#I was so tired at this point my feet were so sore lmao

[yaminerua]

Never actually got any decent full pics of me as Jamie at the Edinburgh con last month but I do have this one my dad took from when I got home that evening which I forgot to post. Had to cover my face tho bc I was mid-blink and speaking when it was taken rip;;

Anyway I had so much fun as Jamie so I’m sure I’ll wear it again some time;;

[that-gay-guy-from-hell]

Vent post

Content warning: memory loss (I guess)

(This is for context) So yall know how having trauma fucks with your head-- especially if it was during your childhood and for an extended time. Well I've got a lot of issues with remembering things.

As some of you know, I went to a Qbomb + TLT concert a little short of two weeks ago. I remember that I enjoyed myself but I can't recall any specifics.

I can't recall most of the music.

I can't recall what was said during the performances.

I can't remember watching either band perform.

I can barely even remember meeting Yoav and Sam.

It's like when someone tells you that this thing happened when you were little but you were so young you can't remember it yourself. Like, I know I was there- that I danced- screamed- and had a fun time... but it's vague at best.

My whole life has, admittedly, been this way and I usually just joke about it enough that it doesn't bother me.

But this was something I was so excited for and ready to do; only to have fuzzy bits and cookie cutter feelings to paste to it.

I don't smoke weed, drink, or do anything that would interfere with my memories. My medications have changed many times and it's never done anything to my memories. So why the fuck can't my mind just, yah know, work..?

It's has been just pissing me off... Like, I want to be able to recall fun things and fun times but it's really hard for me to. Course my stupid ass didn't take all but like 4 photos.

Getting alzhiemers or dementia are one of my biggest fears-- I just... it makes me so tired some times. Humor is pretty much my only cope when it comes to this so when I can't find myself in the mood to be funny about it then... Then I just get upset.

. . .

Also, don't take this as me fishing for sympathy. I just needed to vent and Instagram has too many people that would try to text me about it (old friends and classmates).

Oh and just to add on because I hate leaving on a bad note-- Pretty sure I majorly fucked up my left knee at the concert lmao. My knee drifts really bad so my left foot is like a penguins. So me a very fat man who doesn't get out much and was wearing boots that had cardboard in them to keep my feet in a comfortable spot* probably shouldn't have been jumping around like I was. My ass was moving pretty much through whole like 1 1/2 - 2 hours of music (save for the last 2 songs, I felt super light headed *hadn't eaten or drank in over 12 hours at that point lmfao*). Can't kneel on my left knee without wanting to keel over and it feels sore still lmfaooo

*they're like size 11 and I wear 9 1/2 because I have wide feet; the 11 boots are left over from a theatre proformance in high school. They're like really nice leather boots tho so I wanted to wear them.

Okay I think that's all I've got for now. As a small bonus I'll let yall know that I have several TLT things I need to post and have been working on (maybe even a Rust comic 🤔 who knows).

Hope you all are doing well and make sure to drink lots of water. Much love yall, sorry again for the random ass rant.

[starkissedblade]

💸💸💸💸💸

this is me just talking abt money and random stuff veeerrryy boring but i bought a pair of shoes a couple months ago for $200 and i have only wore them once i just stare at them and think about my bad spending decisions and i know i will start wearing them soon because they’re the only platform shoes i have but they’re also the most expensive shoes ive ever worn & i just die a little inside i need to get over it tho but i also thought of getting new walking shoes since ive had these ones for 5 yrs now (tbh i think the 200$ shoes r the only ones ive bought 4 myself new like all my shoes which is like only my everyday walking shoes, a pair of docs from hs, & a pair of flip flops i dont have many shoes & all were bought for me by someone else like yrs ago) and my feet r starting to get sore wearing them everyday but i think i might just buy new soles instead like these shoes still have traction.. cuz i need to buy a hair dryer and diffuser cup thing soon because im tired of air drying my hair and i want to make my wavy/slightly curly hair look presentable on the regular and not just occasionally and i need to spend money on that instead!!! but also will i do that??? i just put it off lmao it will probably be months before i actually buy something for that why does everything cost moneyyyy i feel like every day im making bad money decisions but i haven’t been That bad like 9/10 i use the stuff that i buy all the way. im physically stopping myself rn from dropping 40 something on this thing that a lot of ppl say really actually helps their cystic acne which ive had constant problems w. but i cant just do that. its 40!!!! instead i need to buy travel liquid containers that are smaller than 3 oz online cuz they usually only have big ones at walmart and i don’t need them to be That big i never do anything beyond a carry on because checked baggage is Expensive and it stresses me out on top of the expensiveness Anyway u can only have like a sandwich baggy sized thing w liquids in a carry on which is sooo annoying 😒 anyway there’s like $100 worth of stuff this yr that ive got that ive actually Really regretted like at the end of the day the new shoes r worth it for me because i’ll wear them until they break. i get so stressed over not using more than a third of the alcohol based mouthwash i got in feb because it burnt my mouth too much i get stressed over the cerave gentle cleanser i got but then it’s not what i need liked i needed the salacylic acid one instead so now that one just stares at me in its largely unused glory like i worry tooooo much but it’s also kind of good worrying because it keeps me in check cuz it makes me quadruple check if i really need something… but i do usually keep my impulse spending to the thrift which is usually a good thing. i bought a cool hat a couple days ago for a couple bucks but my head is too big :(( i need to look for a place that’ll give it away for free im done w giving stuff to goodwill or other places i just want ppl to be able to get clothes w out paying for it i hope that theres something like that around here. anyway i need to buy a really small point pen tomorrow to do this art thing for Father’s Day cuz my smallest point pen went dry yrs ago and this is the first time im picking up doing something like this in yrs like it’s for Father’s Day tho so i feel like it’s justified. and then i’ll need to get T in the next month 🚬 which has been 140 recently cuz i my state doesn’t cover it in insurance. at least insurance covers blood draws and my doctor doesn’t charge for messaging online abt stuff, so. and at least medicaid in my state covers some dental because ihave that appointment next month. and then ill be paying close to $200 for a flight ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh at least its not more than that ig. at least cheap allegiant flights r a thing . im so lucky in so many ways financially because of my mom step dad being so nice to me basically buying a car 4 me at 18 and letting me live w them rent free etc like idk how i got here i am still not used to it really i feel like its gonna be

pulled out from underneath me soon or something

[x-lovely]

i 1/16/23 9:00 pm

went on a date today. i had finished work early, so i did my nails, feet, eyebrows, (mustache), shaved my armpits, legs, arms, pussy. 

i did my makeup. i wore my nice black bra, i wore a criss cross tank top, black skirt, black boots, and oversized mauve cardigan. i wore my butt plug. 

i met him at iron hill. he’s caucasian. 

he was chubbier than i thought he would be, lol. he’s nice. -1. 

we hugged. he’s 5′10. i was up to his chest. 

we went in to eat. got two shots of vodka, one for each. i noticed that whenever i was fixing my outfit and i looked up, i caught him looking at my chest. 

he saw the tattoo on my shoulder. that one shot of vodka did me in. i got a diet coke and the herb chicken and linguine was asssssss, it was so bland. the jerk shrimp was fucking bangin’. we were talking dirty a bit. 

(here’s where i met erin). when we were done, he paid and we left. went in the car where i bent over and he felt me up. 

i left my car there and went in his. it was so fucking messy, lmao. -1. 

as he drove, he placed his hand on my thigh. i was being bad, so i told him to move it up. within five minutes, he was rubbing my clit. it felt so fucking good. 

eventually, i took off my underwear and skirt. he was fingering me so good. i was using the toy on my clit. 

he pulled into a dark area and we went to a deserted baseball field. 

then, we kissed. his lips were really soft. he bent me over, i pulled my skirt down, and he slipped his dick inside of me. i was upset he didn’t use a condom, but it felt so good that i didn’t care. -1. 

after that, i told him to fuck me on the bleachers. he kept looking around to make sure no one was watching, but i told him to look at me. this part was really hot. if i had my toy, i would’ve came. 

he told me to pull my skirt up. we left and he said we’re getting a room. as he drove, i leaned my body against the door and spread my legs in front of him. he was pushing my anal plug in and out of my hole as i used my toy. that + dirty talking = he made me cum. 

we arrived at the hotel. he managed to get a room (he paid) and we went upstairs. as soon as we got into the hotel room, i said that i was going to rinse myself real quick but he grabbed me, held me up and threw me on the bed and ate my pussy. it felt so relaxing. 

then we took off our clothes and i laid doggy style on the bed. god, he slid right inside of me and it felt so fucking good. afterwards, he flipped me over and ate me out. within ten minutes, 

HE MADE ME CUM WITH HIS MOUTH AND FINGERS. 

i had never had any man made me cum with just himself, no toys. i came without any toys! and within 10 minutes! can you fucking believe it. i couldn’t. surprisingly, he did. he said he could, i didn’t believe him (because they always say that).

when he was done, he spread my legs apart and started fucking me missionary. DUDE I WAS DRIPPING ALL OVER HIS BEARD. IT DRIPPED ON MY FACE and mentally i was like (EWWWWWWWWW, STOP DRIPPING ON ME) lolol. -1. i wiped it off. at this point, my pussy was so sore and he just kept pushing it in. 

at some point, he came. i was like thank god im tired. i sucked his dick for 30 seconds. it smelled a little, but i think that’s because of our scents together, idk. 

we took a shower together. he has a tattoo on his left arm. he was actually really cute. 

after that, we cuddled. MY FAVORITE PART DUDE I FUCKING LOVE CUDDLING. i like that he was a bigger guy because i felt so tiny in his arms. 

he kissed my forehead and held me. we stayed like that for a bit. then i heard him snoring a bit, hehe it was soo cute. i flipped around eventually because he got hard (he drained my energy) and he was playing with my ass. 

he slipped it in my ass. god, it felt so fucking fucking fucking good. 

he had an alarm that went off and i said i would turn it off but he grabbed me and started fucking me because he said he didn’t want to slide out of my tight ass. he pinned me down and held me and fucked me so fucking good. 

eventually, we got up and he turned off the alarm. i got my toy and i was in doggy style position and this was the best part of anal. it slid in my ass so naturally and i felt everything and it felt so good. he told me to be a good girl and to use my toy on my clit. he fucked me and we were dirty talking and i said i was going to cum and he fucked me harder and told me to be a good girl and to cum and i did. i came.

god, my entire body shook. i shook so many times with him that night. i came three times. he made me feel so good. 

He blew out my back and it really hurt and my pussy was swollen and sensitive.

i showered again and laid in bed and tried to get some rest (haha, i was fucking tired). we had to go, so we got dressed. 

i noticed that he didn’t flush the toilet, so i told him that. -1. (that’s fucking gross). 

we got back in the car and i told him i was hungry. 

we drove to mcdonalds and he got me 20 piece chicken nuggets with barbecue sauce and a double cheeseburger. i drank his sprite, hehe. he paid too. 

he has a thing for asians, i think. 

he was so lovely. such a nice guy. idk how i feel about him but he fuck me good and that’s what i like. 

he dropped me off at my car and we drove home. 

texted each other when we got home and wished each other a good night and talked today. 

-5 points for the things on the date. but it was still good overall. 8/10. hehe. 

[twinklelilstarkey]

qb rafe and y/n are passing a football back and forth and then he tells her to go long or whatever and the ball hits her square in the face and she drops ato the ground and he thinks she’s joking so he just laughs and tells her to get back up but she doesn’t and then he realises she’s being serious and freaks out and yadda yadda lmao. idk why that popped up in my head 😂🌟

A/N: Noooo bc I actually laughed while imagining this!!

QB!Rafe = Quarterback Rafe

"Go long, this time!" Rafe tells you.

You give him an impatient look, hands on your hips as if you were judging him and his words with every single cell in your body.

"You have too much faith in me." You say to him.

"What do you mean?" He asks, squinting at the sunlight in his eyes, "You've caught, like, every single ball."

Something is telling you that this won't go well. You and Rafe have been playing around all afternoon, never taking the throwing of the ball seriously. You've faked getting hurt at least 5 times to see if you could finally step out of the game to go get your water. And every single time Rafe has fallen for it.

Either it was a problem with your wrist, or your hand, Rafe would run towards you and ask you to hold out your hand so he could see the bruise or just the source of your pain. You would always put on all your theatrical skills at play and tell him in small cries where it supposedly hurt.

And then you would get tired of faking and softly smack his cheek playfully right as he's distracted, looking down at the supposed sore place.

He laughed every single time, stealing the ball from your hands and running a few steps back and while pointing a finger at you, saying: "Just because of that, we'll do it one more time."

You really wanted to get out of this heat and just go have some damned water, but you can't help but admit that you're having fun.

"Will this be the last time?" You ask him.

"Promise."

You should've just went with your gut feeling, honestly.

You, like any other time, passed the ball back to Rafe and got ready to do this so needed (long) pass. You felt ready, not only because you've been passing a ball under a killing heat for the past 1 hour, but also because you felt like you could truly get this fricking ball.

You know, just in case the team ever needs a new receiver.

So, you were running, doing great, doing amazing, looking over your shoulder to check when you had to grab the ball.

You'll have to be honest, it seemed easier to do in your mind.

Everything went by too quickly because as soon as you see the ball coming in your direction, it passes right by your eyes and then right beside your face.

It doesn't exactly hit you square in the face but does hit the side of your jaw slightly.

With your quick reflexes, you're still able to grab the ball before it disappeared over your shoulder. But as soon as the oddly shaped ball is in your hands, you trip over your own feet and fall onto the grass.

The floor is soft enough to stop most of your impact onto the ground, and you honestly couldn't care less. For all you know, your jaw is about to fall off.

Rafe watches as you fall and he can't help but laugh out loud. Throughout the faked 5 injuries, you've thrown yourself to the ground at least twice. And, to be fair, from the distance, he wasn't exactly able to see how or even if the ball hit you.

"You good?" He asks loudly due to the distance yet with a smile still on his face.

"No!" You answer back.

Rafe squints once more, not really knowing if you're serious or not since he doesn't want to fall for one of your jokes and be teased again. So, he's careful as he starts walking towards you.

"What happened?" He asks, still distant, still not wanting to be vulnerable around you.

"You hit my jaw off my face, that's what happened!" You whine out, a tad bit dramatically as you hold onto your face.

Rafe finally speeds up his steps at the sound of your words and walks over to your laid-down body. He looks down at you and you eye him as he stands right in front of the sun, giving you, finally, some sort of shade.

He extends out his hand to get you up and, even though you wanted to be petty and smack his hand away for dramatic reasons, you take it. Rafe pulls you up and you stand in front of him, with your hand still against your face.

That's when you notice the slightly humorous look on Rafe's face.

"You think I'm joking?" You ask him.

Your tone spooks Rafe for a second, his expression evaporates right in that second.

"You're not?"

"No." You tell him, lips almost forming a small pout. "It hurts."

Rafe steps closer and lifts his hand over to your wrist. His heart has picked up a bit of pace, a bit of panic started to run through his veins already.

Gosh, he hopes you're just joking. Or at least that it wasn't anything too bad. He can't have you getting hurt because of him.

"Let me see." He whispers.

"If I take my hand off it will, like, fall." You tell him with a serious tone.

A smile appears back on Rafe's face as you say that and he pulls your hand back.

His eyes land on the only slight bit of bruising on your face: the small scraping marks the leather from the ball left on the curve of your jaw. This sight almost makes the boy sigh in relief.

You'll have a bruise tomorrow, but nothing too bad.

"Is it bad?" You ask him, noticing his silence.

"Yeah," He nods and your eyes widen in a panic, your breathing quickens up and you look up at him, scared, "Your guts might even come out of this wound with how severe it is."

Oh, you didn't hesitate to smack him right there and then. He honestly scared you for a whole second.

Rafe laughs as you hit him and you glare at him as he continues to find humor behind your disastrous incident. You bring your hand back to your face, keeping your bruise away from his teasing gaze, and take a step back.

"I'm going back inside."

"Baby, come on, I was just joking!" He tells you.

You start walking by him to get back to the house.

"Don't care."

Rafe is quick to hold onto your spare wrist and pull you in to stop you from walking away.

"I'm sorry." He tells you.

His hand runs up and down your arm comfortingly as you look away in the distance, continuing to give some dramatic suspense to the conversation.

"Weak apology after almost taking out my whole jaw." You whisper.

"Well, I mean it." He says and you look up at him. "Forgive me, baby, please?"

You purse your lips in thought.

"With one condition." You tell him and he lifts his chin as if to tell you to continue to talk, "Admit I would be a good receiver."

He scoffs at your words but not in a teasing manner, as you expected it to be.

"Of course," He says, "You're a better receiver than Jayden."

Jayden being the main wide receiver of the team.

"Really?" You ask with a huge smile and even a pure glint in your eyes.

Rafe smiles at the adorable sight and even leans down to give you a kiss on your cheek, on the unbruised side of your face. You lean in closer to him at the sweet action and he gives you a small shrug before speaking again.

"You just need a helmet, next time, that's all."

Your smile and innocent look fall from your face in a matter of a second and Rafe can't help but laugh again. You give him a glare and turn back around, walking back to the house.

"I hate you." You murmur at him while walking out.

"I love you too, baby, love you too." He says in a mumble, a wide smile on his face as he starts to follow you inside.

Hope you liked this!! Wrote it sort of quickly, so I hope it's as cute as I intended it to be.

We're also not having Blurb Thursday this week due to my lack of imagination, but I'll be writing other stuff, promise!!

[make-me-imagine]

Sensory Prompts: ‘Frozen in fear’, ‘Feeling of warm blood on your hands’ + ‘Lying in a hospital bed and wanting to call out but you can’t’.

Requested by: Anon (first two prompts) and @spuffyfan394​ (third prompt; requested 2 years ago lmao yikes). 

Pairing: Spike x Gen!Neutral Reader

Triggers: Fighting, choking, injuries, and blood

Words: 1,922

As you walked softly down the hall, you listened intently for any noise as your hand remained tightly gripped around your weapon. Yet another demon came to Sunnydale, and you tracked it to this old broken down factory. 

You had been split up from Buffy and the others when you went chasing the demon and now you were alone, much to your dismay. Not that you couldn’t fight well, but this demon had a magic that could amplify your fear to the point were you’d become parallelized. That’s how they get their victims. But they seem to only be able to do it to one person at a time, hence why you were in a group, and why you were so cautious now that you were alone. 

Pausing as you heard creaking footsteps in the adjacent room, you felt our heart begin to quicken in pace. You prepared yourself to fight just as the figure came around the corner. 

Quickly ducking down, you swung your leg out, taking the figure by surprise and knocking it on its back before you threw yourself on top of them, raising your arm to attack with your weapon but stopping when your eyes landed on the face of the figure. 

“Spike?” you asked incredulously as he groaned from your attack.

“What the bloody hell was that?!” he asked as he stared up at you.

“What are you doing here?” you asked lowering your voice. Spike had stayed behind when all of you came to hunt the demon, he insisted none of you knew what you were getting into. 

“I came to make sure you didn’t get yourself killed.” he said as he sat up on his elbows before his eyes grazed up and down your figure “Not that I’m not enjoying this particular position, but you are crushing my legs.”

You glanced down at your self, seeing you were mounted over his upper thighs. Feeling a blush come to your face you quickly got up “I was doing fine by the way, but now you jinxed me.” you said in annoyance from his comment.

You didn’t miss the way he rolled his eyes as he got up, brushing off the dirt from his pants “What the hell are you doing walking around alone, you know that is exactly what you should not be doing.” 

You sighed “I got separated from the others when he were chasing the demon. But look-” you gestured to him with a smile “I’m not alone now.”

He rolled his eyes again as he walked past you “Let’s just go find the others.” 

You began to follow him, smile on your face as you thought about why he came “I knew you had a soft spot for me.” you said while catching up to him. Spike remained silent and he avoided looking at you, only making your smile widen. 

As you entered into a large open space in the factory, moonlight from outside shining down from the broken up roof, you saw Buffy, Xander and Willow on the other side. You raised your hand in greeting as the three of them looked relieved to see you, but confused to see Spike. As you began to meet in the middle of the room, you all jumped in surprise as a large roar echoed through the room as the demon jumped down from somewhere above, nearly landing on Buffy and managing to knock her down. 

“Buffy!” you yelled as you ran to her aid, jumping on the demons back and stabbing the weapon into it’s back. As it roared in pain, lunging backwards, knocking you to the ground and spinning around, you flinched as it moved towards you, only for Spike to jump in front of you and attack the demon. 

Buffy and you got up at the same time as you moved to help Spike just as he was thrown a few feet away. You halted in your step as you felt an overwhelming sense of terror fill your body as the demon pointed at you, it’s eyes beginning to glow as it used it’s powers on you. 

Your heart was hammering in your chest so heavily you thought it might burst. Dizziness started to take hold as you could hear the muffled sound of the other’s voices as they began fighting the demon. Your eyes managed to focus on what was happening, though your body was still frozen in fear. You saw Willow and Xander thrown back, as Buffy continued to try and fight the demon.

Spike appeared in front of you as he gripped your shoulders “Y/n, Y/n, look at me!” his voice seemed to be far away but you tried to focus on him as he began to shake you lightly. 

“Spike” your voice came out quiet, almost squeaky “I can’t move” you muttered out as your chest began to feel heavier the longer the demons magic had a hold on you. 

Spike growled under his breath as the fear in your eyes remained, taking the weapon from your hand he turned towards the demon but was surprised that the demon was right in front of him. He moved to stab the demon but the demon wrapped his hand around Spikes throat and lifted him off the ground. 

You suddenly began to feel your paralysis lift as you saw what was happening. Spike was struggling against the demon, and you began to come back to reality as the fear of dying was replaced by your fear for Spike’s life. 

As you watched the demon lift his hand, now holding a broken peace of wooden plank, you realized that he was about to stab Spike in the heart. The fear holding you back suddenly seemed to shatter as you were able to move as you lunged forward grabbing Spikes waist and yanking down as hard as you could. 

Catching both Spike and the demon by surprise, the demons grip loosened as you managed to pull Spike away, just as he was moving to stab him. As Spike fell to the ground, and you began to fall on top of him, he watched in horror as the demon continued to plunge it’s arm down. Your eyes widened in shock and pain as the wooden steak was plunged into your back. 

“No!” Spike yelled out as he reached forward as you fell forward. Spike’s eyes stayed on the demon as it arched back and howled out in pain as Buffy struck it through it’s own heart with her weapon. 

As the demon collapsed, Buffy saw what happened as Spike held you in his arms, her attention leaving the now dying demon as she ran towards you, Willow and Xander doing the same. 

Your breath was uneven as your head rested on Spikes shoulder. Spike lifted his hands from your back, seeing and feeling the warm red blood from the wound on his hands. 

“Y/n, hold on!” you heard Willow’s voice as you began to grow weaker, your body becoming limp as you felt exhaustion take over and your vision began to fade. 

- - -

“Y/n!” 

Your eyes bolted open as the memory of someone calling your name woke you from your unconscious state. Your panic began to fade as you realized you were lying in a bed in what appeared to be a hospital room. Your body was sore as and your head was aching. Your eye were heavy as you looked towards the door. You could hear the muffled sound of people talking in the hall outside your room. Opening your mouth to call out, but you couldn’t. You seemed to have no strength to do so as your eyes continued to grow heavier and heavier. 

Seeing something from the corner of your eye, your eyes begin t focus on a figure that comes from the corner of the room. Your vision was blurry, but you could recognize the bright blonde hair of the figure as his face appeared in front of yours. You could hear him speaking but couldn’t focus on his words as your eyes closed yet again and you felt into a deep sleep. 

“Y/n, y/n” Spike said softly as he watched you struggled for consciousness, only for you to lose as close your eyes again. He sighed as he took your hand in his. This was the first time you had woken up, even if it was only for a moment, he was glad you did, it gave him hope. He had not left your side since they brought you here, near-death three days prior. 

As he walked back over to the window, staring out at the night sky, he re-played what happened in his head again. Especially the moment you were stabbed, after having saved him. Looking back at you he smiled sadly “I guess I really did jinx you huh?” he whispered before leaning against the wall and closing his eyes. 

- - -

Your eyes opened gradually again, as the dim room came into focus. Looking around the room, your eyes land on a figure in the window, silhouetted by the dimming light of the sunset. 

“Spike” your voice was quiet, but loud enough for him to hear as his head snapped in your direction. 

He smiled as he met your tired eyes, quickly making his way over to you and sitting on the edge of the bed. “Took you long enough.”

You smiled up at him, taking it you must have been out for a while since the fight with the demon. “Are you okay?” 

He scoffed “You’re lying in a hospital bed and you’re asking me if I’m okay?” 

You let out a soft laugh “Force of habit.”

He shook his head lightly as he took your hand in his “I’m sorry I jinxed you.” 

You frowned slightly in confusion before you remembered what you said in the factory. Shaking your head you smiled lightly “Don’t be. I’m fine, see.” you said as you lightly gestured to yourself. 

He rose a single brow as he sighed in mild amusement “I went there to save you, and you ended up saving me.” 

“Hey, that just makes us even then.” you said in reference to a time in the past when he had saved you from a vampire. Your eyes moved to the window as it began to get brighter “When did you get here?” 

Spike looked to the window as the sky began to grow darker “I never left.” he said as he looked back at you, nodding his head to the window “Black out curtains, just used those. Though one of the nurses almost killed me when she tried to open them today.” he said with an amused tone. 

“You never left? How long have I been here?” 

“Uh, a..few days..give or take.” he said dismissively, trying to ignore the heat rising up his neck. 

Your smile grew “See? I knew you had a soft spot for me.” 

He rolled his eyes and smiled, trying to think up some snarky flirty comment before letting out a small sigh and looking back at you “No. I’ve got much more than a soft spot for you.” Bringing his hand to your face, he stroked the side of your face before leaning down and pressing a kiss to your forehead. 

“Took you long enough.” you said amused as he let out a dry laugh. 

“Oh shut up” he joked before pressing a kiss to your lips, knowing full well it took him way to long to finally admit how he felt. 

xx End xx

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[imjusttpeachy]

the early bird gets the panini (c.h.)

well this is quite the change of pace isn’t it. lmao i figured u guys needed a break from the crying so here’s... whatever this is

thank u all new followers!! u jus made a big mistake💞🦋

u guys should search up “my very real collab with 50 cent” by corpse if you haven’t heard it yet, i ascended the first time i listened lmaoooo

playlist

the wombats - greek tragedy

aminé - heebiejeebies

free nationals - beauty and essex

the marías- let my baby stay

summary: Corpse interrupts the reader’s morning livestream after she left him alone in bed that morning. Fluff and fuckery ensues.

word count: 2, 326

WARNINGS: she/her pronouns, coarse language

>>>

“Okay, Tom Nook is the most bitch-ass motherfucker I’ve ever met. I could fold him like a panini with a slap I swear to god.”

Mornings were definitely one of your favourite times to stream. Of course, you loved staying up into the early hours of the morning only kept awake by the energy drinks running through your veins and the screaming of your friends over your headset, but nothing could beat the sweet simplicity of waking up with your watchers. It was always so calm, your anxiety levels at a low with the small audience building up slowly as more of them woke up. Reading those good morning messages saying that you helped to start their day off on a good foot— nothing would beat that.

The only downside to these scheduled morning streams was having to tear yourself away from the cozy warmth of your bed, especially if there was a certain someone blanketed over you silently persuading you to stay there forever. It was always a rare sight, bruised eyes sealed shut, long eyelashes kissing pale cheeks as small snores escaped from slightly parted lips. Glancing down at the messy black mop that rested on top of your chest, you sighed softly. You knew he’d only been asleep for a few hours, if that, thinking back to the night before where you crawled into bed alone after kissing him goodnight before leaving him to finish editing for his latest video. He worked too hard, but despite you reminding him this every single time he stayed up into the dark hours of the night to finish his work, he always never seemed to be satisfied. Most of the time you were able to coax him from the stuffy confines of his gaming office, bribing him with sweet kisses and promises of cuddles; when he was in the zone, though, nothing could steer his sore eyes away from the monitor. So with a sweet kiss goodnight, you’d make your way to the bedroom, falling asleep to the faint click-clacks of his keyboard.

It was funny how different you were in that aspect. You always loved mornings, the sun shining through the blinds always brought a smile to your face holding the promise of a bright day ahead. It felt good to never be in a rush, to enjoy the still air, and watch the world around you wake up as people settled into their daily routines. The day’s chaos always seemed to leak through into the dark of the night, but in the morning everything felt new and refreshed; the perfect new beginning to another chapter in the story of your life. Though, allowing yourself the guilty pleasure of staying in bed tangled together with your favourite person every so often wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Okay, maybe it was almost every day.

But who could say no when those strong arms encased you so perfectly, holding you so close you couldn’t figure out where you ended and where he started? Who could say no to his warm skin pressed against your own, the weight of his body grounding you as you pulled yourself from the darkness of sleep? Who could say no to being able to study his face up close, running your fingertip ever so lightly along the curve of his jaw, the bridge of his nose, the apples of his cheekbones, watching his eyelids flutter as he stirred softly in his sleep? Who could say no to the pillow talk you shared once those pretty eyes opened, the deep grumble of his morning voice that prickled goosebumps over your skin as he muttered those 3 sweet little words?

Definitely not you.

Well, not often anyway.

Reluctantly pulling your gaze away from the sweet face resting on your chest, you glanced over to the alarm clock on the nightstand. Red numbers reading 9:37 AM that seemed to be glaring back at you pushed any thought of indulging in your morning pleasures straight from your mind. You’d need to be live in 20 minutes. Puffing another sigh from your lips you slowly worked your way out from underneath your personal weighted blanket, trying your best to maneuver him softly onto the pillows to not wake him. Of course, you’d never be that lucky. Hissing through your teeth as your feet hit the icy top of the hardwood floor, you whipped your head around as a warm hand encased your wrist in a loose grip. Beneath messy bed head that could barely be seen from underneath the comforter that you had pulled back on top of him, you see the glimpse of tired eyes clouded with confusion peering out from underneath.

“Angel?” The deep grumble muttered underneath his breath almost made you throw all your plans to the wind and crawl right back into the fluffy clouds you longed to once again get lost in. Huffing out a sigh you slowly turned around, pulling your hand from his grasp only to bury it in the dark locks buried among the pillows. You leaned down softly, pushing your hands through his hair to reveal soft pleading eyes staring back at you, doing nothing but making your heart ache for having to leave so soon. Trancing your thumb along his eyebrow to try and smooth the small furrow that had made its home between them, you sighed softly.

“It’s Thursday, gotta stream puppy.” You watched as a small flash of recognition passed across his bleary eyes, a puff escaping his lips from under the comforter as you watched his chest fall slightly. Pulling his head up from the comforter, you smiled as you felt chapped lips press a small kiss to the inside of your wrist in understanding. Allowing yourself a bit of fun you leaned down pressing your lips to his briefly, giggling softly as a whine escaped his mouth as you pulled away. “Promise I won’t be long, I’ll be back before you even have time to miss me.”

“Too late for that.”

>>>

Smiling as you glanced up at your monitor that held your live chat, you watched as your viewers lost it with your threat to an animated shopkeeper. Times like this are what remind you of how grateful you are to your subscribers, they were practically family at this point and you felt you couldn’t be luckier to have such genuine, warm-hearted people that wanted to watch; even when you were cussing out characters that did nothing to you. You were laughing as you read some of the chat replies out loud when you saw your phone light up with a text from where it was sitting on your desk. Excusing yourself for a moment from the stream you grabbed your phone seeing a message from Corpse. 

Corpsie💞💞: did you order coffee? someone knocked on the door and there’s a paper bag on the step

Cursing to yourself quietly for forgetting, you answered him quickly saying that you just needed to cut to a break on stream and you’d be out in a minute to grab it. He was wary of even opening the front door these days, and honestly, you couldn’t blame him. The last time you had driven out to pick up whatever was sent into his P.O. Box, there were people waiting outside the building. When you went inside to grab everything, you asked the teller what exactly they were waiting for, to which he told you that they were hoping to catch a glimpse of this faceless internet star as this is where he’d go to get his mail. You don’t think you’ve ever walked faster to your car— trying your best to not grab their attention though your body was shaking with adrenaline, knowing they might’ve seen him while he was waiting there for you. Practically throwing open the driver's door, you tossed everything haphazardly into the back seat, telling Corpse to pull up his hood and mask as you started the car and peeled out of there. That was the last time he left the house.

You sighed, dropping your phone back on your desk as well as the switch that had been sitting in your lap, beginning to explain that you needed a quick break to get your coffee and starting to click through the settings to set up your break screen when you saw your phone light up again.

Corpsie💞💞: nah don’t worry i got it

You barely had time to sit back in your chair as you stared at your phone in disbelief before there was a soft knocking on your office door. 

“Just kidding guys, apparently we have a kind guest who’s bringing it to me instead.”

Corpse hearing your voice from behind the door, it swung open to reveal your mop-headed lover sporting his cute plaid pyjama pants and yesterday’s hoodie as he held your coffees and bag in his hand. You grinned to yourself, moving out of the frame of the webcam as you reached out to grab everything, placing it on your desk before turning back to him with a wide smile. Reaching back for his hand, you pulled it down toward you, his body following as your other hand reached up to bury itself in his bedhead. You leaned forward and pressed a small peck onto his lips, mumbling a soft thank you against them as you kissed him once more. While this may have looked like the most simple gesture you knew how difficult it must have been for him, almost wanting to cry at how sweet he was to go to those lengths to do something a little special for you. As you pulled away, you smiled as his face mirrored yours, those soft rosy lips pulled into the sweetest grin you’d ever seen. Resting his forehead against yours, he mumbled back a small “anything for you princess,” the deep rumble of his morning voice sending a chill up your spine as you leaned forward again to steal another sweet kiss. Finally pulling away from you he stood up to his full height, a yawn escaping his mouth; though as he looked back toward the door you could sense his hesitation and grinned widely up at him.

“Do you wanna sit with me for a bit? I can just turn off the camera.” Giggling softly, you watched his head practically whip back toward you nodding a yes as he squeezed your hand, still intertwined with his. Reluctantly pulling it from his grasp, you pulled yourself back toward your monitors as you began to click through your stream settings. 

“Well, your favourite guest has decided to grace us with his presence for a little so I’m gonna have to turn off face-cam, but I don’t think you guys will have a problem with that.” You laughed out, watching as your chat began to surge with messages about him. Making sure there was no way you could accidentally turn on the webcam again, you gestured him over to you starting to stand from your chair to grab the other one sitting in the corner of the office when a hand grasped yours, a strong tug pulling you completely off it with; a small yelp escaped your lips as you fell clumsily into your boyfriend's chest. You could hear his laugh from above you as he maneuvered you around in his arms before falling back onto your chair and pulling you into his lap, his face burying itself into the crook of your neck where you could feel that smug grin that was surely painted on his face. With his arms wrapped around you completely, holding you securely to his chest you knew you weren’t going anywhere. Looking up at the chat a laugh was pulled from your lips as your watchers conspired against you, message after message accusing you of doing something unspeakable behind the camera as being the reason you turned it off.

“Guys, literally nothing is happening.” You laughed out, watching as the chat passed so fast you couldn’t even read a full sentence. “Corpse just decided he wanted to share a chair instead of getting his own.”

“Yeah, my bad.” With no trace of any remorse in his monotone answer, another laugh escaped from your lips. Leaning forward to grab your switch and actually start playing again, you settled back into Corpse’s lap knowing this is exactly where you wanted to be. You were only a few minutes back into the game, Corpse and you occasionally reading out some live chat comments excited about his surprise appearance as viewers slowly climbed— his own watchers joining to watch the stream, when he inevitably started to fuck with you. A chill snaked up your spine as you began to feel small kisses trailing up your neck, you should’ve known this was one of the reasons he wanted to have you in his lap— it was easier to get your attention this way. You could feel that smug little smile drift back onto his face as he heard your voice start to shake slightly; at those moments he’d pull away and start replying to messages before turning back and starting all over again. It was the fourth time he began to press those soft lips to the base of your throat when you shrugged him off and shoved the breakfast sandwich you were snacking on into his face.

“Okay, if you want to share a chair you’re gonna have to behave.”

“Okay, okay. Sorry baby, sorry.” Corpse laughed out, voice muffled from behind the sandwich; taking a bite of it and placing it back in front of you, his chest still shaking with laughter. Deciding to hook his chin over your shoulder instead, he went back to watching the live chat, chatting and answering questions— that is before he came across a certain comment that had him furrowing his brows in confusion.

“What’s this about you folding Tom Nook like a panini?”

>>>

[uwuwriting]

Wearing his jersey w/ Daichi, Kageyama and Osamu

Request: hi!! can i req the ‘wearing their jersey’ with daichi kags and osamu plss! i loved the one u wrote for kuroo akaashi and ushi. -anonymous

Okay I haven’t written for my Haikyuu babies for quite some time and that sucks. Everyday is Haikyuu day and I simp for a different character every hour of the day lmao. Although my new found obsession with Nanami is taking up most of my time. Oh well guess he’ll have to share my spare time with one of the Haikyuu boys every time. Love ya. 💖💖💖

masterlist II rules

warnings: fluff, I don’t think there are any warnings for this one. 

Sawamura Daichi

-Captain Daichi thirst is active 24/7 lmao. 

-He is used to you taking his clothes.

-From hoodies, to t-shirts to his sweatpants, it has become a regular occurrence in your relationship. 

-He loves seeing you in his clothes. 

-They are always too big on your body, his hoodies almost reaching your knees and it makes his heart go doki doki. 

-He just wants to hug you to his chest and never let go. 

-He has given you one of his t-shirts to wear to sleep cuz he loves the idea of you having a little part of him with you even if it's just a shirt.

-You two were having a sleepover before one of his major games and of course you were helping him unwind. 

-You helped him make his duffle bag and double check for his knee pads, gave him a massage for his sore muscles after a long week of non stop practices and finally forced him to take a self care evening after he asked you to help him practice with his receives. 

-While putting on his face mask you were going on about something random when you noticed the furrow of his brows. 

- “Everything is gonna be fine baby, you’ll see. You and the boys have practiced really hard for this match and you;ll make it I know you will.” 

-Smiling up at you he gave you a peck on the lips, careful not to smudge your own face mask in the process. 

- “I know or at least I think I do. I just feel off knowing you won’t be there.” 

-Oh that’s right….You weren’t sure you would make it in time to catch the beginning of the match due to a family obligation but you were certain you would get to see the later half of the game. 

-Though Daichi didn’t have to know that yet. 

-Kissing him again you reassured him that the team didn’t need you to be there to wipe the floor with the other team’s ass, that he didn’t need you there. 

-The pout on his lips said otherwise though but he didn’t push it. 

-When the time came for the match to begin, he kept glancing at the stands mainly out of habit but also because he half expected you to make it on time. 

-No such luck though, you were nowhere to be seen. 

- “Oi Daichi focus!!” 

-Suga nearly karate chopped him in the stomach when he didn’t stop looking for you. 

-Everyone could see that their captain was a little out of it but they chose to keep quiet.

-You on the other hand, were sprinting through the streets of Miyagi to get to your boyfriend’s game as fast as possible, his jersey spurring you forward as you pounded down the school’s courtyard. 

-In a flash you were in your regular seat in the very front of the bleachers, chest rising and falling frantically as you tried to catch your breath. 

-You took off your jacket and rushed to the railing, tracing the ball with your eyes as the opposing team spiked it right into your boyfriend’s arms. 

- “GO DAI!!”

-His eyes found you immediately, quickly shooting down to your chest where the number 1 of his dark jersey rested proudly flushing at the sight. 

-The game was over rather quickly after that. 

-Daichi was in top form, his receives being immaculate while his serves were on point. 

-The first thing he did when he walked out of the lockers was to hug you, hug you so close and tight you could barely breath as he thanked you for coming.

- “You r-really thought I w-would miss this???” 

- “........Baby I can’t b-breath.”

Kageyama Tobio 

-Flustered babyyyy.

-He will never get used to seeing you in his clothes. 

-You have worn his hoodies before and he has had a heart attack every time. 

-It reached a point where you thought that he hated seeing you in them and you stopped asking for his hoodies or jackets even if you were cold. 

-That caused the frown on his face to deepen and a very shy confession that he indeed loved seeing you in his clothes. 

-Ever since that day you always have at least one of his hoodies in your closet. 

-Now your relationship is a secret. 

-Considering who his teammates are, you both agreed that it would be wise to keep your relationship under wraps, neither of you want to go through their reaction in this lifetime at least. 

-Keeping that in mind, you never wore his clothes out in public so you wouldn’t draw unwanted attention to you. 

-You go to all his games of course, being his best friend before becoming his girlfriend does that to a person, plus he had convinced you to become a manager alongside Yachi.

-So even if you wanted to skip a game you couldn’t. 

-Now that you think of it this must have been part of his plan since now he can be near you all the time. 

-You couldn’t bring yourself to be even remotely mad at him, he was just too cute. 

-You were so proud of your boys for making it to nationals that you decided to hype them up a bit. 

-Convincing both Yachi and Kiyoko you stole three jerseys from the team while they were changing before you took your seats in the sidelines. 

-Many would think that you wearing Kageyama’s jersey was a mere coincidence. 

-You chose him because he is your best friend, not because something else was going on. 

-Sugawara and Tsukishima aren’t most people and you soon found yourself in some hot water with those two. 

-Apart from the fact that Kageyama couldn’t look your way without having a stroke, he whipped the floor with the other team, gasps and applause filling the stadium every time he dunked the ball on the other side of the court. 

-It got to the point where the other less observant member of the team started noticing the significant difference in his attitude. 

- “Kageyama why are you playing so aggressively the ball keeps going like WOOSH and BAM without me even hitting it.” 

-Poor boy almost chocked on his water at Hinata’s words and when you went to help him he turned 50 shades of red in a matter of 0.0005 seconds. 

-This whole charade ended with your relationship being exposed after Noya begged you to wear his jersey and Tobio wasn’t having it, three nosebleeds and a whole lot of teasing. 

-He moved to your room that night despite the fact that the third years kept teasing him about being safe and wrapping it before tapping it. 

-Held a small grudge for like five minutes. 

Miya Osamu

-Love of my life number 20.

-The superior twin and this will make it evident. 

-Atsumu is always being a little shit about your relationship and how you don’t look like a couple cuz you don’t make out in the hallways all the time. 

-Em sir excuse you!

-Anyways, you know to ignore him at this point figuring that he’ll get tired and stop but no such luck; he irritates Osamu to no end resulting in one of them needing bandages at the end of practice. 

-PDA is not something you are both comfortable with and you prefer small reassuring touches throughout the day. 

-This has led to many believing that you two aren’t a couple just like Atsumu says and other people have confessed to you or asked you out WHILE Osamu is with you. 

-It doesn’t bother him much since he trusts you but it still tugs at his insecurities. 

-And because of those insecurities you get a new wardrobe. 

-Literally a whole ass new clothing line made by none other than Osamu Miya himself. 

-What is in this new clothing line you ask? 

-Osamu’s hoodies and shirts in general. 

-Every time he stops by your house he brings a new item of clothing with him, something that he has worn recently and others have seen just to get his message across. 

-You aren’t complaining, you love wearing his clothes, they are always so big and they completely swallow you plus they smell like him. 

-It’s like you have him with you. 

-Now Osamu might not show it often but volleyball stresses him out, like a lot. 

-It means the world to his brother and despite their fights and bickering, he loves seeing him happy and if that means he has to play the sport like his life depends on it so be it. 

-Osamu would do anything for Atsumu. 

-So you can understand the pressure he is under as a spiker. 

-His distress is you basically and you give him a small pep talk right before he enters the court. 

-Imagine his surprise and pure childish glee when he saw you making your way to him wearing his jersey. 

-It reached just above your knee and it made you look so cute he wanted to bottle you up and keep you forever. 

-Atsumu and Suna could be heard in the background teasing the living shit out of Osamu who remained frozen in place, the whole stadium turning into white noise as the only thing in his view, the only thing that mattered in that moment, was you. 

-He noticed your glare as you told his brother off, saw the way you played with the hem of his jersey as you walked near him and the furrow of your brows when he didn’t answer your calls. 

-Wordlessly he enveloped you in a tight hug, picking you off your feet and twirling you around a little bit much to the dismay of his fanbase in the stands. 

- “Hi.” “Hey ‘Samu”

- “Whatcha wearin?”

- “Oh this old thing? I figured you might need the motivation.” 

- *cue kissing assault*

TAG TEAM AY:

Arcana-Fan-at The @-FIC @angelwritings @axerrri @reinyrei @dnarez @ storage11037 @ezoyscorner @letscheereachotheron @ wolfkid22 @ Dark-Thoughts-and-Red-Roses @threeamwriting @ysatrap @yashinosakura @yongboxerrr​ @meena-in-a-nutshell​

[datleggy]

Totally random thought I had right as I am going to bed but ya know that show "I didn't know I was pregnant"? Buck would be on that show lol the boy is oblivious when it comes to his own body, so like I can perfectly picture him collapsing on the job one day wracked with pain, and then Hen is poking around his stomach where it hurts, her, Buck and Eddie packed into the back of the ambulance as Chim and Bobby drive to the hospital, and she gets out the stethoscope to try and listen for internal bleeding or anything but instead finds an infant heartrate and she's like "Buck, you're pregnant?" And he's like "uh, no? What the hell?" And then his water breaks and he tries to convince hen and Eddie that he had an accident bc even that would be a better alternative to suddenly figuring out he's about to have a baby???? What the fuck???? But Eddie holds his hand all the way through it and by the time they get to the hospital, Buck has a healthy newborn cradled against his chest, Eddie knelt beside him and alternating between kissing buck and the baby on the head, and observing the baby in disbelief. I can also picture Buck like, sobbing his sorry's to Eddie the entire time he's pushing, like "Eddie I swear I had no idea, if I had known, I would have told you!" And Eddie is just reassuring him the entire time like "don't worry about that now, Buck, just concentrate. No one is mad, okay? But you gotta focus on the- on the baby" and buck just sobs and nods and focuses on the delivery again. But for a good while Buck is in denial that any of this is happening and it takes a lot of convincing and encouragement from both hen and Eddie for him to start actively participating in his baby's birth. Anyways, random half asleep thought is finished sorry for the long ask hdshsjjsjdbsjsj

WELL SHIT ok so i actually love that show and i could see buck doing this lmao so i wrote a thing. also ignore all medical inaccuracies, this is my distraction from monday lmao let me have this wildly inept fic pls. 

also just in case, it’s pretty brief, i think, but TW for talk of weight and weight gain

It's nearing the end of their shift now and Buck can almost hear his feet howling at him in pain. Today hadn't even really been all that busy, he thinks, annoyed at his own body's betrayal. He's not even thirty yet, but in the last couple of months he's felt as though he's aged about ten years.

He's put on a few pounds, which isn't too uncommon, sometimes Buck goes through stretches of time where he eats more carbs than he needs and works out less than he'd like and so a little tummy fat is to be expected.

It normally doesn't bother him, except that in the last maybe three months he hasn't felt like exercising much outside of work but he's eaten nearly everything in sight every night. He's up about fifteen pounds, which he wouldn't have even noticed, seeing that he does fluctuate at times anywhere between five to eight pounds over or under what he usually weighs, if it hadn't been for Chimney teasing him about putting down his third Krispy Kreme donut of the day and picking up a barbell earlier this morning.

Chim and Buck poke fun at each other all the time--it's a staple in their friendship and brother ship, in fact--and Buck had flipped him the bird, nothing new there. What had been new was the fact that he'd excused himself to the bathroom right after that and locked himself in a stall and bawled his eyes out as quietly as humanly possible.

Buck grimaces, embarrassed still, by the outburst, even if no one had been there to witness it. He still has no idea what the hell that had been about this morning.

Eddie notices the sour mood and pulls him in close. "Hey, you ok?"

Buck nods. "Yeah, just tired. Ready to go home--shit." Buck feels a shooting pain so intense his knees buckle and Eddie has to hold him upright to keep him from hitting the floor. 

“Woah!” Eddie calls Bobby over, who’s closest, for help, “Buck? Buck, you with me? What’s wrong? What hurts?” 

Buck just shakes his head and grits his teeth, the pain so debilitating he can hardly breathe much less speak. 

The Captain is on his other side in an instant and together Eddie and Bobby help Buck towards the couch, where he collapses in a heap, throwing his head back and letting out an agonized whine. “What’s going on? Did he get hurt during one of the calls?” Bobby asks Eddie, frantic to help put a stop to this. 

Eddie’s helpless, “Bobby I don’t know, one second we were talking about going home and the next he practically fell to the floor in pain.” he turns to face his husband, “Baby, I’m here, look at me, what’s the matter? What hurts?” 

Buck’s face scrunches up and he finally exhales sharply, his grip on the couch cushions loosening, and he opens his eyes, wide like saucers, and says, “What the fuck was that?” 

At this point Hen and Chim, as well as half the crew, have gathered around and Hen is quick to put on her doctors hat and try to sus out the problem. She makes Bobby step aside and Chimney hands her a stethoscope. “Buck, is it your stomach?” she asks, noticing the stiff way he’s holding himself around his midriff. 

“I don’t--kinda? I don’t know. It was just like, this crazy wave of pain, almost like a cramp, but way worse.” he struggles to describe the feeling now that it’s more or less passed for the time being.  

Hen had seen Buck wince when he’d been in the harness on the last call of the day, but he hadn’t said anything and she hadn’t thought too much about it until now. “Did you hurt yourself in the harness earlier? Maybe pulled something when we reeled you back up?” she asks, palpitating his stomach with her fingers, watching him almost retract from her touch. 

“Maybe?” Buck shrugs uncomfortably, wincing when she hits a particularly sore spot. 

Something about this feels familiar and strangely obvious, but Hen doesn’t understand why until she puts her stethoscope up to his belly to check for lack of bowel sounds, indicating maybe some internal bleeding or sorts. 

Hen gasps out loud and sits up like she’s been smacked. 

Eddie frowns. “What? What’s wrong? Is he gonna be ok?” He almost wants to snatch the damn stethoscope out of her ears and check for himself, his eyes darting between Hen and Buck nervously. 

“Buck, you’re pregnant. And in labor, by the sounds of it.” Hen blurts out in disbelief. 

“What.” Buck blinks at her, waiting for the other shoe to drop. This has to be a joke. 

“I heard a heartbeat in there...” Hen informs them, still awed. “Buck, that was a contraction you just experienced.” 

Eddie gapes at Hen and then at Buck. “You’re pregnant?” 

Buck gapes right back at him. “No!” he denies, shaking his head incredulously. “That’s insane, I can’t be pregn--ah--” Buck leans forward in pain as another contraction begins. “Fuck.” 

“Jesus, yeah, no you’re definitely pregnant,” Chim announces, “Your water just broke all over my favorite couch, bud. I’m getting the ambulance ready asap.” he says, before running to do just that, head reeling. He thinks about Maddie and when she gave birth to their daughter and how scared out of his mind he’d been and he sympathizes for Buck and Eddie, who up until now apparently hadn’t even realizes they were expecting... 

Back at the lounge Buck continues to deny any of this is even happening. He whines into Eddie’s chest, “That’s pee, it has to be, because I’m not pregnant. There’s no way.” he lets out a pitiful whimper as another contraction begins and buries his face against his husband to hide the tears springing up in his eyes. 

“Buck, son, we gotta get you to a hospital right now.” Bobby tries, running a soothing hand over the top of his head. 

But Buck shakes his head no, shuddering out a sob. “M’not going.” 

Eddie, overwhelmed, looks to Hen and Bobby for help. 

“Buck, ambulance is ready to go, we need to move unless you wanna have this kid at the firehouse.” Hen grimaces. “I know you’re in pain and I know you’re confused and hurting, but we need to get you into that ambulance and now.” 

Buck cries out when another contraction hits him and Hen gulps. “Your contractions are getting way too close together, we need to move.” she nods at her Captain and Eddie to help get Buck up and together the three of them manage to get Buck onto a gurney and into the waiting ambulance.

Bobby rides up front with Chimney, leaving Hen and Eddie to work in the back with Buck. 

“Buck, you need to start getting ready to push, this baby’s coming.” Hen warns him, but Buck refuses. 

“I can’t.” he sobs. “I didn’t--” he throws his head back, the pain lighting his nerves on fire. “I swear Eddie, I didn’t know. You gotta believe me.”

Eddie takes Bucks hand into his and brings it up to his lips. “I know baby, I know, you don’t have to worry about that. I promise. Nobody is mad at you, ok? I’m not. But right now you need to focus on pushing, you need to listen to Hen, ok? We’re ok, and you’re gonna be ok, but I need you to push, baby. I love you so much, you know that, right?” 

Buck lets Eddie wipe away his tears, leans into the comforting touch, and nods shakily, exhaling. “O-ok, I’m--I’m ready.” 

.

.

.

**************

.

.

.

The baby is so very tiny in Eddie’s arms. 

Olive Buckley-Diaz is born weighing exactly six pounds and two ounces. 

Christopher, who’s curled up against Bucks side on the hospital bed after a very exhausting day, looks up at his Buck, his little brow still knitted in confusion. “So she was a surprise baby? And that’s how come you guys didn’t tell me about her?” 

Buck tries not to laugh. “Yeah bud, it was a huge surprise to us, too.” 

Eddie nods along, smiling fondly down at the bundle he’s holding. Her blotchy red face is slack in sleep and there’s already tufts of brown hair sticking up funnily on her head under her hat. “I still can’t believe you only gained like fifteen pounds during the whole pregnancy.” Eddie chuckles, “Or that you worked through the nine months, God Buck, when I think of the stunts you pulled during calls in the last few months alone I’m--” he shudders. “Actually I’d rather not think about it.” he sighs, “I’m just happy you’re both healthy at the end of the day.” 

Really, it’s a miracle. The doctor had said as much after the delivery. 

“To be fair I never got any of the other symptoms,” Buck shrugs. “I wasn’t nauseous, my feet never swelled, I don’t remember any weird cravings? And you said it yourself, I didn’t really gain all that much weight.” 

Eddie leans down to kiss Buck’s forehead. “You should be on that show.” he grins. 

Buck tilts his head. 

“You know the one, the one Hen made us watch when work was slow that one time. ‘I didn’t know I was pregnant’.” he teases. 

Buck groans. “I regret all the jokes I made at the time. I totally get those people now. Pregnancy is weird.” 

Christopher rests his head more comfortably against Bucks chest and smiles softly. “Yeah, but now our family’s even bigger.” 

.

[ibelongtowrath]

Put You To Sleep - Leviathan x Reader (Obey Me!)

A/N: You’re tired and can’t fall asleep, so shower sex with Levi ensues and he uses his tail. Welcome to Tail Fuckers United. I finished this at like 2am so I hope it makes sense lmao Prompt: “If you can’t sleep, why don’t we have sex?” Pairing: Leviathan x Fem!Reader Word Count: 2.9k Tags/warnings: 18+/NSFW, vaginal sex, anal sex, fingering, double penetration, tail sex. NSFW under the cut!

Ugh. How many hours has it been now since I went to bed?

Rolling over slowly as to not wake the sleeping demon curled up beside you, his arm wrapped around your waist, you reach for your D.D.D on the nightstand. The screen wakes as you raise it, searing bright light practically scorching your eyes in the otherwise inky darkness of the room.

Placing the phone back face-down, you close your eyes and exhale slowly, willing yourself to succumb to sleep. Come on, come on, we have classes tomorrow…but, more time passes, and your body refuses to be overcome with sleep.

With a slight groan, you lift Levi’s arm from around you, placing it down gently on the bed before rising and padding slowly over to the bathroom. You pause before walking in to turn your head and admire the Avatar of Envy’s peaceful, still-sleeping form; mouth slightly open, a tiny snore emanating from his lips. 

A soft smile, paired with a look of utter adoration paints your face before turning back to enter the bathroom, shedding your clothes to toss into the hamper. Perhaps a nice, long shower will help lull you to sleep, though it may be pointless - it is nearly early morning, and you will have to be awake for breakfast in a matter of mere hours. Well, it’s worth a try, isn’t it?

You open the door to the shower, turning the knob until the swish! sound of the water pouring through, a few warm droplets coating your arm. While you wait for the water to heat (surprisingly, it takes a while for the water to reach optimal hot shower temperature, even in the literal depths of Hell), you stride over to the vanity and lean over, gripping the sides with each hand. 

You raise your head slowly to stare at yourself in the reflection of the mirror, groaning when your gaze lands on the lines forming beneath your eyes; a clear indicator of lack of sleep, and you know Asmo will be pointing it out at breakfast. You close your eyes, resting your head in your hand for a few brief seconds.

It was hard to believe that one of those rare sleepless nights has come back to haunt you. Having occurred much more frequently when you first arrived in the Devildom during your adjustment period, they had graciously begun to subside as you found your routine.

A deep sigh escapes your lips before slowly turning back towards the shower, grateful to feel wisps of warm steam lightly caress your face, the feeling of it already beginning to melt your tension. Another slightly more contented exhale leaves you as you reach to open the shower door, eager to step in and let the water cascade over your tired body before a set of arms wrapping around your waist halts your movements and you startle.

“What-” you breathe, heart racing.

“You’re going to take a shower and didn’t think to invite me, princess?” a familiar voice murmurs behind you, placing a soft kiss into the top of your head. “Tsk, tsk.”

“Fucking hell, Levi, don’t scare me like that. I thought you were asleep.” You pull his arms off of you, turning around to shoot him a look.

“Aw, don’t look at me like that. I was until I heard the siren song of the shower, knowing you were about to get in, no clothes on…,” Levi murmurs, a smirk upturning the corner of his lips.

“Yeah, well,” you huff, shaking your head, “I haven’t been able to fall asleep. I thought maybe a nice, relaxing shower might help…”

Levi chuckles, kissing your head again. Making quick work of shedding his clothes, you watch as he shifts into his demon form, snakelike tail reaching up to caress your cheek. You swallow, pressing your legs together. He knows damn well that tail...and he… is your weakness. He smirks wider, noticing that lustful, glazed-over look in your eyes when you’re turned on. 

“Well, if you can’t sleep,” he purrs, nodding towards the shower, “why don’t we have sex?”

“Did you miss the part where I said ‘relaxing’ shower?” you retort, though it lacks in bite, and Levi knows it.

He snakes his tail down to your legs, gliding it tantalizingly slow between your wet folds, eliciting an excited, breathy moan as your teeth bite into your lip. Goddamn it.

Sleep? Who gives a damn about sleep right now?

“Levi…”

You say the Avatar of Envy’s name in a breathy moan, desperation and utter need laced into each syllable. The demon continues his work, stroking his tail back and forth between your legs; eyes trained on yours, watching your blissed-out expression with a wicked grin. A few moments later, he pulls his tail from you, admiring the way it glistens in the bathroom lights, coated with your arousal. You whimper at the loss and his cock twitches, eager to bury himself inside your slick, constricting warmth.

“Come on, princess,” Levi husks, his desire evident. “Let’s not waste any precious water.”

You grin and nod, turning to open the shower door and stepping inside, followed closely by Levi. 

“That would be a shame,” you agree, raising an eyebrow. “Can’t have that.”

Stepping under the rainfall showerhead, the water drenches your body in mere seconds. Levi watches, entranced as tiny droplets travel down your lithe body, cascading sensually over every curve of your waist, hips, and delicious thighs before pooling beneath your feet and swirling down the drain. You look ethereal; a wet, erotic vision: steam floating around your nude body, wet hair sticking to your shoulders, eyes closed in bliss, lips slightly parted.

He wastes no time, crossing over to you and pressing your back to the cool tiled wall. His lips find yours, tongue begging entrance between your soft, parted lips, rolling over your own in a fevered dance, each passing moment making the movements hungrier, more fervent. A low moan elicits from his mouth into yours, his hands reaching to trace over the generous curve of your hips, moving up to your waist before settling on the soft, supple mounds of your breasts.

“I’ll help you fall asleep, princess,” the Avatar of Envy coos against your wet skin.

Levi pulls away from the kiss, catching your bottom lip with his teeth and nibbling as he pulls back. He massages your breasts, thumbs circling the sensitive buds of your nipples, delighting in the lewd noise you make in response. His mouth moves to your neck, lightly nipping and sucking on the skin as he makes his way to your shoulder, traveling down to your breast.

The demon parts his lips, taking one of your nipples into his mouth as he sucks, eliciting a gasp of pleasure from you. He rolls it gently between his teeth, snaking a hand down between your legs to circle your clit with his thumb in slow, teasing strokes.

“Levi...L-Levi,” you keen, digging your nails into his back.

Levi sinks to his knees before you. He urges your legs apart with his tail, nails finding purchase in the soft skin of your thighs as they sink in. His tongue darts out to lap at your sweet desire pooling between your legs, droplets of water running in rivulets over the ample curves of your delicious body. Your hands reach forward to thread your fingers into his purple hair, soaked to a rich violet in the water. His amber eyes glisten as he flits his gaze up to yours, swallowing your essence.

“Mph…” 

The wanton moan falls from your lips, and Levi feels his cock twitch once more. He hooks your leg over his shoulder, rising slowly until your leg straightens, the tip of his cock pressing against your entrance. He smirks at your whine of desperation, desire running rampant in every sound you make.

“Sing for me, princess,” he murmurs, dragging his tongue over your other nipple. “Tell me how badly you want me; I see that look in your eyes. Beg me.”

“Please, Levi, please. Fuck me,” you mewl, shakily; thoughts nearly incoherent, all feelings of sleeplessness gone, focused only on feeling him buried inside you.

“That’s a good girl…”

Levi teases his cock along your wet heat, sliding his tail up to caress your cheek. He notes the way your eyes widen at the sight of it, the way you hungrily bite your lip. Your eyes glaze over as you imagine his tail inside you, alongside his cock, working in tandem to drive you to places of ecstasy. A wicked smirk upturns at the corner of his lips, formulating a plan inside his mind.

“Slight change of plans, princess,” he purrs.

He gently lowers your leg to the floor of the shower, relishing your look of confused surprise. He tsks, clucking his tongue and shaking his head at you.

“Be patient, you little slut,” he chuckles. “Don’t worry, I fully plan on fucking you so well, you’ll fall asleep in my arms within seconds. I suppose I should say, slight change in position.”

Levi presses a soft kiss to your cheek before grabbing your shoulders and turning you around, pressing your cheek and breasts to the cool tiled wall. He runs an appreciative hand over the curve of your ass, pulling it back and placing a hard smack against it. He kisses your neck as you hiss, the sore stinging feeling quickly replaced by breathy, needy gasps.

“Levi, please, I need you-” you start to beg again, your words halted by a sharp bite into your neck.

“That’s right, you do, my needy little princess,” Levi growls into your skin. “Look at you. Keening, begging for me to have my way with you, spread open just for me. All it took was one look at my tail, and you forgot all about how tired you were, you naughty thing.”

Placing a hand on the back of your neck, he presses your face into the wall just a bit more. Biting the delicate skin at the junction of your neck and shoulder, raking his nails down your back as his tail wraps around your leg, relishing the way you shudder in anticipation. He slips his tail between your legs, sliding it over your sensitive bundle of nerves before plunging it inside you. Lewd gasps of pleasure fill the surrounding air, coupled with the stream of water pulsing from the shower as Levi pumps his tail into your dripping heat.

“Tell me,” Levi says, voice coated in velvet seduction, “how do you feel about being fucked in both holes at the same time?” 

He continues to slide his tail in and out of you, slightly increasing his pace as he awaits your answer. The thought of being so full of him, stuffed to the brim, makes you gasp as the desire etched into every cell of your body increases tenfold. You keen with frantic need, thoughts rendering completely incoherent as your brain short-circuits, only able to focus solely on the pleasure you so deliciously crave. Your back arches, urging his tail deeper inside you.

“Y-yes, fuck, yes!” 

The words spill from your lips in a breathy moan, and he smirks.

“Of course you want it, you insatiable little slut,” he chuckles. “Well, who am I to deny such a good princess?”

Levi pulls his tail from between your legs, grinning in admiration at the slick end, coated in your abundant fluid arousal. He moves a hand down to your hip, aqua nails digging into the skin, hard enough to leave marks behind before pulling it away. He teases a few fingers over your wet slit before sliding them inside you, moving and curling them a few times. You groan, pushing your hips back into him, longing coursing through every fiber of your being.

He pulls his fingers from you, both hands moving to grasp your ass. He pulls one back to crack against the soft mounds of your skin once more, smiling at the red mark left behind as he spreads you apart. A slick finger teases at your tight, puckered hole before pushing in, allowing you to adjust to the slight pressure for a few seconds; pumping in and out slowly.

 Continuing his ministrations, Levi slides his cock in your wet, constricting warmth, groaning as he buries himself to the hilt. Your eyes nearly roll into the back of your head as you sigh in satisfaction, having gained the much-needed stretch of his cock between your walls. He starts slow, rolling his hips into you, letting out his on gratified sound of pleasure as he begins to move inside you.

“You’re so tight and wet for me,” he groans.

His hips snap into yours, fucking you hard and fast. He growls; a low, rumbling sound from deep in his chest as he fucks into you. Adding a second finger to your tight hole, he scissors them, preparing you for his tail. Your jaw clenches in both desire and anticipation, more than eager to feel the demon fill you to the brim. A needy, breathy whine sounds from your lips and Levi growls once more, thrusting into you at a relentless pace. 

“You want me to fill you so badly, don’t you, my needy dirty little slut,” he rasps, words stunted in the effort of his thrusts. “So noisy, so desperate for me. Let’s fix that, shall we?”

The cadence of his hips rises to a merciless rhythm as he pulls his fingers from your ass, making quick work of sliding his tail in before you begin to feel too empty. You bite back a loud gasp, the sudden intrusion causing your muscles to clench, though only slightly; having done this before, the pressure was not painful, more so still a bit unfamiliar. Levi presses a soft kiss to your cheek, coaxing you to relax. 

As he feels your muscles loosen, he begins to pump his tail in and out of your ass at a steady pace, moving in tandem with the fierce tempo of his cock thrusting in and out of your pussy. A hand slips from its grip on your hips, sliding up your slick body, pinching a nipple along their journey to your mouth. Levi presses a few fingers to your lips, urging you to open your mouth. You oblige, sucking on his fingers, moaning as you feel so full in every orifice. 

Feeling his cock slamming into your pussy from one angle while his tail pushes against your g-spot from the other, the pleasurable sensation floods you. A scream filled to the brim with ecstasy tears from your throat, and Levi smirks, doubling his efforts to elicit another high-pitched scream; growling once more, his head dropping back, lost in the feel of your body and the sounds of your bliss. 

“That’s right, princess, scream for me,” he moans. “Scream my name. Let all my brothers be the envious ones for once. Let them know who’s making you feel so good right now.”

“F-fuck, L-Levi, I’m going to-”

I’m going to cum. 

The words are halted as your release crescendos, the world seemingly stuttering on its axis. A fire pools low in your abdomen, between your hips. Your walls grip Levi’s cock and his tail from different ends like a vice, signaling your oncoming orgasm. The demon leans forward, lips pressed to your neck as he continues to slam into you, cock and tail moving in unison to bring you to your climax.

“Cum for me, princess, let me feel how much you enjoy what I’m doing to you,” breathes Levi, moving to the side of your neck to bite at the skin. “I’ll be right behind you…”

The feel of teeth sinking into your neck pushes you over the edge, pain mixing with pleasure. Fire blazes a trail from your hips, the delicious inferno shuddering throughout your body; bliss etched into every droplet of your blood, heart pumping harder, faster, determined to feel it in every single cell of your being. Another high-pitched scream resonates from deep within you, eyes rolling into the back of your head as stars dance in your vision, more wetness gushing between your legs.

Levi’s release chases yours as you tighten around him. He spills into you, pumping his hot, white seed deep inside your core.

“Fuck, princess, you’re amazing,” he groans, pressing a soft kiss into your shoulder.

Reluctantly, Levi pulls out of you, his tail following suit. He spins you around, catching you as you collapse into him. He places a few fingers under your chin to tilt your head up towards his own: your face alight in the afterglow of orgasm, eyes closed as a soft smile pulls at the corners of your lips, steam floating around your fucked-out body.

“I...think I’m sufficiently tired now,” you mumble, opening an eye to look at him.

Levi chuckles, quickly rinsing you in the hot water before shutting it off. He picks you up, bridal style, making his way back to your bed and grabbing a towel along the way. He sets you down, gently drying you off as your eyelids flutter, struggling to stay awake. Dropping the towel in the hamper, he lays you down before climbing in behind you and pulling the covers over your bodies.

Wrapping an arm around you and pulling you to him, your back flush against his chest, Levi chuckles softly, noting the way your breathing has evened, the gentle rise and fall of your chest evidence of your slumber. He presses a kiss into the top of your head, hair damp, before settling in next to you, his own eyes closing as he nuzzles into your neck.

“I’ll fuck you to sleep every night, princess, if it helps.”

[captainsimagines]

To Topple A Giant || Chapter Nine

Summary: You had made it your mission to destroy even the smallest evils. When the opportunity arises to finally take down your own family after years of gaining their trust, you reach for it. And so does Steve, the man who represents a symbol of everything you hate.

Pairing(s): Steve Rogers x Reader || Avengers x Reader

Part 9 of 10 ~ Mini-Series

Warnings: This story contains mature themes and discussions such as extreme canon violence, strong language, emotional angst, mentions of Endgame deaths and recoveries, sexual situations, and emotional/physical abuse. This is purely fanfiction.

Warnings in this Chapter: strong language; use of a derogatory slur/racist language (not said by any main character); mentions of blood and injuries; angst!  

Word Count: 11,200+

A/N: One more chapter after this - I should really stop labeling this as a mini-series considering it’s already over 100,000 total words lmao. Thank you for staying with me this long! I love you guys soooo much!!!

~

Utah Merry Hotel, January 2025, 2:09pm

     “I’m being an ol’ sport, why can’t you?” You whine, stomping your feet as you trudged up the stairs to the hotel roof. “It’s our first serious stakeout in forever! I’m pretty sure Wanda shaved her legs for this.”

Steve shoots a flustered and unsettled look over his shoulder. He’s lugging the rifles and extra equipment on both his shoulders so you know he’s truly baffled because to even attempt a look over… well, that required real effort. He doesn’t answer, however; he continues upward. 

Bucky and Clint are following close behind. They’re tired, huffing every few steps and grunting while doing so. Finally, Bucky whines and throws himself against the wall dramatically. “Remind me why we couldn’t just get Wanda and Sam to lift us up there?”

Steve readjusts one of the rifle straps while he replies, “Buck, I told you not to skip leg day.”

“I skip ‘everything’ day. I’m just now employed as a superhero, thank you very much. The serum should be enough.”

“Are we even close?” Clint asks and passes Bucky on a few steps. Bucky takes that as a challenge though and hoists himself more steps before giving up again. 

You just watch in pure amusement. Makes you really proud that your thighs are stronger than theirs. “Just a few more flights.”

They both groan in unison. Steve has already rounded the next flight, no longer waiting on the three of you. It takes several more minutes until you kick open the roof door Steve had left slightly ajar. It’s cold outside, wind howling with icy droplets whipping through your hair. It’s only fifty stories up but it’s pretty high - you can see the tops of the trees, or branches really. It’s winter in Utah and most of the trees are naked and covered in snow. You hope Bucky and Clint, the dynamic duo no one saw coming, still have good aim in this wind after a year of vacation. 

“Alright. Buck - Clint, set up over there. Y/N, you’re over there.” 

“Aye Aye, Captain.”

You set up where Steve instructed. You’ve got a simple magnifier and some binoculars - you won’t have to do any shooting today, thank the Gods. Clint’s got his arrows and Bucky’s got his sniper. Steve’s waiting for a signal from Sam if need be - he won’t need to shoot today either. 

“Wanda and Sam will let us know when the cars pass the barrier. The tech cannot, under any circumstances, pass through the gate right over there.” Steve points to the giant, black coated metal gate. There’s no one on duty. You made sure to evacuate the area and any staff before. The tech these goons are bringing in is all stolen Stark Tech. And according to Happy, strict instructions are to ‘blow it to Hell’.  

“And if it does?” Bucky asks, grinning mischievously at Steve’s pointed look. 

“What’d I just say?”

Bucky laughs and puts his hands up in surrender. “Damn, Stevie. Calm thyne tits.” He goes back to fiddling with his rifle. “Blow the tires before they reach the gates but after they pass the barrier. Got it.”

“Peter, you in position?” Steve asks and adjusts his earpiece. 

You can hear Peter over your own mic. “Seatbelts look easy enough to break. I’m in position, I can easily pull them from the trucks.”

“Five minutes then.”

You all settle in. The cold has passed through the leather of your boots and your toes are paying the price. It makes you miss the rain of spring and the sprinkles of fall, when everything is drenched rather than frozen and your toes still have mobility. Your jacket is big enough but it scratches your neck every time you lean down to look through the magnifier. As the minutes tick by, you brave the cold and take it off. You’d rather conduct your part efficiently and without the constant distraction. 

“It’s almost forty degrees out,” Steve mumbles beside you. He’s looking over the roof balcony and into the trees. He’s squints and refuses your offer of binoculars. 

“So I get a sore throat.”

Steve rolls his eyes, “Tony put a heater in all our suits. You should have worn yours.”

“My suit is half nano. It’s excessive for a stakeout.”

He huffs but you ignore him, choosing to look through the rejected binoculars instead. He shuffles, and then there’s a warm weight enveloping your shoulders. It’s his sweater, cotton and baby blue, and he lifts the hood to cover your cheeks and ears. Your stomach flip-flops.

“Uh, thank you,” you say and zip it closed.

Steve shrugs lightly, “Don’t mention it.”

So you don’t. He doesn’t look cold besides or he’s just really good at masking it. It’s quiet now; you can’t really hear the quiet mutters of Clint and Bucky enough to join in and to not mention the jacket is eating at you. You opt for a casual conversation instead while you wait. 

“Soooo… how’d your date go last week?”

Steve clears his throat and turns to you, a forced grin on his face. “They, uh, they were sweet.”

“Sweet,” you repeat, nodding at nothing and cursing yourself for creating such an awkward moment. “Going on a second one?”

He sighs and his expression actually turns truthful. “No, don’t see that happening.”

For a second, you’re appalled. Who wouldn’t give Steve a second date? He’s an absolute catch and being a famous superhero wasn’t exactly a dealbreaker for many. Or maybe it was and Steve was blaming his alias once again for no fairytale ending. “Are you kidding? Who wouldn’t want you?”

The words leave your mouth too quickly to reel them back in. Steve’s cheeks turn pinker, both from your words and the chill, and he ducks his head low as he answers. “It’s my fault, really. They were sweet but I wasn’t paying much attention.”

“Mm, on your phone? Daydreaming? Were they a bore?”

Steve chuckles, “I pulled out my phone, like, once to answer a text but I was a proper gentleman!”

The tension is slowly melting and there’s a soft twinkle in his eye as he laughs. It’s been so long since he’s looked at you this way: on his own accord and not on order. “Bucky said they were, and I quote,” you lower your voice and look over at Bucky to make sure he’s distracted. “‘Cute as hell’.”

Steve gives Bucky a warm look. “Eh, it’s fine. Wasn’t the one.”

“The one,” you mock in a deep voice. “Who texted you that it was so important to ignore someone cute as hell?”

Steve hesitates and looks over the balcony as if wishing for an interruption. But the trucks aren’t near yet and Sam hasn’t given the signal. “Uh, it was Peter.”

“Oh, don’t tell him that. He’ll feel incredibly guilty if he ruined your chances at getting laid.”

Steve shoves your shoulder a bit harder than he intended and it makes you stumble back. He quickly catches you by the arm and holds you still, a sheepish smile painting his pink face. He mumbles a quick ‘sorry’, and goes back to lean over the railing. “It’s cool, he knew.”

You fake a surprised gasp, “Even worse!”

“He needed me to stop by the compound and I did. Really, it’s okay,” Steve assures and he’s speaking a little quicker. He fidgets with his thumbs and it looks like he wants to wrap up that portion of the conversation. But he looks over at you and sighs deeply, and he rolls his eyes as his upper lip tilts upward. “Ask.”

“What’d he want?” It makes your belly all warm to know he expects this enthusiasm from you.

“Wanted me around. Buck and Wanda were out getting dinner.”

“Yeah, but like, what for?”

He gives you a knowing smile, like you walked right into that trap. “You made dinner but Peter was too nice to say he didn’t enjoy it, so he texted me knowing I would like it. Knowing I had it before. He didn’t want there to be leftovers because then you’d be sad.”

You step back and shake your head like there’s a fly swarming around. It startles you. “You left your date… during dinner… to come to the compound to eat the dinner I made instead?”

“Don’t think too much about it.”

“How not?”

It’s five minutes when Sam calls it in. You groan in frustration and give Steve a look that says the conversation isn’t over. 

There are four armored vehicles and the magnifier illuminates three bodies per car. The targets will be hit starting from the last to keep the explosions out of each driver’s line of sight. 

“Target acquired,” Bucky mumbles and clicks off his safety. He closes one eye and settles comfortably as he awaits Steve’s signal.         

Clint tugs back an arrow, “Same here, Cap.”

“Wanda, you ready?” Steve’s voice is lower when he’s focused. He looks over at you, your hand up with an index finger raised, and waits. Wanda answers that she’s ready and Sam counts it down. The first truck crosses the barrier, then the next, next, and finally the fourth and you drop your hand in a fast swipe. 

“Fire! Go Parker!”

Bucky shoots the back tires of all four vehicles and Clint shoots his arrows to penetrate through the passenger doors. Peter works fast, webs slinging from side to side grabbing one passenger right after the other. Once the trucks are empty, Clint activates the arrows and you all prepare for the explosions. The fourth car catches flame first and Wanda contains the explosion perfectly, balling it up into a weak bundle of light and string. She does the same to the third and second, bundles extinguishing just as quickly as they burst. But the first car swings out of control on manual and the explosion is delayed.

“Clint?”

Clint leans over the balcony and squints, as if it would help. “I don’t know. It’s not going off.” He’s clicking the detonator repeatedly, holding it up for all of you to see. 

“Wanda, the truck! The truck! Sam!” You scream as the truck crashes through the gate and hurls closer to the hotel. The commotion is enough for Bucky to pop out from his cover and the four of you watch in horror as the truck still doesn’t stop. Clint has stopped clicking the button, but it’s no use. The truck finally explodes in an outbreak of debris and electricity. The Stark Tech reacts poorly to the strain, electric gusts of smoke fire left and right and rattle the building. It feels like an earthquake, shaking the already weak foundations and old brick. Wanda catches the bottom to better contain it and tries desperately to smother it. But the shaking doesn’t stop and the corners of the roof are collapsing. 

Steve leaps to grab and pull you away and just as quickly to catch Clint’s leg before he falls over the edge. Clint is thrown back rather harshly but Steve isn’t thinking about the abuse of strength right now - no, not while Bucky slips and hangs on to a rogue pipe. Steve crawls and latches onto his hand before the pipe gives way. He yells as he tugs Bucky up with only one arm, the other having to hold onto undisturbed brick. He won't let Bucky fall. Not again.

Bucky throws his leg up and over solid ground, and you go to help Steve pull him up. Bucky’s heavy and his metal hand pinches your skin bad but he’s safe. Wanda struggles to contain the electricity but she’s succeeding. The rumbling slows until nothing moves anymore. You collapse back in exhaustion.

“Well, that didn’t go as planned,” Bucky gasps as he rubs his face. 

“Is Wanda okay?” You mumble more to yourself and struggle to pull yourself back up. But the sudden weight of your body proves too much for the edge and in a horrible wave, you’re falling through. You practically file your nails as you try to latch onto falling brick.

“No!” You feel the scratch of someone’s fingers along your forearm and soon they’re digging into your skin, and it hurts but you figure it’s better than splitting your skull open. Pebbles of concrete are falling down onto your face and the smoke from the explosion is clogging your nostrils. You hang for a few seconds, like the person can’t believe they actually caught you. Then they begin pulling you up, lifting you to safety, and you claw the rest of the way only to tumble into Steve’s chest, shaking. 

He pulls you into his arms but they’re restless, roaming over your shoulders and through your knotted hair clumsily. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” His voice wavers and he’s on the verge of tears, it seems. His waterline is glossy and his lips are quivering. “Answer me.”

“I’m fine, hey. Steve? I’m good.”

He pulls away and his hands hover you like he doesn’t know what else to do with them. “I’m sorry. I should have kept you close. I-” His voice cracks and he swallows hard. “You sure you’re okay?”

Disregarding his words is difficult, especially when you feel a second meaning to them, but you force yourself to do so. It’s been such a long time since you’ve seen him like this. And each time you have, it was never because of anything good. “Y-yeah. I’m good, Rogers.”

Bucky and Clint look at each other, they look at Steve, to you, and back to each other. Finally, Clint breaks the silence and huffs a light chuckle. “Are we really THAT rusty?”

Present Day, 2025, 11:45pm

    The Montana skies are clear and free of passenger planes, allowing the Quinjet to swift easily on autopilot. You could never drive this thing and the building anxiety of that reality bubbles each time it makes an unsteady bounce. 

Steve’s laying in the makeshift medical wing and though it’s against protocol, he’s on a secure line with Dr. Cho. She takes her time, albeit working as fast as possible too, and her light voice is fairly calm. It settles you to hear her speak this way. 

‘I need you to use this disinfectant, Captain Rogers. Do not pour it on all at once… Good, now dig through gently and make sure the pliers are sanitized.’

Steve digs out the bullets himself and bites down on a clean towel. He’s biting down hard enough that his teeth make a squeaking sound against it. It takes every ounce of your willpower to not do it for him. The Montana skies are beautiful, at least. It’s a good distraction. 

Steve gives a rather painful yell as he finally plucks the second bullet, cursing as a stream of blood drips onto the table. He’s got such tough skin - miracle or serum - that the bullets didn’t pass all the way through. Dr. Cho moves on to how to properly bandage the wound but Steve begins to tune her out. 

Two years mucking through mud and bodies and getting patched up every other day has prepared him for whatever life may throw during this new century. Not much has changed, it seems. 

When the line disconnects, Steve can finally just relax. He focuses on the soft rumble of the engine and your steady breaths. 

     You hold your breath as you settle the Quinjet on the open field, only half of you actually trusting automatic tech. Steve coaches you the whole time too, the little shit, and promises you’ll never be doing that again. 

Steve stumbles and teeters and falls on the porch steps with a low groan. You let him fall because you know you’d only fall with him. He catches himself with the hand he’s been pressing over the bandage while the other still holds on to you. You fight the urge to crash down with him and bite your lip as you look up to the night sky. 

“C’mon, Rogers,” you swallow down the increasing worry, “We’re almost inside.”

Steve huffs a pained laugh and nods. He grabs your arm again and with his remaining strength, pulls himself up,

The inside of the cabin looks comfier than the outside. You help Steve to the couch closest to the unlit fireplace before going out back to turn on the power. There’s a thin layer of ice in the grass so just in case, you scope out the garage and make sure there are snow supplies. Not that you really know what the hell snow supplies actually look like, but there’s a shovel and you figure that’s as much as your brain is going to piece together. 

When you get back inside, Steve’s fumbling with the coffee maker and leaving tiny fingerprints of blood over every surface he touches. You don’t comment on them, just step back and discreetly wipe the counters each time he passes. 

“Figured you’d like a pot,” Steve says. 

It damn near breaks your heart how small his voice sounds. The fact he’s stumbling around the cabin making sure you’ve got your coffee fix while he’s nursing two bullet wounds damn near snaps it in two.

“Thank you,” you respond and go to lead him back to the couch. He moans quietly when he sits and again as you lay him down. “I hope you don’t think I’m sleeping here,” Steve laughs and tries to hide his wince due the uncomfortable rumble. 

You smile and touch your hand to his hot cheek. His body is working overtime fighting off infection and regenerating tissue. His cheeks are a lovely scarlet red and so is the beautiful bulb of his crooked nose. He’s a little shiny, like varnish over light paint strokes, and taking the fever like a champ. “I’ll help you to the bed in a little bit. Let’s get that fever down first.”

Steve sighs, defeated, but nods. He lays his head back on the pillow and once he shuts his eyes, you get to work. The bathroom is stocked with the simple necessities: aloe vera, vapor rub, heating and cold pads, dozens of towels, and painkillers. You pop two painkillers yourself before gathering everything and dropping it on a nearby table in the kitchen. The coffee is about done brewing so you fill up a mug with bottled water and set it in the microwave for two minutes. You dip a chamomile tea bag a few times once the water is heated. There’s no teapot - you’ll apologize to Steve later. 

Once Steve’s happily sipping his tea, you start on the medicine. You wet the small towels and lay them over his forehead and bare chest. You rub aloe vera on the other cuts he obtained from hand-to-hand and finally rub the vapor rub in the dip of his neck and just below his nose. Steve gives you this funny smile as you do so, scrunching his nose and wiggling it back and forth. 

“Vicks,” you say as you show him the small container. “Heal you right up.”

“I bet,” he laughs. “Stuff smells like what I think liquid morphine would taste.” A laugh bursts from your chest, your first real instance of calm during these last few hours. You ignore his protests and smother more across his chest. 

Steve settles deeper into the couch and returns to his tea. He’s got less sweat on his skin now but he’s still red. You go to pour yourself that coffee and return to his side. The nanotech is growing stiffer and scratching your skin but you refuse to get comfortable until Steve’s fever breaks. You’re still covered in Ernesto’s blood, the red now a hellish brown, and you try not to move your face much for risk of feeling the dry pull of it. 

“Steve,” you try, but Steve shakes his head and makes sure to meet your gaze before he speaks. 

“No. The less I know the better.”

It surprises you, makes you feel more guilty, but you understand. Not telling him the full truth would be beneficial in the long run. Still, your hands hug the mug closer to your chest. “Do you think I did something bad?”

His upper lip tugs upward, “Do you think you did something bad?”

You don’t think for long. There’s not much need to. “No.”

He nods, “But you care what I think?”

“Of course I do. You’re not just my Captain anymore - you’re my friend. I care even when I’m asking you if my eggs need more salt.”

“You trust me enough to correct your cooking?” He teases, but it’s a question disguised as another. 

“I trust you enough to tell me if I need more salt. You’re not correcting it.” He laughs and dips deeper into the couch. The bandage is bleeding through, only slightly, so you move to find the first-aid kit. 

“Hey, it’s okay. It’ll stop bleeding soon.”

You hum your disagreement. “I’m gonna keep it clean until you’re strong enough to shower.”

“You can always help me shower,” he mumbles into his tea. 

Rolling your eyes, you gently nudge his shoulder as you sit back down with the kit. “If you fall, I can’t catch you, you big lug. We’d have to tell everyone we screwed in there because you falling on top of me, injured, is somehow more embarrassing.”

He allows you to remove the soiled bandage and dab around the healing wounds. He’s bruising around the sides, multiple shades of green and yellow already, and the holes are stitched rather poorly. It makes you feel a little better about your own criss-cross work - even Steve sucks at it. 

“I’m sorry I had to go and get myself shot,” Steve apologizes and sucks in a deep breath when the towel drags a little too roughly. 

“Yeah, what the hell happened there?”

He almost mimics you in the way he shrugs his shoulders and lifts his arms in that ‘well, fuck if I know’ position, pursing his lips and expelling a chuckle. “Had my gun trained on Ernesto. Ernesto had his own on Ramirez. Then Seda came in and Ernesto ordered Ramirez to hand his over to Seda. Played right into Seda’s hands.”

You process the explanation slowly and dab his wound a few more times before unwrapping the clean bandage. “And the damn shield?”

Steve’s embarrassed by that small detail, he’ll admit it, because he truly was blindsided by Seda’s appearance. You were supposed to be holding him down after all. “In my defense! When it’s shrunk down and in your pocket rather than latched onto one’s arm, it’s easily forgettable.”

You clean around the wound softly before placing and taping the new bandage. The conversation settles and you’re both quiet for a long, long minute. He thanks you for cleaning him up by rubbing sweet circles into the knuckles of your right hand. Finally, you can’t take it anymore. It’s like a wave of irrefutable worry and rage, all bunched together with each emotion trying to outweigh the other. That goddamn riptide, sucking you in and keeping your head below water just for the hell of it. Breathing in harshly, you fail to keep yourself from stuttering over your words. “I’m sorry.”

Steve bites back a groan of pain as he leans over to take your cheeks in his palms. The brush of his fingertips lets you know that you’ve already started crying. You don’t much care about the facade anymore. “Doll, listen to me. Listen.”

“I never meant to leave you alone.”

“You never did.”

You bark out a wet laugh, sarcastic. “I should have run faster. I should have killed him all those years ago. I should have never brought you into this.”

“You did what you had to do,” he says, fiercely. He forgets his own strength for a second, only slightly diminished from the healing process, and loosens his tight grip against your cheeks. “You did what you had to do to survive.”

“I wanted to hate you,” you admit. Your bottom lip is trembling and your hands clench together over your thighs. “I wanted to hate you so much. If I did, then you getting hurt or killed on this mission wouldn’t hurt so bad. I hated you for what you did. Because it made me realize that I could never hate you at all.”

“Hey,” he tries, hands now lowering to clutch at your own. “Stop apologizing for having a heart. Stop thinking you’re not worthy of even having one.”

Your face crumbles and Steve realizes for the first time in a long time just how much you’ve been holding in. “Why didn’t you use the stones?”

Steve’s heart clenches at the sound of the crack in your voice. He hasn’t heard that crack since Clint fell to his knees without Natasha by his side. He holds onto you tighter and prepares himself for an admission he never thought he would ever have to give. “Because Peggy told me not to.”

Something confusing happens in the middle of your chest. It clenches with anger but understanding. The answer to your question was always this simple but it looks like it’s tearing Steve apart from the inside-out.

    She’s as beautiful as the day he went into the ice. All he has to do is whisper her name so sweetly, delicately, and she turns her head like she’s answering the prayer. First her knees buckle, eyes watering and blotching her vision, and she collapses on the soft grass of her backyard. Steve’s holding her the very next second, repeating that he’s real, he’s here. 

“Steve,” Peggy gasps, hands shaking as she brings them to his wet cheeks. She grips and pokes and does everything so comically that Steve laughs a wet laugh when she starts smacking him. “What is going on?”

And he tells her. Everything he can remember: the good, the bad, the wretched. He spills everything, and he spills the most delicate information of their time: he’s alive, just frozen; Bucky’s alive, just hurt; the world is saved, just broken. Whether she believes it or not Steve’s not sure, but he’s so goddamn happy to see her again that he chokes every other word. 

“And you? You’re happy?”

His eyebrows come together and he looks at Peggy like she’s speaking another language. She’s got the same red lipstick, same curl in her hair even if it’s longer now, and she’s filling out her dresses more. “Pegs, don’t ask me that.”

She detaches herself slowly from his arms, pausing their dance as she speaks. “Why not? You can’t expect me to accept that you stopped by to see me all willy-nilly after saving the universe.” Her lips twitch into a knowing smile and Steve melts. Her voice is sending him into a spiral, a world he never thought he would see again, and he realizes just how much he loves accents on women  - especially this woman. 

“I just,” he chokes out, and brushes his index finger down her cheek. “I had to see you again.”

“I get that,” Peggy says and pays no mind that the record player has stopped; she still sways gently with Steve. “But you’ve just mentioned a whole other world you’ve been a part of. You’ve got your best guy back, that Wilson fellow sounds like the life of the party, and this Agent Y/N certainly sounds like she’s been by your side through it all.”

Steve stutters in his step and holds her closer. Her stomach presses against his, and he stops abruptly. He looks down between them and runs his hand from her shoulder, down, to lay across her growing belly. “Pegs.”

She gives him the same wide and proud smile she gave him when he returned with the 107th. She lays her hand over his. “I know.” She laughs and tilts her head lovingly. “I’m happy, too.”

Steve bites his lip to keep from sobbing. He was so stupid for coming to this timeline, for ruining Peggy’s chance at happiness, for interrupting the life he already knew she created for herself. He inputted the wrong year, he suddenly realizes, and steps back arms-length from her. “I’m sorry, I was stupid to come here. I just wanted to see you and then I did, and I… I still love you, Pegs.”

“Oh,” Peggy gasps, bottom lip trembling. “Darling, do not mistake yourself, even for a second, into thinking that I do not love you too.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing for having a heart.”

He wants to argue, say he’s stupid a million more times, but he finds himself listening to her gentle words. It’s Peggy, Steve thinks. She’s always been right.

“In this world you live in, you have James?” He nods. She continues, “In this world you live in, you just lost two of your most loved friends?” He nods again. He wipes his face from forehead to chin. “In this world you live in, you have met a woman who has the same stubbornness as you; has the same self-sacrificing streak, who has your heart in such shambles that you dare call her one of your best friends?”

Steve thinks of you and how broken your smile was as you waved him goodbye, hand clenching Sam’s as Steve gathered the stones and Mjolnir. He thinks of the times you’d leap onto his back and demand a ride; the times he’s saved your ass in a firefight; how his sleep has definitely improved ever since he started calming you from nightmares - he hasn’t slept so well since before the war. He nods again.

Her eyes go soft. “Steve,” she starts and Steve knows. He doesn’t want to know. “Don’t abandon the world you’ve built for yourself. Surround yourself with the people you love. Do this for me.”

“There’s so much hate and blood waiting for me when I get back, Pegs. I don’t want to-”

“There is a difference between you not wanting to and you having to.” He drops his head and focuses on the floor. Peggy isn’t done grilling him, however, and he looks back up to grant her the respect. “You must not abandon the world you helped create. I’m not saying this to be mean. I’m saying this because I know you don’t want to.”

“Pegs.”

“I see right through you, Steve. We marched together through mud and blood before. We’ve got two years of fighting side by side under our belts. I’ve seen you at your worst, and you I. I know that face anywhere.”

“I missed you, Pegs,” Steve breathes. She cups his face with her hands and draws their foreheads together.

“The stars weren’t written in our favor. But to know that you’re alive, and that you make it, and that you actually get to live,” she bites back a sob. “I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

“It isn’t my world to begin with.”

“No, you’re a man out of time. But so is James. You won’t abandon him now, will you?”

He chuckles low and their noses touch. “Stop making me feel guilty for wanting to find you, Peggy.”

She presses a soft kiss to the side of his mouth and finally breaks away. “And you won’t abandon that sweet girl who has put up with your nonsense for the last five years, you say?”

Steve shakes his head and meets Peggy’s gaze. “I’m just tired.”

“They are too, I bet.” He turns to the door and to Peggy, and she figures it’s almost time for him to leave. “You have been the archer and the brave, Steve. I’m absolutely certain you’ve been more. You will be more.”

Steve says his final goodbyes and stops to remember the fine details of Peggy’s face. The fifties are treating her well. Steve expected nothing less. Bright lights flash around him and he’s back to the world he wanted to leave, to hide from, and he sees you - and your mouth parts in shock.

     “And you listened to her?” you ask. 

Steve smiles, although it’s hard for him to remember that conversation. “I came back. I didn’t listen to her when she said to surround myself with people who love me, and who I love in return.”

“No, you made damn sure of that.”

“Hey,” Steve chuckles. “Don’t take smacks at me when you’re down.”

You can’t help but laugh. “Sorry, it’s just too easy sometimes.” Laughing about the two years of missed chances and spoiled friendship was not on your bingo card for this week. 

“I don’t know how this is going to play out,” you admit. Steve looks so young with a somber expression: his eyebrow creases gently without wrinkling the rest of his forehead, the side of his mouth tilts downward, and his eyelashes kiss the pink of cheeks. “I decided in the moment. So I’m fuck all out of ideas on how to proceed.”

He nods in understanding. “Guess we just have to look over our shoulders three times instead of two now.”

“Simple like that?” You scrub a hand over your face and curse inwardly when you smudge your lipstick down to your chin. You ignore it. “I know we’re Avengers, but.”

“No buts,” Steve says and moves to sit up. You help him by pushing his shoulders and he accepts your help as you struggle to the bathroom. “You helped the guy and his daughter. I’m sure he’s going to be watching our backs from now on.”

You help Steve strip from his dress pants and shoes and finally remove your suit as well. The graze on your arm is covered in brown, dried blood but the wound isn’t deep. It’ll sting like a sunburn, you know that, but it’s better than being shot through. You watch Steve enter the shower and leave the curtain drawn. His bandage is soaked again but thankfully it’s from the water and not more blood. You grab a spare towel and soak it with water and soap, and rub it across your lips and chin. 

“Let me do that,” Steve calls. You strip bare and bring the towel with you into the shower. Steve takes it and scrubs over your face, gently but more rough as he gets to your eyes. It’s an innocent moment of ‘ouch, scrub softer!’ and ‘surprised I didn’t take all your lashes off’. He helps clean your wound as well and once you’re both clean, he bandages you up and you him. 

The master bedroom is the only room without electricity so you gather some candles. It’s like the two of you won’t admit you’re currently afraid of the dark or what may lie in it. They illuminate the room in a delicate orange and it’s such a peaceful color to briefly see before falling asleep, head tucked into Steve’s chest and his heartbeat thrumming gently with your breath. 

     It’s a wonder what a night’s sleep can do. Steve’s wounds are sealed and his fever is gone, but there’s a signature left behind. A pink and white patch of skin as tender as a newborn’s, a memory. Steve pours your coffee and his tea while you trace your fingers over it.

Two hours after eating a small breakfast and securing the perimeter, a soft ding startles you from the random book you’re reading. Steve’s phone shines with a message from Sam. It simply reads: ‘Clear’. Grabbing the phone and walking out onto the porch, you find Steve sitting on one of the steps he tripped over just yesterday. He’s sketching the sky and the trees, taking his time on the lines of the branches, the strokes of the leaves, and the frost over them. He looks up, studies his surroundings, and looks back down to add a detail he previously missed. He sniffs, rubs his nose, and finally notices you leaning against the doorframe. 

“Hey,” he says, soft. “Any news?”

You hold up his phone and nod. “Sam says we’re clear to fly in.”

Steve looks back to his drawing. You hesitate before speaking, knowing damn well an all clear means get your ass back as soon as possible. “Finish your drawing. I’ll pack whatever we need to.” Steve’s mouth parts but he shuts it just as quickly. Slowly, he nods. 

     There isn’t much to pack since you brought nothing but the clothes on your backs. Everything at the hotel was collected before the wedding and should have flown back with Scott and the others. It feels awkward stealing bottled water and processed foods to hoard on the quinjet, but it’s a necessity. Steve meets you at the quinjet doors, shows you his drawing, and volunteers to take the wheel. 

“You’re not volunteering. You’re ordering.”

Steve rolls his eyes, “No license, no drive.”

“What are you? A cop?”

“Don’t think for one second I won’t actually hand the wheels over and happily crash while screaming ‘I told you so’.” 

Steve steers for the duration of your flight. The next few hours are spent just enjoying each other’s company, speaking of all things and simply catching up. It’s amazing how much you two missed from one another’s lives those two years.

      The landing base is clear and it’s Sam who’s waiting for you as the Quinjet manually lands itself. He shoots you a gap-toothed smile and extends his arms, pulling the two of you in at the same time for a strong hug. He’s talking a mile a minute about how successful the mission was, how Fury is over the moon that it’s finally over, how the DEA is thinking of congratulating everyone one by one. It’s enough to distract Steve, who’s just happy to see his best friend again, but it isn’t enough for you. The large metal doors sealing the storage facility from the rest of the compound are thrown open. Bucky stumbles through and practically sprints over to the three of you. 

“Get back on the jet,” he orders, already pulling you by the arm. You all look at one another like he’s gone mad but that’s impossible. Bucky’s paranoia isn’t something to take lightly; he’s right nine out of ten times. 

“Buck, what-?”

“Rhodes couldn’t hold them. They have warrants, Steve.”

Steve hauls Sam onto the jet as well. “Warrants for who?”

“Get down from the jet without a fight and this will all go smoothly.”

There are about twenty uniformed officers surrounding the jet. They spread out in case anyone decides to run but it seems pointless to even try. Secretary Ross points his gun directly at you, proud and tall and looking just the same as you remember him. Last time you saw him was at Tony’s funeral. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” you bite, and raise your hands in cooperation. Ross shakes his head and his expression contorts into one of disgust. There are red beams coming from each gun but your friends are clean - the beams are only pointed at you.

“Agent Y/N Y/LN, you’re under arrest for multiple charges of drug smuggling, trafficking of illegal goods, the murder of Ernesto Vega and Daniel Seda, aiding and abetting drug-lord Omar Ramirez, and for conspiracy against the United States of America. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a federal court of law...”

You drone out half way through. Ross finishes up the speech but no one is listening. Sam is already yelling over your Miranda Rights and Bucky’s frozen in place. Steve’s fighting his way through to Ross, pushing through the muscle until he’s face to face with him. But Ross isn’t fazed. There’s nothing left to do but exit the jet. 

Immediately there are handcuffs slapped to your wrists. Two men drag you over to the containment car that’s enforced with so much indestructible material it’s almost insulting. You weren’t enhanced - they were doing this for fun.

“You’ve got it all wrong! Y/N! Y/N!”

You don’t fight. Conspiracy… you’re surprised they didn’t just shoot you dead. Steve’s still yelling, begging to be heard, but you try to block him out. It’s not your first time being arrested but it is your first time being charged with something you didn’t do. As funny as that sounds, it’s terrifying. 

“Steve,” you say, and Steve breaks through some more hired muscle so he’s within earshot. “It’s okay.”

His face pulls up in pain, “No, you didn’t do this! They’re not listening!”

One of the officers pushes your head down roughly and tries to shove you in the backseat. You’re still looking at Steve. And those eyes, wounded and vulnerable, haunt him even after the door shuts and the car drives away.

     There’s a privilege attached to the mantle of Captain America. Perhaps he was too blind to see it during the war or just too proud he was finally being heard and respected, but now he sees it for what it really is. It’s a mantle this country has never truly associated with the person but with the purpose. Steve was manufactured to help protect this country under government orders and when he defied that purpose, he disgraced the mantle. Seems like some people idolize the role a little too much. 

But he’s still Captain America. This reality has continued to clear his name from stunts he pulls and laws he breaks. And once Steve is able to walk away without so much as a scratch, he leaves bodies behind.

Sharon. Sam. Bucky. Wanda. And now you. All people who fought his fight and weren’t granted the quick privilege of that perceived pureness and holiness. He was always ready for combat, he was built for it, but he didn’t really want it. 

Did he?

Ripping that star off his chest was one thing. Accepting his new shield cemented his continual legacy as the Star-Spangled Man. He deserved to be in that cell with you. But if he learned anything about how the world works, it’s that cruelty doesn’t just win in the movies. All of his enemies started out friends and if he had to bet, he’d bet the reason they’re labeled as such is partially because of him. 

So he sits and listens to everyone’s ideas and plans, vetoing and dismissing one right after the other, his mind doing jumping jacks. He’s both there and not, drowning in the fact that he made it home and you didn’t. He doesn’t know how to sleep without the sound of your snoring anymore. 

He sits and listens. 

    The cell isn’t one you would expect for someone who has been charged for betraying her country. It’s modestly furnished: a black cot in the far right corner with a mini table beside it, a desk with some paper, and a door that leads to the private bathroom. All in all, the room’s size is that of a child’s bedroom; there’s no actual pens and pencils for risk of violent behavior and there’s a bulb camera that moves when you move. 

You’ve been trapped in worse. 

Countless detectives and investigators have visited already. They all ask the same questions: Why did you do it? Did Captain Rogers know? Who are you, really? 

You give the same answers: I didn’t do it. Of course, every single person knows. Who do you think I am?

Every time they leave more discouraged than the one before them, refusing to compare notes with one another in case they were in possession of gold. They all ignore you when you try to ask for Steve and his wellbeing. Their faces contort, they whisper to their partners, and they shake their heads in disappointment. One even goes as far as to threaten you, warning you to keep Captain Roger’s name out of your wetback mouth or else, until he’s escorted from the cell. Not that it really matters - the manipulated ideals of these people will always blur their search for the truth. And when the truth fails to satisfy such greedy manipulations, they choose to create their own.

There is one agent who peaks your interest. He offers you gum when he settles in the chair near the door. His name badge reads ‘Kavert’; it glares in the bright lights overhead and he makes no other attempt at small talk once he gets comfortable and opens his little notepad. 

That goddamn notepad, you think. Every single person before has prided themselves over it, scribbling little notes about your tone of voice, body movement, and vague answers. You never give much, Natasha had taught you better, so they always end up writing less than two bullet points before giving up. 

But Agent Kavert surprises you by opening up to a blank page, spitting his chewed gum in the middle, and then he shuts it closed. He offers you a real smile, one that doesn’t look practiced or forced. It lets you study him without being so guarded or uncomfortable. He seems young, not really a rookie but it’s obvious he’s spent more time behind a desk than out in the field. His dark hair is short, sprinkled grays near his temples, and his attire screams upper level. His build is lean, his gun is in the holster on his right hip, and a part of you knows he’d put up a hell of a fight if you tried to escape. 

“I was gonna comment on what lovely weather we’re having, but I don’t think you get out much.” 

You’re startled into a real laugh. Satisfaction washes over his face. 

“I think you’re wasting your time, Agent Kavert.”

He grins and moves to proudly pull at his jacket and present his badge. He sets the notebook to the side and leans forward to cup his hands together on his knees. 

You squint at him. There’s nothing interesting about you right now: back against the wall as you sit criss-crossed on the cot, sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, hair brushed but a little greasy. Your last shower was two days ago and you figure they’ll let you have one tonight. 

“Yeah, you’re right. There’s no point in hoping you’ll tell me anything you haven’t shared yet.”

“Nope.”

He hums low in his throat and tilts his head to the left. Now, he squints at you. “I just don’t get it. How did you do it? Not show up on our radar, I mean?”

It doesn’t seem like he’s calling you guilty or innocent. Already he’s one-hundred percent different from the other agents. “I wasn’t exactly hiding.”

He sits up to lean back in the chair, “Different last name, government and Avenger protection, covering your tracks so carefully even the DEA missed you.”

“You’ve done your homework.”

“Yes, but,” he starts. He acts like he’s having a normal conversation on his front porch. “It still doesn’t make sense. How could Nick Fury miss this? Tony Stark? After the whole Obadiah situation, I expected him to-”

“It’s simple, really. Do you want to know or do you want to keep making assumptions?”

He’s watched the other agents leave by this point. Some couldn’t even make you talk. So he shuts up and waves his hand for you to continue. 

“Cool,” you breathe out. “First of all, I’m literally only telling you this because I’ve already been refused a lawyer or some crap like that and I highly doubt this is going to actual court. The publicity would be horrible.” 

He bites his lip but you catch the little smile forming. You continue, “And I have nothing to hide. I’m sure my Captain, my teammates, and Fury himself have given their sides. Am I right?”

Agent Kavert adjusts himself in the seat and nods in response. He doesn’t dare interrupt you now. 

“Good, then I’ll keep it sweet. They knew who I was. I was recruited to be an inside source, a double agent, and this wedding was the perfect chance to corner those men,” you declare, turning your hands palm up and shrugging your shoulders. “There, happy?”

“Double agent.” Agent Kavert chews over the words, rolling them around on his tongue a few more times. He’s squinting harder and you can see his brain working. The next sound to leave his lips is a heavy sigh and a feeling of immense irritation washes over you. It wasn’t enough.  “Are we going to be truthful yet, Agent?”

Chuckling lightly, you rest the back of your skull on the wall. It was wrong to assume he’d be any different from the others. “Of course you don’t believe me. You want more, they all do. I don’t suppose I have anything better to do.”

He claps his hands on his thighs and leans forward again, loud and restless. “Then let’s get started, really: Did you or did you not let Omar Ramirez, Mexican drug-lord involved with Ernesto Vega, your father... imagine that, run away from a crime scene, evade arrest, and possibly leave the country?”

“You expect me to follow all those questions?”

“It’s not the time to be funny.”

“You were enjoying it just a second ago,” you mumble. He raises his eyebrows, still waiting for an answer.  “Then let me put it simply: no, I did not.”

“Did you or did you not assassinate Ernesto Vega?”

“I would have remembered such a brilliant kill if it came from my gun.”

“So that’s a no… Daniel Seda?”

“His gun was pointed at my Captain. Yes.”

“Against orders, then?”

Confusion is written all over your face and you make sure the camera knows it too. There are only so many times you can repeat yourself. “Don’t you have Steve’s report? Scott’s?”

“We have to hear the story from you, Agent.”

“But that’s just the thing, isn’t it? You don’t believe me.”

He shrugs and quickly scans you up and down. Even if he doesn’t have the tangible notepad in his hands, he’s getting away with making mental notes. “The story just isn’t piecing together the way it should be. Why would Daniel Seda murder his greatest ally and friend?”

“Our mics have already transcribed that answer for you, sir. I’m sure of it. And I’ve got sources outside of the DEA and Avengers-”

“Like Maribel Rodrigo? Another smuggler who has operated inside the cartel, HYDRA, Madripoor…”

You cut him off, angry. “Not the full story.” 

Tone of voice: defensive.

“Then that leads me to my next question.”

“Oh, fun.”

Tone of voice: sarcastic.

He speaks with a tinge of astonishment hidden in every syllable. “Why didn’t you do it? Kill Ernesto, I mean.”

“I was disarmed at the time. The Captain and I both were,” you answer, growing more impatient by the second.

He uses his hands to speak now, finger pointing along an invisible timeline detailing the order of events. “So you admit you were going to kill him if you had your weapon.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth.”

Body movement: rigid.

“Or maybe you weren’t. Maybe my boss is right, maybe the FBI is right in thinking that you are a double agent leaning more towards your roots than our boys in blue.” He says this like its scripture; like it’s some holy conspiracy he’s just found evidence for. He wants you to plant words in your mouth and in this discussion so he can pluck the evidence from the ground and water it with fire.

You scoff hard, “I hardly ever wear blue when doing your job for you.”

“Was letting Omar Ramirez escape our job or just yours?”

Telling him the truth would mean losing all credibility, all titles, all trust in your work. You know what you’ve done and you don’t regret it. Ramirez was never the biggest fish and if you spun this right, then he was simply a fish who got his meal and promptly swam away. “You assume I let him go. What evidence tells you that?”

He ignores the question and instead asks another of his. “Why were your relations kept hidden from SHIELD and the FBI?”

“That’s a question for you know who.”

He shakes his head in disappointment. “You’re in a lot of trouble.”

“I bet I am. But this is not some precinct where you can get my team to turn on me so easily. And this is not a situation in which they’re lying for me. I trust that whatever the Captain has said is the answer to all your questions.”

“We’re gonna unravel this case. We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

You’re suddenly overcome with a wave of sleepiness. These past two weeks have been exhausting even if you haven’t moved more than five feet from wall to wall. Having to repeat yourself to people who have already written the story for themselves is tiring. “I don’t know why you guys can’t just believe the words of myself and everyone vouching for me. We got you all the evidence. We have given you more names and connections that you’ll ever know what to do with. You don’t need to unravel anything; it’s all there! But because we weren’t able to arrest the one person you wanted, that being Ernesto, you go after me. You have White but I guess he’s not talking. And you’ll believe what you want to believe.”

“I trust my gut.”

“As simple as that, huh?” You sigh deeply and cross your arms over your chest. “You know, there’s a saying the late Agent Carter used to tell all SHIELD agents when they first started out and when they came back from missions. When she retired, it was Fury who then eased our minds.” 

Agent Kavert has a harsh line creasing through the middle of his forehead and he looks deeply interested. 

“There are three sides to every story,” you recite. “Your side, my side, and the truth.” A gentle shrug of the shoulders feels like all you’re allowed to give him. “I’m not lying to you but I’m not telling you the full truth either. Just my side.”

Agent Kavert shuts his eyes and bounces his left leg. He looks conflicted and unable to formulate a response at all. He’s shaking like he’s at war with himself or with the suits on the other side of the door, but no one has come knocking yet. “Let’s say I believe you. Just for a second.”

You nod. 

“Daniel Seda murders Vega at his own daughter’s wedding. We managed to catch Marcus White and because of fault entirely, Omar Ramirez gets away. Because from what I heard, Ramirez was working with you.” He paints the picture rather mundane, but you shoot him a smile that tells him he’s on the right track. “And you and all the other Avengers were blindsided by Ramirez. You gathered all the evidence you were told to gather, worked together and played your cards right, infiltrated one of the most secure estates in the country, and fucked up so badly that you managed to let two of your biggest giants die?”

“I really think you got it spot on.”

He laughs dryly, “But it still doesn’t make sense. Once Vega was gone and Seda survived, where would you have fallen in this tree?”

He wants to retract his question the moment he sees your face fall with such a sincerity he wasn’t ready for. “That’s just it, Agent Kavert. I would have fallen.”

“And the other two? How would business work? Would Daniel Seda have been the head of it now?”

“Your answers are in the evidence we gathered. I know you guys aren’t touching it because you think I’m compromised.”

He stands from the chair and dusts off his jacket. “Your side, my side, and the truth,” he repeats. He goes to open the door but you speak quickly before he can leave. 

“They think I infiltrated SHIELD, the Avengers, and am in bed with HYDRA because they’ve been helping Ernesto’s vision all along.” Agent Kavert stops and turns back to you. “I am a double agent whose identity was kept secret to aid this country and not raise suspicions from your part. I have seen a lot of things, have done things I’m not proud of, but I’ve done it all for a reason.”

Agent Kavert looks almost ashamed. Tone of voice: sincere.

“Me and my Captain saved lives, our own as well, and we stopped three of the most notorious drug-lords who have been at large since the eighties. We got your giants for you. And the truth is, I have discovered: through all my pain and experience... that it’s excellent to have a giant’s strength; but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant.”

Agent Kavert doesn’t know if you’re talking about Ernesto, the U.S Government, yourself, or him. His eyebrows pinch together and he slowly moves to leave the room.

    It’s another week before you’re visited by someone who isn’t bringing you food or extra toilet paper. You’re picking at your cuticles when the vents above your cell begin rattling with the obvious weight of a human being. You sit dumbly on the bed, straining your ears and trying hard not to laugh as each rattle is returned with a muffled curse. The vent on the ceiling right outside your cell drops to the concrete floor. 

Ernesto’s men wouldn’t go through all that trouble to kill you James Bond style. They would have just bribed a guard. So it’s a treat when the door swings open quickly and in comes a staggering Clint, keys in one hand and his phone in the other. The screen is illuminated, showcasing what looks to be blueprints. He’s got a bandaid over his left eyebrow and dust all over his clothes.

Your upper lip twitches into a silly smile. “You’re ridiculous if you thought you wouldn’t be heard in those damn vents.”

Clint makes a noise that sounds like he’s saying ‘maaaf’ and he plops down beside you on the cot. It’s absolutely hilarious he traveled in the vents and that the team approved this when in reality, they could have just sent Scott. “Just had to get past the first line of security. Plus, the blueprints said they were wider... I figure we’ve got a good three minutes before they check the cameras.”

It’s not the first time you sit in a cell with a time crunch. 

     The Raft is nothing special. They have you all separated by rank, meaning you were in the same vicinity as Clint, Sam, and Scott. Wanda was moved to a more secure location and you haven’t seen her since they brought you in. 

There isn’t much to do in a place like this. You tried counting how many strands of hair you had but gave up once you counted two hundred; you tried seeing if the others could hear you when you yelled out to them but the cells were soundproof; you even tried filing your nails against the uneven paint on the wall. It’s like they made life in these cells purposefully horrible - like you didn’t save the world a couple times over, c’mon. 

The camera fidgets over your head where you’re laying down and after a few seconds, it stops. The red light slowly fades and turns a bright yellow. You move to stand on the bed and reach for it, but a voice startles you from doing so. 

“Don’t mess with my magic!”

You topple over the single pillow you were given and fall flat on the bed, scrambling to shield yourself from whoever intruded. “Jesus!”

“Oh, I met him. Strange lad, didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

There’s a moment where you think you must be dreaming. His hair is longer and hits his shoulders and he’s added some blue and yellow to his usual attire. But other than that, he’s alive. Truly, brilliantly, really alive. 

“Loki, what the fuck?”

“Right!” Loki claps his hands and extends them outwards, smiling.  “Ta-da!”

A few beats pass. You blink a few times just in case you’re hallucinating. Barely a week in containment… 

“I’m sorry… I’m still trying to process the fact that you’re still alive!”

He scoffs low and goes to sit at the edge of the bed. “A God never truly dies, darling.”

“Well in Greek mythology-”

“Greek mythology and I have this unsettled beef that’s been going on for about five hundred years. Do not mention Greek mythology to me.”

“Excuse me, right, I should have known that was a sensitive topic.”

Loki swipes his tongue over his bottom lip and expels a laugh. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

Your restraint is gone and you lunge forward to envelope him in the tightest hug you’ve ever given anyone. He returns it, sighing into your shoulder and holding you close. You pull away just to stare at him, watching his features as they move ever so slightly. It’s really him. 

“I-” Loki tries but stutters. He’s studying you too and he almost looks sad. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“Does Thor know?” Loki shakes his head at your question and winces when you smack his shoulder. “Loki, Thor has been grieving you for months!”

“I’m planning on it!” You don’t believe him. He goes to rub his shoulder. “Gods, I forgot you had excellent aim.”

You look back at the camera and find that the yellow light is still glowing, dim. Loki’s magic is blocking footage out or putting footage in, you really don’t know. But it’s allowing you a few moments with the man you thought you’d never see again. “Spontaneous reincarnation aside, what are you doing here? How did you even know I was here?”

“I’m on this planet for five-FIVE minutes, and the television has all these reports about you and everyone fighting each other?”

“Mm, right, right.”

Loki stares at you, amused. “... Care to explain?”

Your face contorts into a hundred different expressions until you finally settle on one of gentle guilt. “The person we were after was a friend of a friend. I made a judgement call and let him go.”

“You went against orders?”

“I went against the law.”

“Even better.”

With an eyebrow cocked, you give him a judging look. “Loki.”

His eyes crinkle from the intensity of his smile and you’ve missed him, you missed him so much. “That’s what I love about you. Barely starting out as an Avenger and you’re already realizing you can do more good in your own way.”

You groan quietly and rest your head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around your waist and tugs you closer. “I mainly did it for Steve. Wasn’t like it was a big ‘fuck you’ to one-hundred and seventeen nations for the hell of it.”

“Do you regret it?”

“No.”

“Spoken like a true anti-hero.”

“You comparing me to yourself?”

Loki chuckles and runs his fingers through the strands of hair closest to your cheek. “Darling, I’m a God. No one comes close.” He sighs, serious again. “All I’m saying is that it’s refreshing to see the young break the rules.”

“I missed you,” you softly say. You can feel the nudge of his cheek turning upward against your head. 

“Always nice to hear.”

Rolling your eyes, you move to meet his gaze. “So, no reason why you came to visit me specifically?”

Loki takes one cautious look at the camera, to outside your cell, and back to you. “I too do things for your lovely Captain.” His smile grows wider. 

“What?”

He winks and tilts his head over to the giant metal doors that are starting to pry open. “See you in a minute.” 

The alarms begin blazing; there is fog filling the room, and Steve emerges from that fog with a winning smirk.

     You look over at Clint, half selfishly wishing he was Loki on another one of his midnight visits, and quickly do away with the thought. “So how’s life without me?”

“Oh, it’s great! The flowers are in bloom, the kitchen isn’t always a mess, and my bow and arrow aren’t misplaced because you wanted to have some fun with it,” he jokes, stretching far enough that his feet dig into your thigh like he’s trying to make more room for himself.  

“Not like it’s your only bow and arrow.”

He chuckles and sits up. He does a once over of the room and adjusts the frequency on his hearing aid. “They read you your rights at least?”

You wait to respond until he finishes fixing it. You speak and sign the words slowly,  “I don’t think any lawyer in America will want to take this case anyway.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s a career killer.”

Trying to refrain from smiling around Clint was nearly impossible. You look to the door quickly, “Two minutes?”

He shoots up straighter as he watches your hands, “Right! So we’re currently tracking down your sister-”

“My sister?”

“Steve thinks she’s our only hope at clearing your name.”

“Why is that? I told her to get as far away as possible.”

Clint sighs and scratches the skin just above the bandaid. “She stayed in Mexico all those years you were gone. By all accounts, Ernesto adored her. Because of that, her influence might clear your name.”

“But she stayed. All the more reason to believe she was involved as well,” you say, shaking your head.

“She’s barely out of her teens. Everything that happened, happened when she was a minor. She has a first hand account of the abuse Ernesto caused you. And Steve thinks that the Julian fellow might even come clean and admit to the arranged marriage. Shows a pattern of abuse by Ernesto to his own children. Could spin it to make it seem like you had no other choice but to follow his orders.”

You follow his hands slowly, some signs difficult to read but you latch onto the gist of his argument. You groan and lean your head back on the wall with a small thump. “They go against Ernesto and they have targets on their backs. Even my other siblings who are still involved with all of this won’t let it go.”

“Y/N… Ernesto’s dead. You know that.”

“His influence isn’t.”

There’s minimal commotion a few doors down. Clint realizes it’s time to leave. “It might never be. But we don’t get to live in the future.” He stands with another small groan and stretches as he prepares to lift himself back into the vent. “We’re living now, and it’s all any of us can do.”

“Clint?” You also stand and have to wave in his peripheral to get his attention. He turns and knows what you’re about to say even without the hand gestures. “They won’t answer me when I ask.”

His lips pull into a perceptive smile, “He’s okay. Doing what he does best - blaming himself.”

“Oh, okay, good.”

He’s had enough practice reading your lips to notice the sarcasm that drips from them. He hurries to lift himself up. “We’ve got about a million tricks up our sleeve. If Jackeline’s word or the evidence isn’t enough, we’ve always got Fury and his blackmail.”

“Yeah, half the guys who interviewed me look like they cheat on their wives, so.”

He genuinely laughs and jumps high, muttering more to himself than to you. “Up we go…”

     The team locates Jackeline just a few days after your run-in with Clint. The building saw a triple rise in security but even then it didn’t prevent undercover agents passing all the checkpoints and sliding notes with your meals. They’d leave the tray, tip their hats, and smile like they knew the cameras wouldn’t suspect a thing. 

The first note is from Bucky, with the simple message of ‘I watched a few episodes of The Crown without you… I’m sorry.’

The second comes on the same day at dinner time, this one from Wanda. ‘I think Peter is trying to flirt with your sister.’

The third isn’t slipped through with any meal, but rather through the tiny opening beneath the door. ‘Surprised we did this the legal way this time! See you soon! - Rhodey’

The final one is actually hand delivered when several guards come in to tell you you’re free to go. They’re mumbling amongst themselves, cursing the system and the privileges Avengers always get, when the smallest of the five turns to you and hands you the note. ‘I owe you one. You owe me one. Who’s counting anymore? - Joaquin’

Jackeline had been able to track down Maribel and the two of them, with such accuracy in their stories and their timelines, constructed your defense perfectly. They showed them phone records, all of the recordings from that week, had proof that you never signed a thing, and made several special deals. Jackeline promised to reveal where bodies were buried, where business was dealt with, who else was involved with Ernesto and Seda. Maribel managed to get a message to them from Ramirez, which basically cleared you from the crime they were trying to stick. Ramirez was a damn good liar, you’ll give him that, and it made you the tiniest bit sad that you’d probably never see him again. 

The tipping point was when Steve turned himself in. There was no evidence that you did anything, never signed anything, never conspired behind your teammates backs. Fury made sure not to keep a paper or electronic trail. But there was evidence that implicated Steve - the contract. No matter how badly the FBI and CIA tried to make it go away, to absolve Steve from it, he didn’t back down. It was like the story they originally wanted toppled in on itself and it was actually Steve who forced you into all of this - playing your connections and forcing your hand. The contract hadn’t been voided, still hasn’t, and they really couldn’t risk another SHIELD fiasco. So it was destroyed to protect the Stars and Stripes, and in return they promised to let you go if you didn’t tell a soul. The image you’d come to despise, that tacky red, white and blue, is starting to grow on you.

‘Let me think about that and get back to you,’ you had joked. You think they let you go sooner because they feared the truth in your joke. 

But there wasn’t anything to think about, ever, still isn’t. Steve pulled another sacrifice play and you wanted to get out as soon as possible to kick his ass. 

You leave the prison with the same clothes you had on when you entered. They smell washed and you’re thankful they allowed you to shower before you left. You ignore the looks guards and prisoners aim at you, each trying to somehow get their hits in without actually pulling their punches. This would be a media disaster either way, didn’t matter the outcome of a supposed trial, and PR was most likely struggling to prepare their defense. 

You resist the embarrassing urge to run into his arms. He’s standing right outside the gates, leaning back on the passenger side of his rusty old blue pickup, positively glowing underneath the blazing sun. You’re blinded by it, skin thanking the dangerous rays for its first touch in weeks, but it only takes a moment for your eyes to adjust. He still hasn’t shaved and his hair is getting longer, and instead of his usual tucked-in dress shirt, he’s wearing a brown leather jacket over a faded graphic tee that reads AC/DC. It was Tony’s.

You’ve only got the broken burner phone and a hair tie in your possession; it’s what was on you when you were arrested. You drop the burner in a nearby trashcan and head on over to the truck. Steve’s wide smile buckles your knees and it damn near breaks your heart. Even when the two of you weren’t on speaking terms, you still saw each other at least twice a week. Going two weeks without seeing him feels like a lifetime. 

Once you're a few feet away, you stop in front of him. There are no immediate words you know to say, so you simply shrug your shoulders and give him a look that asks ‘What now?’

“Home.”

~

TAGLIST: @dumb-ass-writer​ @justab-eautifulmess​ @supraveng​ @mycosmicparadise​ @missnighttigress​

[itstittycitybaby]

Naivety is Enduring (Lin Beifong x reader)

a/n: can’t figure out a better title lmao but this fic is based on one of the asks i’ve gotten. reader is a shy, oblivious officer at the station who’s accidentally been flirting with Lin. 

You kept your head up as you sifted through the streets of Republic City. The streets were almost completely bare with little to no traffic. However, about an hour later that’s when chaos errupted. Your shift started in thirty minutes, but you always took pride on being early. 

Your job wasn’t too important. Compared to the detectives, the actual officers that made rounds, and chief Beifong, it was insignificant. The front desk needed somebody to help keep things under control and dealt with the people coming in and out. It didn’t matter to you. In fact you preferred it. Working the front desk made it easier for you to be more discreet. The quiet and the calm helped ground you unlike going into the streets of the city everyday. Talking to some of the people coming in and out still made you anxious, but it wasn’t so bad.

Letting out a soft sigh, you unlocked the doors. It was dark in the station, which was expected, but in the hall a light was on. It was the last door on the left. Chief Beifong’s office. You couldn’t help but frown. It was four thirty am. Everyone was either asleep or making their way to the station. You weren’t surprised; Chief Beifong was known to work late into the night and the early morning. There was no stopping her. 

Setting down your stuff, you started opening up. You winced at the bright lights as they flickered on. Everything seemed to be there where you left it. You groaned at the never ending filing you had to do. Along with the petty reports you had to sign and date.

Time passed for ten minutes. Then fifteen. You thought Chief Beifong would have left her office. She usually did whenever the first person came into the station but she stayed locked up.

Shaking it off, you made your way to the break room. A pot of coffee would freshen the two of you up. Though, you couldn’t help but feel anxious. Talking to people had never been your strong suit. Especially Chief Beifong. The officers did their best to tread around her carefully and only speak to her when they had to. “Everyone deserves someone to talk to,” you reassured yourself as you poured water into the pot. “Even if they’re fucking terrifying.”

When the coffee was finished you grabbed two mugs. You put sugar and cream in yours. You had a feeling Chief Beifong didn’t like anything in her coffee. If she didn’t like it so be it. At least you tried. Pushing the door open with your hips, you clutched the mugs in your hand tightly. You cursed softly as some of the hot coffee spilled onto your hand. Your hand became a bit red and it hurt like a mother fucker. You made your way past a couple of officers and nodded and smiled at them. They murmured a good morning but continued to chat. No matter, you weren’t as important as they were, you mused.

You swallowed thickly as you stood in front of the imposing door. Chief Beifong never failed to make you nervous. She was scary as hell but before you could chicken out, you knocked on her door twice. Good number. Not too hard and not too soft, you thought. “Come in,” a gruff, but muffled voice replied from the other side of the door. 

Pushing aside your nerves, you opened the door quietly. The head of gray hair that you loved lifted up from the papers in front of her. A brow raised in your direction with a tiny frown on her face. “Yes?”

You fought the urge to fidget and gave the chief an uneasy smile. Focus. “I saw you were still awake,” you said softly, trying not to make her more irritated, “so I brought you a mug of coffee.” Chief Beifong’s eyes narrowed a bit. From suspicion or irritation, you couldn’t tell. God, you wanted the floor to swallow you. You hated it when she dissected you with cold stares. It was just a cup of coffee for fucks sake!

You shuffled your feet nervously as you waited her to say something. Either a sharp “Get out” or a gruff “thanks”, you didn’t care. At this point you just wanted to get out. Chief Beifong’s green eyes lightened a bit. A wave of relief washed over you. Success. “Thank you,” she quipped, looking back down at her paper work. “You really shouldn’t have.” “It’s no problem,” you replied, a shy smile on your face. You set the mug carefully with a gentle thud, and made your leave. 

But you felt like it wasn’t enough. You wanted to be different from the other officers. They were all intimidated and terrified of her. Not that you could blame them, but they didn’t even try to be friendly. You had gotten this far, what else could go wrong? So, with all the courage you had left you said, “Have a good day Chief.” With that, you left her office with a surprised Chief behind her desk.

“Ready for training?” You looked up from the files you were sifting through to put away. The stack was never ending but you had made good progress. It had only been one third of it wiped out, but it was still progress. You could barely contain your surprise. “Y-yes Chief Beifong,” you sputtered holding the manilla file tightly. Her brow twitched and her eyes stared into your soul. Were they always that pretty?

“Good. You’re up in ten.” You nodded, “Yes m’am.” You swore you saw a smirk before she turned around and left you there standing like an idiot. “Get yourself together,” you whispered harshly, cheeks burning.

You sighed as the hot water hit your back. The aching joints and your sore muscles started to soothe under the shower’s water. You’ve always hated training especially whenever the Chief observed you. It was her job but still, did she have to stare? She wasn’t afraid to correct you every five seconds, but how could you concentrate whenever you had a HUGE crush on her? “Fuckin…Chief having to be her hot…self whenever she’s around,” you grumbled to yourself in the empty locker room.

Shivering, you hurried to your satchel to change back into your uniform. The towel around you did little to warm your body. “Didn’t think I’d still see you here.” You jumped. “Oh my god,” you squeaked, pulling your towel closer to you. “C-Chief,” you greeted, cheeks flaming. “P-pleasant surprise.” 

She didn’t say anything as she grabbed her bag. She still had her white tank top on which showed off her toned arms. The cargo pants she wore hugged her ass perfectly. The chief’s normally gray hair was pulled up into a bun. Fuck, did she look good.

Suddenly, Chief Beifong turned to you. You jumped, startled, eyes snapping up to hers. She looked surprised and you swear to the spirits her cheeks turned slightly pink. “U-uh uhhh uhhh,” you sputtered, trying to explain yourself. Grabbing your bag with incredible speed, you spilled out, “I-I gotta go C-Chief! Nice uhhhh talking to you!” With that you dashed out of the locker rooms and left a dumfounded Lin Beifong.

“I fucking hate myself,” you spat in the mirror as you flung your uniform back on. Chief Beifong caught you checking her out. You were fucked. Screwed. Hell, you wouldn’t be surprised if she handed you resignation letters once you got back to the front desk. You could’t blame her. Maybe you could find a nice little job? Out in the surrounding cities? Far away from Republic City? That sounded like a great idea. You could see it now. Sure the pay wouldn’t probably be the greatest, but it’s better than having the embarassment of being fired in front of your colleagues. They already thought your rank was a disgrace. Imagine the gossip once they figured out the reason for getting fired.

Sighing, you begrudgingly trudged out of the bathroom. Anxiety bubbled in your chest as you left the safe haven behind you and returned to your desk. Maybe she’d just forget about it? “She wont,” you sighed, shaking your head.

“Get yourself together,” you scolded yourself. “We can go home and sulk later. We’ve got a job to do.”

“See you!” You waved, a fake grin plastered on your face. Your coworker didn’t seem to notice though. You hated talking to the officers; they were usually lovely people, but talking to people made you feel smaller claw and insignificant. It was tiring and made you feel stupid that you had trouble talking to people.

Five thirty rolled around on the clock. You still had some filing to finish, sign some mediocre documents, and take care of the citizens coming in and out. Almost everyone had left except for a few people in the station. You were surprised you didn’t find any resignation papers on your desk, or god forbid Chief Beifong waiting at your desk to chew you out. It would be well deserved at least. But now, you didn’t know how to go from here.

Just pretend everything is normal, you told yourself. Oh, if only the spirits were on your side. “Chief Beifong wants to see you.” You sighed, turning to the officer. You hated the pity they held for you. Their face held a grimace as they watched you get up from the floor. “Alright, thanks.” They nodded, but left you to wallow in the anxiety of facing your boss and loosing your job. “Better make the most of it, was great while it lasted.”

Your feet trudged to her door. You felt your heart quicken and the lump in your throat was like a heavy tone. The beating of your heart felt like a sharp dagger piercing into is. You rubbed your clammy hands on your trousers and swallowed. “Enter,” the gruff voice answered once you gathered the courage to knock. Taking one last breath, you gently opened the door. You dreaded the moment the door closed with a soft click.

“I-I’m really sorry,” you stuttered as soon as you went inside. Chief Beifong followed the movement of your twiddling fingers before looking you in the eye. “It was very unprofessional of me to.. d-do that and I understand if you want to fire me.” Chief Beifong didn’t say anything. She looked surprised. Her hands were folded underneath her chin as she studied you. Her green eyes focused in on you. You felt more like a mouse now than you usually did.

“You’re not getting fired.” Confused, you tilted your head. Your brows furrowed deeply. You nibbled your lips as you asked, “What?” Chief Beifong chuckled, “No, in fact, I wanted to ask if you were busy tonight. Maybe get a couple drinks.”

“O-oh,” you said softly, hands dropping by your sides. “Yea sure. I-I can ask some of the other officers if they’d like to come to!” Chief Beifong stared at you. She was trying to process the situation. “No,” she started, “I’m..asking you out..on a date.”

Your eyes widened. Oh. OH. The tips of your ears burned red along with your cheeks. The chief’s eyes glittered with amusement. You nodded, averting her eyes. “Y-yes. I’d like that.” “Good,” she replied, a barely there smirk on her face. “Give me fifteen minutes and I should be finished with this.” Nodding, you made your way to the door. “You got it Chief.” “Lin.” “Huh?” “Call me Lin.” Smiling you said, “Alright, Lin.” It felt foreign on your tongue but you liked it. Leaving her office, you gave her one last timid wave. And no you did not skip all the way back to your desk.

[obaewankenobis]

solace — obi-wan kenobi

summary  :  after the death of satine kryze, obi-wan kenobi returns from mandalore to the jedi temple.

warning(s)  :  character death, it's pretty fluffy with some angst.

pairing(s)  :  obi-wan kenobi x jedi!reader, mentions of obi-wan kenobi x satine kryze

notes   :  this is my first fic on tumblr like,, ever. i hope you enjoy lmao 🧍🏻‍♀️. oh also it’s written in all lowercase intentionally!

       though you didn’t know much about their relationship, you knew from a very young age that obi-wan kenobi loved satine kryze. the jedi and the duchess were destined to live their lives apart, honor bound to serve the people before themselves, whether it be the citizens of mandalore or the jedi order. you had seen them interact firsthand, the endless bickering and shrewd glances at one another making up a feeble attempt to cover up how they truly felt. you hated the way your stomach twisted and your heartbeat quickened when you saw how he looked at her, overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions a jedi were barred from feeling. he drowned in her touch, however subtle that might be, her hand on his face leaving him with burn marks, his fingers on fire as he grasped her wrist.        you stood idly by, hopeless in the shadows, because that was what the force had destined for you. you, like obi-wan, had duties as a jedi, duties that you would put over your own well being and selfish desires, even if that meant spending hours watching obi-wan languish in the realization that life would never allow him to be happy. he’d lost his master at an age where, although he was not terribly young, he was still vulnerable to the world and its brutalities.

       life had not been kind to obi-wan kenobi. he was old when he started training, feeling the need to work twice as hard as his fellow initiates, just for him to be remembered and not cast aside. he was constantly battling his darkest fear, that he was never good enough for his master and he would one day be considered unmemorable or unworthy.        life was still cruel to obi-wan kenobi. he felt the cold, bony fingers of satine kryze cradle his face, leaning into her touch before she fell back limply, dark blood staining her abdomen. around him, maul laughed, as vengeance had finally been served. all those years the scarlet skinned zabrak had spent wasting away, he only had one thought: kenobi. it was a mantra that kept him going, a fire that fueled him, that drove him so far to the point of madness that the only thought echoing in his mind was exacting his revenge on the man who had caused him so much misery, obi-wan kenobi.        with some much needed help, obi-wan had escaped his jail cell on mandalore, but maul had won, for now he was trapped eternally in a prison of his own mind. if he closed his eyes, he could still see satine in all her beauty. the soft, pale buttercup locks of hair were strewn messily across satine’s face, framing her pointed features that highlighted her regality. her eyes, normally a stunning, brilliant blue, were now overshadowed with heavy purple circles underneath, fluttering once, before lying still. obi-wan could still feel the ice of her touch on his auburn beard, could still hear the hoarse whispers of her final, dying breath in his ears. worst of all, he could still sense through the force as her life signature died out, like a warm sun casting its final rays before leaving a planet in darkness.        he had loved her, and she had loved him.        though light years away, separated by many planets and suns and stars, you could sense his anguish. it was overpowering, tainted by the dark side; this was the closest obi-wan had been tempted to stray away from the light. still, he clung on to the light, clung on to the idea that there was still good in the world, despite every curve thrown in his way.        the night ahead of you, should obi-wan not return before then, would be sleepless, as worry for the man ate at your insides, and you were helpless to resist as it consumed you. you were, for lack of a better word, attached to him, and he you, and that was the most dangerous thing a jedi could be. the very idea of caring for one being over another was discouraged, but no one prepared you for how hard it would be to follow a code you lived by.        at last, you sensed his presence here in the temple. throwing on a beige cloak, you quietly shut the door of your sleeping quarters to greet him. it was late enough in the evening for the temple hallways to be barren, but not too absurdly late for you to be awake, as the bright yellow hues of the coruscanti sunset dimmed and made their final goodbye through the transparisteel.        “obi-wan,” the breath caught in your throat as your eyes met his. he resembled a shell of who he once was, clad in red mandalorian armor that oddly suited him. his russet hair was disheveled, dirtied by dust and sweat, shoulders sagging as his arms lay limply at his side. his ocean eyes were swimming with sorrow and grief, mourning the loss of someone — it didn’t take much to put the pieces together. satine kryze. he had gone to rescue her, and returned alone.        “y/n,” his voice is like a melody in your ears, though his tone is solemn and tired. they stood close enough for it to be amicable, but far enough for it to be agonizingly respectable. neither of you made any movement to get closer, knowing the probability of someone stumbling upon them was far too likely.        “what happened?” you bit your lip, studying his face. his eyes didn’t quite meet yours, his fair skin littered with dirt and battered with cuts and bruises.        “maul,” came the short response. “he… i must report to the council.” waves of alarm began radiating off of him, as if he had just remembered something important.        “master yoda and master windu are both away,” you sucked in your breath. “you should speak to them tomorrow.” all he could muster was a nod of his head, and you knew then that he would only talk about it in time. silently, mannerisms mirroring one another, you began walking, your pace slow and your shoulders brushing just slightly every few steps. there wasn’t much to be said; obi-wan was silent for most of the short trek back to the jedi sleeping quarters.        “will you be alright?” you stopped in your tracks, pausing in front of his quarters.        a faint smile crept onto his face, his lips twitching upwards but his eyes remaining dull. he nodded quickly before turning to enter his quarters. “thank you, darling.”        however persuasive the famed jedi negotiator was in his prime, there was something about the way his voice sounded so tired that made you doubt the truth of his words.        obi-wan’s name was on the tip of your tongue before he disappeared behind the door of his quarters, not allowing you to call after him; he could lie to you once, to save you from needless worry, but he could not do so twice.        without much resistance, you retreated to your own space, the walls and floors scarcely decorated, what little furniture you did possess simple and modest. after a moment, you retired to your sleep couch and allowed your sore muscles a bit of relaxation. sleep did not come to greet you, not even as you spent hours tossing and turning, the normally soft mattress underneath you now lumpy and hard.        with a sigh, you threw the covers over you aside, wincing as you were greeted with the coldness of the floor as your feet touched the ground. you made your way to the hallway, pitch black and coated with a blanket of silence, a dim light seeping through the cracks of the door opposite of yours. obi-wan was still awake. raising your hand to knock on the door, you were surprised as your knuckles were met nothingness, as the door slid open automatically.        obi-wan had not moved since the night began, sitting in his own turmoil. the mandalorian armor had been stripped off of him and was now cluttered in a corner of the room, and it looked as if he had used the refresher — droplets of water still clung to his hair, and his sleeping clothes looked fresh and clean.        “can’t sleep?” you spoke up with a rueful smile, careful to keep your pitch low enough so only he could hear them. the door closed behind you, and then it was just the two of them. he looked up; dark circles of grief and exhaust making him appear older, more fragile. in a hasty, unsure movement, you had crossed the length of the room and settled yourself next to him, the sleep couch dipping slightly under your added weight.        there were so many questions you longed to ask him, like the details of his journey to mandalore, and why he couldn’t even bring himself to say more than a few words at a time. but patience was a jedi’s greatest tool, and you forced yourself to simply sit in silence, the feeling of obi-wan’s grief hanging heavy in the air.        “i lost her.” his voice is hollow, monotone. there is no need to say her name, but it enters your mind anyways. satine.        “i know,” you let out a weary sigh. “i’m so sorry.” without more words, you felt his body shift, feeling the heat coming from his body as he drew closer to you. “you need to rest, love.”        there was no reason for him to protest, but you knew why he had stayed awake for so long. nightmares. they would haunt him for the rest of his life, chasing him mercilessly for as long as he remained asleep. no matter how awful life treated him, obi-wan kenobi never cried, at least not in front of anyone — instead, he allowed himself to rot away, internalizing everything for fear of burdening another being with all of his agony.        tonight would be no different, you suspected, as you felt a weight on your shoulder, as a head full of strawberry blonde hair, still dewy with shower water, rested against your side. it was hesitant at first, as he barely allowed himself to lean on you, but after a moment of his cheek on your shoulder, he collapsed, the full weight of his body and all his worries heavy against your frame. as your arm wrapped around his shoulder, pulling him closer to you, your breath was light and tense. this was the closest you’d ever been to him, to anyone, really, the feeling of his skin against her own a foreign concept she’d never dared to explore.        it was the way he smiled. it reminded you of warm summer days, of lazy mornings on naboo surrounded by nothing but fields of flowers soaked in sunlight. he was like the sun, bright and hopeful; steady and dependable.        it was the way he laughed. it reminded you of cozy winter nights, of waking up to a ground littered with snow, the frigid air of the outside making evenings surrounded by a crackling fire intimate and welcoming.        it was the way he looked at you. his gaze reminded you of a chilly autumn breeze, of carefree days and brisk weather that made your skin tingle, your heart feeling light and free, singing to the fallen leaves of the sky.        it was the way he touched you. it reminded you of spring, of new flowers blooming in soft sunlight, of plants budding with new, green life and animals of all shapes and sizes fluttering around with their young. it was the start of something new.        you loved him.        it went against everything you stood for, but you loved him.        and maybe somewhere, buried deep within his soul, he loved you too.        in another lifetime, perhaps you were the right person at the wrong time, or the right person at the right time. but in this timeline, where the jedi code was carved into your bones, where the light side ran through your veins, where your duty came above your being, it was the wrong circumstance.        you had been so deep in thought, woefully wishing a for love from a man who could not do so, that you hadn’t noticed how obi-wan’s breathing slowed, how his eyes, which had once fought to stay open, were now blissfully shut. the man who had been through so much, who had endured so much heartbreak and loss, had finally sought solace in your arms.        your own eyes fought to stay awake, knowing how much trouble you’d be in if anyone caught you both in such a… compromising position. however innocent the intention may be, the council would not see it that way. your last conscious thought was that of i must wake up before sunrise, before you lapsed into a peaceful sleep.

[queenxxxsupreme]

If you're still looking for fluff and softness, might I request something for Regis? Maybe some potion making/cooking together? Just gimme that vampire sugar lmao

A/N: This is exactly the kind of thing I needed babe. I’m soft. This has no plot but it is fluffy! I hope that’s okay <3

***

Outside, a thin layer of white snow dusted the ground.

Regis was standing at the table, eyes flickering over a page in a book. He was making some sort of elixir for a bad cough. Someone in the village had come down with a sickness and he immediately offered to help. 

Perched on his shoulder was Calder, a black raven. He let out a scratchy caw and flew down from Regis’s shoulder to rest on the floor in front of you.

You were laying on your stomach a few feet away from him, sketching on a piece of parchment. 

“Hello, love.” You smiled at Calder, reaching out to gently pet his head. He flapped his wings and started to move closer to you. But the three baby crows Regis rescued came running towards you, squawking loudly. Calder, irritated with his younger siblings, flapped his wings and went back to Regis. The crows settled with climbing along your arms and onto your back.

You looked up from your drawing to inspect Regis. 

A soft smile pulled at the corners of his lips as his eyes flickered up to meet yours. 

“What are you staring at, dear?”

“Just want to make sure I get your cheeks right.” 

He leaned forward over the table, trying to sneak a peek at what you were doing but you quickly covered the parchment with the big sleeves to the long sleeve you wore. 

“You’re cheating!”

“Cheating?” Regis chuckled, resting back on his heels. His eyes fell back to his book but that amused grin still stayed there. 

“Yes, cheating! This is a surprise.” You told him. 

“How is it a surprise if I know you are drawing me?”

You scowled.

“Oh, darling. Don’t give me that look.” He tilted his head to the side a little, eyes watching you. “I was only asking.”

“You don’t know how I’ll draw it.” You pointed out. “Quit looking!”

He shook his head, grinning as he looked at his book. 

The three baby crows left you, choosing instead to chase your housecat, Marlow. 

“I could use an extra hand or two.” He hummed, not daring to look away from his book this time in fear of catching a glance at your artwork. If you wanted it to be a surprise, he wouldn’t ruin it, no matter how badly he wanted to look. 

“Okay.” You finished shading in the area beneath one of his eyes and then moved the parchment to the end of the table that Regis wasn’t working on. You made sure it was turned over so that he wouldn’t see the drawing. 

You moved around to peer over Regis’s shoulder, though it was more like you were peeking around than over. He was much taller than you. 

“What are you making?”

“I am trying something out for Master Baxter. He has a nasty cough. I could hear the congestion in his chest this morning. It sounded awful.”

Your eyes looked to the book he was reading out of. Your brows drew together. 

“This isn’t in Common Speech.” You moved to stand beside him, turning the page to see if there was a translation that you understood. 

“It’s an ancient dialect long forgotten.” Regis looked over to you. “My parents would speak it to each other. My mother taught me some of it. Later on in life, I taught myself.”

“How sweet.” You brought your hand up to his shoulder. “But how am I supposed to know what this recipe calls for when I can’t read it?”

“You allow me to translate it for you.” He leaned down to kiss your forehead. “And perhaps I can teach you if you’d like.”

You looked up at him, something in your chest fluttering. The thought of Regis teaching you a language from his childhood made your insides warm. 

You nodded your head, smiling as you dropped your gaze to the book once more. 

“Is that a yes? You’d like me to teach you?” He hooked his finger underneath your chin and tilted your head up. 

“Yes.” You leaned forward to kiss him softly. “But perhaps teaching me while you are also doing alchemy isn’t a great idea. What if I mess something up?”

“I wouldn’t let you do anything that would harm Master Baxter.” Regis shook his head, his hand moving around to hold the back of your head. Gently, he pulled your head forward and he leaned down to kiss your forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you.” Your eyes fluttered shut and you leaned into him. 

Regis pulled away as Marlow jumped up onto the table, successfully escaping the three baby crows. 

“Marlow!” You picked him up. He seeked refuge on your shoulders, meowing loudly as he looked down at the crows. “We don’t want you messing up…. whatever it is Regis is working on.”

The vampire chuckled, turning back to read a passage in the book. 

You placed Marlow in a chair in the main room before returning to Regis. He was stirring a dark liquid in a glass. 

You wrapped your arms around him from behind, resting your head between his shoulder blades. 

“Instead of working on this, why don’t we go to bed?” You suggested. “It’s getting awfully late.”

“The sun went down just a little while ago.” Regis said. “And I’m almost done with this. But if you helped me, perhaps it would be done sooner.”

You sighed, feigning disappointment, and moved around him to lean against the table.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Hand me the elderflowers sitting at the end of the table, please.” He nodded in the direction of the ingredient he needed. 

“What will this do?” You asked, moving around the table to get what he needed.

“It will make Master Baxter sweat. Sweating will help cool him down, and rid him of his fever.” Regis took the plant from you but not before pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Thank you, my love.”

You smiled.

As he crushed the flower with a mortar and pestle, you curiously looked around the table.

“What’s this?” You asked, picking up a jar with a mysterious thick liquid. “Is it honey?”

“Precisely! It’s used to soothe a sore throat. The lemon slice in there is for helping with congestion. It’s for Master Baxter’s wife to make tea with. There’s a few extra ingredients in there as well to help with his discomfort.”

You put the jar down and moved on to the next item. It was a ginger root.

“What does this do?” You asked, holding the root up.

“It can relieve nausea or any pain Master Baxter may be experiencing. It’s ginger root.”

“I know what it is.” You stuck your tongue out at him playfully. He smiled, looking back down at the vial in his hand. 

“Would you mind cutting a piece off for me, love? I need to grind it up to put into this.” He tapped the vial with his index finger. 

“Can I grind it up?” You reached across the table for the knife. 

“If you’d like.” Regis nodded. 

You cut off a slice of the ginger root. He passed you the mortar and pestle, then watched you grind it up. 

You could feel his eyes on you and for some reason, it made you nervous. You looked up at him through your lashes. 

“Why are you watching me?”

“I find it hard to look away when there’s such a beautiful being in front of me.”

“You’re such a charmer.” You grinned a little, though your cheeks flushed. 

“I am just simply stating the truth.”

Once you finished grinding the plant, you passed the mortar to Regis. 

“Excellent job, dear.” He praised, scraping the ground up ginger out of the bowl with a spoon.

As he put a few things into the vial, you moved to stand next to him. Your arm slipped around his lean waist, squeezing his hip. 

“Darling, don’t be a distraction.” He winked at you, just teasing. 

“I can’t help it.” You leaned against him a little more than you really needed to, but the vampire was sturdy and strong. He was capable of supporting you as you leaned in to his side. “I just really wanna lay down and cuddle with you.”

“How about we make a deal?” He turned to face you. “How much more of that drawing do you have to do?”

“Just some finishing touches.” You shrugged your shoulders, gazing up at him.

“When you finish the drawing, I’ll come to bed with you.”

You pouted.

“Regis! That’s not fair! What if it takes me forever to finish?”

“Then I fear I will have to wait forever to lay next to you again, my dear.” He turned back to his work, his tone gentle and playful. 

You huffed and moved to pick up the parchment you were drawing on.

“Fine.”

You returned to the floor, eager to get the drawing finished. 

***

You jolted awake, eyes opening to find Regis kneeling down in front of you. 

“You fell asleep, darling.” He brushed his fingers over your hair. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. It seemed sudden. One second, you were focused on the drawing and the next, you were out cold.”

You lifted your head up, rubbing your eyes and yawning. You didn’t remember being so tired that you would pass out. 

Suddenly, you remembered the drawing. 

“Regis! The picture!”

“Don’t worry, my dear.” He spoke calmly, his voice soothing. “I didn’t look at it, but I did pick it up. I didn’t want the crows to mess it up.”

You sighed in relief, rolling over on to your back. 

“Are you ready to go to bed?” Regis asked. You nodded and lifted your arms up, wanting him to carry you to bed. 

He scooped you up in his arms and effortlessly stood up. 

“I love you, my dear.” He reminded you, pressing a warm kiss to your forehead. 

“Love you more.” You sleepily tucked your nose into the front of his neck.

“Oh, I don’t think that’s possible.” He pushed the door to the bedroom open with his shoulder. “I love you more than anything in this world, more than anyone could love another being.”

“Lies.” Your words were muffled against his warm skin. “I love you more than that.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Mhm.” 

You were placed carefully down on the bed. Regis started to move away but you grabbed his arm, keeping him close to your bedside. 

“No, Regis. Stay.” You frowned, giving him your best puppy eyes.

“I just have to put a little more wood on the fire.” He nodded to the hearth at the foot of the bed. “I will be right back. I promise.”

You nodded and let him go. While he was tending to the fire, you pulled the blankets over you and settled in. 

A few moments later, Regis was joining you. 

He slipped into the bed next to you. Once you were sure he was comfortable, you scooted closer to him, curling yourself up against his side. Your head rested on his shoulder. His arm snaked around you, holding you close to him. 

“Good night, my dear.” He pressed a kiss to the top of your head. 

“Good night, Regis.”

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[surveysonfleek]

1605.

Do you wear lipgloss, lipstick, chapstick or nothing at all? on the daily, i always wear lipbalm. i only really wear lipstick for events

What’s one thing that has pissed you off in the past five days? |that we’ve had to go back to the office. technically government advice says we dont have to but our work basically ‘forced’ us. still annoyed.

Do you say ‘flexible’ or ‘bendy’? flexible. ive never used ‘bendy’ ever

Are you wearing a belt right now? nope, im in pjs

Are your feet propped up on something? im in bed so my feet are up i guess

Do you worry about things that aren’t your responsibility? unfortunately yes, its sooo annoying

How often do you say ‘ain’t’ or ‘y’all’? i say aint from time to time but i dont usually say yall

Can you do a cartwheel somewhere in your house and not hit anything? yes, at the front of the house. buuuut i cant cartwheel lmao

Are your eyes wide, narrow or in between? inbetween id say

Are you currently tired? If so, why? im not that tired if im honest. only coz i had a nap which is really bad since now i wont be able to sleep tonight lmao

Have you seen the movie Avatar? If so, did you like it? Why or why not? yes, ive seen it once. super long but it was great! it deserved the hype it got

Do you know someone who has been kidnapped? no

What have you sacrificed in the past year? honestly... not much. i should start being more productive tbh

Do you state the obvious frequently? yup!

Have you ever told someone that it would be better if they killed themself? never.

Are you emotionally sensitive? hmm not really but it doesnt take much for me to switch my mood. someone would just need to know how to push my buttons

What’s in your pockets, if anything? no pockets

Do you own a watch? yup! ive had my apple watch for nearly two years now. lasted longer than my old one!

How do you feel when people talk about you as if you’re not in the room? this doesnt happen often but whenever i hear my name, im like, what?

Do you own a knife? just kitchen knives

What’s your favourite vowel? ii dont have one fave

Aren’t cupcakes just basically mini cakes? Why not call them mini cakes instead?! no point changing the name now! plus the word ‘cupcake’ is cute

Have you ever told your parents to shut up before? haha never. i wouldnt have the heart to

Do you tend to correct people? yeah, i cant help it sometimes.

What’s the stupidest thing that you have lied about? im blank right now but i make a lot of white lies lol

How many necklaces do you own? i owned sooooo many when i was younger. i went through that phase of buying heaps of fake jewellery. i only wear one necklace one, its a tiny one that says ‘d’

Have you ever been to Forever 21? yes

Have you ever tasted glue? i dont think so

When’s the last time you inflicted pain upon yourself? just last saturday. i was watching hamilton live and my stomach was hurting soooooo bad. i was pinching myself so i had that to focus on. the last thing i wanted to do was get up in the midde of the show to go to the bathroom.

Cruise ship or sail boat? cruise for sure!

Do you know every word to the song you hate most? nah

Where were you at this time three days ago? i was in the city, having more fun than i am now

How do you take out your anger? sleeping it off

Have you ever woken up and your arms were sore, but you didn’t know why? yeah but i mostly assume its from the way i slept

Your name, list two different ways to spell it. rather not share my name coz its a weird spelling that is basically google-able

Do you prefer fridges with vertical doors? yup! i dont remember the last time we had a fridge the other way

Are visitors allowed to smoke in your house? no, they can smoke outside if necessary

What, about the economy, bothers you most? all of it!

Have you ever said ‘off the chain’? haha i probably did when i was a teenager

Do you put fruit in your cereal? nope

Lime green lights or orange lights? i think id like green better

[justsomefluff]

Can we have a reaction for Ateez finding their s/o sleeping in random places, like the kitchen floor or a cabinet, under the bed? Please and thank you!

A/N: This is so funny to me because I relate so heavy no lie.

Hongjoong:

Okay, so basically

You fall asleep on the couch, waiting for Joong to get home so you could go to dinner together

At some point during your little nap, you fall off of the couch and onto the floor

The only real problem with this is that you are right underneath the lamp

So, the only logical solution to this new problem is to roll under the coffee table

Which you do, and then just fall asleep again, no biggie

When Joongie finally gets home he calls for you like always

Totally expects you to come running, excited for dinner

But, alas, you do not

So, he spends about an hour looking for you all over the place

Kinda starting to freak out

Ends up standing in the living room and pounding your number into his phone

After the first ring, he hears your phone going off in the same room

and then a very loud thud followed by some less than polite vocabulary

He looks down at you, wiggling your way out from underneath the table and stretching for your phone

You notice him, and it’s kinda awkward for a second

you kind of feel like you were caught doing something you shouldn’t be

“Hey” 

“hey…”

Then Hongjoong is laughing

like full falling over in tears laughter

Like how dare you judge me for sleeping where I am safe from the light

After he finds his composure, he just tells you to get up so you can get food

And you do, and he doesn’t mention it again

Not in words anyway

But if ever he can’t find you, he always checks under the coffee table first

Seonghwa:

(PRETTY BABYYYYY)

Okay so Seonghwa was gonna be home in about 2 minutes based on his text

So, you decide to try and scare him

Knowing he typically goes to the kitchen first, you situate yourself in a cupboard

There’s literally a pan handle up your ass, but it’s worth it for the prank

Seonghwa’s 2 minutes quickly turn into a half hour

You’ve fallen asleep by then since you had been sitting still for too long

When your boyfriend finally gets home, he’s already shouting apologies into the front hall

“THERE WAS SO MUCH TRAFFIC”

just his excuse to complain no lie

As predicted, he goes straight into the kitchen, still ranting about his day

fully expects you to join him at some point

Did not expect that you would be crawling out from the cabinet though

You heard him yelling once he got into the kitchen and you were like “I guess it’s too late now”

You push the cupboard door open… straight into his shins

“AH OW WTF”

he jumps about 10 feet

so I guess the prank kind of worked??

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

you just kinda shrug, still a little groggy and sore from being in such a weird position

“were you asleep?”

you nod and yawn and then all of a sudden he’s soft

Scoops you up and plops you on the couch for cuddles

Will definitely make you answer his burning questions later but he’s feeling all snuggly now so it can wait

Yunho:

(Barefaced Yunho im in tears)

When Yunho comes home after work, having stopped and picked up ice cream because he felt he deserved it (AND HE DOES)

Struts around the house with the ice cream balanced on one hand

Hoping to find you and make you laugh

Cannot. Find. You. Arm. Getting. Tired.

Finally puts his arm down, totally defeated

Wanders through the different rooms before he catches a glimpse of your socked foot peeking out from behind the couch

Leans over and sees you fully tucked in, blankets and pillows everywhere

Knocked OUT

He gingerly steps over the couch… jk he tripped

Falls on you

You scream because 1) scary 2) ow

He’s stuttering apologies but also laughing his booty off

Asks what you are doing back there in the first place

“wanted to make a fort but got sleepy”

“FORT FORT FORT”

demands that you get up and help him finish making it

“I’LL GET THE SNACKS”

eventually, he returns with basically the entire fridge

then you set up a movie and snack together and its so cute but then you both end up passing out anyway because the fort is just the comfiest

Yeosang:

ok one thing I will say about Yeosang is I feel like he can pretty much fall asleep anywhere too so he’s not gonna judge you

how you ended up falling asleep on the bathroom counter may remain a mystery forever

you vaguely remember climbing up on it to get a better look at a zit or some other blemish you wanted to get rid of, but after that who knows

Yeosang rushes into the house after work

literally screaming that he’s gonna pee his pants

Runs into the bathroom and slams the door

Scares you and you almost slip off the counter and onto the tile floor

“GET OUT I NEED TO PEE”

you’re barely awake and he’s screaming at you

so confusing but you just kind of waddle out the door and fall into bed

you wait for him to finish and he comes out with a smile

“I’m better now”

“you woke me up you dramatic idiot”

“what do you mean? I didn’t wake you up, you were in the bathr- OHhhh”

You just kinda pout at him and he comes and sits next to you

strokes your hair for a little bit

You’re almost asleep and he can tell

“LETS EAT”

“KANG YEOSANG I SWEAR TO GOD”

and then you’re chasing him around

he is fearing for his absolute life

like he’s gonna suffer the wrath of a thousand suns for waking you up twice

boy better PRAY

San:

In the morning, San had woken you up and coaxed you out of bed with the promise of coffee

he did not tell you that he did not yet go and get the coffee

So, when he skips out the door to pick up your drinks, you literally just drop to the floor in front of the welcome mat

Like I’m sleeping and I don’t care where I just need it

And it was actually a pretty good morning nap until San almost knocks your nose off your face when he swings the door open

At first, he’s kinda worried like… “you good”

And you just scold him for almost killing you with the door

“Not my fault you chose to sleep on the floor. I got your coffee”

Thrusts it into your face

the only thing more bitter than your face is the drink

“you almost killed your sweet sweet baby aren’t you sorry?”

“it’s you’re fault in the first place”

and I mean he’s kinda right but he’s the reason you’re tired

waking you up early with lies… coffee wasn’t even ready yet

so you have a good natured squabble about your sleeping habits and San’s door-opening habits before coming to an agreement

You can only sleep in front of the door when he’s already home

And he can swing the door open with as much dramatic flare as he wants… as long as he can see you are clearly not within range

a perfect compromise imo

Mingi:

Mingi is such a dork okay

when he finds you curled up in front of the oven he starts laughing really loud

shakes you awake because he just has to know what you think you’re doing

You explain, patiently, that you are waiting for your brownies to finish, and that the oven is really warm

Mingi will just nod in agreement and be like “of course, of course. you’re so smart, jagiya”

Gets up and leaves you there for a minute but then returns

He has more pillows and an extra blanket

He also brought your laptop so you could watch a movie

He pulls you into his lap after he sits himself on top of some pillows

Covers both of you in the blankets and then makes you hold the computer on your lap

You fall asleep again within 10 minutes, and although he’s getting sleepy he’s like

Someone has to make sure the house doesn’t burn down

Mingi should not be in charge of this and we all know it

But what can he do?

So he watches the movie for a while before the timer on the oven finally goes off

You snap awake so quickly that Mingi jumps a little

“MY BROWNIES ARE DONE”

and then you eat brownies and cuddle some more

But Mingi is not allowed to have as many brownies as you because you did all the work in the first place so TAKE THAT

Wooyoung:

(hIS SMiLe)

When Wooyoung gets out of the shower after a long day and finds you… not in bed where you should be

He pouts…like a lot

Wanders around for a while

Almost gives up when he catches a glimpse of the hoodie (his hoodie) that you’re wearing

Opens the closet door…was kinda scared not gonna lie lmao

Then he’s LOUD

laughing at you like a crazy person

Screaming at you through his laughter

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY ARENT YOU IN BED? HOW ARE YOU SLEEPING HERE?”

“WOOYOUNG TAKE IT DOWN LIKE 18 OCTAVES, KID”

whispers, “sorry”

asks you again what you were doing 

you just kind of look at him because, to be honest, you don’t really know either

just experimenting with some new bedding, I s’pose

He drags you out of the closet by your heels and forces you into bed where he cuddles you close

you can still feel his chest vibrating from all of the giggling

He never gets over this

every time he finds you sleeping in a new spot, he’s like “FIRST THE CLOSET NOW THIS”

Jongho:

Jongho gets protective when he finds you sleeping in weird places

He doesn’t want you to wake up stiff from being in awkward positions and everything

So when he finds you dead asleep on top of the kitchen table, he is less than surprised

Like he knows you’re a whole ass meal but seriously?

But also lifts you and walks you over to the couch

Sets you down and then just stares at you like a creeper until you wake up

When you do, he’s scolding you straight away

“You’ll hurt your back”

“what if you fell”

“MY GOD WE EAT THERE”

And then you’re laughing because even he knows he’s being dramatic and he always is when you do things like this

“thank you for moving me to the couch, Jongho”

he huffs but he’s like “you’re welcome”

Always tries to make you promise not to sleep in such strange places anymore

“What you do in practice, you’ll do in the game”

“What does that even mean”

“One day we will go out to dinner and then you’ll probably just get on the table and sleep or something”

So dramatic, but he really loves you and everything he says is just out of worry

But every time he scolds you, you both end up laughing at each other 

And he secretly has a folder on his phone titled “where is y/n sleeping today?”