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dr-spencer-reids-queen · 5 months ago

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Our Darkest Hour: Part Two

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.2k

Summary: Rolling blackouts cause a serial killer to rape and murder his victims. He taunts the police and even brings Derek into it. The public has dubbed him the Prince of Darkness. Meanwhile Frank is livid that you didn't stay in jail so if he can't get rid of you that way, the only way to do it is to kill you.

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Season Five Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

Annie Danzi, thirty, was home alone with her young son when the unsub struck. He left the son alive and didn't harm him physically. The news is all over this even when you get to Annie's house. They're concerned that since this is the second home invasion since the blackouts started, it's connected to the homicides. JJ didn't confirm, obviously, but that's not going to stop them from speculating that it is.

You walk to the front door and sigh. Adam is waiting for you by the door while Matt is inside with Annie's son, Carter.

"This has all the same tricks as the last one."

"Was there forced entry?"

"No."

"Were there rolling blackouts last summer?"

"Just about every year. Crime always goes up when it gets hot and dark but nothing like this has ever happened."

"Hunting in the dark is definitely a part of his signature." Hotch takes out his phone and calls Pen. "Garcia. I need you to check if there were any clusters of home invasions in previous summers during rolling blackouts in California. Look statewide."

"He left a message this time."

You walk inside the bedroom and immediately look away from the bed. It's bloody and missing a body but you can see her as if she's real and right in front of you. On the wall written in her blood is "HELLO THER". Why he didn't finish the word 'there' is beyond you. You turn away from the bed only to come face to face with the unsub. You gasp and stare into his sickly green eyes that have loads of bags under them. Some parts of his face are blurry but he's a big son of a bitch.

"Are you okay?"

You blink once and the unsub is gone.

"Yeah," you whisper. "Do you think he's welcoming us?"

"Who knows? At least he's telling us more with each crime scene. He's uneducated, angry, and sadistic, and he trashes the place even though there's not much to steal. He chooses to hunt and kill in the dark. He doesn't want to be seen. Why?"

"Maybe he's ashamed of something?" Emily asks. She picks up the photos on the nightstand of Annie and her son. "He certainly didn't have to knock these over."

"He doesn't want eyes on him except for the child. He wanted him to see everything."

You look at the bed and wince when you see Annie is still there. You leave the bedroom and join Matt and Derek who are sitting with Carter in the kitchen. He's playing with something on the table, and you look over his shoulder to see a clay monster.

"What do you have there? Is that a robot?"

"It's a monster," he says in a quiet voice.

"Monster, huh? What's it doing?" Derek asks.

"It's protecting you, isn't it?"

"It's gonna make the man stay away."

"Did you happen to get a look at that man?--"

"Derek," you whisper but he ignores you.

"He moved me to the closet. My mom told me to close my eyes."

"Would you mind showing me how you did that?" Carter puts both hands over his eyes so they are completely covered. "That's good, kid. That's really, really good. So, you didn't see him at all?" He shakes his head. "Once that man left, what did you do? Did you get back under the bed?"

"I didn't want to leave her," he sniffles.

"Hey, Carter, do you have, like, a really cool backpack you could throw some things in to take over to your cousin's house?"

"It's in my room. Will you come with me?"

"You bet," Matt smiles.

Carter takes his clay monster with him but Derek stops Matt before he can follow.

"Look, I'm really glad the kid didn't see anything, but it could have been helpful."

"Covering his eyes like that means he couldn't cover his ears."

"I'm going to head back to the station."

"Okay," Derek nods.

That kid has been through enough so you decide to leave him alone. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the profile for this guy so it's best to announce it to LAPD now so you can start to look for this man.

"Forcing a child to witness this is clearly sadistic. He destroyed the boy's innocence and took away his childhood. This probably mirrors the unsub's own experience," Hotch starts.

"That's an excuse for what he's doing?" an officer scoffs.

"There's no excuse for what he's doing. We're not justifying anything. Everything he says and everything he does tells us what makes him tick, that's all. The message that he left us was misspelled which says that he is not well-educated."

"Why did he leave one now?" Adam asks.

"We don't know," you answer. "Just because his recent attacks are in Los Angeles doesn't mean he's from here. Killing in the dark is a must for him. We believe that's why he's come to LA. His willingness to kill random people tells us that he's an opportunistic offender, and these types are incredibly difficult to predict."

"As you all know, the rolling blackouts have been announced so residents can prepare for the few hours they'll be in darkness. Unfortunately, that also tells the killer whose windows will be open and whose alarms will be disarmed," JJ says.

"The dark is his signature. It's a habit, and we'll find that he's always killed this way."

"Because he's a coward," an officer scoffs.

"To some degree, yes. He also has intimacy issues. He even turns photographs away from himself. It's unlikely that a man like this has been in any kind of relationship. There's also a good chance that he has some type of shortcoming, whether real or perceived. He's obviously self-conscious about something."

"Like what?" Adam asks.

"It could be like a physical deformity. It might be something really small to us but means everything to him," Spencer answers. "Having one thing that sets him apart from the norm could be what led him into the extreme solitude of a violent schizoid personality. He takes his victims' power away, literally and figuratively, and he feeds off of making them powerless."

"We had rolling blackouts all last summer, and this guy wasn't around," Adam points out.

"Well, he is now, and based on the vicious nature of his crimes, the press has named him the Prince of Darkness," JJ sighs. "He's gonna be all over the news."

"Yeah, that will do nothing for his ego," you say sarcastically.

"Once we unravel his need for darkness, we'll find him."

You call Derek once the profile briefing is done and he answers on the second ring.

"Yeah, Y/N? What's the plan?"

"Rolling blackouts are still scheduled for tonight."

"How is LAPD gonna patrol it?"

"With the number of calls they've been getting, they're stretched thin already. I don't know."

"They gotta cancel it."

"That's the battle. If they do that, the whole city could go dark if the power grid gets overwhelmed."

"Yeah, you're right. That's not gonna work. LAPD's outnumbered ten thousand to one. Keep me posted."

Matt doesn't want to question Carter again but Derek is persistent that they do. With the cognitive interviews you give, Carter might remember something he doesn't realize he knows. You hate it and you wish you could keep Carter from it but Derek's right. If it will help catch the man, you have to try anything. Matt is so against it because he, too, lost both his parents when he was young to a drunk driver. Matt wasn't in the car but he replays that over and over in his head and blames himself because he was sick and they were racing to come get him from his friend's house. He thinks Carter is going to do the same.

Derek lost his father when he was nine. He was shot and killed right in front of him. Like Matt and Carter, there was nothing he could have done. The difference between Matt and Derek is that Derek looks at it like this: some people in our lives are bad and good but they all shape us. That's why he and Matt wear badges. They do good because of the bad.

"How's Carter?" you ask when Derek and Matt return.

"He's quiet."

"Is it too soon for an interview?"

"Yeah, I want to find this guy before we have to put the kid through it," Matt answers.

"Guys, Garcia has something," Emily says. You gather in the conference room where Pen is on speakerphone from the desk phone. "Go ahead."

"Everybody needs to sit down because I'm about to rock your world, and not in the way I like to do it. I have scoured and searched, and you were totally right. This unsub has been doing it forever. There is nowhere he hasn't been in the last twenty-six years. Honestly. Every single state. He is the worst I've ever seen, and we have all seen some things."

"How did you connect him?" Hotch asks.

"Everything you said. He's drawn to the dark. He shows up during a blackout. He robs. He kills. He leaves a witness. The reason why he's been getting away with this is because he never hits the same city twice except Los Angeles. I'm sending everything your way, and you better load up that printer because it looks like he started in Southern California way back in the summer of 1984."

"Thank God the press hasn't connected this," JJ sighs.

"The summer Olympics were in Los Angeles that year," Derek says.

"So was Richard Ramirez." He was the original Night Stalker. "That's the year he started."

"It appears our unsub started that summer during a blackout in San Diego. From there, he went to Orange County. After that, he ended up in Los Angeles and worked his way up the coast."

"Why did he come back and why now?" you ask.

This guy does not give himself a break. Right after dusk and before the rolling blackouts, there is news of another murder. This time, the unsub left behind an infant to witness the horrors. You pray and hope that this doesn't leave lasting effects on the child as she grows up. Matt and Adam left for the crime scene while you hung back with your team.

"Everyone will have power tonight," Hotch announces.

"They called off the blackouts?"

"After what happened, we can't give him that again."

"Great. I'll tell the press," JJ says.

"I can't believe this," you scoff. "We're talking over two hundred houses in twenty-six years."

"When he started in San Diego, it was all about the robberies. By the time he got to Orange County, he robbed and assaulted his victims. The first murder was in Long Beach, and he left a witness."

"He got away with it for twenty-six years. Why did he come back?"

"The media coverage actually helped. Neighbors were hypervigilant. As soon as they heard the gun, they called the police."

Adam and Matt come back with solemn looks on their faces.

"Did he leave a message this time?" Rossi asks.

"He actually left a baby in the closet. There's got to be some kind of message in that," Adam answers.

"He's taunting us. He's leaving behind witnesses that are too little to help," Matt groans in frustration.

"Okay, why them? Why now? He killed the first two women before the rolling blackouts. What is it about them? He killed them in a busy, well-lit area. It was nothing like the others," you say.

"That's Newton for you. People hear gunshots all the time down there. He probably fit right in."

"It was in your division," you say to Matt.

"He had to start somewhere, right?"

"Do you think that's a coincidence?"

"Say it's not. What does that mean? Did he want our attention?"

"He certainly has it."

"Are you sure you never worked anything like this before?" Derek asks Matt and Adam.

"We'd know if we did. Trust me, this guy makes an impression."

"He started his career twenty-six years ago," Hotch says.

"That's the same as me. Do you think this is because of me? That all these people are dead because of that?" Adam asks.

"Two women were killed in your division with no survivors. Then a couple, leaving the wife as a witness. Then a mother, leaving the son. Now two parents, but a baby survives."

"If there's some kind of pattern, I've never seen it before," Adam shrugs.

"He circled back to LA for a reason. The first two murders in LA were close by. Long Beach is on the cusp of LA and Orange County."

"Let's look into that one," Rossi says.

Spencer grabs the file and reads it.

"This one is a home invasion. The husband was shot and the wife was left alive."

"What's the next one?"

Derke grabs a file and starts to read it.

"After Long Beach, he went to Santa Monica." He pauses and looks at Matt. "Wait a minute. Spicer, do you have family out there?"

"Yeah, that's where I grew up."

"This is a home invasion robbery, double homicide. Joe and Sylvia Spicer were killed."

That immediately catches Matt's attention.

"Those are my parents. It doesn't make any sense. Let me see that." He takes the file from Derek and reads it to himself. "No, they died in a car accident by a drunk driver."

"Who told you that?" you ask.

"My grandparents. I remember my grandfather waking me up. I was sick the night they died. I had a fever. How would I not remember that happening to them?"

"Maybe your grandparents never told you, Matt. They were trying to protect you," Adam says.

"They lied?" he whispers emotionally.

"You were the first child this unsub left alive. You've been all over the news. He knows exactly who you are."

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mandy4ever69420 · 4 months ago

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kinda to your point on ur post ab mandy it annoys me when ppl say that deleted (i think) scene where mickey’s like ‘don’t ever hit women’ is like #MaleFeministGoals when it’s just a pretty patriarchal view that women are weak and inferior and can’t fight back. when ppl edit that scene of all the boys going ‘pedophile hunting’ in like a badass way i just sigh bc like guarantee most of those men have assaulted or harassed women before, we know terry has. and that was the point of that scene to me, that it’s not about saving victims or whatever but about being a white knight and feeling good for defending the ‘vulnerable’ and what is their property. that’s why the scene where they find out it’s a woman is important. they don’t think women are capable of power so they don’t care.

anyway the writers decided they hated women after s2 so im sure they meant that as male feminist goals but i prefer s2 mickey’s ‘you don’t know my sister until you’ve fought my sister’ vibes. bc yeah. he sees her as an equal.

yeahhh!!! i don't recall the scene specifically so yes it was probably a deleted scene. it's a funny balance on the 'dont hit women' thing bc i myself for example know i would react SIGNIFICANTLY worse just on a gut instinct way to seeing a male character like mickey hit a woman the same way he hits men (specifically - when motivated by speech rather than retaliatory strikes, lol). & like part of this is due to the associations on a societal level with how much violence is directed at women by men in order to enforce patriarchy. male violence against women as a cultural phenomenon rather than an individual one is just more widespread and harmful, which is represented by individual occurrences. hmm. but part of it is just. how misogyny works. & the gut instinct level that it just feels worse to see.

there's not NOT a point to "don't hit women" like, WRT mickey's job in s4 to enforce against violent clients (mr patel) he's recognizing the pattern of someone who thinks a sex worker is less human, and wants to play out his fantasies about doing misogynistic harm to women through someone he can "get away with" hurting. also, because it's his job that svetlana specifically told him to do. lol

this also has to do with like... you'll see in shameless there are plenty of male abusers (kenyatta, terry, jody, kash & ian's abusers, also tommy is still canonically a pedophile, btw), but women who act abusively or are sexually coercive are much more likely to be sympathetic characters: mandy, debbie, karen, sveltana (with kev and v, the mickey thing is different. though i want to point out in s4 she did try to isolate him from ian as a support system by violence).

part of this is shameless falling into the idea that a woman doing it is "less bad" even as they critique that idea in other parts of the show. (also, they don't always seem to notice when something is assault) but the contexts in which these things happen ARE in fact really sad and messed up for these girls as well, & IMO there's a point here about how usually even SA, which people have very strong feelings about, can be done for sadass reasons. & that these are things you CAN recover and improve after - esp when willing (debbie having learned and telling carl he was assaulted - intent to prevent or sympathize with this), or when the other people involved are okay emotionally or forgiving

i imagine most people would like me be extremely unnerved if this was a point made using male characters even half as much. even though, like, technically it'd still be true. but man! i would not fucking like it if debbie and carl's plots were swapped. i refer specifically to how debbie treated derek delgado, which she did know was manipulative, not to how she acted with matt, who was grooming her and she didn't understand her behavior. ALSO: there's the aspect here that telling this story with a male character would've read SIGNIFICANTLY more as making excuses - as much as women perpetrating abuse is not taken as seriously, women are also held to much higher moral standards & hated more virulently for misdeeds. it'd look like a propaganda piece about how misogynistic violence is not that bad, actually!

i was pretty surprised and pleased that shameless was so on the ball with the 'pedo hunter' thing & establishing that terry milkovich is absolutely a pedophile. it's not that everyone with violent fantasies about attacking rapists is secretly compensating for one themself, but that a lot of these people have blindspots in recognizing their own behavior & are more excited about doing violence in a morally Righteous and protecting-our-women self-affirmation type of way. Also sometimes they are overdoing it to cover shit up.

come to think of it, i wonder if the reason so many people seem to have faith in mickey's brothers being "decent" is to do with the "i hate rapists, too" (s2) line? -- we know mickey is in fact protective & motivated by care wrt mandy & ian because we know him & we see the contexts he acts in & how he acts, but we have no such indications about anybody else having specific standards, rather than knowing there's a category of "bad person" (and person means man, in this mindset) that it's satisfying and righteous to violently retaliate against. also, doesn't sandy refer to mickey's brothers getting drunk and crawling into her bed? she was kind of referring to theft. but. like. well anyway

i know i really enjoyed watching mickey harass kash (satisfying) & i think when it comes to getting back at ian for "messing with mandy" there is something to be said there for protecting a girl you love against misogyny/misogynistic violence where possible. but you can't brush aside that retaliatory violence against sexual assault, especially mob violence (especially from a family full of white supremacists, good lord) has a really ugly self-serving history & doesn't necessarily indicate respect. & that is what was being invoked. a viewer should be put off by this or have a mixed response (again, the "dont hurt my sister thing" can also just. be nice) & not just because the info these guys were working with was inaccurate. also TBH i think you miss out on how impressive it IS that mickey is as good at boundaries and gentleness as he is if you refuse to understand the context of how bad violent mobs tracking down alleged rapists are and can be.

it's always really bothersome when people react to mickey's pimping as like a Big Misogyny like, not just because that's really not accurate, & it's reliant on the idea that these women don't have autonomy of their own. it also misses out on where you CAN see mickey interact with misogyny as a character trait. if you're too distressed by mickey calling svetlana a whore because she called him a pussy you're going to miss out on his occasional belief that women can't fight back, or have power. he falls for the manipulation of that pedophile in s3 (and has very sad sex right after walking away. also there's implications there) & he thinks it's embarrassing to be scared of his wife (even though he knows she's tough and intense). occasional because he can definitely tell that people like mandy, debbie, svetlana, and sandy have hands.

but also, like, when he's acting like a dick there it's treating these women as on equal footing. i saw a while ago someone try to read "we are thirsty" / "good thing theres a sink in the bathroom then huh" as, like, a damning mark on mickey's moral record. but man, i think svetlana was trying to figure out if mickey was white knighting, and if she could use that to her (& her coworkers') advantage. and he was like No because that's a very simple entry level manipulation that he's not going to fall for. also because the kind of white knighting she was checking for involves attraction (see: "nice guy" shit) and he is gay.

worthy of mention: mickey alleging that frank raped a girl, and mandy alleging that ian attempted to rape her are the same strategy in use to recruit. they each had their own agendas going on here & they both knew what'd get backup of people who are just excited to do violence. i wonder what this means about mickey maybe already knowing that mandy had been lying. i can see him realizing that if she was ACTUALLY hurt by someone she probably wouldn't have said anything but assuming she had her reasons anyway that she wouldn't disclose. 🤔🤔

there's also a point being made here about the fact that violent retaliation against abusers doesn't even necessarily do anything besides feel satisfying on an emotional level. when mickey is harassing kash, before we find out he's gay, ian grows more, not less, protective of kash, and feels more strongly attached. -> related to fiona's incredibly negative reaction when steve ditches frank in canada, contrast to mickey Not allowing ian to hurt kenyatta (though he also didn't want ian to do something he'd regret and get arrested)

#Anonymous #hiiiiiiiii i liked this ask so much i was able to effectively use it to incentivize doing my schoolwork bc i could answer it after #this is so. Fucking goddamn long and got off topic a bazillion times. All my love and kisses. thanksfor your time

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siampie · 21 days ago

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The Detective and The Devil || Chapter 1: The Daily Grind

Pairing: Matt Murdock x female OC (Mannie Hunt)

Word Count: 4.1k

Warnings/tags: None really for this chapter, canon typical violence.

A/N: If you don't want to be tagged for this OC stories, just let me know in the comments. I added a new option in the taglist "Matt Murdock x OC", for those who aren't on the list yet.

Chapter List || Next chapter

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Dividers by @cafekitsune

The sweltering heat of Hell’s Kitchen welcomed her as she climbed out of her car. Her light blue dress shirt was uncomfortably clinging to her back. Her brown curly hair was put in a bun at the top of her head, a few strands have come loose, and clung to the back of her neck. She made her way to the small crowd that gathered outside of the bodega near the back alley. Police cars were parked in front of it, the yellow tape creating a barrier around the crime scene. She flashed her badge to the uniforms outside of the yellow tape, they raised it up so she could go through. She was given a pair of latex gloves as she approached the corpse, hidden under a black tarp.

“Morning Rush, what do we have?” She asked as she crouched down next to the corpse.

The detective crossed herself quickly before pulling up the tarp. A young blonde woman laid lifeless on the ground; blood all over her clothes where she had visibly been shot. Her legs were bent in a weird angle, missing one shoe, terrible bruises covered her porcelain skin.

“Unidentified woman, probably in her mid-twenties. Visible gunshot wound,” her partner, Detective Russell Jenkins, told her, “most likely the cause of death. But the M.E will know more once the autopsy is done.

“Could she be one of our missing girls?” She questioned Jenkins.

“Could be,” he shrugged. “We’ll know once we run her prints in the system.”

“If anything comes up at all,” she said defeated.

“Come on, Hunt, our luck is gonna turn eventually.” Rush assured her.

“I hope so,” Detective Hunt nodded, taking off her latex gloves. “It’s been weeks since we had a lead on the missing girls.” She checked the time on her watch, “crap!”

“What?”

“Gotta go,” she replied quickly. “Call me when you get anything on the girl.”

Late for the courthouse, Detective Mannie Hunt rushed to her car and drove as quickly as traffic would allow her.

“I would like to make a statement.”

Hoffman’s words had changed everything that day.

Mannie Hunt, detective at the 15th precinct, believed in the work she did for the Kitchen. She knew what humanity was truly capable of. She witnessed it all. She believed in the badge. It gave her purpose, a meaning to her life. This, she believed, was what God had intended her to be. She believed in her work, that they were all doing right by the people of the Kitchen. She believed she was doing this for something far greater than her.

She believed in the badge. Until Hoffman walked in. And said those fateful words.

Wilson Fisk had officers and detectives in his pocket. The federals had to come in to arrest the corrupted parties. Those who had put money before their duties. Words and whispers had reached her before it all happened. Rumors of people in precinct working for Fisk rather than justice. Hoffman confession only confirmed it all. Mannie was no longer sure of the people she worked with. No longer knew whether to trust them or not.

And on top of it all, she could not forget about the vigilante formerly known as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Nowadays, he fancied himself a new name: Daredevil. And a new suit.

She threw her jacket on as she rushed inside the courthouse. She was more than a few minutes late to the meeting with the ADA Whitfield.

Rearranging the lapels of her jacket, barely looking up, she walked around the corner, and bumped into a firm suited body.

“Shit! Sorry,” she apologized picking up the cane that dropped at her feet. “Didn’t see you there.” She put it back in the hands of the man that she just bumped into.

“Detective Hunt,” Prosecutor Whitfield called her as soon she saw the detective.

“Whitfield,” Mannie called back. She secured the cane in the man’s hand, “sorry again.” And she left him alone, walking up to Whitfield.

“I leave you alone for one minute,” Franklin started when he joined his friend by the door, glancing at the detective rushing to the ADA.

His face split into a grin, “well, she sorts of bumped into me.”

“Somehow, I don’t believe that,” Franklin said as Matthew wrapped his hand around his arm, snorting at his friend’s words.

“You’re late,” the assistant district attorney remarked.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Mannie apologized, readjusting her blazer. “I was following a possible lead on a case.”

“Lucky for you, it’s been pushed back to tomorrow,” she nodded.

“Tomorrow? Why?” Mannie’s brows furrowed deeply.

“Wuertz has been replaced last minute by—” Whitfield tilted her chin up, her eyes locking to the doors of the courthouse. “Nelson and Murdock. You were fraternizing with one of them, actually.”

“Oh,” the detective briefly looked over her shoulders, “what does that mean about the case though?”

“The judge granted them 24 hours to review the case before trial,” Whitfield said, slightly annoyed. “Nothing to worry about, though. Our case is quite solid, the evidences you put together can’t be easily refuted. So, I’ll see you tomorrow. And try not to be late this time.”

Mannie let out a deep breath, “yeah, I won’t be. See you tomorrow.”

Although, Withfield assured her there was nothing to worry about, Mannie was. The evidences couldn’t be easily refuted but they still could be. And the last-minute change in the defense legal team, did not sit well with her.

Detective Mannie Hunt investigated a series of burglaries less than three months ago. The targets of those burglaries ranged from the big chain pharmacies to the mom-and-pop ones. The suspects acted after closing hours, stealing prescription drugs, pain medication such as oxycodone, codeine, fentanyl, morphine, etc. They were organized and concealed their identities efficiently. It had been a difficult case, there was no way to identify the suspects unless someone came forward. Which thankfully happened within a few weeks after the last burglary.

She trusted the evidences she had gathered; the background checks she had led on every person that was involved. Still, she couldn’t help but feel slightly anxious.

“Hey, Rush,” Mannie dropped her blazer in the back of her chair, before dropping in it.

“Hey,” Russell barely lifted his head to acknowledge her, and dropped a file in front of her. “We got an ID on the dead girl.”

Words had been going around that someone was reopening the pipeline for human trafficking. With the Russians gone and Fisk in jail after his nefarious acts had been exposed to the harsh white light, others tried to take over the market. No one really knew who was trying to take over. Rumors had it was the Juarez Cartel, attempting to establish themselves as the new leader of the criminal underworld.

Mannie opened the file; the sight of a smiling young woman welcomed her. Blonde, tall, brown eyes and one of the most beautiful smiles she has ever seen. Aubree Martin, 22 years old, had been reported missing by her roommate six months ago, in L.A.

“Wait,” Mannie frowned up. “She wasn’t from around here?”

“Nope,” Rush leaned his elbows on his desk. “Student in UCLA, wanted to become an actress. Vanished 6 months ago after a night out in the club. No one’s heard of her or seen her ever since.”

“And she ends up in Hell’s Kitchen of all places,” Mannie looked up at her partner. “Did we call the next of kin?”

Detective Ainsley walked up to her desk, “we called her mother. She’ll be flying in, first thing in the morning.”

“Thanks,” she sighed sadly. “Look, I’m going to talk to Strieber, get him to put together a task force to investigate those missing girls before we lose them all for good or worse.”

“Good luck with that,” Ainsley said sitting on her desk. “Chief Daughtry is breathing down his neck, watching his every move. He won’t give it to you that easily.”

“I have to give it a try,” Mannie stood up from her chair. “It ain’t my fault Fisk was able to buy half of the people in here.”

They were still dealing with the aftershocks of Fisk’s arrest. Their Captain and his decisions making skill were put under scrutiny. Strieber was more cautious when it came to allocating resources for a case. Daughtry would not tolerate expenses that he did not deem necessary.

Not if it meant that the NYPD could get ridiculed in the eyes of the public.

Again.

Appearances in these dire times were everything. Restoring their image was vital. Especially to the public. More importantly their credibility needed to be restored.

“Five girls that we know of, Sir,” Mannie replied fidgeting with her necklace.

Her heart was hammering away in her chest. She hated that part of her job, sitting in front of her Captain asking for a task force. If she could avoid that part of the process, she would. There was this nagging feeling of guilt anytime she asked for those resources. Resources that were always needed. She feared of what others may think of her for asking. Worst of all for being granted what she asked for.

“Any links between the victims?” Strieber asked reading the file.

“No. Different backgrounds, different social circles. The only thing they all have in common is the way they vanished,” Mannie answered, letting go of her necklace. Her legs were now bouncing under the desk. “And the same goes for Aubree, from the exception of her location. She, just like the rest of them, was snatched away after a night out clubbing.” She took in a deep breath, “I was hoping you’d allow me to put together a task force so we could investigate this further.”

“That depends,” he leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped on his belly. “Do you have any leads? Any suspects?”

“Not really,” she tucked her hands between her thighs. “My CI tipped me off about recent activities from the Juarez Cartel. Specifically, by the docks.”

“So, it’s a hunch?”

“Yes, a hunch. But we have to start somewhere,” Mannie shrugged.

“Listen,” Strieber leaned over his desk. “I can’t reasonably give you a task force over a hunch and the possibilities that your latest victim; Aubree Martin is tied to all of this.”

“I understand that, Sir,” Mannie argued. “My issue is there’s a high risk for them to be moved out of Hell’s Kitchen soon. And we may lose them forever. Or worse, another one of these girls may turn up dead in another state. Just like Aubree.”

“I know the risks, Hunt.” He said sternly. “But Daughtry won’t easily accept that I gave you resources that I don’t have based on a hunch and the words of a junkie.” Her shoulders dropped down, her jaw clenching in frustration. “I’m not asking you to shut down the case, detective. And I’m not asking you to give up on them. I’m just gonna need more than what you’re giving me.”

Chief Daughtry’s scrutiny in the last few months was necessary. She understood that. She understood that they were still dealing with the ramifications of Fisk’s nefarious schemes. She understood that they won’t take the risks of being ridiculed once again. She understood that it was hindering their abilities to do their jobs. She understood that it was all about politics.

Mannie hated politics.

She nodded stiffly, “understood, Sir.” She stood up and turned to the door, “I’ll get to work then.” And walked out of his office.

Disappointed and frustrated, Mannie refused to give up on these girls. She refused to meet with Aubree’s grieving mother without an answer.

Mannie stomped back to her desk. Breathing through her nose.

“So, how did it go?” Rush asked her.

“As expected,” she ripped her jacket from the back of her chair. “No solid proofs, no means. A hunch and words of a junkie ain’t enough, he said.”

“Told you so,” Ainsley gloated.

“Oh, shut up, Ainsley!”

“Where are you going, now?” Rush called after her.

“To find a lead,” she called back.

“She’s really unhappy about this, isn’t she?” Ainsley leaned her elbows on her desk, looking at Rush.

“Wouldn’t you be?” Rush leaned back in his chair, “those assholes who accepted Fisk’s money are making things harder on us. Not only innocent people are paying for their mistakes, but the people also hate our guts,” he looked back at her. “Anyone would be pissed, Billie.”

Mannie slapped Dewey upside the head. “Come on, Hunt. Is that really necessary?”

“It depends are you gonna give me what I want, Dewey?” She leaned against the brick wall, in the alleyway.

He rubbed soothingly the back of his head, glaring at the detective. “You’re a real pain in my ass, you know that.”

“You may have mentioned it a few times,” she shrugged.

Mannie always perceived Dewey Crowe as a small-scale criminal. Not really someone to worry about. The first time they met, Mannie was still a bright eyed, bushy tailed officer. Wearing the uniforms, wanting to do some good in Hell’s Kitchen. Dewey Crowe, on the other hand, was trying to make a name for himself. Doing all kinds of jobs, selling drugs, robbing banks, coercing, intimidating, pretty much everything that could put fear in others a soon as they heard his name.

Never really worked, though. Not after he was arrested in a major drug bust by the docks, a few years back. And that was the first of many encounters that Mannie and Dewey would go through.

“Come on, Dewey, don’t keep me waiting.” Mannie sighed pushing away from the wall.

“I don’t even know what you’re looking for.”

“Juarez Cartel. By the docks. Ring any bells? Or maybe another slap would help you to remember?”

“Oh, yeah the girls,” he nodded quickly. “Human traffic.”

“There we go.” Dewey looked around him nervously, before his eyes settled back on her, “I need to know when? And where in the docks specifically?”

“Already told you all I know," he shook his head.

“I’m sure you can do better than that,” she nodded at him.

“Are you crazy?”

“Do you want to find out?” She countered. “I need you to keep an ear to the ground and get me that information.” She stepped closer to him, “and if you don’t think you can do this for me, I might as well haul your ass back into prison. And this time,” she grabbed his collar, and got into his face. “I’ll make sure you’ll have real nice neighbors, the kind that would very much appreciate to know that you have a white supremacist tattoo under that shirt. If you catch my drift.”

“Jesus, okay,” he shoved her arms away from him. “Why do you always have to be so violent?”

“Why do you always have to be so difficult?” She questioned, “I don’t really get it. You’re getting paid for this. And you’re protected.”

“Money won’t do me good, if the Cartel finds out I’m asking out about their business. And protected really? By the cops? Do you know what that will do to my reputation?”

“What reputation?”

“Now, you’re being mean.”

She rolled her eyes with a groan, “I apologize.”

“It wasn’t that hard, now was it?” He smirked.

“You know what else ain’t hard to do?” She deadpanned. “Shooting you in the knees.”

“You weren’t hugged enough as a kid, were you?”

“Call me when you get anything,” she walked past him out of the alleyway.

“You know you catch more flies with honey, right?”

“So, I’ve heard.”

The rest of the day was spent at the precinct. Mannie was going over the file she had put together before the trial. Whitfield was confident. For the district attorney, all the evidences she had gathered were strong. It would be hard for anyone to refute them. On the other hand, Mannie couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Worried. Why was the defense team completely change? Unless, they had new elements that she wasn’t aware of. Something she may have missed. She doubted it.

“You should put it aside,” Rush dropped a sandwich on her desk.

“I can’t,” Mannie grabbed the sandwich, and unwrapped it. “Thank you, I was starving.”

“Yeah, I figured,” he sat across from her. “Look, you did everything by the book. You went over this file like a zillion times. I’m pretty sure at this point, you know the case better than Whitfield. Stop worrying about it, it’s an open-and-shut case.”

“Maybe. But I don’t like that they changed the legal team, last minute,” she took a bite of her sandwich. Moaning at the taste of it.

“Who’s the new legal team?”

“Nelson and Murdock. A pro-bono lawfirm. Still very small,” she shrugged. “They’re also the one who helped putting Fisk behind bars.”

“You did your homework, I see.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t help looking them up. I know, rereading the file won’t change the outcome but I need to make sure I’m prepared—” her phone started vibrating on her desk. “Detective Hunt,” she picked up the call. She grabbed a pen quickly and jotted down the information on a post it. “Thanks Dewey, I knew you’d come through.” His muffled voice came through, “when have I ever?—Yeah, yeah, I’ll remember that.” And she hung up.

Dewey had given her a time and place where the Juarez would be active tonight. That was why, in the dead of night when most of Hell’s Kitchen was already in bed, Mannie parked her car a couple of blocks away from the dockyard. The streetlights were her only companions as she made her way to the high fences. And too soon, they abandoned her.

The detective hoped that this lead would give her the evidence she needed to get the resources she needed to work on that case. That was all she needed

Her gun in one hand, flashlight in the other, she walked along the perimeter. Her bullet proof vest was securely wrapped around her torso. Quick and light on her feet, she soon reached the gates. The guardhouse was empty, and the gates weren’t bolted.

It should have been.

She let herself in.

Her flashlight was directed to the ground as she made her way through the maze of containers. It was eerily quiet and intimidating. Her anxious mind was starting to play tricks on her. Shaping enemies out of the shadows, lurking threats that could attack her at any given moment.

The sounds of screeching women reached her ears. She quickened her pace, turning off her flashlight as she got closer. She flattened her back against the container and peeked around the corner.

A group of women cowered in fear, whimpering in terror while four men aimed their guns at them. They bellowed at the girls to get inside. Hunt recognized most of the women. They were the young girls that have been reported missing within the last few weeks. But some of them looked unfamiliar to her, and unfazed by the threats. As though they have been there before.

Four men that she had to go through to free these women. Four men and she was alone. Calling for back-up would be the safest and most logical option. However, it’d be at least five minutes before they got to her location. Maybe more. And by then it would be too late.

Four men and the potential for everything to turn into a blood bath.

She radioed in.

If she wanted to avoid becoming practice target for those goons, she had to play her hand right. She could go the safest route, and create some sort of—

In the corner of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of shadow moving atop the container. Quiet and fast. She turned to get a better look at it but it was already gone. It was probably her mind playing tricks on her, once again. She turned her gaze back on the women.

“I told you bitches to get inside!” The tallest of the goons bellowed, his gun dangerously close to the shrieking woman’s head. “Scream all you want. No one will hear you.” The man mocked them cruelly.

Mannie heard a whistling noise, soon after, a projectile hit one of the traffickers in the head. The man fell on the ground in a heap. The women shoved themselves further into the container, cowering in fear. The other traffickers lifted their heads up, trying to locate the source of the projectile. Their guns waving around wildly.

She should have intervened then. She should have come out of the shadows. But she didn’t. With bated breath, she waited. She wanted to see more.

This time she heard the thuds of his boots as he rushed atop the containers. His red tactical suit glinted in the moonlight as he leapt in the heart of danger.

Armed only with his fists and billy clubs, the Devil showed no mercy. He gracefully leapt into the air, before kicking one the men in the chest, brutally making impact. The latter was thrown onto the cement, his back hitting the ground violently. Another tried to fire, Daredevil jammed their hand up and the shot exploded in the air. He ducked out of the way when another tried to hit him, and swiped his legs from under him.

They were no match for him.

She could barely keep up with his rapid movements in the dark. He was brutal and efficient, hitting with precision. Anticipating or rather knowing their next moves before they made it. Mannie couldn’t help being a little starstruck and rather impressed by his skills.

The last of the henchmen, seeing he had no chance to fight back, escaped quickly. Abandoning the girls to their fate. That got her to take action. She hit him in the back of his neck with the grip of her gun. She cuffed him quickly.

“GO!” She heard Daredevil yelled at the girls. They flinched and let out frightened cries but fled nonetheless.

His head tilted slightly, shifting ever so slightly in her direction. As though he knew she was hiding in the shadows, waiting for her to emerge.

She did.

“NYPD!” She brandished the badge around her neck. The women screeched in response. “Get out of here, get to the light and flagged down the first police car you see.”

She left them to find their way out of the maze and sprinted after the Devil.

Although, he had fought the traffickers, and saved the girls. And yes, she had let him do all the work and watched him do it. She just couldn’t let him go like that. Without attempting to catch him.

Vigilantism was against the law. And thus, Daredevil was a wanted man. It was her job to arrest him. Or at least, to attempt an arrest.

Although—

She tried to keep up with him but the horned vigilante was too quick and light on his feet. He seemed to be flying over the container. And in the pitch-black night, Mannie got turned around quickly.

She had lost him.

The police sirens were wailing in the distance.

She came to a halt. She couldn’t get lost in this maze chasing him down. Mannie turned around, with a last glance around, hoping to catch a last glimpse of him. But she wasn't that lucky. The Devil was no longer there.

Paperwork would be awaiting her, the next day. Not only that but she went in blind. Disregarding, any rules and procedures. This had been an impulsive decision, and almost got herself and the girls killed.

Strieber would definitely chew her head off.

The Devil remained in the shadows, not too far away from the female detective he had just evaded. He listened as she spoke through the radio. His head tilted slightly to the right as he tried to get a read on her. As he tried to store up in his brain the way her heart thumped under her ribcage. How her voice was soft and yet commanding. Her scent.

He wasn’t yet familiar with her scent. But he had known she was there waiting, watching. Her heartbeat had been the steadiest, growing erratic only when she saw him there.

He had expected her to fire her weapon. He was waiting for it. But she never did.

In fact, she let him do the job, never intervening. Did she trust him to save those girls? He doubted it.

At least, she had her priorities straight. She had stopped this trafficker who tried to escape instead of trying to stop him.

And yet, she still chased after him. She kept on surprising him. When others would have shot him on sight, she did not. Her finger was on the trigger and not once did she pull it. She was close behind him, keeping up with his pace. She was fit, and if it wasn’t for his skills, she might have caught him.

But darkness was his ally.

Not hers.

She had to give up the chase eventually. He heard the sirens in the distance, his cue to leave. The Devil jumped to the next container.

Vanishing into the night.

Chapter List || Next chapter

#matt murdock #matt murdock x fem!OC #matt murdock x oc #matt murdock fic #siampie writes #matt murdock x ofc #daredevil x oc #daredevil x ofc

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bellaxgiornata · 2 years ago

Text

Life Worth Living [Chapter Nine]

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Original Female Character

[You can find the full summary and chapter list for this series here]

Warnings/tags: 18+ for this series; contains fluff, angst, violence, PTSD, smut (Contains our beloved Defenders and lots of plot twists)

Word Count: 8.5k

a/n: So this is a long chapter! We get a Kilgrave flashback that might be rough to read (mention of sexual assault from when he was controlling Liv), and you also see more of Olivia's abilities and how they can help the Devil. Plus some sexual tension in this chapter! Feedback is always appreciated!

Sitting cross-legged on my couch, a large bowl of salad I’d made resting on my lap, I mindlessly stared at the television. I stabbed a piece of roasted cauliflower and arugula with my fork before bringing it to my mouth, staring straight ahead as I watched a rerun of a holiday baking show from last year. This round they were judging gingerbread cookies and I was internally wishing I had some myself.

Today had gone by slowly; Jessica was working a case for Luke, something she wouldn’t tell Malcolm or I much about. She’d been quiet all day after letting me know that she was on the case just so I wouldn’t worry that Kilgrave had gotten her. She’d also told me Trish had been radio silent ever since she’d taken a single tase and passed out when we’d tried to grab Kilgrave. So all I could do was go about my mundane life today; work, go on a brief run, shower, make dinner, and then hopefully soon have a restful sleep.

I hadn’t really heard from Matt either since we’d had dinner last night. I had texted him good luck with their trial this morning and he’d responded with a simple thank you, but that had been that. I tried not to think too much about it; I knew he’d told me the guy was probably going to walk free and that the man in the mask was going to have to hunt him down tonight in the hopes of getting some information.

After I finished my dinner, I unloaded my dishwasher and refilled it with dirty dishes. I cleaned up the countertops and got myself a glass of water before meandering back to the couch. I stayed up watching another hour of holiday baking shows before eventually turning off the television and heading into my bedroom, sliding the door shut behind me as I went. I flipped off the light and found my way to my bed with the dim glow from the city drifting past the edges of my curtains.

Once in bed, I tugged the sheets up high towards my chin, shivering slightly at the cold mattress, before my eyes drifted shut.

°•°•°•°•°•°

The coffee sat half drunk in front of me. My mind felt fuzzy, almost like I’d come out of a haze. When I glanced up, Kilgrave was sitting on the opposite end of the outdoor bistro table. He was reading a newspaper, his own cup of coffee in one hand. When he caught me staring, he lowered the paper a fraction and smiled.

“Smile, little dove,” he told me. “You’re so much more beautiful with that smile on your face.”

I hesitated, wondering how I’d gotten here to this table on the back patio of this extravagant house. I wasn't even entirely sure where we were anymore: the U.S.? Spain? France? I could recall a few moments, images flashing in my mind, but they felt a little foggy and distant. Then I noticed the twitch of Kilgrave’s mouth, his head tilting more in my direction, his eyes narrowing slightly the longer I remained still.

I smiled wide, baring my teeth brightly at him. His expression changed from guarded to warm just as abruptly.

“Beautiful, little dove,” he told me. “Why don’t you come here and sit with me?” he asked.

My smile faltered for a moment; I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to curl up on his lap like a cat and feel his hands run along my skin, my hair, my mouth.

The pill is wearing off…

As the thought passed through my mind, I stilled. He didn’t know, judging by the commands. Slowly, reluctantly, I rose and crossed the space towards him. He set the paper down and slid his chair back, gesturing towards his lap. Obediently, I sat. His hands began to run along my thighs as he leant in, breathing in the scent of my hair.

“I missed this, little dove,” he breathed out. "I just wish we'd get back to you choosing to do this again already."

He pulled back, holding my gaze for a moment, eyeing me curiously as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Kiss me,” he commanded.

I fought back the surge of disgust roiling in my stomach. Quickly I leaned in, brushing my lips against his before pulling back. His eyes narrowed as he frowned.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Kiss me like you mean it,” he ordered me, his tone firm and commanding. “Like you’ll die if you don’t.”

Something sparked in my brain and I flew against him against my own will. My hands were gripping his neck tight, clinging to him as my mouth worked feverishly against his. One of his hands was roughly gripping the back of my head, holding me in place, while the other was sliding its way up my thigh.

No! No! I don’t want this! Stop touching me! Get off of me!

I could hear my own voice screaming in my head, but I couldn’t stop kissing him. I couldn’t get his hands off of me. I felt his fingertips rubbing over my jeans and a tear slipped unnoticed down my cheek.

I gasped a shuddering breath awake and realized a moment later I was being held, my arms pressed to my sides. Thrashing violently, I tried to break out of the grasp. I couldn’t see who was in my room, who’d pulled me up towards my headboard and was holding my arms so tightly to my sides. But I could still feel Kilgrave’s hands all over me, his mouth all over mine, his voice in my head. I fought harder against the solid form behind me, about to scream, when a voice called from just beside my ear.

“Relax, it’s just me. It’s Matt,” Matt whispered calmly, his chin hovering just above my shoulder. “I heard you having a nightmare. I–I slipped in to check on you. You left your window unlocked from the other night.”

Immediately I stopped fighting his hold, my breathing coming in sharp pants. I suddenly was aware of his muscled chest pressed flat against my back; he could probably feel the thundering of my heart against his own chest. His head dipped lower, the rasp of his stubble bristling against my cheek as he spoke in a whisper again.

"I'm sorry if this is out of line, and that I startled you," he told me, his voice a low, deep rumble–the Devil's. "I was on my way back into my apartment. I could hear your heart racing. You were crying," he said, gentle fingers sliding up my cheek to wipe away the wetness there. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I can leave, though."

He started to untangle his arms from my waist, pulling his chest away from me. I didn't know what came over me but I suddenly reached out, latching onto his hands with my own and quickly pulling him back against me, comforted by the warmth at my back. I briefly registered the hiss of pain he made but my panicked mind was just glad he was here.

"Stay," I said, my words a pleading whisper in the dark.

He locked his hands back around my waist, sighing lightly as he rested his chin against my shoulder, his head turned just enough so that his lips were brushing the bare skin of my neck. I leaned back into him, enjoying the comfort of his touch and the safety of his presence. My eyes drifted to the side and in the faint light peeking behind my curtains I could see the black mask lifted just up over his forehead. I released my grip on one of his hands and raised mine gently to his temple, brushing my fingertips lightly across his skin.

"Your mask isn't on," I whispered.

He nuzzled against my neck, his lips grazing my skin so softly that a tingle of goosebumps rose along my bare arms. My eyes drifted shut at his touch; it stood in stark contrast to the feeling of another that had been on me in my dream just moments ago.

"I didn't want to scare you, waking up to a masked man in black in your room," he told me. A breathy laugh left him. "Didn't work."

"It was more the waking up to being restrained," I said sheepishly.

"I tried to wake you gently," he told me, "but you tried to hit me. You were screaming, so I tried to hold you. Was hoping…it would be comforting," he admitted before burrowing deeper against my neck.

My hand slid further back, underneath his mask and into his hair, scratching his scalp lightly. I felt his lips part against my skin as he leaned forward into me.

"Thank you," I whispered to him. "I'm sorry for freaking out. I'm not used to having anyone around when I wake up, especially not when I have nightmares."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, his lips brushing along my skin with each word.

My hand paused in his hair and I tensed against his body. I opened my eyes and took him in; his face burrowed in my neck, the black mask pulled up to reveal a bit of mussed brown hair on his forehead, his strong arms clad in black secured tight around my waist, both of his large, warm hands splayed flat against my stomach, his muscled, powerful thighs pressed to the outside of mine in his dark pants. This was Matt–not Kilgrave–and his touch was gentle, caring, affectionate, wanted.

"You don't have to," he whispered when I didn't answer for a while.

"It was about Kilgrave," I breathed out. "From when he had drugged me. When it was starting to wear off." My hand in his hair drifted quickly back down; both of my hands grasped the back of his and held tight. His fingers squeezed back. "He…he was…touching me…making me kiss him and I couldn't make myself stop. I didn't want to–"

"Hey, shh, it's okay," he said, shifting so his mouth was by my ear again. "You're here with me. You're safe. He's not here. He's not going to touch you."

I turned my head towards him, the movement grazing my lips against his so lightly I could barely feel it. He inhaled sharply at the gesture, arms tightening. He leaned forward in response, just a little, with his lips parted. His breath blew warm into my own parted lips, into my mouth. Slowly, I leaned forward and closed the miniscule distance, connecting our lips in a sweet, soft kiss. Our mouths moved carefully together, agonizingly, deliciously slow. I could taste the faint copper tang of his blood drifting into my own mouth.

I twisted in his arms, inhaling deeply through my nose as I moved, turning myself towards him as our lips remained joined together. His grip loosened around my waist, allowing the movement. When we were chest to chest, I flung myself forward into the kiss, wrapping my arms tight around his neck and hungrily pulling him to me.

He broke from the kiss with an unexpected grunt of pain. I immediately pulled back, my arms dropping to my sides as I stiffened in front of him.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," I apologized quickly.

"No," he said between a hiss of pain, "it's not you. The–the guy I was interrogating earlier hit me with a metal pipe a few times. Got in a few good hits."

"Shit," I cursed again, worry rising in me, "are you okay? Fuck, I should have asked," I grumbled angrily.

I began to slide off the bed and Matt reached back out for me, his hand grasping in the empty air.

"Where are you going?" he asked quickly.

"Turning on a light," I told him as I crossed the room, flipping on the switch. "So I can see how hurt you are."

"Sweetheart, I'm fine," he assured me.

My heart flipped at the word and I paused, hesitating by the door. With the light on I could see him sitting on my bed, back against the walnut headboard. His unmasked face was cocked to the side, his brows furrowed over his eyes. There was a light frown on his lips which were still wet and a little swollen from kissing me, and that thought alone made an ache grow deep within me. I swallowed hard and pushed the thought away, focusing on his injuries.

I headed back to the bed, climbing on and crawling between his legs, nudging them open further with my own. He complied, allowing more space for me to sit on my knees in front of him.

He had a small cut on his cheek and another just above his lip. Part of the tight, black fabric on his chest was torn revealing a four inch long gash; it looked deep enough for stitches but not too deep for me to fix. My hands carefully reached out and lifted up the hem of his shirt, raising it slightly. There was a large, angry bruise covering his side that stretched across part of his very defined abs.

"If you wanted me to undress, you just had to ask," Matt teased lightly.

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the blush rising on my cheeks.

"You've got a few cuts. Some bad bruising," I told him. "I can help you with them, if you'd like."

He shook his head, reaching out on the bed and feeling for my hand. When he caught it, he brought it swiftly to his lips and gave my knuckles a light kiss.

"I can stitch myself up later," he assured me. "And if I meditate I can heal faster."

Chewing my lip nervously, I stared at him for a moment. He'd lowered our intertwined hands to rest against my knee, his thumb dancing back and forth across my skin.

"I wasn't talking about…stitching," I told him awkwardly. His head tilted curiously to the side. "I told you once before that I can…heal minor injuries too. I can…help with some of these." I cleared my throat awkwardly. "I mean, if you'd like."

His lips pulled into a straight, pensive line for a moment. His eyes were focused somewhere near my shoulder and they looked deep in thought.

"Will it hurt you?" he eventually asked.

"No, I know my limits," I told him. "I promise."

He nodded his head. "Okay," he agreed.

"You uh…you're going to need to take off your shirt," I told him, my voice wavering.

He pulled the tight black fabric up, wincing at the movement. It took him a moment, but with some help, we managed to get it off. I set the shirt off to the side and then turned back to Matt.

And froze.

My heart began to race and I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. His arms were even larger now that there wasn't fabric hiding them; defined muscle that led my eyes up towards his broad, strong shoulders. His chest and abs, though marked with scars, were so defined that his skin was pulled taut over the muscle and I could see every dip and crevice. I could feel my breath coming in fast just imagining him climbing on top of me on my bed, his arms tensed as he held his weight over me.

"See something you like?"

I blinked rapidly before turning my attention up towards his face. I swallowed hard, embarrassed.

"Sorry," I mumbled weakly.

He smirked, licking his lips. "I'm not," he whispered low.

I cleared my throat and rolled my eyes yet again at him.

"Half your torso is covered in a giant bruise and you're literally bleeding on my bed," I told him. "Are you really going to try that right now?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, I just really enjoy hearing your pulse race like that," he admitted.

I focused back on his injuries, my attention turned to the cut on his cheek and above his lip. I reached out a hand tentatively and stopped with it hovering just over his face.

"So uhm, to do this I sort of have to–" I cleared my throat nervously, "–touch you. Just a–a heads up."

His mouth pulled back into a devilish grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners as his head cocked further to the side. I could feel him focusing in on me, that familiar prickle I got when he did returning. Briefly I wondered why I seemed to pick up on it sometimes, but Matt's voice pulled me back.

"You have my permission to touch me," he said, his tone inflicting a double meaning intentionally.

I swallowed hard, ignoring the way his words made me feel. Instead, I lightly laid my hand on his cheek and closed my eyes. Focusing, I mentally reached out towards Matt, searching for the injuries. I could feel the familiar vibrating in my head; it slid down the back of my neck and to my hand along with a flood of warmth. I heard Matt inhale gently when the tingling warmth reached his skin. I could feel the cells in his body speed up; energy surging through my fingertips straight to them as they began sealing the cut. It was only a few moments before I opened my eyes and saw the cuts had completely disappeared as if they'd never been there in the first place. Glancing up, I saw Matt's eyes had closed as well, a peaceful expression lingering on his face.

My attention turned down towards his bare chest where the deeper gash was. Gingerly I rested my fingertips over the cut, hearing a faint hiss of pain from Matt as my eyelids fluttered shut again. This time it was easier for me to reach out and find the injury, leading the energy from me towards his body, into his very cells where they instantly began healing the cut at an amazingly rapid pace. Because of the depth of the cut, this one took a bit longer than the two on his face, but Matt remained still, allowing me to work as only a soft, peaceful sigh blew slowly out of his mouth.

When I opened my eyes again, the cut had also vanished, just like the ones on his face. My fingertips lightly traced across the skin where the bleeding wound had been just moments ago; Matt exhaled a soft noise at the gesture and I bit my lip, turning my attention farther down to his bruised abdomen and trying to ignore the heat between my thighs.

I slid my hand down across his right pectoral, dragging my fingers past the defined edges of each abdominal muscle before I softly pressed my hand against him, palm flat against a section of his bruise. My eyes drifted closed again, trying to reach out my focus.

"Bruising is more difficult," I mumbled to him, searching for the injury below the skin. "The damage from a cut is obvious, this takes more focus." I frowned, mentally scanning the bruise beneath my hand. "I can't…can't fully heal this, but I can help speed it up. It'll hurt less but…you should still let your body rest before…going back out."

Matt let out a low grunt of understanding as I fell silent again. I focused the energy into his body again, feeling the warm vibration centered on my palm now. We stayed like that for a few minutes in silence before I opened my eyes. The bruise looked less angry, but it was still there, covering a wide section of his body. I reluctantly dropped my hand to my lap, looking back up at Matt. His eyes were still closed and there was a faint smile on his mouth; his body had shifted forward, leaning in towards me.

"Hopefully that uh…feels better," I murmured.

I watched as he lightly nodded his head, his eyes slowly opening and taking a moment to focus towards my cheek. The faint smile was still on his face.

"It does, thank you," he answered quietly. "How do you…do that? It felt like–like the sun on a summer day. Warm and almost–almost like my skin was vibrating."

I shrugged in response. "I don't really know. My mind can sort of reach out, link up to someone else's. It's like our consciousnesses communicate on a cellular level or something. Tells mine where the wound is, where something is wrong, and then I can sort of like…reach out? Transport some sort of energy that I'm able to manipulate. It speeds up the cell's ability in your body to heal." My eyes darted down to my hands in my lap, fidgeting. "It works the same way as me giving commands to people; my consciousness reaches out towards another and pushes thoughts or actions into theirs. I've never really understood it; I haven't used it much in a long time. I sort of–sort of tried to not use my powers ever since…Kilgrave," I admitted. "Just wanted to be normal."

"Hey," he called out gently, his hands searching for mine. I slid them towards his, letting him grab on and hold them tight. "There's nothing wrong with who you are," he continued. "You're not like him. You're a good person."

Part of my lip tugged up into a small smile. My head raised, turning my attention to Matt. He was staring at me so intensely it was like he could see me. I gave both his hands a quick squeeze before letting them go.

"You hungry?" I asked him, sliding back over to the edge of the bed. "Healing you sort of made me hungry."

Matt chuckled softly, shifting on the bed and following me off of it. He began pulling his shirt back on as he followed.

"I'm not going to ask you to cook me food in the middle of the night," he replied.

I waved a hand at him even though he couldn't see the gesture.

"Don't worry about it. I'm serious, healing you made me hungry and a little tired," I assured him. "And after that nightmare, I could use a few minutes before falling asleep."

I slid my bedroom door open and headed towards the kitchen, Matt followed closely behind.

"Eggs sound good," I mumbled as I opened my fridge and scanned the contents. "Still have some leftover diced vegetables I can throw in them." I looked at Matt over the top of the fridge door, one brow raised. "You hungry?"

He let out a deep sigh and then slowly nodded.

"Honestly I haven't really ate much today," he admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "Been sort of busy with the trial today. Then was out…for a bit this evening. As you can see."

"Alright, that settles it," I told him, leaning back into the fridge and pulling out the carton of eggs and the diced vegetables. "I'm going to make us some eggs, you can head back to your apartment and get changed into something…" I paused, eyeing his all black outfit, "less conspicuous. I’ll get started on the food. Sound good?"

Matt laughed a little before nodding his head. He wandered over to my window and pulled his mask down to cover his face. I began pulling out a pan and tossing the vegetables in with some olive oil as I saw him sliding the window open and slipping out into the night, shutting it behind himself.

I spent the next few minutes focused on sautéing the vegetables and getting the eggs scrambled and ready to cook. In the background I had the food channel on again; some Thanksgiving cook off challenge was playing and I was only half listening to it.

A light knock at the front door startled me momentarily before I set the spatula down and headed to the front door. I unlocked it and found Matt, clad in a black tee-shirt and dark gray sweatpants tucked into a pair of warm looking socks. I smiled and stepped aside.

“Come in, I’m almost done with the food,” I told him.

He stepped into the apartment and I locked up behind him before hurrying back to the kitchen. I poured the eggs into the pan to cook and was about to ask Matt if his night time activities had been successful when I suddenly felt a pair of warm hands grasp my hips. Matt’s warm body suddenly pressed entirely against the back of me as I continued to cook. His left hand slowly dragged its way from my hip up my back to my neck, where his fingers gently brushed my hair over my shoulder leaving the skin bare. I inhaled sharply when the stubble of his chin grazed me there as his left hand returned to my hip.

“Thank you for healing me,” he whispered, his face hovering just over my left shoulder, “and for making food. It smells good.”

My heart was racing in my chest again at the closeness; my breath starting to come in short, breathy pants that I was trying hard to conceal.

“Well someone should probably–” I began, pausing to swallow hard when the fingers of his right hand slid just a fraction under my tee-shirt, brushing against my skin ever so slightly. I blinked hard and tried to focus on the food and not what Matt was doing to me. “Someone should probably make sure Hell’s Kitchen's favorite vigilante is fed and not bleeding out somewhere,” I said breathily.

I felt him shift against me, and then suddenly his lips were on the nape of my neck, planting a gentle kiss across the delicate skin.

“Then I’m glad it’s you,” he murmured against my neck.

He nuzzled against the back of me, his fingers tightening against my waist, as he brushed his nose into my hair.

“You always smell so good,” he whispered.

I turned the burner off on the stove; the eggs had finished cooking and I was going to lose my mind if Matt kept touching me like he was.

“Like peanut butter?” I joked.

He laughed a little, pulling his face away. “No, not usually.”

I turned towards him, his hands remaining in place on my hips as I did. I watched his smile grow now that I was facing him. Feeling like he deserved a little taste of his own medicine, I placed my hands against his abdomen, careful of the giant bruise I knew was there, and very slowly and intentionally slid both of them up towards his chest.

How in the hell does his body feel like this? It’s not even fair.

Biting my lip, I glanced up towards his face to see the smile gone. Instead, his nostrils were flared and his jaw was clenched tightly, the muscles working visibly in his cheeks. I let my hands continue up, resting on his broad shoulders, momentarily digging my nails in lightly. A sharp exhale blew from his nose as his eyes darkened, his gaze somehow landing on my mouth. I smirked, sliding my hands up both sides of his neck, though the feel of his warm skin under my hands caused my own heart to stutter. Ignoring the thoughts threatening to rise to the forefront of my mind, I trailed both hands to the back of his neck where my hands slid up, gripping onto his hair. Using my grip on his hair, I gently pushed his head lower towards me; his face dipped down closer. I could feel his muscles stiffen underneath me as I rose onto my toes, reaching his face better. His eyes fluttered shut when my lips very faintly grazed his jaw, his own lips parting just a hair. Fighting back the urge to just kiss his tempting mouth, I lifted mine higher, very lightly grazing his skin along the way, and paused just at his left ear.

I leant in enough to just brush my lips along his ear as I whispered, “Food’s done.”

And then I released him, abruptly lowering to my feet and grinning at the pained look on his face.

“That was cruel,” he pointed out.

“Mmm, you know, you’ve been doing that to me nonstop,” I told him with a laugh. “It’s called karma. Now, I can make you up a plate if you want to sit on the couch?” I asked him. “Probably would be more comfortable for you than my bar stools with that giant bruise and that knot in your shoulders and back.”

His head tilted to the side as he asked, "Knot in my shoulders?"

"Yeah I uh…noticed it when I was healing you," I told him awkwardly. "Sore muscles are not something I can fix with my abilities, though." I waved a hand to shoo him quickly, feeling heat rise to my cheeks the longer he looked at me like that while my brain forced me to remember the feel of his bare chest under my hands. "Go get comfortable, I'll get you food."

He watched me silently for a moment before he nodded. "Thank you," he said softly before turning towards the living room.

I headed to the cabinet to pull out plates and cups as he headed towards the couch in the living room. As I turned back to the pan, piling eggs onto both plates, I called back over my shoulder, “You want water or orange juice? Cause that’s all I’ve got.”

“Water is good, thank you,” he called back.

I smiled as I grabbed silverware out of a drawer before walking the plates to the living room. I handed Matt his before setting mine on the coffee table, telling Matt I’d grab water in a moment. I wandered back to the kitchen and filled up two cups before bringing them back and informing Matt where his was located before him. Then I plopped onto the couch, plate in hand, and curled my legs up under me. Beginning to eat, my eyes glanced back at the cooking show I had playing.

“In all seriousness, thank you for…all of this,” he said sincerely. “I’m not exactly used to anyone taking care of me.”

“Really, it’s no problem,” I told him. “Just happy to help. I’m really appreciative of the late night company. Makes me feel a little better.”

He turned towards me, a small smile on his lips. “I’m glad I can make you feel better, Olivia.” He took another bite of food and then quickly said, “This is really good by the way.”

“You’re just saying that so I make the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen some more late night snacks,” I teased.

He laughed and shook his head. “No, I’m being serious.”

“Well thank you,” I said. “Seems like high praise coming from a guy with heightened senses.”

“It is,” he teased me back.

We fell into a few minutes of silence as we continued to eat. My eyes drifted to the TV again as Matt was seemingly partially paying attention to it but clearly in thought.

“Did you find out what you needed to tonight?” I asked him after a while, breaking the silence.

“Yes, I did,” he answered, his tone darker than it had been all night. “I got a name. Wilson Fisk.”

I shook my head, spearing another egg on my plate. “Never heard of him before, but I also haven’t been here long.”

“I’ve never heard of him either,” Matt told me.

I swallowed the bite of food I was chewing, eyeing him carefully from the corner of my eye. “So that means more late night activities?”

“Yeah,” he said simply.

I nodded, chasing a chunk of red bell pepper around my plate with my fork. “Just uh…be careful, please?” I asked him hesitantly. “I’d…like you to stay breathing.”

Matt’s head inclined in my direction, his eyes focusing somewhere along my jaw. His mouth twitched a bit, as if he was thinking of how to respond.

“I will,” he told me after a moment.

We finished the food in silence and I cleared both our plates before adding them to the dishwasher. As I turned towards the living room, I paused for a moment, enjoying the sight of Matt sitting there with one arm tossed over the back of the couch, relaxed, as if he belonged there. Exhaling a soft, shaky breath, I made my way back into the living room and towards the couch, about to return to my spot. I stopped in front of the couch before I sat, momentarily contemplating the space beside Matt. I bit the inside of my cheek nervously before shrugging–we’d already been kissing earlier, why couldn’t I sit next to him?

I took a step over and sat down beside him, smiling faintly when his arm on the back of the couch instantly lowered onto my shoulders, pulling me in closer towards him so my head was resting against his shoulder. I pulled my legs up underneath me and sighed contentedly.

“I like this,” I whispered hesitantly.

His head turned a fraction towards me. “Like what?” he whispered back.

My arms slowly wrapped around him as I pulled myself a bit closer to his warm body. My hands rested along his lower back and his hip and I struggled not to focus on the solid feel of him beneath my hands yet again. Or the thought that snuck its way into my head telling me I shouldn't be doing this, not now with Kilgrave still somewhere out there.

“This,” I reiterated slowly, cautiously. “Sitting here, like this, with you.”

It was a moment before Matt said, “I like this, too.”

I smiled warmly as my attention returned to the television show. The contestants were making a turkey dish now.

“So no cheesy Christmas romance movie tonight?” Matt asked, catching my attention.

“No,” I said, laughing against his shoulder. “Not tonight. We just have some Thanksgiving cookoff. And honestly the potato dish that one guy made in the last round sounded really damn good.”

Matt’s chest vibrated beneath me with his chuckle. I felt his hand land on my head, softly running his fingers through my hair. My eyes slowly fell closed, reveling in the unfamiliar feeling of such a sweet touch. My body felt like it was melting against his on the couch with the way his fingertips lightly dragged across my scalp before sliding their way down my blonde strands. And then his hand rose and repeated the motion, deliberate and comforting with the way his fingertips gently touched me. A faint sigh left my traitorous mouth, but I was too relaxed to feel embarrassed at the moment.

“What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish?” he suddenly asked.

My eyes immediately flew open, my stomach twisting at his question. My body stiffened as images of my cell at The Facility came back to me followed by many Thanksgivings spent heating up a frozen pizza, alone in my apartment in Alaska. A deep frown crossed my lips, my hands tightening into fists against him.

“I uhm…I’ve never had a Thanksgiving…before,” I admitted quietly. "Or anyone to celebrate with."

His hand paused for a moment in my hair before it resumed its ministrations. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “Maybe this year we’ll have to change that. Foggy, Karen, and I were thinking about getting together and doing something. If you’d like to join, I’m sure they’d love you to. I know I would.”

I tilted my head up towards him, taking in the serious expression on his face as he stared down at me. He had no idea what he was offering me–connection, friendship, acceptance, hope. Hope that things could be different here in New York for me.

“I’d like that. Thank you,” I whispered, voice thick with emotion.

He leaned forward and pressed a warm, affectionate kiss to my forehead before pulling back and smiling down at me.

“So, Murdock, what’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish then?” I asked abruptly, trying to change the topic and push my emotions back down.

“Well,” he began, “believe it or not my dad made a mean pumpkin pie when I was a kid.”

I laughed. “Did he now?”

“Yeah,” he said, smiling fondly as he stared off towards the television. “Unfortunately neither Foggy nor I can bake, so I haven’t had a good homemade pumpkin pie in a long time.”

I snuggled in tighter against him, grinning. “Maybe this year we’ll have to change that, too,” I told him.

I felt him lean over and place a kiss in my hair. He pulled back just a fraction and murmured, “I’d like that. Thank you.”

I could feel my heart begin racing in my chest at the feel of his lips against the top of my head. My eyes drifted closed again, relaxing into the feeling of safety with his strong, warm body beside me. I felt him shift slightly and heard the just barely audible grunt of discomfort. My eyes flew open and I pulled back, staring up at him for a moment, chewing my lip nervously.

"What?" he asked softly, his head turning towards me.

Fuck it.

I pulled away from him, noting the way his face fell and his eyebrows drew together in confusion.

"What're you–"

"Turn," I ordered him firmly.

My hands landed on his left arm and shoulder, lightly tugging on him. He made a confused noise and I pulled against him harder. Eventually he shifted, grimacing a little. I slid my right leg up on the couch, maneuvering it between the back of the couch and the right side of his body, the front of him now facing the armrest. I carefully slid myself in behind him on the couch with him between my legs, the position similar to how he'd been with me when I'd woken up from my nightmare awhile ago. I tried hard to ignore how he felt with my thighs trapping him between me and his ass now just barely pressed against the front of me.

He turned back over his shoulder, brows still deeply furrowed in confusion as he looked back at me. Forcing myself to just be bold–and telling myself this was definitely not meant to be sexual–I carefully placed my hands flat against his upper back before sliding them up towards his shoulders. My hands began to knead the tight muscles in his shoulders. His reaction was almost immediate; a sound like a sigh and a moan blew roughly out of his mouth as he drooped forward into himself, shoulders slumping under my hands.

Swallowing hard, I quietly explained, "Your muscles are tight. I told you I noticed it earlier but I can't heal sore muscles with my abilities."

My hands worked their way towards his neck, squeezing and working the tension out as they moved. His head dropped forward, chin to his chest, moaning faintly as my hands worked up his neck and the base of his skull.

"You don't–don't have to do that," he mumbled.

"Like I said," I told him, my voice sounding breathless and not the light and joking tone I'd intended, "someone should make sure the neighborhood vigilante is taken care of."

My fingers continually worked up his neck, feeling him slacken under my touch as another low moan left him. His hands suddenly dropped down, each one landing on one of my knees and gently squeezing them. I bit my lip, fighting to focus on giving him a massage and working out his tense muscles, trying hard to pay attention to the food competition on the television and not the growing warm ache between my thighs.

It wasn't working.

His hands tightened even further on my knees and I bit my lip harder. A sharp, shaky exhale blew out of my nose as my heart picked up its pace. Internally I willed it to stop, my attention turning towards the television as my hands focused back on his broad shoulders. They were in a dessert round now.

Just focus on the damn pie on TV, Olivia. Stop thinking about him between your legs.

My eyes clamped shut as I felt my arousal growing, knowing full well Matt would be even more aware of it than myself. I tried to exhale slowly as my hands slid down his shoulders, firmly working the muscles of his biceps. But then the image of Matt shirtless sitting on my bed earlier flashed through my mind and my breath caught in my throat. I felt Matt’s body tense under my hands and against the front of me. My grip tightened on his arms for a moment involuntarily before I quickly slid them back up to his shoulders and then to his upper back, trying to focus on massaging another part of him. His hands slid up just a fraction on both of my legs, his firm grip now on the upper part of my thighs just above my knee. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

You're dumb for lying to yourself and saying this wasn't sexual. He is LITERALLY between your legs and you're LITERALLY rubbing your hands all over his body.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

My eyes drifted up towards the ceiling, praying for my body to just calm down and stop betraying me to Matt.

How is one man doing this to me?

I felt him suddenly sit up straight as if he'd abruptly recovered from some sort of trance the massage had relaxed him into. My eyes landed back on him and I felt him release my thighs from his hold. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes landing on my chin. He swallowed hard a few times, his throat moving quite visibly with the movement.

He cleared his throat quickly before speaking, his voice deep and husky as he did. "Thank you for…taking care of me tonight, Liv." My body shivered involuntarily at the sudden nickname. "I should probably let you sleep. It's late."

My hands stopped on his back and I slowly lowered them to my lap.

"Yeah, okay," I agreed quietly, removing my legs from around him and scooting back on the couch. "It is late."

He rose to his feet and nervously I rose to mine beside him, crossing my arms over my chest as if that could help cover the sound of my racing pulse.

"Thanks for…checking on me," I told him awkwardly. "...again."

His mouth pulled up at the corners in a smile. He reached out, briefly cupping my chin, his thumb grazing my bottom lip. My arms tightened around myself in anticipation of something, but he dropped his hand as a pained look crossed his face.

We can't. Not with Kilgrave still out there. He knows that, too.

A dejected sigh left me as he turned and headed towards the front door. I followed behind him, unlocking it and opening it for him when we reached it. He stepped forward, pausing in the threshold.

"Goodnight, Olivia," he whispered.

"Goodnight, Matt," I answered back.

And then he went into the hallway and headed to his apartment. I shut the door behind him, locking it. I ran my hands down my face a few times, trying to calm down. My body was still aroused, still reacting to everything about him tonight.

With a huff I turned off the television and headed to my room. Sleep, that's what I needed.

I crawled into my bed and tried to get comfortable. I tossed and turned in the sheets a few times, feeling restless and all too aware of the warm, needy ache between my thighs. I rolled to my side and closed my eyes tight in frustration, willing myself to relax.

Matt's shirtless body flashed before my mind; the ripple of muscle I'd seen earlier–felt under my hands as I healed him. Massaged him. I bit my lip, unable to stop the curiosity that grew in me of what it would feel like to massage his bare chest and back under my hands. To hear what sounds he would make.

My hand had slid down into my underwear, between my thighs before I'd even realized. As my mind recalled that dark, hungry look on his face and the moans he had softly made as I massaged him, my hands continued to work inside myself, trying to find some release from the growing tension deep inside me. Briefly I thought I heard a loud bang from across the hall, but the image of Matt between my legs, his fingers inside of me, had me arching back into the sheets and moaning.

I was panting hard, my breath loud in my empty bedroom as I continued to finger myself. I pictured Matt in his black outfit, the dark mask on his face obscuring everything but his mouth. And that mouth–that mouth between my thighs, his tongue warm and wet.

His name rolled from my lips, something between a curse and a moan all in one, as I felt myself finally release the tension that had been growing deep in me all night because of him. Another loud noise faintly registered in my mind as I came down, trying to catch my breath. When my mind was working again, I realized that I'd heard a few loud bangs from Matt's apartment.

I swallowed hard, brow furrowing as my eyes glanced to my phone on the nightstand. Did I ignore it or did I check on him? Another loud bang from across the hall had me reaching for my phone, scanning my recent call list for his name. My finger hovered over it for a moment, trying to catch my breath and rid myself of the embarrassment of having just done that while thinking about him and then calling him after. I groaned staring at his name; maybe I was being stupid. He had to be fine.

What if someone attacked him in his apartment? Or he tripped and fell and hurt himself?

I pushed the contact, holding the phone to my ear as I ran my hands nervously through my hair. The phone rang five times and just as I was about to hang up, contemplating checking on him, he suddenly answered.

“Olivia?” he asked, confusion and something else mingled in his voice.

“I uh…” I began, closing my eyes and trying not to think about what I’d just been picturing. I could hear him breathing heavily through the phone. “Are you okay?” I blurted out. “I thought I heard…banging or something? I just…wanted to make sure you were okay?”

“I–I’m fine,” he panted out, his voice sounding strained.

“You don’t…sound fine…” I told him. “You sound out of breath.”

He huffed something that sounded almost like a chuckle before he groaned over the line. I heard a light thud shortly after.

“You’re going to be the death of me, Olivia Allen,” he breathed out.

I swallowed hard, my brows knitting together at his words. “What?” I asked him.

“I tried…really I did,” he told me, his voice low and quick. “Normally I tune everything out, and I really tried but I…”

He paused and my brain was racing, trying to make sense of what he was saying.

Tune everything out? What was he–oh. Oh shit.

My hand flew to my face in embarrassment, my cheeks flaming when I had understood. He’d heard me just now in my room, touching myself while thinking of him. Moaning his name .

Shit fuck shit fuck shit fuck

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I tried not to but…it’s like I was so tuned in to you when I left that I couldn’t shake you from my senses. It’s like you overwhelmed me–your scent, your breath, the tossing and turning in your sheets. The…noises you were making after.” He inhaled sharply and my cheeks burned further. “Please say something,” he begged, his breath still coming in heavy.

I tried to bury my face in my hand further, tried to disappear, but I couldn’t. As if it wasn’t enough to know he could tell I was aroused–feel it, smell it, taste it–now he’d heard me.

“I…” I started, voice quiet as I shook my head. “I am…definitely embarrassed.”

“If it makes you feel better, you’re not alone,” he admitted. “Not the embarrassed part, but the uh… other part.”

“What?”

“You weren’t the only one who uh…needed a…” he paused, clearing his throat before he finished, “release.”

Did he just…admit that he’d gotten off to me? The warmth that had been flooding my cheeks suddenly flew farther south on my body at the information.

“That…was the banging?” I asked him hesitantly.

He cleared his throat again, his breathing sounding a bit more even. “Yeah, I uh…tried not to but I…couldn’t…”

“Oh,” I said, the word coming out more as a surprised sound.

“You’re probably upset with me now, for all of that,” he rambled on suddenly. “I’m sorry, it was wrong of me and I shouldn’t have–”

“No,” I said, cutting him off quickly and then wincing. “I mean,” I began, backpedaling a bit, “I’m definitely embarrassed that you uh…heard that? But…from what you’ve said before I suppose it’s not all in your…control.” I swallowed hard, scratching the top of my head. “But I’m…” I trailed off, biting my lip.

“You’re…?” he prompted eagerly.

“I’m…a little relieved to know that it wasn’t just me,” I blurted out.

He chuckled lightly on his end. “It’s definitely not. You were sufficiently working me up most of the night, probably without even realizing it, sweetheart.”

I licked my lips at the term of endearment, my eyes closing briefly, wondering what it would sound like to hear him whisper it–

Nope, that’s how we got in this mess.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. “I uhm…I’m sorry. Just sort of…having a hard time keeping my distance,” I admitted.

“Yeah, you’re not the only one,” he mumbled, his tone sounding pained. “But you should actually get some sleep.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, nodding slowly. “You’re right.”

“Goodnight, Liv,” he said gently.

My mouth pulled up into a faint smile. “Goodnight again, Matt.”

I could hear the smirk in his voice when he said, “I hope you have good dreams this time.” A brief pause. “Just maybe not too good, okay?”

“Oh my God,” I grumbled, burying my face in my hand again as he laughed lightly. “ Goodnight, Matt,” I said firmly.

“Sweet dreams, Liv,” he told me, a smile apparent in his voice.

I hung up, sighing as I placed my phone back on the nightstand. Settling back into my sheets, I muttered to myself, “You attractive and charming ass, Matt.”

A moment later my phone buzzed. Frowning, I turned over, grabbing my phone. I spotted a text from Matt.

3:47 AM I heard that

I rolled my eyes, laughing a little. “Maybe you should stop spying on me now, the show’s over buddy,” I whispered.

3:47 AM Goodnight sweetheart

I smiled, placing the phone back on the nightstand before rolling over in my bed and getting comfortable.

God damn that man and what he does to me.

#matt murdock x ofc #daredevil x oc #matt murdock #daredevil #matt murdock series #matt murdock fanfic

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farfromstrange · 2 years ago

Text

Foreigner’s God: Chapter 49

Main Masterlist

Pairing: Matt Murdock x OFC

Chapter Summary: Matt does what he knows best - hunting down the shadows that haunt them. Though the revelation he makes is nowhere near what he expected to find, and Eliza awakes to a revelation of her own that's bound to mess with her head.

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, some angst, but nothing more

Word Count: 8.5k

Reader Chapter 49: Dark Paradise here on AO3!

The ambulance took off toward Metro General. Matt kept holding Eliza’s hand tightly in hers. Eventually, she lifted the oxygen mask slightly. “I’m sorry,” the words sounded like a broken breath out of her mouth.

He shook his head softly and pulled the oxygen mask back over her mouth. “Don’t apologize,” he said.

She nodded. “I have to,” she said, her voice muffled through the plastic.

“No, you don’t. You might have scared me back there, but it’s not your fault.”

She searched for his eyes. He did her the favor of keeping his glasses off.

“We’ll figure this out, together.”

Eliza lifted the oxygen mask again. “I know I shouldn’t have said what I said, but it’s the truth. I’m not sorry he’s dead.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said.

She couldn’t tell if he was lying to protect her feelings or telling the truth.

After arriving at the hospital, Eliza was quickly taken into an exam room, and the officers Detective Castillo offered stood by outside. Eliza got rid of the oxygen mask and the infusion, leaving her behind to wait. The nurses started attaching her to machines and Matt took the minute he had to step out and fanned his senses out to find Claire in the turmoil. The emergency room wasn’t unnaturally crowded, but even though she was working, she seemed nowhere to be found. After a few seconds, he finally caught onto her heartbeat somewhere down the hall and excused himself, much to Eliza’s dismay. He carefully made his way forward until he found who he was looking for.

“Claire,” he said.

The nurse turned around, surprised to see him. “Matt,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s Eliza…”

“What happened?” Her surprise was replaced by shock and concern, looking around wildly.

He raised his hand, soothing her initial reaction. “She’s not hurt, she’s just… the preliminary hearing was today and all went well until… Volkov somehow managed to give an interview outside and she snapped. Someone shot him. I don’t know, no one knows what exactly happened, but she stood right behind him and… she just had the biggest panic attack of her life and I’m just…” With each word, his face fell more, he grew paler and his entire body seemed to succumb to the consequences of stress.

She touched his shoulder gently and guided him to sit on one of the chairs lines up against the wall before he could collapse. “Calm down,” Claire urged gently. “Take a deep breath.”

Matt tried his best to catch his breath. The bustling around him made it hard for him to focus. He couldn’t tune out the noise or the ghastly smell of disinfectant mixed with vomit and blood that spread through the hospital.

Her soothing hand on his thigh slowly brought him back. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“It’s okay. Just tell me what’s going on.”

“She’s in shock. I think it triggered her PTSD or something, I’m not sure.”

“And you want me to check in on her before the doctor does because you trust me more?”

He nodded.

“Okay.” The last thing Claire would do was say no. “I’ll see what’s going on,” she said.

“Thank you.” Her approval sent the blood back into his cheeks.

It was nothing new for Claire to have to check in with police officers before treating a patient. In Hell’s Kitchen, that happened often. Eliza wasn’t surprised to see her either, but throughout the examination, she said not a single word.

Matt stood in the corner of the room, listening intently to what was happening. Claire checked her pupils, and her blood pressure and went over what the paramedics had already documented. After a few minutes, she turned back to him and sighed, her shoulders slacking almost in defeat.

“Physically,” she said, approaching him, “she’s okay. Mentally, not so much.”

He bit his lip. “I figured,” he said.

“She’s in shock, and not just because she witnessed someone getting shot. She’s in shock because she had some very vivid flashbacks, and probably because the man who hurt her and took her childhood literally died and his blood is all over her. That doesn’t leave anyone cold. She needs a shower and a sedative. You want me to advocate for her to stay the night?”

Nodding softly, he turned his head toward the gurney in the middle of the room. “I think it’s for the best.”

“For her or because you have business to attend to?” Claire’s knowing glance didn’t go unnoticed, and neither did the nonchalant tone of her voice.

He sighed. “Don’t judge me,” he said. “I need to figure out who did this. They could have targeted her, for all we know, and I can’t lose her.”

“I’m not judging,” she said.

“Then why does it sound like you are?”

“I’m merely worried, that’s all. You know what they say about martyrs and people like you who care so much about the people they love…”

Matt let out an exasperated sigh, "What?" Claire trailed off, her voice tinged with a mixture of concern and frustration. "Sometimes, in the pursuit of protecting others, you forget to protect yourself. To protect Matt Murdock. You forget that putting criminals behind bars or even beating them into a puddle isn't all there is. The people you care about need you. Eliza needs you. Protecting someone doesn't just mean disappearing to serve justice, it also means being there for them. You can't save the world if you're drowning in it, Matt. And it often seems like you're trying to protect everyone as the Devil instead of being Matt Murdock, the man your friends need. And if you're about to do what I think you're about to do, I won't stop you, but I encourage you to think about what she needs more right now. Does she need Daredevil to find whoever did this or does she need Matt Murdock by her side? It's a fine line. An important choice. But I've told you that many times before."

His face fell, his guilt palpable. He knew she was right. He had often walked the razor's edge between selflessness and self-destruction. He had often slipped from what he thought was right into doing what was wrong for the people he was trying to help. It was a burden he bore willingly, but it took its toll. It was a burden that seemed to grow heavier with every moment he spent with Eliza, but he was Matt Murdock, he was Daredevil, and as such he had a job to do. He heard Claire loud and clear, but his mind refused to let him think twice about it. The fine line didn't seem so fine when she could still be in danger. It was an important choice he knew he'd fail, but there was only a short window of time to find who did this, to investigate and assure the safety of the woman he loved. He needed to find who did this so they could move on and he could take care of her when she was safe. He knew that with that, he broke the fine line, and it was the opposite of what Claire meant, but both of them already knew that Matt would continue making the same choices until they would bite him in the ass.

"What do you want me to say, Claire?" Matt's voice cracked with a hint of weariness. "I can't just stand by when innocent people are in danger. Eliza... she's been through so much. I can't let her suffer again. I need whoever did this far away from her, and I need her to be safe so she doesn't have to go through the same hell again. I don't have a choice. I'm Daredevil."

Claire sighed. "But you're also Matt Murdock," she said.

He shook his head. "We're the same person."

She gave another shake of her head. "That's exactly what I meant, Matt. It's a fine line you walk, and I worry that it's starting to blur. Protecting Eliza doesn't mean just finding the ones responsible; it means being present for her, showing her that she's not alone in this."

His brow furrowed in conflict as he weighed Claire's words. He had never loved someone as much as he loved Eliza and while it pained him, he wanted to do everything in his might to make sure he got to love her as long as he wanted, which meant having to keep her safe. That was where the line blurred. He was Daredevil with or without the suit. He had a duty to fulfill. Claire was right, but he found his point of view more important, especially with the urgency of the situation. Matt Murdock was only complete with Daredevil, and Eliza, out of all people, would understand. He hoped she would.

"I know you want to keep her from further suffering, but sometimes, the best way to protect someone is by being there for them," Claire continued gently. "She needs Matt Murdock, the man who cares deeply for her, not just the vigilante who fights crime. It's not an easy choice, but you must consider what she needs right now."

Matt's gaze shifted. "I get it, Claire," he said finally, "I know you think I don’t, but I do. But at this moment, I can't shake the feeling that Eliza's safety depends on me finding the answers. I can't let her down. I can't let anyone else get hurt. She has you, Foggy, and Karen. She'll understand. And I know she'll be safe here while I go find the answers I need." Lowering her eyes, she sighed again. Sometimes Matt was like a wall - most of the time if she was being honest. She couldn't get through to his core. When he set his mind to something, he couldn't be swayed. She looked back up at him and asked, "Does Foggy know yet?" Matt dreaded the question as much as he dreaded telling his friend that he was, once again, not going to stay and jump head-first into danger. But he was doing it for her, for Eliza, he wasn't doing it for himself. He had to remind himself of that. It wasn't just about justice, it was about her and her alone, and finally putting an end to the pain she endured.

Claire already knew the answer. "Matt..."

He waved her off. "He'll come around," he said. "I know it doesn't make sense to you, but it's my responsibility. Me sitting around won't help her. Finding the one who did this will. Can't you just trust me on this?"

She nodded. "I know better than to try and change your mind. it just sounds like it's not me you have to convince," she said.

"Sometimes, it feels like I can't even convince myself," he admitted, his voice tinged with vulnerability. "But I have to try. For Eliza's sake."

Claire reached out, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "Just be careful, okay?"

He squeezed her hand. “I will.”

“Okay. I’ll check in on her throughout the night,” she said.

“Thank you, Claire.”

“Just try not to ruin your relationship this time, Matthew. She’s too good to lose.”

She could see his eyes darken behind the glasses. “I know,” he murmured.

Claire, who had planned to say something else, chose to leave it at that.

Matt entered the room fully, carrying the weight of his guilt on his shoulders like a pile of bricks. Eliza was lying on the gurney, her eyes fixated on the ceiling. He gently took her hand, sitting down next to her.

“How are you feeling?” he dared to ask.

She didn’t look away from the ceiling, but her weak voice soon answered. “Weird,” she said.

“Weird how?”

“Like nothing’s real. It’s weird because I can manipulate reality, and I’ve never felt more… detached.”

From the back of his throat, a sympathetic yet pained sound left his mouth. “I’m gonna make sure you’re safe,” he promised.

Her lip twisted up into a sour smirk. “I don’t think anyone can, at this point.”

“That’s not true and you know it.”

“It is though. I’m just not meant for having good things happen to me and stay permanent. We have to face the truth. You’re probably going to slip out of my fingers soon too, and then we’ll see if I survive.”

His large hands cupped her face, pulling her toward himself. He pressed their foreheads together, stroking her hair. His heart ached. She stabbed her knife right through, breaking the glass into millions of tiny pieces. “Don’t say that,” he breathed.

She stiffened under his touch. “Why?”

“Because it hurts to hear you say that, knowing you believe every word of it. It’s not true. You’re not going to lose me, and for the love of God, stop talking about dying. I can’t go through that again. I can’t lose you again, and I’m going to make damn sure you won’t. Do you get that?”

“I’m just… tired,” she said.

“I know, sweetie.”

“I’m so tired of being tired.” Her voice cracked. “I can’t be tired anymore.”

“I know, c’mere.” Matt opened his arms and engulfed her, holding her close to his chest, and she hugged him back with a strength unmatched. “I’ve got you. I love you. And you’re safe.”

She whimpered, the tears knocking on the door of her conscience.

“You don’t ever have to be alone again,” he said.

He could feel the weight of her pain and exhaustion radiating off of her, settling deep into her bones. Matt was her anchor, there to provide the comfort and safety she desperately needed, afraid the water might sweep her away. He held her closer, pressing their bodies together until not even a piece of paper would have fit.

"I know you're tired," he whispered. "We all get tired. It's okay to be tired. But you're not alone anymore. I'm here, sweetheart. And I'm not going anywhere."

She clung to him, her grip tightening as if trying to hold onto the fragile thread of hope he offered. The tears she had held back finally spilled over, wetting his shoulder.

"I've lost so much," she sobbed, her voice muffled against his chest. "I'm scared of losing anything else, especially you. But whenever something good happens, I lose something else, even after I thought I'd won, and it hurts so much, I can't... God, I can't breathe."

Tears of his own started welling up as Matt fought against them. He knew it wasn't bad to cry, she had taught him as much, but this was her moment, he thought, and he needed to stay strong for her. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, silently vowing to protect her at all costs.

"You don't have to be scared," he told her.

The darkness made it hard for her to fully believe his words. The demons said the exact opposite and they nestled into every last part of her brain, spurting their lies.

"But what if it's not enough?" she whimpered. "What if the past isn't over and it manages to get us again, and this time for good? What if..."

He shushed her, holding the back of her head tighter. "We'll face it together," he said. "The past is a cruel son of a bitch, but we've faced everything else together, so we can face this too, whatever it is. We'll fight whatever comes our way. We'll figure it out. I won't let you face it alone. We'll build a future, a safe and happy one, where the past can't catch up with us. I promise I'll make sure that after this is over, there is no more darkness and that we can finally move on. You deserve it."

Eliza leaned into his embrace. For the first time in a long while, a glimmer of hope flickered within her.

"Promise me," she said, almost choking on her tears, her voice barely audible. "Promise me you'll never leave me."

It was a promise he had often made and often gone back on. "I promise," he said, his voice trembling as he tried to trust his own words. "I won't leave you." He wanted to be better, and he wanted to give her the life she deserved. She deserved a clean slate the most, he had often said it before, and he saw his life with her in it, especially in the future. Letting her go would be the last thing he would ever do. He had to keep her safe, and he had to make good on his promise. "Whatever it takes," he added.

Eventually, a doctor came in to check on her. He gave the same assessment Claire did and suggested a psychological evaluation, but she declined. He checked her into the hospital for the night, preparing something to help her sleep.

Matt helped her get settled into her room, and finally, Foggy and Karen found their way to the hospital. He thanked them for grabbing a change of clothes for her while Eliza took a shower. She spent a lot longer in there than she usually did, her mind getting stuck on scrubbing the blood off her body, and the dirty feeling of Viktor’s hands that persisted with every thought.

She completely zoned out. Her body slid down the tiles onto the floor and she stared at her runny reflection. The water had turned clear eventually, the blood completely gone, but her skin was reddened now from all the scrubbing, and her body started to shake when the water turned cold.

The door to the bathroom opened. She didn’t notice. Matt knelt next to her, his suit pants getting wet. It wasn’t the first time he pulled her out of a trance while she was showering, and her skin had been red like this before. He could smell the broken nerve cells and the tinge of her blood.

“Sweetheart,” he said, his voice breaking through the fog. He reached his hand out for her to take. “You’ve been in here long enough. You’re going to cause yourself hypothermia.”

She turned to him, a confused look on her face. She could hear the water clearer now and feel the burning of her skin. “But the blood,” she said.

“It’s gone.” He smiled gently. “You’re clean.”

“Oh.”

“Come on, let’s get you dried off and dressed.”

She hesitantly allowed him to help her naked form off the floor. With shaky hands, she dried herself off and slipped into the clothes Foggy and Karen brought for her. Matt helped her back into the hospital bed, tucking her in.

His patience with her was remarkable. She shivered slightly, causing him to grab another blanket and drape it over her.

Eliza looked up at him. “I’m scared,” she admitted, her eyes filling with tears again.

He stroked her wet hair back. “Of what?” he asked.

“Him coming back.”

His eyes softened. “He won’t come back.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“He’s dead.”

“And what about whoever shot him?”

“Let me take care of that.”

She sniffled, focusing on the feeling of his hand on her forehead, stroking down the bridge of her nose. He stayed like this for a while, even after the nurse came to administer the sedative so she could sleep. Her muscles stayed locked up until eventually, she felt herself succumbing to the effects of the medication. The world stopped spinning, her brain started to cloud up and her thoughts stopped.

Matt stayed beside her, running his thumb over her forehead. His sleeves were rolled up and his glasses discarded. He helped her drink and tucked her back in. She watched him. Her attention was on his face alone, and the feeling of his fingers caressing her sore skin.

He smiled at her when he felt her eyes on him. “You tired yet?” he asked.

“I’m scared of closing my eyes,” she admitted quietly.

“Don’t be,” he said.

“Please, don’t make me go to sleep.”

He silenced her again, continuing with his ministrations until her heartbeat started to slow and her breathing evened out. Her eyelids fluttered. She struggled to stay awake until sleep caught up with her eventually. Running his fingers through her hair, Matt stayed for a few more minutes to make sure she was sound asleep before rising from his chair.

He put his glasses back on and took his cane, then made his way out of the room. Foggy sat there, the chair next to him void of Karen.

“How is she?” he asked.

“Asleep,” Matt said.

“Thank God.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you just come out to tell me that?”

He shook his head, pulling Foggy aside, out of the officers’ earshot. It dawned on him then that his friend had plans that he wasn’t going to like.

“Oh no, don’t tell me-” Foggy began.

“I need to figure out who did this,” Matt told him.

“Are you serious right now?”

“I think it could have been Fisk trying to cover his ass after we could prove he was involved with Hydra a long time ago.”

His eyes widened in shock. “Fisk, Hydra, are you serious? We can’t just jump to conclusions without concrete evidence.”

“Matt's jaw tightened. "I know it's a leap, but I can feel it, Foggy. The pieces fit. Who else would have an interest in shooting Viktor when all of Hydra is dead? Who else could have an interest in possibly hurting Eliza too if not Fisk? He's not stupid."

"But Fisk? He's in jail. You do notice that you sound obsessed, right?" His voice sounded sharp. “Everything bad that happens, in your head, it’s always Fisk.”

He shook his head. "You didn’t see him in there, I did. He has the entire prison under his control, and he’d have no problems orchestrating an attack like this. Think about it! He has the power and he has the means. I just don’t underestimate him like you do because I saw firsthand what he could do. I felt his violence first-hand. I almost killed him, Foggy. So yeah, maybe I am obsessed, but when it comes to Fisk, nothing is impossible. He thinks he owns this city and I’m starting to think he actually might.”

"I know your history with Fisk, and I hear you when you say that he’s capable of shit like this. I’m not ignoring his obvious connection to Hydra’s business or the fact he has everyone in this city in his clutches, even from prison. But blaming this shooting on him… it sounds like speculation."

“I know I don’t have evidence, which is why I have to find it.”

“Why can’t you just leave it be for at least a couple of hours? I mean, what about Eliza? You said she comes first, always, but right now it sounds like the grudge you hold against Fisk is worth more than the woman you love lying in a hospital bed with the shock of her life.”

Matt's resolve hardened. "Yes, she needs me, and I'll be there for her. Eventually ,” he said. “But right now, I need to do something before she gets hurt again. I’m not doing this just for justice, I’m doing this for her. For you. For Karen. I’m not as selfish as you think. If Fisk is behind this, I need to do something. I need to do something now. I need to get ahead of this, Foggy.”

Foggy let out a groan. “You don't seriously plan to go out there now after your girlfriend has just been splattered with her molester's blood?!” he said, his frustration finally bubbling over completely. He had never heard him whisper-yell like this before. “She needs time to heal, Matt! She needs you. You were the only one able to calm her down, so what if she wakes up and has another panic attack and you’re not there? Do you really want to do this and prioritize Daredevil? Are you that needy for answers that can wait another day, just until all of our heads are in the right place again? You’re acting on impulse and you sound like a maniac, Matt…"

"Yeah, well, she also needs to be alive,” his voice turned resolute, “and I'm going to find the bastard who got Viktor killed. I know I can do it. I just need to take action now before it’s too late. We can’t count on the police. I tried letting them do their thing, but they always fail, and they will fail to protect Eliza when it comes down to it. They won’t find this guy, so I have to step in. It’s my job."

He shook his head, disappointment etched on his face. "You're a lost cause, Matt. You always charge headfirst into danger without thinking about the consequences. And saying ‘It’s my job’ just doesn’t fucking cut it! You don’t always have to control everything. You may have heightened senses, but you’re only human and sometimes you just have to leave things be until you know what you’re dealing with.”

Matt’s fist clenched at his sides, the skin turning white as it stretched over the bone. His lips pursed. The anger radiated off of him like a heat signature. Huffing, he propped his hands upon his hips, lowering his head slightly to take a deep breath. His chest heaved. “Eliza needs a friend,” he said, choosing to ignore everything else that was said. “She needs someone who cares. You’re right, I’m prioritizing Daredevil, but I’m doing it for her sake, so I need you to do this for her, not for me. I'll try to find the answers we need, and then I'll come back. I promise."

“If you want me to pretend I’m okay with this, you’re at the wrong address, buddy!” Foggy clapped back.

“I know,” the guilt displayed on his face, “I’m sorry. You know how much I love her.”

“Which is exactly why I don’t get this, but I know you can’t ever be swayed, so I’m not even going to try and fight you on this.”

Across the hallway, Matt called for him, “Foggy?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,” he said.

Foggy simply rolled his eyes, opened the door, and disappeared inside. If Matt weren’t going to be by Eliza’s side, he would. He knew he was often underappreciated and that Matt's behavior wasn't easily excused. But he also knew that if Eliza woke up, he wouldn't lie to her. He would tell her the truth and he would pretend he was on Matt's side. She was good for him, that much he knew, and as much as he didn't support his actions and worried about him, he knew where he was coming from and Eliza understood that. She would understand. Still, she needed someone and he would be her friend, as he always was, holding her hand and making sure she was okay until she woke up.

Matt stepped out of the hospital, his face wiped clean, determined, and focused. The darkness had started to settle in over Hell's Kitchen, the shadows offering solace. He folded his cane the closer he got to the next alley, then tossed it aside when he reached the dumpster to jump, reaching the rooftop with ease.

His heightened senses absorbed every sound and every scent. He could feel the static atmosphere and the looming danger that crept up his spine like a snake. He was searching for the needle in a haystack, and his suspicions were merely a whim.

Following his instincts and dressed in his leather-clad suit, he put on his mask and followed the voice in his head to the docks. The waves of the Hudson crashed into the shore, moving the boats that stood anchored to the pier. The air was thick with the smell of salt, fish, and algae. He could even hear the molecules moving with the wind as the river moved.

The streetlamps flickered, rats rustled in the shadows; Matt listened closely. The familiar presence was situated relatively comfortably close to the water. He didn’t seem to have a care in the world.

Determined to get what he wanted, Matt leaped off the shipping container he used as his observation platform. He pulled the billy clubs from his thigh holster. The darkness offered a shield as he made his way forward, stealthy as a cat.

Turk didn’t see it coming until it was too late. One of the billy clubs clanged against the nearest container and he jumped up from his chair, his gun at the ready. Though the weapon was soon knocked out of his hands as the next billy club flew toward him.

Matt stepped forward and out of the shadows.

“Aw, hell!” Turk sighed. “I didn’t even do anything this time,” he said.

Daredevil wasn’t going to let him plead his case tonight. He grabbed him by the collar and tossed him against one of the containers. Turk bounced off the metal with a loud grunt. He scrambled to his feet, ready to fight, but Matt’s fist collided with his face and he slumped back, holding his bleeding nose.

“What the hell, man?!” he shrieked. “I was just chilling! What did I do?”

When he spoke, his voice sounded low and dark, yet still breaking the comfort of the night. “I could give you a list, but I don’t have time for this,” Matt answered.

“Listen, I was trying to go straight, like you told me!”

He pulled him up by the collar again, landing his fist in his face.

“Okay, okay! Maybe I haven’t gone all straight, but I’m no longer selling assault rifles and more, like, handguns and stuff. Plus, I gave up on the drugs.”

“You smell like heroin.”

“ Some drugs.”

Matt pushed him against the metal, his lips parted as he let out heavy puffs of air that hit Turk in the face. His anger built a cloud above their heads, ready to rain down on them.

Turk whimpered. “Can we just agree that this is my punishment and leave it be?” he asked. “I can’t go to prison again. They’re gonna eat me alive.”

“That doesn’t sound like my problem,” Matt sneered.

“Please!”

“I’m not here because you’re selling, Turk.”

“Oh. Wait, what?”

His grip on his collar tightened. “I need answers,” he said.

“Answers? On what?”

“There was a shooting at the courthouse this morning. Someone took a long-distance shot at a very dangerous man before his trial could even start, and his only surviving victim stood right behind him when it happened. There’s a chance the bullets weren’t just meant for him. He’s dead.”

Turk’s eyes roamed the red mask. The fear seeped out of his pores. His heart continued to race, beating loudly against his ribcage. Matt could feel the muscles in his body tense. He was hesitating.

He raised his fist and Turk flinched. “Jesus! Okay, I might have heard about that,” he said, his voice quivering as his eyes stared at the glove that was about to rain down on his already bruised face.

Matt growled, “You worked with Fisk before, so you probably know that he worked with Hydra before. The man who got shot was a Hydra operative. I need to know what you know or I swear to God I will break your nose in three more places than it already is, and I’m gonna make sure you’re never going to smell anything in your miserable little life again.”

“You’re crazy, man.”

“Maybe I am.” When his fist collided with the metal of the container, it shook violently under his force. “Talk!” His voice echoed across the docks.

“It wasn’t Fisk,” Turk stammered. “If it were, I’d know. I own most of the weapon business in Hell’s Kitchen. I worked with Fisk. Whoever shot this dude today must have gotten his gun from somewhere else because weapons that shoot from such a distance are often military-issued, and I don’t sell that shit.”

“Then Fisk probably had a handyman. He was afraid that the truth about his involvement with Hydra come out and so he silenced the one connection that was left. That’s it, right? And he tried to kill Eliza Bennett too because she knows too much; because Fisk is terrified.”

“No! Trust me when I say that bald guy had nothing to do with this. He ain’t that desperate.”

“Don’t make me ask twice,” Matt bellowed, “who did this?”

Turk shuddered. “I don’t know! I only know that the kind of weapon that was used couldn’t have been mine. I’d remember. And there’s not many places you can get a long-distance rifle like that. It wasn’t Fisk, but I do know something…”

He knocked his head back against the container. “Spit it out!”

“Shootings been happening all over the city these past few weeks. Someone’s been shooting up gangs in Hell’s Kitchen. And when I say shooting up I mean absolutely slaughtering them. That’s some serious torture bullshit. Gangs have been gearing up ‘cause they fear they got a war on their hands, and I don’t blame ‘em. I’d do the same. Haven’t sold that many guns in a very long time. I even sold a grenade. Whoever these guys are, they’re professionals and gangs are dropping like flies.”

A frown formed on Matt's face as his grip on Turk's collar loosened. Turk attempted to slip out of his hands, but Matt swiftly caught him and delivered a kick to his stomach. Once, twice, and then a third time.

“Are you saying that neither Fisk nor Hydra are involved in this? That it’s just a stupid gang war?” he asked. “Viktor Volkov never even interacted with gang activity.”

Turk held his bruised ribs. “Listen, that’s all I know,” he choked out. “I’m just saying that the kind of gun that was used fits with the kind of guns that keep killing these guys around here.”

"Even if it is, the rest of your little speech is bullshit! I don't believe you. You're probably still working for Fisk—" Matt brought his elbow back and pushed his fist forward, the distinctive crack of Turk's nose resounding through the air. "Or you're working for Hydra or both."

“Hydra’s destroyed!” His voice sounded even higher than before. “Fisk hasn’t dealt with them in a while. It was just business. He was never involved in any of the Nazi or human experimentation bullshit they had going on. He never even set foot in a facility. He’s a businessman, come on! Why would he want to kill Volkov if he’s already in prison? No one can touch him in there anyway.”

His chest heaved. Part of him knew that Turk was right, but Matt couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. It didn’t add up. While it made sense, in theory, the rest of it seemed too far-fetched. But so was his theory. The story didn’t add up, but not because of Turk’s inability to lie properly - he wasn’t even lying in this case, he could hear his heartbeat loud and clear - the story didn’t add up because Viktor’s death didn’t even add up with everything else going on.

“Whoever did this,” Matt began, “were they trying to hurt Eliza Bennett?”

“As far as I know, these guys are good and they don’t miss. If she’s not dead by now, she wasn’t the target. They blew the guy’s brains out and hit his heart and his lung with the other two bullets. There ain’t more to it, man.”

He took a deep breath.

“You gotta trust me on this one, man.”

“I trust you about as far as I can throw you,” he retorted.

“Just for the record, is that far?”

With a growl, Matt raised his foot and kicked Turk in the knee, causing it to dislocate on the spot. He cried out and sank to the ground, “What the hell?!”

“Shut up.” Matt punched him again, but this time he made sure to aim for the right nerves. Turk fell to the side, his body going limp.

His mind still reeled around Fisk not being involved. He so desperately wanted him to be at fault that he forgot to look at the evidence. Turk was right, this wasn’t Fisk’s scene and he certainly wouldn’t get scared of Viktor selling him out. They did some business in the past, but Wilson Fisk was never a Hydra operative and he would never be. He preferred to have all the attention on him while doing business, his name being the one people feared, so being part of an organization like this seemed unlikely. And Eliza didn’t pose a threat to him either. She didn’t know Fisk and Fisk didn’t know her. Before, he had tried to hurt her to get to Matt, but in the end, he never really had a hand in what happened. His anger blinded him and he forgot to look at what he already knew.

Someone shot Viktor and it was a completely unrelated accident because even Hydra wouldn’t shoot Viktor. He wasn’t a spy or a snitch. Hydra was gone, they destroyed them, so his enemies were the only ones left, and he had plenty of those.

Matt soon found himself in the even darker parts of Hell’s Kitchen. Garage after garage lined the street. He went around the back of the building, slipping in through the backdoor. His reputation preceded him, so when he stepped out of the shadows, the light falling onto his red eyes, some of the gang members inside the garage reached for their weapons, but none of them charged at him.

He lifted his arms, a peaceful action, and the man who he presumed to have been the leader motioned for his people to lower their weapons.

“We don’t want any trouble,” he said with a low voice.

Matt agreed. “Neither do I,” he said.

“Then what are you doing here? Have you come to slaughter us too? Because if so, we stand a much better chance against you, Daredevil.”

“Whoever is attacking you guys, it isn’t me.”

“And why should I believe you?”

In a low, authoritative tone, he said, “I’m here for answers.”

“Answers?” the leader asked. A murmur went through the group. Some even chuckled.

“Yeah. I’ve heard about what’s happening in Hell’s Kitchen and while I am not a fan of you, the level of violence that’s been dominating the streets ever since the shootings started severely outweighs what you’re doing, and I intend to get to the bottom of it. I want to stop whoever is doing this.”

The man scoffed. “Why, so you have a chance at destroying us yourself?”

“I don’t plan on destroying anyone but the one responsible for these deaths. If you don’t want trouble, I suggest you cooperate.”

The gang members eyed him warily. They exchanged whispers, crowding around each other. Slowly, one of them, a burly enforcer, stepped forward.

"We ain't got nothing to do with those killings, man," he stated. "We've been on high alert, trying to figure out who's targeting us. It's like a damn warzone out here."

“Yeah,” another one said. “We’ve been stocking up on weaponry to protect us if we get attacked, too.”

The leader was the last to speak up again, but when he did, Matt could hear the sincerity of his words loud and clear. “We may not be friends, but when someone is going around slaughtering every gang in their proximity, we take it seriously. We take it like family, and this ain’t good for any of us,” he said.

Matt's senses listened to their heartbeats. He could tell the members genuinely believed what they were saying. This wasn't a typical gang dispute; there was something more sinister at play.

His expression softened slightly, but his determination remained unyielding. "I believe you. But I need information. Who else do you think might know about what's happening?"

The leader hesitated for a moment. Finally, he nodded. "There's a guy, a low-level dealer who's been hearing things. Rumor has it he stumbled upon some important intel. Word on the street is he's been laying low ever since this shitshow started. Not that any of us can blame him. His name's Eddie. Hangs out in the abandoned warehouse on 5th Street."

“He’s been hiding?” Matt asked to clarify.

“Yeah, he’s fearing for his life.”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank us. You’re not a friend,” he said. “Just find this bastard before all of us are dead.”

With another nod but without sound, Matt turned around and made his way back through the shadows out of the building and back onto the streets. The chase had just begun.

On his way to the hideout on 5th Street, several thoughts crossed Matt’s mind, one of them being Eliza. He asked himself how she was doing, if she had woken up yet, and if she would be mad if she woke up before he could make it back. He asked himself if he had made the wrong choice by leaving her. He asked himself if he was such a complicated character. After hearing Claire and Foggy criticize him, he questioned if his priorities were as straight as he claimed they were.

He loved Eliza more than anything else in this world. He made the choice depending on her safety, and before talking to Turk he had been so convinced she had been the target. He was confused and angry, mostly at himself. He should have seen it coming. His fists clenched at his sides. Matt fought the urge to fan out his hearing toward Metro General and check in on her - Foggy was there and perhaps he was the better man to take care of Eliza. He was kind and compassionate and he put his friends first, always. It was a bittersweet thought Matt hated to entertain, but he was a masochist and the self-hatred felt right because he duly believed he deserved it.

He halted. Down on 5th, he heard loud clanging. Voices overlapped. He heard an agonized scream. Wood broke, metal clanged, and glass shattered on a cement floor. He could hear the sound of fabric ripping, flesh parting, and blood squirting. He shivered. His head darted around wildly, trying to pinpoint the exact location. He knew that these sounds were no good omen.

Making his way toward 5th Street as fast as he could, he soon realized he had been right. His heart sank when he entered the small abandoned warehouse that Eddie seemed to have been using as his hideout. The window was shattered. He could hear labored breathing and the smell of copper coated the air.

Matt wasted no time finding a way inside. Glass cracked under his boots. He almost slipped on a piece of broken wood. The cocaine in the corner had been burned, the guns dismantled and broken. The paper in the room sounded and smelled like Dollar bills, but they weren’t whole. Someone must have cut them up or shredded them. The faint smell of gunpowder residue settled into his nose hairs.

He listened closely to the labored breathing, making his way toward the stone wall. His heart sank even more when he noticed that the man he was listening to was surely no older than twenty-five. In Hell’s Kitchen, young people often slipped into the drug business, but realizing that such a young man had felt forced to hide out because someone was going around and slaughtering people like him on the streets he lived on made Matt sick to his stomach. And now the young man was dying, he could hear it, and there was seemingly nothing he could do. But he would try. He needed answers. It was selfish and morbid, but Matt was desperate, and desperate people tend to do morbid things to get where they want to be.

Metal rods jutted out from the walls, he could feel them even with his gloved hands, and following the faint heartbeat, he soon spotted Eddie, impaled by one of the rods, his body pinned against the wall.

“Oh God,” he cursed under his breath.

Eddie coughed, and splatters of blood soared through the air. “Help,” he choked out.

Matt didn’t waste another second to check the rod and ease his body off the rod. “Hang on,” he said.

Finally, he managed to pull him off the rod, gently laying him down on the floor. He pressed his hand against the gaping hole in his abdomen, but the blood was coming out in uncontrollable measures.

His eyes filled with concern. “Who did this to you?”

Blood trickled from Eddie’s mouth as he struggled to speak. “Not…they,” he managed to choke out between labored breaths. “One man…did this.” His strength waned with every passing moment.

Matt frowned. “What do you mean, one man did this? Was it the same person responsible for the killings in the gangs? The shooting at the courthouse?”

Weakly, he nodded.

“Does he work for Fisk? Hydra? Anyone?”

“No…’they’...” Eddie tried again, his eyes wide as he grabbed the sleeve of Matt’s suit, pulling him down to press his lips to his ear. “Punisher,” he whispered.

“What?” asked Matt.

“P…” he choked on his blood. Matt slapped his cheek to keep him awake and called his name but to no avail. Eddie’s eyelids fluttered and as his consciousness faded, his heart could no longer keep up with the blood loss and slowed down until his heartbeat disappeared entirely. His body went limp in his arms.

The lines between justice and vengeance blurred before him as he tried to process the young man’s last words. The Punisher . The name appeared on his radar for the first time, but instantly it had a red circle around it. One man. One man was responsible for all the cruel killings that shocked the underworld of Hell’s Kitchen, and he killed Viktor. He put Eliza in a dangerous position and had Matt running around the city looking for something that didn’t exist. He felt so stupid, so foolish, and at the same time the shock stayed etched deep into his soul.

Slowly, he rose from Eddie’s side, the blood dripping off his glove onto the ground. With a heavy heart, he listened one last time, but the room was silent, so he turned his back on Eddie and headed for the exit. Whoever did this had to be close by, and he would scout every last inch of 5th Street until he found something worthwhile.

The Punisher had entered the narrative, had entered Hell’s Kitchen, Matt’s turf, and he would find the man and bring him to justice for all the blood he shed.

On the other end of the city, in Metro General, Eliza lay in her hospital bed, peacefully asleep. Claire had checked on her a couple of minutes ago, considering texting Matt on his burner phone, but after looking at Foggy, still mad, she decided against it.

Eventually, Foggy slipped out to grab a bite to eat. He accidentally bumped into one of the trays that stood a little too far away from the wall than it should have been, causing the contents to splatter everywhere. “I am so sorry!” he exclaimed.

A nurse came to his rescue, looking at the mess with a surprised expression. “That wasn’t supposed to stand there,” she said.

Blushing furiously, Foggy quickly got on his knees, tired and wobbly, and began to collect the instruments that had fallen. The nurse assured him it was fine, but his cheeks burned red nonetheless. He kept apologizing profusely.

One of the officers outside of Eliza’s room approached them and started to pick up the syringes that had started to roll toward him, for a moment abandoning his duties as protector. None of them noticed that the door to Eliza’s room opened for a brief moment and then closed without a sound.

The shadowy figure stood in the corner of the small hospital room as Eliza was still stuck deep in dreamless slumber. He moved with silent precision toward the bed. His eyes narrowed at the young woman, every last wrinkle of worry on her face gone. The blood on her face was gone. She wore fresh clothes and the heart monitor next to the bed showed a steady rhythm. She was fine, and she was alive.

The stranger didn't want to harm her. He stood there for a few moments, watching her breathe, taking note of her chest's steady rise and fall, and brushing a strand of her now-dry hair out of her face before she began to stir.

Something tickled her nose, causing Eliza to slowly wake from her slumber. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she squinted in the shrill hospital light. She made out a silhouette looming over her right next to her bed. Her heart skipped a beat, but she was paralyzed. She couldn’t move. It felt like way too vivid a dream, and her body was tied down with bricks. As she slowly began to regain consciousness, the shadowy figure vanished into thin air before she could make out any details. She felt a rush of wind as the intruder undetected slipped out of the room.

Regaining feeling in her limbs, she sat up suddenly, breathing heavily as she watched the curtain move. The window was closed and the door, too, so the only reason for it moving was the wind of movement.

Foggy opened the door, his face still red from the chaos he had caused. When he caught sight of Eliza’s distraught face and the wild movement of her head, checking every corner of the room in a panic, his nervous smile disappeared and the funny story got stuck in his throat.

“What happened?” he asked worriedly. “Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?”

Her heart pounded in her chest. She couldn’t shake the strange feeling that consumed her. “I…” she swallowed. “A very vivid one,” she muttered.

Foggy didn't seem entirely convinced, but he let it go for now. He sat down beside her again. "It's okay. I'm here. You're safe,” he said.

No matter how hard she tried though, Eliza couldn’t shake the picture of the mysterious silhouette from her mind. It lingered long after the hospital room had fallen into silence, and even when she asked Foggy with a frown, “Where’s Matt?” and he told her the truth, the face she barely saw haunted her.

She was convinced she had just imagined it, but she knew, deep down, that it wasn’t true. Someone had paid her a visit, and it sent shivers down her spine to consider the possibility that it was the same person who had shot Viktor not even a whole twenty-four hours ago.

#matt murdock #daredevil #foreigner's god #matt murdock x oc #matt murdock x ofc #matt murdock x original character #matt murdock fluff #matt murdock angst #matt murdock imagines #matt murdock x female!oc #human disaster matt murdock #marvel #charlie cox #matt murdock fic #daredevil fic #reader insert #ofc #karen page #foggy nelson

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the-cult-of-russo · 2 years ago

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Just Beneath The Flames (Part 12)

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader

Warnings: cursing, smut at some point probably lmao, zombie shit, typical canon violence. You know the drill.

A/N: Shoutout to @idaofinfinity . I really wanted to reply to your comment on the last chapter, but I didn’t want to give too much away. Also, thanks to all of you that continue to enjoy this story and show me appreciation. I love you all!

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You heaved a sigh, snapping the book closed before you stood up and stretched a little. You weren’t sure who the cabin belonged to before Rawlins had taken over but there were a few books here that were pretty useful. The one you’d been reading was about herbal remedies and while it wasn’t exactly a perfect substitute for actual medication, it was better than nothing and you loved learning. You’d been hanging out in your room all morning, not really having anything to do and feeling a little bored. You hadn’t planted your potatoes yet, knowing that it was best to plant them early spring and you were still in the shitty winter phase right now. You were anxious to get going with them but if you planted them too early, they wouldn't do much and it would be pointless. As you walked to your door, you heard banging about in the room next to yours. Billy’s room. It sounded like he was turning the place upside down and you glanced to the wall that separated your rooms with a raised brow. If he wasn’t such a dick, you might have gone to see what the hell he was doing. Instead, you just moved to the door and walked out. Since the god-awful run you’d been on almost a week ago, he hadn't said one word to you. It was better than being a little bitch, but you still didn’t like it. You kind of thought after he helped you in the truck that maybe it would be an opening, maybe Zach had gotten through to him and he’d start to be nicer. He didn’t have to pick you up and help you in the truck, after all. He could have just hopped right in himself and left you standing there like an idiot. You shook your head as you made your way down the hall, curiosity eating at you to know what the fuck he was doing. When you got downstairs, pretty much everyone else was on the lower floor all doing their own thing.

“Hey, Matt, how’s the leg?” you asked wryly, standing near one of the sofas that he was on. His leg was bandaged up as he sat sideways, his leg outstretched in front of him.

“It’s doing okay,” he smiled softly and you nodded even though he couldn't see it. He’d hurt his ankle on a run two days before and it left you without a hunting partner. It wasn't like you couldn't go alone, but you’d gotten used to having someone come with you now. You’d taken Foggy with you yesterday and quickly realized he wasn’t coming again. The man couldn't be quiet to save his life.

“Need a drink or anything?” you asked and he shook his head with another smile.

“Nah, I’m good. Karen’s been fussing over me,” he chuckled and you snorted.

“I don’t doubt it,” you grinned, patting him on the shoulder before you made your way into the kitchen where Karen was.

“Something smells good,” you smirked, making her turn to you and smile as she stirred something in a large pan.

“I’m making a stew, just thought I’d throw whatever in it,” she shrugged with a smile but she had a worried look in her eyes that made you feel a little guilty. Meat had been hard to find lately with how cold it had been, you’d barely caught anything and all of you had already depleted your preserved meat stash. It would be fine for the rest of you, still having canned foods, but Sarah had been a little unwell recently and you and Karen were concerned she wasn’t getting the nutrients she needed for the baby.

“I’ll head out soon and see if I can get anything,” you murmured with a slight frown. She looked a little guilty then at how obvious she’d been. You knew it wasn't you she was upset with, just the circumstances in general.

“We’ll be fine even if you don’t,” she grinned with a nod but you knew she was trying to put on a brave face. Everything here seemed almost perfect with the current set up and you knew you were lucky. But food was going to be a constant battle in this new world and eventually, you’d run out of all the canned goods too. You didn’t want to think about it.

You heard a slight commotion behind you and turned to look over to the living area, seeing Billy overturning the sofa cushions as he muttered on with himself.

“What's with him?” you asked curiously as you looked back to Karen. She looked over at Billy and shrugged.

“No idea. He lost something but he won’t say what, so it’s not like we can help find it,” she rolled her eyes. You noticed Zach then, who was watching Billy with a slight smirk on his face. The boy watched as Billy chucked the cushions off the second sofa, looking like he was ready to throttle someone and you wondered why the hell he wouldn’t just tell people what he was looking for. Your eyes moved back to Zach then as he walked passed you and slipped out of the back door. You were curious so you followed after him. He was standing just outside with his back mostly turned away and something in his hands.

“What's that?” you asked, making him jump and spin around. Your eyes immediately went to the object in his hands only to see the blackbird you’d made Billy what felt like forever ago. You blinked at it slowly before looking back to Zach who looked caught out and you raised a brow.

“Is that what he’s looking for?” you asked slowly and Zach looked away as he nodded. You were a little confused for a moment. You had no idea why Billy was turning the place inside out for this given the fact he acted like he hated you now.

“I just… I did it to prove a point,” Zach muttered, a defiant spark in his eyes.

“What point?” you asked. He sighed, toying with the bird in his hands as he shifted on his feet.

“That he still cares about you,” he admitted and his words felt like a slap to the face. You knew he’d spoken to Billy a week ago but you didn’t think this whole thing had been on his mind still to do this.

“He acts like he doesn’t, but if he didn’t, why’s he so upset he can’t find this?” he asked, quirked a brow at you. You shrugged, stuffing your hands in your pockets.

“No idea, the man makes no sense,” you snorted and Zach shook his head with a frown.

“It’s because he’s lying. I don’t know why or what happened, but he’s pushing you away. Uncle Billy… he just… he does this sometimes, pushing people away. I’ve seen him do it before… he’s even done it to Karen a few times. I know he cares about you, that you're family to him. So I’m showing him he’s being stupid,” he declared, standing taller at his words. You couldn't fault his logic. If Billy didn’t care at all then he wouldn't even be bothered right now, which meant he did care. It made you feel only marginally better though because you were still confused about why he was pushing you away so badly. Your previous logic still held up with Zach’s theory. That he’d kissed you in the moment or to get you to do what he wanted and then he regretted it. The fact you kissed him back made it obvious you liked him and now he felt uncomfortable. It was the only thing you could come up with. He’d been fine with you until that kiss happened so you knew that had been the catalyst to this. You sighed and held your hand out and Zach blinked at you.

“Are you gonna give it him back?” he asked carefully.

“Yeah,” you nodded. He looked conflicted for a moment before he handed you the bird.

“Good luck,” he murmured, giving you a wry smile before he went back inside.

You moved to sit on the back porch step, glancing down at the bird. It made your chest ache. You missed him so much and you were sick of this bullshit he was pulling. He still cared, you knew that much. If the kiss was really the problem then you just had to confront him, tell him to get over it so you guys could move on. You hadn’t been able to be happy here despite how amazing the place was and how lucky you all were to find it, not when Billy had been keeping you at arm's length. You wanted your friend back, you didn't care about your stupid feelings anymore. It was ridiculous anyway to fall for someone in the damn apocalypse, you’d been living in a fantasy land. The idea of approaching him made nerves bloom in your belly though. You had no idea how he would react and by confronting him, you would be opening yourself up for him to hurt you more. It was worth a chance though, it would be better than this. As if your thoughts had summoned him, he slipped out of the back door, not noticing you off to the side as he walked down the steps and looked around, like he was trying to retrace his steps. You’d figured he’d had it somewhere in his room, that he’d probably forgotten about it with all that had gone down with the pair of you. But if he was looking out here then it meant he’d still been carrying it with him. His back was to you as he looked around and you stood up, taking a shaky breath. You tried to will some confidence in yourself, it wasn’t like you to be so weak and pathetic. Billy told you once you were strong, a survivor. Your spare hand went to the scar along your throat that most days you forgot about now.

“Looking for this?” you asked, sounding far more confident than you felt. He whipped around with shock on his face at the fact he didn’t even know you were there but then his dark eyes flit to the bird in your hand. A few emotions passed across his face in quick succession. First was surprise, then he looked mildly embarrassed that you knew what he was looking for. But then his face hardened and he rolled his shoulder, tensing his jaw as he stared at you.

“You took it?” he asked blandly, looking unimpressed.

“No, Zach did actually,” you shrugged, tilting your head at him a little. Maybe a petty part of you liked how uncomfortable he seemed right now. But who could blame you with how much of an asshole he’d been with you?

“You gonna give it me back or…?” he asked, his tone snarky as he glared at you.

“Nah, not yet,” you smirked and his back straightened a little.

“If you’re gonna be a bitch, then fine,” he huffed, moving to go back to the cabin but you stepped in front of him, blocking his way and his nostrils flared as he gave you a dirty look.

“I’m really confused here. You’ve been wrecking the place looking for this, which doesn’t make sense since you apparently hate me,” you muttered with a raised brow. He looked away quickly, closing his eyes for a brief moment as he shook his head.

“You know I don’t hate you, Y/N,” he murmured weakly.

“No, I don’t know, because lately, you’ve been acting like a real asshole,” you huffed. He looked at you then and you couldn't really read his face, but he didn’t say anything.

“I’m done playing games. I know you still care about me because you still care about this. So we kissed, big fucking deal! We’re two adults, Billy, it doesn’t need to be weird and it doesn’t have to mean anything. Adrenaline was running high, shit happens. I mean… Karen and Matt used to be a full blown thing and they get along fine and Frank hasn’t stabbed him yet. If they can do that, why do we need to be like this just because of a stupid kiss?” you rambled with a frown. It wasn’t stupid, not to you, but you wouldn't dare tell him that. You hoped by convincing him it wasn't a big deal that he’d be able to get over whatever the hell was going on with him. He licked his lower lip, glancing away with a slight crease in his brows.

“I just…” he trailed off, his frown deepening and you clutched the bird in your hand tighter.

“Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. Can’t we just move on from this? I miss you,” you admitted, heat creeping into your cheeks. Part of you wanted to hear his explanation, to fully understand why he felt the need to push you so far away. But you worried if he said the kiss was a mistake or went into how he didn't like you like that, that you wouldn't be able to take it, even if you already knew he felt that way. He looked back at you then, his dark eyes soft and warm for the first time in what felt like forever.

“I… I miss you too,” he murmured quietly and the relief you felt made you breathless.

“So let's just move past this. You were… you were my best friend and I hate it here without you. We were Y/N and Billy, the dynamic duo,” you smirked wryly, trying to ease the heaviness you felt in your chest. His lips quirked up a little then but he had a sad look in his eyes.

“Ares and Artemis,” he grinned and you felt warmth spread from your chest all the way to your fingers and toes.

“I’m- I’m sorry, I know I’ve been a real asshole. I said a lot of shit-” he started with a frown.

“It’s fine. I said shit too,” you shrugged. Honestly, some of his words had hurt you but you just wanted this over with.

“Right, but you said shit ‘cause I said shit. I just… I lash out sometimes and I shouldn’ta said the shit I did. I didn’t mean it,” he frowned, his eyes boring into you. You nodded, looking away a little as you smiled.

“Let’s just pretend this didn’t happen. Erase everything since the whole Rawlins thing,” you snorted and he smiled. He looked at you for a long moment and part of you wondered how long it would take for the awkwardness to settle after this. But then he was opening his arms out to you, giving you a sheepish smile. You rolled your eyes, trying to act like the small act didn’t make your heart beat all funny as you stepped over to him. He wrapped his arms around you the way he always did, one hand on your back, the other cradling the back of your head. Your arms were around his middle and you melted into him, letting him soothe you in a way you’d missed immensely. He pressed his face into your hair, holding you tightly and you tried to will the lump in your throat to leave you alone. You were just relieved you could both move past this and get back to normal. He held you for a long while and part of you thought that maybe he needed it just as much as you. Maybe he didn’t have romantic feelings for you but he definitely cared and that meant more to you than anything. When he did finally release you, he flashed you a smile that made your legs wobble and you handed him the bird back. He looked at it for a long moment, a wistful look on his face before he put it in his pocket.

“So, I was gonna head out hunting soon, see what I can find. You wanna come?” you asked hopefully. He glanced to the back door before back at you, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Matt not goin’?” he asked. There wasn’t any malice in it like the last time he’d brought that up and you shook your head.

“His leg’s still not healed. I was gonna go on my own but you’re a good hunting partner,” you shrugged and he smiled.

“Alright, sounds good,” he nodded and you couldn't help the smile on your face.

Not long after, you and Billy were walking back to the cabin after being out hunting for a few hours. All you had to show for it was one rabbit, but you tried to tell yourself it was better than nothing. Billy had been oddly quiet the whole time and not the usual kind so as to not scare off the animals. It was a strange silence that made your stomach twist in knots and he kept having this vacant look on his face that worried you.

“Are we okay?” you asked hesitantly once you got nearer the cabin. Your heart was thumping against your ribs at his answer, wondering if he’d changed his mind about staying friends. He looked at you then, the vacant stare turning into a small frown as he shook his head.

“Yeah, we… I uh…” he shook his head, sounding a little lost and then he took your hand and led you over to the porch. Your nerves increased tenfold as he got you to sit down and he sat next to you. Was this where he told you he’s changed his mind?

“What’s going on, Billy?” you asked nervously. He wouldn't look at you, his hand still clutching yours in a death grip as his mouth opened and closed a few times but nothing came out. Then out of nowhere, he started crying. Your eyes widened as he lowered his head, his spare hand coming to cover his face as large heaving sobs wracked his chest and you were at a loss on what to do.

“Billy, what’s wrong?” you asked, scooting closer to him. You took your hand from his grip to wrap an arm around him, feeling completely speechless and confused about what had him in this state. You’d seen him upset before, seen him have a panic attack, but you’d never seen this. He gravitated towards you, leaning into you with his face in your neck and you felt his tears wet your skin as you held him and stroked his hair.

“I… I just…” he couldn't get his words out through his tears and your frown deepened as you held him tightly. When he moved away, his cheeks were soaked and you didn’t think you’d ever seen him look so lost before as he shook his head, wiping his eyes angrily. He tried to get a rein on himself but while his sobs decreased, his tears didn’t seem to stop.

“I thought… I thought after Rawlins… I thought I’d feel better or just… somethin’... But I just… I feel so goddamn empty,” he lamented painfully and your chest felt like it caved in.

“It’s okay, Billy. It’s a lot to take in, it can be overwhelming,” you murmured, trying to soothe him as you took his hand again. He gripped it tightly as he sniffled and shook his head.

“What we did in there, what I did… we didn’t make it quick or painless. We made it hurt, we made him regret every fuckin’ thing he ever did wrong,” he snarled, eyes flashing dangerously through his tears for a second.

“I was… I was a monster in there, and for what? I don’t feel better, it ain’t gonna bring Maria and the kid back. All I feel is a hollow emptiness in my chest. I waited so long to get my hands on that piece of shit for what he did, and now all I got is the memories of what I did and it doesn't satisfy me at all,” he ranted, eyes looking confused as they flit around.

“It’s just… more blood on my goddamn hands,” he whispered with a haunted look. You removed your hand before you moved to stand, dropping to your knees in front of him in the wet mud. His eyes finally focused on you then and the pain shining back at you felt like a stab right through the chest.

“How can you even stand to be around me after all I’ve done?” he asked with a raw voice and you swallowed the lump in your throat.

“You’re not a bad man, Billy,” you frowned with a wobbly voice. You took both of your hands in his as he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.

“You don’t know what I’ve done,” he argued tearfully.

“And you don’t know what I’ve done, but you’ve seen me kill people. That's the way the world is now and maybe you did shit before the world fell, but I don’t care. I’ve seen the real you and I know you’re a good man. Whatever you did to Rawlins… I don’t care, he deserved it. He deserved every bit of pain you and Frank gave him for what he took away,” you insisted and he looked down, his lower lip trembling a little. You moved your hands and gripped either side of his face, forcing him to look at you. You’d never seen anyone look so vulnerable before. Was this why he pushed you away? He’d told you before he went inside that he didn’t want you to see him like that.

“I will never judge you. We’re family, okay? I’ve got your back no matter what, you don't need to hide from me,” you implored vehemently. He blinked his soaked eyes at you for a moment, his hands coming to rest over yours on his face before he rested his forehead on yours.

“You deserve better than to have someone like me in your life,” he muttered painfully.

“That’s just bullshit,” you scoffed and he moved away, giving you a look as your hands fell from his face. You knew he was about to try and argue his point but you weren’t having any of it.

“Do I deserve better than to have Frank in my life?” you asked pointedly and his brows furrowed as he averted his damp eyes.

“That’s… that’s different,” he bit out.

“No, it’s not. You and Frank are almost the same. Have you done bad shit? Yeah, but it doesn’t make you a bad guy, just like Frank isn’t. Whatever you think I deserve or need… you’re wrong. What I need in my life are good people, people I know will come through for me if I need them to. People who have my back no matter what and trust that I’ll do the same. I have that now, I have it here with you guys… with you,” you implored, hoping he would see it clearer. You knew just this one talk wouldn't change him, he clearly had issues and from what you’d heard from Karen, he had done for quite a while. You just didn’t have a clue why he was saying this now or why he thought you deserved better. He sniffed and wiped his eyes again, unable to look at you for a moment.

“Besides, no matter what you say, you’re stuck with me now. You already tried getting rid of me once and it didn’t work,” you gave him a wry smile, hoping to lighten the mood a little and it worked as his lips curved up slightly. He nodded, almost like he was nodding to himself before he stood and you blinked up at him, unsure on what to expect now. But then he held his hand out to you and you took it, letting him pull you to your feet. You were worried for a brief moment he was going to freak out, much like he had done over his panic attack that day. You knew enough by now to know he didn’t like feeling vulnerable or weak in front of anyone. He pleasantly surprised you though when he wrapped you in a hug and you held him tightly, trying to show him without words that you’d meant what you’d told him.

“Thank you,” he murmured into your hair and you smiled into his chest, giving him a squeeze.

“You don’t need to thank me,” you replied softly and he chuckled.

“Now you’re startin’ to sound like me,” he smirked and you scoffed, moving away with a mock offended look on your face.

“Take that back!” you glared and his smile grew, causing your chest to ache a little.

“Nah,” he shook his head and you reached out, pinching his side and he yelped.

“You’re so mean to me,” he huffed, practically pouting at you.

“Well, someone has to keep you in line,” you snorted and he squinted at you. His dirty look was dampened by the smile tugging at his lips though. You were glad you’d managed to talk him down from whatever ledge he’d been dangling off and while you weren’t sure if he’d fully listened, it was enough for now at least. You hated seeing him that way.

The next day, you were traipsing through the trees, your bow in your hand and your quiver over your shoulder. You’d asked Billy to come hunting with you but he hadn't been able to. Frank hadn't been able to get any fences on the botched run so he’d decided to just make some. He’d been cutting down thick branches from the surrounding trees to make them and he needed help. With Matt also being laid up, this had you out hunting on your own. Dinner the night before had been much more relaxed and you’d enjoyed it. It was obvious to everyone that you and Billy were okay now. He’d included you in conversation and he’d decided to abandon his seat on Frank and Karen’s sofa to sit on the floor near your chair as you both ate. Thankfully, no one mentioned you and Billy and they just got on as normal. You didn’t want things to be weird if people pointed it out. You wanted to just forget it ever happened in the first place, just like you’d told Billy. It was over with now, life was too short to dwell on stupidity. So you’d all had a good dinner without any tension looming over you and Zach had been more than pleased with himself, feeling like he had been the one to do it. You were in the middle of tracking a rabbit and you really hoped you’d find it. You weren’t too far out from camp, maybe a half hour walk away. You’d realized halfway here you’d left your walkie but you decided not to go back and get it, not thinking you’d be out here for too long. You didn’t want the rabbit to get too much of a head start on you either. You’d put down a few stray dead ones on your way, but other than that, it had been pretty quiet and uneventful. You’d admit to missing having company on your little hunting trips now. It was strange to think how much you’d settled into being in a group once more. You crouched down to look at the tracks, figuring out which way the rabbit had gone. You’d be pretty pissed if you eventually found it, only to see it being munched on by a roamer. It wouldn't be the first time. You got your bearings and stood back up, but then you heard the click of a gun before it was pressed into the back of your head and you sucked in a harsh breath.

“Don’t move,” the voice snarled. It was a woman and her voice was gravelly. It made your whole body tense up as you blinked in front of you.

“I don’t want any trouble, I was just tracking a rabbit,” you murmured, trying to sound as least threatening as you could.

“That’s funny considering you’re in our neck of the woods,” she responded, sounding like she was smirking. Our. She was part of a group. Your heart was going a mile a minute as you tried to figure out how to get out of the situation you found yourself in.

“Drop the bow and arrows,” she instructed harshly. You pursed your lips but did as she asked, dropping your bow to the floor before you carefully pulled off the quiver and let it hit the floor.

“Turn around,” she demanded. You did as she said, hands up in surrender and you finally saw her. She looked around mid 40’s with short gray hair, her face severe as she looked at you, her gun aimed at your head.

“Where’s your group?” she asked with a glare.

“I don’t have one,” the lie rolled so easily off your tongue like a reflex but she snorted, looking at you amused.

“Bullshit. Where are they?” she asked again, her smirk turning cold.

“I don’t have one,” you bit out again, your whole body held tightly like a coil about to snap.

“You know how I know you’re lying?” she asked mockingly and you just stared at her blankly.

“I know because you’re clean, you’re well fed. No one on their own looks like you do,” she pointed out with a raised brow. You knew she wasn’t fully wrong. When you’d been on your own, you’d looked almost as bad as the dead ones. You hadn't counted on her being so observant, the others usually weren’t.

You still didn't say anything and she looked annoyed, clutching her gun tighter as she shifted on her feet.

“You’re gonna tell me where they are,” she hissed.

“I’m really not,” you replied, your lips tugging into a smirk when she looked even more pissed.

“You want to play it that way, that’s fine,” she grinned darkly and it only made your nerves increase. With her free hand, she grabbed the walkie clipped to her hip before bringing it to her mouth.

“JJ, you there?” she asked, keeping her eyes on you.

“Yeah, I’m here,” a voice sounded through the walkie.

“I got a live one here. Get a group of ten, bring some vans,” she started before she rattled off some coordinates. Her words did little to ease you as you took in the information. You had no idea how big her group would be.

“She won’t tell me where her group is so bring Samson with you. He’ll get it out of her,” she smirked at you and something about her tone made a shiver shoot down your spine. You knew just what she was implying.

“What are we doing once we find out where they are?” the voice asked.

“The usual. Take everything they have, leave nothing behind. No survivors,” she muttered darkly and you felt white hot rage suddenly surround you like it was trying to smother you. The voice on the other end said something about setting off soon but you didn’t bother to listen. In a quick succession of movements, you grabbed your knife from your thigh before slashing it across her throat. She hadn’t even seen it coming. The walkie and gun fell from her hands, thumping into the mud as her hands flew to her neck that was spewing blood rapidly. Her mouth moved but the only noise that left her lips was wet garbled noises before she wobbled and hit the floor. Your chest was heaving as you watched at her go limp, everything that just happened spinning around in your brain. Her group would be on their way, you needed to get out of here. You considered stabbing her in the head so she didn’t come back but decided against it. Maybe when her guys got here, she’d take a chunk out of a couple of them. Reanimation times seemed to vary so you had no idea. You swiped the walkie off the floor before grabbing your quiver, shoving it over your shoulder and then grabbing your bow. Then you took off running.

Your lungs burned with an intensity you didn’t think you’d felt before and you ran right out to the road. You never did that as it was far too out in the open and with her people coming, it was risky. But you didn’t want to leave tracks that led them right to your doorstep, to your people. You’d take that risk if it meant keeping them safe. Your boots thudded against the asphalt as you pushed your legs to keep going, even as they ached and begged you to stop. By the time you got to the cabin, you felt lightheaded and you burst through the door like the Kool-Aid guy, making everyone turn to look at you quickly. Their eyes widened at the state of you and it was only then you realized you had blood splattered all over you. After a moment of shocked silence, they all started talking over each other, asking you what happened. Billy walked right over, his dark eyes rapidly assessing you as he took your hand and made you sit on a sofa as you caught your breath. He sat next to you, a hand on your back as he rubbed it soothingly.

“There’s a group,” you panted, taking a bottle of water as Karen handed it to you and you gave her a grateful smile before chugging some. You felt Billy tense beside you at your words, his hand flexing on your back.

“How many?” Frank asked instantly, his no-nonsense tone as he looked at you.

“I don’t know. There was a woman and she had a gun on me. She was asking where you guys were and I wouldn't tell her. She walkied her guys and told them to bring a group of ten with some vans, said they wouldn't leave survivors. She told them to send some guy named Samson, that he'd get the info out of me. I’m pretty sure they were gonna torture me for it,” you muttered. Billy didn’t just tense this time, his whole body seemed to go still like a statue and his breathing got heavier.

“Where is she?” he growled, his voice low and deadly.

“She’s dead, I slit her throat,” you admitted. No one seemed to judge you for it and you didn’t think you’d ever get used to a world where murder became the norm.

“I got this though, I don’t know if her guys are gonna be checking in,” you sighed, handing Frank the walkie and he took it with a nod.

“How far out were they?” Karen asked as she toyed with her bottom lip worriedly.

“They aren’t too close but.. It’s still too close. I was like half an hour away East,” you explained before you turned your gaze to Frank.

“When the guy on the walkie asked her what they were gonna do once they got here, she said ‘the usual’. These guys aren’t new to this and she was pretty observant. I think she might have been their leader so I’m pretty sure we just pissed them off big time,” you frowned and he nodded, looking deep in thought. He started going on about needing to get the fences up quicker, needing at least some defenses and he started talking about more patrols, even in the day. You tuned him out as you tried to calm yourself down. You’d started to get too comfortable here, once again letting your guard down. Eventually, everyone went back to what they were doing, although now worried and the tension in the air was palpable.

“You alright?” Billy asked you. He hadn’t moved from his spot next to you. You turned to look at him and his eyes looked concerned as he gazed at you.

“Yeah… I’m fine. I just… really didn’t think we’d need to deal with this again so soon,” you frowned with a sigh. Just when things were going good, something had to come along to try and ruin it. You really hated it.

“We’ll deal with it, don’t worry,” he said firmly. There was a dark look in his eyes though and you knew he meant his words. You would worry though, no matter what he said. You had no idea how big this group was, what their weapons were like or even where they were camping out. They could be a lot closer than you all thought. You thought about the conversation the woman had on the walkie, how they were willing to kill you all over some supplies. But now you’d gone and killed presumably their leader, you’d gone and made it personal. You thought being killed might be too merciful now after that and it worried the shit out of you. Your eyes drifted to Sarah and the kids. She was smiling as she spoke to them but you could see the tension in her, see the worried glimmer in her eyes. They didn’t deserve this. You wouldn’t let these assholes ruin this for them, wouldn't let them get hurt. You’d do whatever it took to keep them all safe.

Taglist: (if you’ve been asked to be tagged and aren’t here, it wouldn’t let me tag some people.)

@firexfate

@blanchedelioncourt

@ariesbutalibra

@sunshinedaisies-anddeath

@snowkestrel

@music-indie-tv

@idaofinfinity

@sweetserendipity65

@ramadiiiisme

@k-marzolf

@celestialams

@woowwwee

@noortsshift

#billy russo imagine #billy russo fanfic #billy russo x reader #billy russo

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no-te-lo-voy-a-dar · 3 years ago

Text

Reprise

Chapter 1 - Not Yet

Fic’s Summary: You are an Asgardian who’s on Earth after a series of events, who ends up taking a spiderling teen vigilante under their wings who’s intrigued to figure out if the other vigilante mentor the kid has is really who the stories tell, wanting to see if it’s true no one can sneak on him or surprise him. But you are the best friend of certain trickster, and some tendencies have rubbed on you…this shall be an entertaining challenge.

Author’s Note: this chapter shouldn’t even exist yet, i have important irl stuff to do, but this moment of brainrot some days ago lasted me enough to still write this. It’s been a while since i’ve written anything for a Reader insert but @raelwrites and her works have been very inspiring and serotonin enducing, so, here we are. i have an unfinished spn fic (which, i was writing as i watched the season it takes place in…im still stuck), a witcher one in ao3 and so many on drafts but hey, we are for the vibes.

no beta reader, this is all on me

Main relationships: Loki/GN Reader (Platonic), Peter/GN Reader (Platonic), [Future] Matt/GN Reader (?)

Warnings: none for this chapter i guess, but well, eventually there might be some usual canon violence and insinuations at not very nice events, but i’ll mention/tag those when needed.

Next Chapter >>

(gifs not mine)

Chapter’s Author’s Note: this is mainly like, introduction of R’s situation, as well as some dynamics that we’ll see later on (let’s pray whatever fixation i have right now allows me to juggle all my fics). Matt is not on this chapter yet but there’s plenty of Loki and Peter, me thinks

tagging: @catmanbowser (look at this absolute madness)

Word Count: 5,068

Midgard was…boring at best, so far.

Sure there were a bunch of foods and drinks you were trying for the first time, thrilling flavours and interesting uses of ingredients still surprising you, as well as sweet treats, and Internet seemed to have a bunch of recorded plays you could watch again and again from the comfort of your chambers, but you couldn’t just go out and ride a horse around if you wanted (apparently), and training had become harder to do when your strength was naturally higher than most of those living under the same roof (and the humans you have learned are stronger in the place you are staying in can’t train with you daily anyways). Not to mention you couldn’t hunt your food and you were missing the certain thrill of providing for your housemates as well as doing small things with the skins and pelts.

Sure you could train against Loki and Thor, or just one of them, but Thor wasn’t there all the time, and it’s been a long time since the training you have with Loki had become more of a coordinated dance. You were too in sync for it to be a true challenge.

And you missed the stars. Old Norns did you miss them.

For some reason you were yet to comprehend, the Midgardian night sky didn’t have visible stars where you currently were. Even when Thor assured you they were visible in other places of this planet, the current area you were bounded to was dark and plain at night, making you long for the Asgardian sky. Apparently human technology has cut their connection with the celestial bodies.

But! You were here, on “Earth” for a reason! A mission of sorts.

When the Dark Elves started attacking Asgard, you will forever be thankful to the Old Norns for the fact you were escorting Jane Foster, Thor’s human beloved, as requested from the prince himself, around the palace and wherever she wished to be. You were on guard duty, because Thor didn’t really trust anyone else to protect Jane and treat her with respect. You were not to leave her alone, and thanks to that, you managed to avoid Queen Frigga being killed while defending the human.

She was still injured that time, but after disposing of the enemy and making sure Jane was as okay as she could, you were quick to work on your Queen’s injuries with magic. Healing Seidr wasn’t your strength, as it never is for a single individual, but you got her enough time for the actual healers to arrive and aid her.

Thor had been incredibly grateful, hugging you and carrying you on his shoulder like you were children again.

Loki, on the other hand and somehow, learned that he had sent who could have been his Mother’s killer on her way from his cell, had a breakdown over that and it wasn’t until Frigga herself went to talk to her kid that he seemed to snap out of whatever terrors and doubts plagued his mind.

So, things were written and orders were given for Loki to be sent back to Midgard along with Thor to “pay for his crimes against the humans and offer compensation” or something like that (Odin’s way with words and orders was never your favourite, too many loopholes or unclear instructions) when the battle against Malekith and his people was over with. And you were asked by Frigga and Thor themselves to join the princes.

‘Sometimes my brother seems more like your brother than mine!’ is what Thor told you while patting your back after the hearing with the Throne. Which just means Thor wanted help with guiding his brother’s moral compass.

And you were okay with it really, always up for adventure and learning opportunities. And Loki seemed particularly more relaxed when you agreed. And how could they not! You were their best friend after all, and you were proud of it, no matter what happened. You had a lot of time after and during the preparations for Loki and Thor to catch you up on all what happened since the failed crowning ceremony to the first Dark Elves attack.

With that you felt like the three of you fell into place again. Chipped at the edges, new scratches that didn’t match and some faded colours, but you were in more coordination with each other than you’ve been in decades.

You had known Loki and Thor since you were kids, your family being part of the system and rotations of personal blacksmiths the Royal family had for themselves thanks to your usage of Seidr. Magic had always been present on your bloodline, from both sides of your parents, and while they never really trained it, they made sure to use it to make weaponry more durable and special, infusing it with different conditions, catching Odin’s father’s attention millennia ago and working for them since then.

Members of your family always were well trained in combat, because when a new design was asked for you had to try the weapons, checking balance, durability and how much it might or not vibrate after clashing against other weapons.

Thanks to this, Odin seemed interested in your already good fighting skills as a kid, and sent Lady Sif (when she was just Sif) to battle you, at the time covering saying that he wanted the both of you to test weapons for Thor and Loki, eventually inviting you to his sons’ and “friends” private training sessions.

And you say “friends” because all of you had been picked by Odin to be his older son’s closest teammates, planning for you all to have his back as adults and for him to have a reliable close court when he took over the throne. So, at the time you all weren’t really friends, some of the others more eager to get close to the blonde prince than others, true, but ultimately enjoying having people your age to train with.

But due your family’s inclination with magic, you ended up catching the younger prince’s attention by simply not mocking him for using it sometimes during training, instead asking him how he did certain tricks. They must have told Frigga because not even a season after you started asking Loki to teach you had passed and the Queen had personally asked your family for permission on teaching you beyond what your family’s knowledge was (magic shields, basic wound cleaning spells and some silence covers, using sound and wind manipulation so your movements weren’t trackable, nor the rattling of your armor or weapons on your back).

They were honored to have the Queen teaching you, of course, and you even taught them other spells and poultices to wear between hands and gloves to keep them cooler when handling the forges. But they didn’t seem to like you were closer to the younger prince, particularly more so when he started gaining his trickster reputation and word of you joining him in some of the pranks reached them.

But, you were left to be, and although it wasn’t your favourite activity while growing up, you often seemed to be a buffer of some kind between Thor’s main friends and his brother, along with the older prince himself. And you could always fight them if things got too heated, even offering to wear magical cuffs so you weren’t “cheating”.

You always won, which left you bragging and smug about it. But you were also aware that Sif would be a bigger challenge and probably beat you some times, but she wasn’t the one getting angry at Loki over nothing (yes, you let him get out of the trouble and mess of cutting Sif’s hair on his own).

So, you had a solid and nice relationship with the Asgardian princes and agreed to come to Midgard but, since you were also a new face among Thor’s human brothers and sisters in arms, you weren’t really trusted to go on missions with them until they had tested you enough.

But some progress seemed to have gone down the sewers after you mentioned your magic (manifested in deep yellows and gold sparks and colours, differently but complementary to Loki’s green) and started speaking of how Loki and his mother taught you a lot. That seemed to put some people on edge, particularly the archer whose name you could just remember, at the time, had something to do with Hawk.

Whatever, you were fine spending time with Loki, catching up, braiding their hair, practicing your illusions and trying to cook some Asgardian meals with Midgardian ingredients. You both will be okay, and the rest of Thor’s human team will see.

+++

The first to actually join you and Loki in training and talk to you like you weren’t plotting to blow the whole Tower down was the youngest one, the Spider themed kid.

“Peter Parker. Aren’t you Stark’s genius little mentee?” Loki interrupted the kid’s seemingly endless questions about the Bifrost’s magic.

Ah, Peter Parker. Right. Loki was always better with names than Thor or you, or the whole gang back then, only being equally good with memorizing names by Sif.

“Yes? Kind of? I don’t know, anyways, as I was asking, what’s powering the machine you use to make interplanetary jumps?”

Loki was too stunned in general to properly pay attention to the questions, and while you knew you both could answer them, you were too wired and full of energy to burn, the young warrior having stopped both Loki and you while in the kitchen, grabbing some water and snacks to take to the gym. So, an idea came to you.

“Say, young Parker, what if we make a deal?”

That managed to stop him in the middle of whatever rephrasing he was in, and caught the attention of Loki too. Peter arched an eyebrow and leaned back slightly. Good, some doubt could save your life.

“Could you elaborate on that?”

“Well, I’ve heard Thor say you have an impressive strength and reflexes for being so young, and after hearing Stark talk about you I used Internet to search about Spider-Man, your title while on the spider themed suit if I’m correct, and you can stop and lift those big metal boxes of transportation you have, so, what if you join Loki and me on training, no magic from our part, and after we answer all what you want about the Bifrost?”

Loki sent you a glare of them not understanding what you were even planning or thinking, but shrugged, letting you know they were okay with whatever it was. It was harmless, really.

“You promise to not use magic?” the kid leaned back in, but he still had his face scrunched.

“Not today, sure. At most, the only magic you might see me use would be to cool our water bottles or summon us some towels.” you twirled your hand to demonstrate, the kitchen counter yellow towel popping on your hand, and you twirled it again to put it back where it was, although crumpled now.

That seemed to catch the kid’s attention, his mouth opening slightly and his frown being replaced by wonder and curiosity. You winked at Loki with a smile, and they snorted while rolling their eyes, a small smile on their face.

Peter’s eyes went from the towel to your face, then to Loki’s (who arched an eyebrow at him) and back to you.

“Okay, sure. Let’s go to a training room.”

“Yes!” you did a small gesture of victory, to which the other two laughed slightly. You were excited to finally get to train with someone else who you didn’t know for centuries. And he must be a great fighter! What with being Stark’s menteé and visiting the Tower often.

Right?

+++

He wasn’t.

Sure, Peter Parker wasn’t completely helpless in a fight, there was some training there, but very basic. The start of it. And he could dance around your punches and kicks with a great level of grace, but the moment you and Loki coordinated your attacks, still no magic, the kid started struggling.

You were currently on a break, Loki leaning against the wall, you mindlessly spinning a stick around like you would your spear were you taunting someone, and Peter sprawled on the floor.

“What do you mean Stark didn’t train you?” you tried to not show your anger but this was a child in every sense of the word.

“And still doesn’t, remember.” Loki’s voice was detached, but you knew him better than to know that’s how he felt, he just knew that between the two of you he was the one being monitored by the voice in the Tower.

Peter groaned before answering.

“Guys, it’s okay, really. I started doing this almost two year ago on my own, before Mr. Stark even knew about me.”

“Okay, that’s a whole other thing to talk about, but I don’t think we are the best to judge when you started going out and fighting, much less with our perception of human age but you are already a small child anyways.” Loki was nodding along your words, and Peter dragged his hands over his face while sighing. “And okay, but what about after? Why do you come to the Tower so often then? Do any of the others train you?” Norns, you sounded like your own father and Queen Frigga.

“I mean, sometimes when they have time and I do too they spar with me and give me tips. Natasha is the one that helps me the most? But she’s, really busy, and I come here to work on tech projects with Mr. Stark, mostly.” Peter was sitting down now.

You tilt your head, trying to understand what Peter does with the short man.

“He means they work on armor and things like the phone you have and other Midgardian things they use to substitute magic or to get a basic version of some of our own technology.” Loki translated to you and Peter smiled while nodding.

You hummed, while still flipping the stick on your arms and back, launching it to a dummy on the back of the room before talking again.

“What if I offered to train you?”

“What?”

“I could help too.”

Peter’s and Loki’s voices clashed, and when Peter’s brain caught up with what the prince said, turned his head faster than you’ve seen him move before, only to get a small smile and a shrug from the God.

“I don’t have a lot to do while imprisoned here Parker, might as well do something productive and useful. Besides, if my friend here is going to teach you, you will want someone to make sure you learn the proper stances and not whatever they’ve come up with over the years.”

“Hey!”

Peter chuckled at that a little, and twirled his fingers with the string on his pants, pondering the answer to give you.

“I mean, I already have someone who’s willingly training me on a solid schedule, but I would like to complement his training with whatever you could teach me.”

“Is this person the reason you at least know how to stand and throw punches without breaking your fingers?” Loki asked, the amusement both visual on his smirking face and audible on his voice.

“Yes? But the backflips and dodging are mostly me.”

“Yeah I bet.” you whispered, originally thinking only you and Loki would hear it, but when Peter huffed and frowned at you, you were surprised by the realization this enhanced human also had better senses.

Hmmm, whenever you and Loki started training him with magic things will be interesting.

+++

You trained Peter two days a week, one during school days, when he didn’t have to go join Stark and the other during saturday evenings. Whoever was training Peter had fridays scheduled with him, but after some time you started to guess they meet more often than once a week.

Peter was a fast learner, but after a big improvement of his basics you and Loki stopped noticing big chunks of advancement, which was normal, but were highly surprised by Natasha, the Black Widow, joining you both for a lazy dinner one night.

Most of the Avengers were in the Tower that week, so Loki and you had been allowed to go out to the city, being told there were enough of them around to restrict Loki were he to go rogue, so you two were kind of tired that night after coming back. More so when Thor asked to spar right after you entered the common area.

So when Romanoff took a seat in front of Loki and you, you startled a little, being slightly dozing off while slowly eating at your cereal until then. Loki was more conscious, although he just pulled his plate with cookies closer to him while eyeing the spy.

“Relax, I’m not here to take your food or attack you, I just wanna chat.”

“Mmm, no, yeah, that just makes you sound more suspicious.” was Loki’s answer, which was honestly funny because it was nothing but an obvious remark, so you couldn’t help the throaty snort you tried to cover with your hand. Natasha arched an eyebrow at you, but it didn’t feel angry just…amused.

“Fair. Right to the point then: thank you for helping Peter. He’s greatly improved since last time we trained together and when I asked him about it he said you both had a hand in that. And another person he didn’t mention but I’m pretty sure of my guess over who that is, based on the fighting style. But your styles were more present, at least today.” Natasha made a pause on her small speech, probably expecting or allowing either Loki or you to make a comment, but you were too stunned to speak surprised (and slightly embarrassed) to say anything.

She smiled and continued.

“Peter was dragged in with us by Tony, but he's…not really done anything to help him other than toss him an improved suit. Which has done a lot in the sense of offering him protection, Peter himself has told me how much less he’s gotten slashed and stabbed now.” the spy fondly smiled at that, probably remembering the teen saying that in a highly excited voice, one Loki and you have heard before. “Bucky and I try to do our best into teaching him how to fight, because he truly lacked any form of formal training, but well, we are busy with Avengers stuff most of the time, so I’m grateful you both took time and patience to do so.”

With her speech finished, she stood up from the small center table, going to make herself some tea, and you turned slightly to look at Loki, hoping to see an answer on how to proceed, but you saw him with raised eyebrows, surprise written all over his face.

So, you were going to answer then. Great.

“You are most welcomed, Agent Romanoff. It has been a pleasure and fun to train young Peter, not to mention it has given us both more to do around here. He’s a sweetheart and I’m pretty sure he’s gotten everyone here wrapped around his sticky fingers, Loki included.” the last comment was meant to be a playful jab, you bumping shoulders with your friend, but when Loki started talking you realized he wanted to be truthful right then, at least regarding Peter.

“My friend here is right, he’s a delightful young man, and I’m proud of him. From what you are telling us, he’s truly been picking up, and knowing it’s helped keep him safe is all we could truly ask for.”

You could see him slightly blush, faith blue (which after the revelation of his heritage explained that; young you thought it was due his own magic) tainting his cheeks, but you decided against teasing him. This time.

Natasha nodded before taking a sip of her tea, and over thinking the talk was over but feeling comfortable with the silence, you went back to eating your cereal, shaking the box in her direction in a form of question and offering. She shook her head and you shrugged. Loki offered her a seat again, and she took it, and you all spent the next minutes in peace.

You were preparing the usual spicy hot cocoa Loki and you had after particularly odd and long days when Natasha stood up to leave, but before turning a corner and leaving your sight, she spoke once more.

“I will seek you both later to schedule a sparring match. The three of us only, and maybe Barnes if he’s up to it. Would you be okay with it?”

You shrugged and nodded, looking at Loki because really, he was the wild card here.

“Of course! I would appreciate the chance of fighting you under more fair rules, and I’ve heard Rogers and Barnes are both enhanced so it must be interesting.”

With that, the spy softly smiled and left.

Neither Loki nor you brought up all of what had happened into conversation. You both were there and just needed to think a little to understand it. And that you did, while curled up together watching a cooking competition show, Thor arriving and flipping on top of you both, laughing at your groans and playful shoves.

You fell asleep between the two dork royal siblings, content and excited for things to start getting brighter for Loki.

+++

Things indeed started getting a lot better at the Tower after Natasha and Bucky became sparring buddies with you both, Barnes even once going out of his way to ask Loki to spar with him, both using nothing but (training, blunt) knives. Loki was vibrating out of the seat when asked, trying to keep composure because it had been months since he was allowed near even fake knives, only allowing him to use the kitchen ones under supervision (the Tower Voice being said supervision most of the time).

After that the next ones to approach Loki were Rogers and Wilson, and in your case Barton and Banner. Mind you, you mixed some last names on occasions, and forgot their titles still, but you were working on that.

Training Peter was still a given, and Loki was allowed and invited out of the Tower more and more, sometimes Rogers even asking for Loki to glamour them up so they weren’t recognized and could enjoy in complete peace their walks or whatever. Eventually Loki was allowed out on his own with nothing but a tracker he was pissed about wearing but allowed it for his own sanity.

You were allowed out on your own weeks before Loki of course, and used this to walk with Peter a lot, who enjoyed rambling about his city, about places he thought you would enjoy, about things he wanted Loki to try and everything in between, even retelling how he got into thigh fights in some places of the city.

You were currently in an area Peter had called Soho, doing emphasis in how it wasn’t meant to be confused with England’s Soho.

Curious, you had asked if he could show you the place where he trained with Daredevil (whose vigilante name you’ve gotten simply because Natasha had asked Peter one day, just to then tell him that if he ever did something wrong to or with Peter, that he could trust them, to tell any of the members at the Tower. That day it was only Natasha and you training Peter, Loki being out in the city with Barnes and Thor, but you could see Peter tense a little at how the spy said ‘you know Stark cares about you’. You saved that reaction for later, but Peter had just asked how she knew it was Daredevil, and that it was okay, he was surprisingly more soft once he learned Peter’s - Spider-Man’s - age).

Peter seemed to have been thinking about it, but you reassured him it was more out of curiosity than protectiveness nor trying to see if “the place was up to expectation”. A partial lie, but Peter said that Daredevil was very, very protective of his identity, perhaps as much as himself, but how the older vigilante was more aggressive in his approach regarding the secret, while Peter was more of an anxious ball. It made sense to you, really, after all Peter was still a child, and already with a lot on his shoulders.

You nodded, already having made up your mind about dropping the topic, when Peter’s voice sounded again.

“I could take you to the neighborhood it’s in it tho. It’s in an area called Hell’s Kitchen, which is known as Daredevil’s territory, even when, if asked, he’s okay to accompany and help other vigilantes outside of his area, but he doesn’t have a transportation method as fast as myself or Mr. Wilson.”

“I’m not going to lie that the area’s name causes me more questions but if you are comfortable with giving me a tour of said place, and it won’t make Daredevil angry with you, then please, lead the way.”

Peter seemed to light up at how his offer was taken positively, and started to talk about how he had meet Daredevil by accident before meeting Stark, having wandered into his area chasing some guys from Brooklyn, and how the older vigilante didn’t like the idea of Spider-Man being an actual kid, how Peter stayed away from Hell’s Kitchen after that, but reaching out tentatively when the Sokovia Accords were being spoken about, because the few things he could find out about them weren’t good for his “after school activities”, and noticing how Daredevil seemed to deflate, a tired sigh leaving his mouth, and explained to him why they were simultaneously good and bad, the bad having a stronger weight if some things weren’t taken away or properly managed.

Peter continued, you making some questions every then and now to keep Peter on track of the main story. It was fascinating. No one had managed to get a lot of information about the other vigilante who trained Peter because almost no one even knew someone else was training him. And it was obvious how much the kid respected and looked up to the older vigilante, while still making comments and jabs at things he didn’t agree on, but from what you could tell, even when the stories were being told from the teenager’s perspective, it was clear he cared about Peter.

And it picked up your interest.

Every adult you’ve meet on Peter’s life had a slightly different approach when it came to protecting and supporting him, and while some were sure that physically he could protect himself pretty well, others taught him things from a more strategist point of view, or gave him life advice, or just the chance to ramble about his last project (cookies for his aunt, a science project, a tech improvement to his suit) so hearing the kid talk so excited about Daredevil and his friends (whose names he almost slipped several times before coming up with nicknames for them) made you smile fondly at him.

You and Loki were smart, as was Thor (even when he couldn’t figure out most of Loki’s lies and tricks on the first try), when it came to keeping up appearances and reading underlying truths from people’s behaviors, so the three of you were sure that something happened between Stark and Peter that made the later not really trust the metal cladded man as much as apparently others were sure he did. You were also pretty solid on your belief that Natasha knew something was up (if she didn’t already know exactly what), same with older Hawkeye and Barnes but kept appearances for Peter’s sake.

You weren’t going to push anyone to tell you, but you knew this is one of those things that would eventually come into light for you.

In the meantime, the protective nature you had developed over the centuries by being Loki’s best friend urged you to find Daredevil and make sure he was who Peter claimed him to be, that this man of unknown identity to you was a good role model or at least behaved accordingly when around Spider-Man.

So after getting some pastries from a place in The Hell’s Kitchen which Peter seemed to like a lot, eating them in a park and walking some more while talking about the urban art of the neighborhood (the place seemed to really like their vigilante, or at least respect him enough to create murals to honour him) and just about little adventures the kid had with the small horns suited man, you made up your mind.

You were going to start tracking down Daredevil the days you knew Peter wasn’t going to be with him and, if you deemed it necessary…talk with him, to make sure Peter thrived and wasn’t going to get back stabbed (Loki knew a lot about it, after all he learned to do so after being the victim. You also learned about it because eventually you gained some reputation by being the younger prince’s close friend).

That evening you told the Asgardian princes about your plan and while Thor frowned a little at your lack of faith on 'young Peter’s" judgment, he didn’t say anything about stopping you. Loki grinned, and told you how the idea and plan was delightful, supporting you on it and confessing he had been wanting to do the same for a while. Although not as…peaceful as your plan was.

You might have leaned into the taunting and teasing nature the trickster god had by growing up so close to him, but you weren’t as prone to violence and physical encounters as the two brothers. Then again, that’s in comparison to the two of them. According to Barnes, you were still a very energetic being, always up for a fight and a challenge.

So.

It seemed you would be spending some nights around Daredevil’s lair for the next weeks.

You weren’t sure what but something about the idea made you excited, almost vibrating with energy and looking forward to hunting down in Hell’s Kitchen what was obviously it’s territory’s predator.

Let the chase begin.

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toppersjeep · 3 years ago

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Masterlist-(Updated)

My list of everyone that I’ve written and the series that I’ve been posting on here. I’ll try and keep this updated for all of you. If I don’t remind me :)

____

WWE MASTERLIST

All For Love Charles Leclerc Masterlist

__________

I used to love you-{Steve Harrington}(Masterlist)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Austin North (closed)

requests for austin are closed I will leave these ones up my apologies- A/N

Austin Proposes

Austin X Drew (Who’s Baby)

Topper Thornton(Another Love)

Topper Thornton (Just Come Home)

Austin(It’s You)

Joe Keery

Steve Harrington- It’s Always Been You

Steve Harrington-Upside

Andrew Garfield

Andrew(Mine)

Andrew(Baby P.1)

Andrew(Baby P.2)

Peter Parker (Another Spider-Man P.1)

Peter Parker (Another Spider-Man P.2)

Eduardo Saverin( Marks Sister)

Chicago Fire The One Jay Halstead X Matt Casey

Chapter 1-Welcome Home

Chapter 2-Get To Know Him

Chapter 3-Watch Your Back

Chapter 4-Problem House

Chapter 5-Walk Away

Chapter 6-Move On

Chapter 7-Who Knew

Chapter 8-I Want You

Chapter 9-You Love You More

Chapter 10-Think About Me

Chapter 11-Incomplete

Chapter 12-I Miss You

Chapter 13-I’m Sorry

Drew Starkey

Drew- Distance

Samuel Hunt

Greg Gerwitz-Don’t Leave Me

Greg Gerwitz-It’s Been A While

Greg Gerwitz-Jealously

Greg Gerwitz- Pretend

Chicago Fire( Check Yes Nova) Mouse X Blake Gallo

Chapter 1-She’s Sassy

Chapter 2-Trouble Ahead

Chapter 3- Who Is She

One Chicago

Blake Gallo

Marry Me? Or Him P1

That’s the way I love you

I Love You I’m Sorry

Jay Halstead

Sam Carver

This Is What It Feels Like

Random Imagines

Jeff Atkins- When You’re Gone

Max Verstappen/ Lando Norris- Cold Hearted Angel

George Russell- This Love

___

requests for f1 and one chicago are open. no longer doing anyone else above unless I have time!! Feel free to dm me with personal requests of anyone featured. I’d be happy to write them.

If uncomfortable I won’t tag you. And you can even make a secret request as well. Just a reminder I do not feel comfortable writing violence of any kind. Or smut. Fluff is okay though! If you have questions pm me or send a question.

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sunny6677 · 3 years ago

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Eddsworld AU: The Siren AU

TW: SIRENS, SLIGHT PROFANITY, MURDER, THREATS, MANIPULATION.

Designs:

Edd

Race: Siren

Personality: Manipulative, cunning, flirty, calm and smug.

Abilities: Siren Song(the ability to lure creatures in with singing), making the water glow and hypnotizing eyes.

Likes: Hunting humans, singing, the sea.

Dislikes: Pirates, sailors, fishermen.

Tom

Race: Formerly a human, now a siren.

Personality: Tired, exhausted, cynical, mean, bored.

Abilities: Same as Edd.

Likes: Sleep.

Dislikes: Everyone and everything.

Matt

Race: Mermaid.

Personality: Gullible, innocent, friendly, naive, stupid.

Abilities: Can manipulate water and transform it into anything(usually pearls), an almost impossible beautiful singing voice that soothes anyone, the ability to calm anyone with his presence.

Likes: Pearls, himself, his "friends" (edd and tom).

Dislikes: Wendigos, Banshees.

Tord

Race: Formerly a forest spirit, now a siren.

Personality: Socially awkward, violent, chaotic, flirty.

Abilities: Can grow plants, siren song, can intimidate anyone with just his presence.

Likes: Hentai, violence, blood, Matt(platonically).

Dislikes: Sunshine, lolipops and rainbows, Edd.

Plot:

Edd was an already 11 year old boy when it had all began. He had befriended Tom, a human boy at the time. Tom promised not to tell anyone about him, for he'd get killed if he was found. He often came to visit him frequently, and the two got on well. One day, Tom had been diagnosed with an illness that was practically doomed to kill him. As a last resort, Edd decided to do what he knew would keep him alive. An ancient ritual sirens had done for years. The rituals steps were to kill the creature, and take the body directly under the sun in the ocean.

It was said that if one did this, the creature would then become a siren. Sirens are immortal, so Edd figured hey- why not. Unbothered by his fate, Edd did what he promised not to do. He sang. Edds song lured Tom into the sea, and of course, Edd reluctantly killed Tom by drowning him.

Once he had took him under the sun, Tom's body rose up and transformed him into a siren, dropping him into the sea once the transformation was complete. Tom, shocked at what he just experienced before he woke up, began to yell at Edd in fear and anger. Edd only kept responding with an unbothered yet relieved look on his face.

Edd then told Tom this; "You see, sirens need to form a hunting group once they find another of their kind. And seeing now that your just like me.. would you like to join me in hunting humans? It's the only thing you'll be able to eat now, after all."

Tom declined at first, but Edd then threatened him with murder, so he forcibly joined his hunting group.

Over the course of a few years, their personalities changed drastically. And at the age of 15, during one of their hunting sprees- Edd was making the ocean glow, to try and lure out a human. However, he could sense that someone was approaching him. Thinking that it was Tom, considering he was with him, he looked over.

But what emerged from out of the water was not Tom. In fact, it was a Merman. A Merman named Matt. Matt had been lured to the sight he had saw, and the fact that there was a siren. Matt seemed rather happy though, he smiled at the sight of Edd.

Matt began to bother Edd, curious about what he was doing and what not. The glow in the ocean flickered, for Edd was distracted by this random Merman. Edd started to get irritated, to the point where Tom came over to check what was wrong.

But the people on the ship saw them, and began to freak out. They fled the scene before they could get attacked, but Edd was still injured by some harpoon that someone had flung at his tail.

Now pissed that they didn't have anything to eat, the two sirens yelled at Matt. The only reason they didn't kill him was because well- Sirens were immortal, but were very fragile in comparison to Mermen/Mermaids, so they didn't want to risk anything to themselves. Matt as his own way of saying sorry healed Edds injured tail.

The two had realized how gullible he truly was. So Edd, being the manipulative bastard he was, decided to use that to his advantage. He decided he'd use him as bait, telling Matt that the dead people in the ocean were merely just sleeping.

Matt, innocent as ever, joined the group and began to swim along with them then.

At the age of 18, Matt had met Tord(a forest spirit) while swimming near a Boulder. Tord had emerged from the Boulder, curious as to who or what Matt was. Matt was mesmerized by him, he had never seen such a beautiful creature before. As a way to try and get a closer look, he made a pearl and tried to give it to him.

Tord took the pearl, and was a little mesmerized by Matt as well. He found him to be beautiful, too beautiful. The two began to talk then and there, and eventually, Tord got more comfy with him.

Matt had gone to that area so much to the point where Edd decided to follow him once. Edd was amazed. To be honest, he saw his younger self in Matt. So, as his own little favor, he then began to plot something.

Matt occasionally went out to visit Tord at midnight, so Edd decided to go at that time. Edd approached Tord, Tord was obviously afraid, knowing full well it wasn't Matt. Edd then began to sing, forcing Tord to get closer.

And when he wasn't expecting it, Edd pulled him in and killed him himself. He then awaited sunrise with Tords body in his arms, and swam to the sun immediately when he saw it. He performed the ritual, and boom, Tord was now a siren.

Tord, angry about what Edd had done, used his plant powers that somehow he still had. But Matt interrupted before anything happened. Recognizing that it was Tord, he asked what was going on. Tord answered before Edd could, still angry about what happened.

Matt still stopped him from hurting Edd, regardless of what he heard. Tord only stopped then because of Matt telling him to do so. Matt, disappointed and sad with Edds actions, followed after him. Edd didn't feel any remorse or guilt at all. He had only done him a favor. If he liked him so much, then it was a good thing he made him into a siren. It didn't matter that he had caused pain, he just did him a favor.

After a while, Matt managed to forgive Edd after Edd gave him a pearl(cuz the bitch is dumb). Tord however didn't. Edd suggested the idea of him joining the hunting group, and Tord agreed hesitantly, but only for Matt.

Of course, this continues on into the actual Eddsworld series.

This is kind of like the series, but they're sirens(except for Matt) and it has more serious tones to it. Tord when he left in this au was because he had heard of Atlantis and wanted to succeed there. When Tord came back, he came back with the intention of taking over the ocean with Matt, but Matt declined.

Tom and Tord are still rivals.

Facts

1: The one difference you can tell for Mermaids/Mermen and Sirens is the eyes. Mermen/Mermaids don't have any eyes, only just a color. Sirens do have eyes, but they glow.

2: Mermaids/Mermen have empathy, Sirens do not.

3: Love is possible for Sirens, but they show it in rather twisted ways.

4: Tom has a fascination with harpoons.

5: Ringo does not exist here.

#siren au #eddsworld #tom #tord #edd #matt

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elitehunter · 2 years ago

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Masterlist and Info

Elitehunter Fanfiction / Masterlist

Multi-Wrestler Series:

Familiar Faces:

Go Your Own Way (Matt Jackson x Original Female Character)

When Matt runs into a face from his past, it’s hard for him to deny that he hasn’t thought of her often. There’s just one little problem – five years ago he broke her heart. And now her older brother has made it his mission to hunt down Matt and the rest of the Elite and make them pay.

Rated: E Warnings: smut, explicit language, canon typical violence, daddy kink/dirty talk, oral sex, phone sex, mentions of character death (past, referenced), tw: drunk driving (past, referenced) Chapters: 10/10 Word Count: 52,114 Read On: AO3

Something’s Gotta Give (Hangman Adam Page x Original Female Character)

Following the loss at Fight for the Fallen, Hangman Adam Page finds himself at a crossroads. He also finds himself staring down the face of something he never expected. A once in a lifetime chance. It’s time to decide – is it “cowboy shit” (reaching out and grabbing what you want with both hands) or another anxious millennial set back?

Rated: E Warnings: smut, explicit language, canon typical violence, alcohol consumption Chapters: 7/7 Word Count: 32,076 Read On: AO3

Right Place, Right Time:

I’m On A Blood Buzz (I Never Thought About Love When I Thought About Home) (Nick Jackson x Original Female Character)

When Nick is tasked with traveling to wrestling schools to simultaneously scout talent and spread some good will in the wrestling community, he isn’t exactly thrilled. And when someone points him in the direction of a gym he’s never heard of in rural Ontario, he doesn’t expect to find anyone worth noting. Boy, was he wrong.

Rated: E Warnings: smut, explicit language, canon typical violence, alcohol Chapters: 7/7 Word Count: 36,234 Read On: AO3

I’m A Drifter (And I Know That Doesn’t Do Me Any Good)(Hangman Adam Page x Original Female Character)

When he pictured himself being so close to the World Heavyweight Championship again, he never imagined it would be against his former tag partner. Poised an inch away from his dream and feeling miles away from his former friends, Hangman Adam Page considers taking his shot to get something else he’s been been wanting. If only he can make his move. Is what he wants just a kiss away or is he too late? Is it actually what he wants at all?

Rated: E Warnings: smut, explicit language, canon typical violence, alcohol Chapters: 2/7 Word Count: 11,725 and counting Read On: AO3

Summer’s Here and the Time is Right for Fighting in the Street, Boy: Bar Fights and Brawls:

You’re Such an Instigator, You Wanna Play the Game. Take It or Leave It, That’s Her (My Lucky Strike) (Shawn Spears x Original Female Character)

Shawn and his girlfriend go out for drinks with some friends, but when some of the other patrons get out of hand and she decides to get involved, of course, he’s going to back her up. He’d follow her into a battle any day of the week without being asked.

Rated: T Warnings: implied sexual content, non-graphic violence, alcohol consumption, cursing. Word Count: 6,537 Read On: AO3

She Knows How To Treat a Fella Right (Wants to Make Love When I Wanna Fight. Now Someone Understands Me) (Wheeler Yuta x Original Female Character)

Wheeler Yuta returns from the Best of Super Juniors tournament and finds a new unfamiliar face around Blackpool Combat Club. Daughter of one of William Regal’s old friends, he finds that everyone seems to like her. Except him. He doesn’t like her at all.

Until he does.

Rated: T Warnings: implied sexual content, non-graphic violence, alcohol consumption, cursing. Word Count: 4,596 Read On: AO3

I Won’t Lie To You (I Know That He’s Just Not Right For You) (Jeff Parker x Original Female Character)

She’s known Matt her entire life and Jeff since they came down to Florida to pursue their dream. Jeff’s never been shy about voicing what’s wrong with the guys that she dates. And normally, he’s right. But when her heart is broken and her ex proves himself a jerk by sharing photos of her that should have stayed private with all of his friends, she tries to let it go. Jeff has other ideas.

Rated: T Warnings: non-graphic violence, alcohol consumption, cursing, men, revenge porn kind of sort of in that her ex is sharing photos of her without permission post-breakup Word Count: 5,143 Read On: AO3

One of These Days, You and Me, Babе, We Will Spill the Wholе Bucket and Paint This Town(Hangman Adam Page x Original Female Character)

He’d been anxious lately. But in a different way than normal. He wasn’t doubting himself. Instead, it was like there was something in the pit of his stomach that had his fingers curling into fists with nowhere to direct it. When a childhood friend of Silver’s shows up and John invites him out with them to blow off some steam, Hangman hopes it’s exactly what he needs. But sometimes things don’t go to plan. And other times, things work out in an unexpectedly perfect way.

Rated: T Warnings: non-graphic violence, alcohol consumption, cursing, homophobia Word Count: 4,313 Read On: AO3

Multi-Wrestler Stories

I'm Trapped By Your Love. And I'm Chained To Your Side (Love Is A Battlefield) (MJF x OFC, Wardlow x OFC, MJF x OFC x Wardlow)

When Izzie meets MJF, she takes one look at the attitude and bravado and decides that he could use a friend. When MJF meets Izzie, he doesn't expect her to turn his life upside down by making him want to be better. When Izzie meets Wardlow, she thinks that he probably hates her and sees her as a chore. When Wardlow meets Izzie, he wishes that she wasn't already so attached to a man he doesn't think deserves her. This is their story - and you get to choose how it ends. (Written for WrestleBang '22)

Rating: E Warnings: explicit sexual content, love triangles, angst, threesome (m/f/m), explicit language, dirty talk, alcohol consumption. Word Count: 47,808 Read On: AO3

Lance Archer:

One-shots:

I Thought Love Was Only True In Fairy Tales (Meant for Someone Else but Not for Me) (Lance Archer x Original Female Character)

Lance meets her in a bar and is immediately enamored by her. When she walks out of his life the same night she walked into it, he assumes he’ll never see her again. But things have a funny way of working out and it turns out she’s more familiar with him that he realized. But is something between the two of them doomed from the start?

Rated: T Warnings: implied sexual situations Word Count: 12,325 Read On: AO3

Malakai Black:

One-shots:

Go On and Just Heal My Hungry Heart (Get Me Through This Part) (Malakai Black x Original Female Character)

Sammie has just gone through a breakup and all she wants to do is spend a week in her pajamas eating ice cream and binging tv shows. When her roommate insists that going out and finding a one-night stand is a better option, she reluctantly agrees to at least grab a drink. What she doesn’t expect is a mysterious man to capture her attention and give her exactly what she didn’t realize she wanted.

Rated: E Warnings: explicit sexual content, explicit language Word Count: 6,132 Read On: AO3

Christian Cage:

Series: To All The Wrestlers I’ve Loved Before:

Don’t You Know That Only Fools Are Satisfied? Dream On, But Don’t Imagine They’ll All Come True (OR, To All the Wrestlers I’ve Loved Before) (Christian Cage x fem!Reader)

You work for AEW and have become close friends with Jurassic Express and – through them – many others. Which has been great until Christian shows up – the man you’ve been a little infatuated with ever since you were just a fan. Your meddling friends try to get you to admit how you’re feeling, but you refuse. So when one of them suggests at least just writing it down to get it out of your head you begrudgingly agree. After all, it’ll help get all those thoughts about him out of your head and it’s not like he’ll ever read it.

Rated: G Warnings: some angst. meddling friends Word Count: 4,491 Read On: AO3

[REDUX] Don’t You Know That Only Fools Are Satisfied? Dream On, But Don’t Imagine They’ll All Come True (OR. Holy Shit) (Christian Cage x fem!Reader)

Rated: G Warnings: some angst. meddling friends Word Count: 2,033 Read On: AO3

You Can’t Be Everything You Want To Be Before Your Time. Although It’s So Romantic On The Borderline Tonight (OR. To All The Wrestlers: P.S. I Still Love You) (Christian Cage x fem!Reader)

After Christian discovers your crush on him in the least fortunate way possible, you’re not sure where you stand and just want to put your embarrassment behind you. But your friends have some other ideas and – wait, is Stu asking you on a date? And is a certain Captain Charisma jealous? Good intentions lead to further misunderstandings. But you still have your doubts things will work out like a fairy tale. But that’s okay. Life’s not a fairy tale. Right?

Rated: G Warnings: some angst. meddling friends Word Count: 4,594 Read On: AO3

You Better Cool It Off Before You Burn It Out. You Got So Much To Do and Only So Many Hours in a Day (OR To All The Wrestlers I’ve Loved Before: Always and Forever) (Christian Cage x fem!Reader)

You’ve been dating Christian for a little while now, but things haven’t progressed between the two of you the way you’d expected. It starts to make you wonder if he really wants you and makes you insecure. Christian is all too happy to silence your doubts, but there’s also something he has to tell you - something that could cost you two your relationship.

Rated: E Warnings: explicit sexual content, dirty talk, oral sex, age difference, angst, emotional manipulation, betrayal, non-graphic canon-typical injury. Word Count: 6,215 Read On: AO3

Orange Cassidy:

Series: In The Dark/In The Light:

Forget About the Things You Think I Know – No Secrets, You Can’t Keep Me (In The Dark) (Orange Cassidy x fem!Reader)

A pitch-black haunted house, a hotel hallway, an escape room. What do all three of these things have in common? Well, here’s a hint. They all involve Orange Cassidy and your suddenly-developing crush on him. You think that maybe he feels the same way, but the man is impossible to get a read on. Does it mean anything – or is it just whatever?

Rated: G Warnings: light angst Word Count: 3,882 Read On: AO3

[REDUX] Don’t Ask God, He Never Asked You. It’s Not His Heart You Drove a Knife Through (In The Dark) (Orange Cassidy x fem!Reader)

Rated: G Warnings: light angst Word Count: 2,264 Read On: AO3

(In The Light) You Will Find the Road. Oh, Did You Ever Believe That I Could Leave You Standing Out In The Cold? (Orange Cassidy x fem!Reader)

After a misunderstanding between you and Orange creates an awkward dynamic between you and your group of friends, you try and fail a couple of times to set the record straight. Frustrated with how it’s going, the Best Friends decide to do what friends do best – meddle in your personal lives because they’re sick of waiting for you both to get your act together. Retold from Orange’s perspective

Rated: G Warnings: light angst Word Count: 3,191 Read On: AO3

One-shots:

Worrying’s “Not Cool" (Orange Cassidy x fem!Reader)

You try not to take it personally when he doesn’t pay you much mind. But you wish he would. His best friends are your friends and you’ve accepted that you just haven’t broken through and a simple thumbs up and thumbs down from behind mirrored shades are all you’re going to get. Until one day when your clumsiness gets the better of you and the person running up to you when they hear you’re hurt is the one person you thought never rushed to do anything. Why is the guy that never seems to worry about much so concerned?

Rated: G Warnings: Use of pain medication – but not in a substance abuse way. In a properly prescribed and appropriate for the situation way. It does make the user a little loopy though. Word Count: 965 Read On: AO3

Adam Cole:

One-shots:

You Don’t Know Him Like I Do (Adam Cole x Original Female Character)

When most people say “You don’t know him the way I do,” it’s easy to dismiss it as someone making excuses for giving their heart to the wrong person. But that’s not the case when it comes to Adam. You know a different side of him. A place grown from friendship from the moment that you met. Another big difference is that you haven’t given him your heart.

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 1,271 Read On: AO3

David Finlay:

One-shots:

(And If You Doubt That Paris Was Made for Love) Give Paris One More Chance (David Finlay x Original Female Character)

At 19, David Finlay felt like he had the world at his feet and all he had to do was pick it up. That was when he met her. The one that got away. Now, at 29, he's less sure things are ever that simple. He doesn't expect a one-off match at AEW to put him in front of her again. And he quickly has to realize that she didn't get away, he let her go without ever meaning to and winning her back might something else that's not that simple. Rated: T Warnings: angst, implied sexual situations (but no actual smut). mentions of death of a parent. mentions of alcohol consumption. Word Count: 14,679 Read On: AO3

Maxwell Jacob Friedman:

Series: The Bet:

(You Better You Bet) I Sometimes Feel I Should Just Go Home But I’m Dealing With A Memory That Never Forgets (MJF x fem!Reader)

After a string of bad dates you somehow wind up involved in a wager with one of your least favorite people. MJF. When the man with the revolving door of one night stands claims he can go on more successful dates than you, you set the terms and get started. If you win, you get to torment MJF by taking him on the worst date in the world. If he wins, you have to act as his personal assistant for a full week. You’re definitely going to win because he’s intolerable and devoid of all charm. Right?

Rated: G Warnings: men Word Count: 2,577 Read On: AO3

[REDUX] (You Better You Bet) Know Only Fools Have Needs But This One Never Begs (MJF x fem!Reader)

Rated: G Warnings: men Word Count: 2,466 Read On: AO3

(You Better You Bet) I Know What I’m Giving. I’ve Got It All Down to a Tee and It’s Free (MJF x fem!Reader)

The bet is over and you’ve emerged technically victorious. Planning the worst date ever for MJF could mean a lot of things, but you decide to put your own spin on it and have some fun. But he’s definitely only going on this date because he lost, right? And you’re definitely only spending time with him because you won, right?

Rated: G Warnings: men Word Count: 3,309 Read On: AO3

(You Better You Bet) I Know What I’m Giving. I’ve Got It All Down to a Tee and It’s Free (MJF x fem!Reader)

Two weeks after the conclusion of the bet that brought you two together, you and Max spend the weekend in Manhattan. Knowing your abysmal dating history, Max goes out of his way to make what could have been a visit to an old high school friend's art show into an impressive perfect date. But when there's only one bed, old bullies rear their ugly heads, and he's equally new to the idea of a real relationship - are the odds against him? A betting man might say yes. You might say otherwise.

Rated: E Warnings: explicit sexual content, oral sex, mentions of bullying, mentions of anti-semitism Word Count: 8,542 Read On: AO3

One-shots:

Everyone Has A Secret, But Can They Keep It? (No, They Can’t) (MJF x fem!Reader)

You’re one of Sammy Guevara’s best friends, a member of the Vlog Crew - and you love your friends dearly. But there’s a secret you’ve been keeping from them and that’s your relationship with Maxwell Jacob Friedman. When the man who you’ve been getting to know in secret seems reluctant to make anything public, you assume he doesn’t care about you the same way you do about him and resolve to walk away. Until the cat gets let out of the bag and everything becomes that much more complicated.

Rated: G Warnings: Cursing, alcohol consumption, car accidents Word Count: 4,555 Read On: AO3

I Don’t Mind You Coming Here And Wasting All My Time. ‘Cause When You’re Standing Oh So Near I Kinda Lose My Mind (I Guess You’re Just What I Needed) (MJF x fem!Reader)

A chance meeting outside of a hotel while you’re in town for a job interview leads to unlikely friendships with members of The Pinnacle. And while their egotistical and arrogant leader initially makes you roll your eyes and scoff, it turns out this trip might lead your life in an unexpected direction and that your first impressions might have been off base.

Rated: G Warnings: Language Word Count: 2,976 Read On: AO3

I Put Your Picture Away (MJF x fem!Reader)

You’re contracted as a photographer to do some promotional shoots for AEW and you’re having a great time. Until you’re in the room with the Pinnacle and you think that you might suffocate under the weight of MJF’s enormous ego. You snap at him. and it might be unprofessional. But you’re likely never going to see him again after this job wraps, right? (Wrong.)

Rated: E Warnings: smut, explicit language, oral sex, unprotected sex Word Count: 7,426 Read On: AO3

The Law of Opposites (MJF and Reader)

For reasons no one can figure out you’re best friend is the man commentary has described as “the most hated person in professional wrestling.” But when you need him, he’s there. And after your first no disqualification match at AEW, he’s there to help make sure you’re in one piece.

Rated: T Warnings: mentions of blood, language, mentions of injury Word Count: 1,059 Read On: AO3

You Got All The Power, Baby (And I’m Your Trusted Queen) (MJF x fem!Reader)

You’re visiting your boyfriend for the first time in weeks but on your way through the halls backstage, someone else thinks it’s a good idea to try to turn your head. Too bad your boyfriend has a short fuse and zero tolerance for anyone trying to take what’s his. Too bad for the other guy, that is. For you, it’s all too good.

Rated: E Warnings: smut, dirty talk, degradation, oral sex Word Count: 2,110 Read On: AO3

You Just Might Make The Nice List (MJF x fem!Reader)

You’re thrilled to be going home for Christmas to see your parents and you’re just as excited to be bringing home your boyfriend. You know that most people dismiss or despise him, but that’s because they don’t get to see the side of him that you get to see. But wait – what’s that? These texts weren’t meant for you.

Rated: G Warnings: Language Word Count: 1,930 Read On: AO3

You’re Cute When You’re Pissed (MJF x fem!Reader)

When AEW rolls into town you’re thrilled to catch up with Dax, an old family friend who’s always been like family to you. But when you meet the rest of the Pinnacle, you can’t help but have a little fun at their leader’s expense – especially not when he’s copping an attitude and being so serious. You make it your mission to get under his skin a little bit. But is that him creeping under yours, too?

Rated: G Warnings: Alcohol consumption Word Count: 3,106 Read On: AO3

Stu Grayson:

One-shots:

I Guess You’d Say: What Could Make Me Feel This Way (My Girl) (Stu Grayson x Original Female Character)

Following the Halloween match against the Elite, Dark Order goes out to celebrate with Hangman. While they’re out, the group loses track of Stu only for him to show up the next day claiming he met the perfect girl. Given his track record, they’re a little wary to believe him when she sounds too good to be true. OR Stu Grayson and the (Really!)Real Girl (Really?)

Rated: G Warnings: alcohol consumption Word Count: 2,866 Read On: AO3

Matt Jackson:

One-shots:

All She Wants to Do is Dance (And Make Romance) (Matt Jackson x fem!Reader)

Working for Tony Khan has brought you close to much of the talent and staff and AEW. Including one EVP in particular. But when things change and you’re not sure where you two stand, you both pull back a bit. But the last song is playing, Young Buck – so it’s time to put up or shut up. OR Five times you dance without Matt Jackson and one time you dance together.

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 2,712 Read On: AO3

Can’t You See (What That Man, Lord, What He Been Doin’ To Me)? (Matt Jackson x fem!Reader)

You work for AEW and have been dating Matt Jackson for a little while now. You’re reluctant to let him in on why you’re having such a bad day at first. But it’s Matt – and he can always pick up on when something is wrong. And he always knows how to fix it, too.

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 2,135 Read On: AO3

Everything’s Going to Be Fine (Matt Jackson x fem!Reader)

Your husband has been distracted and is having trouble sleeping lately. Your family is growing and so priorities are shifting. But it just takes a little late night talk – and some chocolate pudding – to put his mind at ease.

Rated: G Warnings: Mentions of pregnancy Word Count: 1,170 Read On: AO3

Feels Like Home (Matt Jackson x fem!Reader)

The first time you meet Matt Jackson, you’re just a kid who’s in class with his brother. He doesn’t pay you any mind at all. And you’re too busy struggling with being raised by an alcoholic single mother and trying to find a way to a brighter future and better sense of home to chase after him. Until you start to think that maybe that home and future are with him. Or. Five times you turn down Matt Jackson’s invitation to dinner and the one time you say yes.

Rated: T Warnings: alcohol abuse, child neglect, some almost-crime. No one winds up hurt or anything. Word Count: 3,181 Read On: AO3

Just Give Me That (Matt Jackson x fem!Reader)

You’ve been working for AEW and sleeping with Matt Jackson but lately things between you two are strained. When he starts barely giving you the time of day at work, you ask yourself if you can keep doing casual and physical with him. A little angst but with a happy ending.

Rated: M Warnings: vulgar language / referenced dirty talk Word Count: 1,250 Read On: AO3

And I Know Things Can’t Last Forever (Just the Scent of You, It Makes Me Hurt. So How’s It You that Makes Me Better?) (Matt Jackson x Original Female Character)

After dating and living with Matt for years, their relationship has run its course. When Matt comes to get the rest of his things, the two decide to make one more good memory together before letting one another go.

Rated: E Warnings: break up sex, end of a relationship, sexual content, angst Word Count: 4,940 Read On: AO3

I would yell like a rebel, take the pain with the pleasure – just to get to you (Matt Jackson x Original Female Character)

Stood up for a date and finding herself sitting alone in a hotel bar, she’s not sure what to think when she turns and finds herself face-to-face with one of the most gorgeous men she’s ever seen. She’s really not the kind of woman to take a leap like this with a stranger but everything about him says that he’s the person who can fulfill the secret fantasies she’s kept hidden.

Rated: E Warnings: smut, dirty talk, kink negotiation, daddy kink, unprotected sex, very light degradation. Word Count: 8,402 Read On: AO3

(Love These Days is Getting Rough) It Knocks You Down Then Beats You Up (Matt Jackson x fem!Reader)

It’s All Out weekend and you’ve got the opportunity of a lifetime – a spot in the Women’s Casino Battle Royale. But things don’t go to plan – for you or for the man you’ve been seeing in secret. And suddenly, you’re wondering if your relationship isn’t what you thought it was.

Rated: G Warnings: light angst Word Count: 6,148 Read On: AO3

Sick Days (Matt Jackson x fem!Reader)

You’ve got a big presentation coming up for work, two sick kids in the house, and your husband is back from the road for a few days at home. What could possibly go wrong?

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 1,315 Read On: AO3

Nick Jackson:

One-shots:

In Sickness and in Health (Nick Jackson x fem!Reader)

Your husband is home for a few weeks and you can’t wait to spend time with your family and get to the things you’ve been putting off while he’s on the road. But a notice from the school changes everything.

Rated: G Warnings: none ending. Word Count: 2,573 Read On: AO3

This Love (Has Taken Its Toll On Me) (Nick Jackson x fem!Reader)

Your relationship with your live-in boyfriend, Nick Jackson, has hit a point of no return. Consistently arguing and hurting the other’s feelings in a way that isn’t fair to either of you. While you have every intention of using this weekend to try to fix things, sometimes the cracks in the foundation are just too deep.

Rated: T Warnings: implied sexual content, angst. no fluffy ending. Word Count: 2,077 Read On: AO3

You Can’t Go the Distance With Too Much Resistance (It’s A Matter of Trust) (Nick Jackson x fem!Reader)

You’re used to going it alone and not relying on others. Since you joined AEW though, Brandon Cutler has become the closest friend you’ve had in a while. You adore him, but you still have reservations about the Elite. Now, as your rivalry with the Bunny heats up and you’re facing the opportunity of a lifetime you don’t have much choice but to start learning how to trust them. You don’t expect how much they’ll surprise you – especially not one that you thought, until recently, you couldn’t stand.

Rated: G Warnings: light angst Word Count: 6,915 Read On: AO3

Eddie Kingston:

One-shots:

Right Where You Left Me (Eddie Kingston x fem!Reader)

You tend to be the person other people come to talk to backstage at AEW. Everyone from CM Punk to Daniel Garcia will come to the unofficial therapist of AEW – just someone to lend an ear. But it’s been awhile since your favorite person backstage has come to you. In fact, he’s been avoiding you for a while: Eddie Kingston. When things start to boil over between some of your newer friends and the person you’ve been missing for months now – will the two of you finally get your act together and start talking again?

Rated: G Warnings: language Word Count: 2,950 Read On: AO3

You Gotta Know When To Hold ‘Em (Eddie Kingston x fem!Reader)

Ever since you came to work at AEW and spend time with your old friend, Jon Moxley, you’ve also been spending a lot of time with Eddie Kingston. Up to your usual level of antics, the two of you wind up in a game with some pretty high stakes – but you’re pretty sure no matter how it goes, it looks like it might work out well for both of you.

Rated: T Warnings: Language, non-descriptive nudity Word Count: 1,061 Read On: AO3

Hangman Adam Page:

One-shots:

Lights, Camera, Action (Hangman Adam Page x fem!Reader)

Dark Order is filming another movie with Hangman at the helm. You, worried about the safety involved with some of their newest antics, are not entertained by your lovable group of friends. So you agree to stick around and oversee filming and make sure they’re not doing anything TOO crazy. But wait…how did you end up acting in it?

Rated: G Warnings: none. I mean this is honestly BTE level crack and chaos and then fluff Word Count: 2,183 Read On: AO3

A Strawberry Has Secret Flavors (That Are Sharp And Tart And Red And Deep) (Hangman Adam Page x Reader)

Your relationship with everyone’s favorite anxious millenial cowboy starts off at work, grows to friendship, and leads somewhere great. It’s not always smooth sailing, but you help each other along the way. OR Five times you help Hangman through his anxiety and doubt and one time he helps you. OR A love letter from EliteHunter to anyone dealing with their anxiety.

Rated: G Warnings: anxiety, anxiety attacks, panic attacks, Word Count: 2,252 Read On: AO3

Ethan Page:

Series: Ethan’s!Reader:

Easier When You’re Home (Ethan Page x fem!Reader)

It’s a relief when your husband is home from the road, giving you a little bit of reprieve from juggling work, your two children, and everything else you have up in the air. After a long day where everything seemed to go wrong, all you’re looking forward to is some peace and quiet with your family.

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 1,115 Read On: AO3

All Treats, No Tricks (Ethan Page x fem!Reader)

One night after a Halloween party where you just want to go home, you’re finding it impossible to get an Uber. You’re surprised when you find yourself face to face with one of your least favorite people in your social circle. But it turns out he’s full of surprises.

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 1,887 Read On: AO3

The Plans and Promises We Made (Ethan Page x fem!Reader)

Your family has been through its share of ups and downs, but you’ve always come out of it on the other side together. You make a pretty strong team. OR – Five times that the Page family panics and needs to go to the hospital, and one time that they’re completely calm.

Rated: T Warnings: TRIGGER WARNING: Pregnancy loss/miscarriage (not in a lot of detail, but if you want to skip this, don’t read the section labeled “2015″ and skip down to “2018,”) pregnancy and mentions of, mentions of serious illness Word Count: 2,491 Read On: AO3

A Very Good Find (Ethan Page x fem!Reader)

Joining your husband on the road ahead of a big match with your kids isn’t what you would call a relaxing vacation. And when Ethan uses some of the time you’d set aside for the family to go on a Toy Hunt with the guys, you know he’s been stressed so you don’t make a big deal of it. Besides, it doesn’t take much for your half of the Men of the Year to remind you why he’s a strong candidate for Father of the Year, too.

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 1,776 Read On: AO3

Daughters Will Love Like You Do (Ethan Page x fem!Reader)

A school dance, a birthday present, a middle of the night FaceTime call, and your husband Ethan going off the deep-end worrying that your little girl is growing up too fast. Just another glimpse into life at home with the Page family.

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 2,799 Read On: AO3

‘Cause Your Love is Better Than Any Love I Know. It’s Like Thunder – Lightning (The Way You Love Me is Frightenin’) (Ethan Page x fem!Reader)

A surprise party for your birthday with lots of familiar faces. But the get-together isn’t the only thing your husband has up his sleeve.

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 2,977 Read On: AO3

Jeff Parker (aka Angelo):

Series: Pony (Male Stripper AU)

Gotta Be Compatible, Takes Me to My Limits (Girl, When I Break You Off — I Promise That You Won’t Want to Get Off) (Jeff Parker x fem!Reader)

A strip club wouldn’t be her first choice for her sister’s bachelorette party, but she was just along for the ride. While the others enjoy the fun, she’s approached by a handsome stranger who makes her an offer she can’t refuse. A private dance in a backroom turns into something she wasn’t expecting to find. OR The Jeffelo Parker stripper AU no one asked for or needed.

Rated: E Warnings: alcohol, explicit sexual content with enthusiastic consent (Jeffelo Parker is a consent king – no one can convince me otherwise), dirty talk, praise kink, unprotected sex (but really only because the author wanted to get to the smut. Not as a plot point), lapdance, thigh riding, dry humping, oral sex Word Count: word count: 10,367 Read On: AO3

I'm Just a Bachelor, I'm Looking For a Partner (Someone Who Knows How to Ride Without Even Falling Off)

A year after he meets the girl of his dreams at the strip club where he works as a dancer, Jeff is ready to marry her. He told the guys that for his bachelor party, he just wanted a relaxed night of dinner and drinks — no strippers. What does he do when they stop at his place before hitting the bar and he finds the most gorgeous woman he's ever seen waiting in the hallway to give him a private dance the night before his wedding? Don't worry — it's not what you think. OR The sequel no one asked for to the Jeffelo Parker stripper AU no one asked for or needed.

Rated: E Warnings: alcohol, explicit sexual content, lap dances, just a smidge of praise kink Word Count: 5,459 Read On: AO3

One-Shots:

If You Ask Me How I'm Doing, I Would Say I'm Doing Just Fine (I Would Lie and Say That You're Not on My Mind) (Jeff Parker x OFC)

When they got together, they promised that her ties to Eddie, Mox, and Ortiz wouldn't interfere with what happened between them — that they could keep it separate. But aligning with Jericho was the straw that broke the camel's back — and she'd walked away claiming he'd changed too much. Now, with Daniel Garcia considering leaving their merry band of sports entertainers, he's even more aware of her absence. He feels her every time she walks into a room, or maybe he just hopes she's there.

Rated: G Warnings: angst, open/ambiguous ending Word Count: 3,428 Read On: AO3

Then I Saw Her Face, Now I’m A Believer (I Couldn’t Leave Her If I Tried) (Jeff Parker x fem!Reader)

You’ve known Daniel for years now, since you were both in the Indies. He’s the little brother you never had. When you both make your way to AEW, you climb your way up through Dark and Elevation matches while he finds himself adopted by two extremely loud men. While you don’t mind them, you start to get the feeling that one of them doesn’t like you much at all. He rarely makes eye contact, seems quieter when you’re around, and actively shoots down his tag partner’s suggestion that they “adopt” you, too. You’re not exactly sure what you did to make him hate you. And then one day you realize he doesn’t hate you at all.

Rated: M Warnings: non-graphic sexual content (like a paragraph), implied sexual content, jealousy, alcohol consumption, age difference, non-graphic canon-typical injury. honestly this is all just to be safe, a sprinkling of angst Word Count: 12,584 Read On: AO3

Jungle Boy Jack Perry:

One-shots:

Ask Me Tomorrow (Jungle Boy Jack Perry x fem!Reader)

You could’ve gone to work for any number of PR firms after graduating. But you’d loved wrestling ever since you were a kid and so working, even a desk job, for a company around some of your favorite talent was a dream come true. You were working hard to circumvent the “inexperienced new girl” expectations and you knew, in the process, you’d come off as uptight and unapproachable. Except to one person – who keeps asking you to hang out.

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 1,538 Read On: AO3

Santana:

One-shots:

The Bronx Is Up, But I’m Fallin’ Down (Santana x fem!Reader)

When you started wrestling for AEW, Santana and Ortiz take note of you. Maybe because they spot a kindred spirit – rough upbringing, some bad choices, and then something new in the sanctuary of the squared circle. Ortiz functions a lot as your older brother and guardian but you and Santana feed off each other’s more chaotic moments. After your first big win, you were hyped on adrenalin and fell into bed with one of your best friends and it was probably just casual anyway. So why is he ignoring you now? And why does it bother you so much when usually you don’t let things bother you at all.

Rated: E Warnings: smut, explicit language, alcohol consumption Word Count: 3,160 Read On: AO3

It’s a Dynamite Miracle (Santana x fem!Reader)

You work for AEW, your job is to make sure that the venues are set up well before the talent arrives. When someone on your team makes a mistake and you’re having a very bad day, you’re hoping that the man you’ve been spending your nights with has your back. He doesn’t at first. But he figures it out.

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 2,437 Read On: AO3

It’s Like I’m Powerful With A Little Bit of Tender. An Emotional, Sexual Bender. Mess Me Up, But No One Does It Better (That’s Just The Way You Make Me Feel) (Santana x Original Female Character)

Alexis is a make-up artist for All Elite Wrestling who loves her job. Members of the roster frequently ask her out, and she always laughs it off as a joke. But the truth is she hasn’t said yes because it’s never the one person that she wants to ask her out - assuming that he’s out of reach. When Santana overhears 2.0 trying to convince her to accept a date with Matt Lee, she realizes that what she wants is a lot closer than she thought.

Rated: E Warnings: explicit sexual content, dirty talk, daddy kink, thigh riding, oral sex, shower sex, light choking Word Count: 4,090 Read On: AO3

Hook/Tyler Senerchia:

One-shots:

Happy Birthday Kid. Tonight We’re Taking Off the Edge. Slow Down and Tell Me What You Did (So Tell Me Everything) (Hook x Original Female Character)

Only eight days separate his birthday from one of his closest friends backstage. Before they’d drifted apart, they’d made plans to celebrate for a whole week together. He’s been thinking that she doesn’t have time for him anymore, but what happens a week after his birthday when he realizes he got it all wrong and only has limited time to get it right and potentially get the girl?

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 3,213 Read On: AO3

John Silver:

One-shots:

Just the Thought of You Makes Me Stop Before I Begin (‘Cause I’ve Got You Under My Skin) (John Silver x fem!Reader)

You’re fairly new to the AEW roster and you were warned from day one to expect the Dark Order to recruit you. You’re not as put off by the idea as some might expect, but your invitation never comes. When you start to realize John Silver is the reason why, you wonder exactly what you did to make him dislike you so much. Will some meddling from the rest of that lovable group help you find some answers?

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 2,609 Read On: AO3

Shawn Spears:

One-Shots:

And All I Want Is A Chance To Prove – Show All I Can Do (I Believe In You) (Shawn Spears x fem!Reader)

When Tully Blanchard notices you during a few matches on AEW Dark, you don’t expect to become the latest addition to the Pinnacle just as they’re pulled into a new feud. You’re not sure how you feel about being a team player and the team, for the most part, isn’t sure how they feel about you right away. But there’s one member that’s all for giving you a chance and even though you’re usually the type to go it alone and are really just here to wake up and choose violence, the idea of someone having your back and giving you something different to choose is appealing. Of course, in this business – nothing is ever that easy.

Rated: E Warnings: explicit sexual content, angst, cursing, canon-typical violence, injuries as a result of that canon-typical violence, heels being heels Word Count: 10,409 Read On: AO3

Ricky Starks:

Series: All of Me:

(All Of Me) What Would I Do Without Your Smart Mouth? Drawing Me In And You Kicking Me Out (Ricky Starks x fem!Reader)

The first person you befriend backstage while working for AEW is Ricky Starks. In the midst of recovering from his neck injury, you two get close — you’re there for him while he copes with not doing the job that he loves and he’s there for you when something sets off your knee jerk reaction to cry when you’re upset. And suddenly, you’re wondering if your feelings for him are strictly friendly. But as the rivalry between he and Brian Cage mounts leading up to Fyter Fest, things change between the two of you and it may mean the end of your relationship.

Rated: T Warnings: language, men, light angst Word Count: 3,575 Read On: AO3

[REDUX] (All Of Me) You’re My Downfall, You’re My Muse. My Worst Distraction, My Rhythm and Blues (Ricky Starks x fem!Reader)

Rated: T Warnings: language, men, light angst Word Count: 3,764 Read On: AO3

(All Of Me) How Many Times Do I Have To Tell You? Even When You’re Crying, You’re Beautiful Too (Ricky Starks x fem!Reader)

You and the newly crowned FTW champion are still on the rocks, finding it difficult to communicate with one another. You’d like to think that you’re fine with that, moving forward. But everyone else knows better. Your mind on Ricky, an unfortunate run-in with someone else backstage, and a blurted-out confession. Are you two too far apart in what you want to get past this? Or are you more on the same page than either of you realize? Retold from Ricky’s perspective

Rated: T Warnings: language, men, light angst Word Count: 3,358 Read On: AO3

Multi-Chapter:

She Said “Tell Me How You Feel.” (Are You Even Real?) (Ricky Starks x Original Female Character)

When Ricky Starks is due to exchange vows with his girlfriend of six months in the ring, things go awry at the last minute, leaving him feeling heartbroken and embarrassed. Out in the crowd, he sees a sign in the front row that reads “Marry me, Ricky” and in his heartache, he takes a leap. Shelby Cosgrove isn’t even much of a wrestling fan, brought along by her best friend and in hopes of showing her niece who she has custody of a good time. While holding her eight year old niece’s sign, she’s plucked out of the crowd just as one of the wrestlers seems to be having a nervous breakdown. Assuming it’s all a gimmick gone wrong, she says yes. What could possibly go wrong?

Rated: E Warnings: explicit sexual content, daddy kink, oral sex, dirty talk, angst Chapters:5/5 Word Count: 44,679 Read On: AO3

One-Shots:

The Best Thing to Come Out of New Orleans (Ricky Starks x fem!Reader)

You’ve known Taz for most of your life and so when you’re between jobs and down on your luck and he offers to hire you as his assistant, you’re grateful for the chance. For the most part you get along with Team Taz pretty well with one very crucial exception – and he’s currently the guy holding the FTW Championship belt. A trip to film a show in his hometown surely will make him all the more insufferable to you. Right?

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 3,968 Read On: AO3

Wardlow:

Series: Wardlow x Little Daredevil:

Maybe We Could Work Something Out (Wardlow x fem!Reader)

It’s your first week working for AEW and your new boss needs you to run around getting some answers from some of the talent. Some of them think it’s funny to harmlessly haze you a bit to try to see what you’re made of as the newest member of the team. They don’t expect that you don’t back down from dares and challenges. And they definitely don’t realize you’re not even going to bat an eye when they dare you to sneak into the Pinnacle’s dressing room and snag a picture with that diamond ring. There’s only one little problem in your way. Except, he’s not at all little. And, honestly, maybe he’s not even a problem.

Rated: G Warnings: none Word Count: 1,115 Read On: AO3

Feeling Daring (Wardlow x fem!Reader)

A dinner date with Wardlow, who you haven’t been able to stop thinking about since you met. When he suggests playing a game, the daredevil in you who can’t back down from a challenge rises to the occasion – and reaps the rewards. (Basically just filth).

Rated: E Warnings: Smut, dirty talk, masturbation, voyeurism, exhibitionism, semi-public sexual acts, bit of a size kink if you squint, Wardlow has a big dick and no one can convince me otherwise. Word Count: 3,329 Read On: AO3

Series: I Could See Clearly:

(And I Could See Clearly) An Indelible Line Was Drawn Between What Was Good, What Just Slipped Out, and What Went Wrong (Wardlow x fem!Reader)

When your old family friend brings you into All Elite Wrestling to help manage things for his newly formed faction, you don’t expect to be so drawn to one of the men now at his side. But the business leaves a lot of room for miscommunication, confused priorities, and mistakes. Especially with a man of so few words to begin with. But this was only supposed to be a temporary gig anyway, so it shouldn’t really matter. Right?

Rated: G Warnings: Language Word Count: 4,263 Read On: AO3

[REDUX] (I Could See Clearly) The Way She Feels About Me Has Changed. Thanks for Playing, Try Again (Wardlow x fem!Reader)

Retold from Wardlow’s perspective.

Rated: G Warnings: Language Word Count: 3,773 Read On: AO3

(Suddenly I See) Why The Hell It Means So Much To Me (Wardlow x fem!Reader)

Leaving behind your work with the Pinnacle and your time at AEW should be easy. Especially after your fall out with Wardlow. After all, the job was only supposed to be temporary. And it’s not like you’re attached to them. You can wash your hands of the whole thing, settle into your 9 to 5, and leave Wardlow and the Pinnacle behind. Right?

Rated: G Warnings: Language Word Count: 5,627 Read On: AO3

Cash Wheeler:

One-Shots:

I Want Something Easy. Why Don’t You Just Lay Your Hands on Me? (Give Me What I Need) (Cash Wheeler x Original Female Character)

She’s getting past a bad break-up with a guy she never should have been with from the start. When she stops at a bar to put her thoughts together, she’s automatically the recipient of some unwanted attention. Luckily, someone is there to step in and save the day — someone who just won the ROH Tag Team titles earlier that night and is celebrating with his partner and some of their colleagues. What happens next is supposed to just be a one night stand — a way for her to get past her break-up and walk away. But things don’t always go the way people plan them.

Rated: E Warnings: smut, sexual content, oral sex, mentions of alcohol consumption, one night stands (sorta not really lmao) Word Count: 9,068 Read On: AO3

Jay White:

One-Shots:

Jetlagged and Lovesick for Days on End (Jay White x Original Female Character)

Presley is a paralegal preparing to take the LSAT and chase her dreams of becoming a lawyer. For the first time in her life, she’s close to her dreams and has moved into the perfect apartment without needing a roommate. It’s spacious, has hardwood floors, a pool on the roof, a gym in the building. The only problem is her very loud upstairs neighbor who seems like a pretty big asshole. Advised to kill them with kindness and try positive reinforcement when they do keep it down, she finally meets her mystery neighbor - the one and only Jay White.

Rated: E Warnings: explicit sexual content, dirty talk, oral sex, angst Word Count: 17,951 Read On: AO3

#elitehunter fanfic #elitehunter fic #pinned post

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altruistic-meme · 4 years ago

Text

AFTG fic recs

Hi all! I just wanted to share some of my all-time favorite fanfics for aftg, for no real reason other than I want more people to read them and send their love to the authors :)

Under a readmore because it got. A little long. But please enjoy!

WIPs

Dangerous Habits by LovelyLittleGrim ( @lovelylittlegrim )

Andrew has run into problems while on undercover jobs before. None of those problems were anything like the troublesome runaway that is one Nathaniel Wesninski

Aka: the fic where Andrew is undercover as a hitman for hire and Neil is the guy who hires him. Things get complicated from there.

Undercover Andrew? BAMF Neil? Hitman AU?? Absolutely. I’m in love. The story is just *chef kisses*

Chapters: 8/9

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, past rape/non-con, Drake Spear (who is his own warning), Butcher Neil,

Negotiations by elesary ( @elesary )

This is what Andrew Minyard knows: his brother is dead, killed by a petty Raven prince who has never learned to keep his hands off of Andrew's things. His brother's daughters are his responsibility, a job that is made infinitely harder when their shitty grandparents want custody. Nathaniel Wesninski is a liar, but he might be the only way to avenge Aaron and protect his nieces. All Andrew has to do is watch Nathaniels - Neil's- back as he carves out his own life and identity from everyone who thinks they own him.

Andrew has always been good at upholding his end of the bargain, has he finally found someone willing to uphold theirs?

This fic has got me fucked up, honestly. I’m emotional over it. It’s fantastic.

Chapters: 11/?

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, attempted sexual assault, Butcher Neil,

the upper hand by plantelty ( @plantelty )

Shortly after losing his mother, Neil arrives in the small town of Palmetto, South Carolina, alone in the world and with an impossible plan to carry through.

At the age of eighteen, Andrew ends up helping a boy stage his own death.

Just two fucked up boys learning to trust each other during the course of a summer, but also: multiple references to songs, twinyard angst (Nicky tries his best), The Plotting of Neil Josten's Gruesome Demise, and shit hitting the fan in a variety of ugly ways!

The cliffhanger has got me on the edge of my seat, but it is 100% worth the read and the wait for the last chapter!!

Chapters: 10/11

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Canon typical violence,

The Butcher’s House by Fire_Bear ( @fire-bear )

Andrew thought something was odd with the house the Foxes had to move into after their Athletes' House had been burnt down. He just wasn't prepared for what was actually wrong with it.

For this was a house full of monsters.

Ghost story! Ghost story! Ghost story! I literally think about this fic every other day, it’s fantastic.

Chapters: 6/?

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: character death (major or minor is unclear), injuries,

Promise of an Unbroken Boy by elesary ( @elesary )

Neil is caught by the police with Mary's burning body and is sent to juvie in Oakland where he is assigned to share a cell with one Andrew Doe, who promises him Exy, if only Neil will tell him all of his secrets. With no access to tinted contacts and hair dye, he agrees, it's only a matter of time until he's killed after all. What does he have to lose?

But Andrew's found someone who knows what a promise means, and he'll be damned if he lets that go without a fight.

Ngl this is definitely in my very top favorites -- I LOVE the idea of Neil and Andrew meeting pre-series, and this fic just BLEW my expectations for that plotline out of the waters

Chapters: 14/?

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, Underage, attempted rape/non-con, canon-typical violence,

~~~~~~~~~

Complete

The Nameless Monster by kanekicure ( @kanekicure )

Nathaniel Wesninski wants nothing more than to see his father dead and buried. But when his father promises him the title of The Butcher, Nathaniel quickly realizes that his destiny of following in his father's footsteps is closer than ever before.

So of course, when he gets forced to go undercover for the Baltimore police, he starts seeing what living could truly be.

Andrew Minyard is a newly recruited police officer for the worst precinct in Baltimore, who is dedicated on hunting down the notorious Butcher and his unnamed underling. But when Neil Josten is thrown into his midst as his civilian consultant; he starts to realize some things don't quite appear as they seem.

I love the story telling -- the secret identities, the plotting, everything.

Chapters: 14/14

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, Butcher Neil, implied/referenced rape/non-con, implied/referenced child abuse, implied/referenced slef-harm (I believe there is a scene that is somewhat detailed on this subject), some characters also get drugged at one point,

that’s just something people say by nanatsuyu ( @theoctopusnods )

Neil makes the mistake of stealing the wrong car. Andrew makes the mistake of offering a ride to a liar. They both make the mistake of turning the whole affair into a road trip ‘home.’

Gonna be honest; the summary does not give a big idea as to what is in store and i am SO GLAD I gave this one a try so i’m telling you that you will be too

Chapters: 24/24

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: implied/referenced child abuse, panic attacks (somewhat grahic descriptions of)

The Story After You by kanekicure ( @kanekicure )

Andrew Minyard does not understand how Riko Moriyama landed Neil Wesninski.

How the snot-nosed, small dick, rich brat, second son of the Moriyama family who also just so happened to own the largest EXY gear and merchandiser company in the world “RAVEN” - had landed smart mouthed, quick witted, stupidly blue eyed Wesninski, was beyond him. Well, unless Wesninski was a gold digger, but Andrew doubted it.

Or; how Andrew Minyard says he doesn't get into messy situations, until he meets Neil and suddenly he is in the most messiest possible situation ever imagined in his life - oh and also, he might be becoming a homewrecker.

Ok I am behind bc I haven’t read the final chapter of this but!! I love the story, it’s very emotional and moving, and I love the characterization in it.

Chapters: 10/10

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Abusive Riko/Neil, abusive relationship, implied/referenced rape/non-con, implied/reference child abuse, implied/referenced self-harm, graphic depictions of violence, some descriptions of injuries/scarring,

This Complicated Life by 5a5b5p5 ( @andrewsbutterflyknife )

“This is exactly why I don’t want you and Andrew to meet,” Aaron says grumpily. “You two would get along far too well.”

Neil grins. “I just like pissing you off,” he says, “It’s not my fault your brother does such a good job at it.”

—

Neil doesn’t expect much from his Sophomore year of college, but when he becomes a waiter at the Palmetto Bistro, his life gets a whole lot more interesting. As it turns out, maintaining friendships new and old as well as navigating an interesting relationship with the head chef of the restaurant—who just so happens to be his best friend’s twin brother—is a lot more complicated than he’d thought it would be.

A much more light-hearted fic than most of the others! Includes a secret relationship, and also chef Andrew >>

Chapters: 10/10

Rating: Mature

Warnings:

When I Fade, Keep Me in Your Memory by demesh

Neil Josten has a secret: he can flicker out of existence.

He can vanish with the turn of a thought; click his fingers, and suddenly he’s not there anymore. Invisible and untouchable, he becomes a living ghost.

Having promised his mother never to let his ability go, Neil teeters the line between faded and real, a person and an echo. He can’t risk getting hurt.

But then, one day, someone sees him when they shouldn’t be able to.

A (flower-shop) AU about how a faded and lonely Neil finds it in him to become someone real.

Another fic that I need to catch up on ;; but anyway it’s amazing and I love Neil’s ability in it, it’s so well explained and well-written about

Chapters: 12/12

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: mentions of past abuse, panic attacks

12 Ways to Woo a Minyard by NikNak22 ( @knickknacksandallthat )

Neil is a math nerd who, by a stroke of dumb luck, falls into a group of friends that are the closest thing to family he’s ever had. So, when he tells them about his new mysterious crush, he shouldn’t be surprised how immediately they come up with a plan to help win them over. One they insist that if Neil follows it, he’ll have them falling for him in no time. But things don’t always go to plan – or do they?

Nicky wants to set him up with someone else. Matt and Jeremy are confused but supportive. Allison and Seth offer lewd suggestions, while Dan does her best to keep everyone in line. Jean and Renee know something, Aaron doesn’t really care, and Kevin just wants Neil to join the lacrosse team.

But one thing’s for certain – whether Neil’s successful or not, everyone’s got money riding on this.

The romance-trope-filled fanfic of my dreams. Sometimes you just need a fic of pure joy -- this is that fic.

Chapters: 14/14

Rating: Mature

Warnings:

finders keepers by moonix ( @annawrites )

Andrew meets Nathaniel through a scavenger hunt app. As their team takes part in a hunt that sends each of them to creepy, abandoned places alone to solve clues and gain points, Andrew and Nathaniel begin a little treasure hunt of their own. The anonymity of getting to know each other in small increments, never meeting face-to-face, allows them a level of intimacy neither are used to. Meanwhile Renee’s friend Neil is acting weird whenever Andrew shows up…

This was one of the first fics I read for aftg!! And BOY what a great start!! All of the little pieces and parts that work together, and just the scavenger hunt itself is fantastic! (I also REALLY wanna know if there is an app like this out there because I would be down to do that)

Chapters: 8/8

Rating: Mature

Warnings: (these all come from the author:) “mentions of historical abuse in a mental asylum, mentions of suicide, mentions of murder and kidnapping, morbid facts, creepy abandoned places including a haunted house at a theme park with disturbing rooms, special appearance of a creepy clown doll, fatphobia and some introspection on body image/complicated relationship with food, mention of self harm scars”

-----

Scared to Live (But I’m Scared to Die) by Major_816 ( @major816 )

Neil Josten goes to the Nest for Andrew, but he stays for a lot more.

"I'm sorry Coach," he muttered.

"For what kid?" Wymack shifted. "You've got to give me something to work with here."

Wymack watched the thin traces of sorrow as paper exchanged hands and he was looking down at a contract with the Edgar Allan Raven's.

"I signed them Coach, I'm sorry."

The one where Neil doesn't come back from Winter Break.

It is VERY dark, and is one of very few fics that I have actually been almost unable to read one of the scenes, so DEFINITELY pay attention to the warnings -- both these, and the ones provided for each individual chapter. I did go through the fic to collect as many warnings as I could find in the chapter warnings, but be sure to take care of yourself.

Chapters: 36/36

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: rape/non-con elements, implied/referenced rape/non-con, discussions of rape/non-con, canon-typical violence, graphic descritions, physical abuse, panic attacks, descriptions of injuries (often graphic), psychological warfare, dissociating, psychological torture, physical torture, use of knives, alcoholism/alcohol abuse, pain-induced delirium, rape/non-con, emotional self-separation, suicidal ideation/thoughts of suicide, emotional distress (which sums up the whole fic and also me while reading it), handcuffs/chains used as restraints, referenced/implied abuse towards animals, vomitting, begging, excessive use of painkillers, drowning, waterboarding, physical restraint, mutilation of an animal, mild hallucinations, non-con drugging, sleep deprivation, starvation, humiliation, the Butcher,

Also one of the first fics I read and 100% my absolute favorite fic!!! Which is adfjhsd a little worrying, considering, but it is what it is. Anyway. This fic absolutely wrecked me, and while it is technically complete, there is a sequel in the works! So! But I am so so excited for the sequel, and I am working on rereading this. It’s amazing. 1000/10.

#also!! btw i would love if anyone has more fic recs >> just an fyi >>#idk if demesh doesn't have a tumblr but i couldn't find one :(#also major816 for some reason i can never tag and idk why #aftg #all for the game #andreil #the foxhole court #tfc #andrew minyard #neil josten #fic rec #rec list

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