#but the snow gripped my tires and pulled them in the opposite direction i was trying to go.. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dameronscopilot · 2 years

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check, please!

Dmitri Antonov x f!reader

Summary: When Joyce and Murray finally reconvene with Hopper in the Russian prison, the group—with the help of Dmitri—manages to force the bloodthirsty Demogorgon back into its cage. Taking advantage of the confused chaos unraveling in the building, they escape, seeking temporary refuge at Dmitri’s apartment. His remaining time in Russia is short-lived, so Dmitri opts to spend his last evening in the country paying a visit to the one bright spot in his life—the pretty girl that works at the diner downstairs.

Rating: 18+ EXPLICIT

Word Count: 6k Content: NSFW, smut, porn with a little bit of plot, oral sex, unprotected p in v, creampies, spanking, spit kink, daddy kink, choking, soft!dom dmitri, rough sex, dirty talk, anal sex, knife kink, squirting

When you pull back slightly for air, nearly gasping, he steadies you, and you ask him boldly, “Are you coming in?” He cups the side of your face, caressing your bottom lip with his thumb as his gaze flicks from your eyes to your lips, and he nods. “Please”

Dmitri swipes his keys from their usual spot on the small, rusty hook inside of his locker in the staff break room, thankful that he had long since made it a habit not to carry them while on duty (after several other guards had suffered the misfortune of being slyly pickpocketed by prisoners). The other various odds and ends inside of his locker had likely been dumped immediately after his traitorous secret had been discovered—probably unceremoniously tossed in the incinerator—but the small keyring had luckily escaped unscathed, and it was the only thing he would have missed, anyway.

Making his way back out into the hallway, Dmitri hastily ushers Hopper, Joyce, and Murray in the direction of the exit doors and then toward a dark green SUV sitting in the parking lot. They all pile in, and he momentarily glances at himself in the rearview mirror, taking in the exhausted expression lingering on his face before turning the key in the ignition, pulling out onto the main road, and slamming his foot down on the gas pedal as hard as the snow-covered motorway will allow.

A tense silence hangs in the air, punctuated only by the sounds of their chattering teeth and Murray’s fumbling attempts to get the heat going from his spot in the passenger seat. Joyce eventually pipes up from the back, “So uh…Enzo, right? Where exactly are we going?”

A car coming from the opposite direction passes by, and Dmitri tightens his grip on the steering wheel. He responds tightly, “My apartment. We’ll be there in just under an hour, so please do try to keep your reunion festivities in my backseat to…a minimum,” vaguely flourishing a hand in she and Hopper’s direction.

Hopper coughs, and Joyce crinkles her nose and asks, “But isn’t your apartment the first place that someone would come looking for you?”

Dmitri meets her gaze in the rearview and smirks, “Now what makes you think I would let a place like that keep my real address on file?”

The car settles back into a tentative, uneasy silence, which remains until they arrive in the small, nondescript town that Dmitri calls home. After parking behind his building, Dmitri leads the Americans down a hallway, up a flight of stairs, and to the familiar, faded red door of his apartment. His hands shake ever so slightly as he inserts the key into the lock, turns the handle, and flicks the lights on—part of him was certain he’d never see this place again. Not that he could stay here now, though, anyway. His false address would only give him a head start against potential retribution from the prison, but if he remained in Russia, they’d find him sooner or later.

Despite the looming sense of dread, Joyce convinces everyone that showers are in order before anything else. Dmitri isn’t sure if it’s for the woman’s own sake or if she’s just grown tired of the sight and smell of their dirty, bloody, appearances, but either way he’s thankful to be afforded a bit of time alone, nearly drowning himself under the hot stream of water.

Afterward, once he’s picked through the back of his closet for various odds and ends that are at least partially suitable for his guests to wear in place of their filthy clothes, Dmitri casually suggests that they head to the diner below his apartment to strategize over food and coffee as he runs a thumb over a faded, torn piece of receipt paper in his pocket with a heart drawn on the back of it. And if he has ulterior motives that involve seeing a familiar, comforting face in the wake of the worst night of his life, well, they don’t need to know that.

---

The jingling of the bell above the diner door jolts you out of the daze that you had been lost in, having spent the better part of the last hour leaning against the counter attempting to stave off sleep—it was an uncharacteristically slow evening. You straighten up, hand automatically reaching for your faded yellow notepad and your favorite blue pen, and your heart leaps in your chest when a pair of familiar blue eyes meets yours. Your favorite regular has arrived with three companions in tow.

Originally from Chicago, you’ve spent the past two months in Russia as a part of your graduate studies. In that time, Enzo’s caffeine habits have become a daily staple of your shifts. The night that you met—your first shift—you’d somehow managed to get his fairly simple order of coffee and toast entirely backwards. Your program here, which is a remote offshoot of your school back in Illinois, is in English, and your meager attempts at studying conversational Russian before packing your bags and hopping on a plane certainly left something to be desired. Though you had initially thought you could string together enough competency to get by as a waitress for a few months, your mortification in that moment whilst you accidentally sputtered an apology in English had left you poised to run on foot to the nearest airport. However, the annoyed reply you were waiting to hear from the man you were serving never came. Instead, Enzo’s eyes had crinkled at the corners in amusement as he chuckled, pulled a pen out of his pocket, grabbed a napkin, and wrote out the Russian words from his order in the English alphabet for you.

After that, Enzo made it a goal to teach you something in Russian every time that he came in, kindly coaxing you on your pronunciation of the letters and words while watching you intently over the rim of his coffee cup with a gleam in his eyes. When you’d get something right, he’d reward you with a grin that made your knees weak; it was something you were almost embarrassed to admit you’d grown to shamelessly savor each day. In return, you’d started writing things on the back of his receipts in Russian—it was normally small, inconsequential nonsense, but the soft look it always brought to his face when he glanced down at it on his way out would leave you feeling warm long after he left. Sometimes you'd even been brave enough to doodle little hearts in lieu of words, though you didn't dare look to see his reaction to those.

Now, Enzo’s face lights up as his eyes gently take you in, and he gives you a little wave before he heads over to his usual booth in the back corner with his companions. Your pulse quickens in response under the brief scrutiny of his friendly gaze as you make your way toward their table.

When you approach, you notice that the others are conversing in English, and you raise an eyebrow in Enzo’s direction. Shrugging, the corners of his lips tug upwards, and he says by way of greeting, “I figured you could use a break from the language lessons tonight.”

After you bring them a round of coffees, Enzo introduces you to his company: Hopper, Joyce, and Murray, who are apparently visiting Russia from Hawkins, Indiana. Excited by this information, you explain that you’re from Illinois. One of the men, Hopper, chokes on his drink, prompting Joyce to frantically begin patting his back in concern.

“You’re American?” Hopper asks, eyes wide.

You tilt your head to the side, uncertain why the news is so surprising to him. “Yes…?”

Wiping his face with a napkin, he pointedly looks at Enzo this time as he flatly states, “She’s American.”

Enzo takes a deep breath, flicking a glance up at the ceiling and clenching a fist before replying, “She is.”

A shit-eating grin makes its way across Hopper’s face, and he offers up his best impersonation of Enzo’s accent, “Oh, so it’s fine when YOU have an American woman—” Hopper is cut off by a loud bang from underneath the table, and he grunts in pain, scowling as he reaches down to rub his shin. You snort and busy yourself by collecting their food orders.

Recognizing that Enzo and his friends are wrapped up in what must be a serious conversation, heads bent together over the table as they murmur in hushed tones, you focus on cleaning and serving other customers. You try to ignore the warmth that blooms in your chest every time that you discreetly steal a glance over at their table, only to find Enzo’s steady gaze already on you.

Two rowdy men make their way into the diner, collapsing into a booth in a fit of boisterous laughter, and you groan inwardly. You finish topping off Murray’s coffee, and as you turn to put the pot away so you can begrudgingly serve your new arrivals, you’re stopped by a hand wrapping loosely around your wrist. You turn around and look down at Enzo, whose eyes flick over to the men before giving you a silent, questioning look.

You brush your pinky over his thumb as you steel yourself and say, “I’ll be fine.”

Twenty-five minutes into serving the two men, and you’re far from fine. Both of them reek of alcohol, and after hearing the non-native slips of your tongue when you took their order in Russian, they had since begun making suggestive hand gestures while jeering at you with words you had yet to learn. One quick glance at Enzo out of the corner of your eye tells you all that you need to know about what exactly the men are saying to you; his eyes have darkened dangerously in anger, and if he grips his fork any harder, it’s likely to split in half.

Hoping to hurry them along, you begin to clear out some of their empty plates, but when you go to make your way back to the kitchen, you feel a hand brush against your waist in an attempt to grab you. You yelp in surprise and jump backward, nearly dropping the dishes, just as Enzo smoothly steps in between you and the edge of the table. The men go quiet as Enzo casually picks up a knife and twirls it in his hand for a moment before stabbing it directly into the center of a half-eaten sandwich. You notice Hopper standing a few feet away with his arms crossed, a concerned look on his face. Enzo cooly mutters something at them that you can’t understand, but whatever it is sends them scurrying out of the diner, leaving nothing but their payment and a generous tip in their wake.

You don’t realize that you’re shaking until Enzo turns to look at you and places his hands on your shoulders, steadying you. “Are you alright, солнышко?”

Your heart rate picks up as he uses the nickname you’ve grown to love hearing fall from his lips—sunshine. You try to hide the tremble in your tone as you respond, “I’m alright. Thank you, Enzo.”

Joyce and Murray have come to stand beside Hopper, jackets on and poised to leave. Enzo glances back at them, sighs, and then turns to you once more and asks, “When does your shift end?”

Your eyebrows raise of their own accord at the question. Though an intoxicating tension has slowly been simmering between the two of you inside of the diner day in and day out, neither of you has dared to actually cross that line yet. You tell him, “In an hour, why?”

He shrugs, giving you a small smile as he explains, “You mentioned before that you don’t live far. I’d like to walk you home, if that’s alright.”

You bite your lip to contain the pleased grin that sneaks its way across your face and nod, “Meet me out front.”

Enzo’s friends bid you farewell and make their way out the door, a gust of snowflakes and cold air flying inside as they exit.

---

As promised, when you shrug into your coat and slip outside an hour later, you spy Enzo leaning against the brick wall of the building with his hands in his pockets, gazing over at you with a thoughtful expression. As you approach, he pushes off of the wall and offers you his arm. And if you happen to lean into his warmth a bit closer than necessary as you begin to walk, he doesn’t seem to mind.

The walk is regretfully short, just a few blocks, and the two of you make your way down the deserted sidewalk in a comfortable silence. When you arrive at the door to your apartment, Enzo finally speaks up, “I’m going to be going away for a while, back to the United States with the people you just met. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, but I wanted to thank you for your company these past couple of months. I admittedly did not actually drink coffee that frequently before I met you.” He scratches the back of his head as he laughs weakly.

Your chest begins to ache at the implication of his words. You place a hand on the junction between his shoulder and his neck and lean in, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek and murmuring, “I’ll miss you, Enzo.”

He slides a hand over yours, holding you in place before you can step backward, and his warm lips graze the shell of your ear as he whispers, “Dmitri. Call me Dmitri.” His other hand slides down to rest on your waist, and he shifts to lean his forehead against yours.

You feel the caress of his breath as it makes its way across the infinitesimal space between you, and you close the distance as you quietly speak his real name against his lips, “Dmitri.”

A small sound escapes his mouth in response, and Dmitri crushes his lips against yours, both of his hands slipping inside of your jacket to pull you flush against him. Whatever dam was standing in between the two of you before breaks open now in a flood of heat and desperation. Dmitri’s tongue dances at the seams of your lips and you open your mouth to give him access. You wrap your arms around him, holding him tight as you let him devour you with his lips, tongue sliding against yours warmly. You bite his lip and he chuckles, kissing the corners of your mouth before slotting your lips together again, and you dare to push your lower half against him, a whimper building in the back of your throat as he responds in kind, grinding against you.

When you pull back slightly for air, nearly gasping, he steadies you, and you ask him boldly, “Are you coming in?”

He cups the side of your face, caressing your bottom lip with his thumb as his gaze flicks from your eyes to your lips, and he nods. “Please”

You struggle to pull your keys from your pocket, eager to feel his lips against yours once more. When you reach out to place the key in the lock, you nearly fumble as Dmitri snakes his arms around you from behind. He kisses you squarely on the back of your neck, and you shiver in response.

Once you’re inside, you stumble through the threshold, barely finding the time to flick the lights and toss your jacket in the direction of the hook before your chest is pressed up against the wall. Dmitri kneels down on the floor behind you, running his hands up and down your stocking-clad legs before slipping his hands under your skirt to knead your ass.

Pressing kisses to the backs of your knees, he drawls, “Beautiful girl, you always drive me crazy with this uniform.”

Dmitri grips your left ankle and pulls it outward to spread your legs further apart as he teasingly runs a finger over your cunt, dick beginning to ache when he feels the dampness soaking through your panties and the stockings. Lust clouding your brain, your response falls from your lips before you can think better of it, “Sometimes, I like to imagine you bending me over the front counter, lifting up my skirt, ripping a hole in my stockings, and fucking me where everyone can see.”

“Naughty girl,” he groans, rising up and pulling you flush against him. He undoes several of the buttons of your uniform shirt while kissing and sucking on the tender spot between the bottom of your left earlobe and the corner of your jaw. You gasp as he slips a cool hand inside of your bra, cupping one of your breasts and running his thumb over a hard nipple, and you press your ass into him in response. Feeling the outline of what’s undoubtedly a large cock straining against the seam of Dmitri’s pants, your mouth begins to water at the thought of him slowly stretching your cunt open with it before fucking you relentlessly.

You breathe out, “I hope you plan on fucking me with this tonight,” running a hand over his dick and squeezing.

Dmitri chokes out a response that’s caught between a moan and a laugh, “I hope that your pretty little pussy can handle my cock, princess,” bringing a hand back down under your skirt and smirking when he sees that your arousal has begun leaking down the inside of your thighs.

He turns you around, kissing you deeply, fucking your mouth with his tongue, and his jacket falls to the ground as you pull it off of him. He unbuttons the rest of your shirt, and you let out a breathy little gasp as he untucks it from your skirt, pausing to squeeze your hips firmly in his large hands. Tossing your top to the side, he marvels at the way your breasts spill out of your bra before reaching behind you to unclasp it. Dmitri leans in, and you run your hands through his hair, panting as he traces circles with his tongue before starting to suck on your nipples.

A small sound of surprise leaves your mouth as Dmitri’s strong hands return to your ass, giving a quick squeeze as he begins to hoist you up, and you wrap your legs around his waist. You both kick off your shoes, and he carries you toward the kitchen, placing you down on the edge of the island. His eyes scan the room for a moment, considering, and he squeezes your thigh briefly before walking toward the sink. He returns a moment later, a knife in his hands, and you bite your lip to stifle a gasp as you realize what he’s about to do. Bunching your skirt up around your waist, he carefully trails the dull side of the blade up the inside of your thighs and then slides the curved tip of the handle over your hot core, sending another jolt of desire through your body. He gazes at you for a moment before he opens your legs wide and pulls the stockings outward at the junction between your thighs. You hear the sound of tearing fabric, and then he puts the knife down.

A sob of pleasure falls from your lips as he uses the new hole he just made to push aside your panties and slide a single callused finger through your dripping folds. You whine at the loss of contact as he pulls his hand away, placing his now glistening finger in his mouth and sucking it clean. Your pussy aches for more stimulation, and you unconsciously buck your hips upward toward him. Dmitri smirks and tuts, “Patience.”

He leans in to kiss you deeply, swallowing your moans as you feel two thick fingers sliding against your hot core. He plunges one inside with a wet squelch, slowly pumping a finger in and out of your needy cunt. He bites your lip, sucking on it for a moment before letting go, leaning his forehead against yours, and murmuring appreciatively, “So wet, you lovely girl. Is this all for me?”

You nod, unable to do anything but pant and moan as picks up his pace and inserts another thick finger. Entranced by the sight of your arousal pooling out of your wet, sloppy cunt all over your stockings and onto the counter beneath you, Dmitri palms himself roughly over his pants before leaning down to taste you. You cry out in pleasure as he grabs your ass with either hand and buries his face in your cunt, eagerly fucking his tongue into your hole like a man starved. You allow him to continue to hungrily lap at your folds for a few more moments before you’re overcome by the need to feel his cock splitting you open, and you grab his hair, pulling him in for a filthy kiss, tasting yourself on his lips.

Clad only in your rumpled skirt and your torn, soaked stockings, your breasts bounce as you slide down off of the island. Dmitri watches you intently as you kneel down on the floor in front of him, taking your time to remove his belt and unbutton his pants. He cups the back of your head as you pull his thick, leaking cock out of his boxers. A strangled moan escapes Dmitri’s throat when you spit on his dick, pumping it with one hand as you cup his balls with another.

Dmitri grunts in pleasure as you put your lips on his cock, licking and sucking at the tip. You run your tongue up and down it before eventually taking him whole into your mouth, tears pricking at the corner of your eyes as his dick hits the back of your throat. Feeling his hand still resting gently against your hair, you push back against it. His eyes widen a fraction as he realizes what you want him to do, and you look up at him, squeezing the backs of his thighs in affirmation before he begins fucking your mouth. A line of drool begins to spill down the side of your mouth, and when you slip a hand under your skirt to play with your aching cunt, Dmitri has to fight not to shoot spurts of hot cum down your throat right then and there.

“If we don’t stop now, your pretty little lips are going to be dripping with my cum, sweetheart,” Dmitri breathes out, voice wrecked.

You pull your mouth off of his dick with a pop and look up at him, a challenge in your eyes as you say, “You’d better get your cock inside of me, then.”

He asks you huskily, “You want me to fuck you like this? Right here?”

You nod, and a feral sound leaves his mouth as he pulls his dick out of your mouth and bends down to pull you to your feet. He turns you around so you’re bent over the counter, and you hear a tearing noise as he rips the hole in your stockings even wider. You whine, and he leans his body into yours, pinning you down and pressing your face down sideways against the counter as he nips at your earlobe and whispers in your ear, “Such a dirty little girl. Look at you, your messy little pussy is dripping everywhere, begging to be filled. Do you want to feel my fat cock inside of you?”

Your response is drowned out by the shameless moan that falls from your lips unbidden when he lazily begins to pump his fingers in and out of your cunt again.

“I need to hear you say it, солнышко,” he says calmly, voice a direct contrast to the way his fingers are eagerly fucking into you.

“Please fuck me, daddy.”

The last word comes out before you can stop yourself, and a depraved, feral noise rumbles in Dmitri’s throat as he kicks your legs wider apart, pushes your panties aside, and slides his thick, leaking cock inside of you, reveling in the way your tight pussy clamps down on him. You grip for purchase on the counter as Dmitri stretches you open. Your hard nipples rub against the cool countertop as his hips snap to yours in a brutal pace, and his balls wetly slap against your ass as he bottoms out in your cunt.

White hot pleasure begins to build inside of you as you Dmitri fucks you harder, and you both brokenly moan in unison. He reaches a hand around your waist, and with the added stimulation of his deft fingers on your clit, the peak of your pleasure hits you like a freight train. Your palms skid along the counter as your vision goes black at the edges, and you cum so hard it leaks all over Dmitri’s cock as he roughly fucks you through your orgasm.

Your lust-addled mind supplies another unspoken part of your aforementioned fantasy, one that you now desperately want, and you smoothly push him off of you and turn around to kneel down in front of him again. You lick your cum off of his cock, sucking and pumping it briefly before pulling off, leaving your lips parted slightly as you stare up at him with a needy, inviting gaze, looking absolutely debauched with your glossy lips and smudged eyeliner. He groans in pleasure when he understands what you want him to do, reaching down to fist himself, pumping his cock roughly until thick spurts of cum are shooting out of it, splattering all over your waiting face and tits.

After he comes down from his orgasm, he shuffles off for a moment in the direction of your washroom. He returns with a warm, wet rag, and he kneels down in front of you as he gently wipes his cum off of you. Something tugs in your chest as he puts the soiled cloth aside and kisses you tenderly on the nose, on your cheek, and then on your lips. Dmitri scoops you into his arms, carrying you toward the door that he assumes is your bedroom.

When you reach your bed, he leans down to pull the covers back, placing you down into the bed and taking off your skirt, stockings, and underwear, tossing them to the ground. You reach up to pull his shirt over his head, adding it to the pile, and he removes his boxers and pants before sliding in between the sheets naked beside you.

You’re not sure how much time passes as you lay there, both on your sides and staring at one another in the dim light washing over your bed from the lone street lamp outside. He lovingly traces a finger from your shoulder blade, to your eyebrows, down your nose, and across your jaw line. In return, you run a hand through his hair, and his eyes close in contentment.

Eventually, Dmitri brushes a finger over your bottom lip, and you grasp his wrist, opening your mouth to begin sucking on it. His eyes shoot open as you bob on his finger, and he inserts another, his gaze turning heated as drool leaks out of your mouth and down his hand. You brush a hand over your stiffening nipples, moaning softly, and he cups your breasts as he leans over to lick into your waiting mouth.

Pushing himself up slightly so that he’s leaning down over you, Dmitri tilts your chin to look into his eyes as he purrs, “Are you going to behave for daddy?”

You nod, your cunt clenching down around nothing, and you can feel sticky, wet arousal beginning to leak down the inside of your thighs again. Dmitri smirks, moving his hand down to grip at your throat, tightening his grip when you moan in response.

“Open,” he rasps.

Without hesitation, you comply, and a shiver goes down your spine as he mutters, “Good girl,” before hooking his thumb over the edge of your lips. He slides the digit deep enough along the inside of your cheek to make you gag slightly before leaning down to roughly spit into your mouth. Obediently, you swallow it, and Dmitri hums in pleasure.

You reach for his hardening cock, stroking it as you push him onto his back and climb on top, straddling him. Dmitri runs his hands over your hips, praises falling from his lips as you slide your soaked cunt up and down along his fat cock. He bites his lip and throws his head back in pleasure, gripping your hips tightly when you line yourself up and finally sink down onto him.

Dmitri gazes at you with hooded eyes as you eagerly ride him, licking his lips as he takes in the way your breasts bounce with each thrust. You catch him staring, and you lean down to capture his lips in a bruising kiss, pulling back slightly to whisper against his mouth, “Fill me up with your cum, Dmitri.”

He growls, and before you know what’s happening, you find yourself on all fours with Dmitri behind you. He slams his dick into you from behind, and you choke out a wail of pleasure. He spreads your ass cheeks apart, marveling at the sight of his dick sliding in and out of your pussy. His thumb brushes over your other tight hole and you moan loudly, pushing back onto his dick desperately. He grins, beginning to rub the hole, and you whine in response, wiggling your hips and nearly panting in frustration. Dmitri spits, generously spreading it around the rim before slowly pressing a finger inside as he continues to relentlessly fuck your cunt.

“Do you like when I fuck you like this, солнышко? Like daddy’s little whore?” He asks, a strangled edge to his voice.

You nod and cry out, “Please, yes. Fuck me harder, Dmitri.”

He groans, bringing a hand down hard against one of your ass cheeks, and your pussy clenches down harder on his dick at the pleasurable stinging sensation. He smacks you two more times, and you press back into him, urging him to go deeper. Dmitri wraps a hand around your throat as he pushes you down flush against the bed, fucking you roughly into the mattress.

Grasping your hips, Dmitri pulls you back onto all fours to shove his cock deeper inside of you, moaning when he sees how coated his dick is in your sopping wet slick as he pulls out slightly. He feels your legs begin to tremble as heat builds inside of you, nearly reaching a crest, and flips you onto your back.

He grips your throat, and—dizzy and desperate with pleasure—your mouth falls open. His eyes widen a fraction, and he grins before leaning down to spit inside of it. You swallow, and he hungrily watches the bob of your throat as he slides his dick back into your cunt and begins hammering into you again. Without warning, the heat that had slowly been creeping through you explodes, and you don’t even have the energy to feel embarrassed as clear fluid gushes out of your cunt.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he pants out as he watches you messily squirt all over his cock and balls, and moments later, he cries out as his dick pulses with his own orgasm. You hold him fast against you, milking his cock as he dumps a heavy load of thick, hot cum inside of your pussy. You whine at the loss of contact when he pulls his softening cock out of you and watch as he spreads your legs apart and leans down in front of you to lap at the cum that’s messily pouring out of your cunt, leaking all over yourself and the sheets, before eventually crawling back up to hold you gently in his arms, praising you and whispering sweet nothings into your ears.

---

You wake up the next morning to the feeling of something thick and hard slowly grinding between your ass cheeks and quiet moans from behind you. Dmitri’s hands trails across your naked body, cupping your breasts and teasing your nipples. Biting your lip, you angle his cock against your folds to show him the slick that’s already begun to gather there.

“So eager for me,” he remarks, using your arousal to allow his cock to wetly slide between your ass cheeks. The head of it catches on the tight ring of muscle there, and you gasp, eagerly pressing back against him, silently asking for more. At that, Dmitri flips you over so you’re face down, and he roughly palms your cheeks as he slides his dick along the crevice of your ass.

Dmitri leans forward, bare chest brushing against your back as he whispers into your ear, “You want my cock in your ass, dirty girl?”

“Please, Dmitri,” you beg him as you reach an arm out to pull open your night stand, tossing him a bottle of lubricant. He chuckles darkly, popping it open and spreading a generous amount over your hole as he carefully begins to work you open, finger by finger.

When he finally pushes his thick, lube-covered cock into your ass, a feral moan punches out of him and you nearly black out in pleasure; you feel so full you want to scream. He begins to pump in and out of you at a torturous, leisurely pace, folding himself over you to bite and suck on the side of your neck while he plays with your breasts. Desperate, needy moans pour from your lips at the hot, wet, filthy slide of his dick in your tight hole, and you reach a hand down to your untouched cunt. Dmitri notices and bats your hand away, replacing it with his large, thick fingers. A low, rough grunt leaves his mouth as he pumps them inside of you, feeling you dripping into his palm. Your back arches and your muscles tighten as the smoldering heat in your abdomen takes you over the edge, your pussy clenching on Dmitri’s hands and cum flooding out as he holds you tight through your intense orgasm.

He pants into your ear, “Daddy’s going to fill your ass up with his cum now, princess,” and he hammers into you so hard that you see stars. His dick twitches inside of you as he reaches his peak, and you can feel it as he begins to ejaculate inside of your ass, roughly fucking pools of his hot cum into your tight hole. When he pulls it out of you, you can feel his sticky seed leaking out of your ass and over the backs of your thighs, and your body shakes in pleasure as you feel his tongue begin to prod and lap at your fucked out hole.

“You’re so fucking perfect,” he whispers afterward, pulling you close.

THREE MONTHS LATER

While you had been tempted to follow Dmitri back to America, the cost and effort you had already put into your studies in Russia prevented you from leaving until you were finished three months later. Now, you’ve been back home in Chicago for two weeks, and you’ve returned to your post as a teaching assistant at your university. After a long day of grading tests, you’re standing at your desk in your small, private office, shuffling paperwork into your bag as you prepare to head home.

In the days since setting foot back on American soil, you’ve toyed with the idea of taking a road trip to Hawkins, Indiana time and time again to find Dmitri. But each time you go to reach for your luggage to begin packing, you freeze, a small, uncertain part of you mockingly asking what makes you think that night with Dmitri was anything more than a pleasurable, messy fuck for him. Though he hadn’t given you many details, you’d gotten the hint that his decision to leave his country for an undetermined amount of time wasn’t exactly a leisure trip, and it feels borderline presumptuous to imagine yourself pathetically crossing state lines to seek him out.

But now, as you think back to the hushed, intimate moments you had shared before he left, your self-doubt wavers again. After your early morning romp, he had pulled you to him and protectively wrapped his arms around you, and you had fallen asleep to the sound of him adoringly whispering tender phrases that you couldn’t quite understand into your ear. It was that last soft memory, before he had quietly extracted himself from your sheets, pressing a kiss to your lips and murmuring a sad goodbye, that kept you up at night.

“Здрасте, солнышко.” (Hello, sunshine.)

Your thoughts are interrupted by a familiar voice, and you turn your head incredulously toward the source, heart leaping in your chest as you see Dmitri leaning against the doorway, hands in his pockets and a warm smile on his face.

A/N: Please suspend your disbelief, as we're going to momentarily pretend that Dmitri isn't a dad (even though he's definitely a dilf) and also Joyce collectively includes herself in the "from Hawkins" introduction for the sake of simplicity.

Comments, reblogs, and/or asks are always appreciated!

» DMITRI ANTONOV MASTERLIST

#dmitri antonov #enzo stranger things #enzo #enzo x reader #dmitri antonov x reader #stranger things x reader #dee writes

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countrymusiclover · 2 years

Text

13 - Trapping our Girls

Part 14

Hybrid Trainer

@ellora-brekker @bigbendyhorns @fieryflower24 @foundationsretail

My boots crunched in the snow as I decided to take a walk this morning. Owen was out with some guys helping to relocate some dinosaurs. And Claire was watching Jewel and Maisie to make sure something bad didn't happen. Brushing my hair behind my ears I slumped my shoulders closing my eyes. Opening my eyes again my raptor tail swinging slowly. Walking around in the snow I break into a run picking up the scent of something familiar. Following it I find tracks before someone makes a sound of a chirping noise. Lifting my head up I chirped back seeing my sister Blue staring back at me. "It's nice to see you again sister." Blue spoke through my mind until I heard someone waking towards us. Baby Raptor nipped at my leg.

"I can't believe you have a child. How is it?" I asked to her mind before her little raptor chased something out towards the woods so we followed catching the smell of some form of meat. Stopping in my tracks there was a wolf dead in the middle of the clearing but something feels off about this. Normally there would be other animals here already trying to tear it apart. The baby raptor sniffed it before she screamed getting trapped in a net. Blue screeched out running in the opposite direction while I ran away seeing a truck pulling the net into the back. Running through the woods I stopped suddenly transforming back into a human. Gripping the nearest tree to me I gasped seeing the bridge into town. Maisie and Jewel are on their bikes closed in by two vehicles. One of them being the truck that took Blue's baby.

"No...Owen...the girls.." I breathed out breaking into a run as fast as my human form can manage. Claire bursts out the front door catching my tired body in her arms seeing I am in a massive panic. "What's wrong. Y/n, what happened?" A truck pulled up before I whipped my head around seeing Owen get out in a panicked state the same as I am. Breaking from her hold I collapsed into his strong arms staining his shirt with terrified tears. He wrapped his arms around my waist tightly holding me as close as possible. "Would somebody tell me what is happening right now!" Claire bickered in confusion. Owen kept his hold secure on me croaking through his own tears. "They took them...these poacher guys corned Jewel and Maisie on the bridge." Claire covered her mouth with her hands understanding the seriousness of the situation now. If the lab had them then doctor Wu could create more raptor hybrids from Jewels blood.

Bolting inside the house I kicked open the safe grabbing two riffles slinging one over my shoulder. Owen came inside grabbing the other one I had leaned against the wall. "Y/n stop. You can't come with me. Not this time-" He tried grabbing my wrist but I smacked him harshly on his arm feeling more angry tears this time. "It's my fault Owen - I could have stopped the baby raptor from being captured. But I - I failed - and now our daughters - that's on me too!" He takes my hand in his raising his freehand to move hair from my eyes. His green eyes had tears welling in them where he pulled me against his chest. Flinging my arms around his neck I start sobbing again where he ran his fingers through my hair. "Sshh baby...we're gonna get them back. I promise you that, this isn't your fault." He started to say something more but Claire called out having us break apart rushing outside. "Owen, Y/n!"

Halting in my tracks on the porch I sucked in a sharp breath seeing Blue staring right at the three of us. Anger clearly visible when she bared her teeth down wanting to kill somebody for what happened. Owen slowly raised his left hand in the air like he would during training while I followed behind him stepping off the porch. "Hey no!" He warned her watching my movements towards Claire who whispered to me. "Why is she so angry with us?" Locking eyes with my sister she bared her teeth swinging her tail slowly. "They took her kid too." I mumbled under my breath when Blue roared in my face claws sticking out. "I am gonna get her back. I promise you that." Owen said in his Alpha tone right before Blue raised her tail cutting his palm with the tip. Owen winced as Claire gasped before I raised my right hand alongside him. "Blue...lisen okay. We're gonna get her back, I promise.." I whispered where she growled running off quickly towards the woods. Claire stepped up grabbing the truck keys from the porch getting in the driver's seat. Owen grabbed my hand helping me in the backseat with him climbing in the passenger seat. Resting my hands on my stomach I released a breath praying that I wouldn't lose two of my three children.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

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y0ur-h0nor · 3 years

Text

Sweater in the Snow|| Sbi x reader

>•||Chapter 6||•<

Gender Neutral! Reader

|| Please do not steal my work, I work hard in writing them so I appreciate you do not go around stealing my work and claim it as yours||

A/n: This book isn't edited but after I finish this book editing will be in process.

It had been about a week during the encounter of Y/n finding out about the things Dream was doing to Tommy things, if Tommy claimed to be friends with Dream, Why would he blow his stuff up? Tommy had worked hard to get those items!

Y/n was getting wary of Dream, they always seemed like they were walking on eggshells when they visited and Dream was around which was seemingly frequent, they spoke lesser and was less active, usually they'd be running around and giggling about, this behavior was not missed by Dream, he noticed how on edge they were around him.

He had suspected Tommy might have slipped up about what Dream was doing to his stuff, and Dream didn't want that, he expected for Y/n to find out since they were so close to Tommy and they basically kind of live in Logstedshire, but he didn't expect it to be so soon, so he had to quicken up his plan and head to the next step.

But what he had not expected was Tommy planning to hide a secret stash of things he had collected, he was tired of his hard work getting blown up in front of him and he decided to have a secret stash of resources and weapons, he hid it so Dream wouldn't know about it or at least find out (Because you know, it's like buried/ hidden.)

But sometimes things don't exactly go our way, and things end up bad.

Y/n wanted to come over to give Tommy a sweater they had made with their Mother Kristin, when they begged to make Tommy something by their own, Kristin happy to spend time with them and do something together, there were some fails but Kristin was a patient Mother and encouraged her child to not give up.

They gripped on to their backpack straps as they waved they waved goodbye to their Mother earning one back from where they stood getting prepared to teleport, they close their eyes and they float a bit off the ground before they safely go back down, opening their eyes they smile as they teleport into the familiar place, Y/n would often teleport next to where they built the flower garden.

They breath in and exhale and look around looking for Tommy before walking a bit and look around but stop when they see a flash of green, they run over to the familiar green hoodie but stop when they see what Dream was doing there was Tommy but he didn't look happy at all, they saw Dream gripping his axe.

They can't hear him but Tommy was saying something as he tries to reason with Dream with a small smile on his face and eyebrows furrowed, they wanted to come closer and hear what they were saying but their gut told them not to but their brain was saying the opposite, they stay there in place.

Dream had caught Tommy hiding away a secret stash of items and he made a plan to blow it up just like he did with Tommy's other items and maybe teach him a lesson after but the stuff didn't blow up and Tommy got some of the stuff and placed it inside his inventory and clutching his sword in his hand, he watched warily as Dream stood there motionless, it would've been alot more easier if Tommy could read minds so he'd know what Dream was thinking about.

But then Dream took out his bow and aimed it at Tommy, he let out a scream as he scrambled to run away from him, and Dream had followed in suite, both had left and ran in a different direction as Tommy tried not to trip and fall while he ran along side with avoiding the arrows that flew past him.

The child watched in horror as they gripped onto their sweater tight as they shake in fear, they looked up and saw that Tommy and Dream were gone.

Where did they go!?

They looked around before they took a step and took another slow one as their steps gradually went faster as they panicked, they didn't know why Dream was doing all this but they knew it was bad and he shouldn't be doing it but Tommy did nothing!

They looked around when they ran the same direction Tommy and Dream went, they weren't very familiar with this place since they always stayed at either in Sanctuary or at Logstedshire, they started getting tired as they heavily panted.

They went to a stop when they had started seeing snow, their breathing got heavier as they shook their head and repeated the word 'No' over and over again.

Tears had started building up in their eyes as they started getting confused and scared, they pulled down their hat to their head as they took a step back, snow was bringing up bad memories.

Don't let the monster get us!

Scary...

I don't like it..

Daddy..?

...Daddy?

Many voices started speaking.

They furrowed their eyebrows and their tears started falling down their face as they sobbed and hiccuped.

I don't have a Father though...

'Y/n?' an airy voice broke them from their thoughts as they turned around and spotted Ghostbur and Friend 'Ghostbur!' they cried out as they encase Ghostbur in a hug, burying their face in his sweater, 'I want Tommy!' Ghostbur frowned and went to grab some blue and hand it to the child 'Here, have some blue.' he says giving the child a little smile.

They look up at him and sniff, wiping their tears with their sleeve and take the clear crystal and hold it as the it slowly fades into a deep colored blue, they feel a bit better but they turn around to look at the fluff white snow and then turn back around to look at the blue Ghostbur had handed to them.

'I was going to visit Technoblade' They look up at him and tilt their head Tech..noblade?? They must've been a friend of Ghostbur's, 'Tommy..' they whine as their started to get worried once more for their friend.

Ghostbur picks up the child and smiles at them giving them friends' leash to hold 'How about you tell me what hapoend?' Ghostbur gives the child a patient smile and they fiddle with the leash before telling Ghostbur what happend.

Ghostbur said that he thought Dream was scary and if Tommy went in the direction of the tundra, which is where Technoblade lives, he has most likely found his house.

'How about we go to the tundra and check if Tommy's there, if not we can look somewhere else.'

'No! No snow!' the child yells as they cling onto Ghostbur and bury their face in his shoulder.

Ghostbur was worried, they hadn't had this behaviour before, they weren't the kind to be very fussy and Ghostbur didn't know what to do and how to deal with it.

'Ghostbur?'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.1k words.

There will be spelling errors as I mentioned before that I haven't edited it.

Taglist <3

@insanitybuff @v10dw4lk3r @been0va @luluwinchester @woman-soot

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pascalpanic · 3 years

Text

Alpha Beta Charlie- A Frankie Morales Story

Summary: Frankie is a lonely man with a big heart. His life changes when a new girl comes into his life.

W/C: 4.1k

Warnings: This one is a little heavy. Lots of language, talk of poor mental health (Frankie has depression and anxiety), Frankie’s recovering from a coke addiction, alcohol is prevalent here, harm to animals, lots of talk of blood and injuries.

A/N: This story is different than I normally write. There’s no reader in the story, this is just a story about Frankie Morales and a moment in his life. Please note that this is darker as it centers around an injured animal. Be warned of that. P.S. some of my friends might see ur names in here :) thank u to all of my friends who helped me pick Charlie’s name, and to @ilikechocolatemilkh who helped me create this whole story!

Frankie Morales is a kindhearted man. Anyone who meets him knows it instantly. He’s got a wonderful laugh that’s warm and inviting, and it’s often on display to anyone who chats with him for more than a few seconds. He’s caring, it’s clear, with big brown eyes that radiate compassion.

His friends would describe him more as an idiot. Frankie, who they call Catfish from their days in the military, insists that they’re the idiots. He’s the voice of reason in their group, making the rational decisions and de-escalating fights within their group.

That’s not to say Frankie is entirely sunshine and rainbows. He’s now several months sober from a long and grueling addiction to cocaine. It ruined him: it took away his pilot’s license, his everything in life. Flying helicopters was Frankie’s passion, but he’s recovering. He’s on the right track.

He had a girlfriend, who became his fiancée, and left him not long after he returned home from a dangerous mission in South America. It didn’t matter anyway; her child, who Frankie had dedicated all of his heart to before the birth, was revealed to be another man’s. As much as she resented him for taking the mission, he resented her for cheating and lying and holding the information back.

So now Frankie lives on his own. He resides out in a more rural town, not far from where Benny has his weekly fights and Will (also known as Ironhead) works with young military recruits. It’s been a couple of months, and it’s hard to be alone. Santiago pops into town once or twice a month, and it’s always the highlight of Frankie’s very being. His best friend brings light and laughter into his life. When he leaves again, Frankie’s small home feels massive and quiet.

He plays lots of CDs. He has bluetooth speakers all around the home and blasts his favorite songs. He’s learned how to cook and clean and has even learned how to bake a decent, basic version of a nice loaf of bread. He works as a mechanic at a shop in his small town’s center, working the odd hours that no one else wants, the hours where others want to be home with their families.

He’d considered different options to make the house more home-like, more welcoming. He tried his hand at gardening, only to find that he had the opposite of a green thumb. He painted the walls a warmer color, then painted them again. He was currently considering changing the colors for the third time. He’d burn candles that he thought smelled nice. He’d hung up a few photos of him and his friends, or his family. Nothing really worked.

A typical night for Frankie held one of two patterns:

-Night A: Frankie gets home from the shop at about 7:30, hands covered in grease and smelling of burnt motor oil. He gets in the shower and cleans up, then either ends up at Benny’s arena to cheer him on, or at the bar with both Miller brothers.

-Night B: Frankie gets home at the same time. He showers to clean himself, simply because he hates leaving smudges over his home. He cooks a nice dinner or orders takeout. He eats it on the couch and watches a new Netflix series. He gets sad and feels alone and drinks a beer, then a few more, to drown the sensation. He goes to bed early and calls into the shop to see if any of the morning shift workers want to go home early, because he can come in an hour or two before his shift. He claims it’s for the overtime pay. It’s really to avoid the loneliness.

Frankie likes patterns. He likes routine. It’s soothing. Maybe it’s a remnant of his military days, where not a second would pass without having a title affixed to the very second he was living in. Predictability made the hurt easier.

Tonight was an A Night. Frankie and the Miller brothers sat at the bar of McCreary’s and talked about everything and nothing at once. Will talked about the new girl he was seeing. Benny made lewd comments. Frankie smacked his arm and ordered another round for the other two, then nursed one beer for the entire night.

Winters were the worst for Catfish. He lived in the South, where snow was uncommon, but the dreary February weather stole whatever energy he could muster up and sent it up to join the gray masses that hung in the sky, yet never shed their raindrops. It gets dark early, another thing Frankie hates. It reminds him of the look on Tom’s face when he died. Of the way his bachelor home never made sounds unless he created them. Of the way the craving for one more hit of that devious white powder felt, the way it scrambled his brain until he thought it was the only thing that could take it away.

This A Night, which also happened to be an especially chilly Tuesday, Frankie drove home from the bar at 12:21. The backroads that lead from the suburbs out to the rolling hills are dark, with a rare streetlight or two illuminating a fork in the road that led to a house. The radio droned on, some old Waylon Jennings song that was threatening to send Frankie into a fit of rage and smash a fist into his dashboard. He turned off the radio instead.

Another car drove the opposite way, far in the distance. He could see the lights approaching, then dim slightly. Frankie turned off his brights, instead allowing the road to be illuminated just by his front headlights. He turns up the heat in his truck as a shiver runs down his spine.

Something is running across the road. Frankie can see it now. It’s far from him, but visible in the other car’s light. He slams on his brakes, his body jerking forward.

The other car doesn’t slow.

He slams his horn several times, for whatever is in the road and the other driver.

The thing doesn’t move.

The car doesn’t slow.

The car and the creature- oh fuck, it’s an animal- collide.

Everything that happens next is too quick. The car stops for a moment. Frankie whips the truck into park and turns on his hazards.

The other car stops for a moment. Frankie can just make out a silhouette inside. He gets out of his truck, eyes wide and frantic. He runs to the animal’s side.

The car drives off.

Dust swirls across the road as the car’s tail lights fade into the distance. Leaving just Frankie and his truck and the mangled mess of fur and blood.

“Fucker!” Frankie screams after the car. “You fuckin’ bastard! You didn’t even check, you motherfucker!”

He gets closer and realizes it’s a dog. Its fur is white and brown and so painstakingly red with its own blood, and it whimpers and cries and Frankie realizes the poor fucking thing is still alive. Whether it’s his caretaking or his military instincts that kick in, Frankie isn’t sure, but before he knows it he’s ripping off his jacket and picking up the poor poor baby, oh you little angel, he coos to it, wrapping it in the denim and setting it in his passenger seat.

It’s still whimpering and crying, and Frankie gets in the driver’s seat and grabs his phone. “Nearest 24-hour pet hospital,” he shouts into it, hands shaking. He doesn’t realize either reaction is happening. It gets the words wrong. “No, fuck,” he groans, shifting the truck into drive and whipping a U-turn. He types in the words as he starts to speed back in the direction of the town. He knows he shouldn’t text and drive and normally he doesn’t, but he’s a fucking former military helicopter pilot, he rationalizes with himself, he can handle this. He finds the directions and types them in and tears start dripping from his eyes.

“Hang in there, buddy, hey,” he says and rubs the poor dog’s big ears as they drive. “It’s gonna be 30 minutes. Think you can hang on for me?” he asks it, not expecting a response. He wants to check the dog’s sex but now is certainly not the time, not while he’s doing 85 in a 60 zone and the dog’s blood is seeping into his denim jacket and his passenger seat.

The tears are flowing freely from his eyes now, his heart breaking. He can feel the animal’s shallow breaths as he drives, and he sobs to himself. “Hang on, buddy. It’s gonna be okay, I gotcha. I’m Frankie,” he introduces himself to the dog, “and I’m gonna take real good care of you. You’re gonna be alright and we’re gonna get you fixed up and back to your owners.”

The drive takes 24 minutes when Frankie is flying down the backroads. Fuck if a cop sees him. Fuck blowing a tire. That can be cared for later, when there’s not a dying creature next to him. A steady murmur of ‘it’s okay’ spills from Frankie’s lips. He’s not sure if he’s saying it to the dog or himself. One hand firmly grips the steering wheel and the other never leaves the animal’s body. He comforts the poor creature, murmuring more reassurances the closer they get.

“Please hang in there for me, cariño,” Frankie whimpers, chewing his bleeding lip. “I gotcha. It’s all gonna be alright, bud.”

When he sees the hospital, he drives a little faster. He pulls into the emergency room area and parks in front of the door, turning on his hazards and running inside. There are a few veterinary nurses inside and they greet him, but their looks turn to fear when they see the denim-wrapped animal. “Please, please, Idon’tknowthisisn’tmydogitwasahitandrunandIpickeditup-”

“It’s alright, sir, come with us. Please breathe and tell us again,” a kind woman tells him with a hand on his arm, rushing him and the dog back. Frankie calms down after a moment and explains what happened. “It’s not my dog, I don’t know whose dog this is, you gotta check it for a chip-” he rambles.

“It’s alright, sir,” the nurse tells him kindly and takes the dog from his arms. Frankie clutches after it and a new woman pushes his arms down. “We’re going to take it back and operate on it. Would you please wait here for us? We’ll come give you updates as we get them,” she tells him, gesturing to the waiting room. He nods. “And is this your dog’s first time here?” She asks.

The tears come back, choking his throat as water falls steadily from his eyes. “It’s not even my fuckin’ dog, man,” he whimpers, worrying his lip between his teeth again.

The woman is still kind. “I see. Please, sit, Mr….”

“Morales,” he manages out.

She nods. “Mr. Morales. I understand you’re worried. Please just wait in here for us and we’ll bring you information when we have it.” He nods softly, grabbing a tissue from the front desk. He wipes his eyes and nose. “My truck is parked right outside, it’s in the way, I’ll go park it somewhere else,” he tells her.

“That’s perfectly fine, sir. You can even leave and come back if you’d like.” He shakes his head. “I’ll be right back,” he tells her and walk-jogs outside, getting in his car and bringing it around to park.

Frankie enters the emergency room again and sits in a chair. He worries and worries for hours, texting his group chat with the Millers and Santiago. He gives them a play-by-play, but only Santiago responds. He sits awake for another hour, nervously wringing his ball cap.

The dog must be alive, or at least be able to save, he rationalizes with himself. After a while, the worry fades and he falls asleep. Two hours later, no other patients around to disrupt him, he’s woken by the nurse who took the dog back. “Mr. Morales?” She calls out gently.

He jumps awake. “Yeah, yeah, that’s me.” He sits up from his slumped state, readjusting the cap from where it had been resting over his eyes.

The nurse smiles softly at him and sits in a chair across the waiting room from him. “The dog is safe now. We had to amputate her front left leg, and she had a lot of stitches, but she’s stable and looks like she’ll do well.” He lets out a sigh and her smile becomes more genuine. “You told us she isn’t yours?”

She. The dog is a girl. Of course she is, Frankie smiles a little. The smile falls as he remembers the fact again. “No, no. It was a hit and run. I saw it happen, the other guy took off, it wasn’t me who hit her, I’m-”

“Mr. Morales.”

“Right. No, she’s not mine.”

The nurse nods and writes that down. “Well, we scanned her several times. She has no chip, no identifiers at all. Our options now are to send her to some rescue or kennel of some sort, or you can take her home with you.”

His heart breaks at the image of the sweet dog in the front seat of his car going somewhere without daily love and affection. “She’ll come with me,” he answers before he can rationally think about it.

“Wonderful,” she nods, marking that down as well. “She’s looped up now on some drugs. We’ll let her sleep them off for a bit and then she’s all yours. We do have some procedures we’ll need you to follow, for caring for the wound and such. But after that, it should be all good. You’re free to head out now. We can call you when she wakes up.”

Frankie nods. “Yeah. Yeah, that would be great.” He looks down at his watch and notices how early in the morning it is. “Thanks,” he tells her with a genuine smile, taking off his cap and running his hands through his hair before replacing it.

- From that moment on, Frankie was enamored with the dog. He called in from work when the shop opened bright and early at 6:00 A.M.

“Hey Carol. It’s Morales.”

“You can stop asking if you can come in early, Frank. Just do it,” the woman chuckles on the other line. A loud slurp is audible- it’s the coffee she’s always drinking, the dark sludgy shit that she brews in the break room that Frankie can’t stand but she absolutely adores.

“No, uh. Actually, I was calling in to see if someone else could cover for me today.” He explains the whole story to her, wringing his cap between his hands. “So. I was kind of hoping I could take the day to look for the dog’s owners and care for her.”

There’s a beat of silence over the phone. “Of course, Frankie,” the older woman says kindly. “You got a real big heart, kid. Real big. That’s awful kind.”

He smiles a little. “Just doing what I can. Thanks, Carol.”

“Keep me posted, Catfish.” The woman hangs up.

Frankie’s in more comfortable clothes now. He didn’t sleep at all once he got home, waiting for the hospital’s call. He distracts himself, cooking a breakfast he only picks at, watching his new series halfheartedly on the couch.

The animal hospital calls him again at 7:30. He gets off the couch immediately and into the truck. There’s a bit of blood on the passenger seat, from where the dog wasn’t immediately covered by his jacket. It’s not a worry, though, he thinks to himself. He’ll get some stain remover and maybe a new and nicer jacket.

When he arrives, they usher him back to a check-up room. The dog is lying down but she wags her tail at Frankie, looking up at him with big brown eyes that could rival his own. “Hey, sweet thing,” he calls softly, and the dog stands and walks over to him. It’s pained, that much is clear, but she’s already adjusting to walking with one less limb. She rests her head on Frankie’s lap and he scratches her ears gently.

Some paperwork is filled out and Frankie leads the dog out to his truck with the leash and collar the hospital provided. He lifts her into the passenger seat and she snuggles in. The scent is familiar to her.

Frankie drives her to a pet store nearby, smiling over at her. She looks at ease with him, relaxed and trusting. Of course she is. This is the man who saved her.

He helps her down once they arrive and leads her inside. Her walking is pained, he can tell. “Aw, honey,” he frowns. There are carts right inside; Frankie sees the immediate solution. He scoops her up and sets her in a cart. Her tongue hangs out happily as they go through the store. “We’re gonna get you all kinds of fun stuff, huh?” He asks, scratching her head.

Frankie spares no expense for the dog. As they cross through the store, the cart fills: bags of food and treats, a new leash, and a pink collar decorated with donuts “because you’re such a sweetie, right cutie?”, doggie bags, and food and water dishes. Finally they reach the toy aisle. “Do you wanna pick your own toy?”

He picks her up and sets her down on the ground, unclipping her leash to allow her to explore the toy aisle. She meanders, sniffing toys here and there, even considering one big bone. A few moments later, she comes tottering back to the cart with a toy in her mouth. It’s a big plush hedgehog. Frankie grins. “Aw, that’s a good one! Good choice, cutie.” He kisses her head as he puts her back in the cart.

They check out and drive home, and Frankie allows her to wander inside. “Welcome home. At least for now. I suppose I should put an ad out for you online.”

The dog doesn’t respond, just wanders around the house, sniffing the furniture warily and looking back at Frankie. Asking if he’s coming. He smiles and leads her to the couch, sitting down on it. “I know they say you shouldn’t let dogs on the furniture, but I think you and I can share.” She jumps up and Frankie praises her, giving her a smooch and earning a big lick in return. “Oh, pretty girl, I think you’ll like it here,” he coos to her. She snuggles into his side with a sigh and Frankie sighs too.

Over the next few days, he posts ads for her, but no one responds. He reaches out to people from the area he was driving in, but no one responds. After Day 4 of searching, there’s no response and he allows himself to sigh in relief. “You’re mine now, baby girl,” he coos to the dog, who’s happily panting and grinning.

During the first week, Frankie tries out different names for her. None of them seem to stick. He wonders if she ever even had a name before. Ada, Lucille, Thea, Sunny, Miki, Zulu, Fox, Pancake. None of them work right for her personality.

It’s not until late one night when Frankie’s coke cravings decide upon a name for her.

It’s 2:24 in the morning and Frankie is quaking like a leaf. The dog is cuddled up into his side on the bed. Wherever he goes around the house, she follows. He’s biting his lip so hard it’s drawing blood. Normally when he’s this anxious, when he yearns to call his dealer, he rides it out by balling his fists so tight his knuckles turn white. But his dog seems to notice.

She rests her chin on his hip, wagging her tail against the mattress with a steady thump. She whines quietly. She knows.

Frankie’s at least momentarily distracted. “Hey, beautiful, what’s wrong?” He asks her, scratching his head and rolling over to pet her. He’s still desperate but the focus shifts from the sensation of one last hit to the feeling of her soft fur beneath his fingers. She sighs happily and snuggles into Frankie’s side, and he starts to cry.

No one has ever needed him. Not his plants: they’re succulents. He deals with them once every other week. Not his former fiancée. She didn’t need him, just liked him for his money and his dick late at night. Not his friends. They had other friends to go to. No, this dog needs him, and it makes his heart feel like it’s going to burst.

Sitting up, Frankie turns on the television. He hits a random button to choose a channel, and Princess and the Frog comes on. He chuckles a little. “How about Tiana?” He asks his dog and scratches her ears. She doesn’t react.

It’s near the beginning of the movie. The relaxing music soothes him as the movie starts. The dog lies with her head on his thigh, happily receiving scratchies from her new father. Her head perks up when she hears a shrill noise from the television: Tiana’s best friend in her puffy pink dress.

“It’s okay, it’s okay baby. It’s just Charlotte.”

Charlotte. Her ears perk up and she looks at him. “Charlotte?” He asks again, and she looks at him in confusion. “Do you like that one? How about Lottie?” No response. “Or Charlie?”

The dog pounces on him with her one front paw and licks his face. Frankie laughs happily scratching her sides. “Is that your name, pretty girl? Is your name Charlie?”

The answer, it seems, is yes.

It’s funny, Frankie thinks. Charlie is the third letter of the military alphabet, after Alpha and Beta.

Before Delta.

She would be, he realizes. She’s more important to him than his Delta Squadron guys. More important to him than the terrible things he did in the military. She comes before Delta.

And that’s how Charlie got her name.

The guys finally came over to Frankie’s house on Night 9 of owning Charlie.

All of the men are dog lovers, and Charlie takes to Benny quickly. He gives her her favorite kind of scratches: one hand behind the ear, one hand on the tummy. “Yeah, that’s a good tripod,” he teases her as he snuggles her.

“Hey man, cut it out,” Frankie frowns and smacks his arm. “She’s insecure about it! Be nice.”

Santiago laughs. “Hey, you know what, Fish? This isn’t what I meant when I said that you should get a girl, but I’ll take it. Especially when she’s such a sweetie- oh hi, beautiful,” he coos as Charlie hops his way and licks his face.

Frankie shakes his head. “Isn’t she a cutie?” He laughs happily as he watches his dog. “I tried posting ads for her, but no one answered. She’s such a sweetheart, potty trained and everything. I can’t believe I got so lucky.”

Benny grins. “And all because we asked you to get a beer and you caved and said yes.”

“What the hell do you mean caved, Ben? I get beers with you two fuckers three times a week,” he laughs and shakes his head.

He’s been home alone with her all week, but he hasn’t felt as anxious as he normally does. Her companionship is all he needs, the way she snuggles up tight against him, the way her meal schedule motivates him to eat more. He has a purpose now.

After the initial excitement, Charlie finds her place sitting at her dad’s feet, panting happily and looking around the room. “She fits in well,” Will nods and leans over as he scratches her head. “She’s the newest member of our group, I suppose.”

“She’s much less work than Fish. Maybe we replace him with her,” Santiago teases and Frankie flips him off, chuckling softly.

This was a pattern that came to be known as the newly named C Night in Frankie’s head. These are the nights where they order a pizza or takeout and hang out in Frankie’s living room with Charlie. She’s the entertainer of the group, giving the men each some individual snuggles and wandering around the room. She’s funny, flopping onto her back at a human’s feet so that she can get tummy rubs, spending an absurd amount of time sniffing one specific spot on one man’s jeans. They all adore her.

Life improves for Frankie when he has Charlie. He works shorter hours, spends time brushing her fur. He sleeps at better hours and cares for himself better as a result of caring for her.

He takes her on a jog every morning. At first, he was nervous to do it. It’s been a long time since he’s been able to pass those Special Ops fitness tests. The thing that encourages him most is that Charlie is just the same speed as him. She runs along happily on three legs at the perfect pace for Frankie to match.

Frankie lovingly refers to her as his copilot. She loves riding in the passenger seat of his truck, letting the wind from the open windows run through her fur. She gets excited when she hears the word truck and demands that Frankie snuggle her when they’re on a long drive. She even fell asleep on his lap once, with her face resting in the curve of the steering wheel.

Charlie is Frankie’s baby, and Frankie is her favorite human. The two of them are each other’s soulmates, Frankie thinks. His baby girl, his fluffy baby, his cuddlebug. His girl. His one true love is his dog, his Charlie.

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#frankie morales x reader #frankie morales #frankie catfish morales #triple frontier #triple frontier fanfiction #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #jose pedro balmaceda pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #pascalpanic

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thatslikely · 3 years

Text

Seeker - D.M.

Seeker- Draco Malfoy x fem!reader (unspecified house but not slytherin)

Warnings: none! just lots of fluff

Word Count: 3.4k

A/N: This is my first ever fic! I hope I potray Draco accurately! Feel free to D.M. me for any requests or anything like that. I’d also really love feedback, positive or negative. Special thanks to my friend Ocean, who is an amazing author and editor <3

Just a reminder: Y/N is Your Name - Y/L/N is Your Last Name - Y/H is Your House

----

Draco Malfoy.

Anyone who has ever graced the steps of Hogwarts during his reign is bound to have heard the name. The poor first years hear about the hexing of their friends after so much as glancing at his striking blond hair. The second year Quidditch players hear about his skill and precision on a broom. Even the O.W.L.s-stressed fifth years hear of his (almost) unparalleled smarts.

You, of course, heard all these things too. You’d seen firsthand his occasional ruthlessness. There was no doubt in your mind he was a force to be reckoned with. You never let his daunting image intrude your thoughts, however. He would never have a reason to bother you; so why should you care what he did?

That all seemed true until Quidditch results came back for your house. Your eyes scanned over names on the list until you saw your name next to the title of Seeker. You were thrilled to be on the team. You worked so hard over the summer, waking up at dawn to fly laps around the lush forests by your home.

After everyone in the common room was informed of your new title, they all congratulated you for what seemed like hours. They all chanted “Y/N!” at the top of their lungs or gave you encouraging pats on the back. After a while of sober celebration, someone finally managed to sneak in a few bottles of Firewhiskey. You eagerly downed a shot or two before your head started to feel fuzzy. The music and chatter of the party seemed to make your head pound, and you decided you needed some fresh air to clear your head.

The moment you stepped out of the bustling common room, you felt way better. Your whole body calmed, releasing the tension you didn’t know you had. While you could still very well feel the effects of the Firewhiskey, you felt clear enough to walk all the way to the Owlery.

The Owlery had always been a place of comfort for you. You had never owned an owl for yourself, instead opting for an adorable black cat, but something about the flying creatures comforted you. Maybe it was their piercing yellow eyes or their fluffy feathers that seemed to stick out in any direction, or maybe just because they remind you of whenever your mother’s owl brings sweet letters at breakfast every month.

The air tonight was chilly, but you were simply grateful that it was too early in the year for snow because whenever Hogwarts was covered in soft white blankets, the steps up to the Owlery were dangerously icy. Thankfully, the only things on the steps were your boots and the occasional fluttering orange leaf.

Once you reached the top, you breathed a sigh of relief. The thoughts of you becoming the new Seeker came back to you and you were able to celebrate a little bit again. Before you could fully imagine yourself flying around the Quidditch pitch in search of the shiny Golden Snitch, you were interrupted suddenly by none other than Draco Malfoy’s taunting words.

“Well, well, well. Who do we have here? Y/L/N?”

You froze. In all the times you had been to the Owlery at night, this was the first time you had company. And his company at that. His voice seemed strong and almost amused. Before you could give him a response, he kept going.

“You’re the new Y/H Seeker, aren’t you? Maybe this year I’ll have some actual competition, though I doubt it.”

You felt your face heat up in rage, a feeling you rarely expressed. The Firewhiskey must’ve brought it out of me, you thought with a sigh. You knew you wouldn’t want to say something you’d regret, especially to your new Slytherin rival.

“I think you might be pleasantly surprised, Malfoy. I’ve been training all summer.”

Draco didn’t deserve to know that you had been practicing all summer, and the summer before that, but you inexplicably felt the need to prove yourself to him. He always seemed to be one step ahead of you, though.

“And I’ve been training for Quidditch since I could walk, Y/N. You’re not special.”

His comment stung a little. But you knew you deserved to be Seeker, and you could prove that to him next match.

“What brings you up here so late anyways?”

“That, Y/L/N, is none of your concern. I could, however, ask you the same thing.”

“Just getting away from the crowd is all. The Common Room’s loud as all hell.” Why did you tell him that? He didn’t need to know anything about you or your common room.

Draco pulled up the sleeve of his black blazer, presumably looking at his watch. You didn’t notice how Draco’s platinum blond hair shined so handsomely in the moonlight until he pushed himself off of the wall he was so casually leaning on to walk towards you.

“It’s past curfew, Y/N. I could so easily tell my Slytherin prefects that I found you out so late at night, especially after a loud night in the Common Room…” The smirk on his face as he looked up into your eyes was so charming but mischievous.

“You wouldn’t da-” you muttered, before quickly getting cut off.

“I won’t tell them, though, only because I plan on crushing you next game. The look on your face as I hold the Snitch will be priceless.”

You desperately tried to find some way to rebut what he said, but his words it seemed, took the air from your lungs. You watched him, stunned, as he casually handed a black envelope to what you assumed was his owl. As the owl flew out of the window and into the pitch-black sky, he walked towards the doorway, which you happened to still be standing in.

He purposely brushed your shoulder as he walked past you and down the stairs. Without even looking back, he simply said, “I’ll see you around, Y/N.”

You stood there, almost breathless. That had quite possibly been the strangest and most unexpected interaction you’ve ever had. You’d always seen Draco as some stereotypical bully, but you never realized how truly witty and quick-on-his-feet he was. He would be a tough opponent, both on the field and off.

----

Quidditch practice these past few weeks has been very tiring but helpful. Every time you mounted your broom it made you feel that much more confident, which was good because you needed as much of that as you could get if you wanted to even stand a chance against Draco. By the time the first match came around, you felt as though you could easily beat the green-jerseyed players.

The practice room pep-talk before the game was finally the moment your confidence was cemented. As your captain stood on the bench, yelling and inspiring, you were on top of the world. You could see Malfoy zooming on his broom far behind you as you reached for the Snitch, its shiny metal now covered up with your worn leather gloves. You could hear the crowd cheering your name as Draco sat in awe of you.

That daydream was short-lived however when everyone got up from the benches to grab their brooms and fly into the stadium. As you proudly mounted your broom, a sudden spike of anxiety hit your chest. Of all the times nerves had to hit, did it have to be two seconds before the match began?

The stadium was filled to the brim with students from each of the four houses. The large pillars of red, yellow, blue, and green emitted cheers as your team glided on the field, doing a fun formation along with it. Not long after, the green and silver-clad team swooped onto the field. They flew around the oval-shaped pitch in the shape of a very coordinated V. It was more intimidating than you’d like to admit.

As the Slytherins settled down and hovered in the air, ready for the match to start, you saw Malfoy send you an intimidating glare. You rolled your eyes in return before the referee shouted a loud, “brooms up!”

With those simple two words, you darted off towards the top of the pitch. You gripped the broom as if your life depended on it, which it might. Your eyes scanned the field for any signs of the snitch before you saw a flash of blonde next to you.

“Scared, Y/L/N?” Draco spat, clearly trying to tease you.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” You smirked, your gaze reaching his enticing silver eyes. He cocked his eyebrow at you, playfully, before you sped off, the air from the tail of your broom blowing his pale locks over his eyes.

The Golden Snitch had caught your eye while you hovered up with Malfoy, and now you surely had the advantage. You were mere feet away from the golden snitch, with the blonde Seeker trailing behind you. The crowd sat captivated, wondering who would reach the snitch first. Just as your fingers brushed the golden sphere, it shot straight up, out of your grasp. You both wasted no time shooting upwards on your brooms. He was now at your side, both your arms reached up to the sky.

Suddenly, you felt the metal of the snitch in the palm of your gloves. But you also felt something else, and you almost fell off your broom at the sight of Draco’s fingers intertwined with yours, both of your palms wrapped around the snitch.

Without hesitation, you both recoiled from each other, your interwoven hands breaking apart, which sent the snitch flying. Your face got red and hot with embarrassment, and by the expression and color of Draco’s face, he felt the same. He managed to mime himself gagging before he swooped in the opposite direction in search of the snitch once again.

----

As you stepped through the painting guarding your common room, you could already hear the screams and cheers. Some people chanted your name, some people talked about the highlights from the match, and there was loud music blaring in the background. Your close victory that afternoon definitely produced some happy house-mates.

You weren’t in much of partying mood tonight though. The match had worn you out, and you were ready to lay down. You did have a lot to think about, after all. The way you and Draco’s hands fit together perfectly around the snitch, or the way his face contorted into a frown when the Slytherins accepted defeat. Or even the way, when your team picked you up in celebration,, a smile pricked at the sides of his mouth, barely noticeable.

You didn’t know why you couldn’t get Draco out of your mind. You guys were rivals, but the way his image played back in your mind, you didn’t feel hatred. You didn’t feel a big success by proving what he said in the Owlery wrong.

You finally came to the conclusion that maybe it was because you thought he was handsome. Just a little bit, of course. The way his blonde hair blew in the wind was attractive, sure, but you didn’t like him or anything. You’d never even talked to him before the night at the Owlery. He was just the Slytherin Seeker, as you were just the Y/H Seeker to him. Simple.

Except, you didn’t know that he also thought the same about you. The way you smiled in victory after his (very close) loss made it sting just a little bit less. The disapproving stares from his fellow green-wearing peers didn't hurt his pride as much when he remembered you two’s hands together around the snitch.

It’s only because she’s my rival, he thought to himself, but he couldn’t even fool himself with that lie. All he really knew was, he had to talk to you tomorrow.

----

“Congrats on the win yesterday, Y/N. But don’t think next time I won’t hesitate to push you off that cheap broom of yours.” Draco spat. He never really had a way with words, especially with people he took interest in. He really did try to make it as nice as he could.

You merely smirked at his comment as you sat down at your table in the Great Hall. “It’s okay, Draco. I know you just can't accept that you got beat.” He huffed a bit at your comment, but his expression quickly changed to that of a sarcastic smile.

He reached across the table and grabbed a goblet of pumpkin juice, much to your surprise. Just as quickly, he sat down next to you. You finally got a good look, and smell, of him for the first time. His silver eyes and blonde hair looked as alluring as ever, and he smelled really good, like green apples and cologne.

Just as you were about to ask why he decided to sit with you, of all people, he stated, “It’s rude to stare, you know?”

“Sorry, it’s just weird seeing someone in those green robes of yours sitting at our table.” You replied sheepishly, snapping out of your trance.

He only let out a small chuckle before grabbing a green apple from the middle of the table. He gave it a small toss before looking back at you. You glanced into his eyes, which apparently you like to get lost in, but you couldn’t read what emotion ran through them.

“Why did you decide to sit here, by the way? Don’t you have some first years to hex?” You asked, partially defensive and partially curious.

Your friends, and some other fellow house-mates, all watched in anticipation for his response, but instead he said, “If my prescence bothers you that much, I can just go back to my table. My ego won’t be too hurt.” He gave his signature smirk at the end of the sentence, clearly not taking it seriously.

“I didn’t mean it like that, okay? I don’t mind the Slytherin prince sitting at our table for one day. Two may be pushing it.” He didn’t answer your question though, about why he wanted to sit here. It did seem a little odd, but you weren’t complaining.

“Very funny. Well, I’m afraid I can’t stay much longer. I have more pressing matters, like preparing to absolutely crush you next Quidditch match.”

He left just as fast as he had come, still grasping the green apple in his hand. Once he was back to his throne at the Slytherin table, you glanced down to where he was previously sitting, only to find a shiny black envelope resting on the bench. It had your initials written down in silver ink, the same shade as his eyes. You quickly shoved it beneath your robes, so your friends wouldn’t see.

Once you were safely out of the field of vision of the Great Hall, you broke the emerald green seal of the envelope. You pulled out a crisp, white piece of parchment. Your eyes read the inked black text, which read:

That’s strange, you thought, he’s top of the class for potions. Why would he need my notes? You quickly brushed it off as you just overthinking. Clearly, he only sat at our table and wrote me this letter because of stupid Potions class. Right?

I need your Potions notes from last class. Meet me at the astronomy tower at 11.

D.M.

Eleven o’clock came around faster than you expected, and you were rushing out of your dorm in order to make it. Luckily all your dormmates were still up, gossiping the night away. Much to your surprise, they didn’t question where you were going, besides knowing that you had to give a friend some homework. You didn’t blame them, it did seem like a lame way to spend your after-curfew hours.

By the time you had finally gotten to the top, Draco stood with his back to you, his chisled hands holding onto the cold railing. You walked up to him quietly, your Potions homework fluttering in the wind. His eyes weren’t focused on you or your notes though; instead they were pointed at the crystal-clear sky. The moonlight bounced magnificently off of his platinum blonde hair once again, just like it did at the Owlery.

The air was colder than it was last time you had seen him against the inky-black sky, and you started to shiver. All you wanted was to be back within the walls of your cozy dorm. You let a signaling cough emerge from your throat as you leaned against the rail.

Instead of asking about the Potions notes, he asked, “Aren’t you cold? Why didn’t you bring a jacket?”

His eyes still seemed glued to the shining stars, but you did notice his hand sliding down the rail, closer to you. Your eyebrows furrowed as you grumbled, “Yes. I’m freezing!”

He let out a small chuckle as a response before his eyes finally moved to you. “I’ll only be a minute… unless you want to stay longer.”

Despite the uncomfortably cold temperature outside, you felt your cheeks get warmer. You kept telling yourself it was only because he did seem a bit good-looking tonight, dressed in his signature black turtleneck, with a matching long black peacoat on top. Suddenly, the cold didn’t feel so bad.

“Likely, Malfoy. Here’s the Potions notes you asked for.” You slowly handed over the ruffled papers. For a second you thought you saw a look of confusion flash onto his face, but a small grateful smile covered it up almost instantly.

You continued to shiver, and your nose started turning pink. Draco almost felt bad for dragging you up here, for the Potions notes of course, so he sent an enticing offer your way.

“You look absolutely miserable, Y/N. I think if we can sneak into the kitchens, I could make you some tea. Though I do expect a favor from you in return, of course.”

Your eyes lit up at the idea of a warm cup of tea, especially made by none other than Draco Malfoy, who was supposed to be your Quidditch rival. Even you couldn’t come up with an excuse about enjoying his company this time.

----

Draco stood one of the many kitchen counters, swirling an ornate sliver spoon in your warm tea. Once it was stirred to his satisfaction, he handed the steaming cup to you with a warm and genuine smile, one rarely seen by anyone. You smiled back thankfully, before taking a large sip. The tea tasted nearly perfect, which surprised you. Someone who was raised with house elves doing everything for them had made a delicious tea.

“I must say, I’m impressed, Draco. I never pegged you to be a tea expert.”

“What can I say? I’m a man of many talents.” His sarcastic and slightly cocky attitude was back once again, though you’d be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy it.

After the evidence of your late-night tea making had been erased, he leaned against the counter, a content smile on the corners of his lips. Your shivering was long gone, replaced by a cozy warmth from the tea.

Comfortable silence filled the room for many minutes before he simply said, “You know, Y/N, I’d like to get to know you better. I don’t think we have to be Quidditch rivals, off the field at least.”

“I feel the same. Though don’t get your feelings hurt when I absolutely beat you again.”

“I bet I could get the snitch years before you, with my eyes closed!”

“Like you did the other day, right?” He put up a sarcasticly angry face on, but you could see the fire of determination in his eyes. He really would try to get you next match. But you would never let him.

After a night full of talking with the dashing Slytherin, you soon grew too tired to continue. The tea must’ve made you extra sleepy because soon enough you could barely think straight. You held onto poor Draco for dear life as he carefully walked you back to your common room.

He put on his classic face of annoyance, but underneath you saw that his mind was filled with nothing but admiration. As you finally reached the painting, you withdrew your hand from his shoulder. Since you were so sleepy, he thought you wouldnt notice the loving look on his face as you walked through the doorway. You waved him goodnight.

“Night, love. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he smiled.

And that was the start of something wonderful.

You can read Part 2 here!

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218 notes · View notes

side-writes-fanfics · 3 years

Text

A little bit of fun || One-shot

Pairing: Fyodor Dostoevsky x fem!reader

Word count: ≈1400

Genre: fluff

Tw: cock blocking | risqué-ish | dom-sub relationship but not in an nsfw way

Summary: Fyo is a little bit needy, but (Y/N) was busy. So, he did the only reasonable thing to do and show her why not to ignore him, even if it's unintentionally.

ꕥ ꕥ ꕥ

A cold winter night was upon Yokohama and it's surrounding area. The hideout of The Decay of Angels was surrounded by snow that glistened in the moonlight. While the outside was freezing, inside the hideout was a warm temperature that kept the members warm. Most of them were asleep, needing rest to keep their energy up for the day coming up. A dimly lit room in the house stood out, being occupied by two people, trying to rest their minds and relax while they had the chance. They sat on the opposite sides of the room, doing their own thing. (Y/N) sat by a table, doodling and planning stuff for the week she would need to do before they had to move to another location while music was coming from her headphones. The music wasn't loud, but it was just enough to drown out the sounds of the world.

On the other side, Fyodor sat in an armchair with a book in his hand. It wasn't his favourite as he had to make do with the books they had here, not bringing any of his own for obvious reasons. He was comfortable in the armchair he was sitting in, finding the sweet spot we all wish to find, but the book he was reading just wasn't able to keep his attention. A disappointed sigh escaped from his lips as he putting the book down onto the coffee table before him. Fyodor rested his head onto his arm, gazing towards (Y/N)'s direction with a slight smile.

"Dear~" he cooed for his lover in a soft and loving tone, expecting her to turn towards him so he could see her beautiful face and stare at her lovely features once more. Yet, the (H/C) haired girl kept her back towards him, continuing to do whatever she was doing at that moment. "Looove~" he cooed once more, slightly louder, hoping she would be able to hear him this time. Still, the girl was focused on her work. The black-haired man was getting slightly annoyed, becoming needy for this girls attention. He stood up and walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist as best as he could and rested his head on the crook of (Y/N)'s neck. "Love~" Once again, the girl was too focused on her doodles and work, seemingly ignoring Fyodor. In reality, it was not on purpose, (Y/N) was just really focused on what she was doing and forgot the world around her existed. Fyodor, however, has lost all the patience he had at that moment. He took the headphones she had on her head off of her and turned the chair she was sitting in around so she would look at him.

She gave him a confused, standing up from the chair, before whisper-yelling: "What was that for!?" The man went to grab her hand, not wanting to give her a response, but (Y/N) pulled her hand away from him in a joking fashion. "Nuh-uh." she chuckled, taking a step away from him. Fyodor went into the grab her other hand but she quickly pulled that one away too. He continued to try and hold her hand, but (Y/N) just kept dodging his attempts to hold onto her. This small little exchange turning into a (Y/N) running around the room away from Fyodor while he was trying to get a grip on her. The girl was giggling like crazy while Fyodor kept calm, letting a small smile escape when he heard her giggles. This went on for about 5 minutes or so, the two of them running around the room in an adult version of tag(cause we all know that holding hands is something only adults do). Slowly, Fyodor was getting tired of chasing her around, both physically and mentally, so as soon as he managed to get some sort of grip on her hand, he forgot how to be gentle.

When (Y/N) felt a hand around her wrist, it wasn't long after before she was pinned to the wall, held there by her wrists. The man rested his forehead on his lovers, both catching a breath in this quiet moment. Their eyes were locked onto one another's and slowly, their breathing became synced as well.

"Honey?" Fyodor said through his breaths. The grip he had on (Y/N) loosened slightly, but she couldn't move away from him. Her whole body was completely stunned by his actions that she couldn't even make a noise. He lifted both her hands up, grasping them with one hand. "Honey, don't ignore me." the free hand he had cupped her cheek while a smirk formed on his lips. It was cocky, with a slight hint of evil in it that (Y/N) couldn't help but love.

Before the girl knew, his lips were being pressed onto hers and she melted in to it right away. His kiss was dominant, taking the lead over everything to control as much as he could. The grip he had on (Y/N)'s wrists losened, letting her move her hands to wrap around his neck. She jumped up onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist which surprised him but he managed to catch her so she didn't fall. Fyodor pressed their bodies close to each other, using the wall the girl was slammed into only moments before. The kiss started getting more and more passionate by the second. They were in perfect sync, knowing each other's next movement like no one else. Fyodor bites (Y/N)'s bottom lip, teasing her as much as he could. He loved seeing her this way. An absolute sub that loves his dominant nature to her core.

"Hey Dos-kun! When do you think this thiiing-" both of their heads snap to the door, seeing who interrupted this... moment they were having. Of course, Gogol, the amazing cock block clown who doesn't know how to knock on the door. "Uh... I guess I'm not supposed to be here, huh?" he managed to spit out, fearing Fyodor will kill him for interrupting them. Sweat began to form on his forehead as deadly silance filled the room. Quickly, when (Y/N) realised the tone of the room she let out a sigh and placed herself on the floor once more. She parted from Fyodor, turning her attention fully to Gogol.

"Nikolai, dear, how important is this question?" she questioned the man calmly, feeling Fyodor's glare towards Gogol turn even more sour than it was before once he head the word 'dear'. (Y/N) called both Gogol and Sigma that, seeing them more as children or younger brothers she cares deeply about compared to what she felt towards Fyodor. He knew this, but jealousy's a bitch and boy can he not control it. Gogol shook his head 'no' to (Y/N)'s question, fearing his boss even more. "Can you save it for tomorrow then? I'm sure you'll remember still. Go get some rest now, don't leave Sigma alone either, you know how he can get." the (H/C) haired girl leaned on the door slightly, flashing a smile to him as he nodded to her.

"Thank you for saving my life, (Y/N)." he whispered to her quietly before he turned away from the door. "Good night (Y/N). Night Dos-kun. See you tomorrow hopefully..." As Gogol walked away from the room the two resided in, (Y/N) closed the door, letting out a sigh once it was fully closed.

Fyodor walked to (Y/N), wrapping his hands around her waist once more. "Mine." he quietly said to himself, knowing full well she could hear him. A smile snuck onto (Y/N)'s face from his actions, but her body was drained of any energy.

"Honey... Can we just sleep please?" (Y/N) begged, knowing full well she couldn't take any more action at this point in time. She didn't even wait for a response, her body started waddling towards the bed. With the way Fyodor held her, he had no other choice than to waddle behind her and lay in bed with her. While (Y/N) just fell asleep instantly, Fyo took this time to cuddle in to her back, craving more attention but not wanting a grumpy gremlin with the fury of a thousand suns. He slowly drifted off to sleep as well, not moving a muscle for the entire night.

ꕥ ꕥ ꕥ

Feel free to leave requests in my asks!

Masterpost

#bungou stray dogs fyodor #fyodor x you #fyodor dostoevsky #fyodor dostoevsky x reader #x reader #fluff #cock block #kinda ooc #one shot #oneshot #fsnfic #fanfiction #bungo stray dogs

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ladywaifuuwrites · 3 years

Text

Why do you hate me?

Pairings: Giyuu Tomioka x fem! Reader

Synopsis: Ever since you met Giyuu you hated him. Well, not hate...you just don’t like him to a higher extent and you don’t know why. But Giyuu likes you and wants to ask you: “Why do you hate me?”.

Warnings: angst | swearing | a bit fluff | past life! au

a/n: I’ve been obsessed lately with past life regression and past life things and I just absolutely love history. So this is me letting my imagination run wild. And I love Giyuu. He’s my main man ❣️

Pls. give this a chance huhuness

word count: 1,635

Flashbacks are italicized

part 1 part 2

Party lights, red solo cups, booze and streams of laughter are present in the air. (Y/N) is thoroughly enjoying the party. After all, she just lied to her parents about going to a birthday party. But it’s actually a birthday party, a wild birthday party.

“HAPPY FUCKING BIRTHDAY TENGEN”

Everybody shouts at the top of their lungs and goes “WOOOOOOOOH”. Tengen is now covered in confetti, booze, and girls. The drunk ladies latched themselves on him and he kissed their heads one by one.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, everyone! Let’s get this party started!!!!” And everyone goes crazy and jumps out on the large pool outside.

You smile at their enthusiasm and shook your head to yourself, feeling good and happy about this event. Shinobu rolled her eyes and just went for the kitchen while Mitsuri is snacking on the food at the table, quietly.

A scream left Shinobu’s lips as Tengen picked her up and proceeded to walk to your way. Mitsuri dropped her food while you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion on what is happening.

“Oh no” Mitsuri mumbled before running away but Tengen caught her and placed her on his shoulder alongside Shinobu.

“NOOOOOOOOO. Please let me go!” Mitsuri cried out as she kept on hitting Tengen’s back.

“How about you (Y/N)? Are you gonna disobey the flamboyant birthday boy’s wishes?”

“If you’re gonna do that to me, then no. What do you want?” You asked crossing your arms and turned on your sassy mode.

“For the good girls club to have some fun! Why are you guys holding back? There’s so much fun this flamboyant party has to offer!” Tengen exclaimed.

“Please let me go.” Shinobu said with a smile on her face but she is really annoyed.

Before Tengen could say anything, a voice interrupted him.

“Hey! Let my friends go!” Makomo ran towards Tengen and pulled on Shinobu and Mitsuri’s arm but Tengen was far too tall so he lifted the girls up.

“Not until you grow some height!” Tengen clapped back which made Makomo extra angry. Sabito laughed loudly and kept wheezing about the joke.

“That’s a good one Tengen!”

“Ye- Oh! Hey! Giyuu! My man!” The tall man threw the girls on his shoulders onto the pool causing screams to fill the air.

You laugh at their situation but you are suddenly pushed onto the water. It was just like slow motion when you fell. Underneath the water, you move your legs so that you resurface but you seem to be having a hard time. Your legs feel tired and numb. Oh my gosh, is this how I’m going to die? Who the fuck killed me?

A huge splash can be heard as bubbles formed in the water and made way for someone’s body. Mesmerizing blue eyes met yours and you could feel as if you’re running out of breath. Are you running out of breath because of the water? Or because of those blue eyes?

Strong arms wrapped around your waist as you float back to the surface. You gasped for breath and put your hands to your face to whisk away the water on your face.

Makomo held her hand for you and you accepted it to get out of the pool. Shinobu put a towel around your body as Mitsuri put a towel around your head.

“What the fuck? Did you guys forget that I can’t swim?” You scream at them angrily as tears welled up in your eyes. The boys couldn’t look at you and the girls looked at you sadly.

“Giyuu pushed you” You turned your head to the voice and found Sanemi standing beside Obanai. Who the hell is Giyuu?

“I’m sorry. Sanemi bumped into me and I accidentally pushed you from the impact, I’m sorry.” A deep attractive voice perked your ears and led you looking at a man beside the pool with his head hung low. Water dripped from the man’s dark hair to his blue shirt and to his black sweatpants. He was basically covered in water and he looked hot.

He’s the one who saved you. It was the same blue eyes that met yours underwater. But your heart swelled with anger and angry tears filled your eyes, disregarding the fact that he saved you. But he was also the one who almost killed you!

You couldn’t bring yourself to say anything to him, because the way his head hung low as if utterly begging for forgiveness hurt your heart. Tears fell down your cheeks as you keep looking at him. It was like someone kept on stabbing your heart.

“(Y/N)” Makomo said softly and guided you out of the scene. Shinobu and Mitsuri followed on as everyone fell quiet.

————————————

You didn’t go to parties anymore. You didn’t want to see that guy again. Giyuu Tomioka.

Life was boring without your friend’s killer parties. The girls offered to stay behind with you but you shooed them because you knew they wanted to go. But of course, they felt bad that they left you alone. So they ordered food and drinks for you, making you surprised since Mitsuri didn’t try to eat them.

And now you’re alone. Watching boring movies since you almost watched everything on Netflix.

You can’t take it anymore. You need to get out. So you put on decent clothes and headed to the bar and café for music and relaxation.

It was another chill night at the place you went to. The band is singing slow soft songs about the betrayals of love and you feel like crying.

You wipe your tears before they truly cascade down. Then suddenly two glasses of beer thump down at your table. You look at whoever placed it there and the sight widened your eyes.

What is he doing here? Giyuu sat down on the chair opposite to yours and slid the other glass of beer to your direction. Instead of being nice and saying thank you, you spat at him. “Who said you can sit there?”

He froze. Sadness passed in his eyes before blinking and returning to his normal gaze. You raised an eyebrow and he cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry, I’ll find another seat.” Giyuu said and took away his beer, leaving the other one behind. You look back to see him walking around to find an unoccupied space. He was about to take a seat when a group of friends clashed with him and they exchanged words for a while. He ended up giving up his seat.

You sighed at what you saw. Your heart clenched in hurt because he looked so pitiful finding a seat. Now, he’s just awkwardly leaning on a wall, drinking his beer a few inches from a couple making out.

You raised your hand and waved them at Giyuu’s direction. He took a double-take at you waving your hand at him, motioning for him to come to you. And he did, looking like a lost puppy.

He sat back down and you two drank the night away awkwardly.

————————————

It’s 7am on a Sunday morning with you just staring at the wall in your bedroom. You dreamed again about snow, demons, and a half-and-half haori. It’s all just the same thing over and over again.

Your mind takes you back when Giyuu offered to take you home. You said it’s alright but he insisted and you have no choice but to let him.

And the elevator scenario. Oh my gosh, the elevator scenario. Your face heats up as you cry into your pillow.

You live apart from your parents but they still ask you where you go, who is in your apartment and who are you bringing to your apartment. They just called in earlier and asked who you were with. Of course, you didn’t say who it was. You just said you’re with friends and ended the conversation.

And now the elevator is taking too damn slow to go up. You turn to Giyuu to find him asleep, and he leaned on your shoulder. You immediately got away from him as if he has an infectious disease and the poor guy is snapped back to reality. He looks around groggily and lands his sight on you which causes him to widen his eyes.

“I’m sorry-”

“Can you please stop apologizing? It’s getting annoying.” You said to him annoyed. The sight of his head low and his gaze to the floor is hurting your heart once again. You want to lift his head up and hug him. But why do you want to hug him? You shook your head.

“I’m sorry-”

“I said stop! Why won’t you stop apologizing?” You scream at him and he closes his eyes as if hurt. Tears escape your eyes because of the frustration and you don’t even know why you are frustrated.

You just kept crying in front of him and Giyuu comes close to you to embrace you but you push him away aggressively. He looked so shocked, hurt, sad, full of emotions.

The elevator door opened and you immediately went to your apartment door but a hand gripped your wrist.

Giyuu stood there, his brows furrowed in confusion and anger, his grip tight on you and you crying. You kept on trying to remove his hand on you but it wouldn’t budge.

You could always tell what’s in people’s eyes and your intuition never failed you. His eyes were full of affection and longing. His hand forced your hand to fit into his and now your fingers are between his fingers. Why are you doing this?

“I like you”

He said as if he read your thoughts.

“But...”

Your heart dropped.

“Why do you hate me?” Giyuu whispered

You have never cried so hard in your entire life.

a/n: I promise the next parts will make so much sense. I didn’t plan on this becoming a multi-chap fic. Oh well. It was all so much better in my head :((

#kny #demon slayer #giyuu tomioka x reader #tomioka giyu x reader #giyuu tomioka #giyuu x reader #giyuu x y/n #tomioka giyuu x reader #giyuu-tomioka-x-reader #giyu tomioka x reader #demon slayer imagines

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fanmoose12 · 3 years

Text

catch me if you can

Сharacters: Hange Zoe, Levi, Erwin Smith, Kenny Ackerman

Genres: Mystery / Romance

Summary: The Ackerman duo. Just the mention of this name filled Hange with so many feelings. Mostly, when she reread the files of their cases over and over, until her eyes watered, she felt pricking annoyance. Sometimes, when she stared at the dead bodies of those scarce unfortunates who stumbled upon their crimes, she was filled with hatred and a pushing need for revenge. Hange couldn’t deny, however, there were times when she marveled at the impudence of their crimes. And, when she was investigating the Ackerman’s cases and saw just how meticulously planned they all were, she couldn’t help but feel something close to fascination.

No one knew who they were. No one had seen their faces, no one knew their true names. Almost everyone knew of their crimes.

Hange was determined to unravel every last one of their secrets. She will put an end to their crimes and then she will get the elusive Ackermans behind bars.

Chapter 4/?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

“I can’t talk right now, Nile,” Hange hissed into her phone, taking a step away from Levi. “I’m—”

“On a date, yes, I know. There is a hardly a pen in our department that doesn’t know that some loser asked you out on a date.”

“I’m off duty,” Hange gritted. “So if you’re calling simply to annoy me, then I’m hanging up.”

“I knew I should have asked Erwin to do this…” Nile muttered darkly. Hange could practically see him closing his eyes and breathing heavily through nose. It was a sight she was quite familiar with. She was seeing it almost every time that hers and Nile’s paths crossed. “Zoe, I know we don’t usually see eye to eye, but this is important.”

“Important?” what that could possibly mean? The only thing more important right now than her date with Levi was…

“It’s about the Ackerman case.” Nile confirmed. Hange gripped the phone tighter in her hands.

“Was there another robbery?”

“No. But we just apprehended a criminal.”

“Ackerman?”

“No.”

Hange cursed. “Why are you calling me then, Nile? To brag that your team isn’t a bunch of complete idiots? Well, congratulations, but I’m kinda busy right now.”

“Would you shut up for just a second?” Nile snapped. “I’m trying to tell you something, Zoe!”

Hange huffed, irritated. “I’m all ears,” she said sarcastically.

“We caught a thief, name’s Traute Caven. You probably don’t know her.”

“That’s right. I don’t.”

“Well, she wants to talk with you.”

“About what?” Hange questioned. “And why me?”

“She asked me to bring in detective who leads the Ackerman case. And she refuses to say anything else.”

“Fuck.” Hange exhaled. She was having a really good time with Levi… she didn’t wish to leave him, but… her duty and work came first. Always did, always will. “I’ll be there soon.”

“Stay where you are,” Nile said. “I’ll come and pick you up.”

He hanged up before Hange could give him another sarcastic comeback.

With a heavy sigh, she returned to Levi’s side.

“I need to go,” she told him, shamefully avoiding his eyes. “Sorry for ditching you, but… it’s an emergency.”

“Do you want me to walk you back?”

“No, thanks,” her face changed, turning into a sour mien, as she thought of Nile and his awful, ugly goatee. “My, um, friend will pick me up.”

“Oh, alright,” Levi nodded, looking lost, like he didn’t know what to do. Hange felt another prick of guilt.

“I’ll text you, yeah?” she wasn’t sure if Levi would want to see her after that, but, well… she was an eternal optimist. “So we could meet again. If you wish to, that’s it?”

“Sure,” he agreed. “I would love that.”

“Awesome!” a bright smile bloomed on her face. Giddy and excited, she snickered, giving him finger-guns. The exasperate roll of his eyes that followed made her giggle again.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Hange saw a car approaching, its bright headlights almost blinding her. It was time to leave, it seemed.

“See you soon!” she gave Levi one last wide grin, and hurried to Nile’s car.

***

“Jesus, Zoe!” Nile looked over Hange’s wet hair and clothes with disgust, written all over his features. “Did you get dunked in a pile of snow?”

Hange hid a smile. “It’s called a snow fight, Nile. If you already forgot what that is or you’ve never knew because you were a giant nerd as a child, it’s when two or more people—”

“I know what a snow fight is,” he threw Hange a quick, annoyed look and then started the car, riding out on a street. “I have kids, you know. And I wasn’t a nerd.”

“Erwin tells a different story.”

“Erwin is full of shit,” he grunted, stopping before a traffic light. In a second before the green lightened up, he looked at Hange once more. Her arms were wrapped around her body, and her teeth were almost audibly chattering. Nile rolled his eyes, let out a tired sigh and turned up the heater.

“Thanks,” Hange quietly said, bringing her red fingers closer to the source of warmth. “How are your kids, by the way?”

“They’re good,” Nile nodded, his expression softening slightly at the mention of his children. “And how was… your date?”

“Good!” Hange answered, a smile breaking on her face. “It was really, really good.”

“So what, you like, er,” Nile winced and then frowned. “You like… them?”

“I do,” she watched his obvious discomfort with amused look. “And I was meeting up with a man, if that’s what confused you so much.”

The tips of his ears became red. “I just didn’t want to assume,” Nile grumbled with a stubborn scowl. “Your last date was a woman, so…”

The awkward silence fell over the car. Hange thought of fiddling with a car’s radio, but quickly decided against it. Her relationship with Nile was tense as it was, there was no point in adding fuel to an already raging fire.

She estimated that it would take them another ten minutes to get to the precinct. She desperately thought of a new topic for a conversation. Casual small talk proved to be too awkward for her and Nile.

The metaphorical bulb lightened up in her head. Of course! What was the only thing in the world she and Nile had in common?

“So what about that woman you’ve apprehended? Traute Caven, right?”

“Oh yes,” Nile nodded, obviously relieved to have something else to discuss and fill the silence with. “I brought a case file with me, it’s in a glove compartment.”

Hange followed his directions and took out a thick enough folder. Quite a portfolio that Caven had, she thought with a grim smile. She didn’t open it, instead glancing at Nile’s face again.

“You’ve spoken with her, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“And? Do you think she really knows something? Do you think we should trust her?”

“I don’t know,” Nile answered truthfully. “She asked to speak with you, Hange. So, it’s up for you to decide.”

“Awesome,” Hange grumbled, opening the folder on a first page. “No pressure at all.”

***

Standing in front of a sturdy, metal door, Hange recited everything she had just read.

Traute Caven, 47 years.

Was involved in a life of crime since teenage years. At young age of fifteen, she was apprehended by a police for the first time. Caught for shoplifting at a local mall, they let her go. A couple of months later, she was detained once more, this time for stealing from a jewelry store. Because she was caught before she could actually steal anything, she got away again once again. Just after she turned seventeen, Caven and a few of her friends decided to rob a bank. The police got them fairly quickly, and Caven received a jail sentence. She spent three years behind bars, but jail wasn’t able to change her. Once she was a free woman again, she returned to stealing, but this time— she was more cautious. She changed her name and appearance after each theft, and she had gotten acquainted with a skill of fraud as well, which complicated her arrest even more. The police spent years, chasing after her. Hange was actually quite impressed that Nile and his team were able to get her.

And now Caven wanted to talk with her.

About Ackerman case.

Hange couldn’t lie, she was excited. And nervous. Very, very nervous.

After all that time and efforts she poured into that goddamned case, just a small clue, a seemingly insignificant detail meant the world to her.

And what if she was at the verge of breakthrough?

Just the thought of it made Hange feel giddy. If Caven really knew something, if she could really lead them to Ackermans…

She was getting ahead of herself.

Too much haste is too little speed, Erwin always reminded her.

She needed to pull herself together.

Hange gripped the folder with Caven’s case tighter and put on a serious, determined face.

She had to look professional, authoritative.

She inhaled, exhaled and then opened the door.

Traute Caven didn't look like a thief. With her long blond hair tied up in a neat ponytail, in an elegant dark blue dress suit and white expensive-looking coat, she looked gorgeous, despite the unnatural lighting of the interrogation room.

A life of crime paid well, Hange thought bitterly. Much better than what she received for trying to catch the scoundrels.

"Miss Caven," she greeted. She sat down on the opposite side of a table and leveled her with a hard gaze.

"Detective Zoe, I take it?" Caven retorted, her each word slow and measured.

Hange nodded, taking a notebook out of her breast pocket. "You wanted to talk to me, right?"

"I have something to tell you," Caven confirmed.

"So I've heard. And what is it that you wanted to discuss?"

Caven curled her wine red lips in a smile. "Let's discuss the details of our deal first."

Hange answered her with a sly smile of her own. "Tell me what you know, Miss Caven. Or I'm walking out of here."

"And miss your chance to catch Ackermans?"

"I'm sure I can manage without your help."

It was a bluff, and a weak one at that. Erwin would have done a much better job, but Erwin wasn't there and Hange didn't have enough time to come up with a more efficient trick. But it seemed like she didn't have to. Despite the confident way she held herself, Hange caught a glimpse of what she was hiding behind that tough exterior – in truth, Caven was too desperate to argue.

"So let's hear your offer first," Hange prompted. She threw Caven an expectant look and uncapped the pen, holding it above the notebook.

"Fine," she gritted, flicking her hair. "I'll tell you what I know. But that’s it. I refuse to cooperate further, if you don’t uphold your end of a deal.”

They had no deal, Hange wanted to remind her. But if Caven’s information was worth at least something… Hange was ready to beg Erwin to shorten her prison term.

“I’m listening, Miss Caven,” she told with a sweet smile.

Caven sat back in the chair, folding arms across her chest. On her face she wore an expression of superiority and complacency. Hange unconsciously leaned closer.

If her previous distress so quickly turned in such blatant display of arrogance, then what she knew must be good, real good. Hange’s heart hammered in her chest, as she anxiously waited for Caven to start talking.

“I know one of the Ackermans. And I can lead you to him.”

Hange blinked a few times. Opened and closed her mouth. Looked up and down, pitched the skin of her arm.

She wasn’t dreaming.

Hange narrowed her eyes, studying Caven’s face. She didn’t look like she was lying. And why would she? As soon as her lie uncovers, she’d get sent in prison, for a much longer time than her original term.

So Caven wasn’t lying, and she was evidently real, so— it wasn’t Hange’s dream or fantasy. And that meant—

Whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

This was all real.

Caven really knew an Ackerman. She could bring Hange to him. She wasn’t just at the verge, it was a breakthrough.

I know one of the Ackermans, Caven had said. Meaning there were two of them, meaning they didn’t always operate together. Hange quickly scribbled it down in her notebook. Compared to Caven’s other revelation, this seemed like a laughably unimportant detail. But Hange was a creature of habit, and she wrote down a few words, no matter how insignificant they might have looked to others.

“I want to have my term shorten by a half. At the very least.” A smirk didn’t leave Caven’s face. She was glowing, basking in the effect her words had on Hange. “So do we have a deal? If we do, I can call him right this second.”

“No!” Hange cried out, bending over the table to grab Caven’s hand in hers. “No need to call anyone.”

Caven raised her eyebrows, watching Hange closely. As she noticed the almost feral look in her eyes, she tentatively backed away.

“You don’t want to apprehend them?”

She did. More than anything, Hange wanted to throw the bastards behind bars, where they rightfully belonged. But they were hurrying things up.

Too much haste is too little speed.

She couldn’t get to Ackermans, not now. She didn’t have any proof to back her up in a court, they could easily whisk away, far out of her reach.

She shouldn’t rush things, she had to act cautiously, taking into account every possible outcome.

She should approach it just like Erwin would.

“Miss Caven,” Hange pushed the glasses up her nose, smirking deviously. “How do you feel about committing one last robbery?”

***

“Erwin!”

Hange was on the phone with him, as soon as she walked out of the interrogation room. She had a person, who would lead her to Ackermans, she had a way to get to them, she had a plan on how to orchestrate all of it and get the evidence they needed to put them behind bars. All she needed now was support from Erwin. If he would believe in her plan, if he would agree to back her up in front of their colleagues… the success was practically guaranteed.

“You like a good gamble, right? I have a perfect one for you.”

***

It's been four days. Four days since Hange had left him in the snowy, quiet park. And she was yet to call or even text him.

Rationally, Levi knew that she must be incredibly busy. She was probably working day and night, doing her best to protect this city from... People like him.

This thought was rational, problem was - nothing about his relationship with Hange Zoe was rational.

If he was thinking rationally, if he was acting with a clear head, he'd run away from her, as far as it was possible. Or he would fool her, making her fall for him, just so he could get closer to the evidence she had gathered on him and Kenny. He'd destroy it, break her heart and then - of course - he'd run away, as fast and far as he could.

If he was thinking rationally, he wouldn't be glaring at his black phone screen, waiting for it to light up and announce a new incoming text - or better yet, a call.

But four days went after their date, and - he got nothing.

It made him angry. And worse than that, it made him sad. He felt neglected. Abandoned. Forgotten.

He wasn't used to neither of those feelings.

He tried contacting her, of course. His finger hovered above the call button dozens of times, and he typed several texts only to delete them just before pressing send.

Hi, how are you seemed too trite.

What you've been up to sounded too nosy.

It's been a while made him look like he was too clingy.

Hey, do you want to hang out would probably make her think he was too needy or demanding.

Levi would never think that texting someone could be so hard. Picking locks to high-security doors was easy. Hacking all the survey cameras in the building at once was easy. Climbing through ventilation shafts and jumping off the skyscrapers with one thin rope as his back up was easy. Communicating with another person was not.

He had half a mind to go and ask Kenny for an advice.

But, obviously, he wasn't that desperate. For now, at least.

In the end, Levi didn't have to ask. Kenny came to him himself.

"So that's it?" Kenny walked into the kitchen, joining him at the table. Shifting his gaze from the phone to his uncle’s face, Levi raised an eyebrow, silently asking him to elaborate.

***

"Your date!" Kenny clasped his back, almost making Levi choke. Letting out a deep, amused chuckle, he continued. "Did she get sick of you already?"

"What the fuck—"

"That must be a record, I'm sure," Kenny carried on, ignoring Levi's sizzling gaze. "To be done with you just after the first date. Her loss, I guess," he shook his head in fake disappointment. "Or yours. Since now you're definitely going to die a virgin."

"I'm not—" Levi paused, taking a deep breath and mustering his expression into the murderest one he could manage. "I'm not a virgin!" he hissed.

"Really?" Kenny, that fucking asshole, had the audacity to look shocked. Levi's hands curled into fists. "Was it that waitress then? The one I told you to seduce? I didn't expect you to get in bed with her. Good job, Levi!” he received another hard pat on his shoulder. “Or, no, wait! Did you do it with that artist? The one that had the security code to the gallery safe?"

His ears were burning. He was sure his cheeks were red too, because Kenny kept looking at him with that insufferably smug smirk of his.

Levi was going to kill him. He was going to murder his own uncle. He could plunge the knife into his chest, or maybe, throw the tea cup into his face..... As soon as he finished the tea, of course.

"This is none of your business," he said, his voice much calmer than he was actually feeling. "And my date didn't grow sick of me."

Levi hoped so, at least.

"Oh? Then why have you been boring holes into your phone for the last few days?"

He shamefully averted his gaze. Kenny started laughing.

"She's probably busy," he muttered.

"So busy she can't reply to your text?"

"...I didn't send her a text."

"Have you called then?"

"...No."

"Levi!" Kenny cried out. "Are you serious? You didn't try to contact her and that's why you're brooding? I didn't know you're that shy!"

"I'm not shy," he grunted. "I'm just—"

"Terrified of making the first move, eh?" the smirk was back on Kenny's lips. "I bet she was the one who asked you out in the first place."

Levi turned his face away, hiding from Kenny's amused look. The fucking bastard was right but— he'd rather die than to admit this to Kenny.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Levi," Kenny gave him look so full of disappointment that the beginnings of shame actually prickled his heart. "Just send her a picture of a funny cat or some other shit. Stop being such a goddamn chicken."

Levi slowly nodded, pondering.

That was.... A sound advice. He wouldn’t send a picture of a funny cat, of course, he had a feeling Hange was actually a dog person, but....Sending something to get her attention. That way he could easily initiate dialogue without directly asking for it.

Huh. Who knew that Kenny of all people would give him a good advice.

As he moved his hand to grab the phone, Kenny stopped him.

"Wait, before you start making a fool out of yourself, I need to discuss something with you."

"What?" Levi snapped, quickly pulling his hand away. He crossed arms on his chest, glaring at Kenny beneath his eyebrows.

"Remember I told you about a job? We need to do it soon."

His glare turned into a frown. "You said we'll wait..."

"And wait we did." Kenny retorted. "We need to hurry."

Why, Levi wanted to ask. But he felt like he already knew the answer.

"Who is our client?"

Kenny hesitated. For a moment he shifted his gaze to the side. It was all the answer Levi needed.

"It's Reiss, isn't it?"

"Levi it's—"

"It's bullshit, that's what it is!" Levi growled. "I get that Uri was your friend and you owed much to him. But why the fuck you continue working for his deranged brother is beyond me!"

"You don't have to understand anything, Levi." Kenny told him, his gaze hard and his lips pressed in a tight line. "You just need to do what I say."

Kenny stood up, turning on his heels. "End of discussion. I'll call you when I finish the plan."

He left the room without another glance at him. For a few moments, Levi watched the spot his uncle was just sitting at, his anger growing and growing. He wanted to punch something. Or someone. Preferably, Kenny.

He almost rose up to go and do just that, but then he remembered.

Detective Zoe. He needed to text her.

His tea now completely forgotten, Levi grabbed his phone. Kenny was a shithead and a jerk, however... his advice wasn't that bad. But he still had to find a way to implement it. He opened the browser and furrowed his brows. What would Hange enjoy?

A link to an article? Not a bad choice, but what should he chose as a topic? Science? News? History? Or, maybe, a video from YouTube? A song? But he didn't know what music Hange liked and he wasn't sure their music tastes would be compatible. Or maybe—

His musings were suddenly interrupted. By a loud ping. Levi almost jumped at the unexpected noise. He glanced at top of his screen. He had an incoming message. From Hange.

In a span of a heartbeat, Levi opened it.

hey! sorry for being absent for so long, work is kicking my ass :( are you free this evening? do you want to go to that place you've showed me? i have the first day-off in forever :D

It was a simple message. It had no right in making him that flustered.

Levi stood up, went to a sink and put his cup in it. After washing it as thoroughly as possible and wiping his hands, he returned to the table.

He took the phone in his hands, he received a message from Hange five minutes ago. It was probably an appropriate time to respond. He didn't reply instantly, so Hange wouldn't think he's too eager. And he didn't reply too late as well, meaning that he wouldn't come across as negligent.

i'll be there at 8, he wrote back.

He went to brew another cup of tea, an unusual lightness taking residue in his chest. For the first time in five days, he was content.

***

"Hange," Erwin walked up to her, laying a hand on her shoulder. Tearing her gaze away from the papers on her desk, Hange blinked a few times, adjusting to the sudden brightness in the room. The sun was already up? It was up for quite some time, if Erwin was already here. "Did you really spend another night in here?"

The crease between his bush eyebrows was disapproving. Hange averted her eyes in shame.

"I just wanted to check one thing, and I guess I got carried away a bit..."

Erwin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I appreciate what you do, Hange, I really do. I'm proud of what you’ve accomplished, but you need to take care of yourself. C'mon," he wrapped his hand around her arm, pulling her upwards. "Go home and get some sleep. Come back in the morning."

"But—" Hange cried, her eyes widening. "The today's shift has just begun! You want me to skip a whole day of work?"

"That's exactly what I want you to do. The precinct will survive one day without you, Hange."

"But!" she lifted the papers from her desk, shoving them into Erwin's face. "My work! My operation! It's important, Erwin!"

"You did all that you could for now," he reminded, his expression turning darker. "We still have a couple of days before Caven contacts Ackermans to lure them into our trap. So take this time to rest. And then give this operation your best."

"You really won't let me work, eh?" Hange's shoulders sagged, as she put down the papers, the plans she so carefully crafted. "I'll go home then, fine, but," she narrowed her eyes, glaring at Erwin, who, unfortunately, didn't look fazed at all. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"I don't expect anything else," he smiled, patting her arm. "Have a nice day, Hange."

She answered him with a smile of her own, albeit hers was too weak in comparison. With a defeated look, Hange started to pack her things.

She was grateful to Erwin for everything he's done to her, for all the times he stood behind her shoulder, backing her up. Without him, this operation would never be allowed to come to fruition. But all that aside, there were times when Erwin pissed her off so much. Sometimes he became too overbearing, breathing down her neck and pushing her to take a break like he was not her captain, but a mother.

As she turned to give him one last look, Erwin was still watching her, taping his foot impatiently. Sturdy like a rock, Hange’s protests would never sway him. She sighed, putting on her coat and grabbing her bag.

"Bye, chief!" she waved her hand before leaving the office.

As she walked through the hallways of the precinct, expertly avoiding bumping into one of her colleagues, the exhaustion started to catch up with her. She thought long and hard what should she do once she gets home. She could go to sleep, after several nights she spent sleeping at the small, uncomfortable couch in her office, she needed that catch eye more than anything.

But what she could busy herself with afterwards? Working was out of question, she left all printed documents in the office, and, knowing Erwin, he already blocked her access to the precinct's database. So what was left...

Hange pondered on it, taping a point finger against her lips.

And then— it hit her. Levi.

Levi!

She promised to text him after their date. And that was - Hange took out her phone, checking the date - fuck, that was five days ago. Would he still agree to hang out, she wondered.

Only one way to find out, Hange decided, unlocking her phone and opening the last chat with Levi.

***

They agreed to meet at eight. Levi entered the café at 7:30. He sat down at a table in the corner, the one that was separated from the rest of the café by a thin wall. He ordered tea and prepared to wait. He watched the entrance intently, his heart racing every time the door opened.

He finished his first cup and went outside to have a smoke. He ordered his second cup and soon finished it too. He had another cigarette. He walked inside again and ordered another cup. He paused from watching the entrance to glance at his wristwatch.

8:31

Hange was running late. Again. He was starting to see a pattern here.

He was thinking of going for another smoke break, when Hange finally stumbled inside. Red-faced and panting, she rushed to the table Levi was sitting at.

"Sorry!" she cried out, her voice ringing in the quietness of the small café and reverberating from its walls. "I swear it's not intentional, I just—" she took a deep breath. Levi pushed the unfinished cup in her direction and Hangs gulped in one go. "I just overslept."

"Overslept?" his eyebrows went so high they reached his hairline. He checked his wrist watch. "It's almost nine o'clock."

"Crazy day!" Hange giggled, sitting on the opposite side of Levi. "But I'm glad I finally get to see you! It's been a while!"

"It was," Levi nodded. It was good to see Hange, even though he couldn't quite find the words to express it.

"What do you wish to order?"

"I'll leave it up to you," Hange replied, smiling. She was sitting with her chin resting on her hand, and her eyes looking straight at Levi. Under her gaze, it was hard not to fidget.

"Do I have something on my face?" he asked, getting more and more flustered with each second.

"Nope," she said. "I just like looking at you, that's all."

Levi felt heat rise to his face. How the hell he should answer that?

"You reek," he blurted out. He cringed as soon as these words left his mouth. What is wrong with you, the voice in his head - the one that sounded exactly like Kenny - wondered.

Hange, however, didn't look fazed in the slightest.

"Yeah, sorry about that,” where any other – sane – person would start throwing insults or possibly even slap him, Hange just carelessly shrugged. “I was kinda living in my office and didn't have the time to take a shower. Today is the first time I came home, and I was so excited to see you that I totally forgot to clean up."

What she just said - it disgusted Levi beyond compare. Hange’s hair was greasy, her body emanated heinous odor of sweat and he was pretty sure she hadn’t brush her teeth too.

But at the same time - what she just said - it made Levi's chest feel weird. His heart skipped a beat and a warm, fluttery feeling settled in his stomach. It almost made him forget about his disgust.

"So what you've been up to?" he asked after Hange's order arrived.

She looked up from a cake she'd been devouring to give him a silly grin. The corners of her mouth were stained with cream. Levi sighed, bending over the table to wipe it out.

"Thanks," she mumbled. "And about work... sorry," she spread her arms. "That's kinda classified."

Of course, it'd be naive to think Hange would reveal her cards so easily. But if he could get at least something from her...

"You seem pretty excited," he noted, watching her carefully.

"I am!" Hange exclaimed, sending another spoon of cake into her mouth. "I feel very, very good about this operation. I've been working for more than a year to get to those bastards. Can't believe I'm so close to doing it!"

A chill ran through his spine. Hange was close. Hange was close to catching them. They needed to run, needed to get out of the city. He had to warn Kenny. Before it became too late.

His heart beat in unsteady rhythm and his hands turned clammy, as he tried to concentrate on what Hange was saying. His thoughts were going in circles, as he forced himself to snap out of it. He had to keep up his lie, had to play the role until the end, otherwise he risked rising Hange’s suspicions.

He had to think of something, some change of topic, something that would distract him from his possible downfall.

Putting on his best poker face, he straightened up, looking her in the eyes and willing his heart to calm down. A new direction to their conversation was already at the tip of his tongue.

Unfortunately, talking had never been his strong forte.

"I have been wondering..." Hange perked up. Levi winced, continuing. "Are you a cat or dog person?"

***

Finally, he was in his element.

After numerous discussions and arguments with Kenny, he was unable to convince him to leave. Not until they finish this job, or so Kenny had said.

“It's a piece of cake”, he had said. “The easiest job we've done in a while. Walk in, grab the money and walk out.”

“We can leave the city after that for a while,” he added. “Go on a vacation, travel to Caribbean or some shit.”

Levi hoped it wasn't one of Kenny's bullshit lies. They needed to get going and soon, the threat was hanging over them, so close that Levi could almost feel the tip of that metaphorical sword on the top of his head. But Kenny didn't understand. And Kenny wouldn't understand, because explaining to him meant revealing the way he got this information. And Levi couldn't allow that to happen. If Kenny finds out, he would never trust him again.

Or worse, he would decide to do something stupid. For example, try to outsmart the police. His uncle was a cunning man, but Levi knew what Hange was capable of. And he had met her boss, Erwin Smith. Kenny didn't stand a chance against the two of them.

To his credit, Kenny didn't lie, not this time at least. Getting inside the house was indeed surprisingly easy.

***

"First, you hack into security cameras," Kenny had instructed. "Judging by the blueprints of the house, there shouldn't be many of them."

"The house is small then?"

"Not the smallest one we've robbed."

"Who is our target?"

"Don't remember the name," Kenny gave his flippant reply, scratching the back of his neck. "But he's some big shot politician."

Politicians? Since when did they start targeting politicians? Something was up...

"Don't give me that look, Levi!" Kenny snapped, taking notice of Levi's furrowed eyebrows. "It doesn't matter anyway. What matters is this - will you be able to get through their security system?"

Levi huffed, rolling his eyes. "Please. Do you really need to ask?"

***

Just like Kenny had said, getting in was surprisingly easy. He hacked into security cameras and turned off the alarms in a record seven minutes time. And that incredible feat was achieved, despite the fact that he was working, using a shitty Wi-Fi signal from a nearby cafe.

Once that was done, they could move to a next stage of a plan.

***

"I take it the house is surrounded by a fence?"

Kenny huffed. "Obviously."

"Barbed wire? Guards? Dogs?"

"Nothing of the sort. We're breaking into a house, Levi, not a prison."

They broke into a prison once, to help escape one of Kenny's associates. It was a tough job. And a surprisingly fun one.

"We just climb the fence and that's it,” Kenny assured. “Don't worry, I'll help you do it."

"Fuck off," Levi growled, sending Kenny a death glare. When his uncle did nothing, but smirk, he scoffed and returned his attention to the blueprints on the table. "What do we do next? Which entrance do we use to get in?"

"Whichever we want to," Kenny replied, shrugging. "The house will be empty."

Levi pursed his lips. "You sure?"

"Sure as can be. The whole family is going on some kind of auction for rich assholes. Reiss will be there too, he promised to make sure that our guy stays for as long as possible."

"At least, he's useful for something," Levi muttered. His finger traced the outline of blueprint, as he announced his decision. "We'll use the back door. No need to raise suspicions. Who knows how nosy his neighbors are."

***

Another advantage of using the backdoor was a fact that usually they weren't as protected as the main entrance.

And this door was no exception, Levi picked its lock in less than thirty seconds.

"Welcome," he grunted, pushing the door open and letting Kenny go in first.

The house, as expected, was engulfed in darkness. Kenny with his black pants and jacket instantly merged with the shadows. After carefully closing the door, Levi joined him, becoming one with the darkness as well.

***

"Do we know where he keeps the money?"

"Where do all rich douches keep their money?" Kenny snorted. "The study, of course."

"Alright, so we do what? Just simply walk in there?"

"You want to use the window? Or try looking for a ventilation shaft? It's an easy job, Levi," Kenny patted his shoulder. "Relax and don't overthink it."

***

The house was not only dark, it was quiet. The unnatural silence got on Levi's nerves.

Usually when they were on a job, there were other people there. Banks were full of workers, going about their jobs several floors above the vaults, museums and art galleries had guards, casinos were bristling with noise and chatter no matter the time of a day. And when they escaped the noise, moving closer to their goal, silence was a good thing. Silence meant they were undetected, meant they were safe. Silence used to bring him comfort.

This house was an exception. The silence there... It didn’t give him a sense of safety, only unease. It made him even more alert than usual.

The smiling faces in photo frames that stared at Levi from every wall were unnerving him even more. Two redheaded kids, standing between their grinning parents seemed completely out of place in this dark, silent house. Levi breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached the study.

"You take care of the safe," Kenny told him. "I look around."

Levi gave him a curt nod and, without another word, set out to work.

The safe was of medium size and it stood in the corner of the room, half hidden by a large dieffenbachia.

Levi crouched next to it, taking out his instruments.

The safe broke down quickly. It almost felt like an insult. Kenny and him were world class thieves. And this house could be easily robbed by an amateur.

Smoldering his annoyance, he opened the safe. As soon as he did, Kenny pushed him aside. He grabbed something from it, pocketing it inside his jacket. His movements were quick and the room was dark, but Levi's eyes were sharp. He saw a document - a birth certificate - and a photo of a young girl whose blond hair was vivid enough to be visible even in the darkness.

"What the fuck was it?" Levi hissed.

"Does it matter?" Kenny laughed so carelessly that to Levi's ears it sounded almost forced and insincere. "Let's just get out of here.”

He threw the door of the safe shut and turned around, motioning Levi to get going. Levi grabbed the back of his jacket before Kenny could take another step.

Perhaps, he was getting paranoid – he hoped he was – but he had heard something.

The noise, the barely audible clatter downstairs. And the sound of footsteps that sounded closer and closer.

"Fuck!" Kenny hissed, his eyes widening. So he wasn’t paranoid. "Shit! They were supposed to be gone for another hour at least!"

"And yet they're already here," Levi snapped, the tension getting to him as well. "We’re on a second floor, jumping is—"

“The only way to escape,” Kenny finished grimly. “Go, Levi.”

He didn’t like the way Kenny had said that. And he really didn’t like the hand that Kenny put under his jacket.

That’s where he kept his gun.

His heart fell.

“Kenny, no!” Levi whispered, urgently tagging at his sleeve.

“Hurry up, Levi,” Kenny replied, unusually quiet. “You don’t like when things get dirty.”

“Ken—”

The door had opened, before Levi could finish. A man, probably somewhere in his forties, stood on a threshold. Levi had seen him in one of the photos - it was the father of the family, the one, who embraced two redheaded children. However, in this moment he wasn’t smiling. His eyes widened, his mouth opened in a scream.

That was devoured by a thunderous gunshot.

“Get going!” Kenny urged, hiding his gun. He grabbed Levi by the collar to drag him forward. “This place is going to be swirling with cops any second now!”

Numbly, Levi followed him. He opened the window, climbed on a windowsill and jumped down. He roughly landed on a ground, the snow softening his fall, but ever so slightly. It left him with scratches on his palms and bruises on his knees.

Levi felt none of it. His ears were still ringing from the gunshot, and before his eyes still stood that man.

“Snap out of it!” Kenny raged, forcing him to stand up. “We need to go, Levi, you can deal with your inner turmoil later.”

“Why did you kill him?” he asked, surprised by the hollowness in his own voice. He stared at Kenny, anger growing inside him. “Why did you kill him?!” he pushed his uncle away, making him stumble. “We could have escaped!”

“And he could have seen us.” Kenny replied, straightening his jacket. “Just a glimpse of our backs would give police an advantage we can’t allow them to have. So stop throwing a tantrum like it’s a first dead body you’ve seen.”

Kenny was right, he had seen his fair share. The first dead body he had seen was his mother’s. But it wasn’t the last one. Not all of their jobs were successful, they didn’t always remain undetected. They weren’t invisible, and, even if they were damn good at what they did, accidents still happened.

Usually those accidents ended in violence – knock the unlucky guard down, before he sees you, and you’re safe. But sometimes – just like today - those accidents ended in death.

It was nothing new to Levi, and yet – each time it happened, he felt the weight in his chest so heavy it threatened to drag him down all the way to the ground.

Violence, death – they were following him since he was born. But dealing with them, getting used to them was a skill Levi had yet to master.

“C’mon,” Kenny wrapped a hand around his shoulders, pushing him forward with uncharacteristic considerateness. “You can scold me for not valuing human life later. When we get home.”

The sirens were already heard in the distance, they had no time for arguing. Levi let himself be led, climbing up the fence and jumping off it. Hidden by shadows, they rapidly left the house behind.

His mind was still filled with images of smiling man from the photo, that vision merging with his dying expression.

***

It was quite a productive shift, Hange was almost pleased by what she had achieved today. The clock was nearing eight, making her contemplate if she should call it a day. There was always more work that could be done, but Erwin could come in any minute, scolding and chiding her.

It was best to be gone before he would throw her out of the office.

Hange was turning off her computer, when the door to her office was thrown open. In stumbled Mike – disheveled, panting, he looked a far cry from his usual tranquil appearance.

Hange felt her stomach drop. A thousand guesses and suspicions swam around her head, as she waited for Mike to catch his breath and start talking.

Judging by Mike’s agitation, it couldn’t be anything good.

“We’ve got another robbery!” he managed to finally say. And before Hange could start cursing, he added.

“And this time, it’s a murder as well.”

#i wonder if there was some kind of foreshadowing in this chapter🤔🤔🤔#levihan

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nimsajlove · 3 years

Text

Brother Wolf

Some things about Ahsoka and Wolffe between the passing of time.

Brothers-AU Ao3

Edit: What the actual hell did tumblr do to my teeny tiny stars? Or is this just me?

*~*

„Hey, who does this cadet belong to?“, a voice rang through the hangar, Jedi General Plo Koon and Commander Wolffe interrupted their conversation to raise their heads. A clone in gleaming white armor made its way through the men seated on the ground. He had grabbed a young girl by the wrist. She watched with amazement as hundreds of soldiers covered their armor with paint. Then she grinned broadly at her, obviously involuntary, companion and tried to pull her hand away from him. „I can manage on my own.“, she protested and Woffe was tempted to roll his eyes, when the general's low chuckle threw him a bit off. „Thank you very much, I will take over from here.“, assured General Koon and held out his big hand to the girl. Wolffe was fascinated, he had never really seen a togruta and he had not expected that the color of the lekku could darken that quickly!

„Sir.“, the man in white armor responded to the command and released the girl from his grasp. Hastily she reached out and clasped General Koon's fingers in hers. When she smiled, the snow-white markings on her cheekbones lifted with it. „‘Soka, how long did it take you to get here?“, asked the General and the girl grinned even wider, if possible. „It took me 10 minutes.“, she boasted. Oh dear, Wolffe only had needed 5 on his first day on Coruscant. But he also swallowed the thought, later when he was alone he would allow himself to grin a little. But not now, not in front of his Jedi.

General Koon did seem to be smiling, however. „Commander Wolffe, may I introduce you jedi youngling Ahsoka?“ She pouted! She didn't seem to like the addition of youngling at all... „‘Soka, that's Commander Wolffe.“ Wolffe bowed his head in greeting and the girl, Ahsoka, looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes. Was she studying his helmet? „Are that supposed to be ... teeth?“, she asked critically and General Koon seemed to smile again, where had Wolffe got into? A jedi cadet who eyed him with a predatory look and a jedi general who seemed to be having a lot of fun. If he told Fox that, it might even make his brother laugh.

Before Wolffe could answer, the General's comlink blinked. „Ah… Commander, I'll leave little Ahsoka with you. I'll be right back.“ Great. Wolffe looked after the General for a moment, would it be beneath his dignity to just send the kid home? Sighing softly, he turned his gaze back to Ahsoka and when he watched how she already followed Boost every step of the way, grinning broadly and with amazed eyes, he actually had to smile.

Wolffe was tired, so infinitely tired. But grumpy too, and that was exactly what he needed to mask his exhaustion as best he could. Still, he couldn't find the energy to get up when the ship jumped into hyperspace. His stomach was sure, however, that General Koon hadn't been behind the wheel! Rex spoke well of Skywalker, but Wolffe was very happy to serve under another jedi at moments like these.

Soft snoring made him open one eye, Boost and Sinker leaned together slumped against the wall opposite him and slept leaning against each other. They were still in a pretty good shape... What would become of them now? It only seemed logical to split Boost and Sinker among other battalions and assign him, Wolffe, to another unit as well. That would mean less paperwork, right? Kark! This wasn't fair! But he would pull himself together for his last two men. And for the General.

Soft steps made Wolffe blink again, when did he close his eyes again? Ahsoka crept cautiously through the ship, armed with a couple of blankets. One more reason to pull himself together. Rex's tiny Commander-sibling didn't have to see any more suffering than she already would see in this war. Why hadn't General Koon spoken out against her being a padawan? She was a child! Just a little girl who, just a few months ago, had stood in his hangar with wide eyes. And now? Now there was that sad look she gave Boost and Sinker.

Ahsoka gently wrapped two blankets around the two men before she straightened up and padded over to Wolffe with the last one. Wonderful, now the little thing had to take care of him! „It's okay, I'll be fine.“, he growled and got up a little, Ahsoka looked at him. Her gaze was far too serious for her small, round face. Then she clicked her tongue miserably and threw the blanket over the clone anyway. „I'm sorry.“, she muttered and when Wolffe rolled his eyes it was just a reason for her to crawl closer to him. Finally she sat on the floor too, pressed close to his side. That wasn't so bad... „Cody asked about you. And Rex too“, Ahsoka mumbled softly and Wolffe rolled his eyes again, but leaned back against the escape pod again, puffing. „Of course they did...“, he muttered softly and the girl laughed softly into his uniform. „I told them you are fine...“, she added and then fell silent. No, she shouldn't worry her tiny head over all of this. „We will be.“, Wolffe assured her quietly. Ahsoka cuddled closer to him and even if he neither hugged her nor wrapped the blanket around her, she felt his head sag a little in her direction.

Rex hadn't returned yet... Cody next to Wolffe glanced at the door again, the mood of the two commanders had clearly sagged. And not just theirs, Wolffe could see some of Rex's men in a corner. Their heads were huddled together and they were whispering to one another. The ARC, Fives, had its arms crossed and leaned against a brother's hand. Cody looked at the door again. „Kriff, that is no longer bearable. I'll go and look for them.“, Wolffe grumbled and got up.

Cody didn't try to stop him, just nodded and got to his feet as well. Well, they seemed to agree this time! With great strides Wolffe made his way outside, if Ahsoka was really there again she would never stay outside that long. Or would she? After all, she belonged to the family... Oh, all of this sucked! Really, the whole thing was just completly unfair! He had believed Rex. Ahsoka Tano would never kill clones, not with those big eyes and grin. But she had been together with Ventress and what should he think of that?! He would have shot the witch on the spot, if Ahsoka hadn't been standing in front of him. She had defended the enemy.

But at the same time she had tried to protect him and the men. Wanted to talk! He should have just stunned her right then and she would never have gotten even close to that damn warehouse.

The evening air was cold and cleared the many thoughts from Wolffe's head. That was all behind them, Ahsoka was alive. She was innocent. That counted. He had reached his goal and had brought her home when Rex and Skywalker were unable to. Even if he had expected more ... backbone from General Plo. But he didn't owe Plo an apology, they all owed it to Ahsoka. Hardly thought through, he discovered two huddled figures. So that's where Rex had been! The Captain sat leaning against the wall of the barrack in the darkness and that on his lap was a violently trembling Ahsoka. Kriff, maybe Cody should have gone looking for them after all? Too late now, Rex looked up and caught Wolffe's gaze. All right, going back was no longer an option. So he came closer with careful steps. Ahsoka had turned her back on him, he could see as she tensed when he came within earshot. Rex had an arm wrapped around her, his free hand gently rubbing her back. A low growl escaped the girl and while Rex looked worried, Wolffe had to smile against his will. What a cute attempt to chase him away again. But she had mastert the art to ignore his grumbling, so he would return the favor.

Also, he had come here on a mission and he still had to apologize. That would be difficult enough... „Your men are getting annoying in there.“, Wolffe muttered and Rex snorted, of course his little brother knew immediately which men were meant! „Fine. Ahsoka, I'll go and talk to the others. I'll be right back, okay?“, he muttered and the girl shuddered before she nodded and slipped off Rex's lap. When he got up, he gave Wolffe a questioning look. „I'm staying.“, confirmed Wolffe.

That seemed to move Rex to give Wolffe another sharp look. Hey! He didn't even have a blaster on hand and he was sure that Ahsoka would bite off his hand anyway before he could draw a single blaster. She certainly could. Rex went back inside and Wolffe sat on the floor next to Ahsoka. There was a low growl and she shrugged her shoulders protectively. „No reason to be rude.“, he grumbled and Ahsoka's head jerked up, with tear-stained eyes and bared teeth she looked at him. „I trusted you!“, she spat, ouch. That ... maybe he deserved that. But that's not how things would work here, he already felt guilty and she wasn't going to talk it any bigger! „And I trusted you too. And yet you were with Ventress.“, he replied chilled, quietly. Then her lower lip started trembling. Kriff.

Ahsoka angrily wiped her face with her hands and hastily tried her body to get herself back under control. She wanted to be mad! She wanted to bite and scratch. But there was just that deep fear inside of her. The back of a hand on her shoulder almost made her jump in the air. Then she tried to avoid the touch. No chance, Wolffe's hand stayed on her shoulder. Like glued on. „I hate you.“, she sniffed tired and angry and sad. This was too much for one day, just too much. Wolffe watched her make a face and then carefully turned his hand, now he gripped her shoulder tightly. „I'm sorry. It wasn't fair.“, he admitted quietly and Ahsoka slumped, she just nodded. „I never believed you could have done any of this. But Fox and the others couldn't be talked into anything diffrent. I wanted to bring you back home.“ She nodded again and Wolffe took a deep breath, he had said what had to be said. It wouldn't hurt to go back inside now and get Rex! He was just getting up again when Ahsoka suddenly slumped to one side. With a thump, her head landed on his shoulder and he froze. It had been ages since she'd gotten that close to him. „I'm sorry I hit you.“, she muttered and Wolffe could feel her shaking again. Kriff. Slowly he raised a hand and squeezed her shoulder. „It's okay, it's been a strange day.“, he muttered and she nodded. Tears still shone on her face. There were dark circles under her eyes and she trembled violently with every breath. Were she cold? „You should get back into the warmth.“, Wolffe decided and got up, with one hand he pulled her to her feet and supported her. She looked pathetic, absolutely drained. And like she needed a hug.

He didn’t hug her. Instead he led them slowly back into the building, across the hallway to the 501st quarters. Inside, voices could be heard. What were these laser brains arguing about this time? Sighing, Wolffe knocked on the door and the voices fell silent. Then the door opened and several hands grabbed Ahsoka. The girl sagged weakly against her other brothers and Wolffe withdrew a tiny bit when she suddenly grabbed him. „I forgive you, it wasn't your fault.“, she mumbled and the others froze again, Wolffe smiled. „And not yours either. It will be okay.“

„It will be okay.“, Ahsoka mumbled softly to the wriggling bundle in her arms. Little fingers reached out to her face and grabbed the tips of her lekku. The little girl was beautiful. The fact that Padme could already be seen in Leia after a few months only intensified the effect. But maybe that was just Ahsoka perspective...

No one had protested when she had come into the creche and picked up Leia. No one had stopped her when she had went out with the child and just stopped at the steps of the temple. Even the remaining guards avoided them. Leia patted Ahsoka's cheek with one hand and she blinked hastily, her cheeks were wet. But today was supposed to be a good day! Today Master Plo would come back. And even if she could do without a meeting with her father figure, she just didn't want to miss her brother! Since the battle in the temple, Plo Koon had been out with his men to track down Tamboa. Something Ahsoka would have liked to do herself, but the healers and her brothers found her to be too unstable. Pah...

Before her frustration could swell further and mix with her depressed mood, Leia turned her little head and Ahsoka followed her gaze, Plo Koons presence could already be felt before the speeder stopped and two figures emerged from it. The Jedi Master led the way, Wolffe followed. As they climbed the steps, Ahsoka cocked her head a little, they looked tired. Nevertheless, she decided her meeting with Wolffe would not be able to wait, and waited until the two of them had reached the top. „Ahsoka.“, Plo greeted with clear reluctance. Briefly he reached out his fingers to her arm, Ahsoka winced as he brushed her skin and Plo withdrew hastily. „Good evening Master.“, Ahsoka muttered and quickly averted her gaze, she didn't want to give her old friend a reason to linger any longer. He sighed. „I'll see you tomorrow, Wolffe.“, he said his goodbye. „Good night, General Plo.“, Wolffe replied and when Ahsoka looked up the clone was already looking at her. „You look tired.“, he stated and Ahsoka's lips curled into a small smile. „Have you ever looked in a mirror?“, she asked and Wolffe grinned. He seemed happy, his presence so much easier to take than the jedi. All clones were more welcome to Ahsoka than the Order at the time. The twins were the only exception.

The twins, whom Wolffe and many others of Ahsoka's brothers had never met! As if on command, Leia held out her hand, gurgling, and clenched a fist in Wolffe's direction. Hel eyed the little girl with a raised eyebrow. „I wanted to introduce you to Leia.“, Ahsoka smiled and Wolffe rolled his eyes, it was almost a loving gesture. „The girl from Skywalker?“, he asked quietly and hesitantly held out his hand, Leia immediately grabbed his index finger and cooed with satisfaction. A tiny smile appeared on his face and Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief. The two seemed to be able to develop a positive bond, untroubled by the actions of the children's father. „Yes.“, Ahsoka grinned and held out Leia to Wolffe. „Oh no, keep it!“ „Don't be scared like that.“, she teased and gave the child to Wolffe. He held her a little clumsily and looked as if he was afraid of crushing her. And then suddenly she laughed. The little thing with the dark hair and open eyes looked at Wolffe and laughed. „She will be so much trouble.“, Wolffe muttered, but his grin belied him.

„Give it back!" Ahsoka grinned and turned her gaze forward, just fast enough to avoid a laughing Clone Commander. Rex was less fortunate, Cody practically ran him over. Leia threw herself at the two clones without hesitation, Luke next to Ahsoka hastily made a few steps of space between himself and the scramble on the ground. „Children, does this have to be in the hallway?“, Cutup teased, Jesse and Droidbait laughed softly when Rex threw them a less nice gesture. „Why don't we just go on, we have a hunt to prepare after all.“, Jesse grinned and Luke's eyes lit up, he nodded eagerly. „We can kidnap your padawan for now, right vod'ika?“, asked Droidbait and Ahsoka grinned and pushed her shoulder against his, she was a tiny bit taller than her brothers and had it not been for the first gray hairs, she would have been greatly amused. „Off with you, I'll see where Wolffe is. He will be able to save our brother.“

Satisfied, the others left and Ahsoka quickly left the curses in the hallway behind. She didn't have to look far, Wolffe came up one corridor to meet her. Like the other clones in the temple, he was civilly dressed, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his trousers. He didn't seem in a hurry. „Do you know why Leia is trying to kill her favorite brother?“, Ahsoka asked and Wolffe grinned broadly, he looked like he had just received the greates gift of all. „Cody snatched her belt while sparring.“ Oh dear. „The gray one?“, Ahsoka asked, she knew exactly which belt was talked about. Finely woven, light gray and embroidered with a wolf's head at the ends. Who would have thought that Boost had that much talent! Leia loved this belt, almost as much as the wolfpack and the 212th.

„Then maybe we should save Cody and Rex, because I still need my brother and Obi Wan comes back in-„ A quick look at the crono. „-three hours again. He's going to want Cody back in one piece and I'm not going to be the one covering up a murder for his padawan.“ Wolffe laughed, but quickened his pace. „We both know that you would be the first to cover up the murder.“, he grinned and set off to separate his siblings from each other.

#star wars #the clone wars #brothers-au #wolffe aint the best cuddle buddy but its okay #he still is a good brother #ahsoka tano #clone commander wolffe #plo koon #leia skywalker

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pollenat · 4 years

Text

RED VELVET and 5 ways to say I love you

➛ Note: Non-verbal, mind you.

IRENE

Her hand automatically reaching for a lost strand of hair you haven’t noticed yet. The fingertips feel so soft on your skin, you want to grab her fingers and kiss the top of each one. But these are just thoughts. In reality you freeze, struggling with the fast rhythm of your beating heart. Joohyun smiles softly, quickly going back to whatever it was she was busy with before.

The drastic change in her behavior when your hands pull her hips close to yours. As much as you want to lead her, you turn weak upon looking into her beautiful eyes. Joohyun’s smile melts away, letting something dangerous take place. You cannot pinpoint exactly what it is, but the sight makes your thighs tingle.

Waking up in the middle of the night. Joohyun rarely embraces you when asleep, but at that moment her hands are painfully tight around your torso. In fact, she’s so strong you can’t turn around to check her face for any sign of discomfort. All you can do is remain still, and wait for her to either speak or loosen the grip.

Turning on your phone after it’s completely charged, only to yelp in surprise at the amount of missed calls. All from Joohyun. With a bad feeling, you dial her back. She doesn’t leave you waiting for long. “Why didn’t you pick up your phone? I was worried sick!” You have to pull the phone away from your ear. Joohyun is nagging you like crazy, but you know that she just cares a lot.

The feeling of water washing over your back, as you reach for a bottle of shower gel. But instead of finding the one that Joohyun is so religious about, you pull out the one you’re used to. The realization makes you take a double look at the small shower shelf. You’re 100% sure the owner of the bathroom you’re currently using is your girlfriend, not you. Was it Joohyun’s subtle way of telling you something, or was it just her caring nature that put the bottle on her shopping list?

SEULGI

Watching her throw herself face down on the spot next to yours. As soon as she turns to show you the tired smile, you’re stunned by the sheer happiness of seeing her. “What? Do I have something on my face?” Instead of answering, you extract a giggle out of her with a tight hug. “You’re going to choke me!” but you know she’s enjoying it just as much.

The plate of french toasts she went out of her way for. It’s a welcome surprise, but it also makes you feel bad. Seulgi waves away any words coming out of your mouth, her shy smile directed at the plate as she awaits the first bite. “Do you like it?” her mouth widens much more when you nod your head yes.

Blaming yourself for ruining her day when it ends with her hand pressing a bag of frozen pees to your forehead. You were supposed to to go out, have fun at a trendy place. Instead, your head collided with a corner of a cupboard you didn’t notice. “It’s okay! Stop frowning.” she gently pats your cheek with her hand. Seulgi’s smile is honest, but you can’t stop the feeling of distaste you have for yourself.

The metal cookie box, hidden between books on a shelf. You still remember the taste of its content, although your primary reason for buying it was the retro packaging. Now, its filled with numerous polaroids of Seulgi and you, taken with her beloved instax. Beneath the photographs lie scraps of paper, with love confessions written on, cinema tickets, restaurant receipts, event leaflets. All working as some sort of proof that what you have with your girlfriend is real.

Her indifference to the fact that she just walked inside your house with a bouquet of flowers. Every week she replaces the previous one with a bunch of fresh petals, never once being brave enough to hand them to you. Instead, the first thing she does after entering, is pull out a vase and fill it with water. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Seulgi shyly looks away whenever you ask her about it.

WENDY

That one evening when instead of letting her sit on the opposite side of the bathtub, you tug her to lean on your chest. She feels small in your hold, but the embrace you’re offering prevents her from sliding down the slick surface. Wendy giggles shyly when she notices the colorful remnants of a bath bomb falling down to reveal naked skin of her legs. “Pretty.” she mutters, the word audible only to you.

Her stiff dancing at your family’s reunion. In a different context, and after more drinks, she would be doing her best to make you laugh with her moves. Yet, curious glances of your aunts and uncles stop Seungwan from anything radical. “Oh my god they’re judging me.” “They are not judging you!” “They’re your family, of course they do!”

Swinging your interlocked fingers while passing other pedestrians on the sidewalk. The night sky is clear, stars frozen under the moon’s watchful gaze. Seungwan’s excited chatter works as a pleasant accompaniment to the walk. You’re listening to her plans, genuinely curious and just as happy to be involved in them.

Squishing her cheeks when she’s not paying attention to you. Seungwan looks offended, frowning at the little pain you’ve caused her. “What was that for?” she asks. You don’t answer, instead hugging her in the middle, and hiding your face in her neck. Bewildered, she laughs awkwardly above your head, hesitating only for a moment, before returning the embrace.

The faces she makes after you call her “baby”. Seungwan’s face is naturally expressive, always going from one extreme to the other. Always making you laugh from the amount of fondness they generate. Still, “baby” is a special type of treat. Seungwan may swear she hates the term of endearment, but you know she doesn’t mean it. Just a look at her face is enough to confirm your thoughts.

JOY

Walking home late at night. Her body is leaning on yours for support after one too many drinks. Slender fingers eventually curl around your arm, as she laughs at something you said. You think to yourself that she looks the prettiest like that - smiling so widely, she struggles to keep her eyes open. Determined to keep the image of happiness as long as possible, you continue saying nonsense, hopeful her intoxicated mind finds it funny.

The afternoons she decides she wants to eat fast food. You’re not one to decline, especially since it’s her asking. You can’t even act annoyed when her red lips open widely to welcome a burger you’re holding. She has her own food, and you want to argue, but you can’t say no when her eyes are staring into your soul.

Zipping up the material on Sooyoung’s back. You’re biting down the lower lip, trying to ignore the warmth in your cheeks. It should be a normal thing to do. You’re just helping your girlfriend with a piece of clothing way more complicated than a simple T-shirt. No biggie. Then why are you so overwhelmed by everything? As you reach the neckline, your eyes meet Sooyoung’s in the mirror, and you can’t help but look away.

The feeling od disappointment you can’t shake off when the noise of your phone doesn’t announce an incoming text from Sooyoung. It’s someone else, asking you about plans. Although too shy to admit it to anyone but yourself, you’d rather meet with the person you expected to write.

Jumping not at the scare, but Sooyoung’s terrified shriek. Right after, her head hits yours, as she tries to keep down nervous giggles. The stranger sitting on your other side gives her a stink eye, but you don’t comment, instead turning towards her to smile from amusement. “I didn’t expect it, okay?” Sooyoung takes the hand you offer to her, more than satisfied with the result of a little adrenaline rush.

YERI

A series of different drinks you’ve ordered to taste test, and her overdone frown after having a classic (although too sour) lemonade. She gets angry when you refuse to take a sip of the same beverage. “Suffer with me!” “No!” “Do it!” “Shouldn’t you protect me?” “Shouldn’t you join my suffering?” “That would be very dumb of me!”

Wiping singular drops of rain off of your camera lens. Yerim is shivering under her long trench coat, the cold wind pulling at her ponytail. Aside from you, the photographer, and her, the model, nobody shows up in front of Rome’s Trevi Fountain, everyone scared of the incoming dark clouds. Maybe that’s better. You have nobody to ruin pictures of your beloved.

The maddening silence of your car ride. Yerim doesn’t even look at you, gaze stubbornly turned in the opposite direction. Any words you think of feel useless, so you don’t let anything reach her ears. Even if you’re no longer angry, the atmosphere is just too awkward for you to act upon. Instead, you soak in pity, missing the normal.

Pulling the curtain away, to reveal your styling to Yerim’s expectant eyes. She doesn’t even try to hold back laughter, as you pose as ridiculously as possible. Her hand does a poor job of hiding the wide smile she’s sporting. “What? Don’t you like it?” you tease her, the boa scarf landing around Yerim’s neck in a flirty manner. “No, no.” she snickers “I genuinely love it. Can’t wait to see you dressed in that at my cousin’s wedding.”

Braiding the laces at the end of her scarf as you await a taxi. It’s a cold winter evening, but at least it isn’t snowing. Yerim’s breath takes over your vision every once in a while. You don’t make a move to escape it, content with being so close to her. Even nicer is the feeling of her hands hiding in the pockets of your coat. Specifically, of fingers drumming a tuneless melody on your thighs.

➛ pollenat’s list of reactions

➛ pollenat’s list of shorts

#red velvet reactions #red velvet scenarios #red velvet imagines #red velvet fluff #rv reactions #rv scenarios #rv imagines #rv fluff #kpop reactions #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop fluff

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btswishes · 3 years

Text

Love me for who I am now

Bucky x Reader ( Chapter 7)

Previous / Next (8)

Summary: You apply for the Stark internship and end up getting it, so now you have 5 months to make a good impression to continue working with the Avengers.

A/N: This delay wasn’t planned everyone. My computer had enough from online classes and decided to crash on me a couple of days ago. I had to send it for repair, but we are back now. I will post a bit more often from my usual schedule for a few days to try and compensate. Hope yall like this, sorry for any mistakes made. Enjoy.

Tag list: @vicmc624 @yasminwashere @darkacademic2

Word count: 4,301

Warmings: fights, harsh language, not part of the original MCU

Y/N- Your name

Y/L/N- Your Last Name

--------------------------------------

“ I am sorry to cut this lovely reunion short, but we are still in a HYDRA base and honestly I am sure I hear a clock ticking.” You pointed in the direction of the gentle muffled clicking sounds

“Guess they plan to level this place to the ground just in case.” Bucky pinched in

“The way it sounds, I plan to watch the fireworks from inside the car on our way AWAY!”

Peggy still in Steve’s arms, felt being lifted off the ground again like she was made from feathers, as he dashed through the now missing doors towards the premade exit. She kept silent for most of the escape, seeing how the situation was confusing as it is, there was no need to fuel the adrenalin more. The bomb was enough for now.

The grip Cap had on Peggy loosened, letting her jump in the backseat with his shield. Bucky’s big frame settled next to Steve in the front seat, but not before he threw you towards Agent Carter, less gently than his friend did.

“I am not a bag of groceries Barnes!” you kicked his seat, yet ended up getting ignored for the most part

With determination, Steve’s foot hit the gas making the car roar out – snow creating a cloud behind the tires.

The empty space filled with loud beating hearts, skipping and missing beats, going one over the other – starting to calm down only after some distance was put between them and the building.

“Guess I misunderstood the tiking sou-“ the whispers coming out from your lips were engulfed by the huge explosion following the thankfully small pieces hitting the rear of the vehicle. You and Peggy ducked your heads for safety measures. The men in front seemed too immersed in the road, couldn’t even notice the musical notes coming from Bucky’s metal arm, his body leaning out the window, as particles ricocheted off it .

“Barnes!” your fingers reached over to grab onto his weapon belts, pulling him back inside. This man had no regards to his life, making one stupid decision after the other. It didn’t help that Steve wasn’t even noticing it all. Sometimes it felt like they both shared the ‘stupid’.

“Calm down doll. I am trying to see through the dust cloud. Wouldn’t want Stevie to throws us off a cliff.”

“I. Can’t.Believe.You.Are.Joking.Right.Now!” each hit perfectly timed thumping off his broad shoulders

“Stop it you two! Call Stark.” The blonde man demanded, pulling Bucky’s attention from you and onto the earpiece. The deep stern voice of authority cut your upset streak immediately.

“Hey ladies, how was the ball?” Tony’s playboy tone rung through the car, presumably while he was twirling onto his work chair.

“Delightful.” You hissed between your teeth

“What is wrong Cinderella? Lost a shoe?”

“No, but we gained a member.”

“Calling Barnes a dog isn’t nice now.”

“Stark!” Bucky launched towards the dashboard, but Steve stopped him with his free arm, before clasping the gear stick again.

“HYDRA were doing something in there that might have worked.”Cap began talking “ Tony, we don’t plan on stopping at a safe house. I am driving us directly towards the compound. How fast can you meet us there?”

The mic picked up on Tony’s shifting body guessed by the screeching sound of his work chair “ I don’t know. How far are you from there? Fuck, I will call Happy to get me from Stark tower.”

“I am sorry to intrude in this discussion, but do you by chance mean Stark as in Howard Stark?” Peggy placed her hands onto Steve’s seat, pulling her body closer.

“Usually people don’t think of my father first thing when they hear my name.” Tony huffed out, a bit of pride bubbling in his long blood of geniuses.

“You are Howard’s son?!” she gasped audibly

“Umm, I thought people knew that about me already, as well as handsome, playboy, genius, billionaire. Google gives a good explanation too. Steve is this our new addition? I would be worried if the answer is yes.” The car fell silent for a couple of seconds “I will take that as my answer.”

“We are close.” Cap didn’t know how to deal with all this still, he just had to cut it short till everyone was gathered and maybe ignore the problem for the time being. Very bad coping mechanism.

“How many vodka shots do I need for this?” Tony’s equivalent to pre-workout when it came to Avengers related work. Maybe the only thing keeping him sane most of the time.

“Grab a bottle for me too.” You voiced loud and clear from the leaning position your body was resting in

“A bottle?! Fuck my life.” The earpiece cut off the conversation making Bucky place it back onto his ear. Silence laced the atmosphere once more, this time with no sound, but the motion of the car to keep company. Your eyes laid over everyone inside one by one, scanning them and their calm exterior. The drive was long and a bit suffocating to a point, where you had to open the window on your side to let some fresh air in.

“Ah, sorry.” You sighed out looking at Peggy’s scattering hair “I should have asked before opening it.” Her hand gently pushed the flying strands behind her ear flashing you’re a smile.

“It’s ok. I know how much you hate tight spaces, we used to find diners with tables next to open windows because of that.” There it was again, a chunk of true information about you throw directly out of the 40s at you in the 21st century. Steve’s gaze focused onto the reflection in the car mirror switching between his love’s soft gaze and your confused look thrown back at her.

“Calm down, we are almost there” Bucky’s fingers Morse coded a quick message to his ,on the edge friend, earing a nod and refocus back on the street.

The moment you entered the city again, Peggy’s eyes darted towards her side of the car scanning everything happening. The buildings were huge, people were dressed so different, their manners and way they carried themselves, it felt weird not what she grew up with and knew by memory. It felt lonely maybe, or sad that she had no means of going back, yet the man sitting in front of her was a dream come true. Something she had wished for for years now.

“I am not…home anymore am I?” no one answered her, giving just enough information to make her own conclusion. With a small flair Steve drove the car into the compound, parking it at its usual space. The blonde soldier opened the door slowly, reaching his hand out for the agent to take, as baffled as she still was at this point. You found it so sweet how he was showing his feelings towards Peggy without saying a word, still lost in the mission. While Bucky was fixing himself up, he noticed the way your gaze laid over the two lovebirds in a longing stare. A gentle smirk pulled on his lips, before pushing out of the car and gripping your door handle. An unlocking sound shot your head, throwing your hair in the opposite direction.

“What are you doing?” you asked him, tripping over the end of the question lightly

“Something you will never admit you want.” His flesh arm reached out for yours to take, letting you marvel at his huge stance for a moment. The hesitation dissolved with the reflection of yourself inside his ocean blue eyes.

An old melancholic memory blew over you like a ghost, pushing your hand into his palm. Even though Bucky was the one who offered this, his body froze when you accepted his touch. His eyes ran over your hand, up your shoulder to your face, locking with you. His fingers slowly pulled your hand closer, clapped gently as he ran his thumb over your knuckles.

“I am glad that at least you brought my car back, for once.” Tony’s figure, standing next to the elevator with spread hands, pulling you two out of the time capsule. For a moment, for just a split second you saw in front of yourself a man. Short messed up dark brown hair, his smile reaching up to his eyes, shaping them slightly into crescent moons. His shirt unbuttoned tinted a dirty olive green letting his chest show – a metal chain laid upon it. His pants were messed up, his face muddy at places. It went like it came, a mist like whisper of the past.

“Tony we need to gather everyone.” Steve pushed the keys into the billionaire’s chest, letting them drop in his hands

“Already did-“ it didn’t take much time for him to notice Peggy “Is that?”

“Agent Peggy Carter.” She walked up to him with a confidant stride leaning for a handshake, which Tony didn’t hesitate to finish “Well aware of your identity agent Carter. Stark, Tony Stark.”

She flashed him a smile with a small nod before walking into the elevator.

“F.R.Y.D.A.Y. conference room.”

Yes Sir

The doors slid open causing the confused agent to jump a bit. You made sure to grab onto her, stopping a potential injury inside. The big almost ceremonial hall sized room revealed itself in front of Peggy, adding to her list of amazing and possibly impossible things.

“How did the first mission go Y/N?” Nat swung her legs jumping off the table, just to be stopped in her track by the unexpecting young lady behind Steve

“Everyone take your seats. This will be a long one.”Tony rushed to pour himself a drink, downing it faster than he could refill it. Peggy took Steve’s spot as he requested of her, taking his big frame to the front of the room.

“The HYDRA base was active. Except the usual goons there were 3 men, one of them was a scientist. Y/N.” he pointed towards you, directing the attention at you for a moment “Was able to retrieve the information, hopefully all of it, from them.”

“May I?” you asked, coaxing a nod from Steve. He turned towards your empty chair ,as you took his place in front of everyone. Taking over Tony’s tech you inserted the USB, but didn’t project anything yet to them. “They are trying to re-activate plan Winter Soldier and I am worried that they are pretty close to doing that.” Bucky’s body tensed up after he heard that name uttered from your lips “ I am guessing that they are opening a portal back in time using the tesseract. I don’t know if they plan to steal the serum, but it won’t be as simple as we think. F.R.Y.D.A.Y. the projector please.”

As you wish Miss

The wall became illuminated by different pictures and texts meticulously organized by you on the screen under your fingers. “I found old files, but no matter how much I scan them, I can’t get any information out of them.” Your head moved from the wall over to the tablet between your palms “All I can tell you is this Phase2-“

“Winter Soldier Phase2 The Return.” Peggy spoke out, her body rising slowly from the chair

“Everyone.” Your hand let go of the tech and turned the palms up pointing at her “Agent Peggy Carter, the one who walked through that very light ring a couple of hours ago.”

“She traveled through time?” Clint looked at Rhodey shaking his hands in front of his body “Is that something we can do now? Doesn’t it mess up some time space stuff?”

“Yes, basically. Just don’t tell Strange, we should be fine” You explained

“Noted.”

“Well since she seems to know something about this, let’s let her explain.” Tony swung his whiskey in the expensive crystal glass, the ice hitting the walls melodically.

“Before this all happened, I was on a mission to retrieve the second half of that exact document.” She began

“You have read the first part ?” Steve asked earning an positive answer from her

“The experimented soldiers were cryo-frozen for future use, I am guessing in this day and age. The first file spoke of the process and the scientists involved in the whole operation by name. They planned to use one of these men to make a super soldier embryo.”

“HYDRA wants to mingle some of their soldiers to make a baby? Wouldn’t want to be that poor girl.” the playful note was easily distinguished

“They could inject the serum inside a pregnant mother.” Vision leaned his body onto the table offering his two cents on this already sadistic topic

“ This whole ordeal could be a way for them to try and retrieve the lost files. Going back in time is a big thing on its own. Guess they are very confidant in this operation to begin with.” Wanda jumped in with an idea following a lead

“That is an option, considering that their plan with unfreezing those popsicles ended up with all them dying in the first place.” Tony pushed off his desk, leaving the glass to rest on the coaster empty. “What else did you find on that USB?”

“That two soldiers survived that time difference.” Pressing the screen Bucky’s file popped up on the wall “James Buchanan Barnes, as we know went through the cryo freezer, but the second soldier doesn’t have any intel on methods of survival. Yet the more I looked into it, the more information I found about him. The files are much fuller than those of Bucky, almost like they had a personal deal of sorts, which got me thinking. So turns out this mystery soldier was in HYDRA as a family business. Him and Bucky were the best duo they had, almost perfectly engineered team. Taking orders and finishing the job. Our Mr.2 didn’t go under the memory eraser as much as Bucky did, only 5 recorded cases in here. ” You tried to dig for a picture to offer them a face, but you could only find a burned one of a dog tag with a missing name, only the numbers left “ It is almost like he had been in the organization since a child.”

“What a family.” Nat commented “Basically we have another Barnes running around out there and we don’t know what he is capable of or who he might be?”

“I don’t remember any of this.” Bucky rubbed his head, either a headache creeping onto him or the anger of not being able to be of help.

“The problem might go deeper than that.” Steve rolled his shoulders back, hands crossed in front of his chest “Peggy seems to know Y/N.”

“Pardon my French but what the actual flying fuck?” Sam laughed out “ You can time travel of something now?”

“Not that I know of.” You shrugged “I am as confused about this as you all are.”

“Peggy?” his blonde hair flew around his head, as his eyes focused onto her figure

“We, me and Y/N are friends. Both of us met awhile after Steve’s….disappearance. Probably a couple of years or so. We used to go out from time to time and enjoy some food or a casual walk. Nothing suspicious. ”

“You said we haven’t seen each other since a few months now?” you asked her

“Yes, last time we met you had to leave earlier because of family problems with your uncle. It was pure coincidence, but I saw that the man who picked you up was James.”

It felt like something snapped your head towards Bucky, eyes meeting in a mix of shock and confusion. The whole room couldn’t take a breath in until their brains calculated all that just got released as information. Tony frozen in one place as his eyes began to widen.

“I think I will be saying the thing we all are thinking about but…” Bruce trailed off trying to delay this as much as he could this rough interruption “ If Miss Carter is 100% sure she knew Y/N, the one here right now that we see and she also has seen her and Bucky together during that time. The information we got from that USB can lead only to one possible conclusion.”

“Are yall saying I am 100 something years old!?” your exterior was mirroring your inside state “We don’t know if it is a woman or a men, but you can’t just start pointing fingers like that.”

“I am sure it was Y/N. I followed you back then. After recognizing James I thought…” her eyes looked at Cap softly “ If he was alive than maybe Steve was as well.” The atmosphere was dark, heavy, but also like thunder crackling, hitting you with buzzes of something.

“What we are saying is that you could be working for HYDRA and we would never know.” Tony took a few steps towards you, his finger of the suit trigger button “A few years off your daily life are missing under the alibi that you were living with your uncle. You show some interesting symptoms from time to time to.”

“I don’t work for HYDRA!” agitating words and lack of memory began taking a tole on you “Wanda, Wanda look inside my head. Tell them I don’t work for HYDRA!” you were shaking her body vigorously, hoping for assistance maybe at least from Vision, the walking infinity stone.

“Ok, calm down.” You took a seat while Wanda began gently entering your mind. She was gentle, taking her time going past one memory and into the other. Seeing thoughts and unsaid wishes. After what felt as an eternity she pulled her fingers away from your head and her presence out of your mind.

“She is telling the truth.” You slumped into the chair, taking a sharp breath in after what she said. For a moment you thought you heard faintly Tony disengaging the repulsion canon on his suit.

“But…”

“But what?” eyes wandering over Wanda in expectation

“You have missing memories, not exactly forgotten maybe suppressed or hidden. Things just don’t feel natural in some places in your head. They seem periodical.”

“Now that we have calmed down.” Bruce walked over to you, helping you get up and shielding your body from Tony’s sight “Let’s take her to Stark tower. Tony your lab there is much bigger we can figure this thing out.” Everyone in the room waited for the ultimate decision, which he took his time on making.

“F.R.Y.D.A.Y. prepare the lab.”

Yes Sir

“Thank you, Tony.” You whispered

“Don’t mention it kid.” His hand landed onto your shoulder, giving you a reassuring squeeze, that he himself might have needed at that moment “Barnes you will be in a car with Steve, Clint and Peggy, Y/N will be with me, Bruce and Natasha. We don’t need you two that close for now. Wanda, Sam and Vision can just fly there. Rhodey grab Happy and wait for us there. You.”he pointed at Thor “Go ask your messed up brother if he worked with HYDRA or lost the Tesseract for sometime before we made Vision .”

Thor summoned Bifrost off Midguard, Wanda grabbed onto Vision disappearing into the wall. Everyone else headed down to the garage. The elevator was packed, the silence felt like a rope around your throat choking you with each floor passing. The space seemed tighter than before. It felt like the elevator was slowly filling with water, the pressure crushing your bones. Your body warmed up going past the normal temperature, when an icy like cooling sensation rolled up from your waist. Jolting threw you slight back hitting something soft yet firm.

“Calm down, it is me.” A deep voice whispered letting your body sink into this hold turning into pudding. He was the only thing keeping you standing, melting away the worry. Your hands crept up grabbing onto his vibranium arm, holding tight almost like he might disappear if you let go.

Sir, the garage.

F.R.Y.D.A.Y. ‘s voice echoed sliding the metal doors open. Tony threw a pair of keys over to Steve, unlocking his own.

“I got her.” Natasha smiled at you, showing Bucky that he can entrust you to her from here on. As much as you didn’t want him to let go, you felt his body leaving yours. “ It will be ok. No one really thinks you are on their side.” She told you “We just have to make sure that if this is all true they didn’t mess with you in ways they did with the metal fossil.”

“Nat.”a jingle like giggle left your lips, tapping her arm post joke. She knew what to say at any given moment.

“Ladies mind having your giggle fest in the car, we are busy people.” Tony snapped his fingers in a flashy way, ushering you both on the back seat.

“What is the plan then?” worried or not, there was no point trying to change something outside your grasp. You were still scared, worried but sometimes wearing adult pants was needed. You worked hard to reach this spot, there was no way you could let go of your future like this. Determination was unlocking something inside you, strength in situation most people wouldn’t be able to be composed in.

Tony threw a look at you before continuing to drive towards Stark tower “Glad to have you back agent.” Nat rubbed your hand in partnership with Tony’s words “ These are all theories, but having Peggy Carter so sure in knowing you could have revealed something about you and or HYDRA.”

Sir, a message incoming from Falcon

“Put him through.”

“Hey Tony! Sorry to cut your show short. I am getting a police report of a road shut down by some black jeeps heading up on yall.” Sam was flying over the cars

“Check on it.” The big metal wings shadowed over the road and flew in front, almost disappearing between the clouds.

“Who would have guessed that someone would try and stop us from going to the lab.” Bruce laughed at his comment, but Tony and Natasha seemed too serious

“We shall see how much of this was the job of a little fairy.” The car slowed down coming up on the barricade of cars standing, tinted windows not allowed a correct assumption of human number

“Smells fishy to me. Someone let the octopus out.” Natasha pulled out the gun from her case sitting calmly next to her leg. Tony prepared his bracelets.

“Dusty, you get ready too.” He shot you a serious glance “I don’t think these fine gentlemen want our autographs.”

No one made a move for a couple of minutes, before one of the jeeps opened and threw a man out of it on the floor. Bloodied up, tied in a brutal way. His head was hanging low enough for people to figure out he was an adult male, but not enough to figure out any facial characteristics.

“Great they have a hostage.” Steve’s voice echoed from the intercoms

“It’s HYDRA.” Bucky added “Couldn’t forget these disgusting faces even if I tried.”

“ Could have guessed that much myself from the logo on them metal boy.” Tony hissed knowing damn well they had to save whoever that man was.

“Don’t be shy, we won’t shoot. Yet.” The HYDRA agent laughed out “Do you need more motivation?” his leg generated enough kinetic energy to roll the man over to the exposed sun light, making you yell out “UNCLE!”

“What?” Bruce’s body swung towards the backseat

“Great!” Tony hit the stearin wheel aggressively “Now we gotta do something. Avengers, out of the car.”

Like a command you jumped out of the vehicle , trying to make sure you weren’t just guessing blindly, but it was him. It actually was your uncle, could he have been kidnapped all this time? The letters he stopped answering to could have been a sign you were too blind to notice. But why him?

“Now that we have acquainted ourselves , we want a deal.” The tall man spoke out braking your thought process “Give us our soldier back and we give you this one here.”

“How about we punch you in the face and you give us the hostage ?” Bucky hissed out, his arm clenching in front of your eyes

“Honestly, I liked you better when you didn’t talk.” the smirk ripping this man’s face was disgusting, filled with pride.

“Y/N?” you uncle coughed up a bit of blood next to himself, a sight tugging on your heart strings.

“Aw such a sweet view. Almost a bit sad don’t you th-“

“Not as sad as you will be in a bit!” full speed down from the sky, Sam ripped the clouds landing a hard kick on the back of this guy’s head. Knocking him a couple of feet back. You dashed over to your uncle, who mustered enough power to get up and try to reach you. He collapsed half way, falling into your arms just in time.

“Uncle, uncle!” you kept calling out to him, brushing his hair off his sweaty forehead, who knows what this man went through at a HYDRA base by himself.

“I am ok sweetie. D-don’t worry.” You lowered your head trying to hear him better between the heavy breathing he was huffing and puffing, sending you a comforting smile.

“We should help them.” Steve and Bucky went towards you to give a hand in charring your relative.

“Steve wait!” Peggy grabbed his sleeve, when Bucky suddenly got the wind knocked out of him, his back denting one of Tony’s cars. The sheer strength needed to throw a big man like James back only possible by Steve, or another super soldier.

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writingjoycebyers · 3 years

Note

Could you write a small drabble about jopper being protective of eachother 🥺

Joyce Byers x Jim Hopper - Friend, old friend - a song fic

(this fic is based on the prompt above (I hope this counts as protective) and the song slow mover by Angie McMahon. Comments and reblogs make my writing heart go boom boom - you know how it works. love feedback and suggestion on how to do it better. or ideas. or thoughts. or whatever <3)

Warnings: contains mature topics like a hint of cheating, alcohol consumption, very light nsfw (superficial) and angst. 18+ as always

Friend, old friend, it's 4 AM

What are we doing in the street?

They walk through the empty streets of Hawkins, a cold february night in 1969, snow falling onto them, and they don‘t even notice the small, cold drops on their heads, shoulders and hands - they‘re far too gone to notice, too drunk to freeze and too sober to dance in the snow the way they used to when they were kids in Jim‘s parents backyard. They‘d left the bar an hour ago, to roam the empty streets at night, talking and walking like old friends do.

„Yeah, he‘s with my mother tonight. Jon loves it there.“, Joyce adds as Jim asks her where she‘s left her son - a reasonable question considering Joyce seemed to have time and space to get wasted all on her own on a saturday night. „She lets him have chocolate before dinner and all.“

„And...“, Jim adds, unable to finish his questioning words when Joyce interrupts him. „I‘ve got no clue, and I kind of don‘t want to know.“, Joyce finishes his sentence, anticipating the question underlying the small word „and“ and the tone of her friend‘s voice. No clue, he might aswell be screwing some girl in her very own wedding bed. Lonnie.

„Joyce, does he even care for the kid?“, Hopper suddenly blurts out, without warning, and boy — he does sound angry. He stops, and grabs her by the shoulders. It‘s a sudden move for him, impulsive and way more serious than she had experienced him at the bar, in their heavy, drunken laughter above the tears behind her brown eyes.

„He... even asked me if I want to try for another one.“, Joyce confessed, a whisper in the cold as she tried to avoid locking eyes with Jim. She had become bad at eye contact lately. Her hand found his on her shoulder. He had not actually asked, had rather joked around that if they tried for another boy, then maybe he‘d finally have a kid that liked what he‘d call boys stuff. Joyce swallowed hard. Lonnie didn‘t want to make another baby for love. No, he was being selfish. And still that idea had sparked a tiny bit of hope inside of her, a hope that he‘d maybe change? Change for the sake of another kid? But she couldn‘t tell Hopper. So she told him some kind of half hearted truth.

„Are you hungry?“, she suddenly asked as his grip on her shoulders began to losen. She nodded into the direction of a 24 hour diner, the neon lights behind them illuminating his silhouette from behind. She loved his silhouette.

I don't want to buy fried chicken

I wish that I was going to sleep

„Nah...I just... Joyce.“, he mumbled, his articulation heavy and sloppy from the drinks he had drowned. The „Joyce“ said it all. He knew she was trying to distract him, knew she did not want to talk about Lonnie, that she did not want to stay with that man and neither would want to leave him. He‘d take her with him, he thinks, take her with him into his small apartment in NYC, around the corner of his police training station, and hold her tight every night in his way too small bed, and never let go again. He‘d done that once too often already. But then, his mind flashes to the woman he‘s dating, Diane, tall and blonde, a woman he hasn‘t thought of much during his visit home, if he was honest with himself. A small bundle of guilt starts to form in his gut, and he isn‘t sure if he‘s sick from the alcohol, or if it really is his conscience.

„Just tired.“, he mumbles then, and none of his thoughts were said.

So they start to make their way towards Jim‘s parents‘ house, the way they had done it so often as teenagers just a couple of years ago. A lifetime ago. Joyce keeps on walking next to him although she lives on the opposite side of town now, that small house on the edge of the woods. Where was home?

Quietly she follows Jim up to the corner of the street, because walking next to him feels a lot like home to her, so familar with his warmth, his unique scent, his height towering above her. He was home, after all.

They stop by the STOP-sign, a flashing one that stands across the streets of Jim‘s birth place, and as if the stop sign was meant for them, they don‘t go any further. It‘s quiet, a winter night, and Joyce feels like she can hear the snow flakes falling. Jim‘s presence feels warm, and life feels cold - and she does not know where to go. She‘s got a house to live in, but no home to go to sleep at. No peace within her own four walls.

„So, when are you heading back to the city?“, she asks shyly after some moments of silence.

„Tomorrow night.“, he replies, staring down on the floor, and then back up to the sign as a car goes by and it starts blinking.

„So.. last night here, huh?“, Joyce whispers, her face turned to the side because for some reason, for some damn reason she can‘t look him in the eye again.

The silence gets louder, the blinking feels harsher, the cold gets colder. She wraps her arms around herself as she feels the dizziness of the alcohol get washed away by the bleak midwinter air and her thoughts. The last night - their last chance?

Her thoughts drift off as she feels his gaze on her, feels him get closer and wrap his arms around her. They stand there in a deep, intimate hug and she asks herself what if - what if she was married to him, what if the house on the other side of the street was theirs, their home? What if they entered the living room, warmed themselves up with a deep, long kiss? God, she wanted to kiss him. His breath is warming the side of her face while he still hugged her, and she turns her head a bit, looking up. The last time they had been this close to kissing had been another lifetime ago. His eyes look dark and warm in contrast to the cold wind around them.

„You wanna come inside with me?“, he suddenly suggests. She answers with a small nod.

And I don't want to kiss you

Underneath that flashing sign

They enter his parents‘ place and although it is huge and empty, it is welcoming and cozy. The furniture hasn‘t changed. The atmosphere hasn‘t changed. There‘s a small light on the table by the sofa, and the room looks so large without Jim‘s family in it. She looks at him, and he looks sad. „It is okay to miss them.“, she whispers softly, her small hand on his back as they stand in the middle of the living room. The tension they had shared under the flashing light is gone for a second. They‘re old friends again. She rubs his back, and feels like she was wrong, feels as if she had interpreted it all the wrong way. Maybe he needed a friend, not a lover. Or maybe he needed time?

She can sense his tension underneath her hand, and she‘s glad she can be close to him in some way, somehow. Joyce looks around the familiar room, the old clock on the wall telling her the night might soon be coming to an end, and she gets sad herself. Their last chance - gone?

But then, suddenly, Jim wakes up from his short, griefing trance. Without a warning he pulls her close by the hand that had just comforted him, and as he leans down his lips find hers. There‘s no time to lose. They kiss and it feels both wrong and right, both hot and cold. She‘s overwhelmed by the passion behind his kiss, the force behind his touch as he scoops her up into his arms and her legs wrap around his waist like they belong there. „Jim...slow down. I want to feel this.“, she suddenly whispers. Suddenly, the night feels still young as he takes her by the hand and they walk up the stairs to his childhood bedroom

What's the hurry? We're not ready

We've got plenty of time

Some time later, minutes, hours, moments, they‘re a mess of limbs and words and kisses and Joyce could swear to God she has never felt like this before. He‘s rushed, but gentle, as if he‘s trying to make up for the lost time, and she‘s the other side of the magnet, slow and sensual and they make the perfect mixture. It takes a bit of talking, a bit of trust, and then they arrive - arrive at home.

For the rest of the night, Jim holds her tight in his way too small bed for once and he never wants to let her go again. They look into each other‘s eyes as they lay entangled, none of them daring to losen the grip, and Joyce feels tired, but she does not want to miss a second of this. Their last chance, remember?

„Get some sleep.“, he murmurs with a soft kiss onto the top of her head. „I‘m not leaving your side tonight.“, he adds as he strokes her hair, caresses it gently, stroking away the thoughts of guilt that come creeping up in Joyce‘s mind as she lays in the arms of another man, indulging in the afterglow of a forbidden rush of passion and confusion. What about him, she thinks, is there someone he should feel guilty for now?

Joyce couldn‘t know what the future would hold for him, a wife, a marriage and a daughter. She could only guess. Neither could she know what the future would hold for her, that she would indeed try for another baby with Lonnie and that, in two years or three, she‘d sometimes find herself lying awake late at night, counting the weeks between their little adventure and her blood results from the doctor‘s pregnancy test. It‘d be wishful thinking, maybe, that she wanted her second son to be more like Hopper than Lonnie. Wishful thinking, and a stupid, unprotected adventure.

Maybe you will get married

Maybe fall in love

Could you make me fall asleep

When you're holding me?

Try set me on fire

The morning after, Joyce awakes with her head on his chest and his arms neatly placed around his torso. Jim is fast asleep. Memories of the night come flashing back in front of her inner eye. She‘s Lonnie Byers wife. She is Lonnie Byers god damn wife in another man‘s bed. And she‘d always thought she was better than Lonnie.

Quietly, she leaves the bed and tiptoes to her clothes lying on the floor on the other side of the room. For the first time, she catches a glance of Jim‘s old room. Nothing has changed. She gets dressed as silently as possible, staring at a picture on the wall - him and her during Prom Night, in front of the Gym. She should have known earlier that this was more than friendship. She had known earlier, actually, and they had always danced around it, danced like it was prom night - until yesterday.

There's someone else but I twist all of

His words and he twists mine

At last, Joyce puts on her jacket, slips into her shoes and opens the old wooden door as carefully as she can. One last look towards the bed with a peacefully sleeping Jim in it, and she‘s out the door. He had promised last night he wouldn‘t leave her side, but this was a promise she herself could not make. In this moment, she felt as if they had to go backt to the separate paths they had chosen at some point, whether they were right or wrong, drunk or sober.

She waves him goodbye as the front door of Jim‘s parent‘s house closes behind her. A wave he doesn’t see.

Joyce would never return to that place again — She‘d not return home for more than 10 years after that. And when she, in 1983, finally does return home, entering the Chief of Police‘s office one morning, she‘ll be too panicked to notice that it‘s home, too broken to see that he‘s still there beneath the flashing sign. Waiting.

So I'll have to let him go

We sometimes fit, but we always lie

And he thinks we could make it work

But only when he's drunk

You think you could help me swim

But I've already sunk

_____________

Thanks for reading. Please drop me a line if you‘ve got thoughts on this. Or if you wanna chat about joyce/st/jopper. My inbox is open.<3

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y0ur-h0nor · 3 years

Text

Sweater in the Snow|| Sbi angst.

>•||Chapter 8||•<

Gender Neutral! Reader

|| Please do not steal my work, I work hard in writing them so I appreciate you do not go around stealing my work and claim it as yours||

A/n: This is the longest chapter I have written so far but I have this small feeling that the chapters would be longer in future but if not, as usual each chapter is 1k words long.

Philza rocks the child in his arms as he gazes as the baby coos at him grabbing at anything that their little hands could grab on.

Philza was finally a Father, the thought of witnessing life growing and being nurtured had left a fuzzy warm feeling in him, like the warm embrace of the Mother.

Philza holds the child close and promises to protects them with all his might and let nothing bad happen to them.

The child would only play his hair and grab at his striped bucket hat, too young to understand what this moment meant.

This meant that Philza Minecraft had promised that he'd keep this child safe and sound to grow in a loving household and is cared for.

It's because He promised...

-----------------------------

Philza took the plates and went to the kitchen to wash them, as he washed he listened in to the children talking, Y/n was going on about something that happened when they were hanging out with the crows during their time out in the woods to Techno.

Techno listened in as he watches the child do gestures as they go on about their day, a small smile making it's way onto his face.

Techno or Technoblade was a child Philza had taken in and raised like he was his own, he was like a protegé, an apprentice but he was more than that, he was family.

Y/n was a child of Philza's, a little bit younger than Techno, they really made things different ever since they came into the world, they haven't grown in their wings yet so assuming they are human considering they are already 8, by now they would've already grown a pair of wings like Philza's but it was fine.

Them being happy and healthy was what's important.

Techno and Y/n also got along very well, Techno was a fan of Greek Mythology and Y/n loved to listen to Techno talk about it, they thought the stories were very fun and amazing (despite the gory stuff that happened) but overall they were like attached to the hip, Techno wasn't one to be very expressive with his emotions but he felt alright to display affection towards the child.

Everything was alright for the three of them and nothing could've been more better right now.

Philza had finished up washing and drying dishes when he made his way to the living room to see that Techno and Y/n were on the couch, Y/n playing with Techno's hair and Techno just sat still as he read his book.

Philza smiled at the sight, it just never seizes to tug at his heart, he'd do anything to protect these two, to keep this picture of them clear and in no harm.

Philza clapped his hands together and the two turned to him, 'It's time for bed time, Y/n, Techno, You guys can resume this in the morning it's getting late.' Y/n pouted as they looked at Philza, their (e/c) eyes shining.

Philza sighs and shakes his head, smiling he says 'Not this time my little angel.' 'Awwww' they looked down to their lap but get off the couch and walk over to Philza looking up at him with their arms extended, Philza picks them up and walk up the stairs to the direction of the child's bedroom.

Philza opens the door and places the child in their bed tucking them in, they yawn as they rub sleepily at their eyes, Philza makes a move to open Y/n's night light and gives them a kiss on the forehead, he runs a hand through their (h/c) hair he stands up and closes the lights and left the room.

*-*

...n

...Y/n..

Y/N

Y/n wakes up with a start gasping as they look around, they grip their blankets closer to themself as another call of their name makes them sit up and get down their bed.

They pull on their sleeves as they follow the voice, it was dark inside the house but they didn't mind as they follow the familiar voice of their Father, they didn't bother to grab a coat or put on boots as they only sported their sweater and pajama bottoms.

They open the door and close it as they stand on their front porch searching for their Father, again they hear the voice and follow, they shiver at the cold contact of the snow beneath their feet but trudge forward to the direction of the voice, beyond the woods, they now start running to keep up.

They wrap their arms around themself trying to keep warm as they shout for their Father, 'DAD WHERE ARE WE GOING?' They furrow their brows but they didn't get a response.

Turning around they breath out air as they try to remember where they were, looking up they try to look for their Father's crows in hope that the crow could call their Father for them, they gasp as they see a familiar crow 'Chat! Chat! Please get Dad!' They flail their arms at the crow, it caws and flies up to the sky in the direction from where they came from.

They pant as they try to stay awake, given that they had woken up in the middle of the night, they shiver as they cup their hands together and try to warm it up, they try to look around again where they were supposed to go, they supposed to follow Chat but they got confused which direction they flew.

They decided to just start walking hoping that was the direction Chat had flee in.

*-*

Phil groggily woke up as he grumbled rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he turns to the window of his room to see Chat hitting the window with their beak, when they notice that Philza was awake they flap their wings and Caw.

Phil mutters something under his breath and gets out of bed to open the window and bring the bird in, Chat settles on Phil's arm, 'What is Chat? It's the middle of the night..' Phil still sleepy rubs his eyes and listens in to what the bird has to say, They squak and caw at Phil telling him what he needed to hear.

Phil's breath hitched as Chat finishes, he rushes to get his clothes on and going over to Y/n's room to see that their in fact not their and go over to grab them a coat just in case and he goes over to Techno's room to wake him up.

Techno stirs in his sleep and looks to a disheveled looking Phil as he sits up to ask him what was going on but before he could even ask, Phil shoves a coat and his sword towards him, 'Put on your coat and boots, bring your sword in case, Y/n isn't in their room.' Phil says in a hurry as he ties up his hair, Techno's eyes widen but he complies.

Y/n was his family and he'd do anything to protect them, he didn't want to lose them, not now not ever.

He gears up and he hurries to tie the laces of his boots, he tried his hardest to ignore the voices when they clashed with each other demanding that Techno would bring them home safe.

He shakes his head and stands up when he finishes up tying his laces, grabbing his sword he trudges down stairs and goes outside and see Phil letting Chat fly up into the air, 'Chat will be flying back to where they found Y/n, if they can't find them there we'll look around the area they were last seen.' Phil says, Techno nods and Phil takes up into the air and they follow the Crow.

Please be okay...

*-*

Y/n had settled against a tree because they were getting tired, they shivered as they hug themselves, failing to keep themselves warm, their vision began to become blurry as tears started forming in their eyes, 'I want Techno and Daddy back!' They cry as they call for Techno and their Dad.

Their fingertips and toes were starting to feel numb, they look down at their hands, their gands started reddening and it felt very prickly and numb, it standed out with their (s/c) skin, they sobbed and buried their head in their arms.

They just wanted their Daddy back...

Phil looked around the area trying to see if his child was around, he also tried looking for footprints but unfortunately more snow covered it up, 'Techno, You take that direction and I'll take this one, Chat you go look to that direction, Techno you know what to do when you find them and Chat come back to me when you find them.' Phil orders as the two gave a nod, Chat flies into the air and Techno goes into the opposite direction of Phil's.

Phil takes a deep breath and runs forward gripping onto the spare coat he brought with him, he wasn't ready to lose Y/n, he wanted to see them grow into a person they want to be, He has met many people and has been with them and has watched them die but he didn't think that he'd lose his child this way and so soon.

'Y/N!'

'Y/N! WHERE ARE YOU?'

You started feeling sleepy, you look again to your hands and it started to become blackish, transforming from white to black fingertips.

They cringe at the sight, they started drifting but a call to their name makes them lift up their head, they look around but frown when they see no one.

They shouldn't have followed the voice, if they didn't they would've been still okay and asleep in their room, another sob is racked from their throat as they grip on their hair in frustration, 'Y/N!' They stop, They look up and another call of their name has them flinching 'SWEETHEART PLEASE! WHERE ARE YOU?' They start tearing up again as they try to stand up, 'Dad..' They tried shouting for their Father but their boice was so hoarse it was just like a mere whisper.

They stood up and steadied themself against the tree as they listen again for another call, 'Y/N!' another shout comes from in front of them, they try running but that had them falling back into the snow face first, they grunt but carefully try standing back up.

A caw from above is heard, they look up to see Chat, they smile and let out an airy chuckle with new found determination they stand up and walk slowly and call out again hoping they are heard, 'Dad!' They cringe at the pain but go through it calling out to Philza again 'DAD!' They shout sobbing as the pain was starting to become unbearable.

Philza gasps as he runs forward seeing the familiar figure of his child, 'Y/N!' He shouts, he starts picking up the pace as he sees Y/n more clearer, their once (s/c) was starting to get paler and their hands and feet had frostbite on them, they started feeling weak and started falling but before they could fall into the snow Philza catches them.

He started sobbing when he finally got them in his arms again, 'It's okay, I've got you.' He starts dressing them in the coat but he knows it won't do much since they were freezing cold, he carries them and he takes out his comm and messages Techno.

Techno hears the beep of his comm and went to grab it and saw that Phil messaged him, he opened it and he felt like he breathed easier when he saw that Phil had found Y/n.

Their okay...

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ragingbookdragon · 3 years

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Before You Go, Was I Someone You Loved? PT. 5

A Shay Cormac x Reader Story

Word Count: 1,800 Warnings: Explicit Language

Author’s Note: By God, I am going to conquer the trope of slow burn or else. Enjoy! -Thorne

For the first two weeks he was in port, he found that (Y/N) avoided him like he’d contracted the plague, and when she couldn’t get away from him, if looks could’ve killed, he’d have burst into flames each time she had to be in his presence. Still, he tried his best to get her attention, at least to apologize, but with her short and clipped answers, not that he could blame her, Shay knew he was going to have to try harder.

He adjusted the hidden blades on his wrists as he entered the living room, glancing up when he saw the hem of a lilac dress in front of him. He smiled at (Y/N), though she wore a sour look.

“Mornin’, lass.” He greeted. “Sleep well?” (Y/N) simply raised the heavy leather coat and he spun around, letting her help him into it. “I did. Thank you for leaving that extra blanket out last night. It got a bit cold.” When he had the coat on, he faced her once more, pulling lightly at the lapels to situate it fully. With a slightly concerned look, he asked, “I hope you stayed warm last night?” Again, she said nothing, simply turning to begin organizing the desk.

Shay frowned at her silence, and as he turned to leave, he heard, “The fire you started last night kept my room warm enough.”

It was short and barely audible, but an answer nonetheless and he felt a smile grow across his face as he walked over to her. “I’m glad it did.” His eyes flickered over the documents she was handling. “Thank you for keeping me organized.”

“Someone ought to.” She retorted, causing him to snicker.

“Aye, it’ll be my greatest downfall.” Shay caught sight of a small smile at the corner of her mouth and he lent back against the desk, gazing at her. “After I check on the crew, I have to go into town. Would you like to come with me?”

For once in the two weeks, she willingly met his gaze, albeit her eyes were narrowed suspiciously. “Why?”

Shay floundered for an answer, settling on, “I just wished your company for the afternoon.”

“Don’t you have a mission to complete?”

She might’ve never been an Assassin, but she’d been around them long enough to know their enemies. They’d yet to bring up the Templars in any of their conversations, and Shay knew it’d be awhile before they did. Hell, he had yet to ask why she wasn’t at the Homestead anymore. Still, he was impressed that she’d already gathered he’d become one of their top agents.

He shook his head. “Not at the moment. My boss is awaiting more information before assigning me a job.” She grunted in response and he stood from the desk to his full height. “Tell you what, you think about your answer while I’m gone and if you’re not at the gate when I get back, then I’ll go on. Alright?”

“Mhm.” Shay smiled and made his way to the door. “Be safe.” She called out to him as he exited.

***

Despite the fact that Gist handled a majority of the Morrigan’s stock, Shay still made it his business to make sure that the basics were purchased. He went over the list in his head, continually repeating, bread, meat, beer, like it would help him remember. He briefly considered not buying alcohol because it turned his crew into drunken louts, especially when it was rum they were drinking. Something about a pirate’s life for them.

“Finally. I was getting tired of waiting for you.” Shay’s head shot up at the sound of her voice, seeing her with her winter coat on, a basket ready in her hands.

“You’re here.” He said.

(Y/N) rolled her eyes. “Excellent observation skills, Shay.” She turned, unlatching the gate. “It’s no wonder you’ve lived this long.”

He barked a laugh as he followed, closing the gate behind her. “You’re full of barbs today, aren’t you, lass?”

“Oh, you’ve yet to see barbarous, Shay.” She countered, catching sight of him from the corner of her eye.

He placed a hand to his chest in mock surprise. “Wait, you’re telling me that every sentence since we reunited hasn’t been a barb? Color me shocked.”

(Y/N) glared at him. “Alright, the first part was funny, now you’re just being an ass.” Shay let out another chuckle, inconspicuously shifting himself until he was on her opposite side, closer to the road. She heaved a sigh, casting a glance towards the market. “What do you need to get?”

He shrugged his shoulders, murmuring, “Gist will take care of the supplies. Do you need anything? It’s on me.”

(Y/N) thought for a moment, then started off towards a stall, leaving him to catch up. They stood side by side, Shay watching her more than he was looking at the items. She’d changed so much in just two years—her attitude, her mannerisms, everything. She seemed more mature, like she’d lived a lifetime in such a short time. Kinder, but angrier and distrustful of unknown. Distrustful of him. Shay recognized the change—it’d been the one he’d made after he met Monro. He couldn’t help but see a part of himself in her, and again, he found himself wondering what had changed after his disappearance that made her leave the Homestead. Maybe she left on her own accord? Maybe they chased her off? Maybe they—

“Shay.” A firm grip on his forearm snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked over. (Y/N) stood there, a slight look of concern on her face. “Are you alright?”

He nodded. “Aye. Sorry, I was thinking about something.” He glanced down at the silk scarf in her hands, a rich maroon like the sails of the Morrigan. “Is that the one you want?” She nodded and he allowed himself to briefly believe that she chose it with him in mind. He took it from her and handed it to the merchant. “Wrap up this one and—” Shay glanced at the scarves and reached in, picking up a purple one. He raised it to (Y/N)’s cheek and smiled. “This one goes nice with your skin tone.”

She swallowed thickly and cleared her throat, evidently embarrassed. “Thank you.”

Shay grinned and raised it over and behind her head, tying it around her throat, tight enough to stay, but not loose enough to fall. Though he’d finished, he let his hands linger at her neck, bare fingers brushing against the soft skin. “Beautiful,” he murmured and (Y/N) held her breath.

“Sir, the money…” He withdrew his hands from her and reached into his pocket before handing the man a few pounds.

“Keep the change.” Shay quipped, gently placing a hand to (Y/N)’s lower back, directing her away from the stand.

They walked for what seemed like an hour, neither speaking until they came to a park. They took a seat on one of the benches, watching the couples and families walking down the pathways.

“It’s a beautiful day out.” (Y/N) remarked. “It’s chilly, but not freezing.” Her eyes drifted to the trees. “Not snowing a lot yet. A few flurries here and there.”

Shay hummed, reclining back against the bench. “It was snowing in Sleepy Hollow the last time I was there.”

She glanced at him. “Recently?”

He nodded. “Had some business to take care of.”

“For the Templars?” This time, her gaze was straight ahead, not anywhere near him.

Shay took a deep breath and nodded. “Aye, for the Templars.” He watched her.

Her lips pulled in a satisfied line. “I won’t say I’m not surprised you took this route…but it’s not unexpected.” Sighing, she added, “Besides, you seem a bit more comfortable amongst them then you did the assassins.”

“And you seem more comfortable at Fort Arsenal than you did at the Homestead.” His words had no bite, nor hidden intentions and she looked at him, and for the first time in weeks, he felt like he was actually seeing the real (Y/N) again. Not the carefully constructed wall she’d built around herself.

She reached over and traced the Templar insignia at his chest. “I didn’t want to be around the men and women responsible for driving you to such an extreme.” Her voice lowered and she whispered, “And your ghost was everywhere. At my cottage, at the mansion, at the docks…at that stupid ledge.” (Y/N) met his gaze, tearfully huffing, “I couldn’t take it anymore and I just…left.”

Shay reached up and held her hand to his chest, feeling her fingers splay beneath his. “How’d you end up at the Finnegan’s?”

(Y/N) chuckled. “I’m sure because of how close I was with you, the Assassins blacklisted me. I jumped from job to job until I wound up in Cassidy’s front yard.”

He smiled, thinking of the older couple. “And they took you in?”

She nodded. “As they did for you.”

“Aye. They’re good people. Missus Cassidy is a godsend.”

“Mhm…and Mister Finnegan is someone you call when you need to be knocked down a peg or two.” (Y/N) glanced at him, eyes full of mirth as she quipped, “So I’ve been deigned the fool maid, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m beginning to think that you’re the village idiot.” At that, Shay’s head fell back as unbridled laughter fell from him; she couldn’t help but laugh with him.

When they calmed, they were both wiping stray tears from their cheeks, and she leaned over, resting her head on his arm. She said nothing, but he didn’t need her to, silently taking one of her hands in his. His thumb brushed over the back of her hand and he murmured, “I’ve missed your company, (Y/N).”

For a moment, she didn’t offer a response, then she said, “You have?”

“I have…I’ve thought about it a lot.” He shifted slightly and she raised her head to look at him. “I’ve thought about you, a lot.”

If those were the golden words she’d been waiting for, she didn’t show it in the way he expected. (Y/N) gently pulled away and rose. “It’s getting rather late, Shay. You really should get back to the fort in case you’re needed.”

He couldn’t help but feel disappointed, though it wasn’t unexpected. He stood, brushing off his pants. “I’ll walk back with you.”

“Don’t bother,” she rejected. “I’ve a few more errands to run before I have to return. You should go on ahead without me.”

“(Y/N)—” he started, but she was already walking off in the opposite direction, and Shay sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Blast.” He muttered, before calling, “Will you be back soon?”

She didn’t turn around, simply waved a hand in return, offering, “Be safe, Shay.”

#shay cormac x reader #shay cormac imagine #shay cormac imagines #shay cormac x reader imagine #shay cormac x reader imagines #assassins creed imagine #assassins creed imagines #assassins creed rogue #assassins creed rogue imagine #assassins creed rogue imagines #ac rogue #ac rogue imagine #ac rogue imagines #shay cormac #haytham kenway #christopher gist #cassidy finnegan #barry finnegan

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takadasaiko · 3 years

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Home For Christmas (a Keen2 one shot for the Blacklist Secret Santa)

Good morning and Merry Christmas, @blacklister214! I’m your secret santa this year! I hope you’re having a fantastic Christmas and that you enjoy :D

FFN II AO3

---

Home for Christmas

Her day had been set. It would start with kissing her daughter goodbye and sending her to a playdate as Liz used one of her rare days off to turn the apartment into a Christmas wonderland. She had plans. Lights and tinsel and stockings, elves sitting on a new surface every morning and dozens of meticulously wrapped Christmas presents under a tree that reached to the ceiling that made Agnes squirm in anticipation to open them. Just like Liz had as a little girl. She couldn’t remember Christmas with her mother - there was a good chance that they didn’t celebrate it in any way that was at all traditional - and she only had a fractured memory of picking out a tree with her father one year, but Sam had bent over backwards to make it special, and this year, after everything, Liz wanted Agnes to remember this as one of her favourites. She had been digging through Christmas ornaments to find one of the few that had lasted through all the years and all the chaos, her fingers latching onto the little gingerbread man that Tom had pieced together along with his third graders a couple of lifetimes ago, when her phone had rung.

The senator’s life is in danger.

Six words had brought her Christmas plans to a crashing halt. She should have been wrapping presents, not listening to Reddington dance around the fact that didn’t actually care about Senator Calloway himself, it was the team hired to kidnap him that he was after. After a heated conversation he had admitted that they had taken some people of his overseas and he needed them back. Two birds, one stone, Liz’s Christmas plans be damned.

But it wasn’t like they could just turn down the case with the New York senator’s life on the line.

At least he had had time to get his decorations up. Liz let out a low whistle as she looked up at the beautifully decorated home with its holly covered gates and snow lined driveway, and she tried to push down at the agitation. In and out. All they had to do was get Calloway to a safe location. If Red wanted the kidnappers, he’d have to get them himself. That wasn’t and couldn’t be their goal. This needed to be quick.

“She won’t even remember it, Keen,” Ressler offered as they worked their way up the icy driveway.

“That’s the point, I want her to remember it, and not because something insane happened.” After everything they had been through, they all deserved a good Christmas.

She watched Ressler open his mouth, but it snapped shut again as Park approached. “We have a problem.”

“What’s that?”

“Calloway doesn’t want us here.”

Ressler frowned. “And he couldn’t say that before we flew out here?”

“It doesn’t really matter,” Liz huffed. “He’s in danger, if he wants to admit it or not.”

“Apparently he hired his own people,” Park explained. “Private firm. Some kind of connection with the owners of the company or something.”

That sounded suspiciously familiar. Liz signalled for them to wait a moment as she pulled her cell out and hit the fist number on her speed dial. The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. She thought it was going to roll to voicemail before a familiar - albeit distracted - voice answered. “Hey, babe. Still working. I’m going to have to call you back.”

“You wouldn’t happen to be working a special job as a favour a senator called into Scottie, would you?” Liz asked, ignoring Ressler’s raised eyebrow to the side.

Tom paused on the other end of the line and she could practically hear him assessing the situation. “Get a tip from the usual source?”

“He’s in danger, Tom. Let us help him.”

“You and I both know it’s not that simple if he’s involved.”

“No, but let me handle the man in the hat. You’ve been hired to protect Calloway and we can help with that. It’s our job to help with that.”

She heard him pull in a breath on the other end of the line and loose it in a sigh. “Liz, it’s not my --” A sound cut him off and she heard Tom shout at someone. There was a moment, another shout, and she found her knuckles going white as she gripped the phone. “You have your team with you?” he demanded and it took her half a beat to register that he was talking to her.

“Ressler and Park.”

“Meet us at the garage around the east side of the house.”

The call ended and her gaze swept the seemingly quiet grounds. “They’re already here.”

Neither Ressler or Park argued the statement and the three of them drew their guns as they circled around to the eastern side of the house. It looked more like a small hanger with the drive winding up the side of the house and around the back to what must have been another exit. Well, at least she hoped it was another exit. If these guys were half as good as Reddington had indicated they needed more than one way out or they’d get cut off. They certainly didn’t want to get into a firefight and pinned down.

“Hey, is that one of your husband’s people?” Park asked, motioning to a prone figure on the ground.

Liz frowned and shook her head. “Doesn’t look like Halcyon equipment.” Which meant that someone had already taken a shot. Great.

“Cooper’s sending backup,” Ressler said quietly as they approached and Liz saw the cell phone in his hand. Ahead of them, Tom was circled up with the Grey Matters field team around Senator Calloway. Matias Solomon offered a cheeky wave as they approached and Liz struggled not to pop off at him.

Calloway turned as they approached. “I told you that I didn’t want the FBI to --”

Tom squared his shoulders. “I can personally guarantee whatever you’re trying to hide, Senator, they’ve seen worse and they won’t care.” His dark gaze flickered out to the grounds. “We need an exit. Three cars should be enough to keep them guessing.”

“And you want one of us to get behind the wheel with him?” Ressler growled, nodding towards Solomon who blew him a kiss in response.

“You haven’t done anything to piss me off this week and - still no clue why - Nez actually gets along with him, so let’s avoid unnecessary complications.” He tossed a set of keys to Park as Nez disappeared behind the vehicles. “That leaves you with us, Senator.”

The older man looked between Liz and Tom. “I’d rather --”

“Non-negotiable.”

There was a moment where it looked like Calloway might argue. They didn’t have time for this. If the infiltrating kidnappers didn’t know that one of their own had been taken out by Halcyon, they would soon, and the last thing they needed was a shootout.

“We’re set,” Nez called, tossing three license plates to the ground and Solomon was already in the driver’s seat of one of the three identical SUVs.

Tom took hold of Calloway by the jacket collar and dragged him towards the one on the far right that was angled at the exit. Liz started after him, movement catching her attention just past them. Well, there went all hope of getting out cleanly. “Down!” she shouted and Tom dropped instantly, pulling the senator with him as bullets whizzed past. She returned fire and took their attacker down before launching forward and into the passenger’s seat of the waiting vehicle as Tom circled around to the driver’s seat.

Tires squealed as she righted herself, the door slamming closed behind her and she reached for the window. It didn’t roll down and she spotted Tom’s left hand going back to the wheel as he took a hard left out of the back gate. “Did you lock the window?” she demanded.

“You have a history of leaning halfway out them to take your shot. Hey,” he snapped, his dark blue gaze flickering to the rearview mirror. “Stay down.”

Calloway quirked an eyebrow in the back seat. “Me or her?”

“You,” both Keens answered at once and if the look on the senator’s face was anything to go by, he realized that there would be no turning them against each other.

“Take it you’ve worked together before?” he grumbled.

Tom’s lips stretched into a lopsided smile and she resisted the urge to slug him in the arm. Part of her wanted to remind him to focus, but it was quickly losing to the part of her that felt the rush of excitement at being able to work together. When he’d decided to take on a full time role at Halcyon they’d had to set some ground rules to keep their professional lives from destroying their personal one. Those ground rules had worked well so far and, for the most part, kept their teams on separate cases. It had been ages since they’d had a chance to work together, but now - even as they flew down the road with a less-than-cooperative senator in the back and a team of professional kidnappers on their bumper - there was a thrill to it. They were both excellent at their jobs, they both enjoyed their jobs. Maybe they should rethink those ground rules from time to time.

Her phone buzzed and Liz glanced down to see a text from Ressler laying out the route that their backup was driving. “Tom, take a right up here.”

“You mean follow the streets to the most likely roadblock the feds would set up?”

“That’s our backup.”

“You trust me?”

“I do, but --”

“Then hold on.” He spun the wheel hard in the opposite direction and Liz could have sworn it tipped a little to the side before righting itself on all four wheels and Tom hit the gas down the narrow alley.

“Hey, we didn’t lose them,” Calloway said from the back and Liz glanced around to see the car that had been chasing them slammed into reverse to follow. There was more distance between them now, but they could make that up.

Tom turned again and then immediately again into a dead end. Liz bit her tongue, reminding herself that she trusted him as he killed the engine. She pulled in a breath, her question riding out on it as she released it. “They’ll be back.”

“Nah. Nez and Solomon are waiting on the main street. They’ll spot them and think they’re still chasing us. They’ll lead them right to the roadblock.”

“Ressler wouldn’t have sent them the location.”

Her husband shot her an amused look. “It’s cute you think he has to.”

Right. She was starting to remember one of the many reasons they had decided to avoid working together. “You’re just going to give us the kidnapping ring?”

“I don’t have any use for them. Either you do or you’ll toss them in a hole. If I remember the ground rules right, I’m not supposed to ask which.” She wondered if it had been that obvious what she was thinking as her lips curled up at the corners and he offered her a wink before turning back to Calloway. “Scottie’d like a word with you if you’re up for it.”

“I imagine she would,” the senator said darkly.

“Any chance you’ll tell me what that means?”

Tom snorted a laugh. “I don’t ask, you don’t ask.”

“I’m really starting to reconsider those rules.”

“You won’t when we’re both drowning in paperwork all evening. Weren’t you supposed to be off today?”

“Don’t remind me,” Liz sighed, slouching down in her seat and, as Tom restarted to SUV, they could hear the sound of sirens in the distance.

----

He had not been wrong about the paperwork. After arriving at Halcyon’s New York City HQ and delivering the senator there, Liz had been shuffled onto a private jet and flown back to DC where she’d been met by more paperwork than she thought she’d seen in her whole career. When she talked to him on the phone, it sounded like Tom wasn’t faring much better, but he did offer to call to make sure Shelly’s mom knew Agnes would be staying a little later than they’d planned for the day.

The sun had set by the time Cooper all but kicked her out, telling her that the paperwork would likely be shredded anyway if Halcyon had their way. He’d call her if he needed clarity on any of it and Liz had called Tom on her way home. The call rolled over the voicemail and she felt her spirits drop as she pulled into the parking garage under the building and thought about the scattered decorations that were still lying all around the apartment. It would have been better if she hadn’t even gotten started on the decorations, but now not only did she not have a Christmas wonderland for her kid, she had to tuck everything away into hiding places so that she could try again.

She trudged up four flights of stairs and fished her keys out of her purse. The lock didn’t turn and she resisted the urge to immediately go for her gun, letting her hand hover as she pushed the door open.

The first thing she saw was a string of lights down the hallway. They lined the hall, circling around the doorframes and dipping down between them. She followed them in, eyes wide and smile tugging slowly into place as she entered the living room to see everything she’d wanted to set up. The tree was up and decorated, presents wrapped and tucked away under it, and the empty boxes the decorations had been in were stacked neatly in the corner. “Tom?” she called out, finding her husband at the turntable in the corner. He flipped the record over and repositioned the needle so that Bing Crosby’s I’ll be Home for Christmas filled the apartment. “I thought you were swamped too.”

He turned, a sheepish grin plastered on his face. “Okay, I know we have a no lying rule, but does it count if it was so I could surprise you and knew you’d get the truth anyway?”

A laugh escaped her and she met him where he was, her arms wrapping around his middle and she laced her fingers together to hold him there. “I want to say no, but that could be a slippery slope right there.”

“I know how much you were looking forward to getting all of this ready for Agnes and when I saw you there today…”

“I didn’t think you even remembered.”

“I’m not that tunnel visioned,” he argued.

Liz snorted a laugh, tipped up on her toes, and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “This is perfect.”

“Good. I mean, it may not be an all-the-lights-go-out-and-we-decorate-in-the-dark kind of Christmas, but I wanted to make sure you had the Christmas you wanted for Agnes.”

“And you.”

He inched closer, those dark blue eyes of his holding her gaze in a way that could still make her stomach flutter. “As long as I have the two of you, that’s all I need.”

“Speaking of….”

“Apparently ice skating went a little longer than planned, but she should be back by dinner time.”

“Did you already start?”

“Cooking. Not yet, did you want --?”

Liz loosed her grip on him just long enough to reposition one hand to the back of his neck, pulling him down to meet her in a kiss. She held him there, feeling his own hands move to her hips before he shifted just enough to pull her feet off the floor and she wrapped her legs around his waist, never breaking the kiss. Finally they had to break, both a little short of breath, and she found the man she loved staring up at her. “We can always order in,” he managed.

“Like you read my mind.” She leaned down again, the kiss soft and sweet. “I love you.”

He let her slide down to stand, his gaze locked with hers. “You too. Merry Christmas.”

The day hadn’t turned out exactly how she’d expected it, but somehow, after everything, it had been better. They deserved that. Between the close calls and the unbelievable pain that they had shared over the years, they deserved a little peace with their family. As Liz slipped her hand into his and pulled him close, everything else washed away.

#theblacklistsecretsanta #the blacklist secret santa #the blacklist #keen2 #tom keen #elizabeth keen #Merry Christmas!!

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