Rest
Guess what? I've got more Jamil x reader for y'all.
You can also find this on ao3.
No warnings, just 866 words of kinda fluffy(?) caretaking stuff with gender-neutral reader.
At this point, you know Jamil’s schedule almost as well as he does. So, when you have the chance, you head to Scarabia’s kitchen, hoping to spend some time with Jamil while he and the other students prepare dinner.
However, when you enter, it takes you but a moment to notice Jamil’s uncharacteristic fumbling and the tired look in his eyes. The way Jamil’s chopping the vegetables has you worried about him cutting himself with that knife he’s usually so adept with, and it seems it’s only force of habit that’s keeping him on track.
You frown, and when your eyes meet Jamil’s, you can already see him put his guard up.
So he knows what state he is in, huh? And still, here he is.
It seems Jamil is reading your thoughts, all of him telling you drop it before any words are even said.
At least he still lets you lean in and give a quick kiss to his cheek in greeting.
“Hello love. Do you still have a lot on your agenda for today?” you ask, keeping your tone low for at least some semblance of privacy in the busy kitchen.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” is the response you get.
Of course.
It takes a little more pestering before Jamil actually answers your question. Your lips purse. That list is far too long to your liking.
You take a moment to think, juggling your own plans and to-do list against the urgency of the things Jamil mentioned.
“Will Kalim be eating from that?” you ask, pointing at the food Jamil is preparing.
“Yes.”
“Alright, I won’t be touching that one, then. I’ve gotta do a few things but I’ll be back when you’re done here.”
“Don’t,” Jamil says with a glare, clearly aware of what you’re thinking.
Yet even his disapproving look doesn’t have the usual weight behind it.
“Yes. I will,” you say firmly, even as your heart curls inwards with another bout of concern.
Really, when did he get so tired?
And how did you not notice it earlier?
You leave the kitchen before Jamil can protest further, hurrying through the dorm corridors to find Kalim.
Soon you have an enthusiastic – and concerned – supporter for your plans. You have Kalim point out a few reliable Scarabia students to help with a few of the most urgent matters Jamil mentioned – cleaning up the common areas, delivering some paperwork to Crowley, preparing some dorm-wide notices – while you see to Kalim getting his school supplies in order for the following day. You even recruit a couple of third years to help Kalim with his homework.
You’ll see to the rest tomorrow – after all, you do also have a boyfriend to look after.
Your conversation over dinner can hardly be called anything else than an argument – despite Kalim’s best attempts at acting as a moderating force between you two. It is very tempting to ask Kalim to tell Jamil to take the rest of the day off – it’s not like Jamil would be willing to openly disobey a direct order. Still, you really don’t need to remind Jamil of his position on top of everything else that you’re already doing more or less against his wishes.
Eventually, however, Jamil’s had a square meal, the most urgent things on his to-do list are being taken care of, and you’ve managed to drag him to his bed.
“I really wish you wouldn’t push yourself so hard,” you murmur, your arms wrapped tightly around Jamil. You’re telling yourself you really do just want to cuddle, to offer some respite to Jamil. Still, there might also be a part of you worried that if you were to let go, he’d just jump up and get back to working himself to the bone.
Yet, for all his protestations, just the fact that you’ve gotten Jamil to lay down with you speaks volumes of his current exhaustion.
“I can’t just leave my duties, albi. You know this.”
“Making yourself too indispensable, is what you’re doing,” you protest.
Oh, you know it’s not so simple. Not with his background, not with all the expectations and assumptions.
But sometimes you really wish it would be.
Jamil merely scoffs in response to your words.
Still, it is undeniable that he is slowly beginning to relax in your arms, slowly bringing his head closer to yours. His eyes are starting to flutter, too.
“I will still need to help Kalim with his homework, at the very least.”
You wonder who he is trying to convince more, you or himself.
“Amin and Khalil are helping him. They’re basically top of their classes, aren’t they? I’m sure they’ve got it.”
Still, Jamil frowns.
You sigh. He really is not letting go, is he?
“Do you want me to go supervise?” you ask.
And leave you, unsaid yet hanging there right after your words.
“Don’t,” Jamil eventually says, the word barely more than a breath.
It seems he has accepted his fate.
You softly caress Jamil’s hair, listening to his softening breathing.
And when you wake up, wholly unaware of having been lulled to sleep in the first place, it’s to the lightest of touches from Jamil’s fingers.
Tagging @diodellet @twstgo @crystallizsch @jamilvapologist @jamilsimpno69 as per request
If you'd like to be tagged for any future works, let me know!
89 notes
·
View notes
scully and mulder's dynamic visibly changes after the onset of the season of secret sex
i've been thinking about how dd and ga deliberately played season 7 like mulder and scully were sleeping together, and i think there's solid evidence of that in the differences in how scully reacts to mulder appearing to show interest in another woman before and after the season of secret sex begins (i'm using millennium as the before/after divider bc i think that's what dd and ga decided, but this is based on my vague memory of a reddit comment about it which is how i first learned that the season of secret sex was a thing)
so overall there's an undercurrent of insecurity, borne of scully's uncertainty regarding precisely how mulder feels about her and what her place is in the hierarchy of things that are important to him in his life, that exists in the pre-millennium incidents and is glaringly absent post-millennium:
before millennium:
(i'm not gonna include phoebe/fire here bc i don't think scully's awareness of her feelings had yet risen to the point where she'd be truly jealous, i'd characterize her in that ep as largely protective of mulder and unwilling to let him deal with phoebe's games alone. it also helps that he's clearly not happy phoebe is back in his life again, unlike his much more positive reaction to diana)
war of the coprophages- the second scully finds out about bambi, she immediately hops in her car and drives up to miller's grove to join mulder, bc letting him investigate cockroaches alone was fine but god forbid he spend quality time investigating an x-file with an attractive female scientist who isn't herself- that's their thing!!
syzygy- to be fair the planetary alignment situation was exacerbating her- and mulder's- behavior here, but her jealousy of and hostility to detective white were still real, even if she would've been able to rein in her emotions better under normal circumstances.
diana fowley arc- i think this speaks for itself, lol
alpha- this is an interesting period in their relationship: after most of the diana shit is over, but before the tension between them is fully resolved (a process which to me begins with milagro/the unnatural and ends with amor fati, but that would be its own post lol).
other than introducing himself to karin as "fox" (maybe as a way to appeal to her preference for canids lol) and thus implicitly giving her permission to call him by his first name (which she proceeds to do throughout the episode), mulder doesn't seem to show much in the way of attraction to her.
even when he touches her hand to move the mouse, he's more interested in what's on the screen than in paying attention to her:
karin, however, is visibly affected by the contact, a fact which scully immediately notices:
later in the car, they have this convo, the last line of which is so heavily laden with diana subtext it's not even funny:
scully's reaction to karin is similar to her reaction to phoebe in that she's motivated mainly by wanting to protect mulder from his own naive, trusting nature, and from someone she believes is seeking to take advantage of it, rather than being motivated primarily by jealousy and defensiveness. she doesn't really believe that karin is a genuine threat to her relationship with mulder, but with diana still fresh in her memory she can't afford to not be vigilant. hence why she confronts karin alone later:
here scully demonstrates that she somewhat empathizes with karin (mulder is also someone who challenges her, makes her feel fulfilled and happy and alive). karin's response indicates that she has correctly deduced the basis of scully's dislike/distrust of her, and also acknowledges scully is the dominant one as it relates to the territory (mulder) that they are sparring over.
scully looks away at karin's "feminine wiles" comment, revealing the nagging insecurity about her place in mulder's life that diana's arrival exacerbated and that will continue to plague her until amor fati.
after millennium:
rush- when mulder looks back at chastity in the hallway, scully's reaction is to possessively grab mulder's sleeve and pull him away into the interrogation room:
and his response is to laugh and say "what?" like he doesn't know he belongs to her and only her.
keep in mind this happens just before they interrogate tony reed, and right after they finish interrogating him this shit happens:
i already made a post last week about how insanely flirty they are in this episode, but this scene!!
she's pouting and giving him big doe eyes and playing with his tie!! at work!! in public!! she feels comfortable staking her territory in such an obvious way (also playful rather than hostile) bc she's not longer insecure about her place in his life!! i can never be normal about this i'm sorry ssdfgksdgsjdkfhkjsdf
first person shooter- when mulder checks out jade blue afterglow as she's leaving, he leans so far over in such an obvious, exaggerated way, almost as if he's deliberately trying to get a rise out of scully, but all she does is raise her eyebrows at him and lean over to block his view (while smirking):
and then he says he's "feeling the great need to blast the crap out of something", an almost direct quote of scully's line from their convo in the autopsy room right before they went down to the station:
and her response is to SMILE at him!!
pre-millennium scully would absolutely not have reacted this way in this situation. just like in rush, the insecurity that previously haunted scully whenever mulder seemed to be close to or interested in another woman is utterly absent here. they're joking and teasing and enjoying each other's company like they've always done, but there's a different dimension to it now. pre-millennium mulder would never have made a show of checking out another woman like that right in front of scully (unless a planetary alignment is affecting his behavior ofc lol), and pre-millennium scully would never have found it amusing.
(side note: people were debating on twitter a while back about whether this scene was ooc for mulder, and tbh i'm not sure what my own opinion is bc to me the whole episode has an air of... unreality? idk but it gives me similar vibes to post-modern prometheus, like maybe it's real or maybe it's just someone telling a story or it's somewhere in between, and it's also got that same unserious feel idk how else to describe it)
anyway, back to my main point, which is: dd and ga are damn good actors in the way they were able to subtly telegraph this shift in mulder and scully's dynamic. one might be able to argue that the insane flirting throughout season 7 isn't by itself evidence of the season of secret sex bc on some level they've always been like that, but to me these specific interactions provide important clues that the nature of their relationship has changed.
88 notes
·
View notes
exit light, enter night
cw: fem!reader, there’s a lil slightly like squint and you’ll see it angst, fluff, probably eddie being way smoother than he actually is, plus size!reader, kind of insecure!reader but not like self deprecatingly so, uh weed smoking, happy ending :) suuuuuper self indulgent:) also eddie didn’t d*e cause this song came out in ‘91. oh and i have never worked at a vinyl shop so… i went off straight vibes lol
Enter Sandman is ringing through the store as you step in.
“Munson!”
A headful of curls spring up from behind the counter, brown doe eyes wide and anxious as they meet yours, he knows he’s playing the music too loud.
“Hey, sweet thing.” he says as lowers the volume.
Floorboards creak as you make your way to the back room. You can hear Eddie’s boots stomp behind you.
“Eddie, I’ve told you to stop calling me that,” you sigh, shrugging your coat off.
He’s leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest, leather jacket under his battle vest, black jeans and combat books sit on his frame. Like they’re made for him.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” he says with a wink.
Embarrassed at being caught, heat creeps up your neck. You groan and shoulder bump him out of the way, trying to ignore how solid he is under those layers.
His laughter follows you to the register.
“Is it just us today?”
He hops up on the back counter. chain jingling as he gets comfortable. He smiles, and it’s sticky sweet.
“Sure is, sweethea-OW.”
He glares as he rubs the spot on his forehead where the pen you threw at him hit.
“Stop flirting with me and work!”
He jumps down from the counter and exaggeratedly looks around the… empty store.
“Yeah, we sure are swamped. How will we ever make it till close?” comes his sarcastic drawl from your side.
You guess the snowstorm outside is keeping customers at home. It’d be a nice evening… if Eddie wasn’t here.
Honestly, he’s fine. It’s more of a you problem. You can’t keep focused when he’s around, and you think he might have caught on. Eddie takes any and all opportunities to flirt with you.
You figured he did that to everyone, not wanting to read too much into it but the only other person he flirts with consistently is Steve.
Sarcasm is how you deflect Eddie’s advances, even though he flirts with just you (and Steve) it’s hard to not think about how he might be fucking with you.
Mess with the fat girl, lead her on, it’s funny. Let her think she has a chance and tear it away from her and laugh at the thought of her thinking anyone would like her.
Ugh, I’m not a teenager anymore, you’d think I’d be past these insecurities by now.
You scrub a hand down your face and sigh, trying to shake yourself out of that toxic thought cycle that’s so easy to fall into.
“You okay?”
Eddie’s still beside you at the register, now leaning against the back counter. He’s staring, brows furrowed.
Despite yourself, you shoot him a soft smile. That catches him off guard, you’re always so quick to the defense.
“Yeah, Eddie. I’m all good, just tired.” you sound it, voice rough.
Before he can ask anything else, you tell him you’re going to work on the returns from this week and get started organizing the vinyl before close.
You’re off to the back before he can even open his mouth, which honestly is impressive. That boy can talk.
It takes about an hour to finish up returns and you shuffle back to the front, shocked to see Eddie has already started organizing.
“Oh shit, tha-,” you’re cut off to Eddie jumping half a foot in the air and yelping out in surprise.
You bite your lip to stop your laugh but it doesn’t stop the shit eating grin that spreads across your face.
He points at you, cheeks flushed, “Don’t.” he says with a finger pointed at you.
You can’t help the giggle that escapes and Eddie’s eyes soften, happy to see you’re smiling. Even if it is at his expense.
“I was going to say thank you for starting to organize, I’ll start from the other end of the store and we can meet in the middle.”
He nods, a sweet smile on his face. Before you get lost in his dimples you busy yourself with vinyl.
It’s been another hour and a half and everything is in its rightful place. Both you and Eddie are sitting on the back counter, shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh.
No one has come in during your entire shift and there’s another two hours before close and the snow still hasn’t stopped.
Eddie leans his head back and lets out a loud groan, “I’m soooooo bored, why can’t we just close?”
He peaks down at you, slumped at his side. He follows the shape of your eyes down the slope of your nose to your lips.
“I know a way we could pass our time,” he blurts out, unable to stop himself. He’s still staring at your lips.
You look up and meet his amber eyes, his gaze more intense than you’re used to. You want to squirm, he’s looking at you like he wants to devour you whole.
“Oh yeah? What should we do?” you bump his shoulder, and he shakes his head and the moment is gone.
He pulls a joint out of his pocket, and your jaw drops.
“I’m not smoking weed at work, Edward!” your voice going up an octave.
He snickers as the horror stricken look on your face.
“Hey, come on. No one has come in and no one will. I’m surprised if we’ll even be able to leave.”
You’re still hesitant, he’s not wrong but you’d rather not get caught.
“Fuck it,” you slap your hands on your tight covered thighs, jumping down your skirt flounces back into place, Eddie tries and fails not to stare, “so where we doing this?”
He hops down beside and gives you another smile, pleasantly surprised you’re going along with this.
“Come on, I’ll show you my spot.”
He runs to the front door to lock it, he makes his way back to you to throw an arm around you to take you to the back.
You don’t fight him, to his surprise. You maybe even lean in a bit, he’s enjoying the contact too much to tease you though.
Turns out his spot is just a covered porch at the back of the record shop, you snag your coat on the way.
“Oh Fuck Me it’s cold,” you gripe as you step outside, the wind whips snow outside the porch, you can’t even see five feet in front of it.
“Shit, maybe you’re right, we wont be able to leave.” you worry, pulling your coat tighter around you, leanings closer to Eddie.
Eddie pulls you closer, relishing in the contact. He doesn’t know why you’re being so nice tonight but he’s not complaining.
“Worst case, you can come with me. The van drives just fine in the snow.” he exhales the first drag, you try not to stare and fail.
He hands the joint to you, your fingers already frozen. As you take a hit you register what he just offered. Now you’re coughing and not just because of the joint.
“Slow down it’s not going anywhere,” he says through a light laugh as he softly rubs your back.
“Did you just offer to take me home with you?”
It’s his turn to cough, and your turn to pat his back. You repeat his words back to him and he gives you a half hearted glare, a smile tugging at his lips.
“I was being gentlemanly and you’re the one making it dirty, I’ll have you know.” he reprimands, wagging his finger at you.
He takes another drag and passes it back, your fingers brush and it’s a shot of electricity up your arm.
The weed is definitely taking effect.
Eddie can’t take his eyes off the way your lips wrap around the joint, right where his lips had just been. An indirect kiss.
You’re quiet when you speak next, after handing him the shrinking joint.
“You’ve got to stop that.”
“Stop what?”
“Being so kind to me. Makes me get my hopes up even though I know it doesn’t mean anything.”
The wind whistles around you while Eddie and you stare at one another.
You feel his arm pull away from you, and you’re convinced this is it as you look away so he won’t see you cry. He’s going to tell you sorry and he’s not interested. You can handle it, it’s not the first rejection you’ve faced.
You can’t look at him though, tears sting, threatening to fall.
“Hey,” he whispers, softer than you’ve ever heard him, “look at me, please.”
His hands find your cheeks, warm against your wind-chapped skin. Joint long forgotten as he tilts your head to look at him.
“It means something. It does, to me, it does. I’ve liked you since I started here. It’s not a joke and I’m sorry I’ve made you feel this way,” he pauses, his thumbs softly graze the tops of your cheeks.
“Can I kiss you?”
“Please.” you whisper.
You and Eddie Munson have your first kiss in a snowstorm, freezing cold and perfect.
403 notes
·
View notes