Tumgik
#i want cigarette packaging to look this way why did we ever stop
dykestache · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
having a lot of fun generating 60s soviet sci-fi packs of camels
9 notes · View notes
noxitsnox · 6 months
Text
We know Sanji's family, they wouldn't be chill about her being trans so she has always repressed this part of her, she rejected all feminine things and shit. But once, when she's about 15, at the Baratie starts working a new waiter (who's name will be John). John doesn't work there for much, but Sanji will always remember him as a hero. Those few weeks with John really helped her accepting herself. There's this one night,for example, that Sanji will never forget.
More under the cut. (Tw: poor writing, slightly transphobics undertones on Sanji's side (she's in denial), way too long)
It was late night, the restaurant was closed and only members of the staff were on the ship, each one in their room. Sanji was walking towards hers when something caught her attention. John's door was open, the lights were on. She got near the door, trying to spy what was happening inside. John was sitting at his desk and he was... doing his make-up? Now she was confused, wasn't he a boy? Why would he ever even think about make-up? That's a girl thing, she thought. Sanji knew that what she was doing was wrong, observe an unaware person like that, but something wouldn't let her move. John saw her and invited her inside, he asked if there was something wrong. She wanted to run away, but instead she entered the room and asked
"what are you doing?" A soft laughed escaped the man in front of her, John shook his head, shrugging. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm getting ready dor the night." "Yes but you are- I am?- you're putting on lipstick!" Sanji looked away, slightly embarrassed, she didn't mean to scream. John laughed again. "Well yeah, your eyes works fine, amazing." Sanji rolled her eyes and pulled out a cigarette. She brought it to her lips only to find out she didn't have a lighter with her. "Yes, no but I mean, you're a man..? You shouldn't... be wearing lipstick," Sanji tried to explain herself. John took something from the desk in front of him and gave it to her. It was a lighter, she smiled and whispered a soft thanks. "And you shouldn't be smoking. Aren't you like 15?" Sanji glared as he light on the cigarette. She gave him back the lighter just as he continued talking. "But don't you think that's some kind of limiting thought to have?" She looked at him confused. "How is it limiting?" "Well, you are limiting your self expression." John got up and sat on the bed behind him, taking his shoes from under it.
Sanji enter even further in the room, getting near the desk, observing all of the make-up products on it. Something inside her craved those very same products, to see how she would look like when wearing them. At the same time there was a small voice telling her that her feelings were wrong, that she should be rejecting them. It was a strange feeling. Strange, but not new. She felt John's gaze on her back. Hesitantly she asked a further question. "When... when did you start wearing this things?" The man sighed. "I don't know... at 13? 14 maybe? I don't know." He stopped for a moment. "Have you ever tried it on?" "No." Sanji answered without thinking. John just looked at her in silence. "Actually... yes. My mother's blush. Once. When I was 7. I... I still have it with me here." She didn't know why she was being that honest with him, but there was something in John that mads him feel safe. She sighed. John was still looking at her. "Sit down." "What?" "Sit down for a moment."
And Sanji did it. She sat on the chair by the desk. John went to get something from it. A reassuring smile on his face when he showed her a lipstick. Its packaging was golden. John grabbed her chin. Sanji gripped the fabric of his pants in his hands as the man applied the lipstick on her lips. After he was done she looked at herself in the mirror in front of the desk. The lipstick was dark red, bourdaux. She smiled. It suited her.
John's voice brought her back to reality. "I have to go now, but you can keep this." He winked whike handing her the lipstick. Quickly he exited the room. Sanji sat there for little more, looking at the lipstick in her hands. There was a small cursive text on the bottom of the packaging, something she didn't notice earlier.
"Kissproof. André 047."
27 notes · View notes
Text
Tumblr media
The most difficult thing I Ever had to do in my life.
By Stephen Jay Morris
10/26/2022
Scientific Morality©
Back in the early 60’s, all the adults that visit our home smoked cigarettes. The aroma of tobacco smelled really good to me. Never mind commercials on T.V. They were really silly. The rich aroma was more alluring. I couldn’t wait I was old enough to smoke. All the adults held a cocktail glass, filled with alcohol and the other hand between the middle finger and 4th index finger was a burning cigarette. It was glamours and it made you look cool. Everybody smoked back then. Even the doctor who examine you smoked.
My gang of neighborhood Juvenile delinquents use to have this tacit. One kid, would be the look-out while the other put the money in the slot of the cigarette machine. Then pull the lever of a certain brand. It didn’t matter what brand it was, as long we could smoke it. I remember smoking my first cigarette at the age of 12. I got real dizzy but try to act nonchalant to my male friends. To impress them that it didn’t effect me one bit. Then there was the tacit of writing a fake note, written by parent and go to the local liquor school and buy smokes. To me, this was rebellious act back then. We smoked at a public park to show girls how tough and cool we were. Little did our puny brain realize that girls didn’t like the smell of tobacco on our breaths. My first girl friend hated kissing me after I had a smoke. She said, it was like kissing an ashtray. Gross!
I was afraid I was going to get addicted to the stuff. So, in 1969. I quite. Did you ever, smoked a cigarette after you smoked Marijuana? Eww! Really gross! It was worse than drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth. Then I got my first job at the garment district as a delivery boy and janitor. There were times where things got slow. So, we stood around while co-worker smoked. I bummed a smoke from him then other then another. He finally said, go buy your own, and I did.
Now my grandfather, smoked: non filter Camel cigarettes. I wanted to be like him, so I bought the brand. The package looked really cool with the Camel logo. Then I got a cold and smoked menthol cigarettes and I got addicted to the brand “Kool” From 1973 to 2017, I smoked Kools. That’s a long time. Oh, I tried to quite a few times, but failed miserable. I even tried vaping but it wasn’t as potent a filter cigarette. After every meal, I had to have a cigarette. If I wanted to sit and contemplate the universe or do soul searching, I needed a cigarette. Cigarettes will put you in meditative mood. When I did writing I needed to smoke and I smoked a lot when I wrote. Funny, though, I never smoked after sex.
It got to the point where I had coughing spells and my teeth started to get tobacco stains. I also was getting stains on my right hand fingers. I was in denial about smoking. I tried and tried to quick. I even went to a class to stop smoking sponsored by American lung Association. I stopped for a month but gained a lot of weight. I was hungry all the time.
As I said, I tried every method. The slow method. I smoked a pack a day. So, I would smoked one cigarette an hour, then I went to one cigarette every hour. The more I delayed, the more I craved them.
Failure! I even tried the cold turkey method. After 2 days, I went back to it.
Then, in the autumn of 2017, I got a heat attack. All 4 of my arteries going to my heart was block by plaque. Caused by tar and nicotine? I think so. My told me without reservation. Quite smoking or die. That was the biggest incentive I ever had. I quit cold turkey. My doctor provided me with nicotine patches. I didn’t use them.
If you love life and your family, quite smoking! You can do it. Don’t be like me and wait until you get a heart attack. You could find a way, if you want to. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But! I Did it. You can too. Funny thing you know? Nobody in my family ever smoked. I have an addictive personality, that I why drink booze moderately. I would of have been a wino.
2 notes · View notes
cafedanslanuit · 3 years
Text
Tumblr media
you want revenge. jean is hopelessly in love with you.
♡   —   pairing: jean kirschtein x reader
♡   —   tags/warnings: +18, female reader, cheating, handjobs (giving and receiving), multiple orgasms, a pinch of overstimulation and a bit of angst, no part 2 we cry like men
♡   —   a/n: thank you to @ofoceansandtombstones for helping me come up with the title <3
♡   —   length: 2.5k
♡   —   masterlist
Tumblr media
“Please don’t do this to me.”
You rose your eyes at him, eyelashes fluttering as you blinked, feigning ignorance.
“Do what?” you asked, your hips rolling against his.
Jean let out a grunt, his hands shooting up to hold your hip still, even if you were already aware how hard he was under you. You smiled, biting your lower lip and went back to your previous endeavor, leaving open mouthed kisses along his neck. You felt his rapid pulse against your lips as the man deliciously panted underneath you, holding on to the last of self-restraint he had left.
“He’s my friend, he’s—”
“Is he really your friend, though?” you interrupted him. You sat up, looking down at him from your straddling position. Jean watched as you removed your top and let it fall on the floor, only a lacy bra covering your breasts. “I don’t think so”.
Jean cursed under his breath, his eyes lost on your cleavage. His hands rose to your waist, stopping on the waistband of your bra, fingers trembling before daring to go further.
“He is— we— we are in the same friend group,” Jean stuttered. “I— I’ve shared drinks with him. He always hands me cigarettes, please.”
“Jean,” you sighed, your hands resting on his chest. “Are you saying you don’t want to fuck me?”
Jean swallowed thick. He could listen to the music playing on the other side of Armin’s beach house. The locked door in his friend’s bedroom did very little to silence the heavy beat, reminding him that they weren’t alone, that all their friends were dancing in the living room and would eventually realize both of you were missing.
He let out a pained sigh, his thumbs grazing on the warm skin of your abdomen.
“Fuck, of course I do,” he confessed, the alcohol on his veins mixing with his increasing desire, making his head spin. “I’ve always wanted to,” he added in a small voice.
“So?” you asked, your fingers playing with the hem of his jeans, not daring yet to unbutton them. Somehow, it was even worse for Jean.
“He’s my friend,” he repeated, almost as if he were telling himself so. “Eren’s—”
“Fuck him,” you interrupted him in a harsh voice, your stare becoming icy. “Fuck that cheating asshole.”
Jean widened his eyes. “Did he cheat on you?” he asked, incredulously.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” you quickly said.
“Is that why he didn’t come tonight? Tell me, what did he—”
“Jean,” you cut him off. “Are you going to keep asking me questions or are you going to fuck me?”
Jean bit his cheek. “I want to know if you’re okay,” he insisted.
“Good enough for you to fuck me and not feel bad about it,” you replied.
He couldn’t contain a small laughter that you quickly imitated. You locked your eyes with him, a smile drawn on your face and and leaned over, capturing his lips one more time. Unlike your previous one, this was tender, your mouth moving ever so gently. Jean kissed you back, maintaining your rhythm, his heart beating hard in his chest.
“You are beautiful,” he breathed out the minute you pulled away.
He didn’t like how sad your smile looked.
“So?” you insisted, your hips softly rocking over him. Considering what you had just dumped on him, he nodded and watched you unbutton his jeans.
He lifted his hips as you lowered his jeans and his underwear. Jean got flustered at the way his cock sprung out, making it evident how hard he got from mere kissing and grinding, his tip already leaking out. It didn’t help that you stared directly at it for a couple of seconds before looking back into his eyes.
“I get the horse jokes now,” you giggled.
Blood rushed to Jean’s face, he could feel his cheeks burning furiously due to your words. You sat on his lap with a flirty grin for a moment, amused with your own comment before you finally touched him. Jean hissed the moment your hand started stroking him, your touch both soft and intoxicating. Your hands kept moving and now he wondered how he could keep on living without it.
You paused and got up from his lap. Jean watched in wonder as you reached underneath your skirt and lowered your black panties across your thighs, knees and calves. When they reached the floor, you kicked them alongside your top and didn’t make him wait until you were on his lap again.
Jean let his hand travel slowly over your thighs, his path finishing between your legs. You restarted your long strokes on his cock, breath hitching for a moment when you felt his fingers sliding across your folds.
“You’re so wet,” he muttered in a small voice, almost as if you weren’t supposed to hear. His index and middle finger gathered your arousal from your entrance and spread it to your front, his thumb now gliding easily around your clit.
You cursed as he kept moving his fingers on you, losing the pace you had set on your hand more times that you could count.
“Jean, just fuck me,” you whispered in desperation, your eyes closed as you f’elt pleasure running throughout your entire body. He shook his head.
“I want you to feel good,” he replied, pressing two of his fingers against your core. You whimpered as he slowly pushed them inside, his hand feeling big inside you and his thumb still stimulating your clit.
You weren’t sure when your hand stopped moving across his length, instead setting on his shoulder, gripping it tightly. Jean’s fingers were making your whole body tremble in pleasure and soon he was pressing kisses on your breasts, not caring about removing your bra. He nipped on your exposed flesh, intertwining it with kisses as he made his way up, reaching your neck.
His free hand set on the back of your neck gently, urging you to open your eyes, finding him dangerously close to you.
“I want you to come first,” he said and you found yourself nodding as if it was a command.
His fingers curled inside of you, a loud whine escaping from your lips. Jean’s mouth quickly captured you in a kiss as he swallowed every moan he was provoking in you. Much sooner than expected, you came around his fingers, loving the way he kept moving them for a tad longer until you rode your orgasm out. Jean felt his cock twitching at the way you clenched around him, only imagining how it would feel when it was him fully inside you. He carefully removed his fingers, making eye contact with you as he put them in his mouth and sucked on them, your taste already driving him crazy.
You kissed him roughly, tasting a bit of yourself in his tongue as his hands roamed around your body. You started stroking him again, loving the small moan he made.
“Condom,” you whispered against his lips.
“Wallet,” he replied. You pulled away as you looked for the pocket in the jeans that were now around his thighs. 
“Haven’t had it there for long, right?” you asked him playfully as you took the condom out and put his wallet back inside his pocket.
“‘swear I haven’t,” he assured you, his honest response making your grin grow wider.
You ripped out the package and slowly rolled the condom around him, his size still amazing you.
“What?” he asked.
“Just thinking you may kill me with that,” you teased him, the remains of his nervousness quickly vanishing as he laughed. “It’s okay, ‘death by dick’ is a good way to go.”
“That’s why I made you come before,” he said, making you raise your eyebrow.
“Because you know you have a big cock?”
“Because you,” he said, his hands stroking your thighs, “felt incredibly tight around his fingers.”
It was now your turn to feel your cheeks heating up. Not wanting him to notice how flustered you were, you took his cock in your hands again, stroking a couple of times before lining it up against your entrance.
Jean held your hips securely as you slowly started sinking down. Even if coming a few moments ago helped, the stretch still burned.
“You look so beautiful taking it so well,” he praised you, his thumbs stroking your skin. “Keep going, baby, fuck, you’re doing it so good.”
Jean’s words sent a bolt of pleasure between your thighs, making you sink lower and lower until he was fully inside. You softly moved your hips in circles, moaning at how full you felt. Opening your eyes, you noticed Jean had been looking at you the whole time, his eyes glistening with pure adoration after seeing his cock disappear inside the girl of his dreams.
Locking eyes with him, you started moving your hips up and down, setting a comfortable pace as you enjoyed feeling Jean in and out of you. Your hands set on his shoulders as you held yourself.
“Fuck, you’re so beatiful,” he sighed before bucking his hips up, the pleasure making your chest fall forward.
You buried your face in the crook of his neck, hips moving now faster as you suffocated your moans against his skin. Both his arms were now around your body, holding you close as you rode him. You lifted your hips until his tip was grazing against your entrance, your hips moving in a small circle before sinking down again, this time much quicker.
“You’re so fucking big,” you panted against his ear, resuming the pace on your hips. “Shit, I love your cock.”
“Use me,” Jean replied, his hands guiding you as you kept moving on top of him. “Just use me however you want.”
His words fueled you one more time, your hips increasing their pace. No matter how much you moved, you ended up always craving for more of him. Your thighs started burning but it was a small price to pay. You just needed more of him, more of his praises, more of his palms holding your ass as your fingers dug on your ass.
Your rhythm was erratic now, body moving by impulse. Every time you tried to regain your pace you failed, just getting off as messily as you could on him.
You felt Jean’s grip hardening on your hips, stopping your moments for a minute. You pulled away to look at his face, wanting to ask him if there was something wrong but before you could even say a word, he started moving his hips hard and fast against you. You screamed as your nails dug on his shoulder, your face going back to rest against his collarbone.
Jean was moving so fast you could listen to the lewd sounds of your ass slapping against his thighs. He thrusted against you without mercy, his cock making you whine desperately against your friend’s neck, calling out his name like a prayer and he buried himself in you.
“Jean! Fuck, fuck, don’t stop, don’t stop,” you pleaded, scratching his chest. “You feel so fucking good— it should have been you. Should have been you from— shit— should have been you.”
Jean dug his fingers harder on your flesh, his hips moving in rough motions. He got drunk in your words, loving how tight you felt around him, how much he was making you lose control and whimpering his name, very far from the confident girl who had lured him out of the party, locked the door behind her and pushed him to the nearest chair.
He was crazy about you, always had been. He was entranced every time you laughed, confused as to why everything seemed to get better and brighter the minute you arrived and a blushing mess every time you smiled at him while your hand touched his arm warmly. Jean was so pathetically in love he would get whatever was handed to him if it was in the form of you.
Even if it was in the form of you wanting to get back at your boyfriend.
You squeezed against him deliciously as you came, making him grunt as he kept rutting against you. He fell in love in the way you whined against his ear, your hips failing at meeting his hard thrusts as you came down from your high.
Jean pulled your face so he could kiss you, sloppy and messy but also perfect to his eyes. Gently, he pushed you back to a sitting position, your eyes cloudy out of sheer pressure. His hand went back under your skirt and on your front, finding your clit and rubbing on it just the way he just had learnt you liked it.
“J—just came,” you said in a broken moan.
“One more, baby, I know you can do it,” he encouraged you, his thrusts teaming up with his thumb to make you see stars.
This time you came much quicker, your entire body shaking at the force of your third orgasm. You screamed his name so loud there was a chance your friends might have heard but Jean couldn’t care less at the time. Watching you unravel in pleasure sent him over the edge, coming as he kept moving his hand, helping you ride your orgasm out.
You let yourself fall on his chest once more, his cock still inside you as you tried to catch your breath. His chest moved up and down as well, heart beating fast as he came back to his senses. Jean put one arm around your waist, securing you against him as the other rested on the back of your head. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was the last time he would get to hold you in such an intimate manner.
Jean was no fool. He knew what this entailed. You needed to get back at Eren and knowing the animosity between them both he made the perfect subject that went along with your plan. He knew that the moment you danced way too close to him, ignoring Mikasa’s prying eyes and Connie’s surprised look. He confirmed it when you asked him to follow you once your friends’ attention was in a drinking game instead of them. Jean always knew you just needed to set the record straight for yourself and if it were to happen again, he would offer himself once more.
Maybe you would get back with Eren. Maybe it was just one fight and the next time you saw each other you would pretend nothing ever happened between you. Jean wasn’t sure what was going to happen the moment you crawled off him and put your underwear back on.
But for a moment, he didn’t want to care. As he buried his nose in your hair and inhaled the aroma he knew and loved, he thought it maybe didn’t matter at the end of the day.
You were there with him.
And that was all he cared about.
2K notes · View notes
lost-in-the-80s · 3 years
Text
The Wedding
Pairing: Izzy Stradlin x fem!reader
Words: 2.321k
Summary: Your brother's wedding has arrived, without having a boyfriend, you invite Izzy, your best friend, to be your date. (smut)
A/N: When I started listening to gnr, it didn’t take much time before Izzy got a place in my heart, so this is for his birthday
Song rec for the fic: Woman by John Lennon
Tumblr media
Sitting on an airplane for over an hour now, Izzy observed your asleep figure beside him, your head laying on his shoulder, like you had done so many times before, unaware of the warmth it caused on the brunette’s heart.
He questioned himself for a thousandth time that week. Why in the hell did I agree with this?
The idea didn’t sound like a big deal at first, accompanying you to your brother’s wedding wouldn’t cause any harm. But as the days started to go by, his mind traced every aspect of a wedding, the music, the romantic atmosphere, the dancing, and he soon started to regret having said yes so easily.
The truth is that Izzy has always loved you, ever since the day the two of you met. It all happened so naturally that he didn’t notice he was in love until you went on a date with another guy.
At first, he loved your voice, he’d call you just to hear you talking for hours about the most random things. Then it was your eyes, he found himself entranced by their color, the way they rolled when you got annoyed, and how they seemed to invade his deepest thoughts and memories every time you looked at his eyes.
The last thing was your attitude, your bluntness and forward behavior shocking him sometimes, and being his main entertainment in others. He found a true interest in watching you, it didn’t matter what you were doing, you would always be in his sight.
And even though years passed, that feeling seemed to just grow more and more, and every time he saw you going out with another guy, his heart broke into smaller and smaller pieces.
Little did he know the reason behind your maneater habits.
The truth is that, just like him, you had fallen for him since day one, you loved his nonchalant attitude and his style, the shape of his hands and fingers, and how dry his voice was after his third cigarette.
Just like him, you would secretly observe him, the two of you being too good on your game to ever get caught by each other.
But you didn’t want to risk your friendship over admitting your feelings, especially when you didn’t know if Izzy felt the same way. So you went on multiple dates, meeting guys with the most different appearances and personalities, all in hopes that one day, you’d meet someone capable of making you stop thinking about the guy from Indiana. That, obviously, never happened.
A little turbulence on the plane woke you up, you immediately looked up, meeting his brownish eyes.
“It’s just turbulence. Go back to sleep.”
You nodded slowly, before laying your head on his shoulder again, inhaling his scent of cigarettes and cologne and immediately feeling your body calm down.
---
You looked at yourself in the mirror of the hotel room, rolling your eyes at Niki's choice of color and design for the bridesmaids' dresses.
A soft knock on the door caught your attention and there stood him, a black blazer matching his black jeans.
He looked you up and down.
"You're gonna steal the bride's attention like that."
"It's grey, the most boring color ever! I wouldn't steal her attention, even if I wanted to."
He chuckled softly.
Well, you stole my attention. He thought to himself.
Picking up your purse and gift you exited the room, locking your arm with his for support, as you got on the elevator and then walked towards the hotel's saloon.
---
During the entire ceremony, Izzy found his attention caught by you, the way you stood out amongst the other bridesmaids and how impatient you seemed to grow with how long the ceremony was taking.
Your grey dress looked like pure silver, reflecting the lights. You looked so beautiful that he wished he had brought a camera to take a picture of you.
Your eyes caught his for once, and you blinked in his direction, smiling when you saw his lips turn into a small smile.
After what felt like forever the ceremony ended and he found himself sitting at a table with “Y/N and boyfriend” written down on a card.
“I think someone gave them the wrong info.” He showed you the card when you plopped down on the chair beside him.
You rolled your eyes. “Classic coming from my family.”
You lifted the tablecloth, making him look down to see what was happening.
“These heels are killing me.” You complained, removing your silver sandals and quickly massaging your feet.
“I bet they are.” He took two champagne glasses from a waiter passing by.
He knew you weren’t used to heels. Being almost his height, you never felt the need to wear them that often.
“Thanks.” You took your glass towards your nude lips.
“How much did you pay for that gift?” He pointed towards the biggest package on a pile, knowing it was yours.
“300 bucks.”
His eyes widened for a second.
You didn’t wait for him to say anything, knowing exactly what was crossing his mind.
“He’s my only brother. I might not like Niki that much, but he’s happy with her, and I’m happy for that.”
“Fair enough.” He drank from his champagne again. "Those ice statutes are quite tempting for a man who wants to take a piss,"
He chuckled to himself, but soon realized that your attention was focused on the main door.
“See that girl over there?” You pointed at the door.
“What’s with her?”
“That’s Braeden,” the name made him realize she was your sister. “She’s the only woman taller than me here….”
He looked back at you, and so you lowered your voice, keeping eye contact with him.
“When the bouquet time comes, you’re gonna block her.” You gestured aggressively with your hands, making a smile start to form on his lips.
“Why?”
“There’s no way my younger sister is gonna get married before me.”
He chuckled. “I didn’t know you aspired to marriage Y/N.”
Your eyes softened with his sentence and a small pain formed in your heart. If only he knew what crossed your mind when you looked at him during the ceremony.
---
The night seemed to go by faster than he expected and soon he found himself at the drinks table, observing as you talked to some relatives of yours on the other side of the saloon.
You sensed his eyes and looked towards him, giving him a look that said “Help me.”
He chuckled softly, but before he could do anything a woman’s voice caught his attention.
“You must be Izzy.”
He looked to his side, seeing a woman that looked just like Joey, your brother.
“Yes, and you are….” He extended his hand for her to shake.
“I’m Martha, Y/N’s mother.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
“I didn’t know the two of you were dating.”
He choked on his drink.
“We aren’t, we’re just friends.” He looked down for a second.
She nodded slowly, before locking her eyes on your side.
“I know my daughter very well,"
Her voice made him look back at her.
“She has had many boyfriends in her life, but I’ve never seen her look at them in the way she looks at you.”
He opened his mouth, but your presence made him stop.
“Hey, mom!” You smiled, kissing her cheek.
“Hello, darling.” She touched your hair, adjusting some locks. “I promised I'd dance this one with your father.”
You nodded in understanding as she smiled before walking away.
“So… wanna dance with me?” You nudged him from the side, before taking a sip from his drink.
“With this song?” He asked, taking notice that Woman by John Lennon was playing.
“Why not?” You shrugged.
“Okay.” He placed his now empty glass on the table before taking your hand and guiding you towards the other people there dancing.
One of his hands held you delicately by your waist as you slowly swung to the song. Your eyes locked on each other as the other people around you seemed to disappear.
Your mother’s words mixed with the lyrics hitting his head like bells as he finally noticed the glow that formed in your eyes as you looked at him, making his heart race faster than ever.
You just realized another song was playing when someone bumped into you, making a disco song hit your ears.
You both looked so distracted and for a second you thought you’d sit down for the rest of the night, not being able to feel his cold fingers brush on your skin through your dress.
But those thoughts washed away when he let go of your waist just to grab both of your hands and guide you throughout the song, just like he did for the rest of the night.
That was the happiest night you have had in your life, and when your hotel room number became noticeable at the end of the corridor, you wished you could turn back time and do it all again.
“Happy with your bouquet?”
“More than happy.” You giggled, smelling the flowers one more time.
It was comic the way Izzy put himself in front of your sister, pretending not to be aware of what was happening.
“Thanks for that.”
“If that makes you happy, I can do that at the next weddings too.”
Next weddings. The thought made butterflies erupt in your stomach.
“So…” he started, stopping in front of your room as you opened the door.
“So…”
“Tonight was fun.”
“Yes, it really was!” You said looking down. “Thanks for coming with me, Iz.” You leaned towards him, kissing his cheek gently.
“Anytime.” He replied so lowly that you weren’t sure if he had actually said that.
You entered your room and closed the door, resting your forehead against it as you sighed.
Rushed knocks against the wood made you regain your posture and quickly open the door.
Izzy looked deep inside your eyes, his brown orbs saying everything his mouth wanted to.
Not a second after that and you wrapped your arms around his neck, your lips colliding against his.
No kiss ever had felt like that. It was warm like fire and exciting, you felt your heart start racing faster and your mind went numb.
He wrapped his arms around your waist, bringing you as close as he could while entering your room and kicking the door shut behind him.
Soon you found yourself in your bed, your legs wrapped around his hips as your tongues fought for dominance, making small moans and grunts leave your mouths. One of his hands started traveling underneath your dress's fabric, exploring every inch of your legs, making you shiver with his cold fingers.
Your lips found his neck, kissing and biting at his flesh with desire, delighted by his irregular breathing and the small moans he tried to hold.
A certain hardness was pressed against your core among what seemed like a thousand layers of clothing. The sensation making you wet as you bit harsher on his neck, loving the smirk that formed on his lips.
He pushed himself off of you, standing up and ripping his shirt open, the sound of buttons hitting the floor filling the room.
“I need your help with the dress.”
You sat on the bed, your back facing him as he found the zipper, opening it quickly while he applied wet kisses on the extension of your back, biting your flesh just like you had done with him, making a small moan leave your lips.
“So beautiful.” He whispered against your ear, making another shiver possess your body.
You stripped off of the dress as you watched him undo his pants and remove his underwear with it.
He made his way back to the bed, his calloused fingers removed your blue lace panties slowly and delicately. One of his fingers traveled in between your folds, his eyes closing for a second when he noticed your wetness for him.
Izzy cupped your face with one of his hands, kissing you tenderly before asking.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
You felt the tip of his member entering you, making you close your eyes, focusing on the sensation it caused. You felt him slowly expanding your walls until it was all the way in, making a soft and small moan leave your lips.
Izzy looked at you for confirmation and after seeing you nod, he started moving.
In the beginning, it was slow and passionate, he made it the most intimate he could, touching every inch of your skin, whispering sweet nothings on your ear, as you traced his back and arms with the tip of your fingers, allowing your nails to softly touch his skin.
After some minutes, sweat started to form on both your bodies, your moans coming out in unison filled the room as you felt your walls start to clench around him.
That’s when he sped up his pace, the tip of his member now hitting your g-spot with no mercy, he massaged one of your breasts with his hand, while the other rested on the bed for support.
“Izzy,” His name left your lips in a loud moan and you saw a proud expression consume his features.
“I know, princess, I know.”
You closed your eyes and moaned again, feeling as you and he both came at the same time. A groan leaving his throat matching your whimpers as you felt a wave of pure pleasure wash over your body. Your legs started to shake and you scratched his back, while he bit harsh enough to leave a mark on your neck.
Both sweating and trying to gain your breath again, you laid in bed, your head resting on his chest as he softly caressed your body.
“Izzy?”
“Hum?”
“This is not a one-time thing, right?”
“No, Y/N, it is not.”
Thanks for reading <3
Tag list: @born-to-lose @slashscowboyboots @ginny-rose-sixx @dynamitebabe @tuffduff @almosthonest @gamsbeans @stars-kiss-the-sky @gnrfandom-music3 @ladieswttda @teasid @littlemisscare-all @rumoured-whispers @1800endmeplease @izzys-nose-ring @motley-cruer @angxlxc @oihanasstuff @apovanity87 @julessworldd @anaavibes @mudkicker @dazeduchess @izzysjujuhounds @claire-xox @makemeyourwife-loveofmylife @pinkpatiencecreepers @polka-dot-duff @stradlin-cold-heartbreaker @nathaniel-hornblower @alcoholandarson @stevenizzynslashsbabe @gabyisaclassicrocker
add yourself to my tag list :)
434 notes · View notes
dreamwritesimagines · 3 years
Text
Twisted 22 - Red Right Hand [Spencer Reid x Reader]
A.N.: Thank you so much for your wonderful support my loves! Here’s the next chapter, I hope you will like it as well, and please let me know what you think of it! ❤❤ Ily, kisses! ❤❤❤
Series Masterlist
Warnings: Murder, serial killers, violence, manipulation, mentions of sex, drinking, smoking, blood, nightmares.
Word Count: 4000
Summary: Anyone can be a suspect.
Tumblr media
When you woke up, the first thing you realized before even opening your eyes was that you weren’t in your bed.
Your bed was softer than this, the sheets were silk and the pillows were fluffier-
Spencer.
You were sleeping in Spencer’s bed, and in all honesty, both he and you were terrible at this break up thing.
You rubbed your eyes and sat up in bed, trying pull yourself together and get rid of the haze of the sleep. Judging by the state of the bed, it was very obvious that Spencer hadn’t slept there and the clattering of plates coming from the kitchen let you know that he was already awake. You yawned, stretching out and kicked off the covers before you quickly made the bed and stepped back to see if it looked good.
Well, it looked acceptable at least.
You shrugged to yourself and stepped out of the room to approach where the noises were coming from, then leaned sideways on the door frame, a smile warming your face when Spencer turned his head to look at you.
“Morning.”
“Hi there,” you said, your voice still raspy because of sleep, “What are you making?”
“Um- I realized I just had coffee and not much of anything else,” Spencer said, “Unless you like leftover Chinese.”
“My favorite breakfast.”
“So grilled cheese sandwich?”
“Oh man, you don’t want to share your leftover Chinese?” you curled your lips, “I guess grilled cheese sandwich could be breakfast too.”
He chuckled and put the sandwiches on the plates, so you grabbed them and went to the living room to sit on the couch, Spencer following you with two cups of coffee.
“Jesus Spencer, you didn’t have to sleep here,” you motioned at the blanket, “You’re taller than the couch.”
“It’s fine, I don’t mind.”
You shifted your weight and picked at the toast before nibbling on the piece,
“How did you sleep?” he asked and you chewed on your bite.
“Like a rock,” you said, “I got like four hours, do you know what that is? A miracle.”
He thought for a moment before he walked to the table to pull open a drawer as you grabbed your cigarette package,
“Do you mind if I smoke here?”
“I do actually.”
You looked down at the package in your hand, then put it back into your purse as he walked back to the couch, clearing his throat.
“So I was thinking,” he said, “The um-the next time it gets too much for you, even though I’m on a case away from the city, if you ever need to get away from your place…” he reached out and put what looked to be a spare key to his apartment on the coffee table and you stared at it for a couple of seconds, your heart skipping a beat.
“Professor,” you managed to say when you pulled yourself together and tried to ignore the spark of hope, “I say this with the best intentions, but we really do suck at this whole break up thing.”
“We’re not so bad-“
“We’re literally the worst ex couple I’ve ever seen. You take your key back from your exes, not give them one.”
“But it’s not like that,” he said quickly, “It’s so that you can drop by when I’m not here if you want to.”
You were melting, and he wasn’t even aware of it.
“Spencer…” you tried to stop the smile warming your face and pursed your lips, “I can’t.”
He pulled his brows together, his soft gaze on you almost confused, “Why not?”
You heaved a sigh and reached out to wrap your fingers over the back of his hand, the spark of electricity shooting through your whole system. Your body didn’t care about the break up as much as your mind did, that was clear. Even now, even after everything, even if you knew it was wrong, the only thing you absolutely craved for was to be closer to him, however you could be.
“Trust me,” you said, “The only thing it’ll do is to give me hope, and I can’t have that. Besides, who knows? Yet another friend of Luke’s might disagree with this decision if you ever end up not talking about your ex during the first date.”
He let out a small chuckle, “That’s not happening, you know it as much as I do.”
You scrunched up your nose, “My point about being terrible exes,” you started, but before you could say anything else, your phone started vibrating. You looked around and grabbed it, then took it to your ear.
“Hello?”
“Finally!” Mina’s voice reached you, “Why can’t anyone reach you? Mom called you like a hundred times.”
“I was busy.”
“Doing what? Your assistant said you didn’t show up yet.”
“What happened?” you asked back and she heaved a sigh.
“Mom wanted me to ask if you want them to send you a car for tonight.”
“Why would I-“ you started and then it dawned on you and you threw your head back, “Charity auction.”
“The one that we told you like a month ago, and your assistant already put it in your schedule. You know, the whole point of having that is checking it sometimes right?”
“I wanted to erase it from my mind, probably that’s why,” you grumbled.
“Well you’re coming. I’ll actually kill you if you bail on me, we’re all going to be there.”
You rolled your eyes, “Okay, whenever we go somewhere like this, mom socializes, you and Kenz hook up in the bathroom, I’m the only one who doesn’t have fun in these things! I’m allowed to-“
“I’m literally running to a meeting on stilettos so I don’t have time to feel sorry for you but I’ll put it in my schedule if you want,” she said, “Unlike you, I check mine. No car then?”
“I’ll drive there myself.”
“Suit yourself. Cry beforehand if you’re going to be in this mood for the whole night, will you? You don’t look good with smudged makeup.”
“Fuck you Mina.”
“Love you too brat!” she sang and hung up, and you huffed out a breath.
“Charity auction?” Spencer asked, “Rossi was talking about that too.”
Your head shot up, “Wait, you will be there?” you asked, the grumpiness leaving you instantly and he shrugged his shoulders.
“A part of the team will. We don’t know yet.”
“I hope they pick you to be there.”
He tilted his head, “Why?”
You bit inside your cheek, still trying to fight the urge to be closer to him before you took a deep breath.
“I don’t know,” you admitted, “Maybe I wouldn’t hate tonight that much if you were there.”
                                                 ***
Having breakfast with Spencer was a perfect way to start the day, that was for sure, but you couldn’t say the same for the rest of the day. Much like Mina, you spent the whole day running from meeting to meeting, and by the time you got home to get ready for the night, you were already way too tired.
But as you found out, a good night’s sleep made wonders, so even if you were tired, you weren’t as drowsy as before.
Special thanks to Spencer, for that one.
You did your make up and your hair before getting into the gown and you looked in the mirror, smoothing over the fabric. You turned around to see whether the long skirt looked good at all the angles but then your phone started vibrating on the bed and you grabbed it to answer it.
“Hi Linc,” you put him on speaker as you opened the drawer to pick a necklace, “What’s up?”
“Just wanted to check whether you’re going to pretend you’re sick to get out of it,” he said and you chuckled.
“Good idea, I’ll use it the next time,” you clasped the necklace behind your neck and fixed your hair, “And no. Unfortunately I’ll be there.”
“Come on Y/N, we’ll have fun.”
“I don’t think so.”
“We’ll have alcohol, you like alcohol.”
“That’s the only way I can stand these things,” you murmured, “How about you? Are you sure you haven’t changed your mind about coming?”
“Are you kidding? Watching you sulk is like a hobby of mine at this point, I made my peace with it.”
“I don’t sulk!”
“Yeah you do,” he chuckled, “I’ll see you there okay?”
“Yeah yeah, see you,” you murmured and hung up, then grabbed your coat and left your apartment. You got into your car, turned the music on, and started driving.
It took you almost an hour to get there because of the traffic. You handed your keys to the valet, thanked him and started climbing the marble stairs but as soon as you looked down at your phone you felt someone crashing into you.
“Ugh!” the woman let out a furious breath but still kept talking on the phone, “I said I don’t want them blue, I want them green! What are you, an idiot? I don’t have time for this…”
“Apology not accepted asshole,” you murmured to yourself and kept climbing the stairs.
“Good evening ma’am.”
“Good evening,” you smiled at the man by the door and stepped inside to walk through the huge foyer until you reached the hall. You looked around as soon as you reached the table surrounded by empty chairs and stopped one of the waitresses.
“Excuse me,” you smiled at her, “Hi, is this the table number one?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Thank you,” you said and heaved a sigh as she walked away, “How am I the first one here God damn it?”
You checked the time on your phone before making your way out of the hall and went outside again so that you could smoke a cigarette or two until everyone got there. There was no way you would sit there alone, you already didn’t like this evening and that would make it even worse. You leaned back to one of the pillars, lighting a cigarette and exhaling the smoke up into the dark sky, watching the people entering and leaving the building.
You heaved a sigh after minutes passed and you lit your third cigarette, sending Mina yet another text in all caps but then you heard someone clear their throat so you looked up from your phone and your heart started pacing in your chest, a wide smile pulling at your lips before you could stop it.
“Professor,” you managed to say and Spencer ran a hand through his hair as if he wanted to make sure it looked good, “Well this is a nice surprise. Came to save the damsel in distress?”
He pulled his brows together, “I doubt you fall under that category.”
You scrunched up your nose, “You have a point. I’m probably the big bad wolf in a dress.”
“I mean it’s a pretty dress,” he murmured before stealing a look at you, “You look great. As usual.”
You could feel the happiness filling your system and you giggled.
“Thanks,” you said, “So do you. But hey, that’s not a surprise. The only reason why the FBI is keeping you around is your looks, not your smarts, we all know that.”
That seemed to make him chuckle and you gasped, then reached out to hold his scarf over your dress.
“Spencer look, we match!”
“Look at that, we do-“ he smiled but before he could say anything, you saw Lincoln climbing the stairs. You waved at him and he took a look at you two with a slight frown on his face, then made his way to you.
“Jesus, took you long enough.”
“I know, I had this last minute phone call about work….” he shook his head, “Dr. Reid. You seem to be everywhere nowadays.”
“Seems that way,” Spencer stated curtly and Lincoln turned to you.
“Why are you outside?”
“Because no one at our table showed up yet,” you said, “And you know I hate sitting alone.”
“Ah well, I’m here now so if you want-“
“I think I’ll smoke some more, thanks though,” you told him and a small smile curled Spencer’s lips before he raised his brows, looking at Lincoln who checked his watch.
“It’ll start soon though, just so you know,” he said, “See you inside.”
With that, he walked away from you into the building and Spencer turned to you.
“That was subtle.”
“He’ll be fine,” you said and threw your hands up when you caught the sight of Mina getting closer, “Did you like die or something? Where’s Kenz?”
“On her way, there was something with the babysitter, my meeting took forever!” she said, “I drove here straight from work, is mom going to kill me?”
“No one is here yet.”
“Probably because of the accident.”
You frowned, “What accident?”
“I think there’s some kind of an accident, the traffic is insane,” she eyed Spencer up and down, “Oh great, cute sad giraffe is here too.”
“Mina!” you hissed and Spencer shot you a look as if he was desperately asking for your help, but Mina waved a hand.
“I’ll be inside,” she said and walked inside while you shifted your weight.
“…Cute sad giraffe?” Spencer asked and you rubbed the back of your neck.
“Please ignore her,” you said, “I apologize on her behalf.”
Spencer stared at you, then scoffed a laugh, “Does she hate me or…?”
“She doesn’t hate you as a person, she just hates all my boyfriends as a princip- ex. Ex boyfriends.” You quickly corrected yourself, “She hates my ex boyfriends as a principle.”
“Why?”
“It’s a sister thing. I threatened one of her ex-girlfriends once, so this is what I get.”
“You threatened-“ Spencer started but you waved at Nolan who was climbing the stairs and he frowned at you and Spencer, then approached you.
“Well hello there,” he greeted you two before turning to Spencer, “I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Nolan, this is Spencer Reid,” you introduced them, “Spencer, Nolan. He’s the love of my mom’s life for some reason.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Nolan said and clicked his tongue “You’re the infamous Dr. Reid then. I’ve heard about you.”
“Nolan,” you murmured warningly but he ignored you.
“Has Y/N mentioned the head of FBI is a good friend of mine?”
“Um- no she hasn’t—”
“Well I’d keep that in mind just in case you happen to make yet another mist—“
“Thank you Nolan!” you said very loudly, “Mina is inside, you could join her if you want- also, have you seen my mother?”
“I came here straight from my house but I sent her a car, she was on her way,” Nolan said as someone by the door called out his name and he heaved a sigh, “Business doesn’t wait, excuse me.”
“Did he just…?” Spencer asked as Nolan got inside and you shook your head fervently.
“No he didn’t.”
“That sounded like a threat.”
“Ignore him as well,” you said, “It’s just uh… You know. Rich people. They have no manners.”
He tilted his head, confused, and you waved at Kenzie who climbed the stairs at full speed and waved at you back, then pressed a hand over her chest at the sight of Spencer and winked at you before rushing inside as well.
“Anyway,” you tried to change the topic, “So I owe you breakfast then. Do you want it before or after my next emotional breakdown?”
He smiled softly, “You don’t owe me anything.”
“Oh you have no idea how much I do,” you murmured, “Do you want to get Honey Cinnamon French toast the next time? It’s full of sugar, you’d like that. Considering your coffee choices.”
His jaw dropped, “It’s not that bad!”
“I took one sip of your coffee one day while we were dating and thought I’d get into sugar coma.”
“That’s not how it works.”
“Don’t you have statistics about how it’s bad for you?”
He nodded at the cigarette between your fingers, “Do you want to hear the statistics for that too?”
“You’re on thin ice, professor,” you pointed at him, making him laugh but then both of you turned your heads when you heard your name being called. Your mother looked between you, then smiled and stepped closer.
“Dr. Reid, it’s lovely to see you again,” she said politely, “Y/N honey, why are you outside?”
“Waiting for you,” you stubbed the cigarette, “I was the first to get here.”
“I know, the driver kept going into different roads because-“
“Accident. Yeah, Mina told me.”
“Let’s go inside, it’s about to start,” she said and you looked up at him.
“So I should-“
“Yeah,” he nodded, “I should probably find Luke. It was nice to see you again, Ms Knight.”
“You too Spencer,” she said and linked her arm through yours as you walked inside, “Anything I should know about?”
“We’re just talking, mom.”
She arched a brow, “I don’t know who you got this obliviousness from, but not me,” she said and you turned to look at her.
“Hm?”
“You’d have to be blind not to see the way he looks at you.”
You blinked a couple of times, “The way he looks at me?” you repeated as you approached the table and you took your seat beside Lincoln.
“Had your smoke?” he shot you a look and you rolled your eyes at him.
“Don’t.”
“No really, are you guys sure you broke up? Like, did anyone let him know?”
Kenzie whispered something into Mina’s ear and she smiled, sipping her champagne.
“I’m a better person than you are, so it’s no wonder I have a better friendship with my exes than you do, Linc.”
“Is that what we call batting your eyelashes at your ex nowadays?” he asked and you made a face at him.
“You’re hilarious- should I buy something?” you wondered out loud, “Where’s the catalogue?”
Nolan handed you the tablet and you swiped on the screen.
“Are you buying something?”
“One or two,” Nolan said, “Your mother liked that vase on the page sixteen.”
“I will bid you for that,” your mother joked, making him smile and press a kiss on her cheek, and you downed your champagne before motioning for another.
“How’s your girlfriend?” you murmured to Lincoln and he shrugged his shoulders.
“She’s fine,” he whispered as the auctioneer started talking about the first item, “We had a small argument earlier, but…”
“About what? Did she finally see your real personality?”
“I’m sorry, I’m not taking relationship advice from a girl who’s obviously not over her ex even though she was the one who dumped him-“
“Hey, I’m trying to offer you my infinite wisdom you dickhead,” you whispered, making him chuckle.
“I’ve been working a lot these days, but I have to close this new deal,” he said, “She doesn’t seem to understand that.”
“Why don’t you pay her a visit?”
“Did you miss the part where I said I was working a lot?”
“Lincoln,” you heaved a sigh, “Honestly. If you love this girl, you need to show her that.”
“After I close this deal-“
“No, before you close your deal,” you insisted, “You don’t want to be one of those people who picked wealth over love.”
Lincoln raised his brows, “I guess we know what your pick is.”
“I take all my advice back, I hope your girlfriend dumps you,” you sipped the champagne, making him laugh.
“Come on, I’m just messing with you,” he said, “Do you want me to buy you an extra ugly vase so that you can forgive me?”
“I can buy my extra ugly vases myself, thank you,” you sulked, “Do you know what my problem is?”
“Hm?”
“I’m surrounded by love,” you nodded at Kenzie and Mina who seemed to be in their own worlds and your mother and Nolan who held hands over the table, listening to the auctioneer, “It’s like being surrounded by booze when you’re trying to go sober.”
“Hey if it makes you feel any better, my relationship is in shambles too.”
“It will stop being in shambles the moment you stop being a stubborn ass,” you murmured, still holding the fragile glass in your hand but as soon as you took another sip, your mother raised her brows, looking at someone over your shoulder, Mina narrowed her eyes and you felt someone’s presence behind you. The lovely scent filling your nostrils said it was Spencer, and your suspicion was proven when you heard a low whisper in your ear.
“Come with me.”
The champagne you were drinking went down the wrong tube and you started coughing before you stared up at him, convinced that you had just imagined that, considering it wasn’t the first time you were hearing that only in a different context.
“I’m sorry?” you managed to stammer and he frowned at your reaction, then nodded at the door.
“Outside?” he said and it dawned on you,
“Right, outside,” you murmured as you tried to pull yourself together and pushed your chair back.
“Y/N?” Mina said warningly but you shook your head.
“It’s fine, I’ll be right back,” you said as you stood up and felt Spencer’s hand on your lower back as he guided you out of the hall, his skin on yours sending a pleasant shiver down your spine. As soon as you stepped out of the hall he turned to you, his eyes searching yours frantically.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a low voice and you pulled your brows together, trying to understand what he was talking about.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be okay?” you asked “I’m having the time of my life trying to pick between an ugly vase and an ugly painting. Seen anything you like yet? It’s for charity.”
“No, Y/N-“ he nibbled on his lip and you stared at him for a moment before your breath got caught in your throat and your hand shot up to hold his arm.
“Another murder?” you whispered, “God, did someone die? That’s why you’re being like this?”
“We just found her a block away.”
“Do I- do I know who it is?” you asked numbly and he pulled out his cellphone to show you the picture and you gasped, covering your mouth as soon as you saw the screen.
It was that woman who had bumped into you just at the beginning of the night, the one who had walked away without apologizing.
“I just…” you swallowed the lump in your throat, “I think I saw her tonight. But it- she- she was just alive, I don’t-“
“The marks show that it just happened. Very recently.”
You could feel the room spinning around you but you tried to pull yourself together.
“But I don’t-“
“Y/N,” he said your name, clearly this time, “I was talking to you probably around the time it was happening, but you mentioned you were the first one to get here right?”
You nodded slowly, “Yeah, the traffic. Well, that and the meetings and the babysitter- how is that relevant?”
Spencer fell into silence, taking a deep breath and you looked up at him.
“What?” you asked again and he stole a look at the hall.
“Obviously there’s no evidence to show this yet and I might be wrong, but do you want to know what I think?” he asked and you nodded again.
“Yes?”
“I think you were sitting with the copycat killer just now.”
You blinked dumbly, your brows furrowed in thought and slowly, very slowly that ice in your veins made its way through your system, a tingling spreading from the base of your neck up to your head. You could feel the panic crashing down on you before you turned your head to look at the your table, Mina and Kenzie watching you, Lincoln playing with his phone and your mother and Nolan having a quiet conversation. Spencer’s words echoed in your head, drowning out every single noise coming from the hall.
I think you were sitting with the copycat killer just now.
“Oh,” you breathed out, closing your eyes, “Fuck.”
Chapter 23
1K notes · View notes
strongerthanafork · 3 years
Text
More Than Metal
Gavin Reed x Android!Reader: Part 2
Warnings: cursing, guns, alcohol use, crime scene, blood
Part 1
Tumblr media
Analyzing Sample…
[Analysis Complete]
Sample Contains:
Thirium 310: 96%
Blood: 2%
Human Plasma: 2%
Analyzing Thirium…
Model ID - AP400
Serial Number: #495 345 12-8
"The fuck are you doing?" Gavin interjects. (Y/N) looks over at him as she kneels at the puddle of blue blood, fingers to her lips. VN opens her mouth to speak but Gavin holds up a hand. "Y'know what? I don't wanna know." Reed scoffs walking into another room.
○ Follow Detective Reed
□ Contiune to Investigate
● Follow Detective Reed
(Y/N) stands, following Gavin from a distance. Gavin glances around the blood stained apartment. "This is so gruesome shit." He mutters. VN tilts her head.
○ Question tactics
□ Urge him to continue working
◇ Leave to investigate in another room
X Continue to follow
■ Urge him to continue working
"Detective, I believe we should collect evidence. You seem distracted." (Y/N) states, hands behind her back. Gavin glares at the android. "You don't get to order me around, plastic." He grits.
○ Question tactics
◇ Leave to investigate another room
X Contiune to follow
X Contiune to follow
(Y/N) remains silent LED flashing blue. Gavin shakes his head kneeling down to inspect the floor where the victim was killed. (Y/N) stares at the blood splatter on the walls.
Analyzing Splatter…
[Information Acquired]
WEAPON: Kitchen knife
ANGLE: 43.2°
VN blinks. "The deviant was an AP400 model, a caretaker. It lived here with it's owners." Gavin looks up at (Y/N). "And how do you know that?" He ponders aloud. "I analyzed a sample of thiruim, there," She says, pointing to the floor. Gavin cringes. "That's fuckin' gross." He murmers. "The deviant was injured. It's blood was mixed with the victims, meaning, it couldn't have gotten far." (Y/N) explains. "We should proceed to the station to interrogate the survivors." She says. "I thought you said we needed to collect evidence." Gavin says, crossing his arms as he stands. "We have gathered enough information from this location." (Y/N) concludes. Gavin laughs, mockingly. "Look at you, smarty pants." Gavin teases, getting a confused blank expression from the android. "Never-fucking-mind. Let's go, dipshit." Gavin growls, walking out. (Y/N) hesitates, wanting to ask him if he was angry with her. That didn't matter. Why did she care?
Tumblr media
Gavin walks through the automatic doors of the DPD. He heads by his terminal throwing his keys on the desktop. Hank watches the two walk back in. "Hello again, (Y/N)." Connor says, nodding at her. He smiled. VN nods at him. Androids weren't programmed to smile. Where they? "Good afternoon, Connor." She says, flatly. Hank snorts, grabbing her attention. "I fail to see what is humorous about our interaction, Lieutenant." She says, eyeing Anderson. Hank raises his hands as if he were surrendering, turning back to his computer. "Fuckin' androids." He mutters. "Would you hurry the fuck up? I don't have all day." Gavin says, impatiently tapping is foot on the floor. "Yes, detective." (Y/N) obeys. Connor's LED swirls yellow as he watches her go. "I have an unknown feeling." Connor says to Hank. "I think you may be worried, kiddo." Hank says, frowning. "And you wanna know somethin'?" Hank says, leaning towards Connor. "Me too."
Gavin huffs, slumping down in his desk chair, spinning around mindlessly. (Y/N) watches him, eyes following him as he spins. Gavin stops, glaring at her. "What did I say about the fuckin' staring, tin can?" He complains. "I apologize." VN says, looking somewhere else for his comfort. "Fuck it." Gavin announces. "I'm going home." He says, getting up from his chair. "I beleive we still have work to do, detective." VN says, her LED swirling blue. "Yeah well, Fowler can bitch at me tomorrow about it." He says, walking past her. VN quickly follows him. "I do not believe it is wise to leave your work unfinished." She says, referring to the stack of paperwork on his desk. She watches him swipe his card to clock out. He doesn't say away but holds his middle fingers up at her, with a strange expression. VN watches him exit. Her LED swirls yellow.
○ Follow Detective Reed
□ Stay at the Precinct
● Follow Detective Reed
(Y/N) walks through the automatic doors, following Gavin out to his car. Gavin glances over his shoulder, seeing her following him. He groans, stopping at his car. "What do you want?" He demands, unlocking his car. She stands on the other side of his car.
"I was assigned to help and assist you. I do not think leaving work to drink is a good idea, so I will be going with you to the bar." VN says, opening the car door and getting inside. Gavin stands there, mouth open. "Wait a damn minute." He protests, bending down to look at her sitting in the car. "You ain't doing shit! Get the fuck out." He orders. "I'm afriad I cannot comply, sir. According to your current physical and mental health, drinking alone could put you in danger." VN says, maintaining eyecontact. "Get out." Gavin says again. He wants to pull out his gun and shoot her brains out but something in him doesn't have the strength too. He's tired.
Yet another silent drive. Gavin's radio is turned up on a dangerously high level. VN isn't bothered but is worried about the effect on her partners ears. She concludes it is best to not comment, due to his recent outbursts. Gavin pulls up to Jimmy's, a local bar, and parks his car. Gavin opens the car door, putting his keys in his jacket. VN exits after locking the car doors. She walks behind the detective, deducting that he didn't want her by his side. She notices the package of cigarettes sticking out of his pocket. She assumes he has a lighter as well, somewhere on his person. 
Scanning...
[Jacket Scan Complete]
FELINE HAIR: 
• Burmese
• Chartreux
OTHER:
• Zippo Lighter (Sliver) 
    • Engraving: "Love you little bro. -Elijah"
• Cigarettes (Marlboro 12ct.)
• Car Keys (To: Camaro, Model: 2023)
• Stain - Front: Coffee (2 days old)
• Stain - Collar: Lacrimation from tear ducts
VN stops analyzing as they enter the bar. Gavin exhales, pretending he isn't being followed by a tin can. (Y/N) looks around. It's dimly lit, quiet. Music plays and it smells of alcohol, cigarettes, and cigars. She puts her hands behind her back, following Gavin to the bar. He pulls out a stool, hopping on top. A bartender, assumed to be Jimmy, saunters over to her partner. VN stands close to a wall, analyzing every detail of the bar. "Hey, kid." Jimmy says to Gavin. VN attempts to give Gavin privacy with the bartender but can't exactly turn off her sensors. " 'Sup." Gavin sighs, leaning against the bar. Jimmy chuckles, glancing at the out of place android against the wall. "That yours?" He teases, gesturing to (Y/N). "Don't give me that, J." Gavin scoffs. Jimmy laughs, boisterously. Gavin can't help but smile a little. Jimmy was pretty cool and he gave great philosophical advice. 
"Watcha want to drink, son?" Jimmy asks, turning to the wall of drinks. "Brandy on the rocks." Gavin says, pulling out his box of cigarettes and his lighter. Jimmy sighs. "Rough day, huh." He says, pouring his drink. (Y/N) watches carefully. She started to get an unknown sensation across multiple sensors in her being. She scanned herself for malfunction or errors. Nothing. VN tilts her head to herself. What was that sensation? It wasn't an error or a malfunction? Possibly a glitch. She shakes it off watching the detective. The sensation returns. She attempts to flush her systems, but it remains. She ignores it, concluding it was a glitch. "You can say that again." Gavin says. Jimmy slides him his drink watching him closely. "You look tired, kiddo." Jimmy comments, leaning against the other side of the countertop. Gavin chuckles. "Everyone says that. I'm fine, J." Gavin lies. "C'mon, Gavin. Talk to me. It's a slow night." Jimmy pries. Gavin sighs, lighting the cigarette between his fingers. He raises it to his lips, taking a drag. He looks down at his drink.
VN glances around the room, unintentionally listening. The sensation had left. She wasn't alive. She couldn't feel. It was a simple glitch. "It's been hard without him." Gavin says, taking a sip of his brandy. This peaks VN's intrest. "I know. You seem to care about him a lot." Jimmy responds. He must know more than she knows about the situation. Gavin glances at the android that accompanied him, downing his drink. Jimmy sighs again. "Is that thing givin' you trouble?" He asks, grabbing the glass to refill it. Gavin takes another drag of his cigarette. "Yeah it is. Fuckin' Fowler assigned it to me or whatever." Gavin says, words full of spite. VN feels the sensation return. Her LED blinks yellow.
Tumblr media
Analyzing...
[Analysis Complete]
Malfunction?
[Access Denied]
(Y/N) blinks, LED pulsing red. She straightens her posture, ignoring the sensation, yet again. Jimmy nods, following Gavin's story. Gavin takes a swig of his drink again. "You two get along?" Jimmy asks, tapping on the counter behind him. "Fuck no." Gavin snickers. Jimmy smiles, almost sadly. "The things been following me around like a dog. Gets on my fuckin' nerves." Gavin sighs, finishing his second glass. (Y/N) notes his blood alcohol content. Jimmy grins at the detective. "Maybe she's there to help you. Ever thought about it that way?" J asks, grabbing his empty glass again, pausing. "Oh, that's utter bullshit. Don't side with them, Jimmy." Gavin spits, putting out his cigarette in the ashtray on the bar. "I'm only sayin', maybe it's there for a reason, kid. You look like shit. It could help you, y'know." Jimmy shrugs, filling his glass again. Gavin snorts, feeling the buzz kick it. "Thanks, J. How nice." Gavin teases. "Give it a chance, Gav." Jimmy pushes. "No way in hell am I trusting a piece of plastic." Gavin argues, gladly accepting his third drink. (Y/N) decides to step in. "Detective," She starts. "Fuck off." Gavin grits, waving his hand at her. Jimmy watches the two. "I beleive you've had enough." She states, hands behind her back still. "This is only my third so fuck off." Gavin growls. He usually had a better alcohol tolerance but not today.
"Your BAC is nine point two and increasing. This can impair your judgement and functioning." (Y/N) says. Gavin laughs. "You're not my babysitter, tin can." He says, lifting the glass to his lips. VN snatches the glass out of his hand, putting it on the bar. "What the fuck?" Gavin hollers, clambering out of his chair, almost falling in the process. "The alcohol had already taken affect, impairing your vital judgment. It is time to leave, sir." (Y/N) says, sternly. Her LED blinks yellow, analyzing his next move. Gavin reaches for his gun, which VN anticipated. She reaches forwards, knocking the gun out of his hands. "Hey, hey, hey!" Jimmy shouts. "No blood on my floor!" He says. A few people have formed a crowd around Gavin and the android. "Detective, we are leaving." (Y/N) says, picking his gun off the floor and pocketing it. "You fuckin' piece of shit," Gavin slurs. "You think you came come in and- and fuckin' steal my job, huh?" He raises his voice, grabbing her by her uniform again. (Y/N) looks down at him. She notes the pain, evident behind is glassy eyes.
○ Let Detective Reed continue 
□ Render Detective Reed unconscious
■ Render Detective Reed unconscious
"Detective, I apologize, but this is for your own good." She says, gaining a confused look from Gavin. She presses her fingers into the point where his neck and shoulder meet. Gavin crumbles to the ground, (Y/N) catching him before he hits the ground. VN wraps his limp arm over her shoulders, hoisting him up. "I apologize, sir." She says to Jimmy. "Eh, don't worry about it. His drinks were on the house anyway." Jimmy says, waving her off. "Take care of him, okay?" Jimmy says. (Y/N)'s thiruim pump falters for a moment, catching her off guard. She scans herself again, not finding anything wrong. The crowd had disappeared, seeing that there would be no fight. She gives Jimmy at curt nod before bascially dragged her partner out the door.
(Y/N) had successfully put Gavin in the passenger seat, starting his car. She pulls out into the road. She had located the detective's apartment, following the coordinates. Once she arrives, Gavin is still unconscious. She drags him out of the car. It would be easier to carry him in her arms, so she does. Walking up several flights of stairs, she reaches his apartment door. She glances down at the keys on his key ring and then at the lock, analyzing the differnt key prongs and the internal structure of the lock. She selects the correct key, unlocking the door. Several cats, greet her at the door. A Burmese and a Chartreux cat. They purr and meow at her as she closes the door. (Y/N) scans the apartment. It's quite messy. The trash seems as if it hasn't been taken out in weeks, pizza boxes litter the counter and differnt files and papers litter the living room. (Y/N) contiunes, walking into Gavin's bedroom. Clothes cover the floor, along with an unmade bed. She sets her partner in the bed. She surveys the room again, finding the comforter on the ground. She nods to herself.
(Y/N) carefully removes his jacket, hanging it on a hook behind his bedroom door. She covers him with the comforter, studying him. He seems peaceful. His face, relaxed. No tension is held between is eyebrows. She tilts her head, reaching towards his face. There it is. The strange sensation in her sensors. She gently brushes his hair out of his eyes, almost mesmerized by how peaceful he is, compared to when he's consious. (Y/N) quickly pulls away as he rolls over in the bed, grunting in his sleep. She looks around his room again. It was very unorganized. She walks over to his half empty dresser, pushing the folded clothes back in order. She closes the drawers, gently. VN then, straightens the differnt colognes and pictures frames on his dresser. One catches her eyes. A picture of, what she assumes is Gavin as a teen, and another male. She tilts her head, the male seeming familiar. She straightens the frame, ignoring it.
VN picks up the dirty clothes off the floor, placing them in the hamper in the corner of Gavin's room. She could see the floor now. She turns off the lamp on his nightstand, straightening the things on top if it as well. She looks around the mostly clean room, leaving Gavin's room. She then drags the overflowing laundry basket out of his room. She closes the door behind her, seeing his cats staring at her. She looks down at the Burmese one as it rubs against her leg. She watches them pad off into another room. (Y/N) looks down the short hallway seeing the bathroom. She peeks inside. It was spotless. Strange. She walks into an empty room, what she assumes to be a guest room. It holds nothing. She walks out, going back to the main living room. Papers, magazines, files, newspapers. You name it. She grabs the file box in the couch, picking up all the papers and files, organizing them alphabetically. It took all but thirty minutes an twenty seconds. She puts the file box beside the couch. She puts all of the magazines and newspapers neatly on the coffee table. She picks up all of the empty and half empty coffee mugs, placing them softly in the sink. She would load his dishwasher later. 
(Y/N) straightens his crooked TV on the wall. She then proceeds to organize his movies by type, then alphabetically. The living room was finished. She clicks on the lamp, closing the curtains. The sun was setting outside. It was six twenty-two. Androids didn't need sleep but she decided that when she finishes she would enter low-power mode to pass the time. She heads to the kitchen. It was filthy. (Y/N)'s LED circles blue. She grabs all of the dishes that were dirty and puts them neatly in the dishwasher. She puts the soap in, turning it on. She grabs a trash bag, placing the numerous empty pizza boxes inside. She empties the trash putting the bags by the front door. The cats come back in, hearing her working. "Hello." (Y/N) says, kneeling beside the cats. She looks at their collars. Coco and Bean. Who knew the detective liked cats, owned them, and gave them matching names. (Y/N) stands, beginning to wipe down the countertops, that were dusty and covering in crumbs. She puts the leftover pizza that wasn't old or moldy in the almost empty refrigerator. She rolls up her jacket sleeves disinfecting the grime in the sink. She notices his landlines blinking on the counter. She lets the chemical sit in the sink, walking over to the phone. Twenty new messages from the same number with the name Eli. She concludes it would be best to leave them be. 
(Y/N) had loaded the washing machine with Gavin's dirty clothes. She had taken the towel from the dryer and folded them neatly, placing them in the linen closet. She rinses the sink next. Spotless. The apartment looked organized and neat. Nothing like the detective from the outside. It was currently twelve forty three. She blinks, hearing the dishwasher stop. She unloads it putting the coffe mugs, plates and utensils back in their respective places. Ealier, she had hauled the trash down to the dumpster behind the apartment complex. She was satisfied with the outcome.
(Y/N) completed all of the detective's laundry leaving it neatly folded ontop of the washer and dryer. She didn't want to disturb his slumber by putting away his clothes. She was finished. VN puts the detective's gun in a drawee in the kitchen. She walks over to the couch, sitting down. The cats jumps up, one testing in her lap and the other lying down beside her. She was interested in why the cats liked her so much. She'd have to research it later. She decided to enter low-power mode.
Low-Power Mode Loading...
[Entering Low-Power Mode]
3...
2...
1...
-LOW-POWER MODE ON-
Tumblr media
taglist
@sweet-sage-tea, @bts17army
360 notes · View notes
yuzukult · 3 years
Text
from home 01 || jjk & reader
Tumblr media
title: from home pairing: jungkook x reader genre: richkid!jk, baker!reader, fakedating!au, fluff, angst, e2l, smut in future chapters word count: 7.1k+ prompt: jungkook is the youngest of five boys, the last in line to truly inherit any his parents’ money. but what if his mom suddenly cuts him off due to his current poor behavior and he’s forced to learn how it feels like to be part of the working class?
a/n: i hate cliches but i also love them so i’m gonna write them lol also i know ‘from home’ is an nct song, don’t come @ me. in addition to that, i’m hoping i can expand my writing and be able to lengthen it as much as possible! (well... this chapter only has 7.1k but baby steps...)
next chapter →
Jeon Jungkook is a disappointment.
Well, kind of. His four older brothers think so, especially when he comes stumbling at noon on a Thursday, hair disheveled, shirt buttoned all wrong, half tucked into his pants with the zipper down. “He’s already fucking drunk.” His second eldest brother, Jonghyun, hisses, standing up from the dining table of his parents’ home. They’re supposed to have a scheduled lunch together, and although Jungkook is surprisingly on time, he’s still intoxicated. Jungsik and Jongseok, his other big bros respectively, only shake their heads in their seats, finding this situation all too familiar. The baby does it again.
The oldest of them all, Junghwan, does nothing. His eyes say it all—the glimmer that once was evident in them was drowned, full of nothingness when he looks at his youngest sibling.
But their mom didn’t think of it that way. She spoiled Jungkook like crazy, to the point that he’s the way he is today. Mrs. Jeon saw potential in him the moment she birthed him in 1997; full of love, life, and glory, Jeon Jungkook was going to be off doing great things. 
Yet, ever since Jungkook ripped into the age of 16, everything changed. He started smoking, cigarettes, weed, name it and Jungkook has done it. By the time he turned 17, he was experimenting with different types of alcohol, far and wide, and eventually moved up into sleeping with multiple women consecutively. Coincidentally, they’re rich from wealthy families with nothing but dollar signs in their eyes when they see Jungkook, his beauty just being a perk of the package. In spite of his women endeavors, he had enough respect for his mother not to bring them home.
“Mother,” Junghwan finally speaks up, voice stern and face hard. She comes peering out from the back, the house servants trailing behind her before they all realize the sight of Jungkook, clumsily tripping on his own feet, quickly running to his aid while his mother only gasps in horror. “Jeon Jungkook does it again. He can’t just come to a family lunch, no, that would be too easy. He has to do it while reeking of alcohol, on a weekday, all in broad daylight. This is what happens when you let your child run wild and do whatever they please with all the money in the world. They turn out like him.”
His words are harsh, but they don’t impact Jungkook like they used to. No, not after he discovered his love for vodka, whiskey... all of the above. He learned that before seeing any of his family members require at least a couple servings. Stepping into the Jeon’s residence means being criticized, words that come shooting at him like bullets and in the beginning, they pierced through his thin skin with ease, heart clenching in pain at the men he idolized and admired. His skin hasn’t thickened since then, but alcohol does a great job of numbing it all.
Mrs. Jeon glares at her eldest son, the next in line to take over the Jeon Corporation when their father retires. She loves all her kids equally, yet gifted Jungkook more attention than the rest. To be fair, she couldn’t help herself when she saw those pools of sweet chocolate called orbs, begging for her love and affection. “Jungkook, why are you drunk already, love? It’s only 12:30. You probably haven’t eaten lunch yet.”
“But I’ve already had breakfast,” He slurs, the housemaids attempting to have him seated at one of the chairs at the dining table that extends from one end to the room to the next. Seat big enough for two people, he slides down in it, head falling to the side in drowsiness. “Mimosas. My favorite breakfast drink.”
“What’d you do? Champagne with a sprinkle of orange juice?”
“Mmm, didn’t have champagne. Worked with vodka instead.” The four men grimaced. 
Their mother’s face softened at his response. “Jungkookie, baby. You can’t just come marching in here like this. We’re having a lunch, together, as a family. You’re lucky your father is coming here late, or else you would’ve been kicked out in seconds.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t kick you out in seconds,” Junghwan chimes in, expression unwavering. “This is ridiculous, Jungkook. You need to stop acting like some bachelor. What are you? Twenty-three? Kim Taehyung was that age when he proposed to his now wife. Yet you’re still fucking around with mom’s friends daughters who innocently are just looking for love. How reckless is that?”
“Junghwan.” Mrs. Jeon says through her gritted teeth, eyes shooting daggers at her son. “Stop it.”
“Hyung has a point, mom,” Jonghyun interjects, making his way toward Jungkook before sitting on the armrest of the chair beside the youngest one. “What has Jungkook even done other than come to every event drunk, spend all our family’s money, and fuck around with women he has no intention of marrying?”
Mrs. Jeon raises a brow at Jonghyun, sucking in her cheeks in disbelief. “You boys are acting like you guys have never been through this phase.”
“Mom,” Jungsik, the middle child and the most empathetic of all, attempts to console his mother’s anger toward his older siblings, humming soothingly. “We all got over that by the age of 21. Jungkook is twenty-three.”
Despite being completely under the influence, the pain is evidently still there. He regrets not drinking an extra glass or two of that make-shift mimosa. They speak of him as if he’s not even in the room, and it makes him feel sick. He knows this feeling well—and his stomach stirring isn’t from the alcohol. Jungkook can’t even look at his mom at the moment, a bit embarrassed by how all his brothers seemingly gang up on their mom just because she was defending him. He really felt like a baby.
“Well, what do you suggest I do? Tell him to get married? You wouldn’t want that, right, Jungkook?” He gazes at the table. Mostly because he doesn’t know what to say, especially if she’s suddenly taking suggestions. “I take that as a no. So it’s settled, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Why don’t you just like... cut him off?” Jongseok proposes, shrugging at his own idea. “I mean, just until he gets his act together. He’s not getting any younger, and if he actually put his brain to use, he could be part of the company, leading in a division. Jungkook isn’t stupid, he’s just acting it.”
At this point, Jungkook’s consciousness begins to fade, slumber creeping up and drowning him like quicksand. For the first time, he regrets consuming so much alcohol because when he’s awake, he’s sleeping on the couch of one of their family rooms with his mother sitting in an armchair, worry washed over her face.
“Mom?” He jerks up, pushing off the blanket that someone had laid on him while he was asleep. “Everything alright?”
“Jungkook,” She begins, and he can already tell it’s going to be bad news. “I think I’ve spoiled you too much. When I first saw you as a baby, I thought that you needed everything, and I wanted to give you everything. Your brothers just grew up so much more differently than you did, your dad wasn’t so swamped with the company and had an abundance of time with them before you came along.”
His mom doesn’t look over at him. She looks uneasy, something eating her insides, and he feels nothing but remorse for her. Jungkook wants to move closer in attempts to comfort her, but it seems that she purposely sat at that distance. “I thought that giving you everything you needed and more meant that I was giving you the things that your father couldn’t give you and look where you are now... wasted every single time you come home. You haven’t had any real jobs, and when I supported you during your modeling endeavors, you threw all of that away! And for what, Jungkook? I gave you everything... and now I feel like a horrible mother.”
“Mom,” He reiterates, his voice soft and apologetic. “You’re not horrible. You took care of me, defended me against all of my hyungs, and guided me through the hardest times of my life. But maybe you’re right, I can’t do it anymore. I’ll do better, mom—”
She finally turns to see him. Her eyes are bloodshot red from the tears, bags underneath them from years of taking care of her five sons that have increased over time from Jungkook’s shenanigans. “No. Jungkook, I’m cutting you off.”
He nearly chokes on his spit. “What?”
“I’ll give you an allowance every month. It’s not a lot, but it’ll be enough to get you by. You can stay in my studio apartment downtown; I haven’t been there in a while so it’ll require some sprucing up.” She places a manila envelope on the table with Jungkook’s name written across it, wiping the tear that streams down her cheek. “You need to learn to fend for yourself, Kook.”
The next morning, Jungkook finds himself lying flat on his bed, staring up at the ceiling with his legs tangled in his satin sheets. Just like that, in an instant, he lost everything. He should’ve stayed sober before coming, or at the very least, took one shot of vodka rather than... well, a couple cups worth. Sleep didn’t come easy that night but the guilt crept in like a tsunami. All that went through his mind was how he let his mom down, her favorite son, and that she had to come to terms with this new arrangement. Disappointing his brothers was something he’d done continuously over the years anyway, so the chance of finally making them proud has gone out the window but with his mom, there was a little bit of opportunity left to show her that he wasn’t completely a fuck up.
Tumblr media
“Thanks, Hyungjin.” Jungkook is grateful that his mom let Hyungjin drive him downtown, and to come up to help drop off his belongings. The older male nods, tipping his hat at him. Hyungjin had been Jungkook’s driver for as long as he could remember; from piano lessons, early and late school drives, to even his one-night stands, where Jungkook would panic call Hyungjin and he’d come almost immediately after. Although he’d hope to see him again, he knows that this may be the last time Hyungjin drives him. “I hope I get to see you again.”
“Of course you will, Mr. Jeon. If you prove yourself to your brothers, I’m sure that they’ll be more than willing to accept you back into the family with open arms.”
Jungkook scoffs, shoving the key to the apartment into the slot of the knob. “I wish. I’m sure they’ll find a way to still keep me out. They hate me, Hyungjin, and I don’t know what else I’m going to do.”
“No, no, Jungkook. They’re your brothers. They have nothing but love for you. Tough love, maybe, but love nonetheless.” Hyungjin carries a portion of the suitcases and bags when Jungkook opens the door to the apartment; the both of them sneezing and coughing abruptly once they step inside. The entire apartment was dusty, dark, and gloomy. The windows had these black long and heavy curtains that blocked any sunlight from seeping through, and the remains of his mother’s paintings and canvases sprawled all across the floor with splatters that coat the wooden floors and brick walls that all were collecting dust.
“Uh... I guess Mrs. Jeon isn’t tidy when her artistic side comes out.” Hyungjin jokes, eyes skimming around the apartment. He walks over to sink, turning the knob of the faucet on, and Jungkook doesn’t even notice that he’s holding his breath until he releases it when the water flows out of the spout. “Least there’s still water? I think your parents are still paying for this place.”
After shoving as much of Jungkook’s personal items into the apartment, Hyungjin brushes his hands off on his slacks, straightening his back afterwards. “Well, Mr. Jeon, congrats on the start of your new future. I know that technically I’m not supposed to drive you anymore, but... if you are in dire need of help, please don’t hesitate to call me.”
Placing a hand on Hyungjin’s shoulder, Jungkook sighs. “Thanks, Hyungjin, really. It means a lot.”
After sending Hyungjin off, Jungkook does some scavenging. For one, there’s some plates in the cabinets that he could use for the time being. No shampoo, no loofah and... when he opens the fridge in the kitchen, his face scrunches up from a whiff of the odor. Milk. Of course, his mother left half a carton of milk in there and hasn’t been back for months. “Guess... I already need to go shopping.”
Tumblr media
“Your total is going to be ₩62,636.00.” Packing the groceries that had been scanned into the brown paper bags that were stuffed into another plastic one, you push it down the line for the customer as she’s shuffling through her purse for her wallet.
“You know, I am the bag boy, right? I can do it.” Hoseok, a fellow co-worker of yours, comments at your actions, hooded eyes darting in your direction in annoyance. “I know you’re trying to be nice to me because Hyeri broke up with me last night, but that doesn’t mean I’m incapable of working.”
“Hush,” You demand, yet face blooming with smiles for the customer who replicates the expression, sliding the credit card into the payment terminal. “Have a good day!” You’d cry out with every receipt you handed to a customer as they’d walk out the store, slouching immediately afterwards from the exhaustion that washes over you. “I’m just trying to make today a bit easier for you, Hobi. I know how much she means to you.”
“You’re kidding right? I’m rich, I’m only working here because I’m trying to save some money up to leave that household but I haven’t left yet. I’m thinking of doing some type of yacht party tonight; drinks, girls, all my homies getting drunk, it’s a great way to truly mend my heart.”
You roll your eyes at the male, leaning back against the register. “If you keep spending your parents’ money like that, you don’t have to leave. They’ll just kick you out.”
He gasps. “I sure as hell hope not, not ‘til I’m ready.” Shaking his head at the thought, he freezes as his mouth gapes open. “Ah, speaking of. Mrs. Jeon actually cut off one of her children. Mostly because he’s a brat and needs to be taught how to be humble... and grateful... and maybe not to be such a dick.”
“Oh?” You raise a brow questioningly. “Which one? Is it the one you’re friends with?”
Hoseok wags his finger in disagreement. “Not friend, acquaintance. We’re party buddies, but he and I don’t talk deep things like you and me. But yes, it’s the baby of them, Jeon Jungkook.”
The name is familiar. His face is plastered on almost all of the billboards that you’d pass by on your route to work. Jeon Jungkook was one of the heirs of the Jeon Corporation, and his mother being the CEO of the supermarket and café chain you had been employed at. Despite all of that, he chose to go the path of modeling (from what you know, it’s just for fun and games), and did nothing to help his family out in their business. Although you never found yourself involved with the media, Jungkook was an image hard to get rid of. His news was everywhere, especially since you had no idea how to remove the Apple News notifications from your phone. Tech wasn’t exactly your strongest suit.
“Interesting. Well, that sucks for him. Can’t have it all.”
“You say that because you’re not rich,” He frowns, crossing his arms. “You’d be living a different life if you had some more money.”
Leaning over the counter, you tap Hoseok’s nose with your pointer finger. “And I’m okay with where I am. Working two jobs, saving up money for my dreams while paying off my student loans... I’m okay with that. Yes, I’m tired, and who wouldn’t kill to be rich, but let’s be honest here. Coming from money, and money that’s not yours, sound horrible.”
“And it is,” Someone sighs, dropping their groceries onto the conveyor belt. “Money that’s actually yours being spent doesn’t feel as fulfilling as when you’re spending someone else’s, but having them control how you spend it... well, it’s not the best.”
“I mean, I feel great knowing that I earned my own money and—“ As you turn to meet with this customer, you’re speaking to the devil himself. Jeon Jungkook. “—oh, uh, Hello.” Magazines, pictures on the internet, billboards... all of them do not do Jungkook any justice because he’s not just gorgeous in person, but he looks like perfection on legs. The way he pushes his long locks back when they begin to irritate his eyes, his skin is milky smooth, supple and soft, and when he shoves his hands into his pockets afterwards, all you can think about is how his arms flex in the sleeves of his T-shirt. 
“Kook,” Hoseok greets, forehead crinkled in confusion as he extends his hand for a shake. “What... why are you here? I’ve never seen you at a supermarket before. Doesn’t your personal chef take care of those things for you?” He’s feigning ignorance, afraid that his assumptions of Jungkook’s withdrawal from wealth is only gossip spread by the middle aged women. Jungkook lets out another heavy sigh, shoulders dipping in disappointment. “Well, you probably heard from your mom... who heard from my mom. She kicked me out. Cut me off. So... I’m trying to fend for myself now and get some groceries for dinner tonight.”
“Where are you staying?” 
“Uh, my mom used to have an art studio downtown. She’s too busy to go there anymore, so she paints at home now. So the studio is pretty much abandoned... therefore I’m residing there now. I’m also getting an allowance every month to live off of.”
You snort. It was truly an accident, but the words coming out of Jungkook’s mouth were unbelievable. His mom made him leave the house yet gifted him an apartment and an allowance? Does anyone even consider this as being kicked out? “I’m sorry,” He turns to look at you. “Is something funny?”
“I... thought you said she cut you off?”
Without saying it, his face contorts to a visual version of an, And? 
“Well, if your mother really cut you off, you wouldn’t even have an apartment. You’d be living on the streets or sleeping on your friends’ couches in rotation. Trust me, I know, I’ve been there. And you’re still receiving an allowance from them?”
Jungkook thinks he doesn’t realize that you’re from a wealthy family as well. “You... have been cut off of your family money and kicked out?” 
Hoseok bursts in a laugh, hand in front of him in an attempt to stop himself before apologizing. “Ehem, sorry. She’s never been cut out, her family isn’t well-off in the first place. She’s trying to say she did the latter, sleeping on her friends’ couches on rotation. Me being one of them.” As you’re scanning his groceries one by one, sliding them down to Hoseok, he bags them quickly and efficiently as Jungkook’s eyes dazes off in amazement at his skill. “You... said you’re still getting an allowance from her?”
Jungkook nods but he’s completely immersed by yours and Hoseok’s quick movements, shuffling through the bags and scanning the items. When his toothpaste doesn’t beep, he watches as you start typing in some group of numbers into the register. The system recognizes it immediately before you turn back, resuming into your previous actions. He admits that this isn’t the first time he’s been in a supermarket, but the last time he remembered stepping foot in any of his mom’s businesses was probably before he hit puberty.
“So that’s going to be... ₩113,552.00.” Hoseok looks up when he realizes that Jungkook hasn’t moved from his position. “Jungkook?”
Jungkook shakes his head from his daze, quickly rummaging through his pockets for his wallet. “Sorry, I was just... you guys are really good at that.”
“At what?” You ask, confused with your brows furrowed. 
He gestures the register and bags with his chin as he pulls out his wallet. “The whole... register thing. You guys move fast and... expertly. Where’d you learn to do that?”
You and Hoseok freeze. It’s weird to hear, exclusively forthcoming from someone who’s known to be arrogant, and yet the expression on his face is genuinely impressed by the show the two of you had just put on for him. “Uh... basic training? They just give you some tips and you just do it.”
“That’s it? It’s that easy?” He says, eyes bulging from his head at the simple response. 
“Well, I wouldn’t say easy,” Hoseok rephrases as Jungkook inserts his credit card into the system. “It gets tiring when your shift gets long. But the task itself isn’t difficult, just becomes brutal.” You shake your head in affirmation, wiping the counter down with a rag. “Don’t look down on your local grocery store employees! Where else would you get your groceries without them to help you?”
He laughs, and he’s so pretty when he laughs, but what subsequents after his laugh isn’t so... pretty. “I won’t, but I don’t think I’d ever work in a supermarket either. Not really for me. I think I have more potential than... everyone here.”
Hoseok eyes his friend quizzically. “Uh... I didn’t think I would be either. I didn’t choose to work here, you know. I want to move out eventually, so I’m saving money. Do you think she chooses to work here too? No. This is temporary for us, Kook. But even so, there’s people who have to work here because it’s how they put food on the table.”
He only shrugs. “I guess. I just think I can do better than this. Thanks for the family discount though! Even though the allowance my mom gave me paid for it.” 
And with that, he leaves. 
“Who the fuck does he think he is?” You jeer, completely appalled by Jungkook’s comment. “Is it because he’s the boss’ son? Is that why? That’s so ridiculous, why didn’t I say something—“ Hoseok interrupts your rant with the sound of your name soothingly coming out of mouth. “Let him be. I believe in karma and it’s going to bite him in the ass later.” You let out a dejected sigh, caving into his words. “On another note... you’re coming to my yacht party right?”
Tumblr media
You hate Hoseok for luring you here. 
He’s got chicks in bikinis, dancing away with their drinks swaying in their glasses, waists so thin you could wrap your hands around them. Guys are lounging, admiring the view of both the sea and the women, alcohol also accompanying their hands, whispering things here and there when they catch a sight of you— jeans and a crop top. You were not going to let Hoseok see you in a bikini, no matter how nice he is to you. He’s still a slob at heart.
When Hoseok spots you through the crowd, he hollers your name. “Oh my gosh! You actually came! I’m so stoked! Which text convinced you to come? I did all those things, just in case any of them are actually the reason why you came.”
hoseokie [1:03PM]: pls come to my party hoseokie [1:03PM]: we’ve got tacos hoseokie [1:04PM]: we’ve got white claw hoseokie [1:05PM]: we’ve got pigs in a blanket hoseokie [1:05PM]: we’ve got some weird hors d'oeuvres hoseokie [1:06PM]: we’ve got fresh fish hoseokie [1:07PM]: we’ve got... mini sandwiches?? idk i’m running out of nice things to mention hoseokie [1:09PM]: what about.... chick-fil-a? i know chicks dig that hoseokie [1:09PM]: i take that back, i know you’re into the feminist thing and don’t like it when i say collectively chicks like something
You frown. He’s so annoying.
hoseokie [1:12PM]: attachment 1 image
Ah. There it was. The true reason why you’ve decided to come. 
The picture mostly shows the food that sits at the table, but the angle that Hoseok takes it from gives you a glimpse of the kitchen, a delicious glance because right there is a take for inspiration for your own that you’d like to see for yourself. With that, you figure you’d hit two birds with one stone; getting to steal an idea for a small kitchen and celebrate Hoseok’s... breakup? You’re not even sure what this is for.
“Uh, where’s the kitchen? I want to wash my hands.”
He’s kind of drunk, so you’re thankful he doesn’t probe for more information, like why the kitchen and not the bathroom. “Downstairs. Do you need me to take you?”
“Nah, I’m good.” You grin, walking in the direction he points afterwards. On route to the kitchen, you spot the catering of Chick-Fil-A. Guess he kept to his word after all.
That’s when you spot him. 
Jungkook is sitting on one of the white leather couches that Hoseok’s yacht is built with, arms resting on the top of the seat while surrounded by women who giggle with their hands on his chest with hearts coming from their eyes in admiration. “Kook-ie, you’re so funny! Who knew someone like you would have such a beautiful personality!” 
You have to swallow the vomit that’s begging to leave your body.
Finally downstairs, you get to see it yourself with your own eyes. It’s beautiful. So beautiful that you can’t believe that a room can look this beautiful, and on top of that, it looks untouched. Reaching the stove, you almost hold in your breath from all the excitement forming in you, pulling the handle out to peek inside. “Jesus, stainless steel, great for cleaning, so much space, enough for inventory, and so much wattage—”
“Are you getting turned on by a stove?”
Fuck. Slamming it the oven shut, you abruptly straighten yourself. “Uh, no.” Turning to see the owner of the voice, you frown at the sight. Of course, with your luck, it’s Jungkook. “I’m just really curious on how people do their kitchens. I wanna open a bakery and want some ideas on how to work with a limited amount of space.”
Your breath hitches at the view; the shirt he has on is barely even buttoned, exposing his toned chest, and his hair is slicked back with a comma curl that hangs over his forehead. His lips are pink and plump, arms are tight in their sleeves, and when he leans over on the counter across from where you stand, the smile that tugs on the edges of his mouth is so pretty. “Hire an interior designer. Why do you need to do it yourself?” His breath already reeks of alcohol, and the drink in his hand almost screams that it’s not going to be his last either. “I don’t have the money for it.”
“Sure you do, you have two jobs. Why do things yourself when other people can do it for you?” You roll your eyes at him. “Because, unlike you, I have student debt. I need to pay for that and start a business. It’s not easy. I need to make a profit somewhere.”
He shrugs before saying nonchalantly, “I’ll pay for you.”
“With what money?” It comes out faster than you expected, but it’s too late to back down now. “With the money my mom gave me,” He responds calmly, tapping his fingers against the counter. “It’s more than enough to start a business.”
You nearly piss your pants. His mother’s allowance was enough to fucking start a business. Jungkook was indeed not in lack of resources and with the way his mom was taking care of this meant he will never truly learn responsibility.
“Are you kidding me?” You’re almost gasping for air. “Your mom gives you that much money for an allowance? What are you? I thought she was cutting you off. At this rate, you’re never going to actually be an adult. How are you even going to prove to her that you’re capable?”
He gets up from the counter, startled by your sudden outburst. “What makes you think I’m incapable?”
“You were just about to give me money to start a business. This is the second time you’ve met me, Jungkook. You don’t even know me. You don’t even know what the business is for, what my plans are, and where it’s going to be. You were just going to throw away good money without even having any knowledge of what it’s going to be used for!”
Unsure what to say, he speaks the only thing that comes to mind. “I trust you because you’re friends with Hoseok, and well, I trust Hoseok.” How could a guy with five older siblings who all went to prestigious ivy league universities, including attending one of them himself, be so gullible and naïve? 
“That means nothing, Jungkook. All it means is that we have a mutual friend. I can’t stand kids like you, strutting around with all the money in the world without knowing what to do with it. You have no real responsibilities, no real life plan, no dreams— nothing! All you do is fuck around and get drunk. What a fucking waste of space.” You shake your head before climbing up the stairs out of the lower level of the yacht, heated from Jungkook. He hasn’t actually said or done anything actually wrong yet you can’t help but hate him. Jungkook was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and all you can think about is how you were born with a plastic one instead.
You’re not actually anyone to Jungkook. No, not really, especially since yes, like you mentioned before, it’s only the second time he has met you. Whether or not if the proposal for paying for those things were serious, he wasn’t sure why he made you upset so easily.
But it hurt. Those things you said really hurt— more than when he speaks to his brothers.
So he drinks. He drinks the pain away or just enough that it fades to the point he doesn’t notice it as much anymore. 
When you catch him slouched on the couch alone, cheeks flush pink from what you assume is from the beer sitting in his hands loosely, guilt washes over you. Without much thought, you’re already making your way to the innocent looking boy, buttoning his shirt up and tearing the can from his grip. You figured you’d take him home, it’s the least you can do after flipping him off earlier. 
Tumblr media
With Jungkook’s arm draping over your shoulder, you wince when the button on his sleeve tugs on your necklace. “Jungkook, could you at least try lifting yourself up so I’m not doing all the heavy lifting here?” He doesn’t say much but mumbles with drool coming out from the side of his mouth, emitting a whine from you. 
“Oh my god, is that Jungkook?” Mrs. Jeon drops the book she reads in what seems like a living room, rushing toward your side before Jungkook vomits again on the marble floor. “Hana! Nayeon! Please come clean this up— quickly, quickly, please.” She pulls his other arm over her shoulder, tugging him along with you before reaching the couch, letting him settle down easy. If she wasn’t here, you would’ve thrown him on it. “Sorry CEO Jeon, I wanted to take him back to his place but... I didn’t know where he lived and I didn’t really feel comfortable leaving him by himself like this. So... I googled your estate and here we are.”
She gives you a pained smile, clenching your heart at the same time before she’s draping a blanket onto Jungkook’s sleeping body. “Would you like some tea?”
It feels weird sitting on a tall stool chair at a marble countertop island in such a huge kitchen. There was more than enough space to hire a staff sized for a large wedding venue, and truth to be told, you were jealous of the appliances that were stocked. If only you could touch the deck oven, just one touch...
Mrs. Jeon says your name for the first time since you’ve introduced yourself, interrupting your thoughts. “Ah, yes, CEO Jeon?”
“You keep calling me that. Do you perhaps work at one of my franchises?”
Rubbing the sides of the mug full of tea anxiously, you nod. “Two, actually. I work at one of the supermarkets down in Seoul, and a café at the University. I admire your plans and how you treat your employees, so I based my search on that.”
There’s a smile that jumps upon her lips, and it’s genuinely full of joy in comparison to the one she shares when you dragged Jungkook in. “A hard-working class citizen. I love that.” She brings the mug to her lips, taking a sip of her tea before sitting it down gently. “You brought Jungkook here. Are you two... an item, maybe? I’ve never seen him bring anyone home.”
Hastily, you wave your hands in front of you in denial. “Oh, no, no, CEO Jeon, we are not. If anything, I brought him home.” You pause for a moment as she eyes you carefully. “Oh, wait, no, not like that, I meant brought him to his home, here. Not to my house. Gosh, no, that’s weird.” Mrs. Jeon laughs, leaning back, almost stumbling off her seat and you were already set on your toes in preparation to catch her. “Geez, my son displeases you that much? Honestly, I wouldn’t be so opposed if you told me that you both were in a relationship.”
You blink. “Really? Why’s that? I kind of expected you to hope for him to go for someone who’s a bit more... accustomed to this lifestyle? Not that there’s anything wrong with it... I just... this is a bit different.” 
Although you had been preoccupied with dragging Jungkook into the house, there was no missing in the way their home looked. Chandelier hanging in the hall off the ceiling with crystal-like features that you were sure were actually authentic diamonds, walls and floors were marble and granite, portraits and paintings that hung on the walls were originals, and the size of the home itself was... breathtakingly prodigious. The kitchen alone was a prime example— from your own personal research and knowledge, the appliances were top tier products of the industry, only the best of the best were able to afford it. Not to mention that the dimensions of the kitchen was about four times the surface area of your apartment.
Mrs. Jeon shakes her head in lack of approval, tapping her fingers against the ceramic cup. “No, I want my sons to go for love that they feel is real. But for Jungkook, I always hope for more than just that, someone who can teach him that this life of luxury isn’t necessarily everything. He hasn’t found anyone yet, or at least, I still hope it’s you, but I figured cutting him off the money would be the next best option.”
You tilt your head to the side, mouth open in hesitation. “But... you didn’t cut him off. Jungkook still gets an allowance.”
“Yes, but—“
“Sorry to interrupt, but isn’t that defeating the purpose? Like... you want Jungkook to go off and learn responsibility and what it means to be a functioning adult yet you’re still giving him money. I don’t want to criticize but...” You’re expecting her to jump at the chance to interject, mention something about how you’re overstepping, but she does nothing. Instead, her shoulders slouch and she frowns. “Am I doing this wrong? Should I take his allowance away?”
Honesty seems like an iffy noun to act on at the moment, but you speak words with it, nonetheless. “CEO Jeon, don’t get me wrong, you are a great person. But if you’re trying to teach your egotistical and spoiled-rotten son some life lessons, putting a step stool down for him isn’t going to make it any better.”
Tumblr media
“It was you, wasn’t it!” Jungkook exclaims, stomping into the supermarket with his face flushed red with anger, hair pushed back with a vein popping out on his forehead. He has his pointer finger directed at you, startling Hoseok as he shoves Jungkook’s finger down. “Ok, I get you’re mad, but no pointing please. You may proceed.”
He scoffs. “She did this, you know. My mom cut me off. Completely! Done, I’m so done for. How the hell am I supposed to pay for anything? All she gave me was the money I earned from those modeling gigs in the past. What the hell is that going to do for me two months from now?”
“Uh... I don’t know, get a job?” You say sarcastically, unfazed by his fit of temper. If childish is how he’s going to act, he might as well embarrass himself while he’s at it. “It’s not my fault that she decided to actually cut you off.” Jungkook doesn’t get the right to come in here, full of flames just because of something you suggested to his mother the night he blacked out. He doesn’t, especially not after you learn from Mrs. Jeon why she wants to do this in the first place.
“Where the fuck am I supposed to get a job?”
Hoseok stares at Jungkook blankly for a moment before pointing to a sign behind him, taped to the wall with big letters printed.
CASHIER FOR HIRE @ THE JEON MARKET! PLEASE SEE AN ASSOCIATE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO APPLY!
Jungkook lets out a heavy breath of defeat, falling back against the counter, fingers raking his strands of hair back stressfully. “Fuck, fuck...” He closes his eyes, head falling back. “... Fuck.”
Tumblr media
It’s barely even the start of his first day and he’s presently on the verge of throwing another hissy fit when the apron doesn’t tie around his body like it does for the other workers. “Are you fucking—”
Snatching the fabric from his hands, you can see through Jungkook’s orbs that he’s ready to pounce at you for doing that, but you’re already standing on the tip of your toes as he dips down unconsciously for you while pulling the loop over his head. “This is so much easier when you’re calm, cool, and collected enough to think like a sane person.” He mutters a quick thanks, jutting out a puff of air from his lips. “Also, tie your hair up, will you? It doesn’t look professional.”
“Professional?” He scoffs, shaking his head as you’re slipping off the hair band that’s on your wrist, handing it over to him that he grabs unwillingly. “This place is far from professional. It’s a freaking goddamn supermarket.”
“It’s just... in your face and we have an employee handbook that wants your hair out of your face so the customers can see your lovely smile.”
“You think my smile is lovely?” His heart is warm at the compliment but it quickly fades when you respond, “No, it’s how it’s worded in the handbook. I’m only quoting what I read.”
“Why are you helping me anyway? I thought you didn’t like me.” This was true, notably since you’ve last spoken to him was with fury and fire in your eyes. But you merely just roll your eyes this time, turning away to turn the dial on your locker, pulling a slip of paper out to hand to him. “I was assigned to train you. Here’s your locker combo. Don’t think I’m doing this to be nice to you.”
“I’m still trying to understand what I did wrong that made you hate me.”
Tying your own hair back in the magnetic mirror that hangs on your locker door, there’s clips in your mouth to push your bangs back and Jungkook can’t help but find the action so... attractive. After taking the bobby pins from your mouth and slipping them into your hair, you straighten your shirt before turning to face him. “Because I can’t stand entitled people. And you are one of them.”
His mouth drops and closes several times before he finally gets the guts to speak up. “You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough,” Tugging the apron over your head and knotting the strings behind you, you inhale sharply afterwards. “I know that you’re the CEO’s youngest son, the bachelor, who basically doesn’t really do anything but freeload off his parents and spend their money. You’ve never had a real job before today and if I’m being totally honest, I kind of expect you to fail.”
“To fail?” He exasperates, his posture stiffens, in disbelief of your perspective. “I haven’t even started the job yet and you had this image of me build up before I even get the chance to clock in.”
“Speaking of, come here, I’ll show you how to clock in.”
Trailing behind you to a mysterious machine that hangs on the wall, he can’t help but attempt to sink everything in around him. He’s in the back of a supermarket, his mother’s supermarket, one of many, dressed in their uniform with his luxurious hair tied back, hidden away from all the people to admire. The locker room has flickering melancholic lights that he realized are unflattering when he looks at himself in the mirror earlier, and the people here drag their legs when leaving through the double doors to start the shift, all the way to the end. 
“Hello, Earth to Jungkook?” You wave your hands in front of his drifted gaze, frowning at his sudden daydream. 
“I can’t believe that it’s gotten this bad. I have to work... like a real job. I’ve never had a job in my entire life.”
“Well, yeah. I mentioned that just moments ago.”
His stare shifts to you, worry written all over his face. “I’m above all of this, above all of the people working here. I know what it’s like to be happy—I have money for god’s sake, I don’t need any of this. I could be working some corporate job right now that requires less effort.”
“Jungkook, I haven’t even started the training yet.”
He still hasn’t learned how to clock in before a shift yet and he’s already prepping to quit this job. 
1K notes · View notes
mrs-gucci · 3 years
Text
A Different Kind of Urgent {Charlie Barber x Reader}
author’s notes: hellooooo! my penpal friend, a fellow adam driver rat, sent me a print of a charlie picture (that I’d seen a gajillion times before, mind you) and for some reason, I thirsted hard. so, naturally, I wrote a fic inspired by the picture. the reader in this story is a college professor, but it doesn’t really contribute to any ‘essential’ parts of the story (aka the smutty parts). it’s just her job lol
warnings: smut. some fluff. masturbation. semi-public smut. the sending of nudes (well, lingerie pics, to be specific). charlie’s dad outfits™️. cigarette smoking during sex. uhh tennis shoe kink??
(possible) tw’s: semi-public sex. semi-public masturbation. tobacco use (as is canon for Charlie’s character). implied age gap (everyone’s over 21, no more than 10 years).
Tumblr media
You’re in the middle of class when Charlie texts you. Your phone buzzes and buzzes on your desk so much so that you have to stop your lecture for a few seconds, worried that something urgent has happened.
Well, something did happen, and it was pretty urgent, but not exactly in the way you’d expected.
-Charlie: I know you’re teaching class right now kid.- -Charlie: But I need you.- -Charlie: Right now.-
A shiver runs down your spine as you read his words on the screen.
-Y/N: I’ve got like 45 more minutes of lecture, baby, I can’t.-
He growls under his breath, cock straining in his tan khakis.
-Charlie: Fuck.- -Charlie: Can you send me a picture? Just need to see your pretty body, kid.-
-Y/N: Say please, Charlie.-
Charlie groans in sexual frustration, hips bucking up in his desk chair.
-Charlie: Jesus fucking christ, fucking brat. PLEASE! PLEASE send me a picture!-
You smirk, picking out one of the lingerie photos you’d taken when you were home alone one night. You’ve been waiting for the right time to whip them out and...well, this seems like the right time.
-Y/N: Attachment 1 image- -Y/N: Knock yourself out. Take a picture when you’re done, and I’ll be over as soon as class is finished.-
His shaky hands scramble to type in his phone passcode and click on your message, a strangled moan leaving his lips at the picture you chose. He’d never seen this one before, never seen this set of lingerie before.  He unbuckles his belt and almost tears the button clean off his khakis as he pulls his cock out, tip already red and drooling with precum. 
Before he starts anything, he quickly runs over to his office door, locking it to keep anyone from walking in. 
His navy cardigan suddenly feels almost suffocating and he sheds it without hesitation, unbuttoning his dress shirt and parting it, revealing his undershirt. 
Wait...you want a picture. Fuck.
An idea comes to him and he whimpers, equal parts aroused and nervous about giving it a try. God he hasn’t touched himself since the divorce proceedings, just needing to blow off some fucking steam, but you’ve reignited his sexual passion, overwhelmingly so, and seemingly even more than before. Maybe even more than ever, if he’s honest with himself.
He feels like a teenager again, both completely smitten with you while at the same time incredibly horny for you.
Charlie stands up on shaky legs and shoves all the paperwork off his desk, clearing a roomy spot right in the center. He bites his lip as he props his phone up on his desktop computer with the picture of you pulled up. Jerking off with just his hand wouldn’t be enough this time around, a small part of him just knew it. He needs to fuck you, fuck something.
He positions his hands around the edge of his desk, leaving his thumbs right at the top, putting them in a wonky sort of ‘o’ shape. He adjusts so that the sharp edge is pressing against his palm before experimentally thrusting his length forward into the hole he’s created with his thumbs, immediately groaning in pleasure. 
“O-Oh, kid.”
He whispers, picking up a slow thrusting rhythm, eyes squeezed shut as he imagines your pussy.
“Such a good little pussy, my good f-fucking girl.” A line of sweat has already begun forming on his forehead as he moves a bit quicker, growling wildly with each thrust. He’s embarrassingly close already. “God, j-jesus fucking christ, gonna make me cum so f-fast, kid. I’m already s-so close, damnit.”
His hips grow desperate, bucking erratically into his grip. The drag of his cock against the faux wood surface feels absolutely incredible, and he barely even hears the desk begin to groan and shift against the floor of his office, too consumed with his impending orgasm.
“Yeah, you ready? Y-You fuckin’ ready for my big fat--fuck!--load in this pretty little--shit!--k-kitty?”
Just hearing him say the word aloud, his nickname for your cunt, has him cumming within moments. His vision blacks out for a second as his hips rut forward, a seemingly continuous stream of warm white cum painting his desktop. 
“Ahhhhh, fuuuuuuuck.”
He has to bury his mouth into his shirt arm to hide the cries that come from him, eyebrows knitted at the center of his forehead. His breathing is heavy as he begins coming down from his high, eyes flitting open and looking down at the mess he’d made. 
His load had gone across the entire width of his desk, and his eyes widened for a moment as his brain somehow comprehended to grab his phone and take a picture of the spread. 
-Charlie: Attachment 1 image- -Charlie: Come straight to my office when you get to the theater.-
You take a quick peek at the message from Charlie as your students pull out their workbooks, jaw dropping when you open the picture full-screen. Holy shit, he really did need it.
-Y/N: You sure you still have enough to fill me up with when I get there?-
-Charlie: I always have enough for you, kid. Gonna have it leaking out of you when you leave.-
You chew your lip, thinking of a quick yet clever response.
-Y/N: Is that a promise?-
He groans under his breath, chuckling lightly with a small smile.
-Charlie: Absolutely. Can’t wait to see you, kid.-
-Y/N: I’m excited too. I’ll be there in 20.-
The twenty minutes it takes for you to finish class and walk over to Exit Ghost feels like some of the longest in Charlie’s life, knee bouncing impatiently and eyes glued to the door. He twirls the Marlboro package in his hand, the clock behind his desk tick-tick-ticking the seconds away. 
Finally, a soft knock comes and, just in case it isn’t you, he stuffs the carton into his pocket. “Come in.”
Your head pokes through the door and you smile at him as you walk in, shutting and locking the door behind you. You immediately notice his outfit, specifically his shoes, which are propped up on his desk. 
He knows that you like how he dresses, especially when he dresses very dad-like. And those sneakers he has, the white ones with the blue lines on them...god, they drive you absolutely crazy and you have no idea why.
Your bags are quickly shoved off your shoulder by the impatient director, pulling you into his body as his lips attack yours fiercely. He notices the way you’re eyeing his outfit, and it’s then that he realizes what shoes he has on, the pair that you like so much. Oh, he could use that.
His grip on the meat of your hips tightens increasingly as the kiss heats up, lips eventually moving down to your neck. 
“Well, hello to you too.”
You say, laughing softly.
“Mmmm,” He hums onto your skin, lips littering kisses and small nibbles everywhere they can reach. “I missed you, kiddo, feels like forever since we’ve had time for something like this.”
Charlie’s large body presses you up against the door, hands eager to rid you of your pants. He quickly yanks them down to your ankles, fingers finding your clothed folds.
“I’ve got a staff meeting at two, baby. We h-have to be kind of quick...sorry.” You breathe, hand wrapping in his hair, tugging at the silky raven locks.
A small and slightly disappointed sigh leaves his lips, but nothing more is said on the matter. His movements do become a bit more rushed, though, digits dipping beneath the fabric to shove up into your entrance. 
Your legs spread instinctively, knees shaking as he finger-fucks you, thick digits scissoring inside you to prepare for his girth. Meanwhile, you try to focus on getting his belt and pants undone, but it’s awfully hard when his fingers feel so damn good.
He pulls away suddenly, sucking the juices off his fingers as his hungry eyes roam your figure. The carton of cigarettes presses against his thigh and he smirks, pulling his digits out with a lewd pop.
Charlie suddenly pulls you off the door, putting himself in your spot instead. He smirks, fingers running under your chin, keeping your head tilted up at him.
“Will you go open the window for me please, beautiful?”
You nod, rushing over to push it open, then come back over to stand in front of him.
“Good girl. Thank you.”
His pointer finger twirls and points to the floor while the other hand grabs the pack and lighter from his pants pocket.
“Now, turn around and bend over right here, hold your ankles or feet, or whatever.”
As you position yourself accordingly, he leans back against the door, legs spread and sneaker-clad feet planted on either side of you, right within your line of vision. He’s almost fully hard again already as he moves to free his cock from its khaki confines, undoing his pants just enough to have it out. 
Again, his cardigan feels suffocatingly hot, so he quickly pulls it off and tosses it away. He rolls the sleeves up on his button-up, a sight that makes your insides clench.
He jams a cigarette between his teeth, jaw clenching when he looks up and realizes that you’re bent over for him, in just the way he asked. Your glistening pussy’s on full display as you wiggle your ass a bit, his cock bobbing and twitching with excitement. 
“Oh kid, you’re dripping.” Charlie whispers, almost to himself, hand kneading one of the globes of your ass.
You chuckle softly. “Hey, baby? As much as I love hearing and feeling you, my legs are getting kinda tired.”
Laughing, Charlie says a quick ‘sorry’ before holding and pulling your hips back, lining himself up with your soaked entrance. He pulls you back some more, impaling you on his cock, head falling back against the door as he does so. 
His hands shakily ignited the small flame on his lighter, bringing it up until the tip of the cigarette turned orange before flipping the cap back on and shoving it back in his pocket. He takes a long drag, groaning on the exhale. 
He keeps one hand on your hip while the other spreads out on your lower back, guiding you back and forth over his shaft slowly, gently.
“Thaaat’s it, just like this, kid.”
Your eyes roll into the back of your head, the impossibly deep angle created with this new position has it feeling like he’s reaching into your guts. Plus, with the natural up-curve of his cock, he’s brushing all the right spots inside you.
“C-Charlie…”
The familiar and comforting scent of Charlie’s cigarettes fills your nostrils, a haze of smoke surrounds your joined bodies. He continues to move you up and down on his length, buttocks clenching as his hips naturally rock forward, burying himself to the hilt each time you sink down.
“God...jesus christ...love this little pussy of yours, kid.” He breathes through his gritted teeth. “Taking me so nicely, always wrapped around me so goddamn tight.”
You quickly begin moving yourself up and down his stiff rod, bouncing as fast as you can manage. The sweet burn in your thighs only grows more prominent with each passing second, but you don’t care, too consumed in pleasure.
“Mmmmmyyyeah, baby, all for you.”
His hand comes down on your ass, giving it a firm smack before taking another quick drag, exhaling through his nose.
“That’s f-fucking right, all mine. You love being a little slut for this cock, huh? I know you do, you love when I bring you in my office and fuck your pretty cunt in the middle of the goddamn work day, can’t even wait until I get home, this f-filthy slut cunt needs to be split open and stuffed nice and full. Can’t go one fucking day without my cum fucked in you, always needs to be filled up and leaking, hm?”
Charlie was never able to do stuff like this or talk to Nicole like this. She was pretty vanilla when it came to sex, just like to be fucked quietly in bed. He called her a ‘slut’ once and she almost cried, lecturing him for half an hour afterwards on how disrespectful it was.
But now, he gets to explore everything he hasn’t gotten the chance to with you. You love it all, love the way he talks filth in your ear, calls you naughty names. You love getting fucked in all sorts of places, which at first made him a little nervous, cheeks and the tips of his ears bright red when you asked him to fuck you in your classroom or finger you under your dress on the subway. But, after almost a year and a half together, you can safely say that he’s a full-on exhibitionist deviant.
Your walls clamp down around him, eyes still squeezed shut as you feel his hips begin to thrust forward. Soon, he holds you almost completely still, moving his hips as fast as he can. His cigarette is almost ashes at this point, and he kicks himself for not thinking of a good disposal plan beforehand.
“Oh baby, oh baby...f-fuck!” You whine, hips squirming and gyrating as your impending orgasm grows closer. “Y-Yeah, I love it, love everything you do to me. Wanna take every s-single fucking drop of your cum, Charlie, want it inside me, want it dripping down my thighs.”
He almost loses his mind over your comments, drilling into you at an impossibly hard and fast rate, the lewd slapping squelching sound of your hips colliding overwhelmingly prominent in the space around you. 
“You’ll go back to work with so much cum shoved into you, make you sit through your stupid fucking meeting with my cum dripping out of you. B-Better hope no one notices, huh? Better hope your boss doesn’t find out what a good little cockslut you are, how much you love having a pussy-full of your boyfriends f-fucking cum.”
A few muted cries leave your lips as he pounds you harder, his own words spurring him on. He can feel your walls pulsing around him, a sure-fire sign that you’re about to cum. 
“C-Charlie! Charlie, I...I’m close.”
“K-Know you are, kid, I know you are. You’re doing so f-fucking well for me, Y/N, squeezing my big cock like a fuckin champ.” Charlie growls, quickly tossing his spent cigarette in a coffee mug on a nearby table. “And now you’re gonna rub your little clit and cum for me like I know you want to. C’mon, kid, wanna feel you come undone around me.”
You quickly begin rubbing your clit and, despite the odd angle, it brings you right up to the edge. You just need something, just a little something, to push you over the edge. Your eyes flutter open to look up at him, but then, you’re met with the sight of his sneakers.
“Goddamnit!” You’re cumming almost instantly, flooding his shaft with your release. “Yes! Oh god, yeah, c-cumming for you baby!”
His hips keep pumping, taking you right through your climax before abruptly coming to a halt when they’re buried as deep inside you as they can possibly be. His eyes go wide before squeezing shut, a guttural groan ripping through his chest as he pumps and shoves his thick creamy load into you.
“T-Take it, f-filthy whore!” He groans, rutting his hips the whole way through, making sure every drop is put inside you.
Once he’s finished, having ridden out his high to its fullest, he tucks himself back into his pants before helping you stand back up. He holds you close, looking down at you with a bright, genuine smile. 
“You’re amazing, incredible...just so perfect.” He kisses all over your face before landing on your lips.
Your cheeks heat up at his compliments, hands weaving through his hair as the kiss deepens. 
Suddenly, someone knocks on your office door, jiggling the doorknob.
“Charlie?”
His eyes fly open and he pulls away. Shit.
“Yeah, I’m h-here, just give me a minute!”
You quickly pull your pants up and jump under his desk to hide just as he opens the door, running a hand through his hair. 
He talks to the person on the other side of the door in a rushed voice, answering their multitude of questions before quickly shutting the door, sighing as you crawl out from under the desk. 
“At least we both got to cum, unlike last time.” You walk up and put your hands on his pecs, rubbing them over the fabric. “I gotta get going though, baby. I wanna grab lunch from the deli before my staff meeting.”
Charlie nods, dipping his head down to kiss you one last time, nuzzling his large nose against yours. 
“Come over tonight, though? Nicole’s in town and she’s got Henry, so we’ll have the house to ourselves. I feel like we haven’t spent any quality time together lately.”
Nodding, you smile. “I would love to come over. I’ll text you when I get home.”
“Great.” He smiles, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I’ll see you later, kid. Have a good meeting.”
You laugh as you grab your bag and head out, turning back to wave and flash him a soft smile.
“See you tonight.”
187 notes · View notes
Text
Fake Dating Drabble No. 3
Today with Javier Peña (x OFC) who told Connie he had a (non existent) girlfriend so she stops setting him up on dates. Big thanks to @ladyreapermc​ for the idea 😘😘😘
Steph’s fake dating Drabble week
This is like 1.7k so not really a Drabble but 🤷‍♀️
Warnings: alcohol, cursing
Tumblr media
He was fucked. Why the fuck did he agree to bring his girlfriend to the weekly Sunday dinner at the Murphy’s? The very much not real girlfriend he lied about because he didn’t want Connie to set him up with another nurse or doctor from the hospital she worked in.
He loved Connie, he really did. But sometimes she didn’t know when to stop.
“Don’t you want to settle down Javier? You’re not getting any younger,” she had asked.
“I have this very nice doctor friend at the hospital. She’s American and very intelligent and single…” Connie had started. He knew where this was going.
“Connie. I appreciate it but…” Javier looked at Steve who looked suspicious at him.
“I have a girlfriend. So you can stop setting me up on dates, okay?” He thought he had heard the last of it.
“You bring your girlfriend next week yeah?” Connie had asked, very much not about to take no for an answer as the Murphy’s walked him to the door. Javi had looked at Steve who almost cried silent tears to suppress his laughter.
“I don’t know…”
“See you next Sunday Javier. Let me know if she’s allergic to anything, yeah?” Connie smiled as she hugged him goodbye.
“Yeah…” he sighed. Connie went back inside, leaving Steve and him standing outside.
“So that girlfriend of yours…”
“Fuck you, Steve,” Javi hissed, making Steve chuckle.
“Don’t think about bringing one of your… Informants yeah? She’s gonna figure that out immediately.”
Javier turned around, giving Steve the finger as he walked back to his apartment.
Tumblr media
It was Saturday and he still had no fucking idea who to bring. Javier wasn’t someone who had many friendships. The only real friend he really had was with Steve. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone. And he wouldn’t be any help. That fucker had teased him the whole week.
“Another one?” Mary asked. Javier found himself sitting at the counter of his favorite bar. It was getting close to midnight.
“You trying to get me drunk, Hermosa?” Javi smirked, looking up at the woman in front of him.
“You wish, Peña. I’m only this nice because you tip well,” she grinned, filling his glass. Javier kept looking at her. He didn’t know much about Mary. Only that she came to Colombia for a job that she quit after 6 months because the boss was harassing her. She started out working shifts at the bar. She was younger than him, but only by a couple of years. She was hilarious, intelligent and beautiful. It was like a lamp went on in his slightly drunk brain.
“You okay there, Javier? Is there something in my face?” she asked when he just kept looking at her.
“I need you to be my girlfriend,” Javier said.
“Excuse me?” she asked with big eyes.
“Fuck. Shit. It’s perfect. You’re perfect…” he ran a hand through his hair, his other hand grabbing the package of cigarettes, bringing one to his lips.
“Okay no more whiskey for you. I’m gonna call you a cab,” she shook her head at him.
“No… Let me explain. Fuck I shouldn’t drink that much.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling you for a year,” she teased and he grinned.
“And you’re right. Anyway. I need a date.”
“The brothel is right down the street.”
“No. Wow. Fuck you’re mean. No. I need a date because I told Connie that I have a girlfriend so she stops nagging me to settle down or set me up on dates with every woman in Bogotá she knows.” He explained. Mary looked at him before she burst out in laughter, gathering a few confused looks from the people around her.
“Sorry…” she shook her head, trying to stop herself from laughing.
“Come on, it’s not that bad,” Javier smirked, his cigarette almost out.
“Javier I saw you leave with another woman only two days ago. How would that even work?”
“That’s not a no,” Javier grinned and she sighed.
“It’s not a yes either.”
“Well… You’d only have to pretend. Connie likes you. Steve knows I’m lying so…”
“So... Why not tell Connie that you lied?”
“You know Connie…” he groaned. Mary looked at him, the man who somehow became her favorite customer because he was the only one not trying to get her to fuck him. And now he was asking her to play his girlfriend. She shook her head.
“You better tipping me really, really good, Peña.”
Tumblr media
Mary was at his place 15 minutes early. She even had put a dress on. The food better was worth it. Javier opened the door after the third knock and she grinned.
“Hi babe,” she teased, walking past him.
“I’m regretting this already,” he muttered, trying not to let his eyes wander down her body, but failing miserably. He had never seen her in a dress, let alone anything that made her body look so… so…
“So how do we do this?” she turned around and Javier looked up into her eyes.
“Well, I’m a very physical man…”
“Is that your way of telling me that you won’t keep your hands to yourself?” she raised one eyebrow.
“Well it has to appear real…” he smirked. She bit her lip, looking at him as she crossed her arms in front of her. He fought the urge to look at her cleavage as she shamelessly checked him out.
“If you get too handsy, I will break your fingers,” she clarified.
“What is too handsy?” he asked with a smirk. She walked towards him, her hands on his chest as she blinked up at him.
“I think you know what’s too handsy, Agent Peña,” she winked and he shakily breathed out. Shit. Were her eyes always this bright green?
“You wanna kiss me, Javi?” she whispered with a small smile.
“You want me to?” he asked hoarsely. She chuckled before she shook her head, patting his chest twice, and parted from him.
“I’m starving, let’s go!”
Tumblr media
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that it’s Mary you’re dating,” Connie was sitting on the couch next to Steve who had the time of his life. He had to give it to Javier, he really did try hard. Mary was lovely. And funnily she would be just what Javi needed and the longer the night progressed the more Steve noticed the way Javi was looking at her. If Steve didn’t know better he would really buy it.
“So Javier ended up shitfaced at the bar and I took him home…” Mary told Connie and Javier rolled his eyes. That really did happen and she had been giving him shit about it for the last three months.
“And before I left him to sleep, he drunkenly asked me to be his girlfriend to which I only laughed and went out. Turns out he was genuine about it.” The way Mary lied without blinking an eye towards Connie who seemed smitten was unbelievable to Javi.
“Well, children and people who drink do speak the truth…” Connie teased. She patted Steve’s thigh. “Come one honey, I need your help in the kitchen.” Steve leaned in, kissing Connie on the cheek as he helped her up and they went to the kitchen.
“You are really selling this, Hermosa. Might think that you have thought about it before.”
“Well you were very affectionate when I brought you home that night,” she turned around to face him. Somehow they had gotten closer and closer over the evening. She was leaning against his shoulder, his arm around her waist, his fingers brushing over her thigh. He had noticed the goosebumps on her arms everytime he got closer.
“I didn’t do anything more….”
“Inappropriate than this?” she gestured around with a smile. “No. No you didn’t.”
“I’m glad,” he smiled softly at her. He felt himself grow warm at the look in her eyes. Fuck. No. No. No. No. He reached to brush a stray of hair behind her ear and she smiled back at him. She shuddered when she felt his fingers brush over her cheek. Javier was a really beautiful man the longer she looked at him. There was a dimple on his cheek when he smiled at her. It was kinda cute. The thought that she wanted to kiss it crossed her mind. What? Kissing? Javier?
“Don’t break my fingers…” he whispered as he leaned in. He stopped inches from her lips and she gulped, breathing deeply before she softly pressed her lips on his. It was like she was hot and cold at the same time as their lips met and Javi sighed. He pulled her closer, his lips moving over hers.
A cough let them part from another and they both looked up at Steve who was holding a tray of what looked like a chocolate mousse with a teasing grin on his lips.
“Not. A word,” Javier hissed at him, making Steve chuckle, while Mary tried to control her breathing. Shit, she wanted more. More of Javi. More of his lips, his hands, his….
Javi grabbed her hand and she looked at him as he mouthed the word later before Connie walked in.
They said their goodbyes an hour later, waving at the Murphy’s.
“Be safe kids,” Steve called after them and Javi, again, gave him the finger while his other hand held Mary’s. When they were standing in front of Javi’s apartment they both sighed.
“Well this was certainly very interesting,” Mary had a small smile on her lips.
“Yeah. You could say that,” Javi said.
“You think she bought it?”
“Oh definitely. You… you were perfect.”
They stood in front of each other, both not really wanting to leave.
“So…” Mary said, sucking her bottom lip in. She looked into his eyes, only quickly to his lips and she caught him doing the same.
“I should get home….” she whispered. Javi nodded.
“I’ll drive you,” he said. She nodded but didn’t move.
“Or..”
“Or?” he asked, stepping closer.
“Or you could kiss me again,” she smiled and Javi sighed relieved before his arms pulled her close and his lips crashed down on hers.
255 notes · View notes
aseioh · 3 years
Text
Of Cakes and Late Celebrations
Author’s Notes: This was supposed to be posted on Mother's day. But just like this fic, I got derailed and ended up being late. (picture taken from the internet)
Tumblr media
It was Mother's day.
Or to be precise it will be Mother's day in 15 hours 25 minutes. It shouldn't be a problem for Alcina, she usually just buys something from the Duke to give to Mother Miranda.
Unfortunately, such a thing is not possible right now. The Duke was delayed with his routine arrival at the castle opening, something about a spooked horse and lycans trying to get a nibble.
Honestly she lost interest after the word delayed was spoken through the phone. How is she going to remedy this. The gift itself was one of the finest silk she was able to obtain, she was sure Mother would appreciate a new ritual robe.
This is bad. To show up without a gift on this special day. She was sure she would be made a mockery during the gathering. Whats worst was that fool Heisenberg would be the first to lead with his pathetic insults.
Just the thought made Alcina's blood boil.
”I should send Bela to switch that man's shampoo with dog shampoo. Although the man still smells like wet dog. No. I'll think of something more devious.“
But back to the matter at hand. It's almost Mother's day and she doesn’t have a gift. Taking a deep drag off her cigarette, she considers her dwindling options.
At western part of the village
Donna is also facing a similar problems.
"What do you mean you're not coming?! Where am I supposed to find a present at this hour?!" Angie's raspy voice filtered through the phone "do you know how hard it is to find a 1st edition book on occult and rituals."
"Apologies Miss Angie, but the horse spooked and the carriage suffered a broken wheel. Even if the servants manage to haul themselves your house to the Duke's location and back it would still be too late." The main servant said trying to sound as apologetic as he can come across.
"This would not do" Donna said finally in her normal voice.
Somewhere inside the Stronghold.
Karl Heisenberg was having a meltdown.
"YOU STUPID LYCANS! I GAVE YOU ONE JOB AND YOU COULDN'T EVEN DO IT RIGHT!!" Heisenberg paces around the small assembly hall. Ten Lycans looked very apologetic, although it was very hard to tell from their looks. One even lets out a soft whimper.
“I told you to stall The Duke for a while. I didn’t said to derail him completely. The man has a package for me, now how am I supposed to get it!?” Heisenberg seethes.
His plan was a simply one really. Stall The Duke so that he would arrive at Castle Dimitrescu late, that way Alcina would not get her package and present it to Mother Miranda. That would show her, a little payback for calling him a child.
What he didn’t count on was the utter incapability of the Lycans to follow simple directions. Now even he doesn’t have a gift. Oh Miranda’s gonna blow a gasket.
“Augh... I hate the consequences of my actions” He lamented
 At Moreau’s Reservoir
“NOOOOOOO!! That’s not fair, that’s not fair!!!” Moreau starts throwing his stuff on the floor. He had finally saved up his money to buy Mother Miranda that nice jewelry that would go perfectly with her black wings.
“Someone’s gonna pay” He vows to take revenge on the Lycans responsible for his problem.
 After all his pet fish has been hungry for some Lycan meat.
 Castle Dimitrescu (13 hours until Mother’s day)
“I have gathered you here today for a very important meeting” Alcina starts looking at the sad (Donna) and tearful (Moreau) faces of her so called ‘siblings’. Heisenberg is surprisingly calm which puts Alcina on high alert, but lets it slide in favour of the more pressing matter
“We have a big problem. The Duke will not arrive on time for Mother’s Day. That means all the presents we bought for Mother will not arrive”
“We need a solution, any ideas?”  
“We kill the Lycans responsible and feed them to my fish”
“Yes Moreau, but that’s after we solve this problem” Donna said and tries to placate a Moreau by patting him at the back.
“Whoa, that’s a bit dark but I like it. And Moreau is right, we’re gonna make fish food out of those Lycans” “Better off those basdards, after all I don’t want to implicate myself” Heisenberg thinks
“People, you’re missing the point here” Alcina says pinching her nose to ward off an incoming headache. “Listen, we don’t have time. You know Mother Miranda, She’ll say she wasn’t really expecting something and then low-key punishes us for missing the day. We don’t want a repeat of the 1967 incident do we?”
Moreau whimpers from the trauma.
Donna goes into a slight trance and starts to shake.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough” Heisenberg stands. “Why don’t we just bake something and say it’s from all of us”
 *beat*
“Do you know how to bake?”
“I work at the Factory, I make steel molds for a living how hard could it be?”
“That doesn’t answer my question Heisenberg”
“We could make a small doll” Donna pipes up
“Sorry Donna that would still take time. And I don’t think we have the right materials on such short notice.” Alcina says
“For someone who’s looking for a solution you sure are shooting down all of them”
“Because it’s not feasible Heisenberg.” Alcina huffs “Can you gather all the materials in less than 10 hours? No? Of course not”
“And I keep telling you just BAKE A CAKE!”
“I don’t know how to bake, child! I’m a BLOODY COUNTESS not hired help” Alcina bellows at Heisenberg
“I know how to bake”
Everyone turns to Donna.
“Really?”
“Of course, I used to watch my Mother bake cakes before the accident. I just need help decorating. I never got a hang of that part” Donna beams with pride as she explains the basics of baking
“And we can gather the ingredients no problem. You have a pantry here somewhere right Alcina?” Moreau asked
“Of course. We always have a full pantry for the servants.” At that Heisenberg looks at Alcina with a hint of disbelief
“What? We need them healthy to serve us. I’m not a complete monster.” Alcina defends
“In any case we should start early. It takes time to cool and decorating is hard”
 Castle Kitchen (12 hours 30 minutes before Mother’s Day)
It was truly a sight to see. In a way it was enough for the Castle’s servants to wet themselves in fear when they saw the 4 Lords gathered at the kitchen in various forms of concentration. Needless to say, everyone was warned to steer clear of the kitchen for now.
Moreau was together with Donna supporting her with mixing the wet ingredients. Meanwhile, at the other side of the cooking station Alcina and Heisenberg are charge of measuring out the dry ingredients.
“You need to be precise, don’t put too much. Remember what Donna said and look at the damn recipe”
“I know what I’m doing you damn woman. I’m all about precision. Why don’t you move away and get that mixing bowl at the top shelf.” Heisenberg grouched
“I’m not your servant. And I certainly will not start fetching stuff for you” Alcina shot back
“Alcina, we need to work together. We don’t have time and you’re the tallest of us all. Please cooperate with Karl just this once. Please?” Donna implored
“Once. I’m helping him for this one time only. When I get my hands on the Lycan responsible for this problem, I’m gutting him and throwing him at Moreau’s reservoir.” At Donna’s admonishment of Alcina, Heisenberg gives a shit eating grin, showing some rather very pointy canines.
“And Heisenberg, stop provoking Alcina.” Donna adds
“Fine, you’re no fun Donna”
Suffice to say, the baking went well. Who knew that the 4 Lords working together would be a great success? If only Mother Miranda saw her children working together peacefully she might have had a heart attack and thought that she suffered one as well.
Or she might have been dreaming.
 Castle Kitchen (6 hours before Mother’s Day)
“Alright, the cake has cooled down completely, So what color will be the icing?” Donna asked
“Yellow” “Cream” “Light Blue” the other three said simultaneously.
 *beat*
“Light blue? Really? Not everything needs to be manly Heisenberg”
“And not everything needs to be boring like your color, Alcina”
“It should be yellow, like Mother’s sunny smile” Moreau explains
“And in which ever universe has Mother ever smiled like the sun?” Heisenberg counters Moreau
“Hey now. No need for that tone!”
“Tsk, sorry Moreau” Heisenberg apologizes to a quiet Moreau
“Fine, let’s do pastel yellow it’s easier for the eyes anyway” Donna supplies, getting ready to start coating the cake with the yellow cream
 Inside the Sanctuary
“Happy Mother’s day”
“We hope you like the cake Mother”
“Yes, we poured out our love in baking it. I hope you appreciate it” Heisenberg said
“Why thank you loves. This is a wonderful surprise. And Moreau said that you all worked together in baking it. How wonderful!” Mother Miranda said grateful for once that her children worked together without collateral damage (that she knew of).
“Although Heisenberg, I heard something interesting from Urias” Mother Miranda looks pointedly at Heisenberg, who for some reason starts to sweat and turn pale.
‘oh shit’ “Really Mother? Good news I hope” Heisenberg tries to bluff his way out.
“Why it was quite peculiar really. He said that you got 10 of his Lycans for a special project. I wasn’t aware that you have some side projects”
 The 3 Lords turn to Heisenberg
“Wait what?”
“I KNEW IT!!” Alcina unsheathes her claws
“You’re responsible for this mess in the first place!!”
“Really guy relax, if anything I just proved that we need more than one traveling merchant in the village for a successful and on time delivery” Heisenberg starts to carefully ease his way to the nearest exit.
 “GET HIM”
In the end, Alcina was more than ready to feed Heisenberg to Moreau’s pet fish. Only Donna stopped her, citing Moreau would probably be inconsolable if his pet got indigestion from all the metal.
And that is how Heisenberg saw himself in doggy jail for a week along with his Lycan cohorts. Mother Miranda did get her Mother’s day gifts from her children although a bit later than expected.
 And the cake?
 The cake was surprisingly delicious.
132 notes · View notes
dropssofjupitter · 3 years
Text
Coffee Cups and Cigarettes
Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader
Summary: Ever since Fred’s near death experience at the battle of Hogwarts, everyone at the Burrow had been walking on eggshells around him and doting on him as much as they could. Everyone, that is, except you. The end of the war may have freed everyone else, but it changed and hardened you. And after a late night walk, Fred is going to find out just how much. 
Word Count: 2.4k 
Warnings: Mentions of war, PTSD, nightmares, not handling trauma in a healthy way, mentions of depression but not in an explicit way, depictions of smoking, very slight mention of drinking
Masterlist
A/N: I don’t even know where this came from but here have an angst fic. Also I’m really sorry for the lack of content lately! I’ve been struggling with my mental health and am trying to pull myself out of my rut by picking back up my unfinished fics. 
Tumblr media
You could still hear the screams. You could still remember watching bodies fall and the bright flashes of curses burst across your vision. You saw the bodies of Remus and Tonks, lying still, arms outstretched towards each other, every time you closed your eyes. You remembered the feeling of dread settling into your stomach as you spotted his deathly still body across the room, his family surrounding his body with tear stained faces. 
Memories of the war haunted you every time you closed your eyes, suffocating you with their feelings of fear and desperation. They woke you up in a panicked frenzy night after night, hands gripping the bed sheets and desperately reaching for your wand out of impulse. Eventually, you stopped trying to sleep. Instead you took to sitting in your room, a cup of coffee in your hand and a book open on your lap. To the others, it seemed like you were coping, like you were trying to return to whatever sense of normalcy that you’d had before the war. They couldn’t have been more wrong. What they saw as coping, you knew was the opposite. Instead, you were using the books and insomnia as a way to ignore your feelings of inner turmoil and pain. 
When the flashes of green curses began to overtake your vision every time a wave of exhaustion rolled through you, you turned to walks. You walked in the woods outside of the Burrow, letting the sickly sweet summer nights wash you in their cool heat as you walked for hours upon hours. You walked until your legs felt like jelly and your breath was coming out in short bursts; you walked until the orange hues of the sun tainted the dark night that had cloaked you for so long.
No one at the Burrow knew that you took such walks, and to be honest, you wanted to keep it that way. Your actions would only make them worry and try to reach out more, and as it was, you could hardly interact with them at all.  Every time you looked at the Weasley’s or your friends, your head couldn’t help but to fill with what-if’s. 
What if Harry hadn’t woken up? What if Ron had failed to dodge the killing curse? What if Hermione had decided to take on Nagini by herself? What if Mrs. Weasley hadn’t been able to kill Bellatrix? What if Fred had been unable to minimize the damage on the Confrigo curse?
They consumed you, those thoughts. They threatened to voice themselves every time you so much as glanced up at someone with red hair, so you kept to yourself. But while you sought solitude, everyone else sought comfort. Harry and Ginny were hardly apart from each other for long, hands clasped tightly at all times. They whispered in hushed voices in the corners of the rooms, strained smiles on their faces. At night, you could hear Ginny’s soft footsteps pass by your door as she headed to Harry’s room. 
Ron and Hermione were complicated. They were often engaged in fights that soon evolved into screaming matches; sometimes Hermione won, other times Ron did. In the end, it never really mattered who won. The two of them would make up by dinner, and sit next to each other with their hands intertwined underneath the table and terse smiles on their faces, knowing that tomorrow they would have the exact same fight.
If Fred and George were close before, they were nearly inseparable now. They had closed their joke shop for the time being, giving Fred time to heal after his brush with death, and were often found trying their best to keep the mood in the house light. They knew all too well the importance of humor in dark times.
Fred had changed though, and you knew that you weren’t the only one who’d noticed it. You’d caught him staring into the distance multiple times, eyes trained on something that no one else could see. His skin would pale, his hands would shake, and sometimes it would take him an agonizingly long time to pull himself out of whatever he was seeing. 
No one ever mentioned it. Instead, they chose to live in their blissful ignorance and show their support in ways that they were familiar with. They let him choose meals and take his seat first. They joked with him, let him choose the nights entertainment, never asked him to do any chores. They were walking on eggshells around him, and it was infuriating. 
You knew that you could never tell them that, though. You knew that if you did, the entire structure that the family had been clinging to for so long would topple without warning. So you bit your tongue and forced a smile; forced yourself to laugh along with them at one of George’s strained jokes, and forced yourself into complacency. 
And it had been working, until Fred had wandered outside and, subsequently, upon you leaning on the porch railing. 
It was dark out, still the early hours of the morning, and you had a mug of steaming coffee clasped in your hands like a lifeline. Hearing the front door open, you looked over at him, obviously startled before looking quickly away once more. “I didn’t know that anyone else was up,” you said quietly, taking a small sip of your coffee and wincing as it burned the tip of your tongue. 
He hesitated before replying, moving to sit on the rickety steps that connected the porch to the ground. “Neither did I,” he replied with a small smile, fiddling with a package in his hand as he looked out at the fields surrounding his home. 
You glanced over at him and nodded to his hands. “What are those?” you asked, doing your best to make conversation as the two of you were bathed in starlight. You hoped it wasn’t incredibly obvious that you were uncomfortable with him being outside with you. It felt like he was encroaching on your safe space, but you didn’t have the heart to kick him out. 
His hands stop flipping the package and he stilled for a moment before forcing a smile onto his face and opening it. He looked over at you as he pulled out a cigarette and placed it between his lips before taking a lighter out of his shirt pocket. “My secret to staying sane,” he replied, lighting the cigarette and placing the nearly empty container on the step next to him. 
You tried to force a smile, mouth turning up at the ends in a shaky gesture as your eyes shifted from staring past him to staring at the fields surrounding you, but after a minute you dropped it. You were so tired of pretending that everything was okay. That you were okay. A deafening silence fell over the two of you, and it fell heavily on your shoulders.
You used to be good at talking to people; before the war. You used to be able to start a conversation over the most mundane objects and let it foster a wary friendship. You were exceptional at it. And then the war happened. Now you didn’t know how to talk to anyone. Every conversation was strained and dense; filled with silences that neither you nor those that you were conversing with knew how to handle. 
You glanced over at Fred, flinching as your mind twisted the sight and forced you to see the deathly stillness you had come to know quite well in your nightmares. Closing your eyes, you turned your head away and took a drink for your mug. You were far too sober to be dealing with this right now. 
Fred took a drag of the cigarette, inhaling deeply before blowing out a puff of smoke, watching it curl and flip in the cold sky. “Why won’t you look at me?” he asked quietly, staring down at the cigarette that lay between his fingers before looking up at you. 
You stared out at the field, watching the fog lay over it like a loving blanket. Your coffee mug was resting comfortably in your hands, and you blew on it gently. “Because every time I do, I watch you die.”
You were never one to sugarcoat the truth, he knew that. Often you were even described as brutally honest. But it was no stretch to say that he had never expected you to say that. He hesitated in his reply, something you picked up on easily yet held your tongue about. “I didn’t die,” he replied, taking another drag. “No matter how much George wants to be one brother short of a twin, I can’t give him the satisfaction.” His lips curled up in a smile, and you knew that he was trying to diffuse the tense air around the two of you. 
“But you almost did,” you said calmly, lifting the mug to your lips and taking a sip. It was scary sometimes, how unbothered you were about things like this. It was like you weren’t properly feeling, and maybe you weren’t. Or maybe you were compartmentalizing, shoving what you didn’t need into the depths of your mind.
 “So did everyone else. We all took risks in the war, but we made it out,” he said with a shrug, turning his head to look out at the field as well. 
You took time with your response, turning the words over in your mouth and feeding them to yourself in a mental debate. You knew that once you said them, you would be opening the talk into something more, something bigger. Maybe...maybe that would be a good thing. “Then why does it feel like we never left?” you asked in a soft voice, eyes now trained on the coffee in your hands.
He paused, cigarette frozen inches from his lips. You could tell he was mulling over his answer as well; wondering if he should let you in or push you back beyond his walls. Eventually, he smiled, an expression that conveyed no joy and was paired with a bitter laugh. “I wish I fucking knew.” 
You accepted his answer, choosing not to pry or open up any further as the two of you lapsed into a comfortable silence. You listened to the birds chirp their wakeup call as the sun finally began to emerge from beyond the hills, and inwardly you knew that your time out here was limited now. Your friends were going to start waking up soon, and they would be concerned if they found you outside at this hour. Just as you were about to finish the rest of your coffee and leave, Fred spoke again. 
“Why were you out here?” he asked, eyes turning to catch yours as you finally looked over at him. You saw a flash of his body in the Great Hall, pale skinned and eerily quiet with his family standing over him and quickly looked away again. 
You debated lying to him. Telling him that you’d heard a noise and were unable to go back to sleep. But you were so tired of lying. You were tired of hiding flinches, of hiding the dark circles under your eyes, of hiding. Your fingers fidgeted with the bracelet you wore on your wrist, a reminder of your parents, of what you lost, and you sighed. “It’s hard for me to sleep, so I come out here instead. It’s . . peaceful. Quiet. It makes me feel safe.” 
Out of the corner of your eye you saw him nod in understanding while taking a final drag from his cigarette and dropping it onto the porch before stomping it out. “It’s the nightmares, right? They keep you up and take you back to the war.” 
You silently nodded your head, closing your eyes and pressing your hands up to your face as a sudden feeling of desperation welled up inside of you. “I haven’t slept in months,” you confessed softly. You squeezed your eyes shut, fighting against the slew of emotions that were suddenly surfacing after being pushed down and held back for so long. 
You could sense Fred hesitating, feel him cautiously stand up. You heard the soft creaking of the porch as he walked over to you, unsure of what to do and how to help. “Can I . . . can I hug you?” he asked gently, feet shuffling as he shifted his weight from side to side. 
Taking in a deep, shuddering breath, you nodded. “I just-” your voice broke and you cleared your throat. “I just want to know when I’m going to stop seeing everything. I can’t blink without seeing the school. Without seeing him. It’s like..,” you took another breath, your shoulders shaking and your eyes shining with unshed tears. “It’s like I’m always going to be back there. Watching people die. Unable to save any of them.” 
Fred wrapped his arms around you, resting his head on top of yours as the two of you faced the grassy hills that surrounded the Burrow. “Every time I close my eyes I wonder what would’ve happened if I hadn’t fired that counter curse.” 
Your hands dropped from your face slowly, reaching down to place a comforting hand on his arm to let him know that you were there for him as tears slipped silently down your face. 
“I can see it, you know. When they look at me. I can see it in their eyes. They’re all thinking the same thing that I am.” His fists clench and he grits his teeth, pain evident on his face as his mind takes him back to the final battle.  “If I had been a second slower...” he trailed off, eyes hardening. 
You could smell the smoke on him like this. It clung to him like a cloud, sticking to his clothes and enveloping you in its scent. It was, surprisingly, calming. And you could see why he had turned to smoking as a coping mechanism. 
Wordlessly you lifted one of his hands to your lips, pressing a soft kiss to his palm. “Thank you for not being a second slower,” you whispered, leaning your head back against his chest and savoring the feeling of being held. 
You knew that in a few short minutes you would have to move; to go back up to your room and pretend that you had gotten a restful nights sleep and that you were actually okay. But for now you were content to be here, in this moment. You were content to live in this point in time for a few more seconds and pretend that you weren’t terribly broken inside. You could allow yourself this, one thing. 
.
.
.
Taglist:
@hydrasbitches 
Add yourself to my taglist here
234 notes · View notes
coeurdastronaute · 3 years
Text
Atlas: Venus
Tumblr media
Previously on Atlas
I was a billion little pieces ’til you pulled me into focus Astronomy in reverse It was me who was discovered In the highest tower, in the back, darkest lab, lit by only the few monitors of the wall of screens, the youngest Luthor sighed before digging her fingertips into the corners of her eyes and digging there, as if hoping to evict the sleepiness physically despite it being etched into the deepest parts of her bones and muscles. She leaned back in her chair and stretched her body only to find the cup of coffee that remained lukewarm and barely palatable. 
Only the light of her phone getting a notification drew her attention from the disdain she had as she took another swig of the wretched drink. 
She ignored that as best she could, hoping to hide away from the part of her life that always seemed to follow, and instead, shifted her gaze to the laptop with the CADMUS logo etched on the top of it. Her chair swiveled as she turned to face it, her fingers steepling in front of her lips as she clenched her jaw and felt the temptation to know lingering beneath the surface of her bones. Her whole body yearned. 
But it was Pandora’s box, and Lena knew what waited on the other side, in the darkness, if she were to peak inside the lid. 
But if she did open it, she would have answers. 
But if she did, she’d hate herself. 
But she already hated herself. 
But she could hate herself even more, she was certain. 
But if she didn’t, who would stop her mother?
Lena sighed again, her shoulders softening and her body giving into the defeat. The only thing that separated her from the sociopaths of her family was having a strict moral line of which she refused to cross. That was it. And it was a thin, thin, thin line. Terrifyingly slim, at the moment. 
With a moment of weakness passed slowly, agonizingly slow, Lena pushed at the laptop and stood, craving fresh air and some physical distance from the temptation that nagged at her and tore apart her willpower. In a turn of events, she found herself relating to Eve more and more, and understood how easy it was to bite the apple. 
But instead of looking again, Lena looked straight ahead and sought fresh air. She hoped to run into the darkness of the roof in the middle of the night, but as she pushed open the fire escape door, the grey sliver of sunrise began. She squinted against it and inhaled the dew and the stillness of a city waking. 
There was a secret on the roof, that Lena never shared with anyone, and that was the pack of cigarettes she kept hidden behind the telephone box, and it was almost habit at this point for her to grab one as she made her way outside, twisting it a few times in her hands before flicking the lighter and disrupting the dark and instead becoming another flash of light in the twinkling city. 
With a long first drag, she exhaled smoke into the clouds and leaned against the railing, surveying and seeing nothing, but enjoying the peace that came on top of the world and far removed from it all. It helped to step away from temptation. She had to, sometimes. 
The city faded after that, until she was looking at nothing more than the outline of her hand as it held the cigarette. She watched the red end burn down to nothing, as she found a kind of peace in just the feeling of warmth and the dancing of smoke as it joined the sky. 
“Shit,” she hissed after letting it burn too low, effectively burning her fingers before dropping the butt toward the city below. 
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No, it wasn’t--” Lena paused as she kissed her own finger, sucking on the pain of the burn as if it would fix it completely. “Hello, Supergirl.” 
“Good evening, Ms. Luthor. Enjoying the fresh air?” 
“As much as I can.” 
Strong and firm, Supergirl stood there, allowing herself to land on the roof, still keeping herself at a distance from the CEO. She was close, but not too close, and that was enough. Lena just smiled softly to herself. She didn’t have much else to offer. 
“I wanted to thank you for your help the other day. I needed a better perspective, and you were able to--”
“It was nothing,” Lena shook her head. “Please.” 
“I don’t think we have to be on opposite sides anymore.” 
“Were we ever?” 
“I don’t know, maybe,” Sueprgirl offered weakly as she scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. “I hoped not.” 
Lena stared at her features, studying them, printing them into her memory so she could try to figure her out, as if that were an option. Sometimes, Lena was certain she’d be able to see the strong jaw anywhere and know it. She saw slivers of Supergirl everywhere. She saw her eyes on the street, she saw her lips at the restaurant across from her condo. She saw her hair in the park. But never at one time, and never all together, never in the perfect package that stood beside her presently. 
“I trust you completely,” Supergirl finally offered. 
It was becoming almost common, almost normal for them, Lena realized as she looked at the hero’s eyes. She was used to parts of her now, the parts that she didn’t see on TB, or in front of other people. For the first time, she wondered if their nightly rendezvous were completely accidental, or more ushered along by homemade chance. 
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” 
There came the scoff, the chuckle, the shucks and shake of a head as Supergirl took a deep breath and relaxed despite Lena’s latest proclamation. It was more honest than she wanted to be with the stranger who wasn’t nearly strange enough to be different. 
“I’d like to think we knew each other better than that,” Supergirl chided, childish and taunting. 
They stood closer than before, a feat accomplished over weeks and months and a grueling pace of millimeters. 
“I don’t even know your name.” 
It seemed to take her off guard, but Supergirl recovered swiftly, turning her gaze on Lena with something the CEO wasn’t entirely sure of experiencing before from the hero. Maybe she was debating the trust, realizing she really couldn’t do it. Lena shook her head and pushed herself up from leaning against the railing. 
“Have a good night, Supergirl,” she offered 
Lena made it three steps before she felt  a gentle hand grab her wrist. She felt her heart flutter and furrowed at the feeling, though she refused to turn around. 
“Kara.” 
It was quiet, it was the truth, and Lena held her breath until Supergirl dropped her hand. 
“Kara,” Lena repeated. 
“Have a good night, Lena.” 
In a breeze, she was gone again, and Lena was left with a name and perhaps a secret she was certain not many were entrusted to keep. 
“Kara,” she repeated again, testing it out. There were just more questions left to be answered now, because now Supergirl was a person, with a name, and maybe that was what her brother was missing all along. Maybe that was enough to keep someone on the side of good-- to be known, and yet unknown. To act magnanimously. 
XXXXXXXXXX
It was incredibly stupid, but Kara didn’t care. For the first time in her life, she really didn’t care that she’d taken a risk. It should have been something she considered, but she hadn’t. It just popped out. 
She didn’t tell her sister. That would have been suicide. She didn’t even want to admit it to herself, but she thought about it the entire flight home. She thought about how reckless and how silly it had been, and how great of a risk she’d put herself and her family in. 
But it didn’t matter. 
There was just something about the way Lena looked, how sad she was sometimes, and how desperate she seemed to be to do good and feeling painfully inadequate. There was a savior part of Kara that just couldn’t shake it. There was also a part of her that couldn’t stand to see Lena not happy, and chasing the feeling of her laugh, as distant as it was. Kara wasn’t sure why that existed, that need to make hear that laugh or see that smile. 
Kara sighed as she flopped onto her bed. Suddenly she was someone who was worried about a pretty girl and how to make her smile. 
XXXXXXXXXX
It took about three days for Lena to discover Kara, and not Supergirl. She didn’t want to believe it, and yet, there was the same jaw and smile. 
“I didn’t expect to run into the likes of you here.”
Lena held her breath because she knew the voice before she turned around in the barstool. She didn’t breathe. She twirled the ice around in her cup and pursed her lips before turning back into the woman on the balcony and not the sad sack washing away some misery at the first bar she came across after her most recent meeting. 
“No I, you.” 
“Are you going to turn around?” 
“I don’t think I will,” Lena said as she finally took another sip of her drink. “I don’t know why, but I can’t.” 
She was still and quiet in the middle of the bar. But Lena could still feel her presence, and she understood Lot’s wife a little, suddenly. That was the thought she had in her head, from all those years ago in private school chapel. It would change everything. 
“Could I join you, Lena?” 
That was the question. 
When Lena tilted her head slightly she saw familiar hands rooted on the back of the stool back. She saw wrists. She saw the tiny scar near her palm that intrigued her infinitely. But she didn’t move to acknowledge the girl behind her, just to order them both drinks. Politely, ever with her manners and decorum, the hero waited patiently while Lena watched the drinks poured and only nodded after taking another drink. 
“If I can buy you a drink, you may join me.” 
Before it could be rescinded, a body slid into the seat, stretching her torso to squeeze close to Lena, to crawl in as quickly as possible. Lena inhaled a distinctly Supergirl smell and felt her heartbeat thumping belligerent in her chest. Slowly, she followed the wrist to an elbow, and a loosely rolled sleeve hanging there. From there she moved to shoulder, to jaw, to lips pressed against glass, to those eyes. 
And he stared, unmoving, trying her hardest to comprehend it all. 
Kara put down her drink after making a bit of a face and adjusted her glasses. She offered a small, faint smile. 
“You look different at ground level.” 
“So do you,” Kara chuckled. “Is that all I get?” 
“I have a million questions, but I honestly don’t know where to start.” 
“I trust you.” 
“That might answer a third of them.” 
Kara shook her head and adjusted slightly. 
“I wanted to know the real you. To do that, I had to give you the real me.” 
The answer made Lena fidget as she adjusted slightly, recrossing her legs. She blushed slightly to see Kara’s eyes move to the hem of her skirt and follow her thighs. 
“But why?” 
“Because I trust you,” Kara repeated adamantly. “And I think you might want to get to know the real me, too.” 
“I will admit only to a minute fascination.” 
“I can work with minute.” 
“Infinitesimal,” Lena corrected. 
“I’ve done more with less.” 
Despite it all, Lena smiled to herself. She felt Kara shift closer and she suddenly found herself adjusting again and her cheeks bursting pink. She didn’t know that Kara could tell her heart was racing. 
“I’m happy to run into you, for what it’s worth.” 
“What brings you here?” 
“Oh, I was here with some friends. It’s our normal bar. I live close by.” 
“Hadn’t really considered you living anywhere.” 
Kara chuckled and Lena found herself searching every inch of Kara’s face. She saw the cut of her jaw when she tilted her head back. She saw the arch of her eyebrow and the slope of her cheeks. 
“Not as good of a view as your place, but I don’t mind. It’s home.” 
There was something about the way her biceps looked in the old flannel that hung from a shoulder, hidden but still there. And the shading near her clavicle and the tenderness of her hands. She seemed more comfortable in he brown skin, less stoic and less rigid. 
“I wouldn’t want to interrupt your time with friends,” Lena sighed, looking over Kara’s shoulder, wondering who she might have been there with, wondering if they knew, too.
“You’re not.” 
“Are you certain--”
“Let’s get out of here,” Kara decided as she downed the rest of her glass. “I think you might need something to soak up your bad day.” 
“Ok.” 
XXXXXXXXXX
The way she liked ketchup on her fries, and how precise she was in opening every packet and squirting them into a big puddle. And there was the way she took a giant bit of her burger, careful to catch the tomato that tried to escape, carefully tucking it back in with the lettuce. Her face when she chewed and savored, relieved for all of the goodness that came with the greasy food. 
Kara stared unabashedly. 
She smiled faintly and ate another fry, careful to look away before Lena could accuse her of staring. 
“I have a nutritionist, you know,” Lena proudly announced. “And a private trainer.” 
“I’m sure you do.” 
“You can’t tell?” she raised her eyebrows, challenging Kara, and earning a slight blush. 
“I mean… you’re certainly…. Fit. It’s very, um, yeah-- noticeable-- that you, uh take care…” Kara shoved another fry in her mouth. She accidentally looked at Lena’s chest and blanched before burning alive. 
“I’ve eaten at the best restaurants all over the world, and I have to say. This might be the best bite I’ve ever had.” 
“That’s the whiskey talking,” Kara tried. 
Lena did this thing, she was learning, where when confronted with a statement she didn’t particularly agree with, she waved it off. Kara liked the way her hair tucked behind her ear. 
“Do you honestly believe that a few glasses is enough to take away my senses?” 
“I wouldn’t imagine thinking anything like that. You’re far too impressive for such things.” 
Kara smiled and took a sip of her drink as Lena took another large bite from her burger. There was something freeing in seeing Lena like this-- not drunk, not absent, but perhaps just uninhibited. It was late, suddenly, but they kept to their booth, enjoying their late night dinner. Kara didn’t even mind when Lena took one of her onion rings. 
Even when their plates were taken and their conversation continued with the refills, Kara couldn’t stop staring. She didn’t really want to. She pulled her knee up and leaned against the wall of the diner while Lena explained the absolutely boring and unproductive meeting that took up her entire afternoon. Kara was hooked. 
It was easy for Lena to switch the conversation to Kara because Kara liked the furrow Lena had when she asked questions, and she liked being honest, finally. 
“What about this?” Lena murmured, leaning forward and turning over Kara’s palm. She traced the faint scar on her palm. “I thought you were impenetrable.” 
Kara felt the hair on the back of her neck raise slightly. She gulped. 
“Oh.. um, this was from when I was a kid.” 
“Before you got here?” 
“Yeah, I fell. I used to fall a lot. Clumsy kid and all. It was a trip to the mountains with my parents, and uh, we,” Kara furrowed and for the first time, looked away. “I just tripped, braced myself, got a pretty deep cut.” 
Lena nodded and furrowed a little more as well, just as Kara shook the thoughts away and looked back toward her. Fingertips stopped gliding against her skin, and by the time she looked down at her expose palm and back up, Lena Luthor stood from her side of the booth. 
“What happened?” 
“You live around here, don’t you?” 
“I-- yes?” 
They made it outside of the diner and evening had put most of the city back to sleep for the night. The traffic was non-existent and those left guzzling burnt coffee were the nightwalkers, the ones who existed only on this schedule. 
“It’s down this way,” Kara nodded her head as she shoved her hands in her pockets. 
They went about three steps before Lena tugged Kara against the alleyway behind the dinner, gripped her shirt tightly in her fists, and kissed her. 
“Oh,” Kara whispered, unable to open her eyes. It was rough at first until they caught their breath, and then there was a gentleness, a rush of words against her lips. 
“Sorry--”
“No,” she shook her head. 
When she opened her eyes, Kara just saw Lena Luthor staring back at her, worried she’d messed it up entirely. She wretched her hands from her pockets and smiled as she cupped Lena’s cheeks before leaning forward and kissing her back. 
“Who is kissing me right now?” Lena whispered when she woke from the stupor. Her hands loosened slightly but still held there. 
“Me.” 
“Which is the real you?” 
“This one. Right here. Right now.” 
Kara watched as Lena flexed her jaw, clenching it and thinking it through. Their faces were so close they couldn’t see much else other than the other. Lena nodded.
Next
122 notes · View notes
thetaoofzoe · 3 years
Text
Fic: Ethan Hunt Must Die 1/1
Tumblr media
Pairing: August Walker x YOU
Word Count: 10,420
Summary: You are a medic and a member of what’s left of  The Apostles. And it’s not rumour anymore. August Walker is definitely not dead. All you want to do is help him with his cause, kill those responsible for his grave injuries (and foiling his manifesto) and make Ethan Hunt pay. Falling in love with August Walker is just a given ;)
Rating: Mature to Explicit some Violence, sex and fluff and yearning and impetuous kisses, explosions and delicious August Walker.  And, this story is not as serious as it may appear, so have fun reading.
Note: If you have been around you’ve seen the original iteration of this story, but maybe not in its entirety. It was originally broken up into 10 parts as A Month of August Walker Challenge. Now, in all of its revamped glory is the complete story all in one place.  
Want to read more? Click for my Masterlist
Tumblr media
Your contact was a pleasant woman. She’d collected you from the tiny airport in Kashmir and on the way to your destination, she’d offered to buy snack food for you from a nearby shop.
‘The cabin is fully stocked,’ she reasoned pointing to the squat building by the side of the road, ‘but in case you want a Coke or something.’
You did want a Coke in fact and you took her up on the offer. Along with a few cans of cola you grabbed other items – chocolate bars, fishing tackle, and feminine hygiene products. You didn’t know how long you were going to be out there in the middle of nowhere, and you didn’t want to use up the precious bog roll when your cycle eventually came.
The woman was leaning against the side of the battered truck and smoking a cigarette when you stepped out of the shop. Eyeing your purchases, she nodded with approval.
‘Good idea,’ she said, making a vague gesture towards you with her cigarette. ‘We didn’t think about a woman’s needs during such a long excursion. Next time. There are all sorts of painkillers in the stocks though… just so you are aware.’
She put a gloved hand on her lower belly and laughed a little.
‘I know how it can get.’
You smiled, grateful to be sharing this moment with her, woman to woman, and thanked her before getting back into the truck.
‘Is there gonna be a next time?’ you asked, sweeping the seatbelt across your chest and clicking it into place.
She didn’t look at you as she started the truck and set off down the road.
‘I hope this is the last, ‘ she said finally and as it seemed like such a struggle for her to come up with an answer that she seemed satisfied with, you didn’t continue to press the matter.
Settling into the seat, you unwrapped a chocolate bar, and with three large bites, had it stuffed into your mouth. The salty chocolate and nougat were glorious and you moulded the sweet wad into the roof of your mouth so that you could savour it with slow licks.  You folded the plastic-coated wrapper into a small square and tucked it in your jacket pocket.
The woman drove along the rough frosty mountain roads as if you two were being chased. She didn’t seem at all phased with how the truck bounced and jumped dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, as if one wrong turn of the wheel wouldn’t send the two of you plunging down into the river below.
That imagery triggered sudden rage in you.
Goddamn you, Ethan Hunt, you thought.
You wanted just two minutes alone with Hunt to make him regret having ever laid eyes on August Walker. Hunt deserved nothing but a long slow torturous death.
Ever since the incident, The Apostles had been split on what to do regarding  August Walker. Should he be left out there and forgotten? Or should his remains be recovered and given a proper burial?
The thought that there was nothing left to recover prevailed until reports that August had survived the fall started trickling in. With this new knowledge, it was impossible to prevent the uprising that voted to scour the mountains to find him. This time, your only mission was to man the cabin in the event one of the search teams found him.
‘Not far to the cabin. Ayami is apart of the search team. You know her, yes?’ asked the woman.
‘Yes. I know her.’
‘Good, Ayami planned all of this, coordinated us, and was able to pinpoint a location not far from this cabin.’
Not enough planning for a menstrual cycle, you thought, petulantly.
‘It will work out,’ she continued and nodded. ‘He will be found.’
‘This is the third time someone has,’ you made inverted commas in the air with your fingers, ‘pinpointed his location, only to run into IMF lies. We are wasting precious time. August is alive and we need to find him.’
The woman drove on in silence for a moment.
‘I agree with you, yes. I agree. But what do you suggest that we do? If not this.’
You relented and sighed. You had no idea what to do other than this.
‘If I could snap my fingers…’
You clicked your fingers and she chuckled, clicking hers as well.
‘He would be safe with us,’ she finished for you.
A half hour later, she slowed and finally stopped the truck and pointed through the windscreen at what looked like a stack of fallen trees.
‘Unfortunately, my friend,’ she said. ‘There is a way to drive up to the cabin. However, it is many, many kilometres that way and petrol for me is hard to come by right. It’s easier to drop you here and you take the trail. It’s only a few hours hike.’
You grabbed your rucksack from the foot well, reached over and one-arm hugged the woman and then got out. She did a wide circle turn around and pulled the truck up to where you stood.
‘Good luck, my friend. And take care.’
‘Take care,’ you said. ‘See you soon.’
She gave you a two-fingered salute and drove away.
**
It was cold that far up in the mountains and the beginning of the trail looked desolate. Securing your rucksack on your back, you began your long trek, and the cabin was a welcome sight after hours of navigating the rocky hard terrain.  Inside was small and utilitarian, but it was more than enough for you. You didn’t bother to take off your boots before falling onto the cot and into a deep exhausted sleep.
In the morning, you took stock of your surroundings. The cabin was pretty well-appointed with a wood stove, a table with two chairs, an amazingly comfortable cot and stacks and stacks of supplies. The gold-painted metal ammo closet in the back was comforting to see and you were going to familarise yourself with its contents later. But first, breakfast.
You got up to make coffee and noticed a medium-sized cardboard box sitting on the small dining table by the stove. There was a note.
‘Your name was given to me at the last moment. Here are some things you may need.’
And it was signed, ‘Ayami’.
You slit open the box with your pocket knife and laughed when you saw the contents. Ayami had packaged not only tampons and pads but several different styles of menstrual cups for you and you felt guilty for earlier, being such a brat about the supplies you needed.
‘You planned everything, Ayami,’ you said aloud to the empty room. ‘Thank you.’
You lit the fire in the stove and put a pot on to boil some water. A noise outside pricked your ears. It sounded like the heavy motor of an ATV and out of the noise you picked out the sounds of other engines drawing closer.
Shit! you thought, rushing to the ammo closet at the back of the cabin.
Flinging open the doors, you dragged out a single barrel shotgun, loaded it, and scrambled back to the front cabin door. Peering out through the narrow window you watched as several four-wheelers and one battered Land Rover raced towards the cabin. In a cloud of kicked up dirt and dust, the Rover drove straight up to the door and to your absolute surprise, the passenger door popped open and Ayami jumped out.
You opened the cabin door and came out.
‘Good!’ she shouted over the noise of the engines. ‘You’re here. Get the first aid boxes ready, now!’
You were a medic and understood the urgency in her tone. You ran back to the cabin and were piling bandages, antiseptics, and other items on the table when three men carried in a limp body between them. Ayami strode across the room and captured you in a hug.
‘I am happy to see you,’ she gasped breathlessly and grabbed your hands. ‘We found him!’
With heart crashing against your ribs, you looked to the man being stretched on the cot as Ayami continued.
Oh God… they found him.
‘Somehow some wanderers discovered him months ago and took him in.’
She trailed off and shook her head. She still seemed to be in shock.
‘Doesn’t matter,’ you told her and squeezed her hands. ‘We’re looking after him now. Radio in for helicopter transport. It may take a few days to get someone out here.’
You cleaned your hands and went to assess the situation. August was alive and badly burned, but gladly not beyond your repair. Ayami came back into the cabin after making the call and joined you at the bed.
‘You planned all of this, Ayami,’ you said. ‘You made this happen. What’re our next step?’
Ayami put her hand on your shoulder and smiled viciously.
‘To make Ethan Hunt pay.’
**
You were wrong.
It didn’t take a few days for the helicopter to arrive. It took two weeks. Although the cabin was well stocked and had nearly everything you needed to tend to August’s wounds, it wasn’t enough.
Ayami wanted to leave and take August the long way through the mountains. They had the power to transport him over land and it was fucking stupid to leave him at the cabin to succumb to something that could be fixed. His body was fighting a raging infection and frankly, he was losing. You explained to her your reasons for why it would be tough on August to try to drive with him through such hard terrain.  He was in a fragile state and jostling him all around in an unstable car could exacerbate any internal injuries. A chopper ride would be better.
Ayami understood that, however…
‘We’ve got plenty of antibiotics,’ she said reasonably. ‘Why can’t we give him some?’
‘Because we don’t know what he has. He could have a bacterial or viral infection and just picking something to give him might do more harm than good. I don’t want to take that risk.’
It wasn’t as if you didn’t want to pump him full of all of the pills you had, just to scattershot the infection, but incorrectly dosing him, in his weakened state,   might kill him. August Walker was alive and you were going to keep him that way.
So you did your best. With Ayami’s help, you kept him clean and dry and in order to manage his temperature, iced. August, however, foiled your attempts to tend to him effectively. He was delirious and unaware of  what was happening to him. More than once you had to extract yourself from his vice-like grip as he held onto you and growled guttural threats of violence to your person. All you could do was try to soothe him and mop his brow and use the aspirin to dull his obvious pain.
**
During the wait for air transport, you stayed up some nights with August. Sometimes you just sat at his bedside and read by the light of your headlamp. Sometimes you just watched him, held his hand and stroked his hair when nightmares haunted his sleep.
He would heal pretty well, you observed, and, without too much lasting damage to his face. He was fortunate that the hot oil missed his eye, although it ruined his ear. But you knew that too could be reconstructed.
‘We’re gonna get you back on your feet, August,’ you murmured on those nights when he was at his most fitful. ‘And we’re gonna get those people who did this to you.’
Even though you weren’t sure he could even hear you speaking, you continued to encourage and comfort him.  It was the least you could do.
**
‘You met John Lark before?’ Ayami asked over breakfast one morning, using August’s real name for the first time.
‘When he was going by John Lark?’ you asked for clarification and she nodded. ‘No. Not then. He had already assumed the new identity and was in the CIA when I turned up.’
‘He was not always like this,’ she said a bit cryptically.
‘How was he?’
Interest sparked in you.
She shook her head.
‘Just different. Maybe he’ll tell you someday.’
Ayami smiled at you and you turned, alerted by the soft groan coming from the bed.
‘Oh God, he’s waking up again,’ she chuckled and then asked you, ‘Top or bottom.’
You laughed inspite of yourself and gave the choice a moment’s thought. ‘Top’ meant that you got to administer medication, clean up his face and check his bandages, while ‘bottom’ meant that you would have to wrestle with his strong flailing arms and risk getting punched in the face. Ayami looked at you expectantly and you grimaced.
‘I had top last time, so…’
She smiled and got up, patting your arm in passing. ‘Then you get top this time.’
‘Ayami, c’mon,’ you protested rising from the chair. ‘I don’t want to be unfair.’
‘Yeah, sure,’ she said lifting her arms and flexing her biceps. ‘But, I need my workout.’
**
Ayami needed to stay in Kashmir to tie up some loose ends. So, you said your farewells and parted company when the chopper transport finally arrived.
You, on the other hand, were headed to New Delhi where another contact would meet and relieve you of your August-sitting duties.
Exhausted and battered, it was just after midnight when you finally arrived at the airport.  Out through the cloudy bubble heli-window, you saw the second contact rush to the settling helicopter. You unlatched an dragged open the side door.
‘Hello!’ he shouted over the roar of the blades overhead. ‘It’s Janus. You can come with me!’
‘Where am I going?’ you shouted back, not moving from where you were sitting next to August’s prone body.
He was still blissfully unconscious and sleeping quietly.
‘There is a safehouse here. You can rest. We will transport Walker to the small plane over there and continue on to London.’
You shook your head and were able to speak normally when the blades finally shuddered to a stop.
‘I’ll go on,’ you told Janus. ‘I’ll go on, it’s ok. I’ll stay with him.’
Janus looked puzzled.
‘No, you are to go to the safe house. I am to continue on.’
You had come this far. You weren’t going to leave August, so you again declined the offer of a trade.
‘Now. Come on. I’m not going to quibble with you,’ you said, kicking open the other door so that the two men accompanying Janus could wrangle the stretcher out of the chopper.
You watched them carry August off and jumping out of the heli, you turned to Janus.
‘Be well, my friend. But I’ve got it.’
Janus shrugged a little and nodded, seeing that you weren’t going to be swayed.
‘Is it really him?’ he asked and you could hear relief seeping into his voice.
You put your arms around him in a farewell hug.
‘It is,’ you said. ‘You have Ayami to thank for that. Make sure that you do.’
You ran after the two men carrying the stretcher. The men secured the stretcher inside and turned to help you into the back of the plane. You pulled closed the small plane’s door and made sure that August was securely strapped in. It was going to be another long ride to the final safe house.
**
It was raining in London, and as the small plane approached, the cool precipitation rinsed away grey foggy clouds to reveal the golden city. Through your headset, you listened to the pilot talk to air traffic control and learned that you were headed to Blackbushe Airport.
‘How far is the safe house from the airport?’ you asked the pilot.
‘Not far. Maybe 20 kilometers. Not far.’  
You were so ready to put your feet on land that you closed your eyes and envisioned a soft bed, a hot meal, and an even hotter bath. Glancing down at the still sleeping man on the stretcher at your feet, you felt a rise of tender feelings in your heart. Not only had your team recovered August Walker, alive, but you had a personal hand in his convalescence.  Reaching down, you touched his face. He felt hot, but not as feverish as before and you were relieved. Elevated fevers for sustained periods of time were dangerous and although he wasn’t out of the woods yet, he was better. You brushed a curl of brown hair off of his forehead and smoothed the edge of your thumb across his eyebrow. Yes, he was going to heal well and regain his strength to be able to fight another day.
Blackbushe Airport was small but efficient and there was a black, solid paneled van waiting for you. You helped the men with the stretcher and once August had been secured, you pulled yourself into the offered front passenger seat.  The driver nodded to acknowledge your presence and you put on your seatbelt as the van drove off.
Someone tapping on the window jarred you from the nap you didn’t realise you had fallen into. With a wet grunt, you sat up, reflexively swiped the back of your hand across your mouth, and dried the drool which had pooled in the corner. Hand still to your mouth, you shifted to look through the window. It was the driver and he made a gesture for you to get out.
You nodded to show that you understood and he moved off. Behind you in the cargo part of the van, you could hear men talking and then sounds of strain when they lifted the stretcher. Even unconscious, August wasn’t for the weak or fainthearted. You chuckled at your own analogy, unclipped the seatbelt and opened the door. Your legs wobbled when your feet hit the ground and you pressed back against the closed door until you felt that you could walk without collapsing. It took a while for your legs to finally firm and when they did you followed the men into the medium sized country manor house.
Inside smelt of cedar and pine. Your footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor as you walked into the charming front room and looked up at all of the old portraits and paintings and decorative weapons. Twin staircases, one on each side of the front room,  dog-legged up to the next level.  You approached a tall round table with a large vase of fresh flowers and walked around it. You peeked into dark rooms and soon found yourself in an equally as charming country kitchen. There was a man in there wearing a black jumper and blue jeans, drinking from a white mug.
‘Ah!’ he said when he saw you. ‘Come in, come in. Coffee?’
Aware that you looked particularly filthy and bedraggled, compared to his crispness, you cleaned your hands on your cargo trousers and stepped into the room.
‘Yes, please.’
The man obliged, saying, ‘It’s only instant, I’m afraid.’
Instant was fine and you didn’t protest when he handed you a cup.
‘And it’s terrible,’ he added with a laugh. ‘I’ve only just arrived and haven’t had a chance to flush out all of the pipes. Everything happened so fast.’
You nodded and drank the metallic tasting coffee without complaint.
‘Ayami, then. Right?’
You knew what he was asking. Ayami was the conductor of this orchestra and she deserved all of the credit.
‘Yes.’
‘Fuck… she’s a legend.’
Finishing the cup without much tasting it, you handed it back to him.
‘I’d like to clean up and make sure that he’s… that August is ok for the night.’
He took the cup and was nodding as he put both yours and his into the sink.
‘Sure, sure. I can do that. There is a room ready for the both of you. Come on, I’ll show you.’
You followed him up the stairs and down a quiet, thickly carpeted hallway which was also lined with gaily painted portraits. Upon reaching the room at the end, he stepped aside to let you go in first.
There was a trio of men in there, that you recognised as the medical team and the room had been set up like a well-stocked hospital room. The lemon yellow wallpaper with its sunflower print was a pleasant contrast to the medical equipment and other paraphernalia. The men greeted you and they all shared a happy look. You knew why and yes, you shared it too. You said nothing as you watched them undress and bathe August, glad that he could finally receive more focused treatment.
‘And my room?’ you asked.
August didn’t need you now and you had to look after yourself. Mr instant coffee led you back down the hall and showed you your bedroom and amenities. When he left you, you threw your rucksack on the floor by the bed, stripped out of your filthy clothes, and immediately ran a bath. When you finally emerged, refreshed, and clean down to your toes, you found a sandwich and cola waiting on the table next to the bed. You devoured it in a few bites but drank the cola slowly as you unpacked your rucksack. All the way at the bottom,  and rolled around a pair of thick socks was a clean shirt and sweatpants which you quickly pulled on. You sat on the edge of the bed and finished the cola.
Flopping onto your side and closing your eyes, you intended to rest for only a moment. However, sleep had other ideas.
**
Sunlight streamed in through the windows behind you and you woke suddenly then rolled over. On the wall at the head of the bed, a pleasant-looking woman smiled down at you from a pastoral painting and you were groggy enough to smile back. Rubbing your face you sat up, yawned, and swung your legs over the edge of the bed, staying there a moment to contemplate the night before. You hadn’t slept that well in a very long time and you were grateful to have finally got some rest. That old bed was a godsend.
After washing and dressing in clean clothes, you stood in the corridor outside your room door and looked down the hallway to where August slept.  His door was closed. The scent of coffee wafting up the stairs alerted you that someone else was awake and you wondered if it was Mr Instant coffee down there still flushing out the pipes and drinking metallic tasting coffee. You decided to leave him to it and you walked to August’s room.
You tapped on the door but there was no answer, so you turned the doorknob and let yourself in.  August was still asleep. The IV drip bag was half empty and the bandages on his face were bright and clean. He looked much better in the warm morning light and you couldn’t stop yourself from smiling. You smoothed down the patch of  IV tape on the back of his hand and August startled a yelp out of you when he moved.
His eyes were open and you found yourself under the clear scrutiny of the infamous August Walker. Before your inglorious meeting at the cabin, you had never been this close to him. The two of you never spoke nor had you even been in the same room.
His eyes moved all over your face as if hunting for something and you stood still letting him complete his inspection. When recognition finally bloomed in his eyes, he relaxed.
You ventured to put your hand over his.
‘Do you remember me?’ you asked.
‘I remember,’ he answered, voice raspy from disuse.
August fell silent and it seemed to take effort for him to speak.
‘I… remember you read to me.’
Your heart skipped with elation.
‘Yes.’
Breathing out a breath, August closed his eyes.
‘Thank you.’
‘We’ll make him pay, August,’ you said when he was quiet. ‘All of them.’
It didn’t matter that he had succumbed to sleep again and probably didn’t hear you. Ethan Hunt was going to pay.
**
It was fortunate Mr. Instant Coffee, as you dubbed him, was around to cook and clean because you weren’t about to look after Walker and do the domestic duties as well.
As the weeks drifted by and August grew stronger, you turned your interest away from him and to revenge.
Retribution, you liked to say to yourself. It was a much better word and to pull it off, you needed a team.
Ayami, of course, was on board. She was always up for some violence and you loved her for it. She knew exactly who you needed and how to contact them. And, if you were going to go through with it, all the way, you needed a solid plan. Every piece had to be in place for the whole machine to move forward. No stone could remain unturned.
You spent a lot of time in that country kitchen with plans and schematics and blueprints spread out in front of you on the table. The first order of business was to find the persons responsible; Benji, Ilsa, Luther and Hunt.
Find them, and observe.
‘That’s it,’ you’d told Ayami. ‘Find them and observe. Record their patterns, their travel, their habits, their pubs, markets, clothing stores, everything.’
You made sure to have rotating team members on each target so that said target would not recognise any reoccurring faces and become suspicious. IMF was a clever, skittish bunch and the way to lure them into the trap was to be patient and deliberate.
Early one morning, about three months into your stay at the safe house, a heavy thumping down the stairs distracted you from your research.
You got up, refilled your coffee and then poured a second fresh cup. Returning to the table you put the second cup in the space across from where you had been sitting. For two weeks now, August had been testing his newly found strength and had insisted on getting up and moving around own his own. He’d recently been cut out of his arm cast and was able to navigate his way on crutches. And on mornings after breakfast when he could get himself out of bed, he usually banged down the stairs and hobbled into the kitchen.
After a few days of this, you started preparing a cup of coffee for him. Whether he was looking for coffee or not, you always put out a second cup when you heard him coming down. And August was actually polite and thankful for the gesture. It surprised you. You expected him to be this gruff and grumpy take charge team leader who didn’t have time for underlings. When, in fact, August Walker was a very pleasant man.
‘Morning,’ you heard him say from the kitchen’s doorway.
‘Morning,’ you replied, nodding to the coffee cup.
He took up his regular place across from you, and leaned the crutches against the bench seat.
You looked at him finally. The bandages were all off of his face now (except for the one remaining to protect his damaged ear) and the swelling had gone down.
What was at first considered full-thickness burns were actually only partial-thickness and he could heal without skin grafts.
He looked, you decided, pretty normal. Handsome, in fact and you wanted to reach out to touch him.
He saw you examining him and he made an aborted attempt to touch his face.
‘No, it ahh… it’s good. You look much better. Really,’ you said quickly.
He picked up the coffee and drank slowly.
‘Does it still hurt?’
‘No,’ he said into the cup and changed the subject. ‘What have we got?’
Right back to business, you thought. Of course. None of this ‘feelings’ stuff for him.
‘The only one we got consistent eyes on is Luther. I guess they’re not using him these days, so he’s staying put. He’s in the States and looks to have a vacation home in Florida. If he has a third place, we don’t know about it yet.’
August listened and nodded and you swore you could see a little smile starting to play across his mouth. Not wanting it to disappear, you showed him photos of Ilsa.
‘I think, she thinks she’s clever. At first she was darting around, doing the whole ‘spy’ thing. It was cute. Now, not so much. I’d like to take her… if you agree.’
August looked up at you and that little smile was still there. In fact he looked particularly pleased with you.
‘Don’t worry. Hunt’s for last. We’re saving him for you.’
August held your gaze and you felt a thrill race through you.
‘Excellent,’ he said. ‘I want you to do whatever you want to do. I trust you.’
You brightened considerably and resisted the urge to clap your hands with delight. Having August Walker’s trust had made the day golden.
**
A few days later, the thumping down the stairs distracted you from your work. Smiling a little, you got up and poured a fresh cup of coffee and sat it on the table across from you. Then as an afterthought, you got up again and plated a few chocolate Hobnobs that Mr. Instant Coffee had bought with the weekly grocery. You had barely put the plate down before August appeared in the kitchen doorway.
Seeing the mid-morning snacks waiting for him, he smiled a little and now down to one crutch from two, he hobbled into the kitchen and sat down in his usual spot across from you.
‘Look at you, speedster,’ you teased.
August’s brows rose with pleasure, but he smothered his growing smile by lifting his cup and drinking the coffee.
‘I prefer your coffee to the other one,’ said August, raising his eyes to meet yours.
You hesitated to meet his gaze, and when you did, the praise in his face melted you.
August quickly looked away and down at the plans on the table between the two of you.
‘So, tell me.’
He gestured with the cup to the papers.
You grinned, feeling pleased with your progress.
‘Ilsa. I finally got a bead on her. And I will be travelling to her location today.’
‘Today?’ he asked, sounding surprised and your brows drew together a little.
‘Too soon? I mean.. do you want to come?’
August shook his head and suddenly looked concerned.
‘I don’t want you rushing into something.’
Ah, was that it?
You reached out to tap the back of his hand with your index finger.
‘Whilst I thoroughly enjoy your concern, there’s no need for it. Do you umm, want a trophy? An eyeball? A finger?’
August was clearly surprised, and your offer startled a laugh out of him.
‘No,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘No, I don’t want any of that. But ah… I appreciate your vigour.’
You smiled at him.
‘You sure?’
He laughed a little, again, and asked, ‘And your flight?’
‘Coupla hours,’ you replied checking your wristwatch.
‘And your plan?’
‘Delicious,’ you promised.
And it was.
**
Los Angeles was hot and sweltering and you were not prepared for the weather. But you didn’t let that deter you, for you had a mission to accomplish.
You found the target sitting at a table beneath a colourful umbrella at a crowded outdoor cafe.
Carrying several bags emblazoned with names of high-end shops you stopped by her table, made a show of looking into the cafe and then down at the chair across from her.
She looked up at you and you tried a smile.
‘Hi, I am sooo sorry, but do you mind if I just sit here. I am dying in this heat!’
As you were actually dying in the western heat, you knew that you came across sincerely. She took a moment to consider you. Judging you harmless, she nodded to the chair and you collapsed onto it gratefully.
‘Oh, thank you, honey. That’s so good of you. I thought I was going to get all of my shopping over and done with before noon, but you know how it is. Just one more shop, one more try on…. maybe they got those shoes in the back in your size, right? Am I right?
You giggled easily and she nodded, then glanced into the cafe.
‘I gotta wear these gloves to that my hands don’t tan,’ you said watching her. ‘There’s nothing worse than having your arms one colour and your hands 5 shades darker.’
Ignoring you, she raised her hand hoping to alert the waiter standing inside.
He eased up to the table.
‘Yes ma’am.’
‘I ordered my…’
‘Yes, I know ma’am. We are working on it right now, please give us some time. The broiler is currently holding on by a thread. May I offer you a cold drink? On the house?’
You looked at her and she sighed.
‘Sure, go on. You want one?’
Her attention was on you.
You shrugged.
‘Sure! I’ll have what she’s having.’
The two of you chatted amiably for a little while and the waiter returned with your drinks. You immediately sipped at the fizzy fruit drink and put your glass down next to hers.
Several minutes later someone inside shouted, ‘Janie Fellows?’
The woman across from you stirred and then stood up.
‘Finally,’ she said and went inside to pick up her order.
You watched her go and quickly, unobtrusively, dumped the contents of your travel perfume bottle into her glass.
Ilsa returned with a plate brimming with meat and salad and set it on her placemat.
‘Looks good,’ you said admiring the dish. ‘I might get one, but I do need to get on, I think.’
‘You can stay as long as you like,’ she assured you and began her meal.
You sat and chatted whilst she ate and finished her drink.
You were in the middle of a long drawn out story about your imaginary husband when she stopped devouring the rare steak.
Ilsa dropped her fork and you turned towards her.
‘Something wrong?’ you asked, faux concern in your voice as you let your natural accent slip. ‘You’ve gone quite pale… Janie.’
Ilsa’s wide eyes shot up to your face and she spat out her chewed mouthful.
‘I probably overdosed you,’ you said quietly. ‘I mean, you were ten pounds heavier the last time I checked. But you and your hot yoga classes have done wonders. I might take it up myself.’
Eyes bulging as the poison squeezed closed her throat, Ilsa gurgled and staggered upright. The chair screeched on the concrete, fell away and you got up.
‘August Walker says, hello,’ you snarled at her. Then changing your attitude to something more helpless you shouted, ‘Oh My God! I think she’s having a seizure, help, help!’
A crowd began to form allowing you to slip away, but not before giving the thumbs up to Mr. Instant Coffee who had posed as your waiter who had perfectly distracted the mark enough for you to poison her drink.
**
‘Went well, I take it?’ August asked when you bustled into the kitchen the next morning.
There was coffee waiting for you at your usual spot.
You threw your arms round his neck and gave him a hearty kiss in greeting.
‘Better than you could ever imagine!’ you crowed and left him in stunned silence.
**
Distracted by the noise coming from the upper floor, you looked up from the laptop. The thumping down the stairs had been sounding a little less clumsy lately, now that August had finally regained control over his healing limbs. You were glad for it, because it meant that the infamous August Walker was out of the woods and on the mend.
You got up, poured a fresh cup of coffee, and was just setting it down when August came into the kitchen.
‘Morning!’ you called brightly, like the little homemaker you fancied yourself to be.
Well, you fancied yourself to be the kind of homemaker who didn’t keep house, but made coffee and assassination plans. You turned the cup so that the handle faced August when he straddled the bench and sat down across from you.
‘Thank you,’ he said picking up the cup and drinking deeply.
Smiling fondly, you considered him a moment and looked at the fresh bandage on his ear.
‘It’s ear day soon, isn’t it?’
Ear day, as you called it, was literally when August got his new outer ear to replace the one that had been damaged.  Contacts in one of the world’s leading biotech labs had been cultivating new skin and cartilage from his own cells and were ready for transplantation.  August had been putting off the surgery, ever since the fire of killing off the IMF team had been lit. He wanted a clear conscience before proceeding with any additional cosmetic surgery.
August lifted his gaze, but not directly to you. He looked at a spot on the table which was still littered with papers and blueprints and your laptops and a muscle bunched in his jaw, alerting you that he was uncomfortable with this line of discussion. You were never one to back down from a subject you wanted to pursue, so you pressed him gently.
‘I think… well, I think it’s gonna be fine. The surgery will be fine. You’ll have a brand spanking new appendage and everything’s gonna be fine.’
You watched his eyes sweep the length of the table, in an obvious attempt to avoid looking at you.
‘You suffered no hearing loss, on that side, the skin is mending itself nicely and the doctors even said that there was no follicle damage. Those curls will be coming back in no time.’
He scoffed.
‘I don’t care about that.’
‘Yes you do,’ you said with a tiny grin. ‘Yes you do, you care. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t look like this.’
You waved an appraising hand in his direction.
‘August Walker, meet August Walker. He cares about his looks.’
‘I’m not vain,’ August scowled, putting the cup down and finally looking you in the face
You softened your teasing just a little.
‘I didn’t say you were vain. There’s nothing wrong with a man who looks after his appearance. It’s… sexy.’
That stopped him and a spark of pleasure brightened his face.
You continued to lay it on thick.
‘Come now, a good looking guy like you? And you don’t know it? I find that hard to believe.’
He snorted quietly.
‘Do you ever think something that you don’t say?’ he asked, lifting a dark brow.
You leaned in on your elbows.
‘There are loads of things that I think, that I don’t say. That doesn’t mean that I won’t say them eventually.’
August’s lips lengthened into an inquisitive smile.
‘Like?’
‘Like?’ you repeated and decided to come clean. ‘I just said that you were sexy.’
You made an airy, dismissive gesture.
‘That’s not a new thought.’
You felt a chill manifest as a soft, insistent tingling that skittered all along your skin. Everything you’d hidden about your feelings for him was almost all the way out and you couldn’t stop yourself.
‘It’s not new that I’d do anything for the manifesto to be realised,’ you continued.
When August put down the cup, you reached out and clasped both hands over his.
‘That I’d do anything for you, August.’
The passion in your own voice stunned you. Surely, you had once again overstepped his boundaries.
First, it was kissing him without asking,  and now this, though August didn’t seem bothered by your audacity. He turned his hands up to enclose yours.
‘And I reward loyalty,’ he answered, voice low and full of promise.  
You drew in a long breath through loosely pursed lips, which August seemed to appreciate for his eyes lowered to your wet mouth. His own lips parted in response and you wondered if you climbed across that table and onto his lap, would it have been considered outlandish.
You didn’t think about any of that, as you stood up onto the wooden bench. With his handsome face brimming with delight, August held onto your hands and steadied you as you scrabbled across the table and landed astride his muscular thighs with a satisfied ‘ooof!’
He grimaced from the sudden pressure slamming down on his still tender leg and you were immediately contrite.
‘I’m sorry,’ you murmured, sliding your arms around his neck and curling your fingers into his shaggy curls. ‘I’m sorry. I’ll not play so rough next time.’
‘I like it rough,’ said August, running his hands over your hips to grip you close.
And then you kissed him, softly, fully, feeling his lips come apart beneath yours. Breathing him in, your thoughts ran wild.
I could get used to this. I could indulge in this all day. I could–
Then, ever a man of ill timing, Mr. Instant Coffee bustled into the kitchen, and it took him a moment to realise what he was interrupting.
‘Oh, shite, ok… uhh so that’s happening. Ok, great, but ah, you two… we need to get a move on. The car leaves in ten.’
And then he was gone, leaving you staring at the recently vacated kitchen doorway with your arms dangling over August’s shoulders. Reluctantly, you backed off of August’s lap and smiling, you cupped his cheek, pressed your thumb against the dimple in his chin and walked off to grab your travel bag.
It was back to the States again, the keys of Florida where Luther Stickell was vacationing on a secluded houseboat.
**
Stickell was not hard to find. His boat was moored in one of the farthest berths and was lit up like Christmas. He was having a party.
So much for keeping a low profile, you thought as you stepped off of the elegant cabin cruiser that had been rented for your mission. Your craft was berthed far enough away from his that no one in Stickell’s party could see August in his scuba gear, stepping off the low deck and into the dark water.
Standing on a nearby wooden piling, a pair of seagulls watched you suspiciously, the way birds do, and you lifted a finger to your lips, shushing them.
Holding a pair of strappy heels in your hand, you walked down the slatted dock between yachts and other smaller boats.  You purposefully wore a skimpy sequined dress, in the hopes of talking your way into the party. There were casually dressed men standing on the dock and smoking and they stopped talking as you approached. They didn’t look like bodyguards, but just like regular blokes. Easy to manipulate.
‘Hullo!’ you called happily, flapping your hand at them in greeting, affecting tipsiness. ‘I couldn’t help coming over. I just came from another get-together, but I’m not done partying yet. Ya’ll mind if I… ’
You made a walking motion with your index and middle fingers towards the boat. One of the men smiled and swaggered towards you. He held out a hand which you took and he led you to the edge of the boat, then helped you down the stairs.
Too easy.
There were people milling about on the port deck and some people playing cards inside, but not a lot was going on. It appeared to be at the tail end of the party, where people were trying to drink the last of the booze and eat the last of the food before they were forced to go home. You spotted Luther at the card table. He was laughing around a huge cigar clamped between his front teeth and then he threw the cards down on the table with a triumphant cry. The men sitting there erupted in jeers and hoots as he raked in the pile of money from the centre of the table.
Scanning the area you then went down the stairs to the toilet and stood in the dark narrow corridor thinking about August swimming around beneath your feet as he planted bomb charges against the boat’s hull.
The thought of him down there was strangely arousing.
August was stronger now, strong enough to cause mayhem with his own hands, and it was all you wanted for him. You crouched by the toilet and dug about in your handbag, pulling out one of Ayami’s personal creations – something she’d called her ‘cherry bang bang’. You drew out a black device that was flat on the bottom and round on the top. It looked harmless enough, almost like a little cake, but you knew the massive power packed into that sweetly named bomb. She had given you and August a personal demonstration of the destructive power of her little sweets. You placed a kiss on its glossy surface and adhered it to the underside of the toilet bowl.
‘You are a gem, Ayami,’ you chuckled and pushed upright.
You made your way back to the upper level and moving about unnoticed you planted more cherry bang bangs, even adhering one to each of the fishing chairs bolted to the port side deck.  
A chill settled over the harbour. The guests soon drifted inside and eventually left the party altogether.
You walked back to the rented cabin cruiser to find August waiting for you. His hair was curly and damp and there were pressure marks from the dive mask across his brow. You went up on tiptoes to kiss him. August caught you about the waist and wrapped you up in his arms, lifting you to deepen the kiss. Trapped like that against his big, hot body,  your heart throbbed excitedly. If he could elicit such wonders from your body with just a kiss and an embrace, you couldn’t imagine what other magic he could work.
‘Ready?’ he asked, bending to put you back on your feet.
You nodded and tossing your shoes aside, went to sprawl on one of the long creme coloured couches. August started the engine and guided the cruiser out of the berth. When you were a safe distance away, he reached for your hand and helped you up to the top deck.
You could see the lights of Stickell’s boat twinkling in the distance.  And after about twenty more minutes, once everyone was finally gone, Luther shut off the boat lights.  You and August got up from your deck chairs. You held up the binoculars and adjusted them until the houseboat came into sharp focus. All you could see now was the red glow of Luther’s cigar as the man sat out in one of the fishing chairs and enjoyed the rest of his evening.
August put one arm about your waist, big hand splaying across your stomach, and held up the detonator with the other.
‘Two down,’ you said and he depressed the button.
The explosion was brilliant.
Through the binoculars, you watched the boat burn and sink, but August was more interested in kissing the back of your neck and exposed shoulders to pay attention.
‘Mmmm,’ you purred slyly, leaning your head back against his shoulder. ‘Did you like that? Was it good for you?’
‘So good,’ he answered giving you one last kiss before releasing you.
You opened your mouth to say something but the distant sounds of sirens broke the silence.
Time to go, you thought and the both of you disappeared into the night.
**
You didn’t want to go back to the safehouse right away. As nice as the country house was, being cooped up between those four floral walls drove you crazy. August paid for a few nights at the Shangri-la hotel in London so that you could shower in temperatures above lukewarm, and sleep in a broad bed beneath washing detergent scented sheets.
And when August made love to you on those soft sheets,  your earlier conjecture regarding his sexual prowess, did not prepare you for the bliss you experienced with him buried deep inside you.
It was nearly nine in the morning, a few days after your expedition to the Keys, and propped up with a pillow under your armpit, you lay on your side across the hotel bed, a bowl of spag bol, and your open laptop on the white duvet in front of you. You were half under the thick covers and half out of it because the room was warm, but not uncomfortably so. August emerged from the adjoining bathroom, wearing one of the luxurious bathrobes and towelling dry his hair.
He tossed the towel across the footrest by the chair and stretched out on the bed behind you, looking over your shoulder to read the Miami Herald’s bold headline. He slid his hand beneath your tee-shirt and caressed the skin between your shoulder blades. How he figured out that you liked that, still remained a quandary, but you were glad that you didn’t have to ask for it.
‘Oh, dear,’ you said feigning distress. ‘Did you hear about the accident that happened in Florida? Tsk… such a shame.’
‘Is he dead?’ asked August, as he nuzzled your shoulder.
‘Yes, sir,’ you teased, reaching back to playfully push him off. ‘You are not paying attention.’
‘I am. I’m paying attention to what’s important.’
The implication of his statement drifted right over your head as you were too focused on proving him wrong.
He kissed your neck again and grunted when you jabbed him with an elbow.
‘Well, if you were paying attention to what was important, you’d know that…’
‘That Dunn is here in London,’ August finished for you and continued to lazily caress your back.
That shut you right up. How did he know?
‘Of course, you knew,’ you chuckled.
‘I suggest,’ said August, changing the subject and lifting his head to take your earlobe between his lips. ‘We take one more day here and then find him.’
As he spoke, August slid his hands beneath you, turned you away from the laptop and pulled you atop him. You wriggled with delight, and grasping the robe’s belt, you pulled the knot free and let it fall open.
‘Just one day?’ you asked, sliding down the length of his body to ease his cock into your mouth.
‘Anything!’ he gasped, the heat of your mouth robbing him of coherent through. ‘Whatever you want.’
You wanted at least two extra weeks after the mission.
**
When you woke hours later, August was gone. There was a note left for you on the nightstand and in his neat print he’d written, ‘Supply Run.’
You stretched under the duvet and tapped the stiff cardstock against your lower lip.
Supply Run either mean food, or guns and knowing August, it was probably the latter. You were just raiding the over-stocked minibar refrigerator when he returned to the hotel room, carrying a long black duffel which he dropped onto the chaise at the end of the bed.
‘Guns,’ you said aloud, looking up from the chilled box of chocolate.
‘What?’ he asked, shrugging out of his jacket.
You smiled and shook your head and switched on BBC World Service.
Unzipping the duffel, August asked, ‘what do you know about Sage Software?’
‘Nothing,’ you answered truthfully. ‘Who are they?’
‘They supply small business software. Dunn is working with them and hacking them.’
Taking the chocolates to the bed, you opened your laptop and searched the business. With a laugh, you rolled over onto your back and looked up at August with interest. He was smiling slightly back at you.
‘Well, what do you know?’ you said with amusement. ‘Sage is located in the Shard, which is… ’
August nodded to you and his grin widened.
‘Right downstairs,’ he finished.
‘Did you plan this? Getting a room here because he was downstairs?’ you giggled, when he leaned over to kiss you.
‘Of course. Leave nothing to chance, Princess.’
Well, that nickname was new, you thought, delighted.
‘What’s the plan, then?’
August stretched out on his back next to you and folded his hands on his belly.
‘He’s got an office on the 13th and is there most nights.’
‘Most nights,’ you repeated and waited for him to finish his thought.
‘Tonight.’
**
Dunn was surprisingly easy to pick off. You had expected for him to have cameras and monitors and other high tech stuff to alert him to the presence of anyone who came unannounced to his office. And, you were surprised that /he/ was surprised when August quietly opened the thin office door and let himself in.
You stayed in the corridor and watched the scene unfold through the narrow decorative glass panel next to the door.
Dunn obviously recognised and remembered August,  because he bolted out of his swivel chair and threw himself against the wall behind him.
‘I thought you were dead!’ you heard him shout before the silenced round splattered him across the frog poster that announced ‘work hard, play hard, live hard’.
You clapped lightly as August exited the office.
‘Well done, baby,’ you praised him. ‘But come on. I heard the lift bell. It would be stupid of us to get caught.’
All the little piggies had gone to slaughter. All except one.
**
Ethan Hunt was not a stupid man.
In fact, he was quite the opposite. He was cunning and clever and suspicious which were characteristics that helped him to remain one of the top Mi6 agents.
He also had a golden streak of very good luck and August Walker was just about to ruin that man’s whole career.
‘He went squirrely, ’ said Ayami who was pawing through a tin of broken Danish butter cookies from where she sat perched on the kitchen counter-top.
Two weeks after you returned from the Dunn business,  Ayami just turned up at the country safe-house. Much to your delight, you’d found her one morning sitting at the kitchen table having a bagel and cream tea. And you knew why she was there. Things were winding up to the big payoff and the team needed to be as consolidated as possible.
‘What does that mean?’ you asked her but it was Mr. Instant Coffee who answered.
‘Means that he knew what’s good for him and went underground.’
‘Because all of his peeps were getting murdered,’ Ayami finished cheerfully and you half expected her and Instant Coffee to slap hands in a celebratory high-five.
August sat silently in his usual place, thoughtfully turning the small white coffee cup in a circle on the table.
‘Last time he was seen?’ he asked finally.
‘Park hotel, Berlin,’ Instant Coffee read from the reports supplied by the ‘boots on the ground’ team. ‘Been there for about a week, but he hasn’t really stayed one place for more than that. We should have moved earlier.’
‘No,’ said August, not looking at him, but at the cup. ‘No, we want to give him enough rope to hang himself. Let him get complacent.’
‘Do we have time to let him get complacent?’ Instant Coffee said. ‘I mean, the longer we wait, the more time he’ll have to burrow in like a fucking tick.’
You looked at Instant Coffee for a moment. He did have a point.
‘Okay,’ August replied easily. ‘You’re right.’
At that moment, your respect for August Walker increased ten-fold. That he was able to take in the opinion of the other members of his team was unbearably sexy. He may have earned a little leg over for later that night.
‘I’m going alone,’ August announced finally, drawing the sharp attention of everyone in the room.
You reined your own reaction because an emotional response in that instant would have been inappropriate. You knew exactly why August wanted to hunt down Ethan alone. Hunt had not only gravely wounded August’s body but also his pride. His revenge was personal.
‘That’s probably not a good idea,’ said Instant Coffee, obviously feeling confident that he had scored a few brownie points a few moments earlier.
August scowled and looked to you. Meeting his gaze,  you nodded once.
‘August should face Hunt alone,’ you said to the room and then to him, added, ‘but I don’t think you should go alone.’
There was so much gratefulness in his eyes that you felt embarrassed and looked away. You didn’t want August to see the answering distress in your eyes. If the fight on the cliff side had been fair, and luck hadn’t been on Hunt’s side, August wouldn’t have lost. Tossing August over the edge was poor sportsmanship. You were afraid that Hunt would employ other clever tricks and defeat August for the second time. And now that August wanted to take on the IMF leader alone ensured that he would be left vulnerable to losing the upper hand.
You didn’t want to lose him again, but you remained silent. This was ultimately August’s decision and he had made his choice.
**
The two of you didn’t speak much on the trip to Berlin. There wasn’t much to say. You didn’t dare express to him your fears, because that would only serve to distract him with your possibly misplaced doubt. And distraction was the last thing August needed.
When he pulled up to a local hotel to drop you off, you stayed in the car, sitting quietly for a moment, unsure what to do or say. Sighing, you turned to him and reached to cup his cheek.
‘See you soon,’ you encouraged him. ‘Bring me a trophy.’
August nodded and you got out of the car.
Come back to me, you thought watching the car disappear in the afternoon traffic.
Your room faced the Berliner Fernsehturm and you could hear music from the festival going on in the square below. You took a long hot shower and stretched on the surprisingly comfortable bed. It wasn’t the Shangri-la, but it was charming and it wasn’t long before you fell asleep.
The room door thunking shut as if a heavy weight collapsed against it awoke you hours later. With a gasp, you shot upright and reached for your weapon. You couldn’t remember where the light switch was, so when you scrambled up from the bed, you backed up to the table under the window and jerked open the curtains to let in the artificial outdoor light.
The scent of sulphur and petrol filled the room and as your eyes slowly adjusted to the differences in the light you could just make out the bulky form sitting on the floor against the door. You knew that form as the impression of it was etched on your own flesh.
You put your weapon aside and padded barefoot across the hardwood floor, grabbing a towel and wetting it as you passed the small bathroom alcove. You crouched before the shadowed figure and put your hand beneath his chin. You lifted his face to the light and it was clear that Hunt had given August a run for his money.
You gently cleaned the dried blood from his mouth and chin, carefully working it out of his moustache and scruff.
You wanted to say something reassuring, something positive, but you were too overwhelmed with relief.
‘Well,’ you murmured, stroking his face. ‘I hate to see the other guy.’
August was silent and you hoped you hadn’t over stepped the line.
He then held up a small package wrapped neatly in butcher’s paper and tied with white twine. You took it from him, pulled the string and the paper unfolded  to reveal your trophy. Holding it up to the light, it took a moment for you to recognise the carefully extracted evidence of Hunt’s death and you smiled.
‘Come on, you big brute,’ you said fondly, attempting to pull him up from the floor.
When August didn’t budge, you stopped straining against his weight and gasped with exertion.
‘You’re gonna have to help me here, babe!’
Groaning miserably, August managed to get his feet beneath him using the door and you to heave himself from the floor. You struggled to get him out of his clothes  and under the soft yellow light above the sink you examined him. Big swollen bruises bloomed across his chest and back accompanied by several shallow scrapes and slashes. You wasted no time washing him up, patching his wounds, and getting him into bed.
Lying on his belly, August was still asleep when you woke the next morning. You went to the minibar refrigerator, withdrew your trophy and admired it in the morning sunlight. Your mobile beeped.
It was a message from Ayami.
‘Tell your boyfriend to be a little less conspicuous next time, ok?’ she’d written.
Curious, and glancing at August’s sleeping form, you rang her.
‘What’s that mean?’ you asked when she answered.
‘I mean that August didn’t need to leave that fucker’s burning corpse in the warehouse. He damn near burned down the place.’
‘He was obviously sending them a message,’ you answered, smiling gleefully, proud of your little murder puppy.
‘I can understand that,’ she shot back sounding uncharacteristically irritable. ‘But that also earned us more attention than we wanted.’
You sobered.
‘Is this something that needs to be taken care of?’
‘It’s already handled,’ she answered and some of her good humour crept back into her voice.
You sighed and relaxed, wrapping an arm about your midsection.
‘He’s not my boyfriend,’ you said after a moment with no conviction in your voice and she laughed incredulously.
‘When are you coming back?’ she asked, changing the subject.
‘I dunno. Depends on what August wants.’
‘Ok, you two lovebirds hash it out and I’ll see you… whenever.’
‘Thanks, Ayami. I love you!’
‘Get something from the Wall museum for me, ok?’
You disconnected the call and tossed aside the mobile.
Feeling a warm sense of well-being, you re-wrapped your trophy and stored it in the refrigerator again. Climbing into bed next to August, you lifted his arm, crawled beneath it, and curled your body against him.
August had exacted his revenge and you felt satisfied for him. But you weren’t sure what was going to happen now. The mission that had consumed so much of your year was over. You felt un-moored and a little panicked, but when August tightened his arm round you, your hamster wheel of thoughts scattered.
There was time to worry later, now in the heat of August’s embrace was peace and with a small smile still on your lips, you put your head against him and slept.
-end
290 notes · View notes
fandom-necromancer · 3 years
Text
Days like these
Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900
Gavin didn’t know what had made him explode in the end. Hank reprimanding him for his latest phck up, Fowler shouting at him afterwards, Chris’ amused grin, Tina’s evident pity or the neutral – the phcking neutral, impersonal – face of his partner. How he was clicking away at the keyboard – neither inhumanly fast nor interfacing with the device – just perfectly normal as if nothing had happened.
Gavin had sat there for less than a minute and already clenched his teeth, violently pulling out the drawer and jumping to his feet. ‘I need a phcking cigarette’, he grumbled and marched to the back door with fury quickening his step. The rush of cold air as he punched open the door was like a blessing and he inhaled sharply while he fiddled out a stick from the package. Hastily he ignited the cigarette and took his first drag while leaning forwards onto the railing on the small platform that led to the parking lot. He held the smoke back a little feeling the burn and only then letting it out with a deep sigh. He let his shoulders and head fall and closed his eyes, thinking what a shitty day this had been in defeat.
But the momentary relaxation didn’t last: He flinched at the sound of the door opening behind him and immediately all that tension was back. He waited, not acknowledging the other person and let his cigarette slowly burn. From the steps alone he had a vague idea who it could be but when something white appeared in the corner of his eyes he couldn’t help but pull a grimace and look the other way.
‘What is it?’, Gavin hissed. ‘Came to shout at me too? Come on, tell me how many years this cancer stick deletes from my lifespan! Anyone gets a shot at detective asshole today.’ ‘Nicotine binds to cholinergic receptors at the synapse of your neurons, thus imitating activation of your sympathetic nervous system’, Nines spoke with little to no intonation. ‘It… calms you to a certain extent.’ Gavin huffed and took another drag from the cigarette, flicking off the accumulated ash to the ground below. ‘I can… understand why you might make use of these effects in a situation like this.’ ‘Oh, really?’, the human asked sarcastically. ‘Well, am I not lucky, being allowed to smoke by the ever-so-perfect Nines.’ ‘I-‘ Gavin heard and saw how the android turned towards him, but still stared straight ahead. ‘I am far from perfect, Gavin. But that’s beside the point.’ ‘Well then, what is the point?’, the Detective shouted at the bot, pushing himself off the railing, mere minutes away from throwing hands. ‘Why the phck can’t you leave me be! All of you! I just need a few minutes to calm down, then I will get back to work a job I don’t like with people who hate me! Just what the hell are you doing here?’
Nines just blinked and looked down on his hands. ‘I heard humans often seek out company to vent their emotions to in these situations. It is supposed to be comforting to your kind. I know we don’t know each other very well, but the only other trusted person you have here is Tina and she didn’t follow you out. I thought maybe I could offer-‘ ‘You.’ Gavin would have laughed hadn’t that offer been so… out of character for RK900. ‘You really think I would confide in you?’ Now Nines really avoided his eyes. ‘I merely want to offer it. If you want to, I can always delete my memories of the talk afterwards. I just thought I could have helped you in some way.’
Gavin looked the android up and down and his tension subsided once again. ‘Phck, no.’ He leaned his back against the railing and scratched his forehead. ‘Shit, Nines, I-‘ He stopped again and sighed deeply. ‘Thank you. Thank you for the offer. But it was just a shitty day. Sometimes I just ask myself why I’m even doing all of this. I work my ass off in a job that I like in theory. But every time you don’t act on your best behaviour, you are threatened to be fired. I know I’m not the easiest person but come on! I’m not corrupt, I do what’s right and I’m trying to be better. But being yelled at every time I fail at it doesn’t really help.’ He put out his cigarette and looked the android in the eye for a beat. ‘Shit, Nines, I just need some time. Maybe I will use my vacation days for once. Been a stressful time lately and it’s just… It’s just a lot.’
The android just stood there and waited, listening. Only as silence stretched, he spoke up again: ‘Thank you for telling me. Should I leave you alone or do you want the company?’ Gavin thought about it but shrugged in the end. ‘Hell, if you can keep your mouth shut, I don’t mind you staying.’ Those words brought a barely noticeable smile to the android’s lips and he just nodded, stepping next to Gavin and leaning against the railing, just like his partner did as he lit his next cigarette. ‘What a phcking day.’
72 notes · View notes
plant-flwrs · 4 years
Text
heart of glass // fred weasley
masterlist!
request (from @bitchywhisperswizard <3): Hi! I absolutely LOVE your writing! Could I maybe request where Fred Weasley breaks up with reader before the war and thinks she died? Only to find her a year later in the muggle world like a celebrity performer? I understand if it doesn't make sense. Thank you!
a/n: thank u for the request!! i refuse to believe fred d*ed, but i am a sucker for fred lives au’s. also went a little grunge w this just because i love those pictures of metalhead james and oliver :) (i listened to miley cyrus’s new cover of heart of glass while i wrote this so i just called it that)
summary: Fred broke up with you just before the war, and when he couldn’t find you after the battle cleared he thought you died. You’re alive and well, living as a celebrity among the muggle world. One night reunites you two, and neither of you can deny the feelings that spark.
(2.5k)
------
Clutching the white sink beneath your fingers, you barely recognized the person looking back at you in the mirror. Your eyes were sunken and swollen, your lips puffed and red. Your cheeks were hollowed, casting shadows into your face. You lifted a shaky hand, pushing your hair out of your face and revealing a scar on your temple. 
You had barely made it out of the war, and once you did, you had no intentions on going back.
You made a new life in the muggle world, and eventually you were able to do what you had always wanted to do: perform. 
It was about ten minutes before you were due in stage, and your nerves had stopped buzzing a long time ago. You dipped a finger into some black eyeshadow, spreading it haphazardly across your eyes. You looked dead, and it showed what you felt like on the inside.
Not a day passed in which Fred Weasley hadn’t thought of you. Not a day passed in which guilt hadn’t plagued his heart and mind. Every day, for just over a year, the image of tears streaming down your face as he broke up with you was glue to the inside of his eyelids.
George tried to understand but he could never understand the pain. He tried to help his brother when he could. 
“Freddie!” George called to him from across the store, heaving in a huge box.
“Yeah?” Fred replied from behind the counter, pushing heavy buttons on the loud till.
“Look at this,” George quickly removed a hand from under the box, shifting his weight. He handed Fred a flier he found posted in the side of the shop.
It was a black flier, advertising some muggle bar in London. It looked like the sort of crowd the brothers gravitated towards some odd five years ago. Skulls and grunge symbols littered the page, and Fred found himself smiling fondly at it.
“Want to go?’ George asked, setting down the box in its right place, starting to unload the new shipment of chocolate wands.
“Aren’t we a little too old for this, George?” Fred said with a sad smile.
In that moment, George had the feeling he didn’t recognize his brother. His own face, but tormented with worry, sadness, and the unfriendly effects of time. George furrowed his brow, and tried to continue.
“No! It’ll be fun,” George reassured, slapping a hand on his brother’s back.
This was how Fred found himself clung to the bar all night, nursing a beer in his hand. He didn’t like muggle alcohol as much, but he supposed it would do. 
The bar was in the back of the crowded club, but it barely had any people by it. Everyone had rushed to the front of a stage, the entire room filled with enthusiastic screams. George hovered near the back of the crowd, where Fred could still see him, swinging back and forth to the music they played over the speaker.
Fred and George had liked going to concerts after the war. The flashing lights and loud noises were difficult at first, very difficult, but it was one of the things that helped them recover.
Fred looked around over the top of his drink, surveying the crowd. It was mostly made up of people who looked like him five years ago, people who hadn’t been through a war, or lost their ex-girlfriend in that war. People who didn’t feel like crying every second of every day. The crowd didn’t look like you or Fred.
Someone knocked on your door, their words muffled by the ringing in your ears. You shook your head, letting your hair fall naturally in it’s place over your scar. You pulled up the high boots you wore, and fixed the sheer tights that dove into them. Pulling the top of your tank top to cover your chest some more, you felt the cold air hit your slightly exposed stomach. You stood off to the right, backstage, waiting as people poked and prodded at you, fixing wires and handing you things to hold that they would eventually take back from you.
The nerves still didn’t come, but you hadn’t expected them to. Nothing made you nervous anymore, nothing made you feel anything, really.
Someone held the curtain open for you, and at the slightest movement the crowd roared. Fred turned his gaze towards the stage, and George moved forward in the crowd.
You looked out into the sea of people, and you could make out a few faces in the front. You had requested dulled lights for all of your shows, unable to handle the bright lights that often came with performing. A purple light hovered above you, illuminating you with the cool hue.
You cast a smirk out into the audience, moving to your mark at the center of the stage. Your band filed in behind you, and you tugged at the cord for the microphone, giving yourself some slack. The crowd was still just as loud as when you came out, and you started your first song.
You couldn’t hear anything but your own voice ringing through your head, booming through the earpiece tucked behind your hair. 
From the bar, Fred found his glass shattered on the floor beneath him. It hadn’t even made a sound over your powerful voice coming from what felt like every angle. He couldn’t move, his eyes just locked on your almost unrecognizable face. Even though you looked like him, tired and full of regrets, eyes sunken and cheeks hollowed, he would recognize you and your voice from anywhere.
He had heard you sing almost everyday since he met you. You hummed next to him in class, you chorused obnoxiously in the common room, and you sang to him softly while the two of you laid in bed.
Looking at you now, bent at the knees and almost squatting as you nearly screamed the chorus for what he could assume was your own song, he felt like he couldn’t breathe. Everything washed through him, the guilt, the sadness, the worry, the pain.
George was next to him in a second, shaking him by his shoulders. A gleeful smile spread across his face and he just chanted: “She’s alive, she’s actually alive, Freddie!” over and over.
Fred couldn’t believe it, he had always wanted something like this to happen, to replay it all and make sure you hadn’t died, and now that he saw you living and breathing he didn’t know what to do with himself.
Fred ducked into the bathroom, splashing water over his face until he felt like himself again. He fixed his hair, regretting not getting a haircut earlier in the week like he had wanted to. You did always like his hair long, though. He looked down at his buttoned down shirt, the flowy sleeves rolled up halfway up his arms. He tucked it into his jeans, trying to smooth it out some.
George was waiting from him outside the door, biting his nails.
“She’s amazing, mate,” George said. Your voice echoed around the room, and still floated to their ears from the corner they had hidden away in.
“She always was,” Fred mumbled.
“I can’t believe it,” George said, his mouth agape and shaking his head in a disbelieving way.
“Do I look okay?” Fred asked his brother, holding his arms out a little.
George tugged at the sleeves, evening them out and making the rolls more neat.
“Yeah,” he said, pulling Fred with him.
The two sat and listened to you sing until Fred couldn’t take it anymore. The brothers left the venue, moving out onto the chilly London street. They walked around the back, where your crew had parked. They waited.
You finished your show, leaving the stage with the usual rush of adrenaline. You could never sit still inside after a show, and you rushed past your crew and out the back door. The cold air hit your skin, nipping at your sweat covered face and torso. You reached back inside, your hand finding a stool with a pack of cigarettes on them. You came back outside, fiddling with the package. You pulled one out and brought it to your lips, and realized you didn’t have a lighter. These were the moments you wished you still had your wand. It was always easier to smoke when you were a witch.
“Need a light?” someone spoke, coming from out of a shadow.
You immediately felt tears brimming your eyes, looking into the familiar brown eyes and flaming red hair.
“George?” you croaked, voice weak from the singing and the tears threatening to spill over.
George and you took steps towards each other, and he wrapped you in his arms. You cried into his chest, not really knowing why. You supposed you missed him, or maybe it was the fact that he looked strikingly like the boy who had broken your heart.
“Y/n,” another voice, a voice you would know always, called from behind him.
You shrunk from George hesitantly, wiping your eyes. You looked down at your hands, seeing them covered in smeared black makeup. You looked back at George’s shirt and saw a similar mark. You looked up at him apologetically, but he just beamed back at you, waving it off. You watched him pull his wand from his side, and with a simple movement, the stain was gone. You felt yourself crying harder.
You turned back to Fred, who had also started crying. The two of you lunged at each other, a mess of forceful limbs trying to wrap around the other.
“I thought you died,” Fred called out, burying his head into the crook of your neck.
You sobbed in response, your body shaking against Fred’s. He pulled your tighter, like he had regretted ever letting go.
You felt like you could never compose yourself, but you eventually did. Fred’s eyes were red and swollen, and you had wiped the tears off his cheeks. He did the same charm George had done to get the makeup off his shirt.
You led them inside, back into the venue. All of you sniffled as you walked together. You waved to security, telling them they were with you, and ignored your manager as you slipped into your greenroom. 
“You were amazing up there,” George said, taking advantage of the full bar you had in the room.
You took the glass he had made for you, gulping down the harsh alcohol in one swig. George chuckled, ducking into the mini fridge and handing you a soda.
“So your a muggle now?” Fred croaked, his eyes locked on his glass.
“Turned in my wand after the war,” you answered, putting the soda on the table beside you because you couldn’t trust your shaking hands.
“We missed you,” George spoke, sitting next to you on the couch.
You forced a smile on your cracking lips, glancing at him.
“I thought you died,” Fred spoke, finally looking up at you.
Your eyes widened, mouth opening slightly.
“Couldn’t find you after,” George said, forcing himself to remember, “looked almost all night. Lifted every stone we could find.”
Your eyes drifted down, tears filling them again. You swallowed hard, hating yourself immediately for the pain you put them through. You couldn’t even compare it to the pain Fred put you through, because at least you knew he was alive.
“I left,” you mumbled, lip quivering a little, “Just after the dust settled. I flew home and packed everything I owned.”
Fred scoffed across form you, and both you and George’s head shot up to look at him.
“I thought you died,” he repeated, sounding harsh.
“ ‘M sorry,” you mumbled, tasting the warm and salty tears falling into your mouth.
“Why didn’t you say goodbye?” George whispered from beside you, swallowing hard.
“I dunno,” you admitted, wiping your tears with the back of your hand, “I just had to leave. I didn’t think you would have wanted to see me.”
You spoke to Fred, referencing the harsh breakup a month before the war. He looked at you, hurt in his eyes.
“Of course I wanted to see you,” he said, sounding hurt that you could even think that.
“You broke it off with me, Fred, what was I supposed to think?” 
“I only did that to keep you safe!” Fred yelled.
“Well it didn’t keep me safe! It just hurt more!” you shouted back, pulling your hair off your face and behind your ears in a stressful motion.
Fred looked at you, shocked. His eyes fell to your scar, and you covered it with your hair again.
“I’m sorry,” he finally spoke, sounding regretful.
You nodded your head, looking at the ground.
“I’ve missed you, Y/n,” George spoke, his voice soft, “here.”
He slipped a card into your hand, and you looked down at it. It was a business card. Your mouth widened into a smile, and before you could stop yourself, you were laughing.
“Did George Weasley just give me a business card?”
George smiled back at you, chuckling with you. 
You examined the card, reading the gold writing. ‘Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, Fred and George Weasley’. The card had an address on it.
“Visit the shop some time,” George said, standing, “I’ll meet you at home, Fred?”
Fred looked at George, furrowing his brow. George made a motion for Fred to sit, and Fred sighed. George hugged you and left you with Fred.
You two sat in silence, he nursed his whiskey and you picked at you fingers.
“You really were amazing up there,” Fred finally said, putting his glass on the table.
“Thank you,” you said sheepishly.
“I still love you, you know,” Fred said confidently, looking straight into your eyes.
Your lips parted, hearing the words you had wanted to hear for about a year, and you didn’t know what to say.
“I love you too,” you whispered.
Fred stood from his chair and moved over to you, sitting next to you. His hand found yours, and you sat together. Neither of you had felt anything like this in a long time. The numbness receded into you, allowing space for love and relief to fill you. Fred no longer felt the weight of guilt and worry, all that banished just by a glance at your face.
Your hand still shook in his, and he held it tightly until it stopped. He turned towards you, bringing a hand to your face. He pushed your hair off your face, looking at you scar.
“Is that from-” he trailed off, his thumb tracing the mark.
You nodded, flicking your eyes away from his. He snaked it hand behind your neck, and pulled your face close to his. His lips connected to your scar, and he held you there for a moment. You closed your eyes, melting into his touch.
“I don’t ever want to be apart from you again,” he mumbled into your face.
“Me neither,” you whispered back.
445 notes · View notes