#I got lazy and didn’t add all the blood but my best friend said she liked the one with blood on his face better out of the two

[fagkermit]

Just watched a couple episodes out of order and it’s official hes annoying so I’m taking him

[princecharmingmendes]

Heart by Heart | Chapter X | Raul Mendes

                                               *secret agent AU*

Y/N and Raul have been friends ever since they could remember. And falling in love with your best friend can be pretty tricky and messy 99% of the times, add that to the fact they're constantly risking their lives side by side on the field since they're both secret agents, and the best team that's ever existed. Perfect recipe for disaster.

Hi, this chapter is finally here, it's a bit shorter, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for that long anymore and on the cliffhanger, and this was also important for the story development. Anyway, this is the tenth chapter of this series, you can find the first ones here. Please read the warnings on this one, if you don’t feel comfortable with the contents listed on the “warnings” section, please read something else, there are a lot of other works on my masterlist and on the “fic rec” hashtag on my blog. Please give me some feedback and I hope you guys like. Happy Reading! 

                                                previous chapter | masterpost | next chapter

*Word Count: 2K+

*Warnings: cursing, violence towards the reader, blood, kidnapping, hostage situation, angst.

Please don’t read it if any of this subjects make you uncomfortable, feel free to check my masterlist for other writings.

*Posted: September 16th, 2021.

                                                  -*-

Raul was a mess as soon as he was able to get into an empty room. 

He allowed himself to finally let the severity of the situation hit him. He had no idea where Y/N and Tom were, if they were alright or what could Geonoff could possibly win with this. He certainly would’ve tried blackmailing them to get something in return of the two agents he had in his hands. 

He’s been pacing back and forth in the tiny room as he tried to remain calm enough to keep his rationality so he could still be helpful. Raul just wanted to punch his way into that base and get the kid and his girl back, but he knew that was completely stupid, even for him. He could practically see the frown on Y/N’s face if she ever heard his brilliant idea, and the vision alone was almost enough to bring him to tears. Instead he shook his head, knowing that letting his feelings take control would only be a waste of time in this situation, and that’s something he learned a long time ago when he first started working with his best friend. 

She was a really rational, and maybe even a bit cold on the field. Always with a sharp remark on the tip of her tongue and a thousand of extra plans in case something failed, she could easily slip into the role of the Professor in Money Heist. Constantly analyzing and thinking. And while she was clearly the brain of their duo, Raul was clearly the heart, not thinking twice before jumping head first to save someone or get and intel. And that’s why they worked so well, he pushed her to be more spontaneous while she kept him in his place (and alive) most of the time. 

He needed her more than ever right now. 

The sound of hushed whispers and two pairs of shoes approaching him, made Raul sharply move in the direction of the door, still on edge, and waiting for it to reveal his visitors. As soon as the handle turned, he was met with his triplet and Celine wearing the same saddened and worried expressions. He might’ve come down to help with the investigation as fast as he learned about his best friend. 

Peter sighed taking in the sight of his brother. Raul looked like a lost puppy in distress, eyes on his face but his mind was clearly somewhere else, shoulders sagged and curls a mess from the constant nervous tugging habit he had. One look was enough for him to know he was carrying all the guilt and having no clue how to fix it. It’s the same look he gave his younger self when he accidentally broke his brand knew camera. 

“We’re going to find them” was the first thing he said and Raul nodded, looking unconvinced “It’s not your fault” he then added and at that, his gaze finally seemed to snap into place as he stared his brother dead in the eye. 

“Whose fault is it then?” his voice sounded a lot smaller and less threatening than he pictured. 

“Geonoff’s” Celine mumbled “but not yours, you did what was best, what was right”

Raul shook his head in response, mumbling a quiet ‘yeah, right’ under his breath, but Celine was quick to take three steps closing the distance between them and placing both hands on his shoulders. 

“Cut this shit right now” she snapped, catching both him and Peter by surprise “you and I both know I’m not your biggest fan and never truly got what everyone else saw in you, but this past months changed my perspective of things and you’re actually a decent person, a great friend and an amazing agent, and you did the right thing” she said squeezing his shoulder for great measure “and you and I both know Y/N would’ve wanted you to do the same thing, she’d be proud of you”

Raul nodded slowly and Celine let him go at that, as he was still processing her words. Peter finally reached his brother, placing his hand on his shoulder as he turned to face him “I know you’re going through a lot right now, but we need you to help us find her, we need you to hold on a bit and try to think of the places they could possibly take her, everything you heard  or saw on the past month is useful”

He nodded again “yeah, okay, I can do that”

“Good, come with me then” Peter said patting his brother’s back “she’ll come back to us, you and I know her enough to know she’s probably making their life a living hell”

Raul snorted a little laugh, that didn’t quite reach his eyes and nodded along, as they dragged him back into the main room. He needed to do what Y/N would in his place, shut his feelings off and analyze every every they took.

                                                 -*-

Y/N starts slowing coming back into her senses, feeling her muscles burning, her arms stiff and head hurting, the dark place she was situated doing little to help her regain her memories. She tried looking around to see if she could find something useful to recognize the place, only noticing a slim frame still unconscious close to her. The person had its back to her, but from their clothes and body type, she was able to recognize them as Tommy.

Tommy who was still breathing and almost at arms reach.

That was a good sign, or as good as it could be in this situation. But he was there, breathing and no signs of big blood loss around them, so no external wounds that needed to be taken care of urgently. She tried to reach for him, but the heavy chains attaching her wrists to the cobblestone floor kept her in place.

She tried locating their belongings, or anything that could help them get out of there, but it was all missing. Raul was also nowhere in sight, which probably meant he wasn’t there and probably the info was delivered safely. At least that’s what she hopped with no signs of him around them. 

There? Where the hell was there?

That’s when it finally clicked to her, she had no idea where they were or how long was she out. They could be across the ocean as far as she was concerned. She had to get them out of there. But before she could start planning their way out with absolutely nothing and Tommy still out, she heard the grating of the old and rusty hinges coming from the only way in and out of that room, a heavy iron door. 

Coming from the source of noise that snatched her attention was the man responsible for all of this. Geonoff Reyes himself. Wearing a button up shirt, with the sleeves rolled back, and a pair of dress pants, and a smug look on his face. He took lazy long strides getting close to her, crouching down in front of her. 

Geonoff smirked at her “You know, it’s pretty hard to fool me and you almost got away with it, if it weren’t for your stupid boss you’d be home by now”

Y/N just blinked at him, a completely neutral facial expression on as she stared up at him, making him tsk.

“By the way, how is your little boyfriend? Does he know this relationship is just an act or you manipulate him as well?” he asked and she didn’t even flinch at his statement, noticing that her silence was doing more at getting him upset than clapping back “it must be sad, being such a pathetic agent and letting his little girl and friend get caught as he fled, and in the end discovering this was one sided”

Her gaze shifted quickly to Tommy and then back to Geonoff’s face, that was too close to hers for her taste “don’t worry, he’ll live for now, need him to get you to cooperate” and Y/N felt a little lighter knowing that, taking all the self control she had to not let that show on her face “you know they’ll never find you, right? Thought about sending a little photo as a gift for them, but might do it whenever we move to our next location, better lighting and stuff”

“What do you want?” her voice was hoarse, but she was able to keep her tone steady enough to not seem frightened.

“Oh, sugar, missed that sweet voice of yours, it matches your pretty face, just wish I could see that beautiful smile again, but we’ll get to that” he said patting her cheek with his long fingers, making her insides turn in disgust and she had to swallow the sudden wave of nausea down “I want something simple, just know all the info you’ve been feeding your precious little team for the past weeks, you’re smart enough knowing I wouldn’t mind hurting you to get what I want”

Y/N only stared back at him watching his brow twitch in annoyance “don’t want to hurt your pretty face, so cooperate with me and I might even let you go safely”

But her silent response seemed to be enough for him to loose it, because he took a deep breath before slapping his hand across her face for the first time. The pure shock of the action almost made her react, but she held her face up as she kept staring at him, her face burning but she wouldn’t give him the little taste of a small victory at breaking her neutral mask of indifference. 

“This could be so easy” he mumbled slapping the other side a little harder “you didn’t have to do this, you could be free by now” the third one was stronger than she was expecting, making her face turn with the pure force of it, the loud sound coming from the aggression echoing on the empty room and down the large corridor, the echo making her realize there wasn’t much down where they were, mostly just blank empty walls without doors to divide the sound. 

“What is it? Anything you’d like to say?” he asked grabbing her chin and yanking her face to look up at him, but her mouth remained closed “well, your choice”

After a few consecutive hits, one being so strong making her face collide with the wall when it turned, and she felt the sticky liquid running down her face. Her skin probably breaking with the brisk contact with the stone wall, cutting her cheek in the process. The seemed to please him, since he let out a loud boisterous laugh, making her lean her head so he could see it better mumbling a quiet “vicious bitch” under his breath “stop fighting back” before going back to it. 

After a couple more minutes, her right cheek numb already, Geonoff said grabbing her face roughly in his hands, forcing her to look up at him “Come on, sugar, you’re really stressing me out here”

“I’m truly sorry you had to kidnap and keep two agents hostage to try and prove you’re better than your sister” she said blinking at him monotonously and that seemed to hit a nerve, because Geonoff squeezed her face harder in his palms before pushing her head against the wall. 

Y/N felt her limbs giving out as her vision got blurry, her vision going dark before she felt her body leaning to her side and hitting the floor with a dull thud. The sound of shoes hitting against the rocks and the door being shut closed again a sign that the man lost his patience and left them behind. She tried fighting the numbness getting ahold of her body, but ended up succumbing at the end. 

The sounds of waves breaking somewhere near them and the constant throbbing of her head dragging her back into unconsciousness. 

                                                  -*-

*Please reblog or like this post if you liked it so I’ll know.

*I’m sorry if there are any spelling mistakes.

*Please do not repost this without giving me the credit, this is a completely original piece and I do not give permission to copy this!

*Hope you guys enjoyed it!

*xoxo

-🌙

[imaginationjunkie]

Say the word

Jason Todd x Reader

It’s kinda heartwarming

I tried to control my fast breaths, lifting my head from the crook of Jason’s neck to give him a lazy kiss. Deliriousness coursed through our veins, minds hazy from the aftermath bliss of an intimate climax.

Being apart for weeks for his mission and my conference clearly had one gigantic perk- the mad intense I-missed-you-so-fucking-much sex.

It doesn’t matter if it was the first or the thousandth time, the feeling of his body against mine never failed to weaken my limbs to mush and warm my heart, like it’s soup being heated up on a stove.

A smile split my lips as I tried lifting my naked body up from his chest, and failing. The thick, muscular arms that were tightly wrapped around my waist stopped me from doing so. It made me smile wider and lean down to put my lips on Jason’s.

“You know you’re gonna have to stop doing that right?” I murmured, running my fingers through his dark raven locks. A chaste kiss was placed on my cheek by his smirking lips.

“Hmm? Doing what?”

I leaned down so that our bare chests pressed against each other, lips hovering over his. My whisper was naughty as I answered him.

“Why should I? We both seem to like it so very much,” Jason nuzzled his nose against mine with a mischievous smirk.

“Because if by any chance I get preggers before marriage, my parents will chase you to the ends of the earth and decapitate the crap out of you,” I whispered jokingly, but meant every word. “And then after they’re done with you, they’ll feed me to the demons.”

My ever-so-daring boyfriend’s reply was to lowly chuckle and simply kiss my shoulder. 

Affection came naturally to us now, especially since Jason had been touch starved practically since birth. The first few months of our relationship, I had to have a mental debate every time before touching him; how far I should go with the cuddling, to hold his hand or not, put my legs on his body while cuddling or not...

Unlike his brother Dick, who much to Jason’s irritation loved pulling me into a tight hug every time we met, Jason just wasn’t the affectionate type.

After a few months, I understood how badly he needed to be touched- to be loved, to be comforted. When he got the message that it’s okay to hold me as much as he wants, that there’s finally someone he can lose himself in, someone he can love, he found a way to touch me every spare moment we spent together. Kissing my neck, nuzzling his nose, holding my hips, putting his large hand on the small of my back or around my waist, constantly lifting me onto his lap- the list’s never ending.

“I’m serious, a child out of wedlock is beyond just a sinful taboo in my family,” I booped his nose, leaning my forearms on his chest to hold my upper body up.

Jason pretended to be lost in thought for a while before suddenly rolling our bodies over to our sides, the ridges and sinewy muscles of his defined chest flush against my back. He tucked the messy portion of my hair out of the way before kissing from my neck up to the back of my ear. 

“Well since marriage is out of the question, I’ve no option than to not make my pull out game weak,” his tongue darted out to lick my ear teasingly.

Ignoring the pang that hit my heart at his statement about marriage, I turned to swat his chest teasingly. My lips were unable to hold back a grin at his reference to WAP .

“What? You’re the one who keeps dancing to it every morning,” Jason grinned back at me.

“It’s 4 am, we should sleep,” I shook my head at him, turning to face forward again. Jason and my shared bedroom turned dark as he flicked the dim bedside lamp off, making the glow of moonlight our only source of light.

The warmth from having his arms encased around me brought a serene feeling, making me think about how impossible it’d be to live without Jason Todd. 

“I love you,” he murmured against my neck.

My eyes closed shut, senses overwhelmed with the depth of my feelings.

“I love you,” I whispered back.

I had an amazing life- loving and supporting, albeit sometimes overbearing, parents, a great job, a pretty apartment, and a man I’m certain I’d love and be loved by for the rest of my life. For the entirety of my existence, I’ve had the one thing Jason never did- stability. 

But when it’s meant to be, it’ll always be. 

God, fate or whatever higher force is up there looking over us made sure to let our souls find each other. Cherish each other. 

I knew Jason’s views on marriage and children. It was hard enough for him to indulge himself with something as normal as a committed relationship, that too for two and a half years; but it’d actually be impossible for him to be a husband, a father. He didn’t have a basic job in the least, and thus didn’t think tying the knot and being a family man would be suitable for him. 

Ever since I was a little girl, one of the things I’ve wanted greatly was to be married to the man I loved someday. But for Jason I could give it up. I could give up the hopes of having a ring on my finger and a baby on my belly, because he means more to me than anything ever will.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

*2 months later, New Year’s eve night at the Wayne Manor backyard*

“Damian, those aren’t fireworks, they’re explosives!”

At my alarmed exclaim, Dick quickly snatched the big box from his younger brother’s hands, waddling his finger as if to say ‘no no’.

“They’re fireworks,”  Jason assured from behind. “The kid and I labelled it explosives so Dick doesn’t steal it,”

Dick’s face scrunched up in confusion, “”Why would I steal your fireworks? I’ve better things to do for fu-”

“Miss, the barbecue is ready. Would you like to add the last bit of sauce on top?” The always-polite and everyone’s favorite Alfred smartly interrupted Dick from saying the curse word.

Every time I practically forced my boyfriend, his brothers and father into having a family night, Alfred let me help with the food; and since I suck beyond words at cooking, he always gave me the easy tasks to do.

Now if you’re thinking that prevented me from considering myself as the world’s second Martha Stewart, you’re wrong.

I clapped my hands together in delight, “I’d love to!”

“No she wouldn’t,” Jason, Dick and Tim said at the same time.

I turned to them, perplexed at their concurrent interference. 

Taking note of the unusual shiftiness in the boys’ stances, I raised a brow- “And why is that?”

Out of the three suspicious-looking brothers, Dick replied- “Because there’s only 20 minutes till midnight and you have to help us set the fireworks off!”

Now both my eyebrows rose, and I crossed my arms against my chest.

“So you’re telling me,” I said in slow amusement, dragging the words sarcastically. “That three of the strongest night vigilantes of Gotham, one being a violent nutcase once,” a look was thrown in Jason’s direction, “Needs an ordinary girl to set off fireworks?”

This time Tim responded, “Well you see, we’ve never set them off. None of us has ever had the chance to have a normal new years with fireworks and a countdown,”

“Really?” I deadpanned, voice turning into a shrill by the end of the question, “So have I been planning and working my ass off every new year’s for the past three years to make robots happy?”

Tim realized his mistake, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head before trying to redeem himself. “But we’ve never had a family new years, y’know, with the barbecue and fireworks,”

“Also, you’re nowhere near ordinary,” Jason added in a low voice as he came to stand behind me and kissed my temple. I rolled my eyes at the cheesiness, wrapping an arm around the middle of both the boys’ backs.

Right then Damian piped in, surprising everyone. “Plus you’re not a girl, you’re a woman,” he emphasized on the last word, making Jason scoff with a smirk and everyone else laugh.

It didn’t take long for me to grow on Damian, making him accept and like me. From what I heard from his brothers and Alfred, he didn’t like most people and never went easy on newcomers. I was especially concerned about getting Jason’s family to like me, since he didn’t have much of a good relationship with them and I wanted to change that. In the end everyone ended up accepting me; and gradually even treating me as one of their own. Dick and I were practically best friends.

Despite what he used to say, I knew Jason loved them all like they were his own blood; so I knew that it meant a great deal to him to rekindle his relationships with them.

Bruce Wayne’s voice spoke for the first time that evening, “Good evening, my apologies for the delay,”

An awkward silence took over our so-far cozy night. All of the boys looked other directions, not acknowledging their dad who never bothered to show up to any family days on time. I tried my best to knit the boys together, help them get close and create a bond; and saying that I succeeded wouldn’t be a lie. But the fact that Bruce couldn’t even take one day off from his billionaire/ vigilante duties sort of upset me every time.

Jason scoffed, his mouth opening to say something undoubtedly snarky to his father. But before he had the chance to I stepped on his shoe and gripped his hand tightly, silencing him.

“It’s okay Bruce, at least you made it,” I smiled.

The excruciatingly tense atmosphere was cracked by Dick, “I still need help with the fireworks, anyone up for it?”

“I’ll come!” I was quick to squeak and walk towards him.

“Me too,” Damian grumbled, following me.

Tim was the last one. “Yeah, me as well.”

“Great, so you guys do the fireworks and Jaybird and I will be right back!” Dick clapped his hands together in perky delight, pushing Jason’s back forward as they walked into the manor. From the distance, I saw Jason shrug Dick’s hand off before glaring at him. Again, confusion filled me at their strange behavior tonight.

“What was that about?” I asked Tim.

He smiled, “Nothing, probably just vigilante stuff.”

As the minutes passed by, the new year came nearer and nearer. The three of us successfully managed to set off the first batch of fireworks, looking up at the sky and laughing freely. Even Bruce had a small smile as he took a sip of his drink, looking up and the lit up sky with a hand in his pocket.

When it was about 10 minutes to the clock ticking 12:00 am, worry started to cloud the excitement I was feeling; but Tim and Damian were quick to distract it.

“Now can we do the grand purple one?” Damian gave me a rare pleading look.

“Yeah we can, but where’re Jason and Dick? They’re gonna miss new year’s,” I voiced my concern. 

Right then, my phone started ringing. 

Incoming video call from mom.

I answered, knowing that my parents were calling to say Happy New Year like they did every year. What rendered me surprised after receiving the call was that almost my entire family was on the frame of my mom’ video- two of my aunts, uncles and all the cousins I’m close to. Which are a lot.

I’m a family person, if you couldn’t tell already.

“Hi baby!” My mom grinned.

I grinned back, glee taking over the initial confusion.“Hey y’all! Are you having a New Years party without me?”

One of my younger cousins replied, “Sort of, now show us!”

My brows furrowed, “Show you what?”

A string of ‘oh shit’s sounded from mom’s side, further increasing my confusion.

Out of the blue, Dick intervened from behind me, “The fireworks of course!”

A sudden bang! took us all by surprise, and I looked up to see the huge purple fireworks lighting the dark canvas of the sky up. A wide grin split my lips, along with all the other boys as they whooped at the different shades of purple. It happened to be my favorite color. 

I felt the familiar warmth of Jason’s body against my back before hearing or seeing him. The digital clock on the top corner of my phone read 11:55 pm. Not being able to contain my excitement, I subconsciously shoved my phone to Tim, who was beside me, while my family was still on video. I raised a hand to point at the sky.

“Jay look, it’s all so purple!”

And then something happened. Something I wouldn’t even dream of imagining.

Jason’s larger hand rose to the level of mine, which was still pointing up at the sky. He spread my fingers out so that my hand was displayed open. I turned to look at my boyfriend, not quite understanding his intentions.

His eyes were trained on mine, a golden and purple reflection from the fireworks and balcony lights visible on the glossy blue orbs. 

Our eyes stayed on each other’s as I felt something cold graze the top of my ring finger.

In the background I heard Dick harshly whisper, “Tim, the song!”

I wasn’t dumb. I knew what my boyfriend was holding on top of that finger.

Jason’s lips were an inch away from my ear as he spoke clearly, not a hint of hesitation in his voice, “Just say the word, and I’ll put a ring on you.” 

I couldn’t even look at it as I tried to get over the giant bucket of emotions that was thrown over me. Shock, flabbergast, sheer happiness, disbelief, excitement, a rush of adrenaline. My heart threatened to beat the crap out of my chest.

“Jason,” I whispered, my eyes fluttering shut as he put his chin on my shoulder, inches from mine. “What. Are. You. Doing??”

He bit his lip, smiling before cryptically answering. “I love you.”

“I thought you didn’t want to get married?” I questioned again. “Do you think I’m pregnant? Are you doing this cause-?” my voice was breathy.

Jason smirked, his unoccupied arm going round me from behind to rest on the other side of my waist. “No baby, I don’t. The twenty something negative pregnancy sticks on the bathroom trash sort of made it clear that you aren’t pregnant.”

I couldn’t hold back my own grin from his teasing. For the first time, I turned my head to look at our hands. The sky was phenomenal in the background of them, a swirl of blue, red and purple as Damian and Dick continued setting the fireworks off. Tim was holding my phone up to where Jason and I were standing, undoubtedly showing the scene to my family. Now I knew why they were all gathered together to call me.

“You asked my parents?”

Jay rubbed his nose on my cheek, his smart-assery coming to action as he quoted my words from that night two months ago- “Of course, wouldn’t wanna be chased to the end of the earth and be decapitated the crap out of now, would I?”

The boys all had blinding bright and hopeful grins on their faces; even Damian! Alfred’s expression could only be described with one adjective- delight, and Bruce had an odd smile as he saw the straight-out-of-a-movie scene unfold.

I turned my head to the side to look at Jason again, grin faltering to a small smile.

This time nervousness coated his expression and words as he asked once again, “Will you marry me?“

I heard my mom speak through the phone, “Oh come on, stop torturing the poor boy! Answer already!“

Taking a deep breath, I leaned my head even closer to Jason’s. His blue eyes pierced into mine with their intensity, and my lips touched his as I said the word softly. 

“Yes.”

[youwerenevermeanttofeelalone]

Still Like the Letters in Your Name and How They Feel, Babe | Five Hargreeves

✦ pairing — Five Hargreeves x female!Plus Size Reader

✦ word count — 3.4k

✦ modern AU

✦ loosely based on the song Still Feel Like Your Man by John Mayer.

✦ summary — you get snowed in with your ex-boyfriend.

✦ warnings — angst, mentions of alcohol, language, fluff, dry humping.

✦ author’s note — the lovely @ohdangitsjay wanted me to write dry humping with Five for kinktober but the slot was taken already so I decided to add some of it here.

════════════════════════

Parties weren’t Five’s thing, much less work parties. He would have skipped the event if he hadn’t gotten a promotion less than four months ago.

He always sat on his own, not interested in his coworkers’ lives. He knew more than he needed already, not only because of their loose tongues but because they were open books.

He would’ve rather been at his place, alone like he had been spending his time for the past months.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to get close to you.”

Five lifted his head out of courtesy, he had recognized his coworker’s voice immediately. She was pretty, he could admit that, but he had read her intentions months ago and he wasn’t interested. “Mmhmm. I know.”

“I’d like to get to know you.”

“I’m good, thanks.”

He felt buzzing in his pants and he didn’t know whether to thank whoever was calling or kill them for bothering him now. Lifting a hand so the woman in front of him wouldn’t speak furthermore, he withdrew his cellphone from his pocket.

Vanya’s photo almost blinded him. He cursed — he hadn’t lowered the screen brightness like a fucking idiot.

Excusing himself, he pushed his way out of the venue. Letting the phone ring in his grasp, allowing himself to take in a deep breath of fresh air, he stood under the cold night.

Vanya insisted which confused him, she always knew when to stop bothering him. And that night, even his coworker insisted. He shook his head as he saw her walk out of the venue, wrapped in her coat.

Taking the call just to avoid her, he grunted, “What?” He pinched the bridge of his nose as Vanya explained that she needed him to pick you up from a bar. Thinking the worst, he exhaled, “I’ll be there in ten.”

“Leaving so soon?”

“Not soon enough, it seems.” He dropped his phone in his coat this time. His coworker’s expression of hurt didn’t faze him, but he still explained himself, “Look, you’re not the problem, it’s just that I know your intentions and I’m taken.”

Five had never wished a lie he had told was true until now. He wasn’t taken anymore, but he was still yours, at least he felt like that. He’d never find another you, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to start looking either.

Tugging his car open, he withdrew his cellphone from his coat and slid into the driver seat. Five introduced the key into the clutch, yet he didn’t ignite the engine.

He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, considering the option of turning his phone off and coming up with an excuse days later. But he didn’t have it in him, not this time when he had a chance to see you — so many days after the morning you left.

The quicker he got it over with, the quicker he would be able to drown himself in alcohol to pretend it hadn’t happened.

His sister was already waiting for him near the entrance of the bar. Vanya turned her head to the side. Five followed the movement with his eyes and ultimately you came into vision. Only you would wear a dress in this weather, always claiming you never got cold.

He knew it wasn’t true, but you were stubborn. His siblings often said he wouldn’t have been so smitten if you weren’t as stubborn and they were right, he liked the challenge. And although he would never admit this out loud, he liked giving in to your stubbornness. He missed it.

You hadn’t realized he was there, head on your friend’s shoulder as they all talked. He could tell how drunk you were just by the lazy position of your hand on your lap.

“Why can’t you take her home?”

“No, God, no! You misunderstood what I said, Five. I need you to take her with you.”

Five gave his sister an incredulous look, hoping she was joking. When he realized Vanya was serious, he shook his head. “You know she hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you. Besides, she’s drunk out of her mind, she might hug you instead of breaking your nose.”

He glared at her. Although his nose was more than fine, that punch hurt.

“Please? For me? I haven’t spent enough time with Sissy in weeks.”

“Too much information, Vanya!” he chastised, shaking his head as he walked past his sister.

It bordered on cruel, having you so close and knowing you would’ve been against it if you knew he was there.

Vanya placed a hand on his shoulder, not reassuring whatsoever as he defeatedly sighed. Only the two of you could convince him to do anything, and his sister still used it to her advantage.

He stood before you and your friends. Chatter died, you didn’t react. His eyes crossed your closest friend’s after Vanya, and as she nodded downward he understood that everybody thought you would be safer with him.

“Come on, (Name),” he said softly, hoping you wouldn’t make a scene.

You turned your head to the side, facing him. His breath faltered. Frowning, you just stared, mind too hazy to come up with a question to blurt even though a few crossed it.

How was work? Did Grace like the jacket you got for her? Are we going home soon?

He nudged his head to the side, signaling toward the exit. “Come on, you’ve got things to do tomorrow.”

Your friends tensed at his comment, but he didn’t think much of the gesture.

Sissy handed him your coat, watching him carefully. Five held the coat for you to slide your arms in, and out of habit helped you to fold it close and button it up.

You interlocked your arm with his, head lulling toward his shoulder. Vanya shoved your purse into his chest, prompting him to hold it in his hand as he gave her a final nod in goodbye.

════════════════════════

You woke up in an all too familiar room. Absolutely nothing had changed, the walls were the same blue walls you had stared at for hours as you waited for someone who cared more about their job than their girlfriend to get back from work.

By the looks of it, Five had been so busy that he didn't even have time to get rid of things you had gifted him. They were in the place they had been the last time you visited him — books stacked up, music records leaned against the other... the painting you had helped him choose still hung over his desk.

“Ah, you’re awake." His voice made you jump. "Coffee? An aspirin?”

You shuffled, pushing the duvet off your body in order to leave the bed. “Why am I here?”

The cold floor made you shiver. You searched for your shoes, looking down as you inwardly cursed yourself for wearing a dress when Vanya told you not to.

“You don’t remember going out last night? Vanya called me.” He tilted his head as he asked, frowning.

“Yes,” you deadpanned, slipping your shoes on before lifting your head to look at him. “But why didn’t you take me home?”

He winced. “Well, Vanya needed the apartment to herself.”

Dragging your eyes off him, not able to look at his face for too long, you whined, ”Unbelievable! She ditched me to get some pussy!”

Realizing your purse had been on the bed all this time, you popped it open and withdrew your phone. You looked at the time and your eyes widened. “Fuck, fuck. I’ll be late!”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Your gaze snapped in his direction. He looked so serious that it made your blood boil. “Excuse me? Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?”

He groaned. “We’re snowed in, idiot.”

“No, no, no... this can’t be happening. Not to me. Not today.” You stood by the window and peered out. He hadn’t lied, the streets were covered in white as snow, which was still falling, piled up. You would’ve found the scenery gorgeous if you weren’t so stressed. “FUCK!”

Only you had such bad luck... getting snowed in with your ex-boyfriend today from all days.

“I’m sure your mom will understand,” he tried to assure you.

In any other instance you would’ve found it sweet that he remembered you visited your mom every Saturday, or that he was trying to comfort you.

You corrected him, “I have a date today.”

“Oh.”

Unlocking your cellphone, you scrolled down your contact list. Your finger hovered over the call button. What would you say? ‘Hey, I’m sorry I can’t meet up with you today, I’m stuck in my ex-boyfriend’s apartment’?

Seeing your exasperation as you went through your phone, he painfully said, “Don’t be dramatic, your date must understand you can’t control the weather.”

“We had been putting this off for a while,” you confided him like you used to when he was your best friend, back when he hadn’t broken your heart yet and he still had time for you. “He’s so nice and sweet... “ you trailed off before sighing, “I was hoping not to ruin it.”

“Why didn’t Vanya call him if he’s so sweet?” he asked, voice laced with venom. He was challenging you to lie to him.

Honestly, you answered, “I’m guessing she doesn’t trust him.”

A shiver ran through you, prompting you to rub your arms.

Five walked toward his closet and opened the doors. “You left some clothes here, I’m sure you can find something in case you want to take a shower or get changed... ah! Your red sweatshirt is in the laundry room.”

Unable to keep it in, you shrieked, “You lent my clothes to other people?!”

“Don’t be stupid,” he said, no malice in his tone, “I wore it myself.” Turning around, finding it hard to read your expression, he blurted, “Once.”

You did find something to wear, and for the second time that day, you felt as though nothing had changed. Nothing made more sense than having a space for your own clothes in his closet.

You entrenched yourself in the bathroom as soon as possible. Being around him was worse than you ever anticipated, you wanted to be angry and hostile yet you were too emotionally exhausted for that.

Failed interpersonal relationships were your norm. The day you met Vanya you felt as though you were having a friend for the first time; then Five came around and became your best friend, your confidant. Having him around used to be easy, even when you developed feelings for him.

The day you left him was one of the hardest days of your life. You didn’t cry, only numbness enveloped you in a tight grip — a grip you had gotten free from a little too late.

Your friends tried introducing you to people multiple times, but it never worked. It wasn’t because of Five, not entirely, you simply weren’t good with new people. And you missed Five, but that was different.

Missing him had become an afterthought, work kept you busy in the same stupid way it kept him. Guilt never took over you, why would it when you hadn’t neglected anyone because of your job? In fact, you were sure you would get over him soon when work became your priority.

Until a few minutes ago, the illusion had been good. What a sweet lie you told yourself for weeks and weeks.

You regretted entering the shower the second you turned around to grab some shampoo. Tears prickled your eyes the moment they fell on a familiar bottle. It didn’t have any marks of use, not a single gram dripped down the bottle, dry product was nowhere to be seen around the cap.

You confirmed that the bottle was brand new when you tested its weight in your grasp. A sob escaped you. Why would he keep your favorite shampoo in his shower?

You couldn’t bring yourself to use it, so instead, you grabbed Five’s shampoo and squeezed some onto your palm.

After a tear-ridden shower, you quickly got dressed and stood behind the door for a prolonged moment.

A heavy silence greeted you as you stepped into the living room. You had expected the sound of fingers against a keyboard or page flipping, but instead, you found Five slouched over his stomach with a piece of red fabric on his lap.

Feeling your presence, he murmured, “Here.” Five offered you the sweatshirt which you took hesitantly.

“I don’t use that shampoo anymore,” you blurted before you could process the words your entire being was desperate for him to hear.

He hummed, avoiding your face at every cost as he stared past you. He really needed to decorate the living room, at least a little bit. “You found a better one?”

“No,” you mumbled. Sliding the sweatshirt on, you waited for him to say something. Five didn’t, he stayed in the same position until you sat down beside him.

As he twisted his body to face you and his eyes landed on your face, you were able to see he had been crying too.

“What did your date say?” he asked, ever the masochist one.

You shrugged. “I haven’t texted him.”

“You should at least call your mom. Tell her you’re safe.”

Nodding slowly, you then turned your face to the other side. He didn’t mean anything more than exactly what he said and yet your heart thumped in your chest at a rhythm you had forgotten it was able to beat.

“She misses you. The whole family does.”

“Tell them I miss them too. Please.”

You sniffed, bolting off the couch. Walking into his bedroom, you tried to ignore the strong smell of his cologne as you blindly palmed the bed in search of your phone.

“Are you okay?”

Tears didn’t allow you to see him properly, but you could tell he was leaning on the doorway.

“I don’t want to talk about anything,” you warned him, scared a fight would ensue if you spoke your mind. “My head hurts.”

You heard him move around the room, opening and closing a drawer. Then you felt him close, so close his breath fanned on the side of your face as he spoke, “It’s paracetamol, it’ll be gentler with your stomach.”

Blinking the tears away, you faced him — this time fully. Opening your palm, you waited for him to drop the pill onto it. Five looked down, softly placing the white circle on your palm.

Closing your fist around the pill, you threw your arms all over his neck. Taken by surprise, he felt his hands tremble as he placed them on your lower back.

Nothing extraordinary happened, and you loved it. He was just as warm as you remembered, and you were as comfortable in his arms this time as you had been before.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, careful not to move you too harshly as he pulled you onto his chest, “so, so, so sorry. You can’t even imagine how stupid I feel.”

“Shhh, it’s fine.”

“We both know it isn’t.”

“Don’t wanna talk,” you reminded him.

So he hugged you tighter. And once again, it felt like nothing had changed — because nothing had, because the idea of moving on was nice on paper and nothing more.

“I’m pretty sure the pill melted in my hand...”

He snorted, begrudgingly parting from you. “I’ll get you some water and another one.”

You stared at your reflection in the mirror as you washed your hands and immediately splashed water onto your face. It was cold, but that was exactly what you were looking for in attempts to make your face less puffy after all that crying.

Five watched you in silence, ready to give you the pill and the glass.

Drying your hands, you thanked him and then proceeded to take the glass from his hand.

“Don’t go out with him,” Five pleaded, unable to keep it in for longer. “I don’t deserve it, but please give me a second chance.”

You glared at him as you snatched the pill from his open palm. Instead of giving him an answer, you swallowed the pill.

He took this as a sign that you needed more convincing. “I promise I’ll spend every second of my free time with you.”

You lowered the glass before you could take another sip of water, scoffing as you walked toward the window once again. “Oh, come on, Five, I never asked for that. I just wanted you to put some effort.”

“I’ll do that, then. Anything.”

“Can you really do that?”

“Yes.”

You nodded, placing the glass down onto the bedside table. You were always so eager to believe in him... you could only hope this time your heart didn’t end up in tiny pieces. “It’s obvious that I don’t need much convincing.”

“That’s fine by me.” Five shrugged, looking down at his hands.

You grabbed his hands, making him look at you. He intertwined your fingers with his, biting his bottom lip as you lifted your eyebrows.

He huffed a laugh upon realizing you were waiting for him to kiss you and for a millisecond considered teasing you, but you knew him so well that you had seen through his nervous demeanor.

Leaning in, he stared into your eyes in search for permission. You tilted your head, brushing your nose with his, fanning your breath on his lips. Five’s mouth met yours in the middle, slowly at the beginning.

You let go of his hands, snaking your arms around his neck to bring him closer. His hands found home on your waist, just as he picked up his pace.

As a moan slid past your lips, he slipped his tongue in your mouth. Five moved one of his hands to the back of your neck, deepening the kiss.

Breathless, you were forced to barely push him away. You stared at his red lips as you gasped for air, ragged breath mingling with his own.

And then his lips were on yours again. The hand on the back of your head fell to your spine as he walked you backward. Five laid you on the bed, careful not to hurt you yet never taking his lips off yours.

Pressing kisses on the side of your neck, he roughly grabbed your hips, making you moan as his hard-on was pressed against your crotch.

Your hips worked against his in sync, so naturally that you still had half a mind to wonder how the fuck you had lasted this long without him all over you.

Five’s groans grew deliciously deep as his hands trailed down to massage your thighs. His mouth sucked on your neck as he pulled you flush against him.

You inwardly thanked whichever God existed for the cold weather. Not only did Five look amazing in sweatpants, but the soft material allowed you to feel the outline of his hard cock even through your leggings as he humped you.

“Would really love to fuck you,” you panted, “but there’s no way I’m taking my clothes off right now. I’m freezing!“

He laughed against your skin. One of his hands left your thigh and he tugged on the covers, draping them over both of you, covering yourselves from head to toes.

Five continued to kiss your neck, still moving his hips against yours albeit more slowly.

“I missed you,” he spoke before you could mutter a teasing comment about how desperate he was for you.

You played with the small hairs on the back of his head, humming as you rocked up against him. “I missed you too. But don’t let it get to your head.”

“Too late,” he said cheekily, letting his weight fall on top of you as he leaned into your touch.

You relaxed against the mattress as his warmth combined with the shielding covers seeped through you. Five slipped an arm under your head, fingers brushing your neck as his other hand came up to softly grip your face.

You hummed in acknowledgment, knowing he wanted to say something.

“We didn’t call your mom.”

You breathed out a small laugh. “I wasn’t supposed to see her today, don’t worry.”

He tensed over you, frowning as he processed what you had just said. Deciding to ignore the fact that you were probably planning to hook up with your date, Five slowly lowered his head so it would rest on your chest.

It didn’t matter what you had planned to do when you were there under him. He was still your man, he had felt as such ever since the day you met — and he wouldn’t fuck it up a second time.

[memes-in-a-half-shell]

Business AU - Working Late, Part 9

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6 || Part 7 || Part 8

Let’s fuck things up a bit, shall we?

She woke up peacefully, the soft warmth of the early sun washing over her naked body tangled in the bedsheets. As she stretched her limbs, she found herself to be alone in bed, lazily reaching for her glasses on the nightstand nearby only so she could have a clearer view of her surroundings. Donnie was nowhere to be seen, Vee taking this moment to sit in bed, envelopping her form in the sheets and just think about last night's events. What would that make out of them? No real declarations of any sorts had been made, but the feelings were there and real, that she couldn't deny. Sure, it wasn't the first time she had slept with someone without any real attachment, but never had she felt that way with someone before... Donnie was a tender and very attentive man. She had that feeling that whatever he'd say or do, it must be true to him. She wanted to believe he would wish for them to be more... But for now she laid her expectations to rest and simply reveled in whatever was happening between them. She felt good. She felt appreciated. And, to be frank, the sex had been amazing.

She heard footsteps approaching the room, along a rolling sound. The mutant soon came in view, accompanied by a small trolley that held two plates with food, empty mugs and a pot of coffee. He was only wearing black boxer briefs and his glasses, his whole self a delectable sight. As he noticed that the woman was awake, he playfully struck a little pose while saying:

“Breakfast in bed for madame.”

That brought a soft giggle from Vee, though touched by this attention given to her. Instead of handing a plate, Donnie moved to sit by the woman's side in bed, unable to resist cupping one of her cheeks, his thumb tenderly brushing her skin. His eyes kept scanning her, his joy blooming at the mere sight of her smile.

“… Can't believe there's such a beautiful woman in my bed this morning,” he softly said.

“Can't believe such a sexy man is bringing me breakfast in bed,” replied Vee.

“I can bring more than that.”

Remnants of last night's emotions still brought some sparks in the air, Donnie's motion fluid and met halfway by Vee. It was sweet and slow, a kiss that felt like a dream. As it kept going, the terrapin started to shift his position and Vee's; soon the covers out of the way and Donnie's frame over the woman, forever careful not to be too much of a weight. They couldn't let go of one another, this morning's laziness bringing each motions to a tender point. As the terrapin was kissing at the woman's neck, she did add in a soft tone:

“What about breakfast? It's gonna get cold, just like the food last night...”

“I don't mind cooking another one later. … I'd cook one for you everyday even.”

That brought a hushed chuckle out of Vee, but deep down she was touched by that small confession. The simplicity and tenderness of this moment brought such ease in her.

“Donnie, I-...”

She stopped herself, knowing exactly what her heart wanted to say, but knowing now was not the time. Their gaze crossed, Donnie patient and Vee trying to find the right words to say next.

“... I’m so happy right now. Being with you feels so nice,” she ended.

“It does feel nice, indeed,” first replied the terrapin in a sweet tone. “... I could spend the rest of my life like this.”

Vee felt speechless, trying her best to read his emotions. He did sound sincere, but maybe it was this honeymoon type of feeling that was talking as well.... In any case, she prefered to kiss him in answer, knowing she did think the same as well. It was much preferable to live in this present moment, rather than worry in speculations.... At least, only for this morning.

***

That Monday morning was as grey and rainy as it could get, the usual omen for a bad day and week to come, but in Vee’s mind and heart, it was as sunny as it could ever be. Her work started with the usual routine; reviewing the projects for the day and then handing the paperwork. Her step around the office was light, humming some tunes to herself as she distributed the documents among her team.

“You look awfully happy for a Monday morning,” started one of her coworker’s voice, a guy.

That broke her stride, turning around to the source. She noticed a small handful of employees grouped together, probably discussing first amongst themselves until they saw their manager. Vee recognized the man who had spoken, already going through her papers as she walked towards the small group.

“I had a nice weekend, that’s all,” she answered, handing him the work.

“What, you buttered up the boss enough for you to get a raise?” said the other, reluctantly taking his due.

Vee instantly frowned: “... Excuse me?”

“We saw you leave with that Donatello, Friday evening,” added another coworker, a woman. “You’re not fooling anyone. It’s been quite some time that you both have been hanging together.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t see how that’s any of your concerns,” said Vee. “We’re friends, I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”

“Yah, sure, friends with benefits perhaps,” continued another person. “Soon you’ll benefit from a monetary gain while he benefits from your tits. Workplace logic.”

Vee was disgusted, knowing if she continued to argue, she’d make things worse: “I don’t know what’s wrong with you all, but you better mind your damn business.”

As she was walking away, she heard that last jab: “If I buy you a drink, will you give me a raise?” She did not stop, her step slightly getting faster instead. Her blood was boiling, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. At once, she wished she could simply disappear... Turning a corner, she abruptly bumped into someone, her remaining folders flying out of her hands and spilling to the floor. She felt strong hands hold her forearms, forbidding her to fall backward

“Woah there, easy. Are you alright?”

She met baby blue eyes surrounded by orange, quickly recognizing the presence as another one of her bosses: Michelangelo. She quickly nodded, trying to get a hold of her senses once more. Her eyes next scanned the floor, letting out a big sigh as she noticed the mess.

“Damn... I’m sorry,” she started. “I should’ve looked where I was going...”

“Nah, it’s fine,” smile the orange clad terrapin. “Next time I’ll be careful not to be on your war path!”

Both were already crouching down to pick up the fallen papers, Vee feeling so absent-minded by this meaningless task. All she wanted to do was to run away, to be quite frank. As Michelangelo handed her the last files, he did inquire again: “... You sure you’re alright?”

Vee faked a small smile, quick to dismiss his concern.

“Yes, I’m okay. No worries. Have a nice day, sir.”

As she got back on the move, her distress did not escape the mutant, although he did not try to push his questionning any further.

***

“What’s up, D, my man?”

Donnie paused his writing, glancing up towards his office’s entry. He saw Mikey standing there, the purple clad mutant huffing lightly as he then continued his task.

“I’m busy, Mikey.”

“You’re always busy, so any time to poke you is as good as any.”

The tall one rolled his eyes, although he did smile a little. He quickly gestured for his brother to come in.

“What’s up?” he asked as the other was taking a seat.

“Meh, I dunno man, just wanted to take some news from you,” shrugged Michelangelo. “You’ve been staying late a lot these days... How was your weekend?”

Donnie stopped writing once more, leaning back into his chair with a dreamy smile.

“It was hella nice.”

“Oh yeah? How so?”

“Spent some time with a beautiful lady.”

“There yooouu gooo!” lightly laughed the youngest. “T’was about time you’d get some fun. Who is she?”

“Slow down, I’ll present her to you soon enough. ... We’re just taking some time to ourselves first, you know...”

Mikey was disappointed by the lack of details, but he did respect his brother’s choice: “Fair enough.” A thought came back to him, suddenly adding: “Oh, speaking of meeting ladies, before I got in here I bumped into one. I dunno what’s going on in the office, but she did look kinda distressed. ... She’s got nice green hair though! We don’t see lots of people with different hairstyles around here.”

Donnie slightly jumped in his chair as he heard the mention of ‘distress’ and then ‘green hair’. It had to be Vee.

“Where is she?” he instantly asked.

Mikey was surprised by his brother’s reaction, vaguely gesturing a direction.

“I, uh, I have no idea. Somewhere around those parts we don’t really have a use for.”

She must’ve went to the drawing room... Donatello did not waste any second, already on his feet and heading out.

“Sorry gotta go,” he quickly excused himself. “Talk to you later.”

Mikey didn’t even have time to place a word, still seated as he watched the other dart straight to a precise direction. “Oooookay...”

***

It didn’t take long for Donnie to reach the room in question, already hearing some quiet sobs when he was close to the entrance. As soon as he stepped in, he found Vee at one corner, by a table, her glasses removed as she tried to forbid tears to ruin her makeup. The woman jumped as she saw the terrapin’s form appear in, trying her best to gain a better posture and make herself more presentable as she put back on her glasses.

“Shit! D-Donnie, I-”

The turtle was already on the move, soon next to her and certainly preoccupied.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Nothing,” tried to brush away Vee. “I’m not- ... fuck, I don’t want you to see me cry.”

“Don’t worry. Tell me what happened,” he asked again, his touch gentle as his thumb dried some faint trails on the woman’s cheek.

“It’s nothing,” she repeated. “I just heard some stuff I didn’t want to, that’s all. I’ll stop my bullshit soon enough and get back to work.”

Donnie tsked, not wasting any second to get a hold of her hips, barely giving any effort as he slightly lifted her up to sit on the table. At least now he wouldn’t need to lean down too much, his hands resting at her sides, on the table, now their eyes at the same level.

“Talk to me.”

She couldn’t hold his gaze long enough, a sigh escaping her first. ... It would be preferable to touch the subject anyway, before any rumors would start flowing around.

“I had some employees on my team this morning saying some ... stuff about us.”

“What kind?”

“The kind that makes it look as if I’m hanging out with you only so I can get a promotion or something like that to advance my career,” she added, her tone slightly harsh. She paused, trying to calm herself down quickly: “... Look, before you say anything, I want you to know that it’s not true. I’m not some kind of business leech that’ll try to flirt her way up. I work hard and-and- I do an honest job, and-”

“Don’t worry, I believe you,” cut Donnie gently, trying to have her look at him again.

When their gazes met, she did feel some relief.

“I don’t give a damn what they say,” he continued. “They don’t have the full details anyway, so their judgement is invalid.”

“I hope they don’t get all the details, I’d prefer to keep most of them to myself,” added Vee with some amusement.

“Me too,” he smiled.

He tried, and succeeded, to lift her morale by giving a sweet kiss on her lips. Vee couldn’t help bringing him into an embrace afterward, her arms resting around his neck. She wanted to stay like this forever... His strong arms around her were so reassuring.

“Don’t mind them,” softly said Donnie as he was nuzzling her hair. “There’s always gonna be some assholes everywhere we go...  The best thing we can do is stand up to them and stay true to ourselves, okay?”

“I don’t think I’m ready to stand up to them today,” mumbled the woman against his scales.

“Alright, I’ll do it then.”

Vee instantly frowned, backing up a bit to give him a stern look.

“Don’t you dare! I don’t want anymore troubles.”

The terrapin chuckled: “Don’t worry, you don’t have to say names. ... I’m just gonna teach them all a little lesson. ... There’s no place for rivalry and petty discourses regarding matters they have no involvement with.”

“If things turn to hell, I blame you.”

“Deal!” he winked.

***

Time was passing by and Vee was somehow getting more and more anxious about what Donnie would do in regards to her team...  She most certainly hoped he wouldn’t rub in the issue and ask the others to mind their own business. But at the same time she knew he could demonstrate tactfulness and would probably approach the matter at hand appropriately.

She first heard the squeak of small wheels, her attention shifting and soon noticing the terrapin walk in with a portable whiteboard. She groaned internally, tempted to melt on her chair and disappear under her desk...

Donnie attracted people’s attention by clearing his throat first, then adding: “Hi there! If you guys won’t mind, let’s have a talk.”

He removed the cap from an erasable pen he was holding, writing in big letters “TEAMWORK”. Vaguely gesturing the word, he started:

“What defines teamwork?”

Silence at first. At some point a woman shyly rose her hand, Donnie inviting her to speak:

“Please, don't be shy, no need to raise your hand. What do you have in mind?”

“Teamwork could be defined by good communication?”

“That's a good start, what else?” smiled the terrapin as he wrote “COMMUNICATION” on the whiteboard.

“Sharing the workload equally?” started another person.

“Efficiency!”

“Having a common goal.”

“Trust!”

Donnie lighted up at that word, circling it a couple of times for emphasis.

“Yes, trust!” he said. “Seeking a common end, resolving conflicts and frictions, having an open conversation about issues you might be experiencing in the workplace. All that trust you can put in your coworkers mirrors the trust you have in regards to their skills and abilities. A mutual trust is defined by a confidence between team members that each puts the best interest of the team ahead of individual priorities.”

“I guess it depends on the person and their position,” added in a guy.

Vee recognized him as the man who had first sparked the comments this morning. She tried to avoid his gaze, Donnie noticing the sudden tension.

“I suspect you have something on your mind,” started the terrapin calmly to the man. “What’s your name?”

“Ben.”

“What do you mean by ‘it depends on the person and their position’, Ben?”

The guy was obviously feeling some discomfort by being the center of interest.

“Well... when you see someone like, let’s say a manager, taking advantage of their position and time to advance themselves in the work place, it’s hard to put trust on them.”

Donnie clapsed his pen shut.

“Are those allegations founded? Have you spoken to that person and tried to see if that was actually the case? Miscommunication and misunderstanding can lead to a lack of trust, indeed.”

“When you see them hanging with higher ups, that kinda confirms some questioning,” continued Ben. “When she stays late at night and fraternizes with a boss, that does raise some concerns about the practices of this workplace.”

“There we go,” smiled Donnie, accentuating his words with a sharp point of his pen. “Now we’ve come to the source of your concern; first you mentionned a manager and now a ‘she’. Knowing there’s only one project manager for the creative team, I can suspect you have some concerns in regards to Véronique.”

“You’re just gonna defend her, why should we listen to you?” said the other.

“Because I’m not here to defend anyone,” shrugged the mutant. “I’m here to make you understand that you’re a team, and all its members shouldn’t feel afraid to speak to one another, instead of raising suspicions.” He gestured Vee, the woman only wanting to disappear. “Ever since Véronique started working here she has been spending countless hours in office to learn the ropes of this place and give the best of herself only so you can give the best of you all in return. I value her judgement and experience, and she has agreed, on her free will, to participate on a project I was personally struggling with. In return I have been helping her with her work, because that is how trust is built: by sharing the work-” he started to point the words on the board. “-being efficient, communicating, and having a common goal. ... And that’s something I want in this office, for its people to be open and help eachother - not because they feel they need to, but because they want to.”

That gave everyone a pause, somehow giving a feeling of accomplishment to the turtle.

“May that spark a friendship or not - when it does not involve this work environment and it’s out of office, it’s nothing to worry about afterward. ... Let that be food for thought.”

He looked a bit toward Vee’s position, giving her a quick wink. The woman did feel some relief by his speech, knowing he might have struck some chords here and there. She wasn’t fully convinced that everyone would be on that same line of thought, especially that Ben, but there was no denying that it would ease some tension somehow.

***

Vee had waited until work got back to a somewhat normal pace before she wrote that to the terrapin.

Her smile was tender, her fingers easily typing away.

Thinking about it also, today was one hell of a long and stressful Monday...

Probably one of the only good things today...

There it was again, that damn charm of his! She could feel the rush in her veins, remembering those moments with him. Frankly, she wanted more as well...

***

The following morning was as normal as it could get on a weekday, Donnie taking the opportunity to clean around his office. He was going through a filing cabinet, starting from the top drawer. Some papers did slip from his hold, the terrapin next crouching to get them off the floor. But at the same moment the entry door was harshly opened, a voice sternly calling his name. Donnie’s reaction was to jump straight back up, but that resulted in him hitting the top of his head on the previously opened drawer, getting a yelp out of him. He quickly diverted his gaze to the newcomer, rubbing his scales.

“Leo!” scolded the purple clad mutant as he saw his older brother. “The fuck?! Don’t you know how to knock or something?”

“We have to go.”

“Go where?”

“No time to explain, we’ve found them. We need to move right now before we lose their track again.”

Donnie instantly got serious as well, his posture straightening up.

“... Do we still have our backup gear in this building?” he asked.

“Yes,” confirmed the blue banded turtle. “Mikey and Raph are already aware as well. Get your stuff and we leave in fifteen minutes top.”

A simple nod in answer was good for Leonardo to get on the move again, leaving Donnie. There was no time to lose, the tall mutant rapidly tidying up his space before grabbing any personal items and exiting his office. His mind was running, thinking about what was to come. On his way he did notice Vee at her desk, somehow pausing only to bask into that view. At first she was focused on whatever she was working, but she did feel a gaze on her, her eyes lifting to meet Donnie. She first offered him a sweet smile, to which he briefly returned, then she saw him get back on the move - an expression of concern coloring his traits. That did confuse the woman, her eyes following his path and noticing that he was about to leave the building. She tried to shrug the feeling away, only telling herself that she’d poke him later about that...

((Part 10))

[palettepainter]

Gonna post some Zoophobia art here to tumblr since I always seem to forget So what started off as sketches turned into a small headcannon I made for Francesca, her older design in my NGAU has since been updated compared to when I first drew her. I changed up her hair style and clothes to give her a more matured look, also, pointy vampires ears, I had to add them. Sum notes on her -Francesca runs an independent hair salon in Safe Haven. Though she runs her own business she is a fierce supporter to her younger sisters Pepper's and Bamibi's species appreciation acceptance club. Francesca gives me a laid back and relaxed vibe, she's chill. She'll show up to events hosted by her sisters, sporting their species acceptance t-shirt merchandise and blow into a party horn with a lazed smile on her face. Despite her lay about arguably lazy side she is very caring, being a big sister, and is often the voice of reason among her two sisters when they're thinking about doing something crazy. -Francesca is hella gay, in her first years of ZPA she was a bit of a closet gay, not really confident to talk to girls she thought where pretty. It wasn't until she had her first fling with Camilla did she finally embrace it, Camilla and herself had a friends with benefits sort of deal during their years at ZPA. They'd laugh together, do dance class together, judge people together, fuck together: you know, typical best friend things. In Francesca's third year she began to grow a bit more confident in herself, and in the end her and Camilla stayed as very close friends. -Not shown above but Francesca is married to Spring, Autumn's sister. Spring works as a professional yoga instructor, hosting yoga classes out in the middle of sunny fields to be one with nature, her powers making her perfectly skilled in the art of growing and nurturing flowers and plants of all kind to bloom, a perfect relaxed environment to practice the art of yoga. The two met when Summer dragged her older, slightly anti social sister to Francesca's salon for a hair doo. Though scatter brained and a little forgetful Spring means well, embracing her hippy dippy ways to be one with nature. Her siblings are all generally okay with this, buuuut because of how much time she spends in nature Spring sometimes forgets to trim that mane of hair, and more often then not one of them has to drag her out to get a trim. Francesca is not intimidated by the tall women with a head of green hair flowing to the back of her knees, and confidently arms herself with her scissors and hair ties. It took a whole day for Fransceca to tame the hair into a more manageable style, Spring's siblings simply said that they wanted Spring's face to be visible, and that Fransesca had free will to style the hair how she liked. After she's finished and Fransesca gets her first propper look at the timid customer, she's already drawn to her shy nature. Francesca, though being a bit of a wild card, has a thing for shy people, perhaps it's a bit of vampire quirkiness, perhaps she likes the idea of someone shy and timid when she flashes all but a single toothy grin (Simon was and still kind is a bit of a sadist, he had no issue biting Fabian or restraining Zill, heck he even seemed pleased at the idea of drinking Carries blood cuz she was a demon - he's got some sadist nature in him, and it rubbed off on Francesca just a wee bit). Fransesca is laying out her smoothest flirts and pick up lines, all of which Spring replies too with a flustered deer whinny sound. Fransesca confidently gives Spring her card with a wink, and Spring hurriedly leaves. In the end Peppers and Summer got fed up of Spring pinning for Fransceca who was having way to much fun getting Spring all flustered that the two put them up on a yoga date. Fransesca had been pretty stressed out lately with helping Peppers and Bambi with big events at the centre, and so Spring gave her a full yoga therapy session. Fransesca at first doesn't really see the point in sitting in a field in some weird robe thingy, or walking calmly through the grass bare foot, or listening to the sound of a stream - yet, she tries anyway, mostly going into this yoga session thinking it would be all laughs and jokes. She's very surprised at just how..good Spring is at getting her to relax, there's something so soothing about Spring's voice it actually lulled her to sleep at one point, her snoring kinda broke the atmosphere Spring had going. They're happily married, Fransesca loves her dorky deer wifey -Blaire has a somewhat tense relationship with her mother Camilla, with the lack of a motherly figure in her life Blaire unconsciously seeks approval from the older female figures in her life: those two being Rosie, and Fransesca. Blaire is currently studying beauty and fashion at ZPA, despite what others think she's actually really found of exploring different fashion themes and playing around with hair dyes. She currently has a job working at Fransecsca's hair salon, she has yet to actually do any styling herself and works mostly behind the till. It's not the job she wanted, and it's pretty sucky, pretty damn boring. Fransesca sees that Blaire is obviously not having fun, not like Blaire was trying to hide it, so Franscesca one day gives Blaire a mannequin head and wig, and tells her to 'show what shes got' Blaire was a bit nervous at first, feeling as though this was some test, didn't help that Fransesca was watching silently the entire time. By the time she's finished Fransesca walks over to inspect her work, Fransesca doesn't sugar coat, she's to the point and Blaire may have been a little hurt. Then Fransesca gives her shoulder a friendly punch and admits that she's seen worse, and that Blaire has some potential for this kind of work. She takes Blaire on as a sort of apprentice, but it doesn't take long for the two to have a more relaxed bond then a worker and boss one. Francesca comes to enjoy the snarky brat, she sees a lot of herself in her DO NOT REPOST/EDIT/COPY/TRACE MY ART Franscesca/Bambi/Pepper/Spring/Simon/Camilla - Zoophobia Blaire - me

[missturtleduck]

The Girls of Ba Sing Se - (Sokka x f!Reader) Pt. 6

Part Five│Part Seven

“You let me nearly be eaten, Toph!”

She didn’t know how she ended up on Sokka’s chest, but Y/N wasn’t complaining.

It had been a few days since Azula administered psychological warfare on the Avatar and friends when she deprived them all of sleep, and so far, the days had been uneventful. The group had gone through the usual motions; travel for a while, make camp, eat, train, and sleep. One achievement Y/N was especially proud of, however, was training Qin to not eat Momo – Qin being the twenty-foot-long mongoose lizard that had refused to leave Y/N alone.

“I can’t believe you’re keeping it!” Katara had said, eyeing the creature warily, Momo clinging onto her by her loopies.

“But, Katara,” Y/N had whined, “We let you keep Sokka!”

Sokka was not amused.

Sleep, however, was a priority after they were deprived. With little to do when they made camp, Sokka and Y/N often made the most of it – the basking warmth of the sun and the cool shade from overhanging trees – with naps throughout the day. Perhaps that was how she ended up with her head on Sokka’s chest, ear over his heart, soothed by its steady thumping. How his hand ended up in her hair was another question entirely to Y/N, but she assumed it was probably the same for him; they had just moved in their sleep.

Just as Y/N was about to drift back into lazy slumber, Sokka yelped, shooting up and knocking her off of his chest. As she was about to shout at him, the anger caught in her throat, bubbling into laughter when she saw the mess in front of her.

Qin had her head on Sokka’s legs, pinning him down, her tail thumping like a dog – something she had likely learned from Momo. Her laughter developed into raucous cackling as Qin’s head slid up to rest on his chest, Sokka flailing his arms miserably in an attempt to get her off. Betrayal crossed his face as he watched Y/N double over in pure glee.

“Y/N!” He croaked, not appreciating the reptile nuzzling against him. “Get your dragon off of me!”

Still giggling, Y/N clapped her hand, Qin’s head snapping around to identify the noise. Clambering off of the poor boy, trampling him along the way, the lizard waited excitedly in front of her. Her tail had the strength of an earthbender’s tremor, enough to break ribs or send a soldier flying. Y/N though it was adorable, like when Kuai would wag his stub of a tail in excitement at the littlest thing. She missed Kuai.

“Qin,” Y/N said, catching her breath from giggling, “Qin is not a dragon. She’s a mongoose lizard.”

Sokka narrowed his eyes. “She’s probably spying for the Fire Nation.”

“Oh yeah?” She challenged, resting her chin on top of Qin’s head. “Qin, are you a Fire Nation spy?”

The reptile took its great tongue and licked its own eye, letting it loll dumbly after. Y/N gestured to the docile creature as if to say proof enough.

“That is exactly what a Fire Nation spy would say.”

Y/N didn’t think she had ever laughed so hard in her life. Taking a seat in front of the campfire, which had lit very easily, she began boiling tea over the flames. Sokka sat opposite her, a goofy frown on his face as he grumbled to himself. To add to insult, Qin seemed completely unaffected, learning nothing about personal space as she curled her tail around Sokka’s midriff as she basked in the sun.

Comically, the three raised their heads to look eastwards as a great crack resounded through the mountain range. Aang was learning to earthbend, Y/N knew this much, but was it honestly that loud?

“I have an excellent idea!”

Y/N raised an eyebrow at her friend across the fire, whose hands gestured so wildly that his tea flew out of his cup. “I hope it’s not crying over spilt tea.”

“Hardy har har,” He blanched, sticking his tongue out. “No, we should train Qin to hunt!”

On cue, the reptile raised her head to look at Sokka, eyes glazed over with glee. Looking at the dopey animal, Y/N doubted it had the mental capability to catch an animal. Chase an animal? Qin could do that for miles? Have the depth perception and overall smarts to catch it? A firebender had more chance surviving in the North Pole.

“If you want to help train Qin, we’ll train Qin.”

With those words, Sokka tightened his wolf tail and wrapped his forearms ready for a hunting trip. Slinging her staff over her back, Y/N finished her tea, smothering the flames. She had a feeling that today was going to be very amusing.

To start with, Sokka held seal jerky under Qin’s nose, talking to her lowly as if he were bartering with a stall vendor. Surprising Y/N, Qin seemed interested. She knew that mongoose lizards were omnivorous, but she couldn’t imagine any animal wanting to snack on, let alone take a whiff of, dried seal jerky. Maybe she was just projecting; she wasn’t overly fond of the food as Sokka was, though he seemed fond of any food put on his plate.

Qin’s tail hit the floor in enthusiasm, a clear sign she smelt something similar. Sure, she was no shirshu, but she still had a keen enough nose to do what Sokka needed – well, wanted.

Following her nose, Qin moved swiftly, running ahead of Y/N and Sokka until she was nearly out of sight. Skidding to a halt, the lizard looked over the edge of the canyon, eyes trained to one spot. Obviously, she had found something. It was Sokka who got there first, less wary of the rocky edge than Y/N. He pumped his fist in the air, whooping something about an easy lunch.

That was until Qin startled, knocking him over the canyon edge.

“Sokka!” Y/N screamed, tripping over herself to look over the edge.

He looked up from the rocky crevice he was trapped in, a goofy grin on his face. “Aw, you care.”

“Shut up,” She muttered, sliding down the rock face with relative ease, Qin not far behind. “I was only upset because if you died like that, Katara would never let Qin stay.”

“Uh huh, and that’s why you screamed my name.”

Flushing red, she stared pointedly away from the boy, focusing her attention on her new favourite reptile, who was struggling to descend as easily. It took a few moments for the blood to return to normal in her face, so she thought it was safe to look at Sokka again. She was wrong. He was still grinning at her from his trap, eyebrows raised. She suddenly had a very vivid image of a fair game she used to play at festivals involving a large stick and a hole hopping gopher – and she already had the big stick, or staff.

“You’re very cocky for a boy stuck between a rock and a hard place,” Y/N quipped, taking a seat next to Sokka on the ground.

Sokka barked out a laugh. “And you’re very funny today!”

Y/N, cupping her face in her hands, pouted. “I’m always funny. Speaking of...”

Stifling a giggle, Y/N pointed past Sokka’s right side at Qin. She had managed to make it down the cliff face, and even found what she was hunting. Rather than having the baby animal between her jaws, she was playing with it, watching it chase her hand.

“You know, when I trained Qin to not rip Momo in half, I think she’s just applied it to all tiny creatures,” Y/N mused, “Kinda cute, really.”

He hummed in agreement, sounding almost dreamy. “Yeah, she is.”

The place he had managed to get stuck, though snug, had some beautiful surroundings. Naturally, the canyon was home to many different flora types, but the trees that had weathered such harsh conditions were phenomenally beautiful. Somehow the leaves seemed to shine with a green more brilliant than the uniforms of earthbending soldiers, or even the emerald adornments of noblewomen’s robes. It was shockingly quiet, bar the occasional bird call, each one new and more exotic than the last.

Grunting with effort, Sokka shimmied himself up in the crack, propping himself up with his arms.

Y/N frowned. “Should I go find Toph?”

“No!” He exclaimed, startling her. “No. Just keep me company?”

Her frown quickly dissolved into a small smile. Wordlessly, she sunk to his level, unpinning her hair and laying on the dusty ground. The sky was nice at least, serenely blue against the earth tones of the canyon.

“Is the sky as pretty here as it is in the South?” Y/N asked, tilting her head to catch a glimpse of Sokka.

“Oh, way prettier,” He said, his tone completely confident. “You know how blue the sky is right now? In the South Pole, it kinda meshes with the ice, like an ocean of sky.”

Y/N snorted. “Oh, so you’re a poet now.”

“Hey!” He pouted. “You asked! And I would know what that was like, considering I’m the only one from my village who can captain a ship.”

“A ship!”

“Well, more like a boat.”

“A boat?”

“A very small fishing canoe.”

The pair dissolved into laughter, Sokka shifting so that he didn’t slip down entirely.

“You live in the South Pole though,” Y/N said, brows furrowing in confusion. “Isn’t fishing your livelihood?”

“Not just fishing.” Sokka’s tone shifted, becoming more serious as he eyes glossed over with something very different from the glee it had just been. “My dad and his partner, Bato, would know how to captain proper ships. Most the men from my village knew how to work on a boat.”

Knew.

Y/N sat up, propping her chin up on her palm. “You’re the only man in your village?”

“You’re looking at him!” He joked, though his heart didn’t seem in it. “The best captain, warrior, and overall guy you’ll find.”

She looked at him, her eyes sad, her smile even sadder. Silent, she put her hand over his, looking at him in the eyes. They stayed like that for a moment until he cleared his throat, his face red and uncomfortable.

“What about you then?” Sokka asked, staring up at her with what she could only describe as puppy dog eyes. “You’re my friend and I know nearly nothing about you.”

Spirits, help me.

“I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Do you have parents?”

“A mother,” She nodded, her face softening ever so slightly. “She lives in Ba Sing Se, actually. It was where I was heading when Lao had his tantrum.”

“Is she pretty like you?” He said, head tilted in curiosity.

“Sokka, you best not be going after my mum,” Y/N scoffed, hiding how pink she was turning. “No, I’m her spitting image, apparently. Brown eyes and what not, y’know? I didn’t, however, pick up her affinity for earthbending. I don’t really know what she’s doing since she sent me away.”

Sokka scowled, a silent question.

“I guess she though Ba Sing Se wasn’t safe anymore,” She shrugged. “That, or she finally got sick of me.”

“No offence to your mother,” Sokka began, eyes wide in ready defence, “But I don’t understand how anyone could get sick of you.”

Y/N eyes widened to the size of the moon, Sokka’s face falling as it happened. He was opening his mouth, she realised, but honestly Y/N was far too distracted by the saber-tooth moose-lion leering over the pair. Qin realised too, hackles raised as she nudged the baby back towards its mother. With Qin stalking to Y/N’s side, she realised that Sokka had no idea what was about to attack them. Gently, she pulled her bō staff out, holding it low down but ready to strike.

“Don’t tell me,” Sokka deadpanned. “Foo Foo Cuddlypoops’ mum has finally come to pick him up.”

“You called it Foo Foo Cuddlypoops?” Y/N hissed, placing a hand on Qin’s nose, anxious she was about to pounce.

Before Y/N could make a rash decision – she was going between charging the beast, kidnapping its kid and running as fast as possible, or likely following Qin to stop her killing herself – Aang came into the clearing. Trying to prevent a very messy accident, Y/N gestured subtly to Sokka, something along the lines of use your magical Avatar superpowers and get Sokka out of this mess.

Aang smiled panicked, replying with something like I can’t earthbend, what do you want me to do?!

With the still growling moose-lion, Sokka looked between the two like watching two teams in a sports game. “Hello? Sokka here! Still stuck!”

Startled, the moose-lion charged, and they reacted fast. Scooping up the baby, Y/N grabbed onto Qin and began to run. Maybe if she was watching the ensuing chaos, she would have laughed at how the baby seemed content with the wind hitting its face, looking at its mother unfazed by the distance between them. It took all of her willpower not to scream the entire way; death by moose-lion was not going to be written in her obituary, not if she had any say in it. Then the path ran out. Another cliff edge, another chasm to fall into. Climbing off of her mount, Y/N dropped her staff, holding the baby in one hand and doing the one thing she could think of.

She ignited.

Holding the flame near the baby, Y/N held back grimacing tears as it squealed in fear, but it was enough. The mother, seemingly unbothered about trampling Y/N and Qin, whined desperately, snarling and spitting up a vicious storm. Slowly, she put the baby to the floor, letting it run from them. As the mother tended to her child, she looked up briefly, as if considering whether she could get away with brutally killing the firebender. One look at the flame, and they bolted.

Extinguishing the fire swiftly, Y/N exhaled a sigh of relief, the nausea in her stomach – that she hadn’t been aware of until she had stood still – dissipating. Keeling over, she heaved herself onto Qin, letting the reptile run her back to her friends.

“Oh, hi Y/N.”

Toph was grinning atop a stone pillar. Had she been there the entire time?

“I can’t believe you watched that happen and didn’t do anything!” Sokka shouted, Aang sharing the sentiment with a scowl.

“Pssh, the Avatar learns better under pressure.”

Y/N eyes widened as she saw red, opening her mouth to speak; no words came out as she covered her mouth, trying not to be sick. “I was nearly eaten by a moose-lion.”

“You’re being dramatic- “

“You let me nearly be eaten, Toph!”

“Nearly is the key word there!”

Baffled, Y/N stared at her friend. Somewhat hysterically, she cracked up into laughter, clutching onto Qin for support. She laughed and laughed until Sokka approached her, holding her up by her arm.

“I am not making dinner tonight.”

TAGLIST: @lunariasilver​ @maragreene​

[dumbbitchenergy17]

Extra Part 10

U.A. a school for students to learn how to become the best Pro-Hero. When young Y/n Midoriya returns from her traveling to be accepted through recommendation. What awaits her when she meet the explosive blonde Katsuki Bakugo

Words- 4471

Katsuki Bakugo x Midoriya!Reader, Izuku Midoriya x Cousin!Reader

Warning-Spoilers from show and Hero license Arc, and fighting scenes.

Series Masterlist

After everyone had joined they continued on with the exam, “Oh, right for the hundred of you who passed the first test, please turn your attention to the screen,” The screen in front of you lights up showing the arena.

“It’s the test arena,” Izuku comments.

“What happens next?” Uraraka questions. You all watch as buildings begin to explode as well as other parts of the area get destroyed.

“What the hell.” You watch as structures collapse destroy the entirety of the arena.

“There’s only one more round to the exam. Your goal is simple: Undertake rescue exercises and save the bystanders who are trapped in these disaster sites.” The announcer explains the next exam.

Both Kaminari and Mineta look confused “Save the what now?”

“Bystanders. We learned about them in class, remember?” You try to spark their memories, “They’re people at a disaster scene.”

“It can also simply refer to innocent citizens on the street.” Momo adds.

The announcement continues. “Use this time to show us how you will carry out successful rescue procedures once you receive your provisional licenses. Treat this as though it were a real thing.”

“Look on the screen.” Shoji points out

“Little kids and old people?” Sato gasp.

“That’s so dangerous, why are they here?” Mineta adds.

“These specialists have been trained as professional ‘persons in need of rescue’ They’re very popular introducing the ‘Help Us Company’, also known as HUC for short”

Sero crosses his arms looking at the Tv “So, they’re basically actors, I guess?”

“It’s the kind of job you never think about, ribbit.” Asui points out

“But a necessary one in our world, since they support our hero training.” Ojiro noted

“The HUC bystanders have dressed up like injured victims and will be located throughout the disaster site. We'll be judging on how well you keep them safe as you go about your mission, We’ll be scoring you on a point system. If you have more points than the benchmark at the time the exercise ends then you pass the exam. We’ll start in ten minutes and take care of any necessary preparations now.”

Most of your classmates head off to go prepare for the next part of the exam. You head over to one of the tables to grab some water and a quick snack. You could feel a presence next as you went to go reach for some water when they grabbed the one you were going to. You turned and saw it was one of the students from Ketsubutsu you think you met earlier. He hands you the water bottle and you nod confused you could have grabbed it.

“Uh thanks..”

“Yo Shindo.” You nod using your quirk to get a piece of milk bread to come to you as you were too lazy to walk over. Shindo watches in awe as the bread floats to you and you grab it taking a bite from it.

“Um bye.” You said turning around heading towards your classmates, he rushes to follow you getting in front of you.

“Uh your quirk is pretty cool.” He stumbles over his words trying to remain calm in front of you.

“Thanks only gets better with training.” You state taking a sip of your water.

“I’m Yo Shindo.” He holds out his hand.

“You already said that earlier.” You smile when his face turns red and he stumbles over his words rubbing that back of neck.

“It’s fine really, I’m Y/n Midoriya.” You shake his hand giving him a smile he nods. 

“I didn’t see you at the sports festival, did you not participate?” He questioned not remembering your face on the TV.

“I only joined this summer, I used to travel so I got in through recommendation.” You explained and he looked more impressed.

“Wow.” He looked at you as if you created the stars.

You heard shouting and you turned seeing Kaminari and Mineta harassing Izuku, you sigh turning to him. “Sorry I gotta deal with stuff I’ll see you around during the exam.” You give him a wave, him giving you one back and you make your wave to the boys. You throw out the empty bottle, finishing up your bread as you use your quirk to pull Denki and Mineta away from your cowering cousin. “What the hell is going on?” You look at the two boys glaring at Izuku.

“Midoriya got to see that smoking hot babe’s body naked.” Mineta pointed over to a girl from Shiketsu still waving. You release them from your hold pinching your bridge nose sighing.

“I don’t have time for this boy drama.” You turn away from them, Izuku crying out in distress as they go bombarding him again.

“Oh, hey it’s Shiketsu.” Kirishima munches on a piece of bread as their school comes over to you all.

“Bakugo.” Mora greets him. He was the one who was covered in hair

“What.” Bakugo grumbles,

“I think you met Shishikura in the test. My classmate with the flesh-molding power?” 

Bakugo looked uninterested “Yeah. I took him out.”

“I thought so. I’m guessing he may have acted rudely, or perhaps offended you. He has a tendency to try and push his own values onto others. He probably couldn’t help it in your case, since you’re pretty famous. I apologize for him, I’d like to build a good relationship between our schools.” The way he spoke chilled you and it was hard to tell his expression with all that hair.

“I-I guess he wants to be friends?” Mineta shuddered

“So he says.” Izuku is exactly as fearful, “But the way they were fighting, it didn’t seem that way.”

Mora nods walking away “Anyway that’s it.”

You and Kirishima look at each other and shrug and he went to get more food as you watched the Shiketsu students leave. The way Mora acted seemed to hide hidden ideals, you didn’t get to think more as an alarm went off before you were directed to the TV.

“Villains have performed a large-scale terrorist attack spanning all of Insert City Name Here. Since most buildings collapsed there are many injured,” The room around begins to open up again just like before in the beginning “Due to heavily damaged roads, the first responders have unfortunately been delayed for the time being. Until emergency services arrive, the heroes in the arrive will lead the rescue efforts. Your task is to save as many people as you can and help the injured. And with that..” A loud blare goes off and everyone begins to run “BEGIN!” He never stated how this whole point system was going to work so every action counts.

“Let’s start by heading to the nearest urban area. We’ll work as a team as much as possible.” Ida calls out to the class

“You’re going on your own again?” Mina calls out to Bakugo who starts leaving the group and then turns next to you “Are you not going to follow?”

You shook your head following the group in front of you. “Ida’s plan for us to all work as a team will benefit all of us with what the judging is.” You explain.

“Even though this is just a test, it feels pretty real.” Asui looks around the area as you try to find anyone.

“Stay alert!” Ojiro calls out, “be careful of falling debris and explosions.”

You see Izuku stop in front of you turning to face one of the buildings and you go up to him. “What’s wrong Izuku?”

“Do you hear that?” He asks as the group tries to listen and then you hear faint crying. “I hear someone.” Izuku heads in the direction of the cries with the group following behind.

“Help me, please!” Someone calls out and you rush over to him. “My grandpa! He’s been crushed. I think he’s hurt.” He cries and you can see that there is some blood on his forehead.

“Oh no. This looks bad. Where is he?” Izuku analyzes the situation

“This looks bad?” The HUC actor yells breaking character, “That’s points off your score!” and Izuku yelps at his reaction. “The first thing you should do is see how bad my injuries are and if I can walk. I’m breathing kinda weird, too, aren’t I? And didn’t you even notice that I’m bleeding from the head?” He yells at your class, “People with Hero licenses should be able to judge a victim’s condition in an instant!” Are the members of HUC going to be the ones scoring us? “Your gross lack of training is all too apparent right now. You better shape up and pay attention, newbies! You’re not just here to provide aid. Until the police and firefighters show up, you need to exercise authority and make sure this goes off smoothly. Think of the victims here. They must be terrified. There are many aspects of being a hero. But take note, there is one thing to keep in mind above all else. Anyone in need of reducing is having the worst day of their lives. And the first thing you said was ‘This looks bad’? Seriously?” He scolds you all and you see Izuku slap his hands to his face.

“Hey! It’s fine!” Izuku gives him a smile bending down to his level. There is a brief pause before the actor gets back into character crying

“Over there! My grandpa!”

“Don’t you worry. We’ll definitely save him. I can carry this boy to the first aid station myself. You guys, go on without me!” Izuku reassures the actor while addressing the group. You nod heading off to go find more bystanders. It had been a while traveling through the rubble and debris being wary of explosions and such.

“Wait, look, someone is trapped under here.” Momo points over to where you see a elderly man under debris, “I believe he is still conscious.” She deduces. 

“I’ll use my quirk to get him out.” Uraraka begins to make her way over but Momo stops her.

“That wall near him looks like it will collapse.” Momo creates metal poles and directs Sero to use his tape to stabilize the wall, then Uraraka went and removed the rubble slowly. There wasn’t much for you and your other classmates as the three of them worked.

“We aren’t going to save anyone just standing here.” Mineta whined and for once the little creep was right.

“It would be smart for our class to split up into smaller groups.” Shoji suggested and you all nodded.

“Our best way of passing is communicating and working together with the other schools to save the civilians.” Ida states. You go off into smaller groups, you are with Mina, Jiro, and Ojiro. You had to travel further into the city looking for any victims.

“Hear anything Jiro?” Mina asked the girl kneeling her earphone jacks inserted into the ground. She stood up and pointed towards where the highway you fought at in the beginning of the exam was destroyed.

You headed over to the location and that when Mina called out the three of you. “Guys I found someone, hey you’re going to be okay I have friends here to help you.” You went to where Mina was and she was calming down an older man. 

“He doesn’t have any abnormal responses but his leg is pinned down and we have to be careful if the highway has any falling rubble.” Mina explained pointing to the location where you could see his leg was pin down his pant leg was red but you knew it wasn’t really blood.

“Please help me I can’t feel my leg!” the man cried.

“It’s going to be okay sir, Ojiro you and I will lift the rubble up and Mina and Jiro as soon as you can pull him out, this area isn’t that stable so we need to be careful but also quick.” You ordered and they nodded. Mina and Jiro got into position, Mina holding underneath his arms and Jiro by his legs. Ojiro placed his tail underneath the rubble and your hands glowed red. “Ready, 1..2..3!” You and Ojiro pulled the rock up and Mina and Jiro pulled him out. The two girls pulled him a safe distance for you both to let go of the rubble. They helped the man up to his feet letting him put his weight on the two of them. “Okay let’s get you to a safe location.” You all made your way out of the destroyed highway zone to more clearer areas. Suddenly you could feel rumbling and loud explosions towards the area where you all started at the beginning of the exam.

“Isn’t that where the shelter zone is at?” Jiro commented and an announcement came over the stadium.

“Villains have appeared and they are wreaking havoc on the city, the heroes must suppress them as well continue carrying out rescue maneuvers.”

“Villains and continuing rescue operations? They really want to make this as really as possible.” Jiro points out as you head away from the explosion.

“The only thing we can do is find a new location for civilians and hope any students nearby are dealing with the situation.” Ojiro adds and you all focus on the task at hand. You had found the other examinees setting up a new shelter area and more students with bystanders showing up. You were a reasonable distance from the fight and you could see the occasional gust of wind and fire. You had looked over the examinees and citizens trying to see if you could find Izuku.

“You should go help them.” You turn and see Mina looking at you, you shook your head turning back to people resetting up the shelter zone.

“I’ll be better helping here if we need to move again. Anyway my quirk is better for defense then combat.” You go back to helping pass medical equipment to one of the examinees checking a bystander.

“I’ve seen you fight in training during school and when we don’t have classes. Your quirk is definitely more than just defense, you can move things with your freakin mind. You could end that fight in seconds, they need you Y/n.” She pulls you away from helping and pushing you into the direction of the fight, “So go over there and show those people in the stands that you are going to be the next number one.” You smiled taking a deep breath in and turned back to her.

“You are literally my favorite.” She laughed, shooing you off and you sent a quick wave before turning towards the fight and taking off running. You could see both Shoto and that one student from Shiketsu trying to fight the “villain” who was Gang Orca. You remember seeing him during the Kamino Raid. Whenever Todoroki tried using his fire and Yoarashi with his wind they both cancelled each other or didn’t affect Gang Orca at all. Todoroki tried using his fire again but Yoarashi used his wind quirk which deflected his flames in the wrong direction. 

Heading towards a paralyzed Shindo “No! He’ll be incinerated!” Todoroki thinks unable to stop the flames heading towards the student. Right before the flames can reach two people reach there at the same time. Izuku using his enhanced speed to rescue Shindo, and Y/n landing previously where the boy was using her quirk to stop the flames.

“Dammit what are you two doing!” Izuku yells at the two of them, bringing Shindo to a safer distance.

“Are you two really bicker during a fight.” You commented as Gang Orca’s goons came your way. They had fired their cement guns towards you but you stopped the cement mid-flight sending it back their way. You stuck multiple people together with the cement, keeping your distance to not get over crowded with a more mid-range attack. While you were focused on his sidekicks, Gang Orca grabs Todoroki and uses his soundwave on Yoarashi, knocking him out of the sky. You send a wave of energy towards Gang Orca’s sidekicks sending them flying back rushing over to a falling Yoarashi. You used your quirk to soften his impact with the ground. Facing Gang Orca you got ready to fight your eyes turning red as energy surrounding your hands.

“You're foolish thinking you can take me on by yourself.” He tries to intimidate you.

“As long as those civilians are safe I’ll fight you with everything I got!” You call, a smirk appears on his face as he makes his way towards you. He uses his sonic wave to immobilize you, bringing your hands up to block his attack with a force field getting pushed back by the strength of it even when protected. Running to him going into a close combat fight, throwing punches mixed in with the psionic energy. Gang Orca is pushed back when you throw a ball of energy at his chest, his feet digging into the floor. ‘Just keep fighting until everyone is safe and rescued’ You remind yourself. Punches and kicks are thrown, Gang Orca using his Sonic wave but you keep putting up a force field protecting you.

“How long will you be able to last?” He sees your reaction time getting slower to his attacks. You get back up to your feet ready to keep fighting. Gang Orca sends another Sonic Wave towards you stronger and faster than the other ones. You are not going to be able to protect yourself. Bring your arms up hoping that you have a small force field so you are not fully immobilized. You don’t feel any pain or effect of his quirk, then you hear struggling.

There was Gang Orca cover in a light red haze, your hands had energy a darker red than it’s ever been. “My quirk..” you hear him struggle trying to use his sonic wave to break out of your grasp but he couldn’t. 

Dropping your hands the red disappears and he quickly attacks while you are confused on what happened. You flew back, rolling landing on your back looking up to the sky. Your ears rang and you could hear you breathing most noise muffled as the fight continued around you. Why can’t I hear? Turning your head when you felt a wave of heat and there was a huge fire tornado, when did this happen? You couldn’t do anything but watch as the blazing whirlwind is destroyed by Gang Orca who was inside it. You didn’t get to view the rest of the fight when your vision was turned away by Mina who is kneeling above you. Her mouth was moving talking to you but everything was muffled.

“What…” you gazed up at your friend as she helped you up from laying down to sitting up.

Slowly her voice became more clear and the noise around you returned. “Y/n are you okay when the rest of us came to help I saw you on the ground and thought the worst.” You nodded and looked around and saw Izuku standing next to Gang Orca but they weren’t fighting. Before you could question the loud speaker came on.

“All your scores have been tallied. For those who have suffered injuries, head to the infirmary and for those who aren’t to change back into their normal clothes and await for further instructions.” So the exam was over and all you did in the end was stare at the sky.

“Come one let’s get you checked out.” She grabbed your arm helping you to your feet. You both made your way out of the arena when you felt eyes on you. Looking back you saw Gang Orca looking at you, looking back forward you let Mina lead you away. How did I do that? After being checked out you had a bit of a concussion when you got hit at the end of the fight, but it didn’t explain the bloody nose and blood coming from your ears.

You got cleaned up and changed back into your school uniform gathered in front of a screen. “Okay. Everyone, thanks for your hard work in today’s exam. Now before I announce the results. I should probably explain the way we evaluated you, between HUC and those of us at the Heroes public Safety Commission. We had a two-fold demerit system that we used to determine your total scores. In other words, we were evaluating you based on how few mistakes you made in a crisis situation. Anyway, the names of those who passed are listed here in alphabetical order. Keep my words in mind as you search the screen for your name.” The screen in front of you all turns on with a list of names. Come M.. Midoriya. You look through all the M’s and there it was Midoriya Y/n. You passed! 

Mina tackles you into a hug “We both passed look at us! One step closer to being Pros.” You laugh as you other classmates freak out about passing. You glance through the board and can’t find Bakugo’s name.

“Todoroki!” You all turn to see Yoarashi slamming his head into the ground in front of Todoroki. “I’m sorry! It’s my fault that you failed the test. My focus was too narrow minded.”

Todoroki doesn’t move before stepping forward. “You’re fine. I was the one that got us off to a bad start. And thanks to the things you said to me, I have a lot to think about.”

“Holy crap. Did he really fail?” Mina asked

“How could our top two classmates not pass the exam?” Sero said out loud. 

“Shoulda been more careful what you said. Words are important, you know.” Denki teases Bakugo and Bakugo looks ready to kill.

“Shut your mouth before I murder you.” He hissed and Denki's face went pale. 

“Those entitled people at the top think so highly of themselves, don’t they?” Mineta joins into the conversation, “Their own egos are their worst enemies.” He grabs onto Todoroki’s shoulder “Looks like our class hierarchy is collapsing”

A red haze surrounds Mineta and he’s thrown away from your classmates. Todoroki gives you a nod and thanks and you respond, but a sharp pain in your head has you hissing pressing a hand to your forehead.

“You okay Y/n?” Mina looks over at you but you wave her off.

“I’m fine, I probably shouldn’t use my quirk with a concussion.”

“When did you get that.” Sero asked as you stopped rubbing your head feeling better.

“When I was fighting Gang Orca.”

“You fought Gang Orca!” Denki and Sero yelled, making your head hurt more and they lowered their voices.

“He’s like the number 10 Hero and you like actually fought him.” Denki asked and you nodded.

“Todoroki and Yoarashi were down and everyone was busy with the evacuation. I did what I could but then…” You froze remembering Gang Orca struggling unable to use his quirk, but you can’t stop people’s quirks right? Your friends look at you confused when you stopped talking to tell what happened, “Um… all I remember after a bit was that I was on the ground with Mina there and the exam was over, not a big deal.”

The boys nodded and Mina squeezed your hand and you didn’t see Bakugo still staring at you. What really happened in that fight.

“So next we’ll give you the printouts of your results. They include a breakdown of your scores, so you’ll know exactly what areas you need to improve going forward.” People came out handing out papers to each of you giving a breakdown on your profile during the exam. “We lopped off points when you did something wrong. Fall below 50, and you’re done. These demerits are itemized on your result forms, as you’ll see so I’d look at them.”

“Mina what did you get?” You looked off your paper turning to your friend who was glazing over hers.

“I got a 80 seems I’m pretty good at these things, what about you?”

“Eh I got a 85 they mainly took points off when I went to fight by myself instead of helping the evacuation or at least bring someone with me.”

Mina's arm went over your shoulder pulling you into a side hug. “I think you did the right thing. You were able to single handedly fight a Pro on your own, that’s freaking awesome.” you smile thanking her and the announcer continued on, 

“Anyway, moving forward those of you who passed can exercise the same authority as pro heroes, but only during emergency situations. In other words fighting villains, saving the victims of criminal acts or accidents. You may act using your best judgement with no direct orders. Keep in mind that your every action from now on carries with it the deep responsibility toward bettering society, and that the world is watching you. I’m sure you’re aware that All Might, our greatest hero, no longer has his incredible power. One of the reasons crime in this county has been so low is due to his presence. With that deterrent gone, criminals are sure to become bolder and more widespread. Expect the balance we currently have in our world to be destroyed, and for things to change quickly.”

“You young people will be the hope for our future. It’s Imperative that you become exemplary heroes. That your reputation grows to suppress crime as did his. Remember the license you earn today is provisional and you still have much to do. I would like for you to think of yourselves as fledglings, and be even more diligent in your studies. And as for those who fell short and did not pass. We don’t have time for you to feel bitter about your loss. Instead, we offer you a chance to redeem yourselves. After you attend a three-month-long special course and pass an individual test, we plan to issue a provisional license to those of you who failed as well. In order for us to reach the idyllic future that I just spoke of, we’re going to need as many good heroes on the streets as we can get. The first round was one to weed people out. But we would like to grow the 100 selected in that test as much as possible. That's' why we watched you all until the very end. So we can see for ourselves that you each have promise. That once your shortcomings are corrected, you have the potential to be as great as your fellow classmates. This special course will keep you busy as it will run concurrently with your normal studies. You’re welcome to retake the exam in April if you prefer to wait.” He had finished his speech and with that the provisional license exam was complete.

[47-shades-of-hitman]

In Your Likeness | Chapter 2 - You seem familiar

Four weeks later

 The white noise of the lights around buzzed in your ears.

Sebastian walked up to you, cup of tea in hand.

“Here.” he said, placing it onto the table, the teaspoon resting in it rattling at the movement.

You sighed, leaning back, putting down the small pieces of equipment you were holding. Instead, you wrapped your arms around the hot mug, relishing in the sweet smell that came from the herbal beverage. You never took your tea with sugar, but opted to not tell him.

“Thank you.” you mused, smiling at him whilst bringing the cup up to blow into it, cooling it down just slightly. “Where would I be without you?”

Sebastian scratched his beard and smiled. “Well, for beginners, you wouldn’t be in sunny Jerusalem if it weren’t for my lead on a Piece of Eden.”

“That’s my lead, too!” sounded from the other side of the room, followed by a crumpled piece of paper being thrown at Seb’s head.

“Oi! Yeah, I get it, Miranda.”

“Sunny Jerusalem, you say?” you countered playfully, bending over your work again. “Then tell me, why are we hidden several floors underground instead of floating on the Dead Sea? I could’ve stayed in Tel Aviv to do more research there.”

Sebastian perched himself on top of the table you were working on, taking a swig of his coffee.

“Oh, come on (Y/n). You love Jerusalem. No-one who knows the city as well as you do. You’re only glad to be back.”

A large grin spread over your face, knowing he was right.

“(Y/n), take a look at this.” Miranda appeared at your side, handing you a yellowed folder.

“What’s this?”

“Information about your new target. Azra El-Sharani. A dangerous woman, mind you. She might seem harmless, but according to our spies, she killed her own husband. Templar ties? No doubt.”

You whistled through your teeth, flipping through the papers Miranda had so carefully compiled.

“I like a challenge from time to time.”

“This is not a game. Especially not here, on this soil. It’s drenched with blood of all kinds. Let’s not add too much to that, please.”

You tipped your chair back so you were leaning on its hind legs, balancing it just right.

“I know, Miranda.” you said. “I know this place like the back of my hand, but I know when to  not  strike. Thing is, if I don’t remind myself to have fun every once in a while, I might slip into madness. It’s not only what  makes  me the best at what I do – it  keeps  me that way, as well.”

Miranda nodded, her blonde curls bouncing at the movement of her head.

“Naturally. On with it.”

“Of course.” you replied. “I will let you know when I leave.”

As she walked off, the heels of her pumps clicking almost obnoxiously against the floor of the bunker, you leaned forward again, returning to your work. The acetone was sharp in its scent and stung in your nose, yet had evaporated in the time you had left it to dry. With practised ease, you re-assembled your bracer, clicking the blade back into place.

“You need to eat before you go.”

“Do I?” you asked your friend. “I believe I just had tea. With sugar, even though I never really take that in my hot drinks. That should give me enough energy for the rest of the day.”

Sebastian hopped off the table and followed you suit when you stood and made your way over to the exit. Grabbing your coat, you threw it over your shoulders. Despite it being your summer garment, it was immediately sticky against your bare skin.

“(Y/n), I am being serious. We can’t have you faint on us.”

“Being peckish keeps me sharp, Seb.” you explained, putting on the bracer. From the chest underneath the mirror hanging on the wall you took another gauntlet, this one equipped with built-in tranquilizer darts, which you could use should the need arise. You wished you had it on you on your previous contract the other day  – that rival hitman, of whom you didn’t know the name. 

He had crossed your mind more than once this month.

You shuddered, but you weren’t sure if it was because of the aversion you felt towards the ICA or the vivid memory of his  impossibly blue eyes.

“Are you sure you’ve read the file well enough? We could go through it together while enjoying some sandwiches? I could get you some falafel, too? Or something sweet… Babka?” Sebastian tried.

You sighed, giving him a tight-lipped smile.

“Time is of the essence and there is no way that I can wait any longer. Jerusalem is waiting to be rid of her Templars. My absence has made the lower ranks lazy.”

Sebastian let his shoulders hang, knowing that there was no use in pressuring you any further.

“Alright.” he said, “Enjoy your surroundings. Many people would be jealous of you, regarding your whereabouts, I mean.”

You laughed a little at the IT-manager. “Oh, Sebastian. No one should be jealous of me in any regard. Anyway, isn’t your break over already?”

Sebastian checked his watch, hiding the expression of shock on his face. “Shit, I’m five minutes late. Never mind, I’m the manager after all. Good luck on your endeavours, now.”

You nodded and folded your hands on your back, watching him trot away, a certain spring in his step he always had whenever he was late.

Before you left the premises of your quarters, you dropped by Miranda, just as she had asked of you. However, when you turned the corner, you ran straight into her, almost colliding against her shocked face.

“Oh, (Y/n)! You startled me!” she breathed. “I was just about to get you, really. I just got a call from the Council’s office. They want you upstairs.”

“Why? What is going on, have they told you? I was about to leave for that file, actually, I—”

“I’m not sure, but the Eldest of Council told me that you needed to meet with him right away.”

“Mr Howard?” you countered, feeling your stomach tighten. He was the highest ranking member of the Council, making you immediately nervous.

“Yes.” Miranda sighed, seemingly just as scared. If Mr Howard called for you, it couldn’t be good.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

You rushed away, pushing through the doors after straightening the lapels of your coat in the mirror. Walking up a few flights of stairs to where the Israeli Council had their headquarters underneath Jerusalem, your mind started to run.

Was it something you had said, or did you take breaks that were too long? No, if that had been the case, you wouldn’t be called into office. After all, you were the best Assassin they had and the most hard-working one at that. If you took a break that was ten minutes longer than planned, it—

You halted mid-step, standing still for a moment as realisation hit you. The agent from the ICA you had run into a few weeks back… Mentally cursing, you rubbed your forehead in frustration, resuming your walk to the main office, though with a heart that was even heavier. They must’ve found out that there were rivals on their turf. Took them a long while, too. Perhaps you should’ve reported it, but you hadn’t regarded it as a threat.

Oh, you were going to get the lecture of the century. On why you should’ve killed that hitman instead of letting him walk out, or at least how you should’ve neutralised him. About how he had probably now killed someone prominent within the Creed and that it could’ve been prevented if you had ended him. Perhaps you’d be banished for negligence or charged with the guilt of a fallen brother- or sister-Assassin.

Your knuckles rapped on the metal door in front of you and you took a deep breath. A Master Assassin felt no fear when it came to scaling buildings, killing people in high places, taking  Leaps of Faith. .. And yet, you were about to shit yourself because you had to speak with your superiors.

“Enter.” sounded the way-too-familiar voice of Thomas Howard, Eldest of Council and thus, the highest power when it came to the Brotherhood of Assassins. And so you went, closing the door behind you after slipping through the tiny gap you had created by pushing it open.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” you were surprised at how confident your voice sounded.

“Yes, Miss (L/n). You may approach.”

The walls were covered in photographs of places, people and objects, red thread lined through here and there, revealing the on-going development of plans. You halted at the front of Mr Howard’s oaken desk, folding your hands on your back.

The middle-aged man looked at you thoughtfully.

“Miss (L/n)… You’ve been our best Master Assassin ever since your brother died. Is that correct?”

“Affirmative, sir.” you replied, swallowing away the lump in your throat at the mention of your deceased brother. “For five years now, sir.”

“Time and time again, you’ve proven loyalty to the Creed. I would trust you with the Brotherhood’s most secret investigations concerning Pieces of Eden and the extermination of Templar forces.”

You bowed your head humbly. “Thank you, sir. I’m honoured to hear that, sir.”

“Now.” he said, standing up, his robes swaying at the movement. “I need you to follow me.”

Why the secrecy, you wanted to ask, but opted to bite your tongue instead. It would be too rude a question, especially to the Eldest.

And so you went after him in silence, the only sound the beat of your footsteps.

“I will explain in further detail later, but we’ve picked up on a lead that runs deeper in importance than just exterminating the Templar Order. No, what we found will shake the world. You’re my most capable Assassin, so I need you on board.”

You nodded. “Sir, I’ve sworn fifteen years ago that I would do my all for the Brotherhood, that I would give my life and my dignity if it meant to serve it,” you paused before adding “...Sir.”

Mr Howard hummed in response. “I don’t think you’re going to like this, though.”

“Sir?” you asked, but he didn’t reply anymore.

“How about my other mission, sir?”

“I’ve placed Bethany on it. She’ll handle it just fine.”

“But Bethany is just a novice, sir. She won’t be able to—”

“I need you here.” Mr Howard said, displeased with your prying, and the tone of his scolding voice made you immediately cast your eyes downward.

“I apologise for my nosiness, sir.”

“Alright.” he said, and swiped a key-card to open a large, thick door.

The room was near empty, an ominous hue omitted by fluorescent light, a large table littered with files and documents in the middle. A few members from the High Council stood around, but an unfamiliar woman had her eyes on you. You locked her gaze to yours and raised an eyebrow.

Who was she?

“Here at last, Thomas.” an older lady you knew well stated, clearly unhappy with his late arrival. Siobhan Vermont glared at the two of you with narrowed eyes.

“I apologise, Mrs Vermont. The most important thing is that we’re here now, and I guess there are a lot of questions.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but someone cut you off before you could even start.

“You withheld information from us, (Y/n). You forgot to mention a rival assassin roaming the streets of Jerusalem. Someone of your ability should notice a thing like that right away.”

Casting your gaze downward, quite ashamed. “I apologise, sir. I should’ve reported it, but I threatened—”

“We already knew of their presence.” Mr Howard said. “There is no harm done, yet keep it in mind next time something like that happens.”

Your head whipped up to him and you frowned in confusion.

“I don’t understand, sir.”

Mr Howard walked to the strange woman and whispered something to her. She nodded and went to the adjacent room silently.

“This is a mission we hoped we never had to plan, but the situation forced us into cooperation with people who have ties to the ICA. Something big is going to happen, something that will make the entire world shudder, something that will make the eradication of our own, current enemies seem insignificant.”

Mr. Howard ushered you to the middle of the room, to the table, and on the other side of it, someone was being led forward as well.

When you halted and looked up, resting your hands on the files underneath you. In front of you, mimicking your position, he stood. 

Icy blue eyes met yours, something in his gaze stirring.

“We meet again.” he dryly stated.

You sighed, feeling puzzled, then, your gaze hardening.

“So it would seem.”

[mocnliights]

breaks my own gif icon format for intros bc his face deserves to be seen . luca came to me in a stroke of mild inspiration ( pinterest ) so i will be figuring him out as i go . i’ve got a barebones background in the works under the cut but rly all u need to know is he’s generally a lazy pos , definition of a f*ckboi , and is ur resident beach bum . now plot with me <3

trigger warnings : abandonment , death , i think that’s it but please let me know if i missed anything !!

* taylor zakhar perez, cis man + he/him | you know luca espinoza, right? they’re twenty-seven, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, nine years? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to let it happen by tame impala like, a million times this year, which makes sense, ‘cause they’ve got that whole lingering smell of the salty ocean year round, doing the bare minimum, and a disregard for bad decisions’ consequences thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is july 1st, so they’re a cancer, which is unsurprising, all things considered. 

THE BASICS  .

full name : luca espinoza . probably has a middle name and a second surname on his birth certificate , but doesn’t know it or care to . birthday & birth place : july 1, 1993 & san diego , california sexual orientation : bisexual/romantic hometown : san diego , california current residence : delphinus heights occupation : picks up odd jobs here and there , mainly works at the surf shop on the beach education : high school diploma positive personality traits : daring , resourceful , self-reliant & self-sufficient , witty , blithe , fun-loving negative personality traits : hedonistic , insensitive , irritable , pessimistic , irresponsible , destructive , impulsive

THE SUMMARY .

luca spent the first 15 years of his life in a mix of foster homes after being left on the steps of a church by his birth mom ( or so he’s told , he doesn’t really know ) . it’s how he learned to not get attached to people or material things from a young age

his maternal grandmother showed up one day , had some longwinded tragic story about why his mom had given him up in the first place and what had taken so long for another blood relative to find him , but he barely listened because even though these were answers to questions he’d had his whole life , he just no longer cared

wellllllll bad luck to his grandmother for taking in a moody , good for nothing , rebellious teenager bc even though he finally had some sort of promised roof over his head , he never believed it and he continued acting out , skipping school to go to the beach , smoking behind bleachers w friends if he did go to school

despite her best attempts , there was no wrangling him in . little did she know that a lot of times when he cut school , he was taking odd jobs wherever he could where they’d pay him in cash to save up as much money as possible bc as soon as he turned 18 , he was leaving . and that’s exactly what he did at the crack of dawn that july 1st , packing up his beat up car and hitting the road . his only requirements were that it was as far away from san diego as possible ( so , east coast ) and that he could still surf ( and he picked irving )

he lived out of his car for a good 4-6 months when he first got to irving , having saved up enough to get across the country and maybe a couple nights at the motel but not enough to actually pay rent and secure a lease on the most affordable apartment 

buuuuuuut ... he sort of won his own version of the lottery when he got a call from a random number one day , picked up out of curiosity . it was his grandmother’s lawyer informing him that she had passed away and she’d left all of her assets to him . it hit him harder than he expected ?? just bc he acted like he didn’t give a shit about family didn’t mean there was some comfort knowing there was someone out there he was related to , who apparently cared about him

anyway , turns out she had a lot more $$$$ than the humble lifestyle she’d led thanks to smart savings and investments , but luca didn’t really care for it . he just needed enough to pay for a room , surf , and do his thing ......... which is generally still acting like a rebellious shitty teen into his late twenties without any attachment to things or people

may add more later but that’s all for now , folks !

wcs !

first friend in irving ? maybe met at the motel when he first arrived , maybe they bum on the beach together , and they’ve been nonjudgmental and pals ever since

someone he makes bad decisions with kdjsflja pure bad influences on each other , should not be friends for everyone else’s sake , but what can you do

someone he’s a bad influence on bc he’s always somehow dragging them into his bad habits

former/current hookups . he’s probably broken some hearts of people who’ve gotten attached while he was just in it for the sex

an actual ex ?? maybe ?? someone he actually fell for shocker and it ended so badly that it only affirmed his original belief in not getting attached to people and that love isn’t real so dramatic

someone who thinks he’s worthless bc they only ever see him at the beach DKSJLAKJDL

someone who believes in him and that he could be something more but he .. could not care less .. but A for effort

i’m sure there’s more but my brain said enough

[mysterioh]

UPDATED JUNE O1. 2020

 ｓｔｅｖｅ ｒｏｇｅｒｓ

↝ where angels fear to tread

wip | mob!au | updates on AO3 only

previously named the ignorant beauty and the beast of new york.

saturdays mornings are reserved for sleeping in. yours, however, consists of a stupid art assignment and a nosy mobster.

↝ paronomasia 

oneshot | parent!au 

In which Steve tortures his family with dad jokes. 

↝ a surprise for uncle bucky 

oneshot | parent!au

your kids get uncle bucky a sweet gift. 

↝ a love story for rainy days  

oneshot | college!au

steve always finds you standing in the rain with your umbrella. 

prompts

“hey before you doze off—can I ask you a quick question?”

“no, don’t cry. I hate it when you cry.” 

“this takes finesse and focus, none of which you have.”

“i can’t stop thinking about you. + why don’t you just kiss me?”

ｂｕｃｋｙ ｂａｒｎｅｓ

↝ one more hour

coming soon | getaway driver!au 

bucky becomes a getaway drive for a local gang to earn some extra cash as his wife is pregnant. bucky swears he’ll stop when he’s made enough. but when exactly is enough, enough?

↝ here kitty kitty  

wip | cat hybrid!au| hiatus

you're a cat person. so when you find a kitty hiding in a battered cardboard box in an alleyway you just had to take him home. he needed a place to stay and you wanted a friend. a win-win situation or so you thought. turns out mr. barnaby is actually a two-thousand-year-old cursed soul reaper who's been banished to the land of the living. don't believe me? just add water.

↝ hello neighbor 

wip | single parent!au | hiatus

brooklyn heights’ residential playboy has got his eye set out on the new girl across the hall. she’s got it all. the looks. a killer smile. a pretty laugh. two cute kids……………..wait a second.

↝ saajanji ghar aaye

wip | desi!au | hiatus

after a brisk romance in london, bucky follows you back to your home in upstate new york where the preparations for your marriage to the son of a family friend are well underway. as the inevitable countdown to your wedding begins, bucky remains optimistic in his pursuit of your love and your family’s acceptance.

 ↝ crown jewel 

oneshot | thief!au

james barnes is a notorious jewel thief known for looting the rich while they drink and dance in merriment. during one particular heist, he ends up purloining the rarest jewel of them all; your heart. 

↝ busted 

oneshot | professor!au

nat asks you about a certain contact by the name of “bucky boo bear 🐻💖💕💗” and gets the surprise of a lifetime.

↝ panacea

oneshot 

bucky barnes was a disease. his hands were stained with blood and had a thousand sins burdening his shoulders. it goes without saying he didn’t have a reason to stay. that is until he gets a dose of your infectious smile and healing laughter, a cure-all in the form of a bubbly avenger, did bucky think to himself it might not be so bad to stick around.

↝ ticket to my heart 

oneshot | cop!au

bucky tries to flirt his way out of a speeding ticket. unfortunately for you, it’s working.

↝ body aches & cupcakes 

oneshot

you and bucky are sore all over and decide to spend a calming, lazy day together, but sam won't stop asking stupid questions.

↝ devil no. 4

oneshot | devil!bucky

In order for the devil to steal his victim’s soul they must sign a contract. This is has never been a problem for Bucky before—until he met you. 

prompts

“let’s go to 7Eleven”

“no don’t cry. i hate it when you cry.”

“i’m not fine. i know i said i was but i’m not.” + professor!bucky

“the truth is, i never loved you.” 

“i was doing fine, really, and then you waltz back in like you didn’t break my heart.” + modern!bucky

“is that the best you can do?” + mafia!bucky

“this can’t be real. it all feels like a fever dream.” + mob!bucky

“are you drunk?” 

If you would like to be tagged in anything please fill this form. 

[fantasticstoryteller]

New Dynasty Chapter 55

Peter watched as Wade paced the room. The older man was nervous and slightly twitchy as he moved. Slowly, Peter was coming to realize that the twitches were the man reacting to the voices in his head, the “boxes” as he called them.

“Please calm down,” Peter urged as Wade paced.

“I can’t—I mean, I shouldn't—shut up! I’m getting there!”

Peter felt a little hurt that the boxes got a full, complete sentence to themselves while all he got was broken grammar. He strode over and quickly grabbed Wade’s shoulders. “It’s okay!” he assured the man—still clearly not all there.

Wade gasped for a moment and then pressed his hands to his face. “I got a job.”

Peter waited. Clearly there was more coming.

Wade began to shift, like he wanted to pace—but he didn’t break away from Peter, who kept his grip light enough that Wade could break away. “It’s in New York.” He rushed on, quickly. “But it’s not a killing job and I know I said I wouldn’t kill in the city but it’s a good job for a friend and there’s no killing involved.” He paused. “I asked.”

Peter nodded. Sure, he knew Wade said he wouldn't kill in the city—and that was good. He also knew that Wade was a mercenary which meant he had to take jobs. He felt certain Deadpool was trying to funnel that money into Peter’s house without the boy knowing. He didn’t see why Wade was so worried about it.

“Do you need help?” he asked as he released Wade’s shoulders.

Wade stared at him for a full minute before suddenly dropping into a crouch with both hands on the back of his head. “Fuuuck,” he breathed. “You don’t—you just don’t know, Baby Boy.” Suddenly, in a lightning change of mood, he jumped back up and grinned. “It’ll be fun!”

Peter grinned back. “Of course,” he said. “You’re always coming along with me, so I’ll come along with you.”

“Woohoo!” Wade danced around Peter towards the door, and then shuffled back to avoid hitting Aunt May as she came in with groceries. “Oh, let me help you with that!” he said.

“You are a dear,” the old woman replied as she handed the bags she was carrying to him. “I have more in the car.”

Peter grinned. “Let me help too,” he said as he went out to the car.

After all the groceries were in and put up Aunt May invited Wade for dinner, and—for the first time since he’d woken up recovering in the house—he declined. “Sorry Aunt May,” he said cheerfully. “Spidey’s going on a job with me and I have to make sure it’s safe.” He twitched slightly. “Of course I know what recon is!” he said suddenly. “I just don’t normally bother!” He bowed, saluted, and then pulled his hood up before dancing out the door.

“Well, you certainly made him happy,” Aunt May commented. She looked at Peter and raised an eyebrow. “A job?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Wade said there’s no killing,” he said, “and I believe him.”

“Hmm.”

^^^

{Smooth, idiot. That was real smooth.}

[‘Make it safe?’ Just how are we supposed to do that? Just last week the Lizard knocked him off a building!]

“We do the best we can,” Wade said soothingly. It was something Peter had told him on one of their lunch dates.

{Date!}

[Dude, he’s way, way too young.]

“Not like that,” muttered Wade as he walked down the street.

[And why are we working for that bitch, anyway? She tried to kill us!]

“Everyone tries to kill us,” Wade argued.

[She THREW us into a VOLCANO!]

Wade winced as the words echoed against the inside of his skull. “But it wasn’t personal,” he protested.

[The hell it wasn’t!]

{Anyone else curious as to why she came to us? Considering she told us to go to Hell last time we met?}

“We have more skills than she does!”

[The only skill we have that she doesn’t is the skill not to die. Are you sure this is going to be safe for Peter?]

{Aw, relax. She’s also lazy.}

Wade reached his apartment and hauled out his maps of the city. Now, from what she’d said the object he was supposed to be collecting was in this high-security facility. All he had to do was—

There was a rap on the door. Then it turned into a vicious pounding. “Dammit Deadpool!” snarled his roommate. “Open the damn door!”

Curious as to why she needed him to open the door, he did so. His roommate, a pale young woman with hair in multiple colors, was holding one of her shoulders as blood seeped between her fingers. “You look bad,” he commented as she limped into the apartment.

“Don’t start,” she growled as she limped towards the medicine cabinet in the kitchen.

Wade saw odd purple and blue lights dancing in the spilled blood.

[That’s new.]

{Never seen that before. We sure she’s human?}

“Pretty sure she’s not,” murmured Wade as he closed the door.

“What was that?” demanded the angry voice.

“Your blood’s all sparkly!” Wade said cheerfully.

“Yeah? It’ll wear off.” Her voice lowered and she muttered to herself. “Fucking unicorns.”

{Hey look! The room’s brighter!}

Wade nodded as he looked at the literally glowing golden strands of hair next to the young woman’s head. They were the only parts not dyed. “Your hair’s glowing again,” he pointed.

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” muttered the woman as she grabbed a beer with one hand, smashed the neck of the bottle against the counter, and chugged it. She pressed the cool glass to her head. “I miss home.”

“Because of your hair?”

“That too.”

Standing there it occurred to Wade that his roommate was almost as indestructible as he was. “So Carol,” he said.

“Cora,” she corrected firmly. “As in, ‘Coraline.’ As in the other person on this god-forsaken lease.” She angrily tossed her beer bottle towards the trashcan and it hit the wall where it shattered. Most of the glass went into the garbage can. Neither of them really cared to clean up the mess.

[We ever ask where she came from? Because, I think it might be important later.]

{We said we wouldn't ask if she didn’t, so we didn’t.}

“Coraline,” Wade agreed. “I’m going on a job soon.”

“Good for you.” The phone in her pocket rang, she dug it out, and answered with a single word. “No.” She put the phone on the counter. “And?” she asked.

“And Spiderman wants to tag along. There’s no killing involved,” he added.

Coraline sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Deadpool,” she said wearily, “you accepted a job.”

“Yes.”

“In New York City.”

“Yes…”

“What’s the job?”

Wade beamed behind his mask. “Object retrieval!”

Coraline closed her eyes. “Object retrieval,” she repeated.

“Yup!”

“Deadpool, did you seriously ask the spider if he could tag along on one of your jobs—the mostly law-abiding do-anything-to-help-along-the-boys-in-blue spider, I’d like to add—when it involves stealing?” She looked at him. “I’m not an expert, but that sounds like a good way to alienate him.”

[She’s right.]

{Oh, my God! What were we thinking!}

“Gotta go!” Wade said realizing there was a crap ton of research he had to do.

“Yeah yeah, good luck,” muttered Coraline as she head towards the bathroom, limps already fading.

^^^

Peter crouched in the corner overlooking the building in front of them as Wade, in full Deadpool regalia, checked an odd little compass on his wrist. “What’s that?” he asked.

“My moral compass. Just making sure I don’t lead you down the wrong path, buddy,” said the mercenary as he put the thing away.

Some of the things the man said made absolutely no sense. “All right,” he said. “So, now that your moral compass is straightened out, what’s the mission.”

“Right. So, my client, my friend, works for these people who had this—thing stolen from them by these people. Now, they called me, instead of the police, because none of them are supposed to have it.”

Peter felt his lips twitch behind his mask. He wasn’t sure if they were twitching in distaste at stealing or amusement at the way Wade was putting the situation. “Let me see if I’ve got this right. A group of people, who were not supposed to have this object—whatever it is—had it stolen by this other group of people, and the first group has hired you to steal it back for them.”

Wade nodded. “That’s it. Contract complete when said object is in her, the contract holder’s hands.”

Peter nodded. He was slightly surprised at the formal phrasing, but Wade was a mercenary. Presumably that meant he had a lot of experience with contracts. “What’s the object?” he asked.

“Some kind of book. She said I can’t miss it.”

“All right.” Peter waited. “How are we getting in?” he asked.

Wade’s head whipped towards him. “What?”

Peter held back a sigh. “Your mission,” he reminded the other man. “Your plans.”

“That is both the single best and most terrifying thing I have ever heard from you,” Wade said softly.

“So, what’s the plan?” asked Peter, both anxious to get started and to keep Wade from thinking too much.

“Plan? Right, plan. Spidey, you’re backup. I want you to stay out of sight as much as possible. These people are sneaky, and I may need super-secret backup to get back out of there.”

Peter nodded. “All right,” he agreed. The two of them went into the building.

Everything seemed normal enough at first. There seemed to be an appropriate number of guards for what was a secret priceless artifact. The security was not quite the best, but appropriate. Pretty much all Peter had to do, as Spiderman, was follow along the ceiling keeping an eye out for surprise attacks. There were a few, and he webbed those would-be attackers to the walls and floors before Deadpool even registered that there was a threat, but nothing major. And Deadpool was very careful not to actually kill any of his attackers, a fact that Peter appreciated.

Before the mission Peter and Aunt May had sat down to have a talk and Peter understood that Deadpool was a mercenary known for killing. Knew it very well, in fact. He had accepted that there might be reasons fro Deadpool would kill on this job—because he was working and it simply might not occur to him to use non-lethal force. He was prepared for that.

When they made it to an inner room, Spiderman still hanging back in the shadows providing silent support, the game changed. On a wooden table was a single, huge book. It was blue. It looked like it was glowing.

Leaning against the table was a woman. She was tall, for a woman (slightly shorter than Wade), was wearing a white dress that looked like a bunch of feathers had been sewed together, and had long, cascading blond hair. “Hello Deadpool,” the woman said in a calm voice. She was holding what looked like a bunch of Popsicle sticks tied into the vague form of a human in one hand. In the other she held what looked like a bloodstained piece of cloth. Just behind her, on the table, was a tall, wide glass of water and a second doll.

Peter’s senses went haywire. This woman, whoever she was, was bad news. Deadpool merely waved cheerfully. “Hi,” he said. “I’ve come to get that book on the table behind you, and once I get it I’ll be on my way since I don’t want to kill anyone in Spiderman’s city.”

The woman chuckled softly and Peter felt the little hairs on the back of his neck raise at the sound. “Oh, yes,” she said as she wrapped the bloodstained piece of cloth around the doll she was holding. “I’ve heard about your little—team up with the human spider.” She moved to where the doll was being dangled over the water. “I’m surprised he isn’t here now.”

Another chill ran over Peter, warning him that something was about to happen. He tensed, not knowing what to expect as he looked around the room desperately for any sign of the danger his senses said was coming. He trusted his senses explicitly.

The woman simply released the doll to where it fell in the water. Wade gasped and choked as Peter stared, not certain what was going on until water began pouring from Wade’s mouth. The man was drowning. The woman dropped the doll into the water and now Wade was drowning.

Peter dropped to grab the doll, to haul it out of the water only to be easily backhanded out of the way by the woman, her nails ripping bits of his suit. “There you are,” the woman said in satisfaction. She smiled at Peter as she pulled a thread from his suit and tied it around the other doll. The merc choked one water as the woman snapped the leg on the doll.

And Peter felt his own leg snap in response before he collapsed to the floor. He gasped as waves of pain rolled over him—but he had fought his way through worse. He’d once swung through the city to catch Norman as Green Goblin with two cracked ribs. That had been bad. This was—still bad, but not quite at those levels yet. He swallowed hard as the woman walked towards him.

“Do you give up, little spider?” asked the woman in a voice that sounded kind, but his senses warned him were anything but.

“Never.” Peter shot webbing at her, and she easily dodged with a laugh.

“You are losing your touch, little spider,” the woman said.

Peter felt his lips widen in a grin. “Am I?” he asked as he yanked on the webbing. The glass fell to the floor. It didn’t break, but the water spilled out.

“Poor little spider,” said the woman sadly as she snapped the other leg. “Just doesn’t know when to quit.” She gasped as suddenly a sword protruded through her stomach.

“Want to bet?” snarled Wade as she fell off the sword, clutching the wound in her abdomen.

A dim part of Peter’s brain that was still functioning noted that it wasn’t a kill move. Even drowning, Wade had held back. As Wade picked him up, Peter webbed the woman to the floor. He also snagged the book with another piece of webbing; no reason to leave it behind. The book sagged as Peter reeled it in. “How heavy is this thing?” he demanded.

Wade glanced at the book. “If I recognize this,” he said absently, “about sixty pounds.”

“Sixty pounds?” demanded Peter, his vision graying slightly as Wade moved him. “What exactly is it?”

“I don’t think anyone is really sure. It sort of showed up a few years ago and has been bouncing around private collections ever since.” Wade carefully carried both Peter and the book out of the building. “Shit!” he swore when they were outside. “This was supposed to be a safe mission!”

Peter couldn't help but chuckle. “I don’t think there is a such a thing,” he said. “How many buildings have you been knocked off of?”

“Yeah,” said Wade as he walked. “But that’s me. I heal. I know he does too, but not as fast!”

Peter frowned. He healed both too fast and too slow. Too fast to risk going to a regular doctor and too slow to keep up with Wade.

“Not to worry,” Wade said as he tried to keep his steps even to prevent from jolting the injured spider in his arms, “we’ll just drop off the book-it thing and then I’ll take you back to Aunt May.”

They were a ways down the alley when suddenly the building they’d escaped exploded. Peter stared at the wreckage in horror. “All those people.”

“Not your fault,” Wade said quickly. He sagged. “Mine.”

“Your fault?” Peter frowned as he mentally reviewed the mission. Had the merc planted a bomb or something without Peter noticing? No, he hadn’t. Wouldn’t. “No,” Peter said firmly. “Not your fault, either.” He turned back to the wreckage. “It must have been some kind of self destruct,” he mused.

“Must have,” echoed Wade dully. “Come on,” he said turning and sprinting down the alley. Peter clung to consciousness with all he had. Every step hurt his legs more.

It didn’t take too long for them to reach Wade’s goal. Wade propped Peter (careful about jolting the injured legs) in a shadowed area of the park before taking the book to the swing set. Peter clenched his jaw against unnecessary sounds and worked to set the legs himself. He’d learned that his bones healed faster if they were set as soon as possible.

A woman, dark hair and sensual curves, approached the swing set. “Deadpool,” she purred.

Peter frowned. Used to hearing meaning behind words he read the dark irritation in her voice. Not usually the voice used to greet a friend. He looked up warily as the woman approached. Actually—she slunk more than she approached.

“Ana. You lied to me.” Wade’s voice was hard, cold, and almost unrecognizable.

“About what?” asked the woman, Ana, Peter supposed she was called.

“About the mission,” he said. “Medium security, no powers, that’s what you told me.”

The woman shrugged. “So they hired extra help after I looked into it. Not like you can die,” she added carelessly.

Rage flickered in Peter at the tone. He grit his teeth as he started to understand Wade’s casual attitude towards injury and dying. It took all his will to stay seated where he was and not draw attention to himself.

Wade merely sighed and tossed the book to the woman—who caught it easily. “That’s my friend,” the woman purred.

Peter had heard enough. He got up, barely registering the sharp pains in both legs, and strode over before webbing the book to her hand and the rest of her to the swings. “That,” he said grimly to the woman, “is no way to be. You can’t base ‘friendship’ on favors. That’s not how it works,” he told her before pulling his phone out.

“Spidey, what are you doing?” asked Wade.

“Look, you said the contract was complete when she was holding the book. She’s holding the book. Contract complete,” Peter grumbled as he dialed. “It’s me,” he told the operator. “Came across what looked like a shady deal at the park.” He rattled off the park’s address. “The buyer is webbed. The seller?” He turned to look at Wade and firmly added, “The seller got away.” He looked back at the woman as he slipped the phone back into his pocket. “They’ll be here in twenty minutes,” he told her. He took off quickly.

Wade loped off after him. “Hey, what?” he asked the hero.

Peter stopped for a moment and then looked at the merc. “All right, listen,” he told the man. “If something happened and you did kill someone in the city—we’d still be friends. Granted, we’d be friends with distance because I wouldn't be able to let you stay in the city—but we’d still be friends. It’s not dependent on you doing anything for me.”

The Deadpool mask stared at him for a moment, eerily still. Then he pointed down. “Do you realize you’re walking on broken legs?” he asked.

“What?” Peter looked down and stared as he gently stomped his feet against the ground. “Oh—huh.”

The two continued on their way. “You need to figure out how to do that on purpose,” Wade told him as he locked fingers behind his head.

“I wouldn't even know where to start,” Peter said wearily.

Later, the two men would find out that their mysterious adversary was known as The Witch. They found that out—the same time they found out that there was no female body found in the explosion.

[honeyedhoseok]

Hanami Pt. 3 | The V2 Series

Genre | angst, The V2 Series, taehyung x reader, friends->lovers->friends (?)

Word Count | 5.1K

Warnings | Language. Alcohol consumption. Lots of pining / Taehyung and Y/N just not vibing well or being on the same level at the same time :/

Summary | While trying to have a good time downtown with their friends, Taehyung and Y/N are still struggling to work through how they feel about each other.

A/N | After a long wait, here’s part 3! This story is absolutely starting to kick me in the ass, so I’m very glad I finally got this out. Lemme know what you think!! :)

Read the rest of The V2 Series HERE!

Downtown is alive with the air of celebration and lightened with the relieved stress of the weekend—people float in and out of clubs and bars, taking advantage of the plentiful food carts and drink stands still left over from that afternoon’s Hanami festivities. 

You are among the crowds, yet somehow still on the outside of your own group. You aren’t having the best time, but it’s no one’s fault but your own—you could put everything in your head aside and just enjoy the company of your best friends like you so desperately wanted to, but sadly, fate didn’t work in your favor like that. 

Instead, you stand to the side in one of your favorite bars, clutching a drink bought for you graciously by Hyejin. Following your line of sight and pressing the stiff buttons on an old, rickety jukebox in the corner, is Taehyung. Unbeknownst to him, you’ve been unable to take your eyes off of him for some time now—whether you have the alcohol to thank for that or just your jumbled mess of feelings, you’ll never know. 

Somewhere, stewing in the back of your fucked-up brain, you’re still thinking of the last time you two were downtown. Just a few short months ago, you were hand in hand with Taehyung, dragging him down the same cobblestone streets you two had just walked on a few minutes ago, giggling with elation, sharing a drink at this very bar, arguing, and then fucking in Taehyung’s car. 

You can’t help but compare those times to now—where Taehyung doesn’t even give you a lasting glance as you sidle up beside him at the jukebox, doing your absolute best to make every movement, every decision of your own look as casual as possible. 

“Anything good up there?” you ask. 

His focus slowly slides to yours as he flips through a few more songs. “Just that one Strokes song everyone knows,” he answers, pushing the big ‘Select’ button with his thumb. 

The beginning bass notes of “Reptilia” play through the loudspeakers in every corner of the room. A few people nod their head in recognition, and when the guitars kick in, you think you see a ghost of a smile flash across Taehyung’s face again. 

I said, “Please don’t slow me down 

If I’m going too fast” 

You decide to go out on a limb and try to rope Taehyung in with nostalgia. 

“You know we danced to this song in my room one time,” you say, grinning. “You remember that?”

“I do,” he says, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans and flicking his fringe out of his eyes. “We skipped school and had to jump the fence to your neighbors house—”

“And I thought I was going to have to take you to the hospital for a rabies treatment, because her dog bit you!” you say, laughing loudly. “Oh my god. That was such a weird day.”

“And it was your second time smoking,” Taehyung adds in, looking more excited as the memories come back to him rapidly, “and you made me basically sit outside your room so that the smell wouldn’t stay inside—”

“—but it definitely still smelled like it—”

“And you were gone off of one hit!” he says, laughing loudly. “And then you put this Strokes album on your record player and started dancing around your room—”

“You danced too!” you exclaim, wagging a finger at him. “Don’t forget that, and then we ended up out of breath on the bed—”

Your sentence falls flat as you realize where this story leads: you and Taehyung fooling around for one of the first times when you were both teenagers. Taehyung realizes this too, because the elation in his face drains immediately, the corners of his mouth drooping into a makeshift frown. 

“Yeah, well. That was a long time ago,” is all he says, before looking over your shoulder at Jungkook walking toward the two of you. 

Jungkook slings his arm around Taehyung, not even sparing you a glance. “What are you doing, dude?” 

You remember the look they shared on the porch and realize suddenly that it’s going to be harder to talk to Taehyung alone than you’d originally thought—even wasted, Jungkook was on a mission to keep the two of you away from each other at every chance he could get. You wonder if the two had concocted this plan before the night began. 

The Strokes song on the jukebox nears the end, picking up speed. 

The room is on fire

As she’s fixing her hair

“You sound so angry

Just calm down, you found me”

Your mind lingers on the previous conversation—oh, how times had changed. 

“Trying to find something good on this piece of shit,” Taehyung answers, gesturing to the jukebox before wrapping an arm around Jungkook’s waist. He’s leaning heavily on his slightly shorter friend, and Taehyung grimaces a little as he readjusts the weight on his upper body. “How much have you had, man?”

“Enough,” Jungkook slurs, giving him a lazy grin. “I’m fucking done for—you want a shot? I’m buying.”

“Actually,” you say, holding up a finger in thought. “I’m buying. Be right back.”

You set the now-empty drink cup in your hand down, swaying a little at the quick turn you do on your heel to head towards the bar. If you weren’t careful, you were going to be like Jungkook shortly, and then Taehyung definitely wouldn’t want to talk to you. On the other hand, the more drinks you had, the less likely you were to let Taehyung’s cold demeanor ruin your night and hurt your feelings—it was a Catch-22. 

“Three Purple Gatorades, please,” you say to the bartender, sliding her your card.

You spare a glance over your shoulder, looking for any signs of Yeonwoo and Hyejin, but they’d disappeared downstairs to the dance floor as soon as the five of you had stepped foot over the threshold. 

Jungkook and Taehyung are now huddled in the corner by the jukebox, and Jungkook’s eyebrows are creased from whatever information Taehyung was in the middle of telling him. Irritation flares at the sight, making you purse your lips—why did it seem like they were definitely  in on this whole thing together? Why couldn’t Jungkook just mind his business and go downstairs with Yeonwoo?

You grab your drinks and your card, heading back over to where they are.

“Three of the best drinks this place offers, courtesy of moi,” you say with a grin before handing Jungkook one. “Right, Taehyung?”

“They are good,” he muses. “But I think I’m done drinking.”

Your face falls flat. “Seriously? I just bought this for you.”

“Sorry,” he says, shrugging. 

“I’ll take it,” Jungkook pipes up, throwing his first drink back and offering to switch his empty cup for the full one in your left hand. “Give it here.”

“Fat chance!” you say, rolling your eyes. “My money, my alcohol poisoning.”

“Hey, I gave you plenty of shots of my gin at the house,” Jungkook protests, pouting. 

You swallow the first drink. “Gimme an hour or so,” you say, before downing the second one that Taehyung rejected. “You can have it all back—probably on your shoes.”

Jungkook recoils in disgust and Taehyung rolls his eyes at your behavior. It makes your blood boil. 

“When did you turn into such a fucking downer?” you snarl at him, taking all three empty cups in your hands. “It’s starting to get on my nerves.”

“I’m not a downer,” Taehyung says at your back as you walk away. “I’m just not—”

You whip around on your heel in time to see Jungkook shush Taehyung with a sloppy finger to his mouth, which Taehyung pushes away in disgust.

“Calm down there, knife-tongue,” Jungkook says, giggling very unlike himself at his own joke. “You’re coming in too hot tonight, dude. You’ve gotta slow down—”

“No, let him finish,” you say, face warming with embarrassment. “What else are you going to say tonight to hurt my feelings, Taehyung?”

Taehyung shakes his head, dismissing you with a half-assed wave of his hand. The gesture is so unlike him that your mouth drops open in shock. Jungkook looks uncomfortably between the two of you, unsure of what to do anymore—so you turn on your heel, walking away and fighting the urge to go back and slug Taehyung with the clenched fist at your side. 

You spend the next hour or so of the night avoiding Taehyung and Jungkook—partly because you’re sick and tired of Taehyung’s sour puss attitude, but mostly because you have two more drinks at the bar and the sweat the alcohol out on the dance floor with Hyejin and Yeonwoo. 

Taehyung keeps watch over Jungkook at the pool table during this time, letting his eyes wander every once in a while over the crowded room. He keeps expecting you to return to him at some point—you were never one to let his moods really bother you, mostly because you knew how to break through them—but much to his surprise, you don’t. 

He hadn’t really meant to hurt your feelings as bad as he did earlier, it’s just that you were trying too hard and in turn, making it hard for him to keep up his anger as a walled defense. Of course, this time apart had been hard for him, too. He’d been putting all of his effort into his relationship with Yeseul, but even he could admit it was more of a distraction than anything. A way to redirect the anger and betrayal he felt because of you into love and affection for someone else—someone he felt actually deserved the effort he was capable of. 

The word rebound teeters on the edge of Taehyung’s thoughts, putting a bitter flavor in his mouth akin to the taste of the whiskey mixed drink Jungkook had forced in his hand earlier, and he swallows it down along with the rest of his mixed feelings. 

 “Your turn,” Jungkook says, breaking Taehyung out of his reverie with a nudge with the end of his pool stick. 

Taehyung takes it out of his hand, focusing on the game long enough to hit a striped thirteen into the right corner pocket effortlessly. Jungkook tuts in annoyance. 

“I’m literally try-harding over here and I’m still losing,” he grunts. “What the fuck.”

“You’re a lot less sober than I am,” Taehyung reminds him with a grin, passing the pool stick back to him after missing his next shot. “Oh, and you suck.”

“Not as much as you do,” Jungkook replies, rolling his eyes. “Why’d you DD, man? You don’t even have work tomorrow.”

Taehyung shrugs nonchalantly, looking away from his friend so that the answer isn’t as telling on his face. “I just didn’t feel like drinking, I guess.”

“Bullshit,” Jungkook says almost immediately. “If you’re going to lie, do that shit to Y/N. Not me.”

Even though Taehyung won’t admit it, they both know why he chose not to drink—it was hard enough as it was to brush off your attempts at making nice with him. If he even teetered on the edge of getting tipsy, his facade was done for. 

“You’re going to forgive her at some point,” Jungkook adds. “I know you.”

Taehyung sighs, taking the pool stick out of his friend’s hand to line up his final shot at the eight-ball on the table. He squints, deciding on a whim within the seconds before cracking the white ball with the tip of his pool stick that if he makes this shot, he’ll forgive you. If he misses, he’ll hold onto this grudge a little longer, watch you squirm and tiptoe around him a little more, before he gives in. 

Of course, the black eight-ball goes straight into the left center pocket on the table without hesitation, and Taehyung sighs heavily in victory, hanging his head.

“Winner buys the loser a shot,” Jungkook says, grinning. “Them's the rules.”

Taehyung scoffs. “Since when!”

“Since I became your mediator for all this Y/N stuff—I’ve got to get something good out of this, come on!”

Taehyung supposed there was some truth to that statement. He had been relying heavily on Jungkook’s support and advice through this whole thing—but who else was he supposed to turn to? The one person he used to tell everything to was no longer there. 

 “Fine,” Taehyung says, leaning the pool stick up against the table. “Let’s go.”

As he slides the bartender his card—ordering Jungkook’s ridiculously pricey shot of whiskey—he tries not to think about just how flimsy his resolve against you is. 

How flimsy it’s been this whole time. 

After wasting some more time upstairs, Taehyung and Jungkook finally decide to retreat to the tables outside on the patio, enjoying the cool breeze that blows through the space and the gentle acoustic music from the live performer in the corner. The plucks of his guitar and low, soft voice are a relaxing break from the thumping bass just a few feet away on the dance floor. 

Jungkook slumps in a chair, digging around in his pockets hastily for what only can be a cigarette, Taehyung is sure. The action makes Taehyung miss his own form of stress relief, but when he thinks about Yeseul’s wrinkled nose at the sight of him puffing on a cigarillo, the thought disappears instantly. 

His affection for her had to mean something, right? He wasn’t purely in a relationship with her for the wrong reasons—he did actually like her. 

At the library, she was always an easy distraction, coming to ask Taehyung questions about his night or his weekend with friendly banter and a pretty smile. Before he finally told her yes—before the disaster scene in his bedroom that one fated weekend with you—Yeseul had tried to get him to come out with her numerous times before, but he’d always turned the idea down. It felt wrong to go by himself, and it felt even more wrong to bring you along if he did go. Somehow, he’d always wanted to keep the two of you separated from each other—now he was glad he had.

Jungkook breaks him out of his thoughts with an offer of his cigarette and Taehyung shakes his head. 

“You thinking about what you’re going to do about all of this?” Jungkook asks, looking pointedly at Taehyung through the cloud of haziness settling in the air between them.  

Taehyung karate chops the smoke out of the air, chewing the inside of his cheek as he buys himself some time. What was he going to do?

“Yeah,” he says finally, sighing. “I’m stuck, man.”

“Look at it like this—” Jungkook says, leaning forward in his chair. “Do you miss Y/N as a person, or do you miss the times you had together? Remember her ways and her selfishness and her flaws. Then remember the physical relationship you two had. Which one has more of a pull for you?”

Taehyung cuts his eyes to Jungkook—he really hated this subject, yet, he could never get away from it. 

“How come you’re suddenly sober when you need to be?” Taehyung mutters. “Go back to dry heaving over the pool table or something.”

“Oh I’m still fucked, believe me,” Jungkook says with a snicker. “My eyes are about three seconds from closing—I’m gonna fall asleep to this boring shit.” He gestures lazily to the performer in the corner still crooning and sucks his teeth in annoyance. “Where’s my girl when I need her?”

“Probably trying to tame Hyejin and Y/N,” Taehyung offers. 

“She’s pretty different than them, right?” Jungkook says, his tone unabashedly appreciative. “I like that.”

Taehyung is glad for the small change of subject. “We know,” he says, rolling his eyes. “You’ve said it enough.”

“No, seriously dude,” Jungkook says, taking a drag from his cigarette for so long that Taehyung is convinced he forgot what he was going to say. “Hear me out.”

“I’m listening?”

“Being with someone who seems like they were tailor-made for us is great, right? I know that’s how you feel about Y/N, because you guys are like two halves of the same whole, or whatever.”

Taehyung frowns at the analogy and Jungkook holds his hands up in defense, telling him to wait. 

“But,” he says, furrowing his brow, “what about falling for someone who is a little different than us? A little softer around the edges—one who suggests you not smoke and drink because they care for your well-being—and is just a good, gentle person to balance you out?”

Taehyung crosses his arms. “Obviously you think that’s Yeseul, right?”

“Yeseul for you, Yeonwoo for me,” Jungkook says, settling back into his chair. 

Taehyung hates how right he is, and wants nothing more than to lean across the table and slug him right in his perfectly squared jaw. 

“I just—” he lets the confession teeter on the edge of his tongue just as a bustling crowd of yelling, laughing girls comes stumbling from upstairs and onto the outside patio. 

The drinks in their hands slosh around at their feet on the cement, which they laugh harder at as they teeter in their heels. It's you, Yeonwoo, and Hyejin—Taehyung recognizes the sounds of your voices immediately—but he realizes quickly that the three of you have made some friends downstairs, and are all searching for a table to rest for a little while after all the dancing you’ve done.

“You just?” Jungkook prompts, following Taehyung’s gaze to the group of girls. “What?”

“Love her,” Taehyung admits glumly, standing up from his chair. He really, really, doesn’t want to talk about this anymore—especially not with you so close. “Come on, let’s make room.”

Jungkook clicks his tongue in judgement but does as his friend says, standing up and cupping his hands around his mouth to call out to Yeonwoo and wave them over. 

Taehyung watches you look around in confusion, but happiness settles quickly across your dazed features as you lock eyes with him and all but skip over to the table. He isn’t sure how much you’ve had since he saw you about an hour and a half ago, but he can quickly settle on the thought that it’s probably way past your usual limit. 

“Taehyunggggg,” you sing-song, throwing your arms around his waist. “I cut my foot dancing, want to see?”

He looks over at Jungkook for help but he’s got a giggling Yeonwoo wrapped up in his arms, whispering something (awful) in her ears, Taehyung is sure. 

Taehyung peels your arms from around his waist gently, though you still frown at the action. He’d just pissed you off not too long ago—where did your anger from before go?

“Let me see.”

You flop down in a chair a few feet away  like a marionette doll who’s strings have just been cut—he’s really starting to get worried about how much you’ve had—before you raise up your leg straight in the air, giving him a unabashed show of your lace panties from beneath the skirt you were wearing. 

Taehyung swallows quickly, grabbing your ankle and lowering your leg. “Y/N, stop.”

“Stop what?” you whine, and it sounds like you’re seconds away from crying. “I’m trying to show you I’m hurt.”

Taehyung can’t help but think you look incredibly cute—your hair messily thrown up in a bun from getting too hot from dancing, your makeup smudged a little around your eyes but still pretty nonetheless, your lower lip jutted out in a way that makes him want to fix everything wrong with the world just to see you grin again.

God damn it, he thinks. What’s wrong with me?

“I can see it without you doing gymnastics, okay?” Taehyung says lightly, trying not to laugh. “You rubbed a giant raw place on your foot from these small ass shoes! Are they even yours?”

“They’re Yeonwoo’s,” you say petulantly, looking down at the ground. “But they went really well with my outfit so I—”

Taehyung shakes his head, laughing a little. “Jesus. Can you still walk?”

“Of course I can,” you say, putting your foot back on the ground and standing up, closing a little bit of the distance between you and him. 

Taehyung realizes suddenly this is probably the closest you two have been to each other and the weakest his facade has been, in months. Looking at you gazing up at him with such hopefulness in his eyes has him feeling soft, feeling like he should maybe rest his hand on your neck and tilt your face up to his—

“Where are your cigars?” you say suddenly. “Give me one.”

Taehyung blinks at you. “I don’t have them anymore, remember? I—”

“I can do you one better!” Jungkook says suddenly, busting up your little moment and coming, somewhat, to Taehyung’s rescue. He digs around in his pockets until he comes up with his cigarette pack. “All nicotine—just what the drunk girl ordered.”

“I’m not drunk,” you state, but the glazed look in your eyes is much too telling for the statement to be even close to the truth. “And I don’t want those.”

“Suit yourself, princess,” Jungkook says. “Yeonwoo wants to know what you did with your ID—said something about you flicking it at the bartender’s face when they said you looked a little young?”

“Fuck,” you mutter, looking panicked. “I’ll be right back.”

When you leave, Jungkook quickly snaps his fingers in front of Taehyung’s face in succession, his face grim. “Get that lovesick look off of your face, idiot.”

“I’m not—”

“Shut up, I saw you,” Jungkook says, poking a finger to Taehyung’s chest. “You’re crumbling, man. Come on—just make it like thirty more minutes until we get everyone home and then you can simp by yourself.”

Taehyung smacks Jungkook’s finger away from him. “Fuck you.”

“You don’t have to be there to clean her up anymore, dude,” Jungkook says, sighing. “That’s what Yeonwoo is for—let her friends be there for her so you don’t have to.”

Taehyung doesn’t say anything and instead, checks the time on his watch. It’s nearing closing time for the bar, so he and Jungkook work to gather everyone up and head back to the parking deck. Surprisingly, it’s a lot harder to corral drunk girls than he remembers; if he or Jungkook takes his eyes off one of you for longer than a second you’ll disappear faster than Taehyung’s moral—a dumb joke that Jungkook whispers to him while walking that he does not find funny in the least bit. 

“Wait, can we go to the river for just a second?” Hyejin says, turning around to face the boys with her hands clasped. “Please—then you can take us all home, I promise!”

Jungkook agrees grudgingly, and Taehyung is happy that he seems to have sobered up as quickly as he got drunk. Alcohol was a weird thing for this group—while you, one to normally hold all your liquor, were close to being blackout, Yeonwoo looked just slightly tipsy after drinking just as much, and Hyejin looked as though she could go for multiple more rounds. 

When Taehyung’s feet hit the cobblestone portion of downtown—he realizes with panic what is happening. 

Unbeknownst to them, Hyejin and Yeonwoo are leading the group to the exact same spot that he and you used as a getaway—it’s your favorite because you can see the boats coming in through the harbor, the lights of the bridge reflecting onto the murky water below and making its surface shimmer. He hopes with all his might that you are not thinking this as well—that your brain is too dizzy with alcohol to put two and two together. 

The last time you two were here, Taehyung kissed you in public, not caring who saw. He wanted to stop the tears that were flowing from your eyes, wanted to stop the hurt and the pain that Hongbin was putting you through—except now, the irony was all your pain was stemming from himself. 

No, not himself. From your actions that caused him to act the way he did. From your indecisiveness, from your selfishness, from your inability to choose what was good, better for you, even. 

The group fans out amongst the dock, leaning on the railing and looking down at the fish in the water or out in the distance at the lights of downtown. Taehyung feels slightly uneasy watching you lean over, but it’s only for a moment before he realizes what you’re doing.

“Y/N,” he says, rushing towards you just as you expel all of what’s on your stomach into the oxford blue water below you. 

“Aw, the fish!” Hyejin whines, and Jungkook cackles at her obliviousness of her friend getting sick beside her. “Y/N, what the fuck!”

Taehyung goes to put a hand on your back, to smooth your hair out of your face so you can finish, but he manages—unfortunately—to catch Jungkook’s stern gaze before he can do so. Jungkook gives him a curt shake of his head, followed by a pointed look at Yeonwoo.

Taehyung reluctantly steps back so she can replace him, giving the two of you some distance. He hates to see you like this—it was rare that this happened—but he hates even more that despite everything that was going on between you two, he still felt an extreme sense of responsibility and compassion to take care of you.

Taehyung’s phone buzzes in his pocket as a welcome distraction: a call from Yeseul that he answers without hesitation. 

“Hey,” he says breathlessly, “what’s up?”

Because he is so busy on the phone with his girlfriend, what he doesn’t see is you cleaning yourself up without him, turning around to look at him laugh on the phone without so much as a backward glance your way. He doesn’t see the hurt on your face, the way your mouth trembles with reluctance to say something, anything that would bring his attention back to you. 

He doesn’t see the way you put two and two together—not about the place you two were at, but at the thought that he took a phone call from Yeseul rather than tending to you, ultimately sealing the path that his heart was taking. 

“What’s wrong, Y/N?” Yeonwoo asks. “Don’t cry.”

“I hate men,” you say, and your friends agree with you because they think this is about Hongbin, about something that happened before you all went out and was only coming to the surface now because you were wasted. 

“Capricorn men? Or just men in general?” Jungkook questions before he can stop himself, and when your deathly gaze falls on him he wishes he’d just shut his mouth. “Uh, sorry.”

“Taehyung, can you help us get her to the car?” Hyejin calls out. 

You snatch away from your friends, defiantly kicking off your shoes and picking them off the ground and into your arms as you stomp towards the parking deck. 

“I don’t need his help,” you growl. “Fuck him.”

When Taehyung sees you walking away without the rest of the group, he quickly wraps up his phone call, jogging back over to assess the damage. 

“What’s wrong with her?” he asks, looking at your squared, angry shoulders in the distance.

“I don’t know—she muttered something about hating Capricorns and stormed off,” Yeonwoo says, shrugging.

“Don’t worry about it, Taehyung,” Hyejin says, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Let’s just go get her—that’s not even the right parking deck she’s headed toward.”

Yeonwoo and Hyejin take off after you, leaving Jungkook and Taehyung standing on the dock. 

“Why didn’t you just let me help her?” Taehyung asks exasperatedly. “It wouldn’t have made that much of a difference!”

“You’re not allowed to do anything for her until you sort out your shit,” Jungkook says, crossing his arms. “Otherwise, she’s going to feel like she won, Taehyung. And you’re going to be right back where you fucking started.”

Taehyung stays silent, his jaw squared in annoyance. 

“She’s still with Hongbin, you know. Or did you forget that?”

“How could I forget?” Taehyung spits. 

“Then don’t forget that until she leaves him, she can’t be with you, either.”

The sting that Taehyung feels from that truth hurts, but isn’t entirely unwelcome. He knew it, he just didn’t like admitting it to himself; he certainly couldn’t make you leave Hongbin, and no matter what he did over the past couple of years to prove that he could be good for you, you couldn’t withdraw from the sense of comfort that Hongbin had embedded.

Sure, Taehyung didn’t have the best job, he didn’t come from a rich family and he didn’t have extremely nice things or nice clothes. But did that really make Hongbin the better choice than him? Couldn’t you see that he could treat you just as good—better, even? What was he going to have to do to get you to trust him?

“She’s gotta make the decision for herself, man,” Jungkook says, almost as if reading his friend’s mind. “And you do, too. You haven’t been giving Yeseul one hundred percent of yourself, and you know it. What if you did and it turned out to be better than you could imagine?”

Taehyung shakes his head defiantly. “Let’s just go, man. I need to get home.”

Jungkook sighs, knowing that once again, he hasn’t won this battle with Taehyung. But he hangs it up for now, stuffing his hand in his pockets and pulling out his cigarette pack.

“I’ve smoked more because of your demons than I have over my own,” he admits, giving Taehyung a shitty grin. “Got anything to say to my lungs?”

Taehyung hates that Jungkook pulls a chuckle from him just after busting his balls about you, but it’s nice to balance the mood. There was one good thing about this friendship: Jungkook didn’t dwell.

“Good riddance,” Taehyung responds playfully, laughing just before dodging Jungkook’s swift kick to the back of his leg.

It wasn’t like Taehyung didn’t know he had some things to figure out—some things he’d made harder for himself now, considering the fact that he’d thrown himself into another relationship to avoid dealing with his emotions about you—it was just that he didn’t know where to start. 

It would be easier to talk to you if things on your side were different. But how foolish would he look to confess his honest, true feelings to you knowing that you were still in a committed relationship with your boyfriend? And Taehyung didn’t want to convince you to leave Hongbin, he wanted you to decide it for yourself. 

And then maybe, just maybe, make your way back to him. 

[grapecaseschoices]

Small Detective Asks: Pierre Lin

1. What's their name and how do they look?

Pierre Lin. (My favorite PicCrew). He is over six-feet with an athletic, muscular build. He’s of E. Asian Descent (mainly Vietnamese). He’s often well dressed but in a simple yet stylish manner. His hair though cut short is a little long up top, so it falls in his eyes (though it starts the day perfectly styled!) His expression is serious but not harsh. He’s been known to shoot smiles and fond expressions, yes even in the work place.

2. Why did they join the police?

He joined for the structure and the rules. It is funny because he does have a lowkey impulsive streak and occasionally isn’t as by the book as he first comes off (he kept his coffee cup in the autopsy room scene; what a rebel! Whatever, it was cold). But overall, he’s a bit of that boy scoutTM stereotype. 

3. How did they get the promotion to detective and what do they think about it?

I honestly cannot remember but, surprisingly, he didn’t want it.

4. Can they handle blood/gore?

Yesssss …. Ish? He’s squeamish but he’ll breathe in / out through his mouth and do what he needs to do. 

5. How are they with people?

He’s pretty good with people. As I listed on his summary/stat page, his strongest stat is his friendliness. He is also strongly a team player. I see Pierre’s approach to be very sympathetic. It’s bleeding heart but make it reserved. He wants to do the Right Thing. This is in the general sense. Specifically, in relationships, making friends -- he’s also reserved. He has teasing humor that peaks out and he tries to be easy but he’s no pushover. He prefers a peacekeeping / making diplomatic approach but if you’ve crossed a line he’s not quick to make allowances (ie, his current strain with Rebecca though they started strongly. They’re working on it.) He can be a little impatient with people who exasperate him and he CAN get exasperated (Douglas, Mason and Ava have learned this, lol. And Bobby knows this well :-|)

In short: Pierre is tender-hearted but firm. 

He has his awkward moments too but I’m going to stop rambling.

6. What's their relationship to Bobby?

I answered this here but: Fuc. THAT. BITCH. Bobby pushes his buttons far more than he wishes he would. They were exes. Mistakes were made. Pierre regrets them.

7. Who is their Love Interest and why?

Copying from the last time I answered this: 

~~uwu~~ Felix~~~ Ahem. Because Felix gets under his skin in the best of ways. I wanted to do a tol vs smol. And thought it’d be funny to have someone more by the book, fumbling with F. Felix is the best thing since sliced bread in Pierre’s book. They balance each other yet are both naturally warm people who want the best for others. And each other. They are my sunshine, soft ship. It is so delightful to read. Especially, as Pierre is more – he wants to take things slowly. Even though Felix is ready to GO. The care. The respect. The affection Felix gives him? Ugh. It’s just what someone whose ex was Bobby needs. It’s what Pierre deserves. And likewise Pierre is a warm, teasing, steady presence that I feel is good for Felix. BALANCE~~~@@!!!!

I will add to this and say that they are going to kill me in book three. I just know it. I think it continuously surprises Pierre how into him Felix is. And I think it surprises him how into Felix he is, or more -- how good and just supportive and delightful it can be. (Did I mention that Bobby fucked him up?) 

8. What's their relationship with their mom like? How did it change?

They were so strong. They were close. I think he was probably her golden boy and I think he -- did his best to understand why she wasn’t there.  I think he admired that she did important shit. But finding out what it was, HOW MUCH she’d been lying / what she’d been lying about gave them a hit. I think some of it is misplaced anger and other of it is -- or maybe not so much misplaced but it’s easiest to put a lot of it on her (which isn’t fair). But a lot of it is genuinely … disappointment. Maybe she couldn’t tell him but she could’ve better prepared him. The trust is broken. But it’s slowly repairing, I think. He loves her. She’s his mom. But they didn’t end where they started -- and they’re definitely not back to that place yet. 

9. What do they think of the supernatural?

I’m trying to remember -- but he’s sort of taking it as it comes. He’s the sort to take things as presented. So he’s cautious but isn’t like …. Argh! Hateful or fearful. Really, for him, it’s like well fuck -- more people to take care of. LMAO. 

10. How well did they handle the reveal that the supernatural exists?

I honestly don’t remember. It was months ago. But I think pretty okay. He was confused. And I can see Pierre having some trepidation but I think overall he was okay, definitely some restless nights overthinking things. 

11. Do they have any tattoos/ piercings?

He has two tattoos. I haven’t decided what yet. One on his right ankle and other on his upper left arm. (Probably.)

12. What is their highest (professional) stat and why?

People/Psychology (it really jumps like a good almost 15 percent by the end of book two). Softe. I honestly would not be surprised if he took a psychology class 

13. What's their opinion of the Mayor?

He is the mayor. That is pretty much it. At the end of the day, he’ll be afforded the professionalism that the position affords him. 

14. Do they get along with Tina and Verda?

Yes. If I recall correctly, he leans a little closer to Verda - even though it was a slow start. But he’s also fond of Tina and respects her. How can one not be?

15. What do they think of Unit Bravo? How has that changed throughout the story?

As a whole? Yes. It’s definitely gotten more positive. It’s gotten warmer -- in particular to Ava. He didn’t … I don’t think Ava disliked him but she clearly wasn’t happy. But they were both fairly neutral. Mason gets on his nerves less lmao. There’s an increased fondness and definitely a better appreciation. And with time comes learning / understanding. I think he’s a lot more fond of Ava and Mason than he realizes, as well as being part of the team as a whole. He was always open to working together but it’s like less I am working with these agents and more these are this team (less as in he’s in charge and more, these are his people.) I’m honestly excited to play the SPOILER investigation in book three with the history earned from books one and two. 

He’s always liked Nat. Felix still has him fucked up, lmao. 

16. Do they have any pets?

No. And he’ll say he doesn’t want one. But there’s this fat ass cat in his apartment. Pierre isn’t helping (or maybe he’s helping the right amount.) They’re friends. It legit downs his day when Mr. Sylvester doesn’t come to visit him during the weekends. 

17. What are their hobbies?

He enjoys reading. He also likes repairing older books. Nothing big or fancy. But it’s something he does for friends (what friends?? Just him and Verda and Eric being nerds). Mostly textbooks but also paperbacks and hardcovers for novels. It’s mostly rebinding but he’s learning about embossing and recovering and etc. Because he’s a nerd. 

He sometimes visits the local hospital and takes the kids toys to repaint. He’s not a hard repair person. But if it requires fine work, he’s got really steady hands. 

18. What do they think of Douglas?

He tries not to think of Douglas. He does wish he could focus more on his work. And will continue discipline him, take that phone away, in hopes that SOMETHING sticks. He thinks he’s a little punk

19. What does their apartment look like?

A Grandma’s cottage, apparently. It’s a cosy aesthetic. He probably definitely has a worn lazy-e-boy and nice, fluffy carpets. It’s warm colors and rich fabrics. It does lean less single-man-in-his-thirties and older-woman-with-fifty-cats. But. At heart, isn’t he just? 

20. What is their personality?

Stats here.

Boy Scout. Pierre is solid, dependable, organized. He is more work than play. He is reserved -- and sometimes almost reticent but not quite. The fact that he’s just so stolid and comfortable sort of distracts from that. It is almost strange how comfortable he is because he is slow to warm to people, but he’s so genuine, so polite/nice that once you get to know him, it’s hard to remember a time where you felt approaching might’ve been rebuffed. He’s definitely the guy you want to comfort families. Because he’s sympathetic and he says the right things and because he doesn’t take pride in it.

Pierre is the sort of person who does what he has to do . He’ll tell the family that their loved ones died (though he wishes moments like this didn’t exist). He’ll grit his teeth and swallow down discomfort to give victims the respect of his assessment, to hear what the ME is saying, and take the information needed to do his jump. 

Pierre has lowkey levels of ‘fuck around and find out’ though. He isn’t a pushover, isn’t easy to forgive, and even his loved ones can take a hit -- he’s open to forgiveness but it’s slowly given and opportunities to earn it aren’t always easy. As I said earlier, he’s tender-hearted but firm. 

One of the things I like about Pierre though, other than he takes things as they come (which can be both good and bad), is him and emotions. He definitely lets himself feel them in the pace that he feels he needs to (not to say things don’t get away from him, or that people haven’t taken advantage of them - Bobby -they have and he’s been in some bad situations because of them). He’s an overthinker. He’s also a little mischievous with a teasing humor. He’s a teensy bit off kilter but it’s hard to miss because he Does The Right Thing and he’s seemingly Broad Shouldered and Straight Backed At All Times, but he isn’t. It’s part of what I love about him and Felix. He gets to indulge in being a teensy rebellious and then not turn around and feel bad about it later.

21. Their favourite/comfort food?

Rice. It’s a staple for a reason. Less a comfort and more a food he enjoys: Beef teriyaki. When it’s on a skewer? Let’s just say he has to be mindful of his self control. Ends up with enough sticks to build a small log cabin. 

22. Do they go to the bar or stay at the station?

He stayed at the station. He’s a homebody, a bit. So going out wasn’t his ideal. He also had work to do.

23. Their gender/sexuality?

He/him and he associates with his designation at birth (so cis male). He’s bisexual. 

24. How did they handle the fight with Murphy? Did they get bitten?

If I remember right, he did pretty well (I mean he ended up bleeding so, like. BUT CONSIDERING!). Murphy got captured but he did get bitten. 

25. What do they usually wear? Has that changed?

He goes from Modern to stylish/professional if I remember correctly. 

[purple-scarf-mistress]

How to save a life

Spencer Reid x Jamie (my oc)

TW: ⚠️ suicide attempt ⚠️ Angst- Hurt/Comfort (This is why I chose to do my oc and not a y/n I think this could be triggering enough as is and I will not add to that by having it a y/n situation. Hope y’all don’t mind)

Note: inspired by my sad thoughts while listening to How to Save a Life by The Fray and doing the dishes today. This may not be my best fic but something that was cathartic to write. Also I am to lazy to move to my computer for the keep reading right now... maybe I’ll fix that tomorrow.

Spencer had arrived at the scene late driving in from the station. He had seen Jamie covered in blood and staring off into the distance and knew something traumatic had happened. When he wrapped his arms around her she hadn’t responded. She didn’t avoid eye contact with her boyfriend either but her gaze was glassy, she was in shock. Nearly catatonic, Spencer took her back to the hotel and cleaned her up. She wouldn’t eat, talk, or sleep. The Jet ride back to Quantico seemed too long for the short flight that it was, with Jamie sitting pin straight on the couch not responding to anyone talking to her.

It had been several days since then and Jamie had gotten a little better it seemed. She still only spoke in one-word answers and only when someone asked her a direct question. Everyone on the team was worried about her but let her have her space. Jamie was warm and often times she was chatty, especially when she and Spencer went toe to toe for statistics and weird random facts of the day. The team and Spencer both missed the fiery personality the little redheaded girl brought into the office.

Spencer had been exceptionally worried about her but trying his hardest to support her from a distance. A few nights ago, Jamie asked Spencer for some space and told him she was going to go back to her own apartment. It wasn’t like her at all, and Spencer pressed her on if she was okay and it only escalated into them screaming at each other before she stomped out in a rush slamming the door behind her.

The next day Spencer apologized at the office and secretly took some of her paperwork to make it up to her, and to help her out. Her days at the office mostly consisted of zoning out while looking at the one open file in front of her. Until one day she came in and it was like the world had shifted back into place just a little bit.

“Spencer, I want you to have this.” Jamie handed Spencer her favorite book.

“Jamie, this is a first edition, it’s your favorite book and quite possibly your most prized possession, why would you give this to me?” Spencer asked, smiling slightly at the book in his hand.

“I love you, Spencer, and I love this book. I want the two things I may love most in this world to always be together.”

Spencer stooped down to kiss her cheek, “Ready to go to dinner with the team?”

“Actually, I uh, I am going to skip dinner tonight. I have….. Some work to catch up on.”

“Well I will skip too then, I can help you catch back up.”

“No, Spence, go have fun with everyone tonight, okay? Please, I need to do this on my own.”

“Stubborn as ever. You win. I am glad you are feeling better love.”

Jamie stood up on her tiptoes to hug around Spencer’s neck not caring about how affectionate she was being in the BAU office. She buried her face into his neck taking a long deep breath before letting go and walking out the door. Running his hand over the cover of the book, Spencer couldn’t help but think something about this was odd. His mind raced trying to put the puzzle together...

Morgan came up behind Spencer and clapped his hand down on his shoulder, “I hope you are once again ready to be defeated by chopsticks, the ladies picked were going to Chinese food.”

“You know according to a 2014 study 23% of people can’t use chopsticks with another 24% of people never having tried them to begin with?”

Morgan rolled his eyes walking out of the office and got into one of the cars with his friends.

“I am so glad Jamie is feeling better! She was so cute today, she gave me her sketchbook with all these cute drawings of all of us!” Garcia beamed holding it up.

“Yea I was surprised. She seemed so down lately and today she was so tender. She must have told me 10 times today that I was such a good “Big Brother” and to make sure to always keep that going, to promise her I would never stop that” Morgan smiled thinking about how it was the first time he had seen her smile in a couple of weeks.

Spencer’s brow furrowed listening to the team talk. Her favorite book, her sketchbook, Don’t change promises…

Getting out of the car at the restaurant he walked up to the other team members and stopped them before they walked inside, “Did Jamie do anything special or give you anything today? She gave me her favorite book and morgan and Penelope had similar things”

“Actually yea, she gave me a copy of my first book with handwritten notes written in the margins, I thought it was a bit odd but she can be a little odd like you boy genius” Rossi teased.

Spencer blew right past that comment looking at JJ, Emily, and Hotch, “and you guys?”

“JJ and I got a picture for our desks of the three of us from one of our girls nights, I think Garcia took the picture, right,” Emily said looking at Reid confused, and then at JJ who’s face started to make the same concerned look at Spencer’s.

“I didn’t get time to talk with her today, but she left me this,” Aaron pulled an unopened card out from his suit jacket that said to Dad on the envelope.

“Give me the keys. Morgan give me your car keys right now” Spencer didn’t wait to take them from his hand and running out to the car.

“Spencer, come on man, what’s going on?!”

JJ’s face looked deathly pale, “She was saying goodbye. She was saying goodbye and we missed it”

Spencer was speeding down the street dialing Jamie’s phone, frustrated every time her voicemail chimed on instead of her actual voice.

“Come on, pick up, pick up,”

“Hi, you have reached the voicemail for Dr. Jamie Daniels I can’t come to the phone right now so please leave a message after the tone”

“Dammit!”

Spencer weaved in and out of traffic and double-parked the car outside of her apartment complex. He ran up the stairs and threw the door open. On the kitchen counter was a notepad with a short note scribbled onto it. Spencer looked for Jamie finding her in her room laying on the bed with her wrists slashed open in long vertical cuts.

“No, No, no! Love, please!” Spencer wrapped each of his large hands around Jamie’s wrists and leaned his full weight on them.

Jamie’s eyes fluttered open, “Let me go Spence…If you love me let me go”

“No! I am not going to let you die!” Spencer felt tears falling down his cheeks. He was panicking. If he let go of her wrists to call for help she would bleed out, but if he just stayed like this he was going to lose her anyway.

“What do I do …. Oh, God, Jamie… What do I do?!”

Jamie’s eyes started to flutter shut again. “I love you”

...Spencer shook his head clearing his mind of the horrible scene that played out in his mind and ran after Jamie. He took the stairs two at a time and met her at the bottom floor of the office just as the elevator opened.

Panting Spencer smiled seeing Jamie and opened his arms for her to find her way into a big warm hug.

“Love, I love you okay? I love you so much that I would be devastated if anything happened to you and I know you have been hurting. I know you needed some space but please let me blow off dinner with everyone. I just want to spend tonight with you snuggled in my arm? Please”

Jamie’s eyes blinked away tears keeping her face buried in his chest. She nodded her head slowly.

“Thank you” she whimpered softly into her chest.

“For what love?”

“For coming after me. Maybe we can talk tonight… about what happened and about what I’ve been thinking?”

“I’ve got all night and the rest of our lives to listen to you talk about anything you want. I love you.”

Spencer kisses her forehead before leading her out to his car.

[captainmarvels]

wicked games [23]

Summary: Tom's past has finally caught up to him; but will it be the be-all and end-all of his life?

Pairing: CEO!Tom Holland x fem!Reader

Warnings: mention of sexual harassment (just the words, but still warning in case)

Word Count: 2734

A/N: today is Dec. 10th which means it’s been 2 whole years since I first started writing wicked games! I want to say thank you so so so so much for reading, enjoying, and loving this story as much as I love writing it - all the excitement and love some of you have given me, chapter after chapter, has made me stick around for the long run! xx caro

masterlist | tag list - add yourself!

You know that sinking feeling - the one that roots itself in the pit of your stomach like a tree, immovable? The feeling that drowns every nerve ending in your body in anxiety? Worry? Fear?

That was all Tom could feel as goosebumps spread along his arms, a cold sheen of sweat appearing across his forehead.

“Toyko? For a whole year?” His eyes felt like they were going to pop out of his skull from the building stress.

Dom nodded, a smug grin replacing the eerie smile he donned before.

“You and Harrison used to go on and on about the Asian market this, the Asian market that, and I figured that the fifth year anniversary of your company was as good a time as any to start up a new headquarters abroad,”

“How can you expect me to just up and leave for an entire year?” Tom asked, no longer hiding the shock on his face.

Dom shrugged. “Easy. You just do it, Thomas. You’re the CEO, for God’s sake! How can you expect to run a company of this magnitude well if all you do is sit on your lazy arse!”

Tom rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as Dom continued.

“I’m handing you the chance to expand and grow your company in a new direction, on a silver fuckin’ platter, and all you do is complain. I don’t understand how children can be so ungrateful,”

“I’m not a fucking kid, I am an adult, who is fully capable of making decisions for my company-”

“Is that so, Tom? Are you fully capable of handling the blow back from the media, your partners, the entire fucking world if they knew what you’ve done behind closed doors? Don’t think I’m ignorant enough to not know when my own blood is a drunken coke addict.”

The deafening silence seemed to swallow Dom’s words, yet they still rang clear as day in Tom’s ears.

Taking a deep breath, Dom set down another folder on Tom’s desk, and headed straight for the door before stopping, his hand gripping the handle tightly.

“Your flight leaves the 4th, at 11am. Don’t be late.”

“I’m gonna need you to repeat yourself, mate. Your dad knows?”

Harrison was pacing the floor of his apartment living room, hands fussing with the mess of curls on his head.

Tom sat on the sofa, eyes shut tightly as he replayed the conversation with his father in his mind.

“Oi, if he knows about the coke, then he has to know it was me, right? Why’d I have to be your goddamn drug dealer, Holland?”

“I don’t fucking know, alright? I didn’t think he’d ever find out about the coke, but if he knows about that, he’s got to know about all the other shit I’ve done,”

“You haven’t done meth, have you?”

Tom looked up at Harrison, his glare more than enough to shut up his best friend.

“Look. He knows about the coke; doesn’t mean he knows it was from you,”

Harrison rolled his eyes. “I was practically your only friend at Stanford, you idiot!” He scoffed.

“Fuck off, Haz! Listen to me - Dom’s a fucking prick, but I’m used to the threats. He’s nothing more than talk, alright? If he did anything to me, it’d taint the whole family name, and that’s not what he wants. He’d die before he lets anyone, even me, ruin the family legacy he’s spent years building.”

Tom pinched the bridge of his nose, silently counting his breaths as Harrison resumed his pacing.

“Have you told…” 

Tom shook his head. “I haven’t even gone home yet. I came straight here, I had to sort out my thoughts and everything,”

Harrison dropped down on the couch next to Tom, and gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You are gonna tell her, yeah?”

“I promised her no more secrets, mate. Besides… it’s hard to hide the fact that I'll be gone for a year.” Tom leaned back, eyes fluttering shut once again as he tried to steady his racing heart.

“And the drugs? Does she know about all that?”

Tom’s silence was enough of a response for Harrison.

“You said no more secrets, right? This will come back and bite you in the ass, you know.”

“Yes, I know. But I can’t just go dumping every one of my fucking problems on her, Haz. Everything with my dad is already too much for even me to handle - I can’t expect her to handle all this right off the bat. I need to focus on her and what we have - I just got her back.”

“You have a point. You’re really gonna do this, then? Leave for a whole year?” Harrison could feel the sting of tears in the corners of his eyes.

Opening his eyes, Tom glanced over at him. “There’s not much else I can do, can I? He’s already signed the lease for the apartment, and the check for the office space is waiting for my signature. There’s over three dozen resumes sitting on my desk, and I have to interview candidates as soon as I get off the plane.” With every word that rolled off his tongue, Tom could feel his anxiety spiking. He really was trapped.

“Tough shit, mate.” As they locked eyes with one another, neither could stop from breaking out in laughter. Tom shoved Harrison off the couch, only to receive a kick to the shoulder. 

“You’re gonna pay for that!”

“Bring it on!”

When Tom asked you to take a seat, you could feel your heart folding over itself as it began to brave for the worst.

Harrison sat next to you on the sofa, with (what was supposed to be) an encouraging arm wrapped around your shoulders, but it only brought more anxiety and tension.

What was going on?

Tom was pacing back and forth, his hands buried in the pockets of his suit.

“Should I be concerned?” You whispered in Harrison’s ear. He shook his head no, never taking his eyes off of Tom.

“My bastard of a father wants me to go to Tokyo for a year - for the sake of the company, or so he says.” Tom stopped in front of the tv, one hand on his hip, and the other on the back of his neck.

Oh. An all too familiar sinking feeling appeared, replacing the anxiety that had begun to consume you.

“He’s already got an apartment for me, and a deal’s been negotiated for office space in one of the best locations in the city - all that’s left for me to do is sign the check.”

You sat up, resting your chin on your hands as you repeated Tom’s words over. He could see the gears turning in your mind, and he wasn’t too sure if that was a good sign.

“He doesn’t do this sort of thing often, does he?” You aired the question for both of them, but clearly it took them aback.

“What do you mean by that?” Harrison asked, brows furrowed. Tom met your gaze and nodded.

“From what I know and have heard, seen, and whatnot - Dom really doesn’t seem to stick his nose in company affairs most of the time. Only when he needs something, in some sort of capacity. For example - why did he give you the money to start the company in the first place? What motivated him to sign a check for over $4 million to his inexperienced - sorry! - son?” 

Locking eyes with one another, Tom and Harrison seemed to share the same memory at that exact moment.

It was three in the morning when Dom got the call from Tom’s bodyguard.

“You’ll need to be present if you want him out on bail.” He heard over the phone.

“Is that Osterfield boy with him?” He asked, still groggy.

“Yes, but he was not arrested. He tried to stop him and-”

“Enough. Tell him to go home. Tom can sit in jail for a few more hours. Let them know I’ll be there with the cash before 8.”

 The entire car ride back to his apartment, Tom couldn’t stop fidgeting.

He fucked up. Worse than any other time, and he knew this was going to cost him.

Recognizing the iron-wrought gates of the family estate, Tom glanced over at Dom.

“Your mother is in London with the twins. We need to talk, and I’m not setting foot in the dungeon you call an apartment.”

As the SUV came to a rolling stop outside the front door, Tom bit down on his tongue.

Every time he did something wrong - arrested for possession of marijuana, Adderall, coke; quite possibly every drug imaginable- or caused a scene at some fancy nightclub, Dom was there to break his fall. 

That break always came with a price.

Sometimes the price was as simple as losing a percentage of his trust fund money. That didn’t bother him as much, considering $75,000 was mere change in his pocket. Other times, however, the price was a gamble. Like the time his father had to pay off a landlord so he wouldn’t break the lease after Tom and Harrison completely wrecked the vacation house they had been renting.

Tom wasn’t sure what this would cost him this time around.

They had barely entered the mansion foyer when Dom turned on his heel, and locked eyes with his son.

“You’ve been 21 for less than six months, and yet you’ve managed to put yourself through the goddamn ringer almost every week since then. Do you even care about your fucking reputation anymore, Thomas? Or any idea what this could do to the company?”

Fuck. The company.

The night of his 21st birthday, his father had signed him the coveted check for well over four million dollars - a check that wouldn’t be deposited in his account until he proved to Dom that he could get his shit together, put on a suit, and take on the role of CEO. 

As his father had put it - Tom had had his fun, but as his undergraduate career came to an end, he needed to start focusing on making a name for himself; getting a seat at the table that was his birthright. 

A start-up was just what he needed to set himself straight.

The project was well underway - it had made headlines the day Dom purchased the most lavish office space New York City had to offer. The plan was simple - have the company up and running smoothly by the time Tom graduated, so he could slip on the CEO suit and take over.

But nothing was ever simple when it came to Tom.

He had fought for hours with his father before they finally settled on an agreement for the money that night - only for Dom to turn around and slap him with a hold on the funds.

And here he was, rubbing it in once again.

“Are you listening? Graduation is months away, and yet here I am, bailing you out of jail for being a pathetic son of a bitch.”

“What the fuck do you want from me?” Tom spat, anger flooding every inch of his body. He won’t get away with this.

“I don’t even know anymore, Thomas.” His father sighed. “But this I know for sure; you fuck up like this again, and you can kiss the company and your trust fund goodbye.”

Tom’s jaw dropped, eyes threatening to pop out of his head from the utter disbelief.

“No you- you can’t fucking do that!”

“I can, and I will. I listed the company under the living trust, with the conditions we agreed upon the night of your birthday. If I deem it necessary, everything in the trust will be seized. You will have nothing if you don’t get your act together.”

“Is the company still part of the trust?” Your mind was trying to process everything Harrison and Tom had just laid out for you, but that was the one piece of information that stuck out like a sore thumb.

Harrison looked at Tom. Tom bit his lip.

“If the company is still listed in the trust, mate -”

“That means your father still has control over it-”

“He can just do whatever he wants, can’t he?” Tom fell to his knees, brushing off the agonizing pain in his bones as you came to him, your arms enveloping him completely.

Harrison felt a familiar sting in the corner of his eye as he walked over to his best friend and crouched down by his side.

“We’ve got you, mate.”

Once you were able to finally calm Tom down, you discussed in detail exactly what the plan was going to be. Even if it wasn’t what any of you wanted. 

Tom decided he would agree to Tokyo if, and only if, he was able to bring his two best assets - you and Harrison. He planned to go to the office early Monday morning to call Dom and see if he could convince him.

It was the best you could all come up with.

Sunday morning, you remembered you’d forgotten a stack of letters at the office, which you needed to sign so they could be mailed out first thing Monday morning. With Tom at a conference upstate, you ended up having to head into the office by yourself.

When the elevator bell rang at the top floor, you were surprised to see the lights were already on in the waiting area.

Who else is here?

Making a sharp left turn at the end of the hall, you decided to move as quickly as possible - the motion sensor lights only lasted 10 minutes, so whoever set them off was still in the office, somewhere.

You spotted the stack of letters on your desk, and working diligently, got them all put away nice and neat in your briefcase. 

A soft knock on your door nearly gave you a heart attack.

Dropping the case to the ground, you look up and lock eyes with the last person you ever expected to cross paths with.

“I hope you don’t have the company’s secrets tucked away in there, dear.”

Dom was looming in the doorway, his smile wavering as you just stared at one another.

Why the fuck was he there?

“I seem to have startled you, and I’m quite sorry about that - I honestly wasn’t expecting anyone else to be here on such a nice day,” He was a boulder blocking your path of escape, and your growing anxiety was making your skin crawl. 

“I don’t know- I don’t know how I got to be so distracted, but I forgot these- these, um-” You picked up the briefcase, dropping your gaze from Dom as you ran the palm of your hand over the soft leather. “I have to get these letters signed so they can be sent out first thing in the morning.”

“Signing letters? Seems like such a clerical task for a woman in your position,” He took a step forward, and you stepped back, your hip hitting the side of your desk.

“I uh, wouldn’t really say that-” Tripping over your words, Dom could see you were on edge.

“No? Then what exactly does my son have you work on here? When you’re not busy attending to his… other needs.”

You almost choked on your spit as you looked at Tom’s father in disbelief. Does he… know?

“You see, darling,” Dom took another step forward, and you found yourself pressed against the window, struggling to keep your balance. “As a father… well, parents are always fussing over their children, aren’t they? I’m worried about Tom, and I know you probably know him better than I, and, well. I need to ask a favor of you.”

The look on his face was something that would haunt you forever.

His index finger was tracing the photograph frame on your desk, his eyes never leaving yours. 

Without another word, he pulled out a folded up piece of paper, and held it out to you. Encouraging you with a nod of his head, you grabbed the sheet, and unfolded it, your eyes scanning over its entirety while an uncomfortable sense of nausea filled your stomach.

New York Police Department

34th District

Report

Scrawled in blue ink were the words that would leave anyone distressed. 

Sexual Harassment. 

tags - part one:

@cherrynat @anytimebitches  @jobean12-blog @emotchalla @enigma-xlii @illletitgrow @cloverrover @justaveryobsessedfangirl @ssweet-empowerment @killmongerdreams @spideytrxsh @eyestheyseeyou @aussie-mantle @spidergirlwanab @i-think-i-am-adorable @amanda51015-blog​ @princessskylarsblog​ @whoneedsalifeanyhowxx​ @chinalois​ @clairesrainbow @darkerthanspace​ @slighttinsomniac​ @curlytomholland​ @wanderlustomaha​ @hollandazing​ @mendes-marvel​ @wowspideyholland​ @joshuatparker​