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alphabravocharliedelta · 3 years

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Skyfall | Russell Adler x Bell! Reader [One-shot]

Series: Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

Word Count: 10,000+

Synopsis: After Solovetsky, Bell is personally recruited by M16 after Park’s personal recommendation. From there, the mission to pursue Perseus never ends. It isn’t until the confrontation at Pines Mall that everything is thrown into disarray, Adler now held captor by Stitch. Unable to cope, Bell takes matters into their own hands.

Content Warning: mature content, gore, adult language, blood, injuries, etc.

Notes: I decided to write this whole piece for Adler’s birthday, especially after seeing the Season Two teaser. I’m not good at romance, so please excuse me. And yes, it was inspired by Adele’s Skyfall. Full italic dialogue is the characters speaking Russian, ‘0000′ means a short time skip. Enjoy!

[SKYFALL]

“What do you mean ‘captured’?”

You look Woods straight in the eye.

The look you gave him was something he had never seen before, and it scared him. Woods could feel his blood run cold as you waited for an answer. He choked up, pursing his lips in a thin line. God help them all.

"It was Stitch."

Upon hearing that name, you slam a fist down on the table. You like a bomb, just waiting to go off, practically shaking from anger, and it was taking your entire willpower to not blow off.

"And…" you begin, trying to keep your voice under control. "You just let him?"

"Fuck no. Dear god, no," Woods responds immediately. "They got us. Set up an ambush right in the middle of the damn mall. We fought tooth and nail and barely made it out, yet we were too late to notice him carrying off Adler—"

"Enough."

You glare at him for a bit, before breaking off to sit back down and burrow your face into your hand. Already you were beginning to feel lethargic, your head throbbing continuously in annoyance.

"Bell–"

"Don't," you hiss. You didn't want to hear apologies.

The meeting room eventually cleared out on its own, leaving you to your thoughts. No one had said a word, and Woods respected your wishes, knowing that he would just add fuel to the fire. The team was already banged up and exhausted as is, and he didn't exactly want to be pitted against your aggressive behavior in these times. He was worried about you for sure, but now he was left to wonder what the hell he was supposed to tell Hudson.

It was hours prior that you just returned from a mission with Park. You were both working on a collaborative assignment with the CIA, in which entailed you to gather intel to cross reference with their database. Adler and his team still hadn't arrived then, so you both waited patiently for some news. Adler was the one commanding the squad, which consisted of Woods, Zenya, and Bulldozer. However, only three of them returned.

You played with the watch around your wrist, thinking back. Adler had given it to you before you left, telling you to give it back to him when you returned. He gave you a kiss on the forehead when no one was looking, bidding you a successful operation. Guilt began to belittle you the longer you thought about it, so you pulled your sleeve back over.

You should have turned down the assignment, and went to the Pines mall with everyone else. If you were there, things would have turned out better.

A part of you blamed the team for their incompetence, unable to prepare themselves for any type of situation. But in the end, it all came down to unfortunate circumstances that they just had the short end of receiving. It was practically trained in them that the mission came first, and they did successfully prevent the Nova Six explosion. Civilian lives were saved.

With the price of Russell Adler, of course.

You should have known that it was Stitch. Adler mentioned knowing him a while back, but didn't go into detail as to how. They must have had a tight history together if Stitch was willing to abandon the N6 canisters once he got his hands on Adler. You wanted to do something, anything, but there was no information whatsoever about his whereabouts. The only info you had was Woods and the team's account of seeing a chopper take off the only piece of evidence pointing towards Adler.

You knew the Perseus member way beforehand, even working with him occasionally during your times with the group. The two of you were nothing but fellow colleagues, as you outranked him, but there were a few occasions where you two got along. But, now that you were on different sides, and knowing that everything was pointing towards him, you wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet through his skull.

Time felt lost as you sat, lost in old memories. It was nearly goddamn twelve a.m. by the time you got up. You nearly toppled over, both your legs asleep after sitting idly for so long. Ignoring the static that ran up your thighs, you run a hand through your hair before giving out a long exhale.

“Bell?”

Looking up, you see Park peeking around the corner. She changed her outfit since you last saw her, this time without all her combat gear. You could detect a faint smell of vanilla from her

“Hey,” you greet wearily. “How long have you been there?”

“Not long. I… wanted to see how you were doing.” She approaches you with a small comforting smile. “You haven’t moved for a couple hours.”

“I’m fine.”

It's what you had claimed, but your appearance said otherwise. Your hair was out of place, stray hairs poking out everywhere, and your eyes were bloodshot. Throat parched, you haven’t drank or eaten anything since you returned and found out what happened. All your energy was spent wallowing in anger and regret the past few hours.

“Did… Hudson say anything?” you inquire tiredly.

Pity flashed across Park’s expression as she tilted her head away from you, her eyes moving to avoid your gaze. “I can’t tell you.”

Your eyes narrow. “Why not?”

“It’s within reason, especially since how close you and Adler are.”

“And you agree?”

She didn’t say anything.

While you and Adler tried to keep your relationship under the radar, it was still apparent to everyone else that there was something going on between you two. After all, Park was the one that urged you to shoot your shot after you consulted her about “feeling strange”. No one called you out on it, seeing how you both were basically fit for each other. The invisible connection between you two is what made everything work smoothly on almost every mission. It was as if you already knew what Adler had on his mind, or what he was planning, and you would always take steps to ensure its success.

So she knew that you were already blaming yourself for not being there for him. Having you on the upcoming rescue mission had the possibility of causing more problems, especially with your psychological tendencies to act before thinking.

“Why do I even bother?” you scoff. You brush past her, about to head down the hallway, only for her to grab your wrist. You look over your shoulder, sending her an accusing glare as you pull away from her.

“We’re… trying to pinpoint his location,” Park informs you reluctantly. “They marked him off as M.I.A., but given enough time—”

“We don’t have time,” you spat. Before saying anything else, you inhale through your nose, trying to reign in your emotions. Park wasn’t the enemy here. “You don’t know Stitch. I worked with the guy before. He’s ruthless with his enemies, so who knows what he has in store for Adler?”

“I know. They’re doing their best, just let them handle it. For the time being, just take care of yourself.”

You didn’t make a sound, and only gave her a curt nod before trailing away.

As much as you trusted Park and Woods, you couldn’t bring yourself to place hope in their plan. They didn’t know how the Perseus group dealt with people like Adler. You had first hand experience, as you were one of the people that had to do the dirty work early on. The methods they had at their disposal was one wishes to never go through, and you even had some people die on you because of it. Unfortunate, but it was your duty then.

Military personnel going M.I.A. was nothing new in this work field. You knew you were getting worked up about his disappearance, but the thought of his presence not returning to the base made you worry. How could you not? You loved the bastard to death, and would do whatever it takes to get him back, despite everything he did to you.

Coming to a decision, you headed off to the washroom to clean off before doing anything else.

After all, you had a job to do.

0000

“Woods.”

He perks up, finding Park standing across from him. They both shared the same overworked appearance, dark bluish bags already settled under their eyes. About a week has passed since Adler’s capture, and the entire team had been working endlessly just trying to find any hint that would point towards where he may have been taken to.

Their efforts lacked any results, and they were getting desperate. One of their best CIA agents had been abducted, and the higher ups were already considering that Adler either caved in, or died under Soviet custody. Everyone was just waiting for a sign or slip up, any information that could help them.

“What?” Woods answers.

“I need you to talk to Bell,” Park sighs, before taking a seat across from him. She briefly reads the papers in front of her, before brushing them aside to make room for her elbows. Leaning in close, they talk in hushed voices. “I haven’t seen them leave their room in more than four days now.”

Woods huffs, before tossing a manila folder onto the floor. “Bell’s fine. Leave them alone.”

“Look. The M16 decided they didn’t want to be associated with this last minute, and requested for Bell and I to return.” Park drums her fingers on the table. “That was two days ago, and I still haven’t gotten a hold of them. The head of our department is getting impatient.”

“Not my problem.”

He knew that you could very much handle yourself when it came to things like this. Hell, he himself tried to check up on you a couple of times, but he never found you loitering around the common areas or cafeteria. Though, he did note that the coffee pot would be filled by the time he woke up, with a mug missing from the cabinet. Woods didn't think you were a coffee type of person, but you only continued to prove his assumptions wrong with each passing day he knew you. So, he came to the conclusion that if you were in a stable mind to get caffinated every morning before everyone else woke, then you were finding a way to cope.

And yet the concern in Park's voice told him otherwise.

"If we don't return by tomorrow, they're going to ban us from working with you guys."

Woods pauses. "They can't do that."

"Well, we don't want to find out now, do we?" Seeing that she got his attention, Park stands back up. "Let's go."

Seeing no other choice, he follows. They both head down a series of hallways. It felt almost like a maze just trying to get around the headquarters, to a point where Woods was starting to wonder if Park even knew where she was heading.

After going down a flight of stairs, they came across a plain door in the secluded parts of the base. You had always liked your privacy, and the covered hallway window only further proved it.

Park gives a knock on the metal exterior, letting you know of their presence. "Bell? It's Park. I need you to come out for a bit. We need to talk."

They waited for you to respond, or for the sound of the door unlocking. But after a minute passed, nothing happened.

"Bell, I'm serious."

"Ugh, let me do it," Woods groans, gesturing for her to move aside. He had to admit, he was a bit irritated with you as well, seeing how you didn't do much to contribute to their search.

He tries the door knob, but it was locked. Although, it was a bit finicky and loose from the sounds of it. Seeing no other choice, he reels back before kicking it in.

"Bell!" Woods yells, pushing the door open. "Enough moping ar—"

The sight of your room was something to behold. Could one even call it a room?

"What the fuck?" Woods mutters under his breath.

It felt more like a library, and a messy one at that. There were stacks of books sticking up from the floor, accompanied with sheets of paper throwing all around the place. Manila folders of various sizes and age sat around, open and overfilled with information. The wall farthest from the door was covered with a large world map.

Taking careful steps, the duo both inch their way inside. Upon closer inspection, Park realizes that the papers weren't just random, but were intel. All of it was. Everything from past information relating to Perseus, to even the most recent encryptions the CIA managed to get a hold of. Things that were supposed to be wiped off the record managed to snake their way into the stacks.

The books were all about cryptography, dating back until the first forms. The basics, the patterns, you name it.

"Bell's fucking insane."

“No, they were always like this."

Ever since you found out about what she and Adler did to you, you became more meticulous. No rock was left unturned, and you refused to make any mistakes in your work. You double checked everything, even referring to other works to make sure nothing was out of place. There were nights where she had to convince you to stop working so you could catch a break, and she felt guilty about it.

Park brushes a lock of her hair away from her face, moving towards the map while trying not to step on anything. She could see your handwriting on the borders of the papers, as well as on the vibrant sticky notes you had slapped on some of them. Stopping in front of the desk, a few white mugs were pushed aside, just teetering on the edge. She then notices that you focused on a particular set of papers, consisting of a few encryptions.

They were fairly new, first appearing just one day prior. Both the text and your notes were written in Russian, but your handwriting was done in a rushed fashion. You had circled certain parts, drawing arrows between them, and even drew out a legend to help keep track. While seeing you work like this was nothing new to her, she wondered why you wrote in a different language this time, rather than the usual English. You rarely spoke or wrote in your mother tongue. Sometimes you would converse with Adler in Russian, especially if there were other people around, but that was all she could recall.

"Just how the hell did Bell get a hold of any of this?" Woods mutters, throwing a few pieces up in the air. He expected you to just pop up from somewhere, seeing how they invaded your workspace, but you were nowhere to be found. "Damn, even I didn't get to see some of these before."

Park ignores him, and her eyes drift off to the map in front of her. There were a few pins that kept up scraps of paper, although nothing of interest. If there was one thing, it was the bold, black marker you had used to circle a particular location. Next to it were strange symbols, possibly relating to whatever was on the table.

Her eyes widened in realization. "Shit!"

Without wasting another second, she grabs the papers on your desk, gathering up as much as possible in her arms before rushing towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Woods asks, grabbing her arm just before she flees. "We have to find—"

"Bell knows where Adler is."

His grip loosens, and Park frees herself. They stood idly in the hallway as Woods tried to put everything together. "How—"

Park gestures to the map with her chin. "Over there, those are coordinates, I’m betting. And here in my arms are all the notes that ascertain that. I'll bring this over to the cryptography team, while you need to find Bell before they do anything stupid.”

[FIVE HOURS EARLIER], 8:23 am

"Belikov?"

"Ah, hello, Bell. What can I do for you?"

The door behind you closes on its own, a nice click coming from it. Belikov’s office was small and minimally decorated. He sat at a metal desk that had a large computer on top of it, with wires trailing away from it and into the cool grey wall. A small task board was mounted behind him, with a list of reminders or tasks he needed to get done.

You approach him, keeping a hand in your pocket. Glancing up slightly, you notice a camera in the corner with its light blinking. From what you can gather, it didn't have a mic equipped with it.

"I need you to do me a small favor,” you announce. “Think of it as repayment for Lubyanka.”

Belikov sets down his pen, sensing that something was out of place.

You were never really the type of person to ask favors, or help. Not only that, there was a strange underlying tone in your voice that he couldn't help but feel that your request was more of a threat. He had heard you were originally a close associate to Perseus, and his thoughts quickly directed him to the possibility that you might have gone rogue.

"Depends on what the favor is," he responds slowly, reaching his hand slowly under his desk.

"You still remember how to pilot a chopper, no?"

"...You know I can't do that anymore. That's not what I do here."

As if unsatisfied with his answer, you pull out your hand from your pocket, revealing a pistol and shoot once towards the direction of the camera. The sound of the lens breaking filled the air, and pieces fell to the ground upon impact. Without hesitation, you then turn it towards Belikov, who pushed himself away from the desk.

He looks down at your gun. A silencer was secured tightly to the end of it, and you had a steady finger just resting right next to the trigger. His eyes travel up your arm, before meeting you eye to eye.

“I don’t think you understand the situation here, comrade,” you chastised in a low voice, and Belikov froze. “I wasn’t asking.”

Unable to do anything else, he put his hands up, keeping an eye on your gun. “And if I don’t?” he dared to ask.

“C'mon, don't be like that," you condemn, waving your hand around for a bit. "We both know why I'm here, so you can either make it easy for both of us, or make it Hell for everyone else."

"It's Adler, isn't it? I heard what happened."

You grind your teeth.

Surviving on a mere eight hours of sleep collectively for the past week, you were barely keeping awake. You only left your room to either refill your coffee mug, or to go to the bathroom. Having surrounded yourself with practically every source available at your disposal, you could already hear voices whispering in your ear. Whether it was thanks to sleep deprivation or to the side effects of MKUltra, you didn't care.

So, just standing here and talking with Belikov was wasting any precious time and breath.

"Here's what you're going to do," you begin. "You are going to get a helicopter, and take me to where I want. No funny business, no questions. Got it?"

He nods, knowing that he was unable to escape.

Walking out the door, you stuck to him closely. Belikov could feel the silencer prodding him in the side as you went to the hangar together. From there, you let him choose a heli of his choosing.

As he did so, you took a small detour and went behind a large crate. There, you found all the equipment you had hid beforehand, and quickly threw everything on, and grabbed a parachute. The load was a bit heavy, so you had to put some effort into pulling your weight with each step. Prioritizing tactical equipment, your only weapons were a combat knife and the pistol.

"You're going to jump?" Belikov questions in disbelief as you board.

"What did I say?" you retort, and he shut up immediately.

As Belikov started up the heli, you could hear traffic control attempting to wave you down: "You are not authorized to—".

You unhooked the microphone from its place, bringing it close to your mouth. “Sergeant Woods approved of this flyby, no need to worry. Goodbye, you little shits.”

It was uncalled for, but you could feel satisfaction from just going off at them. Oh, you couldn’t wait to see the look on Woods face when you returned.

Without waiting for a response, you took it upon yourself to flick the radio off, as well as the GPS tracker. Belikov gave you an alarmed look, unable to comprehend the amount of rules and laws you were breaking, and you returned with a devious smirk, just daring him to speak.

“Fly.”

And he did.

The helicopter blades started to rotate, gaining speed. You and Belikov cover your ears with headsets, and you watched as the ground below you grew smaller and smaller. A few people were running out to the runway, attempting to prevent you from leaving, but by then they couldn’t do anything but report it back to the officers.

Everything was going to plan.

It was by pure chance that you happened to stumble upon the coded message that led you up to this point. The CIA team had brushed it off, and set it aside to transcribe at a later time. Although difficult, you broke it within a few days. If you did everything correctly, and you validated that you did, then the coordinates you discovered would lead to the tiny island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. There, an old World War II base would be found, out of commission. You had already salvaged through past records for an old layout of the base, and memorized it.

Taking everything into account, from helicopter fuel to radio chatter, Stitch and his party shouldn’t have gone too far. There weren't any records of unidentified or unauthorized aircrafts entering or leaving the East Coast, so it was safe to assume that they didn’t leave the country yet. They were waiting for something, or someone.

The thought of it being a trap did, in fact, cross your mind, but it didn’t bother you. There were other things to prioritize, and your life was second. You were probably deemed mentally insane at this point, seeing the lengths you had already gone through just to trying to get to Adler. But, if the roles were reversed, you knew he would do the same for you.

You weren’t going to fail, nor was Adler dead, so you were going to try your damn hardest for the both of you to return home. Alive.

Taking a moment, you looked over to check on Belikov. He maneuvered the copter without much trouble, although his grip on the handles were a bit tense, and you couldn’t help but feel a little remorseful, knowing that you just put him in a bad spot.

“When we get back,” you say, leaning back in your chair. “Tell them I held you at gunpoint. I don’t want you to lose your job because of me. Say that I was psychotic, or whatever.”

“No need,” he declines. “It’s the least I can do. You did save me back at the KGB after all.”

“Adler was the one who gave you this position in the first place. I don’t want to take away your chance at life because of my decision.”

He hummed. “Well, I trust that you’ll come up with something when the time comes. For now, just rest.”

You take a look at your watch. It was about 9:52 am, which meant that it took you about thirty minutes to get Belikov and board the chopper, and another twenty to get this far out from base.

It was a risky move to just fall asleep, seeing how Belikov could just turn around when you're out and turn you in. But, for someone that was held hostage, Belikov didn’t appear too bothered by it. Truth be told, you did hear stories about him, both from Adler and rumors floating around. His personality was a complete opposite of the things he had committed, and you couldn’t help but be impressed.

A silence settled between the both of you. Listening to the whir of the blades above you, you take the chance to view the scenery beneath you. To the right, an endless blue. The sunlight made the water twinkle brightly, and you notice a few carrier ships in the distance. As for the left, you could make out the shapes of buildings and immobile cars. Some houses aligned the beaches, little dots scattered around on the shore.

Massaging your eyes, you could feel yourself easing up as a sense of tranquility fell over you. For an unknown reason, you didn’t feel as troubled as one should in your situation. You crossed the line the moment you set foot into Belikov’s office, knowing that you could be held accountable for any mayhem that would follow. You should be shaking right now, fearing for the worse, or even thinking of possible outcomes if something went awry. But, you couldn't.

There was only one outcome.

Panic was unnecessary. If things happen, it'll happen.

And before you knew it, Nantucket came into view.

You slid the door open, holding onto the handles to stable yourself.

"I need you to come back in an hour!" you yell at Belikov over the wind. "The area should be clear by then!"

"An hour?!" he exclaims. "That's not enough—"

He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence, as you already jumped out. He could see your form get smaller and smaller as you pulled your arms to the side to gain speed. "Time..."

The plunge from the air, you had to admit, was a bit frightening. You never had really gone base jumping, or even skydiving, beforehand, so your experience was that of a beginner at best. It's a subject that isn't exactly given at basic military training. And despite your years of experience, this was probably the second time you had to ever jump out of a helicopter. The first time was during your time "Vietnam", when it was shot out of the air and hung up in the tree lines, but that was a different kind of jumping.

You pulled the parachute open when you were just a good distance above the water, and the old base was just a good swim away. Positioning yourself, you pointed your toes downward so you could break the surface tension of the water as you land. Once close enough, you cut the strings.

The salty, cold water immediately sent chills in your bones right as you landed. You could feel everything trying to drag you down, especially the small waves that crashed over you. A part of you just wanted to take everything off to make the load lighter, but you knew that you were going to need it eventually. Gasping for air, you tread for a bit, just trying to catch your breath.

Once you recovered, you took a leisure swim towards land.

There was a desolate space in front of you once you exited, in which a couple of humvees and a heli carrier sat. Crates were stacked nearby, left out in the open. Seizing the opportunity, you took cover behind them and whipped out a pair of binoculars. You took a quick survey of the perimeters, wondering the best approach.

There weren't as many people as you thought, counting, at most, five people that were patrolling the area. It was daytime, and the land was pretty vacant.

Taking a look at the time, it was now 10:32 am. The flight took about two hours, which meant that you had about one hour to retrieve Adler and rendezvous with Belikov before Hudson and the team could catch up with you. You hoped to return before they left. If they were smart, they must have broken into your room by now.

Returning focus to the objective, Woods had claimed that there were about thirty enemies when it came to the ambush, and a later report came out that eighteen bodies were counted. That meant there should be about twelve loitering around the base, five outside and seven inside.

"Have you counted the boxes already?"

A couple of men began to approach your area, and you instantly pulled yourself inwards and pressed your back against the crate.

"Yes. Everything is refueled and ready for transport."

"Took long enough."

They stopped right next to you, backs turned. Their uniforms were black, fitted with a matching vest and tundra camouflage patterned pants. You could see the Perseus symbol embroidered on the biceps of their right arm. Stitch certainly had a weird sense of fashion when it came to his underling.

With them distracted, you pounced onto one of them, covering their mouth. You pulled out their firearm from their side, and quickly unloaded the bullets into his partner before he could react. The body fell to the ground with a loud thud, and the man in your chokehold’s screams were brought down to a muffle.

You then violently snap his neck in return, and his body slumps over in your arms. With two dead bodies already on the list, you drag them behind cover, and strip the latter of his uniform, shove it on and top it off with the vest, switching out any unessential equipment with yours. It felt significantly easier to walk now without wet clothing.

Assuring that everything was in order, you headed inside.

It was eerily quiet, and you could mainly hear the whirring of machines, fans, and steam on the inside. A bit cramped, you noted, the wallways about two persons wide. The place showed little activity of reconstruction, having been untouched and abandoned. Dust collected in every nook and cranny, and there were dark spots and cracks speckled across the floor. The layout seemed true to the map you had remembered, so you traveled in deeper.

For a bit, it reminded you of the Ukraine mission. You were paired up with Woods, both of you infiltrating the secret Spetsnaz training facility and setting the place ablaze. You even had the balls to press the large red button, stating that "the enemies should come to you instead", much to the inconvenience of Woods.

"Ah comrade, I need your help over here!"

Breaking your train of thought, you muse over if you should engage in the request.

Ah, what the hell? you think. Maybe you could get them to spill information about Adler.

You trace back your steps to an open door. Inside, a man around the same height as you gestured you to come in. He had a fresh shave, with dark blonde hair gelled back. The top of his uniform was tied around his waist, an old tank top taking its place. By the looks of it, he seemed pretty drained.

"Perfect timing. I need you to help pack these," he requests.

"Ah," you voice. "And you're…?"

"Ivanov."

Walking in, the room was a makeshift armory. Rows of AK47s were aligned in a row on the tabletop, and underneath a crate of a diminishing supply of grenades. Ivanov was the only guy you seen inside thus far. He was filling up magazines, setting them on the table after the pack was finished.

Seeing that you were going to assist, he hauls a box of bullets out of the ammo container, and sets it down next to you. "We're a bit behind schedule, since Captain Kuzmin got a hold of the American."

You pause, hand hovering over the box, before continuing the motion and grabbing a couple of bullets and loading them into a magazine. "The prisoner, what happened to them?"

"I'm not sure, but I heard they were keeping him in one of the basements," Ivanov answers.

"Ah, I did not know that." You slide the mag in, making sure it was secure before pulling the top of it back. Seeing how you already knew how to do it, he straightens up, about to return to his station, only to do a double take in your direction. His eyes widened. "Thanks for informing me."

"Motherf—"

You pull the trigger.

Ivanov recoils backwards from the impact, tripping over the containers on the floor. A clean hit, right in between his eyes.

You let the firearm fall out of your hands, and it clatters onto the floor. Stepping over his body, you made your way back out, but not before tossing a few C4s into the pile of grenades.

Once getting a couple paces away from the armory, you detonated them.

The walls shook violently, and the overhead lights flickered. Nearby windows shattered from the blast wave, glass falling onto the gloomy floors. A few stray bits flew your direction, grazing your cheek.

Now that they had a distraction, you made your way to the basement.

The alarms began to sound, covering the metallic rings of the stairs as you rushed down them. There was an announcement over the PA, announcing that there were intruders, and it repeated endlessly.

On the final flight, a lone Perseus soldier ran their way up the stairs. "Where are you going?!" he exclaimed, trying to shove you back in the other direction. "There's a—"

You cut him off, sinking a knife into his chest. A few specks of blood splattered on your face, and you yank the blade back out. He gurgled, and watched helplessly as you cleaned your knife on the sleeve of your uniform.

"Give Arash my regards," you growl, stepping over him.

Now on the lowest part of the facility, you began kicking every door open, peering in to see if Adler resided in one of them.

Another of Stitch's companions rounded the corner, this time with rifles in hand. Upon seeing you, they fired in your direction and you duck into one of the rooms.

The glass pane above you shatters as they continue to unload everything. "Fucking idiots," you hiss under your breath.

Unhooking a grenade from your belt, you pulled out the pin and chucked it out the window. It goes off, and the air fills with the screams of two.

One survived the blast, trying to crawl away. You stop them, grabbing them by the collar and flipping them over and holding a gun to their head.

"Where's Adler?!" you bellow, pressing the barrel against his temple. "Tell me, and you'll live."

He gives out a pained, yet mocking chuckle. "You won't find him—"

You shoot him in the shoulder, and he gives out a yelp. Bringing him closer, you repeat yourself, "I'll ask again. Where. Is. He."

"You're too late," he chokes out, giving you a bloody grin. "The Captain's… He's- He's already heading to eva—"

"Fuck!"

You let him go, making sure to put a hole in each leg so he can bleed to death. With that, you made a dash towards the stairs, practically flying up it.

While you were busy poking around, Stitch must have already begun to move Adler out. The chopper they used was still there when you parachuted half an hour ago, so that must mean you just missed him.

The panic that you should have felt ages ago began to settle in. Shit shit shit!

Your joints and limbs were aching, just waiting to give out. A part of you just wanted to give up and trip, spending the rest of the time just lying down on the concrete floor. The small possibility that Adler was no longer here made you choke up, and it makes you wonder why you came all this way. Desperation hung over your shoulders, and your throat began to tighten.

You run out to the open sun, the sun rays temporarily blinding you.

Urgently, you look around for anything that was moving.

Here, you see a dark hooded figure just about a kilometer away, dragging something on the ground, around 300 yards away. Around him were three other soldiers. They were about halfway to the chopper carrier, and if you were to start running now, you wouldn't make—

No, you will. There was no time for doubt.

A humvee was pulled up nearby, and you quickly jumped into it. The keys were still in the ignition, so you cranked it sideways. The vehicle vibrated, a loud buzzing noise started. Switching the stick position, you slammed on the accelerator. It lurched forward, the tires screeching against the pavement.

With one hand on the wheel, you bring out another C4, tossing it into the passenger seat. You took out your grenades, your flashbangs- anything that would cause an explosion, and threw it into the pile.

They couldn't go anywhere if they didn't have the means of doing so.

You sped past the group of people, and taking a look out the window, you saw him.

Adler was on the ground, unconscious. His glasses were gone, and his clothes were stained in dried blood. You couldn't see his face underneath all the red smeared all over it. And holding him by the back of the collar was Stitch.

A sudden rage overtook you, and you wanted to jerk the wheel to run him over, but you managed to keep a level head, and drove past.

Caught off guard, his underlings began to shoot at your vehicle, but the reinforced plating shielded you as bullets pelted against the side.

The helicopter was right there, and so you did it.

You kick the door open and jump out. The landing was brutal, the wind getting knocked out of you upon impact. You tucked in, but felt your arm give out the moment it touched the ground, and tiny rocks scraped against your skin, tearing it open. The detonator fell out of your hands.

The humvee continued without you, the pedal stuck in place, and crashed into the heli. You forced yourself into a crawl, reaching for the remote. Once you felt something metallic brush against your fingers, you grabbed it and pressed every button available. The car exploded, taking out the chopper with it. Flames burst upward, sending a heat wave within radius.

You were all stuck on the island.

Now, it was time to deal with Stitch.

[TWO WEEKS LATER], 10:15pm

"That's it?"

"Yep," you affirm, before taking another shot of vodka.

Instantly, loud groans of disappointment filled the table and you smile smugly at their reactions.

"You're fucking kidding Bell—"

"Wow, really leaving us hanging."

You laugh as Woods gives you a friendly slap on the back of your head. "You're the most dumbest, deranged person I ever worked with," he declares.

"I take after you and Mason." You shrug with a smug grin. “Let’s face it though, you’re proud of me.”

“Damn right I am. But seriously, ‘Goodbye, you little shits’? You not only lie, but you disrespect me?”

"Well, would you have preferred me saying 'kiss my ass'?" you retort.

Two weeks have passed since your selfish decision to go after Adler. You managed to do the impossible, and it only took days of sleepless nights, a lot of coffee, and your mind balancing on the edge of insanity for you to pull it off.

Truth be told, you couldn't remember anything afterwards, as your memory blanked out.

According to Woods, they arrived shortly after where you ended your story. Somehow, you had managed to take out the other three, and were engaged Stitch in close quarter combat. They landed and took Stitch into custody, although he had left quite a mess in return.

You got stabbed in the abdomen, and got a knife pierced through your hands, and had a few bullet grazings and scrapes. Your shoulder got dislocated from your little dive out of the humvee. As for Adler, he was in better condition than you expected. He was still alive, although Stitch did a number on him.

The asshole decided to do an art project on Adler’s face, tracing over his scar with a fresh, sharp blade and gave him a broken nose. You shivered just thinking back on it. The medical report also indicated that he had a few broken bones mostly in his right arm and hand. There was a single bullet wound in his left leg as well, which you assumed he received from collateral damage around the time you were fighting the three.

They applied first aid there, before transporting you all back home for proper treatment.

Next thing you knew, you woke up in the med bay, three days after. You slept a whole sixty-two hours, catching up on sleep and recovering. Park chewed your ass out the moment you woke up, saying that you were on administrative leave and taken off payroll until a decision could be made on what to do with you.

Now, everyone was gathered in the meeting room, the lights turned down low to set the mood. You had just finished recounting your experience to the crew.

Anything work related was pushed aside, the papers replaced with several cans of beers and glasses of alcohol. Stress was relieved through downing shots, and entertainment was the good old pack of cards and chips, hard cash thrown onto the tabletops. Even Hudson was there, holding a bottle while playing beer pong.

“Bell, I just remembered,” Park perks up suddenly beside you. She reaches into her back pocket, retrieving a folded piece of paper and hands it over. “Look what I found.”

You take it, eyeing her cautiously. “What's this?”

“Blackmail,” she says lightly, and you gave her a stern look. “I’m kidding, but go on.”

Opening it up, it revealed itself to be a photograph. The timestamp showed that it was taken a couple weeks ago. More accurately, the day you went on a solo raid.

It was a picture of you and Adler sitting in the back of the helicopter, probably taken right after it landed back home. Your head was resting on Adler’s shoulder, and his head was leaning against yours. You were both holding hands, which rested on top of his left thigh.

"Aren't you two a bunch of lovebirds?" Park pokes fun at.

“What the fuck?!” you shriek, feeling heat rise up on your cheeks as Park gives you a shit-eating grin. “Helen, what the hell is wrong—”

“Oh, what do we have here?”

Woods plucks the polaroid right out of your hands. He whistles, seeing its contents. "Wow, wait 'till Mason hears about—"

"If you tell Mason, then I'll tell him about the mannequin," you snarl, snatching it back. You then turn to Park, who nonchalantly takes a sip of her drink. "Really?"

"C'mon Bell. It's not every day you get to see that kind of stuff," she teases.

"Well, let's make this the last time then. I'm burning this."

You take your leave, Baker shouting across the room for you to get another pack of beer, and you give him the bird over the shoulder in response, before taking a turn out the doorway.

The noise of music and speaking lowered down to the steady hum of the hanging lights as you wandered around for a bit.

You head the opposite direction of the trash room, and eventually find Adler in one of makeshift sleeping quarters. It was just him and one other person, who had just finished redressing his bandages.

He looked pale, his sullen expression exposing his insomniac habits. A large gauze pad was secured tightly with tape over his cheek, and his right arm in a cast. The medic was helping him get his jacket on, but in the end he only put his left arm in the sleeve while letting the rest hang from his shoulders. After determining he didn’t need any more help, the medic left, giving you a weary look of thanks as you moved out of the way.

Adler perks up slightly noticing your presence, giving you a small smile. “If it isn’t Sputnik.”

“Seriously?” you articulate. “That’s my nickname now?”

He ignores your question. “Are you drunk?”

“No. How's the face?"

"Hurts to talk, but I'll live."

Despite your protests, you were, in fact, drunk. You somehow managed to live up to the concept of Russians being able to handle alcohol well, yet Adler notes that you were beginning to slur your words. It was rather intriguing for many to experience the complete 180 in your personality when you get drunk. You would never shut up once someone got you to start talking, and if you had something to say, you did it in the most blunt way possible. A bit of your accent came out as well, a bit of a mix between British and Russian all together.

"You better."

Adler scoffs in amusement, but beckons you to get closer over with his hand. "C'mere."

"You forgive me?" you say hopefully, taking a seat on a swivel chair next to the bed. You both haven't seen each other since the incident, as you were forcibly isolated and interrogated once deemed stable enough. Adler most likely heard what had happened by the time you were released.

"You’re joking, right? Of course I don’t,” he reprimands, giving you a flick in the forehead.

“What the he—”

“You disobeyed a direct order, threaten someone at gunpoint, steal a heli, raid an abandoned military base on your own, blow it up, then have the audacity to fight Stitch on your own?"

"I literally killed an entire garrison for you, don't you dare lecture me on what I did."

"Is that your way of being romantic? Committing war crimes?"

"Which ones?” you counter. “You gotta be more specific, Russ, my entire existence is a war crime."

He sighs, knowing there's no use arguing with you. It felt like he was talking to a doppelganger of Woods sometimes, so having to deal with two idiots on the team was mentally exhausting. If anything, your efforts balance it out.

Lying down, he notices the paper in your hand and points his chin at it. "What's that?"

You lazily hold your hand out, letting him take it from you. "Did you know Park took this?"

"No. But you look dashing." Adler pockets it when you aren't looking.

"I look like a serial killer," you whine, leaning back and proceeding to spin.

"That's what you are."

"I don't kill for fun."

Adler stops your chair by sticking his foot out, worried that being dizzy and drunk might somehow cause you to hit your head against the table. “Your body count says otherwise.”

"Oh shit, am I on the top three?"

"If you keep pulling off the shit you do, you'll be first place soon enough."

You give out a boisterous laugh. "At least I beat you at something."

A silence settles between the both of you as your laughter dies out to a chuckle. To think that you were now able to have a casual conversation with Adler without having to worry felt reassuring. Despite his demeanor, he was an easy guy to talk to, but it felt like you would both argue like a married couple at times.

You began to feel drowsy, feeling the alcohol beginning to slow you down. Wondering what time it was, you remembered something and began to loosen the watch around your wrist. "I forgot to return—"

"Keep it."

"...You're mad at me."

"I'm not. It's yours now."

And so you secured it back around your wrist. While he assured that he wasn't mad at you, you knew that he didn't approve of what you did. It was reckless, and you intentionally put the entire mission in jeopardy because you couldn't be patient. Your lack in trust towards your teammates was called into question, and that day the CIA could have lost three people.

But, they didn't. It was always the negatives that everyone focused on, not the positives. You found where Adler was, outperforming the CIA's "top cryptographers" once again, managed to take out Stitch's unit and hinder his plans. What more could they want?

You scoot closer to Adler, crossing your arms on his bedside and burrowing your head in them. "I'm sorry."

“It’s fine,” he assured.

Avoiding his gaze, you stare at the wall trying to let the thought of Adler's disappointment bother you. Instead, you feel him place a hand on top of your head, and you close your eyes as you feel his fingers run through your hair, shuddering as he moves it in a combing fashion.

"I'm not a dog, you know," you comment tiredly.

"Well you're not stopping me either."

Despite not doing much recently, Adler found himself becoming exhausted more easily. Having two limbs temporarily out of commission certainly made it harder to move around, but it was the lack of movement that made him bored out of his mind. He wanted to get back to work already to make up for lost time, but everyone denied him the pleasure of doing so, saying that he’ll need to recover before anything else.

With nothing to do other than signing papers, Adler looked forward to seeing you pop in from time to time while you tell him stories about what had happened that day. He had planned to drop by the meeting room for a couple of drinks, but he found himself preoccupied with you instead, your own sleepiness rubbing off of him.

You were about to drift off when you felt Adler’s hand leave and the sound of the lamp turning off. He nudges you awake. Opening your eyes slowly, you found that Adler had pushed himself farther into the bed, holding up the blankets to reveal an open space beside him.

“Hop in.”

Too tired to decline, you slip under the covers with him, pulling the sheets over your shoulders. You could feel the heat radiating off of him, and you unconsciously moved a bit closer to him, and Adler couldn't help but chuckle to himself as you did.

"Shouldn't we go join the others?" you query.

"Can't. Doctors said no drinking."

"Ah. I hope you well get soon then."

Adler does a double take. "You mean, 'I hope you get well soon'?" he corrects.

"That's what I said."

"God, how many shots did you take?"

You felt usually daring today, the alcohol going to your head. Your hand shoots up to his head. His naturally styled hair became tousled as you played with it between your fingers. It felt soft and lush like you expected. "Enough to get where I'm at now."

“So, we’re speaking Russian now?”

In the darkness, you could make Adler's expression. It was peaceful, the corners of his eyes slightly lifted as his lips were upturned in a barely noticeable, yet tender, smile. His eyes watched you fondly, just taking in your facial features and every little movement they made. It was almost like he was in a trance, and whenever you were around he could just forget everything. The pain would suddenly become a numbing tingle as his heart began to quicken itself each time.

Love was something he hadn't felt in a long time, and even he had to admit that he was scared of trying to love again. And he could tell you were in a similar situation— not knowing what it felt like to be loved.

"Russian is considered a romantic language, you know," you point out, pulling your hand away.

The feeling Adler got every time he looked at you came with the urge to protect you, wanting to keep you out of harm's way. But in reality, it felt like you were the one protecting him, doing all the dirty work behind the scenes just for the sake of it. Yet, you were unwavering, and it was alarming.

"Last time I checked, it’s not. You're just saying that cause you like hearing me speak it."

You gave him a meek grin. “Smartass.”

Reflecting on it, Adler didn't know much about you.

Judging from previous missions, you've become long desensitized to a point where you had no issue dealing with the enemy in the way you had done two weeks ago, and it made him wonder what kind of other shit you went through before having the luck of meeting him. But, to see you act in such an affectionate way was something new, as you played a relentless, yet dependable, soldier on the job.

If there's one thing he did know, it was that he wanted to spend the rest of his days working alongside you. When he, and if he will, retire, Adler knew that he wanted to take you back to his hometown and show you around. Live together as civilians, take you out for dinner, maybe even rent a fancy sports car and speed down the highway near some scenic beach during sunset. It was a cheesy thought, but it was something he looked forward to, and he didn't plan to die until he did.

Lost in thought, he brings his hand up to your chin.

"I never really did thank you for Nantucket, did I?" he murmurs, switching back to English. Hearing Adler's gravelly voice in such close proximity made you melt.

"No, not really."

"Close your eyes then."

"Why-"

"Close."

And so you obliged.

Darkness overtook your vision, and you strained yourself to listen carefully. You heard the sheets ruffling, and Adler moved his hand to cup your cheek, the roughness of his palms ticking your skin. Your heart began to race, and butterflies fluttered in your stomach as you waited for Adler to commit to what he planned.

Getting impatient, you were about to speak up and snap your eyes open but you felt something press against your lips gently.

The kiss was soft and surprisingly chaste. You could detect the wistfulness behind it, and it brought up a mix of emotions. His lips were different from what you had imagined. They were plump and smooth, almost luscious on its own. Rather fitting for a suave man of his nature, yet it gave you an entirely new, exclusive experience.

Eventually, Adler recedes back, pulling away, but you could still a tingling impression left on your slightly parted lips. You failed to form any words, and instead your eyes fluttered back open.

The look he gave you made you tear up. His eyes were half lidded, and there was a sense of longing behind those ocean blue eyes of his, telling you that he had been waiting to convey his feelings in this way for the longest time. It just made you defenseless, knowing that there was someone like Adler that actually loved the monster that you had made yourself out to be.

You thought back to a couple weeks back, remembering his unconscious form and a strange sense of dread fell upon you. An image flashed in your mind, your blood-stained hands shaking as they hovered over his beaten face. Someone was trying to pull you away from him, shouting at you in indecipherable words.

Adler was fine now, but you couldn't help but sob, the delayed sense of impending doom now finally kicking in after two weeks.

A tear rolled down your cheek, wetting the pillow underneath you, and you immediately tried to wipe your eyes before more followed.

"Sorry, I-I don't know what's come over me," you stammer, shuddering as you try to catch your breath. “Just give me a moment.”

"You want to talk about it?"

“No, it’s fine,” you try to assure him.

Adler wasn’t having any of it. He couldn’t just lie idly aside and let it pass, especially with you tearing up about it. “Talk to me, Bell.”

You sniffle, taking a deep breath. "It's just… When Woods informed us that you were missing, I-I got so fucking scared. I worked with Stitch before, and..."

"I'm here now."

"I know, but… Just you, tied up in some chair in some unknown place, him inflicting whatever vengeance he had against you… I was confident that you were alive, but then I thought: what if I never found you? What if I was wrong, and you were never there? The thought of just discovering your body—"

"[Y/N]," Adler cuts you off. "I haven't seen you in two weeks and the last thing I want for you to do is cry. Even more so if it's because of me."

"I—"

"It's in the past now. You did what you thought was best. It was fucking stupid, but it's the reason why we're able to have this conversation today. As much as I hate to admit it, your impulsiveness saved my ass. But, as your superior, and your boyfriend, don’t you dare pull shit like that again, got it?”

“...Okay,” you assent. Adler always had a way with words, although forthright, but it never failed to comfort you.

He nods in affirmation. “Good.”

You both gaze at each other wordlessly amidst the darkness. The light that seeped under the doors gave you the dim outline of his form, and you could see his chest rising and falling in a steady pace. Adler lied there calmly, listening to you ease yourself down into hiccups. He wanted to embrace you, but his injuries prevented him from doing so, and it pained him.

“...We didn’t do anything for your birthday, did we?” you inquire through receding hiccups. “Or that thing. Valentine’s was it?”

“You and I? No. You weren’t here.”

A pang of guilt hits you. “Shit… I, uh— Park had to bring me back to the U.K. for a couple days due to… complications.”

Adler hums for a bit, thinking. His birthday was nothing special of sort, but the rest of the crew was eager to celebrate it, especially with his return. They held a drinking session, similar to the one tonight, but he could only sip on water and non-alcoholic juices.

“Tell you what,” he begins a bit eagerly. “Since we’re both on leave, how about we take a trip back to my hometown?”

“Where’s that at?”

“It’s a secret, you’ll find out later.” He could hear you scoff in amusement. “You can stay at my house, where the bed is actually big enough for the both of us. I’ll drive you around, show you the tourist attractions—”

“You can’t drive with your arm like that,” you snicker.

“Fine, you can drive. Just don’t scratch it. Anyways, you’ll drive us around, and we can eat at this nice restaurant that’s close by. I know the owner, so we can get a good deal. There’s a nice view in their outdoor seating area, and their wine is pretty decent.”

“You’re such a sap.”

“Hey!” Adler retorts in offense. “Not everyone’s idea of a romantic getaway is infiltrating an old military base. Let me have this for once.”

“Mhm.”

“Good.” He gives you a peck on the forehead. “But until then, you need to sleep, soldier.”

“Yes, sir.”

You nuzzle yourself into the crook under Adler’s chin, and you could feel his arm curve underneath and wrap around your unbandaged hand. You slowed your breathing down to match Adler’s as he rubbed gentle circles in your palms, and you counted each rotation, just trying to fight off sleep. You wanted to stay awake and cherish the moment, but the distant music from the party persisted, the muffled beats slowly pulling you into a light slumber.

"Я тебя люблю,” you mumble as you drift off, your fingers losing its grip around his.

"I love you too.”

Adler kisses your forehead once again, before following you into a good night sleep.

#sorry this is long lmao #there's not a lot of romantic plot here i tried my best #russell adler #russell adler x reader #russell adler x bell #cod black ops cold war #cod #black ops cold war #call of duty imagine #bo:cw #text #bell #call of duty x reader #fanfic #call of duty: black ops cold war #me back at is again with my limited vocabulary #abcd briefing

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1980s-robin · 4 years

Text

Pinkie Promise

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Summary: Reader and Steve are inseparable, even through dangerous times. But despite nearly dying, there’s just three unspoken little words that burden their minds.

Word Count: 8.5k

Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence, Stab wounds, mentions of blood, cussing, basically just canon-typical stuff, pretty sure I clarified the reader as a girl at least once

Notes: So, I’ve been rewatching Stranger Things because… ya know… October. And I’m in my Steve feelings and decided ‘hey! let’s write a giant fanfic about him’ so here it is. And kids? It’s a big one. Enjoy! I’ve been working on it for weeks.

It was meant to be a calm summer, perhaps your last ever calm summer - the plan after graduation having been to spend a year working to pay for your college tuition, or at least as much of it as you possibly could. It was a good plan, but of course, you didn’t factor in a Russian conspiracy theory underneath the mall.

You waved a goodbye to your supervisor at The Gap, watching her finish locking up from behind you as you pretended you were walking to the exit of the mall like you had done every other day. “If you need to get back in, you have your key right?” She questioned, you nodding as you pulled it out of your ‘hiding place’ - which happened to just be your bra.

Once you had seen her take her leave, you quickly turned back around and knocked four times on the locked entrance of the Scoops Ahoy, being greeted by the face of your new friend Robin.

“Hey! Is everyone gone?” She questioned, peeking her head out as she opened up the store enough to let you in but not make too much noise - just in case there was still someone out there.

“I think so, my store is usually the last to finish closing.” You responded as you looked around the inside of the store and followed Robin back into the break room, pulling a chair over to the table. Typically, when you came here during your lunch break, you would take a seat across from Steve but the inclusion of Dustin put you directly in the middle of the table.

“Well, Y/N, you joined a little late.” You heard from beside you, turning your head to watch Dustin sitting dramatically, his finger pointing accusingly at you.

“The hell is he on about?” You questioned as you glanced over at Steve, who turned to look at you and coughed awkwardly.

“Robin already figured out what the code said but uh…. I don’t really believe it’s right.” He said with an almost disappointed look on his face as Robin and Dustin moved to the exit so everyone could leave. The code was figured out as far as they were concerned.

You glanced at the board and read what it said, your eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as you read the word but you shrugged and turned to face Steve. “If it is some sort of Russian code, I don’t see why they would say whatever it is they wanted directly.” You said as you moved over to the counter climbing on top of it with the help of Steve.

As you slid onto the floor, your feet meeting the ground as gently as possible as to not hurt yourself, you watched Dustin nod in agreement with your statement. “She’s right, a top-secret Russian code wouldn’t be that obvious - it’s obviously coded.” He said.

“And I know my translation was right.” Robin added on, your head turning back to look at Steve for just a moment before you turned ahead again.

As you listened absentmindedly to their conversation you sighed, almost relieved that you most likely didn’t have to deal with this anymore. “Well, whatever it is thankfully it’s far away from here.”

Almost like a curse, the minute you turned back around Steve was kneeling in front of the mini-carousel ride and demanding a quarter. You had no idea why, you were just assuming he wanted to get on it or something - odd since he wasn’t five but… you weren’t one to judge him.

As he finally got his quarter you watched with confusion written all over your face before you heard it, the song that you’d been hearing for the past few weeks but… then you realized why he was playing it. It seemed Dustin had the same thought as he pulled the recorder out, playing it for you all to hear the same song playing in both places.

You felt chills run down your spine, but as Robin reasoned that maybe they had the same type of horse in Russia you agreed - maybe because you wanted to believe it.

But, Steve pointed out the name of the horse. Indiana Flyer. Why would they have an Indiana Flyer in Russia? The recording must’ve been coming from within the mall, and the thought of that horrified you.

As you all walked out of the mall, you wanted to get away as quickly as possible, you followed Steve to his car since you lived close together - he typically drove you home.

“Y/N?” You heard from beside you once you’d gotten in the passenger seat, everything seeming to go by in a blur since you hadn’t even noticed that he’d left the parking lot. “Are you okay?” Steve asked, watching as you finally turned to look at him.

“You want to go after the Russians, don’t you?” You asked, your head seemingly spinning from all the information that was being presented to you in that moment - it was a lot for you to process.

“Well yeah, we can’t tell the police about it, they’ll think we’re pulling some kind of prank.” replied, as though it was common sense that he wanted to go after them - whoever they were.

“But Hopper he- he knows about all of the weird stuff going on, I’m sure he’d be understanding.” You reasoned, still not wanted to go through with this.

“Y/N… do YOU want to go after the Russians?” Steve finally asked, turning into the area of town with more houses, leaving behind the gas station that you both usually stopped at for drinks after a long day of work.

“No I- It’s dangerous.” You said, but that excuse with nothing and you knew it.

“We’ve fought monsters before, I’m sure humans are a step down from that-”

“Steve I- last time you almost died and I can’t-” You internally cringed at the memory of seeing him bloody and bruised, remembering him going out with nothing but a baseball bat and the terror on your face as you did everything you could to help. “I don’t want you to die.” you commented, glancing back down at your lap.

“That won’t happen again and… is me living really more important than like- maybe everyone in our town?” Steve questioned you as he glanced at you for a moment, mostly keeping his eyes on the road, though.

“They’re not you.” You mumbled, looking out of the window of the car, almost embarrassed at the clinginess you felt toward your best friend. All those years of watching Steve grow and change, feeling more than friendly things toward him and nearly crying every time he told you about a new girl and you’re just just attached at the hip as you always had been.

There wasn’t much time to think about this, though, as you felt Steve slide his hand into your own comfortingly, his other hand firmly on the steering wheel. “You can stay back if you want to, you know, I’d rather you not be in danger an-”

“No!” You rushed out, eyes wide as your head snapped to look at Steve. “If you’re going I’m going, you’re not getting yourself killed and leaving me behind.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, “So you’re implying we should die together?” He asked, trying to keep the conversation somewhat light-hearted as he pulled into the parking lot of his own home - about three down from yours.

“I’m not implying anything, I’m saying that if this goes wrong and something happens I’m gonna be there.” You finally said, unbuckling your seatbelt before motioning ahead. “You want a sleepover or something? I’d love to braid your hair, Stevie.” You teased as you got out of the car, but even teasing felt wrong. You were absolutely terrified.

“I want to walk you back, but since you’re so worried for me maybe you don’t want me walking back alone.” He retorted playfully, meeting you on the other side of the car.

You smacked his arm, “This is serious.” You said, walking toward your house with the boy practically at your heels.

“I know, Y/N I know I just-” He stopped, not knowing exactly what it was that he wanted to say. “I’m scared too, you know, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.” He said as you finally reluctantly turned back to look at him. “But we have to do this, someone has to, you know people are just going to think we’re being crazy because of Vietnam or something.”

With a sigh, you nodded. “I know that, I just hate seeing you hurt. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You’re my best friend… I need you.” You said, feeling Steve link his arm with yours as you walked closer to your house, almost wishing you didn’t have to go in without Steve - just incase you never got to see him again.

You had noticed something stall in him at your words, maybe it was saying that you needed him - not that it was the only thing you wanted to say. But whatever it was that had given him pause wore off rather quickly as he composed himself. “I need you too, and I’m… I’m sorry to put you in this situation… again.” He said as you finally reached your door and turned to look at him - your worried expression instantly softening at his apologetic features.

“You shouldn’t have to apologize for wanting to help people Steve, I’m just being paranoid.” You brushed it off, moving your hand to fix a strand of his hair that was sticking up.

Steve sighed and shook his head, “I understand that,” He said, catching your wrist to keep some sort of contact - something that caused your stomach to flutter slightly. “But we will make it out of this, and everyone else will too. I promise.” He said, sticking out his pinkie for a pinkie promise - one of dozens you’d made with him.

You tried to fight back the smile on your face as you twisted your pinkie with his, “I trust you.” You finally responded, letting yourself smile.

“Good, good, because you also just agreed to a sleepover when this is all over - I wanna see what you can do with my hair.” He teased, causing you to laugh.

“Ok, ok, but if you hate it don’t cry.” You said with a smile. “Goodnight, Steve.” You finally said, rather softly, as you opened the door to your home.

“Goodnight, Y/N.” He responded, walking down the sidewalk back to his house. There was a part of you that wanted to follow after him, ask him to stay with you or kiss him or something - it was almost always in the back of your head when he said goodnight. But you knew you couldn’t do that, so you just shut your front door and ran to the living room. Contrary to mocking annoyment at the idea of you not trusting him to walk down the sidewalk, you’d feel bad if you didn’t watch to make sure someone didn’t get him.

Once you knew he had made it back home, you sighed and walked to your bedroom, changing into what you typically slept in and slipped into bed. On a normal day, you might take a shower and watch a movie or something. But tonight you just wanted to go to bed, everything you had learned about the mall that day had just been too much.

The sound of your alarm clock startled you awake as you got out of bed, changing what you usually wore to work and turning to go outside. You were met, as you usually were, by the sight of Steve sitting in his car waiting for you to finish getting ready.

“So, what are we doing today?” You asked him, sliding into the passenger seat and wrapping the seatbelt around you as you clicked it in place.

“I’m not sure, I’ll let you know if something happens but… I’ll just let you know.” Steve seemed to trail off, doing a U-Turn to turn back the way he had driven the previous night. For a moment it almost seemed like he didn’t want you involved, similar to how you didn’t particularly want him involved, but there you both were - directly in the middle of the Russian conspiracy theory.

As you arrived at the mall, you left your bag in the car - again, as you usually did. Normally, you would be talking to Steve on the way in, but both of you seemed rather tense.

“It feels wrong going in here… I feel like we’re gonna be like-” You cut off, glancing around to make sure there was nobody that looked suspicious. “It feels like we might be… killed or something.” You finally said as you glanced over at Steve, walking into the mall with him, but a part of you wanted to turn around and never come back.

“It’ll be okay, they could have killed us last night probably if they thought we were on to them. I’m sure this is going to be fine.” He said, but he didn’t seem too assured.

You nodded, though, because he really was right. The mall had your addresses from the checks being mailed home, if the Russians suspected that you knew something they could have had you killed already - and it made no sense to do something like that in a giant mall, especially when you lived so close together.

“I’ll see you during our lunch break?” You questioned as you had reached Scoops Ahoy, Steve nodding in response.

“Or earlier, if we find something and I have time to get you.” he responded, your heart almost dropping.

“If you find something you need to get me, okay, or at least try- I don’t want you to get hurt I-” You were getting frantic again, keeping your voice down to not draw-awareness.

“I will, but if something happens and you don’t see me during lunch promise you’ll come looking.” He said, watching as you nodded in response. You had to be realistic, something might happen and you might not be able to go together. “And you can’t pretend to be sick.” He said, as if reading a thought that may have crossed your mind.

“Alright.” You agreed reluctantly, waving a hello to Robin who you saw behind the counter and turning around, but for a moment something clicked in your brain. You might not see either of them for a while, if worse comes to worse. “Please stay safe, both of you.” You finally said as you turned back around, both of your close friends nodding before you walked to your job at The Gap.

The rest of the day you had basically spent most of the day folding clothes and answering customers questions, but your mind couldn’t help but wander. You were completely distant from everything that was going on, you couldn’t focus on anything. More than once you’d wanted to tell a customer to leave the mall, to never come back, because you felt like everyone was in danger at that moment. But you couldn’t.

A while later, your lunch break started - as you walked over to Scoops Ahoy you noticed that neither Steve nor Robin were there, and you started to fear for the worst.

It was a frantic scramble for the next few moments before you ran into someone, someone who grabbed your arms and pulled you in front of them.

“Hey-”

“Steve? I th-”

“I know, I can explain, just come with me.” He said as he started guiding you over to a table. When you sat down, you noticed the people you were used to, at this point. Robin and Dustin, but you also noticed the inclusion of another new face. She looked familiar for a moment, before you placed that it was Erica Sinclair.

“Why is-” You motioned to Erica, “Is she going to help us? What’s-” You were practically choking on your words, completely confused by what was going on as you felt Steve slide into the seat beside you.

“We need someone to go through the vents to open the loading dock for us to get in, Dustin couldn’t fit and he thought he knew someone who could.” Robin explained, “And, she agreed in exchange for ice cream.” She added on.

You nodded along to what she said, wondering if it was a good idea to have her tagging along but knowing that if there was no other option there was no reason why the rest of you couldn’t just watch after her.

The rest of the day was finished somewhat normally, with the looming knowledge that you would be getting into Russian equipment as soon as the mall closed.

Ironically, you finished work early for the first time in a while. Your co-workers had been a little too diligent in making sure everything was stocked for the next day, granted, your supervisors had told you to be extra diligent for the next few days since it was the week of the holiday. While it meant that everything was going to be done sooner than it would have been otherwise, it also meant that you needed to break into Russian information sooner.

You quietly walked to where Scoops Ahoy was, you shouldn’t have been as paranoid as you were about going to see your friend who drove you home anyway - but with the given circumstances you felt like everything that you were doing was completely out of the ordinary.

“You’re here early.” Robin commented from behind the counter as she jumped on top of the stand, sliding across it.

“We finished early, I don’t think anyone else is still here though.” You said as you glanced around the empty mall. “Even if they are, I don’t think anyone’s going to notice us climbing on the roof.”

It was only a few minutes later before Dustin, Robin, Steve and yourself departed for the rooftop outside of the loading deck - Erica moving for the vents that would allow you all to enter from that part of the building.

As you laid on the rooftop, making sure to be as close to the roof as possible as to not draw any attention if there were to be someone who could be paying attention to any of you, you couldn’t help but feel like you shouldn’t be doing what you were doing.

There was just this feeling in your brain, this feeling that maybe this was wrong and that none of you should be involved. But, before you could allow your mind to wander too far with that idea the dock was open, and you were all climbing down the latter and walking quickly and quietly into the building before shutting the door behind you.

It was eerie being inside of this part of the mall, surrounded by these boxes that you’d seen being walked through the mall and thought nothing of. Seeing them knowing that they were something else, something that could pose a threat to yourself and everyone else that you happened to know.

You kneeled next to the boxes, watching as Steve opened one of them with a box cutter. You nearly jumped as you told Dustin to get back, but you did not expect him to tell you to get back.

“If you die I die.” Dustin responded to Steve’s criticism, his firm tone seeming to surprise everyone - including you.

“I agree with Dustin, if you die I die too.” You commented, high fiving Dustin above Steve’s head.

Steve seemed to blink for a moment, “Okay then.” He finally said, glancing between the both of you before twisting one of the tubes inside of the box and pulling it out.

You all stared in awe of the green, shining liquid-type thing inside of the jar that Steve was holding, having no clue what it could possibly be that he was holding.

Before you had the chance to tell him to put it down you all felt the room begin to move, only for a moment, before everyone started rushing to get the door opened. But the door didn’t seem to want to open.

You let out a yell as you saw the walls begin to close in, and felt the room start shooting downwards. You fell over on top of one of the boxes, hitting your hip and most likely leaving a bruise.

As soon as the room stopped, you slowly stood up. Of course, you quickly pieced together that what you were in wasn’t a room at all - but rather an elevator where the Russian’s happened to be keeping their things. Now, not only were you deep below the ground, but the doors to the elevator were completely covered over by a metal wall.

As soon as you stood up, moving to stand with everyone else, you felt the need to collapse back onto the ground in some sort of defeat. “I didn’t think this was how we were going to die, of all the ways.”

Steve kneeled in front of you, “We’re not gonna die, we just have to find a way out of here.” he tried to reassure you as he stood back up and started looking around for something. You assumed he was looking for some kind of emergency switch or exit, or maybe a way to get above the elevator in order to get out.

But that kind of idea was quickly shot down, realizing that this might as well have been a metal box that you were all stuck in. There didn’t seem to be a way out.

“Maybe someone will come back in the morning, we could just…” You trailed off, making the motion of running your finger over your throat.

“We are not going to kill whoever comes in here, Y/N.” Robin replied, a nearly disappointed look on her face at the way that your mind had instantly gone to that.

“My point still stands, someone is probably going to come in here for whatever that green shit is tomorrow, if we hide I’m sure there will be a way to hold the door open. Better yet, maybe it’ll just go back up.” You said, feeling as if your brain was finally clicking into place. Most likely because this wasn’t the first time you were in a life or death situation, and truthfully it wasn’t the scariest either.

“But what if they don’t come back for like… a week or something for another delivery.” Dustin added on, but you shook your head.

“That thing can’t just be sitting here, they’ve gotta do something with it I’m sure.” You said confidently. Maybe you weren’t too confident that someone was going to come back tomorrow, maybe someone wouldn’t be back for a few days, but you didn’t want to think about that.

“In the meantime, though, we should try to find a way out in case whoever comes back tomorrow knows that we’re here.” Robin said, something that you couldn’t help but agree with.

It was about two hours before you had just given up, deciding that you most likely weren’t going to find a way out as everyone has scoured every inch of the elevator that you were stuck in. You gave the ‘Open Door’ button one last press before sliding back against the wall, a yawn escaping your lips as you leaned your head back.

You felt someone beside you, and turned to find Steve sitting next to you, a defeated look on his face. “We’re not gonna die here,” You said. But you weren’t sure if you were saying it in an attempt to reassure yourself or to reassure Steve.

“Even if we do get out…” He trailed off, seemingly not wanting to think about what could happen next. “We were just supposed to come in here and leave. Not… get stuck down here.” He seemed frustrated and somewhat exhausted.

“We came down here to stop bad people from doing bad things, it just went a little wrong.” You said, wanting to bring some kind of hope into the discussion. But even before you didn’t have much hope that just the few of you could do much of anything, and now you’d all gotten stuck in an elevator.

“I didn’t want you down here with all the Russians, you know that right?” Steve asked, turning to look at you as you finally met his eyes. “I know you didn’t even want to be involved with this and if you get killed ‘cause of me-”

“It’s not that I didn’t want to be involved, it’s that I didn’t want you to get hurt. It was never about me.” You said rather softly, watching his expression seemingly change for a moment as he got ready to do or say something - which one, you weren’t sure - but he seemed to stop himself when you let out another yawn.

“You can sleep, Y/N, I won’t let anything happen to you - I promise.” He said, sort of comfortingly as he wrapped an arm around you and let you rest your head gently on his shoulder.

“Goodnight Stevie.” You mumbled as you quickly fell asleep, the exhaustion from working and the stress of the day and the current situation being enough to effectively knock you out.

It was only another few hours before you woke up at the feeling of movement, not really doing anything about it until you eventually heard the sound of a door opening. You were concealed by a box, and thankfully whoever had come in wouldn’t be able to see you. As you came to a bit more, you noticed Steve slide a box in between the doors that had opened to stop them from closing again.

You followed everyone out of the room, “Nothing happened while you were asleep.” Dustin said from in front of you, your eyes moving over as you realized he was speaking to you.

“Well, I figured, we were locked in a room - but I guess you never know.” You responded, quietly, as you walked down the hallway - your eyes practically running around the room as you made sure that there was nobody in there with you.

It was a little while longer, everyone walking down corridors and you mostly being quiet out of fear that someone was going to hear you, that you would speak at the wrong time.

Eventually you reached what seemed to be some sort of communication room, but as you walked in you were face to face with a Russian Soldier. You froze for a minute, before searching for some sort of blunt object that you could use - for a moment considering throwing your shoes at the man. But Robin distracted him by reiterating the Russian code to him, and Steve seemed to think quick enough to knock the man out.

“Good thinking,” You said as you turned to Robin - before your eyes began scanning the room. Finally, they found a door, and you walked with Robin to it, assuming that the others were following.

“Thanks,” She trailed off, seemingly distracted as she pushed open a door. You stood in shock of what you were staring at, the other three following you both into the room as Robin motions them in.

“Shit…” You trailed off, your brain connecting what you were looking at. Of course this had to be the reason that they were in a small town like Hawkins, seeing it before you made everything make perfect sense. Or, as much sense as a situation like this could possibly make to someone with a limited understanding of any of it.

Quickly, you all made your way out of the room, looking for an escape before Erica noticed that the Russian soldier was no longer with Steve. By the time you’d all realized, though, it was too late.

The only thing that you could do was run as fast as your feet could carry you, following after the other four. But you couldn’t be shocked that you were outnumbered, and try as you might to look for any type of exit it was obvious to you that there wasn’t going to be a safe exit - at least not for everyone.

You watched as Dustin and Erica quickly walked over to a vent, Steve pushing you toward them. “Go! It’ll be safer-”

“I can handle myself, Steve.” You replied back, urgently trying to get back over to the door with Robin.

“It’s not about that, just go I don’t need you to di-”

“No! Not without you!” You finally yelled back, Steve seeming to stop for a moment before accepting that there wasn’t enough time to convince you to go with Dustin and Erica. You watched as they got away, knowing at that moment that your choice had been completely solidified.

The next thing you knew, there was a swift punch to your face - the world going black, and all of the commotion surrounding you seeming to just fade away.

You weren’t sure how long it was before you woke up again, but you seemed to come to your senses rather quickly. The room you were shoved into was rather small, almost like a mop closet but it was completely empty - a flickering fluorescent being your only form of light. There was no one with you, for a couple seconds, that is.

Within a few moments of waking up a man walked into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him as you turned to you with a smug expression.

“You put up quite a fight, you know.” the man commented, much to your dismay.

“I can’t… I don’t remember that.” You responded, which, again to your dismay, made him seem to laugh for just a moment as your confusion.

“No, you wouldn’t, we’ve already injected you with the serum we’re about to give your friends.” He said, glancing down at you for a moment, seemingly at your body. “Have you looked at yourself?” The commented, again, with a smug expression on his face.

It was then that you glanced down, multiple knife wounds on your body, blood covering the front of your shirt. “Wh-”

“The serum will stop the pain for a little while, but if you don’t start telling the truth soon…” He trailed off, moving closer to you and pressing down on the wound that you could only assume was a stab, though it felt as if it was covered by a bandage, “You’re going to regret it.”

You watched as blood pooled around where he was pressing, but the serum was strong enough to make it only feel like an intense pressure, almost like getting a root canal at the dentist's office - you know something terrible is happening, but can only kind of feel it.

At that moment you could only realize: he had mentioned your friends. “Where are they, where did you take them.” You grunted out, almost instinctively reaching for the man’s neck as he moved back.

“It wouldn’t matter if I told you, the way things are going - they’re not going to make it out of the day.” he responded, his thick Russian accent making his words harder to understand - but you understand perfectly clear what he was trying to say.

“If you don’t fucking tell me where they are I swear to God I will fucking bite you- I will bite your Adam’s Apple out you son of a-” That was enough to make the man swiftly slap you across the face, standing up and waling to the door.

“If you don’t want the easy way… I guess I’ll just send in the doctor.” He said, walking out of the room and leaving you alone.

As you stood up to look for some way out, assuming there had to be a way, you narrowly dodged a vent falling from above you. “Dustin?!” You whisper-yelled, watching as he dropped from the vent and onto the ground.

“What the hell happened to you?” He asked, taking in your bloodied form.

“I don’t remember- Where’s Steve?” You asked him, watching as he moved toward the door with what appeared to be a couple bobby pins he had gotten from Erica.

“We’re going to get him right now,” He started as the door unlocked. “How is it that you got stabbed and your first question is ‘where’s Steve’?” Dustin questioned as he peeked his head out of the door way before motioning for you to follow him out.

You followed Dustin out, feeling the familiar pressure of the stab wound on your waistline - now that you were standing, it was clear that it was somewhere on the far left part of your hip - thankfully far away from any important organs.

As you walked through the long corridors, making sure to avoid any hubs of people, you found yourself passing by the very room that you last remembered being in - before being brought to another interrogation room. Dustin prodded a man in a lab coat with a large, electrified metal rod before you both made quick work of untying Steve and Robin.

Despite your current bloodied and wounded state, you still found yourself getting a lump in your throat seeing the injuries that Steve had sustained.

“You’re going to be okay, we’re all going to be okay.” You said once you had finally gotten the ties done on his hands - resting a hand on the side of his cheek for a moment before turning to Dustin. “You know how to get out of here?” You questioned, watching as he nodded in response. “Alright then, good.”

You ran after Dustin, making sure Robin and Steve were behind you both as you got into the cart, leaning your head against the wall as you sat across from Steve and Robin.

You tilted your head at their current state, before remembering the mention of a serum - one you were supposed to have had, but you just assumed it was why you couldn’t remember anything that happened to you; that and the fact that it was probably working overtime to numb the pain of your wound.

For the first time, you pulled your shirt up slightly. Your suspicion was correct, they had put a bandage over the wound. But it was flimsy at best, leaving a large patch of blood on your hip where you had been bleeding through.

You dropped your shirt quickly, shifting uncomfortably as you followed everyone into the elevator. Maybe it was how quickly it was moving, or maybe it was just the natural span of the drugs, but you felt your head begin to pound, and with it you felt the stab wound for the first time; a sharp pain coming through as you let out a groan.

“You’re not looking too good,” Dustin commented as you looked over toward him with a slight glare.

“I’ll meet you back at the movie theater, just let me run and get a first aid kit.” You responded, once you’d finally gotten out of the elevator. It felt odd being in the movie theater, having just escaped from a Russian lab directly under where you were at the moment.

As soon as you stepped out you quickly made your way to The Gap, knowing that there was a first aid kit kept in the back. You reached your hand into the side of your bra, pulling out the store key that you kept in there and sliding it into the lock - twisting it and making a painful bolt for the back of the store.

Letting out another loud groan, you grabbed the first aid kit and basically dropped onto the ground, leaning against the wall for support as you hiked your shirt up and removed the bandage.

It was a painful process, trying to clean up the blood and tightly wrap a bandage on in a timely manner - but you managed, with perhaps less than a dozen cuss words uttered.

As soon as you were finished, you reached into the kit and pulled out a few advil’s, doing your best to swallow them without water before locking the kit back up and making your way back out of the store - but as you looked down at your clothing you sighed and grabbed a shirt and jacket, changing quickly before walking back out. Stealing was wrong, but in this case you knew you would raise some sort of suspicion if you ran out covered in blood. You locked the store back up and left to go to the movie theater.

You didn’t end up making it all the way back as you found the scoops troop gathered outside of the bathroom. “Wh-”

“Long story,” Dustin cut you off as you all noticed people beginning to pour out of the movie theater. “Let’s go.” He said, and you followed after him.

“What happened to you, Dustin mentioned something about getting stabbed?” Steve questioned, watching as you turned to look over at him.

“Well… I got stabbed.” You said, almost teasingly as you walked out of the movie theater area with them. “I can’t believe this worked.” You said, a small grin of relief covering your face as you made your way to the door of the mall - but before you did, your hopes were immediately dashed by the men checking identifications at the door.

You ran quickly through the crowd of people, running anywhere that you could possibly run to hide from the people following after you - as you finally jumped behind the scoops ahoy counter you hugged your knees to your chest, slowing your breathing as best as you could as you scooted in next to Steve.

It felt like your heart was going to beat out of your chest as you heard the last voice exit the movie theater, your head quickly turning to face Steve. He slowly moved his hand to slide into yours, you weren’t sure if he was attempting to calm your fears or his own but you didn’t care because in that moment it helped you.

There was so much you needed to say, so much you knew you were never going to say as you heard the men’s footsteps draw closer to the countertop. But then the car started going off, and after the loud noise of an automobile crash you popped your head up to see the men having been crushed by a car.

As you glanced up, you saw the rest of the party on the ledge above, your face breaking out into a grin as you stood up. “We’re alive!” You said, rather enthusiastically as you turned to look at Steve. He didn’t seem to have much time to respond as you quickly pulled him into a tight hug, the grin never leaving your face as you pulled back to look at him. “I really thought we were gonna die for like… the second time tonight and I-”

You were cut off as you felt him lean in to quickly press his lips against yours in an urgent kiss. It didn’t take more than a couple seconds for you to pull him closer - even if it just lasted for a few moments.

“I’m sorry, I just realized I had some unfinished business while we were about to die.” He said as he finally pulled back, a small smile covering your lips as you looked at him.

“That’s crazy, because I felt the exact same way.” You said in a rather playful manner, your conversation cut short as you hear someone clear their throat.

“If you two are finished making out, we have a situation at hand.” Dustin commented, watching as you both begrudgingly got out from behind the counter and joined the rest of the group. You seemed to tune out the conversation though, your eyes settling on El. She seemed uncomfortable, you assumed at first she must just be hurting from the wound you noticed on her leg, but it seemed to be much worse than you had suspected.

As soon as El collapsed to the ground you followed after her, before you noticed that something in her leg was moving. You were all going to have to act fast to figure out how you could help her, and Jonathan seemed to be the one that had figured out how.

You did your best to calm the poor girl down, but you knew that it wasn’t going to end up working.because there was no way that she was going to end up feeling better with the amount of pain that she was clearly in at the moment.

It was difficult for you to watch when Jonathan brought back the knife, even more difficult when you watched as the poor girl got her leg sliced into, his hand going in to dig out the intruder in her leg. You leaned back a bit when she decided to do it herself, moments away from asking if there was anything you could do before she ended up getting the thing out of her leg and throwing it to the side.

When you looked up, you noted that there was three more people in the room with you all - maybe this would be easier with them here. Maybe.

As you stood up from your place on the floor, you made your way over to sit beside Robin. “Are you okay?” You questioned as you turned to look at her, but she didn’t seem to have a solid answer.

There was so much going on, and part of you didn’t even know how to comprehend it even though this wasn’t the first time that something like this had happened. You did your best to listen to the plans that were being made, but you figured it would be easier to just wait and see what you were going to end up doing.

You found out much sooner than expected as you left in a car with Robin, Steve, Dustin and Erica only moments later to go find a way for Dustin to guide Hopper, Murray and Joyce through the mall.

You quickly walked out of the mall, your eyes widening as you turned to look at Steve. “I accepted King Steve, not too sure I’m down with Daddy Steve.” You teased as you got into the car.

As you did Steve sent you a playful glare, “You know you love it, who wouldn’t.” He responded back with a grin and a teasing kiss on your cheek as he started up the car.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Dustin seemed vehemently opposed to just giving Steve some normal directions to where he was being expected to drive you all, but maybe it was easier this way in some sense. Not that you were sure what sense that was, but perhaps it was easier for Dustin. Or, perhaps he just wanted to be difficult.

You were rather calm, feeling the breeze in your hair despite the situation as you drove down the country roads. But what you weren’t expecting at all was the drive up a literal grassy hill.

You let out a shocked yelp at the feeling of the grass under the car, and the feeling like the car was about to roll off of the hill. Thankfully it didn’t, but as the car cut out and you sat in shock you slowly realized that the car wasn’t going to work any further.

You all got out of the car, walking up the hill and sitting down next to Dustin’s communication machine, watching as he attempted to get into contact with Suzie.

“You know, maybe Suzie is asleep-” You started, but held your hands up defensively as Dustin sent a cold glare your way.

You sat rather calmly in the grass for a little while, your eyes moving up to watch the stars before you turned to glance again at Steve. “You know, I did mean what I said earlier.” Steve said as he scooted over to sit closer to you.

“That you think I love calling you Daddy Steve?” You questioned with a tone of bewilderment in your voice as you stared at him.

“What? No, I mean… when I thought that we were going to die I just- I realized that I um… I had some unfinished business because i uh-” He seemed to cut himself off, not really knowing what to say without being awkward.

“I don’t know exactly what you’re trying to say but I’m pretty sure I feel the same way I mean I was literally stabbed and I was all like ‘oh god- but what about Steve’.” You said, more awkward than you intended.

“It’s true, she was asking about you when I rescued her.” Dustin said, you motioning to him.

“See? I just-” You cut yourself off as you glanced down, your eyes finding that of the mall. “You see that too, right?” You questioned. Steve turned where you were looking and his eyes widened.

“Uh… guys?” He said, pointing to the mall.

Dustin began to frantically try to contact the people in Starcourt, but when he did all that you heard was the sound of a monstrous roar that was absolutely not Mike Wheeler, or anyone else in that mall.

You and Steve seemed to have the same idea as you shared a glance and stood from your place on the ground, running down the hill without saying anything before Dustin questioned where you were going. You didn’t know what you were going to be able to do, just you Steve and Robin weren’t going to be able to save everyone. But you would be damned if you didn’t try, at the very least. There had to be something you could do, even if it was the move of a martyr.

You quickly got into the car, watching as Steve struggled to get it started before backing up down the hill. You were surprised that it ended up working, but glad that you would be able to have something that would, hopefully, get you all to the mall quicker than you would have been able to get there on foot.

As Steve sped to the mall, you found yourself fruitlessly trying to find a way to look at it and see something, anything, that was going on there - maybe even someone from the mall having escaped. But you found nothing, no matter how hard you looked.

“Are there any weapons or something in here?”

“No! No there’s nothing here I checked on the way.” Robin responded, seemingly as stressed out about this as you were.

Once you made it to the parking lot you saw a car trying to crash into your friends, trying to escape from the mall. You recognized the car to be Billy’s, which was odd since you had no idea why he could possibly be there.

You hopped out of the now destroyed car you were in, looking around for somewhere to go before you heard someone yell to get in. You quickly got into the back of the van with everyone else, listening to the communication channels as you finally heard the voice you had been waiting to hear; honestly thinking that it was probably not real.

“Suzie is real…” You trailed off, letting out a laugh at the sound of her singing with Dustin on the communication channel. While it hardly seemed to be the right time or place, you were absolutely not going to let Dustin live that down the next time that you saw him.

You all made your way back to the mall when the commotion stopped, when it seemed like everything was over, to make sure that everyone was okay. But when you got there, you quickly learned that both Billy and Hopper didn’t survive the attack.

You covered your mouth with your hand, feeling tears well in your eyes - maybe it was the stress, maybe it was because Hopper who you’d known was dead, or because of how El was going to feel after losing him. But you felt absolutely distraught at the news. Steve pulled you into his side, pressing a light kiss to the top of your head before an EMT stopped in front of you.

“Ma’am… you’re bleeding.” She said lightly, pointing to the wound on your hip.

“Oh- Yeah I… um… long night would you-”

She cut you off with an immediate nod, bringing you back to stitch up your wound. You insisted that you would be okay without going back to the hospital, and she very begrudgingly let you go so long as you weren’t going to be alone.

It was a rather short, and mainly silent, walk back home with Steve. As you stopped in front of your door, you turned to look at him. “Would you… um… come in?” You questioned, Steve nodding lightly as he followed you into your house and to your bedroom.

Neither of you really had any interest in changing, the stress of the day being enough to make you not feel the need to change - you just wanted to lay down with Steve.

As Steve laid down, pulling you under the covers as you rested your head in the crook of his neck, you felt him mumble something against your hair.

“What was that?” You questioned, your head moving up to look into his eyes.

“Earlier, I was trying to tell you that I love you and… thinking I was going to die without saying it… I was so scared.” he said, his eyes soft and genuine.

Your lips formed a smile, light, but all you could manage after the long day. “I love you too, Steve, I- I think I always have.” You said lightly, feeling him learn down slightly as you met him in the middle for a soft kiss.

As you both pulled back you let out a sigh, “Does this count as our sleepover?” You asked playfully, Steve letting out a laugh as he shook his head.

“No, expect me over for dinner tomorrow night.” He said matter-of-factly as he looked at you.

“Fair… I don’t think I want to be alone for a little while anyway.” You said, a certain vulnerability showing that seemed to make Steve’s eyes soften.

“You never have to be alone, you know that right?” He asked, to which you nodded and pressed another soft kiss to his lips before resting your head once more.

“Pinkie promise?” You asked softly, to which he held out his pinkie, your two fingers intertwining - a moment later just shifting to tangle your hands together.

There were a lot of obvious reasons to fear staying in Hawkins, to resent the things that you were exposed to through the life that you had - nothing about it was normal. But you wouldn’t trade it for the world, because Steve was the only normalcy that you needed. You knew he would never leave, because for you both a pinkie promise meant forever.

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theodora3022 · 3 years

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Lost And Found

An extension of this, to understand the backstory you should read it.

Anon: I would love a scenario for Mori with his little doll who behaves perfect only to try to run away or ask for help when he takes her out shopping, please?

Notes: You win, anon. I was going to write some fluff but then I opened my inbox… and this request triggered the inspiration goblins in my head. Sit back and enjoy this! I wrote it in hcs form so the structure is a bit messy~ On a side note, I have another Mori fic in the WIP list, but I’m just not feeling for it lately?

Warnings: Mentions of lobotomy, past abduction/abuse metion, yandere themes

You have been behaving so well lately, it is endearing, truly. There is not a single word of complaint when Mori asked you to pose for two hours for an oil painting. Nor did you throw a tantrum when he said how you cannot have that extra slice of cake yesterday at dinner.

Compared to Elise-chan, you are a role model! While Mori prefers you to have some defiant spirits, this is wonderful as well, especially when he is frustrated with some of his subordinates’ bratty behaviours.

So when you clung to his arm after dinner, begging him to go shopping, the Mafia boss did not see any reason to turn down your request. He loves buying you different dresses anyways! Maybe this time you can even choose a bonnet for yourself, since you have been such a good girl…

Unknownst to him, you are plotting something.

You felt sick, being treated like an ornament, a doll without a mind. You need to leave this place before your sanity leaves you. If you stay here for another month, you think you might just start to enjoy all those jewelry and fancy gowns. Absolutely unthinkable, therefore you must find an exit strategy.

Your only hope is to go to your relatives abroad, surely even the Port Mafia boss of Yokohama cannot reach you outside of Japan, right?? Of course, you cannot pack much, but you had gathered enough money for a train ticket to Tokyo. You plan to obtain another passport before leaving this country for good. Once you are on the plane you should be fine, safely away from this crazy man.

Good behaviors would allow you to go outside, even just for a few hours to a mall. Those shopping trips can get irritating, but they are at least a breath of fresh air and away from the Mafia Headquarters.

You are compliant, walking through five clothing stores with a fake smile on your face, to lower his guard.

“Mori-sama, may I go to the washroom?” You said when he is waiting for the crepes order in front of the dessert shop.

He nods without hesitation, not thinking how you would just run off.

You know there is a bus station nearby, and you could take a bus to the train station.

(This one is odd as hell but bear with me-)

When you did not return to him after forty minutes, Mori thought maybe you have period cramps and is too in pain to walk again. Since he cannot just burst into the woman’s washrooms, Mori had begged Elise to go in there.

(Just me randomly complaining about period cramps HDAUSOHASD)

Oh, where did you run off to? Maybe the ADA abducted you and want to use you against him? Unfortunate for you, while you have your tactics, the Mafia boss has his.

That beautiful ruby necklace he made you wear earlier? It contains a little tracking device! Not that he doesn’t trust you, but as the head of a Mafia, Mori has many enemies. He has to make sure he can find you if something happens!

You were waiting for the train to Tokyo on a train station bench, thinking about what you are going to do now without Mori controlling every aspect of your life.

Freedom! Autonomy! Finally, you are your own person again! Not some accessory to the Mafia boss, or a little plaything. That weight of dread in your chest lifted a little, but you know you must not get happy yet. You are still in Yokohama, which means Mori could still-

“Dearest, you had strayed too far from me.”

That voice. That damned, familiar voice.

You had failed miserably.

“Do you think you can really get away? How pitiful. Is this why you have been so good recently? I’m disappointed in you, love. Now come, Elise is waiting for you, she is worried too.”

This is a busy train station right? Even the Mafia boss cannot just snatch you here in broad daylight right?

Too bad, you shouldn't have underestimated the Port Mafia. It’s nearly effortless to evacuate the civilians with a few warning shots from pistols.

“You had misbehaved enough today, surely you do not like extra punishments?”

Oh no, what is it going to be this time? You desperately hope you get some amnesia this time, trembling at the thought of that cold surgery room.

You’ll have to pray, right now all you can do is cling to his arm like Elise and follow him home.

“Did you know how worried I was? Someone could have gotten their hands on you because of me!” Maybe Lobotomy is a good choice after all. Although the result may vary, at least you won’t run away again. That procedure would morph your mind into a child’s, cleansing any rebellious ideas.

It’s not like you have any chance of escaping again, you betrayed his trust, no outside time anytime soon for you.

You are naive to think you can ever get away in the first place.

#yandere bsd #bsd fanfic #bsd imagines #yandere mori #yandere ougai mori #yandere x you #yandere #anime yandere

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weirdthinkingdragon · 4 years

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Silken Binds

You know what? Screw it, I’m going to try writing smut for the first time for my birthday. I’ve had something festering in my mind for a while that I've wanted to try getting down. Has swearing as well. NSFW and has bondage, slight voyeurism?, threesome, unprotected sex, and I'm pretty sure of some horrendous cheesiness. Tried my best to keep the reader gender neutral.

Almost a 4k word fic, tf was I doing?

Erasermic x reader

There was a rather odd-looking box at our door one morning. I had my cup of coffee with me and went to get the mail. Hizashi and Shouta have already left for work. The box was bought under Hizashi’s name, so it’s definitely his. Just what has that mischievous man bought this time?

It was rather heavy so I ended up putting down my coffee and bringing it in. I’m not one for snooping, so I ended up putting it on the table in the kitchen. Hizashi can take care of it when he gets back home.

Sitting next to the box and sipping my coffee, I couldn’t help but wonder what it might be. It’s Hizashi though, it could be next to anything. I decided not to dwell on it much and wonder what to do with my day of not working. I’m surprisingly feeling like going out in the public today. The cat cafe is a no-go without Shouta though. He got surprisingly upset last time I went without him and Hizashi. I shiver at remembering the unnecessary lecture. Hmm, there’s the bakery. I haven’t had a good snack from there in a while. Shopping? Ugh, that’s a little too much. Staying home and cleaning? The house doesn’t need it. The forest not too far away? Most likely not safe as well with all the attacks recently. Is anywhere technically safe around here? Not really.

I eventually decided to hang out with a few friends that were free for the day. Two out of the three of them brought their boyfriends. It twinges my heart a little bit at them being together. Of course, I love the ones I’m with, but they’re often busy so we don’t get to be together much. These guys get that time a lot more from not being heroes. I knew this would happen and try to not let it get to me. My other friend who had absolutely no interest in being in a relationship picked up on my mood. She slings her arm over my shoulders. “Hey! What should we do guys? If you guys don’t stop I’ll make ya all dance with my lasers and dance on your graves when I hit ya!”

That got them to stop. Everyone knows she’s not afraid to use her laser quirk that can cut through steel to harm others if they piss her off. One of them seems to be in thought for a minute. “How about the mall? We haven’t been there in a surprising amount of time!” I thought I wasn’t going shopping today! The others agree without question, except for my friend with her arm still slung around my shoulders. She hates shopping just as much as I do. She groans in annoyance, but we’re outnumbered four to two.

Arriving at the mall, it didn’t take long for the day to quickly tick by. Going into the candy store was fun, except buying way too much candy. That’s expected though, and my friend bought twice as much as I did. She has such a sweet tooth it should be illegal. The more we went around, the more I couldn’t get the thought of two specific me out of my head. Like a cool blue leather jacket that Hizashi would rock with no problem, or a tank top with an animated cat holding a steaming coffee cup with a frown on its face Shouta would wear with no objections. The cat was even fluffy and black. Fuck, I really should have figured out their clothing sizes.

The two girls look at me suddenly. “Hey Y/N, when are you getting a boyfriend? Don’t say you're not interested. You wouldn’t shut up about dreaming about having one before.” That made me really nervous. I’ve never told about my relationship. It can be rather… hated by many for a poly relationship.

“Uh…” I kinda already do. They’re just busy often." The girl that was much closer to my height grabbed my shoulders and started aggressively shaking me. "HOW COULD YOU KEEP THAT FROM US!? WHO IS IT!? DO WE-"

My laser friend smacks her hand over their mouth. "Geez, chill, would ya? Maybe they've got a good reason."

"Have the two of you had sex?" Suddenly pipes up the other female. I awkwardly rub the back of my neck. "A few times… they've been busy like I've said lately."

The other girl grabbed my wrist. "We HAVE to get you ready for a sexy surprise for him next time! C'mon!" My eyes widen greatly in fear. Hizashi's teasing is already nearly constant. I'd never hear the end of it if I tried what I think they're going to make me do.

My laser friend knew what they were doing. She quickly grabs my other wrist and manages to get me free from the other. She fakes a yawn. "Oh, man, would you look at the time! We should get going!"

"Aw, alright. Be sure to tell us the juicy details! Next time!" The shorter girl yells to me as my laser friend and I quickly left. She let out a sigh of relief when we get a far ways away from the mall. It was already getting dark.

“Thanks for that. I’d never hear the end of it.”

She nods. “No problem. Can I hang at your place for a bit? Kinda want to catch up more.”

“Of course!” They wouldn’t be home for a while, so a little company wouldn’t hurt. It didn’t take long to get to my- uh… our home. Still have to get used to saying that, living with them and all.

She and I sat in the living room. She looks around as she’s never been to the new place I live. She eventually turns back to look at me. “I know this isn’t my place, but could I ask who you’re dating? I’m really curious why you’d keep it a secret.”

I debated whether or not to tell her. Eventually, I relented and decided to tell her. “This is awkward, but uh… Do you know the heroes Present Mic and Eraserhead?” Her widened eyes show she understood quickly. “No way... No fucking way!” She gently punches my shoulder. “No wonder why you haven’t told anyone!”

“Yeah, the target that would be put on my back wouldn’t be pretty either.” Her movement abruptly stops. “I didn’t think of that. Well, it’s safe with me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Obviously, or I wouldn’t have told you.”

And speak of the devil, a certain blond sauntered in. I was surprised. He’s home early. “Hey Songbi- oh, hey! Ya brought company! He quickly plops onto the other side of the couch to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. My friend grew her signature “grossed out” face at us, which made me roll my eyes.

“What are you doing home so early? Don’t you have a radio show tonight?”

He grew a giant smile on his face. “Nope! Sho also got off of work tonight. We decided we haven’t been around much, and want to change that tonight.”

He looks over at my friend who has grown a giant smirk on her face. “You don’t have to tell me twice, dear friend. I just wish you told me your “other” is my closest friend!”

What? They know each other? Hizashi laughs boisterously. “Ha! Well now ya know, just keep it between the group of us, yeah? We don’t need to worry about our dear other more than we already do.”

“Like I told Y/N, can do,” She stands up. “Hope you have fun with that gift my friend and I worked so hard on.” Hizashi’s smile grew bigger. “We sure will!” My friend quickly leaves after.

I looked at Hizashi questioningly. “What did she mean by that?”

Hizashi grew a very concerning wide smile. "Oh, just something we're testin' on dear Sho tonight. We already talked about it earlier. He's willing to try it."

"Why does that sound concerning? Don't you think I should be informed of this too?"

Hizashi laughs. "I kinda expected ya to open the box by now to figure it out," he beckoned to come towards our bedroom. "C'mon, take a look for yourself!"

I entered to see black silk rope strewn around the bed. It was rather long, and definitely quite sturdy looking. It clicked in my mind of what he meant. I look at Hizashi incredulously. "There's no way you got him to agree to what I think you did."

That damn smirk proved otherwise. There was a sudden heavy sigh behind me. "He did."

I turn to see Shouta. He looks like he's had a really rough day. Worry went through me. With how extra exhausted he seems tonight, maybe we should wait for a different night.

I go up and hug him. He gives one in return. "Maybe we should do this a different night. You need more rest." I informed him as Hizashi came up and gave Shouta a bear hug. He pretended to hate it, but he obviously enjoyed it by slightly relaxing in his embrace.

"... I can handle it. Just let me shower first." Was his only reply as he trudged to the bathroom. It didn't take long for the shower to be turned on.

Hizashi grabs another smaller silk rope from the mess of it on the bed. Most likely a blindfold. I'm not going to lie, a bit of excitement courses through me at the thought of not being the one bound this time.

Of course Hizashi goes through the extra time to get rope for this. Then again, Shouta could most likely easily break through the ropes they use on me. They're thinner and lighter than these.

"Songbird! Be a dear and grab the lube from the dresser near ya would ya?" He asked as he started to unbutton his red button up t-shirt. I grab it from the dresser and toss it on the bed, going back to staring at the hot man in front of me giving off a delectable show. Every button coming undone revealing just a bit more of his chest. He stops at the final button that still needs to be undone and looks at me.

"Well, ya sure seem interested. I must be doing a good job for your attention, huh?" He winks as he slowly undoes the last button and strips off the shirt.

I eye his whole torso with absolutely no embarrassment. "How can I not? You sure know how to captivate an audience~"

"Why, thank you! I try my best! But with you, I don't think I even have to try."

I playfully glare at him. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

"Other than your love for me is more than enough? Maybe. Just kidding!" He quickly hugs me. "That's not near enough! I could never have enough of your attention!"

I roll my eyes at his cheesiness. "Alright, alright. Now let me get undressed." He let go. "Gonna give me a show in return, Songbird?"

"Pfft, please. As if I could ever come even close to putting on such a show."

"Aw, ya don't even have to try! You've always got my attention when your hot self walks into any room with me!”

“You can be so fucking cheesy.” I reply and take off my top clothes. “You know you love it.”

“Mhm, sure.” He eyes my body as we also take off our pants. He eyes me and lets out a whistle. “Damn Songbird, ya sure you ain’t a model?” My face heats up at his compliment.

“Good thing they’re not. I’d rather not share them with the world.” Piped up Shouta from behind me. He was done with his shower already? He only has a towel wrapped around his waist. Hizashi and I share a smirk in appreciation of Shouta’s body. He leans close to me. “Go behind, I’m going to bind him.” I nodded while Shouta raised a brow. Hizashi grabs Shouta’s hand and drags him to sit on the bed.

Shouta ends up sitting in the center of the bed with the rope piled to his left side. I quickly take my place behind him while Hizashi sits in front. He takes off the towel and grabs the rope, quickly starting to bind Shouta.

“Damn Hizashi, when did you learn to bind so well?” I joke. In the process of tying Shouta, he gives me two smaller ropes and winks. “From the best around, who else?”

“Would you two quit it?”

I soothingly rub his sides, feeling the difference of the silk and his skin. The rope being just tight enough to not do any harm, but can still hold him still. “C’mon babe, let me enjoy this a little. Please? It’s not often I’m not the one bound.” I reply to him. His only reply was a grunt of annoyed disapproval, making Hizashi chuckle.

He wraps the silk around the back of Shouta’s neck, finalizing it by tying it somewhere in the front. I guess now it’s my turn. I wrap the slightly longer one around Shouta’s wrists. Arousal and excitement quickly pooling in the bottom of my stomach for what is to come. I reach over him to show the blindfold. My chest was pushed against his back to have it farther from his face for the go-ahead to do so.

It also gave me the view of Shouta’s legs being kept wider apart by the rope being tied at the ends of the bed and his quickly growing erection. “What are ya waitin’ for, Songbird?”

“... You can put it on,” Shouta says, ignoring Hizashi temporarily. “At least someone makes sure it’s okay first.” He finishes slightly condescendingly. I tie it around his eyes, trying my best to make sure it wouldn’t come loose, but it’s not tight enough to cause problems. Hizashi rolls his eyes. “Whatever ya say, Sho. It’s easy to tell you’re enjoying it.” Shouta replies with silence.

He chuckles again and kisses Shouta while starting to play with Shouta’s chest and runs his hands down his stomach, slowly and teasingly going lower. I decided to start by having his tied hands pinned between his body and mine, them being dangerously close to my underwear. I kiss the side of his neck while gently running my hands over his scars. All of them make him look even better.

Shouta’s breathing suddenly becomes shaky as he lurches forward with a grunt. That brought a smirk to my face as I kissed the giant scar on his elbow. “Geez Zashi, already? Give the poor man a bit more time first!” Hizashi laughs again. “No can do, Songbird! Not with such a lovely view in front of me!~”

Shouta grunts again. “Is tha- that all you two got?” I sat farther up on my legs to look more over Shouta’s shoulder and used him to hold some of my weight leaned on him. Looking down, it was easy to tell Hizashi was taking more and more of Shouta’s dick down his throat. He reaches up and starts to toy with Shouta’s nipples with both his hands. I nibble his ear. “For now, yeah. But it’s going to get a lot better later. You won’t know what’s up or down.”

My body was close enough to feel his body shiver with pleasure. “Is that a- ngh- a promise or a threat?” I teasingly nip his neck. “Whichever you want it to be.” I continue to watch Hizashi start to bob his head while starting to suck on Shouta’s neck.

His breathing was rapidly becoming more shaky as he undeniably was getting closer to an orgasm with the minutes ticking by. Watching the rhythmic motion of Hizashi’s mouth on Shouta’s cock set a deeper fire in my stomach of wanting to feel his dick in me myself.

Hizashi moved one of his hands to wrap around the rest of Shouta’s dick. I took that as an invitation to continue playing with one of his nipples myself. I stuck my middle finger a bit down my throat and brought it in front to start rubbing on it. “You two are- definitely persistent.” He hissed.

I laugh and rub a little harder. “Do you even know the two of us by now, Sho? You can’t be forgetting about little old us now!”

"I seem to for- forget."

"That's a dangerous thing to do~"

He finally comes undone with a final pinch to his nipple and Hizashi most likely aided with fondling his balls. He jolts back, almost making me fall backwards from the shifted weight.

Hizashi sits up and wipes the trail of drool off his face, locking eyes with me with a smirk. It's like we could read each other's minds as we nodded to each other and moved off the bed. In the small amount of time he was standing, it was easy to tell his dick was strained against his boxers. That didn't last long though as he quickly stripped them off and sat behind Shouta.

I quickly peel mine off as well and toss them to the floor. Hizashi definitely isn't wrong with the view though. The deep flush on his face just making me want to tease him more. I know how bad of an idea that would be though. He'd get me back tenfold next time.

Hizashi opens the bottle of lube and squirts a rather generous amount on his hand. "C'mon Songbird, get another outta Sho. This'll take a bit!"

"Zashi, what do you thi- ink you're doing? I'm coming for you next time."

"Oh, I'm SO scared! Just kiddin', can't wait for it. For now, I'm enjoyin' the hell outta this!" Shouta lurches forward again. It doesn't take a genius to know why.

To avoid Shouta's no doubt unrelenting punishment for next time, I focus more on deeply kissing him. He tilts his head and is all for it. His scruffy facial hair borders between tickling and being a comfort for how close he is. His hips keep shaking, trying to move away, so Hizashi wraps an arm around to at least keep them slightly more still.

"Damn Sho, ya must be more into this than I thought! I've barely done anything and two are slippin' in easily!

He only replies with a muffled growl from still making out with me. It didn't go unnoticed though. Hizashi doesn't say anything about it and moves Shouta's hair to suck on the unmarked side of his neck.

I stopped kissing Shouta to notice he was getting hard again. He was breathing heavily and it was easy to tell sweat was starting to form. "Hey, Zashi, how's it going now?"

"Workin' on the third! Should I come up there and work ya open too when I'm done?"

"No, I'll be fine. Just pass the lube, will ya?" He does and goes back to what he was doing. I open it and put it on my hands. Closing it, I slowly trail it across his dick. His hips start to jerk again, undecided which way to go, towards my hands or Hizashi's. I recoil a bit at the still slightly slimy feeling of Hizashi's saliva, but I get over it with the help of the lube.

"Damn it you t-two, get on with it."

"Oooh, is dear Sho being the impatient one for once!?"

"Don't… push it."

"Alright babe, just this time!" He grabs the bottle of lube again and squirts more in his hands. While he gets ready for that, I decided to get ready myself. I straddle his and slowly start to sink myself on his dick. The stretch hurts a bit from not fully preparing myself first. It's not nearly as painful as it's been before though, and it didn't take long for the pain to become pure pleasure. It didn’t take long for Hizashi to join either. Shouta shows he’s slightly uncomfortable, but refuses to say it out loud.

We wait an extra minute just to settle things out. Hizashi then tests a thrust out, pushing Shouta deeper into me. Him and I both slip out a moan. “Damn, got ya both singin’!” He jokes, and slightly picks up the pace. He grabs my calves and lifts them in a way Shouta’s dick hits harder with every thrust by pulling me onto him. He may not be nearly as strong as Shouta, but he’s definitely not something to sneeze at. Right now would be proof of that.

Every thrust brought the sparks of pleasure tingling through my body. But what was better was the extra lack of composure I’ve never seen on the man in front of me. I can’t tell what his eyes look like, but his mouth isn’t in a straight line like usual. Hizashi’s thrusts grew harder.

For better support, I wrap my arms around the back of Shouta’s neck. He has no problem leaning up a bit for the three of us to be even closer together. His legs kept trying to jolt up, but the binds stopped him.

“Damn Zashi, you’re re-really not holding back!” I manage to say through my quickly increasing heavy breathing. They weren’t doing too much better. Every hit into my body brought that deep tightening feeling to get even more tight. “When do I not, So-Songbird?” He jokes questioningly. There’s no denying that.

I test things by making my body squeeze Shouta’s dick more tightly. That really seems to help do the trick as he tends to get much closer to reaching his end. It ended up with me cumming first. Like a chain reaction, Shouta ended up next. I felt the heat of his cum shooting into me. “Damn S-Sho! You’re really clenchin’ down on me!”

It only took a few more thrusts for him to cum as well. The three of us sat there for a minute trying to catch our breaths. I take off the blindfold to see his eyes with a caring intensity I’ve never seen. I get off of Shouta and untie the ropes from the bed. Hizashi does the same with untying his arms. Shouta wasted no time in grabbing me and hugging me tightly against his chest. He barely lets go for me to turn around to face him. “Clean up later. Cuddle now.” Hizashi hugs Shouta from behind. “Well, didn’t know THE Shouta was able to be a cuddle monster!”

Shouta replies by pinching Hizashi’s thigh. “Ouch! Okay, no ruining the moment. I get it!”

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

So… I tried. It seems too fast paced or missing something. Welp, it is my first time writing something like this, so it’s bound to be bad.

#erasermic x reader #smut #present mic x reader #eraserhead x reader #poly x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader

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douchebagbrainwaves · 3 years

Text

MAKER'S SCHEDULE, 631, BRIEFLY

I'm a writer, and writers always get disproportionate attention. How did they stand it? Their main expenses are setting up the company, which costs a couple thousand Altair owners, but without this software they were programming in machine language. Those ideas are so rare that you can't find some way to reach me, how are you going to create a successful company? For a startup, managing them is one of the first 10 employees you'll have almost as much.1 Families are entitled to their own traditions, and who the competitors are and why this company is going to beat them.2 In the late 90s my professor friends used to complain that they couldn't get grad students, because all the undergrads were going to let hosts rent out space on their floors during conventions. Part of the reason I can't believe it will be more like being able to play the two firms off each other as well as talent, so this answer works out to be important, because a we invest such small amounts, and b we think it's better if startups operate out of their own premises, however crappy, than the offices of their investors.

If you're a freelancer or a small company doesn't ensure freedom.3 What makes a good startup idea, it's sort of like having a guilty conscience about something.4 There's an idea that has turned out to be a startup. For a lot of work.5 Which is exactly how I'd describe the way lions seem in the wild seem about ten times more alive. You probably can't overcome anything so pervasive as the model of work is a job. Don't sit on their boards. What really bothers parents about their teenage kids having sex are complex.6 It's not so much as that they never pander: they never say or do something because that's what the audience wants. So if you're going to optimize a number, the one to choose is your growth rate to compensate. In social settings, I found that I got over 100 other responses listing the surprises they encountered. If you don't understand YC.

At the time any random autobiographical novel by a recent college grad could count on more respectful treatment from the literary establishment. The angel now owns 200/1200 shares, or a job. The kind of question on the application form that asks what you're going to clear these lies out of your head, you're going to clear these lies out of your head, you're going to do, at least, nothing good.7 I often recommend that founders act like consultants—that they wanted to.8 In a startup, you don't even know that.9 If these guys had thought they were starting companies, they might have been.10 Viaweb entirely with angel money; it never occurred to us that investors were too conservative here—that they do what they'd do if they'd been in Nebraska, like Evan Williams was at their age? The saddest windows close when other people die.

And when you propagate that constraint, the result is that each species thrives in groups of a certain group, that seems nearly impossible to shake. Someone who's figured that out will automatically focus more on the idea. The only explanation is: by definition. It's not just a figure of speech to say that the outcome is zero. The artists who benefited most from this were the ones who had preserved a child's confidence, like Klee and Calder. Once you have all the college students, you get rich is that there are many degrees of it. It could be replaced on any of these axes it has already started to be on most. When you're a little kid and you're asked to do something differently.

But not all waste is bad. Later I learned it hadn't been so neat, and the three founders each get 25%. Along with such outright lies, there must have been told a lot of economic history, and I understand the startup world is evolving away from their current model.11 If you seem really good we'll accept you anyway. Even in the rare cases where a clever hack makes your fortune, you probably have an idea.12 At least, that's how we'd describe it in present-day languages, if they'd had them. The way you get taught programming in college would be like teaching writing as grammar, without mentioning that its purpose is to make me feel better. After two years, the un-rapacious that you only extract half as much from users as you could. If you have something that no competitor does and that some subset of users urgently need, you have to seem like you understand technology.13 On that scale, every negotiation is unique.14 I was cynical about VCs, but the way he composed them into molecules was near faultless.15 But unfortunately when you graduate, as long as you want.16

Notes

Thanks to Daniel Sobral for pointing this out. Make it clear when you ad lib you end up reproducing some of the things they've tried on the LL1 mailing list. What you learn in college or what grades you got in them, initially, to sell earlier than you expect. But while this is also a name.

In fact most of them. But try this experiment is that if you conflate them you're aiming at. The worst explosions happen when unpromising-seeming startups do badly.

Y Combinator certainly never asks what classes you took in college. This approach has not worked well, but this would work better, and that modern corporate executives were, we try to accept a particular number.

Aristotle the core: the editor in Lisp, they may try to accept that investors are induced by the surface similarities. Com of their assets; and with that additional constraint, you can't help associating it with such a statement would merely be eccentric.

Most word problems in school math textbooks are bad: Webpig, Webdog, Webfat, Webzit, Webfug. Without the prospect of publication, the assembly line, the closest anyone has come is Secretary of Labor Statistics, about 28%.

I think the usual way to fight. The next time you raise as you can see the apples, they made much of it, and no one who's had the discipline to pull it off. Successful founders are driven by people trying to decide whether to go to college, they would implement it and make a lot of investors caring either.

P nonspam are both genuinely formidable, and the exercise of stock options than any preceding president, he was otherwise unoccupied, to get into the heads of would-be startup founders who had been a good idea to make more money. The best thing for startups is very long: it might take an hour over the Internet, like hedge funds, are available only to buy corporate bonds to market faster; the Reagan administration's comparatively sympathetic attitude toward takeovers; the crowds of shoppers drifting through this huge mall reminded George Romero of zombies. That it might take an hour over the Internet. Yes, I had zero effect on the relative weights?

The VCs recapitalize the company, and yet managed to screw up twice at the data, it's probably good grazing. I should add that we're not. They did turn out to be a win to include things in shows that people start to pull ahead in the field.

Galbraith was clearly puzzled that corporate executives would work so hard to mentally deal with the founders gained from running through their initial attitude. Sparse Binary Polynomial Hash Message Filtering and The Old Way. One thing that drives most people emerge from the moment it's created indeed, from hour to hour that the worm might have done all they could be overcome by changing the shape of the bizarre consequences of this: You may not be far less demand for them.

Indiana University Bloomington 1868-1970.

Trevor Blackwell points out that taking time to come up with an associate cold-emailing a startup could grow big in revenues without including the order of 10,000, because investors already owned more than their competitors, who may have realized this, but simply because he was skeptical about Viaweb too. See Greenspun's Tenth Rule. We just store the data, it's software that doesn't seem to want them; you have significant expenses other than salaries that you decide the price, and for filters it's textual.

P 500 CEOs in the sophomore year. It was only because he had more fun than he'd had in school, and philosophy the imprecise half. The philistines have now missed the video boat entirely.

As we walked out we ran into Yuri Sagalov. Emmett Shear writes: I'd argue the long tail for sports may be common in, you'll have to replace you. It took a painfully long time.

The reason Y Combinator.

This is an instance of a safe will be coordinating efforts among partners. In practice it just feels like a loser they're done, she doesn't like getting attention in the definition of property.

The thing to do sales yourself initially. 5%. At first I didn't care about GPAs.

Thanks to Paul Buchheit, Gary Sabot, Trevor Blackwell, Tiffani Ashley Bell, and Jeff Arnold for sharing their expertise on this topic.

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finnyboywolfhard · 3 years

Text

‘Tis the Damn Season

Steve Harrington x Reader

summary: based roughly on ‘tis the damn season by Taylor Swift. Reader comes home for the holidays after two years of being away.

warnings: cursing, angst, fluff

a/n: literally less than a minute into me hearing the song for the first time, I knew I needed to write this so pls enjoy ❤️

word count: 2.2k

Y/N loved going to school away from Hawkins. Getting to experience a life away from the small town that sucked the life from her and drained her happiness after a while. It had been almost two years since she had made the journey from her state school in California back to Indiana. It wasn’t like she didn’t miss her family, but it was just easier, and in all honesty better for her to stay there all year round. There was inevitably downfalls to that, having to work a full time job and also go to school, most holidays were spent alone and she had no idea what was happening in the lives of her old friends or her family for that matter. They would come visit every so often and there was frequent phone calls but it was never enough.

“Knock, knock!” Y/N said as she opened the door, her mom flying from the kitchen to wrap her daughter in her arms.

“Oh how I’ve missed squeezing you!” Her mom said through a squished face. The girl started laughing at her mother’s reaction. The two exchanged small talk while they waltzed from the front door back to the kitchen.

“So what’s new in the world of Hawkins?” Y/N said pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting at her kitchen table, glancing to her mom every few movements.

“Same old, same old, not much happens and not much changes. Mrs. Click retired last year, I know how much you loved her class.” The girls mind was flooded with memories of him. Steve Harrington, her first and maybe only love. She thought of all the times he would arrive to class late and then sloppily eat his bagel while Mrs.Click was trying her best to pull nearly every girls attention away from him. Maybe that’s why Y/N attracted him, she never stared the same way every girl did.

“Maybe I’ll send her a letter or call her to see if she’d want to chat sometime. Anything else? Any new couples?:

“That Robin Buckley came home last Christmas with a girlfriend.”

“Wait she finally came out to her parents?”

“You knew?”

“Uh, yeah. I’ve known since the whole mall fiasco.” Her mother stayed silent as she continued to move with ease around the ever so familiar kitchen.

“Do you want to settle back in or would you want to come to the store with me?”

“I can go with you, let me go change into something else, I’ve been in these clothes since I left LA.’’ The girl ran up to her old bedroom, grabbing the suitcases from the bottom of the steps were she had left them. As she entered the room, she was hit with a wave of memories. Pictures of Y/N and Steve covered her walls, she let out a sigh.

I won't ask you to wait if you don’t ask me to stay.

“Y/N, stop, you’re being over dramatic.”

“Steve! No I’m not! I got into my dream school, where I’ve wanted to go for practically my entire life. You’re not supporting me!”

“It’s not that i don’t support you, I don’t want you to leave!”

“We can do the distance! We can call and i will come back for breaks, we can write letters! We can make it work, I don’t want to chose between you or my dream.”

“Well I want you to.”

“Steve…”

“Y/N chose.”

“Then leave Steve.”

Sure, Y/N could pretend that the reason she didn’t come home was because she would see Steve and become overwhelmed by everything that happened between them. Sure she could pretend that she doesn’t still think of him every single day. Sure she could pretend that if Steve asked she would do anything for him. But she wouldn’t let herself. She did what was going to be best for her future. He didn’t matter if he didn’t support that. Her mind snapped back to what she was supposed to be doing.

“Shit.” She mumbled to herself as she realized how long she must have been zoned out for. She got dressed and ran downstairs. Her mom was standing at the door, placing items into her purse.

“You ready?” She glanced at her daughter who was pantin from how quickly she tried to get down the stairs.

“Yup!” The two piled into the car and began driving through town. Y/N shivered, no longer being acquainted with the colder weather that seemed permanent in Hawkins.

It’s the kind of cold, fogs up windshield glass, But I felt it when i passed you, There's an ache in you, put there by the ache in me

Y/N attention was brought back to reality as they drove past the Family Video and he was outside getting into his car. The two made eye contact as the car moved past, the eye contact remaining unbroken until they physically could not see each other anymore. She felt a tension in her chest, he looked so good, but he also looked hurt. He didn’t have that same spark that drew her to him in the first place. And it shattered her to know that it was her fault.

“Taking in the sights?“

“Mom!” Y/N yelled out of embarrassment

“Oh please,. Rumor has it he hasn’t gone out with anyone since you left. He’s apparently turned down every girl that’s asked him out.”

“I mean, i haven't dated anyone since I've left either. I’ve gone on dates but nothing but flings.’

“Maybe you should reach out.’

“Yeah, sure.” She rolled her eyes and her mom changed the conversation to something about her dad. For the rest of the night, she just spent as much time as she could attached to every member of her family’s hip. These moments were making her regret not coming back sooner a little more.

Now I’m missing your smile, hear me out

She found her way back to her bedroom and found a photo of her and Steve that one of the kids took.

“Steve!” The girl giggled out as the boy pulled her tightly to his body, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek. Through her fit of giggles, his smile still shone brighter than her own. To Y/N, anything he did was brighter than hers and she was more than alright with that. Everything he did was perfect, he was the dream boyfriend. She loved each and every inch of him, no matter how often he annoyed her or how often he would say something that made little to no sense, it didn’t matter. If it was Steve, it was perfect.

“What? You don’t want my kisses?” He faked a pout. She rolled her eyes and turned her face to look at him and touch her lips to his own. His eyes gleefully filled up with joy and he overdramatically said “you want my kisses!’

‘I’ll always want your kisses.” She said smiling, and he smiled back making pristine eye contact, only a flash tore their attention away from one another.

She pulled her eyes away from the photo in her hand, setting it down where she had just picked it up. She put her pajamas on and got comfy in her old bed.

When she woke up the next morning, for some reason something was calling her to just go for a drive.

I parkеd my car right between the Methodist And thе school that used to be ours

She drove around the town observing all of the vaguely familiar settings, remembering each moment she had connected to the setting. As she parked her car a little down from the high school, she focused on her breathing for the first time in a while. She got out of her drivers seat and out of the car, grabbed a book from her backseat and went to sit on the lawn sprawled beside her. As she walked down the hill, she noticed a figure. As she approached, the figure became clearer and clearer. Steve.

“Hey.” She called out to him, his head snapped up to look at her standing over him.

“Hey Y/N, long time no see.”

“Two years.” She said, she waved her hand a bit to ask if she could sit next to him and he nodded his head yes before he continued.

“How have you been?’

“Good! Busy as hell, but good. What about you Stevie?” The nickname slipped out without much thought at all.

“I’ve been doing my best. I am now manager at Family Video, Keith left.”

“Damn, for real?’ He nodded his head yes and she shook hers in disbelief. “I heard about Rob’s girlfriend. Well, I heard that she had one.’

“Oh! Yeah! Her name is Marie and she’s really nice. They’re a good match, she’s just as smart as Robin, I can barely keep up with them.”

“Who could realistically ever keep up with Robin, let alone Robin and someone just like her.” The two let out dry laughs, which helped to relax some of the weird tension between the two.

“How long are you here?”

“Just for the holidays, I’m only staying with my parents until the second week of January.”

“Ahh.” The tone of his voice switched to one much sadder. The air hung still, neither of their voices filling the space anymore. She spoke before she could think.

“Would you wanna drive around later? Look at lights? For old times sake?” She looked at him with pleading, hopeful eyes. He looked back at her, searching her face to make sure it wasn’t a joke.

“Uhh, yeah. I mean...I’m meeting Robin and Marie at like 9 to hang out for a little bit, but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you tagged along.”

“I don’t want to intrude.’

“You’re not intruding if I’m inviting you Y/N/N.” For a moment, it felt like the past. It was as if they teleported back to when things weren’t like they were now. But what’s stopping them from letting things be like the past while she’s home? The only heart that would be breaking even more would be hers.

We could call it even, you could call me babe for the weekend, ‘tis the damn season

He rang the doorbell a little after eight, and she rushed to her door before any of her family. She yelled out a goodbye and they walked out the door and over to his car.

‘So, school? How is that?”

“It’s hell, but what else was to be expected.”

“And you’re still a film major? Nothing has changed?”

“Yes sir, still a film major.’

“You’d be impressed, I am starting to actually remember the names of movies!’

“That’s a big step for you, consider me proud.”

“Thanks babe.” It slipped out of his mouth without a thought. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that it just kinda came out.” She let her hand reach out and rest on his thigh.

“It’s okay, we call each other babe for the time being, no big deal.”

‘Tis the damn season.” Steve let out in a huffed breath. The two kept chatting and the car got more and more comfortable, they fell into their old rhythm. It felt like the road she chose to go down, didn’t ruin everything. He pulled up to the diner they were meeting Robin and her girlfriend at and sat patiently in Steve’s car. Their heads were leaning back against the head rests and they were looking into each other’s eyes. He reaches over and grazes her face. She pulls in a breath as he shows her the eyelash now sitting atop his finger.

‘Make your wish.” He said gently, she closed her eyes to think for a second and blew the eyelash from his finger softly. She looked back up into his eyes and smiled. The neon lights shone down from the sign through his windshield and grazed his face, framing it and shaping it with a red hue. He looked angelic.

‘What’re you thinking about?” Steve asked quietly, not entirely sure why he was being so quiet.

“Nothing.” She said, trying to push past the feelings building inside her. She fakes a smile.

“Don’t do that, you know I can tell when you’re lying. What’re you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about how beautiful you look and how much i want to kiss you, but I know I shouldn’t.”

“Maybe that’s the reason why you should.” He reaches his hand over to cup her cheek, rubbing his thumb against her cheek as her leans closer. Their lips meet in the middle, colliding with a gentle passion that filled Y/N with relief. Although the pain of the past hung around like old perfume, it seemed to be patched by this kiss. His lips were plump and soft, his hands against her skin were rough but tender. He fit with her perfectly, and there was no one on earth who she likes kissing more. As they pulled apart, their eyes never lost contact.

It didn’t matter in that moment that she was leaving again in a month, or the fact that Robin had gotten there in the middle. Nothing mattered in that minute. Because all of those moments where they missed one another were mended right now. And somehow, even though she chose a different path, it still led her to her hometown. It led her to Steve.

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington x you #stranger things x reader #stranger things x y/n

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blueeyedrichie · 4 years

Text

Eddie always likes Richie’s belts.

He likes Richie’s style in general, really; from the studded belts to the band t-shirts to the skinny jeans and shoes and bracelets and everything else. Even if it’s a mismatched mess some days, it’s all so distinctly Richie that Eddie can’t help but gaze fondly every time he sees his boyfriend in anything he wears.

And it’s so different from the way Eddie dresses, with his spotless blue jeans and pastel sweatshirts pulled over ironed button ups, the collars of which are always pressed perfectly, laying flat and even.

When Richie gave him his handcuff bracelet - after weeks of Eddie fiddling with it where it hung on Richie’s wrist, the fingers of his other hand laced with Richie’s as he did - his first thought was that it would clash. It would look weird on him, because Eddie doesn’t wear things like that. He shops at Hollister and American Eagle, not Hot Topic.

He got over it quickly, though, because wearing something that belonged to Richie; that Richie gave him, was so much more important that worrying about whether or not it would match. That’s been happening a lot lately; Eddie finds himself caring less and less about trivial things like that - things he used to be so concerned about, that seemed so vital to his existence.

Because Richie makes him happy. And he sees the way Richie smiles anytime he catches sight of the bracelet on Eddie’s wrist, and the only thing that makes Eddie happier than Richie himself is Richie’s happiness.

So that’s how Eddie ends up where he is now. He’s been here with Richie a few times at this point, but never on his own. He bites his lip as he searches through the store, and a girl approaches him, a little smile on her face as if she can see just how lost he is. She has a lanyard around her neck, decorated nearly all the way around with those little pins they have up by the counter (that Richie claims he’s only stolen them a couple times, Eds! I don’t even think about it, I get home and they’re in my pocket! Plus with the amount of money I spend there, they can reward me a few pins. And Eddie knows it’s unintentional, because Richie is already so easily distracted, but in his favorite store it’s even worse) and at the bottom hangs a name badge with the Hot Topic logo at the top and a scrawled name below it he can’t quite make out.

“Need help finding anything?”

His immediate reaction is to say no, but he is sort of looking for something specific, and she looks like she genuinely wants to help.

“Um, yeah. Please? I’m looking for those like, studded belts?”

She grins, gesturing with a hand for him to follow. When they arrive at the rack which is covered with all kinds of belts (on the entirely opposite side of the store, which Eddie pouts about) he instantly sees the one Richie always wears. Though this one is in much better condition; all of the silver studs in place as opposed to Richie’s, whose has more missing than remaining, at this point. Next to it is a similarly studded belt, but this one is bright and eye catching with its pretty rainbow colors. Eddie’s eyes light up, and he can’t help choosing it, grabbing the silver studded one as well to buy for Richie. The girl collects his money at the register when he’s finished, and she’s so nice that Eddie can’t help but be a little excited to return. To get things for Richie and not himself, of course.

“I got you something.” Eddie says when he arrives at Richie’s after leaving the mall. Richie grins from where he’s laying on his bed, one earbud dangling in front of his chest where he removed it to listen to Eddie.

“You got me a gift, Eds?” Richie asks excitedly, reaching out and making grabby hands. Eddie rolls his eyes, his cheeks swelling with a smile as he takes a few steps closer. He unlinks his arms from behind his back and holds out the bag to Richie, who raises an inquisitive brow. “Oh god, you went in there alone? And lived to tell the tale? I’ve never been more proud.”

“Shut up and open it.”

“Aye aye, captain.”

Richie’s face lights up like a little kid on Christmas at the sight of the new belt, and he wastes no time yanking off his old one to replace it. He spins in a circle, dramatically sticking his hip out to show Eddie.

“How does it look?”

Eddie feels his cheeks warming as he nods. “Looks nice, Richie.”

Richie looks skeptical, leaning down to meet Eddie at eye level. “Are you acting weird?”

“No!” Eddie’s blush deepens, and Richie smirks knowingly.

“What else did you buy?”

Eddie huffs, because Richie always reads him so easily. Despite his pouting, they both knew that fact actually made him happy.

With a little sigh, Eddie lifts the hem of his shirt just enough so that Richie can see the little rainbow studs peeking out, and his face splits with a huge smile, his eyes soft.

“How does it look?” Eddie echoes Richie, his cheeks tingling with warmth.

Richie touches the belt lightly, then lifts his hand to Eddie’s cheek as he leans in to press a kiss to his forehead.

“Looks perfect, Eds.”

#reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #00s losers au #myspace au #I AM SO SOFT FOR THEM GUYS SEND HELP #ignoring work and my wips to write this?#could definitely be me #i just cant stop dude theyre so cute 🥺#i love them and this au so much #@meg i hope u like this :’))))))#reddie fic #reddie fanfiction #my writing

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gukyi · 4 years

Text

home | pjm

summary: one country after another, you have never had time to settle down. just because you meet your soulmate one night in a hotel in a foreign country doesn’t mean that will change. not even for him.

{soulmate!au, idolverse!au}

pairing: park jimin x reader genre: melancholy angst? pining? wishing things in your life were different? word count: 1.5k warnings: alcohol mention a/n: a massive thank you to @opaljm for commissioning me for this drabble and donating to the #blacklivesmatter movement!! i really appreciate it. this is the first soulmate au (and idolverse fic!) i’ve written in a while, so i hope i did it justice!

Travelling has always been the best and worst part of your job. The stamps in your passport and unexplored cities. The long, red-eye flights and overpriced hotel food. There are many pros and many cons to travelling, but the worst one of them all is the fact that nowhere really feels like home.

Not your apartment, which you stay at so infrequently that it’s starting to feel more like a hotel suite where you have to pay for utilities on top of residency. Nor your workplace, which is more your laptop on an airplane tray table than a desk in an office. and certainly not anywhere you’ve been, though they are all wonderful places in their own right, filled with rich histories and delicious meals. It feels like you’re a tourist of your own life.

Like nowhere has stuck.

People dream of being able to travel around the world, spending a month here and a couple of weeks there, but the glamor wears off faster than you wish it did and everything feels as though it’s beginning to lose its spark.

But nonetheless, you must go on.

Besides, there’s a part of you that sort of wonders if you’ll ever meet your soulmate on one of these many trips, see them standing in a quaint European cafe or in the check-in line at an airport. See that halo around their figure, that warm yellow glow, feel the sparks rush through your bodies when you touch.

There’s nothing terribly dramatic about meeting them, though all the movies and books act like it’s the end of an old life and the start of a brand new one. Like you’re being reborn, or something. But it’s supposed to feel like a shock of lightning, like a jolt through your bloodstream when you touch.

“You just know,” people say. You wonder what they mean.

You’re returning to the hotel much later than you were hoping, desperate to jump into the shower and wash away the day’s problems. The dinner you were just attending turned into a chatter fest, all of your coworkers and clients alike trying to one-up each other as they downed more and more wine, paid for by your company. It’s a miracle you didn’t stuff the dinner knives into your ears just to drown them out.

Tipsy on fine wine, cheeks burning and lips stained cherry, you walk into the lobby, rubbing your eyes and desperate for even a wink of sleep. You still have a day more here, which you will spend half exploring and half packing for the trip back home, but the hours always seem to pass by faster when you’re abroad.

As you walk in, you notice that standing by the front desk are two tall boys, both wearing sunglasses despite it being late at night and despite them being inside. Their clothes are expensive, you can tell from here, having become rather acquainted with luxury brands as of late, crisp leather shoes and silken shirts.

But when one of them turns around to see who has caused the automatic glass doors to open, you freeze in place.

Surrounding him is a golden glow, a halo effect, warm yellow making his light pink hair look orange. You watch as he looks at you, up and down, eyes peering over the edge of his sunglasses and lips parted in a round ‘o’, like he can’t believe what he’s seeing.

Nor can you.

The man says something to his friend, who looks confused for a moment before nodding, and he comes rushing up to you.

Instinctively, you reach out a hand.

When he touches it with his own, it feels as though you’ve been struck by lightning. Like an electric current is running through you, setting your nerves alight, paralyzing you. The man has the same reaction, body shaking as he looks down at your hands, fingertips pressed against each other’s, before gazing back up at you.

“You,” the man says. You can tell he’s not from around here. Neither are you.

“Me,” you echo helplessly. What more can you do?

“Jimin,” the man’s friend says, making him turn. He says something about heading up to their hotel room, to which Jimin nods, before turning back to you.

“I’m Y/N,” you introduce yourself. You suppose that it’s only right to know each other’s names. You are soulmates, after all. “How long are you here for?”

“A week more,” Jimin tells you. “I have… official stuff.”

You wonder what he does. It must be something rather well-paying, seeing as you can make out the Chanel necklace underneath his shirt, tight-fitting black jeans that don’t come from an ordinary mall store. Expensive leather shoes, pointed toes and shiny soles that echo on the marbled hotel floor.

“You?” Jimin asks.

“I leave in two days,” you tell him. It’s a shame that it isn’t longer. It’s a shame that you had to meet under these circumstances at all.

People dream of travelling the world, but meeting your soulmate in a foreign country that neither of you live in isn’t part of that kind of dream.

“Would you like to grab a drink?” Jimin asks, motioning towards the empty bar. You’re full on wine, but some sparkling water might be nice.

“So, what do you do?” You ask him, swirling the paper straw around in your glass. “Something, fun, right? If you get to travel to a place like this.”

Jimin coughs, almost like he’s surprised you don’t know. “I’m a singer,” he tells you. Oh, is that it? He must be rather talented, then. “That was my band mate earlier. We’re in a group together.”

“I’ll bet you’re good,” you muse. You’d love to hear him sing.

“I’m alright,” Jimin says humbly. “What do you do?”

“Nothing nearly as exciting,” you tell him with a sigh. “Office stuff. I’m the international spokesperson for a foreign investment company.” Much less glamorous.

“Do you travel a lot?” Jimin asks.

“Always. Several times a month. What about you?”

“I’m on tour a lot. But we live in Korea.”

With every sentence spoken, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the two of you will not be able to go on dates, get to know each other, marry and settle down in a small apartment in a city together. Not like any of your friends. Not like any of his. The curse is not that you have a soulmate, but that your lifestyles are not compatible with one. That being together would ruin you.

You dream of settling down, but you know that will never happen.

You dream of a real home, but that has always seemed out of reach.

When you’re finished at the bar, Jimin somehow manages to find his way to the roof of the building, pulling you up metal stairs leading out to the sky, feet stepping onto the cement ceiling, looking out at the world around you. It’s quaint here, nothing like American cities, which are bustling and loud and modern. Old buildings with smoke coming from the chimneys, like overlooking a town rather than a metropolis.

“Where are you headed to next?” You ask him.

“London,” Jimin tells you. “And then Paris, and then Berlin. Then we’re going back to Asia.”

“Do you ever settle down?” You ask. You think you may have finally met someone who travels more than you.

“Sometimes,” Jimin says with a shrug. “We get a month off here and there. It’s nice, but I like being abroad. I don’t miss home until I’m just about to go back.”

“You must travel a lot then,” you surmise.

“No more than you do,” he counters.

“Do you ever want it to all stop?” You ask, partly to him and partly to the sky, the moon and the stars. Wondering if they ever feel the same.

Jimin pauses, thinking. “I didn’t, before. But now,” he says, turning to you. When his hand dances across the cement floor to rest atop yours, you still feel sparks, electric shocks to remind you of the feeling of lightning racing through your veins. “Now, I sort of do.”

“I wish things were different,” you say.

“Don’t we all?”

It goes without saying. Neither of you needs to speak it for it to be true. You will never be able to be together. Not like this.

“Will I ever see you again?” You ask. This is your first and last chance.

“If you want to, then we will,” Jimin says. It sounds like a promise. He reaches out for the phone sitting on your lap, smiles softly when you let him enter his number. You do the same for him, and he grins. Not many things can tie you down to something, to a place or a person. A contact in a cell phone is the bare minimum. But it’s a start. Jimin knows it, too.

When you’re with him, your heart feels at ease.

When you’re with him, it’s almost as if you could never leave.

“Will we?” You ask, skeptical. It’s easier not to get your hopes up, easier to expect the least.

Jimin nods, certain. “Yes. I know it.”

In two days time, you will leave here, return to your apartment before being sent off to another city, another country. And in two days time, Jimin will stay here, watching as the spark begins to fade between the two of you, as the thunderstorm calms. Is it strange that you wish it was always stormy, now? That you want nothing more than for lightning to strike? Your lives will keep you apart. But perhaps fate will hold you together, just barely.

You sure hope Jimin’s right.

↳ links are broken, but don’t forget that i’m still taking commissions!

#jimin fluff #jimin angst #bts fluff #bts angst #bts scenario #jimin scenario #bts imagine #jimin imagine #bts au #jimin au #w: home #BEST BTS SONG OFF OF PERSONA FIGHT ME #excluding dionysus which it is tied for

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shes-an-oddbird · 3 years

Text

Merry Christmas to my Fitzsimmons Secret Santa giftee @springmagpies ironically started working on my Christmas at River’s End Mall fic a couple of weeks before I received your fantastic prompt: working at the mall during the holidays! It was a fun coincidence and it was nice to work on this as a stand alone fic that could exist in the same universe as that story.

I also wanted to make a moodboard to go with it since I’m so inspired by yours! I hope you enjoy it!

The Good & The Bad Of Seasonal Jobs

Summary: Leopold Fitz hates his seasonal job demoing the poorly made gadgets on the top of everyone's Christmas lists. Jemma Simmons loves her seasonal job wrapping those gifts. Together they make a a perfect team, even if they haven't officially met yet. Until Jemma is presented with a task that dampens her Christmas spirit and her and Fitz team up to get it back.

His expertise is being wasted.

Fitz is convinced they’ll be by to revoke his credentials any moment now.

If he sells one more shotty piece of home gadgetry with the promise that it will improve their customers everyday lives he might as well tear up his doctorate degree.

But he’s still short the cash he needs to get home for the holiday so here he is. Standing in a crowded mall, demoing cheaply made drones, remote control cars and robotic animals. Couldn’t one of these manufacturers create a monkey instead of the typical dog and cat? Are opposable thumbs that much of a challenge?

He knows the morning rush is starting to settle when he can hear the slightest jingling coming from the gift wrap kiosk across from him. A noise that would normally put him on edge has become a bright spot in his day. It came from the silver bell worn by the gift wrapper, Jemma, who worked the kiosk. She kept the bell tied around her neck on a long blue ribbon and with every move she made it rattled a cheery sound that added to the festive atmosphere in the mall.

He wasn’t much for Christmas cheer himself. He wasn’t a complete grinch, despite what Hunter might say, but if all of his income from the lab didn’t go straight to student loans, rent and food he definitely wouldn’t have bothered with the seasonal work at all.

Every time his spirits started to fall though, he’d glance over at Jemma to find her glancing back at him. No matter if it was irate customers or screaming children or an upset manager, she was close enough to hear and observe and would shoot him a supportive smile.

They had yet to actually speak to each other but they had found other ways to communicate. One of the most in demand drones of the season utilized a camera and messaging system. She had taken to writing notes on scraps of wrapping paper that he could read through the drone camera and he was able to send back messages to her.

He would love to talk to her in person but the more and more he learned about her from their notes the more and more nerve racking that prospect became. She was brilliant. A double PHD. She worked for a lab he interviewed at a while back but had ended up recruited for a project at another lab across town. He almost regrets taking the project now, the one she was in the middle of sounds fascinating and he thinks they’d make a good team.

But then again, that would involve talking directly to her.

Which would happen, eventually.

It’s early afternoon, kids not yet out of school but late enough that mall walkers and nannies with young ones were heading home. This was the time when they usually found a chance to “chat.” He readies the drone to fly it over to her station but stops when he sees she’s got a customer. A well-dressed man, expensive suit and a pair of matching jewelry boxes in his hands. He spends a moment talking to her, a charismatic smile on his face. She’s not impressed if he’s flirting. She nods curtly back at him as she takes the boxes and he leaves.

Fitz watches her shoulders sag and her demeanor change as she examines the boxes before setting them aside and turning to fetch some paper. Her bell jingles and she stops in her tracks. She removes the necklace and tosses it aside before returning to the task.

Fitz doesn’t know what it was the man said or did to ruin her day but after she’d done so much to improve his bad moods, he felt like he should do something. He quickly packs up the drone and waves to his manager that he’s going on his break.

****

Jemma couldn’t imagine a better holiday job.

When Daisy had told her she could probably get her the open gift wrapper position at the mall she had jumped at the opportunity. It wasn’t exactly science, although Daisy claimed she’d made an art out of it. Just because she liked her patterns to precisely line up and her ribbons to match, it wasn’t that special.

She does love the look in her customers eyes when they pick up their presents.

She also loves the light in the customers’ eyes when they hand her their gifts to be wrapped and she just knows they had found the perfect thing for their loved one. Sometimes the gifts would come along with a story, the hours they waited in line, the dozens of stores visited, the didn’t-plan-on-it-but-I-saw-it-and-thought-of-them. She loved that. It made her want to wrap each gift with just as much love and care.

She thinks that might also be why she maintains her Christmas cheer while Fitz, who works at the shop across from her station, is so grumpy all the time. Poor Fitz. He gets the customers before she does. When they are frustrated from having been on their feet all day with the end not in sight. Their kids tugging and pulling and screaming and begging for this and that. And a manger breathing down his neck, pushing him to sell drones that she knows he thinks are poor quality and will inevitably break.

He’s an engineer, she found out one day when he was messaging her about the poor controls on the drone after apologizing three or four times for nearly hitting her with it.

The day is starting to quiet down for the afternoon lull. She’s caught up on all of her work and is gathering up scraps to write her notes to Fitz on when there is a tap on the wooden counter. She looks up to see a tall well-dressed man waiting for assistance. He’s got just two matching boxes in his hands so she thinks she can knock them out quickly and still have plenty of time to chat with Fitz before the afterschool rush hits.

“Yes, how can I help you today.”

He grins down at her with a charming smile and an unconvincing look of innocence in his eyes.

“Yes, you certainly can, I’ve got a sort of special task.” He places the identical jewelry boxes down between them. “You see this one here, is for my wife,” he slides the first box forward, “and this one,” he places his hand on the other box, “this one if for, well not my wife.” Jemma narrows her eyes in confusion, “so you understand it’s important not to mix them up right?”

Then it hits her and her stomach fills with dread. She looks at the boxes again. They’re branded on the side with the logo of the expensive jewelry shop down at the other end of the mall. “May I?” She asks, reaching out for them. She opens the first to reveal a pretty gold bracelet with a woman’s name engraved in cursive and three sparkling charms. She opens the second box to find a second bracelet, exactly the same except for the name. “Um, they’re lovely.”

“So we don’t have a problem here?” He asks.

Did they? Could she refuse service to this guy because he was cheating on his wife and possibly misleading some other poor woman? Its certainly what she’d like to do.

“No, I suppose not.”

“Perfect, I’ll be back for them this evening, dinner with the girlfriend first, then dinner with the wife.” He taps the counter again. “Do them up real nice for me.”

Jemma nods and collects the boxes. She moves them to the back worktable and starts to select a wrapping paper when the bell on her necklace jingles and she stops. Her bell was tradition. She wore it all through the holiday season thinking the gentle sound was a pleasant way to spread holiday cheer. But now, now it was like it was mocking her.

She takes the bell, pulls the ribbon over her head and tosses it aside.

Maybe it’s a side effect of her frustration or maybe it’s her desire to give the woman being two-timed something individually beautiful; whichever it is she wraps the two bracelets exquisitely. The paper is elegant, the ribbon satin and she even takes the time to add little decorations like pine bristles and bells. She carefully inscribes the cards for the top and gently tucks them under the ribbons before placing them with the rest of the gifts ready for pick up.

It’s exhausting. She has an overwhelming desire to close-up for the day or call out early so that she doesn’t have to be here when he comes back for them. Fitz isn’t even at his usual post, ready to make her laugh.

Someone clears their throat behind her and she spins around on her stool. Fitz is standing at the front counter, two to-go cups in his hands. She’s unsure how to proceed for a moment. Her and Fitz hadn’t actually spoken in person since they started their seasonal worker comradery.

“Hi.”

“Hey.” He shifts back and forth unsure what to say either.

“Thirsty?” She asks, curious about the two cups. Maybe one for now and one for later?

“Oh, no, um one is for you, I hope hot chocolate is okay.” She feels a smile fight its way through her gloom. She can’t help it, hearing his voice for the first time is thrilling. He’s Scottish. Which she had learned from their messages, he was trying to earn money for the ticket home, but it still threw her off just a bit.

“Thanks, but why?” Why today, she really wants to ask.

“I don’t know, you’re always so positive and then that guy came by earlier and you looked upset, I just thought this might cheer you up.”

“Oh, thank you.” She except the cup and the warmth spreads through her chilly hands. She takes a sip and the warmth runs through the rest of her. She savors it for a moment then cringes. “Was is that obvious, that I was upset I mean, do you think he noticed?”

“I doubt it, seemed a bit self-absorbed to me.”

“He’s horrible, bought his wife and his girlfriend the same bracelet for Christmas and didn’t want me to mix them up.” She gestures to where the boxes sit on the very top of the pile.

Fitz face scrunches up in disgust. “What a wanker – sorry.”

She tries not to laugh. “Its okay, he really is, would you like to sit down, I’ve got a second stool back here.”

“Sure, I’ve got a little time.” Jemma excitedly sets aside her beverage and flips up the countertop so he can join her. They settle onto the stools and he swivels his back and forth nervously. “Its strange talkin’ to you in person.”

“Not bad strange, I hope.”

“No, no definitely not bad.”

She ends up asking him about how his work project is coming along and he tells her about the snags they've hit but that its really coming along. He thinks they could use a good biotech person to which she has to decline, being in the middle of her own project. Their conversation slows and Fitz chugs the last bit of hot chocolate before looking for a bin.

"Its under there." She points to the trash can next to the stacks of gifts. Fitz tosses the cup and examines the mountain of presents.

“So why not just switch the cards on these?” He asks as he grabs the bracelet boxes off the pile and places them in front of him.

Jemma frowns. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” Fitz asks as he traces the cards with his finger. “Its not like the guy doesn’t deserve whatever would come of it.”

“Well yes he would but it’s my job, I can’t just let my personal feelings effect how I do things, besides he could take it out on the mall if he wanted to, May shouldn’t have to deal with that.” She reasons.

“I think May would on your side.”

“I still can’t Fitz.” She insists as he slides free the tags.

“Fine.” He slips the cards back onto their respective boxes. “Still want to get back at him for ruining your day.”

“Fitz I promise, today is turning out to be pretty great, here – “ Jemma picks up her discarded silver bell necklace and carefully loops it around Fitz’s neck. Her fingers graze his neck, just above the collar of his work polo and she draws them back quickly.

“What um, what’s this for?” He asks reaches for the bell.

“It’s for spreading Christmas cheer, I think you’re doing a better job of that right now than I am.”

****

Fitz promises Jemma he’ll return her bell at the end of the day. They’re both working open to close and by nightfall the mall is bustling. Friday nights are always busy, usually with teenagers but now with everyone shopping for Christmas its wall to wall people. He’s out demoing drones again. They draw the biggest crowd into the store and the manager had convinced May to let them project the camera’s video feed on to the big screen downstairs at the mall’s Christmas set up.

It keeps him busy. Trying to find interesting things to focus in on. He does enjoy the opportunity to stray farther and farther from the shop. From the balcony he can swoop the drone down to the kids waiting in line for Santa. They wave excitedly and screech with joy when they see their faces up on the screen.

As he retreats the drone back to him there is an audible ‘aww’ of disappointment but if it gets too far away it’ll loose connection and he’ll have to go fetch it when it crash lands. As it comes back up over the railing he does a fancy little spin hoping Jemma is watching. The bit of trick flying always earns him a smile and an eyeroll but when he looks over he sees she busy.

The man from earlier is back to collect his packages. He wishes Jemma would have swapped the cards on them or that he had just done it for her. He knows he shouldn’t but he swings the drone around anyways, he’s a good distance from the guy but its enough to startle him when it wizzes past his head.

“Watch it with that thing!” He snaps.

“Sorry, shotty controls.” He apologizes and holds up the remote guiltily. Still scowling the man take just one of his packages and leaves in a huff.

“Fitz, that was dangerous.” She chides but doesn’t sound as cross as he suspects she could be about it.

“I wasn’t gonna hit him.” He lands the drone on Jemma’s workstation. She’s fiddling with the bow on the man’s other gift. “Why didn’t he take that one?”

“Dinner with his girlfriend, didn’t want to be caught with it.”

Fitz rolls his eyes before returning to the store.

Their long day continues on and the crowds slowly start to dwindle. There are a few stragglers getting in last minute purchases but most of the patrons are either waiting on restaurant reservations or letting out from the evening’s first seatings.

Fitz has just finished charging up the camera drone before locking it up for the night when Jemma rushes into the store.

“Okay, I can’t take it anymore I have to do something or say something.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That guy, that horrible, horrible man just kissed his girlfriend goodbye and marched right over here to get the bracelet for his wife who is waiting for him at the restaurant literally around the corner and I just can’t take it, he’s so arrogant and and awful and – “

“Okay, okay, calm down.” He places his hands on her shoulders gently hoping to sooth her frantic motions. “I thought your hands were tied, that you could do anything.”

“They are,” she stresses, “but it’s so unfair Fitz.”

“Okay well,” Fitz doesn’t know how to help in a way that doesn’t get them involved. He could march right up to the guy and confront him but he suspects that will end very badly. If there was away for them all to figure it out on their own maybe with just a push on their side.

“You said you saw the girlfriend?”

“Yes.”

“You think she’s still here?”

“Maybe, I saw her head downstairs, I assumed that she was leaving.” Fitz takes Jemma’s hand and rushes her over to the balcony. Her eyes scan the small crowd below. In a small seating area by the North Pole set up a woman has set down her things on an armchair and is pulling on her gloves, Fitz sees the shimmer of a bracelet on her wrist. “That’s her.”

“Okay, go try to keep her there.”

“But I can’t tell her, I can’t just delivery that sort of news she may not even believe me.” Fitz is already shaking his head at her protests.

“That’s the thing about Christmas isn’t it, adults don’t believe in Christmas spirit and Santa and all that because for them seeing is believing,” Fitz rushes back into the shop and grabs up the camera drone. “Let’s give them something to see.”

****

“Excuse me, Ma’am, excuse me.” Jemma races up to the pretty blonde woman who has just finished pulling on her coat and scarf. The woman looks at her startled.

“Yes, can I help you?”

Jemma froze. She didn’t want to be the one to pass along such horrible news. But she only needs to buy Fitz some time. “I, I – I’m sorry you don’t know me, my name is Jemma Simmons, I work upstairs at the gift wrap station, I actually wrapped that lovely bracelet you’ve got there.” She says, pointing to the piece of jewelry the woman is trying to free from her coat sleeve.

The woman smiles. “You did an incredible job, my boyfriend wanted to claim it was his own work, but I knew he could never manage anything like that, he can be such a slob.”

“Among other things.” Jemma mutters quietly but not enough that the woman misses it. Her eyes narrow suspiciously.

“Is there a problem?”

“Um, no, well yes you see – “

“Aww, check out the big screen.” Someone calls and both women turn to the large television. Jemma recognizes the feed from the drone immediately. The camera is trailing along a line of guests waiting to be seated at the restaurant upstairs. They wave cheerfully at the camera which comes to a stop on the man and his wife as he gifts her the bracelet and she excitedly rips open the package and throws herself towards him in gratitude.

Jemma worriedly turns to the woman who has lowered her attention from the screen back to the bracelet. One identical to the one on the screen. For a moment she looks terribly heartbroken.

“I’m so sorry, I feel like I’ve just ruined your holiday.” Jemma’s not even sure she hears her. She’s about to ask if she’s alright but then a look of determination crosses her face and she looks up at her with a smile.

“Thank you, um, you set this up?” She gestures to the screen.

Jemma nods cautiously.

“Prefect, can you make the feed go away, there are children here and they really don’t to see what’s about to happen to him.”

Jemma breathes a sigh of relief. “Consider it done.”

By the time she texts Fitz and returns to her kiosk he is already there looking rather pleased with himself. “You’re not even going to ask if it worked first?”

“Didn’t have too, heard the woman coming when I was clearing out of there.”

“Oh dear, I hope it doesn’t get out of hand, I still feel awful.” She says as she leans against the counter next to him.

Fitz nudged her shoulder with his. “Jemma they were being two-timed, if it was you you would have wanted to know right?”

“Yeah I guess so.”

“Then let it go, please, because I need you to go back to being the cheerful one, it’s too much work for me.” Jemma laughs and nudges his shoulder back. He slips the bell off from around his neck and carefully drapes it back around hers. She looks up at him, her whole body feeling jittery and her eyes land on his. She thinks, and blushes at the thought, that she would kill for a bit of mistletoe right now.

She aims for his cheek instead. Landing a thank you kiss on his scruffy jaw and watching happily as he turns a cute shade of pink.

“Um – “ He stutters out.

“Excuse me.” Jemma and Fitz step apart quickly. Standing a few feet away are the blonde woman from downstairs and a second woman who looks elegantly dressed and perhaps a little frazzled. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to interrupt, I was told I might owe you both a thank you?”

“Oh no, it was nothing – “

Fitz cuts her off. “No please thank her, she’s convinced she’s ruined your Christmases.”

“Well, its certainly taken a turn, but for the best in the long run.” The second woman says. She looks between the pair of them. “Actually, as a thank you, would you two like our reservations, someone should have a romantic date night.”

Jemma blushes and Fitz clears his throat. “Oh we’re not together and we should really be working actually –“

“Yes working, right.” Fitz scoops up the drone and hurries off.

Jemma watches him go before turning back to her company. “Thank you, that was very generous of you to offer.”

“Of course.” She says. “And please, don’t worry over this.”

“Yes, its our problem and its being delt with,” the blonde woman agrees. “Should have known something was up, all the time we were together, and he never once looked at me the way that man there looks at you.”

Jemma doesn’t know what to say in response. She looks back at Fitz who glances up at her at the same time and sends her a boyish smile.

“Have a good night Jemma, you’ve given us a lot to think about, maybe we’ve given you something to think about as well.” The women leave and Jemma is left standing at her gift wrapping kiosk, fiddling with the silver bell around her neck.

#fitzsimmons secret santa #fitzsimmons #leo fitz #jemma simmons #fitzsimmons fic

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mmand0 · 3 years

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Back To You Ch 2 // F!Reader X Javi

"What?" you asked. "Colombia? For what? Isn't that CIA's turf?"

Smith adjusted himself in his seat and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk. "This is a huge loss for us, Y/LN, but the CIA team we have down there from DC need some assistance with surveillance. Your name was one of the three agents suggested for this case, and the other two accepted other positions in Middle East and China." He continued to stare at you, waiting for a response. Nothing about his body language told you anything about his thoughts. Did he think this was a good idea? No- do you think this is a good idea?

You sat back and looked out the windows of the spacious office. The twinkling lights of Los Angeles sparkled under the crescent moon. It was a calm night- no helicopters, not much traffic, and the office was slowly beginning to quiet down as well. You usually enjoyed silence and solitude, but with the current situation you're in, well it was daunting. You felt as though you needed to answer him right here, right now. You turned back to your director and sighed. "How much time do I have to make a decision?"

"Not much. The earlier the better. We can get you to the next flight by tomorrow morning 07:30."

This was indeed a great opportunity- not just for your career, but you also felt lost. You loved your job, location, and friends, but something felt missing. There was a lack of intrigue, excitement, and motivation that chained you in Los Angeles- not to mention the metaphoric chain that connected you to Adam. Oh, Adam. This was your shot at something great. Your name was already being whispered around the circles, and this might be another ticket to the top.

"Well? How much time do you need before I need to recommend someone else?"

"None. I'll do it."

"Excellent. This is a wise decision, Y/LN. Johnson will pick you up from your apartment. He'll have your tickets and case files in a briefcase. Try to pack light, and good luck." The two of you rose from your seats and shook one another's hand. You could have sworn that Smith looked remorseful, but perhaps it was just your imagination. You exited the office and headed straight to the parking structure to find your car. It was almost empty except for a few cars on your floor. You checked your 1970's Timex watch with Mickey Mouse smiling back at you as his hands pointed at the numbers. It was nearly 21:00. Adam might be asleep by now, so you decided to take a little joy ride to prepare yourself for the impending heartbreak you're about to put Adam through. He really seemed like he loves you, and he was a good man, but he wasn't the man you wanted. The image of you and Peña under that tree flashed in your mind as you neared your apartment complex. It irked you how much that man still had a hold over you. It's been a year or so- not that you were counting- and for whatever obnoxious reason, the feeling of being in his arms still haunted you. The way his tongue traced the shape of your lips and how his hands gently caressed your body was something you would never forget. Although you never slept together, there was something that he ignited in you that Adam never could. You could feel that flame in you as you continued driving down Wilshire boulevard. It felt like an itch you couldn't scratch, and you wondered what Javier Peña was up to now. Was he some big shot DEA working somewhere? Was he in with the FBI? CIA? He mentioned something about leaving the country after the academy... Perhaps he was already offered a job before graduation. Who knows... Either way, you needed to stop thinking about it.

You arrived at the apartment complex and took your time walking up the stairs. You were tired, but you were also anxious to talk to Adam. It ate you on the inside and caused the acid from your stomach to rise. You continued to remind yourself how good Adam was. He was a stable partner who showered you with kindness and reassurance- sometimes it was a little much, but what woman didn't want someone like that? Every movie depicted that women should be with men like Adam, and yet everything in you screamed get out. You stood in front of the door, took a deep breath, and unlocked it. The apartment wasn't dark like you expected. There were candles and vases of your favorite flowers everywhere, and Adam was at the pub table with a bucket filled with ice and champagne. He sat there in a nice button up shirt tucked into some dark jeans, and he had slicked his dark hair back into a neat style. He obviously trimmed his mustache and splashed some sort of cologne or aftershave.

"Adam, what is this?" you asked, placing your bag on the floor and closing the door behind you.

"Just something to maybe call a date? I know it's been off between us... You've been working hard, and I respect that, but I really wanted some time with you." Adam stood and motioned for you to come closer. He gingerly kissed your cheek, and took your hand in his. "I'm sure you've eaten-" You haven't- "but we can at least have some champagne and a cheesecake to share." He led you to the table and disappeared into the kitchen before reappearing with a decadent chocolate cheesecake drizzled with a caramel sauce and decorated with slices of strawberries and white chocolate shavings.

"Wow, um, thank you," you managed to say, awkwardly watching him prepare the dessert and popping the drink open. "I really appreciate it, Adam."

He smiled proudly as he joined you at the table. "I'm glad. We've been going through some rough times and it almost feels like you've been busying yourself even more lately... I just want you to know that I care about you, and I'm worried, but I also understand your tenacity. I do have something to ask you, Y/N..."

Oh, no.

You could feel your heart pounding out of your chest and time slow down as you watched Adam pull out a small velvet box. "Wait-"

There was no waiting. You were too slow, and Adam had opened the box. Inside was a golden ring with a single diamond in the middle. The golden band had some detailing all around it- it was the ring you were looking at with Marie. She wasn't just perusing the jewelry department at the mall for fun, she was helping Adam find out your preferences. This complicates things- no, more than complicate... It ruined your plan on ending things with him. Part of you want to turn him down, but for what? The hope you could find Peña again? There was no point in that. You have an established life here now, and it was comfortable. Sure, Adam wasn't the perfect man, but neither are you. In fact, you have been the reason why things weren't going great lately. Taking extra cases and tasks the past month has been exhausting, and you couldn't imagine what you made Adam go through. He will never understand why you're like this, but he was supportive.

"Will you marry me?"

You stared into his eyes, the candlelight flickered and the clock in the bathroom ticked loudly as he waited for your response. As quick as you could, you weighed out the options- if you say yes, you would have to plan a wedding while out of the country; if you say no, then when were you going to find another man that can understand your career? Knowing you, you'd end up working yourself to death and live alone for the rest of your life. This was your chance to have a life partner, and besides, Javier Peña was just a classmate you made out with (yet somehow still lingered on your mind).

"Adam..."

"Uh oh, what's with that tone?"

"Well... I accepted a job in Colombia. I was recommended to do some surveillance work with the team there, and I don't know how long this will be..."

Adam fell silent, head hanging as he thought about his response. "I see... Well, maybe..." He closed the velvet box and placed it on the table. "I understand your concern, but I am willing to wait for you to come back. I got into this relationship knowing something like this could happen. With Colombia's and Mexico's cartels running the town, this was bound to happen. We just didn't know when. So I will ask you again, will you marry me?" You were impressed with his response, though it left you feeling even more guilt and confusion. Was it fair to accept knowing that you weren't entirely sure whether you were in love or not? Or was this truly how life is, and love comes after working through things? Adulthood and relationships were obviously not your forte.

"Yes." An answer you'd soon regret.

You nodded and offered your left hand to him. Beaming, he gladly slipped the ring on your ring finger, and kissed your knuckles. He looked delighted, and you looked, well, confused. It was all very sudden, and you didn't really know how you truly felt. "Well, perhaps we should do a toast?" he asked, raising his champagne glass in the air. "To us."

The plane ride was just as uncomfortable as you had expected. It was a nine hour flight, and you spent at least two hours napping and this time you did remember to bring a scarf to use as a pillow against the window. You wore the comfiest clothes you could find: blue jeans, a black short-sleeved button up, and brown leather hiking boots. The next seven hours was an excruciating time with your thoughts and looking at your engagement ring. You had asked Adam if you could bring the box it came in just in case you did need to store it safely during work. He trusted you despite the promise he asked you to make, and truthfully, there truly were times in which you shouldn't wear anything that could reveal any personal detail about you.

You arrived at Bogota safely around 16:30. After customs and security, you found your way to the front of the airport where a man in a white linen button up and khakis was waiting for you. You recognized him as one of the agents Johnson had described to you before boarding the plane. His name was Jones and was part of the CIA team helping with surveillance. Jones was a tall man around his forty's. He had an intimidating aura about him that made you slightly nervous, but you tried not to show it.

"Miss Y/LN, welcome to Bogota. I hope the flight wasn't too bad?"

"It was as good as it could be," you laughed. "Shall we?"

The ride to the embassy was hot, humid, and for the most part, pleasant. Jones seemed easygoing- for now- and the two of you chatted about trivial things. You could tell that he was trying to get a read, and you were sure that he could tell you were doing the same. So far, you've learned that he has been working for the CIA was nearly fifteen years and was working in DC before he was called to fly to Colombia. There were other agents in Bogota as well as the DEA. You noticed that the nerve on his neck twitched when he was talking about the DEA, but made no comments. Keep the boat floating.

"You married, agent?"

"No."

"Single?"

You paused and looked down at your hand.

"Ah, engaged... but...?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Fair enough. We're here anyway."

The two of you exited the car and headed straight to the embassy. "Ambassador Noonan is waiting for us. After you," he said, motioning for you to enter the building first. Men and women in suits were still bustling about in the building. They paid no attention to you or Jones as they went about their routine. Some of them had their heads buried in files, some of them were chatting with one another, and others were sitting on various benches having a cigarette and looking rather exhausted. Jones greeted the woman at the front desk who you assumed to be Noonan's secretary, then opened the doors to the office. Noonan sat behind a large mahogany desk- larger than the one your boss had back in Los Angeles. She was an older woman with the same exhausted and stressed facial expression as everyone else, but as soon as you entered the room, her face snapped into something more cheerful. The meeting was a regular welcoming committee type of ordeal. Noonan offered you some whiskey, which you declined since you don't particularly want to drink such a strong drink after a long flight. The three of you had a nice decent chat before being briefed about the situation in Bogota.

"Alright, well then Agent L/N, welcome to Colombia," Noonan said, standing and stretching out her hand to shake yours.

"Thank you, ambassador. I look forward to working with everyone here."

"Excellent. We need more strong women around here." She gave you a wink before sending you off with Jones. "Show her around. Work can start tomorrow. I'm sure you're tired from the flight."

You nodded and thanked her for her time before following Jones back to the vehicle. The rest of the evening was a short tour around the town; Jones showed you the office building you would report to, walked around the building itself, then headed out to show you stores and restaurants, and of course the bars.

"You drink much, L/N?"

"Not really, no."

"Well, let's see how that lasts," Jones chuckled.

Although Jones said it in jest, you couldn't help but wonder what he has experienced here. After a few minutes, Jones parked in front of a building of a large apartment complex. It was a white building with black metal bars that protected the oak doors. It looked like an old building, but quaint. The two of you hopped out of the car. Jones was about to carry your luggage for you, but you were able to stop him and insist to carry it yourself. The inside of the building had clean brick tiling work in a basket weaving pattern, and directly to the left of the first floor was a staircase that led to the other levels. To the right there were bulletin boards and lounging areas. A stack of newspapers were scattered on a small round coffee table. The two of you continued up the stairs with Jones leading the way to the third floor. He stopped in front of your apartment door, reached into his pockets, and handed you your keys.

"Most of the tenants here are CIA. There's another building not far from here with DEA and embassy folks. I live in the top floor- Apartment 22. If you need any help with anything, call first."

"Sure thing. Thank you."

"Get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow."

To your surprise, the apartment was fully furnished with decent furniture and excellent amenities. There were two rooms: an office and your bedroom, a small kitchen, a tiny dining area, living room, and a bathroom. It didn't feel like home, but you were going to have to get used to that. You headed to the bathroom right away to draw a bath. Unpacking and organizing could wait. You did your best to rest and relax before the storm tomorrow.

You woke up early the next morning and prepared yourself for the day. A quick shower, light make up, and a spritz of some perfume Marie had given to you last Christmas that had a pleasant citrus smell. You wore a simple black blouse, black blazer with a matching black ankle-length trousers, and, surprise surprise, black loafers. You kept your closet quite minimal- easy to match especially after very little sleep. You had enough time to make a small breakfast of oatmeal and coffee with a splash of creamer and honey before heading out the door. The embassy also gave you a car- a little red Jeep CJ7. You had an hour before clocking in, so you used thirty minutes to drive around the town to get accustomed to your temporary home. After the little solo tour, you headed to work, thirty minutes early.

To be early is to be on time, and to be on time is to be late.

Those words forever haunted you. 'Thanks, Mrs. Lawson,' you thought, reminiscing the days you spent in youth orchestra as a child. As you pulled up, you noticed many others had the same motto. You headed into the building, checked in, and asked for directions. The aroma of coffee hit your nose as soon as you walked down the halls. The symphony of ringing telephones, paper shuffling, people murmuring, and the loud sipping of the brew echoed all around you. Jones was already in the briefing room when you arrived and immediately handed you three manila folders.

"Morning, agent. Ready for day one?"

"Let's get to it."

Jones was in the middle of briefing you when you heard two voices down the hall. You shook your head, telling yourself to focus on the work in front of you. There was so much information to be absorbed, and no time to be distracted, but the voices entered your space.

"Jones. We need to talk."

You turned to look at the man that spoke. Blond, blue eyes, mustached, and a scowl on his face. His nose flared as he placed his hands on his hips. Behind him was another man. You nearly dropped the files when he locked eyes with yours. Jaws slightly hanging from shock, your body froze as he pushed his way into the room.

"Y/N."

"Javi?"

#Javier Pena #javier pena x reader #Back To You #wantingtobekorra #i am not good at tumblr anymore lol it's been so long

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