogers/Fem!Reader

Words: 2,838

Summary: When Tony announces that all the male Avengers would be participating in charity bachelor auction, Steve tries to take advantage of the situation. But as it turns out, he’s not quite as over you as he thought he was.

this is for @egcdeath​’s sitcom writing challenge! i chose the prompt “someone tries to make someone else jealous, but it backfires.” congratulations and i hope you enjoy this!

Steve Rogers Masterlist 

Bucky wished that he was anywhere else but here right now, because Tony had just announced that all the Avengers had been invited to participate in a charity auction that happens once a year. It didn’t sound so bad until he found out it was a bachelor auction. He really didn’t want to stand up on a stage and have women ogle him, and even if they did, he highly doubted anyone would actually bid on him. It was much more likely they’d go for Steve, Sam, or Tony, whose smiles could probably make women faint and who were a lot less broken than he was.  He glanced over at you, Natasha, and Wanda, jealous that you wouldn’t have to participate.  Maybe he could convince one of you to bid on him so he didn’t have to suffer as much.

When he looked over at Steve, his best friend was smiling. Steve was probably excited about the chance to find a new girlfriend, especially because you and him had just broken up just two months ago. But despite everything Steve said and did, Bucky never fully believed that he was fully over your relationship. He had caught his friend sneaking glances at you one too many times to believe he had moved on this quickly.

The meeting adjourned, and Bucky eventually decided that he would ask you if you would be willing to bid on him so he didn’t have to deal with any of the drama this would inevitably bring, and that as your “date” the two of you could just get pizza and ice cream and he would let you show him that TV show you’ve been talking a lot about lately.

Luckily, later that day he noticed you in the kitchen. “Y/N!” he said, catching your attention as you turned to him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, what do you need?” you asked. You were one of the first people to warm up to Bucky when he moved into the tower, partially because you spent so much time with Steve, but also because you had never been afraid of Bucky.

“Can you bid on me during the bachelor auction?” he said. “I really don’t want to do it, and even if someone does bid on me, I’m not ready to be in a relationship yet.”

“Of course,” you said softly, and Bucky let out a breath of relief. “I don’t want to be there either.” He could sense a sadness in your voice, which he suspected was because of Steve. The two of you had broken up during a particularly bad argument, where you had called him out for sidelining you during important missions, and he claimed he was only doing it for protection. Bucky didn’t know who had first suggested that you split up, but by spending time with both you and Steve after the fact, he knew that both of you regretted it, no matter how much you said otherwise.

“Thank you,” he said.”I mean it.”

“It’ll be fun,” you said, a smile on your face that Bucky knew was forced. Your feelings about the event matched his perfectly, albeit for different reasons. “We’ll get through the night together, and we’ll be the best-looking duo there.”

***

Steve waited anxiously next to Sam, Tony, Bucky, and Clint for their names to be called. They had already had some time to mingle with the people who would be bidding, and now they would stand up on a stage and await their fate as the women decided which of them they wanted to bid on. Steve had thought he made some good impressions, and he was hoping a girl named Amy would bid on him because they had a particularly nice conversation, but in reality, he was nervous about you.

As much as he assured Bucky that he had no feelings left for you, that was a bold faced lie. He wanted to be able to move on, but he couldn’t stop thinking about you. His mind was plagued with memories from when you were together, and he barely slept because he couldn’t believe that he had let you go. The argument the two of you had was bad, but there was also a piece of him that was prideful, and that kept him from groveling for your forgiveness, no matter how much he would give to have you back by his side.

He probably seemed shallow at the meeting where Tony announced that they would be doing this. Hell, he was still being shallow now, using this whole thing as an opportunity to try and make you jealous. He didn’t even know if it was going to work, but part of him had this recurring fantasy that you would realize how much you missed him if you saw him with someone else. He already had to keep himself from staring at you, because the dress you were wearing was apparently something out his wildest dreams. He hated himself for what he did to you, and he knew that if he wasn’t such an idiot you could still be his, but he had fucked up. Big time.

They walked out to the stage as their names were called, where one by one they had to step forward while they were being bid on. Tony went first, and almost instantly there were two women bidding over him. Clint had two as well, Sam had three, and then it was his turn. He stepped forward and looked out on the crowd. He couldn’t understand what the auctioneer was saying, but he watched as Amy, the girl he was talking to before, put her paddle up. But Steve was shocked when Natasha put her paddle up to challenge.

Steve swore internally, because he knew what Natasha was trying to do. She could always read him like a book, maybe more so than Bucky could. She has to know that he was using this event as a way to try and make you jealous, and she was trying to put a stop to it. Eventually though, Natasha ended up bowing out, and Steve didn’t quite understand why. Tony had given you, Wanda, and Natasha an unlimited budget for the evening if you wanted to bet on anyone, so he knew for a fact that Natasha had more money than she admitted to. It worried him, like she knew something he didn’t, and she was now planning to sit back and watch it crash and burn.

Bucky was next, with two women bidding on him, and Steve could tell he was getting uncomfortable with the attention. The bids were getting higher and higher, and then another voice cut through the excitement. “ One hundred thousand dollars,” he heard a voice say, and his heart dropped when he realized that the voice was yours.

“Sold!” the auctioneer said, and the room grew louder as the auction ended and people began to find their dates from the stage. Steve stood there in shock, his brain trying to make sense of what had just happened. You were betting on Bucky? And you had the highest bid of the night?

The sting of rejection only grew as he watched Bucky step down from the stage and you practically tackle him in a hug. It felt like he’d been shot, and he stared at the two of you from across the room as a pit of jealousy burned in his stomach. He didn’t look away until someone tapped his shoulder. “Captain Rogers?” a voice asked, and he turned to see Amy standing next to him. “I just wanted to plan things for our date.”

If she noticed who Steve had been staring at, she didn’t say anything about it. They made arrangements for a date and agreed on a restaurant - one that Steve might not have chosen normally, but if he was going to try and make you jealous, he had to pull out all the stops. He wondered if he should even bother, because you probably wouldn’t be giving him a second look now that you had Bucky, but he couldn’t help himself.

***

The day after the auction, you and Bucky were in the kitchen together, making breakfast and coffee before everyone else woke up. “Thank you again for bidding on me,” he said as he flipped a pancake. “I did not want to be there last night.”

“You and me both,” you said. You didn’t elaborate your reasoning, but you knew he had his suspicions.

“It’s because of Steve right?” Bucky asked quietly, and you nodded.

“Yeah,” you answered. “I just wish things were different, you know?”

“I’m not going to pretend I know what happened,” Bucky said. “But I think Steve feels the same way, he just can’t show it. If he had pulled his head out of his ass for a few minutes he could have probably fixed the situation, but sometimes I don’t know why I’m friends with him.”

You cracked a smile at that. “You’re better friends with him than me though.”

“Not after how he’s acted,” Bucky responded. “You don’t deserve anyone who treats you like that. You’ve been nothing but kind to me from the minute I stepped into the compound Y/N, and as your friend, I am not happy with how Steve has treated you.”

You smiled fully at his words, grateful that you could talk to him about it. You had worried that you would lose your friendship with Bucky because of your breakup with Steve, but right now it seemed that Steve was the one who had to worry, not you.

And speaking of Steve, he walked into the kitchen a few minutes later as you and Bucky were laughing about the pancake Bucky dropped on the floor. He had a surly look on his face and didn’t speak to either of you, instead getting something from the fridge and leaving moments after he entered, the sound of his footsteps echoing back down the hallway. You and Bucky exchanged raised eyebrows, but neither of you said what both of you were thinking.

***

Steve closed the door to the gym a lot harder than he should have, but he couldn’t help it. When he walked into the kitchen and saw you laughing with Bucky, heart eyes on both your faces, it was too much. You were the one who was supposed to be jealous of him, not vice versa. He stacked weights onto the bar and started to lift, letting all his anger and frustrations out with each rep. Not long after he started, the door opened and Natasha walked in. She had a look on her face Steve couldn’t quite read, but he knew she was about to tell him exactly why she was bothering him right now.  “So, how’s that garbage plan of yours to make Y/N jealous working out?” she asked, eyebrows raised. “Because I don’t think it’s working like you thought it would.”

Steve glared at her, letting the weighted bar drop to the ground with a heavy bang. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You’re an idiot, you know that?” she said.

“I know, Nat, I know.”

“I knew you weren’t over Y/N,” she continued. “That’s why I bid on you at the auction, to stop you from making a mistake you can’t fix, but after a while I realized that you would never learn if you always got your way.”

“What was I supposed to do?” he asked, barely able to hide the bitterness in his voice. “Y/N and Bucky are all cozy now anyway, it looks like she’s moved on already.”

Natasha looked like she wanted to say something, like she knew something he didn’t, but she just shook her head. “You could have been a lot nicer to her,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who she’s with, or not with, because you acted like an asshole. I wouldn’t take you back, and if Y/N ever does then she’s a lot more forgiving than I am.”

Steve didn’t answer, and Natasha left moments after that. He spent the rest of his workout thinking about how he could have done things differently, but now it didn’t matter. He had his date with Amy the next day, and he just hoped that he didn’t screw that up because he still wasn’t over you.

But as it turned out, he didn’t need to worry about ruining the date, because it had been going abysmally from the start. Not only did it start raining right as they sat down to eat (outside) but they had to wait for a table to open up inside. By the time they finally got another table, it felt like they had already run out of things to talk about.

Amy was nice, but Steve could tell she was nervous. It also became increasingly obvious that the two of them just weren’t clicking. Steve wondered why they had gotten along so well at the charity auction but not here, but he realized that he had maybe spent five minutes with her at the auction. Now they were by themselves, and it was a lot more than five minutes.

They decided to call it quits after dinner, not even sticking around for dessert. They parted amicably, knowing that it was no one’s fault, but just that they didn’t click the way they thought they had. He dropped her off back at her apartment and turned on the radio as he watched her walk in. It must have been a sign, because he could recognize the song that started playing anywhere. It was your song, the song you and him played all the time when you were together, and in that moment, something clicked in Steve’s brain. He wasn’t ready to give you up just yet, and he didn’t want to.

He called Natasha that very moment, not even waiting for her to say hello before he began to speak. “You were right,” he said.

“I’m guessing this is about Y/N?” she asked, and even though he couldn’t see her, Steve knew she had her eyebrows raised.

“Yes,” he said. “I’ve never felt like this before, and it’s killing me.”

“You’re in love, Rogers,” she said. “And I shouldn’t be helping you, but I happen to know that Y/N and Bucky are having their ‘date’ from the auction on the balcony of the twentieth floor.” Then she hung up.

The speedometer was reading a number a little higher than legal as Steve drove back to the tower. He took the stairs three at a time, because he knew he could run faster than the elevator. When he finally got up to the twentieth floor, he could see you and Bucky through the glass doors.  You were both dressed casually, chatting and laughing together as you picked at snacks laid out on the table.

As he pulled open the door to the balcony, both of you turned to look at him. “I fucked up,” he said, looking directly at you. “When we broke up, I knew I should have tried harder to keep you. But my pride got in the way and I just let you walk out that door. And I’ve been so stupid since then, using that charity event as a way to make you jealous, but it did the opposite. I’m sorry Y/N, and you don’t have to take me back, because Natasha has made me well aware that I don’t deserve it, but I needed you to know.”

You were silent, and Bucky just got up from his seat. “I think this is something that should be discussed in private,” he said. He clapped Steve on the shoulder as he walked inside, and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I swear to god if you break her heart again I’ll kill you,” he said. The door to the balcony closed after that, leaving you and Steve alone.

“I’m sorry too,” you said, standing up to face him. “I should have been more open to trying to work things out instead of just calling it quits when things get rough. We probably could have avoided this whole situation.”

“No, I shouldn’t have acted the way I did,” Steve said. “Natasha has made me well aware of how much I shouldn’t expect your forgiveness.”

You waited a moment before responding. “That doesn’t matter anymore,” you said. “What matters is right now, and I’m willing to try again if you are.”

A smile grew on his face, and he nodded. “I’ve never wanted anything more.”

“Well then,” you said, gesturing to the food and drinks that you and Bucky had brought out. “Looks like we have a date set up already.”

“Looks like it.”  He sat down at the table, a smile on his face he hadn’t worn in a long time. He had missed this, and he never wanted to let it go again.

- the end -

#egcdeath400challenge #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers x you #captain america x reader #captain america #marvel #avengers #avengers x reader #marvel x reader

[fangirlovestuff]

Romantic Stylez - Jake Jensen x reader

a/n - hey lovely people!! this one is for @egcdeath​ ’s 400 followers sitcom challenge (although i’m sure you have more by now, and you so deserve it!) if you don’t know her yet, go check out her dad!steve fics, they’re what keeps me going in life. enjoy<3

Summary: When Jake Jensen, your fellow detective, leaves on an undercover mission, what will it uncover about your feelings for each other? (Basically, this is a retelling of s1ep22 and s2ep1 of Brooklyn 99. sorry not sorry lol)

Word Count: 3.2k

Prompt:  “So, what is this? Casual, serious? I need to know how to make fun of you.” - Rosa Diaz, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and very heavily inspired by the show and Jake and Amy’s relationship. (prompt is bold in the fic!!)

Warnings: like two curse words, clint barton slander because i can (clint as teddy hehe)

disclaimer - i tried to make this as accessible to people who don’t know Brooklyn 99 as i could, but you’d probably enjoy it more if you watched the show since this contains a ton of references lol, and if you haven’t, do yourself a favor and watch it, because it’s incredible!! also, i don’t own any characters, lines or scenes from brooklyn 99 or the losers, or any other franchise for that matter:)

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

"Who're you texting?"

"Oh my god, Jensen," you scoffed, "don't sneak up on me like that."

"I'm sorry," he drawled, clearly unaffected. "But I can't help but notice you haven't answered my question yet. So…" he batted his eyelashes exaggeratingly, "who's the lucky guy?"

"How do you know it's a guy and not… my brother?"

"If you've got that look on your face while texting your brother you've got some serious issues. Do you need a psych eval? Cause I can tell Sarge to arrange that for you. Actually, SARG-"

"No- stop!" you whisper-yelled, cutting off his actual yell. "Fine. It wasn't my brother, it was… it was Clint," you admitted with a sigh.

"Clint? No way! That boring guy from the 82?"

"He's not boring!" you objected immediately, "He's really nice! He's a great cop too."

"Didn't you tell me you two went out on a few dates a couple of years ago?"

"Yeah, we did, an-"

"So why are you giving him another chance now?"

"If you'd ever let me talk, you would know that it never worked out because he moved to work in Atlanta for a while, and now he's back in New York, so…"

"First of all, I always let you talk. I amplify women's voices." You gave him a grimace and he nodded, "yep, too much, sorry. Second of all, and more importantly, it didn’t work out because he 'moved to Atlanta'," he air-quoted, "which, by the way, is a place that's just as boring as he is, it didn't work cause he's Boring, capital B. There are much better reasons to fall asleep after a date."

"Boinking."

"Yep, exactly, Pooch, that's exactly what I was referring to," Jake pointed at him with an expression between a smile and a grimace. "Thank you, for that."

"Were you listening the whole time?" you frowned at him.

"Yep. Can't help it, my sixth sense awakes whenever someone talks about their love life," he shrugged. "Anyway, Clint from the 82? He's nice! I say go for it!"

"Great, let's get everybody involved," you sighed, rolling your eyes.

"Nice isn't date worthy," Jensen interjected.

"Like you know so much about it," you huffed. "Didn't your last date punch you when she heard you were a cop?"

"Yeah. It was so hot," he sighed. "But I-" he started, then stopped and gasped dramatically, his eyes lighting up. "I figured it out! You're only going on a date with him to meet Steve!"

"Steve? Who's Steve?" you frowned.

"Oh come on. You know him. Steve? From the 82? Tall dude, blue eyes, blond hair. The whole package. I asked him how he got his shoulders to be this broad, and he said he was born with it, so, funny guy too," he chuckled. "I mean, there's no way he's just like that. Won't tell me his working out secrets," he grumbled, "but anyway," he moved on quickly, "total catch. I gotta say, I didn't think you had such moves in you. I mean, dating a dude just to hurt his feelings to get with his coworker is kinda brutal."

"I'm not going out with Clint just to dump him for Steve, whom I don't even know!" you said, exasperated. "I'm going out with him because I like him."

"Great grammar," he remarked with a grin. "And okay," he raised his palms up, "I surrender. You're going out with him cause you like him. Sure. So, what is this? Casual, serious? I need to know how to make fun of you."

You slapped his arm lightly, "Oh come on!"

"OW!"

"You're insufferable," you rolled your eyes at him for what felt like the hundredth time, shaking your head and walking back to your desk.

The truth is, you didn't really know what it is. But it was good, right? It was gonna be nice.

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

"Good job getting suspended," you smiled at Jake in the parking lot.

That day has been a long one. First, Jensen was being put on trial for pressing too hard on a case, which was believable considering your knowledge of the man, but when he explained how severe the situation was, you couldn't help but try and help him solve it.

And then you did. You had found the evidence you needed, and you all rushed to the court, and then… he didn't present it. He just started brutally slamming all the committee members. And their mothers, and their grandmothers, and their grandmothers' little dogs. If you weren't so confused, this would be highly entertaining.

You hated not knowing what's going on, and you were in the dark until you were all brought to the captain's office, when it finally became clear.

Jake was getting suspended on purpose, in order to further work with the FBI on this case, which apparently went even deeper than you knew and involved the Ianucci mafia, one of the most notorious crime families in town.

Now, you can admit Jake Jensen was a good cop. He was brilliantly smart, had developed excellent instincts and had a real drive to catch bad guys. You've worked side by side with him for the last five years, you know that very well.

So why is it that when he gets this assignment you feel… well, you don't know exactly how you feel. Maybe jealous? That must be it. It's such a cool job, going undercover for the FBI, and you know he deserves it, he'll do great, but the thought of him going undercover leaves a bitter sting in you.

You've always been told you're type A. Alas, sometimes even you couldn't get what you wanted, plus the circumstances aligned so perfectly for him, you couldn't take that away no matter what.  

So now, you were both standing in the precinct parking lot, while he was putting the last of his things in the car.

"Thank you," he grinned, "I am very good at it."

"So… you're doing this."

"Yep," he sighed wistfully. "Listen, I… I don't know how long this mission's gonna be, but I know I'm gonna be pissed at myself if I don't say this, "he took another breath. "I guess I kinda wished… something could've happened between us. Romantic Stylez," he chuckled.

"Oh."

"But I know you're with Clint now, and I'm going away, and, you know. Never mind. Anyway, we're not supposed to have any contact, so I should be going. See ya on the flipside, detective. Screw your mom, and all that."

You barely managed to register his words, and he was already gone, driving away.

You chuckled at his parting words, but then immediately frowned at the rest of it. Did he really mean it? Was he joking and you just didn't pick up on it? Was he just trying to fool you? Why would he say it now?

Did you feel the same?

No. Of course you didn't. you were with Clint, and it was going really well, steady.

Surely the feeling of butterflies in your stomach was lying. You couldn't possibly like Jake Jensen. No way.

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

Six months went by in a flash, and before you knew it, it was time for the raid. You were never the one that talked to Jensen while he was undercover, he was always reaching out through bureau agents, or at the most through the captain. But it was time, the Ianuccis were finally all in one place.

You geared up, mindlessly tuning out Pooch's rambling about not believing you're all going to see Jake again, and then you were going in, fast.

The whole thing ended quickly, almost too quickly. You had just arrested some of the most notorious criminals in the city, but your heart wasn't really in it.

That all changed later, when you were talking to Jensen in the break room, catching up. The way he described it all, what they did and how epic it was to infiltrate and take them down made you smile, finally feeling the satisfaction of a long-awaited arrest.

"Um, I know we left things kind of awkward before I left," he said, becoming a little more serious, "and I just wanted to apologize about that."

"Well, it's fine. As long as you know I'm still with Clint," you shrugged.

He hummed. "I was just gonna say, you know, I didn't really mean it. What I said. I think I was just kinda scared about the mission, and you were just… there. So I'm glad, you know, we're on the same page."

"Yeah," you nodded with a small smile, ignoring the little twinge of disappointment in your heart. Come on, how egotistical is that; being bummed when someone doesn't actually like you in a romantic way, your coworker as well. Christ, get it together!

"So, I guess you and Clint were serious after all, huh?"

"Yep," you smiled, shaking out of your reverie. "He actually got me a bow with our names carved on it for our six-month anniversary."

"A bow? Like, a hair bow or…"

"Like an archery bow," you shrugged, and scoffed at his giggle. "He likes archery. It's romantic!"

"Uh huh, yeah. You know, one of my dad's… girlfriends? She had an archery bow, and she just showed it to my dad once and didn't know how to use it. So I'm guessing you use that every day. Or better yet, maybe it's hung over your bed."

"It’s in a drawer in the living room," you begrudgingly admitted, making him burst out into roaring laughter. "But it still means a lot!"

"Yeah, alright. Just be careful, you never know when he decides to ask where it is, and that's when the arrows fly," he said, shit-eating grin smeared on his face. "I can already see the headlines – policeman by day, vigilante by night, Clint what's-his-name murders girlfriend over misplaced bow."

"Very funny."

"Aw, I missed you too," he said, patting your shoulder and leaving the break room as you scoffed.

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

As it turns out, you didn't catch all of the bad guys, and Freddie Ianucci managed to get away. Jensen and Pooch tried to get him all day, but as they said when they got back, almost at the end of your shift, he got away.

"Sorry you couldn't catch Freddie," you said sympathetically as you and Jensen were wrapping up, the last ones to stay before the weekend.

"There are some things you just can't control," he said bitterly. "Um actually, I do need to tell you something. About earlier," he added, and you nodded for him to go on. "When I said I didn't mean what I said before I went undercover, that was a lie. I did mean it. I just… wanted to be honest with you. I know you're with Clint, and I'm not trying to change that, I just didn’t want to lie, so, this doesn't need to change anything."

"I-" you swallowed. "Thank you for the honesty, Jensen."

"Anytime. Night," he mock saluted, and then he left, leaving you alone to wrap up the last of your things and to home.

This doesn't have to change anything.

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

But it did. It did change things.

Because now, the what-ifs were plaguing your mind like… well, like the fucking plague. Because now, on your weekend off, where you were supposed to be relaxing with your boyfriend, you were blowing him off and trying to untangle your thoughts.

Because now, you knew things couldn't stay the same. Because no matter how much overthinking you did, you couldn't stop your feelings. Not anymore.

You had some a phone call to make.

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

One break up over the phone later, because you were a coward, you were now standing under Jake's building. You felt bad for Clint, but you'd be lying if you said there wasn't anything freeing about the breakup. Also, it was for his good. You couldn't keep being with him when you cared about someone else.

Caring. It was always there, just below the surface, wasn't it?

Of course you weren't jealous of Jake. Of course you didn't wait for his updates for the sake of the case, not only anyway. Of course you weren't focused on the raid, because you couldn't see him in the swarm of people.

Caring was hard.

You were contemplating whether to call him or use the buzzer when an elderly lady left the building. Naturally, you reached to hold the door for her, smiling at her, friendly. Then you realized – what the hell. The door was open, you might as well just come up and knock on his door.

"Tell him what you need to make it work," the old lady said.

"Oh. Thank you?" you said the last part as more of a question, a little confused but still grateful.

"Don't thank me until we've paid you," she chuckled.

"Excuse me?"

"My husband is waiting for you to come fix the TV. It's not working."

"Ma'am, I'm not a technician," you sighed.

"Oh! I'm sorry dear, I just saw you waiting out here and assumed," she apologized, "I hope you can forgive my old brain for the mix up."

"Of course," you smiled, trying to make it as genuine as you can, "have a good evening, ma'am."

"You too!" she said as she walked away.

You shook your head before going up the stairs. You needed to stay moving, or your thoughts were going to catch up with you. Just a little more, and then you're in front of his apartment door, fist raised. Taking a deep breath, you knocked on the door.

After a couple of moments, it opened to reveal Jake, his glasses perched on his nose, his hair tousled.

"What's going on? What's wrong? Did you find Freddie?"

"No, um, it has nothing to do with Freddie," you answered, evading his first two questions. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure," he showed you inside and the two of you sat down on his couch. Well, he gathered all of the case files that were scattered on it, made a pile and moved them, and then you sat down.

"You know you're not supposed to take these home with you, right? You could get in trouble, Jake."

"I doubt the dear old cap'n will let me get into that much trouble about working hard."

"You're being irresponsible, of course he's gonn-"

"Okay, I doubt you're here to reprimand me about my mischievous behavior. What's up?"

"It's not mischief Jake, it's classified-" you stopped yourself, taking a deep gulp of air. "You're right, that's not why I came here."

He said nothing, only looking at you, waiting for you to elaborate.

"I just… needed to be honest with you too. Clint and I broke up today," you started with the easy new first.

"Did he finally introduce you to Steve?" he replied quickly, then when you glared at him, he grimaced. "Yeah, I'm sorry. That sucks. But I thought things were going good between the two of you, what happened?"

"Well, I've been thinking about it for a while, I guess. I mean, you'd think archery's a cool hobby, but once you spend four hours sitting in the scolding heat just to watch people shoot at non-moving targets repeatedly it loses its charm a bit," you scrunched your nose. He hummed in agreement, smiling.  

You continued. "But also… I couldn’t stay with him. That wouldn't have been fair because I… I care about someone else." You couldn't meet his eyes, averting your gaze downwards.

"Well, you did the right thing," he comforted, "it really wouldn't have been fair. It's not something everyone knows, but my dad was cheating on my mom for years before they separated, and you know, not like it impacted me that much or whatever, but it still sucked. So, it's good you're not leading him on."

"Everyone knows about your childhood, Jake. You talk about it all the time," you raised your eyebrow, amused.

"No I don-"

"Jake," you cut him off, "this isn't the point. The point is…" you took another steadying breath. This was it, there would be no coming back once you utter the words. But there was no other way, you owed it to yourself to try. "I care about you."

Your eyes met his, and you held his gaze, unwilling to back down, but after a few moments your anxiety got the best of you, urging you to fill the charged silence between the both of you.

"I just thought, you know, I should be honest, because yo-"

Your words got cut off when his lips collided with yours, and after you registered what was happening, you returned his kiss eagerly.

After a few moments, you broke apart but stayed close, your foreheads touching.

"Wait, I read that right, right? Like you saying you care about me means, you know, in a way-"

"Romantic stylez," you confirmed, smiling timidly.

"Oh, good," he smiled back, clearly relieved. "But, you know, if you need time, that's fine too, you and Clint just broke up an-"

"You're a great detective, Jake, but sometimes you're a little stupid," you cupped his face in your hands, "I broke up with Clint for you."

"Oh, wow. That's great for my ego. Take that Steve," he muttered.

"What did that man ever do to you?" you laughed.

"He's lying! No one is that perfect!"

"Okay," you said between giggles. "I'll take your word on it."

"Thank you," he smirked. "And, you know, I know we're both working next week, but would you want to go… like get dinner or something next week?"

"Jensen, are you asking me on a date?" you teased.

"What? No, this is clearly a friendly coworker dinner proposition. Business diner. The dress code is-"

"Yes Jake, I'd love to go on a date with you."

"Well, that's good to hear, because I’d love to go on a date with you too," he smiled, before kissing your lips again, tender this time.

You two broke apart at the sound of the intercom buzzing. Jake frowned before getting up to answer it, you after him, curious.

"I'm not expecting anyone," he said before pressing the button which will allow him to be heard downstairs. "Hello?"

"Hello. Sorry I'm a little late, but this is the TV technician, I was supposed to come by and have a look."

You burst out into laughter, and Jake just looked at you, puzzled, before saying, "wrong apartment, but I'll buzz you in."

After he did just that, he came back to circle his arms around you. "Anything you want to share with the class?"

"Nope. It's a secret, only the cool kids get to know," you winked.

"Suit yourself, Nerd," he shrugged. "If you're here already, you wanna play Clue? It's pretty much the only game I have."

"I'm gonna kick your ass, dork."

"Yeah, we'll see about that," he said, pressing a quick kiss to your nose, making you scrunch it up, before going to get the game.

You couldn't say you were expecting this to happen, not a month ago, not a week ago, probably not even earlier today. But you wouldn't have it any other way. Your relationship with Jake was bound to be full of surprises, but as long as they were all as good as this one, you'd happily deal with every doubt and stress.

As long as you're with him, you could probably handle anything.

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

i’d love to hear your thoughts!! just a reminder that my dms and asks are alway open if you want, take care<33

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#chris evans x reader #chris evans x y/n #chris evans x female reader #chris evans x you #jake jensen x reader #chris evans fluff #jake jensen x you #jake jensen x female reader #jake jensen imagine #The Losers movie #brooklyn 99 #b99 au #egcdeath400challenge

[shieldedreams]

jealousy, jealousy (not me) (f.a.)

summary ⇾ the logical thing to do when you see your date talking to someone else who makes you jealous is... try to do the same? (only worse, get caught and try to ride it out but it only backfires)

details ⇾ 3,588 words / frank adler x reader / 🌸 a loooad of fluff, secondhand embarrassment (yep this is a warning haha), the cliche sitcom scenario but cute ending >:) this is a bit different than how i usually write, a bit more with a ‘sitcom’ setting in mind but i truly enjoyed writing it!

notes ⇾ this is for neptune’s @egcdeath​​‘s 400 follower sitcom challenge! congrats again, babe! 💞✨ i chose the prompts: someone wants to make someone else jealous, but it backfires + “put some alcohol in your mouth to block the words from coming out.” - ron swanson, parks and recreation + “lies are always more convincing when they’re closer to the truth.” - michael, the good place

tonight was the night you had been anticipating for the longest time since the day you met the labelled ‘quiet damaged hot guy’. what started as a friendly acquaintance at the grocery store (he was a couple of bucks short for his purchase, you were next in line, helpful to chip in), he asks you out on a date before you leave. he catches up to you by your car, offering to repay you in a form of friday night, at ferg’s?

he was delighted to know you somehow match in a sense of humor when you rebutted with: “is this how you pick up all your dates?”

you were left delighted when he responses with: “no, maybe just you?”

that’s how you were at ferg’s on a friday night instead of in your comfy clothes devouring a pint of ice cream in front of the television.

feeling the silk of your dress hugging your skin, you were trying to calm yourself as you stepped into the bar. past the dimmed colored lights and low murmurs, you feel your nerves easing out the deeper you went in. then your heart completely stops–for a second–when your eyes land on a particular looking build, clad in a navy button up, rolled sleeves that you weren’t used to seeing but a refreshing surprise.

frank was a heartthrob and you were convinced he knows even when he acts like he doesn’t have the power to make people weak by the knees just looking at them.

you would’ve easily walked over to tell him that someone seems rather dashing up for the date (minus you in your black silk cocktail dress and denim jacket) but your eyes reach the person who currently has his attention: bonnie. the woman who had a ‘thing’ with your said ‘date’ once. word spreads around quick, especially in a town where everyone knows everyone. 

never did you think you’d be bothered by this but you were... a little jealous. (little being an understatement) which didn’t make sense. you barely know frank, let alone bonnie. yet here you were all dressed up in hopes to have a good time with frank that washes down with irrational jealousy.

so... what do you do?

do you go up to frank and let him know that you’re here for the date, civilly introduce yourself to bonnie and possibly carry on with the date? (which, any rational person would do just that) or... do you randomly slide up onto the other end of the bar where you notice there’s a stranger looking rather alone that you could be alone with together in hopes to get frank jealous?

your answer came in a form of a cocktail you made a stranger pay for despite the fact he didn’t ask for your company. 

//

frank wasn’t an idiot. he noticed the second you took a seat across from him rather than the one next to him that was left vacant upon his request. holding it off for you and mentioning to whoever who came up to him that yes, this seat’s reserved for a date, thanks before curtly going back to pre-gaming over a couple of beers. 

when bonnie came up for a casual chat, however, his eyes wander off every now and then. keeping in mind to have an eye out for you and when he does, he’s gaping with his heartstrings tugged at the sight of you with another man.

though, his initial plan was to slide over and possibly swoon you over with his charming ways. the black of your dress compliments your skin, more so under the dim lights that made you look like a goddess in the sea of people. there was this urge to replace the denim jacket sitting on your shoulders with his arms. it was something about you he can’t put it into words and it seems like his stare was enough to telepathically make you lift your chin up to lock gazes with him.

it hits frank that you were trying to make him jealous when you tip your glass to his way, along with your eyes that linger at the person he’s next to. 

oh... oh. two can play at that game, sweetheart.

//

after taking a sip of your drink, just as you set it down you watch as frank does the same. toasting to you from the other end. his handsome face morphing into a grin as if he knows what you were trying to do and he was going with it. 

you gape with your eyes turning to slits. that cocky, handsome-shit-eating motherfucker. okay. let’s play, then.

game on.

//

well, the game didn’t last too long.

the good news is that you think you’ve broken a new record to how many free drinks you can get from a man. the bad news is that you can barely stand up without feeling the world was a kaleidoscope and you were far from rocking it.

you’re certain you’ve said something not-so-nice when the man who bought you drinks that you downed like water was now nowhere to be seen. the lights started to look like bokeh, blurry shapes and a bit annoying than the usual prettiness you appreciate. the bartender chuckles at your state, appearing in front of you to steal away your shot glass.

before you can retaliate for one more! hey! get back here, i know you can hear me! a hand grips onto your wrist, settling you back down onto your seat. with a small pout, you blink to your side. the seat earlier is now replaced with–”frank...”

the initial daze is now replaced with irrational anger, huffing as you snatch your hand back from said man. 

“frank...” your tone changes and frank bites back a chuckle, raising a brow as he leans both elbows onto the counter, tilting his head at you.

“what’s with the sudden change of tone?”

“you,” your finger points between his eyes, “weren’t you supposed to be my date? why’re you goin’ around with–”hiccup”–other women?”

he doesn’t seem fazed by your accusation, only amused. he uses a hand to gently lower your finger that acted like a sword holding him captive.

“if you actually came up to me instead of taking the seat across from me, you’d know that i was reserving the seat next to me for you,” he sighs, shaking his head as he moves his hand from yours. curious eyes watching you as you digest the information, a frown soon changing into a thin line.

he decides to ask when your brows seemed to furrow so much, it looks permanent. “hey, pretty girl. you still with me?”

you click your tongue, tasting the alcohol lingering as your head meets your folded arms onto the wooden surface. frank mimics you only to catch your gaze, aligning your eyes together with a fond smile. stupid, handsome smile. for someone who has a reputation of not talking much, he sure is chatty around you.

“could you put some alcohol in your mouth to block the words from coming out?”

and for someone so drunk, you sure still had a tongue on you. half-sweet, half-feisty. frank didn’t know such balance existed. everything you said sounded like honey with a hint of spice. he bets you won’t remember half of this conversation in the morning.

he snorts, a hand reaching out to brush the hair from going into your mouth. “is that what you really want?”

“...no,” your answer is meek, yet for some reason frank feels like there’s more to come. “i’d like to put my mouth on your mouth,”

frank’s hand freezes mid-air by the side of your head, fingertips flinching as your hair slips through. both of his brows raise, the tone of surprise almost reveals it’s exactly what he wants, too. 

“yeah?”

“mhm. just wanna kiss those lips and listen to you talk all about boats,” you hiccup and frank’s able to move again, his hand now patting your head as he listens to you ramble on, unsure if it’s the alcohol or you talking. “or whatever you want. just... wanna get to know you...” you let out a deep breath, that elevates frank’s smile the more he looks at you. “you seem... nice,”

“just nice?” he snorts.

“listen, you’ll be so lucky i’m still complimenting you when i have enough alcohol in my system to be the meanest bitch,” 

he wasn’t prepared for the way your hand messily reaches out to cup his face, only to slide off his cheek for a few seconds after it lands on his skin. you resort to patting his thigh before looking away, voice softly muttering: “just nice for now,”

he watches as you lull back and forth, resorting to land your head on his shoulder that he welcomes. frank shifts closer, allowing you to settle your face to his neck and take an inhale. “shit, you smell nice, too...”

he can’t hold back his laughter, allowing you to hear that beautiful sound that thumps into your eardrums. how can someone who looks like they don’t smile often, look so gorgeous when they do? you’re peeking at him from the side and trying to take a mental image, only to have your thoughts clouded when you feel your insides churning.

“since i’m nice,” frank starts carefully, unsure if you’re still listening, ”will you give us a chance to redo our date?”

there’s a pause. a longer one. frank relents to look down on you to see how your features twisted to discomfort (his gut drops at the thought it could be him but–)“could you ask me this again after i empty my insides?”

“sure–”his eyes widen at the realization–”wait, what?”

frank’s quick to follow as you repel from him. he catches you by the waist as you stumble off the stool and barely stand right. you make a bust towards the restroom and he doesn’t think twice to follow suit, hands by your side in case you fall over to your face.

as you hurl over the toilet bowl, frank holds onto your purse and gathering your hair to the side as you... well, effectively “empty your insides”. past the puking, you tap the side of the stall and frank aids you to sit properly on the tiled floors.

he manages a small smile when you sway back and forth a little, merely half-conscious. carefully, he directs you towards him for stability and allows you to bury you face in his chest. it’s odd that he finds himself comfortable with this, a hand around you as he pats your back gently. he only leans down to listen when he realizes you’re speaking, requesting only one thing: “promise me if you steal my kidneys you’d do a good job in stitching,”

frank doesn’t have a chance to reply when he hears soft snores after that.

he hasn’t smiled or laughed this much in one night, and you won’t even remember or know how easily you did it.

//

tonight didn’t pan out the way he thought it would but he’s not opposed by it. rather... refreshing, than the usual flow of his dates. as you lay in his bed with a blanket covering your body (yep, still wearing that dress and denim jacket. he doesn’t want you having the wrong idea), you’re nearly asleep. the only thing keeping you rooted to reality is the small grip you have on frank’s hand, half-lidded eyes gazing at him seated by your side.

“i’ll be out in the living room if you need anything, okay?”

he takes your garbled sounds as a mere okay, only to be proven wrong when he tries to retrieve his hand from you. despite your drowsy state, you clutch onto his hand, pressing it close to your cheek as your eyelids flutter shut. frank decides to remain by your side a bit longer.

“stupid... handsome man...” you grumble as you drift further into your sleep, “makin’ me jealous for what? should’ve never paid for those cheetos...”

frank gives your hand a squeeze in return to your words. 

“goodnight, y/n.”

//

you come to wake with the kind of throbbing in your head that feels like it’s going to split your brain apart. the kind of pain that makes you groan as you roll over on what feels like a bed... a bed. you don’t remember making it back home last night. did you pass out somewhere and miraculously it had been a dream? your eyes peel open towards the source of light; trickling past the string blinds. a frown drags on your lips, face contorting in confusion as you try to take in your surroundings that do not resemble your bedroom at all.

immediately you pat down on your body, feeling yourself still fully clothed from the night before and no random stitches. okay, you still had both kidneys–all organs still in tact. letting out a sigh of relief, you push yourself off the bed and take a couple of seconds to find your bearings. when you do, you’re grabbing onto your purse by the bedside table and twisting the door open, being as silent as possible.

your head pops out, eyes widening at the sight of a familiar looking back. you leave no room to for creating small chatter, willing to bury yourself into the ground and hope it swallows you a whole. tiptoeing out of the door, beelining straight towards the main door. five steps away, four, so close!–”not gonna have breakfast before you go?”–well shit.

you’ve got two choices. go down like a champ, or go down at least... trying to cover up your stupid decisions. drinking too much being one of it, okay, maybe being irrationally jealous should be on that list, too.

turning on your heels, you open your eyes (that you hadn’t realized you had shut) to frank’s blue eyes gazing at you in amusement.

“i’m... sorry,” okay, not what you saw yourself saying but doing good so far! apologize for your mistakes. own up to it when you should. “for...”

“trying to make me jealous?”

just when i thought i was going to be nice.

“i-i wasn’t trying to make you jealous!” you sputter out, too quick before you can hold yourself back. abort, abort, abort! “you were trying to make me jealous! with... bonnie!”

frank’s laughing–full on laughing–clutching onto his abdomen as he does so. wheezing, near tears in his eyes. you huff, backtracking to stand in front of him with the kitchen table in between as you glare at him. though, frank doesn’t seem fazed, his laughter dying down to this... look of fondness in his face you can’t quite describe.

calming... almost.

“you know, lies are always more convincing when they’re closer to the truth,” he speaks carefully, a hand sliding a glass of water towards you. great. first he cares for you, takes you home so you don’t endanger yourself (or society) and now he’s being civil with you. he even offered you water to stay hydrated. yet, your childishness gets the best of you, muttering out: “where’re you coming from? a hallmark movie?”

he only cocks a brow, sipping onto a cup of water himself as he lets you digest his words and reflect on your own. all while he’s appreciating how someone still looks gorgeous with the dress they threw up in the night before and smudged makeup. you didn’t have time to process his shit-eatingly-handsome face, clad in a fitted white t-shirt and jeans. mind filled with regret and...“fine,”

you look up to him, heaving a sigh first before your words follow, “i should’ve just–”an exhale“–i should’ve came up to you rather than trying to make you jealous. i knew that you two had a thing before and i felt insecure so...” you lower your gaze, even when frank dips his head down to lock eyes. “there. i’ve said it,” you grumble, kicking your own feet.

frank’s mouth opens to respond, only to close when you tip your chin up with a fiery gaze that takes him by surprise.

“you know what? i take that last part back,” you straighten yourself, clearing your throat, “i’m sorry.”

frank’s smile grows.

“there, now i’ve said it,”

a pause. the kind of pause that feels like you’re on a bloody television show where you’re the main girl making some dumb moves on a guy you truly like. or felt attracted to. dunno. it could still be the alcohol in your system swimming around or whatnot. 

it certainly does not help when frank’s grinning at you like some two year old, not saying anything yet. it bites at your nerves the more you wait so you put your purse on the table to chug on the water. when you’re done, that’s when frank talks.

“just so you know, what happened between me and bonnie was just a one time thing,” he reaches for your (now empty) glass, proceeding to fill it up with orange juice, “it was a fling and we haven’t seen each other in a while until last night so that was an unexpected catch up session.”

he places the glass back in front of you, peeking up to catch your eyes as you feel your cheeks heating up, “all while i was waiting for you,”

“so don’t feel insecure, alright? i really wanna get to know you,” he says, with a shy smile before looking away. he rubs the back of his neck when you don’t say anything, the tension clamping down on him but it weighs off his shoulders when you respond with a soft, “okay.”

“okay?”

“yes, okay,”

“good,” frank chuckles, reaching over the kitchen counter to retrieve: “now you can have your pancakes,”

“great because i’m starving,” you’re helping yourself to take a seat, while frank takes the one opposite you. as you pick up your utensils by the side and start to dig in, you pause to peek up to frank who’s still looking at you. the spark embedded in his eyes, blue and welcoming, like a gentle hug. 

“thank you, frank,”

“only thank me if those are good,” he snorts, leaning forward to watch you have a bite first despite him having a plate of his own.

“...frank?”

“yep?”

“you’re nice, a real sweetheart but these–”

“are complete shit, aren’t they?”

you offer an apologetic grin, “the strawberries were lovely?”

“well, i wasn’t expecting much,” he scoffs a laugh, shaking his head, “i’m just glad you were honest with me,” 

before you can object, he’s snatching your plate (and his) and heads over to the garbage can. he steps on the pedal to open it and soon the pancakes are in the trash. frank turns around to see you standing before him instead of remaining seated on the chair.

you take the plates from him and set them in the sink, then take one of his hand in your hold. your eyes refuse to look at him, feeling shy all of a sudden especially under his stare. his hospitality and his actions so far only proved to you he’s so much more than a sweetheart. more than the label people tagged him with. so much for a damaged quiet hot guy... this guy completely won you over and you barely even knew him.

frank tilts his head, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips when you peek up to meet his gaze. for some reason, the nervousness from within dissolves and you find yourself breathing right.

“how about,” you clear your throat, squeezing his hand, “we head to the diner down the block? a chance to redo the date i ruined,”

frank gazes down to your hand in his, seemingly smaller. his thumb brushes over the back of your hand and slowly moves to fill the spaces between your hand with his. the way it fits, compliments yours, it’s bringing the kind of feeling in his chest he hasn’t felt in a long time.

he looks up to your sheepish smile. mini-like crescents in broad daylight. oh, how the sun and moon would be jealous of such beauty. even when you’re not trying.

“i think i’d like that, y/n.”

((”just how many people have seen you in this blue flannel, frank?” you pop another bite of pancakes into your mouth, glancing at the diner patrons constantly staring at you... in frank’s clothes. (he offered to let you take a shower before heading to the diner so that explains your attire of frank’s flannel on you along with one of his cargo shorts. hey, beggars can’t be fashionistas, alright?)

“that... might’ve been my signature look,” he chuckles, simply enjoying every single second someone points out how your clothes don’t look like your clothes.

“well, role switch then. i’m frank adler today and you’re y/n y/l/n. later, i’m gonna fix a damn boat–no i’m not, i’ll just watch you do it.”

so easy, effortless. 

frank’s laughing with you at the silliness that elevates his smile, so much his cheeks hurt. how you had moments of being confident and hilarious but knew when to be serious and grounded. it... tugged on frank’s heart. more so when you don’t shy away from wearing his clothes despite the stares you got. owning up that your fashion state might look odd but as long as it doesn’t sway the person you were with (frank), you were more than just fine with it (he was, most definitely, fine with and would love to see more of).))

#egcdeath400challenge #frank adler #frank adler fanfic #frank adler fics #frank adler x reader #frank adler x you #frank adler x y/n #frank adler fluff #frank adler fanfiction #chris evans #chris evans fanfic

[egcdeath]

i am so grateful to have 400 of you all, and to celebrate i decided to host a challenge!

much like wanda maximoff, i am a lover of sitcoms. similarly to her, i think it’d be fun to insert myself into a few of them. this is why my challenge will be centered around sitcoms!

the groundrules are:

no RPF, ddlg, incest, or a/b/o

all genres of fic are welcome, angst, dark, smut, light, fluff, whatever your heart desires.

send me an ask/message to tell me which prompt you’re doing

please stick with chris evans characters!

no minimum/maximum word count, no limit on using the same prompt & no limit to your submissions

use the tag #egcdeath400challenge and send me a message when you’re finished so i can read & reblog!

you don’t have to follow to participate

it can be based off of an episode, the plot of the whole series, a certain relationship in the show, a quote, even a song from a show! it just has to be inspired by a sitcom in some capacity.

this challenge will close officially on november 30, 2021 (i may extend this date)

you can write about any show you’d like, even if it isn’t listed, but just for some inspiration i’ll leave these here.

shows

the office (or a workplace AU)

parks and recreation (or government employee AU)

friends 

schitt’s creek

arrested development 

community (or a study group AU)

new girl (or moving in with strangers AU)

scrubs (or a hospital AU)

superstore (or a grocery store AU)

2 broke girls

the simpsons

veep (or political AU)

30 rock (or a tv set AU)

how i met your mother

the good place (or an afterlife AU)

bob’s burgers

brooklyn nine-nine

common sitcom plots

someone has to pretend to be someone/something they’re not

characters go to jail

roommates move out, but end up moving back in together.

character a and character b have a nasty misunderstanding that could be solved with a conversation

going on vacation to a place that turns out to be a dump

someone has a date with two people at the same time and have to go back and forth between dates

a sick character is annoying their caretaker

character a’s pet gets lost/shaved/dies on character b’s watch, and they have to find a lookalike of their pet

characters accidentally get married

a character randomly gets famous

someone wants to make someone else jealous, but it backfires

a date auction

a forced friendship becomes real

an unlikely pair takes care of a baby

a character is afraid to say ‘i love you’

a couple is keeping their relationship secret, but their friends find out

one lie is told, then other lies have to be told in order to keep up the initial lie

a couple switches roles for a day to see who has it tougher 

someone finds a pregnancy test in the trash

someone goes into labor at the worst possible time and location

characters are trapped in an elevator

a character has two dates going on at once

sitcom couples*

*this can reflect the couple’s dynamic, the pace of their relationship, etc.

nick & jess (new girl)

schmidt & cece (new girl)

winston & aly (new girl)

jim and pam (the office)

dwight & angela (the office)

holly & michael (the office)

ben & leslie (parks and recreation)

andy & april (parks and recreation)

chris & ann (parks and recreation)

jake & amy (brooklyn nine-nine)

chandler & monica (friends)

rachel & ross (friends)

lucy & rick (i love lucy)

jonah & amy (superstore)

bob & linda (bob’s burgers)

chidi & eleanor (the good place)

jason & janet (the good place)

quotes*

*if a quote has a name or pronoun you’d like to change, feel free to do so! it’s also not necessary to use the full quote, or use the quote as dialogue.

“Put some alcohol in your mouth to block the words from coming out.” - Ron Swanson, Parks and Recreation

“I don’t want to kiss and tell, but I ruined my dresser during intercourse. Will you go to Ikea with me?” - Jess Day, New Girl

“She’s the worst person I’ve ever met. I want to travel the world with her.” - April Ludgate, Parks and Recreation

"You know, Dan, watching you try to be nice is like watching a baby smoke a cigarette -- it's kind of cool, but also very disturbing?" - Mike McLintock, Veep

"Accidents don't just happen over and over and over again, okay?" - Annie Edison, Community

“I wish I could. But, I don’t want to.” - Phoebe Buffay, Friends

“I would say I outdid myself, but I’m always this good. So I simply did myself.” - Tahani Al-Jamil, The Good Place

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was my fault that your life sucks and you’re so miserable.” - Winston, New Girl

“Sarge, with all due respect, I am gonna completely ignore everything you just said.” - Jake Peralta, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

"It's called chemistry, I have it with everybody!" - Jeff Winger, Community

“I can’t believe Michael betrayed us again, why is it always the ones you most expect?” - Jason Mendoza, The Good Place

“I spewed out so much bullshit, I'm gonna need a mint.” - Selina Meyer, Veep

“What happened in your childhood to make you believe people are good?” - Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock

"Let's do what people do. Let's get a house we can't afford and a dog that makes us angry." - Jeff Winger, Community

“I miss you so much, it hurts sometimes.” - J.D., Scrubs

“Revenge fantasies never work out the way you want.” - Marshall Eriksen, How I Met Your Mother

“Congratulations! It’s official: you’re a whore.” - Max Black, 2 Broke Girls

“I don’t wanna get married right now, maybe ever, and if we got together, I’d feel like I’d either have to marry you or break your heart, and I just couldn’t do either of those things. Just like you can’t turn off the way you feel.” - Robin Scherbatsky, How I Met Your Mother

“Nothing in this world worth having comes easy.” - Dr. Kelso, Scrubs

“If we needed to talk about feelings, they would be called ‘talkings.’” - Nick Miller, New Girl

“Lies are always more convincing when they’re closer to the truth.” - Michael, The Good Place

“First time I was punched in the face, I was like “Oh no!”, but then I was like “this is a story..”” - Troy Barnes, Community

“Who says exactly what they’re thinking? What kind of a game is that?” - Kelly Kapoor, The Office

“I hope no one minds if I live-tweet this bitch.” - Donna Meagle, Parks and Recreation

“Stop doing that with your face.” - Alexis Rose, Schitt’s Creek

“We were on a break!” - Ross Geller, Friends

“This ass is closed for business. This ass is in clench-down.” Selina Meyers, Veep

“You can’t cling to the past, because no matter how tightly you hold on, it’s already gone.” - Ted Mosbey, How I Met Your Mother

“So, what is this? Casual, serious? I need to know how to make fun of you.” - Rosa Diaz, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

“Marriage. It’s not for everybody.” - Monica Geller, Friends

“Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve been there. OK. You’re always there. Even when I don’t want you there, you’re there. That’s what a husband does. You fight for me. That’s what a husband does. You care about what I eat. That’s what a husband does. You’ve cooked for me even when I don’t ask. That’s what a husband does. When I pass out you comb my hair so there’s no knots in it. That’s what a husband does. So guess what? You’re gonna be a great husband to Cece ’cause you’re a great husband to me.” - Nick Miller, New Girl

“Principles aren’t principles when you pick and choose when you’re gonna follow them.” - Chidi Anagonye, The Good Place

“Kids are horrible. Why do we keep making them?” - Bob Belcher, Bob’s Burgers

“Nobody can ever know that we had sex, all right? I have spent years cultivating a reputation as somebody who sleeps with bike messengers or better.” - Gina Linetti, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

“Lies are always more convincing when they’re closer to the truth.” - Michael Realman, The Good Place

“I’m relaxing, I’m getting blackout drunk, and you’re leaving me alone.” - Charlie Kelly, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

“You can’t even wash your own underwear, you dumbass!” - Winston Bishop, New Girl

“I don’t want to be married in a tent like a hobo.” - Angela Martin, The Office

“I promised myself I was not going to cry tonight, and I’ve already broken that promise five times. But I will not break it a sixth.” - Chris Traeger, Parks and Recreation

“If you weren’t all the way on the other side of the room, I’d slap your face.” - Lindsay Bluth, Arrested Development

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