#I think I’ve posted this gif here before but hey why not do it again

[happyheidi]

𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗈𝗈𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗅𝖺𝗇𝖽 (𝟣𝟫𝟫𝟤)

[moonlightspencie]

Sleepover

Description: Hotch wants the reader, but doesn’t know how to tell her. Maybe a night in will be of some assistance.

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x fem!Reader

Warnings: none (but this is full of domesticity, jealous!hotch, mutual pining, and so much fluffy fluff)

Word Count: 4.9k

A/N: originally posted on tumblr. then it resided on ao3. now it’s back on tumblr. (fun fact: it’s my favorite hotch fic i’ve ever written and my second favorite story i’ve done of all the fandoms i’ve written for. hope ya like it still)

If there was one thing Agent Aaron Hotchner was not, it was unprofessional. But, oh. If there was ever a time he wanted badly to be unprofessional, it was this moment right now. Y/N stood next to him, leaning in close to whisper in his ear as they stood in the kitchenette, looking out into the bullpen.

“You look exhausted. You need to go get sleep.”

He glanced down at her. His face was so close he could almost feel her breath on him. It was everything in him to not lean in and—

“Hotch, seriously. You can’t even focus for more than a minute at a time,” she laughed, shaking her head.

“I’ll be fine. It was just— a long case,” he finally managed.

She turned away, arms crossing. “You need rest. You beat yourself up more than anyone during this one.”

“I have a little boy at home to take care of before I can even think about sleep.”

She sighed, turning fully to face him. “Hotch.”

“Y/N,” he retorted.

“Fine. You know what?”

He turned towards her, arms crossing to mirror her.

“What?”

“I’m coming home with you.”

His heart stopped and face dropped. It took him a moment to process what she’d just said.

“Um,” he took a second to clear his throat, “I—Excuse me?”

She laughed, music to his ears. “That sounded so inappropriate. I’m sorry. I mean, I’m going to come watch Jack for you. You’re gonna get rest.”

“I’m your boss.” Hotch watched her face for a moment. “You don’t need to watch my son while I sleep.”

“You’re also my friend, and I’m offering my time, you’re not taking it. Besides, I’ve watched Jack a hundred times before.”

He only sighed, looking back over the bullpen, now nearly empty.

She turned again, leaning over. “You’re not gonna win this one.”

“Fine, but you need to get sleep at some point, too.” He looked back to her. “As soon as Jack is asleep, I want you to get rest yourself.”

“Will do, boss.” She smirked.

“Okay, go get your things, we’ll leave in a few minutes,” he said, watching her for a moment as she walked off.

She went to her desk, beginning to pack up what she needed, but not before Derek had to come over to stir things up.

“Hey, pretty girl,” he said, leaning against her desk on one arm. “Leaving so soon?”

“Soon?” She laughed. “We just had a hell of a case, I’m getting out of here.”

“Oh, man.”

He shifted, crossing his arms over his chest and sat against the desk.

Hotch walked towards his office, trying not to watch the pair talking. He tried to not pay attention how she smiled at him as he spoke, and how he always seemed to have the right words to say to get her to laugh.

“Why, what’s up?” She slung her bag over her shoulder.

“I was thinking about going to the bar. Wanted to know if a pretty lady wanted to tag along.”

Hotch threw his things in his bag quickly, trying to not think about Y/N talking to someone much younger… Childless… Not a widow. Someone he knew she’d be with more easily.

“Oh, so you only wanted me around for my looks, huh?”

He laughed, throwing his head back a little. “You’re worth a lot more than just that, sweetheart.”

“Aww, such a sweet boy,” she said, griping his shoulder. “I got some other plans for the night, though.”

“Oh yeah? Doing what?” He straightened up with a smirk.

“Ready?” Hotch asked, walking up behind her at the desk.

“Yeah, let’s go,” she responded, turning towards him.

Morgan’s face was stuck in a state of shock.

“Whoa, now hold on—”

“I’m going to watch Jack,” she said, cutting him off with a chuckle. “Don’t get too riled up, now.”

He smiled, almost laughing. “Alright. I’ll see you two tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Morgan,” Hotch said with a curt wave. Y/N followed his lead, and then they were on their way out.

“So,” Hotch started as they stepped out of the elevator and walked outside. “You and Morgan?”

Y/N raised her eyebrows in shock. “What?”

They began walking to his car.

“Are you two… Because there are some forms you’d really need to sign if—”

“Hotch,” she stopped him, standing by the passenger side door as he waited by the drivers. “That is so not happening.”

“Okay, I just…” he trailed off with a shrug, opening the door as she did and getting in.

“He’s a flirt. There’s nothing going on between us.” She settled into the seat, buckling up. “Besides, I’m too busy trying to take care of you.”

She laughed and he couldn’t help himself but to join in. He pulled off, and started towards home.

“Thank you, by the way, for doing this,” he said, not daring to look at her with how nervous he suddenly felt about bringing her to his home.

“I just want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”

“Jack is going to love this.” He chuckled, turning down his street. “He really looks up to you, you know? Thinks you’re hilarious.”

“Well, he’s not wrong. I am pretty funny.” She smiled. “I am, admittedly, a little sad I only get to hang out with him for a few hours, though.”

“Yeah?” he asked, pulling into the lot of the apartment complex.

“Yeah. He’s a great kid.”

As much as he didn’t want to admit it for how childish it felt, he got butterflies this time when he turned to look at her. Before he could think about it too much, he turned the key and opened the door. She followed suit, walking behind him until they reached his door. He opened it for her, and she looked around.

“His aunt should be dropping him off here in a few minutes,” he said, closing and locking the door behind him. “If you’re hungry or need a drink, you’re free to get anything from the kitchen.”

“Thank you.” She smirked, watching him. “Why don’t you go get ready for bed?”

“I will.”

He chuckled, feeling like a little kid with the way she spoke to him. Then he paused, considering something for a moment.

Apparently the moment was longer than he realized.

“You got something on your mind?” she asked.

“Would you like to stay here for the night? I have a guest room, and this way you won’t need to catch a ride home. I could just take you to work tomorrow.”

“Oh,” she said, glancing down at her bag. “I don’t have anything to wear. I mean, I have my go bag at my desk that I could always use for an emergency, but for the night—”

“If you need something, I’m sure there’s something of mine you could…” He paused, realizing what he was saying. But before he could backtrack, she had to go and flash him a smile again.

“If that’s okay with you, it’s okay with me.”

“I’m sorry if that sounded inappropriate, I—”

“Did you not hear me agree?” She laughed. “You worry too much, boss. Now go get dressed.”

He nodded, turning for his room. She walked over the couch in the living room, sitting down and leaning her head back. It wasn’t long before she heard a bedroom door open, and there stood the great Aaron Hotchner in an old t-shirt and baggy pajama pants.

“That’s a good look on you,” she said, looking up at him from where he sat.

He felt a blush creep onto his skin, and tried really hard not to think about it. He walked a little closer as she stood up, handing her a nearly folded pile of clothes.

“I brought you these. The shirt is extra baggy and comfortable, and hopefully the pants will fit well enough. They’re adjustable.”

“Thank you so much, this’ll be great.” She smiled up at him. “Room is down the hall? I’d like to get dressed and set my bag in there before Jack gets here.”

“Yes, right across from his room.”

“Okay, sounds great. Now, you go to bed. I’ll be here.”

He gave her a slight smile. “Right. Thank you, again.”

“You know it’s no problem. Now, goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” he said, walking off.

She grabbed her bag and the clothes, walking off towards the guest room. She set her bag down near the door, closing it to dress. She stripped out of her work clothes, slipping on his t-shirt first. She took in a deep breath and smiled: It smelled like him. She finished pulling on the pajama pants and made them comfortable as needed.

She grabbed a makeup wipe out of her bag and wiped her face, calling it good for an unexpected night out. Then, she heard a knock at the door. She walked out, looking through the peephole to see Hotchner’s sister-in-law Jessica standing outside with Jack. Y/N opened the door.

“Hey!”

“Y/N!” Jack squealed, throwing his arms around her. “What are you doing here?”

“Dad needed to get some rest, sweetheart. So, we get to hang out for the night,” she said, looking down at him with a hand rested on his back. “Thank you for bringing him.”

“Anything for my little man. It’s good to see you again,” she said with a smile, accepting a quick hug from Jack before he bolted off.

“You too, Jess. Have a great night.”

She waved a goodbye and was out the door. Y/N locked everything back up, and popped her head into Jack’s room.

“Hey, buddy.”

“Hi!” he said, turning around from where he stood at his dresser. “I’m gonna get dressed for bed. Then can we watch a movie? I already ate at aunt Jess’s house.”

“Yeah, of course, little man.” She nodded. “Do you want to go in the living room or…”

Jack paused, giggling. “Why are you wearing dad’s clothes?”

“I’m staying the night, bud. I needed pajamas.”

“You are?” he asked, eyes wide. “Can we go watch the movie in your room?”

“Yeah! Why don’t you finish getting dressed and brush your teeth, and then you can come in, okay?”

“Okay!” he exclaimed, quickly grabbing his clothes.

She turned, walking across to hall and into the guest room. She pulled the covers back, crawling underneath and switching on the T.V., finding her way to Jack’s Netflix profile, smiling at some of the shows he’d been watching. She picked an old movie she loved as a kid. It wasn’t long before she heard a door open, and little footsteps whipping around the other side of the bed. He crawled up under her arm, pulling blankets up to cover him.

Jack was watching intently, the movie only half over, when the creaking of another door piqued their interest. Hotch’s head popped into view a second later.

“What are you doing up?” Y/N asked.

“Couldn’t sleep.” He gave a shy smile, then turned to Jack. “How are you doing buddy?”

“Y/N said she’s staying over!”

“Yeah, she is.” He smiled, stepping inside the room. “How’s the movie?”

“I like it a lot. Come watch!” Jack said, patting the bed next to him.

“Buddy, I’m not sure that’s—”

“Please, dad?” he pleaded.

Hotch looked to Y/N, almost asking permission without saying a word. She nodded. He shuffled a little, hesitantly walking around the bed to Jack’s other side. He lowered himself on the bed, pulling the covers over his legs. Jack slipped out from under Y/N’s arm in favor of leaning on his dad’s shoulder. It wasn’t long before Jack was snoring, and as Y/N looked up to see if Hotch thought it was just as cute as she did, she noticed he’d fallen asleep, too. They looked so sweet sleeping there together that she couldn’t help but pull out her phone and take a picture. She set the phone on the nightstand, making herself more comfortable as she focused her attention back on the movie.

Early morning light filled the room when Hotch woke up. He glanced down to see his son cuddle up against him and smiled. He was still fast asleep. Then, he looked up. Y/N laid asleep, her body curled up on her side, facing him and effectively caging Jack between them. Her breath came soft and even, and he admired how she looked in his clothes as he saw her in the light for the first time. She was so close, and he longed to get closer, but couldn’t think on it long before her eyes started fluttering open.

“Hey,” she greeted, voice soft with sleep, and a tired smile gracing her face.

“Hey,” he said back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep in here.”

She chuckled, rubbing her eyes. “No, it’s fine. I think he was happy to have you here.”

Hotch smiled, looking down at his son. He was out like a light.

Y/N leaned over, gently kissing Jack’s forehead before slowly and quietly getting out of bed. Hotch watched her, heart aching at how much he wished all of his mornings could start this same way. He shifted out of the grip of his son as she stretched out at the end of the bed, leaving the room with her.

“It’s still early,” he said, walking to the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”

She trailed behind, taking a seat at the counter.

“That depends. Are you gonna make me breakfast if I am?”

“If you’d like.”

He smirked at her, and she smiled back.

“Tell you what, you work on the food, I’ll get coffee started,” she said, getting up and walking towards the counter.

He wordlessly agreed, pulling out some boxed pancake mix and stovetop sausage links. She removed the old coffee filter from the machine and set in a new one, filling it up with grounds. Hotch mixed up the batter quickly, heating up a pan.

The coffee pot filled, and pancakes were formed. Y/N poured two cups, preparing one to her liking and one to Hotch’s. Then, footsteps came shuffling into the room.

“Morning, sunshine,” Y/N said to Jack, smiling at him. “You want some juice?”

He nodded sleepily and climbed up onto a chair at the counter. She poured him some orange juice and set the cup down in front of him. He took a sip, watching his dad finishing up breakfast.

“Is that pancakes?” Jack asked, trying to peek around to see the pans.

“It sure is,” Hotch replied, throwing some pancakes on a plate and pouring out a few more.

Y/N set down the two coffee mugs on the counter, and took her place next to Hotch to move the sausage links around in the other pan.

“Almost done?” she asked him without looking up.

He moved the rest of the pancakes to the plate.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said, glancing over and turning off both burners.

Hotch grabbed three plates, setting them down next to her so she could split up the sausage links. As soon as she was done, Hotch set to putting a few pancakes on each plate, and Y/N grabbed butter and syrup out of the fridge. He prepared Jack’s for him and set the plate in front of him with a fork. He then waited for Y/N to start the working on her own before he prepared his. She took a seat first, leaving a seat in the middle for Hotch. They ate quietly, sharing a few words when Jack wanted to talk about what he got to do at school the day before, and what he was looking forward to for the rest of the week.

“Hey,” Y/N, nudging Hotch’s arm as she pushed her plate away from her. “Could we get to the office a little early? I’m gonna have to get dressed there since my go bag is there and all.”

“Of course.” He nodded, sipping at the last of his coffee. He then turned to Jack. “Can you go get dressed to go to school, please?”

“Yeah,” he said, hopping off the stool and running off towards his room.

“I think I’m gonna put on my stuff from yesterday till we get there,” Y/N said, sliding off of her stool. “Not sure walking into the office in your pajamas would be a great look.”

“Maybe not the most professional outfit,” he agreed, laughing a little as he walked around the counter, putting dishes in the sink for later. “For the record, I think you look beautiful.”

She paused, feeling heat rise to her cheeks and butterflies in her stomach.

“Thanks,” she said quietly, arms crossing over her chest. “Looks better on you, though.”

And with that, she left to go change. Hotch waited in the kitchen for a moment, almost in shock, before heading off to his room to get ready for the day.

It wasn’t long before they were both showered and ready to go, Jack practically running out the door when his aunt arrived to take him to school. Hotch and Y/N drove to work in a comfortable silence, only the sound of the radio playing low. They arrived at the BAU, and went straight inside. Hotch went to his office, and Y/N was reaching for her duffel bag when the glass doors opened.

She looked up, not expecting anyone else to be there so early.

“Hey, what are you doing here? We don’t start for another half hour,” she inquired.

“Just needed to get some work done early. But I could ask you the same thing.” Derek smiled at her, then glanced at what she was wearing. “Hold on, aren’t those your clothes from yesterday?”

He inched closer, a slight smirk on his face.

“Yeah, I was just about to go change.” She held up her go bag.

“Mhm.” He crossed his arms. “What happened to just looking after Jack for a while? You decide you were finally gonna get after—”

“Derek!” she interrupted, laughing. “No! I just stayed the night with Jack in the guest room.”

He raised a brow. “And that’s all? Baby girl I know you’ve had a little crush on Hotch since you walked in here.”

She bit her cheek, looking away for a moment. “You’re nothing but trouble, Morgan.”

“You didn’t answer the question.”

He stepped closer.

“Okay, fine.” She huffed out a sigh and lowered her voice. “We had breakfast this morning, with Jack.”

“And?”

She paused. “He also slept with me and Jack, but it was an accident. He didn’t mean to fall asleep there. We didn’t even touch one another, it was totally platonic.”

“Well, I am sure Hotch wouldn’t be sneaking into bed with me if I was watching his kid.”

“It wasn’t like that,” she said, shaking her head. “He’s totally not into me. You know how he is with work policy, and besides he is way out of my league.”

“You need to think a little higher of yourself.”

“Yeah, whatever.” She laughed again. “Now, out of my way so I can get dressed. I don’t need any more questions from the rest of the team.”

“Alright.” He stepped back holding up his hands.

“And Derek?”

“Yeah?”

“Do not tell anybody.”

She pointed a finger in his direction as she spoke. He only chuckled, taking a seat at his desk.

She went to the bathroom, changing out of her old clothes and throwing on some new ones suitable for work at the office. She put on a little makeup, threw on some deodorant, and called it good. She stepped out to a slightly more full bullpen, only a couple more people had arrived. She shoved her go bag under her desk, and walked over to the kitchenette table where Derek, Hotch, and Emily were talking.

“How’s it going, guys?” she asked, taking the seat next to Emily, across from Morgan and Hotch.

“Talking about yesterday’s case. The daughter of the last victim made it safely to her grandparents’ house,” Emily said, sipping at a mug of coffee.

“That’s awesome. I’m glad she had them to go to,” she said, leaning forward on the table.

“You need coffee?” Emily asked, looking to Y/N.

“Oh, no thanks. I got my share this morning.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you did,” Derek said, holding back a smile.

“Morgan.” Y/N glared at him.

Hotch caught her eye for a moment afterwards, questioning. She slightly shook her head in amusement.

“What happened?” Emily asked, a curious smile on her face looking between Y/N and Derek.

“Nothing, he just doesn’t understand boundaries,” she said with a pointed finger. “Trying to blow things way out of proportion as always.”

This time she glanced at Hotch first, rolling her eyes a little. He smirked, looking down at his hands.

Emily watched the little interaction with interest.

“Does it have something to do with these two?” she inquired, looking back to Derek.

Y/N and Hotch spoke over each other.

“Nothing happened,” Y/N muttered.

“What?” Hotch questioned.

Derek looked to Hotch. “Can we go talk?”

Hotch furrowed his brow. “May I ask what about?”

“It’s nothing. It’ll just take a couple minutes.”

“Alright,” he said, standing up and nodding a quick goodbye to Emily and Y/N.

Derek followed after, throwing a devious look Y/N’s way.

Emily leaned over, speaking more quietly. “Something I should know about you and Hotch?”

“No,” she chuckled. “Derek is just… Himself.”

“Something had to have happened.” Emily turned in her chair, and made Y/N face her. “Spill.”

“I went to watch Jack last night so Hotch could get some rest. We had breakfast this morning with Jack, and he accidentally fell asleep next to Jack and I while we were watching a movie.” She sighed. “I told Derek, and now he’s freaking out about it like something happened.”

“Y/N. You slept at his house.”

“To watch his kid.”

“Wait, you said he fell asleep next to you and Jack.” A smile crept on her face. “Was that on a couch or in a bed?”

“Emily,” she groaned.

“Y/N!” Her eyes went wide. “How can you still think he’s not interested in you?”

“He’s not.”

“You’re both blind.”

Hotch led Derek to his office, only leaving the door a little cracked.

“You wanted to talk?” he asked, leaning against his desk. Derek stood in front of him.

“Yeah. About you and Y/N.”

“Morgan.”

“Hotch, I know you don’t want to admit it, but I know you’re into that girl.” Derek crossed his arms over his chest. “She told me about last night and this morning.”

“She was watching Jack. Nothing more.” Hotch shook his head. “This isn’t an appropriate conversation for work.”

“Work doesn’t start for another ten minutes.”

Hotch only stared.

“Look, I just think you should ask her out.”

“I’m not going to do that.”

“Why not?” Derek let his arms drop to rest on his hips, tilting his head.

“I’m her boss,” he replied, straightening up.

“But what is really the harm in trying?”

“She’s—” he started, and then paused, shaking his head.

“She’s what? Amazing? Gorgeous? Smart?”

“She wouldn’t be interested in someone like me. So, it doesn’t matter anyways,” Hotch said, glancing down. “We start the day in 5.”

“Great, that’s plenty of time.” Derek paused a second. “Why would you think she’s not into you?”

“I’m— I have a child, and I’m a widow. She doesn’t need all of that on her plate. Plus, she’s young. She’d be better off with somebody your age,” he said, looking up again to catch Derek’s eye.

“Man, you are so blind.”

Derek chuckled, shaking his head.

The day started as usual. The team had a briefing, and then went to work at their desks for a while. Today was going to be a slower day, and everyone seemed to be thankful they could get home at the end of the day. At lunch, Y/N noticed Derek and Emily talking quietly: she thought it was awfully suspicious.

“Hey, you two,” she called out, walking over to Emily’s desk. “Why are you being so quiet, it’s weird.”

Derek glanced up. “Nothing.”

Y/N narrowed her eyes, turning to Emily in question.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing.”

“You two are bad liars.” Then, she had an idea. “Hey, Reid.”

His head popped up, looking to her. “Yeah?”

“You’ve been sitting here next to them, what are they talking about?”

He looked lost, glancing around. “I—Uh… I have no clue.”

“Now, see, you I believe,” she laughed, ruffling his hair as she went past.

He frowned, quickly smoothing it back out. She headed off towards Hotch’s office instead, trying to ignore the whispers that has started back up.

She knocked quietly on the open door.

“Hey, you busy?”

She popped her head in to see him eating a sandwich at his desk.

He shook his head, swallowing a bite. “No, come in.”

She closed the door and went to sit at the chair by his desk.

“Derek has been weird all day. What did you guys talk about earlier? I can’t get an answer to save my life.”

His eyes went wide.

“What?” she questioned, noticing Hotch going more on-edge.

“Uh, it was— It was nothing. Just a work thing.”

“You know, you’re a really bad liar, too.”

He chuckled, looking away. “I just don’t think this is the right time to talk.”

She furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

He glanced up at her, looking her in the eyes, searching for an easy answer.

“It was just— It was about last night. And this morning.”

She groaned. “Great. I knew I shouldn’t have told him anything.”

Hotch just sighed, looking at her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think he’d say anything,” she offered as an apology.

“No, it’s okay. It’s just that…” He let out a slow breath. “He brought up something that I think I want to talk to you about. I just didn’t know how to say it.”

“Okay, what is it?” she questioned, straightening up in her chair.

“He, uh, brought up everything from last night and this morning. And he brought up how that’s not something that I would normally do. Or something you would normally do.”

“Oh. I didn’t mean to make you uncomf—”

“No, it wasn’t that. It’s just,” he paused, watching her for a second. “I need to know if you feel the same way about me that I feel about you.”

Her heart was racing and heat rose to her face. She was breathless.

“W-what?”

“I’m so sorry, I know this is inappropriate, but…”

“What are you asking?”

“I just need to know how you feel. About me.”

He looked at her, almost pleading for the answer he deeply wanted.

“I’m— I think you’re amazing. I think you’re a wonderful father, and I’ve never met someone who makes me feel the way you do,” she began in a ramble. “I didn’t want to say anything because I know you’re so out of my league, but after talking to Derek this morning, and Emily, I just… I don’t know. I want to hope.”

Hotch furrowed his brow, and Y/N took in a breath, ready for rejection.

“You think I’m out of your league?”

“I mean… Yeah?” She tilted her head. “You’re really incredible.”

He couldn’t help but smile.

“Y/N, for profilers I don’t think we’ve been very good at reading one another,” he said quietly. “I thought I was the last person you’d ever be interested in.”

“What? Why?”

“I’m a widow, I’m older than you, I have a son…”

“A son that I love. I’d do anything for that kid.”

“I know.”

He smiled again, watching her. She couldn’t help but to smile back.

“As for the other stuff, I couldn’t care less. You’re so much more than that.”

“Really?”

“Really,” she continued to smile at him. “We really are pretty dumb, huh?”

“Very, apparently,” he agreed with a nod.

She checked the time. “Lunch break is almost over. I better go.”

He nodded again. “Yeah. Talk more later?”

“Of course.”

She waved a goodbye, walking towards the door. With one hand on the handle, she felt something grip her arm and spin her around. She was met with Hotch’s lips on hers, a kiss that took her breath away. They broke apart after a minute, both smiling like giddy teenagers.

“When I tell you that’s all I could think about doing this morning…” she began.

“Me too,” he agreed, looking into her eyes as his hand stroked her cheek. “Especially when I got to wake up to you in my clothes. It was killing me.”

She giggled, leaning in for one more kiss. It was slower this time, more gentle. She backed away afterwards, just enough to be able to speak against his lips.

“I think maybe we should thank Derek and Emily.”

“And let them feel like they won?”

“Good point.”

He let her go to get back to the bullpen, but as she attempted to turn the handle of the door, she was knocked back into his chest. Of course.

“You’re welcome,” Derek said with a smile after assessing what must have just happened.

“You don’t get credit for this,” Y/N laughed.

“Mhm. But it’s totally on me,” he said, raising a brow. He started walking back out, but not before… “Don’t you two take too long in there.”

FULL MASTERLIST

[icarryitin]

Episode 12: Hell Hath No Fury

spencer reid/gn!reader

THE CANYOUNIVERSE RETURNS FROM WAR🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

series masterlist

word count: 1.5k // warnings: a couple of swears, ya boy gets anthraxed bc we’re getting into canon events now, Foreshadowing™️ (is it foreshadowing if i’ve already posted the part that’s foreshadowed??)

summary: Spencer forgets to use his brain (again), puts his life on the line (again), and it’s down to you to remind him (again).

“I’ve got Reid on the line for you.”

Something about the way Penelope’s voice trips over his name makes your blood run cold. It’s not unusual for her to pass someone over, but it’s different this time - you can feel it in the pit of your stomach.

“Hey, you.”

Spencer barely manages to suppress a cough as he greets you over the line, and that’s how you know you’re right. God, you hate being right.

His exposure is minimal.

We can’t be sure it’s the new strain.

He dosed up with the rest of us.

You know why your team leader decided not to tell you just how bad it is but oh, Hotch is getting an earful when this is over - and he’s not the only one. Because while you’re quietly seething, while the remainder of your lunch is rolling around in your stomach, Spencer Reid is asking if you’ll check in on his mother for him. Just in case anything happens. Yeah, like you’d let it. The universe, God, whatever forces that be? They’ll have to go through you first if they want to get to him.

“I don’t think you get a dying wish if you’re not actively dying.” You sound braver than you feel, phone firmly held to your ear as you slide behind the wheel of your car. Nichol’s address isn’t far from here, Emily and Rossi can handle whatever lies within Chad Brown’s house by themselves. You have bigger fish to fry.

Fish that have a penchant for throwing themselves in front of bullets and unsubs and into anthrax riddled houses.

“But you’ll do it?” He asks, choking back yet another hacking cough that sets your teeth on edge. Of course you will, it’s a ridiculous question. You’ll call and you’ll visit and you’ll write, what’s another letter in the mail after every case anyway?

“Obviously I’ll do it,” Your eye roll is audible, you’re sure of it, “But you’re not dying, Spencer.”

You don’t say goodbye before hanging up, because you don’t need to. Because he’s going to be fine. Of course he is, frankly he’s got no choice in the matter. Even if the number of hazmat trucks at Nichols’ house sends your heart leaping into your throat.

“Respectfully, sir,” You call across the lawn the moment you’re out of the car, squinting in the sun, “You’re full of shit.”

Hotch’s face doesn’t move, but you’ve been at this long enough to register his tell. A split second twitch of his fingers grasped around his phone - he meant well, keeping the severity of the situation from you, most likely because he knew you’d drop everything. And here you are anyway, so much for his genius plan.

Speaking of genius…

You follow the trail of CDC officers, suited and booted from top to tail in PPE around you, through the maze of tents until you spot Derek - arms folded, signature eyebrows furrowed in frustration at whoever stands behind the flimsy plastic shield. As if you didn’t already know.

Spencer Reid looks reminiscent of a kicked puppy on a good day, and getting hosed down in a hazmat tent does him no favours in that department. Soaked to the bone and shivering, the state of him does nothing to quell your frustration at his actions. If anything, it starts to boil over because - well, doesn’t he know? That you’d only feel like half a person without him beside you at the round table or in the bullpen? That the early Sunday morning breakfasts keep you sane? That he’s your best friend in the world and if anything, anything, ever happened to him you wouldn’t know how to exist?

“You,” You’re breathless, suddenly, in the face of it all, “Are fucking in for it.”

He has the decency to shrink back a little from the heat of your anger and the accusatory finger you’re pointing at him, even though there’s a layer of protective plastic between you. Even Derek takes a step away from where you’ve sidled up beside him. And you let rip.

Because, for the smartest guy in every room, how could he be so stupid? Walking into a place that is almost definitely poisoned with no protective equipment is basically step one of the ‘How To Die Immediately, For Dummies’ handbook. Staying in that place is even more ridiculous.

Spencer’s relief in seeing you outweighs the anxiety tensing his muscles, even if you are bussing with the fury of a poked wasp’s nest, even if it is his fault. The very real possibility that he might have finally signed his own death warrant is softened by the sight of you, warped as it might be through the tent’s window. He finds the water warmer, the brushes softer, the incessant scrubbing gentler, just by watching you. Even your yelling is reassuring, because it means he’s not dead yet. He gets to watch you a little longer. He’s not so far gone that he misses the sunlight catching in your eyes as you rant and rave at him. It isn’t the first time you’ve struck him as beautiful, and it won’t be the last, but it doesn’t paralyse him anymore. He’s long since come to terms with that fact, Although, the thought might be a little misguided given your anger at his poor decision making.

But it’s not anger, it’s fear.

The same kind of fear that grips his heart in cold hands every time you end up on the wrong side of a gun, it’s not unfamiliar. Although Spencer’s never been on the receiving end of it from you. The fear of a loss that might be just too great to overcome, amongst all the others. You’ve mentioned, in passing, the friends that have moved on or married or simply faded away in the years you’ve been with the Bureau - it’s not uncommon, the job becomes a person’s whole life and anyone who claims otherwise is a liar. He knows it as well as anyone. You have each other, you have the team, they’re your family as much as they are his and - a nudge at his shoulder breaks his reverie.

“Can we talk about this later? I need, uh,” He struggles, there’s no way to put it delicately, “They need to scrub me down properly.”

“Well I’m not finished, so start stripping, Doctor.”

It’s his race against time versus your stone cold fury - unstoppable force, meet immovable object. Because you’re not budging, just standing there expectantly with your arms folded over your chest. Morgan breaks the stalemate after a long minute of eye contact, hands on your shoulders, steering you away with a meet you at the hospital thrown over his shoulder at Spencer. Ever the mediator.

“That was a bit dramatic, I know.”

“A bit?” Derek exclaims, and you spare yourself the embarrassment of looking him in the eye.

You’re not sure how you manage to blag your way out of the final takedown, but you do. An argument made for having a presence at the hospital, making sure the victims have received the suspected antidote, that it’s working; you decide to leave out the fact that the only thing your brain is capable of right now is wondering if Spencer is choking to death yet.

Hotch finds you after it all, sitting on a bench in the hall outside Spencer’s room. Feet tapping nervously on the floor, you’d slipped out as the doctor came in to check his numbers - you made it in the front door, you’re pretty sure you’ll be forgiven for missing out on all the needle sticking. You’re trying to collect your thoughts enough to articulate a sentence, something calm and composed instead of the anger that almost boiled over earlier. And he waits, because he knows. There’s a lot of people in this world who have a lot to say about Aaron Hotchner, but not a single one of them can claim he doesn’t know his team inside out.

“I know why you downplayed things, but this team is my family. I don’t have anybody else,” you look him dead in the eye, unwavering, even though your words tremble ever so slightly, “And I will not be lied to about it.”

There’s a beat of silence; long enough for both of you to acknowledge that he can’t promise you anything, and then he relents.

“Understood.”

You leave him sitting on the bench, digesting your words in the hustle of the hallway, in favour of the uncomfortable armchair at Spencer’s bedside. Derek joins you after a little while, and you greet him with a soft smile as he settles into the chair on Spencer’s other side. One he returns, as he always does, and you settle back into the silence. It’s a waiting game now.

“There’s an ass kicking coming your way, I hope you know that.”

Spencer has barely opened his eyes when he hears your voice, floating somewhere to his left, over the steady beeping of machines and muffled chatter. The hospital, he’s at the hospital. He’s at the hospital, and you’re here, and Morgan’s here, because //of course// you are. Where else would either of you be?

“Can it wait until I’m out of here?” His voice is hoarse at first, but it’s enough to get a giggle out of both his visitors.

“Well yeah,” You couldn’t keep the fond smile off of your face if you tried, relieved that his sense of humour has made it through intact, “I want a fair fight.

if you’ve stuck around for my 3 months of radio silence, i am kissing you on the mouth���🧡🧡

[brnesblogposts]

cootitis

(this is the stupidest thing i’ve ever written.)

bucky barnes x reader & avengers

a/nthis is another conversation i just had on character ai that was funny so i’m turning it into a fic

this turned out to be shit but i’m posting it anyway.

———

It was two in the morning and the two of you were standing outside your room when a figure appeared in the hall “Wha—“

Your heads whipped around to find Peter wide eyed and jaw hanging open staring at you both. Bucky instantly tensed up and you fought to come up with an excuse.. “GOODNIGHT!” You shouted abruptly before running back into your room. Bucky remained stood, stiff as a board staring at Peter awkwardly, “Were you guys..?” Peter raised an eyebrow and his voice went all high and squeaky because he felt awkward at what he’d walked into. Bucky shifted on his feet and coughed out a “No” before turning on his heel ready to walk away when another voice made an appearance—

“Barnes?” fuck it’s Stark Bucky thought to himself. Bucky coughs awkwardly “Oh hey” He smiles coyly because he doesn’t know what else to do.

Tony eyes him up noticing he’s standing outside your room in just a pair of boxers.

“Mr Stark I think Bucky and Y/n were um.. kissing..” Peters voice is still squeaky. Tony’s eyes go wide as he whips his head to find Bucky trying to walk away “Barnes.” Bucky stops in his tracks and is as still as a statue. You’re on the other side of the door eavesdropping of course and decide to help Bucky out by opening your door and stepping out into the hallway..

“Oh, hey guys! Nobody told me there was a party going on out here in the hall!” You may just be the worst liar on the planet. Bucky’s eyes shoot to you from where he’s stood and then to Peter and Tony.

“Do you care to explain why you’re both as red as tomatoes right now?” Tony has a smirk on his face, he’s finding this quite entertaining. Bucky says nothing because he can’t come up with anything and quickly you spit out “We were um— we were having a competition to see who could hold their breath the longest..” what. You think to yourself.

“Is that right?” Tony is full on smiling now “May i ask who won?” he’s feigning curiosity. You shift awkwardly and look around “Uhm Bucky because you know.. super soldier serum and all that. Was close though, we had several complications but he is undefeated so far—“ SHUT UP you thought to yourself because you were rambling now. Bucky grunted in agreement heavily avoiding looking Tony in the eye.

“So you have these competitions at 2am often?” Tony looks so relaxed as he’s interrogating the both of you, you want to strangle him. Another awkward silence passes, “Uhhh no, one time thing.” You hold your chin up high as if it will help.

“Mr Stark..” Peter looks up to Tony “I feel like they’re lying.” Tony smiles down at Peter “I think we can continue this conversation in the morning, don’t you all agree?” Bucky is nodding frantically and you shoot Tony with a thumbs up.

“Right, Parker go to bed.” Tony says to Peter who nods and walks away “And you two.. better start planning some better excuses for the morning.” He grins and goes back to his room. Bucky and you don’t say another word as you part ways and he goes back to his room.

———-—————— breakfast ———————-

Everyone is sitting at the table, an awkward silence lingers between Tony, Peter, Bucky and yourself. Everyone else seems to notice and keeps glancing at all of you, “Who died?” Clint breaks the silence. It goes silent again before Tony coughs and looks to you and Bucky waiting for one of you to speak up, neither of you do.

“LAST NIGHT I CAUGHT BUCKY LEAVING Y/N’s ROOM, TONY AND I THINK THEY WERE KISSING” Peter lets out a breath as if holding that in was eating him alive. It probably was. The table goes silent again as cutlery clashes from people dropping their forks or spoons and looking at the both of you. If possible Bucky and yourself sink into your seats just waiting for the floor to swallow you whole.

“Excuse me?” Natasha is smiling.

Steve is simply staring at his best friend processing what he’s just heard.

“We weren’t kissing.” You spoke abruptly and went back to picking at your food.

“Why are you both blushing so much?” Clint asks while smiling, this seems to be entertaining for all of them.

“Uh you know— allergies.” Bucky is sitting in silence letting you suffer everyone’s questions.

“Allergies?” Tony inquires and you nod, “That doesn’t make any sense—“ He continues but you interrupt “Yes it does.” The way you say it is incredibly unconvincing.

“Why is Bucky’s face also red if you have allergies?” Natasha smirks as she asks you, “They’re um— contagious allergies..” You lie through your teeth.

“Contagious?” Clint and Steve ask in unison, “Yeah.” You’re panicking.

“What are these allergies called?” Tony is practically grinning as he asks.

“It’s uh it’s called um Cootitis. very serious stuff” You blurt out and are met with snickers as everyone tries holding in their laughter and Bucky looks at you absolutely perplexed.

“Cootitis..?” Tony asks with a serious tone while holding in his laugh. You look stern as you say “Yes and I must have passed it onto Bucky in passing” avoiding eye contact as you say that because you don’t even believe yourself.

“Well this sounds like a new disease we know nothing about. I think it’s best Bruce and I take you both to the med bay and run some tests.. like take some bloo—“

He doesn’t get to finish before you blurt out “FINE. BUCKY AND I WERE KISSING” because he knew your fear of needles would invoke you.

“I KNEW IT.” Peter screams as Tony leans back in his chair with his arms crossed and the widest smile on his face. You sit back defeated letting out a long sigh.

“Well why didn’t you just say that from the start?” Steve asks and you both give him an evil look. It goes back to awkward silence now that the secret is out except for the secret glances you and Bucky give each other throughout the day, earning scoffs and fake gags from your co workers.

—————————————

reblogs appreciated :)

[lunaviee]

can i request where reader cant go to their match and they got angry which makes them say the word "i shouldve invite *ex's name*, she wouldve come." and reader reaction can be up to you! with rin and maybe chigiri? thank you so much and please stay hydrate! sending loves <33

OHHH MYYY GODDD ANONNN……..

the way i gasped so loud when i saw this OMGOMG

okay so, idk if you’re wanting PURE ANGST for this but like i’ll add fluff at the end anyway bc the more the merrier😇😁😁

OKAY SO UMM..i’m a procrastinator, it’s no secret. so uhh chigiris will be posted when i remember to work on it, sorry😭

“are you serious?” “you’re..kidding, right?”

chigiri hyoma and rin itoshi x reader (seperate) click here for chigiri’s

tags/warnings: angst to comfort, swearing, arguing, NOT PROOFREAD…

synopsis: if he’s so insistent on you being there to support him, why doesn’t he do the same?

a/n: i am SO SORRY this took so long </3 i got busy but this request is soo..chefs kiss i hope i did it justice😓

RIN ITOSHI—

the faint mumbles from the tv filled rin’s apartment as you made a quick snack to eat, knowing your boyfriend should be home any minute. you sat down on the couch to eat, turning the tv volume up as background noise while you looked out the window. it faced a gorgeous view of your city, along with a nice view of the sunset.

after some time, you were back in the kitchen to clean up a bit.

*click*

the jingling of keys indicated rin was home, a tad later that usual but you payed no mind to it.

“hey,” you smiled, “welcome home, how was practice?” arms wrapping around his neck as he set his bag down, taking his shoes off. his arm snaked around your waist to pull you closer to him, planting a kiss on your temple.

“eh, same as always. those lukewarm lunatics don’t know what they’re doing”

you hummed in response, rin pulling away from you to look you in the eye. he spoke again. “we have a game in a few days. you’re going, right?” it sounded more like a demand than a question.

“oh uh about that” you broke eye contact, a twinge of nervousness tainted your face. “i was given an extra shift at work so i’ll be swamped, i don’t think i’ll be able to make it, sorry”

his before softened gaze now pierced right through you, full of annoyance. “really? i thought you’d want to come to my games.” his arms left your torso and flopped to his side, lower back resting on the counter.

“i do! i always do..rin you know this, i go to your games when i can but lately i’ve just been more busy an-” you rambled.

he cut you off, “quit the excuses.”

“excuse me?” you replied, shocked at how his silver tongue was so quick to interrupt you.

“i get it. you’re busy. you don’t have to make up these half-baked excuses and try to make me feel better.” he moved from the counter, straightening his back and showing his full height, looking down on you as if you were less than him at that moment.

“excuses? rin, what the hell are you talking about? i’m being serious.” confusion swirled in your mind, what was up with him??

“you know, i never had these problems with *ex’s name*. she was always happy to come to my games. no excuses, no lies. every game, she was there. why can’t you be like that?” rin’s venom stained words singed into your brain, glints of annoyance pooled in his eyes. a twinge of guilt settled in his gut the minute those words spilled out of his mouth, but he payed no mind to it.

“what?” your eyes widened in disbelief, “are you fucking serious?”

how could he say that? sure, rin was petty and used bitter language when he was upset, but comparing you to his ex? that was a new low, even for him. after all of the crap you two talked about when mentioning both of your exes in the past, you’d assume he’d want absolutely nothing to do with her. right?

“why wouldn’t i be?” not once did his gaze leave your figure, was he serious? “she actually took my career seriously.”

you were beyond shocked, eyes narrowing as your brows knitted together. “invite her then.” you retorted. “maybe i will, maybe then i’ll have someone who actually supports me there.” he scoffed.

his words made your blood boil, eye twitching before you spoke again, “get out.” you gritted through your teeth, fingers fiddling with the hem of your (his) sweater as to not lose your cool.

“what?” he scoffed, not expecting such a response (he really should have, what was he thinking??)

“did i fucking stutter? or is your skull too thick to hear what i have to say. get. out.”

the strikers face further scrunched, yet not moving an inch. “this is my apartment. if you’re upset, then leave.” he brushed past you without a single regret as to what he had said, not entirely believing you’d actually leave, where else did you have to go?

“fine then.” you slipped your shoes on while dialing a number on your phone before slamming the door, leaving the rin to sit with his thoughts. you had much, much more to say, but the thought of having to stay in the same vicinity as you made your stomach churn.

who did you call? why, your best friend of course, who else would you trust with this information. sure, rin’s teammates weren’t bad people to open up to, but you needed someone who could understand your feelings through angry sobs and incoherent mumbles.

it was only a matter of time before you were sat on yours friends bed, angry tears burning your cheeks as you rambled on about how dumb your boyfriend was.

“break up with him” your friend mumbled, only half joking. “me personally, i wouldn’t stay with a man, nah, a BOY who brings up his ex when he’s mad..”

you lifted your head from the tear stained pillow to meet your friend’s gaze. “yeah but……ugh i hate when you’re right” your sentence ending with a laugh

“i’m kidding..kind of” she sneered “either way, screw him, ghost his ass until he comes crying at your doorstep”

“what??” you shot up from your position, now almost on top of your friend. she was faced you, a more serious expression painting her face

“seriously though, you shouldn’t have to deal with that shit [n/n], he has the be the one to apologize.” you nodded in response, good thing your friend had a bit more common sense than you did in that moment.

“yeah, you’re right, thanks”

“any time, now do you wanna stay here or are you good to go home?”

“i’ll stay here and bug you more”

“okay then” she laughed out, the two of you now laying on the bed on your backs, staring at the ceiling

• { time skip - two days later } •

the radio silence that came from rin was like torture, did he not care? not a single text or phone call, not even a message given from one of his teammates. it was hard to stay positive.

sure, he deserved the silent treatment, but he was your boyfriend. his company single-handedly made your days better. being separated because of a fight that he didn’t want to resolve was stupid.

your friend tried taking you out today to get your mind off of the situation. it was going well, up until you walked into your favorite cafe.

you were met with a face you were too familiar with. rin’s. his eyes widened in disbelief and he twitched, almost as if he was about to run after you. and so you and your friend took one good look at him and immediately left. if the argument was going to be resolved, it wasn’t going to be in a public cafe.

your friend pushed you by the shoulders as you both shuffled out of the doors, you pulling out your phone to find another place to go to at the same time.

“shit.” was the only thing that rin had managed to mutter out as he saw the two of you running away from the cafe. it’s not that he wanted to avoid you. it’s that he was ashamed. he was scared that nothing he would say would amount to enough of an apology for what he said.

rin was scared that this was the end of you two. his worst fears of losing the one person he knew loved and understood him were coming true and is was his fault. the past few days were filled with doubt and regret, his teammates even noticing his practices were depleting.

the rest of the day came and went, your friend dropped you off back at your apartment where you collapsed on the couch, left with your thoughts once again. you were about to just pass out on your couch and ditch work the next morning, like you have been for the past few days.

that was until you heard a frantic knock on your door, jolting you awake. your worried expression dropped to one of annoyance and bitterness; it was rin. but, he looked different. his usually blank expression was now one of exhaustion and hurt.

he’d been..crying?

your eyes widened in confusion, you opened your mouth to tell him to leave before he cut you off.

“i’m sorry” he blurted out

he was looking down to you, except it was much different than before. rin looked desperate, his eye contact only further confirmed it.

he reached his hand out to place it on your shoulder, hesitating. you opened the door to let him in, sitting on the edge of your couch next to each other.

“i’m so sorry [name].”

“i know.”

“it was stupid, you mean so much to me and i..i ruined it.”

“i know.”

“please, you don’t need to forgive me now i just…”

he paused. rin’s head moved to look at the ground.

“i just need to know you won’t leave me. you can ignore me for as long as you’d like and i’d understand. but just…please i need you back” he begged, small tears brimming at his eyes, what a rare sight to see.

silence fell between the two of you, but it wasn’t like the comfortable silences you’ve shared before. it was tense and awkward.

“okay” your voice was barely above a whisper, “i won’t leave you, i think we both know that” you say with a smile.

rin looked back up at you, eyes wide, full of hope and relief.

“but listen i…” the moonlight only further highlighted just how much the two of you had been crying

“it’s gonna take some time. that was really fucked up, you know that?”

“yeah..yeah i know. i’m sorry. you’re nothing like her i-”

“i know.”

the two of you were now looking at each other, faces flushed from crying and relief. the silence was comfortable again.

“let’s just..go to sleep, yeah? we can talk about it in the morning, i think we both could discuss better afterwards” you offered, leaning closer to the armrest of your couch as you were too tired to go to your bed

rin hummed back in response, laying on your chest as he wrapped his arms around your waist. your hands found their way to his hair, heartbeats practically synchronizing.

“you know..i’m still not going to your game” you whispered, peeking one eye open to watch your boyfriend. he smiled, “i know” a laugh spilled out of his mouth before you both fell asleep.

[meazalykov]

getting what she wants

lena oberdorf x oc x reader

part two of five

summary: you know you will have to do what is right

warnings: angst

oc description here

you sit at a small table in the back corner of a quiet coffee shop in new york, your hands nervously wrapped around your cup filled with an iced latte as you wait for sloan. 

the national break had brought you back to the states, prepping for the friendly match against mexico before the olympics, but the last thing you expected was for sloan to reach out and ask to meet up. 

you saw her instagram story where she posted a picture of the sky. it was clear she was in a flight, a flight heading to new york.

fans saw the post and believed that she was coming to support you at your matches in new york and washington dc before your send off. 

oh were they wrong.

your stomach churns as you glance at the door, knowing this conversation is long overdue.

when she finally walks in, you feel your chest tighten. she looks the same as always—confident, effortless—but there’s a tension in the air, and it’s obvious to both of you that this is the breaking point. 

sloan approaches the table with a half-hearted smile, sitting down across from you. 

“hey,” she says, her voice unusually soft, like she’s trying to tread lightly.

“hey,” you mumble back, avoiding her eyes as you take a sip of your coffee, your fingers trembling slightly. 

yeah, you knew this had to end soon. this wasn’t a way that significant others greet each other after not seeing the other for months.

the silence stretches between you, heavy and awkward, until sloan finally breaks it.

“i’ve missed you,” she says, her voice laced with a strange mix of sincerity and defensiveness. 

“i hate how things have been between us.”

you take a deep breath, setting your cup down as you meet her gaze for the first time. 

“things haven’t been good for a long time, sloan,” you say, your voice barely above a whisper, but steady.

“and we both know why.” you mumble under your breath.

sloan frowns, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“what do you mean? i’ve been trying, y/n. it’s hard with the distance, but i’m still here.”

you shake your head, feeling a surge of frustration rise up inside you. 

“you’re not here, sloan. you’re barely around. and when you are, it feels like you’re not even present.” 

you pause, gathering your thoughts before continuing. “and then there’s savannah…”

sloan’s eyes widen slightly, and she leans back in her chair, clearly taken off guard. 

“savannah? what does she have to do with anything?”

“don’t play dumb, sloan,” you snap, your voice sharper than you intended. 

“i’ve seen the pictures, the videos. you’ve been spending time with her again. and let’s not pretend it’s innocent.”

“savannah’s just a friend. we’ve known each other for years, y/n. it’s not like that.” sloan’s face hardens, and she looks away, her jaw clenching. 

“are you serious?” you ask, your voice rising slightly. 

“do you think i’m stupid? you’ve been ditching any opportunity to see me to go see her, and everyone knows it. even your club teammates asked me what’s going on.”

you’re referring to sophia.

“i didn’t ‘ditch’ you,” sloan retorts, her tone defensive. 

“i’ve been busy with my own career, trying to make things work. and yeah, i saw savannah a few times, but it’s not what you think.”

you scoff, shaking your head. 

“it’s exactly what i think, sloan. you’ve been emotionally checked out of this relationship for months, and now you’re trying to downplay it.”

the tension between you escalates, and sloan’s frustration boils over. 

“the same way you’ve been emotionally checked out with oberdorf?” she spits, her words hitting you like a punch to the gut.

you freeze, your heart skipping a beat. how does she know about lena? sloan doesn’t even know her—she’s never met her. 

panic rises in your chest, but you try to keep your voice steady. “what are you talking about?”

“oh, don’t act innocent,” sloan snaps, mocking your voice and her eyes narrowing as she leans forward. 

��i’ve seen the pictures. you and her, looking all happy and close in your pre-training photos at bayern. do you really think i wouldn’t notice?”

your mind races, trying to make sense of it. has sloan been following your every move in bayern? and worse, does she know about the night you and lena hooked up? 

your stomach churns as you realize just how deep you’re in.

“that’s not…” you stammer, but sloan cuts you off.

“don’t lie to me, y/n. i know there’s something going on between you and her,” sloan says, her voice trembling with anger. 

“you’ve been pulling away for months too, and now i see why.”

your heart pounds in your chest as you try to regain control of the situation, but the guilt is overwhelming. 

“nothing happened between me and lena until… until after everything with you and savannah started,” you admit, your voice barely a whisper.

“so you’re admitting it? you’ve been seeing her?” sloan’s eyes narrow, her anger intensifying. 

the words spill out before you can stop them. 

“well, i wouldn’t have hooked up with obi if you hadn’t been abandoning me to go see savannah!” the moment the words leave your mouth, you freeze, the weight of what you just confessed crashing down on you.

you were so angry. why is sloan acting like a complete victim? you’ve never seen this side of her before, you thought.

which was a lie, you have seen it.

“you… what?” her voice cracks, disbelief and hurt flooding her expression. “you actually cheated on me?” sloan’s eyes widen in shock, her face paling as she stares at you. 

you can’t speak. the reality of it hits you all at once, and suddenly, everything is spiraling out of control. you wanted to throw up the latte you’ve been drinking.

“i can’t believe this,” sloan says, her voice breaking as she pushes her chair back and stands up. 

“you—you actually cheated on me. after everything.”

“after everything?” you snap back, your own anger flaring up again. 

“you’ve been running back to savannah for months! don’t act like you’re innocent in this.”

“it wasn’t like that,” sloan fires back, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. 

“savannah and i are just friends who happen to be exs. we didn’t cheat. we didn’t hook up behind each other’s backs.”

“you emotionally cheated,” you argue, your voice shaking.

“you’ve been distant, and you’ve been choosing her over me. that’s why this whole thing fell apart.”

“don’t turn this around on me, y/n,” sloan says, her voice trembling. 

“you’re the one who went to have sex with lena. i had no idea it went that far.”

you shake your head, tears burning in your eyes as the reality of everything crashes over you. 

“i’m done, sloan,” you finally say, your voice barely above a whisper.

 

“i can’t do this anymore. we’ve been holding on to something that’s been dead for months, and you know it.”

you finally admit it— well after the entire national team, ex-psg teammates, and bayern teammates had to convince you that. 

sloan’s face crumples, and for a moment, she looks like she’s going to say something—maybe try to argue, maybe beg for another chance. but instead, she just nods, her lips pressing into a tight line as she swipes at the tears on her face.

“fine,” she whispers, her voice broken. “if that’s what you want.”

you nod, the finality of it settling heavy in your chest. 

“it’s what we both need,” you say softly, your throat tight as you stand up from the table, leaving your iced latte behind. 

the weight of the breakup hangs between you as you walk out of the coffee shop, not looking back. 

you step out of the coffee shop, the warm new york air hitting your face as you take a shaky breath. 

your heart is pounding, your thoughts a tangled mess as the reality of what just happened settles in. you just ended it with sloan. 

after years of clinging to a relationship that was falling apart, you finally cut the cord.

but as you walk down the busy city street, the weight of everything presses down on you. the guilt, the hurt, the confusion—all of it swirls in your chest, and for a moment, you wonder if you made the right choice.

you pause on the corner, leaning against a lamppost as you try to steady your breathing. 

your phone buzzes in your pocket, but you ignore it for a moment, letting the emotions wash over you.

"the same way you have feelings for oberdorf." sloan’s words echo in your mind, cutting deep. she didn’t even know lena. 

how could she see what was going on? is everyone seeing what is going on? 

you pull out your phone, staring at the screen as the messages pop up.

sloan: i didn’t mean for it to end like that. i’m sorry.

sloan: but you’re right. we weren’t working anymore.

you don’t reply. instead, you pocket the phone and keep walking, trying to clear your mind. but the more you think about it, the more sloan’s accusations sting. 

you didn’t plan for this to happen with lena. you weren’t looking for something outside of your relationship with sloan. but after months of distance, of feeling abandoned, lena became the person you leaned on, the one who made you feel seen.

lena wasn’t being used as a rebound either. you had genuine feelings for the german woman. sloan hasn’t been in the picture for months, being thousands of miles away in portland, of course you were put in a position for this to happen— especially since lena already had feelings for you. 

your mind drifts back to those moments with lena—the way she’d smile at you during training, her teasing comments that always made you laugh. and that night outside your door, when the air was thick with tension, and she’d looked at you like she saw something more than just a teammate.

it was that night, in the stillness of the hallway, where everything between you and lena changed.

as you walk back to the hotel where you stay at with your national team, you let the tears flow knowing that your three year relationship finally came to a close. 

part three here

[dem-obscure-imagines]

You're So Timeless | Vol. 1

Steve Rogers x Reader

Fandom: MCU

Summary: In 1943, Steve Rogers was visited by his soulmate. He fell hard. Problem is, she was from the future and didn’t stick around for long. Now, in the twenty-first century, he finally found her again, except this version of her hasn’t met him yet and won’t know he’s her soulmate for another year. 

Note: So this is a combination of my other two Steve Rogers soulmate AU fics, but lengthened and fleshed out into a full fic. I was literally possessed to write this. I have no other explanation. I really like how it came out. I gave this one chapter headings (I am also going to post it to Ao3) and yes some are Taylor Swift titles. Sorry about that. It takes place roughly around the time Civil War would, but we have managed to avoid the war this time around. I also moved some other characters up the timeline because I think they’re neat and I said so. Without further ado, please enjoy my new Magnum Opus.

Also Tumblr made me split it into two parts. Part 2 linked HERE and also at the end of the post.

Warnings: Canon-typical violence/injuries, soulmate au, tons of mutual pining, kind of a slowburn but in reverse. Light angst, but a happy ending.

Word Count: 38.7k total (I am not sorry)

Reader Is: Enhanced (forcefields), 24 years old, female 

The End

Time.

It was a fickle thing. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed. A mere twelve months earlier, you had been living a different life. The only life you had been responsible for was your own. And your plants, but…they never seemed to last that long under your care. Now, everything was different.

It was the day before your birthday. Your twenty-fifth birthday, which, in the world you lived in, meant that tomorrow, a name would appear on your wrist, the name of your soulmate. It had been stressing you out all day, the weight of tomorrow and everything it meant.

It was late, and you were exhausted from a day of overthinking. The longer you stayed up, the longer you delayed the inevitable reveal, and thinking about it too much made you nervous, so you just decided to get to sleep sooner than later.

It was once you were just about to climb into bed that there was a knock at your door.

“It’s open!” You called. The door opened slowly, revealing Steve, who was leaning in your doorway, arms crossed, that pensive look in his blue eyes. “Oh, hey.”

“Hi.” He chuckled. He seemed nervous, although you weren’t sure why.

“Everything alright, Steve?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I actually came in here to check on you. Wanda said you were…quiet.”

“Yeah, you could say that.” You hugged your arms around your frame and bit your lip, looking up at the super soldier standing in front of you. “Just…I don’t know. I’ve been looking forward to tomorrow for my entire life, but…now that it’s here, I’m so scared.”

“Hey, come here.” He said, pulling you to him, strong arms wrapped around you, as if he could protect you from the future itself.

“I don’t know what to do…”

“(Y/N), whoever they are, they are incredibly, incredibly lucky. You don’t need to worry about anything. It’ll all work out. It always does.” He said it like he was certain. Like somehow he knew what would happen in the morning when suddenly your life was turned on its head and you had to venture out to find your other half.

Since you’d met him, Steve wore a leather band around his wrist, covering his soulmate’s name. You’d figured he must have met them in the forties and…maybe they hadn’t made it long enough to see him come out of the ice. But you didn’t ask about it. You never dared to put that question into words. He’d been through enough heartbreak already.

“What if they don’t like me…?”

He scoffed, holding you tighter. “That’s impossible. They’re going to love you. So much. I promise.”

“And…and we’ll still be f-friends?”

Steve pulled away, looking down at you, a hand very carefully touching your cheek. “Of course we will still be friends. Nothing is ever going to change that. I promise.”

You nodded, a tear slipping down your cheek. “Good. Thank you, Steve. For everything.”

He gently wiped the tear away, the pad of his thumb warm. Once he was sure you were okay, he let go, looking at you with that knowing sparkle in his eye once more. He took a little extra time to look at the shirt you were wearing, the Star Wars tee you’d had since high school. “See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.” You agreed.

“And happy birthday, (Y/N).”

We’ll Meet Again

“Ma’am? Are you alright? Ma’am?” The voice sounded far away. You were pretty sure you were still dreaming. You opened your eyes slowly and immediately became aware of the pounding pain in your head.

“Ow, oh my God.” You reached up and felt there, but it didn’t feel like you were bleeding or anything.

“Ma’am?”

You froze for a second, slowly looking up at the figure standing above you, confusion written all over his familiar features. It took you a long moment to put the pieces together. You were on a porch somewhere in what appeared to be New York, but it was…different. A lot different than the parts of the city you knew. Alright, it had to be a dream.

You looked up at the man standing above you and did a double-take. But no, it was him. It was a tiny, frail version of Steve. Your eyebrows furrowed and you sat up slowly, staring at him for a long moment before whispering, “Steve?”

His mouth opened and then shut again and he made a face of confusion, like he was trying to place where he knew you from, but he didn’t know you yet, and wouldn’t know you for several more years, to say the least. “Do I know you?”

“It’s complicated.” You exhaled. “Can we go inside? You’re going to need to sit down for this.”

Dumbfounded, Steve nodded and you stood up from the porch, only to find that he was at your eye level when you did. Weird. He led you into the small apartment and you looked around. It was quaint. There was an easel in the corner of the room and…Bucky Barnes sitting on the couch? You stared at him for a good, long moment, a shiver running down your spine.

“Who’s the dame?” He read your shirt. “What is Star…Wars…?”

“About to find that out myself.” He chuckled, leading you into the living room. “Buck, could you give us a minute?”

“I’ll be in the kitchen.” Bucky got up and walked to the other half of their tiny two-bedroom.

You sat down on the couch and so did he. The silence was thick. You thought for several moments. You weren’t quite sure how you had ended up in the 1940s. You looked down at your hands and it was then that your gaze finally landed on the writing on your wrist. And then everything made sense.

“What’s the date today?”

“It’s July 4th, why?”

“July 4th…” You whispered. “What, 1943?”

You could see the wheels turning behind his eyes before he replied, “Yes ma’am.”

“Well, happy birthday, first of all. And second of all…” You held up your wrist so he could read it. Steve’s eyes went wide and he stared at the three words written neatly on your skin in his own handwriting.

Steven Grant Rogers.

“You’re my…” He looked at you for a long time, his eyes wide. He hastily undid the cuff around his wrist and held it out to you, your own name written there. He ran a finger across the letters, as if to prove they were really there.

“I’m your soulmate.” You said certainly.

It hit you like a truck, then. The weird look on your Steve’s face, the way he was so certain that everything would work out. It was because he had already lived through this. And that meant that in all the time he’d known you, he’d been hiding his mark not because his soulmate had died, but instead because you were his soulmate and you didn’t know it yet.

Your entire year of friendship, of memories, of roadtrips and missions and movie marathons…he had known the whole time. And that look in his eyes wasn’t just his protective side coming out. It was love. It had been love the whole time.

Oh.

Steve exhaled a long, shaking breath, really taking you in. Once again, he had a million stars in his eyes. He let out a whispered, “Wow,” as tears began to form.

You came back down to earth. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled, sniffling as a tear ran down his cheek. “I’ve just, I’ve got a lot of…health problems, so I wasn’t sure if I’d ever…meet you. And you’re here and you’re great and I just…I’m sorry.”

That brought tears to your eyes. “Oh, Steve…” You pulled him into your arms and he didn’t hesitate to surrender to your embrace, his arms wrapping tight around you and holding you close, head nestled into the crook of your neck. “Just breathe. It’s okay. I’m right here. I’ve got you.”

Always.

He took your advice, doing his best to avoid an asthma attack on what was shaping up to be the best day of his life. Once he finally caught his breath, he pulled away to look at your face again. “I have to ask…How did you know?”

“I don’t know if you can tell from these clothes,” you motioned down to the t-shirt and sweatpants you were wearing, “but I’m not from around here, exactly.”

“I kind of thought so, but I didn’t want to be rude.” He smiled softly. “Um, where are you from, then?”

“I’m from the future. Like…a while from now. It’s hard to explain why or how, and I’m not really sure how I got here, to be honest, but I’m glad I am.” You sighed, thumb grazing his cheek, wiping away his tears. He crooned at your touch. “I don’t know how long we have before I have to go back.”

“Am I there? Where you’re from?”

“You are. It’s complicated. We’re really good friends and…when I get back, I’m sure we’ll probably be even more than that.” You smiled, shaking your head. “I can’t believe I didn’t put the pieces together sooner.”

“(Y/N)?” Steve asked, trying out your name for the first time.

“Yeah?”

“Let me take you out today, show you a good time here before you have to go back.” He took your hand and carefully laced his fingers through your own, testing the weight of it, the feel of it.

You smiled. “I’d like that.”

“Not to eavesdrop, lovebirds — congratulations, by the way — but if you’re going to take her out, we’re going to need to find her some clothes that aren’t so…‘not from around here.’” Bucky leaned in the doorway.

“Yeah, I thought the same thing.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll call one of my girls and we’ll get her squared away. Sit tight.”

“Thanks, Bucky.” You said, chuckling when his eyes widened after you addressed him by name. “I know you, too. From the, uh, future.”

“Weird…” Bucky decided.

“Long story?” Steve asked, studying the look on your face.

“Very.” You agreed. After staring at him for another long moment, you pulled him back into your arms again, exhaling a long breath before whispering, “Steve, I’m so glad it’s you…”

***

“Wow.” You stared at yourself in the mirror, studying the way Bucky’s, ahem, lady friend, had curled your hair, done your makeup. You did a little twirl and relished in the way the skirt of your dress twirled. It was navy blue, short ruffled sleeves with a flared skirt and buttons down the front. “I think it suits me.”

“I agree. Blue is a good color on you.” Steve was sitting in a chair at the edge of the room, absolutely enamored as he watched you. “Although, I’m sure they’re all good colors on you, doll.”

You felt the heat rise to your cheeks. “Thanks.”

“I mean it.” He stood up and walked to you, slipping one of his hands into each of yours and staring into your eyes, looking at the way you looked standing next to him in his reflection. His soulmate. The kind of girl people write poems about. “You look great.”

“I don’t look out of place?”

“No one is gonna think you’re a time traveler. Well, unless you tell them.” Bucky said. “Maybe don’t do that anymore.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t planning on it.” You chuckled and gave Steve’s hands a squeeze. “Where to first, soulmate?”

His cheeks reddened as soon as you said the word. “Well, I was thinking we could go to my favorite little diner down the street to grab something for lunch, and then maybe we could take a walk through the park, catch a movie, and then go out for drinks tonight?”

“What, you aren’t gonna take her dancing?” Bucky teased, ruffling Steve’s hair under a large hand. “Show the girl a good time?”

“I would if I didn’t have two left feet.” Steve chuckled, a sheepish smile on his face. He looked at you, waiting for some kind of response. “How does that sound?”

“It sounds like a great time, Steve.”

He smiled. “Good.”

The two of you left the apartment not long after that, and walked side by side towards the diner. Your hands were swinging in the space between you and your hand brushed Steve’s once, twice, a third time, and then you slipped your hand into his, intertwining your fingers.

You caught him smile out of the corner of your eye. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah, of course it’s okay.” He grinned and chuckled to himself. “You can hold my hand as much as you want, doll.”

When the two of you finally got to the diner, a little bell rang over your heads and you got seated at a booth by the window. The two of you ordered drinks and you skimmed the menu while you waited.

“So, tell me about yourself.” You said, resting your chin against your fist and looking over at Steve. You studied the way his blue, blue eyes flicked up to your own and the blush that covered his cheeks shortly thereafter.

“You probably know a lot of it already.” He chuckled. “Unless we don’t talk a lot?”

“We talk quite a bit, but I still want to know about this you. Here and now.”

“I like art. Drawing and painting and stuff.” He said. “I haven’t had time to do much lately, but I’d like to get back into it.”

“See, that I didn’t know.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know you were into art.”

“I could, uh, show you sometime.” He offered.

“I’d like that.” You smiled. “What else?”

“I like to read. I like going to Dodgers games with Bucky. One time he took me to Coney Island. I don’t like rollercoasters, but I liked playing the games. He wasted three whole dollars trying to win a teddy bear for a redhead named Dot.”

“Three whole dollars…” You chuckled. “Well you don’t have to worry about the rollercoasters too much, I can’t go upside down without throwing up.”

“That makes two of us. Enough about me, tell me about you.” Steve nudged, his hand slowly moving towards yours. “How do we know each other? When did we meet?”

“We’re…coworkers, I guess you could say. We met about a year back and now we live in the same building? I’m sorry for being so vague, I just—”

“Don’t want to give it away, yeah, I get it.” He nodded, understandingly.

“You took me under your wing as soon as I moved in and really made me feel welcome. You’re the one that brought me onto the team, actually.” You took a sip of your drink. “We’ve been through a lot together already, and I’m sure it’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Mmm…” Steve nodded. “I know I just met you, but I’m really glad you and I are close. Well, will be close.” He paused before chuckling and shaking his head. “There’s still some little voice in the back of my head telling me all of this is just some amazing dream.”

“That doesn’t even begin to cover it.” You chuckled, tucking a piece of curled hair back behind your ear. “I’ve…I’ve had a crush on you forever, Steve. I can’t believe this is happening.”

He stared at you, almost dumbfounded. “O-on me?”

“Yeah.” You agreed. You’d forgotten, you supposed, that Steve had had this phase, the self-depreciation, the insecurity. Your Steve, when complimented, was shy, sure, but you knew he understood what people were talking about. This Steve didn’t see it that way. Not yet. But it would be your job to use your one day with him to change that, to make your soulmate see that he was worthy of love, even self-love. “Yeah, of course on you, Steve. I can’t believe I get to have you.”

His cheeks reddened and he finally took the leap, taking your hand across the table, thumb grazing your knuckles with care. His blue eyes sparkled. “Funny. I was gonna say the same thing about you.”

***

Once the two of you were finished up at the diner, you took a walk through the park. It was gorgeous out, a bright, sunny, warm summer afternoon. Several couples were strolling down the paths, hand in hand, and you were one of them, your hand held tight in Steve’s, his thumb gently stroking the back of yours.

You went to the theater and caught a movie together. Luckily enough, they were showing the Wizard of Oz. Your current situation had you feeling like Dorothy in more ways than one. The movie had only come out four years earlier, which was definitely strange. Not to mention the fact that the tickets were only twenty-five cents, the popcorn a mere ten cents.

And then, once the movie was over and the sun was setting, you went to a bar, where Steve ordered each of you a drink. You took a sip of yours, something sweet, and smiled at him across the table.

“So, how’s your day been, birthday boy?” You asked coyly.

“The best I’ve had so far,” he replied, his eyes sparkling. The sparkle faded, however, when his expression grew somber. He hesitated, but then asked, “Okay, I have to know…How long do I have to wait to see you again?”

You exhaled a long sigh, biting your lip. If you told him the truth, he might ask questions you couldn’t tell him the answers to. And besides, the real answer would require some math. You didn’t know the specifics.

“I’ll be honest, Steve, it’s…it’s a pretty long time.” You thought for a long moment before continuing, “I…I can’t really tell you why. It’s all really complicated, and if I tell you too much, it might not happen the way it’s supposed to.”

“Oh…” Steve nodded and took a sip of his drink. Once he set down the glass, he reached across the table and took your hand. “Well, however long it is,” he looked straight into your eyes and a chill ran down your spine, “It’ll be worth it. Every second. I promise.”

You could have cried. “I hope so.”

“There you two are! I was wondering which bar you’d wandered into!” Bucky was, apparently, already slightly intoxicated as he approached you and Steve with a date of his own. “How was your day on the town, lovebirds?”

“Spectacular.” You replied. “I wish there was more time to soak it in.”

“New York sure is something, huh?” Bucky’s date asked, giggling innocently. If only she knew the half of it.

“Yeah, you could say that.” You laughed and tucked a piece of hair behind your ear.

“You guys wanna sit with us?” Steve asked.

“If you don’t mind too much, punk.” Bucky grinned.

Steve got up and switched sides of the booth so he was sitting next to you instead of across from you. You slid your hand into his, intertwining your fingers. He smiled, chuckling softly to himself as he gave your hand a squeeze.

“Did you give the lady her dance, Rogers?” Bucky asked, smirking.

“Not yet.” Steve chuckled. “We’ll see. The asthma makes it a bit difficult sometimes.”

“Never seems to stop you from getting into fights.” Bucky muttered, causing Steve’s cheeks to flush.

“Just wait until the band plays something slow,” Bucky’s date pointed out.

“There you go!” Bucky raised his glass to his lips. “Great idea, Maggie.”

“Glad to be of service.”

And so, the four of you chatted until the band started to play something sweet and slow. Steve looked at you for approval and you nodded. He led you out onto the floor with the other couples.

Steve blushed, flustered, and he looked at you before saying, “I don’t know how to do this.”

“It’s easy.” You promised, guiding one of his hands to your waist and holding the other. “That’s it. And then we just move to the music. You can twirl me around if you feel so inclined.”

“Alright.” He chuckled, swaying in time with you. “Hey, uh, (Y/N), I need you to know…I had a really, really great time today. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a soulmate and I’m so excited to spend the rest of my life with you someday, however far away that someday is.”

“I’m glad I met your expectations.” You smiled, tugging him a bit closer.

“No, you exceeded them. You’re better than anything I could have imagined. I’m so lucky.” He paused, and his expression fell a little. “I know I’m a lot. I have a lot of problems and they might complicate things sometimes, but…”

“Steve, you’re perfect.” You shook your head and leaned forward, resting your forehead against his. “The universe gave you to me for a reason and I’m so, so glad it did. You’re amazing. I can’t think of anyone better to spend the rest of my life with.”

He was quiet for a moment before whispering, “Can I please kiss you, doll?”

You leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, the music swelling around you as you guided his hands to your waist, cupping his cheeks to hold him close to you. When the moment had passed, you rested your nose against his, meeting his eyes and inhaling his scent, committing this version of him to memory before he was reduced to just that, a memory.

“Steve Rogers, I am so sorry you will not hear me say these words until after I go back tomorrow, but I love you. I have loved you for a very long time. And I know I will love you for the rest of my life.”

You spent the rest of the night together. Twirling across the dancefloor, talking, soaking each other in. But when you reached the front porch of the townhouse, Steve looked back down the steps to find you’d disappeared, leaving him with nothing but the memory of your lips, your laugh, your smile.

“You gonna be alright?” Bucky asked, a hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t know.” He replied, words swallowed up by the sounds of the night. “Just give me a minute, pal.”

Bucky nodded, solemn. “Take all the time you need.”

The Beginning

Steve remembered the day you’d met—for the second time, though he didn’t realize it right away—like it was tattooed on his brain. It was a few years after he’d come out of the ice and he had taken Tony’s advice to get out more, which had led him to the local mall.

It had been an uneventful day. He strolled around the perimeter, taking in the storefronts, studying the fashion, browsing the menu of a pretzel place, reading the posters on the exterior of the movie theater, the things that were coming out in the coming months. Nothing interested him in particular. He didn’t really care for war movies.

After a few quiet hours, his peaceful walk was interrupted by screams, people running away at top speed, which, of course, caused him to spring into action, assessing the situation. He ran towards the source of the chaos, scanning, scanning, until his eyes landed on the attacker, a guy with a flamethrower, aimed at a teenage theater employee. Steve hurdled over a trash can, moving people out of the way, directing them to safety and trying to put himself between himself and the mallgoers, but before he could, you did, hands out in front of you and what seemed to be an invisible shield poised there, redirecting the flames and protecting the movie theater employee that had nearly been caught in the crossfire.

A quick flick of your wrist knocked the attacker’s gun out of his hands and it slid across the floor to Steve’s feet. He chucked it into the fountain without a second thought, where it fizzled pathetically. The guy lunged at you with heavy metal gauntlets, and you dodged the first swing but caught the second in the face, falling backwards. When you landed, however ungracefully, you sent a blast of energy at the guy, knocking him over a plant and sprawling onto the tile floor.

While the guy was on the ground, Steve tackled him, wrenching the gauntlets off of his hands and chucking them away, too. Soon, the police arrived, apprehending the guy while mall security comforted the distressed mall patrons, ushering them to safety and medical attention.

You sat on a bench after, breathing heavy, a cut on your forehead. Steve walked over, interested in this superpowered rescuer, someone who wasn’t yet on the Avengers’ radar, but would most definitely be on the news the next day if the sheer amount of phone footage recorded was any indication.

“Are you alright, ma’am?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just glad everyone is okay.” You told him, meeting his eyes.

He finally got a good look at you and froze, looking bewildered. A deer in headlights. “You’re…”

There you are, doll. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.

It was you. Of course it was you. Since the moment he’d been unfrozen, he’d been looking for you. His soulmate. The girl from the future that popped in on his twenty-fifth birthday, turned his whole life on its head, and then left without warning, hours after their first kiss. Back when he was five-foot-nothing with asthma and more medical conditions than he could even remember.

Back before he was anything.

And you’d loved him anyway. You’d given him the day of a lifetime and hope for not only a future, but for love. That someone could love him for him despite it all.

“I know.” You knew? “I…I don’t know what it is or…why I can do it. I’ve been like this since college.”

Your powers, you meant. You thought he was talking about your powers and not your name, which was burning a hole into his wrist beneath the thick leather band keeping it hidden.

“Right. Well, it’s…” He sighed, gathering his words, hiding the elation and pain behind a warm smile. “It’s a good thing you were here. I don’t have my shield on me.”

“Mine is built in.” You chuckled.

“You, uh…have a cut. On your forehead.”

“Oh, do I?” You reached up and found it with your fingers and they came away a bit bloody. “Shit.”

“Come on.” He offered you his hand and you took it, letting him lead you over to the counter of the theater. “Hi, do you have a first aid kit we could borrow?”

“Yeah, of course.” The girl at the counter said, rushing to grab it.

Steve patched you up with gentle hands, off in a corner on your own, in the room the theater used for birthday parties. Staring up at him, you finally realized the obvious. This was Captain America. And he was using a careful finger to spread a triple antibiotic ointment on your cut.

Play it cool, (Y/N).

“Do you do this often? The hero thing?” Steve asked, trying to sound somewhat indifferent. He couldn’t be, though. Not entirely. Not when it came to you.

“No.” You shrugged. “Haven’t had much opportunity, thankfully. I mean…I’d like to, I just didn’t know how to…get into it, I guess. Any email I sent to Stark or S.H.I.E.L.D. or whatever would end up on a slush pile.”

“Well, I’ve got some connections. If you’re seriously considering it. I can’t say I recommend it, but…Obviously you’ve got that protective instinct and you seem to work well under pressure.”

“I don’t know about that. My heart is about to leap out of my chest.” You admitted, laughing as he carefully laid a Bandaid over the cut, closing the kit.

“That makes two of us.”

“Well, if you think I’m really cut out for it…I’d love to help.”

***

It was three days later that Nick Fury got in touch with you. You thought it was a scam call at first, but no one else would possibly have the info about you that he did. That was S.H.I.E.L.D. for you, you supposed.

You packed up your apartment, your boxes of books, your old journals, your clothes and makeup, your life, and hopped in the jet that was waiting for you at the meeting place. Inside was a pilot with flaming red hair, Natasha Romanoff. The Black Widow. It was hard not to get a little starstruck.

She helped you load your things into the jet, let you settle into the copilot seat, and then you took off, soaring away from your old life and towards your new one, the mysterious, magnificent facility tucked into upstate New York, that iconic A emblazoned on the front of the building.

“Steve said you’re telekinetic. That’s cool.” She complimented with a smirk.

“Yeah, I’ve got force-field stuff. I don’t know what else, exactly.”

“Oh, we’ll figure all that out. Banner already has a list of tests he wants to run. Nothing too intense. I made him promise not to give you the lab rat treatment too soon.”

“Reassuring.” You chuckled.

“Wanda’s been decorating your room all day. It’s not often we get new blood.”

“I appreciate it. I can’t wait to meet everyone.”

“They can’t wait to meet you.”

The jet landed a little under an hour later and Natasha helped you haul boxes towards the front door, where Steve was waiting. It was like time slowed, that look in his eyes, glistening little stars.

“Come on, Rogers, these boxes aren’t going to move themselves.” Nat waved him over, snapping both of you out of your trance.

“Right, right.” He jogged over. “Is there anything heavy?”

“That one.” You pointed. “It’s got my candles in it.”

“On it.”

You grabbed a few tote bags, slinging your computer bag over your shoulder. A few others came out to help, Clint and Wanda namely, the latter of whom used her shimmering red powers to speed the process along. Were you any more confident in your own powers, you would do the same, but you hadn’t had much opportunity to use them yet, and you didn’t want to drop anything fragile on your first day.

You started unpacking the essentials, your smart speaker, your laptop, some books and your favorite candle. You put some clothes in the dresser, hung some up in the large sliding closet in the wall. Upon further examination, you had your own bathroom, too, which was nice. There was a wall tapestry with sunflowers on it, and several little knickknacks. Wanda’s loving touch.

Someone cleared their throat and you turned to find Steve there, arms crossed, leaning in the doorway.

“Hi there, um, just checking in. Figured you might want a tour when you got settled in. No rush, of course.”

“I would love a tour. I can already tell I’m gonna get lost in this place.”

He grinned. “Not on my watch. Come on. I’ll show you around.”

Steve walked with you through the office spaces, the computer labs, Bruce’s lab, Tony’s. Tony was in the city, but Bruce was home and introduced himself with a dad joke about the Hulk and a warm handshake. You saw the training facility, a giant room with floor to ceiling windows, a wall of mirrors, practice dummies, landing mats, and plenty of sparring weapons. There was, separately, a fully furnished gym, and then the basics, a large, modern kitchen, living areas and lounges, study spaces, a library, a party room with a bar, and a very fancy coffee machine.

You could see yourself making a home here.

Steve walked you back to the hallway where all the bedrooms were. “If you need anything or have any questions, my room is just down the hall on the left. Wanda is next door. Dinner is at six.”

“Six o’clock it is. Thank you, Cap.”

“You can call me Steve.”

“Steve.” You nodded, slowly accepting the fact that you were now on a first name basis with Captain America. “And you can call me (Y/N).”

“Nice to meet you, (Y/N).” He said, some twinge of nostalgia at the end of his words. You turned back into your room to get some more unpacking done and Steve walked back down the hall, taking a deep breath and looking up at the ceiling, doing his best to hold in his tears.

…Ready For It?

You spent the first few days in your room for the most part, unpacking but also hiding, if you were honest. You met Vision. He seemed nice. He also had the ability to phase through walls, apparently. Still no sign of Thor, but you weren’t holding your breath. You were sure he was a busy guy.

Sam Wilson introduced himself with the same offer everyone else had so far, to let them know if you needed anything. You appreciated it.

And then, finally, there was Tony, whose dry humor came across immediately. He sized you up, drilling questions about where you went to college, what you majored in, what your top three movies from the 1980s were. You were pretty sure he liked you, but you didn’t think he trusted you. And that was okay. You knew that was something you’d have to earn around there.

“No soulmark yet, kid?” He asked, eyeing up your bare wrist.

“Not yet.” You confirmed.

“That makes you what, twenty-three? Twenty-four?”

“Twenty-four. As of last month, actually.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “Well that’s exciting. I’m sure you’re counting down the days.”

“More or less.” You chuckled, catching Steve watching you out of the corner of your eye. He did that a lot, you noticed.

Before Tony could come up with some witty comeback, the lights flashed red, accompanied by a loud siren.

“Vis? What’s going on?” Tony asked as Vision walked into the room, his sophisticated sweater melting into the uniform you’d seen on the news, red and green with a golden cape.

“There seems to be a stir at the local fairgrounds. Tremors and gunshots. Hostages.”

“Alright, let’s go pay them a visit then.” Tony pressed a button on his watch and transformed into Iron Man in front of your very eyes. “You can stay here or come with us. Up to you. But suit up fast. We’re out in five.”

You stood there for a moment, waiting for the shock to wear off, but the sirens definitely weren’t helping.

“Stick with me.” Steve instructed, voice calm, confident.

“Okay.” You nodded, following after him, towards the hangar where they kept the jets.

Natasha was standing at a locker, pulling her catsuit on with impressive speed, Clint beside her, loading a quiver with arrows, checking his bow.

“Nat, can you get her ready?”

“Baby’s first mission?” She asked, impressed.

You nodded, waiting for orders.

“Well, it should be an easy one, from the sound of it. Here, put this on. We’ll get you your own gear in the next few weeks.”

She chucked you an extra suit and you did your best to shimmy into it. Surprisingly, you could actually move in it. There were holsters, but you weren’t gun trained, so you figured it was best to leave that to the professionals. Instead, you followed the others onto the jet, hoping your forcefields and blossoming battle instincts would be enough to protect you out there.

***

The fair had devolved quickly into madness. There was fire, screaming, running, and gunshots. You flinched at the onslaught of it, but followed the others out anyway, listening to the voice in your earpiece, Steve’s voice, as he issued orders. You were put on civilian evacuation with Sam while the others engaged with the attackers. Six of them.

You did your job diligently, ushering people to a safe distance while law enforcement arrived. Until one of the attackers engaged with you, however, mistaking you for a civilian. Something snapped. In an instant your flight instinct vanished, replaced with the need to fight. He punched at you and you countered, sweeping a leg under him and then using a forcefield to knock him into the cornfield.

One of them launched a bazooka at Tony while he wasn’t looking, and without a thought, you trapped the explosive in a bubble, forcing it into the air where it exploded harmlessly, away from everyone.

And when the dust settled, the rest of the team turned to look at you, sharing looks with each other.

“Thanks for the save, kid. I owe you one.” Tony complimented, clapping you on the back on his way into the jet. “Let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.”

Your heart raced with the adrenaline of battle, the feeling of a job well done. Steve gave you a thumbs-up, a proud grin. His risk had paid off. You weren’t a total failure.

“You doin’ okay?” He asked, slinging his shield onto his back.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” You replied, letting the energy fizzle back into your palms.

He watched with interest at the faint crackles of blue that made up your powers. “You did good out there.”

You felt your cheeks flush. “Thanks, I—"

“Alright new girl, were are we stopping for food?” Natasha asked, slinging an arm around your shoulders.

“I get to pick?” You asked with a laugh.

“And don’t be afraid to pick something fancy. It’s Tony’s treat.” Clint added, walking with the rest of you onto the jet. You strapped in while the others tried their darndest to influence your pick, bickering like siblings. Like your family.

Yeah, you could get used to this.

Waypoint

Your training started shortly after that first mission. Bruce took all your vitals, measured them before, during, and after use of your powers. He recorded said powers with every device known to man until he had your ability down to a science. He had a hunch they were of cosmic origin, but you had no idea when you could have possible come in contact with something like that.

Next came a uniform. At the moment, it was a dark indigo color, something similar to navy blue, but leaning a bit more purple. The chest area was left blank, Tony claiming he’d add a symbol once his graphic design team came up with something. He did add some accents up the arms and down the legs, thin, light blue lines that matched the color of your powers.

Natasha and Clint gave you a few crash courses on weapons and your aim left a bit to be desired, but your hand-eye coordination wasn’t bad. Sam put you on a modified military workout regimen to get in shape, get your stamina up with the rest of the team.

You practiced making forcefields, seeing how big you could make them, how small, how much force they could endure before they broke. Natasha shot some bullets at them, and your fields caught them, allowing you to kill their momentum and drop them harmlessly to the ground. They could withstand some electricity, but not Wanda’s powers. And they held against Steve’s superstrength, but not for long. Still, a few hits from a supersoldier was more than most could endure, so it would buy you some time in the field.

Eventually, you moved on from just forcefields and started learning to move objects. It turned out, you were not limited to bubbles. You could create platforms underneath things. This evolved into creating platforms underneath people, that they could jump on, or ride on top of while you moved them.

You practiced using them for transport too, but it was harder standing on them while controlling them, especially if you tried to jump from platform to platform. It was a bit like patting your head and rubbing your tummy, and it would take a lot of practice.

There weren’t many missions, and the ones that popped up, you didn’t get sent on. They were high level things, and while your powers were improving, and very quickly, Bruce was always quick to reassure you, you weren’t ready for covert ops yet, especially ones that had been months in the making.

Every time Steve got sent off, he left with that sad little half-smile of his, the one where he pressed his lips together, eyes glittering like a lake under moonlight. He’d give you some words of comfort, usually dealing with how short the mission was supposed to be. It didn’t often make you feel better.

Bruce stayed behind with you, most times. More like all of the times. Code Greens, as they were called, were seldom necessary, and besides, as they had learned with Wanda back during the Ultron days, Bruce could be a liability if someone else got in his head. But it was nice not being completely alone in the big empty facility.

“He always looks so sad when he leaves.” You noted, sipping from a mug of warm tea. Steve had left only moments before, the last member of the team that was shipping out.

Bruce thought about it for a moment. “Does he?”

“Oh. I don’t know. Maybe I don’t know him that well.” You shrugged, the sounds of Animal Crossing resonating from the TV.

“You know, he has, lately. He didn’t used to.” Bruce noted.

“Weird.”

“Uh-huh.” He replied absentmindedly. “So explain to me this game?”

“Okay, so you move to this island and have to spend all your money paying off debt to this raccoon…”

It was in another training session that there was a malfunction. A shock grenade went off dangerously close to Sam. Before you could even process what you were doing, your hand shot out, a bright, pulsating star crackling in front of him, another, second star on the other side of the room. Steve assessed the situation and used the shield to knock Sam into the star, neutralizing the grenade right after. There was a bright flash and Sam appeared on the other side of the room, tumbling out of the second star.

You froze, curling your fingers and closing both of them. There was a slight pinch in your shoulder, near the base of your neck. The others all stared.

“Wait, what was that?” Bruce asked over the intercom.

“You did that?” Steve asked, motioning to Sam as he walked over.

“I think so.”

“What was that?”

Natasha asked, looking you up and down. Sam stared at you like you’d sprouted a third eye.

“I don’t know.”

“Do it again.” Bruce insisted. “Hang on, I’m coming in there.”

The door from the observation room opened and Bruce joined the rest of you in the circle that was steadily forming, all of them watching you, waiting.

“I don’t know, it was just like…” You focused on that feeling again, the desperation to get Sam the hell away from that grenade, and as though you were punching a hole through reality, it opened in the center of the circle, an eight-pointed star, bobbing and ebbing and flowing, made of the light blue energy you were so familiar with.

Carefully, you opened another one, ten feet in the air above the first. Clint shrugged and chucked a tennis ball into it. Sure enough, it popped up to the second one, before falling down through the first one again. This continued until eventually you closed the bottom one, letting the tennis ball bounce harmlessly across the floor.

“Well shit.”

“Waypoints.” Bruce said, deep in thought. “Teleportation. This…this opens up a lot of doors.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Steve murmured.

“Hey, that’s kind of cool. Waypoint.” Clint said, drawing attention to it. “What do you think?”

“What, like as a codename?” You asked, weighing it as an option.

“I like it.” Sam grinned. “Waypoint.”

“Waypoint.” You repeated, trying it out. Hi, I’m Waypoint. I’m an Avenger.

It sounded silly, but it was getting more official by the day. There was, of course, only one way to make it official official, and that was with one of Tony Stark’s famed parties…

Wonderstruck

You let out a sigh, staring at your reflection in the mirror. It was the night of the big party. Your first, as an Avenger, and the official induction of what Tony was deeming the second class of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Sam: the Falcon, Wanda: the Scarlet Witch, Vision, and You: Waypoint.

He’d gotten you a dress to wear, one that matched your uniform. It was long, sleek, that navy blue/indigo color. It glittered like stars and moved like a dream. And in the middle of it, poised at the base of the sweetheart neckline, was the eight-pointed star that Tony had turned into your symbol.

Your hair and makeup were done, and all that was left was the zipper.

Someone knocked on the door.

“It’s open!” You called, expecting Natasha or Wanda. Instead, it was Steve, who, when he saw you were unzipped, pulled the door almost all the way closed and shielded his eyes with his hand.

“Sorry! I’ll leave—”

“Wait, actually, could you help me zip this up? I can’t reach.”

Steve nodded, slowly lowering his hand and entering the room. He closed the door behind him to give you some privacy. He was dressed in a sharp black suit with a blue tie. His lapel pin looked like a tiny version of his shield.

“Wow…” He murmured, taking you in. “You look great, (Y/N).”

“You think so? I’m not sure blue is really my color…”

He scoffed. “It most certainly is.” He swept the hair off of your shoulder, meeting your eyes in the reflection in the mirror as he gently pulled the zipper higher until it was secure in place. “In more ways than one.”

“Yeah, guess so.” You agreed, nervous energy crackling around your fingers, blue as ever. You dispelled it, snapping out of it.

Steve looked at the two of you in the mirror for a long time before turning towards the door again. Halfway there, though, he turned back around, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a flat velvet box. “This is, um…for you.”

“Oh! Thank you.” You reached for it, heart racing. Inside was a necklace, its pendant a silver star with eight points. In the center, an aquamarine gem. You gasped, looking at it. It was beautiful, delicate. “Steve, this is beautiful. Thank you so much.”

“It’s the least I could do.” He said, offering his hand. “May I?”

“Please.” You said, handing him the necklace and moving your hair out of the way. He did the clasp behind your neck. It settled between your collarbones.

“There. Now it’s official.” He whispered.

“Almost.”

“Almost.” Steve agreed, offering you his elbow. “Right this way.”

You looped your arm through his, letting him lead you out into the initial murmurs of the party. What Natasha dubbed the “extended family” had shown up. Rhodey, Maria Hill, Nick Fury, Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, and, of course, Thor.

He was a sight, that was for sure. He towered over everyone else at 6’5”, arms the size of tree trunks. It was a bit intimidating to say the very least.

“Rogers!” Thor bellowed.

“Thor! I didn’t think you were coming.”

He grinned. “I never miss a feast.” His eyes fell on you. “And you must be this new team member Banner spoke of.”

“I’m (Y/N). It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“The honor is mine.”

“Here.” Natasha handed you a champagne flute. She eyed up your necklace. “That’s cute.”

“Steve gave it to me.”

She quirked an eyebrow and looked up at the supersoldier, who still had your arm. “Steve has good taste.”

“Steve had help.” He admitted, smiling sheepishly.

“I’d get you one too, Rogers, but Thor has the strong stuff.” Natasha said, patting his other arm while you took a sip of the champagne. It was sweet, tangy. “God’s favorite boy scout has trouble getting drunk.”

“My tolerance is too good.”

“I think we just need to get you a Four Loko. Or two.”

“A what?” Steve asked.

“It’s like four drinks in one can. They’re insane. I tried in college, but tapped out halfway through.”

He considered it for a moment, letting out a laugh. “See, that just might work.”

Tony wandered around the lounge, greeting everyone. He looked you up and down. “You look beautiful, Portal Girl.”

You internally chuckled. The others had advised you not to feed his ego when he used his nicknames. “Thank you, Tony.”

“And you’re also here, Rogers.”

“Tony.” Steve nodded.

“You her date tonight?” He asked, motioning to your joint arms.

“Oh. Yeah, I suppose I am.” Steve agreed, not budging. Neither were you.

“Well, I hope you’ve taken some dance lessons since last time, Rogers. I’m sure (Y/N) wouldn’t want to have her feet walked all over.”

Steve chuckled and rolled his eyes as Tony moved onto his next targets. Sam emerged, looking very sharp in a red suit. Even Vision had dressed up for the occasion, Wanda beside him wearing an elegant red dress. The two of them talked and laughed on the other side of the room and you smiled. You could tell when you moved in that he cared about her.

You wondered if robots could have soulmates, too. If any android had a soul, surely it was Vision. Maybe you’d ask him about it sometime.

Once all of the expected guests were accounted for, Tony did the briefest ceremony in the history of ceremonies, introducing you all to the few members of the press he had allowed to come. You spent the beginning of the evening shaking hands, networking, and then once the strangers left, the real party started.

Nat switched you to something a lot stronger to champagne, and she was running the bar, so it was easy to get refills. Clint and Thor were arm wrestling on one of the tables which was…hilarious, admittedly.

Steve found you after a few hours apart. “Hey, will you be my partner?”

“Sure, for what?”

He laughed, loosening up quite a bit with Thor’s Asgardian mead in his system. “Sam and Bruce are trying to teach me how to play Beer Ball or something.”

“Beer Pong?”

“That one, yeah.” He nodded. “Winners play Clint and Nat.”

“That checks out.” You chuckled. “Yeah, I’m game. I haven’t played since college, though.”

“I haven’t played ever so I’m sure you’re a step ahead of me anyway.”

“We’ll see about that. Your physics skills are pretty good, what with the shield and all.” You complimented, earning that charming smile of his. “We might just give them a run for their money.”

“Enough flirting, kids, get over here.” Bruce grinned as he finished lining up the cups.

“You know how to play Beer Pong?” You asked, plucking a ping pong ball off of the table and fiddling with it.

“Kid, I have seven PhDs. I have played my share of Beer Pong.” Bruce admitted.

You couldn’t help but smile at that. It was nice to see the Avengers loosen up like this, have a good time together, really truly bond.

You gave Steve the basic rundown of the rules: no elbows past the edge of the table, balls back, stoplight, island, and that if you let Sam and Bruce get too many cups, you and Steve would get “schwaisted” as the kids said, or, at the very least, you would. Steve would probably be fine.

“Ladies first.” Sam said, giving you the second ping pong ball, one of which, you handed to Steve.

“You’re gonna regret that.” You said, rubbing the ball between your hands before perfectly bouncing it into the cup at the front of the pyramid. “Your turn, Steve.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” He said, sinking the ball into the same cup. “I believe that’s three cups, gentlemen.”

Sam’s jaw dropped. He shared a look with Bruce. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

“You’re telling me.” Bruce chuckled, retrieving the ping pong ball and rolling it back. He started drinking the contents of the first cup, leaving the other two to Sam. “Alright, do your worst.”

Needless to say, you wiped the floor with the other two. Barely even gave them a chance. Which is why it was only fair that Clint and Natasha kicked the absolute shit out of the two of you.

You struggled to down your third cup, which is why when you reached for the fourth, Steve shook his head and took it from you, only offering a wink when you opened your mouth to protest.

“Hey! Steve, it’s supposed to be five each.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, she already finished hers.” Steve shrugged, chugging another like it was water. “Right, (Y/N)?”

“Yeah absolutely. What he said.” You shrugged.

You helped clean up the mess a bit after the game was over, rounding up empty cups, wiping down the table, and then washing your hands as Tony switched the music to something upbeat, dancing music.

“Come on, let’s dance.” Steve urged, clearly toeing the line between tipsy and drunk. He reached out for your hand and you couldn’t resist. You didn’t even try.

You let him lead you out to the middle of the room, where Wanda and Vision were already dancing together and looking adorable doing it.

“I thought you couldn’t dance.” You laughed as he spun you around to the music.

“I’m a quick learner.” He whispered, mouth against your ear.

You swore your entire body flushed red, but you let your feet lead you through the dance. Steve took both of your hands, swinging you out and then back in, spinning you around. You blamed the alcohol on what happened next. Your heel caught on the fabric of your dress and you fell over the back of one of the couches, tugging Steve down with you.

He laughed, using an arm to push himself off of you, hovering, eyes soft. “Sorry.”

“It’s my fault. You’ve got me falling for you, Rogers.” You murmured, gazing up at him through your eyelashes.

You said it as a joke, a quip, but there was some truth in it. More than some. It had been a magical, magical night. And if it weren’t for the leather cuff on his wrist, you could see yourself spending the rest of your life with him.

Steve closed his eyes, smiling and sitting up, helping you upright again. “I’ll go get us some water.”

You sighed and sat back against the couch, heart hammering in your chest.

Natasha perched on the armrest, looking down at you. “What was that?”

“Not sure. I think I fumbled the bag. If…if there even was a bag I guess.” You chuckled, shrugging.

“No, there is something there. I can see it.” Natasha said, thinking as she nursed a glass of wine. “Hmmm…”

Steve stood in the kitchen, getting two glasses of filtered water from the fridge. He exhaled a deep sigh, leaning against it. He replayed the moment in his head over and over. The look in your eyes, the way your necklace glimmered in the light, the sound of your voice, the flush of your cheeks. You were catching feelings for him, that much was clear. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Steve Rogers, I am so sorry you will not hear me say these words until after I go back tomorrow, but I love you. I have loved you for a very long time. And I know I will love you for the rest of my life.

Maybe it was a good thing, he reasoned, thinking back on his first night with you all those years ago. But you still couldn’t know why. Not yet.

It was going to kill him to keep it a secret for ten more months.

Timeless

Sherbert rays of the sunrise lit the training room, filling it with a warm orange glow. You were sitting on the floor, stretching your legs while you listened to music. That was another thing on the growing list of skills that had improved during your stint as an Avenger: your flexibility.

Suddenly, Steve was standing over you, saying something you couldn’t hear due to the noise cancelling headphones over your ears.

You slid one off, looking up at him. “Good morning.”

“Morning. You’re here early.”

“Couldn’t sleep.” You shrugged, reaching for your other leg.

“Sorry to hear that. Wanna talk about it?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I think I drank too much caffeine before bed last night. Learned my lesson. No caffeine after six.”

“That’s a good rule. Mind if I stretch with you?” He asked.

“I don’t mind.” You tossed your headphones onto your workout bag and connected your phone to the Bluetooth speakers, putting on some music you could both listen to.

“I recognize her. This girl’s voice.”

“Taylor Swift.”

“Ah. Yes, her. I keep hearing about her.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” You laughed. “Have you liked any of her songs so far?”

“I don’t know if I could name one for you, to be honest.” He listened to the song that was playing. “This one’s not bad, though.”

“I’ll send you some recommendations. There are some I think you’d really vibe with.”

He smiled. “I’d really like that.”

The others came in not long after, did their warm-ups, and then Steve briefed everyone on the plan for their training session, one in which everyone would swap weapons, practice using each other’s things in case they ever had to in battle if one of their teammates got disarmed.

You started with Clint. He showed you the absolute basics of archery, how to pull back the bow, how to notch an arrow, how to aim, taking into account distance. You fired a few arrows into a target and did okay, you supposed, but you would need some practice if you wanted to actually get good at it. Years of it, realistically.

Natasha showed you how to use her electric batons, which were fun, but did intimidate you a little. You definitely did not want to end up on the wrong end of those things.

And then, inevitably, you were standing in front of Steve. He offered you his shield, which on its own seemed daunting. You held it for a second, assessing the weight of it. It was noticeably lighter than you thought it would be.

“Woah.”

“Yeah. People always expect it to be heavier.” He said, a hand resting on his hip as he watched you hold it. It looked so right in your hands, he decided. “It’s good for a lot of things, but first…” Carefully, he helped you put your arm through the straps on the back of it, holding it in front of your body in its primary and most famous purpose.

You let out a sigh, shaking your head. “This is so crazy.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah, you have no idea.” You chuckled, waving it around a bit.

“You keep looking at it like it’s Thor’s hammer or something.” He teased.

“Feels like it.”

“Well the good news is, this thing is not password protected by some Asgardian magic words. The bad news is, that means the bad guys can pick it up, too.” Steve said, gently positioning your body in an offensive stance, nudging a foot with his own, switching your arms around. “You can use it to bash somebody head on, or you can angle it a bit to get a more direct blow. It will take the force of most things. I…I actually kind of don’t know the limits. Hasn’t failed me yet. The paint does come off from time to time, though, so don’t worry about that.”

“Okay, wow.” You nodded. “Good to know.”

“I trust you with it.” He said, eyes meeting yours.

You smiled, heart racing. “I’m honored.”

He showed you a few other tricks, and then training wrapped up for the day, everyone grabbing some water, taking a shower, or making plans for lunch. Once you walked off with Wanda, Nat cornered Steve.

“What was that?” She asked, that catlike grin on her face.

“What was what?”

“I saw it, you know, the way you looked at her. I think you’ve got a soft spot.”

“Yeah, well, I did rope her into all this. Can’t say I don’t feel responsible for her.” He dodged expertly, weaving through Natasha’s mental gymnastics with skill and precision, or so he thought.

“Uh-huh sure. Well, she, Wanda, and I are going antiquing this afternoon. You should come. After all, you know quite a bit about vintage valuables.”

He laughed. “Hey!”

She walked off, smiling to herself. Steve thought about it for all of four seconds before he decided he would tag along. He hadn’t been to an antique shop in this century, so he couldn’t imagine the kinds of things they had there now. He might even learn a thing or two.

***

After a quick lunch, Steve did decide to tag along. It wound up being him, Vision, and the girls, which he certainly didn’t mind.

You and Wanda were buzzing with excitement, Natasha looking on and following behind with Steve. Vision lingered, studying everything, picking things up to get a closer look. He had projected a human disguise over himself, something Steve didn’t know he could even do, but it seemed to work. No one had batted an eye at him since they stepped foot in the shop.

“This place is…huge.” Steve said, glancing down the hall of the seemingly endless store.

“Biggest one in the state.” You chimed. “It’s the whole city block.”

“There’s a basement, too. And a second floor.” Natasha informed him, patting his arm. “This is gonna be an all day kinda thing.”

“Oh undoubtedly.” He said, setting down the teacup in his hands, a petite, floral thing.

You sifted through a box of records, picking up the soundtrack of the Muppets Movie.

“Is that a frog?”

“This is Kermit thee Frog, show some respect.” You laughed, putting the record in your basket.

“Kermit?” Steve asked again, seeming genuine.

“Oh I forgot you missed the Muppets, oh my god.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound familiar.”

“We need to fix that as soon as possible.” You told him. “Can’t have you missing out on cultural icons like Gonzo and Miss Piggy.”

“Okay now you’re making things up.” He chuckled, shuffling through the records as well. You showed him a few good ones and he added them to his basket, saying something about how he’s been meaning to use his new record player.

Wanda browsed some vintage rings, picking out a few, and Natasha rifled through a rack of vintage dresses, most of them from the forties and fifties from the look of it. Nat held up a navy blue one, silky, with short ruffled sleeves and buttons down the front. Steve froze, looking at it. For a moment, it looked just a little too familiar. Like the dress you had worn that night.

Eventually Nat put the dress back. You hadn’t seen it. You were distracted by a shelf of VHS tapes, looking for the old Barbie movies, whatever those were. Wanda was with you, on the next shelf over, calling out movie names when she found something cool.

Steve wandered off on his own, looking around at the different trinkets and toys, old letterman jackets and jewelry, dishes that may or may not contain lead. Finally, he came upon a little room full of art, paintings and photographs, handmade pottery.

Time stood still.

He stared at the large painting on the wall, oil on canvas. Two star-crossed lovers dancing in a bar in Brooklyn, a little guy with a dream, dancing with the most beautiful girl in the world, twirling in her dark blue dress. His heart raced. He never thought he’d see this painting again.

It had been his last painting before leaving for Camp Lehigh, the last painting he did before his life and body changed forever. He’d used the last of his paints to make it, every color mixed with care to get the exact color of your hair, your eyes, your lips, all from memory.

And it was here in front of him. When he had been presumed dead, it must have been sold off. He didn’t really have anyone left it could go to.

In that moment, he wasn’t Captain America. Standing in his shoes was that little guy from Brooklyn.

“Woah.” You murmured, suddenly right next to him. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, it…it is.” He agreed, looking away from it. He didn’t want you to get too close of a look at it. However, that didn’t stop you from walking forward to inspect it closer.

“‘Soulmates.’ Artist unknown.” You read from the plaque. “Oh, it’s from the 40s. 1943. Does it look familiar?”

“Yeah, actually. Bucky liked that bar.” Steve said, pointing to the details of the interior. “It’s a little place in Brooklyn, called Val’s. Well, it was I guess. I don’t know if it’s still open anymore.”

Your eyes lingered on the woman’s face, on the man’s. You didn’t say anything about how they looked, about the uncanny resemblance to yourself and Steve. Instead, you sighed. “Someday, I want to be that in love with someone.”

He just about cried. But instead, he gathered his words, put a hand on your shoulder, and told you with confidence, “You will be.”

***

Hours later, when you were all shopped out and you’d checked out with your things, Steve stayed at the counter while the rest of you went to the car.

“Hey, um, that painting in the art room. The soulmates in the bar. I’m interested in buying it. Would it be possible to have it held here for a while, though?”

“Oh I’m sure we could arrange something,” said the old man at the counter with a smile and a nod. He started writing out the purchase form.

Steve glanced back towards where it was, that fragment of his soul he didn’t think he’d ever see again. He knew the fact that he’d stumbled upon it was nothing short of fate.

Wildest Dreams

It had been Tony’s idea. Of course it had. It always was, wasn’t it? He’d insisted that all the members of the team who hadn’t yet been exposed to Wanda’s mind manipulation should be, just in case there was a misfire during combat and one of you got caught in the crossfire. It would be important to see how each of you reacted, the kinds of things you saw so you’d be able to snap out of it.

Theoretically, of course.

This left Natasha, Steve, Thor, Bruce, and Tony out, as they’d already had their fun with Wanda’s magic. The rest of you, however, were waiting for your turn.

Wanda felt conflicted about it. She didn’t want to hurt her friends on accident, let alone on purpose, but Tony was insistent, and he had some of the others on his side. Namely, Rhodey, who had been hanging out more and more, and Clint, who’d had his experience with a different kind of mind control shortly before the Battle of New York.

It was part of why he’d volunteered to go first. Once he came to, he gave you a thumbs-up, shaking it off and walking over to Natasha.

“You sure you’re good?” She checked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. No big deal. Who’s next?”

Sam looked at you and the despondent look on your face before volunteering himself to go next. Rhodey went in solidarity, despite being too busy with his government responsibilities to be a full-time member of the team. And then it was your turn. You stood next to Wanda. She offered an apologetic smile before red crackled around her fingertips and it hit you.

For the first few seconds, you were fine. You felt tingly. You blinked a few times and your eyes felt weird. No doubt, your eyes were red, like the others’ turned when they were under the influence of Wanda’s powers.

“Hey, (Y/N), you okay?” Steve asked, voice urgent.

“Think so.” You replied, mouth full of cotton. It felt like that time in college someone had given you an edible that was too strong. The first and last time you’d ever gotten high. Like you were sinking and melting. Your legs buckled and Steve surged forward, catching you before you hit the floor, gently lowering you into a comfortable position. “Hey, you’re pretty strong…” You murmured, head lolling onto his shoulder.

The others all looked at each other. Clint dragged over a bean bag and Steve gently lowered you onto it, adjusting it so you’d be comfortable.

“She’ll be okay, Steve.” Natasha reassured him, the guilt in his eyes palpable, yet still not explained. Not entirely. She had a sneaking suspicion whatever it was had something to do with the name written on his wrist, the name he wouldn’t show anyone. Not her, not Nick Fury, not even Sam.

“Yeah, I know.” He nodded, slowly taking a step back. His eyes didn’t leave you. He had to force himself to look away. “I, um…I have to go…There’s a…” Steve motioned towards the door before leaving the room, while you sat there, catatonic, off in your own little world.

***

“Hey, (Y/N), you okay?” Steve asked, his voice close. “That was a long nap. Forget to set your alarm?”

You opened your eyes and you were laying down on the couch. Steve was standing at the island in the kitchen, cooking something. It smelled good. Really good. He was wearing a button-up, sleeves rolled to his elbows, still wearing his slacks from work. He had music playing from the record player, your vast collection of hits from decades of music, and he was still hooked on 40s jazz. You supposed you couldn’t blame him.

“You cooking?”

“Mmhmm.” He nodded. “Come over here and get a taste.”

You followed, out to the kitchen. He set down his wooden spoon and swiftly intercepted you, pulling you up onto the countertop, kissing you deeply, a hand running through your hair. Your hand came up to frame his cheek. He was growing a bit of a beard these days. You liked it, thought it suited him.

You sighed against his lips and then pulled away to look at him. He grabbed your wrist, pressing a long kiss to your soulmark. Three simple words. Steven Grant Rogers.

“I love you, doll.” His words cut through you, eyes tender and sincere. “Always have.”

But this wasn’t your Steve. And it wasn’t your reality, given away by the slightest tinge of red in his irises.

It wasn’t real. And neither was the glimmering wedding ring around your finger.

***

You blinked awake, the power dispersing from your head, leaving you shockingly sober. And hungry. That familiar sting was back, right between your neck and shoulder. You wondered how long it’d been.

Clint was in the room with you. So was Sam. Natasha was gone. Wanda too, surprisingly. As was Steve.

You got chills even thinking about him, the phantom of the wedding ring still clinging to your finger.

“You alright?” Sam asked, making eye contact with you first.

“Yeah, I’m good. How long…?”

“Three minutes. New record.” Clint said with a grin.

“Oh.” No wonder it had felt so short. Part of you wanted it to last longer.

“We’re sending Rhodey to get some food, if you’re hungry.” Sam said.

“Where from?”

“The golden arches.”

“I could go for some nuggies.” You admitted. “A McFlurry, perchance.”

Clint laughed. “How did I know you would say that?”

In the kitchen, Steve stood, hands on the counter, mug of coffee steaming in front of him, untouched. He stared at the cupboard door.

“That must be one interesting cupboard. You’ve been standing there for like five whole minutes.”

“It’s only been three.” Steve said, glancing at the clock.

“And the fact that you know down to the exact minute is why I’m so intrigued.” Natasha chimed, tilting her head. “What is going on with her? I have never seen you look at anyone like that in the entire time I’ve known you. Is she…what, the kid of an old friend? Grandkid?”

“It’s nothing, Natasha. She’s the newest member of the team, I’m just worried—”

“Steve.” She said, cutting him off, that look in her eye. “If you want to get all defensive about it, fine. Keep your secrets.” She sighed. “But if you need someone, I’m here. Whatever it is, you don’t have to carry it alone.”

Steve let out a long sigh, weighing his options. It was something to the tune of eight months until your birthday. That was still a long time. A lot of time for that secret to slip through the cracks and, potentially, break the timeline. The Butterfly Effect was something he had researched extensively. Your future together was something he wasn’t willing to risk.

No, it was too important that you stay in the dark, even if that meant keeping his friends in the dark, too.

“Thanks. I appreciate it. But I’m fine, really. It’s nothing.”

“Uh-huh.” She nodded unconvinced. “Well, she’s out of it. Clint just texted. She wants twenty chicken nuggets and an Oreo McFlurry.”

The relief was immediate. You were okay. He could only wonder what you had seen in there, and why it had been so quick. The others had been under for upwards of ten minutes. You’d only been down three. “Well good. I’ll let Rhodey know.”

Invisible String

It was late. A few weeks after your tussle with the Scarlet Witch, if you could even call it that. You could tell Wanda felt guilty about the whole thing, but it wasn’t her fault. If anything it was Tony’s. Sure, the exercise had prepared you for a worst case scenario, but it had also dug a very awkward gap between you and Steve. You could barely even look at him without wanting to burst into tears.

He had his soulmate, whoever they were. You really needed to let it go.

You walked down to the kitchen to get a cold drink, but there was already someone sitting at the table. Steve, sitting there, hand resting on his chin, papers spread out in front of him. There was a picture you recognized as Bucky Barnes.

You’d heard whispers of him around the Compound from time to time. Steve’s best friend turned Hydra assassin, brainwashed for decades and now, rogue, out there somewhere. Sam always seemed to be looking for the guy. Natasha and Clint, too. And there had never been any sign of him. Well, until now, it seemed.

On the TV, Star Wars was playing. Empire Strikes Back. Steve looked up at it every so often.

“Star Wars?” You asked.

He chuckled and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Your first time?”

“No. They were the first things I watched when I was out of the ice. I like them a lot. The hope, the Force, the Jedi stuff, the music.” He shrugged. “They’re good.”

“Who’s your favorite?”

Steve smiled, sheepish. “Han Solo.”

“And here I thought you’d say Luke Skywalker.”

“He’s great, too. You like Star Wars?”

“Yeah, I used to be obsessed with them in high school. Haven’t seen them in a while, though. I’m something of a Leia girl myself.”

“That makes a lot of sense.”

“Does it?”

“Oh yeah.” He nodded. “You’ve got that spark.”

“What order did you watch them in?”

“Nat made me watch the originals first.” He confessed. “I like the prequels, though. Well, two of the prequels. Phantom Menace is…”

“Oh yeah. You’re not alone in that.” You laughed softly. “You know, I never really pegged you as a sci-fi nerd.”

“Yeah, well, someone I really care about seemed to like them a whole lot, so I knew I had to check them out.” He shrugged. “What are you doing up so late?”

“Getting a drink. What are you doing up so late?”

He looked down at the papers and then back up at you. “Oh. Yeah, this is just…Trying to get some stuff figured out.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” You offered.

He thought about it for a long moment, letting out a little sigh before nodding. That was the only reassurance you needed before grabbing a can of soda from the fridge and plopping down into the seat next to him.

“They found him. Clint and Natasha. They think he’s hiding out in Kentucky somewhere.” Steve said. He shook his head. “He saved my life a few years ago. After all the brainwashing, he still pulled me out of the water. I don’t know how much of him is still him, but…”

“But it’s worth a try.” You reasoned. “Obviously he’s been through a lot, but he must be pretty strong to have made it through everything.”

“I don’t know when I’m going. They haven’t narrowed it down all the way. And Tony doesn’t want me to even go at all.”

“Tony is full of shit.”

He laughed. “Yeah…”

“If you want to go, you should go. And if you need me, I’m there. You shouldn’t have to do it alone.”

He met your eyes with a sobering gaze. “You mean it?”

“Yeah, of course.” You agreed. “When, uh, when I was in the eighth grade, my class took a trip down to DC. There’s a Captain America exhibit in the Air and Space Museum, it had just opened. We learned about you and Bucky. How close you were, what happened. There are videos of me just crying uncontrollably there, learning about it. They had to take me outside, get me some water. I couldn’t go back in. I don’t even know why. Something about it…”

“About me?” Steve whispered.

“That’s embarrassing. I shouldn’t have told you that.” You chuckled, shaking your head.

“It’s not embarrassing. It’s sweet.” Steve said, reaching for your hand on the table. You let him take it, fingers curling.

“So when you found me that day, I guess I always knew it would lead to something like this. A stroke of fate, or something.” You admitted. “Some part of me knew that you would mean something to me someday. I guess I never thought we would be friends.”

“How old were you?”

“God, this would have been like ten years ago at this point. I was like fourteen or something. I was twenty-one when they found you in the ice. It was all over the news my sophomore year of college, kind of right when I was figuring my powers out, actually. And then everything was all over the news and I…went into hiding more or less, hoping it wouldn’t be me on the TV next.”

“Until the mall?”

“Yeah. But I couldn’t just…let it happen, you know? It was like some part of me knew that I had these powers for a reason, and that if I didn’t stop it, who would? I didn’t know you were there, obviously, but, I think even if I had, I still would have jumped in.”

He smiled softly, eyes earnest. He gave your hand a squeeze. “Well I’m really glad you did, for the record. I think we’re all a little better off because of it.”

There was a moment of quiet. “Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“How old are you?”

“Oh, um…I’m ninety-eight.”

You chuckled. “No, like how old are you really?”

Steve took a breath. No one ever asked him that. No one really cared about that. No one except you, it seemed. “I’m not sure. I’d have to do some math. I think I’m twenty-eight maybe. Twenty-nine.”

“Thought so.” You smiled. “Well, Steve, whenever you get it figured out, say the word and I’ll suit up. We’ll bring him home.”

Out of the Woods

The next mission you were sent on wasn’t to bring back Bucky. Not yet. Instead, you were on the team that got deployed into a rainforest to break up a rogue Hydra base. It was warm, almost too warm for your uniform, but you were grateful for the coverage, especially when they started shooting.

You ran down the makeshift path, evading enemies and throwing up forcefields to stop them in their tracks. Thor was in town, so he was zipping around through the trees with his hammer, the force of it bringing some down every once in a while.

“On your six.” Steve reported through the comms. You dodged out of the way and sure enough, a Hydra agent tumbled ahead, tripped by a small field you cast at his feet. A few of Natasha’s bullets took care of that.

“Thanks.” You replied.

“Don’t mention it. I could actually use some backup. I’m in the building. There’s more of them than I thought there would be.”

“I’m on my way.” You reported, changing directions and sprinting towards the building housing the Hydra base. What they were doing here, you had no clue, but Bruce theorized it had something to do with a meteor that had landed out that way a few months prior. They were probably harvesting whatever materials had been inside it.

You kicked down the door. Steve had six guys on him, two of which he disposed of quickly. You made a portal beneath one guy, sending him falling down a flight of stairs with the second portal you opened.

The other three guys went down quickly enough, only for a guy in a giant mech armor to come crashing through the interior wall. He shot and Steve jumped in front of you, taking a hit to the neck. A tiny syringe filled with shimmering purple liquid.

“Fuck! Steve!” You ran to him, but that didn’t take care of the large problem looming behind you. Seeing red, you made another portal at the feet of the robot, opened it in the ceiling, and cut it off as it was halfway through, destroying it in a flash of sparks and shredded metal. It shut down, giving you time to get to Steve.

He was sitting against the wall, head slumped to the side. You took the syringe out of his neck, tucking it into a pouch on your belt for testing. If this thing was poison, you’d need Bruce to start whipping up an antidote as soon as possible.

“Steve, hey, stay with me.” You touched his face, trying to wake him.

At your touch, he blinked a few times, drowsy. He gave you a crooked smile. “Heyyy, there you are.”

“Come on, we’ve gotta get you back to the jet.” You told him, pulling him to his feet, but he slumped in your arms like dead weight. You had been working out since you’d been recruited, but he was still heavy. “You’ve gotta work with me, big guy.”

“They used to call me little guy.” He murmured, sounding drunk. “Back in Brooklyn.”

“I’m sure they did.” You slung his arm around your shoulders and started hauling ass out of the building. A few agents shot at you, trying to hit you while you were distracted with carrying Steve to safety, but they forgot you were the one Avenger whose specialty was defense.

You lit a forcefield in your left hand, using its faint blue light to guide the two of you through the dim hallways. It slowed all the bullets to a stop, causing them to drop to the floor harmlessly. There was something kind of poetic about it, you supposed. Steve was so famous for that shield of his, but now you were the shield, protecting him.

“Did you guys find anything in there?” Clint asked.

“The good news is, we cleared most of it out. Bad news is, Steve got shot with something. I’m bringing him back to the ship now. I don’t know what it was but he’s acting really drunk.”

“Tranq darts seem to have that effect on him, yeah.” Bruce explained. “Bring him back here and I’ll make sure it wasn’t laced with something else.”

“On it.”

You lugged Steve along, stopping to rest and readjust against a wall for a second.

“Thank you for takin’ care of me even when I don’t feel so good.” He said, leaning his full weight against you.

“Of course, Steve. I’ve got ya.” You pulled his arm around your shoulders again. “You would do the same for any of us.”

He smiled, face impossibly close to yours. “Oh, I’d do anything for you, (Y/N).”

You knew it was probably just the drugs talking but you’d be lying if you said it didn’t do something to you when he said it anyway.

Once you were outside, you opened a waypoint in front of the two of you, the second portal in front of the jet, and then stepped through, closing it behind you. Bruce opened the door and helped you haul Steve inside, onto the cot of the makeshift mobile infirmary.

You handed Bruce the empty vial.

“Thank you for remembering. Thor always breaks these and then I have to do bloodwork to figure out what was in them.” He chuckled.

“He’s very smash first, ask questions later.”

“No wonder he and Hulk get along so well.” Bruce joked. “Alright, get back out there. I’ll make sure he’s alright.”

“Thank you.”

“Be careful out there.” Steve advised, eyes half-lidded. “They have guns.”

“I’ll be extra careful, alright? I promise.” You met his eyes and he smiled immediately. Once you were sure he was okay, you stepped out of the jet again, getting back to help the others.

***

When you got back, you were nursing a bullet wound. They’d gotten you in the arm. It wasn’t too bad, though, the bleeding had almost stopped. Natasha went straight for the med kit when you two stepped foot on the jet, motioning you over to the stool.

Steve was there, still on the cot. He stared as Nat started cleaning your wound. “Wait, you got hurt?”

“I’m okay. It’s not that bad.”

He nodded and reached for your hand. “I’m really glad you’re alright, doll. Had me worried sick.”

Doll. You replayed the word in your mind. Steve had called you a lot of things in the past few months, but never once had he used that somewhat outdated term of endearment. You liked it, though.

You met Natasha’s eyes and she smirked while the supersoldier held your hand.

Sam walked in next, eyeing up the scene unfolding in front of him. “Woah, what’d I miss? Feels like I missed several chapters.”

“Steve is drunk.” Clint explained, counting his remaining arrows.

“Tranq dart. He’s fine. Just needs to ride it out for a few hours. He should be back to normal by the time we get home.” Bruce explained as he put away his tablet.

“You feeling alright, buddy?” Sam walked over and put a hand on Steve’s other arm. “You’re holding (Y/N)’s hand kinda tight there.”

“Huh?” Steve asked, directing his eyes to your joint hands. He let go. “Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s okay, Steve.” You reassured him.

The others trickled in slowly until everyone was accounted for, the base destroyed, the Hydra operatives in SHIELD custody for questioning. Fury and his team would handle it from there. You couldn’t help but play the mission over and over in your head.

Never had you used a waypoint to split something in half. But something had clicked in you when Steve was hurt. You’d never felt like that before, like part of your soul itself was being ripped out. He meant more to you than you cared to admit, especially when your fate was tied elsewhere.

Still, your new ability needed training. It was a dangerous skill to have, and if you didn’t hone it properly, you could end up doing some serious damage on accident.

Come Find Me in the Future

It was the night before you and a select group of the team were heading out to find and recover Bucky. Clint had finally gotten a hit on him. But if he had, that meant others could be after him, too. People that wanted him back. Badly.

You were nervous about it for that reason. You weren’t sure why the rest of you hadn’t already left, to be honest. You didn’t want to race with Hydra. It wasn’t one you were sure you’d win.

To stave off the feeling of dread, you had commandeered the living room TV and popped in Howl’s Moving Castle. You were nursing a mug of chamomile tea in your hands, playing games on your Switch.

You were near the end of the movie, at the part where Sophie was whisked to the past, when Steve walked into the room, in his pajamas, a tank top and a pair of plaid pants.

“Hey, Steve.”

“Hey. You’re up late. Big mission tomorrow.”

“Yeah, it’s almost over.” You told him. “Drinking my sleepy tea as we speak.”

“Sleepy tea?”

“Chamomile mint. It’s good. There’s some over by the Keurig if you want any.”

“Thanks.” He smiled, walking over. “What’s this?”

“Howl’s Moving Castle. One of my favorites.” You told him.

“What’s it about?”

“That is a complicated question.” You laughed. “I’d have to start it over, I think.”

“Another time, maybe.” He chuckled, crossing his arms.

Steve watched as Sophie got sucked back through the wormhole to the present.

She called out “I know how to help you now! Find me in the future!”

He perked up. “Wait, she…there’s time travel?”

“Yeah, she gets pulled into the past for a bit and tells him to find her and then years later, the first words he says to her are ‘There you are, sweetheart. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.’ It’s really sweet.”

“They’re soulmates?”

“They are.” You nodded.

“Does that happen? Often?” Steve asked, hung up on it. “In real life?”

“I don’t think so. I’ve never heard of that happening before.” You shook your head. “I don’t think anyone would believe it, even if it did. Happens a lot in fiction, though.”

“Oh. Cool.” Steve nodded. He met your eyes and then looked down at his lap, tongue flitting across his pink lips. “I, uh, wanted to apologize.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “For what?”

“The mission last week. I, uh…I said some things and, uh…I just, I’d hate to make you uncomfortable. I’m sorry if I did.”

“You didn’t.” You assured him. “No apology necessary. You were drugged. I probably would have said worse, to be honest.”

He smiled. “Okay. Cool. Thanks. And thank you for agreeing to come tomorrow. We could really use the help.”

“Of course. I’ve got your back, always.” You told him, earning another one of those earnest, lovesick smiles. “Anywho, I finished that playlist for you. The Taylor Swift one. I can make you a more general one with different songs, but…figured that was a decent starting place.”

“Great, yeah, thank you.” He nodded, looking at his phone as it pinged with the notification you had sent it to him. “I’ll give it a listen.”

“Let me know what you think.”

“Oh I will.” He chuckled to himself. “Really, thank you. I appreciate it. And um, have a good night. See you tomorrow.”

“Bright and early.” You saluted.

He nodded before repeating, “Bright and early.”

Bygones

Bright and early was an understatement. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when your alarm went off. You groaned, rolled over and silenced your screaming phone, forcing yourself to sit up so you didn’t drift back off.

Today was too important for that.

Instead, you got up, brushed your hair, and went out to the kitchen, where Vision had whipped up a full breakfast for everyone going out. It was you, Steve, Nat, Wanda, and Sam. A small team, but enough firepower to bring him back without overwhelming and/or scaring him off.

“Morning.” Steve said, eyes landing on you the moment you walked into the room.

“Morning.”

“Coffee?” He offered, pushing a cup of your favorite iced coffee over to you. You couldn’t lie, you were impressed.

“Thanks.” You grinned, taking a long sip to kickstart your morning. You loaded a plate up with eggs, sausage, bacon, and toast, plus a little side of hashbrowns, thanking Vision thoroughly.

“It is my pleasure, (Y/N). As someone who does not require sleep, it would be rude of me to let you all starve so early in the day.”

“(Y/N), you got him listening to Taylor Swift?” Sam asked, eyes drilling into you.

You laughed. “Uh, yeah. What about it? She’s a cultural icon, do you want him left out of the loop?”

“Hey, I’m not complaining.” Steve shrugged, sipping on his coffee.

“Of course you’re not.” Natasha chuckled, words warbled by her own cup. You noticed the way her lips pursed. If you weren’t mistaken, you’d say she was nervous. About what, you couldn’t tell. She seldom got nervous. Or at least, she seldom let it show. But it was definitely there.

Wanda was the last into the kitchen, already fully put together. She gave the chef her thanks with a warm smile and sparkling eyes. You couldn’t help but smile. Those two, beyond a shadow of a doubt, were absolutely made for each other. You wondered what her wrist would have to say about it when the time came.

Once everyone had eaten, those who weren’t suited up got ready, locked and loaded for a tense mission. You’d have Clint on the coms here, doing recon from a drone. The rest of you loaded up onto the jet, strapping in.

Nat and Sam hopped into the cockpit. Wanda sat next to you, Steve across the aisle, his eyes meeting yours every so often.

“It’ll be alright.” You said, trying to dispel his nerves.

He nodded, but didn’t reply, just giving a short nod and staring at the holographic map on the wall as you approached closer and closer. You could see that little guy from Brooklyn peeking through the eyes of the supersoldier sitting across from you, nervous about his best friend.

You unbuckled just before you landed, walking across the jet to strap on your weapons. The others did the same, arming themselves. Nat was going to keep the jet warm for a speedy exit, the look in her eyes still unreadable. The rest of you got ready for war.

It was an abandoned warehouse, large garage door, broken windows, slanted roof with a hole in it. Definitely not the most secure of places. According to Clint’s drone, Bucky was in the back room.

“Waypoint, I need you out here ready to get us a quick escape.”

“Got it.” You nodded, positioning yourself within eyeshot of the warehouse and the jet so you could make a portal either way.

“Wanda, Sam, you’re with me.” Steve instructed, taking a minute to breathe, to think. “He’s gonna be ready to run. We have to talk him out of it.”

“Uh, Cap. Might wanna work a little faster. There’s another plane incoming. About three minutes out.”

“Alright.” Steve nodded, taking off his helmet and slinging his shield onto his back. He led the other two into the building.

For a heartwrenching two minutes, you didn’t hear anything. And then you heard a plane. And then gunshots.

“(Y/N), now!” Steve instructed.

You did as you were told, opening the waypoint in the warehouse, another just outside. Nat had picked the jet up off of the ground, firing at the one Hydra had brought. She took another shot, damaging the wing and causing it to go down.

“Shit, wait—!”

There was a flash of light and you expected it to be Steve that came through first. Maybe Bucky, even. Instead, it was a grenade. And a split second later, it exploded, knocking you unconscious.

***

Steve stood over you, horrified. Thanks to your suit, the damage didn’t seem too bad. But you had blood and soot caked on your face, the ends of your hair singed.

It was his fault. He had told you to open the Waypoint, only for a Hydra agent to toss a grenade right through it.

He all but collapsed to his knees, collecting you in his arms. Bucky was on the jet already, Sam, too. Only he and Wanda were outside with you.

“(Y/N), come on. Open those eyes for me.” He pleaded, voice soft, eyes aching with tears. “Hey, come on. Please…”

“We should get her back to the jet.” Wanda goaded softly, a hand on Steve’s arm.

“Yeah.” Steve nodded, a tear slipping down his cheek. He scooped you off of the ground, an arm beneath your legs, the other around your back. Your arms hung down, limp. Your head rested heavily against his shoulder, eyes closed.

By the time Steve walked up the ramp, Nat already had the infirmary cot down, ready to go. Bucky watched, eyes intense. He looked up when Steve approached, eyes falling on you. They widened when he got a look at you.

“Woah, is that…?”

“Yeah.” Steve nodded. “It is.”

Natasha helped him get you situated in the cot, wrapping the cuff around your arm that would measure your vitals. With everyone accounted for, Sam closed the door, lifting the jet into the air.

“I’ve got Banner on the line.” Natasha told him.

“Good.” Steve’s eyes didn’t leave you for a second, watching as the breaths entered and left your lungs. “Tell him to get the infirmary ready for her.”

“Already on it, Cap. She’ll be okay. Her vitals look…well they look good, all things considered.” Bruce relayed. “Just get back here as fast as you can.”

***

As soon as the jet landed, Steve unhooked you from the vitals monitor and collected you in his arms, carrying you to the gurney Bruce had ready, walking with him as he wheeled you towards the infirmary. Bruce insisted he needed some time and sent Steve away, taking a piece of his heart with him.

Vision checked over Bucky, giving him the okay almost immediately before going to help Bruce in the infirmary.

Steve sat at the table, Bucky sitting down to join him. The others gave them a minute alone.

“Hey, pal.” Steve exhaled, trying to force a smile. “Glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” He agreed. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

“Of course.” Steve nodded. “I’m with you—”

“Til the end of the line.” Bucky smiled, eyes soft. His irises flicked towards the infirmary and back. “You wanna talk about it?”

Steve let out a sigh, the wall finally coming down and more tears slipping down his cheeks. “It’s my fault, it’s all my fault. She’s—”

“She’s gonna be fine. I promise you.” Bucky’s hand grabbed onto Steve’s wrist, the covered one. The one with her name etched onto it. “She has to be. Has she…does she know yet?”

“No one does. Just me. And you.” Steve confessed. He wiped his thumb under his eye. “So you’re right. She has to pull through.”

Steve held onto that spark of hope for the coming hours. He showed Bucky to the room that had been prepared for him, but Sam offered to give him a tour of the place, knowing their friend was in a fragile mental state.

Eventually, Vision found him and told him he could enter the infirmary. Bruce had finished treating you. When Steve walked in and saw you, still unconscious, laying on that bed, he choked on more sobs. The bruising on your face was pretty severe. You were hooked up to several monitors, an IV. Supposedly, your injuries were not too extreme, but you had a cracked rib and would need time to heal before you could do any missions or training.

Hours later, Nat found Steve in there, wringing his hands, tears in his eyes. He fiddled with the cuff around his wrist. The playlist you’d made for him played softly from a speaker in the corner of the room. Timeless. As if he wasn’t already crying enough.

“She’s gonna be okay, Steve. Bruce thinks she might wake up soon.” Nat comforted, sitting in the chair next to him. She put a hand on his shoulder, confused by her friend’s sudden mood. Members of the team had been injured before and sure, he checked on them, but he never reacted like this.

“I know, I just…” He shook his head. “I’m worried about her is all. It’s…kinda my fault this happened.”

Nat pressed her lips together, tilting her head. “This seems like a little more than that. You wanna tell me what’s really going on?”

He wanted to hold onto his secret. He did. But he was feeling fragile, vulnerable. It couldn’t hurt to have just one more person on his side. “I can, just…not here.” Steve nodded, leading her out of the room, out of your earshot, if you could even hear him while you were out, but still in sight thanks to the soundproof windows.

Nat’s hands settled on her hips, waiting for an answer. Instead, Steve took the cuff off of his wrist and held it out to her, letting her read the letters that had been etched there for the better part of a century.

Her jaw dropped. She stammered, arms crossing. She met his eyes and when she saw the sadness there, the guilt and longing, her expression softened.

“I should have told her. A long time ago, I should have told her but I can’t. In six months, on her twenty-fifth, she’s going back in time to 1943 to meet me on mine. And it…didn’t seem like she knew until she was already there.”

“So you’ve just been holding it in this whole time?” Natasha asked. “You’ve been in love with her…”

“Since the forties, yeah.” Steve nodded. “My great lost love, as Tony likes to call her when he rags on the band I wear.”

“Does he know?”

“No. Just you. And Bucky.” Steve amended. “He was there when she…”

“Right. Weird.” Natasha let out a long sigh, looking through the window. Her fingers reached for her own cuff. She hesitated, but pulled it off, holding her soulmark out to him. “Fair is fair.”

Steve stared at the letters for a long time, realization slowly filling his eyes. The name on her wrist was none other than James Buchannan Barnes. “Oh my God.”

“I didn’t know how to tell you until all the dust settled, but it just settled, so…” She shrugged, putting the cuff back on. “I’ll figure out how to tell him, too, if he doesn’t know already.”

“Buck’s mark was grayed out back then. We thought…well, we didn’t know what it meant.” Steve said, shaking his head. It was the reason Bucky had dated around so much back then. He’d figured if he just found someone else, his mark would change and he wouldn’t have to be alone. Never could he have guessed what it actually meant, that his soulmate wouldn’t be born for another forty or so years. “And then he lost his arm…”

“Yeah, that part I did know.” She smirked. “Well, I’ll keep an eye on her. Let you know if she says anything you need to hear.”

“She probably thinks my soulmate is dead, too. Everyone else does.”

“Ironic.”

“No kidding.” Steve sighed, gazing longingly through the window.

“We’ll get you through it, Steve. You’ve waited seventy years. Six months is nothing.”

“Yeah. I’m gonna sit with her for a while. I don’t want her to wake up alone.”

He slinked back into the infirmary and sat in the chair beside your bed, watching your steady breaths and listening to the beeping of the heart monitor. Natasha watched him through the window, feeling lighter and heavier at the same time. Nevertheless, she was glad they had talked. At least now, they could be there for each other.

Vol. 2 Here

Tags: @cap-lu20

[xoxoxkisses]

HELLO I saw your post about requesting for something to write, do I had someththint in mind..

SO BASICALLY, it's in the modern era where they are close friends, the reader and Muichiro ofc. And then as they grow closer, the reader can't confess because of her own insecurities and fear of rejection, so she just gives him a friendship, not bracelet, but a pendant with a gemstone, like a pale teal pendant which the reader would keep (as his eye colour), and Muichiro would keep the other colour (the readers eye colour) You can make their eye colour whichever colour you want, but if you can't think one one, I was thinking about, like an orange-ish yellow. THEN they slowly grow apart because of their own other friends, and grow up as adults, and then they meet up somehow again, both of them surprisingly wearing the pendant, and maybe you can add something to the end..!! Like either they be friends again, And Muichiro ends up confessing, or they just forget about each other again

Forget me not

Muichiro x Reader

warnings: fluff->angst

modern au, reader and Muichiro are both in high school, I changed this up slightly

————————————————————————

Muichiro and I grew up together. Our mothers were best friends which caused us to meet at a young age. He was around 9 months older than me, so he was in the grade above me. That didn’t stop us from hanging out.

My final class had finally ended. I practically ran out to meet up with Muichiro. We both usually walk home from school together since we were neighbors. I saw him talking to a girl. She was beautiful honestly; a lot prettier than me. I didn’t even feel jealous that he was talking to her. I couldn’t deny that I had fallen for Muichiro. The two of us had gotten a lot closer over the past few years, and slowly, I began to fall for him.

“Y/n, there you are!” I was in my own thoughts when I heard him call for me, it startled me. He came running over and pulled me into a hug. I giggled as he pulled away. “Why are you being like this? I’ve seen you all day.” He wore a smile on his face as he spoke to me. “I don’t know, I’m just feeling good today. Are you ready to go?” I nodded at him as he grabbed my wrist. Butterflies were in my stomach now as my heart felt like it grew 10x the size it was. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him, but I couldn’t. There were prettier girls than me and there was no way he’d ever say yes to me.

He walked me back home, the two of us talking the whole way. When we got to the gate of my house, he pulled me into another hug. “Muichiro, what is this for?” As he pulled away he ruffled my hair. “No reason. Bye!” He walked away before I got the chance to wave back at him. I walked into my house and immediately went to my room. I changed clothes and jumped into bed. I was so glad tomorrow was the weekend. ————————————————————————

My mom had talked me into going shopping with her the next day. As we were out, there was this jewelry shop. I went inside of it, not looking to buy anything, except something caught my eye: a silver necklace with a heart pendant. I saw where I could customize the gem inside and something inside of me told me to get matching ones. Needless to say, I walked out of that jewelry shop with two heart shaped pendant necklaces, one with a teal blue like gem, and the other with an amber colored gem.

When we got home, I put on the necklace with the teal blue gem and packaged the other neatly to give to Muichiro. I told my mom I was going to his house for a bit and I walked out the door.

As I approached his door and began getting ready to knock on it, he had already opened it. “Oh hey Y/n.” He smiled at me as he let me in. “Were you waiting for me?” I didn’t have to look back at him to know he was flustered. “I-what? Noo, of course not!” I giggled slightly. I then remembered the reason I came here. “Oh yeah, I got you something.” I said as I held out the small box. “Really? For me?” I nodded at him as I watched him open it carefully. When he saw the necklace, he wore a big grin. “Woah, this is really pretty. Thank you.” “You’re welcome. Look, I even have one.” He asked me to put it on him, so I did. When he turned back around to let me straighten it out, I could feel his gaze on me. I looked up at him with a puzzled look. “Oh sorry, I just um..spaced out.” I laughed. “It’s okay.” ————————————————————————

I didn’t know why, but my feelings for him were more intense now. I was meeting him after my final class again to walk home, but I found him with a bunch of kids I have never seen before, not around him at least. Just as I was about to call out to him, he saw me and rushed to leave along with the people with him. As I stared at him, I felt my heart break. Why was he ignoring me? Did I do something?

I tried to text him, call him, everything. That was until he blocked me. I cried for days after that, maybe even weeks. What had gotten into him? I mean he even started avoiding me more at school, his mom wouldn’t even let me see him. He was truly gone.

I went the rest of my high school years without him. Even if it was just 2 years, it felt like forever. I missed my best friend, but did he even miss me..? ————————————————————————

I am now a sophomore in college. I was running late, but now I’m running extremely late after I had to wait for the bus. When I got off the bus stop, i ran. Well, until I bumped into the back of someone. As they turned to face me, I uttered out an apology and left.

As I neared my work building, I felt like the huge weight that had finally left my shoulders was back again. I prayed he didn’t recognize me, because I’d recognize Muichiro anywhere. And was he wearing the necklace I gifted him all those years before? Surely not, right? ————————————————————————

Oh but he was. You didn’t want him to, but he did recognize you. You looked a lot mature now, even lost some weight. You looked great honestly. But he knew it was you. He regretted avoiding you for years, but he couldn’t deny his feelings for you anymore, he had to let you go before he got his own heart broken. Instead, it happened anyways. If only you confessed to him when you wanted, maybe now the two of you would have been dating for years.

That was the last time you saw each other. You had moved to the states after college to begin a life there, meanwhile Muichiro stayed in Japan. Neither of which being truly happy. Because being truly happy would’ve been spending the rest of your lives together. Maybe in another life, the two of you could experience real happiness.

[salamanderst]

Heaven <matt Sturniolo>

Warnings: smut, giving head (m receiving), use of y/n (I tried to use it as little as possible.) praising?, first time, pet names (baby), idk what else lemme know if I should add something else

A/n: my first post on This acc 🥳🥳 definitely not my first smut but I hope you guys like it!

“Hi baby!!” I say as I hear the front door of my apartment open.

No reply. That’s weird, he always is excited when he comes over, especially if it’s a surprise and not planned.

I see him walk over to me plopping on the couch with his arms crossed not even looking at me.

“Matt what’s wrong?”

“Chris, he keeps pissing me off. Like anything I do he mocks me and makes fun of me it’s so fucking annoying.”

“I’m sorry baby I know he’s a hard on you. You can stay here as long as you want!” I say giving him a kiss on his head.

“Mh.” He gives a slight smile, clearly not in the mood to talk, I leave him be and put on one of our favourite movies.

I snuggled up next to him wanting to feel his touch since he I haven’t seen him in awhile and won’t talk to me.

“Matt? Do you wanna talk about what happened?” I say looking up at him, I mean there’s no way he’s this mad at his brother.

“It’s nothing.”

“Matt, it’s not nothing tell me.”

“Fine, I was in the kitchen I was just making some toast for breakfast. Chris was on the couch and Nick was upstairs in his room. Then Chris just started saying how I need to lighten up more and I’m so boring and never fun to be around. I was like what the fuck. you know, I didn’t even do anything. So I said that and he said ‘well you know you’re just always grumpy I’m surprised you have a girlfriend.’ And then I went off on him and left.”

“Oh, I’m sorry baby that’s so fucking dumb of him to say, but I don’t think he meant any harm Matt. And you’re not boring you’re great to be around.”

“Yea.” He said with a smile giving me a kiss on the cheek.

______________________________

Matts pov

After she said that I swear I lost it, I don’t even know why, like she didn’t even do anything but my pants immediately grew tight.

“Hey pass the blanket it’s a little chilly in here.” I said with a small laugh.

“Are you joking it’s so hot today you’re gonna be way to hot with a blanket.”

Shit

“Yea I guess but I don’t know I’m like so cold.”

“Well uh it’s warmer in my bedroom if you wanna go in there and besides the only blanket I have in here is super small.” She said getting up and laughing.

I followed her to the bedroom, thank god my dick was only semi hard you could barely tell, at least I hope so.

______________________________

End of Matt’s pov

When he asked for the blanket I immediately saw, he’s not too sneaky. Asking for a blanket well it’s literally boiling in here? So as anyone would I took him to my bedroom.

Me and Matt have been together for 5 months I’ve never done anything with anyone other than kissing and holding hands. Me and Matt have gotten close to doing things but never actually did.

And today was a great day to feel ready, I mean he’s in a mad mood and got hard to me comforting him? I should at least help.

“Matt.. why’d you lie?”

“Uh lie about what?” He knew what I don’t know why he’s playing dumb.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed I kneeled down in between his legs.

“Matt you know what.” I said making sure to keep eye contact.

“I’m s-sorry you know I can’t control that..” he replied looking away.

“No it’s okay.” I said having a smile on my face. “Actually I had an idea.”

“Mmh and what’s that?” He remarked.

I didn’t reply I gave him a smile and started to unzip his jeans.

“Y/n you sure I don’t wanna pressure you.”

Again I didn’t respond I just gave a nod and a smile.

I put his pants down to his jeans and pulled down his boxers his dick immediately springing out.

Holy shit, I just stared.

“Somethings wrong?” He laughed.

“No, no it’s nothing.”

I kissed his tip leaking percum. I jerked him off before doing anything, I mean I didn’t really know what to do.

I slowly put my head down letting his length in my month, jerking off what I couldn’t fit. bopping my head up and down but not too fast.

“Mmh so good baby.” He whimpered putting his hand in my hair.

I started going a little faster but Matt started pushing my head down almost face fucking me.

“Oh f-fuck you feel so good.” He moaned bopping my head up and down faster, making me gag.

He gripped any hair using me as a fuck toy making tears form in my eyes. Was it to much? Yea, but for Matt I didn’t mind I knew he felt good.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum.” His dick twitched in my month making shivers go down my spine.

“You gonna take it mmh?” He said looking down at me.

I looked up and him nodding my head. He started bobbing my head up and down faster and faster.

“Oh S-shit I’m close.”

Tears pouring down my face at this point as he shot his load into my mouth, swallowing it.

He pushed my head to the base of his dick, him filling my mouth not letting me get up, whispering curse words.

He finally let go of his grip on my hair looking at me, his face having and extremely worried look.

I started laughing.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry baby was that to much are you okay??” He said rubbing my cheek and putting my hair behind my ear.

“Matt no, no it’s okay I loved it.” I gave him a smile wiping his cum still on my mouth.

“Are you sure you have tears??”

“Matt it’s okay really I’m fine.” I laugh again giving him a kiss on the forehead. “Let’s go get cleaned up and then watch a movie?”



Let me know what you guys think!! And tell me if you wanna be on the tag list 🥳🎀

[xans-mindspace]

𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋

summary 𖦹 hobie taking care of you when you’re exhausted.

contents 𖦹 fluff, male reader, lotsa petnames, hurt/comfort kinda?, reader crying

wc 𖦹 497

a/n 𖦹 a short and self indulgent fic bc i have been going through hell recently and my brain hasn’t been working at all and it’s driving me crazy- it’s why i’m just inactive on here i’m sorry 😭 i really do wanna post stuff but i physically cannot think of stuff. i hope this very small fic can comfort people in the same situation as me

You stormed in the house. The door swung open with a noise and Hobie turned his head in surprise.

“Aye- What’s up, darling?” Hobie was sitting on the couch. He could see the way your eyes drooped and the dark circles taking place below them.

You didn’t even look at him. You limped your way and plopped to the couch, head resting on the back cushion. Your eyes were closed and tears started to flow.

Hobie’s eyes blew open and you could feel the cushion shifting.

“Hey, hey,” Hobie’s gravelly voice spoke in a sweet tone. “What’s happened, sweetheart?” You could feel the cushion shift again, the warmth of his body near you. And then another shift where that warmth went away.

“Can I touch you?” Hobie asked.

The cushion soaked up your tears.

You nodded.

Hobie moved close and wrapped his arms around you, his hand stroking your head. Your arms instinctually wrapped around him too.

“What’s up, darling?” He asked again, ever so patiently.

You sniffled, trying to collect your thoughts.

“I don’t know,” you replied. “I’ve just been so tired and my brain can not work for the love of fucking God.”

You’ve been going through a lot lately. Hobie knew this. It was excessive, really. It’s as if life was really testing you on purpose, and yet, there was nothing you could do about it.

Hobie hummed.

“Gotcha. Jus’ need some time to rest your head, am I right?” You nodded against his chest and sniffled.

“That’s all right, darling,” Hobie reassured, “D’you want me to put on that show we planned to watch yesterday?”

You shook your head. “Too tired.”

Hobie hummed again. “Then…” Hobie paused, thinking. “D’you want to go lay down?”

You sniffled, then nodded.

“That’s great. D’you want me to carry you, love?”

You would’ve said no, but the warmth of his body was comfort to you. So you weakly said: “Yes, please.”

Hobie chuckled lovingly and stroked your head again. “Alright, mate.” He grunted as he hauled you up, holding you by your thighs. “Up ya go.”

You were now face to face and you became self conscious of your crying face. But Hobie smiled so sweetly and kissed you on your nose before walking you to your shared bedroom (You’d decided to rest your chin on his shoulder).

Hobie placed you on the bed before taking his place beside you under the covers. Hobie’s hazel eyes watched you as if you were an angel. He swiped the hair out of your face.

“Can I hug you, angel?”

Your heart felt full. You nodded. “I’d like that.”

Hobie shifted closer and wrapped his arms around you.

“My sweet boy.” Hobie’s fingers stroked your head.

You felt at home in his arms.

“It’s alright, darling, just rest’ya head, alright?” His arms around you was soothing, protective.

Your eyes started to feel heavy. With him here, it felt like everything will be okay.

He makes sure of it. Always.

[btsqualityy]

BTS Dating Series #13: When You Join Him On Tour

Members x Reader

Genre/Rate: 18+, fluff

Summary: You finally reunite with your boyfriend. 

Warnings: None to note.

Author’s Note: Don’t mind me, just continuing my yearly tradition of posting something on my birthday! Hope you enjoy it!

Kim Seokjin

You walked through the terminal of the airport, murmuring soft apologizes as you attempted to make your way through the bustling crowd. With BTS’ tour stopping in Europe, you and Jin decided that this would be the best time for you to come out and visit him so that’s why you were fresh off of a flight to London.

As you began to make your way to baggage claim, you could vaguely make out the sound of what sounded like a man’s voice yelling loudly. You huffed to yourself, thinking about how embarrassed you’d be if someone were yelling your name like that in such a crowded place.

“Y/N-ah!” The voice screamed and you froze, able to recognize that voice any place and inwardly cringing. You looked around wildly until your eyes finally landed on your boyfriend, waving his arms in the air and jumping up and down as he was flanked by bodyguards and managers. 

“Jin!” You grinned, rushing over to him and jumping straight into his outstretched arms. Jin spun you around as you wrapped your legs around him, giggling loudly as he pressed multiple kisses to your cheek. 

“Ah, I’ve missed you so much jagi,” Jin sighed as he stopped spinning and set you back down on the ground, cupping your cheeks in both his hands. 

“I’ve missed you too,” you smiled. “But did you have to scream my name throughout the entire airport?”

“Of course,” he chuckled, as though it was obvious. “Had to welcome my girlfriend to London the right way.”

“You’re embarrassing.”

“But you love me,” Jin smirked, making you roll your eyes playfully as he led you to baggage claim. 

Min Yoongi

“They should be getting ready to finish up with rehearsal so you can wait here if you want,” one of the group’s managers told you and you smiled as you bowed lightly in thanks. You had flown out to Chicago to see your man and Yoongi had no idea about it.

“I will because I want to surprise him,” you chuckled. “Thank you again for helping me arrange this too.”

“No problem,” the manager smiled before turning around and walking away. Just then, you heard Idol end and a flurry of the members’ voices as they thanked the staff before they began to exit the stage via a set of stairs near the back. Luckily, Yoongi was one of the first ones to come down so you waited until he had stepped down off of the stairs completely before you snuck up behind him.

“Guess who?” You called out, tapping on his shoulder and he turned around, the look of confusion on his face quickly morphing into one of surprise and happiness. 

“Y/N-ah!” Yoongi exclaimed, not hesitating to grab you and pull you into a bone crushing hug. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Came to see you and wanted it to be a surprise,” you chuckled as he pulled back from the hug to look at you. “Happy?”

“So fucking happy,” he confirmed before pressing his lips against yours firmly. The kiss quickly became heated, Yoongi’s hands roaming down to your hips while yours tangled in his hair. 

“Aw, here they go with this PDA shit again,” Jungkook groaned as he walked pass. 

“Hey, some of us don’t have our girlfriends here so be sympathetic, hyung,” Jimin joked. 

“Fuck off, both of you,” Yoongi said as he pulled away from your lips to shoot his members the middle finger, which only set off loud laughs from them as they walked away. You grabbed ahold of his chin then, turning his gaze back to you.

“Hey, a little more attention on your girlfriend that just flew thousands of miles to see you,” you joked. 

“Whatever you say,” Yoongi chuckled before kissing you deeply again. 

Kim Namjoon

“Hey, I’m almost to the hotel,” you texted Namjoon as the taxi you were sitting in took you towards the large hotel that the group was staying in. Fresh off your flight to Paris, you bit back a yawn as you watched the scenery out of the window until your phone buzzed with a new message.

“See you soon, baby,” the message from your boyfriend read and you couldn’t help the wide grin that appeared on your face. Soon enough, the taxi pulled up to the hotel and it didn’t take long for you to hop out and grab your suitcase. After paying the driver, you made your way inside where one of the group’s security guards intercepted you and led you up to the floors that Bangtan had booked out. 

“Here we are,” the security guard said as the two of you stopped at one of the doors and you bowed to him in thanks before he walked away. Raising your hand up, you knocked on the door and a full two seconds didn’t even pass before the door flew open and revealed your dimple faced boyfriend. 

“Y/N-ah,” Namjoon breathed out.

“Joon,” you whispered, waiting a few seconds before flying forward and throwing your arms around him. He chuckled deeply, pressing his nose into the side of your head as he squeezed you tightly against him. 

“Shit, I missed you,” he confessed.

“I missed you too,” you replied. Loosening his grip some, you were able to look up at him and you instantly became worried when you saw the dark bags underneath his eyes. “Have you been sleeping?”

“Not much, no,” he admitted. “Seems like I never have time to, you know?”

“I’m taking care of you now that I’m here and I don’t want to hear any arguing,” you stated firmly, letting go of him to grab your bag before shutting the room door. 

“I wasn’t going to,” Namjoon smiled, allowing you to grab his hand and lead him over to the bed. 

Jung Hoseok

“Ah, I can’t believe we’re in Berlin,” Hobi’s sister Jiwoo exclaimed as the two of you got out of the car behind the Mercedes-Benz Arena, where Bangtan had a show scheduled. 

“Thanks for flying out with me, Jiwoo,” you said as two of the group’s managers led you backstage to the dressing room area. “I would’ve been bored out of my mind being by myself.”

“No problem. Plus, I wanted to see my brother and my parents want me to report back to them on if he’s eating enough or not,” Jiwoo laughed, making you do the same. Once you all made it to the door that was labeled “authorized personnel ONLY beyond this point”, one of the managers pushed it open and allowed you and Jiwoo to step inside. You instantly were hit with the loudness of the member’s antics, and you couldn’t help but to smile when you rounded a corner and saw Hobi dancing silly with Jimin. 

“Hey hey,” you called out and Hobi instantly turned around, grinning widely when he saw you and his sister. 

“Y/N-ah!” He cheered as he ran over and scooped you up into a big hug. You gasped in shock, giggling when you tried to get him to loosen his grip but he refused to budge. “God, I missed you!”

“I missed you too but please put me down,” you huffed, smiling when he finally set you down and once he did, you cupped his face in your hands and laid a firm kiss onto his lips. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he replied. 

“Oh yeah, ignore your only sister,” Jiwoo spoke up and Hobi looked over at her, his ears going red at being called out. 

“Hi Noona,” he smiled before leaning over and hugging her. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok, I understand,” she assured him before moving over to the other members to speak to them. 

“10 minutes!” One of the managers called out and you looked at Hobi with a smile. 

“You better give a good show tonight,” you told him. “I didn’t fly all this way for nothing, you know?”

“Oh trust me, I will,” Hobi assured you before pressing another kiss to your lips. 

Park Jimin

You quietly stepped into the studio room where Jimin and P-Dogg where working on recording together. It had been a long flight from Seoul to Los Angles but when one of the group’s managers told you that Jimin was at a studio near the hotel, you couldn’t help but show up there to surprise him. 

“Hey hey,” P-Dogg chuckled upon seeing you and you stepped over to him, bending down and hugging him. “Jimin didn’t tell me you were coming.”

“That’s because he doesn’t know,” you giggled. “It’s a surprise so I hope I’m not interrupting?”

“Not at all,” he assured you before leaning over and pressing a button on the switchboard. “Jimin-ssi, look who’s here.” Jimin looked over from the notepad that he had been so intently focused on and you could see how much his eyes widened from seeing you. He yanked the headphones off of his ears and threw the pad down before rushing out of the studio, only to fall down as he rushed to open the door. 

“Jimin-ssi!” You gasped, giggling right after when he hopped up and ran over to hug you. “Are you ok?”

“Much better now that you’re here,” he chuckled before kissing you passionately. You returned the kiss with just as much fervor, neither of you noticing when P-Dogg silently slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him. 

“Fuck, I missed you so much,” Jimin murmured as he trailed his kisses away from his lips and down to your neck. 

“Mmm, I missed you too,” you sighed in pleasure, a moaning slipping through your lips and making your eyes widen. “Wait, wait, we can’t! Not here!”

“The company booked out the entire building because hyungs are working on some solo stuff in other studios,” Jimin muttered deeply as his hands began to roam on your waist and ass. “I can lock the door and we’ll be all alone.”

“A-are you sure?” You questioned, your resolve slipping quickly. 

“More than,” he promised as he pulled his face out of your neck. “Trust me?”

“More than anything,” you smiled, making him smile as well before he kissed you passionately. 

Kim Taehyung

Fresh off of your flight, you slowly followed one of the group’s bodyguards into a lavishly decorated room in the hotel where the group was doing a photoshoot. With them having three shows in Osaka, you decided to go see Taehyung there since it wasn’t a bad flight from Seoul. 

“Alright, a few more shots,” the photographer said as his camera went off four more times. “And there we are! Thank you guys.”

“Thank you,” the members all said politely, bowing in respect before they began to filter off of the set. You waved towards Taehyung and you wished you had a camera to capture how his face lit up at the sight of you. 

“Y/N-ah!” He cheered, rushing over to you and not even allowing you to greet him before he kissed you passionately. Although you were taken by surprise, you allowed yourself to sink into the feeling of your boyfriend’s lips on yours since it had been far too long since you last felt them. It wasn’t until Taehyung slipped his tongue into your mouth that you finally pulled away.

“Don’t you think that’s a little too extra of a hello?” You wondered with a giggle. “And with all these people around?”

“I don’t care,” Taehyung shrugged flippantly. “I missed you and I’ll scream it from the rooftops if I have to.”

“That’s not necessary,” you smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Just say it to me and I’ll be more than happy.”

“I missed you,” he whispered. “So much.”

“I missed you too,” you replied before kissing him again. 

Jeon Jungkook

“Fucking finally,” you huffed as you sat down in a chair on the side of the stage. You had been so excited to fly out to New York to watch your boyfriend and the group’s show but you hadn’t expected to be hit with delayed flight after delayed flight. By the time you made it to the concert venue, half of the show had already passed by.

Deciding to set the stressful day you’d had aside, you were able to enjoy the rest of the concert and marvel at how amazing your boyfriend was. When the group finished their encore stage and walked off the stage, you were quick to run up to Jungkook and jump into his arms. 

“Ah, you did so good!” You squealed and Jungkook laughed as he wrapped his arms around you and squeezed hard. 

“Thank you,” he smiled as you pulled back to look down at him. “You ok? I know you had a hard time today.”

“Forget it,” you said instantly as you waved your hand. “I’m just happy to see you.”

“Me too,” Jungkook nodded before kissing you firmly. 

“Hey, cut that shit out,” Yoongi spoke up, making the two of you break apart from each other. “People can see you, you know?”

“Jealous, Suga hyung?” Jungkook smirked as you laid your cheek against the top of Jungkook’s head.

“Nope, I just don’t wanna hear Jimin’s mouth about you not being ready to leave by the time he is,” Yoongi shrugged and just then, Jimin’s shrill voice rang out backstage.

“Jungkook, let’s go!!” He screamed, making everyone laugh loudly. 

.......................................................

Tag List:  @addictedtohobi @brittneymccray @cursedcursives @arata18nanami @leftieaquarius @devilsbooksworld @starmyy @werewolfbanshee-love @li-moonchild-il @kpop-servant @cheysjimin

[coffeeandbatboys]

Helloooooo!

Congratulating you muchly on your follower milestone, so kriffing proud of you!

For the prompts, could I please request

Echo (tbb)

7

🥰

Thank you and congrats again, you are AMAZING!!

Thankuuuu!! Oml as soon as I checked which prompt this was I started getting ideas!

Prompt is: Writing little notes on post-its and leaving them in random places to read.

270 follower celebration og post

Warnings: none. Echo being a cute lil shit from across the galaxy. Reader works at Cid’s tavern

Flimsi love notes (Tbb!Echo x Reader)

The first one you found was in your apron. His Aurabesh might have been a little screwed since his left hand wasn’t his dominant, but you could read Echo’s handwriting anywhere.

“If you’re reading this I’m probably thinking of you cyare. Love you and be safe. I’ll be back soon.”

Ever since the Bad Batch had stumbled into Cid’s tavern, you’d had your eye on him. To this day he couldn’t understand why out of every member of the batch you chose him, but hey. He couldn’t complain.

There would always be one where he knew you’d see it every time he was away. Sometimes they would be tucked behind the mirror in your ‘fresher, other times in your bag, or under your pillow where he knew you’d slide your hand before you went to sleep.

Cid’s growl came from across the room.

“Hey laser brain! Bar needs to be cleaned off. There’s another note over here for ya. You kriffing lovebirds are going to be the death of me.”

You sighed and picked up the washrag, only stopping to take a peek at the aforementioned note.

“How’s my Mesh’la doing today, huh? Call me later tonight.”

Maker, this man might not be perfect, but he was certainly trying. You finished your shift at the bar and walked home, anticipating to hear his voice after a long day. You dropped your bag at the door and flopped down on the bed, pulling out your comm.

“Mesh’la?” He answered. You smiled at the warmth in his voice.

“I got your note, Echo. You are the sweetest.”

He laughed, voice low and raspy. “I try my best. How was your day?”

“Long and boring. I’m about ready to quit and demand that Hunter let me join you guys.”

“That wouldn’t be a bad idea, but some training would be needed.”

“Well lucky me I’ve got one of the best ARC troopers for a boyfriend.”

“I’m the only ARC trooper you know, Mesh’la.”

“And you’re the best in my book.”

“Can you do something for me really quick?”

Your eyebrows scrunched. “Sure?”

“Unlock your door.”

You didn’t move. “What?”

“Unlock the door!”

Something clicked in your head and you scrambled off of the bed to your front door. Throwing it open, you practically burst with happiness when you saw him.

“ECHO!” You screeched, throwing yourself into his arms. He laughed lightly. “We got done early. Figured you could use another surprise to keep you on your toes.”

“I’ve come to expect anything and everything from you, Echo.” You mumbled into his shoulder. “Just never know what’s next.”

He pressed a kiss to your temple and nuzzled his nose in your hair.

“Love you Mesh’la. So much.”

You tighten your arms around him. “Love you too, Echo. Even more.”

[urrockstar-xe]

six months - j.m x gn!reader

posted april 10th, 2023 11:31 pm

i've been on hiatus for quite some time now, and my birthday was a few days ago and that inspired some writing. I finally fell down the jj maybank rabbit hole and decided to test this out, lmk if you enjoyed xx - xe

masterlist

wordcount: 0.6k

You didn’t think anything of it when you made it to John B’s and was greeted by JJ with nothing more than a hey and a quick kiss on the cheek. 5 minutes afterward though, when JJ followed John B out to the pogue, Kie sat by you on the couch.

“Isn’t today your anniversary?” She asked, pulling her knees to her chest. 

“Yeah, six months, why?” You watched as Pope got up and went to go catch up with the boys. 

“Are you guys doing anything for it? To be honest, I didn’t think JJ could last in a relationship this long” Kie jokes, nudging you a little while you laughed.

“No, I don’t think so, I mean, I didn’t plan anything. I don’t know I guess it just flew by so fast it doesn’t feel like its been that long you know?”

And besides, you always thought that six months isn’t even that impressive. Not for you and JJ anyway, he was already your best friend before you got together, now it just felt like he was your best friend who got kissing privileges. 

“Do you think JJ is planning anything?” you shrugged in response. 

It didn’t seem very JJ to do something for an anniversary 

But just maybe a little part of you hoped he had. Or that he’d at least mention it sometime tonight.

Kie stood up, making a comment on how long it was taking the boys to come back just as the three of them came into sight. 

“Hey, what took you guys so long-” you were cut off by John B.

“We have to go get some supplies to clean the pogue,” You gave him a confused look before responding, “Clean the pogue? I don’t even think I’ve seen you hose it down before.” 

Pope piped up, “It’s filthy, here take this rag and go start wiping down the outside,” he tossed you a grease-covered green rag as John B grabbed his key and signaled for Kie and Pope to follow him.

You saw Kiara nod at JJ before she smiled at you and followed the two boys as they rushed to the old van. 

“The fuck’s that about?” You asked, standing up and making your way to your boyfriend.

“No idea but it looks like we got stuck with the outside job,” You looked at JJ, even more confused than before.

“What? You’re actually gonna listen to them?” 

“The pogue is practically our safe haven, good to treat her nice by keepin’ her clean.” You scoffed in response, giving JJ a lighthearted glare before he laughed. “C’mon,”

Reluctantly, you followed him to the pogue, playing with the dirty rag in your hand as you walked, occasionally hitting his shoulder and laughing at how he’d tried to grab it from you.

As the boat you spent so much time on came into view, you noticed it looked completely different. 

“What the hell?” JJ smiled in response before turning to face you and opening his arms in a “Ta-da!” form.

Inside the pogue was an old picnic blanket from John B’s porch, Kie’s cooler, and some fake candles scattered around the boat. 

You pouted, looking back at JJ to see him still smiling proudly. “Happy anniversary, mama” 

“Did you guys just do this?” You asked, staring in awh of the setup.

“Yeah, you like it?” “course, I do, I didn’t think you’d want to do something like this,” JJ furrowed his brows at you before throwing his arm around your shoulders.

“Seriously? I’ve been spoken for, for 6 whole months, that’s a new record for me” You laughed in response before asking, “What’s in that cooler?” 

Once again that ever so proud smile returned to his pretty face before he happily told you he and Kie made sandwiches and John B stuffed the cooler with beer. 

“So it’ll be just us, on the pogue, all night?” you asked, stepping inside the boat and watching as JJ copied your actions. 

“All night, baby.”

[therapycat21]

All Right Now Part 4

Travis Kelce x Famous!Reader Description: The reader catches the eye of famous footballer Travis.

Warnings: None

Social Media AU

I’ve been on cloud 9 since that night, he has been texting and calling me almost every day, calling just to ask if I was feeling okay, what kind of flowers I liked, and how I preferred cats over dogs. For the first time, it feels right, actually true and real. Compared to the last few years and the relationships I’ve been in, this falls at the very top of my list.

Ever since that night at the restaurant I’ve been counting down the days until I get to physically see him again, we both have been so busy with life that I'm only able to see him on Facetime.   

But today is the day of his game against the Jets and I'm so excited to finally see him again, and bring my mom to her first football game. 

My thoughts still swirling, I’m interrupted by a knock on the door, checking the time, I know it’s my mom. I run to the door and open it to see my mom in full Chiefs gear, also wearing a #87 jersey like me. I give her a giant smile before we pull each other into a deep hug. “Ugh, I missed you so much Mommy,” I tell her, getting a little emotional from not seeing her “Oh I missed you too my baby” Our hug lasts a few more seconds before we let each other go. “So, how's Travis?” she asks. Yes, I already told her about him, I can’t not tell her, we’re way too close for me to keep secrets from her.

I try to hide my smile but inevitably it pops out “he’s good, he called me today before heading to the stadium, he’s a little nervous” I tell her, she frowns slightly “Why’s he nervous, he plays absolutely amazing” she tells me “we know that but he’s more nervous about how they'll treat me cause we all know they're gonna be ticked off about me being there and doesn't want it to give me bad press” I tell her slightly frowning.

I look over at her after not hearing her say anything. She is slightly smiling “What are you so smiley about?” I question

“Oh nothing, this is just the first time I’ve ever heard one of your boyfriends actually be concerned for you, your feelings, and your safety.”

 I sigh turning back around and gathering my things to leave “We have not had that talk yet Mom, so please refrain from saying anything about that to him.” “Oh honey if you think that man does not want to be your boyfriend, you are very mistaken, if only you saw how he looks at you,” she tells me grinning.

Looking at her confused, I question “What do you mean how he looks at me?” she belly laughs from the doorway looking at her phone “From when you guys went out to dinner that night, I’m looking at the picture now”. I look at her in a panic and rush to open my phone and find what she is talking about. Opening Instagram I see a post from ENews.

Mouth agape in shock “Oh my god, I can't believe they saw us.” I say out loud. My mom laughs loudly “Honey no offense but you're a famous singer and he’s a famous footballer, of course, they would’ve found out. Look It’ll be okay I promise” I sigh a little in relief from her reassurance.

But I still have to let Travis know, that is what gets my nerves to skyrocket not knowing how he’ll take the information. I shake my hands a bit to shake off some of the nerves hopefully “Ohh man, okay let’s go, we will be even more late if we stay here” I tell her smiling at her assuringly. We both left the apartment.

1 Hour Later in The Chief's Family Suite

We both found our seats and ordered ourselves drinks and some light food. I lean over to my mom “So? How is it so far?” I question smiling at her “Oh honey this is so fun, I wanna do it every weekend” she tells me smiling. 

Before I respond we’re interrupted by someone calling my name I turn around to see Kylie and the two girls. I jump up to go greet them “Hey you guys, I didn’t know you were coming today,” I say while hugging Kylie she hugs me back responding “I know Jason decided last minute to come so his mom didn’t have to drive by herself” I nod smiling before turning my attention to the two girls and bending down to reach them “hey pretty girls” before I can fully greet them they both rush in to hug me “ugh I just love seeing you two” I tell them, letting them both go and standing back upright.

 “Oh you guys, this is my mom Katalina. Mom this is Kylie Travis’s sister-in-law and these two beautiful girls are his nieces” I introduce them. My mom stands to greet them pulling them each into a hug “Oh it is so nice to meet all of you, I heard so much from y/n, do you wanna sit with us over here?” she asks. Kylie smiles before nodding and guiding the girls into the seats between me and her. I look around searching “Where��s Jason?” I ask Ky “Oh he’s grabbing some drinks and snacks with his mom, he should be here soon.” she lets me know “Their mom is here?” I question with a twinge of fear lacing my voice. I can tell she noticed because of the sympathetic look on her face “Don’t worry Trav and Jason have been telling her amazing things about you, I know she’ll love you” she reassures me. I give her a small smile before turning back to my mom waiting for the game to start.  

A few minutes go by before we hear the oh-so-boisterous voice of Jason Kelce. Me and mom turn to face the sound and see Jason with a smaller and shorter woman. We wait for them to greet Kylie and the kids before I stand up to greet Jason “Hey, there my girly!” he says reaching to pull me into a bear hug.

 Laughing I hug him back before letting go and introducing him to Mom, he reaches around and pulls her into a hug before guiding us to meet Donna who he said was his mom's name. “Momma, this is y/n and her mom Katalina” I smile about to reach out and shake her hand before she laughs and pulls me into a motherly hug “Oh it is so nice to meet you sweetheart” After a few seconds she lets go “it’s so nice to meet you too, Travis talks about you all the time” I tell her smiling, she laughs “touche my dear” she smirks at me. I blush before introducing her to my mom. After all of the pleasantries are done we all sit down. My mom was on my right, Donna on my left with Jason and the kids, and Kylie on her left.

The game finally starts and we finally see Travis run out onto the field with the other players. Once the players are settled on the field I see him look over and up straight at me with a soft fond smile on his face, he slightly waves at me before turning back to the game.

I blush and turn to see his action brought attention to me in the suite. I look down to see some of the crowd taking pictures and videos. I catch the eye of one of the fans before smiling, blowing them a kiss, and waving at them.  A few minutes of this go by before everyone goes back to the game with fans occasionally looking back up here at us. In the meantime, me, my mom and Donna are all laughing and making jokes together. (if only I knew what gonna come from that on the internet). 

And as expected I look up from the field to the jumbo, smiling as I see my own face. I give a quick smile and wave before turning around and showing my jersey number with a proud smile on my face. Everyone gives a laugh before I sit back down and the jumbo goes back to the game.

The laughter halts for a moment after seeing Pat throw the ball and Travis jumps to catch it, everyone stands up jumping and cheering as Travis runs to make the touchdown with them winning the game against the Jets. The stadium breaks into hollers and screams, me included. Kylie still standing screaming for Travis reaches over and hugs me before Donna pulls me into a hug. We all hug each other before everyone calms down as Travis does his touchdown dance.

As the excitement dies down, everyone starts to gather their belonging. I’m then approached by one of the workers. “Hello, we were asked to escort you down to Travis and the car is that okay?” he asks me I look over at my mom, and she gives me a smile slightly pushing me towards the doors “go, it’s okay Donna and I are gonna go out to eat and talk some, okay” I smile reaching over to give her a big hug telling her I love her, I do the same to Donna “tell him he played amazing for me and I love him” she tells me I give her quick nod before nodding to the man and rushing over to go see Travis.

After a few minutes of walking, we hit the elevator the man guides me in before pushing the button to go down, a few silent seconds go by before the man slightly turns towards me “I’m sorry if this is unprofessional but Is it okay If I get a picture with you for my daughter? She loves your music” I look at him “Absolutely and believe me you’re not being unprofessional, how about I make a video for her, what’s her name ” he smiles reaching to fish his phone put “Her name is Jessica” I smile as he turns to video and I lean over to say a few words to her before he thanks me to put his phone away. I grab my phone and ask for his information “Is it okay if I get your information, I’d like to send her some stuff if that’s okay” I ask. He looks at me in shock before hurriedly nodding at me “Of course, you just made me the father of the year” he jokes at me, we laugh and talk a few more before the doors open and we’re greeted by Travis leaning against the wall with a few teammates. He gives them quick goodbyes before I walk out.

He makes quick strides toward me lifting me into a deep hug, his face pressed into the side of my hair. “Oh I missed you so much,” he tells me still hugging me. I relish in the feeling of his warmth before responding “I missed you too” he lets me go putting my feet back onto the ground “Oh by the way your mom asked me to tell you that you played amazing and she loves you” he gives a fond smile before it turns quizzical “you and my mom talked?” he questions. I panic a little “I’m sorry I didn’t know she was gonna be the—” he cuts me off with a laugh “Baby, it wasn't a bad thing you talked to my mom I was just surprised I thought she wasn't coming to this game that’s why” I sigh in relief happy he isn't upset “yeah Kylie said Jason decided to come last minute and drove your mom too” I tell him. He nods understanding.

“Anyway, did you wanna go home and watch a movie and chill for the night?” he questions. I nod profusely, excited for a chill night in before a concert the next day. “Yes please” I smile at him he gives me a nod before grabbing my hand and turning me towards the doors using his other hand to brush the back of my head pulling my forehead to kiss it “Oh you’re so adorable,” he tells me before stopping abruptly “what’s wrong?” I question he turns towards me “I was about to walk out this door exposing us to the world before asking you if you’re okay walking in public together yet?” I blush a little before raising my hand to his cheek “I am totally okay with being seen in public with you” I tell him proudly. He blushes turning his head down before nodding and clasping my hand in his leaning down and brushing his lips over mine. “Alright let’s go announce to the world I am the proud boyfriend of the infamous y/n l/n,” he says pulling my arm. “Ho ho hold on there a sec, boyfriend?” I question pulling my arm from his hand to get him to stop walking. He looks at me sideways “Um yeah, In case you didn’t know we’ve been together since I even looked at you that cool with you?” he smirks at me staring intensely. I blush underneath his gaze I ponder for a second “Yeah, yeah it’s cool with me.” I tell him before turning back to the door.

He nods also turning back to the door and we are then blinded by flashing lights as we are engulfed in the sounds of flashing cameras and screaming fans.

Why does this feel like the end??? Do yall want more of this series or no???? please let me know...

Like my writing? buy me a coffee! I would be so grateful!

Taglist:

@whitemanswhore3

@bxdbxtxh15

@cixrosie

@kkrenae

@the-untamed-soul

@calirindo

@armystay89

@hotwheels1108

@awatt31

@bobthe-turmpetman29

@goldenharrysworld

[kanmom51]

I think I read somewhere in a blog that Jikook were broken up for some time in late 2019 to early 2020, so ON era and BS, but then reading another post the person said during the bts of black swan Jikook were flirting and JM was trying to get back together. But it’s contradictory because how can both be true? I admit that during the ON video shoot they seemed to not engage much, but that’s it. During their promotions in February they seemed to engage very little too, during car pool karaoke and the Grammys etc. But I would take that to mean they were trying to be professional (which after the backlash of cancel jikook in late 2019 they might have been told to do?). Same as in August 2019 when the person said there was also tension, but was there? From what I saw of the same time period all that happened was JM went on a few trips, not sure why that would mean they were in a bad place, especially when we got footsiegate in bv4. They were fine before JMs trips, fine when the boys were planning bv4, fine on JKs birthday and JK saying he spent time with JM and Hobi in the 1st episode of BV4 and even in his mini video to Jk before his flight home JM saying he’d seen JK only a few days ago?

It all reads to me like a K drama and I don’t agree that their relationship is like that, yes they fight and have moments of tension and sometimes we can see that in their interactions, but to break up? Would they? What I mean to say is if people view Jikooks relationship like that and live and thrive off the drama what’s the basis to say they are even a couple because all that reads toxic af and that’s not at all what comes across as the real them.

What do you think?

Hey love, again.

😄

So, just posted your previous ask to see that you yourself kind of answered your own ask here.

Basically you reached your own conclusions and pretty much think the same as I do, and as I tried to express in my reply to your previous ask.

Anyway, I agree.

Their relationship is not a soap opera lie relationship. It's a healthy long term relationship. Loving, long lasting and stable.

Yes to ups and downs, just like any healthy long term relationship. But definitely not the level of drama that people love to give it. Perhaps it being a little too stable and boring is what makes people have that need to 'liven' it up a little with tales of betrayals and breakups and so forth, all to make it more 'interesting', more to talk about, right?

[maximoffcarter]

The proposal.

Pairings: Casey Novak x Alex Cabot.

Summary: After seven years of dating, Casey Novak and Alexandra Cabot are ready to propose toe ach other, though it's a bit of an ordeal to get to the proposal.

A/n: Surprise surprise! I decided to post this one today for my bestie. Once again, bestie here giving me the best ideas @saurgaeee. I don't even know if the end is good but I believed the rest of it was pretty cute haha, I hate knowing how the story will go but then at the very end I end up getting stuck. But hope y'all like this! Don't be afraid to send me an ask or message if you got any requests, I'm up for anything for now. Enjoy and leave your comments, reblog, hearts, whatever you'd like, will be very much appreciated🫶🏻

*not my gif*

“I can do this…I’ve got this.” Casey whispered softly as she took a deep breath, shaking her hands as if that would help to shake off her anxiety. “It’s gonna be okay.” She breathed out as she straighten out her posture and knocked softly on the door.

“Come in.”

Casey cleared her throat as she opened the door and offered a small smile. “Hey, Liz.” She closed the door slowly behind her, walking to Elizabeth’s desk.

Elizabeth sighed heavily as she took off her glasses and looked up at Casey. “What did you do?”

Casey frowned as she shook her head. “Literally nothing. Why would you ask that?”

“I can definitely tell you’re nervous. You don’t just come here and say ‘Hey Liz’ if you didn’t do anything. And I’m pretty sure you want to ask me something so.” Elizabeth leaned back in her chair.

Casey raised her brow. “You don’t even say hi to your worker and friend?” She grinned.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Hi, Casey. What did you do?” She grinned.

“I didn’t do anything, but…” Casey sat down and sighed. “I do wanna ask you something.”

“Okay, shoot.” Elizabeth stared at her with a raised brow, her curiosity pretty clear.

Casey nibbled on her lip as she stared back at Elizabeth, thinking that it really had looked easier than it actually was. She cleared her throat again and looked down at her hands as she tried to organize her words. “I uh…I wanted to…” She whispered softly.

Elizabeth huffed a chuckle. “You’ve never been so nervous, Case. What has you so nervous that you can’t just ask-“

“I want to ask Alex to marry me.” Casey said rapidly as she looked up at Elizabeth. “And I…wanted your blessing.”

Elizabeth raised her brow as she stared at Casey with a defying stare. “You wanna marry Alex? My Alex?”

Casey nodded. “My Alex but…yes.” Elizabeth stared at her. Casey cleared her throat again. “Your Alex, yes.” She nibbled on her bottom lip as she stared at Elizabeth.

“Have you already talked about it?” Elizabeth simply asked.

“We have…more than once. I uh…I already talked to her father, and he said yes. But…I wanted to ask you.”

Elizabeth nodded. “I see.”

“So…” Casey wetted her lips nervously. “…do I have your blessing?”

Elizabeth kept staring at her, her face not showing any emotion. “You know what would happen if you hurt her, right?”

Casey nodded. “I know. I would never do that.”

Elizabeth nodded back. “You’re good to go.” She said as she put back her glasses and went back to read the files she had in front of her.

Casey frowned and looked at her for a moment before she stood up. “Uh…” she looked back at the door and then at Elizabeth. “Okay, thanks.” She then walked to the door and was stopped before she could leave by Elizabeth’s voice.

“Casey.”

Casey looked back at Elizabeth. “Yes?”

Elizabeth smiled as she looked at Casey. “I’m happy for both of you. You know I also care for you, and yes. You do have my blessing. Thank you for considering me.” She smirked. “I’ll be waiting for the invitation.”

Casey smiled softly as she nodded. “Thank you.” She turned back and left the office.

If anyone would’ve told Casey that she’d be asking her boss for someone’s hand years ago, she’d have laughed in their faces, but here she was; feeling relieved that both Alex’s dad and Elizabeth Donnelly had given her the blessing to ask Alexandra Cabot to marry her. It might’ve been silly, Elizabeth would be probably teasing her about it for a long time, but asking for a hand in marriage was usually what was done in her religion, and even if she knew that Alex was not religious -she herself wasn’t religious anymore-, she still wanted to keep that tradition going. Marriage had just been legalized for same sex couples and after years of being together, Casey thought it would be a good idea to finally ask Alex to marry her.

They had been dating for around almost seven years, and even if they were already acting like a married couple with promises rings, Casey thought it would be cute to officially be able to call Alex her wife. The idea of it brought butterflies to Casey’s stomach. Never in her life did she think that she’d be marrying someone, after being engaged once, and being single for a very long time, she thought that maybe she was destinated to stay that way, but after meeting Alex and falling deeply in love with her, she knew that her story had been rewritten. She was the happiest she has ever been with Alex, and she hoped that things would go as planned.

********************

“So, what brings you here, Alexandra? I haven’t see you in a while.” Branch leaned back on his chair as he looked at Alex, who was standing in front of his desk. “You look like someone is going to scold you, and that someone is clearly Elizabeth.” He grinned.

Alex huffed a nervous chuckle as she looked down at her hands. “Right, well…it has nothing to do with work or a case. I wanted to ask you something…about Casey.”

Branch nodded. “Is everything alright?” He raised his brow.

“It is. She is. We are.” Alex cleared her throat as she looked up at him, taking a deep breath. “It’s a…well. I know Casey worked with you for a while, and for what Casey tells me, you’re the reason she started in SVU and also the reason she kept going. You supported her a lot.”

Branch offered a faint smile as he nodded. “I like to think so. But what is your question, Alexandra?”

Alex took a deep breath as she straighten her posture. “I want to for your blessing to marry Casey.” She tried to hold a serious face, but her anxiety was definitely present, and she was ready to walk out of the office before anything else could happen.

Branch frowned as he looked at Alex. “You know that…I’m not her father, right?”

Alex nodded. “I know. But…I know that you care for her, and Casey appreciates you so much, just like I do. But…I thought I’d ask you before I do it.”

Branch nodded as he looked away for a moment. “Alright. Well.” He smiled as he looked back at Alex. “You do have my blessing, Alexandra. Go ask her.”

Alex smiled widely as she nodded. “Thank you, sir.” She huffed a chuckle as she walked to the door.

“You know better than to hurt you, right?” Branch simply asked, raising a brow as he looked at Alex.

Alex stopped in her tracks and turned to look back at Branch, nodding. “I know, sir. I-I wouldn’t dare.”

“Good. Now go get your girl.” Branch grinned.

“I…have someone else to ask.” Alex smiled.

Branch frowned again. “Who else?”

Alex sighed as she smiled. “Mary Clark.”

Branch chuckled. “You two are something else.” He nodded. “Good luck.”

Alex gulped as she heard the ‘good luck’ but simply nodded and offered a smile before she exited the office. It’s been about three weeks since she’s been thinking about doing all this; three weeks of torture in her mind since she hated lying to Casey, and she had been telling Casey that she’s just busy and with a load of work when in reality, she’s been to probably five different jewelry stores trying to find the perfect ring for the redhead. She knew Casey had grown up Catholic, she knew marriage was like a big thing in the religion and even if they wouldn’t be getting married in a church, she wanted to do things right. Casey’s parents were not in the picture anymore, her parents being divorced and creating a distance with Casey since she came out to them, so she knew somehow this was going to be hard for Casey. She wanted everything to be perfect and she realized that asking Branch and Mary Clark was important since they saw Casey grow up, and Casey had always mentioned how she really appreciated what they had done for her and the support she got from them when she was suspended.

Alex had secretly talked to Elizabeth about marrying Casey, Elizabeth had been kidnapped by Alex for a whole afternoon to try to find a ring, Elizabeth letting Alex know how silly she was being because she didn’t think it was a big deal, but in the inside, she was melting at how Alex was a bundle of nervousness as she looked at various rings. So for the last two weeks, Alex has been keeping the box with her at every moment, too afraid that if she left it back home, Casey would easily find it. Alex had only met Mary a few times, after Casey had been working with her again, she had been introduced and she had visited Casey a few times while working with Mary. Mary reminded her a bit of Elizabeth, so she thought maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to ask her, but now standing right outside her house, her anxiety was very present again and she felt like she was about to faint.

“Alex.” Mary smiled. “What a pleasure to have you here. Come on in.” She stepped aside for Alex to come in, closing the door afterwards and then walking to her living room. “Want something to drink?”

Alex shook her head as she cleared her throat. “No, I’m good. Thanks.” She offered a small smile and started looking around to stop her nerves.

Mary sat on the couch and raised her brows in curiosity. “So, is there anything I can help you with? I’m sure that’s why you’re here.” She signaled to Alex to sit down, a smile on her face.

Alex sat down on the couch in front of her to face her, her hands fidgeting with her coat. “Yes. I mean…not work related.”

“Ah.” Mary grinned. “Casey related.”

Alex gulped as she nodded, taking a deep breath. “Yes. I uh…well…” she huffed a chuckle as she looked down at her hands. “I just-“

Mary chuckled softly. “Casey did say you looked cute when you got all nervous.”

Alex looked up at Mary and blushed slightly. “She said that?” She smiled.

Mary nodded. “She always talks about you.” She smiled. “I know why you’re here, Alexandra.”

“Y-You do?”

“The answer is yes.” Mary smiled.

Alex’s breath hitched as she stared at Mary. “How did you-“

“You’re not nervous just for anything, and if it’s Casey related, it’s easy to put the pieces together.” Mary grinned. “You have my blessing. I know Casey grew up in religion, and I’m sure you thought this would mean a lot for Casey.”

“That’s right.” Alex smiled. “And yes, I want to marry Casey.”

Mary’s smile widened. “Have you gotten the ring?”

Alex looked into her pocket and handed it to Mary. “I got it two weeks ago. Have been with me ever since.”

Mary chuckled as she opened the small box. “This is beautiful, and very Casey.”

Alex’s heart warmed at her words, sighing in relief as she smiled. “I’m…so glad to hear that.”

Mary gave back the box and smiled. “You two are very lucky to have each other, and I’m sure Casey is gonna be the happiest. Thank you for considering me for this.”

“Well, I know you’re someone important for Casey, and I know Casey is important to you.” Alex smiled.

“Like a daughter, yes.” Mary smiled. “So, I’ll be here if you guys need anything for preparations and everything, will love to help.”

“Everyone is just…telling me to go ask her and already talking about the wedding as if she already said yes.” Alex shrugged. “Am I missing something here?” She chuckled nervously.

Mary stood up and walked to the other couch, sitting down beside Alex, grabbing her hands, and offering a small smile. “Do you really think Casey is gonna say no?”

Alex shrugged. “I mean-“

“She loves you, Alex. And for the first time in the years I’ve known Casey, I have never seen her happier. So yes, we all agree that Casey will say yes.”

Alex smiled softly as she nodded. “She will.”

“And you already know the terms and conditions, right?” Mary grinned.

Alex nodded. “I could never hurt her.”

Mary nodded. “Very well, so tell me, you have anything planned?” She smirked.

********************

Alex groaned loudly as she threw her head back. “Elliot, this is stupid. We should just leave it here.”

Elliot chuckled as he walked to Alex, picking up the ball from the floor and putting it on the glove. “C’mon, Cabot. You got this.”

Alex shrugged. “What is the point anyway? It’s not like I’m gonna play with her or anything.” She raised her brows as she looked at him, putting the bat against her shoulder. “I know Casey will love to know that I’m learning softball for her but…it’s useless. I hate playing sports. I’m better at running.” She offered a small smile.

Elliot sighed as he nodded. “Casey loves you no matter what.” He smiled. “Why did you want to learn then?”

“I want to take her to the batting cages.” Alex shrugged. “Thought if I had a bit of practice, I wouldn’t make a full of myself there.”

“She knows you don’t know how to play.” Elliot grinned.

“And I could’ve impressed her.” Alex grinned. “But I just decided is better if she teaches me.” She handed Elliot the bat and walked back to her bag to grab her bottle of water.

Elliot squinted his eyes as he walked to Alex. “And why would you want to take her there, anyway? You know she goes time to time on her own.”

Alex shrugged as she looked back at him. “Well, we always go out to eat or for a movie, I thought maybe doing a different date wouldn’t hurt.” She tilted her head. “What?”

Elliot smiled as he shook his head. “No, nothing.”

Alex nodded. “Right.”

“Am I gonna be best man?”

Alex sighed as she covered her face with her hands. “Is it that obvious?” She mumbled as she looked back at Elliot.

Elliot chuckled as he placed everything on the bench and then looked back at Alex. “No, Alex. It’s nice.” He smiled. “I’m happy for you, the ice queen finally found her fire.”

Alex rolled her eyes playfully. “That’s stupid.” She grabbed her bag and then started walking with Elliot.

“Makes sense in my head.” Elliot grinned as he grabbed his things and placed his hand on Alex’s back.

All the way back home, Alex kept playing in her mind the last few days. The moment it was legalized, the thought never left her mind. They had mentioned it before, they had talked about it, once the relationship became pretty serious, Alex brought it up once out of nowhere; never in her life did she think that she’d be talking about marriage with someone. All of her past relationships have always ended before they could even drop the L bomb, but Casey had been different. The moment they had met, the very first time they talked, Alex knew she was screwed, and Casey never left her mind. After she had come back from Witness Protection, the first thing she did was try to get in contact with Casey again, and from there, they became inseparable, Alex being Casey’s biggest support after being suspended. Alex couldn’t have been happier once she asked Casey to move in with her, and the very first night after they had moved all of Casey’s stuff to her place, she knew that she wanted forever with Casey. And to her surprise, Casey thought the same thing.

And now, seven years later, here she was. Carrying with her the box that was literally holding her future. She tried to calm herself down with the fact that she has been with Casey for seven years now. Seven. Mary and Elizabeth had made it very clear that it was obvious that Casey was going to say yes, why wouldn’t she? Unless she didn’t want to officially take that step with Alex, then maybe Alex would scare her away and Casey would want to leave her. But that was just Alex’s anxiety playing tricks with her. She took a deep breath as she unlocked the door of their apartment and walked in, finding Casey in the kitchen. Alex closed the door behind her and leaned over it, smiling softly as she looked at her. She was scared, so scared, but she couldn’t wait to pop the question.

Casey looked up at Alex and smiled. “Hey you.”

“Hi.” Alex smiled, dropping her bag by the door, and then walked to the kitchen, wrapping her arms around Casey’s waist, and kissing her shoulder. “Making dinner?”

Casey nodded. “Yep. I came back home early and thought I could do some dinner for us.” She put the knife down and turned in Alex’s arms, smiling as she faced the blonde. “Good run?” She kissed her nose and then wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck.

Alex nodded softly. “Yes.” She smiled as she pecked her lips softly. “So…I was thinking that for our date tomorrow…maybe we could do something different.”

Casey furrowed her brows. “Like what?”

Alex shrugged. “Well, you said you wanted to go out to eat on Friday. We really didn’t see any good movies that we could watch tomorrow, so I thought we could do something fun together.” She smiled. “I was thinking we could go to the batting cages?”

Casey’s eyes lit up as her smile widened. “Wait, really?”

“Why not? I mean, you love it, and I could really use a different way to work out.”

“Well, if you want a different way to work out, I have many ideas in mind.” Casey bit her lip softly as she felt Alex’s hand go up and down her back.

Alex raised her brow. “I wouldn’t say no to those.” She grinned as she leaned in and kissed her lips. “But what do you say?” She whispered against her lips, pecking them softly.

“I’d love that, baby.” Casey smiled. “But are you sure?”

Alex nodded. “Yes, my love.”

“The sounds like a plan.” Casey kissed her lips softly. “Can you help me get the table ready? Just need to fix this for the salad.” She turned again to finish.

********************

“So, wanna try?” Casey grinned as she looked back at Alex.

Alex gave her a shy smile. “Uh…I just…I don’t think I can do this, Case.”

Casey chuckled softly. “C’mon, baby. You’ve just been standing there watching me. Looking all cute, of course, but still.” She grinned.

Alex chuckled softly as she sighed. “Will you help me?”

“You know I always will.” Casey went out the cage for a moment and brought a helmet for Alex. She walked to Alex and put it on her head carefully, kissing her nose as she smiled. “Still looking very cute.”

Alex rolled her eyes playfully. “C’mon, let’s get this over with.”

“Okay, so, you gonna stand like this, grab the bat right here. Try to keep steady and just focus on the ball.” Casey showed her first how to stand, positioning herself behind Alex, and then wrapped her arms around Alex, placing her hands on top of Alex’s in the bat. “Just focus on the ball.” Once the ball came their way, Alex jumped slightly as Casey moved their arms to bat. Casey chuckled softly. “That was good.”

“Yeah, cause you have your arms wrapped around me.” Alex smirked as she turned to look at Casey.

Casey smirked as she wetted her lips. “If you wanted my arms around you. You could’ve asked for cuddles, you know?”

“I like to watch you in your element. Plus your arms feel good around me, and you behind me? Even better.” Alex bit her lip as she leaned in to kiss Casey’s lips.

Casey chuckled against her lips. “Wanna try again?”

Alex hummed. “Why don’t I watch you again so I can try it on my own next?” Casey raised her brow. “I promise.” She rolled her eyes playfully.

Casey sighed. “Okay, but next one you do it.”

Alex nodded. “Yes, baby.” She smiled softly as Casey positioned herself again, not noticing that Alex quietly exited the cage and went to their stuff.

“You need to focus on the ball and just swing the bat. With practice, you just know the perfect timing.” Casey said as she showed Alex, smiling as she saw the ball go. “See? You just-“ She turned to look at Alex and gasped softly as she saw Alex kneeling with a small box in her hands, her eyes widening as the bat fell to the floor. “Alex…” she breathed out.

Alex giggled. “I thought of so many ways to do this, but this is something you love, that you’ve done your whole life, and I thought maybe it would be more special than any other thing.” She cleared her throat as she tried to hide her anxiety. “I know we’ve been dating for years now, and we basically live together already, but I wanted to do this. I want forever with you. I want to officially call you my wife. Casey, I love you so much.” She chuckled nervously. “I had this whole thing planned to say but…you already know how much I love you. So…Casey Grace Novak…will you marry me?”

“Yes.” Casey sobbed. “Yes!” She jumped on Alex, wrapping her arms around her neck as she kept saying yes over and over again, falling on top of her.

Alex laughed, wrapping her arms around Casey’s waist. She felt tears in her eyes as she held Casey who still kept repeating yes, she didn’t know if she had tears because she was laughing or because she wanted to cry, and for a moment her mind registered that they were both in the dirty floor, but at this moment, she didn’t care one bit…Casey was now her fiancée. Casey started peppering her face with kisses, chuckling as she was trying to hold back her tears. Alex then moved to sit down, Casey straddling her lap and her face moving to Alex’s face to look at each other.

“Can I put the ring now?” Alex laughed softly.

“Oh, yes! I’m sorry!” Casey laughed, looking down and taking her promise ring off, and putting it on her other hand. Alex placed the ring on her finger, making Casey gasp softly. “Is that…is that your birthstone?” She smiled softly as she felt her heart warm.

Alex chuckled softly. “Yeah, I uh…I thought it would be cute.” She looked back up at Casey and smiled. “Fits your eyes perfectly.”

Casey felt her eyes getting teary again as she placed her hands on Alex’s neck again and pulled her in for a kiss. “I love you. So much.” She whispered against her lips.

“I love you more.” Alex smiled. She cleared her throat as she looked around. “Do you think maybe we could…”

“Right! I got too excited.” Casey chuckled as she stood up, helping Alex stand up afterwards.

“You don’t say baby.” Alex grinned as she stood in front of Casey, kissing her cheek. “You wanna keep going?”

Casey shook her head, pulling Alex to her by her waist. “I want to go home with my fiancée.”  

Alex bit her lip as her smile widened. “Let’s go then.”

********************

“So, should I still do it?” Casey whispered softly in her phone, her eyes on the bathroom door to make sure Alex was still showering.

“Why wouldn’t you? Just stick to the plan.” Olivia said on the other line.

“What if she thinks it’s stupid?”

Olivia sighed. “Honey, you’re already engaged. Just do it.”

Casey nodded. “Okay. I will.” She heard the water turning off and raised from the bed. ‘Gotta go, thanks Liv!” She hung up the phone just in time, smiling as Alex walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body.

Alex frowned as she looked at Casey. “You haven’t changed, baby.”

Casey looked down at her body, noticing that she was still in her robe. “Oh, uh. I just didn’t know what to wear.” She chuckled.

“Are you okay, Case?” Alex walked to her and placed her hand on Casey’s cheek. “You seem nervous.”

Casey shook her head as she smiled, leaning in to peck her lips. “All good. We better hurry, our reservation is in an hour.” She offered a small smile as she walked to the closet.

As they drove to the restaurant, Casey kept her purse in her lap, fidgeting with it as she tried to focus on the road. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t surprised that Alex had decided to propose first, she had also been the first one to give the promise ring, so it only made sense. She had also been so touched when she learned that she had talked to Branch and Mary, asking for her hand, Casey almost sobbed when Alex was telling her about it and how nervous she had been. They hadn’t really said anything to the squad yet, the only person that knew for now was Olivia -or that’s what she thought- because she had been the one going with her to pick up the ring. She had thought about doing it the moment they came back from the batting cages, but she still wanted it to be special for Alex just like it was for Casey.

Once they got to the restaurant, Casey had asked for a private spot so it would only be a moment for the two of them, Alex blushed once they got to the table and Casey pulled the chair for her to sit. She then sat down in front of Alex and smiled softly as Alex looked at her, grabbing her hand from across the table and stroking the back of it with her thumb. Her eyes then laid on the beautiful ring that Casey proudly wore, making her smile widen as she touched it. Casey’s whole body warmed as she stared at Alex; Casey loved how naturally beautiful she was, her favorite was when Alex had no makeup on, she had no imperfection at all, and the way her hair just fell perfectly in her face, framing it perfectly, Alex had mentioned that she missed her short hair, but she loved how much it had grown and Casey confessed she’d love her anyway, and those beautiful eyes…those blue eyes that made her melt. She smiled softly, thinking that she didn’t want to wait any longer.

“Baby?” Casey smiled softly.

Alex looked back up at Casey and smiled. “Yes?”

“Did I tell you that you look so beautiful tonight?” Casey grinned.

Alex rolled her eyes playfully. “Just like a bunch of times since you saw me back home.” She grinned.

“You’re always beautiful. But tonight…you look stunning.”

“You’re cheesy.” Alex chuckled softly.

Casey looked down at their hands and grabbed Alex’s, her thumb touching Alex’s promise ring. “Are you still gonna wear this?” She smiled softly.

Alex looked down at her ring and smiled. “At least until we get our rings once we’re married.” She looked back at Casey.

Casey smiled softly. “How about changing it now?”

Alex frowned, a grin on her face. “What?”

Casey reached with her other hand on her purse, getting the small box out and standing up to kneel, a small gasp from Alex. She smiled as she opened the box. “I was gonna wait until after dinner. I wanted to order your favorite dessert, which we still can.” She chuckled softly. “But looking at you…I just couldn’t wait any longer. I really thought I’d beat you into proposing but…you made me the happiest woman alive when you did. So.” She took a deep breath. “You’re the love of my life. I was so happy when you came back into my life, and I just couldn’t imagine it without you in it anymore. I love you more than words can describe…and I know we’re engaged already, but I couldn’t not do this. Alexandra Marie Cabot…will you be mine forever?”

Alex sobbed softly as she nodded. “Yes. Oh my god, yes Casey!” She leaned down and grabbed Casey’s face in her hands, kissing her softly but breaking the kiss as she couldn’t stop smiling. “Oh my.” She laughed softly as she saw Casey putting the ring on her. “That’s…that’s your birthstone.” She looked up at her and smiled.

Casey chuckled softly. “Guess we thought the same thing, huh?” She smiled as she kissed Alex’s hand. “It goes with your eyes.” She winked at her as she stood up, leaning down to kiss her lips again.

Alex shook her head. “I love you.” She smiled. “I was ready to jump on you but...maybe it’s not the best idea right now.” She chuckled.

Casey smiled. “You can jump on me when we’re back home.” She smirked as she sat back in her chair. “I really did want to give it to you last night but…I just wanted it to be as special as it was for me.”

“You could’ve asked me in the shower this morning, and the answer would’ve been the same.” Alex grinned as she grabbed Casey’s hand. “So, now it’s double official.”

Casey chuckled. “You can call your dad now.” She grinned.

Alex tilted her head. “You called him?”

Casey shrugged. “I did the same thing that you did. I asked your dad…and Liz.” She chuckled.

“They’ll be on our asses, huh? Making fun of us.” Alex laughed softly.

“Oh, definitely. She saw me yesterday and was asking me if I was still nervous.” Casey chuckled. “But it was worth it.”

Alex smiled. “We’re way too cheesy.”

“And I love us.” Casey laughed.

********************

Elizabeth shook her head. “You really did think the same thing. It’s beautiful.” She grinned as she looked up at Alex. “So…have you thought about who’s going to marry you?”

Alex shrugged as she sat back down. “Not sure yet. We were thinking about the civil wedding being the only one, so there’ll be a party after.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Would you like me to marry you?”

Alex smiled. “I…wanted you to uh….be my witness.”

Elizabeth smiled as she nodded. “It’ll be an honor.”

“Thank you.” Alex smiled.

“Who is Casey asking?”

“I think she’s asking Mary.” Alex shrugged. “She’s like a mother to her.”

“Very well. I’ll make sure to find you someone. I’ll be in charge of that.” Elizabeth smiled.

Alex nodded. “Okay. We’ll go today to get the license, so I’ll let you know when we have it.” She stood up and then turned to look at Elizabeth. “Did you intimidate Casey when she talked to you?”

Elizabeth shrugged. “Just enough for her to be a little scared.” She smirked.

Alex rolled her eyes playfully. “Right. See you tomorrow, Liz.” She smiled before she left.

Elizabeth smiled as she shook her head. “Who could possibly be good to marry these two?” She whispered to herself as she looked down at her files. She then heard a knock on her door and looked up. “Lena, what are you doing here?”

Lena smiled as she walked to Elizabeth’s desk. “I heard the news, Cabot and Novak getting married.”

Elizabeth smiled. “The rebels are making it official.”

Lena laughed. “Have you got anyone to marry them or are you doing it?”

“Alex asked me to be her witness. So, yes. I’m looking for someone.” Elizabeth raised her brow. “Got anyone in mind?”

Lena smirked. “I’m in, let me know when it is, and I’ll clear my schedule.” She nodded and then walked out of the office.

Elizabeth just stared at the door and nodded. “I guess I found the right person.” She chuckled.

********************

“Okay, I just went to check on Casey, she’s looking beautiful.” Olivia smiled as she closed the door behind her.

Alex groaned. “Why is it a thing to not be able to look at my fiancée? I just want to give her a kiss.”

Olivia chuckled. “Because it’s supposed to be bad luck. And you’ll see her in half an hour.” She smiled.

Alex sighed as she turned to look at herself in the mirror, smiling softly as she looked at her dress. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“You look beautiful, Alex.” Olivia smiled.

“I can’t wait to marry her.” Alex smiled as she turned to look at Olivia. “Never in my life did I think that I’d be getting married.”

“Fate changes sometimes. And you two got lucky.”

Alex smiled as she nodded, trying to hide her nervousness and anxiety. Half an hour felt like two hours for both women, but finally the moment had arrived. They had opted to get married in Alex’s house in the Hamptons, it had a beautiful backyard, big enough for their friends and for the small party they had decided to have. Alex decided she’d be the one waiting for Casey, but still walked down the aisle in the arm of her father. Alex felt like she was going to faint as she looked at Casey, smiling softly and feeling her eyes getting teary. Elliot had been the chosen one to take Casey down the aisle, telling Casey that it would be an honor to take his ‘sister’ to Alex.

Elliot smiled as he looked at Alex. “Take care of her.” He winked at them and went to sit down in the front.

Alex smiled as she held Casey’s hand. “You look beautiful.”

Casey smiled as she tried to swallow back her tears. “So do you. So beautiful.”

Alex looked back at Elizabeth and frowned. “Who’s going to marry us?” She whispered softly as she noticed no one was there.

“Desperate much, Alexandra?” Lena said as she smiled, standing behind the small table and smiling at both women. “Surprised?”

Casey chuckled softly. “A little?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah.” She chuckled.

Lena smiled. “You two were always a pain in the ass, so I thought it was the right choice for me to be the one to marry you two. And we all agree here that you two are definitely meant to be.” She winked at them. “It’s an honor to marry you two. So, shall we begin?” She grinned.

After the whole ceremony and signing papers, finally Casey and Alex said their ‘I do’ and the ceremony was finalized. The guys helped add some other decorations so the party could start. Alex and Casey never separated from each other, talking, and laughing with the rest of the guests and taking pictures. Both women felt like they were living in a dream, staring at each other every possible chance to make sure they were actually living in this moment. Eventually, the moment of their first official dance arrived, standing in the middle and holding onto each other as they swayed to the music.

Alex rested her forehead against Casey’s and smiled softly. “Not that I don’t love our family and friends but…I cannot wait to get out of here.” She whispered softly.

Casey chuckled. “You and me both, baby.” She smiled. “Can’t wait to get out of here with my wife.”

“You got something planned, Mrs. Cabot?” Alex raised her brow as she grinned.

Casey blushed softly. “You know that if I get Petrovsky in trial, she’ll definitely call me Mrs. Cabot, now?” She chuckled.

Alex shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind that. After all, it is now part of your name.” She grinned.

Casey nibbled on her lip as she smiled. “And to answer your question…yes. I do have something planned.” She leaned in to whisper in her ear. “But that’s for me to know and for you to find out later.” She smirked as she pulled away, enough to kiss Alex’s lips softly.

“Can’t wait.” Alex smiled against her lips, pulling her impossibly closer to kiss her again. “I love you.” She whispered against her lips.

“I love you even more.” Casey smiled, kissing her lips again.