#(also shes fucking. like so much.) (<- in any fic writer is taking inspo. please note)

[homosekularnost]

pov youre having another meeting with the annoying academics & this person in the back looks kinda familiar

[sagemoderocklee]

questions for fic writers 8, 13 and 24?

8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

god so many songs. i tend to gravitate towards Florence+the Machine songs for GaaLee fics. Thirteen Strokes is inspired by a F+M song, so is Deadweight. Eagle's Augury. Absolution wasn't originally inspired by an F+M song but Bedroom Hymns is very much an Absolution song. I also have used some Vienna Teng songs, The Art of Love and Flyweight Love (funny they both have love in the title).

but yeah im such a fan of taking songs and using them as inspo for a fic.

13. Are there any tropes you used to like but don’t anymore?

mhmm i guess like very fandom specific trope but gaara being like inexperienced. got very sick and tired of the very gross way people treated him and i just got to a point where i saw his character in such a way that i just didnt vibe with this idea that Gaara would be this desexualized person. like he's got a shit load of trauma to unpack and obviously trauma can greatly impact sex drive but i think it's just... infantilizing the way people will turn Gaara into this like inexperienced, blushy virgin who has somehow never heard of sex even though he's the literal leader of his village. and yea im lookin at that stupid filler ep too where he was like 'damn i dont know anything about weddings, me the leader of a village i have never been to a single wedding once before in my life' like please that's so stupid

so anyways yeah my vendetta against Gaara being desexualized and infantalized turned into me being like actually no Gaara fucks and i think it works with him really well actually (wouldn't do it the way i do otherwise tbh)

24. Are there any easter eggs in [insert fic], and if so, what are they?

God so many. You could pick any of my canon set fics and find an easter egg in them because all my canon set stuff is essentially just me expanding on my worldbuilding so it's all connected anyways. love putting in references to Gyokukakushin. Easter egg in Absolution Ruri (not Shikamaru and Temari's daughter), the fried abalone lady from TAoL shows up for the festival in chapter 2. she's not mentioned by name just to avoid confusion with ShikaTema's daughter, Ruri, but that's one. RtS obviously has a whole thing about Gyokukakushin in it. sometimes i make other references to fics in other fics, or in AUs i'll make lil jokes about them shinobi or have a nod towards that like in Kado where they go to that ninja themed restaurant.

i honestly have a lot of fun putting in lil nods to things i did in other fics even if no one ever notices.

and there's a small easter egg to one of @ghoste-catte fics is in RtS. Lee's lover letter to Gaara, which is finally seen in Ch10 ends with Lee mentioning superblooms which was very much an intentional a nod to Greyson, though i dont think they picked up on that at the time lol so now you know if you didn't before!

[bean-pole-art]

Ed’s Borderlands Fics Masterpost

well finally

here is the masterpost of all of my Borderlands fics posted. most of them are Rhysothy focused to various AUs. I’m gonna update it as I post more but here it is, along with some of my commentary

right from the start big big BIG shoutout to @spoks-illogical-art​, my partner in crime, my biggest inspo, without them honestly most of these fics wouldn’t exist, please check out their amazing art <3

(latest edit - 21/02/2021)

Atlas AU - our main timeline, follows events of Moxxi’s Heist. lots of different concepts and ideas but the core really is Tim moving to Promethea to get help from Rhys. gonna sort em here with posting date, check the ao3 series for the “timeline”

Hypothetically - 2240 words summary: Rhys talks a lot, but usually thinks about it too little.

coffee, cats & monographs - 2880 words summary: “Hey hey, easy. You don’t want to repeat the accident from last week, do you?” Rhys cooed towards the cat and picked her up, just as Timothy instructed him to. Hearing these words, Felicity meowed. “Oh, don’t say that. This is my office and I have the power here,” he answered, carrying her back to his personal space.

Or Timothy's cat pays a visit to Rhys' office in the morning. note: I am a stupid mofo and at this point Tim would also have Loader Bot fkjbfd just imagine hes not mentioned cause hes wandering off, typical LB

Have Faith - 1470 words summary: During the 7 year lockdown at the Handsome Jackpot, Timothy couldn't really have any hope for himself. But maybe on Promethea it could be different. note: sudden feelings while watching JoltzDude139′s stream

Warm Cheeks, Cold Hands - 1170 words summary: Rhys comes home early and wants to say hi to his husband. With no ulterior motive. None at all. note: first fic Ive ever posted where characters are married, actually. fuck it, Rhysothy Real, his name is Rhys Lawrence

the battle (and the aftermath) of the ages - 2970 words summary: In a situation like this everything was possible, they could pull any punches they could think of. Four beasts playing against each other, every single one of them thinking of striking the winning blow.

Or Promethea Squad plays UNO. And then watches a movie. note: I love Promethea Squad with my whole heart

okurimono (贈り物) - 4/4, 17170 words summary: “Not a bomb. Just a device with a message for Rhys. Trust me on that,” this time an emoji of both winking and showing off a tongue [;P] appeared on the surface of Zer0’s helmet. Ah. So they were definitely trying to mess him up. In a way. Unfortunately, he really didn’t have any other options. Almost with a defeat, Timothy took the ECHOrecorder right from their hands and looked around it again. Or Zer0 gives Timothy a peculiar mission. note: my first ever multichapter fic. took me legit abt 8 months to finish but I am absolutely satisfied with this. also the bonus ending. yes

(there is) something I see in you - 8690 words summary: How one Rhys Strongfork met one Timothy Lawrence and how they fell for each other. More or less. note: best to go into this one blind, I swear. dumbest fic Ive ever written and please take this as a recommendation

this world is gonna pull through - 14380 words summary: Timothy really hoped it wasn’t anything important. He had that tendency to forget things easily, even if he tried to fight it. But Rhys kept on smiling and went by his side. So it couldn’t have been that bad. Still dumbfounded, he felt Rhys leaving a kiss right on his cheek.“November 11th? 

That- That seriously doesn’t ring any bells?” Rhys continued, brushing his hands against his shoulders. Or how Timothy spent one of his birthdays. note: also a love letter for Tim but a nicer one I guess kdjfnb dont ask how old is he i have no gdamn idea man

Strawberry Sweet - 3560 words summary: Rhys surprises Timothy with a gift for their date night in.

Happy Mercenary Day, Mr. Lawrence - 4670 words summary: How Timothy spent his first Mercenary Day on Promethea. note: I swear this is the best writer night Ive ever had. Ive written this whole thing in one night on Christmas day, solely on the inspo of that song I linked

Don’t Go Wasting Your Emotion - 4/4, 17080 words summary:  Afterwards, he went around with his usual duties. Getting a quick roundabout from his PA, checking several sectors himself and looking through the thousands of messages already sent to him via ECHOs. Rhys was ready to finally take on the day, yet when he made his way to the office, he saw the unusual envelope right by the edge of his desk. “For Rhys” was written on it. Straightforward enough. Or Rhys gets a letter from a secret admirer. note: another multichapter fic!! this one also took some time and well. its inspired by ABBA songs. cause only I would write a Rhysothy fic inspired by ABBA

Ratchet Effect - 7130 words summary: Knowing just how much overworked Rhys has been, Timothy wants to let them have a nice getaway in Lazy River Land. There's only one problem to overcome - ratch infestation. note: first fic of 2021!! Ive been playing a lot of bl3 suring the writing of it so it has a lot of stuff I had observed both on Promethea and on Jackpot

Reflections - 2250 words summary: Sometimes, Timothy needs a reminder.

Tales AU - second most important timeline. it’s Tales but Tim is a part of the group. sorted chronologically

A Story For Another Day - ongoing, for now -  2/25, 15280 words Tales AU main fic. it’s gonna be a big one

Connection Interrupted - 3240 words summary: With his driving shift finished, Timothy checks up on Rhys and Vaughn's plans.

Completely Hopeless - 1040 words summary: In which Fiona notices that Rhys behaves differently in front of a certain doppelganger.

infinity times infinity times infinity - 3460 words summary: Rhys and Timothy share some dreams and secrets underneath the stars. note: the beautiful combination of Sleeping At Last and Minecraft parodies. I promise it makes sense

reality can be whatever I want - 11420 words summary: “Hey, Tim?” Timothy didn’t even spare him a look, “Are we alone, or is he there with you?” Oh, this definitely won’t be pretty.

After the confession of Handsome Jack's AI in his head and his plan to infiltrate Helios, Rhys needs to set things right with Timothy. Somehow. note: thanosdancing.gif to Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” 80′s remix and a guest appearance from Ferocity but I cant legally say her name here

still here - 2820 words summary: It all had to go down, after Helios crashed. note: I have...a love/hate relationship with this one kjdfbfg I like it but it’s honestly an alternate ending and doesnt fit within our usual bad ending, so take it with a grain of salt. i ten jebany błąd językowy w summary, kiedy ja go poprawię

together at last - 5590 words summary: It all struck him down in an instant, in this one minute. They were all safe. And they were all alive. Nothing was threatening neither him, nor Timothy, nor Fiona. He could finally breathe out.

They all found each other again. note: I am multitasking most time of my life but I dont relate any other fic to multitasking more than this one. I was honestly doing 10 things at once while writing this dfkjbndf

David AU - this one is a sub AU to Tales AU and the plot is kind of complicated dfjkbfb please check the fic for further explanation

building in curved lines - 22490 words summary: “To be fair, you look terrible. You’re barely standing in one piece and none of your coffees will hold you together for that long,” Lilith paused, seemingly weighing the correct words in her head. “You haven’t really been holding on since… We rescued The Double.” Rhys sighed heavily. Why did she have to be so right about everything. Or how Rhys and Timothy adjust to the reality after the Handsome Jack AI. note: bday gift for Spok, EASILY one of my absolute faves and the longest fic Ive written thus far

outside of AUs - some concepts I play with that are honestly outside any of our concrete timelines/concepts + fics not focused on Rhysothy

Real - 770 words summary: Reconciling with your past is a little easier, when you have someone you love right in your arms. note: first blands fic I’ve ever written. the characterization isn’t really there yet but as a first shot at the game and my kind of “introduction”, I am still satisfied of it

(Un)Familiar Faces - 9620 words summary: Timothy pursed his lips and leaned over the wall a little. He’s had enough of this solitude of closed doppelganger cabinet. Today wasn’t the day for another self-loathing session. Today, he should go off on Helios and do something for himself.

Or Timothy spends the night at a Helios bar. But not as Handsome Jack. And not as Timothy Lawrence either. note: personal favorite of mine, tough love letter to Timothy Lawrence. I have so many fond memories of writing this, including getting drunk out of my mind just like Tim and Rhys here

basics of survival - 2010 words summary: Athena taught Timothy everything he needed to know about survival. Now, it was time to put these skills into use. note: wrote this right before rona outbreak on last day in my dorms. thats all

[lexicals]

Liner notes for An Echo, An Answer

Okay let's give this a go I guess? I may add more to this if I remember things too lol

Fair warning this is an exceedingly long post. It has ~subheadings~ (ooh). These cover: 

Fun Facts

Notes about mira

Notes on actual writing/plot

Post-canon tidbits (to be supplemented by actual post-canon oneshot coming maybe not soon but definitely at some point probably)

Needless to say this contains some BIG OL’ SPOILERS. Please enjoy o:

Some general Fun Facts™:

When I posted the first few chapters of this fic, I didn't have a fucking clue where it was going. I didn't even know how kravitz died until I'd already posted like 10 chapters lmao. This was a stressful way to write and I am never doing that again

In terms of inspo, I remember there being a fic in which taako was a ghost and kravitz was a medium (if anyone knows what fic this is PLEASE tell me I cannot find it) and I think I subconsciously took inspiration from this. Also I’d already written a vampire au and I wanted more undead boyfriend shenanigans, I looove playing with the liminal aspects of kravitz being a dead-but-not-dead character

There was a goof version of this fic where kravitz wasn't from the 1900s at all and died in like. The early 2000s or something. He died having come back from/at a costume party, people assumed he was an actual ye olde victorian ghost, and he decided to just lean into it. Cue fake accent. This was scrapped mainly because I loved the ‘sleepy hollow’-esque man-out-of-time shenanigans way too much and also because I know very little about the early-2000s US but do you know what I do know a moderate amount about? 1900s england

I have not read the cask of amontillado and I did not know what it was until seeing the memes, which was after I wrote the basement body twist. I just wanted to have a cheesy secret basement behind a bookcase c'mon it's a murder mystery in an old spooky house let me have this

Anyone who's followed my content for a while probably knows that I'm a big trans kravitz stan, but I dithered over making him trans in this fic a Lot. This was mostly down to self-doubt abt a story ft. a trans man living as his preferred gender in that time period would be deemed "unrealistic" but in the end I said fuck it I want this & I think that was the correct move. Also I read a fair bit about absolute legend dr james barry & that made me a bit more confident about committing to the decision bc these people did exist & they deserve their rep

You may notice that all of the major OCs created for this fic are women. This was an accident but also I stand by it bc I think it helps to balance out the fact that so much of the ‘screentime’ is being dominated by the male leads (inc. angus, who probably has the 3rd most screentime after taako & krav). They’re also all just, absolutely indomitable people. I have a type when it comes to OCs. Speaking of:

Notes on mira:

Mira was very much a character created to serve a purpose, but she ended up becoming a lot more than that and I'm glad people warmed up to her while reading as much as I did while writing. She wasn't going to have anywhere near as much screen time initially as she did in the end but I just loved her & how her relationship with kravitz turned out so much that I ended up writing a bunch of snippets with the two of them just for me, which eventually turned into the fragment chapters because I wanted to share how gd cute they were. Also they ended up being pretty useful for plot too lol

She and flossy were actually kind of the same character to begin with, being kravitz's best friend who he lived with in a kind of lavender marriage with neither of them interested in the other but being happy enough being friends & pretending. I scrapped this pretty early for a lot of reasons but she was still the cause of his death in that version, whether or not she actively killed him. I think there was a gambling debts element at some point

Whatever iteration of the story, she was always going to be the cause of death. I ruled out actual murder pretty early on because I didn't want to tell a story about a gay, black trans man getting murdered in cold blood in his own home, which in a ghost story only really leaves manslaughter, and an accidental killing by a loved one was an idea that followed pretty hot on the heels of that decision - it's very sad, but there's no hatred behind it, so it's not too outright depressing for what is most likely an audience with a high population of marginalised people. That bittersweetness of tone - sad events, but almost always with loving intentions behind or around them - ended up being a real touchstone for the story as a whole

In terms of post-canon content for her, or I guess just stuff that wasn't mentioned in-fic lol, my idea of how her life played out is that she was a pretty solid pillar of her community for a very long time. She took what kravitz said about thinking about what she wanted to add to the world very much to heart, and her answer was for her to be to as many kids and vulnerable people as possible what kravitz was to her. Obviously in the end she poured a lot of herself into helping others out of guilt for having killed a man who she likely remembered a little rose-tinted, but the intent was always there before that too

I don't know how much this came across in the actual text but mira is mixed race (Black/white), though she is Black-coded in terms of how people see and respond to her (please tell me if I’m using these terms incorrectly). I downplayed a lot of the racial elements of this fic bc I don’t feel like it’s my place as a white writer to delve into those areas, but it is an element of her story that ties into anti-miscegenation laws and general societal attitudes and I didn’t just want to entirely gloss over those aspects, bc that wouldn’t be right of me either, so I can only hope the balance ended up working here, and for kravitz’s story too. I did a lot of the writing for mira’s story before even really thinking about this angle which is something I’ve learnt from now bc oh boy should I have thought about it sooner lmao........

Anyway. I love her. I’m very glad that other people love her too

In terms of story writing:

I used to watch A LOT of crime dramas when I was younger, and got so familiar with the structure of them that I used to predict who the killer was going to be about a quarter of the way into them almost every time. Most of the time the killer is someone introduced early on as someone fairly innocuous, but still notable, before the narrative doubles down on a red herring suspect who's proven innocent about 3/4 of the way through, paving the way for the real twist killer. You see where I took my base structure from here

So, mira is introduced early on as someone important to kravitz, who was involved in his life (& death) somehow, but in general she's more suggested to be a victim than a culprit - because of course she is, she’s a child and she loves him! I'm only just realising now that this is a "person of interest" style plot twist here. (Remember what I said about the crime dramas? Just so many of them.) But then in the end she suffered just as much as anyone else, so I guess you could say she's both a victim and a culprit, even by accident.......

Structurally I'm actually really happy with how this turned out. In my head (BECAUSE OH BOY I DID NOT WRITE ANY OF THIS DOWN! Or at least not in a coherent way) the story was split into three mini arcs - the enemies section ending with the kitchen blowout, the friends section ending with the the bay window scene, and the lovers section which covers the rest of the fic. This ended up integrating really well with the main mysteries/pulls of the story - the first being the will-they-won't-they (they will, it’s fanfiction, but how?) of the romance element, and then once that's tapering off starting to dig more into the murder mystery element, which had been more of a subplot up until then, while the romance moves onto the back burner a little bit. The dual genre was an interesting challenge to try to balance and I think it turned out pretty well!

While I'm on this, setting up my breadcrumb trails for the plot twists was simultaneously very stressful and very rewarding. Trying to keep things obvious enough to be noted but subtle enough not to give the whole game away? Gave me so many headaches lmao. I actually thought for sure that some people would twig about the body in the cellar sooner than ch42, but then actually in ch42 way more people picked up on fisher's sniffing around than I expected. Clues are hard!! But at the same time seeing the handful of people who called mira as an adoptive daughter, or the fact that krav fell down the stairs, or the fact that mira's og parents were involved was very cool and it made me very happy to see people picking up the little stuff and putting it together

QUITE A FEW PEOPLE SAID NICE THINGS TO ME ABOUT HOW CLEVER THE PIANO TUNING ANGLE WAS. I CANNOT TAKE COMPLETE CREDIT FOR THIS. IT WAS A PLOT HOLE THAT I SUDDENLY REGISTERED OUT OF NOWHERE WHILE I WAS IN THE SHOWER & THEN ENDED UP WORKING IN SO I GUESS IT TURNED OUT FOR THE BEST & MADE ME LOOK VERY SMART BUT IT WAS AN ACCIDENT

Something else that a couple of people have noted & that I only realised in the process of writing was the fact that a lot of kravitz's ghostliness in this fic has the potential to be read as an allegory for chronic illness/disability. This was something I only caught onto myself while I was writing the scene on the porch at the end of ch42 when I was writing kravitz's dialogue and was like..... oh shit that's a thing huh. Bc he is, y'know, quite literally housebound and limited in what he can do in a lot of ways, which is part of the reason I really tried to hammer home in that chapter that even though the fic ends with him being 'cured' (because that ending was always the intention from day one before I ever thought about this reading), they would have been happy together regardless. Love is not conditional!

Post-canon thoughts:

Taako and kravitz go into the house. Kravitz says oh my god what is that smell. Taako says he made blueberry pie earlier. Kravitz says okay we're putting bedroom fun times on hold I need that RIGHT NOW

Kravitz eats way too much too fast and spends the rest of the afternoon curled up on the sofa with a horrible stomach ache. He is not used to that much rich food. Taako is not impressed with this

He rolls his eyes and they watch a movie and talk instead and get to the bedroom fun times later

On the topic of food you Know krav ends up with a bit of a tummy from taako spoiling him. He looks & feels great and taako loves how comfy he is

Also on the topic of bodies I think krav does a lot of experimenting initially with what feels good now that he has a lot more freedom in presentation. He likes to mess with his hair a lot. Dresses and skirts are still a bad feel but a little makeup is fun sometimes. Kravitz living his best undeath 2k18 (I took so long to finish this fic it’s set 2 years ago now lmaoooo)

Kravitz lets taako drive him somewhere exactly Once before vowing NEVER AGAIN taako's driving privileges are REVOKED kravitz is going to get magnus to teach him to drive instead.

Taako says what the hell are you gonna do if you get pulled over you are a hundred and thirty and also dead you can't get a license. (He could get him a fake one, but he's not going to, because he's being petty about kravitz insulting his driving.) Kravitz says fine show me yours then. Taako says no but kravitz steals it anyway. A minute later he’s produced his own undoubtedly fake license out of nowhere complete with a fake DOB and a very nice picture

Taako says gasp kravitz that's ILLEGAL. Also you know you have to make this picture worse if you want it to be convincing right

Kravitz starts giving angus music lessons. Angus isn’t a natural by any means but he works hard and that gets him a long way

OH ACTUALLY I SHOULD PROBABLY SAY SMTH ABOUT THE REUNIONS HUH. GINNY THESE ARE FOR YOU:

Maybe it's weird to start with barry but the poor man has to have a sit down. He has so many questions. Kravitz what is the afterlife like it's fine you can tell him just give him a hint please and also can he maybe get like. A blood sample or something. No that's not weird it's for science what are you talking about taako bring him back

Kravitz is fully expecting lup to wreck his shit, and she acts like she's going to right up until she's close enough to give him a big ol hug instead. She says she missed him a lot & that he's much nicer to hug now that he's not a freezy boy, and kravitz goes ;_;

It's a very tight hug though. In some ways it is still a punishment

Also could he maybe hook her up with this death goddess of his? Lup would like to be immortal too, kravitz. Kravitz can you get a resume to your boss and could you write lup a reference while you're at it

Angus!! He’s so happy to have his other uncle back!! There’s a new caleb cleveland book he needs to read so they can talk about it!! All of this after a lot of crying and hugging.

I think at some point they do go over to visit mira’s descendants. Taako says hi remember me? I brought my boyfriend to visit! Unnamed great great grandchild #1 is like um he looks kind of familiar. Kravitz says well yes there is kind of a reason for that and it’s because I’m in that picture on the wall over there, hi I’m your great great grandfather nice to meet you

The family is a little weirded out by this at first but eventually they’re like. Well alright I guess do you want a coffee

Kravitz says yes please god do you know how many people keep offering me tea

He babysits for the youngest ones sometimes. The kids love him and the adults are happy to give him stories in exchange for his time, seeing as that’s all he asks for

Taako says ask them for money and contribute to this household kravitz. Kravitz says absolutely not they’re family and you’re already getting my youtube ad revenue

Yes kravitz has a youtube channel and is also very involved in the local music scene. He can’t do anything that would technically be classed as interfering with the flow of the living world but no-one said he can’t anonymously share some of his music here and there

Johann gets him a gig conducting for his orchestra every now and then. Kravitz is fucking ecstatic and finally gets to conduct some of his own pieces in front of an audience. Maybe they actually get to that biography johann mentioned at some point. Idk I haven’t thought about that part too much

Okay I wrote WAY more than I meant to here but I hope at least some of it was interesting and feel free to ask me questions if there are elements I’ve missed off of here that you want to hear more about! (Bearing in mind some of the answers may be “actual post canon content coming soon/later” lol.) As you can tell I have a lot of things to say about this fic & I’m always more than happy to hear that people are interested!! o:

[themaskedwriter]

Electricity

A title - Electricity

A pairing - CEO!Thor x PA!Reader, Loki

Great - a crush on the boss. This couldn’t possibly end terribly… could it?

Accurate warnings - fluff. Fluffy, fluff, fluff.

A word count - 3k

CLUES 

The MCU actor who portrays Thor hails from the same homeland as the writer.

Song title inspo is big for this writer (and the title for this fic blew her mind as it was the very last song she downloaded)

This writer is writing Thor for the first time, but is more synonymous for Sebastian Stan’s characters and the occasional RPF. 

“Good morning, Mr Laufeyson,” you smiled from behind your desk as your boss’ brother wandered into the office, his usual Cheshire cat grin on his pale face, dark hair pushed away from his icy blue eyes and fair features with a consistent overuse of hair gel.

“Good morning, my dear,” he replied. “Is my idiot brother around?”

You scoffed a laugh, always humoured by the cheeky affection the brothers showed each other (and depending on the day, the genuine, extreme loathing). “He’s just on a conference call with Dr Selvig in London, he won’t be much longer I wouldn’t expect,” you informed him as Loki stepped away from your desk. “Can I get you a beverage?”

“No, no. No fuss required,” he insisted, letting his long, lean frame fall into one of the leather couches, hitching his heel on the coffee table before him and picking up an investment magazine, allowing you to get back to your work before you – getting a dinner reservation for your boss and newest conquest – you mean, date. His date. Argh.

Just then, Mr Odinson’s office door burst open and appeared the mammoth business giant, hands splayed on hips and playful smile on his lips. “Good afternoon, brother. Working hard or hardly working today?”

“The latter, of course,” Loki replied. “Selvig?”

“He’s doing some amazing work, one day you’ll appreciate his work on Convergence.”

“I was more impressed with his bare bottom proudly on display at Stonehenge,” Loki snipped, standing to his full height, almost of that of your boss who was as wide as he was tall – and by wide, you meant built like a brick outhouse, with crystal blue eyes, cropped blonde hair and muscles that seemed boundless one on top of the next. His suits straining over his shoulders and relieved at his waist. SPEND LESS TIME STARING AT HIM, you screamed to yourself. “That was some quality footage,” he chuckled as Thor bit back his own smile.

“Agreed, he lost his mind for a while there. But what do I owe the pleasure? Surely it’s not 5 o’clock somewhere already?”

“It well and truly is, brother. And if I remember correctly, ‘tis also your shout.”

“’Tis always my shout,” Thor muttered, rolling his eyes. “But I have plans tonight, I can’t be late,” Thor gave you a side-eye. “How are those dinner reservations going, by the way?”

“Right on that, boss,” you replied. “I’ve just confirmed with Le Coucou for 9pm. The driver will pick up Miss Carter on the way through, around 8:45pm. I’ve just emailed you the details, sir,” you reported, quickly hitting the ‘send’ button on the email and prying your eyes away from Mr Odinson, who was distracted unrolling his shirt sleeves, re-buttoning them and reaching for his jacket to slide over his shoulders.

“And what about you, darling? Can we interest you in a drink also?” Loki pondered.

Blushing, you replied, “I actually have a date,” you mumbled, shyly, dropping your eyes to the keyboard.

“A date?” Mr Odinson smiled. “With who? Do we know him?”

Turning a deeper shade of crimson, you were almost embarrassed with your answer. “It’s a blind date. My friend set us up. He’s in the army apparently.”

“An Army man,” Mr Odinson baulked slightly, checking his phone before he looked up with a wide, forced smile. “Sounds wonderful.”

Dejected, you tried to hide your disappointment at your boss’ reaction and went back to the work before you. Your date wasn’t until 8pm and you still had plenty to tie up before then as the brothers said goodnight to you and not to stay back too late.

—

Repeating the name the booking that your date had been booked under, you were both anxious and excited. You were a couple of minutes early but that was by your own admission – you needed a drink to ease your nerves before your mystery date arrived.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. There was a note left against this cancellation – Captain Rogers has been called off on an assignment and sends his regrets.”

Mortified, that was all you could think as you nodded, trying to hide your embarrassment. “Well, thank you,” you shrugged, not hurt but a little annoyed you found out you’d been stood up by the fucking maître d.

“May I get you a drink on the house?” the maître d asked, obviously feeling for you. “A nice Bordeaux red or a cocktail?” he continued, ushering you towards the dimly lit bar on the other side of the restaurant.

“It’s okay, I can pay,” you told him as he guided you to a stool at the bar.

“No, ma’am. It’s on me,” he motioned for the bartender to come over and instructed, “Whatever the lady wants, please, Jarvis.”

“Yes, sir,” Jarvis replied. “What will it be this evening, ma’am?”

“Just a glass of the house wine,” you answered, taking your phone from your handbag and trying to make yourself look less pathetic as you sat alone, stood up and only feeling marginally worse than usual.

Finding Natasha’s phone number and sending her a gentle text (scathing is what you truly wanted to send but thought better of it), you let her know that Captain Rogers had been called away and you were alone on a Friday night in New York City.

Natasha: Shit. Sorry, babe. Did you lose that reservation? I can come meet you! Clint is rolling around on the floor with the new rescue dog. I don’t stand a chance tonight.

You: No, it’s fine. I’ll just have a glass of wine and order some take out on the way home.

Putting your phone away as the glass of wine was placed before you, you thanked Jarvis and took a welcome sip. Shit, that was good. If this was the house wine, you were being spoiled.

“Any good?” a familiar voice asked you as a shadow kind of formed overhead. Looking up and spotting Mr Odinson was just adding insult to injury. This wasn’t where his date was. He took a seat with a genuine, friendly smile. “Hello, hope I’m not interrupting.”

“Of course not, sir,” you gave him a small smile.

“Where’s your date?” he asked the obvious question first, his blue eyes dancing as he ordered himself ale.

“Oh, he’s conveniently skipped the country on a mission of some sort,” you shrugged, the sting of it all starting to fade. “That’s a true first.”

“Well, he misses out,” he told you as Jarvis put his drink on the bar before him. Mr Odinson raised his glass as did you. “To Friday night’s with the boss.” You laughed as your glass joined his and he smiled again. “Are you going to stay or head out?”

“I will head home after this. It’s been a big week – shouldn’t you be thinking about Le Coucou?”

He shook his head. “No, believe it or not, I am a little too tired. My brother chewed my ear off about some family drama with our half-sister and frankly, I can’t be bothered dealing with some blonde Instagramming every aspect of our night instead of trying to enjoy it.”

“Really?”

“Really what?”

“Is that the kind of girl you were seeing?”

“I do seem have a type,” he said reluctantly. “It hasn’t worked for me though. I guess I’m just a glutton for punishment.”

“I hope you don’t mind me saying, but I always enjoyed Dr Foster.”

He gave a fond grin. “She’ll be the one that got away, I suppose,” he shrugged and took another sip. “I don’t suppose you want to stay for dinner?”

Surprised, you looked up. Sure, Mr Odinson was a great boss, and occasionally you shared a few laughs at work drinks but dining with him seemed a little… peculiar. “What, together?” you managed. Oh, yes. This should surely help this little crush you have on him.

Mr Odinson bit back a smile and leaned forward, a glint of tease in his eye. “Only if you’re happy to have dinner with the boss. I’ll pay.”

“Well, if you’re paying,” you said finally and relaxed a little as he motioned for Jarvis to get someone to get you both a table. Within a few minutes, you were at a table for two and if the candlelight made him look even better, you could cry. A bottle of expensive champagne was ordered as soon as Mr Odinson could and a terrible thought crept into your head, was this a date?!

Taking another sip of your wine, you tried to clear your head. No, of course it wasn’t. Your boss was here having drinks and coincidently, you bumped into each other. Nothing more, nothing less – it would end up a work dinner anyway with Mr Odinson travelling to the Nordic region for meetings over the few countries and you hadn’t caught up to dissect the trip with him as to yet.

“So, about next week, you’ll be flying – ” you tried.

Raising a large palm, Mr Odinson gave an amused grin. “No work tonight,” he instructed as your trap immediately snapped closed. “I’ve got the emails, I’ll be okay,” he said with a soft smile that met his cheeky, dancing eyes. You were positively swooning.

With his sudden laughter, you snapped back to reality. Oh, shit, you realised. You just sighed blissfully out loud. What kind of idiot – fuck, you were going to have to quit because of this – this crush on Mr Odinson was officially unprofessional. “I’m so sorry, Mr Odinson. I don’t know what’s coming over me.”

“It’s Thor, you can call me Thor,” he told you gently. “Have some wine, you look like you need it.”

You took a deep gulp, hoping to liquid courage will soothe your nerves. A deep breath joined it and your pulse rate felt as if it was starting to regulate.

“You okay now?”

“Think so,” you managed, voice barely above a whisper.

“Good,” Thor smiled wide as the appetisers arrived.

—

As the wine helped relax you, the evening continued a lot easier for you as it continued. The meal was divine – you were suddenly glad Captain Rogers disappeared and Thor had rescued you.

As you ordered dinner, you smiled as Thor eased in his seat. Come to think of it, you don’t think you’d ever seen him anything but cool, calm and relaxed. Incredible.

“So, what are you plans for the rest of the evening?” Thor asked, nodding for the bottle of dessert wine to be left at the table. Spying your watch, you laughed.

“Uhh, bed. This is pathetically late for me on a Friday night.”

“Could I interest you in a night cap? I know this great coffee bar uptown,” he suggested.

Coffee? It was nearly 11pm yet you found yourself saying yes, and after dessert, Thor paid the bill (with a hefty tip you also noticed) and helped you slipped into your coat, taking you lightly by the arm and into the brisk New York night. His town car stopped before you both and he ushered his driver away to open the door for you before sliding in after you. You travelled in relative silence, taking in the city and Thor scaling emails on his phone. You phone occasiaonlly dinging so you knew he was sending directives that also included you but you ignored them – at midnight, you weren’t going to action anything and nor could he blame you.

A few minutes later, the car stopped before…

“This is your building,” you frowned as Thor opened the door and let you join him on the sidewalk.

“Yeah, I have the best coffee machine in the city. Come up, you’ll see.”

At this point, Thor could say to drop your panties on the street and you would likely do it. Who were you? Were was your modesty? You weren’t that drunk. A little tipsy… but as the evening continued, you were thinking, maybe… just maybe this little crush wasn’t one-sided.

Thor offered his hand and willingly you took it. He walked you into the building where he was greeted and went to the lifts. You knew he lived in the penthouse (at last check, you remembered he may have owned this building. Or his father did. You couldn’t remember now and nor did you care). Moving to the corner, Thor did the same, giving you some space before the elevator doors opened to a dimly-lit sprawling living area with floor to ceiling windows, showing off the city.

“Jesus,” you muttered as allowed you to lead him inside. “This view is incredible.”

“Well, I can’t lay claim to that,” he teased, sliding off his jacket and heading to the open-plan kitchen where you noticed his coffee machine was and he collected a couple of espresso glasses. He went to work on the coffee and you were relieved for it – you needed it to wake you up and get out of this daydream. Here you were in the living room of your gorgeous boss Mr Odin – Thor. Thor. You watched his rolled up his sleeves, spying the leather bands that were wrapped around his enormous wrists. God bless the three-piece suit. You hated vests. But not on Thor. They were made for him.

He wandered over, two glasses in hand and nodded towards the couch. “Take a seat.”

You did as instructed and he sat beside you. “I have a confession,” Thor said after a few moments of you both sipping your coffee. You looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “And I think it will affect our professional ties.”

Oh God, he was going to fucking fire you, you realised, sitting up and putting the coffee on the side table. Shit. “Have I done something wrong?”

“You?” he smiled, shaking his head. “No, you’re a wonderful assistant. In fact, I think you’re wasted as my assistant with your potential. But this is where is gets difficult. I would love to give you a promotion of sorts, but at the same time, I don’t want to lose you from my office,” he confided. “Because I believe we work exceptionally well together.”

“I don’t know where this is going.”

“I’d like to ask you something. And you can say no,” he instructed as your heart rate increased. You could feel your whole body sweating. It certainly felt like you were in the firing line. “But for the longest time, I have harboured this little, teeny crush on you and if I follow my heart, I think it may cause problems for us at work.”

He was right, it would. Stunned, you nodded. Shit, were you getting fired?! “I think I understand.”

He nodded solemnly. “If I were to ask you out, I think you would like to say yes. But I can understand if you told me to get fucked and storm out as well. I would deserve and wholeheartedly understand that.”

Nodded, you took the coffee back to use as a distraction, resting it against your lips, hiding a little, as a shy smile appeared. He looked like he was waiting for you to say something, but little did he know your brain was blended mush and words would not seem to compute. “Oh,” was all you managed.

“Have I stepped over the line?” he asked quietly. “I understand if I have.”

“No,” you somehow replied. “I think you know that I might have feelings for you also.”

“I did not know,” he admitted. “But my brother seemed to think that maybe I was missing something that was right in front of me. Of course, Loki is also full of mischief and cannot be trusted. So he could’ve set me up to be his greatest prank,” he added meekly.

Biting back a giggle, it was almost unbelievable that this beautiful man, Thor Odinson, world-renown CEO and playboy, was opening up his heart to you and all you could think of was, “yes, Yes, YES!” so when he put his cup on the table and awaited your answer, you found your voice.

“I love my job. I thrive on how hectic it is, I enjoy ensuring your work life balance is seamless.”

“It is,” he agreed.

“And I think I’m good at what I do.”

“You’re brilliant at what you do.”

“But I need more,” you paused and he raised a curious eyebrow. “I need to know that if we take this step, it won’t ruin everything.”

“It won’t – let’s just try dinner and see how it progresses.”

You gave a gentle nod. “I’d like that, Mr – ”

“Thor.”

“Thor,” you nodded, blushing a little. “Yes.”

“This seems so formal,” Thor said with a gentle grin.

“Way too formal,” you agreed and a giggle escaped.

“Then let’s take it back a notch,” he decided. “We call it a night. When I’m back from my work trip next week, we have dinner again. I’ll even cook.”

“You cook?” you asked surprised, finding yourself standing and he followed. It felt like a good time to collect your things even if you wanted to walk directly to his bedroom.

“I’m pretty good at it – you’ll see that I’m worthy,” he joked as he followed you towards the elevator. He smiled, leaning against the wall. “I’m glad we saw each other tonight. I’m sorry that I’m travelling the next week though. I’ll miss you.”

“You’ll survive,” you teased as the elevator doors opened and Thor  laughed heartily. “Thanks for tonight, Thor. It ended up being a lot more fun that what my original plans were supposed to be.”

He chuckled. “I agree,” his giant palm raised and tenderly grasped your chin. “I had a wonderful time. I’m glad we spent the evening together.”

“Yeah,” you said and his lips gently kissed your forehead.

“I don’t want to appear obtrusive.”

“Definitely not.”

The elevator door closed without you though neither of you even noticed.

[gamebird]

Your tags:

#im abt to reread network effect just for this does she know what it looks like???? do you think shell ever find out what happened?????#my dream for leonide is for system collapse to irrevocably alter her worldview and she finds herself unable to do her work as efficiently#cause shes constantly wondering what the secunits are thinking about the people etc etc she starts trying to make conversation with them#she ends up getting rescued by mbs humans again when the secunits take over the be ship and leave her on some colony#and then when shes unemployed (because she lost sm equipment or whatever) and forced to take up a job at pumnt they do tell her#& then she doesnt talk to anyone for twenty days#(also shes fucking. like so much.) (<- in any fic writer is taking inspo. please note)#the murderbot diaries#system collapse#system collapse spoilers#leonide#three#my art

Also, I love that second set - both Three's 'oh shit, she recognizes me' expression and Leonide's 'that's definitely one of our SecUnits; what the fuck?'.

pov youre having another meeting with the annoying academics & this person in the back looks kinda familiar