#so id have to learn it by ear which is a pain in the ass 😔

[fabulouslygaybean]

i should try learning a sleep token song on guitar.....

#and cello. but that's gonna be significantly more difficult because i doubt there's sheet music for that #so id have to learn it by ear which is a pain in the ass 😔

[viscerax]

robin x male reader where he gets picked on a lot and robin offers to teach him some self defence moves and one thing leads to another where the reader develops a crush for robin? (love ur fics btw)

Stand Up For Yourself

"Hey, Y/n! Where you going, cunt-wad?" You winced and kept your head down, trying to ignore the calls coming from three of the many people who constantly harassed you throughout your day.

It used to not be like this. You used to be treated normally. You never really stood out or caught the attention of any girls, but you didn't mind that. Thats not what you wanted.

It started after you had told your best friend, someone you thought you could trust, about your crush on one of the boys in your class. He told you that he wouldn't tell anyone. He lied.

After that, everyone treated you differently, and thus, the constant bullying and harassment began.

You made a sharp turn, quickly shuffling into the closest bathroom, which thankfully was empty. You perched on top of the toilet seat, struggling to remain balanced and quiet.

You heard the door slam open and hit the wall, and the chuckles of Matty and his goons flooded your ears. You just sat there, praying they would give up and leave.

"Hey, I know you're in there. You're not fooling anyone." Matty was now standing in front of the stall you were in. When you stayed silent and still, Matty scoffed and kicked the bottom of the door. "Come on out, Freak! We just want to talk!"

You flinched at the loud noise of the door rattling. You debated on whether or not it would be better to stay there and wait for them to break down the door, or just go and get it over with now.

Just as you were about to get up and open the stall, the bathroom door slammed open, making you quickly perch back up on the seat.

"What are you dipshits doing?"

Matty and his goons all went silent. They just murmured and began walking towards the exit.

"The next time you fuck with Y/n, I'll beat the shit out of you. Make sure you let everyone else know that, too." For a moment, you were confused as to who had entered and defended you, but it only took a few moments for it to finally click.

Robin Arellano. The toughest kid in school. You had never really talked to him before. You only knew him from watching him get into fights. He intimidated you, but not in the way that you were scared of Matty or Moose or any other kid that picked on you. It was more of the kind of fear you would have around a celebrity. You just wanted him to think you were cool.

"You can come out now, they're gone. They won't bother you anymore."

Now you felt embarrassed. Embarrassed that you were cowering in a bathroom stall while Robin just so easily scared Matty away.

You sighed and opened the stall door, turning to look at Robin. Who was washing his hands in the sink. You glanced down and noticed that the water in the sink was turning red, and he had a slightly pained expression on his face.

"You have got to learn how to defend yourself. Otherwise, they're just going to keep treating you like that. All you gotta do is throw a good punch, knock someone down and off their pedestal, and they won't fuck with you no more." Robin looked up to make eye contact with you through the mirror. He gave you a bit of a smile, and you couldn't help but feel flustered. You looked down at your feet, shuffling nervously and playing with the straps to your backpack.

"I can't fight. I'm thin as a toothpick. Id get knocked on my ass by a leaf." You chuckled, leaning against the wall and glancing back over at Robin.

"Its not really about how bulky you are. I mean, I've beaten Moose down before, and he looks like a mini body builder. Hell, I could probably take down Pinball Vance Hopper if I wanted to." He sighed and shook his head. "As if I'd want to do that. But the point is, its more about strategy, and knowing where to hit. I'll tell you what. My tìo has got this punching bag in our basement. I can teach you how to beat the shit out of those fuckers. Just so long as you promise to actually use it the next time they pick on you, 'kay?"

You were very surprised at first, but quickly nodded. "You'd do that for me?" You were shocked that he was so friendly with you. Any of the boys in the school had treated you like you had a disease. Like if they spent ro much time around you they were going to start turning gay too. But Robin didn't seem to care. It made you happy, relieved even, that maybe this was a potential to have a new friend.

That Friday, you had finally convinced your parents to let you stay the night at Robins. They were weary of letting you go anywhere alone these days. Not that you could blame them.

You followed Robin on his way home, smiling and chatting with him happily. For once in the past few weeks, you finally felt happy. Besides the few weird stares you got leaving school, no one bothered you. Which was rare.

That night, the two of you had brought a few blankets, pillows, and tons of snacks into Robins basement. Robin popped a Pink Floyd cassette into his player. The two of you cleared up the space around the punching bag, just in case.

Robin gave you a few tips. The best way to throw your first punch was take a quick step forward, quick step back, quick step forward, and swing. He drilled it with you a few more times before letting you try it on your own.

You landed one blow on the punching bag with enough force to make it sway back and forth on the chain it was attached to. It wasn't much, but it felt like a big accomplishment to you. The pride welling inside of you blocked out the temporary stinging pain in your knuckles.

The two of you continued doing that ober and over, and then sparred with eachother for a bit until eventually the exhaustion started to hit you like a wave, and the two of you were payed down on the king size mattress that was covered in blankets, pillows, and the open bags of candy and chips. You were sitting on one end of the bed, trying to take up as little space as possible while Robin sat a few inches away from you, eyes glued to the TV as he popped another chip in his mouth.

You couldn't help but glance over at him a few times, admiring every little detail. You knew it would only end bad for you to develop a crush on him though. You felt so guilty for looking at him, and had to force yourself to stare at the TV and focus on anything else but him.

Robin noticed your discomfort, but he decided to not bring it up.

"Robin?" You finally looked over at him again. Robin turned to look at you, giving you that signature smile he always looked at you with.

"Yeah man, whats up?"

You sighed, fidgeting with the bag of chips in your hands. "Wh-why are you being so nice to me. I mean, surely you've heard what they've said about me. I mean, I just figured you deserve to know. I-I'd feel bad if you didn't know and I was just taking advantage of your ignorance and-" this was something you did often. You always pushed other people away before the could hurt you.

Robin just chuckled and set his chips down, turning his whole body to face you. "What? That you're gay? I don't really care about that. You're chill. You're a good friend, so why should it matter if you like guys. And besides, it would be pretty hypocritical of me to judge you for that." He let out a loud laugh, turning to face the TV again.

You just sat there for a moment, dumb-founded. "So are you-?"

"Yep." He seemed so calm and non-chalant about it. It surprised you, amazed you. That must be why he never paid much attention to the dozens of girls drooling over him.

You just smiled and turned to face the TV again.

Over the next few weeks, you happily grew closer and closer to Robin. You were happy to have a friend again. A friend who didn't judge you for who you liked. A friend who treated you like a normal human being.

But you also noticed the other feelings you had for him. The way your stomach flipped inside out anytime you saw him, or the goosebumps you got whenever the two of you touched, or how excited you got to stay the night with him and get more fighting lessons.

You tried to tell yourself that you had no chance, that he was way out of your league, but you couldn't help the way your heart fluttered anytime you looked at him.

It was another Friday night at his house. This time, the two of you were simply hanging out. You were playing cards on his bed while some Queen cassette played in the background.

Everytime it was Robins turn, you would just stare at him, admire the way his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to figure out his move, or how soft his lips looked, or how much you wished you could reach out and run your fingers through his hair.

Robin looked up to notice that you were practically in a trance. He smirked as you suddenly realized that you were staring and looked down at your cards, pretending like you were trying to decide what move to make.

Robin let out a low chuckle, which made your cheeks flush an embarrassingly bright shade of red.

"Something wrong, Y/n?" He teased, setting his cards down and resting his chin in his hand.

"You're really pretty, Robin." You mumbled. Shit. You spoke without thinking. Was Robin going to be disgusted? You knew he was gay, but still. He probably just saw you as a friend and now you just ruined the only friendship you had and-

"You think so? You're not so bad yourself, Y/n." He chuckled again, he seemed to be enjoying how embarrassed you were.

You looked up at him, locking eyes with him, unsure of what to say. Luckily you didn't need to say anything, since Robin seemed to have that covered.

"Do you have a crush on me, Y/n?" That cocky smile on his face mixed with the question was enough to make you feel lightheaded.

You dumbly nodded, words failing when you opened your mouth.

"Good, because I like you too." Robin sat up and leaned over, completely disregarding the cards on the bed. He plopped down next to you, and you froze, unsure of what to do.

"C-can i-" you locked eyes with him, then glanced down at his lips, then back at him again.

Robin nodded, and you tentatively leaned in, pressing your lips against his. Kissing Robin was simultaneously everything you expected and completely different. The feeling of your lips hurriedly and sloppily moving against his made you want to pass out right then and there.

After a few seconds, the two of you pulled away and rested your foreheads against each other. You stared into his eyes, smiling so wide your cheeks were sore.

The both of you weren't sure what to say. But nothing really needed to be said. You both liked each other, and that was all that mattered to you.

A/N: i am so sorry that this one is kinda sucky and rushed!! But still, I hope you enjoy it!!

#robin arellano #the black phone #the black phone x reader #vance hopper #black phone edit #finney shaw #headcanon #robin arellano x reader

[tastyykpop]

ᴀɪɴ'ᴛ ɪᴛ ғᴜɴ

Pairings: winwin x reader

Genre: smut

Warnings: dom!winwin, brat!reader, some face slapping, spanking, hair grabbing, degradation, some praising at the end, rough sex, unprotected sex, crying, my sad attempt at writing subspace, aftercare

Synopsis: you try to dom sicheng, until you take it too far and the roles are switched back to normal

"Stay still, sicheng." You growled, gripping the mans chin to make him took at you, "And you call me needy." The eyes staring into his rolled making him scoff.

"You're lucky im even letting you do this." Sicheng placed his hands on your hips that were seated on top of his and toyed with the fabric of your pants.

You swatted his hands away, "Dont touch~" you mocked, just like he always does whenever you aren't on your best behavior. It always made you angry but doing it back gave you a sense of power for once.

"Dont be a brat." With bitterness laced in his voice, he decided to give up and place his hands behind his head to rest against the headboard. "Well," he started, "Are you gonna fuck me or not?" Sicheng raised a simple brow at you before you glared in return.

"Patience. That's what you taught me anyway."

"I also taught you to be good, but looks like you still haven't learned." He clenched his jaw.

Meanwhile you were ignoring him and started unbuckling his pants, easily taking his hard dick out. You smirked as he let out a hiss once the cool air in the room came in contact with it, "So sensitive. Isnt that cute."

Slowly, you moved your hand up and down his cock, purposely making him whine and whimper under you as you teased his slit for your own enjoyment. Sicheng slowly made his way down to where your hand was, grabbing your wrists but not pulling them off. He then threw his head back in pleasure, moaning your name out and saying how good you made him feel. Of course, he had to make your ego grow.

"Theres no way you're a dom," You smiled in a way that made his brows furrow before you spat in your hand and placed it back on his achingly hard cock. Sichengs hips lifted into your hands,, wanting more friction, but you pushed his hips down making him whine, "You're just a whiny little slut."

"Y-you did n-not just call me a whiny s-slut..." he tried his best sounding intimidating, but his voice failed him, creating an almost whimpering sound. "F-fuck, go faster."

"Dont tell me what to do." You stopped and squeezed his cock tightly, just enough to make him tighten his grasp on your wrists and groan from what sounded like pleasure and pain.

"Are you forgetting that I can easily put your ass back in its place?" Sicheng stared into your fiery eyes, anger written all over his face. It was stupid of him to even let you try and top him tonight, but he thought it would be something fun to try. But since you're you, you have to 'act' the part too. This made it way more fun.

"Id like to see you try." You stopped squeezing his cock, letting go of it as well and started taking the rest of your clothes off. Sichengs eyes wondered all around your body, taking in the curves and imperfection that made you look so beautiful and perfect in his eyes.

After removing your clothes, you took a seat back on his lap. Closer to his dick than before so he could feel your hot, dripping cunt.

"Hurry or ill fuck you myself." The man under you was holding himself back, all for your pleasure. You could call that sweet of him, but he did have a low patience level which you tested way too much.

"Maybe if you were a good boy."

Sicheng had to laugh, "Good boy? Why don't you be a good girl and ride me, that would be a start."

What was least expected from you, was a slap to sichengs face. He had to admit, it did startle him but it also unlocked a new level of anger that burned inside him.

"I told you to be patient." You smirked, "Impatient slut."

Sicheng had enough. In an instant, he grabbed a fistful of your hair and pushed you off him. Now, your face was shoved into the bed as your ass was in the air against his hips.

"Didn't I just say I could put you back in your place?" He landed a smack to your ass, causing you to whimper and arch your back, "Answer me before you can't sit for a month."

"Y-you did..." Your hand grabbed sichengs, trying to take them out of your hair. It was stupid, but you tried fighting back for your lost dominance. "Get off me!"

He spanked you again, "You're so fucking annoying, thinking you can tell me what to do. I never should have allowed you to dom me tonight."

It was quick the way sicheng didn't waste time sliding into your wet pussy. You knew he was desperate, but you didn't think he was this desperate to be inside you.

"You-youre still a-..fuck- a fu-fucking s-slut, sicheng." You pushed back, sichengs hand letting your hair fall around your face as he pushed on your lower back.

"Keep talking and I won't hesitate to edge you the rest of the night while I cum in your filthy cunt over and over again."

It was painful the way sicheng pounded into you. In fact, you were about to speak but his hips pistoned so hard that you couldn't dare open your mouth without a moan slipping out.

"Silent now?" He let out a breathy laugh, "Good, thats the way I like my little brat."

Everything felt so perfect, your eyes rolled into your head and you could see stars of pure bliss. Every vein and curve of his thick and long cock, you could feel too. You didn't want him to stop and you were so close yet so far with your orgasm.

"Si-sicheng..i-"

"No, don't even think about it."

But you couldn't not think about cumming. Especially when you felt him twitch inside you, knowing he was was on the edge.

That was when he released and painted your cunt white, but did he stop? Hell no. Sicheng continued pounding into you, tightening his grip on your hip and pushing harder on your back.

"Please i cant.." you cried into the sheets, your small fists balling up. This was so difficult, you couldn't hold it anymore.

The word 'please' spilled from your mouth over and over again like a chant, hoping your boyfriend could hear you begging.

"Fine. Cum."

Right after he spoke, your body shook violently as you came, crying loudly as the feeling washed over you. And almost instantly, after fucking you through your intense orgasm, sicheng slipped out of you letting his and your cum drip on the bed as he took you in his arms.

"Shh baby it's okay, I'm right here." He whispered in your ear, softly brushing against it with his lips. But you were too far gone, still not over the orgasm. "I'm gonna clean you up, okay?" You nodded slowly with tears still rolling down your cheeks, watching with big doe eyes as sicheng left to get a cloth so he could clean everything up.

You came back to your senses when sicheng came back. He was quick, cleaning everything like it was nothing and once he finished, he held you in his arms.

"You did so well, baby." He kissed you cheek, "Did I hurt you though? Did I go too rough?"

Shaking your head with a giggle you spoke, "No, it was fine, but...did I hit you too hard?"

He chuckled, "No, but you did shock me. It was pretty bold of you actually." His hand ruffled your already messy hair before saying, "Now get some sleep." His soft lips kissed yours delicately, "I know you're tired."

It was like he casted a spell, your eyes fluttered closed and soon you saw nothing but black.

#this was kinda rushed teehee #but i just wanted to get it out #nct #nct dream #wayv #nct 127 #nct u #nct 2020 #nct smut #winwin #dong sicheng #winwin smut #dong sicheng smut #sicheng smut #sicheng x reader #nct 127 smut #nct dream smut #wayv smut #wayv fluff #nct fluff #nct angst #kpop smut

[whump-town]

Will You Take Me Home?

Here is some heart-warming fluff to make up for what I did with the cancer fic. I would do it again so I’m not sorry but I do feel remorse for hurting you

Word Count:  5055

Retired Hotch’s Birthday

The normal temperature of the room outside his nest of throw-blankets and heating pad causes goosebumps to break out over his exposed arm. He groans, not even bothering to check the caller ID as he puts his phone to his ear and answers “Aaron Hotchner”. His voice has taken on the gravel of disuse, fogged by the painkiller-induced nap he’d accidentally fallen into. If he was following his doctor’s orders, that wouldn’t happen. His body would have acclimated to the drugs and the pain wouldn’t leave him so exhausted that he can hardly keep his eyes open when it dulls to throbs. Which, he’s not aware of just yet, but is the very nature of this call: his detrimental habits.

“Sleeping beauty,” the other person greets and he leans back against the pillows behind him, rolling his eyes. The phone rustles and Hotch shakes his head as he hears the faint scratching and rustling of keys at his door. “I knocked four times,” he’s informed. “I was starting to think--” the door comes free and Hotch doesn’t even look up. “I thought I was going to find you dead in here.” The call ends and from the other side of the couch, he hears, “which, by the way, would be a hell of a thing, you know? Dead on your own birthday.” He closes his eyes but feels the cushions get pushed down, the telltale sign she’s leaning over the back of the cushion overtop him. “Speaking of which,” she beams. “Happy Birthday, old man.”

He looks up at her, taking in the full effect of mischief he could only hear before. The expressive lines of her smile spread across her face and it’s a distinct moment when all he can think about is how truly awful things had been between them at the beginning. How mean he was, really, because it wasn’t her. It was his own inability to trust. Yet, here she is before noon on his sixtieth birthday leaning over his couch and no doubt about to start a pot of coffee that she’ll consume over three-fourths of.  Suppressing the smile tugging at his own lips, he raises a more important matter at hand. Far more pressing than why it is that she’s letting herself into his home. “How long until they come?”

Retired doesn’t mean born yesterday (whatever the opposite of that is, really). He’s not around the office anymore but given Garcia’s questioning last month of his favorite cake flavor, Dave’s inquiry into his schedule for this week, and Emily’s early arrival he knows exactly what they’re doing. To her credit, Emily pretends she doesn’t and she might be more convincing if he didn’t know every tell she’s had for the last two decades.

“Who?” she asks. “How long until who comes?” He just looks at her. A stand-off, really, to see who caves first. They’re assholes so this could go on forever and if she were looking for the thrill of watching him break and she would press on. She cracks but not because he’s better at this game, just because she’s excited. “You have an hour. I’ve been sent to get you ready so you’re not a crabby old bastard when they arrive.”

He groans, sinking back into the couch and pulling his blanket up over his head. Effectively locking her out. Well... not really. She just leans further over him, not caring when he grunts tries to burrow farther away. “Come on,” she shakes his shoulders. “Aren’t you the least bit excited? Penny made you those cookies you like and Derek is bringing Hank, who, I might add, is very excited to see Hops.” And she’s only buttering him up because-- “I’m not supposed to tell you this because it’s a huge surprise but Dave left this morning to go pick up Jack. He’ll--” she can’t even get it out. He peaks out, just the top of his head so he can narrow his eyes at her. To see if she’s just fucking with him, using his feelings against him but he sees only sincerity. She grins, she knows she’s won. “So up and at ‘em old-timer! You’ve got a gaggle of people to entertain!”

Old-timer? He’s four years older than she is. That’s not what he comments on. “Gaggle?” he repeats back to her, grunting as his knees protest his standing. “Really showing your age there,” he mumbles and steps out of the way of the pillow she throws at his head. “What?” he defends. “You said it, not me.” He shakes his head, heading back to his room and leaving her to entertain herself. Which she will and he can hear her rustling around the coffee machine. Nearly surprised that she doesn’t complain he still hasn’t set up the Keurig she got him for Christmas (which they are rapidly approaching him having owned now for a year).

Though he isn’t sure how to express it anymore, he’s excited to have them here. Even if he knows that it will get overwhelming, he can’t deny that the night will end far too soon and he’ll find himself missing them all over again. But that’s not what’s important. In an hour (less than that knowing Penelope and her strict party-throwing agendas) he’ll have them all right here. Reid with his never-ending knowledge, quizzing him on the book recommendations that Hotch has been slowly working his way through. With Derek and Savannah and Hank, the latter of which can’t pronounce Hotch and it makes his heart do a funny little thing when the toddler sees him and screams in pure delight “Hops!”

JJ will pour in with Henry and it’ll be like old times watching Henry and Jack slunk off together (and they all pretend like they don’t know they’re smoking pot in the backyard). Emily and Dave force him to mediate the same four fights that they always have and then they’ll stick around long after the others have gone home to talk about whatever comes to their minds.

And Penelope.

His house is about to be flooded with baked goods and meals in containers because despite being alive as long as he has, she denies the notion he can feed himself. She’ll organize them in specific ways and each will be labeled in her neat handwriting so he can tell what’s in each. Most of them will be vegetarian because she’s worried about his cholesterol (and the environment) and a few will be spicy and chicken will make its way into a few of the dishes. He’ll thank her and kiss her cheek and she’ll remind him like she always does, that all he has to do is ask. He won’t but he does appreciate how much she cares. As smothering as it can be.

He showers quickly, giddy in a strange way to get out and be properly ready when the others arrive. Not too quickly, the last thing he needs is to bust his ass while Emily is here. She is far too comfortable with herself and with him and he knows that she will come in here if she hears him. The other thing about that woman is that she might have a distaste for constantly being touched but she can put that aside to annoy him. Which has created this weird mind-game thing he knows he’s losing when he doesn’t even notice her encroaching on his personal space.

Everything is a battle with her.

He decides to save himself the trouble of being bullied and searches through his dresser for a pair of jeans. He owns maybe two pairs of jeans both purchased forever ago and just to help him fit in with the parents at Jack’s school during field trips and soccer games. He stuck out like a sore thumb when he was a kid and he knows he still does but he won’t be the reason Jack gets weird looks. Emily had raised an eyebrow at that (why he had even divulged this to her is beyond him) so evidently it didn’t really do the trick but Dave assures him he looks fine and Garcia thinks he looks like a DILF so… he’s fairly certain that’s good. He’s not really sure what that means but he’s learned it’s better not to ask her to clarify.

Emily is fixing the couch when he comes out, the apartment filled with the scent of the coffee she’s brewed while he was showering. “You’re going to burn the house down with this thing,” she tells him. She holds up his heated blanket as it offends her. “You need to go to the doctor, there has to be something they can do.”

What surprises him isn’t her apparent anger-- with Emily, it’s a diversion. Her anger is rarely that, it’s to distract, and right now he knows he’s to perceive her anger and not the way she fears for him. The way that she can’t say “I love you” like the others but can, instead, be outraged that his body has been working against him for so many years. She’s not angry at him for needing to be tucked up in that blanket all the time, she’s afraid of a vascular issue that might kill him or that he’ll leave untreated until they’re all being reunited at the closest general hospital. Waiting for a doctor to tell them that he waited too long or that his heart can’t handle another surgery or a million other things.

He takes the blanket from her, clumsily folding it over and tucking the cords into the folds. “I have gone to the doctor,” he assures her. Not for that specifically but he did bring it up. He leaves it at that for now and she understands that means maybe later. It’s not worth getting into and he doesn’t feel like thinking about George Foyet and his knife today.

“Hey,” Emily hums, smirking at him. “Your ass looks really nice in those jeans.”

He stops dead in his tracks, frowning as he looks back at her but just as he’s about to inquire what, no doubt, awful thing she’s done to make her feel the need to compliment him to compensate for it, the apartment door opens. They both turn to the noise and Garcia steps in and freezes when she notices the two of them standing there.

Looking at the bags full of things she has in her arms and then to Emily and then to Hotch she sheepishly smiles. “Happy Birthday?”

With a sigh, having accepted this defeat a while ago, Hotch steps to help her with bags. He tries to hide his amusement but he cuts Emily a glance, three bags in his left hand and more still coming, and he can’t help it. Garcia turns back just as the smile eats its way up his face and he shakes his head. For a split second, he can see her apprehension, the way that her fear of going overboard or embarrassing herself washes over her before she carefully masks it (and to think he gets all the shit about masking). “Thank you,” he whispers so sincerely that he has to avert his eyes. Adding softly, “you know, you’re the only person who ever cares to make me celebrate it?”

Which just makes her sad. “Sir,” she whispers frowning. “You deserve the world, do you know that?”

He blushes, shaking his head, but he can’t get the words out in his shock.

“Oh,” she tsks. She stands on her toes and pulls him down so she can wrap her arms around him. “I love you.”

Emily makes a sound of disgust behind them and he’s glad for the distraction before all this undue attention gives him a heart attack. “Bleh,” Emily rolls her eyes. But she brightens when she sees the red Tupperware container holding the cookies. “Are those the--”

Garcia sees Emily zero in on them and hands them right to Hotch, holding them to his chest. “Are not for you,” she says to Emily with a nod of her head.

So Emily just looks to Hotch and he passes them to her with a shrug and weakly defends, “they’ll go stale if she doesn’t eat half of them.” They’re his birthday cookies but she’ll get her hands on them anyway. If not today then the next time she lets herself in. If not her then Reid when he gets bored and wanders over here for entertainment. If not Reid then Dave then Derek… you get the point. He’ll never finish them on his own.

Garcia lets it go because she knows that’s how he is and because she has a crapload of other things to make sure he eats. He leaves her to mess with his fridge, it’s better to let her do her thing. She’ll move his almond milk to the side door because that’s its proper place (even though he’ll move it right back) and come in about five to ten minutes to fuss with him about a specific something she notices he’s lacking. Today it will be the complete lack of breakfast foods in this house when she knows for a fact that his doctors are giving him hell about eating more than once a day.

He’ll have no excuse, never does, but she won’t give him a chance to provide it either way.

Reid arrives next and actually knocks and waits for someone to let him in, something none of the others will do. He sheepishly offers Hotch the books he’s artfully wrapped in a newspaper and Hotch ignores it for a moment to hug him. If they don’t do it now Reid will just wait in anxious anticipation for it because he knows it’s what people do and he likes being hugged by Hotch but he doesn’t know how to initiate it himself.

“The Sultan of Brunei spent $27.2 million on his 50th birthday,” Reid tells him as soon as Hotch lets him go. “Michael Jackson was there,” he says with a nod. And Hotch smiles and listens to him anxiously work his way around the point that he’s trying to make. Which is that by the standards of the Sultan of Brunei, this party will be exceptionally small and quiet… the way Hotch would want it to be.

They are still standing at the door, talking about what the act of giving a card means. The way that the stories get warped and it thrills Reid to slide the pieces of that puzzle together through-out various cultural ideals until you have them. And that America has a very strange, above-average affinity for birthday cards.

Derek nearly hits Reid with the door when he comes in. Too distracted with a squirming Hank on his hip and Savannah behind him fussing with him for not knocking. He brightens the second he places his eyes on the two of them, a face that Hank matches perfectly upon seeing his favorite people.

“Weed!” the toddler greets throwing himself into his godfather’s arms. Reid takes him happily, laughing at how tightly Hank holds onto him. He just loves that Hank never gets tired of him. He could still see Hank every day for a month and Hank would still greet him with the same enthusiasm as the first day.

Derek is kicking his shoes off, offering Savannah his hand so she can do the same when he notices Hank still excitedly talking to Reid. That’s by all means not abnormal but-- “Hey,” Derek mumbles Hank. He nods his head to Hotch who is standing watching Reid and Hank with a bright, wide smile. “Don’t you have something for Hops?”

Reid puts Hank down before the toddler can start to squirm and Hank immediately glues himself to Hotch’s leg. No one knows why it’s just what Hank likes to do but not just, in general, he only does it to Hotch. He stands for a few seconds, both arms wrapped around one of Hotch’s legs, face pressed into the material of his jeans, and Hotch stands still to allow him to do it. Hops is a nickname he has no control over, the same way that Reid doesn’t fight that he’s been “Weed” now since Jack was two and stumbling over his name.

Hotch got off easy. When Henry was younger he just sort of kept his distance from Hotch. Hank… just really loves him.

“Is that a hot wheel?” Hotch asks softly when Hank finally peels himself away enough to offer the bright toy clutched in his hands. Hank beams up at him and stretches to hold it higher, trying to get Hotch to take it. “Oh wow,” Hotch gasps, shaking his head and pretending to just be so impressed by this toy so severely dwarfed in his hand. “Do you know what colors these are?”

Derek holds his hand out for Savannah to take and guides her through the house. Moving them to the kitchen to talk with Garcia and Emily knowing that he won’t be getting his son back this afternoon. Both because Hank won’t want to leave Hotch or Reid’s side and because Hotch and Reid won’t want him to leave. The Hotwheels was entirely Hank, they spent twenty minutes finding the perfect one when all Derek needed from the store was stain. Though they all agreed to no presents because Hotch would already hate them invading his home with cake, they all got him presents.

The others all got him books because that’s what they know he likes and he really does love to receive books. They’re fun entertainment and they all say something about how not only they perceive him but also the sorts of things that they like and he… well, he loves that.

Derek built him a new bookshelf. It’s sitting in the back of the truck and he’s waiting on Will to get here to drag the thing in here. Derek had noticed two weekends ago that one of the shelves Hotch uses in the hall was bowing under the weight of the books on it so he’d made something to replace it. Thin but heavy-duty-- he’d considered all the ins and outs of the current shelf. Things he didn’t like about it until he has a higher shelf that doesn’t stick out so obscenely.

Which doesn’t matter, really, Hotch will love it either way.

Hank keeps “Hops” distracted while the others pull dinner together. Emily is set to ice the cake but she’s awful and she’s sent to sit in the living room with the other three. Hotch is sitting in the recliner, Hank sitting on his knees and telling him about what he did in preschool this week while Reid pokes through the bookshelf Hotch keeps by the door.

JJ knocks as she comes in but still lets herself in. Henry is bummed to see Jack isn’t here yet but he’s quickly distracted and swept right back out the door to help his father and Derek move the bookshelf into the house. They don’t really need Henry’s help but it’s an effective way to ensure Hotch doesn’t try to help. Not because he can’t but because… he’s old and they don’t want to break him.

They’re just buying time, anyway, until Jack and Dave get here.

With them comes the party…

Hotch only puts Hank down to hug Jack, biting down his tears when he realizes that his son now stands just as tall as he is. Probably bound to be taller. He’s grown out his blonde hair in college and just as Hotch is opening his mouth to ask about school, how seeking out that Master’s Degree is treating him, he spots--

“A puppy!” Hank shouts.

Jack smiles timidly, stepping back to show his father the dog still held back by Dave’s hold on her collar. “Her name is Scout!” Jack kneels down, beaming up at his father while the thrilled puppy licks his face. “Do you get it?”

Oh, he gets it alright. Emily had snitched him out two weeks ago (to his own son, of all people) and admitted she was a little worried. He still doesn’t think there was ground for her fears. It’s not abnormal for him to shut himself out and if his therapist doesn’t think he’s any crazier than normal then that should mean he’s fine. At least, that’s how Hotch feels about it. That’s ignoring the way that everyone else feels. Which is that he’s visibly more on the edge and jumpy. That he gets irritated in public spaces and his anxiety is getting worse despite starting therapy and medicine he swears is helping.

Jack had done his best to get through to his father but sometimes Hotch makes those conversations like talking to a brick wall. That conversation had ended rather badly, honestly. Jack had yelled, shouting mindlessly that he’s twenty-five and he’s too young to have to be taking care of Hotch like this. Too young to have to fear that each day he’ll receive that phone call and the crazy thing is that Jack wouldn’t even be surprised-- everything about Hotch’s life is damning proof to the fact that he acts impulsively, reckless, and without care to his own well-being.

Jack had called later and he’d apologized, they both had. It had been careless on Jack’s behalf, Jessica had explained to him at sixteen some delicate things about his father. He’d come to understand just what it means for everyone around Hotch to love him. The way that his mother had tried to stifle that urge in his father and Jessica and Dave and Emily and Derek and everyone who has ever loved a man like Aaron Hotchner has tried to walk him back off that ledge. But it’s as if he was born there and you can move him but you can’t take that fundamental calling away. Can’t wash his darkness away.

Jack had spent his entire childhood likening the characters around him to his father, just pulling at strings to understand the man. Sometimes he’d earn himself a smile and other times a grunt. He’d bring his father the books or replay scenes in movies all to just see his reactions to know if the man he sees his father as is the same one Hotch sees himself as.

Freshman year of high school they’d read To Kill A Mockingbird and he’d thought his father to be a man like Atticus Finch. In many ways, he is but he keeps coming back to that book. Until during that heavily apologetic phone call, Jack had laughed and realized his father might be a bit like Atticus Finch but he’s a Boo Radley. The recluse that always represents unwavering good.

Hence Scout.

What had driven Boo Radley from his home? Little Scout Finch.

He lets them into the house, not really sure what to say. “You know,” Hotch mumbles, shaking his head. He watches the puppy eagerly work her way around the others. Snaking between legs and nearly knocking Hank over in her excitement but the boy is around enough dogs to only laugh harder. “You could have just got me a… gym membership of something.”

Derek huffs at that and now, he’s sitting in his living room watching his closest friends snickering at his son’s clever book reference. With a sigh, he leans down and offers his hand to the puppy, frowning when her first instinct is to lick him. “Hi, Scout.”

Jack squats down, petting Scout while she continues basking in Hotch’s attention. “You don’t go to the gym, dad.” Jack rubs behind her ears, smiling when Scout doesn’t divert her attention from Hotch. She’s zeroed in on him and he’s fairly content with that. “Besides I got Scout from that program that they run in Richmond.” There’s this dog training thing they do down there that his friend actually works at. Scout failed her training-- as it turns out she’s a bit of a reject. They’d tried to start her out as a service dog but she’d been too smart for that too. Too eager.

Hotch raises an eyebrow at that, not liking the sound of what he thinks is happening. Those dogs are expensive and it’s already enough that she’s a German Shephard. “What do you mean?”

Jack glances at Dave, “well…”

Dave steps up and soothes it out. “I made some calls and Jack’s friend helped us out. Scout is a reject from two academies, a failed service dog and from the police dog academy in Richmond. So she’s too smart for them to just send anywhere.”

Great, Hotch thinks.

“It’s perfect,” Emily snickers. “Hotch loves to take care of things and now he’s essentially got a toddler again.”

“She is potty trained,” Jack offers quickly.

But Emily is right and the idea is brilliant. Hotch does like to take care of things and having Scout will prompt him to start taking walks in the morning again. It might help him implement a strict eating routine, place him in the kitchen to feed her. He won’t go do things for himself but he will take her to the dog park and sit there until she’s tired. Throw balls for her to retrieve and (what had been the killing stone) is that she’s far too smart for her own good. She’s got other training. Senses anxiety and depression and is very protective.

Hotch frowns down at Scout, she’s placed her head on his knee watching him as he takes this in. Hank is leaned up against her side, fingers trailing through her short fur, and she’s entirely unbothered by it. She’s only worried about Hotch and Hotch is worried about her. He’s never had a pet before. Jack had a goldfish he fed occasionally but… there’s no way that counts.

“Thank you,” he says softly, rubbing at his fingers anxiously and frowning when Scout smacks his hand with her nose. He sighs and puts his hand on her head, scratching like he thinks she wants. Too distracted to note what she’s effortlessly just done. Put off by her clinginess, he’s not even thinking about the curling hot ball of nerves in his stomach. His mind does wander but she nudges him again and he sighs and keeps patting her head.

Dinner goes well and Scout and Hank are glued to his sides. Hank to his left feeding him chips and Scout green beans which Hotch sees and chooses to ignore. Her immediate allegiance to him is a little strange, she’s not too bothered with Garcia or Derek no matter how hard he tries to win her over (feeding her green beans just like his son). Scout does like Hank, Henry, Jack, and Reid. She takes to them like it’s nothing. She’ll go from ignoring Derek’s attempts to get her to sit to trot right over to Reid and lay over his feet.

Hotch does enjoy that, it’s funny.

They funnel out slowly after eight. Hank has already fallen asleep in Hotch’s arms and Savannah has to wipe his tears up and shush him back to hazy contentment with the promise he’ll see Hops soon. Derek will probably be over in a day or two to make sure that the shelf is holding up well and to transfer the books and he’ll bring Hank along to distract Hotch to do it.

JJ and Will trickle out not too long after. Henry and Jack conspire together to get Dave to take them for ice cream and he caves-- Jack promises to text him before he falls asleep to tell him where he landed for the night.

Garcia takes Reid home, won’t let him take the subway back at this hour and Hotch doesn’t even have to ask they just know to text him when they get home safe. He promises to eat the food Garcia left and she already has the date in which he should run out marked on her calendar. She’ll give him a week to bring back the Tupperware before coming over here herself and seeing what he has and hasn’t eaten.

Emily sticks around until ten. The two of them picking up meager things and she promises to come by early tomorrow and the two of them will go to PetSmart to figure out what kind of food Scout should be eating.

And before he knows it…

“I guess it’s just me and you then.” Scout tilts her head at him. “You want to… go to bed?”

He’s not really sure how the dog thing works. TV has shown him plenty of times they’re not supposed to sleep in your bed so he makes her a blanket bed of her own and marks down a dog bed on his list of things to get tomorrow at the pet store. He tells her goodnight and then blushes at how silly that sounds.

He’s in bed, changed into pajamas, and yawning into his book but he’s committed to reading a chapter every night. He hears her get up but he still jumps when his bedroom door is opened. She doesn’t wait for a command and doesn't listen to his “no” before jumping up into the bed alongside him. He’s trying to grumble, to get up but she lays right across his hips. Turning her head to look up at him and he gives up. “Only tonight,” he says.

Tonight turns into the way she sits between his legs, when they’re listening to the guy at PetSmart help them pick out food. To the way she looks up at him when he tries to estimate how big she’ll be to get her a properly sized bed. Which ultimately turns into him giving up and Emily hiding her smirk at just how whipped he already is.

Tonight turns into every night and if his nightmares stop coming as frequently because she’s laying atop him he doesn’t say anything. If he starts going out more and the team starts picking out pet friendly places to meet him for lunch or to have a coffee break then he also doesn't say anything but Scout is right there.

So… what exactly does it take to draw Aaron Hotchner away from the ghosts? A puppy.

#criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #penelope garcia #spencer reid #derek morgan #jack hotchner #hank morgan #savannah hayes #jennifer jareau #will lamontagne #henry jareau #david rossi

[lilypixels]

...............all of them.....?

It took me an hr to do this....🥲💀

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

Teacupsss

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

Lollipops

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

Uhhh cotton candy

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

Probably quiet and smart lol I did my school work and was friendly with everyone so I was a favorite and heard all the nice things 🙈

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

I kinda like bottles more but like the glass ones with the caps that could slice your fingers-

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

I’m for all but sports lol

7. earbuds or headphones?

Earbuds

8. movies or tv shows?

Shows cause I’m the type to watch an hr long episode vs hr long movie idk why but I’m rarely in mood for them

12. name of your favorite playlist?

Drop the beat (ie songs that are upbeat and I like most)

13. lanyard or key ring?

Hmm...I guess lanyard?

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

Skittles or twizzlers

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

I had lots I had to read in school but only ever finished a handful lol my favorite I think was maybe Macbeth? I would say Odyssey but I don’t think we read the full thing cause I remember being disappointed about something like that...

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

Sitting with my legs bent up in seat with me in some way

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

Converse and some nice but cheap sneakers from Walmart

18. ideal weather?

Not too hot, not too cold, mild like before/after a rain (most the time), idc if it’s raining or sunny but as long as temp is comfortable I’m fine

19. sleeping position?

On my side most often

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

Phone and notebook

21. obsession from childhood?

Oh gosh uhhh I guess my like of dolls maybe? Or obsession with anything ✨unexplained✨ like ghosts, aliens, cryptids, etc

22. role model?

Kim Namjoon lol just kidding (sorta)

23. strange habits?

Ok I know I have some and my friends would be more than happy to point them all out but hm let me think...idk if these count as habits but I’ll never place a mirror facing a bed (this is more superstitious I guess than habit,,,) I can’t stand my food touching, if I have a tray like in cafeteria I have a certain spot for everything and uh my mind just went blank-

24. favorite crystal?

Moonstone, lapis lazuli, and I feel obligated to say garnet cause it’s my birthstone

25. first song you remember hearing?

Circle of Life maybe who knows xD

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

Walk or clean,,I’m more active and about with warm/nice weather

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

...stay inside where it’s warm

28. five songs to describe you?

Not this again😭 uhhh idk you tell me ajdbd

29. best way to bond with you?

Indulge me when I go off about things I like or learn 😔✊ I know I’ll talk your ear off and I’m sorry but know I don’t often talk about these things with people so once I start it’s hard to stop,,and it makes me really happy when people do listen to me about these things and send me related items every so often or even look into it themselves to learn more 🥺

30. places that you find sacred?

For some reason this feels like a trick question...um cemeteries and anything with ages of history I guess

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

Oof do I really have a true outfit?? I have shoes for this which are just black platform sneakers I call stomping shoes

32. top five favorite vines?

I never,,,watched these,,,

33. most used phrase in your phone?

“Yes”...?

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

State Farm and McDonald’s, always

35. average time you fall asleep?

10-11...usually...

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

Uhhh that one with the ginger dude (I think it was someone’s yearbook photo??) I don’t remember much else about the meme but it was on ifunny, or whatever the app was, a lot

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

Suitcase

38. lemonade or tea?

Easy, tea

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

...neither

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

Dude these questions really testing my brain power here- for senior prank someone put cereal in some bathroom sinks I think

41. last person you texted?

My mom

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

I’m gonna say jacket since I wear those often

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

Hoodie or cardigan

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

Fantasy

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

Usually whatever shirt I’m wearing that day and some pj/lounge pants 🤷

47. favorite type of cheese?

Mozzarella

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

I-what kind of question is this? How does one even answer this?

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

What comes around goes around lol (yes I’m a heavy believer of karma)

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

Lol who knows, probably something dumb me and my siblings were doing or something we watched cause there’s been plenty times of that xD

51. current stresses?

Homework vs free time e-e

52. favorite font?

I like the gothic looking ones but it’s usually not practical to use so idk

53. what is the current state of your hands?

My hands...? They’re fine ??

54. what did you learn from your first job?

How to care for babies and little kids, how to put on a diaper lol

56. favorite tradition?

I can’t remember a particular one off hand but I’m trying to start few new ones like decorating cookies for Halloween uwu

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

Uhhhhh like personally or...? Cause we’ve overcome homelessness before, um finishing assignments idk😭 oh maybe bullying?? That’s all I can think of since I still struggle with a lot,,

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

Alright let’s do thisss: creativity (mostly in writing sense), I can bake/cook, I have amazing organization skills and many work places have used that lol (bonus is I don’t mind, I actually really enjoy it, very peaceful), surprisingly good balance all things considered, I’m a quick learner

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

“I’m too tired for this.”

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

Good question good question🤔 I don’t think I’d last in any of them/have a terrible side character role so 💀

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

“Life’s too short to hold grudges.”

62. seven characters you relate to?

Dude this is gonna get embarrassing I can feel it🤠

Itaru, Iori, Sogo, Belle, Simeon (obey me), Nozaki (he’s clueless about romance irl and doesn’t know when someone has a crush on him yet can write romance well enough and yeah it’s me lol), and uhh Swindler/Ordinary Person in Akudama Drive (still can’t believe no one really has names in that anime but the way she gets wrapped in everything felt like something that’d happen to me lol)

63. five songs that would play in your club?

Like nightclub...? I’m skipping this ajdbd

64. favorite website from your childhood?

Probably the Barbie site, me and my sister played all the dress up games almost daily istg

65. any permanent scars?

Appendectomy scars and then looks like I have one on a toe but it’s possible it still might heal...

66. favorite flower(s)?

Nightshade, foxglove, baby’s breath, bellflowers, roses

67. good luck charms?

I don’t think I have any...

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

Lemon

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

Let me think...I read something once about flowers having ears(?) but like not ear ears just something about having a part that picks up sound waves

70. left or right handed?

Right

71. least favorite pattern?

Lolll animal print I think

72. worst subject?

Physics...the worst science

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

6...?

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

I don’t remember, it probably happened when i was 6. I do remember losing one of my front teeth during my birthday one year and I was happy since the tooth had been loose for some time xD

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

Chips I guess or just like fried in skillet

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

A succulent probably

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

Neither ew

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

They are both about equally terrible

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

Earth

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

Fireflies

82. pc or console?

I am on pc side now

83. writing or drawing?

Writing

84. podcasts or talk radio?

Podcasts I guess

84. barbie or polly pocket?

Barbie

85. fairy tales or mythology?

Mythology, it’s too fun and chaotic lol

86. cookies or cupcakes?

Hm...cupcakes

87. your greatest fear?

Uh,,,I don’t have many fears but I guess one would be falling from a great height? So I would get scared of crossing a bridge and it collapsing or riding a plane and it falling easily

88. your greatest wish?

World peace🥲

89. who would you put before everyone else?

My mom maybe...?

90. luckiest mistake?

I honestly don’t remember but something I do remember is I out semicolon instead of period and turned out to be correct grammar lol

91. boxes or bags?

Boxes

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

Sunlight or fairy lights, I don’t require much either way and prefer more natural lighting

93. nicknames?

Lassie, twinkle toes, Ash, poody butt (by 3 yr old I sometimes watch and play with lol he means it affectionately; I call him monkey butt and it’s catching on slowly instead)

94. favorite season?

Starting to be fall just a little more but I like transition times most

95. favorite app on your phone?

Let’s go with twitter

96. desktop background?

It is a moriarty and gang pic

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

2: mine and my moms

98. favorite historical era?

Ooo tough one but I’ll say renaissance as some of the coolest things came from that time

#if there’s something messed up in this string of text #ignore it cause I’m not proofreading again ajdbd #I did not realize there were so many questions pls #asks #jade why 😔💜

[aria-dne]

felix // stress reliever

pairing: felix lee w/ female reader

description: you’re a uni student but you don’t have time to relax. felix comes over but things take a turn when he decides to give you a massage

word count: 1333 (i usually write more, wrote this like a year ago)

warnings: smut, dom! felix, sub! reader, best friend! felix, hair pulling, spanking, blowjob, markings, kinda rough sex

it is dark, raining, and slightly illuminated. the power went out a while ago, my only source of light are my candles, scattered across the room. i am writing my draft for my mandarin essay as I study international business at uni. an actual pain. Why do I do this? so i don’t live on the street begging for money. the more i speak, the more i am worth. but learning language after language without end is stressful. i haven’t slept well for the past two weeks, i get an hour of sleep and do whatever it is to pass. I don't have time to relax, the last thing I can do is have time for myself. 

 I hear my phone go off, which is unexpected because I have no friends at all, except one. checking to see the caller ID, i also hear a knock on my door. My best friend Felix is the caller, so I answer. “what do you want?” i say. “damn no need to be harsh babe, i’m outside your door with food.'' I hang up and walk to the door. Felix stands with his bare face, red dyed hair messed up but looks nice, and a bag of take out. He notices the open door and smiles, walking into my dorm. “any particular reason you’re here?” I began to basically interrogate him. “you need a break, and i am here to help you relax.” Felix was always one to wing an assignment and get a good score, he was just lucky. “no i’m going back to writing.'' I get up but feel his hand around my wrist, pulling me to the couch. “i have food, we’re going to eat, I'll give a massage and then we can sleep. you’re stressing and it’s not good for your mental health. it’ll be worth it, i promise.'' I look at him and make eye contact. his eyes give off a certain emotion, but i can’t pinpoint it. I give in, and he smiles. his cheeks go up as he grins, exposing his freckles that are expressed from the bridge of his nose to where his eyebrows end.

 We ate the food that he had brought, which was just a bunch of street food. and now, I am on my bed, on my stomach, with my back bare as Felix gives me a very soothing massage. For a dude, his hands are small but they feel large on my skin. He starts with putting essential oil on my back, making my skin smooth and easier to work with. his hands start on my lower back, applying light pressure and rubbing certain spots in circles. slowly, his hands go up my back and calmly work their magic. I hadn't made a sound until he was where my back and neck meet. it’s a weak spot of mine, so when he rubs my neck, i let out an unexpected moan. I cover my mouth to keep myself quiet, he stops for a moment and then continues. it’s hard to shut the fuck up when he’s rubbing my weak spot so well. I remove my hand and let out small noises. Felix stops, and I don't sense him until I feel his breath near my ear. “you’re making me lose my mind when you let out those noises.” His deep voice with his australian accent makes me lose it. I let out a whimper, his hands make me feel things, but suddenly I crave more of his touch. i don’t have feelings for felix, but it would be amazing if he could just fuck me, maybe he could relieve my stress.

 his hands ghost my back, his lips traveling up and down. biting and sucking the skin, he leaves marks all over. He grabs my hair and pulls it lightly, but hard enough for my head to go back. He kisses my jaw and trails down to my neck, to leave just one mark. i was silent, it felt different than my past partners, they were never like this. Felix continued to tug at my hair, until pulling it with a certain strength to make me let out a moan. He lets go and flips me over onto my back. He immediately goes to my right breast, attacks one with his mouth and the other with his hand. I moan and tug at his hair, earning a low groan from him. He switches to my left one, doing the same thing. He eventually pulls away and goes lower, getting to my volleyball shorts. He pulls them down, revealing my black lace panties, slowly becoming soaked. 

 I see him stand and take off his shirt, and then his jeans, leaving him in his underwear. He grabs my hand and pushes me down to my knees. I feel his hands go to my hair and grab it into a ponytail. I instantly get his message and strip him from his boxers, revealing his cock. I stroke it lightly from the base, and he tilts his head back. i lick his tip and his breath hits. Eventually, the tip to mid-shaft is in my mouth, my head bobs as i suck on his dick. deep moans and wet sounds are the only audible noises being made. I can feel him become close, his breathing is shaky and uneven. I pull away without thinking, but my hair is pulled so I meet with Felix's cock once more. He pulls my hair back, thrusts lightly into my mouth, and eventually releases. I swallow every last drop of his seed, not expecting him to be rough. I found it kinda hot.

 I stood up, looking at him in the eye. “you’re hot when you’re rough,” I say lowly. he brings me in for a rough kiss, which I return while moaning slightly. my hands drape around his neck, his hands pick up my thighs and take me to my bed. I'm on my back, playing with his hair as our bodies and the room become hotter. He pulls away and rubs my soaked panties. I bite my lip to be quiet and squirm under his touch. He slaps my thigh and I moan in response. “don’t you wanna get fucked? you’re so wet and ready for me. Come on baby girl, i know you want it.” his voice makes me want to come on the spot. “please fuck me, please i can’t wait.” he flips me over, takes off my panties and smacks my ass. I get on all fours, waiting for felix.

 his hands glide over my back and get to my ass, smacking it multiple times. I moan every time I get hit, it hurts slightly but it was mainly pleasurable. his tip teases my entrance, making me beg for him to actually go in. but when he does, he rams in roughly, not giving me time to adjust to his large size. He doesn’t stop and I don't want him to. the feeling was amazing, it was always pleasuring, never hurt even if he was rough. as he thrusts into me, he grabs my hair and pulls it back. I moan loudly, he groans with me. The room is so hot, the windows are beginning to fog up. his groans turn into profanities, never ending like my moans. I clench around him, signaling that I'm close. He thrusts a few more times and then I reach my climax. I collapse on my bed as I feel Felix cum on my back. He leaves to get a towel and cleans himself and I up.

“Sorry if i was rough, and just know i don’t have feelings for you.” he says laying next to me. “I don't either, i don’t know if you want to keep this up or stop. you’re choice.” I responded. “just call me if you need a stress reliever, and vise versa.” I nod and put my head on his chest, unconsciousness taking over me.

#stray kids #stray kids imagines #felix imagines #felix smut #felix fluff #stray kids smut #stray kids fluff #lee felix #skz felix #lee yongbok #stray kids felix

[slapshot-to-the-heart]

Breakable Heaven (pt. I) - p.l. dubois

As promised, here’s the first part of Breakable Heaven! I’m really excited for this one, there’s so many things I can’t wait for you all to read. This chapter is more setup and background, but I promise it’s all worth it! I’d love it if you reblogged (helps me know people like my work!) or pop into my inbox and let me know what you think! I read all the tags :)

part I part ii part iii part iv

June 4 (thurs)

Laurel clipped her pager back onto her scrubs, leaning over the counter of the nurses’ station. “You ready to go grab lunch?” She had just finished changing the bandages and administering pain medication for a little boy who was recovering from a heart surgery, and was looking forward to getting off her feet for a few minutes. The PICU floor was quiet, only about half of the rooms being filled, and there were no pressing matters that required her attention. If something drastic changed in the next half an hour, she always had her pager. 

Madeline looked up from her chair, where she was finishing up filling in a patient’s chart. “Sounds good,” she said, letting their charge nurse know that they were headed down. Madeline Peltier had been one of the first people to introduce themselves to Laurel when she started; having only been on the unit for two weeks herself, she was still getting a handle on the reins and was more than willing to show Laurel around. 

Madeline was also one of the few on the floor who was just as comfortable in English as she was in French. French had been Laurel’s foreign language through college, but she was made rudely aware upon her move to Montréal that the pronunciation and slang of Canadian French was very different from the Standard French of Madame Anderson’s rural Minnesota classroom. Her grasp of the language was good enough to take the Québec nursing licensure exam — which wasn’t even offered in English — but the spoken dialect was proving much more difficult to pick up. They walked down to the cafeteria, on the second floor, grabbing some sandwiches before swiping their ID badges for the employee discount. 

“I still think they should give us free food,” Madeline said moodily, unscrewing her water bottle and taking a sip. 

Laurel laughed. “When hell freezes over, maybe. Doctor’s lounge usually has some pretty nice stuff set out, or at least that’s what they say. Pity our cards don’t let us in, I’m not above identity theft.” Madeline snorted into her sandwich. 

“What are you doing this weekend?” Madeline asked a few minutes later, starting to peel an orange. 

“Uh, not much?” Laurel said. “Getting my papers together to resign my lease in a few weeks, grocery shopping, but nothing big. It’s been a long few shifts this week and I’m mostly just looking forward to taking it easy. Why?”

“If you’re up to it,” Madeline shrugged, “Patrice and I are going out for dinner Saturday night and we’d love for you to join us.” Patrice was Madeline’s long-time boyfriend, they started dating in university and had been together ever since. 

Laurel rolled her eyes. “Madeline, thank you for the offer, but I don’t want to keep being your third wheel.” 

Madeline let out a conspiratorial grin. Oh no, Laurel thought. This can’t be good. “As it would so happen,” she said, “you wouldn’t be third wheeling. One of Patrice’s friends is back in the city for a few months, and I think you two might hit it off,” she sing-songed. Madeline had been trying to set her up from practically the moment they met; whether it was someone from her gym, one of the critical care fellows, or apparently, her boyfriend’s childhood friend. They were always nice guys, but nothing had ever stuck for more than a date or two. 

---

Twelve hour shifts meant that, at least on work days, there was no way Laurel was going to have the emotional or physical capacity to make herself a real dinner. She’d order in occasionally, but it more common to just pull together something quick like a frozen pizza or grab whatever leftovers she could find in the fridge. Yesterday’s chicken and rice it was, then. Sticking it in the microwave, Laurel opened the door to her balcony, letting Piper out to use the bathroom. Piper was an eight-month-old chocolate lab, the love of her life who she had adopted just after the new year. Laurel had always grown up with dogs; back in Minnesota she had Jackson and Lucy, and she had been missing them more than a little bit since moving to Canada. Piper was incredible. Intelligent, loyal, and so friendly that even her neighbor’s notoriously picky five-year-old son had taken a shine to her. She wolfed down her food, grabbed Piper’s leash and her water bottle, and headed out the door. 

June 5 (fri)

The intricacies of language were hard. And, somehow, learning the intricacies of a language you already knew was even harder. Laurel was trying her damndest to pick up Québecois French as fast as humanly possible, but while she could conjugate l’imparfait in her sleep, the accent and vocabulary were what was really throwing her off. But she intended on making a life in Montréal, and staying as long as she could, so there really wasn’t any option but to hit the books. Immersion worked for some people, and thank God she knew the medical terminology to communicate with her patients and their families, but it wasn’t quite the same when she was struggling through telling the mechanic her car needed an oil change. In a perfect world she’d have someone to help her one-on-one, but she didn’t want to ask Madeline for that big of a favor. And while she made decent money at the hospital — she could afford her own apartment and had a little left over every month to put into savings — it was nowhere near enough to pay for a tutor. So Duolingo, and podcasts, and Youtube lessons it was. 

Letting out a groan, Laurel leaned her head into her hands, shutting her laptop. She wasn’t going to make any progress being this frustrated. She bent down to scratch Piper, whose favorite spot for naps was a blanket right beside Laurel’s desk, between the ears, pulling her leash and collar off of their book by her bedroom door. Piper’s ears perked up, and soon enough she was running around the apartment wagging her tail as fast as it could go, a slightly exasperated but nevertheless laughing Laurel following. She finally managed to clip on her leash; at fifty pounds, Piper still had a little bit of growing left to do, but she had already proven she was more than capable of bending the will of a full-grown and otherwise capable 23-year-old woman. 

She had discovered Parc Saint-François-d’Assise a few weeks after adopting Piper, and had thanked her lucky stars for finding a dog park so close to her apartment. Having a schedule like hers meant that she couldn’t always get her to a weekly training or obedience class — plus, the French that she did know certainly didn’t include ‘heel’ — so the time spent socializing was well-appreciated. It was only a fifteen minute walk, and Piper was good enough on a leash that she only stopped once to bark at a squirrel in one of the many birch trees that lined the street. The park was an acre or two, small enough that she could see all the way across and keep an eye on Piper as she let her off-leash, but big enough that there was more than enough room for all the animals. It wasn’t particularly crowded that Friday; Laurel was confused for a moment before she remembered that most people were busy at 11 AM on a weekday. There were a few families, with kids out for the summer from school, and a man playing in the far corner with his two small dogs, but not much else. 

Laurel leaned down, unclipping the leash from Piper’s collar, and gave the chocolate lab a scratch on the head. “Have fun, girl!” Piper never needed much encouragement, and took off running almost before Laurel had even wrapped up her leash. Rolling her eyes and laughing, she picked up her phone. A text from Allison, one of her only friends in the city aside from Madeline, inviting her out for her birthday next week. Madeline, giving her the address for the restaurant the next night. The Duolingo owl, threatening her with bodily harm if she didn’t log her language progress for the day. She was so engrossed in checking her email that she didn’t hear the shout for her to look out, or the two bulldogs barreling towards her at full speed, until they had knocked her off her feet and she landed straight on her ass. 

“Desolé. Vas-tu bien?” The man asked, holding out a hand and helping her up. Laurel nodded, brushing the dirt off her jeans. 

“Ouais, ouais. Pas de problème, pas de mal. Ils sont chiens, non?” 

He chuckled, patting the smaller of the two bulldogs, which had decided to take a break from accosting passers-by to get petted. “C’est vrai.” They talked for another minute or two before saying goodbye, but she could have sworn it was an hour. 

Walking Piper home half an hour later, Laurel was struck with two realizations. The mystery man — bulldog dad, as she had started calling him in her internal monologue — had very possibly the prettiest eyes she’d ever seen in her life, and she’d be cursing herself for the next week for not getting his number. 

June 6 (sat)

Saturday meant Laurel had a day off, but more importantly, Saturday meant she didn’t have to set her alarm for 5:30 and could actually wake up at a semi-normal hour. Her internal clock didn’t wake her up until half past seven; even then, it was Piper’s soft barks that finally got her up, throwing on a pait of shorts, and leading her out to the courtyard down the hallway to use the bathroom before coming back to her apartment and throwing open the fridge doors. No 7 AM shift meant that she mercifully had enough time to make a proper breakfast. On shift days, there never seemed to be enough time to actually sit down and eat, and Laurel usually ended up just having a quick bowl of cereal or some overnight oats and making a protein shake to drink on the drive over. Eggs, bread, yogurt, a peach she had picked up from the farmer’s market. 

After the bread was done toasting and her tea was finished steeping, she gingerly carried the food out to the balcony, placing it on the table as Piper trotted out behind her. Laurel crunched her toast with one hand as she flipped the pages of a book with the other, a Shirley Chisholm biography that Victoria, her best friend from high school, had recommended her. It was almost an hour later when she finally found a good place to stop. As much as she may have liked to just camp out on her balcony all day and blow through the rest of the book, her pantry was crying out for a grocery run and she was running desperately low on ice cream. 

---

The dinner reservation was at 7, and by 6:30 Laurel was almost ready to leave. Her blue skirt fanned out on the couch as she sat killing time on her phone, tapping the floor nervously with the same pair of block heels that she’d worn to her university graduation. The restaurant wasn’t far from her apartment building, so a few minutes later, she decided to go, leaving Piper with a pat on the head and plenty of food in her bowl. Laurel laughed to herself on the way over, her eyes flickering over the skyline as she walked alongside the St. Lawrence River. 

It’s like what she had told Madeline over and over again, every time she tried to set her up on a blind date with a friend of a friend. She wasn’t actively looking for a relationship but wouldn’t be opposed to it. Whatever happens, happens. Biting her lip, Laurel decided that even if she didn’t hit it off with whatever guy Madeline was trying to set her up, even if things go horribly wrong and he’s the exact opposite of what she’s looking for in a partner, she’ll get a free meal and, hopefully, a new friend.

Laurel hadn’t been told much about her blind date, or anything, really. She didn’t even know his name. From what she had been able to figure out, he was from the area but didn’t work in Canada most of the year — so maybe he was in business? All Madeline told her was that he was tall, attractive, and had a dog. Or was it two? She honestly couldn’t remember. She trusted her and Patrice’s judgement, so if he had gotten their stamp of approval, it was good enough for her. She grabbed her phone out of her bag as she neared the restaurant, letting Madeline know she was almost there and asking where to meet her. She told the hostess she was meeting some friends, and Madeline walked around the corner less than a minute later. “Hi, love!” she said, reaching out and wrapping Laurel in a warm hug. “We’re over this way.” Laurel followed her around the corner and past the bar to a four-seater against the wall. She slid into the seat closest to the wall, leaving a space empty. 

“He should be back in a minute, just ran to the bathroom,” Patrice said, nodding towards the vacant seat and referring to her mystery man. A minute passed, Laurel scanning the wine list, before Madeline threw her hand up in greeting. 

“Salut, PL!” When Laurel looked up, she almost dropped her menu.

 “Oh my God!” The stranger — PL’s — eyes widened in recognition. “You’re the bulldog dad!” 

He chuckled, rounding the table to greet her with a kiss on the cheek. Left, then right. It had taken Laurel a while to get used to; even going to university in Toronto, cheek kissing was practically obsolete, but that changed very quickly upon her move to Montréal. “I am. Pierre-Luc Dubois, good to meet you properly this time.” 

Madeline looked between the two, clearly confused. “You know each other?” 

Laurel shook her head. “Not really, no. His dogs ran into me at the park yesterday when I was there with Piper, we talked for a minute or two.” 

Pierre nodded in affirmation. “So, Piper. The chocolate lab’s yours then?” 

“My pride and joy.” 

June 13 (sun)

 Over the next week and a half, it became more and more common for Laurel to meet up with the group on the weekend, or one of her off days, or really whenever she had spare time. She had learned that Pierre-Luc was a hockey player, Patrice explaining that they had played atom league together growing up and the friendship had somehow stuck. Come to think of it, he had looked a little familiar. The University of Minnesota Duluth was less than an hour drive from her hometown, and besides being the college that the majority of the 50% of college-bound graduates of her high school went to, it also had one of the best hockey programs in the country. So she knew the sport, followed enough to be informed, and had even become a de facto Maple Leafs fan from her time in Toronto. 

Sometimes Madeline and Laurel would bring another friend from the hospital along, sometimes it was just the four of them. Once, a Sunday afternoon coffee meetup turned into just Laurel and Pierre-Luc; Patrice had come down with a bad cold and Madeline was staying behind to look after him. If she was being honest, it was far less awkward than she had anticipated. Pierre had insisted on buying her iced capp, and they had settled in a corner booth, sharing a box of Timbits. 

“Patrice mentioned you’re from the U.S., somewhere in the Midwest?” Pierre asked, sipping his coffee. 

She nodded. “Cloquet, Minnesota,” Laurel sighed, “where there is exactly one hotel, one high school, and life revolves around the mines.” 

Pierre sucked in. “That sounds...interesting,” he said diplomatically. 

Laurel laughed. “It’s okay, you don’t have to mince words. The people are nice, if you think like they do, and the scenery is gorgeous, but…” She gathered her thoughts. “It’s not the place you can really dream big, you know?” He nodded. “Neither of my parents went to college, my mom’s a receptionist at the elementary school and my dad works in the mines. I knew by the time I was in high school that I wanted something more. There was just nothing for me there, and I didn’t ever want to feel as trapped and beaten down as some people I know.” 

Pierre leaned back in his chair. “Do you go back often?” 

“Once a year, maybe twice?” Laurel said, shaking her head. “I’ve only got a few good friends back there, and trust me, they’re much more excited to come to big-city Canada than I would be to go back to a town of 12,000 people.” 

“Fair enough.” 

Conversation between them flowed easily, so easily that before she knew it, two hours had gone by and he had to leave for a skate. As she walked back to the metro, Laurel couldn’t help but shake the feeling that the two hours she had spent with Pierre had felt more like a date than any she’d been on since moving to Montréal a year ago. But it couldn’t have been a date, because it wasn’t supposed to be. Right?

 June 15 (tues)

 It was half past seven on Tuesday, and Laurel was just getting home from work. She loved her job, genuinely, but twelve hour shifts were no joke. Spinning her key ring around her finger, she stopped in the mailroom, unlocking her box and fishing out the stack of envelopes that had accumulated in the two days since she’d last checked. Walking over to the elevators, she held the bundle in one hand as the other punched in her button to the third floor. Laurel flipped through the envelopes as the doors opened. Water bill, bank statement, letter from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. Hang on. Laurel stopped at the last envelope, running her finger under the flap as she turned her key in the lock, opening the door with her hip and letting it slam shut behind her. 

She had applied a little over a month ago for her permanent residency card, which she had been assured by everyone she asked would be a relatively easy and painless process. “You’re a nurse, and a good one. I could use ten of you,” her charge nurse had stated. “You went to school here, you have a Canadian degree and a Canadian license. There’s no reason they would cause you any trouble,” Madeline had said. And she had done her due diligence, double-checked every piece of information, checked off every document on the list. Done everything she was supposed to do. So when she unfolded the paper, the words shocked her. 

Denied. Laurel brought her hand shakily up to her mouth as her eyes raced down the letter. No explanation was given, all she was told was that her application had been rejected and she had until September 17, when her work visa expired, to leave the country. The first thing Laurel did was frantically grab her laptop, seeing if there was some way she could apply for a visa extension, but the deadline had passed; she’d have to go back to the consulate in Minneapolis and try to re-apply from there, but her chances weren’t good if she’d already been rejected. The second thing she did was collapse on the floor, Piper nosing herself under her arm, and cry. 

June 16 (wed)

When the group met up for lunch the next day, Madeline noticed something was off about Laurel almost immediately. Normally someone who was hyper-focused on the task at hand, she was stirring her straw around in her glass, nibbling at a piece of bread and answering questions shortly if at all. “What’s up?” she asked carefully, catching Laurel’s eye as she tried to busy herself with straightening her napkin. There wasn’t really a way she could get out of answering that one. 

“I, uh, I got a letter yesterday,” she said. Pierre and Patrice stopped their conversation. All eyes were on her. “From immigration services. They told me,” her eyes pricked with tears, “they told me my PR application was denied, and I only have until the middle of September before I have to leave.” 

“Like, leave the country?” Pierre asked. She nodded. “But can’t you renew your visa or something?” 

“No, I looked into everything.” Laurel said in frustration, shaking her head. “There’s not enough time for it to be processed, I’d have to go back and reapply in the States, and even then the chances aren’t great.” 

Madeline leaned over, wrapping Laurel up in a hug. “Oh, Laur. I’m so sorry,” she said. “You don’t deserve this.” 

“It’s just hard,” Laurel started, “knowing that there’s nothing there for me back home. That’s the whole reason why I came to Canada in the first place, to get away. To get out. I’d have to retake all my licensure exams and find a new job and I don’t want to have to start all over when that’s not at all what I planned for. I thought I’d stay. I thought this was going to be my home” 

“I can call my friend who’s a lawyer, see if he’s got any ideas?” Patrice offered. 

Laurel smiled weakly “Thanks, Patrice, but I really don’t think they’d be able to do much. I was on the website for hours, and there’s like two ways I wouldn’t be kicked out of the country. And I don’t think I’m going to be able to give birth by September 17,” she said, letting out a watery laugh. 

“You’d have to marry someone or something to stay,” Madeline said. 

“Yeah, that’s the only other way it was going to happen,” Laurel agreed. “But seeing as how I’m obscenely single, I don’t see that happening…” She trailed off. 

“I’d marry you,” Pierre said suddenly, shrugging. 

Laurel’s head whipped to her side. “You’d what?” 

“I’d marry you. We’re both single, by all accounts you’re an amazing nurse and deserve to stay. We get married, stay ‘together’ for a few years until you get your citizenship, and then tragically inform the citizenship and immigration people that while we tried, it just didn’t work out, and get a divorce. Easy peasy.” 

Laurel almost burst out laughing, the idea was so ridiculous. She almost couldn’t wrap her head around what he was offering to do. He couldn’t be serious. Right? 

---

Laurel slung her arm over her head, body tangled up in bedsheets. According to her phone, it was well past one. She couldn’t sleep. She had tried rain sounds, counting sheep, drinking a cup of chamomile tea, but nothing was working; she just wasn’t able to still her mind. Honestly, she couldn’t stop thinking about lunch earlier. More specifically, what Pierre had said. 

As much of a bad person as it may have made her sound, the more she thought about Pierre’s offer, the more it made sense. He was incredibly attractive, so it wouldn’t be hard to fake a marriage to him for a few years. She really didn’t keep in contact with anyone from back home in Cloquet aside from her family and a few friends from high school, so it’s not like there would really be anyone to blow her cover. And she really, really wanted to stay in Canada. It wasn’t just the scenery, or the general human decency of everyone, or even the universal healthcare that pushed her to stay. She had fallen in love with the people, the city, and didn’t want to go down without a fight. 

Rolling over, she grabbed her phone from her nightstand, pulling up Pierre’s contact. Hey, she texted. Laurel immediately cursed herself as the three dots popped up on his side. Hey? She was going to ask this man to marry her and the best she could come up with was hey? He wrote back immediately. Hey. You’re up late, what’s up? Laurel took a deep breath. How serious were you about offering to marry me? His second response was even faster than the first. As a heart attack.

#hockey imagine #hockey writing #pierre luc dubois #hockey smut #nhl imagine #hockey #nhl imagines #nhl smut #hockey imagines #nhl writing #nhl

[delicatelyherdreams]

Pragma(tic) 5: She Deals With a Pest

Pairing: Persephone!Bucky Barnes x Hades!Reader

Summary: In a world where the old gods never truly died, you must learn to navigate your way through the ups and downs of immortality. And if living forever wasn’t hard enough, an ancient evil is now threatening to break free after centuries of silence. And as if that still wasn’t hard enough for you, now a pesky and infuriatingly handsome god is trying to wedge his way into your life. Gods, work, love, and conflict—what more could a goddess need? [Hades & Persephone AU]

Word Count: 3713

Warnings: Language

Pragma(tic) Masterlist

Previous 4: His Mind Runs Wild

It was a nice, calm day in the Underworld. Two weeks had passed since you’d banished James from the realm and things were just finally starting to calm down. You and Peggy had charmed the cave into next week, making it nearly impossible for even you to pass through it. No one was going to break in there any time soon. Paperwork had built up in the meantime, leaving you with a bunch of shit to deal with. For hours you slaved away, reviewing and approving Elysium applications, scanning over the new Tartarus admittees, checking out this invitation or that. You didn’t realize just how busy you could be if you took a couple of days off to deal with something as menial as border control. 

But you’d managed to catch up, getting ahead even, and that left you with a rare afternoon off. You decided to spend it out at your private pool. The water glowed blue, illuminating the skin left bare by your modest one piece. You lounged on a pool chair, your hands folded over your stomach as you laid out with your eyes closed. The only sound for miles was the soft rippling of water coming from a fountain you had installed in the pool three decades ago. It was quiet, calm, cool, and—

Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt.

The peace was shattered by your phone going off on the side table.

You groaned and screwed your face up. Damn the phone. Damn it for disrupting your quiet time. Damn you for bringing it out in the first place. You blindly groped the side table for the small box, wrapping your fingers around it. For a split second you considered tossing it into the pool in front of you. You could always just pick up a new one. As much as you loathed going up to Olympus and purchasing a phone and fraternizing with the gods who hated you, in addition to the pain in the ass it was to take it to Tony to be synced with all the godly apps, contacts, and necessities you had on the old one, you hated the sound of your phone ringing and disturbing your day off more. It wasn’t like something as trivial as money was an issue for you and you had plenty of time.

You could do it. You could just throw it into the pool and be done with it.

The phone continued to ring in your hand, urging you to look at the caller ID.

Finally, curiosity won out and you opened your eyes. You were expecting to see your mother, Peggy, or even one of your sisters on the line, but you were confused to see Phil Coulson, the ferryman who brought souls over from the Mortal World, instead. You pressed the answer button and brought the phone up to your ear. “Coulson?”

“(y/n), thank the gods. You need to come to the Acheron right now.” His voice was frantic, panicked, and angry, shaking with a contained temper.

His tone alone was enough to send you flying from your beach chair and around to the front of your house. Shadows crept up your body as you walked, materializing over your bathing suit into the fabric that made up your signature black blazer and pants. Your grip tightened on your phone as you made your descent down the mountain. “I’m on my way. What’s going on?”

There was a grunt on the other end of the call and yelling that you couldn’t make out. “There’s some—ngh—crazy—No! Don’t touch that!—live bastard—I will cut off your limbs and feed you to Cerberus, I swear to Zeus!—trying to steal my boat!”

You frowned, your eyebrows furrowing as you brought your gaze up to look at the border of your realm. “There’s a what?”

“Some live son-of-a-bitch meandered his way in and is now on the living side trying to jump on my boat and crossover. I don’t know if he has a death wish or what, but I haven’t seen this sort of idiocy since ancient times. Now get over here and help me!” The line went dead as Phil hung up.

You broke out into a sprint, running as fast as your legs would take you. Spirits parted for you, sensing the anxiety and confusion that rolled off you in waves. All the while, your mind ran wild with thoughts. Who had broken in? Why had they come? Where did they come from? Who were you going to have to kill? You had an idea of the idiot who came, but you weren’t going to be certain until you laid eyes on the intruder’s face.

Red crept into the corners of your vision and you had no doubt in your mind that your eyes were also turning red. It happened whenever you were stressed or angry among other things, though that seemed to be happening all the time recently.

You made it to the river in record time, sliding to a stop at the river’s edge. On the bank opposite of you, you saw thousands of spirits milling about, rustling with agitation. Phil stood on his boat, using his oar to push back a single body that was trying to muscle his way on. You would recognize that head of crisply cut brown hair anywhere. He’d been seared into your memory ever since he broke in the first time. 

You felt your blood boil with agitation as you took a step forward onto the water. Your foot hit the surface like it was solid and you marched across the river. As you neared the pair, you rolled your shoulders back, puffed out your chest, and put on your “scary queen face,” as Peggy called it. Adding on a loudening effect to your voice, you made your attempt to catch their attention as you boomed, “Now just what in the hell is going on here?”

Your voice rolled over Phil and James in waves, freezing them in their steps.

Phil’s face broke out into a smile when he saw you. “Oh, finally! Will you please deal with him?”

The “him” he referred to lifted his eyes to meet yours, tensing up as they met. He did not seem afraid of you, which was strange. Most would quake in their boots when they saw you, but not him. He seemed unfazed by your presence, smiling at you instead of running away. “Hades,” he greeted.

“James.” You crossed your arms and looked at him down your nose. “Would you care to explain to me why I have found you once again in my kingdom after I explicitly told you to never return?”

“I…” It seemed that he had not thought this far ahead. If you had to guess, he came down seeking your attention, but he had no idea about what to do once he had it. “I… I just wanted to see you again.”

You deadpanned at him. “So you broke in and tried to steal my ferryman’s boat just to see me? You’re not after a jewel or something again?”

“No! I mean, no. I just…” He was flustered, a soft pink rising to his cheeks and his eyes darting around nervously. “I can’t get you out of my mind and I wanted to see you again, get to know you a bit, you know?”

You couldn’t believe your ears, it was so stupid. You laughed. “You really must be a naive fool,” you muttered. “No one ‘gets to know’ me, James. No one likes me, no one cares enough to stick around. Your efforts are futile. Don’t waste your time going for something that’s beyond your reach.” He opened his mouth to protest, but you silenced him with a sneer. “Go home, James. You don’t belong down here. The Underworld has no place for a god of spring who doesn’t know when enough is enough. I will not tell you to leave again.”

“But I—” 

“Do you want to do this the hard way? Cause damnit, James, I will take you by the scruff of your neck and throw you out again, I swear to the gods. I am too busy and too tired to deal with this today, now leave!”

The harshness in your voice seemed to finally rattle him and he lowered his head in submission. This was obviously not how he had planned this going. “I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted. Now leave.” You turned away from James and strode up to Phil’s side. You didn’t even turn your head to look at him when you said, “Make sure he leaves, and when he’s gone, tighten security. I’ll be sending Cerberus down pronto to help.” You cast a glare over your shoulder at the retreating god before sliding back across the river, on your way to enjoy what was left of your day off.

———

The spirits of Elysium were some of the kindest people you knew. They were always warm and welcoming to you, even though you were the “scary Queen of the Underworld.” They’d adopted you as one of their own, some giving you friendly smiles and asking you about your life and others going as far as to invite you down for dinner once or twice a month and taking care of you like you were their granddaughter (despite the fact that you were several thousand years older than them).

One spirit in particular, an elderly woman named Martha Thomas who had died in 1930’s America, seemed to take a liking to you. She invited you to dinner the most, and although you didn’t really need to eat, you adored her food and were always ready to take a meal from her. She was always kind and caring towards you, insisting that she invited you over so much in order to keep you from “getting too lonely.” You tried to tell her that you were fine on your own, but she wouldn’t have it. “You do so much for us, dear. The least we can do is invite you over for a meal every so often.”

So, when you were working on some paperwork and saw your phone buzzing on your desk with her name on the caller ID, you thought that she was just calling you down to dinner again. A small smile tugged at your lips as you shoved aside the countless number of papers before you and picked up your phone. Pressing your finger to the answer button, you held the phone up to your ear and said, “Hey, Martha!”

“(y/n)?” Her voice was trembling and nervous, causing you to sit up straighter and your heart to race. She continued, “I’m so sorry to bother you, dear, but there’s someone here and I… I just don’t know what to do about it.” 

“Someone there? Martha, take a deep breath, I’m on my way. Who’s there?” You stood up and rounded your desk, shooting out of your office and down the halls of your home. You slipped on a pair of shoes as you left, moving as fast as you could to get out of the house.

“I-I don’t know, but he’s a-alive! He’s alive and he keeps asking for directions to your home. He was just here and I told him nothing, but I thought nothing alive should be able to get down here.” 

Your brows furrowed as you shot out the door and began the descent down the mountain. “Nothing should unless they’re a—” And like that, you knew who the intruder was… again. A guttural growl escaped your throat, causing Martha to squeak on the other line with its intensity. “Motherf— Martha, stay inside. Ignore him. I’ll deal with him personally.” You hung up, slid your phone into your pants pocket, and marched down to the gates of Elysium. Your steps had slowed a bit, as you were no longer in a hurry to get down. You now knew that the intruder was harmless. You scoffed just thinking about him. He’d only made it three weeks before stupidity got the better of him again.

The towering gates stood a small distance from the base of your mountain, and they opened soundlessly when you pressed your palm flat against the seal. You slipped in, shut the gate behind you, and started to amble down the way. 

There was no sun in the Underworld, but that didn’t stop Elysium from being the brightest area down here. Large trees rose on either side of the path, casting soft shadows over the path. Architecture from every period in existence lined the street: mess halls, libraries, and any kind of shop or public facility you could think of. If you could name it, it was there in some way or another. 

Smaller roads branched off in all directions, leading towards the residential sectors, each marked by the different time periods. You had your ancient times, your renaissance, the lead up to modern times, and modern times among others. Spirits could choose to live in the time where they died or move and try different time periods. You weren’t one to designate living areas; Elysium was basically its own separate entity led by the people, you just helped it out a bit and gave them resources to build.

The main street was unnaturally vacant. Every single time you’d gone down there the streets had been bustling and teeming with the dead as they chatted and socialized. But now? There wasn’t a ghost in sight. There was, however, a small trail of green and flowers growing out of the cobblestones—an almost perfect indicator that showed the path taken by a certain prince of spring. Gods, you’d known he was called a flower child, but you never thought that it was literal.

You followed the green deep into the city, through the winding streets and past residential areas. His trail led you into the 1900’s American area, right up to Martha’s door. He really had been there asking for directions. You could see her peeking out of her window, looking in the direction where James had gone, her skin translucent with anxiety.

You shot a comforting smile at her before following the trail, searching for the god of spring who had once again snuck in under your nose. 

You found him in the middle of a park, turning in small circles as he took in everything around him. 

He was oblivious to your presence. You wanted to keep it like that for a moment. Glancing around, you found a dark shadow and you slunk over to it silently. Fully encompassed in the dark, you took a deep breath and sank back, melting into the shadows.

This strategy allowed you to become invisible to all and move about silently. You became the darkness, using it to your advantage to travel, hide, and spy. You watched the young god carefully, ready to jump out at any moment.

For once, he actually looked normal—a pair of jeans adorning his legs and a blue shirt to match his eyes. Said eyes were filled with awe as he soaked in all that was around him. It was childish, his innocence. He was amazed by anything and everything. He was enamored by his surroundings, and so deeply engrossed that he didn’t notice you emerging from the darkness and stalking over to him.

You came to a stop right behind him and crossed your arms. Narrowing your eyes, you spat, “Is this some sick joke to you?”

He jumped at the sound of your voice, whirling around into a defensive stance. However, he loosened up as soon as he saw you. “Oh,” he breathed a laugh. “It’s just you.”

You frowned. “Yeah, but you’d think that ‘just me’ would make you a little more scared than you are.” You rolled your eyes and let out a low growl. “Is this some sort of game to you? How many times do I have to kick you out of here? How many times until you understand that you don’t belong here?” He seemed to shrink under your gaze but you weren’t done with him. “James, this isn’t a fucking game,” you snapped. “You think it’s fun trying to break in here, dragging me away from my duties, causing chaos and distress in my subjects, but it’s not. It’s really annoying is what it is, and I can’t keep taking time out of my busy schedule to come deal with you.”

He seemed ashamed, but that didn’t stop him from speaking. “I’m sorry for any distress I might’ve caused you, but I can’t get you out of my mind, Hades.” He dug into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a ruby—the same ruby you’d left them after you kicked them out. “You’re nothing like I was taught, and that makes me so damn curious. You don’t seem evil, but you don’t seem quite good.”

Well, that’s a nice sentiment. Your frown only intensified.

Sensing your agitation, he waved his hands in a negating motion. “Nope, that came out wrong. What I mean to say is— Oh my gods, your eyes!”

You blinked. “My eyes? What the fuck do my eyes have to—”

“They’re not red!” He beamed at you. “They’ve been red the past two times I saw you, but now they’re not. Now they’re...” He moved closer to you until he was less than a foot away and peered down at your eyes, his nose wrinkling and his brows knitting together as he focused.

You could feel his breath on your face and it freaked you out. No one was allowed to get that close to you, especially not strangers like him. You brought your hands up to his chest and shoved him back.

Surprised by your strength he stumbled, fighting to keep his footing.

“What the hell? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

He still stared at you, his eyes wide and his lips parted slightly. “They’re (e/c)...”

“James,” you snapped. “You have bigger worries than the color of my eyes right now! Specifically, the fact that I’m trying so hard not to drag you straight to your mother and have her put a tracking device on you.” You reached forward and wrapped your fingers around his wrist. His skin was warm against yours, and it sent heat all throughout your body to nestle in your core. You suppressed a shiver as you started to walk towards Elysium’s exit, dragging him behind you every step of the way.

He went with you compliantly. “Why do your eyes turn red?” he asked, innocent curiosity filling his voice.

You huffed. “They turn when I’m stressed, annoyed, or angry usually.”

“So if they’re not red, that means you’re none of those things?”

You hesitated, but he was right. Unlike the other times you’d dealt with him, your feelings were actually pretty muted; you were almost begrudgingly amused if you had to admit it. “I guess not,” you finally answered, pulling him through Elysium’s gates and out into the main Underworld.

He chuckled, the sound breaking the silence that otherwise encompassed the two of you. “Then I guess that means you’re warming up to me?”

“Nuh-uh. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Springy. Just because I haven’t killed you yet doesn’t mean I’m not seriously considering it. You’re just lucky that I’m feeling merciful today.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that you’re pretty ruthless. The mortals said you’re cruel.”

You shrugged. “I don’t know about cruel. Yes, I’m strict and firm, but I don’t think that makes me cruel or evil. Death does not yield or make exceptions for anyone, and neither do I.” You cast a glance at him over your shoulder.

He was studying you like you were a novelty, completely intrigued by your whole being.

You shook your head as if it would shake off all thoughts of him. “Anyways.” You pulled him over to the Acheron and stopped at the bank. Turning to him, you fished a gold coin from your pocket. “Give me your hand.” He did so and you pressed the coin into his palm. “Give this to Phil and he’ll take you back to the living side. And this time I mean it when I say that you cannot come back here again. You do not belong in the Underworld and you must stay away. It’s not good for you to keep coming.”

“But I don’t think it’s good for me to keep my distance.” He gazed down at you, his lips puckered as he took your hand in his and laced your fingers together. “Hades, I want to know you, as insane as it makes me seem. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I feel like the fates wanted us to meet and I’m not going to stop until I figure out the reason. Like it or not, I’ll find a way to come back down again, and when I do, I’m just going to ask you questions because I want nothing more than to know you for who you are, not who everyone says you are. So,” he squeezed your hand and gave you a smile filled with so much sincerity you almost thought it was fake, “I guess I’ll see you later.” He let your hand go and took a step back. He retreated to the river bank where Phil was waiting for him, but he never took his eyes off of you, even as he paid Phil and climbed onto the boat.

You paused as you looked at him, your eyes locking on the back of his head in a timid fascination. Why was he so insistent on seeing you? Why was he so persistent? He knew nothing of you and yet that only made him try harder. It was bewildering. 

But it was also endearing and you found yourself smiling softly.

The last you saw of him that day was his form sinking into the mist as he rode the boat to the land of the living, leaving you and the Underworld behind.

Deep down you knew that was not the last you were ever going to see him, and a part of you hoped he’d be back soon.

Next 6: He Never Listens

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes series #bucky barnes greek au #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes au #bucky #bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky fanfic #bucky fanfiction #bucky greek gods au #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #mcu #greek gods au #hades and persephone #hades & persephone #hades & persephone au #persephone!bucky x hades!reader #x reader #reader insert #delicatelyherdreams

[fredweesleyismyslut]

Really, that Weasel? pt. 2 Spencer Reid x reader

You couldn’t help but notice the fact that Spence hadn’t been answering your calls.  You didn’t want to call too much to the point that it seemed obsessive so you chalked it up to him being busy on a case.  I mean god knows you get caught up in cases so much that you can’t answer your phone every time he called.  You were finishing up with a case, you and your brothers had finished chasing down a ghost in a haunted hotel that was killing off the visitors.  Your brothers, Dean and Sam Winchester, came back into the Impala.  Dean was of course huffing and mumbling about how the owner of the hotel was a “real pain in the ass” and the least he could’ve said was “thank you because we saved his ass tonight”.  Holding back a giggle you shuffled in the back seat to lean forward, “Hey, can you guys drop me off at my apartment, Spence isn’t answering and I’m starting to get worried.”  Dean’s brow creased as he turned to look at you, “That weasel, maybe he realized how much of a dick you can be sometimes…”  “Hey, I’m the one who has to deal with you being a dick.” you retorted hitting his head playfully as you gave him puppy eyes.  “Okay, okay kid you don’t gotta give me the sad eyes.”  Sam chuckled in the passenger seat looking over at his brother,  “Kid’s got a point about you being a dick though.”  “Hey, hey… I already have demons riding my ass give me a break.”  Exchanging looks with Sam you giggled, “I’ll make pie if you can get me there by 6pm.”  “Oh, it’s on, be ready to pay up with pie.”  Dean said making a show of rolling up his sleeves and pretending to rev his car up.  You woke later to the sound of someone calling your name, “Y/n, y/n wake up.”  Fluttering your eyes, you looked up to be greeted by Dean’s green eyes laced with slight concern.  “Maybe we should seriously stop bringing you on these trips, you have a life here y/n.”  Groaning you shifted in the seat, getting out of the car, “Hey, I’ve been losing sleep even while in my apartment.  My life is with you two no matter how much you guys may be a living pain in my ass.”  Dean’s eyes crinkled softly in the corners as he shut the door, “Yeah, well I’m always going to be a pain in your ass...oh and I’ll be a pain in the ass for that weasel.”  His voice lowered slightly as he muttered, “Punk thinks he can date my little sister.”  “His name is Spencer, you could at least learn his name I’m gonna be with him for a good while.”  You shoved his shoulder softly, “You just can’t get over how he kicked your ass in poker.”  “He did so not kick my ass y/n.”  Rolling your eyes you caught up with Sam to your apartment door, opening it with your keys.  Checking your clock you realized it was just a little past 6, “Guess I owe you that pie huh?” you muttered, hoping Dean wouldn’t remember.  “Damn right you do, now pay up kid.”  Grumbling you made your way to the kitchen and decided that since you were making pie you could at least make some dinner to feed your brothers.  God knows Sam would appreciate some actually cooked food that wasn’t a patty flowing with grease.  You decided to make some chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, and obviously with a side of pie.  Dean was already making his way over to the table laden with food, “Have I told you that I love you?”  He said, grabbing a plate and loading the dish to the point you were surprised it wasn’t overflowing.  “Ugh whatever just get your food you butt and get out the way your blocking me.”  “Hey, I drove.” Dean retorted to which you mocked, “Hey, I cooked and this is my apartment.”  Scoffing he put more food on the plate, “Hey, Sam better get out here before Dean eats everything!” you called out to Sam who was in your guest room doing some more research on whatever he could get his hands on.  “Yeah, Sammy what she said!”  Sam shuffled out the room hurrying to get food, “Did you forget that I was here too?” he asked.  “First come first served Sammy, I can’t help ya.” you said, smirking as you handed him your plate as a gesture of peace.  Sam accepted it, following Dean to sit at your dining table.  As you were eating and possibly on the verge of a food fight a knock resounded at your door.  Dean and Sams’ body language immediately changed to a protective one as they came to stand in front of you, Dean’s hand laying over the gun in his pocket.  “Who is it?” you asked, going over to the door to look out the hole.  Spence stood outside, “Just me y/n.”  he said, his eyes seemed slightly sunken in due to the dark circles.  “Spence.” you mouthed, motioning for your two brothers to calm down.  They sat back down, body language relaxing slightly as they went back to shoveling food.  “Come in, Spence.  My brothers are here.” you warned jokingly as you opened the door.  Spence’s face looked deadly serious as he didn’t even smile at your joke.  “We need to talk about something.” he said, looking straight at you,  “Ummmm okay about what?” you asked.  “Maybe somewhere not in front of your brothers?” he asked quietly, motioning to the audience watching you from the corners of their eyes.  Huffing softly you nodded, grabbing his hand to lead him to the bedroom.  “Don’t even think about trying to spy on us and listen, both of you or I swear to God I’ll give you both a new nose.”  you warned, giving them soft glares to enforce your point before closing the door.  “What’d you wanna talk about Spence?” you questioned heading over to your bed and motioning for him to follow.  He stayed standing, looking at you cautiously, “Is y/n even your real name?  Or what, should I call you Ashley instead?” he asked, sliding one of your fake id cards towards you.  A look of horror spread across your face as you looked up, your tongue suddenly felt as if you had never learned how to form words,  “S-Spence I promise I can explain...well not really it’s something you have to see to understand or you’d think I’m crazy.”  “See what?  That you’re literally a criminal?”  He pulled out a box from his bag, dumping the continents out on the bed, “I mean seriously, you have more weapons than I’ve ever owned.”  The gun and assortment of knives you had displayed on your bed set your stomach to feel as if it was coming up to your throat.  Throat feeling dry you looked up at his eyes, distant and cold, “Did you tell…”  He cut you off before letting you finish your question, “I haven’t told the team yet although I could’ve easily gotten Garcia to do a check on you I didn’t because I wanted to hear it from your mouth first.  The honest truth y/n who are you?”  Your heart raced a thousand miles an hour, the blood rushing to your ears, “Okay, first yes my name is really y/n I never lied to you about that.  I never lied to you about anything besides my job and no I’m not a criminal, I save lives just like you Spence just not in the same way.”  Spence looked down at the floor before meeting your eyes again, “Were your feelings real?  Or was it just another persona?”  Hurt stabbed your heart at his words, “Of course my feelings were real, they always were I never pretended.”  You reached for his hand but instead met air as he pulled away, standing further from you than he ever had.  You suppressed the hurt from your face, “I’m what you’d call a hunter, Spence.  I...well me and my brothers… we hunt monsters, Spence.  Real monsters, not the boogieman or some made-up shit, we hunt real-life ghosts, demons, I mean hell my brother literally went to hell once to save the world.”  looking up to meet his eyes, “I mean...you probably wouldn’t even be standing here if it wasn’t for us…”  A dry laugh escaped your lips, “I mean we’ve literally saved the world multiple times.”  Spencer looked towards you a look of concern lacing his features, “So...you’re delusional?”  You looked up at him, you could almost see the gears in his brain trying to process your words, “I know.  It all sounds like crazy talk, you’d have to have a werewolf trying to rip your throat out to really believe it.”  Spence seemed to have a fight within himself, trying to decide if he should back away or comfort you.  He came over, “Y/n, I know how this is.  You’ve been under a lot of stress, I know people I can help...”  Cutting him off, you held your hand up, “Save the speech Spence, I‘m not crazy, I’m not one of your unsubs so don’t profile me.  If you don’t believe me then just leave, this isn’t something I can convince people about, especially not someone so logical and reasonable as you.”  Spence stood up, “I...I need time to think y/n.”  Spence looked torn as he walked out the door, hearing the front door slam you held your breath, trying not to cry and attract your brothers’ attention.  “Did that little shit just...leave you?”  Dean asked, anger broiling in his features.  Shoulders shaking you formed words with your mouth but nothing came out, “No, Dean look…” Sam said, his gaze shifting to your bed, strewn with weapons and fake ids.  “He knows…?” Sam asked, nodding you inhaled air, feeling as if your lungs were burning from the inside.  Dean’s face reddened clearly ready to chase Spencer down and give him a good beating for hurting his kid sister.  “Don’t” you warned, knowing what was going through his head, “He doesn’t believe me...he thinks I’m delusional.”  His features softened, slightly, moving to sit next to you as Sam took the other side.  “Hey, he doesn’t understand.  Most people won’t unless the evidence is right in front of them and it’s too late.”  Nodding you leaned into his side as he swept your hair from your face, “I know I can’t give him a beating but the least you could do is stop crying over him.”  he mumbled softly.  You laughed softly, “I...I can’t, I think...no I know I loved him Dean.”  Sam leaned over wrapping his arms around you, the scent of his cologne and the scent of forest surrounded you comfortingly.  “I know, y/n.  Maybe he’ll come around but if not you gotta cut off your losses you know?”  He ruffled your hair softly, placing a kiss on the crown of your head.

  The comforting silence, after half an hour, was cut off as your phone rang, “Hello, y/n.” sang a voice that sounded gravelly, “Why don’t you turn that frown upside down, sweetheart.”  The voice sent chills down your spine involuntarily.  “Looking for something?  Perhaps your boy toy, Dr. Spencer Reid?”  Clenching your fist, you felt your nails digging into the flesh of your palm, “Who are you?”  “That’s for you to figure out sweetheart, you’re a…” He whispered the last part, “..hunter, right?  Looks like pretty boy doesn’t even know that he’s dating one of the infamous Winchesters.”  The phone line clicked, leaving you with the words ringing in your head, running the gears in your head, who would know Spence but also know hunters.  Gasping you said, “Spencer’s been kidnapped, by the Bloodsucker...I think.  That’s what the news had been calling him I didn’t think he’d actually be...yknow a bloodsucker.”  Sam’s head jolted up, “The bodies that were showing up with bite marks in their necks with the blood drained?”  “Yeah, Spence told me about the killings, his team was working to catch the guy.”  “Well, let’s go stick one up that bloodsucker.” Dean said, reaching for his jacket as he grabbed the keys to his Impala.  “Spence told me about a place that his team thinks the vamp was using as his hideout.  We should head there first.”  Sam nodded, getting the address from you to give directions to Dean.  Sitting in the backseat, you kneaded your palms together, anxious as to what was happening to Spence.  Once arrived Dean opened the trunk of his car, handing both you and Sam machetes then grabbing his own.  You reached in and grabbed a small handgun, “You never know.” you said, responding to the look that Dean had given you.  “I want you staying with Sam alright?”  “I’m not a kid.  We’ll cover more ground if we each separate.”  you argued back, looking to Sam for backup.  Sam grabbed your shoulder instead, giving you a look that clearly said he agreed with Dean on this one.  Huffing you nodded, knowing that arguing wouldn’t get you anywhere with Dean when it came to your safety.  The building was an old abandoned office, clearly, it had not been used in years you gathered from the molding smell of the building.  Going up a flight of stairs, the only thing you could hear besides your heart hammering were the soft creaks of the old stairs, not used to holding weight in the years it hadn’t been used.  Sam looked into a room, motioning over his shoulder for you to follow.  In the room sat Spencer, tied up to a chair, his wrists so tightly tied that you could see the indents the ropes were making, cutting off circulation.  “Spence.” you whispered, looking around before heading towards the chair as Sam watched your back, “Hey...don’t worry.  I’ve got you.” you murmured over and over, more for yourself than Spence due to his mostly unconscious state.  His eyes fluttered tiredly, lips dry and cracked, as his hand involuntarily tried to move away.  “Stop.  He’s here.” his voice croaked, as you reassured his touch,  “He’s...he’s not human.  I…”  Cutting him off you softly whispered, “I know, Spence.  He’s a vampire, a real bloodsucker and a pain in the ass.”  Cutting the ties, you let him lean most of his weight on you, before hearing a loud crash from the other room.  You struggled between running towards the sound and holding Spence up, “Go...I’ll still be here.” he replied dryly, a soft smile appearing on his lips.  Running to the sound you saw Sam lying on the ground, groaning from impacting the wall.  Footsteps resounded behind you before you heard a loud thud, the sound of a body falling.  The vamp’s head rolled to your feet as you saw Dean holding his blood-soaked machete, “Figured you two would be in some sort of trouble without me.  Where’s your weasel?”  “Shut it, and he’s in the other room.  Grab Sammy will you?”  Dean helped Sam up as they walked behind you, grabbing Spence you headed back to the Impala.  You arrived at your apartment, letting Spencer rest in your bed from the night's activities, “So, you two are heading back on the road now?” you asked looking up at your two brothers.  “Yeah, we’ve got more cases to hunt and with saving the world and all we can’t stay here.”  “Don’t let the whole saving the world thing give you a big head, it’s already as big as it can be, Deanie.”  you retorted, punching his shoulder, “Hey, my head is normally sized.  Some might say it’s very attractive.”  Hugging him, in front of the Impala, “You guys will visit again, right?  Call me sometime whenever you need help, I’m always free for you two.”  Dean nodded, “You too, kid.  Just because you’re grown or whatever doesn’t mean you can’t call us.  Got it?”  Sam smiled softly, eyes creasing gently, “What he said.  We love you y/n.  Take care.” he leaned down and pulled you up into a hug, feet slightly dangling from the ground.  “Okay, okay you big oaf.  You’ll break my spine if you squeeze any harder.”  Sam’s chest vibrated against your shoulders as he sat you back down to the ground, “Seriously, call whenever we’ll come racing.”  Ruffling your hair one last time they got into the car, the engine revving up as they drove away.  Heading back up to the apartment you saw Spence sitting up on the couch, “Hey.” you said softly, rubbing the back of your neck.  “Hey.” he replied, lips quirking up slightly, “So, I guess you weren’t kidding about the monster thing.  You saved my life.”  “I’ll always save your life Spence. It’s okay to be the one who needs saving, especially when it comes to the supernatural, me and my brothers are kind of experts at not dying...well at least not staying dead” you said, smirking slightly, “We’ve literally escaped death several times.”  Spence chuckled slightly his arms opening for a hug, “Guess I wasn’t the only one who saved lives, huh, Agent Todd.” he joked, using one of your fake FBI badge names.  “Oh shut it, Dr. Reid.”  His hand squeezed your shoulder, goosebumps rising in the places his warm breath touched on your neck, “I love you y/n.  Sorry I didn’t…”  You cut him off once again, “I love you too, Spence.”, placing a kiss on his lips, you proceeded to place a kiss on other parts of his face,  “If you’re sorry, why don’t you show me how much you love me.  I did just save your life, Dr. Reid.”  chuckling Spence replied,  “Roger that, Agent Todd.”

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds x y/n #criminal minds blog #supernatural #supernatural x reader #sam winchester #sam winchester x y/n #sam winchester x reader #dean winchester #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x y/n #winchester #winchester brothers #x reader #fluff #criminal minds fluff #supernatural fluff #criminal minds smut #supernatural smut

[ruddcatha]

Guardian Chapter 12

Thank you again to @heavenin–hell for your inspiration, I hope this story does your work justice.

posted on Ao3: Here

Posted on FFN: Here

Guardian has been Nominated for the Feudal Connection  2020 3rd Quarterly Inuyasha Fandom Awards!  Thank you to all the supporters of this story!!  Voting will begin on July 29 and run through August 12, 2020.

Nominated for: Best AU/AR

If you would like to be added to the tags please let me know!

@willowandfog​  @smmahamazing @clearwillow  @sticky-llama-perfection @alannada @shinidamachu @cstormsinukagblog @superpixie42 @nartista @neutronstarchild​ @i-dream-of-soup​ @hnnwnchstr  @fawn-eyed-girl​ @ all-my-cuffs-have-buttons @liz8080

Kagome quickly realized that the first months of training had been nothing but child’s play.  The last few weeks were, quite frankly, kicking her ass, and kicking it hard.  

Kagome was no longer learning pure defensive moves; she was being taught throws and holds and attacks… which usually meant she was the one getting tossed.  She just… could not get it.  She had never been very coordinated, and that was becoming a huge hinderance.  Often, she would practice a move and trip over her own two feet. At least target practice had been going better, she was getting more consistent with a pistol, maybe she didn’t have perfect aim but at least the bullets were usually closer together than when she started.

But it was the training with Miroku that was really draining her.  He was trying to train her to use spiritual energy that three months ago she hadn’t even known she had.  And patience was not something she was entirely known for.  Sesshomaru led the training sessions, demonstrating physical attacks to be practiced and drilled under Inuyasha. He had turned into an extremely strict task master, drilling yokai and humans alike

And then there was Inuyasha. Their first date had been special, magical.  For the past three weeks he would do little things to make her feel special.  He walked her to and from her from classes, often bringing her a Mocha Latte on her longer class days, hold her a little longer than was needed during training, or steal a kiss when he thought no one was looking.  If she had to study for class, he would bring dinner over and sit with her in her room as she studied.  She smiled, one evening she had turned to ask him a question and found him curled up on her bed, dead to the world asleep.  The moment she had touched his shoulder to wake him up his arm had reached out to pull her close to him, his nose buried in her hair as he fell back into sleep.  It was the first and so far, only night she had spent in his arms.

He was slowly driving her insane. He made her feel like she was the most precious object in the world to him yet backed away when things got too heated. He was content to hold her in his arms, to kiss her, but would go no further.  A part of her appreciated the respect that it showed, the reverence, but at the same time…

Her boyfriend was fucking hot. And watching him on the training mat, demonstrating a hold, a throw, how to hold a sword… she wasn’t the only one who appreciated his form as she had seen more than a few admiring glances from some of the women… and a few of the men, who were with them for training. She had found out that this was one of seven training areas across Japan, and each facility could train up to 100 at a time.  

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had taken over leading the trainings as if they had been born for it, and in a way, she guessed they had been.  They had certainly changed the focus of the trainings from what she had overheard others say, but it only made sense.  Inuyasha, Toga and Sesshomaru were the ones most familiar with Ryukotsusei and his tactics, Koga had only gone against him a few times in the past.

Kagome was quickly learning the downside of having your boyfriend as one of your trainers.  She couldn’t keep up with him.  One moment his eyes were so heated on her that she felt her bones would melt, and the next he would snap out an order or a correction for the umpteenth time, and she would hear the obvious frustration in his voice.  When a training session ended, and they were walking back to her apartment building he held her to him as if he wanted to protect her forever.  In training though, when it didn’t go well, she couldn’t help but feel he was disappointed in her.

He never said anything, but she heard it in his tone, see the flash in his eyes that he would quickly ide.

That had been happening a lot in all her training sessions.  She watched Kikyo excel in creating barriers and manifesting her spiritual powers into her hands, while Kagome could maybe, just maybe, get her skin to glow.  Kikyo kept telling her she should not feel bad, Kikyo had been training ever since her spiritual powers had manifested and had been practicing for thirteen years, while Kagome’s had only appeared three months ago. Kagome heard the logic of that, but emotionally could not help feeling that she was disappointing her cousin and Miroku, who spent hours every week walking her through meditation and channeling just to watch her crumble.  

Inuyasha watched Kagome going through the drills for the day’s session, they were working on how to roll the body out of a toss to reduce physical injuries.  He had paired Kagome with Jaken, he knew they would both need to train with more advanced partners, but they needed to wait until they had mastered the moves.  He winced and had to force himself to stay still and not run to Kagome every time she landed wrong, even though every muscle in his body was fighting to scoop her up and run from the room.  

Kagome moved to toss Jaken, but her hand placement was wrong, instead of grabbing his arm and using her shoulder to force his momentum forward, she placed both hands on his chest, stopping his movement.  Before she could try and correct it Jaken had used her own inertia against her and she went flying, landing flat on her back with a loud “oof.”

“ENOUGH.” He roared.  He couldn’t watch any more.  He didn’t want to indirectly be the cause of her pain and bruising, but he knew it was necessary.

He had been speaking with Sesshomaru and Toga, they had no clue when the actual fighting would begin, and that concerned him.  But the thought that Kagome wouldn’t be ready, that she could be vulnerable? That fucking terrified him.  He wasn’t sure when she had become so important to him, he had gone from wanting to spend time around her and get to know her to wanting to hold her in his arms and protect her from any possible danger, but he knew that he couldn’t.  

The thought of her being hurt was bad enough, but the thought of her fucking dying?  Of not being able to see her, smell her, hold her in his arms ever again? Kami, he had woken up in a cold sweat several nights at the thought. He closed his eyes, holding back a groan.  He had seen the flash of hurt in her eyes when he had snapped before, but he could not coddle her, as much as he wanted to.

Toga stood at the edge of the training room next to Totosai and just watched his youngest son with a look of concern.  Something was troubling him, and Toga had started to see signs of instability in his son’s yokai.  That needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.  He knew what was causing it, he had been the same when he met Izayoi.

Kagome was a puzzle to him. He had caught flashes of power from her, and if she had been able to break their seals she had to be very powerful, but it was untrained, and she did not know how to call it out.  The brief flashes he had felt seemed… familiar… to him, he had felt that power for almost a thousand years, and if it was what he thought… no, he wouldn’t consider that without more than just an inkling of an idea.

Sesshomaru walked away from the floor to join Toga and Totosai.

“What do you think?” Toga asked.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at his father. “I think if we had more yokai to train, it would be much better.”

Toga saw Inuyasha finally move towards Kagome, reaching out a hand to help her up from the floor. Inuyasha tugged a little longer than he knew he needed to, just enough to throw Kagome off balance towards him, and his arms quickly closed around her, holding her tightly to him.  Kagome stiffened for a moment before wrapping her hands around his waist with a sigh, nuzzling her cheek against his chest.  

Toga watched the exchange, a haunted expression in his eyes.

“Kagome.” Inuyasha’s voice had deepened as he held her, sending shivers down her spine.  “I … I have something I need to show you something tonight.”

“Tonight?”  He nodded slightly.

“It... it has to be tonight Kagome, just… just come meet me here just before sundown.”

Kagome was surprised, he seemed almost nervous.  When she nodded, she watched his face visibly relax.  She reached up to touch his cheek, a soft smile forming when he nuzzled her hand before placing a kiss into her palm.  

She felt the tension that had formed around her heart ease a little.  

“How about I cook dinner for us?” She asked.  “You’ve been bringing dinner to me, how about I make you one of my favorite dishes?” He had left his glamor ring off that morning, and she giggled as his ears perked straight up and started twitching with excitement.  Her hand left his cheek to slide up and stroke the soft fur of his ear. He twitched it away from her hand as he pulled her closer.

“Not here woman.” He growled against her hair.  

And just like that, all was right in her world.  At least for a moment.

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

Later that day Kagome stepped out of the elevator to Inuyasha’s level to find him pacing anxiously.  As soon as he saw her, he darted forward to take the bags she carried from her and grabbed her hand.  

“Inu?” His behavior was confusing her.  

“Keh.” Was the only response as he pulled her away from the elevator and towards the kitchen area, he seemed anxious to get away from an open area and towards the living quarters.  She could feel the tension growing around him as they moved, even in trainings she had never seen him quite so agitated.

“Inuyasha stop.” She pulled back on her hand, forcing him to turn and look at her.  “What is going on?”

He sighed.  “I wan… gah… well, you are about to see anyway but I wanted to… keh.”  

He let go of her hand and pulled away, standing in front of her.  He looked at the clock on the wall then looked her square in the eye.  

“I don’t understand Inuyasha, what is…oh… oh my…”  As she watched Inuyasha’s hair began to darken, first to gray then deepening into black.  His eyes began to swirl, a blend of gold and deep purple and his puppy ears seemed to shrink as human ears appeared.  His eyes never left hers as he stood before her completely human, a look of worry in his now purple eyes.

Kagome stepped closer to him, her hand reaching out to trace the lobe of one ear. Inuyasha stilled, as if waiting for … something.  She ran her hand through his raven locks before standing on her toes to press a soft kiss to the underside of his chin.  With a release of his breath he grabbed her against him with arm not carrying a bag, holding her to him in a crushing grip.  She pulled back slightly and pushed back his banges.  

“Want to tell me about this while I make dinner?”  He let out a choked laugh before releasing his hold on her waist to capture her hand in his and lead her to the kitchen.  He watched as she rinsed vegetables and set them on the counter.  He watched as she chopped ginger and garlic before adding them to a pot on the stove.  As she stirred the mixture, she gave him a pointed look, smiling as he dodged her gaze.

“Sooooo.   Is this what you wanted to show me?” She teased.  

“Keh.” His soft grunt was answer enough.    He watched her pour a mixture of chicken broth, mirin, and soy sauce into the pot before she lowered the temperature.  

“How about you chop these for me and tell me about it?”  She handed him a bunch of scallions, showing him how she wanted him to chop them before handing him the knife and pushing the cutting board towards him.  As he chopped, she took out another pan and began to cook pieces of chicken.

“Well, I’m a half yokai, half human.  So, one night a month, on the night of the new moon like tonight, I lose all my yokai and turn into a human.”

“Why is that?” She asked as she flipped the chicken over.  Even with his dulled senses the combination of the cooking broth and chicken smelled amazing.  He walked up behind her at the stove and wrapped his arms around her waist as he rested his chin on her shoulder and watched her movements.

“You would have to ask dad on that, I’m not quite sure.  I am pretty sure it was a shock to him and mom the first time it happened, I don’t really like my human night now, I can’t even imagine how bad it must have been when I was a baby.”  

He reluctantly loosened his hold when Kagome pushed back with a shoulder before taking the skillet of the chicken off the stove to it to the oven that she had pre-heated before adding a container of dried mushrooms and added it to the broth.

When she stopped adding spices to the broth, he gently pulled her into his embrace again, holding her against his chest, her head tucked under his chin.  He told her stories of his human nights growing up, playing hide and seek with his mother and the other children when there were no features to distinguish him. One hand absentmindedly caressed her back as he told her about the first time he had disobeyed his parents and snuck out of the village on the night of a new moon, his terror when he realized he couldn’t fight back against a yokai that had stalked him.  His hold on her tightened as he told her how Toga and Sesshomaru had found him backed against a rock formation, a snake yokai about to strike and how his father had physically shielded him with his body as Sesshomaru had removed the head of the snake mid strike.  

Inuyasha was pulled out of his thoughts by Kagome’s thumb stroking his cheek.

“You are ok Yash.” She whispered. “You are safe.”

He looked down at her, his eyes intense.

“But you aren’t.”  His voice trembled as he said it.

Inuyasha abruptly loosened his embrace and stepped away from her, his hands running though his hair before he turned and stalked away and towards the fridge.  Kagome watched as he pulled out a bottle of water and drank half of it, never turning back around.  A sizzling sound behind her pulled her attention to the stove, and she quickly added blocks of dried noodles to the broth and pulled the chicken out of the oven to cool.

“Yash.” She said softly, waiting for him to turn to her before she continued. “Do you want to help me get the food together?”  

Inuyasha let out a shuddering breath before he nodded and moved to join her.  Soon they were seated next to each other at the counter with steaming bowls of homemade ramen.  The scent of the dish was amazing, even to his human senses, and he could only imagine how much better it would be on any other night.  He tentatively took the first bite but knew that no matter what it would be amazing because Kagome had made it for him.

The first bite made his mouth sing.

“This is quite possibly the best thing I have ever tasted in my life!” Kagome’s cheeks flushed with pleasure at his words and she nudged him with her leg softly.  

Inuyasha felt like he was in food heaven.  The flavor of the chicken had seeped into the noodles with a salty broth that made him want to lick the bowl clean.  Kagome giggled at his obvious enjoyment of the dish.  She brought him a second helping and watched with a smile as he devoured that as well.

When he realized his bowl was empty a second time he looked to the stove and realized that there was no more available, he released a slight whimper.  Kagome leaned over to nuzzle his shoulder and slid the rest of her bowl to him.

“Here, have the rest of mine.”

Inuyasha reached out to place his hand over hers, but she continued to offer him the bowl.  Her eyes turned puzzled as he grabbed a piece of chicken out of the bowl and held it out to her.  

“Keh, did you think I hadn’t noticed that you didn’t eat much today Kagome?” He gave her a soft smile as she opened her mouth and accepted the food.  He seemed to get as much enjoyment out of feeding her the ramen as he had eating it, and who was she to tell him no.  She knew he was right; she hadn’t been eating much lately, but she hadn’t realized he had noticed.

Inuyasha helped her clean the kitchen and place the dishes in the dishwasher after they had finished.  Well, helped wasn’t exactly accurate as he was more distracting than helpful Kagome found.  He seemed to find every reason to touch her hand, to kiss her head, to nuzzle her cheek.  She didn’t mind, not in the slightest, but it made it harder to focus on cleaning when all she wanted to do was kiss him.   It was strange, he looked so different, but his actions were purely her Inuyasha.  It was one more layer to the hanyou she was quickly beginning to…

She shook her head; it was way too early to think that.  ‘Wasn’t it?’

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

Kagome looked at the limited selection of movies in the living room, noting that clearly Miroku had been lacking in providing decent entertainment options.   They were usually at her and Sango’s apartment, so she hadn’t realized just how few options they had.  She finally settled on Robin Hood Men in Tights, one of her favorite comedy films.  When she went to sit on the couch Inuyasha promptly snuck his arms around her and cuddled her close.  

“Inuyasha?” Kagome asked softly halfway through the movie.  “Why did you want to meet here instead of at my apartment tonight?”

He leaned his cheek against her head and thought for a minute before answering.

“I’m vulnerable on these nights.  After the snake yokai I never left our house on my human night.  So now it’s… I guess you would call it a safety measure.  I don’t heal on these nights until the sun comes back up, so I stay home and don’t let myself sleep until the sun comes back up.”

He leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips.

“Other than dad and Sesshomaru, you are the only other to know about this.”

Her eyes went wide at the confession before filling with tears.

“Then… wh… why tell me?”

A single finger titled her face upwards towards his.

“You know why.” He said softly before he touched his lips to hers.  He drew back and amethyst eyes met chocolate.

“Y..Yash.” she whispered as she raised her hand to his hair.  She gently took a lock and pulled him back down towards her. His lips brushed hers softly once, twice.  As he moved to place a third soft kiss, she captured his lower lip with her teeth and tugged it playfully.  She giggled as she saw him raise an eyebrow in exacerbation as she waited for the smirk she knew was coming.  She crinkled her nose at him before burrowing her face against his neck.  His arms pulled her close as he lay back on the couch, Kagome tucked onto his chest above him.      

“I... Wou…” She began, unsure how to ask. “Would you want me to keep you company tonight?”

He kissed her forehead as she looked up at him.

“I was hoping you would.”

Inuyasha held her close for the remainder of the night, as he told her stories of his childhood, pranks he had played on Sesshomaru, and how he felt when his mother passed.   One of his hands stroked her hair as she snuggled against him, a loving smile teasing his lips as he watched her struggle to keep her eyes open.  A quick glance at the clock told him there were still a few hours until dawn, she had surprised him, he had been positive she would have fallen asleep before then given how hard she had been training that day.

Kagome felt the comforting feeling of his hand on her hair luring her into sleep, she tried to fight it, but it was a losing battle.  His arms felt like home, the sound of his voice, slightly softer than she was used to hearing, soothed her.  

“It’s ok to sleep baby.” He whispered to her.

“Nnnn… I wanta stay up with you.” She murmured back. She could feel his chuckle before she heard it, and she shifted her head so she could hear his heartbeat.

“I get to hold you Kagome, that’s enough.”

She felt him place a series of kisses on her forehead as she drifted off.  In the moment before she slid into slumber, she thought she heard a softly spoken vow.

“I promise I will protect you with my life.”

The smile on her lips faded as the world around her slipped away.

#inuyasha fanfiction #inuyasha #kagome #inukag #inukag fanfic #Guardian AU #inspired by Heavinin--hell #Ruddcatha #fcq32020 #fc nominations #feudalconnection

[foodcourtdetective]

thinking too hard

summary: barry berkman has been trying to forget about his soulmate for both of their sakes, but Y/N is making it very hard and using their soulmate connection to draw all over him.

tags: angsty, soulmate au, love at first sight, very brief Barry x Sally, definitely a happy ending!

A/N: I’m just really into soulmate!au’s and Barry Berkman okay?!?! (and // means time passes)

word count 2.4k

AO3 x

He hated Los Angeles. Barry’s long sleeve shirt stuck to him in the desert heat, sweat pooling in his armpits and on his back. NoHank asked him about his outfit choice, offering him a short-sleeved shirt or a tank top.

“You want to take one of their shirts? They won’t mind, they’re confident in their bodies!” NoHank said, gesturing over to the Chechen recruits. Barry shook his head, clearing his throat in discomfort. After a moment, NoHank made a movement to push up Barry’s sleeves for him, but Barry was too quick and grabbed NoHank’s pinky, bending it all the way back.

“Shit shit, okay okay! Someone has body issues! We will talk about accepting your body some other time then.” Barry ignored him, staring coldly ahead as the young Chechen recruit finally hit a beer can with his bullet.

//

When he finally got back to his apartment, Barry made a beeline for the bathroom, nodding briefly at Jermaine and Nick on his way. After peeling off his shirt and grabbing the sink, Barry took a look at his body or rather what was on it. Today, his soulmate had kept it simple: a heart on his wrist, a note to pick up two lattes at 9, and a flower chain that started at his trigger finger and trailed all the way up his forearm. He sighed, holding back a soft smile as her traced up the stem of flowers with his other pointer fingers. As he ended the journey at his inner forearm, Barry stopped to see a less traditional note: written on his upper chest right over his heart, in simple cursive, it read please talk to me, Barry. A deep sigh filled the tiny bathroom and he gently caressed their handwriting.  The familiar movement triggered a whirl of memories.

Writing excitedly on his leg the moment he turned sixteen to introduce himself to his soulmate only to get no response. Giving up on love and joining the Marines shortly after. Noticing the shy hello scribbled on his hand seven years later when he was already too far gone. Writing to them any chance he got once he find out the silence was because they had not been old enough yet. Learning her name was Y/N and that she lived in California. Having to break off communication once Fuches put him to work. The sharp lines she had drawn as she had asked if he could feel the sharp indent of her pen, told him that ignoring them for their own good was ridiculous. The obscene images Y/N had drawn all over him the first couple of years, trying to get an angry message from him, any message.

His heart sank, but Barry knew as much as it hurt both of them, it was better for them to move on, to pretend to not have a soulmate. God knows Barry would rather hide her away, hide his shot at happiness, than have her be tortured or worse by any of his enemies or allies. He groaned, his knuckles turning whiter than the sink.

//

His acting class didn’t know what to make of him at first; his long, dark clothing sharply contrasted their tight shorts and tank tops, skin flaunting their connections. But despite himself, Barry grew close to Sally, a girl who had never seen any marks on her body. After hearing that Barry also had a blank canvas, she pounced on him with a marker she had seemingly pulled out of nowhere, drawing a star on his knuckles. However, despite her persistence, no matching star appeared on her own. Sally declared them star-crossed soulmates and asked him on a date.

After a late night of drinks, Barry found himself making out with Sally on her couch. She went to pull off his shirt and for the first time in his life, he mindlessly complied, distracted by the intimacy. Sally suddenly shot up from the couch, crying out as she pointed to the drawings adorning his chest. Y/N had seen the star Sally had drawn and, hopeful that it was a message to her, drew out an intricate night sky. Hidden among the stars, scrawled out in cursive, she wrote I’m here when you’re ready, Barry. -Y/N.

“How dare you! You lied just to get into my pants?!” Sally tripped over herself to pick up his discarded shirt, balling it up to chuck at him. Barry pulled it on, dazed all the way home until he saw the message glint in the mirror as he was getting undressed. Barry slammed his fist into the wall, shouting out in frustration. Ass his phone rang, the caller ID revealing it was Fuches, Barry scrambled to put his shirt back on, scribbling a message to Y/N on the fleshy part of his bicep. I’m a hitman. Don’t message me unless you want to die.

//

After the assignment, Barry found himself staring at his chest and reading her pleas to talk further. That’s not funny. Barry. Barry! Oh my god, you’re serious. That explains a few things. You gotta talk to me, your soulmate? I need to know why. Barry sighed, wandering over to his bedroom to get a pen from his desk. He sat on the bed, anxiously fiddling with the pen in between his fingers before writing on his trigger finger: you still want to talk to me? He waits, watching the loopy letters sweep down his arm like a signature under the floral art she continued to draw every day.

Yes, I have a death wish. He laughed at the absurdity of their conversation before responding.

Why are all artists suicidal?

See, I’d rather have this with you than live without it. Her words made him freeze in his tracks, his fingers gently stroking over the confession as they faded away, scrubbed off by the writer. She filled the now empty space with a series of numbers; Barry furrowed his brow, trying to decode the secret message. After a moment Y/N wrote again underneath them.

Running out of space! Text me! He hesitated, his heart in his throat as he debated if the convenience was worth sacrificing her safety. Finally, with shaking hands, he dialed the number and hit call. A soft hello followed the ringing, the voice so angelic that he knew he would do whatever she asked him to do.

“I said text, not call! You do know how to read, right?”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s nice to hear your voice!”

“What? No, I mean I’m sorry for…” Barry trailed off, his mind swarmed by memories of pushing her away and feeling her anguish through the pointy pen tip.

“You wanted to protect me. I get it. Now we’re even from when I couldn’t write to you.”

“That wasn’t intentional.”

“It would have been! I was a pretty rebellious eleven year old.” He laughed, the silence after he finishes awkward until he breaks it.

“I’m in LA.”

“For work?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

Barry doodles a flower on his thumb. It’s not as pretty as any of hers, but she draws a faint heart around it. He brushes the heart, his own beating so loudly it was in his ears.

“I’m scared.”

“Me too.”

“Because of who I am? What I do?” His throat was thick from holding back the dam of emotion, but his voice managed to crack in desperation.

“I’m scared you’re going to leave me again.” Barry paused at that, his own heart breaking a little at the thought of all of the pain he must have caused Y/N by abandoning her. He’s now drawing a bouquet on his forearm, a sloppier version of her own.

“You don’t have to be afraid of that. Once I see you for the first time, I’m probably never going to leave you alone ever again… Not in a creepy way…”

“I would love that.”

“I’m giving you an out right now. You can hang up, stay in the safety of your life as a… what do you do again?”

“Graphic design!”

“I knew you were an artist!”

“And I knew you were a comedian!”

“Weird way of pronouncing what I actually do…” She giggled at that, falling quiet after a hearty laugh.

“Look at your leg. I’ll see you there at 9. Don’t be late!” As she hung up, Barry pressed his phone to his lips in shock. Remembering her words, he pulled his pants down to read the directions she had jotted onto his thigh, the dots in the I’s drawn as hearts instead of dots; he almost died of pure joy right then and there.

//

In hindsight, it was good that Y/N had suggested a coffee shop to meet because Barry had not gotten a wink of sleep the entire night. He had stared at the ceiling, flat on his back and still fondly stroking her writing on his leg. As his pointer finger traced the hearts, he felt his own thud loudly in his chest. It was easier to protect her when she was just lines on his person, just another part of him that he hated, another vulnerability. But hearing Y/N’s voice, imagining what she might look like, had ignited a wanting within him, a need to be with her, his other half. She was no longer just a part of him; she was a separate entity that he wanted to get to know and love.

He had gotten to the shop as soon as it opened at 4, wanting to figure out where the best table inside would be and staking it out for them. The barista had made him order a drink at 5:30; panicked and feeling about a thousand years old, Barry ordered “something to bring me back to life.” At 6 he was shuttering, borderline convulsing from the quad espresso that he consumed quickly. His anxiety was through the room, but all he could do was dig his fingernails into his palm which was resting on his jeans over her handwriting. What if she wasn’t as okay with the age difference as she thought she was? What if it hits her that her soulmate is a hitman? What if the drawings stop appearing. What if—

Barry jolted awake in his seat, now realizing that he had crashed from the overdose of caffeine. The barista (Stacie, he later learned) made a joke about having to restart his heart. He checked his phone: 8:30am. Suddenly, a thought dawned on him and he ordered another drink. By the time Stacie brought it over and started walking back to the counter, the bell above the door tingled. Barry immediately stood up like Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, turning to look at the customer. She sensed his stare immediately, turning to look him over as a dreamy blush painted her cheeks.

“Barry?” She whispered, his name less of a question and more of a disbelief. He swallowed, his throat dry as he looked over Y/N, his soulmate. She was absolutely picturesque, an almost pure aura of light around her as the door slowly shut behind her. As she drew near, Barry was almost too aware of how he towered over, a menacing presence.

“I gotcha a latt-“ Barry didn’t even get to finish his stuttering as Y/N grabbed his collar and pulled him down into a kiss. His mouth was already half open and he stumbled forward from the force of her tug. It wasn’t the most coordinated kiss in the world, her mouth mostly on his bottom lip and her teeth lightly bumped his by accident; but it was theirs. Barry felt his body fill with a warmth, like his whole being was sighing with relief at being united with his soulmate as he kissed her back. He had thought that the doodles and the sound of her voice would do him in, but this… this would knock his entire life’s path off track. After a moment, Barry gently placed his hands on her cheeks and pulled away, just looking down at her in awe.

“How did you know my coffee order?” Y/N asked, her grin stretched out wider than Barry previously thought possible. He babbled for a few seconds, removing his hands to gesticulate as he just expressed a bunch of word fillers before finally managing to get something out.

“Y-you, you wrote it on your hand as a-a part of your to-to-to do list,” he explained, trying to stick his erratic hands in his pockets but Y/N swung her hand forward to snatch his hand. She squealed, making a joke about how sweaty his hand was and Barry thought he would die of a heart attack right then and there. She pulled him down again, this time so they could sit at the table together and she could take a sip of her latte. Barry simply stared at her, his brain slightly short circuiting with delight. Eventually, rational thought caught up with him and Barry tried to remove his hand from hers, but she had a firm grip and a look in her eye that told him she already knew what he was going to say.

“You’re not worried about…”

“I thought we already went over this, Barry. I’m in! I’m all in,” she declared sweetly, leaning over to capture his lips once again. He was consumed by it, by her, his head swirling with a dizziness of emotion and his lungs burning with a heartache of regrets. They could have had this so much sooner, if he had left the army, if he hadn’t made that deal with Fuches, if he hadn’t been an idiot about wanting to protect her. The deep and mind numbing kiss ended as Y/N broke it to breathe heavy. Barry looked at her through lidded eyes, revering her with every fiber of his being.

“You are good at that! It’s a good thing too because it looks like I’m gonna have to kiss you every five minutes to get you out of that type of thinking,” she giggled, moving to lean back in her chair but Barry slung an arm around her waist, pulling her back into him with a soft smile.

“Better make it every two minutes because I’m thinking again,” he joked, his heart glowing as the love of his life obliged his request and kissed him senseless.

#barry berkman x reader #barry #barry hbo #barry block x reader #soulmate au #soulmate!au #barry berkman imagine #barry block imagine #barry berkman #barry block #bill hader #hbo #bill hader x reader #my words #barry x sally

[what-the--curtains]

Braving the elements

(Bucky x OC and/or Bucky x reader)

Summary:

A mutant with elemental control flees her life of crime after an altercation with her boss. In hopes of bringing him down she seeks out her old friend Wanda and offers to help the Avengers. Whilst there a certain avengers catches her eye and she catches his. As a more sinister plot begins to reveal itself, you realize that your former employer is the least of your worries and that something wicked was being planned for you since the day you were born.

Warnings; Violence, Swearing, Theft

Author's note: First piece of non-academic writing I’ve done in a while so feedback is always appreciated, but be kind! I may change this to be a reader insert, but I just don’t like how (Y/n) looks in the writing. If y’all want it changed though let me know! Bucky makes his appearance in Chapter 4 so it’s a slow burn romance, but there’s gonna be fluff, angst and smut involved! Steve/Nat and Wanda/Vision are in it later as well, but I wanted to establish the main character a bit first as she’s the only one who's made up

Word Count: 2.0K

Act 1: Chapter 1: The Robbery

Songs inspiring this chapter

Ain’t no rest for the wicked – Cage the Elephant (Bank robbery)

Boss Bitch - Doja Cat (Fight with the avengers)

Monday 10 AM, N.Y.C

“This is it?” you ask, pulling your sunglasses down slightly in order to get a better view of the building standing before you.

“That’s the one.” Your getaway driver Calvin says into your ear piece, he’s a block away in the back of a white van waiting for the go ahead from the boss.

You squint as the sun hits your eyes, letting out a low whistle “Pretty fancy for a bank, you gonna tell me what I’m getting out of here?” you muse.

“That’s on a need to know basis sweetheart.” He responds flatly.

“Well sweetheart, hate to break it to ya, but I need to know!” you pause for a moment to see if you’ve managed to make him laugh “Seriously Calvin this is some of my best stuff!”

“God do you ever shut up, cameras and emergency buttons are down, you just have the guards to worry about now so get on with the job. Once you’re out make sure your face is covered. Do you have your mask with you? ”

“”You know as the person doing most of the brute work I think I deserve a little respect” you retort “Do I have my mask? Do you have your mask Calvin? God your infuriating!” you mutter, pulling out your “mandatory” earpiece and throwing it into a nearby gutter, before taking a quick glance in your purse just in case you had forgot.

Seeing the mask in its place, you pull your leather jacket over a white t-shirt and tighten your belt ensuring your shorts stay in place. Alright let’s do this you think with confidence before immediately tripping over your shoe laces and falling to the ground.

“God how embarrassing” you say slightly louder than you meant too. Pushing yourself onto one knee you tie your laces up and hop back on your feet “Alright let’s try this again.”

You walk through the sliding doors into the marbled interior of the bank, smiling as you pass by two security guards. One with a long mustache and another with a poorly done tattoo of a tiger on his bicep. You make note of the other two guards who were currently leaning up against the roman-esque columns lining the perimeter of the building. One was wearing sunglasses and the other was casually twirling a baton around.

“Hey, only four of you guys defending this whole building?” You inquire

“Ya sweetheart just the four of us, but don’t you worry we’ll keep ya safe” Tattoo replied with a smile and a slightly unnerving arm touch.

“Well thank goodness for that and god bless America!” you say sweetly grinning from ear to ear. Turning on your heel you head towards the counter ringing the bell twice before a woman in her mid-twenties appears from the back room and walks over to the counter. She’s wearing a name tag that reads Sandy.

“Hi there Sandy, how are you today?”

“I'm doing just fine thanks for asking and what can I do for you today?” She replied with a smile.

“I’m here to retrieve my belongings. Vault 176 here’s the key.” you say sliding it under the protective glass. Sandy smiles politely and walks into the backroom for a few minutes before emerging with a small box.

“Alright, I’m just going to need see some ID then your good to go ma’am”

“Well you see Sandy, I left it at home and my husband’s gonna kill me if I don’t get this back to him tonight could you do a gal a favour and just look the other way?” you plead

“I’m really sorry ma’am, but I just can’t do that.” Sandy replies sympathetically.

“Well I understand,” you say “Oh and Sandy, I’m sorry about this really I am”

“Sorry for what exactly ma’am?” she asks with a worried tone

“For this' ' you jump onto the counter and pull out a gun “Hi, yea, hello, people of the bank can I have your attention please? I just wanted to inform you all that I’m gonna be robbing this branch, but this does not mean it has to be a traumatic or unpleasant experience. I just need that box there and I don’t want anyone to get hurt, really I don’t. So if you could pretty please hand it over to me and any spare cash you have lying around this joint.”

Unfortunately, Tattoo, Mustache, Sunglasses, and Twirly were now approaching you with guns raised.

“Ma’am drop your weapon and put your hands where I can see them” demands Mustache

“C’mon sweetheart we both know you don’t know how to handle that thing.” Sunglasses says patronizingly

“Fine you got me glasses.” you pout “My little lady brain doesn’t know how to use a gun!” you exclaim before quickly throwing the gun at him, hitting him right in the head and knocking him out “ You’re supposed to throw the gun right?”

Mustache rushes towards you at full speed. Before he can reach you, you jump off the counter connecting the soles of your feet to his face knocking him down onto the floor unconscious. You land painfully on your hip feeling a bruise forming almost instantly.

The last two guards begin their approach. From the ground you kick Twirlys feet out from under him and jump to fight the baton out of his hand. Punching him in the throat you stand up and turn to knock tattoo, your least favorite of the four, right in the stomach with the baton. He doubles over in pain. Twirly tries to stand up, but you bring the top of your foot down on his neck causing him to drop, this time staying down. Bringing the same leg forward you knee tattoo in the nuts and feign a pained look as he topples over. Bending over you pick up the three guns now lying on the floor

“You know, you should really learn how to use these properly. Wouldn’t want you hurting anyone, especially yourselves.” You scold. The few people in the bank remained still and decided it was probably best to comply with you. You turn back to the counter now sweating, and Sandy hands you the box from the vault and a bag full of cash which she had filled during the beatdown.

“Thanks Sandy you’re a peach!”

Sandy looks at you pleadingly “Oh come on, we both know you ain’t gonna get fired because some lady came in and threatened you. If anything you should sue them, unsafe workplace and all” you offer sincerely with a shrug of your shoulders.

You gingerly step over the four guards lying on the floor and slip on your mask before exiting the bank.

Monday 10:25 AM Avengers Tower

A field agent runs into Tony’s office where he and Steve were working “Sir one of the downtown branches has been broken into!” he wheezes.

“And?” says Tony

“And you’re going to want to see this” He pulls up a video taken by one of the bystanders in the bank. The video depicts the scene of you beating up the four guards.

“You know who that is?” Steve asks Tony

“Never seen her before in my life, which is surprising considering how well she fights. Let’s get in for questioning. I'm a bit busy here so Steve if you wouldn’t mind.” He says turning back to his work.

“Peter, Wanda suit up, we’ve got a robbery to stop” Steve orders.

10:35 AM Downtown N.Y.C

God this mask is hot you think struggling to get the eyes hole in place as you approach the white van concealing Calvin’s whereabouts. Knocking three times he open the door and you

throw the small box from the vault up to him.

‘’What have I told you about taking out your ear piece?” he fumed “And what the hell is in that bag?” he shouts pointing to the large bag of cash you had grabbed.

“Money.” you say with a shrug of your shoulders.

“Last time I checked boss said no extra risks, he ain’t gonna be happy about this.”

“Well last time I checked he likes money” you respond causing Calvin to become even more agitated. As you turn to grab the money you see a ball of red light come hurling at you. You duck just in time.

“Shit, how the hell did the goddamn Avengers get here so fast?” Calvin shouts, you grab the money and throw it into the back of the van he extends his hand and you’re about to grab it when BAM something hits you in the back knocking you forward.

“Alright who the fuck threw a whole ass shield at me!” You yell more irritated that angry

“We gotta go c’mon Eve” Calvin pleads “Boss really ain’t gonna like this!”

“Screw that, this just got personal! Go, i’ll catch up” you promise turning and running towards the shield throwing culprit a.k.a Captain American. You kick him right in the gut having caught him slightly off-guard he doubles over. You remove your belt and wrap it around his neck pulling as hard as you can.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a superhero or something?“ you begin to ask, but before you can fish the sentence something slaps you in the back of the head pulling off your mask. You're thrown off the captains back.

“Shit!” you mumble before turning to see one of spidey kids webs still holding your mask.

You hear her before you see her “Chris?” you turn to see someone you hadn’t seen in years

“Wanda?” you blink a few times no it can’t be. Just then a truck skids up behind you and firm hands hoists you up

“We gotta go now!” Calvin says angrily, shooting suppressing fire out towards the three avengers.

“Chris!” Wanda yells again before throwing energy towards the truck. You pull the air around it and throw the energy back her way.

With Spiderkid and the captain still on your tail you decide to pull out a few of your old tricks. You pull the branch from a tree up and wrap it around the kids arm trapping him in the tree

“Um Mr. Rogers I’m down and out” he sighs.

“Two down one to go.” you focus on the captain who's now running through the street after you at superhuman speed. Lucky for you it had rained the day before on the street was full of puddles. Crouching down you turn the puddles to ice causing the captain to wipe out. Hard. Closing the doors of the van as It turns the corner you make your way back to your headquarters.

“They made me. Spider kid took my mask.” you whisper hoping Calvin doesn’t hear you

“He ain’t gonna be happy” he chastised.

“God you don’t think I already know that! At least we got the goods. He’s gonna be real happy about that!”

#bucky x oc #bucky x you #bucky x reader #buck barnes #avengers fanfiction #x men fanfiction #origin story #I SWEAR ITS A BUCKY FIC I JUST GOTTA SET UP MY CHARACTER

[jj-lynn21]

Cozy Cove: Dangerous Waters

Warnings: danger, angst, an insane amount of blood

@sunshineandskarsgards @loomiz @super-pink-palouza @nerdicesbro @anastasiaskarsgard @grandpa-sweaters @loomiz @bskarsgardlove92

Previous in Cozy Cove: Saved by an Angel ,   A side of tits with your pancakes,   Fires Burn Hot , Spending the Nights, Learning and Loving,   The end id not always the end,  Axel Grease ,  Big Decisions, Sex and Jet Skis, Late night fun , Old Wounds , Storms pass  Dangerous Waters, Nursing the patient , Making it Work

The strong wind and rain pounding against the house scaring Susie. She ended up in Eric’s bed on the other side of Tami. Eric’s arms wrapped around both women during the stormy night. Even with the comfort Susie barely slept.

Axel was not having an easy time sleeping either. He tossed and turned listening for the storm to subside. He never felt much guilt for anything he had ever done. But he felt horrible for leaving Susie in front of the garage to walk back to his place.  

Was he really, angry over her not getting on his motorcycle because she feared he was incapacitated? He knows his limits and she should trust that. But maybe he overreacted. Maybe talking about his Mother sent him into a spiral he didn’t realize he was going down.  

Whatever the reason, it was moot now. All he wanted to do was be with Susie. It was 3a.m. when he decided he had, had enough of tossing, turning and nightmares about her never wanting to come back to Cozy Cove.  He jumped up and went to make coffee. Very strong coffee. 

When he barely heard the rain, he decided to venture to his brother’s in his wet suit. The ocean waters had risen several feet inland. There was no beach at his back stairway. There was only water. It had to be at least five or six feet deep. The waves splashed up on Axel’s back porch.  

Axel knew he couldn’t walk or ride his motorcycle. He decided he could paddle his surfboard and get a jet ski to get back with Susie. He put his motorcycle in the shed in case the water made it up higher. Then grabbed his board. He walked down to where the street use to lead to town. The water came to his knees. The rain might have stopped but the water wasn’t receding anytime soon.    

Axel kicked and paddled with his hands splashing the water around him until he saw something closing in on him. The tip of a small fin appeared, and Axel automatically laid flat with his leg and arms out of the water. During these sorts of storms, it was common for small sharks and other sea life to make their way into the flooded streets. It wasn’t a Sharknado situation but it might have been where they got the stories.  

Axel waited and watched closely as the tip of a fin dipped back under the water. He waited and didn’t see anything. Just as he was breathing normal and ready to paddle it jumped out of the water taking his breath away for a few seconds before he saw it was a dolphin. The mammal vocally clicked and squeaked as if talking to him.  

“You about gave me a heart attack Flipper.” He called every dolphin he saw flipper. “You should head back out to the deep water. The mainland is no where you should be.”

The dolphin nodded and squeaked as if it understood. Axel knew his brothers and others would have to help some of the aquatic life back to the ocean when this was all over. The dolphin continued to swim around him even though he kept encouraging it to swim back home. 

When Eric woke, he slid out of bed quietly so Tami and Susie could rest more. He pulled on light sky-blue sweatpants over his boxers and a white snug t-shirt.  Then he went out to the shed to start the gas-powered generator so he could make coffee and breakfast for everyone.  

He figured Axel would be showing up soon even if it was dangerous in the flood. There was no telling his family what was best for them sometimes. He decided to check on his father who had what he referred to as a live-in maid even though Carol also clean his home a few days a week.  

He dialed his father’s number, “Hey Daisy, how are you and Father doing?”

“We’re fine locked up watertight here,” She babbled before handing the phone to Eric’s Father.

“Hi Eric,” His Father answered. “We have plenty of provisions. I couldn’t get a hold of Axel, but Josh is inland more with that Jen’s family. I can’t believe that’s still a thing. Him meeting her parents just makes me think she has her claws in him...”

“They will be fine,” Alex took a deep breath. “Sometimes you just have to let people make their own decisions even if you think those decisions are bad for them.”

“You are so much like your Mother,” He seethed.  

Alex ignores the comment. “Axel was fine at his place last night. Just give me a call if you need anything. I have my generator going with enough gas for months.”

“We will be fine,” Dr. Cluney told his eldest son. “Talk to you later Son.”

“of course,” Eric hung up the phone. As he was pouring a cup of coffee the girls walked out to the kitchen.

Tami had let Susie wear her blush pink dress which was a little long and big since Tami was 5 foot 10 inches tall. That was one of the reason Eric liked her. He didn’t have to bend down to look at her beautiful face like he did for other girls. He also loved her curves. How voluptuous her breasts are and how he could grab her ass with both hands to make her squeal before they kissed.

“You have some of that sweet stuff for me this morning?” Tami grinned.

Eric’s eyes searched her body like he was trying to find something. He put his coffee down and sauntered over to her. His hand brushed against her cheek. “You know I do Babe.” He kissed her softly pulling away slowly. “I made you coffee. Sugar is on the table. Which creamer you want with that?” He looked to Susie as he turned away from his girl. “How do you take your coffee, Susie?”  

“What creamers do you have?” Susie said polity.

“Vanilla, caramel mocha and sweet cream,” Eric put all the flavors out.

As Eric was getting the creamer out, Axel was paddling to his yard that sloped up to his door. As Axel hoped off his board a sharp pain tore through his calf as a tiger shark found a snack.

“FUCK!” He screamed as he looked down too see the shark attached to his leg. The he punched the animal in the nose to stun it long enough to pull himself out of the water.  

Blood gushed down his leg. He gritted his teeth. Standing his board up against the house, he pulled himself up to stand on one leg grunting from the pain. Skin and muscle hung off his calf as the blood kept gushing making him woozy. He banged against the door.  

“Eric let me in...,” he trailed off laying against the door not sure he was even loud enough for his brother to hear. The rain started back up.  

As Axel started losing consciousness, Eric opened the door. He grabbed his brother picking him up to carry him inside. Blood trailing with them.  

“Get my first aid bag from the closet Tami.”  He laid Axel on the couch quickly wrapping the navy-blue lap blanket around his leg. “Hold your hands tight on this while I get a towel and extra gauze, Susie.”

She nodded and took over holding where Eric was holding. Axel was out cold. Eric went to get what he needed. Tami came back with the first aid kit.

“How’s he doing?” Her eyes were wide as she put the kit down looking at Axel’s leg.

“I don’t know.” Susie was trying to keep calm when she just wanted to break down and scream. “Axel, Axel, can you hear me?”

Axel gave no response.

“Hold this tight on his leg, Tami.” Susie asked.

Tami switched places with her so Susie could talk right in Axel’s ear. Eric came back with a few towels. Gaze and a belt.  

“Tami I am going to tie this leather belt above his injury real tight. Keep the pressure hard on it because it will try to spurt before the flow slows.” Eric instructed his girlfriend. “Just keep talking to him Susie.”

“Axel,” Susie talked right at his ear, “wake up and talk to me.” She cupped his face as she looked at him upside. “Axel, everything is okay. Just wake up.”

She kissed his forehead before moving to brush her lips on his. He blinked a few times before screaming.  

“It’s alright  brother,” Eric sounded calm as he numbed the area the best he could before starting to stitch Axel up. “I’m stitching you up now. You are woozy from the blood lose. I’ll figure out how to do a blood transfusion as soon as it is safe.”  

“Oh, fuck, it hurts, Eric.” Axel cried out breathing heavily. “fucking tiger shark is inland to far.” He squeezed his eyes closed in painful face. “Poor thing thought I was a seal. Fuck, what do you got for pain bro?”

Susie and Tami just tried to hold Axel still while Eric worked on the huge gash.

“Don’t move Axel.” Eric said in a more authoritative big brother voice. “This isn’t easy. What you really need is internal stitches and staples to hold this wound together. As soon as we can, we will get you to Dad’s clinic. They will probably have everything there. I have some  percocet to ease the pain. You just can’t move your leg.” After doing stitches the best he could, Eric wrapped Axel’s leg and immobilized it with a makeshift split. A few wooden utensils he used for grilling.

Tears were streaming out of Axel’s eyes. His face was buried in Susie’s chest as she held him, and he held her. Eric got a few pills, a warm damp cloth and a glass of water. Axel lifted his head when Susie coaxed him to so he could take the pills.  

“Just hold on little brother.” He handed Susie the warm washcloth for Axel’s face. “The pills will kick in shortly. Sorry I don’t have an injection to work quicker.”

Axel whimper out, “My fault, man. My fault.”

Susie wiped Axel’s face, “Shush now. It's not your fault, Axel. Take some slow deep breaths to calm down.”  

Eric motioned for Tami to follow him into the kitchen to give Axel and Susie Privacy. He also needed to call his Dad to see what to do about Axel ‘s condition. What he did felt like barely better than a band aid on such a huge wound.  

Axel nodded and did as Susie said.” Still, my fault you’re here. My decision to come here to be with you. I should have looked in the water better when flipper swam off.” He was wincing between each statement. “I am so sorry Baby girl. I should have never left you standing there alone. I should have listened instead of getting so pissed. Damn I got to pee” He was already getting a little loopy from the pills and the blood lose didn’t help. He tried to get up.  

“No, you can’t get up,” She pushed him back down. “I will get a bowl or something.”

Axel looked at her strangely before chuckling and wincing when he moved slightly.  

“Don’t move a muscle,” Susie point at him.

“Okay, nurse.” He grinned. “When is it time for my sponge bath.”

Susie shook her head, “I guess you are starting to feel better.”  

Meanwhile Eric was on the phone with his Father, “I did the best I could with the suture kit I had here, but I think Axel needs stables. And possibly a transfusion. There was a lot of blood.”

“Eric, you need to get a hold of Dr. Simon Vines at the inland hospital.” Dr. Cluney’s voice was demanding. “The coast guard will be able to pick you all up to get you to the hospital so he can get medical treatment. Dr. Vines has a background in shark bites and cosmetic surgery so your brother shouldn’t have a huge scar. If they say he isn’t in just call me back and I will make his ass come into the hospital.”

“I’ll call as soon as I get off the phone with...” Eric didn’t even finish the sentence before his Father hung up on him.  

Eric called the coast guard. It took them twenty minutes to have a life flight helicopter hovering over his property. Two paramedics came down to look at Axel’s injury before carrying him out to put him on the suspended bed. Then one by one they took Susie, Tami and Eric up to the helicopter.  Susie followed Axel into the hospital holding his hand as long as they let her.

After an hour in surgery Dr. Vines came out to talk to Axel’s family. By that time Josh and Jen had joined Eric, Tami and Susie at the hospital. Dr. Cluney had been keeping updated by phone. He didn’t feel the need to use emergency services when he was completely fine where he was for the time being. The Storm had mostly pasted. Waters would recede within a week or so.  

“Whoever did the makeshift stitches with the belt  tourniquet saved this man’s life,” Dr. Vines stated. “Still he did loss a lot of blood. We gave him a transfusion, opened the wound and used dissolving sutures on the inside and stables on the outside skin.  I believe Dr. Cluney can remove the stables in a few weeks.”

“Thank you, Dr. Vines.” Eric shook his hand. “I will tell my Father how quickly you took care of things. I really appreciate it.”

“When can I, can we see him?” Susie asked meekly. She felt emotionally exhausted, but she had no intention of leaving.  

“Are you Susie Q.,” Dr. Simon asked with a smile.

Susie nodded, “Did he ask for me?”

“In a way,” Dr. Simon held back a chuckle. “He was mumbling that old Susie Q, song when we woke him after Surgery. He said that was his girl. You can see him as soon as he comes out of recover. All of you can see him but only two at a time, alright?”

They all nodded and thanked the Doctor. Within a half an hour Eric went to see his brother with Susie. Axel was still sleeping, and a bag of blood was being given to him. Susie stayed by his bedside when Eric left, and Josh came in for a while. Eric and Josh stayed in the waiting room the whole night with their girls assuring them Axel was fine now.  

Susie held Axel’s hand. She kissed each knuckle waiting for him to wake.

#axel and susie q #axel cluney #blood #storm #flood #care #angst #love

[iainwrites]

Last Call At Oblivion

Not all crossovers have to happen because of some world ending event.  Not everything has to deal with cases of mistaken identity that have to be resolved with fights only for the parties to learn about a bigger threat.  They don’t have to deal with bad blood or weird tensions or one upmanship (although, that can be fun).  Sometimes, all it has to be are a group of colleagues getting together on a Friday night after yet another week of heroing and shooting the breeze.  I drop links throughout to older pieces I’ve written that all get tied together.  Like this.

“So I says to him, I says, ‘Look, you crab walking Nazi ass clown.  You get one warning, then you get to choose: Doomy or a gun.’”

The blue demon next to the red devil nods his head knowingly, drains his mug.  “What is it with the Nazi’s and the weird demons they summon?  No offense.”

The red devil waves away the comment with a large, stony hand, as though it’s not worth mentioning.  “I don’t know, man. They must drag the bottom of the Pit for the winners I deal with.  I mean, come on!  A Nazi summoning a demon these days?  How stupid would the thing have to be to think, ‘Hey!  That’s a horse I can back!  These guys have a great winning streak!’”  The red demon takes a long drag from the log sized stogie nestled in his stony hand.  “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.  That pig sticker you carry around.  Is that…”

“Big Red!  They still let you walk around with those muttonchops?”

The red devil slowly spins around on his bar stool, hooves carving grooves into the floor, looking for whichever poor, dumb schmuck was drunk enough to insult one of the more notorious patrons of the Oblivion Bar.  He finds him, standing head and shoulders over everyone else in the bar, almost able to look the 7” behemoth square in the eye.  And in spite of himself, Hellboy smiles.

“Stretch!  Last I heard, they were keeping you locked up underground!” The two giants lake long strides across the bar floor, passing a magician in fishnet stockings, a talking chimpanzee holding court, and a man dressed in tatters that seem to have a life of their own.  Meeting in the middle, they grab each other’s hand (the more normal sized one from Hellboy) and bring each other into a back slapping embrace.

“Jeez, big guy.  Easy on the back.  I’m pushing half a century here,” Harry Dresden cracks, the scar around his eye crinkling as he mock stumbles and grins.

“Half century?  Pssh.  Come talk to me in another couple decades, then you might be on my level.”  The red demon jerks his head over to a corner of the bar, already roped off with a table and a wide array of chairs, stools and stumps surrounding it.  The two make their way over, easily giving the other hell, the way familiar drinking buddies might.

Using his height, Harry uses the walk across the bar to try and spot any of his expected party.  “First one, then?”

“Heh.  For once,” Hellboy says.  “Time zones, Stretch.  And I had a look at your guest list.  Think they might have gotten tied up with business?”

Dresden scratches at a beard that’s obviously still unfamiliar to him.  “Time zones, my well toned ass.  The whole world is going wacky.”  The magician in the fishnet stockings overhears this particular comment, looks over, judges and gives an approving smile at him.  He smiles ruefully back, saying, “Sorry, Z.  I am now officially off the market.  This ass belongs to one woman, and I think she’d kick it up around my ears if she heard I was seen flirting with other pretty ladies.”

From one of the many doors that seemed to move around the room, a woman who is nondescript compared to the other patrons walks through and takes a measured read of the place before noticing Dresden.  Raising a hand in greeting, she calls over her shoulder to the young man standing in the doorway, looking incredibly unsure about this sudden change in his life.  He hurries to keep at her heels, a hand compulsively clicking a pen at record speeds.

“Police Chief Maza,” Harry says warmly.  “Karren wishes she could make it, but…”

“Duty calls, right?” the dark skinned woman replies knowingly.  Despite looking like she’s among the eldest in the room by human standards, nothing about her indicates that age would slow her down in any way.  The faded red leather jacket, the eyes that know and have seen things not dreamt of in Horatio’s philosophies and the ease she waves a drink over from the blue devil at the bar tells everyone present that Elisa Maza, though vanilla human, is one of them. 

“Hey.  Hold on.  Who the hell is Junior?  You can’t just walk a kid like him into Oblivion,” Hellboy growls, stepping into his job as bouncer.  “Look.  Unless you have a real good ID or someone can vouch for you, you’re out, kid.”

“What?  I don’t even know where I am,” the young man chokes out.  The thumb clicking the pen is now a blur.  “I was helping Miss Maza with a monster problem back home, she said she had an appointment and I followed her and… Is that a talking monkey?”

“Chimp.  Talking chimp.  He gets touchy about that.  And he’s probably smarter than you, kid.  Stay focused.  Do you have an ID or can anybody here vouch for you?”

The young man’s green eyes search helplessly around the crowd, trying to look for anyone that could be in any way, shape or form be familiar to him.  “I don’t know!  I’ve never been here before!  How would I know anyone if I’ve never been somewhere before?”

A dark haired, purple eyed man leans back from his table at the noise to glance over, and nearly chokes on his drink, which is no small trick for those who know him.  Standing up, he calls out in a strong voice, “I can vouch for the young man.  Any Atlantean will.  I swear this in the name of the King.”

Hellboy swings his gaze between the two, sizing up the smaller while apparently weighing the words of the other man in his head.  “The King, huh?  You sure about that, Garth?  The kid gets in any trouble, you ready to foot the bill?”

“Trust me: I’d rather deal with you than his father if he finds out I didn’t help him.”

Nodding his craggy jaw, the big devil says, “Okay.”  Looking to the young man, he gives a quick tip of his head.  “You heard him, Junior.  Garth is vouching for you.  Now go thank the nice storm caller.”

Nodding frantically, the young man beelines over to his surprise advocate while Dresden and Maza catch up.

“How’s the family?” he asks, keeping an eye on the shifting doors of the room.

“Oh, you know.  Lex’s been talking with Staghart and we’re all waiting for the news.  Angela’s brood has everyone on their toes.  The usual,”  Elisa says with a small smile.  She straightens her hair from out of her collar, giving Harry a quick glance at a ring.

“The usual.  Yeah.  The big guy looking after the kids tonight?”

The smile gets a little wider as her eyes crinkle.  “He’s been getting all huffy about ‘my duties and responsibilities as both a parent and one responsible for the wellbeing of her people.’  Said I needed a night off, so he’d take the little ones out.  How about yours?”

Harry’s eyes go unfocused for a moment, while his mind ends up somewhere other than Oblivion.  “She’s good.  They’re both good.  I think I’m finally getting this ‘Dad’ thing figured out.  It’s… You know how our regular lives are tough?  I can’t count the number of times I end up freaking out about whether we should go to the zoo or the drive-in or for a walk in the park.”

“Yeah,” replies Elisa with a similar unfocused look in her eyes.  “But you love every minute of it.”

“And wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world when they smile and the world is suddenly right.”  The tall man and the shorter woman exchange a glance and a smile that says that nothing else needs to be said on the matter.

A man and a woman step through one of the doors of the bar, the two of them all but dwarfed by the other occupants.  The woman is blonde, small in stature and cute in a mature way; like the aunt who was once head cheerleader.  The man is only slightly taller than her, with jet black hair that looks like it resists any attempt at control, half-moon glasses and a robe over business clothes.  Catching sight of the towering Dresden, he taps the elbow of the woman, points at the looming landmark that is their friend and motions that he’s heading for the bar.  She makes her way through the crowd with a wolf’s grace and confidence, never appearing concerned about the people and things around her, but always aware of them.

“Hey, Other Harry,” the short woman says.

“Hey, Only Buffy,” Dresden replies.  “How’s the weather in ‘Frisco?”

Squeezing Elisa’s arm in greeting, Buffy rolls her eyes.  “Raining hard when I left, but that doesn’t mean anything.  Not like we’re going outside to enjoy the sunshine these days.”

Hellboy, catching the sudden looks of concern from the group and anticipating the question, just says, “Magic barrier keeps anything unwanted out.  We had some group of morons try to catch us with a Black Plague bomb a few years back, so the best and brightest hooked us up.”

Buffy waves back to the talking chimpanzee while uttering a small and simple, “Huh.  Black Plague bomb.  Sounds like something I would have run into in my wild and crazy days.”

“I got robots, lasers and genocidal Gargoyles,” Elsa says.  “Oh.  And half human/half animal or robot people.  The Pack was a pain.”

“Tell me about it,” Dresden mutters as he waves them towards the table.  “No word from Atticus or Verus?”

Buffy rests her hands on the back of one of the chairs and lifts it, like she’s interested to see how heavy it is.  “Potter says Verus has been off the grid for the better part of the year.  And our Council last heard that Atticus was doing some soul searching in Tasmania.  Oh,” she says off handedly to Elsa, “and Bluestone said he’d stay in town for another couple of weeks.”

“Tell him to either drive back or get Alex to make a portal.  If I hear he got on a plane and flew this thing to the castle, I’ll make Bronx sit on him.”

“I’ll see if Willow can witchy something up for him.”

The young man separates himself from Garth and his drinking companions with a hurried “Thanks” and a lot of bowing.  The dark haired man with glasses carefully navigates his way through the crowd carrying a tray filled with glasses, bottles and pitchers.  Dresden, Maza, and Buffy all find a spot at their saved table and cheer when the dark haired man lowers the tray without spilling or dropping a thing.

“Potter, for a guy who doesn’t drink, you do that too damn well,” Buffy jokes, grabbing a glass full of water and putting it in front of the young man.

The dark haired man smiles and says in a quiet voice with a cultured London accent, “You get experience as a parent.  And as an uncle to a small horde.”

Reaching out for a bottle, Dresden asks, “And how is the whole Potter/Weasley/Granger/E-I-E-I-O clan these days?”

“Well, there was the whole ‘son might go over to the Dark side’ worry a few years back, but Albus is getting along fine.  James is in his fifth year and Lily and Hugo are almost finished her first.  Rose is constantly reminding the professors that’s she Hermione’s daughter, and has started taking after her uncle, may the Hallows protect us all,” Potter starts.  He catches himself, and looks to Dresden.  “Were you asking about the ENTIRE clan, because we could be here a while.”

“You’re good,” the taller man answers easily.  “I hear through the Council grapevine how the rest of the family is, but McGonagall is pretty tightlipped about her students, even with former professors.”

Buffy stares at him before shaking her head.  “I can’t believe they actually allowed you to teach kids at an actual school.”

“You and me both,” Dresden replies, raising his drink in salute.

The conversations continue in the vein of catching up on personal history before veering into what life is like in their corner of the magical world.

“I don’t think I ever apologized for wiping out an entire species of vampires, did I?” Dresden asks of Buffy.  “That’s like losing the whole point of your career.”

“I think I can forgive you for destroying an entire group of blood sucking monsters,” she admits with a steely look in her eye, but a half grin across her face.  “Didn’t slow down the rest of the world that much.  And we’re good about the weekend where we accidentally erased magic, right?”

Potter waves the question away without even a thought.  “Didn’t even notice that.  Like it happened in a completely different universe entirely.”

“And I,” Elisa starts, getting the attention of everyone around her, “have nothing to apologize for because we know better than messing around with fundamental aspects of reality.”

Percy blinks, then looks around at the unassuming people sitting at the table.  “Who ARE you people?”

Buffy raises her hand and says, “The Slayer.”

Dresden and Potter raise theirs in unison and say, “Wizard.”

Elisa puts a hand up as though to protect herself from the question and says, “Hey.  I’m just a normal, everyday human.”

“That happens to be the head of a special magical taskforce,” Buffy adds as though it’s no big deal.  “Oh yeah.  And is married to a Gargoyle and has two, wait, three otherwise impossible children that may or may not be chosen by destiny.  You know.  The normal, everyday human way.”

Percy’s eyes go wider looking around the table and seeing these people in a new light.  Potter nods at him.  “What about you, Mr. Jackson?  You walked into Oblivion and don’t seem that uncomfortable with what you’ve seen.  You must have a story.”

“Yeah.  Just don’t start it off with ‘I’ve saved the world on a yearly basis.’  That way lies a hurting bank account,” says Dresden behind his mug.

Percy takes a moment in silence to think, before saying a bit hesitantly, “Well.  I’m a demi-god and Poseidon is my dad?”

The silence around the table and the tables around them is absolute, until Garth calls out, “Told you he’s good for it!”  A lot of attention is suddenly on Percy from a number of the patrons, while he’s granted a new standing thanks to this not-so-minor reveal.

Potter leans over and pats Percy on the shoulder good naturedly.  “As the sitting chairman for Adolescent Heroes Who Have Seen Things, I advise you to lead in with that one next time.”

“Did…” Dresden tries to sputter out.  “Did Potter just try to make a joke?”

“Mr. Dresden,” Potter says.  “I’m afraid to tell you that you do not have a monopoly on witty or sarcastic observations.  You are just one mouthy American among many.”

The table just stares at him, each person trying their best to decide whether Potter has finally shown a sense of humor or if there’s actual malice in his words.  The twinkle in his green eyes gives him away, though.

Buffy squints at Potter, a small grin starting to make its way across her face.  “That had better not be a crack at me, mini-Giles.  Because them’s fighting words.”

“Unless you’re a mouthy American who thinks she’s witty.”

“Witty.  Me.  Have you ever heard me talk in a fight?” Buffy asks rhetorically.  “It’s like I’m channeling Spider-man.  The second one.  The skateboarder.”

Blinking furiously, Dresden stares at Buffy.  “Marry me?”

“Pass.  I already did the ‘brooding towering man with a dark past’ thing.”  The statement catches up to her brain just as it leaves her lips.  “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  Or you.  I’m sure Karrin thinks that’s a great quality.  Elisa?”  Buffy turns almost pleadingly to the older woman.

Raising her banded hand as a buffer to the plea, Elisa just says, “I’m a quiet, conserved American.  These grey hairs show that I’m smart enough to not get myself into anything I don’t have to.”

Switching his gaze between each person at the table, Percy Jackson tries in vain to keep up with the conversation and the speed at which compliments, friendly insults and in-jokes fly.  Trying to shake off any hesitation, he jumps right into the middle of it with typical teenage bravado, “I once told Tantalus to go chase a cheeseburger.”

Once again, Percy’s words stop the conversation cold.  It’s immediately restarted when Dresden coughs, snorts and tries to rein in the laughter that promises to erupt.  He manages to hold it in for a few seconds before the tears start to well up.  “Tantalus… a cheeseburger?  No.  You…”  The giggles start, which break down any barriers he had hoped to put up.  Dresden simply puts his forehead down on the table and laughs at the absurdity of the statement and the  pride he feels for the young man he barely knows.

“Alright,” Elisa says with a smile on her face.  “That’s one point for the new kid.  We all know how the game goes.”

Potter grins and rubs at his forehead at an old scar.  “I once killed a basilisk with a magical sword.”

Buffy leans back in her chair and shrugs.  “That’s neat.  I once shot an ancient demon with a rocket launcher.”

From his bowed position, all the table hears from Dresden is, “A cheeseburger!” before dissolving into another fit of giggles.

“Alright.  Guess I have to teach you kids a thing or two.” Elisa rests her arms on the table and leans in.  “So I was on a boat with my future husband, his daughter and their dog…”

#Iain writes #Dresden Files #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #Percy Jackson #Gargoyles #DC comics #crossover #long fic