#this was texted to me when ao3 was down just so we're clear

[hopefullyandrogynousartist]

am i the only person who has a normal amount of love for ao3? like it's nice but I'm not obsessed

friend I love you but wtf. you'll be fine.

#ao3 #fanfiction #archive of our own #fanfic reader problems #fanfic #ao3 is down #well probably not anymore but you get the point #this was texted to me when ao3 was down just so we're clear #i love my friend lots but she is a little bonkers over fanfiction #and i am too but i never know if ao3 is down #I'm never on ao3 when it's down

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Hopelessly devoted to you

PAIRING | Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Female!Reader

WORD COUNT | 4.1K

SUMMARY | You and Bucky have been pining over each other for a long time, but both of you are too afraid to take the next step. This all comes to a halt when Tony throws a Grease-themed party, and the two of you dress up as the main characters in the movie.

WARNING(S) | This is your official trigger warning, do not proceed if any of these topics upset you. Two idiots in love, too much love for the movie Grease.

A/N | SO, I was watching Grease again, and this idea popped in my head and hasn't left my brain so far, so you can all enjoy it with me. I will forever have a crush on John Travolta in that movie so now I'm turning it into my other crush aka Bucky Barnes 👀

RIP Olivia Newton-John, you were the best Sandy we all could have wished for 🖤

Likes and reblogs will be very much appreciated 💜

Main Masterlist | Bucky Barnes Masterlist | Read on AO3

It is your turn tonight to pick out the movie night, and you have been wanting to watch your guilty pleasure film again for as long as you can remember, even though not everyone is as into it as you are. ''None of you have a choice, we're watching Grease tonight!'' you said with the widest smile on your face you can make. You heard multiple grunts from your fellow Avengers, they already know you will sing along to every single song, and they weren't happy about it. It's not because you can't sing, they have all praised you multiple times for the fact that you can sing well, but you just get very much into it. ''I'm looking forward to it, doll, I haven't seen it,'' Bucky said, and your mouth practically fell on the floor. ''You're kidding me, right? Oh, you have to sit next to me because now I want to know your reaction!'' you said happily before running out of the kitchen to get the snacks for tonight.

''What?'' he said quirking an eyebrow, he didn't understand what was going on. ''Oh you're gonna have quite the experience tonight, there's a reason we usually don't sit near her when she picks the movies,'' Sam told him with a bit of a snicker in his voice. ''Well, I think it's going to be fun, and I don't mind sitting close to Y/N during movie night,'' Bucky said with a shrug, you usually snuggled up to him and he didn't mind, it was always the highlight of his day. Tonight wasn't any different, he even bought you an extra soft and warm blanket to use during movie nights since you always ran colder than the average person. You didn't hear any of the conversations that were going on, and even though you were mostly fine with it, it still stung a little that they reacted that way when you chose the movies.

You texted Bucky that you were going to the grocery store to pick up the snacks, and he asked if you could maybe pick up some Reese's peanut butter cups for him, and you would gladly do so. You went to the parking garage and walked over to your bike, it was a beautiful day and you could easily fit snacks in both your bike as well as your backpack. It was also a good way to clear your head a little bit, so you drove around New York for a bit, towards your favorite place in the whole city with a beautiful view of the Statue of Liberty. Ever since you came here many years ago, you could never get enough of seeing it, and you parked your bike before sitting down with your back against a tree, looking at the view.

After sitting there for 30 minutes, you decide to FaceTime Bucky, because you were still not feeling all too well. ''Oh, I've got to take this,'' Bucky said to everyone before quickly walking to his bedroom, he didn't want everyone to know it was you FaceTiming him. ''Hi doll, what's going on?'' he said as he picked up, the phone perched up against the wall in his kitchenette as he prepared a snack. ''Hey, not much, just feeling a little shitty about what happened earlier. I was honestly really looking forward to watching Grease, but now I feel like I should have picked something else,'' you said, trying to fight back the tears. ''You know they're just assholes, right? They don't get to make my girl feel like that,'' he said and your stomach did a little flip when he said that.

He often called you his girl when he was talking to you, but never to anyone else, which was exactly why he walked away from the rest. ''Yeah, I know, but that doesn't make it suck any less though. Thought maybe a bike ride through the city would help, but as evident by the phone call, it didn't,'' you said and gave a weak smile. ''Doll, look at me, please. If you're not up for it, we could watch the movie, just the two of us, tonight, and the rest can all watch a shitty movie that no one likes anyway,'' he offered, but you shook your head. ''Thanks, but that would only mean I'll give in to them and I will never give them that satisfaction,'' you said with a giggle. ''I'm just gonna head to the store and get ready for the movie night, I wanna snuggle up to my favorite super soldier again tonight. You might want to warn Steve he won't be sitting alone tonight,'' you said laughing, but Bucky looked at you with a serious expression.

''Just kidding cowboy, don't get so riled up!'' you said with a laugh. ''You're the only one I want to snuggle with and you know it,'' and Bucky's expression softened immediately, and a twinkling appeared in his eyes. God, you were so over the moon for that man, but you were just too afraid to take the first step. So for now, you would be perfectly content with flirting and snuggling during movie nights. ''Alright, now let's go to the store before I'll die of hunger without my Reese's,'' Bucky said dramatically. ''Okay okay, going now! See you later,'' you said before waving goodbye and hanging up. Talking to him always made you feel better.

When you finally made it to the store you decided to grab Bucky's favorite cookies too as a surprise, together with the Reese's because he helped you feel better earlier, it was the least you could do. The drive back to the Compound was much better, and before you knew it you were back in the parking garage. ''Hi doll, how are you feeling now?'' Bucky said when he walked in, hands in his pockets as he looked you up and down, he was gone for you the second he learned you love riding your motorbike too, just like him. ''A lot better thanks to you. Would you mind helping me with the groceries? I got a lot more than intended,'' you said and he happily agreed. When everything was stashed away you muttered a thank you before kissing him on the corner of his mouth, leaving him stunned for a good few minutes.

''Buck? Everything okay?'' Steve asked when he walked into the kitchen, and he saw Bucky standing there with a huge grin on his face, cupping his cheek where you kissed him minutes earlier. ''Yeah...'' he sighed but the grin never left his face. ''Okay, let's get you out of here before you're growing attached to the floor,'' Steve said laughing, he knew damn well this was your doing. Bucky has told him all about his crush on you numerous times, he told him every single thing he noticed about you that made his heart race, or gave him goosebumps. ''God, I never thought I could ever be in love with someone so badly,'' he once told Steve, and it was a good look on him. Better than the grumpy persona he usually shows.

~ During movie night ~

''Everyone ready?'' you asked and the sigh you heard didn't go unnoticed by you, but you started the movie regardless before walking over to Bucky, who was all ready for you with the blanket he got you a while back. ''Hi doll,'' he said softly with a smile as you sat down, this time wasting no time to snuggle up to Bucky as he rested his arm across your shoulders. You didn't bother looking behind you, instead focussing completely on the movie, and as soon as the opening scene on the beach started, you got goosebumps. There were snacks opened and drinks shared around, and everyone got comfortable. As much as they acted to not like it, they still enjoyed watching it now and again. You kept looking over at Bucky to see his reaction at certain points, and you were belting along with every single song in the movie.

When your favorite song arrived, you couldn't help but sing it for Bucky, especially now that he was sitting right next to you. The moment Sandy started singing ''Hopelessly Devoted To You'', you couldn't take your eyes off of him, or more specifically off of his lips. He listened to your voice, god he could listen to you singing forever and never get sick of it. When the last notes of the song died down, Bucky softly leaned into you. When your lips barely brushed past each other, Tony almost choked on his drink and both of your faces snapped up to him to see if he was okay. He made a motion that showed he was okay now, but the moment between you and Bucky was gone, so you turned back to the movie, sighing deeply and laying your head on Bucky's shoulder.

The rest of the movie was more of the same, you singing along and the rest of the Avengers just having fun watching the movie while eating snacks. When the movie was over, everyone stayed for a little while and talked about the movie, just like they did every time you chose the movie. You and Bucky were in a deep discussion about what he thought about it, and he couldn't stop mentioning how good you would look if you would wear those kinds of outfits. ''I think it would suit you, doll. You'd fit perfectly into the 40s with a dress like that,'' he said with a wink, and you can't help but think about that a little more. ''You two can talk about your roleplaying fantasies when we're not here!'' Tony joked and you turned bright red, it was almost as if he read your mind.

During your discussion with Bucky, neither of you heard about the fact that Tony wanted to throw a Grease-themed party for the two of you to finally get together. Everyone sees how much you've been pining over one another so this would be the perfect moment. ''So? Will the two of you come to my party too?'' Tony said after that. ''Party?'' ''What party?'' Bucky and you asked at the same time. ''My costume party of course! I think the two of you should get dressed as Sandy and Danny from Grease, don't you think?'' he asked the rest of them agreed wholeheartedly. You looked at Bucky and shrugged your shoulders. ''Sounds like fun, I'll be there. What about you, Buck?'' you looked at him with hopeful eyes. He wasn't planning on going, but when you look at him like that, he couldn't possibly say no. ''Sure, but I won't dress up!'' he said with a grunt.

~ The days leading up to Tony's party ~

The last few days, you've been more excited than ever to go to one of Tony's parties. In all fairness, the most time was spent convincing Bucky to dress up too, and he finally gave in after you showed him the outfit you were going to wear. It truly reminded him of his past and he almost bent you over his kitchen counter right then and there when you walked out in your costume, but he didn't want to ruin your friendship by doing that. He didn't know that you were secretly hoping he'd do just that, because that is the exact reason you showed him, but he didn't give in. ''Oh, I can't wait to see what you will look like in your costume! Although, there's not much of a change to your look from now...'' you said, Bucky usually wore all black with a leather jacket anyways.

The one thing you didn't tell Bucky, however, is that you were planning on doing an outfit change to truly catch his attention, which may or may not have been Tony's idea. At first, you were against it, but when he explained his plan, you accepted it eventually. ''Also, I don't think I'll be able to get much dancing in during the party, since Tony asked me to be the singer of the evening instead of hiring someone,'' you told him. ''Really? That's amazing doll, I love hearing your voice when you sing,'' he said before you walked back into his bathroom to change into your regular clothing again. ''Did you maybe want to go for a ride when I'm changed?'' you ask him, and he turns bright red, still thinking about you in the outfit you just wore and what he wanted to do to you.

''Uh, only if you want to, doll,'' he said and he tried to look busy when you walked out in your normal clothes. ''Well, I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to,'' you said with a laugh. ''It would be nice to ride around the city with both our bikes again. Maybe you could give me a tour of Brooklyn while we're at it? I recall you saying you've been wanting to do that for a while,'' you said and he finally realized what you were saying. ''Oh, yeah you're right! Do you want to take both? I think it might be nice if we take mine so I could give you a nice tour of Brooklyn,'' he said, hoping you would say yes. ''We could maybe even bring some snacks for the ride?'' and with that, you agreed. ''Okay, but only if I get to choose the snacks!'' you say and walk out the door to get ready. ''It's a date!'' he says and you smile before closing the door.

Both of you changed into more appropriate clothes to wear on his motorbike before he took you on the tour, and it was a sight to behold. The two of you drove through Brooklyn for hours, mostly because Bucky constantly slowed down or stopped somewhere to tell you all about his memories, and it truly felt special to share this moment with him. Just the two of you, not a single care in the world, sharing memories that he can still remember after everything that has been done to him. When the sun started to go down, Bucky drove to a bit of a secluded spot where you won't be seen so easily, so the two of you could enjoy the sunset together without being bothered. The downside of being an Avenger is that everyone wanted something from you most of the time, and this would ensure that wouldn't happen.

''Oh wow, I love it here Bucky,'' you tell him as you overlook grassy fields and the sun starting to sink behind them. ''I hoped you would, I like to think of this as my - and now our - special place,'' he said with a soft look on his face, while he gave you a little smile. He sat down against a tree after getting the snacks you brought with you as well as some drinks you brought with you. He spread his legs out in front of him and invited you to sit in between them, which you gladly accepted. Your back was resting against his chest which you could slowly feel rising and falling, your head laying against his shoulder and his arms wrapped delicately around your waist, hands resting on your stomach. Neither of you wanted this moment to end.

''Thank you for everything, Bucky. You're honestly the best friend I could have ever wished for,'' you tell him, and Bucky feels something inside him snap at the word 'friend'. Because that's all you were at this moment, friends. ''You always know exactly how to make me feel like the most special person in the world, and I honestly wouldn't want to have it any other way,'' you told him before letting out a sigh and sinking into his hold even more, your cheek resting just below his collarbone. ''I love you, doll,'' he said at that moment, he couldn't keep it in any longer, and right now seemed like the perfect moment to tell you. You looked up at him with wide eyes, wondering if you heard him right. ''Buck...'' you said, and you saw his face fall when you said that. ''No, Buck, listen to me. I love you too, so incredibly much, and I'm very happy to spend this beautiful evening with you right now,'' you said as you put a hand on his cheek, softly brushing through his stubble.

''I can think of a way to make it even more perfect, though,'' Bucky said and he leaned in to kiss you, but something in this universe didn't want the two of you to kiss. You could feel each other's breaths on your lips as they brushed together ever so subtly when his phone rang and disturbed the moment, snapping both of you out of it right away. ''I'm going to kill whoever is on the other end of that fucking phone,'' he said as he fished his phone out of his pocket, and he saw it was Steve calling. ''What do you want, Rogers?'' he snarled at the man on the other end. ''Wow, Buck, easy! Did I interrupt something?'' he asked and Bucky just grunted as a response, he wasn't going to tell him the two of you almost kissed before he had to ruin it.

''Well, the reason I'm calling is because I need both of you back at the Compound as soon as possible, Fury is sending everyone on an emergency mission and we need everyone so you two lovebirds better get here now,'' he said with a chuckle. ''Fuck off, Rogers. We'll be there,'' he said before quickly hanging up. He immediately softened up when he looked at you, ''I'm so sorry doll, but we have to go back to the Compound for an emergency mission that everyone is required to go on,'' he said with a sigh. ''I think we're gonna have to resume our perfect night another time,'' you said before giving a peck on his cheek. ''Want me to ride back this time?'' you ask, even though Bucky usually didn't let anyone else ride his bike beside himself. ''Okay, but you better not tell anyone before everyone wants to do it!'' he said and the both of you got on.

~ The evening of Tony's party ~

The mission went even better than expected, and now it was finally time to enjoy Tony's party. You haven't seen Bucky all day today, but you got ready a bit earlier since you were preparing to sing that night, and your hair and make-up were perfect for your first outfit. Towards the end of the night, you would go and change into the iconic outfit Sandy wears at the end of the movie, but no one besides you and Tony knew about that plan. He brought up the idea and even though you were a little unsure at first, Tony managed to convince you to do it. Right now, you were wearing a light pink dress with dots on it and the biggest petticoat you could find, making you feel like a real-life doll. You sent Bucky a picture of your finished outfit, and he couldn't believe his eyes, you looked perfect.

He had asked Nat to help him out with his outfit, or more specifically his hair, because he wanted to go all out for you and there was only one way to do just that. Nat was cutting his hair to look exactly like that of Danny's in the movie and even though it was a big change, he has been thinking about cutting his hair for a long time. Nat saw the picture and couldn't get over how gorgeous you look right now. ''She went all out for it, she's the most beautiful woman at the party tonight,'' she said. She would dress up as Rizzo and Wanda would go as Frenchie, with some other female colleagues dressing as Marty and Jan.

The T-birds would consist of Bucky as Danny, and Steve, Tony, Clint, Scott, and Thor would dress up as the rest of their friend group. When Nat was done and Bucky's hair was styled, he was honestly unrecognizable at this moment. His clothes looked the same as he always wore, but the hair made him look handsome, and a lot younger which suited him. ''If Y/N won't make a move now, she really must have hit her head, because you look irresistible,'' Nat said with a wink before walking out the door to get dressed. ''Have fun tonight, and keep me posted,'' she said and Bucky just laughed, all he needed to do now was shave and the look would be complete.

By the time 8 PM arrived, people were slowly trickling into the party room, but Tony gave strict instructions to everyone that no one would be allowed to wear the iconic Sandy look, and everyone listened. You were getting ready to sing for tonight and you started with a few songs that were fitting in the world of Grease, and the people were taking photos and videos of you singing, this would honestly be a good boost for your social profile and you didn't mind it at all, you loved to sing anyways. By the time Tony officially announced that the party started, the band began playing the tune of the opening song and most of the guests sang right along while dancing.

You sang a few songs, and finally, you spotted Bucky at the bar talking to Steve, and he occasionally looked over at you. When you realized he completely changed himself, you really couldn't wait to surprise him later. He shot a few winks the way that made you falter a little in your singing, but no one seemed to notice, and you were glad you could finally announce that you would take a short break and be back later for the finale of your songs, after which a DJ would take over the music. Bucky wasn't the only one transforming, you went to the hairdressers earlier to dye your hair blond to completely undergo your transformation.

''Alright, let's get you out of these clothes and into the clothes Sandy would wear,'' Tony said and you did as he said, not caring he was in the room because you had a bit of a time limit right now, and you still needed to do your hair and make-up too. Tony had gotten Nat out of the crowd to help you with your hair and she audibly gasped when she saw you in the new outfit. ''Damn, if Bucky isn't going to make a move on you now, I'm taking you with me tonight!'' she joked and you laughed when we put on the shoes. ''So, if you do my hair, I'll do my make-up and then I'll go back out,'' you said, and within 30 minutes you were completely transformed and ready to go back out.

Nat already went back into the room and took Bucky front and center to the stage, so he could witness your transformation firsthand, even though he didn't want to. ''Come on, it'll be her last song of the night, so you have to be there to show your support!'' she said and after some more convincing he and the rest of the Avengers made their way to the front of the room. The starting notes of 'You're The One That I Want' started playing and you walked out in your outfit, getting audible gasps from every single person in the room. Bucky couldn't believe what he saw, and his mouth was hanging open when you walk on stage and started singing. Not to the room, no, you sang for Bucky.

Towards the end of the song you pulled him on stage, and when the song ended, you seductively walked up to him and grabbed him by the back of his neck before planting your lips on his, finally getting the kiss both of you have been craving for so long. He immediately deepened it and it earned both of you a few shouts of approval from the room before letting go. ''Fuck, you look gorgeous, doll. Can't take my eyes off of you now,'' he said before going in for more kissing. This time he pulled away from the kiss first, and you finally told him what has been on your mind this whole time. ''Bucky, do you want to be the Danny to my Sandy, and be my boyfriend?'' you said, and he nodded happily, kissing you in a response while grabbing you closer, and that was the perfect start of the rest of your lives together.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky fanfic #bucky x female reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes

[measuredingold]

fallingforyou

authors note: finally finished this folio piece i've been working on for about two weeks!!! i enjoyed writing this a lot and wish i had wrote it a bit longer, but i'm trying to work on not writing as much for short one-shots (unless you guys like longer writing!) as always enjoy and feedback is appreciated :)

pairing: nick folio x reader

cross-posted on ao3

word count: 4.8k

cw/tags: friends to lovers, p in v, unprotected sex (be safe!!!!! wrap it up folks!!!), fluff, nick being a sweetie, drinking/alcohol consumption, 18+ minors do not interact

The whiskey hit the back of his throat with a burn. Nick's face scrunches up in displeasure as he swallows it down, body tingling from the alcohol. He didn't expect himself to end up here, but his friends wanted his first few nights at home to be exciting. His friends told him he’d have enough time to sleep later. He had been touring almost for five months straight, and the thought of getting the next almost three months off was pure heaven to him. 

Someone next to him called for another round of shots, probably whiskey again, and Nick had to say a prayer to himself before bringing his beer bottle up to his lips. He cleansed his palette, which is hilarious when he realizes he's doing it with more alcohol, but it tastes better than the whiskey his buddies have been pounding down for the last hour. 

"So, Folio," One of them said, leaning towards him across the table. "Meet anyone special out on the road?"

He snorts, head shaking. "Nah, man. Barely had any time." 

"Seriously?" Another one says. "Thought you'd have hundreds of people throwing themselves at your feet."

"We're not like that, dude." Nick responds, a tipsy laugh tumbling from his lips. "I mean, don't get me wrong - we've hooked up with people before but," He shrugs. "We're kind of really boring."

"You? Boring?" His friend across from him snorted, throwing his head back in laughter. "Dude, you were fucking crazy in high school."

"Yeah. High school." Nick rolls his eyes. "I'm 26. I'm old, man, I can't keep up anymore."

The table breaks out in mumbled agreement. It's clear that they're all getting older, and things aren't how they used to be, and Nick kind of likes it that way. Yeah, he likes to party, he fucking loves to drink, and a hook-up here and there is nice every once in a while. It just doesn’t do much for him anymore.

He likes to take it slow; he likes exploring with his friends when they’re in a city they’ve never been to before, and he really likes to sleep. A lot. Jetlag is a bitch and the more you fight it, the more screwed you’re going to be. Trust him, he knows.

The conversation switches and Nick’s only half listening, eyes scanning the bar to see if there’s anyone he may know here. It’s a long shot, because most of the people he knows is already here with him, but he looks anyways.

His eyes find you before you ever find him. 

You look as beautiful as ever and the smile adorn on your lips has Nick's stomach turning in a way he hasn't felt in ages. Probably since the last time he saw you. You met in high school and became somewhat friends, you had been dating a buddy of his, he eventually dated a friend of yours at one point, and so on and so forth. You were always around, and he liked it.

He had seen you at a wedding last summer, no date just like him, and the two of you had spoken for hours that night as if no time had passed. It was nice, but he won't forget the ache in his heart when you called it a night. He walked you out to your car and you had left him with a kiss on his cheek and a playful threat of fighting him if he doesn't text you the next time he's in town.

He never did.

Your eyes finally catch his and something crosses your face, but he can't quite put his finger on what it is exactly. He's nervous, scared you'll be upset with him for not letting you know he's home - and for a while at that - but your lips are stretching into an even wider smile and his shoulders relax. 

"Look what the cat dragged in." You say, a teasing grin settling on your lips as you walk up to his table. He smiles up at you.

"Long time no see, stranger." 

"And who's fault is that?" You tease before sliding in the empty chair beside him. He's sure his buddy can find another place to sit.

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that."

"Be like what?" Your head tilts, feigning innocence. "I'm not the one who promised to tell me the next time they'll be in town."

He gives you a sheepish look, leaning away from you as he slumped back into his seat. "You got me there."

You smile at him now, a real one, and place a hand on his arm.

"Hey," You say softly, "I was just joking. I know you're busy flying around the world being a fucking badass. I'd probably forget, too."

"I won't forget next time. Swear." Nick holds his pinky up for emphasis and you immediately wrap your own around his. He smiles. "Plus, I'm home even longer now."

Your brows quirk up in interest. "Oh?"

"Mhm." Your pinkies are still wrapped around each other's, and his gaze drops down to them before looking back up. "Almost three months. You're gonna be sick of me."

"Holy shit." Your eyes widen. "Finally gonna take me out to lunch then, huh?"

His brows scrunch together in confusion before realization dawns on him. He laughs, unwrapping his pinky from around yours to bring his hand up to run through his hair.

"How the hell do you remember that?"

It was yet another promise he made at that wedding last summer, when the two of you had sat by each other at the reception. A few beers in, feeling a bit tipsy and a lot brave, Nick had brought up one of his favorite lunch spots at home. You'd never been there before, only heard of it in passing, and he had told you he'd take you there the next time he was in town. His treat, he had said.

"You promised!"

His pauses for a moment, eyes locked on yours and he can't help but smile to himself. You're seriously the most beautiful person he's ever laid eyes on, he decides right then and there. 

"Looks like I'll be taking you out then."

Before you could reply, Nick’s buddy is back with shots and handing them out to everyone at the table. He groans to himself when one finds its way into his hand, and he gives you a look. You’re already laughing.

“What? Can’t do shots anymore?”

“Dude, this is like my 4th one. I’m not sure how many more I can take.”

His friends held one out to you, brow raised as an offering. You take it.

“Here,” You turn your body towards Nick, holding the shot glass out. ”I’ll take one with you. Only one,” With your free hand you hold one finger up, lips curling into a smile. “Still gotta get my ass home.”

Nick groans again. “I wish I had that excuse. My buddy drove me here, so now I’m literally forced to drink.”

“Oh, you poor baby. Whatever shall you do?”

He rolls his eyes but knows his cheeks are heating up, the term of endearment getting to him. The table cheers in unison and he clinks his glass against yours before bringing it to his lips. You keep eye contact as you do the same, and the both of you swallow down the shot. You make a face first, visibly shaking, and then Nick follows, laughter soon escaping him.

“Holy shit, that was terrible.” You cough and Nick only laughs harder.

“Who can’t take shots now?”

You glare at him, though he knows there’s no malice behind it. “Watch it, Folio.”

He’s already feeling good, the alcohol slowly getting to him, and he leans into your space.

“Or what?”

You pause, gazing into his eyes. His heart thuds against his chest when he watched your eyes drop to his lips but in a split second they’re back on his, and you lean forward.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

This cat and mouse game between the two of you has been going on for years now, but Nick was too scared to make the first move. You were friends, who’ve been kind of flirting for years, and he’s seriously thought about kissing you ever since junior year. It’s crazy how he hasn’t… yet.  

“Actually, I think I would.” His arm settles around the back of your chair, but he doesn’t touch you.

You don’t budge, holding his steady gaze, but Nick can see the flush beginning to form on your cheeks. You don’t respond and he tilts his head, giving you a pointed look, and before he could say anything that could get him in trouble his friend is shouting across the table.

"Folio!" The both of you turn your focus to his friend, and Nick's brows furrow together. "You guys wanna play?"

He holds up a pool stick and Nick grins before looking back at you, raising a brow in question. 

"You wanna?"

"I don't know," You say with a shrug, your lips already curling at the end. "You any good?"

"Oh, sweetheart." He coos softly. "I'm the best damn pool player in Maryland."

"Is that so?" Nick nods proudly and your lips stretch into a grin in which he returns, and you push your chair back. "Well, isn't it my lucky day?”

"It sure is." He pushes his own chair back and stands up. "I hope you're ready to kick some ass."

It wasn't too hard to beat Nick's friends, them being a bit too intoxicated to really take the game seriously. It also helped that he was actually good at pool, not fibbing to make himself seem cooler in front of you. You were a pretty decent partner too, getting a few balls down yourself, and when the two of you came out triumphant for the third time in a row, Nick didn't stop himself from wrapping an arm around your shoulder to pull you into his side.

"We make a pretty good team, huh?" 

You look up at him and smile prettily, and it has Nick's stomach turning, and lean into his touch. "I say we do, Folio."

A few more rounds, all won by your team, the group finally decided to call it a night. Nick walks you out to your car, telling his friend who drove him here that he'll be back in a second. He was a gentleman, so of course he'd make sure you made it back to your car safe. He also wasn't ready to say goodbye yet, chest already heavy at the thought.

"You free Friday?" Nick shoves his hands in his pocket, tongue darting out to swipe over his bottom lip. "We could get lunch then. If you'd like."

You look up at him through your lashes and he feels his heart thud sporadically against his chest, but he tries to play it cool. 

"I'd like that a lot." You say softly.

"Cool. I'll actually text you this time." He teases and you laugh, and it sounds like music to his ears. 

Nick watches as you pull your bottom lip in between your teeth, trying to keep your smile from spreading. His body warms at that, and he finds it becoming hard to look away from your mouth and the curve of your lips, wondering what they would feel like pressed against his own. He finally gazes back up to find you staring at him intently, brows furrowed as if you're in deep thought.

"What's going on up in that head of yours?"

"Tell me if I'm crossing any lines here." You rub your hands nervously together, “I kind of don’t want tonight to end just yet… I really like talking to you.”

His cheeks flush. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” You smile, all shy and cute and it has Nick wanting to reach out and kiss you right then and there. “Do you… want to come back to my place? To hang out. Me and you.”

His eyes widen. Oh. You’re asking him to go back to your place, alone, and even though you could very well just want to talk, it still has his body heating up.

“Oh.” He says dumbly, still in shock.

"Fuck. Did I read this wrong?" You begin to panic, your cheeks heating up with color. Nick notices immediately and is quick to shake his head, eyes widening.

"No! I mean," He clears his throat, giving you a bashful smile. "Um. No. I don't think you read this wrong at all."

He catches your eyes and sees you visibly relax, but the flush to your cheeks deepens. 

"Oh." You drop your head, hair falling in your face to hide your burning cheeks. Nick can't stop himself from smiling. "Really?"

"Yes, really." He laughs. "I like hanging out with you. I always have."

He hasn't had a sip of alcohol since the shot the two of you took together hours ago and he knows he can't blame this bravery on that, but he likes to think that maybe there's still some liquid courage coursing through his veins. You look up again, a shy smile on your lips.

"So, you’re saying it wouldn't be too crazy to ask you to come home with me?" You ask softly. 

Your words have Nick's body tingling, excitement running through him. He's not sure what you mean exactly, and maybe you seriously just want to hang out more and talk - in which he's completely okay with - but there was a look in your eyes, something he caught the last time he was with you, and his stomach turned again.

"Not crazy at all." His tongue darts out to swipe over his bottom lip one more time before looking off to the side to hide the growing smile on his lips. "Let me just... Let me go tell him you'll be taking me home, okay? I'll be right back."

You nod, still smiling prettily, and he watches you get into your car. He turns to find his friend leaned up against his car a few spots down already staring at him, brows raised in question.

"Uh, I think she's taking me home tonight."

It takes a moment for the words to settle, his friend’s eyes widening. "No fucking way."

"Not like that!" Nick's quick to get out, but he knows he's lying. It's definitely like that. "We're just catching up."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be catching up alright." His friend teases and Nick rolls his eyes.

"Dude. Shut up."

Nick waves him off as they both say their goodbyes and he made his way back to your car. He takes a deep breath before getting in, giving you a smile while he buckled himself in.

“Ready?” You question, already putting your car in reverse.

Nick settles back against the seat, getting himself comfortable, and nods.

...

The two of you sit across from each other on your couch, beers in hand as Nick goes on another story about his recent travels. You had been the one to ask him, curious about what life is like on the road, and with the alcohol still coursing through his veins it was pretty hard for Nick to stop talking.

"...Sorry," He lets out sheepishly, head dipping down to hide his blush. "I'm probably boring you."

"No!" You quickly get out; your cheeks now flushed a light crimson shade. "No, it's fine. I like hearing your stories."

"Yeah?" He lifts his head up and gives you a smile, which you return easily.

"Of course. It's so exciting to hear about all the places you've been," You pull your legs up onto the couch and rest them underneath you. "I also just like hearing you talk."

"So, what you’re telling me is that you like my voice?”

"Mhm." You nod. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” 

Nick looks at you, and your eyes meet, and he feels the world kind of... stop. He can't even blame this on the beer, because even with the alcohol flowing through him, he's always thought you were beautiful. Especially your eyes, a shade of green he wasn't familiar with, all round and pretty and welcoming. 

"I don't think I've ever told you this," His fingers grip around the glass bottle in his hands and he shifts on the couch, subsequently moving closer to you, "but I think you have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen."

This catches you off guard and you laugh, light and airy, and Nick loved the way your eyes crinkled. Your face flushes a deeper shade of pink, probably from the alcohol mixed with the unusual compliment, and he smiles. 

"No, you've never told me that." You say once your laughter has died down, eyes landing back on him. "Thank you, Nick."

"Of course."

A pleasant silence falls between the two of you and he's just noticed how close you were, your legs pressing against each other. He tries to ignore the way his heart hammers against his chest, and he sucks in a breath when your hand comes down to rest against his thigh. He drops his gaze to your fingers before flicking them back up to yours, and you’re already staring, bottom lip pulled between your teeth.

Nobody moves for a solid minute, just the two of you staring at each other to see who makes the first move. Nick doesn’t miss the way your eyes dropped to his lips like they had in the parking lot, the way your chest rose and fell with a deep breath, and he leans over to grab the beer bottle still secure in your free hand but surely forgotten. You don’t say anything when he places both your forgotten bottles on the coffee table beside the couch before turning back to face you, shifting his body closer to yours.

He places a hand against yours that still rests against his thigh, and your fingers easily slide in between his own. He looks down at them, smiling softly at the way your hands fit together almost perfectly before he feels your hand underneath his chin, tilting his head up.

“Wait.” He says suddenly when he feels the two of you start to lean in, lips barely inches apart. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Nick,” You huff out, your hand now moving to cup the side of his face. He leans into the touch immediately. “I don’t think you understand how badly I want this.”

He laughs. “Oh, babe. I think I do.”

You lean in closer now, nose brushing against his and if he just tilted his head down just right your lips would be touching. His stomach swirls with butterflies and squeezes your hand that’s still in his.

“Then kiss me.”

Fuck it.

He tilts his head down, capturing your lips against his own. You let out a noise, something mixed of a sigh and a whine, and your hand squeezes his. Your lips moved together slowly, unsure, before Nick released his grip on your hand to reach up and cup your face. He was determined now, tongue darting out to swipe at your bottom lip, and you made another noise. It went straight through him, body buzzing in excitement at this newfound territory that he didn’t want to lose just yet.

You pull away, only to your shirt off of your body, and then you’re leaning back against the couch, pulling Nick with you. He follows, the two of your shifting around for him to easily slide in between your legs before his lips are back against yours and with a purpose.

You feel soft in his hold, and the way your body pressed against his was something he’s never experienced before. His hands shook as they gripped your hips, rolling his flush against yours, and the sound you let escape was heavenly. He groans, his cock hardening with each roll of your hips and he has to pull away to catch his breath.

He looks down at you, your eyes hooded, and lips parted, and he has to bite down on his lip to hold in the groan that’s threatening to escape. You look so fucking beautiful underneath him, the fucked-out expression you wore on your face is something he’s never going to forget, tucking it into the back of his mind for another time. He sits up to remove his shirt, tossing it somewhere in the room and you’re already shimmying out of your jeans, kicking them off.

“Eager much?” He teases, though he’s a little breathless at the sight of you only in your underwear. He’s already messing with the zipper of his jeans before you even respond.

“Fuck you.”

“That’s why I’m trying to do here, darlin’.”

A whine pulls out from deep in your chest and it goes straight to Nick’s already achingly hard cock, and he’s quick to rid himself of his jeans. He’s on you again in seconds, lips finding yours again as he finds solitude in between your thighs. He rolls his hips down and moans against yours lips, the feeling of your clothed and already damp core against his cock has his mind going hazy for a second or two.

“Fuck,” He grunts out, pulling away again briefly. “Do you have a condom? I wasn’t exactly prepared for this.”

Your arms move to wrap around his neck, pulling him back down to you. “I’m on the pill, and I don’t think I’m patient enough to dig around for one. I need you now.”

His cock twitches at your words.

“Are you sure?”

“Nick.” You groan this time, annoyed, and you nip at his bottom lip before pulling back, head pressing back against the arm of the couch. He sucks in a breath when your eyes meet. “I trust you. And if I’m being honest, if you’re not inside me in the next ten fucking seconds I will lose my goddamn mind.”

Nick lets out a surprised laugh and your cheeks flush. He sits up to pull his boxers down and watches you shimmy your underwear down, sitting up briefly to remove your bra before falling back on the couch. He settles back in between your legs, lifting them up to wrap around his waist.

“Demanding little thing, huh?” His voice is low as he wraps a hand around his aching cock, the tip glaringly red as he gives himself a few strokes. “I like it.”

You keen at his words, eyes fluttering shut and he has to collect himself and not pound into you immediately. He takes his time, though, slowly sliding the tip up and down your already soaked folds. The moan that rips from you the second he pushes in has something beneath his chest twisting, the butterflies in his stomach fluttering around wildly.

He’s not even all the way in but you already feel incredible, your cunt clenching around him as you take him inch by inch. He’s sure by the scrunch of your face and the way your nails dig into his forearms that the stretch isn’t the most pleasant, and he leans over, fluttering kisses around your face.

“Okay?” He questions, voice already strained. You give a little nod but don’t bother opening your eyes. “Taking me so well already, baby. So fucking good.”

Your whole body flushes at his words and you clench around his length again, and Nick’s vision blurs briefly. He’s not sure how he’s going to last longer than thirty seconds at this point. He sucks in a deep breath when he finally bottoms out, hips pressed flushed against yours, and you whine.

He stills, worry rushing through him. “Feel alright?”

You finally open your eyes, lids heavy and gaze hazy, and give another nod of your head.

“Mhm. Just feel…” You whimper out, hips wiggling down before you gasp. “So full.”

“You feel fucking incredible.” He groans out, forehead pressing against yours. Your arms reach up to wrap around his neck and he kisses you, soft and gentle. “Tell me when I can move.”

“Move.” You whine, hips wiggling again. “Please move, baby.”

The first roll of his hips has you moaning out, but Nick swallows it with another kiss. His hands roam over your body as you move together and he feels you shudder in his hold as he gives a rather deep roll of his hips, gasping out his name softly. He can’t help but whine into your mouth, wanting to make you say his name over and over and over again. It sounded like you were meant to say it, all pretty and fucked out, nails now digging into his shoulders as he picks up speed.

He reaches down between the two of you, pressing calloused fingers against your throbbing clit and rubs circles in time with his thrusts. You throw your head back, eyes squeezing shut as a low, deep moan falls from your now swollen lips, and Nick leans forward and presses open mouthed kisses along your exposed neck, his thrusts or fingers not letting up.

“Nick…” You whimper out, nails digging even further into his shoulders that he’s sure there will be a mark tomorrow. He’ll be surprised if you don’t break. “Fuck.”

“I love when you say my name.” He groans against your neck and gives another deep roll of his hips, causing your back to arch off the couch. “You close, baby? Tell me what to do, wanna make you feel good.”

You moan. “Keep doing what you’re doing, please. Don’t stop.”

He doesn’t, continuing to rub your swollen clit in time with his thrusts, your cunt clenching around him so tightly he almost forgets how to fucking breathe. You feel other worldly, like something he’s never experienced before, and he swears he sees fucking stars the second he feels your cunt clench around him one last time. You come with a shout of his name, body shaking under him as your orgasm spread throughout your body.

He moans, pressing his face against your neck as he chases his own high, and he somehow remembers to pull out, fisting his cock and giving it a few sharp tugs before he spills all over your stomach. His chest rises and falls heavy with each breath he took, hair falling in his face as he tries to come back to earth. He looks down at you and his heart skips a beat, as cliché as it sounds, at the fucked out grin on your lips.

Nick can’t help himself and he leans down, lips catching your own in the most tender kiss he can muster up at the moment.

“Where’s your bathroom?” He questions once he pulls away, moving some hair out of your, and tsks softly when you try to push him back and sit up. “No, no, no. Stay here. I got it.”

You pause, peering up at him before you slowly lay back down. “Down the hall, first door to the left.”

Nick pulls himself up from the couch with a groan, eyes scanning the room to find his boxers before he reaches down for them and puts them on. It doesn’t take him more than a minute to get to the bathroom and find something to wipe you off with, and he comes back into the living room to find you right where he left you. He wipes up the mess he made on your stomach and is gentle in between your legs, lips curling in a slight smirk at the way you squirmed when he did so.

You’re quiet when you finally stand from the couch, searching for you shirt. He can’t help but watch, the curves of your body forever embedded in his mind, and his eyes linger when he notices the bottom of your shirt barely covers your ass. You turn to look at him, cheeks still flushed, but you wore an expression as if you were in deep thought. He thought it was the cutest thing ever, his lips tugging into a smile.

“What?” He questions, leaning back against the couch. You shrug, a smile slowly creeping onto your own lips.

“…Would it be crazy to ask you to stay the night?”

His smile only widens at your words, heart thudding against his chest.

“As long as you let me buy you breakfast in the morning.”

“Breakfast and lunch?” You reach out for him, and he lets you tug him up from the couch, lacing your fingers together as you drag him towards your bedroom. “Sounds almost as if you like me or something, Folio.”

“Maybe I do.”

You pause in the doorway, looking up at him with wide, pretty eyes and he doesn’t stop himself from leaning down, pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. You giggle when he pulls away and tug him into your room.

“It’s a date.”

#bad omens fanfiction #bad omens fanfic #nick folio fanfiction #nick folio fic #mine

[captain-mj]

Can we please have some more monster handler au? If you still want to write about that piece

They should be on their way to a happy ending right 🥺

....I'm so sorry for being so late to make this

Ao3 link to the entire thing

Ghost sat on Soap's bed, on his stomach casually. Soap cleaned his wings gently. He had searched up how bird owners cleaned their birds wings and, besides finding some things out about how birds court each other, he also found out the basics. Which meant he could easily comb out all of the old feathers and preen the remaining ones until they shined.

Ghost purred softly when he did. His wings stretched to give him more access, letting Soap's fingers work.

"There we go. You're all done." Soap tried to move away from him.

Ghost grabbed Soap and pulled him back down, making what he wanted clear. He heard him chuckle before his lovely hands were back on his wings. This time just stroking and petting.

"Sorry, m'eudail. Wouldn't want to disappoint you." Soap continued to gently take care of him.

Ghost purred and melted. "Better." His ear tufts flicked up and down, up and down. Clearly showing his approval. "Keep doing that and I'll let you kiss me."

Soap smiled, liking this more playful side of Simon. He kept scratching until Ghost decided it was enough. The man moved under hm quickly, flipping to his back without so much as jostling Soap. He pulled him down and started to kiss him, giant hands sliding down his back before grabbing a handful of his ass.

"Ghost..."

Simon growled and squeezed his ass hard. He wrapped his wings firmly around him, squeezing.

"I'm not going to leave."

"Just gotta make sure." Ghost purred, digging his nails in a little. Soap jerked just a little and started to kiss him again.

Someone texted them and Ghost groaned immediately. "Tell them we're busy. I need to be handled."

Soap laughed and relaxed onto his chest. "I've spoiled you."

"A little. Why does it matter? I feel like I still do just fine." Ghost nipped him.

Soap purred and stretched. "Guess not. I like keeping you happy."

Ghost's wings fluttered slightly and he looked embarrassed about it. They tried to stay in bed as long as they could before being dragged out.

Alex sat with Soap during a meeting. Ghost had been dragged away for something, so the two of them just ended up next to each other. Soap could feel something around Alex. An air of something. Despite how clearly he was trying to hide it, Alex kept tapping his nails against the table and they were clearly not human. It wasn't like Alex to lose control of his form.

Soap glanced around for Gaz, but he was nowhere to be seen. He slowly reached over and bumped his shoulder, making Alex focus on him.

"You okay, buddy?"

Alex continued to stare at him for a minute before looking around. "Can we talk afterwards?"

Soap nodded. "Yeah, sure." He didn't get why Alex would want to talk to him specifically, but he didn't mind. As everyone filtered out, Alex took a deep breath.

"I know Ghost didn't get a choice. I... asked around."

Soap tilted his head but stayed quiet.

"Alejandro didn't get a choice either. Neither did I. And... I'm pretty certain if I could get Graves alone to ask, he'd say he didn't have a choice either." Alex looked at Soap. "How... awful, right?"

Ice ran through Soap's veins along with a helping of sheer nausea. "What do you mean?"

"They told all of us different things. Alejandro was told it was weapons testing. I was told it was a new bulletproof tac gear. Different things. I sometimes wonder if they leaked this stuff to the cartels on purpose. Creating monsters inside that would wipe out everything. They would know how to handle it. How to kill them. Also meant free research."

"Wouldn't be the first time the military did something awful like that."

"No. It wouldn't. I don't want to believe it. But they did similar things to Farah and the other prisoners. Unethical experiments. Cruel things. Trying to replicate what the military was doing at the time. It's just... interesting. That they knew only weeks after the military found out how to do this to people." Alex stared off. "I've talked to Gaz. He gets angry. Talks about how awful it is. He... He won't admit it out loud, but he's angry for me too. Even if I came out... right, how terrible it is that it was done at all. Soap, do you think this was worth it?"

Soap felt like his throat had closed all the way. "What was worth it?"

"Us. Was it worth it? You're a handler. I want your perspective. Do we do enough good to justify it all?"

Ghost's beautiful eyes blinked at him. The scarring. The little airplane and how Ghost hated his appearance and Alejandro hid what he was and Alex was considered perfect and the shining example when Gaz had admitted drunkenly that Alex sobbed and whimpered and clawed at himself after every battle. That all of them suffered so much. How most of them could never leave the military.

"No. I don't think you do. You try your best. But you're not the people who should be making amends."

Alex closed his eyes. "I'm glad you agree. I really do."

#call of duty #call of duty modern warfare #simon ghost riley #johnny soap mactavish #call of duty modern warfare ii #cod mw2 #ghostsoap #soapghost #cod #ghoap

[ikkosu]

CRAZY CHICKS

(pharma x gn.reader)

oh my god, Tumblr won't let me save the thing and I deleted the entire post my accident 😭😭😭 thank God I already uploaded the fic to my AO3. anywhoo!! I adore the song omg it's got a new spot on my playlist <333

THIS is fine.

Oh, this is totally fine. What more could a few hours do? You've toiled through haggard days of insomnia, wrought yourself off from your dry, unmade bed that’s likely rotting in that basement (Pharma doesn’t seem to understand the prospect of human comfort “I’ve slept on metal. You’ll fare well, darling.” ) and inhaled cold breakfast that’s rooked from a can.

Surely, this proposition isn’t all bad?

The devil — he who sits before you now — has his servos in a delicately intertwined lattice. A chesire grin, glimmering white rooks clear on his face, with blue optics that creased into a half-moon.

Disconcertingly enough, he’s got the mien of a charming salesman and the only difference between those two is that at least one of them doesn’t have unethical usage of medical malpractice written all over.

"You see, darling I'm not exactly holding you hostage, here." A digit taps the datapad.

The screen flares brightly and a myriad of texts warbled into view. They’re Cybertronian and much to your un-surprise, through the quick minutes of skimming, it's a contract.

He forged your signature?

"What I'm doing, to be succinctly accurate, is providing you an opportunity a human like you is not often so offered with." He drawls. Then, catching your gaze, placating servos shoots up with feiged sympathy. "In a rather un-delicate manner, of course. Apologies."

You blink slowly. "Unethical labor." Was all you said.

"Ethical. Doesn't have to be labor, either. We're both surgeons."

"I'm a nurse."

His lips keeled over his teeth and the latticed fist clocks the desk with a vexed thump. A   polite miffed look eased over his face, that very well meant displeasure.

“Nonetheless, you're fully able to grasp Cybertronian medical procedures, no?” He hooked up a brow.

“I guess. I— what does this have to do with me strapped to the chair, though?” He leans over, almost boredly, to peer at your gesture around the ropes curled over your flesh, taut and tight, docking you to the chair.

“Ah, I figured you’d be more convinced if I had handled you this way.”

You look to the ground. Up. Down. Then, up. “I’m not getting out of this aren’t I?”

“No. You’re not.” He smiled. Politely.

“And, if I run you’re still going to catch me?”

“Without a doubt, darling.”

“And if you catch me you’re going to kill me?”

He hummed. “That much, I can agree on.”

Wonderful. First, you’re stalked by your boss, now captured by your boss, now threatened by your boss. Can this day get any more absurd? Who are you kidding. Absurdity lies at an abstract form when comes to Pharma.

But you can say this, though : he’s not all bad of a fighter, and a protector is what you needed after meddling with a few of his rather unruly patients. And, so you relent— not without an amused grin which is something you should’ve clocked yourself in the skull for.

“Something funny, darling? Do indulge me in your amusement.” He leans over, the smile is now taut. almost forced. “I’d love to know the source of your pleasure.”

Don’t say it like that that, you grimace but towed on, anyways. “Nothing, you just reminded me of something.”

His wings flare up. The smile, brighter, child-like. Ah, his ego. You forgot. He lavishes himself in praises like they were gold. “Oh?”

You’re not sure if you should continue, given he’d probably keel over and die the moment you’ll concede, but he seemed so eager it was infectious.

And, strangely (you’re going to kill your self for this) you found it adorable. You could use that to an advantage. Like, getting yourself out of this poorly undisguised bondage kink, for example.

“….A song, preferably.” You said.“Can you loosen the straps? It’s kind of hurting.”

“Not a poem— but a song? Oh, I’m incredibly flattered.” He prods you on, almost giddily, with a servo. “Not often do I have the pleasure of pleasing you. Do continue. This is getting rather interesting.”

You cringed. “….Its a pop….song?”

The grin falters, but the benign, persistent streak teetered on. “I see. What’s the, ah,” He gestures vaguely, like he’s convincing himself that whatever you said meant something important. “…Name of this song, you’re willing to divulge?”

You wince. Oh, god. Should you lie? Are you kidding, he’ll dig you a grave deeper than the Himalayas can go. He’s a master manipulator, a concierge to deception, deception at his hands handled with care , and white as they were — it’s never pure. You licked your lips. Your throat is dry.

Here goes nothing.

“Crazy Chicks.”

A slow blink. The optics fizzles out. Dim for a moment, then bright. The smile thinned. “Crazy Chicks.”

“You heard me, right.” You said nervously. “It’s a banger.”

“I am not a banger, or whatever you call it in your human, fleshie terms.” He seethes, cutting off your surprised stammer at his sudden aggressiveness. “How utterly insulting. Are you seriously diagnosing me, with this— this— unearthly, poorly fledged ailment, whoever the pitiful doctor is, inclusive of the features of a poultry?”

“It’s slang for women.” Should you say often offensive? No, he’ll gut you for that— oh god his chainsaw is sheathing. (It’s not, you’re just seeing things.)

“Why would they—“ And, he halts, staring at you for a moment before closing his optics. He kneads his face then sighs, figuring that maybe it wasn’t worth an explanation for. He leans back, a lethargic look on his face. “I appreciate the sentiment darling but I don’t see how this would remind you of me. I’m far from an organic, and I’m far from an unbridled, unculturally deranged Cybertronian.”

So you say. Was your inner deadpan. “The context does.” And, a little squeak of : “Maybe you should try listening to it?”

He seemed offended at the prospect and leans forward, staring you down with his unusually baffled optics. You’re about to call it off , even offering to grovel, when — whether it was the strange flattery that he’s, to you, reminiscent of an object to your liking, or another reason entirely — relents with a grimace.

“Fine. If you’re so insistent.” He mutters. “The least I can do as a compensation for your cooperation.”

A quick tap of his digit to his helm, you can hear the thrum of the familiar tune against his audio processors.

Oh, dear.

Where should you start. At first, the digit tapped along. ‘How typical’, he mutters before, you think he’s finally got the gist of the lyrics, rooked on the most abstruse look you’ve ever seen him don.

Worst three minutes of your life.

You’re here, strapped to this rickety wooden chair Pharma probably pulled out of someone’s ass, sweating, andrenaline pulsing at your throat. All the while your boss is left listening to your inner turmoil poorly disguised through a song, blatantly disparaging his very much unique disposition.

Pharma leans against his chair. The song is done. You’re too eager on the prospect of sudden death to look up. A vent eases out.

“Thats certainly something new. I never thought I'd be addressed this way, more so by a human, of all kinds. Ah, though it’s hard to admit…” His voice was strangely seductive, bordering on a purr, and a wide grin curled the corner of his mouth.

“That's something I can get around with.”

#transformers #maccadam #transformers x reader #transformers idw #idw pharma #pharma x reader

[montrealmadison]

Tater 27 please ?

i have never written tater before - ever! - so this was incredibly fun! thank you so much for the prompt and for helping me stretch my writing muscles a little bit ❤️ the only things i know about patater are inspired by a frankly shocking quantity of sidgeno rpf so make of that what you will

27. tater + i’m so tired by lauv & Troye Sivan for @shygryf

Strangers, killing my lonely nights with strangers And when they leave, I go back to our song, I hold on Hurts like heaven, lost in the sound Buzzcut season like you're still around Can't unmiss you, but I need you now

Tater’s letting some girl he doesn’t know shoot tequila out of his belly button when he gets the text.

Kent Parson: you awake? Kent Parson: sorry know it’s late

It is late, three or so, and the club’s fun but the idea of not being here is just as good. Maybe it’s rude, but he doesn’t care; he props his elbow on the table for better leverage and sends back, yes, and then ok?

Kent Parson: no Kent Parson: popped my achilles Kent Parson: we're out

Shit. That means the end of their playoff run, which in turn means about five hundred other things. He doesn’t even have the chance to formulate a response before Kent adds, will you come?

A cold thing settles in Tater’s chest, a weighty purpose that he doesn’t stop to examine. Maybe it's the shots making this seem like a good idea; of course he will, and that’s the end of it. There’s something about clambering up off the table, tequila soaking down into his open fly, and shouldering his way to the exit without a word that makes him feel about a thousand feet tall.

read more below or on ao3 | request a fic here

Kent lives in a nice building. Not nice enough for the security guy downstairs to make any real effort to stop Tater from getting in, but then, Tater is six foot seven and built like the desks that lesser men hide behind. He hits the button for the elevator and zips upward, chewing on his lip, watching the numbers tick higher.

This is stupid. This is an absurd way to spend a thousand dollars and God knows how many days, catching a frantic red-eye to Vegas like he’s going to be able to do anything the Aces’ trainers haven’t already tried. It’s more absurd that he stands in the hallway with his fist poised to knock on Kent’s front door for at least five minutes, wondering if he should have brought food. Does the kid even eat? He’s awfully tiny.

He finally gets over himself and knocks. There’s a voice from inside at once: “Open.”

Tater does.

The apartment is nice, modern. It’s also a complete fucking mess. There are ostentatiously dirty shoes scattered all over the entryway, possibly-related scuff marks up the bare white walls. Tater has to do this dainty hop through a minefield of Yeezys just to make it to solid ground, and is very glad that no one can see him. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“Parson?”

“In the living room.”

Tater drops his bag in the kitchen and heads for the voice. The close little hallway seems much more inviting than it did in the dark last time he was here, and the living room is spacious and airy without a couple hundred bodies packing it. There’s a big TV on one wall, running something trashy. In the middle of the room is that ugly couch, brown suede and covered with cat hair, and in the middle of the couch is Kent.

Relief spreads through Tater at once, numbing the tingle in his hands. Okay, so maybe he spent the whole five-hour trip picturing the worst-case scenario. Guys in their line of work are not, as a rule, great at handling their injuries, especially later in the season; Tater only has to look at Jack for proof of that one. But Kent’s eyes are clear, if tired and a little wet-looking, and he’s sprawled out comfortably with his hand in Kit’s fur and his wrapped ankle carefully supported by a pile of throw pillows. He’s wearing ratty old sweats, white socks gone gray on the bottoms, a couple days’ worth of scruff that marks his sorry excuse for a playoff beard. 

“Shit, man,” he says, seeing Tater in the doorway. “You came.”

“You call.” 

It’s not quite that simple, but somehow, faced with the fact of Kent’s obvious, boneless relief at having him here, it feels like the right sentiment.

“I did,” Kent says. He sounds croaky, exhausted. The deep shadows under his eyes make them look more green. Tater wonders if he’s slept, or how much. “Thanks.”

He has this weird impulse to poke the bear, which maybe isn’t fair to Kent, but it’s all he knows how to do. 

“You miss me?” he asks, slouching further into the room. Kit lifts her head imperiously to watch him settle a polite distance away on the couch. “That why you ask me, not teammate?”

This is the dynamic they built at the bar, in the darkness of Kent’s bedroom: push and pull, catch and release. Things are still too new, too fragile between them; they’ve never implied a sense of belonging to each other, or at least not the kind that prompts something like this. 

As it stands, Kent doesn’t play along with the teasing, and that’s what finally gives Tater a sense of how shitty he feels. 

“Let ‘em grieve, right?” he says listlessly, tipping his head into the back of the couch. “Shit game. Didn’t wanna bother them.”

You were okay with bothering me, Tater thinks but does not say. A guy you’ve hooked up with twice who lives across the country. What the fuck does that mean?

He knows what he wants, what he wants it to mean. It’s part of what caught his eye in the first place: this kid is so, so young to be a captain, to bear this weight. The Aces are out of the playoffs not because they played their hardest, but thanks to a non-call and an injury that’ll have Kent in PT all summer. Now he’s curled up on the couch in his disaster of an apartment with only the cat for company, his teammates pushed away or otherwise nowhere to be found. It’s incongruous with the spitfire who finds a reason to drop gloves every time they share the ice, who likes to have his wrists pinned down and kisses with too much teeth and, holy hell, called Tater in Providence when he got hurt.

“Bother me anytime,” Tater says before he can bite down on it. He scoots a little closer, clasping his hands briefly between his knees. “Poor Parson. Need friend when teammates being sad.”

Kent’s laugh turns into a cough and Kit scrambles off his chest, affronted. 

“Is that what you are?” he asks. “My friend?”

“Maybe,” Tater hums, pretending to consider. “Well. Maybe not yet.”

“Not yet,” Kent echoes. He sounds puzzled. “Okay?”

“We not really know each other,” Tater says. Maybe it’s mean, the way this is lighting him on fire. Kent likes to bottom, but never to lose control; even in bed he runs his mouth like everything that comes out of it is gospel truth. Opportunities to catch him on the back foot are few and far between, and—well. Tater likes to take care of his people, likes to show them love, and above all likes a challenge.

“We don’t—”

Tater decides to take pity on him. “Sex not knowing, Parson. Think maybe you think that way.”

Okay, yeah, this is definitely mean. Kent’s breath is coming faster, and the line of his jaw is set and trembling. But Tater wants to push him a little bit, get his money’s worth for the flight, the worry; Kent can pay him back in kind, and will. Tater just has to help him get there.

“So what if I do?” Kent asks. His laugh is tiny. “Man, I’m confused. Not like we’ve had much more time to figure each other out.”

And yet you asked me here, Tater thinks, and decides to play his trump card.

“It’s summer. You not play, I’m not play.” Tater spreads his hands wide, goes for broke and scoots in close to curl a hand slow and sinuous around Kent’s good ankle. “Need rest, someone to take care. Seem like good time to me.”

Kent’s breath catches in his throat. He smells sweaty and kinda gross, but his smile is soft, a fragile thing, and Tater knows he’s gotten it right. 

“Captive audience,” Kent says, barely a whisper.

“Yes,” Tater agrees, and leans in to meet his mouth.

#kent parson #alexei mashkov #patater #omgcp #omgcheckplease #my writing #efickegster 2024

[ggomos-maribat]

Secrets, Thrice Divulged

Part 4 of Heirs Apparent | AO3

Masterlist

Words in bold italics are spoken in Arabic. CW: mild blood, violence, vehicle accident

Danny didn't believe in luck.

He'd grown up in the League, where he had been waltzing with death, where he had close calls and near-misses. Where he was taught that one slip-up, one gap in his skills made him doubt he was going to be alive in the next morning. He didn't entertain the idea of luck, not when he found his passion in astrophysics. Things didn't happen by mere luck; there was only probability and chance. Even in his transition into a halfa, he knew it wasn't completely random, not when his family had an entire ghost portal situated in their basement.

But if luck truly did exist, he knew he had the worst one.

"I can't believe they left us here, in a different city, just because they caught a strong ecto-signature in Gotham city in the middle of the night!" His older sister's voice of complaint pulled him out of his thoughts.

Danny only smiled wryly as he watched her scowl at the two bus tickets they had to purchase themselves. Origin: Atlantic city. Destination: Gotham. What could they expect from their parents except last-minute ghost-hunting trips?

"And it's not like there are tons of ghosts in Gotham---" Jazz stopped to look at him. "Are there a lot?"

"Considering that it's a breeding ground of death, emotions and obsessions, plus it's the home of one of the oldest ghosts out there, I'd say yeah," he replied, aimlessly noting the growing gray color of the sky. He recalled the rare times he was in Gotham; in terms of ectoplasm rancidity, it was just second after Amity Park.

"Still! They left one text! Didn't bother to wake us up or wait until morning." Jazz hiked her bag up her shoulders. People started to crowd around the bus in hopes of getting a decent seat. They followed along the back slowly.

Danny gave her a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. "Don't worry, it's a direct trip to Gotham. As soon as we get there, we'll find Mom and Dad, take a tour, and meet one of the Rogues or something."

Jazz said nothing but offered a weak smile, an attempt to assure him that she was trying to look at the positive side.

He looked around the area. Not a lot of buses seemed to be stopping by Gotham, so their ride seemed packed with passengers. The station was filled with the chatter of the crowd, and the air buzzed with a certain chill that made his core thrum.

Core . . . thrumming?

Danny whipped around the second he felt goosebumps trickling down his neck. His eyes met blue ones that mirrored his but he let his own gaze pass over her to avoid prolonged eye contact.

What is she doing here? Four thousand miles away from Paris? A quick discreet glance told him that she was with her friends.

His fingers twitched inside his hoodie pockets. A million questions flooded his head, but he knew he couldn't move or say anything.

Because around all these people, they weren't supposed to know each other. They were supposed to be strangers.

Before he could rearrange his thoughts, his attention zeroed in on familiar voices to his side, plus the large stocky figures brushing past him in the line.

"Take the B-mobile for a ride, he said. It'll be fun, he said."

"Okay, for the record, it was Jay who told us to take it out of Gotham---"

"Wow, selling me out right away, Dickie? Who was driving and crashed the car again? It wasn't me."

"Fools, I repeatedly said that this was a horrible idea." A huff. "I will make sure to tell Father that I had no part in this."

"One word out of you, Demon Spawn, and we're leaving you here."

Danny's mind blanked out again. His subconscious wasn't as clear-cut as his Ghost Sense, but he knew it was warning him of danger. All three of them somehow boarding one bus screamed capital D-A-N-G-E-R to him and he wanted to run, tell his siblings that this was asking for trouble.

He stepped one foot up the bus platform, holding onto the handle. What should I do? Should I turn back now? Catch the next bus? Send a signal to Akhi and Amira? Is there an assassin on the bus? His eyes darted over to the pair of tickets Jazz held. No . . . I can't do that to Jazz without a proper explanation. Not when she bought the tickets with her own money. That's not fair.

"Danny?" Jazz gazed up at him.

He swallowed, climbing up the bus. "Yeah, sorry. Just spaced out for a sec."

When they took their seats right behind the driver, he pulled up his hood to mask a part of his face. Tucker had once pointed out his resemblance to Damian Wayne but it had only been a passing comment that Jazz never heard. He didn't need her or the Wayne brothers noticing that during the bus ride.

He made a quick sweep as he noticed Marinette enter the vehicle, with a blonde boy holding her by the hand. Two of their friends followed behind with one prattling rapidly in French. Damian and his brothers were seated an aisle away from himself and Jazz, while the Parisian group took their seats at the middle of the bus.

No suspicious entities, living or otherwise, were in sight.

Danny clenched his fist inside his pocket. Both Damian and Marinette should know that the three of them were in the same ride. He figured they were trying to lay low and act normal while remaining vigilant for potential threats. Like he was.

He let himself recline on his seat as the engine revved to life and the doors folded closed.

He could only hope for the best.

---

Marinette followed behind Adrien as they walked to their bus seats, with Chloe and Alix trailing behind them. The blonde girl hadn't stopped cursing a certain classmate to hell since they found themselves stranded in Atlantic city. 

"That witch! How dare she pull off something like this?" Chloe spat out. "And Bustier! How will she take responsibility in case something happens to us? Huh?" 

Alix wrestled her down to her seat before she could alarm the other passengers. Meanwhile, Marinette tried to soothe the stirring feeling in her chest. Ever since she saw her two brothers in the station, her attention had been divided. 

"Chloe, save that energy for later when we arrive in Gotham," Adrien said calmly. "We're fine, we're not in danger, and we got our tickets. Then we'll make sure our class will face the consequences." 

He squeezed Marinette's hand as he said the words. She smiled softly in return. 

Chloe folded her arms with a defiant huff, turning her head towards the window. Alix only side-eyed her, settling on the sear beside her as a silent promise to the other two that she'll keep Chloe at bay. 

Adrien motioned to the seats in front of them. "After you, my Lady." 

"Sorry—um," she cleared her throat. "Can you take the window seat instead?" 

In case an emergency happens, a voice inside her uttered, in case I need to jump into action immediately. 

She shook her head slightly. No, Mari, don't think like that. Nothing is going to happen. 

Thankfully, Adrien let her sit near the aisle without question. He undoubtedly sensed her uneasiness but was opting to talk about it later. 

"Comfy?" He squeezed her hand again. 

Marinette scrunched her nose. The barely-cushioned seats and torn leather barely matched up to the luxury bus their class probably rode earlier that morning. Nonetheless, she didn't want to complain. 

No, I'm worried. "Yeah, comfy," she mumbled. 

Adrien hummed—bless him, he was still the sunshine he was even in the worst situations—and unzipped his bag to bring out snacks. "I bought these while you were lining up for the tickets. Eat up, princess." 

Marinette's lips parted at the gesture. Princess. It had taken her a while to warm up to the nickname since it hit too close to home. But she grew to love the endearment. 'Amira' to her brothers and mother, 'princess' to her love. 

With a small 'thank you' she accepted a packet of biscuits from him while he passed a couple snacks to Alix and Chloe. The biscuits placated her rumbling hunger but not her paranoia. Her gaze strayed towards the seats in front of them, spotting Damian's head lowered, seemingly occupied with his phone. Straight ahead of her, Danyal was buried in his hoodie, perhaps to draw less attention to himself.

No matter how badly she wanted to talk to them, she resisted the idea. If it really was a coincidence that they ended up in the same bus, she'd be exposing the three of them in more danger if she tried to communicated with either.

"Okay, I'll bite," Adrien whispered beside her, "What are you thinking about?"

She forced herself to look at the stretch of road becoming a blur as the bus sped. "Paris. I shouldn't have agreed to go on this trip . . ."

"You know Luka and Gami have it covered, right?"

"I know but," she let out an exhausted sigh, "I haven't been this far from home for this long, you know?"

His thumb traced the back of her hand. "What about that time an akuma trapped us in a pocket dimension for three days?"

She laughed. "You know that doesn't count."

"Does too." A teasing smile graced his lips which faltered when she yawned. "Hey, you can rest your head on my shoulder if you want to sleep. The ride will take a while."

Marinette rubbed her eyes. "I'll live, don't worry. I overslept this morning, remember?"

She was about to grab her water bottle when the bus suddenly lurched to the side. Her head snapped up to witness two things happen at the same time: the bus driver had slumped, unconscious, and Damian jumped to catch the man; and at the same second, Danyal himself slid to the front to steer the wheel himself.

Shouts and sounds of surprise echoed around her, but Marinette could only focus on her brothers. The bus was moving erratically, which meant that there was something wrong with the controls. She watched Danyal struggle to keep the vehicle in its lane, knuckles whitening and jaw clenched tightly. Damian was checking for the driver's pulse; his mouth was moving but she couldn't hear him over the commotion.

She had moved to the edge of the seat without her notice and the bus lurched again, this time throwing her forwards.

"—brakes! Step on the brakes!"

"I can't! It's not working!"

"Was it tampered with? Where's the emergency brakes?!"

Marinette caught her breath as she composed herself. Around her, passengers had been knocked from their seats, clinging to whatever they could get their hands on. She barely registered Adrien trying to reach for her arm—

"Shit!"

A loud screech rang out as the bus tilted, skidding through the road at an angle only to be stopped by the rails on the side of a cliff. A high-pitched scream sounded as she saw a toddler slipping from his mother's grasp, falling through the unhinged doors, leaving him to dangle at the edge.

The bus teetered a little.

Marinette released her breath, freezing in her position. She saw one of the Wayne brothers shuffle towards the child when he was stopped by Damian.

"Don't." Damian glared. "Don't or else we'll fall."

The hand was retracted. Marinette's pulse sped up as she heard the mother's whimpering sobs. Damian was still supporting the unconscious driver. Danyal had the dysfunctional breaks pressed to the floor as he desperately kept the bus in its balance.

Without thinking she spoke out loud in clear English. "I'll go."

Adrien gasped sharply. Chloe hissed her name. Her brothers turned to stare at her, along with some other passengers at the front.

"I'll go get him," she repeated in a louder tone. "I'm light enough—I think. I should be able to get him."

A soft sniff pulled her attention back to the dangling child. She was met with no disagreement (except from her friends), so she slowly began to make her way to the front, careful not to disrupt the bus. Marinette knew her actions were watched by piercing eyes and bated breaths but her instincts ignored the distractions.

The bus creaked and shook again the moment she stepped near the front doors. With one hand, she gripped the handle while the other reached for the little boy.

Marinette clenched her jaw. I can't reach him. She braved another step closer, making the bus tilt a little again. The boy's fingers were starting to slip. She took a deep breath. I have to get down there.

In one swift move, she swung herself down to hang from the bus, catching the boy at the waist before he fell. She lifted him back to the vehicle and he ran towards his mother, sobbing. 

The passengers screamed as the floor shifted again. Now it was Marinette who was at the edge of her death and we she looked down, the fall did seem unforgiving.

She bit her lip.

Any longer they stayed there, the rails were going to break.

Her head snapped up, meeting her brothers' eyes. "Drive," she commanded. "Steer the bus back to the road."

Danyal was first to speak up,, his hands tightening on the wheel. "No . . ."

---

Danyal's response was faint, but was clearly heard by Jasmine behind them and Damian's brothers, who were now staring holes to the back of his head. 

He knew it was uncharacteristic of him to jump to help in that emergency—it was more of Grayson's thing. But he'd seen Danyal rush to the wheel and he had felt himself jump into the action at the same time. 

He looked at Marinette, feeling utterly helpless as he saw her hanging. Yet her eyes told a different story, passing on a message that said 'trust me', like she'd always silently say during their missions together.

And Danyal seemingly got the hint.

Damian watched as his brother floored the accelerator this time, directing the wheel to the far left to swerve them out of the edge of the cliff. Marinette had flipped with the perfect timing, propping herself back on the bus as the doors closed. The wheels were still moving erratically, but he could tell that Danyal had better control this time.

The bus jerked from side to side this time, rattling every passenger on board. Finally—finally—Damian saw the lever for the emergency brakes at the bottom of the dashboard. He leapt, pulled on it, and sent the bus skidding before it slid to a halt.

Damian released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

---

With the Wayne boys' help, the bus passengers immediately filed out the beat-up vehicle. Damian himself had help from Jason carrying the unconscious driver over to the side of the road while Dick and Tim checked the civilians for injuries. 

If Jason kept burning his gaze into Damian, he pretended not to notice. Dick joined them not long after to help look over the driver. 

The eldest Wayne put two fingertips at the man's neck. "Poison?" 

"Possibly," Damian replied, "but no warning signs before the trip began." 

"If he was poisoned during the ride, we would've noticed that," Jason said. 

Damian looked back at the bus. Obviously, the accident was deliberate, one targeting him and his siblings if he could take his best guess. But knowing the League, the incident could only be the beginning. He forced himself to be more aware, observing each detail in his surroundings. They could be anywhere. 

As his eyes scanned the people around, he caught sight of the mother of the child earlier, profusely thanking Marinette. In another spot, Jasmine was talking to Danyal, perhaps scolding him for the rash action while tapping through her phone to find another way to get to Gotham.

"What was that?" Jason's voice cut through his thoughts. 

He raised an eyebrow. "What was what?" 

"You know what." 

His brothers' curious eyes told him of every unspoken question. Why'd you jump into danger like that? Who was that boy you looked like? 

Why did it seem like you knew him and that girl? 

"I do not know what you're talking about, Todd," he lied. 

"Damian, is there something you need to tell us?" asked Dick. 

Damian's jaw tensed. Can they not tell that I cannot talk about it at the moment?  "There is nothing," he answered brusquely before walking towards the bus. 

"Where are you going?" Dick called out to him. Damian saw no need to reply, picking up his pace towards the vehicle. 

If it were the League that was after them, it was most likely the opposite faction. Talia's way of communicating was more discreet if she wanted to bring them back to base. So it was safer to assume that they were dealing with hostiles. He stepped into the bus, first inspecting the driver's side.

As he expected, the brakes had been tampered with, along with the other controls. Movement caught his periphery and he turned to see both Danyal and Marinette checking on the perimeter as well. He was about to join them when he heard a click and felt something cool pressed against the side of his head. 

 From the reflections on the windows, he could see his siblings in the same predicament, cornered by assassins. He made a quick check. Civilians were still in the area and they couldn't make the scuffle too loud. Not to mention, his brothers were probably headed that way. 

But the three of them didn't need seclusion. They could make it swift and clean. On the right timing, Damian swung at the arm holding the gun as the others did the same. He quickly disarmed the man and kicked him out of the bus, immediately going for the other attackers. He didn't need to look to know that his siblings were retaliating in sync—with Marinette wielding her pocket knife and Danyal reusing the same gun he took. 

Damian steadied his breaths as he spotted more assassins come their way. Where did they all come from? Slowly but surely, the three backed up against each other. As Damian blocked an incoming punch, he swiped the spare knife his sister offered behind him while she jabbed her own knife into an attacker's shoulder. He tsked, knowing their goal was to tire them out rather than actually harm them. If they didn't finish up on time, there was trouble waiting. 

And his siblings knew that. 

"We can't stay here for long," he whispered. 

"No shit, Sherlock." Danyal leapt and kicked another assassin. "Should I overshadow them?" 

"You know you can't," Marinette hissed, propelling another to pin down another. 

"Stop!" 

Damian whipped around at the harsh Arabic tone and they all halted. Approaching them slowly were their companions held hostage by one assassin each. His brothers were held at gunpoint while the others—Jasmine and Marinette's friends—had knives pressed to their throats. Simultaneous clicks echoed around. 

He couldn't meet their eyes. 

He shouldn't have gone on that bus.

"Let them go." Danyal's jaw clenched, looking at his adoptive sister. 

"Drop your weapons," the same assassin ordered. "Hands where we can see them." 

Slowly, Damian set his knife on the ground and raised his arms. Danyal dropped his gun and kicked it away. A livid Marinette threw down her blade. 

"Now let them go," Danyal repeated calmly in their mother tongue. "Release them and you can take us." 

"Quiet!" 

"You only want us—" 

"I said quiet!" 

A gunshot sounded. 

"Akhi!"  "Danny!" 

A second later, Danyal was clutching his side where the bullet grazed him. Jasmine was trembling with unshed tears as the knife lightly swiped her skin when she tried to move. Marinette, on the other hand, looked just about ready go pounce. 

Damian stilled.  

He hadn't seen Danyal bleed in years. 

He hadn't seen Danyal bleed in years. 

Of course he would let the bullet hit him. He couldn't turn intangible in front of their enemies. 

"All of you will follow us," the assassin commanded. "Make one move and we kill one by one."  

Dread gurgled at the pit of Damian's stomach. He could only guess where they were being taken to. He hated nothing else but having his hands tied in that situation. If their friends and family weren't held captive, the three of them would've obliterated the group in minutes. 

Marinette moved towards Danyal and the gun raised again. She leveled the assassins with a glare rivalling that of Bruce's, spitting out, "Where is your respect to the amira and amir? He needs medical attention." 

If not for their predicament, Damian would've laughed at how their captors shivered involuntarily. These assassins who belong to the other faction are not new, he pondered, they know us as the heirs. 

He could only watch as Marinette tore a piece of cloth from her jacket and wrapped it snugly around their brother's wound. It was a practiced action, almost reminiscent of their childhood days. Danyal muttered a soft thanks, squeezing her hand after she finished up. 

Damian only had a few seconds to glance at his brothers' reactions before the hostages were blindfolded, roughly led by the assassins. 

Somehow, only the faces of hurt and betrayal were seared into his mind. 

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#maribat fanfic #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #maribat #maribat fic #bio dad bruce wayne #danny phantom au #danny phantom crossover #dc x danny phantom x miraculous #heirs apparent #triplets dami danny and mari #dc x miraculous

[taomyou]

The Romance of Reimbursements - Chapter 6

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Reader Status: COMPLETED Summary: There’s a guy you see every Friday on bus 143, and you think he’s pretty hot. It wouldn’t hurt to tell your best friend about him, would it? or, you and Levi take the same bus home from work every Friday, and you fall in love slowly, clumsily, and with all the time in the world to fold as many paper stars as your heart desires. Word Count: 5.9k Tags: slow burn, friends to lovers, modern au, office au, fluff, romance, meet-cute, matchmaking

(A/N: this fic is entirely available on ao3 here if you would like to read it there instead!)

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table for smith

When you wake up, it's not your alarm that gets you. No, you never turned it on before bed last night. Instead, it's the sound of your phone ringing. You're tempted to let the phone call go, but you don't want to miss anything important enough for someone to call in the first place. You can barely bring yourself to open your eyes, much less check who's calling, but you tap the green "accept call" icon and wait for whoever's on the other end of the line to speak first.

"Hello?" The voice says to you. You genuinely cannot tell who's speaking, so you rub your eyes to try and get used to the light sneaking in from behind your blinds. Surely, it's not a client right now—you have a different ringtone for the ones you have pre-saved in your contacts.

"Who is this?" Your voice sounds groggy, but you can't really bring yourself to care in this moment. You hear a bit of commotion in the background of the call, but still no voices you can decipher. You pull your phone away from your ear to check the caller ID, but it's an unsaved number. Before you can hang up, however, a different voice speaks up, and you do recognize it this time.

"Hello!"

You immediately bolt up and get yourself seated on your bed, holding your pillow to your stomach. "Isabel?"

"The one and only!"

You let yourself fall back onto your bed, closing your eyes again.

"How'd you get my number?" You ask, voice still weak having just woken up. You're not angry—just very, very confused.

"I asked Hange for it!"

You guess that explains it well enough. Still, why is she calling you?

"Okay... why are you calling me so early in the morning?"

"What're you talking about? It's almost 12," Isabel says.

Again, you peel your phone away from your ear to check the time; 11:57 AM.

That late already? It felt like you were just texting Levi and closing your eyes.

You sigh and press the speaker icon before getting up to get ready for the day, not that you have anything planned in particular, though. Maybe you'll head over to the store later to get some ingredients for dinner; you feel like making something for yourself. In the background, you can hear the first voice from earlier say something to Isabel along the lines of "what kind... butter..." You choose to ignore that and instead reply to Isabel, and you start getting up to head for your bathroom.

"Sorry, I just woke up."

"That's okay! Good morning to you!"

"Good morning." After setting your phone down on the sink counter, you unscrew the cap for your toothpaste before squeezing some out onto your toothbrush. You quickly run it under some water and pop your toothbrush into your mouth before walking back to your bedroom while Isabel talks.

"I'm really sorry to bother you, but could you stay on the phone with me while I'm grocery shopping?"

You put your phone face-up on the spot next to you as you sit down.

"Sure, but what do you need me for?" Your voice is muffled, seeing as you're brushing your teeth, but when Isabel doesn't ask you to repeat yourself, you figure that she can hear you clear enough to understand you.

"Well, me and Furlan decided we would try our hand at making the egg tarts with the recipe you sent Levi last night, but we don't really know what we're looking for."

At the mention of Levi, you take a quick pause.

Well, it does make sense he'd share the recipe with them, but you figured he'd be there to help them figure out what they needed. You don't know who Furlan is, but his name has come up enough times in conversation with the group for you to just assume he's a close friend of Levi and Isabel's. Well, seeing as you don't have anything to do today, what's the harm in staying on the phone with them?

"Yeah, give me a second to finish brushing my teeth first." You leave your phone on your bed to go and finish brushing your teeth and handle other bathroom business. After you finish washing your hands, you head back into your bedroom to take your phone with you into the kitchen. "Okay, I'm back."

There's a quiet before Isabel comes back to you. "Thank you! Okay, so which butter do we need? Does it matter if it's made in Europe?"

You hum, going to fill your kettle with water and turn it on. "No, just take whatever's cheapest. And it'd be better if it was unsalted, but it doesn't really make much of a difference."

You hear a bit of laughter in the background. "See, I told you that it didn't matter if it was expensive!" You hear a bit of shuffling around where you assume that the phone has been handed over to someone else, and that voice is clearer. "We haven't met before, but this is Furlan."

You tell him your name, reaching above to your upper cupboards for your teapot. "Nice finally meeting you. Well, at least over the phone." Once your teapot's safely on your counter, you head over to grab some tea from a small basket near your kettle. You decide on some raspberry tea to start the day.

You go back and forth like this, with either Isabel or Furlan asking you what brand, type, or even color of something to get should be.

It's quite hilarious, kind of like backseat driving. Your mother would do the same for you when you were younger and had trouble picking out the best vegetables and whatnot at the supermarket, and you did the same for your brother every so often when he needed the help. All the while, you're sitting peacefully at your dining table and sipping your tea, careful not to burn your tongue.

Isabel and Furlan excuse themselves from the call, but thank you for your help before it ends. You smile as you say your "goodbyes" to them and quickly add Isabel's number into your contacts. Stretching your arms and legs, you get up from your spot at the table and head over to get dressed and go to the supermarket. You make sure everything's clean before leaving, too, just so you won't have to fiddle around much before you can get to cooking.

The supermarket you frequent near your apartment complex looks overwhelmingly busy and there's no parking, probably because there's some kind of sale, so you decide to ignore it and drive the extra 5 minutes to try your hand at the market on Rose. Maybe Sasha's working so you can thank her for helping Mikasa's birthday run well last night. You applaud yourself for your decision to go there instead, seeing as there's plenty of parking available and you don't need to take a long walk to get to the entrance. You make sure you lock your car before heading in.

There's a big, loud sign at a bin full of cabbages promoting a sale, so you settle for making a nice meal for yourself with them. You pick up a few, seeing if they're good to use, and eventually bag some to put in your cart. It's still quite cold out, so you figure a stew pot would be nice. You pick out a few other vegetables before heading over to grab some other things you need. You take your time going through the aisles before heading over to the bakery, memory of them fresh since you were here just a few hours ago.

You can see Sasha a bit away, putting a cake into the display case. She seems to be talking to a customer all the while, so you wait for them to finish their interaction before you head over and wave. When she notices you, her eyes light up, and she returns your wave. You exchange greetings while she finishes up with the display case, then moving over to the counter to get closer to her.

"Whatcha' doin' here?" She asks, putting her hands into the pockets of her apron.

"I'm just getting some stuff for dinner, but I also wanted to come back and say thanks for having a good time with Mikasa yesterday. She seemed really happy she got to go out with you guys," you tell her. She smiles and gets into the same mock salute from yesterday.

"You're very welcome!" She relaxes, and the two of you giggle. "It's been a while since we all got together, since her, Eren, and Armin are all worked to death—no offense to you, of course."

You wave her off. "No offense taken, I'm also overworked."

"You know, there's a position open here for assistant baker," she jests.

"I'll send in my resume tonight."

Funnily enough, you wanted to be a baker when you were younger, hence why you make so much time to bake even now. It's a dream that never amounted to anything that made you money, but you realized at some point that it was better to keep that part of yourself separate from work. It's nice, though, that Sasha's been able to pursue that, regardless of if it's her long-term goal or not.

You notice a few pastries you hadn't seen before in one of the display cases at the other end of the bakery area, and you strike up conversation with Sasha about what they are. She's a bit surprised that you're well-informed about baking as she's explaining everything, but you can tell that she's happy to be talking with someone who can understand her when she's talking about her work. You can see the edges of her eyes crinkling as she smiles, letting you know that she's genuinely enjoying your conversation. You pull up certain steps she explains on your phone, and she talks you through things you don't know.

The exchange goes for quite some time, but before you can let her go, she waits for you to finish talking about something before looking over your shoulder.

"Is there someone waiting for you?" She asks. Looking behind you, you see Levi at the end of one of the aisles. When he makes eye contact with you, he just as quickly looks away at something on the shelf in front of him.

After yesterday, you feel a bit nervous to see him, but it's nothing for you to necessarily be afraid of. You nod to Sasha, and she quickly goes to grab you a pastry from the back kitchen before you have to exchange "goodbyes." You promise to come back soon, and she promises to look forward to that.

Seeing that Levi's still in the same place, you make your way over to him, careful to not bump into any of the displays in your path.

"Hi. It's nice seeing you here," you greet.

"Yeah." Not much of a talker today, huh. He's wearing athletic clothing, which is quite different from the formal or semiformal attire you usually see him in, so he probably came from doing some exercise that tired him out. Even with the lack of formality present in his outfit, he still looks good. Great, even, but that's not really any surprise. He looks over at you, then glances over at your cart. "What're you here for?"

"Just getting some things for dinner. What about you?" You take note of his lack of cart or basket, coupled with a lack of item in his hands.

"My roommates texted me during my run and told me to buy a bag of flour."

Come to think of it, Isabel and Furlan never asked you what kind of flour they needed. Not that the answer would be anything crazy or out of the ordinary, but you figured they knew that already and didn't bother asking you.

"Isabel and Furlan are your roommates?" At the mention of them by name, he looks at you again.

"How do you know that?"

"They called me earlier for help picking stuff out. I figured you were talking about them."

He groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I told them to wait for me to text you, not for them to fucking call you. I didn't think they were serious about making anything today." You laugh, bringing up your hand to cover your smile. "Sorry about them."

"It's no problem. Besides, I wasn't busy with anything, so I didn't mind."

"Still." You hum. Remembering the pastry you have from Sasha, you tear half of the parchment sheet she used to wrap it, then use that to tear off half of the sweet. You hold it out to Levi. "What's that?"

"Take some, the baker here gave it to me." When he doesn't move to take it, you keep going. "Or if you don't want it, you can give it to Isabel."

He sighs before taking it, careful to not touch the treat itself. "Thank you. I'll give it to her when I'm home." You take that as your cue to say goodbye, but before you can do that, though, he calls out to you. You stay in place, nodding for him to keep talking. "What flour do I need?"

You smile, then putting your hands on the handles of your cart. "I'll show you."

After you put your half of the pastry in the smaller section of the cart and he does the same, careful to make sure the parchment prevented the pastry from touching the cart, the two of you walk alongside one another. It's almost like the time you came for the eggs and butter all the while ago, but this time, you aren't upset about work. Well, it's still a pain, but that first week was especially rough.

When you reach the flour, you point out which ones he could get, and he picks the cheapest bag he can. You offer to let him put it in your cart, which he does, and the two of you head over to the cash register together.

As you're laying your things on the conveyor belt, you can't help but feel a bit shy. It feels quite domestic, the way you two are out right now. It felt different the last time you were here together—back then, you were both dressed in work attire and lugging around your respective bags and struggling to make conversation, but it's not like that at all this time around.

You're both dressed rather casually, and there's no pressure or rush for you to be anywhere at all.

While Levi's looking down at his phone, you take away the little divider that would've separated the flour from your things. He doesn't realize it until after you've paid, but he doesn't say anything to you in protest. Instead, he wordlessly helps load everything back into the cart and pushes it himself out of the store.

Once you're out of the store and out of the main walkway, you both stop. You hand Levi his half of the pastry and a bag with the flour after checking to make sure that none of your things are in there.

"Thanks for paying for the flour," he says.

You wave him off. "Don't worry about it. It was, like, 5 bucks." He nods.

"Again, sorry about Isabel and Furlan calling you. It probably woke you up."

"It did, but it was almost noon anyway."

"Sleeping in that late now?"

You playfully go to punch his shoulder, careful not to knock anything out of his hands. "You're the one that told me to sleep well."

He rolls his eyes, swatting your hand away. "Yeah, yeah."

You take your bags out of the cart before pushing it back into another one in the general area where they are. Him not having moved, you smile at Levi and instinctually go to wave, but you feel the weight of the bag keep your arm down. He rolls his eyes again, probably in his own way of laughing at you, but returns the "wave" with his own.

"It was nice running into you, Levi! Get home safe!" You yell after him, given the distance.

"I will, you get home safe too." He doesn't speak any louder than he does before, but there's no one around for you to not be able to hear him. You nod at him before turning to make your way back to your car, smile not leaving your face.

Once you've gotten everything in your trunk and you're seated at the wheel, you go to message Levi to remind him you're free if him, Isabel, and Furlan need any help with understanding the recipe. After the short drive back to your apartment and a somewhat longer walk back up to your unit, you check your phone to see that he replied, saying that you should prepare yourself for a barrage of phone calls from Isabel when they get started. You laugh, and have your phone on the counter as you get dinner prepared.

It's nothing difficult; you're basically just cutting things up and throwing them into a pot, but it's relaxing, and you feel satisfied taking a sip of the broth as you're waiting for it to finish cooking.

You get your first phone call from Isabel around 5, just after you finish putting away your cutting board and knives. When you pick up, you hear chaotic banging of what sounds like pans and other metal appliances in the background of her asking if you need to butter the tins (and her also thanking you for half of the pastry Sasha gave you). You tell her that you do need to butter them, and you can practically hear Levi rolling his eyes at her as an "I told you so."

The second phone call you get from her phone is not even 5 minutes later, and this time it's Furlan who asks you how to measure everything without a kitchen scale (which, to his credit, is on you for only writing in the weight measurements for everything), and you direct him as best as you can, your own recipe book open to the page in front of you to make sure the conversions are correct. You can hear Isabel and Levi arguing faintly in the back, though it's mostly Isabel trying to get Levi to stop criticizing how she washes the dishes as they're being brought out. All the while, you're taking small spoonfuls of your stew, savoring the flavor.

The third phone call you get from Isabel is her asking things completely irrelevant to baking, mostly just random questions that pop into her mind. Furlan and Levi take the phone away periodically to actually ask you how to do things, but Isabel always wrestles it back from them to ask another "would you rather" question that you answer in earnest. During this phone call, you finish up with your dinner and head over to the sink to get everything clean and then put the rest of it into the fridge for the next day. When she ends the call to wait for the tarts to bake, you decide to skip over to the bathroom and take a quick shower.

As the water falls over your head, you let yourself feel relaxed. It's the first weekend you've had in a while that wasn't out spending time with Hange, Erwin, Levi, and the rest of their crew, not that you hated spending time with them or anything, but it gets you a bit tired at the end of the day. Sure, you ran into Levi earlier and you've spent most of the day basically with Furlan and Isabel, but that felt refreshing in its own way. Maybe getting to sleep in instead of being dragged around by Hange was what made it feel different, but you'll ignore that. When you step out of the shower, you brush your teeth and grab a towel to dry your hair before going to bed early. You let yourself melt into your mattress, but keep your phone near you in case Levi or Isabel calls again.

You can feel yourself slowly drifting off, but before you're fully gone, you hear your phone ring again for the fourth time. "Hello?"

"Isabel told me to tell you to look at the pictures she sent you," Levi says.

You hum, putting your phone on speaker and then tapping around to open the message from Isabel. It was sent a couple of minutes ago, which explains why you didn't hear the notification over the sound of the shower.

The first one is relatively simple, just a small plate with three tarts on them. They all look a bit different from one another, so you assume they're all made by different people.

The second photo is a selfie of (who you assume is) Furlan with Levi and Isabel arguing behind him in the kitchen, which you laugh at.

The last picture is of Levi taking the tarts out of the oven, with Isabel and Furlan's hands at the bottom of the shot in a thumbs-up. You roll your eyes, but make sure you save all of them to your photo gallery.

"You guys should open a photography studio."

You hear Levi scoff. "Yeah, right." You yawn before pulling your blanket over yourself, turning over to your side. "Are you in bed already?"

"I'll have you know that," you check the time on your phone, "8:32 PM is a perfectly good time to be in bed."

"If you say so."  You laugh, switching your phone back to regular volume instead of having it on speaker. "Don't let me keep you up then."

You yawn again. "Nah, I have a few more minutes left in me." It's a complete lie, but you don't really want the day to end, even if you didn't end up actually doing much.

"You definitely do not," Levi says, then calling over Isabel and Furlan. "Okay, say 'thank you.'" You laugh at the visual of this; he's acting like a dad forcing his kids to say 'thank you' at Christmas. You hear Isabel say something first.

"Thanks for helping us today! They turned out really yummy, even if we didn't wait for them to get cold."  You tell her it's no problem, then it's Furlan's turn.

"Thank you, we couldn't have done it without you. They're good, but they're not nearly as nice as the ones you sent with Levi."  At the compliment, you hum, closing your eyes. You again tell Furlan it's no problem, and that you'll send more with Levi when you get the time, and maybe you can meet him in-person sometime too. Furlan gives the phone back to Levi.

"What they said," says Levi. You laugh.

"No 'thank you?'"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." You yawn for the third time that phone call, stretching out on your bed. "I think I gotta go."

"I can tell." There's a pause before he speaks again. "Good to know you're getting your sleep back."

You nod slightly to yourself. "Me too."

"Take it easy at work."

"I will. I don't know much about how work is for you, but if Hange's right and you're really as famous as they say, you should take it easy too."

"They're not wrong, but I don't care. About being famous, I mean."

You make mental note of the fact, though it probably won't register with how tired you are. "Goodnight, Levi."

"Goodnight. Sleep well."

Before you even need to think about getting the energy to pick up your phone and end the call, you hear the end note from Levi's end and let yourself fall asleep.

✰

Sunday goes smoothly enough, again not doing anything quite productive. You took Levi's words to heart, pretty much sleeping the entire day away.

Monday passes well enough, without having to see many clients. You stayed later than usual to finish some of Tuesday's paperwork early, leaving the office dead last at 8 in the evening and just barely making the bus, but you went to bed decently happy and excited for the next day, seeing as Hange got you and them a reservation at Sina's Kitchen for the two of you.

Sina's Kitchen is the hardest restaurant to get a table at in the city, and you've never been able to get in before. Not that you tried particularly hard, but the website boasted a months-long waitlist, and you couldn't be bothered to figure out how to even set up a reservation. When Hange first invited you to dinner with them for Valentine's Day, you figured they were just going to take you to a small local diner, and the two of you would finish out the night with whatever bad reality TV would be on air when you got back to your apartment. You asked on Sunday morning over the phone where you'd be eating so you could preemptively choose an outfit.

"Where are we going on Tuesday, anyway?"

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? We're eating at Sina's."

You sarcastically laughed at them. "Yeah, sure we are." When they didn't laugh with you, you just had to ask. "We are?"

"Yeah!"

Upon the knowledge that you'd be going to be having dinner on what is one of the busiest days in the dining industry at the most famous restaurant in the city, you texted Mikasa to ask if she wanted to get ready together. You knew she was going to spend her Valentine's Day with someone, her having mentioned it on Friday at her office birthday party, though you didn't know who she was seeing. You don't ask her, and she doesn't ask you who you're having dinner with. She replied that she was wanting to ask but wasn't sure if you'd be up for it, to which you told her she'd be welcome over anytime at your place.

Which brings you to Tuesday, where you've gotten most of your work done for the day yesterday, and you can finally have lunch with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin again in your office. You've missed having them spend this time with you, but work was still too unforgiving to let that happen unless you stayed late like you did yesterday.

When you're back from a quick trip down the hall to deliver some paperwork before lunch, Eren looks over at you from his spot at your desk. You smile at him as you go to sit at your seat, then stretching your arms above your head and yawning. He keeps his gaze on you but seems to be thinking over what he should say.

"What's up?"

"Who are you seeing tonight?"

"Huh?"

At Eren's comment, Mikasa kicks him underneath the table. "I told you not to ask."

Your phone beeps several times, and you pick it up to see several text messages from Hange.

Hange - 12:25 PM

Don't forget dinner tonight! Dress fancy :D Maybe that dress you wore to your Barrister's Ball? Actually, make sure you wear something blue Maybe like blue-grey? Idk what color exactly but something like that And that one necklace you wore! I think you wore it when we went out with Erwin and Levi the first time

You roll your eyes halfheartedly and reply to your friend.

"See! She's smiling at her phone! She's texting her date!" Eren accuses.

Now, it's your turn to kick Eren's leg underneath the table. "Yes, I'm texting my hot, sexy, rich date. I'm telling them all about how much I hate a green-eyed, brown-haired intern working at the same firm as me." He angrily takes a bite from his sandwich, trying to kick you back. You bring your legs closer to yourself before he can.

"Eren, calm down, she doesn't hate you," Armin reassures him.

"Oh, yes. I do." You all, save for Eren who rolls his eyes, laugh before going back to your food and casual conversation. "Got anything planned tonight, Armin?"

"Not really, just going to catch up on some studying." You smile bitterly at him, nodding.

"It's okay."

He wipes away at an invisible tear, a smile on his face. "I know."

"See, Eren, there's a man who's secure being single," you joke. Instead of him sending an insult in return, him and Mikasa look at each other, and then at you. Armin's also looking at Eren and her. Weird. "Anyway, how's everyone doing? I haven't really gotten to talk to you guys much lately. Well, except for Mikasa, I work with her everyday."

Armin slumps further into his chair, and Eren groans dramatically.

"I want to quit," Eren whines.

Armin nods. "It's getting to be a lot, is it normally like this?"

You reach for your teacup, frowning slightly. "It gets bad, but it hasn't ever lasted this long." You trust that management is trying their best to get things solved, but Erwin still hasn't been able to tell you yet what's going on for you to really think things will get better soon. It's gotten a little better and most people in the office have had a cut in their paperwork, but you haven't really seen much of a difference for yourself. "You get used to it eventually."

The four of you move onto making lighter conversation, talking about past Valentine's Days and gossiping about other people in the office. Just as you always do, you shoo Eren and Armin away after lunch has run its course, and you and Mikasa get to work.

You end your work relatively early, seeing as you handled most of it yesterday, so you help Mikasa with hers until you're both done and ready to leave around 3. Petra took the day off today, and so Mikasa was able to bring her car for the two of you to leave and get ready at your place. She's having dinner at a restaurant near Sina's, so you both figured it would be easier to have her drop you off, and have Hange drive you home after.

You're both too tired to really carry any sort of conversation, seeing as work has drained you both once again, but she lets you connect your music to her car, and you try to choose music that you think she'll enjoy. You speak up to let her know what highway and roads to turn into, and she follows along. When you reach the parking complex at your apartment building, you offer to carry her backpack so she can carry up her dress and other items she needs to get ready.

She follows you inside your apartment, and once you've both had a second to settle in and get something to drink, you drag her with you to your room where you have a full-body mirror, and you both start getting ready. It feels fun—almost like you're teenagers getting ready for a school dance.

You get in a blue dress, just as Hange directed (you assume they want to match), and Mikasa puts on a well-fitted red dress before you pull her again in front of your bathroom mirror with a box of your jewelry. You let her try some on, and once she puts on a pair of dainty moon drop earrings, you force her to take them. She does the same with some of the hair accessories she brought, and she forces you to keep a hairpin that has a small star and a few crystals hanging from it.

After checking and making sure you both look ready, the two of you make sure you have everything you need before heading downstairs back to Mikasa's car.

You carry on a bit of conversation now that Mikasa's driving again, but it's nothing particularly deep. Better to not accidentally sour the mood before Valentine's Day can really get itself started.

"Wait, so who's your date tonight?" You ask, knowing you won't get the chance to ask again before you get to Sina's. Even under the dim glow that the city lights provide, you can see her blush.

"Who are you about to see, then?"

"I asked first, but I'm with Hange today, so you know that's not a date. Now you answer."

She seems to hesitate before answering, but there's a small smile on her face when she does tell you. "Eren."

Your mouth gapes open, and then it closes. That's why they were being so weird earlier. Not your place to really judge in the first place, but they actually do seem like they'd be good together. There's probably some HR person that would disagree with you, but Eren and Mikasa can deal with that when (not "if") they get hired. Oluo and Petra make it work, so they probably can too.

"Good for you, Mikasa." She rolls her eyes (out of love, hopefully) before making a turn to get you to Sina's. You check the time; 7:58 PM. A bit late for your liking, but right on time for 8. Once she's parked, you make sure you have all your things in your purse before getting out. She rolls the window down.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Astraea."

You smile at her, waving. "Happy Valentine's Day. Tell me all about it tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah."

And with that, you see her car drive away. Well, more like you see her car get lost in city traffic.

When you get inside the restaurant, you take your phone from out of your purse and check for any messages Hange left. Sure enough, there's a text telling you they're already inside and to use the name "Smith" for the table. When you text back asking why, they tell you that Erwin's the one who got the reservation. Earnestly, you don't question it. Erwin's a powerful enough man in this city, even as only a managing associate at the firm, so you're not all that surprised Hange reached out to have him book you the table for the night. Explains how you got the spot on such short notice.

Pocketing your phone, you go up to the reservation desk. "What can I help you with today, ma'am?" The reservationist there asks.

"Hi, I have a reservation under 'Smith,' at 8," you tell him. He looks over at the computer situated under the countertop of the desk and lightly bobs his head, and you can hear the faint clicking of his mouse scrolling through what is likely the reservation list. He nods before calling over a hostess over to look at whatever's got his attention. She nods before looking over to you, her hand gesturing for you to follow her.

As you're walking through the booths and past other people, you feel a bit star-struck. Not really because you see anyone particularly famous, but it feels like such an elite environment to be in. You don't feel out of place, seeing as you're a lawyer and you're in these types of settings quite often, but it still feels unfamiliar in most regards. The people aren't particularly loud and the lights aren't too bright for your eyes, but something about being there feels overwhelming.

"Here you are," she says, placing the menu at the table. "Your server will be with you shortly." You nod to her, and she leaves. You can't see Hange, since they're seated on the same side as where you're standing, so you walk forward to get to your place in the booth where there's already a glass of water for you. Before you can sit, though, you hear them choke on their drink, and you look over at them to instead see...

"Levi?"

✰

Next Chapter

#levi ackerman x reader #levi aot #levi x reader #levi ackerman #tao.levi #the romance of reimbursements #attack on titan

[mae-dwrites]

Rue - Chapter 1

Story Materlist | Ao3 | Wattpad

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She hadn't felt this numb in so long. She didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was irrefutable. Everything lined up, and the closer she looked back the clearer it became. He had gradually become more distant and tried to cover it up by giving over-blown affection.

Marinette turned the water off and set the plate in the drying bin. Taking a breath in she dried her hands off. She sent a text out as she checked on her girls, she cracked the door open to them peacefully sleeping. She leaned against the door frame and sighed with contentment, her girls were her most important part of her life. Even more so than being Ladybug, or a Guardian. And more important than Adrien, no matter how much he had affected her life he was no longer a part of her life as of tonight. Marinette had grown from being the obsessive young teen, then had been her most embarrassing time but now was the time she most regretted. As much as she appreciated her best friend, she wished she hadn't encouraged her.

Her phone went off.

You got this, just call if you need help. We're here for you and the girls.

She smiled and sent a thumbs up. She closed the girls’ room to head to the living room, she got her knitting project out. Mylène and Ivan were adopting a girl and so she asked for the girl’s favorite color(s) so she could make her a hat. There were commissions or designs she could work on but she needed to get this over with, she couldn’t let herself get caught up with anything. And knitting had become a mindless task, once you’ve done it long enough. She started the brim of the hat.

Knit, knit. Pural, pural. Knit, knit. Pural, pural. Knit, knit. Pural, pural. And onwards. She had already gotten a few rows started for the head of the hat when Adrien finally came home. It was almost ten, just over two hours from when dinner was finished. He locked the door, kicking off his shoes as he hung his coat up. She heard his keys clang into the bowl, his footsteps were hushed as he went down the hall.

“Oh, Maribun, I thought you would be in bed. You didn’t have to stay up for me.” His voice was sweet, but the nerves were clear enough. His smile was fake, it was his model smile. Mari had seen it more and more, but had brushed it off. Adrien took to rolling the bottom of his sweater between his fingers.

“Actually Adrien I wanted to talk to about something,” she expressed. Adrien tensed up enough that Marinette noticed as she put down her knitting and sat up. “Could you sit down please?”

“Uh, um, yeah of course.” His smile was slightly strained and he tried to relax in the seat parallel to hers. “What did you want to talk about?”

Marinette took a breath and clasped her hands together, “I-”she took another breath and started tapping her fingers“-don’t want you to freak out, or try to argue with me. I want a calm adult conversation.”

He nodded, “Of course.”

“I know about Lila.”

“What?” He stopped his fiddling and his head tilted slightly.

“I said I know.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Please don’t make me say it Adrien.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying Marinette,” he rolled his sweater with more force than before. “Are you well? You really need to go to bed sooner rather than staying up late for work.”

Marinette took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. “Adrien don’t lie to me please. Have you or have you not been with Lila?”

Adrien's eyes widened and he frowned at her, “Mari why would you think of such a thing? I haven’t seen or heard from Lila since lycée.”

Marinette thought she would have broken if she heard him lie to her, especially about Lila. But she didn’t, she was hurt beyond measure, yes. But a part of her had expected him to lie. That’s what hurt the most, was that she had been right. If only she could be wrong, if only they had been wrong. She pursed her lips together, and turned away from him for a moment.

“I-“ her voice cracked. She opened her bag and took out a slim binder and folder. “Alya has had her suspicions for a while and you know her. She doesn’t know when to cover her nose. And, um,” she opened the folder to show pictures of Adrien with Lila. Going for walks, him holding her hand, her latching onto him, sitting in cafes together. Adrien smiling, really smiling even in some.

“Mari this is all out of context, I’m-“ his lies were cut off.

“Really?” She grabbed the stack and took the ones from the bottom. Photos of him kissing Lila and going to where Marinette assumed was her house. “Are these taken out of context? What about these? Lie to me again, Adrien.” Her voice was thick with emotion. “Not to mention Chloé bumping into Alya during this and guess what she got Sabrina to look at for them?” She opened the binder, “These are your calls from within the last two years. Two years. Every call you had with her highlighted, and because they go above and beyond. Every word, every breath, is there. Not to mention Alya got video proof of you with her, and we both know how amazing she is with a camera. You’ve seen the Ladyblog videos.”

Adrien was silent until he finally stated, “You had Alya spy on me? Mari what the hell!”

“E-excuse me? I did n-”

“You’re always so paranoid!” He stood up waving the folder.

“Adrien please don’t yell. I just want to talk about this.”

“And you’re spending time with Chloé, when you didn’t even want me hanging out with her back in collegé? You are such a hypocrite!”

Mari stood up, “Adrien please sit down, we don’t need to wake up anyone. I want to sort this out calmly.”

“No Marinette, this is wrong. See this is why I said you shouldn’t hang out with Alya anymore. Cause she pulls bull like this!”

“Do you even hear yourself Adrien? You’re not even ashamed of yourself?”

“What I hear is you had Alya follow me, this is your own fault,” He threw the folder on the coffee table. “It’s all fine when you just give me more of your time.” He went around the table to her. “We’re perfect together, but both sides need to give.” He reached to hold her face but she stepped away. He frowned and kept moving forward.

“Adrien I have been giving, I’ve been giving a lot to our relationship. If you would just get rid of your tinted glasses you’d see that.” She took another step back. “And we aren’t perfect, no one is perfect.”

He kept stepping forward, “No but we are,” he grabbed her wrist. “We’re made for each other, Marinette.”

Marinette tensed.

No, no, no, no, no. It has to be a coincidence. It couldn’t be.

“We’re made for each other, M’lady!”

“No, that’s how love works, Adrien. Please give me space,” She took a step towards the balcony doors. Adrien kept following her steps, “Marinette you’re overreacting, just-“

“Adrien, I believe I’m underreacting if anything.” Adrien put her hand on his chest, she used her other hand to reach behind towards the balcony doors. “Adrien please, I would like some room.”

“Marinette, I love you more than anything. You know that right?” He cupped her face but she pulled away. His brows pulled together as his lips became a flat line.

“Your actions say otherwise, please can we just sit back down and talk this out.” her hand was ready on the handle while she leaned farther away from him.

“It’s okay, Maribun,” he leaned down to her, his eyes going half closed. Marinette unclipped the handle’s hold, slid it open and grabbed it with her foot sliding it fully open. She yanked Adrien with her arm out onto the balcony, he lost his grip on her wrist and fell hitting his head. Marinette pulled her wrist to her chest, her breathing was increasing in speed.

“Marinette,” he growled. “How could you do that?” His voice suddenly soft, sending Marinette for a whiplash.

Marinette went back for her bag shoving her items back in it and grabbed her phone out. She tapped favorites and pressed call.

“What’s wrong? Please tell me it went well.”

Marinette rushed across the apartment to the girls’ bedroom, “Which miraculous do you have?” On the other end she heard yelling between some of her friends. “Mine in the box but Chloé still has hers.” She opened the door and started shaking Emma awake, “Hey baby go wake up your sister, okay?” Emma nodded with a yawn.

“Okay tell her to transform, I grant her temporary access to the box. Get the horse, open a portal to the girls room,” she stated. She looked down to Hugo tugging at her pants, “Maman what’s wrong?” She melted at her daughter's words, “Nothing sweetie.” She grabbed their hands and knelt to their level, “You remember the teleport trick you do with Mommy?” They nodded their heads, Emma with enthusiasm while Hugo nodded her small face with concern.

“Well we need to do that right now, I will be with you soon okay?” Marinette squeezed their hands, Emma squeezed back and Hugo gave a firm nod. “Okay, close your eyes, and don’t open your eyes cause then it doesn’t work.” The girls did as they were told and Mari went back to her phone, “You ready?”

“Yes, just tell me when.” Alya answered worried, her call had been changed to be on her horseshoe. She had a feeling they should have been there with her, but she let Mari do it on her own like she wanted. She resisted the urge to sigh, she should have offered to have the girls but she didn’t.

“When I say the second turn, and detranform before they open their eyes,” Mari said in a hushed voice. “Okay girls ready?” They shook their heads, “Okay turn, turn-“a portal opened in front of them”-turn. Stop and step forward. Mommy will see you soon.” The portal closed, she heard Emma’s squealing to see ‘Auntie Alya’ on the other side of the phone, “Oh my goodness, what do we have here? The Magical Gems in the flesh! there’s juice in the fridge with Chloé and Nino waiting for you.”

“Okay what do you need me to do now?” Alya turned to her phone now that the girls had gone into the kitchen. She could hear Marinette rushing through the apartment.

“I- I don’t know. He hasn’t come instead from the balcony, I threw him on it.” She brushed her hand through her hair as she collected it to put in a ponytail, “I told him I knew he tried to deny it,” she grabbed a duffel bag stuffing clothes and various items in it. “He tried to come onto me and wouldn’t listen to me.” She grabbed the Miracle Box and shoved it into the bag wrapping clothes around it.

“He what.” Alya clenched her fist.

“But somethings off, and I can’t quite place it.” That wasn’t true, she could feel what it was. She just didn’t want to believe til she saw it, just like with the Lila situation.

“You head over here right now or so help me, I will be the last thing you see till your next life.” Marinette chuckled as her anxiety continued to let itself be known. She slipped her shoes on and pulled down one of her hoodies, she unlocked the door and pulled the bag’s strap over. She hesitated at the door knob, she swallowed. “I just need to make sure he’s okay at least before I leave, his head did hit the balcony.”

“Mari, he is not worth your time, just get out and I can open another portal.” Alya had headed to her bedroom and transformed again. Marinette entered the living/dining area and froze looking through the balcony door. Adrien hadn’t come in but he wasn’t on the balcony.

“Open a portal outside my apartment door.”

“Got it,” she spoke the word and a portal opened to Marinette’s apartment door. Marinette ran to the door and stepped through.

#daminette #adrien salt #mlb x dc #maribat #damian x marinette #rue #maribat fanfic #mominette

[lazinesswrites]

Writing Patterns

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

I was tagged by @auburnlaughter a little while ago; thank you! ❤

I'm doing the latest 10 fics I've posted to Ao3, oldest first, and I'll include links because... every excuse to self-promote? Everything here is Star Wars, most of it Bad Batch (from before s3, save the last two), and most of that is more or less Crosshair-centric.

Sunrise Caf (TCW post-war AU, pre-CodyWan, 1k, G)

“Do you still prefer your caf black, now that you have access to more options?” Obi-Wan asks as Cody sits down at the small kitchen table in Obi-Wan’s new apartment.

Labor of love is ours to endure (TBB s1 finale AU-CD, 4.6k, T)

Wrecker watches as Hunter talks to Crosshair about chances; watches as Omega says her piece too.

To feel your heart as it's keeping time (TBB, Batch twins, 3.3k, G)

Since Crosshair’s recent and long-awaited return to their squad, Tech has found that treating him like one would a feral tooka has been relatively successful in getting the sniper to relax around him.

Don't You Doubt (TBB, Cross & Hunter, 2.5k, T, part of a series)

Pabu is very quiet at night.

And please be there; I can barely hang on (But oh I wait 'til I break) (TBB, h/c, 3.8k, T) (this one's in Russian too!)

Crosshair didn't know they'd be here.

Mirjahaal (TBB, pre-show, 2.1k, G)

Echo doesn’t know what Crosshair’s problem is.

Breakthrough on Bracca (TBB, AU-CD, 4.6k, T)

Crosshair wakes to a face on fire and a clear mind.

Change of Heart, Change of Plans (TBB, AU-CD, 5.6k, G)

A flash of white armor in his periphery, accompanied by the sound of familiar voices – or rather, one familiar voice from multiple people – has Hunter diverting from their route, leading his siblings into a dark and dank alley, waiting for the troopers to pass.

We're Still What's Left (TBB s3e4 cont., grief, 1.7k, T)

“But… how did you escape?” Hunter asks the kid, and Crosshair figures that’s his cue, even if he’s not sure he’s quite ready for whatever awaits him out there.

Homecoming Heroes (TBB, sequel to above, 2.8k, T)

Pabu is… nice.

Thoughts and tags below the cut:

So... Patterns? I was gonna say something about fairly long sentences, but then half of them turned out to be pretty short, actually 😅

I guess I try to set the scene: Who's there, what are they doing, what's the Problem (if the characters know, yet) etc. Try to make clear what canon scene we've jumped into, when relevant (I.e. in Labor of love, which picks up towards the end of Kamino Lost, when Hunter has just said something like 'you gave us a chance Crosshair; this is yours' and Omega has said 'they're still your brothers, Crosshair. You're my brother too.', which is what Wrecker's thoughts are referring to.)

I also tend to start right in the middle of Something, especially in the more action-filled ones. This is both because I then avoid losing people to "boring" exposition or world-building or descriptions right out of the gate, and also because beginnings are Hard, so the way I typically start writing a fic (or anything, really) is to start with whatever scene I've got in mind that sparked the idea for the rest of the fic, regardless of when it actually takes place, and then build the rest around it. Or by writing notes/something like an outline if I don't have a specific scene in mind but more just a sort of general feeling or plot or theme or something I want to write about, and then expand those into text-text. This approach means I often end up explaining the things that need explaining throughout the fic, so there's no need to put it all at the beginning. And also - it's fanfic. By far most of my readers will already be familiar with the characters and general setting; I just need to make clear where and how we might deviate from that.

That's all, I think. But hey! if you got this far and you noticed something I didn't, why don't you tell me? (please be nice, though, I'm not looking for critique; just curious)

NPTs: @whimsicalmeerkat @hxad-ovxr-hxart @spacemagicandlaserswords @battlekilt

#star wars #tag games #Ao3 links #TBB fic #TCW fic #tbb season 3

[bluespiritpaintedlady]

All Roads Lead to Kawata… Pt 3

~~>*<~~MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!!~~>*<~~

This is Part 3 of an excerpt from my Mitsuya fanfic over on ao3 called “Love Endures”. The female in this story is NOT the main OC of the story. This is a side character from Mitsuya's past, Aya. It falls within her backstory, within his backstory. 😁 This is the story of how she meets & gets involved with the Kawata twins, which later becomes a real problem for her AND for MItsuya. Part 1 led you up to her just meeting them. Pt. 2 is them, ahem, getting together. Pt. 3 is them getting together again because they’re all addicted to each other.

(Pt 2 & 3 are pretty much straight up porn. It’s lovely. 😆😏)

So, yeah, this is the (next next part of the) Kawata Twins hole I fell down. Oh my Goddd… Hope y’all enjoy. 💙💜💙

**long periods of italicized text represent the character’s thoughts**

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

Monday, February 5th

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

She calls up Koko to see when the next gathering of the boys will be. He tells her it’ll be on Friday and she gets excited. Then, she asks him for Smiley’s number and grins large when he sighs and gives it to her.

“Thaaaank yooouuu, Kokoooo!”

“I’m serious about you fuckin with the boys…”

“Koko, shut up. It’s none-“

“Nooooo, no, no. Haha, but you see…this IS my fucking business. Ok, Aya? Because it’s MY gang. And if you come in here n’ start stirrin shit up, then I’m the one dealin with the aftermath. And I don’t like fuckin aftermaths, ok? It’s too much fuckin work and drama and blaahhh, blaaahhh, blaahhh. You know how much I hate work, riiiiiight?”

She can’t help but laugh. “Yeeeeesss, Koko. Don’t work harder…”

“Work smarter!”, they both say at the same time.

“Exaaaaactly. So, we're supposed to be friends, right?”

“Really? Is that what we are?”

“I dunno…” He shrugs. “I guuuuuessss. Anyway, if we’re friends then you won’t cause me more fuckin problems than I already have to deal with. Ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…”

“No! Don’t dismiss me, Aya. I’m bein serious. I heard you’ve already been circling the fuckin carcasses. I mean Jesus… You’re gonna get a baaad rep. And the last thing you want is for that little piece of information to get out around a bunch of fuckin horny gang members. Jussayin.”

She scoffs. “Was that some pitiful example of you actually caring about my well-being? Cuz, y’know, you can’t just come out and share any of your real feelings with anyone. Ugh.” She rolls her eyes.

“Shut up, Aya. But, yes, ok? I do actually care about you. Okaaayyy? As much as I don’t want to see the guys hurt, I don’t want to see you hurt either! Annnnnd, that’s all you’re gettin out of me, so burn it into your memory…or whatever.”

She starts clapping. “Ha-haaaa! Ladies and gentleman, he shows real human feelings for the first fucking time! Right here. Wow… Well, thank you, Koko. But I’ve gone thru worse than anything those guys can do to me.” The smile falls out of her voice.

It hurts his heart to hear her say it because he knows a little bit about what she’s endured. It also makes him soften toward her a bit. “Well….I don’t think any of our guys are really, like, predators or anything, but….you. *claps* never. *claps* know! And…” It’s hard for him to finish what he has to say. “…you also never know what some men out there could do to you. It may surprise you… just how evil they can be. I’ve seen some really disgusting shit. Shit that I didn’t think could exist outside fuckin animes and books and stuff. Ugh.” He shudders.

“Yeah…” she says sadly. “I know…” She can’t go there with him. She can’t share ALL the horrors she’d endured and inflicted. Not right now. She shakes herself.

“Ok, soooo!” She laughs nervously. “I’ll see you on Friday, ok? I’ll try and make sure I come over and say ‘hi’ this time.”

“Yeah, that was pretty fucked up. Like, fuck you, buddy. Thanks for the favors. Goodbye!”

“Oh, stop. I don’t think you even really like me, Koko. So, stop your little act. You can’t bullshit a bullshitter.”

“I……do like you. I care.” He clears his throat. “But just barely. It’s really more like I, y’know, tooolerate you.”

She chuckles. “Yeah, haha. That sounds more like the truth. Anyway, I looooove yooouuu!” She laughs. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love you, too. Now behave! I’m serious.”

“Uh huh. See you Fridaaayyyy!”

“Ugh. Ja ne.”

“Ja ne.”

She hangs up with a smile on her face and calls Smiley.

“Hey, Nahoyaaaa! How are youuuu?”

“Hmmm, I was wondering whether I’d hear from you again. We had some fun, didn’t we?”

She laughs. “Maaaaybeee. Just a bit.”

“Listen to you, all actin coy. But, you can't do the things we did and still put on an innocent act with me, hon. I know just how dirty you are inside now, girl. Phew! Gettin me excited just thinkin about it.”

She laughs. “Fine. No more masks, ok? I’m kinda excited thinkin about it, too. Or, y’know thinkin about doing it…again…”

He takes a deep breath. “I tell you what…” His hand runs down his face. “…I certainly haven’t seen anything like you before. You got some kind of special powers over men, don’t you?”

“Ohhh, I don’t know. I don’t think I’m anything special.”

“I thought we said no more masks?” He chuckles. “But it’s just second nature to you by now, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, kinda. Although, I don’t see it as a mask, really. I mean, I just do what I gotta do to get what I want.”

He laughs. “Wow.”

“But, yeah it is kinda automatic at this point. I don’t really think about it. It’s just, kinda, became part of my personality.”

“Hmmm, I bet. You can only go so long making yourself another person before that “other” person becomes you. I know… The more violence I participate in or see, the more I crave it. And it used to just be, “that’s just Smiley when he’s fighting” and then it was, “that’s just Smiley when he’s upset”…and now….”that’s just Smiley”. It’s rough. How do you ever go back to who you were before? Can we?” He shakes his head.

“I don’t know, Nahoya. I don’t. I was so fucked up to start with that I don’t even know “what I was before”. I mean, really. Maybe this is just who I am?” She shrugs. “I have no idea and no way of really finding out.”

“Hmm…and so is that why you fuck?”

“Ohhhh, that’s a much more complicated answer…”

“Ok, how about this then… Is it to remember or to forget?”

“Both.”

He nods his head. “For me, it’s to forget. To feel something other than the anger…and to feel in control of myself for a small moment in time.”

“Ahhhh…” she says. “Now it makes more sense…”

“What?”

“You’re distaste for being dominated. Because, for you,  you need that time to dominate, to feel in control of something and someone.”

He laughs nervously. “Yeah, maybe. I guess that’s right. Heh heh.. So, uh speaking of fucking… Is this a business call or is it for pleasure?”

“Ohhh, once again it's definitely both…” 

She giggles and he smiles largely.

“Music to my ears, kitten. When and where?”

“My place. Whenever you want to get there.”

“I don’t know where “My Place” is but, alright. Sounds good. Angry’s been lovesick and beggin me to find you again. I don’t know if I should bring him along. But, I hate seein him all sad and mopey AND he won't be high this time… Jussayin we could have quite a bit more fun this time, don’t ya think?”

She was very nervous about Angry. He was sooo sweet and gentle and she absolutely loved being in his arms and making out with him. He’s soft and sweet like Dai. Except she rarely saw any sweetness from Dai these days. But, as good as it felt to be with Angry, she was afraid of hurting him. 

She could see the earmarks of a gentle soul and she didn’t want to leave a bloody trail behind her any larger than the one she already had. That’s why she always chose ones like Smiley or Shota or any number of other guys that didn’t seek or need attachment. She didn’t love any of them. She didn’t even really want to fuck any of them. In her mind they were all poor substitutes for ‘the real’.

If she had still been able to get what she needed at home, she would be there right now, but in his absence, she had to fill it up, the deep dark cavern. She needed to remember and she needed to forget but she couldn’t afford to become someone else’s obsession. So, she hesitated to say yes about Angry. 

In the end, her lust spoke for her, though. The idea of enjoying an even deeper level of sex was a bit too intriguing for the greedy sexual beast inside her. But, she knew she wasn’t going to be able to keep this up with the poor boy. She shouldn’t even do it this time…

“Ok, he can come, too. But, Nahoya… I’m a little nervous about Angry.”

He nods his head. “Yeah... I think he’s uhhh, a little too sensitive for a girl like you. You’ll destroy him and I, uh, of course, can't let you do that. I don’t care about a single human being on this planet more than my brother. If you hurt him…I’m gonna get….mad.” 

And the way he’s talkin is making her mad.

“Ok, so then don’t bring him. I mean I THINK I can get off with just you”, she says with some sass.

“Damn, girl. I don’t know if even I should keep fuckin with you at this point. You’re, uh…yer somethin else. Jesus.”

“Fine, whatever. I’ll go find someone else to fill your…slot.”

He growls a little. “You…oh my God. You are a force to be reckoned with. I’m gonna see you tonight. Gonna fuck that bad attitude right out of you.”

She smiles, ear to ear. “Yaaaay! Just what I like to hear. Loooove youuuu!”

“You certainly do NOT.” He laughs. “This definitely ain’t got nothin to do with love. That’s fer damn sure!”

They laugh together like they’re old friends or something and with smiles on their faces they say their goodbyes and hang up. Her head cocks to the side. He’s an interesting one… Haven’t really met one like him before. He’s no Dai, but there’s something about Nahoya that reminds me of him. But…I don’t want him or anything… OBVIOUSLY. Well, I mean, I want him. I like him… Or, I like the way he feels for sure. Gah! Fuck, my thoughts are all fuckin crazy!!

Her hands come up to her face. And the combo of him and his adorable sweet brother. Jesus… It’s almost like, together they make up Dai. Nahoya is strong and angry and violent and it turns me on in a totally different way than Angry does. Ugh… But I can’t. This has to be the last time. Nahoya scares me in one way and Angry scares me in a different way. No matter how good they feel, I gotta stay away. She feels a little sad about it. It surprises her.

Well, after this, anyway. 

Gotta get just one more…

Just one…

>>>Evening<<<

Smiley shows up with his brother. She’s shocked to see him there. She’s looking at them both, wide-eyed. She starts stuttering. “What? Why?”

Smiley laughs. “Yeah, I know. But it’s really hard for me to say no to my brother…” He shrugs apologetically. “…and I also talked to him about it. And told him this was the last time.”

He looks over at Angry. “Right, buddy?”

Angry nods sadly and tries to force a smile.

Her heart jumps right to him. She just wants to take him in her arms and make all the sadness go away. Just like her beloved Dai had done for her many many times. 

“Hey, Angry? Look at me, hon.”

He looks up, still trying to feign happiness.

“If it’s gonna just be tonight then let’s be happy, ok? Let’s…feel every little bit of it and be thankful for this little gift. Cuz, that’s what this is. Isn’t it?”

He nods with a weak little smile. 

“Awww, come to Mama.” He walks obediently into her arms. “I’m gonna take real good care of you. And maybe you can take care of me, too, huh?”

The first real smile shows on his lips. “I’m gonna try. I guess I’m technically still a virgin, right? I mean…even though last time felt so intimate and good, I really can’t imagine anything better.”

She blushes. “Well, I’m sure a big part of that was the X. I hope you know it’s not gonna feel like that this time”, she says a little sadly.

Smiley cuts in, “No, it’s gonna feel even better.”

They both look at him like ‘huh?’

“Cuz he’s actually gonna get his dick wet this time. Pop his fuckin cherry. Trust me, ain’t nothin gonna feel better than THAT. I know. And, uhh, speakin of which…heh heh…” He takes a step closer to her.

She rolls her eyes and laughs. “That’s right, you hate wait.”

He nods his head and smiles. “Yep. I fuckin DESPISE wait, darlin. Like A LOT.”

“Alright, fine.” She takes Angry’s hand in hers and walks into her house with them trailing behind her.

Dai hasn’t been home for a few days, so she’s pretty confident that he won’t come sniffing around tonight. He usually stays away about a week at a time. She still locks the door anyway. It won’t keep him out completely, but maybe it’ll deter him just enough…if he’s drunk… I can’t have him mixing with this one… She looks over at Smiley. I can see the violence pumpin in his veins, STRONG. He’s just…FULL of it.

She walks towards them, smiling, happy to see Smiley is already removing clothing. Atta boy. Right down to fuckin business. I wish they were all like that. She stands back and watches the boys strip. She likes to watch. She admires their identical lithe, graceful bodies. They’re both clearly strong and you can see the evidence of that strength beneath the surface. But it was not overly defined like it would be with a more muscular man, like Dai. This was more smooth… But she licked her lips seeing those v-lines poppin out strong and drawing her eyes down with it.

Two beautiful fuckin twinkies for me to gobble all up. Gah! I’m in heavennn! She licks her lips. “Jesus, you two are quite the pair.”

Nahoya smiles and walks over to her. “Well, you’re quite the woman, aren’t ya?”

She smiles bashfully. “Stop. I’m not.”

“No, you stop. You’re the one lyin, not me. A girl that can handle both of us?? And be wantin more? Sheeeyit! You ain’t foolin me, that’s for damn sure.” He looks at her like ‘case closed’. His hands come up to her waist. “Now, I’m sure you’re just dying under all those clothes, right? Let me help you…”

She steps toward him and starts whispering, “You should let Angry do all the…y’know…sweet stuff like this. And you take all the dirty hard nasty stuff. Whadya think?” She steps back and looks at him. 

He stares at her for a moment deciding whether he wants to give in on this and whether she’s right or not. 

“Alright. You’re probably right. Angry! Come here.” Angry walks quietly over. “Undress this beautiful woman for me, will ya?”

Angry smiles happily and gladly brings his hands to her body. It fills him with an indescribable joy to be touching her again. Once her shirt and bra are gone though, he forgets what he was doing and can’t think of anything but kissing her and pressing his body against hers. Smiley rolls his eyes when he realizes his brother’s been swept away in her. So, he gets on his knees and begins removing her pants. He’s thankful they are the “easy-off” kind. He stays on his knees even after their removal and his hands start massaging and wandering. His fingers start to stroke her over her panties.

Nahoya hears the moans start comin and gets a little…gleeful. And, each time she moans into their kiss, Angry smiles. Smiley pulls her panties down and lets her step out of them. His hands then grab ahold of her thighs and spread them a little further so he get up under them better. He parks himself directly under her, his head right at the apex. “Mmmm…lookin delicious, girl.”

She giggles and it makes Angry laugh, too.

Smiley, without wasting time, latches on to her clit and begins his magic act. Her moans go from cutesy little things to great mature moans. Her legs start shaking. Fuck! She brings her hand to Angry’s body and moves down till her fingertips are dancing over his cock.

Her hand wrapped around him like that makes him shiver. “Oh my God….” Now, he’s moaning into their kiss and soon neither of them can kiss at all. Their heads are both thrown back, their eyes closed, experiencing their own separate ecstasies. 

After they both cum, their heads come down at the same time and they look at each other and smile. “Was that good, lover?”, she asks.

He nods and smiles at her with pink cheeks.

“I can’t wait to actually get inside you, tho. I’ve been dying to know what you feel like.”

“Me first!”, Nahoya says loudly as he rises back up to his feet.

She gives him a little bit of an angry look.

“Come on. I even ate you out first.”

“So?”

“So, I’m sayin I’ve been wantin to be inside you since the second I walked in here. Before that, actually. And I’m sayin I was nice and waited. Now I want to get inside you. Like RIGHT now, actually.” He starts pressing up against her.

She steps away from him. “Stop. Let me think…”

As much as he hates ‘wait’, he reeeally fuckin hates ‘stop’. He growls at her.

She points toward her bedroom door. “Both of you get on the bed and face each other, ok? I’ll be right back.” She smiles at them and trots off. Both boys watch her bouncing off until she’s no longer visible and then look back at each other. They shrug and go climb onto her bed. She comes trotting into her bedroom with a huge grin and a bottle of lube.

Smiley’s eyes go wide. There’s those beautiful baby blues again. Phew! She shakes the bottle back and forth like it’s a bottle of champagne or something. For them, it will be the sexual equivalent. She looks at the two beautiful boys in front of her. It's a beautiful vision of perfect symmetry, a lovely mirror image, with the only difference being their hair. They are each sitting back on their haunches, facing each other. 

She walks up to the them, right in between, and kisses each, in turn. “We’re gonna have some reeaal fun, boys.” She giggles. That brings smiles to both of their faces, albeit for different reasons.

She climbs in between them, facing Angry and resting her butt on Smiley’s thighs. She happily feels his hardon now pressing into her back. She looks down Angry’s body and sees him standing at attention as well, hard as a rock. It brings a wicked grin to her face. Helllloooooo!

“Do you get where I’m going with this yet, Nahoya?” She turns her head towards him. She sees him grin and nod.

“Yeah and I like this much better than what I was gonna do.”

She smiles at him. “See? So, maybe it’s ok, every once in a while, to hand the reins over to someone else, huh? Like I said, you just needed the right girl.” She winks at him. He swallows.

“Ho-ly shit. You really are like nothin I’ve ever seen before. You might be one of the first to ever get under my skin.” His arm comes around to the front of her. He grabs her with his hand almost wrapped around her neck and presses into her back.

She moans a little. “Getting under your skin, doesn’t sound like a good thing, tho.”

He smirks and lifts her ass off of him, it raises her breasts perfectly level with Angry’s mouth. He doesn’t have to be asked or told anything. His mouth is on them in seconds. It pulls a moan from her throat. 

Smiley drenches himself and her in lube. 

“Getting under my skin can be good or bad.” 

He slides one finger, then two, in her ass to get her good and ready. Her moans start becoming a little barky as he moves in and out even faster. 

“You ready?”, he whispers.

“Mmmhmmm…”, she whimpers. 

He withdraws his fingers from her and presses his head against her hole. 

“Mmmm, I’m REAALLYY gonna love this. So few girls let me do anal. It’s a damn shame, too. Feels better than annnnything. Phew!”

He slowly enters her (she starts to grunt) and then slowly pulls back. He works his way, very gently, back and forth, until he’s all the way inside her. His whole body shakes, as does hers. And he just rests her there a bit, sitting on his lap with his entire penis inside her.

“Holy shit, that’s fuckin good. Sweet fuckin Christ! I might be settin a record tonight.”

She laughs as much as she can with him that deep inside her. It ends up sounding a bit choked. “What….record?” She’s breathing heavy.

“How many times I’m gonna cum tonight.” His body shakes again. “I’m already juuuust about to have the first one. Fuuucck…..  Angry!”, he shouts out with a grimace. “Get inside this woman! Like, fuckin NOOWWW!”

Angry looks at her slightly dumbfounded. Her eyes go soft.

“Awww, come here, my baby.” She holds out her arms to him and he moves right into them. “Take it in your hand, lover. And then push it up inside me, ok?” She swallows hard. “I can…I can take it.” 

Her face contorts slightly as Smiley has to move her up for Angry. They move up off their haunches and now are both on their knees. She spreads her legs just a little further apart for him. Angry, with his head down, looking at his dick in his hand, presses forward and up and finally in.

His eyes become comically large as he feels the best physical sensation he’d ever felt before in his life. It made him want to cry, it was so good. He immediately starts getting vocal and panting into her ear. And on the other side of her head she had Smiley panting. This was intense. And unlike ANYTHING she’d ever felt before. I think I’m love with them both. Holy shiiiitt! She tries to speak but can only get a few words out. “Ok….gotta…holy shit!” She almost cries as she says it. “M-move….to….gether…. SLOW!”

They both move their hips, retreating to their tips, and then smoothly slide back up to her in the middle. All three of them are shuddering with every movement. 

Angry shouts, “Nahoya! I can feel you! In her! I can feel you against my dick! What the fuck?!”

Smiley laughs. “Yeah, it’s pretty fuckin wild, isn’t it? Now, let’s get our rhythm right and fuck her better than she’s ever been fucked before, ok?”

Angry nods and they move….together.

Her moans start to stutter as a fucking life-altering orgasm rises up from her core. “O-o-o-ohhhh my-y-y G-o-d-d-d!” K-keep m-oo-ving.”

They do not disappoint. Like river over rocks they move like fluid, smooth as silk, in such a perfect synergy. It’s almost as if they’re fucking twins or something. It’s fucking perfection! And when that orgasm starts tearing through her, she swears she’s ripped right from her body and is watching it all unfold…

She sees Angry gritting his teeth through his orgasm and then it's replaced with a hazy look of peace and relief. He’s kissing her now. She sees Smiley eyes roll in the back of his head with a gigantic grin as he pumps a substantial amount of semen into her. He starts growling and shouting. She comes back to herself; sweating, red in the face, heart racing so fast, with intermittent hard pounds, that she thinks she seriously might have a heart attack. 

“Oh my Goooddddd”, Smiley says. “And that was just beginning?”

Angry’s eyes go wide. “It was?”

“Fuuuuck me.” Smiley continues. “Jesus. I gotta take a fuckin break. I don’t ever have to do that. That shit was fuckin hot and intense. Holy fuck.” He drags the back of his hand across his forehead. “I’m gonna wash off. Be right back.” He walks out of the room, completely naked, y'know like he lived there or somethin.

She plops down on the bed next to Angry and brings her hand to his chest and wraps her leg around his thigh. She purrs at him. “You are quite the fucking pair… Mmmmm….”

He smiles and brings his hand up to run through her hair.

“Thank you, Aya-chan. That was pretty incredible. I know Nahoya said it was just the beginning. But even if that was all it was, it would be enough for me…and better than anything I’ve ever felt before. You are…incredible.”

“That's just because it was your first… It only gets more incredible from here on out.”

She thinks about her first night with Dai. How that felt. How it felt like nothing could ever be better than this. She sympathized with the boy, but she didn’t want to linger on those memories too long, they brought pain with them. She frowns and then quickly starts kissing Angry, passionately.

She pulls back from him and then moves her leg across him, straddling him. She lowers herself slowly onto his body and looks at him with a smile. 

“We’re just gettin started. Please hold all comments until the end.” She chuckles and starts sliding up and down him. He groans. She feels him harden underneath her and she lifts off of him to inspect. 

She sees he is hard enough and with glee grabs a hold of him and places him at her entrance.

“Whenever you’re ready, lover”. She sits straight up and he moves his hips to thrust up and in.

His eyes close as he feels her again but ohhh, what’s this? It’s all different now, isn’t it? A new angle, a new position. He can’t believe how mind-blowing this feels. He can’t believe she was right. It really does just get better and better.

“Holy shit…”

“Yeah…it’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

“Uh huh…” He is lost in her again.

Smiley comes back and starts whining to see her hole filled with his brother’s dick again.

“Aww, come on, man. This is bullshit. I want some of that kitty, too.

She tries to turn her head back to look at him but she can only get it so far.

In between moans and heavy breath escaping their mouths, she says, “Oh, please…. This is… perfect…for you. This is exactly…what you really want. Isn’t it?”

“I just washed off, tho. I coulda… Yer gettin under my skinnnn, girl.”

“The bad kind?” Angry thrusts up a little harder and it makes her moan. “Mmmm…”

“Yeah. Yer makin me kinda angry…”, he says with a scowl.

She looks back at Angry underneath her and he’s smiling large and she starts laughing hard.

“And Angry is Smiley! I got you boys all switched up and everything. Hahahaaa! This is amazing!”

Smiley grunts and gets on the bed. He moves up right behind her and puts his hand on her back and starts pushing her down, somewhat aggressively, so she’s laying flat on top of Angry. He grabs the lube laying on the bed and proceeds to get him and her wet again and then he enters her. She notices he’s being less gentle this time and it makes her grimace. 

“Nahoya…please. I know you want to dominate me. But not like this. Please, let go of all that shit and enjoy this. There is nothing but good goin on here and you are exactly where you really want to be right now, anyway. I know it. You know it. So don’t make this a fight. Be happyyyy, Smiley.” 

She smiles at him with her most charming smiles.

He grunts again, but he ends in a smile as well. “It’s a damn good thing you are what you are because if it was anyone else…” He lays down flat on her, mirroring what she’s doing to Angry and pushes deep into her. “Let’s just say this would be going veeerry differently than it is.” His butt and thigh muscles flex and relax over and over and his back arches just a bit each time he moves forward into her.

She’s losing it already. She tries to catch her breath and opens her eyes to look at Souya. “You ok, hon? Yer not getting squished, are you?”

He shakes his head. “I’m ok. I can take it. I know you think I’m weak…” He looks away. Clearly this thought brought a not so good feeling with it, she could see it in his eyes.

“What? Noooo… I know you’re strong…” She moves her head right next to his ear and whispers, “I bet you’re even stronger than he is, aren’t you?”

He doesn’t respond except to smile and thrust his hips to get in her even deeper. She rewards him with a lovely hot moan right in his ear. It makes him harder and he grabs her hips and does his best to get in as deep as he can. 

“Nahoya! Lift up on your arms!”, Angry barks.

“Fine.”

With his movements no longer impeded he begins thrusting more freely and more deeply. Smiley responds in like manner and once again she is caught up in the beautiful harmony of their movements. She never wants it to end.

They end as before: shuddering, sputtering and drenched. They take a break for a bit and then continue on once again and this goes on late into the night.

When not one of them has an ounce of fluid or strength left, they fall into a pile on the bed. Angry starts laughing which makes Smiley laugh which makes her laugh. 

“Holy shit! That was…wow”, she says once she can stop laughing.

“Fuck! I think I might just love you, girl”, Smiley says with a grin, his hand lazily stroking his penis. He doesn’t really mean it, though. But when Angry replies with, “Me too!”, you can just tell that he does.

“Well, we kinda already knew that, bro.”

Her eyes are already getting heavy. “And Aya makes 3.” They hear a little half-asleep giggle and an “Mmm….” and then nothing is heard from her for the rest of the night. She was fast asleep in the arms of her lovers.

#nahoya kawata #angry kawata #smiley kawata #kawata twins #souya kawata #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #tokyo revengers #toman #tokyorev #writing

[mellaithwen]

I didn't want to hijack @extasiswings 's post but I also started thinking about Eddie not being around when that man's being dug out, aaand I couldn't stop... [ edit: on ao3 ]

Eddie looks down at his phone in surprise.

Buck’s calling him. His caller ID is grinning up at him from the screen; the picture of carefree moment in the park on a sunny day from a few weeks ago, with Christopher draped over Buck’s shoulders mid-piggy-back, frozen, mid-reach as they tried to drag Eddie towards them. They’d been laughing so loudly that Eddie can practically hear the sound of his kid’s laughter through the photograph.

But Eddie frowns. He might not be working this Halloween, but Buck’s certainly supposed to be, and if he was just bored in the station house he'd normally FaceTime, or send Eddie a litany of texts about his latest internet deep-dive (the great Canadian maple syrup heist was his current obsession; “3,000 tonnes, Eddie, they stole 3,000 tonnes of Maple syrup!”) —but a phone call?

“Hey man, what's up?”

Buck doesn't immediately respond to the greeting, but Eddie hears the shuddering inhale down the line all the same, and now he's really concerned.

“Buck?” Eddie calls out, just as he notices his son looking over to him from across the room. He gives Christopher a reassuring smile while he waits for an answer from Buck, and he nods to his aunt that he's stepping out for a moment—gesturing over to the front door when he still doesn't get a reply.

“Buck?” he tries again, closing the door behind him with a soft click, and trying not to shiver at the change in temperature now that he’s outside. “Buck, come on, I'm here, okay? What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“I just…” Buck starts, and stops, his voice faltering for a moment. He clears his throat. Takes another second. “I just needed to hear your voice.”

Buck sounds... shattered, honestly. Haunted by something so much deeper than just exhaustion, and the hairs on the back of Eddie's neck stand on end.

“Talk to me. Did something happen on a call? Are you hurt?” He wonders if he should text one of the others; ask Bobby or Hen if everything’s alright because his nerves can’t handle the aching chasm that stretches out between Buck’s quiet admissions.

“No—we're fine,” Buck says finally. “I'm fine,” he insists, but his voice is still barely above a whisper and Eddie's not convinced.

Eddie waits.

Buck sighs.

“There was... we got a call that this man was.... Eddie, he was buried alive—”

This time when Eddie shivers it’s got nothing to do with the weather.

“—and dispatch tracked his phone but they couldn't get a precise location, and we were searching and calling out his name, and then by the time we started to dig things weren't looking good—”

Buck's voice is shaking, but now that he's started speaking he can't seem to stop, and his words are like an avalanche, gaining fervour as he goes on. Eddie can feel his own grip on his phone getting tighter and tighter until finally he has to sit himself down on the steps of the front porch just to try and catch his breath. He knows where Buck's head is at—he can't help but go there too.

“—a-a-and I just...I couldn't stop thinking about the well collapse, and dispatch said the guy wasn't answering and I started thinking about how we were trying to get a hold of you on the radio but all we got was static, and suddenly I wasn't looking for the vic anymore, I was looking for you. I was back there in the rain and I was clawing at the ground, and it felt like there was this vice around my chest and—”

—there’s a rumbling like thunder overhead. The ground shakes and Eddie tries to grab a hold of the rocky wall at his side but he can’t. He can’t get a good hold as the tunnel collapses all around him. The shaft’s filling up with wet earth and debris, and every breath he takes feels like it’s coated with dirt and mud as he suffocates under the onslaught—

“Breathe, Buck,” Eddie interrupts a little desperately at the memories echoing around in his own mind in response to the fear in Buck's voice.

“Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth,” he says as he tries to follow his own advice. “Take a deep breath, come on, do it with me; in for four, hold it—and breathe out for eight, and again…”

For a little while there's nothing but a stream of huffed breaths down the phone from the two of them, until finally a long steady exhale is followed by a stuttered apology; “I‘m sorry, I shouldn't have—”

“No, don’t be stupid, you can always—”

The siren rings out loud and shrill down the other end of the phone as it interrupts their conversation, and Eddie jumps to his feet out of habit before he remembers that he's not actually on shift.

“I've gotta go,” Buck mumbles, a little reluctantly to Eddie’s ears, and he can hear the rustling movements as the other firefighter hurries over to the trucks. He still hasn’t ended the call, seemingly unwilling to break the connection just yet.

“Yeah of course,” Eddie says, though he makes no move to end the call either—feeling a similar urge to stay present, to remain tethered to Buck for as long as possible. He starts talking again before his brain has a chance to second guess himself. “Come over after your shift in the morning, we can go out for breakfast with Chris.”

There's another exhale down the phone, but this one sounds lighter, happier, like it's being chased by a smile, and Eddie feels his own tight chest loosen considerably at the image he's just conjured in his mind.

“Yeah, that'd be great.” Buck says, “I'll see you then.”

“Perfect. It's a date.” Eddie replies, before hanging up.

(His own words don't register for another thirty minutes, but by then Buck's already sent a smiley-face emoji over text, and Eddie can't find it within himself to regret anything.)

.

#911 fic #911 fox #911 spoilers #911 speculation #mellaithwen fanfic #(for the record I'm sure Eddie's probably in the episode as normal - just maybe not in the promo shots for this call is all? but who knows) #Evan Buckley #Eddie Diaz #911fic #just ignore me #it took me two weeks to write 550 words of a proposal for my thesis and I just did these 650 words in ten mins #absolutely ridiculous #buddie #buddie fic #eddie diaz fic #evan buckley fic #buck x eddie #eddie x buck #911 fanfic #911 fanfiction

[itsnothappening]

the confrontation | daminette

Word Count: +0.8k

summary: what a lovely time to run into her one enemy that probably wants her dead by now.

a/n: request from a user from ao3. as usual, pinterest is my inspiration.

ao3 | wattpad | masterlist | prompts

part 1 | part 3

Marinette was processing what had happened in the last few, eventful minutes in a private corner of her own, because a, she was trying to run away from her so-called old friends and b, she really needed the time to process this or she was going to explode.

Unfortunately, her seclusion didn't last long because, in a few seconds, Nino and Kim were rushing up to her, begging for her forgiveness.

"Marinette," Kim yelled, as he came to a stop in front of her. "Marinette, I'm so, so sorry, words can't express how sorry I am, please Marinette-"

On top of his voice, Nino was also voicing his apologies, "Mari, how can I make this up to you? I swear to always believe in you; I'm sorry I've been such a bad friend-"

All in all, it was sounding like a mess, and Marinette was beginning to back away from Nino and Kim.

Marinette laughed nervously, which, surprisingly shut the two of them up (she was expecting some more drastic measures to be taken). "So, um, I don't really know what to say, because you know, I've made my feelings pretty clear before. We're not friends anymore."

Nino and Kim looked at her with devastated eyes that did nothing to sway her decision.

An awkward silence descended on the trio of the once childhood friends.

Marinette looked around furtively, looking for an exit.

Spotting the hallway behind her, Marinette took the opportunity to escape. "So, because things got really awkward here, I'm just going to pretend I got a super important text and go somewhere that's not here, so...bye!"

The last word echoed lightly off the walls as Marinette raced down the hallway.

Looking behind her every now and then to make sure they weren't following her (you could never be too careful), Marinette didn't notice the orange girl until she practically barreled into her, the two of them stumbling.

Marinette opened her mouth to apologize profusely, but when she saw who she bumped into, she closed her mouth with an irritated snap.

What a lovely time to run into her one enemy that probably wants her dead by now.

Lila Rossi felt her anger burn beyond its limitations as she set her gaze on the bane of her existence.

Marinette Dupain-fucking-Cheng.

As Lila's gaze rested on the 'innocent' girl, every second made her anger burn brighter and more insane.

By this point, Lila was practically snarling in anger and the urge to just end Marinette's miserable existence was nagging Lila painfully.

"You," she hissed poisonously, her eyes flashing with hatred. "You little bitc-"

"I don't have time for this."

Dupain-Cheng's voice was icy and emotionless, and it made Lila feel a thousand times smaller, though she tried to hide it.

Feeling her anger spark even more, Lila resorted to more..physical means, attempting to shove Marinette back.

"I'll make you pay, you little home-wrecker," Lila pulled her arms back to shove Marinette.

She even would have, had Marinette's own hands not gripped her arms to the point of pain.

This time, when Lila looked at Marinette's face, she was properly intimidated.

"Listen up here, Rossi," Marinette hissed, her nails digging into Lila's skin. "Let me make this clear. Against me, you are nothing. Believe me, in your time at our school, I could have killed you a hundred times over, so be grateful that you're even alive."

"You're lying," Lila said, although the tremor in her voice bellied her true feelings.

"I can assure you," a frosty voice said, one that Lila recognized very well, having been the one to expose her, "That she is very much telling the truth. I have seen her do it herself. Do not underestimate her, as you did before, Ms. Rossi."

Damian Wayne looked at Lila with nothing but disdain and anger in his eyes, and suddenly, Lila felt like shrinking and falling into the ground because goddamn it, these two were scary.

"Now," Damian said clearly, gently prying Marinette's hands from Lila's now-crushed sleeves. "Let me be perfectly clear. You will not lie from this second forward about me, Marinette or any other member of my family. If you do so, Wayne Enterprises will sue you for your entire worth - which is quite meagre by the way - multiplied by a hundred. By the end of it, your life will be ruined permanently and you'll be spending the rest of it rotting in a jail cell."

Safe to say, Lila was terrified of Damian now.

But maybe she could salvage the situation? Damian said only the Wayne family...

"And," Damian continued. "I do suggest not lying about any celebrity, because, Ms. Rossi, currently, I believe you are 'trending' and your parents are being flooded with lawsuits."

Lila's jaw dropped open in shock.

"Do what you will with that," Damian smirked at her one more time before grabbing Marinette's hand and walking away dramatically.

Lila stood there in silence for what felt like hours, until her sharp ringtone cut into her subconscious.

Mama, it read.

#maribat #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #marinette x damian #damian x marinette #marinette dupain cheng #damian wayne #lila rossi #nino lahiffe #kim le chien #lila salt #lila bashing #lila is confronted #assassin marinette #damian is a smug little shit

[actually-reid]

filling in the blanks as we go - chapter five

pairing: spencer reid x reader

summary: Reid confronts you.

chapter one | read on ao3 | masterlist | chapter six |

I'm woken up gently by Reid's hand on my shoulder, my car door already open. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes with my fingertips, I find myself missing his touch as he moves to help JJ before I can say anything. I head to the trunk whilst trying to shake myself awake, grabbing my go bag. The air is cold as it's so late into the night and I wrap my clothes more tightly around myself. I send Hotch a quick text to tell him that we're here and he replies instantly that they're waiting.

We get to the jet without hassle and we all settle in the same spots as this morning. Grabbing one of the blankets from a cubby hole, I settle in wait for Reid. JJ is quick to push him away and tell him to stop asking so many medical questions as she too settles down. I wonder how much she really heard from the unsub, from me. It was bad enough having Reid hear. I can only hope that that's not the reason why she's telling Reid to go sit down, her motherly tone clear and commanding despite her head injury. By the time Reid leaves her alone, I'm halfway through a game of spider solitaire on my phone.

I keep my eyes firmly fixed onto the screen in front of me as he sits in front of me. I expect him to dig through his satchel as always but he doesn't and I can feel him staring at me. There's a part of me that kicks myself for the sight he's looking at, I probably look awful: split lip, bruising face covered in a blanket playing solitaire like a grandma. A different part of me reminds me that Reid isn't much for appearances and I take solace in that as my game finishes unexpectedly despite the fact that I was the one playing it.

"You know, you can play solitaire with real cards." He starts and I'm glad for the soft entry. I lock my phone and put it away, finally allowing myself to look at him. He looks tired.

"I like to play one suit when I'm lazy and it also means you can't see how bad I am, Mr 'I'm-banned-from-every-casino-in-Las-Vegas'."

"You can't be that bad, you've been playing that since we went to Alaska six months and four days ago."

"I would love to see how your brain is so organised that you automatically know how long it's been since I downloaded solitaire on my phone."

"You really wouldn't."

His words fit the joking tone we'd developed but his intonation doesn't. It creates a void in the conversation I can't really follow, so an ugly silence develops as we listen to the background noise; Music leaking from Morgan's headphones, Hotch's pen scribbling over some paperwork and the engine's low rumbling.

The tone follows through to his expression too, his playfulness dissolving into a type of sadness that makes my chest ache. He seems to feel vulnerable at me seeing him this way for the first time and his gaze latches onto the window and stays there as he asks, "Did you mean it?"

It's really not the question I was expecting, I thought he'd be more direct about whatever was bothering him. "Which part?" I reply, still unsure about where this was going. I felt like I was at the beginning of a corn maze, not knowing where to go or what could be hidden inside it.

"When you said you'd die for me. I-I need - just tell me."

"Yes. Yes, I meant it."

"Please don't."

And that's when it hits me, why he looks so broken and why he'd called my name out when I'd said it back in that grungy kitchen.

Maeve.

It hadn't even entered my head, that someone had already died for him and that he'd had to live with it. I hadn't been part of the team when it happened but he'd shared his trauma to me over coffee one late night when we were convinced there wasn't another soul left in Quantico. A woman whose face he hadn't even seen until she'd died in front of him after lying to her that he didn't love her. A sacrifice that had just slipped by him, that he hadn't been able to stop until it was far far too late.

"Spence, I'm so sorry it didn't even enter my head I just needed to keep the negotiation rolling you know I would never-"

"I don't care that you said it in a hostage situation, I care that you meant it. Because that, that, is the last thing I would ever want you to do for me and I don't think I'd survive going through that again, especially with you."

The silence returns again as his words sit in the air between us.

"I think I would sacrifice myself for anyone on this jet, Spence-"

"Not for me. You have to promise me." He interrupts.

"No."

His eyes dart back up to mine, seemingly shocked that I would deny him. The disbelief spreads across his face like a flood, his head shaking with lines in his forehead and his eyes scrunched.

"No?"

"I'm being honest. I can't promise you that, Spence."

"Why not? Enlighten me."

"In the long run you'd be more useful than me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means three PhDs and three degrees and an IQ of 187 will save more lives than me and I'm not selfish enough to think otherwise."

"Oh, it's down to qualifications now? What about your experience? Many studies argue that experience will always be more valuable than any amount of theory and yours is certainly invaluable to the team, you've talked down more unsubs than Morgan, JJ and I combined and you've barely been here as long as the rest of us."

"You were doing just fine before I came along."

"You've improved our success statistics by 12%."

"That's no evidence against the fact that you wouldn't have talked down those unsubs if I hadn't."

He huffs in something between anger and annoyance.

"I'm truly sorry that I reminded you of that situation Reid but I knew he wasn't going to do anything with that information, I was just trying to build rapport."

"You have no idea what he would have done or what he was going to do. He profiled as unpredictable and even showed as much when his mood drastically shifted with no trigger. He could have-"

"He couldn't have done anything, I had my gun trained on him the whole time. Do you really think I'm that incompetent?"

"You reminded an unsub of how easily he could have killed you earlier, how does that show competency?"

"Is that what this is really about? If this is you showing guilt over the fact I could have died today - save it. It's the job and we both know that."

"That is not what this is about."

"Then what is it about then? Because I am tired and I thought we'd just made up, the last thing I want Reid is an argument."

"I don't want an argument either but I don't want my best friend dying for me more, is it really that shocking that I would want to prevent that?"

"No, of course not but all I'm saying is that you can't-"

I cut myself off because of the way he's looking at me, like I'm holding up the sky and that's all I'll be doing for the rest of my life - trapped. It's a pleading look, where his bottom lip is between his teeth in worry and he looks so despondent that this transcends any puppy eyes expression I've seen from him before. This isn't like begging for the last chocolate donut with sprinkles this is like begging for his own life, not even mine.

My mouth opens and makes the shape of his name but there's no effort from my throat to voice it aloud and my lips press into a line.

"I know you think I'm being selfish, but I can't imagine this team without you anymore. I like to think I'm not selfish that often - maybe I've saved it all up for this."

"You think you've saved up all your selfishness to keep me alive?"

"In this hypothetical situation - yes."

I can tell that he's trying to make sure we don't argue here, I'm supposed to just smile, shut up and agree with him. It's a nice sentiment but I've always been a realist. He hasn't changed my mind.

"Then I'm sorry Spencer Reid, but it turns out I just have more selfishness in stock than you."

He seems disappointed now, the kind that hides anger. I can see the switch in his behaviour from offensive to defensive and resigned. "Were you always this stubborn?"

"About important things, yes." I say bluntly.

"Then I guess we never talked about anything important before."

"Really? That's what you're gonna go with?"

"I have explained my point of view to you, you know the grief I've suffered." He states bitterly.

"Yes I do but Reid have you ever asked JJ or Emily not to do this? Because I have a very suspicious feeling that you haven't."

Pause. "They're different."

"Different how?"

He doesn't say anything, simply keeps his eyes glazed to the window deep in thought.

"Typical." I breathe, lying back in my seat with my arms crossed.

"Your pupils dilated when I held you up today."

I've been around him long enough to read between the lines that Spencer Reid says, his words barely ever not thought through and meaningful when he speaks. Mortification is the first thing I register as his words sift through my head and it isn't helped by the realisation that there's no music leaking from Morgan's headphones anymore or that Hotch's pen has stopped scratching. I can see JJ from where I'm sat but I don't dare look up at her, instead my gaze latching onto the man sat opposite me. I'm sure he's aware now too that we have an audience but that doesn't stop him from talking. With the others clearly listening, our voices aren't as hushed anymore.

"And from the lack of response, I'm right." He adds.

The arrogance of his statement trips something in me, creating the embers of anger that are only made from shock. Spencer Reid has never been an arrogant man and he's only this confident when he knows he's right. I fight my feelings to show disbelief on my face rather than the conflict I'm struggling to contain.

"Right about what, genius? It was dark and I'd just suffered a minor head trauma."

"Okay, what about how you were flushed and had an elevated heart rate as I checked you over?"

I force a look of confusion. "I'd just fought an unsub off single handedly-"

"We both know that you were running off adrenaline for much longer than you should have been." He interrupts. The urge to shout at him appears as he airs all of my physical symptoms of attraction to the jet.

"What are you trying to get out of me Reid, that I like you?" I scoff. My head is screaming, Say everything you'd say if you didn't like him!

"I'm saying someone clearly didn't read the anti-fraternisation clause of our contract whilst joining up and now it's affecting your decisions."

I blink and stare at him blankly. "That's the best you can come up with? I already said I would sacrifice myself for anyone on the team. I mean, Hotch is a dad, JJ is a mom, Derek is like a brother and Emily is like a sister."

"And me?"

"You were my best friend - before you turned into an arrogant asshole. Even if what you thought that was true, why would you say that when we're not in private? Worst case scenario if Hotch believed what you just said then I would lose this job."

He seems to have no response for that, his legs now crossed and his head hidden in his book. The anger finally rises to the surface and starts to overflow, the fact that this man that I cared so much about just tried to ruin my career and take away the job I've been working up to for years.

I have always been a woman who cries in anger and frustration, something in itself which frustrates me more than whatever usually starts me crying. I can feel the tears burning my eyes and they begin to swim to the forefront of my vision and I decide that I can't stand to sit opposite him a moment longer.

"You know how much this means to me." I whisper. "And you're the one comparing me to your ex-girlfriend." I leave out the word 'dead' but I'm sure he hears it anyway.

I stand and let out a breath silently but then I'm faced with the rest of the team as I try to make my way to the other side of the plane. I curse myself for choosing my seat this morning and as I keep my eyes locked to the floor I can see their faces looking at me worriedly in my peripherals and it's a painful reminder that nearly all of them know. It only adds to the volume of tears I can feel swimming in my vision but I manage to stop them from falling until I lock the cubicle door behind me, embarrassment added to the list of emotions that I can't comprehend.

I'd spent the whole day trying to distract myself from how much I liked the man who had just scolded me publicly. I think it must be the whiplash of our relationship that really starts the tear tracks down my cheek and I turn on the tap to cover up any sobs that escape just a little too loudly.

He knew how I felt and his way of showing it was to state it publicly and use it against me in an argument. That pretty much dashes all my hope that he might feel the same way although in the moment that doesn't compare to the betrayal I'm feeling, my tears more outrage than melancholy. Even so, his behaviour came across as hypocritical. I had seen Reid fluster under unwanted advances and whilst I hadn't made any moves, I knew it didn't take much to make him uncomfortable. He hadn't shown any signs of discomfort from being around me the whole day.

The image of the unsub staring Reid down as he tried to die comes back to me, along with every other piece of evidence. His hands on my waist, him defending me, his apology and admittance of hating how Strickland had looked at me. His anger at me being willing to die for him. He's spent years on the team with JJ and Emily before I had joined and yet this relationship I had with him was different from them. I hadn't seen an argument from him like this before either.

I'm a coward about facing him again so I stay hidden until I hear the classic ding of recommended seatbelts before landing. I'd made sure to freshen up so whilst my cheeks are slightly flushed, there's no glistening tears down them and I don't look at anyone as I retake my seat opposite him. I'm tuning everything out, although I can't tell if it's by choice. I concentrate on the feeling of my bottom lip becoming sore between my teeth and my mind registers that Reid might have said my name a couple minutes too late, not that I would have listened anyway.

When the plane lands, my go bag finds its place on my shoulder and as we wait silently for the stairs to unfold I feel JJ's hand squeeze mine. It brings me back for just a second and I meet her stare which I nearly regret as I spot Prentiss also trying to meet my eye and Morgan staring very intensely at Reid behind me. With a blunt nod aimed at both of them, my eyes resume their inspection of the carpet before the stairs are finally ready and we disembark.

We walk in a line towards the SUVs ready to take us back to Quantico and I'd be lying if I said my heart didn't sink at the idea of not sitting comfortably next to Reid. Late night rides back home were something I usually enjoyed, the idea of a case being solved as well as it could have with nothing but sleep on the agenda for the next couple hours. Sometimes, I'd fall asleep despite the very short journey time back to base or other times Reid and I would talk some nonsense, usually Star Trek. I knew that wasn't going to happen tonight.

This time, the team seem to realise (or profile) that that wasn't the case this time. Not only was I too worked up emotionally to sleep but there was no way I'd be comfortable sitting next to Reid. I watch as either oblivious or also emotionally fatigued as well, Reid doesn't notice Morgan winking at me before taking my spot in the SUV, letting me inherit his spot in the other car. I give him a forced smile to show my appreciation and ignore the, "Morgan?", I hear as I slide into the passenger door opposite Hotch.

Hotch glances at me, clearly expecting Morgan, before nodding to himself as he starts up the vehicle and begins the drive back. I'm glad that I'm not sat in the back with JJ, really not wanting the subject broached yet. I'm visualising Chinese takeout and Netflix when surprisingly Hotch is the one that starts.

"I'm not going to transfer you because of what Reid suggested on the jet."

I take a moment to swallow his words. I try not to read into the fact that he said he wasn't going to transfer me, not that he didn't believe Reid. "Thank you, sir."

"I still can't believe what he said." JJ says. "He hasn't been like that in a long time." She adds, although mostly to herself.

Whilst I know she means well, JJ's sympathy isn't something I want right now so I stay quiet. She seems to get the message.

We arrive back at base and usually we all head back inside to wind down for a couple of minutes or so, say hi to Garcia and pick up our debriefing documents before heading home. Tonight though as the night air bites coldly at my neck and hands, I hang back as I watch the others head inside. I wonder why Hotch has parked us on the other side of the lot, nearly as far away from the building as possible when he appears next to me at the trunk.

"I think those debriefing documents can wait until tomorrow. I know most of us won't look at them until then anyway since it's nearly 2AM."

I try not to think about what Reid must have done after I had left my seat on the jet for Hotch to be this nice to me. I mutter a meaningful thanks to him as he leaves my side to carry JJ's bag and I head to my car. I ignore how I'm nearly jogging to get in and once I do I simply sit in the driver's seat, bag tossed behind me to the backseat. I don't put the keys in the ignition, not wanting the overhead light to draw attention to me. Instead, my head finds its place to rest on top of the steering wheel and I force some deep breaths. It's started to drizzle but I watch as JJ and Hotch make it inside before the rain catches them. The other SUV pulls up just as they disappear from sight and I watch inconspicuously as Prentiss parks and the others pool out. I can tell that the journey hasn't been a comfortable one from the way Prentiss and Morgan grab their bags and make headway as quickly as they can, Reid idling behind them to let the distance grow. By the time that the pair are inside, Reid is ambling towards the entrance still. My hands reach for my keys and plug them into the ignition but I look up before I engage the engine.

This late at night, I would have usually given him a lift home. Something claws at my chest at denying him the favour but the betrayal I feel overpowers it. He hesitates going inside, clearly building up the nerve whilst thinking I'm inside the building. He's clasping his hands together nervously and jogging his leg on the spot as he eyes up the doorway.

His behaviour indicates that he still cares. Otherwise, he would have just swanned in without a care.

With that, my hand seems to turn automatically and the lights on my car all come on automatically. If I had thought about it any longer, I would have waited because the lights seem to draw him out of whatever hole he was thinking and his head darts towards me. I make an effort not to look at him, to make it look like I haven't noticed him. I pretend to look for my badge on the passenger seat to let me out of the lot as I'm forced to drive straight past him.

Pulling out the lot, I allow myself one glance in my side mirror. He's stood still facing me but I leave him there behind. I feel his gaze on me the rest of the drive home in the dark.

tag list: @measure-in-pain @ilovespencerreidmarryme @spencersrose @chelsea-the-enchanted

tags that are struck through - check your privacy settings :/

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fanfic #criminal minds fic #myfics #dr reid #reid

[ravens-words]

Home Is Wherever I'm With You (on AO3)

He put a hand on Carlos' cheek and let his eyes roam his face, and his throat tightened at the serene, sleepy smile on his boyfriend's face. "I love you," he told him softly

TK talks to Nancy, checks on his father and then finally, he goes home to Carlos.

AN: thanks @tkstrrand 🖤 for your kind words and encouraging feedback (I probably wouldn't have published this if it weren't for you lol)

Happy Reading!

Nancy

"Hey, Nancy?"

"Yeah?" 

TK rubbed his hands together anxiously and cleared his throat. "Can I talk to you alone, for a minute?"

She eyed him dubiously, then shrugged. "Yeah, okay."

"I wanted to apologize."

Nancy shook her head. "You don't have to, this-" she pointed at the ambulance behind them, "was more than enough."

"No, it's not." He looked her in the eyes. "I was nervous," he admitted. "This is- it's a new job, one I wasn't even sure I'd be good at, and- I may have overcompensated?" 

She cracked a smile, and gave him a look that, coupled with the raised eyebrows, screamed "ya think?" and he laughed. 

"I want us to be a team, Nancy. I won't ever replace Tim; I don't even want to. But- I'm here, and I'd like it if you gave me a chance?"

She shook her head. "It was never about you, TK. It's just- It felt like you were trying to erase him. It pissed me off, and it made me feel like I needed to move on when I wasn't ready to."

He nodded. "I get that. But- it wasn't my intention. I just wanted to be good at this so badly, you know?"

She rolled her eyes. "What did you have to be so nervous about?! I know your record- it's pretty impressive, TK."

He just shrugged. And then he remembered another thing that had bothered him about their conversation in the ambulance before the cap had joined them. "I wasn't trying to score points with the cap, by the way. That was never what anything I did was about," he wanted her to know. 

"You drove the cap to her daughter's black belt event, and used the siren. You were sucking up, admit it," she told him with a laugh. 

TK knew he had two choices now. He could either laugh it off and sweep it under the rug, or he could tell her the truth and risk getting a pitying look from his new teammate. 

He took a breath and chose the latter. "After my parents' divorce, I lived with my dad mostly, and he was-" he started, and thankfully, his voice didn't shake. Nancy's smile fell off her face. "Dad was pretty busy, and I can count the times he actually made it to one of the events I was involved in on one hand and still have fingers left. I thought, if I could spare a kid that, then what's the harm?" 

Nancy was silent, and to his surprise, there was no pity in her eyes as she watched him. Just sadness. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

TK waved her off. He looked up to where his dad's office was. "We're way past that," he said with a casual smile, the lie tasting bitter on his tongue. 

Nancy's expression was unreadable, and TK didn't spend much time dwelling on it. He straightened up from where he was leaning against the fire truck and pushed his hands into his pockets. "I'll see you next shift?" 

She smiled. "Yeah, I'll see you."

"And, uh- we're having a get together tomorrow at Carlos', if you wanna join?"

She ducked her head down, shy and maybe a little nervous, but she nodded nonetheless. "I'd like that."

He grinned at her. "Good. I'll text you the adress."

She grinned back. "Okay."

Owen

When TK got home, the lights were off. He thought his parents were sleeping, until he heard sounds coming from the kitchen. He frowned and headed there, keeping his footfalls light. 

He peeked in and saw his dad, with his head pillowed on his arms which were resting on the counter. The kitchen was messy; pans and pots on the counter, all around him. It was a very unusual sight that frankly concerned him. TK sighed, wondering if he had another fight with his mother, and decided to check on him, even if there was a possibility this would turn into a one hour rant about their latest issue. "Dad?" He called quietly, and the older man nearly jumped a foot in the air. 

"TK! Where have you been?"

TK moved forward, frown etched on his face as his dad swayed in place. "Are you drunk?" He asked as he came to stand beside him. He dunked under his arm and helped him shuffle his way to the bedroom. "I'm rebound guy," he slurred, pitching forward. 

TK only just managed to keep them both from falling. He adjusted his grip on his father's waist and then moved again. "What does that even mean?"

"Not my baby," his dad muttered. "-really wanted that baby."

His heart dropped right to his toes, and if he felt the loss this intensely, when the baby would still be his brother, he couldn't imagine what his dad was feeling. He hugged him close. "I'm really sorry, dad."

"Your mom left," his father informed him, and TK wanted to be surprised. He wanted to feel angry. But all he could feel was a deep sense of sadness and disappointment, and, though he was loathe to admit it, he was also relieved. Because he'd had a feeling from the moment his mother had stepped into town that her presence was temporary and he'd been holding his breath ever since, waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

Now it did, and TK knew he had to deal with the fallout now, which, by the look of his father, wasn't going to be pretty.

He helped his father lay down in his bed and covered him with the comforter. "It's gonna be okay, dad," he whispered, but it fell on dead ears as his father slept on. 

.

 Carlos

He opened the door to his boyfriend's apartment with his own key, and felt a thrill at the thought. He'd had it for about a month now, and yet, the novelty of having the key still hadn't worn off. 

He doubted it would any time soon.

It was late, a few minutes past midnight, and he knew Carlos would probably be asleep already, but he needed to be close to him right now. He needed to sleep, and not think, and nothing worked better than being in Carlo's arms. He entered the bedroom quietly, and was surprised to find Carlos, blinking sleepily, sitting up in bed. He smiled, tired and lopsided. "Hey."

TK smiled back, then went and crawled under the covers. "Hi."

Carlos opened his arms immediately, and TK relished in the warmath his touch provided. He let out a sigh and sagged into his arms. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," TK assured him. "My parents are- I think the baby isn't my dad's? At least that was what I got from what he told me."

Carlos' face fell. "Shit, TK." 

"Yeah. It sucks."

"Still your brother, though," he told him tentatively. "You're not losing that."

TK snorted. "You know, even when the kid was theirs, I had trouble believing they were gonna last; that my mom was going to stay. Now, though? I can tell you, with absolute certainty, my mom is gonna leave. And I'll be seeing my baby brother a couple of times a year, and that's if I'm lucky."

Carlos' arms tightened around him. "Maybe she'll be better at keeping in touch when the baby's born?"

TK wouldn't hold his breath for that. He didn't want to burden Carlos with it anymore though. "I hope so," he said quietly, and it wasn't even a lie. He did hope, with every fiber of his being, that his mother wouldn't go back to old habits of burying herself in her work and forgetting her son existed. He also hoped she learned from her mistakes with him, and didn't repeat them with his baby brother.

Carlos, probably knowing TK was getting lost in his own head, changed the subject. "How did it go with Nancy?"

"Good." TK smiled. "Really good. I invited her over, for tomorrow. If that's okay?"

Carlos grinned. "That's great. See,  I told you she didn't hate your guts."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You were right." 

"I always am," Csrlos told him with an air of fake superiority and TK playfully poked him in the chest. Carlos chuckled and leaned in. He pressed a quick kiss to TK's lips, soft and sweet and though he wanted to deepen it, TK knew Carlos was exhausted, and if he was being honest, so was he. He lay down, and Carlos followed him. He put an arm under TK's head, then wrapped the other around his waist. TK smiled to himself and grabbed the covers, pulling them up and over both of them. He put a hand on Carlos' cheek and let his eyes roam his face, and his throat tightened at the serene, sleepy smile on his boyfriend's face. "I love you," he told him softly, pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

He felt Carlos press a kiss to the hollow of his throat, soft and a little clumsy. "Love you, too," he slurred, sounding half-asleep.

TK grinned, then turned to his side and scooted back until his back was glued to Carlos' chest; so close he could feel him breathing. 

It was a comfort he never wanted to lose.

He laced their fingers together, then brought Carlos' hand up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back of it. The lack of response told him his boyfriend was already asleep, so he got comfortable, let out a weary sigh, and then let the comfort of the arms around him lull him into a deep, dreamless sleep. 

#tk strand #carlos reyes #tarlos #nancy gillian #owen strand #tarlos fic #ejwritestarlos

[sometimesiwrite]

Just a Scratch

B I N G O ! 

Prompt: It’s Just a Scratch

Pairing: Lambert/Aiden; Eskel & Lambden; Implied Geralt/Eskel 

Rating: Teen 

Summary: Lambert and Aiden are moving to start the next leg of their adventure together. Eskel sees them off.

Warnings: Modern AU; bittersweet; friends leaving; implied COVID distancing A/N: For Ben & Jemma

@witcher-rarepair-summer-bingo @continentcakeshop @morethangeraskier​

Read it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33145900

“All set?” Eskel asked, squishing in one final duffel bag into the footwell and backing himself out of the rear door of Aiden’s VW Golf. Anya, Lambert and Aiden's husky mix, dozed sleepily in the back seat despite the excitement, having been rudely awoken at 6:30am to confusedly do her business.

“That’s it,” Aiden shrugged, letting the trunk close with a dull, satisfying thud. He opened his arms questioningly, and Eskel wasted no time pulling him into an affectionate squeeze, touching his hand to the back of Aiden’s head before pulling away. 

“You take care of yourself. Let me know when you make your first stop, alright? Anything goes wrong, just let me know.” 

“We’ll call you from the hotel,” Aiden reassured as he flipped the car keys over his finger.

“I still say we can make it to Port Hope by the end of the day if we push it.” Lambert was tucked under the hood, giving the car one final check for fluid levels (tyre pressure had already been meticulously checked earlier that morning).

Aiden tilted his head, “That’s if you drive and unfortunately the highway patrol doesn’t care about fuel efficiency if you’re going ten over the speed limit.” He ambled his way over behind Lambert to get a cheeky eye-full of his favourite view, “Besides, I need you to put that sexy brain of yours to work for navigation.”

“Oi! Gerroff!” Lambert protested and Aiden backed away, but not before getting in a perfectly resonant smack. “If you had it your way, you horny old bastard, we’d be stopping every two hours to—”

 Eskel pointedly cleared his throat, scratching his head as he met Aiden’s eyes with a mixture of amused pride and endearing awkwardness that Aiden had so quickly grown to love. He would miss Eskel. They'd gotten close over the last five years, close enough that they had become friends of their own—each keeping the other company when Lambert or Geralt was out of town, planning surprises... 

Aiden's proposal had gone perfectly, their crowning achievement of mutual scheming. Lambert didn't even try to deny the fact that he'd cried like a baby—candles, dusk, his favourite hiking trail, champaign. Even Anya had behaved herself. That is, until she decided her owners had been embracing for too long and not paying nearly enough attention to her. Eskel had offered to edit that part out of the video, but Lambert insisted on keeping it in—"What's a special moment without our favourite dingus. Isn't that right, Anya? Are you a dingus? Yes! Yes you are!" 

“Not gonna miss us at all, are ya, big guy?” The hood latched heavily as Lambert wiped his hands and stowed the oil rag in the passenger's side door next to the Stanadyne.

"You kiddin'? I'm gonna miss you like hell. C'mere." Eskel wrapped Lambert in a bear bug that nearly crushed his goddamn ribs. 

"Easy, Eskel, Jesus I gotta breathe!" 

"Sorry," Eskel eased off, but he didn't let go. There hadn't been enough hugs in the last year. The last few months had barely made up for it, and now there would be far fewer. More dinners over Skype, more sporadic phone calls, occasional texts... watching his and Aiden's life unfold over Instagram and Facebook. But at least they would be happy, Eskel told himself. At least they were starting the next stage of their lives together with an adventure they'd remember forever. This was important for them. And yet the chill, damp fog of isolation was already creeping in around Eskel. Even as he held Lambert close to him and swallowed tears he'd save for later. 

One final squeeze and a pat on the back, and Lambert turned to get in the car, tossing a treat to Anya as he settled in. Aiden gave Eskel a final peck on the cheek, "Take care of yourself, alright? Don't be a stranger. Call, text, whatever. We're always happy to hear from you. Promise?"

Eskel nodded soberly, "I will. Thanks, Aiden." 

"We'll skype when we get to the new place. I want you to see it before it gets cluttered with boxes. We could even do dinner or—"

Eskel waved a hand, "We'll figure something out. Just get there in one piece, and send pictures. I'm not worried." 

Aiden smiled warmly, "Good. Good." A heavy exhale, "Alright, well..." 

"I hate to interrupt the bleeding hearts moment, but we've got commuter traffic piling up on the 606 as we speak! Get your gorgeous butt in the car, we gotta move!"

Aiden took a beat, "Yes dear!" 

"Okay, Anya! You be good!" Eskel gave the chocolate-and-caramel pup one last scritch behind the ears and closed the rear door just in time for the stereo to start playing Journey.

The car rolled down the driveway and Eskel watched until it disappeared over the hill past the stop sign. When the gravelly diesel purr was finally drowned out by late summer cicadas, Eskel sat heavily on the front steps with his coffee. He couldn't bring himself to open the door and go back inside. Something about the stark emptiness of a home previously occupied with guests made the aimless silence too loud. Besides, robins and cardinals were better than daytime tv for company. Finally, Eskel rested his forehead against his thumbs and let the wave of emotion breach the dam.

Shedding tears was something Eskel usually associated with significant pain—rage, grief, remorse, indignation—an open wound that took time and tending to heal. This wasn't like that, though. This was a scratch. Simple, uncomplicated pain: he was sad. Eskel couldn't remember the last time he'd cried because he was just... sad. Decades ago, he imagined, though he couldn't pinpoint a specific moment. It was something children did before emotions became more complicated. But here he was, sitting on his front steps, crying because he was sad. Eyes streaming, hot and wet down his cheeks because his friends were leaving. Just a scratch.

He felt silly, crying over something so inconsequential— and a man as touch-needy as Eskel, bearlike as he was, was left with the sinking feeling that, aside from Geralt, he might not touch another person for a rather long time.

It's not that they didn't have friends, of course, and he would talk to them later that night. He was helping to plan their wedding for chrissake, it's not like they would never speak again. But proximity to other people was something that had grown increasingly scarce, and Eskel—bearlike as he was—had the sinking feeling that, aside from Geralt, he might not touch another person for a while. 

Lambert and Aiden had an uncomplicated relationship with affection that always freed Eskel from the burden of second-guessing the odd touch to a shoulder or elbow. So many others had different personal spaces, many of which had expanded recently. Eskel was happy to respect, and accommodate, but Eskel always felt most himself when he could be affectionate with the people he cared about, and with those two gone, it suddenly felt as though a part of his identity was being forced back into shadow and shyness.

Eskel felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he sniffed loudly before answering. "Yup? Geralt, hi. Yeah, they just-just left. I'm ok-I'm okay. You know. Goodbyes are never easy. How's the conference? Heh. Good, good. Tell him I send my regards... Listen, I should get to work. No, I’m okay, I'll call you later... Will do. I l— I love you, too, hon. Buh-bye.” 

Eskel hung up the phone and stared quietly at the bird feeder for a few more minutes before going back inside, feeling as though something in the cosmos had shifted. 

#witcher rarepair summer bingo #Lambert/Aiden #Eskel #Eskel & Lambden #wrsb