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tobyblogger · 1 year

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Five Nights at Prototype Fredbears

I’ve been browsing for FNaF fangames on a website called Gamejolt. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a website where, as the website suggests, they have games and other stuff too, arranged by realms, communities, and posts.

A lot of the games on this website are action, horror, adventure, and, of course, fangame-based. However, a lot of people seem to tackle the FNaF-related ones.

I’m one of those people.

This is where I made the greatest mistake of my entire life. Instead of downloading the game I wanted on Gamejolt, I thought it was the smartest idea to download it on a different website. It was like Gamejolt, but odd.

What was the game I wanted to play? Well, there’s a specific FNaF fangame that nobody really pays attention to. The game is called Five Nights at Prototype Fredbear’s (which is also on Gamejolt); it’s like any other FNaF fangame; however, it has the style as if the game was created in 2014 or 2015. It’s oddly charming and makes me think of the good days of the series.

I hit the download button and started playing; the exe file automatically started downloading. I didn’t need to unzip a file or anything; the download automatically gave me the game without me doing anything. I opened the game, and it gave me a warning about it having flashing lights, jumpscares, and loud noises. I continued, and it took me straight to the menu. The static scared me pretty badly, but this allows me to see if the game works.

One thing I noticed is how Prototype Fredbear, the yellow bear for a split second, had his pupils missing, and I screenshotted it to see what was over his body; there were cracks on the front portions of the face and torso, and it was clear that it was updated at V.4.0, but for some reason, the color on the four didn’t match the 0 and the letter V.

Anyway, I pressed the new game button, and it took me to the newspaper, telling me that Fredbears had been built and it was hiring. So far, everything seemed to be working, and I also noticed something in the last paragraph of the newspaper: a black bear? Not unusual, as it’s probably referring to Shadow Fredbear as mentioned in the character section of the game's description.

My night was loaded, and I was brought into the office. While I was there, I instantly noticed a bug: the doors weren’t properly attached. While that detail didn’t matter, it seemed like the developer who created this game tried to fix it, but he wasn’t successful, or that the doors were intentionally made like that; nonetheless, the game worked fine, I checked the cameras and closed the doors as soon as the main animatronics reached my door.

As I was doing these things, I noticed the power going down, so I had to be careful. As I was checking the cameras, I noticed Bonnet sitting on Prototype Fredbear’s shoulder. I chuckled a bit, as that was a pretty cute detail, even for a game like this.

My joy was cut short as, when I came back to the camera again, Prototype Fredbear was looking directly at the camera with his pupils missing, exactly like the menu at the beginning of the game. I did nothing but stare into the bear’s eyes.

The night then ended, and I went to sleep, turning off the game. What happened in my dream was disturbing. I was giving food to my cat, which was normal at first, but when I checked the windows while I washed some dishes, I saw him, Prototype Fredbear, with those cracks and those empty eyes.

He was just staring at me in the eyes; there’s no doubt that this is some sort of hallucination or some guy pretending to be a furry by cosplaying as an animatronic.

I washed my face in the sink, and he was gone when I looked back. As I went outside, I noticed that the gate was open, swinging back and forth. I immediately ran inside and noticed my cat was missing. I noticed something that would make me cry and vomit in fear.

In my room, in front of my desktop, my cat was lying on the ground with a chunk of his body missing and bitten off. I got up and went on my phone to call the police, but there was no connection, even though I swear I remember having a good connection.

Losing hope and staring at my cat’s body, I backed up, and there was the yellow giant bear behind me. I noticed my kitchen knife in his hand, and when I tried to grab it from him, he struck me with the knife and slashed a wound on my waist.

Luckily, I woke up, and due to my curiosity, I had to finish this game.

I was playing and playing until I got a custom night unlocked. At first, my main goal was to look for the secret character, Shadow Fredbear; however, it’s not anymore, and I won’t try 20/20/20/20 mode as before I played this game, I watched a gameplay where Beemanz (a staff member for the game as of now and a good friend of the creator of this game) played this game and completed the mode; he certainly got a sweet ending though.

I won’t be getting that ending; I set everybody except for Prototype Fredbear to zero, and lord, if the game wasn't creepier than it was. Also, one thing I would like to point out is that this ending isn’t present in the real game, you know, the one on the Gamejolt page.

If I remember correctly, Lolbit, Bonnet, Springbonnie, and the other bear, Springfreddy, weren’t turned on, but in this case, they were turned on and started moving.

During this, the bathroom camera was turned on.

The odd part about this game is the animatronics appearing in places where they shouldn’t; while it didn’t seem out of the ordinary, it seemed odd. For example, if you played the actual game, you would normally see Springbonnie hanging or floating in the parts and service room, right? Instead, Prototype Fredbear is seen instead, and where is Springbonnie? He took Prototype Fredbear’s role, and Prototype Fredbear took Springbonnie’s role.

The camera began glitching out, and it showed some pretty questionable stuff; they were clearly taken from BestGore (the website that is now closed, luckily), and yeah, that’s pretty much the only detail I will go into without going into unnecessary detail; some of the violent images being shown were also looking as if they were in the game itself.

Something clearly changed.

I checked the bathroom camera, and there was something inside one of the stalls—a mutilated body of a person stuffed into the toilet. On the ground, there was, yes, as you guessed, blood mixed with feces and urine; the body was clearly photoshopped on the toilet; and the bathroom itself was clearly a stock photo and didn’t look anything like the rest of the game, as the main game is made with the source filmmaker, a movie-making software published by Valve (you know, the company that made pretty good games like Half-Life, Team Fortress, Garry’s Mod, and Left 4 Dead).

I mean, yeah, sure, the other cameras still looked like the same style that the creator made them, but the animatronic poses were replaced with a different character and were clearly slapped on top of the original animatronics in Photoshop.

The audio in the background was devouring the original ambiance, which is taken directly from Five Nights at Wario’s 3, the audio was branches and leaves being crushed and sounds of grass being stepped on; the sound got closer and closer.

The audio cut off, and the audio went back to the original ambiance. I wanted the night to end, so I waited for the animatronics to attack me. For some reason, the AI got pretty broken, and the animatronics refused to attack; all they were doing was staring at the cameras, taunting me.

I flipped down the camera, and I finally encountered Shadow Fredbear, the secret antagonist.

Shadow Fredbear sat next to the door in the pose of Golden Freddy and killed me; however, there was an extended version of the scream; it was like Shadow Fredbear’s regular scream in the original game, but the screaming got louder and louder, and there were sounds of footsteps; the footsteps sounded like they were in my house, but when I looked behind me, there was nothing there.

It didn’t only take me to the game over screen, but it also played two clips related to the main antagonist of the game, The first one was a yellowish grizzly bear; the clip was playing over and over, and the bear was getting his head cut off over and over.

The next clip was also a yellowish bear getting grinded up, and it ended with a screenshot that never appeared in the game; it was a photo of Prototype Fredbear, Lolbit, Bonnet, and Springbonnie staring into the camera. Prototype Fredbear and Springbonnie both had no pupils, and Lolbit’s pupils were missing; however, Bonnet seemed normal.

The screen immediately cuts back to the main menu, and it froze and crashed. Now, after I turned off this game, I was processing and trying to figure out the theory of what happened here.

After the creator, Joseph, made the game, somebody downloaded the regular game, broke into the MFA file, and started editing the source code, mixing up the AI, and finding videos from BestGore (which might’ve been taken from other gore sites) to sneak into the game. Maybe there’s a chance that the hacker is responsible for the murders; the person might’ve taken photos of the murders and snuck them into the game.

I uninstalled the game, and the nightmares haven’t occurred since.

#josephthesnail #video games #fnaf fangame #five nights at prototype fredbears #fnaf #fnapf

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catburd · 2 years

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Inigo diagnosed the LDB with Stinky

#tes #tesv #ldb #inigo the brave #skyrim #dodokiin #I just started playing again when it updated.. took a bit to fix my files but I'm playing again #was thinkin abt drawing inigo making a cat stink face but I don't feel like it now lmao

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espresseo-cafe · 3 years

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coming home | johnny | oneshot

pairing: dad!johnny x mom!reader

genre: syrup-y latte

bean count: 1.6k+

a/n: here’s a cute dad!johnny fluff for you! i missed writing fluff 🙈 hope you enjoy reading this as much i did writing it ☕️

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as time struck 4pm, johnny quickly glanced around the staff room and swiftly shoved his files and papers in his bag. his colleagues perked up at the hustle he had been recently doing whenever the day came at this certain time, only to shake their heads playfully as the door slammed of their quiet workspace.

“he’s coping up, isn’t he?” kun fixed his glasses, smiling as his dimples indented his cheeks because johnny’s little habit reminded of himself before.

jaehyun laughed, agreeing with him. stretching as the day came into an end, he realized, “oh right, how long has it been already? seems like he’s still struggling at it.”

kun slung his shoulder bag, gesturing jaehyun to leave the office together, “just two days! hahah amateur.”

almost tripping on the way, johnny rushed down the stairs and caught the bus before it left. he panted as he sat down, checking his phone for any updates. a text message from his cousin- seo hyelin, popped out on his notification center.

[hyelin-noona] : couzie bean where are you? i gotta go for my night shift in a bit! 😅

[john] : just got on the bus! will be there soon 🙇🏻‍♂️ how’s the little one?

[hyelin-noona] : adorable! he didn’t give me a hard time! 🤗

[john] : i’m glad 😮‍💨 thanks for looking after him!

[hyelin-noona] : anytime! it’s the summer break, he’s all yours! you sure you can handle him later? 👀

[john] : i survived yesterday, so it’ll be a piece of cake 👍🏻

boy was he so wrong.

when johnny was preparing dinner in the kitchen, he couldn’t even count the times he had to leave the stove to go and check on his crying, seven month old son, who couldn’t stand a minute without him.

he sipped the soup he was cooking and almost burnt his tongue when the baby started to wail a little. unfortunately leaving the television on play wasn’t a solution to keep him occupied.

when he decided to carry him while he fried the chicken, however, his son made a sour face hearing the sizzle of the hot oil. johnny sighed and put him down on his high chair and gave him a cracker.

that’ll settle him, for now. he thought.

dinner went by smoothly.. barely. changing diapers was a hassle as the little one kelt rolling over, ended up peeing on the bedsheet that johnny rubbed his eyes thinking he’d have to wash that first thing in the morning tomorrow.

even worse, the panicked him lifted up the baby and peed on him as well. johnny was dumbfounded but it was shortlived as the baby smiled at him as if he gave him a gift.

johnny thought he’d be able to put him to sleep right after. preparing his bottle of milk, he took the milk formula and warm water. then it struck him, “ah, how to do this again?” he sighed, looking at his son, “i don’t suppose you know how to make this, jesse.”

jesse looked at his dad, giving him a teethless smile. johnny snickered out loud, shaking his head and followed his instincts by putting warm water in the bottle and shaking it with the amount of tablespoons according to the can. shaking several droplets of milk onto his skin, he tasted it and concluded it was okay for jesse to drink.

his heart beated slightly, waiting to see jesse’s reaction. he puffed out a relieved sigh when the baby continued to drink as he laid on johnny’s arms.

“this isn’t so bad at all, huh jesse?” johnny shook him gently while jesse just looked at him with his long lashes. “we’re a good team.”

usually babies sleep around 8pm or so, and johnny thought he’d have some alone time after this. but nope! johnny let out a soft grunt when jesse started to cry nonstop, so he checked for any filled diapers or maybe he wasn’t feeling well.

he placed jesse facing him as he patted his back for some comfort. sighing when he finally leaned on his shoulder and hugged him, having hiccups here and there. he sung a lullaby his mom used to sing to him, five minutes passed and his son was sound asleep and he placed a kiss on his head as he turned off the bedroom lights and kept the baby light on.

opening the door to the bathroom, he turned on the showerhead to wash himself all the dirt he received from jesse: soup stain that splashed on his newly bought shirt, pee stain from the diaper disaster after dinner, milk vomit he got by the neck and shoulder, and the difficult phase of putting him to sleep.

he wondered how you were able to do this so flawlessly, and singlehandedly. being a mother was a 24/7 job, tirelessly working around the clock just to provide jesse’s needs. sometimes he was your big baby too, giving him a good dinner after a stressful day at work or giving him sweet embraces and massages to ease his mind.

that was why he wanted to work harder for his little family. and now that you were away, he had to work much harder since it was just him and jesse right now. gosh, how much he missed you.

24/7 during those seven months of love and care you gave was nothing compared to the two days he did. that was a huge difference.

the knob of the showerhead squeaked and johnny tried his hardest not to make a noise as he exited the bathroom. his fingers running through his wet hair made him so refreshed that he felt like he hadn’t showered for ages.

his computer rang, receiving a video call request from you. it was the first time you both have been apart since jesse was born and it was your first week back after maternity leave so johnny quickly clicked the button and answered it. “hi babe.”

he saw you shuffling through your things before you look at the screen, “give me a sec- a whole lotta things here.”

felt like forever, but seeing you made him so relaxed. “cool, take your time.”

you scratched your eyebrow and you swore you could’ve dropped your phone at the sight of your husband, fresh out from the shower with nothing on but a towel wrapped around his hips. “whoa hey,” you smiled, “how’s everything over there? our house hasn’t burn into bits just yet?”

johnny scoffed, taking a seat on his desktop chair and continued to dry his wet locks. “pfft, what do you take me for?” your laugh was contagious for johnny he nearly made a loud snort, “sigh, it’s manageable. our son is a handful, makes me appreciate you more by the second.”

you pouted in joy hearing that, johnny has a way with sweet words that it warmed your heart. even if he was tired from work, he still tried his best to make you smile by his actions. he’d kiss you passionately until jesse cried, give you warm hugs during movie nights, and listened to your complaints.

“i love you, but i know you know that already.” you chuckled, and for a second johnny paused before smirking at you. “what?”

“of course i know, just that it’s the first time you initiated saying it.” johnny smiled, agh i really miss you. “i love you more. when will you be back?”

his raspy voice was so attractive to you that you almost forgot to mention something. “by the way, my flight’s been rescheduled from next monday to tomorrow. work has been quick. your miserable days are soon to be over.”

you almost snorted seeing johnny’s reaction, he was obviously happy yet he attempted to hide it. “that’s.. that’s great! i’m happy for you. earlier the better.”

“i could tell you’re having a great time with jesse that your bags are showing.” you joked and johnny pretended to be hurt.

“hey, jesse is a sweetheart but he could be a terror.” johnny defended, remembering his cute little smile.

“wonder where he got that from.” you sarcastically pinpointed, earning a chuckle from him.

“i swear when you get back-“ he turned his head to the side and heard jesse making a fuss in the next room, sighing a bit before leaving and that made you giggle.

“oh you woke him up.” you teased as you waited a minute or two until he entered your shared bedroom with your son in his arms. “hi baby! how’s my little bear?”

the sound of your voice and your face on the computer screen made your son let out a gurgle and you were glad you were coming home the next day. you missed your boys so you could say you were homesick.

“baby look, mama’s there.” johnny took his little hand waved it at you.

“papa bear hasn’t given you a tough time, has he?” you continued to tease him, seeing him glare at you playfully. “mama misses you my little jesse bear, i’ll see you soon.”

johnny patted jesse’s bottom as he began to rub his eyes, “alright, he’s sleepy again. i gotta hit the sack too. it’s 1:30am here.”

you nodded, “mhm alright, i’m gonna go for lunch and walk around the city. i’m meeting eomma and appa after this.”

he smiled as he heard this, “okay. send my regards to them. we have to visit chicago this december, it’ll be jesse’s first christmas with them.”

“will do.” you gave a flying kiss and wave a goodbye to your boys. “love you both, see you in a bit.”

johnny mirrored your gesture before turning off the pc and readied himself for bed.

“love you too babe. goodnight.”

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 3 years

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Reckoning

Breach Masterlist

Warnings: non/dubcon sex (series), general angst, violence, death, trauma.

This is dark!Winter Soldier/Bucky and explicit. 18+ only.

Note: Promise I’ll update the masterlist today but here we are, we’re finally at the end. We’re saying goodbye to Bucky, Luka, and reader in this one. We’ve come a far way. This was one of the first series I started on here. It started as a one shot about the asset being the scariest but you guys turned it into something more, so thank you. (also that’s three endings in less than a week :))

I won’t demand but do ask for feedback; likes, reblogs, replies, comments, asks, especially on this series, but again, enjoy in your own way! <3 Love you!

You played with the leather strap around your thigh as you sat in the rattly train car. The freight was much like the one that saw you away from your prison so long ago and the same man sat with you, huddled behind the metal barrels and wooden crates.

Your eyes rolled inside their lids as you thought of your son and his innocent voice as he sang his goodbye to you. Luka didn’t know you might not come back. It broke your heart to think you might not but you couldn’t let James face Hydra alone. He hadn’t let you.

Your hand settled over the gun strapped to your leg, another holstered against your chest beneath your jacket. There was a knife at your ankle and another at your belt. You were ready but you weren’t. How could you ever be ready for any of this?

“We’re almost there,” James whispered as he shifted beside you, “you alright?”

“Yeah, I…” you opened your eyes and tore your hand away from the gun, “ready.”

He nodded and got up to his feet, squatting behind the cargo as he pulled you up into a similar crouch. He checked your weapons then his own. He looked at you again and his lips thinned into an anxious line.

“Are you ready?” you asked.

“I have to be,” he answered and reached out to caress your cheek. You leaned into his hand then pulled him to you to peck his lips. He always seemed so meek when you touched him but he was softening.

“We are ready, James,” you assured him as much as yourself, “for Luka, we have to be.”

“You follow my lead. You can’t hesitate, understand?”

“I know,” you said, “I won’t. Those men, what they did to you… to us, they can never have our son. Never.”

“Never,” he echoed and turned.

He kept low as he crept around the boxes and you followed. He unhooked the door and let it slide open with a loud grind. He reached back until you grabbed onto his arm and he stared at the moving ground.

“Up ahead, the bushes. You first, I’ll be right after you,” he said.

“I remember,” you said, “I know where we are.”

He looked at you and you let out a breath as you readied for your jump, “I lived close to here… with my mother.”

“Oh,” he uttered and went quiet.

“Come on,” you stood but kept hunched as you prepared to roll on impact, “this is about ending the past, not reliving it.”

He counted down and you leapt as the bushes thickened. You landed and rolled through the branches and dingy leaves. You heard him thumped down not far from you as you gulped the air. He was up before you and came to stand over you and offered his hand to get you to your feet. Despite it all, you barely felt the crash to earth.

“So you know where we are,” he said, “so you know where we go first.”

You pushed your shoulders back and sniffed. You said nothing and marched past him. He ran to catch up to you and you walked into the thin skeletal line of trees. He fixed the long bag on his back that held his rifle as his boots crushed the twigs and stones.

“Are you sure you’re--”

“What do we need from there?” you asked, “we get it and we go on.”

“Anything that’s left,” he replied.

You kept on, the terrain turning uneven and soon you were in the rocky passes that brought back bloody memories. That night with Luka in your arms as you walked in the boots of a deadman. You shuddered and kept on. You unholstered your gun as you got closer and James caught your shoulder before you could outpace him.

“I take the lead,” he warned, “you gotta slow down. You can’t just run in there and--”

“If there are any left, I will put them all down,” you swore as your hand shook, “you can’t understand. I have anger in my veins like none I’ve known before.”

He stared at you a moment and thoughts drew his brows together. His lips parted before he found the words, “and what else do you feel?”

“Certain,” you said, “that this will be over soon.”

He lowered his chin and puffed, his breath forming a cloud in the chill air, “this post is abandoned. They couldn’t have stayed after what happened but you stay alert and you point your gun at anything that moves.”

You nodded and he patted your arm. He turned and took the path ahead of you, the trail thinning out the further you got into the low mountains. As you approached the metal doors, he slowed and aimed his gun at the facade of the hidden compound. Rocks clattered beneath his boots and you brought your own weapon up in nervous expectation.

The doors were slightly open and he kicked one open, quickly poking his muzzle inside. He waved you on and you continued down the concrete hallway. The place was cleaned out but the bloodstains remained, painted across the floors and walls.

He led you down the corridors and checked each room as you waited without, watching each end of the hallway as he cleared the place. The further you got, the more the forlorn nostalgia took over you. You felt off, you felt every drop of blood coursing through you and the hot fury mingled with helpless sadness. You felt entirely weak but so powerful

When you got to the heart of the structure, you stopped and watched as James hesitated in turn. He braced himself and went forward into the eerily familiar room. The computers were smashed and the rusty medical equipment littered the floor. The glass chamber they used to keep him in bore the destruction of his escape and he went to it and peered inside.

You flinched as he broke away the last of the glass with his metal fist and quickly retreated. He was shaking as he began to tear open the filing cabinets, the locks cracking at the force of his intrusion.

You walked along the wall and slowly faced the windowed room. The bed was still there and the sparse furniture of your former existence. Your mouth fell open as your eyes tingled with tears. Those early days when you waited, when you dreaded his visits, when you watched him through the glass and wished for death.

You winced as he came up beside you and gently touched your arm. You looked at him and flicked away the moisture in your eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said and his cheek twitched in pain, “I’m so sorry--”

“James, I know it wasn’t you,” you said, “I don’t cry because of you, it is because of them.” You took his hand and squeezed it, “did you find anything?”

“A few things but not what we’re looking for,” he said, “this place is abandoned. Whatever was left of… the experiment has moved.”

“And we know it will be where we’re headed?”

“Stark’s intelligence suggests it will be and… from what I can remember, it’s likely. Bigger than this place. They took me there in the early days.” He cleared his throat and looked around, “we’ll keep going until dawn. We will find somewhere close enough to rest and then…”

“And then we finish this,” you let go of his hand and moved past him, “James, I’m ready. I really am.”

✰

After some hours in a half-burned hut, you were wired. You ate rations under the open roof before you set out again. You hadn’t slept much as you and James took turns on watch. You stretched and went out into the wild and winding paths.

You climbed the steep incline of and followed the crumbling trail. As you got higher, it got colder but you hardly felt it as adrenaline surged in your approach. You ducked down as you walked along a crooked ledge and hopped off to hide behind a tall stone outshoot.

You looked down at the monstrous gates of the compound. You laid flat as James fixed the scope on his rifle and peered through the lens. He bit his lip as he adjusted his sights before he pulled his eye away.

“I can get the guards but we have to be quick after.” He nodded behind you, “down there. Quick. Gun out and ready. I’ll be right behind you.”

“We can do this, James.”

He lined up his gun again and inhaled. He took his first shot, the noise muffled by the long silencer. Several others followed before he stood quickly and hung the gun from his shoulder. He pulled you up and you ran to the decline that led between the sharp walls of the mountain.

He was a few steps back as you made you way down the treacherous natural steps and slid down the last few. You slipped to your knees as voices sounded from the gates and James fired again.

You got up as he latched onto your elbow and continued forward. He reached to his belt and unhooked a grenade, throwing it at the gates as you ran behind him. You hung back as the metal gates shook with the blast and he directed you forward with two fingers.

As you reached the rent in the doors, he stopped and took two more shots. Men fell into the cold dirt and you raised your gun to take your first. You remembered all those hours of training though you never truly knew how useful they would be. It was always a precaution, always a what if, now it was your life or death.

You pulled the trigger and another man crumpled. You kept close to James and picked off the last few men outside the installation. A sudden siren began to whine as you neared the open doors and you could guess that one of the guards had fled inside to warn all those within.

James directed you inside and as you made your way down the corridor, you stopped at the end and listened. You couldn’t think of the hammering of your heart or the thought of the death at you fingertips. You could only think; left or right.

“We need to separate,” you said.

“No, you can’t--”

“This place is too big, I’ll slow you down and you’ll slow me,” you insisted, “I’ll go right.”

“No, we have to--”

“You showed me, James. I know what to do. I know what we need. We have our rendezvous. We know what happens if we do not get there.”

He shook his head and sighed. You heard footsteps.

“We have to go,” you said and before he could argue further, you raised your gun and ran around the corner.

The first man hit the wall after the bullet entered his chest, the second fell over him with your next shot, and the third slumped against the next corner. You heard James’ boots and his own shots as they flew in the other direction. You pressed on and reloaded before you took the next turn.

Your pulse filled your ears and kept you going. Everything felt so clear, so visible, so loud. You saw and heard it all. It was almost as if you knew what would happen before it did. You’d never felt this level of clarity.

You went deeper into the maze, bodies littered in your stead as others fled, those in white jackets, those like the men who’d tortured you. You followed them, they would lead you to what you needed.

A man surprised you as he lunged from a doorway. He slammed you into the wall and your gun fired into the ceiling. You kicked him and he grunted and you grabbed his arm as his hand stretched over your throat. Without pause, without thought, you twisted his arm and he screamed in agony as both his wrist and elbow snapped.

You shoved him away and finished the work with a bullet. You stared at his arm as the shock sunk in. How could you have done all that? It hadn’t felt like anything at all, like bending a toothpick.

You didn’t have time to linger as another appeared and you fired again. Warm blood spattered your front as your legs kept pushing through. You came to a large room but bullets preceded you.

You peeked inside, James was already there. A flurry of men were engaged with him, those in camouflage and those in white. You downed two men before your gun was kicked from your hands. You grunted and ducked under a punch you didn’t even see was coming, you just knew. You reached to your belt and freed the long hunting knife.

The blade tore through the man's flesh like water. The sickly glide of the metal sickened you and the flood of warmth down our arm churned your stomach. You couldn’t stop, even as your fear rose, even as you realised the destruction you wrought.

Another man, this one broken by a kick that sent him into the wall. Your strength startled even you. You heard James and looked around. He was on his back, barely kicking away his attackers as he aimed desperately with his pistol.

You broke through the wall of man, shoving them to the side so that they flew back into the machinery all around. You threw your knife at a man as he aimed at James and you wrenched back another and twisted his neck until it cracked. The third you broke over your knee.

You rolled away from them and freed the gun at your chest; one, two, three, four. They all fell dead at the pull of your trigger. James stared at you and sat up. He raised his gun as your own was too slow and you felt an arm around your neck, the pointed tip against your chin.

“Don’t,” the man warned as his white sleeve scratched at your throat, “she dies.”

James kept his aim steady as he got to his feet. The man choked you and pulled you a step back.

“Drop the gun,” he ordered in Russian. You gulped and tossed it down as the metal cut into your flesh just a little, “ah, always thought you would be back. Always expected it.”

“Let her go,” James said, “you can’t--”

“That is the problem, you see? The human emotion dampens the serum. We don’t need the mind, only the body--”

You were quick. You slid your hand up under the knife and fell to your knees, taking the man with you as the blade dug into your fingers. The shot knocked him off of you entirely and the knife fell free, your blood pouring down your hand. You sat back on your heels and reached for your gun with your uninjured hand.

“We get the files and get out,” James helped you up, “more will be coming.”

He drew you past the corpses and began to search the desk and cabinets. He took a black folder and you helped break open several of the computers to remove their hard drives. He packed it all into the compact pack on your back and zipped it up.

He shot past your head as more soldiers appeared. He nudged you forward and yelled, “come on.”

You raced away from the east wing and barrelled down the winding corridors, following the trail of bodies left by your entrance. You added several more to the floor until you reached the front door. Gunfire followed your departure, met only in defensive retreat.

You carried on past the gate and into the rocky impasse. A sudden blast shook the ground and James caught your arm and urged you on. You didn’t look back as the shots faded into thundering booms and bangs.

You kept on until you couldn’t hear the carnage, until it was silent but for the whistling of the mountain air, until the adrenaline was gone and your hand seared with pain, the rest of the unnoticed aches rising to the surface.

James stopped you and pulled you into a dark cave. He fished out his flashlight and little up the stony walls as he led you further inside. He pushed his head back and took a breath and he let the flashlight rest on its side and cast a plume over the dark space.

“We have to bandage your hand before we press on,” he said, “we get to the bottom at nightfall and keep going.”

“What was that?” you asked as he pulled out his aid kit from his pocket.

“My orders were to burn that place to the ground,” he said, “lucky the blast didn’t take the whole mountain down.”

He took your hand and wiped your fingers clean before he wrapped them in gauze. You were silent throughout as your heart slowed and you had a moment to think.

“James, what--” you blinked and looked down as he moved around you to unzip your bag, “I’m not mad. What was that?”

“No, you’re not,” he said as he pulled the folder out of the bag and went back around you, “it’s why we need to burn these.”

“What is it?” you asked.

He handed it over silently and retrieved his flashlight. He held it over the folder as you opened it. Your picture was at the front of the pile of papers, several signed by Ilyich, detailing the progression of your pregnancy. There were several explaining how the growth of the enhanced fetus affected the carrier. How the serum seemed to have molded with the DNA of the subject.

You looked up at James and frowned. It couldn’t be.

“You never noticed before and I never wanted to make you,” he admitted, “I thought you would hate to be like me and that would be just another thing I did to you.”

“James…”

“I know, it was the soldier but it still feels like me,” he took the folder from you and closed it. “So I will keep you from one misery in this life. We destroy this now and when we reach the rendezvous, I delete any of that from those hard drives.”

“What do you--”

“We’re going back to Luka,” he said, “they can’t know because they will want to know more. They will want to try it again. Doesn’t matter if it’s Hydra or Stark.”

You nodded and he dug out his lighter. He lit the first page and watched it wilt into ash. You sat on a flat rock and rubbed your gloved hands together. You watched him burn the file a sheet at a time.

“I was reading about Canada. There was a program on the TV Luka was watching,” you said as added the last page and he stood, “what do you think? A nice little house for us. I hear it snows there. I love the snow.”

He clapped off his hands and reached for you. He drew you up and zipped your jacket up to your chin. He framed your face and smiled down at you in the glow of the flashlight hooked on his hip, “If you’ll be there, it sounds wonderful.”

✰✰✰

END

Thank you again for all your patience and support with this series. I’m sad but happy to be done. Let’s all imagine Luka getting to sled with Bucky up in the Great North and be at peace.

#bucky barnes #winter soldier #breach #bucky barnes x reader #winter soldier x reader #dark!winter soldier #dark winter soldier #fic #series #dark fic #dark!fic #mcu #marvel #captain america #steve rogers #howard stark #au

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ashintheairlikesnow · 3 years

Text

Misread Details, Part One

CW: Death talk, BBU, dehumanizing language about Box Boys

A Box Boy Serial Killer On the Loose? Part 1 of 3

r/LetsTalkTrueCrime

•Posted by u/oshaycanyousee 1 month ago

Hello, r/LetsTalkTrueCrime!

I’ve posted this write-up in a couple other reddits, but someone pointed me to this one as being a good place for discussion, and this is a really weird set of three unsolved murders (well, one death and two murders? Maybe?) and I wanted to see if any of you have some thoughts or maybe more info on these cases.

Three men died within two years in three different cities.

While each death is unique, all of them have one thing in common - fingerprints and DNA from a single human pet was found in every single location.

Let’s start with the first death.

Nathaniel Matthew Benson, who went by “Nanda” (a childhood nickname given to him by a younger brother who couldn’t pronounce his full name as a toddler, apparently), was forty-one years old at the time of his death.

He was born and raised in North Dakota by very strict religious parents, and had three younger brothers and one younger sister. There is some disagreement here about whether his home life was peaceful or not. His younger sister claims that the environment at home was strict but fair, and the family was mostly happy. Two of his three younger brothers tell a different story, about a father who put too much on their shoulders, especially “Nanda” as the eldest, and the pressure they felt to be perfect.

His other brother, the youngest of the family, has never given a public interview beyond a short statement that he and Nanda were not close, and he did not feel able to speak about his character. There were nearly fifteen years between the oldest and youngest childrens’ births, and Nathaniel had moved out of the house by the time the youngest was four years old, so this makes sense.

By all accounts, Nathaniel was an excellent student, getting all A’s throughout his years of education. He was considered quiet and shy, and most of his high school classmates don’t have many standout memories of him. He graduated valedictorian of his high school class, then surprised everyone by stating he wouldn’t be attending college, and instead would be taking a “gap year” to travel the United States using money from his graduation party and also some he’d saved up from working part-time retail and restaurant jobs.

Between ages 18 and 19, he took his small secondhand four-door vehicle around the nation, calling home every week or so to give his family updates, sending postcards, etc. After about six months, though, the phone calls and postcards became fewer and fewer, and eventually he told everyone he had gotten a new job and decided to forgo college entirely.

His family was shocked - and by all accounts his father was furious - but Nathaniel refused to budge.

There was apparently a very hostile phone conversation about one year after this decision which was the last time Nathaniel Benson spoke to his father directly until his death.

After this, his family received only sporadic communications sent from a P.O. Box located in central California, in a mid-sized city known as Dosaba. He never did give anyone an actual home address.

He occasionally called them, mostly his sister and one of his brothers, but surviving family states that the phone number he called from was different every single time, and usually didn’t have a California area code.

“He used burner phones for everything,” Nathaniel’s sister Samantha told WNDR, a local news station, shortly after his mysterious death. “And he would never tell us what job he did. We asked and asked and Nanda would just say ‘oh, this and that’, or ‘I do contractor work’. Just answers that don’t tell you anything. It was all very mysterious, very secretive. You know, we talked about how maybe he’d gotten into drugs or something, but my brother wasn’t a drug user, ever. It just seems so out of character for the brother I knew.”

“He was always reading his Bible when we knew him,” Younger brother Timothy stated. “But you know, I asked him once if he had found a home church wherever he was living, and he laughed and laughed. Then he just said, ‘they’d have a lot of opinions on how I live my life if I did that’, and changed the subject. So I knew whatever he was doing, it probably wasn’t good.”

There has been a lot of speculation by investigators that “Nanda” had indeed picked up employment within some kind of drug smuggling group at this time. Evidence found after his death has even opened the possibility that he worked as a high-end hitman.

There’s a lot of international travel during this time period, far more than can be accounted for unless travel was part of his workplace responsibilities. Employment records show him working as a sales manager for a company called Sunrise Investments, but this is believed by many to be a shell corporation hiding something much, much darker.

However, all of this remains speculative, and there’s never been any proof that Nathaniel Benson did anything but the financial sales the company claims. No one ever did much work with him, and other employees at the company stated contact with him occurred entirely by phone and fax (and then e-mail) at this time.

When investigators pored over the documents after getting a warrant, they weren’t able to find anything suspicious - and that in and of itself seems suspicious to some.

For years, Benson seemed to simply drop off the map entirely when it comes to local information - investigators did find that he owned a vintage Corvette that he fixed up himself (found via vehicle registry and taxes listings, which is public knowledge), and that about two years before his death he bought a large five-bedroom house with a basement in Dosaba, which he renovated in total secrecy. I was able to find records of him paying home taxes through his mortgage company, and that he spoke to local contractors and building companies, paying for consultations about the renovations he undertook.

None of the companies he spoke to kept any kind of detailed notes about these consultations, but you’ll see why it’s relevant when I discuss what was found after his death.

Nathaniel Benson’s life came to an abrupt end on August 16th, 20XX, but nobody would find his body for more than two days.

On August 18th, his cleaning lady arrived for her usual weekly visit to discover him crumpled at the foot of the stairs, face-up. She called 911 immediately and first responders arrived within twenty minutes to her white-faced and nearly silent.

First responders noted that Nathaniel’s eyes were closed, unusual for a violent death. A wet cloth had been laid over them to help them stay that way. The medical examiner stated later that this would have to have been done within the first hour after he died, before rigor mortis could stiffen muscles and lead to them opening again.

That whoever witnessed his death knew to do this is deeply unusual, and may be a sign of affection or grief.

The autopsy found that Nathaniel had met his end approximately 36 hours before he was found, and had died due to an undiagnosed heart defect that had resulted in cardiac arrest.

Sounds like any sudden death that can simply be written off as sad but natural, right? Well, there’s a few details that make things a little murkier than that, and have led to his death being listed as “undetermined” officially, and possibly including foul play.

For one thing, Nathaniel hadn’t simply collapsed next to the stairs - he had fallen, or been pushed, and showed evidence of bone fractures and head trauma consistent with the fall. A bit of blood was found on one step that came from his injuries. This head trauma would likely not have been fatal if he had received medical attention, but cardiac arrest ensured death even if head trauma didn’t.

Did Nathaniel Benson suffer a heart attack and fall down the stairs, dying only when he reached the bottom? Maybe.

Or maybe he really was pushed, the shock of it is the reason he went into cardiac arrest.

There’s one more unusual fact that makes foul play a possibility in this mysterious death.

Nathaniel Benson owned a legally purchased Box Boy, no known legal name, who went by his original purchase number: 334235. The Box Boy was a Romantic designation, and was purchased from Facility 001 in Berras, a city in Southern California, where the WRU headquarters is located.

WRU, when contacted by investigators, easily agreed to meet and provide detectives with information regarding the Box Boy’s purchase, as well as the DNA and fingerprint samples the company keeps on file.

According to WRU’s internal records, this Boxie was not only a designated Romantic, but a specialty Romantic, trained for ‘masochism’. This tracks with multiple books on, shall we say, somewhat salacious interests that Benson had for his love life.

As Benson never seemed to date anyone or maintain a relationship, it’s theorized that the Boxie was his way of dealing with the stress of his work. WRU noted that Benson had contacted them after the purchase was complete to give his compliments on the Boxie’s training and note that he was ‘perfect’ and they ‘got along just fine’.

The Box Boy’s fingerprints were found all over the house, which is totally normal. He was living there full-time, after all. But investigators also located something a bit more unusual: a secret room within the home that the cleaning lady had never seen before, hidden behind a carefully camouflaged door.

This is what Benson had been working on when he ‘renovated’ his newly purchased home: He built a secret dungeon room with stone walls and a concrete floor, outfitted with a dip and a “drain”, plus a garden hose hooked up on one wall.

The room also had rows upon rows of cabinets full of various tools consistent with a ‘hard BDSM lifestyle’, according to one detective. I wasn’t able to get ahold of the actual list of items found, but was able to determine that whips, knives, ‘unspecified implements purchased from adult stores’, and other things were found.

Tests done on the walls and floor showed that blood had been spilled nearly everywhere in the room at one time or another, and large amounts of it. There was also evidence of blood found in Nathaniel Benson’s bedroom, primarily on the floor and in the bed. A small faded stain was found on the headboard just below a set of cuffs hooked into it.

A few small dried bloodstains were also found around the master bathroom sink, and investigators were able to determine the blood matched the DNA of the Box Boy, and was left there much more recently than the rest of the blood in the house, possibly even on the day of Benson’s death.

Here’s the thing, though: the Box Boy himself was nowhere to be found.

Was this Box Boy tired of being used as a human pincushion? Did he take matters into his own hands and commit the ultimate crime a pet can do, killing his owner? If he did, he no doubt knew what happens to pets who kill their owners, usually either being ‘put down’ or wiped clean to be resold.

Is our Boxie a killer right from the start? Or was he only a witness to a natural death who panicked and ran away?

Without locating the Boxie himself, it’s impossible to know.

The cleaning lady remembered him, and gave a description: Somewhere between 5’8” and 5’11”, wiry but with some muscle, usually dressed in just a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt when she was in the house. He has short dark hair, brown eyes, and an angular face. She mentioned visible scars on his arms, but none on his face. She was told to call him only “pet” if she needed to speak to him. She stated his voice was slightly hoarse and rough, as if he had a sore throat all the time.

They had only one significant interaction, where the cleaning lady inquired about a large bruise on the Boxie’s face and bandages on his arms. He apparently told her, at the time, that he ‘liked the reminer’, but thanked her for asking after his health. They never spoke directly again.

The detail about his face being unscarred will become incredibly relevant in parts 2 and 3.

Neighbors, when asked, mentioned that they had seen someone matching that description walking away from the house somewhere around 4 and 5 pm on August 16th. The medical examiner believes Benson died around noon, so this leaves about four or five hours between the death and the Boxie leaving.

He appeared to be walking very quickly and one neighbor noticed he was holding what looked like crumpled cash in one hand and a plastic shopping bag in another.

He was spotted waiting at a nearby bus stop, and footage from a camera mounted inside the bus shows someone matching the Box Boy’s description riding the bus all the way into Dosaba’s historic, artsy downtown. There, he was again captured on CCTV purchasing a one-way train ticket with cash. The train station employee who sold him the ticket remembers offering him a round-trip ticket for a discount, which she always did anyone who asked for a ticket to another city, only to have him “nervously” say he wouldn’t need to come back. She mentioned that he scratched at the side of his neck, and that when he walked away, he looked like his shoes were a little too big for his feet.

It is believed, as Nathaniel Benson was found barefoot but wearing clothing that suggested he had been outside doing yard work just before his death, that the Box Boy stole his shoes.

The fleeing Box Boy is captured one more time on camera as he arrived at his destination, Red Hills, approximately a two-hour train ride to the south. He walks past the CCTV quickly, hunched over as if trying to hide his face.

After that, he disappears.

Red Hills is a significantly larger city than Dosaba, with nearly a million residents within city limits and another 600,000 filling its suburbs and outer neighborhoods. Red Hills is a city that has seen better days, and it would be easy for a runaway Box Boy to simply fade away into its seedier districts. While Red Hills has had more than a dozen runaway Boxies picked up over the years, mostly Romantics who engaged in prostitution to make ends meet, it’s not believed that Benson’s Box Boy knew this when he chose the location.

As Romantic Boxies usually can’t read, it’s believed he simply chose a location he’d overheard someone else say, knowing nothing about what he would find when he got there.

Two days after his death, Nathaniel Benson’s debit and credit cards, Driver’s License, and a folded-up note he had written to himself about buying toothpaste were found in a plastic shopping bag tied-off at the top, were found inside the bus the Boxie had ridden, stuffed between the edge of a seat and the wall. The Boxie’s fingerprints were on everything.

But the Boxie himself wouldn’t be seen again until more than a year later.

Nathaniel “Nanda” Benson’s death for a time remained a one-off unsolved mystery. A little on the unusual side, but entirely possible that no foul play occurred, just some details that need filling in.

The shocking murder of a Red Hills man known locally as “Brute” would bring this Box Boy back into law enforcement’s line of sight, and open up questions about whether the Box Boy had simply been running away from Nathaniel Benson’s death… or leaving to find a new victim.

I’ll post Part 2, about “Brute”, shortly! Then Part 3 will be about a third murder, in which our potential Box Boy serial killer takes out… another serial killer.

I told you this one gets interesting.

@astrobly @finder-of-rings @burtlederp @whump-tr0pes @raigash @orchidscript @doveotions @pretty-face-breaker @eatyourdamnpears @boxboysandotherwhump @whumptywhumpdump @whumpfigure @outofangband @thehopelessopus @downriver914 @justabitofwhump @butwhatifyouwrite @newandfiguringitout @yet-another-heathen @nonsensical-whump @endless-whump @gonna-feel-that-tomorrow @oops-its-whump @cubeswhump @whumpiary

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httpnxtt · 4 years

Text

Wallpaper - Reid x Reader

A/N: Hello Lovelies! I attempted some pure fluff this time to show my love to my bby, @spencer-reid-in-a-pool ! I wanted to shower her with love and this was the only way I could think how, so I hope you enjoy! Shoutout to @imagining-in-the-margins for the adorable prompt! You’re amazing and ily!

Also shout out to my amazing beta buddies, @sunlight-moonrise , @clean-bands-dirty-stories , and @definitelynotkatesblog !

Spencer Reid x Reader

Category: FLUFFY FLUFF

Warnings: None!

Word Count: 4.2k

Masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the world of darkness that surrounds our lives, it’s important to find the light in the world. Luckily for me, our paperwork days meant being sat across from my best friend, Spencer Reid. The man whose smile lit the entire room, who could drop everything in an instant for someone he loves; who makes my days brighter at the simplest, “Hi.” The curly-haired genius spends his days surrounded by the worst humans in existence, using his brain to help the world before helping himself. With his IQ of 187, his mind works a million miles a minute, but sometimes he still needs help. That’s where my job comes in.

I joined the BAU a year ago, and was instantly drawn to the resident genius. He was timid when I first met him, as if scared the world would break him with everything it decided to throw at the sweet man. Slowly, I captured the heart of our resident genius, who was now my best friend. Over the course of the years, he became my favorite person. On cases, I would make sure he took time to drink water and rest when possible, bringing him snacks when his brain was wrapped in his geological profile. I made it my mission to teach the genius to love himself as much as he loves others.

Paperwork days were when I really got to see his bright smile and soft laughter. It became a running joke between us. Whenever Spencer would get up to grab us coffee from the kitchen, I would steal his phone to change the wallpaper to something silly. Every time he would check his phone for updates, he would see a new silly picture and grace me with a shining smile and chuckle. Even for these split moments in time, I knew I had distracted him from the morbid things littering our desks. His smile lit up the bullpen, leaving butterflies fluttering around in my stomach, my own smile gracing my lips. He would always shake his head before changing it back, already knowing he would find a new wallpaper later that day. Luckily for me, today was a long, dragging paperday which means I had plenty of time to meet my Spencer-Smile quota for the day.

First thing this morning, I got my hands on his cell. Pre-coffee brain, the only thing I could think of was the most ridiculous picture of our own Derek Morgan. The image was one Penelope graced me with, a photo he attached when shamelessly flirting with her during our downtime. As quickly as I could, I set the lockscreen and gently placed the device back on his desk, almost in the right spot although I’m sure Spencer would notice it had been moved. I sit back in my chair, slowly starting to spin as I see Spencer make his way back to our desks, two mugs in hand as his glasses begin to slide down the bridge of his nose. I shoot up to wrap my hands around the steaming mug, the warmth like a warm hug. I pull the mug up to my face, smelling the delicious scent of coffee created perfectly to my specifications. Sometimes boy genius’ memory has its perks. Settling back at my desk, I sort through the mound of files for the day in anticipation.

Looking up from my own cases, I look across to Spencer who has his face buried in a file, his finger trailing down the pages taking my mind into places it shouldn’t go. After an hour he still hasn’t seen his wallpaper, plastering a frown on my face. I pull out my own device, immediately texting a gif of Stitch saying hi to “Pretty Boy”, hearing his phone ding almost immediately. Looking across to Spencer, he almost spits out his coffee seeing the ever flirtatious Derek Morgan gracing his screen. The reaction sent me into a whirlwind of laughter, my head thrown back, almost cackling at the poor man.

As I calm down, wiping the tears from under my eyes, I see Spencer looking at me with his signature smile, making my heart flutter.

“That was a good one, Y/N. You really got me this time.” He chuckles, looking at this screen again before looking back at me. “Might have been your best one yet,” he says as he works to change it back. The poor technophobe had to learn because of me how to change his wallpaper since he realized I wouldn’t stop anytime soon. He’s still a tad slow but watching him try to work through it makes my heart happy as I return to my own files.

As I try to work through my own files, an IM from the tech queen herself pings my computer.

P.Garcia: “Changed Boy Wonder’s wallpaper again? When are you going to tell him?! Your puppy eyes give you away, darling. You can’t lie to me.”

Y/N: “Darling Penelope, I would never lie to you. Alas, you continue shipping something that will never sail..” I reply to her, hoping she gets the gist.

Although Spencer lives in my thoughts rent free, that’s where he’ll stay. As much as I wanted him in my arms instead, it simply wasn’t going to happen. I close my messages before trying to actually get some work done. I’d rather not stay late yet again due to my tendency to be a bit scatterbrained.

***

Coffee break number two rolls around and I already have the perfect picture planned. Reid scurries into the kitchen desperate for more coffee and I rush to his desk. Pulling out his phone, I send an image to it before saving it. It is one of my all time favorites. A movie night Spencer and I shared. I convinced him to let me pamper him under the reasoning of some well deserved self-care. Surprisingly, the man went along with my antics, although fighting me on this gem. The image is a sneaky one that Reid doesn’t even know exists. During our self-care night, I tried to take pictures of him looking as cute as ever, but he kept blocking me. Luckily, Spencer fell asleep before his mask came off leaving the perfect opportunity to snap the evidence. There is Spencer in all his glory, curled up on my couch in the light blue robe I saved for him that was covered in little clouds, a purple face-mask clinging to his cheeks, trying to avoid his eyebrows.To top it all off, he wore a bright pink headband to push his hair back decorated with bunny ears. The picture shows the soft side of our boy, a side I wished he would show more.

Throwing his phone back on his pile of files, I sit back at my desk, nonchalantly sipping my now cold coffee. Seeing Reid shuffle back to his desk, I wait for him to pick up his phone with my mug resting against my mouth. Spencer readjusts his frames as he settles in his chair, looking me in the eyes before looking at his phone. Instead of his normal chuckle, a pout graces his plush lips. Although his lips are normally a favorite of mine to stare at, the pout twists my gut.

“I thought you didn’t get any pictures of me that night,” he mumbles, giving me puppy eyes that could give mine a run for their money.

Despite my pride in the picture, his tone makes me feel just a little guilty. “I’m sorry, Spence, I thought you were so cute when you were napping. I didn’t want to make you upset.” I pout, the butterflies disintegrating as the moments pass. Rummaging through my drawer, I find my sack of trail mix and toss it to the dark-eyed man. “Here, take my trail mix, I know it’s your favorite,” I offer, a small smile painted on my face. Spencer’s eyes land on me, lips turning up once more into the smile that never fails to take my breath away.

“I appreciate it, but I can’t take it. I know it’s basically the only thing you eat on your lunch break.” His call out causes heat to rise into my face.

I stay insistent though. “I want you to have it. I don’t like making you sad.” I shoot back, giving him my infamous puppy eyes. Even Aaron Hotchner falls for them, there is no way the doctor could resist.

“Okay,” he starts, automatically having me rush across to his desk to give him the snack. “On one condition,” He finishes, making my face fall once more. Spencer never lets people just give him a present, he always does more for others. “Since you’re giving me your snack, you come with me to get a proper lunch since you need food and I could use the hour away from these files.” He smiles at me, already munching on the trail mix so I have no choice but to agree.

“Deal. BUT, I want pancakes if we’re going,” I reason with him, plopping back in my chair.

“IHOP it is.” He chuckles, the sound resonating in my brain as we both hurry through our respective files.

***

At coffee break number three, Reid stands from his desk, scrunching his nose to fix his glasses as he reaches across to snatch my mug from my desk. Hiding my face in the file until he walks away, I turn to see him shaking his head, knowing I’m about to change his wallpaper yet again.

Once I see him turn the corner, I stretch over to grab his phone he conveniently left square in the middle of his desk, giving the man yet another excuse to talk to her. Flipping through the camera roll, I hear a chuckle from the desk a few feet away. Looking over, I find the one and only, Derek Morgan shaking his head at me.

“What’s so funny, Thunder? Sad the attention isn’t on you anymore?” I tease him while trying to find the perfect picture.

“I just find the pining that goes on between two supposedly brilliant people entertaining.” He chuckles as my jaw drops, turning to him. “Come on, Princess. You don’t think we don’t all know you and Pretty Boy fancy each other, do you? It’s obvious to everyone except the boy himself.”

I shake my head. “He’d never see me that way, Morgan. This is just for shits and giggles.” I breathe out, settling on an image of our feet in front of the TV screen, mismatched socks adorning our feet while “Beauty and the Beast” plays in the background. He sports a neon pink sock along with a navy blue sock covered in planets, while my feet claimed one sock covered in different moon phases, the other covered in little alien creatures. Placing his phone on his desk, I settle back at my own, shooting Morgan a closing, “You’re just seeing things, Morgan.” before burying myself back in the file at hand.

Moments later, my mug is sat directly in front of me before Reid sits at his own desk. Automatically picking up his phone to check, my tummy flutters at the smile he releases while staring at the screen for a moment before looking at me. Making eye contact, I notice a slight pink tint to his cheeks, before he looks back at the image.

“This might be my favorite one yet,” he murmurs, adjusting his glasses without looking away from the screen. I feel my cheeks heat up, getting warmer by the second, but I cannot tear my eyes from the man who holds my heart without even knowing it.

***

“Hey Y/N. Ready for lunch?” Spencer asks, tearing my eyes from the IMs Garcia floods me with daily.

“Ready when you are!” I reply, jumping at the opportunity to get away from the files scattered on my desk. You’d think serial killers would take a day off sometimes. Shuffling to my feet, I grab my keys from my desk and grab Spencer’s hand, dragging him to the elevator with me.

“Seems like it’s more ready when Y/N is.” He chuckles, straightening his glasses once he comes to a stop in front of the silver doors. As we step in, Garcia frantically waves at us, before sprinting into the bullpen as the doors close.

“Well, you’re in luck, Pretty Boy. You get me as your personal chauffeur to lunch.” I beam at him as he goes bug-eyed.

“Lucky? In your death trap, Y/N?” He chuckles, putting a flabbergasted look on my face.

“Hey!” I yell at him, playfully elbowing him in the ribs. “My car has lasted 15 long years I’ll have you know, and she runs as smooth as ever,” I shoot back, immediately leaving him behind when the doors open. “Maybe I’ll just go get pancakes without you then.” It’s playful when I lock all the car doors except for mine, and he knows it.

That doesn’t stop him from playing along. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry Y/N! Will you ever forgive my poor soul?” he jokes, holding both his hands over his heart as he begs for forgiveness. Unlocking the doors, I giggle at his antics before heading to the restaurant.

***

“Y’all ready to order, or do you need a few more minutes?” The server returns to the table with our coffees, along with an apple juice for my inner child.

“Yes ma’am. Can I get the plain pancakes with eggs, as well as a side of bacon and sausage?” Spencer asks while gathering both our menus for her. “Of course, sugar. What about you darlin’?” she turns to me as Spencer dumps almost the entire sugar container into his mug.

“I’ll just have the chocolate chip pancake, please!” I smile at her as I steal what’s left of the sugar from the man across from me.

“No problem, that’ll be right out for y’all.” She smiles at us before heading off to the kitchen.

“Did you know chocolate chips were invented by Ruth Wakefield because she decided to chop up a chocolate bar and add it to her cookie batter?” Spencer looks to me as he starts with factoids. “And white chocolate isn’t even truly chocolate! White chocolate is made with a blend of sugar, cocoa butter, milk products, vanilla, and a fatty substance called lecithin. Not that it’s a surprise, considering it doesn’t even taste like chocolate. Probably because it doesn't contain chocolate solids.” he rambles as I stare at him with stars in my eyes. “However, dark chocolate is loaded with organic compounds that are biologically active and function as antioxidants. These include polyphenols, flavanols and catechins, among others. Dark chocolate also has a list of different benefits proven from consumption.” He finishes, taking a sip of his coffee as I continue staring at the man.

“What ever would I do without you, Boy Wonder?” I say, seeing Spencer’s face heat up at my remark as he hides behind his mug.

“M-me?” He asks, as if he couldn’t believe it. He shakes his head in disbelief before I could respond, showering me with many more factoids while waiting for our food rather than accept my compliment.

“Alright, here’s your food darlin’. Let me know if there’s anything else I could do for y’all.” The server tells us, shooting us a smile before moving onto another table. Spencer takes his time cutting up his food, dousing his plate in more syrup than pancake. Meanwhile, I dig into my pancakes as if it’s the last thing I will ever eat.

Halfway through my own pancakes, I look up to see Spencer looking directly at me with a look I couldn’t quite distinguish.

“Why are you staring at me?” I ask him, almost seeming to pull him from a trance before responding.

“Oh. Uh, you have chocolate on your face.” He tells me, seeing my face flush at the information. I grab my napkin and quickly wipe my lips making sure not to miss a spot. Little did I know, there wasn’t a single speck on my face.

“Is it gone?” I ask him, hoping not to embarrass myself further.

“Oh, yeah it’s gone.” he smiles, returning his focus onto his own plate.

Going back to eating, I keep sneaking pieces of the bacon off Spencer’s plate, causing him to smile each time.

“Hey Spence. I have a question for you.” I tell him, shoving a piece of bacon in my mouth.

“And what would that be, Y/N?” He asks me, sipping his coffee.

“Why is it every time we come here you order sausage and bacon, if you never touch the bacon?” I ask him, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

“Would you like my honest answer?” He pushes back, as if I would want anything else from him. I nod with a mouth full of pancakes, earning a smile while he responds. “Because I know you’ll always steal the bacon from my plate but will never actually order it yourself.” He smiles at me, returning to his own food leaving me speechless and even more red.

Finishing up our plates, Spencer takes initiative to organize all of the empty dishes so our server has less work. Giggling at his antics, I pull out my phone to check the time, seeing we still have plenty of time before our break is over.

“Are we getting milkshakes?” he asks me, sipping the last of his coffee before adding the mug to his carefully organized dish-pile.

“Of course we’re getting milkshakes, what kind of question is that, Spencer?” I look at him, almost appalled he would assume we weren’t. “We each have a sweet tooth I’ve ever seen matched by anyone else, why would you ever assume I would say no to a milkshake?”

“I wasn’t sure if we had the time, I didn’t want to make us late.” He explains, shaking his head yet again at my child-like antics.

When the server returns, we both order the largest mint-chip shakes they had before returning to our usual banter in waiting. Not long after, the server returned with a single shake.

“I’m so sorry sugar, apparently we only had enough ingredients for one mint-chip. Can I get y’all something else?” The server asks us, feeling bad she couldn’t fulfill our order.

“You take the mint-chip, Spence. I’ll order something else.” I push the shake toward him as he blocks it from getting to him.

“It’s okay, Y/N. I’m not worried about it.” He replies, fighting me over a milkshake.

“Spence-” I begin to argue before he abruptly cuts me off.

“Would you like to share the shake with me, Y/N?” he asks me, looking me directly in the eye. I froze for a moment, taken aback at the offer from the germaphobe in front of me.

“If that’s okay with you, Spence. Then, sure!” I respond, checking if it was okay with him.

“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t okay, Y/N.” He shoots back, chuckling at me before asking the server for two straws. The man in front of me steals more and more of my heart with every passing moment.

***

Going up the elevator to the BAU was a constant battle between us. Spencer secretly gave the server his card so I wouldn’t even have a chance to fight him on paying.

“You gave me your trail mix, Y/N! That’s the whole reason I asked you to get lunch in the first place! Why would I let you pay when I extended the invitation?” He shoots at me as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Shooting him a look of discontent, we both sit back at our desks, feeling 2 pairs of eyes staring at us from a few desks over.

“Don’t look now, but I think Tweedledee and Tweedledum are staring at us.” I lean over to whisper. Reid tries his best to look up at them, nonchalant as possible. Despite the boy being a genius, he is anything but sly, looking just in time to see Derek and Penelope snap their heads to whatever was on his desk. Giving them a smile, Reid picks up his own file to return to his own tasks for the day. However, the task only lasted so long before the genius needed yet another cup of coffee for the day. Heading off to the kitchen, I quickly grab the phone he left on his desk on his break, trying to plan the perfect image.

Before I could get far, I was abruptly stopped in my tracks. Staring at the homescreen on his phone, I couldn’t understand how I hadn’t noticed this before. Had this been in front of my face the entire time? Staring at the screen, I see myself and Spencer from our weekly movie nights. I had all of our silly photos, yet I had never seen this one. I see myself, puffed out cheeks with my eyes crossed, pulling at my ears to make myself look like a monkey, but my eyes can only look at Spencer. He hadn’t made his silly face. Instead, the man before me is staring directly at me, the sweetest smile across his lips. His little nose scrunch in full effect, his beautiful hazel eyes creased in the corner from his smile. That smile that could melt my heart in two seconds flat. Staring at the screen for what felt like centuries, I refocus on my surroundings when I hear his soft voice behind me.

“Wow, Y/N. Getting a little slow with the changes now, are we?” He laughs, before noticing the look on my face. Stopping dead in his tracks, he looks at me confused more than ever. Not being able to form words, I raise my hand to show him the wallpaper, the perfect image of us. His eyes go wide, his mug almost slipping through his fingers.

“Y/N, I-” He starts.

“Spence… Where did this picture come from?” I ask him, looking back at the screen before me. “I’ve never seen this one before,” I whisper, before Spencer puts his hands over mine, the mug now living on his desk.

“I, uh. I took this one before making a face, I just couldn’t resist.” He whispers, pulling my chin up gently between his two fingers, looking me dead in the eye. “Y/N…” He starts, glancing down before gazing back at me with the same look I saw at the restaurant. “I couldn’t resist because I wanted to keep a physical copy of one of the happiest moments of my life. And I care about you... More than care about you! You make my days so much brighter when you’re around. You’re the only person to ever know me, the real me. And I..” he trails off, working his confidence up to finish his thought. “I love you, Y/N. And that picture was saved, locked away on my phone so I could be reminded how much you mean to me, and how much you care on some of my darkest days. I love you, Y/N. It’s the only thing I have locked away because it’s the moment I knew I was in love with you.” He finishes, breathing out as he waits for me to react. Stunned into silence, I stand there looking at the man, seeing his face turn to panic. “It’s okay if you do-” He starts, stunned when he is cut off by his plush lips being covered by my own. He slides his hand onto my cheek, holding my face as he returns the affection.

Pulling away, I look him dead in the eye, I pull out of his embrace to my own desk, grabbing my phone. Returning to his side, I unlock my phone to show him my own hidden homescreen, a grin spreading on my cheeks from the flood of emotion. From our self-care night, it is quite possibly my favorite image of the man. He was in his robe, bunny headband and mask, but he was trying to block the images from being taken. His hand was raised in an attempt, but I could hear the laughter radiate from the image, the smile making my heart swoon at every glance. Looking between me and the image, Spencer’s jaw drops at my own revelation, before pulling me into a bone-crushing hug. Burying my face in his neck, I murmur my own “I love you.” Before a whistle from the peanut gallery beside us breaks it up.

Shooting a look to Penelope, I see she has the biggest smile plastered on her own face, her rosy cheeks probably stinging from the sheer joy painted on. Morgan sitting beside her lounges back in his own chair, shooting a wink our way.

Returning to our respective seats, I can’t help but steal glances at the man beside me. When he catches me, I can’t help but giggle.

“Hey Spence. How long was I oblivious to your homescreen?” I ask him, curious as to how much of a dumbass I truly was. Seeing his cheeks flush pink, he turns to me with guilt in his eyes,

“Y/N.. as much as I would love to take the credit, I don’t know where the wallpaper came from. I can barely change it back after you mess with it.” He confesses, a shy smile on his face. Laughing at his technophobe ways, it finally registers that he didn’t actually set the wallpaper.

“Wait, then who changed it?” I ask him, before hearing stilettos and boots scurrying down the hall, laughter trailing behind them. Looking back at my boy, those eyes stole all my words away, and that smile… the smile I had seen so many times before but never knew the intention, the smile I fell in love with, I knew he would forever be my always.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist: @spencer-reid-in-a-pool @redbullchick @samanddeanstolethetardis221b @reidetic @gretaamyk @sunlight-moonrise @prettyricky187 @rileysann @itslatinamagia @timey-wimey-lovi @pinkdiamond1016

#httpnxtt #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #spencer reid self insert #criminal minds self insert #spencer reid x you #criminal minds fluff #fluff

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drabbles-mc · 3 years

Text

Try Again

Kozik x OFC (Tawnie Trager) (ft. Dad!Tig Trager)

Request by Anon: Kozik x female reader, where reader is Tig's first daughter (bit older than the twins, called Tawnie for lols) and no-one knows they're together, until Kozik overhears Gemma question Tawnie about the hickeys - who is like "I'm not sure whether to be mad that they're there, or mad that they're not that good" and then Kozik is pretty much like, 'challenge accepted', and Tig catches them when Kozik tries to leave better ones...?

Prequel can be found Here

Warnings: language, alcohol, slight steam

Word Count: 2.7k

A/N: I changed it to an OFC because the prompt felt almost a little too specific to keep it as a reader-insert lol. Hope you don’t mind! Also, y’all really like seeing Kozik come within an inch of his life with Dad!Tig lmaoooo love it

Join my group-chat here: (X)

SOA Taglist: @garbinge @masterlistforimagines @adela-topaz-caelon @mijop @chibsytelford @xladymacbethx @i-just-read-stuff @kkim120 @multiyfandomgirl40 @toni9 @unicornucopia-fuckers @mayans-sauce @shadow-of-wonder (If you want to be added to the taglist, just let me know!)

She walked into the office with a box of files in her hands. Setting it down on Gemma’s desk, she let out a sigh. Rolling and cracking her neck, she pulled her hair back for a moment to help cool down. Normally she wouldn’t be caught dead with her hair down in the middle of summer, but things had gotten a little heated the night before and Kozik had left a scattering of hickeys on the side of her neck. The rule was always to keep it below the collar but they both got a little wrapped up in things. It wasn’t a huge deal when it happened for him—he could blame it on any of the women who hung around the clubhouse. But for her it was a bit of a tougher situation.

Her father had made it clear from the get-go that she and both of her sisters were off-limits to every man in the club. Even men who were friends of the club. No one was to do so much as toss a wink or a potentially flirtatious comment their way. And for as much as she tried to tell her father that he was being ridiculous, that she was a grown woman who could and would make her own decisions, he never budged. After all, Tig had never been known for being a man to compromise.

So it was bad enough that she was sneaking behind her father’s back with someone in the club. What made it even worse was the fact that it was the one person in the MC that he couldn’t stand. She didn’t even remember how her and Kozik fell into the situation that they were in. He was always friendly with her, but he was one of the most cautious around her because he knew that Tig wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in him if he so much as thought Kozik was hitting on his daughter. And yet, somehow that flipped completely around and the two of them were sneaking off whenever the situation allowed for it.

The last few months were playing at hyper-speed in her mind as she let herself breathe for a moment in the privacy of Gemma’s office. She was staring blankly down at the box that she had just brought in, too zoned out to notice the fact that Gemma had walked in behind her.

“Well, well, well,” Gemma chuckled as she walked up behind her, “What’d you get yourself into last night, T?”

Fear shot down her spine and she instantly let her hair go, “What?”

Gemma shook her head, “Too late to hide it now, sweetheart,” she brushed her hair out of the way to get a better look at her neck, “Since you’re busted, you gotta tell me,” she leaned back against the desk, “Who done it, Tawnie?”

She rolled her eyes, “You cannot tell my dad.”

Gemma chuckled, “What Tig doesn’t know won’t hurt him. So,” she nudged Tawnie’s shoulder, “spill the beans, sweetheart.”

Kozik was about to walk in to ask Gemma about something when he heard the two of them talking. He stopped himself, lurking right outside the door. He was curious to see how the conversation was going to go—he wanted to know if Tawnie would actually confide in someone about the two of them. He’d been good, he hadn’t told a single soul about the two of them being together. It was too small of a town and word traveled way too fast. His days were numbered as it was and he didn’t want to shorten his lifespan any more than necessary by having Tig find out that he was hooking up with his daughter.

Tawnie sighed, running her hands down her face, “Kozik.”

Gemma’s eyes went wide, “Honey, why do you want him to get the shit kicked out of him?”

She laughed, “I don’t! I don’t. Please, please don’t tell my dad.”

“I won’t,” Gemma shook her head slightly, “How’d that happen, anyway?”

She shrugged, feeling the heat rise slightly in her cheeks, “I don’t really know. It all sorta just…fell together.”

“How long?”

She paused, not wanting to admit how long they’d been hiding it, “Couple months.”

“A couple months?” Gemma chuckled and shook her head, “You’ve been sneaking around for a couple months and the man still can’t leave a proper hickey?”

She laughed, giving her a playful shove, “Gemma!”

“What? I’m just saying,” she glanced at her neck, “I could leave a better one than that. And your father would be much less pissed off about it.”

“You gonna give him a how-to manual, Gemma?”

She shook her head, “That’s something he’s gotta learn on his own, sweetheart.”

She laughed, “Is that something you’d like updates on?”

Gemma smiled as she fixed Tawnie’s hair, covering back up the marks on her neck, “You won’t need to tell me—I’ll see it for myself.”

There were a few beats of silence before she spoke up again, “Thank you for, y’know, not ratting me out to my dad.”

She smiled, “The girls gotta stick together.”

Taking that as her cue to leave, Tawnie made her way towards the office door. Kozik heard the sound of her footsteps and tried to back off enough so that it wouldn’t seem obvious that he was waiting right outside the door for her. Despite the distance, though, his face gave him away. She could tell from his expression that he was trying to cover for himself, which meant that he had most definitely heard her conversation with Gemma. She felt a little bad, but she also wanted to see what he was going to say.

“Oh, hey,” she smiled, tilting her head slightly, “You good?”

He nodded, “Yea, I’m…I’m good. Is, uh, is Gemma in there?”

So he was going to play it off for the time being. Two could play at that game. She nodded, “Yea, just got in.”

“Alright, cool. Thanks. I’ll see you later?”

She nodded, “Yea of course. You gonna be around tonight for the party?”

“Are you?”

She smiled, “I think so.”

A smirk passed over his face for a moment, “Then I think so too.”

The day went by quickly. She kept herself busy with random things around the garage and the clubhouse. Normally she’d be getting her hands dirty working on whatever needed repairs, but if she couldn’t tie her hair back out of the way, she wasn’t even going to bother. It would’ve been more trouble than it was worth.

She was helping bring in a few cases of beer as people started showing up for the party. It was dark out by that point, music and loud conversations already starting to flow out through the walls of the clubhouse. She smiled and shook her head to herself as she bumped the door open with her hip.

“T,” Jax appeared on the other side of the bar from her and gave his most charming smile, “grab me a beer, please?”

She rolled her eyes but did as he asked. She popped the top off of it before handing it to him, “I’m not a bartender, Teller.”

“If you’re on that side of the bar, you’re a bartender. Those are the rules.”

She laughed and shook her head before grabbing a beer for herself, “Guess you can carry your own shit in next time.”

Making her way back to the side of the bar that wouldn’t land her with more responsibilities, she looked around the clubhouse. Everyone was hanging out having a good time. A few of the guys were playing pool, and some of them already had women draped over their laps. She chuckled as she sat herself down on a stool at the bar. Pressing the beer bottle to her lips, she silently looked for Kozik in the midst of the chaos.

They locked eyes from across the room. He was sitting on the sofa, one of the women from Cara Cara tucked underneath his arm. She almost felt herself getting jealous, but when he smiled at her all of those feelings faded away. They both knew that the price of keeping their relationship a secret was having to allow a certain amount of flirtation from the people around them. He never got too close with any of the women who hung around the clubhouse, but he couldn’t be too cold and dismissive without at least one of the guys giving him shit about it.

Tawnie refused to break eye contact as she took a long drink from her beer bottle. She could see it in his eyes that even though the party had barely started, he already wanted to leave with her. She would’ve been up for that, too, if he asked. But she knew that he wouldn’t. She contented herself with keeping an eye on everyone around her.

Tig walked up, throwing a loving arm around his daughter’s shoulders, “How you doin’, doll?”

She chuckled and leaned against him for a moment, giving him a side-hug, “I’m good, Dad. Enjoying the party?”

“Always,” he laughed, “But are you?”

She chuckled, nodding, “You know me—I’m more than happy to just sit back and watch everyone else get into trouble.”

“Good way to stay out of it.”

“Exactly,” she gave him a playful nudge, “Go keep the boys in line, alright?”

He smiled, pressing a brief kiss to the top of her head, “Love you, T.”

“Love you too,” she laughed as he took off into the fray of things.

Once the party had really gotten underway, Kozik made his way over to her. It felt safer to be closer when there was so much else going on around them—they weren’t on anyone’s radar. He leaned in close so that only she could hear him. At first it was just jokes, off-hand comments about what was going on around them. She’d laugh and shake her head, and Kozik could swear that he’d never heard a better sound.

“Think we could sneak out for a bit?” he asked.

She looked at him, eyebrows raised, “Oh?”

He nodded, “Yea,” he pushed her hair back behind her shoulder, “because apparently I have some work to make up for.”

Heat rushed to her face and she wanted to hide behind her hands. Even though she knew that he had heard the conversation with Gemma, talking about it was an entirely different thing. She looked up at him, a nervous smile on her face.

“I didn’t say—”

“Don’t even,” he laughed and shook his head.

She laughed as well, knowing that there was no trying to soften the blow to his ego. He seemed to be handling it just fine, though. They both looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to them before sneaking back towards the dorms.

Once they were in the hall, out of the main cluster of the clubhouse, Kozik instantly had his hands all over her. He walked up behind her, sliding his hands up her sides beneath her top. Without thinking about it, she melted back into him, reaching back with one hand to trail her fingers down the side of his face. His fingers gripped onto her side as he kissed along her shoulder. He spun her around so that her chest was pressed against his, pushing her back against the wall.

He crashed his lips into hers as he pinned her to the wall. She gripped the edges of his kutte and attempted to pull him as close as she possibly could. They knew it was reckless to not even bother waiting to get to his dorm, but she wasn’t in the mood to be telling him to stop. Any and all responsible thoughts left her brain the second he bit down on her bottom lip.

He pulled his lips off of hers, trailing them down along her jaw and peppering her with kisses all along the way. She couldn’t help but to smile as he placed a kiss on her neck, “Gonna give it another shot?”

His laughter vibrated against her skin, “I feel like I have to. Can’t let Gemma disrespect me like that.”

She laughed and was about to make a smart remark when she felt his teeth against the sensitive skin of her neck. Her fingers wound their way into his hair, eyes fluttering shut as his hand slipped up the front of her shirt as he continued to suck a dark mark into the side of her throat. His name was about to fall from her lips in a quiet moan when their moment was interrupted.

“What the fuck is this?” Tig snapped, eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.

Kozik immediately backpedaled, nearly plastering himself against the opposite wall from Tig’s daughter. Tawnie’s face was flushed, hair and shirt a mess as she tried to look anywhere but into the eyes of her dad. She knew it was their own doing, but she still didn’t want to have to have this conversation with him.

“You’re a dead motherfucker,” within a split second Tig was charging at Kozik,

“Dad!” Tawnie jumped in, barely being able to wedge herself between the two men before serious damage was done, “Dad, stop!” she shoved him backwards with all the strength she could muster.

Tig’s chest was heaving as he looked down at his daughter, “What the fuck, T?”

“You don’t get to tell me who I can and can’t see,” she sounded much more confident than she really felt.

“This,” he pointed at Kozik, “is not a good choice, Tawnie.”

“You don’t get to decide that for me!”

Kozik’s eyes were bouncing back and forth between the two Tragers. It wasn’t often that he saw Tawnie get heated and defensive about things. He’d certainly never pictured her speaking like that to her own father. He wanted to step in and say something but he had the feeling that that was only going to make it worse.

“And you,” Tig’s eyes bored into his, “what the fuck are you thinking?!”

It was hard to try and sound tough when Tawnie was the only thing standing between him and getting his ass beat. He still tried, though. He rested his hands protectively on her shoulders and looked directly into Tig’s eyes.

“I’m think that she’s right. That you don’t get to make that decision for us.”

“For us?” Tig stepped in closer, his blood boiling.

“I’m an adult, Dad,” Tawnie was shaking her head, “And for what it’s worth, I don’t think you get to criticize who I’m seeing when you were about to bring some random woman back to your dorm,” she cocked one eyebrow.

That got Tig to recoil a bit. He hooked his thumbs onto his belt-loops, trying to figure out what he wanted his next move to be. After a few moments of incredibly tense silence, he looked back at his daughter, “We aren’t done talking about this.”

Before she could try to give any kind of sass in return, Tig turned around and headed back towards the main part of the clubhouse, the woman he was about to whisk away following suit. Tawnie let out a deep sigh of relief as she leaned back against Kozik, taking comfort in the feeling of his arms draped over her shoulders as he kissed the top of her forehead.

“Did you think you were gonna die?” she laughed.

He chuckled, loosely wrapping his arms around her neck as he pulled her back against him, “For a second, yea.”

“My last resort would’ve been telling him that Gemma told you to do it,” she tilted her head back so she could look up at him.

He smiled down at her, “I kinda wish that you did, just so we could see his reaction.”

“He still might’ve killed you.”

“Maybe,” he sighed as he rested his forehead lightly against the back of her head.

“Does this mean you’re going to bail on your redemption plans?”

He slid his hands down so that they were resting on her hips again. Without a word he turned her and began pushing her down the hall in the direction of his dorm. She laughed as she let herself be guided down the row of doors.

“I don’t give up that easy,” he laughed quietly as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

#sons of anarchy #soa #sons of anarchy imagine #soa imagine #kozik #herman kozik #kozik x oc #herman kozik x oc #my writing #fanfiction #drabblesmc #oc tawnie #oc tawnie trager

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marrys-dream-world · 3 years

Text

if we’re bound to be something, why not together? (chapter 11)

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Notes: Double update to cheer up a bit! This chapter turned out much longer than I thought it would be, almost double the size of other chapters. No content warning, just fluff! The song "Blueming" by IU, I think this fits this chapter a lot so if you want a song to listen while you read, it's that! Day 11: Voice Mail/Phone calls. @ladynoirjuly

After their last patrol, Ladybug sent Chat Noir a link through their communicators.

[Download this!!] She sent along with it, eagerly waiting for him.

[As my lady commands : D] He sent back almost immediately.

That talk had been a bit of an eye-opener to Marinette. She was getting to know Chat Noir more and more each day and she treasured every bit of information she got, jealousy holding it close to chest, hesitating to write it even in her diary. He was a quiet student during class, he had a friend whose name was definitely not Sallie (ugh), his father was distant, his mother and mother-figure were out of reach. He was lonely. All this information was worrying, just not as much as what she learned that night. At that moment, with him shaking in her arms, she made a decision.

Being there for him just as Ladybug wasn't going to cut it anymore.

This idea wasn't anything new, she had been playing with it in her mind for a while now. So when she sent him a chat room code through her communicator with other instructions and detransformed, she was fairly confident it would work. Picking up her phone, she smiles as she saw that there was already a message.

My lady!! <3 <3 <3

down, Chaton. :)

I'm just mdlaomqnahsbsk

Is it okay, though? Talking like this?

yeah, i've been testing this app with RR and it's fine, there's no way we'll leak our numbers or anything like that to each other. don't worry ;)

This app is to warn each other about attacks and schedule meetings? Are you going to add RR to the chat?

nah, i'll just make one for the 3 of us. this is one for us to talk and stuff, doesn't need to be about job things.

The "CN is typing…" kept it's place on the screen for enough time for her to start getting worried.

You don't need to force yourself for my sake, bug. I don't want to bother you.

Marinette thought about making a joke. The situation, however, didn't seem right for it.

you never bother me.

His response came almost immediately.

You never texted me before.

guess i'll have to learn what's the maximum amount of cat memes a person can humanely send per day

Is that a challenge, my lady?

;) ;) ;)

just remember to not blow up my phone, we have class

I'll use my powers for good, don't worry : D

Marinette smiled and put down her phone, fixing up her bag for the next day on the chance (certainty) that she would wake up late the next day. When she picked the phone up again, there was a single text:

Thank you, bug. Good night.

He was absolutely unstoppable after that. Next morning, as she was brushing her teeth, her cell phone pinged with the telling sound from the app and she smiled as she opened the app on her phone.

Look, look, we can change each other's names.

good to know

You changed "CN" 's name to "Chat-terbox"

Chat-terbox

You know me so well. Soulmates.

Chat-terbox changed your name to "lady of my heart"

lady of my heart

yeah, i should have seen that coming, that's on me.

oh yeah, gm

Chat-terbox

Good morning <3 <3 <3

Are you in class already?

Marinette froze in place, eyes snapping to the clock. There was only ten minutes before the class started. She bolted, barely noticing if she had on the right shoes or if her jacket matched her pants. So much for being an aspiring designer. Marinette blurred past the kitchen, taking a croissant and a banana and cramming them into her mouth as she ran. She made it to the classroom in the middle of the roll call, not even stopping by the lockers.

“Thanks for joining us, Marinette.” Ms. Bustier said dryly. “Please take a seat.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” She answered, out of breath. Sitting down, she took out her tablet and noticed another message making her phone screen glow.

Chat-terbox

Is everything okay?

lady of my heart

i made it late in class but the teacher let me in hehehe

i think she's used to it *forehead sweatdrop emoji*

Chat-terbox

Hahaha a friend of mine just did the same thing, you two are twins

lady of my heart

let me guess… Sallie *eyeroll emoji*

Chat-terbox

I mean, yeah, but why the eyeroll???

lady of my heart

you just talk too much about her, don't you think

Chat-terbox

You sound just like Plagg.

lady of my heart

maybe bc we're right

Chat-terbox

Why does that bother you? Jealous? *eyes emoji*

lady of my heart

as if *kicks u*

Chat-terbox

You kick your partner? You kick his body like the football? Oh! Oh! Jail for my lady! Jail for my lady for One Thousand Years!

lady of my heart

since my fate is already decided *kicks u again*

Chat-terbox

Nooooooooo

A giggle escaped her mouth.

"Marinette?" Ms. Bustier raised an eyebrow. "Something you want to share with the class?"

"N-no, ma'am." She answered, face heating up. Marinette quietly put her phone away, ignoring Alya's prying eyes.

She only opened the app again during the break between classes, moving away from a curious Alya to hang by Kim and Alíx.

Chat-terbox

I'll assume you're actually paying attention to class, which is great. You probably need it to make up all those crazy plans ;)

SM beaten by ninth grade physics

Hey, boo, did you see this one SM identity theory video making rounds on the internet?

Marinette frowned.

lady of my heart

there's nothing new on the ladyblog

Chat-terbox

Oh, it's not on the Ladyblog, here

She opened the video as quickly as she could before Ms. Bustier came back, only from the sound to make Kim and Alíx burst out into laughter.

lady of my heart

i opened it in my class I hate u so muuuuuch ughhhhhh

Chat-terbox

C'mon, boo, it was funny

lady of my heart

>: (

Chat-terbox

: 3

This time, she willingly put her phone away.

On the next break, she tried to ignore the pinging from her phone. However, curiosity killed the cat(‘s lady).

Chat-terbox

Please don't be mad, my lady, I have written you a lengthy apology to make up for sins

File attachment: apology letter for my beloved.doc

lady of my heart

if it's another rickroll i swear to god i'll END you

Chat-terbox

You can see it's not a video, it's safe to open

Scout's honor

lady of my heart

u were never a scout

Chat-terbox

I could be!!

Please read <3

Sighing deeply, she clicked on the document. He would never shut up if she didn't. It read as:

l would like to offer my sincerest According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway because bees don't care what humans think is impossible…

She clicked back

Chat-terbox

Did you like it? :3

lady of my heart

…

blocked

Chat-terbox

Boo, noooooooo

After that, Marinette didn’t open the app again no matter how much her phone pinged. She wasn’t mad, not really, just a bit annoyed. Before lunch ended, she would read and answer. But now, she was stuck watching Alya and Nino play Super Penguino and make moon eyes at each other. Adrien wasn’t allowed to join them, as much as he begged his father, and she was feeling pretty bummed about that. She poked around her chicken pasta when she heard her phone playing a familiar song.

kore nani kore nani korenanikorenanikorenanikorenani-

Chat Noir!

"Is everything okay?" Marinette asked as soon as she picked up the phone. Alya and Nino, noticing her worried tone, paused their game to look at her.

"You picked up!" Chat Noir said, cheery. "I thought you blocked me."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Is there actually something wrong? I'll hang up "

"No, wait!" He yelped. "There's nothing wrong, I just wanted to talk. Are you busy?"

Marinette looked over at Nino and Alya, who were still watching her expectantly. She smiles reassuringly and waved them away, furtively signaling to Alya that it was Chat Noir on the phone. Her friend nodded and bumped her shoulder on Nino's.

"C'mon, babe, let Marinette talk to her 'friend' by herself." Alya said, leering.

"Why did you say it like that?" Nino asked, confused. Then, his eyes lit up. "Is it Adrien? Tell him I said hi!"

"No!" Marinette shouted, gaining weird stares from the other patrons.

"No, you aren't busy?" Chat Noir asked on the phone.

"No, it's not Adrien, or no, you won't tell him I said hi?" Nino asked.

"It's another friend." She said hurriedly before focusing on the phone. "I can talk now, not that busy."

"If you're with your friends, it's okay." He said, rather meekly for her chaton.

"I'm just third-wheeling." Marinette said as Alya and Nino began another round of Super Penguins. "Why did you call? Aren't you having lunch now?"

Chat Noir chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, I'm having lunch at home and I'm all alone, so I thought I could give you a call. Is that too much?"

"No, it's fine." She reassured. "Why are you alone? What about your siblings?"

"What siblings?" He asked, genuinely confused.

"Uh… the siblings I assumed you had for some reason." She said awkwardly, noticing how out there she sounded the more she spoke.

"Really? You thought I had siblings? Why?"

"Because you're just like an annoying little brother." She said teasingly, a complete lie.

Chat Noir struck her as a mischievous, but supportive older brother. The kind that sneaked you treats after midnight and comforted you after failing a math test. Not like she could tell him that, though. If he was a little brother, it would be to a stressed older sister that he admired a lot and that found him reliable in return. She dreamed about meeting them sometimes and now it seemed that they would truly stay dreams forever.

"I would like an older brother or sister." He sighed longingly. "The closest I have is my cousin, but he lives in another country."

"Oh, sorry."

"No, it's better this way, we would kill each other if we lived together. Everyday I would have to check for poison in my breakfast."

"A true sibling dynamic."

"Yep."

"Hey, why aren't you having lunch with your friends then?" With Sallie, she wanted to tease, but held back for fear of sounding, as Tikki said, bitter.

"My father would rather I have lunch at home." He said vaguely. "My friends did invite me to go with them to a café, but my father didn't like the idea. He only likes one of them, the rest he says are bad influences."

"Let me guess, the one he likes is Sallie?"

"I can hear you rolling your eyes, but yes."

"Well, if you ever get lonely at lunch, you can call me." Marinette said honestly. "I don't mind it."

"Thank you." Chat Noir said softly.

They spent the rest of lunch talking on the phone, even sending pictures of their food to each other (Chat's limp salad made her take a bunch of mental notes to take him some pastries next patrol). On the way to school, as she walked to the classroom, they kept talking. She could hear Chat getting on a vehicle (a bus?) and when he got to school, she was disappointed he had to hang up. After Marinette clicked the end call button, the first thing she noticed when she looked up was Alya's smug face and Nino's confused one.

"Wow, does my bro have some competition, dude?" Nino said. "You spent the entire break talking."

"What? No, that was just a friend!"

"Yeah, a friend." Alya sing-songed, making her face heat up.

"Yeah." Marinette said firmly. "There's no competition for anything."

"Who's competing?" A sweet voice asked from behind her and she jumped.

"Adrien!" She shouted, scrambling. "N-nothing hehe."

"Dude!" Nino smiled. "How was your lunch?"

Adrien smiled, brightly. "The best I've ever had."

Marinette felt inclined to agree.

#ladynoirjuly #ladynoirjuly2021 #ladynoir #ladybug #chat noir #ml fic #my stuff #miraculous ladybug #if we're bound to be something why not together

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riversofmars · 3 years

Text

Hi all! So sorry this update took a while, I got side-tracked with the RiverDoctorPromptWeek which was a lot of fun :D But now that that's over, back to business! Hope you like this next chapter! <3

Chapter 13: Into the Lion’s Den

Torchwood Two Hub, 2021

“I did not expect that to be down here,“ Jenny observed, sounding thoroughly impressed as they followed the Doctor into the Torchwood Two hub.

“Looks can be deceiving,“ Vastra mused but she was surprised as well. Humanity really had improved on their defences since the time they lived in.

“Thank you for coming, Doctor,“ Kate greeted them, her expression one of relief. She felt better already for having them here. She looked the Doctor up and down, her new body would take a bit of getting used to but her identity was still unmistakable.

“That’s… the Doctor?“ Gwen raised her eyebrows, mumbling to Martha who was just as surprised.

“I’m sorry to be pulling you away from whatever you’ve got going on…“ Kate hadn’t expected the Doctor to arrive with as big an entourage as she had. She eyed the Doctor’s numerous companions with interest and, in the Master’s case, concern.

“I actually think both our problems might be connected.“ The Doctor didn’t stop to chat, she carried on along the corridor to where she presumed the main working area was.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a cell, would you?“ Vastra asked, giving Kovarian a little shove to walk along.

“Who is she?“ Kate asked with a frown.

“Long story but locking her up would be most helpful,“ the Doctor retorted.

“I’ll see to that,“ Gwen volunteered. They were set up for all eventualities in the hub.

“These are my friends Vastra, Jenny and Strax.“ The Doctor made their introductions as they reached the main area.

“And this…“ Kate had read the files on what had happened with Daniel Barton. It couldn’t possibly be…

“Oh don’t mind me…“ The Master looked around the room, hands in his pockets managing to somehow look bored, and yet scan his surroundings with interest. It was disconcerting.

“Doctor is this a good idea?“ Kate reached for the Doctor’s arm and stopped her in her tracks.

“I told you, I was busy too, there is a lot going on…“ The Doctor replied, watching, as the two Osgoods regarded the Master with surprise and distrust. The last time they had encountered the Master hadn’t ended well. She chose to disregard it for the moment, there were far greater concerns. “You said there were disappearances and potentially experiments going on? Any idea where I can find whoever is behind this?“

“We lost contact with Ryan, Graham and Jack when they were following a lead to an address that seemed to be connected to this project.“ One of the Osgoods spoke up, trying her best to ignore the Master who seemed to be intent on freaking them out as much as possible. He maintained a predatory smirk and mumbled threats. The Doctor hated his sense of humour.

“Daniel Barton is providing funds, that’s about all we know. The address was planted as a trap, we should have realised that,“ Kate continued ruefully.

“We had but they wanted to investigate regardless,“ Martha interjected. It wasn’t that they hadn’t realised that it was a trap, they had just decided to take the risk and it hadn’t paid off.

“Daniel Barton, eh?“ The Doctor regarded the Master with a frown.

“I don’t know what you’re looking at me for,“ the Master snapped, taking her meaning.

“Well, it’s quite the coincidence, isn’t it,“ the Doctor shot back sarcastically.

“Well, who knows maybe it was the Thirteen all along that’s been playing you and been working with the Kassavin.“ The Master rolled his eyes at her.

“Very funny.“

“Just saying, maybe I have been a good boy all along,“ he carried on mockingly.

“Shut up,“ the Doctor groaned, annoyed. She felt herself being pulled back and forth between wanting to trust him and remembering that experience had taught her not. The Master had been a genuine help at Demon’s Run - in his own destructive way, but a help nonetheless. But for whatever reason, the coincidences just kept happening, stacking the deck against him. It was beginning to look purposeful.

“So what is he doing here?“ Martha asked with distaste, recalling her own unpleasant experiences with the renegade Time Lord.

“I found him,“ the Doctor answered vaguely.

“Is he connected to this somehow?“ Kate asked, wondering if it might not be advisable to put him in a cell as well.

“Don’t know yet,“ the Doctor replied thoughtfully and the Master groaned, exasperated.

“Doctor, for the last time, I was sitting on Gallifrey while all this happened…“

“Then why does he have your face?!“ She snapped and he just stared her down, holding her intense, questioning gaze.

“I’m not following…“ Martha shook her head to herself.

“Nothing for your weak little ape brains to worry about!“ The Master exclaimed with surprising rage.

“Get it together,“ the Doctor snarled, her voice threatening as she stepped up to him.

“Stop goading me. I don’t know anything about it.“ The Master didn’t move back, if anything, he stepped even close, his eyes twinkling with madness, his darker instincts seemed to be struggling for control and he was just about holding them at bay.

“Perhaps if you could tell us what you have been doing… you said you thought there was a connection?“ Kate interjected, hoping to calm the situation.

“We have to find where their hideout is.“ The Doctor turned away from the Master, abruptly changing her priorities. She made her way over to the Osgoods at their workstations. “What sort of scanning equipment have you got here?“

“State of the art and then some but what are you looking for?“ One of them asked, relieved to be back in an area they felt comfortable with.

“Time Lord life signs. Scan for people with two hearts. If we connect the hub to my TARDIS, we should be able to do it,“ the Doctor explained, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she considered the logistics.

“You believe other Time Lords are behind this?“ Kate asked, surprised.

“If things are connected then yes, for sure. One particular Time Lord, that is.“ The Doctor nodded. “Chances are the Thirteen will be wherever they’re keeping Ryan, Graham and Jack. And my son.“

“Your son?“ Martha was the first to echo in disbelief while the other UNIT members just stared at the Doctor in shock.

“He was kidnapped, we have been chasing after his kidnappers ever since,“ Vastra interjected sensing that the Doctor’s mind was already on other, more practical matters as she leaned over the computer screens.

“Doctor I’m so sorry, I had no idea…“ Kate started saying but the Doctor wasn’t paying attention.

“He’s bound to have a Time Lord life sign too… between River and me…“ She explained to the Osgoods and took one of their keyboards off them to start typing.

“Right, okay, let’s get to work,“ Martha interrupted the stunned silence, calling them all to action.

——

Unknown location

“Tempting offer, mate, but I don’t think you can just turn people immortal,“ Ryan replied, looking around the room.

“Talking of immortal people, where is Jack?“ Graham asked, noticing his absence.

“Oh, he will be quite useful. He may not have the kind of immortality we are looking for but he might be just what we need to differentiate the genes,“ the blonde man answered graciously.

“Is that what your experiments are about? Making people immortal? You’re not doing a very good job, are you, if you’re killing them,“ Ryan snapped, pulling against restraints that had been fixed to their wrists. They had to find a way of getting out of here and get help, else they would be next in a long line of dead bodies.

“Every attempt takes us closer and we’re confident, we’re almost there now. You could be our first successes,“ the man carried on with charismatic confidence. He seemed awfully convinced of what he was promising.

“If you’re so sure about that, why don’t you try it out on yourself?“ Graham shot back, trying to get out of his restraints as well but to no avail.

“No need, I already have that ability, it’s your species I’m concerned with,“ the man answered and Ryan and Graham exchanged confused glances.

“What?“

Before they could ask any more questions, the door opened at the far side of the room.

“Padrac! There you are!“ A familiar voice barked.

“What…“ Ryan and Graham couldn’t believe their eyes as they watched the Master strolling into the room.

“Impossible.“ Graham shook his head. “She said you’d died on Gallifrey!“

“Did she now?“ The Master barely regarded them with a glance but it seemed to have picked the other man’s interest, who appeared to be called Padrac.

“You know of Gallifrey?“ He raised his eyebrows, surprised. He clearly hadn’t realised who they were.

“’Course we bloody do!“ Ryan snapped but focused his attention back on the Master: “We stopped you once and we will do it again. Just you wait, the Doctor will be on her way, once she realises this has been you all along.“

“The Doctor, ey?“ Padrac smiled, intrigued.

“I very much doubt that, you see, she’s pretty busy right now,“ the Master retorted. “You are the last thing she’s concerned with.“ Then he grabbed the other man by the arm. “Padrac, we need to talk.“

——

Luna University, 52nd Century

“Wow,“ Yaz breathed, looking out of the window as they made their descent to the moon’s surface. The university campus was quite a sight from above. Large domes were keeping the emptiness of space at bay and provided pleasant living conditions for the people below. They docked to what appeared to be a space port, for lack of a better word. It was a tall structure that stuck out between the domes and provided passage into the area below.

“What time period are you from?“ River asked, watching the fascination play on her young face.

“2020,“ Yaz answered absentmindedly as she moved away from the window.

“Ah, a little way off then, Luna University is the hub of academia in my time.“ River gave her a kind smile as she picked up Dorium who scolded her for tipping his box a bit too much. River chose to ignore his protest as they left the shuttle.

“What is your time?“ Yaz asked as they found their way to an elevator that would take them down to the surface.

“That’s a question and a half…“ River chuckled. “My parents were from your time, 2010 or something there about… and I lived there for a while… until the Doctor whisked me away and stranded me here, 52nd century… I guess I consider it my time, that’s where I spent most of my linear life… and it’s where I died. A time traveller doesn’t really have a home but Luna University is as close as it gets for me,“ she explained as they rode the elevator to the surface.

“It’s where you live when you don’t jump through time?“ Yaz understood what she meant. The elevator opened and they stepped out into the foyer of a large building of massive stone and impressive architecture. It reminded Yaz of a class trip they had taken to Oxford once where they had passed by the university. This appeared to be the Oxbridge of the future and it was very impressive.

“I teach here, too,“ River revealed with a smile. “This way.“

“Archeology, wasn’t it?“ Yaz asked as she looked around the entrance area, signs and arrows on the floor indicating which way each department was situated. “Isn’t that cheating when you can visit any time period?“ She realised she was falling behind a little bit, getting distracted by the sheer impressiveness of it all. She quickly caught up to River again.

“I certainly am the most hands-on archeologist out there,“ River chuckled. “Admittedly, not everyone is a big fan of that… but I don’t usually mention the time travel bit. Here we go…“ She grimaced a little, then put on her best smile as a middle aged man hurried to meet them. Quickly, she closed the door on Dorium’s box so as not to draw attention. A muffled protest came from the box but River gave him a little shake to be quiet.

“Ehh… Professor Song?“ The man greeted her, stammering, utterly surprised to see her by the looks of it. He was rather short and unimpressive looking, his suit was ill-fitting and there was a stain on his tie.

“If I have missed any classes, I’m very sorry, my last expedition ran over,“ River explained.

“Ran over? We received word from the Lux Cooperation that you died during the expedition,“ the man replied, utterly stunned upon seeing her. It was understandable given the circumstances.

“As always, accounts of my death have been vastly exaggerated.“ River gave a brilliant smile and a crystal clear laugh, hoping to put the matter to bed, just like that. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get to my quarters…“ She didn’t want to waste time on idle chit chat.

“Well…“ The man went slightly pale around the nose and uncomfortably tugged at his collar to loosen it a little.

“Where are my things?“ River frowned.

“Storage. We tried to reach out for your family but when thirteen different people turned up claiming to be your spouses we decided it best to keep your affects sealed for the time being…“ He answered awkwardly.

“What can I say, I’ve had a good life, didn’t expect them all to come back and haunt me after my alleged death,“ River sighed, though oddly touched that the Doctor would go to such lengths.

“Quite.“ The man cleared his throat. “I’m just gonna need some identification, bio-scan or… just to prove you are who you say you are, you understand… doesn’t happen every day someone returns from the dead…“

“Here, hold Dorium.“ River handed Yaz the box. Dorium complained loudly and the university clerk jumped away from them in shock at the talking box. “Lead the way,“ River sighed at him exasperatedly. “There better not be anything missing!“

——

Torchwood Two Hub, 2021

“Here we go, that should do it.“ The Doctor had finished linking the Torchwood computers to the TARDIS and transferred Time Lord biodata prints across for reference, now it was just a matter of time.

“Scanning now…“ One of the Osgoods announced.

“Two here, that’s the Master and me…“ The Doctor smiled enthusiastically when the first results came in. It was working.

“I still can’t believe you brought him here,“ Martha huffed.

“As it happens, I have been very helpful through this process,“ the Master shot back.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,“ Mickey backed up his wife.

“It might be easier if you start scanning where you lost track of your friends?“ The Master ignored their quips. “Idiots.“

“Doctor, does he really have to be here?“ Kate asked softly, stepping closer to the Doctor. “No-one seems comfortable with having him around.“

“Well, I don’t like being here, and I don’t like playing nice, I would quite happily murder each and every one of you but we can’t all have what we want, can we?“ the Master bellowed, losing his temper at last.

“Master!“ The Doctor snapped, her eyes shooting up to him. They had been toeing a fine line and it was becoming increasingly hard to justify his presence to the others.

“Sorry. Sometimes my emotions run away with me,“ the Master took a deep breath and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Doctor!“ The Osgoods chanted in unison and the Doctor returned her attention to the computer screens.

“There we are!“ She exclaimed excitedly. Finally they were getting somewhere! “But… that’s not possible…“ She frowned, leaning in closer, doubting the findings and her ability to interpret them in equal measures.

“What is it?“ Vastra asked, concerned.

“There are three Time Lord life signs there…“ The Doctor revealed after a moment’s consideration. “Even if the Thirteen really came here and that is where they’re keeping my son, there should only be two…“

“They must have succeeded,“ the Master announced. “With their experiments.“ He laughed and shook his head: “Making more Time Lords, just after I thought I’d wiped them all out… that’s what you think they’re doing, right?“ He looked to the Doctor.

“We have to go now,“ she said, straightening herself up. They had no time to lose. They had no idea what exactly was going on in that place but it was entirely possible that the Master was right.

“I hope you’re not expecting to go alone,“ Kate spoke up and the Doctor looked around, finding everyone getting to their feet, determined faces looking back at her.

“No, I’m not. I’m quite happy to bring down the full force of Torchwood and Unit down on them… whatever it takes to get my son back and stop them,“ the Doctor smiled with vengeful fury behind her calm facade.

——

Luna University 52nd Century

“I can take it from here, thanks.“ River took the key card from the university clerk that had insisted on walking them to the storage area personally. He also insisted on asking the most impertinent questions about what had actually happened to her during the expedition and why she was only returning now. By the time they reached the storage locker, River had had enough.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to…“ The clerk started but River interrupted curtly:

“Quite.“ He handed over the key card and when River made no attempt to open the room in his presence, he finally got the message and departed.

“How long have you been dead for?“ Yaz asked as the archeologist unlocked the door at last.

“I’m not quite sure… but it is getting dusty in here, isn’t it,“ River commented as they stepped inside the room and flicked the lights on. They were garish and bright, almost clinical and all of River’s personal effects, her furniture, her books, her life - for all intents and purposes - looked incredibly lifeless, as if they were entering a morgue.

“What exactly are we looking for?“ Dorium asked, as River opened up his box and set him down on a sideboard.

“Well for a start, this,“ River replied when she opened the top drawer of her desk and pulled out a blaster gun. It appeared out of charge as she checked it over but that was easily remedied.

“Is the Doctor happy about you carrying a gun?“ Yaz raised her eyebrows, remembering many passionate speeches about how terrible guns were.

“Never but they’ve given up arguing,“ River answered with a smirk and attached the gun to her belt.

“Is that ‘cause they always lose the argument?“ Yaz chuckled. Her eyes fell on a box on the desk, full of picture frames that had probably once decorated said desk in the professor’s office. She picked up a picture of River and a tall, white-haired man. They were standing on a balcony, a beautiful sunset stretching across the sky behind them and two large towers of stone in the distance. Yaz turned the picture over, there was a note on the back that read “The Singing Towers, Darillium. “She said she used to be a white haired scotsman…“ Yaz mused as she turned the picture back around and smiled. It was a beautiful picture for sure but what was even more remarkable was the expression on the Doctor’s face. So full of joy and adoration. While River was looking at the camera and smiling, he was looking at her, as if the rest of the universe ceased to exist.

“Yaz?“ River drew her attention.

“Yeah?“ Yaz looked up, blushing a little, quickly she put the picture frame back where she found it, embarrassed. She probably should have asked before looking at her personal effects.

“Can I trust you?“ River asked, searching her expression for a truthful answer.

“Of course, why do you even have to ask that?“ Yaz was genuinely surprised.

“I don’t know you. Vastra, Jenny, Strax, Dorium even… I have history with them, you’re… new,“ River explained and it was obvious that she wasn’t trying to be unkind or distrusting, she simply had to ask before they got any further. “And for what we’re about to do, I need to know I can trust you, completely.“

“Of course. The Doctor is one of my best friends and to think what you’ve been through, both of you… whatever you need, River. I mean it.“ Yaz nodded, her assurances genuine and determined. After everything that had happened to the Doctor, Yaz wanted nothing more than to make sure she got her family back and found some happiness at last. It was long overdue.

“Good. I thought so.“ River smiled and waved her along.

“What exactly are we going to do?“ Yaz asked and picked up Dorium’s box as they carried on further into the room.

“We’re gonna be the cavalry,“ River revealed, she seemed to know exactly what she was looking for.

“And how do you intend to do that?“ Yaz frowned, stopping as River did too, in front of a large cupboard.

“Here we go!“ River announced, full of enthusiasm.

“An old cabinet?“ Yaz asked, confused. It was pretty, solid oak and classical craftsmanship but she couldn’t see how it would help them in their quest.

“I would have thought by now you would check every cupboard for extra dimensions,“ River chuckled as she opened the door.

“It’s a TARDIS?“ Yaz exclaimed as it opened up into a vast room in its own right, fully furnished with computer screens and a control console.

“Let’s go and see what that wife of mine is up to. I imagine there might be trouble as she hasn’t been around to pick us up yet.“ River grinned.

——

The TARDIS

“Are you sure it’s such a good idea to just fly in there?“ Kate attempted to be the voice of reason as they piled into the TARDIS.

“I’m done messing around,“ the Doctor retorted as she started working the controls.

“Just like back in the old days…“ Martha hummed looking around the control room. The Osgoods had agreed to stay behind and provide intel as needed. Everyone else was crowded into the control room.

“Everybody ready?“ The Doctor cut through the chatter. She was tense, it felt like they were finally getting somewhere and she was eager to get going.

“Ready when you are,“ Kate confirmed and there were nods all round. Without further ado, the Doctor launched the TARDIS. Their journey only lasted a few seconds as suddenly, they were knocked forwards, almost as if they had crashed into something. The TARDIS was shaking, instead of grinding to a halt as they had expected, it felt more like they were spiralling.

“Not as easy as all that, is it?“ The Master called over the racket with amusement.

“They’re using some kind of force field, I bounced right off it,“ the Doctor explained, ignoring the Master’s quip.

“If these are Time Lords we’re dealing with, I’m not surprised they prepared for that eventuality,“ Vastra pointed out, just as the Doctor managed to stabilise them.

“Let me try,“ the Master stepped up to the console, pushing her away.

“Don’t be stupid,“ she snapped, giving him a shove in turn but he ignored her, focusing on the controls.

“I’m not being stupid, in fact, I’m being extremely clever, now move,“ he snarled and after a moment’s consideration, the Doctor gave him room.

“Doctor, is this a good idea,“ Vastra mumbled to the Doctor who was watching him work. Before she could reply, the TARDIS ground to a halt.

“We’re in,“ the Doctor realised, surprised. She started laughing with relief. “How did you do that?“ She had watched closely but she couldn’t quite explain what he had done but she didn’t care, he had succeeded. She reached out to touch the controls, scan their surroundings when suddenly, the power started draining. The TARDIS wheezed and whined, almost as if she was in pain. The yellow crystal pillars started dimming, the lights were going out.

“Doctor, what’s happening?“ Kate asked, trying to remain calm as concerned mumbled erupted amongst the companions.

“I… don’t know!“ The Doctor’s fingers flew over the controls, trying to work out what was going on, trying to hold on to her oldest friend but the screens flickered off, the buttons stopped responding and the humming died down. “She’s shutting down!“ She exclaimed, in near panic. They had just landed in enemy territory and the TARDIS stopped working. Why was this happening?

“Oops… we’ll isn’t that unfortunate…“ The Master chuckled and utter silence fell around them, all eyes on him. Before anyone could say as much as “Told you so“, the silence was interrupted by a loud transmission:

“How nice of you to join us, Doctor, raise your hands everyone as you exit the vehicle in an orderly fashion.“

“Padrac?“ The Doctor mumbled, recognising the voice instantly, she was stunned. How was he here? What did he have to do with this? Maybe the Thirteen wasn’t working alone after all… Working with Padrac and probably even working with the person that had led them into this trap. The Doctor looked to the Master who grinned. Despite her better judgement, despite the many lessons she should have learned over millennia… she couldn’t believe she had fallen for it again. He started laughing now, clapping his hands together, enjoying his moment of triumph as silence fell in the lifeless TARDIS.

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triforce-princess · 4 years

Text

well, i finally 100% completed hyrule warriors age of calamity in its entirety, including post game content, so i’m finally going to write a full review. beware this review will contain every spoiler imaginable so please do not click the read more if you haven’t finished the game yet and don’t want to be spoiled!

tl,dr; this game is a lot of fun despite some of its shortcomings and it’s really nice to see characters get the development they needed in breath of the wild. also a huge improvement gameplay-wise from the first game. if you’re a fan of breath of the wild it’s worth a try, just don’t expect breath of the wild style of gameplay! and if you’re a fan of the original hyrule warriors, you are going to love this a lot. ok now to get into the details. this is extremely long;

about the gameplay; it took me a while to fully adjust to the new controls and mechanics, but once i finally understood it it was so much fun. i originally wasn’t crazy about the sheikah slate runes since it was difficult at first to remember that a. i had that ability, and b. when the proper time to use it was. but when it finally clicked for me it brought a whole new interesting layer to the gameplay that challenged my memory in a fun way. it took me even longer to learn what the use of the rods were but those were great in a pinch once i figured it out. i also loved the flurry rush mechanic since dodging is a pretty important aspect of the gameplay. all these new layers added to this gameplay makes me wonder how i ever put up with the original hyrule warriors gameplay lol. something i wasn’t entirely crazy about was the wall jumping and paraglider stuff? i never really found it useful and it always just became a problem when i was trying to dodge and i’d be confused about why my character was slowly flying around at critical moments.

the camera in this game was pretty frustrating. with the more organic map & lots of tight spaces (which i’ll get more into later), the camera would get stuck a lot and you’d be unable to really see what’s going on and it got pretty frustrating at times. i wish there were some way they could fix that but i’m not sure what they could do without having the camera go out of bounds & show the edges of the map. maybe they could’ve made some of the objects that are in the middle not be things the camera get stuck on though.

i also felt like there were too many special effects going on with some enemies and attacks, sometimes it would cover up large parts of the screen & you wouldn’t be able to see what you were fighting and that was pretty stressful (i found myself frequently yelling “i can’t see!!” when i’d defeat a guardian or something in a room with lots of other enemies. this only became an issue in the later parts of the game though.

now about the maps, i do love how much more organic and natural they are. it’s a big upgrade from the original which had a lot of wide corridors leading into square rooms which were allied/enemy basses. but unfortunately, this causes issues with navigation and the camera getting stuck (like i mentioned before). i had a lot of problems where the map was too natural and i was confused about why i was getting stuck on level geometry when it looked like i could walk through there. i think the breath of the wild style makes this confusing too because you can’t really undo a thousand hours of being able to walk through nearly everything. but also it was just really unclear what was a wall and what wasn’t sometimes. i was surprised i actually had to zoom in on the mini map and look at that to move around at times. definitely an ambitious aspect of the game & i appreciate the effort and detail, but i don’t know if it works that great for this style of gameplay. i also don’t know why they bothered putting so many small details on the ground if they’re just going to pop in so close to the camera. it was kind of awkward when you cleared out all the enemies & were traveling to another location and it was the only noticable thing on screen.

speaking of ambitious, we can’t ignore this game’s framerate issues. it’s the first thing on everyone’s minds when talking about this game. most of the time, it was pretty acceptable. but they definitely pushed this game farther than the switch can go and it shows. i really appreciate the love they put into making this game as detailed as they did, but i don’t know if it was worth it in the long run. there’s only a couple times i can think of where the framerates got absolutely unacceptable, and it always seemed to be when there was a lot of electricity and enemies on screen at the same time. it happened once during the final vah naboris mission and another time where there were a ton of electric lizalfos all shooting electricity at once at the same time you have to fight an electric lynel. but, i’m not the kind of gamer that loses my shit over dropped framerates, i grew up with the n64 & have had to put up with poor early emulation many times in my life so framerates don’t really phase me until it just gets unplayable.

wasn’t crazy about how many late game missions were just boss rushes, but that’s pretty standard hyrule warriors fare. at least it was more fair in this game where most of the time you only had to fight one boss at a time and the next boss wouldn’t spawn in until you beat the first one, so there was no risk of accidentally aggro-ing a boss in another part of the map & have an unfair fight on your hands like in the first game. it was pretty anti-climactic how the seemingly final mission which had the highest recommended level was just another boss rush, and not even the hardest one (it was just a bunch of regular malice bosses in a row).

bit of a side note but i didn’t like having to grind for materials and find koroks for 100%. the koroks weren’t nearly as bad as breath of the wild though, thank god.

i’m pretty disappointed that some content that’s clearly in the game isn’t unlocked in the base game, it’s looking pretty likely that they’ll add it as dlc later & pretend it’s new content to make the game relevant again...i’ve always firmly believed dlc should be extra content that’s added in later. hopefully they’ll add some really cool stuff as dlc alongside the stuff that’s in the game & it won’t be so disappointing. there’s two characters i was sure would be unlocked as playable characters (sooga and astor) but i found it weird that you don’t get them in the post game and instead you get to play as the egg guardian (terrako) and calamity ganon???? talk about subverting expectations. also really frustrated to learn that zelda’s royal dress isn’t available in the base game but its in the files & is just missing one body part?? really hope that’s just a free update and not like, paid dlc. kind of dumb that they didn’t give the devs one extra day to model feet on the character.

about the story; the story starts out really strong i feel, i loved seeing characters get the development they didn’t get in breath of the wild and this game’s story makes breath of the wild’s story feel even more incomplete than it did before this game came out. and actually seeing the story play out in chronological order in real time without link having amnesia gave the story so much more feeling and connection. this is probably my favorite aspect of this game because i was always so disappointed with how disconnected you feel in breath of the wild because of the way the story is told. and it does so much of a better job illustrating link and zelda’s feelings. i’m probably the single most difficult person to convince when it comes to link and zelda being in a relationship or having feelings for eachother and i thought this was quite possibly the best master sword scene in any zelda game;

in previous games link has always had to prove his courage in a variety of trials spread across the land and to me its really boring, especially after how many times its been done. the thing that gets me about this scene is the master sword deems him worthy because of his desire to protect zelda even when he’s been beaten down & disarmed. that was a really beautiful moment to me & i’m glad they wrote the scene this way.

speaking of being worthy of power because you want to protect someone, i wasn’t really that crazy of zelda unlocking her power just because she loves link but honestly this game illustrated it in a much better way & i’m more down with it now. i loved this shot how it really captured what she was feeling;

it’s also in general awesome to see the champions in action, both in gameplay and in cutscenes. i remember being in awe the first time i got to play as urbosa. it feels like we finally really got to know them and how powerful they really were, instead of breath of the wild just telling us they were cool & we just had to believe it.

now for the part i know people say this game is shit because of; the time travel aspect. yeah, it’s a little silly and nonsensical, but honestly, it was kind of fun. and i don’t get how a time travel plot is somehow weird for the zelda series. the most critically acclaimed game of this series, ocarina of time, is entirely revolved around a time travel plot & the heroes would not have won if it weren’t for time travel in that game. yeah, it’s goofy, but this series is known for its nonsensical aspects & plotholes. there’s always some kind of unexplainable magic in this series that solves problems. i don’t think that makes this game shit. plus i was kind of starstruck when i first got to play as sidon lol. i was thinking to myself, man, who would’ve known 3 years later we’d get to play as sidon! crazy! none of the champion descendants were really my favorite to play as but it was still cool to see them & play as them.

something i didn’t understand was why kohga and the yiga clan joined zelda’s cause? i feel like a vital scene got cut. i don’t get why he’d join even when astor betrayed him, considering his group’s ambitions and how many times they tried to kill zelda. and where’d sooga go? the scene of astor betraying them kind of implied he was going to die but we never got confirmation of that, and he even shows up in a post game mission as an ally (no cutscene, just one line of dialogue during gameplay)

as for the ending, i guess it was alright? astor was a really lazily written villain and i just did not care for him at all. kinda don’t even care that we don’t get to play as him (yet, probably). calamity ganon’s design in this game was terrible. and i guess it would’ve been hard to make it work, but no beast ganon? just felt a little to easy to wrap up. despite this i guess it was nice to see hyrule get a happier ending even if it was a bit nonsensical at times. also this is just a bit of a personal thing for me but i liked seeing hyrule before it was destroyed. it always bums me out when you find a locaiton in game that’s been destroyed & you can only think about what it mightve looked like before. this is something that’s bummed me out since wind waker (was always disappointed you don’t get to see what greatfish isle is like!!) and breath of the wild gave me so much disappointment in that aspect lol.

one final thought but it was odd to me how many lines revali got & how often he interacted with link lol. was weird to see him slowly warm up to link a little towards the end (but of course he’s still a little mean...). no other character acknowledges link as much as revali. this scene confused me the most??

there were so many other people revali could’ve spoken to. he barely even acknowledges teba who was the one who specifically came to his aid!! and the way link looks at him with big puppy eyes?? link barely makes a facial expression at anyone else! and how revali expresses gratitude for the first time in his life after looking at link’s stupid cute anime face and smiles (but he turns around because he would be too ashamed to smile at link i guess)

anyway that’s it, i finally got out all my thoughts about this game. this went on way longer than i intended and i’m sorry if you read the whole thing & it took forever lol. this game is fun, get it.

#legend of zelda #hyrule warriors: age of calamity #breath of the wild #text #hwaoc spoilers

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youvebeenlivingfictional · 4 years

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Just a question about your mirror verse captain pike. I know its been a while (not really that long) since you last wrote for it. But would you ever consider killing mirror verse reader and doing something along the line of what went on with discovery with mirror universe pike attempting to find and get with normal universe reader?

So what you did was ask a question and what I did was write a story?

Sorry! This was an amazing question and I got really inspired!

I used the same reader as the reader in I Caught One Last Sight - this can be read without that, it just makes a couple of references to it.

Pairing: Christopher Pike x Reader; Mirror!Christopher Pike x Reader Rating: T Warnings: Cursing; dubious morals, as we are dealing with the Terran Empire Length: 3.2K

You knew it wasn’t him immediately, not your Pike -- just in the same way that you knew it wasn’t your Pike when you’d had that transporter mix-up, and that solar storm had stuck you in another universe instead of beaming you down to Nov O-62. It was his eyes. Narrowed, flinty, harsh - fixed on you. It was a look that your Pike had never given you. It was calculating. This man, whoever he was, was trying to think five steps ahead; the wheels in his head were turning so fast there should’ve been steam pouring out of his ears. And then he took two steps closer, hand reaching for the phaser in its holster. He was two seconds too late, though; yours was already out, and it was not set to stun. “What are you doing?” Nhan asked beside you, stunned.

“That’s not Pike,” You hissed. “Have you lost your mind?” Nhan had started asking before Spock, your Pike, and Number One had burst into the hall behind whoever this other Pike was. And then Nhan had stopped asking. The other Pike had turned his gaze back to you, lips pulling into a thin little smile. “You’re a quick one here, too,” He murmured. You were pretty sure it was supposed to be a compliment, but you didn’t think you wanted compliments from a man that looked at you like you were a puzzle.

“His genetic makeup is basically the same,” Boyce reported to those assembled in the ready room, “He’s certainly human, no one’s gone out of their way to clone you.” “Thank god. We can barely handle one of you occurring in this universe,” You grumbled. Pike shot you an unamused glance over where his mouth was being shielded by his hand. You’d managed to get the other Pike into a holding cell. You’d cuffed the man yourself, and had done your best to ignore the way his eyes had lingered on you the entire time; how his fingers had flexed and skated along the hem of your shirt before you could pull away. “I want him under twenty-four hour surveillance,” Pike ordered, lowering his hand, “And we’ll need to start working out ways to get him back to his...Origin point.” Delicately put. “It’s a wonder that this man has managed to make contact,” Spock commented from the other end of the table, “The chance of encountering an alternate form of yourself from another universe is less than .00186%.” You and Pike must’ve been particularly lucky. “I’ll take first watch with him,” You offered, sitting up. “No,” Pike said sharply. You frowned at him as he added, “Nhan will take first watch. And I have something I need to discuss with you, Commander. Let’s see what we can figure out and get him back as soon as possible. Keep me updated. Dismissed.” The others stood, clearing out and leaving you and Pike behind. “What was that about?” You asked. “I do not want you alone with him.” Your brows rose. “I--...What?” “That seemed fairly straightforward to me,” Pike shrugged. “I was more curious about the reasoning behind the direction than the direction itself.” “...He was watching you...Rather intently.” “Yeah, well. I’m cute.” Pike cut you a look, and you raised a brow. “Come on,” You added, “Nhan can’t watch him the whole time, she’ll have to rest at some point. You’re worrying for nothing.” Pike pushed a sigh out through his nose, lowering his eyes to the table. You leaned in a bit, folding your arms on the table. “Chris,” You said lightly, “That guy has no idea who I am.” You waited for him to call you out on the contrary, but clearly he didn’t hear what the other Pike had said to you in the hall. Instead, Chris argued, “Just because he doesn’t know you doesn’t mean you aren’t anyone to him where he’s from.” “Well if I’m someone good, then we may be able to get answers out of him faster.” “And if you’re someone bad?” “Then he’ll probably keep his mouth shut around me and we won’t have anything to worry about. Besides, he’ll be contained.” Pike didn’t like it; you could see it in his furrowed brow, and the purse of his lips. “I don’t want you alone with him,” He said firmly. “I’ll take shifts with Nhan and we’ll arrange shifts to switch off with the rest of the security team until we work out how to get him home. Satisfied?” You knew that he wasn’t, but he nodded regardless. -- When you entered the brig, Nhan was questioning the other Pike. He was standing before her, seemingly at attention. His expression was riddled with boredom; he wasn’t answering her questions. When he saw you out of her periphery, however, he tipped his head to the side to get a better view of you, tracking your movements. You tried not to let it trip you up, or to change the way you moved, but it was intimidating. “Hey-- I’m speaking,” Nhan snapped. You folded your arms over your chest, staring the man down in turn. He shifted his attention back to Nhan, brow raised. “I was wondering when you’d stop.” That was your Pike’s humor, but with a sharp edge. You had to bite back a smile. His eyes darted to you again. You walked closer to the wall of the brig and leaned back, out of his sight. You caught sight of Nhan’s eye, shaking your head a little. She wasn’t going to get anywhere with him. -- “Commander Nhan, you’re needed on the Bridge.” Your eyes snapped to Nhan as she was commed. She glanced over at you, then back at where he was. “...Are you going to be alright?” “Fine,” You waved her off, “Don’t worry about it.” Nhan took one more look at the man before she left. The room was quiet for a few moments, and then you heard the steady clunking of footsteps in the brig. You glanced back toward the sound, but refused to move from your spot beside the wall. “... Are you hiding from me?” His voice was soft, but nearer to you than it had been. He was close now - right up against the edge of the brig wall closest to you, he had to be. “What would the point of that be? You know I’m here,” You answered. “And yet you stay tucked away. Why?” Because the way you watch me frightens me. “I see plenty of you in my own universe.” He chuckled, soft, dark, warm - a sound that could wrap you up and drown you. “You see someone like me, perhaps, but you do not see me.” Damnit, you wanted to look. That gaze - you’d been mulling it over for hours - would it be just as intense now? You pushed off of the wall, then, and turned to stand in front of the brig. He seemed to impose and tower over you in a way that your Chris didn’t; he looked down his nose at you, set his shoulders with an air of superiority - and those eyes. Still calculating, but now they seemed just a touch less cold. “...What you said before, about me being ‘clever here, too’ -- what did that mean?” This man’s lips quirked into a small, satisfied smile. “Just what I said. Where I’m from, you… You were a quick one. Sized up situations quickly, tended to look for your escape routes before you settled into a seat, preferred to hang back and listen to conversations, make your observations rather than simply jump right in.”   Your heart was pounding. That sounded oddly like how you approached situations here, now — but that was different. That was your job on the Enterprise. You didn’t know this man, you didn’t know who you were to him in another world, another universe.

“I was a quick one?” You repeated, “I take it I’m dead?” His smile faltered and his gaze dropped. You averted your own eyes. “Well, that’ll put you off your morning coffee.” This man huffed, shaking his head. “...What happened to me?” Chalk it up to morbid curiosity. You eyed his hands balling into fists at his sides, and you surmised it was fresh. “Never mind,” You added. He rested one of his hands against the brig walls. “...Who was I?” You asked next. “The Emperor’s daughter. My…” He trailed off. “Yes?” You pressed. Now you had to know. How could it be possible that one of you should end up with Pike in every single world but your own? His eyes lifted back to yours, alight with eagerness. “What should you have liked to be?” He murmured. “I don’t know what you--” “Don’t play coy,” He shook his head, “Maybe that works with him, but it won’t work with me. I know you a little too well for that.” “You don’t know me at all,” You snapped. “There’s that fire I’ve missed,” he murmured, and you took a step back, unable to help the shiver that tripped down your spine.

“... Tell us where you came from,” You ordered, ignoring the shake in your own voice, “Coordinates, method--” “Anything, on one condition.” “What?” “You return with me.” You didn’t speak; he didn’t wait for you to fill the silence with your questions or answer, just pressed on, “You think it’s some accident that I’ve wound up here?” He shook his head, “No, dear one. I’ve been looking for you. You’re wasted here-- you’re wasted on him. Will he cherish you? Treat you the way you want to be treated?” You’re not sure you’ve taken a breath since he uttered his proposition. “-- You don’t know me,” You manage after a moment, “I’m not-- I look like her, I’m not her--” “And I’m not him. But we’re the closest to what the other wants that we’ll ever get. In my universe, you are revered. I’ll take care of you.” Why was it so goddamn tempting? His eyes lifted to the door behind you, and that was when you registered the sound of approaching footsteps. You turn your head to see Number One, Nhan, and Pike filing in. “Commander,” Pike’s tone, your Pike, was icy. This was directly violating his orders - you alone with this… This man that had just offered you what could very well be a lie. “Captain,” You answered, tone clipped. You took a step back as Number One and the Captain stepped forward to question the Pike that was in the brig. You retook your place just out of sight. “Any ideas as to how we can get you home?” Pike asked. “I already gave the Commander my terms.” You felt the full weight of everyone’s gaze shifting to you. “...Commander, a word,” Pike ordered. You grimaced, following him out of the room. “His terms?” Chris hissed once you were out of earshot. “Don’t start--” “This was exactly why I didn’t want you around him,” He tacked on before reeling away. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “What were his ‘terms’?” He asked. “... I don’t-- You’re not going to agree to them--” “What were they.” “More importantly, I’m not going to agree to them--” “They’ve got to do with you?” You gave Chris a small nod. “...Humor me.” “You won't find it very funny,” You warned before adding, “He’ll tell us how to get him back if I go with him.” In that moment, you saw Chris, your Chris, shift into that same sharp man that was in the brig inside. “Wait, wait--” You reached out, catching hold of his shoulder as he turned to go back inside, “We can use this-- No not like that,” You added as you saw his face shift to shock, “Just because I go back with him doesn’t mean it has to be a one way trip. He didn’t say I had to go back with him and stay.” Chris’ hand came up to brace himself against the wall, and his shoulders stooped a little bit. “I don’t… I don’t like the idea of bargaining with this man in the first place, and I do not want to use you as a bargaining chip. We barely got you back from one other universe, I’m not risking it again.” The look he was giving you was heavier than a neutron star. “Come on, we’ll be fine. Long as there are no solar storms in the area.” You managed to get Chris to crack a small smile. “Look, just... Get Number One and Nhan out here. I’ll have to talk to him for a while longer, maybe a couple of days. He seems pretty sharp, if I just drift back in there and agree to go, he’ll know something’s up.” --

“Pride and Prejudice, really?” You frown, “That’s my favorite book here...What the hell.” The man behind the glass laughed, and you smiled a little. You’d been talking to him for a few days now. You’d been on a few different shifts, and various people had been called away, or you’d sent them on some fools errand - all part of the plan, and never at the same time or for the same amount of time. You didn’t want him catching onto a pattern. “...Can I ask you something?” You glanced up at him, as if you hadn’t been asking him questions for days now. “Of course, dear one.” He didn’t call you that excessively, but when he did, stars, it sent a warmth right down to your toes. “If… If you know that it won't be exactly the same with me as it was with-- her, then why bother?” The man -- you couldn’t call him Christopher or Chris, couldn’t call him Pike, couldn’t call him yours, you couldn’t call him anything, really, not comfortably -- considered you for a few moments. “I… Learned from her... Grew, in ways that I didn’t expect,” He said. “You think you’ll revert without her?” “I wanted to burn the galaxy when I lost her. She wouldn’t have wanted me to do that.” “Did you?” “No.” “... Well, then I don’t think you need anyone.” “And you? Do you not need anyone?” “We’re not talking about me.” “We were, in a way.” You rolled your eyes. “If I come back with you, you’d have to break yourself of that, you know. I’m not her, I’d never be.” “You’ve thought about it?” He was sitting up straighter, and your stomach twisted as you dropped your eyes to your lap. This is part of the ruse, part of the game. But… But you had thought about it, a little. If all that this man has said were somehow true, if he did love someone like you, if he wanted to give you a life that was fairly more exciting, if not more tumultuous… But you could never leave your life on the Enterprise, your friends, your family - your Chris. You shook your head a little. “I--” “You have,” He accused softly, “You’ve thought about it.” “Stop it,” You ordered, lifting your eyes back to his. His lips were curling into a smile again, the one that he got when you acted particularly bossy. He liked it when you were bossy, you’d noticed that. “And stop looking at me like that,” You added. “Like what?” “Like I’m her.” His eyes flashed at that; you’d hit the nail on the head. And then he shook his head a little bit and murmured, “I know you’re not.” “You’re sure about that?” “I--” “Wait,” You held your hand up, “If… If you’re sure that you’re sure… I’ll go back with you. But only if you swear that you won’t try to make me whatever she was.” “I won’t.” “Promise--” “I swear.” He said it with a fierce surety that made your breath catch in your throat. “...Okay,” You nodded, “Tell me how to get us home.” His lips spread out into a grin that broke you. -- It was the last look on his face that did it - confusion, anger, but ultimately, hurt. Hurt, when he realized that the portal was closing and you were on the other side of it. You didn’t say a word to the others, just turned and returned to your quarters. -- It felt ridiculous to be this torn up over a veritable stranger. For all the time you’d spent in his company, this was what you knew about him: He was a powerful man, he was ruthless, he’d loved someone that looked like you, once, and he looked like someone that you loved. He hadn’t told you much about the Terran Empire, but from what you could ascertain, the man was no saint. You’d stripped out of your command jacket, tossing it onto your bed. You’d poured yourself some Acamarian brandy and had been sipping it for some time when you heard chiming. You sighed. “Door,” You muttered. It ‘swooshed’ open. You didn’t even check to see who it was. “Are you alright?” Chris asked -- your Chris. “Fine.” “...Would you like to try that again with the truth?” “Well would you like to try that again with a question that isn’t stupid?” You heard him sigh. “Don’t do this to yourself,” He pleaded. “It was my idea, serves me right that I feel like shit.” “Do you wish you’d gone with him?” “No.” You were surprised with the speed and frankness that the answer had left you, but it was the truth. You glanced over at Chris. “If I were meant to be in that universe, I would’ve been in it.” “Then what is it?” He leaned against your desk, watching you, “Is it… Is it the lying to him? Are you worried that he’ll come back?” “...Well I wasn’t until you said that, geez,” You grumbled before draining your glass. You heard Pike huff a quiet laugh. “Even if he does, I won’t let anything happen to you,” He reassured as you crossed back to your desk to refill your glass. You scoffed. “Please-- Who’s the security officer here, me or you?” You asked, setting the glass down. “Hey,” Chris reached out, taking you by the shoulder and turning you toward him, “Come on, I mean it. I won’t let anything happen to you.” You hated that you were tearing up; you hated that you knew that in more than one world, in some estimation, you and Pike were it for one another. Who knew how many more there were out there? You lowered your eyes, blinking back the tears as you mumbled, “I know.” Chris’ communicator beeped on his belt and he pulled it out. “Pike here.” “Captain Pike, you’re needed on the bridge,” Una’s voice crackled through. “Be right there.” He had yet to remove his hand from your shoulder. He glanced down at you as he replaced his communicator. “I’ll be by later-- Don’t drown this in Acamarian brandy, that stuff’ll make you go blind,” He squeezed your shoulder before letting go. “You’re not the boss of me,” You tried to tease, watching him. He turned back to you, brow raised. “Please-- Who’s the Captain here, me or you?” He shot you a wink before leaving. You poured yourself another tumbler full of brandy before sinking into your desk chair. You’d be happy if you never encountered another alternate Pike again. General tag list: @fantasticcopeaglepasta

#asks #anon #replies #captain pike #captain pike x reader #Captain Pike/Reader #Captain Pike Imagine #Captain Pike/You #Captain Pike x You #Chris Pike #Christopher Pike #mirror!Pike #christopher pike x reader #christopher pike/reader #Christopher Pike x You #Mirror!Christopher Pike x Reader #Christopher Pike/You

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scarletwinterxx · 4 years

Text

Coming Home Finale

Note: first and foremost, I’d like to say thank you for the love you’ve shown this series. I love it too as much as you do, this was once only an idea in my mind before I decided to take the chance and make it. It has been a journey. Thank you so much for being a part of it.

Second, sorry for the slow update. I was back to work this week, I wanted to post but I also wanted this to be perfect. I hope you’re not disappointed.

AGAIN, thank you for all the kind words and your love for my story. It makes me happy beyond words could express. See you on the next series! ENJOY!

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2020 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

PART ONE || TWO || THREE || FOUR || FIVE || FINALE || BONUS

“Oh my god, I could marry you right now”

“I don’t think I’m in the right mind to give you an answer for that”

“So you are considering it, atleast?”

“Shut up, Yuta” I told the man sitting beside me as I try and rub away the headache I currently have

“We’re finally done with this, I’m grateful that Taeyong picked us for this launch but damn I don’t think I’ll ever do this again” he said while he was still busy typing away on his laptop

“I’m with you on that one, why did we say yes again?”

“He used the eyes”

“Ah yes, that” I chuckled then went back to the files we were reviewing.

“This is the only work I’m doing and I’m drained. How did you do this and the planning?” he asked me shooting me a quick look

“I feel like I haven’t slept in months, so that’s great. But all in all I’m glad everything turned out okay and now it’s all almost done”

“And save. That’s it. That’s the last of it. We’re done”

I held out my hand for a highfive which he happily returned, “Is Johnny coming in tomorrow?” he asked while he closes his laptop and fix some of the documents on the table

“Yes, I’m actually picking him up tomorrow”

“Shouldn’t you be resting before the big day?”

“You know Yuta, when you’re a mom you don’t actually get rest days. I just happen to have more than one child sometimes” I joked, I was referring to my friends who are grown adults but seem to always call me like a lost child

“I promise I won’t call you on the weekends” He said with a smile

“I might just say yes to your proposal if you keep that promise” I mumbled, making him release a chuckle

“See you on the big day, go home get some rest”

“Will do, see you” we said our goodbyes before he went back to his own office, leaving me on my own for a while

Not even a minutes later, my phone started to ring. My brother’s name shown across the screen

“Please tell me Chae Yoon is fine”

“Hi noona, yes she’s fine she’s currently just running around. Chae Yoonie say hi to your mom”“ It was Hyuck who was talking on the other side of the line, then shouted out for Chae who just screamed back at him.

I laughed at the two. Ever since she was a baby, she has always been fond of my younger cousin, their bond didn’t lessen throughout the years. If anything, now that Chae Yoon’s a toddler running around and talking as best as she could, they cause as much havoc they can when they’re together.

“Why are you calling from Mark’s phone?” I asked

“Oh right that. Well you see, we were playing hide and seek right, I left my phone somewhere and now I can’t remember where it is, but can you bring back some food when you pick Chae up?”

“I was already thinking that. What do you want?” he then listed off some food for dinner before saying a quick thank you then going back to whatever he was doing.

Finishing the last of my work, I picked up the dinner for us then drove over at Mark and Hyuck’s apartment which they also share with Renjun. He was out of town for a while for some workshop but he’ll be back by tomorrow just like the rest of our friends.

“Oh thank god you’re here. I’m hungry” Mark said when he opened the door to let me in

“Nice to see you too”

“Sorry, Hi noona thank you for the food” he said again with a smile before taking the take away bags from me. After dinner I took Chae Yoon home, she looked like was ready to sleep

“Did you have fun today baby?” I asked her

“Yes, Hyuck oppa gave me cookies” she happily told me

“Really? Did you say thank you?”

“Yes, mommy. And we played lots of games. Mark oppa let me play too” she said, referring to her uncle as Mawk because she’s still working on her r’s

“That’s great. Want to come with us to pick up uncle Johnny?”

Fastfoward to next day. When we got back home, as expected Chae Yoon was knocked out. I need to wake her up early tomorrow too to go and pick up Johnny from the airport

For the past three years, Johnny has been coming back and forth from Korea ever since he got assigned the job over at US.

I thought a lot about Taeyong’s offer, I really did think about moving over to another country but I thought about my daughter. I can’t just take her dad away from her and the same to Jaehyun.

After much deliberation it made more sense for Johnny to take over the project overseas. He was born in the US and he’s been wanting to go back for some time now. So that’s what happened, Taeyong agreed with that proposition to just have Johnny and I to switch positions.

Fast forward to now, three years later. A lot has changed since then. Apart from the obvious like Chae Yoon being a big girl, Mark graduated from college last year and now works for the entertainment industry as an upcoming producer, Hyuck and the rest of the gang about to graduate.

“Can you see him? Is he there yet?” Hyuck asked the little girl who was sitting on his shoulders, holding tightly onto him

“No, there’s no uncle Johnny” the little girl answered, she was happily waiting at the airport for one of her uncles to arrive

“Tell me when you see him okay, make sure to scream out Uncle Johnny!” Hyuck said making the little girl laugh

“Okay!”

“Hyuck, please put down my daughter” I said when I saw the two of them standing by the arrivals gate

“But I need to look for uncle Johnny, mommy”

“Fine but please hold on to Hyuck okay, and you please be careful” I told the older one of the two, when those two are together lord knows what havoc they will cause. Chae Yoon’s favoritism over one of her younger uncle never faded throughout the years, if anything she’s closer to him more than anyone else.

“I see him! I see him! Uncle Johnny” Chae Yoon said then waved her hand up, Johnny turned towards the direction of the voice calling out to him. He immediately spotted the little girl excitedly waving her hands around.

“Chae Yoonie!” he said then walked to where his close, almost family, are.

“Look at you, you’re a big girl now”

“I’m three now”

“Three? wow that’s a lot of years”

That got Hyuck and me laughing for a bit, “Hi hyung, did you bring back any present for me?” Hyuck asked while setting down Chae Yoon on her feet

“Yes, I bought a hug for you”

“On second thought, I don’t think I need a gift”

“Y/N, thanks for picking me up”

“No worries, glad to have to back” I told Johnny as we share a quick hug

“How was your stay there? My guess is busy, I heard Taeyong held a meeting last week planning to open another site in New York” I asked him while we make our way to the car

“Yes, I’ve been packed with meeting up until yesterday I barely had time to pack my sutff. But of course I’m not going to miss this for the world”

“How about you? You okay?” He asked me, now I’m talking to big brother Johnny instead of business colleague Johnny

“Been busy too, with the planning and all”

“I’m sure you did good” he said with a smile

“She did. I don’t know what she keeps on worrying about” Hyuck butted our conversation

“Right Chae Yoonie? Your mom did good” he told the little girl

“Yep! Mommy bought me a pretty dress” Chae Yoon told the older boys excitedly

“Really? You can show me tomorrow. Oh by the way, I bought some presents for you” Johnny told the little girl making her look up at the tall man in excitement

“You didn’t need to, but thanks” I told him

“I’ll drop you off at Taeyong’s then I’ll drop Hyuck over at Mark’s then this little one over at three dad’s. Why do I feel like a mom dropping her kids off to daycare?”

“Oooh how was her first day in daycare by the way?”

“Don’t ask that, hyung” Hyuck said

“Too late. I cried in the car for a solid 30 minutes, I wanted to call her teacher every 5 minutes. The three hours she was there felt like the longest three hours ever”

I felt my phone vibrate, it was Mark calling

“Don’t tell you you burned your apartment down” I said when I picked up the call

“I didn’t. I just called to check in, is hyung there?” Mark asked from the other side of the line. I then passed the phone to the eldest one

“Missed me, Mark Lee?” Johnny asked, they talked for a bit over the phone while we walk to the car

“So Hyuck, got any new news for me?” I asked him while we were in the car

“News?”

“OH THAT” he said when he realized what I was asking about, my brother still on the line and is now on speaker phone

“Yes well, last Thursday was our last day right so we planned to go out and eat. We were all down to go but Mark said he couldn’t, I was wondering why since Lucas was coming with us too, he didn’t have anyone else to go with right”

“What are you talking about? I have other friends you know”

“Oh now you decide to join our conversation” our cousin rebutted

“Only because you’re about to tell my sister something else” Mark reasoned out to which Hyuck started to make faces while the one defends himself

“So something did happen” Johnny prodded

“No! Nothing happened, Donghyuck is just being being dramatic”

“Excuse you, I’m not being dramatic. You did ditch us”

“I didn’t ditch you if I never said yes to you in the first place”

“So who was he with?” I asked, waiting for either of them to spill the answer

“Noonaaaaa” Mark whinned, clearly not enjoying the conversation

“What? as your sister I need to know who you’re hanging out with”

“He was with-”

“I was with a girl. Okay. There I said it” Mark said. interrupting Hyuck from revealing where he was and who he was with

“I was just going to say you were with another friend but yea that works too, he was with a girl from our dance class”

“Oooh that’s cute”

“She’s cute, noona. You’ll like her”

“Shut up, Donghyuck-ah” Mark told the younger one

“Does she have a name?” I asked Mark gently, I respects his privacy, if he doesn’t want to tell me then it’s okay, if he does then that’s fine too.

“Mina” he mumbled. it was almost inaudible

“What?”

“Mina, her name is Mina. And she’s a friend okay, stop making it weird” he said more to Hyuck than anyone

“Okay whatever you say”

“Will I ever get to meet this friend of yours? You should invite her over for dinner the next time you come visit”

“I didn’t want to intrude. it’s still your place so I don’t want to be inviting my friends”

“You’re just taking a friend, no biggie. I can still remember when you two decided to invite five other kids in our house” I said with a smile, recalling the old memories of Mark, Hyuck and the rest of their friends

“The rest of the kids will be here tomorrow, I know Chae will love one more person to play with. That is if she wants too”

“Is Jeno oppa coming?” the little one asked making everyone in the car laugh

“I thought I was your favorite” Hyuck told her, but he was ignored. The little one just repeated her question “Is he coming?”

“Yes he is, so you better behave” Hyuck told the girl, she shot him a smile before going back to just grazing out the passing scenery as the drive by

“Just tell me when she can come and I’ll make dinner”

“Can I come?” Hyuck asked

“No”

“Ofcourse” Mark and I answered Hyuck at the same time

“And you wonder why noona is my favorite cousin” Hyuck muttered

“I’m her favorite, what are you talking about” Johnny rebutted

“No, I’m her favorite” Chae Yoon said then raised her arm making her mom chuckle at her reaction

“Well no one can beat that, fine you can be her favorite”

The rest of the ride was spent on just catching up and making plans about tomorrow.

“Just please don’t be late” I told Hyuck when I dropped him off

“Yes yes, we’ll be there. See you. Bye Chae Yoonie” he whispered to the sleeping girl

“Hey, sorry I was cleaning up” Jaehyun said when he opened the door

“Hi, baby. Did you get to see uncle Johnny?” He asked our daughter, picking her up so they could talk eye to eye, she was still a bit grumpy from her nap

“She took a nap in the car, that’s why she’s still a bit grumpy”

“It’s fine, she’s always like that in the morning. I wonder where she gets it from” I knew where she got it from. I just rolled my eyes at him before passing her overnight bag to him

“You’re coming tomorrow right?” I asked him

“Of course” he answered with a gentle smile

“Thank you, and please don’t be late. We need her there” I said pointing to the little girl who was now resting in his arms

“Don’t worry I’ll take her, go get some rest”

WIth one last smile I said my goodbye to him.

I wasn’t really nervous for tomorrow, after months and months of planning I’m just happy that everything went smoothly and now we’re one day away the big day.

I made my way back home to take some rest and check for final details. I know everything is already set and ready to go but I just wanted to make sure.

Mark was busy since all of the guys are coming today too, Taeyong was busy with Johnny and the rest of the guys who are visiting from abroad. So I spent the rest of the day relaxing.

After a bath I was just arranging my closet when I turned to look at my dress, for a while I just stood there looking at it.

In an alternate universe I would be walking down the aisle to the man I loved so much waiting for me at the aisle, of course that isn’t a possibility that I can just shut down.

Jaehyun was my first love but he wasn’t the last.

If he was then he would be the one waiting at the end of the aisle for me.

I didn’t notice I was twirling the ring on my finger, something I’ve unconsciously done throughout the years. 10 years and I’m still wearing this band I was given when I was high school, I smiled at the thought of that.

============================================

“I need four shots of espresso, or one of your americano coffee order I swear” I told Jaemin whose tie I’m currently tying

“Relax, noona. Everything will be okay” he told me with a comforting smile

“Say that to me when you’ve planned a wedding yourself, Taeil and his fiance trusted me with this. Why? I would never understand but I don’t want to let them down”

“Is she freaking out again?” Jeno asked as he enters the room

“Yes”

“No”

“You, where’s your bow tie? you told me you wanted a bow tie” I pointed at the other boy who was showing me his undeniably adorable eyesmile

“It’s right here, don’t worry I’m about to put it on” he said the walked to a nearby mirror

“Will you please look for Chenle and Jisung?” I asked Jaemin when I was done helping him

“No problem, Jeno-ssi let’s go” he called his bestfriend, they both said their goodbye’s before walking out

I took a deep breath before checking the time. Almost all the guys are here, Johnny was with Taeil, along with Taeyong.

I was glad when he asked me if I could help in planning his wedding. I was ecstatic. The news wasn’t a surprise to our friend group seeing that Taeil and his fiance have been together for a long time. There was no denying that they were meant for each other.

“Knock knock” I heard a voice say said from the other side of the door before it opened widely

“Mommy!” I hear Chae Yoon shout then saw her running to me

“Hi, pretty girl. Did you just get here?” I asked her as I pick her up

“Yes, look my dress has sparkles on it” she said pointing at the skirt of her dress

“It’s really pretty, you look beautiful love” I told her then kissed both of her cheeks making her giggle

Someone cleared their throat making me turn my attention to them.

Through the years that passed I can’t say I didn’t try to fall in love again. I did. I went on dates, met guys but it just never worked out. I decided to not think too much about it and just wanted to focus on my work and my daughter.

I also can’t deny the fact that I know I’ll never fall in love the way I did with the man standing by the door looking like he’s about to take my breath away with one smile.

All the things that happened with Jaehyun and I, the hardships and joys, the time we spent away from one another made me realize that a lot of my life I spent with him. He was one of the constant in my life.

And he always will be. He is the father of my child. My first love. The love of my life.

No one can ever compete with that. There’s really no competition to begin with.

But for the past three years we learned how to grow as individuals, to live again without the each other. When he told me he wanted to be the man who was worth my love I wanted to tell him he already was.

“Hi”

“Hey, glad you could make it” I told Jaehyun with a smile

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, I saw the set up outside by the way. It looks great”

“Thank you, I mean I didn’t do it alone but yea thanks” even after all this years he could make me feel flustered. And the worst part is he knows.

I could just see the smile he was fighting to show while he was looking down on the floor

“Is Hyuck oppa here?” Chae Yoon asked, taking my attention away from her dad

“Yes, he’s outside with the rest of the guys”

“Can I go?” she asked, I set her back down before fixing the bow on her hair

RIght on time, Jeno and Jaemin returned. “Chae Yoonie! You;re here” Jaemin cheerfully greeted the girl

“Your dress looks pretty, you look beautiful Chae” Jeno told the little girl, she muttered a shy thank you. I turned to look at Jaehyun who was watching the whole thing happen infront of him

I can’t help but laugh, making Jaehyun look at me

“Can you take her to Hyuck?” I asked the two guys

“Sure, noona. We’ll take care of her, let’s go Chae”

I watched as the three walk back outside, I almost forgot Jaehyun was still in the room.

“You look beautiful by the way, white dress and all”

I just rolled my eyes at his comment, looking at the mirror to check my hair

“What? You do look good” he said

“Stop, I know what you’re doing” I told him, looking at him through the mirror

“I’m not doing anything. You do look good”

He was just looking at me as if he wanted to say something but he was holding it in. I don’t know what it was and I was scared to ask.

“Did you ask Rose to come?” I asked, his expression quickly changed. Something I didn’t quite catch but it was there, I’m just not sure what it was.

“No”

“Oh”

I don’t know what else to say, especially since he’s looking at me like that again

“Y/N-”

Just as he was about to say something, Yuta bursted in the room

“Y/N, I need- Oh sorry was I interrupting something?” he asked, looking between me and Jaehyun

“No”

“I’m gonna go and see what Chae Yoon is doing” Jaehyun said the exited the room without another word

“I did interrupt something, didn’t I?” Yuta asked me

“Shut up, what do you need?” I asked him

“I actually forgot”

“I swear to god I’m going to hit you, one day I will do it with no warnings” I told him. We walked out of the room to the garden outside where the ceremony would take place. Chairs were set up and flowers were everywhere, not going to lie I wanted to give myself a pat.

“You look happy” I hear Yuta say making me turn to look at him

“I actually am, thank you for asking” I say with a smile, and it is true. The big day finally came and seeing everyone here makes me feel happy.

“They never dated you know” he suddenly said, I already knew what he was talking about.

“That I wasn’t asking” I said then turned my attention to the bouquet I was holding

“Then why are you-“

“I know where this conversation will go and the answer is no, Yuta”

“I was just going to ask why you went alone today, but it’s cute you’re being defensive and all” I just rolled my eyes at him.

Working with him for the past years made us bond more and form an unexpected friendship, I’m not going to lie he did intimidate me when we first met but the more you know Yuta the more you’ll know that he’s an actual sweetheart.

“You’re a headache, Nakamoto. Why don’t you go and find someone else to bother”

“You looked like you need someone to bother you though”

“Are you flirting with me?”

“No, I mean no offense but I don’t like you like that. No worries you look cute though”

“You’re a big nuisance to me, you know that”

“He’s looking our way, ooooh your ex is watching us” Yuta said then continuously poked me on the side

“Shut up, are you drunk? It’s too early to be drunk”

“But he is looking though”

“Shut up”

With one final tease from him, he walked away. After a while everyone was called to the venue to they could begin the ceremony, Chae Yoon was sitting next to me then Jaehyun on her other side,

Throughout the ceremony I could feel his eyes on me, I was trying my best not to look affected by it but I was. I still didn’t know what he’s thinking about but there is something going on.

“And now, you may kissyour bride”

Applause and cheers surrounded us. It was a beautiful ceremony, we were surrounded with our family and the atmosphere was just so full of happiness and love.

The festivities went through the day, at some point Chae Yoon started to feel a little grumpy due to feeling tired and needing a nap. Good thing was Jaehyun’s parents were there too, so they offered to take be back home and let her rest while we enjoy the rest of the night.

“We got her, go enjoy the night” I hear Jaehyun’s mom tell him

“Goognight, Y/N” she told me before they drove off.

We walked back to the party, apart from the faint music that could be heard from a distance there wasn’t anything else. We were just walking in silence.

I felt Jaehyun’s hand on my arm, making me look up at him

“What?”

He just shot me a smile before walking to the opposite direction and pulling me along with him

“Where are we going?” I asked him, shooting him a skeptical look

“Do you trust me?” his question took me by surprise because it sounded more than a simple question

I noticed that we were walking back to where the altar was, it was on the other side of the venue. The party and dinner was on the other side, while the wedding altar was on the other.

“Jae, what are we doing?” I asked him, I stopped walking which made him stop too

“Do you trust me?”

“Depends on what you’re about to ask me”

He showed me a smile smile before holding out his hand for me to take

“Trust me enough that when I say still want to see you walk down the aisle you wouldn’t run away from me”

We just stared at each other for awhile before I looked at the hand he was still holding out to me

“You’re a dork” I mumbled before taking his hand, I hear him chuckle before we started to walk again

“You know this is not how it works, you’re supposed to wait down the aisle. Not walk with me” I told him

“Alright, wait here” He let go of my hand before walking the rest of the way and standing on the aisle by himself

“Please don’t run away” he told me

“I can’t, I’m wearing heels”

I love how easy it was with him. How effortlessly our conversations flow, how he knew what to say. Even after all this time we could still joke around.

I walked the rest of the way. My heart was beating faster with every step I take, the smaller the distance between us the more I see the small smile on his face.

And I knew,

I knew what he has been thinking about.

The little smiles, the glances, the staring at me during the ceremony, the question he was about to ask before Yuta interrupted us.

I knew.

“Hi” I told him when I got to where he was, now standing directly in front of him

“So, what’s next?” he asked me, the look on his eyes told me he was planning something

“Well usually before we get here we’d have to be engaged. We were but you know- I mean- That’s not what I meant. I’m shutting up now” the more I rambled on the bigger the smile on his face gets

“If I ask you to marry me, again, will you say yes?”

“Why? will you ask me?” I asked back

“Only if you promise to say yes” he said the held out his pinkie finger, “You’re a dork” I mumbled, the smile on his face was contagious I couldn’t help but smile back

“I said I wanted to be the man who deserves your love, someone who is worth to spend the rest of your life with”

“Jaehyun” I wanted to say more but no words were coming out of my mouth, he was looking at me like I was the only one he wanted, like this moment right here was something he knew would happen.

Maybe he did.

He looked like a man that didn’t have one ounce of doubt in his mind.

Time did pass and seasons changed again. But right now, right now it felt like spring. Like life was about to start again, and everything was in full bloom. Our story finally came in full circle.

“You still remember that?” I nodded as an answer to him

“I meant what I said, if you want me still then I do want to come home to you. I know I've put you through a lot. I know it isn’t fair that we’ve waited this long but I did want to be the right man for you” he was holding both of my hands in his

“You’ve always been the right one for me, the fact that you let me put myself first told me you do love me. You weren’t scared to let go of me if it meant we both could learn and grow from it” I told him, he shot me a smile before pulling me closer to him

The next thing I know I was in his arms, it felt like home. He was my home.

“Thank you” I hear him whisper

We still had a lot of things to talk about, but now we know we have a whole lifetime to do it. I didn’t have to worry even if the seasons change because I know he’ll be there.

This time I’m not scared of change, we’ve been through it all. We did it together, we did it on our own. I’m thankful that Jaehyun did what he did. He knew we both needed the time and space for us to grow and be better.

“Was this a yes? or-”

“You just had to ruin the moment” I mumbled through his shirt, I felt his chest vibrate when he laughed making me look up at him

“Come home to me?” I asked him

“Always”

And with that he closed the space between us, our lips meeting once again. A kiss that seals not a only a promise of a new beginning for us but also a lifetime we’ll thread together.

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myveryownfanfiction · 4 years

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“Dunder Mifflin, this is Erin.” The normal drone of the office played in the background and I fixed the spreadsheet that Dwight had sent over.

“Honestly Dwight. How did you mess up my client list so bad?” I looked over the top of my computer to see the man in question shrug. “Everyone is thrown all over the place.” My gaze fell back on the sheet. “For crying out loud!” I gently kicked Dwight’s desk while he looked at me with an innocent expression.

“What’s wrong now (Y/N)?” his voice gave away that he knew exactly what was wrong.

“I think you know exactly what is wrong Schrute.” I narrowed my eyes at him. Dwight just shrugged his shoulders and clearly bit back a laugh. “Why did you have to….” We were cut off by my phone ringing. “Hold up.”

“Hello! This is (Y/N). How can I help you with all your paper needs today?” I put on a fake voice while I narrowed my eyes at Dwight again as he got up and leaned over my desk. He swatted my hand as I tried to stop him from accessing my computer.

“I’m emailing it to myself so I can fix it.” Dwight whispered as he did what he said. “It was a prank. Jim thought it up.” I shooed him away as the voice on the other end of the phone finally responded.

“(Y/N)! It’s Jo.” The CEO of Sabre rarely called Scranton but if she did, it was important.

“Oh! Hi Jo! Good to hear from you!” I dropped the customer service voice I was using. “What can I help you with?” Dwight and Jim gave me a look. I responded with a confused look of my own.

“I just wanted to let you know that the new manager is coming in today. He’s going to need an assistant regional manager. After going over the possible candidates, I thought you would be perfect.” Jo explained.

“Thank you very much.” I said, my eyes widening at the news. “What do I need to do?”

“Basically what I want you to do for Robert California is what Dwight did for Michael.” Jo said. I chuckled and opened my mouth to respond but she cut me to it. “But better. Without all the problems and issues that occurred while Michael was there.” I nodded even though she couldn’t see me.

“Sounds good.” I noticed the pair of pranksters watching me so I asked for their benefit. “So it sounds like you went with Robert California after all.” Jim’s eyes went wide and Dwight looked between the two of us.

“Yeah. After all those other so called candidates he was the best candidate. Albeit a little overqualified.” Jo clarified. I nodded and watched as Jim let his head fall on his desk.

“When should he be here and is there anything I should do before he gets here?” I was rapidly scribbling on a notepad trying to get a bunch of questions for Dwight down before Jo told me it was a lost cause. We jumped as the door opened with a bang. “Nevermind Jo. He’s here. I’ll keep you updated. Bye.” I slowly hung up the phone before moving to stand up. “Mr. California! Welcome….” My hand hung in the air where I had held it out for him to shake. Robert California had turned around and walked out of the office after taking one look around the room. I ran to the conference room where I saw his car peeling out of the lot. I turned around and looked into the camera that had followed me and shook my head. I couldn’t form any words as I rushed back to my desk and dialed Jo’s number. “Jo?” I breathed when the phone was picked up.

“What’s wrong dear?” From her tone, I could tell that either she was concerned by the way I sounded or someone had already called to let her know that Robert California had left as soon as he arrived. “(Y/N)?” I snapped out of my thoughts as her voice carried through again.

“He left.” I choked out. “Robert California left. He walked in, saw Phyllis cough, and walked out. He just drove off. He left.” I was close to hyperventilating and I could see Pam trying to get the cameras away from me as I leaned over my desk, trying to catch my breath and keep my cool as I waited for Jo to respond. “Jo I don’t know what to do. He’s gone. I don’t know if he quit or is coming back or what. But he’s gone Jo.”

“(Y/N). Sweetheart. You need to calm down.” Jo’s calming voice came over the phone. “Where are you? In the office?”

“Yeah. My desk.” I breathed out. Dwight was already unlocking the door to Michael’s office. Somehow I knew that is always what it would be to me, no matter who occupied that space.

“Go to Michael’s old office. Lock the door. Call me back. You don’t need the whole office watching you right now.” Jo hung up and I quickly made my way through the door that Dwight was holding open. I nodded in thanks and quickly sat down to call her back. The call didn’t last that long and by the end of it, I had ushered Jim and Dwight into the office with me.

“It looks like one of us will have to take over until Jo can get out here and pick the new manager.” I said. “Well, not you Dwight. Sorry.” Jim shook his head as soon as I started talking.

“You’ll have to do it. I won’t. And Dwight can’t.” Jim held his hands up in defeat while Dwight nodded in agreement. “Don’t worry (Y/N). You can do this.” Jim put his hand on my shoulder. I watched in shock as they filed out of the office. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and walked into the main room.

“Can I have everyone’s attention?” I called out timidly. Everyone turned towards me and Pam gave me a thumbs up. “Since Robert California left and Jo needs time to get up here to figure out the new manager, she appointed me acting manager. Jim is the assistant manager.” I shot him a look that clearly said I was getting back at him. “Jo should be here by next week so you won’t have to put up with me for too long.”

“Does she have anyone in the running?” Andy spoke up. I turned towards him and shook my head.

“If she does, she didn’t tell me.” I told him. I turned back into Michael’s office, just catching Erin’s thumb’s up to Andy. I smiled as I sat at the desk and started to catch up on the work that was piling up without a manager. It was going on the third day when Jo called back. “Hi Jo! What’s up?”

“(Y/N), have Andy move into Michael’s office. He’s going to be taking over as manager.” Jo said. I could tell by her tone that there was more she wasn’t telling me.

“What is it Jo? There’s something you aren’t telling me.” I worried my bottom lip as I motioned for Dwight to get Andy.

“You know me too well darling.” Jo sighed. I held up a finger for Andy and furrowed my eyebrows. “It’s going to come out sooner or later so you might as well hear it from me.”

“Jo what happened?” I was becoming worried at this point.

“Robert California is now the CEO of Sabre.” Jo finally told me. My jaw dropped.

“He’s what?!” I exclaimed. “How did he convince YOU to give him your job?!”

“He’s very persuasive.” Jo muttered.

“How persuasive does someone have to be to give them your own job?” I was frantically trying to get the attention of Jim, Pam, and Dwight. Andy finally took pity on me and waved them in.

“Honey, I think you know.” Jo said nonchalantly. I ran my hand down my face while nodding.

“Yeah. I think I do know.” I muttered. I decided I was going to keep that little piece of information to myself. “So what happens now?”

“Andy takes over. Everything will run as usual.” Jo calmly explained. “Robert California will be there either later today or tomorrow. I’m not really sure when. He will become your go-between with the board. Anything you would normally go to me for, go to him.” I sighed and acknowledged the decision. “Don’t worry sweetie. I will be there if you ever need me. You have my number. Everything will work out.”

“I hope so Jo.” I shook my head. “I really hope so.”

“Good luck. Give the office my love.” Jo hung up and I let my head fall onto the desk. Finally composing myself, I stood up and offered the seat to Andy.

“You’re manager now Andy.” I applauded him as he took his seat. “Remember with great power comes great responsibility. Use it carefully.”

“So does that mean Jo made a decision?” Andy looked up at me. I bit my lip.

“Yes and no.” I tilted my head back and forth. I was trying to keep the information to myself but I knew I couldn’t. Everyone was looking at me expectedly. “Jo made a decision. But it wasn’t about the manager.”

“Then what decision did she make?” Pam asked. I sighed and hung my head.

“She decided that Robert California is going to be the new CEO and he will be operating out of Scranton.” I finally told them. “Jo thinks he should be here either today or tomorrow. And I’m guessing I’m still the assistant manager.” We stood in the office for a little while longer before we all went out to do our own work. True to Jo’s word, Robert California showed up about an hour before the day ended.

“Andy. (Y/N). Would you please join me in the conference room?” Andy and I shared a look as we sat down at the conference table. Robert took a seat across from me while Andy sat next to me. “Since this is a new experience for everyone, I thought it would be a good idea to get to know each other. Starting today, I will be alternating between having meetings with the two of you. I’ll start with (Y/N) and I’ll see you tomorrow morning Andy.” Robert stopped talking and waited for Andy to leave the room. It took him a while to get the hint but when he did, Andy gave me a sympathetic look before going out to join the rest of the office.

“So what are these meetings going to be about Mr. California?” I asked. I thought that if I kept it professional, I would get in his good graces quicker.

“Robert is fine.” He said as he stood to close the door that Andy had left open. I nodded as he took his seat again. My eyes flicked to the door before focusing on him again. “The first couple will just be getting to know each other. After that, it will most likely be about the effectiveness of the office and what can be done to improve sales, morale, and so on.” Robert pulled out a notebook, opened to a blank page and wrote my name across the top. I swallowed as I watched my name appear letter by letter.

“Sounds good.” I choked out. Robert threw me a smile before focusing on the paper again.

“So how long have you been working here at Dunder Mifflin?” The pen was poised above the page in an almost taunting gesture.

“I think it’s been about,” I paused in thought. “3 years now.” Robert wrote it down before looking up at me.

“That’s been a long time. Was this meant to be a permanent thing or just temporary?” He looked slightly amused by the thought.

“At first I thought it would be temporary as they weren’t really looking for someone to stick around but then they saw my sales reports and figured it would be a good idea to keep me around permanently.” I explained. “Which honestly is rather amusing if you think about it. Especially considering that there were people from Stanford that were supposed to stay here but ended up leaving.” Realization slowly dawned on me. “Which might explain why they kept me around.” Robert chuckled and I smiled as he jotted that down.

“Is this a place that you would like to continue to work?” Robert looked up at me. My mouth moved but no words were coming out. Robert sensed my shock and quickly held up a hand. “Oh! No. No. No. I’m not asking that to fire you later! I’m just curious. You said you worked here for three years. That’s a long time at one company. I’m just curious if this is something you would like to continue to do in your life or if you think there is something else out there for you.” I sighed as his words relaxed me.

“I’m sorry.” I apologized as I shook my head. “After all the calls with Jo and having to take on the role of manager for a while before finally becoming the assistant manager, I might be a touch…” I sing-songed my head, looking for the right word.

“Concerned?” Robert suggested. “Or would anxious be a better word?” I smiled softly at him.

“Anxious would be the perfect word thank you.” I cocked my head as Robert reached across the table to gently touch my hand.

“You have no reason to be anxious. Especially around me (Y/N).” Robert soothed. “I have all the faith in the world that you are going to be an amazing assistant manager. Especially since I am very certain Andy is not going to be much better than your previous manager.”

“You got to meet Michael Scott?” I questioned. Robert chuckled.

“No. Unfortunately I didn’t.” Robert patted my hand. “As much as I would have liked to have a conversation with him, I got all my information from Jo.” I nodded and started to reach towards my pocket.

“That actually makes sense.” I said as I pulled out my phone. “Okay. So there are actually two reasons for this.” I held up the phone.

“First. I have videos of the various things that Michael did here. Pretty much all of them are funny. A couple are sad. And the last one is actually his engagement because no one else thought that it would be a good idea to get it other than on the documentary.” I unlocked the phone and pulled up the videos. “Second. I have his phone number. If you ever want to talk to him, I can introduce the two of you.” Robert smiled as he took my phone.

“Oh dear.” He chuckled as he saw the thumbnail for the first video I queued up. “I take it, it is going to be very interesting.” I nodded as he motioned for me to take the seat next to him. Once seated, I pressed play on the phone. The remainder of our meeting was filled with the two of us watching videos of the office’s many shenanigans. When we exited the conference room, we were a little surprised to find everyone left. “We were in there for a while.” Robert muttered as he looked around the empty office.

“We should have kept a better track of the time.” I chuckled. Robert nodded as he went back into the conference room to gather his few belongings. I went to my desk and gathered up my stuff. I waited for him by reception. He joined me a couple of minutes later. We headed downstairs together in a comfortable silence.

“Do you need a ride?” Robert asked as we walked outside. I shook my head.

“Nah. I’m good.” I pointed at the Ford that was left in the lot. Robert nodded and started to head towards his car. “Nice car.” I smirked as I followed him. He looked at me astonished.

“You know cars?” he asked. I nodded.

“I know older ones better.” I shrugged. Robert chuckled and shook his head. “I still know this one is a great one though.”

“I’ll have to take you for a spin in it at some point.” We shared a smile as Robert got into his car. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow (Y/N).” He waved as he drove off. I waved back and headed to my own car. Getting in, I sat there for a couple minutes before a smile made its way onto my face. Shaking my head, I pulled out of the lot and headed home.

“Maybe he won’t be that bad.” I said to myself. Giggling, I couldn’t deny the next thought that popped into my head. “Maybe I’ll take that chance if it arises.” When I got home, I went to bed happy and thinking of the man that had already wormed his way into my heart.

#james spader #james spader imagine #james spader fanfic #james spader fanfiction #james spader x reader #robert california #robert california x reader #robert california fanfic #robert california fanfiction #robert california imagine #the office #the office fanfic #the office fanfiction #the office imagine #the office x reader #dunder mifflin

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lilydalexf · 4 years

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Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Sarah Ellen Parsons

Sarah Ellen Parsons has 18 X-Files stories at Gossamer and 19 at AO3. If you want high quality fic with interesting characters, go read her stories. Some of my favorites of her fics are The Crouching Thing and My Constant Touchstone Who Makes Me A Whole Person (which are two very different stories!). Big thanks to Sarah Ellen for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

With today's binge-watching culture, I'm not at all surprised. You can watch a bunch of eps and then seek out fic that is where you are in the series.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

I took away a writer's group Yes, Virginia, that is still together. Mostly as friends, but whenever I write something, or someone else writes something, it's the first place we all run for machete beta. I have betad SO MANY novels.

We have a number of folks who are published writers since then and our time in X-Files fic brought us lifelong friendships IRL and made us all better at our craft. The majority of those folks were better writers than I am. And I make my living as a writer in my day-job.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

I belonged to a couple of the largest lists and posted there and bitched about the show on usenet with everyone else. We had our own Yahoo group for beta. We all had crappy GeoCities websites that we programmed the HTML for ourselves and hooked through various fandom link circles to get traffic to our stories. But the main method of distribution was the lists.

Fun fact, I found a free page counter thing that I used at work one time through fandom. So fandom pays off in skillz.

Even without social media, we managed to get our stories in front of readers who would enjoy them. Where there's a will, there's always someone ready to step up and find a way.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

Again, I have lifelong friends IRL that I got solely from fanfiction. That's the best takeaway.

Fandom disappointed me because it, like everything else, is ruined by people's egos, backstabbing, and petty people who get in positions of power and then use those positions to punch down or dictate. I was young when I was writing X-Files and I still had hope that people would rise to their better natures, so I got involved in various futile efforts to try to make people behave the way I wanted them to behave, I guess. I did a lot of public bitching that didn't serve me or my friends well. I now put that effort into politics, where it does actual good.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

X-files was made for me. It combined science fiction, mystery, horror. I love all of those genres. Plus there was Scully. No matter how sexist that writer's room was, Scully was awesome. But you kept seeing bad writing. Even in the heyday seasons, like Season 3, there were really terrible eps that made you want to fix things.

I'm a lifelong speculative fiction fan and a published feminist science fiction author. I actually was published before I fell down the fic hole. I got involved in fanfic due to getting my fantasy novel turned down from every major publisher for being "too dark". And I needed to get readers to see my stuff to prove to myself that I wasn't terrible at writing. I got a ton of feedback and it was like market research to see what people wanted to read.

My time in fanfiction made me 100% a better writer than I was.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

I went to the X-Files Expo to see if I could make contact with someone from Harper Collins because the tie-in novels sucked so hard. I got rejected with my pitch as I didn't have a literary agent.

Around that time, a pal who I watched X-Files with IRL was looking for a free X-files wallpaper for her work computer when she found the website where fans in Pennsylvania had fic archived. She read some and wrote to me - "you need to see this, and you can do better." So I started reading and was.... I probably CAN do better. So I wrote The Batman Plot. And made two friends I'm still friends with with that one story.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

Nonexistent. I couldn't even watch the latest season and I saw only 2 of season one of whatever that was before I gave up. I have never watched the second movie.

X-files is my first fandom bad ex-husband. I loved it SO MUCH, but it betrayed me.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I was deep into Harry Potter for a while, but I didn't end up publishing anything in it. All my stories were novel-length and I was writing so much for work, I never completed anything. I called Snape/Lily when Prisoner of Azkaban was published and got Jossed by Rowling in one of my big ideas. (This is bad fandom ex-husband 2. JKR will never get a dime of money from me again because of her hateful stance on transfolk. I have RL friends who are trans and NO.)

I wrote fic in Supernatural. It was the obvious next thing after X-Files. However, the misogyny and bringing in all the Angel/Devil Christofascist stuff lost me. The ep where they declared all other religions other than Christianity as invalid and killed a Hindu god made me stop watching for good. I know enough Christofascists IRL that I can't tolerate it in my fiction. (Bad fandom ex-husband 3)

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

This list is far too long to actually make. But characters I spent time writing about include: Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Co. (I wrote three unpublished Star Trek novels before I found online fandom). King Arthur and Morgan Le Fay, Sherlock Holmes (I wrote a Sherlock Holmes play after seeing "Crucifer of Blood" and entered it in a national competition, where I got very nice comments back.), Mulder, Scully and Krycek, Rowling's Hermione and Snape (like him or not, its masterful characterization), Dean and Sam Winchester, John Winchester and Bobby Singer. I wrote one comedy story starring Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A couple of Roswell stories under a different name. Catwoman and Batman. I have some unpublished Avengers fanfic lying around as I'm an OG Marvel fan with a massive comic collection.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I was on a business trip a few years ago and FX had a marathon and I watched part of it when I was in my hotel room. Early seasons are comforting, but I don't go back there now.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I don't read X-Files fic anymore. I read a tiny bit of Star Wars after the second movie because Rian Johnson had it right. Now I don't care. I love Mandalorian, but am content to watch.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

Too many to count. All of YV. Which reminds me, I need to go update our entry at Fanlore. I promised Punk I'd do it a while back. I need to at least get everyone linked. Right now it's only Punk and Sab.

But it was a ton of us. Marasmus, Maria Nicole, Cofax, CazQ, M. Sebasky, Livia Balaban, Kelly Keil, Wen, Ropobop, Jess Mabe, JET, fialka, and a bunch of others that I can't remember their fic names any more, just their real names because I know them all IRL. I need to go back and look up their fic names and link them up there.

In addition to my little group of pals, I loved reading Mustang Sally and Rivka T, Rachel Anton - I keep trying to find her to encourage her to write romance if she's not doing it already, but no dice, Dasha K., Anjou, there were so many great ones, but their names have slipped my mind in the past 20 years.

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

I'm most known for Prone, and I'm proud of that story for all kinds of reasons, but I think my very best is The Crouching Thing.

I mostly didn't publish anything I didn't think was good and hadn't been machete betaed within an inch of its life, but I'm not sure much of the angsty romance stuff holds up as well. I think it worked when the show was still ON and we were all in that emotional headspace, but probably not now.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

Funny you ask. I am currently reworking a plot idea I had for an X-Files fic into a contemporary M/M novel, which I will publish under a different pen-name. The plot is the idea I had for X-Files, the characters are very, very different other than one is uptight and the other more easy-going. But no more Mulder and Scully.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I have been making my living as a writer for 25 years. I write the word count equivalent of 5 Tolkein novels a year, just for my day-job. I am turning back to original fiction, which is where I was before X-Files. I'm working on the M/M thing, a high fantasy thing, a low fantasy historical thing and a bunch of M/F Regency romances as I get time and energy. I publish Fantasy and SF under my real name. Romance has pen names as you don't want that getting back to your workplace, either.

SEP is fic only and here she will stay.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

I have too many ideas to count. I try to write them down when they come, so I won't forget. At least the outline of the idea. Often a scene. I've been like this my entire life. I started writing novels seriously at 15. I wrote a 500 plus page one about Morgan Le Fay during breaks in high school because "Mists of Avalon" pissed me off so bad as I'd read the original source material and that was a Wicca recruitment polemic.

What's the story behind your pen name?

Sarah Ellen was my great-grandma, Parsons was her grandma's last name.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

Half my friends ARE fic friends. Most of my friends know as does my brother, who thinks writing for free is dumb. This is universally agreed on by non-fic friends who know. My mother still doesn't know about the fic. Just the "real" writing. I write under a pen name to keep it away from my job and my published work.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

My X-files stuff is up on Gossamer mostly. I'm trying to get the stories all moved to AO3 for all the genres. I'm working on this now. SEP is really not a living thing anymore, but there was a time when she was more me than me.

If you want to find my "real" non-fic writing, write to me at se_parsons at yahoo dot com and I will point you at it.

And PLEASE someone, hunt down Rachel Anton and get her writing something we all can BUY. Where are my old Krycek bitches at? Do any of you know where she is? [Lilydale note: I’ve tried contacting Rachel Anton for this Old School X project but have not had luck. I would love to find her too!]

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

The community I loved has mostly moved on, but I think we left a legacy of solid work crafted out of our love for the show. Find a living community you love for a show you love. There are great people out there creating and get involved. It will be worth it.

(Posted by Lilydale on December 15, 2020)

#new post #old school x #xfiles fanfic #xf fanfic #xf fanfic author interviews #sarah ellen parsons

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