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lov3m3darling · 1 year

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Apple of my Eye (Obsessed!Wally Darling x Short!Reader) Pt. 1

Some lovesick Wally for ya! Nothing too extreme, he just thinks you're marvelous :3

!!!(TW: obsessive behaviors, eye imagery)!!!

Reader is gn of course! Enjoy!

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Before you moved in, Wally felt his life was mundane. Sure, he had fun and he loved his friends, but it always felt like something was missing.

But when he came outside one day and noticed a new house had popped up, something about it drew him in. Maybe it was the (favorite color) exterior, or the freshly planted flowers in the boxes under your windows...or maybe it was the sweet smell coming from an open window. He recognized it instantly...apples!

Curiously, he approached the window and peeked inside.

And there you were...

Humming a pretty song in your apron as you busied yourself at the stove. And for the very first time, Wally felt somehow warm.

"Um, hello neighbor!" he finally managed to say after watching for a little while.

You jumped a little and turned around to see a pair of black eyes and a blue swirl of hair over the edge of the windowsill. You laughed.

"Oh gosh, you startled me!"

"I-I'm awful sorry..." Wally replied, suddenly a little nervous around you.

"No, that's alright. I just wasn't expecting company. You can come in, if you want"

Excited, he ran around to the front of the house and came inside. Only then did he realize you had been standing on a stool to cook...you were just about the same height as him!

You smiled at him.

"There, now we can meet properly! I'm (y/n)"

(Y/n)...he was positive your name was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. He repeated it over and over in his mind, until it dawned on him that you must be waiting to hear his name too.

"I like that name. I am Wally...Wally Darling"

He pointed to the window.

"I live in that red house with the eyes! Their name is Home"

You looked puzzled.

"Your house is alive?"

You looked up to see the pupils in the windows looking right at you.

"Oh! Hello, Home.." you called, waving. One of the window shutters opened and closed a few times, almost like they were waving back. You weren't sure what, but something about Home's eyes made you shiver.

"Well, it's lovely to meet you Wally"

Oh...another gorgeous sound. His name on your lips made him absolutely giddy, and he wasn't sure why. He sighed happily, hearts in his eyes, as you turned back to the skillet on the stove.

"Oh, they're done! Say, Wally...do you like apples?"

He could marry you right now.

"They're my favorite thing!"

"Well, I've just made a little treat from back home you might like then! Ever had them cooked up with cinnamon and sugar?"

You hopped off the stool and showed him. He seemed very curious.

"No, I don't think so. I had a candy apple one time for Halloween and it was very nice...but that doesn't look like apples"

You laughed.

"Well, they're cut into slices. Want some?"

"Yes, I'd like that"

Wally was unsure about trying it, but truthfully, he just wanted more time with you. Something about you was comforting and warm, and you were certainly nice to look at.

You grabbed a blue plate and a (fav color) plate for the two of you and dished it up before sitting down at the kitchen table with him.

Strangely, he seemed to only take a bite when you weren't looking. But you didn't want to be rude by asking about it...maybe he didn't like eating when people were watching.

Meanwhile, Wally was in awe. He never knew apples could be even better than they already were. Where had you been all his life??

The hearts were back in his eyes as he watched you finish your last few bites. You wiped your mouth and smiled at him.

"So, what'd you think Wally?"

There it was again...that warmth.

"Oh, I liked it very much! Um, maybe you could make it again...and...we could have a picnic. After I show you around town, that is..."

Oh golly, where had this confidence come from?! He didn't even mean to ask you out when you asked him that question! The words just tumbled out!

You blinked a few times, blushing slightly, before a smile spread across your face yet again.

"Are...are you asking me on a...date?"

"M-Maybe...would you like that?"

"Maybe I would. Maybe I think you're a cutie"

Aaand he's melted. Absolutely butter. Putty in your hands.

"So...?"

"Yes, Wally, I'd love to. Come by tomorrow and I'll pack us up a picnic basket"

You said your bashful goodbyes and Wally practically floated out the door. He was halfway Home when he realized he had no idea what to do on a date, and his "heart" dropped. Uh oh, he better go see Barnaby.

Meanwhile, you were clearing the plates and noticed the strangest thing...

Wally's fork was still totally clean and unused.

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That's right, MULTIPLE PARTSSS!

I'm doing the best I can with my writing, but things haven't been great for my mental health lately. I thought I had found a place to move but it didn't end up working out and I've been kind of depressed the past few days. But I am starting to feel better! Pulled myself out of it and managed to clean my room and get a shower yesterday so I'd say I'm doing alright. Anyone who struggles with depression knows how hard those little things can be, and if you did a thing today, I'm proud of you! 💙

Anyways, sorry for rambling! More of this story to come! (It IS gonna get obsessive soon, promise)

#wally darling fanfic #wally darling #welcome home fanfic #welcome home #wally darling x reader #wally x reader #yandere welcome home

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worriedvision · 2 years

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So uhhh how about maybe a tighnari x reader where the reader is a sibling of dottore's and they find out about his real work through a slip of the tongue (this is when they're an adult). They pursue becoming a doctor, and they decide to apply to Sumeru as well as other areas where they can train, and they get into Sumeru. Somehow they meet, chaos ensues when things are discovered

This is gonna be fun to write.

Translation: prepare to get hurt lol

Reader is gender neutral, please correct me if I slip up BC my brains like mush rn.

Got long af so I'm gonna do a second part lol

You never got on with your brother, finding him incredibly creepy. Sure, you were siblings, but something felt really dodgy about him. It didn't fade away at any point either, in fact it got even worse when he finished his education and somehow managed to get work for the Fatui.

You had assumed he was simply a medic, giving the bare minimum care to soldiers if they got wounded. Sure, it wasn't his idea of interesting, but at least he wasn't responsible for the care of vulnerable people who he could take advantage of.

Well, you found out he was experimenting on people who had less than ideal circumstances. See, he had been talking to a communication decide, and you overheard him documenting the age and condition of the 'new admissions'. Peering around the corner, you see the way his mouth just cracks into the most horrific grin. You just know he's trying to hold back laughter.

You never really knew what to do with your life, but you did try in school, achieving good qualifications to fit in wherever you deemed fit.

Now, however, you feel the sudden urge to become a doctor. Not like your evil brother, but rather a doctor that helps heal others, a doctor with a good reputation and an approachable exterior. Deciding to apply for courses, you go for Sumeru, Fontaine and Liyue. You already knew Sumeru would be near impossible to get into with how world renowned it was, you hoped to get into either Liyue or Fontaine.

When you receive the letter of acceptance from Sumeru, you manage to hold back your squeal of joy at the sight. Attached to the letter was a book you were to read up on. You flick through the pages, recognising one of the conditions to be one your brother was fixated on. You feel compelled to specialise in this reading, taking in all the information you can before you were to head off. Your mother thinks you're simply moving to Sumeru for some work, and she doesn't bar an eye when you leave.

You decide to take a detour from the usual route, figuring you may as well enjoy what other parts of Teyvat had to offer. Mondstadt, for example, felt like a getaway in comparison to your homeland. That wasn't exactly surprising, considering you had to deal with your brother's less than sane speeches.

Liyue was freeing as well, but in a more controlled manner than that of Mondstadt. You wished you left a day earlier, that way you would have been able to truly appreciate all the world had to offer.

However, you figure you may as well step foot into Sumeru. You navigate through the Chasm with someone who has the time to assist, you paying them respectfully with Mora before you head through into Sumeru.

To your surprise, you are met with a beautiful forest setting. Your mouth can't help but fall open, somehow able to keep ahold of your bag. You zone out for a bit, and you think you hear someone try to rouse you.

"Hello?" You hear a soft voice, a gloved hand waving across your face. You shake your head, promptly apologising before turning your attention to a beautiful looking man. His eyes peer into you, as if he asked you a question.

"Oh, sorry." You start. "I'm due to start a course soon at- uh sorry, one moment please-" you pause, pulling out your letter as well as the book you had been gifted. The man peers over your shoulder, and he lets out a sound of acknowledgement.

"Ah, what a coincidence." He responds. "I have to go into the city for work, I'll guide you." He nods, face still calm.

"...I would like to know who you are before trusting you with my safety." You half joke, the man smiling softly for a moment before he composed himself.

"You may call me Tighnari. I am a forest watcher." He explains. You begin to introduce yourself, only for him to recall your name. "I did see your letter, after all." He explains, smiling when you nod dumbly after realising he wasn't some sort of creep who knew all about you.

The walk wasn't very eventful, but Tighnari kept looking over at the book in your hand. You realise he's curious about the contents, and you hand it over. He looks over at you, surprised you were allowing him to read your book.

"I noticed you looking." You smile, Tighnaris ears twitching slightly. "I've already read through the book, so I think I can survive without it by my side all the time."

Tighnari nods, and he looks up to see the city entrance. Taking a deep breath, he walks up, you next to him.

When you find out you were to get a device of sorts attached to you, your mind already begins to dread the reaction you'd get if people realise you were your brother's sibling. Reluctantly, you do so, and thankfully neither of the people in front of you react. Taking a breath of relief, you walk with Tighnari, him leading you to the building you were to report to.

'Keep an eye on that one.'

After talking to Tighnari more, he asks if you would be interested in staying in the forest. Of course, you had some limits, but he told you there was someone that you both would benefit from being around. Eagerly nodding, you begin walking with Tighnari only to overhear a discussion between a parent and someone you didn't like the look of.

"Your son will be safe with us, rest assured." You hear the other person say. You tell Tighnari you'll catch up, and you make eye contact with the parent. Thankfully, it's discrete enough that the other person didn't suspect anyone was listening in. You shake your head, mouthing the words 'dont do it'.

"Thank you for the offer, I truly appreciate it." The parent starts. "However, I must turn this down."

The person sighs, clearly frustrated because this parent didn't fall for the trap that others did. You hide behind a crate, waiting until the other person is away and knocking on the door. They see you, and they demand an answer.

"I have reason to believe your son would be taken advantage of if you were to hand him over." You explain. "Was this organisation the Fatui, by any chance?" You ask after getting a look of confusion. The parent nods, and you can't help but feel relieved you overheard the transaction. "Believe me, their intentions are not pure." You finish, the parent staring at you as they take the information in.

"But my son's condition is complex." The parent queries.

"If you would like, I can keep an eye on your son's condition." You begin. "I started a course on this condition. If you like, you can check me."

The parent does so, and they nod slowly. It's like they're debating on something, but you brush it off. They thank you, accepting the offer and wishing you a safe journey home.

The walk back felt tense, for lack of a better word.

Tighnari had an expression of unease, staring ahead and not responding when you asked him if he found the book useful. After you look at him out of concern, he closes his eyes in thought before stopping.

"The book was insightful." He bluntly explains before walking ahead.

You have a feeling he's been told something, but you know better than to ask him to just tell you.

You are introduced to Collei, who takes interest in you immediately. You don't disclose where you're from, knowing from her history that she would fear you simply because of your origins. Collei can't help but laugh when she notices you look over at master Tighnari with a look that wasn't purely professional, stifling it when Tighnari raises a brow, asking her what was so funny.

Following her patient journey was certainly enlightening. For whatever reason, Tighnari informed you right before Collei woke up about the Fatui and what they did to her, and you remember the disgusting way your brother took joy in recording the patients he received on that day.

Collei never mentioned it, and you decided you wouldn't press her on it. The time she jolted after you brushed past her, you understood completely, apologising to her at the exact same time she did to you.

Tighnari started trusting you, but he didn't like the fact you never disclosed to him personally your relation to 'the doctor'. He waited, hoping you would tell him soon enough, only to become frustrated when it didn't happen.

One night, you three were out on a job, and Tighnari was asleep, Collei sitting with you while you examined her. Hearing someone in the distance, you look over to see a ginger haired man wave you over.

"Who's that?" Collei asks, you thinking of a good excuse to figure it out yourself.

"Oh, that's one of the parents of the patients I look after." You smile to make it convincing. "I'll be back in just a moment. If something happens, call me over."

You walk over, the man smiling and going along with the act until he was certain nobody else was paying attention.

"You're going to need to come with me." The man starts.

"And who are you go tell me so?" You bite back, the man chuckling lightly at your response.

"Tartaglia, 11th of the Fatui harbingers."

He takes note of how your eyes widen.

"Your brother really doesn't appreciate the lack of patients he's getting from Sumeru, and it started after you moved out." He explains. "He's going to start looking for you personally."

"Oh, thats certainly interesting!" You smile, Tartaglia sighing out.

"Listen, if you come with be back to the Fatui, we will train you to be whatever you want." He tries to convince you.

"I'd rather die." You say without hesitation. Tartaglia raises a brow. "I don't care what the Fatui can give me, I don't want to be associated with my brother's line of work."

Tartaglia rubs the back of his head, awkwardly looking away.

"Listen, you don't have much of a choice." Tartaglia sighs out.

"Give me a week to reconsider, please." You might as well try, right? After all, you knew this guy had siblings, and he would protect them to the best of his ability. Plus, the phrasing implied you would eventually fall into their hands.

"...Fine." he admits defeat. "You aren't gonna put up a fight if I were to deny you that anyway."

Returning back to camp, you see Tighnari glaring holes into you. Letting out a shaky sigh, you wave in hopes of him reciprocating it.

The fact he didn't let you know he heard most of the conversation.

You sit down, looking over at Collei who was sound asleep. Tighnari leans over, whispering into your head so he didn't disturb Collei with any of the information.

"Do you intend on handing Collei over?" Tighnari asks, his glare hardening.

"No." You respond softly.

"Why don't I believe that?" He continues.

"Because you know who my brother is." You respond. Tighnari keeps looking, not whispering anything else in the moment. "You associate me with him."

"...And why didn't you admit you were related to him? Don't tell me you're doing this to correct his wrongdoings." He continues to interrogate you.

You tear up, the weight of the situation slamming down on you.

"Because I knew you would label me to be exactly like him." You respond. "Truthfully, I feel stupid for only recently discovering what he does."

Tighnari lets you take a moment to breathe, pulling away from your ear. A tear falls, Tighnari doesn't seem to care. Why would he, considering what he knew since day one.

"...I don't know what I can do." You start once again. "I want to stay and complete my studies, but I trust you know why I couldn't safely do so." Tighnari nods, eyes looking over. "But I don't want to go to the Fatui, especially knowing their less than ethical actions."

Tighnari doesn't talk, hoping to see if you add anything else.

"If I'm spotted by the Fatui in a week's time in Sumeru, not only will I be punished, but anyone housing me will be hurt." You sigh, making sure Collei is still asleep so she didn't hear any of this.

"...I'll take care of this myself." You reaffirm yourself. "Don't look for me. Tell Collei I have a placement, or maybe say I've been moved into another area. " You explain.

"But what about you?" Tighnari suddenly asks out of concern, standing up at the same time as you do.

"Let me worry about that, okay?" You shakily let out, brushing off the hand that manages to reach you before you begin to execute your plan.

First step, you go to the academy the next day and inform them you are dropping out. You will also inform the parents that you have been keeping safe with your personal knowledge of the Fatui. Thankfully, the parents take it well, some of them explaining they had a feeling it was bound to happen. When you ask them to keep each other safe, they nod in understanding.

The next step, you find the parts of Sumeru that the Fatui don't have interest in. At first, you thought abandoned camps would do the trick until you had a very close call, almost being caught sleeping by a Fatui agent. You figure out that chances are, they had an idea of where you usually stayed because of your academic background, you have to think of perhaps going towards the areas where you weren't as likely to spot people who took pride in academic intelligence, but rather in trades.

You had a long road ahead of you, you realise as you set up camp just outside of Port Ormos.

#gender neutral reader #genshin impact imagines #angst #tighnari x gender neutral reader #tighnari #collei #dottore #tartaglia

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ravenstargames · 1 year

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✦ Lost in Limbo Devlog #2 | 02.28.23

It is time for our second devlog! 💜 🎉 We made it!

Sadly and as we anticipated, February has been a hell of a month, and March is promising to be the same. I'm mostly glad we made it through. We have a lot of work to do as the trimester comes to an end and there's a considerable amount of things due to before March ends in regards to our intensive master. The team and I are a bit on the stressed side, but we'll make it.

Let's see what our overworked and exhausted souls have managed to pull off this month, shall we?

Warning: Seyl is lacking sleep. The amount of typos and oopsies in this devlog may be higher than usual. Apologies in advance!

Raquel started to fix some sprites this month as we had planned, starting with Neela, the second supporting character you'll meet in the demo, who needs a bigger revamp than the rest of LIs. The three characters left without a sprite already have their character sheets and moodboards done, so that's something! We do not want to spoil anything from the character department as we think it's cooler to meet them with their info sheet and with their sprites polished and pretty, so we are hoping we can speed up the process during March!

One of our goals this month was to do some promo art for Valentine's day, and we somehow managed! Special thanks to Raquel who was very excited and invested on this wonderful piece of Xal! 💜

I also worked on the Valentine's cards last minute and just for the funsies, so I really didn't expect them to be as well received as they were! Thank you all so much!

A bit of lore here: Raquel, Astro and I have a class assignment due in March where we have to fully design and render two backgrounds—one interior and one exterior. It's a ton of work, but luckily both Raquel and I have had the chance to orient at least one of those backgrounds to Lost in Limbo.

Raquel is working on Amon's office (and it's looking so great already!) and I'm doing an isometric view of Ara's room. We are always looking for ways to work on the game while doing our master's assignments, but it's not always possible. Hopefuly we can also work on two exterior backgrounds for the demo with this assignment!

A very simple man, Amon is. Can't you tell by how minimalist his office looks already? *cue laugh track*

This is just a sliver of our flowchart's power! You shall tremble!

This month has been more about planning than writing for me. Remember last devlog when I said I wanted to do some tweaks to the demo script? Well, I have at least been able to properly think about it and draft it. The only thing left is writing it down and implement it to the current script to see how it flows. There'll be even more changes (again) because I have some THOUGHTS (again), and I'm really excited about them. It's adding more content of each LI to the demo to balance things a bit.

I have also been doing some cleaning to our lore documents and I have finally sat down to write every little piece of story from Lost in Limbo in 'chronologic order', more or less. It will help me to always have the bigger picture in mind when writing the routes, and I would love to have everything important settled before the demo release. It's a loooooot of information—not only about the characters and their past overall, but about the world, its many systems, its people...It'll be equally fun and stressful!

In the programming department it has been all about adjusting positions, sprites and definitions to make all the characters fit properly in different scenarios as I code more of the script. Solo, with two characters in screen, with three, with four... It has been a ride (and still is, because I have not finished yet) but it's very rewarding to see everything starting to fall into place. I have also tested more things, like the CGs, the animated backgrounds or some cool transitions! I can't wait to implement the GUI when it's done, uuugh!

Just three besties going to the forest in the middle of the night. Nothing to see here.

This month we have an amazing preview of our GUI! It's still cooking, but we hope we can show you the finished version very very soon! We are soooo excited about it, it's looking perfect so far. There's a few changes to make, but we wanted to at least show you a screen so you can have an idea of how the game will look like!

We want to add more options like a dyslexic font, a skip mode that jumps directly to the next choice without having to wait for all the text to be skipped, and more utility / accessibility options!

Lost in Limbo and Ravenstar's color? Not purple, of course. Why do you ask?

This month hasn't been as productive as we would have wanted it to be, but we have managed to still get some progress done. We are begging for March to give us a bit of freedom, specially mental because we honestly need it. It has been difficult to deal with the pressure of our studies and the weight we place on our shoulders wanting to dedicate as much time as we want to LiL. It's frustrating! But we'll get there. Baby steps, as they say!

Exciting things are on the horizon, that is for sure. This devlog has been a bit short and I'm honestly exhausted, so I'll free you! Thank you so much for reading and for your unending support. We are incredibly thankful for all of you! 💜

#lost in limbo #devlog

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writtenbyrain · 9 months

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The Burden of Expectation

Word Count: 1,995 words Summary: Expectation. Adoration. Assumed perfection. Not only are these capable of evoking immense pressure for just about anyone, but they're words that both Ladybug and Adrien are used to being burdened by. And when Ladybug catches Adrien escaping from one of his final modeling shoots one evening, they finally find the cathartic outlet they've both needed: to share their fears with someone who understands. Notes: This was written for the @goldenhourzine, be sure to check out the other wonderful creators, please!

It may have been Adrien’s final modeling shoot, but somehow that failed to make it any less unbearable.

The afternoon had grown long, the evening eventually creeping up on him faster than he had realized. At this rate, he’d probably remain subject to the camera until long after dark.

And now, slumped on the ground against the back exterior wall of the studio, all Adrien could do was stare listlessly at the sky. He could only barely make out the lower bands of the sunset through the neighboring buildings.

Using the knuckles of his left hand, Adrien gently massaged one cheek, then the other. The best part about his breaks was that he got to stop smiling, regardless of whether or not he felt down.

Sure, he did feel down tonight, but either way, he’d relish any moment he didn’t have to plaster on the veneer of the amicable celebrity he was always expected to be.

The perfect golden boy that smiled at all of Paris on billboards and signs for miles around.

They’d probably continue to expect as much from him for years to come, regardless of what he pursued after his modeling career had formally ended.

Adrien returned his ministrations to his left cheek when a shadow fell over him. He froze and looked up, his eyebrows knit together even tighter than before.

“Adrien?”

His heart lodged momentarily in his throat.

“Ladybug,” he said, standing. “Is that you?”

She smiled gently down at him from the rooftop above before swinging down with all the grace and ease he had grown fond of long before, although he would never tell her as much.

“Hi there,” Ladybug said shyly. She had stopped a few feet away. “I was on patrol when I noticed you. You looked sort of sad and alone and… I, uh, just wanted to know if you were okay out here.”

Adrien’s heart warmed at her concern — and at the light blush that dusted her cheeks. She must have been flush from swinging around the city.

“Oh, well, Father released me from my modeling contract,” he said, one hand coming to cradle the back of his head self-consciously. “This is my final shoot. We’ve been at it for hours, so I came out to take a break.”

Ladybug listened patiently, looking at him with such kind attentiveness that Adrien decided that, perhaps, he could confide in her without the mask on. Just this once.

“I like to come outside to get some air and take a break,” he explained. “And this time, I just got lost in thought. I mean, it’s my last modeling shoot, but is it really ? There’s already been so much attention on me my whole life, and even in the future, I know I’ll be scrutinized, and—”

He cut off abruptly, biting his inner cheek. “Opening up” did not mean “emotionally vomiting” all over Ladybug, who wouldn’t understand just why he was being so transparent with her.

He cleared his throat.

��I’m sorry, that was a lot. You save Paris, my problems are nothing in comparison, so don’t worry—”

“Please don’t apologize!”

Ladybug had taken a step forward, one hand outstretched for a brief moment before she pulled it back in toward her chest.

“Adrien, really, you don’t have to—”

She was cut off by a gentle bell and buzz sounding from Adrien’s pocket. He grimaced but picked up with as polite a tone as he could muster.

“Yes, hello? This is Adrien.”

It was the studio manager. The photographer had finished his break early and was hoping to get back to shooting.

Perfect.

“Yeah, I’ll be back in shortly,” Adrien said, fighting the urge to sigh into the receiver. “Thanks.”

___________

He looked defeated, and Ladybug could hardly stand it. What she wanted more than anything was to take him home and wrap him up in a soft blanket — maybe the one she had saved in her trunk for his 46th birthday — but clearly that was out of the question.

Of course, that didn’t mean she couldn’t take him away . At least for a little bit.

“Hey, Adrien?” she asked hesitantly as he returned his cell phone to his pocket. “I know you might not have a lot of time left but, if you wanted to get just a little farther away on your break, I could… take you.”

He stared at her, seemingly struck silent.

Ladybug replayed what she said in her head.

Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap—

“I mean! Take you, uh, up! Yeah, like, above Paris. On the rooftops. Not like, kidnap you take you away, but just give you, like, a little distance, you know? So you can—”

“I’d love to!”

She bit off the end of her sentence. Not that she knew where it was going, anyway.

“You… you would?”

“Of course.” Adrien smiled brightly. “I would love to go anywhere with you, Ladybug.”

___________

When they landed, Ladybug nearly stumbled, as she was so lost in the sensation of Adrien’s warmth against her side. To swing securely through the city, she had to wrap an arm around him, pulling them closer to each other than they would be otherwise.

Even so, when Ladybug caught herself, she was dazzled by the view before them. From this empty rooftop, it was as though she and Adrien sat suspended in the sky, the likes of which was lit by the final dying embers of the day.

Ladybug cleared her throat, focusing back on why she had brought them both here in the first place.

Walking to the far end of the rooftop, she sat at the edge to let her legs dangle. Then, she patted the spot beside her and shyly smiled up toward Adrien, silently inviting him to join her.

He obliged, and she couldn’t help but marvel at the way his hair haloed around his head as he sat. But, met with the warm hues of rust and gold that gently wove their way through the evening sky, his sad, distant gaze stood in stark contrast.

Finally, after several beats of silence—

“I know I already asked this, but… are you okay?” Ladybug asked.

She fixed her gaze forward, rather than looking straight at him as she asked. She felt as though she’d put less pressure on him that way.

Ladybug bent one leg up, bracing her foot beneath her while the other continued to dangle loosely.

“I guess,” Adrien said, looking down at his lap. “It’s just, um, hard to talk about. Especially when I’m supposed to be… perfect . All the time.”

The cement felt cold beneath Ladybug as the roughened edges of the rooftop bit into her thigh. While she hugged one arm around her bent leg, the thumb of her opposite hand stroked mechanically along the face of her yo-yo.

Despite the magical nature of her yo-yo’s depth, she could almost feel the tangible weightlessness of it now that she could no longer reach in for the other Miraculous; for the other kwamis, who had trusted her implicitly.

Until she had failed them.

Until she — flawless in the eyes of the citizens — had failed all of Paris.

She might not be a model, but the burden of expectation was something she knew well enough.

“You know,” Ladybug sighed, “the people of Paris have me all wrong. They should blame me for what’s happening right now, but still, they don’t see any faults with me.”

It was extraordinary enough as it was that they continued to cheer her on, but… what if she marred that perfect image by failing again?

“Being seen as perfect by the people around you,” she breathed, “it feels heavy , doesn’t it?”

In her periphery, she saw Adrien turn his head toward her.

“That’s it exactly.” He nodded. “It’s heavy. It makes it hard to move forward.”

“But if you so much as drag your feet while trying, you could be letting so many people down,” Ladybug added thoughtfully.

Now, Adrien angled his whole body toward her, attentive. Ladybug dropped her bent leg down and turned so that she could look at him, as well.

“Like, how are you supposed to withstand the constant scrutiny?” Adrien asked. “Especially when your failures reflect on the people you love.”

He looked down.

“Like my father.”

Ladybug nodded.

“I feel the same way with my partner, Chat Noir,” she said, looking back out at the city. “If I don’t get it right, not only could it reflect on him, but it could actively hurt him, too.”

Adrien sighed, leaning back on his hands. His knee bumped gently against Ladybug’s.

“It’s one thing for us to have to be perfect,” he said, “but having to be perfect for the sake of other people — not just for their expectations, but for their wellbeing — it just adds a whole new level of pressure.”

Ladybug’s cheeks warmed at the small contact, and she allowed the moment to buoy her courage. She scooted closer to him.

“I don’t know about you, but… it at least helps to have someone to talk to,” she said shyly, looking down as she folded her hands. “Like you. You understand, and it makes me feel less alone.”

The sky had grown dimmer in the minutes that passed. The air felt cooler. Lighter.

Adrien’s hands skimmed forward as he sat upright again. He rested one hand over Ladybug’s.

“I feel the same way,” he murmured.

Using his free hand, he gingerly pressed his palm to Ladybug’s opposite cheek, slowly guiding her line of sight back to him.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “For listening. And comforting me. It… really means a lot.”

Ladybug could barely breathe under the weight of Adrien’s gaze. A timid smile tugged at his lips. Curiosity bloomed in Ladybug’s heart.

No, the boy wasn’t perfect. But neither was she. And maybe that’s what could make them perfect… for each other.

Adrien’s hand continued to ghost over her cheek, and she leaned in to close the distance—

Tringtringtring

Abruptly, the two pulled back.

Adrien scrambled for his pocket and pulled out his phone, answering with unsteady breath.

“Yes, um, hello?”

Ladybug bit her lip and looked away.

“Yes, I will,” Adrien said into the receiver. “I’ll be right there. Bye.”

With a sigh, he ended the call.

“I… have to get back,” he said apologetically.

Ladybug swallowed to overcome the nerves that had knotted in the base of her throat.

“R-right! Of course!” She stammered. “Um, but first, I just… are you okay to go back? I mean, how are you feeling?”

Adrien stood and stepped back from the rooftop’s ledge. Holding out one hand to her, he donned a smile again.

This one, she knew, was genuine.

“I’m okay,” he said firmly. “It’s like you said earlier. Thanks to you, I feel less alone.”

___________

Adrien struggled to beat back the pull of disappointment in his chest as his feet hit the ground outside of the studio.

“Thank you again,” he said to Ladybug, stepping reluctantly away from her embrace. “For everything.”

Ladybug only nodded mutely, but that was all he needed to turn to face the studio doors with newfound confidence.

After several steps forward, however, she called back out to him.

“Wait, Adrien!”

He turned around.

She appeared shy and hesitant — apprehensive, even — but after a deep breath, she took two steps forward and wrapped his right hand between both of hers. Before he knew it, Ladybug’s lips pressed tenderly to his cheek, her touch lingering a moment longer than necessary.

Blushing intensely, she pulled back.

“You don’t have to be perfect, Adrien,” she said firmly as she let go and pulled out her yo-yo. “The people who truly know and love you? They’ll appreciate you just the way you are.”

Before he could respond, the spotted heroine turned and was once again swinging away.

But the joy she left with him? Well, that was a balm to his heart that would linger.

#miraculous ladybug #golden hour zine #ladrien #mild hurt/comfort #mlb fanfic #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #miraculous fanfic

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cherry-flavoured-thot · 2 years

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The Baker In The Blizzard

Pairing: La Signora x Reader

Word Count: 700+

You’re weak. Soft and kind. Far too warm. How a little creature such as yourself has been able to withstand the harshness of Snezhnaya, seems outright impossible. But the people speak of you, tender and forgiving, sympathetic and generous. La Signora assumes that in a few blizzards time, those who murmur your praise will lament and mourn. And the little kitchen you run will be filled in by someone less generous, more eager to make money; more focused on their own survival.

And yet you live. Pantalone speaks of you, how you somehow manage month after month to make ends meet despite being known for overt generosity. Your property in constant need of repairs, he offers for a fee only to be refused. Knowing you can’t afford all that comes with his offers. Perhaps the only smart decision she’d heard of you making. She doesn’t care for you, she grows tired of hearing praises about you, and the way that even lowly subordinates speak of your little establishment. While it’s odd, for such a person as yourself to survive this long, there’s no worth in giving you attention as soon you’ll be lost in the storm, as many others like you are.

She thinks. And continues to think. Until she’s standing outside your kitchen, unimpressed by it. It’s small, slightly rundown, exterior showing signs of damage from the cold, sign faded away. Snow piled on the roof, on the doorstep, ice covering the windows. It’s easy for her to make it all melt away, to open the door and enter your establishment. It’s warm inside, a fire place heating the dining area, where there are people sitting, who scramble to bow at her presence.

She scans among them to see if any are you, only for you to actually walk out from the kitchen. Had you been in the crowd, it had been so easy to pick you out, your demeanor matches your conduct. Warm smile, soft eyes, just by a glance she knows. You’re far too kind. You bow, welcoming her, thanking her for coming by.

“I want only the finest of what you have.” You scurry back into the kitchen, and she sits, contemplating why she even bothered coming here to begin with. If it was to see you failing, that certainly wasn’t the case. It’s early and your tables are half-filled, although how many are actually paying customers and are the ones who ramble about your generosity, she isn’t sure. Perhaps she’s waiting for you to serve her something horrendous, so she has an excuse to remind you of the world’s cruelty, to harden you like the ice forming on the window pane.

But what you serve her, isn’t horrendous. It’s well-made, from the coffee to the dish everything is pleasant. She asks you if any of your cooking skills were from professional training, only for you to answer you’re self-taught. People move in and out, as she sits, the occasional gawker at her presence are thrown off by a glare. You know the names, memorize the faces, some not even having to order as you already started to make it when they step through the door.

When she finishes, she doesn’t even wait for you to tell her the total, simply placing a bag of mora on the counter. “Thank you for your generosity, but I can’t accept this.” The irony of you speaking of generosity, when she now knows how few paid in full or paid at all for your dishes.

“Then don’t. Leave it on the counter and watch as someone else takes it the moment you turn your back.” Her tone is as harsh as the truth in her words, your head bowing down like a scolded puppy. But her expression eases up ever so slightly, “I’ll be highly disappointed if I come back here and find you shut.” And at that you brighten, nodding, promising to still be here upon her next return.

Both of you know, that your promise isn’t a guarantee, however, strangely enough La Signora is certain if you and your naïve ideas of kindness and generosity have survived this many blizzards, you’ll be able to survive another. And she’ll be listening with interest, when they sing your praises to see whether or not you do.

#la signora #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin #genshin x reader #la signora x reader #la signora genshin impact #genshin impact la signora #my writing tag

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finanah · 10 months

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The muskequeers

y/n’s friend / idol group !!

you ! Astrophysics major I designed yn to be more like Ai Hoshino just with a little more hints of spice (by that I mean the whole smarty pants thing, the whole lies thing will make sense more into the story bc I plan on stretching it out a lot), I know oshi no ko anime ended already but it's so addicting esp the opening so that's where the whole persona comes from since its a bit weird to have random people in the group I decided that hu tao would be there for comedy reasons, lumine because of aether, Ayaka because of the whole ayato thing and I just think she fits as a manager/co-manager and everyone needs a rich friend. Kokomi bc I purely think she'd be the sweetest ever she has humor shes cute aesthetic etc and I js love her. Yoimiya is there for ayamiya purposes, and Mona bc I'm so in love with her omg I don't even ship Scaramona but I have no other ideas anyway I made yn an astronomy geek since it's similar to astrology (not really but u get it) perfectionist, like literally got valedictorian instead of mona by a penny. oh also the visual and main vocalist (plays guitar when the song needs it) btw (sorry) she's good with Childe and Kaeya, while both of them are basically affiliated w everyone.

lumine ! Music Performance major loves her brother but does tease him and always proclaims to be the better twin to throw him off. even tho your group doesn't always use instruments like heizous, she specializes in the guitarist zone. (think of this group as b-Komachi) had the potential to be the visual but Kokomi bombed it. As mentioned, she's in the same major as her brother and sometimes shares morning classes with Venti. Along with hu tao she also often indulges in teasing and comedy.

kokomi ! Fashion Design major kokomi is in charge of the ideas for on-stage outfits while submitting them and letting Jean and Ayaka handle the rest.. Judging by her exterior, she's a visual not just because of her fashion and appearance, but also because of her extremely kind nature. I swear she's like a prototype of Mizuki and wonyoung (pjsekai) and takes some responsibility along with Ayaka.

ayaka ! Business, Management, etc major following in ayatos footsteps, she's in the same department as he used to be. Planning to finish college and go to be a director in the entertainment industry. she doesn't mind becoming a movie director or anything related to (public entertainment.) However, when Ayato does one day retire, she would have to either take on his duties and leave her own, or somehow manage to take care of everything at once (example)

hu tao ! Business major very often has the same classes as ayaka since the management part of ayakas major is done separately to keep focus. She takes after-school music classes hence she IS an idol. she does lead the funeral parlor, but not everyone knows that. She wants to continue the funeral parlor as long as she can to let someone else from her family inherit it, as it is very important to her. She's also more on the humor/entertainment side of this story like lumine.

mona ! Astrophysics major in the same major as yn and kuni, Mona tries not to make name a third-wheel so she tries not to talk to him TOO often. mona is also really close with name. She's often to be called a tsundere and very stoic. but that doesn't apply to people she's really comfortable with. She's more into zodiacs and astrology than astronomy even tho it's similar.

yoimiya ! General Studies major at first, she didn't know what to major in. She wanted to continue her love for fireworks, but also her idol career. She took on general studies to make sure she hones her skills, and decide what to pursue her career into later on. She almost chose the same major as ayaka but ayaka helped her sort everything out for what is best for her. She really loves ayaka and is closest to her, she often hangs out with thoma when ayaka and ayato are out of town. She can play multiple instruments like the guitar, and electric guitar (same thing) cello, and drums.

note ; i finally finished their profiles... I forgot to add yoimiyas profile so ill add it later, I really have no idea how these charas would be in college and modern au neither do I have a CLUEE what college majors there are...I know some but I just have no clue what they would choose so I js went along with the storyline. I'm currently writing chapter 4 !!! idk where I'm going w the whole ayato thing i think it's kinda corny but I needed someone for angst.. and I hate ayato.

alsoo its called CXite for “see, excite” bc idk when u see them ur excited idk where i was going w it…

#pawsmin #x reader #heizou smau #shikanoin heizou #wanderer #heizou #kaedehara kazuha #kazuha kaedehara #xiao #genshin x reader #genshin smau #set my eyes on you

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angstmongertina · 6 months

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7KPP Promptober 2023 Day 2

It's literally day 25 and I finally finished day 2, but it's fine, we're all fine here.

Anyway, for more in the VaLia 'verse with @teaandinanity, I love you! (Even if I will be providing angst next. :D)

Anyway, the day 2 prompt was reason, which I interpreted as "reason why Lia decides to adopt Valya as her sister."

There were rumors circulating about the young widow from Revaire before she even arrived at the Summit. From the moment her position in the Jiyelese delegation was formalized, she received notes and visits from aunties near and far, from advice to thinly veiled demands, only just subtle enough to remain on the side of propriety.

And it seemed nearly half of the communications contained some warning about the dowager baroness of Namaire.

She knew better than to put much stock to rumors; for all Jiyel prided itself as a kingdom run by logic, its people could be far from living up to that ideal, a fact that was only supported by the rumors circling the auntie tea circles about her own late-minute addition. Somehow, it was difficult to take seriously the reports that the woman had married, murdered, and poisoned her way to the Summit when she knew that the same gossipers accused her of blackmail in the next breath.

Her reluctance to adhere to such advice was immediately validated when she set foot in the room for the pre-feast introductions. Young delegates of all sorts roamed the room, dressed in finery that far outshown her own, leaving her in the perfect position to watch the reactions towards the newly arrived young widow.

With particular emphasis on young.

She comported herself well—she had to, in the face of her reputation and the weight of her past—and her height served her well to provide a dissonance to the fact, but the tightness in the corners of her eyes, the stiff set of her smile, revealed that it was hardship, not age, which had given her experience.

That was made all the more obvious from their interactions. She hadn’t expected any witnesses to her admittedly amusing success at driving away less than savory crown princes from new friends through sheer boredom, and yet the approach of a clearly delighted Lady Valeriya was also not completely unexpected.

Even so, it wasn’t until she ventured to discuss the history of the Summits that the truth became transparent. Widow she may have been, but even more so, with a sudden warmth and enthusiasm at the subject, rivaling Peony at her most delighted, she was also very clearly scarcely older than a child. And, given the wariness behind her dark eyes, the heavy history which already haunted her reputation, a mistreated, terrified child at that.

Through some act of fate, they were seated together during dinner, and her immediate observations only served to confirm her opinion. Lady Valeriya was, no doubt, a slender woman in part from her genetics, and recent surplus had managed to soften the sharpest angles in her features, but Lia knew enough, had been taught enough of the signs, to recognize the reaction of an individual who had been raised with less than reliable sources of food.

Though she hid it well, the hungry manner in which Lady Valeriya examined the food, holding each serving spoon a fraction of a second too long, paired with her knowledge of her marital status and age, already painted a far too vivid image.

Lady Valeriya didn’t deserve that.

Nobody deserved that.

And even more so, Lady Valeriya was… a dear. It seemed strange, almost indecent, to think so of a woman she had only just met, scarcely a few years her younger, but she was, lighting up with just a touch of genuine interest and warmth, with a hint of positive reinforcement. Its implications towards her childhood were therefore all the more heartbreaking, and Lia couldn’t help feeling genuine affection, coaxing the young girl out from under her cold, uncaring exterior. It was certainly a far cry from the woman she had expected the so-called viper of Namaire to be.

She was apparently not alone in that assessment. Unfortunately, however, the young lord from Wellin is far less willing to consider it an exaggeration or a desperate act of self-preservation than a deliberate attempt at manipulation.

The absolute gall of the man to insinuate that a young girl in great need had derived any perverse pleasure in marrying and then being widowed by a much more powerful baron, rather than the much more plausible explanation of it being an act of desperation. And then to imply she had no right to attend the Summit…?

It was, she suspected, meant as a warning on her behalf, perhaps even kindly, if condescendingly meant, but it certainly did nothing to improve her opinion of him, and she only bristled instead. “Your opinion has been noted, my lord, and I thank you for your consideration, but I trust your excellent etiquette extends towards recognizing the folly of believing rumors…? ”

Before he could reply, however, she turned back to the lady in question, who looked for all the world like she was sizing him up for evisceration, and smiled, as warm and gentle as she might with a stray cat. “Lady Valeriya, I apologize on behalf of my seatmate for the truly unmannerly interruption. You were saying…?”

She wasn’t entirely sure what made her outburst more worthwhile, the sputtering of the lord in question, or the shining look in her new friend’s eyes, but either way, she found herself looking forward to the Summit with far more enthusiasm than she had before.

#Tina rambles.#Tina writes stuff.#Tina plays 7KPP.#Lady Camellia of Jiyel #Do I have a VaLia 'verse tag yet?#I don't think I do but I think I SHOULD.#7KPP Promptober 2023 #VaLia verse #Aka the 'I know my sister like I know my own mind' verse.

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rio-romero · 1 year

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Who: Rio Romero x Alejandra Eguia Summary: The General, Alejandra, asks Rio to take over Tienete

"Alejandra..." With a raised brow he stares at the General standing unannounced on his doorstep. As she greets him as though invited, it was not knowing what she wanted that sees him stepping aside when prompted. Rio watches her enter his home, followed closely by her two henchmen and what looked like a waiter carrying a fancy bottle of wine and two glasses. What the fuck. Brown eyes narrow, more so when he zones in on their shoes, now trampling their dirty way across his clean floors. "Please, come in." He sasses to himself, closing the door behind them with an internal sigh. A house call from her personally already had his paranoia spinning out, not that it ever showed - calm exterior, giving nothing away as he came back into view. "You don't ever say much, do you, Rio? Why is that?" Alejandra, who had already made herself at home, asked as she sat at one end of the dining table. Taking his cue to sit at the other end, a smirk grows across his lips. Every time he'd spoken to her in the past always made him feel like somehow, whatever she asked was a trick question - now was not dissimilar. "Guess I just don't have much to say?" As the amusement washes over his features and mirrors in Alejandra's, he settles and shrugs a shoulder. "I speak enough. People are more inclined to listen to someone who just gets to the point." That was his honest answer, not too shy to tell her in those words that whatever she was doing here, he wanted to know sooner rather than later. A home invasion was not appreciated, especially not with Javi upstairs and Reina due to come by when she finished her shift.

"Very well, I'm here to discuss what happens next. Now Matias has been demoted and moved far away from here," she begins, pausing when she notes the second of surprise on Rio's face. "Fell shy on those details, did he? Hardly surprising, nobody wants to admit they're a disappointment." She adds, taking a sip from the wine the waiter poured her with a nod of approval. As the waiter is promptly dismissed, Rio sits forward, resting his arms on the table. "Meaning?" Curiosity was piqued enough to ask, to understand what it was that pushed her hand. "Meaning he isn't the capable hand I need running my empire. When it became clear to me that our enemy is not currently the gang here that runs guns, I asked him to meet with their leader. When that didn't happen I did some digging and learned of a personal vendetta. So not only does that make Matias a liability, he disobeyed a direct order. Now I'm sure I've made my point, we don't need to discuss my other reasons." Though she had a few, they weren't relevant. Rio didn't give much in the way of a reaction, he wasn't going to be petty and point out that he too had proposed a meet with the Son's, only to be ignored. Truth be told, he knew it was the right decision and he wasn't sad about it. Not after it became clear that Matias wasn't the friend to him that he originally thought. That was yet another irrelevant grievance, or rather, it was - it hardly mattered at all now.

"Then what shall we discuss, Alejandra? Restaurant recommendations for the duration of your stay?" Setting an amused smile on his lips, it's almost an achievement when he manages to pull a quiet laugh from her. "I'm leaving tomorrow, assuming I successfully appoint a new Teniente." Tipping her head to the side, she sets her glass down. "You." One word from her that made the hairs on the back of Rio's neck stand on end. "Me?" Raising a brow, his mind is already drifting back into a parade of tangled thoughts and questions. "Si, Rio, you. I know you're capable, you run a tight ship as a Capo and that's what I need in a Teniente. What do you say?" Well shit, how was that for straight to the point? Whilst she put it to him as a question, he knew fine well it wasn't - you don't say no to someone like her. In the three seconds grace he had before silence would speak for him, he thought about the risks involved. A higher station meant a bigger spotlight, more enemies, ones that might not gun for him personally but straight for those he loved. How could he protect them all? How would he see them coming? Though arguably these were all worries he already had just being a Capo and once more, worry or no worry, there was only one acceptable answer here.

"I'll do it," giving a slight nod, he rolls his shoulders and straightens up. "And I'll do it better, assuming you're also giving me the space to make some changes."

#;; drabble #self #rio x alejandra

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tonaken · 2 years

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Behave | Fushiguro Toji

Contents: Toji the hitman infiltrates the local prison to get a job done. That’s where he meets you, a mentally unstable inmate who’s as twisted as he is, if not more.

Warnings: MDNI, Toji Fushiguro x fem!reader, prison au, reader is lowkey not really insane, smut, rough sex, mandhandling, degradation, name calling, face slapping, cum eating, no aftercare

w/c: 1k

Reblogs and likes are appreciated!

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who gets hired for the job honestly by chance. He somehow passed the criminal background check and he is now here, having to care for people who have committed unspeakable things. He isn’t much different, he just did everything under the protection of the Zen’in clan, so his tracks are covered.

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who lowkey befriends a few inmates. They’re not all evil, and under the rough exterior, he sees himself in them. He finds himself playing cards with them at times. He’s really good at it too, but the not really former yakuza down the corridor always manages to beat him.

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who, one day, finds himself in the female section of the prison. His coworker called in sick and he has to cover for her. He‘s never been there, and a few inmates whistle at the man, excited to have such a tall, muscular man guarding. He doesn’t pay too much mind. He's used to being wooed by people.

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who has to break up a fight in the yard. It seems that an argument escalated. He unexpectedly struggles to divide the raging women; they are definitely stronger than they look. He’s sedated the brawl and that’s when his eyes land on you on the floor, bleeding. He’s not shocked, he has seen - and done - much worse. But he can’t forget the way you smile while wiping the blood from your nose. It’s sinister, almost crazy. He asks himself if you have a few loose screws in that head of yours.

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who is creeped out by the way you keep staring at him while in the nurse’s office. He does his best to ignore it. He’s trying to strike a conversation with the nurse, but he’s an old man who kinda hates Toji, so he doesn’t answer when he speaks to him. Toji himself looks like a criminal

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who has to take you back to your cell and has to deal with your curious questions. He thinks you’re positively mad when you're skipping instead of walking normally, the handcuffs still on your wrists

When did you start working here?

It’s been a few months

But this is my first time seeing youuu

I had to substitute someone.

Oh okay…welcome then, and enjoy your stayyyy

This will be my first and last time, so do not worry

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who finishes his shift, vowing to never go back to the female section. He shares his experience with those inmates he’s grown close to and they already know you, explaining everything they've come to hear on your account. Comes out, you killed a few people. Well that explains a few things.

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who is sent to supervise a few prisoners while they do their chores. Contrary to what he promised you, he’s in the female section again. And there you are, again, showing a bit too much interest in him. You’re scrubbing the showers, but you still find the time to hassle him. He was handsome, built and that scar on his lips made your mind wander a bit too much. Besides, he emanated something you had not felt in a long time, not within the walls of this lousy prison.

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who has to try his best to not look at you while cleaning. You look good, he has to admit it. He eyes your figure, bended over to truly get the grime off the tiles. And fuck him, especially after you not so accidentally get water on yourself. The sheered out shirt definitely has him licking his lips. Your plan worked.

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who is called in to help get you into solitary confinement. You were acting up again, getting into a fist fight with another prisoner. He somehow knew it was you when they asked of him. You really loved trouble, huh?

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who finds out who you really are after you tell him who he is. You’re not stupid, the few inmates that disappered just after he arrived were old targets of yours. Besides, he reeked of cursed energy, even if you could tell that he wasn’t the source of it.

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who smirks at you blowing his cover. You were crazy, but crazy smart as well. He came here acting all innocent and friendly, yet you found a way to see right through the bullshit. You and your pretty self knew too much, he had to cut you off

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who ponders your offer and accepts. What was there to lose?

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who fucks you against the wall of your cell, his fingers down your throat. All the mercy he had for you went into letting you live, none left in his thrusts. He didn't understand how this was a fair bargain, but he obliged. He was only going to benefit from it.

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who calls you names while he pounds into you from behind. Bitch, slut, whore. You seem to love it, by the way you moan around his fingers, saliva bubbling at the corners of your mouth. You’re so fucking filthy and he has to let you know

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who grunts into your ear about how much he hates you, but your pussy feels good so he keeps going, amply contradicting himself. You’re his little fuckthing now, and he’ll gladly use you in exchange of your silence

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who slaps your face when you don’t answer him after he asks you to ‘shut the fuck up’ because ‘you’re making too much noise’. You giggle in response, giddy on your creeping orgasm paired with the sting on your cheek

Thinking of prison guard!Toji who cums on your ass, leaving you like that in your cell, legs quickly giving out without his support. The view of you wiping your buttcheek and popping the finger in your mouth told him everything he needed to know. He was gonna have fun with you, all you had to do was behave

Masterlist | Taglist

#jujutsu kaisen smut #jjk x reader #toji smut #toji fic #toji jjk #toji imagine #toji x reader #toji x y/n #jjk smut #fushiguro toji smut #toji fushiguro smut

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wonwoonlight · 3 years

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my daisy / chapter 5 | kim mingyu

➝ CEO!Mingyu x Secretary!Reader

➝ strangers to lovers // single dad!Mingyu // fluff // lighthearted // non idol!au // like pls dont expect any dramas here lol // tiny bit of angst ig

➝ series warning: mentions of sex, no smut but there’s implied sexual activities, insecurity (as always jshbdjhsfshbf am sorry), curses, food, let me know if theres more ^^

➝ word count: 3.8k

➝ A/N: heh 4 more chapters and we're done already? how time flies by... anyway! as always, enjoy and don't hesitate to share your thoughts w me or ask about anything that might be confusing :D it means a lot to me, really<3

when your cousin asks you to be her substitute at SVT Inc. as she takes her maternity leave, you’re pretty sure this wasn’t what you signed up for.

series masterlist

Friday comes and you’re cracking your neck after the last meeting of the day ends. It’s only somewhere between 4 and 5PM, but you’ve somehow managed to keep the promise you made to yourself about freeing Mingyu’s schedule so he can have time for Gyuri even just a few hours more.

“You’re finished for the day, Sir,” you happily deliver the news to him after he lets you into his office. “Unless you want to go over the meeting or you have other agendas, you’re free to go home.”

Mingyu looks up in surprise, telling you to sit down in front of him. “How come?”

“I’m just good at my job like that,” you jokingly say. Evidently, the dynamics between the two of you have shifted since that day, you’ve gotten more comfortable around each other and you no longer avoid his gaze everytime it wanders to you. His cold exterior isn’t really for you to see anymore, and you’re already getting used to seeing his playful side more often than not when he’s surrounded by people he deems himself comfortable with like you and Seungkwan.

Sometimes you’re even borderline flirty, and you want to say that Mingyu’s the same; but you remind yourself once again that he is your boss and he has a kid. Plus, you have no way of knowing if Mingyu’s flirty with you or if that’s just how he naturally is when he jokes. You can’t help the bitter taste in your mouth everytime you remind yourself of it. “But really, you can get off work now if you want. No one’s going to say anything about the boss leaving the office one hour early for once. Everyone knows how often you stay late here.”

“Gyuri would be elated,” he laughs a little. “I’ll just go over this file and call it a day, then.”

“Say hi to Lili from me,” you grin before you stand up. “I’ll return to my desk and revise the agreement with JS Corp. Have a nice weekend, Sir.”

You miss the way Mingyu opens his mouth to say something, but the guy makes no effort to call you and let you make your way out of his office. His mind goes to the ridiculous amount of time Gyuri has been asking about you, but it’s weekend and he doubts you’d want to spend your time off with your boss and his kid no matter how much you like Gyuri.

Maybe some other day.

Just then, his phone rings and he glances at the screen. At the name of his friend, he immediately picks up the call and asks what’s up.

“When will you be off today?” Wonwoo asks from the other end.

“In a bit. Why?”

“The guys want to hang out,”he laughs as if it’s obvious. “Wanna see if you can make it.”

“Is it anywhere I can bring Gyuri?” he asks first, not bothering to ask who’d be coming. He’s sure Wonwoo wouldn’t extend an invitation to him this sudden if it’s not with their close circle. It has been quite some time since he sees them too, maybe letting Gyuri play with her uncles would lessen the mention of you in his household.

“We can just go to your place and order in if that’s the case,” Wonwoo suggests, saying the guys wouldn’t mind. “But there’s this family restaurant owned by one of my clients near my hotel. We can arrange a private room if you don’t want Gyuri to sit in the open.”

Mingyu stays silent for a while, contemplating his choices in his mind. Going to a family restaurant shouldn’t be too bad, and remembering the area of Wonwoo’s high-end hotel, it should be safe enough for Gyuri and her privacy. He winces at the thought of the hotel; the last time he was there, he’d woken up by himself and he swears he’d never drink past his limit ever again.

He bites his lip at the memory and at the joke fate is pulling between him and you. He’s never had a one night stand—at least not since Gyuri was born. He can’t do that when he has Gyuri waiting for him back home.

Mingyu can still remember that particular day vividly. It had been a while since he went out to have a drink and Seungcheol had mentioned he’s going to Exodus with Minghao if he wanted to join. He’d usually refuse, but, between failed deals and incompetent employees he almost yelled at that day, the week had been stressful. Plus, Gyuri was sleeping over her grandparents’ house so Mingyu had figured it should be okay.

He wasn’t supposed to get drunk off his head and ended up sleeping with you—or anyone, for that matter. But it’d been a while and he actually forgot he gets weirdly competitive over Seungcheol’s alcohol tolerance against his—which is how he ended up with more alcohol than he would’ve liked. Mingyu assumes you’re more or less in the exact same scenario as him by the way you left the moment you woke up and how you were always tense at the beginning everytime he’s nearby.

Maybe you’re afraid he’d bring it up, and then make a problem out of it or make it awkward between the two of you. But he doesn’t really have any reason to bring it up; what was he supposed to say, anyway? Ask why did you leave the moment you woke up? Ask if you enjoyed it as much as he did?

Mingyu sighs at the thought. It’s a one time thing and he’ll leave it at that.

“Where’s Seokmin?” you ask as you sit down next to Jihoon. You’ve never been here before, and you were supposed to go to the bar you usually go to when Soonyoung insists on trying this restaurant because his sister says it’s really good. He doesn’t really have any other friends to go to a restaurantwith except for your circle. His other friends are more fitting for a club—maybe a bar, but not restaurants, which is why he suddenly turns the steering wheel the other way when he remembers about this place.

“Dunno if he’s joining,” Soonyoung pouts. “He’s not picking up my call, too.”

“Should I try calling him?” you offer, phone already in your hand.

“And risk having my heart broken in case he picks up?” he dramatically answers. “No. I’ll just bother him some other day. It’s you, Miss New Secretary, that have been too busy to see us. You haven’t even told us where you work!”

You smile sheepishly at him, muttering an apology as you go through the menu. “I’ve been adapting, you know? And it’s been pretty good. I should be a bit freer after this, though.”

“I assume the new boss is good?” Jihoon joins in, leaning into his palm to look at you. “You haven’t been complaining to us at all.”

You automatically smile at the thought of Mingyu, but then you remember these guys know about the one-night stand venture and you remind yourself not to disclose the fact that your boss is that guy to your friends. They don’t need to know.

“Yeah. A bit too perfectionist, but it’s not surprising because he’s Jennie’s boss,” you laugh with them, and the conversation naturally goes to your cousin and her baby. Soonyoung, Jihoon, and Seokmin have always been affectionate towards you, which means their affection extends to the people close to you; sometimes you think Soonyoung and Seokmin are more excited about the baby than you are.

You’re about to ask if Jisoo is invited (because Jisoo is close with them through you, so she’s a part of the circle but not always) or if this is an exclusive gathering that Soonyoung has arranged just to bother you when a small voice squeals happily.

“Daisy!!!!” you turn in surprise at the voice, seeing Gyuri trying to get away from her dad’s arms as she tries to reach you. Your eyes find Mingyu and two guys behind him, looking at you curiously in a way that makes you a little too conscious. But your gaze refuses to leave Mingyu, already fit in his everyday clothes in contrast of his dress shirt and suit you’ve seen him in just a few hours ago. Instead, he’s wearing a simple navy bomber jacket with a black shirt hidden beneath it and a pair of black jeans covering his long legs. Have sneakers always looked that sophisticated?

Damn, doesn’t he look good in casual clothes. No one would’ve thought Gyuri is his child with the way he dresses and the friends with him; they’d probably assume she’s a sister or a niece. On another note, though, do handsome people only befriend handsome people?

“Miss you!!”

You haven’t got a chance to answer nor explain to your friends when another voice enters from the back of the small party. “Oh? What are you guys doing here?”

Soonyoung blinks at the sight of Seokmin, all sort of curses for not answering his call already on the tip of his tongue but Jihoon is quick to shut him up by jabbing his thigh with his elbow. He glares at his friend, but Jihoon has never been one to faze under Soonyoung’s glare.

“Hi Seokmin,” you decide to answer, addressing him with an awkward smile. “Soonyoung wants to try this place.”

And that’s how you end up joining their table in a private room with Jihoon and Soonyoung. Gyuri happily sits next to you in her baby chair and Mingyu on her other side. Jihoon is still next to you, but Soonyoung sits across him, and next to him is Seokmin, and then two guys called Minghao and Wonwoo. For reasons that you don’t know, there’s an empty seat reserved next to Mingyu.

Your answer comes fifteen minutes later when Seungcheol makes his way into the private room, blinking continuously at the two circles together in front of him as if he’s sure he sees wrong. He turns owlishly to you, and it’s Wonwoo who ushers him to sit and proceeds to tell him what happened.

“I would’ve brought Jisoo here if I knew,” he says, smiling cutely at Gyuri who greets him with a happy ‘Uncle Cherry!’.

The dinner goes smoothly after that, and even though Soonyoung’s a bit annoyed his plan to annoy you is basically cancelled, he’s happy to find new friends though he’s unsure if he’ll be able to mix well with these wealthy business men despite their close age.

“I didn’t know you hang out with Seungcheol outside?” you tell Seokmin in confusion. While Jisoo would often be included in your hangout because she’s practically a package deal with you, Seungcheol would sometimes join by Jisoo’s extension. Now that you think about it, Seungcheol would either stick with Jisoo or Seokmin when it comes to it.

“Did I never mention?” he grins sheepishly before he takes a bite of his salad. “Must’ve slipped my mind.”

It’s pretty plausible, if you’re being honest. You don’t really know about Seokmin and his ‘bigshot’ friends before this—he’s never even shown you pictures and none of you are ever curious; he’s only said he was a childhood friend with one of them and the friendship still lasts almost two decades later. You’d like to think the reason why you, Jihoon, Seokmin, and Soonyoung (even Jisoo) are able to be this close to each other is because none of you ever pries anything out of the other unless you deem it necessary for their sake.

A part of you wonders why he and Jisoo don’t seem to be close even though presumably they might have time to hang out together outside your circle, but you figure sometimes people simply hang out together without making a close bond with one another.

“Feels like I haven’t seen you in so long, man,” Seungcheol’s voice booms through the table, addressing Mingyu as he takes . “When was the last time I saw you? Exodus?”

You cough violently at the mention of the club, bringing attention to you as Gyuri’s little hand pats you on the arm. Jihoon looks at you in worry, telling you to drink slowly as his hand rubs your back. You mutter an apology to the table, excusing yourself to the restroom while you’re at it. Gyuri grabs your finger, asking to come with you. You don’t want to say no, but you dread having to look Mingyu in the eyes as the memory of that night stirs in you once again.

Daring to look at Mingyu for permission, the guy simply nods when you meet his eyes. You can’t read his expression, both because you quickly look away to take Gyuri in your arms and because his face isunreadable. It’s been sometime since you have to remind yourself once again that Mingyu doesn’t have any reason to bring it up and everything’s fine.

Gyuri happily sits on top of the marble sink as you splash some water to your face. She reaches out to play with the sink, trying to figure out how it works as the water turns on and off by itself.

“Okay, that’s enough playing, yeah?” you smile at her after your heart calms down. “Let’s go back?”

She readily jumps into your arms, finger already playing with your hair as you make your way back to the private room. Gyuri refuses to sit back on her baby chair, her grip on you gets tighter when you’re about to put her down, so you settle her on your lap which earns you a content babble from the little girl.

“I’m really sorry,” Mingyu says from beside you, having finally rid of the baby chair so he can move his chair right next to yours. Everyone’s practically done eating at this point, but no one seems to be in a hurry to leave as they converse with one another. “She’s always been touchy, but never this clingy with someone before.”

“Guess I’m special,” you manage to joke, though your heart is going wild at the way he’s caressing Gyuri’s head.

You don’t expect Mingyu to answer, but the guy nods in agreement, telling you that ‘yeah, you are,’ with a voice that’s only for you to hear. You tense a little at that, wondering if you heard wrong, but Mingyu’s already turning the other way around before you can ask about it.

Across you, Soonyoung and Seokmin are staring at you with something close to suspicion. You raise your eyebrow in question, but they just narrow their eyes as if you have any idea about what they’re questioning you about.

“What’s with your friends?” you ask Jihoon instead.

“You’ve been friends with them for years and you still question what’s with them?”

“You’ve got a point.”

“But, if you must know,” he leans closer to whisper. “They’re probably suspicious of your relationship with your boss.”

You let out a loud ‘What!’ before you even realize, making Gyuri jump a little in your arms. You mutter a quiet sorry, and Gyuri continues to draw patterns on your arm with her finger after mumbling ‘’ss okay’. Mingyu turns to ask if something’s up, and you reassure him that all is fine and you’re just overreacting. He doesn’t seem convinced, but he lets it go and returns to his conversation with Minghao about interior design.

“I mean,” Jihoon continues without missing a beat, subtly pointing at the kid on your lap. “Why did she call you Daisy and why did she say she misses you?”

Gyuri is blissfully unaware she’s being talked about, and she simply yawns before leaning her cheek on your chest, getting comfortable in your hold as she grips the material of your clothing.

You’re about to answer him when a phone is suddenly shoved in front of you, a very annoyed Jisoo on the screen and you can only assume it’s Seungcheol holding the phone from behind.

“Not fair!!!!” she pouts. “You’re ALL there without me?”

“Am here too,” Jihoon helpfully chirps from the side, only his eyes appearing on the screen. Soonyoung makes his appearance through voice only, telling Jisoo it sucks to be her.

“Wow,” she exclaims in disbelief, her face offended. “You told me only [Y/N] was there, Cheol!”

“Now, now,” you see him grin through the camera, his phone tilting down a little to show Gyuri on your lap. “Let’s not get angry with Lili present.”

Gyuri sleepily waves at the camera, melting whatever annoyance Jisoo has before. Jisoo promises to send her pudding one of these days, and the kid also makes her promise like Jennie did the other day. Mingyu chuckles at the banter, and then finally notices his kid falling asleep in your arms.

Jisoo sees you and Mingyu share a look then a smile before he takes Gyuri from your lap until Seungcheol moves the camera to himself again. He talks some more before eventually hangs up, telling her to have a good night and that he’ll text her once he’s arrived home.

She wonders if she was just imagining the fond look on your face when you’re looking at Mingyu.

Two weeks later, you find yourself getting ready for your business trip to Japan. More importantly, you find yourself falling more and more for Mingyu and Gyuri as time goes by and you’ve been reminding yourself to keep your feelings at bay—to not act upon it and you should take a step back from where you’re currently at. Your tendency to throw (hopefully) subtle flirty jokes at him and his nonchalant way of returning them needsto be stopped.

It’s getting increasingly scary: the way you and Mingyu have been getting more comfortable with each other. You try to trample down whatever hope that’s trying to bloom within you, but Mingyu would give you a playful wink or Gyuri would randomly make Jooyeon call you and there goes all your effort. The father and daughter pair aren’t hard to fall for and you don’t know how you are supposed to deal with this feeling.

Perhaps going on a business trip with Mingyu isn’t currently the best choice for your inner dilemma. Though it’s not like you have any other choices.

“What do you mean you’re going to Japan?” Jisoo demands from the sofa as you’re busy packing on the floor.

“I mean just that,” you roll your eyes. “Boss has a meeting there and the other secretary has already filed for the week off before this meeting was scheduled.”

“So it’s just you and Mingyu?” she frowns.

You turn to her in confusion, unsure why she’s annoyed. “Does your boss take other staffs that might not be needed for a meeting abroad?”

“So you’re there to be his secretary.”

“I am his secretary.”

Your friend stays silent at that, and you give her a pointed look that asks for explanation. When she still doesn’t say anything, you huff and sit next to her to probe further.

“Do you… like Mingyu?” she carefully starts.

“Of course I do,” you reply without hesitation, surprising her. But your next words make her shoulders drop unceremoniously. “He’s a pretty good boss. Even more when compared to my old ones.”

She scratches her arm, hoping you won’t get defensive. “I mean… romantically. Are you interested in him?”

“Where does this even come from?” when Jisoo doesn’t answer, you track back to any moment that might lead to this question until you remember the video call from that night. “Is it because Lili was on my lap?”

Your friend exhales a deep breath. You’re not sure why Jisoo is this anxious, but she grasps your hands and you recognize the look on her face, it’s one she gives you when she’s concerned about something to the point where the worry is eating her inside out.

“Are you?” she asks once more and you know you can’t lie to her face, can’t say no like you mean it, not when her voice is gentle and her eyes are full of worry. She knows you too well, you’d like to say. She knows how hard it is for you to be interested in someone, and she also knows you tend to fall hard once you do. Whatever concern that fills her is probably valid and you know you should be worried too.

“I don’t know, Soo,” you truthfully say. Perhaps you’re still in denial, refusing to acknowledge that you’ve been unknowingly staring at Mingyu with longing looks and the way your heart would run faster at the sight of his smile. But admitting it feels like a commitment itself and you’d rather not go down that road. “He… I’ve always been attracted to him, I’ll give you that. But I don’t know if I’m that invested yet. It’s probably just a crush. It’ll pass.”

Your voice is a little too small for her liking, you sound so defeated and it’s not something that sits well with Jisoo.

“I’m not… trying to get you to forget him,” she starts. The small smile on her face is there to remind you about her well-meaning concern. “I know how you don’t date just for the sake of it, and I know how hard it is for you to even be interested in someone. It’s been sometimes too, right? But… you know he has Gyuri and I hope you’re prepared for what you’re getting into. This is more than the usual commitment between two people.”

It goes pass your mind how Jisoo doesn’t say anything about Mingyu’s family, as the mention of Gyuri brings an automatic smile to your face. Jisoo doesn’t miss this, but doesn’t have it in her to bring it up right now because she knows you’ll get defensive.

It was just two days ago that Mingyu had called you out of nowhere, apologizing the moment you picked up the call because Gyuri had been wanting to talk to you and it's getting harder to convince her you’re busy. You spent a good ten minutes talking to Gyuri until she’s satisfied and eventually agreed to hang up the phone.

You found yourself biting your lip until it almost bled until it’s one in the morning, Mingyu’s low voice whispering ‘good night’ ringing in your mind.

“There’s no… commitment, Soo. You don’t have to worry. I’m sure Mingyu’s not into me that way.”

You know Jisoo is about to convince you otherwise, that you’re a very great person and Mingyu would be lucky to be with you, but you don’t want to hear it so you stand back up to end the conversation there and continue packing.

Mingyu’s way out of your reach and you might not even work here anymore after Jennie’s back.

You’ll get over it.

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@w0nuuu @boowanie @n6body @imtotallydef @wwssi @bythe8 @cheolright @coupsiekkuma @hoe4wonwoo

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@tito-jun @projectjuvia @notscoupy @jeonshuawreads @cheoriemoawa @wtfkidult

A/N: am sorry but some accs can't be mentioned for some reason D:

#mingyu scenarios #mingyu fluff #mingyu scenario #seventeen imagine #seventeen fic #seventeen scenarios #seventeen fluff #seventeen scenario #seventeen x reader #svt fic #seventeen imagines #svt scenarios #mingyu angst #mingyu x reader #my daisy masterlist #svt fluff #mingyu au #seventeen fanfic #seventeen au

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pixelmensupremacy · 2 years

Text

Under the full moon

Chapter 2

Summary: After an unfortunate event, Chris lost track of his surroundings. Waking up he found himself in an unfamilar place with a stranger.

Warnings: Mild description of gore; Chris being hot as hell in that damn turtleneck

A/N: Writing this chapter was such a struggle.

Word count: 1348

Special thanks to my friends @fufusoki @pepe-simp for the help with editing and to everyone who reads this story!

Sharp pain pierced Chris’s skull, causing him to wake up. Cautiously he got up only to realize he wasn’t at the village. Instead he found himself in a wooden cabin. Taking a look around, the man inspected his surroundings. His gaze travelled across the small space, from the tiny coffee table to the long line of bookshelves that was displayed across the wall next to him. Beneath was a small fireplace where a pot hanged right above bright blazing flames. An alluring scent filled his nostrils, tingling his senses.

With a single kick, he removed a wool blanket, its multiple colors knitted in a complex pattern. Chris wondered if this was a dream that somehow didn’t happen to be another night terror. A soft voice interrupted his strain of thought.

‘He is waking up, Spleens! You either have magical powers or the herbs are starting to kick in.’ Turning in the direction of the sound, he saw a woman, carrying a cat in her arms.

‘Good to see you are awake, though you woke up much sooner than I expected. Dinner is ready if you are feeling hungry.’ The woman kindly smiled at him, her eyes radiated nothing but warmth.

Confusion clouded Chris’s mind. Standing up he felt a twinge in his left shoulder, that was tightly wrapped up in bandages, supposedly by the mysterious cat lady. Examining the source of pain, he recalled splitting up with his squad members in pursuit of Miranda. Shortly after he got cornered by a pack of wolf-like creatures. Thick mist was spreading around him, intruding his field of vision. Too busy to take out the ones in front of him, Chris hadn’t noticed that another was behind him. Even though he managed to get the creature off of him the damage was already done. The rest he didn’t want to remember, even though it was clear in his memory and heavy on his heart.

‘Are you coming? If you don’t hurry, there won’t be any left for you.’

Before the man could even think about turning down her offer, a low grumble echoed from his abdomen. Ever since his arrival at the village his meals consisted of cigarettes and energy bars. His stomach hadn’t felt as empty as it did right now so he figured food poisoning sounded better than dying from starvation.

Still a bit hesitant Chris sat across the table, avoiding her curious gaze, instead he turned his attention to his meal. It had a decent look and no poison was evident.

‘I hope you like mushroom stew. I wasn’t expecting any guests.’ (Y/N) gave the man an apologetic look, before shoving a spoonful of the stew in her mouth. Influenced by the unearthly scent of the food, Chris hesitantly mimicked her action. She watched with anticipation, eager to find out if he liked her cooking. To say he liked it was an understatement. Chris finished his meal in a record time, while she wasn’t even halfway through hers.

‘You must have been starving.’ (Y/N) muttered, a mixture of shock and empathy was audible in her voice.

‘Do you want me to refill- ‘

‘Yes, please.’ He answered immediately, before she could finish her sentence.

‘Your wound is located in a very critical spot, I’m surprised you didn’t die of blood loss before you got here.’ She began as she placed the plate in front of him. ‘I may have to take another look at it later.’

In response Chris only huffed, not pleased with a stranger tending to his injuries, but he was aware that it was necessary. He didn’t have much of a choice.

‘Name’s (Y/N).’ She introduced herself in hope to warm up his cold exterior. The man hesitated if he should give out personal information about himself, then again she didn’t seem like a threat. If she was he would be dead by now.

‘Chris Redfield.’

***

The forest became dead silent as the night went on, the silence settled in the lonely cabin by the time its two residents finished with their dinner. Chris sat across the fire place, lost in thought as he observed the flames, their light reflected in his distant ice-blue orbs. His features seemed more defined, where light wasn’t enough to reach. The wrinkles on his scrunched forehead looked deeper, enhancing his stoic appearance.

‘Mind if I interrupt your little meditating session?’ (Y/N) approached, a rag and a bowl filled with water in her hands. He sighed at the sight.

‘Sure go ahead.’ Any distraction was welcomed, even if it lasted for a short while. Anything as long as it didn’t involve any memories of his burdening past.

‘Okay big guy, let’s take a look at what you’ve got here.’ Glancing at him, the woman noticed just now how tight his clothing was. The dark material hugged his toned chest, making every muscle visible, leaving little to the imagination. Her eyes fell to his abnormally big biceps, where the material of the dark grey turtleneck was stretched to its limits. The woman swore she could see numerous veins popping out. Feeling heat rising within her, she tried to bring her attention back to his shoulder.

(Y/N) assisted the man in removing the bandage before delicately stripping him from his top layers, revealing his crimson colored shoulder.

‘It looks bad.’ With a frown (Y/N) soaked the cloth in the water, before applying it on his skin. She wondered how he got bit. The bite marks were undoubtedly by a lycan. Chris was one lucky guy to escape its deadly claws. Still, concern was heavy on her heart. What if he was infected? For all she knew, he could turn into another monster, although there weren’t any indicators pointing to such an outcome.

‘Feels worse.’ Chris hissed, taken aback by the stinging sense, caused by the rough material of the fabric.

‘Oh I forgot to mention, it might hurt a little.’

‘Yeah thanks for being helpful.’

‘If it wasn’t for me you would’ve been someone’s dinner by now.’

‘And how does that bother you.’

‘Well your handsome face was probably going to be ruined by those creatures.’ His eyes met hers. The blue of his orbs was turned into a tight ring all the while his pupils were blown wide. His gaze darkened for a split second before he looked away.

‘I’m touched.’ The man responded, as if he wasn’t having the most intense eye contact in his entire life just a second ago. (Y/N) stood frozen, unsure of what just happened. She felt both intimidated and intrigued. He was definitely something else.

Once (Y/N) cleaned all of the dried up blood, she moved onto disinfecting the wound. Doing so she earned a lot of huffs and puffs from the man, who tried to do his best to keep his composure throughout the process.

Chris felt a cool feeling against his burning skin. He noticed her spreading a questionable substance over the wound. Its strong smell was unidentifiable to his nose.

‘Are you even qualified to do this.’

‘You won’t find anyone better. Plus, no one has ever filed complaints against me, if that’s what you’re asking. Now please be kind enough and pass me the bandage.’

Chris did as he was told and soon he was all patched up.

‘Here you. There aren’t any signs of infection so I’m expecting that you’ll heal just fine. But I’ll have to stich the cut soon.’

‘Where are you going?’ Chris questioned just as she turned away from him.

‘I gotta get you settled for the night, just a blanket won’t make do.’

In a minute (Y/N) was back with another blanket and a pillow. He observed as she placed everything together resulting in a makeshift bed.

‘Well… That’s all I can do for you at the moment. In case you need me just call out to me.’ She paused before heading out.

‘Hey.’ She stayed still. ‘Nevermind.’ His voice was soft and almost inaudible. In response she only smiled.

‘See you tomorrow Chris.’

He had a lot to process. (Y/N) was kind, too kind even. It made him question if she had genuine intentions.

Chapter 1

#resident evil x reader #chris redfield x reader #female reader #werewolf!chris #resident evil fanfiction #chris redfield

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bestofbucky · 3 years

Text

Eavesdrop

Pairings: Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 5.1k

Warnings: none really, enemies to ?

A/N: This is my first time posting something I have written. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you so much @tuiccim for your help, couldn’t have done it without you.

Being an Avenger is tough. Of course, there are the obvious missions and kicking ass that are exhausting, especially because you don’t have any sort of enhancements or powers. You are just a regular human being, fighting with and against some not so regular human beings. Naturally when you have downtime, you spend it doing things with the least amount of effort. Watching Netflix, listening to music, taking baths, etc, meaning that your social life outside of the compound was, to put it simply, non-existent.

You had just returned from the worst date of your life, well, one of the top five worst dates of your life. Over the past couple of months Steve and Natasha had grown tired of you whining about being single but not making any effort to change it and began sending you on blind dates. Somehow, they managed five different times to find five completely awful people. This time they had set you up with Arthur, a recruit for SHIELD and a good one at that. You wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the elite squad soon, but when it came to your date, he was really blunt and inappropriate, and you had cringed your way through the entire thing.

Once you got back to the compound, you first went to your room to get changed into gym clothes for training with Nat, then headed to her room. On your way you passed one of the common rooms and heard two voices. One familiar but one you didn’t recognise, you decided to check it out and found Steve and another man.

Steve called your name inviting you over to them as they both stood up. ‘This is Bucky. He’s moving in today to begin training.’ Steve explains. You nod and smile at Bucky, remembering Steve told you about him and that he would be living here and eventually joining the team.

You have to stop yourself from gasping out loud at the sight of him. He is a 6 ft something hunk of muscle and beauty and you can’t stop yourself from trying to take him all in with your eyes.

Steve then introduces you to Bucky who looks in your eyes for all of two seconds to say, ‘hi’ before looking down at his feet. He is probably really nervous. Even from that two second glance, you could tell he had one hell of a past. They had you hooked already, you wanted to stare into those eyes and let them tell you the stories of the lifetime they had seen.

‘You were just in Wakanda right? How was it? I have only ever seen it in pictures but I really want to go.’ You let your excitement show, hoping to relax him a bit.

‘Yeah, it was nice. I was frozen for most of it though’ Shit, he curses himself. He didn’t mean to come across so rude but he was really nervous, you are really pretty and it is messing with his head a little. It doesn’t help that he has had to meet a lot of different people today and he is all socialised out. He sees your face fall slightly before you quickly compose yourself, any normal person would have missed it but he has his past of being a trained assassin.

‘Well, Nat is probably waiting for me, she told me she would show me some new moves today.’ You say realising that Bucky had probably been under a lot of stress lately and most likely just wanted to be alone, or with Steve rather than chatting to you, a stranger. At least you hoped this was the reason and it wasn’t that he already disliked you. Saying goodbye to the two of them you head off to Natasha’s room.

Not even bothering to knock, you walk into her room leaving the door open behind you, since you’ll be heading down to the gym soon anyway. Natasha is sitting on the end of the bed braiding her hair. ‘You almost ready?’ You ask.

‘Yeah, just got to finish my hair then put my shoes on.’ She tells you so you take a seat on her bed while you wait.

Meanwhile, Bucky told Steve that he wanted to go get his room sorted. Really it was just an excuse to be alone for a little while. On the way there he walked past a room with the door open and heard two voices talking, recognising them to be you and Natasha. He was just about to carry on walking to his room when he heard Natasha ask, ‘did you meet him yet?’

Bucky assumed she was talking about him and wanted to hear what you had to say. He hoped you would be understanding of his reticence after his taxing morning.

‘Yeah, I met him today.’ You sigh and roll your eyes.

‘That bad?’ Nat asks, raising her eyebrows with a slight smirk on her face.

‘Yes, I tried to be as friendly as I could but he seemed like a jerk.’ You huff.

‘How so?’

‘He was so blunt he just came across really rude. I had high expectations, especially after hearing Steve say so many nice things about him.’

‘Maybe he was just having a bad day?’ She attempts a defence.

‘Bad day or not, he should have the courtesy to smile and be polite even if it is fake.’

Bucky was so hurt to hear this. Yes, he wasn’t the nicest to you but your reaction seemed a bit dramatic. He didn’t want to hear you say any more so he rushed off to his room.

‘So, I guess you aren’t going to go on a second date with him then?’ Nat asks.

‘No, I really appreciate you and Steve trying to set me up but seeing as this is the 5th time and none of them were any good, I think I’ll go back to my old methods.’ You smile at her.

‘What, never putting yourself out there and waiting for the right person to just fall into your lap?’ Nat teases and you both laugh when you nod. She finishes tying her shoelaces and you head off to the gym.

The next day you were leading a meeting of recruits who have the potential to be moved up into the squad that worked with the Avengers. The elite squad. Unfortunately for you, Arthur was in the group of recruits and was probably the next one to be promoted. You finally dismissed everyone and started getting your stuff together to leave as well when Arthur came up to you.

‘What’s the word on who is moving up next, dove?’ You look up in shock, surely, he didn’t just call you dove.

‘Excuse me?’ You look him dead in the eye.

‘I said what’s the word on who is moving up next? I think you might need to get your hearing checked.’ He laughs at his own joke so you fake laugh with him.

‘That’s confidential., we’ll let everyone know when we have made the decision.’ You say and go to walk past him but he grabs your arm.

‘Does someone need a little convincing. If it’s you, then I can think of some ways.’ He whispers seductively in your ear. You pull your arm out of his grasp and frown at him.

‘I’m only joking, dove, come on, you can’t even take a joke?’ He laughs again.

You put on your best fake smile and your customer service voice. ‘There will be no convincing necessary. You are a good agent but you also have good competition. We will inform you all of our decision when it is made.’ You say and quickly turn and walk out the door before he can say anything else. When you get into the lift you ask FRIDAY where Steve is.

‘Common room A, Agent Y/L/N’. You make your way there as quick as possible. Heading around the corner, you slam into a solid object. You hiss at the contact on your fresh bruises, a frown appearing on your face. As soon as you look up to see what or who you bumped into, the frown quickly fades into a smile when you see its Bucky. He is already looking at you.

‘Sorry I should have been watching where I was going.’ He mumbles quickly.

‘No, it’s just as much my fault as yours. I shouldn’t have been in such a hurry.’ You apologise to him. As much as you would love to stay and chat with Bucky, you need to get to Steve to explain what just happened with Arthur and hopefully you can get him kicked off the team.

Bucky had left his room to try and find someone to help him figure out a few things with FRIDAY but as soon as he bumped into you that completely left his mind. You were all that filled his mind ever since he met you. He stood in the hallway for a while before realising he should ask you to help. Maybe this would be a good excuse to make up for his poor first impression. He heads in the direction you went but stops short when he hears your voice.

‘I think he bruised me. The dick.’ You say and Steve frowns at you ‘Come on, Steve. I’m allowed to be angry. He has been nothing but a jerk to me,’ you explain and shift to get more comfortable.

‘What did you say to him when he did this?’ Steve asks, holding your arm and examining the newly formed bruises in the shapes of fingers.

‘I put on my best fake smile and pretended like everything was ok,’ You joke and Steve laughs, ‘as much as I hate the guy, I don’t have the confidence to actually show it.’ You sigh and Steve pulls your sleeve back down and leans back into the sofa. ‘Is there any way we can kick him off the team?’ You exaggerate batting your eyelashes at him.

‘He isn’t even on the team yet and you already want to kick him off?’ Steve questions.

‘Yes! I really don’t like him. I know he is your friend but I trust him about as far as I can throw him’ You explain and Steve nods.

Bucky had heard enough. He can’t believe you could be so horrible. You had the sweetest exterior and, from first impressions, you didn’t look like you could hurt a fly. But as he heard you say, you clearly put on a fake act to come across as polite and kind when really you are rude deep down. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop on you. Twice now. But he is so glad he did, because now he knows not to waste his energy on you. He knows what you think of him and he has formed his opinion of you. He hurries back to his room.

‘He’s not my friend Y/N, I only said that to you to make you go on the date with an open mind. I’ve only ever had one conversation with the guy,’ Steve jokes and you playfully push his arm, ‘All jokes aside, his behaviour breaks a lot of conduct rules and is a good enough reason to have him knocked down a few squads.’ Steve replies and you sigh with relief. You hug Steve and thank him for his help, he’s taken slightly off guard but hugs you back before you go your separate ways.

A few weeks later, you walk into the kitchen to find the whole team eating their breakfast. Sam is cooking and when he sees you, he makes a plate and hands it to you.

‘Thank you Sam.’ You hug him and take the plate, turning around at the sound of Bucky’s scoff. You haven’t had a conversation with Bucky since you bumped into each other in the hallway. You had tried to but he either completely ignored you or just rolled his eyes and left the room.

At first it hurt, you wondered if you had done something wrong. The team seemed just as confused by it as you. Bucky didn’t have a problem with anyone else. That wasn’t to say he was extremely friendly with them, he wasn’t there yet and nobody blamed him but he could hold conversation with the others. He even laughed at their jokes. You were starting to get fed up with it so after breakfast you headed to Bucky’s room to talk to him. You knocked on the door and it wasn’t long until he answered it. As soon as he saw you his face fell visibly.

‘Can we talk?’ You asked hoping he would let you into his room. He paused to consider it then stepped out of his room, closing the door behind him. He stood there with his arms crossed and waited for you to talk.

‘Is there something I did wrong?’ You ask him and he keeps a blank face.

‘Why do you care?’ He asks still arms crossed over his body.

‘I care because you are always scoffing or rolling your eyes at me whenever I try to talk to you.’

‘I’m not scoffing or rolling my eyes now.’ He points out.

‘No but you’re not exactly being very friendly.’

‘Would you prefer for me to fake it then? Just put on a smile and pretend to like you?’ He jabs. You take a moment to process what he just said. You didn’t realise he could be so mean.

‘No Bucky I would prefer for you to maybe make an effort to get to know me before making a judgement.’ You scowl at him.

‘I have a perfectly fine judgement of you. I am not going to fall for your fake smiles and fake friendships.’ Bucky snarls and walks back into his room closing his door in your face. You are left to stand there in shock.

On the other side of the door Bucky is leaning there conflicted. The shock on your face looked so genuine. No, he has to remember it is all an act with you.

From that day on you decided you weren’t going to make an effort with him. It wasn’t the most mature decision but you were tired. What used to be eye rolls and scoffs, now turned into snarky comments and you were no longer afraid to throw them right back at him.

Steve had tried a few times to talk to you about it but, when he couldn’t tell you why Bucky hated you, he realised there was nothing he could do to change how either of you felt about the other. What he could do was change up your schedules so the two of you were rarely ever in the same room together.

Unfortunately, instead of the arguments happening quite calmly but consistently over the course of the whole day. They were now much shorter, confined to just mealtimes, and much more heated and intense. None of the team knew which was worse.

You were sparring in the gym with Natasha trying to work off some steam from this morning’s argument with Bucky.

‘Your moves are sloppy, get whatever is making you emotional out of your head.’ She grunts at you but this only forces you further into your head.

You go hard at her, but she blocks every move so you go to defence. She smirks at you, ‘Has a certain super soldier got into your head?’

That causes a surge of anger to hit you and again you go hard at Natasha, but your anger only allows her to catch you off balance and you are pinned to the mat in a matter of seconds.

‘So it is Barnes.’ She pulls you up and you brush yourself off before getting back into a fighting stance.

‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ You grunt at her and start your attack. Your moves are still predictable and anger clouds your mind. You feel yourself getting more and more worked up with every hit she blocks.

You retreat to take a breather, you hear the door open and you glance over, the man of the hour has just entered and you roll your eyes but continue to spar with Natasha.

Out the corner of your eye, you see him make his way over to you both, watching as you take a lot of hits from her and barely manage to land any of your own.

‘I have seen toddlers fight better than you Y/N.’ You hear him chuckle.

‘I don’t need your opinion.’ You grunt, still trying to keep your focus on Natasha.

‘Fight like that on the field and you’ll be dead in two seconds.’

‘Keep talking and you’ll wish you were dead.’

He laughs ‘Is that a threat?’ You ignore him and continue sparring. ‘Your punches are so weak, how did you become an Avenger again?’ He is still smiling knowing exactly which buttons to push.

You stop and make your way over to him. ‘I became an Avenger because of my talent and my strength, that I worked hard to earn.’ You are right up in his face, almost chest to chest. You are breathing hard, partly from the exercise but mostly because of how riled up you are. You notice he is breathing hard as well, his breath fanning across your face.

Your mind can’t help but drift, is this what he would look like in bed, his chest rising and falling faster than normal. Small beads of sweat gathered at his hairline from his recent run. You suddenly realise how close the two of you are and force the inappropriate thoughts from your mind. You hate how seeing him so riled up is actually a huge turn on. How could you let yourself be attracted to such an asshole?

‘You wouldn’t stand a chance against me.’ His voice drops so low that in a different circumstance you would have happily dropped your panties.

‘You’re right. I wouldn’t stand a chance against you and your metal arm that you were given. Or you and the super soldier serum that you were given.’ You know they are cheap shots but you just couldn’t help how absolutely fuming he makes you. He had managed to get under your skin and the thought of him being successful only made you angrier.

He leans down even more, your noses almost touching ‘I don’t know how everyone else can’t see through your little nice act. You pretend to be so kind on the outside but deep down you’re a bitch.’ Ouch. You deserved that one for what you said to him but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Especially because if you were hooked up to a lie detector and asked to say those things again, it would flash up as a blatant lie. However, looking into his eyes there was not an ounce of regret for what he said.

Bucky knew he shouldn’t have said what he did, but you had hit a nerve and it was the only thing he could think to say back. He saw the hurt flash across your eyes but it was too late to take it back now. The only thing he could do was exit the situation before it got any worse. He turned on his heels and left the room, leaving you standing there in complete shock at your exchange.

Natasha calls your name but you quickly leave for your room before anyone can see you like this.

The team was split all across the base. This wasn’t how you would usually handle missions but as soon as you arrived the mission started to go sideways.

‘Target headed towards the west elevator. Anyone nearby copy?’ You hear Steve’s voice through comms.

‘I'm on it.’ You say back, your comms crackling more than usual.

‘Copy that.’ Bucky said, his comms crackling from the two of you talking at the same time.

The rest of the team had heard both of your voices but neither of you had heard the other. So it was a big shock when you were waiting for the elevator and you heard his voice behind you.

‘You have got to be kidding me.’ He sighs and slowly walks up to you to wait for the elevator as well. ‘Did you not hear me say I got it?’ He snaps at you.

‘No because I was the one that said I’m on it.’ You snap back and thankfully the elevator dings it’s arrival. Normally in creepy Hydra bases you would avoid elevators but seeing as there was no stairwell nearby, this was the only option.

‘Age before beauty.’ You say to him, gesturing to the elevator.

‘Very funny’ he says sarcastically before stepping inside. You follow after him and press the only floor button available.

Silence permeates the small space as you prepare for what’s to happen once the doors open. Instead, the elevator jerks to a stop.

‘No.’ You panic and start pressing the floor button over and over. ‘No no no no no.’ Nothing is working.

‘Let me try.’ Bucky says pushing you out of the way, you so badly want to say something but the only thing you can focus on is the fact you might be trapped. Bucky taps the button and looks around for anything else to press but there is nothing. You can feel yourself start to get light headed as claustrophobia takes hold and the thought of falling to your death in this metal box takes over your thoughts. You shrink down onto the floor and hold your head in your hands.

‘Do you always have to be so dramatic?’ Bucky huffs. You don’t answer him, the only thing you can think about is the pain starting in your chest and your breathing getting heavier.

‘Stop breathing so fast. You are going to make yourself pass out.’ Bucky grunts but when you don’t reply or make any effort to slow your breathing he gets worried. He kneels down in front of you ‘Hey? Doll? Can you hear me?’ You can’t answer him, you just feel the impending doom and the immense pressure on your chest. ‘I’m going to move your hands.’ He announces then you feel him take your hands and pull them away from your face. You look at him, tears in your eyes, a look of pure fear across your face. ‘Breathe with me, doll. Can you do that?’ He asks and you manage to nod. He speeds his breathing up to your pace then gradually slows it, you follow him as best as you can and eventually you get your breathing back to normal, with the occasional hiccup or sharp intake.

Once he sees you are ok, he lets go of your hands and sits on the floor as far away as he can. You both continue to sit in silence.

‘Thank you.’ You eventually manage to whisper, he nods without meeting your eye.

You can’t help but feel disappointed, you just got to see a caring side of Bucky and it felt amazing to be on the receiving end of it, but now you are back to him not giving a shit about you. You go back and forth wondering whether it is the right time to bring up the issues between you two. If not now, when?

‘Why do you hate me so much?’ He looks across at you and sighs before he answers.

‘I don’t hate you.’

‘Yes you do. It seems like you go out of your way to make me miserable.’ You push, making him lean his head back on the wall behind him.

‘I don’t hate you. I just don’t like how you formed opinions about me so early on. You wanted me off the team before I even got cleared to be on the team.’ Bucky explains. You stare at him in confusion.

‘How do you know what opinions I formed of you? I may have wanted you off the team but it was only because you were mean and that was after you were cleared.’ You could feel yourself starting to get angry.

‘Then how come I overheard you talking about the first time we met to Nat, you said I was blunt and rude. Then after I accidentally bumped into you, you told Steve you wanted me off the team.’ Bucky says agitatedly.

‘I never-‘ you think back to any conversations you had with Nat and Steve about Bucky. The only ones that came to mind were asking them if they knew why Bucky didn’t like you. Then it hits you, he had overheard you talking to Steve and Nat about Arthur. You sighed.

‘Let me guess, you overheard me and Nat talking not long after we first met. We were in Nat’s room getting ready to go train?’ You ask and he nods.

‘Then the conversation you overheard with Steve was straight after we bumped into each other. We were in the common room?’ Bucky looks confused but nods again.

‘You are such a prick. You eavesdrop but don’t even listen long enough to hear who we were talking about.’ You can’t help but chuckle at the situation, even though it’s not particularly funny.

‘What?’ Bucky looks more confused than ever.

‘Well, if you had listened properly to the whole conversation you would know I was talking about that asshat agent, Arthur.’ That came out more blunt than you intended.

‘The recruit that got bumped down a few squads even though he is really good?’

‘Yep. That’s the one’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Before you came Steve and Nat had been setting me up on blind dates with people. Arthur was the fifth one, I really didn’t want to go so Steve convinced me by saying they were friends and all this nice stuff about him.’ You pause to take a deep breath. ‘The day we met, I had just come from the date with him and it was awful. That's what me and Nat were talking about. Then when we bumped into each other in the hallway, I had just come from a meeting with the recruits. Arthur had been inappropriate and he hurt my arm, I was rushing to Steve to tell him and ask if he can be kicked off the team.’ You finally manage to say and Bucky just looks at you. You can see the cogs turning in his head as he is finally getting context to the snippets of conversation he overheard.

‘Shit. I am so sorry. I am such an idiot.’ He scolds himself and you can’t help but feel bad for him.

‘I am not going to disagree with you, but we have both said and done some pretty nasty stuff. I am sorry for any hurt I caused you.’ You say sincerely and he looks over to you and smiles.

‘So you didn’t think I was rude when we first met?’ He still holds your eye contact and you take a moment to look at him. You have never seen him look so vulnerable before, he almost looked scared.

‘No, Bucky, I thought you were probably nervous or tired from meeting loads of new people.’ You explain and his shoulders fall.

‘I feel like such a jerk.’ He sighs and you scoot yourself closer to him so he has to look at you.

‘I’m not all that innocent in this either. It was a misunderstanding. I am just glad we have cleared it up now.’ You say meaning it and he smiles earnestly back at you. It is something you have never experienced first-hand. You have seen him give those gorgeous, slightly lopsided, smiles to other people but seeing one directed at you causes a rush of heat to your cheeks and you find yourself blushing.

Bucky must have been thinking along the same lines ‘You’re cute when you blush. I have never seen this side of you before.’ He brushes some hair out of your face and behind your ear. ‘You know, part of the reason I was so nervous when I first met you was because I was taken off guard by how beautiful you are.’ His cheeks flush slightly at his confession.

Before you can say anything the elevator jerks again and starts moving, you and Bucky are quick on your feet, preparing yourself for the doors to open.

When they finally do you are met with a group of Hydra agents ready to attack. You and Bucky work in tandem, playing off each other’s strengths. When the Hydra agents realize this, they work to separate you. The majority of them are on Bucky but you are fighting four at once. You are onto the last one when he raises his gun to shoot but you force his arm down. Not quick enough, it fires and clips your calf causing you to cry out from the pain

It is not as bad as actually being shot in the leg but it still hurts like hell and you can’t put pressure on it. The room is pretty silent apart from footsteps you recognise to be Bucky approaching. You move quickly and uppercut the guy in the nose. The crack echoes throughout the room as the guy falls to the floor at your feet.

You turn to Bucky, his mouth agape and eyebrows raised in shock. ‘That was hot.’ He announces finally, making you laugh, you go to take a step towards him but realise too late that your injured leg won’t hold your weight. You would have fallen to the floor if Bucky hadn’t rushed to catch you.

‘Thanks.’ You chuckle, your faces are extremely close. Your eyes completely entranced in his. Your whole body warms at the safe feeling of being in his arms. You start to wonder what it would be like to fall asleep in these arms, to wake up the next morning still wrapped up in them. Protected.

You force yourself back to reality by clearing your throat. ‘We should probably get back to the team.’ You say and he nods. He puts his arm around your waist and you put yours over his shoulders to use him as a crutch.

The ride back up in the elevator goes smoothly this time and before you know it you are hobbling up to the quinjet where the rest of the team awaits. Natasha and Steve are both looking back and forth from you to Bucky in confusion.

‘What the hell happened?’ Steve asks not trying to hide how baffled he is that you and Bucky are holding onto each other and not arguing. Natasha simply smirks. Bucky helps you into a seat then sits opposite you with a wink as you smile at him.

‘No, this is too weird. Please argue, bicker, roll your eyes. Anything.’ Sam begs Bucky who doesn’t break his eye contact with you. Bucky simply laughs knowing his behaviour is unsettling Sam and enjoying the newfound comradery with you.

1K notes · View notes

mypoisonedvine · 3 years

Text

Compromise | dark!Bucky Barnes x reader

summary: after weeks in bucky barnes’ basement, you continue to plot your escape. unfortunately for you, he’s been plotting something, too.

word count: 4.2k

warnings: smut (noncon), oral (m receiving), forced breeding, bargaining, kidnapping/imprisonment, yandere (slightly?), a little bit of lactation kink

The jingling of keys was almost too quiet to hear, but with no other sound in your rusty shack of a prison, it was deafening. Your heart raced with the realization that your captor was returning home, even though you had anticipated it since his daily schedule (and in turn, yours) operated like clockwork.

The door opening and slamming shut. The rustling of chains and sliding of metal— he’s locking the deadbolts again. You tried to count them to see if you could figure how many he had on the door upstairs, but you lost track of which sound was what after three or four. You needed to know that before you attempted your escape, so you could calculate the time you’d need to get out the front door.

But that was sort of a moot point when you couldn’t get to the front door. Your first obstacle was the door in front of you. Your first obstacle was getting out of this basement.

An issue for another day, though, because Bucky was home and he was coming down to see you. It was earlier than usual, as he normally spent time upstairs first and didn’t come down until he had to bring you your dinner. Even just that small disruption to your daily routine made you fear the worst.

The door creaked and groaned under its own weight as it swung open, your captor waiting on the other side, The orange light of the afternoon was only a sliver across the wall, since your only window was no more than a few inches tall and at right at the ground level (which, in your case, was just below the ceiling; if you stood on your bed you could see out, but it was just grass and trees as far as you could see). As he stepped down the concrete stairs and shut the door behind him, that sliver of light illuminated only his crystal-blue eyes.

The two of you stared at each other in silence for a moment; him broad and strong and glowering menacingly by the door, you cowering in the corner.

“You know why you’re here, don’t you?” he asked quietly.

“I’m here so I can have your baby,” you answered as calmly as you could manage. He had made it overwhelmingly clear over the past few weeks, and although he’d never touched you that way in your time here, every day was shrouded with the impending reality of his purpose for you.

“Good job,” he praised flatly. “I’ve been waiting a while, for the right time…”

So have I, you thought to yourself, reflecting on your plan but stopping yourself as if you thought he might somehow read your mind and find a way to stop you.

“Today’s the day,” he informed you plainly. “Get on the bed.”

You pressed yourself back against the cold brick, shaking your head. He sighed, stalking closer to you as his combat boots echoed across the room with each step.

“Don’t make this difficult. It’s inevitable— and if you behave, I’ll make it good for you, too.”

“No, please,” you begged, shrinking into a ball as he neared your corner, “please don’t—”

He grabbed your wrist and yanked you to your feet, ignoring your yelps of pain; with a growl, he shoved you against the wall. “I’ve waited long enough. I’ve given you time to accept it and prepare yourself. Now get. On. The bed.”

Your mind raced as it searched for how to get out of this, but it came up nearly blank. He was a super soldier, with a vibranium arm; fighting was not at all an option. Begging was a waste, because you’d done that so many times before and all it did was get you punished— he never beat or starved you, thankfully, because he said it would interfere with your fertility, but he was quick to take away your few chances for privacy. You shuddered at the memory of those times that he’d chained you up and refused to let you feed or bathe yourself, doing it all for you instead.

His eyes were burning into your skin and you knew he was going to take what he wanted from you. You knew you couldn’t stop him from getting what he’d been waiting for… but you wondered if you could negotiate with him still. Maybe if you appealed to his arousal, you could gamble your dignity but save yourself from getting pregnant. After all, sex with this psycho sounded like a nightmare, but a child with him was unthinkable.

“I… I can still pleasure you,” you offered weakly, your voice and hands trembling with fear as you looked up at him. His brows furrowed slightly as he looked back with an expression of confusion. “You can use my mouth instead. I’ll be so good,” you promised, swallowing nervously as his eyes scanned your face, “I’ll do anything you want, I just don’t want to get pregnant.”

“I don’t know…” he mumbled, and you smiled because he was considering it and that meant you had a shot.

“Please, please Bucky let me suck your cock,” you begged, feeling a little sick as you had to feign this sort of eagerness, “it’ll be so good, pleasepleaseplease—”

“Alright, don’t overexert yourself,” he sighed, like he was doing you a favor. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt… just this once. But it’d better be as good as you’re making it seem, or I’ll just fuck you instead.”

You beamed and fell to your knees. “Oh, thank you, thank you so much— I’m gonna make it good, I promise Bucky, I’ll do whatever you like.”

“Well, you need to get it out first.”

You nodded and reached up to his belt, swallowing nervously as you started to undo the buckle. It wasn’t too bright in the room but you could see the outline of his cock through his jeans— it was hard already, and you could tell it was big. You figured the fabric was making it seem thicker than it really was, because it couldn’t possibly be that thick, right?

You looked up at him through your lashes as you opened the belt all the way, using touch to navigate the button and fly as you maintained eye contact. His face was as unreadable as ever, stoic aside from a tightened jaw. You really hoped he was enjoying this, because your ability to avoid getting pregnant was riding on it.

You unzipped the jeans slowly, slightly afraid that teasing would get you in trouble but smiling up at him as if you had no fear at all. You needed to act like this blowjob was the best thing that ever happened to you. If it kept this psycho from knocking you up, maybe it would be.

As you pulled his jeans down his thighs, you gasped a little at the outline of his cock through his boxer-briefs. “Fuck,” you murmured, “it really is that big.”

Bucky’s stern exterior finally cracked as a small smirk crossed his face. “Think you can handle it?” he asked, a hint of playful challenge in his tone.

“I’ll try my best,” you answered as you rubbed it through the fabric. With a breath to stabilize yourself, you slipped your fingers under the elastic, pulled his underwear down his muscular thighs— slowly, thoughtfully— and set the beast free.

With it staring you in the face like this, the tip red and dotted with a pearl of pre-cum, you wondered how you ever thought this was a good idea.

You took a quick breath in and out to stabilize yourself and try to accept that this was really happening, before delicately wrapping your hand around it. Your fingers didn’t even reach your palm… you were so screwed.

“Waiting for something?” he asked you impatiently.

“It’s better if you build anticipation,” you explained, looking up at him again.

“I know,” he frowned. “What do you think I’ve been waiting all this time for?”

You were trying not to think about where you were, what this was, who he was. Of course he would remind you, just to make it even harder.

You leaned forward and licked the head with a long, slow lap, tasting the warmth and musk of his skin on your tongue. You met his gaze when you did it again, finishing the motion by wrapping your lips around the head. Your tongue swirled over the skin and tasted everywhere you could reach, paying extra attention to his slit, and you finally got the slightest reaction as his mouth fell slack.

Needing some relief for your jaw already, you pulled back and stroked him slowly with a smile. “You taste soooo good,” you purred, internally cringing at your own poor acting. “I bet your come’s gonna taste even better.”

Spreading the wetness from your mouth over the rest of his shaft, you were able to get a bit of a rhythm going with your hand before you swallowed the head again, bobbing up and down and taking him a little deeper each time. You tried to change it up and watch for what might get him going: teasing him with the tip of your tongue, moaning around him, reaching down to grab his balls and rub them— but he was slow to warm up. His first real sign of pleasure was when his fingers pushed your hair out of your face, then traced down your cheek where it was hollowed from sucking.

“You look so good with my cock in your mouth,” he groaned, grabbing your chin and guiding you to take him a little deeper. You moaned again and tried to relax your throat as his tip began to brush over the back of your tongue.

You got into a routine fairly quickly— suck, bob, stroke, gag, repeat. Your free hand fondled his balls a bit, and you would stop to lick and suck them from time to time, but it seemed like you needed to keep trying to get him in your throat if you had any chance at making him come soon.

“Fuck,” he whispered under his breath, putting his hand on the back of your neck and starting to buck his hips up against you. You almost reached up to put your hands on his thighs and slow him down, but stopped yourself; you couldn’t afford to say no to him right now.

“Choke on it,” he growled, holding you down and watching you gag as tears welled in your eyes. Just as you thought you might throw up or pass out, he let you go and you were able to pull back. You coughed a little but started stroking him in the meantime while your throat recovered. You knew he was getting closer to the edge, you just hoped he was getting a lot closer, for your sake.

When you couldn’t take gagging anymore, and when you started to really feel him flexing and throbbing against your tongue, you pulled off of him and stroked his cock eagerly. “Do you wanna come on my face, Bucky? Or do you want me to swallow it?” you moaned, trying to sound sultry in spite of how exhausted and fucked-out you must’ve looked.

“Neither,” he replied, throwing you off-guard again. “I’m gonna come in your mouth, but I don’t want you to swallow it until I tell you to. Is that clear?”

You nodded, even though the idea of having to keep his come in your mouth for any longer than a moment sounded wretched.

He slipped his cock back into your mouth, hitting your throat every time and ignoring when you gagged. His breaths got heavier as you could feel his cock begin to pulse again. “Gonna come,” he warned you with a deep moan, “fuck, you ready?”

You did your best attempt at a nod, looking up at him the whole time. He looked back at you, his teeth bared and eyes wild, and the way he glared at you made you throb between your legs.

His moans were shaky as he came, the taste of him coating your tongue and throat with every thrust. He came a lot, more than you’d expected, and you sucked lightly on the sensitive head before pulling off.

“Fuck,” he sighed, “that was good. You were right.”

You didn’t smile, because you were afraid to let any of it spill. You got the impression that if you got come on his boots, you’d get in serious trouble. He helped you stand up, examining your face for a moment.

“You’re not swallowing yet, right? I wanna see it in your mouth,” he purred. He held your chin gently between his forefinger and thumb and you opened your mouth for him, letting his spend gather on your tongue. “Good girl.”

You stayed still as his hands wandered over your body, settling on the knot that held your robe tied together. He didn’t let you dress in anything more than that, though he thankfully kept the temperature nice enough that you didn’t need a lot more. With one tug, he undid the knot and it fell open; another quick push off your shoulders and you were completely naked in front of him.

He hummed contentedly, running his fingertips over your skin until you shivered, goosebumps forming in the wake of his touch. “I’ve seen you before, but that was strictly business,” he explained, his voice dreamy like he wasn’t focusing that much on his words but rather on what he was seeing in front of him. “Now I can finally appreciate you the way you deserve.”

You were terrified of what this all meant— apparently this is how he relaxes after an orgasm, some sort of cryptic take on pillow talk?— but you stayed still and kept your mouth shut, literally and figuratively.

“Spit it out into my hand,” he instructed. Confused and a little disgusted, you obeyed as he cupped his palm beneath your mouth. You were still trying to process that when his other hand— the metal one— grabbed you by the neck and forced you down, expending almost no effort in order to bend you over the edge of the bed and pin you there.

It all happened so fast that you didn’t even have time to scream before he was wiping his come on your pussy, shoving it in with his fingers.

“No!” you cried when you realized what he’d done, but it was too late to beg because it had already happened. You could feel it dripping out of you, but he never let it get very far before two fingers dragged it back and pushed it in.

“You’re soaked,” he observed with a cruel laugh. “You love sucking cock, huh? Maybe I’ll let you do it again sometime.”

All you could do was sob, hoping he would be done soon and you could get back to preparing your escape plan; he’d already come, so what more could he do to you?

“I don’t know if it’s getting deep enough,” he frowned as he knelt down and examined between your legs. If his hand wasn’t already wrapped around your neck you would’ve considered trying to kick him in the face or something, but you felt so helpless already and didn’t want to anger him further. “Here’s what we’ll do,” he decided, standing up and leaning over you as he started to get on the bed with you. “I’m gonna fuck this come into you, as deep as I can go. How about that?”

You shook your head and continued your sobs as he grabbed you and tossed you on your back, grabbing your legs and placing them on his shoulders.

“Bucky, you can’t!” you begged weakly, reaching up to cover your face with your hands. He didn’t care for that, grabbing your arms and pinning them to either side of you.

“Look at me!” he demanded, and you blinked your eyes open even as you turned your face away slightly to hide that last little bit. “Yes I fucking can. I can fuck you five more times tonight if I want to. I don’t think I’ll be able to come any more after that, but I could still fuck you again just to be sure. So, do you want to spend all night full of my cock? Or just the next half hour?”

Clearly, you’d underestimated the ramifications of his ‘super’ status. You had assumed that finishing once would satiate him, but you saw now that he had a lot more in store for you.

“Make it quick, please,” you whispered, your last piece of negotiation for the night— hopefully. He grinned and you swallowed.

“Oh, I think you ruined any chance of that. I probably wouldn’t’ve lasted too long if we’d stuck to my original plans— what, with all the waiting for the past few weeks,” he chuckled. “But now that you got me off already, it might be awhile before I can come again.”

You closed your eyes and sighed in defeat. He pushed down on the backs of your knees, keeping your legs spread wide and your body all but folded in half.

“I think my fingers warmed you up enough, don’t you? You can take it,” he decided as he started to slide his cock over your folds; like he was going to play with his prey before he devoured it. “Beg me to fuck you.”

“No, no,” you whispered, shutting your eyes tighter.

His voice got closer as the weight on your legs shifted; he was leaning above you, looking right at you, and you were too terrified to open your eyes.

“Beg me to fuck you and get you pregnant.”

“Nonononono,” you sobbed, because maybe it was all a terrible dream and it would end soon.

“Sooner you do it, sooner I start, sooner I finish. And then it’ll all be over and I’ll leave you alone.”

It’ll only just be the beginning, some voice in your head told you, but did it even make any difference?

“Please… fuck me,” you whispered, so quiet that only a man with enhanced hearing could pick up on it— but he would rather pretend not to.

“Speak up, honey, I can’t hear ya,” he grinned, “and look at me with those pretty eyes.”

You blinked your eyes open, staring back at the man above you. “Please, Bucky…” you said, a little louder, “please fuck me… I want you to g-get me pregnant.”

And part of you was almost thankful when he finally slammed his cock into you, because at least he wasn’t going to make you beg any longer. Still, your back arched and your mouth fell into a silent scream as the pain of his forced entry shot through you.

“Fuuuuuuuck,” he growled, already pulling back to thrust deeper, “oh my god, you feel so fucking good.”

It was all too much, and the way he had you positioned made him go so deep in you that you could barely breathe. You knew you’d be sore for days from this, and he had only just started.

He fucked you relentlessly, looking down and watching in awe as his cock slid in and out of your dripping hole. “Taking me so well,” he praised you with a rough voice, “such a good girl for me.”

His attempt at praise felt like the most humiliating thing he could’ve said; you wanted anything but to be good for him— after so many tries to fight back, to stall, to resist, all you’d done was make everything worse for yourself, and now he was calling you his good girl. You felt disgusting as he leaned down and grabbed your jaw, forcing you to reciprocate his aggressive kiss.

He stayed close when he pulled back, watching your expression twist with pain. “Does it still hurt, doll? It should start feeling good soon.”

It had already started to feel good, but you hadn’t admitted that to yourself. Every thrust pushed the fat head of his cock right into some part of you that was so sensitive and it was all very overwhelming.

“It’ll be better if you come,” he explained. “I wanna make it good for you, and it helps our chances of conceiving.”

An hour ago, you would have objected to the use of ‘our’— it’s not ‘our’ plan, it’s not what ‘we’ want, you would’ve said, or at least thought. But you were so distracted that you didn’t even notice it, and in a way, you two did have the same goal: you both wanted this to end, just for different reasons.

“I bet you can come just from this,” he wagered, “but it’ll be easier for you if I touch you here, right?”

One hand moved down and suddenly his thumb was circling your clit. Instantly your hips were bucking up and your walls were clenching down on him. He began to praise you for how sensitive you were, but his words were lost in your mind as you put all your energy into not having an orgasm. You couldn’t come from this— you’d been kidnapped, held captive, molested, manipulated, and now this… you just couldn’t allow that to happen.

“Let go, baby, I know you’re so close,” he encouraged, “it’s okay— it’s good, my good little girl…”

The coil snapped, and at that moment, your last piece of dignity fell and shattered. It must have been that holding it back for so long only made it more intense when you gave in, because you’d never come so hard in your life. Your eyes went from wrenched shut to shot wide open, and your back arched as your nails clawed at the sheets beneath you. You couldn’t be sure what noises you made because your ears were starting to ring, and through all of that he was still fucking you.

“Fuck yes, just like that,” he grinned, “Jesus fucking Christ, you get so tight when you come.”

As the intensity of your orgasm faded, all your fight was gone with it, and you went limp as you resigned to letting him use your body this way. He leaned down and kissed your neck, sucking bitemarks into the delicate skin there— even venturing down to your collarbones. All of that meant he didn’t have to go very far to be able to whisper in your ear about how he was so close, how he was going to get you pregnant any second now, and how he couldn’t wait to see you round and swollen with his child.

“These’ll get bigger too,” he moaned as he reached up to grope your tits. “Our baby will get first serve, of course, but if there’s anything left over, I’ll help you take care of it.”

It could’ve been hours of that, for all you could tell. You came again and again— they started to blend together after a while— as he moaned the most terrifying, filthy things in your ear. You were afraid you’d go numb before he finished, his cock moving so fast and so deep that the friction nearly burned. It didn’t burn, though, because you were unendingly wet, which really just made it worse because you hated that you were, on some level, enjoying it. Every time he whispered praises to you, arousal tingled in your spine and you fluttered around him. It was obvious that his words, his body, and his cock were doing things to you that you hadn’t ever experienced before.

You were crying still, but you weren’t sobbing. No sound or heavy breathing, just tears streaming silently to the wet patch beneath your head.

“You’re so perfect,” he cooed, “and you’re gonna be a great mom. You’ll be a great wife, too… with a little more training.”

He was fucking you even faster, the lewd slapping of skin echoing through the room. You could hear how wet you were, and you could feel that it had begun to coat your inner thighs. His moans got louder, occasionally muffled as he kissed your neck some more.

“God, baby, I dunno if I can last much longer… need to fill you up, doll.”

Your legs were shaking, but the rest of you was still and silent, resigned to your fate.

“Fuck, I love you,” he groaned. “Is that strange to say? I hope it’s not too soon— but it’s true. I love you so fuckin’ much.” His sweetness dissipated instantly as he grabbed your jaw, hovering over your face again. “Say you love me, too,” he instructed. You weakly tried to shake your head. “Say it!”

“I love you too, Bucky,” you whispered, and you heard yourself say it but it didn’t sound like you at all. He smiled softly, looking down at you with gentle affection in his eyes.

“I know, sweet girl,” he hummed before he kissed you again. And as the kiss deepened, the way he moaned against your lips and his hips started to falter made it all too clear he was coming inside you. It went on for what felt like eternity, with him thrusting into you with every flex of his cock, each time slamming as deep as he could go.

He pulled you close, keeping his cock inside as he started to catch his breath and kiss your neck and shoulders slowly. Your kidnapper, after everything he’d done, actually had the audacity to cuddle with you… how bizarre.

“Might be able to go again soon,” he informed you with a sleepy mumble, “but I jus’ wanna hold ya first… I could fall asleep with you in my arms like this…”

You glanced over at the door, sadly seeing he’d locked it behind him— even locked from the inside, you couldn’t open it, due to the outrageously heavy metal bar that only he could lift. Meaning you couldn’t make your escape while he slept. With no hope of freedom in sight, and with your own eyelids getting heavy, you figured it couldn’t do any harm to fall asleep with him. You’d worry about your plan tomorrow— right now, you could just enjoy laying your head on his chest and being wrapped in his embrace.

#dark!bucky barnes smut #dark!bucky barnes x reader #dark!bucky barnes x you #dark!bucky barnes x y/n #dark!bucky smut

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highqueenofelfhame · 3 years

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fafs, twenty four

so i was definitely going to wait to post this until tomorrow or the day after but then decided to say fuck it and in the spirit of rowaelin month am just giving it to you now, whatever. who needs rules. or regulations. not me.

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It was nowhere near the worst injury she’d ever had, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant.

The living room floor of one of her smaller sanctuaries had been turned into a makeshift operating room. A trash bag was laid out beneath her, rustling with every move she made. The first aid kit that had been untouched and hidden under the kitchen sink was open with all its pieces scattered around her. A brand new bottle of vodka sat to her right, several shots worth already buzzing through her veins. It would take at least one more swig before she got started, but it was already difficult to slide the thread into the needle, so she was holding off until she was just about ready to begin.

Gods damn the agent that shot her. Aelin would bet money that it was Remelle, the blonde bitch that had been pawing at Rowan for years. Before, when she was Lilian, she’d heard a wide array of stories about the woman and her unwanted advances. Ever since Aelin had been introduced to the FBI as a criminal informant, she had shot daggers at her in every meeting, likely angry Aelin was spending so much time with Rowan. Despite how much of that time was angry banter from Rowan, no matter if Aelin was trying to thaw out his icy inner and exterior.

None of that mattered now. She could have Rowan if she really wanted him. Maybe they were already together and--

Aelin stopped those thoughts in their tracks, eyes focusing on the task at hand. There were bigger things to worry about, like getting out of the city and, most importantly, the bleeding wound on her thigh. She chewed on her lip until the thread finally made it into the curved needle, and she held back a cheer as she sloshed some vodka over the wound on her thigh. Hissing through her teeth, she thanked the gods that it wasn’t any worse.

It wasn’t even that bad, considering everything else she’d experienced. There was the time Arobynn had stabbed a dagger through her palm, and she’d had to stitch up the injury herself. She wasn’t sure how many times she’d been sliced and jabbed in training. Her list of broken bones and scars was a long one. Once she got older and was better at her job than all of the men combined, training had become more of a game of survival. They had been out for blood, shedding hers in red tears on the floor until she managed to incapacitate them enough to claim the victory for herself.

This gunshot wound was minor. It hadn’t nicked anything major, and it had taken a while for Aelin to realize she’d even been shot. The adrenaline from running from the full force of the FBI had been enough to repel the pain until she was nearly to her safehouse. She was four blocks away when she realized her pace was slowing and that there was a sharp, hot pain throbbing in her left thigh. A glance down told her everything she needed to know. She had limped straight through the front door and to the first aid kit, where she now prepared to stitch her own leg up.

At one point, there had been a numbing agent in this bag, but she remembered using it on Sam after a nasty fight with Arobynn one night when she was twenty-one. Since then, she’d seldom been to this safehouse and had neglected to restock her kit. There was barely enough of the nylon thread left over, but she would manage. Aelin made a mental note to have someone, either Nox or herself, replenish the missing items.

With a deep breath and a final swig of vodka, she picked up the forceps and shimmied the tension from her shoulders while she hunched over her leg, ready to begin.

With the first stick and the drag of the thread through her skin, Aelin bit her lip so hard she drew blood. It was a bizarre and uncomfortable feeling accompanied by a slight burning sensation. Several times she groaned while she sewed her skin back together. By the time she was finished, her mouth tasted metallic, and the trash bag beneath her was covered in droplets of blood. Her bare thigh looked grim and would leave behind a jagged, ugly scar, but she doused it once more in vodka before wiping away the blood with a damp piece of gauze. Her hands were mostly steady while she placed a bandage over the top and taped it down.

It was just another painful memory that would soon fade to silvery skin. How many more would it take until she was free?

Shaking her head to pull her from any thoughts too negative to deal with right now, Aelin smiled a bit. She was almost pleased with herself for handling the entire situation so well, but the reality of the situation was soon to crash down on her. It didn’t take long for her to get up, going about the tiny house and jerking all the curtains closed. Hardly any natural light was able to filter in through the gaps in the curtains for how tightly she’d twisted at the blinds until they were sealed completely shut. Thumbtacks were shoved into the walls to keep anyone curious from peering inside. She would move to another place in a day or two, she promised herself, after she had time to dye her hair and her wound wasn’t so fresh.

Every lock on every door was twisted into place-- seven locks on both the front and back doors. Only two of those locks could be opened with a key from the outside. The other five were inside only, a variation of deadbolts and chain locks that made her feel secure.

Only when she was satisfied that she was as safe for the time being did she go to the single bedroom and lock the door behind her. In a handful of heartbeats, she collapsed on the old quilt and drifted into a fitful sleep.

~*~

The news that it would take weeks, maybe months, of physical therapy to have his shoulder back to one-hundred percent was irritating to say the least. Rowan would be out of work for a while, but that wasn’t the most frustrating part of the situation. He would be wearing the restrictive sling for weeks, only to take it off when he changed clothes or showered. They didn’t even allow him to take it off to sleep, for gods’ sake. Rowan would be sleeping sitting up for the foreseeable future, and he was fucking annoyed about it.

The last few nights sleeping in the hospital had been anything but fruitful. Not only was he woken by the nurses coming in to check on him every few hours, every single time he tried to adjust to a more comfortable position, he was reminded of the sling. The pain was nearly suffocating. Rowan had heard from Fenrys about how bad shoulder injuries were, but this was on another level of anything he had ever experienced.

So why he was standing in the abandoned apartment of the woman who had shot the bullet through it in the first place was beyond him at the moment.

It wasn’t the apartment littered with cameras and paid for by the bureau. It was the one she’d lived in privately before her beating and arrest. It was the one decorated with opulence and taste. With artwork that wouldn’t surprise Rowan to find it had been stolen and was priceless. The one with books stacking shelves every which way, those novels bookmarked and annotated, as he had just learned. Like she loved them so much, she couldn’t help but document her favorite and least favorite parts.

The linens closet was filled with the softest blankets and nicest sheets Rowan had ever felt in his life. Silk sheets were currently stretched over the mattress in her bedroom, a thing that Rowan had thought she’d quipped as a joke once.

“Sorry, the sheets aren’t Egyptian cotton for whatever the hell you’re used to,” he’d said, a bite in his tone as he showed her the dump of an apartment the bureau had decided on for her.

“Silk,” she winked. “Feels good against my skin when I sleep naked.”

It hadn’t been a joke. He ran his fingers over the fabric and almost smiled at the memory but forced his lips into a frown instead. As he looked around the room, the nearly ostentatious yet somehow tasteful room, he missed her. He hated himself for it, but he missed her. The woman had shot him through the shoulder, but the pain in his heart was somehow worse. His first thought when he woke in the hospital from surgery had been about if they’d found her and she was safe, gods above. Everything about himself was secondary, and he didn’t really care.

But they hadn’t found her. There was no trace of her after her anklet was cut. Nobody had seen her; traffic cams had stopped picking her up like she had just… vanished. He hated that she was so good at her job, so good at being a criminal.

Deep down, Rowan knew that wasn’t what bothered him. It never really had. There wasn’t a part of her soul that he had seen and didn’t understand or want to love. Nothing she had ever done had pushed him away in the slightest. Her honesty about her life and the vulnerability she had shown him only made him respect and love her more.

He wasn’t mad that she shot him. Was he annoyed that he couldn’t use his arm? Of course. But he understood. Rowan understood that she felt backed into a corner and betrayed, and she went into fight or flight mode. In this case, it had been fight and flight. He had stepped too close and got shot in return. It was fair. She was used to fighting her way out of situations, so of course, it was the route she’d taken.

He just wanted her to slip up for once so he could just find her and talk to her. Figure out whatever the hell was going on when they’d argued before she shot him, then disappeared in the middle of the day in a bustling city. Rowan wasn’t even mad that she hadn’t been caught. In fact, he was glad they hadn’t caught her.

Rowan didn’t want her to be found. The full force of the FBI would rain down on her like a hurricane and she would be shown no mercy. There wasn’t a single part of him that wanted her suffering in an interrogation room, throwing around the word allegedly like she used to throw daggers. For her to be thrown back in that dismal jail cell awaiting a death sentence that almost assuredly awaited her for what happened at the bureau.

But he was still frustrated as all hell that he couldn’t find her now, no matter how much he didn’t want her rotting in prison on the outskirts of the city.

It was while he stood with his fingers running over the silk of her sheets that he heard the jingling of keys at her front door. It was surprising, considering he’d had to pick several locks to get up here in the first place. Rowan flattened his body against the bedroom wall, listening to the front door open and close.

The footsteps that followed weren’t Aelin’s, though. They were a little louder, carrying a larger and heavier body. Rowan moved to stand in the doorway, startling the man in the center of the room. He dropped the bag he was carrying, swearing loudly as he bent to pick it back up.

“Gods above, Suit,” he murmured, dropping the bag on the kitchen counter. “What are you doing here? Getting something for Celaena?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Rowan inquired, noting that the bag he carried contained nothing of real importance. If anything, it looked like a combination of garden tools and art supplies.

“I think I stashed something here if we’re being candid and off the record, which I would very much appreciate if we were, by the way. I’ve come to collect.” Haversham -- Rowan still didn’t know the man’s real name -- began digging around Aelin’s bookshelves, looking behind and even inside some of her books that turned out not to be books at all. They looked like books, but when opened in the middle were hidden pockets. Some were empty; some weren’t. Rowan noticed a few that had different bits of identification tucked away. None of that seemed to be what Haversham looked for as he simply closed them and put them back on the shelves.

“Where is she?” Rowan finally asked, a little boldly.

“Can’t you check that fancy anklet you have her wearing and figure it out? I haven’t seen her in a week. She isn’t calling me back, either, so when you do see her, can you tell her that I…” The man trailed off after looking up from his search and seeing Rowan’s face. Rowan’s hard, unyielding face and the concern that was likely etched in his features. The wrinkle between his brow, the stiff way he held his lips. Haversham’s head tilted curiously.

“Holy gods, did she make a run for it?”

“Something happened at the bureau. I can’t find her. Neither can they. But I need to talk to her. I can’t help her otherwise.”

“Do you want to help her?” The sound that came from Rowan was nearly a growl, and Haversham retreated a step with his hands raised defensively. “Look, I’m just saying. She wouldn’t make a run for it unless it was something serious and you’re incapacitated at the moment. Which leads me to believe that she did it; otherwise, you wouldn’t be hurt at all. Celaena wouldn’t let somebody hurt you. So either you really fucked up--”

“I did, but only by not protecting her and defending her when it mattered.”

Haversham twisted his mouth to the side while he gave Rowan a hard once-over. It was like he was assessing everything he knew about his character while deciding if he would help him or not. There was a prolonged silence that made Rowan want to throw something at the man, but he waited it out.

“I’m only going to help you because you make her happy. And I don’t mean superficially. I mean that for the first time in the eight years I’ve known her, she’s been happier and more alive than I’ve ever seen her. I know she trusted you more than she’s ever trusted anyone else. More than me, which doesn’t say much considering I think she trusts me as far as she can throw me. But she trusts you more than Sam even.” Finally, he ripped a page from one of the books and began to scrawl across the page until it was nearly full. When he handed it to Rowan, he realized it was a collection of addresses. Some were in the city; some were in other countries. Some were a handful of hours of a drive into nowhere. One was practically around the corner from where they were now.

“What is this?”

“Safehouses. Those are the ones I know about. Celaena has… a lot of secrets. I don’t know even half of them. I have my suspicions about a lot of shit, but I’m letting her come to me with it when she’s ready. So I don’t know all of her safehouses, but I know those ones. Those are the ones she’s let me use in times of trouble. That’s the only help I can really offer you besides calling if I hear from her.”

“Thank you,” Rowan said softly, and he meant it. It was the biggest and only lead that he had on her whereabouts, and even if she wasn’t crashing on a bed in any of these places, it was a start. It was the only hope he had so far that maybe, just maybe… he might find her.

~*~

Rowan had decided to start on the outside and work his way in, and it was wasting a lot of time. Everyone he was friendly with at the bureau was constantly calling and texting to see how he was doing, asking what he was up to. Fenrys told him he’d stopped by his apartment a few times this week, and he hadn’t been home. Rowan replied, saying he was just taking some time to himself, which seemed to satisfy the man, and that had been that.

In reality, Rowan had been in Terrasen trying to find Aelin. She wasn’t in either of the two listed near the border of Adarlan, so now he was slowly working his way back toward Rifthold. It just didn’t seem likely for her to be hiding somewhere in the city, not when she would have to leave for food and other necessities at some point. So he’d gone as far out as he could before making his way back. So far, it had turned up nothing. Both of the cabins he’d visited in the woods had seen better days and likely hadn’t seen Aelin in years.

He was driving toward his fourth destination now, so deep in Oakwald, he wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t back in Terrasen at this point. The location pinged on the Adarlanian side of the border, but he had little hope of actually finding her. There were only two safehouses left on the list, and both of them were in the city itself. Would he still check them? Of course. But did he think that she was stupid enough to be there? Absolutely not.

The energy of the place was different as soon as he made it up the drive. Halfway up, a gate that covered the driveway, and Rowan had to abandon his car and hop the fence. It was a bit of a feat, as it was taller than him, and he only had one good arm to use, but he managed. Even if it had taken him three times as long as it usually would have. Feet pounding down against the dirt so hard it caused a small cloud, he proceeded up toward the small cottage with a little more confidence than he’d had the rest of the drive.

Smoke was wafting from the chimney, and a dim glow flickered in the window. The window that a lithe body stood in, peering through the curtains and backlit by the fire. He couldn’t see her face, but he knew it was Aelin, knew he’d been spotted, and knew she was watching. How she had known he’d arrived, he wasn’t sure. Being overcautious her entire life likely meant that there were tripwires that alerted her of his presence somewhere on the driveway.

As he got closer, she disappeared, and the curtains slipped back into place. When he got to the door, he reached out but hesitated for a moment. Aelin clearly didn’t want to be found and was clearly mad at him. What if she did worse than she had the last time they’d seen each other? Part of him thought she wouldn’t, but he hadn’t ever thought she would shoot him, either. Rowan wasn’t sure how many times she had told him she hated guns, but desperate times call for desperate measures, after all.

It took more courage than he cared to admit to turn the knob. Much to his surprise, the door opened, and he slipped inside, shutting it behind him quietly. To be frank, Rowan couldn’t believe his luck. He couldn’t believe he’d managed to find her at all, much less on a list of places that Haversham managed to remember.

As his eyes adjusted to the room, he saw Aelin sitting across the room with a bottle of rum in one hand, balanced on her thigh. She was slumped down a bit in the chair; her hair dyed a muddy reddish-brown color. A dagger was in her other hand, being twisted in circles against her bare leg. Rowan wanted to tell her to stop, that she would hurt herself, but faster than he could register, she was moving. He was stunned further into silence by the whistling of the wind and the slight breeze by his ear. A loud thud had him whipping around to the door.

Embedded in the wood, millimeters from where his head had just been, was the dagger she’d been holding, and when he looked back at Aelin, she was smirking.

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