#this little guy who went through both life and the beginning of his death with terrible self esteem and he so universally liked | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

atlasofthestaars · 6 months

Text

[MK X READER] New Era - Chapter .014

first part | previous part | next part

NOTES:

Hoping for the best that I get this out sooner than nearly 3 weeks haha I’ll update this part with how that goes.

Edit: I had a very hectic last few weeks. Oops. But here’s the chapter finally haha

Some of the ideas in the fic, like the Johnny section was helped by some of my anons on tumblr, ty guys for interacting!

As requested, here’s Rain’s repoll! Probably the only repoll I will do haha ^^ AO3 fans give me your thoughts! The poll will end in a week!

FROM THE EYES OF SOMEONE WHO HAS TO HELP SOMEONE OUT

“I thought I would find you here.”

It was a warm night. It was the type of night where one could sit outside for hours on end listening to the crickets chirp. The sky above was the perfect accompaniment this particular night, being so clear and free from clouds and any sort of light pollution that you could nearly see the entirety of the universe above. It was the perfect night for one to relax and enjoy life.

But that was not what was happening.

You stood on the very beginning of the crest of the hill, a little away from Liu Kang. Your eyes scanned the hunched over form of your friend. It was an odd look on him, a form so undisciplined from one of the most diligent men you knew. As odd as it was, it only made sense. After all, how could you expect a picture perfect form from a man who has lost his best friend?

The grass rustled as you walked forward, moving to stand right next to where Liu Kang sat. You kept your gaze forward, not turning your head to look at him. You didn’t need to. Without even looking at his face, you could tell all the emotions that he must be experiencing. Frustration, grief, loneliness. It was the same emotions that had been clinging to your friend like tar for a while now.

So, instead, you stared adamantly at the tree. A rush of emotions surged through you as your gaze settled on it. So many memories were connected to this tree. Long days of just relaxing under this tree with Kung Lao came to mind. The three of you would sit under here, chatting and enjoying each other’s companies as the cicadas would sing in the background.

Or sometimes, you would find Kung Lao here, having sneakily gotten out of lessons to simply sit and snack on a few treats he had stolen from the kitchen. You never sold him out. Even when your father gave you a pointed look, you would feign innocence and claim that you had no idea where the razor hatted man went.

It only made sense to bury him here, underneath the tree he loved so, so much. It was even his favorite type of tree, the cherry blossom.

A certain silence hung in the air. It was the silence that could only be made by those who have lost someone important to them. It was the combined silence of someone who had let grief consume him and of someone who refused to grieve yet. The two reactions to the death of your friend could not be any more different between the two of you, but the unspoken words between you two could not be any more the same.

You both missed him, dearly.

“He died in vain.” Liu Kang spoke, breaking the vow of silence he had taken on. His voice was hoarse. You knew it must be from the lack of talking. But there was another part of you who knew the gravel-like quality to his voice must be from his grief and how it tore at him. You could not help but let out a sigh as you dropped your eyes to the humble gravestone in front of you.

“I know.” You replied, your voice laced with resignation. There was a tremble in your voice, your lip quivered for a moment before you set your jaw to prevent the little sign of weakness from persisting. You could not help the slump in your shoulders. It was a hard, harsh truth you’ve come to accept. As much as you’d like to believe that Kung Lao’s death meant something, the invasions Outworld has been sending as of late has proven otherwise.

You turned your gaze to Liu Kang. It was not inaccurate to say he looked like a wreck. Reddened eyes which felt like they carried the weight of the world met yours. You could still see the freshly dried tear tracks on Liu Kang’s face. It seemed like, at least for now, the champion had finally run out of tears to shed for his long time friend.

“Kung Lao would hate to see you like this.” You said, unable to keep the words from tumbling out of your mouth. You observed the way the man carried himself, and how he almost seemed like a different man entirely. The fury that he had held when he had slain Shao Kahn had burnt out, and only in his eyes could you see the remnants of the dying embers.

“I wish he were here to at least see it.” Liu Kang spat out, bitterness dripping from his voice. You did not flinch at it. You knew well enough the vitriol in his tone was not directed at you. Even if it was, the man was hurting. How could you blame him? His head raised to look at the cherry blossoms, idly watching as a few dropped and scattered around in the breeze.

“Hey, look at me.” You said, tone gentle and soft. You watched as Liu Kang kept his gaze aloft, eyes searching the skies above for an answer to his prayers. You sighed as you raised a hand, putting it gently to his cheek. Even when his fire was put out, he felt warm. Your thumb rubbed softly upon his cheek, taking a moment to wipe away the tracks that the tears left. “I know you’re grieving, but you’re falling apart.”

Liu Kang leaned into your touch. You watched as his eyes attempted to brim with tears he no longer had. His hand rose to cover yours, clinging to it as if your hand was a lifeline. You felt your heart shatter at the sight, but still, you refused to let the man in front of you see your resolve break. You could care less if he saw you at your weakest, you trusted Liu Kang enough to let down your walls. But you knew now you did not have the luxury.

The world was falling apart. Invasions were arriving. You and others would need to forge a group to fight them off. Raiden would need a confidant who had a clear mind. Liu Kang needed an anchor to keep him from drifting off. All of these duties needed someone who could rise to the occasion, and you were willing to do so your allies would not have such a heavy burden.

It was the very least you could do to make up for failing Kung Lao. You could only hope that the others did not see how much your heart was aching too.

“I’m not asking you to stop grieving.” You said. You were slow to speak, choosing each word carefully so as to not upset your friend anymore than he was. “I’m not asking you to forget him either, but you need to start living again.” The way you delivered those words felt less like a moving speech to inspire him to move on, but more like a desperate plea.

“How?” Liu Kang’s voice cracked and at the same time, your heart squeezed. His eyes searched you, as if the answer to his question would be written upon your skin. You felt his hand squeeze yours with desperation. You did not complain about the tight grip, keeping your gaze steady on his face. “How am I supposed to live knowing he won’t be here anymore?”

In truth, you didn’t know how. But you couldn’t tell your friend that. You couldn’t let him drift aimlessly anymore than he already was, you had to do something. So, instead, you gave him a soft smile as you rubbed his cheek softly once more. You prayed to the elder gods that he did not see the weakness in your eyes.

“Well first, you must take little baby steps.” You said, trying to think of the years worth of advice you had gotten from your father. “I think the first step you can begin to do is to start taking care of yourself again.” You gestured to his form. “Stop skipping meals, stop spending hours out here on end, and start letting yourself accept the fact that he is gone.” You took a deep breath. “I know that sounds like a lot, but I can’t watch you let yourself deteriorate anymore.”

“But Kung La-”

“Wouldn’t want you to stay by his grave like this.” You interrupted him, sending him a worried look. You closed your eyes and thought back to your friend. “If anything, he’d be upset that you’re doing this. He’d want you to live in his stead, to carry on his stories.” You paused, opening your eyes to watch Liu Kang’s face as you let him absorb your words.

There was a long period of silence that stretched between you. Afraid to break the fragile tension, you even held your breath. Conflict danced in his eyes, wavering between whether to trust you or the hurt that dragged him down. Silently, you pleaded for him to believe you. You already couldn’t save one friend, you had to save another.

You couldn’t fail again.

“Alright.” Liu Kang croaked. And finally, you let yourself breathe. His eyes fluttered closed as he seemed to lean his weight into your hand. In that moment, it felt like you took on his burdens. You forced your hand to be still, so he did not see your will waver. The slightest of slimes appeared on his lips, and you felt your heart soar. For even just a bit of his happiness, you would take on the world. “I’ll try.”

“Thank you.” You whispered, hoping he didn’t hear the way your voice nearly cracked. His eyes opened, and you put on a smile for him. You watched as he sat there, watching you for a few more moments before he let go of your hand. When stood up, wobbling just a touch. You wrapped an arm around his waist to steady him. Gently, you squeezed his hip. “Come on, let’s go inside, Princess Kitana has been dying to thank you for freeing her and I have to go with Nightwolf to find a new base in America to help with the recent invasions.”

“Thank you.” Liu Kang said, his voice full of warmth.

“It’s no issue.” You said, your words full of sincerity and fondness. “I would do anything for you.” You told him, a broad smile on your lips. Your heart felt lighter than it has in a while. Just barely, you caught the hint of pink upon his ears when he turned his head. “I’ll have your back, always, Liu Kang.”

Waking up felt like a haze.

The warmth of Liu Kang’s flank against your side lingered. You laid upon the bed, which had been somewhat patched up due to you sewing up the sheets and the mattress. Your hand fiddled with the sheets, staring up at the soft glow on the ceiling as you ruminated upon what you had discovered and what to exactly do with this information.

How strange it was despite your long years of knowing Liu Kang, you still had memories left to discover with him connected to them. And those words you said, why did they feel so familiar? Not familiar in the sense that you had said them, but you swore you heard them elsewhere. You thought long and hard about it, trying to find a rhyme or reason why you had these feelings. There were several minutes that passed. You sighed as you rubbed your head. The most logical conclusion you could come up with was that it was because you’ve been in Outworld.

What else could it be? All these memories did resurface ever since you’ve gotten here.

You paused, a sudden thought breaking through the rest like a sprinter did when they ran towards the finish. You breath caught as you stared at the ceiling. Was there any point in returning to Earthrealm if all your memories were here? You laid there for a long while after, unable to ignore the logic your brain was conjuring up.

You groaned as rubbed at your face. There was no point incessantly worrying over this issue, it was not like you could do anything to change the duration of your stay here. At least, that’s what you’re trying to convince yourself. The little whisper in your head would try and continue to try and think over it. You swung your legs over the edge of the bed. Your fingers glided over the hasty sewed up areas of the bed, noting the bumpiness. You’d just hope no one would notice.

Then, after a few more moments of sitting, you sighed. You sighed so hard, like you were trying to relinquish your worries that way. You closed your eyes, trying to rid your worries once more. Then after that futile attempt, you got up and stretched. Might as well start your day.

After going through the morning routine you’ve become somewhat accustomed to, you stepped out into the hall. Perhaps it was the room, or maybe it was the last of the warm memories finally leaving, but it felt…colder outside. Not enough to have you shivering, but it sent a slight chill through you. A few goosebumps appeared on your arms.

You stood there for a moment. At first, you didn’t realize why, but then as you heard the tapping of feet coming from the far down hallway you realized you were waiting. You turned your head to see the usual culprit, Princess Kitana. You gave her a cheery wave to which she gave a respectable nod. You met her halfway down the hallway. If someone were to observe, they may notice, just for a fleeting moment, that her steps went faster before meeting you.

“Glad to see we’re both back on schedule.” You commented, a light playful tone to your voice. You watched as Kitana’s eyes squinted slightly, the edges of her lips curved upwards in the slightest smile. She hummed, a hint of amusement in her voice. As soon as you joined her side she seemed to be content and nodded, as if she were acknowledging that contentment. Still, as you stood next to her, you felt that familiar nagging feeling once more.

Why did you always feel it around her?

“I heard you got the privilege to tour the Imperial Academy.” Kitana spoke, breaking the silence. Her voice did not hide her intrigue at the idea of you at the academy. Her eyes seemed to rake over you, scrutinizing every little detail of you she could see. You resisted the urge to shiver, to not show the slight moment of weakness upon her observant gaze. “How did you find it?” She inquired a moment later, her voice seeming to imply she already knew your answer. Your eyebrows raised just very at the thought.

“It was lovely.” You admitted, finding yourself unable to conceal the underlying admiration you felt towards the location. You tilted your head upwards to look at the vast expanse of white marble overhead, thinking of all the wonders you had seen. You were even beginning to see the swirls of magic within the material above. You didn’t think you were obsessed, but it would be hard to deny that idea with how you were seeing things that weren’t even there. You didn’t notice how her smile grew, becoming less restrained. “I wish magic was more used in Earthrealm, it’d be nice to see a school much like the academy there.”

“You seem very interested in magic.” The princess said, reading your reaction. It wasn’t an incredibly difficult feat though, it was obvious to anyone who could see. You could not help but nod in response, only feeling a touch embarrassed at being so obvious. A small chuckle left your lips. Her eyes seemed to soften, if just a touch. “If I recall correctly, you have magic as well. Animal shapeshifting, correct? I overheard it at the banquet.”

“Yes, animal shapeshifting.” You confirmed. You held out your hand, letting it shift into a lion’s paw outstretched with its claws out. You saw the hint of amazement in Kitana’s eyes. Her eyes traced the length of your transformed limb, then stared intently at the flesh where it transitioned. “I’d like to think I’m rather proficient in it.”

“I see.” The blue clad princess said, her tone indicating a hint of interest at your display of magic. “Had you been an Outworlder, I would say you would have a chance at excelling greatly at the Academy.” She admitted. For a moment, your heart skipped a beat at the high praise. Then, you felt a little silly at being so pleased at the compliment. After all, it’s not like it meant you could get in even with your magical skills.

“A shame that I’m not.” You say, a small wistful tone in your voice. It still felt…odd to not label yourself as an Outworlder. In Earthrealm, you did not feel right calling yourself one of them. But here, you did not feel right calling yourself an Outworlder either. Was there really a label you’d feel comfortable with?

“Perhaps, in another life, you could have.” Kitana said, offering you an apologetic smile. You nearly stumbled in your steps upon hearing those words, and the nagging feeling disappeared as the pieces fell into place. Your eyes widened and you stared at the princess, who seemed none the wiser as she gazed into the Great Hall, which you both had ended up at finally.

That’s why you had that feeling and why it was always around her.

Those were the exact words she said as she had laid dying in your lap, in that vision you had about the amulet. Your fingers twitched as you took in a deep breath, holding back a wave of nostalgia as you gazed at her for a few moments more. It was an odd feeling, seeing the princess alive and healthy with little idea of who you were compared to the last time when she had said those words and she had been one of your closest allies and dying in your lap.

“Enjoy the match.” Kitana bid you goodbye, offering a small smile before walking off. You nodded, barely able to return her goodbye before she was out of earshot. Your gaze lingered on her a moment more. Your stomach twisted, and you were uncertain how to make use of the information you had gleaned.

Why did it seem like everyone you had cared about in the last life died?

Was that fated to happen once more?

Before you could get too lost in your spiraling thoughts, you felt a hand on your shoulder. Your thoughts paused, as if the hand on your shoulder pulled you away from all the noise. You turned your head slowly to see Kenshi looking at you, eyebrows raised. You sent him a bit of a forced smile, trying to not worry him any more than he seemed to be.

“You were spacing out.” Kenshi said simply. His eyes focused on you, searching your face for any indication for your unusual behavior. You felt your smile grow the slightest bit strained, like a string being pulled just a bit too tight. His eyebrows knit together, and you felt a sense of embarrassment at how he could read your expression.

Or maybe you were just easy to read in general. Either way, you didn’t feel too great about that.

“Early mornings, you know how it is.” You said, using possibly the lamest excuse you could have. You nearly wanted to smack your forehead as you realized how uncharacteristic that sounded as well. If anyone were to say that excuse, you were the last one who should have. Your jaw set a tiny bit more, trying to make your smile more prominent.

“I see.” Kenshi said, after a few more moments. There was an odd tension between the two of you. It was the type of tension that could only be made between someone who had lied very, very horribly, and by someone who could see right through the lie as if it were the most polished glass in the world. His hand squeezed your shoulder.

Your gaze dropped to the hand on your shoulder. You stared at the tattoo on his hands, having nearly forgotten the designs on his hands. He didn’t put them on display very often. Your lips pursed, and you thought long and hard about whether he had similar tattoos, if any, in the old timeline. You don’t think he did.

“See something interesting?” Kenshi’s words cut through your thoughts. You glanced up, seeing his concerned expression having changed into one of interest. The ex-yakuza member’s eyebrows were raised, and his head tilted ever so slightly to the side. His eyes, which you now noted to be just the perfect shade for him, were trained on you. There was a certain tone to his voice that you couldn’t pin down, was it playfulness?

“I was just looking at your tattoos. They’re really pretty.” You admitted, before wanting to smack yourself. It was not because of the admittance, it was because you had forgotten the connection the tattoos had to his past. “Not that I think they’re too pretty, because of your connection with your past.” You quickly added on, resisting the urge to cringe at the addition. You sighed and closed your eyes, shaking your head. “I think they’re nice, regardless of your past, is what I meant.”

“Maybe the early morning is getting to you.” Kenshi said, his voice having just the tiniest hint of a teasing lilt to it. Once more, he squeezed your shoulder. His eyes seemed to shine a bit, and a smile grew. Out of all your champions, he smiled the least. But whenever he did, you always seemed to notice how bright it felt to you. “But thank you for the compliment, now let’s join the group. Even Cage is there now.”

And so, the two of you walked over to the group. A round of greetings were passed between the group. You did your best to maintain your steady composure. It was getting harder and harder with all the memories coming back rapidly, especially with how dreadful they’ve been lately. Liu Kang and Kung Lao’s greetings were the hardest to return as you were trying your best not to space out and linger on the differences between their past selves and now.

Still, you did it, and no one seemed the wiser. Kung Lao had even given you some food. You were nearly honored by the gesture, knowing he saved you some food instead of taking it all for himself. You let out a small huff at the little wink he sent your way when he handed you an extra portion.

“What was up with your little moment with Tattoo?” Johnny asked, leaning over with an all too nosy tone in his voice. You’ve seen the older women in Fengjian be less nosy than he was. And man were they always vying for some gossip whenever you visited Madam Bo. You sent him a perplexed look, which seemed to spur him on. “You know, like, when he had his hand on your shoulder.” He said. His hands were very emotive, portraying the story all on their own.

“Nothing.” You said, dismissively. You shrugged, and you watched as Johnny seemed to deflate at your answer. He was either not pleased at the lackluster answer, or how little you elaborated. Probably even a mixture of both. “It was seriously nothing, he just noticed I was spacing out.” You continued, hoping to satiate the little bit of curiosity he had.

“Mhm, sure.” He replied, a hint of skepticism in his tone. “We’ll discuss this later.” The actor insisted. You opened your mouth to respond that there was nothing else to discuss, but then the Empress and princesses strode in, causing you to fall silent. Instead, you sent him a hint of a glare. Of course, the actor didn’t care, just sending you a sunny grin in return.

What unlucky timing.

“Once again, we gather to witness another day of the tournament.” Sindel announced, scanning the crowd. When her eyes landed on Raiden, who seemed to be growing in confidence with every win, her lips pursed. You held back a chuckle at the slight annoyance that glimmered in her eyes. You saw her take in a deep breath before continuing. “After three fights, your resolve has not yet broken.” She observed, raising an eyebrow. “Today, we shall see if that will change.”

There was a pause before she continued.

“Today, you shall fight one of my most trusted allies.” The Empress announced. You were surprised for a brief moment. The last two fights were chosen by the general, did she finally get fed up with his choices? You held back yet another laugh at the prospect. “Sheeva of the Shokan shall be your opponent today.”

From the end of the hallway emerged a broad, tall figure. Nearly rivaling Kotal in size, a woman dressed in battle-ready armor appeared. You felt a slight buzz upon seeing her, but nothing overly major. Her armor, though indicative of a warrior, appeared different from the ones that both Reiko, Kotal, and General Shao had all donned. It was a hint more decorative, and it reminded you very slightly of the umgadi gear. A purple sash that matched Sindel’s colors was pinned across her body.

“Sheeva is one of the best warriors from the Shokan. Fierce and loyal, she is one of the best guards and warriors I have come to know.” Sindel said, a certain type of fondness in her voice. It felt like a stark contrast to the way she had regarded Li Mei. Sheeva seemed to take the praise in stride, holding her head up high. All four of her arms flexed, showing the muscles that she had gained through the years. “May she grace us with a fight to display just how well she can fight.”

“I have heard many things about your prowess, young one.” Sheeva spoke, gazing down at Raiden. Her face, though it looked unimpressed, did seem to hold just a bit of respect within it. Her upper arms crossed over her chest, while the lower set of arms were firmly placed upon her hips. Her gaze was so strong it was nearly unnerving. “We shall see if they are true.”

“I will try my best to prove it true.” Raiden replied, nodding. Despite the difference in both bulk and height, Raiden seemed to not be cowed in the slightest. You smiled at the sight, feeling proud of the strength he displayed. He has certainly come a long way since the beginning of your training. From a meek sapling to a strong, sturdy tree.

Sheeva’s way of fighting reminded you a bit of Reiko’s. They both utilized the same grappling style, trying to latch onto Raiden like a leech to hit him. The Shokan was amazingly proficient at using all of her arms within combat. Her fighting style, though like the second in command, did not match the calculated way she fought. That part of her felt more like Kotal.

Her brutality was not out of bloodlust, but from the cold precision of knowing her true strength and how to use it against her opponent. Even when she stomped harshly on Raiden’s back, there was no maniac energy from her. It was a detail that you did not miss.

Had Raiden not fought against other grapplers and those who already outsized him in a match, he would have fared far worse. But, unfortunately for the Shokan, it seemed that the previous two matches only served to prepare him for this fight. Sure, he did take a heavy hit here and there, but for the most part it went far smoother than the last few matches did.

It did not take long for him to stand over Sheeva, a tired but elated look on his face.

“I hope that proved my determination to you.” He said, his voice a bit breath as he adjusted his rumpled clothes. A groan left the beaten Shokan’s face. But as she stumbled to her feet, she seemed to nod in response. Her head dipped low, a look of shame coating her face. She seemed to hold herself a little less tall now. The two exchanged bows, before the woman walked out, her footsteps heavy with defeat.

“Congratulations upon yet another win.” Sindel said, her lips curling upwards. Her smile, once again, did not reach her eyes. In fact, her eyes did not even seem to follow the victor. Instead, they trailed after Sheeva, a slight look of disappointment within them. She cleared her throat, and the momentary weakness disappeared. “We shall adjourn at first light once again.”

“Hah, was that even a challenge for you?” Kung Lao spoke, walking merrily to his friend. A playful shove was sent Raiden’s way. A small “ow” left his lips as he rubbed his arm, which certainly must be sore from how Sheeva had been tugging him around. “I think you’ve got this in the bag!” He encouraged, though this time it lacked the little shove.

“Indeed, your training reflects well in your matches.” Liu Kang added in. He sent a little bit of a look towards Kung Lao. “Remember not to grow complacent, the next few matches may prove to be more challenging than the previous ones.” He warned. His hands were clasped neatly in front of him. The fire god’s gaze then turned to you, expectantly.

“Lord Liu Kang is right. As long as you remember what we taught you when you fight, you’ll do fine.” You said, giving him a small smile. You crossed your arms as you shifted your weight. “But I do agree, you’ll need to be vigilant. I’d say it was a lucky streak that your last opponents had similar fighting styles, but the next few may fight very differently from them.” You placed a hand on his arm, trying to be comforting. “But I, and so do the rest of us, believe in you.”

“I-” Raiden began, seeming a bit caught off guard by either your words or the touch on his arm. He cleared his throat, a faint flush on his cheeks. Johnny took your attention away by slinging an arm around your shoulders. Turning to give him a confused look and to shrug off his touch, you missed the brief look that Raiden sent your way before you turned back. “I understand, I’ll do my best.”

“Good.” You commended, sending him a bigger smile this time. Then, after a moment, your hand dropped from his arm. Liu Kang picked up from your little moment, telling the group a few things before he dismissed them. You watched as Liu Kang, Kenshi, and Raiden all walked off. But Kung Lao lingered, a look of contemplation on his face. You tilted your head as you walked forward to stand next to the man. “Something on your mind?”

“Just thinking.” Kung Lao answered, a thoughtful tone to his voice. You raised your eyebrows, nodding to see if he would go on. After a few moments, he did. “I know Raiden deserved to be the champion but…” He said, trailing off as he looked to the side. You nodded, placing a hand on his bicep and squeezed it gently, making him return his gaze to you.

“I admire your willingness to fight.” You said, cautiously picking your words. The memory of the old Kung Lao dying because he had been far too eager to fight lingered in your mind. Was it a warning of things to come? Or was it merely just a stain in your mind that would never go away? “But know that we all see your value even without you launching yourself head first into battle.” You pinched his arm. “Don’t go around and be reckless to try and prove yourself, okay?”

“If I were to fight though, I’d win.” Kung Lao retorted playfully, but that attitude melted away to reveal a more genuine smile. “I know, though.” He said, nodding. “I promise I won’t go around picking fights…unless they deserve it.” He said, grinning at you. When you sent him an unamused look, he rolled his eyes before laughing. “I’m kidding! I won’t.” He claimed, raising his hands up in surrender.

“Good. I’m going to do some shopping now, okay?” You said, nodding with a satisfied smile. You dropped your hand, missing the way the farmhand’s eyes trailed after it. As you were about to walk off to go tour Sun Do for gifts, you felt a hand upon your arm. Your eyes trailed up from the hand to the culprit. It was none other than Johnny. “Did you need something?”

“Yeah.” The actor said, his smile that was so bright it nearly rivaled the sun. His hand dropped so he could spread his arms out wide. “Saw the other day that Rai-dude got to have a day with you, it’s my turn now.” He announced, seeming almost a bit too proud of himself. “That, and I did say we had stuff to discuss later.”

“We’re taking turns hanging out?” Kung Lao spoke up, having not left yet. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked back and forth between you and Johnny Cage. A look of utter confusion was obvious on his face. You were nearly certain that a similar look was upon your face. You were no less confused than he was. “When am I getting my day?”

“We’re not taking turns, don’t worry about it.” You reassured the former farmhand. You looked back at Johnny with an exasperated look. “Don’t say things like that, people will get the wrong idea, Cage.” You scolded him pointing a finger his way. “Why do you even need me to accompany you today?” You inquired. You noticed the slightly irritated tone in your voice and sent him an apologetic look. “Not that I mind.”

“I need someone to help take some pictures of me around Sun Do so I can post it on my socials.” The American informed you causally. Either he didn’t notice the tone in your voice, or didn’t care. You were assuming that with him, it was the latter. A broad grin crossed his features as a more confused look appeared over your face.

“But I wouldn’t anyone else be bet-” You began. You were shortly cut off by Johnny grabbing your hand. With a surprised shout, you were dragged off by Johnny outside of the palace before you could protest more. Too stunned, you let him lead you away, mind still mulling over the strange excuse he had given you.

Left in the dust was Kung Lao who looked at where you two had disappeared to. There was a moment where there was nothing but sheer confusion spread across his face. Then, Kenshi passed by, having returned to the Great hall. He looked at the farm hand with a perplexed look as well. He glanced back and forth between where Kung Lao was looking and the man himself.

“Are you okay?” The swordsman asked, having not been there to witness the little scene.

“Yeah.” Kung Lao said, snapping out of his stupor. He shook his head, trying to dispel the strange hurt feeling he felt before shrugging. “I’m just really, really confused.”

“You didn’t have to drag me out here, Cage.”

“Nah, I totally did have to.” Johnny said simply. The blunt response stunned you for a moment. Normally, you would have a witty remark or be able to bounce back. But with how strange Johnny has been lately, you’ve found yourself more and more uncertain of what to say in response. You didn’t quite like how speechless you’ve become.

“No, you really didn’t have to.” You insisted. Your words fell upon deaf ears as Johnny continued to drag you towards the capital. It wasn’t until you both made it to the city that he finally released your hand. You sighed as you sent him a look before shaking your head. “Well, we’re here.” You stated the obvious, looking around at the crowd. “Where did you need the picture?”

“Oh, we don’t need to do that now.” The actor told you with a grin. You stared at him with a look of disbelief. “In fact we have to wait. I wanted to do these pictures at sunset so we can get those sweet, sweet colors.” You looked upwards into the sky, noting just how early it was. Sunset was hours away. You sighed, you guess you were stuck with the man for a bit. He didn’t seem dismayed at all by your reaction, instead slinging an arm around you and leaning in close. “So, where to first?”

“I didn’t really have a plan.” You said, crossing your arms. “I was really going to go window shopping.” You inform him, trying to think of ideas for the two brothers you hadn’t gotten gifts for yet. So far, you were drawing a blank. Glancing over to Johnny, who seemed to be very pleased with placing almost all his weight upon you, you pursed your lips. “I suppose you don’t have any ideas for what to get Bi-Han and Kuai Liang?”

“The ninjas?” Johnny inquired, eyebrows raising. Before you could correct him that they weren’t quite ninjas he continued, “I dunno, some breath mints for frost face?” He suggested, shrugging. You sent him an exasperated look, but you supposed asking Johnny out of any of them was the wrong decision. He probably didn’t hold either of them in such high regard after what they did to his…Hichuli. He laughed at your reaction, nudging you. “Okay, fine, how about we go window shopping like you said, we’re bound to think of some ideas.”

“Sounds like a plan.” You said, nodding. You stood there, waiting for him to move. When he remained leaning against you, you raised your eyebrows. “Are you expecting me to be able to drag you around everywhere?” You inquired, a tinge of amusement in your voice apparent. A smile spread across your lips. Maybe it was because he was an actor, but he never failed to be entertaining to you.

“Where’s your sense of fun?” He groaned, a hint of a pout on his lips. Still, he relented and got off of you. With an overexaggerated bow that reminded you of certain characters in a movie, he gestured towards the city. “Lead the way?” He inquired, his eyebrows waggling playfully. You rolled your eyes at the grand performance and chuckled before beginning to walk over to the stores.

Even after touring part of Sun Do with Raiden, there were still plenty of shops you had not explored yet. Both you and Johnny peeked into stores, marveling over their wares with different degrees of wonder. There were a few times where you’d hear mutter how he wished that he had an easy way to convert his American dollars to the Outworlder coin.

It took a while until you found a good gift. Or rather, until Johnny found a good gift.

“How about this?” The actor asked. The two of you had ended up in some sort of jewelry store. While you hadn’t been too keen on the wares here fitting the idea of a gift for either of the brothers, you both decided to tour it anyways. Upon seeing the suggestion Johnny lifted towards you, you were infinitely glad that you did.

You grabbed the ribbon he had held up, eyes wide with amazement. It was made of gold and black fabric, perfectly long enough to do someone’s hair. In fact, it seemed meant to be tied into one’s hair to keep it up. The thread work was immaculate. It was woven intricately, creating a pattern that vaguely reminded you of a scorpion.

It was practically perfect.

“Where did you find this?” You asked. You rubbed your thumb over the design before flipping it over and admiring how soft the fabric was. You looked from the ribbon over to Johnny to see what may be the smuggest look you’ve seen on his face. “I mean, this is pretty much what I’ve been looking for.”

“Just over here.” Johnny told you, pointing his thumb in the direction of a display of other ribbons. You wandered over, humming as you perused the rest of the collection. Unfortunately, there was nothing that stuck out to you as something you’d want to give to Bi-Han. Still, as you looked back down at the ribbon in your hands, you were grateful to find something. “You seem really pleased by my findings.” He observed. You could hear the grin through his words. “Do I get to have a reward or something?”

“Or something.” You sassed back, shaking your head. Still, you looked over to the man with a smile. “Thanks for helping me, Johnny.” You thanked him sincerely. The smile he sent made your heart skip a beat, though you weren’t quite sure why. Deciding not lingering on the why part, you turned and went to the counter to pay for the item.

Surprisingly, it was cheaper than you expected. A fact that you were grateful for so you did not completely lose your money on this one gift. The centaurian man who helped you even offered to package it in a pretty gift box for free.

“You’re not trying to find a pretty little trinket for yourself, wildstyle?” Johnny inquired as you rejoined him near the entrance. He sent you an inquisitive look as he crossed his arms. You shook your head as you tucked the box away into your bag for safe keeping. You would be devastated to find that you had lost the perfect gift for Kuai Liang. “You’re a strange one.”

“Really now?” You quipped back, raising your eyebrows as you turned back to look at him. You peered over to the sky, noting how low the sun had gotten. Browsing around had taken far more time than you had expected. It was nearly time for taking pictures soon, assuming that the man still wanted them. “Did you want to go find a spot to take your pictures now? Or did you still want to help me look for Bi-Han’s gift?”

“Still don’t get why you’re buying gifts for the man who broke my Hichuli, but I guess we’ve got some more daylight to burn.” Johnny replied, shrugging.

And so, the two of you continued to browse. Unfortunately, even between the two of you, you still failed to find something appropriate for the icy grandmaster. Luckily for you, you still saw that there were plenty of stalls to go through. Tomorrow, perhaps you’d have better luck.

That’s how you got to the pier, squinting down at Johnny’s phone. You’ve rarely touched his phone. The only times you’ve bothered to interact with it was to play Candy Crush whenever the actor wanted to bribe you to give them a break, or to show Kung Lao the video.

Still, holding it in your hands, something about the device felt oddly…familiar.

“You know how to take a picture, right?” Johnny said, leaning over to point at the screen. You looked over to him, giving him a sigh.

“That’s what I was going to tell you, Cage.” You told him, sending him an exasperated look. You had nearly forgotten about his little excuse to drag you out here. How silly it seemed now. You thought about telling him if he had just asked to accompany you on your little shopping trip that you would have let him, but you figured you were past that point now. “I have no idea how to really take a picture, so your luck with me taking actual quality ones for your social media is pretty low.”

“You’ll probably have a knack for it.” The actor encouraged you. He positioned so he could wrap his arms around you, placing his hands upon yours. While Johnny was usually touchy, this felt…different. You suppressed a shiver as you noted how gentle he was being. “Here, lift it up to this angle.” He instructed, his voice quieter than usual. And yet, when it was right next to your ear you hardly noticed how he was pretty much whispering. Was your face getting hot?

“Good.” Johnny praised, and like usual, you could hear the smile in his voice. The smile your heard though, was a different type of smile. It wasn’t arrogant or smug. It felt like he was proud of you. “You’ll want to tap the screen if it’s out of focus.” He said, and tapped on the screen to demonstrate. You nodded, pursing your lips as you tried your best to focus on the task at hand. Did he really have to be this close though?

“Anything else I should know?” You asked, hoping the way you spoke didn’t reflect the way you were feeling oddly nervous right now. You had no idea why your nerves were acting up, it isn’t as if you were being tested on anything. You did not turn your head, feeling like you would grow more nervous if you turned your head to look at the man.

“Nope, you should be good. I’ll be telling you whenever to take a shot. Oh, taking a picture is this button by the way.” He said, pressing the circle at the bottom of the screen. You nodded diligently, back oddly straight as you tried to focus on anything but him. You had to hide your sigh of relief as he unwrapped his arms, backing up. “Alright, let me get into position.”

You watched as Johnny jogged over to the spot he had apparently determined in his head. You kept your arms up, not wanting to lose the perfect angle that the man had decided for you. Still, the memory of his touch on your hands lingered in your mind. Johnny prepped himself, moving between a few poses before he settled on one and called out for you to take a picture. You grinned at the rather amusing pose he struck. Was he trying to pretend to hold the sun?

Nodding, you moved your thumb to press the button. Accidentally though, you made the screen flip, making it turn to your smiling face. Following that accident, you pressed the button. With a sigh, you furrowed your eyebrows as you tried to figure out how to turn it back around. After a few moments, you offered him an apologetic smile as he walked back to you.

“Did you get the shot?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. You shook your head and handed the phone over, sighing.

“I told you I didn’t know how to take pictures.” You sighed, pointing at the screen and how it was still using the forward facing camera. “I accidentally flipped the screen and made it take a picture of me.” You explained, your tone indicating your embarrassment at not knowing how to navigate the device well. You watched as he lifted the phone up, so he could see it better. The only issue now was that you couldn’t see it. “So I didn’t get the picture, sorry.”

“Main man Lord Liu Kang should really get you a phone so you can start learning. Don’t sweat it though, Teach.” Johnny observed, humming as he tapped the screen a few times. His eyes lit up after a few moments. A small smile curled onto his lips. Then, almost as if remembering you were there, he cleared his throat as he looked back to you.

It was rare to see him taken off his guard.

“Here.” He said after a few moments. When the phone was handed back to you, it was correctly oriented this time. “Try not to switch it again, or do, I don’t mind having a few photos of you in my phone.” Johnny teased you, sending you a wink. Before you could retort, he jogged back to the spot. You shook your head, unable to resist a smile.

This time, you took what you thought was a pretty good picture.

By the time you and Johnny returned to the palace, it was dark. You had spent the fading bits of daylight on taking every picture you could. You thought it was excessive, but the actor had told you something along the lines of “we don’t finish until it’s perfect in the industry”. You had tried to tell him that there was no industry here, but he promptly ignored you.

You had half a mind to groan at his stubbornness.

“Busy day?” Raiden inquired, seeing the both of you walk into the hallway. It seems the reserved seats had changed for the both of you. You had a choice of either between Kenshi and Liu Kang or between Raiden and Kung Lao. You slipped into the one next to the champion, humming as you reached over to get your share of food.

“You could call it that.” You replied. You muttered an apology as you bumped into Raiden as you leaned over. He took your apology in stride, smiling generously at you. “I managed to get another gift under my belt. No luck in finding one for Bi-Han though.” You said, sighing. “Then again, I predicted getting a gift for him would be the most difficult.”

“Maybe tomorrow I can help.” Kenshi spoke up. You glanced up at him, a bit of surprise on your face. You nearly missed the look of what you could only call betrayal on Kung Lao’s face. Why that was the case, you had no idea. You felt a little bad, it looked a little funny. You brought a hand to hide the bits of a smile that threatened to slip through. You hummed, tilting your head after you recovered from your near smile. You thought about the offer for a moment before nodding.

“I wouldn’t mind that.” You said. As you peered down at the food on the table, you missed the pointed looks the swordsman got. When you looked up, they were gone. “I’ve found that I find the gifts whenever I’m with one of you anyways, might as well not break the streak.” You said contemplatively. “How was the rest of the day for you guys?”

The rest of dinner went smoothly from there. There was chatter here and there, catching up on each other’s day. It wasn’t until dinner was over that you encountered something unexpected. You stood up from your seat, excusing yourself. You had plans to get a bit of alone time before your usual meeting with the princess. Yet, when you turned around you were met with the sight of Rain.

“Oh, hello.” You greeted, blinking owlishly. You offered a small wave, to which the mage returned. “Did you need something from me?” You asked, looking around to see if there was something obvious around to indicate what he wanted.

“Ah, nothing much. I just wanted to talk.” He said, offering you a smile. You returned the smile, a hint of surprise and joy in your eyes. You knew Rain had offered you friendship the other day, but you didn’t actually expect him to want to spend more time together than he did yesterday. “Do you have the time for a little chat?” He inquired, his hands sweeping out to gesture to a hallway.

“Oh, definitely.” You said, nodding perhaps a bit too eagerly. You weren’t sure why, but Rain and you seemed to click quickly. You chalked it up to the shared interest in magic, and how he seemed to admire your drive to get better. “I’ll see you guys around.” You said, waving to the group before you walked off with your new friend.

“Lord Liu Kang, your stare is…intense.” Raiden pointed out quietly after you and your new friend disappeared down the hallway. The Fire God diverted his gaze away from where you had gone to the champion. He cleared his throat, putting on a cordial smile.

“Do not worry about it.” Liu Kang reassured the man. He cast his gaze upon the rest of the group, nodding at them. “Enjoy the rest of your evening. I shall see you all tomorrow for Raiden’s next fight.” He then stood and disappeared too, retiring to his chambers.

Even gods like him were not immune to human emotions.

You had talked longer with Rain than expected.

It wasn’t until you saw the man yawn that you realized just how late it had gotten. You felt a twinge of guilt course through you as you quickly realized you had to dismiss yourself. Searching around, you excused yourself, giving him an apologetic smile.

“I really should be going, I struggle with waking up without proper sleep.” You lied. You did feel bad lying to your new friend, but you weren’t certain just how public the information of your meetings with Mileena were. You figured it was best to play it safe and pretend they did not occur. With an understanding nod, the mage smiled.

“I understand.” He said. There was a pause, his lips parting before he shook his head. Your eyebrows raised at the action, but didn’t question it. You didn’t want to be too forward and scare him off. “I hope to talk to you soon. It’s refreshing to talk to someone like you.”

“I feel the same.” You told him, nodding. You watched him walk off, taking slow steps away. Then, as soon as you deemed yourself safe enough not to be caught in a lie, you slunk off in the darkness to the hanging gardens. You nearly transformed to make the job easier, but you figured that was more suspicious, so you stuck to the teachings Madam Bo had taught you.

Reaching the gardens, you let out a sigh. Here you felt safe enough to not sneak around. You looked around, spying for any sign of the princess. You caught a hint of pink, and walked right over. Just as expected, she was waiting on the bench for you.

“Apologies for my late arrival.” You said, not even certain if you were even late. It is not as if you had a clock to judge the time. Even if you did, you weren’t even sure if Outworld ran on the same time system as Earthrealm did. You rushed over to take your spot near her after she indicated towards it with her hand. “I got caught up in conversation.”

“Lucky for you, I just got here.” Mileena remarked. The jesting tone in her voice had you relax, letting out another sigh of relief. Hints of thinly veiled amusement sparkled in her eyes accompanying the little smirk on her lips. “I assume you were giving your champion a rousing speech for tomorrow’s match?” She inquired, an expectant tone in her voice.

“Ah, no actually.” You said. You felt a little silly, realizing that her assumption was something you actually should be doing. You knew Raiden did well off of praise. Not only that, but it didn’t hurt to be a little more encouraging towards the champion. Maybe you should do that tomorrow night, especially since you knew that if he won this one, he would have to fight the princess beside you. “I was talking to the High Mage, Rain.”

“I did not know you two were so…familiar.” The princess said, raising an eyebrow. You heard the curiosity in her tone. You chuckled at her phrasing, shaking your head as you waved your hands dismissively.

“Not at all.” You said, holding back a disbelieving chuckle. “He and I simply got along well during the banquet and became friends of sorts..” You explained. You turned your gaze away from the princess to the sky. “It’s refreshing to hear someone talk about magic with such fasciation and depth.”

“I did not realize you were so intrigued by magic.” Mileena remarked. This time, a hint of surprise appeared in her voice. “Do you possess magic yourself, or are you simply fascinated by the subject?” She inquired. Her gaze scanned your form, trying to see any indication of magic upon your person. Her calculating gaze felt just like her younger sister’s.

“I have magic.” You said. “Magic doesn’t really exist in Earthrealm in the same ways it does here.” You explained. “Very little people know magic themselves, and the ones I know who have such magic don’t have the same passion as the people I’ve met here.” You shrugged causally.

“Perhaps it has something to do with the goddess Delia.” Mileena proposed. “As far as I am concerned, the only god Earthrealm has is Lord Liu Kang, correct?” She inquired. You nodded. You doubted Liu Kang would have hidden another god of Earthrealm from you. “Delia is the goddess of magic, it is natural that Outworld would simply have more magic than Earthrealm.”

“I suppose.” You said, not knowing what to quite respond to that. She was probably correct. You pursed your lips as you pondered on the subject of magic for a few moments more before realizing that Mileena had been staring at you. “Oh, right the story, my bad.” You said, straightening up. You cleared your throat before glancing at the princess. “Any particular stories you’d like to hear about tonight?”

“How about you tell me about Earthrealm’s version of magic?” The princess proposed, connecting the prior conversation to the story she wished to hear. You smiled at the sentiment, thinking of what to tell her before nodding and proceeding.

That night, you told her of magic. And that night, you tried your best to ignore the longing ache in your heart.

part fifteen

tagged - @bonezisded @lollipopin @simpxinnie @zhivaxo @koisuko

203 notes · View notes

ghostboneswrites2 · 3 months

Text

The Fuck Are You Doing on His Bike? || One Shot

New account! @ghostbones was banned! Transferring all my work here slowly!

This was a request on my old blog: "After Dwight and Sherry steal Daryl's bike, it's up to reader to get it back for him."

Summary: Reader and Daryl get separated from Sasha and Abraham when they lead the heard away from Alexandria, then Reader and Daryl get separated from each other. When Reader sees a couple riding away on Daryl's bike, she risks her life to get the bike and his crossbow back, reuniting with him later.

18+ MDNI || WARNINGS: profanity, violence, injuries

The triumphant feeling of successfully leading hundreds of walkers away from Alexandria was quickly washed away when gunfire rained down on the four of you, you and Daryl on his bike, and Sasha and Abraham trailing behind you in a car. The crash was unavoidable, and between the unknown strangers shooting at you and the few walkers here and there, you all got separated. The only solace you found was in the radio you still had, and your pistol.

You didn't know where Daryl went, or if he even realized you had fallen off the back of his bike when he took an extra sharp turn. It wasn't his fault. You'd still be there if you didn't loosen your grip from around his waist to shoot back. You were simply a victim of poor timing, as was usually the case in a world plagued by death and destruction.

You were limping through the trees, following alongside the road, hoping to see any form of life from your friends. "Daryl?" You radioed. You huffed in frustration realizing it was you who had the radio, how could he hear you? "Sasha? Abraham?" Silence. What could you do? You guessed all that was left to do was search for your friends and keep going.

"Fuck!" You groaned. You slid across the asphalt when you fell off his bike, tearing your clothes to shreds along with the flesh underneath. In short, you had a serious case of road rash and you'd kill for some Neosporin and a bandage. The dry air on your raw flesh was unbearable.

Nonetheless, you pushed forward. There was no time to feel bad for yourself, you had a mission. Find Daryl and the others and get home alive.

Hours had gone by since you'd seen anyone. You were beginning to lose hope, between the radio silence and the recent attack. That was, until you heard the familiar hum of a loud engine guzzling gas in the distance. You smiled and stopped walking. You were near a small store, so you crossed the street from the trees you used as cover and crouched down behind an abandoned vehicle in front of the little building, just in case it wasn't who you needed it to be.

The motorcycle came into view only moments after you positioned yourself, and to you dismay it was a skinny blonde dude and a chick with dark hair, not Daryl. It was, however, for sure Daryl's bike. The couple slowed down and propped the bike on its kickstand, and the two of them stepped off. Some kind of argument took place, the girl pointing back to where the came from and the guy throwing his hands around with frustration. You couldn't hear them well, so you couldn't know this, but she was scolding Dwight for robbing Daryl after he helped them, and Dwight was defending himself, citing survival as a valid reason for his betrayal.

You checked your mag to ensure you had plenty of bullets before you stood straight, aiming right for the man.

"The fuck are you doing on his bike?" You shouted to them from where you stood behind the broken down car. They both snapped their faces toward you, Dwight holding the crossbow up at you. "I asked you a fucking question, asshole!"

"Well, I don't feel like talking much!" He called back.

"Well I'm definitely in the mood for some shooting, and from where I stand I see two strangers riding my friend's bike. And you, sir, are aiming my friend's weapon at me." You shot back.

"We just found this stuff!" He lied. You scoffed, running your tongue over your teeth, begging for a reason to shoot. You thought, maybe I'll shoot the guy, and question the girl at gunpoint. Then, maybe if she cooperates, I'll let her live.

"Well it's not yours so how about you leave it there and walk away, nobody gets hurt!" You suggested.

"Not gonna happen." He shook his head.

"Have it your way." You shrugged, opening fire on the both of them. They ducked down behind the bike with haste, Dwight firing an arrow at you and missing completely. "You telling me you robbed by friend of a weapon you can't even fucking use?!" You spat, peeking from one side of the car, searching for the right moment to show these motherfuckers that you meant business.

"Why don't you stand up and let me prove myself?" He called back.

"You first, shitbag!"

"Real classy." He retorted.

"This ain't classy world. Give me my fucking bike!"

"Thought you said it was your friend's!"

"That makes it mine, too." You clarified, standing quickly when you saw him peek over the bike and firing a shot. He must have had the same plan because he, too, fired a bolt. You fell back to the ground, a shaky hand raising up to your shoulder where the arrow protruded.

"Alright," you called back. "You're getting better at this."

"Not good enough, or you wouldn't be talking right now."

You ignored his remark, resorting to laying flat on the ground and watching him from the underside of the car. You fired a single shot, and it must have hit, because there was a loud groan following suit.

"Guess we're even!" You yelled.

"Even doesn't get you far anymore." He said back. You could hear the painful strain in his voice and wondered if he heard your agonized tremble when he first shot you with the bow.

"No, no it doesn't. But you could still give me our shit back and tell me where my friend is and walk away from this alive. Alive is all that counts, man."

"Can't do that."

"Then I guess one of us just has to die!" You winced as you fired another shot, the kickback of the handgun reminding you of your shoulder being impaled.

"Fuck!" He shouted as a bullet ricocheted, grazing him deep.

"Walk away, man!"

"No!" He shouted, unsuccessfully firing another arrow.

"Ya know, the man you stole that bow from always told me rage didn't make for a good shot!" You taunted, checking your mag again. Two bullets left. You'd have to make them count.

You went over what you knew in your head. This guy isn't a good shot, and he stole Daryl's shit. Which meant if you ran, he probably would miss you, and if you did have to kill him, he brought it on himself. You hadn't really decided what to do with the woman he had with him, but you reasoned to cross that line when you got there. For now, you only had one plan in the heat of the moment, and it was to run out and shoot him.

You took a deep breath and snapped the arrowhead off the bolt sticking out of your shoulder. You bit down on your tongue to stifle the cry as you pulled the other half out of your shoulder from the back, and sighed a shaky breath once you got it out, throwing it to the side. When the blindness of pain faded, you readied yourself and made a break for it, running from behind the car as fast as you could. You didn't stop until you heard the whistle of the bolt behind you.

Knowing he'd need time to reload, you made your move, shuffling over to the bike and holding the gun to his temple. Defeat washed over his demeanor as he let the bow fall on his lap and raised his hands slowly.

"Check mate." You said, coking your head to the side a little.

"Yeah." He scoffed, shaking his head.

"Where the fuck is he?"

"Daryl?" The woman asked from beside him, earing a glare from her counterpart. Fear and panic were written all over her face.

"Yup. The one and only."

"He's alive. Just a mile or so in the direction we came from. We didn't hurt him." She assured you.

"Well, that's great to hear! Unfortunately, though, now I have to figure out what the fuck to do with you two ass-hats."

"Let us go. Let us walk away, alive, just like you said." She pleaded.

"See I really would have loved to do that, but me and your boy here already agreed that one of us is gonna have to die." You regretted to inform her.

"Me. Kill me." He sighed. "It was all me."

"No! He was just scared. He didn't wanna hurt anyone. That's why he didn't hurt Daryl. Those people we were running from, they're bad people. We just had to get away." She begged.

You looked between the two of them, putting yourself in their shoes. If what they say is true, then you could sympathize. Still, who would you be to let him shoot an arrow through your shoulder and walk away? You guessed you shot him back, twice if you counted the ricochet, so maybe it was even. Then again, he did say even didn't get you anywhere anymore.

"Daryl -- Your friend. He offered to let us come back with him to your community. But he panicked and took his stuff instead. That's all that happened. I swear. He's alive." She continued to try and persuade you for mercy.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you." You said to Dwight. "One reason why letting you live would not be a threat to my own wellbeing."

"Because we just want to live. Me and my wife. We'll go, no questions asked, no following you, no nothing. We just wanted to save her sister and she died anyways, so, it's just us. We don't want trouble."

"Well, you seem to make trouble. A lot of it." You sighed.

"You," you looked to Sherry as you slowly picked up Daryl's crossbow and slung it over your shoulder while the barrel of your gun never left Dwight's temple. "Stand up slowly, and walk into the woods."

"No." Dwight growled. You pressed the cold metal to his head harder.

"If you want her to live, she does as I say." You growled.

"It's okay." Sherry said. "I'll go."

With that, she stood up slowly, and took careful steps toward the trees.

"You don't stop until you hear the engine start, you hear me?" You instructed her. She nodded and kept walking.

"Now, you." You said to Dwight, kneeling down so you were at his eye level. He glared at you. "You're gonna stand up, and drop any weapons you might have hidden down on the ground."

Reluctantly he did as you said, dropping his only knife and his empty gun to the ground.

"There's more in the duffel." He confessed, nudging the army green bag with his foot.

"Okay." You said, aim still trained on his forehead. "Now, you're gonna walk the other way, into the trees behind that gas station over there. That way you two can't plan any funny business."

"That's my wife, man, please." He breathed.

"Listen. You keep going until I start the engine. Then you can come back here and get your weapons. By then, I'll be riding into the fucking sunset. My only concern is my friend." You explained. He obliged with little more argument, and when you couldn't see either of them anymore, you picked up the duffel, threw his empty pistol into it, and left his knife on the ground. When you got the bike started, you revved the engine to let them know you were holding up your end of the deal, and you sped away.

It was only about twenty minutes later that you saw a stocky figure storming along the side of the road. You recognized the vest from a distance and sped up. You already had his attention when he heard his bike, and he was relieved to see that it was you. You pulled up beside him with a little smirk.

"Care for a ride, pretty lady?" You teased.

"Move over." Was all he said, clearly still sore that the couple had gotten one over on him. You swung your leg over the side and stood up. That was when he noticed the blood all over your shoulder and all the road rash under your ripped clothes. You shrugged.

"Wasn't easy getting your shit back." Was all you said. He gently examined your shoulder.

"They shot at you?" He asked, showing concern.

"He was a shit shot, but yeah. Got me with one of your bolts." You confessed.

"Hope you killed his sorry ass." He grumbled.

"Not.. exactly." You said.

"Shoulda." Was all he said, before placing a short sweet kiss on your lips, and another on your forehead. "C'mon," he said as he swung his leg over the bike and turned it back on. "Let's find Sasha and Abraham and get the hell outta here."

#daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon #twd daryl #the walking dead daryl #daryl x reader #daryl fanfiction #daryl twd #daryl x female reader

116 notes · View notes

night-vipers · 5 months

Text

Daddy Issues

Summary: A sudden visit to base by your estranged and abusive father brings back haunting memories from your childhood. Ghost feels like he's staring in a mirror and is there for you.

Warnings: Abusive parent, mentions of death, angst

"You suck at this game Soap" I laugh as he folds his cards for the 5th time in a row. He mutters something in his Scottish twang as he throws his cards on the table, obviously not a very good loser.

"I'm more of a Blackjack kind of guy" he says taking a sip of his drink. We had been winding down as a team, playing some poker after a run of successful missions. I sat beside Ghost who was secretly helping me with my cards, just to see the look on Soap's face when he lost. As we laughed, joked and talked shit the night moved on until one of the perimeter guards barged into the room, out of breath and with a concerned look on his face, his eyes landing straight on me.

"Sergeant, we need you to come to the front gate" he says to me as he straightens himself up.

I put my cards on the table and take the blanket off my legs "Sure, what's going on?" I ask as I begin to get up.

"There's a man demanding to speak to you, he says he is your father" the guard said, concern edging his words. The word 'father' made my blood run cold and it felt like I had been doused in ice cold water. I tried to hide the instant panic I felt as I got up and followed the guard towards the front gate. Ghost saw the way my expression and demeanour changed at the mention of my father and felt a certain unease about the situation, he decided to follow along following his gut instinct that this wasn't going to be good.

The walk down through the base and outside towards the front gate felt like it went in slow-motion. My whole body was tense and I felt like my teeth might crack with how hard I was gritting them together as we got closer to the gate. On approach I could hear yelling and it didn't take long for my fathers beat up and dented truck to come into view. It was the same truck that used to make my heart stop, the same truck that made me hide in my room as soon as I heard it pull into the driveway at home. In this moment I was a little girl again, facing the monster that altered me as a person for the rest of my life.

I was unaware that Ghost had followed behind and stood at the gate keeping a watchful eye on the situation. I motioned for the guards to step back and let me handle it as they retreated back to the gate. I took a deep breath and approached my father carefully, eyes alert like prey looking out for a predator. "Why are you here?" I question him as his eyes finally land on me.

"I came to find my dear old daughter, since you decided to run away from me" he slurred, his tone dangerous and not that of a caring father who missed his daughter.

"You're drunk" I sighed, rubbing neck nervously. I knew what happened when my father drank and it wasn't pretty.

"You think you can stand there and judge me" he snarled as he got closer "think just because you joined the army that you're not still the spoiled, nasty little girl we both know you are" he spat as he pointed his finger at me.

"You know nothing about me, you need to leave" I say, anger rising in my body.

"Don't talk to me like that" he says grabbing my shirt collar and jerking me forward "you're the reason my life turned to shit you ungrateful bitch. You're the reason your mother is dead" he growled in my face, the smell of whiskey smacking me in the face. That comment hit a nerve, a nerve that set my whole body on fire and I decided that it was time to say what I really thought.

"My mum is dead because of you" I yelled angrily as I pushed him back. "She killed herself so she didn't have to deal with the abuse, you didn't deserve her you piece of shit" I yelled as my chest heaved with anger. He smiled menacingly and before I could do anything he smacked me hard in the face, hard enough to send me tumbling into the dirt. My ears were ringing and I was expecting a second blow but it didn't come. Ghost had enough of the scene in front of him and decided it was time to end this.

"Take her inside" I heard Ghost bark before walking past me towards my father. Two of the guards helped me to my feet and took me inside, I was in shock and didn't even look back to see what was happening behind me.

Ghost stomped up to my father and before he could say anything Ghost had him by the neck, up against the side of his truck and a knife to his throat. "You ever touch her again, they'll be finding pieces of you on every continent" Ghost growled, knife pressing into the skin on my fathers neck.

"Who the hell are you?" my father spits angrily as he tries to fight against Ghost but it's useless. Ghost is strong and a wall of muscle whilst my father is weak and the alcoholism has wrecked his body.

"You every come here again or try to talk to her again in any way and I'll make sure you lose the ability to speak" Ghost grunted, his threats not empty. "You have no idea who that woman is in there. She is brave, smart, strong and deserves the world at her feet" Ghost states, pressing the knife harder on my fathers skin until a trickle of blood runs down to his shirt. "Am I understood" he says, his glare deadly.

My father struggles for a moment before nodding "Say it" Ghost says, enunciating each word as he presses harder with the knife.

"I understand" my father spits unwillingly. Ghost stares him down for another moment before releasing him with a shove. My father stumbles and makes his way to the drivers door and climbs in clumsily.

"Don't ever let me see you again" Ghost snarls as my father quickly pulls away from the base. Ghost watches until the truck is a blur before heading back inside to find me and make sure I was okay.

I was sat on the floor of my bathroom, body trembling with a mixture of shock, fear and adrenaline. I sat staring at the floor, lost in the trauma of losing my mother and growing up with an abusive father who hated me. A gentle knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts. "Come in" I mutter quietly. Ghost enters and crouches in front of me, eyes drawn to the bruise forming in the corner of my eye from the hit I received.

He holds his hand out to me and helps me off the floor, leading me to the bed and letting me sit. He goes back into the bathroom and gets a cloth damp with cold water and sits in front of me "Are you okay?" he asks softly, eyes on mine.

I nod quickly and bite down on my lip, knowing that I was an inch away from breaking completely "I'm fine" I whisper quietly, looking away from him. He sighs and lifts my chin with his finger, looking into my eyes again and seeing how glassy they were from all the emotions I was feeling in that moment.

"No you're not" he states simply and lifts the damp cloth to my eye. I flinch away subconsciously "easy it's okay" he says softly as he rests the cold compress against my eye. He moves some hair from my face and brings his hand to cup my cheek again. I lean into his touch a bit more and I can feel myself starting to break. My lip trembles and and I take a shuddered breath. Ghost moves the compress away and pulls me into his lap, snaking his arms around me protectively.

That was all it took to break me completely and I sobbed into his chest, letting out all the pain and fear I was feeling. He stroked my hair and ran his hand up and down my back in a soothing way. "He'll never hurt you again love, I promise" he whispers in my ear. I nod into his chest and sit upright, wiping away the stray tears from my cheeks. Ghost leans in and wipes another tear with his thumb and squeezes my leg reassuringly.

"You don't have to tell me about it tonight but when you can, I want to know the story" he says as he lays down in the bed and opens his arms, beckoning me to lay with him.

"Okay" I mumble and lay with him, my head resting on his chest as he wraps his arms around me again, his arms forming what felt like a protective barrier. In this moment I wasn't scared of my father, for the first time in my life.

#cod mw2 #simon ghost riley #simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #mw2 headcanons #simon riley

142 notes · View notes

discount-shades · 1 year

Text

Contract Spouse Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Living the Lie

A/N: to quote M*A*S*H “War isn’t Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.”

Pairing: Jake Seresin/Reader (nicknamed Pip)

Warning: Angst, war, PTSD, civilian deaths, child death, nightmares

Length: 2100 ish

Summary: Jake and Pip settle into living together.

Previous Masterlist Next

Two weeks after you had settled into Jake's house in San Diego you were on the phone with Sami. Your almost daily phone calls with Jake had been replaced by phone calls to Sami. You look up from the pasta you were stirring on the stove as Jake walks through the side door. He goes to greet you but cuts himself off when he sees you are on the phone.

“Who is it?” You read his lips as he mouths the question and you mouth the answer back. “Hi Sami,” he calls out.

“Jake says hi,” you say with a resigned sigh. Relaying a conversation between the two siblings when you were on the phone with Jake had started very soon after the wedding and now that you were living with Jake, the habit had immediately resumed in reverse and you had long since given up trying to get them to talk to each other. Jake now sports a smile identical to the one Sami always had on her face during these conversations.

When you finally hang up the phone you roll your eyes at Jake. “You guys are ridiculous, I hate you both.”

“No you don’t,” he grins as he heads to his room to change out of his work clothes “You love us.”

“That's the problem.” You mumble to yourself as you dump the pasta into a serving dish and set the table before sitting down to dinner.

“I got two more quotes on redoing the roof,” you tell Jake between bites of alfredo. “I think we should go with the second, they’re more expensive but have better reviews and can begin sooner.”

“Whatever you think is best.” Jake shrugs, relieved you had taken over the repairs he had been too busy to arrange.

“And the contractor for the hot water tank called, he had a cancellation and can come replace ours tomorrow.” Jake just nods in confirmation and you fight a sigh.

The house that Jake had bought a few months ago, though overall in good shape, had needed a few updates and you had quickly taken over organizing them. Talking about hiring contractors over dinner makes you feel more married than you have ever felt before. The monotony of cohabitation made slipping into the rhythm of life together automatic.

Living with Jake was easy. You worked together seamlessly, easily dividing household chores and responsibilities. Chatting in the evenings, watching tv, or just sitting in silence reading. The two of you just fit together. He had even tolerated you reorganizing every drawer and shelf in the common spaces with minimal cursing over not being able to find things.

Life continues in the same thread. You and Jake grocery shopping, going for walks, cooking, and doing dishes, just easily living together. But as time went on you were finding it harder and harder.

Everyday you had to stifle your imagination as you pictured him coming through the door and giving you a kiss. The little part in your heart that you could never squish down was still hoping that one day Jake would look at you and fall in love.

The logical part tried to keep your breathing steady when Jake would brush past you in the kitchen. Tried to keep you from melting into his touch when he placed his hand on your lower back when you were walking together in public. Tried to keep from staring when you were together.

It didn’t help that Jake frequently walks around without his shirt. Whether it was first thing in the morning, after a shower, or after a run. You loved and hated it. When you said goodnight and went to your separate rooms you wanted to follow him into the master bedroom and finally end your embarrassingly long dry spell. You should have hooked up with your cute neighbor in your final days in Austin. Maybe that would have made things easier.

– – –

“Jake,” your voice startles him out of his sleep. He can hear you tapping gently on his door before easing it open. “We have a problem.”

“What's wrong?” he mumbles sleepily as he sits up in bed, squinting in the hall light shining through the open door. The rain from earlier is still lightly falling outside. “What time is it?”

“It’s a little after midnight, The roof is leaking.” You tell him, hair pulled up into a sloppy bun and pillow creases on your cheek. “I woke up in a puddle, it's coming through the light fixture above the bed.”

Jake mumbles curses. He had been sleeping soundly and would have likely been able to sleep the whole night if the roof hadn’t leaked. He helps you move the bed and set up a big rubbermaid bin under the leak to catch the dripping water while you strip the wet bedding off the mattress and throw it in the bathtub. You flip the breaker and he carefully removes the light so the water can fall directly into the bin without pooling, you dutifully hold the flashlight.

After you follow him into the attic to see where the leak is. Fortunately it is only in one spot and the rain has slowed to a stop. Using the towels you had so neatly organized, you help him mop up all the water you can. You place another bin under the main leak but it has slowed to a drip. Working next to you in the dimly lit attic, Jake realizes he never would have noticed the leak so soon if not for you.

“When are they supposed to fix the roof?” Jake asks you.

“Monday,” you say sadly and he sighs. “If you leave all the information for me I’ll call the insurance company tomorrow.”

He follows you down the ladder with the wet towels and throws them into the washing machine. You follow with the towels from your room. Your teeth chattering and he looks at you for the first time and notices that your pajamas are soaking wet.

“Pip you're going to get sick, go change.” You roll your eyes at him but comply and grab a dry pair of pajamas and head to the bathroom so you can leave your wet ones in the tub. When you come out of the bathroom he meets you in the hall. “I dumped the bin in your room, we should be good to go back to sleep.” You nod but don't follow him; grabbing your pillow you turn to go into the living room.

“Where are you going?”

“The couch.” You stare at him in confusion. “My mattress is soaked.”

“Yeah but mine's not.” You stand there staring at him and he suddenly feels like he has overstepped. The look in your eye is unreadable but you just agree quietly and follow him. When he reaches the bed and you crawl in beside him he feels his stomach clench. He can't remember the last time he slept next to someone, it's been years, definitely before the nightmares started. What if he moves and hits you, or says something he doesn’t want you to hear?

It’s awkward. As soon as he lies down beside you he feels the need to move and eases himself over to his other side. He can hear you rolling over when he does. You don’t say anything but he can tell you are tense. Maybe he shouldn't have insisted you share his bed. “Do you want to build a pillow wall?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” You roll over again and he can feel your eyes on him. “Good night Jake.”

“Goodnight.” You stop moving but he can tell you are not asleep by your breathing. He listens and tries not to move but he can’t sleep if you are awake. He feels the bed shift every time you move and shuffle your feet. He stares into the dark hyper aware of you beside him, pretending to sleep before he finally breaks the silence. “Are you awake?”

“Yeah.”

“Can’t sleep?”

“My feet are cold,” you tell him. “I can’t sleep with cold feet.”

Jake bites back a sigh and says the thing he doesn’t want to do. “You can put them on me.”

Your soft laugh almost makes it worthwhile. “I don’t think you mean that,” you counter. And he reaches down to feel your feet and immediately regrets his decision when he feels how icy they are.

“Come on,” he says resignedly and urges you to roll over so you can press your feet to his warm legs. When you settle he finds himself focusing on your cold toes to distract himself from the warmth coming from your body lying beside him.

As your feet warm he can feel the tension leave you as you relax into sleep, your breath slowing and evening out and soon he finds himself drifting off as well.

– – –

Maverick is carrying a lifeless Rooster in his arms. He is standing in the desert. Rubble and fire from a destroyed building around him. Blood is dripping down Rooster's extended arm and steadily falling from his fingertips and onto the dry sand. Jake stands, blood pounding in his ears with every drop that hits the ground. Maverick is speaking to him in a language he can't understand, repeating the same phrase.

When he realizes it’s weird to see Maverick cradling Rooster so easily everything seems to blur and when it clears there is now a father holding his young son in front of him. The boy's eyes are open and staring blankly at the sky. The man speaks but it is Maverick's voice he hears, “You shot at the wrong time, his death is your fault Hangman.” The man advances towards him brandishing the body of his dead son repeating the words in Maverick’s voice, becoming angrier and more grief-stricken with every repetition as Jake retreats, his heart pounding, unable to escape.

– – –

“No!” Jake sits up gasping. His heart is hammering wildly as he tries to breathe. He feels like there is a weight on his chest, contracting his lungs and keeping his ribcage from expanding. The image of the boy burned into his retinas.

“Jake?” The soft sound of your voice startles him and he flinches when he sees you move before pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. Trying to rub away what he saw. Your hand is hesitant as it brushes against his back, gently moving and pressing his t-shirt into his sweat soaked skin. He wants to tell you to stop, that he doesn’t deserve comfort after what he did. He wants to get up and leave, but he doesn't. He just sits there frozen and focuses on the feeling of your warm hand smoothing over his spine as his breathing steadies. When the chill sets in he strips off the sweaty shirt and lies back down on his back.

“Nightmare?” you ask quietly already knowing the answer. He nods even though he is not sure you can see him. He’s told you about the nightmares, never why or what he sees but you know he has trouble sleeping. You're the only one who knows.

You lie on your side and he can feel your eyes in the dark. Unable to rub his back you place your hand on his chest and resume the relaxing motion. But the feel of your hand on his bare chest is too much and he stops you, flattening your hand to his heart. When you go to pull away he reaches up with his other hand and clutches your wrist, unwilling to let you go.

“Don’t go.” The words slip out before he can stop them and he clenches his jaw to keep from speaking more. He can feel you nod you head beside him. You slowly begin flexing your fingers and he relaxes the hand flattening yours and you begin to gently scratch his chest with your finger tips. He finally lets out a shuddering breath and shifts his grip on your wrist so he can feel your steady pulse.

“Breath with me,” you whisper. “Focus on my breaths.” he lies beside you and listens to you breathe and focuses on the feeling of your warm hand pressed to his heart and the gentle caress of your finger tips. He feels the butterfly kiss of your lips on his shoulder and his skin burns. Your soft breaths moves over his skin and his heart aches.

When your fingers stop moving he knows you are asleep but doesn’t let go of your hand, eventually he falls into a dreamless sleep listening to your soft breaths.

#jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #jake hangman x reader #jake seresin/reader #jake seresin x reader #hangman #hangman/reader #top gun hangman #top gun fanfiction #topgun maverick #topgun hangman #top gun x reader #hangman topgun #topgun

565 notes · View notes

viesantewrites · 3 months

Text

𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝

(𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧)

Robert Fischer (Inception) x Reader

note: Hey guys, I‘ve rewritten this story a bit and decided to post it on my sideblog. I've changed some of the themes and also that the main character is no longer an OC named Victoria, but the reader. I think this story is kinda difficult to write, which is why I've rewritten it several times. I love plots like Shutter Island and tried to do something similar here & it‘s also a story about parasocial relationships and unrequited love.

summary: The reader is hopelessly in love with her boss Robert Fischer, but he doesn't seem to be interested in her. By an unexpected coincidence, they meet in the city and his sudden intense affection for her confuses her. The reader begins to suspect that something is wrong, and when she finally uncovers the truth about her encounters with Fischer the heartbreaking reality is revealed to her.

you don‘t have to watch the movie to understand the story.

age gap, but the characters are both adults. Robert is 37-39, is divorced and has a child. The reader is about 28/29.

word count: 5000+

warnings: topics like mental illness, depression, this is a quite dark and heavy story

It was just half past seven when she heard the familiar footsteps in the corridor approaching the office next door. A key was inserted into the lock and a moment later the door opened.

Glancing around to make sure her workspace wasn't too messy, she threw an old paper cup into the bin before her boss poked his head through the door.

"Good morning, Miss YN, so busy already?" he asked with a tired smile. "It doesn't reflect well on me as a boss to have my assistant here before me. I'm sorry, Monday mornings are always a bit stressful for me."

"No problem, Mr Fischer. I've already sorted the mail for you, it's on your desk," she said kindly, watching him as he took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack, a little damp from the rain.

"Thank you, I can count on you."

He was a very elegant, handsome man, about ten years her senior, with dark hair, blue eyes, high cheekbones and an elegant black suit. She must have stared at him a little too long, because he turned to her with a questioning smile.

Immediately her cheeks flushed and she turned back to her computer screen, but by then Mr Fischer had already approached her and placed some documents on her desk. "Please scan them all and email them to Mr Parker, he's been waiting for them for days," he said to her. "It would be best if we sat down together later and quickly discuss my tasks for today, there is a lot to do. If I'm not mistaken, I have a client meeting at three today."

"At two, sir," she corrected him, handing him a planner with today's date thickly underlined.

He started to grin. "You see, this is exactly why I have an assistant."

Fischer disappeared into his office.

She sighed slightly and went to work scanning the documents. She had been working for Fischer Morrow, one of the world's largest energy companies, for barely a month. Their headquarters had moved from Sydney to London after the death of their CEO, Maurice Fischer. Her current boss, Robert Fischer, was a direct descendant.

She liked Fischer Jr a lot. He was friendly, supportive and didn't get angry when things didn't go to plan. But in some ways he always seemed so unapproachable. For example, he never talked about his private life and YN had no idea who he was outside of work. Then again, he was her boss and his private life was none of her business. But deep down she admitted that she was very interested in him.

The days flew by and she finally felt as if she had been employed by Fischer Morrow for an eternity. But who Robert Fischer really was remained a mystery.

One evening, as she was about to leave, she quietly opened the door to Fischer's office. He was sitting in front of his computer, his chin resting on his hands. "Have a nice evening, Mr Fischer." He jumped slightly, obviously not having heard her come in, but then he smiled. "Thank you, you too."

YN looked at her watch. "It's almost half past seven, don't you want to finish your work soon? Don't you have a wife waiting for you?"

Mr Fischer shrugged. "I've been divorced for a few years now, and I only see my daughter at weekends. The only thing waiting for me is an empty, dark apartment."

YN held her breath. It was the first time he had told her anything about his private life. But in the same second, he seemed to regret his words.

"No one waits for me either," she said. "Except for my cat."

Fischer raised an eyebrow with a smile. "At least that's something."

Finally she said goodbye and left the office. But all the way home, she kept thinking about her conversation with Fischer.

Was he perhaps as lonely as she was?

Tired, YN lay in bed. She didn't even have the strength to change her clothes and remove her make up. Although she wanted nothing more than to get out of that itchy, uncomfortable dress and tights. A soft meow sounded beside her and she felt something soft brush against her arm. Smiling, she pulled the cat closer and buried her face in its white fur.

Since leaving her small home village for London, she had no one to talk to. Her old friends had all left her and moved on with their own lives. Robert Fischer was the only one she spoke to regularly, though it was far from a friendship. With the cat in her arms, she turned to the other side. But what if she had feelings for him?

Maybe she should tell him. But wasn't that too much? He was still her boss, after all, and there were probably plenty of women who were interested in him.

She quickly pushed the thought aside and closed her eyes.

Robert Fischer turned curiously when he heard the quick clicking of heels in the corridor. Panting, his assistant opened the door and dropped her bag on the desk.

"Miss YN, are you okay?"

Her hair was messy, her coat hung loosely over her shoulders as if she hadn't had time to put it on properly, and her lipstick was a little smudged.

"I… overslept," she said, panting. "I'm sorry."

Fischer looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "It's okay. But it shouldn't happen again."

"Of course not, sir," she replied immediately.

He quickly disappeared into his office and returned with a thick stack of papers and a folder.

"Would you be so kind as to sort these documents alphabetically for me? They've been on my desk for days and I haven't had a chance to get to them. I know it's not an exciting task."

She nodded and took the heavy pile from his hand. Fischer thanked her and hurried back to his office.

Sighing, she set to work. But with each page, she found her concentration fading and her mind wandering. Her head ached, her eyes burned and she felt incredibly tired. But she tried not to show it, kept working as hard as she could and finally put the sorted file back on Mr Fischer's desk.

Exhausted, she walked back to her office, sat down in her chair and buried her face in her hands. She was shivering and her ears were ringing. Was it because she had forgotten to take her medicine today?

"Miss YN?" she heard her boss' voice.

She turned immediately and forced a smile. "Yes, Mr Fischer?"

"I have an job interview scheduled for ten, would you be so kind as to prepare the conference room for it?"

"Of course, sir."

He stopped halfway and looked at Victoria questioningly. "Are you okay? You look so pale." She nodded quickly, forcing a smile. "Everything's fine, Mr Fischer." Fischer looked at her, raised his eyebrows, then handed her the key to the meeting room and disappeared back into his office.

A strange feeling of dizziness spread through her head as she walked down the long corridor leading to the conference rooms.

What was wrong with her today?

When it started to get dark outside, YN finally turned off her computer and reached for her bag. The strange dizziness had improved during the day, leading her to conclude that she simply needed a break from work. Fortunately, it was Friday. She knocked gently on Fischer's door, as she always did before leaving, to wish him a pleasant evening. He was sitting there as usual, his chin resting on his hand, deep in thought. He glanced up briefly and nodded politely, noticing her in the doorway. He looked stunningly handsome today, even after this long and exhausting day.

"I didn't ask you how the job interviews went this morning," she asked curiously. Fischer shook his head. "Terribly," he said. "None of these people I'd want in my company." His voice was cold and dismissive, and for a moment she thought he was referring to her, even though she knew he meant someone else. She smiled awkwardly and shrugged slightly. "Well, maybe the next one will be better."

Fischer remained silent.

"Have a good weekend, Mr Fischer."

"You too, Miss YN." He gave her a friendly smile.

"Do you have any plans for the weekend? I know a good restaurant, would you like to join me?" The moment she realised what she had just said, she bit her lip, her face turning red. Had she completely lost her mind? She desperately hoped he hadn't heard what she'd asked, but it was too late. She could see Fischer raise his eyebrows in confusion and stare at her.

"No, Miss YN. I'm not interested. I keep my work and personal life strictly separate." She immediately looked down, embarrassed. Thoughts raced through her mind like a rollercoaster and her cheeks felt as if they were on fire. "I'm sorry, Mr Fischer, I shouldn't have asked you that." She finally grabbed her bag and left the office without another word, feeling Fischer's gaze on her back.

It was drizzling lightly as she walked through the busy streets of London. The cold air did her good and she felt her head clear a little.

Why had she done this? It had been clear from the start that a man like him would reject her. But the words had come out of her mouth as if she had completely lost control. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and quickly wiped it away. She didn't want to have a mental breakdown in public, even though it felt like Fischer had torn her heart into a thousand pieces. Suddenly the strange dizziness returned and her vision blurred slightly. The sounds of London became muffled, as if she were incredibly far away.

"Miss YN, wait!" she suddenly heard a voice behind her that seemed to be getting closer.

She turned around. The dizziness had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Startled, her eyes widened as she saw the person in front of her - it was Mr Fischer. What was he doing here? Had he followed her? She tried to speak, but all she could manage was a hoarse stutter.

"I wanted to apologize, Miss YN. It wasn't very nice of me to brush you off like that," he said with a gentle laugh. His voice sounded strangely different, softer than usual. Wordless and spellbound, she stared into the pair of light blue eyes before her, apologetic and gentle in their expression. She knew Mr Fischer had blue eyes, but she'd never noticed how incredibly bright they looked.

"It's okay, don't worry," she managed to say, her knees shaking with excitement.

"No, no, Miss YN. I'll think about the dinner offer, okay? Just because we work together doesn't mean we can't have dinner together, does it?" Fischer suggested, and she nodded slowly, then smiled.

Why this sudden change of heart?

"Well, see you soon." He waved goodbye and YN, still completely confused, raised her hand in response. But before she could form another thought, he had disappeared into the crowd.

Carefully, YN pressed the shutter on her old camera, focusing the lens on the small lake in front of her. Satisfied, she lowered it. She was confident that this snapshot would turn out well. This park was a place she often visited to clear her head and pursue her passion, photography, as it offered many beautiful subjects. Especially now, in autumn, when the trees were covered with colourful leaves and the silence was slowly descending, with only the occasional pedestrian passing by.

Her dizziness had eased a little, but not completely. Fortunately, it was Saturday and she had the whole day to herself. YN sat down on a bench under a tree that looked to be at least a hundred years old.

She sat there for a while, lost in thought. Eventually she got up and made her way to the West End. The streets of London were noisy and busy as she walked, looking for a warm place in a café and something to eat. Crowds of people rushed past her, music played from somewhere and loud voices filled the air. Exhausted, she rubbed her temples. Maybe she should have stayed home and rested.

Suddenly she held her breath as she spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Dark hair, high cheekbones and piercing blue eyes. Fischer. But before she could think, he had already noticed her and started to smile at her.

"Miss YN, how nice to see you! What a coincidence!"

It was the first time she had seen him in his casual clothes rather than one of his business suits. But this was no less elegant and stylish. He was wearing a well-fitting black coat, a grey knitted jumper underneath and black trousers. It was so strange to see him outside his office at Fischer Morrow Company. Suddenly he didn't seem so unapproachable and distant anymore.

"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

He paused for a moment. He seemed to be considering whether or not to tell her.

"I brought my little girl to her friend's house for a sleepover. She's been asking me for weeks because her mum won't let her."

"So you're a cool dad," YN replied.

Fischer rolled his eyes. "I'm the one who lets her get away with everything. We had to turn back twice because she realised she had forgotten her favourite stuffed animal and her toothbrush."

She laughed softly. In a strange way, she enjoyed him talking so openly about his life.

"Oh wow, that looks amazing. It's quite old, isn't it?" Mr Fischer pointed to the camera around her neck. "From the 1960s. But it takes incredibly good pictures for that time," she explained. Fischer seemed genuinely impressed. "Do you have more like it?"

"I have quite a few. From the 50s to the 80s, actually, and of course some modern digital cameras. Photography has been my passion since I was a child," she explained. Fischer looked at her with an interested smile. "So there's actually film in there that needs to be developed?" she nodded in confirmation. "Some photo shops still offer that service, yes."

Mr Fischer seemed genuinely interested in her hobby, asking her questions about it as they walked side by side through the streets of London. She felt incredibly comfortable in his presence and hoped he wouldn't leave so soon. Finally he pointed to the camera again. "Would you take a picture of me, please? I'd like a 60's style photo of myself." YN's heart began to beat faster in her chest. What had he just said?

"Of course, Mr Fischer," she replied nervously. "Robert. My name is Robert," he replied. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, completely surprised. No one at Fischer Morrow Ltd called him by his first name, and outside the company she had only heard his uncle, Peter Browning, call him Robert.

"Let's find a nice spot for the photo," he said, letting his gaze wander until it settled on a beautiful fountain.

Carefully, she picked up the camera, took a few steps back and held it directly in front of Robert's face. "Smile, please," she instructed him, finally pressing the shutter.

A pedestrian who had just passed them looked at YN with a confused expression and shook his head. Frowning, she looked after him before carefully tucking the camera into her handbag.

Are you hungry?" asked Robert. "We could go to a restaurant."

Surprised, she looked at him. "I don't know…" she said hesitantly, biting her lower lip. In fact, she had never expected to be asked such a question.

He looked at her with raised eyebrows and she could see the disappointment in his eyes. Finally, she worked up the courage to say what was on her mind.

"It's just… To be honest, you told me yesterday that you were someone who kept your work and personal life strictly separate. Maybe it would be better if we did. After all, I'm your employee."

As much as she wanted to spend time with him, she was afraid of developing even more feelings for him. Robert nodded slowly and shoved his hands into his coat pockets.

"I really like you. I just never wanted to show it, that's why I was so reserved with you and told you I wasn't interested in you".

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh as a ton of thoughts went through her head. Robert finally nodded at her with a slightly disappointed look on his face and turned on his heel.

"Wait!" she called after him.

He stopped immediately and looked at her hopefully.

"Let's give it a try, shall we?"

"YN… is that a French name?"

Robert's voice sounded slightly tipsy as he grinned curiously at her, twirling his wine glass casually in his hands.

He had taken her to a rather fancy and expensive place, the walls were dark wood panelling, the chairs were covered in red velvet and soft jazz music was playing on one of the radios. Robert looked hauntingly beautiful that night. His skin seemed incredibly soft and flawless, his jawline even more prominent, and his blue eyes shone almost ghostly in the dim light, almost like he wasn’t real…

She smiled, nodded and took a sip from her glass. "My father is French. I grew up in France but moved to England when I was 15."

He nodded with interest, rubbing his chin with his finger.

"And you? I heard you're Australian," she asked curiously.

Robert laughed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Well, my accent makes it obvious."

YN blushed and looked down at her plate. What a stupid question.

But Robert didn't seem to mind too much, because he started talking about his life in Sydney, how he had finally moved to London after his father's death, and she listened with interest.

But suddenly he stopped and looked at her thoughtfully. "But I'm probably just boring you."

YN immediately shook her head. "No, you're not," she told him. "I find it really interesting to find out all this about you."

At that moment a waitress came to their table with a smile and asked YN in a friendly tone if she had enjoyed her meal. But the waitress paid no attention to Robert, YN noticed with surprise. Perhaps she was just being extra polite to the lady.

Robert pulled out a black leather purse and rummaged through it. Quickly, YN pulled a few notes out of her habdbag and handed them to the waitress. "Keep the change," she said.

The waitress looked at her with wide eyes, "Thank you, ma'am," she said gratefully, "have a nice evening.

Then she turned and left the table.

"You didn't have to do that," Robert said. "As a gentleman, it's actually my job to pay."

She shook her head in amusement. "I bet that's never happened to you before, has it?"

Robert shook his head and took the last drink from his glass. There was a moment of silence between them.

"All right. So what's the plan for the rest of the evening?"

She looked at him in surprise. As soon as he said the words, she felt a tingle in her stomach.

The church clock struck twelve as she crossed the street hand in hand with Robert. It was freezing, and she had pulled her scarf so far up her face that only her eyes and nose were visible. Her date looked at her with amusement. "Are you going to rob a bank?" he asked, laughing out loud.

"Shh!" she snapped at him, putting her fingers to his lips. "You'll wake up the whole neighbourhood."

Although it was quite dark and she could only make out Robert, she knew that his typical mischievous grin was back on his face. She pulled him firmly behind her until they reached the small white building.

"Is this where you live?" Robert asked.

She put her finger to his lips for a second time until Robert stopped talking and looked silently into her eyes. Her heart was beating in her chest as she finally stood on her toes, put her arms around his neck and placed her lips on his. Robert returned the kiss without hesitation and gently pulled her into his arms. YN could hardly believe what was happening. It was everything she had secretly wanted for months. They remained like this for a moment before she finally let go of him and reached for her key.

She felt for Robert's upper arm and finally pulled him into her apartment, closing the door behind him. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and began to kiss him again. His lips were a little cold and tasted of wine. Together they stumbled backwards into her bedroom, taking off his coat, which she tossed carelessly to the floor.

Robert's fingers stroked carefully along her hip and fumbled a little with her belt while she was busy putting little kisses on his neck. With slightly trembling hands she pulled his jumper over his head and Robert took her hand.

"Are you nervous?" he wanted to know. She remained silent.

"Don't be," he whispered softly into her ear, taking her in his arms again and pulling her onto the bed. Breathing softly, she clung to his chest, leaned back and finally closed her eyes as she felt his warm skin against hers.

The sun shone through the half-open curtains, creating a narrow, bright streak across the floor. Blinking, she opened her eyes and stretched. But immediately a sharp pain shot through her head again and she held her forehead tiredly. Confused, she sat up and tried to remember what had happened yesterday.

But when she heard soft breathing next to her, she turned quickly and all the events of last night came back to her. Smiling, she looked over at Robert, snuggled up next to her in her beige blanket, sleeping peacefully. Tenderly stroking his messy hair, she lay down beside him again and then began to caress his bare chest. Perhaps what they had done was wrong. After all, they were two people who should never have fallen in love. But it had happened, and it felt so right. They remained in this position for some time, Robert asleep and YN lost in thought.

Her eyes swept through the bedroom until they settled on a small white box on her dresser. Quickly sitting up, she reached for it and put a small pill into her mouth. Eventually, Robert began to move a little beside her, opening his eyes tiredly. Smiling broadly, she gave him a small kiss on the tip of his nose.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Good morning," Robert murmured in a raspy morning voice.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"Yes, wonderfully." He yawned loudly and took her into his arms as she laid her head lovingly on his shoulder.

"Wait, what time is it?" he suddenly wanted to know.

"Quarter past ten, why do you ask?" she replied.

"Shit," Robert muttered as he let go of the hug, jumped out of the bed and started to pick up his clothes, which were strewn all over the floor.

"Wait, wait, where are you going?" she asked, looking at him in confusion.

"I should've picked up my daughter by now," he replied, hurrying to get dressed.

Sighing, she pulled the blanket around her a little tighter. "Can't it wait? Can't you stay for breakfast?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm sure she's already waiting for me.“ Robert dodged her questions, grabbing his coat on the floor and sighing when he saw her disappointed look.

He walked slowly towards her, stroking her chin with his finger, and finally whispered: "We can catch up later." Then he put a soft kiss on her lips before turning around and disappearing through the door. She sank back into the pillows and pulled the blanket over her head.

The rest of Sunday flew by. Mostly because her mind was on Robert and she could hardly wait to see him again tomorrow at work. She had probably never looked forward to a Monday in her life as much as she did that day.

The next morning, YN carefully applied her lipstick and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She noticed that the collar of her white blouse was a little crooked and quickly adjusted it. She wanted to look her best for Robert today, so he wouldn't change his mind and lose interest in her.

Humming softly, she put on her black high heels and grabbed her handbag. She quickly put another pill into her mouth and put the box in her bag. Her headache was completely gone and her head finally felt clear and light again. In a good mood, she breathed in the fresh morning air and made her way to work.

Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked down the familiar corridor of Fischer Morrow. The lights were on in Robert's office. She ran a final hand through her hair, smoothed her blouse and opened the door to her own office.

The air was stuffy and hot. Coughing, she ran to the window and opened it.

"Good morning, Miss YN, I hope you had a nice weekend," a familiar voice sounded from behind her.

Startled, she turned to see Robert's face as he stuck his head through the door, as he always did.

Why didn't he call her by her first name? Confused, she stared at him, trying to form a clear sentence. "But… But… we spent it together…" her voice finally broke. Her head suddenly hurt again.

He seemed so different again. Not the Robert she had spent the weekend with, not the one who had apologised for being too rude to her, not the one who had made her laugh and told her about his life. He seemed more like the one she had worked with for months, the one who never revealed anything about himself.

"Miss YN? I haven't seen you since Friday, when you left my office after… asking me that question."

Her heart almost stopped. Suddenly her knees gave way and she sank to the floor.

"Are you okay? Are you feeling unwell?" Concerned, he bent down to her. "Do you want to go home and rest?"

She nodded slightly and wiped a tear from her eye, which had turned her fingers black from the carefully applied mascara. Then she got up and left the office.

At home, she lay motionless on her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't think straight and her throat felt incredibly dry. The door to her room, which was only ajar, opened gently and something small and white slipped through. Sniffling, she stretched out her arms and lifted her cat onto the bed.

Everything that had happened that weekend had been fake. She had made it all up. And all of this happened because she had forgotten to take the pills she was taking for her delusions. Robert hadn't really followed her on Friday evening; it was all a figment of her imagination. While his real self was still sitting in the office, probably not thinking about her at all. Everything suddenly made sense: why Robert looked a bit different, why his voice sounded different, the waitress who ignored him on Saturday because she couldn’t actually see him, the pedestrian who gave her a confused look because she was talking to herself while taking the photo.

The photo.

She immediately got up, put on her shoes and walked to the photo shop where she had left the film to be developed. Her heart raced as the staff handed her the envelope with the photos. Trembling, she finally grabbed the Saturday night photo, without looking at it herself, and held it up to the staff's face. "What do you see?" she asked.

The young man looked at her in confusion, but remained polite. "The fountain at Piccadilly Circus. Great picture, it turned out really nice."

"Anything else?" she asked.

"No, ma'am," he replied, and it felt like a slap in her face. Fischer had never been there with her. Only her lonely and sad mind had led her to believe that he was interested in her and loved her. Tears welled in her eyes and she left the shop without another word. When she got home, she immediately took the white box of pills from her handbag, rushed into the kitchen, opened the box and poured the pills into the bin.

Crying and with burning eyes, she finally lay down on her bed and buried her head in the pillow as her cat purred softly beside her. She must have stayed like that for hours, as the sun began to set again outside her window. When she finally lifted her head and wiped the tears from her face, she saw a dark-haired man sitting beside her bed, looking at her lovingly with his pale blue eyes. A smile suddenly appeared on her face and she began to laugh, pulling the man into a tight embrace.

some explanations because i know that story is kinda mind-fucking:

• Is Robert Fischer all a creation of the readers mind?

- No he actually exists, he’s her boss and she‘s in love with him, so she imagines dating him.

• When is he real, when is he fake?

- - The Robert Fischer in the office is real, he turns her down when she asks him out, leaving YN heartbroken. The moment she leaves the office, she starts to imagine what it would be like if he apologised to her, so the man who follows her is just her imagination. The real Robert Fischer is still in his office at Fischer-Morrow.

When she visits the city on Saturday and meets "Robert" and goes on a date with him, it's also just her imagination. That's why other people react to her with confusion, because she's basically talking to herself all the time. On Sunday morning, when she wakes up next to him, he's still fake. When she takes her pills, he quickly "disappears" (he says he has to pick up his daughter...) because they stop her delusions.

On Monday morning, when she gets back to her office, the real Robert Fischer is there again, who hadn't seen her since he had rejected her on Friday evening.

When she gets home, she throws away her pills and her delusions begin again. The man who sat next to her on the bed and comforted her is again the imaginary version of Robert.

#cillian murphy #cillian murphy fanfiction #cillian #robert fischer x reader #robert fisch x yn #cillian x y/n #cillian masterlist #cillian x fem!reader #inception #inception fanfiction #Oppenheimer #tommy shelby

59 notes · View notes

one-time-i-dreamt · 2 years

Text

not a dream

I feel really angry. Long rant ahead, mentions of death, child death specifically, unsafe driving, entitledness, a horrible legal system, and much more. This will be a highly frustrating read to you. Skip ahead if you don't want to be bummed out.

A clip of a guy committing a traffic violation (overtaking cars in a traffic jam using a lane that's only meant for stopping in case of emergencies) on a bridge here in Croatia went viral here recently. Somebody recorded him and uploaded it to a popular car group.

After it went viral, it was uncovered that he was fined for doing the same thing at the same place two weeks before this, so he's clearly a repeat offender and hasn't learned anything even after being hit with a fine.

I wish that was the worst thing about this story, but it's not.

After people dug out more information about the driver, they discovered that in 2019, he killed a 15 year old girl while speeding on a motorcycle that he legally wasn't allowed to own nor drive.

He was only 16 at the time and could legally only drive motorcycles that fell into A1 category (power up to 15KS), and the motorcycle he was driving was a sports motorcycle KTM Duke 390 (43.5 KS). He only just got his license for the starter motorcycle to begin with.

He was speeding 117km/h in an area where the speed limit was 50km/h and hit the young girl while she was crossing the road on a pedestrian (zebra) crossing. She was walking home with two girlfriends after attending the first concert that she was allowed to go to only with friends in her whole life.

How great must that night have felt for them before tragedy struck.

His victim flew horrifying 50 meters and died on impact, while the 18 year old female passenger on his motorcycle was hospitalized with serious injuries and was fighting for her life and was in a serious condition but managed to pull through.

He was 16 and a half at the time of the accident he caused and a news site managed to find an ad he left months before that, when he was barely 16, trying to sell his motorcycle because it "didn't suit him" but it was "brand new, a month old".

This was all in 2019. In 2021, he was finally tried in court and received a sentence of 3 years and 10 months in a juvenile prison, but his sentence was reduced after his lawyers put in an appeal.

He made an impact statement and said that he too was affected by the accident and that it changed his life both physically and psychologically and that he's suffering due to it because he has become an outcast in his town as a consequence.

His lawyer allegedly fought the verdict on grounds of psychological instability and disability, and won. I don't know if the culprit ever served any time. He's 19 now and got a BMW for his birthday from his parents. The same parents that bought him a motorcycle he was too young to handle.

Their little monster is an adult now.

He hasn't learned anything. He's reckless and doesn't care about others. He hasn't showed that he is sorry. He wasn't punished nor held responsible. He's only been thinking about himself in all of this.

How it impacted HIM. What it did to HIM. HIS health, HIS social life. He's driving his birthday present BMW around and still repeatedly breaking the law, and he's alive and he's free.

And 15 year old Magdalena Šimić is still dead because of him.

I've learned of this story because of a post that Magdalena's mother, Sandra wrote, that somebody I know shared. I was horrified, sad and angry for the family, but I can't even begin to imagine how they feel in all of this.

Powerless? Broken? Enraged? They're still waiting for some kind of justice for their daughter. A justice that won't come until things change. How is it that this guy is allowed to have a driver's license? That he's completely avoided jail time?

A crime like this should not go unpunished and the parents of the culprit who bought him the murder weapon and allowed him to use it should be punished as well.

-Matea

#not a dream #croatia #hrvatska #long post #death tw #car accident tw

1K notes · View notes

the-guilty-writer · 1 year

Text

Death by a Thousand Cuts

Request from anon: Spencer x daughter!reader (like 19/20) after the JJ confession she like storms into the BAU to confront her and basically is really mad that she told him that whilst married

“He told me, about the date. I was too young but I just remember him crying.”

“You don’t get to do that, you don’t get to choose when he matters to you and when he doesn’t. You don’t get to tell him something like that knowing you have a family and he only has me. It was a shitty thing to do. You’re so f****** selfish”

Sorry I went off I just hate that scene it was so pointless hahha

But I need some protective daughter!!!!

Spencer Reid x daughter!reader

Summary: After you hear about JJ's feelings towards your dad, you tell her the truth about how you feel about her too... and it's not friendly.

A/N: This is basically just the reader yelling… I’ll let you guys imagine how the conversation afterwards might go (this will not have a part 2). I changed the dialogue a bit to have it make more sense but kept it the same for the most part. This is also unintentionally Taylor Swift inspired. The lyric just fit so I put it in.

CW: Spoilers for S15, swearing, reader is kinda really mean to JJ (it's understandable thought)

---

Trying to find a part of me you didn't take up Gave you too much but it wasn't enough But I'll be all right, it's just a thousand cuts -Taylor Swift, Death by a Thousand Cuts

---

It was a conversation that you were sure you weren’t supposed to hear… honestly, it was a conversation that your Aunt Penny wasn’t supposed to hear either. You were on your weekly phone call with her when she told you about it… what JJ had said to your dad. Well, she didn’t exactly tell you as much as you could tell something was off and then you pressed until she spilled.

At first you had kept your composure- simply saying goodbye to Penny. You’d driven peacefully from your college campus to the BAU. You were pleasant while going through the security check. It wasn’t until the elevator indicated you’d reached the sixth floor of the building that your vision went red, anger burning inside you like a fire that was burning at the edge of its confinement, blood boiling in your ears.

You stepped out of the elevator and went straight through the glass doors, not even bothering to say hello to Agent Anderson as you passed him in the hall. The team was in the bullpen, all at their prospective desks, calmly working on files when you marched your storm of anger right through the office.

“You bitch!” Your voice was filled with fury as you seemingly hurdled yourself towards JJ’s desk. “You selfish little-”

Luke grabbed you hard before you could swing your fists in the direction of the blonde woman you once would have trusted with your life. You strained against the man holding you. The sounds of voices filled the bullpen and agents were getting out of their seats but no one bothered to reach for a side arm. You weren’t a real threat.

But you didn’t need a gun to kill someone.

“(Y/N)-” Your dad’s voice stuck out to you. “What happened?”

You looked at your dad for only a split second before turning your head to meet JJ’s gaze. Both of you knew what happened. You stopped your struggle against Alvez and he loosened his grip, letting you go, but your eyes never left JJ’s.

“If there’s something you need to talk about, you can do it in my office,” Emily offered, but in your feeling of anger you didn’t want help from the woman who faked her death, leaving you and your dad to mourn her only to find out she was alive seven months later.

“How could you?” The fury was beginning to taste bitter with sadness. “How could you do this to my dad? How could you do this to Will and Henry and Micheal-”

JJ cut you off. She was calmer than you, but just as loud. “You don’t get to bring my family into this-”

“Yes I do!” you screamed. “Because I actually give a shit about people! Because for ten years Will took care of me while you guys were out on cases and Henry brought me to show and tell as his older sister when he was in kindergarten and my name was one of Micheal’s first words! So yes- I do get to bring your family into this because I care about them. I care that someone loves them because that’s what they deserve! They don’t deserve to have a wife and a mother who tells another man that she’s always loved him- especially when that man is their godfather! You don’t get to say things like that when you had the chance to do it fifteen years ago!”

JJ’s eyes were filled with tears. Her voice was meek as she spoke. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh really?” Your laugh was humorless and dry. “Because I do. I was only four at the time, but he told me about the date. I was too young to understand what was truly going on but I just remember him crying. You had your chance, JJ. You had a choice and you decided against my dad. He’s always cared about you. You could have at least told him that he mattered.”

“Your dad matters to me-”

“No!” you cut her off this time. “You don’t get to do that- you don’t get to choose when he matters to you and when he doesn’t. You don’t get to tell him something like that knowing you have a family and he has me. It was a shitty thing to do. You’re so fucking selfish. You hurt everyone who cares about you and you don’t even see it because you’re too busy making sure everything goes the way you want it to. Fifteen years ago you made a choice and you sure as hell don't get to go back on it and damage everyone around you, especially not my dad.”

The bullpen was silent, the venom in your words lingering in the air. Having said what you needed to, you turned away and walked back towards the glass doors. Before you pushed against them, you stopped and turned to glance back.

The entire team was staring at you, utterly bewildered by the events that had just transpired. The only one who wasn’t looking at you was JJ- her eyes averted from the person who had called her out on all her bullshit, every mistake she had made, every insecurity she had now out and open for everyone to see.

And some malicious part of you was happy she was in pain.

“You know,” your voice was calm now, “my mother was a bitch, but at least she was kind enough to break my dad’s heart and leave. But you, JJ? There isn't a single part of our family- our lives- that you didn't touch. You've taken everything and it's stil not enough for you, so the rest of us have to suffer death by a thousand cuts.”

Without another word you pushed open the doors and left.

#criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x daughter!reader #spencer reid x child!reader #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds x y/n #criminal minds x teen!reader #criminal minds x daughter!reader #criminal minds x child!reader

885 notes · View notes

lokiforever · 3 months

Text

🖤Love in the Dark 🖤

Mafia!Loki x Fem!Reader

Series summary: After Loki was banished from Asgard he landed at some place in midgard. Now that he didn't have his powers and magic he was just like another mortal. After a few years of struggle and rejection he became a mafia boss. A billionaire. Yes, he was a trader ...but of lives. His heart didn't feel much emotions now.Can a girl whom he met accidentally be his remedy ? Will she be able to break the wall he had built around his heart? Will she be able to bring light in his dark world?...

Series Masterlist

SHORT CHAPTER!! ⚠️☢️

Chapter 4

➡️

He couldn't even begin to describe how much he despised seeing you with another man and why. He can't do it. He can't have you. He knows better than to repeat that whole falling in love and dating nonsense.

........Right?

But then why does it feel as if the adrenaline pumping through his veins would burst out even at the thought of you being with another man?

The sound of your echoed laughter pulled him out of his trance as he took in the dreadful sight in front of him - that guy, whoever he was- he didn't see his face as he had his back towards him, had his hands all over you, as you danced in his hands.

He had to do something.Why? He had no clue.

He saw him walking towards the bar as you too went there after a few minutes and he gave you a drink.

"Y/N?" Loki said as he approached you from behind "Oh, hey" "Would you mind if I talk to him for a second" he said referring to Marc "Uh, sure go ahead"

He took Marc and walked away till he was out of sight and as soon he was... "Do you know who I am ?" "Y-yes I do, Mr. Laufeyson" "Good. And know this, if I see you with her for even a millisecond from now, you'll be history. And if you even think about harming her, I'll make you beg for death" he growled. The fear was evident in the boys eyes as he heard this. "I'll count till seven...run. 1...2.." before he could reach till 5 the boy ran for his life.

Then Loki returned to you and sat on the bar stool beside you "Enjoying ourselves, are we?" he said, a tiny smirk playing on his lips "More than I thought I would... Where's Marc ?" "You seem to like him a lot, huh?" he said, controlling his jealousy. "I was just asking cuz he went with you....then he didn't so" you said with a shrug "And he never would." this made you visibly confused "I mean, he received a call and he had to go... who knows when you're gonna see him again" "Hmm...fair enough

Standing up, he offered you his hand to you with a little bow "May I have the privilege of sharing this dance with you, my lady?" he said making you blush deeply. "You may" you took his hand as he lead you to the dance floor.

Both of you swayed in each other's arms, uncaring of the world around you as you twirled and dipped.

Much to your surprise, and not in a pleasant way, you started feeling dizzy and lightheaded after sometime. Your body seemed like it was about to go limp. "Loki ...I ..I feel.." you started "What's wrong? Are you okay?" he said

"I..I sort of...I just.." before you could complete your words you went down like a stone but luckily for you, Loki was your night in the shining armour.... again. He, almost instinctively, picked you up, not letting your head hit the floor as a wave of concern washed his face

"Y/N? Y/N!? Darling, wake up!" he tried but it was to no avail. He signalled one of his guards and then moved out of the crowded hall, picking you up in his arms effortlessly as he carried you to his car with his guard backing you up from close behind.

The chauffeur opened the car door for him as he laid you down in the backseat. His mind was running a hundred miles per second. 'What happened to you?' ; 'Is someone behind it or is it just some deficiency of the body?' ; 'And if someone is indeed there, who could it be?' ; 'Could it be the kidnappers from earlier?' ; 'Could it be .....' then it hit him.

His nostrils flared and jaw clenched. "Darling, please open your eyes. Please" he said, sounding almost desperate. But it was again in vain. Then he turned to the chauffeur "You know where we need to go. There's only one accurate place" he said to him "Yes, sir" the chauffeur said with a nod and started the limo.

Loki tried all he could, from gently patting your cheek to restless attempts of calling you by your name but nothing seemed to he helping.

After sometime, the car stopped in front of what seemed like a lab. Loki stepped out the limo and a man wearing a white lab coat, with short brown curls and specs walked out with a smile on his face

"Laufeyson, after so many days! What's up? Everything okay, I hope?" he said, offering a hand for Loki to shake, which he did. "Hello, Bruce. Everything was okay, a few hours ago, but now ... you'll have to do your job, Dr. Banner" he said forcing a smile on his face as he was visibly tensed because of you. He opened the car door, revealing you.

"Wait, is that ...Y/N?" Bruce said, surprised "Uh, yes? How do you know her?" Loki asked, visibly confused "I will tell you, hut not now. Better if I treat her first, don't you think?" "Yeah, right. Sure, ofcourse. But don't think that I'll drop it." "Obviously. I know you that much by now. Bring her to the lab"

"Hey- watch your tongue! You don't get to order me or boss me around" "I'm not doing either, just performing my job as a doctor" this earned an eye roll from Loki and a "Clearly" which was dripping sarcasm.

You were brought to the lab and laid on the strecher as Bruce took your pulse and did all the essential things needed to be.

"She's been drugged"

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Taglist :

@holdmytesseract @jennyggggrrr @lotsoflokilove23 @jaidenhawke @wolvesmom1 @gruftiela @mary-jinx @mischief-dream@ladychota @dishahaldar @eleniblue @foxherder @allesiaandnx

#loki #loki mcu #loki x reader #marvel loki #hiddlesarmy #loki x female reader #loki x reader insert #loki x you #loki x y/n #loki x f!reader #mafia loki #mafia!au #mafia #mafia! loki #mafia!loki x reader #mafia!Loki

51 notes · View notes

prettynice8 · 6 months

Text

Kinkmas Day 23: Masochism/Sadism

Paring: Tomura Shigaraki x male reader

This guy

Warnings: Spanking, slapping, blood, marking, choking, degradation, smashing, creampie, aftercare, all consensual no non-con here, masochist reader, sadist Shigaraki

Word Count: 1,012

You were walking through the grounds of the League of Villains lair, not for any reason in particular, just wandering around. It was during this random escapade when you met up with Shigaraki, the leader of The League, and your crush? You honestly don't know. Like if he asked you to fuck you would say yes inhumanly fast, but you don't know if you would want to date a guy like him. He's just a little too off.

Well, speak of the devil because guess who you happen to walk into.

"Oh, hi Shigaraki." You stopped to greet him.

"Hey." He said nonchalantly, also stopping to talk to you. "What are you doing out here?"

"Nothing, just felt like walking." You answered.

"At 2am?" He asked once again, giving you a questioning glare.

"It's 2am?" You asked, pulling at your phone to see that the time is indeed 2 in the morning. "Fuck it is." Then, something you have never heard in your entire life, possibly the most surprising sound of your life, a mix of both eerie and infectious, the most haunting sound that you will remember until you die and even after, Shigaraki started to laugh.

You looked at him with wonder and terror all at once as he laughed at your cluelessness. It truly was a sight to behold.

His laughter went on for a little too long to be considered comfortable, slowly rolling into maniacal laugh territory, after what fucking felt like hours, he finally stops.

"That's kind of funny." He stated as if he didn't just have a whole outburst about it.

"O-okay." You responded simply, not knowing what else to do.

"So why are you walking at such an hour?" He asked again.

"I just wanted to." You answered simply. "And you?"

"Couldn't sleep, so I decided to walk around." He replied. "Is it the same with you?"

"No, I wasn't planning on sleeping for a while still." You responded, back resting on the wall.

"You know, you're pretty weird." He stated in a matter-of-fact manner. "In an okay way."

"Thanks?" You said, not sure how to take that. It was then when a thought found its way inside Shigaraki's head.

He walked up to your place on the wall and pinned you there, your body now trapped between him and the wall behind you.

"How weird are you?" He asked before gripping your ass in his hand extremely tightly, to the point of bruising, eliciting an accidental moan to slip out of your mouth. He then grips the other cheek, squeezing that one just as hard.

It was at this point when you realized the growing bulge in his pants. Blush starts to appear on your face as he potato sacks you and walks to his room.

He opens the door and plops you down on the bed. He gets up on top of you and attacks your neck in a flurry of harsh bites that are deep enough to cause light trickles of blood to drip down your neck. You would think that you would be screaming in pain, his also still having their death grip on your ass, but you're actually moaning in delight.

He takes your shirt off for greater access to your body. He begins by biting and nipping at your nipples. The right one in between his teeth as he bites down harshly on it, again hard enough to leave blood in its wake. The sensation, though painful, is enough to make you cum right then and there, which is exactly what you do, spraying all over Shigaraki's clothes.

"Cumming from just a bite or two. You really are a slut." He started before taking off his cum stained shirt, throwing it onto the floor somewhere. He then releases his painfully hard cock, all of this being almost just as much fun for him.

It's very long, with some decent girth. There's also a big blue bush at the base, looking as though he rarely if ever shaves down there.

Shigaraki plunges his massive dick directly into your ass hole without warning, causing your body to fully reel as it reaches into the deepest parts of you that have never been reached before. He also gives you no time to accommodate his size, immediately thrusting into you at a rapid pace.

Tears begin to form in your eyes as you scream from the intrusion, though again, not screams of terror or pain, but screams of ecstasy and pleasure. The brutal thrusts almost make you be able to cum right then and there again.

This feeling grows even more as his hand goes to pull at your dick, painfully wrapping it in his hand and squeezing ruthlessly.

You climax again, shooting white ropes into his hand, but he's not going to let you go that easily. His thrust does not stop once as he continues to pound into you cruelly and painfully.

He puts your legs over his shoulders, somehow opening you up even more so he can reach what practically feels like the back of your anal cavity. His dick truly being the best you've ever had.

His lips go back to bite at your neck, littering it with bruises and hickeys to show who you belong to. His hand is going to pinch at your right nipple, tightly holding it between his fingers.

You feel like that familiar feeling again as he continues to thrust into you without stopping. His hand goes to your throat, gripping tightly enough to stop air flow.

He lets go soon after and spanks your ass, finally being enough to have your third and final time of the night. Shigaraki shoots his white hot cum deep into your ass, fucking it tightly in there so it stays.

He pulls out and gets rags to clean everything up. Then soon after getting into bed with you. He pulls you in, so your head is resting on his bare chest, giving you a sweet kiss on the forehead, being in total contrast to his earlier actions.

THE END

67 notes · View notes

inlovewithpandora · 1 year

Text

- I’m Tired Pt.3 -

This is the final part!

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 (here)

Navagation || Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist || Taglist

This series was inspired by the song above^

Pairing: Neteyam × Omatikaya fem!reader

Both Characters are 19!

Warnings: some angst, mentions of suicide, mentions of physical abuse, mentions of death (let me know if I missed any)

If your uncomfortable with this type of writing please click off!

Word count: 4.7k

Authors Note: I want to thank everyone who has been supporting this mini-series from the beginning! I appreciate all the support and love you guys have shown me! I hope all you continue to support me on my future works💗!

Glossary: ‘itan - son || ‘ite - daughter || yawntutsyìp - darling (or little loved one) || tìyawn - love

When Neteyam found you on the cave floor he took you to the healing pod where his grandmother would heal the wounded. When Moat saw Neteyam carry you in with blood running down your arm and with bruises all over you she could almost feel the pain that was inflicted upon you.

Moat put herbs on your wound and wrapped leaves around your arm that were coated with medical serum. She then put a paste over your bruises so they could eventually vanish. As Neteyam watched Moat work on you he felt a wave of deep sorrow go through him. All he could think about was seeing you bleeding out on the cave floor. All he could see was the blood staining the ground as it dripped down your thigh. He knew he shouldn't have gone hunting today, he knew he should've stayed home with you. He regretted leaving your side.

"Grandmother, is she going to be okay? Is she gonna die?" he said almost in a whisper hoping that he wouldn't hear bad news

"No but right now she is with Eywa" Moat said calmly while still tending to your wounds

"What do you mean with Eywa?" Neteyam asked confusedly. He didn't understand how you weren't dead but you were with Eywa

"Y/N is getting the answers she needs" Moat told him not wanting to give him any more details. She knew what was happening in the spiritual realm but she thought it was best for you to share your experience once you woke up.

"How long will be before she wakes up?"

"It could be days or weeks. It all depends on how her soul and body responds"

Neteyam just nodded his head, taking in everything his grandmother told him. He bent down beside you, grabbed your hand and held it against his cheek, "Y/N please come back to me, I need you. I can't do this life without you" He told you while tears ran down his face and onto your hand.

Neteyam didn't know when you were going to wake up but he wasn't going to leave your side until your eyes fluttered open.

It's been almost a week since Neteyam and Jake found you in the cave. Neteyam hasn't left your side unless he necessary. He has been giving you around the clock care. He’s been making sure to keep you hydrated by brushing a cloth of freshwater over your lips every hour on the dot. Instead of sleeping he watched over every night, hoping you would miraculously wake up.

Everyone kept telling him he needed to relax, that he needed to go home. Take some time and gather himself. But how could he manage to do that when the love of his life was in between life and death.

Jake and Neytiri tried to have him come home and get some rest multiple times but Neteyam wouldn't listen, "Son you need to come home and get some proper rest. You can come back once your fully rested" Jake told Neteyam trying to reason with him

"No! I'm not going! I'm not leaving her again! The last time I left sh- she-" Neteyam began to stumble over his words as tears fell down his face. He didn't want to leave you again because he didn't want anything else to happen and he wasn't there. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let something happen to you again.

Neytiri went over to her son and engulfed him in a hug, " 'itan I will stay with her until you come back. I promise nothing will happen to her, if she wakes up I will call you on the comm okay?" She began looking at him with pleading expression.

She could see how exhausted and drained he was from the dark circles and bags around his eyes. She could tell he hasn't been eating from how undernourished he looked.

Neteyam saw his mother practically begging him with her eyes while his father gave him the same look. Neteyam let out a sigh before answering his mother, "You promise you'll call me if anything happens?"

"Yes, I promise! now go get some rest" Neytiri said as she shooed him off with his father

Neteyam kissed you on your forehead before leaving out the pod with Jake. As Neytiri sat next to your unconscious body she took in all of your injuries. She could see faint bruises on your face and neck, the healing gash on your arm, and the other old wounds you had on both of your arms.

She wondered what would make you do this to your beautiful skin, why would you hurt the body Eywa has blessed you with? She questioned what caused you so much pain that would make you go to this degree. She wondered where those bruises came from. She wanted to know why you would try to remove yourself from among the living.

As she continued pondering she heard someone's footsteps walk inside the pod, "I see you Neytiri" Your father told her as she stood up to face him

"I see you ___" Neytiri replied

"How is Y/N doing?" He asked Neytiri trying to sound as sincere as possible. The only reason he came was to see if you were awake and if you spilled out your 'family secrets'.

"She's doing fine, we're just waiting for her to wake up" Neytiri told him as she moved to the other side of the pod and grabbed some herbs and serum-covered leaves to change your bandages and reapply herbs on your scars and bruises.

"Mm okay, well when she wakes up let me know. I'll be taking her home immediately" He told Neytiri before he exited the pod

Neytiri was suspicious about your father's behavior. This was the first time he came to see you since you've been in the healing pod and she picked up on his insincere tone. She didn't like the aura that was gleaming from him. She could feel a dark presence with him when he entered and she felt it vanish when he left. She knew something was off with him.

As Neytiri continued healing your physical body. Eywa was helping you heal your inner soul.

As of this moment your spirit was at the Tree of Souls, "Oh Great Mother, I'm so sorry!" you cried out with your neural queue connected to the tree. As you weep in front of the tree regretting your decision, the ground began to glow with bioluminescent light while the tendrils of the tree began to glow a brighter shade of pink.

You looked around confused about what happening until you saw a silhouette of someone. After a few seconds, you saw a navy blue-skinned woman walking up to you. At first, you were confused about who this woman was until you realized she looked identical to you, "Mother?"

"Yes, Ma'ite it is me" Your mother spoke up as she opened her arms waiting for you to jump into her embrace. You immediately ran up to her and jump into her arms as joyful tears ran down your cheeks.

"What's wrong yawntutsyìp?" your mother asked you as she pulled you back and began wiping the tears that were staining your face

"I-I I'm just so happy to see you! I never thought I would be able to see or hold you or even talk to you" You told her as you were taking in her appearance and presence. You couldn't believe your mother was standing right here in front of you.

"I'm happy to see you too! I've been wanting to do this ever since you were born" She told you as she tucked your hair behind your ear

"I'm sorry that I caused you to.... be here. If it wasn't for me you could still be alive and Father would be happy" you told her as you looked down at the ground feeling guilty as if it's your fault she was dead.

Your mother immediately shook her head and put her fingers on your chin to lift your head so you could look into her eyes, "My child, this is not your fault. Eywa called me home to live among her because she believed it was my time. My death is not your fault" she told you sincerely.

She began to examine your body and could see the bruises and scars on your body. She felt disgusted that her mate could ever do something like this to you. She hated that you had to go through this alone. She hated that you felt like cutting was your only escape.

"The things your father does and says to you are disgraceful, you need to leave him at once"

"I- I can't he said if I leave I would have to die so that's why I am here, I took matters into my own hands" you told her as tears streamed down your face as you thought about yourself cutting in the cave

Your mother looked at you feeling nothing but empathetic. She understood why you did what you did, but what you didn't know is that you would never have to take a drastic measure like that again.

"You do not have to fear your father anymore, Y/N. After today your father will never be able to hurt you again." Your mother told you as she rubbed your arm to comfort you

"W-what do you mean?" You asked her confusedly. You didn't understand what she meant because once you woke up you knew that you'll have to go back home to him.

"Eywa has sent me to you so I could relay a message. She wants you to know that your father will never lay another hand on you or speak any vulgar words to you ever again. Also, she wants you to know that she sees your pain and can hear your cries of suffering. She will make sure you have a safe environment to live in and you'll never have to go through anything like that again" Your mother told you as she grabbed your hand and ran her thumb across your skin.

"Where will I stay? Where will I go once I leave here?"

"You'll see once you wake up. I know how much you yearn for motherly love, how much you yearn for a family and it breaks my heart that I can't give you what you deserve. When you leave here you will find what you've been craving. The hole in your heart will soon be filled. You will be overwhelmed with love."

You were surprised by everything you heard your mother told you. You were going to find what you've craved? You would be overwhelmed with love? At the moment you couldn't fully understand what that meant but you were anticipating on finding out.

"I want you to know that Neteyam is a good boy for you" she told you while a smirk spread across her face and she nudged your shoulder

"How did you know about him?" You asked her as a small smile came on your face as well

"I've been watching over you. I've always watched over you from the time you learned how to walk until now. I've seen how Neteyam cares for you, protects you, and loves you. You have totally stolen his heart. He's been with you every day since he found you in the cave."

"He has?"

"Yes, Neytiri had to practically beg him to go home and get some rest. He wanted to stay with you no matter what, he didn't care if he didn't eat or sleep. The only thing he cared about was you waking up" Your mother told you with a smile on her face. She was so happy that you found someone like him and that he loves you no matter your faults.

"Wow I-I don't even know what to say" You told her as you stood there surprised by what she told you

"Say that you'll go back to him. Say that you'll grow old with him and have numerous children. Say that you will fight for him" she told you eagerly, trying to give you that motherly push that she knew you needed

"But I'm tired of fighting Mother I don't want to live like that anymore" you told her as you shook your head not wanting the darkness to consume her again

"This time you won't be fighting to live or die. You will be fighting to have happiness and peace, you will be fighting those negative feelings away for good"

"You promise?" You asked her looking into her eyes trying to make sure she was telling the truth

"Yes, my child I promise! This time you will win this fight, you will not lose" She told you as she pulled you into a hug, pouring out all her motherly love onto you.

As you embraced her, once again the ground began to glow brightly as the tendrils on the tree glowed a brighter pink.

"Mother, what is happening?" You asked her as you pulled back from her looking confused

"Eywa is calling me back, it is time for you to go."

"But I don't want to leave you, I want to stay here with you. When I leave here I will miss you deeply"

"I will always be with you, in here" she told you as she pointed to your heart. "Whenever you want to see me come visit me at the Tree of Voices and I will be waiting for you. I will be always watching over you, I love you Ma'ite and I see you." She caressed your cheek as tears fell down her face. She didn't want to say goodbye to her little girl but she knew she had to you

"I love you too Mother" You put your hand on top of hers and gazed at her, soaking in her presence and affection one last time before everything went dark.

As Neytiri was wrapping the new leaves on your arm she saw one of your fingers suddenly move. She paused her movements and began watching your body closely, trying to see if anything else would happen. She then saw your eyes slightly open as they began to blink to adjust to the light.

Her eyes immediately lit up with joy as she pressed her fingers on her throat comm, "Neteyam! Y/N is awake! Come now!" She said into her earpiece excitedly

Neytiri looked at you and grabbed your hand, "Y/N it's me Neytiri" She looked at you with a smile on her face. She was so happy you were awake, she knew Neteyam missed you dearly and she missed having you around.

You finally opened your eyes and could see Neytiri looking down at you, "Neytiri?" you said groggily as you tried to become aware of your surroundings

"Yes, it's me! How are you feeling?" She asked you as she reached over and got you a bowl filled with drinking water so you drink it

You sat up slowly and took the bowl from her and began drinking from it, once you were done you finally answered her question. "I'm feeling better" you told her as you thought about the talk you had with your mother. Talking to her gave you a sense of peace and strength. It made you realize that everything was going to be okay this time around.

"Great I'm so glad your feeling better, your father said to let him know when you woke up so he could take you home" Neytiri told you as she finished putting the leaves around your arm.

"W-when did he say this? Did you send someone to get him already?" You asked her hoping that she didn't send someone

"He came by earlier and I already sent someone to get him" As you heard her say that you felt your chest tighten as your breaths became more rapid. Neytiri looked at you confused as she tried to figure out what was happening, "Y/N what's wrong?" She asked you as she tried to calm you down

"Neytiri I need to tell you something before he gets here"

"What is it?"

"My father is not the good man he portrays to be. He is an alcoholic. He abuses me emotionally and phy-" Your sentence was cut off by your father furiously walking inside the pod. He heard everything you told Neytiri and he was ready to make you pay for disobeying him.

"Didn't I tell you not to tell anyone!? I told you the consequences if you tell anyone and you still didn't listen to me!" He yelled as he stood across the room walking towards you. You immediately stood up and went to the corner of the room trying to escape your father's rage.

As Neytiri looked at you in the corner of the pod with fear written all over your face it all made sense to her now. He's the reason you have the bruises and he's the reason you cut. She realized all this time he's been the one causing you all this pain.

As your father attempted to get closer to you Neytiri stood up and hissed angrily at him as her tail violently swung behind her, "DO NOT YELL AT THIS CHILD! THIS IS YOUR FAULT SHE IS LIKE THIS WITH ALL THESE WOUNDS AND BRUISES!"

"SHE WOULDN'T HAVE THEM IF SHE LISTENED!" He told her as he tried to walk past her and get to you

Neytiri pulled out her knife and immediately went into protective mode, "MOVE AND I CUT!" she snarled at him as she moved in front of you

Jake and Neteyam were outside walking towards the pod and could hear all the yelling going on inside. As they got closer Neteyam could hear your father and Neytiri yelling. He immediately ran inside to see what was going on.

When you, Neytiri, and your Father saw the curtain pull back all of you turned your head and saw Neteyam walk in with Jake behind him. As Neteyam looked at your father you could see how angry he became just by the sight of him. When your father saw Neteyam storm in he let out a dark chuckle, "Y/N what did I tell you about this boy the first time? Hm?" He asked you with glimmers of evil in his eye

You looked at Neteyam with sadness in your eyes. You didn't want to tell him what your father said and you didn't want Jake and Neytiri to hear either, "You said that he was using me for my body" you mumbled out

"And what did I tell you yesterday, when you came home?"

"That I was a slut and nobody would want me especially Neteyam"

When Jake, Neteyam, and Neytiri heard these words they were all disgusted by your father. They couldn't believe he would say those things to his own daughter. His own fresh and blood.

"You are the most pathetic and pitiful man I ever met! How could you tell your own daughter these things?! How could you put those bruises on her?!" Neteyam yelled at your father as he pointed to you

"I can do whatever I want because she's my daughter! She needs to be taught a lesson! She needs to learn that she is a FREAK and that nobody will want her when she cuts herself like a manic or if she's ran through like some slu-"

Your father's words were cut off by Neteyam pulling out his knife and creating one long slit across your father's chest that began to release droplets of crimson liquid, "Talk about her like that again, and it's going to be your neck getting cut next time!" Neteyam shouted at your Father as he screamed out in pain

Neteyam ran over to you and made sure you were okay. After you reassured him you were fine both of you began walking out of the pod together with his parents following behind the both of you.

As your father watched both of you walk out he felt like he was losing control over you, he realized his authority had no hold on you anymore. "I WILL KILL YOU NETEYAM! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!" Your father yelled out

When Neteyam heard your father say that he broke out into a laughing fit "I'll like to see you try!" Neteyam told him as he turned around and kicked the back of his leg making him slam into the ground

"And while I have your attention let me make one thing clear" Neteyam said as he crouched down next to your father's face "If you EVER say anything to her, come near her, or even lay a finger on her you will die. You will go meet Eywa and live among your ancestors so you can stop making her life a living hell" Neteyam told him as he pulled out his knife and put it against your father's neck with a malicious smirk on his face

"I will take this knife and plunge so deep into your chest that you will have a long slow death or I could use my great archery skills and shoot you with my arrow and cause you to die instantly from the impact on your heart" Neteyam told him as a dark chuckle fell from his lips

"So before you even think about coming near her again remember this little chat" Neteyam told him while he patted his chest where the cut was which made your father yelp out him pain

He stood up and looked at your Father with a contorted expression before he turned around and faced you, "Are you okay tìyawn?" He asked you as he examined you from top to bottom

"Yes Teyam I'm fine, let's go home" you told him as you clasped your hand into his

A smile spread across his lips as he heard you say the words 'home'. He loved hearing you consider his home as your own. As both of you walked to his family pod you knew that from here on out that your life has officially changed for the better.

It has been three months since everything happened and your life has been filled with nothing but pure bliss. it. Your father hasn’t spoken a single word to you or even looked your way. All the negative emotions you once felt have now passed. You've been living with Neteyam and his family and you've been loving every minute of it.

By living with them you finally began to understand what your mother told you at the Tree of Souls. When you officially came to live with Neteyam's family they drenched you with love. They gave you the family you always wanted, you now had the family you always wished for.

Neytiri showed you so much motherly love. You and her went hunting together, cooked together, made jewelry together, and she gave you motherly talks and advice about anything you needed.

You and Jake would do things together as well. You too would joke together. Both of you even had an inside joke that only you two knew the meaning of. He would tell you stories about all the crazy adventures he endured when he first came to Pandora. You would always sit there listening attentively, eager to hear Jake's stories because you loved hearing about how he was so reckless and adventurous. Over the months, he became your father figure and you wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

You also had a great relationship with Neteyam’s siblings. All of them loved having you around, they looked at you as an older sibling.

You and Tuk would always have tea parties together and play with toy hexapedes. Both of you would make necklaces together for the family as she talk to about everything she saw in the forest that day.

You and Kiri would run through the forest and admire the different flora. Sometimes the two of you would sit down in patches of moss and practice different healing techniques that Moat taught both of you while she told you about her relationship with Spider.

Now you and Lo'ak have a different kind of relationship. Both of you would always tease each other, crack jokes, and have little petty arguments at times. Both of you knew that it was all fun and games though, the relationship y'all had was an average brother and sister-like relationship and you loved it.

You admired the relationships you had with all of them and you loved them dearly.

You and Neteyam's relationship has flourished over the past months. You two were closer than ever, both of you even spoke about getting a pod of your own soon.

As you were in his room making yourself a new bracelet he came inside and sat down next to you, "Hello beautiful" he said as he planted a kiss on your cheek

"Hi my tìyawn" you replied as you continued concentrating on making your bracelet

"What do you plan on doing today?" He asked you as he rested his hand on your thigh

"I'm glad you asked because I want to take you somewhere" you told him as you put down your unfinished bracelet and grabbed his hand while standing up

"Where are we going?" He asked with a smile on his face wondering where you were going to take him

"I can't tell or it'll ruin the surprise. You'll see once we get there" You began dragging him out of the pod and into the depths of the forest

As you walked through the forest you finally made it to your destination. Both of you were standing in front of the Tree of Voices, "Teyam I want you to meet someone, I want you to meet my mother!" you told him with a bright smile on your face.

You have been coming here almost every day to talk to your mother but Neteyam never came along with you. He always wanted you to have your alone time with your mother but now you want him to meet her.

"I'll be happy to meet her" Neteyam replied as he admired the joyful expression on your face.

Both of you walked up to the tree and pulled your braids from behind your backs. Both of you looked each other in the eyes before letting your nerve endings intertwine with the tendrils of the tree.

You could feel so much happiness at this moment. You loved how your life turned around for the better. You were thankful that Eywa saved you, you were thankful she blessed you with Neteyam.

The end

Previous || Next

I hope you enjoyed💗!

Likes, Comments, and Reblogs are highly appreciated💗!

Tags🏷️ : @fanboyluvr @julyytsireya @number1gal @navegaluv @ladespedidas @agelsully @itsaleidasworld @anxietydrogz @sunnysolhaze @liyahsocorro @myh3artttt @jiminbabygirl @kierys-blog @ilovehotpeople101 @haileymsstuff @eggtofu363 @potatoknishesoffical69 @theycallmesia @tiredmamaissy @pandorxxx @klumpa @pandorasfavorite @normspellmann @ihuggavatar @persefolli @multifandom-167 @yeosxxx @ilovejakesullysdick @etherialblackrose @luvriablack

163 notes · View notes

soulmatebracket · 1 year

Text

Soulmate Bracket: Round 1 [Side A — Part VIII]

Provided reasoning under cut:

Ash Ketchum & Pikachu

so this is a little bit of a weird one, and i understand if it's decided that it doesn't count, BUT, i feel like these two definitely meet the criteria! a deep, constant bond, one that goes deeper than they can even explain, than those around them can understand? check! they have the closest bond out of any pair of characters in the show, pokemon, human, or otherwise, and it's developed organically on screen, with us seeing it start in a turbulent, conflict-ridden beginning, even! some form of finding each other in different worlds, different lives? yep! canonically, there are at least two main "universes," or timelines, with the pokemon anime! the main one, which most of the series takes place in, and what is typically called M20-verse, which three movies take place in! and they aren't just alternate timelines of the exact same events; ash doesn't meet any of the same characters nor pokemon in the M20 universe as he does in the main series, with the exception of maybe his charmander that's in a montage at the start of M20 but never actually appears properly? and pikachu. always pikachu. sticking with each other through death and revival? both of them have died multiple times. often in each other's arms. this one is the one that's a bit harder to qualify, since they always get revived basically immediately, but they do legitimately die, fully and completely. and obviously this isn't even REMOTELY romantic, even though that's not a requirement, but it's worth mentioning. they're just best friends and family and partners. and i love them and their bond. thank you for your time even if they do not get in since it's a Little bit of a stretch i will admit :D

They're literally so iconic and cool and their bond is amazing

they’ve resurrected each other multiple times

They literally have revived each other from being full on dead through the sheer power of their friendship. Multiple times. Also, an absolutely icon duo. Destined to be besties.

That Guy & Their Cat

My cat is literally everything to me and I never shut up about her. Anybody who knows me knows my cat too. I had a dream last night that I obtained the power of prophecy and the first thing I did with it was predict where my cat’s soul would be reincarnated. Then I went on a journey to find her again. She is the most important thing in my life and I would die for her without even blinking. Wherever I go after this life, even if it is simply into the ground, I know I will find her again.

I want them and their cat to win I love cats<3

#pokemon #soulmatebracket #ash ketchum #pikachu #cat #id in alt text

138 notes · View notes

saltsicklover · 9 months

Text

Part Nine

Title: Once an Asshole, Always an Asshole

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4200+

Rating: R

Warnings: Swearing, Crying, Tobacco, Smoking, Argument, the mention of death, mention of SA, Bob being heartbroken and fucking angry

Second Chance Romance!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bob Floyd, or anything related to Top Gun Maverick within this piece. Not Proof Read or BETA'd. All mistakes are my own.

I do not consent for my work to be edited, reposted, or translated.

You are responsible for your own media consumption. This is a work of fiction that may contain mature themes. If you are sensitive to those subjects, please do not read.

---

Rooster and Phoenix sit in the Bronco silently and Sunny sleeps in the back seat. They both fidget in their seats. Natasha wiggles, adjusting her whole body. Rooster cracks his knuckles repeatedly. They only make it through the next stop sign before the quiet is broken.

"Did you know Bob smokes?"

"I have so much information on Bob,"

The pair speak at the same time, both of them shooting a glance in the rearview to see if Sunny is still asleep. She doesn't even stir.

"You first," Bradley speaks again, flicking on his blinker. The signal blinks blinks blinks. Natasha takes a deep breath, running a hand through her hair.

"Sunny has been talking about this guy who broke her heart, God, Rooster, she has been talking about him for years. I knew his name was Bobby, but fuck, I didn't even stop to think that her Bobby would be our Bob! Hell, Bob is a nickname, and do you even know how many Bobs there are in the world?!" Phoenix's voice is a bit exasperated. Sweat is settling around her hairline even though the windows of the Bronco are down. The breeze blows throughout the cab of the vehicle, prickling gooseflesh takes over her skin.

She chances a look at Rooster who doesn't pull his eyes from the road. He clears his throat quietly before running the tip of his tongue over his dry lips. He sighs.

"You can't blame yourself for that, Phoenix. It's not like Bob isn't a common name, or even Robert for that matter. Her Bobby could've been anyone," Bradley squeezes her hand before bringing his own back to the steering wheel.

"I know a lot about Bob, so much I didn't even know that I knew!" Phoenix's hands are on her head, fingers massaging circles into her temples. Her voice is higher than normal, like the stress it tweaking the octaves.

"So, you knew Bob smokes?" Bradley brings the conversation back around to his original thought. The vehicle slows for a red light. When they stop, everything is quiet for a beat.

"I didn't know that I did. As far as I knew, Bob was just Bob. Clean cut, quiet, damn good at his job. I didn't even think he dated, but, oh my god," The color all but drains from Phoenix's face.

"What is it?" The vehicle begins moving again with the change of the traffic light.

"Bob fucks," Her voice is so quiet she doesn't even hear herself say it.

"Phoenix?" Bradley prompts, chancing a glance in her direction.

"Bob fucks," She tries again, a little louder this time. She wouldn't have thought Bradley heard her if the car didn't swerve a bit as the words left her lips.

"What?"

"I guess when they were in school, back in Montana, Bob was some sort of huge player! He was captain of the swim team and broke girls hearts. That was his thing," Natasha works to recall stories from over the years, ones that came in few and far between. Sunny was never big on talking about her school life before they the pair started speaking. But, as time went on, Sunny told Natasha more and more.

"Sunshine said something about that earlier, too," Bradley nods, turning on his blinker once more. They make the turn into a driveway of a very nice house. It's in a neighborhood about fifteen minutes outside of Base. It seems completely unassuming in the dark, and really it is in the light too. It's in a neighborhood filled with Military members and their families. Their house being one of the only few where the small front yard isn't littered with children's toys.

"Do you think he is hiding anything else from us?" Natasha's voice is so small now.

"Hey, Nat," Rooster puts a hand over her own rested on her thigh, "Everyone has a past, that is just a part of life. We aren't going to know everything about each other just because we work together. Just remember, we know Bob, and he has never let us down, so that's gotta account for something, right?"

When Natasha finally exhales the breath she had trapped in her lungs, she all but deflates completely. "I guess you're right,"

"Let's get you two inside,"

"Should we wake her?" Natasha asks, turning to look at Sunny. She has barely changed positions, except her face is turned further into the backrest of the seat.

"Don't bother, I'll carry her," Bradley tells her with a curt nod. Once the passenger seat is folded forward, Bradley maneuvers Sunny's sleeping form from the backseat and into his embrace. He carries her up the front steps, following after Natasha.

There is a single light on inside where Bob is sitting, a glass of dark whiskey in his hand. He has changed out of his uniform, now in jeans and a t-shirt. It was rare for anyone to see him like this, so dressed down. His civilian clothes he wore to work were always more put together, khakis and a button down shirt. Bob's glasses sit on the side table, under the lamp. He grasps the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. He runs a finger over the lip of the glass that is balanced on his thigh.

Natasha and Bradley enter the house. They toe off their shoes, Sunny curled up in Bradley's arm.

Bob chances a quick glace up at them from below his eyebrows but doesn't say a word to the pair. There is a moment before they even realize he is sitting there. The group coming through the door are surprised to find Bob in this state, disheveled and sullen; they are even more surprised when he brings the glass of dark liquid to his lips. They all share glances, no one quite ready to make the first move. Then, Bradley clears his throat lightly as he adjusts Sunny in his arms.

"I am going to go put her in the guest room," Bradley dismisses himself before disappearing further into the house and up the stairs. He carries her like his father used to carry his mother, minding each of the corners that her body could come in contract with on the way to the bedroom. He twists his hips so her ankle won't catch the banister and he leans to keep her head from making contact with the door jamb.

Bradley lays her on the bed, her feet hanging off the end. Carefully, he grabs one of her calves, bringing her foot up just high enough to grasp the heel of her boot. He tugs the leather off of her foot before carefully laying her leg back down. He sets the boot at the foot of the bed, toes facing out, just in case she holds the same weird superstition that he does. Then, he grabs her other calf to repeat the process.

This time though, as he goes to set the boot down next to the other, the warn bit of leather at the opening of the boot catches his eye. He runs a calloused fingertip over the well warn grooves of the leather. He knows exactly what used to sit there, what caused that mark in the first place.

Something between anger and pity rises in his chest. God, he is angry at Bob for hurting her- but somewhere deep in his subconscious he knows that anger isn't going to get him anywhere. Bradley also pities Bob. He can tell how much the other man has lost from the short amount of time he has spent with Sunny. Bob threw away something that every man dreams of- a girl who is going to show up and love him, regardless of the circumstance. He saw that relationship with his parents, the way they loved each other and how the world stopped the moment his father was no longer there. Bradley can't imagine anyone throwing that away willingly.

He sets the other boot down before hoisting Sunny further up into the bed. He brings the sheet over her, leaving the comforter folded halfway down so she doesn't overheat. Then, he leans just above her to push open the window, letting the cool night air drift into the bedroom.

After, he disappears into the hallway, heading for the laundry closet. He opens the dryer, checking if they are Phoenix's clothes before pulling out a large t-shirt from inside, as well as a pair of shorts. He folds them haphazardly as walks back into Sunny's room. Bradley leaves the garments on the end of the bed before disappearing once again, this time closing the door behind him.

Bradley slips down the stairs, interrupting Bob and Phoenix's conversation as he enters the room.

"I got her shoes off and got her settled into bed. She didn't even wake up. I also threw some of your clothes from the dryer at the end of the bed for her. I'll leave you guys to it, goodnight," He crosses to the door, not chancing a look at Bob. He pulls his shoes on almost too quick.

"Thanks, Rooster," Natasha nods, a thankful expression crossing her features. He nods back with a tightlipped smile before disappearing out the front door. Natasha watches the closed door for a moment before turning back to Bob, her face expressionless.

The smell of tobacco is stuck to Bob now, from the smoke he had at the Hard Deck, and then the three he had on the way home. The two share a look for a moment, no words needing to be said. Nat moves to the couch across from him. She sits, her hands folded in her lap. Bob still plays with the edge of his glass, his nail running over the glass.

"Bob," Phoenix starts, "God, I don't even know what to say..."

"I know I fucked up, okay? I don't need to be reminded," He snaps at her, eyes glued to the contents of his glass.

"Hey, don't bite my head off! I just- I was-" Natasha fumbles over her words before taking a deep breath, starting herself over. "Are you doing alright?"

Bob's eyes snap up at her words. That was the last thing he was expecting her to ask. 'How could you?' 'What's wrong with you?' or anything else would have made for sense to him. He sputters a bit.

"Am I doing alright?" His eyes are glassy as they meet hers, "No, I think I'm the furthest thing from alright," He brings the glass up again, shooting the last finger of liquid. He doesn't even grimace and that fact surprises Natasha.

"Oh, Bob," He shakes his head at her, eyes coming back down to meet the floor.

"Don't, Phoenix. I dug this grave a decade ago, I guess it's about time I lie in it, huh?"

"Bob, it doesn't have to be like this," Natasha attempts, her eyebrows pulled together.

"You don't even know the half of it," Bob rolls his eyes. His tone is snappy and short, like he doesn't even want to entertain the subject. Hell, he doesn't even want to be sitting there with her right now, especially when Sunny is asleep just upstairs.

The only thing he wants is to walk upstairs and knock on her door. He wants to talk to her, at the point, she could yell at him, curse his unborn children and he would just be happy that he was on her mind.

As if he hadn't been on her mind for the last ten years.

"Then tell me!" The words come out as a shout, bristling over Bob as he clenches his empty glass. His throat is desert dry, his heart aching for whiskey and a whiff of Sunny's perfume.

Natasha doesn't know it, but in front of her sits a broken man. His eyes are bloodshot, the skin around them chapped and aching. He cried as many tears as his body would allow between the time he left the Hard Deck and the moment Natasha and Bradley walked through the door.

"You don't get it, do you?" He scoffs. The grip on his glass tightens, his heartbeat pulsing through his fingers. He wants to throw the glass at the wall; he wants to watch the glass shatter, to see the glittering shards sitting on the floor. He knows the slivers of glass would shine just the way the tiles on the bottom of the pool used to. Bob wants to see it because he longs for a moment when he was closer to Sunny, instead of a million miles and one flight of stairs away.

"I can't understand something that you won't explain to me!" There are tears threating to spill from Natasha's eyes. She is all but begging Bob to tell her what he is feeling. She wants nothing more than to fix this rift that has seemed to open up and swallow her two closest friends. Natasha feels like she is standing in the middle of a gun fight, armed with nothing but her goddamn will.

"I said things to her that I can never take back Phoenix, you know that. Did you see the way she looked at me? I could practically see her heart breaking through her eyes when I didn't recognize her, Nat. How am I supposed to recover from that?"

"Robert," Phoenix voice starts out confident, but the shaky inhale she takes as her hands come up to wipe at the fallen tears on her cheeks make Bob stutter out another thought before she can continue.

"Do you even know why I am the way I am Phoenix?" Bob stands, the rage building within him. It's all a large stack of tinder, ready and waiting for that right spark to set it all aflame.

"I am like this because I wanted to be a better man," He pinches the bridge of his nose so tight the skin around it turns red. "The last time I saw Duchenne, she had told me that-" He stutters out the words, tears building up in the back of his throat.

"That she thought I was different, that I was a 'good man' but I fucking left her Phoenix. I left her sitting there in the dirt with tears in her eyes all because I was afraid of hurting my chances at getting into the goddamn Navy! The Navy, Phoenix, what a fuckin' joke," He laughs out a sort of broken chuckle, one that is dripping with too much knowing.

"This isn't how it was supposed to be, Natasha. I thought the Navy, the flying, everything would keep me distracted. And maybe, deep down, I had this sick idea that she would've been in our home town, working the ranch and that one day I would hang up my flight suit and walk back into Florence as a good man, as the man she deserves,"

There is bile coating the back of his throat now, his stomach like a ship without a sail in the churning of his insides. He wants to be sick, he also wants another drink- either way his throat will burn and his stomach will continue churning.

"I am the furthest thing from a good man now Natasha, I always have been, but somehow I think I've fallen even further down. God, let this be rock bottom because I can't take another slip," He practically collapses back down into the seat he had been occupying before.

"Robert Floyd," Natasha's voice is stern now, thick with authority, "You are one of the best men that I know. You are kind, you are selfless, and you are brave. You get into that jet with me everyday and I know that you will get me home. Do you want to know why?"

All Bob can do is raise an eyebrow at her. He drags his eyes back down to the whiskey glass still in his grip. He tilts it in his hand, watching the way the lip catches the light, like the shimmering of pool water.

"Because we made a deal, and good men don't make deals they can't keep and they sure as hell don't back out of 'em either," She is so sure of the words that Bob almost believes her.

"It was supposed to be different, Natasha," He speaks after a moment, his voice hoarse.

"So many things in this world are supposed to be different, Bob. I wasn't supposed to lose my first wingman to a fucking false positive drug test causing him to get discharged, and Rooster wasn't supposed to lose his parents so tragically. Hell, even Hangman, he walked in on a sexual assault in progress during flight school and had to be the one to stop it. Life doesn't always go the way we think it will, but we are still here, Bob. We are still here, and we are stronger because of it,"

Bob looks sheepish at best. Completely defeated, like he was kicked while he was down, nursing broken ribs and an aching heart. The look in his eye is what really broke Natasha, because she was speaking before she even realized it.

"I need to tell you something, okay? So I'm going to need you to shut up and listen to me," Phoenix hits his foot with her own, making the man draw his gaze back up to her. Sunny is going to kill her, but Nat pushes that thought aside. She raises her eyebrows expectantly at Bob. He just nods.

"The whole time I have known Sunny, she has rarely talked about dating. Every guy she ever went out with never made it past the third date. At first, she told me it was because of some sort of bad habit of theirs or their inability to make conversation. I bought that at first, because I know first hand what it is like out in the dating pool. But then she met Mikael. He worked for the same company she does, but at the branch in Germany. They met in New York over a business trip. They hit it off and for all intents and purposes, he was perfect-"

"Would you quit telling me about some bastard who inevitably broke her heart? It's not going to make me feel better to know someone else fucked up with her too," Natasha kicks him again, her expression all over unpleasant.

"Would you just listen?" She grumbles, arms crossing over her chest. Natasha can't help but feel a bit of anger flame up in her chest at his disregard, so she kicks his foot again, this time with a little more force. She raises her eyebrows expectantly, he nods in return.

"They dated for a couple of months and I thought things were going great, then an email landed in my inbox. You want to know what it said?" Natasha pulls her phone from her pocket, unlocking it with a swipe of her finger. Bob hums, eyes watching her out of focus fingers dance across the screen. She clears her throat before beginning.

"Dear Nash, I broke up with Mikael today. He told me on our last video date that I seemed closed off, guarded. I think he is right. For so long I have been guarding my heart because the last time I let someone in, they shattered it. At least, I thought they did, considering I have been broken hearted ever sense. But, I think my problem is that my heart has been missing. That night, my senior year, Bobby didn't break my heart, he left with it. I guess that's fitting, considering it had belonged to him for so long anyway. Maybe it's self deprecation or maybe it's just stupid, but I think my heart will always belong to Bobby, even if he was the one who caused me so much pain. Actually, I love him in spite of that. I love him, Nash. I always have, and I think I always will, that's why it's never going to work out with anyone else. They aren't him. That's all for now, sending you my love,"

Natasha's voice wavers. Tears prick at the corner of her eyes again, keeping her from looking up to meet Bob's. He sits there, mouth slightly ajar. His fingers have stilled their motion over the glass. His eyes are glassy again, throat constricting in on itself.

"I don't-" He whispers, "I don't know what to say to that,"

"Bob, that email was from six months ago," Phoenix chances a look up at Bob, a tear escaping. It trails wet and hot down her cheek. "If you are asking me, I think you've got a chance to make things right with her. Now, I'm not saying that it will be easy, or that she will be ready to talk to you, but you've gotta try,"

"I can't hurt her again, Phoenix, I just can't" Tears are slipping quickly down his face.

"From where I stand, she is already hurt. I think you owe it to her to say what you need to say, hell, I think you owe it to yourself,"

Bob can't believe what he is hearing. Just hours ago, Phoenix was tearing him a new one for hurting Sunny, and now she thinks that he has a chance to fix it? No way in hell. He eyes the glass again in his hand, watching the light dance across it. He pushes himself from his seat, facing away from her. There is tension between the glass in his hand and the wall.

"You really think, after everything I've put her through, that she is going to want to listen to a single word I have to say?"

"I didn't say that," She corrects, "I just said I think you should try. You two might feel better just yelling at each other, who knows? But that's for you to figure out,"

"I don't know if I can, Phoenix, I mean, what's there even left to say?"

Phoenix stands, a small smile on her lips. "How about what you feel?"

Bob can only pull his lips into a thin, straight line. She pats his shoulder before heading to the stairs, ready to climb into bed herself.

"You are a good man, Bob," She hums, turning to walk up the stairs. Bob stands still, waiting for the click of her bedroom door. It's faint, but he hears it. Then, his attention is back on the glass in his hand, his eyes flickering up to the wall and back down. He could shatter the glass right now, but what would that fix? It would just be another mess to clean up.

He lets out a long held sigh before placing the glass down on the coffee table, the crystal hitting the wood with a gentle clink. The light goes out with a flick of a switch and then Bob is climbing the stairs. His joints creak along with the floorboards, both himself and the house too stiff for comfort.

He pushes open the door to his bedroom. He lets his eyes wander over the bedroom, the whole thing suddenly feeling too clean and kept.

There was a piece of himself that had been missing for years, that he found tonight as he smoked his first cigarillo in the Hard Deck. The part of himself that hadn't existed since he walked away from Sunny. The unkempt man who fell in love with her. There is an itching feeling in his palms, the need to get back to that man, as least in the most basic way he can, to the man who loved her before everything else got in the way.

So, Bob pulls his shirt over his head, letting it fall to the floor. Then he toes off his boots, leaving them wherever they fall. With a flick of his wrist, his belt is undone. He pulls it through the loops of his jeans before dropping it. The buckle hits the hardwood with a loud thud, the leather snaking after it. Once Bob pushes his jeans down and off, he feels like he can breathe for a moment, finally, even if it is just a moment. It's deep and full, the oxygen filling his chest. He shudders.

Bob pushes open his window, letting the chilled night breeze invade his room. The mess on the floor makes his heart feel a little more at ease, like he has some semblance of control. He dips down to grab his jeans, then pulls the silver cigarette case out of the back pocket.

He slips a cigarillo between his lips before igniting a match. He lights his smoke before shaking out the flame. The only light in the room is the burning ash at the end of his small cigar, the room quickly filling with the deep smell of tobacco.

Bob lets his eyes wander to the bathroom door as he takes a long drag. The smoke fills his lungs, grounding him to this moment, and this moment alone. He smokes this cigarillo, then another, letting his mind drift to thoughts of Sunny and how she must look, tangled up in the crisp white sheets, a thousand miles away, but one flight of stairs closer.

#bob floyd x reader #bob floyd x you #bob floyd x y/n #robert floyd x reader #robert floyd x you #robert floyd x y/n #bob floyd angst #bob floyd imagine #bob floyd fanfiction #robert bob floyd #robert bob floyd x reader #robert bob floyd x yo #bob floyd #bob floyd fic #top gun maverick imagine #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun maverick

61 notes · View notes