#maria watches friday night lights

[stonerbughead]

SCREAMING @ the Friday Night Lights reference in this week’s All American!!! plz tell me someone gifed it

#maria watches all american #all american #friday night lights #all american spoilers

[javierpena-inatacvest]

Chapter 16- The Lone Star State

Summary: You and Javi head to Dallas for the weekend to make good on his Christmas present to the Stars vs. Blackhawks game. While you're there, you run into someone from your past that sets the weekend in a different direction.

Word Count: 15.7K (I'm genuinely so sorry except I'm not)

Warnings: SMUT (18+) strap in y'all... unprotected p in v sex, creampie, breeding kink, praise kink, oral (f and m receiving), vaginal fingering, light bondage (aren't we glad Javi brought his work tie?!), multiple orgasms, orgasm denial, dom/sub Javi AND Osita (omg y'all), Javi being a whining, WHIMPERING mess (it deserves its own warning) violence (Javi punches someone), alcohol/being tipsy, food/eating, I'm not even gonna lie everyone... This chapter is really just hockey and sex LMAOOOOO

A/N: Trick or Treat! Here's a lil Halloween something for all of you being so patient and waiting for me to finish this unexpected monster 🫣 I swear, I thought I was gonna struggle to make this chapter long enough, and now here we are, with the longest NTL chapter to date 🥴 SO EAT UP AND ENJOY 🤪 Shout out to @endlessthxxghts for listening to my horny ramblings about this chapter ILYYYYYYY

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Your teacher guilt had never been good at letting you take days off. You had gone to school with sore throats, stuffy noses, fevers, hell, you had gone to school with what you were convinced was the plague because you felt so bad leaving your class with a sub. So when it came to taking personal days, it was safe to say, you felt even worse. That’s why Javi knew when he had planned your Christmas trip to Dallas with a Friday night game for the Chicago Blackhawks vs. the Dallas Stars, he was going to need plenty of backup support from your co-workers to convince you it was okay to take a Friday afternoon off to do something for yourself to enjoy. 

“Okay, and just make sure that the substitute knows that all of the worksheets for math are on my desk next to-” 

“MIJA. Dios Mio. Yes, yes, yes, I will make sure the substitute knows where everything is. It is a Friday afternoon, all she needs to do is keep them alive. Don’t worry about a thing, I promise I have it covered. Now go! Tu futuro esposo te está esperando! (Your future husband is waiting for you!)” Maria waved her hand at you, practically shooing you out of your own classroom, trying to get you to stop explaining your very detailed plans you had left behind that you had already told her 4 different times leading up to today, in addition to leaving an extra copy on her desk, just in case something went wrong. 

“Okay, okay! Thank you Maria. You’re the best.” You laughed, slinging your bag over your shoulder, starting to make your way down the hall to the front office. 

“Yo se. Ten un buen fin de semana! (I know. Have a fun weekend!). Not too much fun, if you know what I mean.” Maria winked, waving goodbye as she walked the opposite direction back towards her own classroom. 

“Maria!” You grimaced, your face turning bright red watching her cackle in delight as she closed her door behind her. You took a final breath as you headed down the hallway, convincing yourself that your class would be just fine for their substitute, and even if they weren’t, well, that would just have to be Monday’s problem. 

“Man, you’re really sexy for a taxi driver, you taking people to the airport, hottie?” you giggled, hopping into the passenger’s side of Javi’s truck, tossing your school bag into the backseat with the rest of your suitcases. Like most people’s jobs, Javi’s work at the sheriff’s department didn’t require him to leave behind detailed instructions of how to keep 25 8 year olds alive and educated when he wanted to take time off, so he had offered to leave work early to pack up all of your things so you could head right to the airport from Alma Pierce Elementary. “Oh my god, and you got BLT’s from Alejandro’s, too? Sexiness and bringing me sandwiches? This is the best cab ride I’ve ever had.” The two of you laughed as Javi rolled his eyes at you, passing you over your sandwich as you headed en route to the Laredo Airport. 

“You’re such a weirdo. How was your day, Osita?” Javi asked, reaching over to place his hand on your leg, gently tracing circles in the denim of your jeans as you chowed down on your sandwich, finally getting a chance at a bite of food for the first time since breakfast. 

“Better now that I’m with you. And that you brought me this delicious sandwich. I’ve been so distracted all day because I’ve been so excited for this weekend.” You beamed through bites of your BLT, reaching down to give Javi’s hand a squeeze. 

“Me too, Hermosa. I’ve never been to Dallas before, so I’m glad my first trip is with you.” 

“Seriously? I guess I forget how big Texas is. It’s probably like what, a 7 hour drive from Laredo?” You shrugged, taking another bite of your sandwich, trying to calculate the distance in your brain. 

“About 6 and a half. Which is exactly why we’re flying, and not driving.” 

“What? You don’t wanna spend 6 and a half hours in the car with me?” You smirked, giving him a playful nudge with your elbow before crossing your arms over your chest. 

“No, I don’t wanna spend 5 hours and 45 minutes by myself driving while you sleep the whole way.” He laughed, elbowing you back, the both of you knowing you made the worst road trip partner for any drive longer than an hour, since you’d be sound asleep in the passenger’s seat as Javi drove. 

“To be fair, you’re always the one driving.” You retorted, rolling your eyes at his jab, knowing he wasn’t wrong. 

“Because you refuse to drive my truck, and I’m convinced if you drive your car anywhere more than 10 miles at a time, it’ll collapse.” 

“Hey! Woodstock can make it at least a good 50 before I start to get genuinely concerned. I trust him more than I trust the metal death trap we’re about to ride in. I think you just like watching me suffer while we fly because you know how much I hate it.” You sassed, giving him an unseriously stern look that had you on the verge of bursting into laughter. 

“I think the bones in my hand would beg to differ, Hermosa. After the past two flights to Chicago, I’m surprised I have any left considering the death grip you have every time we take off and land.” Javi chuckled, nudging you back. 

“Like I said Jav, you’re the one who booked the flight, can’t blame this one on me.” 

To neither of your surprise, you couldn’t help but find your hand tightly wrapped in Javi’s for the hour and a half flight from Laredo to Dallas. Although he refrained from giving you any shit as you sat only partially paralyzed next to him on your trip, his “I told you so” look as the two of you got off the plane was all he needed to do to have you rolling your eyes, knowing as long as the two of you flew together, he would always tease you for crushing his hand, but you and him both knew he wouldn’t want it any other way. 

Your cab ride from the airport to the hotel was a quick trip, Javi picking a hotel downtown close to fun bars and restaurants for the two of you to try, and to Reunion Arena where you were headed in a few hours to watch the Stars and the Blackhawks play. You both unpacked your bags from the taxi, Javi insisting that he carry your bag too. It didn’t take long into your relationship for you to give up on trying to persuade Javi that you could carry your own bags, open your own doors or go get things yourself, his response always being “I know you can, Hermosa, but I want to.” While the stubborn part of you always wanted to fight him on it, there was always a part of you that couldn’t help but smile every time he insisted on doing things for you simply because he wanted to, for no other reason than the fact he loved you. 

“Hi, we’re checking in. The name should be under Javier Peña.” Javi smiled at the woman at the front desk of the hotel as the both of you strolled up hand in hand. 

“Alright Mr. and Mrs. Peña it looks like we’ve got you checking in tonight and then checking out on Sunday, is that correct?” The woman nodded back at the two of you, clicking away at the keyboard in front of her to gather the rest of your room information. You and Javi paused for a moment, quietly looking at each other with smug grins on your faces, feeling no need to correct her mistake. 

“Yup, that’s us.” You chimed in, giving Javi a little nudge under the counter, still smirking at the thought of hearing your last name as his. 

“Perfect! We have you staying in room 403. If you take a left down this hallway, the elevators are right that way. Have a wonderful stay, Mr. and Mrs. Peña!” The woman grinned, handing over your room keys and gesturing down the hallway, the two of you nodding back, giving a polite thanks as you grabbed your bags and headed off towards your room. 

“Didn’t feel the need to correct her on that one, huh?” You giggled, playfully poking at Javi as the two of you waited for the elevator. 

“Absolutely not, Mrs. Peña.” He grinned, grabbing your bags as the two of you stepped through the open doors of the elevator, glad to find it empty as you pressed the button to ride up to your floor. “Fuck, I can’t believe in a few months you’re actually gonna be my wife. God, I can’t wait.” 

You could feel the heat creeping up your cheeks, butterflies swirling in your stomach as you looked up at him, soft smiles spread across both your faces. “Me neither. Crazy to think the next time we stay at a hotel together it’ll be on our honeymoon.” You smirked, raising an eyebrow at him, biting down on your lip. Javi shook his head, running his hand over his face almost in disbelief before pulling you in closer, reaching his hand down to grab a handful of your ass as his voice rasped in your ear. 

“Fuck me. Better make sure we put this hotel room to good use and get some practice in before we go then, huh?” 

Before you could respond, you could hear the ding of the elevator doors sliding open, Javi quickly pulling away, noticing several hotel guests standing on the other side of the door, grabbing your bags and getting off the elevator. You let out a deep sigh, trying to compose yourself as you excused yourself through the small crowd, giving Javi a goofy, stern look as he laughed, carting your bags behind him as you made your way down the hall towards your room. 

“You cannot just be saying stuff like that, you menace. You know we do not have time to do anything before we have to leave, and you’re gonna get me all hot and bothered.” You grimaced, playfully swatting at him as he set down your things to grab the room key out of his pocket. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Osita. I would never do that.” Javi joked, a boyish grin growing between his cheeks as he pushed open the door, hauling your bags inside. “Plus, you know I could make it quick, we could have time if you really wanted to.” Throwing your bags down on the ground next to the bed, Javi smirked as he sat down on the edge, giving you the sweet brown eyes he knew you couldn’t resist. 

“Oh bullshit you never would, you dork.” You rolled your eyes, making your way over to Javi, slotting yourself in between his legs as you ran your hands through the soft brown curls of his hair, pressing a tender kiss on his lips before pulling away, cupping your hand around his cheek. “Believe me, I know you could, but the game starts in an hour and a half and we still have to eat dinner and get to the stadium. You spent all this money on me to take me here to see the game and we’re not missing it because you can’t keep it in your pants, mister.” 

“When you’ve got a future wife as hot as you, can you blame me?” Javi shrugged, wrapping his arms around your waist, reaching his hands down to grab your ass again, tugging you hard enough to make you fall over on top of him, making you giggle as you landed on his chest. 

“You’re ridiculous, you know that? Believe me, once we get back, my future husband can have me any way he wants me. But right now, we have a hockey game to get to, Mr. Peña.” You grinned, biting down on your lip before giving him another quick kiss and pushing yourself off the bed, leaving Javi still laying down wide eyed and worked up as you rummaged through your suitcase, pulling out a Blackhawks jersey for you, and one from Charlie’s extensive collection for Javi to borrow, tossing it on the bed next to him. You shuffled out of the sweater you had worn to work, leaving you in just your bra and jeans as you searched through your bag to pull out a crewneck to wear under your jersey. 

“Any way? You’re not making this any easier on me.” Javi huffed, beginning to shed his own jacket to change, undressing you with his eyes faster than you could have undressed yourself. 

“Well you’re not about to make it any easier on me once you put that jersey on either.” You sighed, watching Javi throw on his jersey over his shirt, your jaw immediately going slack at the sight. “Jesus Christ, you’re so hot. God, I can’t even look at you. C’mon, we gotta get outta here before we miss this whole game.” You laughed, overdramatically shielding your eyes from Javi, marching your way over to the door to avoid any temptations. Javi chuckled, grabbing his jacket and following behind you, opening up the door for you, outstretching his arm toward the hallway. 

“After you, Mrs. Peña.” 

Someway or another, the two of you managed to make it out of the hotel, deciding on a barbeque restaurant down the street from the stadium for dinner. The two of you decided to get ribs to split, leaving Javi equal parts shocked and impressed at the speed you demolished your dinner, realizing you were much hungrier than you had anticipated. After finishing your dinner, the two of you walked over to Reunion Arena, perhaps feeling a little like the odd ones out in your red and black amongst a sea of green and gold, but the feeling of being back in a stadium to watch a live hockey game filled you with a sense of comfort and content even if you were far from your home arena in Chicago. 

“I haven’t been to an NHL game in so long. You seriously have no idea how excited I am for this, thank you so much, Jav.” You beamed, squeezing his hand as the two of you made your way into the arena, working your way through the sizeable crowd, considering how well the Dallas Stars had been doing this season. “I feel honored to be the first one to take you to your first professional hockey game.”

“Of course, Osita. I’m excited to be here with you. If it wasn’t for you, I would have gone my whole life without ever watching a hockey game.” Javi smiled, gripping your hand a little tighter than usual as you navigated through the sea of fans, trying to find your seats. 

There hadn’t been many instances where you and Javi had found yourselves in large crowds of people, but whenever you did, you could always sense the slight shift in Javi’s demeanor- While it didn’t make him uneasy, you could always tell he was a little more on alert and on edge. Your brothers had been the same way when they had come back from active duty whenever they were in crowds, and you could understand why Javi felt that way, too. But what Javi was that your brothers weren’t when you found yourselves in these situations was overly protective of you. Holding your hand tighter than normal, shielding your body with his whenever you had to walk through a crowd, giving guys who looked in your direction a little too long a death glare he hoped you wouldn’t catch- Javi would never admit it, knowing the stubborn and independent woman you were, but you knew just as well as he did that he got just a touch more possessive whenever the two of you went out, and tonight was no exception. 

Javi had tried to chalk it up to the fact that you stood out because of your opposing jerseys, but he couldn’t help but notice the looks that you had been getting since the minute you had entered the stadium, the wandering eyes of groups of guys with their buddies silently nodding to each other with subtle smirks on their faces as you unassumingly walked by. And while he was never worried that you would do anything about it, he couldn’t help but feel a little heat start to burn in the pit of his stomach as men looked your way a little too long, especially as the two of you walked hand in hand through the arena, the men glancing in your direction knowing you were off limits because you were his. While he wouldn’t say it, and was going to try his damndest not to show it, Javi couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. 

After a quick walk through the arena, you and Javi found your section, practically dragging him down the steps towards your seats in excitement to know your seats were right up against the boards at center ice, which, to you, were the best seats in all of hockey regardless of where you were watching. “Javi, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, these seats are amazing, I have never had seats this good at a hockey game ever! You sure these are our seats? Like, we actually get to sit here?” You squealed, pointing to the pair of empty seats in your row, practically bouncing in excitement. 

“Yes, actually.” Javi laughed, beaming at your pure joy and excitement as you plopped into your spots, watching you take in the sights and sounds of the pre-game excitement. You were like a little kid on Christmas, even giddier than you were when you first saw the tickets on the day as your present, filling Javi’s heart to know his gift had brought you such genuine happiness. 

Looking up at the scoreboard, you figured you had just enough time to go to the bathroom and grab the two of you a beer before the game started, shooting up out of your seat and giving Javi a quick kiss on the cheek as you scooted past him. “Where are you going?” Javi asked, looking at you with confusion as you made your way down the aisle. 

“I gotta pee and I’m gonna go grab us drinks before the game starts.” You gestured up towards the stairs and then back at the game clock ticking down towards zero. You were equally as confused as Javi started to stand up too, looking like he was getting ready to follow you. “You need to pee, too?” 

“No, I was uh- I was gonna go with you.” Stuck halfway between standing and sitting, Javi paused, trying to silently convey to you that he didn’t mind going, for his own sake to know that no one was going to try and bother you on your trip. 

“Jav, I’m good, it’ll be like 5 minutes, don’t worry.” You nodded reassuringly, giving him a little shrug as you made your way up the steps to the entrance of your section. 

“O-okay.” Javi half smiled back at you, watching the whole way you went up before you disappeared into the crowd, leaving him anxiously tapping his fingers against his jeans as he waited for you to return. 

The one benefit of being a female hockey fan was that you seemed to come few and far between, making your trips to the bathroom at any game much shorter than the average women’s bathroom line, happily speeding in and out before making your way over to the concession stand. You stood in line, peeking your head over the other people waiting with you to try and see what your beer choices were on the menu above the cash registers, when you noticed familiar flashes of red and black jerseys a few lines over. Out of curiosity, you stood on your tiptoes, peering through the crowd to see who else had Blackhawks jerseys on all the way out in Dallas. Taking a few steps forward with your moving line, you were able to get a better look at the group of guys chatting amongst each other, only able to see the backs of their heads and the player’s jerseys they were wearing, until one of them turned around towards you making your gut sink and your heart stop. 

There’s no fucking way.  

You immediately turned around, hoping the group hadn’t seen you staring, visibly shaking your head to try and clear your thoughts. You quickly looked over once more, only able to see the backs of their heads again, making it easier to convince yourself you must have just been seeing things. 

“Ma’am? Ma’am? Are you ready to order?” A woman called out from the cash register, trying to get your attention as you stood frozen in disbelief, staring at the ground. 

“Uh, yeah, yeah. Sorry. Um, can I uh- I can I just get two Miller Lites, please?” You asked, pulling out your wallet and handing over a few bills and your ID, nervously bouncing your leg while you waited for her to return with your drinks, stuffing your change back into your pocket and grabbing your beers. You tried as best as you could to book it back to your seats, praying that if who you thought you had seen was really there, you had made it out fast enough that they hadn’t seen you. 

You had made it back just in time, the lights in the arena now beginning to dim, the crowd roaring as the Blackhawks and the Stars skated out of the tunnel to greet the crowd and warm up before the game started. You had hoped that the darkness of the arena would be enough to hide your rattled expression from Javi as you snuck back to your seat, passing his beer off to him as you sat down with yours, taking a long swig before setting it down in your cup holder. While the lack of lights may have been enough to hide your face, it wasn’t enough to make up for your silence as you sat down next to Javi, now looking over at you with concern. “You okay, Osita?” He asked, reaching down to wrap his hand around your knee that you had been trying to keep from anxiously tapping since you got back to your seat. 

“Uh, yeah. Yeah. I’m good. I just- um, I just thought I saw someone that I knew here but I don’t know how the hell it would be them or why they would be in Dallas, so it must have just been someone who looked like them. Sorry, it was just weird.” You shook your head again, trying to use any rational part of your brain to convince yourself of your words, and not let it ruin the rest of your night. “I’m good, I promise.” Leaning over the edge of your seat, you planted a soft kiss on Javi’s cheek, giving him a reassuring smile before letting out a big cheer as the announcer began shouting out the names of the Blackhawks starting lineup through the arena. 

Thankfully, it didn’t take much for you to forget about your unsettling observation at the concession stand- the excitement and energy of the game quickly took over, cheering and screaming as the puck dropped and the first period began. The seats that Javi had picked out were incredible, giving you a close up on all of the action, including a few body checks pressed up against the glass right next to you as the two teams battled on the ice. You had always told Javi whenever you watched games on TV that you never expected him to care or be nowhere near as invested as you were, but knowing how important it was to you and how much you loved it, he had made an effort to try and learn as much as he could to keep up, leaning over to your seat every once in a while to ask you questions or try and point out something he noticed. It warmed your heart to see how much Javi wanted to show that he cared, and made you even more thrilled to see that he was just as into watching the game as you were, now yelling and clapping along with you opposite the crowd filled with Dallas Stars fans. Anything you did with Javi made you happy, simply because you got to be with him, but you really owed it to him for making this one of the best hockey games that you had been to in a very, very long time. 

As the second period came to a close, the Blackhawks were up 2-1, the two of you so excited by the game that you hadn’t realized you both could go for another beer refill and another trip to the bathroom. You made your way up the stairs, Javi following close behind as you parted ways at the entrance to your section, agreeing that you would go get your drinks and meet him at the concession stand, since your trip to the bathroom was probably going to be much shorter than his. After a quick run through a nearly empty bathroom, you shot back over to the concession stand, standing back in the same line you were before, completely forgetting about your observation from your last trip. 

Grabbing both of your beers, you leaned against a pillar next to the concession stand, waiting for Javi to come back from the bathroom, when you heard the faintly familiar voices nearby, your stomach starting to turn once again, looking out at the crowd to see if you could find where they were coming from. You peered your head the opposite direction of where you came, feeling a sense of relief with no black or red jerseys in sight, cautiously tiling your eyes back the other way, only to feel your heart sink to the pit of your stomach with the group of guys now standing in front of you. Your chest began to pound, squeezing your eyes shut, somehow hoping it would make you, or better yet, them disappear, but it was no use. 

“I told you it was her! How’s it going, Ice Princess? Long time, no see! I can’t fucking believe this. Paul! Paul! Get over here, I told you it was her, you motherfucker!” 

Letting out a deep breath, you reluctantly opened your eyes to see your ex-boyfriend Paul and his obnoxious group of friends standing in front of you, snickering and pointing like middle school boys in your general direction at your absolutely flabbergasted face. “You gotta be fucking kidding me…” You muttered under your breath, clenching your jaw and tightening your grip around your beers as the group approached you, pushing Paul front and center, as if you needed it to be any more obvious that his presence had been known. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” You snapped, glaring at Paul’s tall and lanky figure, his short blonde hair spiked up in the same way you absolutely hated, cocky grin stretched across his face as he approached you. 

“Damn, nice to see you too, Princess.” Paul laughed, his group of friends joining in and cackling behind, giving each other playful slaps. 

“Don’t fucking call me that.” You growled, giving him a deathly glare, now anxiously bouncing your foot, wondering where Javi was and what was taking him so long. “You didn’t answer my question, asshole.” 

“Calm down, Princess, Jesus. We’re here this weekend for an accounting conference downtown. Work paid for us to fly down today so we figured we’d catch the game since the Hawks were playing tonight. What the hell are you doing here?” Paul crossed his arms, giving you a condescendingly smug smirk, as if you were supposed to be happy to see him. 

“I live here? Remember that thing where you were a complete dickwad and cheated behind my back for 2 years and told me my brother deserved to die so it became incredibly clear to me that there is no one else on the fucking face of this earth I would rather be with less than you? Or is that too much for your idiot brain to remember?”  You were practically snarling at him at this point, nostrils flared and jaw clenched as the angry pit in your stomach grew heavier and heavier each second you looked at Paul. God, where the hell was Javi? 

“Ouch…” One of the guys grimaced behind Paul’s back, the rest of them frowning in agreement, almost impressed by your brashness. “Told you this wasn’t gonna go over well, dude.” Another mumbled, giving Paul a little nudge. 

“Shut the fuck up, Eric.” Paul retorted, rolling his eyes at his friend, trying to save the little dignity you had just spared him. “Okay, okay, point taken. I did some not so great shit, sorry. Don’t need to be such a brat about it.” Holding up his hands in defense, Paul shrugged, giving you the most unapologetic look you had ever seen. “Listen, one of the guys said he saw a hot chick in a Blackhawks jersey, it sparked my attention, turns out it was you. Figured I’d come say hi, let you know you still look real fuckin’ good. See if maybe you wanna go get a drink or something after the game and catch up?” 

You were so heated and filled with rage locked in your sinister staring match with Paul that you hadn’t heard Javi come up behind you, making you flinch and spill some of the beer you had been holding as he quickly grabbed them out of your hands, setting them down on the ground before instinctively wrapping his arm around your waist. Even though you were still fuming, you felt a sense of relief wash over you to see that not only was Javi finally back, but that he had clearly also picked up on the fact that you did not look happy to see whoever had been talking to you. 

“These guys bothering you?” Javi asked, digging his fingertips into your hip, shooting Paul a menacing glare. Before you could say anything to try and explain what the hell was happening, Paul was scoffing at you and Javi, giving you a disgusted look as he pointed at him. 

“Who the fuck is this?” 

“Who the fuck are you?” Javi snapped back, his tone becoming increasingly harsher with the way Paul had responded to his presence. 

“A friend from Chicago-” 

“A friend from Chicago?! Shut the fuck up, Paul.” You groaned, jaw dropping in shock that he had the audacity to try and play it off to Javi like he was an old acquaintance you were happy to run into. “This is my fiancé, asshole.” 

“Fiancé? Yikes, talk about needing a fucking rebound, huh?” Paul laughed, his friends joining in behind him 

“What’s that supposed to mean, motherfucker?” You growled, lunging toward Paul, Javi grabbing you by your waist to keep you from getting any further, pulling you back towards him. The sight of Javi having to physically restrain you from trying to go after him only made Paul laugh harder, shaking his head and letting out a deep, satisfied sigh before speaking again. 

“God, you’re just as much as fucking mess as you were when we broke up, aren’t you? The boys always said I liked ‘em hot and crazy so guess we’re fuckin’ two for two, aren’t we, Princess? Good luck with this one, man. You got your fucking hands full.”  Looking you up and down as you tugged against Javi’s grasp, trying to free yourself, Paul let out one last huff of amusement before beginning to turn around and walk away, only to be stopped by a large hand yanking at the back of his jersey, forcing him to back around to meet Javi’s broad body looming over his. While you were full of rage and on the verge of trying to punch Paul’s teeth in, Javi had let go of his grasp with a look like he was ready to kill as he stepped towards Paul, jaw clenched and fist drawn as his grip on Paul’s jersey shifted from his back to under his neck, the fabric balled tight in his hands as he pulled Paul towards him. 

“Don’t you ever fucking talk about my future wife like that again or I’ll fucking kill you, you understand?” Javi threatened, his voice low and ominous as he drew Paul closer to his face, making sure he heard every word coming through the snarl of his gritted teeth. 

Oh. 

Oh. 

Javi knew you had no problem standing up for yourself. He knew you probably could have taken Paul down yourself if he’d let you go at him. But if there was one thing Javi knew for god damn sure, it was that he wasn’t above beating the shit out of anyone who threatened to even look at you the wrong way, let alone deliberately insult you. Just as well as he knew that, you also knew that Javi wasn’t the type to get in pissing matches with other guys just to assert his dominance. 

But the way he had stormed after Paul with no hesitation, hoisting him up by the collar of his shirt and threatening him with the dangerous rumble looming in his voice had the pounding in your chest quickly fading from anger to arousal at the way Javi’s instincts had gone into overdrive to protect you- and that, that was something you were not expecting to make you as hot and bothered as it was. 

“Jesus, okay man, okay!” Paul moaned, preemptively flinching and wincing his face as Javi leaned in towards him before letting him go and shoving him down, making him stumble as he tried to regain his balance. You would have thought that would have been plenty to get Paul to run off, tail tucked between his legs in embarrassment, but you had forgotten what a wonderfully delightful douchebag your ex was, always needing to get in the last word in any argument just to prove a point. “Fuckin’ have her man. Good fuckin’ riddance, bitch.” 

And just like that, without a second thought, without even a hesitation, hearing Paul mumble that last sentence under his breath was enough to have Javi’s hand balled in a fist, immediately winding up to punch Paul square in the face, instantly knocking him to the cold, hard cement of the arena floor in a sobbing, whimpering heap. 

Taking a step back to shake out his hand and admire the pitiful mess Paul had become, Javi let the slightest smirk slide across his face before immediately turning back to you, gently cupping your face, melting you with his sweet brown eyes filled with concern- A stark contrast from his stone cold demeanor only moments ago. “Are you okay, Hermosa?” 

“Are you okay? Javi… holy shit.” Grabbing Javi’s hand from the side of your face, pulling it down to examine his red knuckles, you darted your eyes back and forth between him and Paul, still writhing on the ground, blood dripping down his nose. You couldn’t help but feel your eyes go wide, butterflies swirling in your stomach as a tiny grin curled between your lips looking down at what Javi had done to your ex. You had never seen Javi get aggressive like this, and despite everything you’d ever thought about not needing a man to come swoop in and save you, it was taking everything in you not to pounce on him right then and there by how turned on you were by the fact he had just easily decked Paul to the ground in your defense. 

“Fuck you, motherfucker, I think you broke my nose!” Paul whimpered, wiping away blood with the back of his hand, trying to press himself back up to stand. “Security!” 

“Don’t even bother. We’re leaving. Fuck you too, Paul.” You scoffed, grabbing Javi’s hand as you tugged him away, proudly flipping Paul off as you passed by, pushing your way through the small audience that had formed around you from your tussle, several people giving you and Javi silent nods of approval after watching what had happened. Once you had dragged Javi far enough away, he paused, stopping in his tracks, forcing you to turn back towards him. 

“Osita. Baby, fuck, I’m so sorry. I don’t want us to have to leave because of me, we came all this way to watch the game and I, fuck- I don’t- I don’t know what got into me, but there was no way I was gonna fucking let him talk to you like that, I-” 

“Javi. That was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t care if the Blackhawks win, I don’t care if they lose, I don’t care if we get blown out 75-0, if you don’t take me back to our hotel room and fuck me right now, I’m gonna lose my goddamn mind.” Taking a few steps back where Javi had froze, you placed your hands on his chest, grabbing two big fist fulls of his jersey before pressing up on your tiptoes to plant a hot, wet kiss on his lips, biting down on your lip and raising an eyebrow at him as you pulled back. 

“Fuck, okay. Hermosa, are you sure?” Javi smirked, gently brushing away a stray piece of hair from your face, resting his hand around your jaw. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so sure of anything. Take me back to our room and fuck the shit out of me, Javier Peña.”

It was then Javi’s turn to drag you off through the arena, immediately grabbing your hand and working through the crowd, practically running back to your hotel, your limbs immediately intertangling the moment you found yourselves alone in the elevator. Your hands ran along each other’s bodies, your kisses frantic and desperate down the empty hallway to your room, Javi barely able to pull away for long enough to tug his room key out of his pocket. Your back was pressed against the door, trapped under Javi’s body towering over you as he finally was able to slide the card in the door, the pressure of your weight pushing against it forcing it open as it unlocked. 

Your hands roamed needily as your mouths met with an electric intensity, stumbling towards the bed with faltering steps before your back hit the plush mattress, Javi leaning over you with hands planted on either side of your head, his kisses now trailing from your lips to your neck, sucking and nipping at your pulse point as his hands slid under your shirt, palming at your bra and digging his fingertips into your soft flesh. Your hands began to roam too, traveling from the tight grip they had around Javi’s jersey as you pulled him closer to you towards his jeans, reaching out to tug at the denim waistband before feeling Javi’s grip wrap around your wrist, pulling both hands above your head and pinning them to the mattress under the width of his broad grasp. 

“Nuh uh, Hermosa.” Javi tutted, a devilish smirk growing across his face as his eyes darkened, squeezing your wrists in his hand, arms still raised over you. He dipped his head down, placing slow, tender kisses along your collarbone before working his way up your neck and jaw, catching the breaths of your moans in his mouth as his lips pressed against yours. “You’re gonna be a good girl and let me make you cum as many times as I want first, understand? This pussy’s all fucking mine.” 

Oh fuck. 

You could feel your stomach swirl with arousal from the growl in Javi’s voice, his words sending a shiver down your spine, eyes wide as you quietly nodded in agreement. Javi was a lot of things when the two of you fucked- tender, attentive, god, even when you wanted him to be rough with you, you could tell there was a part of him that always held back, because the thought of ever doing something that would come even close to hurting you was something he would never do. But the tone of his voice was something that you had never heard from him before- it was demanding, possessive, and holy fuck did it turn you on way more than you would have ever expected it to. 

Barely getting out any coherent verbal response to coincide with your head shaking in compliance, Javi let go of your wrists, standing back up, his body hovering over yours at the edge of the bed. “Good girl. Take your clothes off, baby.” Javi rasped, taking a step back to watch as you sat up, quickly pulling off your jersey and crewneck underneath before working your way down to your jeans, shuffling them down your legs and kicking them off your feet, leaving you in your bra and underwear, frantically trying to shed them too before Javi stopped you again, tilting your chin up towards him as his thumb traced along your jawline. He looked you up and down, his smirk widening across his face at the cute matching bra and panty set you had worn, knowing it was one of his favorites and that he’d enjoy your little surprise. “You wear this for me, Hermosa?” Javi asked, his thumb now gently dragging down your bottom lip as he bit down on his own. 

“Mhmmmm.” You grinned, giving him a little wink, scooting yourself closer towards the edge of the bed to try and grab at his jersey and pull him close enough to work your hands under and run them along his stomach, sneaking them down to unbutton his jeans. You had only outstretched your arms halfway before his hand was around your wrist again, shaking his head in a playful disapproval. 

“So needy. What did I say, baby? Not until I say so, remember? Needy girls still have to be patient, don’t they?” Dropping your wrist, Javi turned around, taking a few steps back before bending down to unzip his suitcase by the end of the bed, shuffling around through his clothes before pulling out the blue and gold tie you had gotten him for his birthday and had worn to work earlier this morning. You cocked your head to the side as you watched him rummage through his clothes, your face still slightly confused when the only thing he pulled out was his tie, until your brain quickly put two and two together. “Maybe this will help you remember. Give me your hands.” Javi paused for a moment, his demeanor shifting back to the sweet and soft man you usually got in the bedroom, his puppy dog eyes staring at you for approval as he quietly mouthed “Is this okay?” to you as he ran his hand up and down the length of his tie. Fuck, did you love this man. 

Your jaw hung open in delighted shock, his suggestion going straight to your pussy, your underwear already soaked from the thought of what he was about to do. Feverishly, you nodded, sticking out your hands, wrists pressed together in front of you for Javi, smirking up at him with heavy lashes. 

“If it’s too much, or you want me to stop, just-” 

“I know. Do your worst, Peña.” 

With that, Javi’s sweet facade quickly shifted, taking the silky fabric of his tie and knotting it around your wrists, making sure to leave enough room to keep you comfortable as he wrapped his hands around your hips, picking you up to scoot you further back on the bed, caging his body over yours. He palmed at your bra, freeing your breast to roll your pebbled nipples between his fingers, the sensation making you writhe and moan beneath him, and he hadn’t even touched anything below your waist. 

“So fucking pretty. Wearing this just for me, knowing I’m the only one who gets to see you like this, that no other man gets to have you like I have you.” His words were hot and heavy against your skin, making your breath hitch as his hand slid down your soft skin, snaking under the waistband of your underwear and running two fingers through your folds, dripping with your arousal. “Knowing that I’m the only one who makes you wet like this. Why is that, sweet girl? Whose pussy is this?” Javi mewled, dragging his fingers along your slit, collecting the slick pooling between your legs, watching you squirm under his touch. 

“It’s yours Javi. Fuck- Fuck baby, it’s all yours.” You whined as Javi’s now soaked fingers snuck out of your panties, bringing them to your mouth. 

“Suck.” He grinned, watching you open your mouth, swirling your tongue around the tangy taste lingering on his digits. “That’s right it is. All mine, forever.” Pulling his hand back, he replaced it with his mouth, crashing into you, his tongue swiping along your bottom lip with a passionate ferocity before sliding down your body, bringing himself face to face with the delicate lace covering your dripping heat. Hooking his fingers around the waistband, he slid your underwear down your legs, gently kissing around your thighs, already fighting against the silky fabric tied around your wrists, trying to reach down to tug the dark curls of his hair and pull him closer to you. His kisses traveled closer and closer to your core, his nose barely brushing your clit, making you moan. 

“Javi… Baby, please.” You whined, wiggling your bottom half against the cool, crisp sheets, needing for Javi to touch you, taste you, do something besides tease you like this. 

“Please what, Osita? Words, baby.” Javi smirked, slowly inching his way towards your center, wrapping his arms around your legs, gripping them in place. 

“Touch me, eat me out, fuck me, anything, fuck- please, please, I-” 

Before you could plead anymore, you gasped, feeling the broad stroke of Javi’s firm tongue pressing against your throbbing clit, finally easing some of the ache of how worked up you had been since the moment you had watched him knock Paul to the ground. Unlike just moments ago, Javi began lapping you up like a man starved, feverishly flicking his tongue along your sensitive bundle of nerves, the pattern of his movements making you buck your hips towards his face, fighting against his strong arms holding you in place. 

Latching his lips, he sucked at your clit, the newfound sensation making the tingle at the base of your spine already begin to grow, the inside of your thighs covered with the shiny slick of your arousal and Javi’s saliva as he worked ferociously at your heat. Your whimpers and groans became more and more labored, an all too familiar creeping sensation sliding up your legs and building in your belly with each movement of his mouth. Your heart began to pound and vision started to blur, arms tugging at the tie placed around your wrists as you felt your orgasm form.

“Oh fuck, fuck Javi. Right there baby, holy shit- fuck, I’m so close, I- I- Wa- wait, wait, what?” Only moments away from feeling pleasure rush though your body, you were left breathless and shocked to feel Javi jerk his mouth away, looking up at you with lust filled eyes and a satisfied grin, opposed to your confusion. “Javi, what? Baby, I was about to-” 

“You don’t cum until I say so. Be a good girl and ask nicely and maybe I’ll let you. Try again.” Javi replied, cocking his head and raising an eyebrow at you, smug smirk still stretched across his face. 

You could almost hear the gulp traveling down your throat as your jaw hung open, your breathing heavy and low, watching Javi watch you, patiently waiting for you to follow his request. “Please let me cum, Javi. Please baby, please, I need you to make me cum so badly.” 

“That’s more like it.” 

Diving back between your legs, Javi drank you up, his tongue quickly accompanied by two of his thick fingers, easily pushing into your entrance and bumping the soft, spongy spot inside you. You could feel your pussy begin to flutter, already so close before Javi had left you on edge, now finding yourself even closer with his fingers curled deliciously in your hilt. Again, the coil in your belly began to tighten, Javi’s fingertips digging into the soft flesh of your thighs, holding you down on the bed. 

“Fuck, Javi. Don’t stop. Please, baby, please- shit- please let me cum, I’m so close, I’m so clo-ahhhhhhh.” Relief and euphoria flooded through your veins as your orgasm crashed over you, expletives and Javi’s name rolling off your tongue as you reached your high. But instead of letting you come back down, Javi’s mouth stayed pressed against your cunt, his hand still thrusting in and out of your heat as you clenched around his fingers, now realizing he wasn’t about to ease up any time soon. 

You could feel your legs trembling as Javi relentlessly licked and sucked, his fingers fucking into at an unforgiving pace, making your moans and whimpers even louder as squirmed, desprate to grab on to something while your hands fought against the buttery softness of his tie wrapped around your wrists. Already so worked up, it didn’t take you long to feel your second orgasm building, making you cum even harder than you had just moments ago, crying out as you gushed again around Javi’s fingers, the sweet sensation almost becoming too much with how feverishly he had been working to make you cum again. Finally, Javi detached his mouth, his chin and mustache glistening with your slick, a sly smile and lustful look in his eyes as his fingers stayed curled in your cunt, the lewd noises of your wetness coating the walls as he pushed against your g-spot. Your breath hitched, legs shaking as held you down with his free arm, draped across your stomach while you writhed under him. 

“Baby, it’s so much, fuck- I don’t think I can cum again, please, I-” 

“First you're begging me to let you cum, now you want me to stop? Don’t get to have it both ways, Osita.” Javi tutted, only intensifying the pace of his fingers curling inside you. “I’m making you cum as many times as I want, remember? You’re gonna give me one more on my fingers and then that pretty little pussy is gonna soak my cock while I fuck you, okay?” You were so worked up you could barely think straight, your clit still throbbing and cunt clenching around Javi’s hand, mind going blank as he hit the spot inside you that had you seeing stars. “Answer me, baby. Tell me what you’re gonna do?” 

It took every ounce of brain power to try and find any way to respond, your head nodding frantically while you babbled. “I’m gonna cum again, please, please I will.” 

“That’s my good girl. God, you’re so fucking tight. Give me one more baby, I know you can. I can feel how close you are.” With only the lightest press of his thumb on your clit, you could feel yourself on the edge again, only needing a few more thrusts of his fingers before you were crying out again, tears welling in your eyes from how hard you came, every inch of your body feeling spent as Javi finally pulled out his hand, absolutely drenched in your arousal, bringing it to his mouth and sucking the juices clean, pridefully watching you sprawled out and spent on the bed. “Tastes so fucking sweet. Did so good for me, Hermosa.” He mewled, coming up to kiss you, the tangy taste of your arousal still lingering on his lips. “Bet that fucking asshole Paul could ever make you cum like that, huh? No one else gets to make you feel this good, isn’t that right, baby?” 

“Jesus Christ, no. No one’s ever made me feel like you do. You make me feel so good, Javi.” Javi’s mouth caught your moans in his as he pinned your tied arms above your head, nipping at your neck as he used his free hand to begin to work at his jeans, quickly unbuckling his belt and shuffling his pants and boxers down his legs. 

“Bet none of them could ever fuck you like I do either. Only your future husband gets to have you like this.” Javi freed his other hand, reaching over his back to tug his jersey over his head, leaving him just as bare as you. Grabbing your hips, Javi lifted you up, turning you over so your stomach lay flat on the bed with your arms splayed in front of you, guiding your lower half so you were on your knees, ass up on display for him. His hands kneaded at the soft flesh before reaching down to guide the tip of his painfully hard cock through your folds, collecting your slick as he lined himself up with your entrance. “Only one who gets to see that pretty pussy dripping just for me.” He smirked, headfully pushing his length deep inside your cunt, his tip kissing your cervix as he bottomed out, digging his fingertips into your hips as he pulled you back towards him, the stretch and fullness making you whimper. “Only one who gets to fill you up like this.” Slowly pulling back, he watched the shine of your arousal covering his cock before slamming back into you, repeating his methodical strokes. “Only one who gets to fuck a baby into you.” He grinned, his pace now quickening, planting a smack of his hand against your ass cheek, massaging the red mark it had left. You whined into the pillow, very much loud enough for Javi to hear, knowing damn well he had a way with words that made you lose your mind. “Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you, Hermosa? Getting you pregnant, carrying our baby so everyone knows you’re fucking mine?” 

“Yes, oh my god, fuck- yes.”

Javi was now pounding into you, his pace relentless as his length punched deep in your hilt, the angle he was fucking you letting you feel every inch of him splitting you open. Even with how full you felt, you couldn’t help but press your ass back into him, needing to feel all of him inside you. Reaching an arm underneath you, he thumbed at your clit, rubbing back and forth as his thrusts became more frantic and sloppy, knowing he wasn’t going to last much longer. You could feel your cunt beginning to clench around his cock, fisting at the bedsheets in front of you, desperate to grip at something while your hands were bound. 

“I know you’re close, Hermosa. Let go, baby. Cum all over cock before I fuck myself so deep inside you and fill you full of me.” You could feel your heart begin to race again, your vision going white with each frantic thrust, the coil in your belly tightening further and further, the sounds falling from your mouth almost borderline pornagraphic. For the fourth time tonight, the tingling in your legs and stomach had built to a breaking point, feeling your orgasm crash through you like a tidal wave, cumming so hard it felt like your soul was leaving your body. Knowing you had reached your high, Javi found himself chasing his own, each thrust more frantic than the last, his thighs slapping against your ass relentlessly as his words fell incoherently from his lips. 

“That’s it, sweet girl. Fuck, I’m close too. Mierda- God, you’re so fucking perfect. Tu eres mio para siempre. Mi amor, mi vida, fuck, te amo más de lo que las palabras pueden decir. (You’re mine forever. My love, my life, fuck, I love you more than words can say). Jesus, fuck- Oh fuck, Osita, fuck, I’m gonna cum too, I-” With a loud groan, Javi came deep inside you, spilling every last drop, coating your warm walls with his spend. Even after he had finished, Javi stayed buried in your cunt, watching the mix of your spend drip down your legs before slumping into you, his chest resting on your back as you melted into the mattress beneath him. The two of you laid there for a moment, your breaths rising and falling in sync, finally breaking the ragged silence with a little laugh to yourself, causing Javi to finally pull out so he could get a better look at you. “What’s so funny, Hermosa?” Javi chuckled, watching you roll over onto your back, revealing the blissed out grin stretched across your face. 

“Javi… that was so fucking hot. Holy fuck. Where the hell did that come from?” You giggled, playfully poking at him as he laid down next to you, reaching over to untie your hands and pull you in to rest your head on his bare chest. 

“It was okay? I don’t- I don’t know, I knew you told me Paul was a piece of shit, but seeing him treat you like that-It just set something off in me, I guess.” Javi sighed, almost reluctantly, gently stroking the ends of your hair as he held you, feeling a little embarrassed at how possessive he had gotten, knowing the perfectly capable and independent woman you were. 

“Was it okay? Javi, I never want to see Paul again, ever in my fucking life. That being said, if I get to watch you sock him in the face and then have you fuck me like that…” Your voice trailed, sarcastically snickering, giving Javi a little nudge as the two of you laughed. “You’ve done a lot of very hot things since I’ve met you, Javier Peña, but I do think knocking Paul out without hesitation is pretty high on the list. I am a little sad I didn’t get a swing in, but we’ll call it good.” 

“He fucking deserved it. No one gets to talk to you like that, ever. I know you don’t need me to protect you, and that you can handle things on your own, but I-” 

“Baby, I know that you know. I appreciate you saying that. It doesn’t change the fact that watching you get all protective over me was really fucking hot.” You smirked, pressing you hand against his chest to push yourself up, meeting your lips with his, running your hands through the dark curls at the nape of his neck. “And also…” Your grin grew wider as you reached down on the bed, picking up Javi’s tie, gently swinging it in your hands, “looks like we’re gonna have to get you some more ties, huh?” 

The two of you woke up the next morning, bodies intertwined together between the crisp hotel sheets, soft sunlight spilling into your window over the Dallas skyline. From the first night he had slept in your bed, you had come to learn there were few things in this world that you loved more than being wrapped in Javi’s arms, your sleepy bodies still warm and lazy as you curled closer between the sheets, feeling like there was no one else in that moment that existed besides the two of you. 

While you and Javi had plenty of lazy mornings together, something about being away for the weekend had both of you relishing in the syrupy slowness of your Saturday morning- sweet and soft sex tangled between your sheets, a long, hot shower where Javi insisted on letting you relax while he washed your hair, followed by curling up in the obnoxiously fluffy hotel robes while the two of you dried off, watching Sports Center and planning out the rest of your day. 

You had decided to spend your afternoon exploring downtown, starting off at a sandwich shop near your hotel, and while both of you agreed that your sandwiches were good, they were no Alejandro’s. You spent some time after at the Dallas Museum of Art, with equal time spent with you making sarcastic commentary about some of the more interesting paintings and sculptures, trying your best to make Javi laugh, and Javi admiring you admire the various pieces of art, thinking to himself that you were more beautiful than any picture or statue he could find inside.

After your tour through the museum, you and Javi meandered through some of the stores downtown, both of your favorites being the pastry shop with the most delicious cupcakes you had ever tasted in your entire life, and although you insisted you didn’t need to get any extras, Javi knew you well enough to know that you were going to want one later, and ordered two more to take back with you to the hotel. 

Since last night’s dinner had been more causal to try and make sure you got to the game on time, you had agreed to pick somewhere nicer to try for dinner tonight and then go out to a bar or two after for some drinks. While you were already enough of a chronic overpacker, trying to decide on an outfit for tonight had taken up the majority of the real estate in your suitcase, your options now spread out across the bed as you stood wrapped in your towel post-shower, contemplating what to wear. 

“You’ll look beautiful in anything, Hermosa.” Javi chuckled, standing behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist, back pressed his chest as he rested his chin on your shoulder. 

“You’re sweet, Jav. I don’t know, I don’t wanna be too casual, but I don’t want to be too dressy either, can you just pick for me?” You sighed, gesturing to the variety of clothes piled on the mattress. 

“You sure you want me to pick?” Javi grinned, placing a soft kiss on the bare skin of your shoulder, giving you a little squeeze. 

“Yes, I’m sure, but I’m already 99.9% sure I know which one you’re gonna choose.” You giggled, crossing your arms over your chest as Javi made his way towards the bed, looking through his choices before he picked up a strappy, mid length black dress, raising an eyebrow at you and passing it off in your direction with a boyish smirk on his face. “Vegas wins again, Peña.” Outstretching your arm, you took the dress from his hands, playfully rolling your eyes at your correct prediction. 

“What, like you can blame me? You can pick out what I wear too, if you want. I’m gonna hop in the shower while you get ready and I’ll be out in a few.” Javi smiled, peppering ticklish kisses along your neck and collarbone, making you squeal and squirm to not even notice Javi’s hand reaching up to tug at your towel, making it drop to the floor and leaving you naked. 

“JAVI!” You shouted, watching Javi shrug his shoulders in satisfaction, giving you a wink as he headed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. You shook your head, laughing to yourself as you threw the dress back on the bed, collecting your rejected outfits and tossing them back in your suitcase. You looked back over your shoulder, making sure the door was closed before pulling out the lingerie Javi had gotten you for Christmas that had been hidden underneath the rest of your clothes, quickly slipping it on to wear under your dress to surprise Javi with later. You shuffled on the dress that Javi had picked, giving yourself a onceover in the mirror before getting out the rest of your toiletries and makeup to finish getting ready. 

You had finished with your makeup by the time Javi had gotten out of the shower, finding yourself in the middle of curling your hair as Javi stepped out of the bathroom, wrapping a white, fluffy towel around his waist, stopping in his tracks as soon as he saw you. “Fuck me…” He whispered under his breath, still just loud enough for you to hear him and turn your head in his direction, blushing over the awestruck look on his face. “Jesus Christ, baby. Fuck, you’re so hot. I’m a lucky fucking man, god damn.” Javi smirked, sitting on the edge of the bed, watching you like a puppy with his chin resting in his hand. 

“Well, someone did a good job picking out the outfit.” You giggled, biting down on your lip at his reflection in the mirror. “I picked out some stuff if you want to wear any of it.” You nodded over to the other side of the bed, where you had set out a dark wash pair of jeans and a black long sleeved button up shirt. 

“Or…” Javi grinned, pushing himself off the edge of the bed to stand, grabbing a handful of your ass and resting his hands on your hips, “You can take your dress off and then we can both put clothes back on later.”

“Your offer is very tempting, but you made reservations for 7:30 and it’s 7:05, mister.” You sighed, turning around to face him, playfully poking his chest. “Believe me, there will be plenty of undressing when we get back. Now go get changed, ya goof.” 

Somehow, the two of you both managed to have enough willpower to make it to your dinner reservation on time, you finding yourself to be just as bad as Javi after watching him put on the outfit you’d chosen. While the two of you knew the restaurant was much nicer than the one you had picked yesterday for dinner, you didn’t realize it was going to be this nice. Not that Laredo didn't have suitable restaurants, but to say they had anything fancy was a bit of a stretch, and to say they had anything this fancy would have been an outright lie. The restaurant was dimly lit, decorated with contemporary fixtures, soft music playing in the background, the waitstaff even dressed to the nines as you approached the hostess at the front booth. 

“Hi, we should have a reservation for 2 at 7:30. Should be under Peña.” Javi smiled resting his hand on the small of your back under your jacket as the two watched the girl flip through her notebook looking for Javi’s name. 

“Perfect, I have you right here. Right this way, Mr. and Mrs. Peña.” She grinned, grabbing two menus and leading you through the restaurant. The grip of Javi’s hand on your back as you followed the hostess to your seats only tightened, hearing her accidental slip up. “Alright, we have you two sitting right here, and your waiter will be with you shortly!” Gesturing over to your table, your hostess set down the menus and was on her way, leaving Javi to immediately pull out your chair for you before setting into his. 

“Thanks, Mr. Peña.” You giggled, gently tapping his leg with your foot under the table. “We’re two for two this weekend with strangers assuming we’re married. Not that I’m mad about it.” 

“I feel like we are. I don’t know, I think of you as my wife already, I guess. I accidentally called you my wife at work the other week and the guys thought we got married without everyone knowing.” Javi shrugged, reaching across the table to grab your hand, gently rubbing his thumb over the ring on your hand. 

“We’ll call that one a happy accident. I think of you as my husband too, I don’t know, it kind of feels like we’re married, I guess it’s just a formality at this point. Only 4 more months.” You beamed, giving his hand a little squeeze before letting go to lift up the menu in front of you, your jaw dropping in shock as you read through the options. “Okay, I knew this place was gonna be nice, but 45 dollars for salmon? 60 for steak? Are they covered in gold dust and unicorn tears? I am many things, Javier Peña, but I am not worth a 60 dollar steak, let me tell you that.” You grimaced, now looking through the drink section, mumbling to yourself. “God, do they even have beer here?” Javi laughed, shaking his head as he picked up his own menu, browsing through his options. 

“Shut up, you dork. You’re more than worth a 60 dollar steak. Don’t worry about it, okay? You deserve to be taken to nice places like this, whether you agree with me or not. But my guess is no, that they are probably not serving Miller Lite here.” 

Despite your sticker shock for food prices, you and Javi had a great rest of your dinner, chatting about wedding and house planning, favorite things about your trip so far, and somehow ending in an argument about the best Star Wars movie after the two of you had a few drinks each in you. Knowing you wanted to go out to a bar or two after dinner, but having no idea where to go, you asked the waitress for her suggestions at favorite places, recommending a bar a block down the street, telling you it was one of the most popular places downtown at the moment. Given her rave review, you and Javi decided to give it a try, tipsily making your way down the street, still continuing your Star Wars argument the entire trip there. 

As you entered the bar, you were greeted with the overwhelming sound of loud, upbeat music blasting through the speakers on the dance floor and bright, flashing lights dancing above the crowd in the dark and packed room. “I guess she wasn’t kidding when she said this place was popular.” You half yelled in Javi’s ear, gesturing out to the crowd in front of you, neither of you realizing the atmosphere of the bar was a bit more club-like than either of you had expected. “I don’t think I’ve been to a place like this since college.” 

Javi’s grip tightened around your waist as several patrons brushed past you, drunkenly shouting along to the song playing over your voices. “We can go somewhere else if you want to, we don’t have to stay here, Hermosa.” 

“I don’t know, it looks like it could be fun. Looks like there’s a lot of people dancing,” you smirked, pointing over to the dance floor, “you really gonna pass up a chance to grind on me in public, Jav? I sure hope that answer isn’t no.” Taking a step back, you subtly pressed your ass into Javi’s crotch, making him let out a quiet groan before pulling away, turning around to face toward him and give him a little shrug. 

“Fuck me…” Javi muttered under his breath, an equally intrigued smirk spreading across his face as he looked down at you. “No way in hell I’m gonna say no to that, Hermosa.” 

“Then get a girl a drink and take me dancing, Peña.” Grabbing Javi’s hand, you tugged him towards the bar, following eagerly behind you through the crowd. Javi ordered both your drinks from one of the bartenders- a woman who seemed to spend a little to long for your liking touching Javi’s arm to get his attention when his whiskey and your gin and tonic were ready, flashing him a cute smile as Javi handed over the cash from his wallet to pay for your drinks. If you were any taller and able to see over the heads of the people standing in front of you at the bar, you really hoped she would have seen the scowl drawn across your face as you watched her try to flirt with Javi. Javi, seemingly oblivious to the interaction, handed your drink off to you as the two of you made your way to an empty booth on the side of the dance floor, taking a hefty sip before looking back up at Javi. “She seemed nice.” You grimaced, nodding back over towards the bar. Javi laughed, taking a sip of his own drink before setting it down on the table, raising an eyebrow at you. 

“Is someone jealous?” 

“No… She was just giving you the eyes, and held your arm way longer than I’m sure the average bartender does. I mean, she’s got good taste…” You grumbled, trying your best not to glare back over at the bar. Downing the rest of his drink in a large gulp, he slid his empty drink to the side, reaching out to grab your hand, squeezing it in his. He bit down on his lip, a lustful look pooling in his eyes as he watched you take another sip. 

“Why don’t you finish your drink and we’ll go give her something to be jealous of, hm?” 

Your eyes went wide at his response, slurping down the rest of your gin and tonic way faster than you probably should have before setting your empty cup next to his, walking around to the opposite side of the booth where Javi sat, grabbing two fist fulls of his shirt while you pulled him in for a long, tender kiss. “I like the sound of that.” 

Intertwining hands, you worked your way out to the dance floor, tangled between humid, hot bodies and the thumping of the bass to whatever upbeat pop song was blasting in the background in time with the flashing colorful lights beaming across the crowd. From the moment you found yourself deep enough in the mix of people, Javi’s hands were instantly all over you, working their way down your sides and landing on your hips, digging his fingertips into the fabric of your dress to turn you around so your ass was pressed against his jeans, grinding into the denim. At this point, the both of you had enough alcohol in your systems to not be concerned about anyone else around you, your hips rocking to the rhythm of the music, pressing your ass further into Javi’s crotch with each sway, only forcing his grip to tighten, feeling his bulge beginning to grow in his pants. Playing into the sensation building between both of you, you brought one of your arms up, reaching up to grab the hair at the nape of Javi’s neck, his curls feeling more defined from the sweat radiating off the dance floor. You could feel his head buried in your shoulder, feeling his hot breath against the sheen of your skin. 

“Jesus, you’re so fucking sexy, Osita. Feel what you do to me, baby? Bet if I reached down and felt that pretty little pussy she’d be dripping for me, too.” Javi rasped, letting his hands slide down your hips towards the front of your thighs. You weren’t sure what had gotten into you that had lowered your inhibitions so much- maybe it was the one too many gin and tonics, maybe it was the heat of the crowd moving to the music, maybe it was feeling how hard Javi was pressed against your ass just from dancing. Whatever it was, it was enough to have you turning around, throwing your arms around Javi’s shoulders, pressing up on your tiptoes to whisper in his ear. 

“Touch me and find out.” 

Your preposition had Javi’s jaw practically dropping to the floor, taking a moment to compose himself before looking back down at you to make sure he hadn’t misheard what you had said, but the lustful grin between your cheeks was all he needed to know he had heard you loud and clear. With one hand on your ass, the other snaked between your bodies, tugging up the hem of your dress, his palm gliding across the soft skin of your inner thighs before cupping your pussy, wetness pooling in the lacy fabric of your underwear, making his eyes grow even wider, not only from how wet you were, but from the feeling of his fingers grazing over your panties, knowing the texture meant you were wearing something out of the usual rotation, something you’d worn on purpose to get his attention. 

“Fucking soaked, sweet girl. Gonna let me take you back to our room and let me ruin those pretty panties even more? What’re you wearing under there, baby?” 

“Why don’t you take me back and see.” 

Yesterday, you were convinced you couldn’t have walked any faster back to your hotel room after the hockey game, but the pace at which you and Javi were speeding down the sidewalk had you questioning if your speed could even qualify as walking, not sprinting. Unlike your luck yesterday, you shared your elevator ride back up to your room with 2 other strangers, making the tension of your trip up to your floor almost palpable as you used every ounce of restraint from pouncing on Javi right there in the elevator. 

As soon as the door sprung open and no one was behind you, the two of you crashed down the hallway, once again fumbling with to find your room key, the added element of your tipsiness only making it more difficult. One way or another, your door unlocked, your bodies dancing in a tangled mess towards the bed, pausing for a moment as Javi’s open suitcase caught your attention out of the corner of your eye. Your brain spun for a moment, reeling with the memories of last night, a looming question now racing in your mind as you spotted Javi’s blue and gold tie peeking out of his bag. 

Would Javi let you tie him up?  

“You okay, Hermosa?” Javi asked, cocking his head in confusion as he watched you stare at his suitcase. You could see the wheels in his head turning, a lightbulb going off after a few moments, grabbing your chin and tilting it up towards him. “You want me to tie you up again, sweet girl?” He smirked, his voice low and gruff as he gripped around your jaw. Gently, you began shaking your head, Javi’s face immediately dropping in confusion, letting go of his grasp. 

“What if I told you…” You paused, grabbing his shirt and walking towards the bed, “I wanted to tell you what to do. See if you can be a good boy for me or maybe I’ll have to tie you up, too.” Giving Javi a little nudge, you pushed him to sit down on the bed, leaving you standing in front of him, rubbing your hands up and down the denim covering his thighs, watching your words go straight to his cock as his bulge strained against the zipper of his jeans, and a breathy moan escaped out of his mouth. Javi’s eyes went wide, jaw agape as his tongue darted out between his lips as you threw your leg over his lap, straddling his hips.

 “Is that okay?” You whispered, nipping at his ear, making him let out a low groan. He nodded softly in silent reassurance, almost too stunned to speak, slowly working his hands up your ass and thighs, trying to push up the hem of your dress. Grabbing his wrists, you stopped him in his tracks, pulling back slightly with a playfully scolding look on your face. “Nuh uh. I didn’t get to touch last time, you don’t get to touch me until I say.” 

“Fuck me…” Javi whispered under his breath, carefully drawing his hands back to rest on the edge of the bed, his eyes desperately filling with need and want. Reaching down, you tugged your dress over your head, revealing the cute, red and lacy lingerie set Javi had gotten you for Christmas. As if Javi’s jaw couldn’t have dropped any further, it was now practically through the floor, finding himself absolutely gawking at you in admiration. “Holy fuck.” Javi gulped, trying his best to keep any ounce of composure he still had. He couldn’t help but spring his hands towards you, running them up and down your sides and over the delicate fabric, left with utter shock and disappointment as you swung off his lap, standing at the edge of the bed with your arms crossed over your chest. 

“What did I just say, baby? Only good boys get to touch, remember?” A devilish smirk spread across your lips watching how flustered Javi had already become, biting down on his finger to try and relieve some of the tension of not being able to touch you. 

“I’ll be good, baby. I promise.” He groaned helplessly, staring up at you with pleading eyes. 

“I don’t know, Javi, seems like you’re having a hard time with pretty simple instructions.” You tutted, very purposefully bending down with your ass in his face to pick up the tie dangling from his suitcase. “Guess we’ll try one more time to see if you remember, but if you can’t, maybe this will help.” 

“You’re gonna fucking kill me, you know that?” Javi rasped, shaking his head, running his hand over his face. 

“You’re a big boy, you’ll be okay.” You winked, tossing his tie next to him before going back to straddling his lap, running your hands up and down his chest, slowly working your way down his shirt, one button at a time, planting a hot kiss on his skin with each new button that came undone. “Promise you’re gonna be good?” You smirked, tugging the shirt off his arms and letting it fall on the bed. 

“Promise.” He sighed, voice trembling, feeling the muscles in his body tense with your question. 

“Good.” You began grinding your hips in his, circling slowly over his painfully hard bulge, digging deeper and deeper with each sway of your hips. You slid your hands up his chest, into his hair, gently tugging at his dark curls as you rocked against him. You could tell how hard Javi was trying to control himself, breathing heavily and clenching his jaw as he watched you, the moans escaping from his mouth only becoming louder as you turned around, back pressed to his chest, sitting in his lap. You continued grinding your ass into Javi’s crotch, gently tugging at the straps of your bra and letting them fall from your shoulders, teasing him even further. Slipping your hands behind your back, you unclasped the hooks holding your top together, letting it drop to the floor in front of you, leaving Javi still only able to see your bare back knowing how crazy it would drive him that he couldn’t even see what he was missing, let alone touch. Still facing away, you bent down, sticking your ass towards his face, slowly shimmying the lacy red thong down your legs and letting it pool around your ankles. That was what broke him, his fingers digging into the plump skin making you shoot up and turn back around towards him.

 Reaching next to him on the bed, you picked up his tie in one hand, grabbing his wrists with the other, and gently began wrapping the buttery fabric around him. “So much for that, huh? Naughty boys have to learn to follow the rules, don’t they, baby?” You playfully pouted, batting your eyes at him. Good thing I can help teach you, hmmm?” With his hands sufficiently tied, you took your finger, poking his chest and pushing him over, gesturing for him to shuffle further up on to the bed, now laying flat on his back with his hands above his head. 

“Osita, please, baby, fuck- please.” Javi whined, his voice ragged and wanting as his brown eyes met with yours, watching you crawl up over him, your hands now working at his belt buckle. The metal clinked as you pushed his jeans down his hips before ever so gently tugging at the waistband of his boxers, already tented from his stiffness. 

“Please, what, sweet boy?” You cooed, pulling just enough to let his cock spring free, revealing how painfully hard he was, his tip dark red and leaking with precum that had stained his boxers. “God, you’ve got the most beautiful dick I’ve ever seen.” You mewled, barely grazing your fingertips over his bare thighs, making him shutter. 

“Osita, please. Please, baby. I need you to touch me, please.” Javi whimpered as you settled yourself on top of his legs, your hands now creeping towards his shaft. 

“That’s better. So handsome when you beg. Need me to take care of you? I’ll take care of you, baby.” You wrapped your hand around his cock, thumbing at the precum dripping out of his tip and rubbing it around his head before taking the same hand and running it through your folds, collecting the slick that had been rapidly pooling between your legs and using the mixture to stroke him. 

With a few pumps of your hand, you leaned over, letting the spit from your mouth drip down over his dick before bending your head down and letting your tongue graze his head. Your lips sucked around his tip, lazily working your way down his length, taking him inch by inch as you hollowed out your cheeks, nestling your nose in the curls of his hairs at his base, the musky scent of him filling your nose. You began bobbing your head, your mouth engulfing him with each rise and fall, looking up at him through heavy lashes, your eyes almost as wide as his as you watched him crumble under your touch. 

“Fuck, oh shit- Oh my god. Fuck, that feels so good baby, Jesus- fuck me.” Javi squeezed his eyes shut, his ramblings becoming more ragged and desperate with each word, almost embarrassed at how quickly he found himself feeling like he was going to fall apart. You could feel his cock beginning to pulse in the warmth of your mouth, only making you pick up your pace, feeling the saliva drool down the corners of your cheeks and tears welling in the corners of your eyes. “Fuck, baby, fuck, fuck- I’m close, I’m clo- wa- wait, fuck. Fuck, baby, no. Please.” Javi whined, his head popping up to look at you, your mouth hovering above his dick with a smirk on your face. 

“What?” You teased, gently massaging his sack in your hands, almost able to see the veins in his cock throbbing as you had left him on edge, unable to finish. “You only said you needed me to touch you. Never said anything about needing me to make you cum.” 

“Jesus Christ…” Javi groaned, resting his head back on the pillows behind him, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to catch his breath. Letting out another gulp and deep breath, he raised his head again, his big, brown eyes pleading with you with a ferocious need and longing. “Please, Osita. Please, make me cum. Please, I need you to.” 

“That’s more like it. Such a good boy, asking so nicely. I’ll let you cum, baby. But only if it’s inside me and you fill me up so good you’re dripping down my thighs.” You shuffled your body forward, letting your soaking heat graze over his cock, reaching down to line him up with your entrance. 

“I will. Please let me, I will. I’ll fuck myself so deep inside you you’ll be dripping out of me for days. Fuck, I wanna cum so deep in you, please, Osita. Please, baby.” Javi moaned, struggling against the silk tie wrapped around his wrists, giving anything to feel the soft skin of your body in his hands. 

“So needy, sweet boy.” You tutted, the both of you gasping as you sunk down on Javi’s length, his cock bumping against your cervix as you took every inch of him inside you, taking a moment to adjust to the sweet sting of his fullness. “Fuck, you feel so good, Javi. I love feeling you inside me. No one else fills me up like you do. You like knowing you’re the only one who can make me feel like this? The only one I want to fuck me? Marry me? Fuck as many babies as you want into me?” 

The groan Javi let out was low and deep, feeling your hands rest against his chest as your hips rolled back and forth, burying Javi’s cock deep inside the warm, wet walls of your cunt. “Fuck yes, oh fuck Osita. Shit- I can’t wait to marry you. I wanna be your husband. I wanna fuck a baby into you so badly, see you all beautiful and pregnant. I can’t wait to cum inside you knowing I could really knock you up. Fuck meeee.” Javi whimpered, bucking his hips up into you, his thrusts filling you in a way that had you absolutely reeling and breathless, your demeanor quickly beginning to crumble, becoming just as dire as him. 

The hairs at the base of Javi’s cock rubbed deliciously on your clit, the sensation of that, combined with how frantically you were rocking your hips back and forth had your heart racing, so worked up from trying to keep your cool that you could feel the tingle building at the base of your spine rapidly. You could tell Javi was close, too- The gritting of his teeth, the wild and wanting look in his sweet brown eyes, the sloppy pace of his dick pounding into you, all the tells you knew far too well to realize he was quickly about to come undone. The arousal pooling in your belly continued to build, the lewd noises of your wetness and mixed moans coating the walls of your hotel room as your fingers dug into the skin of Javi’s chest. 

“Fuck, fuck- I love you, Javi. Holy shit- I’m so close. I need you to fill me up, baby.” 

“I love you too, Hermosa. I’m not gonna last much longer either, so fucking wet and tight, oh my god- I’m gonna fill you up so good, baby. I promise, promise I’ll be a good boy and fuck every last drop in you.” 

In all the times you had fucked, you had never seen Javi turn into such a mess, watching him whimper and beg to with such desperation and neediness, barely hanging on by a thread from the moment you had walked through the doors of your hotel room, and god, it was the hottest thing you’d ever seen. You thought that you’d be strong enough to keep your composure, that while Javi fell apart, you would keep it together, but any prospects of that were long gone by now. 

The coil building in your belly snapped, screaming Javi’s name over and over again as your cunt clenched around his cock, feeling your orgasm flood your body with pleasure. You braced your hands on Javi’s chest as he quickly followed behind you, thrusting a few more times up into you before letting out a low, ragged groan as he spilled deep inside you, his warm spend coating your walls, making sure to milk himself of every last drop, as promised. You could feel the mixture of the both of you leaking down your legs into Javi’s lap as you sat on top of him, his dick still pulsing as your chests heaved in sync, squeezing your eyes tightly to try and bring yourself back to earth. With a few more deep breaths, you unstraddled Javi, the loss of him inside you making the both of you hiss, crawling up the bed to untie his hands and lay your head on him as he wrapped his newly freed arms around you. 

“Holy fuck…” Javi muttered under his breath, half laughing to himself as he ran his hand over his face before bringing it back down to stroke circles along the bare skin of your back. 

“Was that okay?” You questioned, almost timidly, looking up at his blissed out face. 

“Osita… Jesus Christ, that was fucking incredible. You’re sexy when you’re bossy.” He teased, tickling your ribs, making you squeal and squirm under his touch, peppering you with soft kisses while you swatted at him to make him stop. 

“Oh shut up, you dork.” You sighed, rolling your eyes at him, laying your head back down on his chest after finally getting him to torture you with his tickles. 

“I’m being serious, Hermosa. You know I think your confidence is so fucking sexy. You can boss me around any time.” 

“Any time?” You perked up, mischievous look glistening in your eyes. “So… if I told you to go get me that cupcake from earlier and bring it to me, you’d do it?” 

“I thought you said you didn’t need another one, bossy pants.” Javi smirked, staring back at you in complete and utter adoration. 

“Well, Javier Jesús Peña, turns out you know me better than I know myself. Sooooo… cupcake? Please?” You playfully pouted, batting your lashes at him. 

“You’re lucky you’re cute.” He laughed, pressing a soft kiss into your messy hair before letting out a sigh as he pushed himself out of the bed, nakedly wandering over to the shelf by your door where he had stashed the cupcakes earlier, bringing them over and climbing back into bed with you. 

“Thank you, you’re the best.” You giggled, giving him a little nudge as you took a big bite of the cupcake, letting out a content sigh. “On another positive note, I definitely think that we’ve given this hotel room a run for its money before we break in our one on the honeymoon in a few months.” 

“Well…” Javi grinned, gently kissing at your neck, up along your jawline, rubbing his hand up your thigh and circling his fingertips at the soft flesh, “A little extra practice never hurt anyone.”

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[lucifertoxics]

acid king and queen | marcus lopez arguello

pairing: marcus lopez x reader | genre: friends to lovers | warnings: angst, alcohol, drugs, swearing, minors dni | word count: 2.0k | aura's note: i found myself writing this at 3 am, and beforehand i'm sorry that there's so much description but i had to, so enjoy :)

[ BACK TO MASTERLIST ]

It's Friday night. Which means that there is a party. Music was blasting acompanied by blinding lights. People dancing, smoking or making out. Most of your classmates from the same year as you from King's Dominion are there. Including your friends, Petra, Billy, Lex and Marcus.

You and Marcus are known as the party animals. Usually getting high and drunk as soon as possible, and tonight was no different. Drunk and high. You and him had the most out of it. Seemingly known as the "acid king and queen".

Lately, you have been lying to yourself about your feelings for him. It's not that you didn't like him, but whenever he was around other girls, you were jealous. He was your friend, you shouldn't be thinking of such things.

Both of you sitting on the couch, next to each other smoking a joint. Seeing that both of you are done with your drinks, he hands you the joint that you have been sharing, as he goes to grab some new drinks. As soon as he comes back with the drinks, you help bim by taking your drink from his hand. Leaning your head against his shoulder, you take a drag from the joint. There were no words needed. He knew and you knew.

He wraps his free arm around you and gives you a gentle squeeze, taking another puff from the joint as well. Marcus takes another swing from his beer as he leans his head against yours, looking just as out of it as you. It was like there were no words needed between you and him.

When deciding what to wear for the party, Maria definetly had an influence on you. That's how you ended with being dressed in a full black outfit, consisting of a mini skirt with a crop top, and a pair of boots and with a pair or high knee socks. Given by the fact that the whole outfit wasn't really thought for a cold weather, you found yourself nuzzling your head in Marcus neck for a minute, feeling cold.

He pulls away from you, for a second, to look over at you. He can feel that you are a bit cold so he decided to pull you closer, putting his jacket over your shoulders. Marcus holds you close and rubs your arm, while he takes another sip from his beer. Then taking another puff from the joint.

Leaning your head back on his shoulder, as he was talking to Billy and Lex, you decide to take the joint from him, the one that you two have been sharing. Taking a drag from it, you are looking at him. The way his hair was ruffled, how it fell on his face, the way he would close his eyes when taking a drag from the joint, how his breathing would change when you were close to him. How he was so passionate about drawing and killing in the same time. He was still a mystery even if you have been friends for such a long time.

Marcus watches you as you take a drag, almost as if you were a prey and he was the hunter. Then looking back over to continue talking to Billy and Lex. You are pretty out of it by now and start noticing how big and warm to you Marcus is. He seems a bit like a teddy bear or a huge ball of fur, as his hands are wrapped a beer bottle that was close to being finished. Marcus finishes his beer and takes the joint from you, taking a drag from it, as he notices you looking at him. He looked down at you, not saying anything just looking at you for a moment. Those brown eyes. Those damn brown eyes. That made you weak the second you looked into them. If eyes could talk, you would be beggining him to kiss you right now.

You found yourself, staring at him, coming closer to him, starting to caress his cheek as you were biting your lip. Not realizing the drugs and the alcohol started to affect your senses. Marcus notices you coming closer to him as he continues to look down at you. The drugs started affecting him too. He gently grabs your chin, bringing your face closer to his. You can see the look on his face as he stares at you. He puts a hand on the back of your head, not being too rough and begins to pull you in slowly for a kiss.

You lean in for the kiss. Forgetting about everyone that was at the party. Not even caring about the music that was blasting through the speakers. Marcus didn't mind the music at all, he completely zoned in on you, he wasn't even thinking about anyone else that was at the party. He kisses you for a few seconds, and pulls back, looking down at you. He wants you to have you all to himself for the night.

You nuzzle your head into his chest embarassed of what just happened, and the fact that it happened in front of everyone. Even if Petra knew that you liked Marcus, for some time now, it still surprised her that you would kiss in front of each other. You feel the need to kiss his cheek before he goes back to talk to Billy and Lex. At the sound of you kissing his cheek again, Marcus turns away from Billy and Lex for a second to look back at you. Seeing the expression of embarassement on your face he gently smiles at you and runs his fingers through your hair, in an attempt to comfort you. Marcus takes a last drag from the joint and crushes it on the astray. The he leans his head back against yours, still running his hands through your hair.

You were sneaking out of your room in the middle of the night as you couldn't sleep. Hearing the rumors about Marcus and Maria, his close friend, sleeping together last night. You were mad. Fuming. You thought he liked you, but turns out it didn't matter. Deciding to go up to the graveyard to clear your mind. Once you reached, you found yourself sitting at the edge of the rooftop, staring at the distance. Suddenly you head a voice speak up.

"Well, well, well...who do we have here?" Marcus walked up behind you with a smirk on his face. "Shouldn't you be in bed, y/n?" The moment you saw him, it's like your whole world collided, the anger was just gone for a minute. That's when you remember he slept with your best friend after kissing you that night.

"Shouldn't you be banging Maria?" You say with an annoyed tone by what he did, looking into the distance, feeling more jealous then ever.

He raiser an eyebrow upon hearing that. "Perhaps i should've been. But that doesn't raise the question, why aren't you sleeping either?" He said, knowing the answer already. He knew you so well and you hated and loved it in the same time. He wanted you to admit.

"That's none of your business!" You continue still looking into the distance, not wanting to admit the fact that you were mad at him. Jealous of Maria for sleeping with him. Marcus was a player, everyone knew that, but he was your friend, and yet here you are.

He sat down next to you on the edge. He knew the answer. He knew all about you, despite how good you may think you hide it, that when he placed his hand on your knee. "So are you mad that i slept with her?"

"It's your problem what you do, with who you do that." You continue with the same tone of voice, looking away, sighting. The rumors were eating you out alive, it's like you couldn't stop thinking about them.

"Well, it's my problem, but that's not what i asked. Are you mad at me?" He leaned slighly closer, grabbing your chin, making you look at him, your noses almost touching. He had that smug look on his face as he stared at you, knowing how jealous of Maria you were.

"Marcus..." You started breathing heavily as soon as he touched you. His touch had such an effect on you. You thought of ways to avoid the question, not wanting to answer it, that's when you changed the topic. "You shouldn't be here."

"And nor should you. Yet here we are." He said, still with the smurk on his face as he wrapped his arms around your waist. You felt him pulling you closer to him, which he knew you'd melt at any second. But he didn't want that. He wanted a reaction out of you. He put a finger on your chin to pull your attention back to him. "I'll ask again. Are you mad at me?"

"You already know the answer." You look away not wanting to admit the fact that you liked him for some time now. Your jealousy for Maria was growing and you hated yourself for it. She was supposed to be your best friend, and you told her everything about your feelings for Marcus, yet she ignored them.

He was enjoying this. Watching you squirm at the thought of knowing that she slept with him last night after your left the party. Being in your bed, crying yourself to see at the thought of it. "That i do. But i want to heart it from you." He pulled you even closer.

"Yes Marcus, i'm mad at you, you were supposed to be..." You feel your words trailing off, not wanting to admit that you wanted to be with him. Finally you opened up to him. Knowing that he felt something for you, but was lying to himself about that. "Maria was supposed to be my friend...she knew..."

He could fee the truth in your voice as your words came out. He was still smirking, but you could feel that underneath that smirk, it hurt him to see you this way. But he wasn't going to let that show. "So you're saying, that you think i should've been with you instead of her?"

You look away feeling that this discussion is a hopeless battle. Getting up to leave and go back to your room, you say. "Doesn't matter. It's nothing." You say defeated not wanting to give him more information about how you were feeling.

"Y/n..." He said, grabbing your arm trying to get you to sit back down. He knew you were going to try to walk away, as you did everytime you were mad or jealous. You wouldn't be able to help it, you wanted him more than anything. And he was going to make sure that you knew that.

"Marcus, why?" You asked looking at him demanding an answer, knowing that he probably doesn't like you since he slept with Maria. "If you don't like me, just tell me, i can handle it."

"Is that really what you think? That i don't like you?" He said, pulling you back beside him and wrapping his arms around you again. "How on Earth could you assume that?"

"Well everyone was talking about you and her...i thought.." You explain to him the situation, still looking at him, wanting to see a reaction from him. Sighting and thinking about the rumours.

"Let me ask you, if you truly think, i care about her..." He caressed your cheek, staring into your eyes. "Why did i bother to find you in the middle of the night?"

You look at him and then away, not wanting to face the truth. "I don't know..."

"Because i want you." He said, leaning in and resting his forehead against yours, his breath still hot on your cheek as the air was silent between you. He was being honest. And you knew it deep down.

© LUCIFERTOXICS ⎯ do not repost, translate, plagiarise or claim any of my works as your own.

#Spotify #marcus lopez arguello #marcus lopez x reader #marcus lopez x you #marcus lopez imagine #marcus lopez smut #writing #marcus x reader #marcus lopez x y/n #deadly class #benjamin wadsworth #mattheo riddle #mattheo x you #mattheoxreader #mattheo x y/n #mattheo riddle x reader #mattheo riddle x you #slytherin #slytherin boys

[starstruckunknown-princess]

Hyacinth - Joel Miller x Reader

Hyacinth (Hyacinthus) - Meaning: Please forgive me

Summary: After hitting your car, Joel Miller takes you out on a date to apologize.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Reader

Word Count: 1921

Warnings: Fluff!, slight language, reader wears makeup and a sundress but is otherwise a blank slate, Pre/no outbreak AU, no Ellie, reader was left at the altar, dinner date conversation, making out, nicknames 'sugar' and 'darlin', Joel Miller is a warning in and of himself

I'm really happy with how this turned out! Just a fluffy first date with Joel Miller. Enjoy!

In Bloom Masterlist

Likes, Comments, Reblogs are ALWAYS appreciated! ❤️

“Am I crazy?” you asked your best friend, Maria, while applying your mascara. 

“For what? Going on a date with the guy who smashed up your car?” Maria asked dryly, shrugging her shoulders while she watched you get ready. “Nah, I’ve done crazier shit.” 

“What if I remember him much more handsome than he is? Like the adrenaline made me think he was super hot?” you asked. 

“You can always invoke the code phrase and I’ll call you from ‘the hospital.’” Maria offered, putting ‘the hospital’ in air quotes. You smiled over at her and reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze. She smiled back at you. “Though I hope he’s not a dud. It’s about damn time you got back out there.” 

“You’re telling me,” you muttered, touching up your lipstick. You hadn’t had anything more than a hook-up since you were left at the altar two years ago, throwing yourself into work and fixing up the house you bought with your ex. 

With a final look in the mirror, you fluffed your hair and gave yourself a look of approval, then turned to Maria for final approval. 

“You look hot, babe. This guy isn’t gonna know what hit him.” 

You laughed, “Good, cuz he’s the one who hit me. Well, my car, but you know.” 

Three days ago in the grocery store parking lot, you’d been pulling into a spot when a scruffy-looking man hopped into the truck in the spot across from you, started it up, and pulled forward without looking. The front of your little sedan stood no chance against the grill of his behemoth contractor’s truck. 

He’d been incredibly embarrassed and apologetic, offering his insurance info and to pay for the damages himself. Amidst all this, you couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was. Brown curls with a striking hint of gray at the temples, broad, square jaw, and his eyes. Oh, you couldn’t get enough of his eyes and their dark brownness that threatened to swallow you whole. He must’ve noticed you staring because shortly after the tow truck arrived, he asked you on a date. 

“I know this ain’t the best time and, y’know if you’ve got a boyfriend or somethin’ feel free to tell me to shut up, but uh, I was wonderin’ if you’d let me buy ya dinner Friday night? As an apology.” A light blush had risen in his cheeks and he shuffled his feet like he was nervous, so you agreed to it. The smile on his face could’ve lit up the whole city. “Great, I’ll drive.” 

You’d both laughed at his joke. 

The doorbell you installed yourself rang, pulling you back to the present. Maria went downstairs and opened the door. You turned back to the mirror for one last once-over before Maria called your name. You descended into the foyer of your house and couldn’t help the smile that rose on your face. 

Joel Miller framed in your front doorway, wearing a dark green button-down and dark wash jeans would forever be seared into your memory. He looked, in a word, delectable. When he saw you, he smiled. 

“Hey,” he said. “Ready to go?” 

“Yep,” you said, but Maria cleared her throat from where she held the door open. “Oh! Joel, this is my friend Maria. Maria, this is Joel.” 

They muttered hellos and you grabbed your purse, muttering to Maria that no hospital visit was necessary. She smirked her knowing smirk and nodded, bidding you good night. 

Joel brought you to a nice Italian place, behaving like the perfect Southern Gentleman the whole time. He’d opened doors for you, pulled out your chair, and kept his hands to himself other than a hand at the small of your back to guide you to the table. You’d thought manners like this had gone the way of 8-track players and rotary phones, but you were utterly charmed by him.

While you looked over the menu, you couldn’t help but steal glances at him in the candlelight. You didn’t know he’d been doing the same since he picked you up until he cleared his throat. 

“Uh, you look really beautiful tonight,” he said. You could tell he was nervous — dark brown eyes darting all over, fingers tapping on the table.

You smiled warmly at him to try and ease his nerves, “You look really nice, too, Joel. I’ve been looking forward to this since you hit my car.” 

Your assurance seemed to calm him and he chuckled, “Me too, actually. Best accident I’ve ever been in. Well, second best.” 

“What’s the first?” you asked, curious. 

A pink hue tinged his cheeks and he looked down at the table. “My daughter. She wasn’t planned, but she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

“You have a daughter?” 

“Yeah, is that,” he cleared his throat again, “is that an issue?”

“God, no!” you insisted, “So you’re divorced? I hope?” you joked. 

“Uhh, her mom split before we got married. Haven’t heard from her since.” He muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as the server came over and took your orders. 

When the server left, Joel wouldn’t meet your gaze. Before you got the chance to ask about his daughter he leaned forward a bit and made eye contact. “I’m sorry, I don’t do this often. I think the last date I went on was when Sarah was in preschool so it’s been a while.” 

Because you had a faulty filter, or because you wanted him to know you knew how awkward dating was you blurted, “I was left at the altar two years ago. So I haven’t dated much either.” 

“Really?” His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. 

“Yeah. We’d been together for six years, I followed him out here for his job, and then on the big day — poof! He disappeared. Two days later, he called from Florida and said he’d gotten a job offer he couldn’t refuse but he didn’t want to uproot the life I had built here,” you scoffed at the bitterness of your memory, washing it down with a sip of wine.

In the dimness of the restaurant his features softened, but you didn’t see pity in his eyes. Only understanding. 

And damn if it wasn’t exactly what you needed. 

Joel, you were coming to realize, was exactly what you needed. 

“Well he’s a goddamn moron,” Joel said. “Only spent a few hours with ya and I can tell.” 

Your heart fluttered when his big hand landed on top of yours on the table. The weight of his hand on top of yours felt incredibly intimate, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to mind. In fact, you really liked it.  

“How old is Sarah now?” you asked, not moving your hand.  

“Almost fourteen.” 

You couldn’t help your reaction — your eyebrows shot up and you tried the mental math. Joel wasn’t that much older than you, maybe mid-thirties, late thirties max, so if his daughter was a teenager he had her in his early twenties. 

“That must’ve been hard,” you said, turning your hand over under his so you were palm-to-palm and squeezing his hand gently, “Raising her on your own.” 

Joel nodded and squeezed back, “Yeah, but my brother helps out and working for myself helps too.” 

“What do you do?”

“I’m a contractor.” 

You lit up at that, mentioning all the little house projects you’d attempted and the two of you chatted about how much subway tiling a bathroom sucks until your entrees arrived. 

You kept talking as you ate, finding more and more topics as the night wore on. Joel agreed to split a tiramisu even though he “didn’t much like sweets,” which you giggled at. 

“Me neither, but tiramisu is the exception.” 

You let him have the first bite, and he nodded in pleasure. “Yeah, that’s pretty damn good.”

Once the tiramisu was gone and the server dropped the check, you did the check dance, but he insisted that tonight was about him making amends so he should pay. You conceded, but only after insisting that next time was on you. 

He’d raised an eyebrow at you, dark eyes getting somehow darker, “There’s gonna be a next time?” 

Returning his smile, you nodded, “If you’d like to. I know I would.” 

Joel finished signing the receipts and stood up, extending a large hand down for you to take. He lifted you up and your body filled with heat at his gaze. Even though you’d just eaten, he looked hungry. 

“Me too, sugar,” he said lowly, lacing his fingers between yours and leading you out to his truck. Again, he opened the door for you like a gentleman and you could feel his eyes on you as you climbed in. You watched him round the front of the truck and get into the driver’s seat, eyes fixed on his hands as he turned the key and made a show of double-checking before he backed out of the parking spot which made you laugh. 

You couldn’t help your eyes landing on him every few minutes as he drove you home, talking incessantly about his daughter. It was incredibly endearing how enamored he was with his kid, how much he admired her accomplishments and how he wished he could spend more time with her without work getting in the way. You could tell this was a man who loved deeply, was loyal to the core, and would carve his own heart out of his chest to make those he loved happy. 

You were half in love with him already, but you shoved that thought away because it was way too soon.

Joel turned down your street and pulled into your driveway, hopping out and opening your door yet again. He helped you down and you kept hold of his hand. 

“Walk you to your door?” he asked, voice husky and eyes dark. You nodded and he led you by the hand onto your porch. It was like something out of a movie. The warm night breeze wafted his spicy cologne toward you, making you lean in closer. His eyes bounced from your eyes to your lips, his own lips parted. From this close you admired each of the gray hairs blooming along his temple and in his short beard. 

“Can I kiss you, darlin’?” he asked, accent thicker than it had been. 

“Yes please,” you breathed, and he leaned down, pressing his lips to yours. The kiss was warm, soft yet firm, like the first bite into a perfectly ripe peach. He tasted like tiramisu and your hands wandered up to his chest. Underneath his shirt, you could feel his pulse quickening along with your own as his hands came to rest at your hips. 

You wanted more, wanted to deepen the kiss and pull his firm, broad body flush against your own — 

But then your front door opened, revealing Maria. 

“Oh! Sorry, thought I heard…”

You and Joel broke apart at your best friend’s interruption. Joel looked sheepish, burying his hands in his pockets. 

“Give us a sec,” you said to Maria, who shut the door. Years of friendship told you she was eavesdropping on the other side of the door, so you kept it brief. 

“I had a really, really great time tonight, Joel,” you said. 

He smiled down at you, brushing some hair behind your ear. “Me too. You busy tomorrow night?”

You shook your head, “Free as a bird.” 

“Good. Pick you up at seven?” 

“It’s a date.” 

#writing challenge #fanfiction #in bloom #fluff #tlou fic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fic #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fluff

[arlana-likes-to-write]

Lighting Bug - Chapter 22

Masterlist

Warning: guilt, form of self-harm, swearing, mention of death, Bucky needs a hug, mention of nightmares and past abuse

Relationships: Wandanat x daughter!reader, Maria x reader (platonic), Sam x reader (platonic), Bucky x reader (platonic), Rhodey x reader (platonic)

Word count: 3.5k

You were exhausted right down to your bones as you sat at the counter with a cup of tea in your hands and stared into the green liquid. There was no way you were falling asleep with those images moving in your head. “Hey kid,” Sam said suddenly. You jumped at the unexpected voice. “Are you okay? Your bagel has been done for a few minutes.” You forgot you put one in there. You stood up to grab it but Rhodey held out his hand to stop you. He grabbed a plate and placed the bagel on it then spread on it that you must have gotten out. Gods, you were beginning to lose it. You smiled as he sat in front of you.

“I didn’t sleep well last night.” You answered Sam.

“Nightmares?” Rhodey guessed.

“More like a memory,” you took a bite of your bagel, hoping they wouldn’t ask more questions.

“Rhodes and I haven’t gone to the batting cage in a while. Do you want to join us?” Sam asked. You stared at him, slowly chewing on the bagel. You had no idea what a batting cage was. “It’s a baseball thing. You go and hit baseballs and pretend to be a pro athlete.”

“Ohhh,” you said, standing up to throw the other half of your bagel away. “You could have just said that.” Sam sighed, shaking his head. “Sure I have nothing planned for today.” Plus it would be nice to get out of the tower. “FRIDAY, can you tell Natasha and Wanda where I’m going to be?” You made a mental note to ask Tony for a new phone.

“Of course, Miss. Y/n,” the AI said. “Have fun you three.” It was a 45-minute drive from the tower in a part of town you had never been to. ‘Caesar’s Bat and Pizzeria.

“Can we get pizza after?” You asked as Rhodey parked the car and you unblocked your seat belt.

“We can get whatever you want,” he said. The three of you got out of the car and walked over to the building. Sam held open the door for you. The sound of loud arcade machines and laughter made you jump.

“My favorite Avengers!” A man said from behind a counter. “Where the hell have you two been? Thought you forgot about ol'Casear.” Sam chuckled.

“Hard to forget you, big man,” Caesar glared at him.

“Are you calling me fat?” You tried to cover your laugh with a cough but Caesar glanced at you. “You guys adopt a kid or something.”

“Eh kind of,” Rhodey shrugged. “You got a spot open for us.” The man continued to stare at you but you smiled and gave him a small wave.

“Yeah, same spot as always,” he said. “Come find me if you need anything.” You followed the two Avengers to a stall in the corner, there was no one next to you, and you were grateful to look like an idiot in front of some strangers. The space reminded you of the shooting range at the tower but instead of targets at the end, there was a screen.

“Wait,” you said, sitting down. “How is any of this safe with it being inside and this close to one another?” Sam smiled.

“It’s all VR,” he pulled out his wallet and pulled out his wallet, took out a car with the shop’s logo, and scanned it at the table you were sitting at. The table changed to a TV screen and it showed a baseball stadium. “You can change the stadium where you are hitting. We’ll keep it at Yankee for now.” Rhodey appeared with a bat and goggles. “Watch this.” You watched Rhodey put on the goggles and stepped into the open space. The screen changed to a character stepping up to bat. “You can change the speed of the ball pitched, complete challenges, and set up tournaments.” He began and he hit the first ball pitched to him. It sounded like you were at a baseball game.

“This is cool,” you said. “Is this place new?”

“Sort of,” Sam looked around to make sure no one was near and leaned closer. “Caesar isn’t from here.” What the hell did that mean?

“Come again? Like he’s not American.” He glared at you before rolling his eyes.

“No, like not from Earth.”

“He’s an alien?!” You half shouted in surprise. Sam put his hand over your mouth, still glaring at you. You pulled his hand off. “You just told me a man isn’t from Earth, how did you expect me to react?”

“With a little more respect and dignity,” you punched him playfully. “Besides he’s not an alien, he’s a Skrull,” you stared at him, head tilted to the side. “Oh my god,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Skrulls are shapeshifters and their planet was destroyed so until Fury and Carol can find them a new home, they are living here,” you frowned.

“Why can’t they just live here?” You asked.

“Because humans aren’t known to accept those who are different,” Rhodey said, taking off the googles. Well, you knew that firsthand. “Do you want a turn?” He asked you.

“Uh maybe I’ll watch Sam then I’ll go.” While Sam was taking his turn, you went to get drinks from Caesar’s daughter. Her name was Jasmine and you liked her, her smile was infectious but you couldn’t help but watch the father-daughter duo. If anyone but Sam told you they weren’t human, you would think they were crazy. You guessed that was the problem with the world you lived in, some people had to hide their true selves just to survive.

“Alright, kid, batter up,” Sam said, handing you the VR set. You smiled, taking it from him. Oh, you wished you could make the world a better place.

*

While Sam and Rhodey were waiting to get their pizza from Jasmine, you were sitting at one of the empty high tops and eating away at one of the cheese slices. You tried to wait for the two Avengers but the smell was making your stomach growl. “I know you,” Caesar said, walking over to you as you sipped on your blue Gatorade. You stared at the man as he sat in the empty chair next to you. You hopped he knew you, you spent like 2 hours at his fine establishment. “Hey,” he stuck his finger at you. “Your that teenager that can cast spells and shit.” You blinked at him.

“You mean conduct electricity.” He snapped his fingers.

“That’s the one,” he tapped his fingers against the table and looked at you then to the Avengers. “People are talking about you.”

“Me?” You questioned. “Whose talking about me?”

“The type of people you ain’t want talking,” Oh. Well, that sort of answered your question. “Look, kid, something ain’t right. People are talking, then disappearing, and ol’Caesar is just trying to run a business, you hear?”

“Why are you telling me this and not the two Avengers behind you?” You hissed, leaning closer to him.

“Hey, watch the attitude, short stuff,” you leaned back in your chair, mouth slightly open. “Just because I listen don’t mean I know what’s going on,” you rolled your eyes. “My advice is keep your ears open and listen. Maybe you can figure out what’s going on before everything goes to shit.” He mumbled the last part and left before Sam and Rhodey joined you.

“Don’t listen to anything that nut job rambles about,” Rhodey said. “He’s got a few screws loose.” You smiled, giggling slightly. But what he said rattled you to your bones. What the hell was going on?

*

Caesar was saying goodbye to Sam and told him to not be a stranger. Your eyes wandered to the small arcade they had. There was a crane game filled with small rubber ducks. You walked over to it and looked at all the different duck variations - one was dressed like a police officer, and another had a book. But one that caught your eye was a duck wearing a green jersey with a soccer ball. It looked familiar. There was a memory deep within you but everything you tried to grab onto it slipped out of your fingers like water or smoke, the longer you stared at the dumb duck. “Hey, kid,” Rhodey said. “Are you ready?” You nodded, walking over to him.

“Bye Caesar,” you waved as Rhodey held open the door for you.

“See you around, short stuff,” you rolled your eyes and walked to the car.

“Short stuff, eh?” Rhodey teased. He got into the driver’s seat. You huffed, buckling into the back.

“Don’t even start,” he laughed as Sam finally got into the passenger seat.

“Sorry about that. Caesar likes to talk,” you giggled and Rhodey started the drive back home.

*

“That was a lot of fun,” you said to Sam as you exited the elevator to the common floor. “We should do that again.” Your smile faltered as Bucky turned around from his conversation with Maria. The color drained from his face as if he were looking at a ghost. He left without another word to you, Sam, or Maria.

“Okay,” Maria slowly said. “I wasn’t done talking to him.” You sighed.

“Not your fault, kid,” Sam smiled, resting his hand on your shoulder. “He just needs to get out of his head. I’ll go talk to him.” Before he turned to leave, he reached into this pocket and handed you a rubber duck. The same one you were looking at. Before you could say anything, he smiled and left.

“What was that about?” She questioned. You looked at the duck and put it in your pocket.

“It’s a long story,” you said. “Do you want the spark-notes version of the story?” She nodded. So, you gave her a short-handed version of the story you gave to the other Avengers. It was surprisingly easier.

“Shit,” you said. “I missed one hell of a party.” You rolled your eyes with a smile. “So,” she leaned back in her chair. “A little spider told me that I’m going to be training you. Are you thinking about joining this ragtag group? Fury said you did well in Overwatch .” You shrugged, tracing the random designs on the table.

“I don’t know,” you said. You weren’t against being an Avenger, maybe in a year or two but right now you weren’t ready. “I just want to get my powers under control so I don’t hurt myself or anyone else.” Maria smiled.

“I can help with that but I’m not gonna go easy on you just because you are Romanoff’s kid,” it wasn’t the first time someone at the tower referred to you as Natasha’s or Wanda’s kid but every time a warm feeling spread across your body. Your parents were never proud of you. They barely gave you enough to survive.

“I expect nothing less,” you said. “Can you teach me how to shoot a gun?”

“Stop asking people that,” Natasha said before Maria could answer. The Black Widow appeared behind you. You pouted which caused her to roll her eyes.

“Awe come on Nat,” Maria said. “Let the kid learn how to shoot. Are you afraid she’ll be better than you?” Natasha ruffled your hair.

“Yeah,” she deadpanned. “That’s exactly why I don’t want her shooting a gun,” you pushed her hand away and fixed your hair. “But we can teach her how to be safe around one.”

“How about we stop talking about me like I’m not here?” Maria hushed you.

“I’m wheeling and dealing for your benefit so hush,” she teased. You stuck out your tongue at her. Maria gasped. “Do you want to start training right now?”

“Children,” Natasha warned. “No fighting on the common floor. The last time a fight broke out we needed a new TV and a couch,” you giggled. “Come on, kid. Tony wants to have a meeting about your schooling.” You nodded. “We’ll figure out a training schedule that won’t conflict with her classes.” She said to Maria.

“Aye, aye captain,” she gave the Black Widow a salute. You smiled at the interaction.

“See you around, Maria,” you said and followed Natasha to Tony’s lab where Wanda was already there. You weren’t nervous. The test was the hard part of all of this and they were proud of how you did. But it was nice having the couple on either side of you as Tony rattled off a plan. The textbooks you needed were already ordered, minus a math textbook that he already had, and if you needed additional books for essays or projects he gave you a debit card to buy them. You didn’t bother putting up a fight with that. As for your ‘teachers’, Vision was going to help you with history, Bruce and Tony were for math and science, and your training with Maria counted as your physical education credit. The extracurricular would be business with Pepper and art with Steve, the two agreed to shadow you during those times. It seemed like a lot of work but you were ready to finally go to school and learn.

*

You had to get out of the tower. Every room you entered and Bucky so happened to be there, he left. It was a little maddening. So, you sat on the balcony with a textbook in your lap and the rubber duck in your hand. There was a part of you that was associating this duck with Bucky. But that couldn’t be correct. “Hi,” you spun around to see Steve walking over to you and hiding the duck underneath the book. You smiled at the blonde and looked at the book. You figured he was here to talk about Bucky. God, it felt like when you first moved to the tower. Instead of you running away, it was him. Steve sighed and sat down next to you. “Beautiful view,” he said, looking towards the city. “What are you doing up here?”

“Just reading,” you gestured to the book in your lap. It wasn’t the full truth but it got the point across.

“It’s about Buck, right?”

“I just don’t want him to be uncomfortable in his home,” you shrugged.

“It’s your home too,” he sat down next to you. That was true. You tapped your fingers on the page you were reading.

“He was here first,” Steve nodded and put his arms on the back of the chair. He didn’t continue the conversation so you went back to reading about ration language and how it was used to describe the association between two or more qualities. You were learning that you did not like math.

“Do you blame him for what he did to you?” Steve broke the silence. The question made you look up at the city. “It’s okay if do. The whole situation is so complicated. Complicated. That was one word that barely touched the surface to describe the relationship you had with Bucky Barnes.

“I don’t,” you softly said. You saw the super solider look away from the city but you kept your eyes trained on the skyline. “At first I did but we were both just trying to survive. It’s not our fault that some of the world is evil and we were subjected to it.” Steve chuckled and you looked at him.

“You’ve changed so much from that little girl that Wanda and Natasha brought to the tower,” he said while standing up.

“Wait, is that a good thing?” You asked.

“Yeah,” he kissed the top of your head. “A very good thing.”

*

As night fell on the tower, everyone seemed to be asleep except you and the former Winter Solider. His back was to you so he didn’t see you, which didn’t give him a chance to run away. “Do you want some hot chocolate?” The soldier jumped and spun around to look at you. “Don’t run from me, please,” you pleaded. You heard him sigh and stand up to join you in the kitchen. He sat on the island with his hands folded on the counter. You began the process of making the hot chocolate in silence. But you noticed he wasn’t looking at you, he stared at his hands as if he was afraid he was going to snap and hurt you. When the hot chocolate was done and topped with marshmallows and cinnamon, you pushed his mug over to him. He wouldn’t take it. You sipped on yours. “Are you okay, Bucky?” You asked. “I want to help but I can’t if you don’t tell me what I can do.”

“How can you be in the same room as me?” He softly asked. “After everything, I did to you.”

“That wasn’t you,” you simply said, sipping on your hot chocolate.

“I could have killed you,” he finally looked at you. Since last night, Bucky wouldn’t allow you to get this close to him. His eyes were bloodshot.

“No,” you firmly said. “The Winter Solider almost killed me. Bucky Barnes would never.” You held his stare, blue eyes locked onto yours until he looked away. “How much do you remember about our time together?” You asked. Bucky sighed.

“It comes and goes,” he said. “Like waves, crashing into me and I’m drowning.” You smiled, tracing the rim of your mug. The marshmallows were melted and stuck to your finger.

“Me too,” you admitted. “It wasn’t all bad.” You licked the marshmallow off your finger and put your hand in your pocket. “My brain clouded all the good with the bad. Do you want to hear one of the good ones?”

“Yes,” he whispered. “Please.” You smiled.

“I hadn’t seen you for a few days and I knew better than to ask about you because that resulted in a punishment,” he chuckled slightly. “One day I was brought into a room and you were there. I think they wanted you to train me and you did but I hurt my shoulder. I tried to hide my tears but you knelt at my level, whipped away my tears, and reached into your pocket,” you mimicked this part of your story and held out your hand. “And when you opened it, there was a little rubber duck.” You showed him the duck.

“What?” He questioned. “A rubber duck?” You smiled as the confusion was all over his face. “You’re making this up.”

“I’m not,” you laughed at the deadpanned look he was giving you. “I swear! Look I was equally confused when you handed it to me. It was a rubbed duck just like this one,” you placed it on the counter between you and him. When your laughter died down, your smile became sad. “When I destroyed the faculty, I tried to find it but it was destroyed in the fire.” Finally, he took a sip of his no longer hot chocolate and picked up the duck with his flesh hand.

“I need time to process the new memories,” you nodded.

“I got nothing but time,” you said. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

“Thank you,” he smiled. “For the talk and the hot chocolate.”

“Of course,” you cleaned your mug. “Try to get some sleep. Good night.”

“Night, doll,” he said. But you knew sleep wasn’t going to be an option for you. Every time you closed your eyes, your past played out in front of you. It was like Yelena said, there was a scab over a wound you had and although it was healing every time you rubbed against it it hurt more. Your feet led you to the training area, and the sound of your footsteps echoed against the quiet room. It was weird being here when no one else was here. You could do anything without the watchful eyes of the Avengers. You could train, lift some weights, or go for a run. Instead, you walked over to the machine Tony and Bruce built you.

It was in the corner of the room, a white sheet over it that you took off and stared at the machine. Fingertips tracing every part of it. With a sigh, you took a few steps from it and faced the machine. You closed your eyes and let out a few deep breaths. When you open your eyes, you let out of stream of electricity towards the target. You only cut it off when the batteries were full but it wasn’t enough. So you replaced the full batteries with empty ones and did it again. And again. And again. Until your chest was heaving and your legs felt like jello. A yawn escaped your lips and you took it as your sign to be done. You recovered the machine and took a long walk back to your room.

As soon as your head hit the pillow, you fell into a dreamless sleep.

_

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#lightning bug #wandanat x y/n #wandanat x reader #wandanat x daughter #wandanat x you #wandanat x daughter!reader #wandanat #natasha romanoff x wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x daughter!reader #wanda maximoff x daughter!reader #maria hill x reader #sam wilson x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #wanda maximoff x reader #bucky barnes x reader #rhodey x reader

[hsangel64]

what about the plans we made?

pairings: ellie williams x bsf!reader

summary: hanahaki disease is no joke

warnings: angst angst angst, use of y/n, no happy ending whoops, suicide and death

a/n: if you don’t know what hanahaki disease is it’s a japanese fictional disease people suffer from when they experience unrequited love. i tried to do a lot of my research so i hope i don’t butcher this completely! sorry i didn’t have this out sooner i just kinda went crazy with this-

you didn’t even know when it started it’s been so long. you’ve know ellie ever since she came to jackson, you both were 14 and you had been found after your mother had been bitten. you were alone and afraid so maria and tommy took you in. it had only been a couple of months after that ellie arrived with joel. you two had instantly hit it off and were attached at the hip after that day. you two would spend every second together and you slowly grew feelings for her.

you two were almost 18 when you met dina. that’s when you and ellie stopped seeing each other all the time. while she got closer to dina she got farther away from you. she stopped spending the night every day, she stopped having dinner with you, she stopped coming to friday night movies with you. she stopped being there completely. that’s around the time you started to feel sick. you felt the growth in your body slowly taking over. you started coughing up blood and felt your throat slowly start to close as the vines grew more and more each time you saw ellie laughing with someone who wasn't you. it got even worse when you finally got the guts to ask ellie for a movie night.

you had seen her by the stables surprisingly not with dina so you approached and decided to ask her about a movie night.

"hey els."

"hey what's up!" you internally rolled your eyes at her, how could she be so nonchalant about seeing me after weeks.

"so we haven't had a movie night in a bit i was thinking-"

"hey babe." you were cut off with dina coming up behind ellie kissing her on the cheek. you throat felt so itchy, it was slowly starting to get harder to breathe.

"hey you ready to go?"

"as ready as i'll ever be!" you felt sick you couldn't stand here and watch this anymore so you didn't say a word and left them behind. you looked back when you were far enough and it didn't even look like ellie noticed you left. you felt heavy your throat burning, the urge to cough. you sped up back to your house but bumped into someone.

"woah hey kiddo you okay?" shit it's joel.

"yeah yeah i'm okay." you scrambled to get up and try to walk past joel to get home, but he stopped you.

"hey hey what's up kiddo?" you couldn't hold it in any longer and you coughed up into your hand. you tried to wipe your hand before joel saw any blood but he was quicker than you.

"what the...y/n we gotta get you to the infirmary now."

"no no i'm okay i promise." you managed to slip out of his hold and you ran as quickly as you could to your house. once you got in you slid down the door and realized what had happened. dina called her babe, why didn't she tell me they were together? why am i feeling this way and what do i do about it? you stayed in that position for what felt like forever, staring at the wall. maybe you should go to see a doctor.

i don't wanna talk right now

i just wanna watch TV

i'll stay in the pool and drown

so I don't have to watch you leave

i put on Survivor just to watch somebody suffer

maybe I should get some sleep

sinking in the sofa while they all betray each other

what's the point of anything?

...

you stayed in your home the rest of the night ignoring the knocks from, who you assumed was joel. you spent the night on your couch with tons of bloody tissues around you. you sat and watched all the movies you and ellie loved. you didn't want to sulk for the rest of the night and wanted to figure out what was going on, so you got up and threw on a light jacket and your sneakers. you threw your hoodie on and made your way to the infirmary. you made sure that someone was in there and thankfully julien the head nurse was in the small office. you made your way inside and greeted her.

"hi julien."

"oh hey y/n, is there something wrong?"

"yeah i need some help."

ellie was at the tipsy bison with dina and jesse not having a care in the world. she couldn't stop thinking about how good her life felt right now. she watched dina dance with jesse with everyone else and couldn't get over how perfect this felt. her thoughts got interrupted by joel touching her shoulder.

"oh jesus joel you scared me." she jumped a little.

"hey kiddo i need to talk to you. it's important."

"uhh yeah what's up?"

"can we talk outside?" she nodded and he led her outside. the door opened and the small gust of wind sent a shiver down her spine, the cold air making her shiver as she only wore a flannel and didn't bring a jacket.

"so...?"

"it's about y/n." she gave him a small look of confusion.

"what about her?"

"ellie she's sick...."

"okay maybe you can give her some medicine and maria can make her that soup! you know it always helps and feels so good when you eat it-" he stopped her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"ellie this is serious not just some cold do you know anything she ran away from me today after i asked."

"um no i don't it's only been a couple of days since we last hung out."

"it's been more than a couple of days kiddo." she let out a small laugh and looked at him confused once again.

"what do you mean we just hung out..." she thought for a second, when was the last time they'd hung out? they fell into silence for what felt like forever until joel spoke up.

"it's been months kiddo, at least from what i've seen."

"has it really..." he nodded and her head stayed towards the ground. she really couldn't believe it was that long. you two had been best friends for years and never spent a day apart, what happened?

"when i saw her today she coughed up blood...i didn't know what to do and then she ran away on me. I knocked at her door multiple times but she locked the door so i couldn't go in and check on her."

"sh-she was coughing up blood?" she was horrified and felt frantic.

"she looked really sick, her skin was pale and she looked like she had gotten a little bit skinnier."

"joel i-i gotta go" she was shaking and needed to go see you. she pushed past joel and ran towards your house. she didn't feel cold anymore, her body was hot and she felt like she was going to explode. she knocked and knocked at your door and got no response, she was getting even more worried and tried to open your door.

"damn it." she remembered she had a spare key to your house so she ran over to her house and scrambled with her own keys. she was shaking so much that she dropped the keys on the ground cursing at herself to pull it together. she finally got it open and ran to search for the spare keys, she couldn't remember where she had placed them. ellie had a key holder that joel made her but she never used it, usually she would throw her keys anywhere when she would get home.

ellie felt herself start to breathe a little heavier as she searched and searched. she went to her desk and scanned all her drawers. as she was searching she came across some polaroid's of you she had taken. she stopped herself and scanned over the photos. it was a picture of you she had taken one day when you two had gone out during spring to a small meadow to have a picnic.

…

“hey look at those birds.” you pointed at the majestic bird in front of you guys. ellie genuinely couldn’t take her eyes off of you, you had this beautiful sun dress on that ellie found for you.

“he’s massive ellie take a picture !!” you shook her and she laughed at you as she took the polaroid of the bird. you stared at her whilst she took the picture, she wore a black tank top and some blue jeans with a flannel a top. she looked so good you couldn’t get over it. you wanted to kiss her.

“here look.” ellie showed you the picture she had taken.

“woah wait look!” ellie made you look towards the water to look at a couple of birds so she could get a picture of you. she loved taking pictures of you, she had a whole collection in a box inside of her drawer.

“hey don’t do that!” you swatted ellie’s hand after you heard the click of the camera.

“what ! i didn’t do anything!” she laughed and you snatched the camera out of her hands. she stopped you and grabbed you to pull you under her on the blanket. you both stopped and stared at each other, your breathing started to quicken as you felt ellie just above you inches away from your face. you felt her breathe on your lips, with her being this close you were able to fill examen her face. her freckles were your favorite part of her face. her eyes were a perfect shade of green, bright as is but even brighter in the sun. for what felt like forever being in this position ellie got up and moved away from you.

“oh! i made you something!” ellie exclaimed and grabbed a small box out of the basket you guys brought. she opened it and you gasped.

“chocolate covered strawberries?! how’d you even get the chocolate!”

“it took a lot of trading but it was worth it.” she smiled at you and and went to grab one out for you. you opened your mouth and she shook her head and laughed. her hand reached up to feed you said strawberry.

“mmm omg these are so good els try it!!” she smiled at you and took a bite.

“i did pretty good.” you both smiled at each other and spent the rest of the day in each other presence talking about anything and everything.

…

you had just came back from seeing julien and we’re in shock. you felt so much different after what she had found. she took some manual x-rays of you and found flowers growing inside of you. she knew exactly what it was and was concerned for you. hanahaki disease is what you had. it made sense, how you felt every time you saw ellie with dina. your throat closed slowly over the course of a couple of years. what concerned you most was what she had told you.

“you only have a couple of months y/n you either have us do this surgery and forget anything about ellie or get her to love you back those are your only options.”

you couldn’t believe it. you had a couple of months, two months left to either forget ellie forever or….well die. you had gotten back into your house and took your shoes off. you froze in front of the door not fully knowing what to do, you were going to die in two months how would anyone react to that?

you decided you weren’t going to spend it this way and you were going to write everyone a letter and spend your last two months with everyone you loved. once in your room you got to work.

…

it had been exactly a month since that night and ellie never got the courage to come see you again. she was worried about you but never saw you outside of your house. she would even stalk your door sometimes by her own to see if you come out. she tried to watch the gates at times to see if you were leaving on patrol when she wasn't assigned. she had gone to check the patrol sheets after a couple of weeks and you weren't even on it. ellie had gone to ask joel but all he told her was that she had asked for a different job. so her next best option was to ask maria.

"hey maria."

"oh hey ellie, want to help me feed the horses?"

"yeah of course i just need to ask you a question really quickly."

"shoot!"

"so i was wondering what job y/n had now? i just hadn't seen her on patrols..."

"she didn't tell you?"

"tell me what?"

"she's been on bed rest for the past few weeks."

"what? what happened?" she put her hand on her shoulder and led them away from everyone by the stables.

"maria what's wrong?" ellie's voice was shaky.

"she's really sick, she won't tell us what's wrong but we don't know how long she can keep this up." ellie was terrified she didn't know what to say, she had to go see you immediately. she thanked maria and ran straight for your house. she was breathing hard and the breeze was cold on her face as she ran. she felt tears running down her face. for what felt like forever she got to your house and saw joel and tommy talking outside.

"woah hey kiddo- calm down what's wrong?"

"i need to see her now." joel nodded and moved out of the way of the door.

"she's sleeping so you have to be quiet." she nodded and walked upstairs to your room. her heart was beating it felt like it was going to come out of her chest. she walked slowly up the familiar stairs she used to walk up and down everyday. her hands were shaky as she walked up the steps, nervous to see what you had looked like now. she made it towards your room and her hand was hovering over the door knob. there's no stopping now.

ellie opened the door and saw you laying on the bed, she threw her hand over her mouth, you looked almost lifeless laying there in bed. the tears in her eyes streaming down her face. she slowly made her way towards the chair at your bedside and gently grabbed your hand.

"hi honey." she paused for a second trying to keep herself together.

...

ellie was in love with you but couldn't come to terms with telling you. like every love story between two best friends, they both were scared and couldn't bare to lose each other. she took pictures of you, she took care of you when you were sick or when you had gotten hurt during patrol. she would talk about you all the time to joel and joel would proceed to tell her to just tell you that she was in love with you.

it all changed when she met dina. ellie didn't know the harm she caused you, she didn't know the damage she would cause after months. her and dina would hang out the same way you two would, except she and dina became official and you stayed on the sidelines. ellie was in love with dina and fell out of love with you. ellie still had love for you, just not enough.

she stayed with you everyday and every night after that day. you two weren't all the way back to normal but ellie was trying. she still hadn't gotten you to open up fully about what was going on but you seemed to get a little better. that was until ellie came back with dina one time to visit you, you started to feel worse and stayed in the bathroom most of the time as you threw up full flowers now and small branches. you could hear them talking about you outside and it made you feel even more sick.

"dina i'm just so worried about her."

"i know babe i'm sure she will be okay soon."

"she was just getting better....what if- fuck what if she dies dina."

"hey hey lets not think like that okay?" you could hear ellie start to softly sob and you felt terrible. how the hell were you going to tell her? you had to tell her soon.

you got up from the bathroom floor and made your way out the door. you felt so weak your legs could barely hold you up. you tried to walk back to the bed but your legs gave up on you and you fell. ellie and dina stood up immediately to attend to you. ellie grabbed you and pulled you up into her lap. you felt sleepy and delirious.

"hey hey you're okay honey." she soothed you. you felt tired.

“els…”

“i’m here it’s okay.” she sounds scared, i don’t like making her scared.

“i don’t feel good ellie.”

“i know i know dina’s getting julien stay with me okay?” you could barely see her, your eyes felt heavy. you could hear the strain in her voice. she was crying.

“it’s okay i love you so much.” was the last thing you heard before you saw all black.

…

when you passed out ellie was terrified. she was screaming for dina and joel. joel heard her from next door and ran as quick as he could. he saw her holding you and he was horrified with the scene in front of him. he helped ellie pick you up and set you on the bed after he did that julien and a couple other doctors ran into the house with dina. they rushed to your bedside and told ellie and joel to step out of the room for space.

“no no i won’t leave her alone.”

“please ellie we need space.”

“no let me stay please!” she stayed put in her chair next to you. she saw julien look up at joel and nod. joel then grabbed ellie to drag her out of the room.

“NO NO PLEASE!! LET ME STAY PLEASE!!” she screamed as joel dragged her out, as the doctors closed the door ellie stopped scrambling in his arms and turned to hug him.

“joel i can’t”

“i know i know kiddo she’ll be okay.” he soothed her as she cried. he felt his own tears form in his eyes. he loved you as his own, he didn’t want to see you go. he was so scared. they both stayed like that for what felt like forever and ellie seemed to calm down a bit so he took her downstairs and had her lay down on the couch. he knew she hadn’t gotten much sleep so he made her some tea and had her drink it to help her fall asleep. dina had come down to lay with ellie on the couch.

no words were exchanged between the three of them. just silence. until it was soft snores between all three.

…

ellie didn’t sleep much. her body wouldn’t allow her to because of the awful feeling she had in her stomach. she waited for a couple of hours till they were done. julien stayed in the room but the others sent her up to see you. she walked in and you were awake but you looked dead almost.

“hey ellie.”

“hi honey.” she was pained to see you like this.

“ellie have a seat we need to talk to you.” julien sent a small smile to ellie and pointed to the seat next to your bed. she nodded and sat down.

“is everything okay?”

“y/n has a disease called hanahaki disease. it’s a disease that is caused by unrequited love, i know it sounds silly but that’s what it is.”

“okay…” ellie looked confused she didn’t understand what julien was saying.

“the only two options she has is to get a surgery but it will make her forget all about this person, or she gets this person to fall in love with her but she doesn’t have much time. what’s going on in her body is these flowers that are growing inside of her that’s why she’s coughing up blood and she’s gotten to the point that she’s coughing up full flowers. y/n doesn’t have much time left”

ellie was shocked to say the least she didn’t know how to react and felt sick.

“so we need to get this person. who is it honey?” you and julien looked at each other and she nodded at you.

“it’s you ellie.” she felt her world come crashing down. she was the cause of this, she made you sick just because she couldn’t come to terms with being with you and fell in love with dina instead.

“get the surgery.”

“no.”

“why not! i don’t care if you forget me you aren’t dying.” you felt so sick. listening to her tell you to get the surgery instead of some miracle that she loves you was enough to get your heart racing more than it should be.

“i’m not getting the surgery ellie.”

“please you have to.” you two were sobbing together.

“i’m not ellie. im sorry.”

“no no please you can’t die i won’t let you.”

“you don’t love me ellie.” she didn’t know what to say, julien left to give you guys some space but it stayed silent. ellie didn’t say anything which made you feel worse. you weren’t going to live to see tomorrow you knew that. you were dying today and you were okay with that.

“els i don’t feel good.”

“no please you can’t be leaving me.” she yelled for julien to come back and told her to bring everyone in.

“ellie i have a letter for you. i have one for everyone.” she nodded and you told her it was on your desk.

everyone was in tears in the room. as they read their letters. you knew you wouldn’t live this one through. ellie didn’t read her letter yet she didn’t want to believe you weren’t going to be here anymore. julien took checked your heart and it was very slow you were slowly dying.

“i hate to say this but you need to say your goodbyes now.” ellie’s heart was beating a million miles a minute. they all said their goodbyes but tommy’s goodbye was one of the hardest things she’s had to see.

“hey pumpkin…i wish we had more time together i really do. i love you so much since the day we found you. you were a blessing to our family and i’m sorry we couldn’t help you. i’m sorry it had to be like this.” he had to pause because he got choked up. he kissed you on your forehead and stayed there for a little as you both cried with each other. joel had to turn the other way he couldn’t bare see this. ellie was sitting down with her hands in her hair as dina was comforting her. maria was behind tommy crying with you two.

“we love you so much and we are so proud of everything you have done. you have blessed this earth with your presence and we’re truly sorry you couldn’t keep you beautiful presence here. you truly outshined people and was a big ball of sunshine in a crowded dark room. we will miss you so much we love you pumpkin.” tommy was holding your face whole time wiping all your tears away. they both gave you a kiss on the forehead and moved over so ellie could come back.

ellie said so much without actually saying anything. you knew what she meant when she looked at you. you felt at peace and you were ready.

“i’m sorry i’m so sorry honey i love you so much and i’ll see you when i see you. i wish it didn’t have to be like this you’re my everything we have been through so much and i don’t even know what to say. i cant think of living without you. i’m sorry.” she broke down and knew it was time.

“i love you ellie please take care of yourself.” you felt your heart rate drop more and more with each word. ellie didn’t say anything but everyone knew it was time. your chest slowly stopped moving up and down. you smiled at ellie and stopped moving. julien slowly closed your eyes.

“no please. PLEASE NO!!” hearing ellie’s screams were haunting. she screamed for you to come back as she grabbed you and hugged you close to her chest. you felt so cold already and she hated how lifeless you felt as she held you. she screamed so much everyone that had left the room could still hear her and we’re devastated.

…

they had buried you with a beautiful headstone. ellie chose it. they had a candle lit for you and everyone in town came. everyone was crying as ellie, tommy and joel gave speeches about you. it was the most emotional night for everyone.

don’t know where you are right now

did you see me on TV?

i'll try not to starve myself

just because you're mad at me

and I'll be in denial for at least a little while

what about the plans we made?

…

“if we don’t find anyone when we’re older let’s just marry each other.” you told ellie. you two were sitting on the roof watching the stars.

“i like that idea i think we would be a cute old couple.” you both smiled at each other and shook on it.

“you better keep to this promise.”

“i will i don’t think anyone would be able to handle me anyways.”

…

it’s been a month since and ellie visited your grave everyday. her and dina broke up but it was mutual and dina stayed by her side for everything. ellie just wasn’t okay to stay in a relationship. she never read your letter until tonight. she was in her bed watching some movie she wasn’t fully interested in. she looked at her bedside table at the letter you gave her and she decided to read it. she opened it and unfolded the paper slowly preparing herself for what’s to come.

ellie was sobbing by the end of the letter. she can’t stand to not be with you anymore. she didn’t want to listen to you in the letter but she knows you would hate her if she didn’t. ellie had so much love you for and it was too late. she hated herself for it. ellie was still madly in love with you and she didn’t do anything about it. she felt terrible and apologized to you a million times. she didn’t want to be here anymore. she wanted to be with you. so she did.

on that day at 8:46pm the world lost another beautiful soul, but she was finally with you again.

…

a/n: WOAH this took forever because of work and i apologize but i just kinda kept going with this and i actually really love the outcome of it- i won’t lie i cried while listening to the song and writing this so hope you guys enjoy-

#Spotify #ellie the last of us #ellie williams #ellie tlou #the last of us #ellie williams fic #ellie x reader #ellie x y/n #tlou fic #ellie williams x reader #ellie x you #ellie williams angst #angst

[yelena-bellova]

Twenty Years Later: Joel Miller x F!Reader - One Shot #2

One Shot: Symptoms of Survival

Plot: Neither one of them was quite sure how the fight even started.

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: light language, ptsd (16+)

A/N: SURPRISE!! This is my best attempt at making Sunday feel a little bit like TLOU Sundays.

I’m trying to strike a balance between fluff and angst in these follow-ups. This is by far one of the more angsty ones. I feel like the show did a great job of showcasing Joel’s trauma, but I wanted to explore some more symptoms of PTSD that he and Rosebud would for sure suffer from. Happy happy happy! Enjoy reading, my loves! ❤️

P.S. I didn’t fully spell check this so there may be mistakes 😜

————

Neither one of them was quite sure how the fight even started.

Joel had risen early in the morning for his patrol shift and had stayed out all day doing repairs with Tommy.

Y/n had slept in, going unneeded in the mess hall kitchen until the lunch shift. She’d taken a walk with Ellie, stopped by Maria and Tommy’s to visit the former, and had been back home fixing dinner by sunset.

Ellie took her dinner in her room, still functioning outside her normal self after the events of their journey. It had been a month since the hospital, and a month and a half since Silver Lake. Neither Joel nor Y/n pushed her on the matter and let her attend to herself for the evening, leaving them on their own.

Y/n asked a question about his day.

Joel’s answer was snippily short.

Y/n jumped at his irritability and returned it.

Before they knew it, Joel was storming out the front door and Y/n was leant against the kitchen counter, both of them seething.

It was less than an hour later that Y/n felt the hot air in her body cool and she took a breath. It wasn’t the first time her hyper-vigilant state had put her in some sort of trance. Coming out of it felt like waking up from a long, unannounced nap.

Sliding her winter coat onto her shoulders, Y/n left the house and made her way to the center of town. There had never been many instances where Joel needed to get space from her, but she knew exactly where his hiding place would be.

Joel sat at the bar of the Tipsy Bison, thankful that it was empty. He poured himself a second glass of some amber colored liquor he’d drank with Tommy last Friday night. It was so easy to be happy with his new life; Ellie’s safety secured, Y/n and him finally married, his brother returned to him…he wasn’t sure why the anger that belonged to the worst of him was bubbling up again.

The bell on the front door rang and Joel sighed. He inhaled to tell off whichever of his neighbors had dared to bother him with their presence, but his eyes stopped his mouth.

Y/n stayed at the door, watching her husband’s facial expressions change. He went from blind anger, to surprise to guilt within a span of five seconds. Once she was assured he was calm, she hung her coat and crossed the room.

Joel pulled the liquor bottle closer to him to give Y/n a place to rest her arms. He couldn’t dare look at her, shame consuming him over what he’d turned their evening into.

Even their most uncomfortable silence had peace weaved in between the cracks.

Y/n sighed, keeping her hands folded in her lap. There were so many ways to phrase what she wanted to say, but direct was the only way her and Joel knew how to talk to one another. “We’re different.”

Joel furrowed a brow and glanced up at his wife.

“We’re the same,” Y/n continued, “But different.”

Joel stared down into his glass. “I’m not even mad,” he mumbled, raising his voice a little after, “I’m not. I don’t get it.”

“Neither am I,” Y/n shook her head, she took a deep breath before launching into her true speech, “We have seen…a lot of shit. A lot. And we can’t expect to come out of it the same as we were.”

Joel turned his head to face her as she spoke. It was the same conversation they’d had when they’d gotten back together. It felt like there was a new point to the painful truth.

“There’s not exactly any Zolofts to pop or shrinks to see,” Y/n continued, “But we’re fucked up.”

“Sometimes when I wake up…” Joel said, shaking his head at himself, “I’m just angry. Don’t know why, don’t know how…I just wake up angry at everyone and everything.”

Y/n nearly scoffed, “I feel like I’m always on edge. Ellie’ll brush past me or someone’ll slam a door and I jump like there’s gunfire or something.”

Where Joel felt like he was failing, Y/n only felt stronger with science to back their problems up. Mutual trauma was deeply ingrained in both their minds and it was only natural for their bodies to react accordingly.

“I’m sorry,” Joel whispered, meaning it with every fiber of his being. He’d promised never to hurt Y/n again, and here he was doing it.

Y/n slid her hand across to bar to cover Joel’s. He didn’t owe her anything. “Don’t.”

Joel flipped his hand to take Y/n’s, the two of them resting in the quiet. They felt like the best of their old selves with one another, but they couldn’t ignore what the world had turned them into. It was a new dance for them to learn together.

“Maybe when we feel like this…” Y/n started, “We tell each other? Give each other some warning so we know how to handle the day?”

Joel watched his fingers as they glided back and forth against Y/n’s hand. He felt ridiculous for requiring such delicate handling.

“Hey,” Y/n nudged Joel’s chin up with her finger, forcing him to look at her. He was transparent as glass. “It’s not our fault.”

The mind has a way of making it’s own devilry feel like the host’s fault. Joel couldn’t help but feel responsible for his actions. It would take him a long time to fully grasp that he wasn’t the problem.

“It’s not our fault,” Y/n whispered again as she slid her hand to the back of Joel’s neck. He leaned into her touch and their foreheads met in the space between their bodies.

They stayed like that for a few moments, Y/n’s free hand rubbing Joel’s thigh and his nose nuzzling against hers. It was there that they felt fully back on their feet, returned to reality from the ordeal of the day.

“Let’s go home,” Y/n finally said.

Joel nodded and drowsily pulled back, setting the liquor bottle on the other side of the bar along with his glass. Y/n crossed the wooden floor and retrieved her coat before coming back to meet Joel. They looped an arm around one another as they walked out the door, Joel pressing a kiss to his wife’s temple. There’d be more bad days, plenty of them, but so long as they didn’t have to face them alone, there was daylight to be found.

————

TYL Taglist: @bachiracore @stolenxkissess @kayleezra @the-wistful-reader @allthesesonsofbitches @goth-detectives365 @trippovert @rh1nestonecowg1rl @emiliaserpe @khaleesihavilliard @frietiemeloen @gracie7209 @dorck26 @thegirlnextdoorssister @alanis-altair @mariwinns16 @whosscruffylooking @endofthexline @alexiaricciardo @eonnyx @pedrosmexicangf @scarlettequinn @ao-sleepy @toinfinityandbeyonce2 @deanlovescassie @turmoil-ash @sorrowjunky @kpopslur @xxlilyxx90 @midgetpottermills @presidential-facts @scoopsnini @tubble-wubble @jamesdeerest @burninggracesandbridges @star-wars-lover @lucyhotchner @cococola-cocaine @witheringhqarts @fall-writes @alwaysdjarin @xxmoonn @emilia-the-artist @wand-erer5 @boneyarrd @lizard-zombie @themultifandomofmadness @cassidylea123 @paleepeaches @mxltifxnd0m @kettlekatie @ultimate-cinephile @gloryekaterina @caramelkatsukis-bitch @whovianayesha @memeorydotcom @deadunicorn159 @get0ut0fmyr00m @siriuslymooned @emmyeed @superbreadsoul @hellu-people1 @ourautumn86 @inas-thing @noraapple05 @givemylovetoall @luvwanda (tags cont. in comments)

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller imagine #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fic #twenty years later

[chemicalalice]

Fic: My Favorite Mistake - Kinktober Day 1

Title: My Favorite Mistake Summary: Maybe he was the one mistake you would continue to make. Pairing: Rhett Abbott x female!Reader Warnings: unprotected PinV sex, swearing. Please be mindful of yourself and do not read if this content bothers you. 18+ only! Word count: 3123 AN: For the prompt 'love bites' for Kinktober 2023. No beta. I haven't posted in like, a year, I'm rusty. I hope this is formatted correctly. I think I have a plan for a second part of this.

Even in a small town, things could change fast. A month ago, this would have been normal, expected. But this wasn't a month ago. This was now. And you didn't know what was going on with Rhett and Maria ever since she got back, ever since he ghosted you, but you were pretty sure that whatever it was, he probably shouldn't have you pressed up against the side of your truck as he fucked you in the parking lot of the bar while Maria sat inside.

You and Maria had never been friends, not in any real sense. In high school you had hung out occasionally, but only because you mixed in the same friend group, despite the fact that you were a year younger. And even then you didn't talk much. During that time, it was painfully obvious to anyone with eyes that Rhett was nursing a massive crush on Maria. You, in turn, kept your own crush on Rhett more hidden. Maria ignored Rhett, and Rhett, for the most part, ignored you.

After her, graduation Maria didn't waste any time leaving Wabang for greener pastures, not giving the place where she grew up a single glance back, and certainly not sparing a single thought for Rhett. As for those she left behind, Rhett threw himself into the rodeo, and you focused on finishing school.

You didn't see Rhett much after that. Occasionally you would cross paths, at a party with a small wave of acknowledgement, or at the feed store with a brief hello as you went about your business. But you didn't talk.

And that was how things went for years. Right up until an unseasonably warm night in September as you stood beside a bonfire in your friend's yard. When Rhett stepped up next to you, you tossed the customary 'hey' in his direction before looking back down at the drama unfolding between your two best friends over a guy in the group chat.

It took you a minute to realize he was still standing there, and when you looked back up, he was staring at you. You watched as one side of his mouth twitched upwards in a small grin at the look of mild bewilderment on your face.

You didn't sleep with him that night; didn't give him the satisfaction of another easy catch. But you did talk, moving easily from one topic to the next until then fire burned down to embers and the rest of your friends started home. You let him have your number. And when he called the next day, you said yes to dinner.

That next night, that was when you slept with him. It has been three years since high school when Rhett first kissed you. And you had thought then and there that it was everything you had ever hoped it would be.

You never asked why he had approached you that night. You were too afraid of his answer. Like a skittish horse, you were afraid that questions and demands would spook him.

It was easy for things to fall into a rhythm with with him. Like clockwork, your phone would light up with his name every Friday night, the knock on your door coming soon after. He would spend the night at your place; it was always at your place. Saturday morning was started with an encore performance, although it was usually slower and more intimate, before he threw back some coffee and disappeared out your door until Friday rolled around again.

Gradually, he started reaching out more; one night a week became two, sometimes even three; texting became more frequent and not just when he was looking to hook up.

You kept your mouth shut. Never asked was was happening, what it meant when he started falling asleep at your place without anything remotely intimate occurring. You told that little bit of your heart that held onto its teenage love for the man to not get excited. Rhett was still Rhett, after all. He had a well known reputation as a love ‘‘em and leave ‘‘em type of cowboy. The fact that he somehow was in your bed every weekend that he wasn’t out in the circuit? Well, you just put that down to him being lazy and you being easy.

That’s all you would allow yourself think.

Sometimes it was easy.

When you happened to be out at the same bar and he barely spared you a glance, it was easy. When you saw that smooth as shit grin he would give the scantily clad girls who would cluster around the back fences after a successful ride, it was easy.

But the other times, like the slow Sunday mornings that were becoming more and more frequent, where he would step up behind you and wrap you in his arms and bury his face in your neck until the coffee was done brewing; or the way his eyes would instinctively seek yours in the stands after a good ride before breaking out into a massive grin, those times> Those times is was a lot more difficult to bury your quickly growing feelings.

You kept silent. He kept showing up. And Maria? She decided to come home.

You were pretty fucking smart. So when Rhett suddenly stopped showing up at your place, when you calls went answered and your texts were left on 'read', it didn't take much more of a glimpse of Maria at the grocery store to figure it out.

Maria was back. And Rhett was done wasting time with you now that the true object of his affections was available again.

It was ok. You had known things weren't going to last forever with Rhett. Him moving on was an inevitable conclusion. Something you had reminded yourself countless times over.

Still.

The first time you saw the two of them cozied up together at the bar.... it hurt. It hurt far more than you expected. Because no matter how your head tried to warn your heart, no matter how much you tried to deny it, you still went and fell ass over tea kettle for the guy.

And now you got to watch him smile for someone else; watch him leave with another girl.

The hurt felt the strongest for the first couple of weeks. Then the anger came. You had deserved better. It didn't matter that maybe all you had, all you ever would have had, with him was sex, you deserved better than being ghosted by a guy who was at your place more times than not for the past nine months.

You liked the anger a lot better than the hurt, so you held it close, nurtured the small sense of satisfaction as you watched Maria slowly revert back to her haughty high school self. She had licked whatever big city wounds she got and saw herself as the little city queen again.

As your mamma used to say, there was no point in crying over spilt milk. So you left them to it and moved on. Thankfully, there was no shortage of eligible men who were willing to help with that. If you hadn’t been a party girl before, you certainly were leaning into it now. And it was easy to ignore the disapproving frown that seemed to always grace Rhett’s lips when you happened to cross paths.

You told yourself it wasn't revenge when you started spending time with Luke Tillerson, of all people. It couldn't be revenge, not really, because you Rhett was too busy with Maria to even care who you were or were not sleeping with. You ceased to it exit in his mind.

Or so you thought.

Tonight, as you said your goodbyes and laughed off Luke's entreaties for you to stay, it was obvious for you to think it was him when you heard the crunch of gravel under boots behind you as you crossed the parking lot to your truck.

You grinned, not able to suppress the satisfaction you felt in him following you. Your eyes narrowed teasingly as you turned to face him. "Luke I said I am way to tired to-" Your words were cut off as Rhett's lips crashed down against yours, his momentum carrying you back to slam against your truck and out of the weak circle of illumination cast by the single light pole in the parking lot.

His hands fell to your ass, squeezing and kneading roughly, and pulling your skirt up enough that the cold metal of the truck behind you touched the back of your thighs and had you gasping and pulling away,

Shock at Rhett's presence had paralyzed you, but you soon found your strength as you managed to get your arms up between the both of you and shove.

Rhett stumbled back, but didn’t looked surprised.

“Luke, huh? Didn’t think he was your type.” Rhett's voice was bitter, and he crowded back into your space almost instantly, hands falling to your hips and squeezing, pulling you to him. You wanted to shove him away again, and your hands came up again to rest on his chest, but the look in his eyes stopped you. You couldn’t place the emotion held within them. Some strange mix of anger, hurt, and determination.

That look transfixed you, held you frozen in place, and you felt like one of the deer you had seen when he took you out shining that one time.

That look, that told you what was about to happen, that begged you not to stop it. Somewhere, in the back of your head, a voice that sounded a lot like yours was screaming. It was a slow motion car crash. You knew what was going to happen, how it was going to end. And yet, you still told yourself you could control it.

It wasn't ok. It wouldn't be ok. You shouldn't be doing this. You knew that. All those thoughts and a million more raced across your mind in a mere second. And yet?

And yet....

When he leaned down, you didn’t stop him, and as his lips once again touched yours you found your fingers curling in to the fabric of his shirt, clutching for support as you once again fell back against your truck under the force of him. Maybe he was the one mistake you would continue to make.

The kiss was rough, sloppy, and you could taste the beer he had been drinking earlier. He always drank something cheap. You hadn’t drank that much yourself that night, but it didn’t stop your from trying vainly to blame it on the booze as you allowed him to turn you around, listened to the jingle of his belt buckle as it was undone and the rasp of his zipper as it was pulled down; allowed him to press tightly against you and thrust himself up inside of you in one push.

He stilled, momentarily, as he bottomed out. A low groan escaped from him at the same time as you stifled a gasp at the sudden fullness of it. His hands were on your hips again, squeezing, pulling, holding you exactly where he wanted as he bent over you began to move.

It felt good, the feeing of him inside of you after what almost felt like an eternity. You spent the majority of your life not knowing his touch, and you hated that after just a little more than a month without it could feel so good. Like nothing else would ever compare.

You think you hated him at that moment. Hated how he had managed to make you fall in love with him. Hated how easy it was for him to drop you like you were nothing the second Maria showed up. Hated how easily he thought he still had a right to your body. Hated how you let him have it anyway.

He was breathing harshly, practically panting in your ear as he fucked you. He wasn’t being gentle, but you didn’t expect anything different. Being fucked against the side of a truck in a public parking lot wasn't meant for anything else.

You knew he was going to come soon. And you hated that too; how well you knew the little hitch he would get in his breathing as he worked himself closer to his orgasm. You dropped your forehead to rest on the arm you had braced against the truck, and wedged the other down in between your body and the vehicle, fingers slipping beneath the waistband of your panties to rub roughly at your clit. You'd be damned if you were going to let him jump you like this without getting to cum too.

It didn’t take long for him to realize what you were doing, and with a little growl his hand slipped from your hip to knock your hand away, his fingers instantly replacing yours. The way his arm wrapped around your body pulled you even closer to him, and somehow, allowed him to sink even deeper into you.

It was impossible to hold in your groan at how good his touch was, always better than your own, and the noise seemed to spur him on. “‘Wanna feel you cum,” he growled, breaking the silence that had existed between you up until then. “‘Wanna fill you up.”

“If you cum before me, I will rip your balls off, Rhett Abbott,” you hissed back, knowing the threat was pointless. You were probably only moments away from you own orgasm now. You knew he would last that long, at the very least. Knew it would probably be your own peak that set him off.

“You always feel so good, sweetheart. Always so fucking good for me,” he was murmuring, lips on your throat, where he knew you were most sensitive, the place where he would always focus his attention when he wanted something, and when you felt teeth gently graze over your the skin there, that was all you needed. You pressed your mouth to your hand, holding back your cry of pleasure as you shook apart in his arms.

He followed seconds after, just as you knew he would. But what you didn’t expect was him biting down on your neck, teeth and mouth and tongue working at the sensitive skin there. He bit almost to the point of pain, and as you felt him spill into you, you knew with surety it was going to leave a mark.

Just when it got to be too much, when you thought you would cry out for him to stop, he let go, head dropping to your shoulder as he sagged against you. His hand slipped up and away from your cunt, but pressed flat against your stomach, holding you to him, as if he couldn’t bear to let you go or let any space come between your bodies.

You allowed, it for a moment; as your breath slowly returned to normal. But as the haze of mind numbing pleasure slowly began to recede, as the realization of what you just allowed to happen settled on your mind, the anger began to creep back in.

You bucked back against him, the movement causing him to slip out of you but not lose his grip where he held you. The wet warmth of him dripping out of felt like regret, and suddenly shame washed through you. The spot on your neck that ached, your scarlet letter.

“What the fuck Rhett!” You hissed, and this time he let you turn to face him in the cage of his arms. You shoved against his chest, but he was prepared this time and barely budged.

He stared down at you, looking lost, almost confused. “I missed you. A lot,” he offered weakly.

You laugh in disbelief. “You missed me? You disappear, stop answers my calls and texts and you say you missed me? It didn’t seem like you missed me when Maria was all over you and had her tongue down your throat in there tonight!”

You shoved against again, and this time he allows you to push him away.

“It’s not…. I can’t…..” His words are stuttering, eyes wide, and it only makes you angrier.

“Rhett, you followed me out here, fucked me, came inside me, and left a mark that tomorrow everyone is going to fucking see. Hopefully no one say you follow me out here! I think I deserve a bit more than you ‘missed me’.”

“You deserve better than Tillerman,” is what he finally manages.

Of fucking course. You saw it coming. But you are still surprised at how much it hurts, and how cheap it makes you feel as his cum grows cold and tacky on your thighs.

“Ah. So this,” you pressed your fingers to the red reddening mark on your neck, wincing as a sharp sting of pain zips through you, “is just you pissing to mark your territory. You don’t want me, not when Maria is suddenly interested, but you don’t want anyone else to either. You got your girl, Rhett. Got the only girl you have wanted since high school. Good for you. I mean, you completely ghosted me like a cheap one night stand, but good for you. Luke’s the only fucking person who doesn’t look at me with pity in this town, thanks to you but I guess a little dignity in moving on from an obvious mistake is too much to ask for. What I think is that I deserve better than you.” You kept your voice steady, but you couldn’t stop your eyes from welling up as you spoke.

Pure devastation is writ large across his face as your words wash over him. And you hate how it hurts you even more.

“It isn’t what I expected," he forces out. "With her. And I saw you, tonight, and I just….I just…” He reaches up and rips the beat up ball cap from his head, smacking it against his leg in frustration as his words fail him again.

You shake your head in pained disbelief. “Fuck you, Rhett. Fuck you. Go back to Maria. You two deserve each other. Just….leave me alone.”

You turned then, pulling open the door to your truck and climbing inside. You slammed the door shut behind you, cutting off his next words; not wanting to hear anything else from the man.

But as you drove away, tires spinning violently in the loose gravel of the lot, you couldn’t help looking back. In the rearview you saw Rhett raise his hands to his head, fingers curling in his hair as he kick at the ground in frustration, watching as your taillights fade from sight.

#fic #chemy writes #kinktober 2023 #rhett abbott x reader #outer range

[scarletwidowsbaby]

Don’t Knock It Till You Try It

Summary: A girls day and night might just push you in the right direction.

Pairing: Natasha x Fem!Reader

Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort

Warnings: Suddenly abusive relationship, toxic lover, Nat is your safety net, sexual suggestion. 

A/N - My first fic! Pls tell me if it’s good :)

*gif credits to owner*

After another restless night of arguing with your boyfriend, you woke up to a flurry of messages from your best friend, Natasha Romanoff. Before the Snap occurred, she had found you trying to help trapped civilians in a fire using your teleportation, but she managed to catch you as you fell unconscious out of a window. 

Since then, you weren’t quite sure what to make of her. She had her lows, as did you, and it only helped you see her as human as yourself. However, when you went out together, you watched her flirtation skills show off as she always ended up with a girl to take home, sometimes even two.

And sometimes, a tiny little voice in the back of your head wished she would take you home. 

But when that voice came, so did another. Your boyfriend, Jake, who really was a sweet guy… except for when he was drunk. Or angry. Or hungry, tired, and any number of the infinite reasons he used to spout out hate at you.

“Y/N, why don’t you ever dress like these girls? You’d look so much hotter.”

“Oh, Y/N, I’m going out with some workmates. Wanna come? …Of course you’re not coming. You just lay around here all day whilst I go pay our rent.” 

He’d touch you when you didn’t want to be touched, and he wouldn’t touch you when you did. Sexually and non-sexually. Sometimes you were feeling down and just needed a hug, but he would say you were being too clingy. 

So basically, he’s an asshole.

You got dressed and soon visualised the compound in your mind, reopening your eyes to be standing in the kitchen as Natasha was making toast on eggs. She turned around and you always wondered why she was never startled by your appearances, instead choosing to smile at you.

“Hey, you. You didn’t answer my messages.” 

“Thought I’d come and answer them in person.” You smiled widely.

She explained that she wanted to go out today with someone - that someone being you, preferably - and she just wanted to forget about her Avenger duties for a moment. Of course, you decided to go with her and she led you to her room where she offered some of her clothes.

You changed into a pair of dark blue jeans and a rock band shirt before taking the zip-up jumper from her, your senses tingling at the scent of her perfume. She even handed over one of her favourite pairs of shoes, second only to her combat boots she was currently lacing up, before she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up.

“Go to the garage, FRIDAY will lead you to my car.” Her voice muffled through the door and you did just as told, walking all the way to a stunning car you recognised.

“A Corvette Stingray…” You muttered, tempted to run your hand over the side of the bonnet to follow the streak of orange on black.

The lights flashed and you looked up, seeing the set of keys dangling from Natasha’s grip. “Let’s go.” 

The drive was easy, listening to anything but the news, which included her recent experiences in dating. She had already told you about her failed relationship with Maria, the only culprit to their star-crossed love being that they spent too much time apart and the spark fizzled out. Then she tried with Wanda, but the witch was too attached to the red-tinged toaster.

“I’m sorry. You’ll find a girl that fits you one day.” You comforted her gently by a hand on top of the gear shift, which her own rested upon.

“Thanks, Y/N/N.” She replied with a smirk, turning the car into a shopping centre parking lot.

You both wandered around, continuing to talk about anything and everything whilst you shopped. Natasha even insisted on buying you some things that she thought looked stunning on you, involving Jake into the conversation of beauty wherever she could so as to not let you think she liked you.

Even if she did.

A lot.

For you see, Natasha had never told you a lie except twice. Maria and her relationship failed not only because of distance, but because Maria wasn’t blind. Neither was Wanda - for Pete’s sake, she was a mind reader! Natasha’s daydreams were a real buzzkill when it came to making out in a darkened meeting room. 

So, she stuck to pining after you. It sucked to watch you and Jake at parties or having dinner dates where she’d try and find someone on Tinder, but her attention was always on you.

“Natasha, I can’t keep taking your so-called ‘gifts’. This is too much!” You chuckled nervously as she walked you out of the lingerie store.

“Oh, please. I’ve barely made a dent in the fortune Stark gave me before he isolated himself.” She rolled her eyes, keeping both her bags and yours in her grip.

You had to calm yourself when you saw her beefy biceps flex.

“So what are you doing tonight?” She asked as you approached the car.

You sighed. “Jake’s got a boys night, so I was just thinking of staying at home-”

After dumping the bags in the boot, Natasha’s finger came to rest on your lips. “Nope. You’re coming to my place.” 

Your eyes bulged. “You have a place outside of the compound?!” 

She nodded, making you face-palm. “Don’t worry about it, malyshka. Not many people think Avengers have lives outside of Avenger-ing. Hell, I’ve had to explain to the last five failures that I actually have a loft in Queens, a motorcycle without my hourglass, and that I like James Bond.” 

You hid your blush well at the nickname Natasha had bestowed upon your first meeting, something of which you had never deciphered. Instead, you let her drive back to her place before helping you up to the loft, carrying every single bag even if you tried to steal them from her.

When she opened the dark oak door with her retinal scan and voice, you should have known how high-tech and sleek it would be. The ceiling rose to fit a staircase and a bedroom above, including an ensuite, whilst the kitchen, living room, TV and balcony all sat on the lower level.

“Natalia. Alianovna. Romanova.” You turned to her and used her name the scanner had muttered, watching her lips form into her signature smirk.

“Thought I’d finally bring you by. Serves you right for trying to stay in your tiny one-bed one-bath apartment.” She sneered, a raised eyebrow enticing you to step closer and smack her shoulder.

“As far as I can see, this is also a one-bed one-bath.” You remarked, beginning to sort through the bags to find what was yours and what was hers.

Afterwards, you went to the toilet before reappearing in the middle of the loft, noticing how Natasha paced whilst texting on her phone.

“What’s wrong?” You of all people knew the signs of worry on her face - a single crease in her brows, thin lips, a tight jaw.

“Carol and Rhodey are in town and they want to have a face-to-face talk.”

“Oh.” 

At your dejected tone, Natasha looked up to see you fiddling with the zipper of her jacket. She pocketed her phone and immediately walked over to you, hugging you softly. “I’m sorry, malyshka. I promise we can hang out tomorrow, okay?”

You nodded into her shoulder before Natasha pulled away quickly. “Wanna help me pick an outfit?”

She grabbed your hand before you could say no and dragged you upstairs, your eyes flitting over the queen mattress with dark grey sheets and black pillows, a few books on the nightstand that were accompanied by a glass half-empty of water.

“You sit still and look pretty on the bed whilst I change in my bathroom.” She stated as she grabbed some clothes from her cupboard and made her way into the ensuite.

Outfit after outfit she came out, but she should have known you wouldn’t be a great help because you liked them all. Eventually, she went with a set of civilian-style clothes, much like the ones on your body. By now, you were actually quite comfortable in the bed and had tucked yourself underneath, the sheets enveloping you in your own warmth scented by Natasha’s clothes still on you.

“So how are you and Jake?” She asked you through the mirror as she began to apply her makeup.

Your slow reply made her mascara application wait until her stare drew an answer out of you. “We’re okay.”

“Okay? Y/N, you told me within the first week of meeting him that you wanted to marry him.” She teased, turning her focus back to her makeup.

“I know, but he’s just… he’s different now. He’s fun and witty and friendly… when he’s sober…” You trailed off as you took off the jumper, folding it neatly to your side before you relaxed into Natasha’s sheets.

“Don’t tell me he hits you.” The Widow’s face fell flat and you shook your head.

“No, never. Not even when we’re doing it. But that’s the thing - he doesn’t touch me anymore. No hugs, no kisses, nothing. And his voice is-is sharper, his tone is darker… He’s just an asshole now.” You sighed, closing your eyes as you tried to remember the nicer parts of your relationship.

Natasha’s brush stopped moving in her hand as she was almost finished, applying the smaller details. “Correct. Now, if only you just dated-”

“-Dated women, I know. I still don’t think I’m into girls though.” 

The light behind your eyelids dimmed slightly and you opened them to see Natasha leaning over you, her right hand sliding on top of your left whilst the fingers on her left tucked your chin into her grip perfectly.

“Don’t knock it till you try it, malyshka.” She husked.

You finally breathed after Natasha went back into her ensuite to tidy up, watching you from time to time as you got your breath back.

“Now I know why you use that move so often. Damn, Nat, your Widow skills are good!” You chuckled nervously.

Nat. Not Natasha, or even Natalia. The Russian knew that word and synonymised it with the friend zone, making her heart sink behind the thousands of masks upon her face.

“Well, I’ll be back around 11pm. Please don’t stay up late eating ice-cream out of the tub. In fact, I’ll order you something. What do you want?” She pulled out her phone and you grinned at her.

“Pizza.” 

She rolled her eyes and moved back to you, giving you a gentle hug. “One Y/N special coming right up.” 

She left after placing a small kiss on your forehead, something she rarely did because of her height but with you on the low bed it was easy. It felt easy too, almost like second nature. Giving you gifts and giving you touch, doing things for you and spending time with you made her day. It was her way of saying ‘i love you’ without even saying it.

Because she knew that if you rejected her, she would never recover.

When Natasha returned to the loft with most of the lights out, she placed her bag and keys on the bench next to your empty pizza box. She took off her shoes before climbing the stairs, her heart exploding as she saw you.

Lying in her bed, in her clothes. 

You looked at peace as you held the black pillow in your grip comfortingly, a grip she knew that meant more than words could say. Your hair fell loosely over your head and face, the swirls reminding her of ocean waves. She gently knelt down in front of you and carefully moved the loose strands away from obstructing your face.

“Krasivaya malyshka. (Beautiful baby.)” She whispered before kissing your nose, making her way to her ensuite to remove her makeup.

You stirred as the phantom touch on your nose drifted away, the light of the ensuite making you squint to see Natasha’s figure. Her shirt and pants removed themselves to reveal the dark red lace set she had bought, yet you didn’t know it was for you. You blushed softly as you admired her before a pair of silk shorts and an ex-Thor shirt covered her back up.

You easily closed your eyes again as she turned around, her focus not quite on you as she turned out the light and stood by the bed. On one hand, she really wanted to sleep next to you, to feel your comfort within the night. On the other, she didn’t want to push any boundaries and possibly break the amazing friendship you had.

So, you did it for her. 

You sighed out and sat up slowly, looking at her with your weary eyes. “Tasha?” You mumbled, rubbing your eyes.

“Hi, malyshka.” She cooed.

Oh, how she loved that nickname. Out of all of the creative ones you’d given her, that one was her favourite. To you, Tasha meant safety, Tasha meant comfort. Tasha wouldn’t yell at you if you forgot something, nor would she starve you of hugs when you were on your period.

Tasha meant… everything.

“What are you doing standing there?” You looked up at her in a way that Natasha could only describe as the cutest thing on Earth.

“What do you mean?”

“Hurry up and get in here before my sleep is screwed.” You grumbled, lying back down and cuddling the black pillow.

She smirked at your sleepy antics before climbing into the bed on the other side, noticing how close your warm body was to her. She wanted to get impossibly closer, to wrap you in her so that you could never leave, but that was crossing a line.

Instead, she watched your sleeping form turn over and face her, a long exhale indicating how far into your sleep you were, which was very. She watched you slowly discard the black pillow but you still fidgeted in your sleep, which began to disrupt her attempts.

She gently pushed at your ribs, encouraging your unconscious form to flip over. Then, she moved underneath the blankets until her chest pressed against your back completely, her chin coming to rest on your shoulder.

“Easy, malyshka…” She cooed, letting her hands dance up and down your forearm in a soothing motion until the creases in your brows flattened out.

Your hands soon held her arms loosely and she smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to your neck before she closed her eyes, her dreams filled with infinite scenarios just like that one.

When you woke up by the brightness of the sun, you were surprised to see a mess of red and bleach blonde hair in front of you, the body it was attached to facing away from you. Through the sleeping shirt that had been pulled tight from Natasha’s movements, you could see her defined muscles and could only imagine the warmth they radiated.

*Just a simple touch…* Your heart begged, but your mind knew better.

You stood out of the bed and looked down at yourself, moving to the bathroom to have a shower before your phone rang loudly from downstairs. You teleported down in an effort not to wake Natasha, but the Widow was awake as soon as you decided to stand.

“Hi, Jakie.” You yawned, rubbing your tired eyes.

“Where the hell are you?! The apartment’s a mess!” 

“I’m at Natasha’s. We had a girls day.”

“Girls day? GIRLS DAY?! Are you fucking with me right now?!”

Your eyebrows furrowed. “Jake, it was just a nice day, like yours I bet. How are Daniel and Scott anyway?”

“I don’t know!”

“Didn’t you hang out with them?”

“Just get home! Now!” 

“I’m not ready to come home yet, just give me an hour.” You grumbled, not noticing how Natasha stood at the base of the stairs with anger boiling her veins.

How dare this man treat you like shit? You were a beauty in her eyes, one that deserved to be treasured, not berated. She watched as your generally happy state was chipped away by the chiselling words of an insecure man, to the point where she came up behind you and took your phone.

“Hey-” 

You knew only one thing that happened in the next five seconds, and that was the fact that Natasha hung up on Jake on your phone before grabbing hers to send him the very thoughts on her mind.

You just placed a hand on her forearm before she hit send, and the bubble would have been huge if you hadn’t stopped her.

“Please stop. This isn’t your battle.” You muttered, but she shook you off.

“Like hell it isn’t.” She spat, sending the message.

“Natasha, I asked you nicely.”

“Yeah?! And is he nice to you?!” 

You stepped back at her yelling. “Natasha, don’t yell, please.” 

She took a deep breath and apologised softly. “I- I can’t keep doing this anymore, Y/N.”

“What thing?” You asked.

Natasha laughed sadly at your furrowed eyebrows that, more often than not, displayed confusion. “My moves! I buy you lingerie, I offer you my bed when you’re sad or tired, I get you food because I want you to eat.”

“You’re my friend, Natasha. Friends do those sorts of things.” You tried to explain, but you weren’t sure if it was to her or to yourself.

“Do they? Do they really? Does a friend ogle her best friend when she tries on the most stunning dark red two piece I’ve ever seen? Does she blush when she speaks her mother tongue?” She stepped towards you, her hands falling into a similar position as the previous night.

“Does she melt into her best friend’s touch? Does she freeze when she is just millimetres from her lips?” 

You fell silent and looked down, but Natasha’s hand held your jaw tightly and almost forced you to look at her. “Hm? Does she? Answer me, Y/N.” 

“No.” You squeaked a whisper, rose dotting your cheeks as you admitted your little crush.

Natasha chuckled gravelly, a flirting technique you’d heard her use many times before. “Then what do we do?”

She was waiting for you. 

You didn’t know what to do. 

You became a stuttering mess and Natasha realised she was pushing you too far. She took a step back and apologised gently, still intent on making you breakfast.

“Do you want eggs and bacon or french… toast…” She trailed off as she stood up, not seeing you anywhere.

You’d left.

You shouldn’t have.

Jake was furious and when you appeared in the living room that doubled as a kitchen and dining room, he marched over to you. “Where the fuck have you been?!”

“I told you, at Natasha’s.” You mumbled.

“Why are the dishes not done?! Why does the laundry stink?! Why is there rubbish and junk and-” He picked up an empty beer bottle, one that he had drunk two nights ago, and threw it against the wall.

“Why are you so useless?!” 

He looked down at your shaking form, a few shards of glass in your cheek and particularly near your eye, and he liked it. He always had, but you’d never noticed. Control was what he craved, and he had it with your sweet soul. 

Trusting him to hold your drink at a bar, but you didn’t think about it when you saw it fizz.

Letting him have a bruising grip on your side when you were in public, but he always apologised. 

Everything slotted into place, and you disappeared.

Natasha paced around as she struggled on deciding who to call, only for a sniffle to come from above her. She raced upstairs and saw her ensuite door open, your whole body shaking as it rested on the toilet seat.

“Y/N?” She asked gently, returning her pillow-covered gun. 

“Y/N, sweetness, are you okay?”

She stepped in and saw the four trails of blood down your cheeks stained with tears, another tear when you’d squint and a cry when the pressure on your wounds hurt. 

Natasha grabbed her first aid kit from underneath the sink and gently came towards you, kneeling down to your level. “Y/N, I need to take those shards out. May I please, please, touch you?” 

You closed your eyes and leaned forwards slightly, your chin coming to rest in her hand as the other with the tweezers rested along the curve of your face. She was as gentle as she could be with the first three, hearing nothing coming from you, but the last one was very close to your eye.

“Y/N, I need you to be still.” She cooed, but you couldn’t stop shaking.

“C-Cold.” You muttered.

“Can I hug you?” She asked and you looked her up and down, a gesture that broke her heart.

Jake was going to pay for hurting your sweet soul.

“Malyshka, I would never do anything to hurt you. I can promise you that for every breath of my lungs.” She murmured, moving towards you.

She placed a gentle kiss on your lips as her thumb stroked your unmarred cheek, not expecting you to reciprocate it. She simply wanted you to trust her, and she felt like this was a step in the right direction.

She was wrong.

It was a leap.

You kissed her back and only then did she realise how much you were hurting. Her lips captured every sob, every tear and every whimper as you broke down. She momentarily put the tweezers down and held you close, peppering your face with kisses except for the injured area.

“Sweet girl, please don’t cry. I hate seeing you cry, it puts an ache in my heart.” She muttered, trying to keep herself calm.

“H-He hurt me, Tasha. He promised never to, and he did.” You sobbed into her touch, keeping your cheek far away from her chest.

She looked up, closed her eyes and sighed, looking back down at you as she grabbed her tweezers one more time. “It’s the last one, I promise. Just please be still, I don’t want to even think of scratching your beautiful eye.”

You nodded and took a deep breath, watching her as she steadily brought the tweezers to your cheek. It hurt, almost like a thousand needles poking the same spot, and you whimpered.

“Almost there, sweet one. Halfway.” She murmured, pulling continuously.

“Please, Tasha, it hurts! Please stop!” You begged, but with one final tug it was out.

“There! There! It’s done! No more pain.” She promised, but the size of your wounds were larger than she expected.

“I’m gonna put a few band-aids on, okay?”

You nodded and closed your eyes, letting her gentle touch guide your senses. She ended up putting three on, with two of the sites being close enough to fit under the band-aid, and she gave your nose a kiss when she was done.

“There we go.” She smiled gently, cleaning away a few stray tears.

“Please don’t make me go back. I want…” You muttered, but Natasha would wait for eternity if you would speak to her.

“I want to be with you. I think… I think I always have. I’ve just been too blind and stupid to see it.”

She smirked at you. “Well, I happen to like my blind and stupid Y/N.” 

You rolled your eyes but that wasn’t a great idea, making you wince softly. “Please let me stay. I’ll help pay rent and do some grocery shopping and-and do every chore there is. I’ll clean the bathroom, I’ll vacuum the carpets, I’ll make you breakfast, lunch, dinner…” 

Natasha let her head cock to the side as she continued to smile at you, waiting for your plea to end. “None of that, angel. You can stay as long as you want.”

She leaned in to you and heard your breath snap off. “Maybe the universe was sending a signal when you left your lingerie with me, pretty girl.” 

#natasha romanoff fluff #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #natasha romanoff hurt/comfort #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff fic #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x y/n #Baby writes

[annasinterests]

don't look at me like that unless you mean it

smiling, having fun ♫ feeling like a number one

|| series masterlist || main masterlist ||

a/n: god dayum this took me so long to put out and i sincerely apologize friends!!! my family's been in town and i've been planning trips with my bf for the next couple of weeks so i've just been sooo busy. to make up for it, enjoy the longest chapter i've written yet :)) i legit had so much fun writing it but i also fussed w/ it a ton because i wanted to get it just how i envisioned it. nuff' ramblin' from me, love y'all, enjoy !

word count: 9.8k (i had over 10k written b4 editing but still omfg!)

pairings: joel miller x f!reader

warnings & tags: minors dni, cursing, joel/reader/tommy being cute, tommy being an instigator lowkey, mutual pining, joel and reader going on a lil 'date', sexual themes, mentions of alcohol/being drunk, honestly kinda self-indulgent esp on the music parts, angst RAAAAAAAAH — please tell me if i missed anything!

Friday. Thank God.

As the morning light painted the sky in soft hues, you opted to savor your coffee on the front porch with your feet kicked up on the deck railing, basking in the quiet before the day's festivities consumed the town.

The early hour granted you respite from the scorching sun, sparing you the discomfort of the sweltering heat that would undoubtedly arrive later. Dressed in a small tank top and shorts, you relished the cool breeze that gently brushed against your skin. Tilting your head back, you closed your eyes, allowing the sounds of chirping birds to serenade you and the warm rays envelop you in a soothing embrace.

You thought back to last night with Ellie, how much fun you had with her even though you passed out before the movie was even over. It was the perfect start to your two days of rest, and it prompted you to commit a rare act of self-care by pushing off your new workload until the new week started.

You always did something on your days off for Jackson, whether it was doing a few favors for neighbors or finding yourself in Maria’s office all day. Nothing ever to give yourself the time you deserved.

And maybe it was selfish– irresponsible, even– but you needed a real break, and when would you get that if not today? Tonight promised laughter, music, and camaraderie. All your problems and issues would still be there tomorrow anyway.

"Put some clothes on, would you?" You jerked your head forward to meet Tommy walking up with a grin on his face. You rolled your eyes.

"I'll put on more clothes when you shave off that disaster you call a mustache."

He put his hand over his chest that shook with laughter and took the vacant seat next to you. When you offered him coffee, he politely declined, chuckling when you insisted that you could add whiskey to it for him. "I actually came to ask a favor."

He watched as you peered down at the imaginary watch on your wrist before giving him a skeptical look. “Tommy, if you’re asking me to work, the answer is-”

“No! God, no.” You let out a thank fuck under your breath. “It’s for tonight.”

You raised your eyebrows as you drew a sip from your coffee. For tonight? He took your silence as a cue to continue.

"Joel tells me that you've got quite the music collection. I was wonderin' if I could borrow a couple of your tapes or CDs or whatever y'got?"

You thought about it for half a second, but pretended to be in deep contemplation. He grew antsy, attempting to seriously reason with you, and when you couldn't hold it together any longer, you hid your grin behind your mug as you watched him realize that you were fucking with him. You got up from your seat and signaled for him to follow you inside as you grabbed cassettes for his cause.

Joel had been in the kitchen pouring himself a cup from the pot you had already brewed. You peered around the corner to set your mug on the counter, flashing him a bright smile before quickly scurrying off, catching a glimpse of how his face dropped from a smile to confusion upon hearing more footsteps in the house. You giggled once you heard his groan, followed by 'Jesus, don't you know what time it is?'

You picked through your pile, grabbing tapes that you were certain would be winners. Once content with your selection, you brought them back to Tommy in the kitchen. His eyes and smile widened at the handful, carefully taking them into his possession. Joel, still clearly waking up, watched the interaction with a dull curiosity over the rim of his mug, flickering his gaze from you, to the cassettes, and lastly Tommy.

Your eyes lingered on the tapes, a small smile brought to your face at the pure nostalgia they held. You knew each track on each tape, word for word. You remembered when you heard them for the first time, what life had felt like, and when you found yourself listening to them the most. Normally, you'd feel hesitant to lend out your most prized possessions. They’d been with you ever since before outbreak day, and the one constant you had since the beginning that got you through your toughest times. But this was Tommy, and you didn’t have to think twice about whether or not you could trust him.

"Wait, I almost forgot!" You snapped out of your thinking to go and retrieve another part from your pile. You handed him a small deck of index cards binded together with twine in what was your own way of personally cataloging. "It's already in order, by cassette and song title, so you can figure out if there's something you don't wanna play.. or whatever you got planned." You lazily gestured.

The brothers exchanged a look before turning their attention to the cards. Joel set his coffee down and took the thin stack from Tommy, reading over it together as they glanced back and forth between the cardstock and the tapes. The corner of his mouth curled up as he skimmed over the songs, making it impossible for you not to smile either. You sheepishly looked down while rolling your feet from heel to toe with your hands behind your back, feeling like a kid showing their parents a piece of art they made at school.

"Had the world not gone to shit, you could’ve been a mean music curator.” Joel waved the cards between his thumb and forefinger, a suppressed laugh leaving your lips.

“Yeah.. damn, these bring back some good memories. Buncha’ old ones on here, some even way before our time.” Tommy motioned between himself and Joel.

The small smile on Joel’s face grew bigger, his face becoming more lively at a realization. “Y’know, ‘lotta these were popular bar songs. You were just shy of eighteen back then, weren’t you?”

Tommy quickly caught on to Joel’s train of thought, matching his grin. You stared at him with a subtle smirk, knowing that he knew he was right, and only asked to make it a point that he knew that. And in a way, you found it kind of.. hot? He was keenly aware of your timeline and able to make the connections that no one else really could. He didn’t have to do the mental math like Tommy probably was after he said it. You felt a surge of heat in your cheeks and on the tip of your ears as their gaze on you persisted, waiting for you to answer.

“.. I may or may not have snuck into them..”

Their voices overlapped with elation, to which you stuck up a middle finger for each Miller.

“Sounds like you were living on the edge,” Tommy peered down at Joel’s hand, “..of seventeen.”

Before you could open your mouth to scold Tommy for popping the corniest joke in all of the apocalypse, he and Joel fell into their own fit of laughter, bumping shoulders and elbowing one another. So proud and smug of their joint-effort to expose your rebellious years. But you found yourself grinning, not at the joke, but at them.

You shook your head, letting out a mix of a laugh and sigh, “Alright, you boys had your fun. Now Joel, why don’t you do your big brother duties and show Tommy the way out?”

He raised a brow at you, bringing his mug to his lips, “Must I remind you that it was you that brought him in here, not me?”

Tommy raised his hands up in defense as you glared at Joel, “Alright- I’ll see myself out.” He winked at you as he walked past, “Give you a break before ya’ gotta deal with me tonight.”

You and Joel walked him to the door, exchanging goodbyes until later this evening. Just before stepping out, Tommy suddenly turned over his shoulder to you. "Oh! Before I forget– Are you seein’ anybody?”

You froze at his question, your smile slacked and your eyes widened. The residual feeling of laughter in your chest subsided quickly as if it never existed in the first place. He held up his left hand, “Not for me, obviously.”

You rolled your eyes, then narrowing them at him. “Yeah, no shit. What, are you playing matchmaker for me?”

“Not for you, someone else.” A shit-eating grin appeared on his face. “So, are you?”

The short answer was no. You were too busy with leading your life in Jackson.. And being hopelessly in love with his brother.

“Uh– no. I’m not.”

Joel's gaze shifted towards you, your words evoking enough of a reaction out of him, to which Tommy caught and raised an eyebrow with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. They bounced between you and Joel as if he had caught a whiff of the unspoken agreement you two held. You felt your cheeks go hot again, knowing that your words hadn't gone unnoticed by either of them.

He bid a final farewell with an unconvincing nod that left you both standing in the foyer quietly, which was luckily cut short by Ellie coming through the back door, giving you both the perfect excuse to forget all about.. whatever that was.

She rubbed away the sleep in her eyes, murmuring a good morning to you and Joel as she made her way into the kitchen, both of you treading in after her. You inquired about the basics. How'd you sleep? Want me to make you something for breakfast? Do you want orange juice? What are your plans for the day? Joel watched as you engaged in conversation, admiration and warmth flaring in his chest as you seamlessly transitioned into your role as a caretaker.

You were receptive when she shared her plans for the day, further inquiring about smaller details of her schedule. He watched as Ellie became more animated the more she got to talk about her day ahead, especially as you encouraged her.

"What about you guys? Don't you both have off today?" Ellie faced in her chair so that she could clearly see you both.

You exchanged a glance with Joel before you both shrugged your shoulders. You hadn't realized that he had the day off as well, if you were being completely honest. As you thought about it, it occured to you that you hadn't gotten to figure that part out, since Tommy and all. When you confessed that you hadn’t planned anything for the day, Ellie’s eyes squinted in deep thought for a moment, then looked back at you both, “Why don’t you guys do something together?

You straightened up at her proposal, mildly thrown off, sharing another look with Joel before you both attempted to give a series of excuses, which just came out in a mess of jumbled, almost incoherent words.

“Oh, come on! You guys almost never do anything together.”

You folded your arms in defiance, but it came off more as a pout. “Yes, we do.”

“Sitting at home together doesn’t count.” You opened your mouth to disagree, but nothing came out. “Go out! Have a date or something.”

You nearly choked on your coffee as Joel sighed, speaking with caution, “Ellie–”

“Anyways! I’m off to Dina’s for the day.” She beamed and laughed in victory as she watched you two writhe in place. You could hear the smile in her voice as she left out the back door, “You kids have fun tonight, and make good decisions!”

God– first Tommy, now her. It couldn’t have been past nine yet.

You hand cradled your elbow, the other hand covering your eyes as your thumb and middle finger kneaded at your temples. Okay, maybe she was right. Maybe you and Joel didn’t spend proper ‘quality time’ together, but it just wasn’t something that either one of you were accustomed to. Before Jackson, the most you were able to be alone outside of your apartments were during smuggle runs, which was definitely not the type of recreational activity that she was referring to, and once you picked her up and finally settled here, your lives were centered around her and your respective jobs for the community.

Joel crossed his arms and leaned in the doorway that bordered the dining room, staring at the back door and then subsequently at you. You hadn’t noticed him looking, still hiding behind your hand to mask your embarrassment, and saw how his eyes raked over your figure, taking in how little clothes you were wearing. The black tank top was a deep cut halter that exposed your arms, chest, and just the littlest bit of midriff. Your shorts matched in color, the fabric just hovering over the higher part of your thighs with slits up the sides.

It was a good thing for him that you had your eyes covered. You weren’t able to see how his tongue poked over his bottom lip and his eyes that were drawn to your cleavage that was accentuated by your arms drawn together. Even with your fair share of scars, your skin looked so perfect and soft under the glow of sunlight through the window, so much that he could barely keep himself back from touching you, wanting to trace the contours of your arms with his fingers and hold your face in his palms again.

His heart thumped in his chest as he wondered what it would feel like to rub your legs against his under bed sheets. How it would feel to press his fingertips into the soft flesh of your hips–

“Joel?”

His head jerked up slightly as his eyes darted to yours. “What?”

Irked, you threw your hand away from your face in an exasperated manner, “Do you wanna come?

He stared dumbly at you, stuttering, “Do I- w-what?”

“To Lake Falwich! Weren’t you listening?” You threw him an incredulous look as he shook his head to himself, apparent to you that he in fact hadn’t listened to a damn word you said.

Lake Falwich was located off of Elk Creek, an area you and Joel switched off on patrolling. You’d found the place when you went off-path during your first summer patrol, deeming it as another little hidden gem of Jackson County. Over the years, you grew fond of it and made it a point to frequent it whenever beyond the walls, but you hadn’t been yet this season.

“Uh, yeah– Yes– Sure.”

You didn’t know what had gotten into him in the last few minutes, but you couldn’t deny that you enjoyed seeing him all flustered and not being able to keep eye contact with you. How the tables turned for once.

“I’ll be ready to head out in ten.” You began to head towards the stairs for your room, but stopped at his side and placed your hand on his shoulder, curling your fingers over the muscle, “Don’t keep me waiting.”

A grin adorned your face as you walked away, leaving Joel to hang onto the sensation that burned his skin where you touched him and force himself to calm down from the excitement growing in his pants. He hadn’t really known what he’d just gotten himself into with you, and you were pleasantly surprised at his answer as you half-expected him to come up with some reason to not go.

But one thing was clear to you both: It was definitely not a date.

Your hands draped near the straps of his pack by his hips as you rode out, brushing against his belt and jeans every so often. It wasn’t a difficult route by any means; fairly smooth and clear of any obstructions.

Being the passenger gave you the opportunity to be immersed by your surroundings rather than having to focus in front of you. You got to pay attention to the small things, like the rhythmic beat of the horse’s hooves against the ground and the scent of pine mingled with the earthy aroma of the forest. The trees towered above you, their branches forming a natural canopy that filtered the sunlight, casting dappled shadows on the trail. Every so often, the trees would give way to open meadows, where wildflowers swayed in the gentle breeze.

When you weren’t being captivated by nature, your attention was drawn back to Joel. The heat had caused his hair to curl at the nape of his neck that was slicked with sweat, seeping into the collar of his dark gray shirt that stretched across his shoulders and back with more splotches of sweat. Now and then, you’d get a glimpse of his profile when he scouted around. You felt like a teenager getting to hang out with her crush that she’d had since elementary school, your stomach doing flips just from the proximity alone.

The ride itself was filled with comfortable silence, punctuated by moments of look there and did you see that? with every passing mile. You could get used to this– having these little outings together.

You could hear the rushing water before you could see it, the sound of it growing louder and louder until it finally came into view. When the landscape presented itself before you, you felt a child-like thrill growing in your chest. The clear water shimmered with a vivid turquoise hue that seemed almost unreal, partnered with tall limestone walls that framed the lake. Smaller stone structures and boulders formed near the base of the waterfall, enticing you to explore and conquer their heights again like you’d done in the past. The vegetation extended all around the area, mosses and ferns clung to the rock walls in a tapestry of greenery. It all gave you a sense of simultaneous exhilaration and peace.

Eager to get to the water, you dismounted from the horse before Joel could hitch it, causing him to call out after you in protest and watch you with a careful eye as he got everything situated. You stood at the mouth of the lake with your boots kicked off when he joined you, slowly following suit.

“So.. What do you wanna do now?”

With the heat, there was only one thing to do.

“Jump in.” You pointed to a ledge that was a considerable height up. “From there.”

He met where your finger signaled, then back to you with a quizzical look. “Don’t you reckon that’s a bit high?”

You shrugged your shoulders and threw a smile over your shoulder as you walked away from him, earning a scoff and one of his typical disapproving head shakes. His eyes stayed on you as you made your way, widening when you started to peel off your clothes piece by piece.

First off was your tank top, slipping it effortlessly over your head, then the undoing of your belt and shimmying out of your jeans. You’d stripped down to only a sports bra and underwear, both of which happened to match, which was very much unplanned. Through each removal of clothing, Joel couldn’t help but have his eyes glued to you. He became restless, running his hands through his hair and turning around just to face back to you because he simply couldn’t keep his eyes off you. And when you looked back at him, you felt a little boost of confidence in seeing how he kept his attention on you.

You ascended the rocks, reaching your desired spot and standing proudly, waving your arms above your head at a miffed Joel. The air was filled with a refreshing mist, carrying the fragrance of damp earth and the invigorating energy of the cascading waterfall. The lake below you offered a new perspective on how high you really were, and for a second, you considered that Joel was maybe right.

But fuck it.

Your legs propelled you forward, curling up as you plummeted, and your shouts of joy drowned out by the thunderous roar of the falls. The water engulfed you, prickling your body with its cold touch. Submerged beneath the surface, you held onto the sensation of being weightless, listening to nothing but the ebb and flow of the currents and feeling them weave through your fingertips.

You emerged from the depths to the sun’s warmth on your face. When you refocused your vision, you saw that Joel was standing in the same spot as before, now with his arms crossed against his chest. You swam closer to the shoreline.

“Come on, water’s fine!” He shook his head. “It wasn’t a question, now get your ass in here, Miller!”

He rolled his eyes and huffed, shaking his head once more before pulling off his shirt by the collar and tossing it aside with his boots and pack, and despite being in the freezing water, you flooded with heat at the sight of him. You’d only seen him in small increments when tending his wounds, but now you could finally know what he looked like underneath those damned clothes.

Just as you suspected, his shoulders were strong with muscle, and the prominent veins in his hands and forearms traveled upwards through his biceps. His chest and abdomen were toned and had an even layer of hair, and you basically drooled at the definition of his hips and the trail of hair leading down that was secured by a belt. Beyond his attractive features, though, you saw his scars of survival. His torso littered with healed lesions, many of which you cared for, and a significant mark near his side that reflected the time of his near-death.

“Don’t splash me now, alright?” He stifled a laugh as he undid his belt, which took all your self-control to not watch his hands and think ungodly things. Once he stripped down to his boxer briefs, he stepped further into the lake, wincing at the coldness as he got deeper. When the water reached his thighs, he sucked in a sharp breath and hissed, “Shit- That’s cold.”

You were too busy gaping at how muscles tensed and contorted to make a stupid remark. He delved deeper into the lake until he fully submerged himself, surfacing quickly and shaking out his hair, which was doing things for you. In all the years you spent with him, you didn’t think that he could possibly get more attractive, nor did you think that you’d ever be like this right now, yet here you were.

In what was supposed to be a little fun getaway from all the stresses of the world, you found yourself seriously lusting for him in this moment, which was a stress all on its own. You were alone in a very much secluded area, only an article of clothing or two away from being naked, moreover. The very thought sent you over the edge, making you physically ache where you wanted him the most. How easy it’d be to just close the distance and get lost in him for hours.

The fact that you couldn’t do that, though, pained you viscerally. You couldn’t keep looking at him, or else you’d do something stupid, so you closed your eyes and spread your limbs out to drift on your back. You focused on your breathing, honing in on how your body bobbed with each inhale and exhale and letting the water guide you in any direction.

The next few hours were spent floating, challenging Joel to swimming races, and jumping off the rocks to see who could make the bigger splashes. You found yourselves in lots of banter and bickering, especially when you did a flip off of a ledge and Joel was very displeased that you could’ve hit your head. All you could feel was pure, unadulterated happiness. Together, you were having fun. Real fun. Enjoying each other’s company and nature’s playground.

A while after you returned to drifting on your backside, an unfamiliar sensation across your back and thighs caused you to flail and frantically look around. Sheer panic rose as you realized that you’d drifted off into the deeper end, and you tried to calmly but quickly thrust yourself back into shallow waters.

“Somethin’ got you scared?” Joel had been awfully calm with an arrogant grin on his face, and his laughter rung out clear in the air as he watched you go through the motions of panic, confusion, and finally disdain.

You feigned indignation. “Don’t be a dick.”

Once your feet touched the solid floor, you waded and found a spot to sit in the safety of the shallows, pulling your knees up and resting your arms on them. As Joel drew in to join you, you watched as the water lapped at his waist, drawing your attention to the band of his boxer briefs that seemed to hang dangerously low on his hips and how they clung to him in a way that’d have all the women in Jackson ready on their knees for him. His body swayed with a subtle rhythm and cadence that was uniquely his; full of purpose and so.. virile. You averted your gaze to the sediment of where you sat in an attempt to rid yourself of the thoughts you were having.

The clearness allowed you to examine its composition of pebbles and rocks of all kinds, and you picked up handfuls of them to admire their different qualities, quickly getting wrapped up in recognizing unique patterns and markings. Joel watched as you threw the ones you didn’t like further into the lake, like it was a process of elimination until you found the best one.

When you liked one, you wordlessly handed it to him without taking your attention away from the ones in front of you. There was a serene grace in your actions, as if you were entrusting him with something fragile and precious, and he took notice of the care in which you handled each stone. He’d give it a once over, his fingers gliding over the surface, before dropping it back into your hand. There was something about you doing this, yielding to human nature’s innocent curiosity, that made it so much more than just a seemingly mundane exchange to him.

Your eyes met his briefly, and you saw he was truly relaxed from how the hard lines of his face were softened. The sun shone on him in where you could really see the depths of his eyes; the green-gold that seeped into a lighter brown around his pupil, creating the most beautiful iris structure you’d ever seen. His skin held a perpetual tan with freckles all over his shoulders, a feature that you weren’t necessarily familiar with. Waves and curls formed near his ears and forehead as his hair dried, most of it disheveled and left you wanting to run your fingers through to tame it. Your eyes drifted to his body for a moment, overly cognizant of how much bigger he was compared to you. With a tinge of a smile, you turned back to your little stones, gently placing them back in the water in a decision to leave them where they belonged.

“As much as I’ve enjoyed this,” Joel’s voice filled the silence, “we should get goin’ soon. Promised Tommy I’d swing by to help set up a couple things.”

You hummed in acknowledgment. If there was one thing about Joel, it was that he always showed up for Tommy, no matter how big or small it was. Even if it was a five-minute task or a project that Tommy was entirely capable of doing on his own, Joel was always there. You had that in common with him, back when you had your brother.

As you were about to stand, Joel hovered over you with an extended hand. You clasped it with your own as you gained your balance, but when doing so, your eyes caught a glimpse of something slithering right under your feet. You yelped at the sight, tightening your grip around his hand, and he instinctively pulled you to him, wrapping a protective arm around your waist while acting as a shield between you and the potential danger. He scanned the water, catching on to what you saw: a plains garter snake.

At the sound of his chuckle, you braced yourself against his chest in confusion as his arms were still around you. “What’s so funny?”

“It’s not-” he loosened his hold, but his hands still splayed over your waist. “It’s harmless, nothin’ to worry about.”

“Oh.” You bowed your head forward in relief and slight embarrassment, and a faint smile played at his lips. Your hands were still on each other, almost as if you were trying to play it out as long as possible until either you pulled away or he did, which winded up being the former. You drew back to yourself, stepping backwards as he released you. “Thanks.”

You both retrieved your belongings and set up on a flat bed of rock to dry out, another comfortable silence enveloping you once again as you bathed in the warmth. With your arm slung over your eyes, you could only sense Joel’s presence beside you. You slid your arm up to peer at him, his eyes fixed on the lake. His legs were drawn towards his chest with his forearms on his knees, his chest rising and falling in calm breaths. There was a peacefulness in his expression, a sense of contentment that mirrored your own. You smiled before covering up again, but he caught you at the last second.

“What’re you thinkin’ about over there?”

You brushed off his question. “Who says I’m thinking?”

“If there’s one thing about you, it’s that you’re never not thinkin’.” You sat up at the accusatory words, arching your eyebrows in disbelief. “Go on now, don’t keep me in suspense.”

“I..” a grin spread on your face, “..was thinking about how much fun your shift must’ve been with Fitz yesterday.”

You giggled as he let out a groan, successfully diverting away from where the conversation was leading. “Oh, it was a fuckin’ shift alright– and I don’t wanna talk too much about work, but he shouldn’t be bothering you anymore.”

You faced him and leaned back on your hand, eyeing him, “Joel, what did you-”

“I took care of it.” He left no room for you to speak, his voice stern. He softened a moment after once he realized how it came out a little too sharp. He lowered his attention down to his hands, rubbing his thumb into his palm, “..Not s’pose to treat a woman the way he does, especially when it’s you.”

A moment came and went in where it looked like he regretted his words, fearing that he may have revealed too much, or maybe not enough. But what you felt was incomparable to anything you’d ever felt before, hearing him tell you– blatantly admit to you that he regarded you differently than other people, and that if someone crossed you, they were crossing him too. You always knew he had your six, but this was different than that.

“Why didn’t you tell me he was doin’ that? Or Tommy?”

Those dumb, beautiful eyes conveyed a genuine concern that immediately made you feel guilty for not saying something sooner when you very well could’ve. At the same time, you didn’t want to fuss or make a big deal out of it. It was better that it was you than someone else, like Joel. So you tolerated it, because you were still able to do your job even with an annoying fucking twat as your partner.

“I never took him seriously. I thought he’d just stop if I ignored it enough, but.. clearly not.” You gave a half-suppressed laugh, knowing how ridiculous and naive it sounded out loud. He sighed at your answer, making you fidget, “I know! I know. You’re right– it was stupid of me-”

“Sweetheart–” his hand on your leg and delicious southern drawl shut you right up, “nothin’ stupid about you tryin’ to keep the peace. Just.. let me know next time, okay?”

All you could do was nod, dumbfounded by this new, open protectiveness towards you. He knew better than anyone else how you could handle yourself, but he still couldn’t help but feel that it was his job to keep you safe and be your advocate when you weren’t your own.

Without another word, he rose and offered you a hand up, indicating that enough time had passed and you should get going if you were going to be on time for the party. You accepted the gesture again, but he held your hand longer this time as he guided you down the rocks so that you wouldn’t trip, a chivalrous act that also gave an excuse to linger on your skin.

A hot shower was what you needed to scrub the freshwater off your skin and out of your hair, also to give you some much needed relief from having to control yourself the whole time you were with him, but of course you did that after he left since you shared his bathroom.

The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a golden glow over Jackson. The vibrant energy of the evening pulsed through the town, the streets alive with people as they made their way to the most popular establishment, laughter and music floating through the air. You’d gone through about four outfits before ultimately deciding on a ribbed henley tank, jeans, and sneakers

Just before running out the door, you checked yourself in the mirror to smooth any stray hairs away from your face. With a smile, you stepped out, falling in with your neighbors who’d been on their way over as well, engaging in conversation on the short walk there. There’d been a crowd gathered outside the Tipsy Bison, people mingling and sharing stories, some already on their second round of drinks.

Through the doors you were immediately greeted by a wave of warmth and liveliness. Your eyes danced around the bar, jumping from full booths and high tables, to the large alcohol selection behind the counter guarded by about three barkeeps if you were counting right. The air was filled with a thousand different scents, ranging from beer and cigarettes to perfume and aftershave. And lastly, the sounds which brought it all together, the clinking of glasses and hum of conversation, and of course, music. Your music that people were enjoying.

Searching the crowd, you spotted familiar faces and friends scattered throughout the place, engrossed in their own circles, but the one person you actively sought out was nowhere in sight. Your efforts slowed as you heard a picking of chords grow louder over the speakers, causing a wild smile to grow on your face.

♫

I looked out this morning and the sun was gone Turned on some music to start my day I lost myself in a familiar song

♫

“I closed my eyes and I slipped awaaay!” Tommy appeared at your side two shots in one hand and unopened beers between his fingers in the other, slinging the arm around your shoulder as he pushed the small glass into your hands.

Without hesitation, you threw the shot back with him, feeling the instant burn go down your throat. You both popped off the beer caps off a nearby counter, a party trick you’d gotten quite good at over the years, before rushing over to the middle of the floor to join the rest of the party and sing your hearts out to your first song of the night. You could barely hear yourself over the speakers and fellow singers, saving you from the embarrassment from being incredibly off-key. Your body reacted instantly to the music, finding the rhythm and constantly moving in accordance. That was the other thing about music, you felt most comfortable in your skin when you listened and danced to it, being able to fall in with whatever played. In between the verses, you hurried over to the bar to grab more shots and beers, slamming doubles back before pulling each other back to the floor.

You and Tommy locked arms and pressed back to back while holding up your bottles in a toast-fashion, switching off during the last chorus and refrain and holding out the longer notes.

♫

It’s more than a feeling (More than a feeling!)

When I hear that old song they used to play (More than a feeling!)

I begin dreaming (More than a feeling!) ...

♫

The alcohol was slowly but surely taking over, a key indicator being the warm, fuzzy buzzing that flourished throughout your body. You clung to Tommy’s shoulder and leaned towards his ear during a break between songs, “Tommy, this is way better than I thought it was gonna be!”

He looked at you with wide eyes and a grin, “I know right! Joel really helped pull it together before we opened the doors!”

You smiled at the compliment towards his brother, then furrowing your brows. “Where is he, anyway?”

You both looked around for a moment before Tommy steered you off to the side, yelling that it was too hard to see from the middle, and your efforts were put on pause again as you winded up near a large group of patrolmen that grabbed Tommy’s attention. He dragged you with him to socialize, though you mainly watched from the outskirts of the circle, smiling and nodding along where the conversations went as you didn’t have much to say or add.

When you went to drink from your bottle, you noticed the lightness of it and realized that you needed another, giving you the perfect excuse to slip away and look for him. You checked over your shoulders as you squeezed your way through to the bar to request your next drink, and it didn’t help that the room was dimly lit and was accompanied by flashing strobes.

The barkeep slid you a bottle across the counter and you swiftly popped it off, taking a swig before turning around right into somebody. An apology flew out of your mouth before you could even see who it was, their voice catching your attention and making you look at them.

“Hey, no worries! Both still got our drinks, yeah?”

Samson flashed you a grin, his hand light on your arm but enough to keep you steady. You raised your beer to him, his eyes flickered between it and you before raising his own and tapping the neck of your bottles together. You both took another swig.

As you got into conversation, you moved away from the bar towards the wall where there wasn’t much action going on. You talked about how nice the place had been transformed for the night and shared your favorite drinks, occasionally dropping a drunk-story from your youths. And the weird part? You found yourself genuinely enjoying his presence. With the way he kept eye-contact with you and made you feel like he was actually listening and comprehending the words falling out of your mouth, laughing and giving you verbal cues that he was following along, it made you see him in a way you hadn’t before.

You were.. enchanted. If it had been any other man, they’d dominate the conversation, going on about themselves the whole time and forcing you to listen. But with Samson, he treated you like an equal. He never cut you off or interjected to relate, waiting until you were entirely done or if you allowed him to weigh in between your thoughts.

“By the way–” he wiped his mouth of any residual beer, “I don’t want this to come off as weird, but you look incredible tonight. I don't think I’ve ever seen you dress in anything other than like, work clothes– and not that you look bad in that!” You giggled as he tripped over his words, his cheeks flushing a deeper shade. “What I’m trying to say is that I think you’re very beautiful, and I don’t want you to think I’m like Fitz.”

Your fingers brushed against his arm, furrowing your eyebrows at him for thinking such things, “Awh, Samson! You’re nothing like him, I hope you know that.”

He smiled down at his feet before back at you, “I know the other day you said that you and Joel weren’t a thing, and Tommy told me you weren’t seeing anybody– so I guess I’m just triple checking here– is there someone in the picture?”

So this was who Tommy was playing matchmaker for.

Your heart slowed and you fought to keep the innocent smile on your face. Was he approaching you at the bar when you bumped into him? Was he pretending to act like that just to segue into this? Several things ran through your mind as your eyes drifted away from his, and just when he was about to call you back to attention, the devil himself appeared: Tommy.

He swooped in around Samson’s shoulders, nursing a beer in hand. He held a smugness in his demeanor, surely you thought it was about the scene he’d set up until he spoke.

“Looks like you may have a roommate for the night.”

He jerked his hand behind him to a woman leaning against a pillar with Joel standing mere inches in front of her. He stood still with his hands to himself, but dropped his head closer to hers with a clear smile on his face. She beamed up at him with a look you knew all too well, not even attempting to conceal her attraction to him. She laughed too much for your liking while gripping his bicep, probably sneaking in some flirty comment with a double-meaning. Good fucking God.

You thought maybe you had a breakthrough at the lake, but this proved that you clearly didn’t, and you couldn’t believe you were stupid enough to think that what he said had any depth underneath it. Joel cared about you– this you knew. He cared in the same way he cared for Tommy and Ellie. But somewhere along the lines you’d gotten it confused with love, something he had for them, but maybe not you. Samson’s words replayed in your head in a painful reminder.

You said you and Joel weren’t a thing… Tommy told me you weren’t seeing anybody.. Is there someone in the picture?

Your eyes widened then narrowed, your jaw wiring shut as your chest began to heave. Tommy’s grin fell as he watched your features morph into something between resent and heartbreak, his eyes nervously peering from you, to Joel, to Samson as the alcohol took a momentary backseat.

He’d always sensed something between you and Joel after you settled in, though he knew that neither one of you would ever admit to your feelings for each other out of stubbornness. But he saw the way Joel looked at you after saying you didn’t have someone to call your own this morning, how his big brother almost looked offended by the truth of your answer. The reality was that Samson was interested in you, but Tommy had seen it as an opportunity to put pressure on the status between you both, and now he saw that it didn’t go in the direction of which he hoped and it was clearly affecting you.

“Oh, y’know he won’t take ‘er home! Never’s taken anyone. Not like that with him. Too chickenshit.” He tried his best to play off his earlier comment to put you at ease, but by the way the gap seemed to be closing between them only made the green-eyed monster rear its ugly head in full force.

You cleared your throat as you broke away, grabbing three shots off a nearby high table and handing them to the two men before you, needing to wash down the bitter taste in your mouth. “Oh, Tommy, you must’ve mistaken me for someone who cares. Who knows if I’ll even be going home tonight?”

Samson’s face lit up in surprise as you wiggled your brows at him and grabbed his hand to lead away while leaving Tommy open-mouthed as he saw right through your spite. Breathless curses left his mouth as he watched you disappear through the crowd, a frustration growing towards you and Joel for being so goddamn stupid about each other.

The barkeeps fed you two more shots and another beer. The alcohol was definitely hitting now. A few minutes ago, you were properly pissed off, wanting to storm up to Joel and give him a piece of your mind and telling the woman to go kick rocks, but now you were all over Samson, turning up the charm for him. It didn’t matter anymore if he just wanted to fuck, because maybe you’d just let him. He let out a chuckle and smiled, prompting you to tilt your head at him in question.

“The music tonight has been so fucking good,” he drank from the bottle, a smirk forming on your face, “I mean, when was the last time you heard this song?”

The bass riff and guitars let you know exactly what song had been playing, a long-time favorite of yours. You could’ve answered 'a couple months ago' to his question, but you took silent pride in knowing that he was another person impressed by your picks. He understood your cue as you turned your head to the middle of the room and back, placing his hand on the small of your back as you weaved through people. You wrapped an arm around his shoulder as he drew you closer to him by your waist, moving in sync to the beat.

♫

One of these nights One of these crazy old nights We're gonne find out pretty mama What turns on your lights ...

♫

If intimacy, yearning, and sex was a song, surely it’d be this one.

♫

Ooh.. someone to be kind to In between the dark and the light ...

♫

You sang out with your heart, pressing your body into Samson’s, but knowing the lyrics were about him. And deep down, you wanted him to hear it and think of you. Think of how you were the daughter of the devil himself and the angel in white, the woman he’s been looking for with a little of both and how she is in sight.

Around you were all couples reflecting exactly what you’d been doing, some doing more but your eyes didn’t linger on them long. You caught the faces of work friends and neighbors totally focused on their person as you swayed around, smiling at their fun. Eventually, the whole room sang along, an imperfect harmony to your ears that you couldn’t get tired of hearing tonight.

As the song winded down, Samson held you closer and craned his head down until your foreheads and noses were touching, still swaying to the guitar riffs. You took it a step further and pressed your mouth to his, your hand cupping his cheek and fingertips grazing his hair. You hadn’t expected anything out of it other than the feeling of your lips on someone else’s, but you didn’t pull away. You couldn’t. Your tongues found one another every other kiss, deepening as they went. His warmth kept you glued to him, and you found yourself taking a liking to his taste of alcohol and.. mint, maybe? Definitely something with an icy, refreshing hint.

You didn’t realize how long you’d been kissing, or kissing enough times that it was leading to straight-up making out, until you heard clear hoots and whistles during the switch between songs. When you pulled away, his lips were noticeably more plump compared to earlier, and the tingling sensation on yours let you know that they probably looked the same. You bit your bottom lip as you looked around at the ones cheering you on, the corners of your mouth curling up, but you broke out into a complete grin once you saw his face.

♫

Off with your head Dance til you're dead Heads will roll Heads will roll ...

♫

You’d almost tripped over your own two feet, discreetly looking over Samson’s shoulder from left to right to make sure you were seeing things right, and the excitement you felt when they were? Unmatched. And almost as if it’d been planned, the perfect song was playing.

If he’d been giving you or Samson a death-stare, you couldn’t tell, but either way, you loved seeing the scowl on his face. His fingers tightly curled around his beer that if he did it any tighter it’d break, the hard lines on his face prominent to you even this far away. You situated yourself to the side, giving him the perfect view as you brushed your nose against Samson’s, giving him your best doe eyes before melting into his mouth again, making sure that Joel could see the smile on your lips when you broke away and went back for more.

Your body winded up as the song progressed, building up to the drop and heavy riff. The strobe lights blinked quickly enough to cause a stroboscopic effect on everyone’s movement, perceiving them to move slower than they actually were. But when you looked back at Joel, he stayed completely still, his eyes locked on you between the several bodies that separated you from him. He looked so.. menacing.. that it made you shiver and throb. A wicked grin spread on your lips.

♫

Off, off with your head! Dance, dance til you're dead!

♫

Turning around, you pressed into Samson and grinded your backside into him. His hands were off you as quickly they were on you, frowning at the absence, you spun around and saw why: Tommy, again. You’d suspected something bad from the way his gaze fell back and forth between you both and he had a strong hand on his shoulder, but were eased when Samson held up a finger to you and smiled.

As much as you wanted to dance, you also wanted another drink, the empty bottle in your hand now warm from holding it for so long. Sliding shoulders through the floor, you looked between the bar and the bathroom, choosing to make the pitstop before continuing on. Pushing in the door, you were relieved there wasn’t a line, darting into an open stall to squat and do your business. As you finished, another body entered the bathroom in heels that clicked and echoed until they stopped in front of the sink, to what you imagined was a woman checking her makeup. When you got out, you saw their reflection in the mirror– indeed they’d been checking their face, but it’d also been the woman that’d been smitten with Joel. You paid no mind to her other than your initial glance, ignoring her presence and harshly scrubbing the soap on your hands.

“That older Miller’s somethin’, ain’t he?” Your hands froze under the running water. “I only got a taste earlier, but I bet he’s real good in bed.”

The fuck does she mean she got a taste earlier?

Your face must’ve been showing too much of a reaction based on the stupid fucking smile on hers and a snobbish laugh. Not even bothering to dry off your hands with paper towel, you rubbed them against your jeans and threw the door open to leave, storming up to the bar and impatiently tapping your fingers against the wood as you waited.

Fuck her, and fuck Joel. And you know what? Fuck Tommy, too. If he hadn’t brought it to your attention, maybe you wouldn’t have seen it. Then you wouldn’t have downed one too many drinks and legitimately considered sleeping with someone as rebound off hurt feelings, and then maybe, just maybe, you wouldn’t be feeling like all kinds of fucked up right now. You blinked back the burning in your eyes. Don’t cry. Don’t fucking cry over this right now.

The lights returned to their original dimness and calmed down on the strobes, allowing you to search around a bit easier for any of the three people you found yourself with most tonight, but had no luck. Samson and Tommy were out of sight, and you didn’t have the slightest idea of what he pulled Samson away for. As for Joel, he moved from the last spot you remembered him in, or was it over there? You shook your head. It didn’t take much contemplation to decide on going home, you had your fun, but it was over, and you were too far gone to spark it back up in any capacity.

You held your arms tight to your body as you embraced the cool air on the walk to Rancher Street, a fair distance from the Tipsy Bison. The lightness in your head caused you to stumble quite a bit, wishing that either your house was closer or that someone would’ve walked with you. Other times when you drank too much, though it didn’t happen very often, either Tommy or Joel were right there at your side to get you home safe, but you wanted to throw yourself in someone’s yard and pass the fuck out rather than be alone.

Stomping up the porch, you caught yourself on the doorknob last minute as you tripped, fumbling it open and pushing inside. You ungracefully dropped to your ass, tugging at the aglets of your laces in the dark until the knots came undone and kicked your shoes off. So focused on keeping yourself upright, you hadn’t noticed Joel staring at you while leaning against the entryway of the living room with his arms crossed.

“Wasn’t expecting you.” His tone was deep and flat. You scoffed as you got off the floor, face contorting as you mocked him.

“I live here, don’t I?”

“Alone, I meant.” You shook your head as you walked past him, but he grabbed your wrist and held you in place, feeling the heat of his glare on your back. “You gon’ tell me what the hell that was back there?”

You met his eyes over your shoulder. “That was me having a good time. Same as you with that lovely woman.”

“Bullshit.” He shot back. “That wasn’t the same.”

“Oh, please,” you scoffed while yanking your wrist back, turning into the kitchen and bracing yourself along the island, “s’hardly a difference.”

“Really?” He followed you, his frustration apparent in the way his jaw clenched. “‘Cause it sure looked like you were all over him tryin’ to prove somethin’.”

You pointed at yourself, “I don’t have anything to prove to anybody!” you snapped, the words coming out slow but loud, “And if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re jealous.”

His eyes darkened, slowly taking a step towards you, “I am not-”

“Then what the fuck is wrong?” You staggered around the island on the emphasis of the curse, throwing your hands up, “I didn’t do a damn thing, and you’re losing your fucking head!”

“You didn’t– Wow.” A wry laugh came out his mouth. He waved you off, his tone dripping with bitterness. “I ain’t gotta explain myself to you.”

“And neither do I!” You retorted in defiance, your arms grandly gesturing. Your cheeks were hot with anger now, more so than before. “I can do whatever the hell I want, Joel! I don’t need your fucking permission!”

He dragged a hand down his face, turning away from you before whipping around and meeting you at the end of the island, raising his voice at you. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“And you’re insufferable!” you seethed as you pushed his chest, his hands seizing your wrists, “Acting like you have some fucking claim over me when we’re not even together!”

The silence after your outburst was deafening.

His anger faltered as a flash of pain crossed his face, quickly making your own frustration subside. The hard lines on his face deepened, a slight frown and somberness settling upon it. His grip on your wrists remained firm, but there was a hint of vulnerability in his touch. You wanted to blame the alcohol for making you so mean, but it was really the floodgate of feelings that’d been repressed for far too long.

You huffed, “Joel, I-” he interrupted you by tearing his eyes away from yours and releasing your wrists.

The pang in your chest was unmistakable. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. This was the part where everything was supposed to come out, to confront the truth of your feelings, but instead he was backing away, retreating and shutting down that conversation before it could even begin. You said his name again, but he simply raised his hand and continued to walk out of the kitchen.

Fuck– No. No, no, no. Your dejection passed and your temper flared up again. No, he doesn’t get to just walk away.

“Joel!” You called out, your voice tinged with frustration and desperation, “Joel, stop!”

But he didn’t. He kept walking, putting more distance between you and fueling your determination. Your heart was pounding as you quickened your pace to catch up with him upstairs, his arm just out of reach before he slammed his door in your face. He didn’t respond when you pounded on the door and demanded for him to come out, your temper mixing between anger and hurt.

“Screw you, Joel! I’m so tired of this– whatever the fuck this is!” Your voice trembled, feeling a punch to the gut when you remembered an obnoxiously accurate point he’d made to you once before. “I-I fucked up– but people do things when they’re scared!”

Your eyes stung, and it hadn’t dawned on you yet that you were potentially jeopardizing everything by blabbering off, but you couldn’t stop now.

“I can’t- Fuck-” a ruined sigh forced itself out your lungs, your thoughts moving too fast for you to comprehend, “If you’re gonna break my heart, do it now, because I can’t-”

You didn’t know when he’d opened the door and stepped out, but you stopped your rambling as soon as you saw him. The silence fell heavy, the only sound being his boots stepping towards you until his chest was nearly touching yours and his breath fanned over your skin. Your eyes darted around his face, from his eyes, to his nose, lips, beard, and back to his eyes again. Just the slightest inch forward and you’d be touching him, the fact making you shiver and fiercely pulse between your thighs.

Your heart ached when you saw the raw emotion in his eyes– an amalgamation of sadness, yearning, lust, and tenderness– all things you grew to be familiar with when you found yourselves running in circles. You couldn’t stand the way his eyes flickered between yours and how his warm hands were slowly reaching up to cup your face. And how you could now feel his chest pressed against yours. And how his lips parted. And that fucking look on his face.

“Joel,” you quavered, “don’t..”

But he knew.

A soft, broken breath escaped you as it was all suddenly becoming too real, reaching the point of no return.

“Don’t look at me like that unless you mean it.”

His lips crashed into yours.

#joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller fic #tlou #the last of us #tlou fanfiction #annasmasterlist #annawrites

[soulofapatrick]

The Set Up - Tommy Miller x Reader

Summary: Joel and Ellie set up Y/N with Tommy sick of their pining for each other

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: none; all fluff

Y/N’s POV

Ever since I arrived at Jackson with Joel and Ellie I’ve felt Tommy’s eyes on me. Whenever he’s in the same room or area as me I feel his piercing green eyes boring holes through me, unabashed when I catch him. It’s never predatory, more studying or protecting. Not the looks I’ve seen other men give me before Joel’s glaring at them, scaring them away. 

Joel’s like a brother to me, a protective older brother who wants the younger sister to stay innocent. Everyone thought we were a thing when we first arrived all those months ago but we quickly dispelled that despite Ellie calling us a mixture of our names and ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’. It threw up for a loop at first but neither of us denied the joy it brought to us hearing her introduce us as her parents. 

I’ve never really talked to Tommy as he’s usually on patrol or he’s at the electricity plant, checking on it and helping Maria run the town. I’ll admit Maria makes me see green because she’s always by his side despite them always saying they’re not dating or anything. The way her gaze softens whenever she’s looking at him or talking about him and it makes me want to turn and storm away or punch her. Joel knows this, always telling me to just talk to Tommy. Joel’s younger brother. Tommy Miller. Leader of Jackson and the first man in a very long time who seems to have captured my attention. 

“Muuuummmm,” Ellie’s bounding over, joining me at the bar with that excited grin on her face and a glint of mischief in her eyes, “Come danceeee.” 

“You want your own mother to dance with you?” I ask, putting down my beer, “I’m getting too old,” I tease, laughing as she rolls her eyes and drags me onto the dance floor, grumbling something about me only being five years her elder. Today’s what the settlement call ‘Party Night’ or something but the old barn is done up with a band and multitudes of fairy lights strung up. It’s an evening every Friday where people can let go of everything and just be themselves, teenagers get to be just that: teenagers. 

Ellie’s laughter is like music when I spin her, watching the way her messy auburn hair bounces, having grown to surround her round face. She looks so happy and it’s great to see her be able to be a child after everything we went through just to get here. The guilt of Sam and Henry still weighing heavy in my chest but I don’t let it show because I never want her to stop looking happy. Her eyes shine brighter as her attention seems captured by someone over my shoulder as I playfully sway us the way a mother and child dances together when they’re alone. 

“Her names Dina right?” I ask, following Ellie’s gaze, a knowing smile playing on my lips as she blushes. Ah, young love. I wouldn’t know of it myself but it’s so touching to see the way Ellie seems to soften when she sees or talks about the other girl, “She likes you back, you know.” 

“How…” She trails off, rolling her eyes as the song ends, “I’m going to go talk to her.” 

“Atta girl.” I squeeze her shoulder reassuringly before making my way back to the bar where I begin to feel those eyes piercing through my skin. I scan the barn for them, quickly finding Joel, Maria and Tommy sat in a booth near the back. Maria and Joel are poured over a map or something, probably discussing new patrol routes as Joel quickly took on that role upon being welcomed into Jackson. 

Tommy’s heated gaze meets mine and he doesn’t turn away, just studies me before his eyes flit down my body then back up. There’s no shame in his action and I don’t try and hide from it because it feels weirdly right. Joel breaks the stare off by catching my gaze with a wave of his hand, beckoning me over so I comply. As much as Joel and I have a sibling like bond I could never say no to him. He became my constant all those years ago after my brother got shot and I lost the other. I would go to the ends of the earth for Joel and it’s starting to feel like I’d do the same for his brother. These stupid Miller brothers and the power they have over me. 

“What’s up Joel?” I ask, sliding into the booth to see I was right about the paper spread out in front of them is a map with pen marks in different colours of routes to take. 

“How would you like to take Ellie on her first patrol with Tommy?” There’s that same glint in his hazel eyes that Ellie had when asking me to dance. They’re up to something and I think I know what. I flick my eyes to Tommy, being able to take him in properly without it being weird as it why I’m looking at him. 

He’s so different from Joel yet there a small things that are exactly the same like their noses are the same and the way they have such boyish and cheeky smiles, like they know they’re about to say something bad but they’re also about to get away with it. Tommy’s got dirty blonde hair that reaches the back of his neck and his eyes are the colour of jade, he looks tired but there’s a rugged handsomeness about him that has me a little weak at the knees. The scar across his left cheek adding mystery to him. Except Tommy is far from mysterious, he’s an open book and like to push his luck with anyone but he’s responsible with morals. 

“Y/N?” Maria nudges me slightly and shake my head to snap myself back into reality instead of staring at the younger Miller brother.

“Y-yeah, sounds good.” I smile at her despite everything in my being wants to sneer at her. Joel kicks me lightly under the table, raising an eyebrow at me and I raise a shoulder to let it drop in response. He’s asking if I’m okay and I’m suddenly not sure because the intensity of Tommy’s gaze is making me feel nervous and queasy. Joel sighs before sliding out the booth and grabbing his jacket which he wraps around my shoulders. 

“Come on, I’ll walk you home.” He’s catching my hand and I follow pliantly, knowing there’s absolutely no use arguing with Joel, especially when he uses his older brother/fatherly voice. It doesn’t escape me the scowl on Tommy’s face pointed in the direction of mine and Joel’s hand before he seems to relax, guessing he knows Joel’s tone of voice very well from all the stories Joel’s told me.

The cold winter air is a nice relief as we step outside, finally feeling like I’m able to breathe again. I do love these nights at the barn it can still get a little overwhelming after being used to just Joel and Ellie for a little over a year to then be thrown in a bustling town. There are times I won’t even realise I’m panicking until Joel and Ellie are removing me from the situation: like right now. 

I don’t speak, matching Joel’s strides as he walks towards the outer area of town where all the houses have been fixed up to make a small housing community within the settlement. Tommy and Joel are helping repair more and more houses as more and more people stumble upon Jackson. 

Joel’s huffing as he unlocks the front door before following me inside so he can make sure my clumsy ass doesn’t like fall down the stairs or anything. He has every reason for that to be a worry as it’s happened before, more times than I’d be happy admitting out loud. 

“Go get changed.” Again with the not being able to say no to a Miller. I’m already making my way upstairs, knowing exactly what he was going to say. My pyjama shirt and shorts are already set out for me, glad I did that before I left because I’m racing back down the stairs in double time it usually takes me. Joel’s got a mug of what smells like hot chocolate ready for me and I sink into the couch before taking it from his hands. 

“Ellie seems to have a thing for Dina.” I tell him as he joins me, sitting on the other side of the sofa but letting me put my feet in his lap with only the smallest of complaints. 

“They’ve been hanging out a lot, that Jesse guy always with them too.” Joel confirms. Of course he knows about Ellie’s new crush, nothing escapes his eagle eyes. Probably from all that time spent as a smuggler and him being the protector when things get dangerous. It’s burned into his skull to catch everything he can see or it could be used against him and that in itself is a very dangerous thing. 

“I think she’d go well with Dina.” 

“Like you’d go well with Tommy?” I choke on the drink, spluttering and trying to form coherent words which doesn’t seem to help my case at all because Joel’s letting out a chuckle and rolling his eyes, calloused hand squeezing ankle as I recover. 

That’s how the rest of my evening is spent, talking to Joel about things that have been happening around the settlement as well as gossiping about some of the people. Upon meeting Joel you would never have been able to tell that he is an absolute whore for gossip and tries not to hang off your every word but fails miserably. He also always has his own tidbits to add to my gossip and it makes everything so much better. 

———————————

I must have fallen asleep at some point while talking to Joel last night because I wake to a knock at the door. I’m still on the couch but a blanket has been thrown over me so I wrap it around my shoulders as I pull myself up, heading for the door to see who is bothering me at this hour. Screw that, I don’t even know what hour it is. 

They knock again and I sigh, hating answering the door but pulling it open to see none other than Tommy. He’s got baskets of what looks like food and drinks with him, that charmingly boyish grin on his face as I step aside to let him in. 

“Morning sunshine,” His southern drawl strong as he places the basket on the counter and begins putting everything away in the right cupboards, “Joel decided to take Ellie on patrol and sent me over to make sure you don’t hurt yourself.” 

“Oh god,” I scrub a hand over my face, knowing Joel must have told Tommy some of my most embarrassing stories. I’m not sure how I’ve survived the apocalypse this long with how uncoordinated I am. I don’t mean the cutesy ‘oopsie’ kind of clumsy, I mean the turn around and slam straight into a door or trip over an invisible rock kind of clumsy. The type of clumsy that gets you killed in horror movies but then again none of those characters had a Joel who was always there to catch my elbow as the ground barrelled towards me. 

“I heard you once tried to slap a clicker and survived,” Tommy’s talking and I’m groaning, collapsing back on the couch, “And that you almost fell down an elevator shaft. You almost shot your ass off and ended up shooting yourself in the leg.” 

“Shut upppp,” I’m whining, burying my face in my hands so I don’t notice the blond approach or crouch in front of me until his gun-calloused hands are prying my own from my face. I meet his gaze, feeling my breath hitch as we’re inches apart and it would be nothing for me to just lean forwards and kiss those wind worn lips. 

His own gaze seems to drop from mine to my own lips and back before he’s darting his tongue out to wet his bottom one, “Well I think it’s cute.” 

Cute. He thinks I’m cute?! 

“Tommy.” His name rolls off of my tongue in a whisper, not wanting to break this moment. His knees hit the wooden floor as he mutters a ‘fuck it’ and surges forwards. His lips are soft and  there aren’t any fireworks but it’s so goddamn perfect. It’s cautious and clumsy, our noses bumping and he’s smiling into the kiss before we have to pull away for air. 

“They set us up, didn’t they?” He breaks the content silence settling and it sends us into laughter. 

“I think they did.” I nod, pulling him towards me surprised at how willing he is to let me lead him. He understands what I want and is kicking his boots off haphazardly before laying on top of me, his head resting over my heart as I begin to card my fingers through those sandy lock. It’s perfect.

“Let’s just stay like this forever.” 

“Okay.” 

#tommy miller #tommy miller x y/n #Tommy miller x reader #tommy miller x you #tommy miller fluff #tommy miller smut #the last of us #the last of us 2 #Joel Miller #Joel Miller fluff #tommy miller fanfiction #the last of us fluff #the last of us fanfiction #tlou tommy #tommy tlou #Ellie williams #the last of us x reader

[smalltownghosts]

Hi:) what are your favorite movies, shows, and books? Pls give as many recommendations as you wish, I’m trying to find things to watch/read and I think you’d have good taste 🤍

Thank you, that is so nice of you to say! I always feel really nervous answering questions like these because my favorites change constantly, but I will do my best to come up with something somewhat definitive.

Books I already answered here with my absolute favorites, but here are some more: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski Foxfire by Joyce Carol Oates Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter The Doll Collection by Ellen Datlow Observatory Mansions by Edward Carey The Thief of Always by Clive Barker Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule (anyone into true crime needs to read Ann Rule)

And for some contemporary favorites that I've read recently: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones and In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

TV Twin Peaks Carnivale My So-Called Life Six Feet Under True Detective season 1 Friday Night Lights Movies Mulholland Drive Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me Badlands Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (I adore the films too of course, but if you're looking for a four hour deep dive on something definitely check this doc out it's fantastic) Blade Runner Něco z Alenky (Alice) Millennium Actress Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Close Encounters of the Third Kind The Virgin Suicides The Devil and Daniel Johnston And I made a list of all the terrible horror B movies (and some good ones) I like to watch here I hope you find something new to enjoy!

#answered

[haveanotherfandomblog]

Avengers Preferences

How You Meet

Masterlist

Captain America/Steve Rogers-

Working for the infamous Nick Fury was a hard job as it was. Now working for him as and being his goddaughter was a whole other level of difficult. Behind closed doors, he was gentler and loving in his own, unique way. However, in public, it was strictly professional. You didn’t receive any special treatment and were held to the same standard as every other agent. You didn’t mind, it was how it was and you were understanding.

Fury had been proud and excited when you decided to become a SHIELD agent. As you quickly rose through the ranks, you began working closely with Phil Coulson and Maria Hill. You also worked closely with Hawkeye and Black Widow. In fact, they were the ones who recommended you for the Avengers Initiative. Fury protested at first because of Tony Stark, but with some help from Hill and Coulson, he relented.

To welcome you and bring some positive light to himself, Tony Stark threw one of his legendary parties. Opting for a more modest look, especially considering your godfather was there, you wore a dress that stopped at your knees and some comfortable flats. You kept your makeup minimal and natural as well. After you were satisfied with your appearance, you made your way to the party.

The party was indeed just as grand and lavish as everything Tony Stark did. People mingled about, barely acknowledging you despite the party being in your honor. You didn’t really care though. You knew they were just here for the free booze. You pushed your way to the bar where you saw Natasha and Maria talking.

“Ladies,” you greeted. They smiled and waved you over, handing you a glass full of sparkling liquid.

“Hey, you look cute,” Maria said. You smiled, tilting your head.

“Well, it was this or sweats,” you jested. Natasha let out a snort, smirking behind her glass.

"Ah! Here she comes. The woman of the hour," Clint announced. You playfully rolled your eyes.

“There she is! The woman of the hour!” Clint announced as he made his way to you. You playfully rolled your eyes. He waved over two figures. “Y/N, meet Dr. Banner and Thor.” Dr. Banner was a small man with glasses who looked completely uncomfortable. His hair was a curly mess as he rubbed his hands together, eyes darting in every direction. Thor seemed more at ease in this environment. He gave you a big smile, grasping your hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, his voice booming over the loud music and other party-goers. He was a giant compared to everyone with long, blonde hair.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” you replied. The six of you engaged in small talk, well, more like you Maria. Natasha and Dr. Banner had some weird, and slightly awkward flirting thing going on between them that you wanted absolutely nothing a part of. And Clint and Thor were trying to outdrink each other. Though from the look of it, Thor was winning easily.

After a while, Phil came up to congratulate you. He nodded towards the other side of the room where you spotted Fury talking to America’s own golden boy, Captain America. Though they appeared deep in conversation, Fury waved you over. Phil gave you a pat on the back as he replaced your spot next to Maria.

“L/N. I want you to meet your new leader, Captain Rogers. Rogers, this is your newest recruit, Agent Y/N L/N.” You nodded your head, sticking your hand out. He grasped your hand, shaking it firmly. His hands were surprisingly soft--just like his baby blue eyes. He gave you a boyish grin, causing you to smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Agent L/N,” he told you.

“The pleasure’s all mine, Captain Rogers,” you replied. He gave you a boyish grin, scratching behind his ear.

"Please, call me Steve."

"Y/N."

Iron Man/Tony Stark-

Most people spent their Friday nights at the bars, getting wasted with friends and hitting on strangers. Not you though, you worked well into the night. You were at the bar too, but you were behind the counter, watching as everyone made fools of themselves. Though, you didn’t usually work on Friday nights, but your coworker had convinced you to cover their shift, a stupid decision on your part. While the amount of money you would make would be amazing, having hundreds of people scream for your attention wasn’t.

This Friday night was no different than any other. Loud, drunk adults slurred their orders to you as they attempted to flirt with each other. The night seemed to drag on as you continued to make drinks and throw away napkins with scribbled numbers on them. And as the night progressed, and the crowd around the bar slowly but surely diminished, you were able to relax somewhat. You were just about done with creeps staring at your tits.

You were cleaning a glass when someone called for you. You set the glass down and turned around, throwing the rag over your shoulder. If you weren’t so tired, you probably would have choked on air when you saw Tony Stark: genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and freaking Iron Man sitting at your bar. You walked over to him, resting your forearms on the bar.

“What’s your poison, sweetcheeks?” you asked. He licked his lips, peering over the rim of his glasses at you. You quirked a brow, staring at him expectantly.

“I’ll have your best whiskey--neat.” You nodded, turning to pour him his desired drink. Despite his television persona, the man at least had taste. You handed him his drink, watching as he took a long sip. He nodded his head approvingly. “This is perfect. You know, I could give you my best later. Though I can’t promise it’ll be neat,” he said with a wink. You let out a snort, shaking your head.

“Sorry sweetcheeks, but you’re gonna have to do better than that. I thought you were a playboy?” you teased. He chuckled, shooting you a wink. You didn’t see him much after that, he seemed to have disappeared from the bar, probably in the arms of some hot, blonde, model. You shook your head, continuing to clean the counter. Guys like him didn’t go for girls like you. Not seriously.

Your shift finally ended when the bar closed around two o’clock. Relief flooded your body as you collected your tips and clocked out. You bade your coworker a good night and began your trek home. While you were walking under the streetlights, your skin began crawling. You looked around but couldn’t see anyone around you. Quickening your pace, you marched on, your purse clutched in your hand.

You were almost to the front stoop of your apartment when a pair of arms wrapped around your body, yanking you into a dark alley. One of the hands covered your mouth while the other was wrapped securely around your arms and body.

“Hey baby. Wanna have some fun?” slurred a voice. You rolled your eyes despite the danger you were in. You struggled to break his grip on you, but he was a lot stronger than he appeared. “Calm down baby, I’m not gonna hurt you.” His breath reeked of alcohol, making you want to gag.

“Maybe not, but if you don’t let her go, I’m going to hurt you.” The drunk let go of you and scampered away. You fell back against the nearby wall, taking deep breaths.

“Thank you, so much,” you said, turning your head. You certainly weren’t expecting to see Iron Man standing on the sidewalk outside the alley way. His face lifted up, revealing Tony Stark beneath the mask.

“So… about my previous offer.” You shot him a harsh glare. He held his hands up, taking a step back. “Kidding, although, I should at least get your number. You know, in case you need me to save you again.” You rolled your eyes but pulled your lipstick out of your bag anyway, writing your number on the arm of his suit.

Hulk/Dr. Bruce Banner-

After the New York incident, your brother, Clint Barton, had been very adamant about you moving in with him. Well, he actually wanted you to move in with Laura, but you refused to live on a farm. Tasha and your brother had helped you move from your tiny apartment to your room at the compound, located conveniently next to Clint’s.

Tony came to help as well. As well as to see one of his favorite college buddies. Oh yes, you, him and Rhodey had all gone to college together, though you were a few years younger than them. He’d been more than happy to hear you’d be moving into the tower.

Once everything had been unpacked and put into its place and you were settled, Clint took you up to meet the rest of your housemates. They were all waiting around in a lounge room with Tony, naturally, in the center of the crowd, talking animatedly about himself.

“Mini Me!” he cried when he saw you. He dramatically sauntered over to you, wrapping you in a hug. Your brother, usually not fond of men near you, had no problem with Tony. You returned his hug. “A pleasure to have you finally join us.” You chuckled, detangling yourself from him. Clint wrapped his arm around your shoulders, guiding you to the rest of the Avengers.

“Guys, this is my sister, Y/N. Y/N, this is Steve Rogers, Thor, and Dr. Bruce Banner.”

“It’s great to finally meet you all,” you told them, flashing them your dazzling smile. “Clint has told me so much about you guys.” Thor was the first to approach you, pressing a quick kiss to the back of your hand.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Y/N.” You let out a giggle, covering your cheek.

“Oh, I like you.” He flashed you a bright smile which you happily returned. Steve said hello, offering you a simple handshake. Bruce was more timid, giving you a curt nod and a small wave. You found his semi-flustered state cute, and it kind of melted your heart.

“So, uh, what’s the story behind Tony’s nickname for you?” Steve inquired. Before you could reply, Tony was wrapping his arm around your shoulders, answering for you.

“Well you see, Capsical, this marvelous, young woman here is party central. You guys thought I was crazy--this girl--this girl is crazier. Her knowledge of alcohol is unbelievable and her ability to attract the male gaze is unbeatable.” Clint glared at that last part, rolling his eyes. You brushed Tony’s arm off, crossing your arms over your chest.

“As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I did get two degrees in art and design and biochemical engineering.” The rest of the Avengers let out ooh’s at Tony. He threw his hands up in defense, bowing his head down. Clint brought his hands to your shoulders, shaking you slightly. You glanced over to Bruce, watching as he quickly averted his gaze from you, finding the ceiling far more fascinating.

Hawkeye/Clint Barton-

Being handed the wrapped flag was never something you thought would actually happen to you. The soldiers had been very helpful, offering to drive you to where you needed to go. You could only really go to one place. You’d just lost the only family you had left. You gave the soldiers the address and sat in the back of the car, staring out the window.

They asked for confirmation about the address when they pulled up to the Avenger’s Tower. You simply thanked them for their time and stepped out of their car. You held the flag close to your chest as you walked past agents and tower workers and went straight to the elevator. Tears welled in your eyes as the doors closed behind you.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y,” you called, your voice cracking. “Take me to the floor Tony’s on.” You really hoped he was in the room or in his lab.

"Right away Ms. L/N," the AI replied. You stood in the elevator, tears threatening to spill as you waited for the elevator to open. You rushed out when the elevator doors opened but stopped short when you saw Tony surrounded by the Avengers.

Once they did, you froze in your place. Tony had been your friend since college. You knew that you could always depend on him to be there for you, especially now. The other Avengers who surrounded him however, you were less than certain about. You contemplated leaving when F.R.I.D.A.Y. chimed in.

“Sir, Y/N L/N is here to see you.” He turned his head with a smile, opening his arms. His eyes traveled to the flag in your arms and his face fell.

“Oh… Y/N.” You lip quivered as you cast your eyes down, tears blurring your vision. You heard footsteps approaching you and a pair of arms wrapping around you. “Y/N.” Tony stroked your head as your body began shaking.

"They're--they're gone," you choked out.

"Who's gone?" the other guy inquired. You tried answering, but all that came out were choked sobs. "Hey, Y/N, I'm going to need you to breathe. Inhale. Hold. Exhale." After repeating the exercises a few times, your breathing was steady.

"Y/N, what happened?" Tony asked again.

"S/N was killed in combat," you said, fresh tears welling up in your eyes. "I just lost my whole family." You began hiccupping violently, making it hard to breathe.

"Clint, take her to my room. I'll be there shortly," Tony ordered. Clint led you to Tony's penthouse suite. He sat you on the bed, rubbing your shoulder.

"Thank you." You attempted to give him a weak smile.

"Feel better. I'm sorry for your loss," he told you, returning your smile with a soft one.

Thor Odinson-

Being one of SHIELD’s top agents came with both perks and nuances. Perks included always being in the loop of every underground operation, including the fact that Phil Coulson faked his death. Nuances included being hyper-aware of everyone around you at any given time, friends and foes alike.

Tony Stark inviting you to a party, well, all of SHIELD, was inviting paranoia. Your coworkers assured you that you were just in work mode, and this would help you relax. To appease them, you begrudgingly agreed to go.

You didn’t dress up, opting for a casual look to help you blend in. You made sure you were armed before finding a seat at the bar. Natasha was playing bartender, her eyes seeing everything all at once.

“Don’t have too much fun there,” she said, gesturing down to your cup of barely touched water. You lifted your brows quickly, looking back at the other SHIELD agents partying their hearts out.

“No promises.” She let out a snort, moving to mix another cocktail.

The hairs on the back of your neck began to stand up. You let your highly trained eyes scan the room, but you didn’t see anything. Then a thought hit you. You glanced up, searching the ceiling until you found a pair of eyes looking down at you from the vents. They shot you a wink before disappearing. Your eyes narrowed until you heard a cough behind you.

You turned to find the Prince of Asgard behind you, dressed more casually than you’d see him before. You raised a brow, looking him up and down.

“Good evening my lady. I am looking for our mutual friend Barton. Do you know where I can find him?” You glanced back towards the vent, waiting for the Prince to follow your gaze.

“Sorry, your Highness. Can’t say I’ve seen him,” you told him. He turned and found you staring at the vent. He gave you a big grin, bowing his head.

“A shame. I hope I haven’t disturbed you.”

“Not at all.”

“If that’s the case, I’d love a dance.” You turned back to Nat who was motioning for you to go. You bit your tongue, looking around the room.

“How can I--” You trailed off. From the corner of your eye, you spotted another coworker sitting at the other end of the bar. Her eyes kept flickering between her drink and the jacket that covered some guy’s arm from the elbow down. “Hold that thought.”

You set your untouched water down, moving down the bar. Nat followed you, keeping an eye on you. You carefully took out one of your concealed knives, pressing it to the guy’s back. He tensed immediately, allowing for your coworker to slip away.

Unfortunately he wasn’t the only undercover spy. A mass shoot-out took place, bullets whizzed by, glass shattered, and bodies hit the floor. Thankfully, most SHIELD agents survived unharmed.

You watched as Maria, Clint, and Nat hauled the last of the spies out of the party, handcuffs on their wrists. Thor approached you as you finished giving your statement, holding tightly onto Mjölnir. He opened his mouth to say something, but Clint called for you, waving you towards one of the SUVs.

“Raincheck on that dance?” you called back, jogging towards the van. Thor bowed his head, lifting Mjölnir briefly. You shot him a wink, sliding into the car before it took off.

Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff-

Drinking was not something you did very often. Drinking alone was something you only did within the comfort and safety of your own apartment. So why were you sitting alone at a bar on a Friday night? Well, your boyfriend had a terrible accident. He tripped and fell into your manager’s bed.

“Well hello there.” You tipped back another shot, setting the cup back down onto the bar. You turned slowly in your seat to stare at the blurry man now seated next to you. Raising a brow, you moved to rest your head in your hand. “Hey Sweetheart. I hate to bother you, but I could really use your number?” the stranger asked.

“I think you could use a better line,” you slurred, rolling your eyes. You turned back to face the bar, staring down at your empty shot glass. From your other side you heard someone laughing. Glancing over, you could only make out another blurry man with almost white hair. “Can I help you?”

“Do you know who you just turned down?” he asked with a thick, foreign accent. You shook your head, immediately regretting it. You held your hand to your head, willing your brain to stop moving around. “That was Tony Stark.” You scoffed.

“Then I’m glad I turned him down,” you said. The blonde man smirked, you thought. He was slowly coming into focus, and he was actually kind of cute. Kind of. Poor lighting and tequila made everyone look good.

“You’re funny. And cute. What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” he asked. You shrugged.

“Men suck. Left me for his stupid manager. She’s not even pretty,” you said, face heating up with anger and alcohol. The man winced.

“Yeah, men do suck. I’m Pietro by the way.”

"Y/N."

“Y/N,” he repeated. The way your name sounded with his accent almost had you swooning… almost. “You should head home. You’re wasted, and I’d hate for someone to take advantage of you.”

“And you’ve been doing what, exactly?” you challenged. He grinned, looking down at his hands which had somehow gotten ahold of your phone.

“Distracting you so you can sober up a bit before the cab I called arrives.” He handed your phone back to you. “I’ll have one of the bartenders escort you. When you’re sober, give me a call.”

Spiderman/Peter Parker-

Switching schools was never something you liked. Always being the new kid and having to recreate a social life was always hard and frustrating. Trying to be the lone wolf never worked in your favor either. Your bubbly and friendly personality didn’t let you fade into the shadows. Then when you inevitably moved, it was always full of tears.

Your latest move wasn’t any different. Your family had relocated to New York City for your father’s business. Once again you were in a new school, surrounded by people you didn’t know. While their faces blurred together, yours stuck out. Tingles ran up your spine as you avoided everyone’s curious gazes. You glanced down at the paper containing your schedule and locker number and combination.

You found it easy enough, but when you entered the combination it refused to budge. You double checked the combination before carefully putting it in.

“Son of a bitch,” you mumbled, shaking the lock. You dropped the lock, resting your head against the cold metal door.

“Need some help with that?” A tall girl with glasses and frizzy hair pulled into a lazy ponytail stood a little ways down. She was standing in front of, presumably, her own locker, a tower of books balanced in her arm.

“That’d be great, thanks,” you said. You stood up straight, pulling your mouth into a thin line.

“These things suck,” she told you. She slammed her own locker shut. She jiggled your lock before hitting the door with her elbow. It swung open with complete ease.

“Thank you.” You bowed your head slightly.

“No problem. I haven’t seen you around here before.”

“Uh, no. I’m new. My name’s Y/N. Y/N L/N.” You stuck your hand out, a smile on your face.

“Hey, I’m--”

“MJ!”

You turned around to find two boys coming down the hallway, waving their hands excitedly. One boy had tan skin and dark hair that was neatly combed, while the other was pale with light brown hair and wore a dorky sweater.

“MJ! We’ve been looking for you,” the first guy said, almost ignoring you.

“I was just helping out Y/N here,” she said. “Y/N this is Ned and Peter-- a couple of losers.”

“Um, hi.” You gave the boys an awkward wave as the bell rang loudly. “I’ll see you guys around. Thanks for opening my locker.” You gave the three of them a tight-lipped smile before hurrying down the hall.

Falcon/Captain America/Sam Wilson-

When you had returned from Iraq, you were so happy to be home. Your family had thrown a small get-together to celebrate your safe return. Everyone was so proud of you for serving your country. Your parents had offered to let you stay with them until you found yourself a job and an apartment. With a good record, and an honorable discharge, it shouldn’t have been hard.

It was two months before you landed a job as a receptionist at the V. A. Center in D.C. It wasn’t a glamorous job, but you made decent money. However, living in D.C. was expensive. Finding a place seemed almost impossible, even with a job. Luckily your parents were extremely understanding.

After about three months at the V. A., you had your job down pretty well. Most of the time you were answering calls from local and nationwide veterans. Most were nice, inquiring about certain medical options and wanting help through the transition back into normal society. Some veterans weren’t as friendly and called to complain about how the government treated them or simply to yell.

You had finished another call and were logging it when someone cleared their throat. You tapped on the board that was in front of you. You listened as the pen scratched across the paper for the visitor. Once you finished your log you glanced up.

A tall, dark, and handsome stranger stood in front of your desk, a half-smile on his face. You smiled back, bringing your full attention to him.

“Welcome to the V. A. Center, how can I help you?” you asked, raising your brow a bit.

“I’m Sam Wilson. I have an interview in about twenty-minutes,” he told you. You nodded, sliding down a bit to the other phone. You picked it up, dialing the three numbers to your boss’ office.

“One moment.” You slid down to your other phone, dialing the three numbers for your boss’ office. “Sir, you have a Sam Wilson here to see you,” you informed him. “Yes sir.” You slid back down to Sam Wilson, a smile on your face. “He’ll be with you shortly. He’s finishing up a meeting.

He nodded, sitting down in one of the chairs. He leant back, arm thrown over the back of the chair as he stared down the hall, resting his ankle on his knee. You tried your best not to stare, but not staring was never a strong suit of yours, and boy did Sam Wilson give you plenty to stare at.

“Which branch did you serve for, Mr. Wilson?” you inquired, pretending to type on the computer as if you hadn’t spent the last five minutes staring at him.

“Just Sam is fine,” he said with a chuckle. “And I served in the army.”

“Army,” he replied. You nodded, a smirk tugging at the corner of your mouth.

“Interesting. So when they did the Men of the Army calendar, was it just twelve months of you?” You watched as your words went through his head before he let out a chuckle. “What? Didn’t like it?” You shot him a wink, a smirk on your face.

“I like it quite a lot, actually… what’s your name?”

“Y/N. Y/N L/N.”

Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes-

It took years and years of studying and hard work, but becoming the leading psychiatrist in dealing and helping soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS), formerly PTSD. You never experienced it personally, but you had neighbors and friends who suffered from it growing up. You wanted to do something helpful in the world, something good, so you dedicated your life to finding ways to work through what others had experienced. Your reputation began to precede you, and that was how you were flown across the world to help one of the worst cases you’d ever seen.

The patient was a Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. He served in World War II where he was presumed KIA, Killed In Action. That was until about four years ago when he resurfaced as an assassin for an organization that was almost gone. The more you read, the wilder his story seemed to get. Reading his file, which was quite extensive, covered almost the entire flight to Wakanda.

King T’Challa stood ready to greet you when your plane landed. You bowed your head respectively, taking in the empty fields that surrounded you. He shook your hand firmly, offering you a warm smile.

“Welcome to Wakanda Dr. L/N,” he greeted.

“Thank you for having me, Your Majesty,” you said. “You have beautiful, open lands.”

“You’re much too kind. If you would follow me this way.” He held his hand out and began guiding you across one of the fields. Birds chirped above you as you made your trek over the verdant hills.

Just over the last hill was a single hut. Goats roamed around freely, munching on grass and bleating. King T’Challa gestured to the hut, staring at it solemnly.

“White Wolf lives there. He lives happily in solitude, but human interaction is important. The world says you are the best in your field. Please, help him,” the King said. You nodded your head.

“Nothing is guaranteed,” you reminded him. “My methods aren’t a one-hundred percent success, but I will do my best.”

“That is all we ask.”

You nodded one more time before resuming your walk to the small hut, this time alone. The goats were curious about you, pausing their lunch to stare at you. One particularly small one ran to you, nudging its head against your leg.

“Steve, be nice.”

A new voice caught your attention. His hair was longer and his beard was fuller, but you recognized the man as Sergeant Barnes. He stood in the doorway of the hut, staring down at the tiny goat that was now nibbling at the bottom of your pants. He wore white, traditional, Wakanda clothing. A white bandage covered the stub where his arm once was. He would have seemed peaceful were it not for the dark, solemn gaze in his eyes.

“Sergeant Barnes?” you called, bending down to pick up the goat. He looked up at you. “Sergeant Barnes my name is Dr. Y/N L/N. King T’Challa asked me to help you transition back into civilian society.” He nodded his head slowly. The goat, Steve, nestled into your chest, nibbling your shirt. “I was hoping we could talk.”

“Of course,” he said, moving aside so you could enter his hut. Setting the goat down, you stepped inside the small hut. It was bare for the most part, only the necessities were present. You took a seat on a nearby chair, watching him carefully. He took a seat across from you, awkwardly shifting in his seat.

“Sergeant Barnes, I would like to preface this by saying I am here to help you, and if what we do isn’t helping, it’s okay to say that,” you said.

“Bucky.”

“I’m sorry?”

“My name… it’s Bucky.” You smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you, Bucky. I’m Y/N.”

Loki Odinson-

Rehabilitation, patience, and forgiveness were some of your core beliefs. You also believed that good was in everyone, no matter what bad deeds they did, no matter how lost they seemed, with the right guidance and a voice of encouragement, you truly believed that anyone could redeem themselves. Because of this firm belief, you started a rehabilitation center in your kingdom which grew into the biggest and most successful rehabilitation center in the world.

Being the princess of a small country was hard, but this success gave your country exactly what it needed--money. Which sounded worse than it actually was. The world runs on money and your people weren’t exactly millionaires, but being paid to rehabilitate both petty and hardened criminals was surprisingly a great way to make money.

So much so that King T’Challa of Wakanda, an old childhood friend of yours, asked a favor from an American acquaintance of his. Tony Stark, owner of Stark Industries and Avenger, had been asked by his fellow Avenger, Thor, to seek a place for his trickster brother. You had heard all about New York in the news, but you never expected that to have an effect on your country. You weren’t so sure until Thor offered to pay in pure gold. That, you simply couldn’t refuse.

You stood on the runway, watching as the plane carrying your latest case began to touch down. The wind whipped your hair around your face, but your sunglasses protected your eyes. The wind settled once the plane came to a stop. The door opened and the first to exit was King T’Challa.

“Your Majesty,” you called. He smiled at you as he descended the stairs.

“Your Highness,” he greeted. He jogged over to you, skipping all formalities to give you a heartfelt hug. “It has been too long, old friend.”

“Much too long,” you agreed. A posse of people had followed him. Guards from Wakanda, Tony Stark, Thor, and his brother, Loki.

“Princess Y/N, this is my American acquaintance, Tony Stark.”

“Yes, Stark Industries precedes you.” He bowed to you respectfully.

“Your Highness, this is Thor and his troublesome brother Loki,” Stark said, gesturing to the two giant men beside him. Loki was bound in unique chains and had his face covered so you could only see his eyes.

“Welcome, gentlemen. We are happy to welcome you to our small corner of the world. If you all would follow me,” you said. You looped your arm through T’Challa’s, leading them to the facilities where Loki would be kept. “While your brother is a rather unique guest, we will be treating him like we treat everyone else here. Because of his abilities, he will be placed in a special room designed specifically for him.”

“How do you know it will hold Reindeer Games over here?” Stark asked, sending a pointed look to Loki. You smiled.

“I had a top engineer design it using advanced technologies that could put your entire company to shame,” you said. A smirk pulled at T’Challa’s mouth at the mention of his sister.

“You are very kind for doing this Princess Y/N,” Thor said. “I know with the right guidance, my brother will come back to who he used to be. Loki rolled his eyes at that, opting to look out the window. From the corner of your eye, you could see him staring at your reflection through the glass.

“It’s my pleasure.”

#haveanotherfandomblog post #avengers preferences #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x y/n #tony stark #tony stark x you #tony stark x y/n #bruce banner #bruce banner x you #bruce banner x y/n #clint barton #clint barton x you #clint barton x Y/N #pietro maximoff x you #pietro maximoff x y/n #peter parker #peter parker x reader #peter x reader #peter parker x y/n #bucky x reader #bucky barns x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #sam wilson #sam x reader #sam x y/n #sam wilson x reader #sam wilson x y/n #loki laufeyson x y/n #loki layfeyson x reader #thor odinson x you

[fukanouna]

request: coming home for christmas (you are my home)

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Natasha Romanoff

Word Count: 1390

A/N: based on this request HERE :) Happy holidays everyone!

---

"You got everything, Nat?"

With a low grunt, Natasha hoisted her backpack onto her shoulders, trying not to wince in pain. "I'm good, Hill."

Maria watched as Natasha subconsciously grasped her left side. She knew the Russian sustained a severe injury on her latest mission, but her friend refused to tell her how serious it was, like always. "You should get that checked." The SHIELD agent received a dismissive noise from the redhead.

"I will. It can wait," Natasha responded brusquely while waiting for the Quinjet's ramp to extend out onto the landing pad.

"It can," Maria agreed. "All I ask is that you don't wait too long." She knew why Natasha was impatient and understood why. It genuinely warmed her heart knowing that Natasha was finally embracing her feelings. "Say hi to Wanda for me."

Natasha flipped her off, to which Maria simply smirked. Eventually, the spy's features relaxed and smiled at her fellow agent.

"Merry Christmas, Maria."

"Merry Christmas, Nat. Now hurry up and leave so I can close the jet before I freeze my ass off."

---

When Natasha entered the compound, she wasn't surprised when Vision phased and descended down from the ceiling. She heard the compound was attacked while she was away, but fortunately no one was hurt and only structures were damaged. Vision volunteered to patrol the area during the nights with FRIDAY to ensure everyone's safety.

"Agent Romanoff, welcome back," Vision greeted politely.

"Thank you, Vision," she returned the sentiment with a smile. "Glad to see you're doing good."

"We have all missed your presence in the compound, especially Miss Maximoff.

Natasha swallowed thickly, feeling her heart tightened at the mention of Wanda.

"Where is she?"

"She in the communal area. The space is beautifully decorated with festive ornaments and lights with a large Christmas and lit menorah set on a spacious table. Miss Maximoff put great effort in decorating, believing you'd love the sight once you've returned. However, last time I patrolled that area of the compound, I believe she had dozed off by the tree."

"I see." Natasha cleared her throat in a poor attempt to hide the emotion welling up in her throat. She wondered how long Wanda was waiting for her when there was no indication of Natasha even returning home tonight on Christmas Eve. It just so happened Natasha returned to the Avengers Compound in time for Christmas. She didn't want to keep the young brunette waiting any longer. "I'll go check on her." The spy flinched when she noticed the synthezoid's piercing blue eyes on her and already anticipated what he was about to say.

"You are injured," Vision noted quietly after a surface level scan. "You have a laceration dealt to your left lumbar region."

"I put on a fresh bandage and antibiotics before Maria dropped me off. I'll be fine," she insisted stubbornly.

To the Russian's surprise, she could see a sort of understanding expression coming from the sentient robot. "Of course. I understand that seeing Miss Maximoff is of great importance to you. I shall take my leave and resume my patrol route," Vision said with a dip of his head.

Natasha waved Vision goodbye as he phased beneath the floor, leaving her alone with her thoughts as she made her way to the communal area. Even before entering the room, she saw the soft glow of the fluorescent holiday lights hung across the walls and ceilings. Red, green, gold, and silvery white overloaded her senses in a pleasant way that reminded her of her childhood wishes to have a proper Christmas like other families in her Ohio neighborhood.

Wanda was fast asleep on one of the Lawson chairs positioned near the tree, legs curled up and wrapped in a scarlet red fleece blanket. She had reindeer antlers on, and the simple sight made Natasha smile as warmth bloomed in her chest. Carefully, Natasha knelt down in front of the sleeping Sokovian and rested a hand on her leg, gently shaking her awake.

"Wanda?" She whispered the name softly over and over until Wanda's eyes began to flutter open. It took the young woman several moments after waking up to realize who was in front of her, and when her vision finally focused and could clearly see Natasha, it wasn't long until tears brimmed her eyes.

"Natasha…?" Wanda whispered, voice thick with emotion.

"It's me," Natasha affirmed gently.

Wanda's bottom lip trembled, and she couldn't help but launch herself at the older woman, accidently knocking Natasha onto her back but into an embrace. The hug didn't last long when Wanda heard Natasha hiss in pain in her ear, immediately pulling back to sit up with worry swirling in her ocean-colored eyes. Though she winced in pain, Natasha chased after Wanda and sat up with her, taking the brunette's hands into hers. "I'm fine." She tried to reassure Wanda with a smile. "My left side is sore, but it shouldn't be infected." Natasha felt her entire body melt when Wanda cupped her face, sighing softly when her thumbs brushed against her cheekbones.

"You're really here… I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Natasha let out a throaty chuckle, bringing Wanda closer so that she was situated on her lap. She wrapped her arms around the younger woman's waist and smirked when Wanda placed her arms around her neck in response. "Definitely not a dream."

"Prove it," Wanda challenged, leaning downward.

Natasha didn't have to be told what Wanda wanted, far too eager to capture the Sokovian's lips in a kiss after being separated for two months. Wanda sighed into another kiss and Natasha took the opportunity to dart her tongue forward, the brunette already granting her access to explore her mouth and deepen the kiss. Normally, this sort of compromising position and Wanda's lips on hers was enough to ignite a fire that burned between her legs, but the soft sight of Wanda in reindeer antlers, an oversized knitted red sweater with a snowman design stitched on the front, and the festive atmosphere surrounding them was more than enough to quell any primal urges. Natasha was simply happy to be back to spend the holidays with her girl.

Once they were temporarily satiated, they moved onto the couch for better comfort for the sake of Natasha's injury. Wanda was huddled happily against the redhead with her head on the latter's shoulder while Natasha had her arm around the younger. Noticing that it was almost midnight, Natasha dug through her backpack to hand over a small box with a tiny bow on top.

"A present for you," Natasha said. "It's not much but… I hope you like it."

Wanda straightened herself and gingerly untied the boy before pulling off the box lid. She let out a soft gasp when she saw the contents of the box: a sterling silver ring attached to a chain with words engraved on the surface:

Ты моё сча́стье

You are my happiness

Natasha watched as pure happiness crossed Wanda's face, but seconds later, her smile faded into a frown and her eyes fell sad, which worried her. The spy wondered if she was coming off too strong with the ring's message, that maybe she was unintentionally burdening Wanda with her emotions. She had no idea how to interpret the sudden shift in Wanda's expressions.

"Natasha, this is beautiful. I love it so much. Now I feel terrible because all I got you was a matching ugly Christmas sweater…" Wanda mumbled despondently, genuinely upset at herself.

A big sigh of relief escaped Natasha and was unable to stop herself from laughing, more at herself for being ridiculous at doubting Wanda's feelings for her. "You wanted us to match," Natasha noted.

"I do," Wanda admitted with a pout. "Please say you'll wear my sweater."

Natasha immediately tugged the sweater over her tactical suit once Wanda gave her the wrapped sweater. Once she was comfy in the knitted garment, Natasha helped clasp the ring around Wanda's neck.

The moment the clock struck midnight, Wanda used her powers to whip up two hot mugs of hot chocolate from the comfort of the couch. Natasha wrapped the fleece blanket around her and Wanda, and together, they talked into the night with their hot chocolates in hand, making up for lost time and spending their first Christmas together.

---

A/N: Sorry if the Russian is incorrect. I googled it. Thank you for reading! :)

#wandanat #wanda maximoff #natasha romanoff #natasha romanov #scarletwidow #request

[itspileofgoodthings]

maria i don't watch ted lasso but i need you to tell me everything it's doing wrong, i trust you

Chelsea!!! You sent this so long ago and I’ve just been mulling it over in my head ever since. First of all, thank you for your trust, I am honored lol.

But also, I probably don’t have a great answer as I am out of practice speaking coherently on something’s issues! But I’ll try.

I mean, I think it gets a lot wrong. if I had to break it down! I think there’s two main things wrong. The first one is that there’s a core of rot behind its core principles. And that always leeches through eventually in a tv show, and in this one I think the specific way it does that is its refusal to question any of its moral principles or even just engage with them honestly. And this makes for really boring television. In a certain sense, you always know exactly where a storyline is going to go or the thesis statement that a set-up is going to land on before it goes there. It never surprises you. Too many examples to name but one of their basic moral principles is that a one-night stand/casual sex is not only fine but good and healthy. So every time that happens on the show you know that the characters are going to be praised/reassured for it and/or if any complications do arise it’s made VERY clear that it’s not the casual sex’s fault. And it’s not like I’m going to agree with most shows about this (it’s so evil!!!!!! It destroys people!!!!!!! It is damaging and devastating the romantic landscape!!!!!!!!!!!!!) but there are ways of engaging with it as a storyline that are so much more honest than anything Ted Lasso will ever dare to do. (Friday night lights, which is the show’s antithesis in every way, frequently has casual sex and without preaching and probably even without meaning to honestly traces the consequences of it in exciting and real ways.) and basically that’s the problem with the show over and over. It professes to want to say something profound about morals and culture and life but you know beforehand exactly what you will see and learn. You can see the moral “punchline” so to speak coming from the second they open their mouths. And there are better and worse ways that that can play out. The show’s belief that taking care of your mental health/talking about it and the importance of men specifically sharing their emotions is a) valid and b) can play out in some cute and funny ways. But even then the show is still not going to surprise you. Ted will call up the diamond dogs, they’ll talk about what’s wrong, there will be some quips and they’ll end on one of them saying some therapist-speak (mostly) truth and everything will be resolved. So even when I enjoy it (and I do! I like pretty much all of the mental health conversations) it is never as brave as it thinks it’s being.

The second thing is that the show just hates romance! Or, the problem is that the show is so committed to surprising its audience (derogatory) when it comes to the romantic relationships that it will torpedo perfectly good ones and give you no resolution or closure. And tv couples are NOT the place to put your “surprises.” Like. They broke up Roy and Keeley. Which. Why? Put it back! This is so dumb! And they’re clearly not going to let Ted and Rebecca get together because they want to avoid doing that. Which is okay! But it’s like—then give us something else instead. Give us some kind of resolution/satisfaction. Just? It’s so tired and again not nearly as exciting or unpredictable as it thinks it is. They’re not actually interested in the romances themselves, just what they can say about them to the audience. Which seems to just be a vague lecturing about wanting the leads to get together romantically. It’s annoying!

There are some things I like. A lot actually! I love the cast pretty much entirely. Jaimie is so fun and funny. The team dynamics are so fun and sweet. Rebecca is wonderful. (The show’s best storyline was the first season—her trying to sabotage her husband’s team and then realizing she’s sort of accidentally found a family instead.) And there are some good friendship dynamics—particularly Rebecca and Keeley and Roy and Jaimie (sp?). But even those dynamics are held back by the show’s repetitive storytelling. They will never have a conversation (specifically the girls) where they’re not saying some girlboss mantra you could read on Twitter. But anyway back to the positives. It can be funny and have some great one-liners. I love Ted’s similes and references and metaphors. The team is great and they’re fun to watch. I actually really like how they handle the sports side of it and the balance of wins and losses and how that isn’t really the point. (They should focus on it more.) And Ted and Dr. Sharon are a really wonderful pairing where a lot is unpacked. But they drop it and don’t take it as far as they could. So the whole affect is just meandering? Even when it’s fun.

TLDR: I think it’s more surface-level than it thinks it is (something I hate) and it hates romance and clear storytelling and will mess with both for no clear discernible reason. It also has an agenda. Which, good or bad, is not a substitute for complexity and honesty and they often try to use it as one!

#joons #anti ted lasso #>> I don’t want to be annoying with my tags but just in case/for reference #wrote this out fast. will edit later #thank you for asking! <3

[arlana-likes-to-write]

Hello!! For the black widow sister series. Natasha seems a little distant and still with the not being sisters thing. Maybe one time something very serious happens to r and they have to save her or to Nat and yelena and reader nearly sacrifices to save them. I don’t know something. I have many ideas for this series because it’s amazing and you write sooo incredibly good ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you for requesting this! Hope you enjoy it! Please keep requesting more ideas!

You have yourself a Deal

Warnings: sensory torture, mention of past assualt, PTSD episode

Word Count: 4.3K

Carol was a little worried. She knew in this line of work everything was uncertain. So when you were late for the date she wasn’t upset or angry, thinking you stood her up. The mission must have gone longer. You were freeing a Widow in Mexico, making a pit stop in New York, and then back to Russia. Carol knew your sisters were trying to convince you to move to the compound. She had to admit she wasn’t against the idea of you living there but she was going to respect your choice. But the problem was you would have texted her if you were going to be late. Carol walked into the common area. It was a Friday night so a small party was being thrown. The music was playing and the drinks were flowing. She moved past Wanda with a smile and found Natasha and Yelena in an intense game of beer pong. Maria was sitting on a bar stool watching the two Widows go head to head. Yelena had the ball and aimed at Natasha’s cup. The eldest of the two was winning by one cup. Yelena threw it and she sunk the shot. “Yes!” Yelena said. “Oh hi, Carol.” Carol smiled. “I thought you were going out with Y/n.”

“That was the plan and why I’m here.” She put her hands in the pocket of her jeans. “She didn’t show up and I haven’t heard from her. I was hoping you have.” Natasha put her cup down and pulled out her phone. 

“I haven’t,” Yelena said. That wasn’t good. “But that is usually normal.” Yelena looked at her sister. The color was drained from her face. “Nat, what’s wrong?” She looked away from her phone. 

“We have a problem.”

*

Drip. Drip. Drip. It was the sound that woke you up. You blinked slowly, your eyes adjusting to the low light. You were in a room; with no windows, and no doors, but there was a drain and a camera in the corner. A red dot was blinking at you so you knew it was on. You stood up on shaky legs and sipped the water off your face. There was a leaky pipe. It was the only sound in the quiet room. You don’t know what happened. You follow the Widow into a building and you lose her. Your memory got fuzzy after that. You had to get out of here. 

The room was 6 by 8. The walls were smooth with no indication of an opening but whoever took you had to get you in this room somehow. Static filled the quiet room as if someone was switching through radio stations. “Hello?” You questioned. “Hey, what’s going on?” The static got louder. Soon it changed to heavy rock music. You covered your ears but the music was turned up. You closed your eyes and took a steady breath. They were torturing you. You’ve learned about these techniques in the Red Room. You just had to wait it out until they told you what they wanted or your sisters found you. Oh, you hoped they were looking for you. 

*

Yelena watched the screen in horror as you sat on the ground with your eyes covered and the music blared. The party ended quickly as Natasha turned off the music and ordered everyone to the conference room. Everyone sat around the table looking at a live feed that was sent to Natasha and Melina. Melina zoomed in so a plan could be made. “Do we have any idea who sent this?” Steve asked. 

“Her next Widow was Asya Petrova,” Melina explained. “She was assigned to the Crimson Eyes.” 

“But they are a lower-level drug organization,” Natasha added. “They have no reason to kidnap her.” 

“So do you think it was a trap to get her alone?” Sam asked. It was a possibility. Widows had a ledger filled with red and enemies came with that amount of bloodshed. Yelena started to bite her nails. Wanda took her hand into hers and squeezed it. 

“Do we have a location?” Carol asked. She was standing in the corner far away from everyone. She had a hard look on her face, it was void of all emotion. Yelena never saw her look like this before. 

“She’s still in Mexico,” Tony said. “FRIDAY and I are working on an exact location.” 

“We should head there,” Natasha moved to leave the room but Carol grabbed her arm, stopping her. “Let go, Danvers.” She shook her head. 

“We need to come up with a plan before jumping the gun,” Natasha pulled her arm away. 

“What we need to do is go save her.” 

“I know but what are you going to do, Nat? Search all of Mexico to find her,” Yelena watched Natasha’s jaw clench. “You need to think clearly.” 

“I am thinking clearly. I’m thinking about saving my sister,” she said. “Which I’m questioning if you even care about because you are stopping me.” Natasha touched a nerve. Yelena watched anger flash through Carol’s eyes. Maria stood up and got between them. She pushed her girlfriend away from Carol, creating much-needed space between the two. 

“This isn’t helping,” Maria said. “So cut the shit.” Natasha glared at her girlfriend before sitting back down. 

“What is going through your head, Danvers?” Rhodey asked. Carol sighed. 

“They took her alive for a reason,” she put her hand on her chin. “So that means they’ll contact us or.” She stopped. 

“Or what?” Yelena questioned. Carol looked at Natasha and Yelena. 

“Or they know you and Natasha would come and try to save her and they want you as well.” Your gasp pulled everyone back to the screen. A sprinkler system turned on and water began to rain down on you. 

“Widows are trained to withstand torture,” Melina said. “But the longer she’s with them the more damage they’ll cause to her.” 

*

Natasha found Carol at the bar. She was making herself a drink with some bottles of Asgardian ale. “Hey,” the Black Widow said. Carol looked up and passed her a drink. “Thank you.” She nodded, taking a sip of her drink. “I’m sorry about earlier.” The shock on Carol’s face was evident. Apologizing wasn't Natasha’s thing. “I know you care about her.” The captain stared at her drink.

“She asked me to go with her to Mexico,” she took a sip. “I told her I couldn’t go. If I-”

“Don’t,” Natasha said, cutting her off and taking the drink from her. “Don’t go down that path because it will eat you alive.” Natasha knew from firsthand experience the dangers of spiraling down the ‘What ifs.’ Guilt was a heavy and dangerous emotion that Natasha was still dealing with. 

“She’s not upset with you,” Carol said. “She knows it was the right choice.” Natasha smiled at her. 

“It doesn't make it easier. I failed to save her once I won’t fail again.” The sound of footsteps walked over to them. Natasha knew it was Maria. The agent put her arm around Natasha’s waist. 

“Melina and Alexei are here,” she told them. “And whoever took Y/n is calling.” Carol thanked her and walked back to the conference room. “How are you?” She asked once Carol was out of earshot. 

“I don’t know,” Natasha answered honestly. The Black Widow’s emotions were all over the place. She’s watched you get tortured before, it was common practice in the Red Room to watch or even partake in the torture of other Widows. But in the Red Room, Natasha programmed herself to not care about you. In her mind, you weren’t her sister. But now, it hurts too much to think about her life without you. 

“I know you are going through a lot,” Maria said, kissing her forehead. “But I think you need to talk to Yelena. She hasn’t spoken to anyone, not even Melina.” Natasha nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” They walked back to the conference room, she said hello to Melina and Alexei, and sat next to Yelena. The blonde was playing with the rings on her fingers. Natasha grabbed her and squeezed it. It took a minute but Yelena squeezed her hand back. 

“Are we ready people?” Tony asked. 

“Let’s do this,” Natasha said. The billionaire nodded and connected the call. The screen was divided down the center; on the left was the video of you and on the other, there was a masked individual. Natasha could see his eyes and smile. 

“Hello, Avengers,” his voice was robotic. “Welcome to my funhouse. I do hope you are enjoying the show.” 

“Tell us what you want,” Steve said. 

“Who says I want anything?” He questioned. “Maybe this is what I want.” The water and music stopped. You looked around the room but didn’t stand. Your body was shaking. The moment of peace didn’t last long as the wind started to blow in your room. You curled into a ball to protect yourself from the assault. “Dreykov’s little spider bowing before me. It’s such a powerful feeling.” Natasha felt a wave of intense anger run through her. She saw red. 

“So this is your plan,” Carol said. “Breaking Dreykov’s strongest soldier so she would submit to you and your followers.” She crossed her arms. “It seems pathetic.” Natasha knew it was part of the plan to poke the bear so his real plan or identity would be relieved. But she was nervous, her sister’s life was in the hands of this sociopath. The man’s smile faltered. 

“Captain Marvel, I’m hurt that you think so less of me,” the wind stopped and you sat up, looking up at the ceiling. “You’ve only seen the bare minimum of this room. Her life is in my hands.” She wasn’t sure what happened but she watched you start to fidget and play with the collar of your shirt. The temperature must have increased. “I’ll spar her but I want something in return.” 

“What do you want?” Tony asked. He looked at the table and his eyes landed on Yelena and Natasha. 

“I got to play with his malen'kiy pauk (little spider) and she’s a treat but I want the ones that got away,” Yelena squeezed Natasha’s hand. “I wonder if your screams will be like your sisters. Oh, how beautiful they were.”

“You aren’t getting them,” Melina said. “Pick something else.” The man laughed, throwing his head back. 

“Oh that was funny,” he said, once he calmed down. “That was the funniest thing you’ve said. That was good and the fact that you have any say in this.” The room began to argue with the masked man. Natasha looked at Yelena, she was staring at you. You were looking directly into the camera. Natasha wondered how many rooms like this you’ve been in and how many times did Dreykov send you away. All because you wanted to keep them safe. How many orders did you have to follow without hesitation? How many men did you have to kill? How many times were you beaten?

“You have yourself a deal,” Natasha said. Her voice silenced the room. “But you only get me not Yelena and I’ve been told I’m excellent at the type of services you are looking for.”

“Nat,” Yelena said but Natasha raised her hand to silence the blonde. It was an intense stare-off until the masked man smiled. 

“You have yourself a deal, Miss. Romanoff,” he said. “It’s poetic, isn't it? A deal your sister made saved you and now a deal you made is going to save her. I love a full-circle moment. I’ll send Mr.Stark the coordinates.” The screen turned black and the camera feed of your imprisonment was enlarged. The man turned the music back on and the water began to fall. Yelena ripped her hand out of her sister’s grasp. 

“Are you fucking insane?” She asked. Natasha rubbed her head. She knew the deal she made was ridiculous. The man was unhinged but she had no intention of giving herself up that easily. 

“Yelena,” she said, standing up. But Yelena moved away from her. 

“I’m sick and tired of both of you protecting me. I’m tired of feeling weak.” She said. 

“You aren’t weak,” Natasha whispered. “I just need you to be safe.” Yelena shook her head. 

“And what happens if that sociopath breaks his end of the deal?” She had a valid concern. “Then he’ll have both of you. What am I going to do then?” She yelled. Her outburst startled her. “I need air.” Yelena left the room. 

“I’ll go talk with her,” Alexei said, following the blonde. Natasha sighed, leaning against the table. 

“She has a point,” Sam said. “The man is insane.”

“I don’t plan to give myself up to him that easily. We need to come up with a plan to save me and her.” Natasha said. A ding filled the room and Tony typed on his tablet. 

“We got the coordinates,” he said, pulling up a map. “It looks like we are meeting at an abandoned factory.”

“Miss. Romanoff’s plan could work,” Vision said. At least someone was on her side. “He also relieved some information about himself.”

“Vision’s right. He knew Dreykov personally if he got to meet Y/n in that way,” Carol said. Natasha remembered you telling her that Dreykov was protective of you to an extent. 

“If we find out his identity it could give us an advantage,” Maria added. Melina sighed. 

“That man knew a lot of people,” Natasha wasn’t sure if the word ‘man’ was a way to describe him. 

“It’s a start,” Steve said. “Maria, Wanda, and Tony will help Melina find any connection that man could have had with Dreykov. The rest of us will come up with a plan to save Natasha and Y/n.” Natasha nodded, looking back at the screen. Hold on, sestra, we are coming for you. 

*

It was late. Most of the team was asleep as they were leaving early in the morning. But Natasha couldn’t sleep. She was sitting in the conference room watching the live stream of your cell. The music was still playing but instead of water, the man turned up the heat. You were slumped against the wall. The only indication Natasha had that you were alive was your head moving from side to side. “You should be sleeping,” Yelena said. Natasha didn’t bother to look behind her. “You have a busy day.” 

“I could say the same thing to you,” she said as Yelena sat down next to you. “I couldn’t sleep.” 

“Neither could I.” The two sisters sat in silence as they watched you. “She’s going to be okay, right?” Yelena asked. “Once we get her home.” That was a tough question. With everything being thrown at you, Natasha was surprised you hadn’t broken yet. 

“Yeah,” she finally said. “She’s going to be okay.” Yelena looked away from the screen to her sister. 

“And you're going to be okay too,” she whispered. “I can’t lose you. You were all I had for some years.” Natasha pulled Yelena into a hug. She felt tears on her shirt. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” she forced Yelena to look up and whipped away her tears. “We will be together again. You, me, and Y/n. We are sisters.” Yelena nodded. The music stopped. The silence pulled their attention back to the screen. You sat up straighter and whipped the sweat off your forehead. 

“I don’t know what you want,” you said, looking at the camera. “But you can’t break me. Dreykov couldn’t do it.” You licked your lips and laughed, shaking your head. “So have your fun you sick fuck because I’m gonna kill you or my sisters will.” Natasha was beginning to worry. She knew the serum could heal your physical wounds but the mental scars were her concern. You flipped off the camera. 

“I think she’s losing it,” Yelena said. “Just a little bit.” Natasha nodded. 

“We should sleep. She needs us at our best.” The water began to fall and the temperature dropped, you let out a shaky breath and it came out as fog. 

“I’m Russian, you stupid bitch. The cold doesn't bother me.” Natasha sighed. 

“Keep your mouth shut,” she said. “We are coming.”

*

You didn’t know how long you’d been in this room but you were hungry, tired, and thirsty. Sleep was impossible because the room was changing every second. The red light of the camera turned off and the wall opposite of you lowered. Oh, that’s how you got in. Five men walked in with black masks covering their faces. You smiled. “So you are the ones I have to thank for this vacation.” You were pulled to your feet. The room began to spin. You’ve never felt this weak. A bag was put over your head and they forced you to walk. “You guys don’t talk much.” It was hard to walk and they dragged you along. You were at their mercy, unable to walk on your own. A door opened and you were outside. You felt the sun on your skin. Another door opened and you were pushed forward. You were in a car, your head bounced against a window. You were going to be sick. It was as if your body was on a roller coaster. You let out a shaky breath. You needed to get your bearings straight but your head was pounding too much. The car began to move. “Can we stop and get milkshakes?” You asked. Someone punched your stomach. You groaned, leaning forward. “If I throw up it’s going to be your fault.” 

The drive wasn’t long, well you didn’t think it was. It could have been 2 days or 10 minutes. You rested your head against the window. The cold glass offered some relief. The car stopped. 

“Behave,” a voice warned. The voice sounded familiar. It sent a shiver down your spine. Why did you know that voice? The door opened and you were dragged out of the car. “You were supposed to come alone.” The voice said. 

“That wasn’t part of the deal,” Natasha said. Natasha. What was going on? “I want to see her.” The bag was ripped off your head and the sun hurt your eyes. You blinked slowly and stared in front of you. Natasha was there with Steve next to her. “Are you okay?” She asked. You didn’t know how to answer that. 

“I want a milkshake,” you told her. She fought a smile that crept onto her face. 

“She’s alive and somewhat well. Let’s make a deal.” 

“What deal?” You asked. Someone shoved you on your back and that was your answer. “Understood.” You walked forward and Natasha met you halfway. “What’s going on?” You asked her. 

“Don’t worry about it, okay? Trust me.” She continued to walk over to your captures. 

“Natasha,” you turned to follow her but strong arms grabbed onto your waist. “Steve, let me go!” You struggled against the super soldier. “Natasha!” You yelled. You watched helplessly as they put a bag over her head and handcuffed her. “Steve! Please let me go! Stop her! Stop her!” You cried. 

“Stop struggling,” he said. “You are in no condition to fight.” You could fight. You could fight. The world around you began to shift. Instead of standing in a parking lot, you watched as Red Room guards opened the shipping containers and your sisters were pulled out of your arms. They put her into the car. 

“It was a pleasure doing business with you, Captain.” The man said and got into the car. You escaped Steve’s hold on you. 

“How could you?!?” You yelled at him. “Are you fucking kidding me you just let them take her?” You punched at him but he grabbed your hand. 

“We have a plan, okay? Trust me.” How could you trust him? A black van pulled up. No. Not again. You fell backward and hit the ground. The world was spinning. You had no idea where you were. Your name. You heard someone say it. But you squeezed your eyes shut and opened them. You were back on the airstrip. Red Room guards were standing around you. Drekyov was there. He was going to bring you back. 

“Sestra, breath.” That was Yelena’s voice. “Focus on my voice. You are safe.” You weren’t safe. 

“Just breathe.” That was Natasha’s voice but that was impossible. You watched her get taken away. You shook your head and you were sitting on the ground with Natasha and Yelena in front of you. 

“What -?” You were cut off by leaning to the side and throwing up. 

“Ew,” Yelena said. 

“We need to get her to safety,” Melina said, moving to your side. 

“Mama,” you mumbled. It was hard to keep your eyes open. Natasha went to your other side and helped Melina stand you up. They got you into the van and the world went dark. 

*

You woke up slowly. You were laying in a hospital bed with IVs attached to your arms. You were in the med bay back at the Avenger’s compound. Natasha and Yelena were asleep next to you. The door opened to your room and Carol was there holding bags of food. She seemed stunned but soon she smiled. “Hey stranger,” she whispered. You smiled at her. Yelena shifted on the cot she was laying on.

“I smell food.” She mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. 

“I see you have your priorities in order,” you said. Your voice was rough from disuse. Yelena’s eyes went wide and stood up from her cot. 

“You're up!” She said, hugging you. The commotion woke Natasha up. She stretched and looked around the room. You smiled at her as she joined the hug without hesitation. Carol put the food on the table, ‘I’ll be back.’ She mouthed to you. You nodded, hugging your sister tighter. You ended the hug and stared at Natasha, you punched her in the arm. 

“Ouch!” She said, rubbing her arm. “What was that for?”

“Don’t ever give yourself to save me,” you said. “Both of you. Do you understand me?” Natasha shook her head. 

“Not gonna happen, sestra. We are a family. You did it for us and we would do it for you,” Natasha took your hand into hers. “I love you,” she said. You felt your eyes burn with tears. “We were separated for too long. Never again.”

“Yeah,” you whispered. “Never again.” 

*

Once Helen checked you out and you ate food, they told you the truth about what happened. Oriel Sergeev was the man behind your kidnapping. He was angry that you and your sisters brought down the Red Room. It wasn’t Natasha that they took but Wanda and they brought her back to where they kept you. She escaped with her powers and the rest of the team was there. You weren’t the only one that Oriel had captured. The Avengers saved those in his fucked up playhouse; including the Widow you were after. Physically you were okay, a little dehydrated but you were struggling mentally. 

You were sitting outside, underneath the night stars. Your room was too small, too much like the cell you just escaped. A blanket was wrapped around you. You so desperately wanted to go to sleep. “Hi,” you heard Carol say behind you. You haven’t seen her since she dropped off food for Natasha and Yelena. 

“Hi,” you said. She seemed unsure of herself as she stood next to you. You held out your hand and she took it. “Can I have a hug?” You asked. 

“You can have anything you want,” she sat down next to you and you pulled her into a hug. You loved the hugs from Carol. She was naturally warm. It was a stark contrast from the cold you felt in that cell. She let out a shaky breath and you felt it on your neck. “I was so worried,” she admitted. “I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t come back safe.” Her arms squeezed you tight as if she was afraid you would disappear. 

“I’m right here,” you whispered. You ended the hug and stared at her. “You would have found me. I know you would have.” She took your hand in yours and she looked down at your connected hands. You could see that she was spiraling, lost in her thoughts. “Hey,” you said, breaking the silence. You placed your free hand on her cheek and forced her to look at you. “Don’t blame yourself.” She smiled. 

“I’m guessing Natasha told you what happened.” You nodded. 

“What happened to me wasn’t yours or anyone's fault, okay?” She leaned into your touch and nodded. You had the sudden urge to kiss her. You wondered if the same thought crossed her mind as she looked into your eyes and down to your lips. 

“You should get some rest,” Carol said. “Preferably sleep that’s not medically induced.” 

“I’m scared to fall asleep,” you admitted. 

“Do you trust me?” She asked. 

“Of course,” you answered without hesitation. She sat back on the couch and maneuvered you so your back was resting against her front. She wrapped the blanket around you and her and she rested her head on your shoulder. 

“Is this okay?” She asked. You nodded. Her warmth made you feel safe. “Sleep, sweetheart. I’ll keep you safe.” She kissed the side of your head as you got comfortable. 

“Thank you.” You whispered. 

“No need to thank me. I got you.” You closed your eyes and trusted her. 

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