#agent 3 was supposed to be there too but I didn’t like how they ended up looking

[kennytakoika]

Eight but I drew them at 3 am yesterday and I’m not too proud

#splatoon #octo expansion #agent 8 #art #splatoon art #i kinda hate this #also first post #hello guys #im mentally ill #what tags do i use #i’m new hi #pretend i didnt have another account that i’m GLAD i lost #okay? good #splatoon fans notice me #agent 3 was supposed to be there too but I didn’t like how they ended up looking #agent 8x3 ftw

[leonw4nter]

maybe like a lil drabble (or whatever you’d like to do) where instead of hunnigan working with leon, it’s the reader. and they be all flirty and cute and kinda like 👉👈

tbh it can work for anything post-re2r, even if its still before re4r. you can do how he acts around you in different eras (if you want to at all, or just choose an era)

sooo whatever you have most inspo with! thank youu

RE4R!Leon x FOSAgent!F!Reader drabble

After Ashley and Luis had gone to sleep in the small ramshackle shed Leon had managed to locate for the night, he sat by the entrance of their temporary shelter and turned on his comms, waiting for his radio to pick up a stable wavelength to relay information back to HQ. The dingy little thing still wouldn’t pick up a frequency, which the blond didn’t wonder about since he’s been thrown around one too many times, the walkie-talkie probably also got a small beating along with the impact his body took. After giving a small pat to the black box in his hands, he finally managed to hear the static of his handler’s voice.

“Condor One to Roost, baby Eagle is currently taking shelter in this… dilapidated hut,” he sternly reports. “Along with Sera. Luis Sera.”

A moment of silence fills the air, accompanying the gentle pitter patter of the rain on the thickening mud before you respond to his reports.

“Hmm… aerial imaging tells me you’re near a lake, am I right? Can hear the rain from here,” you say.

“Yeah. We’re not too far from a lake,” he responds. “Guess we got eyes in the sky too, huh.”

He hears a faint little breath coming from you, probably a soft scoff. He smiles to himself, the first time in a long time before he brings his wrist near to his face.

“What time is it back home?” he asks.

“1300.”

“You should probably get some rest, baby. Don’t worry about me, I’m making sure we all get out of here in one piece.”

“I want to but I can’t bring myself to,” he hears you softly respond. “I can’t risk losing you, you know. I gotta keep guard on comms 24/7 even though I know you’re great at your job.”

Leon’s heart squeezes a little bit; he knows how important rest is to someone, which is ironic considering how he hasn’t had proper rest in over 96 hours and is desperately craving a good, lengthy sleep though he doesn’t mind if it means keeping Ashley and the flirty Spaniard safe and sound. He won’t mind, most of all, if it meant keeping in touch with you.

“And besides, I have reports to send to Graham– location updates, aerial view images, all that jazz. I have many things to work on,” you say before he hears you yawn quietly. “It’s not like I can just stop doing these because I’m tired; at the end of the day, the president is a father who wants to know how his daughter is doing all the way on the other side of the world. He’s worried sick.”

“And at the end of the day, I’m just your boyfriend who wants to make sure my girlfriend is still taking care of herself despite all her workload,” Leon responds. “I know baby, I know but still take some time to rest– even for a little bit.”

A soft sigh can be heard from your end.

“Fine. But aren’t you supposed to be resting too? Don’t see any threats within a 3-mile radius, you’re good.”

“Nah. Gotta keep watch, can’t be too vigilant. You’ll be the one resting for both of us tonight,” he says.

“Leon.”

“I’ll get rest later, honey. I promise,” Leon pleads.

Another sigh. Gosh, Leon hates how you’ve been sighing a lot more lately, which meant that a lot was weighing on your mind.

“Promise me that. Or I’ll personally fly there to beat your ass.”

“I’d rather you beat something else of mine instead,” Leon jokes.

“I’ll remind you, agent Kennedy, that we’re still on government-operated frequencies so I highly recommend communicating in a professional manner.”

“Ma’am yes ma’am agent Kestrel, the absolute love of my life.”

“I’m going to go on the break you’ve been forcing me to have instead.”

Leon chuckles to himself, a small puff of air leaving his cracked and pale lips.

“Okay, okay. Good night, baby. I’ll talk to you 4 hours from now.”

“Good night, hon. I… I miss you and… please stay safe,” you sincerely whisper to him, unable to switch off the frequency connecting you to him.

“Me too. I miss you. I love you,” he says before turning the radio off and placing it back in one of the many fancy pockets he had.

He props one leg up while he sits, resting his forearm on his knee as he looks out into the dark and foggy scenery. The rain would be nice if he was back home with his girlfriend, cuddling and joking in the bed of their shared apartment instead of this miserable hellhole infested with mutants and murder-crazed cult fanatics. As much as he wanted to bring along a locket or a small picture of you he couldn’t, out of making sure that there would be no traces of foreigners that the crazy locals could use to somehow involve all of America into this. A faint creak of the rickety wooden floorboards has the hairs on the back of his head standing, his hands flying to the sleek silver pistol on his holster to point it at the source of the noise, only for the source of the noise to be the nosy Spaniard who was unfortunately very much wide awake and conscious throughout the conversation he had.

“Didn’t know you had a ladylove, sancho.” was all the man said after raising his arms up as the agent pointed his gun at him.

Leon put his gun back down, the usual smoulder and frown taking its place back into his haggard features as he sat back down and stared out into nothingness again.

“Didn’t peg you as the type to call a lady ‘baby’ or ‘honey’,” he teases. He walks up to Leon, taking a spot beside him and placing a cigarette to his lips before lighting the end of it with his lighter.

“‘You should probably get some rest, baby’,” Luis repeats with a sly smirk as he shoots Leon a curious look.

Leon simply gives him a death glare, squinting his eyes before turning his attention back to somewhere that isn’t irritating or getting on his last nerve.

“That’s not what it was.” It was what it was.

“Mhm, Sancho.”

“You be thankful she hasn’t ratted your ass out to the president yet,” he hisses.

“Good point there,” Luis sneers. “No… no anything then?”, to which Leon responds with silence.

“Then… perhaps she’d like to go out for a jive, a little dance of bachata with me,” the Spaniard presses with a shit-eating grin. “Since you two don’t seem to be anything.”

“Back off from my girlfriend,” Leon blurted as he froze the man in front of him with his steel blue gaze.

Luis puts out his cigarette, chucking it somewhere and gets up as he walks back to where he ‘slept’ moments ago.

“Okay, sancho. I can clearly see that you’re hers,” he comments. “I guess only you have the pass to call her ‘the absolute love of your life’. Buenas noches, amigo.”

With a wink, he lays back down on the floor and turns to his side to fall asleep.

NOTES - It feels great to finally get back to posting again!!! It's been quite some time and since I'm finally finished with the third quarter and my tests, I'll be more active with posting fics :)) Requests have been marinating in my inbox and I know ppl have been waiting for quite some time so here's the request, more otw!!!! I'm also eepy rn so I'm going to go to bed after I post this <3 Neways, thanks for reading my works and I <3333 UUUU!!!!!! HAVE A GREAT DAY WHEREVER YOU ARE <3

#leon kennedy #resident evil #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy x y/n #leon kennedy fluff #leon s kennedy #fluff #leon scott kennedy #leon s kennedy fluff #biohazard #resident evil 4 #re4 remake #re4 #resident evil x reader #resident evil 4 remake #re4r

[salsasvault]

I don't write often but this au has just been sitting in my brain ever since i watched an ep about border security and i need to get it out.

nsfw below, mdni

airportsecurity!ghost + airportsecurity!price x reader

tw: abuse of power, non-con elements, /f!reader/ 18+

It was standard procedure, any sort of suspicious activity needed to be investigated, and it just so happens that was the very flight you were on. Boarding was easy, and the flight was surprisingly pleasant too, a contrast to the intense anxiety you’d felt before the trip, so really everything after that should be a breeze.

Walking into Heathrow Airport gave you a sense of excitement, the trip to London that you had been thinking about finally coming to a reality. 

With your carry-on behind you, you made the walk toward the exit, thinking about the trip to the hotel and where you’d eat lunch. As you made your way toward the walkway however multiple TSA agents were blocking the way, the passengers ahead of you already being questioned with their passports in hand. 

You let out a quick breath, steading your nerves, this is unusual but then again what do you know about London and their security measures? Trying to suppress the number of anxiety-inducing thoughts, you make your way to one of the available officers. Dressed in a black outfit, name tag reading Riley, in all caps, you look up to meet his eyes. He speaks first.

“Just need to see your passport, and ask a couple of questions.” 

“Yeah, no problem! Just give me a second.” You quickly reply, hoping to not raise any suspicion, you really had no reason for him to be suspicious at all but a situation like this left you even more anxious than normal. 

Fishing through the handbag, you were thankful for keeping your passport handy, hastily pulling it out, to not waste any more of his time, you hand it over to him. 

“Thank you.” He flips it open, glancing at your picture, date of birth, and other information

You silently cringe at the almost 3-year photo old, you haven’t quite mastered the art of government pictures yet. 

“And where’ya headed love” 

“Just out to London.” You keep your voice steady, trying to keep a sense of calm. 

“Alright, you here on business? What’s the reason for your visit?” He glances up at you this time, handing your passport back to you. 

You slide it back in your bag while giving him your answer. 

“Just here to visit, always wanted to see London.” You say, letting out a nervous laugh at the end of that. 

He nods his head. “Are you meeting anyone?” He asks tilting his head. 

“Uh yeah, my dad, he flew in earlier, a couple of days ago.” 

You respond hoping that this little interaction would be over soon, you weren’t sure how much longer you could chat with a man that looked like him while maintaining composure. Sure he was an officer, but by god was he a good-looking one, you internally scolded yourself for that remark, he’s just doing his job, and thinking about him like that is very wrong. Besides these are highly trained men, so the chances of him knowing you're attracted to him are higher than normal. Of course, normal people probably can't tell.

“A couple of days ago, separate flights?” He questioned. 

“Oh yeah. he got a really good deal for the 7th and I was supposed to be on that flight with him but I couldn’t get my time off for that date, hence why, the later meeting.” You gave him a timid smile, gesturing slightly with your hands, hoping that answers any of his questions. You were truthful and didn’t say anything to raise suspicion, so really you should be able to go so you could then blush profusely at the close contact and his accent. 

He glanced back at what seemed to be his superior officer, receiving a nod from him you assume you’re in the clear. That was until he opened his mouth.

“Okay, I’m just gonna ‘ave you come back with me, for a couple more questions.” 

Your heart dropped, swallowing you gave him a an awkward smile. 

“Yeah, yeah no problem.”

“Follow me this way.”

You followed him as he led the way, the nervous thoughts that had so far remained in check started to spring loose. What if they falsely accuse you of something and you can’t prove you didn't do it? God, you had just watched a documentary of a man who spent 30 years in prison for something he didn’t do, what if the next movie’s about you? Cringing internally, you shove everything away, focusing on remaining as calm and composed as possible. 

//

Simon knew they had already apprehended the suspect, they received a tip from the JFK airport that there may have been someone smuggling some form of narcotics, and it was their job to search for them. Stopping passengers was not a common practice but Simon’s done his fair share. Ask the usual questions, confirm their passport, and look for any details that may give anything away. 

When you approached him, the only free officer, he felt something stir in his stomach. A young thing, innocent looking, fresh off the plane. He knew you were most definitely not the suspect they were looking for, nonetheless, he proceeded with the standard procedure. 

After hearing the first words come out of your mouth, he immediately turned to glance at Price. Both sharing the same look he went back to the task at hand. Pre Deciding they couldn’t just let a pretty thing like you escape from their grasp. He listened to every word you said, a small smirk playing at his lips from the nervousness that lightly dripped from your voice. Poor girl, all alone, being stopped in an unknown country, he could feel the anxiety rolling off of you no matter how much you tried to hide it. 

So when he knew he was just about done and ready to take you back, he gave Price one last look, a sly smile tugging on his face, and a nod following. Nothing felt as good as watching you slowly pale after he told you he’d need to bring you back for questioning.

//

Sitting in the chair opposite to, what looked to be one of the two officers' desks, you bounced your leg up and down. Your luggage tucked in the corner, your phone in hand as you waited for either of them to arrive. You unlock your phone sending a quick text to your Dad, telling him you were caught up with security and they just had some questions to ask you. In return you receive the classic Dad response, a single thumbs up followed by a: “Don’t worry, you’ll be out soon.” Your Dad, ever so helpful. 

When the door opened you stilled glancing back to see both men enter, the previous officer, Riley, and a man who looked just slightly older than him, name tag reading Price.

You mentally sighed and cursed at your luck, not only were you stopped for extra questioning but of course as fate would have it both officers had to be stupidly good-looking.

If your underwear started to gain a slight wetness to it, it definitely has nothing to do with them.

Officer Riley locked the door behind him, going to stand in the corner as his superior moved to sit behind the desk. 

“I’m Officer Price, we just ‘ave a couple o’ questions to ask ya.” He clears his throat, his demeanor straight to the point.

You glance at his hands, folded on the table, we you wait to answer anything he throws at you. 

"You said you were meeting your Dad?" He waits for confirmation looking back down at the paper.

“Yes, He flew a couple days ago.” He shifts.

“Alright, now ma’am, I’m going to be honest here, we were alerted by JFK that there was someone who was potentially smuggling drugs.” He glances up at you before returning his gaze to whatever was on his paper. All the while Officer Riley’s eyes burn holes through you. Your eyes momentarily flicker to his before you return your gaze to the man sitting in front of you. 

A small “Oh” was all you could manage, if your heart could drop any further, it did. Your heart rate slowly rises, you know you didn’t smuggle anything, but the thought of being put away for something you didn’t do sat heavy on your mind. 

A cute little thing you were, sat fidgeting in front of Price, each word coming out of his mouth made you shrink. He could practically feel the anxiousness oozing off of you. No fret, you’ll feel better soon. He knew that none of this was necessary, all for show so he and Simon could have their way with you. If they were on their own personal lunch break you wouldn't know, he continued, explaining what would happen next. 

“I’m just going to have Officer Riley here search your bag if that’s alright.” He voices, he looks down at the same sheet of paper, and then raises it back up to look at you.

“Yeah! That-That’s no problem.” You sit in your seat as you watch Officer Riley move to grab your luggage, mentally going through anything in there that could raise concerns. 

He lifts the suitcase, setting it down on the metal table tucked in the corner. Unzipping it, he opens it, revealing your clothes and the various little bags you made to separate your toiletries. He goes through the clothes, sifting through each, one by one, unfolding and rearranging. He lifts a pair of your black lace underwear, holding it up and inspecting it. 

Your cheeks burn, your face hot in embarrassment.

Once he’s satisfied with the extent he’s searched, he closes the bag, zipping it back and placing it on the floor. 

“No issues detected Sir.” 

“Good, alright following protocol were gonna ‘ave to search ya.” His scouse accent trickling through. 

You felt another wave of heat and embarrassment and hint of wetness flooding you. Rendered a little you speechless, you nod. Answering finally,

“I-okay, you-okay.”

Officer Riley from his position in the corner.  

“ Need ya t’a spread your arms for me, move those legs apart too-yeah just like tha'.” 

He really had no reason to sound so sexual for something as tame as a search. You did as told though, following his orders. His hands roaming across your body patting down any areas “necessary”, you chalked off the extra time he spent on your breasts and crotch to another ‘simply doing his job’. Once the search was over he straightened up, telling his superior that it was all clear. You finally let out a breath, hoping to be let free.

“Last step and we’ll send you out, I’ll be conducting a strip search.”

At this point whatever forces that were out there were torturing you, you could no longer hide the wetness pooling inside your underwear. And the shock running through your body made sure you were unable to form words. You gave a nod in replacement to the stuttering alternative.

He walked you over to the table where your luggage had just been, bending you at the waist. As your heart rate picked up, you then open your mouth. 

“I’m sorry-but is this really necessary, I mean I’ve never committed any crime, like ever, and my suitcase is clear I-”

“Just do as you're told, if you have nothing to hide you should have no issues.” 

You quickly close your mouth as his hands pull your pants down roughly, pooling at your feet. Your underwear clinging to you, the wetness apparent. He continues his “search”, pulling at your underwear, letting it fall alongside your pants. 

You squeak out a sound of embarrassment, eyes filling with humiliation. He presses up against you, fingers moving up and down your slit. The faintest groan could be heard, from who, you weren’t sure. 

“Fucking dripping.” He lets out a chuckle, as you go to protest. Before you can get anything out however he shoves a finger inside. 

Your eyes screw shut, as he thrusts his finger into you, adding a second to join in. 

“Part of the procedure, sweetheart.” 

You let out small breaths, the faintest whines following after, as you tried to conceal your noises. He hits a spot inside you causing you to choke out a gasp. Price lets out a noise of approval, choosing to then continuously hit that spot. 

“You-” you let out a small moan, as he rubs around your g-spot, your brain short-circuiting. 

“What’s that? You gonna ‘ave to speak up love.” He taunts, relishing in your embarrassment. 

He continues his ministrations, his other hand coming to roughly rub at your clit. You can’t help the small moans that leave your mouth, as you try to hold them back.

“Oh fuck-”

You hear Officer Riley move toward you, manhandling your body so your splayed at the corner, backside facing Price while, face level with his crotch. He crouches down slowly to meet your eyes. 

“Be as loud as you want lovie, no one can hear ya.” He probe his finger in your mouth, as you keep it clasped shut.

“Have t’a search it, part of the procedure.” 

Price hits that spot inside you harder, causing you to let out another moan, mouth opening for him. 

“Perfect.” He groans out, fingers pushing your tongue down. 

“Where ‘ave they been hiding ya?” He smirks, standing to unbutton his pants, a noise of surprise is let out by you, muffled by his fingers. 

Left hand singularly undoing his belt. Shoving his pants down, stopping at his knees.

His cock springs out, thick and large, your eyes widening at the sight.

Price behind you pulls his fingers out abruptly, helping you regain some consciousness you open your mouth to protest at the man infront of you.

Your actions however, are interrupted by the thick length being shoved inside you from the man at your backside.

“Have to be thorough.” He lets out a laugh, dark eyes feeding off the sight of you. 

You choke a sound of surprise, as he almost immediately starts a brutal pace. The man in front of you speaks.

“You're gonna be a good girl for me, open up nice and wide.” He clicks his tongue.

You shake your head until Price drives into you especially hard. Mouth opening in surprise.

“That’s it, good girl.” You gasp around his length, being fucked into by the pair of them. 

Price chimes in from behind.

“Look at you, such a good girl letting two officers fuck you, making sure she’s not causing any trouble.” He reaches over to rub at your clit, fingers moving in quick circular motions. Both of them rocking into you at a brutal pace. 

You feel yourself approaching your climax, with muffled moans and cries. 

“Can you feel clenching around me sweetheart, be a good girl, come on my cock, that's it.” He groans, his pace speeding up as the other approaches his climax as well. 

After a harsh rub to your clit you come, body shaking as tears leak from your eyes. Price continues his thrusts, as you inadvertently suck him in, the little whines vibrating around Simons's cock. They both finally come with a low groan, thick salty liquid coating your tongue and insides as you struggle to swallow. 

“Fuckin’ hell.” The man in front of you moans out. 

They both slowly slide out, leaving you boneless on the table, as you whine out at the movement.

“Quite the mess.” Price comments, a dark laugh following from the man in front of you. 

You make an exhausted noise in response. Quite the mess indeed. 

#simon ghost riley x reader #john price x reader #salsawritesforonce #simon ghost riley x you #simon riley smut #john price smut #captain john price x reader #cod mw2 #cod smut #john price x reader smut

[rinneroraito]

it could be the alcohoL

Maybe I deserve a break. Maybe, just maybe, I need to loosen up, because things had gone painfully awry when we started putting up cameras and wiretaps in Light Yagami’s room only for them to be removed shortly.

I was so sure we’d at least get something out of it, just something to move the investigation along. First it was the FBI agents, and now this. We were at a dead end again and it just stressed me out. Every waking moment that Kira was out there sowed fear deeper into the hearts of concerned citizens, and also a cult following of people who thought he was a god.

Staring up at the off-white ceiling, mulling over the events that transpired throughout the whole investigation, I sighed. It was all that consumed me for a while, every bit of energy I had had been directed towards this case. The mattress felt comforting, but I needed something else to take the edge off just a little bit, so I got up and grabbed the telephone by the bedside table, dialing Room Service.

“Hi, do you happen to have alcohol?”

—-

L was typing away at his computer when I shuffled into his room with a can of beer. The reason why I came here is lost to me now, only remembering that I wanted to see him. I’ve already finished 3 cans and was obviously inebriated at this moment and I figured if I had a drink then I might as well just enjoy myself. An aspirin, loads of cold water, a carbonated drink and some hot broth in the morning would fix me up.

The screens glowed in his dark office, and I could see his back as he crouched on his seat, the keyboard clicking as he continued to type. His head slightly bobs up and down, left and right as he looked at his screens. I drag my feet to him.

I stood there right behind L, looking at the screens first, then down at him, or at least down at the back of his head and the nape of his neck covered sparsely by his dark hair.

“Miss Uehara, I can smell the alcohol from here,” L says, not looking up at me.

“I’m off duty at the moment, aren’t I? Don’t worry, I’ll be alright in the morning, I have a regimen for this.” I replied, putting an arm on the back of the chair he was sitting on and leaning towards the back of his head. Reaching the other hand holding the beer out to him, I asked. 

“You want some?”

“No thank you, I’d like to keep a clear head while working.”

“I figured. You’re such a workaholic, Detective. Such a workaholic.”

“Your speech isn’t slurring yet so I assume you’re just buzzed. Were you pressured by the events as of late? I didn’t expect you to be the type to drink alcohol, actually.”

“Oh, you didn’t, did you? Well, it has been stressful, but I can manage. This helps.” I brought the can to my mouth and took a long swig from it, exhaling after. “And I guess, in some way, you’re helping me, too.”

L was very much aware of the effects of alcohol and how it lowers down a person’s inhibitions significantly. The way I was approaching him right now was more daring than usual and he knew it. I drank down what was left of the drink in the can. “Would you please elaborate on that, Miss Uehara? Besides helping out with the Kira case and that small encouragement I gave you some time ago, I don’t suppose I’ve done anything of significant help towards you.”

A small chuckle escaped me as I leaned closer towards him, resting my forehead on the back of his head. I felt him shift slightly as I made contact with him, but I could still hear the keyboard clicking so he didn’t seem too distracted at all by what I did.

“Because you’re an inspiration to me and well, I like that you’re here, World’s Greatest Detective. It’s like, a biiiig deal to me that I get to work with you, you know?” I ramble.

“You speak rather highly of me, Miss Uehara, I’m touched, thank you.” He speaks in his usual monotone voice and in my inebriation and the fact that I couldn't see his face, it was hard for me to  tell if he was actually flattered or was just responding out of courtesy.

“Also, I think I actually like you, L...”

The keyboard’s clacking stopped as the words escaped my mouth. I dropped the usual honorific I called him by, likely influenced by the alcohol. He was still, and I continued to ramble on in my intoxication.

“I like the way you stare at things like you’re trying to dissect them before you, your piercing glare so intense that I feel like if you had lasers in your eyes I’d be bisected right in front of you. I like the way you daintily hold things with your thumb and forefinger, and it makes me wonder just how strong your digits are.”

He shifted slightly forwards, and I brought the arm that I had resting on the back of his chair around to rest on his shoulder.

“I like the way you eat your sweets, it’s nice to see you enjoy them. I like how I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or you’re just being blunt at times, and it sends the rest of the Task Force in a state of confusion whenever you say something.” I chuckled, pressing my cheek on the top of his head.

“I like your face, the seemingly permanent shadows under your eyes, your sharp jawlines and how long your neck is, your lanky frame… I like how you’re so smart and you know that you’re the smartest guy in the room but you give everyone the benefit of the doubt because of the way you look.”

“Miss Uehara…”

“I don’t know, Detective, maybe I do like you or maybe it’s the alcohol.” Hair strands fell off my shoulders, caressing the nape of his neck as I lowered my face on the back of his head, his hair  brushing against my cheeks. “Your hair smells nice.” I say, feeling my breath bounce off of the nape of his neck and I felt him bend forward away from me just a little.

“While I am flattered by your words, Miss Uehara, I have my reservations over accepting them due to your current state. Were the things you just said truthful and you’ve been harboring a fondness for me for a while or were they just a product of the mock confidence induced by alcohol?”

My eyelids fluttered as I listened to him and I tilted my head so my cheek was pressed into the back of his head again.

“If I remember all of this in the morning and start acting awkward around you, then you’ll know..”

“Would you kindly stand up so I can move away, please? I’ll have Watari assist you back to your room.” Exhaling slowly I did as he requested and leaned away from him. “Can I sleep on the couch over there? I don’t..” I swayed slightly on my feet.

He turns around and looks up at me, his wide eyes illuminated by the electric lighting of the monitors before us. I could swear there was a gentleness in it, but it could be the alcohol. “I don’t want to be alone tonight. I just want to know that there’s someone else within the 4 walls of the room I’m in.”

“Very well. I’ll have a blanket brought up here for you.” He gets out of his seat and walks around his chair to my side.

“Thanks, Detective.” I stepped back so I could walk to where the couch was when the rest of the alcohol I just drank suddenly hit me and I stumbled backwards. L, who had been perceptive of the entire situation, was able to grab me by my shoulders before I could lose my balance even more.

“Easy. It seems like the rest of the alcohol you drank is starting to run its course, please hold on to me and I’ll walk you to the couch.”

His grip on my shoulders was firm and secure. I leaned into him and he brought one of his arms around my back as he walked me to the couch by the other end of the room where I promptly dropped myself onto. The couch felt more comfortable than my hotel room’s bed for some reason.

My voice comes out a little ragged as I pull my feet up onto the couch.

“Hey, Detective..?” 

“Yes, Miss Uehara?”

“I still have the lollipop stick from that day we met.”

If he ever replied, I couldn’t hear it anymore as my eyes swam and sleep took over me.

#l lawliet #death note #death note l #l death note #l lawliet x reader #l lawliet x y/n #l lawliet x you #oc x canon

[agent-calivide]

IEYTD 3 Theory

I fully plan on making a full blown theory video compiling all of my evidence, HOWEVER, I am also an impatient bitch who wants to be able to say "I called it" in case this ends up taking a month to make or something like that- so enjoy a new textwall :)

MAJOR IEYTD 3 SPOILERS

In the latest game, you can find seven coins known as phantom coins that are left by a mysterious person known only as the Phantom. Six of them are hidden in each level and then one additional one you find in your main hub that you unlock after beating the game. Getting all the coins reveals a note left by the phantom that reads: “It seems you’re as good as they say, Phoenix. They used to say I was good, too. But I made a choice. And before they get you killed, I hope you realize you have the same choice: to die or to live.”

At the bottom there's a code that reads “I Expect You To Live” when deciphered. There's also notably a line from the Handler where he comments on how the person who gets those coins where they need to be has to be even stealthier than Phoenix, which is impressive since Phoenix is the top agent currently.

But it wasn’t always that way. Phoenix has only recently risen to Agency Fame, there was an agent that was number one before them, and we know who it is. At the end of every level in IEYTD 3, we open in a board room of sorts, looking down at our office in the Babadag EOD base, and to the side of us there’s a wall of portraits, all of various important figureheads of the EOD. The director, the our handler, doctor Prism, etcetera, but one of them is missing. Snoop around, and you find a portrait of a young, brunette woman, V. Vitti, reveled to be Valeri Vitti if you play with subtitles on, and she is labeled as the lead field agent. The previous number one.

Between the fact that she was taken off the wall and hidden, it didn’t take long to conclude that VV was the Phantom, supported by the fact that the star icon that’s associated with the phantom looks like two interlocking V’s. Valeri Vitti.

Now we know who the phantom is, but that doesn’t really do much for us story wise other than maybe the promise of facing our predecessor in a future game, how does a character that’s never been mentioned even in passing until now really pack a narrative punch? Except, the phantom has been there, even if she was never mentioned.

In the first game, in operation Winter Break, we see a portrait of a young brunette woman in Zor’s office. The very same woman who’s in a group photo with all of the other figureheads, V. Vitti. I’ve seen a lot of people conclude that this means that either Vitti is Zor, or she’s working with Zor, but I don’t personally buy it.

When it comes to her being Zor, it doesn’t really make sense. Zor is shown to be very protective of their identity, not only using voice modulators any time they talk to Phoenix, but also using the neutral terms “they/them” according to the devs in the official discord. As far as I know, this has not changed, even if Schell uses “he” on occasion while talking about the game in interviews. Functionally, when talking about the context of the games and what we’ve been presented, we aren’t supposed to know anything about Zor. Race, gender, age, it’s all up in the air, a nebulous void of information. And we’re supposed to think this person? Who has hidden their identity to the point of having a completely blank file with nothing but “confidential” slapped all over it also has a massive portrait of themselves in their office? Not only that, but in their office that’s primed to go off with traps in case an agent gets in? It seems reckless at best, and honestly really out of character to me.

Zor having an egotistical display of themselves in their office is more like something Juniper would do. Zor isn’t one to lavish themselves in attention and make themselves the focus of anything. They only come out of the shadows when things get serious. Phoenix interrupting the peacekeeper, finding their hidden lab where they ran the kinesium experiments that could foil their entire plot, getting to Operation K-Boom and working with Prism to thwart their other major scheme. They wouldn’t just have their whole identity on display and risk losing their anonymity. But you know what it does look like? A photo of a loved one on your desk. It’s quite common in offices, be it corporate or cubical, to have photos of your loved ones to get you through the day, to remember what you’re doing it for while you’re making a thousand spreadsheets and wanting to bash your head into your desk. It’s a way to have a piece of yourself and what you care about at work.

So Zor knows the Phantom but isn’t her, why would they not be working together in that case? After all, the Phantom seems just on keen on getting Phoenix off the field as Zor, isn’t that a good sign that they have the same goals?

Not exactly.

Zor shows such contempt for Phoenix, they want that agent dead, and they want it to be as soon as possible. They don’t want Phoenix off the field by any means necessary, even if that’s a comfy retirement, they want them gone. Out of the picture, they celebrate when Phoenix dies. If you look at the coroner report, there’s a note in the corner from Zor that says they understand if people want to take time to celebrate. Zor, the person who has crummy escape pods for their workers that frequently lead to their Operatives getting killed, has little qualms about dropping their scientists into fiery infernos over who knows how minor of an infraction, has their workers in the mines do inhumanly long shifts and simply won’t let them leave, and in some cases outright lies to their workers and leaves them abandoned at work sites like Ollie in the underwater lab, gives permission for their workers to party, if for a short while, in the event of the death of the Phoenix.

That goes beyond some minor or even major inconvenience, Zor puts their basic fundamentals aside to allow everyone a window of celebration in the even of Phoenix’s death. There is no way they’d leave a note saying they expect Phoenix to put themselves first and take care of themselves, to put themselves before the EOD. Nor would any of their top operatives or moles, everyone at Zoraxis despises Phoenix, and it’s Phoenix in specific. None of these people want Phoenix to go have a peaceful life in the country side, they want to mount the agents head on a wall like a trophy.

But someone who would?

A former agent who was in Phoenix’s exact shoes.

Throughout IEYTD 3, you can flip between Public Radio and Agency Radio. The public radio is mostly just the game soundtrack with a few little advertisements that tell you more about the world, but the Agency radio is much more interesting. Through it, we get updates on the EOD’s world, we hear a handler give run-downs to all of the agents about what’s going on with the Kinesium experiments, what’s going on with Prism, rules about staying a football field away from other agents, things like that. But one of the first things we hear from this agency broadcast is that Agent Phoenix is not just a secret agent. They’re a famous secret agent. One so big that the amount of agents joining the EOD is staggering, and they’ll run out of kinesium for their TK chips at this rate.

A funny little side tangent for sure, but consider: What’s keeping former agents off of those radio waves? Nothing, in fact, we see that the station is compromised in a note left BY the Phantom, and the last phantom coin you get is by entering a code left on your desk by them with said note. So who’s to say Vitti didn’t have access to an agency radio, heard everything that was going on with the Phoenix, and chose to step in. To let them know that there is another option. That Phoenix doesn’t have to keep risking their life for an agency that treats them like a number and a trophy rather than a person. But she didn't want her identity potentially outed, so she quickly took her photo off the wall and tucked it into a hiding space in hopes of Phoenix not finding it.

But Zor does know Vitti. After all, her portrait is in their office. Which leads to my next point, we hear in Operation: Squeaky Clean from the first game that Zor’s not doing these things because they’re just a bad person who wants to watch the world burn. They specifically want vengeance on the agency, but vengeance for what? Sure, it could just be the agency constantly getting in the way of their plans, but what made them start in the first place? What drove them to decide that they wanted to go down this route of villainy? Surely there’s gotta be something other than just “they want to rule the world”, Zor basically already ruled it at the beginning of the series. They’re a corporate billionaire that was able to get away with filling popsicles with enough lead to kill a person instantly, and they didn’t get anything more than a slap on the wrist? They could have done anything they wanted at that point, why make a giant death laser in outer space, they coulda spent that money doing literally anything else?

But who do they aim it at? Not the heads of state. Not a symbol of peace. Not even a test run in the ocean. Their first ever laser strike is aimed at an EOD base. An EOD base with the man that at some point was the lead support agent, someone who knew Vitti personally, Reginald Crane. Our Handler. That wasn’t a random shot, nor was it a scheme to take over the world. It was a personal attack on the Enhanced Operatives Division.

So, jump a few pet sharks with me as I spin a story for you. The EOD is established and has dozens, hundreds of competent agents even, and they’re able to stop international global crisis and villainous organizations by working underground. As time goes on, one agent stands out from the rest, Valari Vitti, an agent so good at sneaking in without a trace, she quickly climbs the ranks and becomes the lead field agent at the EOD.

But people are more than just their work, as is Vitti. She could be a friend, a sister, or, and this is my personal theory, someone’s lover. Their wife. Sure, working at the EOD is dangerous, but that’s just part of it, and if her partner knew, say they too worked at the EOD or Vitti was simply able to open up about her work, then there’d be no secrets. A needed relief from the stress of agency things. No need for a double life, she’d be able to be herself around them.

But as she keeps progressing up the ranks, she realizes things can’t go on like this forever. She can’t keep going to this dangerous job, there are risks! How long until she was hurt? Maimed? Killed!? She can’t keep doing this. It’s not viable, she likely will die if she doesn’t make this decision for herself and leave.

So. She does. She doesn’t resign, doesn’t go through the process of making an official exit, she just disappears. If she simply resigned, her photo wouldn’t still be up, and it sure as heck wouldn’t be tucked away in the pot of a random snake plant. The EOD could have found her a replacement, some sort of backup, anyone who’s worked in business has watched a coworker die and get replaced in chillingly short time, something the EOD doesn’t seem to be above. They can’t afford to be above it, agents die every day.

So there’s no reason for Vitti’s portrait to still be in that frame if she died. But if she simply vanished, then that could explain why she’s still up there on that wall. The EOD didn’t replace her, because they may have still been looking for her. We know that when an agent vanishes, the EOD sends people to try and recover them. The site of the PeaceKeeper is checked for Phoenix’s body, we know it is thanks to Reginald’s recording at the end of IEYTD 2. The EOD always will try to find an agent or what remains of them.

Over time, perhaps they gave up. Went to close the case but never got around to it because the EOD is always busy.

But Vitti’s spouse never forgot. They sure as hell never forgave either. Their wife was gone without a trace, and they had nothing left of her but her photos and an EOD lighter that they keep in a safe in their office. They knew they had to get revenge, they had to make the people that took their loved one suffer. So, they went to work. They established a business and gave themselves the fake name Zor and called the business Zoraxis.

They hunker down, and simply plot and scheme for a while. They claw their way up the social and economic ladder. They cut every corner, take every shortcut, and they hoard as much money as they possibly can and establish themselves as a cruel, immoral person that doesn’t care about the health or safety of their workers on the way up. As time goes on, they start their second half of their plan: Creating an entire establishment with the main goal of taking down the EOD.

They take in anyone who will help with their goals, the more deranged the better. A scientist who loves to burn things and wants to create a super laser? Give her the money and tell her to fire her first shot at the building their late wife used to work at. An unhinged fashion designer obsessed with maiming and death? Wonderful, you can deal with all the pains in my side that get in the way. Anything to finally bring down the people who cost them everything.

But the Death Engine didn’t work. Not only did some random pest destroy it, it didn’t even take down one of the people they wanted dead the most, the lead Support Agent. Maybe Zor particularly hates the man who was supposed to be watching Vitti, keeping her safe. And now?

Not only is he alive, but he’s taken on a new agent who’s taking Vitti’s place? Some random nobody who’s been a pest, who should have died ages ago, not only was getting in their way, but was also apparently good enough to replace their lost loved one without so much as a passing glance? No. They were going to take down the EOD one way or another. The EOD’s a secret organization from even the government, maybe if they take hostile control then they’ll be able to take them down. Sure, the EOD survived a laser, but there’s no way they’ll survive nukes, right? Surely, surely that will get them their revenge-

But no. That agent comes back. They come back and ruin everything. By the time Operation K-Boom happens, not only has the Phoenix ruined several of their most complicated plans that were years in the making, but they had solidly taken the position of their late wife. They took the only thing she had left. A legacy. How dare that pesky Phoenix think they can just step in and replace the one they hold dearly so carelessly? So thoughtlessly? They. Had. To. Die.

Of course, it doesn’t work. Phoenix wins, and Zor is back to the drawing board. The only major thing that gets in the way of this is why wouldn’t Vitti tell her partner that she was leaving the EOD? Going into hiding? Well, the IEYTD franchise isn’t a stranger to having agents split off. In Operation Fifth Class, we see Phoenix try to rescue a woman known as Anna Ulanova. Anna says a few things to the agent, but the last thing we hear is her saying she’d try to come find them, but she had a suspicion that they wouldn’t leave their life. They wouldn’t quit fieldwork.

So we’ve seen cases where there’s an agent and someone who’s not quite in the circle but is aware of what’s going on splitting off because the agent can’t stop putting work first. In the same vein, we’ve seen other relationships fall apart due to someone being unable to stop putting work first.

Leading up to the third game, Schell games released a bunch of ciphers and puzzles that lead to minor lore drops. One of them was shawnsdesk, a collection of files made by Shawn in HR about various characters from the franchise. Most of them were important characters. Solaris, Fabricator, Juniper, Zor, but there were two that were notable.

Shawn in HR, and Sam in accounting. Shawn’s is, of course, mostly just him inflating his own ego and talking about how good he is at making files on all of the people at the EOD, but Sam is where it gets interesting.

We have heard nothing about Sam at this point, and looking over the file, it’s messy. Full of snide insults, catty remarks, Shawn filling this report with resentment, but over what? A bad breakup. Sam telling Shawn that he can’t be with him because Shawn won’t stop putting work first. Why would Schell show us this now, during this window of time where everyone's clawing for more lore and content of the third game? Why show a random lover's quarrel in the middle of all of this story relevant content? I suspect that it's because Shawn and Sam's story is lore relevant, it's just not their lore we're meant to be focused on.

This series has a running theme of two people getting along, maybe even being in love or romantically inclined, and then it falling apart because someone can’t stop putting work first. Phoenix and Anna, Sam and Shawn, and now, or rather long in the past, Vitti and Zor. Maybe, the two were in a rough patch, or had gotten into arguments about Vitti's dangerous work. Maybe she was sick of feeling this upset resentment for her partner and decided she didn’t just want to quit the EOD and try to fix things with Zor. She wanted out. She wanted to start over. Completely over. She wanted to live.

#i expect you to die #ieytd2 #ieytd #ieytd fandom #i expect you to die 2 #agent phoenix #i expect you to die 3 #ieytd 3 #ieytd spoilers #ieytd 3 spoilers #ieytd theory

[thomotomo]

Callum turner x reader, something about going to a festival (like glastonbury) WOULD BE SO NICE IVE LOOKED FOREVER TO find SOMETHING ABOUT HIM

maybe a late night drive ANYTHING U WANT REALLY

Hello mate! I hope you enjoy this, I was inspired then halfway it stopped but I still hope you find this enjoyable <3 And thank you for requesting it! ^-^ Don't hesitate to reblog, leave a comment and/or a Kofi if you did and take care!

Callum had really looked forward to this. After spending months abroad, filming new projects, unable to spend some quality time with you. He had told his agents he was taking some time off and not to contact him. It had been a few years since he also had been able to attend the Glastonbury festival and he was ecstatic to attend it once again.

He had reserved the tickets with the knowledge that nothing would stop him to have a wonderful time with you at his sides. The excitement stopped him from sleeping more than he usually would when he had some free time, so he laid there, looking at your muscled back that was facing him, counting the moles and watching it rise and fall. As you were still deeply asleep, he wrapped an arm around your waist and nuzzled your neck, breathing in your natural scent.

After laying here for who knows how long, he felt you stirring up and he chuckled, tickling you and making you chuckle too.

“Good morning love…”

“Mmh…How long have you been up Cal…?”, your morning voice was rough and it stirred up something in his belly.

“Don’t bother yourself with such trivial matters. It’s time for us to have fun~”

“Mmh… Bring me hot-choc and we’ll discuss about it.”

He chuckled as you buried your head in the pillows, hiding yourself from the outside world. Callum decided to leave the bed so he could bring you your hot chocolate and correctly wake up. He walked, chuckling as he heard you groan, surely you were gathering the duvet and burrowing yourself inside of it, trying to keep yourself warm and probably wishing to be able to hibernate.

Callum heated the milk, preparing his coffee at the same time. Once each mug was filled with each of your morning drinks he walked back up to the bedroom, chuckling softly as he saw that on the bed there was only a duvet mass. He put the mugs on the night table and gently put a hand on where he supposed your body was and gently shook.

“Hey… I brought you your hot chocolate. Come on Y/N, get out of here.”

You groaned and popped your head out of the covers and your eyes shined as they zeroed on your favourite mug. Callum chuckled and you pretty quickly left the comfort of your warm blanket to seat next to him and started drinking your hot chocolate. The morning was spent very slowly, despite Callum being definitely more energized that you were he took things to your pace.

Once you were properly woken up you put on your clothes and finished packaging your bag for the whole duration of the festival. As soon as you finished preparing Callum excitedly dragged you to the car, you didn’t really trust him to drive in his overexcited state so you went behind the wheel and started to drive as he immediately started the radio.

After a three hour drive you finally reached the place of the festival and immediately Callum jumped out, took the backpack and looked back at you, looking ecstatic and you couldn’t help but look at him fondly as you put on your glasses,  the sun being uncharacteristically present in this part of England. Your boyfriend laced your hands together, looking for the VIP line, checking in and going to your tent to put your stuff down. The two of you laid down on the bed and Callum went over the program of the week-end, noting down every single thing he wanted to do. And well, you, you were just happy to be able spend some time together so you laid there as he rambled, counting the freckles on his face. Your boyfriend looked back at you with a grin, he proudly showed you the list he had narrowed down.

The next day, early and bright in the morning, Callum woke you up, seemingly already ready to spend the whole day dancing. You couldn’t help but chuckle at his excitement, for the past year he had been waiting for this festival and you were glad you could enjoy this with him. You put on your clothes and followed him to go out and eat breakfast. Callum rambled about tonight’s stages and you were excited to dance the night away with him.

The two of you spend majority of the day walking around, taking notes of how far each stage were from each other and just enjoying the English sun hitting your skin and warming yourself in a nice way. Before the first concert you were going to attend, Adam Shelton’s, the two of you ate a copious meal and drank some cocktails before completely letting go and going forward to enjoy your night.

Sadly for the both of you, the weekend went by at super-speed and before you knew it, it was Monday and you had to go back home, but luckily you still had plenty of time to enjoy together. When putting your bag in the car Callum sighed, he had thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and he had spent it dancing so he was rather sore after all this exercise.

As you were driving back, he quickly fell asleep and you couldn’t help but stop at a station to take a picture or two of him sleeping, mouth hanging wide open. You bought some snacks for the rest of the road and once you arrived in front of the house you gently shook him awake. You watched him groaning and trying to fold on himself to go back to sleep, not unlike you a few days ago.

“C’mon sleepyhead, let’s take a bath and you can nap once again. You’ll be more at ease in bed.”

He begrudgingly followed you and you immediately started a bath, going in first, so he could seat between you legs to chill during the cleaning. You smiled gently kissing his slightly tanned back, trying to count the freckles that weren’t previously here. Slowly you helped him cleaning out his bad and after half an hour of chilling the bathtub with his head laid back on your shoulder.

You helped him get into bed and laid down with him, legs tangling together as you wrapped an arm around his waist. He sleepily gave you a quick peck and whispered to you in his scratchy half-asleep voice.

“Thank you for coming with me. It was really fun…”

“Don’t worry Cal I also enjoyed it.”

The two of you laid here, looking at each other, being disgustingly in love and quickly fell asleep, wrapped in each other’s warmth.

#callum turner x male reader #callum turner #x male y/n #x male reader #male reader insert #male reader #callum turner x reader

[froggibus]

I've had this idea and I just want to give it to you as a request, I hope you're not too overworked with all the work you've been putting out for all of us! Maybe a one-shot with Hanzo or Genji (whichever you prefer to write the most!) where after a one night stand, you get pregnant and don't tell him in order not to burden them, etc and they find out via someone else or by picking up on small changes on your body, personality? Angst with a fluffy ending, but completely up to you if you want to make it all angst, etc!

Happy Little Accident - Genji Shimada

Pairing: Genji Shimada x reader

Genre: angst -> fluff

Word Count: 1.4K

Summary: you get pregnant with your mission partner’s child after a one night stand, and now you’re not sure what to do

CW: pregnancy, reader is AFAB!, morning sickness, nausea, vomiting, angst, mentions of abortion (??), lots of crying, genji is relentless, ghosting

Happy Halloween!! I love this idea so much! thank you anon! also took a bit of a break cause I was SUPER tired after my first day of work, plus just wanted to play obey me in bed <3 enjoy lol

————

“Shit!” You scream, banging your head on the tile wall of your bathroom. 

The little stick you’re holding in your hand stares at you, two little pink lines on display. In your anger, you snap the stick in half and toss it across the room. It clatters, sound echoing through the room. 

Hot tears clouded your vision. How could you let this happen? With him of all people? It was one night. Just one. And now you were dealing with the consequences of your actions. 

Genji and you had just come back from a rough, three day mission, and you had one night to spend in London before the extraction team came. The two of you had never been close outside of work—only seeing each other when you had to. 

Yet you had always harboured a bit of a crush on him. The quiet man was good at what he does, and he was hot too. Spending a night in a cramped hotel room together didn’t help, either. 

One thing led to another and suddenly he was on top of you, muttering your name like a prayer and giving you the best night of your life. 

He hadn’t tried to reach out to you since, and to avoid an uncomfortable interaction, you decided to use up your vacation days. For the first week or so, you had a good time. You spent time at the beach and sipped mimosas. 

The second week is when it started to go to shit. You woke up every day feeling devastatingly nauseous. You thought you might have gotten food poisoning or something, but when it lasted longer than a few days, you knew what it was. 

Which brought you to this devastating moment where you’re staring at the shattered pieces of a pregnancy test, realizing you’re carrying Genji Shimada’s child. 

You place your head in your hands and tug on your hair in sheer frustration. 

—

You can’t help but lift up your shirt and look at yourself in the mirror. There’s no visible bulge, no significant change in your appearance. The only evidence of your situation is the pile of positive pregnancy tests in your trash can. 

There’s a ding from your phone, forcing you to drop your shirt and leave the bathroom to check it. 

Shimada: heard you’re not on assignment this week

You don’t answer, slamming your phone face down on the counter. God, how were you supposed to tell Genji? Not only could this end your career as an agent of Overwatch—it could end his, too. 

Another ding, another message. 

Shimada: sucks :( they’re putting me on assignment with Cass instead 

You take a deep breath before typing back. 

You: that sucks :(

You see the three dots show up, indicating that he’s typing and turn your phone off. You don’t want to deal with this right now, and instead settle on grabbing a pint of ice cream from the freezer and flopping into your bed. 

The world (and Genji) can wait a while longer. 

When you check your phone again, there are three messages. 

Shimada: is everything ok with you? 

Shimada: feels like youre avoiding me after the mission 

Shimada: i promise it won’t be awkward 

You check the messages but you have no desire to answer them. What do you even say? You can’t tell him the truth, it’ll just be a burden on him. 

You end up leaving him on read, turning your phone off again and going to bed. 

—

You go back to work after another week. Countless mission assignments wait for you, not to mention the incredibly annoyed cyborg ninja. 

“Y/n!” Genji practically ambushes when you make it to the hangar. 

“What’s up, Shimada?” 

You try not to look in his eyes but the man makes it impossible, purposely walking directly in front of you. 

“Are you avoiding me? You haven’t answered my texts.”

“I—“ you sigh, “listen, I was just out of work for a week. I’m supposed to be going on a mission with Lena, we’ll talk when I’m back, okay?”

It was the truth, mostly. Although you didn’t plan to tell him what was really bothering you, knowing it would only burden him. 

“Yeah, I know. I swapped with Lena,” your face went white at his words, “you’re going on the mission with me.”

“You swapped? Why?”

It was impossible to hide the panic in your voice. The two of you were going to be stuck, together, in a hotel for at least a night. There’s no way you’ll be able to avoid this conversation with him. 

“Because something is obviously going on and you’re going to tell me.”

“Just leave it alone, Genji.” You groan, “can’t I have any damn privacy?”

“Not when you’re hiding something from me!”

Morrison enters the room just in time to see the two of you mid argument. “Jesus!” He shouts, “the two of you are behaving like fucking children! Just get on the damn plane.”

You and Genji mumble out variations of ‘yes sir’ and slowly climb aboard the plane. You sit in the back row, as far away from him as possible. 

He gives you a sad look and sighs, taking his seat at the front near the pilot. The events of the morning, you could feel exhaustion overtaking you and before you know it, you’re drifting off into sleep. 

—

When you wake up, you’re laying down across the back row. The air in the jet is cold, but you’re surprisingly warm. When you sit up, a grey sweatshirt slips off your shoulders. 

You squint suspiciously at the fabric before realizing it’s Genji’s. The owner of the sweater is sitting in the row in front of you now, clearly asleep. 

You sigh and cuddle it closer. It smells like him. You miss being close to him, but you know it’ll only be a matter of time before he finds out and leaves for good. You settle in and try to swallow down the nausea, waiting for the jet ride to be over. 

By the time the two of you are at the hotel you’re meant to be staying in, you’re almost overwhelmed by the nausea. You barely manage to swipe the keycard and make it through the door before you’re skidding to your knees in the bathroom. 

Your stomach heaves with every wave of nausea, your arm propping your forehead up on the toilet seat. You don’t even hear Genji come in until he’s sitting next to you, rubbing your back. 

“Y-you don’t have to be here,” you mumble, tears rolling down your cheeks. 

“You’re sick, y/n. What else am I supposed to do?”

You bang your head on your arm, “not sick.” You moan miserably, “not sick…”

You raise your head from the toilet and suddenly Genji is wiping your face with a cold cloth, looking at you seriously. 

“But if you’re not sick—“ his eyebrows knit together in confusion. 

You sob, more tears coming. He’s going to figure it out. You let your head drop down and cover your face with your hands. 

“Y/n,” his voice is shaky. “Are you…are you pregnant?”

You cry harder at the word, nodding your head pathetically. Genji is taken aback, he has no clue what to do here. You’re pregnant, and you’ve been avoiding him—which can only mean:

“It’s mine, isn’t it?”

You nod again. “I-I’m so sorry G-Genji!”

You expect him to be angry or annoyed—to be mad at you for ruining his career. Instead, strong arms wrap around you and press you closer to his chest. 

One hand rubs your back while the other rubs your hair. You’re limp in his arms at first, but eventually you give in to the hug and let him hold you. 

“Shhh, no more tears,” he says. “It’s okay, y/n. I-I’m not mad, it’s okay. Everything is gonna be okay.”

“B-but—“

“But what?”

You cry, “I’m ruining your career! I had to-to go and get pregnant and now—now I’m just a burden!”

You can’t make it through your sentence without crying even harder, Genji desperately trying to keep you from spiraling into a panic attack. 

“How could I be mad about that? Y/n, you’re carrying my baby…I-I’m gonna be a dad,” he sniffles until your hair. “Unless you’re not planning on—“

“I’m gonna be a mom,” you realize, cutting him off. 

He pulls back so he can look you in the eyes and presses a messy, desperate kiss to your lips. “I didn’t even know I could have kids,” he cups your cheek, “I’m so happy right now.”

He pulls you back in for a kiss, and for a minute, everything feels alright. 

masterlist

#genji shimada #genji x you #genji smut #genji angst #overwatch 2 #overwatch #ow2 #overwatch x reader #overwatch x you #overwatch fic #ow #xreader

[deepperplexity]

Prompt: 8. Rosemary For Holly [B4]

Pairing: Snape x Fem!OC

POV: First, OC

Setting: Hideout Cabin somewhere in Scottland

Continuation of: Prompt 2. Restless Waiting, Prompt 3. Snowballing, Prompt 7. Stormy Reunion

A/N: Let's get right back to Snape & Belinna today again! 😍 Honestly, this prompt has so far been the hardest to work with - but I do love a challenge and I hope you'll like my choices for this specific one 🥰 I also wanted to take a moment to say that it's more than alright to choose. Making choices for yourself is what you're supposed to do. If that choice is what family you spend Christmas with, what person you devote emotions to, what tradition you hold close or what standard you hold yourself and others to - it's your choice! Especially during times (like holidays) when pressure from others are at an all-time-high you still have a right to make choices for yourself darling ❤

Tags/TW’s: Longing, Hugging/Embracing, Confessions, Hope vs Hopelessness, Wishing For More, Telling Of Secrets, Loving Ones Chosen Family, Keeping Traditions, Emotional Turmoil, Caring For Each Other, Hand Kiss

Word Count: 1.4k+

LINKTREE // AO3 // MASTERLIST

The tea in my cup had since long gone cold. My hands were still wrapped around the cup though. I couldn’t make myself move. The things he was telling me — the meetings with Death Eaters, the espionage, the double agent thing as a whole really — were too much to take in in just one sitting. Yet, he’d told me, in no uncertain terms, that he was in fact part of it all. I had known, I really had, yet I hadn’t known anything at all. It was a difficult thing to make sense of, knowing without knowing and not knowing at the same time.

My head spun with questions, fears, wishes, dreadful images, and hurt. By Merlin, there was so much hurt flooding my heart I could barely take it. All I could do was remain still and quiet while he sat opposite me in the cold cottage with not so much as a flicker of emotion visible. He was as stoic as ever, even when speaking of death and torture, of the horrors he had witnessed and to some extent been a part of by pure necessity to keep his access to the Dark Lord.

“Belinna,” he said and I jolted, not ready for him to speak again so soon. “Do you understand the danger you are in?” I shook my head, for I still didn’t understand — how could I possibly grasp years upon years of it all in just one evening? “You… You…” But no other words came out. “Yes, I am and I will always be part of this. I cannot leave this behind, or extract myself from it. The moment I try, I am dead and we are without insight.”

I took a deep breath, feeling oddly numb as my emotions clashed within me. Why had my heart decided that this man was it for me? Why do I wish to give him all I have? Offer him all I am? Why, by all things magical, do I want to just hold him and-, and-, and… And just love him? I looked around the little cottage, seeing all the ragged decorations, the bleached old plastic garlands, the lack of sparkle and warmth despite my best efforts. It reminded me too much of Severus, the man I loved who had done all he could without the future turning any brighter with the Dark Lord on the rise and darkness creeping in from all corners.

“You must stay away—” “I couldn’t find any holly,” I whispered while my eyes lingered on those dreary garlands. Where there were supposed to be twigs of holly tied to the ends and middle there was nothing. “Holly?” he asked, his voice darker but nearly surprised. “There was no holly,” I whispered while my eyes watered and the world seemed to darken further while I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the infernal garlands. “I always have holly, every year there’s holly. People think the tree is the most important decoration… I-, there’s-, holly is my… and there’s no holly. I have no holly,” I whispered while my cheeks turned wet with tears.

I wasn’t crying about the holly, wasn’t sad about the holly, wasn’t hurt about there not being any holly, I wasn’t broken over the lack of the greenery — I knew that, but my mind got stuck on it, projecting my feelings onto the traditional piece of decoration I truly loved and which held deep traditions of Christmas wishes for me and my family by choice. My pureblood family had since long cast me out, my family by blood not truly the family I loved. The muggles who took me in were the people whose traditions mattered to me. My friendship with their witch of a daughter, the summers I’d spent under their roof, the Christmas gifts they had sent me, and all the birthday cards I’d received with my name exchanged for “our daughter” and theirs with “mom and dad” — that was the family who’s traditions mattered to me and, for them, holly was the most important decoration.

“Tell me,” he said as I squeezed the cup in my hands and bit my lip to keep it from trembling. “It’s for wishes,” I whispered. “You fill them with wishes all through December, and burn them at New Year’s Eve.” “I have never heard of such a tradition.” “It’s not common,” I said with a deep exhale as I tried to calm myself and rein in the tears. “But, it was ours, theirs…”

Severus rose from his chair the next moment, walking around to kneel on one knee next to me. He reached out his hand for me and I took it gingerly, the slight chill of his skin a strange comfort. “I am sorry, love,” he said and my heart seemed to do a somersault at that last word. “Severus, don’t,” I whispered while I squeezed his hand. “I’d give up any and all traditions if-, if it would help you.” “I tried, I truly endeavoured to keep you away.” “But I’m tenacious,” I chuckled on a snivel. “Indeed, you are.” “You’re worth it, Sev.” “I— To hear you say such a thing is infuriating.” “Why?” “You are worth far more than anything I could ever offer, and I have nothing but death and uncertainty to offer in this life. The choices I have made…” “Have turned out to be for the greater good, what better quality in a man could I ever ask for?” “One that would upend the world for you.” “Is that not what you’re trying to do? Aren’t you putting your life on the line each and every day to upend the darkness? To keep us safe? To help end— End him ?” “You have a way of seeing things so differently…” “I think that’s you, Sev. If… When people find out what you have done, I’m sure they will all hail you a hero at the end of this.”

Severus lowered his gaze, squeezing my hand before placing the most gentle of kisses atop my knuckles. It felt dreadfully wonderful, a kiss of want and sorrow. “There will not be a time after for me. I'm not delusional enough to think so, or hope for it. You, however, are making it an entirely new degree of difficult not to want it.” “Severus! Don’t say such a thing!” “It's merely the truth, love. You should have stayed away, allowed me to push you away.” “Never.” I reached for his chin, tilting his head back to regain eye contact. “I will never allow that.” “The matter is already over, he saw you in my mind, he knows there’s something about you that holds significance to me. Now, you need to hide, stay away, remain unseen or I—” His voice broke off as his jaw clenched. “If I am your undoing, I will never forgive myself.” “It was my choice. Mine, not yours.” “You were unaware of the danger.” “That’s hogwash and you know it. I’ve seen the Dark Mark while we brewed potions, I’ve noticed you slipping away from Hogwarts, and having meetings with Dumbledore, making strange potions that have nothing to do with school… The way you’ve changed… I knew you were… Knew you were part of something bigger, darker, but I… I can’t tell my heart not to love you and try.”

There were no more words after that. Not one word spoken between us for the rest of the evening. We sat on the rickety sofa, watched the fire dance in the hearth, and held each other. There were so many words we both needed to speak, but neither of us seemed to want to. For the time being, I merely wished to hide in his arms and soak up his warmth, engrave his scent on my skin, burn the feel of his arms around me into my memory forever.

When I woke up, laying on the couch with two blankets covering me and no Severus in sight, my eyes snagged on the dreary garland above the fireplace. Greenery was tied to the middle of it with a black string, it hadn’t been there before. I flicked my wand and the fire roared to life anew, the hearth already stocked with wood, and slipped out from the blankets.

I walked closer, my eyes never leaving the greenery while warmth began to spread from the fire and my heart. My fingers reached out and graced the thin little needles of the greenery only for the scent to fill my nose. Rosemary… A staple in potions… Rosemary for holly… I gripped at the clothes over my chest and smiled at the sweet gesture, my heart warmed while my cheeks turned wet with tears over the small kindness and his care.

…To Be Continued…

LINKTREE // AO3 // MASTERLIST

A/N: I'm not quietly sobbing, nu-uh, absolutely not feeling all the bittersweet feels right now... Nope... No... But I am so in love with how this turned out and I am a full-on advocate for choices so I'm glad I could fit so much of it in a fic during Rickmas 🥰👏 Also, as you've probably noticed we're sort of following canon events but I will say again - all Rickmas2023 fics will have a HEA (in case you're fretting a bit) ❤

Q: Do you get snow during wintertime where you live? ⛄ A: We do! It's been a bit off the past couple of years - less snow than usual - but this year we already got lots of snow! 😍👏

TAGLIST: @lizlil @snapefiction @darkthought15 @monstreviolet @flowerdementia @marvelschriss @once-upon-an-imagine @ravennight41 @caseydoodles98 @slytherinprincess03 @theconsultingdetectiveswife @grimmyhild @monster-energies @myobscureimaginarium @snowblossomreads @eternal-silvertongued-prince @cherryglossie @setsuna-meiou31 @helena211 @a-queen-and-her-throne @justsaturn0 @turvi @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky @sunnylikesfrogs @mamawolfsmith16 @dianilaws @sassanoe @snapesrn @bernadette-peters12 @sammy-13 @smartowl999 @castleofthorns @serenanight87 @leah1243

@morphineisouthoney @meteoritewolf69 @bionic-otp @elizabeth-baelish @romanceandsarcasm @severuslovebot @glowstar826 @rickmandowneyjr @yellowbadgermole @snapesangel @a-queen-and-her-throne @impulse-anchor @commodoreseverus @writewithmarites @alisongurl13 @yan-senna @writewithmarites @reinekefoxart @nixislight @lokisbjchnl @ladykardasi @lyrixsnape @sunset90 @mamawolfsmith87 @snowblossomreads @ladykardasi @a-queen-and-her-throne @eternal-silvertongued-prince @lyrixsnape @daddythanatos

Want to be tagged? 💚 You can tag yourself HERE! Or tell me and I’ll gladly tag you! 😍

[Dec:2023]

#rickmas2023 #rickmas #snape x oc #snape christmas fic #snape fic #pro snape #severus snape #professor snape #alan rickman #rickmaniac

[tokkias]

i beg on hands and knees. i need to see jealous natsu and/or lucy 🥺🙏 (most preferably humor but im down for any :D)

this ask awoke a sleeper agent in my brain and i blacked out for 5 days and woke up with a 7000 word fic that was definitely not supposed to be longer than 2000 words, because we need more jealous lucy fics that aren't misogynistic lisanna bashing.

it's mostly angsty lucy introspection & fluffy lucy + everyone friendship, with some cute fluffy nalu bants at the end <3 i hope you enjoy!

as always thanks to @nalunalu for being my beta, keeping me sane, and at this point practically being my co-author on this fic.

When Lucy’s turn to choose their next job rolled around, she found herself picking out an easy escort mission. It was low risk, high reward, and not even her reckless teammates could screw this one up. After a handful of missions gone awry and the due date for her rent swiftly approaching, she was more than keen to take on something that wouldn’t involve potential threats of severe injury and mass destruction.

The instructions were simple: escort a wagon of goods from point a to point b through a route that had been the scene of minor bandit attacks in the past. It would be a three-day trek on foot, but for the reward, it would be well worth it. What the instructions didn’t specify, however, was that alongside the goods, they would also be escorting their employers’ daughter. It was a minor detail; she would sit in the wagon while the wizards escorted it on foot, leaving them to their own devices while she remained nice and safe inside the vehicle. That plan had been thrown to the wayside however, when the young girl had found herself rather taken with Lucy’s pink-haired partner. She had instead insisted that she join them on foot so she could spend time with him instead of rotting away on that boring old carriage for the next three days.

It should have been no real issue; she was sweet, if not a little more talkative than they might have been used to, but overall she seemed to be a nice, kind, and polite girl. There was just something about the way she clung to Natsu’s side, her arms wrapped around his as she tried to hold herself closer to him, that made Lucy’s stomach lurch. Almost immediately, she began to swoon about how big, and strong, and handsome he was. With her free hand, she began to run her fingers up and down the exposed muscles of his arm, in what Lucy found to be an egregious invasion of personal space. But the worst part was, she couldn’t even find it in herself to blame her. Natsu was strong, and kind, and handsome, and funny, and yeah, he was a bit of an idiot sometimes, but Lucy always thought that was part of his charm. She adored all those things about him, finding them so incredibly endearing, and that was why she had chosen to stick by his side through everything as his best friend. Watching this stranger so blatantly flirt with her partner made her wonder: if she hadn’t found herself so deeply ingrained in the friend zone, then maybe she would be throwing herself at him like that too.

A part of her ached for the confidence to do that—to push their relationship into something more than friendship. There was always something bubbling just beneath the surface with them, stuck between the space of more than friends but not quite lovers, and while Lucy had been content to let things stay the way they were, lately she had been longing for a little more than that. What had started as a teeny tiny little crush on her partner had grown into a full-fledged yearning for him. She was all consumed by her desire for him as more than just his best friend. Many times she had found herself wondering what it would be like to hold his hand in hers, to feel his arms wrap tightly around her body as his lips grazed her cheek. The reasonable part of her brain had been the one to hold her back; there was no way she was going to face the possibility of rejection from Natsu of all people. It would be embarrassing, but more importantly, it could prove to ruin the friendship that they had spent years building together, and that would always be worth more to her than some silly crush.

She was beginning to regret offering to trail behind alongside Gray, because at least if she were in front, she wouldn’t have to bear witness to some of the most obvious flirting she had ever seen, directed right towards the man who had long since been the object of her attraction.

"You okay there, Lucy?" Gray asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine,"

He shot her a sceptical look before his gaze flicked over to Natsu and then back to her, but didn’t say anything. Lucy didn’t want to talk about it, and neither did he, especially not when the daughter of their generous employer was within earshot. Instead, the pair, alongside the rest of their team, continued in silence, only filled by the idle chatter of their esctortee.

Usually, low-effort jobs like this were filled with playful banter between the wizards, but instead, an awkward hush had fallen over the group. Even Happy had forgone multiple opportunities to poke fun at Lucy, seemingly also feeling a little neglected from having Natsu’s attention taken away by the new addition to their group. She seemed more than content to chat away with Natsu—well, more at him than with him. Her eyes were glued to Natsu rather than the path in front of them, relying entirely on him and the tight grasp she held on his arm to keep her from tripping. From her view from behind, Lucy couldn’t quite gauge his reaction to this whole situation.

Usually she could be confident in how her best friend would react in most scenarios, but this wasn’t like most scenarios. Looking back, she couldn’t say that she recalled Natsu ever finding himself on the receiving end of any flirting, much less flirting of this caliber. He was most certainly not the romantic type, finding more joy in poking fun at Lucy for being such a hopeless romantic than in thinking about romance himself.

Occasionally he would nod at what she was saying, but without seeing his expression, Lucy couldn’t tell if that was because of his disinterest or because he was focusing on not letting her fall on the rocky terrain that they were traversing.

The rest of the day passed by similarly uneventfully, and Lucy was almost hopeful that Happy would find some way to insult her as they walked. It would probably have brought out a cackle from Natsu, his attention turned back to her as she and that damn cat argued about whether or not she had put on weight recently. At the very least it would have been a distraction from the self-torture she had been putting herself through as she forced herself to watch the two their whole trek. The more she thought about it, the more having Happy call her fat seemed like the preferable option.

Once the sun began to set over the horizon, the group made the most of what little light they had left by setting up camp in a small clearing within the woods. Gray, Erza, and Lucy worked away at setting up their tents, while their guest sat in awe as she watched Natsu use his magic to light their campfire. He seemed more than happy to have a chance to show off, being met with her fascinated oohs and aahs as she watched the flames flicker to life with nothing more than the touch of his hand.

While Lucy had hoped that the weird tension that had followed them the whole day would dissipate as they gathered around the fire, any chance of that happening was drowned out by the incessant rambling of their guest. It was becoming increasingly clear that this girl could talk about anything and everything at length, regardless of whether anyone was actually listening.

Gray seemed wholly uninterested, not-so-subtly rolling his eyes at every compliment she threw Natsu’s way, while Erza did her best to pretend that she was interested in what she had to say out of politeness. Any attempt that was made to add to the conversation was futile in the face of her obvious infatuation with Natsu, and Lucy couldn’t find it in herself to stick around much longer to find out how the rest of the night would play out. Instead, she excused herself to her tent to distract herself within the pages of a book.

A good romance novel was what she needed to pass the time—just her and the characters inside her book, and none of the thoughts about how much she wanted to know what her partner's lips would feel like against her own. She bit down on her lip, her brows furrowed, as she tried to allow herself to get lost in the words. It wasn’t until the last embers of their fire were flickering out and her tent buddies came in to join her that she realised how much time had passed and how little progress she had made on her book.

It was a little cramped as she and Erza had to find space for their unexpected visitor within their two-person tent, but thankfully neither of them seemed to mind all that much. Usually on jobs like this, they’d split themselves up so Lucy and Natsu slept in one tent with Happy, while Erza and Gray took the other, but there was a silent agreement between them that maybe their normal would be a little awkward to explain to someone they had just met. Natsu, on the other hand, seemed none too happy with their new arrangement, pouting at the prospect of change, though whether that was because of having Lucy taken away from him or from being forced into close proximity with Gray, she couldn’t quite tell.

Though not as outwardly upset as he was, Lucy found herself a tad bummed by the change in routine. She always looked forward to when the three of them got to wind down for the night, chatting away about anything that caught their attention until they found themselves in a fit of giggles, like a couple of preteens at a sleepover. She appreciated Erza's company, but falling asleep without Natsu's comforting presence besides her wasn't the same.

Lucy was content for the three of them to sit together in silence as she made her way through the pages of her book, but it seemed as though their new companion had other ideas for how they were going to spend their downtime before bed.

"You guys are so lucky to be friends with Natsu~" she said with a dreamy sigh. "What’s he like? Like, really like? I want to know everything!"

Erza’s silence and awkward glances towards Lucy signalled that she was deferring the conversation to her, and with a quiet sigh, she decided that she could indulge the poor girl.

"He’s... nice," she said, not really knowing where to begin or even what this girl even wanted to hear from her, but her wide-eyed eager expression as she began spurred Lucy on. "He’s really kind, and he cares about his friends more than anyone I’ve ever met." She paused as she looked down at her hand, her finger trailing over her guild mark, as she reminisced about all the time she and Natsu had spent together. "He’s fiercely loyal and would do anything to protect the people he cares about." Thinking about him had her heart racing faster, and any embarrassment she might have felt about swooning over him like this fizzled away as she continued on. "He kind of doesn’t think before he acts, which gets us into trouble sometimes, but... I suppose all of his good qualities make up for that."

"Wow~" she swooned, "he sounds like real boyfriend material."

"Yeah, I guess so," Lucy murmured in reply.

Before the conversation could go much further, the familiar voice of a certain exceed interrupted them from the outside.

"I’m coming in!" Happy cried, not leaving the trio much warning before barging in on their already cramped space, flying straight into Lucy’s arms. "Luuuucccyyyyy, I don’t like it in the tent with Natsu and Gray; all they do is fight," he whined, "can’t you just come back and sleep with me and Natsu instead?"

Lucy sucked in a breath at the exceed’s absolute lack of tact, trying to figure out a way to explain exactly why she couldn’t do that, though a mischievous glint in his eyes told her that he already knew exactly why and that he just wasn’t having it.

"Well, Erza and I have already settled in for the night; I don’t want to have to upend everything just to swap tents now," she suggested, hinting that he should drop the subject.

As much as she wanted to go back to their usual sleeping arrangements, things were already weird with the way their client’s daughter was so eagerly throwing herself at Natsu and screwing with their group dynamic entirely. Lucy didn’t want to risk upsetting the girl and risking that sweet, sweet reward money just because she was desperate to snuggle with her best friend.

She didn’t really even know if she wanted to see Natsu right now. Having spent so much of the day thinking about her most-likely unrequited feelings towards him, all the while watching this stranger have the courage to do what she did not, had her heart feeling a little tender. If she forced herself to partake in their meaningless little affections, she was sure she would simply burst at the seams and begin to cry right in his presence.

"Pllleeaaaaassseee?" he begged, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes (or at least the best approximation a cat could make). "You, me, and Natsu can cuddle together just like we do every night!"

"H-Happy!" Lucy cried as a deep red blush spread across her face.

What he said wasn’t a lie per se, but he was certainly exaggerating the truth, either to ward off Natsu’s new admirer or simply to embarrass Lucy in front of her. Regardless of his intentions, she was now getting confused stares from both of her roommates.

"I-it’s not like that!" she clarified, her blush spreading to the very tips of her ears.

"My, I didn’t know you two were like that…" Erza pondered with an expression on her face that looked as though she had just uncovered a deep, dark secret.

"That’s because we’re not!" Lucy snapped, her obvious frustration and anger dripping from every word.

She had tried to keep her voice down so that Natsu wouldn’t hear from his tent, but judging by the way his and Gray’s squabbling had quieted down, there was no way the both of them hadn’t already heard her outburst. Today’s events already had her a tad pent up, and even though she knew Happy had her best intentions at heart, she really didn’t want to hear it. Her and Natsu were friends and nothing more than that, so there was no reason to try convince anyone else that they weren't.

"Look, just drop it, okay, Happy?" She sighed, "I’m going to sleep."

"Sorry Lucy…" he murmured as he watched her roll over in her sleeping bag, her back facing the rest of them. "Can I… stay here?"

Lucy didn’t say a word but opened her arm out for him, which had him diving into her grasp and snuggling up in her chest as the two of them dozed to sleep.

There was an air of awkwardness that followed them the next morning that made Lucy feel uneasy. She knew why that was, of course; her little outburst the night before was still lingering in the back of everyone’s minds, but there was no way any of them were going to address it with their new friend still with them.

Happy had opted to linger around Lucy as they made their trek, feeling bad for provoking her earlier but not knowing what to say to make it better. Really, just having him there made her feel even just a little bit more comfortable in their unconventional situation. Usually it was always her, Happy, and Natsu, walking side by side, chatting away about anything and everything, smiling and laughing together the whole way through. Losing out on that on their first day had made her feel rather lonely, but having Happy by her side made up for that, even just a little.

Natsu hadn't exactly looked pleased to have his little buddy leave his side, but he also hadn’t mentioned anything about it, perhaps because he simply didn’t have a chance with his new partner chatting his ear off. Lucy hadn’t even had a chance to speak to him since they’d set off, and she had a feeling she wouldn’t get one until after they had arrived at their destination. Fortunately for her, Happy didn’t seem too interested in letting any silence linger between them.

"I’m booreeed," he whined, "and- and- and my legs hurt."

"What do you mean your legs hurt? I’ve been carrying you for the past 20 minutes!" Lucy countered.

"Yeah, well, that’s cause you need to lose some weight," he said, looking up at her innocently.

Lucy huffed at his comment, but ultimately didn’t pay it much mind. She knew Happy meant well; his tasteless teasing was just his way of showing her affection and an attempt to keep her mind off of Natsu.

"How about we play some twenty questions?" he suggested.

She had spent the whole day prior wallowing in her own pity, and the lack of any sort of conversation between her and her teammates hadn’t exactly done her much good either. It seemed as though Happy was acutely aware of this and was now attempting to compensate by filling in the silence any way he could.

"Yeah, that could be fun," she smiled.

"Okay, I’m thinking of a food!" Happy chirped.

Lucy raised her eyebrows slightly at his very obvious choice in category before making her guess first try.

"Is it fish?"

"Wh- Hey! How did you get that so fast?"

She snorted at his genuine surprise, "Because it’s always fish."

"No fair! Let me go again!" He paused to think up a new answer before speaking up again, "I’m thinking of a person this time!"

"Alright, is this person famous?" she asked.

"You could say that," he replied, coyly.

She raised her brows a little at his unconventional answer but continued to push on.

"Is it someone we know?"

Happy nodded along as she asked questions, letting the pieces of the puzzle fall into place with each answer he gave.

"Is it…" her eyes scanned their teammates before landing on the obvious answer: "Erza?"

"Yeah!" Happy cried out in celebration

"Hm?" Erza looked over at the two, her attention having been caught by hearing her name.

"Lucy and I are playing twenty questions! Do you wanna join us?"

"Well, I suppose it could be fun," she mused, "so yes, I would like to join you."

"Okay! It’s Lucy’s turn now!" Happy cheered.

A short hum left her lips as she pondered her options before settling on one. "Alright, I’m thinking of a person as well."

"Do we know them?"

"Mhmm," she nodded.

With the start of the game, Erza was quick to pick up the rules, chiming in, "Has this person fought alongside us before?"

Her unique question had Happy’s face lighting up as he looked over to Lucy to see if it would get them any closer to the answer.

"Yes," Lucy confirmed, sending the pair into an excited frenzy of questions.

"Are they a member of the guild?" Happy asked.

She took a moment to consider it, not knowing how she would fit it into a simple yes-or-no answer.

"I suppose so," she shrugged, prompting the two players to share a mildly confused glance in response to her vague answer.

They weren’t given much time to mull over her answer before they were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"It’s Loke," Gray chimed in, subsequently catching the attention of the three players.

"Yep, I was thinking of Loke," Lucy confirmed.

"No fair! Gray wasn’t playing!"

Gray simply shrugged, unphased by Happy’s emotional response to him joining, "well, the answer was pretty obvious, and you guys weren’t getting it."

Lucy could have sworn she saw Natsu turn his head for a split second, with that eager look that sparkled in his eye whenever he was given the chance to compete, only for his attention to be pulled away with a tug on his sleeve. She frowned slightly, knowing that he probably wouldn’t be taking part in their games any time soon. She would have been happy for the both of them to join; the girl seemed nice enough, if not a tad clingy, but she just didn’t seem to pay the rest of them any mind when Natsu was around.

"It’s my turn next!" Erza cried out, perhaps a tad too eager for a game with stakes as low as this, but Lucy supposed there were no stakes too low for her teammates. "I’m thinking of an animal! Now guess!"

The group of them immediately began their interrogation, throwing out questions and guesses along with accusations that Erza had changed her answer to win (before Lucy was forced to clarify to the group that there really was no winning or losing in a game like twenty questions).

Their game was cut off by Natsu abruptly stopping in his path, holding his arm out in front of his teammates to shield them from any oncoming danger. His sudden change in behaviour had the group’s guard up, not knowing exactly why he had stopped but trusting in his instincts. Natsu’s senses had never let them down before, and they weren’t about to start now.

"I can hear you guys, so either come out and fight us or go scram," he called out into the nothingness of the forest.

His demand was met with silence, save for the quiet rustle of the leaves when the wind passed as Lucy tried to tune her ears into whatever it was that Natsu had heard but ultimately was not able to find it.

That was until a hand grabbed at her arm, and she found herself face-to-face with a bandit who had picked her out as the group's weakest link. He clearly found himself regretting that choice when a brilliant light surrounded her, his eyes agape as she transformed into her Taurus Star Dress before promptly using her newfound strength to send him flying into the dirt.

With a grin on his face, Natsu looked eager to join in on the action, cracking his knuckles as he scoped out their assailants. Lighting his fist on fire, he was about to send it flying in the face of whatever fool was stupid enough to come near him, until he was stopped by a dainty pair of arms wrapped around his torso, holding him back.

"I need you to get off of me," he hissed, trying to convince her to let go before he physically threw her off of him.

"I’m scared…" she whimpered, her nose buried in the back of his shirt as she trembled.

He ground his teeth together, conflicted between protecting their obviously frightened client and wanting to get in on the fight. The rest of his team, however, didn’t give him much time to make that decision himself, with the three of them taking care of the bandits with swift ease.

"Is everyone okay?" Erza asked, being met with a chorus of nods, and a disgruntled huff from Natsu. Choosing to ignore his grouchy mood, Erza turned her attention to the wagon driver and their escortee, "and are you two alright?"

The driver flashed her a thumbs up, but the girl still seemed rather shaken up from the incident, hiding herself behind Natsu’s larger frame. He had since detached her from himself now that they were safe, but she still clung to the fabric of his jacket, seeking comfort from him despite him clearly being unhappy with the arrangement.

A very obvious pout had made its way onto Natsu’s face; his arms were crossed and his shoulders slumped, obviously unhappy with the way that things had played out. Lucy shot him a sympathetic look that she knew he wouldn’t see; his attention much more focused on the rock he was rather aggressively kicking down the path ahead of him. Any other time, she would have jumped at the chance to cheer him up, to repay him for all the times he had been there for her when she was at her worst, but the girl had quickly rebounded and attached herself to his side, demanding his attention with her constant chatter. Instead, Lucy found herself walking by his side, matching his stride as she listened in on what she was talking to her partner about. She swooned about how heroic and brave he was (which Lucy found rather ironic, considering he hadn’t actually done anything once she had held him back), which was met with little acknowledgement from Natsu. His lack of reaction did little to deter her, though, and she continued to chatter on and on, leaving no space for anyone else to join in the "conversation".

Lucy knew it wasn't right for her to be resentful of her; she hadn't done anything wrong, after all, Natsu didn't belong to her; there was no agreement between them that they were anything more than friends, but seeing her openly swoon over and flirt with him made her sick.

She didn’t want to admit why it made her feel that way, but there was really no denying her feelings for much longer.

Lucy was well and truly jealous.

Natsu hadn’t said a word since the attack, but he had seemingly loosened up from his ill-temper, his hands now resting behind his head as they walked, and Lucy selfishly decided that maybe it was because she was there next to him.

She glanced over at him, and seemingly noticing her gaze, Natsu looked back at her and flashed her a grin before returning his gaze to the path in front of them. Seeing it for the first time in days made her heart ache in the best kind of way. She had to look away before that stupid smile of his made her want to do something stupid herself.

Suddenly she didn’t mind so much that the daughter of their client had her arms wrapped around his waist, because at the end of the day, she wasn’t the one eliciting smiles like that out of him. The air of awkwardness still lingered slightly as silence befell all but Natsu’s admirer, but Lucy had decided she wasn’t going to let that bother her anymore.

When nighttime had rolled around once more, Lucy found herself sitting out beside the flickering flames of their campfire, her legs held up to her chest and her chin resting on her knees as she looked up at the stars through the gaps between the leaves. While today had gone better than the one before it, she really couldn’t wait for all of this to be over and for everything to go back to normal. Or at least, that’s what she told herself.

Was she even satisfied with their "normal" anymore? She had let herself be content with the way her and Natsu’s relationship was, but seeing someone else in such intimate, close proximity with him was starting to make her realise that that was what she wanted. She wanted to be the one attached to his arm, their fingers intertwined as he swayed their arms together while they walked. She wanted to be with him through everything, both the good and the bad, and to feel his hand squeeze hers in a way that said, "It’s okay. I’m with you. I love you."

Wait…

Love?

Where had that come from?

Sure, she loved Natsu, but in the same way she loved all her friends. She loved Natsu just like she loved Happy, and Gray, and Erza, and Wendy, but she wasn’t in love with Natsu.

Was she?

Before she could let that thought consume her, she was distracted by the little pitter-patter of their exceed friend’s footsteps approaching her.

"Hm? Happy? Why are you still awake?" she inquired, her head cocked to the side.

"Natsu snores," he stated, matter-of-factly, and almost as if on cue, Natsu let out an all-too-familiar snore.

Lucy let out a short laugh at his answer: many times she had fallen victim to it on nights where she was unfortunate enough to fall asleep after him, so she sympathised with his grievances.

She unfurled herself from her coiled-up position, repositioning herself so her legs were stretched in front of her, inviting Happy to sit in her lap—a request he eagerly took advantage of, quickly joining her to curl up in her lap.

"I don’t like her," Happy said, his voice hushed so no one, aside from maybe their very much asleep teammate could hear.

Perhaps it made her selfish for Lucy to find reassurance in his statement; Natsu and Happy had always been attached at the hip, and they practically shared the same brain. They may not have shared the same opinions on everything, but it was generally safe to assume that if Happy wasn’t fond of someone, Natsu wouldn’t be either.

It’s not like she had expected Natsu to pursue a romance with this random girl they had met only days prior, or anyone else for that matter, but even the thought of it caused her to feel uneasy. She wasn’t his girlfriend, and he wasn’t her boyfriend; they just shared a deep emotional bond that others often perceived as romantic, but that’s all it was: a perception. There was no agreement, no dates, no vows, no "I-do's." There was nothing that tethered him to her beyond their friendship, so she had no say over his love life, but the thought of him spending his life with another woman felt wrong to her. The only woman she wanted to see him commit himself to until the end of his days was her.

"I think that Natsu deserves someone really special," Happy continued, "someone who can keep up with him, someone who’s going to take care of him."

There was something that remained unspoken in his words, but he didn’t need to say it for Lucy to understand.

Natsu deserves you.

"Thank you, Happy…"

The silence that had befallen them was broken when Happy let out a long yawn as he stretched himself out on her lap.

"Time for bed?" she suggested, giving him a gentle scratch behind the ear.

He nodded lazily in response, spurring Lucy to gather the snoozing cat up in her arms and carry him back to his tent.

When she poked her head into the boys’ tent, Natsu and Gray were both, unsurprisingly, sprawled out on the floor, limbs overlapping one another as though they had both been knocked out in a fight (and knowing them, she really couldn’t rule out the possibility). She set Happy down next to Natsu, who instinctively wrapped his arm around his buddy when he snuggled into his side, and Lucy couldn’t help the soft smile that overcame her at the scene. Upon her exit, she quietly zipped up the door so as not to disturb its sleeping occupants before she heard Happy call out to her.

"See you tomorrow, Lushheee…"

"Yeah," she breathed, "see you tomorrow."

Knowing today would be their last on the job had Lucy even more excited than the promise of payment at the end. Sure, she would have her money, but even better, she wouldn’t have to endure her new form of self-torture by questioning her relationship with her best friend. Once they had dropped off their client’s daughter, the group dynamic would go back to the way it always was, and she could stop overthinking about what it would be like to hold his hand, to rest her head on his shoulder, to feel his skin sear against her own.

She squeezed her eyes shut to rid her mind of that thought before planting her gaze squarely on her feet in front of her. She could hear their client’s daughter chatting away, just as she had been the past two days, but Lucy didn’t want to look at it; didn’t even want to think about it. Right now, it was just her against her brain, trying not to think about why exactly seeing it made her upset.

They had left early, and the last stretch would only take them half a day of walking, which Lucy was beginning to feel infinitely more thankful for.

As they passed over the hill, a large town slowly came into view, and she couldn’t help the sigh of absolute relief that escaped her upon seeing their destination. Lucy took in the sights of their destination as they escorted the carriage through the streets to their drop-off point at the port on the other side of the city. It was a sweet little town and a welcome change of scenery from the two and a half days of non-stop forestry she had endured. Despite that, all she really wanted right now was to be back home and recover from the emotional turmoil this job had put her through with a nice long bath.

Their approach had captured the attention of a middle-aged-looking man, whom she could only assume to be their client based on the way he was waving for their attention and the resemblance between him and the girl who was currently attached to Natsu’s arm.

Even through all the treacherous and life-threatening jobs she had endured over the years, Lucy had never felt more thankful for a job to be over.

She found herself hanging out of the way with Gray and Happy while Erza spoke to their client, Natsu begrudgingly at her side, having been dragged over by their clients’ daughter.

"You’ve been a great help," the man smiled as he handed over their allotted payment (thankfully in full), "and thank you for ensuring that my dear daughter made it back safely as well."

"It’s our pleasure," Erza nodded, "thank you for entrusting your goods to our care."

His daughter, on the other hand, seemed less excited upon her arrival, still attached to Natsu’s side, looking weary at the prospect of him leaving.

"Oh Natsu~" she began, her hands clutched to her chest and a dreamy look in her eyes, "why don’t you stay here with me? That way, we can always be together~"

Natsu remained unphased by her proposal, his hands held behind his head as he mindlessly kicked his leg back and forth.

"Nah, sorry, but I’ve already promised that to someone else," he replied casually, "plus, I gotta stick with Lucy, make sure she doesn’t get herself into trouble."

Her shoulders slumped over at his response, eyes now trained to her feet as she stood in silence for what seemed like the first time since they had embarked.

"Oh… well…" she mumbled, "thank you for escorting me home…"

He acknowledged her thanks with a curt nod before turning on his heel when Erza approached him so the two could join the rest of their team to begin the long journey home. Before they could get too far, the familiar voice called out to them from behind.

"Goodbye Natsu! And- and goodbye everyone else!"

As soon as Natsu and Erza joined them, Lucy felt an arm slung around her shoulder, pulling her closer to his warm body. When she looked over, she was met with Natsu beaming at her as though he hadn’t seen her in days, even though they had technically been together the entire time.

"Hi," she greeted softly.

"Hey!" he replied, none of his enthusiasm waning.

All of the anxieties and bad feelings that had built up in her mind over the past few days slowly began to melt away in his presence, and she felt her entire body relax into his hold. This is what she had been craving—to feel him, his presence, his touch—not even in a romantic way. Natsu was her best friend, the beginning and end of everything good in her life, and just being by his side was privilege enough.

Now that they were alone, she felt herself loosen up, feeling comfortable enough to gently tease him about the whole scenario.

"So, you're not going to run away with the love of your life today?" She asked in a teasing tone.

"Nah, not my type," he shrugged, his voice solemn in response.

"What? Since when did you have a type?" She gawked, looking into his eyes to try and find some shred of evidence that he was just joking around with her, but his gaze remained dead serious.

He looked at her as though she had grown a second head before saying, "You didn’t know?"

Having gained this new information, she could only sit there and stare at him, mouth agape. She didn’t even realise that he could even be physically attracted to someone, let alone have a "type", but here he was, acting like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Geez, you’re kinda dense," he mumbled, "weirdo."

Wh- Her? Dense?

If anything, he was the dense one! She had been crushing on him for months now, and it wasn’t like she had exactly been subtle about it, but he never seemed to acknowledge that anything in her behaviour had changed.

"I am not dense," she ardently defended.

"Sure, sure," he brushed off, ready to move on to the next topic. "You’re pretty crappy at pickin’ out jobs Lucy."

Her first instinct was to jump to her own defence once more, but if she was being honest with herself, she couldn’t exactly disagree with him on this one.

"Well, it wasn’t exactly my best choice…" she murmured.

"Which is why you’re not allowed to pick out a job for the next three months!" Natsu declared.

"Aye!" Happy agreed, a little too enthusiastically for Lucy’s taste.

"You’re not supposed to agree with him, you stupid cat!"

While she had grown to enjoy Happy’s friendly companionship over the past few days, she secretly welcomed the return of his snarky remarks because it meant that finally things were going back to the way things should be.

"You're usually quick to complain when you don't like a job," she pointed out, "so what was different this time?"

"Yeah well, I didn��t wanna piss her off or anything," he shrugged, "otherwise, I woulda had to put up with you complaining about losing out on some reward money the whole way home."

Even though he may have used it as an excuse to get a jab in on her, his words sent her heart racing just a little faster. And to think, this whole time she had been stressing out over seeing another girl practically hanging off his arm, when the only reason he tolerated it in the first place was to make her happy.

"You did that… for me?"

He tilted his head and gave her that look again, like she had just said something completely outrageous.

"Course I did," he said, "did you hit your head or somethin’? Is that why you’re being so weird today?"

Not bothering to acknowledge his thinly veiled insult, Lucy wrapped her arms around him, an action that was quickly returned by Natsu as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Thank you, Natsu," she murmured into his chest, "that really means a lot to me."

"Oh uh- yeah, no problem, Lucy," he mumbled, clearly taken off guard by her sudden sappiness.

When she finally pulled away, her gaze was once again met with that goofy smile of his that she was certain could cure her of any emotional ailment.

"Are you guys done having your moment?" Gray interrupted, "‘Cause if you are, we’ve got another three days of walking ahead of us, so let’s get a move on."

A deep flush crossed Lucy’s face when she realised that her little emotional moment had held up the rest of their team, and she mumbled a quick apology as she lightly jogged over to join the two. Natsu followed close behind, catching up to her so they could walk shoulder to shoulder, savouring the feeling of closeness to her after being deprived of it for much too long.

Lucy was content to walk in a comfortable silence with him, just enjoying having him there and knowing that they would have all the time in the world to talk. Natsu however, didn’t seem to share in her feelings, quickly finding himself filling the silence.

"You’re walking too slow, Lucy," he complained.

"I’m walking at the exact same speed you ar-ah!"

Natsu left her no time to rebut, throwing his heavy pack over her shoulders before lifting her up onto his back, eliciting a frightened squeal from Lucy as she suddenly found herself instinctively clinging to his neck as he hoisted her up to adjust his grip on her legs.

"Natsu!" she squealed, as he began to dash ahead of their teammates, earning them baffled stares from the townspeople as they passed them by.

Despite her half-hearted protests, he continued to run, with Happy chasing behind them as the trio broke into a fit of giggles. His speed had her slipping from his grasp slightly, leading her to grip onto him even tighter and bury her face in the back of his neck until he could pull her back up.

Being back by his side, holding onto him, feeling his entire body shake as he laughed with such infectious joy was all the reassurance she needed. Any doubts she might have had about her place in his life were washed away as he whooped and howled in delight through his antics.

It was always going to be them.

#nalu #fairy tail #fanfiction #mya writes things #the way this fic got so out of control so fast

[beefromanoff]

Project Mockingbird Ch. 3

summary: the first official encounter with James Buchanan Barnes is...not exactly love at first sight.

pairing: Bucky Barnes x OC

author's note: let me know what you think! thanks for reading, xox!

tag list: @bangtanxberm (let me know if you want to be added <3)

chapter list

_________________________________________________________

I was exhausted. 

For my first full day, we’d toured the entire facility, and I still felt like there was so much I hadn’t seen. There were rooms full of screens with dozens of agents talking on headsets, rooms with mechanical arms and welding sparks flying, rooms with so many weapons I felt like I was on a military base. It seemed to go on forever. Hangars, shooting ranges, labs, even an extensive medical wing for mission or training injuries. Natasha and Steve had been more than accommodating, staying with me through dinner. I’d met a few other Avengers, ones I recognized from either the news or online. It felt like a strange, high-tech college dorm, with ultra-powerful roommates. Not that I knew what that was like. 

I’d spent what should have been my college years in living hell. Not something I wanted to think about at that particular moment, though. I was just glad to be back in my room. Just glad to have a room to call my own, really. I twisted on the bed, my back sinking into the plush bedding. The feeling of a comfortable bed after a hot shower would never lose that euphoric feeling. Not when I’d gone so long without it before. 

This room was unfamiliar, yet strangely comforting. Soft light filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow on the walls. The bed felt good beneath me, oddly similar to those of the luxurious suites I’d grown so accustomed to in Vegas over the past few weeks. 

A shiver tore through my body as an unwelcome thought reminded me of the cold, rickety hospital bed I’d spent so many nights sleeping on before my escape. How long ago was that? Years? Decades? I shook my head, willing the thoughts to fall out of my ears and never return. There was so much I still didn’t remember. 

Taking a deep breath, I focused on something good. A friend. Natasha had assured me this was a safe place, but could I really trust it? Could I trust her?

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried again to silence the doubts swirling in my mind.

This room, it's like a cage that's too comfortable to be real. How did I end up here? How did Natasha convince me to trust her, to trust them? I’ve spent so long avoiding people, avoiding connections. And now, I’m here, surrounded by... superheroes? I’m supposed to believe they have no other motive? 

She said I don’t have to work with them, I don’t have to fight. Why would she say that if it isn’t true? To get me to come with her. God, I’m so dumb. Of course they’ll want me to fight. Why else would they want me here at all. The only thing I can do is fight. 

At least if I’m here, I’d be fighting for the good guys this time. At least, I hope so. 

Natasha, she’s different. Right? I saw it in her eyes. She understands what it means to fight against the darkness. She told me the Avengers are a family, a team. She had no one before them. I have no one now. Can I really have that too? Would they accept me if they knew…knew everything?

Closing my eyes tighter, I try to push away the memories of the experiments, the pain, the fear. Flashes of white, hot anger and blinding rage. 

Natasha said they'd protect me. She said I could start anew here. But how can I trust these people I barely know? What if this is just another trap, another illusion to get me to do someone’s bidding?

I feel a lump forming in my throat. 

I have to give it a chance, don't I? I have to believe in something. Believe in someone. Maybe this room, this bed, is more than just a comfortable cage. Maybe it’s a sanctuary, a haven where I can rebuild what HYDRA took away from me.

Maybe I can have a life here. 

Taking a deep breath, I remind myself that I'm not alone anymore. I'm not that scared, fragile girl they took to their labs so long ago. I’m not the angry, violent assassin who escaped them. 

I’m Charlotte Rossi, and I survived. I survived all of it. I survived for a reason.  

Maybe, just maybe, I can learn to trust these Avengers. Maybe I can find a new purpose here, a reason to fight back.

As sleep started to claim me, I took a shuddering breath, making a promise to myself:

I'll give them a chance. I’ll trust them. For Natasha. For me.

And with that, I let the darkness take me, hoping that when I woke, I'd find the strength to face this new chapter of my life, whatever it may bring.

The night had been turbulent, the remnants of my nightmares still lingering in the corners of my mind like cobwebs. I had always found solace in the quiet hours before dawn, where the world seemed to hold its breath, and the horrors of the past felt momentarily distant. 

Slipping out of bed, I padded through the dark common room to the balcony, my bare feet cold against the smooth tiles. Like everything here, the balcony was pristine and expanse. It stretched in a large semi-circle, boasting the best view of the entire compound. Except maybe the one you’d get from any of their impressive aircraft. 

The first hints of sunrise painted the sky in soft hues of pink and orange, casting a serene glow over the lake. As I settled into a chair, the tranquility of the morning wrapped around me like a comforting blanket. Nightmares weren’t new to me, but I never quite learned to quickly bounce back from them. There was still a cold sheen of sweat on my chest as I leaned back, taking in my surroundings. 

My attention was drawn to the trail surrounding the compound's lake, where a figure emerged from the early morning mist. I tensed out of instinct. He moved with a surprising amount of grace for someone of his size, every step purposeful and powerful. Even from a distance, I recognized him - James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. 

There was an undeniable magnetism about him, something in the way he carried himself, a nearly predatory confidence that was both captivating and intimidating. A shiver ran through me as I watched him turn a corner and disappear from sight. 

I knew I’d see him eventually, it was inevitable. Some part of me found peace in the kindness of the rest of the team. If there was going to be an issue with my being here, surely I’d have picked up on it by now. Why would they have even brought me here if anyone had a problem with it?

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t notice Steve approaching until his shadow fell over me. He held out a steaming mug of coffee, the aroma rich and inviting. "Couldn’t sleep either?" he asked, his blue eyes kind and understanding.

I accepted the coffee with a grateful nod, the warmth seeping into my hands as I wrapped them around the mug. "Thank you," I murmured, taking a tentative sip.

"Want something to do today?" Steve’s voice was casual, inviting. "I have a training session with some of the agents. You're welcome to watch. Might give you a sense of what we do here."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the prospect of witnessing their training firsthand, but cautious about any hidden motive. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not trying to rope you into participating.” Steve lowered his own mug. “I don’t like ulterior motives. If there’s ever something I think, you’ll know it. I’m just a guy who was new here at one point too, I know the first few weeks can be a little…aimless.” 

Chuckling, I nodded. “Yeah, you could say that. I was hoping for some kind of activities list, like at summer camp.”

“You went to summer camp?” He looked incredulous. 

“I’ve seen movies.” 

“Ah,” He sipped his coffee. “That’s where I learned about -” He gestured vaguely. “Everything, I suppose.”

There was a moment of silence as he decided if he was going to address the obvious. 

“I had a lot to catch up on, too.” He spoke softly. “For a while, I had to write down everything new about the world that I wanted to remember. I watched a lot of movies, probably not historically accurate, but I definitely enjoyed learning that way.” He smiled, looking back at me. “Not a lot of people can relate. Just know I’m here.” 

“Thanks, Steve.” I pressed my lips together in a small smile. 

“For what it’s worth, you’re much more well-adjusted than I ever was. You must catch on quick.”

“You have no idea.” 

We leisurely finished our coffee before going to our respective rooms to get dressed. I had returned to my room to find a small pile of folded black clothes on the bed beneath a handwritten note.

‘In case you don’t feel like wearing sequins all week - xo, Nat’

I grinned, pulling out a set of black workout tights and a matching long sleeved top. It was chilly out here, which I guess was to be expected from upstate New York in October. Not nearly the balmy temperatures of Nevada. I did a quick change, laced up my sneakers, and met Steve back in the common room so we could make our way to the training wing. 

The moment I stepped inside, I was awestruck by the high-tech setup. The room was a marvel of modern design, sleek and functional, with state-of-the-art exercise equipment lining the walls. Rows of punching bags hung from the ceiling, several sparring rings placed throughout the massive room. 

The sound of bodies moving and the echo of instructions filled the air. Agents in SHIELD uniforms were scattered across the training mats, engaged in various forms of combat. Steve led me to a vantage point where I could observe the proceedings without being in the way.

A small group of six agents stood around one of the mats, waiting for him. They paused their stretching to greet him as we walked up. 

“Team, this is Charlotte. She’s going to be around for a while, I trust you’ll all make her feel welcome.” Steve’s words were met with nods and various greetings towards me, to which I smiled and tried to look as non-threatening as possible. Maybe they’ll think I’m just someone’s long-lost cousin, here to visit for a few months. 

Steve’s movements were a symphony of precision and power as he demonstrated different combat techniques to the agents. His punches were lightning-fast, his blocks seamless. Each motion was deliberate, a testament to his expertise. The way he moved, the way he fought, it was both beautiful and awe-inspiring. I could tell he was pulling his punches, using as much effort to go easy on the agents as they were to try and land a single blow on him. Super soldier strength was no joke. 

I watched, captivated, as he guided the agents, offering corrections and encouragement in equal measure. There was a quiet intensity about him, a dedication to his craft that was impossible to miss. At that moment, I understood why he was the leader of the Avengers, why he was Captain America. He was confident, not arrogant. Kind, yet firm. He had their respect but he so clearly respected them as well. He was the kind of guy you’d want to follow into battle. 

As the training session continued, I found myself drawn into the rhythm of their movements, the energy in the room palpable. Despite myself, I felt familiar patterns happening within me. My eyes tracked their movements, clocking every position, every wince, every shift of weight from one foot to the other. With an almost computerized precision, my mind began to catalog the fighting style of all six agents and the super soldier right in front of me. 

Later that day, I retreated to the workout facility in the Avengers’ building. It was smaller, but equally as nice. There were small modifications, clearly for accommodating superhumans. For starters, the ceilings were much higher, likely to accommodate for those who could clear a 30 foot tree in a single jump. The weights ranged far beyond the standard 45 lb plates and 100 lb dumbbells, which was where the other facility capped out. 

I punched a few buttons on the treadmill and worked up to a moderate pace. The row of treadmills faced the lake, already one of my favorite things to look at. I focused on the trees, the wind rustling through them. I controlled my breathing, thankful for the peace and quiet. The solitude lasted a good half hour before I heard the door slide open. 

“Hey stranger,” Natasha’s familiar rasp announced her presence. 

“Long time no see,” I tugged the safety cord out of the treadmill and let myself slide off the back, landing on my feet. 

“Heard you got to see Rogers in action today?” She strode over and took a seat on the bench nearest me. 

I shrugged. “The basket weaving class was full.” 

“Well, if you want to see the more exciting training sessions, I help out with weapons and hand-to-hand a few days a week.” She winked.

“If I had known that, I wouldn’t have wasted my first training session on Steve!” I mocked a tantrum. 

“Hey, super-soldier hearing here.” Steve strode through the door, right on cue.

“Beat it, Rogers, we’re having a girl talk.” 

Dropping his bag, Steve pulled out a roll of tape and began wrapping his hands for what I assume would be a round of sparring, either with the punching bag or an actual person. “You’re just mad I set the bar so high with Charlotte’s first training experience.” He grinned. 

Raising my eyebrow, I watched as Natasha rolled her eyes and grinned. There was so clearly something between them, it took me less than 48 hours to pick up on it. I wondered if it was something they’d explored yet, or if they lived in denial. 

Before I could make a snappy remark, the doors opened again and in strode the one man I wasn’t sure I was ready to see yet. 

Blue eyes snapped up to look at me, and he stopped in his tracks as the door slid shut behind him. Based on the way his jaw clenched, I don’t think he was quite ready to see me either. The world felt like it slowed to half speed, I felt my thoughts get muddled. I was slipping away from reality. No, please no, not here, not now -

White hot light exploded in my skull as I collapsed to my knees, fighting against myself.

“Charlotte!” Natasha was at my side instantly, holding my arm.

“Stop…Me…” My breathing was labored, I spat each word out through gritted teeth as I felt myself losing the internal battle for control.

“What do you mean, what’s going on?” She gripped my upper arm tightly, looking at Steve in concern. He hovered over me, halfway crouched. 

Then it all went black. 

________________

Steve looked from Natasha to Bucky, still frozen by the door. Charlotte had collapsed to her knees, face contorted in pain. In the few seconds since she’d cried out, sweat had already broken on the back of her neck. 

“Stop…Me…” Her voice was somewhere between a growl and a plea. 

“What do you mean, what’s going on?” Natasha asked, looking up at Steve. Before anyone could react, Charlotte sent them both tumbling backwards. In one fluid movement, she’d rolled forward and closed the distance between her and Bucky. Her momentum carried her from the roll straight into a fighting stance. Before Nat or Steve could scramble to their feet, she’d swung into a roundhouse kick straight at Bucky’s head. 

He ducked, eyes wide with surprise but movements instinctive. Charlotte went straight from her kick into a crouch, swinging her leg to sweep his out from under him. He landed on his back and rolled away from her as she advanced. Left hook, right jab, knee to the ribs, Bucky narrowly blocked each one. She was quick. 

For a split second, Bucky took his eyes off of her fists and looked at her face. A chill nearly paralyzed him as he saw the blank expression on her face, the unseeing and glassy eyes. His pause was costly, and he felt the full weight of that when her foot collided with the side of his head. He spat blood on the ground just as Steve’s feet stepped between him and Charlotte. 

Steve blocked her jabs as rapidly as they came, with Natasha running up from behind. 

“Get the hell out of here!” He yelled at Bucky, still on the ground as blood pooled from the cut on his eyebrow. “Go!” 

Bucky didn’t question it, rolling to his feet and sprinting out the door. 

Natasha came from above and wrapped her legs around Charlotte’s neck, throwing her to the ground. Without releasing her, she continued to squeeze. Steve dropped down, pinning her arms as she writhed against Natasha. After a violent resistance, she went limp as she finally passed out. 

“What…the hell just happened.” Nat fell back on her elbows, breathing hard. 

“I have no idea,” Steve held a hand out, helping her to stand. “Do you think she needs medical?” 

“Well, I don’t think we should just go tuck her into bed after this.” Natasha rubbed her sleeve across her forehead, wiping sweat off. “You go check on Barnes, I’ll call up to the room and see if anyone’s here to help me take her in.”

Nodding, Steve took off in a jog after Bucky, following the trail of blood splattered on the ground.

#bucky barnes #james bucky barnes #avengers #bucky barnes x oc #bucky fanfic #bucky fluff #winter soldier #sebastian stan #winter soldier fluff #winter solider x reader

[twc-thoughts-you-didnt-ask-for]

My thoughts on TWC Book 3… SPOILER WARNING

I’m going to do this in the order I played them… Please note I have not done a run through of if you did not enter a relationship with N or F in Book 2 yet and I have not done LT. This is also just not a comprehensive list because there’s lots of options and so little time.

M’s route is literally perfection in Book 3 I can’t think of any beef I have with it like at all and I’m beyond pleased with it. I will be inconsolable until Book 4.

F’s route was also pretty good but there were some things that really shocked me. Out of all the routes, I figured F would be the one that had the “L” word first but it was no where in sight. This route is the one that feels best and most natural for it to happen in and… nothing. I also don’t care for how… swept under the rug entering a physical relationship felt? In Book 2, being physical with M had the level of importance to it that felt okay but this was just not that way. For the most part though I’m happy here.

N’s route… I’m not sure what happened here. It feels wrong and like I don’t know this character anymore or that the answers I know of N have changed. I expected them to be the second love confession… certainly not the first. It also strikes me as odd that we can confess to N and it really just be… not disregarded but looked over shortly after rather than be reciprocated in the moment. It would have been more natural maybe at the end where it was a mutual thing? I don’t know I just didn’t care for that but you could also just not say it I suppose too. Like F’s route I also didn’t care for how it went about entering a physical relationship with N and how… casual it was which goes against like everything N stands for at least the first time. The level of importance there is like if N and the detective had been boinking since Book 1. And N disregarding the argument between them and the detective (if the detective got hurt and was upset by N’s behavior) was really out of character. Even when you choose the option to not be near them because you’re still upset the game acts the exact same as if you chose another answer. That being said, I was really happy to see N’s anger and stuff regarding the detective and them getting upset with the detective’s disregard for themselves. I also wish the game would decide if N is going to be fully honest about the past or not. I was expecting 100% or 0% it just felt wrong to only get some and move on. I was also shocked about N thinking about the detective turning like at all because the answers we’ve been given has been so adamant that’s not something they want to have happen or to think about. I don’t know, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy some of N’s route but it was definitely like “who is this character and what did they do with N” for me and I’m not sure if I’m alone in that.

A’s route was also pretty good and shocked me in good ways. I don’t have much to say on this one because it felt pretty natural and expected. I was shocked that the kiss can happen at the end and that A would allow themselves to have it just once. The breakdown immediately after and especially the tears had me like :o I also really loved the detective bestie dynamic here when it comes to A hurting themselves and the detective. And for them to take a shot to the colleague question in front of everyone? Some really tasty stuff.

Non-route related thoughts…. I’m not happy about the detective joining the agency. It feels wrong and like what’s the point of being in Wayhaven if you’re not the detective and just an agent and can go anywhere. I really don’t understand that choice especially so early on in the series. I also don’t know where the Bobby/Douglas storyline with go from here. There was just a lot of confusing decisions for the detectives personal life and career. Idk maybe with time I’ll understand more. EDIT: Also for M I suppose it makes sense… but less can be more with the sex scenes. It was really heavy-handed for F/N I feel and out of place. And the blood drive plot point was so unnecessary and took up too much for something that amounted to a non issue in the end. I would have loved less or none of that and more of the auction or literally anything else. Also the auction was weird because there was so much stressed on going alone and not having UB as backup… but UB was there anyways????? I don’t like Rebecca so I didn’t team up with her so I’m not sure what difference that makes.

#TWC Book 3 spoilers

[songliili]

2023 writing roundup

i was tagged by @hgejfmw-hgejhsf and @rockyroadkylers!

i feel like i've spent my whole year writing, but i also know that i've spent months without doing it so i can't say how much it was month by month. but i posted three fics this year so like. that's an achievement!

let's see what we got.

January:

the great dean court off - Supernatural, 21.8k, M (chapter update) [someday i will finish it, i promise]

Of all the things Dean expected to find when he came back from the bathroom break, a folded piece of paper with "hey, if you’re not gay, my friend thinks you’re cute. here’s her number 316-557-9608 (and if you’re gay, here’s mine 316-997-2018)" written on, was not it. - Or the one where Dean organises a dating contest because he's bi and can't decide between two options.

September:

I Had Some Time (With You) - Supernatural, 23.9k, E

It's 2005 when things go to hell. Well. They go to hell for everyone except Dean, ‘cause he was ready for it. Well. He was ready for the apocalypse, not for the gorgeous man who fell into his life, quite literally. OR A Destiel rewrite of Bill and Frank's love story as shown on HBO's The Last of Us episode 3: Long Long Time that uses elements of both universes.

November:

we all have a hunger - RWRB, 22.9k, E

Alex’s journey of self discovery started one random night five years ago, when he was scrolling his favorite porn website to relax after midterms. He chose a video with the preview of two guys in the threesome category, thinking nothing of it, and came so hard he thought he was going to pass out. The threesome didn’t happen, the girl just sat there looking at the two guys going at it, just like Alex did. After that night, saying that the tall, blond and gorgeous actor with a fucking sinful shoulder to waist ratio didn’t do it for him was a complete lie, so maybe, maybe, Alex could be excused when he freezes up when said man - even more tall, blond and gorgeous in real life - stretches a hand toward him and says “I’m Henry, Pez’s ‘best mate of honor’, as he says.” with his perfectly infuriating British accent. — OR: Henry is a porn star, Alex is a fan.

December:

Fill My Stocking - RWRB, 6k, E

Alex has spent the past fifteen minutes talking with David about his favourite treats. Not that the dog answered, but Alex was undeterred and kept going, uncaring that Henry had asked him to give him an hour and then he’d join him in hanging up fairy lights and mistletoe everywhere. Very well. If Alex wants Henry’s attention, he'll have it. It's probably not what Alex thought he’d accomplish with his little scheme, but it's a compromise between Henry's needs and Alex's wants, and that's all that can be done. OR: Alex wants some attention and Henry has to get creative.

Upcoming in 2024:

part 2 of the pornstar verse (title undecided):

picks up the day after the ending of part one, it's alex's first christmas in london

Like Father, Like Son:

alex is a horse trainer and has a crush on arthur fox. he's the trainer on set for arthur fox's new movie (a queer western). his son, henry fox, visits the set and well. alex is fucked.

I hope you don't mind. (part 3 of the pornstar verse):

henry's bad days and how alex helps him go through them

Other things I hope I manage to put out next year (or at least start writing):

Your body is the Sistine Chapel:

what if dean was as tattooed as he was supposed to be? which tattoos would he get? for whom would he get them?

untitled airbnb fic:

alex travels to london as a reward for finishing college, and henry is his airbnb host whose dog likes alex a little too much.

untitled mandalorian!alex fic:

alex is the mandalorian, david is grogu. that's all i have for now.

untitled scarlet witch!henry/sword agent!alex fic:

inspired by this tweet. i have nothing more than this to give you atm.

i posted 62.406 words this year, and written many more. i'm fairly new to writing, so this is a real accomplishment for me. my biggest goal was to post a fully finished chaptered fic, and i did! then i started a series, and wrote something shorter than 7k, and i have so many ideas for future fics that i genuinely don't know where to start. i hope i manage to post at least a couple next year!

tagging: @affectionatelyrs @firenati0n @absoluteaudacitywrites @gayrootvegetable @leojfitz @anincompletelist @ssmtskw @littlemisskittentoes @cactusdragon517 @read-and-write- and everyone else that wants to join!

#tag game #writing roundup #spn #supernatural #rwrb #red white and royal blue #fan fiction #songliili writes

[hotch-stufff]

Hi!!!! Happy one year🥳🥳💖💖

I hope you are doing great love. I would like to ask for a blurb where Aaron and the reader aren't dating but them seem a couple and they get in an argument in which Aaron says something that hurts the reader and she answers saying "That, that really hurt" because she did something reckless and when she's about to cry he says "I can't lose you" and "You are so worth it". If it could have a happy ending it would be fantastic but whatever you end up doing will be wonderful.

Have a nice day and week💖💖

Didn’t Mean It

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Reader

Warnings: a bit of angst, hurt/comfort basically, Hotch is kinda dumb in the beginning

A/n: this was a cute request, really enjoyed this one :)

——————————-

“This is stupid Hotch.” You sigh as you collapse on the chair in front of his desk. I did what I was supposed to do. I did my job.” He shakes his head, and clenches his fist.

“You disobeyed a direct order Y/l/n.” He stands and leans over his desk. “I specifically told you not to go in the house and you did just that!”

“There was a little girl in there. She was screaming. For all I know the unsub could have been killing her right then! What else was I supposed to do!?” You ask in return. Why couldn’t he just understand why you did what you did. He’s done the same countless times, why is it any different now?

“She was scared! And he wasn’t, it wasn’t profiled that he would.”

“Well our profiles aren’t always correct.”

“No, just yours.” You pause at that and look up at him.

“What?”

“Your profiles are inaccurate, you disobey direct orders, and you are borderline insubordinate. I’m not even sure how you are on this team. You clearly are t qualified or ready to be in the BAU.” Your heart falls at his words, and your face drops. Hotch watches the change in your expression and instantly regrets his words.

“Oh. That, uh, that really hurt.” You murmur, standing. “I didn’t realize I was such a burden to your team sir. I’ll talk to Strauss about transfer options.” You turned to walk away but stopped when a hand gripped your arm.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“That’s not, I didn’t mean that.”

“Hotch-“

“No, I didn’t mean that.” You turn and face him as a tear falls down your cheek slowly. “I-“

“What Hotch. Clearly I’m not worth it.” Hotch shook his head, grabbing both of your hands in his own.

“You are so worth it.” He smiles slightly. “I just, I can’t lose you. I didn’t mean any of that. You are on of the best agents on this team. I just can’t lose you.” You tilted your head in confusion before truly understanding the meaning of his words.

“You can’t lose me?” You ask.

“I can’t lose you. You mean, you mean so much to me. More than you will ever know.” Your heart pounds rapidly out of your chest before you being yourself closer to him.

“Really?”

“Y/n, I think I might be in love with you.” A watery chuckle leaves your lips as you move your face even closer. To the point where your noses are lightly brushing eachother.

“I think I might be in love with you too Hotch.”

“Aaron.”

“Aaron.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Kiss me.” His lips touch your delicately. They’re soft but firm. He deepens the kiss after a moment. A soft sigh leaves your mouth when his hand moves to your cheek, cupping your face and pulling you in closer.

“So worth it sweetheart.” He murmurs again before sealing your lips once more.

—————————-

Thanks for reading <3

#imagine #aaron hotchner x reader #reader insert #criminal minds #angst #hotch x reader #fluff #aaron hotchner #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds x reader

[cozy-the-overlord]

A Friend From Work

Summary: Loki pops into your lab one day at Stark Tower. Things just get weirder from there.

Word Count: 5,084

Pairing: Loki x Gender Neutral Reader

A/N: This is for the lovely @naterson​, whose birthday is today and who has said in the past that she loves the idea of an engineer reader working for Tony Stark. I definitely wouldn’t say that this is my best work-- it was a bit out of my comfort zone-- but I really wanted to give her that for her birthday. Happy birthday, Nat! I hope you have a great day <3<3<3

Thanks for reading!

Warnings: Slight violence/hostage situation at the end

Tags: @lucywrites02 @gaitwae @whatafuckingdumbass @the-emo-asgardian @imnotrevealingmyname @electroma89 @lokislittlesigyn @moumouton4 @theredrenard @justdontmindmetm @lostgreekgod @naterson

If you want to be tagged, feel free to send an ask/message :)

Read it on Ao3!

The first time you meet Loki is in your lab.

When he comes in, you’re nearly finished deconstructing a Chitauri particle gun, its guts splayed out across your table in a delicate ecosystem of wires and metallic parts. It’s been a neck-breaking process, equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. It still feels impossible to comprehend that the pieces in your hands were created on another planet, in another galaxy. That you are allowed to even hold this technology feels illegal, let alone to experiment with it.

For this reason, you don’t notice him right away. You’re too engrossed in your work to pay attention to the doorway behind you. It’s only after several minutes pass that the familiar tingle runs down your spine—that feeling of not being alone, of being watched. Your hands fall still. You whip around and yelp.

He’s just standing there behind you, dark curls slicked back over an expression of benign interest. At your cry, he cracks a smile that is somehow both equal parts apologetic and cocky.

“Good afternoon,” he grins. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Your pulse is racing. You had known that Loki is now stationed with the Avengers, with relative free rein of the tower. He’s not supposed to be dangerous—if he was, he’d be under a much more severe lock and key. But there’s still something about having the extraterrestrial responsible for the destruction of New York just casually moseying about your lab that sends your heart to your throat.

“How did you get in here?” Your hand flies beneath the table, where the red panic button rests against your fingers. It would trigger a lockdown sequence across the entire building, shutting down your floor immediately and dispatching agents to your location at once. You’ve never had to press it before, and you’re not particularly eager to now.

“I walked. The door was open, after all.” He nods in the direction of the hall, towards the door you were perpetually forgetting to lock, and flashes another smile. “It’s just that I’m in between assignments at the moment, and there’s precious little to do upstairs.”

You frown. Somehow, a bored immortal being once worshipped as a mischief god hanging around a tech lab sounds like a recipe for disaster. “Does Stark know you’re down here?”

“I’m sure he does. After all, if he didn’t, wearing these would certainly be a waste on my part.” Loki gives a nonchalant wave, showing off the silver bangle latched on to each wrist. They had been a non-negotiable in the agreement that sent Loki to work alongside the Avengers after the events in New York—Tony Stark had been particularly proud of himself for designing cuffs that could impede an Asgardian’s magic. You suppose it stands to reason he would have included a tracking device within them as well.

Still, you’re a bit hesitant. “JARVIS?” you call. “Does Mr. Stark know Loki’s in the labs?”

The clipped mechanical voice responds in an instant. “I have alerted him to that reality, Doctor.”

Loki grins. “See? No need to fret.” He takes a step forward, gazing at the mechanical parts strewn about your workspace. “What is it you’re doing here? Performing a dissection?”

You eye him suspiciously, backing away as he moves towards you. “I’m trying to reactivate the energy core.” It’s no secret, after all. It’s practically become a competition among Stark’s engineers over who can get the Chitauri tech functioning again first.

Loki sniffs. “Ah yes, of course. Mortals and their never-ceasing lust for power.”

“Lust for power’s got nothing to do with it,” you bristle. “I just want to see how this thing works.” You hesitate. “You wouldn’t be able to help with that, would you? You have experience with these weapons.” Although perhaps it’s a stupid question. Stark had probably gotten any and all useful information out of him a while ago.

The god chuckles. “I’m afraid mechanics were never my strong suit.” He eyes the seemingly defunct energy core, free from its nest of wires lodged within the particle gun. “Although I do recall that those can be highly volatile when exposed as you have it there.”

You can’t say that’s particularly groundbreaking insight. “Yeah, I know. But it’s no danger when it’s not functional.”

“Perhaps. But I’d be careful. It takes very little to set them off.”

The door slams, and now another figure his blustering into your lab, glaring daggers at your visitor, and you’re gulping air again because oh look, it’s your boss.

“What the hell are you doing now?” Stark snaps. “Harassing my employees?”

Loki holds his hands up in a jovial mock surrender. “Not at all! The doctor and I were just having a delightful conversation about their work.” He beams at you. “Weren’t we, Doctor?”

You swallow. What is even going on right now? “It’s fine, Mr. Stark.”

“Whatever.” Stark heaves a sigh, somehow even more exasperated than normal. “Come on, Tommy Wiseau, I’ve got something for you to look at.”

Loki bows his head, as if tipping an imaginary hat as he’s corralled out of your lab. “It’s been a pleasure, Doctor,” he grins. “Until next time!”

The door slams, and once again you’re alone in the static silence of your lab, wondering what the hell just happened.

…

Next time turns out to be two days later, early in the morning as you’re bringing your empty mug back to the kitchen for a refill. The caffeine must not have kicked in yet, because you round the corner and barrel right into a familiar gold-plated chest.

“Oh!” It all happens so fast—the mug is slipping through your fingers and crashing on the floor, and there’s a hand at your back, holding you steady as a low chuckle tickles your ears.

“Well, good morning, Doctor. It seems we meet again.”

Your cheeks flush with heat.

“Sorry,” you mutter, pulling away from Loki’s grasp. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“No need to apologize.”

The mug, it seems, is beyond repair, shattered into several pieces and scattered across the floor like a crime scene. You clench your jaw and try to swallow the urge to cry rumbling in your chest. You liked that mug. But no use getting upset now. You kneel to pick up the rubble, and Loki follows you to the floor.

“Allow me,” he says, plucking the handle from your grasp. “The fault was mine, after all.”

“You don’t have to—” But all at once the pieces are moving on their own, flying back to their respective places along the handle, so quickly that you barely have time to register what’s happening before Loki’s offering a fully formed mug out to you. Your mouth drops open.

“How did you do that?”

His grin widens. “I have my ways.”

“But—” Your head is spinning. “But I thought your cuffs were supposed to restrain your magic?”

“Oh, they were.” Did he just wink at you? “But I suppose it takes a bit more to keep me restrained.”

You cock your head to the side. It’s too early in the morning for this. “Is Stark aware of that?”

“I haven’t felt the need to inform him,” he yawns. “After all, he was so proud of himself, and I didn’t wish to hurt his feelings.”

“And you really just risked your secret to show off to me?”

Loki laughs. “Oh, you aren’t going to tell Stark.”

You bristle. “And what makes you say that?”

“Because you like me.” He presses the mug into your palm, leaving you with another little tip-of-the-hat bow before he walks away. “Good day, Doctor!”

Presumptuous little shit.

You hate that he’s right.

…

You don’t often have your lunch in the cafeteria—really, you prefer to avoid the chaotic buzz of voices and movement in favor of a quiet meal in your office—but today you need a change of scenery. Nothing’s working. The last week of tests has all come up inconclusive, and you’re no closer to success than you were when you started. You’ve been staring at the same white wall all morning, and at this point you’re almost ready to dash your head through it.

You find a table in the corner and pick at your food in half-hearted silence while you doodle in your sketchbook. You’re not an artist, not by any stretch of the imagination, but drawing helps when you’re stressed out. You’re drawing a cat. You only ever draw cats—you’ve tried other things, but you’re not good at anything else, and you don’t have the patience to practice. Cats are familiar, with their pointed ears and triangle noses and tufts of fur swirling between their paw pads— and familiar is safe.

You’re nearly done when he plops down on the bench besides you, his characteristic smirk feather-light on his lips.

“Good afternoon, Doctor,” Loki grins. “Might I join you?”

You raise your eyebrows. “You must be stalking me at this point.” You probably should be more concerned that the alien responsible for destroying half of New York has taken such an interest in you, but you’re finding that he’s beginning to take on the role of guilty pleasure.

“Not in the slightest. I simply enjoy the most astonishing luck.” He’s still smiling, but there’s something quizzical behind his eyes, as if he’s searching for something in your face. “Shall I leave? I don’t wish to make you uncomfortable.”

Now why did that just flood your chest with warmth? Oh goodness, you definitely should be concerned.

Still, you try to keep your tone flippant enough to be casual. “Oh no, you’re fine.” You bite down on a potato chip, determining not to look at him. Because you like me. Oh no, you wouldn’t be feeding his need for attention today.

But Loki is undeterred by your efforts. He leans over your shoulder, and it takes you a moment to realize he’s looking at your sketches.

“That’s very good,” he says. “Did you draw that from memory?”

“Oh,” you stutter. “Oh, yeah I did.” It was your cat that you were drawing—a longhaired silver tabby named Maggie that you had adopted all the way back in eighth grade. She was an old lady now, but still going strong. Or so you’ve been told. You hadn’t seen her since the last time you went home to visit, right after you earned your doctorate. You tried not to think about that too much.

“She’s mine,” you tell Loki. “She lives with my mom out west.”

“She’s lovely.” He runs his finger along the side of the page, just above the paper. “She reminds me of my mother’s cat.”

“You—” You study him, not sure if he’s being facetious or not. “You have cats in … space?”

Loki laughs, a pure, vibrant sound that seems to fill the whole room. “Yes, we have cats in space.”

Your cheeks burn—you hadn’t realized how stupid that question sounded—but it doesn’t feel like he’s laughing at you.

“They’re quite common across most of the nine realms, you know,” he says. “There’s a sector in Vanaheim that essentially serves as a cat sanctuary—they originally started raising them to help with rodents in their storage facilities, see, and they just took over the entire village.”

He’s been leaning forward as he speaks, nothing overt or scandalous or anything—he probably hasn’t even noticed it himself—but you’re suddenly hyper aware of how close his face is to yours. Your heart skips a beat.

“That’s amazing,” you finally manage to whisper.

He chuckles. “I’ll have to take you some time. It is rather majestic. I’m sure you’d love it.”

As you’re struggling to process that he has just offered to take you to another realm, the commlink strapped to his forearm begins to beep and flash. Loki huffs in frustration.

“Apologies,” he says as he stands, and between his height and the fact that you’re still seated, you suddenly feel very tiny. “As they say on Midgard, ‘duty calls.’”

There’s a strange disappointment welling in your chest as he leaves, something you attempt to swallow by turning back to your sketchbook. You really should be getting back to work, but instead you find yourself doodling another cat, a black one this time, puffing out his fluffy chest in self-satisfied glee. Loki is rather cat-like, after all. He’s certainly got the right attitude. You grin to yourself as you add in a pair of curling horns resting atop the kitty’s forehead.

…

Loki has developed a habit of materializing in your lab whenever it suits his fancy. It’s gone on so long now that you’ve stopped pretending to be annoyed by his sudden arrivals, his barrage of questions about what you’re working on and how you’re coming with it. It’s nice, actually, to have someone ask you about your job and be genuinely interested in the response. It makes you feel good. You like answering his questions.

Well, most of them.

“What’s this?”

You turn to find Loki flipping through your sketchbook—no, not flipping. Looking. At a specific page. With a wide grin that tells you everything you need to know.

“Nothing!” You swipe at the book, but he dodges you with the litheness of … well, a cat. “That’s nothing—”

He laughs, holding up your Lokitty drawing like an award certificate. “Is this me?”

“No—I mean—” Gosh, just kill me now. “It’s just something stupid that I drew—”

“Oh, this is positively delightful. The likeness is uncanny.”

You grab at him again, although you’ve realized by this point that nothing’s going to wipe that smirk off his face. “Stop making fun of me!”

Loki stops. “Who’s making fun?” he asks, still smiling. “This is wonderful!”

You stare at him, waiting for the punchline, but he’s only grinning back up at you . “Are you serious?”

“Of course I’m serious!” He offers the sketchbook back to you, but doesn’t let go when you take it. “May I keep this?” he asks. “The drawing, I mean.”

You huff a laugh. “I mean, yeah, if you want.” He waits like an eager child as you tug the page along the perforated line, convinced that this is the absolute silliest thing you’ve ever done.

“Wait.” Loki stops you before you hand him the drawing. “Will you sign it?”

“What?”

“An artist should sign their work.”

“I’m hardly an artist—”

“Nonsense.” Loki cocks his head to the side in a pleading expression that’s ridiculously overdramatic. “Will you sign it if I say please?”

This is absurd. Absolutely, positively absurd, and yet you find yourself scribbling your name in the corner of the page. When you’re finished, Loki reads it aloud, and the sound sends shivers down your spine.

“That’s lovely,” he smirks. “About time we were properly introduced, don’t you think?”

It takes you a moment to understand what he’s saying. When you do, you can’t help but cackle. “Don’t try to tell me you never knew my name!”

“How could I? You never told me!”

“You never asked!” You scoff. “Besides, if you wanted to know, you could have just looked it up.”

“You think I would stoop to snooping through your private information just to satisfy my own curiosity. For shame, Doctor.” He huffs in faux offense, but his eyes are still twinkling. “I am glad to know it though. It’s a very pretty name. Gorgeous, really. It suits you.”

You’re too flustered to argue any further.

…

Nothing is working.

You stare at the particle gun, the mechanics that you have dismantled and put back together over and over and over again, at the energy core that has the audacity to remain irritatingly still, just the same as it was when you first picked it up. The test you ran overnight accomplished nothing. You’ve accomplished nothing.

You want to scream.

You have no patience for Loki when he arrives, toting his trademark smirk as if everything was just dandy and lovely and not a complete and utter fucked up mess.

“What do you want?” It comes out far more aggressive than you intended, and Loki looks a bit taken aback.

“I was just coming by to say hello,” he says. “Is everything all right?”

“No!” you snap. “No, it’s not all right. I’ve been working for a month and I still can’t get this thing functioning, I can’t even get it to activate and I’ve tried everything and I don’t know what else to do!” You slam your tablet on the table and revel in the rush of impact, but it only lasts a moment before the emotion steaming in the corners of your eyes boils over and you have to turn away to hide your tears.

It’s stupid to cry. Stupid, stupid, stupid. But you feel stupid. This shouldn’t be something you’re struggling with. You should be able at the very least to turn the damn thing on. What are you doing here, if you can’t even do that? You cup your hands over the bridge of your nose and try to will the tears away. It doesn’t work.

Stupid little kid, way out of their league.

It doesn’t help that Loki’s still there, standing awkwardly at your back as you try to get ahold of yourself. You wish he would leave. This is embarrassing enough as it is without having an audience.

But no. He walks up besides you, slowly, studying you from your left as you bite your lip and force yourself to swallow the urge to scream your throat raw.

“There’s nothing wrong with being frustrated,” he says cautiously. “You’ve been burdened with a difficult task. I imagine frustration is to be expected.”

He’s right, and somewhere deep down you know it, but it doesn’t make you feel any better.

“I should be able to do this though,” you whisper. “Stark hired me to do stuff like this, but I’m too much of a fucking idiot—”

“Stop that.” His voice is firm, and it’s so unexpected that you whip to face him against your instinct. Loki’s gaze is intense enough to burn a hole through your skull. He reaches out to grip your hand. “You are not an idiot. Not by any stretch of the imagination.”

“You don’t under—”

“But I do!” he insists. “Stark is not in the habit of hiring the undeserving. You would not be here if you weren’t one of the most intelligent individuals on this planet.” He gives your hand a squeeze. “You understand that, don’t you?”

You let out a shaky breath before you nod. It’s almost comical. Imagine trying to tell yourself ten years ago that you’d end up an engineer working under Tony Stark getting a pep talk from an alien from Norse myth. Truth really is stranger than fiction. You laugh despite yourself.

“Is something funny?” Loki asks.

“No, not really.” You let out a sigh, relishing the way your lungs ached as they expanded. “Thank you for that.”

His smile is tender. “Of course.”

…

Is it sad how you’ve reached a point that the room lights up whenever Loki strolls in? Do you care if it is?

He’s a bit more demure today, watching you from the doorway for a bit before breaking into his daily greeting. “Good morning, Doctor. Any luck today?”

“A little. I’m testing out a new theory.” You close your laptop and turn back to the Chitauri energy core. “Let me guess, just dropping by to say hello?”

Loki hesitates. “Goodbye, actually.”

It’s as if the floor dropped out from beneath your feet. You glance up, eyes wide. “What?”

“Not for long. Just a week.” “Your little band of misfit heroes is getting called to Europe, it seems.”

“Oh.” A week. That’s not that bad. Still, there’s a hollow feeling settling in your chest even as you force yourself to ignore it. “Where in Europe?”

“I’m afraid I can’t say.”

Right. Confidentiality and all that. You bite your lip. “Will it be dangerous?”

He flashes you a smirk. “Are you worried for me, Doctor?”

“Not at all,” you bristle. “I’m just curious.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Is there anything wrong with being curious?”

Loki hums, stroking the side of the table with a slender finger. “Perhaps …” He turns back to you. “Perhaps I hoped you’d be just a bit worried for me?”

Damn this man and his honey-smooth voice!

You swallow, trying to keep your own voice even. It comes out as a croak. “Did you?”

“I did.” He takes a step towards you, then another, and another. “In fact, I rather hoped that I’d have to soothe your fears with the promise that I would stop at nothing until I had returned to you.” He’s standing right in front of you now, closer than he’s ever been before. Your breath catches in your throat. “That you would be so distraught I would have to assure you I would not know peace until I was once again at your side.” He’s tracing the line of your jaw, his touch cool and soft and sending sparks racing along your skin. “And perhaps, I thought, to prove to you the magnitude of my resolve, I might seal this swear with a kiss.” He tips your chin up so that your lips are just inches away from his. Your pulse stutters. Loki smiles.

“Shall I kiss you, Doctor?” he breathes.

It takes everything in you to draw your breath. “No.”

Loki falters. It’s exciting—you’ve never seen him caught off guard before. “No?”

“You think you can just leave me with a kiss and then you’re good to take off for a week?” You huff, cupping his cheeks in dramatized bluster. “Go to Europe. Do whatever it is that you need to do. Then get your ass back here and kiss me properly.”

He laughs and turns to press a kiss to your palm, chuckling as he watches you melt in front of him. “Touché, Doctor.”

…

It’s strange how difficult the week has been. You had never had an issue with feeling lonely at work before you stumbled into a friendship (relationship? because cupping your cheek and whispering sexily about how he wants to kiss you seems to be stepping a little bit beyond friends) with Loki, but now that he’s been gone you realize how isolated your existence is here. You tinker in your lab until lunch in your office, and then you go back and continue work. You might say hi to a coworker in passing in the halls, but there isn’t much else. It’s kind of sad. You miss Loki.

At least you’ve been productive. You think you’ve figured out a way to, in essence, “charge up” the energy core—you’ve got it hooked up to a program that should in theory trigger its activation sequence. Right now, all you can do is wait for it to load, and so you’re hunched in your chair, tapping your nails against the table and wondering what Loki’s doing right now. Maybe … maybe thinking of you?

Jeez, I sound like a teenage girl.

You don’t hear the first explosion, but you feel it—a tremor that rattles the tower in a mighty jolt, causing the lights to flicker and ripping you from your reveries. You jump.

The hell was that?

“JARVIS, what’s happening?”

The mechanical reply is slower than usual. “Lockdown protocol initiated.”

Your heart leaps to your throat. Your mother is always stressing about you working at Avengers headquarters—what if there’s an attack? You’re a prime target!—but you’ve never really taken her fears seriously. Who would be stupid enough to attack the Avengers’ home base? It would be like kicking a hornet’s nest while in nothing but your boxers. You’d be calling the most powerful beings on the planet to your doom.

Except, of course, they aren’t here right now. They’re in Europe.

Uh oh.

You do hear the second explosion, because it sweeps through the hallway outside your lab, rocking the ground like an earthquake. You yelp, slipping from your chair and kneeling on the tile. Dust wafts in from the hall, and with them, voices.

They’re on your floor.

You claw at the underside of the table for the red button, the one you’ve never pressed, your fingernails scratching the smooth surface in a frenzied panic that grows with the voices echoing down the hall.

Shit shit shit!

They’re getting closer, they’re right outside your lab!—

Your fingers find the button just as your door blows off its hinges. You whip around and inhale so sharply it hurts.

“Away from the table!” There’s two of them, in full combat armor, and their guns are pointed at you. “Hands on your head!”

You stumble backwards, lacing your fingers together behind your head to keep them from shaking.

“The code for the armory upstairs!” the first one shouts, aiming his pistol at you as his friend rushes back down the hallway. “Now!”

“I don’t know.” Your heart is pounding so loudly that you can barely hear his demand.

“Bullshit!”

“I swear I don’t!” Another explosion rocks the building. You gulp for air, struggling to keep the tears back.

I don’t want to die here.

“Yo!” The second one is back, panting in the doorway. “The Avengers are upstairs!”

You could cry with relief.

“What?”

“They’re here!”

“They’re supposed to be off base!”

“Well, Iron Man’s fucking flying around the top level!” The guy in the doorway waves frantically. “What the fuck are we supposed to do?”

“Just stick to the plan—” the man besides you is breathing heavily. “They’re not down here yet, so just stick to the plan”

“But it’s only a matter of—”

The second man doesn’t have time to finish before a blade emerges from his throat, a crimson barb ripping through his skin. You shriek. So does his companion. His body crashes to the floor to reveal a familiar figure glowering in the doorway, a second dagger clenched within his fist.

Loki!

You’ve barely registered his presence before the remaining attack grabs your chest and yanks you in front of him, the cool kiss of metal pressing against your temple

“Stay back!” he screams.

Loki’s eyes are dark, wild as he advances, his voice low and dangerous. “Let them go.”

“Stay back!” He jams the gun harder against your skull, and you cry out as pain blossoms through your forehead. “I’ll kill them!”

“It would be the last thing you ever did.”

Everything is happening all at once. Loki takes a step forward. The man tightens his grasp around your chest. Behind you, the energy core software beeps to denote its completion.

Highly volatile when you have it exposed.

All at once, it all clicks.

The man is saying something, but it doesn’t matter. With all the force you can muster, you slam your body backwards into your assailant, sending the both of you flying backwards into your table. The last thing you register is Loki in front of you, eyes wide, mouth open in mid-scream, but then he’s gone, and the world fades into white.

…

Everything hurts and you’re cold.

Everything hurts … but you’re not cold. You’re warm. Soft. Toasty, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. Safe. Held. Yes … someone’s holding you. It’s a lovely feeling, being held. You wouldn’t mind dying like this. Maybe you are dead.

It doesn’t even hurt all that much anymore. It’s nice.

Someone’s talking. You don’t quite catch what they’re saying, but you don’t mind. It’s a pretty voice. Pretty pretty voice.

“Are you coming back to me, Doctor?”

You open your eyes to find Loki staring down at you, forehead creased with concern. His eyes soften when they meet yours. “There you are.”

You blink, taking in your surroundings. You’re on your back, cradled on the floor in Loki’s arms. The ceiling of your lab is marred with scorch marks.

Loki huffs a soft laugh. “I believe I can honestly say that that the most idiotic thing I have ever witnessed anyone do in my life.”

You groan, struggling to an upright position. “What happened?”

“It seems you disposed of the issue.” He nods to the side. You follow his gaze to the smoking pit where your table had once stood, and the charred hunk of flesh lying within it.

“Oh God!” You cringe, crying out as you try to rip your gaze away, but Loki hushes you, cradling you closer to his chest.

“There,” he murmurs. “You’re all right, Doctor. You’re all right.”

You let out a shaky exhale. “But how? How am I okay and he’s—” you gag at the thought.

“It would seem that your friend—” he nods again to the corpse, and you shiver “—blocked you from most of the blast, and the rest were minor injuries that I could heal.”

“Heal?”

“Yes,” he smirks. “I must say, I did a rather good job of it too. Although,” he says, glancing at the wreckage about the room, “I will admit this isn’t exactly the return I had planned.”

You sigh, resting your cheek against his chest. “Well, I think you got back just in time.”

“Oh, I agree.” Loki traces your jawline with a tender touch, once again tipping your chin up to face him. “But there is one promise I’m quite eager to keep.”

His lips are soft against yours, softer than you ever would have expected, languid and unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world and planned to spend every last second in your embrace. You melt into his kiss, only too happy to live out that reality. When he does pull away, the enamored haze over his eyes is so pure, it sets your cheeks ablaze.

“I believe that was well worth waiting for,” he says. You nod, your voice failing you. He smiles.

You’re not sure how long you stay like that, cuddled in his arms—it’s simultaneously an eternity and not nearly long enough—before Loki clears his throat. “Perhaps we ought to rejoin the others. You should probably be looked over by a proper medic.”

With that, he stands abruptly, laughing as you yelp in his arms and grasp at his neck for balance.

You scowl. “You could have given me some warning.”

Loki smirks. “Now where’s the fun in that?”

#loki x reader #loki x gender neutral reader #loki fanfic #loki fluff #slight angst #avengers au #a friend from work #cozy writes

[boldlyvoid]

Breakable Heaven | Chapter One: FBI Party

Summary: Andrea (Andy) Hotchner was born when Aaron Hotchner was just 16, she will always be her dad's little girl, no matter how old she gets. He'd do anything for her, no one was good enough for her, she could do no wrong... she was his golden child.

Now, she's about to be a big sister at 19, stressed with college and how her life is changing too fast, it's only natural for her to act out and date one of her father's new FBI agents. Only, no one expected it to be Nerdy Dr. Reid who was sneaking her out her bedroom window in the middle of the night and driving off with the headlights cut... 

It’s supposed to be one Heavenly summer with no rules, and yet they still find a way to break them.

Warnings: mature themes, first meetings, wet dreams, slight angst

Word Count: 3.3k

Masterlist

“Andy!” 

She sighs, rolling out of her bed with frustration, “what, dad?” 

She walks all the way to his master bedroom, finding her step-mom laying in bed with a frown and him standing in front of the mirror, adjusting the bow tie she got him last Christmas. 

“Any chance you’d be willing to fill in for Haley at the banquet tonight?” 

“Really?” 

He nods, straightening his bowtie, “it’ll give you an excuse to wear your prom dress again?” Enticing her slightly. 

She laughs, “no I don’t think I fit in it anymore… not since the freshman fifteen.” 

He pulls her in front of the mirror, standing behind her with a smile, “look at you, you’re beautiful.” 

“Just like your mother,” Haley adds from her spot on the bed. “You’re lucky all you got from Aaron is his eyes and his attitude.” 

“Sometimes I wonder if it was immaculate conception with how much I look like mom did,” she smiles at their reflections. They both missed her mom. 

“So, will you come with me tonight?” 

She nods, “I need an hour to get ready,” she prewarns him. “And I have a new dress I’ve been saving for something like this, anyway.” 

“Thank you,” he wraps her up in a hug, “I’m going to need the support this year with everything that happened.” 

That night was still fresh in her mind. She was away at college, watching the news in the common room with some friends when the news switched over. A bomber they were after tricked them, he brought them into a tiny room and he blew them all to smithereens. She watched the stand-off, the building went boom, and then it was reported that 6 FBI agents died. 

For 4 hours she didn’t know if her dad was among them. 

It was the hardest night for her, even harder on the team as they were down more than half of their members and most of their SWAT unit. And Derek, he wasn’t even there… and he’s carried that weight for 6 months now. Probably wondering to himself how he would have changed the outcome, wishing he was there to save someone… he wouldn’t let it go.

“Is Derek doing okay?” 

“It’s Gideon I’m worried about most,” he sighs. “Strauss wants to start slowly integrating him back into field work and they’re doing so with this new assistant of his who is a genius… They think if we get Dr. Reid on our team full time, he could get Gideon to consult on some things then he’d eventually end up back in the field.” 

“It’s smart,” she has to give it to Strauss, she sure did know how to get men to do what she wanted. “Do you not like this new guy?” 

He runs his fingers through his hair with a sigh and takes a seat on the edge of his bed, Haley sits up and rests her head on his shoulder, holding him close. “He’s just… hard to work with isn’t the right phrase, I’ve known him since he did his fieldwork training with us in the academy, he’s just awkward. I don’t trust him interviewing convicted criminals, I don’t like when he talks to victims' families cause he scares them with his facts… and he can’t shoot for shit.”

“How old is he?” 

“Twenty-three.” 

“And he’s a doctor?” She can’t believe that part. “Is he some kind of Stephen Hawking carbon copy?” 

Her dad laughs, “Andy, he has 3 doctorates and a few degrees, an IQ of 187 and he can read 20,000 words a minute.” 

Her eyes almost grow 3 times their normal size, “what the fu—heck?” She’s not used to being home yet, where she can't swear freely, so she bites back a smile. 

Aaron does the same and nods, “I know. It’s astounding but it’s also intimidating… and he’s charming. You’ll like him… if he doesn’t talk your ear off, that is.” 

“He won’t,” Haley laughs to herself, “he won’t be able to talk to you, I could barely get a smile and a wave from him when I met him, and JJ… she said he’s a stuttering mess.” 

“He’s a little awkward with women, but I was too at 23?” Aaron sticks up for him. 

“Does 23-year-old Doctor Reid also have a 7-year-old?” She bullies her dad constantly for having her at 16, it made anything that she did seem less severe in retrospect. 

“No, I doubt he’s even had his first kiss,” he explains, sad for the kid. “So, go easy on him when you see him.” 

“I’ll try,” She can’t make any promises. 

She can, however, get all dolled up with her long blond hair curled and her makeup done flawlessly. She steps into her new dress, zips it up with the help of her stepmom and pulls her boobs up so they sit higher in her bra. She looked good, in her own opinion, and she hoped Dr. Genius would think so too. 

—

Standing with Penelope, she sighs, “why are these always so boring?” 

“Cause everyone is at least 5 decades older than you?” She teases, “and at least you had a choice to come, need I remind you your dad gave me the option of literal jail or this job…” 

“Not his best moment, I’ll give you that,” she bites her lip to hold back a laugh, “but if he didn’t, I wouldn’t have such a cool friend to spend these awful events with.” 

Penelope laughed, “they don’t realize all the Millennials will eventually end up replacing them, and we like real parties, not this…” she says, referring to the quiet white room with old men standing in circles, talking to each other about god knows what. 

“At least some of them are nice to look at,” she shrugs, taking a champagne glass from a waiter as they pass with a tray full. She takes a sip and looks around the room a bit, looking for the cutest one in the room. 

“Who’s that guy?” 

Tall, brown hair, brown eyes, he’s swimming in his tux, he’d probably look a lot better out of it. 

Penelope’s gaze follows her finger, “Spencer Reid,” she answers with a smile. “He’s the new guy, he’s really nice.” 

“Yeah,” she smirks to herself, “my dad said he was a genius… I wanna see for myself.” She hands the glass to Penelope and makes her way over to him. 

Deciding to play dumb, she taps his shoulder, “Excuse me?” 

He turns to her and stares, “H-hi?” 

“Hi, I’m Andy Hotchner, you work with my dad?” She states in the form of a question. 

He nods, clearing his throat and straightening his tie, he stands up. “I’d offer to shake your hand to make your acquaintance, however, the amount of pathogens transferred in a simple handshake is-is staggering— but it is very nice to meet you, Miss Hotchner. I’ve heard a lot about you.” 

She smirks, “you’re Doctor Reid, aren’t you?” 

“Yes,” he laughs, pulling at the collar of his shirt where his tie is tied wrong… she can’t help herself from fixing it. 

“I promise I don’t have cooties,” she smiles, undoing the poorly tied bow and starting fresh. She has been doing these for her dad since she was little, it was one of her favourite parts of sending him away to events when she was a little girl and not yet invited herself. 

She taps his chest and then returns her gaze to his eyes, “there you go, that’s much better.” 

“T-thank you,” he manages to smile too. “It’s nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot.” 

“As have I,” she teases.

“That I talk a lot and I’m weird?” He can guess. 

“That you’re a genius, actually. And that we could be friends,” she raises her brow, posing it as a question. “So, what d’ya say?” 

He nods like a bobblehead, “y-yeah, that would be nice, uh, I heard you’re going to college in DC?” 

She nods, “I am, I live on campus during the semester to have the experience,” she emphasizes the word with a roll of her eyes. “Really I just wanted to be a whore but not under his roof,” she whispers. 

He really wasn’t expecting that, his face says it all. “I’m kidding,” she nudges him. 

“Y-yeah,” he nods, swallowing sharply. “I knew that…” 

She’s always been so much like her dad, everyone always said when she finally settled down and did get a boyfriend he’d be very subservient. She wore the pants. Her uncle has called her a ballbuster more than once at family BBQs, so it wasn’t a shock that she gravitated toward him on her own, and she would be lying if she didn’t love how he acted around her. The way he looked at her, the way he could barely speak… it was all adorable. 

It only made her want him more. 

“Do you have a first name, Doctor Reid?” 

“Spencer,” he smiles, “your full name is Andrea, right?” 

She nods, reluctantly, “yeah, and it’s not my preferred name either.” 

“Andy. Got it,” he corrects himself.

“You know how to follow orders,” she teases. “You don’t look like someone who’d make it through the Academy… not to be mean, I don’t mean it like that, I wouldn’t make it either, I don’t like to listen.” For some reason, she ends up rambling. 

He tries to bite his tongue, but he laughs anyway, “that’s funny, Hotch’s daughter doesn’t like to listen…” 

“Karma,” she agrees. She bumps his shoulder and turns to look at the dance floor, “it’s too bad they’re not playing music, I’d ask you to dance.” 

“You sure I can handle that?” He finds his footing and teases back. “Seeing as I wouldn’t make it through the Academy in your mind?” 

She scoffs, amazed that he was able to do that, “well, no, I’d be taking the lead for sure. But it would still be nice, no?” 

“It would,” he smiles sweetly at her, “I’ve never danced with anyone before.” 

“I guess you didn’t have time for Prom at 10?” 

“13,” he corrects her, “and no, I was told not to go or we’d have a Carrie moment… still not sure what that meant.” 

“Oh,” she covers her mouth, “that’s so mean?” 

“What?” He’s genuinely confused. 

“You know the horror film ‘Carrie’ where they pour pigs' blood on the girl at prom…” 

He shakes his head, “no, that sounds awful.” 

“It was,” she can’t believe someone would want to do that to him. At 13 no less. “I’m sorry kids are so mean.” 

He shrugs, “it’s okay, I get to arrest people like that now.” 

“Cause murderer is just a stone's throw from school bully,” her sarcasm is funny to her, but a miss for him. 

“Well, statistically, if we look at the men already accused of serial killing, it’s more likely for the bullied to become killers. Unless they’re popular and charming like Bundy, I’d say it’s a bit of a stretch.” 

“Is that your attempt at a joke?” She teases, holding back a giggle. 

He nods, blushing with embarrassment, “yeah…”

“You’re cute, Doctor Reid. Real cute.” 

Before he can say anything else, he notices Hotch walking up behind her and he straightens right up like he’s at attention. “sir.” 

“There you are, Andy,” he seems stressed, “I see you’ve met our resident genius…” 

“I have,” she gives Spencer a blushing smile, “it’s been really nice getting to know each other.” 

“I hate to steal you away but Haley thinks she’s having early contractions, we have to go home,” he hurries, making her panic a bit. 

“But she still has a month left?” 

He sighs, “I know, we’ve gotta get home,” he takes her arm in his big hand and starts tugging her away from Spencer and towards the door, she’s too worried to stop him, so she doesn’t get a chance to say goodbye. 

—

He used to hate the colour of his eyes. 

He thought the deep chocolate was too close to the darkness of his pupil, making him have a dead stare that frightened people. The Reid Effect, as some called it when he made people uncomfortable; babies cry and dogs barked. It was annoying. 

But Andy had such beautiful brown eyes… somehow her eyes absorbed the light in the room making them glow like honey, he wanted to dive right into the pot.

She plagued his mind from the moment he met her, it was a damn shame she left in such a hurry. She stole his heart and her dad drove the getaway car, he felt like he’d never see her again, he yearned for her smile, her touch, the way she smelled like citrus and vanilla… he thanked God for his eidetic memory that day because if he closed his eyes it was like he could see her again. 

Which wasn’t actually as good as it cracked up to be. 

Especially when he spent a lot of his job travelling, which meant sleeping in front of others, including her father. This was the worst yet best thing that’s ever happened to him. It was a chance to perfect his poker face, to think outside the box and charm his way out of situations. He had to learn how to lie convincingly, he had to disarm people with his mind seeing as he didn’t have a gun to carry. 

It was embarrassing but not as bad as what just happened… 

He’s sitting in the little 2x2 plane washroom, head in his hands, borderline crying with embarrassment. He hasn’t had a wet dream since he was 13, and yet he couldn’t stop thinking about the way she tied his bowtie. The feeling of her so close was exhilarating, he relieved it in his dream, only this time she was tying his hands to the bed, shirtless, her boobs in his face while she straddled his chest… it was so good and then he realized he was asleep. 

On the jet.

In front of his co-workers. 

And his muse’s father. 

He wanted to flush himself down the airplane toilet and yeet himself towards the ground without a parachute. 

“Spence?” JJ knocked on the door, “are you okay in there?” 

“Perfect,” he mumbles and rolls his eyes. “I’m fine, I’ll be out soon!” 

“Okay, I was worried, everyone's asleep and you shot up like something was wrong?” 

He gathers himself and sighs, he has his shirt untucked, hung over his dark pants so she can’t see the drying wet patch he’s so ashamed of. He’ll hold his bag over it when he gets back to his spot, it’s not too bad. 

“You know those dreams where you’re about to pee in the dream and you wake up extremely last minute?” He lies. 

“They’re the worst, I have them all the time but at the lake… I don’t get it?” She overshares, making him feel a bit more relaxed. 

“I’m all good now, thanks tho,” he walks past her and returns to his seat. He places his bag back on his lap and his pillow on the side of his seat to lean his head against, watching as JJ wanders back to her spot at the back. 

Crisis averted, but he had a new problem. 

He’s seen photos of Andrea in Hotch’s office, he’s asked questions and listened to every answer. And his mind stored everything. Like filing cabinets full of folders, he had a new one called Andy. He’s always thought she was cool from Hotch’s stories, she won the softball championship in her junior year and then graduated early at 16. Now she’s at Georgetown studying psychology… he’s always wanted to meet her. He’s always thought she was pretty and cool. 

Her reputation has set such a standard in his mind that he never expected her to be this nice. At least not to him… She was a bit more than nice. Flirty even. So this was the last thing he wanted when he finally did meet her. 

She was like a myth. Everyone his age talked about her, how they saw her at the cop bars and at college parties in town. She was the life of every party, every guy and most girls wanted to get with her, but she never dated anyone affiliated with the FBI or law enforcement in general.  Mostly because her dad scared the shit out of everyone so no one really asked, but also because she wouldn’t say yes even if they did. 

She had 1 boyfriend, years ago, her father scared him off by playing her birth video. The downstairs view. You can’t really look at a girl the same way when you’ve seen her come out of her mother… but as Hotch said, it was the perfect form of contraception. 

He stopped talking to her after that, and she stopped bringing boys home. 

For a while, Hotch wore it as a badge of honour, thinking it was good that boys didn’t want to go around his little girl anymore. Then she started acting out. She was so scared of his opinion that she rather sneak out to be with boys he’d probably hate instead of bringing home one he’d like. 

When they land, Gideon meets them on the tarmac with a new case, they all make their way back up to the 6th floor, quiet and slugging their feet as Hotch looks through the folder. “It’s not too bad. We’ll go tomorrow morning, I need to go home for at least 4 hours.”

“I never got a chance to ask, but how’s Haley?” Spencer asks in the elevator, causing Derek and Gideon to turn with suspicion. 

“She’s okay, it was just Braxton Hicks contractions, but the baby is measuring so big at 32 weeks. They want her to start bed rest,” Hotch explains, “she’s not happy about it. She’s not listening to the doctors cause she’s nesting, but hopefully, when Andy is back home she can convince Haley to sit down.”

“Is she almost done with the semester?” Spencer wonders. 

He nods, “surprised you didn’t ask her the other night.” 

“She asked most of the questions,” he admits with a blush. 

“She’s a ballbuster,” Derek teases. “Don’t get any ideas, she doesn’t date agents. She’s never said yes to any of the guys who’ve asked.” 

“As they shouldn’t, she’s a teenager,” Aaron's ‘dad side’ came out. 

“She’s 19,” Gideon corrects him. “3 years older than you were when you had her and the longer you forget that the higher the chances are she is going to date someone you don’t like just to spite you.” 

Spencer’s heart sank. 

What if that was the reason she was so flirty… what if Hotch went home every night and complained about the know-it-all kid who wouldn’t shut up at work?

“And maybe if you were a bit more interested in Stephen’s life, he’d stop doing things to spite you,” Hotch fought back. Pushing through them as the door opened so he could leave first. 

“Don’t date his daughter,” Gideon warned. 

“The worst thing that could happen is that he becomes your father-in-law,” Derek pats his shoulder and runs off after Hotch. 

“I couldn’t get her even if I tried,” he mumbled to himself, fixing his bag, he hurried from the elevator with shame filling his entire being. 

Her being home from college, meant she would be around more. 

Her being around more meant that he’d get to know her. 

Getting to know her means eventually missing her… missing her leads to longing and longing leads to desperation. 

He Really didn’t need to fall for her. 

But he was going to.

This was going to be one cruel summer.

Permanent tag list 

@goldensonlyangel @doctorspenceryeet @samuel-de-champagne-problems @reiding-recs @shemarmooresfedora @manuosorioh @mochionly @jswessie187 @k-k0129 @blanchardsbk @measure-in-pain @dreams-in-blxck @doc-padfoot @nomajdetective @xoxospencerreid @mggswhorificlover @dinonuggets1967 @meganskane @kya-li @reidsbookclub @muffin-cup @one-sweet-gubler @shirleyrose @reidsacademia @this-is-doctor-and-its-calm @spooky-goob @strawberryspence @thatsonezesty13 @lonewolf471 @a-mended-pact @ssa-uglywhore27 @hotchandspencearedilfs @venomsvl 

@fightingdragonswithreid @mortallythoughtfulgurl @bohemianrhapsody86 @allybatch @crypticcorvidinacottage @reidslibrarybook @mrsobrien888 @malindacath @simplyparker @gspenc @spenciesprincess @mrskatpotter @starrylang 

@hotched @mrs-dr-reid @wander-lustbabe @scargarcia-magshotchner @reidselle @probablycryingg @stillsleepynat @ncsls0515 

#spencer reid #spencer reid smut #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #spencer reid self insert #spencer reid request #criminal minds smut #criminal minds imagine

[whiskeynwriting]

You Can Look

Javier Peña x Female Reader

◆

1k Follower Celebration

◆

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: 18+ (minors DNI) mention of female masturbation, kissing, age gap, semi-flirty Javi, soft baby boy Javi

◆

A/N: this request was sent in through DM by @thesleepingmusicneek, with fluffy prompt #14. My love, I hope I did your fluffy Javi vision justice <3

1/3 posts tonight, nearing the last of this celebration. It’s only taken a month lmao

◆

Javier Peña Masterlist

Join My Taglist!

◆

It was really strange, interacting with him in this way, but not for the fact that you didn’t like it. Up until this point, nothing even close to this was happening. At best, there were stolen glances, sometimes catching the other’s wandering eyes. There were times where Javier would hold his gaze for a moment longer before looking away, but that’s as spicy as anything got. At night, and sometimes even on break, you let your imagination do the rest. That’s actually what had been happening when this whole event occurred, you sitting alone in the breakroom, letting your imagination fill in all the blanks…

“Oh shit,”

You’d immediately shoved your skirt down, readjusting the fabric of your legs as you sat back in your seat. The door hadn’t been locked – rookie mistake on your end. Most everyone had left for lunch, going out to get a quick bite being that it was Friday. And usually, you would’ve joined them, if Javier wasn’t looking especially attractive today.

He stopped when he heard your words, the door then fully open as he raised a brow.

“I scare you?”

“No,” you breathed out, a shy smile on your face. Your hands smoothed back your hair as you glanced down at your lap. “No, um, why… why are you here?”

He turned around, that same doubtful eyebrow higher than the other. He gestured to the small kitchenette.

“We’re on break…” he said as if it were obvious, and it was, or at least it should have been. But in your lust-hazed mind, it could’ve been midnight for all you knew.

“Right, I just mean… everyone else is gone.”

“Yeah,” he shrugged, turning back around to open up the refrigerator. “Didn’t feel like eating out today. Besides, I brought my own lunch anyway.”

He’d pulled out a brown bag and tossed it on the table in front of you, plopping down in a chair on the other side. Your breaths were still heavy, your face appearing somewhat flush. He’d continued to scan your features, wondering why you looked so… disheveled.  

And apparently, his gaze didn’t go unnoticed, because as soon as he got to your top, you looked down, too. There was a button undone, one that exposed your cleavage quite outwardly, and once your eyes found it, too, your hands immediately flew up to fix it. Javier had jumped a little in his seat, coughing out an embarrassed breath as he averted his gaze elsewhere.

You suppose that’s where it started, him seeing your upper button undone. And you really hadn’t noticed it, the fact of it embarrassing you endlessly. What was even more embarrassing was when it happened again after break when you were summarizing case schedules with a coworker. You’d noticed the button had slipped open again, your fingers quickly fumbling to pull it back into place. It was starting to annoy you, and your outward huff of irritation didn’t go unnoticed. In fact, it almost made Javier stare even harder, wondering what he could do. He could see how embarrassed it made you, you only wanted to be viewed as a professional, of course. And having your breasts hanging out was not the way to do that.

He'd watched you plop down at your desk in defeat after that. You’d only been working here a few months, and more than half the agents had already hit on you, one of them being bold enough to try a grab at your backside. They quickly found themselves in HR’s office later that very same day. Javier could see how hard you were working, how focused you were and how late you were staying. It was really easy for someone like you, a younger, prettier woman to fall into the role of being eye candy for the office. Not many men around here took women seriously in this type of role, but he could you tell you wanted to be. And he wanted you to know that he saw you that way, too.

“So, um…”

He’d walked up to you later in the day, around three in the afternoon. You glanced up at him, still seated at your desk.

“Here’s a safety pin.”

You furrowed your brow slightly at him, eyes flickering from his to the pin. Carefully, you reached out, taking the pin from the two fingers he’d held it out to you with.

“For what?”

He sighed, shifting his weight and placing both hands on his hips. He quickly gestured to your top before placing to hand back on his belt.

“That stubborn button on your blouse right there.” And then his heartrate picked up, eyes going slightly wide. “I didn’t look directly at your chest, I promise!”

He’d made sure to keep his voice down, not wanting to draw attention. Immediately, he worried if you thought little of him, if you thought he as lying. But you didn’t, you just smiled. Seeing Javier’s face heat up at his stumbling words and nervous, fidgeting hands made you grin. You’d never seen him so flustered before. Of course, it was no secret that Javier spent over other night with someone new. And while you’d had many interactions with him before, you were always waiting for that womanizing persona to come out. But seeing him like this… maybe that side of him didn’t really exist.

And that’s what led you to where you are now, currently seated on Javier’s lap in the back of his Jeep. Both of you decided to stay late, working on separate files while slowly but surely making your way towards each other. You both decided to stay at his, swinging your chair over and claiming you needed his opinion on some random report. And it was nice, being so close to him and finally opening up to him. He'd eventually lit a cigarette, getting comfortable enough to even open up to you about his own life. And when he smiled, it was the biggest one you'd ever seen on him, taking a quick drag before it grew on his face at some silly joke you'd told. For months now, you felt like there could be something more between you two but were never fully sure. And Javier felt the same, but he always wanted to keep you at a distance; he knew how much your career meant to you.

But when you both decided you were ‘too tired’ to go on, that you needed to go home and get some rest, you headed out to your cars. It only took a few words for you to end up in his car.

“Do you still want me to have this safety pin on, Javi?” you ask, deciding to be bold as his lips hurriedly return to yours.

Both of Javier’s hands hold onto your sides, sliding down to rest on your hips.

“You don’t have to, baby.” He sighs, looking up into your eyes with a grin. “You know, I really wasn’t looking earlier, when I gave that to you.”

“I know you weren’t,” you return, leaning in to kiss to the tip of his nose. “But if you want to, it’s okay. You can look.”

Thank you for reading <3

#1k followers celebration #Javier Peña #Javi Peña #Narcos #Pedro Pascal #pedro pascal character fanfic